VOL. XLIX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TKANSACTIONS. 683 



cember is under January, and so the months shorter and longer, 2 and 2, liave 

 one common compartment for each couple. Almost on the edge of the right 

 side, there is the tail of the animal somewhat bent, and this performs the office 

 of the gnomon. On the extremity of the bone, that is, of the leg, or centre 

 of the quadrant, there is a ring to hold the dial in an equipoise; and it is sup- 

 posed that in that place was fastened its plummet, such as in the like dials is to 

 fall on the present month, to determine the shadow of the gnomon on the horary 

 lines. It is observable also, that as these dials were described on a plain surface, 

 according to a fixed rule, the surface of this metal ham being in one plane con- 

 cave, in another convex, one cannot easily guess what rule the woikman used to 

 describe a dial of so difficult a kind, on a surface so irregular. 



I must not neglect to acquaint you with what has been found in a trial made 

 at Cuma, where were situated some sepulchres, which afforded many curious 

 things. In May last, our miners opened a tomb of the family Pavilia, which 

 formed a small chamber. On the floor were 3 corses, or rather their bones, 

 which were included in 4 pieces of the piperine stone. These 4 stones formed 

 fbr each corse an oblong case. The engineer, who was present at the discovery* 

 told me, that one of these bodies was all covered by a substance unknown to 

 him ; but from his account I comprehended what it was. The corse was covered 

 with a cloth of amianthus, which, as it was large, remained in this situation all 

 on a heap, but calcined by the salts of the earth, for which reason it was neces- 

 sarj' to take it up in pieces, it being become extremely brittle. However, to be 

 more sure of my opinion, I had a mind to try it in the fire, where it remained 

 unchanged; whence there is no doubt but that it is amianthus. There were 

 found a great many little pieces of paste as large as beans, which were taken by 

 the miners for comfits but are the confection, which used to be put on dead 

 bodies. They are composed of myrrh and other spices, and even now retain a 

 verj' strong smell. There was found some cloth reduced almost to nothing, 

 which had some ornament of gold embroidered on it, or rather wove into it, as 

 is more probable from the gold thread. On the above-mentioned body were 

 found some pieces of paper, for I have great reason to think it such from the 

 trials, which I have made on the old papyrus, of which we have about 800 vo- 

 lumes. This paper on one side is coloured with red minium, on the other it is 

 black. 



Besides this paper, there were found a mirror of metal, and 3 tesserae, or dice. 

 Under the corse, or bones, was found a padlock, through which were passed 3 

 iron strigils, and another that w^as broken. It is remarkable, that in all the 

 other sepulchres, that were opened at Cuma in the month of May, there were 

 found a mirror, 3 tesserae, strigils, and some very small fibulae of bone. In the 

 above-mentioned sepulchre was found a small lectisternium, or rather pulvinar 



4 s 2 



