the French Architects at Rome. 201 
quiries, The first three give the plan, elevation, and general 
section of the ancient Praneste, in their present state, and 
stripped of the modern constructions which cover them; the 
three other drawings present the plan, elevation, and general 
sections of the ancient city, with its chief edifices, restored in 
the state in which they must have existed at the time of Sylla, 
an epoch selected by the author to make the restoration. 
We there ascertain the ancient Prenestine way, which leads 
from Rome to the principal entrance of the city; its walls and 
various gates ; the easy flight of steps which lead to a first plat- 
ferm, on which was established the Forum of the city; which in 
its lower part comprehended the Basilice of milia and Fulvia, 
the Temples of Juno and Esculapius, and the pools of water for 
the use of those who came to visit the Temple of Fortune; and 
in its upper part the Temple of Jupiter Imperator with its por- 
ticos. 
Aboye the Forum are several terraces and flights of steps of 
easy ascent, constructed of irregular polygons, whicli led to a 
second platform containing the atrium and the dependences of 
the Temple of Fortune. Lastly, this temple itself erected ona 
piece of ground still more elevated and crowning the whole. 
In order to appreciate correctly the merit of such a work, we 
must consider the obstacles of every kind which it was necessary 
to surmount. 
The immense extent of these edifices, and their situation on 
the abrupt slope of a rugged mountain, were already sufficient 
to render very difficult the operations necessary for drawing the 
plans of their ruins: and how much must the difficulties have 
been increased, by the complete superposition as it were of a 
modern city, the streets, squares and public buildings of which 
intersect in every direction and disturb the arrangement of the 
ancient city! 
If we reflect that it was in spite of these obstacles, that it was 
necessary first to draw and establish in an accurate manner the 
respective directions and levels of this multitude of terraces made 
at different altitudes on the brow of the mountain; afterwards 
to ascertain the remains of the ancient monuments scattered 
over the platforms which separate these terraces; to discriminate 
between them and the modern construction with which they are 
often confoynded by the identity of the materials; finally, to 
unite and arrange all these fragments, and to form a whole out 
of them, which should agree at once with the notices left by au- 
thors, the vestiges still existing, and the rules of art; we may 
easily suppose that, to succeed in such an enterprise, it would be 
necessary to joja to a consummate practice in the study of an- 
tiquities a perseverance and sagacity of the rarest description. 
ie ‘ To 
