548 
change took place. It mutt have been at 
the fame time that the lava completely 
covered the cities of Herculaneum and 
Pompeii, and that the wretched inhabi- 
tants, compelled to retire elfewhere, were 
incorporated, fome in the city of Naples, 
and others in the city of Nola. In the 
‘Thémes of Confantine Porphyrogeneta, 
mention is made of Naples, the metropolis, 
and of Mount Vefuvius and its gulph of 
fire; but no mention is made of Hercula- 
neum orof Pompeii ; another argument to 
prove that thofe cities had entirely difap- 
peared at the time when Conftantine Por- 
phyrogeneta wrote; that is to fay, about 
the year 940. The learned, continues M. 
Ignarra, are not agreed as to the precife 
epoch to which we ought to refer the com- 
pilation of the Table or Chart of Peutinger, 
and of the Itinerary of Antoninus. - But 
on ove hand, we have juft feen that Her- 
culaneum and Pompc<ii muft have been 
‘fubfiting pofterior to the ¢ompofition of 
the Table of Pcuiinger, inasmuch as that 
table reprefents, or contains both the 
cities; On the other hand we fee, that 
towards the year 500, that is to fay, when 
Theodoric wrote to Faufius, the prefect 
of the pretorfhip, the two cities were 
no more, as the prince makes no mention 
of their diftri&t or territory. At the fame 
time we have fhewn that according to all 
probability, it muft have been in the year 
471 that they totally difappeared. Hence 
we may conclude. 1. That the Table or 
Chart, bearing the name of Peutinger, 
which is evidently of a date pofterior to 
the reign of Confiantine, isno lefs certain- 
ly of a date anterior to the yeara71. And 
2. That the Itinerary of Antonirus muft 
have been compiled pofterior to the 
fame epoch of 471. If we now find in 
the Table of Peutinger, names which can 
only be referred to more modern times, 
we muft recollect that ceographical charts 
ought to be confidered as a kind of gloffa- 
ries or lexicons of places. Thefe gloflaries 
or lexicons are nut compofed by a folitary 
effort, if we may fo peak; it is only by 
a fuccefiion of labours that they become 
complete. Each compiler adds to it 
names that the former one had omitted. 
Hence, although the firft compiler of the 
Table or Chart of Peutinger might have 
finifhed it before the year 471, there are 
found in it more modern names which muft 
have been added in the fequel. The ci-; 
tizens of Herculaneum, that took refuge 
at Naples, appear to have been received 
there and admitted to the rights of citi- 
zenfhip with marks of honour and bene- 
 Defiruttion of Herculaneum and Pompeii. 
[July 1, 
volence. It is not uncommon that new 
comers are gladly received and even treat- 
ed with more confideration than the ancient 
inhabitants. Hence we may conceive how 
the quarter wherein the refugees from 
Herculaneum eftablifhed themfelves, has 
yeen characterized in the lapidary monu- 
ments, and even in public aéts, as regza 
primaria, regio fplendidifima. At the 
commencement of this laf century, adds 
M. Ignarra, the curious were yet difputing 
about the place where formerly Hercula- 
neum was fituated. Some fuppofed that 
the place of that ancient city fhould be 
fought, where now is the palace of Portict. 
Otheis were willing to find it at the place 
called Turris C4avii, vulgarly, Torre del 
Greco. ‘The difcovery of the theatre fitu- 
ated about a furlong to the weft of the 
royal Corps de Garde, proves that Hercu- 
laneum occupied a {cite nearer to Portici 
than to ‘Torre del Greco. M. Ignarra 
endeavours, likewile, to demonftrate that 
the porticos of Hercules, of which mention — 
is made in the fatirical romance attributed 
to Petronius Arbiter, ought to be fought 
no where elfe than on the aétual {cite of 
Portici. He then conjeStures, that at the 
time of the catafiropte of Herculaneum, 
under the reign of Titus, if the city itfelf, 
by an effect of the munificence of that 
piince, was quickly reftored, at leaft, in 
pert; the theatre, which, as cannot be 
doubted, agreeably to the teftimony of 
Dion Cafus, had principally fuffered, 
was not fo fcon repaired. Perhaps, indeed, 
it was not fo at all: perhaps, there only 
remained of it the exterior faces, either of 
the ftage or of the amphitheatre. Thefe 
faces, according to the rules of architec- 
ture, were ornamented with porticos, at 
different ftages or ftories. The theatre 
remaining unoccupied, the particos only 
were frequented and known. . In a little 
tine the theatre was no longer remembered, . 
and the porticos only were talked of. ' 
Bence the interlocutors in the fatirical ro- 
mance, have taken notice of the porticos 
of Hercules, without making mention of 
the theatre. .In the fequel, thefe porticos 
themfelves difippeared, as well-as all the 
reft of the city. But the {pot on which 
they were fituated, where they had been 
fo long vifible, and to which they had given — 
their name, retained the denominaiion 5 
and agreeably to the remembrance of it, 
the place ftill bears the name of Portici. 
M. Ignarra goes farther. He fufpegts that 
even in the 15th century, a part of thofe 
porticos might have been fill fubfifting. 
He conjectures this from a paflage of San- 
nazarius. 
\, 
ny 
