5Sa ■ Misson’s Travels through the Book II. 
Italians, than to canonize all the illuftrious Men 
of Antiquity, whether Cbrijlians or Pagans. It is cer- 
tain that Augujlus was born at Rome^ under the 
Confulate of Cicero and Anthony, as Suetonius poflitively 
affirms : It is however true, that his Family deduced its 
Origin from Velitri, Gentem OSlaviam Velitris fr^ecipiam 
oUm fuijfe, multa declarant. The fame Author tells us, 
that the Chamber in which he was nurs*d, near Velitri, 
was held in the fame Veneration as now the holy Houfe 
of Loretto : Hue introire, fays he, niji necejfarib Cf cajis 
religio e§f. Hemere adeuntihus metus C? horror objiciela^ 
tur. In the Midft of the Market-place of Velitri ftands 
a curious Brazen Statue of Pope Urban VIII. fitting, as 
generally all the Statues of Popes are reprefented, to 
denote (as I fuppofe) their Superiority over other 
Princes. The Marquels de GinettPs Houfe is worth 
viewing, both for its pleafant Situation, and the many 
Antiquities preferved there j which are fine and judici- 
oufly chofen. 
Defending from the Hill of Velitri, we took Notice 
of a great many Caves dug on purpofe to keep their 
Wines cool ; after which we travel’d for fifteen Miles 
through a poor Country, to the Foot of the Mountain, 
on the Top whereof ftands the little City of Lermonetta, 
built upon the Ruins of the old Lera. About four 
Miles further we faw, on the Left Hand, about fifty Paces 
from the Highway, certain ancient Ruins, which they 
told us were the Remains of the Place called by St. Paul 
the Three Shops, but now the Three Taverns. On the 
Right Hand we difeover’d the Cape called now-a-days 
Monte Circello, fuppofed by fome to have been an Hand 
formerly : Here it was that the jealous Circe changed 
her Rival Scylla, the Miftrefs of Glaucus, into a Sea 
Monfter, and UlyJJes^s Companions into Hogs. A little 
Way from the Three Taverns you fee the City of Letia, 
feated on a Mountain ; its ancient Fame for the Good- 
nefs of its Wine is now quite loft, the Mountain pro- 
ducing nothing of that Nature at prefent. It is true, 
the Woods, wherewith thefe Mountains are almoft co- 
vered, produce Abundance of thofe Trees, called Ficus 
Indica, fome of which grow up to the Height of thirty 
or forty Foot, with Trunks as thick as a Man : Law- 
rels and Myrtles you find in great Plenty in the Hedges, 
and Abundance of Orange Trees in the open Field. 
Not far from Letia, at the Village of Caja Nuova, 
you may take Boat upon the Lake, which brings you 
to Terracina, but we continued our Journey by Land, 
and turning to the Left, entred into a Valley, which 
brought us to the Mountain and City of Piperno. In 
our Paffage thither I obferved a Churchyard planted 
with Orange-trees, a Thing not ufually feen in Italy, 
where all People of Faffiion have their Chapels or 
Vault in fome Church or Convent, and the poorer Sort 
are buried in fome private Corner, without the Cities ; 
befides, whenever they have any Churchyards, they plant 
them with Pines, Yew-trees or Cyprefles, but never 
with Orange-trees. 
Piperno is a modern City, built near the Place where 
the ancient Privernum ftood, the Metropolis of the VoV 
fei, and the Refidence of their King Metabus, Father to 
the famous Camilla. The Biffioprick of Piperno was 
united with that of Terracina, reafon of its Pover- 
ty ; They keep the Bilhop*s Chair in the Choir of the 
Cathedral. In the Church of St. Benedibi they ftiew you 
an Image of our Lady, made by St. Luke, which, they 
fay, could not be burnt at the Time of the Conflagra- 
tion of Piperno. On the Hill of Piperno, called Colle 
TO jo, the Lilies and Daffodils grow naturally in great 
Plenty : This Hill alfo affords a peculiar fine Earth for 
Potters Ware. From the Top of this Hill you may fee 
a little City called Mayenpa, near which is a Lake, 
the Waters whereof rife confiderably two Days before 
Rain. 
