it was thither that the emperor Justinian, having recalled Narses, the celebrated general, out of Italy, sent Longinus, with the power and title of Exarch, in his place. Swaying the whole of this part of Italy by his lieutenants under the denomination of Duces, the origin of our dukes, it was from this period that Rome lost her consuls, Narses and Basilius being the last two; and the mistress of the world was thenceforward, like Spoletum, placed under the ducal control. The ancient town made its name famous by its spirited repulse of Hannibal after his great victory at Thrasimene; and an arched gateway, through which the street passes in ascending the hill, is still, in commemoration of the event, called La Porta d' Annibale, and bears an inscription in honor of the exploit. There is also another ancient arch, divested of all architectural ornament, called the arch of Drusus.

From the town is derived the name of the delightful valley of Spoleto which lies near it, displaying a striking combination of the beauty and grandeur of Italian landscape, as seen nobly depicted in the accompanying plate. It embraces a compass of thirty miles, surrounded on all sides with sylvan hills, and diversified with numerous hamlets and villas; the sunny clearness, salubrity, and fertility of earth, air, and sky, rendering its vicinity a favorite sojourn, especially in the more classic times. Thus enriched with all the charms of nature, in her most varied and lavish mood, the aspect of Spoleto itself, its edifices, and its ruins, present a mournful contrast to the glowing scenery, by the air of desertion and decay which invests some of the noblest

monuments of its by-gone power and grandeur. Colossal masses of stone, once the piers of a bridge, the ruins of a theatre, of a grand temple to the goddess of Concord, with other fragments of Roman splendour, all declare, with a silence but too eloquent, the perishable character of human efforts and ambition, and the immutable glory of nature's surrounding works.

The castle, in its sombre form and massy materials, presents a relic of barbarian antiquity. Raised by Theodoric, destroyed during the Gothic war, and rebuilt by Narses, the rival of the great Belisarius, it covers the summit of a lofty hill, looking down like some bird of prey, with outspread wings, upon its subject town below; and it is commanded by a still loftier mountain, which rises beyond it. Behind the castle is seen the celebrated aqueduct which, connecting Spoleto with the adjacent hills, supplies the town with water, conveyed over a narrow and deep valley. It is supported by arches of an extraordinary elevation, ten in number, and nine piers, with a bridge which stretches from the town to the noble hill rising beyond, called Monte Luco. Shaded with a dark skirt of evergreens, singularly relieved by the white dwellings of a tribe of hermits on the hill side, the prospect from the bridge is one of the most novel, and not the least enchanting of any in the vicinity. The inmates of these cells also are distinct from most other hermits separated from the world. Untrammelled by the usual vows, or by any of those trying observances peculiar to the anchorite order, they resort thither and retire whenever they feel inclined; while this very independence seems

rather to promote than detract from the blamelessness of their quiet and exemplary lives.

The aqueduct is of Ruman structure, dating about the year 560, but is said to have been repaired under Theodoric, king of the Goths. It was then that the pointedarched style of architecture was introduced into Italy, sprung doubtless from the round-arched style, such as is exhibited in the palace of Dioclesian at Spalatro, and in the church of Santa Constanza, erected in the reign of Constantine, near Rome. The architraved manner in use among the Egyptians, the ancient Greeks, and Romans, is known to have ceased in Italy in the fourth century; and round arches rising from the columns, as in the fabrics of Spoleto, to have replaced it. The same was adopted by the Emperor at Constantinople, and in this form was erected the famous Santa Sophia by Justinian. So far, however, from its meriting the title of Gothic or barbarous, the best writers-Muratori, Tiraboschi, and Maffei, give their joint testimony to the fact, that, in place of introducing this or any other style, both Goths and Lombards only made use of the arts and architects found established on their arrival in Italy; and they continued the same convenient plan throughout the middle ages.

The old town of Spoletum lay on the road between the emperor Theodoric's royal seat at Ravenna and the city of Rome, then ranking only as second under the imperial sway. It was in his reign that the country round Spoleto put on so improved an aspect by the drainage of the low marshy grounds, among the deeper dells and ravines of the valley. The more modern

town, though for the most part neat and well-built, bears occasional marks of the ravages of Italy's fierce scourge― the earthquake; a truth made too evident by numerous inscriptions left on public edifices, previous to the erection of many noble palaces and mansions of more recent date. A new bridge has also been constructed on the side where the Foligno road opens into Spoleto. While forming the foundations for it, two arches of an old Roman bridge were uncovered, known to be the Ponte Sanguinaria, a name bestowed from the number of Christian martyrs reported to have been thrown headlong from its walls. One or two old and classic love legends pertain also to the same spot.

In the time of Tiberius, the town of Spoletum is supposed to have been the first place of refuge sought by a young Roman knight named Decius Mundus, after being banished from Rome by that emperor, who about the same period is recorded to have abolished the worship of the goddess Isis, for reasons connected with the same edict. An amusing account of the whole affair is given by Josephus at some length, of which the following is a feeble abstract. Decius was violently in love with a noble Roman lady named Paulina, the consort of Saturnius, belonging to the Senatorial order. Virtuous as she was beautiful, the misguided lover sighed and courted, intreated, flattered, and even made presents, it seems, in vain. As a last resource, he had recourse to gold, and if two hundred thousand attic drachmas-about £6000 sterling—could have touched the heart of her he loved, he was ready to lay both that and himself at her feet. All in vain ;