a dreadful account of a most terrible earthquake which lately happened in italy wherein thirty seven great cities and towns were totally destroy'd, and one hundred and twenty thousand of men, women, and children perished, 8c. : in a letter / from the consul of messina's secretary. w. b. 1693 approx. 5 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27548 wing b207b estc r38565 17762428 ocm 17762428 106601 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27548) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 106601) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1626:39) a dreadful account of a most terrible earthquake which lately happened in italy wherein thirty seven great cities and towns were totally destroy'd, and one hundred and twenty thousand of men, women, and children perished, 8c. : in a letter / from the consul of messina's secretary. w. b. 1 broadside. printed by w. downing ..., london : 1693. signed at end: w.b. reproduction of original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng earthquakes -italy. natural disasters -italy. italy -history -17th century. 2008-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2008-09 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-10 john pas sampled and proofread 2008-10 john pas text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a dreadful account of a most terrible earthquake , which lately happened in italy , wherein thirty seven great cities and towns were totally destroy'd , and one hundred and twenty thousand of men , women , and children perished , &c. in a letter from the consul of messina's secretary . loving brother , the subject of my present writing carries that horrour and amazement , as puts a trembling into the very hand that guides the pen : the sad relation i have to make you , perhaps hath not hitherto been equalled in any records or history of the world , and i hope never will , the calamity indeed being unexpressable . 't is true , we have had very melancholy narratives of the late dismal earthquakes in jamaica ; but , alass , that visitation has been infinitely inferior to the much severer hand of heaven felt amongst us in this part of the world. as to the earthquakes that gave you some small fright in england and flanders , those were so inconsiderable , as to be scarce shadows , little more than a name . for instance , at a city call'd cattana about 60 miles from rome , and not far from the mount aetna , on the first instant there happened an earthquake so violent , that not one house has been left standing in the whole city , but , together with the churches and covents of fryers and nuns , all levelled to the ground , and buried in one heap of rubbish , in which near 20 thousand people perished , there remaining not above 1500 souls alive , and those not all intirely escaping , for above one third of the number were either miserably torn and mangled , or otherwise hurt and damaged . the city seragusa angusta has participated in the like bitter vial of god's judgment , being in like manner intirely and utterly destroyed , with an equal fatality and destruction of the miserable inhabitants , having only five hundred and odd people saved out of above 22000. a great many other town and villages have proportionably groaned under the same destroying vengeance : nay , the very rocks throughout the whole island have been all torn in sunder , and such dismal marks are left behind , that the whole face of the country is little less than one continued chaos and confusion . in fine , it is altogether so hideous a scene , that no words can express nor pen describe it . to sum up our general misery and desolation , the greatest part of those remains of us , that god in his particular mercy has been pleased to spare , are forced to lie abroad out of the towns and cities ( as no longer capable to shelter them ) in hutts and booths somewhat like your bartholomew fair. but in all these deplorable objects before our eyes , and the still frightful remembrance behind us , we have reason to bless god that the least portion of this misery fell to our share in this city messina , compared with the more hideous ruines and suffering neighbours round about us ; for we had that particular providence to have only about 40 houses intirely destroyed , and about 30 people killed , though indeed we have scarce a house in the whole town that has not in some measure been shattered and torn . after the violence of our consternation was so far abated , as to give us leave to examine and compute the universal loss , we have had a list of 37 cities and towns which have been wholly ruined by this earthquake , and above 120000 people perish'd ; besides several thousands al languishing , maimed and cripples . but to quit so deplorable a theme , and return thanks to heaven for my own preservation , il shall conclude , by telling you , that god willing , i shall be very speedily with you , this whole island being now so ruined a place , that i shall esteem my self happy in my deliverance from so dismal and desolate a wilderness , &c. messina , jan. 20. 1692 / 3. in italy . your ever loving brother w. b. postscipt . this abovesaid account was sent in a letter , from the secretary to mr. thomas chamberlin , consul for their majesties of great britain at messina . and if any person desires any further satisfaction , let him repair to the printer of this relation , in whose hands is the original letter . london , printed by w. downing in great st. bartholomew-close , 1693. a new journal of italy containing what is most remarkable of the antiquities of rome, savoy and naples : with observations made upon the strength, beauty and scituation [sic] of some other towns and forts in by william acton. acton, william. 1691 approx. 95 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 43 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26310 wing a452a estc r28076 10390242 ocm 10390242 44934 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26310) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 44934) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1372:4) a new journal of italy containing what is most remarkable of the antiquities of rome, savoy and naples : with observations made upon the strength, beauty and scituation [sic] of some other towns and forts in by william acton. acton, william. [5], 78 p. printed for r. baldwin, london : 1691. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng italy -description and travel. italy -description and travel -early works to 1800. italy -antiquities. 2006-02 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-02 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-03 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2006-03 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a new journal of italy , containing what is most remarkable of the antiquities of rome , savoy and naples . with observations made upon the strength , beauty , and scituation of some other towns and forts in italy , and the distance from place to place ; together with the best painting , carving , and limning , and some other both natural and artificial curiosities taken notice of , by william acton . london , printed for r. baldwin , near the oxford arms in warwick-lane . 1691. to my worthy and most respected friend and master edward harvey , of comb nevil in the county of surry , esquire . worthy sir , as i had the honour to wait up-you in your travels to rome , so i had the oppotunity of making some remarks in our way thither , and from thence to naples ; where the antiquities are not less curious than what you saw in rome it self ; which i here humbly present you with a review of in a piece of prospective : which , though it be done by an ill hand , yet it may help to commemorate to you most of the remarkable things you took notice of when you was there . i had not room in this small tract to mention any thing of politicks , or constitution of governments in any of these princes courts or republicks that we passed through , having no design at present but to point out to you the way you travelled , and the distance from place to place , with observations made of the antiquities of rome , naples , and other places ; together with the strength , beauty and scituation of some other towns and forts in italy ; the best painting , carving , and limning , and some other both natural and artificial curiosities , which you your self took such particular notice of , that they cannot but remain still fresh in your memory : however i have made bold to present you with this poor assistance , which may serve instead of a lame antiquary , if peradventure you should meet with any private inducement , or obligation of publick trust , to carry you again into those parts . sir , you will meet with neither polishing nor trimming in it , but the same plain dress it had on when you saw it first , which i humbly beg of you to take a review of , and to give me the assistance of your memory whereinsoever you shall find me deficient ; and in so doing you will add to your former obligations a remarkable favour never to to be forgot by , sir , your most sincere , and most faithful servant , w. a. a new jovrnal from geneve to rome and from thence to naples . sir , you may well remember when you left england and went to paris in france , there to carry on that noble education you commenced at home , you entred your self in one of the best academies , and there continued near two years and an half ; from whence , after a more than ordinary improvement in the liberal arts and sciences , and other the studies and exercises of that place ; your genius led you to make a farther progress in your travels ; and then you left paris , and set forward by the way of lyons for geneve , where after you had passed some time you resolved to go for italy ; so that taking your leave of geneve , you came to a little town called remille in savoy , seven leagues from geneve , where we lay the first night ; within three leagues of this town lies the lake of ansi and town so called . the 18 th . we came to chambery , five leagues from romillie ; it is the principal town in savoy , and where the duke of savoy formerly kept his court , where we staid dinner , and the same night lay at montmillian , two leagues from chambery , where we took notice of the fortress or castle of montmillian , it is partly built upon , and partly hewed out of a rock , esteemed the strongest that belongs to the duke of savoy . lewis the 13 th , king of france , lay 13 months before it , in which time ( from three batteries , whereof one was on the further side of the river isere , the other two on this side ) he shot into the fort above ten thousand cannon bullets , and sprang two mines , all which not answering his expectations , and finding himself unable to take it , although he had taken the town that joyns to the fort , concludes a peace and raises the seige . from montmillian we came to st. michel , thirteen leagues all along upon the river isere , or rather arche , because it only bears the name of isere near to montmillian , where we lay the 29 th . the thirtieth we came to dinner to breamant , five leagues more , and from thence to landbourg , where we lay that night , being two leagues from bramont , still upon the river are. oct. 1. we hired mules to carry us up the alps by the way of mount senis , and came to ramasse being one league , from thence to the great cross two leagues more , which is the highest part of the mountain that you go over , from whence we came to bossoline to dinner , which is about 12 miles more , from thence to villiane eight miles , where we lay that night . and the 2d ▪ of oct. we came to turin , being about ten or twelve miles from villiane . at turin we saw the duke and dutchess of savoy , and the princess his sister , that shoots flying so well ; we took a view of the dukes lodgings , and the fine gallery of pictures , the black marble chappel that had been so many years a building , and not finished when we saw it , is one of the finest things in turin ; we saw the church where they say is kept the winding sheet of our saviour christ , besides several other fine churches : especially that of st. francis , in which there is a most noble altar . one of the seven days we stayed here , i hapned , in my ramble about the town to go into a church , where i heard a great deal of good singing by eunuchs , and very good musick ; which being ended , i found by the peoples gazing and staring , earnestly to one part of the church , that there was something more to come , which was as follows ; from a corner of the church , out of some chappel , or vestry , there came a great many people with great wax lights in their hands , after them followed one of the religious men of that place , with a great silver cross , then followed all the rest of the religious men singing , after them came four trumpets sounding , then the image of the v. mary followed , being carried upon a frame by four lusty fellows , like porters , in blue frocks : the figure was about the bigness of an ordinary woman , carved out of wood , and very richly dressed , painted and curled ; wearing uppermost a long robe of cloth of silver , with a crown on her head ; in her arms she carried a little image , well carved and finely dressed , like a little boy , which represented the saviour , holding between his hands a pair of beads ; as this image passed through the middle alley of the church , all the people that could come near it touched it with their beads , and those that could not come near , by reason of the press , handed their beads from one to another that they might touch her garment , from whence undoubtedly they did believe , proceeded great virtue : after they came out of the church it was carried in procession through part of the city , the trumpets sounding before , and all people meeting it , or going with it , by kneeling , bowing and crossing themselves , paid an adoration to it ; to my great astonishment . about five miles from turin there is a house of the duke of savoys , called the venere , very curious for painting , pictures and waterworks ; in the gardens there is several sort of fowl , worth taking notice of . about a mile from turin , upon the side of a hill , there is a fine convent of capusin friers ; and a fine house called the valentine , about half a mile from turin , upon the river po : it was built by madam royall , the duke of savoys mother , and sister to lewis xiii . king of france . the new fortifications that the duke is making about turin , being all of brick , consisting only of bastions and curtains , are worth your observation . the 9 th . of oct. we left turin , and went to villeneufe , a little garrison of fourscore men , ten miles from turin , where we dined . the garrison observing us to be ten or twelve horsemen in company , would not let above two at a time come into the town . from this town we went to aste ten miles more , it being the last town that way belonging to the duke of savoy , in piedmont ; it is indifferently well fortified , and hath four regiments of souldiers in it . from aste we came the 11 th ▪ of oct. to alexandria , a great garrison of the king of spain in milonoise , twenty miles from aste , from whence the same night we arrived at voltaggio , two and twenty miles more , where we were forced by tempestuous weather , of rain , wind , thunder and hail ; which did considerable damage in those parts , to stay till the 13 th , and then set out for genoua , where we arrived that night , being twenty miles from voltaggio . in genoua we saw a great many churches , very rich , and their structures very noble , being most of them within side crusted with marble , and marble pillars ; we saw several noblemens pallaces , but in particular , that of seignior dalbi , where amongst other fine things , there is a looking-glass valued at sixty thousand crowns ; we saw the doge , and his pallace , with the armory , and what else was most considerable . tuesday the 16 th . we went from genoua by sea , in barks , small vessels so called , that row with four oars ; and lay the first night at a place on the sea shore called ceste , being thirty miles . the 17 th . we took our barks again , and went by sea to lerish , thirty miles more , where we lay the next day , the weather being bad at sea we quitted our vessels , and hired horses ; and the first night lay at santa pietra , twenty miles , and thence to luca sixteen miles , where we lay friday the 19 th . and saw several fine churches , in particular , that of st. frediano , where we saw the coffin that richard the third , king of england was buried in as he went a pilgrim to rome . in st. augustins church they shewed us a place , where a fellow having lost all his money at cards , and afterwards having play'd away all the cloaths he had from his back , in a great rage began to curse and to swear , and taking up a stone , in that mad fit threw it against the image of the virgin mary , from whence immediately the blood gushed out , upon which the ground opened and swallowed him up alive . this story they report to you for a great truth . in another church they pretend to shew you the first cross or crucifix that ever was made after the crucifixion of our saviour , and tell you the story thus , that nicodemus having undertaken the business , and shaping his work in figure like to a man , had finished the crucifix save only the head , which so puzzled him , that he was not able to go forward with it : in the mean time , being wearied with contriving that part of it , but without success , fell asleep , and after some time being awakened from sleep , he found a head by him sent from heaven , which he fixed to the rest of his work , and so finished the crucifix ▪ it is all beset with pearls , diamonds , and other precious stones , wonderful rich : we saw the armory , where they say is arms sufficient for twenty five thousand men . the fortifications of the town , which is very strong , consists of eleven bastions , a lorillion or ear-fashion , with half-moons upon the curtins : there is planted upon every bastion sixteen pieces of cannon . the 20th of october we went from luca to pisa , ten miles , where we dined : we saw there the dome or cathedral church , of which the four great doors are all of copper , containing the history of the four evangelists , represented by figures ; hard by this church , we saw in a kind of tower , or such like place , where all the children are baptized , and where there is the finest echo that ever was heard , and in it a pulpit of marble that came from armenia , so finely carved that the value of it is inestimable . hard by this you see the leaning tower , so built , to the admiration of all that see it , for it hangs over so much , that one would think it must needs sall , and yet it is believed to stand as strong as if it had been built upright ; so great was the ingenuity of the architect . near the great church are the cloysters to be seen , where upon the walls is painted the history of the bible : and in the middle of the cloysters , upon the right and left hand , there are two little square courts , all of holy earth , they say brought from jerusalem , wherein if you interr a body , all shall consume to the bones in four and twenty hours time . from pisa the same day we went to leghorne , where the only thing worth taking notice of is the mould , where the shipping rides safe : the town is fortified with bastions and large ditches . we went out of curiosity and saw the jews synagogue in the time of their devotions . tuesday the 23d of october we went from leghorne and came again to pisa , where we dined , and after dinner went and saw the physick-garden of the great duke of florence , in which there is a gallery furnished with abundance of curiosities ; whereof one that i took notice of was the scull of a man or woman , with a great piece of coral growing to it ; and also a small anchor with several pieces of coral naturally fixed to it ; both which things were so found in the sea. we went the same night to la scala , a great inn so called , where we lay , being thirty six miles from leghorne , and half way between pisa and florence . the next day being the 24th of october , we arriv'd at florence , 20 miles from la scala , where we saw the chappel of st. laurence , esteemed the finest of the whole world , for the inside of it is all precious stones , and the arms of every city belonging to the great duke are all of precious stone inlaid , round about the chappel ; within side there is likewise the statues of all the great dukes cut out in marble . first francis , then cosmus the i. and ferdinandus i. cosmus ii. ferdinandus ii. and cosmus at present , third of the name , and sixth great duke . from this chappel we went to the dome or cathedral church , with the tower by it , whereof all the outside is finely wrought with marble of divers colours ; we saw the great dukes pallace and gardens , in which there is a great many fine waterworks : the finest thing in florence is the gallery of rich cabinets , and the chamber where there is all sort of curious arms ; there is a long barrel of a gun all of massy gold , and several other great curiosities ; we saw the dukes armory , the wild beasts , and some fine houses out of town , where there is fine painting and waterworks , chiefly in that of the great dukes , called pratilin , six miles from florence , we saw besides abundance of fine churches . november the first we went from florence to pongebouce 22 miles where we lay . the next day we came to dinner to siena , 16 miles : it is a town belonging to the great duke , almost as big as florence , where we saw the great church , whereof the pavement is the finest in christendom ; and the library with its pavement , deserves to be taken notice of : from hence we went to torriniere 18 miles where we lay . the next day , being the 3 d of november , we lay at aquapendente 29 miles , from whence we came , and dined , the next day being sunday at montefiatsco , fifteen miles , where in a little old church , under ground , we saw the tomb of a german bishop , who , they say , killed himself with drinking to excess the wine of that place : the story runs thus , that the bishop travelling with his retinue to rome , sent one of his servants before upon the road to find out the best wine , with a strict command to write est upon the sign , where the wine was best ; which accordingly he did , and at the first place where he found the wine to be good writ est , which , when the bishop saw , concluding the wine to be very good he stopped , and with all his company went in and remained there till he had had his fill of the wine ; then he went forward , his servant the purveyor , being still before to find out the next place of good wine , which appeared to the bishop before he had travelled much farther , by a double assurance of est , est , which the servant had marked upon the sign ; there the bishop stayed longer than he had done at the first place of est , finding the wine to be much better . but at length , in hopes to gratifie his appetite with a more delicious wine than what he had met with , goes forward on his journey to rome , his servant going still before with the same command of providing still the best wine with the old signal of est ; but before he had travelled far he comes to this fatal place of montefiasco , where the wine was so much better than any he had yet met with in his way to rome , that he thought it deserved the triple signal of est , est , est , which accordingly was put upon the sign . the bishop being not far behind , soon arrived at this inchanted castle of bacchus , where espying the signal , immediately made an halt , and with all his company entred the place , where he found the entertainment so sweet , and the wine so bewitching , that he was not able to leave the place till his life had left him , and then was carried out dead to his grave , which was hard by in the vault of a little church , with a large stone upon it , and this epitaph or inscription writ by the purvoyer his man , in honour of his master . est , est , est , propter est , herus meus mortuus est . from this place we went to viterbo , eight miles more , where we lay ; it is a very pretty town , and in most of the streets thereof there is fine fountains . from hence we went the next day to capreole , twelve miles more , where there is a fine house of the duke of parma , but going to ruine , here we dined and after dinner went to monte rossa , ten miles , where we lay ; from whence the next day being tuesday the 6th . of november , we came to rome , two and twenty miles more . the eighth of november we took our jonrney for naples , and came the first night to veletre , twenty miles from rome , where we saw the fine pallace and garden of cardinal ginetto . from thence the next day we went to piperno thirty miles . the next day being saturday ▪ the 10th . of november we came to fundi , which is the better half way betwixt rome and naples . from this place we came the next day , being sunday , to mola : where in a great orange garden we saw the tomb and grotto of cicero , that famous orator . hard by mola lies caeta , where there is to be seen a rock , which they say cleft asunder at the time of the crucifixion of our blessed saviour . from mola we came to st. agothas ; and from thence on monday night , the 12th instant , we arrived at naples , which is some 32 miles from st. agothas , where we saw several fine churches ; but in that of st. claires there is four fine pillars , which they do assert were brought from the temple of solomon at jerusalem . at another church we saw the busto's , or pieces of statues , being the remainder of two idols called by the names of castor and pollux , they were formerly entire , and worshipped as gods by the heathenish people , but st. paul passing by that way as he was carried a prisoner to rome , it is said that these idols fell down and broke to pieces , and in their fall the devil was perceived to go from them ; who whilst they were whole , served them for a voice , and did usually speak to those that worshipped them . the heads of these idols they say some certain prince has in keeping , for a great curiosity . from hence we went to the charter-house , a convent of religious men ; the building is very fine , seated upon a high hill , near the city , close to the castle of st. elmo , from whence you have the best sight of naples , and a prospect of the mediterranean sea , which is believed to be the best in europe . upon wednesday we hired horses and rid out of town , passing through the grotto of pausilinus , which lassel in his voyage of italy makes mention of . it is near a mile in length , cut , or rather bored through a great rocky hill , by the emperour lucullus . it is now used as a great high way leading into naples ; wherein two coaches or carts may meet and pass by each other easily , though the passage for near three parts of the way be very dark , without any light at all , except the light of a small lamp that hangs in a little chappel dedicated to the virgin mary , in the middle of the passage , upon the right hand , going into the city . and because there may be danger in meeting and running against one another in the dark , part of the way , when you hear any noise of horse or coach , or the like , which you may easily do at a great distance , ( for the least thing in that concavity makes a great noise ) then you use these words , speaking out aloud , ( a la montagna , & a la marina ) which signifies , which way are you to go , either to that side which is next the mountain , or to that next the sea ? by which one avoids the disasters that might happen by meeting in the dark . from this grotto , or high way , we came to the place called grotto delcane , or the dogs grotto : it is a little place concaved or hollowed in the side of a little hill , hard by a lake , or great pond of water ; in which place a man may stand upright , and go three or four steps in length and breadth ; here we had a dog brought us , by a man that lives hard by , and that makes it his business for gain to shew the experiment to strangers ; he takes his dog , and holds down his head within a foot of the ground , for higher it is believed the sulphurous vapours do not mount , as one may observe by a kind of green colour that stains the sides of the place , about a foot high from the surface of the ground , and not higher ; and before you can count a hundred , if you count not too fast , the dog begins to stagger and reel , ( the man then letting him loose ) he soon falls down , and struggling for life , dies away immediately ; then the man speedily takes him out , and washing him a little in the water of the lake hard by , he presently recovers ; we tryed , for our better satisfaction , the experiment upon one of our own dogs , and kept him in the said grotto it may be half a minute , or some such small matter of time longer than the first dog , but too long to recover him , for all our washing , and whatever else we could do , could not bring him to life again . about a mile from this venemous grotto is the burning mountains called by the name of sulpha terra , the principal matter that burns is brimstone , mixed with other minerals : we were as near the burning part of it as we durst go , for the smoke and fire was sometimes ready to choak us . but which was most to be admired , was to see fire and smoke come furiously out , if you thrust but a stick into that levelled part of the mountain on which we walked , the hilly part thereof being blown up and consumed with burning some time before . from hence we went to puzzeolo , a little town near the sea-side , where we saw the academy or school of virgil : and by this the temple of neptune : but there is nothing remaining of either but old walls , and the ruins thereof . from hence we took a boat and went by sea to see the sybillas grotto , but by the way they gave us an account of a mountain we saw hard by , called monta nova , that about 134 years ago there was a curious plain where the mountain now stands , and in it a little town , whereof the people were grown to that excess of debauchery and looseness of life , that in one nights time they were all covered with this mountain , which they believe to be the judgment of god upon the wickedness of the place . others there are that say this mountain was by the violent disorder of combustible matter burning under ground , blown up from sulpha terra before mentioned , and carried to that place where it now stands , which is two miles or thereabouts . within half a mile of this mountain you see the grotto of sybilla , and the lake avernus , or lake of hell ; at the farther side of which is the temple of apollo . about half a mile from the grotto sybilla are the hot baths : and very near to this place we saw the tomb of agripina , the mother of nero ; by which stands the ruins of the temple of venus and diana : and from hence you may see that place where nero caused his mother to be opened , whereof nothing remains but the ruins , like unto a rock in the sea , some fourscore or a hundred paces from the shore . we had not gone far from the sea-side , but going over a little hill we came into the ruins of what had been formerly a very fine street , in which was kept the saturdays market of that great and antient town called by the name of baiae : near the end of which street , in a vault or cave there are several hollows or niches in the walls , where formerly in urues they used to keep the ashes of the dead . hard by this place you see the elysian fields , and the dead sea , where charon the ferry-man used to ply ; and where formerly nero's army lay imbarqued . and not far from hence we saw what some call piscina mirabilis , which undoubtedly had been built for some great end . it is a very lofty building under ground , supported by forty huge pillars of stone , or thereabouts ; the plaistering of the walls laid on about as thick as a crown-piece , of so excellent a composition , ( whereof they say whites of eggs , which i refer to the reader , was part of the compound ) is so very hard , that the rock it self cannot be harder . here it is they say nero kept fresh water for the use of his navy , that lay then in the dead sea. from this place we went and saw the cento camarelle , or little rooms , very strangely contrived to keep slaves and prisoners in . from hence we took our boat again , and returned to puzzeolo , where one may see the beginning of a bridge , carried on at least a mile or two into the sea ; it is reported to be the unadvised enterprise of the emperour caligula , who thought to have made it over an arm of the sea three or four miles long . the same night we returned to naples , and the next day being thursday , we saw the sepulchres of virgil , and of sanazzaro . upon friday we took horses and went to the burning mountain of vesuvio , some seven miles from naples eastward . the heart or substance of the mountain is consumed by constant burnings , and frequent eruptions ; so that it may be more properly called the shell of a mountain , whose substance is lost ▪ or not unlike unto a cup , whose brim or brink , being near half a mile in circumference , one may in any place lean over , and look down into the concavity thereof , which is very deep , and at the bottom perceive very well a young hill growing up , or rather forced up by some combustible matter underneath : this little hill or heap , which swells from the bottom , grows every year bigger and bigger , and yet one may perceive it smoak constantly , which 't is believed it would not do if it did not burn . all the way up and down this mountain , you cannot avoid going up to the knees in ashes . there is a bed or channel that lies dry from the top of the mountain down to the sea-side , which , they say , was made by a burning liquid matter , which the mountain spued up so fast , and with that violence , that it forced its way there , and like an impetuous river run burning down a great way into the sea , whereof nothing remains now but that bed or channel , which has ever since continued dry : four or five miles round ▪ this mountain you see a hard rocky cinder , which in eruptions are thrown so far at least , up and down the country to the great damage of the inhabitants . in the year 1631. was the last great eruption , in which they say there was no less than two thousand people killed and hurt . upon saturday we took a view of naples again , and the next morning left that place , in order to our return again to rome , where we arrived the 22 d of november , but took frescata in our way , which is about 12 miles from rome , where we saw the palace of monte dragone , and aldobrandina , in these we saw many fine waterworks , among which the most considerable was that of the organs . the cascade or fall of water was so great and so violent , that in the very fall it brought wind enough with it to fill the organ pipes , which were very artificially placed in a little house close to the cascade for that purpose , and a wheel which the water turned round , having stops so conveniently placed on it as to touch the keys in going about , which caused it to play any tune as they should think fit who had the ordering of it , and as loud almost as you hear in any church ; we saw likewise the figure of a centaur with his horn , which by the help of the water he wound very loud ; there was likewise a satyr playing upon pipes , and the chirping and singing of birds very delightful , and all performed by the help of the water ; but which was more astonishing than all this , was the great grotto , or great waterwork in form of a grotto , placed directly against the back part of the house : the coming forth of the water is like unto thunder , and then falls to the ground like hail , rain and mist ; before we took our leaves of this place , we saw a fine room , in which were several figures , playing upon divers instruments , representing the muses , and underneath it was the wind treasury , which we discovered by their opening to us two or three holes about two inches diameter made in the floor of the said room , from whence the wind proceeded with so much strength , as to bear up a ball of copper or brass hovering very high over the hole . thursday the 29 th of november being returned to rome , we went and saw st. peter's church and the pope's lodgings , where we took notice of three or four rooms finely painted by michael angelo ; the gallery , gardens , and water-works are worth taking notice of . upon saturday the 1 st of december we went to the villa burghese , belonging to a prince that bears the same name , where we saw abundance of fine statues , whereof the gladiator and apollo taking hold of daphne are most worth remark : these two last figures being one intire piece of white marble , representing apollo's pursuit of daphne to ravish her , when she changes into a tree , was done by seignior bernin ; the painting is very good ; the fine gardens and the variety of waterworks is worth seeing : there is a sea-horse-head , and an elephants head worth taking notice of . sunday , the 20 of december , we went to st. paul's church , about a mile and an half out of rome , where we saw the crucifix , that , they say , spoke to st. briget . munday we saw prince pamphilio his palace , one of the popes nephews , about a mile out of town . tuesday we went from st. peter's church to the inquisition , whose building we saw , but they would not permit us to go into the prisons : from hence we went to the church of st. onestrio , where the body of torquatus tassus the italian poet lies interred ; we saw his study , some of his own manuscript , the cup he usually drunk out of , and the room he died in , in which there is now a fine library . from this place we went to the queen of swedens palace , where there is most excellent pieces of painting done by the best hands , as titio , bonoretta , carraggio and others . from thence we went to farnesi's palace , where we saw that incomparable masterpiece that was brought from rhodes , consisting of seven figures , to wit , a bull , a dog , three men and two women ; all these seven figures as big as the life , are cut out of one intire piece of marble , and do all naturally joyn in some part or other . the figures do represent the history of licus , king of thebes , who took to wife anthiops , daughter of nycteus , king of ethiopia , whom jupiter defiled , putting on the form of a satyr , whereupon licus put her away and married dirce , who perswaded the king to keep antiope close prisoner , lest she should return into his favour again , which accordingly was done ; but jupiter , out of compassion , soon released her , and then she fled into the mountains , where she was delivered to two sons , amphion and zetus , who after they came to understand the injury done to their mother by licus and dirce , they took dirce and by the hair of the head tyed her to the horns of a mad bull , from which cruelty , after she had suffered a long time , by the clemency of the gods she was delivered ; but licus they killed : whereupon appolonius and lauriscus , two of the most famous sculptures of that age , willing to transmit this tragical story to posterity , made this piece , as it is likewise reported by pliny in his 36 th book and chap. 5. which afterwards amongst other antiquities was brought from rhodes to rome by assinios pollion , most famous in the time of augustus , and kept in the baths of antonius , pius , caracallus , the emperour , under mount aventin , and in the reign of pope paul the third , named farnese , was found in the ruins of those baths , and by him put into order , and placed where you now see it . over against this in a little palace of seignior pighinis , there is two of the finest statues of marble that is to be seen in rome , the one is meleagre , or as some say adonis , the other is a venus . wednesday we saw the palace of montalto , where there are a great many fine statues and curious waterworks , in a most spacious and fine garden . from hence we went to ludovisio's great garden , where in one apartment we saw a bed of inestimable value ; it was all beset with precious stones , and by this bed , in a large box , we saw a petrified man. thursday we saw the palace of cardinal spada , and the hospital where all the pilgrims that come to rome are entertained for three days . saturdry we saw prince pallastrino's palace , and upon sunday we went to santa croce in jerusalem , one of the seven churches , where they pretend to have a great many relicks , as the sponge that they offered to our saviour when he was upon the cross , some of the thorns that he was crowned with , one of the nails that fastned him to the cross , and many other reliques . afterwards we went to the church of st. john latteran , which is esteemed the finest in rome , next to st. peters , and where they pretend to have the most reliques ; hard by this is the church of st. john in fonte , where infidels and others that turn to the church of rome are baptized . monday the 10th . we saw cardinal ghisi's pallace , where there is a most admirable collection of pictures , and the richest portiers or door hangings that are in rome , there was a very rich bed of wh te sattin , painted they say , with the juice of flowers , so curiously that it took up five years time to do it in : tuesday , we saw the effigies of the king of france on horseback , cut out of one intire piece of pure white marble , by cavalier beruin ; it was not then quite finished , yet it seemed to challenge the finest thing of that nature that ever was made : it was to be sent into france , so soon as it should be finished . wednesday , we saw the cupola of st. peters , and went into the ball which is near seven foot diameter , and will hold ten or twelve men at a time completely . the church of st. peter with the portico and thickness of the walls is one thousand and fifty eight palmes in length . the breadth of the church in that part that makes the cross is six hundred and seventy palmes . from the pavement to the twelve apostles is two hundred and twelve palmes high . the cupola is one hundred and ninety palms diameter , and six hundred and fifty two from the pavement to the cross , that is fixed upon the top of the cupola . the lanthorn of the cupola , and the great altar in the middle of the cross of the church do measure alike , in height one hundred twenty six palms and a half . the thursday following , we went and saw the little pallace of cardinal ghisi , where there is a very pretty armory , and many natural curiosities , amongst the rest the cockatrices were worth remark : his fine garden , and those many artifices by water , from which it is almost impossible to avoid being wet , unless the gardiner be your friend , were all very well worth our sight . friday the 14th . we were introduced by the french ambassador , and admitted to the honour of kissing the popes toe . saturday , we saw the prince burgese's pallace which is esteemed the finest in rome . sunday , we went to the church of st. sebastian about three miles out of rome ▪ it is one of the seven churches , and where they tell you our saviour met st. paul , and conversed with him , and left his foot-steps for a mark thereof , if you can believe as the church of rome believes ; this rencounter of our saviour with st. paul was when he made his escape from rome ; besides the footsteps of our saviour , they show you under the church , where in the times of persecution they used to hide the christians , and bury those that they found dead , and where the bodies of st. peter and st. paul are reported to be first interred . monday 17th . we began with the new church of st. nichola tolentino , which is well adorned with good painting and a fine altar . from hence we went to porta salaire , or collina , through which hannibal and bremus king of the galls entered , when they came to rome ; a little within this gate you see the place where they used to inter the vestal nymphs . we went forward and came to porta pia , so called , from pius quartus pope of rome , in whose time it was built , the workmanship was michael angelo boneretta's , the pretty sabines that were ravished by the romans , came in at this gate . from this gate we went to the temple of sta. agnese , it is about a mile beyond the walls of the city , where there is a great many fine marble pillars very antique , and candlesticks taken from the temple of bacchus , but the four porphery pillars that bore up the great altar are most worth remark . near to this you see the place they call roma subterranea , you go under ground and are conducted into several narrow passages on the right and left hand , you may see several niches and concavities in which were skulls , and other bones of saints and martyrs which in the times of persecution fled thither and died there , and were buried , as our author reported . near to this place is the church of st. constanza , heretofore the temple of bacchus , in which you may see that porphery sepulcher either of bacchus , or of constanza , as is believed ; it may challenge the whole world for a curiosity . from hence we went to the church of st. victoire , where you may see the fine statue of st. terraise , made by cavalier beruin , near to this is that of st. susanna , where the painting is not much amiss . from hence you may see the tower or church of st. bernard , their garden was heretofore a theatre , opposite to which are the baths of the emperour dioclesian , by which you may take notice of eight great marble pillars which bore up the ruines of a most noble arched fabrick now partly converted to a church . not far from hence there is a little church called pudantiene , where you may see that lovely chappel of cajeton , and in it admire that incomparable altar-piece , which represents the birth of our saviour and the three kings coming to worship him , made by petrus oliverus romanus ; the mosaick work is worth taking notice of , besides the fine statutes . hard by this little church you may take notice of the bath of agripina , the mother of nero , now in the ruins . from hence we went and saw the pretty church of st. martin , upon mount esquelyn , built upon the ruined baths of titus vespasius : at the end of this church was the tower of nero , upon which he sat playing on a harp whilst the city of rome was all in a flame of fire . from hence we went to the church of st. peter in vincoli , where there is a very fine statue of moses ; and they say the last thing that was done by michael angelo . i should have told you that it was between porta salaire and porta pia , about three miles from rome , where nero the emperour killed himself , to prevent a most shameful death that was prepared for him . tuesday we went about three miles out of rome to a place called the three fountains , where there is three little churches , one of them called st. athanasius , another st. bernard ; where they say lies abundance of the saints bones : and the third is called the three fountains , where they report st. paul was beheaded ; and at the cutting of it off , they say the head gave three leaps , at each of which there broke out immediately a fountain of water : and which was more wonderful , that the water of each fountain should have a different taste from the other ; the first to taste like wine , the second like milk , and the third something near the taste of common water ; but i found no difference in them but that they all tasted like other waters , but it may be it was because there was wanting in me a romish faith. you may likewise see the marble pillar , to which he was bound , as they say , when he was executed . in returning to rome we saw st. pauls church again , and the crucifix that they say spoke to st. brigid , where in the sacristie there are very fine pictures done by lanfranck . in the wall of the city you may see the fine piramid , or , as some say , the sepulchre of caius cestius ; others say it is the sepulchre of remus . it was finished in 330 days , which was but a very short time for so great a work . thursday after dinner we saw the pallace of prince justiniano , where there is fine statues and painting . then we went and saw the popes gardens at monte cavallo . friday , near the church of st. sebastian , which is some three or four miles out of rome , we saw the ruins of the pretorial camp , or the place of guard to the emperour dioclesian : near to this you may see the little heathenish temple , that was erected in derision of hannibal , for being forced to retreat without taking rome . you see also not far from hence the circle of caracallo from whence was taken the oblique that now stands in the middle of the piazza navona ; from this place we went to the fountain of the nymph aegeria , which they say was built 800 years before our saviours time : returning to rome again , we went through the porto lattin , just by which we saw a little chappel , where they say st. john the evangelist was put to death , by being put into a cauldron of boyling oyl . i should have taken notice of capo di bove , at the beginning of this days journey , it lying in the way , the remains of it is a great tower partly demolished , where the sepulchre of matella wife to rich crassus , daughter to q. metalla , surnamed cretico , taken for having subdued the cretes , now remains . saturday , we went to campidoglio , where you may see erected the trophies of the emperour trajan when he returned to rome , victorious over the transilvanians . in the middle court you see the copper horse , vulgarly called the horse of constantine the emperour : in the court called conservatori , you may take notice of the head of the emperour domitian , the head and an arm of the emperour commodus , the tomb of mamea the mother of alexander severus , with many other figures very ancient . the apartments above stairs are full of old statues and fine painting , the idol of hercules , and the figure of a wolf , with romulus and remus hanging at the dugs of it , are very antique and worth remark , they are of copper . from hence we went to mount capitolin , hard by which you may see three fine pillars that remain of the temple of jupiter ; on the top of which pillars you may take notice of a stone with fine old carving on it , of those things which do denote the use and intent of the structure ; for by the bullocks head and horns dressed with flowers , the ax , the sacrificers knife , and bason to receive the blood , and other things of this nature , one may easily believe the report , that it is the remains of the temple of jupiter , where they used to sacrifice to that deity . near to this you see the temple of concord : and not far from hence that fine ancient pillar , upon which was set the statue of domitian the emperour ; a little farther we saw the dungeon where the romans formerly used to imprison the most notorious malefactors , amongst the rest st. peter and st. paul are said to have been kept here ; they shewed us a pillar to which their chains were fastned , and close by it a little fountain wherein , they say , the goaler and his family were baptized after they were converted to the christian faith. in this place stands now a little church dedicated to st. joseph , it is at the foot of that great descent of marble steps where the romans used formerly to throw down the criminals that were condemned to die : by this you may see the triumphal arch of the emperour septimus severus , erected against his return from the conquest of the partheans , near to this is the church of st. martin , where you may see his stately sepulchre in a vault , and his fine image of marble upon the great altar ; they likewise pretend to shew you where his body was found . a little way from hence is the church of st. francis , and in it that noble sepulchre , erected to his memory by pope innocent the tenth , and another incomparable piece of petrus oliverus , which represents the entry of pope gregory the 11 th into rome when he came from avignion : behind this church formerly stood the temple of the sun and moon ; and near to this you see the ruins of the temple of peace , built by titus vespasius the emperour ; over against this temple are the gardens of farnese , in which there is a fine ancient statue of agripina : this place was heretofore the palace of caesar , begun by augustus caesar upon mount palatin . wednesday , the 2 d of january , we passed by the church of st. maria maggiore , which stands upon mount esquilino , and came to the little church of st. bibian , where you may see her fine statue , made by cavalier bernin ; there is good painting in fresco , done by dietio cortone ; they shew you a little pillar of porphery , to which they say st. bibian was tied when she was martyrized . near to porta palestina is the temple of bacchus , built by augustus caesar , to the honour of his two nephews , cajus and lisius ; it is now vulgarly called galusia . from hence we went and saw sancta croce , which is one of the seven churches , the pillars thereof were taken out of the temple of venus and cupidon , which temple was ruined by the emperour constantine ; behind the great altar is the story of st. helena , mother of constantine , seaching for the cross of our saviour , done in fresco by perusino the master of raphael vrbin . from hence we went to the temple of the emperour claudins , now called st. stephens church ; it is built round , and supported by abundance of fine pillars ; the history of the persecutions of the christians by the heathenish emperours , from the time of our saviour to constantine the first christian emperour , is painted round the church . saturday we went again to the campadoglio , where in a little court going up stairs , one may take notice of four several pieces carved in stone , which represent the coming of marc. aurel. in triumph to rome . above stairs take notice of the great hall painted in fresco by joseph darpin ; in the next room is the statue of anthonio columne ; and in the next to this the head of junius brutus that overcame the tarquins , the head of mithridate an eminent captain against the romans . in another room we saw the head of fabritius a brave soldier against the pirots , and the head of simon that betrayed troy. in another room we saw a fine statue of a cybilla ; and in the other apartments we saw a fine old statue of a magician , and the statue of marios the great roman consul , and the nurse of nero the emperour , a fine figure . near to the triumphal arch of septimus severus there remains three pillars of the temple that romulus built to jupiter , occasioned by a vow romulus had made when his army was routed by the sabins , that if he should be able to rally his army , and defeat the enemy , he would build a temple and dedicate it to jupiter , which accordingly was done , and his vow performed . not far from hence is the temple of anthonin and faustin , now called the church of st. laurence , where there is a fine altar-piece , done by pietro cortono : hard by this is the temple of romulus and remus , now the church of st. come and damian . and not far from hence we saw the triumphal arch of titus vespasian , erected upon the taking of rome : not far from this you may see the triumphal arch of constantine , by some called that of trajans , because most of the best figures carved in stone , and what else is there most worth your notice was brought from the triumphal arch of trajan , to whose honour it was built after he had subdued the tyrant maxanae : near to this you may see the ruins of the amphitheatre , where st. igneas , a disciple of st. peters , in the raign of trajan , was devoured by lyons . we went afterwards a little farther , and saw the nine vaults where the water for the use of the amphitheatre , as also for the baths of titus vespasian was preserved ; some say they were first made to keep water in for the use of nero's gardens . from hence we went to the little triumphal arch of septimus severus in forobauno , erected by the merchants and goldsmiths , upon stones where one may see carved the ax , the head of the victim , and several other things that were made use of in their sacrifices to the heathenish gods. hard by this stands an antick-piece of square building , which has on every side a great door built arch-fashion , and twelve niches , formerly , they say , there was fourteen such buildings which divided the city of rome into so many parts , to each of which there was a governour ▪ they say moreover , that in the reign of augustus caesar they used to celebrate the feasts of competallini in those places . first instituted by servius tullius , in honour of their domestick deities . near to the rotonda , which is not far from hence , there remains eleven fine pillars of marble of the temple of mars , built by marc. aurel. after he had obtained the victory against the moravies ; heretofore it was called marcoman . from hence we went to the palace of fierevante , where by the way we saw the statue of antonia , grandmother to agrippina ; and in the palace garden there is a fine figure of esculapius , the sepulchre of augustus , and the vault where all his family lye interred , heretofore called the mausol . monday we went and took a view of trajans colomn , esteemed one of the finest pieces of antiquity the world affords ; all the most memorable and most noble exploits of his life are lively represented by incomparable carving , quite round the pillar , from the top to the pedestal ; the model of which has been lately taken by the french king. from hence we went to mont. avantin , where we saw the church and convent of st. dominick's order , it was heretofore the temple of juno ; there is one thing remarkable in it , a round marble stone , which they say the devil threw at st. dominico when he was at prayers . near to this is the church of st. alexis , heretofore the temple of diana . from hence we went to the isle of tiber , which lies between the bridge of four heads , and the other bridge called — where the church of st. bartholomew now stands , it was heretofore the temple of aesculapius , the god of physick . we went from hence to the church of st. cicile , where we saw the fine statue of marble , made in the same manner , lying as when her body was found : near to this there is another church , where in a little chappel you may see a fine altar-piece , painted by hanibal carasco , and a fine antick tomb. from hence we went to the church of st. chrysogorio , which is built upon the ruins of an hospital that augustus caesar had made for the use of his maim'd soldiers . near to this there is another church called sancta translaverie , heretofore an hospital for the use before-mentioned . from hence we went to the place where st. peter was martyrized , where there is now a church called by his name ; there is in it a fine piece of painting of the transfiguration , done by raphael vrbin : this place was heretofore called the ganicul● . tuesday following we went to st. peters church , and observed the four statues of copper , which support st. peter's chair ; in which chair the popes are usually seated when the solemnity of coronation passes on them ; the two outward figures represent st. ambrose and st. augustin , and the two inward st. cyril and st. chrysostome ; on the right hand of the altar you see that incomparable fine statue of marble made by gulielmus dellaporta ; we went afterwards underneath the church into the vaults where we saw otto the eleventh emperour of germany as he was there intomb'd , with the sepulchre of carola queen of jerusalem , cypre , and armenia ; from hence we went into the pope's armory , where they say are arms sufficient for 65000 men. we afterwards went to the chappel , where we saw that excellent piece of painting , which represents the day of judgment , done by michael angelo , who amongst other things that he had figured to be in hell , puts in a cardinal in his pontificalibus , which was drawn so near to the life , that whoever saw it knew it to be the very picture of such a cardinal , an eminent man then living in rome , who they report came to see the painting before it was finished , and hastily rushing in at the door , over which michael angelo hapned to be then at work upon a ladder , chanced to throw him down , which to be revenged of , he paints the cardinal in hell , whereupon the cardinal complians to the pope , who was then leo x. of the great indignity done him by michael angelo , who had placed him amongst the devils in hell ; to which the pope returned this answer , that he indeed was heartily sorry for it , and could have wished that he had placed him in purgatory , for there he could have fetched him out ; but being once in hell , there was no redemption . so that the cardinal remains there to this day . friday , we went to the baths of anthonio caracallo , son to septimus severus , from whence were taken all the pillars that are now in st. paul's church , and the bull of farnese before mentioned , together with the two great marble vessels that stand in the piazza farnese ; these baths , they say , had 1500 rooms in them . in going to these baths , between mont. palatin and mont. aventin , we saw the circle where the pretty sibins were ravished . from hence we went to the church of st. laurence , being one of the seven where there is abundance of fine marble pillars with other stones finely carved , relating to sacrifices ; from whence one may conclude that it had formerly been some heathenish temple : upon the right and left hand going into the church , you may see two ancient tombs of marble . we afterwards saw the castle of st. angelo , were the popes triple crown is kept , in which there is planted a great many brass guns , whereof 't is believed the major part was made of the brass taken from the pantheon , and one of them made out of the brass nails only that were imployed in the brazen work of that temple , so vast was the quantity of brass found there . from hence we went to the pallace of medicis , where we saw these principal statues , ( viz. ) the rotatore , being a country fellow that discovered the conspiracy of cataline against the republick of rome . a venus made by cleomenes the son of appolodorus of athens , which heretofore they say was an idol worshipped in the rotonda . the statue of marsias , who was flaid alive for presuming to understand musick as well as apollo . the wrestlers in one intire piece of marble . then in the garden you see two great vessels of marble , taken out of the baths of dioclesian the emperor , and fourteen fine ancient statues , representing the sons and daughters of niobe , that were all put to death by order of latona , jupiters concubine , according to the fiction of the poets . from hence we went again to st. peter's church , where we saw the head of the spear that , they say , pierced our saviours side , and a piece of the cross , with a handkerchief that , they say , st. veronnica gave him to wipe the sweat from his face , when he was going to mount calvar loaded with the cross ; whereon is to be seen plainly the print of a face which , they say , affixed it self so to the handkercief as soon as our saviour had made use of it . monday the 21 th of january we left rome in order to go to venice , and lay the first night at rigneava twenty three miles from rome , the next night we lay at ternit , twenty eight miles , and upon wednesday we arrived at foligne thirty miles more ; from whence on thursday wecame to valcemare twenty eight miles , and the next day to lauretta thirty two miles , where we saw the holy house , now so called , it being formerly ( they told us ) the proper mansion house , or habitation of the virgin mary in nazareth , when the angel gabriel saluted her with the joyful news of her conception of our saviour christ . it was first miraculously brought from nazareth into dalmatia , and from thence by the angels carried over the gulf of venice , and set down in italy , where it now remains to the great astonishment of all that see it , if they believe the report : all that you see of this holy house is no more than four walls very unartificially built , of an ordinary sort of stone , much like unto our brick , which four walls compose the four sides of a little ground room , almost square , which they call the holy house ; but some time since they have built over it a very fine church , and have very richly cased and adorned this irregular room with pure fine marble , curiously wrought and carved , much more to be admired than the holy house it self . in the holy house there is a wooden dish , which , they told us , the virgin mary did use to eat or drink in ; and the image of a woman carved in wood , with a child in her arms , which they take to be the effigies of the virgin mary , with our saviour : they shewed us likewise an old red pet●icoat , supposed likewise to be what the virgin mary , in her life-time , did wear , because it was found upon the image : there are several rich lamps , whereof ten are of pure gold ; and a very rich cloath of gold and silver , beset with diamonds and other precious stones , for a covering to the image . from hence they conducted us to the treasury of the order of this holy house , which without doubt is the richest in christendom , for that innumerable quantity of precious stones , as diamonds , pearls , rubies , &c. too many to be particularly mentioned , that they have there amassed together , likewise vessels of gold and silver in abundance : there is also one fine piece of painting , done by hannibal caratio ; after this they shewed us the apothecaries shop , whereof the pots were all painted by raphael vrbin . from lauretta we went on saturday the 26 th of january to ancona fifteen miles , where the most remarkable thing is the triumphal arch of trojan upon the mould , and st. augustin's church , where there is some good painting , done by pomerancia . it is a great town well fortified , with cannon planted as well against the sea , as against the land. from hence we went twenty miles upon the adriatick sea shore , and lay at senegaglia , a town fortified almost in a square ; heretofore it did belong to the duke of vrbin , but now it is in the possession of the pope . the next day we went twenty miles more to dinner at pesaro , within five miles of this place we went through a town called fano , where there is a triumphal arch erected to the honour of caesar , when he returned victorious over the french. from pesaro we went 25 miles more , and lay at rimini , still all along upon the adriatick sea side . it is a great town , but very much ruined by an earthquake , that two years before shook down a spacious market-place , with the greatest part of the buildings about it , which were very sumptuous ; and the best part of the town was thereby destroyed , to the terrible amazement of all the inhabitants , whereof the greatest part made their escape when they first perceived the earth to tremble , and the streets begin to rock , and by the violence of the concussion ready to meet and touch a top , though some more careful than prudent , to save their goods , were buried with them in the ruine of their houses ; the greatest part of which still lies in heaps . the chappel of st. anthony , which lassel in his voyage of italy doth say , proved miraculously the real presence in the sacrament , was likewise without any difference shaken down with the rest ; so that the historical painting , which should have informed us concerning the miracle , fell with the chappel walls . near to this there is a large stone fixed , where they say caesar made a speech to his army . from rimini , upon tuesday the 29 th . we came to ravenna , 35 miles , where we spent the morning to see the town , and first went to the fine convent of sancta vitalle , where we saw the chappel of galla placidia , the daughter of theodosius the great , and sister to arcadia and honorius , wife of constantius , and mother to valentinianus the third , all emperours . her great marble tomb is placed at the upper end of the chappel ▪ and the two great tombs of honorius and valentinianus on each side of the chappel ; the two tombs fixed in the walls going out of the chappel ; it is believed do acknowledge arcadius , and the nurse of valentinianus , for their being there erected : after we had seen this , we went to the church , where in going in , we took notice of a marble stone in the wall , whereon were several very antique figures , curiously engraven , representing a bull led to the sacrifice , with the heathenish priests attending : there is likewise the tomb of justinian the emperour , and over against that john the ninth , archbishop of ravenna lies : under one of the altars you see the tomb of st. vitalle : near the church door , and in several places of the town , several old sepulchres are remaining : from hence we went to the church of st. maria maggiore , where there is abundance of fine ancient marble pillars , and the chappel of st. orcicero , who after he was beheaded , they say , carryed his head from the place of execution , two hundred paces : we went from this church to the rotonda , one of the greatest pieces of curiosity in all italy ; it was designed by amalasunta , only daughter to theodoric , king of the goths , for a tomb for her father , and in the year 526 , was accordingly built ; a little before his death he caused a pope and two famous councellors to be put to death : the building is round , but the curiosity is in the roof , which is one intire stone , near four foot thick , and thirty five foot over , or in the diameter that covers the whole building , being concav'd like unto a buckle ; it is to the the admiration of all that see it questioned , how such a stone could be got out of a quarry , brought thither , and placed as it is . the vass that this king was put in , is of porphyry , and was placed upon the top of this great stone in the middle , having round about the sides twelve statues , representing the twelve apostles ; but at the siege of ravenna , it was shot down , and is now to be seen in the convent of the zocollanties , fixed in a wall , conveyed thither by some of the town in the year of our lord 1564. we went next to the church of the polonaries , supported by four and twenty fine marble pillars very antique ; and in the piazza or market-place , there are two more , whereon the statues of st. vitelle and st. apollinare , protectors of the city , do now stand . wednesday , the 30 th . of january , we left ravenna , and went to fienza , 20. miles , here it is they make the fine earhen ware ; the next day we came to bologne , where we saw a great many fine churches and convents , to wit , that of st. john in the mount , in which there is very good painting , especially one piece made for st. cicilia by raphael vrbin , and another fine piece done by hannibal caratio . in the convent of st. dominico , there is behind the great altar , a fine piece , done by machael angelo : the tomb of st. dominic is very fine ; in the quire you see the history of the old and new testament , carved in wood , very curiously done by franck. damiano , a lay brother , and a lamp of silver , sent to them from the indians about thirty years ago ; they shewed us st. dominic's chamber for a great curiosity . from hence we went and saw the silk mills , which was well worth our trouble , and one or two pallaces , and then we went to the fine gallary of aldovandino . monday , the 4 th . of february , we went from bologne to modene 20 miles , where within four miles of that town , near to the great road , is scituated a strong place called vrbin the eighths fort ; it is a square , fortified with ravelins and demilunes , the best regular fortification that i had then seen in italy : the town of modene is inconsiderable , the fortifications of it are old and decayed , but the citadal may be taken notice of : we saw the duke and his pallace , in which there is nothing more remarkable than the collection of pictures . tuesday we went from modene , and lay eighteen miles off at a little town , called cento , and from thence to ferrara eighteen miles , where coming into town you may take notice of a fort , which seem'd to me to be a pentagone very well fortified ; in the town is the castello , surrounded with deep ditches of water ; here the popes legate recides : they shewed us a fine colomn not finished ▪ whereon is to be placed the statue of the pope , that at present stands hard by the domo , which is a very old church . the benedictins is a fine monastery , where we saw the tomb of arioste the great poet , and author of orlands furioso . over against the domo , you may take notice of two statues , representing two brothers , one a duke the other a marquess , of the house of este ; one of them delighted much in sporting and playing tricks , and had a house built for that purpose , but now out of use . it became afterwards a proverb , when any one would be playing the fool , to say , ( il fratello del duca è morto ) which is as much as to say ( leave off fooling . ) thursday following we went to dinner to ravigo , the first town in that road that belongs to the venetians , 22 miles from ferrara , where we passed the river poe , and the white channel ; after dinner we went 15 miles more , to a town called mont selevie ; not far from hence we passed the river adige ; and a friday morning we came to padoue , ten miles , from whence the same day we took bark , and arrived at venice the eighth day of february , where we staid three weeks to see the town ; and the most remarkable thing there is , the arsenal , in which there is arms for four hundred thousand men ; there is a very great store of cannon and other instruments of war : their ports do abound in gallies , galliots , and men of war : we went into the bucentore , a certain vessel that the doge or duke of venice goes in when he performs the matrimonial ceremony betwixt himself and the sea , by throwing in a gold ring : we saw the private armory , and the treasury , which indeed is not to be admired after having seen the treasure of lauretta : we went afterwards to the doge's pallace and the councel chamber , where there is good painting ; the piazza or place of st. mark , is very well worth ones particular notice , as also st. mark 's church , where you see the four fine horses of brass , brought from constantinople , and the two great pillars of marble near the water-side : the bas-relief , upon the side of a little building joyning to the steeple of st. mark 's church is very well worth the taking notice of ; then we went up to the top of the steeple , from whence we had a fair prospect over all venice , which , i believe , contains more buildings than rome ; but that which is chiefly to be admired , is its scituation and building in the sea , so that one may go by water and by land almost through every street of this vast city . there is two canals or ports , by which the biggest ships may go in and out ; the one is called porto lydo , the other malomoca : after we had gone round the city by sea , and viewed it after that manner , we took our leaves of it , and went again to padoue , where we arrived the first of march ; we saw the schools of physick , divinity and law , &c. called the bo , and the tomb of antinor , founder of padoue , who lived fifteen hundred years before our saviour christ , upon earth , it is erected at the corner of a street ; then we went to the church of st. anthony , where we saw the fine tomb of alexander contarini , general of the venetians , and the tomb of st. anthony , which is adorned with several fine marble figures , representing the miracles wrought by him in his life-time and about twenty seven great silver lamps . in the quoire of the same church there is about twelve pieces of cast brass , so curiously wrought with all sorts of figures , and other things necessary to the design , that it gives you an historical account of several passages in the old testament , and so much to the life , that i cannot forbear to make mention of one , which is the story of sampson and the philistins , when he destroyed so many of them by carcying away the pillars of the house , and letting the house fall wherein they were ; it is so artificially done , that you will hardly believe your eyes , but take the whole fabrick to be effectually falling down . in the cloysters to the same church , there is a little black marble stone that covers the bowels of the old duke of norfolk , father to the supposed mad duke that we saw confined at padoue : right before this church stands the statue of gatta mela , general of the venetians , in brass . from hence we went to the church of st. justin , where we saw the tomb of st. luke , much like unto an old wooden chest , inchased with iron ; the tomb of s. matthias , over against it on the other side of the church , and under the great altar , the tomb of st. justin ; at the upper end of the quire there is a fine piece of painting , done by paul veronese . to this church belongs a convent , esteemed the finest in italy . near to the pallace of the great captain , we saw the great hall , called pallagio di regione , and that remarkable stone in it , called lapis opprobrii , whereon if any one comes and claps down his breech , three times together , he shall never be troubled , whilst he lives , for debt , but then he is for ever after defamed , and himself and family more ruined in their reputation and honour , than if they had died in prison for debt . we went from hence to the place where they anatomize and dissect the bodys of men and women , which is so conveniently built , that although it is much less than an ordinary chamber , yet there is room enough with seats for two or three hundred spectators . sunday , the 3 d. day of march , we went from padoue to vicenze 18 miles , where about a mile out of town we saw a pretty pallace , called the rotonda ; it is a very fine prospect and belongs to the marquess martio capra ; we also saw the garden and labyrinth of conte valinerana , the amphitheatre and triumphal arch of poladio , with what else was considerable . tuesday the 5 th we went thirty miles more , and came to dinner at verona , where the finest tombs , and the richest that ever i saw of marble , are there erected to the honour of the family of the scaligeres , who were formerly masters of this town ; then we went to the amphitheatre , which is much like to that in rome , but a more intire thing within , for the spectators seats or places which are the circular degrees or steps within side remain all whole , the outside is much more ruined than that in rome . from hence we went to conte juste's garden , where you have a prospect of the whole town ; i took notice of the pine trees in the garden , which are the finest i ever saw . from this garden we went to st. george's church , where we saw two pieces of painting , very much esteemed , done by paul veroncse : it is thought that this town is the biggest ( except venice ) that belongs to the venetians ; its scituation is upon the river adige . wednesday , the 6 th . we left this place and went to mamoue 24 miles , the duke thereof and dutchess his wife , are both of the family of gonzaga : we saw the town and the dukes pallace , but nothing worth remark in either ▪ for about forty years ago it was plundered by the germans , yet something remains in the closet of natural curiosities worth taking notice of , to wit , two or three children mummies , one of them like to a satyr , the other two very monstrous , there being but two bodys , but to each body members for two children ; one of these children was a male , the other a female very discernable : there was likewise a man mummy , he being about 360 years ago , a very tyrannick governour of this place , was killed , and thus preserved for a detestable spectacle to after ages . of several cockatrices i had seen in our travels , the biggest was in this place . the little hall painted by gulio romano of the trojan history is worth taking notice of . the town of mantoue is well fortified by nature as well as by art. ver●●a , the place i made mention of before this , is likewise strongly fortied with thick walls and deep ditches . about five miles from mantoue , in the road to brescia , there is a fine palace , belonging to this duke , called la fontalla . the same day being the seventh , we arrived at brescia 40 miles , riding all the way through a very delightful country . the town of brescia is strong , having good walls and ditches . the castle that stands upon a little hill has a great many good cannon in it , and commands the town . about 160 years ago the french were masters of it , who with the assistance of some forces from bologn made a strong sally upon the town , plundering , and putting all to the sword ; ever since which time they have remained in peace . the town-house was one of the finest buildings in all these parts , but by an accident burnt the remains of it is worth one's regard . the ninth we went from hence to bergamo 30 miles , where we lay that night , the next morning , being sunday the 10 th we went into the town , which is scituated on a hill , and well fortified : this is one of the finest prospects of italy , we saw the domo , and in it the sepulchre of bartholomew collione , late patron of the town ; there are four fine pieces kept lockt up , some call it painting , but others affirm it to be all but wood inlaid , which makes the pieces the more curious . after dinner , the same day , we went to le fournaise 16 miles , where we lay that night ; it is but a village , and lies upon the river adda . the next day we rode 14 miles upon the same river-side , and came to millan the 14 th of march ; and first of all we went to st. paul's church , and to that of st. ceis● , in both which there is good pai●ting , cheifly in this last , where in the 〈◊〉 there is a fine piece done by r●phael vrbin . in the church of st. 〈◊〉 they shew you a brazen serpent , whereof the head and tail , they tell you was part of that serpent that moses caused the children of israel to set up for a remedy against the plague of biting serpents : the body of st. ambrose lies under the great altar . in the garden of this convent they shew you a chappel , where they say st. augustin was converted to the christian faith , and another chappel , where they say he was baptized . from hence we went to the convent of st. victoir , where there is very good painting : these two last mentioned are esteemed the finest convents in italy ; then we went to the church of st. eustorgian , where they pretend to shew the tomb of the three kings that came to worship our saviour in bethlehem , and the sepulchre of st. peter , who they say was martyrized in a wood betwixt millan and pavie . then we went to the church of st. laurence , built after the model of st. sophie in constantinople ; it was formerly the palace of maximilian the emperour , there remains sixteen of the old pillars next the street , which i looked upon to be the greatest piece of antiquity of the whole town ; and in the church there is nothing but the tomb of placidia , daughter to honorius the emperour that is worth your notice ▪ the domo or cathedral church is the finest fabrick in millan , and if one had a month to spend there , one might see it every day , and yet find something to please ones curiosity , that one had not seen , or atleast taken notice of before , notwithstanding it is not finished , nor do i believe ever will be . there is about six hundred marble pillars belonging to the church , and each pillar they say cost at least one thousand crowns ; all the walls of the church are likewise of marble : in a little chappel , under ground , we saw the body of st. charles covered with crystal , very transparent , lying in his robes , the same he wore when he was archbishop of that place , his face , which looked black and rottenish , had no covering , but lies always exposed to view ; the crystal case preserving it from cobwebs , dust and other filth . from the top of the church we took a view of the town , which is near as big as london within the walls ; we saw the great hospital , the lazaretto or pesthouse , both well worth taking notice of . in the cabinet of settali , one of their their canons there is a great many curiosities both natural and artificial ; what i most admired was three large unicorns horns , which i never saw in any place before , nor till then did i believe there could be any such thing in nature , but the master of the cabinet was strongly of the opinion that they did belong to , and were taken from fish , and that there was never any such beast seen to have such a horn , but that it was a vulgar error ; each horn was about six foot long , twisting regularly from the root upwards , but falling from the twist gradually as it drew up to the spear or point , which was very sharp : the lower part or root of the horn being about ten or twelve inches circumference , which declining gradually till it comes to a spear a top , renders it a very strong and formidable weapon . the horn is all very white ; the whole cabinet is full of curious things , yet i think that cabinet we saw at lyons in france does far excel it . from hence we went to the castle , it is a very regular exagon , with half moons ; it is esteemed one of the compleatest pieces of fortification in all italy , and of great strength , upon every one of the bastions is planted twelve pieces of cannon ; there is a garrison in it of about 500 soldiers with their wives and children ▪ after we had seen the castle , we went to a palace of the countess of smione , about a mile and a half out of millan , where amongst other remarkable things , you may take notice of the echo , which was the best i ever heard . there is a very strong wall round millan , which is said to be ten miles ; the library there is worth seeing . from this place we came the 13 th to a little village called buffe●●lo 20 miles , it lies upon navillio , a small river , and from thence the 14 th to vercelle 20 miles more : then we came to the river tissino 4 miles , and so to novarra 6 miles ; this is the strongest place upon the frontiers of savoy that belongs to the milaneses : from hence we came to vercelli 10 miles ; this place belongs to the duke of savoy , and is the first place of strength , near the frontiers of the milaneses ; one side of the town is regularly fortified with bastions and half moons , hardly finished ; on the north part of the town the fortifications are irregular , there being a great deal of the old walls still remaining , however the town is very strong . the 15 th we came to dinner to ciliana or sian 17 miles ; and from thence to chivas 10 miles , where we lay that night at the posthouse , from whence the next day , being saturday the 16 th . of march , we came to turin 12 miles . the next day , sunday , we went to pignerol 16 miles ; it is a strong town , which the french king about 45 years ago took from the doke of savoy . the cittadel wherein monsieur fouket , thatgreat minister is confined , is a very strong place , and like to be much stronger if they continue to carry on the work of their fortifications . the town it self is likewise very well fortified , where at the gate going in they obliged us to leave our arms , and to take a soldier to wait upon us to the governour for leave to see the town and cittadel , which was soon granted us . this place has a very great awe upon the duke of savoy , the french being able by means thereof at their pleasure to make an inroad upon that dukedom . from pignerol we came to villiane the monday following 12 miles , and a bad way over the mountains ; near to this town we passed betwixt two small lakes , called by the name of the town ▪ from this place we went eight miles farther , and came to busolino , the next day to novalese six miles , which is the foot of the mountains on the side of piedmont . from novaleze , in the ascent of the alpes , we came to la ferier two long miles , from thence to the great cross two more , which is the least half to the top of mount senis ; from the great cross we went five miles upon a plain , which brought us to the ra●asse ( that is ) the place where we took sledges , on which we slid all upon snow from the top of the mountain to the foot towards france in so little time , that i forbear here to mention , which which was two miles more , and that brought us to lanebourg , from lanebourg to bremont two leagues , where we lay on tuesday night ; from thence we went to st. michell five leagues , and so to la chambre four leagues , all upon the river arch. thursday we came to maltaverne six leagues , and then to montmillian two leagues , and so to chambrey two great leagues more . on friday we came to remile five leagues , where we lay ▪ from thence we came on saturday the 23 th . of march , new stile , to geneve seven leagues , where after we had rested our selves for some time , we returned for france by the way of way of lyons ●nd then taking another road different ●●om what we travelled before , in some short time arrived at paris , where we stay'd about a month , and then set forward for england , to which place we returned after four years travl in france , italy , swisserland , and through some of the spanish territories ; but then stay'd not long before a voyage into france was again proposed , with which you was pleased to comply , and so passed the following winter at mompellier , going another way through france , than the way you had gone before ▪ from whence the next summer , by another road we returned again to paris , where i was compelled to leave you . and the same time humbly take leave to conclude this short and rude journal of your travels in italy . finis . an account of his excellence, roger earl of castlemaine's embassy from his sacred majesty james iid, king of england, scotland, france, and ireland, &c. to his holiness innocent xi published formerly in the italian tongue by mr. michael wright ... and now made english ; with several amendments and additions. wright, john michael, ca. 1617-ca. 1694. 