learly traceable on the other side of the hill, though there is
one fragment under the east side of the monastery; but it seems to have
defended the summit and was perhaps the original acropolis. The Roman
town lay at the foot of the mountain, close to the Via Latina. The
amphitheatre, erected by Ummidia Quadratilla (whose passion for actors
is mentioned by Pliny, _Epist._ vii. 24, on the occasion of her death at
the age of about eighty), is still existing: it is built of _opus
reticulatum_ and the five entrances are by arches of larger blocks of
stone; it is approximately circular in plan. The external walls are 59
ft. high. The seats in the interior have disappeared. Above it on the
hillside is a theatre of _opus reticulatum_, less well preserved. Close
by is a building converted into the Cappella del Crocefisso, originally
perhaps a tomb in the Via Latina; it is a chamber in the form of a Greek
cross, constructed of large masses of travertine, with a domed roof of
the same material. On the opposite bank of the Rapido are the ruins
called Monticelli, attributed to the villa of Varro, a part of which was
frequently drawn by the architects of the 16th century (T. Ashby in
_Papers of the British School at Rome_, ii. 19). The medieval town of S.
Germano, which resumed the name Cassino in 1871, lies a little to the
north. The cathedral was founded in the 8th century, but the present
building was constructed in the 17th century. The church of S. Maria
delle Cinque Torri contains twelve ancient marble columns; above the
town is a picturesque medieval castle. (T. As.)

CASIRI, MIGUEL (1710-1791), a learned Maronite, was born at Tripoli
(Syria) in 1710. He studied at Rome, where he lectured on Arabic,
Syriac, Chaldee, philosophy and theology. In 1748 he went to Spain, and
was employed in the royal library at Madrid. He was successively
appointed a member of the Royal Academy of History, interpreter of
oriental languages to the king, and joint-librarian at the Escorial. In
1763 he became principal librarian, a post which he appears to have held
till his death in 1791. Casiri published a work entitled _Bibliotheca
Arabico-Hispana Escurialensis_ (2 vols., Madrid, 1760-1770). It is a
catalogue of above 1800 Arabic MSS., which he found in the library of
the Escorial; it also contains a number of quotations from Arabic works
on history. The MSS. are classified according to subjects; the second
volume gives an account of a l