574 Misson’j Travels through the Book II 
Obfervations which feem to contradict this Opinion. 
The firfl: Thing I have to offer upon this Subject is, a 
Defcription of Horace of the Puteculi^ or puhlick Burying^ 
' places of the poorer Sort, which is exaCtly applicable 
to the Catacombs ; 
Hue prius angujlis ejePta Cadaver a CelUs 
Confervas vili portarida locahat in area : 
Hoc mifera plebi^ Siabat commune fepukhrum. 
The fecond Obfervation are the Words Fata^ Diis 
manibus, Domus ^eterna^ and fuch-like, found in the 
Epitaphs of fome Tombs in the Catacombs, which I 
cannot conceive to have been in the leafl fuitable to the 
Simplicity and Piety of the inferiptions of Chriftian 
Tombs in primitive Times. I remember Mr. Spon, 
that moft celebrated Antiquary, is of the fame Opi- 
nion, in his Voyage to Greece, where he looks upon the 
Words HEthera and Superis as fufEcient Proofs to fhew, 
that the Tomb, which contain’d them, belonged to a 
Heathen. 
The glafs Vials and little metallick Veflels frequently 
found in the Catacombs, feem to be additional Marks 
of Paganifm ; and though the Romanijls preitnd thofe 
Velfels formerly contain’d the Blood of the Martyrs, 
(this is rather a ConjeClure than a ProoQ whereas it is 
certain, that the Roman Pagans ufed to put Lachryma- 
tories (in which they gather’d the Tears of certain Wo- 
men hired for that Purpofe) into their Urns and Tombs. 
I remember a certain Palfage in Tertullian^s Apologetic, 
which does not at all agree with the Pretenfions of the 
Roman Church •, he fays, The Pagans ufed to take the 
dead Bodies of the Chrikians out of their Tombs, and 
drag them about the Streets ; whence it feems very 
probable, that they would have deprived them of their 
Caves, had they difeover’d them. Befides, how can it 
be conceived that the Christians fhould be able to dig 
thofe vaft fubterraneous PalTages without being per- 
ceived ? And, how could they difpofe of the Rubbifli ? 
They will tell us perhaps, that they did not do it in fe- 
cret, and that the Sand of the Catacombs was fold by 
the poor Chrifiians, who, for this Reafon, were nick- 
nam’d Arenarii ; but this is not applicable to the Ca- 
tacombs of Naples : Befides that, it does not appear 
that the poor Christians were the only People that 
employed themfelves in the Selling of Sand about 
the City. 
The Cyphers of the Name of Chriji, Palm-branches, 
Doves of Peace, Croffes, Crowns, and other Marks of 
Chriftianity, to be feen upon the Stones of thefe Se- 
pulchres, are lb far from proving, that thefe Burial- 
places were peculiar to the Chrifiians, that they rather 
appear to be intended as Marks to diftinguifh them 
from the Infidels, The fame may be faid of the Chri- 
jlian Epitaphs, the Queftion being, not whether the Bo- 
dies of fome Christians were buried here, (which is 
beyond all Difpute) but whether all others were ex- 
cluded from being interr’d in the fame Vaults, fet apart 
for the Dregs of the People. The Pi6lures and Al- 
tars of different Sorts and Ages, found in the Cata- 
combs of Naples and Rome, have been the Produd 
either of the zealous Covetoufnefs of the Popes, who, 
looking upon the Catacombs as a profitable Source of 
Relicks, have repair’d and made fuch Alterations in 
them, as they found moft agreeable to encourage the 
Concourfe of the Pilgrims. PanciroUus gives us a large 
Account of thefe Reparations. Moft of the Bodies 
now to be feen in the Catacombs of Naples, were bu- 
ried there forty Years ago, during the great Plague that 
raged in that City. 
About a hundred and fixty Paces diftant from the 
Catacombs of St. Agnes, ftands an ancient Temple of 
a circular Figure, reputed by fome to have been the 
Temple of Bacchus, on account of the Reprefentations of 
certain Vines on the Roof, and fome Vine-branches, 
Grapes, Veffels, and fuch-like Inftruments on a Tomb 
of Porphyry in the fame Temple \ but it being certain 
that Bacchus did not die at Rome, its Nearnefs to the 
Church of St. Agnes (built by Confi^antine) feems to be, 
a fufficient Proof, that it was built by the fame Em- 
peror, to ferve for a Baptiftery to the faid Church. 
