Chap. 18.] ACCOUNT Or CGUNTEIES, ETC. 285 



queum^ is indebted for its name. In the territory of Eeate 

 is the Lake of Cutilia?^, in which there is a floating island, 

 and which, according to M. Yarro, is the navel or central 

 point of Italy. Below the Sabine territory lies that of La- 

 tinm, on one side Picennm, and behind it Umbria, while 

 the range of the Apennines flanks it on either side. 



CHAP. 18. (13.) THE riFTH EEGION OE ITALY. 



The fifth region is that of Picenum, once remarkable for 

 the denseness of its population ; 360,000 Picentines took the 

 oaths of fidelity to the Eoman people. They are descended 

 from the Sabines, who had made a vow to celebrate a holy 

 spring^. Their territory commenced at the river Aternus"*, 

 w^here the present district and colony of Adria^ is, at a distance 

 of six miles from tlie sea. Here we find the river A'omanus, 

 the territories of Pra?tutia and Palma*', Castrum Novum", 



^ A town of the ^Equi, now known as Subiaco. In its vicinity was 

 the celebrated villa of Claudius and Nero, caDed the Yilla Sublacencis. 



2 This was a to\m of the Sabines between Reate and Interoerea, in the 

 vicinity of a smaU lake of the same name. It was a mere pool, accord- 

 ing to Dionysius, being but 400 feet in diameter. It is supposed that the 

 floatmg island was formed from the incrustations of cai'bonate of hme on 

 the banks, which, becoming detached, probably collected in the middle. 

 The lake still exists, but the floatmg island has disappeared. There are 

 some fme ruuis of Roman baths in the vicinity of the lake. 



3 It was a custom with the early Itahan nations, especially the Sabines, 

 in times of danger and distress, to vow to the deity the sacrifice of aU the 

 produce of the ensuing spring, that is, of the period from the first day of 

 March till the last day of April. It is probable that m early times hu- 

 man sacrifices were the consequence ; but at a later period the following 

 custom was adopted instead. The childi'en were allowed to grow up, and 

 in the spring of their twentieth or twenty-fii*st year were with covered 

 faces dx'iven across the frontier of their native country, to go whitherso- 

 ever chance or the guidance of the deity might lead them. The Mamer- 

 tmi in Sicily were said to have had tins origm. 



* Now the Aterno, wliich falls into the sea at Atri or Ortona. 



^ A famous city of Etruscan origin, which stiU retains its name of 

 Adi'ia or Atri. It had very cont.iderable intercourse with Greece, and 

 there are extensive remains of antiquity in its vicinity, towai'ds Ruveguuno. 

 The river is stiU called the Yomano. 



^ These places are again mentioned in B. xiv. c. 8. 



7 Or "New Castle." It probably occupied the site of the now de- 

 serted town of Santo Flaviano, near the banks of the river Tordiuo, the 

 Batinus of Pliny, and below the modem town of Giulia Nova. 



