[. *55 ] 
appear to have been any covering over the feats. It 
was in the niches of the corridor of it, that alinod 
all the fine fbitues were found. 
The writer of the letter obferves, that u the notion 
Ct of this theatres being full, when the eruption hap- 
“ pened, and that the people had not time to 
“ efcape,” was probably groundlefs ; becaufe no dead 
bodies have been found in it. To which is added 
another reafon for judging, that the dedru&ion of the 
city was not abfolutely fudden ; which is, the fmall 
quantity of riches hitherto found in it ; as well as 
the very fmall number of bodies and bones, not 
amounting, in all, to above 20 fkeletons, if fo many. 
And one very extraordinary inflance is alleged in fup- 
port of this opinion, cc that they had at lead [one 
u notice j” however fhort it might be. A fkeleton 
was found in a door-way, in a running attitude ; with 
one arm extended, which appeared to have had a 
bag of money in the hand of it : for the lava had 
taken fo exadt an imprefiion of the man, that there 
was a hole under the hand of the extended arm ; 
which hole was apparently the imprefiion of the 
bag, and feveral pieces of filver coin were found in 
it. This man therefore mud have had notice enough 
of the danger, to endeavour to fecure his treafure ; 
tho’ he mud have been, as is remark’d, indanta- 
neoudy encompaded with liquid fire, in attempting 
it. 
No manuferipts have yet been found ; but they 
have met with fome few inferiptions on marble, tho’ 
none, that are of any confequence, or ferve to give 
new light in any point of antiquity. 
U 2 
The 
