Octavio Cassano's Diary

Masks of Dii Consentes -|- Masks of Dii Consentes 1900

Octavio Cassano’s Diary

A leather bound folio that is somewhat weathered. It is bound with a leather strap and lock, good grade paper.

May

May 1, 1858

London, 10:30 AM
I, Octavio Cassano have decided that I will keep a diary of our travels and what we find. I see this book of paper blank with possibility and am like a giddy schoolboy! This trip was called for and funded by the patron of the British Library of London by Anthony Panizzi. May the Lord bless him and keep him, this is amazing work, and I am thankful he picked me to lead it. We have been underway out of London for a few hours. The ship we are taking south is a larger clipper called the Maria Silvestri. The weather on the open sea is rough and wet; I look forward to the sun on the Amalfi coast.

May 3,1858

Shipboard, 1 PM
I gathered the Englishman Edward Gibbons, the American Henry Baraday, Grimiscos Antolodo, and Paulo Rivagati (both Sicilian gentlemen like me) in my cabin to coordinate our plans as we approach the Two Kingdoms. Each of them brings with them a wealth of knowledge not only of archeology but also of Sicily.. I am blessed to work with such talented scholars. Edward Gibbons I met at the Library, a man of letters and knowledge. We worked together at a dig in Egypt. A smiling, charming man, Edward is quick of mind and keen of eye. He finds many connections that I would otherwise miss. I value his advice, and I look forward to seeing what he finds. Henry Baraday is a determined researcher. Almost always with his bloody pipe, the Virginian has spent a lot of time in Europe, working on uncovering the parts of our history that have been lost. Panizzi introduced us, he is solitary, and often can be found checking the papers for news of his home country. He studied in Philadelphia, and has shown to be perceptive and intelligent. Grimiscos Antolodo and Paulo Rivagati…they are a team. At once lively and entertaining, they are sharp and well versed in archeology as we know it. There are those who claim that there is more to their teamwork than meets the eye, but I doubt that. Both are good men, though they heartily dislike working apart. Grimiscos is the doer of the pair, while Paulo seems to be the verbal link. It is the seldom that makes Paolo short for words. Whether speaking or singing, Paolo is seldom silent. As a team we are going to change the way the world sees Italy on this trip!

May 10, 1858

Naples, 3 PM
The ship ride from London was rough, the weather getting better as we approached the Two Kingdoms. The trip was twenty days from London to Naples. Once we entered the Mediterranean sea it was much smoother.

Naples is a lovely city, and I am glad to be back in my home country. There is political unrest here as there is a strong unification feeling in the country. The foreigners here want peace, as that is most profitable for most, though there are strong factions who always push for strife as it lends ease to smuggling and vice. There were several war ships at dock and anchored in the bay. We made dock by 1 PM this afternoon local time. We spent a while unloading and gathering our supplies. At the dock we were met by men and two wagons. I am hoping that Pannizzi has someone here lined up with more resources for our mission.

May 10,1858

Naples, 11 PM At dinner tonight I met Petrosio Giovanni, he has been instrumental at arranging transport, laborers, and equipment for our dig. Petrosio is a man of medium height and fine features. He has been blessed with the flawless skin of our kind, and a fine head of dark black hair. He dressed as a Lord of the Manor in silks and fine fabric. His very air seems to be as a man who has always been very wealthy. I don’t believe he is married, and he never introduced a wife tonight. The women came and went on his arm tonight, they were all very adoring toward him. While he was engaging and kind, to be truthful diary he at times exhibited as cold a demeanor as I have seen in some time. I do not mean to impugn his welcome, but whenever we were not actively engaged, he seemed to be watching us as if apart, sifting out how useful we would be, not our kind host. I will be glad to be on the road. The rough time on ship has made me unkind.

May 12, 1858

Naples, 8 PM
The weather is warm and moist today. We spent the day loading wagons and mules with supplies. The roads between Naples and Pompeii are cobblestone at best. There is no rail line between Naples and Pompeii. I have hired twenty local men to act as laborers. The Mountain Vesuvius puffs contentedly above us. I am so excited I can barely think of sleep.

May 15, 1858
Herculaeum, 10 PM
Edward is doing many drawings along the way. I think I will give him my diary from time to time to sketch what we see as he has a better hand for it than I. We spent some time here examining the ruins of Herculaeum. Much of this has been excavated by the Italian government, and while they are willing to talk to us, they are not really willing to share findings yet. Damned nationalistic pride getting in the way of research. Travel is slow, we are carrying a lot of equipment. I wish we had been able to set off the ship farther down the coast, but it is unavoidable.

