M O S 



7SO 



M O S 



Mosaic, spirit. Various persons interested in the games appear 

 '"^"Y"*-'' in other portions of the course, and beyond it ; but part 

 of the whole pavement has been destroyed, by the waste 

 of time and the injury of the workmen by whom it was 

 discovered. A double row of circular compartments 

 bound th sides of the course, some of which aie very 

 entire. Each is about three feet and r. h;ll iii iiaineter, 

 ornamented by a broad circular border as a frame. The 

 whole plan is finished by an exterior border h'ghly em- 

 bellished. Nine of these compartments arc occupied 

 by busts of the nine muses arranged after the manner 

 prescribed by Hesiod, and in tiie order of the books of 

 Herodotus, but alternately, so that a compartment con- 

 taining a mask, or an animal or sonic other subject, is 

 always interposed between two. The name of each muse 

 is inscribed in her respective compartment, and sev eral 

 have their respective attributes, concerning which, an- 

 tiquaries have been frequently at variance, nor is it pro- , 

 bable that the ancients themselves absolutely coincided 

 on the subject. Calliope has a book, Polhymnia a lyre, 

 those of Erato and Terpsichore are not equally obvious. 

 The countenance of the muses is handsome, deep 

 brown, as if belonging to a southern climate, with re- 

 gular features, and fine large animated eyes. All have 

 darker or lighter auburn hair, artificially disposed after 

 different fashions, and some have ornaments on the 

 head. They have for the most part a cloth thrown 

 over an under garment, the latter appearing in Urania 

 to be a robe. 



The other compartments are occupied by a cen- 

 taur, the genius of the circus games ; children in diffe- 

 rent-coloured tunics, representing the seasons ; and ani- 

 mals either ' finished or outlined. The floor also be- 

 tween the different compartments exhibit various birds, 

 fruits, and flowers. Great diversity of colour is seen in 

 this mosaic, without that delicate and regular degrada- 

 tion, however, which is employed by the moderns ; but 

 we are compelled to refer the reader to the splendid 

 work of M. Laborde on the Mosaics nf Italica, for fur- 

 ther illustrations of this composition. The pavement is 

 supposed to have belonged to the hall of the baths of 

 a palace or city of that name, which was founded 208 

 years before Christ, and that it was constructed ante, 

 rior to the reign of Domitian. 



In the year 1 80G, a fine mosaic pavement, of lesser 

 dimensions, but relative to the same subject, was dis- 

 Mosaicat covered at Lyons, which M. Artaud ascribes to the 

 Lyons. first century of the Christian era. It is composed of 

 small marble cubes, sometimes interspersed with pastes 

 of different colours ; and extends fifteen feet and a half 

 in length, by nine and a half in breadth, exclusive of 

 an ornamental border. The whole details of the games 

 of the circus are represented here, from which it ap- 

 pears that no less than eight chariots started at a time, 

 some of which are broken, and the horses and chariot- 

 eers have fallen, as in the mosaic of Italica ; for it was a 

 point of address among the ancients to overthrow their 

 competitors in the course. Some of their horses are 

 white, grey, or pale bay ; their figures are elegant and 

 animated, and they exhibit " a cut, set tail, after the 

 English fashion.'' A number of persons, in their pe- 

 culiar costume, seem to have a share in the games ; 

 and in general those presiding are clothed in blue, 

 which M. Artaud conjectures to have been the national 

 colour of the Gauls. From this and the preceding 

 mosaic of Italica, several passages of the classical au- 

 thors are illustrated, which have hitherto embarrass- 

 ed antiquaries. Artaud, Description d'nn Mosaique. 



