‘Many 
506 
to find. it here placed by Calliope, 
in a monument of the fourth cen- 
tury, fince it was then ufual to recite 
pieces of hercic poetry in the afiem- 
blies held for the celebration of folemn 
‘games*. if 
On one of the fides, occupied. by the 
Arabetl cs, 1s a lock, ferving to introduce 
the key, mtended to open the Scrinium, 
Among the other pieces of furniture 
are two feonces, or arms encircled with 
bracelets, each of whicn holds a chande- 
Her, very fhort, of a cylindrical form. In 
former ages they ufed to be attached to 
the walls; whence in fome countries of 
Europe, this kind of candlefiick is to 
this. day called an arm of the chimney, 
alh uding to its ancient form. 
there ai moreover, in this treafure, 
five little f {quare plat eS, of the platter or 
faweer fhape, the work manthip of which 
iswell executed ; together with four round 
porringers without handles, of no conf- 
derabie depth or concavity. 
In the infide of each of thefe, is en- 
graved a cy pher or eae We inchafed 
er carved in gold, ne the following 
manner— RAR of —This cypher is 
incircied with a crown of laurel, one 
half of which is gilt; the other half i 
coloured in enamel, which, by the Ri 
mans, was called nigillum ; ; they ufed it 
for the parpole of varying and embel- 
Hihing their filver plate. They gave it 
this name, becaufe its brown or grecnith 
colour approaches pretty nearly to black. 
Cyphers are often found on monuments 
ef every defeription from the fourth cen- 
tery and af frerwards. They comprized 
ail the Nie of a name, fometimes of 
names; were of different fizes, and 
were eeeped in an odd manner. In the 
Lambecian calendar of Philocalia, which 
appears to have been of the fourth cen- 
ee the vord oyiente is formed in the 
cypher ityle. “Che confular dyptics con- 
tant fimilar cyphers often very difficult to 
wnriddie 3 and the ¢ apitals of the pillars 
in the church of St./Vital, at Raverond, 
en which are the words Titus, Corne- 
hits epee: letters arranged after 
the fame are weil Known to an- 
“ 
= 
ok 
+n 
inanner, 
- tkyuarians. 
exhib:ted, con- 
aaleh ake 
1ere isan 
\icrip- 
Fhe monogram here 
tains the names Projcdig fuse? ; 
Projecta, wite of Lurcius. JF! 
analogy between the name of the 
tion ane is On the firtt coffer S P; -ofeeta 



* See the Defeription of the Pio-Clementine 
Maiteuin, Vol. fp. 4s | and Vol? 
+ HNiontfaucom, Dian Irate, cup. 
Defeription of the Toilet of. a Roman Lady. 
[Supe 
& Secunde. There were two confiderable 
perfonages at Rome, in the fourth cen- 
tury, both of whom were named Turazs 
Secundus. One of thefe was prefeét of 
Rome in the .year 13395 the other dif- 
charged the fare office in 362 *. They 
re vee the Afferian family, which dur- 
bs thrée centuries fucceflive ‘ly, occupied 
the moft diftinguilaed pofts in the Ro- 
man empire. Turcvs Rufus Apronia~ 
nus. Aiterius was conful im the wef, in 
494 t. 
it is highly probable, that the different 
articles of filver.. plate compofing this 
colleéiion-were part of the furniture of 
the lady of one of the two prefeéis of 
Rome; .of. the Afterian family here 
mentioned. 
Ic muft not be omitted here, that the 
letter C in the iaft fyllable of the mono- 
gram Yurc, is fhaped- fo that it appears 
very much like a = ; and that this cir- 
cumftauce occurs alfo in each of the five 
plates, and of the four poringers. We 
thould bear-in mind, however, that the 
Romans often pronounced and wrote the 
C like G; as in the words Gaius, Gueiusy 
Gnoffus, Abdigwa, and others. Even in 
the mof ancient times we find agrigenium 
written for acragenta. Befides, thefe two 
letters refembie each other fo much, that 
it is not at all improbable, that the artifts 
who engraved the monagram, ence have 
made an equivoque =. 
At the back of the four porringers -has 
been found engraved i in very {nialledateed: 
characters cloie together, the following 
words and cyphers : 
Leet pehcelgie Nel ¢ 6 8 Fane pA 
whick may be thus interpreted: fevtclle 
quatuar pondo quing ue. - The Abbé Vis4 
CONTI has dem adaiteased the _propricty 
of 1 this interpretation, oy weighing in a 
balance all the four little porrmegers, firlt 
0 ogether, and afterwards feparately. 
In the fame cheft were alfo difcovered 
five vaies of a very beautiful conftruc- 
tion, on one of which is an Arabefk en- 
graving, and on another is aa epigraph 
in b lack enamelled letters; the colour of 
which is fomewhat faded : 
PELEGRINA VTERE FELIX. 
e 

OV. Corfini, do prefec. Urbis, ann." did. 
+ His name is t6 be feen on a iragment or 
marble built i one of the wails of the.cathedral 
ot Aix; this is a tragment of the epifaph of 
Bafil, bifhop of Aix, who died during the con- 
julibip of Atterius. 
T-in the ancient monuments 
often put for another. 
< 
ene letier is 
In 