May 17, 1858
Pompeii, 8 PM
Our party arrived in the town of La Civita. Only a few scattered hovels are here that people live in. A parish church, and some scattered businesses, a diner, a black smith. A dry goods market supplies the rural needs of this town. At the same time, the humps and bumps of the old city buried here are evident. Here and there I can see pillars, and the edges of buildings, crumbling parts of walls. As in many places, a town has been built on the bones of a city built beneath it. In the structure of the current town in places I see the parts of the old city in use to build this new habitation. It is very quiet here, and the folk don’t seem to like having a pack of strangers in their city. They like our money though. A hush holds over the town, and I imagine the ghosts of the dead lingering in these empty spaces.

May 19, 1858
Pompeii, 2 PM
Our camp is mostly set up. Henry suggested that we just stay in the hotel, then come to work. I told him no, that doing so would allow the people of the town free reign of our dig, with us too far away to know what was happening. Better as we progress to be close to our work, so we can make sure robbers don’t disturb what we uncover. A squall has come up off the coast and forced us to hunker down in our tents. Henry and Edward are playing cards, Grimiscos and Paolo are sorting tools and preparing for when we can start digging at our first site tomorrow. Paolo is grinning and singing like a fool. He and Grimiscos are a happy team. We plan to open six digs, with men working all of them in groups, only coming together from time to time. The laborers are restless. A small quake woke us in the dark of the morning, a reminder that we are in the shadow of an active volcano.

May 20, 1858
Pompeii, 8:45 PM
The weather is better, with only puffy clouds and wind today. Henry has chosen a building complex that we suspect is the Forum. The tufa and stone seem to indicate more than one eruption has covered the city of Pompeii. Clearing the rock and ash is hard work, but the only way to uncover these hidden mysteries from the past. Edward has chosen some buildings that might be a military camp. Grimiscos and Paolo are cataloguing the standing art for now, and I am trying to clear some rubble from a building that looks promising to me.

May 21, 1858
Pompeii, 1 PM
Lunch was interrupted by the gendarmes of the region. Early this morning Edward found the body of a local man stuffed in a corner of the area he is excavating. It seems that the man has been missing for a few days before our arrival. The man killed was badly mauled by animals after death, though Edward said he thought the man wasn’t dead during the mauling due to blood spatter. Edward has some experience with such things due to time he spent working with Scotland Yard during his early University days. The man died of a broken neck. Edward said it was broken in the jaws of a great dog. The local gendarmes threatened to shut down our dig but relented when I paid them in Sterling. I don’t need things like this interrupting our time in the field. The Capitan seemed anxious for the death to just be an accident. I told Edward to stay out of the investigation as he is not an official here.

May 21, 1858
Pompeii, 9 PM
We were able to access the outside of my building today. I do believe it was some sort of villa prior to the eruption. The ash and stone here appear to have lain undisturbed and I am hoping for a rare find.

May 22, 1858
Pompeii, 9:45 PM
Grimiscos and Poulo both say that they have found the edges of a door. We are working to excise it without damaging it. It appears to be carved and marked. The inscriptions are religious in nature. I have found inscriptions that seem to be about Persephone though surrounded by Roman drawings of the darkened world. The digging was slow going. We had to move a marble slab to get to the door this evening. The slab had ash and stone between it and the iron and wood on the other side, suggesting that between eruptions this slab was laid in place. Paolo went into town to find more laborers. Two of ours went missing in the night.

May 23, 1858
Pompeii, 11:30 PM
Amazing find today! We entered a villa that seems to have been sealed since before the eruption of the volcano. We searched the inside of the villa, finding many amazing frescoes, and a building that looks to have been undisturbed by grave robbers. The building seems to be bare of many of the trappings of normal life. There is no evidence of food or a food preparation area. There are cups and wine amphora here and there, mostly near the couches. Dead braziers and candle holders are here and there. The building has only eastern and southern windows. The colors of the frescos that are left are brilliant and beautiful. Anything not clay or stone virtually crumbles when we touch it. We spent a long time taking measurements and double checking the placement of things here. There were several scrolls, but they did not withstand the ravages of time. I will spend much time here just exploring this villa. Grimiscos and Paulo are measuring and working every corner. After more work and clearing the outside we found several petrified bodies there. These are gruesome reminders of the lives lost as the volcano erupted and spewed its fiery burden onto the city.