1688 approx. 107 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 71 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a67165 wing w3702 estc r8739 11983616 ocm 11983616 51905 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a67165) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 51905) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 523:27) an account of his excellence, roger earl of castlemaine's embassy from his sacred majesty james iid, king of england, scotland, france, and ireland, &c. to his holiness innocent xi published formerly in the italian tongue by mr. michael wright ... and now made english ; with several amendments and additions. wright, john michael, ca. 1617-ca. 1694. [7], 116, [3] p., 14 leaves of plates (3 folded) printed by tho. snowden for the author, london : 1688. errata: p. 116. reproduction of original in bristol public library, bristol, england. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng castlemaine, roger palmer, -earl of, 1634-1705. great britain -foreign relations -italy. italy -foreign relations -great britain. 2004-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-10 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-11 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2004-11 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion an account of his excellence roger earl of castlemaine's embassy , from his sacred majesty james the ii d. king of england , scotland , france , and ireland , &c. to his holiness innocent xi . published formerly in the italian tongue , by mr. michael wright , chief steward of his excellences house at rome . and now made english , with several amendments , and additons . licensed roger l'estrange . london , printed by tho. snowden for the author . 1688. gio batt̄a lenardi rom o inu . et delin . arnoldo van westerhout fiam o. scul●… maria d. g. anglioe scotioe francioe et hibernioe regina r. white sculp . lond : to the queen . gio batt̄a lenardi inu-et delin . arnold . van westerhout sc few months are not yet past , from my presenting your majesty an account of this great embassy , in the italian tongue ; since which , the importunity of several honourable persons , for the having it in english , so far prevail'd , that there seem'd a kind of necessity , of complying with their desires . and before whose feet could it be more justly laid , than your majesties ? and that in a double respect : the one , in that the former , first appear'd in the world , under the patronage , of her most serene highness , the late dutchess of modena , your most illustrious mother ; the other , in that you are not only heir of her vertues , but so exquisite a judge in both languages . nor has it yet been ventur'd on as a translation , but a new original , with several alterations , and additions to the former ( which the streightness of time would not then permit ) and in that respect also , implores your gracious acceptance . but i detain your majesty too long : let not the queen be angry , and i 'll speak this once : live royal madam , the great example of your sex ! live , the joy of england , and eternal glory of the house of este ! and since nothing less can add to it , make it yet more glorious , in a prince of wales . your sacred majestys most obedient , devoted , loyal subject , and humble servant , michael wright . an account of his excellence the earl of castlemaine's embassy , to his holiness , innocent xi th . &c. it having still been the custom of all the great princes , in communion with the church of rome ( on their first accession to the throne ) to send an embassador to that court , his majesty thought it became him also to do the like ; and in pursuance thereof , among the number of able persons , which ( to the glory of the english nation ) this court never wanted , none ( with all due respect to the rest ) stood fairer in his majestys eye , for that negotiation , than the right honourable , roger earl of castlemaine , a nobleman of an antient family , polite learning , ready parts , and who , by a well-digested travel , and experience in forreign courts , had render'd himself qualifi'd , for the greatest trust. on him therefore , as a person parem negotiis , his majesty conferr'd the honour , of his embassador extraordinary to his holiness innocent the xi th , now pope of rome : a prince , whose open hand , to the late defence of christendom , may ( to pass his other vertues ) put it out of question , whether he received more honour from the chair , than he has added to it . in short , all preliminary matters being adjusted , and his commission , and credentials receiv'd , his excellence the lord embassador , made ready for his journey ; and having form'd his english retinue , of seven gentlemen , six pages , three valets de chamber , and such other menial servants , and equipage , as could be then got ready , most of them were shipt off , about six weeks before him , for leghorne , with orders to wait him there ; himself having resolv'd , to make his journey through france : and that , that , might be the easier , his excellence took to him as his companions , the honourable thomas arundel esq grandson to the lord arundel of warder , now lord privy-seal ; henry tichburne esq ; eldest son of sir henry tichburne , liev t. of the ordnance ; the honourable thomas ratcliffe esq ; son of the lord ratcliffe ; barth . walmesley , of dunkan-hall , in the county of lancaster esq ; and tho. eggleston , of eggleston , in the same county esq ; ( which three last , went before , and met his lordship at paris ) and having taken leave of their majestys , there remain'd nothing , but to set forward on his journey . on the 5 th . of feb. 1685. s. v. his excellence took water for greenwich , accompany'd with several noble personages , that brought him so far on his way ; where , after a hearty farewel , and the repeated wishes , of a good voyage , and as safe a return , he imbark'd on board the heneretta maria yacht , capt. fesby commander , who lay there for him , and receiv'd him , with the usual ceremony , of fiering guns , as in like cases . his excellence designing to be incognito all the way , had none now with him , but mr. arundel , mr. tichburne ( before mentioned ) mr. lidcott ( since that time , sir john lidcott ) secretary to the embassy ; mr. michael wright , steward of his houshold ; mr. stephen piper , gentleman of his horse ; signior francisco , his italian secretary ; mr. nicholas furnys , sewer ; two pages , two of his chamber ; and some half a dozen others of his family , for his ordinary service on the road ; and with these , the yacht put off that evening , for diepe ; his lordships plate , furniture , liverys , and other the impedimenta of so long a journey , being left behind , with order to take the opportunity of the first wind , and expect further orders , at civita vecchia , the port of rome . in two days and a half his excellence arrived at diepe , where , notwithstanding his resolution , and endeavours of having past the whole journey , in as much privacy , as the occasion would bear , he receiv'd the complements , of the governour , and city , in a manner urging him , that his excellence would be pleas'd to permit himself , and the magistrates of that city , to pay him some publick respect ; which , his lordship would by no means hearken to , but sent two of his gentlemen to acknowledge , the courtesie , and represent to them , the resolution before mentioned . from diepe , his excellence , ( with the gentleman of his horse , a page , and a valet de chamber ) took post for roan ; and thence , to paris , where the rest of his servants soon after arriv'd : and in the eleven days his lordship stay'd there , with the same resolutions , of being incognito , it was not yet possible , to avoid the numerous caresses that were daily made him ; for ( besides the extraordinary envoy of england , and the rest of our nation ( who according to their duty , almost hourly attended him ) the most eminent ranutzzi , apostolick nuntio to that crown ; the marshal d'humiers , and other considerable persons of the french court , were not wanting , in their personal visits : and here it was , that the most reverend monsignior cenci , vice-legat in avignion , first apply'd to his excellence , that he would be pleas'd to take that city in his way , and to accept of such entertainment there , as might at least testifie the satisfaction they receiv'd , in beholding once more , an english embassador in that city : nor did the vice-legat think this invitation so sufficient , but that he seconded it at lions , and in a manner prest it , beyond the power ▪ of a refusal : whereupon the lord embassador dispatcht mr. wright , to avignion , to complement his lordship in his name , and withall to signifie to him , that his excellence accepted his kindness , provided it did not prejudice his design , of passing privately , even to rome . about twenty miles short of avignion , mr. wright was met by the vice-legat's secretary , where he not only waited his excellence's coming , but had laid all cross roads , with a suitable attendance , lest possibly , by design , or accident , his excellence might have past him , some other way : in short , the secretary having understood the occasion of mr. wright's coming , gave him a letter to his lord , which , with his excellence's commands , he presented the vice-legat ; further assuring him , that the lord embassador would be with his lordship , within a day , or two , after him . whereupon , the vice-legat order'd the whole garrison to be in arms , and that all the cannon , should be ready for fiering , upon his excellence's entry ; and the next afternoon went out , toward the roan , himself , with a noble and splendid equipage : the horse with their banner display'd , led the way , then follow'd his lordship the vice-legat's coach , in which , with himself , were the consuls , some chief magistrates , and mr. wright , surrounded by a guard of swizts , and a numerous train of foot-men , in rich liveries : then follow'd five other of his lordships coaches , and after them , about sixty others , with the nobility , and principal persons of the city in them , and a suitable number of laquies , and other attendance , in which order , they march'd to the river side , where , for near three hours , they expected his excellence's arrival ; but nothing appearing that evening , they return'd ; and the next day , marcht out as before , when at last , about sun-set , they might see a cover'd barge , wherein his excellence was : on this , the vice-legat , and his company lighted , and approacht his barge ; nor had his lordship sooner set his foot on shore , than he made up to the vice-legat , and after mutual embraces ( and the lord embassadors complement , to the nobility , and a full shout of the people ) his excellence went into the first coach , with the vice-legat , and the consuls , and then all march'd back , through a multitude of torches to the city . upon the first entry , the drums , trumpets , and joynt-voices of the people , spake his excellence's welcome ; which was answer'd , by the cannon , from the walls , and from thence ( through a guard of souldiers on either hand , the balconys and windows , so stuck with lights , that one would have thought the city , some new constellation ) they came to the pope's pallace ; where , the vice-legat having conducted his lordship , to the richest , and noblest apartment , left him a while , with those noble persons , that had waited on him to the city ; and having put on his prelatical habit , came back again , to make his more solemn visit , which his excellence ( after the vice-legat's departure ) accompany'd with the same nobility , return'd him again , in his own appartment . during this time , the vice-legat had invited those english cavaliers ( that accompany'd the embassador ) with two chief military officers , and ten principal officers of the city , to bear his excellence company , at supper , which was no less sumptuous , than magnificent : it consisted of four services , each , of nine grand dishes , and fourteen inter-messes , and to render it yet greater , it wanted not the pride of the italian musick . about the middle of supper , his excellence began a health to his holiness , at which , he , and all the company stood bare-headed , and six great guns were fire'd ; which in all respects , was as punctually observ'd , when the vice-legat return'd it , in a health to our soveraign , the king of great britain ; nor is it to be forgotten , that during this time of supper , his excellence's gentlemen , were nobly treated , in another appartment . the day following , being the feast of the annuntiation , the vice-legat , and the before mentioned noble persons , conducted his excellence , to high mass , in the jesuits church of that city ; where , after a most solemn , vocal , and instrumental musick , the young nobility , scholars of the colledge , presented the lord embassador , with devises , epigrams , and other compositions , more immediately relating to his majesty , and his dominions ; such few of which , as they came to hand , were thought fit to be inserted , and that , the rather , because the english nation ( however discontinu'd , this last century ) had once , a more than ordinary genius , and aptness , that way ; as he that shall turn hall's henry the 8 th . sir philip sidney , or cambden's remains , may find much of this kind , and ( perhaps ) not unworthy his time . and they , were such as these . a stock of bees , flying to an empty hive , the king-bee in their head. the word ( unde aberraverant ) whence they had fled astray . intimating thereby , the general defection of his majestys kingdoms , and voluntary return , to their former obedience . a kite , hovering in the air , and chickens , running under the hen. the word ( — dispersos congregat — ) it gathers 'em again . denoting thereby , the good effects of his majestys indulgence , when all his subjects , how divided soever among themselves , run under his wing for shelter , against the tyranny of those penal laws , which , have either disperst them into other countreys , or made them uneasie at home . the morning star. the word ( — diei praevius almae ) — forerunner of the day . shewing thereby , that the day is not far behind ; and that his majestys subjects ( since the day-spring from on high , had visited them ) want not a light , to guide their feet , into the way of peace . a ship half foundring in the sea , the polar-star in the clouds : the word ( dum videam satis est — ) 't is yet enough i see 't — signifying thereby , that england ( which may be well exprest by a ship ) can never miscarry , whilst she sees her great monarch , or cynosure , to direct her . these , and the like , not without particular elogies , to the lord embassador , were the entertainment of the morning ; and that over , the whole company return'd to the palace , where , a dinner , even superiour to the supper , waited them , and that , so beautifully garnisht , with intermixt figures , relating to the triumphs of england , that the like , had been scarce there before , or to be seen any where again , if his excellence the lord embassador , had made no entertainment at rome . and that it might not be said of avignion , as once of rome , that they were ( populus virorum , deerant faeminae ) a people of men , without women , it was resolv'd among the noble ladys of the city , to make the complement entire , by bearing a part in the symphony ; and to that purpose , they met in the house of signior de blewac , a principal gentleman of that city , and therein too , so gloriously attir'd , as they had design'd a contest , between art , and nature ; for could they have wanted luster in themselves , the splendor of their jewels , spake them no less , than clad in star-light . in short , they made his excellence , and the persons of honour with him , an invitation to an evening divertisement of cards , which his lordship accepted ; and after an hour or two's mirth , took leave , and retir'd to the palace , where he was honour'd with a splendid banquet , and the morning following , with another , in regard his excellence had refus'd , the vice-legat's obliging violences , of having detained him longer ; but nothing prevailing , he was attended out of the city , with the same solemnity he first entred it ; nor could the vice-legat be perswaded to look back , till he had conducted his excellence six miles on his way ; where at last , the horse being drawn up , the coaches stopt , and all the train allighting , they made a circle about his excellence , and the vice-legat ; when after mutual embraces , and the pathetick acknowledgments , of the obligations receiv'd , his excellence mounted the vice-legat's first coach , and set forward to cavaillon . nor was his lordship sooner arriv'd there , than the magistrates honour'd him with a solemn visit , speech , and banquet ; so difficult it was to pass any way , but the report of his coming , flew before him . from cavaillon his excellence came by litter to st. massimine ; thence to canes , and thence , to nizza , where he took boat for genoa ; but passing by monaco , the master of the felucca , was oblig'd to come on shore , and so discover'd whom he had aboard ; on which , he was stopt , till advice was sent to the prince , who immediately dispatcht his secretary , and a knight of malta , to invite his excellence to his castle ; which , his lordship ( with due sense of the obligation ) refusing , sent mr. lidcott and mr. wright , to complement his highness , with his acknowledgments of the honour intended him , and to further signifie , the lord embassadors resolutions , of passing incognito . however , the prince would take no denyal , but came in person to the water side , and having at last prevail'd , conducted his excellence to his palace , or castle , scituated on an impregnable rock , ( drums , and trumpets sounding , and great guns fireing ) where the magnificence of of that night , and the next morning , came short in nothing , of him that made it : nor would his highness yet suffer his lordship to depart , till himself , his court , and officers , had brought him to the felucca ; the guns not giving over , till the boat was out of sight . from monaco , the lord embassador past st. remo , nola , and savona , without much trouble ; and at last arriv'd at genoa , where the most serene republick sent three of their gentlemen , of the first quality ( spinola , grimaldo , and durazzo ) to complement his excellence , and ( notwithstanding his privacy ) to shew him the town : they proffer'd him also a gally to civita veccia ; which last civility , being ( with all respect ) refus'd , his lordship from genoa , came to ligorne , where his eminence , cardinal howard of norfolk , had already sent , the gentleman of his horse , to complement his excellence in his name , and wait on him to the end of his journey : cap t. nangle also ( on the part of the grand duke ) and mr. ball ( with the english factory ) stood ready to receive him at his landing , and to conduct him ( as they did ) to the house , which his highness had order'd for him ; there his lordship found not only all necessary provisions , but a splendid regal , of very curious wines and sweet-meats ; for which generosity ( so natural to that great prince ) his excellence sent him next day ( by the secretary of the embassy ) his acknowledgment and thanks to ambrogiana ( about thirty miles off ) and then took post for rome ; lying at montefiascone , in hopes of having pass'd viterbo early , and undiscover'd : but he could not out-do the diligence of monsignior vincentini the governour , who met him some miles out of town , and bringing him to the palace , gave him a very great and noble collation . three posts distant from rome , his excellence was met , by a coach and six horses , from his eminence , the cardinal of norfolk ; the next post , by another from her highness the dutchess of modena ( mother to her majesty ) in which , was the count codebo her secretary ; and one other , from the resident of portugal , with some of his gentlemen in it ; as also with one of my lord embassador's own coaches , made for him , against his arrival . a little on this side ponte molle ( being a mile and half short of rome ) was the lord cardinal himself , with signior paolo falconieri , ( a florentin gentleman , that had been in england with the duke ) and afterwards ( nor undeservedly ) in high esteem with his excellence : here , after the usual complements and ceremonies were ended , the lord embassador went into the cardinal's coach , and so came together , to his eminence's palace in rome , upon easter eve , s. n. about an hour after sun-set ; where , himself , and family , were magnificently treated , for about ten days , till prince pamphilio's pallace , in the piazza navona , could be put in order , for his excellence's service . his excellence was no sooner thus arriv'd , but the grandees began their complements of congratulation , by their secretaries , which lasted for three days , and then my lord return'd them in like manner , his thanks ; it not being the custom of rome , for persons of that rank , to receive , or give personal visits , except privately and underhand , till they have publickly waited on his holiness . about the wednesday after , his excellence ( being now a little reposed ) sent to the pope for a private audience , which was granted him , the following week ; and then taking four of his own ordinary coaches , and some few domesticks , he was in the evening conducted by cardinal howard to the vatican palace , and so by the back-stairs to his holiness ; who ( as it may be easily suppos'd ) receiv'd him with particular satisfaction , and to the great joy also of all the people , who in no small numbers got together ; tho' usually such audiences are perform'd without any noise or stir : and when his excellence was return'd home , he found the pope's master of the houshold , with several of his under-officers there attending , who had brought the presents of welcome , viz. all sorts of fowl , wines , sweet-meats , and other delicacies of that nature . these preliminaries being now settled , and past , his excellence fell upon the most troublesome part of his embassy ; i mean , his equipage , and preparations for his publick entry : troublesome i may call it , since embassadors in this court , have exceeded in splendor and magnificence , all the world besides ; and whether his lordship kept not up the port and dignity of his great master , the reader is to judge by what follows . this equipage ( besides what was alreaready prepar'd ) consisted in stupendous coaches , most rich liveries , and store of horses , of great value ; and because the brocard , imbroidery , gold lace , fringe , scarlet , &c. were all to be bespoken , 't was easily foreseen , that the said entry could not be at soonest , before michaelmas ; in the mean time , tho' the embassador could not visit , and be visited , with the same pomp , as when publick , yet his ordinary expence was the same ; for he weekly attended the pope , had the same numerous family , and retinue , kept the same table for his friends and acquaintance , and had about forty horses , still in his stable . artizans in all places have the same methods , and perform their promises alike ; for how pressing soever his excellency's officers were , they could not yet be ready , till the end of october ; and just when every thing was thought finisht , the pope fell so ill of the gout , and his usual defluxions , that two months past , without his giving audience to any stranger , no , not to the duke of modena himself , who arriving at rome , in november , could not receive his benediction , till the beginning of the following january ; during which time , his excellence had the great honour and satisfaction , of often seeing a prince , so every way accomplish't , and one too , that was infinitely kind , and obliging to him . his holiness being now recover'd , and the eighth of january appointed for this great solemnity , it will not be perchance ungrateful to the reader ( since the preparations and pomp of it consisted in the pope's , and king's arms , in the coaches , liveries and attendance ) if before i further proceed , i describe first in words the particulars , and then shew the draught , and pictures of them . the wood-work on which the respective arms were painted , and placed , were 24 foot high , and 16 broad ; the edges of it being carv'd , or cut out , according to the parts of the figures that reach'd thitherward ; the boards were not only brac't , and kept together , with several great beams , but had above 800 weight of iron about them , so that being lifted up with great labour and pains , to the first story , they had the breadth of the palace-gate between them ; and beneath , just over the gate , stood the arms of his excellence in a round , about two yards diameter , and encompass'd with great branches of carv'd palms , painted proper . the arms of his holiness were as followeth . they were painted by a diligent hand , not in black and white , but in their proper colours , those places only excepted , which were covered , and shadowed with gold ; not transgressing however , the order of the design ; and plac't on an elevated piece of architecture , on each side whereof , stood an angel supporting the gilded compartment , with interwoven palms , and lawrels , the top of which was crown'd , with a triple crown , the pontificial keys , and cordons . under the arms , as in a large plain , terminating in a pedestal , were divers figures , double the life ; the first of which , represented the church , in a grave majestick female figure , cloathed in white , girt about her ; a transparent veil , and a glory round her head ; her feet naked , with sandals ; her upper garment , a rich mantle , embroider'd with gold ; in her right hand ( leaningupon an antique altar , in which , in basso rilievo , was exprest , the manna of old , falling upon the children of israel ) she held a patriarchal staff , and extended the other , to receive britannia . upon the altar , lay the sacred scripture , on a cushion of crimson velvet ; and beside it , the figure of a church , by which stood , a venerable , aged personage , with a flaming lamp , in his hand erected , representing piety ; and under the churches feet , a mufti , in a posture of rage , and despair ; the alcoran in his hand , ruffled , and torn ; and by him , a vanquisht bassa , his ensigns , of bows , arrows , scimiters , horse-tail , &c. all reverst . britannia , was a female figure , a mural ( or embattled ) crown , on her head , and a ( civick garland , or ) wreath of oak-leaves , about her temples ; cloathed in a royal robe , lin'd with ermins ; her scepter , and globe , on which , was britannia , in capital letters , lying on a purple cushion by her ; her self on the left knee , making an obeysance to the church , and was attended , by prudence , and valour . prudence , another female figure , had her head , and breast , adorn'd with pearl , and in her left hand , a staff , with a serpent twin'd about it . valour , was represented by hercules , in a lyon's skin ; his club , on his shoulder , and trampling on envy , who with her snakes about her , and one twisted on her right arm , lay raving at britannia . underneath that , an oval of gold , supported by two sphinxes , and adorn'd with lawrels , wherein was represented the river tyber , by an old man , lying at length , and leaning on an urne , or vase of water ; a wreath of reeds on his head ; in his left hand , an oare , in his right , a cornucopia : on his right side , lay a wolf , suckling two children ( the symbole of rome ) on his left , a perspective of the bridge of st. angelo ; and under all , in golden capital letters , the word , tybris . as may be seen in the first printed figure . 〈◊〉 michael camers pingebat . arnoldus v. westerhout fiā . sc. the kings arms. they , with the garter , supporters , &c. were rais'd , on another kind of architecture , adorned , with roses , and thistles under them , was britannia , crown'd , and wreath'd , as before ; but here , sitting , in a full majesty : in her right hand , a scepter , and a globe ( inscrib'd britannia ) in the other ; her vest , of a gold colour richly embroider'd at the bottom ; her mantle , as before ; sandals on her feet , with ligaments , to the mid-leg , after the old roman manner ; and trampling an armed figure , that lay facing her , and strugling to get up against her : in his right hand , was a drawn sword , and on his helmet , a plume of orange-tauny feathers ; the first colours at edge-hill , against king charles the first . on her left hand , in the middle , stood hercules , drest as before , but now , leaning on his club , and in his left hand , an azure tablet , with the royal motto ( dieu et mon droit ) in large capitals of gold , on it ; his left foot , stood firm on the base , and his right , depress'd a groveling figure , holding in the one hand , a protestant-flail , and in the other , a scroul , with the word rebellio , in like letters of gold. on the other side of hercules , was the figure of st. george ( the tutelar saint of england ) a rich helmet , and plume of red feathers , on his head ; his mantle , and cross on his breast , of the same colour ; a sword by his side ; the rest of his habit , after the old roman : he stood , trampling an hydra , which , instead of serpentine , had humane heads ; her wings display'd , as endeavouring to get up again , whilst he , fastens his lance in one of them , more remarkable than the rest . under that , in a like oval of gold , supported , and adorned , as the former , was represented the river thames , by the figure of an old man extended , with a like wreath on his head , leaning also , on a vase of water ; on his left arm , an oare ; and on his right , a cornucopia , with many ships , and boats , in perspective : and beneath all , in like letters of gold , the word , tamesis ; as in the second figure . i have done with the front , and now 't is fit , that i enter the palace , which was great in it's self , and great in his excellences family , consisting of above an 100 persons , 60 of which were in livery ; and those for the pages ( being eight in number ) of crimson velvet , their cloaks , lac't above half a yard deep , with broad gold lace , with little intermixtures of blew , white , and black silk ; they were also lined with a rich brocard , the ground blew , with flowers of gold ; and their habit underneath , of the roman fashion ; to wit , dublets and trunks , lac't as before , and trimm'd very thick with gold and blew ribbon : they had all black castors lac't , white feathers ; bands , and cuffs , of fine genoa point ; embroider'd gloves , silk marble-coloured stockings , and gilt swords . the other 52 liveries , were of fine scarlet lin'd with silk brocard , suitable in colour , and flower , to that of the pages ; 30 of these wore cloaks , with the same gold and blew lace , six rows deep : the others , being running foot-men , and grooms , had coats , and breeches laid over , with the same lace : and blew silk stockings , black hats , edg'd with a broad gold-galoon , and gilt swords . besides these , and four valets de chambre , ( with under officers , of all sorts ) his excellence had fifteen gentlemen of fashion , who waited in his lordships ante-chamber , to attend in giving , and receiving visits ; nor were these of mean condition ; there being among them , of the ursini , spinola , and bentiveglio families ; so that 't is no wonder that the very wages his lordship paid , reckoning the board wages of the italian servants ( for they eat usually at their own houses ) came to near 2500 pound per annum . the palace it self , considering it's scituation , grandeur , painting , &c. is reputed the best in rome , and was by that prince ( a lover of the english nation ) as well furnisht , with damask , velvet , and embroidery , as cost , or art , could contrive it ; besides , there was a private , well-adorn'd chappel , and two english chaplains to officiate and look after it . in the stable , his excellence had five compleat setts , of coach-horses ( to wit ) four , for the town , and a lighter sett , for the campaign , besides several pairs , for ordinary uses , with saddle-horses , and others for baggage and the like ; so that there wanted nothing now , to make a full equipage , but suitable coaches ; and of those , there were thirteen in number . the first coach. the design of this , was altogether poetical , and alluding to the sea ; and therein , besides the exquisite carv'd wooden-work , and engraven iron-work , not only the figures hereafter mentioned , but the very wheels , pearch , and even the meanest part of the whole ( as the pole , swiveltree , spring , tree transum , &c. which were carv'd with oak-leaves , acorns , and ivy-leaves ) were all , richly gilded . the spokes of the wheels , were carv'd into large spreading foliages , each spoke , being cut out of the main timber , six inches thick , and nine broad ; and the rings , or out-circles of the wheels , as also the nails , were carv'd with oak-leaves , and scollop-shells . instead of the fore , and hind-standards , the body of the coach , was supported , by four tritons , as big as the life , exactly carv'd , and gilded ; having on their heads , wreaths of sea-weeds , and so loaden with festons , of roses , thistles , lillies , and acorns of gold ; that they seem'd to bend under the coach , as confessing the immense weight . under the fore-part of this machin , issu'd two large dolphins , their tails inter-woven upon the pearch , and all the spaces adorn'd , with heaps of conche-marine , scollop-shells , and other things , proper to the sea. the foot-board , represented a triple scollop-shell , carv'd one within another ; under which , a little winged genius stretcht out its self , and looking back in the coach-man 's face , seem'd to point with his arm , which way he was to drive . on the shoulders of the right hand triton behind , lean'd a large figure , representing britannia , crown'd with oak-leaves , and turrets , and a loose garment , flying about her . on the others , lean'd a majestick figure , of the same bigness representing neptune , with a spiked crown , on his head , his hair , and beard ruffled , and a like flying garment about him : britannia and he , extend each an arm , and so bore up the imperial crown of england . under the tritons , on the right , and left , lay a marine-lion , and unicorn , in proportion to the other figures ; their fore-feet , finny , and resting on large foliages , their tails twisted in the intermediate spaces , where also , were two genii ; the one , curbing the lion , the other , the unicorn , with a kind of flying bridles , of gilded metal , like ribbon ; and he that was next neptune , held his trident : in the rest of the spaces , were heaps of scollop-shells , &c. alluding to the sea ; so that besides the excellency of the design , and workmanship , the whole carriage appear'd , as one mighty mass , of entire gold. and now for the coach its self , the outside , or leather part thereof , was all cover'd with crimson velvet ( which , with what went to the harness , coachman's cushion , braces , strapps , &c. took up 120 yards ) and over the sides , or extream parts of the velvet , was a rich gold embroidery , of rais'd-work , and on the curtains before , behind , and on each side ( according to the italian fashion ) were large embroidered loops , a foot long , and eight inches broad ; and all other the void spaces , as the doors , pannels , &c. were fill'd with flourishes , of the like embroidery , and all the seams , and edges of the said outside , and corners , were either gold galoon , or fringe , of the same . ciro ferri rom o. inu : and a. cor i. fecit gio : batta . lenardi delin : arnoldo van westerhout fiam o. scul● ciro ferri rom o. inu : and a. cor i. fecit gio. batt̄a lenardi delin : arnoldo van westerhout : fiam o. scu the inside of the coach , was lin'd through , with a rich brocard of gold , and all the curtains before , behind , and on each side , as also the cushions , were of the same , and took up , above an hundred yards . the cushions , and middle seat , were edg'd with a deep , gold-fringe , and the curtains , proportionably : round the valence , was a much deeper and richer gold gimp-fringe , and round the cornish ( where the valence joyn'd with the roof ) was a rais'd embroidery , about a foot in breadth , with large branches that shot forth , at the corners , and sides ; which valence also , was lin'd with cloth of gold. in the middle of the roof , was his excellence's coat of arms , with supporters , mantling , coronet , &c. all of emboss'd needle-work of gold , or according to their proper colours ; and these were in length , five feet , and in breadth , three , or better . there were also , several tassels , of gold , to tye back the curtains ; and all the main harness , as well as the braces , strapps , and lesser parts , were not only covered with the same crimson velvet , but edg'd every where , with a thick gold galoon ; and embroidered also , on all the meetings , and remarkable places , with roses , of the same work . the cheeks of the bitts , were double-gilt , and the bosses embroidered , with a rais'd-work , upon cloth of gold , in the figure of roses ; all the padds were also covered with embroidery , and the buckles ( an 140 in number ) laid on with the same . the postilion's saddle , was of the same embroider'd velvet , richly laid ; and the very stirrups , were cover'd , and edg'd as the harness ; and on each horse's head , hung nine tassels of gold , to compleat the grandeur . the second coach. that , was little less than the first ; the outside also being covered with velvet , but the colour , blew ; the harness , braces , &c. cover'd , and edg'd , as the first ; the embroidery , buckles , knobbs , &c. little differing , in richness , but design : for the knobbs , were not so diffuse , and spreading ; and the doors , and void places , had his majestys cypher , crowned , and surrounded with palms , nothing inferiour in contrivance , to the first . the inside , was of a rich brocard , of blew , and gold ; fring'd , lac't , and lin'd , as the first ; and on the roof , his excellences arms , after the same manner , tho' not so large : the carriage , wheels , &c. carv'd and gilt , but intermingled , here and there , with blew ; and the fore , and hind-parts , variously beautifi'd , with festons of roses , thistles , floures de lis , acorns , &c. the figures of the whole , were seven , all richly gilt ; on the top of the fore-standards near the coachman , two naked boys ; he on the right , bearing in his hand a golden tre-foil , and his fellow , a palm ; and in their other hands , each held a gilt shield ; on the first of which was his excellences paternal coat , and on the second , his crest , handsomly adorn'd , and painted . on the corners of the hind-standards ( being the most conspicuous part of the coach ) sate two other boys ; and two more , below ; the first , holding in his right hand a rose , and resting the other , on the escutcheon of england ; the second , a thistle , and the escutcheon of scotland ; the third , a floure de lis , and the escutcheon of france ; the fourth , a laurel , and the escutcheon of ireland , in the same manner as the first . andrea cornely inu : et fecit gio : batt̄a lenardi delin : arnoldo van westerhout fiam o. sculp : andrea cornely inb : et fecit gio : batt̄a . lenardi delin : arnoldo van westerhout fiam o. sculp : the third coach. this also , differ'd little in richness , or largeness , from the two former , tho' in the materials , it did ; for instead of velvet , and embroidery , on the out-side , it was cover'd with leather , edg'd with gold , and silk lace , and gilt massy brass-work , so richly , and curiously wrought , that the two frames , that held the glasses , before and behind , cost 300 roman crowns , which is little less , than an 100 pound english. the inside , was crimson velvet , embroidered round , about half a foot deep , with flowers of gold , at the joyning of the cieling , and valence , and at the bottom thereof , hung a rich fringe , of gold and silk ; the curtains were of damask , embroidered , with large loops of gold , and edg'd with a fringe , suitable to the valence , as were also the cushions , and other usual parts of a coach. the carriage , wheels , &c. were carv'd into great foliages , and differ'd proportionably , from the two former , in that they were half , gilt , and half , black ; and the harness , braces , &c. all edg'd , with gold , and silk lace , and cover'd with gilt brass-work , suitable to the coach its self . the fourth coach. this also , was of leather , with brass-work , lin'd with crimson velvet , seam'd , and beautifi'd , as the third ; the curtains also , were of damask , edg'd as before ; nor was there any embroidery , except that , of his excellence cypher on the cieling , encompassed with palms of gold ; nor the carriage gilt , but only carved with festons , and large foliages . this was his excellences common coach , when he went privately through the streets ; as was the second , when his lordship made publique visits , to those of great quality ; for , the first was never us'd , but at some solemn audience , extraordinary function , or a first visit to the cardinals , and persons of the highest note ; and then they were all drawn , by six horses a piece . the other coaches . his excellences three next coaches , were all alike , of leather , adorn'd with silk-lace , and well-gilt brass-work , all lin'd with damask , curtains of the same , and all things else suitable . these , and three others , which were also lin'd with velvet , or damask , were for his excellences domesticks , and attendance , when he went abroad ; for his extraordinary visits , were ever , with ten coaches , and his other , with five , or six ; nay , this was the usual number , even when his lordship went incognito ; nor were these yet all his coaches , for there were two , or three other little ones , for messages , and common use . the 8 th . of january being come , and the pope ( as i said ) pretty well recover'd , in the morning about an hour after day-break , the forementioned arms of his holiness , and his majesty ( which had been set up some days before ) were uncover'd , with a flourish of trumpets , which drew a great concourse of people into the piazza , every one admiring , both the design , and largeness of them : between two or three in the afternoon , the chief prelates , with the pope's officers ( 85 in all ) came to attend his excellence , who at the same time also , receiv'd the complements of the cardinals , princes , and great men of rome , by their relations , and gentlemen , that brought their several coaches to wait on him , to the pope's palace . about four in the evening , his excellence set out , and ( to shew his particular respect to the place ) was himself , in the roman habit , viz. cloak , doublet , and breeches ; his suit of a rich brocard , the ground black , with great branch't flowers of gold , and lac'd thick , with deep black flanders lace , and a broad gold-gimpt foot to it ; his trimming was of gold and black-wrought ribbon , and his band , of the best venetian point ; and that all things might correspond , he had great store of excellent diamonds in his hat , wrists , sword , shoes , &c. and where ever else they could well appear . there were with him ten coaches , in his own livery , such as has been before describ'd : in the first , was the lord embassador , with six arch-bishops , and on his left hand , monsignior barzolini , who had been nuncio in france : before this coach , went 32 footmen , 22 in cloaks , and 10 , in close-body'd coats , and at the boots , the pages , all in livery , as has been also , before mentioned : by them , the dean , or chief of the foot-men , in black velvet , the gentlemen of the horse following , on a manag'd neopolitan , richly caparison'd ; then follow'd , his excellences other nine coaches , all fill'd with prelates ; and after them , their own , with those of the cardinals , publick ministers , &c. fill'd ( as was said ) with gentlemen , that had been sent , to wait on the solemnity ; the whole train , amounting to the number of three hundred and thirty coaches . the weather , was somewhat rainy , but that hindred not , even the streets ( as well as the balconys , and windows ) from being crouded with people , all shouting and crying out , viva il grand re d' ingelterra ! live the great king of england ! in a word , so general were the acclamations , through the whole progress , that , that of pliny , to trajan , upon his entring rome , might not improperly be apply'd , to this , of the lord embassador , non aetas quemquam , non valetudo , non sexus retardavit , quo minus oculos insolito spectaculo impleret : parvuli noscere , ostentare juvenes , mirari senes , aegroti quoque , relicto medentium imperio , ad conspectum , quasi ad salutem properare . nor age , want of health , or sex , with-held any one , from feeding his eyes , with the unwonted spectacle : children , prattled what it was ; young men , shouted ; old men , stood in admiration ! nor would the sick , observe their physicians , but ran as fast to see 't , as to meet their health . his excellence being come to monte-cavallo ( where the pope then resided ) found the soldiers drawn up before the gate ; so that entring the palace , he alighted at the foot of the great stairs , and was received ( the lay-persons of quality preceding , and the prelates following ) at the portal of the great hall , just on the top of the said stairs , by monsignior mugiaschi the chamberlain , who , with other purpled officers , conducted him to the anticamera , and thence ( after a little reposing ) to the bedchamber it self ) for his holiness's indisposition , hinder'd him from going to the sala regia , where such great embassies , are usually first receiv'd . the pope was clad in red silk , with a lac'd linnen rocket , and sate in a crimson velvet chair , not far from his bed : and as soon as his excellence had made his three obeysances ( the last , being down to the feet ) he received his benediction , and so seated himself just before his holiness , who after an hours discourse , dismiss'd him : from thence , he was brought to cardinal cibo's apartment , where he stay'd about half an hour ; and then taking coach again , was reconducted , to his own palace , by the light of thirty , or forty white-wax flambeaux . the next day , his excellence with the same equipage , visited cardinal ludovisio , dean of the sacred college , who ( in functions of this nature ) represents the whole body ; and the day after , the queen of sweden ; and then , the particular cardinals , as they lay most convenient ; but before this , his excellence , to acknowledge the continual obligations , plac't on him by the great prelates of rome , invited them all ( in honour of the king his master ) to a mighty entertainment , on the 14 th . of the current month , which was order'd as follows . the great , or outward hall ( which is one of the fairest and best proportion'd rooms , that can be seen any where ) was surrounded with long tables , cover'd with excellent linnen , and fill'd , with wonderful quantities of fruit , sweet-meats , parmegian cheese , and other delicacies , belonging to the desert , or last course ; for thus are the italians wont at their solemn feasts , that by exposing to the spectators , one part of the entertainment , they may better judge , what the whole will be : about thirty butlers , and assistants attended here , and at the upper end of the said hall , under a canopy ( after the mode of the place ) stood a magnificent cupboard , of all kind of plate , guarded by swisse ; and over against it , was that of glasses , which were of venice , in great store , and of all sorts ; three other large , and richly furnish'd rooms were to be past , before ye came to the place where they din'd ; and in the last of them ( under another canopy ) was a great cupboard of curious gilt plate , for his excellence's particular use , and service , guarded by some of the english servants ; and was so extraordinary , that it drew as many spectators to it , as did any one thing else ; nor would they hardly believe it to be other , than of pure gold , tho' they were told the contrary ; and even those that were convinc'd , could not but confess , that artificers in england were superlative . the dining-room , was that gay and pleasant gallery , so remarkable also for its painting , it being of pietro di cortona's doing , the greatest master in his time ; it s usual furniture , was double rows of statues , in proportionable niches ; but now ( by reason of the time of the year ) his lordship order'd it to be hung with rare tapestry ; and in the middle of the side , opposite to the coming in , was plac'd a cloth of state , embroider'd with gold , under which , was the king's picture , as big as the life , sitting crown'd on his throne , and clad , in his regal habit. the table was fitted to the length of the room , and being cover'd with fine damask , was encompass'd , with about eighty fair arm'd velvet chairs , which touch'd one another ; only between every four , there was place left for a carver , and over against him , for a sewer ; so that each eight persons , had these two officers to attend them as to the eating part ; and behind , every one had a servant , to bring whatsoever he wanted , or desired . the breadth of the said table was eight foot ( which might easily be allow'd , the room being 24 wide ) and thro' the middle of it , from one end to the other , ran a range of historical figures ( some almost half as big as the life ) which the italians , call trionfi : they are made of a kind of sugar-paste , but modelled , to the utmost skill of a statuary ; so that they are afterwards , sent as presents to the greatest ladies ; and their use at entertainments , is to gratifie the eye , as the meat , musique , and perfumes , do the other senses . between these , stood great vases of artificial flowers ; and ( to fill up the empty spaces of the middle ) there were a wonderful company of birds in a flying posture , on lesser plates ; and as many lyons , unicorns , and eagles , on larger , alluding to the supporters , and bearings , of both their majesties : an entire description of which , as the table stood all together , may be seen in the ninth figure . and for a more particular account of the triumphs themselves , they were as followeth . the first four , were of juno , cybele , neptune , and vulcan , in chariots , drawn over large foliages ; thereby representing , the four elements , as if each of them , had paid a tribute to the table ; as in the eleventh and twelfth figures . the fifth , and sixth , were of two palm trees , the hieroglyphicks of victory , and impress , of his excellences family ; and under them , several nymphs , sitting on foliages , and representing the moral virtues , as in the thirteenth figure . the seventh and eighth , were the figures of his majesties royal virtues ; where , upon heaps of arms , and trophies , in the first , stood justice , and peace , entwin'd ; with their proper symbols in their hands ; in the other , valour , and victory , as in the fourteenth figure . the ninth and tenth , were of daphne , and myrrha , the one transform'd into a lawrel ; the other , into a tree of her own name , as in the fifteenth figure . intimating thereby , that his majesty , whose victories had planted him lawrels in his own time , wanted not the myrrhe of his virtues , to embalm him to posterity . gio. batta lenardi delin . arnoldo van westerho and in the midst of all , over against his majesties picture ( of which , before ) stood a machine of six feet , and two inches high , representing on the one hand , the figure of the church ; on the other , time , drawing truth out of a cloud , thro' which , the sun breaking forth , a winged heroe , with a spear in his hand , chas'd fraud , and discord : and on the base , lay a dismember'd hydra ; thereby denoting , rebellion supprest , and vanquish't : and over all , stood his majesties arms , as may be seen in the tenth figure : and on the reverse thereof , those of his holiness , according to the first figure . this large table , having ( as is said ) these adornments in the middle , had between them , and the napkins ( which were also most artificially folded ) two rows of assiets , or intermesses , on either side , fill'd with all sorts of relishing bits , whether salt , sweet , or soure ; as pickles , butter , slices of delicate bacon , bologna-sauciges , taratufoli , composts , &c. all which , stood in the abovesaid order , for two whole days , ( according to the roman way ) that every ones curiosity might have some share in the entertainment : and truly , the concourse was so infinite , that the palace had bin certainly sack't the second day , had not his excellence foreseen the danger , and therefore , provided a company of swissers , for all the gates and avenues . as for the feast it self ( which began about one ) it consisted of twenty four imperial dishes , to every mess , or eight persons ; and these the italians call imperial , by reason of the largeness , and richness of them ; as fill'd , with whatever art could devise , or industry procure : two , of each of the said twenty four , were served in at a time , and plac'd by the servers , before the respective carvers , who cutting of every thing , gave it to the servers , and they , to each guest in their district , whether he eat of it , or not ; and as the trumpets , and loud musique from the balconies , usher'd in the meat , so the softer ( which consisted of voices , lutes , &c. ) entertain'd all , whilst they were eating . towards the middle of dinner , his excellence ( who sate at the upper end of the table ) stood up , and ( calling to his cup-bearer for a glass of wine ) began the popes health ; and ( within some small time after ) the kings , in the same manner , and order ; which was presently pledg'd with the utmost demonstrations of joy , and satisfaction . and now , the company ( who had abandon'd themselves to mirth ) beginning to be satisfied , the aforesaid twelve courses , or changes were by the officers ( to avoid tediousness ) contracted to ten ; and then , the triumphs , and other ornaments , being taken away , they cover'd the whole table , with all kind of sweet-meats imaginable ; which after a little time ( as the liberty or confidence of the standers by encreast ) were all snatch'd , and carried away . thus ( after three hours ) ended this famous entertainment , with universal satisfaction , and applause : and tho' the delicacy of the meats , wines , and other liquors , as well as the abundance ( which fed above 1000 persons ) was wonderful , yet the order , seem'd more surprising ; for every one not only eat , and sate at ease , but was all the while as well attended , and as readily served , as if he had been at a private feast : nay , all confest and declar'd , that the common fate of feasts , viz. beuer caldo e mangiar freddo , drinking hot and eating cold , was here , wholly chang'd to the contrary . and now the month of january was over , when several great personages , and academies in rome , thought fit to complement his majesty , in shewing personal honours to his embassador . the first , was the queen of sweden , who had prepar'd an elegant composition of italian lyricks , in honour of his majesties accession to the crown ; which being now ready , and her palace fitted for it , her majesty appointed it to be celebrated on the beginning of february , and therefore invited his excellence , to be present at it . it was perform'd in her great audience room , adorn'd with extraordinary pictures , and lights : at the upper end , under a cloth of state , was plac't a rais'd chair for her majesty ; and at the other , a large theater , with rising benches , for the musick ; on either side also were cover'd benches , the one for the roman ladies , the other , for their husbands , or relations : and now the lady being plac't , and every thing else in due order , the lord embassador led the queen to her throne , and sate himself , on a velvet stool , under the first step of it , with a row of english gentlemen , and other cavaliers of her majesties court , standing about him . the composition , was sung in dialogue , by five persons , representing , london , thames , fame , the ruling genius , and the genius of rebellion ; with a chorus of an hundred voices , and an hundred and fifty musical instruments . the subject was , the encomiums of the english nation , and their great monarch , james the second ; with the augury also , and assurance , of happy successes , under the dominion of so mighty a prince : about the middle of which , and just before the first chorus , there was a sudden stop ; when monsignior francisco albani , a prelate ( and now secretary of the pope's briefs ) stept into a pulpit , there ready prepar'd , and in a florid italian oration , first addressing to the queen , continu'd the argument , thro' a world of matter ; but how to bring that world into a compendium , or map , will be a question . in short , he trac'd his majesty , from his infancy , to his riper years ; and his early courage , to his full manhood : follow'd him , through all his various fortunes , at home , and abroad : his exemplary actions in france , and flanders , where , to capacitate him for admiral of the ocean , victory shook of her pinnions , as resolving , never to part from him : he further went on , that fortune had provided new darts , to wound his succession , yet they broke themselves , on what they were shot at ; nay , all her tryals confest his mastery , and instead of overthrowing , did but contribute , to the fastning his roots : nor ought i ( continued he ) in the day of so much joy , to have mention'd it , but that it was not unpleasant to hercules , to look back , on his past toils . but now , in that the appearance of day , had disperst the clouds , all the ideas , he could fancy to himself , towards the forming a statue of publick felicity , were conspicuous in his majesty : witness , his justice , in governing by his laws : his goodness , in forgetting nothing , but injuries : his clemency , in being ever readier to pardon , than offenders to ask it : his liberality , in the patronage of arts , and arms : and lastly , his prudence , in advancing the trade of his kingdoms ; thereby supplying the defect of time , and joyning divided britain , once more to the continent : and therefore , if such were his dawn , what must his full day be ? or what would we the reward of all ? even that god give him the accomplishment , of the promise to abraham , and multiply his seed , as the stars of heaven . nor was it sooner spoken , than eccho'd back again , by a chorus ( as before ) of an hundred voices , and an hundred and fifty instruments ; and from thence , the dialogue went on , intermixt with three other chorus's , crying out , new laurels ! new palms ! victory , victory , victory ! and at last , the whole , clos'd with this fourth . live king of an exalted name ! live ever , in the top of years the same ! and as he 's great in britain , even , let him be great in rome , and great in heaven ! and with this , ended the entertainment of that evening , but not the queen's inclinations of honouring his majesty , for it was for several days together , again presented , to the general satisfaction , of both court , and city . a queen had led the way , and his eminence cardinal pamphilio ( in whose brother 's palace , his excellence then dwelt ) a person of no ordinary literature , sharp witted , eloquent , and ( which every age has not to boast of ) a purpurated poet , made his lordship the next invitation , to his palace , in the corso ( a long street in rome where , during the carnival , all people appear in masquerade ) where , after a splendid entertainment , he was further caress'd , with an excellent tragedy , sung in recitativo : the subject , was a particular complement to his majesty , in the history of st. dimna , an irish martyr ; the stage , beautifully set out with proper scenes ; and the argument , interwoven with such variety of noble , yet surprizing accidents , that it appear'd altogether worthy of the elevated genius , of himself , that wrote it . nor stood it with the grandeur of the barberine family , to slip this opportunity of showing the world that real respect which their goodness , and gallantry , made them always declare was due to the crown of england ; for cardinal francisco barberini ( not long since dean of the sacred college ) was unckle to carlo , his present eminence , and had been protector of the english nation at rome ; as had been heretofore ( if i mistake not ) pope urban the eighth ; famous for his humanity and good nature : this family also , was ally'd to the most illustrious house of este , and consequently , to her now majesty , our great and gracious queen : under this double obligation , was the said lord cardinal , when he invited his excellence , and seven other english men of quality , to an entertainment at his palace , on the shrove-tuesday following , being the eve of the carnival , viz. the earl of salisbury , the honourable henry sidney , and thomas ratcliffe , with mr. arundell , tichborn , wamesley , and eggleston : and that there might not be wanting persons of the highest order in the church , he invited , their eminencys , the cardinal of norfolk ( protector , of the english , and scotch ) cardinal alteri ( protector of the irish ) cardinal pamphilio , before spoken of , and monsignior barberino , his nephew , one of the twelve principal officers of the apostolick chamber . the day being now come ( out of curiosity and pleasure to view , the not to be parallel'd statues , and paintings , of that palace ) his excellence , with his company , came early ; when having past the large court , famous for the sculpture about it , he was led to a magnificent stair-case , which brought him into a more magnificent hall , where the cardinal receiv'd his excellence ; and by the antichambers , conducting him through the rest of the palace , show'd him the inestimable collections , which nothing but a like family could have brought together ; after this , he led the embassador to his library , inferior ( perhaps ) in nothing to the vatican , but the manuscripts , and that it is not the vatican . and here it was , that his eminence , presented his excellence , with forty books , folio's , and others , exquisitely bound , and printed by the care and beneficence of this family ; and here also the cardinals who were invited , came to them . the hall before-mentioned , was the place of this entertainment , where that scarcely to be exprest cieling ( the hand also of pietro de cortona , was ( if yet possible ) out-done , by the costly hangings ; wherein ( with all the mastery of art , colours , and design ) were exprest , the most considerable actions of pope urban the eighth ; and upon a freeze under them , the history of deborah : and at the upper end of all , a full picture of his majesty , on a sprightly horse , trampling , the many-headed monster of rebellion , under his feet . the hall its self , was set round , with crimson-velvet chairs , edg'd with a deep golden fringe , and in the middle , upon a small rising , stood a table of thirty foot long , and seven broad ; through the length of which , ran a range of triumphs , and beside them , other lesser , of arts , peace , war , victory , with their respective symbols , and trophys : nor was the number of the services , the vastness of the dishes , the variety of the inter-messes , and relishing plates round every trencher , the plenty , and choice of wines , the nobleness of the desart , excellence of the musick , and great order of the whole , in any wise disproportionate , to the magnificence of the place , or the person , that made it : and if it fell short in any thing , of that of the lord embassador's , it was not , that his eminence's intention , was not the same , but the company less . the entertainment lasted above two hours , and from the hall , they withdrew into a curiously hung room , which was a ready conveyance into all the other parts of the palace ; and from hence they came into a second , hung with crimson velvet , and beautifully adorn'd with statues , and pictures , of inestimable value ; where , his eminence had prepar'd , an excellent composition , of vocal , and instrumental musick , in honour of his majesty , and this glorious embassy . from thence , his excellence , and their eminences in cardinal barberini's coach ( the rest of the coaches following ) drove thro' the corso ( of which , before ) and thence , to the palace of cardinal pamphilio , where his excellence receiv'd a second regal , and the satisfactory entertainment , of the tragedy before mention'd . this of the lords cardinals , begot an emulation in the literati , nor was it long , ere they follow'd the example : the first of this kind , were the fathers of the gregorian , or roman college ( founded by pope gregory the 13 th . ) who invited his excellence , to an entertainment of the muses , on the 25 th . of the same month ; at which time , he came largely attended , with roman prelates , and other great men ; and was receiv'd at the gate , not only by the rector , but by the assistants , and chief members of that learned body ; for , as for the general himself , he was lately dead , and the vicar sick , even to keep his bed. at his entrance they exprest their satisfaction and joy , by ringing their bell , and a flourish of trumpets : then having with much ado past the throng'd court , and view'd the inscription , erected ( in honour of his majesty , and that days solemnity ) over the portico , that leads into the first hall , his lordship was at the great door of it , met by the prefect of the studys , who in a short , but elegant latine oration , accosted him , to this effect . that amidst the noise of the world applauding , and rejoycing at his excellence's arrival at rome , the gregorian academy , neither ought to be silent , nor indeed , could it : in their name therefore , he first rejoyc't with his holiness , in that it happen'd in his pontificat , and that james the second , reign'd in england , and innocent the xi th . in rome . in the next place , he gratulated , to the christian world , so great a defender of the faith : to britain , queen of the ocean , so potent an assertor : and lastly , to his excellence , his embassy ; and stil'd his majesty , the most great king of great britain , in that he had chosen , such an embassador ; the one , only fit to chuse the other , to be chosen . and now his excellence had a full prospect of the hall it self , the further end of which , was one entire piece of architecture , in perspective ; where , under a regal canopy , upon a throne , rais'd four steps , and a round pedestal of equal height , between two erected female figures , viz. scotland admiring , and ireland rejoycing , sate a third , on a lion couchant , representing england : on her head she bore a mural crown ; in her right hand , a scepter ; and her left , held the helm of a ship : upon the cornishes over that , supported by large pillars , were their majestys pictures ( as done in brass ) wreath'd about , with laurels , and palms , each also supported , by two angels : and somewhat over that , in the middle between both , his majestys arms , with their wonted quarterings , garter , and supporters , standing on festons of roses , and thistles : and on a proportionable architrave to the whole , four large urnes , or pots of incense . the walls on either side , were hung with arras , of silk ; and upon a cornish over them , several shields , and tablets , of devises , epigrams , and elogies , in honour of his majesty , and that days occasion : among the number of which , it may not be unpleasant , to divert the reader , with some of them . a ship , her sails furl'd , and lying close , against the weather . the word ( — ubi noxia perstant ) while dangers are abroad . signifying thereby , a tempest may shake , not rend a wise man's sails : and therein also , his majestys prudence , in giving way to the storm , which so much threaten'd him , before he came to the crown . a leopard regardant , i. e. looking back on his spots . the word ( ornant , non maculant — ) they beautifie , not blemish . intimating thereby , that all the obloquies against his majesty , when duke of york , are so far from giving him any blot , that they rather add , so many flowers to his crown . a cannon , firing . the word ( — mensura dat ictum ) 't is the true levil hits . thereby denoting , that those true measures , his majesty took of his affairs , gave him , and his kingdoms , the happiness , they now enjoy . a shield , with an umbo , or spike of steel , in the centre . the word ( ferendo , & feriendo ) by bearing , and pushing . thereby shewing , his majestys readiness to receive , and repel , the force of his enemies . a horse , ready appointed for war , beating the ground , and ( as it were ) neighing for the battle . the word ( — animoque paratior — ) more ready in himself . intimating thereby , his invincible resolution . a marriners compass , the needle to the north. the word ( quo semel , huc semper — ) once , and ever . thereby denoting , his majestys constancy . a lion , tossing a large orbicular figure . the word ( — et tanto in pondere ludit ) and under the great weight , he plays . alluding thereby , to his majestys expeditiousness , and happy dexterity , in the easy dispatch , of so many his weighty affairs . the sun , throwing his beams over a landskip . the word ( — circumspicit omnia — ) he has an eye , on all . thereby intimating , that no part of his dominions is so remote , but that he bears , a particular regard to it . a harp , full strung . the word ( summis consentit & imis ) and every string accords . denoting thereby , that ( notwithstanding their diversity in opinions ) all his majestys subjects , meet in one consort , i. e. a general satisfaction , and delight , under his happy government . lastly ( for i intend not a volume ) a bee , flying round a garden , of herbs and flowers . the word ( non legit infectos — ) she takes no poisonous plant. pointing thereby at his majestys judgment , that he makes choice , of the best men . besides these , there were several other odes , epigrams , and elogys , on larger tablets , in honour of his majesty , his late royal brother , and the particular accidents of his now majesties life ; one among the rest , more immediately relating to the embassy , in which ( alluding to his excellence the lord embassadors name , of palmer ) under the emblem of a palm , or date tree , was represented , that it is the nature of that tree , not to yield to any weight , but rather , to endeavour the more upwards : in short , they gratulate the omen ; foretel him , victory over his enemies , of which also , that tree is the symbol , and wish him , a prince , of many palms . from thence in the passage to the greater hall , by the humanity schools of grammar , syntax , poetry , rhetorick , &c. several princely youths , ( chief of the caesarean , matthean , imperial , pamphilian , and altierian families ) stood before the doors of their respective schools , and saluted his excellence with distichs ; and from thence , by a fair ascent , he came up to the hall its self , which was statelily furnish't , with damask , and tapestry hangings , heightned with gold. towards the end of it , was erected a theatre , on which stood the rhetorick master , who complemented his excellence in a latine heroick poem of 571 verses , the sum and argument of which , was this . he took his rise , from the year , or two , before his majesties accession to the crown , and thus fabled ; that the genius of england , having ( by reason of the late villanous plot ) found every thing , in disorder at home , had travell'd all the provinces of europe , and finding them successful in their affairs , began to consult , whether fortune ( whereby yet , he meant no other , than that divine providence , which is always awake for the good of mankind ) had not forsaken his countrey , and being half doubtful in it , resolv'd to go in quest of her : to which purpose , having advice , that she had betaken her self , to the imperial eagle , he follow'd her from place , to place , and at last found her , at the first unsuccessful siege of buda : where , having laid before her , the close argument , of not pressing fortune , against fortune ; he encourages her with the certainty of the next campaign , and only begs her , that during that vacancy , she would take a journey into england , which wanted nothing , but her presence , to compose it . in short , the genius prevails , takes fortune into his chariot , and ( after a full-wrought poetical description of the journey ) brings her into england ; where the first thing they met with , was the death , of king charles the second ; and two rebellions , then rising , against his brother and heir , his now majesty : this fortune ( that ever hated the profane rabble ) cover'd the kings arms , disperst the rebels , and having seated him , in the imperial throne , return'd back to the eagle , for its next more successful expedition against buda . and with this , ended the solemnity , which was all perform'd , in the latine tongue . the next , was that of the clementine colledge , founded by pope clement the viii th . ; which , albeit it be governed by religious persons , has in it yet , an academy of the literati , and ( besides their more serious studys ) the young nobless , and gallants , are train'd up , in all those exercises , that may render them useful , either for peace , or war : hither also his excellence was invited ; and came fully accompany'd with prelates , cavaliers , and others ; nor was the entertainment less learned , tho' for the most part , the composition was in the vulgar tongue ; for the italian wits , by critically considering it in their academies , have at length render'd it , both polite , and elegant . his excellence was receiv'd at the first gate , by the fathers , and young noblemen convictors , with a double range of trumpets ; and thence , conducted into the great hall , richly adorn'd with paintings , and damask , fring'd with gold ; where he was seated on a velvet chair rais'd , and beside him , hung a full picture of his majesty , under a royal canopy ; over which , stood the impress of the academicks ( by the name of the extravagants ) viz. two palms , folded into the figure of a warlike hand-bow . the word ( placidis , coeant immitia ) let arts , and arms , join hands . thereby signifying , that gowns , and swords , are not so incompatible , but they may very well meet , in the same persons . the entertainment began , with a prelude of musick , then stood out , a noble youth ( a marchese ) of about seventeen years ( who also bore a part , in the following exercises , of vaulting , dancing , fencing , and horsmanship ) and caress'd his excellence , in a smart oration , to this purpose , that the old historys of rome , must give place , to modern annals ; in as much as the glorys of the first , were more believ'd , than true , these on the contrary , carry'd in them , more of truth , than credibility . that the multitude of people , made rome , look bigger , than her self , and rome now , might be found , in rome again . that glory , lay not in quantity , but quality , and that the brave men , not the number , made a monarchy great , and illustrious ; for otherwise , vices , and privation ( that in despight of noble enterprises , had destroy'd confines ) might set up for soveraignty , among the vertues . that the trophys of the august eagle , surpass'd not yet , those of the winged lion ; and tho' antiquity , might pride its self , in her alexander , caesars , &c. yet the real grandeur of all , was , to be found in james the second , and what was prodigious in them , render'd not only probable , but certain in him . then making an excursion , on the praises of the pope ; the emperors victorys over the turk ; the queen of sweden , patroness of their academy ; the lord embassador , and his embassy , he thus , came back to his majesty : let james the second live ! to the terror of evil doers , and the example of heroe's : live the glory of britain , and glory of the capitol ! and with him , encrease the triumphs of hungary conquer'd , and greece , wounded . lastly , in the name of the academicks , he besought his excellence , to accept that address , so much the more affectionate , by how much the less artificial ; and to temper their boldness , that he would yet content himself , to repeat with them , what varius geminus , once said to his caesar ; qui de te jacob audent dicere , magnitudinem tuam ignorant , qui non audent , humanitatem . they that presume to give an account of thee , james , understand not thy greatness , and they that dare not offer at it , know nothing of thy clemency . this ended with a chorus of musick ; and then , were rehearst several short epigrams ( of half a dozen , or a dozen verses ) stanza wise , by the like noble youths , in honour of the pope ; the king ; the queen ; the queen of sweden ; the late dutchess of modena ; the now duke ; the lord embassador ; and cardinal azzolino , protector of the academy ; which also was answered by a chorus of musick . then follow'd the exercise of vaulting , on the horse , perform'd by six noble youths , with singular dexterity , and variety ; and after some respite of musick , those other , of dancing , and fencing , by the same , or like youths . the first , was an high dance , by one single person ; and after that , a duel of two . the second dance also , was single ; and after that , a duel of two . the third dance , was a french minuet , of two . and after that , a skirmish of three ; one , defending himself , against two . the fourth dance , was in a figure of six ; and after that , a duel of two . the fifth dance , was in a figure of four ; and after that , a skirmish of three : one , with a sword and dagger , defending himself , against two swords . the sixth dance , was a saraband of six ; and after that , a skirmish of eight ; four , against four ; with a flourish of trumpets . the seventh dance , a figure of eight . the eighth dance , was a french minuet of two ; and after that , a skirmish of eight ; and clos'd those exercises , with a chorus of trumpets . and now , while the academicks were preparing themselves for their riding the great horse , his excellence was entertain'd with a symphony of musick ; and that over , conducted into a gallery , which lookt into the riding court , from whence , he beheld all the exercises of horsmanship , perform'd by eight noble youths of the academy ; which ending , his excellence was reconducted to his palace . nor was it long , ere a like festivous invitation , was made him , by the academicks of the infecondi , for the 21 of april following ; where , accompany'd with a numerous train of prelats , and others , he was as splendidly receiv'd , and entertain'd , with even the height , of rhetorick and poetry , in honour of his majesty , himself , and the embassy ; more particularly , with a problematical discourse , ( in italian ) whether the victorious arms of the christians in hungary , and greece , or the generous indulgence , of the king of great brittain ( uniting thereby , his subjects ) were more conducing to the peace of christendom ? and now his excellence ( having receiv'd orders ) prepar'd for his return ; and therefore ( to begin where he ought ) he acquainted the pope , that ( with his permission ) the next audience , should be that of congee ; so that on the fifth of may he came in great state to the palace , and after an hour 's private discourse or thereabouts , he receiv'd the embraces , and benediction of his holiness , with the usual present , of a pair of beads , at which hung a gold medal of our saviour . this ceremony being thus over , his excellence was to take his leave of the queen of sweden , and after her , of every cardinal ; all which being in a fortnight's time perform'd , he chang'd his livery , and ( ordering his domesticks to make ready , with all possible hast for his journey ) he put himself wholly incognito ; that is to say , neither to give , nor receive visits , unless about business , and that , privately , and by the back-stairs also : but an accident interrupted this so necessary a retirement , to one that had so great a family to dispose of , and so many home-affairs to settle , before he stirr'd . for the four new cardinals ( ciceri , petrucci , caraffa and medici ) who had been long mew'd up , were on the 24 th . current to receive their hats , in open consistory ; which being the only publick papal solemnity , since his lordships reception , it was thought fit ( by the whole court ) that he should have a more particular invitation , as he had , and which , he readily comply'd with . about ten in the morning that day , his excellence ( attended by all his own people ) came to the palace , where he was receiv'd by the officers , and conducted to the great gallery , from whence he might see cardinal de medici's cavalcade , or solemn procession on horse-back ; for in this manner was every cardinal formerly wont , to come to his first audience , accompany'd by the sacred colledge , and prelates , on mules , the other grandees , and followers , on horses : but the charge being excessive , none had for several years perform'd it , nor could it be more properly reviv'd , by any one , than a prince of so much wealth , and greatness . the other three cardinals having been excus'd riding , came privately before , and by noon , the rest ; and then , his excellence went to the pope's inward antichamber , where he found the conestable colonna attending ; for he , and the duke de bracciano , are the only romans , that are principi del soglio ; that is to say , princes that can stand ( on great days ) under the canopy , or cloth of state : his lordship and he , having saluted each other , and discours'd for a while , the pope came out , and after his benediction ( they , and some of the bed-chamber preceding ) he was brought to the vestry ; where being pontifically rob'd , and mitred , by two cardinal deacons ( to wit , maldachini , and pamfilio ) his excellence took up his train , and so follow'd him to the throne , in the room where the consistory was then held ; standing close by him on his right hand , and discoursing still with him , during the casmes , and intervals of the function . the function it self consisted chiefly , in the pope's blessing the people ; the salutations he received from the cardinals ; and his prayers ( at his giving the hats ) that god would incline each of them , faithfully to serve his divine majesty , in their respective stations ; and so ( after two hour's ) he return'd in the former order . after which , his excellence took the opportunity of taking his second leave , of all his friends , and ( after many kind adieu's ) was conducted to his coaches , which , together with his liveries , never appear'd more magnificent , nor ever happen'd to be more descanted upon , than at this time : for being all intermingled , with the stately equipage of cardinal de medici , the people had a fit opportunity to compare , and give their judgments of both , which was highly in favour of his lordships . our embassador being again retir'd , every servant was at liberty to look after his particular business ; and in three weeks , the baggage was made up , and all persons ( as well tradesmen , as domesticks ) paid off : and to obviate the mistakes ; which chance or malice , might after his departure occasion ; he order'd ( ten days before he stirr'd ) printed bills to be pasted up in the most remarkable quarters of the city , which gave notice of his intended journey , and willed every one to repair to the palace , that had any dues , or pretensions : but so far was this , from creating trouble , to his excellence or officers , that it gave the town occasion to admire , and wonder , nay , confess it , a thing not only unusual , but scarce heard of before , in those parts ; for thro' the whole course of this embassy , no man ( after the stating of his accounts ) ever ask't twice for his money ; nor was any bill ( upon what place soever drawn ) which was not punctually , and precisely satisfied . and now his excellence ( having dispos'd of his english servants , and baggage , some to return by sea , others by land ) began his own journey the 23. of june , by night , because the heats were excessive ; and by post , for expedition-sake , according to his late orders : himself rid in a handsom , commodious callesh , made purposely for that service ; and was attended by his secretary , his sewer , a page , a valet de chambre , and a running footman ; and overtaken on the road , by the gentleman of his horse , whom some necessary business had hinder'd , from setting out with him . but before we leave rome , it may not be amiss to recount an affair , which his lordship fully settled , before his departure . one flori ( a piedmontese of quality , and banish'd thence , a while since ) after he had luxuriously spent vast sums at paris , vienna , and other places , man'd out to sea ( in person ) a privatier , under the polish banner , tho' that kingdom , has no one foot of land , near salt-water : when roving in the mediterranean , he met ( towards the coast of egypt ) two english ships , the jerusalem and another ; and making them both prizes ( the last , because she wanted a sufficient pass , and the other , for having the new bassa of tripoli , with his family , on board ) carry'd them directly for malta : the news of this insult , being divulg'd every where , the leghorn-factory presently made applications to his lordship , and acquainted him , that if this past without satisfaction , not only all christian men of war , but every privatier , would be still searching , and disturbing their merchants : that the turks would do the like also ; and all people ( for the future ) would load on the french and others , that could protect them from such dangers , and inconveniencies ; nor were these gentlemen the sole plaintiffs , but letters came from the consul of tripoli , nay the bassa himself , desiring his excellences help , and assistance . his excellence , who ( by his former travels in the levant ) knew the turkish justice , which usually , makes the national traders , feel the smart of such accidents , borrow'd mr. hanford ( gentleman of the horse to the cardinal of norfolk ) and sent him in all hast , for malta ; having first communicated the whole affair , to the embassador of that order , then residing at rome . by the time mr. hanford got thither , flori had again put to sea , and given the bassa his liberty , upon security of 30000 dollars ; but represented the matter so falsly , that many thought , he had some right on his side ; however , the aforesaid gentleman follow'd his excellences instructions so well , that he secur'd all further embeazlements of the goods ; enform'd the bassa ( by letter ) what care his majesty had taken of him ; comforted his wife , and servants , who were before , in the utmost despair ; and brought also an inventory of what was taken , and what remain'd behind . nor was his excellence on his part idle at rome ; for he acquainted all the neighbouring princes , and governours with the fact ; assur'd them , that if the king had not justice done him , he would do it himself ; writ kindly to the bassa ; left letters at genoua , leghorn , and naples , for our men of war ( that call'd in ) to pursue the pirate : and lastly , satisfi'd every body in the main point , to wit , of having infidels , and enemies on board ; for he not only let them see , the determination , and practice of the state of venice , the grand duke , and others , upon complaints of ours in like cases , but shew'd them ▪ how the contrary procedure , would be a wonderful prejudice to all christendom ; for seeing our merchantmen , carry a hundred forreign christians , to one turk , if turks , and their goods , were lawful prize to the christians , they also must be so to the turks , and consequently , run the same risque in their persons , and effects , which now ( as 't was evident to every body ) they were absolutely out of danger of , tho' the barbary-pirates , or the grand signiors fleet , should meet them at sea , and even knew , who they were . in short , after much negotiation , his excellence made flori ( as a bandit or out-law ) totally abandon the sea ; caus'd the priz'd goods , and persons , to be restor'd to the bassa ; had the security , for his ransom , declar'd null ; sent his money , and jewels , found in the hands of the captain of the jerusalem to tripoli ; and forc'd the vessel it self ( now discountenanc'd every where , and wanting all manner of necessaries ) to run into villa franca , where being deserted by the officers , and pillag'd by her own men , she remain'd as a kind of wreck : and thus ended this affair , to the great honour of his majesty , and the reputation , and full settlement , of the english navigation , thro' the mediterranean ; nor did his excellence fail of receiving many thanks from the bassa ( who in the end , lost no very great matter ) and acknowledgments from all our merchants in italy , and our turky company also . on the 23d . of june ( as before ) his excellence left rome , accompany'd by cardinal howard , the earl of salisbury , sir john lytcott , and other persons of quality in several coaches , to the first post ; and having there , taken his leave of them , and particularly of his eminence ( so remarkable for his exemplary life , and english temper ; and who ( athanasius like ) chose rather , to change his country , than any one article of the catholick faith ) he prosecuted his journey , with great satisfaction as to the heats , and dust ; but not to the ceremony , which he now hop'd , to have been wholly free from ; for he no sooner arriv'd ( the following night ) at the first village in the grand duke's territory , but he met there , his highnesse's officers ( with all necessary refreshments ) that expected him : from hence ( after some stay in a chamber particularly furnish't for that purpose ) he went on , and arriv'd ( a little before sun-rising ) at radicofani , where he found a bed put up for him ; and not only wines , and provisions of all sorts ( even ortolani's and the like ) but the duke's servants , and cooks attending ; and in the same manner was he still treated , where-ever he repos'd , in this generous prince's dominions , as well on this , as on that side florence . at florence , his highness order'd duke salviati's palace ( which is the best in town ) to be put in order for his lordship ; where he was brought as soon as he arriv'd ; and where count magolotti , with great attendance , was ready to receive him : his excellence ( after he had been in bed , and well refresht ) went to court to wait on the duke ; and from him , was carried to the prince's apartment , whom he saluted also . next day , they both came to see his excellence , and in the evening , he waited on the great dutchess , at her villa , about a mile out of town , where the beautiful young princess also was . on the third day , the duke invited his excellence to see the running of barbs , after the italian manner ; which being ended , he took leave of his highness , and of the ducal family , who were all , then present together ; and having after supper acknowledg'd his obligations to count magolotti ( who never left him from first to last ) he took post , and still found the same treatment on the way , where-ever he past in the grand duke's territories . bologna was the next city of consequence ; and this , his lordship pass'd at break of day , leaving his secretary to complement the cardinal legat , and so follow to the design'd resting-place , about ten miles short of modena ; where ( as soon as the post-master could give notice ) prince caesar d'este was pleas'd to come himself ; and carrying away his excellence , they were soon met on the road , by the duke's and cardinal's coaches , with persons of quality in them , to complement so welcom'd a stranger . 