1819.] The River Wye.-Old Queen's Head and Artichoke. 401 expence of the whole would, no doubt, be soon repaid by the additional conveyance of carriages with so much ease. The cost of a horse or carriage ferry-boat over the Severn, is about seventy pounds; and of the foot-passengers' boat, between tive and ten. What the additional expense of throwing up two piers and side causeways, with the moveable bridges would be, the writer of this paper cannot say; but he is in clined to think that the sum expended would return ten per cent. interest from the increased transit. What the advantage of such a plan, or of one superior, might be to the proprietors of estates in Herefordshire, it is impossible to say. The county, says Marshall, is known to be one which contains every thing desirable; but the communication is most grievously interrupted by the Wye. There are only three bridges for forty miles, from Ross to Chepstow, where for the purposes of commerce, there ought to be twenty. Humanity also prompts the erection of better modes of passage than the present. A gentleman, well acquainted with the Newcastle navigation, and a native of the county of Durham, about Sunderland and Shields, assured the Author that, notwithstanding the immense number of hands employed in the coal trade, there were more lives annually lost in the Wye, than in the Tyne. Tourists who see the river only in the summer, when it is a mere pellucid brook, know nothing of its character in winter, or when it is swelled by a fresh from the rivers of supply. It is then a tremendous torrent, eddying like the Thames at London Bridge; and the bottom is full of immense rocks upon the sides, and deep heles, some of which, called salmon-holes, are from thirty to forty feet in depth. Immersion at such a period is, even to excellent swimmers, almost certain death. The rapidity of the current prevents their making a short cut across to the bank; and the cold of the water in the winter season, mostly produces the cramp. If a horse is unaccustomed to enter the boat, he is sometimes so restive, as to jerk his rider overboard by a sudden pull of the bridle, as he is being driven from GENT. MAG. October, 1819. the bank into the boat; and, as to foot passengers and ferrymen, they are often drowned by the stream forcing the boat from the rope. Loss of life among the bargemen is an occurrence of enormous frequency. In short, the river as it now is, through want of bridges, is hurtful to life and property, which it ill becomes an enlightened age like this to endure paticntly; and therefore it is hoped, philanthropically and humbly only, that gentlemen who have property in Ferries, on the Wye and elsewhere, will take the opinion of Engineers upon the ideas suggested in this rude sketch. If the untimely decease of a descendant of the Man of Ross's fa mily should fortunately, though unexpected by the writer, suggest any thing which would not have failed to produce the approbation of that illustrious character, the loss of a fine young man, however deplorable, may become a providential good. Yours, &c. A CONSTANT READER. THE annexed sketch, if inserted in your Repository, will preserve the resemblance of a well-known house of public entertainment, the Old Queen's Head and Artichoke, now destroyed. It was situated in a lane nearly opposite Portland Road, and about five hundred yards from the road that leads from Paddington to Finsbury; and very near to the present new house of that name. The view in the print (see Plate II.) is opposite to the entrance of the house; as the door was on the other side of the bow-window. The barn along-side was well known by the name of Edmondson's Barn; it belonging to Mr. Edmondson, coachpainter to the Queen, in Warwickstreet, Golden-square, where he used to execute the first part of his coachpainting. The lane was not any public road, only for foot-passengers, as it led into the fields, towards Chalk Farm, Jews' Harp house, Hampstead, &c. On the other side the pailing, was the lane, and a skittle-ground belonging to the house. It was surrounded at the back and one side by an artificial stone manufactory, and several small houses with gardens at tached to them. B. L. HERO HERODOTUS AND DIODORUS SICULUS. "Verum quàm multi, risom dum cap. tant levem, Gravi destringunt alios contumelia, Liverpool, Oct. 9. Their writings are the torches, by the aid of which we may see our way, and trace events down from the gloom which surrounded primeval man. The antient writers often prove most persuasive collateral evidence to the truth of the Holy Scriptures, and in this point of view deserve our especial regard. These reflections are excited by the perusal of an article in your Number for June last, page 529. Your Correspondent A. H. in his own extract, and the observations and quotations of the Rev. G. S. Faber's remarks on the Pyramid of Cephrenes, affirms that the recent discovery of the bones of a bull in the sarcophagus of this pyramid, "has awakened the surprise of the chronologer, that Herodotus has now met with another testimony to contradict his idle tale, and that "Diodorus corroborates the same." With these antient historians, your Correspondent connects the celebrated Rollin, and even Denon, as dupes to the same credulity. When your Readers see the extracts from these two historians, which it is indispensibly requisite to furnish them, it will appear that A. H. and even the Rev. Mr. Faber, had not perused them, or that these passages had escaped their memories. 