The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-29

OF the army OF Maxentius on the plain Of Tore d
Quinto, four miles from Rome, on the Via Flaminia
We are told that not only several thousands
OF soldiers, with all their armor, sparkling with
gold and precious stones. were driven into the
Tiber by the victorious army. but that Maxentius
himself with MS crown OF gold and his stan. found
his death in the river. This is IN part true. 1t
Is also true that the body OF the tyrant and the
bodies OF some OF his generals were dshed up
again from the river. In proof OF which we
need only TO quote the authority OF
Scxtus Aurellus Victor, because he men,
lions distinctly the qncSsands or the TiDer.
"Maxentius," he says 'in the course OF the battle
which he gave TO Constantine a little below Ponte
Mole, endeavoring TO cross the bridge OF boats
which had been constructed Tor the use OF mis-
army, was thrown by his frightened horse into the
river and eaten up by The quicksands, on &C.
count OF the weight or his cuirass. Constantine
had great difficulty in finding ais corpse"
THE sEvEN-BRANCHED CANDLEsTICK.
Now we come TO the famous Jewish seven.
branched candesticS the form or which is so per-
fecty designed in the bas-reefs OF the arch of
Titus. The tradition OF It's having been thrown
into the river to save 1t from the hands Of the
barbarlans Is very old, and the writer's OF the
Tamud, to MAKE 1t lay in more de-
cent place, state that the bed OF the river,
between Rome and Ostta, is but mass
Roman emperors. President Charles de Brosses,
in his "LetLres sur y Ital!e" relates that under
Benedict XIV. the Jews OF Rome asked the govern
ment permission to drain the river at their
own expense, provided they could get undisturbed
possession OF all the treasures which the carrying
on OF their project would bring TO light. Accord
Ing 10 the same writer the Pope did not give his
consent, fearing that the exposure Of the mud to
the sun would have produced plague. Dignam
patelia Ope1culun! The answer would be worth
the demand, and the supplemented president did
not perceive that his ctceroae was making fun OF
his good 1aiuh
No doubt the golden table, the silver trumpets,
the candelabrum were carried to Rome by Titus
after his conquest Of Jerusalem, and Joseph
Flavius asserts that they were deposited by the
young conqueror and his father, Vespasian in the
newly built Temple OF Peace, which stood behind
the Church OF SITS. Cosma and Damani. Accord
Ing to some writer's the treasures OF the tempe
were destroyed in the great connagrauion A. d.
1872, under Commodus but Relandus, in his de-
scrption OF the Arch OF Titus proves by irreutabe
documents, that tine Jewish SPOTS were saved
from the fire. Procopus, in his history OF the
WARS OF the Goths," says that he had heard
that the candestlck mad been car
ried away by King Alaric, and then we
are told on the testimony Of Jornaades
and Paul Diaconus, that Alaric was buried In the
River Vasenuus, near Cosenza and there 1t is sup
posed we must look for the treasures. But PrOco-
plus himself, in his history OF The Vandal wars,
assures Us, on the best testimony, that the Jewish
trophies were carried by Genseric to Carthage in
the year 455. These are the facts OF the marvel
lOus stories related to us about the treasures Of
the Tiber, and we will hope rnat the men who are
now occupied with Garibaldl IN studying the ques-
ton OF excavatlng the bed or that river will be
cautious about repeating and believing these
legends, which lack entirely the character OF
possibility. RODOLFO A. LANCIANI,
COMMISSIONS Arcneologica.