't is difficult to express the wonderful entertainment his lordship found here ; and therefore , not to lessen it by a low , and flat relation , i shall content my self in saying , that his excellence was lodg'd in the palace it self ; had several gentlemen , pages , and officers , particularly to attend him ; was feasted by his highness , both in town , and at his delicious villa of sassoli ; receiv'd all the caresses imaginable from the incomparable cardinal ; and in short , that nothing was wanting in this illustrious prince , or in his most serene family , that might express the high veneration , and esteem , they all had , for our mighty monarch , so great in himself , and so happy in his glorious consort . the embassador's stay here , was about a week , and as prince caesar ( out of his profound respect to the king and queen ) met him ( as was said ) several miles from modena , so he conducted him as far out of the city on the other side , and then with embraces left him , having first given necessary orders for his passage thro' reggio ( which was about midnight ) as also thro' all other places of this flourishing dukedom . nor did his excellence make any further stop till he came to lyons : for he past milan , sending only a complement , by one of his gentlemen , to the governour : and as for turin , the duke and dutchess , were then at one of their palaces in the country . at lyons , his excellence was forc'd to refresh himself for a day or two : and now the weather being alter'd to the worse , his journey to paris , was neither so pleasant , nor easy , as otherwise it would have been : but all the inconveniencies of it , were well repair'd , by the noble treatment he found at our envoy's mr. skelton , who having in his long ministry abroad , still kept up the dignity of the character he bore , was now , far from being behind in it : he met therefore his lordship on the road ; lodg'd him in his house ; feasted him there ; accompany'd him to versailles , to wait upon the king ; nor would he let him stir in a fortnight ; that is to say , till he was probably sure , that the yatcht ( which was sent for ) would be attending at calis , and so his excellence at his arrival found it : but the winds with-held him for two days , from going to sea ; after which setting sail , he landed in two days more at greenwich , and so came to london , staying only there , till he could put himself and attendants into mourning ; for at his leaving france , he receiv'd the ill news , of the death of that excellent lady , the dutchess of modena , who had been so particularly kind to him , and whom he left well , or at least far from ill , at his departure from rome . to conclude then , on the 12 th . of august 1687. his excellence went to windsor , where the king owning his services , very graciously gave him his hand to kiss , as did also her majesty , who was pleas'd to acknowledge , that he had fully answer'd her expectation . and thus ended this great embassy , in which kind , no king has done more , and no embassador , that had not study'd his masters honour , more than his own profit , would have done so much . finis . upon the foregoing account of his excellency the earl of castlemaine's embassy extraordinary to rome , anno 1687. let mighty caesar not disdain to view these emblems of his power and goodness too : a short essay , but fraught with caesar's fame , and shews how distant courts esteem his name . here may'st thou see thy wondrous fortunes trac'd with suff'rings first , and then with empire grac'd . long tost with storms on faction's swelling tide , thy conduct and thy constancy was try'd : as heav'n design'd thy virtue to proclaim , and shew the crown deserv'd before it came . troy's hero thus , when troy cou'd stand no more , urg'd by the fates to leave his native shore , with restless toil on land and seas was tost , ere he arriv'd the fair lavinian coast. thus maro did his mighty hero feign : augustus claim'd the character in vain , which brittain's caesar only can sustain permit , dread sir , my muse , though mean , to own a truth to albion , and to europe known , you are what virgil feign'd his prince to be , your valour such , and such your piety . now theseus deeds we can receive for true , and hercules was but a type of you . he made the fierce lernaean monster bleed , from hydra-faction you have albion freed . the paths of glory trod , and danger past , just heav'n allows a pe'ceful throne at last , at home to shew th' indulgence of a god , and send your peaceful ministers abroad . while palmer hastens to the roman court , ( and fraught with worth that honour to support ) his glorious train , and passing pomp to view , ( a pomp , that ev'n to rome it self was new ) each age , each sex the latian turrets fill'd : each age and sex in tears of joy distill'd . while wonder them to statues did convert , those seem'd to live that were the works of art. emblems and figures of such life and force , as , wanting speech , did to the eye discourse ; and shew , what was despair'd in ages past , an universal language found at last . hail palmer , hail illustrious minister ! to caesar , brittain , fame and virtue dear . caesar to represent , great caesar's voice , nam'd castlemaine , the brittish shores rejoyce ; and tyber's banks applaud great caesar's choice . how therefore cou'd the muses silent be ? and none can want a muse that writes of thee ! from thine , not phoebus tree , my song i 'll raise , and crown'd with palm , i will contemn the bayes . n. tate . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . idem latine . tempus erat , quo rogerii visura triumphum lucebat latia culta fenestra nuru . tunc mirata viri pompam , currusque nitentes auro , flaminia roma videnda via , ecquid , ait , toto divisos orbe britannos , viribus insignes , dixerat esse maro ? romano sese imperio junxere britanni , et pompa haec nostras occupat una domos . quaeque olim innumeris spectacula vidimus annis , jussu rogerii praebuit una dies . d. josephi de juliis in bibliotheca vaticana , & in collegio urbano de propag . fide graecae linguae professoris . among the numerous poems presented to his excellence by the roman wits , only this out of those inserted in the italian account of this famous embassy , is translated by n. tate . when palmer's mighty triumph now came one , with latian dames the crouded casements shone . old rome his train and chariots did survey , and seem'd again in the * flaminian way . do we ( says she ) as maro sung , still find the hardy britains from the world dis-joyn'd . the brittish empire with the roman meets , one splendid pomp unites their distant streets ; and palmer by one happy day at last , renews the triumps of the ages past . finis . errata's . folio 8. line 2. for swits , read switzers ; fol. 8. l. 8. for attendance , r. attendants ; fol. 22. l. 14. for attendance , r. attendants ; fol. 47. l. 12. for attendance , r. attendants ; fol. 53. l. 12. for swisse , r. switzers ; fol. 73. l. 15. for we , r. be ; fol. 78. l. ult . for desart , r. desert ; fol. 3. l. 11. r. lord ratcliffe , since earl of dunwarrenwater . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a67165-e8350 * the corso thro' which his excellence made his entry . the opinion of padre paolo of the order of the servites, consultor of state given to the lords the inquisitors of state, in what manner the republick of venice ought to govern themselves both at home and abroad, to have perpetual dominion. opinione come debba governarsi internamente ed esternamente la repubblica di venezia. english. 1689 approx. 119 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 71 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a62183 wing s699 estc r9325 12384210 ocm 12384210 60804 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a62183) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60804) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 227:4) the opinion of padre paolo of the order of the servites, consultor of state given to the lords the inquisitors of state, in what manner the republick of venice ought to govern themselves both at home and abroad, to have perpetual dominion. opinione come debba governarsi internamente ed esternamente la repubblica di venezia. english. sarpi, paolo, 1552-1623. aglionby, william, d. 1705. [25], 119 p. printed for r. bentley ..., london : 1689. translation of: opinione come debba governarsi internamente ed esternamente la repubblica di venezia. wrongly attributed to p. scarpi. cf. nuc pre-1956; bianchi-giovini, a.h. biografia di frà paolo sarpi. epistle dedicatory signed: w. aglionby. "deliver'd by publick order in the year 1615" reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng italy -history -1559-1789. venice (italy) -history -1508-1797. venice (italy) -politics and government -1508-1797. 2004-11 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-12 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-01 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-01 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion licensed , july 20th . 1689. j. fraser . the opinion of padre paolo , of the order of the servites , consultor of state , given to the lords the inquisitors of state . in what manner the republick of venice ought to govern themselves both at home and abroad , to have perpetual dominion . deliver'd by publick order , in the year 1615. london : printed for r. bentley , in russel-street in covent-garden . 1689. to the right honourable henry , viscount sydney , gentleman of the bed-chamber to his majesty , collonel of the royal regiment of foot-guards , and one of his majesties most honourable privy-council . my lord , though your design'd favours to me might justly claim this offer of my respects in a dedication , yet i must own , that it is on of the next age , than your lordship . in your negotiation in holland , during the close intrigues of the latter end of king charles his reign , you strove to keep both him and us happy and quiet , by promoting the true interest of both : but when the ferment of our affairs forc'd you to more sensible demonstrations of your thoughts , you nobly chose rather to appear an ill courtier , than be thought an ill man to your country . the protestant interest carried it with you , while the roman faction thought their designs as secure as they were deeply laid . 't is rare to find such conduct and courage in a publick minister : but what could be expected less from one ready to venture his life in the field at the head of our nation abroad , against that unquiet monarch who was then invading all the liberty mankind had left . heaven , my lord , has at last bless'd these constant endeavours for england's prosperity , and we see you in the councils and privacy of a prince born for our felicity . the great queen of this monarchy , who so lov'd her people , and understood their interest , had a sydney for her favourite , and such a man as she admir'd living , and lamented dead ; and our king , who has begun with restoring this nation to its true interest , and will , no question , advance its glory to the highest pitch , has your lordship in his councils and arms , guarded by you in the day , he sleeps often under your care in the night , safe in your loyalty , and pleas'd in your attendance . to whom then could i more properly offer these arcanums of a wise government , than to one who must be a good judge of all writings of that kind ; and therefore with repeated offers of my humble respects , and readiness to obey your lordship's commands , i take leave , and am , my lord , your lordship 's most humble and most devoted obedient servant , w. aglionby . the preface . that padre paulo sarpi , of the order of the servites , is the author of this treatise , there needs no other proof than the reading of it ; for whoever is acquainted either with his style , or his manner of thinking , must of necessity acknowledge , that they are both here . and indeed we may say , that this is not only a true representation of the government of the venetian republick , but that the author also ( like great painters , who in all their works give us their own genius with the mixture of the representation ) has likewise drawn the truest picture of himself . he was one of the greatest men of his age , of vast natural parts , to which he had added all the acquir'd ones that great study and much conversation with men could give him : it was he who defended the republick in the dispute they had with pope paul the 5th ; which he did so solidly , and yet so modestly , that his subject never carried him either to invectives or railleries , unbeseeming the gravity of the matter , nor the dignity of the persons whose cause he managed ; that quarrel being accommodated by the interposition of the kings of france and spain , in which the republick had all the advantage possible : the senate , very sensible of the obligation they had to p. paulo ; made him consultor of state , and added an honourable pension for his life , giving him at the same time order to view all their secret records , where all their papers and instruments of state were laid up ; all which he reduc'd into such a new order , as that they might be recurr'd to with the greatest ease imaginable upon all occasions . the esteem they made of his abilities was so great , that they never had any important debate in which either by publick order , or by the private application of some of their senators , they did not take his advice ; which most commonly was assented to afterwards . towards the latter end of his life , the inquisitors of state seeing that they could not hope long for the continuation of those oracles , resolv'd , that once for all he should impart them his thoughts upon the whole constitution of their government , and withal , add his opinion touching their future conduct both within and without ; and that is this piece with which i now present the publick . as it was made for the perusal of those only who were the participants of all the arcanums of the empire ; it is writ with less regard to the publick censure , to which he suppos'd it would never be subject . all other writers of politicks may in one thing be justly suspected , which is , that when they write with a design of publishing their works to mankind , they must have a regard to many considerations both of the times they write in , and opinions that are then receiv'd by the people , as also to the establish'd forms both of government and religion ; besides that self-love too will not let them forget their own glory , for the sake of which they often swerve from the true rules of writing ; but here all these considerations ceas'd ; the work is directed to those whose interest it was to conceal it : and for the author himself , it may be said , it was rather his legacy than any desire of shewing his abilities , which by other pieces of his were already sufficiently publish'd to the world. but what an idea must we have of that man whom a venetian senate not only admitted to their debates , but consulted upon the whole frame of their government ; a senate , i say , justly deserving the titles of wise and great ; who have maintain'd their state for 1200 years , with little alteration ; who have been a bulwark to the christian world against the most potent invader that ever was ; who at the same time have struggled with all the christian princes united , and headed , even by popes , whose spiritual power alone has been able to subvert greater empires : this senate , or at least the wisest of them , the inquisitors of state , who have the whole executive power in their hands , cannot let this subject of theirs leave the world without having from him a scheme of their present affairs , and a prospect of the occurrences to come : nothing certainly can give us a greater idea of padre paulo , nor shew us how great abilities in the most retired and concealed subjects , will break out in all wise governments , and cannot long be conceal'd . as to the work it self , i shall say little , it being improper to forestall the reader 's judgment by mine ; but i think i may venture to give him some cautions against a surprise , from some bold maxims and arbitrary positions which he will meet with , and perhaps not expect from one of our author's profession , nor in the methods of a government which carries the specious and popular title of liberty in the head of it . as to the author , tho he were a religious man , and a very strict observer of that life ; yet being above ordinary methods , and having a mind elevated beyond his sphere , he thought , that not only he might , but that he ought to go to the extent of his capacity , when he was to advise those whom god almighty had invested with soveraign power . i his makes him lay down that great maxim , that all is just that contributes to the preservation of the government ; and in a natural deduction from this , advise in some cases not to stand upon common proceedings . i remember the author of his life says , that he had adapted most of the aphorisms of hippocrates , about the diseases and cure of the body natural , to those of the body politick ; and if so , he could not forget that of , extremis morbis extrema remedia , which alone would warrant all uncommon proceedings . most people have an idea of commonwealths , not unlike that which poets and young people have of the golden age , where they fancy , that without either labour , solicitude , or chagrin , people past their time in the innocent pleasures of love and musick , and other soft delights ; so the world imagines , that a popular government is all sweetness and liberty , precarious , and depending upon their votes , free from oppression and slavery , and constant to known methods : but all this is a very wrong conception ; they are invested with soveraign power , and must and do use it for their own preservation , as absolutely as any soveraign prince in the world ; and whoever shall seriously consider the machine of this venetian state , must own , that neither the governors themselves , nor the people governed by them , have any such excellent and inviting prerogatives , as can justly give them a superiority to the government of a wise prince , and well dispos'd people in a limited monarchy . but i have said enough of this ; the reader will best judge , whether the reading of this book will enamour him of a republican government or not . i have no more to say , but that this is a very faithful translation from an original manuscript communicated to me in italy , where it begins to creep abroad ; and if we had in england the conveniency of workmen that could print italian correctly , i would have publish'd both the original and my translation together . the words of quarantie and avogadore , may puzzle some people ; but they will easily understand , that the first is a kind of bench of judges deligated out of the body of the lesser nobility , for the trial of civil and some criminal causes ; and the other is the name of a great magistrate in venice , who among other priviledges , has that of carrying the sentences of the council of ten before the great council . the opinion of padre paolo , most illustrious and excellent lords , the inquisitors of state , i write by obedience to your lordship's commands , without reflection upon my own small abilities , because the chief consideration of a subject ought to be to obey his prince . your excellencies have commanded me to deliver my opinion , how the venetian republick ought to regulate it self , to hope for a perpetual duration . to obtain a true notion of this , it will be necessary to distinguish , and first to regulate the government of the city , in which will be comprehended the manner of keeping the nobles and the citizens to their duty ; then look abroad to the rest of your dominions : and lastly give some form to the dealing with foreign princes . to begin with the first , i might in short put you in mind of the saying of st. bernardino of siena , to the doge m●ro , who said , that the republick should continue so long as they should keep to the rule of doing exact justice ; but to come nearer to the matter , and the condition of these times , we must reduce under that head of justice , all that contributes to the service of the state ; and , to speak yet more succinctly , we will lay it down as a maxim , that all is just which is any ways necessary for the maintaining of the government . in the particular government of the city , 't is an excellent custom to lay the impositions as well upon the nobility , as the rest of the citizens . first , because the burden is less when it is general : and , secondly , because 't is just when 't is without partiality . there is no doubt but it lessens something of the splendor of the nobility to see them tax'd particularly , since in many governments the nobility and gentry , though they are subjects , and not part of the government , do nevertheless enjoy a freedom from taxes , and contribute more with their sword than purse , towards the publick charge : but since the ancient simplicity of our ancestors has patiently submitted to this yoak ; and because the priviledges of the sword are dangerous in a commonwealth , i think 't is advisable not to innovate in this point , because such a change would give too much offence to the rest of your people , and too much haughtiness to your own nobility . 't is true , that when the taxes are upon the lands , so as to be unavoidable , it would be convenient to give the nobility all the advantage of time for payment , and at last , if they are insolvent , it will not be amiss to neglect the rigorous exaction of the law , that so the nobility be not ruin'd , because extreams are always dangerous , and the republick may suffer as much from having too many poor noblemen , as from having too many rich ones ; besides the envy and jealousie that must be in the hearts of those who shall find themselves naked , and their equals cloathed with their garments , and that only for not having been able to pay an imposition laid upon them by other peoples contrivance . there are some , who not making a right judgment of things , do inveigh extreamly against a custom of this republick , which is the having so many offices and places of so small revenue , that those who enjoy them are almost necessitated to be corrupt ; and so after they have been judges and governours , forc'd to come under the lash of the law , or to justifie their integrity , if they can : this seems a notorious abuse , and carries with it some appearance . but however , i should never advise to make these imployments better , because there results from this another greater advantage to the state , which is to keep the small nobility under ; for they may be compar'd to the adder , which cannot exert its poyson when 't is numm'd with cold : and if these nobles , who are by inclination discontented , should once arrive but to a mediocrity in fortune , they would presently contest with the great ones , and by strength of their numbers play some ill trick to the government : whereas now they are kept to their duty , not only by poverty , which clips the wings of ambition , but also by being subject to the censure of the great ones , for having misbehav'd themselves in their governments . indead i could think it prudent to proceed against them something coldly , unless they are guilty of very great enormities , such as scandalize the generality of your subjects ; for then 't is necessary to shew a publick resentment : but otherwise i would have them handled gently , it being a kind of punishment to lye open to a prosecution : and indeed i would never have any nobleman , though never so guilty , be condemned to a publick infamous death , because the damage that results from thence upon the whole order of the nobility , when they are seen to pass through the hands of an hangman , is greater than the good of a publick example can avail . neither on the other side would i have these noblemen , thus guilty , to walk the streets , and be seen in publick , because then your subjects would conceive a sinister opinion of your justice ; but they should be kept in prison , or , if it be necessary , be privately dispatch'd . if these criminals fly from justice , then you may use the utmost severity in your banishing of them ; because then it appears , that if nothing more be done , nothing more was feasible ; and let the same rigour be observ'd in keeping them out : for since they are , as it were , gangreen'd members cut off from the body , it will not be expedient to unite them again to it with deformity of the whole . here i foresee i shall be censur'd by some , as a bad pilot , who endeavouring to shun scylla , runs upon carybdis ; that is , while i aim at keeping the small nobility under , i forget the danger may arise from the great , and the rich of that order . i see the objection , but do not value it ; and my reason is , the long observation i have made of the nature of this city , by the strength of which i dare boldly affirm , that the republick of venice will never come to its end by that which has ruin'd all other republicks , to wit , when the power has been reduc'd first into a few hands , and then their authority devolv'd upon one who has erected a monarchy . the strange emulation that reigns here among the great ones , even among those of the same family ; nay , that is between brothers themselves , does secure the government from this danger ; and if by a supposition , almost impossible , all the brothers of one family had the power given them of making a dictator , i am confident they would never agree to chuse one among themselves , but would rather chuse to be a part of the government , divided among a thousand gentlemen , than to be princes of the blood , and subjects . the great governments , called governments of expence , and so contriv'd on purpose by our prudent ancestors , to give an occasion to those who are too rich to lessen their riches ; ought to be dispos'd of according to the intention of their first institution : that is to say , not to those who have no means to sustain such a burden , and must be forc'd by consequence to compass them per fas & nefas ; and if they are honest , must do it foolishly , because they are not wicked enough to do it knavishly , and so either acquire the hatred of those they govern , or be laugh'd at , and contemned by them . this is a point of great importance ; and he who goes through such an imployment meanly , and without expence , demerits extreamly of his countrey , because he renders the person that represents the state contemptible ; and all rebellions of subjects have had their first original rise from the contempt of the prince . the contests that happen between nobleman and nobleman of equal fortunes , and are follow'd by attempts upon one another , may be conniv'd at when they are reconcil'd ; but if the thing be between a nobleman of the better sort , and one of the lesser , let it be chastis'd with some appearance of severity at least , for fear the humours of the small nobility should be stirr'd ; but if one of these shall attack a nobleman of the first rate , let him be punish'd with a heavy hand , lest the party injur'd , being potent in friends , go about to do himself justice , to the great detriment of the publick authority : but if a nobleman do commit an enormity towards a subject , first let there be all the endeavour possible used to justifie him ; and if that cannot be , let the punishment be with more noise than harm ; but if a subject insults a nobleman , let the revenge be sharp and publick , that the subjects may not accustom themselves to lay hands upon the nobility , but rather think them venerable and sacred . in civil judicatures it would be requisite to act without passion , to take away that ill opinion that men have of the partiality of justice , in favour of the great . this belief must be destroyed ; for a subject that once thinks himself prejudg'd by the quality of his adversary , will never be capable of seeing whether his cause has been decided according to the merit of it or no : therefore there can never be too much diligence used in the administration of civil judicatures , which are one of the greatest foundations of government ; for when a subject can say to himself , that he shall have justice , if his case deserves it , he submits to a great many other grievances without repining : and on the contrary , though after an unjust sentence , he should be indulg'd in some criminal matter , he will never have a love for the government , because the injury receiv'd , will stick in his memory , and the indulgence will vanish out of it . the quarrels between the plebeians may be judged according to the common course of justice , which may there appear in its natural being , there arising no politick grounds to disturb the course of it ; nay , rather their little animosities are to be fomented , as cato us'd to do in his family ; and for this reason , wise antiquity permitted the encounters and battles that are still practis'd in this city , between several parties of the people ; but all assemblies of numerous bodies are to be avoided as the plague , because nothing can sooner overturn the commonwealth , than the facility the people may meet with in getting together to confer or debate about their grievances ; nay , this thing is so dangerous , that it is to be detested and abhorr'd , even in the nobility , because that there being in all bodies some ill humours , if they are not united , either they do not work at all , or do not work ill ; but if they once are in a mass , and take their course one way , they not only are hard to cure , but often prove mortal to the body . let there be a careful watch upon all seditious discourses , nay , upon all speculative ones that seem any way to censure the government ; and set before your eyes the example of heresies , which have never so much wasted the church as when they have had their beginnings from curiosity and jests . let the city arsenal be kept up , though there be not present occasion for it , because things that depend upon time , must be anticipated by time . let the masters and tradesmen of the place be kept satisfied , and upon any fault committed , let the punishment be paternal ; that is , with seeming rigour , but not such as to make them run away ; for , if possible , they are to believe the fable of the mouse , who thought its hole to be all the world. let the publick secretaries , and all other officers that must be inform'd of the publick concerns , be chosen with care , as like to be faithful and diligent ; but when once admitted , though they should prove otherwise , let them be born withal , because there is need of but a few to do well : but every single officer can do hurt ; and it 's much easier to defend ones self from a potent foreign enemy , than from an ill-meaning servant . let the manufactures which are peculiar to venice , be preserv'd ; and to that end let them not be loaded with many impositions , because that profit and gain which has made men venture through a thousand difficulties , to discover new worlds , will still carry the merchant , if he cannot have it at home , to seek it abroad , though he go to the antipodes for it . preserve the artists therefore , remembring that most arts are a kind of phantastick being . the marriages between noblemen and women of the city , may be tolerated , if the women are very rich ; because it often happens that the industry of many years of the plebeians , serves only to enrich the house of a nobleman ; and it is a gentle imperceptible sort of usurpation ; 't is true , 't is something abating of the lustre of the noble families ; but that is only in abstract and in general , but in reality it advantages the nobility ; and there need be no fear that the children be degenerate and base , because nothing so debases a nobleman as poverty : besides , there results from this another great advantage , which is , to make the plebeians concern'd by affection for the nobility , and bound to study their advantage by a much sweeter tye than that of obedience . let the considerable honours of the commonwealth be disposed of to those who may naturally pretend to them , for having gone through the many employments , which are steps to the highest dignities , making always an allowance for extraordinary merit , in which the state can never be too prodigal : for otherwise to prefer those who cannot reckon themselves among the lawful pretenders , gives just offence to the others his equals , and likewise strengthens the pretensions of the unworthy , who not seeing any thing in that fortunate man that exceeds their ordinary talent , cannot imagine why he should be preferr'd , and they excluded from the like dignities . the subject on the other hand is hardly brought to pay excessive reverence where they never us'd to give but ordinary respect ; and from this argues , that the dignity it self is not of so much value , since it is bestowed upon so inconsiderable a person . and because it is in the nature of all sublunary things to have a mixture of imperfection , i must own , that the republick of venice has likewise its defects ; and the chief one is , that the body of the nobility is too numerous to be aristocratical ; therefore it will always be expedient to contrive , by all arts imaginable , that the great council do delegate the greatest authority that may be to the senate and the council of ten : but this must be done by secret imperceptible ways , such as shall not be discover'd till after 't is done , because when they have once for all parted with their power , it will be a happy settlement of the deliberating part , and if the same can be composed in the judiciary and distributive power , it may be hop'd , that the constitution of the state will be more vigorous : it cannot be denied but the great council does relish very much of the mobile , and by consequent , subject to impetuous deliberations , not always weigh'd in the ballance of prudence and experience . and truly i admire , that wise antiquity did not gain this point , it being easie for them to take advantage of the simplicity of their times ; or at least to have prolong'd the time of the great magistratures further than from year to year , at the end of which they now must have a new confirmation from the senate ; for this being design'd to prevent the falling into the tyranny of the great ones , does unawares run the state into that of the meaner sort , so much the more odious by how much 't is more numerous and unexperienc'd ; we should see more vigorous resolutions in the senators , if they were not continually obliged to court the favour of the piazza . the office of avogadore is to be disposed of with extream circumspection , and that to persons of eminency , such as have no need of fawning upon the multitude of the great council , and then the senate and council of ten might make some steps beyond their natural authority , which would be born with patience , and time would give them prescription : whereas , if an avogadore , to make himself popular , shall carry these deliberations to the great councils censure , immediately out of jealousie they are annull'd , though never so expedient . therefore if that office of avogadore cannot be placed in the hands of one who inclines more to the patritian than to the popular side , it would be well to give it to one of mean spirit , and a quiet temper ; or if it be disposed of to an unquiet bold man , let him be one who lies under some infamous imputation of corruption , or other enormity , to the end that the first may not be able , nor the latter dare to affront , and try it with the grandees of the state ; otherwise an avogadore of parts , integrity and malignity , may easily set fire to the four corners of the commonwealth . for the same reasons it will always be well to lessen the authority of the quaranties , they being naturally popular . they were constituted numerous , to prevent the venality of justice ; but on the other hand they are subject to gather peccant humours , and afford too much nourishment to a feverish temper : they may be born with in the administration of civil justice , but in criminals their power should be lessen'd , which may be done by the council of ten 's taking to their cognizance all criminal cases that they can any ways draw to them , and by leaving off the custom of deligating the power of the senate and signoria to these quaranties , as is now practis'd but too often . if these quaranties were quite taken away , it would be better for the government , but then it would be as necessary to provide some other way for so many necessitous and idle persons . it were well to use all means to take from them the authority of judging noblemen in criminal cases ; for so by degrees they will lose many of the priviledges affected to the nobility , as also i could wish they were totally excluded from the senate ; but that is more to be wish'd than hop'd for . as for the people , let them always be provided for by plenty of things for sustenance , and as cheap as may be : for the nature of the rabble is so malicious , that even when scarcity of provisions comes from the failing of the crops , they nevertheless impute it to the malice or negligence of the great ones : so there is no way to make them hold their peace , but to stop their mouths . employ as many of the people as may be in the service of the publick , that so drawing their livelyhood from the government , they may have affection for it , and the numbers of the necessitous will thereby be lessen'd : for if hunger and want can make strong towns yield , it will likewise incite men to venture their lives in desperate attempts , rather than linger in misery . yet still i would not advise to take any into office that had not first gain'd wherewithal to subsist in a mediocrity ; for else it will be but giving him a kind of leave to cheat , to the great damage of the publick . as for the married women of the city , let there be care taken to keep them honest ; and to have them so , they must be kept retir'd , remembring , that the beginnings of all corruption in that kind are slight , and proceed from a look or a salute . let one modern abuse be reform'd , which is , that the noblemen do take upon them to force the people to make agreements , payments , or marriages , and not dare to have recourse to the publick authority , upon which this is an usurpation : if this be not remedied , 't is enough to cause another sicilian vespers : besides , that it is likely to set all the nobility together by the ears , while each will maintain his own friends and dependants . in all occurrences where the publick faith is engaged , let it be inviolably kept , without minding any present advantage that might accrew by the breaking of it ; for that is but momentaneous : whereas the benefit of keeping faith is eternal ; and a prince that breaks his word , must invent a new religion to make himself be believed another time , seeing the oaths he made in the religion he professes have not been able to bind him . let the nobles forbear all trading ; for a state that will have merchants , must not have their . governours exercise that profession , because the merchants will always be afraid of being brow-beaten in bargains , and over-aw'd in their dealings . the spaniards , who have so little kindness for the venetian government , have not a more odious name than to call it , a republick of merchants . by an ancient law , a nobleman tax'd with trading , cannot enter into a turnament , as not being fit company for cavaliers . merchandise may in a short time either extreamly enrich , or totally ruine a family , both which are dangerous for the commonwealth . besides , a merchant is of a necessity in some measure a foreigner , while his trade and interest lies abroad , and a nobleman ought to have no interest nor affection but at home . if politicians have taught , that it is not safe for a great city to have too sumptuous palaces and villas in its territory , lest the fear of losing of them should incline them to yield the very city to a potent enemy : what shall we say of those nobles , who , being engag'd in trade , may have many thousands of crowns in an enemies country ? in the beginnings of a commonwealth , merchandising was necessary to get out of poverty , and now 't is dangerous , as being the fomenter of too much luxury . the genoueses who have continued the trading of their nobility , have but small respect shew'd them by other princes , and are more valued one by one than altogether . let superfluous pomps be forbidden , though if they were only followed by the rich , it would be of use to the government , because it would bleed those who are too sanguine ; but by reason of the emulation which is between those of the same degree , the permitting of them would prove ruinous to many families , who could neither avoid them , nor go through with them : and whoever by a punctilio of honour is brought to the necessity of doing more than he is able , must use , to compass it , such means as he ought not to employ . before a law be made and promulgated , let it be well thought on and debated : but being once made , let it be observed , and the non-observance of it punished ; because whoever suffers disobedience in small matters , teaches it in greater : and that nobleman who thinks to distinguish himself by slighting of the laws , offends both his country and himself by such ▪ an example , more than by any dissoluteness he could be guilty of , because he directly strikes at the publick authority ; and besides , such a custom once taking root in a commonwealth , and being an inveterate abuse among the nobility , it is not to be reform'd with less than the loss of the lives of half the body . if there be an occasion of coming to some resolution that may be thought unpleasing to the generality , particularly in point of justice , let it be given out , that it was carried by a thin majority , that at least they who were against it , may please themselves in thinking they had many of their opinion . let the secrets of the government be kept inviolably , and do not forget that ancient record of the venetian circumspection , which was , that when the general carmagnuola was condemned , the resolution ( though taken by three hundred and fifteen senators ) never took air for eight months together before the execution ; which is a thing that the most absolute princes could not have met with in the fidelity of three or four state-ministers , though bound by excessive rewards to secresy . and what a wonderful thing was the deposition of the doge foscari , conceal'd by his own brother ? certainly one cannot without tears observe , that in our times so great a quality which seem'd to be proper to the venetian commonwealth , is something altered by the inconsideration of the young nobility , who , not out of disloyalty , but too much freedom , do let things slip from them which ought to be conceal'd . i think every venetian nobleman ought to teach his children the use of secresie with their catechism ; but the better way were to forbid all talking of publick concerns out of the place where they are properly to be deliberated on , and much less among those who are partakers of the secret. let the honours and dignities of the commonwealth be dispensed regularly , and by degrees , avoiding all sudden flights , because they are dangerous : to see a cloud enlighten'd of a sudden , is most commonly a sign of a thunderbolt to come out of it ; and he that from a private man leaps in an instant to the port of a prince , has something of the player . honours given by degrees keep the young nobility from attaining them before they are ripe for them ; and we may observe , that as in physick a man moderately learned , but well experienc'd , is safer for the health of the body natural ; so in the government of the commonwealth , a man often employed , though , perhaps of less acuteness , succeeds best . all matters of benefices are very properly under the cognizance of the great council , but it would be as proper to take away all appeals to the quaranties , and place them in the senate , because it often happens , that these causes are to be decided according to reason of state ; and those quarantia judges put little value upon those politick reasons : and besides , it seems a great incongruity , that a sentence , where the person of the doge , and the whole signoria , both intervene , should afterwards be lyable to the censure of forty persons of lesser value . i believe if it were observed to chastise rigorously , but secretly all those lawyers and their clients , who carry these appeals to the quarantias , the use of them would be less frequent , and in time they would be forborn , as if they were forbidden . if it should fall out , that any of your subjects should procure a decree in the rota , or court of rome , you must rigorously command from him a renunciation ab impetratis , else all beneficiary causes will be devolv'd to rome , where they are look'd upon as sacred , and so a fourth part of all civil causes would be lost for your own courts : auditors of the rota are to be with the commonwealth , like bishops in partibus infidelium , a thing of title , but without subjects . let the bishops of the venetian state be always praecogniz'd in the consistory by a venetian cardinal , without the circumstance of creating him special procurator ; but as protector , which he really ought to be as other cardinals brag they are so , for other states . for the court of rome , to avoid these procurations to venetian cardinals , would perhaps desist making any of that nation , that so they might oblige the state to have recourse to strangers , which in time would also prejudice the pretence of being treated as crown'd heads . if the preconisation be made otherwise , let the state seize the temporalities of the bishoprick , and stop all pensions laid upon it : 't is true , that if the cardinal nipote should make the preconisation , and enjoy at the same time the priviledge of a venetian nobleman , it could not well be rejected . if it should ever happen that there should be a pope , i won't say a venetian , for that would be of more danger than advantage to the government , but a foreigner well inclin'd to the venetian republick , then would be the time to obtain once for all the grant of the tenths upon the clergy , as once it was got under clement the sixth , whose bull is unfortunately lost ; for 't is troublesome to get it renew'd every five year or seven year ; and it would be a point gain'd which still would more and more equal the republick with crown'd heads ; as also if in the titles given by the pope to the doge , there could be gain'd the superlative , as carissimo or dilectissimo , as is usual to crown'd heads , it would be a new lustre to the republick , which for want of these things , and also because that never any venetian nuncio was promoted to be cardinal , is look'd upon at rome as a kind of third power between crown'd heads and the ducal state. if , i say , all this could be gain'd by the state from a pope , there might be some return made , by making a law , that church-men in criminals should not be judged by any tribunal but the council of ten , or delegates from that council . and now i am speaking of that council , i cannot but inculcate , that all means possible should be used to hinder an avogadore from daring to carry the decrees of the council of ten to be re-view'd or censur'd by any other council : but rather , if there ought to be any change made in them , let it be by the same power that made them ; otherwise the consequence will be a constant annihilation of their decrees , and a manifest depression of the great nobility , with an exaltation of the lesser . touching the authority of this council , i have this more to say , that i could wish , that the delegations of its power were less frequent , with great regard to the dignity of the persons , as well as to the splendor of the government , which is always more reverenced when it is least communicated , like the sun-beams , which in that glorious body are of gold , but communicated to the moon , are but of silver . indeed our ancestors would have deserved well of us , if they had lengthened the time of this magistracy : but because that which was not done in those old times , can hardly be hop'd for in these modern ones , the only remedy would be to obtain a continuation of the same persons for another year , under pretext of avoiding so many various elections in so short a time as must be made by a scrutiny in the pregadi : 't is true , that would exempt the persons continued from the governments of expence ; but as long as that exemption did not extend beyond a year , there would be little inconvenience in it : and if it be objected , that this would too much strengthen the authority of the great ones , i answer , that it lasting but a few months , could not be of ill consequence : and on the other side , those hands are , as it were , tied up , which ought to be at liberty to do justice , while every week they may be canvass'd and teas'd by a party of mean persons , both for the conditions of their mind and fortune : i have often admired how the council of ten ( having already all the criminal power , and a good part of the judiciary in civil causes , as well as in state-affairs ) have suffered themselves to be thus fetter'd , it seeming to me almost impossible that the inferiour sort should at the time of this modification have so far prevail'd over the middling nobility , as to make them forget , that it is much better obeying a few great ones , than a multitude of inferiours . the prudence of the great ones must be awak'd , to take all secret advantage to repair these past omissions by means not easily penetrated . let vertue be esteem'd where-ever it is ; and if it be eminent in one who is not noble , let it find a regard ; for he has made himself noble ; and all hereditary nobility has had its beginning from some personal eminency . and thus much for the first head. the second head , which is concerning the government of your subjects , may be divided into those who confine upon the sea , and in your islands , and those of terra firma . as to the first , there needs not much speculation ; for they confining only upon the turk , and there being among them but few persons of note or riches , there remains nothing but to shew your selves just by giving them good rulers ; and there you ought to be very careful : for if they have justice and plenty , they will never think of changing their masters : those few of istria and dalmatia , that confine upon the emperour , have not in themselves any qualities to waken your jealousie , and are besides well affectioned to the government of the republick . for your greek subjects of the island of candia , and the other islands of the levant , there is no doubt but there is some greater regard to be had of them , first , because that the greek faith is never to be trusted ; and perhaps they would not much stick at submitting to the turk , having the example of all the rest of their nation before their eyes : these therefore must be watch'd with more attention , lest , like wild beasts , as they are , they should find an occasion to use their teeth and claws ; the surest way is to keep good garrisons to awe them , and not use them to arms or musters , in hopes of being assisted by them in an extremity : for they will always shew ill inclinations proportionably to the strength they shall be masters of , they being of the nature of the gally-slaves , who , if they were well us'd , would return the kindness , by seizing the gally , and carry it and its commander to algiers : wine and bastonadoes ought to be their share , and keep good nature for a better occasion . as for the gentlemen of those collonies , you must be very watchful of them ; for besides the natural ferocity of the climate , they have the character of noblemen , which raises their spirits , as the frequent rebellions of candia do sufficiently evidence . the use of colonies was advantageous to the roman commonwealth , because they preserv'd even in asia and africa , roman inclinations , and with them a kindness for their country . if the gentlemen of these colonies do tyrannize over the villages of their dominion , the best way is not to seem to see it , that there may be no kindness between them and their subjects ; but if they offend in any thing else , 't will be well to chastise them severely , that they may not brag of any priviledges more than others : it will not be amiss likewise to dispute all their pretensions to any particular jurisdiction ; and if at any time their nobility or title be disputed , it will do well to sell them the confirmation of it at as dear a rate as possible : and , in a word , remember that all the good that can come from them , is already obtain'd , which was to fix the venetian dominion ; and for the future there is nothing but mischief to be expected from them . as for the subjects of terra firma , there is required a more abstruse way of governing , by distinguishing those who by an ancient inclination are well affected to the republick , as those of brescia , crema , and bergamo , and also those of vicenza ; for to them there ought to be suitable returns of kindness made upon occasion to the others , who only have a kindness of obedience , such as are the veroneses , padouans and trevigians , it will be good to make shew of great justice towards them , but not let slip any occasion of keeping them low : it is good to wink at the fewds and enmities that happen among them , for from these two benefits arise to the commonwealth , to wit , private discord among themselves , and good confiscations to the publick . let all extortions and oppressions committed by the gentry upon the people , be severely punished , that the people may be affectionate to the government , as being particularly protected by it : in all occasions of taxes and impositions , suffer not any remonstrances , remembring how in 1606. there had like to have been a league between the brescian and veroneze , in order to obtain an abolition of imposts , and with what boldness the brescian embassadours made their complaints in the senate : it was a very previous disposition to a rebellion ; therefore it will be fit to let them know , that if the state think good to lay a tax , there is no way of avoiding it . those who in the councils of these towns , are of a resolute nature , and somewhat refractory to the orders of the state , you must either ruin or oblige , even at the publick charge : for a small leven is enough to ferment a great mass of bread. the brescians have a priviledge which you must infringe upon all fit opportunities , which is , that no estates of brescians can be bought but by brescians themselves : for if the venetians could extend themselves in that most fertile country , in a few years it would be as it is now with the padouans , who have scarce a third of their own country left them . in the case of a rich heiress , it will be well to endeavour , by all fair means , to marry her with some of the venetian nobility , to enrich them , and impoverish the others . let their governours be chosen among those of the highest spirits of the venetian . nobility , that they may in them venerate the prince : for every man naturally gives more credit to his eyes than to his ears . observe however this caution in taxing , that you do not thereby hinder plenty : for though men may be perswaded to part with superfluities , yet not with what is necessary for life . as for employments , if there be room , omit not to give them to the natives , but still in places remote from their own dwelling , and keep them there as long as may be , that they may lose their interest at home . if there be heads of factions among them , they must be exterminated any way ; but if you have them in prison , 't is better to use poyson than the hangman , because the advantage will be the same , and the odium less . you must have an account of the taxes that their neighbours the milaneses undergo , and still let those of the venetian subjects be something lighter in comparison ; and moreover let them be free from quartering of souldiers , which is in it self the heaviest of all tyrannical oppressions . let the great crimes be still brought before the council of ten , that the veneration for the power at distance may be greater , and likewise because the ministers of justice will be less subject to be corrupted , when the criminals are in the prisons of the state. let the process against them be tedious , that so the slowness of proceedings may be some part of punishment : but for the banditi , if they dare to appear in the state , let them be extermined with all industry ; for there cannot be a greater demonstration of contempt in the subject , and weakness of the prince , than for a condemned man to dare to come into the dominions out of which he has been banished , as if one should frequent another man's house in spight of his teeth . the bishopricks and other church-preferments may be conferr'd upon the natives , first , to avoid the imputation of too much avarice in the venetian nobility , if they should take all preferments to themselves . secondly , in order to debase the spirits of the natives , and turn them off from arms to an idle life : besides , it will be a kind of a shadow of liberty , to make them bear their subjection the better . but as much as it may be convenient to let them attain the degree of bishops , so much would it be dangerous to let them arrive to that of cardinal ; for then they will be sure to abhor the quality of subjects , since those who wear that purple have usurp'd the precedency even over princes . let every city have the making of their own gentry by their common-council ; for that will make it so much the meaner ; but still let them be bound to have the confirmation from the senate . let all those families who apply themselves to the service of foreign princes , be upon all occasions slighted , and not at all countenanced by the government , intimating to them by that silent notice , that he deserves little of his own prince who seeks employment with a foreign one : and if any of these who have serv'd abroad , should be so bold , as to contend with a venetian nobleman , if it be at venice , let the punishment be severe , if he be in the wrong ; but if it is in his own country , let it be gentle , that the opinion of the publick justice may be advantageously insinuated to the people ; and likewise , that the noble venetians themselves may avoid contests , where they are not more immediately protected . let the citadels of the chief cities be well provided , as much against a foreign enemy , as to chastise a rebellion at home , nothing so much inclining to offend , as the hopes of impunity : and it may indeed be said , that if men were certain of a punishment to follow , they would never offend at all ; but a prince that is sufficiently provided , is sufficiently safe . remember , that as it is very hard to find either a wife or a monk , that one time or another have not repented the loss of their natural liberty , so the same may be said of subjects , who fancy that they have parted with more of that they were born to than was necessary for their well-being . and let this suffice for the second head. coming now to those several princes with whom the venetian republick may have concerns , we will begin with the pope , as being the first in dignity , if not in power . and here we must have a twofold consideration , he being to be look'd upon as a spiritual and as a temporal prince . there has been some advertisements given already about his spiritual power : we will add here what was then omitted : first , we must admire the wonderful state of that monarchy , which from a mean and persecuted condition , for the series of many years , in which the very exercise of religion was punished with death , is arriv'd to so much greatness , that all regal dignities of the same communion , pay homage to this spiritual monarch , by the kissing of his feet . god almighty has been pleased this way to shew the reward of christian religion , by raising to the supreamest greatness the institutors and ministers of it ; but the piety of christian princes has very much contributed to it ; and the first was constantine : this emperor not only embrac'd the christian faith , but enrich'd the church extreamly , and since his time several other emperors and kings have , as it were , vied with one another , who should give most : but that which is most inscrutable is , how with their riches they came to give away also their jurisdiction and power . for six hundred years after the coming of christ the popes were always confirmed by the emperors , or in their steads , by the exarcks of ravenna ; and in the very patent of confirmation there was always written these words , regnante tali domino nostro . in the year 518. the emperor justinus sent from constantinople his embassadors to pope hormisda , to confirm the authority of the apostolical sea , and to announce peace to the church . in 684. constantine the second gave to benedictus the second a concession , by which , for the future , the election of popes should be made by the clergy and people of rome , and should not need the confirmation of the emperour , nor of the exarck , not reflecting , that the holiness of those times might come to change it self into an interest of state. bonifacius the third obtained of the emperour phocas , that all other christian churches might be obedient to the roman . after this , in the year 708. justinus the second was the first that submitted to kiss the pope's feet ; and that pope's name was constantine : but adrian the first having received great favours from charles the first , king of france , did in a council of one hundred and fifty three bishops , confer upon him the authority of chusing the popes , which was about the year 773. a priviledge which his son lewis the pious knew not how to keep , but parted with it for the imaginary title of pious ; to which might be added that of simple . howsoever scandalous the emperours were in their lives , the popes did use to bear with them , referring to god almighty the punishment of them : but in the year 713. philip , emperour of constantinople , being fallen into heresy , was excommunicated by pope constantine , and had the reward due for all the honours and priviledges given by his predecessors to the popes . this was the very first time that the imperial power was forc'd to stoop to the papal ; and yet at the same time the church of milan claim'd an independency from the roman , and maintain'd it for above two hundred years , being countenanc'd by the emperours , who often came into italy , and in their absence hy the exarcks of ravenna , till at last in the year 1057. it yielded up the contest to pope stephen the ninth . in the year 1143. celestin the second was the first pope chosen by cardinals in exclusion to the people . i have made this narration , that it may appear by what degrees this spiritual monarchy has increased ; and in it , the goodness of christian princes is not more to be admired than the dexterity of the popes , in not omitting any occasion to gain ground . at present the emperour is chosen by a pontifical bull , where the power of election is committed to the three ecclesiastical , and four secular electors , with an obligation nevertheless in the emperour chosen , to receive his confirmation and coronation from the pope ; so that the subject is at last become prince over his own prince , not without some reflection of weakness upon otho the fourth , emperour of germany , who in the year 994. agreed with pope gregory to settle the election in this manner , for the honour ( as he thought ) of the german nation , but with great diminution of the imperial dignity . to this grandeur of the papacy , if we add that of having subjected to its power all the other bishops of christendom , and obtain'd to be own'd the first of all the patriarchs , who long contested its primacy . i say , so high a power ought to make all other well-govern'd states very wary in their proceedings with it , and to have a careful eye upon all those occasions wherein the pontifical authority may be still enlarged , because 't is observed , that all courtesies and favours of princes are in that court turn'd to debts and claims in the space of a few years ; and to obtain the possession , they do not spare for exorcisms and anathema's . there is one custom , or rather abuse introduc'd in that court , which deserves great consideration from princes , which is the power the pope has assum'd of deposing princes and soveraigns , and giving their kingdoms and states to others , under pretext of ill government . the prodigal son in the gospel did not lose his right to his portion , though he was resolv'd to dissipate and consume it viciously , because that title which we receive from nature can never be lost in our whole life . the kings of navar were sain to go vagabonds about the world for the sake of a bit of parchment which pope julius the second put out against them , whereby king john the second lost his kingdom , which was given to ferdinand of arragon ; and had not providence brought them to the crown of france , there would have been no mention in the world of the kings of navar . from this liberty of taking away kingdoms , the popes assume that of erecting them . pope paul the fourth made ireland a kingdom , and pius the fifth erected tuscany into a great dutchy . queen elizabeth of england , was deposed by paul the third , and according to the usual custom , her kingdom given to philip the second of spain , who was to execute the papal sentence ; but he met with the winds and seas , and the english ships , which quite defeated his armada . in france , by a priviledge of the gallican church , they admit of no bulls that contain deprivation of kings , but keep to the right of succession : and indeed to depose an actual king , and give away his kingdom , is not only to destroy a suppos'd delinquent , but to punish an innocent successour , and likewise to prejudice the right of election in those who have it . on the other hand england has often thought fit to make it self tributary to the see of rome by the peter-pence , the first time under pope leo the fourth , and more remarkably under king john , in 1214. to avoid the invasion from france ; but henry the eighth delivered himself once for all , and not only refused the tribute , but made himself amends by seizing the church-lands . the fresh example of paul the fifth towards this republick is never to be forgot , who charitably would have govern'd another bodies house , under pretext that the master did not understand how to do it himself : and the constancy of the venetian republick will have given fair . warning to the court of rome , how they undertake such quarrels , since they were forced to come to an agreement with very little satisfaction or honour on their side , having been obliged tacitely to give up their claim ; for to demand peremptorily , and then relinquish the demand , is a sign it was not well founded in justice ; and the absolution resus'd , was proof enough , that the excommunication was void in it self : so that the advantage that has accrew'd to the venetian government from the contest , has been much greater than the damage sustain'd in it . if ever for the future . which i scarce believe , there should happen an occasion of an interdict from the court of rome to the republick , i should advise presently to post up in rome an appellation to the future council , which is a cruel blow to them : for first , it insinuates the superiority of the council over the pope ; and secondly , it revives the memory of councils , and lets them see they are not things quite forgot all the world over . if there be care taken to examine well all bulls that come from rome , and the observation of what has been hitherto practis'd , be strictly continued , it may be hop'd , that the republick shall not undergo any greater subjection than other princes , but rather shall have some liberty above them , particularly more than the spaniards , who find their account in complying with the tyranny of rome , because they receive at the same time great favours from it , and are proud of maintaining its authority . to say truth , the popes hitherto have shew'd little kindness to the republick , and except the priviledges granted by alexander the third , which serve more to register to the world the action of the republick , in restoring and protecting him , than for any thing else : for the doge might of himself without the papal concession , have assum'd those other little ornaments of the ombrella , the standard and the sword : so that bating the concessions of the decimes upon the clergy , and the nominations to the bishopricks , this country of ours feels but slender effects of the pontifical kindness , which may be an advantage upon all occurrences of interest of state to stick the closer to that , because there needs no complements where every one desires . but his own . in considering the secular power of the pope , we will do it upon five heads , which may serve to examine all other princes interests with the republick . first , if it be advantageous to the republick to have the church grow greater . secondly , what title , inclination or facility the popes may have to acquire any part of the state of the republick . thirdly , what inclination , title or facility the republick may have to acquire any part of the state of the church . fourthly , if the church may unite with the republick , to acquire the state of any other princes . fifthly , if the church can unite with other princes , to hinder the progress of the arme of the republick . to begin with the first , we will answer with a general rule , which is , that it never is advantageous to a prince , who desires to remain free and powerful , to let another grow great , except it be to lessen a third , who is greater than them both ; and if he that is thus agrandiz'd be a neighbour , his advancement is so much more to be feared : these alterations indeed may not be so dangerous to a little prince , who does not fear depending upon a great one , to avoid being molested by one who is already too strong for him . but to come closer to the case of the republick , we will say , that if the church could make it self master of any part of the king of spain's dominions in italy , where he is the greatest prince , they might hope for the consent of the republick , which is the second great italian potentate , because by that means the republick might become the first ; and however , the strength of the church will always give less jealousie to the republick , than the spanish power in italy ; for the nature of the pontifical principality is elective and temporary , and the aims and designs of that court vary according to the genius of the several popes ; and sometimes it is subject to long vacancies : whereas the monarchy of spain is successive , and , as one may say , eternal , and govern'd by standing lasting maxims . but if the church be to grow great by the spoils of any other italian prince , it would be the interest of the republick to oppose it , because the damage thence resulting is evident , and the advantage dangerous . it ought to be well consider'd , how the state of the church is increased in this last century . the custom that was in the church before , to give infeodations upon slight acknowledgments , had brought that power to be more of show than real strength ; but julius the second , succeeding alexander the sixth , made borgia , duke of volentine , nephew to alexander , who had seiz'd upon all those infeodations in romania , refund them to the church , and added to them the conquest of bologna , and got also from the republick the cities of cervia , rimini , ravenna , faenza , imola , and others , to which , under clement the eighth , was added the whole dutchy of ferrara , and lately that of urbin : so that these . acquisitions alone would make up a great principality : and the church seems to want nothing towards the making of it the most considerable power of italy , than the addition of parma and piacenza , and some little independent castles in the territories about rome : besides , it can never more be lessen'd by infeodations , that being quite left off by that court : so that to let the church grow any greater in italy , generally speaking , cannot be for the interest of the venetian republick . to the second point , what title , inclination or facility the church may have to acquire any portion of the state of the republick , we shall say , that since the court makes profession of the extreamest justice , and that likewise they are loth to begin the example of princes usurping ▪ upon one another , i think they can hardly set up any title but upon the polesine of rovigo , which they say was formerly annex'd to the dutchy of ferrara ; and in the times that the dispute was between the dukes of ferrara and the republick , the popes always shewed themselves smart defenders of the dukes : of four interdicts published by the church against the venetians , two of them were for this very cause , the first in the year 1305. the second in the year 1483. under sixtus the fourth , at which time indeed the republick had taken the whole dutchy of ferrara , by the instigation of the pope himself ; but he being friends with the duke , commanded them to restore what they had taken , which they refusing to do , he sulminated his excommunication and interdict ; but a peace following , the republick kept by agreement the polesine of rovigo : the third interdict was in 1505. under julius the second , because the republick had several cities of romania in their possessions , and the last of all was now lately under paul the fifth : so that if the popes shewed such a concern for the thing when it was only belonging to the dukes of ferrara , much more would they do it now when the profit would be their own : so that we may believe that as to this they do own a title , and have likewise inclination enough to regain this bit of territory that is lopp'd off from them . we are therefore to consider what facility they have to do it ; and i do not believe that ever of themselves they will kindle the fire , but make advantage of one ready kindled by some other , as it happened under julius the second : nay , if they reflect upon the great rule of preserving the liberty of italy , they will not for so small a matter enter into a league against the republick ; for it is of greater concern to them not to break the ballance of dominion in italy , lest the tramontani should take advantage of it , and subdue all . but this very reason was strong in pope julius the second's time , and yet was without effect in a mind bent all upon particular interest ; wherefore i conclude , that we are not to expect greater temper in the modern popes , but ought to rest satisfied , that if a powerful foreign prince should promise them the acquisition of the state of the republick , they would embrace the motion without delay . to the third question , i say , that the republick might have just reason to make themselves amends for the country they lost in romagna , it not being a thing they had usurp'd from the church , but a voluntary dedition of those cities who were tyranniz'd over by little tyrants , that had taken occasion from the negligence of popes to make themselves masters of those places : they were yielded up by the republick , to take off julius the second , who was the great fomentour of the fire which was kindled against the venetians in the league of cambray , where the forces of all the princes of christendom were united against them ; and without doubt , upon good circumstances the republick might justifie the re-taking of these towns ; and i believe there is inclination enough to do it , all princes being willing to extend their territories ; but the point is the facility of doing it , which i think altogether remote ; for all other italian princes , if not out of conscience , yet out of ostentation of religion , would be backward to fall upon the church ; and except it should happen that some one of them should grow too powerful for all the others united , and so be able to right himself , i think the state of the church need not fear being lessen'd . to the fourth question , i answer in the negative , and do not believe that the church would joyn with the republick , to acquire the state of any other prince , except it were such a one as the church had a pretence upon , and then they would keep all , which would not please the republick : besides , we ought to reflect upon the genius of the popedom , which being elective , most commonly the popes have no other aim than to keep all quiet , and preserve the general respect of princes towards them , that in that decrepit age they may make their families , their thoughts being far from enlarging a dominion which they expect to leave every day ; and in the mean time , all the ready money , which else they might lay up , would go upon projects of a very uncertain event : and 't is a wonderful thing that julius the second , being of a very mean birth , should have had so great a sence of the publick interest of the church , as to forego all his private concerns , and take the empty praises of his courtiers in payment for the loss of such real advantages as he might have made to his family . the last query depends , in a great measure , upon the others . i do not think it would be easie to concert the union of the pope with other princes , in order to attack the republick , because it will never be advantageous to the church to increase the power of that other prince , neither will it look like the justice they profess , to take to themselves alone the spoils , except it be upon a country on which they have a pretence : 't is true , that in those noysie excommunications where they deprive princes of their dominions , and give them to others that can take them , there might be some danger ; but they are seldom practiz'd but in an attempt made by a prince upon the church , which is never to be feared from the piety and moderation of the republick . there is no doubt but the church would enter into a league to hinder any progress of the republick , particularly against any dependant of theirs ; and also in case the republick attack'd some small prince , the popes , to affect the protection of the weak , would declare ; but if the republick had to do with a strong prince , the church would look on , for fear of greatning too much that prince , the rather , because the republick can lay claim to none of those old ticklish titles which some other princes might set a-foot against the church . and so much for the pope . now let us come to the emperour : the republick must never forget that maxim which is common to all princes bordering upon the empire , which is , that it is not convenient for them to see the emperour made more powerful , lest he renew those antiquated titles he has to most dominions near him , and particularly in italy . the power of the roman commonwealth , which extended almost over all the known world , being at last usurp'd by julius caesar , and from him deriv'd to a long series of succeeding emperours , might give the german emperour a pretext to reckon with all the princes of europe , if he were strong enough ; and perhaps many who wear crowns , would be reduc'd to beggary ; therefore 't is best to keep him in his cold country of germany , where mens spirits are benumm'd , and less undertaking . the republick has reason to distrust him upon many heads ; as emperour he has pretences upon the dutchy of frioul , and the marca trevisana , besides the cities of trevisa , padoua , vicenza and verona : as arch-duke , he pretends to istria : as king of hungary , to zara , and the neighbouring country : so that his titles and neighbourhood are considerably dangerous ; all these countries are besides of greater antiquity than the city of venice it self : so that their being subject to a metropolis of a younger standing , gives some suspicion of the lawfulness of their subjection . all these pretences were renewed in the league of cambray ; therefore i think , without hesitation , i may pronounce , that it is the interest of the republick that the emperour should be kept low , both for general and particular reasons . from these reflections we may also conclude , that the emperour to these titles does not want inclination to acquire a part of the territories of the republick ; particularly it being yet a complaint of that prince , of the little respect show'd him by the republick , when taking advantage of his distractions , they erected the fortress of palma nuova just under his nose . there remains therefore to see what facility he might find in such an attempt . in the present state of his affairs , while the faction of the protestants is so strong in germany , i cannot think that he can quarrel with the republick , which is as powerful in money as he is in men : for in length of time 't is certain , that he who has money may have men , and they who have many men must consume much money : 't is true , he being so near a borderer upon the republick , it may give him the more confidence , because a lesser number will be necessary to make the invasion ; but if the enterprize be not in the name of the whole empire , in which case the whole german nation would be a party , i believe , with the help of his own patrimonial dominions , he will not do any great matter , the rather , because many great heretical princes and cities of germany have the same interest to keep him low : so that as he might perhaps be pretty smart upon an invasion or incursion , at length of time he would prove as weak to hold out a war : and indeed this was the true cause of erecting the fortress of palma nuova , to obviate a sudden incursion of his forces , and provide a retreat for the country people ; so to gain time , which is always as advantageous to the republick , as dangerous to such an enemy , who if he have not some body to furnish him with money , will get but little ground , tho his army be numerous , as it was in the time of maximilian . now whether the republick has any title , inclination or facility to acquire any part of the emperour's territories ? i answer , that without doubt the republick has pretences upon goritia and gradisca , which formerly belong'd to the family of the frangipani , and for a little while was under the government of the republick : there are likewise some castles in istria , and upon the coast which the republick claims ; and for an inclination to acquire these , we need not doubt but the republick has it , it being either the vertue or vice of princes never to be without it : but still the great consideration lies in the facility of doing it ; for if there be that , 't is above half the title ; and if that is wanting , 't is imprudence to own any part of a pretence that must remain without execution . i believe by sea it would prove easie to take trieste , and some other places , but it would be as hard to maintain them ; and to go further into the land , would need great preparatives on the side of the republick : whereas on the emperour's side , the defence would be easie , he having a command of men : so that except in an open war , there is no thinking of any strong attempt that way , and then it were not amiss to put a good strength to it , that at the end of the war , which always must one time or another be succeeded by peace , some of the country might remain by treaty in the venetians hands , for the charges of the war ; for to begin a war only for the acquisition : of these places , would not be a deliberation besitting the wisdom and gravity of the venetian senate : it would be better to watch the occasion of some extremity or pinch of an emperour , which often happens , and buy these places ; but then be aware that if it be not a patrimonial estate , the consent of the dyet is necessary to the purchase , to cut off all claims in time to come . 