From Piperno we travePd over fandy Flillocks, cover’d 
with various Sorts of fempervive Shrubs ; we got after- 
wards into a Wood, where we faw Abundance of Cork- 
trees much refembling an ever-green Oak, and, to 
fpeak Truth, I believe it to be a Kind of Oak, fmcQ 
it bears Acrons : It has this peculiar Quality, that the 
more you ftrip it of its Bark, the ftronger it grows. 
and produces immediately a new one, which renders it 
very profitable. Soon after we came out of the Wood 
we went to fee the Abby of Fojfa Nuova, faid to be 
built upon the Ruins of the Forum Appii, about fome 
three hundred Paces from the high Road. The Story 
the Monks told us concerning Thomas Aquinas is a very 
odd _ one *, they affirm, that the faid Thomas Aquinas, 
in his Way from Fondi to the Council of Lyons, findino- 
himfelf very ill, alighted from his Mule, and faftnin” 
a Stick in the Ground, tied his Mule to it, whilft he laid 
himfelf down to fleep in a Corner of the Wood not far 
from the Church ; the Mule getting loofe, ran ftrait 
to the Church, and fetting his Feet in the Choir, funk 
in an inftant into the Pavement, where he died. They 
fiiew you the Print of his Feet, over which they have 
laid an Iron Grate. However, as they fearch’d after the 
Mafter, to chaftife him for his Negligence, they met 
with St. Thomas, who was fo afflifled at the Lofs of his 
Mule, that he died within a few Days after in this Con- 
vent, where his Body was entomb’d in the Church, and 
was from thence afterwards removed to Fondi, and from 
Fondi to Tholoufe. 
About ten Miles thence we began to difeover certain 
Remnants of the ancient high Road call’d Via Appia, 
made by Appius Claudius when he was Cenfor ; You fee 
it come out of a deep Marffi, which is at prefent inac- 
ceflible, whereas formerly it was the direeft and com- 
mon Road from Capua to Rome % a convincing Inftance 
of the perpetual Viciffitude of worldly Things. The 
fame Thing we obferved in our Way betwixt Citta 
Cabiellana and Rome, of the ViaFlaminia, of which we 
faw now and then confiderable Tra6ls preferved entire, 
as on this Side Regnano, and towards Cajlel Nuova, fifteen 
Miles from Rome ; whereas in other Places it mounts 
up to inacceflible Mountains, and in other Places it is 
fwallowed up in deep Marffies and Valleys, occafioned 
queftionlefs by Winds, Rains, great Floods, Earth- 
quakes, and other fuch-like Accidents, which pro- 
duce fuch ftupendious Changes upon the Surface of the 
Earth, 
In my Opinion thefe famous Roads are more furpri- 
zing than moft other Pieces of Antiquity, confidering 
that an infinite Number of Paffengers, Horfes and Cha- 
riots ffiould inceffantly, for fo many Ages, tread on this 
Pavement, and yet fo many confiderable Fragments of 
it remain entire. The Stones which compofe this Pave- 
ment are not all of the fame Bignefs, {Procopius fays 
they were all fquare, but he is in an Error) of a grey 
and reddiffi Colour, not unlike rufty Iron, very hard, 
and ten or twelve Inches thick; generally fpeaking, 
thofe of the largeft Size are above two Foot, and the 
leaft not lefs than one. Notwithftanding the great 
Difference in their Shape and Figure, they have been 
join’d fo nicely, that in thofe Places, where the Pave- 
ment is quite entire, you cannot thruft the Point of a 
Sword betwixt them. Thefe Ways, which they call 
Via Confulares, had on each Side Borders of the fame 
Stone raifed about two Foot above the reft : I have ob- 
ferved them very entire in fome Places : They called 
them Cippo or Margines, or Marginationes Viarum ; and 
it is betwixt thefe Borders the true Breadth of thefe 
Highways ought to be taken, according to which I 
found the two Ways, Via Appia and Via Flaminia, twenty 
Palms broad, with very little Difference, which makes 
fourteen Foot, bating four Inches, Englijh Meafure. In 
fome Places you fee Ruts made by the Chariot- wheels 
three or four Inches deep, the Traci whereof, from one 
Pavement to another, is the fureft Mark of its ancient 
Situation ; for the reft, the Pavement is whole and even, 
without any vifible Impreffions made by the Horfeffioes. 
They told us, that the Foundation of this Pavement 
was another very thick Lay of Stone, fix’d on a Bed of 
Sand, which keeps it from finking. All along the Road 
to Terracina are to be feen the Ruins of many ancient 
Monuments, eredted formerly for Ornament Sake, as 
on other great Roads. 
Trachina (fo call’d from its Situation upon a Rock 
of difficult Accefs) or Terrracina is the Anxur of the 
Ancients, now a poor and ill-peopled Place, feated in 
a defolate Country, A little beyond Terracina one may 
plainly 
