37^ Architecture in the United States. 



To THE GODS Manes. 



T. Flavius Herma 



to his revered wife 



Flavia Helpis.* 



The following is now preserved in the first gallery of the Vatican. 



CiNEIA PeLAGIA. 



May the earth 



BE light Ojy YOU. 



These are pagan. There is on the opposite side of the same gal- 

 lery in the Vatican, a large collection of inscriptions from the graves 

 of the early christians. They are on rough fragments of marbles, and 

 though very brief, carry us, at once, back to those times when the 

 way to the peace of the grave was through torture, fire and blood. 

 The following are some of them. 



FELICIATfUS AND APETUSA, CoNSTAJVTIA, 



IW PEACE. AGED XXX Ys. XX Ds. 



In PEACE. 



To MY HAPPY AND MUCH LOVED WIFE, 

 WHO LIVED XXVIII Ys. 



In peace. 



Without wishing to recommend any of these as models, 1 must still 

 be allowed to express my admiration of the simplicity and strong 

 power of the language. It is the language of deep feeling, short and 

 touching ; and such should always be the language of a monument 

 where there is any attempt at sentiment. If we are incapable of 

 such feeling, or of expressing it, we shall do best to confine our in- 

 scription to name, title and date. I like to see a short verse from 

 Scripture, if appropriate : poetry is almost uniformly an entire failure. 



A burying ground should be at first not very large, else there will 

 be much waste ground ; it will be neglected ; will become overgrown 

 with rank vegetation, and will be any thing else than the neat clean 

 spot it ought to be. The plot should be divided into small family 

 compartments, with very narrow passages between : alleys should 

 pass through the whole, but these should also be narrow, for the sake 

 of avoiding waste ground as much as possible. Trees should be 

 planted, not in avenues but adjoining the graves. Avenues would be 

 formal here and out of character : sorrow and affection bear rule in 

 a grave yard, and we never expect them to make such provision for 

 public comfort as is shewn in an avenue. There is a kind of selfish 

 character about them : and it is the only instance in which selfishness 



* Vide Montfau^on L'Antiquite Expliquee. 



