Eustace, John Cretwode: A classical tour through Italy An. MDCCCII (Vol. 3): 3. ed., rev. and enl (London: J. Mawman, 1815)

100

CLASSICAL TOUR

Ch. III.

It was now dusk, and on our entrance into the
bishop's villa, we found a plentiful repast, and
excellent wines waiting’ our arrival. Our beds
and rooms were all good, and every thing calcu-
lated to make our visit to Pcestum as agreeable
in its accompaniments as it was interesting in
its object. The night was bright, the weather
warm, but airy, a gale sweet and refreshing blew
from the neighboring hills of Acropoli and Cal-
liniara; no sound was heard but the regular
murmurs of the neighboring sea. The temples,
silvered over by the light of the moon, rose full
before me, and fixed my eyes till sleep closed
them. In the morning, the first object that pre-
sented itself was still the temples, now blazing
In the full beams of the sun; beyond them the
sea glittering as far as sight could reach, and
the bills and mountains round, all lighted up
with brightness. We passed some hours in re-
visiting the ruins, and contemplating the sur-
rounding scenery.
Pcestwn stands in a fertile plain, bounded on
the west by the Tyrrhene Sea, and about a mile
distant on the south by fine hills, in the midst of
which Acropoli sits embosomed ; on the north,
by the bay of Salerno, and its rugged border;
while, to the east, the country swells into -two
mountains, which still retain their ancient names