May 25, 1858
Pompeii, 8:45 PM
Paulo ran to me this afternoon to tell me that Grimiscos found an irregularity in the back part of the villa. They were sure it was some sort of hidden door. After taking almost an hour finding all its outlines, the pair was able to suss out how to open it without damaging it. We worked carefully and when it released to slide open there was the hiss of sealed air coming out. The hallway beyond fell into darkness leading to something that looks like a tomb buried into the original dirt and stone. Once we got into the tomb, we found three statues done in a very unusual stone lying on a table of stone also. The statues were that of three people, one man and two women. Both women were of exquisite beauty, the man tall, and of strong Italian looking face. The three are cut separately, lying almost shoulder to shoulder, their hands crossed over their stomachs as if in sleep. The clothing is that of wealthy Romans. I have never seen anything like it. Normally statues are standing, this is a first to find them as asleep on a table. Edward spent much time taking measurements and checking the statues. He said they were so well done it was like they would wake up and talk to him. There is also a chest here with several masks. Paulo opened it and laid several out on the floor nearby. They are wondrous works of art and seem to be representations of various Roman Gods. We will pack them up and pack them out to be examined first.

May 26, 1858
Pompeii, 7 PM
I have initially catalogued the masks from the chest. Working with Henry and Edward we are confident that almost half of the Dii Consentes are represented here. I have found Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, Vulcan, Venus, and a female mask that I am unsure who it represents. The last mask has different markings and seems to be of a Goddess I am not at first familiar with. The crafting is exquisite, and I will be fascinated to find out who the makers mark belongs to.

May 27, 1858
Pompeii, 8 PM
The day is warm and breezy. The masks I found are of a similar creation, I suspicion they have a singular creator. Some of them are slightly damaged, but on the whole seem in good repair. Magnificent works of art. I believe from my research they represent a section of the Dii Consentes from Rome. The crypt around them is rather plain, which surprises me. If it were the crypt of a sculptor or other wealthy person, I would have expected more effort at decoration. So much to learn!

May 28, 1868
Pompeii, 7:30 PM
The day was hot and clear. A local businessman named Rodolpho Scorfollo came and talked with us some before dark. He had several men with him, all walking. They brought Uzo with them, and we talked of the town, and the city buried underneath. He seems a fine fellow of much energy. Scorfollo seemed very interested in our digs but declined to see them. When I asked him why, he told me that as a man of science I would scoff at him, and because he likes me, he doesn’t want that today. He smiled a little and said we would talk another day.

May 29, 1868
Pompeii, 8:30 PM
Grimiscos and Paolo have catalogued the art that they can. They have determined to begin digging at a building that is mostly buried. They have found the west outline of the building and have begun to unearth the edges in search of a window or door. Very exciting graffiti on the walls, obviously a public place.

June

June 1, 1858
Pompeii, 7:15 PM
The day was hot and clear. Edward spent the day doing much cross sectioning and sifting. He has uncovered a number of petrified bodies in the shape of their death. It is amazing stuff. Death came on them suddenly, and the ash and heat from the mountain entombed them as they are forever. Exciting times!!

June 5, 1858
Naples, 6 PM
I have been lax at my diary because I have been so busy making notations on the things we are unearthing. Just had dinner with Scorfolo and his wife. Lovely people, beautiful children. I got some idea about Scorfolo being uncomfortable with my digs. It seems that his brother was an amateur archaeologist and disappeared after he told them he had found something very valuable. Benedict Scorfolo is who we found the first day of our dig. Scorfolo told me to be careful what I dig up. It’s damned hot here, and the mountain has been uneasy since our discovery last month. More than once we had to stop work because the local laborers ran away when a large puff of smoke and ash erupted from Vesuvius. This has slowed my digging considerably, though I have had more time to explore what I have unearthed. I am in Herculaeum because Edward has come undone in the heat and keeps saying that he is hearing voices speaking in Latin to him. When I asked him what they are saying, he mealy looked at me and said that what was covered wanted out. We have to keep digging. I worried he might have gotten a contact poison, but the doctor here assures me it is just too much sun.