't is as hard , that the emperour should unite with the republick , to acquire the state of any other prince in italy , because , first , for spain , they are the same family with the emperour ; against the church he will declare as little , professing a great zeal for it , and calling himself , the churches advocate ; modena , mantoua and mirandola are fiefs of the empire ; savoy and florence are remote from him , and to come at them he must overcome greater princes that are between him and them : so that this union would prove difficult . if the emperour should fall out with some of these dukes , his vassals , and depose them , it might happen that if spain were busie elsewhere , and the emperour loth to take the trouble of chastising them himself alone , he might then unite with the republick , upon condition to have the best part of the spoil ; but if the emperour should , as formerly , come to a great rupture with the church , and employ heartily his power in the quarrel , 't is not impossible but he might be willing to engage the republick by a promise of some part of the conquest . i think in any other way 't is not probable to make any advantage of the imperial assistance . the last question is , whether he can unite with others against the republick ? and of this there is no doubt : for if maximilian , tho infinitely oblig'd to the republick , made no difficulty to unite in a league with lewis the twelfth of france , his competitor and enemy , whom , for injuries received , he had declared a rebel to the sacred empire ( tho lewis laugh'd at that imaginary jurisdiction ) : i say , if he could submit to joyn with so suspected a power , much less would the emperour now scruple the uniting either with spain or the pope , or any other princes of italy , not only for to acquire territory , but even for bare money , if it were offer'd him . with france i believe the union would not be so easie as it was then , because now the emperour , being partial for spain , if their interest did not concur , they would hinder him from being drawn away by any hopes or promises : but this will appear better when we come to treat of spain : for if spain will have a league against the republick , the emperour will never stand out . now let us come to france : 't is not above fifty years ago that the republick thought themselves oblig'd not only to desire , but to procure the greatness of france , because being under the phrensie of a civil war , it threatned little less than the dissolution of that monarchy : the succession of henry the fourth to the crown , who had his title from nature , and the possession from his sword , reviv'd it , and at last gave it such vigour , that from deserving compassion , it came to move envy ; and if a fatal blow of a mean hand had not cut off that prince's life , and designs , there would have been requisite great dexterity , or great force to defend the republick from them . the count de fuentes , governour of milan , us'd to brag , that he had such musick as should make those dance who had no mind to 't : henry the fourth might have said so with much more reason , and he us'd to affirm , that at the pass things were , the neutrality of the republick was a coyn that would no longer be current . if he had given career to his no ill-founded designs , half a world would not have suffic'd him ; but we must not be frighted if we see the raging sea swell in billows , and look as if it would swallow up the earth , since a little sand stops all its fury . death has a scythe that most commonly cuts off all the noblest lives : if henry the third of france , had brought the siege of paris to an end ; if philip the second had not had the winds and seas against him , england would have been in chains , and paris would have been a village . in conclusion , the fatality of humane affairs is such , that most great undertakings are disappointed by unexpected causes . at present the constitution of france is such , that there is little danger from them ; for during the minority of their king , they will have enough to do not to lose ground , there being so many jealousies and factions afoot : 't is true , that the common people have open'd their eyes , and begin to be weary of spending their blood for the ambition of the great ones ; and amongst these , the chiefest are old , and at their ease , so that they will think chiefly of keeping themselves in those posts they enjoy . the duke of maine , who is head of the catholick party , is very ancient and very rich ; wherefore if in the time of the great troubles , he either could not or would not aspire to make himself king , when even he had all but the name of it , 't is not to be imagined he thinks of it now ; and if he will be content with the state of a subject , he is as great as he can be . the duke of mercoeur , who in his wife 's right pretended to erect britany into a kingdom , is at last dead in hungary ; the duke of epernon is more studious of good husbandry than soldiery ; the duke of montpensier has always been true to the royal family ; the capricios of the marchioness of aumale , will hardly have any followers ; and it will be well if she can clear her self of the late king's death : on the other side , the prince of conde , the first prince of the blood , is young , and of a mild nature ; he has besides before his eyes the example of his father , grandfather , and great grandfather , who all perish'd unfortunately in civil broils , and has in his own person experimented the spanish parsimony , in his retreat from court to brussels : so that if he desires a greater fortune , he may compass it in france , from the hands of the queen her self , who is so ill a politician , as to try to put out fire with pouring oyl upon it . the hugonots are weary ; the duke of bovillon , their head , well pleased with his present fortune ; and if he have a mind to be a hugonot out of perswasion , and not faction , there is no body will hinder him ; but most of these great men have religion only for a pretext , as 't is reported likewise of the duke de lesdiguieres , which if it be true , they will never be quiet till the king be of age ; and by consequence , there will be little protection to be hop'd for from that kingdom . our speculation therefore may more certainly conclude , that the greatness of france is at a stand , and cannot in the space of some years make any progress , and till it come to an excess not to be thought on for these fifty years , it can give no jealousie to the republick . as to the title , inclination and facility that france may have to acquire any part of the republick's dominions ; i say , we need not doubt of their inclination , because princes are like wolves to one another , always ready for prey . as for title , they can set up none till they have conquer'd the dutchy of milan ; and facility they have as little , because they cannot come at the republick's territories , without first passing over those of other princes , which they will never consent to , lest they prove the first conquest themselves : whereupon i conclude , that for a long time the power of france can give no jealousie to the republick . and on the other side , the republick can have no pretences , as things stand , upon any part of the french territories , as long as they are totally excluded from italy ; and if there be no title , there is less inclination and facility . the union of france with the republick , to acquire the state of any other prince , will always be easie when france is in a condition to mind such acquisitions ; the past examples prove that sufficiently ; but they do sufficiently bear testimony likewise of the danger of such union : now that the french are totally excluded italy , they would agree to very large conditions with the republick , and allow them a great share of the kingdom of naples and dutchy of milan ; but they would no sooner have made the acquisition of their share , but they would begin to cast their eyes upon that of the republick , and enter into a league against them with some other prince , just as it happened in the time of lewis the twelfth , when to gain cremona , he was the first that consented to the league of cambray , deceiving all the while the venetian embassador at court , and affirming ( even with oaths ) , that he would never conclude any thing to the prejudice of the republick , tho he had sign'd the league above six weeks before the war began , which he exercised likewise in a most barbarous manner , hanging up the noble venetians that were governours of the towns he took . i believe france , to get footing in italy , would engage with any other prince against the republick , except with the spaniard ; and if that should happen , it would be necessary to stir up the factions of that kingdom , and bring upon them some powerful neighbour , such as england : the friendship of savoy would likewise be useful , to hinder the passes of the mountains , and make some diversion in provence and dauphine , if there could be any relying upon this present duke ; but he is a proteus , that turns himself into many forms , and with his capricio's and humours , would soon empty the treasures of s. marc : but these are things so remote , that they may be left to the prudence of those who shall live in those times ; for according to the times there must be alteration of councils . and so much for france . now let us turn to spain , a family that from low beginnings , is come by marriages to the possession of twelve kingdoms , and several dukedoms in europe , besides what it has in the indies , does certainly evidence a great favour of fortune , joyn'd with great application and industry : so that if it be not stopp'd by fatality , may bid fair for an universal empire : if charles the fifth had had as much prudence in his youth as he had in his old age , he would not have separated the empire from spain , but would have made his son philip have been chosen king of the romans , instead of his brother ferdinand : he understood his errour , and repented of it at last , trying to perswade ferdinand to a renunciation ; but he shew'd as much prudence in keeping what he had got so wonderfully into his hands , as charles would have shew'd folly in going to deprive him of it by force . charles was not less unhappy in the other act of moderation he shew'd , when he renounc'd all his kingdoms to his son , and retired to a private life ; for to one who on the anniversary day of that famous action , congratulated king philip for his felicity , he answered , that day was likewise the anniversary of his father's repentance : so that actions of moderation in princes , are but like that insect called the ephemera , which lives and dies the same day . the greatness of spain is therefore to be suspected ; it has two wild beasts that follow it always close , one on one side , and the other on the other , which is the tark by sea , and france by land ; and besides that it has that issue of holland , as witty boccalini calls it , which will sufficiently purge it of all its ill humours ; and it must be own'd , that all the spanish sagacity has not hindered them from following the fable of the dog , who forsook the substance for the shadow : for , for forty years together , france was sufficiently taken up with their own ▪ intestine broils , during which time spain might with great advantage have made a truce with holland ; and having likewise humbled the turk , by the battle of lepanto , they might have applied their whole force to italy , which had no defence but its own natives , and not of them above half : so that in all probability they could have met with no considerable opposition . one might say , that it was an effect of king philip's moderation , if he had not shew'd as great an ambition of dominion as possible , in endeavouring first to unite france to spain by conquest , then to have his daughter chosen queen , and lastly , seiz'd upon as many towns as he could ; therefore we may give the italians joy , that half an age of so much danger passed without the least loss of their liberty . now by reason of the french king's minority , the jealousies against spain are a-foot again , but , i think , not with so much ground ; for if not france , at least england , would raise their old enemies , the dutch particularly , if the italians should help with money : so that if italy can but resist the first brunt , it may hope for all sort of relief ; for france has forces , and they would soon have a will to succour italy against spain : neither do i believe , that spain would hazard the truce with holland , it having been compass'd with such difficulties , even to the loss of much of their honour and fast. 't is enough , that to all other christian princes , except the emperour , the greatness of spain is of ill consequence ; and therefore to be opposed by all secret means first , and if need be , at last openly , and without a mask . if spain has any title , inclination or facility to acquire part of the republick's dominions , there will be little difficulty to answer : their title would be upon brescia , crema , and bergamo , ancient members of the dutchy of milan : and these three cities are so considerable , that with their territory , they would perhaps make up as rich a dutchy as any in lombardy , except milan : so that we need not doubt , but the spaniard looks upon these cities with an amorous eye , and with great desire to enjoy them ; there remains only the facility of doing it , which is always the most important of the three points : upon this subject we must distinguish whether they will make the attempt by themselves , or in conjunction with others : if alone , and that the republick have any great prince , either italian , or foreigner on their side , they will meet with little facility in their designs , because the republick's money , joyn'd to the forces of another prince , can give check to almost any great power , and particularly to that of spain , whose states and possessions are large , but disunited ; and they cannot but be afraid , that while they are busied in lombardy , others would try to attack them in a more sensible part : if spain should therefore unite with any other prince , provided the republick had france on their side , they would not much hurt it , because the inundation of the french into lombardy , uses to be both powerful and sudden , provided they be called in by an italian prince of some figure ; and by that means the spaniard being attack'd on two sides , would go near to lose his dutchy of milan . but if we consider the republick united only with some italian prince , and the french to stand spectator , as might happen in the minority of a french king , particularly if the spaniard had the pope and emperour of his side , i doubt the republick would be hard set ; for that other prince in league with them , cannot be of any great force ; the most useful would be savoy ; but besides , that he would be bought very dear , he would be always wavering , if the spaniards tempted him strongly : the richest would be florence ; but his territories not joyning upon those of the republick , there is little good to be expected from his assistance . lastly , if spain will fall upon the republick alone , and the republick be likewise alone , i say , that as to the state of terra firma , it would go near to be lost ; but by sea the republick would make a stout resistance . but if it be ask'd , whether the republick have either title , inclination or facility to acquire any part of the spanish dominions in italy ? i answer , the title would be upon cremona in lombardy , and upon travi , and other ports of la puglia , in the kingdom of naples , the republick having been in possession of all these places before ever spain had footing in italy : so that there wants nothing but facility ; and there is but one case that i know in which the republick might hope to get possession again ; and that is , in case the republick were in league with france , and the emperour busied by the protestants of germany , then some of these expectations might be fulfilled , but still with the same jealousie , that your friends should at last joyn with your enemies to fall upon the republick , as it happened in the league of cambray . and this answers the other question , to wit , whether spain can unite with any other power against the republick ? 't is very true , that i can hardly believe , that the spaniards would , without any precedent broil , attempt a league with france against the republick , because the damage of one city's remaining in the french hands , would be greater to them than the profit of taking all the republick has in terra firma would amount to . whether the spaniard may unite with the republick , to acquire conjoyntly in italy ; i say , that if it be against an italian prince , they will not , because it is not their interest that the republick should be greater , and already almost all the lesser princes are dependants of that monarchy : and as for the pope , they would certainly help him , rather than joyn against him , being us'd to make a great shew of their protecting the church : the only case that would make them bear patiently any new acquisitions of the republick , would be , if france should make any progress in italy . after all , amidst so many well-grounded suspicions , it must be confessed , that the neighbourhood of spain has prov'd of less disturbance to the republick , than that of any other prince who had those countries before them ; for the dukes of milan were perpetually either quarrelling , or , finding themselves too weak , were inciting of other powers under-hand against the republick . there may be an union likewise of the republick and spain by sea , against the turk , and by land against the grisons , or any other hereticks . and this is enough for spain . now by reason of vicinity , we will speak of the other italian princes : it would be the interest of the republick to see them greater , if it could be done at the expence of spain , and by their spoils , as also by getting from the church : but both those cases are next to impossible , if first the world be not turn'd topsy turvy , which can never be , but by a league with france ; and then if any part of the spaniards dominions could be shar'd amongst them , it would not injure the republick at all : but for any of these princes to grow great by spoiling one another , i should not like it ; for the advantage would be inconsiderable , and in the mean time the fire would be kindled in italy , the property of which is to go not where you would have it , but often where you are most afraid of it . whether any of these princes have title , inclination or facility to acquire from the republick , the consideration will be short , because facility will be wanting . mantoua has some pretences upon valesa and peschiera ; modena upon the town of este , from whence the family comes : but all these little princes united without the pope and spain , could hardly give a disturbance to the republick , because the two powerfullest of them , to wit , savoy and florence , are not immediate borderers . whether the republick have either title , inclination or facility to acquire from them in the state they now are in ; i answer , that the house of este not having ferrara , the republick has no title to either modena or reggio : there would indeed be a good inclination against mantoua , because he lies , as it were , in the bowels of the republick ; but there would be but an ill title , except the republick should bear the charges of his education , while they were his guardians ; and then the facility would be small ; for no sooner would the republick have begun the dance , but others would come in , and perhaps it would not end as it begun . of the other princes i have little to say , the republick having had no disputes with them ; for the genoueses , who formerly set the republick so hard , have done as the horse in the fable , lost their own liberty , in hopes of being victorious of their enemies , and are by that means out of power to hurt the republick . as for leagues these princes will be ready to make them either with or against the republick , because their fortune , as princes , being but small , they will let slip no occasion of mending it , either by acquisition of new territory , or by receiving subsidies and pensions . florence only would hardly be mov'd by that last motive , because he is not needy , being at this time perhaps the richest prince in ready money that is in christendom ; and his riches always increase , because the princes of that family do yet retain their ancestors inclination to merchandize , and that enriches the prince without damage to the subject . the dominions of the great duke are considerable , as well because they are placed as it were in the navel of italy , with a fertile territory , all united together , as also because the states of other princes are , as it were , a wall and defence to it ; and it is besides , to be valued by the communication it has with the sea by leghorn , and some other maritime fortresses : so that if one were to reckon upon any italian prince , i know none that deserves so well , as being exempted from the temptation of being bought , and having yet some of that punctual mercantile faith. if the republick will have a league with any of the other italian princes , there will be no difficulty in it , provided they pay them ; but withal , one must not forget the witty reflection of boccalini , when the italian princes are willing to be taught manners out of the galateo , provided that it may not look like ill breeding in them , to eat with both jaws as fast as they can . with poland the republick can have no other concern than that of defending christendom , and by some diversion from that crown , bear the more easily the weight of the ottoman power : therefore it would be well for the republick to have that king and kingdom grow more powerful . as for any thing else , the great distance that is between that state and the republick , takes away all matter of any further consideration . the same thing may be said of the moscovite . england being the greatest of those powers that are separated from the church of rome , is a kingdom of great strength , particularly since the union of scotland ; and the kings of england have nothing left to desire as to territory : all that island is now under the dominion of one sole monarch , and has the sea for a wall : so that if england be not disunited within it self , there is no power to overcome it : we see the example in the invasion of philip the second of spain ( and yet then the union was not so great as might have been ) who lost his mighty armada that he had been so long preparing at such vast expences . queen elizabeth , who has shew'd the world how far a woman's ability can go in government , did likewise enlarge her dominions by navigations to the indies , and wounded spain in that tender part ; she likewise had some ports of the low-countries consign'd to her , so that she seem'd to be hardly contain'd in that separate world of hers . the island is fertile and delicious , producing all necessaries for life , and though the natives go abroad and buy the products of other countries , it is more as superfluities , and out of luxury , than want , and amongst the rest , they have a trade for grapes called currans , which they buy in the dominions of the republick . henry the eighth , who was the king that apostatiz'd from the church of rome , did use to concern himself in the affairs of italy , and several times the popes have had good protection from the ancient kings of that country , who were most devoted to the see of rome ; to say truth , religion has had a great loss , and the court of rome a greater , i cannot well say , whether out of the great lust of henry the eighth , or the little consideration of clement the seventh , at present that king will not hear of rome , and has but small curiosity for the affairs of italy . if this king could grow greater , it would be advantageous to the republick , because it might obtain his alliance , and by that means a greater respect from other crown'd heads ; but however , even without this consideration , 't is a power to be courted , because the nation having an ancient antipathy to france , and a modern one to spain , it cannot but have a good inclination for the republick . 't is true that the present king is more enclin'd to wars with his pen , than with his sword , having a mighty love for disputes , and valuing himself upon the character of a notable divine ; so much has the quarrel with rome influenc'd that country , that even their princes study controversie ; but however i should not think the republick ought to mind any of those circumstances , because where there is strength , there is always hopes of making use of it , that depending only upon raising of passions . the best means would be ( besides the continuation of those offices already introduc'd of mutual embassies ) strictly to command the governours in the levant to shew all good usage to the english merchants , and particularly observe punctually all treaties and engagements with them , because there is no nation that puts a greater value upon their word than the english do , and the kings of that island have not yet learnt the modern policy that gives them leave to break their faith in order to reigning more absolutely . with the seven united provinces 't will be good to cultivate friendship , and to encrease it by a mutual defensive league , particularly at this time , that the truce is but newly concluded with spain ; for it will be a curb upon the spaniard , if he should attempt any thing against the republick , for fear his old wounds should be set a bleeding again , they being but just bound up , and not healed . 't is feasable likewise to procure something more of trade with the hollanders , because they are extremely ingenious , and addicted that way ; and moreover , since both the republicks stand in awe of the same power , it will not be difficult to unite their inclinations ; and they have made on their side a sufficient advance , by sending an embassy to the republick , which though of complement , yet it has shew'd great esteem and inclination to an union . besides the advantage of a solid diversion of the forces of spain , there is another essential consideration , which is , that from them might be had a considerable body of well disciplin'd soldiers , and that with admirable celerity , besides several regiments that might be rais'd in a country so well us'd to war , if there were occasion , and all the inconveniencies of transportation are not to be valued ; for the republick will always have a greater scarcity of good soldiers , than of good money . with the princes of germany of a different religion , there can hardly be any concerns , if there is no room for quarrels . as the world stands now , if it be not well , they should grow greater , at least 't is not amiss , they are already great enough , because they are a check upon the emperour , who else would be a most formidable potentate to all princes , but more particularly to the italians , and more to the republick , than to the rest of italy ; but now by their means his power is not only balanced , but almost quite oppressed to the common benefit of other princes . with these princes it will be easie for the republick to have an engagement : first , because they know that the republick is not a blind adorer of the interests of the court of rome : and , secondly , because they see the jealousies that are between the republick and the emperour , from whence they conclude , that there is no danger of a league between them and the emperour , and by consequence , they have not the republick for a suspected power ; and upon all occurrences , it will do well to shew an inclination to friendship with them , first , because they may make a potent diversion ; and , secondly , because their country being a nursery of soldiers , the republick upon occasion may make levies there ; and it is a point of high importance for the republick to be certain of their levies ; for in a time of need they can hope but for small help from the italian militia . i have not yet said any thing of the duke of bavaria ; and he is not to be omitted , being so much a dependant of the emperour , from whom he has received the electoral dignity , upon the exclusion of the elector palatin : this prince has had the boldness to contest the precedency with the republick at the council of trent ; and therefore no good correspondency can be between him and the republick . it would not be amiss to see him lessen'd ; for 't is always to be wish'd , that he who has no good intentions , should have as little power to offend as may be . the order of malta , who are pyrating princes , is likewise to be minded ; and their growth in power can be of no use to the republick : they do nothing but waken the ottoman power , when 't is almost lull'd asleep ; and therefore are dangerous : their friendship , in time of open war with the turk , will be easily had , upon the hopes of a good booty . it remains for us now to speak of the greatest prince of this known world , formidable to all other princes , i mean the turk ; but we cannot speak of him by the rules we have laid down for the others ; for with him all arts and policies are vain : he makes no league with any , neither has he any residing embassadors in any court , scorning to descend to inform himself of other princes intrigues : he owns his greatness , and relies upon it , like the elephant , who by reason of his great strength , is never observed to use cunning : perhaps it may be an arcanum of the alchoran , to hinder his subjects from contracting the manners and customs of other nations , and bringing them home at their return : perhaps likewise that he is unwilling their wits should be refin'd in politicks : his is an empire built upon the ruin of all other empires , founded in force , and scorning titles and claims of justice . if he can acquire a country , he has always right to it ; and when he has conquer'd it , he assumes all the power to himself , suffering no usurpations where he himself usurps all : his ministers make open profession of ignorance , which is propagated industriously amongst his people , who are sufficiently learned , if they know how to obey : they are told openly of their slavery , and it is expected they learn the obligations of it : not but that they will dispute with christians for their emperour , and alledge , that he succeeds to all the rights of constantine , whose city he has conquered . in his religion the prince is loose , and the mufti , which is the high priest , tied up , who must speak complacently to the ends of the government , and in conformity to the will of him that rules , or pay his disobedience with his life . in this monarchy all the qualities of the mind , both speculative and practick , are despised and suspected , which made one of their emperours send back the musicians sent him by francis the first , lest with their harmony they should have molified the iron temper of those fierce natures : they value strength of body , and the arts of war , in which none are sooner preferr'd than those who shew the greatest fierceness and inhumanity in their dispositions : they are intent upon conquering the rest of the world , and in order to it they have infinite numbers of men , and infinite treasure : his yearly revenue exceeds twenty millions of crowns ; he inherits the estates of all his subjects , whose children can lay claim to nothing but their father's horse and arms. in the midst of all these riches his thirst of gold still increases : so that often his fury is laid with the charms of that metal : out of that has been said , 't is evident that his greatness must be the ruine of all other powers , and that it would be an unspeakable felicity to see him lessen'd ; but the hopes of that are so remote , that they are next to impossible . as for any title upon the territories of the republick , he can have none ; inclination and facility he has but too much , designing the ruine of all christendom ; and considering the disunion of christians , more intent upon jealousies at home than upon an union against a foreign invader , his design is not above his force : he fears nothing but an union of christendom against him ; and that he may not be negligent in providing against it , that cunning and wicked mahomet has left him a prophecy to keep him awake , by which , the ruine of his empire is to come from such an union : the turks never mention it but with cries and groans ; and the government strives to avoid it by being invincible , not considering , that if the prophecy be true , 't is unavoidable . as for the republick , he is a terrible neighbour to them , always encroaching , and setting no bounds to his pretences , till he has swallowed all . the republick , on the other side , cannot want a title against him ; for what he has taken from them , would make up a great principality : cyprus , negrepont , modon , coron , caramania , all the archipelago , bossina , scutari , albania , part of the very imperial city of constantinople , and in short , half his empire in europe has been at several times extorted from the republick : but to get any of this back is the difficulty ; and 't will be well if he is content with what he has , and that we can save what remains . the only good thing the republick can hope for , is , that the turk will not enter into league with any other against the republick , because he scorns all leagues : 't is true , that in the time of lodovico sforza , duke of milan , he was by him drawn to invade the republick , and before that , by the visconti , dukes of milan , likewise with promise to busie the venetians in italy , by a war on his side : 't is said also , that lewis the twelfth strove to draw him into the league of cambray : but all these are rather subornations than leagues , and spurring of a horse that 's free enough of his own nature . he would easily unite with the republick , to conquer other princes ; but then the republick must reckon , that he would take all to himself , he not understanding any accounts of dividing : so that it would only be a madness , and by ones own expence of blood and treasure , promote his tyrannical empire . the turk has often offered succours to the republick in their wars with others ; but our wise ancestors always disliked such a protector , but were glad he did not take the opportunity of their troubles to fall upon them . there is no other politicks to be used with this empire , than to profess friendship , and reckon upon sudden enmity ; and therefore be always provided , that the weakness of the state may not be an invitation to him to use his natural rapacity ; for the peace will be always the longer , when the readiness for war shall be visible . in case of a rupture , one should try to make a diversion by the king of persia , the moscovite and the pole : but that will be a long uncertain business , and of slow benefit ; to corrupt the ministers of the port in open war , will be a very hard thing , they will rather suffer a temptation in time of peace , and by that means one may penetrate their designs , and retard their deliberations , provided the person gain'd be of the divan , and particularly the grand vizier , if possible ; but they often take bribes , and deceive one ; besides , their being subject to continual changes , and those very sudden , according to the emperour 's capricio , and the calumnies of their competitors , the friendship of the queen mother , and of the wife of the grand signior , as also of the mufti , may help : but if the prince himself be of a resolute nature , their offices will be but weak : and all violent sudden resolutions of war made by the emperour himself , are always welcome to the janizaries , who are the soul of that empire : so that , as i said at first , i must conclude , that prudence and politicks can be of little use against rage and fury , and a nation that depends not upon reason , but upon might . i can say nothing then but what the angel said to gideon , comfortare & esto robustus ; and with this good omen that comes from heaven , and which i offer with a most affectionate mind , i take leave , having accomplish'd the task was imposed upon me , if not according to the full extent of my duty , at least in proportion to my weak forces , and small talent . finis . advice given to the republick of venice how they ought to govern themselves both at home and abroad, to have perpetual dominion / first written in italian by that great politician and lover of his countrey, father paul the venetian, author of the council of trent ; translated into english by dr. aglionby ; dedicated to his excellency the lord lieutenant of ireland. opinione come debba governarsi internamente ed esternamente la repubblica di venezia. english. 1693 approx. 128 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 71 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a62177 wing s693 estc r22760 12490645 ocm 12490645 62365 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a62177) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 62365) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 290:20) advice given to the republick of venice how they ought to govern themselves both at home and abroad, to have perpetual dominion / first written in italian by that great politician and lover of his countrey, father paul the venetian, author of the council of trent ; translated into english by dr. aglionby ; dedicated to his excellency the lord lieutenant of ireland. opinione come debba governarsi internamente ed esternamente la repubblica di venezia. english. sarpi, paolo, 1552-1623. aglionby, william, d. 1705. [22], 119 p. printed for christopher nobbes ..., london : 1693. translation of: opinione come debba governarsi internamente ed esternamente la repubblica di venezia; falsely attributed to paolo sarpi. cf. bianchi-giovini, a. biografia di paolo sarpi. reproduction of original in bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng italy -history -1559-1789. venice (italy) -politics and government -1508-1797. venice (italy) -history -1508-1797. 2006-02 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-02 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-04 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2006-04 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion advice given to the republick of venice . how they ought to govern themselves both at home and abroad , to have perpetual dominion . first written in italian by that great politician and lover of his countrey , father pavl the venetian , author of the council of trent . translated into english by dr. aglionby . dedicated to his excellency the lord lieutenant of ireland . london , printed for christopher nobbes , at the sign of the olive-tree , in the inner-walk above stairs in the new exchange , 1693. to his excellency henry , viscount sydney , lord lieutenant of ireland , gentleman of the bed-chamber to their majesties , and one of their majesties most honourable privy-council . my lord , though your design'd favours to me might justly claim this offer of my respects in a dedication , yet i must own , that it is not only gratitude that requires me to make this return , but it is my choice and judgment that prompts me to take the liberty of putting this piece under ▪ your protection . and indeed , if i regard either the greatness of your family , or your own personal endowments , where could i have found a more illustrious name , or a more generally own'd desert . the sydneys have fill'd our english history , and adorn'd our nation ; great in employments both at home and abroad , but more glorious in asserting constantly their country's true interest : and your lordship has not been wanting to follow such honourable examples , first , by a steddy adherence to all the measures that could be entred into by a wise man in times full of dark designs ; and then ( as soon as your countries good requir'd it ) by boldly laying aside all dubious counsels , to appear in arms with our great and glorious deliverer , his present majesty . amongst the thanks we owe to all those who have done the like , i think no one can more justly be extoll'd by this , or recommended to the esteem and admiration of the next age , than your lordship . in your negotiation in holland , during the close intrigues of the latter end of king charles his reign , you strove to keep both him and us happy and quiet , by promoting the true interest of both : but when the ferment of our affairs forc'd you to more sensible demonstrations of your thoughts , you nobly chose rather to appear an ill courtier , than be thought an ill man to your country . the protestant interest carried it with you , while the roman faction thought their designs as secure as they were deeply laid . 't is rare to find such conduct and courage in a publick minister : but what could be expected less from one ready to venture his life in the field at the head of our nation abroad , against that unquiet monarch who was then invading all the liberty mankind had left . heaven , my lord , has at last bless'd these constant endeavours for england's prosperity , and we see you in the councils and privacy of a prince born for our felicity . the great queen of this monarchy , who so lov'd her people , and understood their interest , had a sydney for her favourite , and such a man as she admir'd living , and lamented dead ; and our king , who has begun with restoring this nation to its true interest , and will , no question , advance its glory to the highest pitch , has your lordship in his councils and arms , guarded by you in the day , he sleeps often under your care in the night , safe in your loyalty , and pleas'd in your attendance . to whom then could i more properly offer these arcanums of a wise government , than to one who must be a good judge of all writings of that kind ; and therefore with repeated offers of my humble respects , and readiness to obey your lordship's commands , i take leave , and am , my lord , your lordship 's most humble and most devoted obedient servant , w. aglionby . the preface . that padre paulo sarpi , of the order of the servites , is the author of this treatise , there needs no other proof than the reading of it ; for whoever is acquainted either with his style , or his manner of thinking , must of necessity acknowledge , that they are both here . and indeed we may say , that this is not only a true representation of the government of the venetian republick , but that the author also ( like great painters , who in all their works give us their own genius with the mixture of the representation ) has likewise drawn the truest picture of himself . he was one of the greatest men of his age , of vast natural parts , to which he had added all the acquir'd ones that great study and much conversation with men could give him : it was he who defended the republick in the dispute they had with pope paul the 5th ; which he did so solidly , and yet so modestly , that his subject never carried him either to invectives or railleries , unbeseeming the gravity of the matter , nor the dignity of the persons whose cause he managed ; that quarrel being accommodated by the interposition of the kings of france and spain , in which the republick had all the advantage possible : the senate , very sensible of the obligation they had to p. paulo , made him consultor of state , and added an honourable pension for his life , giving him at the same time order to view all their secret records , where all their papers and instruments of state were laid up ; all which he reduc'd into such a new order , as that they might be recurr'd to with the greatest ease imaginable upon all occasions . the esteem they made of his abilities was so great , that they never had any important debate in which either by publick order , or by the private application of some of their senators , they did not take his advice ; which most commonly was assented to afterwards . towards the latter end of his life , the inquisitors of state seeing that they could not hope long for the continuation of those oracles , resolv'd , that once for all he should impart them his thoughts upon the whole constitution of their government , and withal , add his opinion touching their future conduct both within and without ; and that is this piece with which i now present the publick . as it was made for the perusal of those only who were the participants of all the arcanums of the empire , it is writ with less regard to the publick censure , to which he suppos'd it would never be subject . all other writers of politicks may in one thing be justly suspected , which is , that when they write with a design of publishing their works to mankind , they must have a regard to many considerations both of the times they write in , and opinions that are then receiv'd by the people , as also to the establish'd forms both of government and religion ; besides that self-love too will not let them forget their own glory , for the sake of which they often swerve from the true rules of writing ; but here all these considerations ceas'd ; the work is directed to those whose interest it was to conceal it : and for the author himself , it may be said , it was rather his legacy than any desire of shewing his abilities , which by other pieces of his were already sufficiently publish'd to the world. but what an idea must we have of that man whom a venetian senate not only admitted to their debates , but consulted upon the whole frame of their government ; a senate , i say , justly deserving the titles of wise and great ; who have maintain'd their state for 1200 years , with little alteration ; who have been a bulwark to the christian world against the most potent invader that ever was ; who at the same time have struggled with all the christian princes united , and headed , even by popes , whose spiritual power alone has been able to subvert greater empires : this senate , or at least the wisest of them , the inquisitors of state , who have the whole executive power in their hands , cannot let this subject of theirs leave the world without having from him a scheme of their present affairs , and a prospect of the occurrences to come : nothing certainly can give us a greater idea of padre paulo , nor shew us how great abilities in the most retired and concealed subjects , will break out in all wise governments , and cannot long be conceal'd . as to the work it self , i shall say little , it being improper to forestall the reader 's judgment by mine ; but i think i may venture to give him some cautions against a surprise , from some bold maxims and arbitrary positions which he will meet with , and perhaps not expect from one of our author's profession , nor in the methods of a government which carries the specious and popular title of liberty in the head of it . as to the author , tho he were a religious man , and a very strict observer of that life ; yet being above ordinary methods , and having a mind elevated beyond his sphere , he thought , that not only he might , but that he ought to go to the extent of his capacity , when he was to advise those whom god almighty had invested with soveraign power . this makes him lay down that great maxim , that all is just that contributes to the preservation of the government ; and in a natural deduction from this , advise in some cases not to stand upon common proceedings . i remember the author of his life says , that he had adapted most of the aphorisms of hippocrates , about the diseases and cure of the body natural , to those of the body politick ; and if so , he could not forget that of , extremis morbis extrema remedia , which alone would warrant all uncommon proceedings . most people have an idea of commonwealths , not unlike that which poets and young people have of the golden age , where they fancy , that without either labour , solicitude , or chagrin , people past their time in the innocent pleasures of love and musick , and other soft delights ; so the world imagines , that a popular government is all sweetness and liberty , precarious , and depending upon their votes , free from oppression and slavery , and constant to known methods : but all this is a very wrong conception ; they are invested with soveraign power , and must and do use it for their own preservation , as absolutely as any soveraign prince in the world ; and whoever shall seriously consider the machine of this venetian state , must own , that neither the governors themselves , nor the people governed by them , have any such excellent and inviting prerogatives , as can justly give them a superiority to the government of a wise prince , and well dispos'd people in a limited monarchy . but i have said enough of this ; the reader will best judge , whether the reading of this book will enamour him of a republican government or not . i have no more to say , but that this is a very faithful translation from an original manuscript communicated to me in italy , where it begins to creep abroad ; and if we had in england the conveniency of workmen that could print italian correctly , i would have publish'd both the original and my translation together . the words of quarantie and avogadore , may puzzle some people ; but they will easily understand , that the first is a kind of bench of judges deligated out of the body of the lesser nobility , for the trial of civil and some criminal causes ; and the other is the name of a great magistrate in venice , who among oth●r priviledges , has that of carrying the sentences of the council of ten before the great council . the opinion of padre paolo , most illustrious and excellent lords , the inquisitors of state , i write by obedience to your lordship's commands , without reflection upon my own small abilities , because the chief consideration of a subject ought to be to obey his prince . your excellencies have commanded me to deliver my opinion , how the venetian republick ought to regulate it self , to hope for a perpetual duration . to obtain a true notion of this , it will be necessary to distinguish , and first to regulate the government of the city , in which will be comprehended the manner of keeping the nobles and the citizens to their duty ; then look abroad to the rest of your dominions : and lastly give some form to the dealing with foreign princes . to begin with the first , i might in short put you in mind of the saying of st. bernardino of siena , to the doge moro , who said , that the republick should continue so long as they should keep to the rule of doing exact justice ; but to come nearer to the matter , and the condition of these times , we must reduce under that head of justice , all that contributes to the service of the state ; and , to speak yet more succinctly , we will lay it down as a maxim , that all is just which is any ways necessary for the maintaining of the government . in the particular government of the city , 't is an excellent custom to lay the impositions as well upon the nobility , as the rest of the citizens . first , because the burden is less when it is general : and , secondly , because 't is just when 't is without partiality . there is no doubt but it lessens something of the splendor of the nobility to see them tax'd particularly , since in many governments the nobility and gentry , though they are subjects , and not part of the government , do nevertheless enjoy a freedom from taxes , and contribute more with their sword than purse , towards the publick charge : but since the ancient simplicity of our ancestors has patiently submitted to this yoak ; and because the priviledges of the sword are dangerous in a commonwealth , i think 't is advisable not to innovate in this point , because such a change would give too much offence to the rest of your people , and too much haughtiness to your own nobility . 't is true , that when the taxes are upon the lands , so as to be unavoidable , it would be convenient to give the nobility all the advantage of time for payment , and at last , if they are insolvent , it will not be amiss to neglect the rigorous exaction of the law , that so the nobility be not ruin'd , because extreams are always dangerous , and the republick may suffer as much from having too many poor noblemen , as from having too many rich ones ; besides the envy and jealousie that must be in the hearts of those who shall find themselves naked , and their equals cloathed with their garments , and that only for not having been able to pay an imposition laid upon them by other peoples contrivance . there are some , who not making a right judgment of things , do inveigh extreamly against a custom of this republick , which is the having so many offices and places of so small revenue , that those who enjoy them are almost necessitated to be corrupt ; and so after they have been judges and governours , forc'd to come under the lash of the law , or to justifie their integrity , if they can : this seems a notorious abuse , and carries with it some appearance . but however , i should never advise to make these imployments better , because there results from this another greater advantage to the state , which is to keep the small nobility under ; for they may be compar'd to the adder , which cannot exert its poyson when 't is numm'd with cold : and if these nobles , who are by inclination discontented , should once arrive but to a mediocrity in fortune , they would presently contest with the great ones , and by strength of their numbers play some ill trick to the government : whereas now they are kept to their duty , not only by poverty , which clips the wings of ambition , but also by being subject to the censure of the great ones , for having misbehav'd themselves in their governments . indead i could think it prudent to proceed against them something coldly , unless they are guilty of very great enormities , such as scandalize the generality of your subjects ; for then 't is necessary to shew a publick resentment : but otherwise i would have them handled gently , it being a kind of punishment to lye open to a prosecution : and indeed i would never have any nobleman , though never so guilty , be condemned to a publick infamous death , because the damage that results from thence upon the whole order of the nobility , when they are seen to pass through the hands of an hangman , is greater than the good of a publick example can avail . neither on the other side would i have these noblemen , thus guilty , to walk the streets , and be seen in publick , because then your subjects would conceive a sinister opinion of your justice ; but they should be kept in prison , or , if it be necessary , be privately dispatch'd . if these criminals fly from justice , then you may use the utmost severity in your banishing of them ; because then it appears , that if nothing more be done , nothing more was feasible ; and let the same rigour be observ'd in keeping them out : for since they are , as it were , gangreen'd members cut off from the body , it will not be expedient to unite them again to it with deformity of the whole . here i foresee i shall be censur'd by some , as a bad pilot , who endeavouring to shun scylla , runs upon carybdis ; that is , while i aim at keeping the small nobility under , i forget the danger may arise from the great , and the rich of that order . i see the objection , but do not value it ; and my reason is , the long observation i have made of the nature of this city , by the strength of which i dare boldly affirm , that the republick of venice will never come to its end by that which has ruin'd all other republicks , to wit , when the power has been reduc'd first into a few hands , and then their authority devolv'd upon one who has erected a monarchy . the strange emulation that reigns here among the great ones , even among those of the same family ; nay , that is between brothers themselves , does secure the government from this danger ; and if by a supposition , almost impossible , all the brothers of one family had the power given them of making a dictator , i am confident they would never agree to chuse one among themselves , but would rather chuse to be a part of the government , divided among a thousand gentlemen , than to be princes of the blood , and subjects . the great governments , called governments of expence , and so contriv'd on purpose by our prudent ancestors , to give an occasion to those who are too rich to lessen their riches ; ought to be dispos'd of according to the intention of their first institution : that is to say , not to those who have no means to sustain such a burden , and must be forc'd by consequence to compass them per fas & nefas ; and if they are honest , must do it foolishly , because they are not wicked enough to do it knavishly , and so either acquire the hatred of those they govern , or be laugh'd at , and contemned by them . this is a point of great importance ; and he who goes through such an imployment meanly , and without expence , demerits extreamly of his countrey , because he renders the person that represents the state contemptible ; and all rebellions of subjects have had their first original rise from the contempt of the prince ▪ the contests that happen between nobleman and nobleman of equal fortunes , and are follow'd by attempts upon one another , may be conniv'd at when they are reconcil'd ; but if the thing be between a nobleman of the better sort , and one of the lesser , let it be chastis'd with some appearance of severity at least , for fear the humours of the small nobility should be stirr'd ; but if one of these shall attack a nobleman of the first rate , let him be punish'd with a heavy hand , lest the party injur'd , being potent in friends , go about to do himself justice , to the great detriment of the publick authority : but if a nobleman do commit an enormity towards a subject , first let there be all the endeavour possible used to justifie him ; and if that cannot be , let the punishment be with more noise than harm ; but if a subject insults a nobleman , let the revenge be sharp and publick , that the subjects may not accustom themselves to lay hands upon the nobility , but rather think them venerable and sacred . in civil judicatures it would be requisite to act without passion , to take away that ill opinion that men have of the partiality of justice , in favour of the great . this belief must be destroyed ; for a subject that once thinks himself prejudg'd by the quality of his adversary , will never be capable of seeing whether his cause has been decided according to the merit of it or no : therefore there can never be too much diligence used in the administration of civil judicatures , which are one of the greatest foundations of government ; for when a subject can say to himself , that he shall have justice , if his case deserves it , he submits to a great many other grievances without repining : and on the contrary , though after an unjust sentence , he should be indulg'd in some criminal matter , he will never have a love for the government , because the injury receiv'd , will stick in his memory , and the indulgence will vanish out of it . the quarrels between the plebeians may be judged according to the common course of justice , which may there appear in its natural being , there arising no politick grounds to disturb the course of it ; nay , rather their little animosities are to be fomented , as cato us'd to do in his family ; and for this reason , wise antiquity permitted the encounters and battles that are still practis'd in this city , between several parties of the people ; but all assemblies of numerous bodies are to be avoided as the plague , because nothing can sooner overturn the commonwealth , than the facility the people may meet with in getting together to confer or debate about their grievances ; nay , this thing is so dangerous , that it is to be detested and abhorr'd , even in the nobility , because that there being in all bodies some ill humours , if they are not united , either they do not work at all , or do not work ill ; but if they once are in a mass , and take their course one way , they not only are hard to cure , but often prove mortal to the body . let there be a careful watch upon all seditious discourses , nay , upon all speculative ones that seem any way to censure the government ; and set before your eyes the example of heresies , which have never so much wasted the church as when they have had their beginnings from curiosity and jests . let the city arsenal be kept up , though there be not present occasion for it , because things that depend upon time , must be anticipated by time . let the masters and tradesmen of the place be kept satisfied , and upon any fault committed , let the punishment be paternal ; that is , with seeming rigour , but not such as to make them run away ; for , if possible , they are to believe the fable of the mouse , who thought its hole to be all the world. let the publick secretaries , and all other officers that must be inform'd of the publick concerns , be chosen with care , as like to be faithful and diligent ; but when once admitted , though they should prove otherwise , let them be born withal , because there is need of but a few to do well : but every single officer can do hurt ; and it 's much easier to defend ones self from a potent foreign enemy , than from an ill-meaning servant . let the manufactures which are peculiar to venice , be preserv'd ; and to that end let them not be loaded with many impositions , because that profit and gain which has made men venture through a thousand difficulties , to discover new worlds , will still carry the merchant , if he cannot have it at home , to seek it abroad , though he go to the antipodes for it . preserve the artists therefore , remembring that most arts are a kind of phantastick being . the marriages between noblemen and women of the city , may be tolerated , if the women are very rich ; because it often happens that the industry of many years of the plebeians , serves only to enrich the house of a nobleman ; and it is a gentle imperceptible sort of usurpation ; 't is true , 't is something abating of the lustre of the noble families ; but that is only in abstract and in general , but in reality it advantages the nobility ; and there need be no fear that the children be degenerate and base , because nothing so debases a nobleman as poverty : besides , there results from this another great advantage , which is , to make the plebeians concern'd by affection for the nobility , and bound to study their advantage by a much sweeter tye than that of obedience . let the considerable honours of the commonwealth be disposed of to those who may naturally pretend to them , for having gone through the many employments , which are steps to the highest dignities , making always an allowance for extraordinary merit , in which the state can never be too prodigal : for otherwise to prefer those who cannot reckon themselves among the lawful pretenders , gives just offence to the others his equals , and likewise strengthens the pretensions of the unworthy , who not seeing any thing in that fortunate man that exceeds their ordinary talent , cannot imagine why he should be preferr'd , and they excluded from the like dignities . the subject on the other hand is hardly brought to pay excessive reverence where they never us'd to give but ordinary respect ; and from this argues , that the dignity it self is not of so much value , since it is bestowed upon so inconsiderable a person . and because it is in the nature of all sublunary things to have a mixture of imperfection , i must own , that the republick of venice has likewise its defects ; and the chief one is , that the body of the nobility is too numerous to be aristocratical ; therefore it will always be expedient to contrive , by all arts imaginable , that the great council do delegate the greatest authority that may be to the senate and the council of ten : but this must be done by secret imperceptible ways , such as shall not be discover'd till after 't is done , because when they have once for all parted with their power , it will be a happy settlement of the deliberating part , and if the same can be composed in the judiciary and distributive power , it may be hop'd , that the constitution of the state will be more vigorous : it cannot be denied but the great council does relish very much of the mobile , and by consequent , subject to impetuous deliberations , not always weigh'd in the ballance of prudence and experience . and truly i admire , that wise antiquity did not gain this point , it being easie for them to take advantage of the simplicity of their times ; or at least to have prolong'd the time of the great magistratures further than from year to year , at the end of which they now must have a new confirmation from the senate ; for this being design'd to prevent the falling into the tyranny of the great ones , does unawares run the state into that of the meaner sort , so much the more odious by how much 't is more numerous and unexperienc'd ; we should see more vigorous resolutions in the senators , if they were not continually obliged to court the favour of the piazza . the office of avogadore is to be disposed of with extream circumspection , and that to persons of eminency , such as have no need of fawning upon the multitude of the great council , and then the senate and council of ten might make some steps beyond their natural authority , which would be born with patience , and time would give them prescription : whereas , if an avogadore , to make himself popular , shall carry these deliberations to the great councils censure , immediately out of jealousie they are annull'd , though never so expedient . therefore if that office of avogadore cannot be placed in the hands of one who inclines more to the patritian than to the popular side , it would be well to give it to one of mean spirit , and a quiet temper ; or if it be disposed of to an unquiet bold man , let him be one who lies under some infamous imputation of corruption , or other enormity , to the end that the first may not be able , nor the latter dare to affront , and try it with the grandees of the state ; otherwise an avogadore of parts , integrity and malignity , may easily set fire to the four corners of the commonwealth . for the same reasons it will always be well to lessen the authority of the quaranties , they being naturally popular . they were constituted numerous , to prevent the venality of justice ; but on the other hand they are subject to gather peccant humours , and afford too much nourishment to a feverish temper : they may be born with in the administration of civil justice , but in criminals their power should be lessen'd , which may be done by the council of ten 's taking to their cognizance all criminal cases that they can any ways draw to them , and by leaving off the custom of deligating the power of the senate and signoria to these quaranties , as is now practis'd but too often . if these quaranties were quite taken away , it would be better for the government , but then it would be as necessary to provide some other way for so many necessitous and idle persons . it were well to use all means to take from them the authority of judging noblemen in criminal cases ; for so by degrees they will lose many of the priviledges affected to the nobility , as also i could wish they were totally excluded from the senate ; but that is more to be wish'd than hop'd for . as for the people , let them always be provided for by plenty of things for sustenance , and as cheap as may be : for the nature of the rabble is so malicious , that even when scarcity of provisions comes from the failing of the crops , they nevertheless impute it to the malice or negligence of the great ones : so there is no way to make them hold their peace , but to stop their mouths . employ as many of the people as may be in the service of the publick , that so drawing their livelyhood from the government , they may have affection for it , and the numbers of the necessitous will thereby be lessen'd : for if hunger and want can make strong towns yield , it will likewise incite men to venture their lives in desperate attempts , rather than linger in misery . yet still i would not advise to take any into office that had not first gain'd wherewithal to subsist in a mediocrity ; for else it will be but giving him a kind of leave to cheat , to the great damage of the publick . as for the married women of the city , let there be care taken to keep them honest ; and to have them so , they must be kept retir'd , remembring , that the beginnings of all corruption in that kind are slight , and proceed from a look or a salute . let one modern abuse be reform'd , which is , that the noblemen do take upon them to force the people to make agreements , payments , or marriages , and not dare to have recourse to the publick authority , upon which this is an usurpation : if this be not remedied , 't is enough to cause another sicilian vespers : besides , that it is likely to set all the nobility together by the ears , while each will maintain his own friends and dependants . in all occurrences where the publick faith is engaged , let it be inviolably kept , without minding any present advantage that might accrew by the breaking of it ; for that is but momentaneous : whereas the benefit of keeping faith is eternal ; and a prince that breaks his word , must invent a new religion to make himself be believed another time , seeing the oaths he made in the religion he professes have not been able to bind him . let the nobles forbear all trading ; for a state that will have merchants , must not have their governours exercise that profession , because the merchants will always be afraid of being brow-beaten in bargains , and over-aw'd in their dealings . the spaniards , who have so little kindness for the venetian government , have not a more odious name than to call it , a republick of merchants . by an ancient law , a nobleman tax'd with trading , cannot enter into a turnament , as not being fit company for cavaliers . merchandise may in a short time either extreamly enrich , or totally ruine a family , both which are dangerous for the commonwealth . besides , a merchant is of a necessity in some measure a foreigner , while his trade and interest lies abroad , and a nobleman ought to have no interest nor affection but at home . if politicians have taught , that it is not safe for a great city to have too sumptuous palaces and villas in its territory , lest the fear of losing of them should incline them to yield the very city to a potent enemy : what shall we say of those nobles , who , being engag'd in trade , may have many thousands of crowns in an enemies country ? in the beginnings of a commonwealth , merchandising was necessary to get out of poverty , and now 't is dangerous , as being the fomenter of too much luxury . the genoueses who have continued the trading of their nobility , have but small respect shew'd them by other princes , and are more valued one by one than altogether . let superfluous pomps be forbidden , though if they were only followed by the rich , it would be of use to the government , because it would bleed those who are too sanguine ; but by reason of the emulation which is between those of the same degree , the permitting of them would prove ruinous to many families , who could neither avoid them , nor go through with them : and whoever by a punctilio of honour is brought to the necessity of doing more than he is able , must use , to compass it , such means as he ought not to employ . before a law be made and promulgated , let it be well thought on and debated : but being once made , let it be observed , and the non-observance of it punished ; because whoever suffers disobedience in small matters , teaches it in greater : and that nobleman who thinks to distinguish himself by slighting of the laws , offends both his country and himself by such an example , more than by any dissoluteness he could be guilty of , because he directly strikes at the publick authority ; and besides , such a custom once taking root in a commonwealth , and being an inveterate abuse among the nobility , it is not to be reform'd with less than the loss of the lives of half the body . if there be an occasion of coming to some resolution that may be thought unpleasing to the generality , particularly in point of justice , let it be given out , that it was carried by a thin majority , that at least they who were against it , may please themselves in thinking they had many of their opinion . let the secrets of the government be kept inviolably , and do not forget that ancient record of the venetian circumspection , which was , that when the general carmagnuola was condemned , the resolution ( though taken by three hundred and fifteen senators ) never took air for eight months together before the execution ; which is a thing that the most absolute princes could not have met with in the fidelity of three or four state-ministers , though bound by excessive rewards to secresy . and what a wonderful thing was the deposition of the doge foscari , conceal'd by his own brother ? certainly one cannot without tears observe , that in our times so great a quality which seem'd to be proper to the venetian commonwealth , is something altered by the inconsideration of the young nobility , who , not out of disloyalty , but too much freedom , do let things slip from them which ought to be conceal'd . i think every venetian nobleman ought to teach his children the use of secresie with their catechism ; but the better way were to forbid all talking of public concerns out of the place where they are properly to be deliberated on , and much less among those who are partakers of the secret. let the honours and dignities of the commonwealth be dispensed regularly , and by degrees , avoiding all sudden flights , because they are dangerous : to see a cloud enlighten'd of a sudden , is most commonly a sign of a thunderbolt to come out of it ; and he that from a private man leaps in an instant to the port of a prince , has something of the player . honours given by degrees keep the young nobility from attaining them before they are ripe for them ; and we may observe , that as in physick a man moderately learned , but well experienc'd , is safer for the health of the body natural ; so in the government of the commonwealth , a man often employed , though , perhaps of less acuteness , succeeds best . all matters of benefices are very properly under the cognizance of the great council , but it would be as proper to take away all appeals to the quaranties , and place them in the senate , because it often happens , that these causes are to be decided according to reason of state ; and those quarantia judges put little value upon those politick reasons : and besides , it seems a great incongruity , that a sentence , where the person of the doge , and the whole signoria , both intervene , should afterwards be lyable to the censure of forty persons of lesser value . i believe if it were observed to chastise rigorously , but secretly all those lawyers and their clients , who carry these appeals to the quarantias , the use of them would be less frequent , and in time they would be forborn , as if they were forbidden . if it should fall out , that any of your subjects should procure a decree in the rota , or court of rome , you must rigorously command from him a renunciation ab impetratis , else all beneficiary causes will be devolv'd to rome , where they are look'd upon as sacred , and so a fourth part of all civil causes would be lost for your own courts : auditors of the rota are to be with the commonwealth , like bishops in partibus infidelium , a thing of title , but without subjects . let the bishops of the venetian state be always praecogniz'd in the consistory by a venetian cardinal , without the circumstance of creating him special procurator ; but as protector , which he really ought to be as other cardinals brag they are so , for other states . for the court of rome , to avoid these procurations to venetian cardinals , would perhaps desist making any of that nation , that so they might oblige the state to have recourse to strangers , which in time would also prejudice the pretence of being treated as crown'd heads . if the preconisation be made otherwise , let the state seize the temporalities of the bishoprick , and stop all pensions laid upon it : 't is true , that if the cardinal nipote should make the preconisation , and enjoy at the same time the priviledge of a venetian nobleman , it could not well be rejected . if it should ever happen that there should be a pope , i won't say a venetian , for that would be of more danger than advantage to the government , but a foreigner well inclin'd to the venetian republick , then would be the time to obtain once for all the grant of the tenths upon the clergy , as once it was got under clement the sixth , whose bull is unfortunately lost ; for 't is troublesome to get it renew'd every five year or seven year ; and it would be a point gain'd which still would more and more equal the republick with crown'd heads ; as also if in the titles given by the pope to the doge , there could be gain'd the superlative , as carissimo or dilectissimo , as is usual to crown'd heads , it would be a new lustre to the republick , which for want of these things , and also because that never any venetian nuncio was promoted to be cardinal , is look'd upon at rome as a kind of third power between crown'd heads and the ducal state. if , i say , all this could be gain'd by the state from a pope , there might be some return made , by making a law , that church-men in criminals should not be judged by any tribunal but the council of ten , or delegates from that council . and now i am speaking of that council , i cannot but inculcate , that all means possible should be used to hinder an avogadore from daring to carry the decrees of the council of ten to be re-view'd or censur'd by any other council : but rather , if there ought to be any change made in them , let it be by the same power that made them ; otherwise the consequence will be a constant annihilation of their decrees , and a manifest depression of the great nobility , with an exaltation of the lesser . touching the authority of this council , i have this more to say , that i could wish , that the delegations of its power were less frequent , with great regard to the dignity of the persons , as well as to the splendor of the government , which is always more reverenced when it is least communicated , like the sun-beams , which in that glorious body are of gold , but communicated to the moon , are but of silver . indeed our ancestors would have deserved well of us , if they had lengthened the time of this magistracy : but because that which was not done in those old times , can hardly be hop'd in these modern ones , the only remedy would be to obtain a continuation of the same persons for another year , under pretext of avoiding so many various elections in so short a time as must be made by a scrutiny in the pregadi : 't is true , that would exempt the persons continued from the governments of expence ; but as long as that exemption did not extend beyond a year , there would be little inconvenience in it : and if it be objected , that this would too much strengthen the authority of the great ones , i answer , that it lasting but a few months , could not be of ill consequence : and on the other side , those hands are , as it were , tied up , which ought to be at liberty to do justice , while every week they may be canvass'd and teas'd by a party of mean persons , both for the conditions of their mind and fortune : i have often admired how the council of ten ( having already all the criminal power , and a good part of the judiciary in civil causes , as well as in state-affairs ) have suffered themselves to be thus fetter'd , it seeming to me almost impossible that the inferiour sort should at the time of this modification have so far prevail'd over the middling nobility , as to make them forget , that it is much better obeying a few great ones , than a multitude of inferiours . the prudence of the great ones must be awak'd , to take all secret advantage to repair these past omissions by means not easily penetrated . let vertue be esteem'd where-ever it is ; and if it be eminent in one who is not noble , let it find a regard ; for he has made himself noble ; and all hereditary nobility has had its beginning from some personal eminency . and thus much for the first head. the second head , which is concerning the government of your subjects , may be divided into those who confine upon the sea , and in your islands , and those of terra firma . as to the first , there needs not much speculation ; for they confining only upon the turk , and there being among them but few persons of note or riches , there remains nothing but to shew your selves just by giving them good rulers ; and there you ought to be very careful : for if they have justice and plenty , they will never think of changing their masters : those few of istria and dalmatia , that confine upon the emperour , have not in themselves any qualities to waken your jealousie , and are besides well affectioned to the government of the republick . for your greek subjects of the island of candia , and the other islands of the levant , there is no doubt but there