The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1827-03-21
SAtscellattp.
From BlackaOood's Magazine.
POMPEu

: pen that it was little Greek town of toll
II cradle commerce IN its early day; that the
sea, which once washed its walls. subse-
b 4uently left it In the midst of one of those
Q delicious plains made by nature for the cis-
solution Of all industry IN the Italian dwell
4 er, anu FOR the common places OF poetry in
n ali the northern abusers OF the pen: that
1t was ravaged by every barbarian, WHO in
Y turn was called conqueror on the Italian
Tksol, ana was successfully the pillage of
4 iCarthagenian and of Roman, until at last
: tine Augustan age saw its little circuit oui-
r pea INTO the centre of a colony, and man.
pndmg nothing more to rob, attempted to
goe no more.
4 When man had eese.l l-:S-.--1.-...:-,
nature commenced hers and this unfortu-
nate lite city was, by curious fate, to be
al once sxtinguished and preserved, to per-
} lsh from the face of the Roman Empire
and to live when Rome was a nest OF
Monks anu Mummers, and her empire torn
into fragments for Turk, Russian, Austri-
an, Prussian, and the whole host Of barba-
rian names that were once as the Gust of
her feet. In the year of the Christian era,
90, an earthquake showed the city on what
! tenure her lease was held. Whole streets
were thrown down, and the evidences of
: TASTY repair are still to be detected.
n From this period, occasional warnings
I were gwen IN slight shocks; until, in the
, year ~, Vesuvius poured out all his OLD ac-
+ emulation of terrors at once, and on the
dearing away of the cloud OF fire and ash
; which covered Campania for four days,
lompeii, with all its multitude, was gone.
The Romans seem to have been as fond of
J lillas as if every soul of them had made
! brtunes In Cheapside, and the whole south
Fn coast was covered with the summer
places of those lords Of the werld. Vesu-
tus is now a formidable, foundation for
! |ouse whose inhabitants may not wish to
le sucked into furnace ten thousand faith
ms deep, or roasted sub acre Qperto; but
! was then asleep, and had never flung up
park or stone from time immenofial. TIE
hose who look upon it now in It's terrors,
ltrim, blasted, and lifting up its sooty fore
lead among the piles OF perpetual smoke
hat are to be enlightened only by it bursts
II fire, the very throne OF Pluto and Vulcan
bgether, no force of fancy may picture
What it was when the Roman built his pal
ices and pavilions ON its side. A pyramid
I If three thousand feet high, painted over
With garden, forest, vineyard and orchard,
opening under the southern sun, zoned
ylth colonades, and turrets, and golden
afae G6pq t. mEaJSls P9EtlGos With the etsgp9
ant the Mediterranean at its feet, glitterlng
nthe colours of sunshine noon and even
ms like an infinite Turkey carpet let down
from the steps of throne-all this was
tuned into cinders, lava and hot water, on
(ifwe can trust to chronology the first day
of November, Ammo Domini 10 in the first
year of the Emperor Titus. The whole
story is told in the younger Pliny's letters !;
Or, if the illustration of one who thought
himself born for a describer, Dio Cdss.us,
lie sought, it will be found that this erup-
,, ion was worthy the work it had to 90, and
vas handsome recompense for the long
sumber of the volcano. The continent,
throughout its whole southern range, prob
aDly felt this vigorous awakening. Rome
vas covered with the ashes, of which
Northern Africa, Egypt and Asia Minor
had their share. The sun was turned into
blood and darkness, and the people thought
that the destruction of the world was come.
5 At the close of the eruption, Vesuvius
stood forth the naked giant that he is at
i this hour-the palaces and the gardens
I were all dust and air-the sky was stained
:, with that cloud which still sits like crown
e Of wrath upon his brow-the plain at his
fod, where Herculaneum and Pompen
7 spread their circuses and temples, like chill
u dnn's toys was covered over with sand,
e charcoal and smoke-and the whole was
:. let for mighty moral against the danger
e oftrusting to the sleep of volcano.
?, All was then at an end with the cities
: baow; the population were burnt, and had
e no more need Of houses; the Roman no.
e bles had no passion for combustion, and
/ kent aloof: the winds and rain, robbers
:, AID the n,oIarid, were the sole tenants OF
It the land: and in this way rolled fifteen
e hundred years over the bones of the vint-
g ners. sailors, and snug citizens of the We
suYlan cities. But their time was to come
Z. ana their beds were to be perforated by
French and Neapolitan pick-axes, and to
i be visited by English feet, and sketched
i ard written about, and Autographed, till al
the world wished they had never been dis
d trbed. The first discoveries were acct
RI dental, for no Neapolitan ever struck 8
e. srade into the ground that he could help
d nr harbored voluntary idea but Of mac
" taroni, intrigue, monkery, or the gaming
% table The spade struck upon key
h which, of course, belonged to door /; the
N door had an inscription, and the names o.
s,1 the buried cities were brought to light &c
l. the boundless perplexity of the learned, the
n merciless curiosity of the blue stockings o.
t. the 18th century, and all others to come
h and the thankless, reckless, ana ridiculous
profit of that whole race of rascalIty, the
n guides, cicerones, abbes, and antlquarlans
J. But Italian vigor is of all things the most
/ easily exhausted, where it has not the lash
tS or the hrihe IN feed its waste, and the CIT
N les slumbered for twenty years more, TIL
J. I'LL, Duke, who was digging for marbles
n to burn into mortar, found Hercules, anc
IS a whole heap of fractured beauties, a row
IS of Greek columns, and a little temple: A,
Is gain the cities slumbered, till, IN IF3o,
"a king of Naples, on whom light may the