New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-13
ROME
Of The y. Y. Tfbuse-

~ 10 tTIte old eaylpg just mere, inefo 10
.sthing new under the SUM" and, should do as
Lady Montague did hundred and fly years ago
ron Coustantinople, refer you to Sir Paul kycaut
Or written details Of the place, my story would DC
dane for it is safe enough to say there Is nothing
ave unborn disputes Of archaeology, unwritten OF
nome But. instead of wadiDg through all this
LEARNING Of travellers, you may sometimes be in the
nod 70 accept small collects of such Ms Gull my
IN in random ralnbles these eternal hihs at
an events, you must pardon the impertinence, H. as
The Florence girls do put a bunch into
your hands without waiting for you to thank fne-
A bouquet, may be, of weeds, sprigs, leaves,
flowers, clipped, broken, or pulled up by the ROOFS
n whatever comes in the way, or within arms
resch. when let down for the afternoon, as on the
Csuitol such June day as this. Perhaps am
inst where Gibbon sat on the steps when he con-
es,ded his History of the Decline and Fall, at the
music of the monks in the church at the right, on
lie site Of the great Jupiter's Temple. But DO
not in the least fear / intend edifying so long
and 20 learned work, though the blind beggar SIT
ting on the stairs is shaking his cup for the sgnt-
est consideration, indting TO the Madonna sanctls
sima the tenderest prayers for me and mine. Some
shayen, sbirtless, sandaled monks shuiing down
fAe Ara Cells steps in sober cOws and rOpe-girded
rowps--a ueer-lookng for priests OF that Joy great
Joye who put no let TO his courtlers gai!antres
But we must not forget that none Is the present time
and not the past and that is so long since TINS new
srder Of priests rose on the Capitol that its all
tquify already fosters its pride. The name OF their
church links &. Stian association close on to pagan
ism. From earliest Rome, the OPimus Maximus-
the temple Of Jupiter Capitolne--cOmmenced by
Tarqun the ancient, and finished by Iarqun the
proud, stood bere--destrOyed, rebuilt and burnt long
INTO imperial times. But before DOmltlan restored IL
with an empires wealth, it held the Sybillne books
and when Augustus was offered the title OF Dlvus
by the Senate having at first refused it, as if pene-
trated somewhat by that tradition of the wise mon
Of the East, that greater than he was to come
~ settle the matter, he came here to consult the
sacred books; aud then dreaming, be saw around
the sun bright circle, and wIthid it a woman with
a child in her arms, and a voice said, Haze est ara
c9li." This vision happened at the moment OF the
birth Of our Saviour. Augustus then erected an
altar in this same temple of Jupiter with the name OF
fhe Altar of the First-bOrn of God, and now the
present church Of Ara Cell, on the same spot, con-
socrates the vision. But we have little reason to
doubt but that the first Emperor interpreted the
oracle entirely TO his own profit, and so without
scruple himself as well the latest puny degene-
ratiODs OF the Caesars, wrote Dioas on their mOnu-
nents.
Joining Just so again the past and present, there
n s. p. Q. X. stamped on all around us-ir0m Ira
lan's trophies on the terrace TO the government
dcnkey-csrts in the Piazza carrying puzzganas; for
the Senate and Roman people enjoy still the com
Portable conceit of its ancient proud lnltlals-ust
ms the present Papa Pope retains the title OF Pom
fifex Maximus though the naive present personlfed
in an inquisitive child might ask, "WhO is that
"Mr. S-P-Q -R-Spor that puts his name on all the
"thingsl and who is the postmaster that has bis
"sign up on st. Peters and all the churches, ODE
~ hsks and new tablets put up" Hush we
reply, the p. NJ. is the Pope, and $. p. Q. r. is
n drought without figure AN old ghost OF
dead stump-Romes Senate and people that met
that day after the lightning struck the gilt she-wOlf
and stabbed C@sar-that Senate OF cOnspiratOrs
that gathered up here in the Capitol for fear of the
mcb-that S. 7. @. r. that heard Antonys speech
Of milk and ga that Senate now, my child, is con.
soldated into one black diamond, that shines all
over on solemn Occasions-intO one lone senator,
the Prince Corsini who rides through the Corso in
state once at Carnival time, ndorsng the farce OF
the Senate and Roman peOple-hls most solemn and
important function, beside wearing his diamonds
and orders, and fourishing like turnkey at Cardi-
nal receptions And in the affairs OF state, this
Roman senate or senator, has, l suppose, but the
fraction of the power of any Mr.. Nunbskull elected
mayor of your most dOwn-east or out-west city.
And. without any hOunces frills of poetry, this
beCgarly Rome Of to-day, in ragged blue breeches-
it's hat of, asking you for penny-and old Rome IN
her imperial purple do not look more strangely con-
trasted, when seen side by side in the mind eye,
than this modern monkey beside that assembly OF
kiags called tie Roman Senate, that dictated laws
70 the world, from Romulus to the Caesars.
But growl Us / will at these modern times, the
asat Lions here at the foot of the steps lie as still
and cold and rampant AS any amount OF ages ago
when they were quarried in Egypt. IL Is an apt
Lesson on meekness and patience-a gentle taxing vi
things as they come. Their backs have been broken
1o1 otil thair mouths thp ptr-
nally serene pucker-whsthng ut every turn OF Tor.
tunes and the tumbles of empires have not disturbed
a hair in the neffable composure OF the wisp OF
their tails Let us incline with vcneratlOn In our
hearts to the lions, and ascend the easy stone and
brick--something-half way between an inclined
plain and an ordinary staircase-two STRIDES OF DITCH
pavement to enc small flag stone that raises the
Step, made so easy for Charles ", who had heavy
heart to carry up Them for his merciess sacklng oil
the Eternal City Now we have faces toward the
present Senate House, in the middle of the hill The
great Eat mask of Ara Cell, with its ia white
marble steps thereto, is at our left; and since the
hill had an ciently, as now, two submits, opposite
this where was Jupiter's Temple, stood balanced Oh
the other top JunOs, at the head OF the Tarpelan
Rock where the geese squaled, and before which the
bronze wolf was which you can see III the museum,
though we viii take another time to identify the
crack in the tail when JOve jotted down with a
fhupderbolt Caesars doom. So Jupiter and juno
balanced the scales of the Capitol the latter being
on the hight with the citadel, and between these the
hill declined to what was called the lnterInontium
where was crowd of things: and first Romulus's
wood--an asylum for all the neighborlng scape-
graces--and temples, arches, statues aud columns,
and at the end, overlooking the Forum the great
Tabularium, where were kept the DEGREES OF the
people and the public acts engraved on brass. The
stout foundations still remain on which rose the
facade looking toward the forum One arcade OF
the portco Of the lower gallery is stll entire, and
until the recent excavations Of the Forum 80 feet