is some greater regard to be had of them , first , because that the greek faith is never to be trusted ; and perhaps they would not much stick at submitting to the turk , having the example of all the rest of their nation before their eyes : these therefore must be watch'd with more attention , lest , like wild beasts , as they are , they should find an occasion to use their teeth and claws ; the surest way is to keep good garrisons to awe them , and not use them to arms or musters , in hopes of being assisted by them in an extremity : for they will always shew ill inclinations proportionably to the strength they shall be masters of , they being of the nature of the gally-slaves , who , if they were well us'd , would return the kindness , by seizing the gally , and carry it and its commander to algiers : wine and bastonadoes ought to be their share , and keep good nature for a better occasion . as for the gentlemen of those collonies , you must be very watchful of them ; for besides the natural ferocity of the climate , they have the character of noblemen , which raises their spirits , as the frequent rebellions of candia do sufficiently evidence . the use of colonies was advantageous to the roman commonwealth , because they preserv'd even in asia and africa , roman inclinations , and with them a kindness for their country . if the gentlemen of these colonies do tyrannize over the villages of their dominion , the best way is not to seem to see it , that there may be no kindness between them and their subjects ; but if they offend in any thing else , 't will be well to chastise them severely , that they may not brag of any priviledges more than others : it will not be amiss likewise to dispute all their pretensions to any particular jurisdiction ; and if at any time their nobility or title be disputed , it will do well to sell them the confirmation of it at as dear a rate as possible : and , in a word , remember that all the good that can come from thence is already obtain'd , which was 〈◊〉 the venetian dominion ; and for the future there is nothing but mischief to be expected from them . as for the subjects of terra firma , there is required a more abstruse way of governing , by distinguishing those who by an ancient inclination are well affected to the republick , as those of brescia , crema , and bergamo , and also those of vicenza ; for to them there ought to be suitable returns of kindness made upon occasion to the others , who only have a kindness of obedience , such as are the veroneses , padouans and trevigians , it will be good to make shew of great justice towards them , but not let slip any occasion of keeping them low : it is good to wink at the fewds and enmities that happen among them , for from these two benefits arise to the commonwealth , to wit , private discord among themselves , and good confiscations to the publick . let all extortions and oppressions committed by the gentry upon the people , be severely punished , that the people may be affectionate to the government , as being particularly protected by it : in all occasions of taxes and impositions , suffer not any remonstrances , remembring how in 1606. there had like to have been a league between the brescian and veroneze , in order to obtain an abolition of imposts , and with what boldness the brescian embassadours made their complaints in the senate : it was a very previous disposition to a rebellion ; therefore it will be fit to let them know , that if the state think good to lay a tax , there is no way of avoiding it . those who in the councils of these towns , are of a resolute nature , and somewhat refractory to the orders of the state , you must either ruin or oblige , even at the publick charge : for a small leven is enough to ferment a great mass of bread. the brescians have a priviledge which you must infringe upon all fit opportunities , which is , that no estates of brescians can be bought but by brescians themselves : for if the venetians could extend themselves in that most fertile country , in a few years it would be as it is now with the padouans , who have scarce a third of their own country left them . in the case of a rich heiress , it will be well to endeavour , by all fair means , to marry her with some of the venetian nobility , to enrich them , and impoverish the others . let their governours be chosen among those of the highest spirits of the venetian nobility , that they may in them venerate the prince : for every man naturally gives more credit to his eyes than to his ears . observe however this caution in taxing , that you do not thereby hinder plenty : for though men may be perswaded to part with superfluities , yet not with what is necessary for life . as for employments , if there be room , omit not to give them to the natives , but still in places remote from their own dwelling , and keep them there as long as may be , that they may lose their interest at home . if there be heads of factions among them , they must be exterminated any way ; but if you have them in prison , 't is better to use poyson than the hangman , because the advantage will be the same , and the odium less . you must have an account of the taxes that their neighbours the milaneses undergo , and still let those of the venetian subjects be something lighter in comparison ; and moreover let them be free from quartering of souldiers , which is in it self the heaviest of all tyrannical oppressions . let the great crimes be still brought before the council of ten , that the veneration for the power at distance may be greater , and likewise because the ministers of justice will be less subject to be corrupted , when the criminals are in the prisons of the state. let the process against them be tedious , that so the slowness of proceedings may be some part of punishment : but for the banditi , if they dare to appear in the state , let them be extermined with all industry ; for there cannot be a greater demonstration of contempt in the subject , and weakness of the prince , than for a condemned man to dare to come into the dominions out of which he has been banished , as if one should frequent another man's house in spight of his teeth . the bishopricks and other church-preferments may be conferr'd upon the natives , first , to avoid the imputation of too much avarice in the venetian nobility , if they should take all preferments to themselves . secondly , in order to debase the spirits of the natives , and turn them off from arms to an idle life : besides , it will be a kind of a shadow of liberty , to make them bear their subjection the better . but as much as it may be convenient to let them attain the degree of bishops , so much would it be dangerous to let them arrive to that of cardinal ; for then they will be sure to abhor the quality of subjects , since those who wear that purple have usurp'd the precedency even over princes . let every city have the making of their own gentry by their common-council ; for that will make it so much the meaner ; but still let them be bound to have the confirmation from the senate . let all those families who apply themselves to the service of foreign princes , be upon all occasions slighted , and not at all countenanced by the government , intimating to them by that silent notice , that he deserves little of his own prince who seeks employment with a foreign one : and if any of these who have serv'd abroad , should be so bold , as to contend with a venetian nobleman , if it be at venice , let the punishment be severe , if he be in the wrong ; but if it is in his own country , let it be gentle , that the opinion of the publick justice may be advantageously insinuated to the people ; and likewise , that the noble venetians themselves may avoid contests , where they are not more immediately protected . let the citadels of the chief cities be well provided , as much against a foreign enemy , as to chastise a rebellion at home , nothing so much inclining to offend , as the hopes of impunity : and it may indeed be said , that if men were certain of a punishment to follow , they would never offend at all ; but a prince that is sufficiently provided , is sufficiently safe . remember , that as it is very hard to find either a wife or a monk , that one time or another have not repented the loss of their natural liberty , so the same may be said of subjects , who fancy that they have parted with more of that they were born to than was necessary for their well-being . and let this suffice for the second head. coming now to those several princes with whom the venetian republick may have concerns , we will begin with the pope , as being the first in dignity , if not in power . and here we must have a two-fold consideration , he being to be look'd upon as a spiritual and as a temporal prince . there has been some advertisements given already about his spiritual power : we will add here what was then omitted : first , we must admire the wonderful state of that monarchy , which from a mean and persecuted condition , for the series of many years , in which the very exercise of religion was punished with death , is arriv'd to so much greatness , that all regal dignities of the same communion , pay homage to this spiritual monarch , by the kissing of his feet . god almighty has been pleased this way to shew the reward of christian religion , by raising to the supreamest greatness the institutors and ministers of it ; but the piety of christian princes has very much tributed to it ; and the first was constantine : this emperor not only embrac'd the christian faith , but enrich'd the church extreamly , and since his time several other emperors and kings have , as it were , vied with one another , who should give most : but that which is most inscrutable is , how with their riches they came to give away also their jurisdiction and power . for six hundred years after the coming of christ the popes were always confirmed by the emperors , or in their steads , by the exarcks of ravenna ; and in the very patent of confirmation there was always written these words , regnante tali domino nostro . in the year 518. the emperor justinus sent from constantinople his embassadors to pope hormisda , to confirm the authority of the apostolical sea , and to announce peace to the church . in 684. constantine the second gave to benedictus the second a concession , by which , for the future , the election of popes should be made by the clergy and people of rome , and should not need the confirmation of the emperour , nor of the exarck , not reflecting , that the holiness of those times might come to change it self into an interest of state. bonifacius the third obtained of the emperour phocas , that all other christian churches might be obedient to the roman . after this , in the year 708. justinus the second was the first that submitted to kiss the pope's feet ; and that pope's name was constantine : but adrian the first having received great favours from charles the first , king of france , did in a council of one hundred and fifty three bishops , confer upon him the authority of chusing the popes , which was about the year 773. a priviledge which his son lewis the pious knew not how to keep , but parted with it for the imaginary title of pi●us ; to which might be added that of simple . howsoever scandalous the emperours were in their lives , the popes did use to bear with them , referring to god almighty the punishment of them : but in the year 713. philip , emperour of constantinople , being fallen into heresy , was excommunicated by pope constantine , and had the reward due for all the honours and priviledges given by his predecessors to the popes . this was the very first time that the imperial power was forc'd to stoop to the papal ; and yet at the same time the church of milan claim'd an independency from the roman , and maintain'd it for above two hundred years , being countenanc'd by the emperours , who often came into italy , and in their absence hy the exarcks of ravenna , till at last in the year 1057. it yielded up the contest to pope stephen the ninth . in the year 1143. celestin the second was the first pope chosen by cardinals in exclusion to the people . i have made this narration , that it may appear by what degrees this spiritual monarchy has increased ; and in it , the goodness of christian princes is not more to be admired than the dexterity of the popes , in not omitting any occasion to gain ground . at present the emperour is chosen by a pontifical bull , where the power of election is committed to the three ecclesiastical , and four secular electors , with an obligation nevertheless in the emperour chosen , to receive his confirmation and coronation from the pope ; so that the subject is at last become prince over his own prince , not without some reflection of weakness upon otho the fourth , emperour of germany , who in the year 994. agreed with pope gregory to settle the election in this manner , for the honour ( as he thought ) of the german nation , but with great diminution of the imperial dignity . to this grandeur of the papacy , if we add that of having subjected to its power all the other bishops of christendom , and obtain'd to be own'd the first of all the patriarchs , who long contested its primacy . i say , so high a power ought to make all other well-govern'd states very wary in their proceedings with it , and to have a careful eye upon all those occasions wherein the pontifical authority may be still enlarged , because 't is observed , that all courtesies and favours of princes are in that court turn'd to debts and claims in the space of a few years ; and to obtain the possession , they do not spare for exorcisms and anathema's . there is one custom , or rather abuse introduc'd in that court , which deserves great consideration from princes , which is the power the pope has assum'd of deposing princes and soveraigns , and giving their kingdoms and states to others , under pretext of ill government . the prodigal son in the gospel did not lose his right to his portion , though he was resolv'd to dissipate and consume it viciously , because that title which we receive from nature can never be lost in our whole life . the kings of navar were fain to go vagabonds about the world for the sake of a bit of parchment which pope julius the second put out against them , whereby king john the second lost his kingdom , which was given to ferdinand● of arragon ; and had not providence brought them to the crown of france , there would have been no mention in the world of the kings of navar . from this liberty of taking away kingdoms , the popes assume that of erecting them pope paul the fourth made ireland a kingdom , and pius the fifth erected tuscany into a great dutchy . queen elizabeth of england , was deposed by paul the third , and according to the usual custom , her kingdom given to philip the second of spain , who was to execute the papal sentence ; but he met with the winds and seas , and the english ships , which quite defeated his armada . in france , by a priviledge of the gallican church , they admit of no bulls that contain deprivation of kings , but keep to the right of succession : and indeed to depose an actual king , and give away his kingdom , is not only to destroy a suppos'd delinquent , but to punish an innocent successour , and likewise to prejudice the right of election in those who have it . on the other hand england has often thought fit to make it self tributary to the see of rome by the peter-pence , the first time under pope leo the fourth , and more remarkably under king john , in 1214. to avoid the invasion from france ; but henry the eighth delivered himself once for all , and not only refused the tribute , but made himself amends by seizing the church-lands . the fresh example of paul the fifth towards this republick is never to be forgot , who charitably would have govern'd another bodies house , under pretext that the master did not understand how to do it himself : and the constancy of the venetian republick will have given fair warning to the court of rome , how they undertake such quarrels , since they were forced to come to an agreement with very little satisfaction or honour on their side , having been obliged tacitely to give up their claim ; for to demand peremptorily , and then relinquish the demand , is a sign it was not well founded in justice ; and the absolution refus'd , was proof enough , that the excommunication was void in it self : so that the advantage that has accrew'd to the venetian government from the contest , has been much greater than the damage sustain'd in it . if ever for the future , which i scarce believe , there should happen an occasion of an interdict from the court of rome to the republick , i should advise presently to post up in rome an appellation to the future council , which is a cruel blow to them : for first , it insinuates the superiority of the council over the pope ; and secondly , it revives the memory of councils , and lets them see they are not things quite forgot all the world over . if there be care taken to examine well all bulls that come from rome , and the observation of what has been hitherto practis'd , be strictly continued , it may be hop'd , that the republick shall not undergo any greater subjection than other princes , but rather shall have some liberty above them , particularly more than the spaniards , who find their account in complying with the tyranny of rome , because they receive at the same time great favours from it , and are proud of maintaining its authority . to say truth , the popes hitherto have shew'd little kindness to the republick , and except the priviledges granted by alexander the third , which serve more to register to the world the action of the republick , in restoring and protecting him , than for any thing else : for the doge might of himself without the papal concession , have assum'd those other little ornaments of the ombrella , the standard and the sword : so that bating the concessions of the decimes upon the clergy , and the nominations to the bishopricks ▪ this country of ours feels but slender effects of the pontifical kindness , which may be an advantage upon all occurrences of interest of state to stick the closer to that , because there needs no complements where every one desires but his own . in considering the secular power of the pope , we will do it upon five heads , which may serve to examine all other princes interests with the republick . first , if it be advantageous to the republick to have the church grow greater . secondly , what title , inclination or facility the popes may have to acquire any part of the state of the republick . thirdly , what inclination , title or facility the republick may have to acquire any part of the state of the church . fourthly , if the church may unite with the republick , to acquire the state of any other princes . fifthly , if the church can unite with other princes , to hinder the progress of the arme of the republick . to begin with the first , we will answer with a general rule , which is , that it never is advantageous to a prince , who desires to remain free and powerful , to let another grow great , except it be to lessen a third , who is greater than them both ; and if he that is thus agrandiz'd be a neighbour , his advancement is so much more to be feared : these alterations indeed may not be so dangerous to a little prince , who does not fear depending upon a great one , to avoid being molested by one who is already too strong for him . but to come closer to the case of the republick , we will say , that if the church could make it self master of any part of the king of spain's dominions in italy , where he is the greatest prince , they might hope for the consent of the republick , which is the second great italian potentate , because by that means the republick might become the first ; and however , the strength of the church will always give less jealousie to the republick , than the spanish power in italy ; for the nature of the pontifical principality is elective and temporary , and the aims and designs of that court vary according to the genius of the several popes ; and sometimes it is subject to long vacancies : whereas the monarchy of spain is successive , and , as one may say , eternal , and govern'd by standing lasting maxims . but if the church be to grow great by the spoils of any other italian prince , it would be the interest of the republick to oppose it , because the damage thence resulting is evident , and the advantage dangerous . it ought to be well consider'd , how the state of the church is increased in this last century . the custom that was in the church before , to give infeodations upon slight acknowledgments , had brought that power to be more of show than real strength ; but julius the second , succeeding alexander the sixth , made borgia , duke of volentine , nephew to alexander , who had seiz'd upon all those infeodations in romania , refund them to the church , and added to them the conquest of bologna , and got also from the republick the cities of cervia , rimini , ravenna , faenza , imola , and others , to which , under clement the eighth , was added the whole dutchy of ferrara , and lately that of vrbin : so that these acquisitions alone would make up a great principality : and the church seems to want nothing towards the making of it the most considerable power of italy , than the addition of parma and piacenza , and some little independent castles in the territories about rome : besides , it can never more be lessen'd by infeodations , that being quite left off by that court : so that to let the church grow any greater in italy , generally speaking , cannot be for the interest of the venetian republick . to the second point , what title , inclination or facility the church may have to acquire any portion of the state of the republick , we shall say , that since the court makes profession of the extreamest justice , and that likewise they are loth to begin the example of princes usurping upon one another , i think they can hardly set up any title but upon the polesine of rovigo , which they say was formerly annex'd to the dutchy of ferrara ; and in the times that the dispute was between the dukes of ferrara and the republick , the popes always shewed themselves smart defenders of the dukes : of four interdicts published by the church against the venetians , two of them were for this very cause , the first in the year 1305. the second in the year 1483. under sixtus the fourth , at which time indeed the republick had taken the whole dutchy of ferrara , by the instigation of the pope himself ; but he being friends with the duke , commanded them to restore what they had taken , which they refusing to do , he fulminated his excommunication and interdict ; but a peace following , the republick kept by agreement the polesine of rovigo : the third interdict was in 1505. under julius the second , because the republick had several cities of romania in their possessions , and the last of all was now lately under paul the fifth : so that if the popes shewed such a concern for the thing when it was only belonging to the dukes of ferrara , much more would they do it now when the profit would be their own : so that we may believe that as to this they do own a title , and have likewise inclination enough to regain this bit of territory that is lopp'd off from them . we are therefore to consider what facility they have to do it ; and i do not believe that ever of themselves they will kindle the fire , but make advantage of one ready kindled by some other , as it happened under julius the second : nay , if they reflect upon the great rule of preserving the liberty of italy , they will not for so small a matter enter into a league against the republick ; for it is of greater concern to them not to break the ballance of dominion in italy , lest the tramontani should take advantage of it , and subdue all . but this very reason was strong in pope julius the second's time , and yet was without effect in a mind bent all upon particular interest ; wherefore i conclude , that we are not to expect greater temper in the modern popes , but ought to rest satisfied , that if a powerful foreign prince should promise them the acquisition of the state of the republick , they would embrace the motion without delay . to the third question , i say , that the republick might have just reason to make themselves amends for the country they lost in romagna , it not being a thing they had usurp'd from the church , but a voluntary dedition of those cities who were tyranniz'd over by little tyrants , that had taken occasion from the negligence of popes to make themselves masters of those places : they were yielded up by the republick , to take off julius the second , who was the great fomentour of the fire which was kindled against the venetians in the league of cambray , where the forces of all the princes of christendom were united against them ; and without doubt , upon good circumstances the republick might justifie the re-taking of these towns ; and i believe there is inclination enough to do it , all princes being willing to extend their territories ; but the point is the facility of doing it , which i think altogether remote ; for all other italian princes , if not out of conscience , yet out of ostentation of religion , would be backward to fall upon the church ; and except it should happen that some one of them should grow too powerful for all the others united , and so be able to right himself , i think the state of the church need not fear being lessen'd . to the fourth question , i answer in the negative , and do not believe that the church would joyn with the republick , to acquire the state of any other prince , except it were such a one as the church had a pretence upon , and then they would keep all , which would not please the republick : besides , we ought to reflect upon the genius of the popedom , which being elective , most commonly the popes have no other aim than to keep all quiet , and preserve the general respect of princes towards them , that in that decrepit age they may make their families , their thoughts being far from enlarging a dominion which they expect to leave every day ; and in the mean time , all the ready money , which else they might lay up , would go upon projects of a very uncertain event : and 't is a wonderful thing that julius the second , being of a very mean birth , should have had so great a sence of the publick interest of the church , as to forego all his private concerns , and take the empty praises of his courtiers in payment for the loss of such real advantages as he might have made to his family . the last query depends , in a great measure , upon the others . i do not think it would be easie to concert the union of the pope with other princes , in order to attack the republick , because it will never be advantageous to the church to increase the power of that other prince ; neither will it look like the justice they profess , to take to themselves alone the spoils , except it be upon a country on which they have a pretence : 't is true , that in those noysie excommunications where they deprive princes of their dominions , and give them to others that can take them , there might be some danger ; but they are seldom practiz'd but in an attempt made by a prince upon the church , which is never to be feared from the piety and moderation of the republick . there is no doubt but the church would enter into a league to hinder any progress of the republick , particularly against any dependant of theirs ; and also in case the republick attack'd some small prince , the popes , to affect the protection of the weak , would declare ; but if the republick had to do with a strong prince , the church would look on , for fear of greatning too much that prince , the rather , because the republick can lay claim to none of those old ticklish titles which some other princes might set a-foot against the church . and so much for the pope . now let us come to the emperour : the republick must never forget that maxim which is common to all princes bordering upon the empire , which is , that it is not convenient for them to see the emperour made more powerful , lest he renew those antiquated titles he has to most dominions near him , and particularly in italy . the power of the roman commonwealth , which extended almost over all the known world , being at last usurp'd by julius caesar , and from him deriv'd to a long series of succeeding emperours , might give the german emperour a pretext to reckon with all the princes of europe , if he were strong enough ; and perhaps many who wear crowns , would be reduc'd to beggary ; therefore 't is best to keep him in his cold country of germany , where mens spirits are benumm'd , and less undertaking . the republick has reason to distrust him upon many heads ; as emperour he has pretences upon the dutchy of frioul , and the marca trevisana , besides the cities of trevisa , padoua , vicenza and verona : as arch-duke , he pretends to istria : as king of hungary , to zara , and the neighbouring country : so that his titles and neighbourhood are considerably dangerous ; all these countries are besides of greater antiquity than the city of venice it self : so that their being subject to a metropolis of a younger standing , gives some suspicion of the lawfulness of their subjection . all these pretences were renewed in the league of cambray ; therefore i think , without hesitation , i may pronounce , that it is the interest of the republick that the emperour should be kept low , both for general and particular reasons . from these reflections we may also conclude , that the emperour to these titles does not want inclination to acquire a part of the territories of the republick ; particularly it being yet a complaint of that prince , of the little respect show'd him by the republick , when taking advantage of his distractions , they erected the fortress of palma nuova just under his nose . there remains therefore to see what facility he might find in such an attempt . in the present state of his affairs , while the faction of the protestants is so strong in germany , i cannot think that he can quarrel with the republick , which is as powerful in money as he is in men : for in length of time 't is certain , that he who has money may have men , and they who have many men must consume much money : 't is true , he being so near a borderer upon the republick , it may give him the more confidence , because a lesser number will be necessary to make the invasion ; but if the enterprize be not in the name of the whole empire , in which case the whole german nation would be a party , i believe , with the help of his own patrimonial dominions , he will not do any great matter , the rather , because many great heretical princes and cities of germany have the same interest to keep him low : so that as he might perhaps be pretty smart upon an invasion or incursion , at length of time he would prove as weak to hold out a war : and indeed this was the true cause of erecting the fortress of palma nuova , to obviate a sudden incursion of his forces , and provide a retreat for the country-people ; so to gain time , which is always as advantageous to the republick , as dangerous to such an enemy , who if he have not some body to furnish him with money , will get but little ground , tho his army be numerous , as it was in the time of maximilian . now whether the republick has any title , inclination or facility to acquire any part of the emperour's territories ? i answer , that without doubt the republick has pretences upon goritia and gradisca , which formerly belong'd to the family of the frangipani , and for a little while was under the government of the republick : there are likewise some castles in istria , and upon the coast which the republick claims ; and for an inclination to acquire these , we need not doubt but the republick has it , it being either the vertue or vice of princes never to be without it : but still the great consideration lies in the facility of doing it ; for it there be that , 't is above half the title ; and if that is wanting , 't is imprudence to own any part of a pretence that must remain without execution . i believe by sea it would prove easie to take trieste , and some other places , but it would be as hard to maintain them ; and to go further into the land , would need great preparatives on the side of the republick : whereas on the emperour's side , the defence would be easie , he having a command of men : so that except in an open war , there is no thinking of any strong attempt that way , and then it were not amiss to put a good strength to it , that at the end of the war , which always must one time or another be succeeded by peace , some of the country might remain by treaty in the venetians hands , for the charges of the war ; for to begin a war only for the acquisition of these places , would not be a deliberation befitting the wisdom and gravity of the venetian senate : it would be better to watch the occasion of some extremity or pinch of an emperour , which often happens , and buy these places ; but then be aware that if it be not a patrimonial estate , the consent of the dyet is necessary to the purchase , to cut off all claims in time to come . 't is as hard , that the emperour should unite with the republick , to acquire the state of any other prince in italy , because , first , for spain , they are the same family with the emperour ; against the church he will declare as little , professing a great zeal for it , and calling himself , the churches advocate ; modena , mantoua and mirandola are fiefs of the empire ; savoy and florence are remote from him , and to come at them he must overcome greater princes that are between him and them : so that this union would prove difficult . if the emperour should fall out with some of these dukes , his vassals , and depose them , it might happen that if spain were busie elsewhere , and the emperour loth to take the trouble of chastising them himself alone , he might then unite with the republick , upon condition to have the best part of the spoil ; but if the emperour should , as formerly , come to a great rupture with the church , and employ heartily his power in the quarrel ▪ 't is not impossible but he might be willing to engage the republick by a promise of some part of the conquest . i think in any other way 't is not probable to make any advantage of the imperial assistance . the last question is , whether he can unite with others against the republick ? and of this there is no doubt : for if maximilian , tho infinitely oblig'd to the republick , made no difficulty to unite in a league with lewis the twelfth of france , his competitor and enemy , whom , for injuries received , he had declared a rebel to the sacred empire ( tho lewis laugh'd at that imaginary jurisdiction ) : i say , if he could submit to joyn with so suspected a power , much less would the emperour now scruple the uniting either with spain or the pope , or any other princes of italy , not only for to acquire territory , but even for bare money , if it were offer'd him . with france i believe the union would not be so easie as it was then , because now the emperour , being partial for spain , if their interest did not concur , they would hinder him from being drawn away by any hopes or promises : but this will appear better when we come to treat of spain : for if spain will have a league against the republick , the emperour will never stand out . now let us come to france : 't is not above fifty years ago that the republick thought themselves oblig'd not only to desire , but to procure the greatness of france , because being under the phrensie of a civil war , it threatned little less than the dissolution of that monarchy : the succession of henry the fourth to the crown , who had his title from nature , and the possession from his sword , reviv'd it , and at last gave it such vigour , that from deserving compassion , it came to move envy ; and if a fatal blow of a mean hand had not cut off that prince's life , and designs , there would have been requisite great dexterity , or great force to defend the republick from them . the count de fuentes , governour of milan , us'd to brag , that he had such musick as should make those dance who had no mind to 't : henry the fourth might have said so with much more reason , and he us'd to affirm , that at the pass things were , the neutrality of the republick was a coyn that would no longer be current . if he had given career to his no ill-founded designs , half a world would not have suffic'd him ; but we must not be frighted if we see the raging sea swell in billows , and look as if it would swallow up the earth , since a little sand stops all its fury . death has a scythe that most commonly cuts off all the noblest lives : if henry the third of france , had brought the siege of paris to an end ; if philip the second had not had the winds and seas against him , england would have been in chains , and paris would have been a village . in conclusion , the fatality of humane affairs is such , that most great undertakings are disappointed by unexpected causes . at present the constitution of france is such , that there is little danger from them ; for during the minority of their king , they will have enough to do not to lose ground , there being so many jealousies and factions a-foot : 't is true , that the common people have open'd their eyes , and begin to be weary of spending their blood for the ambition of the great ones ; and amongst these , the chiefest are old , and at their ease , so that they will think chiefly of keeping themselves in those posts they enjoy . the duke of maine , who is head of the catholick party , is very ancient and very rich ; wherefore if in the time of the great troubles , he either could not or would not aspire to make himself king , when even he had all but the name of it , 't is not to be imagined he thinks of it now ; and if he will be content with the state of a subject , he is as great as he can be . the duke of mercaeur , who in his wife 's right pretended to erect britany into a kingdom , is at last dead in hungary ; the duke of epernon is more studious of good husbandry than soldiery ; the duke of montpensier has always been true to the royal family ; the capricios of the marchioness of aumale , will hardly have any followers ; and it will be well if she can clear her self of the late king's death : on the other side , the prince of conde , the first prince of the blood , is young , and of a mild nature ; he has besides before his eyes the example of his father , grandfather , and great grandfather , who all perish'd unfortunately in civil broils , and has in his own person experimented the spanish parsimony , in his retreat from court to brussels : so that if he desires a greater fortune , he may compass it in france , from the hands of the queen her self , who is so ill a politician , as to try to put out fire with pouring oyl upon it . the hugonots are weary ; the duke of bovillon , their head , well pleased with his present fortune ; and if he have a mind to be a hugonot out of perswasion , and not faction , there is no body will hinder him ; but most of these great men have religion only for a pretext , as 't is reported likewise of the duke de lesdiguieres , which if it be true , they will never be quiet till the king be of age ; and by consequence , there will be little protection to be hop'd for from that kingdom . our speculation therefore may more certainly conclude , that the greatness of france is at a stand , and cannot in the space of some years make any progress , and till it come to an excess not to be thought on for these fifty years , it can give no jealousie to the republick . as to the title , inclination and facility that france may have to acquire any part of the republick's dominions ; i say , we need not doubt of their inclination , because princes are like wolves to one another , always ready for prey . as for title , they can set up none till they have conquer'd the dutchy of milan ; and facility they have as little , because they cannot come at the republick's territories , without first passing over those of other princes , which they will never consent to , lest they prove the first conquest themselves : whereupon i conclude , that for a long time the power of france can give no jealousie to the republick . and on the other side , the republick can have no pretences , as things stand , upon any part of the french territories , as long as they are totally excluded from italy ; and if there be no title , there is less inclination and facility . the union of france with the republick , to acquire the state of any other prince , will always be easie when france is in a condition to mind such acquisitions ; the past examples prove that sufficiently ; but they do sufficiently bear testimony likewise of the danger of such union : now that the french are totally excluded italy , they would agree to very large conditions with the republick , and allow them a great share of the kingdom of naples and dutchy of milan ; but they would no sooner have made the acquisition of their share , but they would begin to cast their eyes upon that of the republick , and enter into a league against them with some other prince , just as it happened in the time of lewis the twelfth , when to gain cremona , he was the first that consented to the league of cambray , deceiving all the while the venetian embassador at court , and affirming ( even with oaths ) , that he would never conclude any thing to the prejudice of the republick , tho he had sign'd the league above six weeks before the war began , which he exercised likewise in a most barbarous manner , hanging up the noble venetians that were governours of the towns he took . i believe france , to get footing in italy , would engage with any other prince against the republick , except with the spaniard ; and if that should happen , it would be necessary to stir up the factions of that kingdom , and bring upon them some powerful neighbour , such as england : the friendship of savoy would likewise be useful , to hinder the passes of the mountains , and make some diversion in provence and dauphine , if there could be any relying upon this present duke ; but he is a proteus , that turns himself into many forms , and with his capricio's and humours , would soon empty the treasures of s. marc : but these are things so remote , that they may be left to the prudence of those who shall live in those times ; for according to the times there must be alteration of councils . and so much for france . now let us turn to spain , a family that from low beginnings , is come by marriages to the possession of twelve kingdoms , and several dukedoms in europe , besides what it has in the indies , does certainly evidence a great favour of fortune , joyn'd with great application and industry : so that if it be not stopp'd by fatality , may bid fair for an universal empire : if charles the fifth had had as much prudence in his youth as he had in his old age , he would not have separated the empire from spain , but would have made his son philip have been chosen king of the romans , instead of his brother ferdinand : he understood his errour , and repented of it at last , trying to perswade ferdinand to a renunciation ; but he shew'd as much prudence in keeping what he had got so wonderfully into his hands , as charles would have shew'd folly in going to deprive him of it by force . charles was not less unhappy in the other act of moderation he shew'd , when he renounc'd all his kingdoms to his son , and retired to a private life ; for to one who on the anniversary day of that famous action , congratulated king philip for his felicity , he answered , that day was likewise the anniversary of his father's repentance : so that actions of moderation in princes , are but like that insect called the ephemera , which lives and dies the same day . the greatness of spain is therefore to be suspected ; it has two wild beasts that follow it always close , one on one side , and the other on the other , which is the turk by sea , and france by land ; and besides that it has that issue of holland , as witty boccalini calls it , which will sufficiently purge it of all its ill humours ; and it must be own'd , that all the spanish sagacity has not hindered them from following the fable of the dog , who forsook the substance for the shadow : for , for forty years together , france was sufficiently taken up with their own intestine broils , during which time spain might with great advantage have made a truce with holland ; and having likewise humbled the turk , by the battle of lepanto , they might have applied their whole force to italy , which had no defence but its own natives , and not of them above half : so that in all probability they could have met with no considerable opposition . one might say , that it was an effect of king philip's moderation , if he had not shew'd as great an ambition of dominion as possible , in endeavouring first to unite france to spain by conquest , then to have his daughter chosen queen , and lastly , seiz'd upon as many towns as he could ; therefore we may give the italians joy , that half an age of so much danger passed without the least loss of their liberty . now by reason of the french king's minority , the jealousies against spain are a-foot again , but , i think , not with so much ground ; for if not france , at least england , would raise their old enemies , the dutch particularly , if the italians should help with money : so that if italy can but resist the first brunt , it may hope for all sort of relief ; for france has forces , and they would soon have a will to succour italy against spain : neither do i believe , that spain would hazard the truce with holland , it having been compass'd with such difficulties , even to the loss of much of their honour and fast . 't is enough , that to all other christian princes , except the emperour , the greatness of spain is of ill consequence ; and therefore to be opposed by all secret means first , and if need be , at last openly , and without a mask . if spain has any title , inclination or facility to acquire part of the republick's dominions , there will be little difficulty to answer : their title would be upon brescia , crema , and bergamo , ancient members of the dutchy of milan : and these three cities are so considerable , that with their territory , they would perhaps make up as rich a dutchy as any in lombardy , except milan : so that we need not doubt , but the spaniard looks upon these cities with an amorous eye , and with great desire to enjoy them ; there remains only the facility of doing it , which is always the most important of the three points : upon this subject we must distinguish whether they will make the attempt by themselves , or in conjunction with others : if alone , and that the republick have any great prince , either italian , or foreigner on their side , they will meet with little facility in their designs , because the republick's money , joyn'd to the forces of another prince , can give check to almost any great power , and particularly to that of spain , whose states and possessions are large , but disunited ; and they cannot but be afraid , that while they are busied in lombardy , others would try to attack them in a more sensible part : if spain should therefore unite with any other prince , provided the republick had france on their side , they would not much hurt it , because the inundation of the french into lombardy , uses to be both powerful and sudden , provided they be called in by an italian prince of some figure ; and by that means the spaniard being attack'd on two sides , would go near to lose his dutchy of milan . but if we consider the republick united only with some italian prince , and the french to stand spectator , as might happen in the minority of a french king , particularly if the spaniard had the pope and emperour of his side , i doubt the republick would be hard set ; for that other prince in league with them , cannot be of any great force ; the most useful would be savoy ; but besides , that he would be bought very dear , he would be always wavering , if the spaniards tempted him strongly : the richest would be florence ; but his territories not joyning upon those of the republick , there is little good to be expected from his assistance . lastly , if spain will fall upon the republick alone , and the republick be likewise alone , i say , that as to the state of terra firma , it would go near to be lost ; but by sea the republick would make a stout resistance . but if it be ask'd , whether the republick have either title , inclination or facility to acquire any part of the spanish dominions in italy ? i answer , the title would be upon cremona in lombardy , and upon travi , and other ports of la puglia , in the kingdom of naples , the republick having been in possession of all these places before ever spain had footing in italy : so that there wants nothing but facility ; and there is but one case that i know in which the republick might hope to get possession again ; and that is , in case the republick were in league with france , and the emperour busied by the protestants of germany , then some of these expectations might be fulfilled , but still with the same jealousie , that your friends should at last joyn with your enemies to fall upon the republick , as it happened in the league of cambray . and this answers the other question , to wit , whether spain can unite with any other power against the republick ? 't is very true , that i can hardly believe , that the spaniards would , without any precedent broil , attempt a league with france against the republick , because the damage of one city's remaining in the french hands , would be greater to them than the profit of taking all the republick has in terra firma would amount to . whether the spaniard may unite with the republick , to acquire conjoyntly in italy ; i say , that if it be against an italian prince , they will not , because it is not their interest that the republick should be greater , and already almost all the lesser princes are dependants of that monarchy : and as for the pope , they would certainly help him , rather than joyn against him , being us'd to make a great shew of their protecting the church : the only case that would make them bear patiently any new acquisitions of the republick , would be , if france should make any progress in italy . after all , amidst so many well-grounded suspicions , it must be confessed , that the neighbourhood of spain has prov'd of less disturbance to the republick , than that of any other prince who had those countries before them ; for the dukes of milan were perpetually either quarrelling , or , finding themselves too weak , were inciting of other powers under-hand against the republick . there may be an union likewise of the republick and spain by sea , against the turk , and by land against the grisons , or any other hereticks . and this is enough for spain . now by reason of vicinity , we will speak of the other italian princes : it would be the interest of the republick to see them greater , if it could be done at the expence of spain , and by their spoils , as also by getting from the church : but both those cases are next to impossible , if first the world be not turn'd topsy turvy , which can never be , but by a league with france ; and then if any part of the spaniards dominions could be shar'd amongst them , it would not injure the republick at all : but for any of these princes to grow great by spoiling one another , i should not like it ; for the advantage would be inconsiderable , and in the mean time the fire would be kindled in italy , the property of which is to go not where you would have it , but often where you are most afraid of it . whether any of these princes have title , inclination or facility to acquire from the republick , the consideration will be short , because facility will be wanting . mantoua has some pretences upon valesa and peschiera ; modena upon the town of este , from whence the family comes : but all these little princes united without the pope and spain , could hardly give a disturbance to the republick , because the two powerfullest of them , to wit , savoy and florence , are not immediate borderers . whether the republick have either title , inclination or facility to acquire from them in the state they now are in ; i answer , that the house of este not having ferrara , the republick has no title to either modena or reggio : there would indeed be a good inclination against mantoua , because he lies , as it were , in the bowels of the republick ; but there would be but an ill title , except the republick should bear the charges of his education , while they were his guardians ; and then the facility would be small ; for no sooner would the republick have begun the dance , but others would come in , and perhaps it would not end as it begun . of the other princes i have little to say , the republick having had no disputes with them ; for the genoueses , who formerly set the republick so hard , have done as the horse in the fable , lost their own liberty , in hopes of being victorious of their enemies , and are by that means out of power to hurt the republick . as for leagues these princes will be ready to make them either with or against the republick , because their fortune , as princes , being but small , they will let slip no occasion of mending it , either by acquisition of new territory , or by receiving subsidies and pensions . florence only would hardly be mov'd by that last motive , because he is not needy , being at this time perhaps the richest prince in ready money that is in christendom ; and his riches always increase , because the princes of that family do yet retain their ancestors inclination to merchandize , and that enriches the prince without damage to the subject . the dominions of the great duke are considerable , as well because they are placed as it were in the navel of italy , with a fertile territory , all united together , as also because the states of other princes are , as it were , a wall and defence to it ; and it is besides , to be valued by the communication it has with the sea by leghorn , and some other maritime fortresses : so that if one were to reckon upon any italian prince , i know none that deserves so well , as being exempted from the temptation of being bought , and having yet some of that punctual mercantile faith. if the republick will have a league with any of the other italian princes , there will be no difficulty in it , provided they pay them ; but withal , one must not forget the witty reflection of boccalini , when the italian princes are willing to be taught manners out of the galateo , provided that it may not look like ill breeding in them , to eat with both jaws as fast as they can . with poland the republick can have no other concern than that of defending christendom , and by some diversion from that crown , bear the more easily the weight of the ottoman power : therefore it would be well for the republick to have that king and kingdom grow more powerful . as for any thing else , the great distance that is between that state and the republick , takes away all matter of any further consideration . the same thing may be said of the moscovite . england being the greatest of those powers that are separated from the church of rome , is a kingdom of great strength , particularly since the union of scotland ; and the kings of england have nothing left to desire as to territory : all that island is now under the dominion of one sole monarch , and has the sea for a wall : so that if england be not disunited within it self , there is no power to overcome it : we see the example in the invasion of philip the second of spain ( and yet then the union was not so great as might have been ) who lost his mighty armada that he had been so long preparing at such vast expences . queen elizabeth , who has shew'd the world how far a woman's ability can go in government , did likewise enlarge her dominions by navigations to the indies , and wounded spain in that tender part ; she likewise had some ports of the low-countries consign'd to her , so that she seem'd to be hardly contain'd in that separate world of hers . the island is fertile and delicious , producing all necessaries for life , and though the natives go abroad and buy the products of other countries , it is more as superfluities , and out of luxury , than want , and amongst the rest , they have a trade for grapes called currans , which they buy in the dominions of the republick . henry the eighth , who was the king that apostatiz'd from the church of rome , did use to concern himself in the affairs of italy , and several times the popes have had good protection from the ancient kings of that country , who were most devoted to the see of rome ; to say truth , religion has had a great loss , and the court of rome a greater , i cannot well say , whether out of the great lust of henry the eighth , or the little consideration of clement the seventh , at present that king will not hear of rome , and has but small curiosity for the affairs of italy . if this king could grow greater , it would be advantageous to the republick , because it might obtain his alliance , and by that means a greater respect from other crown'd heads ; but however , even without this consideration , 't is a power to be courted , because the nation having an ancient antipathy to france , and a modern one to spain , it cannot but have a good inclination for the republick . 't is true that the present king is more enclin'd to wars with his pen , than with his sword , having a mighty love for disputes , and valuing himself upon the character of a notable divine ; so much has the quarrel with rome influenc'd that country , that even their princes study controversie ; but however i should not think the republick ought to mind any of those circumstances , because where there is strength , there is always hopes of making use of it , that depending only upon raising of passions . the best means would be ( besides the continuation of those offices already introduc'd of mutual embassies ) strictly to command the governours in the levant to shew all good usage to the english merchants , and particularly observe punctually all treaties and engagements with them , because there is no nation that puts a greater value upon their word than the english do , and the kings of that island have not yet learnt the modern policy that gives them leave to break their faith in order to reigning more absolutely . with the seven united provinces 't will be good to cultivate friendship , and to encrease it by a mutual defensive league , particularly at this time , that the truce is but newly concluded with spain ; for it will be a curb upon the spaniard , if he should attempt any thing against the republick , for fear his old wounds should be set a bleeding again , they being but just bound up , and not healed . 't is feasable likewise to procure something more of trade with the hollanders , because they are extremely ingenious , and addicted that way ; and moreover , since both the republicks stand in awe of the same power , it will not be difficult to unite their inclinations ; and they have made on their side a sufficient advance , by sending an embassy to the republick , which though of complement , yet it has shew'd great esteem and inclination to an union . besides the advantage of a solid diversion of the forces of spain , there is another essential consideration , which is , that from them might be had a considerable body of well disciplin'd soldiers , and that with admirable celerity , besides several regiments that might be rais'd in a country so well us'd to war , if there were occasion , and all the inconveniencies of transportation are not to be valued ; for the republick will always have a greater scarcity of good soldiers , than of good money . with the princes of germany of a different religion , there can hardly be any concerns , if there is no room for quarrels . as the world stands now , if it be not well , they should grow greater , at least 't is not amiss , they are already great enough , because they are a check upon the emperour , who else would be a most formidable potentate to all princes , but more particularly to the italians , and more to the republick , than to the rest of italy ; but now by their means his power is not only balanced , but almost quite oppressed to the common benefit of other princes . with these princes it will be easie for the republick to have an engagement : first , because they know that the republick is not a blind adorer of the interests of the court of rome : and , secondly , because they see the jealousies that are between the republick and the emperour , from whence they conclude , that there is no danger of a league between them and the emperour , and by consequence , they have not the republick for a suspected power ; and upon all occurrences , it will do well to shew an inclination to friendship with them , first , because they may make a potent diversion ; and , secondly , because their country being a nursery of soldiers , the republick upon occasion may make levies there ; and it is a point of high importance for the republick to be certain of their levies ; for in a time of need they can hope but for small help from the italian militia . i have not yet said any thing of the duke of bavaria ; and he is not to be omitted , being so much a dependant of the emperour , from whom he has received the electoral dignity , upon the exclusion of the elector palatin : this prince has had the boldness to contest the precedency with the republick at the council of trent ; and therefore no good correspondency can be between him and the republick . it would not be amiss to see him lessen'd ; for 't is always to be wish'd , that he who has no good intentions , should have as little power to offend as may be . the order of malta , who are pyrating princes , is likewise to be minded ; and their growth in power can be of no use to the republick : they do nothing but waken the ottoman power , when 't is almost lull'd asleep ; and therefore are dangerous : their friendship , in time of open war with the turk , will be easily had , upon the hopes of a good booty . it remains for us now to speak of the greatest prince of this known world , formidable to all other princes , i mean the turk ; but we cannot speak of him by the rules we have laid down for the others ; for with him all arts and policies are vain : he makes no league with any , neither has he any residing embassadors in any court , scorning to descend to inform himself of other princes intrigues : he owns his greatness , and relies upon it , like the elephant , who by reason of his great strength , is never observed to use cunning : perhaps it may be an arcanum of the alchoran , to hinder his subjects from contracting the manners and customs of other nations , and bringing them home at their return : perhaps likewise that he is unwilling their wits should be 〈◊〉 in politicks : his is an empire built upon the ruin of all other empires , founded in force , and scorning titles and claims of justice . if he can acquire a country , he has always right to it ; and when he has conquer'd it , he assumes all the power to himself , suffering no usurpations where he himself usurps all : his ministers make open profession of ignorance , which is propagated industriously amongst his people , who are sufficiently learned , if they know how to obey : they are told openly of their slavery , and it is expected they learn the obligations of it : not but that they will dispute with christians for their emperour , and alledge , that he succeeds to all the rights of constantine , whose city he has conquered . in his religion the prince is loose , and the mufti , which is the high priest , tied up , who must speak complacently to the ends of the government , and in conformity to the will of him that rules , or pay his disobedience with his life . in this monarchy all the qualities of the mind , both speculative and practick , are despised and suspected , which made one of their emperours send back the musicians sent him by francis the first , lest with their harmony they should have molified the iron temper of those fierce natures : they value strength of body , and the arts of war , in which none are sooner preferr'd than those who shew the greatest fierceness and inhumanity in their dispositions : they are intent upon conquering the rest of the world , and in order to it they have infinite numbers of men , and infinite treasure : his yearly revenue exceeds twenty millions of crowns ; he inherits the estates of all his subjects , whose children can lay claim to nothing but their father's horse and arms. in the midst of all these riches his thirst of gold still increases : so that often his fury is laid with the charms of that metal : out of that has been said , 't is evident that his greatness must be the ruine of all other powers , and that it would be an unspeakable felicity to see him lessen'd ; but the hopes of that are so remote , that they are next to impossible . as for any title upon the territories of the republick , he can have none ; inclination and facility he has but too much , designing the ruine of all christendom ; and considering the disunion of christians , more intent upon jealousies at home than upon an union against a foreign invader , his design is not above his force : he fears nothing but an union of christendom against him ; and that he may not be negligent in providing against it , that cunning and wicked mahomet has left him a prophecy to keep him awake , by which , the ruine of his empire is to come from such an union : the turks never mention it but with cries and groans ; and the government strives to avoid it by being invincible , not considering , that if the prophecy be true , 't is unavoidable . as for the republick , he is a terrible neighbour to them , always encroaching , and setting no bounds to his pretences , till he has swallowed all . the republick , on the other side , cannot want a title against him ; for what he has taken from them , would make up a great principality : cyprus , negrepont , modon , coron , caramania , all the archipelago , bossina , scutari , albania , part of the very imperial city of constantinople , and in short , half his empire in europe has been at several times extorted from the republick : but to get any of this back is the difficulty ; and 't will be well if he is content with what he has , and that we can save what remains . the only good thing the republick can hope for , is , that the turk will not enter into league with any other against the republick , because he scorns all leagues : 't is true , that in the time of lodovico sforza , duke of milan , he was by him drawn to invade the republick , and before that , by the visconti , dukes of milan , likewise with promise to busie the venetians in italy , by a war on his side : 't is said also , that lewis the twelfth strove to draw him into the league of cambray : but all these are rather subornations than leagues , and spurring of a horse that 's free enough of his own nature . he would easily unite with the republick , to conquer other princes ; but then the republick must reckon , that he would take all to himself , he not understanding any accounts of dividing : so that it would only be a madness , and by ones own expence of blood and treasure , promote his tyrannical empire . the turk has often offered succours to the republick in their wars with others ; but our wise ancestors always disliked such a protector , but were glad he did not take the opportunity of their troubles to fall upon them . there is no other politicks to be used with this empire , than to profess friendship , and reckon upon sudden enmity ; and therefore be always provided , that the weakness of the state may not be an invitation to him to use his natural rapacity ; for the peace will be always the longer , when the readiness for war shall be visible . in case of a rupture , one should try to make a diversion by the king of persia , the moscovite and the pole : but that will be a long uncertain business , and of slow benefit ; to corrupt the ministers of the port in open war , will be a very hard thing , they will rather suffer a temptation in time of peace , and by that means one may penetrate their designs , and retard their deliberations , provided the person gain'd be of the divan , and particularly the grand vizier , if possible ; but they often take bribes , and deceive one ; besides , their being subject to continual changes , and those very sudden , according to the emperour 's capricio , and the calumnies of their competitors , the friendship of the queen mother , and of the wife of the grand signior , as also of the mufti , may help : but if the prince himself be of a resolute nature , their offices will be but weak : and all violent sudden resolutions of war made by the emperour himself , are always welcome to the janizaries , who are the soul of that empire : so that , as i said at first , i must conclude , that prudence and politicks can be of little use against rage and fury , and a nation that depends not upon reason , but upon might . i can say nothing then but what the angel said to gideon , comfortare & esto robustus ; and with this good omen that comes from heaven , and which i offer with a most affectionate mind , i take leave , having accomplish'd the task was imposed upon me , if not according to the full extent of my duty , at least in proportion to my weak forces , and small talent . finis . the painters voyage of italy in which all the famous paintings of the most eminent masters are particularised, as they are preserved in the several cities of italy ... / written originally in italian by giacomo barri ... ; englished by w.l. of lincolns-inne, gent. viaggio pittoresco d'italia. english barri, giacomo, ca. 1630-ca. 1690. 1679 approx. 178 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 94 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a31044 wing b916 estc r7752 11902230 ocm 11902230 50592 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a31044) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 50592) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 52:10) the painters voyage of italy in which all the famous paintings of the most eminent masters are particularised, as they are preserved in the several cities of italy ... / written originally in italian by giacomo barri ... ; englished by w.l. of lincolns-inne, gent. viaggio pittoresco d'italia. english barri, giacomo, ca. 1630-ca. 1690. lodge, william, 1649-1689. [16], 159 p. : map, ports. printed for tho. flesher ..., london : 1679. a rare and interesting little work, being an early guide to the works of art preserved in the churches of italy. translation of: viaggio piottoresco d'italia. reproduction of original in university of chicago library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng painting -italy -early works to 1800. painting, italian -early works to 1800. italy -description and travel -guidebooks. 2006-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-03 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-04 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2006-04 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion directions to place the sculptures . 1. the frontispiece before the title . 2. the map of italy before the table . 3. michael angelo . pag. 17. 4. titian . p. 50. 5. paulo veronese . p. 112. 6. pietro de cortona . p. 117. 7. raphael urbin . p. 159. licensed , roger l'estrange . decemb. 6. 1678. pictvra the painters voyage of italy roma w : lodge 〈◊〉 et fecit . the painters voyage of italy . in which all the famous paintings of the most eminent masters are particularised , as they are preserved in the several cities of italy . chiefly relating to their altar-pieces , and such other paintings as are ornamental in their churches . and also many choice pictures , kept as jewels , in the palaces of particular persons . whereunto is added that excellent collection of signior septale , in his closet at milan . illustrated with the heads of some of the most renowned painters . written originally in italian by giacomo barri a venetian painter . englished by w. l. of lincolus-inme , gent. london , printed for tho. flesher , at the angel and crown in s. pauls church-yard . 1679. to the right honourable thomas , lord bellasis , viscount favlconberg . my lord , when i had the honour to attend your lordship in your embassy to the states of venice , it was my fortune there to meet with a small piece , entituled viaggio pittoresco d'italia , the task being of no very great difficulty , and altogether agreeable to my own inclination , i have gratified my self ; and i hope not disobliged ingenious artists in a faithful rendition of it into english ; which i have done the rather because the book is rarely to be found in italy , and i cannot remember i have seen any original in england but that which is in my own hands . i have taken courage to prefix your lordships honourable name to this translation to render it acceptable to the world , under the patronage of an acurate judge , and a zealous lover and encourager of the noble art of painting . if it may serve to put your lordship in mind of the pleasure you received by a personal view and admiration of those great masters elaborate pieces when your lordship was abroad ; and in any measure testifie my desires to serve your lordship , 't is the greatest honour and satisfaction can be wished for , or is attainable by , my lord , your lordship 's most obliged and most obedient servant w. l. to the ingenious readers . having , not many years since , given my self the satisfaction of personally viewing the most principal places and rarities of rome , and other the beautiful cities of italy ; i thought my self obliged to make my countreymen some accompt of my observations , those especially who are lovers of the noble art of painting ; if not to assure our young nobility and gentry that 't is worth their while , and curiosity to travel ; yet at least to inflame their minds , and excite their industry , to imitate those great masters whose employment made their lives easie , their persons venerable , and their names immortal : on these considerations i had attempted , my self , a collection of what i had seen , but for want of opportunities , and admission into several places of remark , i was about to have desisted from that design , which i foresaw was like to be but very imperfect : at last , lighting upon the ensuing treatise , i found the work critically done to my hand ; wherein there is a faithful accompt of the names and performances of most of the greatest masters , as well antient as modern , whose curious and elaborate pieces are at this day the fairest ornament , and pride , o● all the places of devotion , pleasure ▪ and magnificence throughout all italy . the author giacomo barr● was a venetian painter of good esteem , and had the good hap to please his countreymen by letting them know in this book what treasures they were masters of : and i dare hope this my translation ( mean as it is ) has not rendred it altogether unacceptable at home , to those at least who have any passion for an art so worthily esteemed by the most ingenious spirits of all ages . i have added onely two things of my own to this work , one is a view of signior septale's closet in milan , not inferiour to any of the italian princes collections ( inaccessible it seems to our author ; ) the other a few heads of some of the most renowned masters . i shall compass the ends of all my travels and pains , if my countreymen , by these my endeavours , may take encouragement to emulate what they see there so highly valued and admired ; and undoubtedly the english genius is as capable of arriving at the highest pitch of perfection and glory in this and all other liberal sciences , as that of old athens , or of modern rome . w. l. italia by robert morden at the atlas in cornhil london map of italy the table . a. ancona . pag. 27 asolo . 105 b. bolognia . 33 burano . 91 bassano . 106 br●scia . 113 c. citta di castello . 24 cividall . conegliano . 100 coneda . 103 castello di s. salvatore , 101 castell franco . 106 cittadella . 107 cremona . 114 , 154 corte maggiore nel piacentina . 135 carpi . 140 f. fuori di roma . 23 fuligno . 24 fano . 29 furli . 29 faenza . 32 ferrara . 33 fiorenza . 115 finale di modena . 139 g. genoa . 114 , 154 i. imola . 30 isola dì s. elena . 92 isola della gudiecha . 94 isola di s. giorgio . 93 l. loretto . 26 lucca . 155 m. macerata . 26 murano 88 mazorbo . 90 montanagna . 109 modena . 136 mantua . 141 milano . 143 n. napoli . 159 p. perugia . 25 pesaro . 28 pordenon . 98 padua . 108 parma . 118 piacenza . 132 pescia . 157 piere di lamari . 158 r. roma . 1 rimini . 30 ravenna . 31 reggio . 138 s. senegaglia . 31 seravall . 104 sirinalta . 113 sassvoli . 140 t. torcello . 91 treviso . 96 v. vrbino . 32 venetia . 45 vdine . 99 villa di marens . 101 villa di fontanelle . 101 villa di castello . 104 villa di mazen . 105 vicenza . 110 verona . 