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cans, indeed, long since melted away under the Roman sway, their his- 

 tory and language well nigh perished ; and yet they have left behind 

 them, in a way that cannot be mistaken, the impress of tlieir civiliza- 

 tion, their industry, and their arts. 



Near Penigia ancient Etruscan tombs have been excavated. Into 

 one of these I descended; and there the sculptured marble of the 

 tombs — the marble effigies reclining upon them — beautiful specimens 

 of art — of art that might vie with the Grecian — appeared as fresh and 

 perfect as if but recently executed. Then I ascended to the world 

 above, and looked about upon the fields, and looked toward the walls 

 and spires of Perugia reposing upon its ancient hill, and reflected ; — 

 the men who first built that city and worked these fields were the men 

 who wrought these forms of beaulf' upon the tombs ; their successors 

 have not been able to improve upon their conceptions of symmetry and 

 grace — have they improved upon the arts of industry ? Are not their 

 fields to-day what they were four thousand yeare ago ? How wonder- 

 ful the trixmiphs of mind, genius and taste — impressing themselves in 

 the form of old prescription and habit even upon races who have lost 

 their spirit ! Hoav wonderful too the bounteousness of Nature ! — the 

 plow which has turned over these fields four thousand years, still finds 

 the same fertility, and gains the same rewards of industry ; and com, 

 wine and oil still abound to strengthen and cheer man's heart, and to 

 cause his face to shine. 



The Perugia route leads the traveller through a most enchanting 

 country often awakening dreams of Paradise, and a country, too, of great 

 fertility. But here, although rich pastures abound, and that fine breed 

 of white cattle with their clean branching horns — a breed celebrated in 

 poetry ; a luxury very common with us can scarcely be found — I mean 

 butter. You may have beef and bread, but you look in [vain for but- 

 ter. In Rorne the market is supplied with good butter; and once on 

 my journey to Florence, when I asked for butter I was supphed with a 

 small piece which had been brought from Rome. The bread of Italy, 

 however, is generally good, and in the principal towns very excellent — 

 Bread-making is probably the most ancient of the culinary arts. The 

 charred loaves taken from Pompeii and still preserved at the Museum 

 at Naples have a very famihar and home-hke aspect. Bread-making in 

 Europe is earned to greater perfection than with us. No better bread 



