442 
MERGE TO GYRENE. 
frequently, admirable. In several of the excavated tombs we 
discovered remains of painting, representing historical, allego- 
rical, and pastoral subjects, executed in the manner of those of 
Herculaneum and Pompeii, some of which were by no means in- 
ferior, when perfect, to the best compositions which have come 
down to us of those cities. In one of the chambers, which we shall 
hereafter describe, we found a suite of what appear to be allego- 
rical subjects, executed with great freedom of pencil and still ex- 
hibiting uncommon richness of colour. The composition and design 
of these groups display at the same time great knowledge of the art, 
and do credit to the classic taste and good feeling of the painter. It 
appears extremely probable that all the excavated tombs were origi- 
nally adorned with paintings in body colour representing either com- 
positions of figures or of animals, or at any rate devices and patterns. 
We ascertained very clearly that the different members of the archi- 
tecture have also in many instances been coloured ; and these exam- 
ples may be adduced in further confirmation of what has been inferred 
from the recent discoveries at Athens— that the Greeks (like the 
Egyptians) were in the habit of painting their buildings ; thus de- 
stroying the simplicity and sullying the modest hue of their Parian and 
Pentelic marbles! We do not allude to the representation of figures 
or compositions, which might rather, perhaps, be considered orna- 
mental than otherwise; but to the actual disfigurement of the 
several members of the architecture by covering them with strong 
and gaudy colours ; a practice as revolting to good taste and propriety 
as that of dressing the Apollo (if we may suppose such profanation) 