The Tabernacle of St. Agnes\ Church is fupported by 
four Pillars of the beft polifh’d Porphyry : The Statue 
of Agnes you fee there, is fuppofed to have been anci- 
ently the Statue of fome Pagan Deity, the Mantle where- 
of is chiefly remarkable. 
As it is beyond the Compafs of a modtvd^te. Treatife to 
comprehend an exa6l Defcription of all the Antiquities 
and other Curiofities I obferved in the Cabinets here, 
fo I will content myfelf with mentioning only the moft 
remarkable of thofe in the Cabinet of Mr. Bel- 
lori, which, for their Number, exceed all that ever I 
faw of this Kind. His Fortuna Panthea of Brafs is not 
above half a Foot high, this little Goddefs being a 
Compofition of ail the Charafters of Divinity appro- 
priated to other Gods, for fhe appears with the Beauty 
Venus, Juno"s> Crown, Dianade> Crefeent, the Mitre 
of Ifis, the Horn of Plenty of Ceres, Minerva*^ Robe, 
the Wings of Fame, Cupid^s Quiver, the Goat-skin of 
Bacchus, the Serpent of Efculapius, Fortune*s Rudder, 
and feveral other Charadleriftical Marks of different 
Deities ; the Fauftina deified with her Veil ftrew’d with 
Stars *, the Magna Mater, or Natura rerum parens, 
fuckling Animals of different Kinds at all her Breads \ 
the Goddefs Fortune with the Horn of Plenty in one, 
and the Nail of Neceffity in the other Hand ; the 
Buft of a young Roman, with his Golden Bull hanging 
at his Neck ; the Cijirum, or an Inftrument ufed by the 
Egyptians to call the People together to the Sacrifice, 
and afterwards introduced among the Romans for the 
fame Purpofe : It is a moft curious Piece of Antiquity, 
refembling a fmall Racket, the Wood pierced with 
four Pieces of Brafs like Cords or Rods, which play 
and make a Noife ; an ancient brown earthen Veflel 
extreamly fine, and of the fame Sound as the true Por- 
celane, with Piftures upon it reprefenting the ancient 
Cuftoms of Bathing : Among others, you fee a Wo- 
man holding in one Hand a Strigil or Inftrument for 
rubbing off Sweat, and in the other, a Guttum or 
Veffel with fweet-feented Liquors, not to mention the 
Urns, Sepulchral Lamps, Lachrymatories, PiSiures, &c. 
Father KircheP& Cabinet was once one of the moft 
celebrated in Europe, and notwithftanding its being 
garbled of late Years, retains ftill a good Colledtion of 
natural Curiofities and mechanical Engines. The Ro^ 
man College, or chief Houfe of the Jefuits, (where it is 
to be feenj is perhaps one of the fineft Palaces in 
Rome : The Library is numerous, but without any an- 
cient Manuferipts, or other Rarities. In the Great 
Hall of this Society you fee the Pidlure of the famous 
Jefuit Garnet, who was executed in England on Account 
of the Gunpowder Plot, with an Angel at his Side 
Ifiewing him the Way to Heaven, open’d to receive 
him. This Hall is adorn’d with the Pidures of many 
other Jefuits that fuffer’d Martyrdom. 
During the laft three Days in the Holy Week, we faw 
the Streets of Rome crowded with Proceffions and Pe- 
nitents with Hoods over their Heads, fome in white, 
others in violet Colour, blue, yellow, and other Co- 
lours ; fome ladling their naked Bodies with Whips of 
fmall twifted Cords, which made more Noife than they 
did Execution : It is fufficiently known that fome of 
them are hired for this Purpofe. However, the Con- 
courfe of Pilgrims was not fo great this Year as it 
had been at fome other Times. I remember I read, in 
an Account of Frinity Hofpilal, that in 1600, ("being 
the laft Jubilee Year) that Houfe entertained or provi- 
ded for (according to Cuftom) 440,500 Men, and 
2500 Women. The Italian Pilgrims are entertain’d 
here three Days, but Foreigners four Days, and are 
feryed at Table by Princes, Princeffes, Cardinals, and 
the Pope himfelf. One Thing I muft not pafs in Si- 
lence, viz. that we never met the Sacrament in Rome, 
or any other Town of Italy, except at Venice, where we 
faw it twice carried in great State under a magnificent 
Canopy, attended by a great Number of Torches. 
I muft do this Juftice to the Italians, that they are 
not pofifefs’d with the Spirit of Perfecution, at leaft 
ao-ainft Strangers ; and I don’t remember that in all 
our Travels through Italy, not excepting even Rome and 
Loretto, 
