HZRBST. 805 HEBCULES. portant reforms, among them the abolition of imprisonment for debt : the introduction of the jury in libel suits a<;ainst the press; the or<;aniza- tion of the district courts; and, above all, the c<mfessional ordinances of 1808. In 1870 his party lost its control of the (Government, and he led the opposition in the Reichsrat in its attacks on the ilinistries of Potocki and llohenwart, until the fall of the latter in October. 1871, brought the German Constitvitional Party onee more into power, when he became a leader of the Government forces in tlic Lower House. In the latter years of his life, during the Taaft'e regime, Herbst lost much of his former inlluenee. Among his writings may be mentioned his Hnndhnch des osterreichischeri Strafrechts (7th ed. 1882-84). HEKCHER, her'Ker, Rudolf (1821-78). A German Hellenist. He was born at Rudolstadt, and after stud3-ing at Jena, Leipzig, and Berlin, was appointed to a professorship at the .Joachims- thal Gymnasium in Berlin (1861). In 1873 he was made a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. His works, which are distinguished by critical accuracy, include editions of De Fluvii ( 1851 ) , which he proved had not been written by Plutarch; Arrian's Scripia Minora (18,54, 2d ed. by Eberhard, 1885) ; Scriptores Erotici Orwci (2 vols., 1858-59) : .Elian (1858) ; the Oiieirocritica of Artemidorus (1864) ; Plutarch's Moralia (vol. i. 1872) ; the Epistolagraphi Orwci (1873) ; and Apollodorus's Bibliotheca (1874). His Homer- ische Aiifsiifzr on the topography of Ithaca were collected by C. Robert ( 1881 ) . HEBCTJLANEUM:, her'ku-la'ne-um (Lat., from Gk. 'HpdKXeiox, Heraklcion, city of Her- cules, from 'HpaxX^s, Herakles, Hercules). An ancient city of Italy, situated at the northwest- ern base of Mount Vesuvius, about five miles east of Naples. It was doubtless founded by Oseans, but Etruscans seem to have gained a foothold there. It subsequently was conquered, with all the rest of Campania, by the Samnites, and later it fell into the hands of the Romans, In A,D. 63 the city, was seriously injured by a violent earthquake; and in 79 it was buried, along with Pompeii and Stabise, by the memor- able eruption of Vesuvius (q.v.). It now lies at a depth of from 30 to 120 feet below the surface, owing to successive eruptions of later days, and is filled up and covered with volcanic tufa, com- posed of lapilli and ashes, and consolidated to some extent by water, which is often thrown up in great quantities during volcanic eruptions. Above it, on the modern surface, are the two large villages Portici and Resina. The very exist- ence of Pompeii had been forgotten, but the knowledge had never been lost of the burial-place of Herculaneum. Finally, in 1719. an Austrian general. Count Elbeuf. sank a shaft which fortu- nately struck the ancient theatre, from which centre some tunneling was done, and objects of interest discovered. But after a short time the Government stopped the work till 1738. when explorations were begun under royal authority. From that time excavations have been carried on intermittently, being more difficult than in Pom- peii. For the greater part of the city lies deep under the modern villages, and work must be done by tunneling through a troublesome tufa, which needs constant support lest the vaults collapse, and with them the foundations of the houses above. Hence visitors can see only a very small portion of this entombed city. The chief edifice .shown is the theatre, which waa very large, and was built but a short time before the fatal crui)ti<)n. It has 16 rows of stone seats, and could acconunodatc about 3000 persons. A I)arl of the Forum, with adjacent buildings, some private houses, two small temples, and a villa have also bet«i discovered; and from these buildings many beautiful statues and remark- al)le paintings have been obtained. The art relies of Herculaneum far exceed in value and interest those found at Pompeii. Most remark- able was the discovery in the villa of nearly two thousand rolls of manuscript on pajiyrus, charred into a coal-like condition by their long burial under moist earth. Some of these have been deftly unrolled by a delicate process invented for the purpose, and their contents (philosophical treatises) deciphered. These treasures, together with such vases and domestic implements as have been found, have been conveyed to the museum at Naples. Latterly, the portion of Herculaneum toward the sea, which had been covered only by loose ashes, has been laid ojien, and ancient build- ings may now be seen there. Consult : Ruggiero, »S7oria degli scavi di Ercolano (Naples, 1885) ; Comparetti and De Petra, La villa ercolanese dci Pisoni (Turin, 1883) ; Furehheim, Biblio- Urafia di Pompei, Ercolano e Stahia (Naples, '1891), HEBCULANO, ar'koo-lii'no, Alexandbe de Carvaliio e Akau.io (1810-77). A Portuguese poet and historian, born in Lisbon. In 1828, tft escape the despotism of Dom Miguel, he went to Paris, and two years afterwards to London. In 1832 he returned to Lisbon, joined the Liberal Party, and gained much fame as an editor of Panorama. His Poeslas (1850), including .1 voz do propheta and A harpa do crentc, the latter of religious and political importance, were followed bv Ihe historical novels: Enrico, o Prcsbytero (1847) ; monge de Cislcr ( 1848) ; Hobo; and Lendas e narratiras (1851). In 1845. as li- brarian at Ajuda. he began his historical work. The Uistoriadr Porhigoi (1846-53) is an author- ity on Portuguese history to the end of the thir- teenth century; equally important are: Da origem e esfabelecimento da inquisicao em Portugal (1854-55); Quenloes publicas (1873); and Con- trorerxias e esiudon hixtnriron (1876-84). As a member of the Lisl)on Academy, Herculano edited Portngalia' Monumcnia flisiorica. Consiilt Pi- nicntel. fferciilaiio e o sen tempo (Lisbon. 1881). HEK'CTJLES (Gk. 'npaK?iis. HfrakUs, also known at Thebes as 'AXxaros, Mkaios, and frequent- ly in literature called '.X«/3>)S, AlhcidCs, or Al- cides; Lat. Hercules). The typical hero of Greek myth, and the subject of numberless legends. In general, these may be conveniently tre;ited in three grou|)s. centring about Thebes, .rgos, and Mount (Kta, near Thcrmopylie, and corresponding to the birth, middle life, and death of the hero, Thebes seems to have been generally recognized as the birthplace of Hercules, and Amphitryon, the husband of .lcmene, is certainly a Bu-otian hero: but when .Argos had become the centre of his life it was necessary to connect his parents with that region, and so both .Mcmene and Am- (iliitrvon become descend;ints of Persisis. and are rejiresented as exiles from Tirviis, living at Thebes. According to the conunon story, during the absence of Am])liitryon, Zeus came to Ale-
