The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-01

What was the population OF Rome in the four
teenth century? The opinion that. in the time OF
Gregory XII. who assembled the sacred chair in JON
uary, 1871, 1t only amounted to II, O00 is rejected
by Gregorovius as untenablc On the other hand,
Petrarch's assertion that, while Rome appeared
empty on account Of her great circumference il
contained an Immense" population. is pronounced
an exaggeraton. AS 1t is proved By statistics
that. in the beginning OF the sixteenth century.
the city contained only IS. 900 inhabitants, and
as, in tho year 1868. they only numbered 1O5, 433.
tits impossible to believe that she was more densely
pop Ila.ed in tn, time of her greatest decadence
1t is true that VILLAIN in 1862, gives the number OF
Romans capable OF bearing arms as 90. 900. but
this number must have included the militia in the
whole district owing allegiance TO the city, since
otherwise. Rome would have contained over 1OO-
600 inhabitants, which, in view of other known
facts, Is incredible 1t Is certain that the Ager
Romanus was, at that time. forsaken as it is
to-day. Shepherds with their nocks already de-
seconded from the Abruzzi to winter in the fields
OF Rome, as they do to-day and agriculture had in
great MEASURE disappeared from the Campagna
II was Pctrarch who in the name Of Italian ma
tional feeling and OF reverence for antiquity. pro
tested against the destruction OF the priceless
monuments Of Rome He laid the blame for the
ruin of the city on the predatory nobility but
Gregorovius points out that the aristocracy shared
tho guilt OF vandalism with all the other Romans.
who sacked the unprotected antiquities, and used
themselves or sold to outsiders columns rchtraves
and marble statues OF every kind Daily, the lime
kilns devoured innumerable marbles The stat
ues, wrote Chrysoloras Greek observer Of the
fourteenth century lie broken in the dust or are
reduced to lime, or are used for building More
fortunate are those monuments that arc adapted
for steps for mounting on horseback or for plinthS
or for managers" The learned Greek consolc4
himself with the thought that many statues lay
buried under wood dust These, however
had to wait long for their resurrection The
humamsts unearthed the classic statues later
than the classic codices The feeling for plastic
art did not awake until after the impulse for learn
ing had been satisfied. Petrarch himself ives not
absorbed in the contemplation OF the beauty Of
any ancient work OF art in Rome Not until
after the ideas of Plato had gained acceptance
were Phdas and PraXitccs understood II was
easier moreover, to cxtricate manuscripts from the
dusts Of the converts than statues from the rub
bsh OF the Therm~ In the time of Poggio
who belongs to the early part OF the fifteenth cen
fury. tho celebrated recumbent figure OF the Nile
was accidentally discovered by the side OF the
Minerva where laborers were engaged in digging
tho ground to plant trees As the concourse Of
visitors annoyed the owner OF the soil he calmly
recovered this masterpiece Of art with earth Fifty
years later. he would not have been permitted to-
do
In spite Of the destruction that had gone on for
many hundred years letter OF Cola di Rieuzo
seems TO provo that a good many statues still
remained in Rome in the fourteenth century
1t appears that all these works OF art in marble
with tho exception OF five, had actually pershed
al the beginning OF the fifteenth So many and
no more does Poggio, writing in 1881 enumerate
as tho sole survivors OF antiquity. These five
last immortals were the two Horse TamerS two
recumbent figures in the same Baths OF Constan
tine. and lastly. the Marjorie on the Capitol.
OF bronze statues, the equestrian figure OF Marcus
Aureius at the LGtcran alone remained, and
this Poggio mistakenly supposed to DO the statue
OF Septimus Severus 1t was taken for Com
modus by Filarete who in 1865, made small
model OF this equestrian statue in bronze This
remarkable work is preserved In the Royal Musuem
at Dresden. Even more unfortunate than tho
statues which the earth could protect were the
architectural monuments, none OF which has
survived 10 posterity unmpaired This is what
PoGgio says. writing, we repeat in l43i: Where
are the baths OF Diocletian and the Antonines
the Cymbrum OF Marius. the Septzonium and
the Baths Of Severus? Further and to speak
only Of the greatest works where are the Forum
OF Augustus and the Temple OF Mars Ultor' Where
the temple Of Jupiter Tonans on the Capitol,
and OF Apollo on the Palatins? Where are the
Greek and tho Latin libraries? Where is tho
Basilica OF Caius and Lucus, tho portlco OF
Liyia and the Theatre Of Marcellus? Where
Is the Temple Of Hercules and the Museum of Mar
thus Philippus, the Temple OF Diana of Lucus
Cornehcius, that Of the Liberal Arts reared by
Asinius Polio the Temple of Saturn erected
by Munatius Plactus; tho Theatre OF Balbus,
tho Amphithcatre Of Statilius Taurus? Where
ara the countless works Of Agippa? Where
the many splendid palaces Of the princes? Thou
hndest their names in books. but seek through
The city, and thou shalt not find any remains