June 6, 1858
Pompeii, 7 PM
Weather is bad, rain coming in torrents. Spent the day cataloguing. A laborer named Julian disappeared in the night. I think he was going to a well that has been here since the city of Pompeii was alive. It has been dug out and has been used for fresh water by the people of La Civita all these years. In He was out near the ruins that Grimiscos and Paolo are working on. We had organized a small search party. They found him; throat cut on one of the stone humps farther up the mountain. Grimiscos found him as the crew had given up and decided to return to work. This sets the crew back several hours. I am told Julian had been drinking with Grimiscos and Paulo. The gendarmes said it was a robbery and carried the body to town.

June 8, 1858
Herculaeum, 10 PM
I brought the team to Herculaeum for a show. “Figaro” is being performed at the theatre there. An opportunity to see the opera performed in the coliseum there and spend some time away from camp. We dined at Fabergies and drank too much vino. The lead actress is one Antonia Cerini came to our table to meet the “foreign researchers” I am as Italian as her! Beautiful woman, dark of hair, her eyes golden brown and soft as pigeon wings, She has a full, soft figure, voluptuous breasts and broad hips. She has asked to see our digs. I extended an invitation.

June 11, 1858
Pompeii, Midnight
The day cooled here much, clouds hiding the sun all day. Night seemed to fall early, and we stopped early. Cerini and her friend Cucinato showed up at our dig after dark in a huge coach. They insisted that they had spent the day in town dining with the Mayor and had to see our work. I spent all evening walking with them through our dig by torchlight tripping over myself like a fool. Could barely hide the bump in my trowsers as Cerini laid on my arm and spoke in my ear. At one point she pulled me into the dark and kissed me, telling me she loved educated men. Once again, I have drunk too much wine, parts of the night seem fuzzy, and I am struggling to remember it all. I have gotten lax about my diary entries; I will try to be more disciplined.

June 12, 1858
Pompeii, 6 PM
I haven’t felt well all day, very tired. Not much work. Weather moist, some rain. Scorfolo and his men came by to check on us. They seemed on edge. The whole crew seems to come down with a malady. There is much paleness and weakness in our crew. I have called a general halt for five days for rest. Perhaps we will travel to Naples for fresh supplies.

June 20, 1858
Pompeii, 1 PM
Weather is fine, laborers getting much digging done. I have been gone from the dig and forgot my diary. Naples was fine. Saw Cerini in Naples, much fun! Feeling better.

June 21, 1858
Pompeii, 7 PM
Weather is hot, humid. Vesuvius rumbling a lot. Another laborer left in the night.

June 22, 1858
Pompeii, 7 PM
Weather steady. Vesuvius quiet today. Cataloguing going a-pace. Paulo seems distant, distracted.

June 29, 1858
Pompeii, 7PM
The mountain is grumbling and jumping. There were three earthquakes today, scaring the men. I found myself having to move from dig to dig to keep the laborers calm. In the afternoon I found a woman rutting with Grimiscos at lunch. A gorgeous red-haired woman with magnificent breasts and porcelain skin. I had never seen her before here. I understand needing a woman, but he was supposed to be leading the dig. She ran to Paolo’s bunk and took clothes and ran off into the necropolis. I went to find Paulo and he was missing. I found him insensate at dusk near the well. He seems dead drunk and had the mask of Venus with him. he couldn’t/wouldn’t say why when asked. I fired him. He cried and asked my forgiveness. I am too soft hearted. I locked all of the masks in my trunk.

July

July 4, 1858
Naples, 8 PM
Henry Baraday took the day to celebrate his country’s independence. Grimiscos, Paolo, and I found a building that I am pretty sure is a temple. I have loaded several shipping carts with items from there. I have lifetimes work just cataloguing it all. I had a brief scare today; my keys went missing. I found them at dusk under some of my cataloguing materials. Grimiscos had come to discuss their dig and helped me find them.

July 5, 1858
Pompeii, 7PM
Weather hot and dry. Harsh breeze off Vesuvius. I found a box with scrolls in it. Not sure of their origin but appear Latin in language. The vellum is very brittle. Petroso sent more men down to work.

July 7, 1858
Pompeii, 8 PM
Spent the day treating the vellum so it could be unrolled. A long process of oils and herbs to soften the material without damaging it. Appears to be written by a priest. References to Apollo being on hand seem dubious, perhaps an apocryphal tale?