112 the state or territory of the church , within the city of rome . the church of s. peter . as you enter at the great door , the first chappel on the right hand of the crucifix is all painted by the hand of lanfranco . then follows in the same part of the church the great altar-piece of the martyrdom of s. sebastian , a singular work of dominichino . the cuppola over this altar is mosaick work , and the design of pietro da cortona . in like manner follows the chappel of the sacrament , where is a piece of the same pietro da cortona representing the coronation of our b. lady . the cuppola of this chappel is also mosaick , and the design of the same authour . walking under this chappel , on the front there is a square of mutiano . following on , in the cross isle on the right hand there is a side of one of the altars , which is the work of monsieur possine , representing the miracle of s. erasomus , a very beautifull piece . being gone a little farther , you see the famous little bark of s. peter , a singular good work of lanfranco . the square right over against this is the hand of camassei , and denotes the miracle done by the apostle s. peter , when he caused the water to spring up in the prison for baptizing withall . then follows directly in view the speciall picture which demonstrates when s. petronilla was laid in the sepulchre : it is the work of guercin da cento . turning towards the chair at the head of the church , and having passed the said chair , you see on your left hand a stately picture which represents s. peter going to the temple with s. john , and doing the miracle of curing the lame : a most superb work of chivoli . advancing a little forward along the cross isle , and being past the sacristie , there is a picture which denotes the miracle of s. gregory holding a bloudy handkerchief in his hand : a most beautiful work of andrea sacchi . those pictures of the four altars under the pilasters of the great cuppola are by the hand of the same sacchi . the church of s. martha behind s. peter's . entring this church at the great door you see the picture of s. vrsilla , and on the left hand is a picture of two * eremits , the work of lanfranco . the church of s. peter in montorio . here you will admire the most famous great altar-piece , and , as i may say , the unparallel'd picture of great raphael . it signifies the transfiguration of our saviour . the church of s. onofrio . before you enter this church , there is a little lodgment wherein are painted three half-moons , by the hand of dominichino . within this church on the right hand there is a picture which represents the holy house as it was transported into italy by the angels , the work of hannibal carache . the church of s. mary in transtevere . upon the roof of this church is a square , wherein you find represented the assumption of our b. lady ; a beautifull work of dominichino . the church of s. francis on the bank. entring at the great gate , there stands a picture within a chappel on the left hand , which signifies the lady of pietie , the work of hannibal carache . the church of s. bartholomew in the island . in this church there are four chappels painted by anthony carache , one on the right hand as you enter the great door , the other three on the left , all very fair works . the church of s. trinity de ponte sisto . that piece of the trinity of the great altar done by guido reno is a work worth great admiration . the church of s. charles de catenari . the four angles of the cuppola do demonstrate the four cardinal vertues , by the hand of dominichino . the tribunal of this church is the hand of lanfranco . the great picture is of pietro da cortona . another picture of the pilgrimage of s. joseph is by andrea sacci . the church of s. bridget in piazza furnete . you will find in this church an altar-piece of our lady with the child jesus and s. john , by hannibal carache . the church of s. petronio bolognesi near unto the farnese . the piece of the great altar with our lady and other saints is the work of dominichino . the church of girolamo della carità . at the great altar you see most rare pictures by dominichino , representing the communion of the above-named saint . the church of s. catharina de funari . entring at the great door , the piece of the first altar on the right hand , with a s. margaret and a christ over the said altar , is the work of hannibal carache . the two histories on the sides of the great altar are the works of frederico zucchari . the church of s. paul without the walls . in a chappel near to the great altar there are two squares with the histories of moses , and in the sacristie there are divers other squares ; all the works of lanfranco . the church called the baptism of constantine near to s. john in the laterane . here you see two great histories : one represents the battel of the emperour constantine the great ; the other is the triumph of the second battel : both by the hand of camassei . all those squares around the little cuppola , as also divers boys , are the work of andrea sacchi . the church of s. paul at the three fountains . there is a table which demonstrates the crucifixion of s. peter , a most fair work , by guido reno . the church of s. luke in campo vaccino . the great altar-piece denotes s. luke as he is painting the picture of our blessed lady ; the work of * divine raphael . the church of s. lorenzo de spetiali in campo vaccino . the high altar with the forenamed saint is the hand of pietro da cortona : and entring the same church , the first picture on your left hand is the work of dominichino . the church of s. sebastian above the pulveriere . here is the piece of the great altar with the martyrdome of the said saint , done by the hand of camassei . the church of s. gregory . in the chappel of this saint is a singular good piece by hannibal carache . the chappel of s. andrew adjoyning to the foresaid church of s. gregory . as you enter this church , on your right hand you see a history painted in * fresco , which represents this saint when he was buffeted ; a stupendious work of dominichino : on the left hand is , when the said saint was conducted to his martyrdome ; a singular work of guido reno . in another little chappel adjoyning to this , you see the little tribunal , where are divers boys playing upon variety of instruments . the round church of s. stephano . the picture of the first chappel as you enter on your left hand with a madonna and the child jesus , s. elizabeth , a s. john and a joseph , is the work of divine raphael . the church of s. bibbiana . where you may see divers pictures concerning the life of this saint , by pietro de cortona . the church of s. maria maggiore . in the chappel of our b. lady are divers saints , beautifull pieces , of guido reno : the cuppola of this chappel is by the hand of civoli . the picture aloft and near to this chappel signifies a madonna , by guido reno . that square near to the crucifix represents when christ rais'd lazarus from the dead ; 't is the work of mutiano . the church of madonna della victoria . entring the great door , the second chappel on the right hand is all painted with the history of s. francis , by the hand of dominichino . there is another table of the trinity , by guercin da cento . the church of s. bernard , having passed the four fountains . the great altar-piece is the hand of andrea sacchi . in the same church there is a picture of s. bernard , by camassei . the church of the fathers capuchines . as you enter at the great door , the first altar on the right hand , representing s. michael the arch-angel , is a rare work of guido reno : and on the left hand is demonstrated the conversion of s. paul ; a very fair piece of pietro da cortona . a little onward you see the picture of the lady of piety , by the hand of camassei . then follows a picture on which is painted the nativity of our saviour , by the hand of lanfranco . after that is another picture of the b. virgin , and an holy bishop , by andrea sacchi . afterwards is the high altar-piece with the conception of the b. virgin , the work of lanfranco . let us turn off to the other part of the church , and we shall see the picture which demonstrates st. anthony of padua raising a man from the dead . an excellent work of andrea sacchi . the church of s. isodoro . the great altar-piece with this saint praying , is the work of andrea sacchi . the church of s. joseph . the great altar-piece represents a dream of this saint , by the hand of andrea sacchi . and at your entrance , you distinctly see a piece done by the hand of lanfranco . the church of st. trinity on the mount. here are seen two chapells , one demonstrates when our saviour was taken from the cross ; and the other the assumption of the b. virgin , both marvellous works of daniel da voltera . the church of madonna del popolo . in the chapell of the chigi are several figures of divine raphaell . and in the chapell on the right hand of the great altar is seen a piece of the assumption of the b. virgin , and above this are several histories , to be reckoned amongst the best works of hanniball carache . the church of s. lorenzo in lucciná . here is seen a very fair piece of our saviour upon the cross , by the hand of guido reno . the church of s. maria inviolata . the tribunall demonstrates the assumption of the b. virgin , an excellent piece , by camassei . the church of s. romualdo . the piece of the high-altar with this saint , is a most stately work of andrea sacchi . the church of s. sylvester upon monte cavallo . being entred the great door , you may observe in the second chapell on your left hand , two freezes of boyes in * chiaro scuro , by polidoro . then follows the chapell on the right hand of the great altar , and there are on the four angles of the little cuppola , four histories of the old testament . the first is queen esther falling before the king her husband . the second , as they are discoursing together . the third is king david , playing on the harp , before the ark. the fourth is judith , when she shews the head of holofernes , all by the hand of dominichino . the palace on monte cavallo . that chapell where the pope sayes mass is all excellently painted , by guido reno . the church of jesus . entering the great door , on your left hand , you may see many saints , done by guiacome bassano . the high altar-piece demonstrates the presentation of the b. virgin at the temple , by the hand of mutiano . the church of s. andrew in the valley . the tribunall , with the four angles are marvellously well done , by dominichino . the cuppola also is a stately work of lanfranco . the picture of the blessed caëtano , is by the hand of camassei . and that of the blessed andrea avelino , is the hand of lanfranco . the church of s. lorenzo in d●maso . here is seen the high altar-piece , being the work of frederico zurthari . the chapell on the right hand of the great altar is the work of pietro da cartona . the spanish church of s. giacomo . the chapell of s. diego is all painted by albano . the design of carache . the french church of s. lewis . entering at the great door , the second chapell an the right hand is all excellently painted , by dominichino , with the history of the life of s. cecilia . onely excepting the altar-piece which is a copy after raphael , copied by guido reno from the original , which they preserve at bolognia . the great altar-piece is the work of giacomo bassano , representing the assumption of the b. virgin. the church of the madonna del anima . the altar-piece of one of the chapells , on the right hand as you enter , is a madonna , and the work of julio romano . the church of the madonna della pace . entering at the great door , there are over the first chapell on your right hand , diverse prophets and sibylls , and are some of the choicest things that ever raphael painted . the great tribunall is all painted by albano . the church of s. augustino . as you enter at the great door , you may see on your left hand , over a pilaster , a prophet and two boyes , an admirable work of raphael . in the front of the chapel of s. tomaso da villa nova , is to be seen a picture of guercin da cento . the chapell on the right hand of the great altar in the corner of the church , is all singularly well painted by lanfranco . the church of salvatore in lauro . the picture of the nativity of our saviour is a fair work of pietro da cortona . there is another picture of the b. virgin , with another saint below ; by albano . the florentine church of s. john. here you will admire a most beautiful chapell , with the history of the passion of our saviour , by lanfranco . the new church of the fathers of s. philippo neri . the roof of the church , and the cuppola , the four angles , as also the tribunall , are stately works of pietro da cortona . you may also plainly see two pieces of barocci , one represents the presentation of our b. lady , the other the visitation of s. elizabeth . the altar-piece on the chapell of s. philip is by the hand of guido reno . and behind the same altar is another painting , by the hand of guercin da centa . s. lorenzo alla sobara , being the church of the curtezans . the great altar-piece is done by camassei . michael angilo nat. aº 147● portrait of michaelangelo s. lucia in celsis near to s. maria maggiore . there is a square by lanfranco , and another by camassei of s. john communicating the b. lady . the nunns church near to s. mary in trastevere . the great altar-piece here is the work o● camassei . the palace of the vatican . in the great hall here , called the sala reggia , you see a battle , with other large histories , most beautiful works of frederico and tadeo zuccharo . after you have seen the aforesaid hall , you enter into s. paul's chapell , which is all painted by michael angelo bonarota ; and here you will admire that famous painting of the vniversall judgement . let us walk above in the second gallery , which is all painted by raphael , with the histories of the old , and several of the new testament ; the rabeschi or the ornaments are painted by john of raphael's scholar ; but the design of raphael . being afterwards come within the chambers , the first chamber , all beneath the cornice , is painted with the * cortoni of raphael . the first history as you enter on your left hand signifies when constantine the great saw the holy cross in the sky , when he was making an oration to his souldiers : painted by giulio romano , a famous scholar to the abovesaid raphael . then follows the great battle of constantine ; rarely painted by the said giulio . then continues the third picture , which represents how pope s. silvester baptized the aforesaid emperour . the fourth being a chimney-piece , demonstrates the baptisme of fattor bono , by the hand of raphael bergo , a scholar also of the above named raphael . now follows the second chamber , the which is all painted by raphael's own hand , excepting those histories in chiaro scuro , * which are painted by his scholars . the first history over the door where you enter , represents the pope hearing of mass , and a miracle succeeds . the third history is when attila coming with his army to besiege rome , against the pope , there appeared in the sky s. peter , and s. paul. the fourth demonstrates s. peter in prison . after this there are severall histories of the old testament painted on the roof . then follows the third chamber , and over the door where you enter , you see represented the antient school of athens . over against this is an history denoting a disputation concerning the holy sacrament . over a window is represented mount parnassus . a little below , on the sides of the windows , is a representation of the pope and the emperour giving out the laws . there are also divers significations painted on the roof . the fourth and last great chamber is all rarely painted by the same raphael , onely excepting the roof , which is painted by raphael's master . the four histories about this room are these ; first , that over the door where you enter represents the pope in a ship. the second signifies the burning of the city of rome . the third is when the pope crowned the emperour charles the great . and in the fourth are many bishops . the palace of the chigi in the street of lungara . in a ground-room of this palace you see the study of painting , and in a little garden-room is the famous galatea ; the works of great raphael . the garden of the duke atlanti , as you go to lungara . here you will find many pieces , both by raphael and giulio romano . the palace of farnese . here you see a gallery all painted in fresco , by the most excellent hand of hanniball carache . in the wardrobe of the said palace , there are preserved a great many rare pictures , by diverse masters , which i forbear to nominate one by one , for brevity sake . within the garden of the palace of chiavica dal buffolo , you see very fair works of polidoro and frederico zuccharo . at the common store-house over against s. eustachio , you see a house painted by frederico zuccharo . vpon the mount cittorio . here is a front of a house , by the hand of polidoro . the palace of the verospi . here is a chamber painted by lanfranco , and a gallery by albano . the palace of the mancini on monte cavallo . the gallery of this palace is the work of camassei . you also see on this palace that beautifull aurora ; by guido reno . the garden of the mattei in campo vaccino . here is a little chamber with several naked women and other ornaments ; by the hand of raphael . the palace of pamphylio in piazzo navona . here you see a gallery all painted by the hand of pietro da cortona . and in the hall is a freeze , by camassei . the front of the middle part of the palace of the duke d'acqua sparta . this being called la marchesa d'oro , is all painted with various resemblances , by the hand of polidoro . coming from the bridge of s. angelo , and entering the street de coronari . here is a front of a house in * chiaro scuro , the work of polidoro . near to the chiavica of s. lucia . you see here upon a house divers histories in chiaro scuro , by polidoro . the palace of barbarini at the four fountains . here you see the great and famous hall , painted by pietro da cortona , being some of the choicest of his works . within one of the chambers there is painted on the roof , the divine wisdom . a choice work of andrea sacchi . on the side of another chamber is plainly represented the creation of angels , by camassei . then follows another of camassei , with the history of the nine muses on mount parnassus . just without the porto di castello there is a little house painted by polidoro . the state or territory of the church , without the city of rome . grotta ferrata , being a monastery of benedictines , two miles distant from frescati . the famous works that you will find in the above mentioned monastery , are worth any ones coming a long journey to see , for they are the choicest things that ever were painted . by the studious hand of dominichino . the city of fuligno . in the nuns church , called le countesse . here you will admire an extraordinary fair picture of our blessed lady upon the clouds , and diverse saints below , by the hand of divine raphael . no curious person ( without a dissatisfaction to himself ) passes through this city without a sight of this picture . the city of castello . in the church of s. dominico . there is to be admired a picture of the espousal of the blessed virgin with s. joseph ; there needs no other commendation , than that it is the hand of divine raphael . the city of perugia . the domo , or great church . on the right hand of the great altar there is a picture of the taking our saviour from the cross . the work of frederico barocci . the new church of s. philippo neri . there is seen a most noble square , of guido reno . the church of s. francis. here you will find the assumption of the blessed virgin with the apostles , by the hand of incomparable raphael . s. severo being the church of the fathers camaldolesi . here is an admirable piece of christ on high , above the clouds , and below there are diverse monks kneeling on the ground ; the work of raphael . the church of the nunns of monte lucce . where there are diverse fair pieces of the aforesaid raphael , and of giulio romano . the city of macerata . the church of the fathers capuchines . the great altar-piece represents paradise , a truly divine work of barocci ; and deserves to be seen by every one . the holy house at loretto . the church of the b. virgin. in this church you meet with a picture of the nativity of the b. virgin , an admirable work of hanniball carache . and another in the far end of the church , which demonstrates an annunciation ; a singular work of barocci . after this is the apothecaries shop belonging to the holy house , where the pots and vessels are all painted by the most excellent hand of raphael . the city of ancona . the church of s. dominico . in this church you will find an admirable picture , by the hand of great titian . the church of the fathers franciscans zoccolanti . here is seen another picture of the above named titian . none that are curious should deceive themselves so much , as to pass by this city and neglect a sight of this piece . the city of pesaro . the domo . there is a great piece towards the middle of the church , on the right hand as you enter , which is a most beautiful work of guido reno . the church of the fathers franciscans . here is a little s. michael , by the hand of barocci . the confraternity of s. andrew . here you will see a picture with the history of that saint when he came ( being called by our redeemer ) to the apostleship ; the work of the aforesaid barocci . the church of the fraternity of s. anthony . here you will admire a most beautiful piece , by paulo veronese . the city of fano . the new church . here are seen several small pictures , done by guido reno . the city of furli . s. girolamo , the church of the fathers zoccolanti . in the chapell of the conception of the b. virgin , you may observe a representation of this mystery , with angels round about , by guido reno . the church of madonna del popolo . there is a picture , done by guercin da cento . the new church of s. philippo neri . where is seen a picture of the annunciation of the b. virgin , by the hand of guercin da cento . the church of the fathers capuchins . the piece at the great altar is the work of gúercin da cento . the city of imola . the church of s. dominico . at the farther end of the quire you will see a picture with the history of s. vrsula , by the hand of ludovico caracci . the city of rimini . the church of s. vitale . here is seen a picture with the martyrdom of this saint , by paulo veronese . the church of the oratory of s. girolamo . here is the picture of this saint , the work of guercin da cento . the city of senegalia . in this city is a little church joyning to the piazza , where you may see a picture which represents christ as he was carried to his burial , by the hand of barocci . the city of ravenna . the domo . in the chapell of cardinal aldrobandini is an admirable picture , which demonstrates when it rained manna . and at the same time you ●ee an half figure of our redeemer compassed about with angels ; 't is the work of guido reno . the church of s. vitale . there is a picture of the martyrdom of this saint , by barocci . the city of faenza . the church of the fathers capuchines . here is a large piece of our b. virgin , with the child jesus , st. francis , and s. christina ; by the hand of guido reno . the city of vrbino . the domo . here are diverse singular good works of barocci . the city of ferrara . the church of s. francesca romana . at the high altar is a most beautiful piece , by ludovico caracci . and in a friery joining to this church is a history , by the same ludovico . the city of bolognia . the church of s. john on the mount. i should do wrong if i did not instruct you where to find that divine picture of s. cecilia , by the hand of eminent raphael : it is preserved in this church as a precious treasure of so great a master : all the virtuosi which travel by the way of bolognia cannot depart this city without a sight of such a marvellous piece . there is likewise another picture with the history of the most holy s. rosario , a rare work of dominichino . the church of s. petronio . in which is seen a famous picture of s. rocco , by the hand of parmegianino . the church of the nunns of s. margaret . here is seen a picture of the b. virgin , and christ a child , as also s. margaret , with other figures : by the hand of parmegianino . the church of the monks of s. michael in bosco . in the cloyster of this church you will admire divers great histories , which represent the works of s. benedetto ; they are divided into partitions , in chiaro scuro , with other pretty conceited ornaments by the hand of the most * excellent carache . there is also another large and beautiful history by the hand of guido reno . the church of certosa . in this church is seen a picture which demonstrates s. john baptist preaching , with two other histories of the passion of christ , by ludovico caracci . there is also another famous picture of the communion of s. girolamo , one of the best pieces that ever was painted , by the excellent carache . without the gate of the great street in the church of the scalsi , you may see a picture , by ludovico caracci . the church of s. dominico . here you will admire a picture of s. giacinto , and over against it is another of s. raimondo , and in the chapell of the martyrdom of s. andrew there is the figure of charity , s. francis , and s. dominico , with other things , by the hand of carache . you also see on the front over the tombe in the chapell of this saint , a piece which demonstrates the said saint as he ascends with christ into heaven . there is also the b. virgin and a glory of angels ; by the hand of guido reno . behind the pulpit you may see a picture of the innocents , by guido reno . the church of s. francis. here is an admirable piece of the assumption of the b. virgin and the apostles , rarely done , by hannibal carache . there is also another picture with the conversion of s. paul , by the hand of lodovico caracci . s. george , being the church of the fathers serviti . where is seen a picture of the b. virgin and christ a child , and other two saints besides them , painted by hannibal carache . there is also another rare piece of the baptisme of christ , by the hand of albano . the church of s. gregory . in this church is seen a picture of s. john baptist baptizing of christ , by the hand of ludovico caracci . and as you enter on your left hand you see a picture , by guercin da cento . the church of s. nicolo in the street of s. felice . in which is a picture to be reckoned amongst the choicest works of hannibal carache . the little church of s. bartolomeo di reno . where is a chapel with a picture , wholly painted by augustino caracci . the church of s. salvatore . in this church you meet with a picture of the assumption of the b. virgin and the apostles , by the hand of augustin caracci . and that square of our saviour in the farther end of the quire , is by the hand of guido reno . the church of s. bernard near the street of castiglione . as you enter , on your left hand , in the first chapell there is a picture by ludovico caracci . on the left hand of the great altar is a square above upon the wall , by the hand of guido reno . the church of the augustine friars , called s. giacomo . here is the picture of s. rocco , by ludovico caracci . the little church of s. rocco , called the pratello . where is seen a picture of this saint , by lodovico caracci . s. paul , being the church of the fathers teatini . the picture at the second chapel as you enter on the right hand , is by lodovico . the sagrestie of the domo . where is also a square of the aforesaid lodovico . the church of the nunns of s. john baptist . on your left hand as you enter , the picture at the second chapell , as also the great altar-piece are the works of the same lodovico . the church of the nuns of corpo di christo . on each side of the great door you will see a picture , of the aforesaid lodovico . the church of s. ursula . the piece at the great altar represents the martyrdome of this saint ; there is another on the right hand of this altar , both by the hand of lodovico . the church of the nunns of s. christina . the great altar-piece of this church , is by the same lodovico . the church of the nunns convertite . here is an admirable piece on the right hand of the great altar , rarely done by lodovico . the church of the mendicanti . here they preserve a picture of s. matthew as he was called by christ to the apostleship , by the hand of hannibal carache . after this is the great altar-piece , and a singular good work of noble guido reno . the church of s. bartholomew in piazza ravegnana . here is a picture of s. charles , by lodovico carache . and another of the annunciation , by the hand of albano . s. martin , being the church of the fathers carmelites . on the left side of the great chapell you may observe the picture of s. girolamo , by the hand of albano . the parochial church of s. tomaso , in the great street . in this church you see a christ aloft , and on the ground below is s. andrew , and s. francis , by the hand of guido reno . the church of the fathers capuchines . in this you see a divine picture with christ upon the cross , with the b. virgin , s. john , and a magdalen , all embracing the cross , a singular work of guido reno . the church of the nunns of s. agnes . the great altar piece is the work of dominichino . the church of s. sebastian behind the gabella . in this church you find a piece done by albano . s. columbano . here is to be seen a picture of s. peter , in fresco , by the hand of albano . madonna di g●●iera , being the church of the fathers of the order of s. philippo neri . here are to be admired several beautiful works of albano . the church of madonna di reggio . over against our most holy lady , there is seen a picture , done by guercin da cento . s. antonio of the college of mont-alto . here is a picture on the right hand of the great chapel , done by guercin da cento . the piece at the great altar is the work of lodovico carache . the houses of particular persons . the house of the favi . in this house is seen divers freezes with the history of aeneas out of virgil , by the above-named lodovico . there are also divers works of albano . the house of the magnani , near to s. giacomo maggiore . here is to be seen a large freeze , the which represents the acts of romulus and remus , the frames which contain them are painted with diversity of garlands and wreaths of flowers in chiaro scuro ; the work is of excellent carache . and in a room below there is a chimney-piece of an apollo , in fresco , with other figures , by lodovico carache . the house of s. pieri , in the great street . in this house we see divers works of augustino , and lodovico carache , and of guercino , all in fresco . vpon the front of the publick palace of the piazza . here are three beautiful figures of naked women , by the hand of guido reno , in fresco . vnderneath that portico which is over against s. maria maggiore . here you see a history which represents when pilat washed his hands at the presence of christ , by lodovico carache , in fresco . the state or territory of venice . the city of venice . the palace of s. mark. as you walk above to the college chamber , you see four squares in the four corners . in one of these is represented vulcan and cyclops as they are working at the anvil . in another is mercury with the three graces . in the third is pallas compelling mars to keep the peace , with the picture of plenty . in the fourth is ariana crowned by venus , with a crown of stars . as also a bacchus with other figures . upon the roof is a square of s. luke the evangelist , and a * venetia conferring together , as also a picture of justice , and a † doge . there are likewise divers little histories in chiaro scuro , with little boys , painted by the hand of tintoret , very fair works . let us enter another chamber , and we shall find on our right hand , a great square of titian , which represents the picture of faith upon the clouds , with three little ange's , and below is s. mark , and an armed doge kneeling . all the roof is to be reckoned amongst the master-pieces of tintoret . after this chamber you go into that of the college , and in the anti-chamber you see upon the roof a most beautiful square of paulo veronese , in some compartements it is azured in chiaro scuro ; where are other figures of the same author . then follows the royal chamber of the college , where you will admire upon the roof the * thundering of jupiter , by the most noble hand of paulo veronese . the square which is in front , is of the same paulo , and all the other about are of tintoret . we go out of the college and enter into the chamber of the pregadi , where will be admired the great square which is above the tribunall , with the dead redeemer upheld by angels , with many saints , and other figures and two figures in chiaro scuro , about the entrance at the great door . on the left hand is found a figure in chiaro scuro , which represents peace . and there is near to that a square of the blessed virgin in the sky . s. mark , s. peter , and s. lewis , and a doge kneeling . and that great square on the middle of the roof with a venetia upon the clouds , compassed about with a multitude of gods , and other figures , is the work of furious tintoret . after this we go into the chapell behind the college-chamber , and before your entrance you see over the door , christ risen from the dead , by the aforesaid tintoret . and within this chapell you see a christ in emaus at table with the two disciples ; this is the work of great titian . let us enter into the chambers of the council of ten , and we shall see in the first of them , on the middle of the roof , a great oval of naked figures ; some of the fairest works , done by paulo veronese . upon the same roof you see several vani ( or compartments ) in one of which you see a juno pouring from heaven great quantities of jewels and crowns , and below stands a venetia , in a posture receiving those gifts . in another square is to be admired a beautiful juno , holding her hands on her breast , together with an old man holding his right arm under his chin , both which are the works of paulo . there are also four figures around the middle ovall , in chiaro scuro , three of these are done by paulo . after this first great chamber , you enter into a lesser , where in the middle compartment is a most beautiful square , with six histories , every one painted in chiaro scuro , by paulo veronese . rare things . in the uppermost chamber of the said council you see upon the roof , several fair works , by paulo . afterwards you go into another chamber , the roof of which is all painted by tintoret . and in this same chamber , over the tribunal is a madonna with christ , and an angel , by the hand of raphael . in this chamber over a door , you see a madonna with the child , s. magdalen , s. john baptist , s. catherine , and another figure kneeling , the work of old palma . the chamber of the grand council . here every one is amazed to see the great square which represents paradise ; a large square , and by the hand of tintoret . over against this great work , on the other side of the chamber , is an history of the venetians warring against the genoese , by paulo veronese . the roof is divided into three orders . in the order of s. giorgio maggiore , the first square towards the throne is the work of paulo veronese , the third and the fourth are by tintoret . in the second order , on the right side of the throne , are in like manner works of paulo , and tintoret . in the third order there is a large square , a mighty work of furious tintoret . the great ovall towards the throne , is a noble work of paulo veronese . that chamber called the sala del scrutinio near to that of the grand council . in this chamber is to be seen a great square of a battle , by tintoret . it is the first picture on the right hand of the tribunall , near unto the door , as you go to the chamber of the grand council . the magistrato delle biade . all the roof here is painted by paulo veronése . in this magistracy there are three chambers , in one of which you see a square of the resurrection of christ , by tintoret . the little church of s. nicholas in the palace of s. mark. in this little church there are the four evangelists , on each side the altar two . and at a distance in a half-moon is the madonna with the child jesus , s. nicholas , and a doge , the works of titian . over the door there is another half-moon , with a s. mark sitting upon a lion ; rarely well done by titian . over a door of the stair-case , by which the doge goes into the college , you may observe a s. christopher with the child jesus on his shoulders , a fair work of titian . here you may observe upon the roof , a lady with a little boy in her hand ; by titian . let us enter the library , and on the left hand we shall see seven philosophers ; the two first , as also the fourth , the fifth , and the sixth are done by tintoret . the seventh with a globe in his hand , is by sciavone . on that side towards mark 's steeple , there are four other philosophers , by tintoret . on that side towards the piazza , there are seven philosophers . the second is by sciavone , and the third laying his hand upon his breast , is by paulo veronese . afterwards upon the roof there are three rounds by paulo veronese , and other three by sciavone . titiano nat an o 1480 portrait of titian after these , in a chamber called the procuratie , there are great quantities of * ritrati , by tintoret . the magistrato delle legne . upon the roof you see a square by paulo veronese . and over the tribunal you see five retratti of senators , by tintoret . the church of s. giminiano preti . that picture on your left hand as you enter this church at the great door , with a s. catherine , and the angel which annunciates her martyrdome , is by tintoret . the portalls of the organ are by paulo veronese . on the outside of which are two holy bishops , and within is a s. john baptist , and s. menna cavaliere . s. gallo abbazia . there is a square of our saviour in the middle , and two saints , by the hand of tintoret . the church of s. moise preti . in the chapell of the most holy , there is on the right hand , a christ washing the feet of the apostles , by tintoret . in the chapell on the left hand near the sacristie , the piece at the altar is a madonna with her son ; by the hand of tintoret . the church of santa maria gibenigo . here you see a picture of our saviour in the sky , accompanied with angels , and below is a s. justina , and a s. francisco di paula ; by tintoret . there is afterwards the organ painted by the same tintoret . on the outside of the portall you see the conversion of s. paul ; and within there are the four evangelists ; and under the roof , going out of the great door , there is a madonna with her son ; by the same author . and upon a front of a house near to the house of the pisani , and the palace of the flangini , in s. maria gibenigo , there are painted by the hand of giorgone , many freezes in chiaro scuro , in yellow , red , and green , with rare fancies of boys , in the middle of which are four half-figures , viz. a bacchus , a venus , a mars , and a mercury , coloured after the * usual manner of the author . s. mauritio . here is a palace of the family of the soranfa all painted by paulo veronese , with four histories of the romans , adorned with many boys with garlands , all in chiaro scuro , and below are two figures finished in bronzo . the church of s. samuel . here you will admire a great picture of our lord , the blessed virgin , and a st. john baptist , by the hand of tintoret . the first cloyster of the convent of s. stephano . augustin friers . in this cloyster there are twelve histories which represent part of the old , and part of the new testament : all singular work of pordenon . the first is , christ discoursing with the samaritan woman . the second is , the judgement of solomon , concerning the dead child . the third is , the adultress brought before our saviour . the fourth is , david cutting off goliah's head . the fifth is , our saviour put into the tomb. the sixth is , the sacrifice of abraham . the seventh is , s. paul converted at the voice of christ . the eighth is , noah being drunk , is found naked by his sons . the ninth is , the martyrdom of s. stephen . the tenth is , the murthering of abel . the eleventh is , our saviour as he appeared to magdalen after his resurrection . the twelfth is , adam and eve scourged by the angel out of the terrestial paradise . above the aforesaid histories there is the angel annunciating mary ; and on every side there are divers saints , with their corresponding significations . the church of s. benedette preti . the portals of the organ are painted by tintoret , on the outside of them you may see christ at the well with the samaritan woman ; and within is the annunciation . the school of s. girolamo , near to the church of s. fantino . look down upon a bench , and you will see a square of tintoret's , with the miracle of s. girolamo . you also see four squares of paulo veronese . one is the coming of the wise men . another is the disputation with the doctors . the third is the assumption of the b. virgin. and a fourth follows . there is above , a most beautiful picture of the b. virgin , and s. girolamo , by the hand of tintoret . the church of s. luke preti . the high altar-piece represents the b. virgin in the sky with our saviour , and angels , and below on the ground s. luke sitting upon the bull ; they are precious works of paulo veronese . the church of s. salvatore . there the high altar-piece , of the transfiguration of christ , by the hand of great titian , is a singular work . and in the chapell on the right hand of the great altar , you see christ in emaus , with the two disciples , by old palma . the picture of the annunciation by titian , a most fair work . fontico de todeschi . on the front over the canalle there are many figures painted by giorgone . that front towards the land is by titian . stately pieces . afterwards in the german merchants dining-room there are many beautiful histories , by paulo veronese . there is also a little work of tintoret : where you see a cynthia in the sky , followed by the hours . the church of s. guliano preti . in this church you see a supper of christ with the apostles , by paulo veronese . as also a dead christ in the sky upheld by angels , and below on the ground is s. mark , s. james , and s. girolamo , the work of the abovesaid paulo . the church of s. paul. entring at the great door , that square which is in the corner of the church , with the supper of our saviour with his disciples , is a singular good work of tintoret . in the field , or place before s. pauls , you plainly see upon the front of the house of soranzo several figures of giorgone , most beautiful things . in this same parish of s. paul you see the palace of the zane , all painted by andrea schiavone , with many fables and histories , the which look very gloriously over the grand canalle . the church of s. apollinare . here you see the picture with the five coronati , by schiavone . the church of s. silvestre . as you enter at the great door , you see on your left hand the famous visit of the wise men , by paulo veronese . you also plainly see a square with our saviour in the garden , by tintoret . there is another rare picture of s. john baptizing christ , by tintoret . the church of s. john di rialto . the great altar-piece is the work of great titian , signifying this same saint giving almes to the poor . and in the chapell on the left hand of the said altar , is a work of pordenon , with the saints catherine , sebastian , and s. rocco , with a little angel. the cuppola is all painted by the same pordenon , in fresco , and in the angles of the cuppola there are the four evangelists , by the same hand . behind the great altar , on the outside of the church , upon the wall , you see this saint giving almes to the poor ; rarely well done by pordenon . the church of s. augustino preti . here is placed a square over a side door of the church , of our lord shewn unto the people by pilate ; by paris bordone . the church of s. stin preti . that picture with the assumption of the blessed mary , is the hand of tintoret . the school of s. john the evangelist . the roof of the albergo is to be admired ; by the hand of great titian . in the middle part you see the holy evangelist contemplating upon heaven , with other little angels , and in four compartiments there are the four symbols of the evangelists , with several little angels heads in divers other compartiments . the church called the frari de padri conventuali . that picture of the conception of the b. virgin , is a marvellous fair work of titian . in the great chapell there is the great and famous picture of titian , where is represented mary ascending into heaven with the eternal father above , and below are the apostles in admiration . the school of s. francisco purè à frari . the roof is all painted by pordenon , where are divers saints ; singular works . the church of s. rocco . entring this church , on the left hand , there is a great square , with s. martin on horseback , dividing his cloak , with many other figures ; the work of pordenon . an the other side of the church , right over against this , there is another great square representing christ curing one sick of the palsie ; a work worthy of tintoret . afterwards is the great chapell , all painted by tintoret , excepting the cuppola , and the four evangelists , which are of pordenon ; both one and the other are marvellous works . in a chapell on the left hand above the altar , there is a square with our saviour carrying the cross , by the hand of titian . the organ is painted both within and without by tintoret . the school of s. rocco . now here it is that i know not where to begin , because of the quantity of squares , where are seen infinite works of tintoret . in the first ground room , there are six great squares . the first on the left hand , there is an angel which annunciates mary . the second is the visitation of the three wise men . the third is mary going into egypt . the fourth is the slaughter of the innocents . in the fifth is the conception of our lord. in the sixth is mary ascending into heaven . over the first stairs , you see an annunciation , by titian . there is another in front of this annunciation , where there is a visitation of mary , with s. elizabeth , by tintoret . then above that , the first square is the nativity of our lord. and after , is s. john baptizing christ . after that is the resurrection of christ . behind that , is the supper with the apostles . and after , is the altar-piece with s. rocco in the sky , with many figures . then follows on the other side , christ multiplying the loaves and the fishes . after that , is the messias raising lazarus from the dead . in another , is christ ascending into heaven , with the apostles below . then follows the miracle done at the pool in the sheep-market in jerusalem . in a corner behind the door of the albergo , there is a devil speaking to christ , that he would convert the stones into bread. in the head end of the hall there is between the windows s. rocco , and s. sebastian . let us turn our eyes towards the roof , and we shall see adam and eve , as they stand eating the apple . afterwards , is the pillar of fire which guided the hebrews through the desert . jacobs dream when he saw the angels ascending , and descending from heaven . jonas cast ashore , out of the whales belly . elias flying from the wrath of jezebel . in the middle square there is the rod of serpents . the sacrifice of abraham . the manna in the desert . the hebrews eating the paschal lamb , and many other histories of the old testament . there is afterwards in the albergo , christ before pilate . christ , with the reed in his hand . christ , going to mount calvary . and again , that famous crucifixion , one of the fairest works that ever was done , by * furious tintoret . on the roof you see st. rocco in the sky , with all the other compartiments . all the above named works in this school , are by tintoret . the church of s. nichola de frari . the high altar-piece with the b. virgin in the sky , and many saints below , viz. s. nicholas , s. katherine , s. francis , s. anthony of paduae , and s. sebastian , is a most singular work of divine titian . on the right hand of the said altar , you see a s. john baptizing christ , the work of paulo veronese . we also see two prophets and two sibyls in chiaro scuro , by the same paulo . there is a square with christ upon the cross , by paulo . the roof likewise is all painted by the aforesaid paulo : and they are stately works , particularly that of the adoration of the wise men , which is in the middle . quartier de castello . the nuns church of s. joseph . on the piece of the first altar on your right hand ( entring by the great door ) there is s. michael the archangel , and a senator , by the hand of tintoret . on the same side , at the third altar , you see the transfiguration of our lord on mount tabor , painted by paulo veronese . the great altar-piece represents the nativity of our saviour , by paulo , a most admirable thing . the nuns church of s. daniel . as you enter this church at the great door , the first picture is a s. katherine disputing with the doctors , by tintoret . then follows the piece at the great altar , which demonstrates daniel in the lions denn , the work of pietro da cortona . the church of s. john in bragora . entring this church at the great door , there is the supper of our lord with the apostles ; by paris bordone . the church of s. severo preti . where you see a square with the crucifixion of our lord , joining to the chapell on the right hand of the great altar , by the hand of tintoret . the church of s. maria formosa preti . the great altar-piece represents the assumption of the blessed virgin , the work of tintoret . on the left hand beside the great altar , and near to the door , there is a little chapell , where you see a picture divided into five parts , a marvellous work of old palma . the church of s. leone called s. lio preti . the first picture as you enter at the great door , on your left hand , with s. james the apostle , is by the hand of titian . the church of santa maria preti . entring at the great door , you see on your left hand a little picture with s. daniel in the lions denn , with an angel , a prophet , and a s. andrew , by the hand of paris bordone . the nunns church of celestia . in the chapell on the right hand of the great altar ▪ there is an admirable picture of two holy bishops , and s. dominico , the work of paris bordone . the church of s. francisco della vigne , padre zoccolanti . entring the church at the great door , in the fourth chapell on your right hand , there is a picture with the resurrection of christ , by paulo veronese . on the other side of the said church , in the fifth chapel there is a picture , by paulo , with a madonna and her son , s. john , s. joseph , s. katherine , and s. anthony the abbot . let us enter into the sacristie of the said church , and the first altar as you enter on your right hand , is by paulo . the church of s. john è paulo , padre dominicani . at your entrance at the great door on your left hand there is a large square of s. peter martyr , by divine titian . after followes , underneath the foot of the crucifix , in the middle of the church , a little oblong , containing three histories , viz. cain murthering his brother abel . the serpent exalted by moses . the third is abraham offering isaac . the chapell of rosario , in the above said church . on that front which is over against the altar of our lady , there is to be seen a large square in the middle between two windows , which demonstrates the crucifixion of our lord , and on the roof you see an oval , on each side of the oval , is an oblong , by the hand of tintoret . the school of s. mark. here are four great squares , they may truly be called four wonders in painting ; but in particular that which is at the head of the school , with s. mark flying through the sky ; all the four represent the miracles of the abovesaid saint , the work of furious tintoret . the albergo of the said school . as you enter , the first square on your left hand is by giorgone . then follows a second , which represents old barcarole , as he presents the ring given by s. mark to the screne prince . a singular work of paris bordone . the church of the hospitall of the mendicanti . on your left hand as you enter the great door , at the second altar there is a picture of s. elena worshipping the found cross , with other figures , the work of guercin da cento . sestier di canall reggio . the church of s. maria nova preti . entring this church by the great door , the first picture on the left hand with s. girolamo in the wilderness , is the work of titian . the church of s. apostoli preti . the square on the right hand of the great altar , where it rains manna in the desert , is by paulo veronese . the church of the fathers jesuites . as you enter at the great door , at the second altar on the right hand is a piece of the martyrdome of s. lorens ; a rare thing of titian . at the farther altar is a christopher , by old palma . afterwards is the great altar-piece , with the assumption of the madonna , so delicate a piece , that i doubt not to say , it is absolutely the most superb work that ever tintoret painted . and on the right hand of the said altar , there is a square of s. mary visited by s. elizabeth , the work of andrea sciavone . and on the other side of the altar , there is the crucifixion of our lord , painted in the wonted manner of tintoret . in a chapell on the right hand of the great altar , there is a most beautifull picture of the naetivity of our lord , by paulo veronese . the nunns church of s. catherine . as you enter this church by the great door , the first altar on your right hand does demonstrate to you the angel raphael with tobias : some say this piece was done by a scholar of titian's , others say by titian's own hand , but most say 't is the masters hand , and so i am apt to believe . afterwards at the high altar , you see a piece of the espousall of this saint with the child jesus , and it is a really divine work of the for ever famous paulo veronese . around this altar there are six squares containing the life of s. katherine , done by tintoret when he was a young man. the church of santa sophia preti . over the great door , there is a little piece of a supper of our saviour with the apostles , by paulo veronese . the church of s. felice preti . entring this church at the great door , you see a piece at the second altar on the left hand , by tintoret . and on the right side of the great altar there are two squares one above another ; one is our lord in the garden . the other , the supper with the apostles , both by tintoret . going a little below the aforesaid altar , there is plainly to be seen upon the first altar on the left hand an armed saint , with a * ritratto . the church of the madonna del orto frati . as you enter at the great door , you see on your left hand , the first altar-piece , consisting of five saints , viz. s. lorenz , s. gregory , s. dominico , the blessed lorenzo , justiniano , and s. elena ; a rare work of old palma . then follows the fourth chapell , with a most beautiful picture , where you find s. agnese , and many other saints , with angels in the sky , by tintoret . a little forward at the sixth altar , there is a piece of the b. lorenzo , giustiniano , s. john baptist , s. francis , and others , a work greatly worthy of the praise of pordenon . on each side of the high altar there is a very large square . that on the right hand represents the hebrews worshipping the golden calf . and that on the left hand is the vniversal judgement . above the altar there are four figures in chiaro scuro . then are the doors of the organ painted on the outside with the purification of the blessed virgin . and within on the right hand is s. peter admiring the cross in the sky . on the other hand is the beheading of s. christopher , all these are the works of great tintoret , and infinitely admirable . the school of merchants , near to madonna del orto . in a low room there is a picture with s. christopher and mary in the sky , with angels round about them , by tintoret . above upon the cieling , there is another picture of the nativity of s. mary , by tintoret . afterwards is seen an annunciation , with many pieces of architecture , on each side is a figure in chiaro scuro , rare things , and worthy of paulo veronese . the church of s. marcelliano preti . the first picture on your left hand as you enter at the great door , with an angel and tobias , as also an holy hermit , and a dog , is the work of famous titian . the great altar-piece with three saints , viz. s. marcelliano in the middle between s. peter and s. paul , is by tintoret . the church of the fathers serviti . you see here the organ , by the hand of tintoret , on the inside is the annunciation , on the outside is an holy bishop and a prophet . below these is cain murthering his brother abel , and the father eternal speaking unto cain . the church of magdalena preti . on the left hand of the great altar , there is a s. mary magdalen accompanied with many other figures , by tintoret . afterwards upon the outside of the doors of the organ , there is a christ as he appears to s. mary magdalen after the resurrection , and within is an annunciation . on the top of the said organ you see the coming of the wise men , in small , by tintoret . the church of s. emagora è fortunato , called s. marcuola preti . entring at the great door , on the right hand under a little window you see a square with the child jesus , and on each side is s. andrew and s. katherine , by titian . then follows the second altar with the picture of s. elena , by tintoret . and on the left hand of the great altar is a supper , by tintoret . the church of s. giobbe frati zoccolanti . as you enter at the great door , the piece of the fourth altar on your right hand , does demonstrate three saints and an angel , viz. s. andrew , s. peter , and s. nicholas , it is a most beautiful work of paris bordone , though a more inferiour hand has the credit of it . the church of s. jeremia preti . all the organ , excepting the little doors , is painted in chiaro scuro , together with the four corners ; within there are the four evangelists , a work of great esteem , by the hand of andrea sciavone . the nuns church of s. girolamo . the first picture on your left hand as you enter the great door , is the work of tintoret . quartier della croce . the nuns church of the cross franciscans . let us enter at the great door , and we shall find the first altar on the right hand , with a dead christ and an angel which supports him , as also a s katherine , and a pope ; by the hand of tintoret . the nuns church of s. andrew . that altar-piece on the right hand of the great altar with s. augustine clothed in a white garment , likewise two boys , one of them holding his pastoral staff , the other his mytre , is one of the best works of paris bordone . at the other altar on the left hand of the great altar there is s. girolamo in the hermitage , by the hand of paulo veronese . the church of s. simeon grande preti . as you enter at the great door on the right hand , over a bench , there is a supper of our lord with the apostles , by tintoret . the church of s. giacomo dall ovio preti . the picture of the chapel of s. lorens , is by paulo veronese ; in it you find this saint , with s. girolamo , and s. nicholas , and a little boy in the sky . below the said picture there is an oblong picture with the martyrdom of the aforesaid saint , a most graceful work of paulo . and near to a side door of the said church , on the left hand of the great altar , you see upon the roof an ovall with faith , hope , and charity , and many angels . and the four round with four doctors , are rarely done after the usuall manner of paulo veronese . the church of s. maria , mater domini preti . being entred the great door , and past the second altar on the left hand , you see a beautiful small piece of a supper , by old palma . and over a side door of the church there is a most famous square of the invention of the cross , by the hand of tintoret . the church of s. cassiano , called s. cassiano preti . let us enter at the great door , and we shall find on the right hand of the first altar , a picture with the saints , girolamo , s. mark , s. peter , and s. paul , a marvellous work , by the hand of old palma . the great chapell is all by tintoret . one picture repres●nts the redeemer risen from the dead , and s. cassiano preaching unto many nations . on the right hand is christ crucified , and on the left is our lord when he delivers the holy fathers out of hell , beautiful pieces . there are also three little histories , upon the top of the organ , concerning the life of cassiano , by tintoret . quartier di dorso durro . the church of s. pantaleon preti . on the left hand of the organ there is a large square with s. bernard curing many sick of the plague ; a rare work of paulo veronese . another picture of s. bernard , is by paulo veronese . the great altar-piece with s. pantaleon curing a sick man , and a priest , by paulo veronese . the church of the carmine frati . on the top of the organ you see two oblong pieces , in one is the annunciation , the other is the nativity of christ , by the hand of andrea schiavone . in like manner upon the top of the little quire , right against the aforesaid organ , you see two other oblong pieces , one is the coming of the magi ; the other is the circumcision of our lord , by the hand of the aforesaid schiavone . there is another picture of the circumcision of our lord , by the hand of tintoret . the nuns church of s. maria maggiore . the great altar-piece represents the assumption of the b. virgin , with the apostles , by the hand of paulo veronese : a singular thing . afterwards on the sides of the aforesaid altar there are three great squares . one represents when the priest scourges joachin out of the temple for having no offspring . in another is the espousal of the b. virgin with joseph , in the third is the visitation of the three magi ; all three by the hand of bold tintoret . in a chapell on the left hand of the great altar you see the picture with the famous s. john baptist , by titian . entring this church at the great door , and being past the first altar on the right hand , there is a square which represents the ark of noah , by the hand of giacomo bassano : it contains all the several kinds of living creatures and is reckoned to be one of the finest pictures in the world . after this there are four squares placed on four pillars of the church ; they signifie the four seasons of the year , by the hand of the same bassano . there are also two squares on the sides of that door which opens to the canalle . one represents the adultress before christ . in the other is the centurion prostrated before the redeemer . and in a lesser square upon a pillar , there is christ in the garden upheld by an angel , they are all three by paulo veronese . in the sacristie there is an ecce homo , by paris bordone . the nuns church of terrese . the round which is in the middle of the roof , with the madonna in the sky and angels round about , with three saints below , and the four compartements adjoyning the abovesaid round , containing the four evangelists ; all this is a singular good work of andrea schiavone . the church of s. nicholas preti . upon the roof over the great altar , there is a round , where s. nicholas is carried into heaven by the angels , with the picture of faith , and a multitude of angels and cherubins , by the hand of paulo veronese . entring this church at the great door , on the left hand over a side door of the church , upon the roof there is a round , and a lesser round on each side of the great one . in the great one is the eternal father with many angels . in one of the lesser is the b. virgin , in the other is the angel annunciating , with other four rounds containing the four evangelists . the church of s. sebastian . joining to the little door which is not far from the great one , you see the picture of s. nicholas , a bishop , and an angel , the work of titian . at the farthest altar on the same side you see a picture with christ upon the cross , by paulo veronese . on the other side of the church there is a picture of st. john baptizing of christ , by paulo . then follows another picture of christ when he appeared to the two disciples going into emaus , by andrea schiavone . the walls of the church are all painted in fresco with pillars , statues , and other ornaments of architecture , by paulo veronese . all the great chapell is by the same paulo , the cuppola and the tribunal are painted in fresco . the great altar-piece represents the b. virgin with her son , and angels in the sky ; and below are the saints sebastian , s. katherine , s. john baptist , s. francis , and s. peter . the great square on the right hand of the great altar represents s. mark and s. marcellin● going with s. sebastian ( who is in armour ) and comforting him to his martydom . in another square on the left hand you see the above-named saint bound to a machine of wood , coming to be martyred , and the false priests perswading him to worship their idols , with many standers by : all the aforesaid works are the fairest that ever were done by the most noble hand of paulo veronese . afterwards are the doors of the organ , on the outside is painted the circumcision of our lord , and within is christ curing one sick of the palsie , works so fair that they stand in no need of commendation . upon the top of the organ you may observe a little square with the nativity of christ , one as well as the other are most graceful pieces of great paulo . let us cast our eyes upon the roof , which is all painted by the aforesaid paulo . the first square demonstrates queen esther going into the presence of king ahasuerus , accompanied with many waiting-maids . in the middle square is the king ahasuerus frowning on queen esther . in the third you see mordecai conducted to haman , by the order of the king. as you goe into the sacristie on the left hand over the door of a little chapell you may see a little square with s. girolamo in the hermitage . in the sacristie , the middle partition of the coronation of the b. virgin , and the four other partitions of the four evangelists , one as well as the other are of paulo . there is also another square of the chastising of the serpents , by tintoret . let us goe into the quire , and right against the door we shall see a square , which represents s. sebastian before the god cletiano , confessing himself to be a christian . in front of this square there is painted over the door , the same saint beaten with clubs , a work in fresco . above these squares there are the four evangelists , two on either side in fresco , all these are of paulo veronese . in the refectory there is the great feast of christ in the house of the pharisee's , 't is enough , that it is of paulo veronese . the nuns church of all-saints . the great altar-piece represents paradise ; and on a little door of the tabernacle of the said altar there is a christ rising again . afterwards are the doors of the organ , on the outside of which you see the most noble visitation of the magi ; and within are four doctors of the church , with angels playing upon variety of instruments . on the roof is the father eternal , and round about the top of it are divers little figures , and histories in chiaro scuro , all of them by the most noble hand of paulo veronese . the church of s. gervaso & protaso , called s. trovaso preti . the picture of the chapell on the right hand of the great altar , contains s. anthony the abbot tempted by devils , with our saviour in the sky succouring the abbot , the work of tintoret . then follows the other chapell , on the right hand of it you see the supper of our lord with the apostles , and on the left our saviour washing the feet of the apostles , both of them by tintoret . the church of the fathers dominicans , formerly the jesuites . entring at the great door , at the third altar on your right hand you may observe a picture of our lord upon the cross , and both the maries , by the hand of tintoret . and upon the doors of the organ there is painted pope vrban the fifth giving of habits to the fathers jesuites , by the hand of titian . the church of the hospital of the incurabili . in which is seen a picture with s. vrsula accompanied with her virgins , and an holy bishop , with an angel in the sky , the work of tintoret . and over a side door of the church you may observe a little square of our saviour carrying the cross , and an executioner drawing him along , by the hand of giorgone . the nuns church of spirito santo . as you enter on your left hand there is a round of the image of the b. virgin , and two little angels holding a crown , with s. girolamo and s. sebastian in the clouds , and below is s. evangelist and s. augustine . there is also a picture of the visitation of the magi , both of them are by tintoret . the nuns church of the humiltá . entring the great door , at the second altar on your right hand you will admire a picture o● s. peter , and s. paul , a most fair work of gi●como bassano . upon the arch of this chapell you may observe a square of christ taken from the cross , with the two marys , a rare work of tintoret . at the high altar on the upper part of the tabernacle there is a nativity of our lord , by giacomo bassano . a little lower upon the frontispiece is a father eternal , by paulo veronese . and a little lower in the third piece there are two angels , by paulo . on the portall is the redeemer with the globe in his hand , and several cherubins , by paulo . on each side of the abovesaid portall there is two little squares . in one there is s. john preaching in the desert ; in the other is the centurion before christ , both by paulo . afterwards is the roof done likewise by paulo , with three great histories , and many pieces in chiaro scuro . the first square over the quire represents the b. virgin annunciated by the angel. and in an ovall in the middle , there is mary ascending into heaven , with the apostles below . then follows the third , which is the nativity of christ ; all these are marvellous good pieces . the church of the salute . there is in this church two pictures by the hand of great titian . in one you will admire the coming of the holy ghost upon the apostles . in the other is s. mark sitting on high , and below are the saints sebastian , s. rocco , s. cosmo , and s. damiano . upon the roof over the quire you see eight heads by titian , in a round form . let us go into the sacristie and cast our eyes upon the roof , and we shall see three squares by titian . in the first is david cutting off the head of goliab . in the second is the sacrifice of abraham and isaae . in the third is cain slaying his brother abel . all singular works of the author . and below is a great square of the marriage in cana in galilee , by furious tintoret . the church of the most holy trinity , near to the saluté . there are thirteen squares of tintores , viz. the eternall father creating the world. the forming of adam and eve. the tempting of adam . cane slaying abel . the four evangelists , in four squares . two apostles , in two squares . the annunciation in two squres . in the sacristie there is a little square of the most holy trinity . all singular works of the same author . the school of charity . here is a very large square of the blessed virgin ascending the stairs of the temple , with many other figures , a divine work of great titian . the islands adjacent to venice . the island of murano . the church of s. peter martyr , fathers dominicans . entring this church , on your left hand you see a square near unto the picture of rosario , where you find a victory against the turks , with the blessed virgin in the sky , and other saints , by the hand of paulo veronese . the nuns church of the madonna de gli angeli . below the organ there is an ovall with four angels singing ; a most fair work of paulo veronese . there is also a square with s. girolamo , by paulo veronese . after that is the great altar-piece , where you find the annunciation , a superb work of pordenon . the church of the des messe . in which are to be seen three squares , by tintoret . in one is the coming of the magi. in another is the presentation at the temple . the third is the adultery . the nuns church of s. james . here are seen three pictures by paulo veronese . that of the great altar represents divers saints , with a most beautiful glory of angels . the second on the right hand of the great altar represents the visitation of s. eliz●beth . that on the left hand demonstrates christs resurrection . the organ is rarely painted , by paulo veronese . the church of s. john. the great altar-piece represents s. john baptizing of christ , the work of tintoret . before we part from murano let us go see the palace of the trevisano , and we shall see some of the beautifullest works that ever were painted by the singular pencil of paulo veronese . the island of mazorbo . the nuns church of s. katherine . the great altar-piece is a singular work of paulo veronese . the island of burano . the nuns church of s. mauro . the great altar-piece of this church , is the work of paulo veronese . the island of torcello . the nuns church of s. anthony . there are such beautiful pieces in this church , that they are worth coming a long journey to see , and they are of the most noble pencil of paulo veronese . the great altar-piece with the two prophets on the angels of the said altar , are by the aforesaid author . on the left side of the great altar , and on the sides of the organ you see ten squares , which represent the life of s. christina , both inside and outside of the said organ is adorned with precious histories , by the hand of the same paulo . over the altar of christ there are two figures in chiaro scuro , by the same hand . the island of s. elena . the church . in the church here you will admire that most superb piece at the great altar , where is painted the coming of the magi , by the hand of palma . the island of s. giorgio maggiore . the church . entring the church at the great door , the first picture on the right hand demonstrates the nativity of christ , by giacomo bassano . then follows a picture of the martyrs , by the hand of tintoret . after this is a picture on the right side of the church , where you find the most holy trinity crowning the blessed virgin , and below are several saints , by tintoret . there is in like manner on the left side of the church , right against to that aforesaid , with the martyrdom of s. stephen by tintoret . then follows on the same side , the resurrection of christ , with the pictures of divers senators , by tintoret . now follow the two great squares which are on the sides of the great altar , one of which represents the supper of our lord with the apostles , in the other is manna falling in the desert , by the same tintoret . after this you go into the chapell of the defonti , where you see a picture of christ taken from the cross , by the aforesaid author . afterwards in the refectory is that most marvellous and large square which represents the marriage of cana in galilee ; this , if i may so say , is a wonder of the world , and whosoever comes to venice and departs without a sight of this picture , may by said to have seen nothing , and it is done by the most excellent and noble hand of paulo veronese . the island of the giudecha . the church of the redentore . in this church you see two pictures of tintoret . one demonstrates the ascension of our lord with the apostles . the other is the scourging of christ at a pillar . afterwards as you enter the monastery , you see a square over the oratory with christ sitting , with the apostles kneeling , and other saints , by the aforesaid tintoret . the refectory of s. james , fathers serviti . the roof of this is painted by paulo veronese divided into three partitions . one demonstrates the annunciation . that in the middle , the assumption of the b. virgin , with the father eternal in the crystalline heaven surrounded with legions of angels . the third is the visitation of s. elizabeth , and are works really beautiful . the nuns church of s. cosmo and s. damiano . as you enter , you see on your left hand the b. virgin in the sky , and the two saints , s. cecilia , s. theodoro , and a s. marina . in a chapell on the right hand of the great altar there is another picture with christ on the cross , and the maries , both one and the other are by tintoret . the city of treviso . the domo . here you see the histories of the nativity , and resurrection of christ , singular works of paris bordone . there is another rare picture of the annunciation , by the hand of titian . the church of s. francis. here you may observe a picture , by paris bordone . the church of s. girolamo . where you admire another picture , by the aforesaid paris bordone . the church of all-saints . there are also divers works of the abovesaid master . as likewise one piece of giacomo bassano . the church of s. paul. here in like manner are singular works , and worthy of all admiration , by the same paris bordone . the church of s. magdalen . the great altar-piece represents christ as he appeared to mary magdalen , the work of paulo veronese . the church of s. augustine . here is an admirable picture of s. giachino , s. anne , s. james , and s. george , the work of paulo veronese . in the refertory of the nunnery there is a a square which demonstrates the marriage of cana in galilee , by the hand of the aforesaid paulo veronese . the mountaine of piety in the aforesaid city . here they preserve a christ with a little angel , a most singular work , by the hand of giergone . the villa of zerman trevisano . the domo . here you will find a most beautiful picture of old palma . pordenon . the castle of friuli . the domo . here you see the organ painted by its own countrey-man , pordenone . you also see works in fresco upon the wall , by the same author , as there is likewise in other places , all singular works . the city of vdine . the domo . here yon will admire some beautiful histories upon the ledge of the organ by the hand of pordenone . the church of s. peter martyr . in which you way observe a famous picture of the annunciation , by pordenone . the city of belluno . here are preserved two very fair pieces , by paris bordone . compagnia del croce . here you will find two singular squares , by tintoret . the territory of conegliano . conegliano . the church of the reformati . here is a very fair picture , by old palma . the villa of marens . in the same territory . here you will see a faire picture , by the hand of titian . the villa of fontanelle . here is an admirable picture , by the hand of pordenone . the castle of s. salvatore . the jurisdiction of the conti colalto . here is a church all painted by the hand of pordenone . and all the roofs of the said conti are painted by andrea schiavone . below the said castle . the church of s. john. there are two pictures , by pordenone . one of the virgin fleeing into egypt . the other of divers saints . and under them is the picture of piety . further below the said castle . the villa of sasigano . here is preserved a picture , by the hand of pordenone . another castle of the colalti . in this castle you see a great square , by pordenone . the city of ceneda . the domo . there is a picture , by titian , of the b. virgin , s. rocco , and s. sebastian . upon the organ of this church is represented the life of san. titian , the work of paris bordone . in the piazza . in this same there is a house side painted by pordenone . villa di castello below ceneda . the church . here are three niches at the great altar , in the middle you will admire the b. virgin , and a saint on each side , by the hand of titian , a singular work . the castle of saravall . the domo . the great altar-piece with the b. virgin , and a glory of angels , and below are two saints , with a landskip , and within it you find a ship , it is a most precious thing , but by an uncertain author . the church of the capuchines . here they preserve a square of a madonna , a stupendious work of guido reno . villa di mazer in trevisano , near to asolo . in the said villa there is a palace all painted with divers operations of the most excellent hand of paulo veronese , singular works of the author . asolo in trevisano . the church of the reformati . here you see a square with the conception of the blessed virgin , by giacomo bassano . the domo . in which you see an assumption of the blessed virgin , with numbers of angels , and two saints , by giacomo bassano . castel franco . here is an admirable picture of the blessed virgin with her son , the work of giorgone . there are likewise divers palaces near adjacent , where you will find works of the same giorgone , as also of paulo veronese . the castle of bassano . the high church of the castle . in this church you will admire the marvellous nativity of the child jesus , a work to be admired by every one , and one of the fairest that ever was painted , by giacomo bassano . in the town-house , as also in the churches , and upon the houses of particular persons , there are works of divers sorts , by the said giacomo bassano . being this was the countrey of this famous man , i look upon it as superfluous to nominate place after place where paintings are , because of the great quantities of them , and very little of other masters . cittadella . the parochial church . the great altar-piece is by giacomo bassano , and on the sides of the chapel there is our lord upon mount tabor , the work of the same giacomo . the street which leads from venice to padua , viz. upon the bank of the river brenta . upon this road you see many superb palaces , painted both within aud without , with various operatious , viz. histories , freezes , architecture , garlands of all sorts , stupendious works , by the most singular and excellent hand of paulo veronese . the city of padua . the church of s. justina . the great altar-piece is a most singular work of noble paulo veronese , the which represents the martyrdome of this saint , and is most excellently imbellished by the hand of augustino carache . the school of the said saint . in which you will admire the saint , marvellously beautiful , 't is enough that they are done by the incomparable pencil of great titian . the church of the hermits . in the sacristie of this church they preserve a s. john baptist preaching , by the hand of the most noble guido reno . the church of s. maria in vanzo . here stands a picture of the dead redeemer , the work of giacomo bassano . montagnana near to este . the domo . here you will see the great altar-piece , which represents the transfiguration of christ upon mount tabor , a singular work of paulo veronese . the city of vicenza . the church of s. rocco . the great altar-piece is a most fair work of giacomo bassano . the church of s. leuterio . in like manner you see the great altar-piece , by the same bassano . the church of s. croce . where there is another picture by the aforesaid giacomo . vnder the publick house of the piazza . there is an history of noah with his daughters , by paris bordone . the refectory of madonna di monte , frati . in this you see a great square which represents a feast , in which is the redeemer , a most fair work of the most excellent hand of paulo veronese . all that are curious omit not the seeing of this piece . the church of the fathers teatini . here you may observe in a chapell a most fair piece , by old palma . the church of s. corona , fathers dominicans . the altar-piece here with the three magi , is by paulo veronese . there are also in this same city several works upon the walls in fresco , by pordenone . the city of verona . the domo . here you may observe a picture of the assumption of the b. virgin , the work of great titian . the church of s. george . in this church you see two pictures , of which i may say nothing can exceed them , by the most noble pencil of paulo veronese . the church called la vittoria . in the sacristie of this church you must observe a square of no great size , but extraordinary fine , by the aforesaid paulo . pavlo : veronese nat. aº 1490 portrait of paulo veronese the city of brescia . the church of s. afra . here is kept a most beautifull standard , by paulo veronese . there is also a square of the transfiguration of our lord , a singular work of great tintoret . the church of s. nazaro . here are several fair pictures by titian . sitinalta in the territory of bergamasco . the parochial church . in this church you see two singular pictures , by old palma , that country-man . the city of cremona . here is a picture of s. sehastian and two angels , by the hand of giorgone . the city of genoua . the church of s. francis. here is to be seen a square with s. john , baptizing christ , by the hand of tintoret . the state of florence . the city of florence . s. mark , fathers dominicans . here are three pictures by the hand of fra bartolomeo . the church of s. croce . here is a picture representing the lady of piety , a singular work of civoli . in the church-yard of the nuntiata . there are divers works in fresco , by andrea del sarto . in the cloyster , over a door , you see a famous piece , called the madonna del saccho , by the abovesaid andrea . the confraternity of s. john baptist . in the cloyster upon the wall there are the histories of the life of this saint , by the same andrea . the gallery of the great duke . in which you see a square with the history of the fall of phaëton , by the hand of leonardo da vinci . there is drawn a ritratto of pope leo the x. by the hand of great raphael . there is also a little square of a madonna , the work of the abovesaid raphael . then follow divers squares of andrea del sarto , particularly in the more private chambers there are most beautiful works , not omitting a sight of that great square of the assumption of the b. virgin , and the apostles . pietro d' : cortona nat aº 1593 portrait of pietro d'cortona there are likewise two squares of naked women , by great titian . then follow several pieces , of giacomo bassano . you also see a square with little figures of the b. virgin , with the child jesus in her arms , and a saint on each side , the work of corregio . you see another square of naked women , by hannibal carache . the palace of pitti , being the habitation of the great duke . where are seen four most stately chambers , excellently painted with variety of histories , by pietro da cortona . the state of parma . the city of parma . the church of the nuntiatata . in the quire of the said church you see a picture with a madonna and her son , and four saints by her side , by the hand of parmeggiano , his first manner of painting . in the sacristie of the said covent , there is a square of s. john baptizing christ , by parmeggiano , his first manner . santa cecilia . as you enter this church , on your right hand there is a picture with a madonna on high with her son , on each side a saint , by the hand of lanfranco , a rare work . the church of the capuchines . entring this church , on your left hand you see a square with the blessed felice holding the child jesus on his shoulders , with the b. virgin in a posture of receiving them , and a glory of boys , the work of guercin da cento . right against this you see another great picture , with christ on the cross , by his side is a s. katherine , and the ritratto of a capuchine , with many angels lamenting , a most beautiful work of guercin da cento . in a chapell you see a s. anthony of padua , by tadeo zuccharo . at the high altar is a great piece , the top whereof is half round , with a dead christ in the lap of the b. virgin half dead , upheld by angels , with s. francis pointing at our dead lord , as also a s. magdalen , and s. chiara , with a glory of angels carrying the cross , painted by the most excellent hand of hannibal carache . on the side of the said altar there is a s. lewis king of france , and a s. chiara , the work of the said hannibal . within the covent , over a door there is a madonna with the child , and a little s. john , by the same hannibal . the church of all saints . at the high altar there is a square which represents our saviour sitting and giving benediction , with many saints on his right hand , and a s. stephen praying , with other pictures of holy virgins , by the hand of lanfranco . the church of the fathers jesuites . over a place of confession you see a square with our saviour bound to the pillar with two angels lamenting , and many little angels , by the hand of tadeo zucch●ro . the great altar-piece is a most singular work of paulo veronese . on the two pedestals of the said altar there are two heads , with the b. virgin , and the angel , the work of tadeo zuccharo . the church of s. sepulchre . as you enter at the great door in the first chapell on your left hand you will admire a square , the top of it is half round ; where is a madonna and the child christ , and s. joseph , a divine work , after the usual manner of great correggio . at the madonna della scala , over the door of s. michael . there is a madonna with her son in her arms , by the hand of the aforesaid correggio . the church of the fathers serviti . there is a square upon which is a madonna with the child in her lap , and many angels , by the hand of parmeggianino . at the battesimo . there is a square with s. ottavio , and a madonna , the work of lanfranco . the nuns church of s. paul. entring at the great door , at the second chapell , there is a square with the b. virgin and her son in her lap , with s. cecilia , s. margaret , and a little s. john shewing our lord , a most fair work of augustine carache . at the great altar there is a little square , upon which is our lord on the judgement seat , and on the right hand of the square is s. paul at his feet , and s. katherine kneeling , the work of divine raphael . in the said covent there is a chamber painted in fresco , with many figures , by the hand of correggio , a most fair work . the church of s. anthony . as you enter at the great door in a chapell on your right hand is seen a square with a madonna , and her son sitting reading , and on the right hand of this square is a s. girolamo kissing their feet . on the other side of it is a s. mary magdalen kissing our saviours feet , a singular work of divine corregio . then follows at the great altar a square with the madonna and the child jesus , giving benediction to the two saints , s. francis , and s. chiara , by the hand of guercin da cento . the domo . in which you will admire the marvellous cuppola , with the four angles , one of the finest works in the world , by the most excellent hand of great correggio . the church of madonna della steccata . over the cross-isle of the church there is a madonna aloft , the rest of the roof is likewise painted by parmeggianino . in another isle of this church , over against the image of the blessed virgin is seen a square with the adoration of the magi , the work of carravagio . on the inside of the organ you see a david and a sibyll , with other figures , by the hand of parmeggianino : all of them singular works . the church of s. john , fathers benedictines . in this church you see a cuppola with its four angles , and other marvellous works according to the usual manner of great correggio . on the roof of the quire are works copied from correggio , by the hand of baglioue , but re-toucht by correggio himself . in the two cross-isles there are two chapels where you will see works of carravagio in fresco . coming out of the church , at the second chapell on your left hand , there are two squraes . on one you will admire a piety . in the other the martyrdom of several benedictine saints , by the hand of great correggio . there are the roofs of some little chapells painted in fresco , by parmeggianino . there is also in this church over a little door , as you go into the covent , a s. john the evangelist , painted in fresco , by the hand of correggio . in the first cloyster of the covent of the abovesaid fathers , there are many paintings in chiaro scuro , being histories of the old testament , by the hand of carravagio . the palace of the fontana adjoyning the garden of the most serene duke . in a low apartement you see a great square chamber with the roof painted in fresco , by the hand of augustine carache , singular works , and the last of the author . there is a beautifull inscription in the praise of picture . in the apartement of squares there is in one chamber a square with venus and adonis , by the hand of paulo veronese . there is also a figure representing a river , by carrache . then follow the heads of the twelve emperours in chiaro scuro , by the hand of titian . there is also another square of many animals , by the hand of bassano . you also see two figures in two squares but not finished , by the hand of augustine carrache . there is seen likewise a little square of two ritrattos fixing a crab-fish to the ears of a cat and laughing , the work of carache . there is another square , with a psyche aloft , two little figures , and the work of tadeo zuccharo . now follows the famous chamber of the ritratti . over a door is a square of a beautiful boy , by the hand of hannibal carache . then follow two ritrattos , of a senator and another composing of musick , the work of hannibal carache . next is a lady ordering her locks , or tresses , by the hand of titian . over these is a ritratto of p. paul the third when he was cardinal ; the work of excellent raphael . next is a ritratto of diogenes with a writing pen in his hand ; a fine thing . you also see the ritratto of that amorous lady , called l. antea del parmeggiano , by his own hand . beneath these squares is a ritratto of duke ranuccio the first ▪ by the hand of carache . and beneath this again , there is the picture of a little girl with a turbant on her head , the work of giulio romano . next is the picture of cardinal farnese , by the hand of carache . below the said cardinal is anether ritratto of duke pietro alovigi , the work of raphael vrbin . then follow on the third front two ritrattos , by parmeggianino . in the middle between these two ritrattos is another picture of the abovesaid duke pietro alovigi farnese , by the hand of titian . there are two little ritrattos by the hand of parmeggianino . next is the picture of a souldier , by the same hand . there is also another souldier in armour , by the hand of giulio romano . over the door you may see the ritratto of alexander the great , the work of titian . behind a window is a ritratto of a philosopher , by andrea del sarto . over the window are two ritrattos , one of which is the duke of ferrara , the works of titian . in another piece is the picture of a priest , by parmeggianino . then follows the picture of paul the third , in little , the work of titian . next to this follow two ladies , by the hand of parmeggianino . on the other side of the window are three heads , by titian . there is also the picture of frà sebastian● del piambo , a painter , the work of giorgione . and over this same is a picture of a shagged spaniel , by parmeggianino . here follows another chamber . where you will admire the marvellous * cingarina , by the hand of correggio . there is also a s. chiara , with a s. anthony of padua , by the hand of caravagio . you may likewise observe four squares in half figures . in one is s. mary magdalen , in the other are s. peter , s. girolamo , and prophet david , by guercin da cento . you may observe near unto these , a madonna with the child , and a s. joseph , by raphael de vrbino . beneath this is a s. john , by the hand of leonardo da vinci . then follows a magdalen weeping , the work of hannibal carache . here are two saints by guercino , viz. s. peter and s. girolamo . there is a s. nicholas de tolentino , by the hand of pordenon . here is also a head of s. girolamo by the hand of carache . next is a madonna , with her eyes lifted up towards heaven , by the hand of carache . you may observe likewise , a nativity of our lord , by hannibal carache . over a chimney you may observe a christ carrying the cross , by the hand of andrea del sarto . then follow two copies of s. john , copied from the works of correggio , by an able master . now follows the chamber of audience . where are two squares hung aloft , of two figures at length , by the hand of correggio . there are also two other squares which represent two elements , viz. the earth and the water , by the hand of bassano . after these is another square which represents lucretia romano killing her self , by the hand of parmeggianino . underneath this square there is another of the espousal of s. katherine , one of the fairest works that ever correggio painted . on each side of this piece is a ritratto , one is the effigies of martin luther , done by raphael , the other by parmeggianino . next is a christ in a half-figure , by the hand of correggio . on the other front you see a s. girolamo , a half-figure , by the hand of leonardo da vinci . near unto this is a madonna with our saviour asleep , and a little s. john , by the hand of hanniball carache . then follow two ritrattos in little , one is the picture of hanniball carache ; the other the picture of a lady ; both done by her own hand . then follows another chamber , which they call the chamber of sivetta . in which you will find a madonna with her son at her feet , and a little s. john , by the hand of great raphael . there is also a square only in rough draught , by correggio . you may see the nativity of our lord , by the hand of carrache , a little square . here follow three little madonnas , by raphael , very fair works . then follows a madonna and her son , and s. joseph , by the hand of augustine carache , a rare work . there is also a little square of the head of a madonna , by the hand of frederico zuccharo . next is a s. rocco , in little , the work of parmeggianino . there is likewise a head of our saviour , by the hand of carache . then follows a half-figure as large as nature , of our saviour , the work of andrea del sarto . there is a head of a priest after the life , by the hand of hanniball carache . then follows a madonna with her son in her armes , with a s. john , s. joseph , and s. margaret , the work of augustine carache . you may plainly observe a christ dead carried to his sepulchre , with many figures , painted upon copper , a singular work of hanniball carache . after this follows a little square with a s. francis in a trance , upheld by an angel , and a glory of angels about , a most fair work of hannibal carache . then follows a s. john baptist , by hannibal carache . there is also a madonna with her son , by the hand of parmeggianino . beneath this madonna you see a head of pordenon . then follows another chamber , which they call the chamber of the amoretti . in which you first observe a lucretia romana , and another square of a leda with a swan , both of them by dossi ferrarese . adjoining to these is another lucretia romana , by the hand of parmeggianino . you also see the passion of our lord , the work of hanniball carache . there follows a little madonna with her son in her armes , and a s. john , by hanniball carache ; a very fine piece . another square a the madonna , s. joseph , and several angels , is the work of dossi ferrarese . there is also a s. paul snatched up into the third heaven , the work of lanfranco . as also another little madonna , by the hand of guercino da cento . then follows the last chamber , which they call the emperour's chamber . in this chamber you see three squares . in the first is represented judith cutting off the head of holofernes . the second does demonstrate tarquin ravishing lucretia romana . the third is bathsheba discovered by david out of his palace window , painted by a lady called artemisia , and very fair works . you may also observe a venus sleeping , by hannibal carache . over the chimney there is a square of st. augustino , and other figures , the work of pordenon . you likewise observe twelve emperours finely done , by hanniball carache . the great hall in the middle of the said apartement . over the chimney you will admire an annunciation , the figure is bigger than the life , a singular work of great correggio . in this hall you likewise see the ritratto of charles the fifth on horse-back , a most singular work of titian . there follows in the same hall , an angel flying , with many other angels which accompany him : the figures are bigger than the life , by hannibal carache . then follow two other squares , of s. john baptist , and s. john the evangelist , with many heads of angels , by the abovesaid carache . next are two squares of s. benedetto and s. mauro , with many angels , by the same hanniball . all these works are much bigger than the life . on the other side of the hall there is the nativity of our lord , with many figures , 't is a night-piece , and the work of bassano . right over against the ritratto of charles the fifth , there is another ritratto of duke alexander farnese on horse-back , by the hand of augustine carache . in the dukes apartement there are pictures of all sorts , of which i can give no good relation , because of the great quantity there is of them , it also being difficult to get liberty of seeing them . the city of piacenza . the domo . as you enter at the great door , on your left hand , you see the chapell of s. corrado , by the hand of lanfranco . higher up near to the quire , behind the altar , and on your right hand as you go into the sacristie , there is an altar with s. alessio , by the same lanfranco . you also see in this church a picture which represents s. martin giving part of his cloake for alms , the work of ludovico carache . the church of s. sisto , fathers benedictines . the picture in the quire which represents the b. virgin and her son , in the middle of the picture , and by her side is s. barbary , s. sisto , and two boys , a marvellous fair work , as it was the usual manner of divine raphael . s. nazario , a parochial church . going in at the great door , you will find on your left hand , at the first altar near the said door , a painting which represents s. michael the archangel holding lucifer in chains , with these words under-written johannes lanfrancus fecit . s. andrew , a parochial church . on your left hand as you enter the great door , and in the first chapell near the said door , you will find an altar-piece with the image of the madonna di reggio , with s. francis de assisi , and s. rustico a martyr ; the work of lanfranco . the church of the fathers serviti , called madonna di piazza . as you enter at the great door , the third chapell on your left hand is all painted by lanfranco . the altar-piece is s. luke the evangelist in a posture of writing , with his head lifted up towards a troop of angels . the chapell about the altar , where there is a little cuppola with the b. virgin in glory , and around the said virgin are twelve persons which are believed to be the twelve patriarchs , from whence she is derived . after this there is another little cuppola with small windows , and on the top is the father eternal . the church of madonna di campagnia . where you see several works around the inside of the cuppola , by the hand of giorgone . in this church you likewise see two chapells , one with the history of s. katherine . in the other is the picture of christ : also the altar of s. augustine , all the works of pordenon . then follows the tribunal , by the same authour . in like manner you see a picture with the blessed virgin , s. peter , and s. paul , the work of most noble paulo veronese . corte maggiore , in the territory of piacenza . the domo . here you will see a picture , and a little cuppola , singlar works of pordenon . there is also a picture by carache . the state of modena . the city of modena . the gallery of the most serene duke . in this famous treasury you see a half-figure , and a head , by the most ingenious leonarda da vinci . in the same you see a ritratto of raphael , and two heads , by andrea del sarto . and a great square of abraham's sacrifice , by the same sarto . there are ten pieces , or there-abouts , by giulio romano . you likewise see a head , by giorgone . in this same gallery there are four squares by titian . the first represents the b. virgin and s. joseph travelling into egypt . the second is the blessed virgin and her son , and s. paul. the third is the child jesus in the manger . then follows the fourth called the quadro della moneta , viz. when the hebrews shewed money to the redeemer , singular works of the author . there are also seen some little pieces of heads , by pordenon . then follows the picture of our saviour , with another beautiful square of old palma . next are two great squares of noble paulo veronese . in one you will admire the marriage of cana in galilee . in the other the coming of the magi , with two other squares , some of the fairest works of the author . the next you see is a famous night-piece , by correggio ; one of his most admirable works , the lights of the picture darting out miraculously . in like manner you will admire two squares of bold tintoret . also two of giacomo bassano . one does demonstrate the history of the samaritan . the other is a piece of animals , both of them singular works , after his usual manner . after these there are great quantities of squares , by correggio , which i do forbear to name particularly for brevity sake . you will see a picture , and a ritratto , by parmeggianino . there are likewise divers works of the three excellent caraches . there are also works of guido reno , and diverse other authors , which would fill a book alone to write of all such jewels as are contained in this gallery . i have onely named the most principal , i leave the rest to the virtuoso's and most curious , to observe them particularly at their own leisure . the domo . there are two singular good pictures by guido reno . the city of reggio . the church of s. prospero . where you see a picture with the blessed virgin and the child jesus , and s. girolamo , with s. crispin and crispianino , the works of guido reno . the picture in the quire is by hanniball carache . the little church of s. joseph . there is a picture which does demonstrate a living christ , by guido reno . the confraternity of s. rocco . the picture in the quire is the work of hanniball carache . finale di modena . the church of s. nicholas . here you will find a picture of the b. virgin with her son , and s. lorenz , the work of guercin da cento . the house of count zuccati . the front of this house is all painted by the abovesaid guercin da cento . the castle of carpi . the domo . here is a marvellous picture of s. rocco , by the hand of guido reno . sassuoli ten miles distant from modena . the church of the capuchines . in which you will admire that most beautiful piece at the great altar , by the hand of ludovico carache . the city of mirandola . in this city ( especially in the duke's gallery ) they preserve variety of singular good works of diverse principal authors , before-mentioned in this little work . the city of mantua . the domo . here you see a picture representing the redeemer when he called james and john to the apostleship , by giulio romano . there is likewise seen another picture with s. anthony the abbot , by paulo veronese . the church of s. andrew . there are two pieces , one demonstrates the crucifixion of christ ; the other the finding of his blood , by giulio romano . the church of s. dominico . here is seen a picture of the abovesaid giulio . the palace of t. there are the most famous works of giulio romano , in diverse halls , galleries , chambers , &c. with histories , and freezes of all sorts , the works of this palace deserve coming from a far countrey to see . in the delitie di marmirolo , there are also various works of the same giulio . the state of milan . the city of milan . the church of the madonna della gratie , fathers dominicans . here is the famous picture , by titian , representing the crowning of the redeemer with a crown of thorns , one of the fairest works of the author . the domo . here you see a most beautiful picture of a dead christ , by the hand of barocci . the church of s. celso preti . in the second sacristie you see a square of raphael . in the church you will admire the altar-piece of s. girolamo , the work of paris bordone . the church of the fathers teatini . as you enter at the great door , on your right hand you may observe a square by the side of the furthermost altar , by the hand of ludovico carache . in the most famous library called the libraria ambrosiana . there are four squares by titian , singular ones . you see moreover , many works by leonardo da vinci . in the same you see upon two squares the dispute concerning the sacrament , by raphael ; painted in rome in the palace of the vatican . there are also divers designs of the most singulars painters named in this book . the famous closet of signior manfredo septale . this closet abounds with variety of rarities , in nature as well as art , i shall only take notice of the best paintings , being only proper to the thing in hand . 