Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-06-26

with their forests and towers and temples the
plains sweeping up to the mountains-and far of
in the West, Rome in all her ancient glory throw
ing back the beams Of setting Italian sun from
the temples and palaces that sat in such admired
confusion upon her seven hills-dctermined
to build here his favorte villa. The Ro-
man Empire was then at its widest extent. He
was most profoundly and elegantly educated in
all the learning of Greece and Rome. His palace
was the temple of science and tho arts-lterary
men cultivated their taste and men of Science en-
riched their minds in his conversation. The style
of his mind may be somewhat inferred from the
reply of the Philosopher Favornus who often dis
puted with the Emperor, but always yielded tho
argument. lie was reproachei by his associates
for thus sacrificing the truth to the facilities Of
Courtier. Said he, q" 1t is dangerous to be right
with man who has thirty lcgions to rofute your
argument with" Adrian had travelled an
Emperor but with the simplicity Of a democrat
bareheaded and on foot-through all parts Of his
domains, domestic and colonial then extending |
from tho Black Sea to the Bay of Biscay and from |
Egypt to Scotland, and on his return, determined |
in this spot to tax his taste. his learning, his pat
ronage and his wealth in bringing together the
miniature reproduction of all the places of the
highest celebrity and interest in letters and art
and pleasure which he had visited, to be grouped
in the space of some four square miles. Here
Helicon and Parnassus and the vale Of Tempe,
the Lyceum. tho Academy, the Prytaneum,' the
Pocilo of Athens-the Tartarus of endless pun
ishment and the Elysian fields of the Pagan Heaven
the Serapion Of Campus in Egypt-the temple
of the Stocs-the Maritime Theatre-the In
perial Palace-Barracks large enough almost for
those thirty legions, &c, &C.
Adran's health soon failed and he sought
health at the corrupt and voluptuous water
ing place, Baiae, on the Bay of Naples,
where he died, and was buried in tho
nous tomb in Rome, built by himself,
stripped Of its ancient characteristics and convert
ed into fortress, the celebrated castle of St. An
gclo-on the bank Of the Tiber and connected
with the city by the Bridge of St. Angelo, the
ancient Aelan Bridge.
There are no ruins in all Italy to compare with
the Villa of Adrian. it is said. certainly have
seen nothing to equal it. While at one
| period, when ruins at discount,
large numbers of Statues and marbles and CAPT
tails and columns of exquisite workmanship were
burned for building lime, there have still been
dug from these ruins from time to time great
numbers Of the finest statues and works Of Gre
clan, Roman and Egyptian Art, which con.t-
tute now the most precious ornaments Of the Mu-
seums Of the capitals, the Vatican, and private
collections. Fragments of frescoes still seen
about the ruined walls and great mosaic floors
and noble colonnade, are still there exposed to
the outside weather, and arches arches
in your path as you wander on, Still the architec
ture has really almost passed away, and like all
other ruins it is their suggestions and associa-
lions and CONCENTRATIONS that alone make them
so interesting. We wandered across the ploughed
field that lay on one side of the ruins that we
might get better view of the whole. and 8 we
Wake the soil composed Of the debris of ruined
temples, it Illuminating to human pride, to SET
scattered on the surface and in the burrows in
great profuson wherever We stepped little frag
ments of porphyry and Jasper and sienite an,
the precious marbles, while in the paths sparklet
the crystals ofdisintegratcd mosacs When we
J struck p sort of farmers road through the field
Msnano looked cautiously round to that HI
, was not observed, and STOPPING down scraped
away the soil with his hand few inches deep.an
revealed there portion Of Mosaic floor, whic
he carefully covered again, giving me to under
a stand that besides himself there hardly
f valet in Rome that had any knowledge of it
o existence.
The grottoes and groves and corridors and colo
: nades Of imperial luxury have given place t
G olive orchards and almond groves. As W
stepped about amidst the still Wondering piles
the little beautifully speckled italian lizards-th
only inhabitants--started constantly before u
and ranidlv IN the still pernendirnlar MI
and as We were sdmiring the abundant suggestiv
little forget-me-nots growing about the buried an
, forgotten, flight of crows tapping above u
} aroused us by their caws to the exclamation
| " and you too still hoping to find the remain
of these dead Empcrors -
$ We passed out through orchards of veuerabl
olive trees and drove to Tvoli, only mile or tw
further
This old and decayed town, founded moro tina
1000 years ago, is magnifcently situated on tn
banks Of rocky ravine Of about eight
eet in depth and sweeping som
, half mile round its base. 1t is some 500 fee
above the sea, while above it aud across tn
stream stretche. beautifully towards the sky tn,
9 hill Of Ripoi, Astounding in the most chsrmin
views from within and from without, The tow
itself and the neghboring highland were apps
rently a favoritc site for the villas Of the mos
distinguished of the old Roman literau, Her
are the ruins of the extensive villa Of Maecena;
| Of the villa Of Cstullus and his summer retrea
on the far up hill siie-the villa of sallust-o
Horace as 1t is sometimes called-the villa Of
Quintius vsrus, of great extent and from i,
mountain bevideres looking down upon the 9th
10 r.
> ma of Rome even TO the seattle villa Of Cas-
!, sus-"the lean ana hungry Casslus"-.of Brutu
, and Das.us and Propertius aud many others 0
which little but the names remain. These ruin
were full of works of art-they were almos
qusrries of sculptures from which modern researc
has exhumei untold treasures of the choicest
works of art, which are now 70 be found in tn,
Museum of the Vatican and other collections.
We had day worthy of the place-bright bu
mild and balmy and transparent We drov
through the filthy, narrow and dilapiiatei street
of the dirty, compact town to the hotel near tn
celebrated temple of the Sybl as it is usual
called, that Sybil that is said to have predicte
the Savior-but more recent examinations ar
said to change its character to that Of the tempt
Of the Hercules Saxouus, If this be so l suppos
we shall soon insist that Hercules was an Anglo
Saxon, and his many labors and triumphs were bu
, mythic and prophetic foreshadowngs of tn
g manifest destiny " of the Hrc dus ammo
aus ntans that now supports the stars and stripes
Our first look was at that interesting ruin, anC
at its base for it stands the very verge OF tn,
, abyss, We looked down upon the Falls and tn,
rayine. and out and upward to the surroundin.
tho Ea1 liz
, attraction to any one, much less to us, who ar
5 familiar with the Falls Of our own country, an
, we have agreed with those who have said tina
that they little here to justify Byron's poeti
extacy in sight Of what he calls the " He'll O
Waters" not thinking at the time that all ha;
been greatly changed since Lord Byron was here