often prove a miftake, to believe they had opened, a pafiage into
the clay, or mud, before the ftrata were hardened under the fea
waters. Hence all the deductions o f that celebrated academician
muft fall to the ground, rtot only, concerning the wonderful,
age o f the Foladiy but alfo concerning the no leis wonderful
fpeedy induration o f the fubmarine ftrata.
II- T I. C A E S E R I . A V G . Fi
A V G S T O. P O N. M A X..
G. A EM IL lV Sf V A L . F. OCLA..
L . F O N T E 1VS. Q;_ I'. RVFVS
I I V I R I. P 0 R T I C V M.
C VR IAM . E>. j D: PACIVNDVM
c v r a v e r e . iD q v e .. p r o b a v .
This ftone was found at Caifole, from whence feveral others,
were tranfported' to Ofero. Perhaps, by diligence, the means
might be difcovered o f illuilrating this monument,; as well
as
* As this infcription has fervcd to illulRate a point o f natural hiftory, I think
I may be permitted to add here another obfervation relative to the Foladi, and
which I alfo owe to am initription found under w a te r ;‘that was, and perhaps
ftill is, at Torcelk. It is engraved On vulcanic lavi, or granitillo of the Paduan
hills. Neither the Foladi, nor any dthdr Vpeties of marine creatures- had bit or
lodged in it. By extending,my obfervation« in ouKcanals, and in various places
about the city, I have found that the Foladi never lodges in vulcanic ftones ;
fometimes an accidental infeit is found on it, but never bites. Nor have Thitherto
found Foladi lodged in vitrefcent fand ftones of rough grain. From thefe con-
ftant obfervations I thought I might codjeilufe that the Foladi h o l lo w s and enlarges
its habitation i n calcareous marble,-by means, bf- a corroil ve liquid which it
can emit at pleafure, but,w(iich h(ay no effe£l on.,the yitrifiable, ftones. It is true
that the Foladi does not. love brick, qq yyhich ,3,cids aft powerfully, when not
burnt to a total vitrefCendC', bbt it Iras' always a iefler or greater degree, and therefore
perhaps is difagreeable to the Fulddi; I
as the place," which, in other times, appears to have been
Caput Infula. And by comparing circum(lances, the bad orthography
o f the words CAESERI and A VG STO might be accounted
for. One o f the duumvirs;>is perhaps the ion o f that
Valerius Oclatims, of whom, ,we find the tomb was prepared, before
he thought of dying, by his daughter Procilla, in the following
infcprition.
III. V A L E R I
' O O C L A T 1
' NO A E P I I .V
VIRO Q J ^ V A :
L E R I A P R O
C I L L A F P A
T R I V V F
Valerio Oclatmo Mdili Duumvir0 Quinqu?nnali Valeria Procilla
Fiiia Patri Vivo Vivens fe c it. It is ohfervable for the V V F ,
which may, I think, be explained as above.
IV. IM P . C A . . r . . R I .
A V G . . . No_
i t . T . ^ . y 0
TRIBVN I. PO T . II. CO N
PP. RESPVB‘. r 1, ! DD.i
X X I I I .
Imperatori Ccejdri'trajmo. . . (or Hadriano) ,,y[. ImperatoriFri-
bunitia Potejlate l l l . Con/uli. . . PatriPatriceRefpublica (the name
is wanting, and it is a pity) Decreto Decuriotium X XIII. It is cut
on the ftump o f a column little more than two feet high, and
Q j i q 2 about