M, ROME.]

Not far from the Colosseum begins one of the oldest and most famous
roads ever trodden by the foot of man--the Appian Way. Here emperors and
generals marched into Rome after successful wars; here their remains
were carried out to be burned on pyres and deposited in urns in
mausoleums and tombs. Here the Christians came out at night in silent
ranks to consign the remains of their co-religionists, torn to pieces in
the arena, to the catacombs of underground Rome. Here also St. Paul made
his entry into Rome, escorted by troops of Christians, as recorded in
the last chapter of the Acts of the Apostles; and to-day we find on this
road a small chapel which is called "Whither goest thou?" (_Quo vadis?_)
at the point in the road where Peter saw his vision.

POMPEII

From Rome we go on to Naples, where to the east the regular volcanic
cone of Vesuvius rears itself like a fire-breathing dragon over the bay,
and where towns, villages, and white villas stand as thick on the shore
as beads on a rosary. Our time is short; we drive rapidly through the
lava-paved streets of Naples, and cannot feast our eyes long enough with
the sight of these fine dark men in their motley dirty garments, and
cannot hear enough of their melodious songs in honour of delightful
Naples. Their warm affection for the famous city is quite natural, and
one of their sayings, "See Naples and die," implies that life is
worthless to any one who has not been there.

During our wanderings we come to the National Museum, and there we are
lost to everything outside. There we forget the bustling life of the
streets, the blue bay and the green gardens; for here we are in the
presence of antiquity--an immense collection of artistic objects,
statues, and paintings from Pompeii.

[Illustration: MAP SHOWING JOURNEY FROM PARIS TO ALEXANDRIA.]

In the sixth century B.C. Pompeii was founded at the southern
foot of Vesuvius, not far from the shore of the bay. About eighty years
before our era Pompeii came under the rule of Rome, and during the
succeeding 150 years it was changed into a genuine Roman town in all
respects--in style of building, language, trade, and manner of life. A
wall with towers enclosed this collection of streets and houses, and at
night the eight town gates were closed and shut in 20,000 inhabitants.
In its principal square, a place of popular assemblies and festivals,
stood the Temple of Jupiter among porticoes, arcades, and rows of
mar