Armour

tanefs.

The complete armour of a Sulteness; her vizor of a Sul- is compofed entirely of turquoises, forming a Mofaic; feveral pair of flippers made like those of the Chinese; they are leather, and embroidered: her breaft-plate, shield, &c. are richly ornamented with chryfolites, as large as beans, of an applegreen; a faddle, maffive gold enriched with various precious ftones, but clumfily fet.

Bowfiring.

Saloon.

Summer and winter rings.

Here is also a Turkish Bow-ftring, the fort fo frequently ufed for ftrangling; it is rather thicker than a stay-lace, made of crimson filk, and each end ornamented with a large taffel of pearl.

In another Saloon are the magnificent ornaments destined for the chapel of St. Laurence; the altar is formed of a beautiful block of jafper; the tabernacle represents the model of a church, and is incrufted with precious ftones. As to the rest, church-ornaments and priefts veftments are no very agreeable objects of contemplation, fo I fhall trouble you no farther with them.

There are several other rooms belonging to this gallery, rarely fhewn to ftrangers: many of the articles contained in them are in diforder; but from amongst them might be formed a vast collection of fine antiques.

Here are a variety of fummer and winter rings worn by the ancient Romans; that they changed their rings with the feafons is evident.

Charg'd

Charg'd with light fummer-rings his fingers fweat,
Unable to fupport a gem of weight.

Dryd. Juv. Sat. I.

Several of these rings are entire, with the ftones ftill in their setting: of these the greater part are intalios, but there are fome cameos; many of the former I take to have been talifmans, amongst the latter, griffins and eagles are common. There are several which open, and the cavity under the gem is fufficiently large to receive as much matter as might be contained in the bowl of a tea-spoon; probably these cavities were defigned to hold poifon. Some of the hoops of thefe rings are fo large as to admit with eafe four of my fingers. I fhall fay nothing of the Etrufcan vafes and fepulchral lamps, of which there are a great abundance, having mentioned fuch before; nor of the Egyptian idols, except that their number and variety is amazing. Here is a very curious filver vafe, Vase. covered over with a plate of gold, pierced through, and defcribing various figures of men, beafts, &c. in the bottom is an Infcription in the Etrufcan Etrufcan language, which has not yet been explained. This Intcripvafe is about eight inches high, and might, I judge, contain about two quarts. The Abbé told us we should see the like in the cabinet of Portici, and of much more curious workmanship.

tion.

Egiade,

An antique head of one entire gem, called Egiade this precious ftone is of a dufky pea- Antique

Head.

green,

Bronze

green, not quite opaque, nor yet transparent; one of the eyes is formed by a cat's eye, as it is commonly called, or belus, which is a kind of agate, or onyx, and resembles ftrongly the pupil of an eye; it is transparent, and like a hazel eye. The ancients frequently inferted gems, to fupply the eyes, in their statues and bustos; and although there are but few now to be feen, yet the fockets which remain evidently prove the reality of the practice.

Here are various keys of whimsical shapes in bronze; also a variety of chirurgical inftruments, bodkins, and other appendages of the toilette, of bronze, bone, and ivory; the antique ftylus, for writing on tablets of wax; vafes for wine of Terracotta, called Diata; they finish in a point, in order to be stuck upright in the earth, to keep the wine cool. There are elegant figures on fome of these vafes, one of which I copied on the fpot, and shall send you inclosed in this letter.

A Bronze Helmet, which they pretend to have Helmet. been worn by Hannibal, from being found near the lake of Thrafimene, as they affert, and having fome African characters infcribed on it; but M— objected to the origin of this antiquity, alleging, that it was not probable that great general should have loft his helmet either at Trebia, Thrafimene, or Canna: had it been found upon the field of Zamá, the conjecture might have bore stronger marks of probability.

Here

Here is a small marble Venus, about the fize Venus. of a girl of thirteen years old; she is supposed to be just born from the fea; and is distinguished by the name of the Crouching Venus, probably from her attitude. She is preffing the water from her hair, which is in beautiful diforder; the drops trickle down her breaft; her features are charming, her countenance expreffes a moft innocent gaiety; and the anatomy of her back is furpri fingly fine.

Minerva.

A Greek ftatue of Minerva, of bronze; it ap- Greek pears to have fuffered by the fire at Rome; one arm has been supplied by plaister, and is very ill done; the other appears through the drapery to be admirably proportioned. The drapery feems tranfparent; fo as to fhew the limbs and muscles of the body: the foot and toes are plainly to be feen, though completely covered; the gems that filled the empty fockets of the eyes have, probably, been stolen.

tions,

Three Roman Infcriptions upon bronze, and Roman infcripperfectly legible, are highly efteemed by the curious; the firft is a declaration of the peo- bronze. ple of Fiorentino (a village which to this day preferves nearly its antique name), that they chofe for their protector and patron, one named Baffus, &c. The other two are forms for the dif charge of foldiers, who had ferved twenty campaigns, which were to be precedents for all such discharges; one in the reign of Domitian, the

other

Statue of

Antique

Urns.

other of Nerva. You know to whom I am indebted for the fubjects of these infcriptions, as well as of many others of my claffical quotations and obfer

vations.

A fmall Greek statue of Victory; it is of very Victory. fine fculpture, though only feven inches high. At Volterne, about fixty miles from Florence, were found, on digging in the grounds of Cavaliere Galowzi, twenty-four antique oblong urns, about fix inches broad, two feet long, and eighteen inches high each; they have bas relievos in front, fome of them tolerably well executed. It is now forty years fince they were discovered, and were bought laft year by the Grand Duke for about two hundred and twenty-five fequins, and now ftand in his gallery between the ftatues.

A theft

The Abbé B- late guardian of these precious nishment. depofits, and of this gallery, stole and difpofed of antique idols, gems, &c. and twenty-four pounds weight of pure gold, the ornaments of columns, &c. of near the value of five thousand pounds, to Jew brokers. He was taken, tried, and condemned to be hanged and embowelled, yet after eight months imprisonment, humanely pardoned, but banished the Grand Duke's territories, and is at this time faid to ferve as a private foldier in the Neapolitan troops.

Mistakes of Mr.

Addison.

Before I end this letter, I must add two or three obfervations in regard to fome affertions of Mr. Addifon. He fays, vol. iii. p. 207. " The brazen

6

figure