1 am very reluctant to suppose that they join the common cry and erroneous sentiment raised and entertained against the credit and ve racity of these historians. Illiberal Fame ascribes to them as their own belief, and declared opinion, what is expressly told by themselves to be the tradition, belief, or information, of others. They are pointedly guarded in expressing this distinction. On opening the History of Herodotus, we observe his relation of the Trojan war, and the causes of the early hostilities of Persia and Greece. All this history he plainly states as resting for the most part on tradition. He emphatically says (Lib. 1, 5,) 7 "So affirm the Persians and Phoeni cians; for my part, I shall not say with regard to these affairs, whether they so happened or otherwise; but having pointed out the individual whom I know to have been the first aggressor against the Greeks, I shall go on with my history," &c. Not only this, but numerous similar passages might be quoted from this author to show, that while he confidently states what he considers truth, he is careful to discriminate between fact and fiction. In Book 7, 152, he writes, "I engage to report what is said, but I' do not engage my belief in all; and let this observation apply to my entire History." This is not the language of one anxious to propagate idle tales." He had at hand abundant materials. for a general History, in the detached historical labours of his predecessors; nevertheless, he deemed as indispensible, a tour through the different countries, the history of which he intended to write. This personal visit certainly manifests a desire of originality, and attainment of truth. Much of his history bears the features of geographical relation, in which it is always considered incumbent to describe what is seen, and report local information, as to the face of the country, inhabitants, manners, customs, and traditions, however ridicu lous or incredible they may appear. As well, on the score of apparent probability, may we call in question the veracity of Captain Ross, in his relation of the late Voyage towards the Pole, when he details the ridiculous, and almost incredible, notions and manners of the inhabitants of those unexplored regions, as, on the mere 1819.] Defence of Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus. mere consideration of novelty, to withhold our credence from Hero. dotus, Let us suppose time about a dozen centuries in advance from the present æra, let us picture to ourselves this interval marked by a second inunda tion of vandalism over the literary world; among the few precious relies destined to float over to a suc. ceeding age of learning, imagine the lately-published, and to us well and really authenticated Arctic Voyage, which reports the phænomenon of Red Snow-lastly, at this supposed juncture, let us have Herodotus on the earth again, and the Arctic Voyage in Greek before him, in this supposed state of the world, deprived of all contemporary proof or evidence, on the perusal of this Voyage, might not he, too, think the Red Snow, the formerly authenticated fact, an "idle tale?" Modern discovery has fixed the stamp of truth on that which had before been considered and cried down as fabulous. Prejudice seems still to call for further investigation; and this leads me to examine whether Herodotus and Diodorus really hold out any expectation that the remains of Cephrenes might be found in the pyramid bearing his name? Perhaps the supposed tomb of this Sovereign may prove the real monument of their veracity! At his decease (i. e. Cheop's), his brother Cephrenes succeeded to the throne, and pursued a similar conduct; among other acts, he also constructed a PyraAmid, though not rising to the magnitude of the other, neither are there subterraoneous chambers, nor is there any stream flowing therein from the Nile, as into the other; but, entering through a walled channel, it flows round an inclosure of subterraneous structures (neo, subintellige των ύπο την οικημάτων), where THEY SAY Cheops is deposited." Now permit me, Mr. Urban, first to remark, that had this description of the Pyramid, contrary to what we see, been accompanied with the most improbable assertions, yet the author, ras said before, justifies the relation, and is constantly pointing out to our notice in his historical tablet, the discriminating line of truth and tradi-: tion. Just before he enters on the subject of these Pyramids, we notice, What is affirmed by the Egyptiaus; 403 let each adopt as it appears credible.With me it is an established maxim throughout the History,-all that is said on every subject, I write from oral report," Next it may be noted, that the Historian, by the expression τα υπο ynı olxnuala," connected in a former passage with " now," clearly conveys the notion of these subterraneous vaults extending far beyond the bases of the Pyramids. A singular, though natural, and