II.] YOUTHFUL TRAVELS, 1826-27. 23 



anxiety to see ever since I set out from home : all that 

 surrounds me is interesting, from 2,000 years of antiquity. 

 \V- may walk with Horace, and frequent imperial resi- 

 dences, or stray with Virgil into his pastoral shades. 

 y are for centuries dead, but seem to live again in 

 their works when we at the same time behold the objects 

 j describe. Could I drink the Sabine wine with 

 indifference which grew where Horace drew his favourite 

 rage? or see the "flavus Tiberis" still run yellow 

 in its ancient bed ? or could Virgil in vain sing the 

 ' ( 'litumnique greges," while we have under our eyes the 

 verdant pastures ? ' 



In November he twice visited Vesuvius. Here is the 

 account of his second ascent : 



' At half-past two we reached the bottom of the cone. 



At the top the scene was quite different from last day, 



the whole of the large crater being full of smoke and 



fumes, while the strong sulphurous smells prevailed. We 



1 and refreshed ourselves on a hot crevice for some 



time, where we left several eggs to roast. Advancing 



now by the south edge of the crater, we had a tolerably 



easy walk about half-way round, during which we heard 



occasionally noises like thunder proceeding from rocks 



every now and then giving way from the side in great 



--os, whose fall is reverberated and renewed by the 



es of the vast cavern. At length the edge of the 



\ much lower; and here we not only went 



but iii towards the crater all at once, 



nt of 1,000 feet, exceedingly steep, but passable 



..-ilking. In this abyss Nature presented herself in a 



new form ; all was unlike the common state of things ; 



in truth in the bnwcls of the earth, where her 



mal riches \v T<- displayed in their wildest form : the 



steep we descended was composed of minerals of the 



most singular yet beautiful description. 



* ****** 



in- -our steps in this descent, which pp 



rath ;t.-d a crevasse some way down on 



