and famous c ity in IJlria-, w h ich , i f b u ilt b y the Colche fian s,
as is the conftant opinion o f all the hiftorians, m u ll be th ir ty
centuries
ferves as a perennial fountain, and fupplies the inhabitants of the city and neigh-
bourhood with water in the greateft drought. Greek and Roman coins o f the
good times, and Aquileian and Venetian of the middle times, are often found
there, in gold, filver, and copper, as well as iriftruments, vafes, and other ancient
works. Many infcriptions have been carried away, and many ftill remain
fcattered in the ftreets and rubbifb, or thruft without diftinition into the walls,
a- good part o f which was built of ancient ftone, and may be called a mixture of
frizes, cornices, ftatues, columns, -'bafs^retiefs, and other pieces of wrought
marble. Th e barbarous ignorance of the clergy of that place, burled, in the beginning
of this-century, a great number o f ancient memorials in the foundation
o f the ftcepie o f their cathedral; and the iiupid indifference of the inhabitants per
mitteti it. And, thus they-continue to permit any individual to bury whatever valuable
piece of antiquity he meets with, in order to carry on his wretched build-
ing fo much the quicker and eafier.
There.was alfo a theatre in former times, o f which Serlius has preferved the
ruins in his books o f architeaure; and I have feen them likewife in a bad im-
:preilion of an old, plan o f Pole, done in the laft century. It lay at the foot o f the
hill, which is Rill called Zad.ro, or Zaro corruptly; the fteps were placed upon
the curvature of the hill itfelf, to fave fubftruaibns. A French engineer cal
led Anthony Devilie, deftroyed thefe remains, which were .Angular in the world-
and made ufe o f the materials to build a fort on the top o f a -hill in the very middle
of the city, ,in. the year 1636. Th e lame man had alfo undertaken to de-
moliih the amphitheatre ; and would foon have ruined it altogether, i f the cle
mency of the fovereign, at the inftance of the inhabitants, who at that time did
not exceed four hundred, had not made him defift. But the damage begun by
that enemy to antiquity was never repaired ; and that magnificent monument of
the grandeur of Pola threatens a diffolution on one fide, i f not prevented in
time. T h e work does not require much expence j the repairing of one arch
and a few other pieces would be fufficient; but i f it is left abandoned much l o n g 3
t r , the confequences muft certainly be fatal.
T h e barbarous treatment of antiquitity continued Hill at Pola after the departure
of Devilie, and after the death of thofe who buried the infcriptions in the
beginning of the century. Not feven years fince, in diging a well in a private
houie»
centuries old ; as the Colchefians, in purfuit o f the Argonauts,
landed in the Adriatick, according to the b d l chronological
C c c comh
o u f e , a fu b t e r r a n e o u s a p a r tm e n t w a s d i fc o v e r e d d iv id e d in t o g a l l e r ie s b y b r i c k
p i la f t e r s , an d a ll c o v e r e d w i t h f la b s o f G r e e k m a rb le tw o p a lm s b r o a d , an d a b o u t
f i x lo n g . T h e V i f i g o th o w n e r o f th e h o u fe b a rb a r o u f ly f ille d it a l l up- w i t h th e
r u b b i ih o f h is w e l l , an d m a d e fu c h h a fte tb 'c - Io fe i t a l t o g e th e r b y a w a l l , t h a t I
d id n o t g e t in t im e to fe e th a t fu b te r r a n e o u s c u r io f i t y , th b u g h I w a s a t n o g r e a t
■diftanee. A n o t h e r V a n d a l t h r e w u n d e r g r o u n d a v e r y w e l l c u t f ta tu e n e a r - th e
a p o th e c a r y ’ s ih o p a t th e c o r n e r o f th e m a r k e t p la c e ; an d fe v e n y e a r s a g o , w i t h o
u t o n e o f th e g a t e s ,’ a r i l l o f w a t e r ru n u n d e r i j l a t u a tig ota w i t h o u t th e h e ad ;
a n d it I s n o«r q u i t e c o v e r e d w i th e a r th . A few y f e f s f i n c e , f r i a n y in f c r ip t io n s w e r e
b u r i e d in th e fo u n d a t io n s o f h o u fe s , w h i c h , h o w e v e r , w e r e p r e fe r v e d in w r i . -
in g , t o g e th e r w i th f e v e r a l a n c ie n t f i lv e r C o in s b y Signor Jacopo Lombardi a g e n t l e m
a n of Pola.' ^
T h e t e r r i t o r y o f Pola is v e r y f e r t i le , n o r d o w e f in d t h a t a n c ie n t w r i t e r s h n
f a u l t w i th it f o r th e u n h e a lth fu ln e fs o f it s a i r . T h e d e v a f t a t io n s , t o w h i c h i t
Was f u b j e a in th e l o w a g e s , d e f t r o y in g it s in h a b i t a n t s , an d th o fe o f th e c o u n t r y
ro u n d i t , w e r e th e c a u f e a lfo th a t th e w a t e r s in th e l o w a d ja c e n t g r o u n d s w e r e
n e g l e & e d . A n d th e b i i lio p s , w h o , in th o fe t im e s o f a n a r c h y an d b a r b a r i fm ,
b e c am e p ro p r ie to r s o f th e n e a r e f t , an d moil: p e r n ic io u s la k e s to th e c i t y , n e v e r
h a v in g t a k e n a n y p a in s to g iv e th em a n o u t l e t , th e a i r w a s ren d e r e d e x c e e d in g ly
u n w h o l e f om e , e f p e c ia l iy in th e h o t fe b fo n , a c a lam i t y w h ic h t h e y , a s p a f t o r s b f
th e p e o p le , o u g h t to h a v e en d e a v o u r e d t o p r e v e n t o f th e i r o w n a c c o r d , a t leafl.
in th is h um a n e a g e , w i t h o u t w a i t in g fo r o rd e r s f rom th e f o v e r e ig n . | In f fe a d o f
m a k i n g a c a n a l o f c om m u n ic a t io n b e tw e e n th é l a k e s 'n e a r th e c i t y an d th e f e a ,
t h e y , fom e y e a r s a g o , v e r y im p ru d e n t ly d u g a t i o u t l e t f o r th e f o u n t a in , w i t h th e
v i e w o f h in d e r in g th e p r o p a g a t i o n 'o f â q u a t i c k p la n t s , w h i c h g r e w 'i r i g r e a t p le n t
y , b e c a u f e th e b o t tom had n e v e r b e e n 'c le a n e d t o th e d e p th o f th e a n c ie n t p a v e m
e n t . T h i s c a n a l c om m u n ic a t e s w i t h th e c o n t ig u o u s f e a , a n d , 'a t h i g h t id e s ,
f e r v e s to c o n d u i t th e f a i t w a t e r w h ic h fp o ils th e f o u n t a in , an d ' h u r t s th e h e a l th
o f th e p e o p le , w h o a re o b l ig e d t o ilfe i t .
T h e r e w e r e , in fo rm e r t im e s , m a n y a n c ie n t f e p u lc h r a l m o n um e n t s a b o u t
P o la an d fom e f t i l l r em a in o n t h e fo u th f id e o f i t . D a n t e m e n t io n s th em :
S i come ad Jrli, ove il Radano Jlagna, ,
'Si come a Pola, prejfo del Quarnaro
Che Italia chiude, e ifuoi termini bagna,
1'arino i fepolcri tutto il loco varo. Inf. ix. V . 113»