A Geographical Description of All the Countries in the Known World, Part 1 · Subpart 159
The chief Cities in Italy described. A Description of old Rome, and the chiefest Rarities thereof.
Rome when it was first built was but two & twenty miles in compasse: it was situated upon dainty hills, in a most healthfull air: had a brave River running by it, with the more ease to convey the in-land commodities for her necessity, and delight; it had the Sea at a convenient distance, not too neer, whereby shee might be annoyed with Forreign Navies, nor so remote, but that shee might bee supplyed with outlandish Commodities. The River Tiber at Rome is four hundred foot broad, and so deep that it will carry ships of the greatest burden. Its about sixteen miles distant from the Sea. It was almost round in compasse. The Suburbs in processe of time grew so great, that Aurelian the Emperor built new walls, which were almost fifty miles in compasse, the walls were adorned with seven hundred and forty Turrets: And yet again, the Suburds in a little time grew so great, that one of them was fifteen miles long, and reacht even to the Sea, and in Augustus his time, there was numbred in Rome above three hundred, and twenty thousand poor people that received relief from the publick: Besides the number of Bondmen was very great: few rich men, but they had an hundred and some four hundred a peece: Seneca saith in his time that the Inhabitants were so many, that the spatious and innumerable houses were scarce able to contain them: that a great part of them were Forreigners that came from all parts of the world to live there: So that the number of Inhabitants was reckoned to bee at least four millions. These people were sustained with provisions brought out of all Nations: so that Rome seemed to bee the common Mart of the whole World.
Heliogabalus to shew the greatnesse of the City; caused all the Spiders to be gathered and put together, which being weighed, amounted to ten thousand pound weight, and a great plague breaking out at Rome, for many dayes together, there dyed ten thousand persons.
The houses were generally built very high, that so they might bee the more capacious, insomuch as Augustus was fain to make a Decree, that their buildings should not exceed seventy foot in height, conceiving that they marred the delicacy of the air, by their over-much shadow: but this extended only to private mens houses, for the great men were not limited.
But besides the great height of the houses, they were beautified by the matter whereof they were built, by the Architecture, and by the Symmetry of them, wherein Art and Elegancy strove for priority. And for that end, what exquisite workmen soever Greece, or Asia brought forth, they were either sent for, or came of their own accord to beautify this Imperiall City, especially in Augustus's time, who made his boasts, Marmoream se relinquere, quam lateritiam accepisset: that hee should leave Rome built of Marble, which hee found built of Bricks.
Nero also when hee had burned a great part of it, at his own charges built it up again, beautifying it with excellently composed streets large wayes, and curious porches to all the houses, which three things were a great Ornament to the City: whereupon Cassiodorus saith, Our fore-Fathers tell us of the seven wonders of the world: The Temple of Diana at Ephesus: The costly Tomb of King Mausolus: The brazen Statue of the Sun in the Isle of Rhodes, called the Colossus: The Image of Jupiter Olympicus made by Phidias: The house of Cyrus King of the Medes and Persians, built by Memnon: The walls of Babylon built by Semiramis: And the Pyramides of Egypt. But now (saith hee) the City of Rome is the greatest miracle of them all. There were in it four hundred twenty four Temples erected to their Idol-gods.
There were two Capitols in Rome; The old built by Numa, the new begun by Tarquinius Priscus, and Superbus, finished by Horatius Pulvillus Consul, upon the Saturnin, or Tarpeian, or Capitoline hill. It was eight acres, or eight hundred feet in compasse, almost four square. It was ascended unto by one hundred steps on the South part, which looked towards the market place, and Palace, it would hold eight thousand men. It was covered with Brasse-tiles all guilt with Gold; There were three Chappels in it, to one of which (viz. Jupiters) Augustus gave sixteen thousand pound weight of gold, and jewels worth almost as much more, twelve thousand talents were spent in gilding of it. The gates were covered with thick plates of Gold.
The only foundations of this Capitol cost Tarquinius forty thousand pound weight of silver, the pillars of it were cut out of a Quarry of Marble, called Pentick-marble, and they were as thick as long. Plut.
Next after the Capitol, the Pantheon is worthily noted. It was built by Agrippa, son in Law to Augustus in the year of the City seven hundred twenty and nine. The Architecture of it was admirable, the beauty, and proportion of all the parts most exquisite: the breadth of it was one hundred forty and four feet, and the height as much: It was wholly covered over with very great tiles of Brass richly guilt. In the reign of Trajan it was burnt by lightning, and re-built by H… drian.
