The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-12-19

D Nu1 plott lhe Aiudcd AldAhulh - ceeLif
which was built twenty-five hundred
years ago to drain the low land back of
the Forum, and which Is perfect and in
use now. Through the midst Of the Fo-
rum can be seen the Via Sacra, the
street along which the victorious gener-
ais entered the city in triumph and as
cended the Capitoline hill just beyond.
Many Of the great stones with which it
was paved are yet in position, showing
deep ruts worn by the wheels of passing
carts.
On the Capitoline hill was the Senate
building, aud on the Tarpeian Rock the
temple Of Jupiter Capitolinus. Here
was also a temple Of Minerva. The mu-
scum contains large number Of statues
and antiquities, among Others the
Bronze Wolf, believed to be the one mem
TONED by Cicero as having been struck
by lightning, the celebrated Venus Of
the capitol, an ancient copy Of the Faun
Of Praxiteies, the statue which is the
hero Of Hawthorne's novel, "The Marble
Faun," and the wonderfully life-like
figure Of "The Dying Gladiator" which
Byron so beautifully describes in the
lines beginning,
" I see before me the Gladiator lie,
He leans upon his hand-his manly brow
Consents 20 death. but conquers agony.
And his droop'd head sinks gradually low
Adjoining the Forum on the other
side, is the Palatine hill, which was the
site of most ancient Rome, and around
which az center the whole Of the his
tOTic city seems to cluster. Tradition
places on this hill the dwellings OF the
early Roman heroes, Evand = and Rom
ulus, and here at later uste resided
many men celebrated in Roman history,
the Gracchi, Cicero, Cataline, and Marx
Antony. The emperors finally obtained
possession Of the whole Of it and covered
il with one immense palace, whose vast
ruins present most imposing appear
ance even at the present day. The Pal
atine retained its magnificence many
hundred years, but was finally given
over TO ruin, until in 1861 Napoleon III.
purchased a portion of it and commenced
excavations for the purpose of obtaining
material for his great work, the Life Of
Caesar. At this time all that was visa
bic Of the magnificent structure, the pal
ace ofthe Caesars, which at one time COW
cred the whole Of the hill, no less than
sixty-two acres, were some picturesque
I fragments of ivy-clad walls, jutting up
here and there from among the vines
and vegetables, and at two corners great
masses Of unrecognized ruins. The ex-
cavations, which have been continued
to the present time, have given W. a
good idea Of the construction and ar
rangement of grand Roman house. 4
more particular description would he in
| teresting, but We can only say that
everything indicates a luxury and civ
! ilization which we do not generally as
cribe to the aucieuts.
/ In one Of the open courts Of the palace
. is shapeless mass Of concrete, which is
the scanty remains Of the Temple Of Ju-
piter Stator, founded by Romulus on the
spot where the tide Of battle turned
against the Sabines. Il was in this
i temple that Cicero convened the Senate
on the discovery Of the great conspiracy
against the Republic, and where, out Of
all patience when he saw Catalina walk
deliberately ia with the other Senators,
he arose aud broke out with that incom-
parable and terrible indicative begin
ming, "Quosgue tridem dbutere Catd-
tina pateufid H0strG ~
In the underground stories are cellars
with wine jugs about the size Of the
arm, sharp at the bottom, and some
three feet long. They were made OF
baked clay, the material looking about
like unglazed yellow or brown flower
pots. In these chambers are frescoes
with the painting yet bright The
bricks Of which tue inner walls Of the
Roman buildings were constructed are
about ten inches square and not more
than one in thickness, and were Otter
STAMPED with the name Of the emperor
in whose reign they were made. The
walls Of one room, which had evidently
been used as a schOol-room for the slavei
ofthe palace, were scratched and marke,
similar 10 some Of our modern school
houses. 10 one place is the figure Of ;
Roman soldier, in another, rude sketcl
Of a mill driven by an ass, under whicl
il the inscription, Labor like an ass, a
have done, and it will drag you down
One Of these rude scrawls seem to recorJ
the ioy Of some boy over the dirmissiol
Of an unpopular teacher, for it reads
: "Corinthls crit de pdedagogio," whiel
I might be freely translated, "CorinthH
, has been kicked out Of the school-room.
, In this room also was found the cele
brated caricature of the Christians
! which represented a man with the heaC
, of an ass hanging TO a cross, with a maj
on a cross, on each side Of him and IN
4 derneath this inscription in Greek
, I"AIexamenos worships this God, ,"whicl
Z was evidently intended to ridieule som
. pupil Of the Christian faith.
In one place the excavations hav
( brought to light parts Of the wall bull
. bv Romuius around the Palatine, il
+ the time when Rome was only fort