146 
omit them would be injustice, and to de- 
tail every one, would make my letters, 
volumes. Some most beautiful elucida- 
tions. of the ancient mythology may be 
found, in the bearded Bacchus, with a 
female Bacchante of exquisite grace; a 
head of Minerva, another of Jupiter, un- 
commonly majestic. A very fine histo- 
rical subject, representing Minerva as- 
sisting the Argonauts to build the famous 
ship, Argo; the goddess is seated and 
finishing a sail, which is extended on a 
yard, and is directing the Argonaut, who 
Is attending very attentively to her, 
while another is busied carving the prow 
of the vessel. This article, (No. 16), is 
_ beautifully finished, and, from the delicate 
border of honey-suckle blossom, I have 
no doubt but that it formed part of the 
lower ornaments of a superb apartment, 
and placed near the eye. The bas-relief 
ef Venus, in the ocean riding on a sea- 
horse, is a subject the ancients often re- 
peated, both in their poetry and sculp- 
ture; I have one nearly resembling it 
among my antique gems. In one we 
gee, Victory pouring libations to Apollo | 
Mueagetes; in another two priestesses, in 
sacrificing vestments, standing one on 
each side of a candelabrum, which is 
lighted for a sacrifice. With one hand, 
they support the sacred fillets which de- 
corate the candelabrum, and with the 
other they raise a small portion of their 
robe, like the figure of Hope, on the coins 
of the Roman emperors, who were ex- 
treniely partial to this emblem, which 
often appears on their coronation medals 
that were struck at the commencement 
of their reign, to signify the hopes of the 
people from their new sovereign. 
The Roman personification of this di- 
vinity was different from ours; they re- 
present her under the figure of a young 
and beautiful female, holding up with one 
hand the bottom of her robe, and a 
flower in the other. I beg you will not 
be waggish on the subject, as I shall re- 
gent any indignity offered to her ladyship, 
whom I have adopted as my tutelar 
deity. The next to this, is one of such 
consequence in proving the knowledge of 
Somer among the Itomans, that it would 
. be unpardonable to omit it. It isa sin- 
gularly well composed historical groupe, 
an basso relievo of terra cotta, repree 
senting Machaon, after he has been 
wounded ; the hero is sitting in the tent of 
Nestor, who is administering a medicinal 
potion to him, as described in the 
eleventh book of the Iliad; the grouping 
of this fragment of antique art, is uncom- 
monly beautiful, and worthy of remark ; 
The Dilletanti Tourist.—No. HI. 
4 
{March q 9 
the females who are in attendance, if I 
may judge from their habits, are slaves. 
I shall make a few more observations, 
in this room, previous to visiting the 
next, and hope you will not think mea 
tedious chronicler. My attention was 
much taken by a beautiful sabject of two 
fauns kneeling, one of them playing on a_ 
tambourin, the other accompanying him 
with small musical instruments, called 
krotala, that have been sometimes con- 
founded by critics, with cymbals. Their 
forms are somewhat alike, except that 
the krotala are smaller and played with 
only one hand. It is strongly contested 
by various writers, of what materialsand. 
form the krotala were made; I think from 
the Greek poets,they much resembled the 
Spanish castagnets. Apollonius, m_ his 
Argonautics, describes the krotalon of 
Hercules, as of brass made by Vulcan, at 
the request of Minerva,who gave it to him: 
on the other hand, an ancient comimenta- 
tor on Aristophanes describes them tobe 
a reed split in two, and so fitted together 
as to emit a sound from the touch orstroke 
of the hand. We have other examples of 
the form, of the ancient krotalon, in the 
tympanum of thetemple of Cybele; a sta- 
tue in the engraved Collection, from the 
Museum Pio Clementinum, and in the 
gems in my possession, which haye long 
handles, like the before-inentioned com- 
mentator’s description. I am no less de- 
lighted with Paris carrying off Helen ing 
car, drawn by three horses (No. 34), a 
bas relief of elegant design, and correct | 
execution, equal perhaps in these qualities 
to any inthe collection. These cars are 
of great antiquity, and were usually of 
two or four wheels, and drawn by various 
numbers of horses, from two to twenty, 
mostly abreast, as may be seen in several 
Roman sculptures; they named them from 
the number of horses that drew them, as 
bige, when by two; trige; quadrigz, 
and so on. In Monfaucon, Willemin, and 
Rochegianni, are to be found many repre 
sentations of these ancient cars. 
A bas relief of unknown antiquity, 
(No, 386) representing two persons 
is navigating the Nile, in a boat, is wor- 
thy of notice, from a very important 
fact, that I hope to establish relative 
to the date of the invention of the 
Corinthian capital. In’ the  fore- 
ground is an hippopotamus, two 
crocodiles, some birds, and several 
plants of the lotus. In the distance are.- 
buildings, on the roofs of which are seen 
three [bisses. The whole of this scenery 
is viewed through two arches, supported. 
by columns, the two extreme ones of 
which 
