Royal Society. 487 
iKe parent often of great dilcovcries, opened them at laftj thus 
they conclude, that the remains of the vileft part of mankind arc 
trump'd upon the church, for the bodies of the moft eminent 
confeflbrs and martyrs : But furely, either the catacombs are not 
that great work they are reprefented to be, nor to be found every 
where about the city, or it was very improper in Fcflus Tom- 
petiis to call them by the diminitive name of 'Puticuli^ and 
confine them only to one place, which is now unknown, with- 
out the Efquiline-Gate: TuticuU are holes or pits dug per- 
pendicular m the ground, therein to throw bodies indifferently, 
and without any decency 5 and this was the conduct of the 
ancient Romans^ with refpe£l to their flaves, as implying (im- 
plicity, and a care to avoid greater expence ; after the fame 
manner when the perfecutors fpilt the blood of fo many mar- 
tyrs, they ufed to dig holes perpendicularly in the ground, 
and therein throw the bodies promifcuoufly 5 and of this the 
memory is ftill prefcrved, churches having been built in the 
places where the pits were made, and little monuments creeled 
over the pits themfelves, to which the name of Tutei is conti- 
nued to this day 5 but what is all this to the catacombs, where 
repofitories are cut, in the fides of a long gallery, one over 
another, fometimes to the number of feven, in which bodies 
were fingly laid and handfomely clofed up again, fo that 
nothing could be obferved by thofe who went in, efpecially the 
little rooms, in the fafhion of chappels, that have all the ap- 
pearance of being the fepulchres of perfons of diftinflion, and 
if they were kept in better repair, would be, without dif- 
pute, the nobleft burying-places this day in the world. 
Mr. Monro thinks they were made for this end by the anci- 
ent Roman Sy in confequence of thofe two opinions 3 ojiz. that 
the fhades hate the light, and love to hover about the place 
where the bodies are laid 3 they appear fo eafy and decent a 
refting-place for the one, without the leaft fear of being ever 
difturbed, and at the fame time there is provided a noble and 
vaft conveniency, full of variety for the others, to fblace them- 
felves freely and with pleafure therein 5 and he thinks it will 
not be denied, that laying up dead bodies in caves was the ori- 
ginal way of difpofing of them; this was the manner of the 
Phoenicians ^ and as they with their colonies peopled the wef- 
tern parts of the world, it is more than probable, they carried 
it along with them, whitherloever they came; afterwards, as 
men grew great and powerful, they erefted noble and magni- 
ficent monuments for themfelves above ground; at length 
others 
