[ 620 ] 
February 1757, was found a fmall and mod: beau- 
tiful figure of a naked Venus in bronze, the height 
of which is fix Neapolitan inches. She has filver 
eyes, bracelets of gold on her arms, and chains 
of the fame metal above her feet ; and appears in the 
attitude of loofening one of her fandals. The bafe is 
of bronze inlaid with foliage of filver, on one fide 
of which is placed a dolphin. 
In July we met with an infcription, about twelve 
Neapolitan palms in length, which I have here 
copied. 
IMP > CAESAR 1 VESPASIANVS » AVG » PONTIF’ MAX 
TRIB > POT . Vil • IMP • XVli • P • P • COS ■ vTf • DESIGN • vTTl 
TEMPLVM » M A TRIS > DEVM * TERRAE ' MOTV* CONL APS ViM ’ RESTIT VIT 
After having found a great number of volumes of 
papirus in Herculaneum ; many pugillaries, dyles, 
and dands with ink in them, as formerly mentioned ; 
at length, in the month of Augud, upon opening a 
fmall box, we alfo found, to our exceeding great joy, 
the inftrument, with which they ufed to write their 
manufcripts. It is made of wood, of an oblong 
form, but petrified, and broke into two pieces. There 
is no flit in it, that being iinneceffary, as the ancients 
did not join their letters in the manner we do, but 
wrote them feparate. 
In September were difcovered eight marble buds, 
in the form of terms. One of thefe reprefents Vi- 
tellius, another Archimedes ; and both are of the 
fined workmanfhip. The following chara&crs, in 
a black tint, are dill legible on the latter, namely,. 
APXIMEA which is all the infcription that now 
remains. 
In 
