No. II. — Herculaneum, Pompeii, and Stabice. 1131 



and free from the accumulated ejections of Vesuvius, since we 

 learn from Columella that there were salt pits in the vicinity 

 of the city. 



" Quae dulcis Pompeia palus, vicina salinis 

 " Herculeis " 



PoMPEiT was seated on the river Sarno, a fact which appears, 

 before the discovery of the cities, to have thrown the greatest 

 light upon their true position. The river still flows, though 

 probably changed from its old course, divided into two bran- 

 ches, and passes near the modern village of Scafati, to the east 

 of Pompeii. This city was probably larger, and more im- 

 portant than Herculaneum. Seneca {Nat. Qucest. vi. 1.) calls 

 it " Celebrem Campaniae urbem ;*" while PHny and Tacitus in- 

 form us that it was a municipal town. On the other hand, we 

 have reason to believe that Herculaneum was considered a small 

 one, from the authorities of Sisenna, Dionysius, and Strabo.* In 

 this view it is interesting to know what was its real size, which 

 we have now sufficient data for accurately determining. The 

 walls of Pompeii are above three miles in circumference. 



Some modern writers have, I think, derived the name from 

 the Pompeian family ; but we have every reason to believe the 

 city to be far more ancient than to render this opinion probable ; 

 and Solinus expressly refers it to the triumphs (pompce) of 

 Hercules, when, on his return from Spain, he founded the 

 city which bore his own name. Although the exploits of 

 Hercules rank among the fables of mythology, we are not to 

 carry our incredulity so far as to imagine that there was never 

 a foundation for these relations, or to invalidate the testi- 

 mony of antiquity with regard to traditional etymologies. 

 The name has been variously spelt ; Pompeii, Pompeia, Pom- 

 pejes, Pompei; but I have adopted the first, not only as war- 

 ranted by the best English authorities, but as being apparent- 

 ly the true nominative of the Latin (plural) appellation. Pom- 

 peii was anciently a sea-port, as we learn indirectly from clas- 

 sical sources, -j- but especially from the obvious arrangements 



• Cluverius. This goes against the opinion of Ferrari, already cited, 

 who considered Herculaneum the third city of Campania. 



t The most remarkable authority I am acquainted with is that of Livy, 

 who mentions a Roman fleet being driven into Pompeii, and dispersing 

 marines to the plunder of the Nucerian territory. " Classis Romana in 



VOL. X. NO. I. JAN. 1829. H 



