12G 



E. J. SEWELL^ ESQ.; ON POMPEII. 



commonly shown, at all events in public scenes and places, with 

 some sort of covering on their heads. 



We are at once reminded of St. Paul's advice to the members 

 of the Christian community at Corinth (i Corinthians xi, 4-16), 

 and can realize that St. Paul was there urging Christian 

 converts not to add to the unpopularit}' of their new faith 

 and mode of life by any needless departure from the usual 

 customs of the society in which they lived. 



The last scene depicted is one which will arouse mixed 

 memories in the minds of some of the men present here. It is 

 a scene from school life. The schoolboy is to get a flogging. 

 He is " horsed " on the back of another schoolboy while 

 a third holds his legs. A slave is about to lay on the lash. 

 The schoolmaster stands by with an air of severe and dignified 

 composure. 



It would appear that Horace's description of his school- 

 master, Orbilius, as " plagosus Orbilius "* is thoroughly borne 

 •out by these pictures. 



The Comitiuin at the south-east corner of the Forum, and the 

 Basilica just opposite it, carry our minds to the subject of elections. 



The public notices painted on the walls referring to elections 

 and public offices are some 1,600 in number, a fact which 

 shows very clearly the interest excited by these elections and 

 the importance which was attached to them. The ordinary 

 form of an election poster in the earlier Pompeian days was, 

 to take one example — Publium Furium duumvirum, virum 

 bonum, oro vos facite. " Pray make Publius Furius duumvir ; 

 he is a good man." Another usual form is to describe a man as 

 d. T. 'p., which stands for dignum re publica — " worthy of public 

 office." In regard to one aspirant I'or ofhee we are informed — 

 " hie aerarium conservabit . . . " — he will guard the public 

 treasury. Mutatis mutandis, this is a notice that might adorn 

 our walls at this time in connection with the coming elections 

 for the London County Council. 



^ In later notices the recommendations to the electors are 

 authenticated by the addition of the names of those making 

 the recommendation. In the case of one, Claudius Verus, 

 there is an election-poster — Ti. Claudium Verum ii vir. vicini 

 rogant : " His neighbours request the election of Tiberius 

 -Claudius Verus as duumvir." 



It was an easy extension of this to put forward a candidate 



* Ep. ii, 1, 70. 