not unprecedented, acceptation of the word nos in this passage must be remarked. It not only impliesland surrounded by water," an island, but any resemblance; thus a robe surrounded by a border of purple, is voos ;-see the Lexicons. Our judgment instantly acquiesces in the analogy of this term noos, as applied to that subterraneous space (under and around, the Pyramids) occupied by the vaults, and surrounded by the aqueduct from the Nile. Let us now proceed to Diodorus Siculus, and raise up our feeble shield in bis protection against the shafts of slander. Lib. 1, cap. 64, after mentioning Cheops and Cepbrenes as the builders of the Pyramids, he observes; "But it happened that neither of these kings was buried in the Pyramids which they intended for their tombs. For the people, by reason of their oppression during the works, and these sovereigns having perpetrated many cruel and tyrannical acts, were incensed at the authors of their sufferings, and threatened to mangle their corpses, and ignominiously drag them out of their tombs. Whereupon, both of them at their decease enjoined each his relatives secretly to inter their bodies in some obscure grave." Thus both Herodotus and Diodorus stand clearly acquitted of the charge of credulity, with regard to the burial-place of Cephrenes. The persevering reiterated curiosity of past ages, to say nothing of the ravages of time, may not have left an atom of the royal relicks for modern gratification. Indeed, it has been asserted by respectable and intelligent visitors, that the sarcophagi in the Pyramids bear manifest appearance of past violence. The deposit of human bodies in these subterraneous receptacles is as manifestly proved and admitted. "But I fear I am transgressing the limits of your your indulgence, and shall reserve my opinion on the discovery of the bones of the sacred Bull, the representative of Osiris, for the first leisure that more urgent avocations may afford. Let it suffice, for the present, to remark that this discovery is palpable, ocular proof of the truth of a portion of the Books of Moses, of some allusions of the Prophets, and additional evidence of the VERACITY of Herodotus and Diodorus. The silence of the former, as to the Tomb of Cephrenes, and the positive denial of the latter, as to the burial of either of the forementioned Kings in these Pyramids, by no means justify the obloquy of your Correspondent A. H. nor even the expectations of Signor *Belzoni, or the Rev. Mr. Faber. Yours, &c. J. W. Ancient Anecdotes, &c. from VALERIUS MAXIMUS, by Dr. CAREY, West Square, (Continued from p. 328.) THE Dripetine, daughter of the famous Mithridates, king of Pontus, who was conquered by Pompey, had a double Tow of teeth, productive of considerable deformity.-Ibid. 13. The poet Antipater was annually visited by a periodic fever, which continued no longer than one day, viz. the anniversary of his nativity; on which precise day it at length carried him off at a very advanced age. Ibid. 16. When the Roman general, Regulus, was waging war against the Carthaginians in Africa, he had to contend with a huge serpent, which infested the bank of a river whence his soldiers had to fetch water, and destroyed several of them, on their approaching to procure it. That monster was invulnerable to darts or jave lins, and was at length with difficulty subdued by showers of ponderous stones hurled against him from the artillery, [if I may venture to give that name to the Ballista, or great cross-bows on carriages, almost equal, in execution, to our modern cannon; as appears from Tacitus, Hist. 3, 23, where one is noticed, which swept No case of divorce ever occurred at Rome before the year five hundred and twenty from the foundation of the city. The first instance was that of Spurius Carvilius, who dismissed his wife, because she bore him no children which motive, however reasonable in his own opinion, did not screen him from the censure of his fellow citizens, who did not consider his partner's infecundity, or his own desire of having children, as a sufficient cause to justify a rupture of the matrimonial tie.-Lib. 2, 1, 4. " At Rome, in summoning a matron to appear in a court of justice, it was not lawful to touch her person ; the touch, in such case, being esteemed a breach of decorum, and a violation of the respect due to her character. Lib. 2, 1, 5. In the early ages of Rome, the women were debarred from the use of wine.-Ibid. Among the Romans, it was conțidered as highly indecent for a father to bathe in company with his son, after he had attained to the age of puberty-or for a father-in-law to bathe with his son-in-law. Lib. 2, 1, 7. During several centuries from the foundation of Rome, the proceedings of the senate were never divulged, so long as there existed any motive for secrecy and, in the year of the city six hundred and three, when that assembly resolved to declare war against Carthage, Fabius Maxanus was severely reprimanded by the consuls, for having inadvertently disclosed that resolution, even to a man who had held a high office in the state, but was not yet chosen a member of the senate; though Fabius made the disclosure under theumistaken supposition that the person in question |