The difference is not

openings between the side ones. enough to be observed by a common eye; and in some of them not to be sure of it till you measure them. By this means the entrance had a freer and nobler air, without breaking the regularity and harmony of the building.— Mr. Philips.

It was Sixtus the Fifth that began the palace on Monte Cavallo, and placed the two large equestrian statues there, from whence it has its name. They were found in Constantine's baths, and were brought originally to Rome from Alexandria. The names of Phidias and Praxiteles on the bases are certainly fictitious, and some of the antiquarians say, that they were put there by the people of Alexandria. -Ficoroni.

The chief ornaments of Constantine's triumphal arch are spoils from one of Trajan; as it was despoiled itself afterwards, (of the heads of the statues,) by Lorenzo de' Medici. There is at least seven feet of it hid, by the rising of the ground.-F. [They began refitting it afterwards, while we were there, and the relievos on the lowest part were very mean: bad victories, &c.]

Trajan's column is composed of twenty-four stones only; cut within, for the staircase. It is one hundred and twentyeight Roman feet high, just the height of what was taken from the hill, to make room for Trajan's forum; which was one of the most magnificent things in Rome. This column stood in the midst of it, and on that was his statue, and, they say, his ashes in an urn.—

F.

The four most celebrated works of the modern sculptors in Rome are Michael Angelo's Moses; Algardi's Story of Attila; Fiamingo's Susanna; and Bernini's Bibbiana.-F.

What they point out as the four most celebrated pictures, are, Raphael's Transfiguration; Volterra's Descent from the Cross; Dominichino's Saint Jerome; and Andrea Sacchi's Romualdo.-F.

There are ten thousand six hundred pieces of ancient sculpture of one sort or other now in Rome; (relievos, statues, and busts.) And six thousand three hundred ancient columns of marble. What multitudes of the latter sort have been sawed up for tables, or wainscoating chapels, or mixed up with walls, and otherwise destroyed! And what multitudes may there yet lie undiscovered under ground! When we think of this altogether, it may give us some faint idea of the vast magnificence of Rome in all its glory.-F.

END OF SECTION II.

SPENCE'S ANECDOTES.

SECTION III. 1732-33.

INTEND to publish all the most select and sacred books of the Chinese, in one volume, which will not be so much as the Pentateuch. -A Latin translation of their family ritual, with a dissertation of their funerals prefixed to it.-A treatise to prove that the character Tao signifies the great God: in this I shall show; First, That their Tao is one and three. Secondly, That he created the material world. Thirdly, That he created all intelligent beings. Fourthly, That he was incarnated. Fifthly, That though he has the attributes of whatever is excellent, yet he is but one. They call him Ching Gin, or the Holy One. Besides these I shall publish" The Temple of the most Ancient Wisdom," in which I shall show that Adam was informed of the doctrines of the Trinity and Future Redemption: that this knowledge was delivered down to Moses and revived by him; that it was preserved in other mystic books, and that several of these books are still preserved in China. I also intend to republish my Chronological Table, with an

account how to manage it.*-M. Fauquet, Bishop of Eleutheropolis; then resident in the College of the Propaganda at Rome.

There are about thirty-five thousand houses in Rome; twenty-three thousand of which belong to the religious orders. The Pope can suppress any religious society if he pleases, so that all their property is in his power. His usual way of rewarding those whom he is under obligations to, is by assigning them a pension on one of these religious societies; and as he can thus tyrannize over them, he allows them to tyrannize over their dependents in their turn.-Ficoroni.

Dante wrote before we began to be at all refined; and of course, his celebrated poem is a sort of gothic work. He is very singular, and very beautiful in his similes; and more like Homer than any of our poets since. He was prodigiously learned for the times he lived in; and knew all that a man could then know. Homer, in his time, was unknown in Italy; and Petrarca boasts of being the first poet that had heard him explained. Indeed in Dante's time there was not above three or four people in all Italy that could read Greek: (one in particular at Viterbo, and two or three elsewhere.) But though he had never seen

A long article of M. Fauquet's upon Chinese learning is omitted here, because better printed accounts are before the public.-Editor.

I got this list of his intended publications at the desire of M. Ramsay; and observed at the time that he was working on so many designs together, that I feared he would never finish one of them; which proved to be the case. The bishop brought out of China near four hundred of their books, but lost almost half of them before he reached Europe.-Spence,

Homer, he had conversed much with the works of Virgil. -His poem got the name of Comedia after his death. He somewhere calls Virgil's works Tragedie (or sublime poetry); and in deference to him, called his own Comedia (or low): and hence was that word used afterwards, by mistake, for the title of his poem.-Dr. Cocchi, at Florence. Dante, Galileo, and Machiavelli, are the three greatest geniuses that Florence has ever produced.-Dr. C.

Petrarca is the best of all our lyric poets; though there are several now who are very strenuous in preferring Chiabrera to him. It has divided the wits into two parties, they are called Petrarchists, or Chiabrerists, according to the side they take. The dispute turns wholly on their lyric pieces. Chiabrera is not so equal a writer as Petrarch: some of his odes are extremely good; and others full of false thoughts. Those which are his best are lofty, and full of fire, after the manner of the Greeks.-Petrarca's language is excellent; and reads extremely well, even though you should fling it into prose. His poetry is often fine, soft, and moving; but he is not without his false thoughts (concetti) too sometimes. Dr. C.

Tasso followed Ariosto too much in his particular faults; so that they are a good deal alike so far: but he was more classically read, and especially in the old critics. He endeavoured also to write on a more correct plan. Sperone brags of finding out and disposing the subjects for him.— Ariosto loved the classics too; and, in particular, understood Horace better than any man in his time. When he first came to Rome, Bembo, and several of the greatest wits there, were endeavouring to get to understand Horace. Ariosto joined them; and they all allowed him to have a