1 94 Mifcelhma. Ct/^, Vol. Ill . 



A 'Letter from ikfr. John Monro 

 to the ^nbltjher^ concerninfr the 

 Catacombs of * Rome and Na- 

 pies, 



SIR, 



TH E Catacombs are an obfcure Argu- 

 ment. I have feen thofe of Rome, I 

 have feen thofe of Naples, and as they fay 

 there are Catacombs in the Neighbourhood 

 6f all the great Towns of that part of Italy^ 

 I had been glad to have feen them where-f 

 ever they are. They are an obfcure argur 

 ment indeed; but perhaps the greateft oV 

 Icurity about them is, that a Matter that 

 has fb much excrcis'd the Pensof theModerns, 

 Ihou'd be totally neglefted by the Ancients : 

 Jsleither the name nor the thing is found in 

 the latter, whereas among the former, An- 

 tiquaries and Travellers are full of them. All 

 they into whofe way they come, think they 

 do nothing if they do not exhauft; th^m be-r 

 fore they leave them ; they take all their di- 

 menfions, and meafure their height, their 

 breadth and their length v they furvey all the 

 little Rooms, fearch every hple and corner. 

 Criticize nicely on the quality, and calculate 

 the Age of the poor Painting and Infcripti- 

 ons, and make excurfions into other Argu- 

 ments, to find out the end for which thej? 



were 



