508 
the infignia which ferved to diftinguifh, 
er decorate, the principal magiftrates. 
This appears evidently from the minia- 
tures appended to the manuferipts of the 
famous Notitca Diguiiatum, or catalogue of 
~the dignities and offices in the Roman 
empire. Inthe dyptics, the conful, or 
perfonage exhibited, is commonly feated 
between two upright figures, reprefent- 
ing Rome and Conftantinople. dn the 
famous ivory faucer, at prefent in the 
colleétion of the Duke of Tufcany, and 
Enown to haye been a work of the 
fourth century, we find an engraving of 
the cittes of Rome and Ravenna. 
The table of Peutinger contains .a 
painting of the images of Rome, Con- 
fiantinople, and Antioch, almoft exactly 
‘Smilar to thofe we are here confidering. 
And ina very ancient manufcript, which 
once belonged tothe celebrated Peiretc, 
{and which has in it a very ancient calen- 
dar, much richer in paintings than that 
at Vienna) are to be feen ereét images 
of the four cities—Rome, Confianti- 
nople, Alexandria, and Treves; each 
deiigned by its name, and accompanied 
Dy its attributes. 
Alexandria, for inftance, is attended 
by ears of corn, and the prow of a fhip. 
The Abbé GAETAN Marini, of 
Rome, who has in his poffeifion many 
eurious manufcripts of Peirefc, has com- 
municated to the Abbé Visconrt, 
the outlines of the miniatures of this 
calendar, made with the greateft exaét- 
mefs. ; 
The laft pieces of plate found in this 
newly-difcovered treafure, are certain 
parts of horfe-furniture, or breaft-trap- 
pings for horfes, for the mof part gilt, 
and called by the Romans, Phalerz. 
They are compofed of little bucklers, 
joined together, on which are fculptured, 
in relievo, the claws of lions, eagles, and 
other fmall devices, for the fake of orna- 
ment. i 
The whole of this curious treafure 
being made up of pieces deftined for 
different ufes, we are warranted, from 
this circumftance, to conclude, that it 
was concealed in hafte, and that the 
concealment was made at the time of 
fome fudden irruption of the barbarians 
—many of which are recorded to have 
raken place in the fifth century. The 
death of the perfons whofeeproperty it 
was, and the ruin of the edifice, at the 
bottom of which it was intcrred, are 
circumftances which have, no doubt, con- 
tributed to preferve the whole unim- 
paired to our days—the chet, however, 
Defcription of the Teilet of a Roman Lady. 
(Sep: 
with its contents, are not the only im- 
portant objeéts which have been recently 
difcovered in the fame place. The fub- 
terranean refearches having been conti- 
nued, frefh difcoveries have been made 
in confequence, which, as they were 
gradually produced. the Abbé ViscONTE 
has taken upon himfelf the tafk of invefti- 
gating, and of which he has alfo drawn 
up a defcription, 
_ The firft piece of the more recently- 
difcovered furniture, was found at no 
-great diftance from the cafe, or cheft, 
which, as well as the other articles found 
in the fame refearch, was not inclofed in 
any envelope. Itis a large chandelier, - 
between four and five feet in height, 
only the foot, or ftock of which, is of 
4lver : it is compofed of branches, diftri- 
buted with, much lightnefs and grace ; 
the bafe forms a trevet, each of whofe 
extremities terminates an a Panther’s 
claw. 
The xoyan or bafle is of iron, covered 
by large pieces of rock cryftal, with 
the iron croffes lengthways. ‘The cry- 
ftal is cut in diferent ways; two pieces 
are fhaped as polygons; another 1s 
worked fo as to refemble mouldings; 
that which is under the receiver (poclox 
ox recipicnt)} is in the form. of a capital 
(chapiieau) of the Corinthian order, and 
is finifhed with great tafte. Some of 
the cryftals are iplit—a circumftance 
occafioned by the ruft adhering to the 
ivon which fupports them. 
The receiver (poclsnj is not made. fe 
that a lamp can be fixed in it, but it is 
furnifhed with a point intended to con- 
tain and fix a torch, or flambeau, and 
which was. called by the ancients, 
Cunxens. This. fort of chandeliers they 
called Fuxalia*. . 
‘There are none of this defcription to 
be met with in any of the cabinets of 
modern Europe; and, out of the fifty 
chandeliers engraved in the eighth volume 
of the defcriptions of the Antiquities at 
Herculaneum, juft publifhed, not ome 
is to be found which refembles this. 
The fecond piece of the lateft difco- 
very, is a filver platter of fome little 
depth, ornamented with Arabefks, carved 
or inchafed; this feems to have been a 
bafon defigned for wafhing the hands, 
and was named, in Latin, salluvium- 
Near it was found, at the fame time, 
a little’ vafe, intended for holding and 
pouring out water, The workmanfhip 

* Donatus on Terence. Andria, AG FT. 
Scene.i. v. 28. 
ef 