July 10, 1858
Herculaeum, 10 PM Petrosio Giovanni invited myself and the dig team up for dinner. He is arranging the ship for transport of the items to London. Thinks the ship will be ready to sail beginning of September.

July 12, 1858
Naples, 3 AM Spent the night being entertained by Cerini and Cucinato. Bedded Cerini, may my Sainted wife never know. It was an amazing experience, and I am weary. The whole night seems a blur.

July 14, 1858
Naples, 6 PM
Day was warm, but I spent most of it in bed. I was cold and have been drinking a lot of fluids, resting. Scorfolo and his men stopped by, and left raisins and meat when they heard I was sick. Scorfolo looked me over like a worried father. Henry is worried I have picked up some wasting sickness here. I keep telling him that is nonsense and a good Italian man doesn’t get wasting sickness. Henry assures me the dig is moving forward in my absence.

July 18, 1858
Pompeii, 8 PM
Weather is hot and dry. Sun shined all day. I am very frustrated!! Spent the day having to drive the men, they keep insisting that we are digging up ghosts. Several men swear that they are hearing voices as they dig. I saw men down by the sea tonight giving sacrifices to who-knows-what in order to quiet the voices. On top of that there were two earthquakes today of strong variety.

July 20, 1858
Pompeii, 8 PM
Weather has cooled, but still warm. Several of SCorfollo’s men brought up a fresh goat and we did a roast tonight. Scorfollo did not attend. The food was good and after a long day at the dig the rest was worth it. The mountain is quiet again. Being here makes you appreciate the ominous feeling of it’s moods. When it is quiet it can almost be forgotten. The bodies we find remind us of it’s wrath.

July 21, 1858
Pompeii, 7:45 PM
Weather warm and dry. Vesuvius is belching ash and smoke. Good day. Three laborers left this morning. Demanded pay and walked away, saying that the devil has come to Pompeii.

July 22, 1858
Pompeii, 8:15 PM
Weather cooler, a storm coming. Cerini sent word she wants to see me again! Hired some young lads from the fishing village south of us to come work.

July 25, 1858
Pompeii, 7PM
The wind is hot and windy. The vellum is finally partially readable and seems to be a liturgy on talking with the God Apollo. The priest was making arrangements for symbols of his Lord to go north to Gaul. It seems that the mountain Vesuvius is in unrest, and the priest didn’t want this effigy of his lord to be damaged. Hadrian Overiness sailed out with the effigy in the spring of 73 AD as I read it.

July 26, 1858
Pompeii 9 PM
The weather changed in the night and it has been raining since dawn. We have water everywhere, we had to pull back from the tomb in the villa for fear that the water would damage the interior. We are preparing to move the statues on the stone slab out as soon as the weather permits.

July 27, 1858
Pompei,i, 9 PM
Weather is cooler, heavy clouds. Spent the day moving the three statues (one male, 2 female) today. This was slow work. The stone was remarkably light, but the corridor and entrance made removing them difficult. Everyone seemed distracted and almost confused. I was frustrated to find men out almost dazed instead of working.

July 28, 1858
Pompeii, 8 PM
Scorfollo showed up today. He seemed upset and looking for something. When I asked him what was wrong he told me that the devil had been released, he could smell it. I walked him through the dig and showed him all the spaces, and that we had found no devil. He stayed agitated, and finally left in an angry storm. I am not sure what to make of that.

July 30, 1858
Pompeii, 8 PM
We are getting rain from inland, some lightning. I spent the day working with the mask of Jupiter and Vulcan. The sun seems to catch the material and make it glow. In between bouts of rain I would take out the masks to catch the best light of the sun. Toward evening there was a heavy earthquake. Several of our tents were knocked down, Scorfollo again came, talked to me briefly and left again. I think two of his men are watching us work.

August

August 1, 1858
Naples, 10 PM
Weather clear. Vesuvius is rumbling a lot. I had to bring four men to Naples for care. A roof we were working under collapsed and injured them. Two of them are badly hurt.

August 2
Naples, Noon
The day is warm and clear. One of the men died this morning. The other is going to lose his arm if it goes septic, which the doctor is saying it looks like it might. Very sad, these men were doing good work.

August 5, 1858
Naples, 5 PM
The day is cloudy, warm. We held a funeral for Bartoli Gayerleggi. His cousin Edwardo had his arm amputated. Edwardo was incoherent for a while and kept insisting that he say a huge creature, Edwardo says it looked like a monster wolf or bear creature before the roof fell. I gave 100 pounds to Bartoli’s wife.

