[ 823 ] 
as excellent a performance as can well be conceived. 
The artifl has chofen to reprelent him in all thofe 
agonies, which the poor man muff have differed 
when ready to expire ; for one perceives in it every 
paffion, that would naturally arife in the countenance 
of a perfon in that fituation. We are going on with 
all poffible difpatch to examine the whole fpot be- 
fore defcribed; though we have obferved, that in 
five places, where we might have expected to meet 
with bulls or flatues, the antients had been digging 
before us, and taken them away. The method, 
whereby they regulated their fearches, feems to have 
been this : where the ground was pretty eafy to 
work, they dug through it; and where they met 
with the folid lava , they defifled. But whether they 
were in want of money, or of hands, they certainly 
did not perfect their intention ; as is plain from the 
flatues, which we have found. Our greatefl hopes 
are from the palace itfelf, which is of a very' large 
extent. As yet we have only entered into one room, 
the floor of which is formed of mofaic work, not 
unelegant. It appears to have been a library, adorned 
with preffes, inlaid with different forts of wood, 
difpofed in rows ; at the top of which were cor- 
nices, as in our own times. I was buried in' this fpot 
more than twelve days, to carry off the volumes 
found there; many of which were fo perifhed, that 
it was impoffible to remove them. Thofe, which I 
took away, amounted to the number of three hun- 
dred thirty- feven, all of them at prefent uncapable 
of being opened. Thefe are all written in Greek 
chara&ers. While I was bufy in this work, I ob- 
ferved a large bundle, which, from the fize, I ima- 
gined 
