The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-04-07


Commodus. No doubt these were all
built upon a grand scale, but we can
form no adequate idea of their su!np-
tuousness, for their crumbling ruins
are quite meagre,
Let me refer to the Baths of Titus
These were built upon the side OF
hill near the Colosseum. A few years
before these We're built Nero construct
ed upon the site of the villa of Mace"
mas his magnificent golden house,
which certainly must have been one OF
the wonders of the world. The ruins of
this palace are still to be seen, and
visited them with guides and torches;
some of the Mosaic floors of the old viii
la of Maecenas are plainly seen. Many
rooms of the golden house are excava-
ted and possess much to interest those
who visit their dark recesses. Here
were discovered those mural paintings
which served as models for Raphael IN
the decorations of the Loggia in the
Vatican. We note here far up on
cornice in a still dark room (by means
of lighted candle fastened to very
long bamboo) painted wreath enclos-
ing an eagle, which suggested to Napo-
leon l. model for the French stand
ard, the well known Eagle" The
French began excavations here in 1871
and worked patiently for three years;
less than one dozen rooms were eXca-
waited While nearly four score cham
bers still remain buried in the ruin and
paintings still visible on the walls in
some of the rooms. Venus with two
cupids and doves is much admired and
is we'll preserved, and there are fres-
Goes of fruit and flowers. In 1776 set
of thirty engravings was published of
copies of the paintings in these cham
bers.
Here also was found the statue of
Meleager, which is preserved in the
Vatican, one of the finest specimens OF
ancient sculpture. The LAGOON was
discovered in this place, although some
will insist that it was unearthed near
the church of st. M. Maggiore. There
is an old prison here with window
which looks towards the Campagna,
and on it's walls are rough scratches
and rude Inscriptions made by the
prisoners who were incareerated eish-
| teen centuries ago or about the year
| so A. d. rough drawing of racing
| horses and Latin scrawl beneath,
such as ignorant soldiers might in
scribe, greatly interested me. The
| walls of Nero's golden house were for
| merly covered with frescoes, precious
stones and mother of pearl The
largest apartment formed a sort of TO-
| tunda, the ceiling of which was
adorned with golden stars on blue
vault, and by clever contrivanca
these heavenly bodies moved day and
night In unison with the stella world in
the real heavens above. The sides OF
this grand apartment, which was prob
ably dining hall, We're adorned with
plates of ivory and gold. Strangest OF
all was the fact that sea-water was
! brought in pipes to this place from the
| Mediterranean, and hot water was in
| troduced by subterranean conduit:
from the sulphur baths near Tivoli
We can form butt feint idea of the
magnificence of this great golden housf
of Nero. In it's front ran triple colon
made one thousand feet in length ant
in the center of this stood statue O.
i
ton of the divine" Nero; this statue
was one hundred and twenty feet higl
and was cast by Zenodorus, the great
est of Greek sculptors.
After Nero's death Titus blocked III
the windows and doors Of this palace
rendering the whole place as disma
and dark as night he tore down, de
stroyed and demolished most of hi
predecessors grand work and upol
their magnificent ruins built his baths
These were twelve hundred feet lon,
and eight hundred feet broad. Surel,
the grand Esquiline Hill never hefor
cleaned with structure of such state
ly grandeur. Neros costly achieve
ment went for naught. Nero, that cru
ell 'lion," was dead and the living I'll
tus gave no thought to the dead Nero
and so the golden house" was immedi
ately forgotten The glorious Therma
of Titus, which were in state of goo
preservation in the sixteenth century
are now a mass of gloomy ruins, GOV
cred with heaps of rubbish scattere
among vineyards and vegetable gar
dens. The same lax laws which per
mitted the despoiling of the Colosseum
and the Baths of Caracalla actuall
reveled in the utter ruin and vast
which a semi-savage populace wrough
upon the lovely Baths of Titus: thos
hideous masses of ruins all silent i
the moonlight suggest not even
ghostly shadow of the former grandeu
of this desolate and dismal place.
The Thermae of Diocletian wer
: built upon vast scale about 300 A. I
, They cover space of thirteen thou
sand square feet, and accommodate
three thousand bathers. Over fort
thousand Christians were employe
upon their construction and to this da
bricks are found here with rude crosse
made by the trowels of Christian me-
l sons. Pope Plus ". engaged Micha
2 Angelo to convert the great hall {
these baths into church, and thr
, arose the grand old church "St. Mari
l degli Angeli;" this is built where #
2 two centuries thousands of Roman
swarmed in the "Callidarium.' TT
5 vaulting is the original ceiling of tt
baths and furnishes a fine specimen
: ancient Roman workmanship.
Sixteen original columns still renal
in position; they are forty-five feet j
v height and sixteen feet in circumfel
ence Behind this church is CONVEX
which is now used as soldiers bal
rack; a portion of this great 'buildin
| forms the Museum of the Baths" an