The Austrians Occupy The Greater Part Of The Military Posts At Naples; At The Royal Palace However The Sicilian Guards Do Duty; They Are Clothed In Scarlet And A Anglaise.

NAPLES, 8th Octr.

One day I went to visit the Museum or Studii, as it is called, which is situated at the extremity of the Strada di Toledo on the land side. Here is a superb collection of sculpture and painting; and this building contains likewise the national library, and a choice and unique collection of Etruscan vases. A large hall contains these vases, which were found at Pompeii[96]; they are much admired for their beauty and simplicity; each vase has a mythological or historical painting on it. In this Museum I was shewn the rolls of papyrus found in Pompeii and Herculaneum and the method of unrolling them. The work to unroll which they are now employed at this Museum is a Greek treatise on philosophy by Epicurus. It is a most delicate operation to unroll these leaves, and with the utmost possible care it is impossible to avoid effacing many of the letters, and even sentences, in the act of unrolling. It must require also considerable learning and skill in the Greek language, combined with a good deal of practise, to supply the deficiency of the words effaced. When these manuscripts are put in print, the letters that remain on the papyrus are put in black type, and the words guessed at are supplied in red; so that you see at one glance what letters have been preserved, and what are supplied to replace those effaced by the operation of unrolling; and in this manner are all the papyrus manuscripts' printed.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 335 of 558
Words from 91260 to 91543 of 151859