August 7, 1858
Pompeii, 8 PM
Sky is partly cloudy. very comfortable. When I got back to Pompeii, I found that Scorfolo and his men were helping my laborers clear the ruin where Bartoli was killed. According to Grimiscos and Paolo they had been there all day. Scorfolo was in a foul mood and said we should stop excavating. That we were awakening spirits of the dead. I assured him that we were only learning about the past. I was surprised that Scorfollo was willing to risk his men. At times I feel like they are also searching for something.

August 9, 1858
Pompeii, 8 PM
The day is hot, dry. The chest with the masks in it was stolen from my tent. I scattered the men looking for it. We spent the day searching for the chest. I am furious. Scorfollo came alone in the afternoon, concerned about the activity in the camp. Scorfollo says he hasn’t seen it, but I feel like there is something he isn’t telling me.

August 10, 1858
Pompeii, 6 PM
An early dinner for me. Henry located the chest some miles away in the late afternoon. The top had been left open. Whoever took it picked the lock! There was no money in the chest. All that was in the chest were those masks, which are beautiful, but not saleable here. The masks are intact, still swathed in their padding. I checked them only briefly before locking them back in my tent. At dusk Vesuvius belched ash and flame, and the mountain shook mightily. We could see the glow of fresh lava on the mountain for some time last night.

August 12, 1858
Pompeii, 2 PM
The gendarmes have returned and stopped our dig. Nothing I can say seems to sway them. A couple from La Civita were found murdered part way up the mountain this morning. Their throats were slit, and mint leaves were scattered everywhere. Paolo is missing from the camp. I have asked for a second search for him. Vesuvius is burping and growling, and the police are pushing us to leave. I am resisting. There is still so much to learn here.

August 15, 1858
Pompeii, 5 PM
Between the mountain and the locals, we cannot complete our dig. The governor pulled our papers, and we must pick up our things and leave. I am renting more wagons to carry out what we have found and excavated. Very unhappy. Still no sign of Paolo. All of his stuff is here except the clothes he was wearing the last time he was seen.

August 18, 1858
Herculaeum, 6 PM
The day is bright and warm. I sent the first four wagons of goods on to Naples; I am returning to Pompeii to load more. Scorfollo and his men have been scouring the area around la Civitas and the mountain looking for Paolo. Scorfollo says he found some tracks but lost them going up the mountinan.

August 19, 1858
Pompeii, 7 PM
Day was bright and warm. Vesuvius is quiet finally. Scorfolo and his men helped us load the rest of our tents and things. I am very sad that we still don’t know where Paolo is. We set out in the morning for Naples. Scorfolo and his family prepared us dinner, said blessings and were good company. The priest from La Civita came out at Scorfollo’s insistence and gave a blessing on the crew and our camp. I am sure they are trying to lay ghosts to rest or something.

August 23, 1858
Naples, 7 PM
The day is damp and cool. Passing through Herculaeum the final time was sad. I can see so much here even that we should be able to research, but the Italian government won’t let us do any more. We are in the city of Naples now. Petrosio Giovanni seems to be out of the city, and we are ahead of schedule for when we were supposed to leave. The British embassy has smoothed things with Italy, and there won’t be further trouble from the Governor. Francesco Orsini, a local shipping merchant has helped me arrange transport as we cannot contact Petrosio.

August 25, 1858<br. Naples, 7 PM
The rain stopped, but several earthquakes have shaken us throughout the day. Orsini has arranged us rooms until we can get a ship to London. I am angered that when I need him most Petrosio is unreachable. I chafe to be here in the city, I am angry that I cannot still be out doing research.

September

September 1, 1858
Naples, 5 PM
Day is hot and dry. I received a cable from Cerini at dawn. She will be in town in a couple of days. We are each spending time packaging up our treasures for transport to London. Henry has been working on restoring the vellum I found, parts of it I couldn’t read he has been able to restore.

September 2, 1858
Naples 8 PM
The vellum is a piece of a larger codex known as Magus Ars Lexus. I am slowly working through it, I mistranslated parts I read earlier. The writer isn’t a priest, but some sort of servant to an artisan named “Phidias”. I think that there are even marks here authored by Phidias, but the vellum is much too brittle to be sure yet. The priest was chronicling the origins and final disposition of items he refers to as the Masks of the Dii Consentes. Cucinato came to see me after dinner, and we chatted. He wants to have dinner tomorrow.

