VIII.THE DUCAL PALACE 421

I suppose, been prevented from raising the ladder against it by some fruit-stall or other impediment in the regular course of my examination; and then forgotten to return to it.¹

Second side. A child with a tablet, and an alphabet inscribed on it. The legend above is

“MECUR^S DNT. PUERICIE. PAN X.”

Or, “Mercurius dominatur pueritić per annos X.” (Selvatico reads VII.²), “Mercury governs boyhood for ten (or seven) years.”

Third side. An older youth, with another tablet, but broken. Inscribed

“ADOLOSCENCIE * * * P. AN. VII.”

Selvatico misses this side altogether, as I did the first, so that the lost planet is irrecoverable,³ as the inscription is now defaced. Note the o for e in adolescentia; so also we constantly find u for o; showing, together with much other incontestable evidence of the same kind, how full and deep the old pronunciation of Latin always remained, and how ridiculous our English mincing of the vowels would have sounded to a Roman ear.

Fourth side. A youth with a hawk on his fist.

“IUVENTUTI DNT SOL P. AN. XIX.”

The sun governs youth for nineteen years.

Fifth side. A man sitting, helmed, with a sword over his shoulder. Inscribed

“SENECTUTI DNT MARS. P. AN. XV.”

Mars governs manhood for fifteen years.

Sixth side. A very graceful and serene figure, in the pendent cap, reading.

“SENICIE DNT JUPITER, P. ANN. xii.”

Jupiter governs age for twelve years.

¹ [The sculpture is of an infant with an unwritten scroll in the right hand. The inscription is “LUNA DNT INFANCIE P. AN. IIII.”]

² [Selvatico’s reading is incorrect.]

³ [It is Venus, as the broken sculpture shows; part of the “N” and the whole of the “U” and “S” in the inscription are visible.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]