Ml 
S S O N 5 
£)nce the Porphyries^ Granites^ and the pureft Oriental 
Marlle^ to be more common at Rome^ than the Bricks 
or Stones out of the neighbouring Quarries •, the Co- 
lo^es^ PempleSy PalaceSy Amphitheatres^ Arches^ Bathsy 
Cirques y Columns y Fount ainSy Aqutsdu^lSy Obelisksy Mau- 
folaumSy and other magnificent Struflures, beihg for the 
moft Part of thefe precious Materials, whip'll tho* buried 
now in Ruins, yet flill retain fome Remains of their an- 
cient Splendor. 
The Country about Romey for ten or twelve Miles, 
is flat, but uneven, ill peopled, unhealthy, and barren 
in many Places. As to the Number of the Inhabitants, 
they are generally computed to be two hundred thou- 
iand ; but I will not be anfwerable for this Com- 
putation, thele Things being founded upon uncertain 
Conjedures, fo that even the Paflages in the ancient 
Roman Authors are very hard to be reconcile in this 
Point, fbme telling us of Three millions one thoufand 
and thirty feven, under the Reign of Augufiusy others 
of four or five Millions, whereas Suetonius computes no 
more than One million and fix hundred thoufand under 
Fiheriusy the immediate Succeflfor of Augujius •, and I 
remember that Werner Roolwinky in his Fafciculus Fern- 
poruMy does not hefitate at making them amount to 
Twenty feven millions and eighty thoufand. I fuppofe 
he included all fuch as bad the Privilege of Roman Citi- 
zens in his Account. 
T wo Days after our Return from NapleSy we hap- 
pen’d to fee the Ceremony of making either Wives or 
Nuns, of three hundred and fifty Maidens, the Fund 
for which, was raifed by a Club offixty charitable Gen- 
tlemen. This Ceremony is perform’d every Year on 
the Feftiyal of the Annunciation, when the Pope and the- 
facred College meeting at the Minerva, the Pope, (or 
in his Abfence fome Cardinal) fays High Mafs, and all 
the Girls confefs, and receive the Sacrament, being 
cloath’d in. white Serge, with Veils over their Heads, 
having only one Opening for their Sight ; they enter 
thus two. and two into the Choir, where proftrating 
themfeives' at the Pope’s or Cardinal’s Feet who offi- 
ciates, near whom Hands an Officer with a Bafon full 
of little white Bags, each of which contains either a 
Bill of fifty Crowns for fuch Maidens as chufe Marriage, 
or a Bill of an hundred Crowns for thofe that are wil- 
ling to embrace a religious Life. Each Maiden ha- 
ving declared her Choice, receives her Bag hanging on 
a little String, with a Kifs, and fo goes off to make 
Room for another. Thofe that have chofen a religious 
Life are crown’d with Garlands of Flowers, and have 
the firft Place afllgned them in the Proceffion. At 
that Time there were no more than thirty two of thefe 
among the three hundred and fiftyi 
Having taken a full View of the Minerva, (where 
we faw the famous Statue of Chrift embracing the 
Crofs, the Work of Michael Angelo) we went to the 
beautiful Borgbefe Palace, the Portico of which is fup- 
ported by ninety fix antique Pillars of Egyptian Granite. 
In the lower Rooms alone are no lefs than feventeen 
hundred original Pidlures, by the befl Mafters of Eu-- 
rope, among which, that of Venus blindfolding Cupid, 
done by Fitian, far excels the reft. The Pidlure of PaulY. 
(who was of this Family) in moft exquifite Mofaick 
Work, is reputed to contain above a Million of Pieces, 
which however I cannot find by my Calculation. We 
alfo faw here a Crucifix of the fame Bignefs with that 
Ihewn us by the Carthuftans at Naples, and they aflfured 
us that this is that celebrated Original of Michael An- 
gelo, The Name of Rotundo was given to the Pantheon 
by common People, by reafon of its circular Figure. 
Boniface IV. dedicated it to the Virgin and all the Mar- 
tyrs, whence he call’d it St. Maria ad Martyres : And 
another Pope would needs comprize all the Saints with 
the Martyrs. The Origin of its ancient Name is like- 
wife fomewhat doubtful, fome deriving the Etymology 
of the Pantheon and afcribing its Convexity to the Re- 
femblance of the Heavens ; others alledging, that it 
was dedicated to Jupiter, and Cyhele the Mother of the 
Gods, others, to Jupiter, and all the Gods. This laft 
Opinion feems to be founded upon the many Niches 
which are feen in the Inftde, and were (queftion- 
through the Book If. 
lefs) full of Idols : But if we may believe Varro who 
tells us of no lefs than thirty thoufand Gods worfhin- 
ped at 5 and the Bru Alius, who hi 
his Speech to the Senate, makes them amount to’ no 
■lefs than two hundred and eighty thoufand there 
are not near Niches enough to accommodate ail thefe 
Deities. 