1. there is the effigies of galeazzo septale , captain of the germans , and great-unkle to manfredo septale . this picture needs no other commendation than that it was the work of titian . 2. the picture of ludovico septale , father to the same manfredo , this is the work of fide gallitia , the most celebrated paintress in the world . 3. the annunciation of the b. virgin mary , the work of a certain hollander eminent in the court of rome . 4. the picture of senator septale , brother to manfredo , the work of daniel crispi a painter of great repute . 5. there is a large picture of the aforesaid , daniel crispi , relating to the temptation of s. anthony , a singular invention . 6. another picture of the most illustrious and reverend bishop charles septale , brother to manfredo , the work of a flemming , eminent in the city of rome . 7. the picture of manfredo himself , the work of the above-named daniel crispi . 8. a small picture of the b. virgin mary with s. joseph and christ an infant taking of fruits from s. joseph , a work of singular beauty , and the work of that famous woman gallitia . 9. another small effigies of ludovico septale when he was a youth . 10. the picture of the b. virgin , with christ , and s. john , being little boyes , painted in a large picture by great raphael , the prince of painters . 11. a most elegant picture of a grave matron , by leonardo da vinci . 12. a small , but most noble picture , by bernardino luini , a famous painter , in which is represented the picture of the b. virgin mary , and christ giving a flower to s. john baptist . 13. the picture of nontio gallitii a famous limner , and father of fide gallitia , who painted this piece . 14. the picture of fide gallitia in the flower of her age , done by her own hand . 15. the picture of a little boy , the work of fide gallitia . 16. the picture of the duke of ferrara , a singular work of juliano . 17. another picture of septale , the work of bronzino , a florentine . 18. the picture of gustavus adolphus king of the swedes , by an unknown hand . 19. the picture of christina queen of the swedes , and daughter to gustavus . 20. the picture of oliver cromwell , by an unknown hand . 21. the picture of the most serene john duke of austria , the work of paini . 22. the picture of pope innocent the tenth . 23. the picture of pope julius the second in the middle between two young cardinals , viz. cardinal medici ( who was chosen pope when he was but thirty three years of age , and called leo the tenth ) and cardinal sixtus , the work of one of raphael vrbines scholars . 24. a woman of tall stature with her face hairy all over , every hair as long as ones hand , an egregious work of paini . 25. the picture of a monster by an unknown hand . 26. the picture of two virgins in hunting habits . 27. a great picture of bassano , representing our redeemer crowned with thorns , a night-piece . 28. a picture upon which two painters of no mean rank ( to wit grosso and duchino ) did vie with each other , in it there is expressed the b. virgin with the child jesus , and b. elizabeth , and a little s. john. 29. a picture expressing the sad accident which befell lucretia romana sheathing a dagger in her bowels , as an eternal signification of her inviolated chastity , the work of cerani . 30. s. james sitting on his horse , and brandishing his sword amongst his dispersed souldiers , this is likewise a picture of cerani . 31. a s. joseph , by cerani . 32. a busto , with the head of s. james , the work of cerani . 33. the woman believed to be a whore , the work of that famous painter leonardo da vinci . 34. david carrying in his hands the formidable head of the giant goliah , a singular work of julius caesar procani , when he was young . 35. s. francis with a parrot , the work of cerani's sister . 36. a lucretia , the work of leone aretini . 37. another lucretia , the work of sardini . 38. s. jerome accompanied with an angelical minstrel , the work of vermilii . 39. the picture of s. john , the work of hercules procacini . 40. an anatomy naturally expressed by daniel crispo that eminent painter , who painted most part of the great carthusian church at tiacin . 41. the picture of the most celebrated jucunda , an ornament in the king of france's bed-chamber , a copy from leonardo da vinci . 42. an egyptian woman , by fide gallitia , from an original of leonardo da vinci . 43. a great piece in which the martyrdom of s. cecilia is expressed , by salimbono from an original of micerini . 44. three large pictures , copied from the paintings of andrea del sarto . 45. two pictures more of the same hand , in one is s. agnes and s. christina , in the other is s. peter , and s. john. 46. the picture of a woman , a natural work of tintoret . 47. herodias with s. john baptist's head , the head is the work of cerani , herodias the work of a daughter of cerani , and wife to the painter melchiore gherardino . 48. s. jerome , and s. lucia , the works of metchiore gherardino . 49. s. jerome praying , a night-piece , the work of bassano . 50. a picture containing the b. virgin with h●r son , and two angels worshipping , the work of soliano . 51. the b. virgin with jesus and s. john , a copy from raphael vrbin , the original of which is reckoned amongst the precious pieces that the king of france preserves . 52. an emulous work of luino , after raphael vrbino , expressing the b. virgin , with her son and a pilgrim . 53. the b. virgin with her son and s. joseph , copied from correggio , by fide gallitia . 54. the blessed virgin mary habited after the egyptian mode , likewise copied from correggio , by fide gallitia . 55. a heifer , painted by fide gallitia . 56. the virgin , with jesus , s. elizabeth , and s. john , the work of leo aresini . 57. another virgin with christ an infant sleeping , the work of camillo procacini . 58. two singular pictures , one of which is illustrated with s. katherine , in the other is the b. virgin crowned with a glory of angels , the works of bernardino luini , and his brother . 59. a great picture in which is expressed the first murther , viz. cain giving the fatal stroke to his brother abel , an original of guido reno . there are also four other pictures , copied from the originals of the same guido reno . 60. a magdalen , by hercules procacino . 61. an annunciation brought from rome , a piece of singular beauty . 62. three pictures famous for three heads , that of homer , another of s. jerome , the third of moses , having in his hands the tables of the law ; the works of tiroli . 63. two birds painted by fide gallitia . 64. a porrot of the most beautiful sort , as also another egyptian bird , which were formerly live ornaments in the house of septale . 65. daniel in the lions den , the lions are the works of daniel crispi , after brugora , but daniel is the work of melchiore gherardino . 66. the pictures of exotick animals , formerly familiar ornaments in the house of septale , now only beautifie two squares , the chief of these is a japan bird called micous , not so much famous for its diversity of colours , as for its docibility , for when the arch-duke of inspruck and the arch-dutchess of austria were admiring , and praising of it , it answered scornfully , that septale had given it them as a present to their most serene highnesses . 67. an indian crow . 68. two large landskips by the diligent hand of pietro florentino . 69. two other landskips of a lesser size , by the same author . 70. a tempest at sea. 71. another prospect at sea. 72. a battle , by carolo battavo . 73. a calm sea , with many sails displayed within the haven , the work of a fleming , after brugora . 74. a great landskip expressing a large country , by carolo a sole . 75. king priam's palace in flames , by rudolpho . 76. another landskip after the life . 77. another fair prospect of a countrey , the work of pietro flandro . 78. a great picture representing armed women , and other types of war. 79. the picture of the great colossus , or the amphitheatre at rome , together with constantine's arch , done at rome , by one philipp . 80. other small landskips , expressed in six pictures . 81. a most perfect piece of brugora . 82. the picture of k. philip the fourth , the most potent monarch of spain , by paint . 83. a small picture in limning , which represents jesus going to emaus , done at rome . 84. another small picture , by leonardo da vinci . 85. other two pictures which represent the b. virgin and christ crowned with flowers . the city of cremona . the domo . on the inside of the front of this domo there is a large history representing christ crucified between the thieves , with many other figures , a superb work of pordenon . the city of genoua . the church of s. stephen . here is to be admired the history of the stoning of this saint , a stately work of giulio romano . in divers places where the gentlemen of genoua assemble ( but chiefly that called the imperial assembly ) are seen divers squares of great titian . the publick palace . here is to be seen in a hall , a freeze of most beautifull boyes , by the hand of pordenon . the city of lucca . the domo . at the third altar on the right hand as you enter , you will find a picture of our redeemer's last supper with the apostles , the work of tintoret . near the sepulchre of cardinal giudiccioni you see another picture of the b. virgin aud her son christ , crowned by two angels , at their feet is an angel playing upon the lute , and on each side is s. john baptist and s. stephen , by frae . bartolomeo . in the church of s. romano , fathers dominicans . at the first altar on your left hand as you enter , is another admirable picture , wherein is expressed an ecstasie of s. katherine of siena , and s. magdalen with the father eternal in glory . at the second chapell on your right hand is a picture of the abovesaid fra. bartolomeo , wherein is expressed the virgin mother of mercy , blessing great numbers of people with her garment , and above is the b virgin with the redeemer with his armes spread abroad , and shewing . santa maria , called corte landini . here are two pictures by guido reno , one is on the right hand of the great altar representing the virgin in the snow , with christ in her arms , and an angel shaking off the snow , with a s. mary magdalen , and s. lucia . the other is on the left hand , with christ on the cross , at his feet is s. katherine a virgin martys , and s. giulio a martyr . the church of s. piero samaldi . as you enter at the great door , the first altar on the left hand is by old palma , where you find s. anthony the abbot in the middle of four other saints . in s. pietro civoli . the third altar on your left hand as you enter , is the work of lanfranco , signifying the martyrdom of s. lorenzo . near to the side door , is likewise seen a picture with christ crowning of s. teresa , and over them are two saints . in s. maria without the gates . here are seen two pictures by guercin da cento , both of them near the great altar ; in one is s lucia , in the other is the assumption , with s. sylvester pope , and s. francis of asisi below . pescia , ten miles distant from lucca . in the church called la piere . entring this church , in the utmost chapell on your right hand , you see a stately picture of the b. virgin upon a throne with her son in her armes , and two little angels , with divers saints on each side , an admirable work of incomparable raphael . alla piere de lamari two miles distant from lucca . the church . here is seen a picture of the abovesaid raphael , with the b. virgin , s. anthony , s. bartholomew , and s. bernardino of siena , an admirable work . in this same church , and in the first chapell on your right hand as you enter , you see a bishop and an holy martyr , with two ritrattos on their knees , and above the altar is the father eternal , it is the work of an unknown author , but a piece so beautiful that it does not give place to any master whatsoever . raphael d' vrbina nat : aº 1483. portrait of raphael the city of naples . the chapell of tesoro . in divers parts of this chapell you see histories relating to several saints , singular works of dominichino . in the same chapell are likewise seen divers stupendious works by the hand of giovanni lanfranco . the church of s. dominico . in this church you see a most stately picture of divers saints , by the hand of great raphael . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a31044-e1940 * or hermits . * so termed amongst the italians . * a particular manner different from painting in oyle . * black and white . * differing from other manners of painting ▪ * a terme of art for black amd white . * being the usual manner of polidoro's painting . notes for div a31044-e9370 * frequently so called amongst the italians . notes for div a31044-e11960 * represented by a crowned virgin holding a scepter in one hand , and a pair of scales in the other . † or duke of venice . * represented by flinging thunderbolts from heaven . * or pictures by the life . * which was not to paint in above two or three colours . * so called from his bold manner of painting . * or face after the life . notes for div a31044-e30740 * or gypsy . an itinerary contayning a voyage, made through italy, in the yeare 1646, and 1647. illustrated with divers figures of antiquities. never before published. / by jo: raymond, gent. raymond, john, gent. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a92196 of text r33233 in the english short title catalog (thomason e1128_1). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 253 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 168 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a92196 wing r415 thomason e1128_1 estc r33233 99872350 99872350 169401 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a92196) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 169401) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; 164:e1128[1]) an itinerary contayning a voyage, made through italy, in the yeare 1646, and 1647. illustrated with divers figures of antiquities. never before published. / by jo: raymond, gent. raymond, john, gent. cross, thomas, fl. 1632-1682, engraver. [48], 284, [4] p. : ill. (metal cuts) printed for humphrey moseley, and are to be sold at his shop at the princes armes in st. pauls church-yard, london : 1648. with an additional title page, engraved, "il mercurio italico communicating a voyage made through italy ..", signed: t. cross sculpt. the first leaf is blank except for signature-mark "a". with a final errata and imprimatur leaf; the last leaf is blank. annotation on thomason copy: "nou: 2d". reproduction of the original in the british library. eng italy -description and travel -early works to 1800. a92196 r33233 (thomason e1128_1). civilwar no an itinerary contayning a voyage, made through italy, in the yeare 1646, and 1647.: illustrated with divers figures of antiquities. never b raymond, john, gent 1648 40925 29 50 0 0 0 0 19 c the rate of 19 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2007-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-07 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-05 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2008-05 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion an itinerary contayning a voyage , made through italy , in the yeare 1646 , and 1647. illustrated with divers figures of antiquities . never before published . by jo : raymond , gent. london , printed for humphrey moseley , and are to be sold at his shop at the princes armes in st. pauls church-yard . 1648. roma venetia plebeae sane sunt istae animae quae suis affixae terris bona resident 〈◊〉 divinior est quae c●●●um imitatur et gaudet metu . il mercurio italico communicating a voyage made through italy in the yeares 1646 & 1647 by i. r. gent. ne plus mome vltra j. cross sculpt . london printed for hum : moseley & are to be sold at 〈◊〉 shop at ye princes armes in st. paules church-yard . 1648 to my readers howsoever qualified . gentlemen , dedicatory leaves to a book , like a curtaine before a picture , only beget some higher expectation of the piece ; a weather beaten traveller needs no such vmbrilla as a patron to shroud under . though this booke was not writ to bee printed , yet the worst ( infallibly ) are printed to be read . my intention was to confine this wanderer to my closet and no farther ; till the advice of some familiar , and command of superiour friends prest mee to exchange a single manuscript for more numerous prints . i can challenge no other inducement then that i expose some novelties which i question not but this age will disgest . for the cutts i have hither transported , interpret me not so much desirous to grace the page , as to preserve antiquity . my choyce consisting of those things i never before saw publisht . i speake plurally through my whole transcursion , because that particle ( wee ) implyes asseveration , or in reference to gentlemen my fellow travellers , who can affirme what i relate . some ( though strange yet no contradiction ) have seene this booke before the authour pend it ; to those my sentence is referd : such as looke into forraine parts through the spectacles of imagination only , have no patent either to justify or condemne me , to these therefore may i appeare a romance , to the others a reall story . j. r. to the most illustrious prince charles , prince of great britaine , duke of cornwall and aubigny , earle of chester , &c. may it please your highnesse , t is humbly conceiu'd the duty of all the youth of england to dedicate themselves and their endeavours to your highnesse : not onely in regard of your native but acquired greatnesse , which drawes the eyes of all good men upon your highnesse person and actions . this sir makes mee humbly beg leave to lay my first fruits at your highnesse feet , which ( without farther presumption ) is the utmost ambition of your highnesse most humble and most faithfully devoted john raymond . a letter from a most ingenious freind , to whom the authour sent his mercurio italico . sir , i returne your papers by that hand which brought them : i have runne swiftly over your itinerary , but am not so impudent to pronounce my thoughts on it ; unlesse i had more time or a steaddier brain ; for after my riding three dayes poast i am fitter for sleep then epistles . the thing most observable of all your travells is your selfe , who are able to graspe so much of the world , when 't is not twice ten yeares since you came into it . i conceive it flowes from your good nature , thus to set markes on your severall stages , that the prints are visible to your freinds and country : 't was usefully done , since now so many of us are doom'd to wander , not like cain for drawing blood , but for asking peace . did others follow your example , this unhabitable-vvorld would have more manners and lesse news . many itineraries i have seene in latine , few in english , and those so partiall , that countries are describ'd ( as committees do gentlemen ) not as they are , but as they would have them . 't is a noble meditation how greece and italy ( two great champions ) looke over the water , daring and threatning and watching each other ; 't was once so 'twixt france and england . such as have seen them will say how exactly you shew us rome , venice , florence , naples , milan , genua , bolonia , padua , and those other glories beyond the alpes : to me this great limbe of the world ( italy you know is a leg ) not your foot but your hand hath gone over as a brief , elegant , smart anatomist . but i am sorry you mention virgils tombe , for now people will thinke hee is mortall ; sure his owne pile ( built three stories high , of eclogues , georgicks , and aeneads ) will last as long as the round world . in this journey others went before you , so as you are forc'd almost upon gleanings , yet here ( as in the field ) gleanings put togeather are the best of the corne . now you are come home , you 'l have stranger sights then any abroad ; you 'l see great brittaine a floating island , and the most vertuous monarch under heaven cast into a small isle as on some plank in a great ship-wrack . you 'l find london ( like the spleen in the body ) hath rendred other parts poore and languid ; so as now england is but one great towne ; this london all sides do court and hate , and shee is so much cocknay to thinke it will continue , having kickt at all , and made no freind . sir , when you behold a kingdome without a king , a church without clergy , a university without scholars , you 'l grant wee have a thorough reformation . but two houres since i saw a better sight then italy affords ; 't is his highnesse the prince of wales , who for soule and body is sure the most hopefull prince in the christian world ; whose comming hether this afternoone brings a floud of businesse ( as well as joy ) on all the english in this towne , especially on such as come for dispatches ; and that 's the very reason why now you must excuse , sir , amiens iul : 11. stilo novo 1648. your most affectionate humble servant . j. berkenhead . on his friends mercurio italico . goe with your hellish heliconish spells , raise puffpast , kneade unleav'ned sillables , expatiate on a page in tiptoe sence to pacifie the witts concupisence make cupid dance o' th ropes ; o! this is sport will drill the tenements of the — — — planetick n●ntio tell him that peepes here tyber and thames concorporate this yeare . minnums , leave padling in your feeble geare . marke how the lusty gray beards hugg each other their elementall sobbs the consort smother . these to their native beds retreate ; but see antiquity swadled in a novelty . yet no booth progeny to be gaz'd on guest , nor loud ones with the mandeville posest ; rare , not miraculous blusterers that can preach up the booke but chatechise the man . what though * hells centinell that champion stout , spit wildfire , blow the dayes taper out ? or those insulting † gogmagogs rehearse but pimples in the corpulent vniverse ; all 's safe : begin thy voyage reader , trye ; delay will annalize a diary . travells goe twice abroad , both merit praise ; first they drive dayes to yeares , then yeares to dayes . j. n. an introduction to italy . it is preeminence enough methinkes for italy that shee did then sway the allcoercive scepter on earth , when our redeemer assum'd the flesh . to her we owe our civility ; shee purchast it by conquests in the levant ; propogated it by victories in the north , till dispairing of a farther plantation the picts wall was her vltima thule ; perhaps least that people should have stumbled at the innovation . to bee retrograde on this subject were to rob history of her birthright , to insist on my owne ocular observation but veniall vsury . there are three evitable dangers that divert some from this voyage ; the first is the heates of the climate ; a second , that horrible ( in report ) inquisition ; the last , hazard of those mercilesse out lawes banditas . the first may bee allayd by moderation , the second prevented by discretion ; the last avoided by the defence of those states you passe through . this duke of florence quite extirpated that savage race out of his dominions by raising a competent number ; that personated robbers and joynd in league with the reall ones till they fouud opportunity to dispatch them . as there is connivance at the luterani ( for so they terme us ) so t is rashnesse to proclaime ones opinion , weakenesse to disclose it : this may gaine the odium of the better , this the injuries of the vulgar . a novice of late so soone as he was come to florence , said , methinks this place is somewhat popishly affected . another with more pardonable ignorance when his host askt him whether he was walking in the afternoone , replyd , to masse . one of my cotemporaries discoursing with a fryar , in a complemēt protested he did reverence clergy men for that he was the sonne of a priest in england : which the monke could not conster but either an irony to his order , or infamous to the gentlemans owne descent . the most cautious tongue is incident to these errours ; yet that nation is not so scrupulous as to take notice of a strangers words or actions unlesse openly scandalous ; for as heretico is a name utterly detestable , so tramontano by the multitude is held contemptible , which low reputation begets a happy privacy to the reserv'd forreigner . that sort of people which travellers have most agitation with as vetturino's hosts & the like , are very peremptory and crosse , which if you menace they wil repaire with double insolence ; knowing that if in the contest their stilletto should do mischiefe , the next church may be their asylum , where no law or violence can attempt them . the safest way is dissimulation , and to winne better accommodation amongst them disparage not , rather commend the worst . their osterias or innes stand usually alone , remote from any village , so that passengers must bee content with what those tabernae can afford , and he that seemes to dislike their feeble * minestra perhaps shall have nothing but an * allegramente for amends . this inference i lay hold on to speake more amply of the italian . whilst rome wore the imperiall diadem of the subdued world , it might have been a disputable criticisme , whither rome stood in italy ; or italy in rome , that voice of fame which attributed all to the roman ; derogated from the renowne of the italian : now , since rome did resigne the crowne to the miter ; italy allowes her no supremacy , but ecclesiasticall ; and in the generall voge t is the most proper phrase to say such a man is an italian , though a native of rome . however , in the survey of this present generation i finde a residue of the old genius still surviving . that roman generosity yet runnes in the bloud of their noble families , which ( i have heard ) can draw their pedigree from the great masters of the world ; as that of the savelli from scipio africanus . neither doth the height of their spirits argue lesse . the neopolitan is so elevated with his imaginary revennewes that in his deepest poverty hee will speake thousands rather then betray his wants . one will sit gravely before his doore picking his teeth , and condemne the capon hee eate last ; when a morsell of bread would passe downe merrily . another i have seen begging in this method : first he lookes about to see whether the coast be cleare , before hee will utter one suppliant word ; then hee approaches in a more submisse straine , yet if any one chance to cast an eye that way ; he retreates to familiarity ; pressing the justnesse of his demands till hee obtaines the almes ; which if but a penny or so , hee casts it contemptibly in the donours face , but soone after peaceably searches for the money , and when t is found prayes for the benefactour . this is consonant with the spaniard , so is the genuesian as lofty as his buildings , so proud in his garbe , that at our first nights supper in genua , some fidlars came to welcome us with their musick , but with so grave and stately a preamble , that wee all withdrew from our seats to salute the men , imagining them no lesse then magistrates . the plebeians or commonalty of italy savour much of the goths and vandalls ; yet even these are frequently distinguisht with the worthy appellations of julio , flaminio , fabio , &c. in the campagna di roma i once espyde a labourer tilling the ground neer some decayed monuments ; whereupon i made towards the fellow and askt him what those ruines were ; hee answered mee , hee knew nothing ; but he had often heard his grandfather tell a story of one signor romolo , that fought there . a twinckling tradition and implies much . they have a recreation certainly deriv'd from their ancestours , viz : la mora , anciently micare digitis , at the first it appeares but childishly ridiculous ; after better acquaintance , a kinde of conjuration ; t is of force to binde the fancy ; yet the most illiterate are best at the game . and no wonder since this ayre hath from all ages checherisht the strongest atlase's for invention and art . what braine but italian could contrive engines to raise so vast a moles as the vatican obelisque . observe what machivillian unheard of weapons they devise to surprize an enemy unawares . at venice i saw a pocket church booke with a pistoll hid in the binding , which turning to such a page , discharges . a plot ( i conceive ) to entrap him you hate , whilst you are at your devotions together , when there 's least suspition . another as rare , is a pocket stone-bow , which held under a cloake shoots needles with violence to pierce a mans body , yet leaves a wound scarce discernable . a third is a walking staffe in appearance ; at the top is a spring which graspt hard , at the other end will jet forth a rapier with force enough to kill at a yards distance . a fourth is a gunne to bee charg'd with winde , which for six paces will not faile of execution with a small or no report . to these i may adde their curious ( yet illegall ) tricks in poyson , some mortall by smelling to , others that given now , shall have no operation till many moneths after . some will attempt to poyson rivers if they can but finde the source or fountaine ; and in milan there stands a pillar cald colonna infame , rais'd where a magicians house was puld downe , who for a time poysond the whole city . i omit not their excellency in statuary , limming , architecture , gardning , sceanes , musick , in which all europe gives them the precedency . in what perfection they have these faculties you may conclude from these instances . upon a sepulcher in s. peters at rome , in a combent posture lie the feminine statues of old age , and of youth ; in the latter the sculpturer hath so exceeded nature , for limbes , features and comelinesse , that t is said a spaniard at his beads left his devotions to expiate his sense on that niobe-like lady , and for that reason a vaile of black marble now covers youths nakednesse ; whilst her neighbour old age wants a smock . for limming , one mattia casale of sienna ( though no eminent artist ) drew the picture of a prince so exactly , and with that vivacity , that in the princes eyes , hee plac't his own effigies perfectly discernable as in the originall . sir henry wotton a friend to ingenuity , and a great admirer of it in the italian , had transported out of italy a piece of two dogs combating for a bone , done with that life ; that a third more living curre entring into the roome , very eagerly assaulted the colours , which wanted nothing but motion , to resist him . for their architecture i referre you to their cities ; a flandrian embassadour leaving florence , told the great duke his city deserv'd to bee seen never but on holy-dayes . for their gardens , i dare considently avow all christendome affords none so voluptuous , as those within the walls and territory of rome ; and at bagnaia ( as i remember ) there 's a walke for a hundred paces archt with fountaines , so that a man may passe drye under the element of water ; a trick might raise a question in the schooles . their sceanes , ( or as they terme them operas ) are regalios , they have not yet fully communicated to us , their other arts wee daily borrow . a yeare since in a representation at venice , phaeton in his charriot drawne by foure naturall well pamperd steeds , were all hurld over the theater in an artificiall cloud . in this they but imitate nature , marke how they subdue her . at the marriage of the duke of florence there was brought on the stage a balletta , or dance of horses ; whilst an ape playde the ayre on a gittarre ; a florentin said a third miracle was intended , viz : a consort of parachitos voices , but the schollars had not got their lesson perfect against the day appointed for the nuptialls . they are so addicted to musick , especially that of the voyce , ( which indisputably is the best , ) that great persons keep their castrati , viz. eunuch's whose throates and complexions scandalize their breeches . neither is the rout lesse propense to that though with lesser skill and art ; there 's no fachin or cobler but can finger some instrument ; so that when the heats of the day are tyr'd out to a coole evening ; the streets resound with confused , yet pleasant notes . their carnavall is the fitest season to vent any humours ; hee 's most extold that can act the mimick best : so many men , so many crochets ; some abusive , others for mirth . a sanesian perhaps to satyrize on the french vanity , got on a sute a la mode with all things correspondent ; but for his trimming , where wee place gold buttons ( as downe the breeches . round the knees , along the skirts &c. ) he wore little hobby horse bells , and on his crest stood a cocks combe triumphant ; thus whilst he footed it gingerly through the streets , the spectators voushsaft him no other title then monsieur . from these passages i have here cited the reader may collect of what temper this people is , by these following what that of the country . southern climates ( philosophically ) refine the braine ; those that have adorn'd italy with their singular endowments , owe perhaps as much to their countrey , as she to them . yet most certainely had romulus his successours aspird no farther then the mud wall hee left them ; had those legions of worthies never beene borne there , wee should never have had such an esteeme of this cisalpine clod ; the fertility of which i attribute not to the soyle , but site . the earth yealdes these five harvests successively ; first , in june , that of silke ; in july , of diverse fruits ; in august , that of corne , which they afterwards sow with millio , rice , turkie wheate , or the like graine , and within two moneths have another croppe . in september that of their wines . in october , that of oyle . most of those places celebrated by the old poets for the rich gifts of bacchus are degenerated from their pristine worth , yet in lieu of those , others are so enobled , that in a moderate computation they have no lesse then twenty distinct species of liquor to please the gusto ; the most dilicious , ( and but the ethnick ambrosia in a christian phrase ) they call lachrymae christi . they have few trees but what wee have seene in these parts . the hesperian apple , or orange tree is of a most ravishing beauty perpetually verdant , bearing an hortyard of blossoms , greene and ripe fruite altogether . amongst their medicinall plants scarce knowne amongst us but in apothicaries shoppes ; i tooke notice of one odoriferous hearbe called basilico , which hath this innate power , that if laid under a stone in some moyst place , in two dayes it produceth a scorpion , this i can assert by experience , and to countenance this story , there fell out a strange accident in my stay at siena . a gentleman was so pleas'd with the smell of this basilico , that he had some dry'd and beaten into powder , which he snuft up , imagining it of the same force with tobacco to cleare the head , but hee bought the experience at the price of his life , for hee dyed distracted ; his skull being afterwards opened by the chyrurgion , a nest of scorpions were found feeding on his braine . for their creatures they have many not known to this island , but for curiosity . about rome they plow the land with buffolos ; neere sienna they hunt the wild boare , with the rowbuck , the wolfe , the porcupine , and the tasso cane or mountaine dog . they have many reptilias , of strange natures . the cimici are most troublesome bed fellowes ; but fleas in folio , yet so dainty , as they will chuse their flesh ; my chamberfellowes face hath lookt bigge as boreas with them in one night , when they have not so much as toucht my skin , or disturbd my sleepe . they are very offensive to his nostrills that destroyes them . the cantherides are greene flyes by day , and in the night passe about the fields ( a pleasing spectacle ) like flying glowormes with fire in their tayles . a rimarra is a philanthropall creature in forme like a lyzzard , in bignesse much exceeding it . a countryman told mee nature had so provided that the property of that beast was thus ; if a peasent lay to repose himselfe in the shade , the rimarra will vigilantly attend him , if a serpent approach ( with which she is at enmity ) shee tickles the countryman in the eare ; summoning him to stand on his guard . no lesse strange though true is the report of the tarantula which some say is a flye ; but at the opening of a doore in the vatican their skipt out a creature not much unlike an eft , onely with longer clawes , at which some italians then in our company cryd out vna tarantula tarantula the venome of the tarantula is of such operation as hee that is stung while the fit continues falls a caparing ; and nothing can allay it but musick . i saw a capuchian at siena who was perfectly well in his sences all the yeare till precisely the day came about whereon hee received a bite of a tarantula , then on a suddaine hee would skip like a madman . were these occurrences as pleasing to my reader as to my selfe , i should build gates for my cities to run out of : this roughly hewed portaile resembles the alpes which past , behold rome the holy . page 67 venice the rich. pag. 187 naples the gentle . p. 138 florence the faire . p 28 genua the superbe . p. 10 milan the great . p. 238 bolonia the fat . p. 168 padua the learned . p. 205 verona the ancient . p. 226 an itenirary containing a breife narration of a voyage made through italy , in the yeare 1646. and 1647. there are but two ordinary passages out of france into italy , the one over the alpes , the other by the mediterranean sea , those commonly which goe by the first , returne by the second , and so contrary . we ( november being quite expired ere we left france ) for our owne convenience preferred a boate before a horse , i meane the sea voyage , before the land . wherefore being come to antibe the utmost city of france , wee found favour of the governour ( it being a frontiere and place of strength ) in giving us a bill of health , without which it is very difficult to enter into any of the italian states or cities , & having over night procured a filoaco to carry us all our way to genua if so be wee mett with no boate of returne betwixt thence and monaco ; the next morning we departed , and about nine in the forenoone came before nice in savoy , situated on the sea side , but hath no port , the buildings are after the italian , & it is commanded by a strong castle that stands on a hill . finding no convenience of imbarquing better here we sayled on , but at the point of land that turnes towards morgues , there arose a contrary winde , which forc't us to retyre into the next harbour , to wit villa franca ( aunciently called portus herculis ) where by permissiō of the governour of the citadell we lay that night . this place likewise belongs to the duke of savoy . the next day going out of the haven we met with a genova filouco , & having agreed for our passage in that , quitted our former , yet no sooner were we in the boat but a tempest drove us againe into the harbour ; so that we lost that day entirely . the day following we had both faire weather , & a calme sea , which encourag'd our watermen to adventure out ; about 2. miles from villa franca we dis a great vessell making towards us , which our boatmen seemed to feare taking it , for a turkish man of war , but we were afterwards informed to the cōtrary . a little further we strooke into the port of monaco , and after an houre or two stay there , the wind growing contrary , our boatmen wisht us to tarry longer least wee should be exposed to a greater inconvenience , which wee the more willingly condiscended too , in regard , t is so remarkable a place as no stranger can well passe without especiall observation thereof ; for i must confesse i know no so small a principality of the like consideration , either for strength or riches ; the prince of the family of the grimaldi of genua , is in his state soveraine , and coynes mony , but hath still some greater king for his protector , of late yeares hee left the spanish party , and gave himselfe with this his cheife towne , to the king of france's tuition , so that at our arrive there , there was a strict garison of french ; the marquis of corbon being then governour to whom wee had addresse from his brother in law at antibe , us'd us very civilly , and sent a souldier with us ; to shew us all the rarityes that are there to be seene . monaco ( whether i may properly call it a town or castle i know not ) is situated on the top of a rockey promontory of incredible hard accesse , inviron'd with strong walls , within which are some streets very neately representing the face of a city , in the middest is a spacious court fit for to exercise military discipline in , at the end is the princes palace , which though beautifull on the outside yet contains greater wealth within , cheifly in his gardrobe , where the variety of tapistries the great quantity of plate , with the vastnesse of vessels , as fountaines , tables , and such like of pure silver , striks amazement into him that sees it , besides this rich furniture , there are two cabinets or galeries of rare curiosities which excepting the duke of florences , may be equaled with most of that nature in italy : amongst other singularities i was much taken with the statue of an indian of porphyre , and other materiall , as likewise a gemmery compil'd of severall pretious stones with these letters ; otium francisci bembi ; the prince was then in enlarging this palace , and beautifying it with marbles and waterworks . having with great satisfaction seene all the particularities of this place , we returned downe to our inne , and it growing towards night , some few howers before our departure a hard accident befell us , which was the losse of our bill of health , wherefore though it was darke and the watch was set , yet wee sent up a letter by a string to the governour , who very courteously returned us a ticket of larger extent then our former . at midnight wee departed from monaco past eight miles farther by menton , a village belonging to the same prince , and about breake of day we came before vintimiglia the first city ( towards france ) of the republique of genua , from hence we were in view of the mountaines of corsica and foure miles farther we past by saint remes , where the shore ( which is called by the name of the rive of genua ) is all covered with orange , citron , and date trees . past the rest of that day without seeing any thing remarkable , unlesse porto mauritio , where heretofore there was a very good port which the genuesians ruin'd , fearing it should bring prejudice to their owne . towards night we strooke in at oneille , a city which seemes to interrupt the genois dominions , and belongs to the duke of savoy . after we had supt wee tooke boate and sayled all night by many townes , viz. diano , araisse , where they fish for corall , albengue , luan , a city of the prince of oria a genois , final a place of strength and the only garrison the king of spaine hath in these coasts ; the port though small yet serves much in the conveyance of men and amunition towards milan . this place commonly pillageth strangers , they taking all for frenchmen ; but ( praysed be god ) wee past quietly , and towards breake of day came before savona ; the most ancient and greatest city of the genevoisat after genua it selfe . behind this city , the apennines that cleave italy in sunder begin to take their rise . from hence to genua is 35. italian miles ; all which way one goes more and more into the pleasantnesse of italy , the whole board being fild with country seats and villages , which for beauty surpasse many cities i have seene elsewhere . amongst those san pietro d' arania ( whither the richer genuesians retire themselves in the sommer , and indeed may bee call'd another genua for the gallantry of the buildings ) is the best ; but three miles distant from genua , the metropolis of that most flourishing republick , which contains so stately palaces , that from all the rest of italy , it hath gotten the name of genua the superbe . t is situated at the foot of very high mountaines , which though sterile , yet want nothing that art can enrich them with ; in gardens , water-workes , and the like . that which exceeds all the rest , is the prince of orias palace , reaching from the bottome of the shoare , to the top of the mountaines , divided into three gardens . in the first whereof the terrasses or porches one above another bore up with marble pillars , is very magnificent , as likewise the fountaine of the eagles , and the family of neptune : at the one side that famous cage of ironworke , which is of so vast an extent that it encloseth a wood of cypresse and other trees . the other two are fild with grottes , orange trees ; and other variety of delights : at the upper part of all stands the statue of jupiter tonant . within the pallace the gardrobe full of rarietyes ; the tapestries and precious furuiture declare greatly the richnesse of that prince . next to this is the house of hieronimo del negro , where the excellent pictures , the fall of waters , the fountain , the piscina , the grove and other delightfull departments , are well worth seeing . on all sides of the city is an infinity of such places of pleasure , especially round about the port , which is of a large circuit , resembling much the forme of a theatre enclos'd with faire buildings . t is defended by a solid bulwarke ( which they call il mole ) that lyes about 2 hundred paces into the sea , rais'd at a very great expence : opposite to that a rocky promontory casts it selfe forth , at the head whereof stands a very lofty pharos , bearing a lanterne of more then an ordinary bignesse , to guide ships in the night : within the haven is a place where the gallyes lay , every one in a particular classis . as for the city it selfe , it is enough to say the genuesians live in a kingly luxury , and i believe it is the best built and compacted city , not onely of italy , but also of europe . the houses generally are very high , the streets for the most part ( its onely fault ) are somewhat narow , so that no coaches are here admitted , which though an inconvenience , yet preserves the wayes more cleane and neater . i except here that spacious , long , even , and indeed mistris of streets the strada nova , which i am confident may be justly preferd before any in christendome , so proud in architecture , so rich in marbles are the palaces t is fild with . the fairest one belongs to the duke of oria. amongst the publick edifices , the exchange or merchants hall . the dukes palace with the armory for 30 thousand men deserv'd our walking to . neither are the genuesians lesse splendid , in adorning their consecrated places ; witnesse the mighty quantity of polish't marble , wherewith all the churches are fild , especially san lorenzo the dome , and santo ambrosio belonging to the jesuites . but that which surpasseth all , and is of most admiration , is the chappell of the anunciade , begun to bee built not many yeares since at the expence of one family , ( whose palace joynes to it ) yet is of so incredible richnesse for the red and white marble pillars , and other ornaments , that one would imagine the revenues of a whole city could not bee enough to raise so glorious a worke as that will be when t is finisht . finally , the genuesians to defend this their brave city , have encompast it with walls no lesse commendable for beauty and strength , then prodigious for their large extent . the people of this common-wealth are habited all alike , somewhat tending towards the spanish mode ; and are of a very austere and superbe humour , hardly vouchsafing to look so low as a stranger , wherefore having with much satisfaction seene their flourishing estate , wee left them . we set out from genua in a filouca about sun-setting , and having sayld all that night , about noone the next day we strooke into porto venere , and after dinner crost the golfe of aspecia , ( which is defended with many strong fortifications ) to lerizi . this bourg being the mid way from genua to ligourne ( such is the villany of the watermen in these parts ) if they get their passengers , chiefly strangers hither , they will so delay their departure , pretending the inconveniences of the weather , that by lying still at so great an expence , they may bee forc'd to give them their pay , and to hire horses for the rest of the way by land . which trick wee were forc't to suffer patiently , after a day and halfes attendance for our boat . hence we tooke post , and having past through the olive woods , over the hills that lay neerest the shoare , wee came into a low plaine countrey , which continued so to ligorne . first we past the river magre , then went by sarazana , a good city , and last of the dominion of genua , after that we came into the principality of massa , wherin we past by lavenza and carrara , where out of the hills they dig great store of marble , and then through massa it selfe , where the prince resides in estate soveraigne . the towne is very pleasant , standing in a territorie fruitfull in orange trees and other fruits . hence wee came suddenly into tuscany , but quickly left it , falling into a woody country , belonging to the state of lucas , and so to viregio , under the same power , standing at the mouth of a small river , which runnes from lucques . here we were forc't to lye , and the next morning some two mile farther wee past the river that parts the republique of lucques from toscany , and so in the morning arriv'd at pisa . which city was heretofore a great free state of it selfe , but at the rising of the family of the medicis on which line the dukes of etruria successively runne , this with many other noble cities , was reduced to the great dukes subjection . from whom it hath received many embellisments . t is situated in a marshy land , so that the unholesomnesse of the aire renders it scarce of the native people , much more of strangers which seldome tarry any longer then to see the rarities of the place . amongst which i preferre that worthy peece of arte the falling tower which travellers boast of , ( and not undeservedly ) as one of the most mervellous things they see in the voyage of italy . t is cover'd round with galleries & 7. rowes one above another of marble pillars , so that 't is hard to bee imagin'd by what engines so great a structure should be supported , it being built so declining to one side , that all men which regard it , at the first expect its fall . hard by is the dome or cathedrall church of pisa ; where threescore pillars testifie as well its antiquity , as the gates of brasse its rarity . joyning to this is the campo santo , or cimetiere firm'd in with a wall of marble , and much resembles a cloyster ; in the midst is the church yard from whence the place hath its denomination , that implies the holy field ; because halfe the ground was brought from jerusalem , and it hath a particular propriety , that all bodies which are buried there , are consum'd within the space of 40. houres . here are likewise reserv'd many ancient urnes , which , with the story of the old and new testament painted of old worke , make the place very venerable . hard by is the baptistary , or san giovanni ; wherein , the font , and pulpit leaning on foure lyons , will for the preciousnesse of the stone , yield to no other in italie . leaving the area where these things stand together , a little more into the towne is the chappell and palace , of the knights of the order of st. stephen , the frontespiece of the chappell is of marble neatly pollish't . the inside is adorn'd with the truest ensignes of valour ; i meane trophees taken from the common enemies of christianity , the turkes . before their palace is the statue of the great duke cosmus , with a fountain . this dignity of knighthood is much like to that of malta , both to maintain christs cause against the mahometans , yet these may marrie , the others i conceive may not : these weare a red crosse for their badge in this fashion . ✚ from hence we walk't to the physitians garden , which is more for use then delight ; although there be good walks , & water-works that well washt us , yet for the most 't is cover'd with simples , outlandish plants and the like . joyning to it is a gallery very commodious for medecinall things , it abounding with all curiosities of nature , as forreign creatures , stones , mineralls , and whatsoever strange the farthest indies produce . in generall , this city stands so opportunely , as few like for the receiving of all forreign wares . in the midst thereof runnes the river arno , from thence to its embuschment navigable for very great vessels , so that here is a place where the duke builds his gallies : on one side of the river , is a faire street cald longarno , where is the great dukes palace , and before it the statue of ferdinand the third ; on the other side is the exchange , little , but of marble , then which nothing more common in italy . in a word , 't is prayse enough , to say t is the third city under the great duke , who i thinke hath the fairest of what prince soever . having taken a satisfactory view hereof , we went on our way to ligourne , whither there is an hourely convenience of a coach to transport merchandise from ligorne to pisa , the duke hath made an artificiall channell , of 15. miles long , which bares small boates like to venetian gondoloes . the escluse of which channell we saw at our setting forth out of pisa , cover'd for 250. paces . the most part of the way to ligorne is through fennes , till one enters into the great dukes forrest , which continues to the towne . ligorne the only maritimate place of importance , under the great duke , is situated in a plaine , at the board of the mediterranean sea , t is but little , yet the great concurse of merchants which flow thither from all nations , chiefly from my one , make it more spoken of than many cities , of a larger extent . 't is an innumerable summe of money the duke receives yearly from this small port : wherefore his predecessors with him have omitted nothing to make it strong , witnesse the royall bastions , and mote wherewith t is fenct ; the great port where the ships lay at anchor , is defended by the mole , and about hath many fanalls . the darcina , where the gallies ( then but six in number ) lay as quiet as in a chamber , is most exquisitely well contriv'd : before stands that best of moderne statues , the duke ferdinand in marble , and the colosses of foure slaves under him , in brasse in divers postures , so lively represented , that if the statuary could have fram'd a voice as well as those bodies , he might have conquerd nature . besides this piece , there are no more curiosities in this towne , yet many conveniences . the streets are generally large , the houses low , but uniforme , unlesse some which have been put out of order by an earthquake , to which this place is often subject . the great place is very beautifull , and fit for the assemblies of merchants . on the houses round about and in the fairest streets , are pictur'd all the battels , and victories of the great dukes gallies , obtained over the turks , which a slave did to gaine his redemption . the jewes which are here in great number , have the fairest synagogue i ever yet saw , wherin on a saturday their sabbaoth , we saw the manner of their divine ( if so i may call it ) service . their priviledges here are more then ordinary , they wearing no marke of distinction as in other townes , so that here the wealthier and richer sort are of that sect. the greeks likewise have a congregation , and church here . in a word , ligorne is compacted of forreigners , yet the unwholsomenesse of the aire banisheth a great part from thence , which i by dangerous experience found true ; for the day before i was to depart for florence , ( having all the while i stayed at ligorne found a strange alteration of the aire , different both from that of england and france . ) i was ill dispos'd to sicknesse , however , not so much but that i adventur'd on my journey , which though with much difficulty i perfected . the first night we lay at pisa , which way we had formerly past . the next morning we tooke coach , ( a very unpleasant passage over hilly way ) and past first by s. roman , a convent of the observantins standing on high , from whence is a pleasant prospect downe the valley , from thence we came to empoly , a neat little towne where we lay , and the next day towards noone arrived at florence . which for its singular excellencies , amongst all other cities of italy , is cal'd {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} the faire . florence the capitall of toscany , and seat of the great duke , is scituated at the bottome of very high hills , environ'd on all sides with the same , excepting towards the west side , before which lies a plaine countrey , vulgo pianura di fiorenza . this city is divided in two by the river arno , over which are built foure bridges of stone , upon one of the two chief is the goldsmiths street ; upon the other of very stately structure stand the foure quarters of the yeare in marble ; opposite to this before the trinity , stands a vast columne , with a statue of justice in porphyre at the top , which , cosmus the first great duke rais'd as a trophee in that place , because the newes there came to his eare of the taking of siena . hard by , is the palazzo de strozzi , no lesse to be admir'd for the immensity of its fabrick , then for its rude and unusuall architecture . from hence towards the right hand is the merchants vault , supported with faire pillars , and before it a brazen boare jetting forth water ; keeping right on , one comes into the great place , in the midst thereof is the great duke cosmus , a horse-back in brasse , with this inscription under . cosmo medici magno , etruriae duci primo , pio , felici , invicto , justo , clementi , sacrae militiae , pacisque in etruria authori , patri & principi optimo , ferdinandus , f. mag. dux : mag. dux . iii. erexit : an. m. dlxxxxiv . on each side of the basis . profligatis hostibus in deditionem acceptis senensibus : plenis liberis sen: fl. suffragiis dux . patriae renuntiatur . behinde . ob zelam religionis praecipuumque justitiae studium . betwixt this horse and the palazzo vecchio , is a fountaine , which all italy cannot shew the like besides , round about the laver is the family of neptune in brasse , with his colosse of marble in the midst , bore up by foure horses ; the whole not possible to be equald , much lesse excel'd by humaine art . in this same piazza , is a porch archt and adorn'd with some statues , amongst which that of judith , in brasse with that of the rape of the sabines , three persons in severall postures cut all out of one stone are most remarkable . just against it is the palazzo vecchio , at the entrance stands two colosses , the one of david , the other of hercules trampling on cacus , the first of michael angelo , which in my judgement comes short of the other , though he the more famous statuary . within is a court set about with pillars of corinthian worke ; above is a very spacious hall with divers statues , and amongst them those of two popes , leo the tenth , and clement the seventh , of the family of the medicis ; the apertenants of this lodging are very great , and costly , but it being not so frequented as if the court were kept there , every thing looseth its luster . wherefore having speedily dispatcht the sight hereof ; that which requires a week to observe well , is at hand : i meane that richest of treasures , the great dukes gallery . in the lower story sit the courts of justice , with an arcade to walk in on each side . above are the shops of divers artisans which work continually for the great duke . in the uppermost part is contained as many wonders as things , some to be admir'd for their preciousnesse and art , others for their rarity and antiquity . on each side of the gallerie are ranged statues , to the number of fourescore and odde , of which for antiquity i preferre the idoll brought from the temple of apollo , at delphis , with this verse on the pedistall . vt potui huc veni delphis & fratre relicto . as likewise that of scipio africanus , holding up his gowne under his arme , according to ciceros words . nobis quidem olim annus erat unus ad cohibendum brachium toga constitutus , & ut exercitatione ludoque campestri , tunicati uteremur . after these i may reckon the two triumphant pillars ; from whence they were taken i know not ; but their worke speaks them roman . over the statues hang the pictures , some prototypes of the most famous men of the moderne times , on the one side schollars , on the other souldiers . at the right hand of this gallerie are severall stanzas full of curiosities , into which whosoever enters is astonisht at the quantity of wealth ; confus'd with the variety of things worth observation . in the first roome we went into , stands the tabernacle , or altar destinated for s. laurence chappell , no part thereof of common marble ; but totally compacted with jewells and precious stones ; the value inestimable . in the next chamber is a table with flowers , and birds in their naturall colours of precious stones , with a cabinet priz'd at two hundred thousand crownes , coverd with agaths , emerauds , anamathists , &c. within is the passion of our saviour with the twelve apostles all in amber . in the third is a cabinet with calcidon pillars , fild ( as they told us ) with ancient medailles of gold ; round about this roome is an infinite number of naturall and artificiall curiosities , as the nalle turn'd halfe into gold by alchymy , the emperours head on a turqu'oise bigger then a walnut , with thousands more . next is the armory , wherein are the habits , and diverse sorts of armes of severall ages , and people ; amonst those , the king of china's habit , hannibals head-piece of corinthian metall , charlemain's sword ; and an argument of the italian jealousie , an invention to lock up female frailty . here likewise is a magnet which beares up fourescore pound weight of iron . in the last cabinet we saw the curious turnity of ivory , a pillar of orientall alablaster , &c. and from thence wee went into the gardrobe , where are twelve great cubbards of silver plate , a service all of pure massie gold ; a saddle which the emperour gave in a present to the great duke , all embroyder'd with pearles and diamonds ; these , with many other particularities of this gallerie , ( which might be a theame copious enough to write a volume on , ) declaring the wealth of this prince equall with any kings in christendome . from the said gallery is a corrider ; or private passage to the palazzo de pithi , on the other side of the river ; where the duke keeps his court ; the front of this edifice is very majestique towards the basis of dorick work , in the midst of ionick , in the uppermost story of corinthian . in the court is a grotte with statues and a fountaine over it , yet that which is most wonderfull is the loadstone of a most prodigious greatnesse . neither are the gardens to be omitted , which for their largenesse have the face of a forrest , for their variety of a paradise . here cypres groves , there walkes with statues , here a sea of fountaines , there swans , austriches , and other recreative creatures . being now on this side of the arno , i will take notice of all i saw there before i returne to the other . and first there stands a pillar , bearing on it the statue of peter martyr , in the same place where hee was beheaded . next on the wall of s. nicholas church , above a mans reach are these veses , signifying an inundation of the river . ☞ fluctibus undisonis similis pelagique procellis . huc tumidis praeceps , irruit arnus aquis , prostravitque suae spumanti gurgite florae . opida , agros , pontes , mae●ia , templa , viros . m dl . id sept. going now back into the fuller body of the city , on the other side of the river ; on the banck there is a marble , which i found of no great consequence , yet set by a venetian embassador as a monument to a horse there buried , which had done him good service in the siege of the city . the epitaph runs thus . non ingratus herus ( sonipes memorande ) sepulchrum hoc , tibi pro meritis , haec monumenta dedit . least i should dwell too long amongst these earthly delights , wherewith florence is fil'd , i will goe and meditate in the churches ; and first in the dome , which i conceive either for the exquisitenesse of the worke , or worth of so vast a bulke of red , black , and white marble , to be the fairest cathedrall without , that ever man laid eyes on . it s better part is the cupola , so high that the brasse globe at the top , is capable of holding sixteen persons . no lesse wonderfull is the steeple , which without exempt , will yield to no other in the world , composed of the same stone and materialls with the church , but with more art and ornaments . before the dome is the temple of mars ; built in an octogon ; now cald s. john , or the baptistary . the foure gates of brasse , vvhich ortelius prefers before any else in the world , the broken pillars of porphyre , the pavement , the old grecian pieces at the top , are things to be noted . from hence wee went to see that mirrour of art , and wonder of this present age , saint laurents chappell , which is so glorious , that whosoever enters , will even imagine himselfe in some place above terrestriall . 't is wholly overlaid with fine pollisht stones , neither is any colour upon earth , but it is there in stones naturally , all which i have been since told by diverse , ( an argument of the great riches included in the bowells of italy ) are dugg up within the great dukes dominions . round about this chappell are all the scutions of the townes under the great duke , in their proper colours of stone . above are niches for the statues of the great dukes . beside them their urnes . the intent of this whole sumptious fabrick , being that it should successively serve for the sepulcher of the great dukes . saint laurents church and convent joyne to this , where the library fild with bookes , all in manuscripts is not contemptible . not farre from hence is santa maria novella ; in the court are two marble pyramids that stand on brasse turtoises . hard by is s. maries church belonging to the jacobins , where on the north wall is the tombe of picus mirandola , an eminent schollar , with this epitaph . joannes jacet hic mirandola , caetera morunt . et tagus è ganges forsan & antipodes . in the same church is politianus his tombe subscribed thus . politianus in hoc tumulo jacet angelus , unum qui caput , & linguas , ( res nova ) tres habuit . from hence i went to the anunciade , and saw in the way the fountaine of the centaure . the anunciade is a place of great devotion , to a madonna drawne by the hand of saint luke . in the piazza before is the statue of the duke ferdinand the first ; on horseback in brasse , made by the same hand , with the former above mentioned , so that there is little difference betwixt them . hard by are kept the lions , and other wilde beasts ; and a little farther the menage or stables of the great duke stord with barbary and other excellent horses , and as i remember , i never saw better horse then at florence . on the wall of the cavalrizza is this inscription . franciscus medices , magnus etruscor dux 11. quod nobilissimorum adolescentium , qui equestri splendore se ornari cupiunt . imprimisque joannis fratris commodo fiere● hunc in equo se exercendi locum extrui jussit , rustico picardino equorum magistro . m dlxxxvi . next to these though much distance , santa croce deserves seeing . before it is a faire spatious court , in which ( it being carnavall time while wee were at florence ) we saw the play at calce , with cavalcades , shewes , and other assemblies of the nobility . within the church is the tombe of that famous statuary , picturer , and architecture , michael angelo , made by his owne hand ; over his urne stand those three arts , hee was so renowned for with their instruments broken , bewailing the losse of their patron underneath this inscription . michaeli angelo bonerotio evetusta simoniorū familia . sculptori , pictori , architecto . fama omnibus notissimo . leonardus patruo amantiss : & de se optime meritro , translatis roma ejus ossibus , atque in hoc templo major suorum sepulchro conditis , cohortante serenissimo med : magno hetruriae duce . p. 6. an. sal : m dlxx. vixit . ann. lxxxviii . m. xi . d. xv . to conclude my description of florence , the houses are high built , the streets pav'd with great stones , even and long , many fountaines , and other publick ornaments , declaring the magnificence of the great dukes . for eight mile round about the city there seemes another florence , so full are the fields speckled with country seats . neither are those delights to private men alone , but there are likewise publike walkes , witnesse that of pines two mile long : that of cypresses leading to poggio imperiale , and many more . two miles up into the northerne mountaines lies the old fesuli , often spoke of amongst the ancient writers , but now a poore village , not having so much as the remnants of antiquity . in fine , there is no province in italy more furnish't with delightfull , and well peopled cities ; then that of the great duke , whose ancestours having united the states of three common-wealths together , to wit , of pisa , florence , and siena , doth now entirely possesse all toscany ; the nobler part of italy . the wife of this present great duke , ferdinand the second of that name , comes from the duke of vrbin , of the family of rovori . the revenues of this prince of toscany exceeed yearly ten hundred thousand crownes , which will amount to a hundred thousand pound english , his ordinary guard is of cavalry , and infantry , with germans very well equipag'd . the florentins have commonly notable head pieces , so that from hence spring notable polititians , and states-men machevil was of them , and 't is said that three embassadours from severall kings , meeting accidentally on the way , prov'd in the conclusion to be all florentins . so soone as we had fill'd our selves with the sight of those many singularities , that are in and about florence , wee set forward for siena . going out of florence , at the porta romana , one leaves poggio imperiale a villa of the great dukes , which i had omitted above . at the entrance of the walkes of cypres , that leads to it are the statues of the tybre and arno ; those of the famous old and new poets , virgil , ovid , petrarche , and dante . the house swarmes with rarities , chiefly with excellent pictures , amongst them all the line of austria , this great dukes mother , who built this house , being sister to the emperour . after wee had past by that , wee lay that night at a little bourg call'd santo cassiano . the next morning wee rode through a village barbarino , from whence the mighty stirring family of the cardinalls tooke their originall . wee din'd at poggio bonci , a place noted for the perfumd tobacco compos'd there ; which the italians through custome take in powder , as profusely , as we in england doe in the pipe . from hence in the afternoone we arriv'd at siena . siena formerly a free state of it self , now subject to the duke of florence , stands aloft covering the back of a hill ; so that in the hottest time of the yeare , this city is still refresht by coole gailes of winde ; the ayre is very wholsome , much agreeing with the constitution of strangers , the inhabitants very curteous , a great deale suiting to the humours of forreigners , and besides the purity of the italian language , is here profest , and spoken ; these and the like conveniences make it much frequented by travellers , and indeed mov'd us to settle our selves there , for some moneths . here wee stayd not to see the rarities of the place , which are not many in number ; but to get some knowledge and practise in the vulgar tongue , however siena deserves a better description then my pen can afford it ; for neatnesse and gentility , yielding to no other in italy . at the entrance of the porta camulia , or di fiorenza , onely the higher buildings are in view ; but out of the porta romans , the city seemes to raise it selfe with a great deale of majesty ; chiefly because of the many towers it hath , which during the time of its liberty , were rais'd in honour of such and such men as had done any worthy service for the common-wealth , amongst these towers which stand yet as signes of its formerly possest freedome ; that of mangio surpasseth for height , which though its foundations be in the bottome of the piazza , yet outtops all the city besides , it serves now for the clock-house ; from above is a faire prospect even to the confines of toscany , below at the foot of this hidious structure , is a chappell of marble , where on set dayes masse is said to the people in publick . to this joynes the senate house , built by the goths , as some conceive by the manner of the architecture . at one end thereof stands a pillar , bearing romulus and remus sucking the wolfe , in brasse , which are the armes of siena , an infallible argument of its antiquity , and certainly dirived from the romans , of whom this city was a colony . there are frequently more of the like pillars about the town upon one more decayed , then the rest is ingraved-memores huberum , old , very old latine . as for the piazza , which lies in the heart of the city , i cannot fancie a more pleasing or commodious place ; t is of a large compasse , resembling ( whether naturally so , or artificially made so i know not ) the fashion of a cockle shell , in the midst is a marble fountaine of curious worke , wherein out of the wolves mouthes comes water . this place is pav'd with the same materiall as all the streets of the city are , to wit , brick ; so that here and indeed throughout all siena , in the fowlest weather one may walke as cleane as within dores . the houses are for the most part brick , built alla moderna , the chiefest is that of the pope , and the arch bishops , who is of the family of the picolominys . in the strada larga lives the prince matthias , the duke of florence's brother , a man very courteous to strangers . close by his palace is the dome , or cathedrall church of sienna , which though in comparison of others in italy is but small , yet for the great travell and expence which it must needs have cost , t is inferiour to none , t is both without and within of black and white marble ; the facade is admirable , garnisht with statues ; about the inside are the heads of all the popes ; the pulpet is an unparalelld piece , beset with figures of marble . but that singularity which this temple boasts of above all others , is the pavement , whereon many parts of the sacred history are so lively represented in severall colours of marble , as no pensill can come neere it , though many masters take patterne from those stones . going up to the high altar , at the left hand is the library , painted by raphel d' vrbino ; on the same side is a chappell , wherein is kept the arme of s. john baptist , which ( as an inscription there manifesteth ) was given to a pope by the king of peloponesus . opposite to the dome is the hospitall , whither all pilgrimmes in their passage to rome , may come and take two or three meales gratis . in the chappell lyes the body of their founder b. susorius , as yet uncorrupted though nine hundred yeares since he dyed . going downe the hill , from the hospitall , one comes to the ponte brande , which is a reservitoire of fish , not so much for the publick use , as delight , or pastime . hard by is the house where santa catharina of siena liv'd , which , though a place of speciall devotion , yet not so frequented as the madonna di provenzana . from hence going up the hill , by the dominicans one sees the fortification , the onely defence of the city , and there by the cavalrizza , whither in the sommer all the gentry retire a spasso . the walls of siena are of an exceeding compasse , yet but slight , coverd with caper trees ; that fruit growing best in that soyle , to wit , morter . the country about sienna , principally towards the maremmas or marshes , is filld with all sorts of great chase , so that wilde boare , and other venison in its season is sold in the butchers shops , as commonly as other flesh . in a word , i found sienna the most commodious place a stranger could pick out to live retiredly , and make his time beneficiall . where after two moneths stay , having made some little progresse in the language , the time of easter occasionly urging , together with good company , and the holy week , we set on for rome . about ten miles from siena one goeth over a bridge , whereupon is the prince matthias his armes with this inscription . viator securus incede . vt expedita tibi ad vrbem per hertruriam pateret via , triplicem , fluvium assum , vmbronem , vrcium , triplici poute subegit matthias seress : hetruriae princeps , publicae securitatis vindex , invictus heros , nec ipsam aquarum licentiam errare patitur sine jugo . afterwards we past through buon convento , where the emperour henry the seventh dy'd by poyson , given him in the eucharist . din'd at tornieri , in the afternoone past a faire bridge , leaving at the right mont alcino , ( auciently mons ilicinus ) noted for the muscatello , it produceth , past through san querico ; lay at the next post . the next day about twelve miles from santo querico wee past by radicofany ; the last fortification of the great dukes dominions situated on a steep rocky mountaine , beneath it is the bourg : and a little lower one of the greatest hosteries or innes in the way to rome . that very high mountaine which the vallie parts from that of radicofany , now cal'd montamiata , was tuniatus mentiond by cato and antonius . from radicofany we went to centino , din'd there in the confines of toscany . in the afternoone went over a faire bridge of brick , built by gregory the thirteenth ; upon it a marble speaketh thus . omnia dic laeto eveniant & fausta viator gregorio , tutum qui tibi reddit iter . here begins the stato della chiesa , or patrimony of saint peter : a mile farther is aquapendente , of which all the memoriall i could gather ( wee onely passing through it ) is a very ingenuous direction under the signe of the post-house , it runs thus . l'insegna della posta , e posta a posta in questa posta , fin che habbia a sua posta . ogn ' un cavallo a vetturi in posta . from hence the way continues very even , till one comes to a rude and stony descent ; downe into a valley , from the top of which is a most pleasant prospect , on the lake of bolsena , thirty miles in circuit ; in the midst thereof are two little ilands ; in the one is a convent of capuchins , where those of the family of the farnese are interd , the other not inhabited unlesse by fishermen . at the side of the lake stands bolsena , on the ruines of the ancient vulsinium , famous in the romans time . some monuments of its former glory , yet stand chiefly in the court of santa christiana's church , as an ancient urne , having lions heads , cornucopias , satyres , furies , pieces of such art as now the world cannot imitate , besides this , there is a heathnish altar of ophit stone , frequent pieces of diaspre pillars ; from hence wee may gather that the volsinienses , were once splendid though now buried in their dust . distant from bolsena seven miles is monte fiascone , in which way one passeth through a grove , wherein the ancients celebrated many sacrifices to juno . monte fiascone was formerly the head of the falisci , a renowned people in old writers . 