September 5, 1858
Naples, 10:45 PM
Our ship the “Marinita” has pulled into port and has begun unloading. I met Cucinato’s wife Lorraine at the Opera. The opera was a lovely “Dulcinae”. I had a lovely time mixing with the elite of Naples, though even my Neapolitan tongue seemed out of character, with those there speaking an older version at times. The city is beautiful at night, and I look forward to seeing Cerini one more time before I leave the city.

September 7, 1858
Naples, 1 PM
I met Cirini again last night. We went to dinner and then to a ball. I spent all of last night with Cerini. I slept late, and Henry tells me that the ship is loaded with goods and our cargo for the return trip. We should be able to sail with the morning tide. Edward was even able to do a sketch for me of Cerini after seeing her last night.

September 8, 1858
Shipboard, 10 AM
The Weather is good, and the “Marinita” is making good time. I think we will make London in less than two weeks. I am making plans already to return next summer and pick up where we left off. Pompeii is still full of many discoveries. Also, I can’t wait to see Cerini again.

September 10, 1858
Shipboard, 9:30 AM
Weather is holding, and the ship is making good time. Someone has been rifling the boxes under the deck. All seems to be in good order, but I can’t help but think that the artifacts from Pompeii are in some danger. I don’ t know if there are those on board who are looking to steal the valuable items I excavated. The coins and artwork seem to all be in place, nothing that I see has been stolen.

September 12, 1858
Shipboard, 7 PM
The day was warm, with a stiff wind coming out of the North. Habits die hard. I have often taken my diary out into the sun to work on it, but always I get distracted. It seems that I cannot write in it before supper. Ah well, not much to note these days now that we are headed to London. The crew sighted flights of birds passing over us, hundreds at a time. I am not sure what that means, but it was interesting to watch.

September 14, 1858
Shipbard, 7:30 PM
A big storm has blown up out of the North. Whipping wind and hail have hammered the ship. A solid crew, they keep working and seem to ignore the weather. The Captain is watching the sky and talking on the radio often, he has indicated that we might turn into port if the storm doesn’t lessen. A crewman from Portugal said he saw something below in the dark moving. When lights were brought and the area searched, there was nothing but some sea water that had found it’s way below. We have made precautions that our cargo isn’t water damaged.

September 16, 1858
Shipboard, 6 PM
The storm has passed, and we are no worse the wear it seems. Beautiful skies shine above us and the air is warm, though at times we have cold gusts. During the roughest seas we were confined to our quarters. The captain said he didn’t want to lose any lubbers over the rail. Someone attempted to access the crates we stored below. The lids on three crates had been pried up. Nothing that I can see has been stolen, the manifests are still accurate. I have asked the Captain to post a guard.

September 18, 1858
Shipboard, 7:30 PM
The clouds have returned. Three men went missing in the night. One of them is the guard I put in place over the Pompeii antiquities I am returning to London with. The Captain says nothing was heard, but all three men are missing, no lifeboats have left the ship. I checked the boxes, and all seems secure. The crew is very restless now. People do not just disappear off a ship at sea.

September 20, 1858
Shipboard, 7 PM
The storm hangs with us, but not as strongly as before. I found the woman in Grimiscos room today. It was the same red-haired wench from dig site. Instead of running she came to me, offering her body in exchange for my silence at her presence. I tried to resist her, but her allure was too great. Now I am shamed to have shared this woman with Grimiscos and know not what to do.

September 21, 1858
London, 9 PM
We made landfall at 6 PM. I disembarked and took a cab home. I am glad to be home with my wife and family, though I have many secrets I am keeping. I am uncomfortable in my skin. I never thought I would be so unfaithful to my wife. I look forward to going to confession soon.

September 25, 1858
London, 8 PM
The masks (exhibit 23 A, 23 B, 23, C, 23 D, 23 E, 23F) seem to correspond to those created by the sculptor Phidius in 420 BC.(A notable exception is the mask of Rhea...we have a different maker's mark on the lower left jaw, though it seems contemporary to the others) As detailed in the Magus Ars Lexus Their commission was by the Aedile Ascipus Longus.

November 12, 1858
London, 7 PM
All Three of the statues taken from the tomb are missing, as well as the masks.