The Temple of Peace was built by Vespasian, three hundred foot long, and two hundred broad: It was the most beautifull of all the Temples in the City, and enriched with gifts of inestimable value: It was adorned with Statues, and pictures of most exquisite workmanship: yea and all the rarities were collected into this Temple, for the sight whereof men formerly used to travell through the whole world. And here also hee placed those vessels which formerly belonged to the Temple of Hierusalem, and were brought from thence by Titus at the sacking of it. It was burnt down in the time of Commodus, either with fire from heaven, or arising out of the earth after a little Earthquake.
There were an infinite number of Baths both publike, and private in Rome. Some of which baths, were all paved with plates of silver and set with rows of Pillars for ornament. Antoninus's bath had sixteen hundred seats of polished Marble in it.
The Appian Causey was built by Appius Claudius Censor▪ It reached from Rome to Capua, the bounds of the Empire that way, at that time; which was afterwards lengthened to Brundusium by Julius, and Augustus Caesar, in all three hundred and fifty miles long, and so broad, that two coaches might easily pass by one another, being about twenty and five foot broad. It was made of hard flinty stones, hewen and laid so close together (yet without any morter or claspes of Iron) that it seemed all of onestone; the stones were three, four, and five feet square: nine hundred years after it was made, the stones were not one whit dis-joynted or broken, ever and anon on the sides were stones whereon persons might sit, or lay their burdens, or get on horseback, and at every miles end, high stones (or pillars) were raised, whereon were engraven the number of the miles. Likewise there were many Monuments on both sides with witty inscriptions, or pretty inventions on them, yeelding both matter of mirth, and seriousness to the travellers.
There were fourteen (saith Pliny) twenty (saith P. Victor) Aquaeducts in Rome; the chiefest of which was the Claudian, began by Caligula, and finished by Claudius; so big as a man might ride on horseback in it; brought forty miles to the City in a level, through the Mountains, and over the Vallies; as high as the highest hill in the City: seven millions and a half were spent in making it. There were besides in the City one thousand three hundred fifty two Lakes, or great receptacles of water for common use.
The Cloacae, or common sewers, were made by Tarquinius Priscus; they were so wide, that a Cart loaden with Hay might passe along them, viz. sixteen foot wide, and as many high. There were seven chief armes from the seven hills (besides several smaller from other parts) which ran into the main Channel. Notwithstanding all the weight of building upon them, and several earthquakes, they remained firm almost eight hundred years. And at one time when they were out of repair, there were a thousand talents spent in repairing of them.
There was an infinite number of Statues, or Images in every part of the City, costly for their matter, and curious for their workmanship: some Authors say, that there were near as many of them, as there were living people in the City; some of them were of polished Marble; infinite of brass, some of Ivory, some of Silver, and some of Gold.
Domitian the Emperour commanded that no statues should bee made for him in the Capitol, but such as were all of silver, or all gold, solid, and not hollow, each of them weighing at least an hundred pound weight: Commodus the Emperor had a statue made for him of gold that weighed a thousand pound weight: Together with a Bull and a Cow of the same mettal, as if hee had been the founder of the City. Hee had also in the Market-place a Pillar erected, and his Statue made upon it, of a thousand five hundred pounds weight of silver. Their statues of brass were most of them guilt, and so were many of their statues of silver. Some of them were of a Colossaean bigness, others mounted on horse-back, and in several postures, and habits: For the preserving of all which from hurt, there was one who was called Comes, or an Earl, whose office it was, continually to walk up and down in the night, attended with many souldiers, that none might wrong them, and besides it was death for any man to do it. Lipsius de Mag. Rom. Imperii.
Rome was for her beauty and bravery called Aurea, and Aeterna, and the Romanes thought that the Monarchy of the World was tyed to them with chains of Adamant. But God hath confuted their golden dreams by breaking their Empire, and given up their City six several times in one hundred thirty and nine years space, into the hands of Barbarians, who exercised therein all kinde of cruelty: besides, it is observed that Rome, since it became Papal, was never besieged by any enemy, but it was taken. Sybil long since prophesied.
Tota eris in cineres, quasi nunquam Roma fuisses.