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REMARKS

ON THE

ANTIQUITIES OF ROME

AND

ITS ENVIRONS:

BEING A CLASSICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEY

OF

THE RUINS

OF THAT CELEBRATED CITY.

ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS.

BY ANDREW LUMISDEN, ESQ.

MEMBER OF THE ROYAL AND ANTIQUARY SOCIETIES
OF EDINBURGH.

"Mihi pulchrum imprimis videtur, non pati occidere quibus æternitas debeatur."
PLINIUS SECUNDUS, 1. 5. ep. 8.

THE SECOND EDITION.

LONDON:

PRINTED BY W. BULMER AND CO. CLEVELAND ROW,

FOR G. AND W. NICOL, BOOKSELLERS TO HIS MAJESTY,
PALL-MALL.

4.S.


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THE

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE Author of the following Remarks, who resided many years at Rome, committed them to writing for his own private amusement. But, having shown them to several of his friends, in whose taste and learning he has much confidence, he now ventures to present them to the Public. He pretends not to elegance of style: accuracy of observation is his great object. He has pointed out the sources from whence knowledge of the Roman Antiquities is to be drawn. He has corrected many mistakes that various authors have fallen into, and carefully cited his authorities. Though he is far from thinking that he has exhausted his extensive and difficult subject, yet he flatters himself that these Remarks, imperfect as they are, may prove useful to those who shall hereafter visit Rome, as well as to every lover of the fine arts, and of classical learning; and that they will not be unacceptable even to persons who have already examined the Antiquities of that renowned city.

These Remarks could easily have been lengthened out; but, in a work of this kind, the Author preferred conciseness, and wished to say no more than what was necessary: at the same time he hopes his ideas will be found to be sufficiently clear. Such as they are, he submits them to the examination of the candid Public.

The Work might, no doubt, have admitted of an extensive number of engravings; which, however, would have greatly increased its price, and thereby rendered it, though more splendid, less universally useful. The Author, therefore, has given only such, as were indispensably necessary for illustrating to the eye, what he could not do so clearly by words. They are all of them taken from accurate original drawings,* excepting only those of the Pantheon and Vespasian's Amphitheatre, which are copied, the one from Desgodetz, and the other from Fontana. With regard to other engravings, which might have been, but are not here given, the curious reader is referred, at the proper places, to the different authors, by whom they have been published.

In the course of the Work, the Author frequently uses the modern Roman measure called a palm, employed by their architects; it is equal to 8,779 English inches.

* Plates I. and III. are delineated by the ingenious Mr. John Myddelton, from maps, plans, and drawings in the Author's collection. Perhaps by comparing the Plan of Ancient Rome, Plate III. with one of Modern Rome, the reader will be enabled to find out more easily the situation of the Antiquities mentioned in these Remarks. The best Plan of Modern Rome is that by Giambattista Nolli.

London, 1797.

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