This Temple, though defpoiled of its beft Orna- 
ments, yet is One of the faireft and moft entire Pieces 
of Antiquity in Italy. The Columns of the Portico of 
this Churcn are all of one Piece of Granite, of the Co- 
rinthian Order, not equally big, but, according to the 
moft exadt Meafure I could take, they were fifteen 
Inches in Compafs, fome few Inches lefs or more : 
That Piece of Granite, in which the Opening of the 
great Gate is cut, is forty Foot high, and near twenty 
broad. The two Lions under the Portico of the Pan- 
theon flood formerly on the Front of the Temple of 
Ifis, La Guillitiere (who is follow’d by Meurjius ^ would 
needs perfuade us, that the Pantheon of Athens furpaffes 
that of Rome m Magnificence, having miftaken the 
Temple of Minerva for the Pantheon, into which Error 
they have been mifled by the erroneous Account oiFheo- 
dojius Zygomala, in his Letter to Martin Crufius •, or per- 
haps by the miftaken Name of Parthenion, which Pau- 
fanias gives it. 
It being not my prelent Purpofe to give you a parti- 
cular Defcription of Churches, I will only communicate 
to you my Obfervations upon them. That of St. Peter 
has the Reputation of the moft magnificent and large!!; 
Church in the Univerfe : He that is willing to give a 
true Judgment of it, muft not be fparing of his Pains 
in viewing it frequently, as well on* the Top int-o the 
very Ball, as the Church under Ground. You no 
fooner enter this great Strudlure, but your Eyes are fur- 
prized with the incomparable Proportions of the niceft 
Pieces of Architedlure, and a moft exadt and unpa- 
raJlel’d Order, rather to. be admired than defcribed : 
And fince you are pleafed to rely upon my Fidelity and 
Judgment, I will lend you the principal Dimenfions of 
this Strudlure, as I have taken them with the Affiftance 
of very skilful Perfons, more than once. i. The 
Length of the Church, taken on the Outfide, including 
the whole Portico and the Thicknefs of the Wall^ 
722 Engl. Feet. 2. The Length of the Church within, 
not reckoning either the Portico or the Thicknefs of 
the Walls, 594 Feet. 3, The Length of the Crols of 
the Church on the Outfide, 490 Feet. 4, The L.ength 
of the faid Crofs within, 438 Feet. 5. The Bread th^of 
the Body of the Church, 86 Feet, 8 Inches. 6. The 
perpendicular Height of the Body of the Church, 144 
Feet. 7. The Bignefs or outward Circumference of the 
Dome, 620 Feet. 8. The Diameter of the Dome with- 
in, 143 Feet. 9. The Breadth of the Front of the 
Church, 400 Feet. 10. The compleat Height of the 
Church, from the Floor to the Top of the Crofs, 
which is over the Ball, 432 Feet. ii. The Diameter 
of the Ball, 8 Feet, 4 Inches. 12., The Height of the 
Statues on the Cornilfi of the fecond Order of the 
Front, 18 Feet. Michael Angelo and Bramante were the 
two chief Architedls of this noble and majeftical Struc- 
ture, the firft under Pope Paul III. the fecond under 
Julius II. The Chair of St. Peter is fupported by the 
four Dodlors of the Church ; The Statues of Brafs gift, 
and the Tombs of Urban VIII, Paul III, Alexander VII, 
and the Countefs Maud, are moft magnificent and cu- 
rious Pieces of Workmanlhip, worthy of the Edifice 
in which they are placed. 
In fhort, where-ever you turn your Eyes, you meet 
with nothing but gilt Work, excellent Piftures, and 
Statues of Brafs and Marble, and thefe difpofed in f:> 
excellent an Order, that their Multitude does not caufe 
the leaft Confufion. The Infide of the Cupola is of 
Mofaick Work, and the Arch of the Nave of a certain 
fine Clay, with Compartments of raifed Work gilt j 
all the Pilafters are defigned to be over-caft with the 
fame Matter, as well as the remaining Part of the In- 
fide of the Church. The High Altar Hands in the 
Midft of the Crofs, diredlly under the Dome, the Pa- 
vilion being fupported by four wreath’d Pillars of 
Brafs, 
