ITALY. LETTER VIII. 0,0, 



been defcribed in many books, that by them 

 they are known to you, and that my defcriptions 

 would not afford you the leaft part of the delight 

 which they will force upon you if feen by your- 

 felf. Therefore I will be true to Natural Hiftory, 

 and go on, under the conduct of this generally neg- 

 lected or unnoticed guide, to admire Roman art. 

 If Art be Nature's daughter, both will, I hope, 

 very well agree together. I have already obferved 

 feveral forts of antique granite, bafaltes, por- 

 phyry, and marbles, in the treafures of the capi- 

 tol, the villa Albani, the villas, and the churches. 

 I have vifited fome of the marble- and (lone-cut- 

 ters i and, though they are Jews in their trade, I 

 have bought many fine famples. But I fpare their 

 defcription till my return, when I mall have feen 

 and examined, at leifure, more churches and 

 collections. Then you are fure of fome good 

 fupplements to the Lithography of the Ancients, 

 in which you have penned already down fo many 

 fine obfervations. Rome is, indeed, on this ac- 

 count, the beft place for a Mineralogift. They 

 cannot dig here in the adjacent vineyards through 

 the rubbifli and ruins of ancient palaces, which to 

 the heighth of fifteen feet cover the pavings of old 

 Rome, (fee Madame Du Bocae's Lettresfur I' Italic) 

 without meeting with rich provifions of the fined 

 antique marbks, porphyry, and bafaltes, which 

 H 2 the 