The ordinary subjects seem to have been the Circen- 

 sian games, theatrical scenes, marine deities, triions, 

 and nereids, all as requiring a large space, and adapted 

 to the situation. Nothing has been more celebrated, 



on another scale, than three pigeons washing them- Mosaic, 

 selves, and a fourth drinking from the vessel, compos- Musam- 

 ed of marble fragments, not exceeding a line square, v ^?"^ -r/ 

 and adjusted with admirable precision. Many of the ^^~ 1 '""" 1 

 ancient mosaic works, we have seen, were devoted to 

 the embellishment of halls and baths, and exhibited 

 lively represeiitat ons ; but with the decay of the Ro- 

 man empire, they were employed in the decoration of 

 churches, and their subjects altered to those of a grave 

 ler. On the roof of the baptistery of the church 

 ol Si. John at Ravenna, the baptism of Jesus Christ 

 is represented in mosaic ascribed to the fifth century. 

 The ceremony is performed partly by sprinkling, and 

 partly by immersion. A circular compartment in the 

 centre is occupied by Christ standing upright in the 

 river, and John holding a long misshapen cross in one 

 hand, pours water from a shell, or some vessel on his 

 head, with the other, while a dove descends above 

 the former. It likewise contains a human figure in- 

 scribed Jordann, rising out of the water, which is 

 probably a personification of the sacred river. This com- 

 partment is environed by full length figures of the 

 twelve apostles, and the whole is surrounded by a bor. 

 der, consisting of pulpits, altars, and other subjects. 



The church of St. Peter's at Rome contains the most 

 extensive collection of modern mosaics extant, whether 

 in decorating the cupolas, tombs, or altars. There arc 

 many pictures of large size, after the paintings of Ra- 

 phael, Guido, Carlo Maratti, Guerci::o, and other great 

 masters, representing either portions of scriptural his- 

 tory, the miracles of later saints, or events of their 

 lives. It is here that, the works of distinguished art- 

 ists being accumulated, we are enabled to judge of 

 their respective talents. Independent of these, many 

 ancient mosaics are to be seen in other churches, and 

 in the various museums of that city. 



With respect to the mosaics which have been disco, 

 vcred at different times in Britain, which was so long 

 a Roman province, sufficient information will be found 

 in the Arclicenlogia, nnd MiMumenta Vclusla, another 

 work published by the London Society of Antiquaries, 

 and the works of Mr. Lysons ; and for an account of 

 mosaics in general, the treatises of Cmmpim and Fu- 

 r/eiti may be consulted. See also Cadell's Travels in 

 Carninla and Italy, vol. i. p. 517, vol. ii. p. 202. and 

 the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, vol. ii. p. 348, 

 and vol. iii. p. 419. A very splendid work on mosaics, 

 is now publishing by M. Artaud of Lyons, (c) 



MOSAMBIQUE, or MOZAUBICO, an island on the 

 east coast of Africa, and the capital of the Portuguese 

 settlements in that quarter. This island, which resem- 

 bles a crescent, with the hollow part towards the sea, 

 measures about two miles and a half in length, and a 

 quarter of a mile in breadth. It is situated in 15 10' 

 S. latitude, and 41 E. longitude, in the mouth of a bay 

 nearly three miles in circuit, which furnishes a safe 

 and convenient haven for shipping. On the north ex- 

 tremity of the island, is a strong fort of an octagonal 

 form, furnished with six bastions, and containing SO 

 pieces of cannon, besides a large howitzer, capable of 

 casting stones of 100 Ibs. weight. The situation is well 

 chosen, and more than thirty of the guns bear upon the 

 entrance into the harbour. In lo'OS, it resisted a vigo- 

 rous attack of the Dutch, who landed in considerable 

 force upon the island ; and after three wetks of nna. 

 vailing exertion to reduce the place, were compelled to 

 reimbark with loss. The aiichorage is on the north- 

 west side of the island, on a flat level sand, well pro- 

 tected from the sea, and within a musket-shot of the 

 shore, where there is a very commodious landing-place, 

 with steps on either side of a pier, which extends a con- 

 siderable way into the sea. Immediately opposite ta 



