DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61277#0088
64
BALBI VILLA.
Greek city, and to disappear at a time when
Greek was not only the common language of
Campania, but the language of fashion at Rome
itself, and in general use with all the literati, it was
thought probable that the whole collection might
be in that language: but several Latin works
have since been found; and there is every reason
to believe, that, in a city so rich, and inhabited
by so many wealthy Romans, there must have
been considerable libraries, both public and pri-
vate, and of course complete collections of Roman
authors.
But I must leave any farther account of these
Herculaneum treasures for a future chapter.
The villa in which they were discovered is con-
jectured to have belonged to one of the Balbi
family. Although elegant, it was small, and con-
sisted of a ground-floor only, like those of Pom-
peii. Besides a number of small apartments round
an interior hall, it contained a bathing-room,
curiously fitted up with marble, and water-pipes,
and a chapel of diminutive size, without any win-
dow or aperture for daylight; the walls of which
were painted with serpents, and within which a
bronze tripod, filled with cinders and ashes, was
found standing on the floor. The apartment
devoted to the purpose of a library, was fitted up
BALBI VILLA.
Greek city, and to disappear at a time when
Greek was not only the common language of
Campania, but the language of fashion at Rome
itself, and in general use with all the literati, it was
thought probable that the whole collection might
be in that language: but several Latin works
have since been found; and there is every reason
to believe, that, in a city so rich, and inhabited
by so many wealthy Romans, there must have
been considerable libraries, both public and pri-
vate, and of course complete collections of Roman
authors.
But I must leave any farther account of these
Herculaneum treasures for a future chapter.
The villa in which they were discovered is con-
jectured to have belonged to one of the Balbi
family. Although elegant, it was small, and con-
sisted of a ground-floor only, like those of Pom-
peii. Besides a number of small apartments round
an interior hall, it contained a bathing-room,
curiously fitted up with marble, and water-pipes,
and a chapel of diminutive size, without any win-
dow or aperture for daylight; the walls of which
were painted with serpents, and within which a
bronze tripod, filled with cinders and ashes, was
found standing on the floor. The apartment
devoted to the purpose of a library, was fitted up