On the balustrade at the bottom of the ascent to the Capitol are two Egyptian lionesses. At the top of the ascent are two colossal statues of Castor and Pollux, found in the Ghetto, and by their side are the miscalled Trophies of Marius. They belonged to the decorations of the Nymphæum of Alexander Severus, the picturesque ruins of which are on the Esquiline Hill, and which are represented on a coin. They were placed upon the balustrade of the Capitol, their present site, by Pope Sixtus V. Originally they formed part of the ornamentation of the Basilica Ulpia, and were erected in honour of Trajan by the Apollinarian and Valerian legions. Next to the trophies are two statues of Cæsar and Augustus Constantine; and in the same row, on the left, the stone that marked the seventh and, on the right, the stone that marked the first mile on the Via Appia. _In the centre of the Square is_ THE EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF MARCUS AURELIUS, the finest piece of bronze work of ancient times. It now stands upon the Square of the Capitol, where it was erected by Michael Angelo in 1538. Before that, it stood at the Lateran, where it had been placed in 1187, having been taken from near the Column of Phocas in the Forum. It belongs to the canons of the Lateran, who receive yearly, in the shape of a bouquet of flowers, a peppercorn rent for it from the mayor of Rome. It is said that Michael Angelo on passing by used to say, "Gee up, _cammina_;" and that the horse had only to plant the raised hoof upon the ground to complete the illusion that it was a living creature. In front of us is the mayor's residence; on the left the Museum of the Capitol; and on the right the halls of the town council. These buildings were erected by Michael Angelo in 1544-1550. The residence for the senator was first erected on the top of the ruins of the Tabularium in 1389-1394 by Pope Boniface IX., but this gave place to the present edifice. The ascent from the Arch of Severus to the Square of the Capitol was anciently the Pass of the Two Groves. At the top of the pass was the Gate of Janus, the gate of the citadel, betrayed by Tarpeia. The ascent from the Forum, on our right, was the Clivus Capitolinus, a continuation of the Via Sacra. It is only at its termination that the present road is on the site of the ancient slope, where some of the pavement may still be seen. The gate which here gave access to the arx was called the Gate of Saturn. _On the right_ of the old museum some steps lead up to THE CHURCH OF ARA CŒLI. The nave is formed by twenty-two columns, the spoils of ancient buildings. The third one on the left has engraved upon it-- A CVBICVLO AVGVSTORVM,