V'o!, Ill- MifcelUneaCuriofa. 



were made. The Catacombs are a harrow 

 Gallery dug and carried a vaft way under 

 Ground, with an infinite number of others 

 going off it on all hands, and an infinite 

 number of little Rooms going off the Prin* 

 cipal, and them too. Thofe commonly 

 ftiew'd Strangers are thofe of San Sebaftiano^ 

 thofe of San Lorenz.0^ thofe of San Agnefe^ 

 and the others in the Fields a little off of 

 Smt Agnefe. They take their Names from 

 the Churches in their Neighbourhood, and 

 feem to divide the circumference of the City 

 without the Walls between them, extending 

 their Galleries every where under, and a vaft 

 way from it, fo that all the Ground under^ 

 and for many Miles about it, is faid to be 

 hollow. Now there are two forts of Au-' 

 thors that run into extravagance on this fub« 

 jeO: ; the one will have them made by the 

 Primitive Chriftians, adding, that in the 

 times of Perfecution they liv'd, held their 

 Afiembleis, and laid up the Bodies of theit 

 Martyrs and Confeffors in them. This is 

 the Account that prevails at Rome^ and con- 

 fequent to it there are Men kept conftaatly 

 at Work in them. As foon as thefe Labour-* 

 ers difcover a Repofitory, with any of the 

 marks of a Saint about it. Intimation is giv- 

 en to the Cardinal Treafurer, who immer 

 diately fends Men of Probity and Reputati- 

 on to the place, where they find a Palm 

 painted or ingraven, or the Cypher XP, 

 which is commonly read pro Chrifio^ or a 

 fmall round projedion in the fide of the Gal- 

 lery, a little below the Repofitory, what is 

 ivithin it is carried to the Palace* Many of 



