POMPEII
1.ONCE there stood a town in Italy，at the foot of Mount Vesuvius，which was to Rome what Brighton or Hastings is to London，a very fashionable watering-place，at which Roman gentlemen and members of the senate built villas，to which they were in the habit of retiring from the fatigues of business or the broils of politics.The outsides of all the houses were adorned with frescoes，and every shop glittered with all the colors of the rainbow.At the end of each street there was a charming fountain，and any one who sat down beside it to cool himself，had a delightful view of the Mediterranean，then as beautiful，as blue，and sunny，as it is now.On a fine day，crowds might be seen lounging here，some sauntering up and down，in gala dresses of purple，while slaves passed to and fro，bearing on their heads splendid vases；others sat on marble benches，shaded from the sun by awnings，and having before them tables covered with wine，and fruit，and flowers.Every house in that town was a little palace，and every palace was like a temple，or one of our great public buildings.
2.Any one who thinks a mansion in London the acme of splendor，would have been astonished，had he lived in those days，to find how completely the abodes of those Roman lords outshone “the stately homes of England.”On entering the former，the visitor passed through a vestibule decorated with rows of pillars，and then found himself in the impluvium①，in which the household gods kept guard over theo w n e r ’s t r e a s u r e ，which was placed in a safe，or strong box，secured with brass or iron bands.In this a p a r t m e n t g u e s t s were received with imposing ceremony，and the patron heard t h e c o m p l a i n t s ，supplications，andPompeiiadulations of his great band of clients or dependants，who lived on hissmiles and bounty，but chiefly on the latter.
3.Issuing thence，the visitor found himself in the tablinum，an apartment paved with mosaic and decorated with paintings，in which were kept the family papers and archives.It contained a dining room and a supper room，and a number of sleeping rooms hung with the softest of Syrian cloths，a cabinet filled with rare jewels and antiquities，and sometimes a fine collection of paintings；and last of all，a pillared peristyle①，opening out upon the garden，in which the finest fruit hung temptingly in the rich light of a golden sky；and fountains，which flung their waters aloft in every imaginable form and device，cooled the air and discoursed sweet music to the ear；while from behind every shrub there peeped out a statue，or the bust of some great man，carved from the purest white marble，and placed in charming contrast with bouquets of rare flowers springing from stone vases.On the gate there was always the image of a dog，and underneath it .the inion，“Beware the dog.”
4.The frescoes on the walls represented scenes in the Greek legends，such as “The Seizure of Europa，”“The Battle of the Amazons，”etc.，①Peristyle；a room encompassed with columns.
many of which are still to be seen in the museum at Naples.The pillars in this peristyle of which we have just spoken，were encircled with garlands of flowers，which were renewed every morning.The tables of citron wood were inlaid with silver arabesques①；the couches were of bronze，gilt and jeweled，and were furnished with thick cushions and tapestry，embroidered with marvelous skill.When the master gave a dinner party，the guests reclined upon these cushions，washed their hands in silver basins，and dried them with napkins fringed with purple；and having made a libation on the altar of Bacchus，ate oysters brought from the shores of Britain，kids which were carved to the sound of music，and fruits served up on ice in the hottest days of summer；and while the cup-bearers filled their golden cups with the rarest and most delicate wine in all the world，other attendants crowned them with flowers wet with the dew，and dancers executed the most graceful movements，and singers accompanied by the lyre，poured forth an ode of Horace or of Anacreon.
5.After the banquet，a shower of scented water，scattered from invisible pipes，spread perfume over the apartment，and every thing around，even the oil，and the lamps，and the jets of the fountain，shed forth the most grateful odor；and suddenly，from the mosaic of the floor，tables of rich dainties，of which we have at the present day no idea，rose，as if by magic，to stimulate the palled appetites of the revelers into fresh activity.When these had disappeared，other tables succeeded them，upon which senators，and consuls，and proconsuls，gambled away provinces and empires by the throw of diee；and last of all，the tapestry was suddenly raised，and young girls，lightly attired，wreathed with flowers，and bearing lyres in their hands，issued forth，and charmed sight and hearing by the graceful mazes of the dance.
