96 



But within a few years many things hare been dug 

 out of Herculaneum, near Portici, the king of Naples' 

 palace. Among these are many paintings done in stucco, 

 in water colours in fresco. They have been taken from 

 the walls of an amphitheatre, a temple, and several 

 houses, and are in great variety, some perfectly well pre- 

 served. 



^Four capifal pieces are so extremely well executed, 

 that Don Francesco de la Vega, a painter, whom the 

 king of Naples sent for from Rome, to take draughts of 

 these paintings, said, " If Raphael were alive, he would 

 be glad to study these drawings, and perhaps take les* 

 sons from them." Nothing can be more just and cor- 

 rect. The muscles are exactly and softly drawn, every 

 one in its own place, without any of that preternatural 

 swelling seen in the \voiks of some of the best Italian 

 masters. And it is surprising to see how fresh the co- 

 lours are, considering they have been under the ground 

 above sixteen hundred and fifty years. 



The matter thrown out of Vesuvius, shews whence its 

 fiery eruptions ,arise. For, pour water on sulphur, 

 mixed with filings of iron, and it soon breaks ou 1 into a 

 flame. That abundance of sulphur and iron is con- 

 tained in Vesuvius, appears not only from is ejected, hut 

 also from the mineral water, issuing from the foot of the 

 mountain. The neighbouring sea both supplies moist- 

 ure to these inflammable substances, and also salt and 

 bitumen. That Vesuvius has a communication with the 

 sea, experience shews, the waters being surprisingly ab 

 sorbed, in 1081, before the eruption, so that several ves- 

 sels before afloat, were left dry. Likewise in 16*98, the 

 sea suddenly ebbed twelve paces and the mountain dis- 

 charged a torrent of bituminous matter. When the 

 discharge ceased, and the sea returned to its former 

 height, great quantities of shells, half burnt, and. emit- 

 -ting a sulphurous smell, were found along the shore. la 

 another violent eruption, not only shells, but sea weeds, 

 and hot sea water were ejected. 



This volcano, however, affords several fresh springs, 

 some of which are conveyed to Naples, by a beautiful 



