The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-04-21

preisfved their form and appearance mott perfectly.
To thofe, who are acquainted with the imperhabe
nature Of earbonzed bodies, thefr facts will BE-
furpring. 1t isto this fame principle, that we are
indebted FOR the conformation of the n,anufcrpts OF
WINCH hal give you fon,e in the cole Of the
prefent letter.
] noticed the iron weights, ufed by the Romans,
which are Precifey like thofe ufed by merchants
They are Of an oblong snape with an handle in the
top, having the ount Of each weight ftamp-
ed upon them in very legit' characters. There
formerly in this Mufeum immenfe variety Of gold,
hlver, and copper coins and medals eGeemed very
uieiu in aid of haory and chronology but dread
Oh the rapacity OF the French, who always exhibit
irong prediction for antiquities Especially thofe
under the form of the preeisu mea has induced their
very good friend and ally the king of the Two sci-
lies, to reMove them to Palermo. There are flill,
however, many copper, and fome gold and Glver
CONS which give very good idea of the progrefs OF
the Romans in the OF coining from their earet to
their iatea hiiiory. ] was exceedingly impreiied
with the gradual Improvements aud fal deterior te,
OF theie coins and medals. They kept pace 70 exa&-
~ with the ,ther arts, and with the changes Of the
manners and character Of the Romans that they ap-
/ Psared to me an epitome of the Roman hilory.
during the cenfuar government the coins and medals
were hmple, rude, and naTy but Hrong and ufeful
hey eorFeipond 10 the unpolhed vigour Of the Ro-
man Character in t,-t period ef their hnory. In the
Ausutan age they began to afiume more fniihed
aud elegant appearance, and they continued to i'm
prove till, in the regns OF vefpaan and Titus they
appear to have attained their highca degree Of per-
iecion-From that time they began to decline, till,
IN the age OF Conitantine, they bore the cvdert
marks OF deeayed and dePraved tafe; aud from this
latter period like all the other PRODUCTIONS of art
they became degraded, and funk into ftyle of bar
oarity and rudene correspondent to the corrupt and
| iaVage Rate OF manners which prevailed during the
| lower empire.
| Among the many in,ereilng ob.as, which the
nicoVery OF thefe long hidden cities has BROUGHT TO
light, there are more curious, and nil hone
mat hone will prove more aieful the caufe of Ii.
terature, than the ancient manulcripts
he workmen employed in excava,ing one of the
snc'ent palaces in Hercuaneum. about fcventy wear.
"ce' Uncovered thefe n,anuferipts in one of the a.
Psftment'' They were at fra fuppofed to be ficks
OF wood burntto charcoal, which they exactly re-
s'oe' But their number, and the familiarity of their
appearance induced more accurate examination AT
hrit no means of getting their contents were em
Pioyea' but Uplifting them with knife. This, while
IL uncovered their value rendered them totally ufe-
ieis' and incapable of being examined. A monk,
however loon dcovered and brought into practice a
'nehoa Oh nnroliing them but 70 tedious was the
Proeeis and 10 luggifh and unenerprizinp were the
NeaP'htans that, in period of eventy years, they
naa uhroied and deoyphered bur about twenty manu.
| fcripts out of fifteen hundred
In coniequence of the political and intimate CON-
nection which has of late exied between the courts
OF naples and London, the Prince of Wales requeled
and received permifiion fend his chaplain the Re-
verend Mr.. Hayrer to 2fft in the proofs of decv.
Pnerng and FULFILLING tnefe manuscripts. Since his
ARRIVAL within two years they have completed one
hundred Of them have had the pleafure TO fee this
gentleman frequently, and he untes to a deep and
thorough knowledge of the dead languages of which
he is an enthufalfic admirer the mo friendlv omen
and agreeable manners. ] met him at the NTuleum,
and he was 70 oblgng, to explain to me the whole
ProceiS OF unrong and decyphering thsfe long-loft
works.
The Perons who are employed in unro,ne then,
ana tnoie ao who copy them, wholly ignorant e.
ven OF the charaaers, in which they written. They
are ieeeed merely for their accuracy and care and
| IN the operation, proceed like machines
Each perion, employed in unroiiing, is furniihed
with movable cylinder, which revolves on its own
axis The artif takes of the rolls of the burnt
paPyrus (Which are uually about one foot in width
and OF length varying according to the fze of the
treatie or work copied upon them and having found
the end OF the papyrus, he attaches it by glue
great number oil fix threads. Thefe threads are then
Paiied round the cylinder, and by turning the cyln-
der gently the leaf of the papyrus is gradually RATED
from the icroil. But as the paPyrus is extremely
hender, and incapable offufaining its own weight,
1t IS fortified by gold heaters fin which i. attached
to 1t by ione glutinous fluid. When fifteen or twen-
ty lines are thus RATED, they feparaed from the
roll, and workman totally ignorant of the language
copies every letter Oft Thefe letters held in fnch
manner as that the light frikes upon them obique-
y, are perfectly egible much 70 as the letters on
burnt papers, which we have often feen. obferved
them, and can allure you, that the procefs perfect
accompanied by no uncertainty Whatsoever. The
Rev Mr. hayter confantly Experiments the copyiRs
Alter the copy is hnifhed it is precfely engraved,
and an exact fac fimile is truck off with all the I'M
Perlectons and defeds of the original. Thefe fac
iiH,les are Preferved, and will be publifed page for
page with the original work, shat literary men may
be enabled to judge how far Mr.. Hayter and the o.
Their eoateTs have acted with judgment and fidelity
When ipeak of &sftt7S, you will underftand fuch
'ay as mutt, and do conianty arife from the weak
ne!s of the PaPyrus for in the original nlanucripts
there are no imperfeaions. They are writer with
wonderful accuracy, and indeed beauty The letters
are all meafured, and are equ dant, and all the lines
contain The fame number of letters 70 that this requ
lary very much aiiis the eoaters in fupplying any
defects.
One Circumstance is very Fortunate and tina, is the
practice OF the aneients give the title page and the
name OF the author at the end Of the work: for as
the end sawaysa the centre the roll it is in al
mott every iniauce, prsierved; whereas much the
greater part OF the anuferpts have loa fome of the
exterior folds, and, If the name had been written ON
them, might never have been able to afcertain who
were the authors This practice of placing the title
page and authors name the end of the work was
OF long duration and continued fone time after the
art Of printing was introduced. have me. with fe
veral works. printed in that manner
None of Ihe milllDV works of the anc;en,