. Pompeii; its history, buildings and antiquities : an account of the destruction of the city, with a full description of the remains, and of the recent excavations and also an itinerary for visitors . rom the city by flights of steps(c), broad enough for several men abreast. The externalface ( a), including the parapet, was about twenty-five feet high;the inner wall was raised some feet higher. The externalwall is inclined slightly towards the city; the lower courses,instead of being inclined, are set slightly back, one behindanother. The style of masonry we have already described. Both walls
. Pompeii; its history, buildings and antiquities : an account of the destruction of the city, with a full description of the remains, and of the recent excavations and also an itinerary for visitors . rom the city by flights of steps(c), broad enough for several men abreast. The externalface ( a), including the parapet, was about twenty-five feet high;the inner wall was raised some feet higher. The externalwall is inclined slightly towards the city; the lower courses,instead of being inclined, are set slightly back, one behindanother. The style of masonry we have already described. Both walls were capped with battlements, so that from thecountry there was an appearance of a double line of defence,but the interior was useless except to give a more formidableaspect to the fortifications. These battlements were in-geniously contrived to defend the soldiers, who could throwtheir missiles through the embrasure in comparative safety, * V^itruv. 1. 5. 60 POMPEII. being protected by a return or shoulder of the battlementprojecting inward. The towers, as we have said, are of lessancient date. They are quadrangular, contrary to the rulelaid down by Vitruvius, who says that towers ought to be. circular or polygonal. Square towers are sooner breached,because the battering-ram breaks their angles ; round ones itcannot hurt, but merely drives the stones, which should becut wedge-like, towards their common centre.* He also Vitruv. i. 5. POSITION OF POMPEII. 61 recommends that they should be placed at no greater intervalsthan the cast of a javelin, so as to give one another mutualsupport, and flank the enemy in case of assault. This prin-ciple has been adhered to between the Gate of Herculaneumand that of Vesuvius, where they are only eighty pacesdistant from each other, but towards the east the distance istwo, three, and even four hundred and eighty paces. Wemay suppose, therefore, that the ground in this quarter pre-sented some difficulty to the approach of machines. All ofthem
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