't is now spoken of for the delicious wine , of which there is a common story , that a german bishop having heard much commendations of the wine of that place , sent his servant beforehand to trye for the best at all the tavernes in the towne , giving him in charge , that where he found the best hee should write over the dore est , est ; which he did , and having tasted , the master approv'd his choyce , but in fine , he so filld his body with wine , that hee left no roome for his soule ; for he suddenly dyed , and was buried in faviono's church , his servant bewailing his losse ; caus'd this witty epitaph to be put upon his tombe stone . propter est est , dominus meus mortuus . est . leaving monte fiascone , one goes downe into a plaine , wherein about two mile from viterbo , on the right hand is a sulphureous fountaine , the water perpetually boiling . at the entrance into viterbo is this verse . vrbs antiqua potens armis ac vbere glebae . in the palace is this . osiridis victoriam in gigantes litteris historiographicis , in hoc antiquissimo marmore inscriptam , ex herculis olim uunc divi laurentii templo translatam , ad conservan : vetustiss : patriae monumenta , atque decora hic locandam statuit . spqv . sum osiris rex . qui ab italis in gigantes exercitus veni , vidi , & vici . sum osiris rex . qui terrarum pacato italiam decem annos incolni , docens quorum inventor fui . the publick fountaines at viterbo are very remarkable . without viterbo are two wayes for rome , the old which the pope in the last difference with the duke of parma , charg'd none should passe ; the new by capranica ; wee desirous to see the famous palace of capraroules , belonging to the aforesaid duke of the family of the farnese , tooke the old way , which though lesse usuall , yet gives more satisfaction by the sight of that magnificent fabrick . 't is built in a heptagon , or seven corners , before it is a kingly court , within , the staire case , in the garden the cataracts of water , are very admirable : but that for wch this place is most spoken of , is the sellar , which besides the amplenesse thereof , is as well stord with wine of all sorts , the duke allowing to all strangers that come to see his house , two , or three glasses of fresh liquor . hence , though late at night , we departed , and strooke again into the via nuova , at monterose where we lay ; from monterose to rome , are twenty italian miles , all which countrey the veientes anciently possest , a people that much hindered the growth of the roman empire , of which take florus . hoc tunc veientes fuere : nunc fuisse quis meminit ? quae reliquiae ? quodve vestigium ? laborat annalium fides ut veios fuisse credamus . so that if in florus his time , the memory of the veientes was so extirpated , what signes or remnants of them can we expect in this age . six mile beyond monterose , upon the via cassia , stands baccano , and hard by , the lake for bignesse not much exceeding a pond ; yet noted for that memorable slaughter of the three hundred fabii , which the veientes hereabouts cut off in one day . there being but one child left at home , who afterwards restord his family , often serviceable to the common-wealth . after baccano , there is a passage through a wood ( maesia anciently ) where heretofore a passenger could hardly scape robbing , but of late yeares the trees being cut downe t is free from danger . at the end thereof from the hill , one may discerne that mistris of the world rome . which before i enter , i cannot but premeditate on saint hieromes three wishes , which were , to have seen our saviour in the flesh , to have heard saint paul preach , and to have seen rome in its glory ; which last , if ranged amongst the two former by so learned a father , it must needs be one of the happiest sights mortall eye could attaine to . i must confesse the fame of rome , which hath spread it selfe even to the most remote parts of the earth ; together with the small intelligence i had in those histories , that declare the greatnesse of that universall monarchy , made my idea of rome to exceed that of all the world besides ; yet again when i conceived , how all humane things are by succession of time subject to change ; how at the fall of the roman empire this city was pillag'd by the barbarous , how through the insatiable fury of nero , the fire devour'd it , i imagind some lower fancy of rome . but in the conclusion , having had a full ocular view thereof , i found that it flourisheth beyond all expectation , this new even emulous to exceed the old , the remnants of the old adding to the splendour of the new , both speaking it — roma triumphati caput orbis . 't is so ample a theame , that i grow almost confounded in going about to describe it , and indeed no man will take that taske upon him , that hath seen the diversity of bookes , and impressions there are onely of the things of note at rome . one volume of the antiquities ; another of the pallaces ; a third of the churches , a fourth of the gardens ; a fifth of the statues ; a sixth of the fountaines ; a seventh of the villas ; in a word , the presse is burdened with nothing more then discriptions of rome . wherefore i will briefly passe over what i saw , leaving the narration of each particular , to the itinerario d' italia ; and the roma antica , and the roma moderna . about foure miles from rome , in the way that leads to porta del popolo is nero's tombe , which because of the honour i owe not to the person the tyrant , but to the antiquity i will here put down having never seen it in print . neros tombe dms karissima this sepulcher is of solid marble , on it are engraven dragons , fame , &c. the inscription is hardly legible , onely i could pick out karissima with a k. within a mile and a halfe of rome , we past the tybre on the mole , anciently pons milvins , where ( besides the many noble exploits performed there by heathens . ) constantine the first christian emperour saw miraculously the signe of the crosse , with the motto , in hoc signo vinces . after we were gone over that bridge , wee came upon a very broad pav'd way , the via flaminia , which flaminius in his consulship continued sixtie miles , from rome to ariminum . at the entrance into rome , at porta del popolo , is a lofty pyramid coverd with egyptian hyeroglyfiques , which was heretofore dedicated to the sunne , and stood in the circus maximus , but was thence transfer'd , and placd here by sintus , v. as the inscriptions underneath manifest * . hee that would see rome may doe it in a fortnight , walking about from morning to evening , he that would make it his study to understand it , can hardly perfect it in lesse then a yeare . a man may spend many moneths at rome , and yet have something of note to see every day . the first day we walkt to the villa of prince ludovisio , which stands on the same soyle , where that renowned one of salust anciently stood , as one may collect from the broken guglia , one and twenty paces in length , which was rais'd in his hippodromus . the principall rarities in this kingly place , are the tyr'd gladiator , marc aurelius , his head of brasse that stood in the capitol ; the oracles head of porphyre with the mouth open , whereby the priests spake , those for old ; among the new , the man petrified which the emperour sent to the pope . a bedstead built all of precious stones , to the valew of 80000. crownes . a bed ( as a worthy knight then in our company said ) fit to get none but an alexander the great upon . in the garden are two ancient tombes , and sixteen round vessells of stone , wherein the ancient romans were wont to keep their oyle . the same day in returning to our lodging , wee saw many antiquities , passing by alta se mita , or mons quirinalis by the foure fountaines , which lepidus brought , we came by monte de cavallo , which takes its denomination from the two colosses of alexander , menaging his horse bucephalus , made in emulation by the two famous sculptures , phidias and praxiteles . the horse at the left hand of alexander hath under it opus phidiae , that on the right , opus praxitelis . constantin the great had these transported out of greece , and plac't in his baths which were adjoyning , as the * inscriptians underneath witnesse . afterwards wee past by the reliques of antoninus his basilica , and saw * his and trajans triumphant pillar , the two most wonderfull pieces of rome . the first which m. aurelius antoninus dedicated to his father antonius pius , is 175. foot in height , and now consecrated to saint paul , whose statue of brasse guilded it bears on the top , that of trajan which ( as the vast letters on the pedistall lately discoverd declare ) was rais'd in honour of him by the senate , after his death , returning from the dacian warres , is a hundred twenty eight foot high from the basis whereon it stands . on both these two ensignes of the roman glory , are in mezzo levato , all the adventures and battailes of those two worthy heros . the last of these saint peter now patroniseth , whose statue of brasse is upon the head . on palme sunday we walkt to monte cavallo , a most sumptuous palace of his s. to see the distribution of palmes , and olive branches to the cardinalls , with other ceremonies of that day . from thence we made a circuit through a part of old rome , and saw first the colosseo , or * amphitheatre which martiall prefers before the seven wonders of the world , with omnis caesareo cedat labor amphitheatro . this stupenduous fabrick , which that poet through flattery attributes to domitian , was began by vespasian , and finished by titus his sonne . a great part stands entire to this day , the rest ( which i much merveile at ) was demolisht for to build two eminent pallaces , that of the farnesi and the cancellario . on one side of it is a ruine of the * meta sudans , from whence sprang water , wherewith the spectatours ref●esht themselves . hard by is the a arche triumphall of constantin the great , rais'd in honour of him for his victory over maxentius the tyrant , at pons milvius , as the inscription on both sides declares . in the passage through on the one side is ingraven liberatori vrbis , on the other fundatori quietis . from this the via appia began . opposite to this , is the b arch of titus vespasian , erected to him for his prise of jerusalem ; in the work of this arche is observd him riding in triumph , drawne in a charriot by foure horses ; on the contrary side , the golden candlestick , the tables of the law , the arca faederis , and many other spoiles taken out of the temple of solomon . having gaz'd a little on these marbles , which speak roman history more palpably then any author , we returnd homewards by saint john latran , saw the * obelisque , which with that before mentioned of the madonna del populo , stood in the circus maximus , this is held to be the biggest of one stone ( to wit , ophit vulgarly granito , of which sort all the pyramids here are ) that ever came into rome , there being a great ship made purposely for the carriage . it was transported by constantin from alexandria to constantinople , by his sonne constantius , from thence to rome . in egypt it servd for a monument to the king ramusis , from which particulars one may gather that it hath above two thousand yeares , and yet by the preservation of sixtus v. who plac't it here , it stands yet entire with egyptian characters upon it . the church of saint john latran , so cald from a pallace of the laterani , which stood there upon the mons caelius , is the mother of all churches , not for the fabrick but antiquity ; t was founded by constantin ; it would be too long a subject to speak of all the particulars , i will onely name the chiefe , leaving the rest to the prints in italy . at one end of the porch , is the statue of henry the fourth of france , who gave large revenues to the church . at the high altar the pillars of brasse are very glorious . amongst the many sacred curiosities reserv'd here ; first the tombe of helen , mother to constantin the great , foure pillars bearing a stone , which shew the measure of our saviours height , the table whereon the souldiers cast lots . two pillars of the vaile of the temple wrent , the pillar whereon the cock crew , &c. without s. john lat: on the one side is a little rotunda , coverd with lead , wherein is the font , or baptistarie of constantin , with the fairest pillars of porphyre in rome . on the other is the * scala santa , containing 28. staires , that stood in pilats house at hierusalem , whereon our saviour went and returnd whilst he was in his agony , sweating bloud . the scala sancta . above is the sancta sanctorum , and over it this verse . non est in toto sanctior orbe locus . 't is credited that helene sent them to rome , with many other things of the holy land . the popes pallace of saint john latran , although not inhabited , yet is no lesse majestick then the others , wherein his s. keeps his court . having seen all the things of note , within and about saint john lat: we took in our way homeward * saint mary maggior one of the seven churches ; and for beauty the second in rome ; the two emulous chappells of paulus quintus , and sixtus v. for the variety and preciousnesse of the stone , imitating the famous san lorenzo of florence . before the great dore of this church is a high a columne , taken out of the temple of peace , t was set up and dedicated to the virgin ( whose statue is on the top ) by paulus v wherefore it stands perpendicularly on foure brasse coquatrises , the armes of the borghesi , out of which family came paulus quintus . on the other side of santa maria maggiore is a pyramid not so large as the others translated thither from the mausoleum of augustus . in the afternoone wee saw little , onely tooke a slight view of the campo vaccino , fild with antiquities ; another day in the morning , we went to the vatican ; in the way is pons elius , now del castello santo angelo , so cald from the castle of s. angelo by it , which was anciently * moles adriani . 't was built by adrian the emperour , as a sepulcher for him and his successours ; and in regard it stands yet so firme and entire , t is reductiuto the forme of a * fortresse , wherein are kept the three millions of gold , which money may bee employd on no use , unlesse to defend the state apostolique , in point of armes . from hence looking into the tyber , one may discerne some ruines of the ( a ) triumphant bridge , yet so little are the remnants thereof , that t is hard to judge it to have been so glorious as it was , however , t is said the jewes offerd his s. fiftteen thousand crownes , that they might turne the course of the tybre for some moneths , and have all they could find about this bridge , in which i believe the jewes would not have been loosers , it being the custome of the ancient romans , when they past over the tybre in triumph , to fling in a part of their spoiles taken from their enemies , yet his s. would not assent thereunto , least the turning of the river might prove prejudiciall to the city . from the castello santo angelo is a corridor that goes unto the vatican , the popes winter pallace , to which joynes saint peters . before these two prime structures of new rome ; is a wide court , in the midst whereof is an esguile or * pyramid bore upon foure lions of brasse , which heretofore stood in nero's cirque , and was dedicated to julius caesar , whose ashes were conserv'd at the top , where now the crosse triumpheth . this pyramid beareth no hierogly fixes as the others , but is more firme and to sight newer . in the some court is a fountaine , from whence flowes a streame of water , and indeed throughout all rome no street wants a publick fountaine ; wherefore , because they are so common i omit them . * saint peters church , as erasmus said of that at canterbury , — tanta sese majestate in coelum erigit , ut etiam procul in tuentibus , religionem incutiat . in a word , t is the most perfect modell of decent magnificence in the world , there being an answerable uniformity both within and without . the frontis piece is glorious with the colosses of christ , and the twelve apostles , the porch it selfe is ample enough to bee a temple ; entring into the church one admires the work of the top , which is all of squares , levati as they call it , after the same manner with the pantheon . in the cupola is represented the coelestiall hierarchy in pieces of mosaick , so well that to all beholders they seeme painted ; in the center of the church stands the great * altar , the most singular piece both for the materiall and art that ever humane hand produc't , t is all of solid brasse , taken from the covering of the rotunda , and afterwards melted into so stupenduous pillars , each one whereof weighes five and twenty thousand pounds , besides other diversity of overages , the whole so unpareld a worke , that t is fit to stand in no cathedrall , unlesse s. peters . * the vatican pallace is such a sea of lodgings , that t is said three kings may at the same time have roome enough for themselves and followers . in these large buildings are containd so many worthy rarities , as the whole world affords not the like ; witnesse first that most famous library of christendom ; the vatican , wherin severall stanzas , or centuries are most choise bookes , as well manuscripts as prints . at the entranee into the bibliotheque , are the two ancient statues of hippolitus and aristides ; round about upon the walls , are pictur'd the generall counsells . amongst other rare manuscripts , which are to bee seen here , as virgils , terence , and many roman authors , written with their owne hands , there are likewise ( though of later date ) king harry the eights letters to anne of bulloyne , some in french , some in english ; those beginning commonly with my darling , or a lascivious expression , together with his booke against luther , which procurd him the title of defender of the faith , and at the end these two verses written with his own hand . anglorum rex henricus leo decime mittit hoc opus , & fidei testem & amicitiae . in the opposite stanza is the palsgraves library , taken at auspurg , and sent afterwards as a present to his s. here also is kept the true draught of mahomets cheast . on the wall are picturd the machins , and inventions us'd in raising the pyramid before saint peters with these verses . saxa agit amphion thebana ut maenia condat sixtus & inmensae ponera molis agit . many other singularities are there in this library , from whence passing through the conclave , we went downe into the armory , which standing underneath , doth as it were support the library , wherefore the motto over the dore is vrbanus viii . litteris arma , armis litteras . the sword must uphold the pen , the pen the sword . there are armes , and all accomplishments for five and thirty thousand men , horse and foot . next to these , passing through a long gallerie , where the maps of the provinces of old and new italy are printed at large , we came into belvedere so cald , because from thence one hath most parr of rome in view ; there are five gardens , some in terrace , others low , in that of belvedere , stands that vast pine apple of mettall , which stood on the top of moles adriani , with two peacocks of the same materiall which stood on scipio's tombe ; the other gardens are fild with groves of orange trees , and admirable fountaines , amongst which the artificiall ship is most dilectable . in the last garden in niches , shut up are the best and most ancient statues of rome , as that of * laocoon and his two sonnes , all of one marble ; the cleopatra , the niobe , the romulus and remus sucking the wolfe ; the nilus , the tybre , all famous pieces ; the first to wit , loacoon was found in the seven halls of titus . in the vatican hall ( the walls of which are of marble ) is pictur'd the massacre of france , under one side coligni & sociorum caedes , on the other rex coligni necem probat . in the vatican chappell we saw the judgement designd by michael angelo , a piece which cannot be valued for its excellency . after we had seen all the appartements of this vast house , returning homeward , we stept into santa maria de cavalli scossi , where there is the stone on which abraham offerd isaack , and another whereon our saviour was circumcis'd , with this which ad libitum credas . hic lapis est in quem natum templo obtulit olim more hebraeorum virgo maria suum . in the next church the pillars are reserv'd in wodden cases , which saint peter and saint paul were tyde too , and whip't . in the afternoone wee walkt to the emperour justinians gardens , and going out by porto del popolo , just against the pyramid upon the wall , i espide this sentence , which intimates the inundation of the tybre above the height of a man . ☞ notas quirite hic imprime hic tybris fui . the gardens of justinian are not so full of delights , as throng'd with antiquities , which are for the most part urnes of stone , amongst which is minu●ius felix his ; here is besides the emperour justinians colosse , and the seventh of the termini or lapides that stood on the via appia , the first is in the capitoll and none else to be found . there is a volume out in print onely about this garden from thence we went to the villa borghese which without exempt may for all excellencies bee preferr'd before any other about rome or in italy ; before we came into the parke , wee past through a little house , where the artificiall raine : with the diversity of waterworks , by putting on severall heads , on the same fountaine is very ingenuous . the gardens and parke want nothing which should make a man conceive himselfe in paradise . groves of laurells , pines , cypresses , ●ame haires , deares , peacocks , swans , feasants , and all recreations the world can afford . in the gardens the foure sphinxes of ancient stone are to be noted . the outside of the house is adornd with foure frontispieces of ancient sculptures , in basso relievo , amongst which , curtius falling into the vorago , europa beard away on a bull , leda suckt by a swan are most exquisite ; within the house the hall beset with pillars of porphyre , and other precious stone , seneca bleeding to death of jet ; the great diana that pompey worshipt of orientall marble , the gladiatour menacing the heavens , the hermophrodite on the bed , and for new pieces the daphny and david . another day , in the morning we lookt , into the palazzo borghese , hard by our lodgeing , which is one of the greatest , and most royall about rome ; in the court the rowes of marble pillars and the arcades , are very magnificent , here about where this pallace stands , was the campus martius . from thence we went to the palazzo farnese , but in the way wee tooke a full view of the rotunda , or * pantheon , the most absolute entire antiquity in all rome , which was built by marc. agrippa , and dedicated to all the gods , and is now to the virgin and all the saints . there was an ascent into the pantheon in the ancient times , but now one goes downe into it , ( from whence i collect how the ruines of old rome lay buried in the earth ; besides , if there be any digging for to lay the foundations of a house in rome , they still finde pieces of statues , heads of pillars , and the like ) yet for height it wants nothing of its first , and indeed to this day it seemes rather the worke of giants , then common men . so vast are the thirteen columns in the porch , so stupenduous the moles within , representing the world with its orbicular forme . in the porch is an ancient sculpture of the primitive christians , with this inscripon , which because t is not in the prints i will not omit . auspiciis eminentiss : principis julii mazarini romani , s. r. e. cardinalis hanc arcam marmoream veteris ac novi testamenti figuris caelatam tanquam nascentis ecclesiae adversus iconomicos testimonium . franciscus gualdus arimin : eques sancti stephani tenebris in lucem . anno mdcxivi . huc transferri ac veluti trophaeum erigi curavit . from the pantheon we went directly to the palazzo farnese , which glorious fabrick was rais'd out of the ruines of the amphitheatre ; for the commendations of the architecture , t is enough to say michael angelo had a chiefe part therein . before it are two of the fairest fountaines about rome . in the court the hercules , and the flora , are very noted statues . but that which surpasseth all statues , not only here , but in all rome ( and if in rome surely in all the world ) is the * tauro farnese ; a bull with a dog and five persons , every one bigger then the naturall cut to wonder out of one stone , the worke of apollonius and tauriscus of rhodes , from whence it was conducted and plac't in antoninus his bathes , where it was dug up a hundred yeares since , as intire as if made but vesterday ; and now stands in this pallace astonishing all that behold it . in the afternoone wee went to the antiquities of the * capitol ; at the foot of the staires , are two lions of ancient stone , wch stood before the rotunda , at the head , the statues of castor and pollux holding their horses ; the trophees of marius , the primus lapis , with a ball of brasse on the top ; in the midst of the place is the marcus aurelius on horseback , of brasse , and underneath the marforius , which because of the posture , combente , as those of rivers use to be , t is suppos'd was made for the rhene ; under the staires of the senate house , is a fountaine with the statue of rome in red of porphyre , having on the sides the tigris , and the tybre . at the right hand , as one comes on the capitall hill is the conservatorio , so cald because most of the precious antiquities are kept there ; as one goes in , are the statues of julius and augustus caesar , the * columna rostrata with an inscription of very old latine ; not grammaticall with ours , scarce the same dialect . c. duilius exemet leciones . macistratos . castreis exfocient : pugnandod . cepet enque navebos . marid . consol primos ornavet . navebos classeis paenicus sumas cartaciniensis . dictatored . altod. socieis triresmos , naveis , captom . numei . navaled . praedad poplo . in the court is the hand and head of commodus , his colosse in brasse , the foot and head of the colosse of apollo , of a most stupenduous vastnesse . a pila , with the ravishing of the sabins in relievo , with severus , and mamea upon it . in the little court going up the staires are foure admirable pieces of basso relievo of aurelius his triumph . at the top of the staires the old statue of marius , a table of brasse with the old lawes , in a gallerie hard by are the names of the old and new consuls . the names of the consuls when i was at rome were these . primo januarii : mdcxlvii . petrus prignanus . julius gironus . vincentius baccellia . coss . benedictus masseius . within the hall , and other roomes of the capitoll , are most worthy statues , both new and old , for new those of severall popes , for old those of cicero ; virgil ; the hercules of mettall , with the lupus fulmine tactus , and a hundred more things worth observation . upon this same mons capitolinus , is a church cald ara celi , which stands on the same ground where the temple of jupiter capitolinus stood . the next day in the morning wee went to the palazzo barberino , which i cannot say to bee inferiour or superiour to the others of rome , for indeed the pallaces of rome are so excellent , that they will admit of no comparison amongst themselves , for in what one comes short of another in one particular , it outgoes it in some thing else . the palazzo barberino is alwayes to bee reckond amongst the chiefe , whither for the structure , or for the rarities . in the court lies a broken pyramid . in the galleries are admirable statues , and amongst them the old , old egyptian idoll osiris , of a black strange stone , the forme of it because i never saw it printed , i will not omit . osiris in aed. card. barb. osiris implies the figure of an oxe , yet blind antiquity attributed any strange shape to that liety . from this pallace wee went up to the via pia , the first thing of note wee saw , was a round chappell , one of the torrions of * dioclesians bathes which are hard by , with vast columnes and fragments of marble . after that we stept into santa maria della vittoria , where the ensignes hang which were taken in germany , to wit , the crosse keyes and the miter , with the motto exterpentur . against this church stands the famous fountaine of the great moyses striking the rock , out of which gusheth water ; the two lions on each side were brought from before the rotunda . the popes granaryes are hard by . from thence we went to the villa montalto on the viminal , saw the water workes , the citron trees in great number , with thousand rarities . in returning , wee saw the church from whence the arrians were expeld , together with the villa aldobrandina . in the afternoone wee walkt amongst the antiquities , and saw the rupis tarpeia , the temple of * janus quadrifrons , a solid square of marble , with foure gates which represented the foure quarters of the yeare , or foure parts of the world . about it are many nichi , wherein stood the statues of the moneths , as some suppose . the place where this temple is , was anciently calld velabrum , or forum boarium , as the arco boario there standing by saint georges church testifieth . hard by on the mount palatin are the ruines of the * palazzo maggiore , or seat of the caesars . the valley betwixt this hill and the aventin , was the a circus maximus . at the foot of the aventin are antoninus his bathes . and on all sides fragments of antiquitie , which shew that the romans built to last unto eternity . the sixth day in the morning wee went to saint peters , where wee saw his s. carried about in pompe , with his triple crowne , his breaking of the toarch , with other ceremonies of the excommunication , and his washing of the pilgrims feet , to humble himselfe . in the afternoone , wee walkt amongst some antiquities , first passing along the tyber , wee saw the * insula tiburtina , which was made of the wheat of tarquinius his granaries , that was cast into the river after his banishment out from rome ; secondly , the a bridge wheron horatius cocles fought , when he commanded his men to cut downe a piece , and to leave him to his enemies . a little farther , by the via ostiensis is the pratum , where they us'd their olympick games ; and in the same medow is the mons testaceus so cald , because the romans which in their temples and sacrifices us'd earthen vessels much , were wont to carry all their broken pots to this place , which in time grew to such a heap , that at this day there is a high hill of potshares , from whence wee had a full view of all the seven hills of rome , to wit , the capitoline , the pallatin , the aventine , the celius , the esquiline , the viminall , the quirinall . against testaceus in the walls of rome , just by the gate that leads to ostia , is a huge pyramid of marble , * cestius one of the rich epulons tombe . on good friday wee went to s. peters , wherein his sanctities chappell wee saw most admirable representations . and there wee found opportunity to goe into the vaults , under saint peters , where we saw diverse sepulchers of the primitive christians , that of pope adrian the fourth , an english man , of porphyre . the chappell where the bodyes of saint peter and s. paul were interd . in the afternoone , wee went to the campo vaccino , but in the way stands saint pauls house , where according to the acts , a paul dwelt two whole yeares in his owne hired house , &c. the b campo vaccino was heretofore the forum romanum , fild with the best buildings about rome , of which great remnants are yet standing . going downe into it from the capitoll , in the wall towards the foundations of the new capitoll is some part of the old , of mighty great stones . on the left is the prison anciently tertullianum , now san pietro in carcere , because hee was there imprisond . at the foot of the capitoll is the c arc triumphal , of septimius severus suppos'd to be the first that was erected in rome , amongst the worke upon this arche is be seen the fashion of the roman aries . the three pillars which stand buried halfe way in the ground behind the capitoll , are of the temple of jupiter stator . the seven the temple of concorde . the third in the midst of campo vaccino , the temple of jupiter tonant . hard by there is the vorago , whereinto curtius threw himselfe , and a good way towards the villa farnese , the place wher remus and romulus were found by faustulus . at the other end of the campo vaccino , is the * temple of peace , where vespasian conserv'd that precious treasury he brought away from hierusalem . on the palatin the temple of isis . one morning we went to s. john latran , where we saw the solemnity of a moore , and two iewes baptis'd in constantins baptistary . from thence we went to the villa matthei , in the way runs claudus his aquiducts , and hard by is the temple of fannus , a very entire antiquity , now saint stefano rotundo . in the villa matthei there is an ancient pila , a pyramid , the colosse of alexander , things as pleasing to the judicious , as the other delights of the gardens to the ignorant . the same day about the evening , we went to the greeks church where wee saw the ceremonies of the easterne churches , and heard their service all in greek . on easter day wee went to saint peters , to see the manner of his s. receiving the eucharist : the rest of that day wee repos'd to fit our selves for the voyage of naples , so that now after so satisfactory a sight of this mistris of the world rome , we bid her adieu for a time , leaving what we now omitted till our returne . the voyage from rome to naples , though it bee the most dangerous passage in italy , because the wayes are so throng'd with banditos , yet in the upshot it proves no lesse requisite to mindes inquisitive in the roman antiquities ; no lesse delightfull to men that would see the wonders of nature , then any other in europe . there is all the way so many fragments of the roman glory , that t is hard to judge whither rome and naples were once joynd together , or whither pozzuolo was the suburbe of rome . from whence wee set forth out of port. lat : anciently asinaria ; a mile out of the city there are on all sides pieces of antiquity . on the right hand we left the aquiducts of of ancus martius , and claudius , with the new of sixtus quintus not so stately as the old , on which the aqua felice runnes sixteene miles . a little farther on the right upon the via appia , is the * sepulcher of metella crassus his wife , now capo di buove from the oxes heads of marble upon it , with many more ancient tombes . hard by is the cirque of caracalla , where lies the pyramid that the old earle of arundell would have bought , but in regard of the vastnesse , could find no possibility of conveying it to the tyber , t is said the present pope after his nephewes pallace in piazza di navona is finisht , will erect it there in circus agonalis . these and diverse more antiquities we had in view , round about us , till wee came unto frescati . where having dined , wee walkt up to old tusculum , to see ciceros house , where hee compos'd that immortall testimony of morality and learning , his tusculans qnestions . t is situated on the top of a hill two mile above frescati ; so that some give the etemology {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} from {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} vexare , because t is troublesome to goe up to . tullies house stands , that continually t is refresht with gales of winde , and hath on all sides a most pleasant prospect , even to the mediterranean sea , it shewes it self thus in its ruines . jullies jusculan house in the ruine vnder the letter . a. was of late yeares found a treasure . b. tullies house whereof . 10. vaults are yet very firme . c. the place where his piscina or fish-ponde was . the territorie of frescati , as it was the ancient delight of the romans , so it is as yet coverd with gardens and villas , about ten cardinalls having their countrey seats there . a place of such ravishing delights , as fitter's for the gods to inhabit then men . such is the quantity of trees , which keep perpetually green , the murmuring of fountaines and the like . amongst the the villa's , the chiefe , and which wonderfully declares the ingenuity of the italians , is the aldobrandina , which for divises in water is the first within or without rome , i think i may say in the world . quite through the garden , falls a cataract , or deluge of water , towards the embushment of which , stand two serpentin pillars of mosaick , from the tops of which , the water creeps downe ; below in the court is that admirable fountaine , in which is represented atlas throwing up water , which forceth artificiall thunder , and a perfect rainbow ; whil'st the elements seeme here to bee at difference ; a satyre blowes a horne lowder then i ever heard a man ; and pan in the interim , playes two diverse tunes upon the organes : things that strike astonishment to all the spectators , which whosoever they be , must looke to goe away wet to the skinne , as we did , and from thence went into a place cald the terrestiall paradise , and not undeservedly ; for as the other inventions are mov'd by water , so these goe by wind . at the end of it is fashiond a hill , parnassus whereon set the nine muses with severall winde instruments that sound by art . underneath this hill are organs , which plaid divers tunes so distinctly , that wee conceiv'd some master was playing on them , but looking wee saw they went of themselves , the cause of all this wee afterwards saw ; in the midst of the roome , there being a hole out of wch winde issueth , so violently , that for halfe a quarter of an houre it beares up a ball . leaving frescati , that afternoone we past by diana's lake , and the wood famous for the fiction of acteon . from thence wee had a woody and mountanous way unto veletri , where wee lay , veletri heretofore belongd to the volsci , and the ancestors of augustus came from thence . the best things to be seen in it now is the statue of pope vrban the eight , in ●rasse , and the publick fountaines . the next morning having past downe the hill , whereon veletri stands , wee came into a plaine country , and din'd at sermoneta , fifteen miles from veletri . in the afternoone , about three miles from sermoneta , we past by a tower , built on the top of a rock , to defend the country from robbery , as they say , though i believe more to take money for passage , through the gate below . five italian miles farther , neere to the casa nuova , and casa biancha at the foot of the hills , at the left are the tres tabernae , or three tavernes , where the brethren met saint paul , in his voyage to rome ; according to the acts. they shew themselves in this forme now , & are indifferent entire , they being built as the other fabricks of the romans , of great stones and bricks in square . tres tabernae mentioned act : 28th just before the tres tabernae are the pomptine fennes , and above , on a hill stands setia , which martiall saith — pendulam pomptinos spectare campos . that night wee lay at piperno , at the post house on the other side of the hill ; but before we there arriv'd , wee saw the quarters of many banditas hangd on the high way side , an argument of the great hazard one undergoes in this journey , if not a competent number together . piperno heretofore privernum was a city of the volsci , noted onely for the birth of virgills camilla , who came from thence . the next morning leaving piperno , wee past by a convent , with a faire ancient church cald fossa nova , where thomas aquinas died , which place was the appii forum . likewise mention'd by saint luke , in his description of saint pauls voyage to rome . about foure miles farther , at a high tower wee enterd upon the via appia , that queen of wayes , which appius in his consulship ▪ lead from rome to capua , and which trajan afterwards extended to brundusium . this street if i may so call it ( the ruines of houses , tombes , and the like on both sides of it , testifying the former beauty thereof ) is compacted of such solid stones , that after so long a succession of time , neither the continuall passage of foote or horse , nor the injurie of weather , hath yet consum'd any part of it , unlesse that which past through the pomptine fennes which the water hath overflowde , the rest is very entire and firme , chiefly from this tower to terracina , where we dind . terracina was formerly anxur , as livie hath it , anxur fuit quae nunc terracinae sunt vrbs prona in paludes , it stands on the cercean promontory , according to that of virgill — circaeumque jugum queis jupiter anxuris oris-praesidet . upon which servius in his comentarie gives the dirivation of anxur , quasi {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} sine novacula , because that jupiter imberbis was there worshipt ; a part of which temple yet stands in the walls of the dome , as the vast marbles and pieces of pillars witnesse ; before it are some old inscriptions , with a pillar to theodorick for having dry'd the fennes , and renewed the way ; over the old inscriptions are these new . inclyta gothorum regis monumenta vetusta anxurei hoc oculis exposuere loco . the old. imp. caesar divi nervae fili us nerva trajanus aug : germanicus dacicus pontif : max : trib : pot : xviiii . imp. vi . cos. v. pp. xviii . silices sua pecunia stravit . tit vpio aug : optato pontiano procuratori et praefect : classis ti julius ti fab — optatus ii. vir . from terraccina to fondi , are ten miles , which way lying in the confines of the state of rome , and the kingdome of naples , is the most dangerous part of all the voyage . from terracina wee first past by the emperour galbas villa ; of which take suetonius . ser. galba imperator m. valerio messalla , cn. lentulo coss . natus est ix . kal. januarii in villa colli supposita prope tarracinam sinistrorsum fundos petentibus . two mile farther wee came to a wall with a gate , which is the entrance into the kingdome of naples , where on a marble table i read thus . hospes hic sunt fines regni neopolitani , si amicus advenis pacatè omnia invenies , & malis moribus pulsis , bonas leges . from thence keeping right on the via appia , plaine and even , wee saw many pieces of antiquity , amongst which was an ancient tombe , very entire , but whose , t is not certaine . in this pleasant passage wee came at length to fundi , where we lay that night . fundi , though spoild of all signes of its antiquity , yet still keeps its old name , as cicer : atic. — fundis accepi tuasitt eras caenans . t is scituated in a low plain , and as the poet saith collibus hinc atque inde lacu simul aequore cinctum citria cui florent hortis è littore myrti . the territoire about is very fruitfull of orange trees , so much that wee went into an orchard , and for twenty citrons & about thirty oranges , wee gave the owner a julio , ( that comes to an english six-pence ) which very well contented him , and i believe if we had stood to agree upon the price , wee might have had as many more for that money . over a gate on the left hand at fundi , is this old inscription . envmmis fronius lf dectien c. lucius , m. f. m. runtius , l. f. mess. aed : portas , turreis , murum . ex sc. faciund : coerunt eisdemque probarunt . neer to fondi we saw the mons caecubus noted amongst the ancients for the good wine it bore , as martiall saith . — caecuba fundanis generosa coquuntur ahenis . the next morning insisting yet on the via appia ; which though mountanous in that part , yet hath on both sides myrtles , bayes , locusts , pomegrannets , and such like verts , that grow wild in the hedges , we came at length to an ancient torret , built halfe of solid marble ; which after little examination wee found to bee ciceros tombe , his villa formiana famous for his slaughter , being there ; tullie●s sepulcher is now in this figure . as in the page following . jullies tombe at his vida formiana this tombe stands in an olive garden , and at that instant when we rode by , a labourer working there , dug up two old coines , which some of our company bought . from hence we were in view of cajeta ; of which virgil saith , tu qoque littoribus nostris aeneia nutrix aeternam moriens famam cajeta dedisti . the city lies in a peninsula , very strong , and hard to come to by land , but over a narrow isthmus . the mountaine cleft in sunder by an earthquake ( which commonly happen in the kingdome of naples ) is very hidious . the inhabitants beare a great reverence to this place , for that they believe it happened at the same time when our saviour was in his passion . in the church hard by the trinitate , amongst other things to be seen , there 's the corpes of the duke of bourbon in a wodden chest , who was kild in attempting to surprize rome ; his epitaph is thus in spanish . francia me dio la luze espanna m' esfuerzo y ventura , roma mi dio la muerte gaëta la sepoltura . france gave me breath , spaine strength to armes did call , rome gave me death ; gajeta buriall . in the great church at gaieta is a huge crater or bowle , now put to the use of a font , which was dug up out of the ruines of formia . the worke so good that the sculptor was not asham'd to put his name to it ; for thereon is this . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . at gajeta t will quit the paines of climing up the promontory , to see the mausoleum of l. munatius plancus , one of ciceros pupills , a most entire antiquity ; over the dore may plainly be read . l munatius l. p. l. f. l. pron. plancus . cos. cens. imp iter. vii . vir. epul . triump . ex raptis . aedem . saturni fecit de manubiis . agros . div. sit. in italia . beneventi . in. gallia colonias deduxit . lugdunum & rauricam . from this a chronologer may collect , it is of neere one thousand six hundred yeares standing . the countrey from mola to gajeta , containes more orange trees then any i know , except naples it selfe . a little farther , about a mile from mola , formiae anciently , a marble on the via appia speaks thus plautius theodo pil : apella magister augustalis plautiae a. l. rufae conlibert . concubin . piae plautiae aug ▪ l. faustae libert. that day wee dind at mola , where there is to bee seen ciceros grote , in which he wrote many of his familiar epistles . in the afternoone eight miles from mola , we came unto garigliano , where the famous city minturna stood , as a very entire aquiduct , an amphitheatre , with many other ruines testifie . having past here the river liris , that terminated old latium we came into the medowes of minturna , where marius hid himselfe in his flight from sylla ; at the end of those fields runs along , mons massicus , so renown'd for the wines it produc't , t is now cald garo , and from thence the river liris , garigliano , adjoyning are the ruines of senuessa , as martiall — et senuessanis venerunt massica praelis . that night wee lay in ager falernus , at a village calld s. agatha , at the bottome of sessa , formerly aurunca . the ager falernus is all that space of ground , which lies betwixt the mons massicus , and the river vulturnus , so that because of their affinity , vinum massicum and falernum was us'd promiscuously by the ancients . the next morning , we past by torre di francolesse , where hanniball being besieg'd by fabius maximus , escapt through that famous stratageme of making his enemies drunke . two mile farther , wee came in view of that happie plaine of campania , now terru di lavoro , which most authors , as well moderne , as old , extoll for the most fruitfull plat of earth , that is in the universe . in a word , t was the subject of virgils georgicks . in which having rode five miles , wee came to dinner at new capua , which though so cald in regard of the other , yet hath some remnants of antiquitie . in the cloister of a church , are some ancient tombes . in the midst of the city , at the entrance as i suppose of the jesuites colledge , is this old inscription . julio auroxonti leonidae . v. c. quaestori praet. curatori capuensium ob multa praeclara in cives patriamque honori licentiae suae merita institutori novorum ac renovatori operum publicorum . ab origine patrono omni laude dignissimo regio competi . the old capua , the delight of hanniball , and paragon with rome , and carthage is two mile off out of the way , on the left where the ruines of columnes , theatres , temples , porches shew its former magnificence . from capua to naples , the way is even , spacious , and like a garden , t is indeed campania . the fertility of which is such , that if the owner have not as much wine out of one vine , as will load five mules , he thinkes his labour ill spent , an incredible , though true argument of the fruitfullnesse , of this countrey . in the mid-way stands anversa , and eight miles farther naples . this metropolis of that kingdome , which takes its denomination from thence , is a maritimate on the mediterranean shoare . t is ancient , though neapolis , and was first cald parthenope . at this present t is reckond the third city in italy , and so great are the delights which nature hath allowed to this place , that t is still frequented by men of high condition , and great personages , so that it hath taken the epethite , naples the gentle . the streets of naples are generally well pav'd of free-stone , especially that of toledo , very large and even . which indeed is necessarie , here in regard of the multitude of coaches that passe to and fro . the houses are very uniforme , built flat , at the top to walke on , a notable convenience in these hot parts . another like accommodation which this city hath , against the heats is the mole , which is like an artificiall street casting it selfe into the sea , hither all the gentry at the evening retire to take the fresco . at the end of the mole is the fanal , and underneath a fountaine , with the statues of the old dieties of parthenope . from thence one hath in view the mountanous iland capreas , the delight of tyberius . amongst the palaces of naplee , the vice kings then duca d' arcos is the fairest . there are three castles , s. elmo above , castel nuovo , castello del ovo below . the churches are generally the best i ever came into , fild with marbles , chiefly the carthusians , the jesuits , the bishops chappell . the onely antiquity within the city , is at the theatins church , which was a temple of castor and pollux , the frontispiece , or porch of ancient pillars , with a greek inscription over it ( which language this city spake when it was cald parthenope ) as likewise the remnants of their two statues yet standing ; the inscription is this . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . it beiug may while we staide at naples , we saw the famous miracle of the bloud of santo gennaro , carryed in procession . naples is extremely populous , and consequently vitious , he that desires to live a retired , or indeed chaste life must not set up there ; as the gardens are fild with oranges , so the houses want not for lemmon . jusque datum sceleri , saith the poet . there were at my being there thirty thousand courtesans registred , that paid taxes for their pleasure . the things within naples , are not to be omitted , yet those about give farre more satisfaction ; and truly if a traveller hyperbolise in any part of his voyage of italy , the most fit theame he can take , are the wonders a little distant from naples ; and first the tractus puteolanus scatens hominum ac naturae miraculis . parting for pozzuoloes , on the left a suburb by the sea side leads to the margouline , where in the church cald santa maria del parto , is the sepulcher of sincerus sannazarius , with many figures of marble excellently cut , and this epitaph . actius . sincerus . d. o. m. da sacro cineri flores , hic ille maroni , sincerus musa proximus ut tumulo . vix : ann. lxxi . obiit md xxx . a countreyman of ours in honour to that worthy poet , hath left this paper of verses beside his tombe . sonulus hendeca-syllabicus rithmicus . valum nobile par brevi camoena longum mensus iter ; fleam necesse quorum fertur oves ? ita iste flesse . vt narint lachrimis & uda avena seu pisces , lepida sed ille vena tam pisces cecinit probe atque presse se tanquam placidos ut ipse adesse cura praestiteriut oves arena partum virginis unus arte rara in sanctos rotulos modosque cultos alter quem memorant sybillae ad ar● annos vaticinatus ante multos quid mirum est igitur jacere clara ambos virginis vrbe consepultos . ad aras p. virgilii maronis , &c. act : sin : poetarum princip : hugo hollandus nobilis cambo britannus . flevit fixitque autore vero egregio & amico alexandro hebruno nobili anglo britanno . 1626. mart. 5. returning back a little , wee came to the entrance of the famous grotte , over which on the left hand , stands virgils tombe upon a high rock , so that it is scarce to be seen by those that passe below , the guides commonly shewing a false ; wherefore some few dayes after we walkt up into it . over the dore of the garden you passe through to it , is this inscription on a marble . maronis vrnam . cum adjacente monticulo , extensaque ad cryptam planitie . modiorum trium cum dimidio circiter vrbano viii . annuente , &c. renovanda mem. praesentis concessionis singulis xxviii annis in actis cur archiepiscopalis . having read this we went into the tombe , now of this forme and scituation . as in the page following . a. virgills tombe ▪ b. the entrance into the grotte c. a little chappell taken for virgills tombe , but falsely . this tombe of the prince of poets is built in a rotunda , or cupola , about five paces long , within , the walls are of bricke , in square after the roman way , the outside is of massive stone , all coverd now with bushes , amongst which three or foure bay trees , ( an immortall embleme of the prince of poets there interd ) shoot forth about the height of a man , round it lye scatterd ruines , that testifie its former beauty , in the rock just opposite to the entrance , where his knowne epitaph of mantua me genuit was , that being decayed , is plac't a marble , stone with these verses . staīsi cencovius . 15 89 qui cineres ? tumuli haec vestigia , conditur olim ille hoc , qui cecinit pascua , rura , duces , can : rec : mdliiii . what dust lies here ? this heap protects his hearse . who whilome warbled fields , farmes , fights in verse . the crypta neapolitana a perfect signe of the roman magnificence is the rockie mountaine pausylippus , cut through , very high , spacious ▪ and well pav'd , so that for the space of a mile , two coaches may goe on front under earth ▪ in the midst is a madonna , with a lampe perpetually burning , the words at the incounter are alla marina , alla montagne . at the going out of the grotte , wee strooke towards the right , and arriv'd at the grotta del cane , which hath some innate property , to kill every living thing that enters , if not speedily cast into the lake agnano , 15. paces distant . we saw the experiment , ( as for the most part it is shewn ) in a dog , which seem'd to loose his vitall force by degrees , but afterwards being throwne into the lake , reviv'd . hard by are the stowes of san gennaro reasonable hot , with the odour of sulphure . hence turning to the left , we came to capuchins , and saw the stone whereon san gen naro was beheaded , with nasita a mountaine in the sea , and a little towards the right hand , is the sulphatara , or hill of brimstone , on which no grasse or hearb growes , but t is all white with ashes , it still casting out of severall holes a continuall smoke , with flame , making the very earth to boile . the ground is hollow underneath , and makes a hidious noise if strooke upon with a hammer , or the like . these hills were cald by the ancient leucogei ; campus phlegraeus , and forum vulcani , whose kingdome ( if in any part of the world ) is here about , the fire breaking out even in the high wayes . here they compose medicinall pots of brimstone . advancing forward , into the suburbs of pozzuoles , wee saw an amphitheatre , and ciceros house , cald academia . afterwards being come to the port , wee tooke a barque , to passe over the bay , which is round about , fild with remnants of those romans magnificence , that liv'd there . the first place wee saw after wee were set to land , was the mercato del sabbato formerly a a cirque ; and the buriall place of the ancient romans . from thence we past through the elisian fields ( as they call them ) a plaine spot of earth , between the mount misenus , & the augustins convent of twenty acres , and came to the ancient misenus , so cal'd from the trumpeter of aeneas there interd , the old poets cald it a erius , because of the many sotteran caves in it ; of which many are yet to be seen . the chiefe is the piscina mirabili ; before which is the mare mortuum . this piscina cald mirabili , because of the wonderfull art t is built with , was a reserver of fresh water for the navie , which , ( because this stands so neare the sea ) was brought sixtie mile . it hath eleven pillars in the length , foure in breadth , about foure and fourty in all . the materiall t is plaisterd with , in the inside is as durable as stone , yet no man knowes of what it is compos'd , some conceive it to be of the whites of egges , and dust of marble mingled together . from hence leaving lucullus his house at the left , wee went downe into the cento camerelle , or nerôs hundred chambers , where hee kept his prisoners , a most hidious place . below that towards the sea-side is the temple of hercules , the place where agrippina , neros mother was kild , the pescheries of hortensius , tacitus his sons house , with many other ancient fragments which we saw though with much paines . from thence we tooke boat for baia , where the castle built by charles the fifth of france is strong , going thither we could discerne the foundations of cimeria , and old baia underneath the sea , with the via consularis overwhelm'd by the water , and on the shoare nothing but ruines . hereabouts caron was feign'd to passe with his boate . here we set againe to land , and saw the temple of venus , the sepulcher of agrippina , with diverse figures , and her pallace of the same worke . the temple of diana at the left , the bathes of trullius ; the houses of marius pompey , nero standing aloft . hereabout the sea water is naturally hot : hard by we went into ciceros bathes , as gallant and entire an antiquity as any in the tract of pozzuolo ; these waters were so soveraigne , not many years since over most diseases , that over every bath was written for what cures it was good , of which inscriptions some letters yet stand , but the physitians of palermo ( as they tell the story ) finding those waters prejudiciall to their custome , went with instruments expresly , and demolisht those writings ( so that for the present they are unusefull ) the said physitians , being all cast away in their returne . from these bathes we went up to the stowes of tritola extreamely hot , even to suffocacation , yet contrary to the grottadel cane , that choking below , and harmelesse above , these coole and refreshing below , but almost stifeling above . from thence we took horse , and past by the lacus lucrinus , the greater part whereof is now coverd with the monte nuovo , which mountaine ( as their tradition is ) was rais'd in one night , a mile high , from the ashes which came out of sulfatara , and so coverd the lucrin lake . tommaso fonnare an old man of pozzuolo , that dyed three yeares since remembred of that mountaines being made in one night a hundred yeares agoe . after that wee rode to the lake avernus , where abouts was the poets acheron or descent into hell , at one side of the lake is the temple of apollo ; at the other , the sybilla cumanas grotte . t is very spacious , at the end is a magnificent ascent where the oracle stood , with the way that lead to cuma , her bath yet stands , and her chambers painted in mosaick worke , yet all under ground , as indeed most of the aforesaid antiquities ( excepting the temples ) are . in returning to pozzuolo , we saw the mount gaurus , from whence came the best falernum , now cald barbaro , it being altogether sterile . in puteoli there are some antiquities , as the temple of neptune , &c. in the port are the vast ruines of caligulas bridge , which past three mile crosse the sea , from pozzuoles to baia. after dinner wee went back to naples , in the way wee saw the lions , austriches , and other wild beasts and fowles , that a certaine prince keeps . having repos'd a day after this troublesome , yet satisfactory voyage of pozzuoles , the next morning wee set out of the quite contrary part of naples , to see that miracle of nature , the brother of aetna , vesuvius , so famous for its last eruption . on the way , almost at the foot of the mountaine , ( a marble frame which are usuall on the high wayes , in the kingdome of naples ) relates this . posteri posteri vestra res agitur dies facem profert dici nudius perendino advortite . vicies ab satu solis ni fabulatur historia arsit vesevus immani semper clade haesitantantium . ne posthaec incertos occupet . vterum gerit mons hic moneo . bitumine , alumine , ferro , sulphure , auro , argento , nitro , aquarum fontibus gravem . seryus , ocyus ignescet , pelagoque influente pariet . sedante parturit . concutitur , concutitque solum , fumigat , coruscat , flāmigerat , quatit aerem . horrendum immugit , boat , tonat arsit finibus accolas emica dum licet . jam jam inititur mixtum igne lacum evomit praecipiti ruit ille lapsu seramque fugam praevertit si praeripit actum est periisti . ann : sal. m dcxxx . xvi . jan philippo iv. rego . tum tu si sap is audi clamantem lapidem sperne larem , sperne sarcinulas , mora nulla fuge . antonio suares vice praefecto viarum . the vesuvius shewes it selfe thus from naples . the mountaine vesuvius upon this hill , or ( changing a letter ) hell is a goodly countrey for the space of foure mile on all sides , which formerly produc't the excellent graeco , made barren , being coverd with a matter like seacole sinders . going up higher t is hidious to behold the deep cracks in the earth , through which the streames of sulphure past , all about lyes scatterd the severall materialls it cast forth ; some like mettall , other like pitch , brimstone and the like , with such vast stones , as ( i speake the least ) foure porters would not able to carrie one of them being come so neere the top , as we could with our horses , we were forc't to alight , and to crawle up the steeper part , which is all coverd with a reddish substance , that sounds like earthen vessells , some conceive it to be pumie stone burnt , after this wee got up though weary to the top ; where the vorago is so terrifying a spectacle , that if i would paint hell , this would be the best patterne ; it is a hole about three mile in compasse , and about halfe as much in depth , in the midst is a new hill that still vomits thick smoke , which the fire within hath rais'd within few yeares , it daily increaseth , and when t is growne to a fuller bulke caveat neapolis . pliny the naturalist too inquisitive after the cause of this intestine fire chang'd lives with death on this mountaine . in returning , as we were tir'd in getting up , so wee went easily down , though almost up to the knees in ashes . this mountaine was the vltima meta of our voyage to naples , wherefore having with much content seen these wonderfull things of antiquity , nature , and curiosity ; after some few dayes we parted from naples to rome , treading the same path we had before trac't , at our going out of the kingdome , they made us pay five times , for our vallees , although they could finde no prohibited goods ; at our entrance they let us passe quietly , without paying a farthing . all the way to rome i saw nothing observable , but what i had before spoken of , onely i would not omit the great quantity of bufferos ( beasts which furnish the souldiery with their skins ) that we met in the countrey . the day after our returne to rome , wee walkt to san sebastiano , where a mercenary fryar let us downe into the roma sotterranea , or rome under ground , those hallowed cavernes where the church in her infancy shelterd her selfe from persecution ; there is a most immense folio out on this subject . t is now indeed a city for the dead , where in every street are pild gradually one above another , the corps of martyrs , to which some monuments are added with no other epitaphs then this , pro christo . this place is as stupendious for the rarity as venerable for the antiquity : the natives of rome know not how farre these vaults continue under the earth ; yet some miles they say are already discoverd , with so many maeanders , that hee who adventures to enter without an experienc't guide may ( as some french men did ) goe into his grave living , yet increase the bill of mortality . from thence wee went into the transtevere , saw first montorio , formerly the janiculum , and the chappell where ( ut aiunt ) saint peter was crucifified . in the church lies buried the count tiron oneille of ireland , who comming to rome in devotion dyed , very poore , yet for his good service in the catholique cause , hath a tombestone with this inscription . d. o. m. roderico principi odonallio comiti tironalliae in hibernia , qui pro religione catholica gravissimis defunctus periculis . in sago pariter & in toga , constantissimus cultor , & defensor apostolicae romanae fidei , &c. from thence wee went down into many rich churches , where the primitive christians were martyrd ; in one to wit , santa maria transteverana is the fountaine of oyle that arose , at our saviours birth ; some stones that were tide at the martyrs feet when they were drown'd , with other manner of torments that they were put to ; in the same church are very rare pillars of porphyre , and other stone taken from aurelians baths . thus every day produc't a new sight to us , but i would not passe by our voyage to tivoli , which was as followeth . setting forth out of rome , at porta di san lorenzo five miles from the city , we saw a bridge over the teverone , built by mamea , the mother of severus ; a little forwarder the sepulcher of valerius volusi , and ancient tombes without number ; on farther there 's a place cald fide nates , and a sulphurious river , a bridge cald ponte lucano , and an ancient tower garnisht with inscriptions , that stands for the sepulcher of plautius . when wee were come to tivoli , wee went to see those wonderfull eliziums , which the cardinall d' este at most royall expence hath there in possession ; the sight whereof in my opinion , may at this present draw as many to see tivoli , as rome with all her merveiles . this shall be my patterne for a countrey seat ; all regale , and therefore i 'le not omit any particular . first t is evident , the hill was made even , and upon that piazza this pallace was erected ; which is built of square stone , and all things answerable to a kingly grandezza . at the right hand are those gardens which they call the secret , in which there are sixteen huge lavers of marble , that cast forth chrystalline water , in the midst of these stands a janus quadrifrons higher then those , which makes foure more fountaines that resemble looking glasses . at the left there 's a sumptuous place for all manner of exercises , or turnaments . the facciata or front hath between the windowes many ancient statues , and so the first porch with most ample steps in the ascent to the palace . before this , there 's a most glorious fountaine , with the statue of leda ; and foure vast and most delicious gardens in view . passing down the steps which have piles of water on both sides , amongst the groves there 's these fountaines of tethys , esculapius , arethusa , pandora , pomona , and flora . afterwards there 's the stately pegasus in pamossa . the two colosses of the sybilla tyburtina , and melicerta . the cupids powring water out of their flaskes are most ingenious , next there are some urnes , upon which stand ten nymphes , and in the midst the caves of the sybilla , tiburtina , and diana , goddesse of the woods . both aadornd with fountaines , statues , roots of corall , mother of pearle , and pav'd with mosaick worke . on the other side of the garden sets rome triumphant , in the midst of her most memorable fabricks , as the pantheon , capitoll , cirques , theatres , amphitheatres , obelisques , mausoleos , archs triumphall , pyramids , aquiducts , porticos , thermas , and the like . neither is the river tyber wanting ; for out of the wolfe and twinnes gusheth a rivolet , proportionable to that representative city . in the next garden there 's the vccellario , where amonst the branches of trees , artificiall birds move their wings and sing sweetly ; on a sudden an owle appears , and they change their melody into a chattering admiration . not farre from thence is the fountaine of dragons , which vomit forth the water with a most horrid noyse . the grotte of nature where the organs play most harmoniously by the motion of water . in the garden that followes are diverse lakelike conservatories of fish , with swans , here the mete sudanti , the ocean with neptune in his charriot on sea horse are most stupenduous . in the last the triton and thousand exotick plants are to bee seen . tyr'd with these master-pieces of art , wee went to that naturall cascata , or cataract at tivoli , which is made by the precipitious fall of the river anien from the mountaines , it rusheth downe with that fury , that there is still a thick mist over it , and by the reflexion of the sun ariseth a perfect rainbow . pliny mentioneth this river to have that innate quality to petrifie the ground it passeth through , or any thing that lies long in it . the sulphurious streame i above mention'd flowes from this . neere to this is an old temple , some say of hercules , others adjudge it to the sibylla tyburtina , or albunea , and the more propable , for tivoli was anciently tybur . horace and many of the roman magnates had their villas here , of which they shew their ruines , as likewise the sybilles cave . returning for rome , one may discerne preneste , and a little out of the way , on the left stands a huge moles of antiquity , the villa hadriana , the heap rather of a city then a house , t is reported hee had there the most eminent buildings of the world taken from the originalls , but — jam seges est , ubi troja fuit . i have been long in the transaction of these things , in and about rome , and now end somewhat abruptly , the diversity of things , makes my memory treacherous , i can onely say roma capo e compendio del mondo a cui non e cosa simile ne seconda . rome of the world compendium and head admits no like , nor can be seconded . the heats growing on at rome , wee left it to set up our station for the summer at sienna , and having already seen caprarola , wee went with the procacccio , so that passing to viterbo by the strada nuova , wee saw some remnants of the via cassia , with soutry where orlando furioso was borne , and the ruines of gharlemaines pallace . at the great inne at radicofany , wee met the marquis de fontenay , the french embassadour in his voyage to rome . a week after our arrive at sienna , was an opera represented on the new theatre of prince matthias , with severall changes of sceanes , as a garden , sea , pallace , and other machines , at which the italians are spoke to be excellent . all the time of our stay at sienna , i fild my bookes more with observations of the language , then of the people , city , or country : onely the diversity of fruits which are every day brought to market ; and sold at a low rate , argues much the fertility of italy , as well as the great quantity of silke it produceth , and therefore deservedly cald bombycina ; in june was the silke harvest , if i may so call it , and there was such abundance , that in england i never saw so much woole , as i did here silke . the ninth of july the sanesians solemnizd a feast , but sore against their wills , for cosmus the duke of florence's taking sienna . in august on the feast of the assumption of the virgin , was a race of barbaries , which ran without riders from one gate of the city to the princes pallace , for a pallium of cloath of gold . the same moneth wee went to the jewes synagogue , and saw the circumcising of a child . which the sacred page describes . september the seventh wee set from siena , to begin our returne towards france , our first dayes journey reacht to florence , where tarrying one day , the next wee parted with the procaccio for venice , paying seven crownes a man . six miles up the apennin we past by pratolin , a famous seat of pleasance belonging to the great duke ; and about as many miles farther wee dind at il ponte , before which lies a most delicious valley , environd with very high mountaines . after dinner , about two miles farther , wee past through scarperia , from whence we mounted more and more up the apennins , the way in some places but streight , & on the right hand is a very steep precipes down to the plaine below . all that afternoon we rode up and down hills , which are as much fruitfull , as barren , and at night we lodgd at fiorenzuolo , a fortresse which stands in the midst of the mountaines , at the confiues of the great dukes territoire . the next morning departing , long before break of day , ( as the procaccios in italy usually doe ) we perfectly discernd the flame of pietra mala , a mountaine at the highest part of the appinines , which perpetually burnes . all that forenoone wee had a tedious passage through the chesnut woods , till wee came unto pianora , where having dind , by a suddain descent passing a torrent divers times , wee s●nk into the fertile and pleasant plaine of bolonia , and so to the city it selfe , where we prevaild with our conductor , to stay the rest of that day , and halfe the following , that wee might take a more full view of this famous city of bolonia , the second in the stato della chiesa . it is situated at the foot of the appenins , the neighbouring countrey producing so great abundance of things necessarie to humane life , that it hath got the name bolonia the fat . for strength it is not much considerable , there being but a single wall without bulwarks , ramparts or the like , t is a fiter habitation for the muses , then for mars , the fame of that university which flourisheth there , making this motto common , bolonia docet . amongst the things i tooke notice of at bolonia , the first is the generall uniformity in the buildings , there running before all the houses , a very stately cloyster , with arches all of the same structure , so that a large street appeares one building , which manner though it differ from the ordinary italian way , yet is no lesse admirable amongst other faire edefices of this city , the popes pallace very spacious , is chiefe , over the gate is the statue of a pope in mettall . before this pallace is the piazza , as remakable as most in italy : in the midst stands a very sumptuous fountaine , where the brasen neptune made by john of bolonia , a famous sculpturer is very considerable , at one end of this place is the dome , not yet finisht . the great schooles are said to be as stately as most in europe . and likewise the hospitalls are worth seeing the convents at bolonia are generally very glorious , especially s. dominick , and out of the town s. michael in bosco . in briefe , the bolonians agree with the other italians , in having their houses built decently , and in their courts , still have some verts set , as orange trees , cypresses , or the like , which much pleaseth the eye of a stranger , as he passeth the streets . in the heart of the city , stands the tower of the asinelli : ( cald so from a family that rai'sd it ) some making bolonia to represent the forme of a ship , set this for the maine mast . it is growne somewhat to decay through time , and the staires are very rotten , however , wee adventurd to goe up to the top , and from thence wee had a full view of the towne below , with the streets lying in a straight line , as likewise a faire prospect on the plaines of lombardy . on one side of this tower , is another cald garisenda , which seemes to fall much after the manner of the campanile , at pisa , some impute it to the architecture , others say it was of the same height with that of the asinelli ; but the citizens fearing it would fall , pull'd downe the upper part , and left the rest standing crooked , as at the present it doth . this is the summe of what i saw in bolonia , yet berore i went from thence , i tooke a taste of those famous saltsages , that are compos'd at bolonia , the which are transported thence , not onely into other places of italy , but also into diverse parts of europe , as a rare and costly dish , which addes and maintaines her epithite bolonia la grassa . leaving bolonia for our more free entrance into the state of venice , wee tooke a bill of health . the first day we past the canall , that goes to ferrara , having our boate drawne by a horse , in which way we went through about nine sustegne , machines not much unlike our sluses , to keep up and let down the water for the turning of all sorts of milles , and the passage of boates . towards evening wee past by bentivoglio , a castle that gave denomination to the learned cardinall of that name . some two houres later , wee came to mal albergo , an infamous inne , both in name and in deed , where having poorely supt , wee imbarqu't in another lesse boate , and having past all night through the fennes , the next morning we arriv'd at ferrara . ferrara heretofore a dutchy by it selfe , yet now subject to the apostolique see , is more considerable for strength , then beauty , however it is in italy , and therefore ( secundum nos ) no meane city . it s scituation is on a plat , so that by it runnes two channels , the one towards bolonia , the other towards the po , it is fortified with very faire ramparts , upon most of which are planted allies of trees . within the towne are some faire buildings , as the palazzo del diamante , belonging to the duke of modena , the castle where , in the court are pictur'd the dukes of ferrara , and t is said that at the last , there was no roome left for another before the pallace are two small statues of a marquis , and duke of ferrara ; many other things are observable , as the epitaph of the famous poet ariostus , and of many other famous men buried there , which my short stay would not admit me to collect . our inne was the angelo ( a too sumptuous edifice to have been made a taverne ) where having dind , wee went by boat downe the channell , and about three mile beyond ferrara came into the po , which is the greatest and farthest navigable river in italy , for breadth and length much above tyber it selfe ; the ancients cald it padus , the poets erydanus , on the bankes whereof they feignd that , io transformd into a heifer was want to feed . about evening wee came on the confines of the venetian territoire , and supt at corbua , a place three miles distant from that most ancient , yet now dejected city adria , which formerly gave the name of mare adriaticum , to the sea now cald the golfe of venice . three miles farther , wee changd our barke for a bigger vessell , to carrie us to venice , and having now past thirty miles on the po , we came suddenly by an artificiall cut into the river adice ( athesis in latin ) that passeth by verona ; and the next morning , about the opening of the day , wee enterd into the golfe , passing by chioza , a city in an island on the left , palestina on the right , with other islands that lay rang'd in a row to venice it selfe , where , wee arriv'd the twelfth of september ; and being come to the port , wee ( as the custome and order is ) were not permitted to set foot on shoare , on paine of death , till wee had a ticket of licence . venetia , is a word never heard of in the romans dayes , the originall of this name being not above thirteen centuries of yeares since , yet historians generally report , that at the decay of the roman empire , when the invasion of the hunns and other barbarous nations overspread italy ; some provident fishermen began to build cottages in those scatterd islands , and in processe of time , others for their better security retyr'd thither : from this poore , and low beginning ( imitating her elder sister ) is shee growne to that height , that all deservedly call her venice the rich . this very mirrour of state and policy , as shee was borne about the death of old rome , so shee seemes ro bee hereditarily possessour of that which maintaind rome in her soveraigne glory ; the magnificent genius of the people , the gravity of the senate , the solidity of her lawes , very much consonant with those of rome . hence venice hath this propriety above all other states ; that she is a virgin , ( a cōmodity rarely found within her self ) and more , from her first infancy , christian : having never yet fell from her principles , either in government , or religion ; but still valiantly defending her liberty against the insulting mahomet . besides the wise and judicious potentates , that strengthen this common-wealth , nature hath fortified her with a strange and unusuall scituation — mediâ insuperabilis undâ . environd with her embracing neptune ; to whom , ( as the ceremonie of throwing a ring into the sea implies ) she marries her selfe with yearly nuptialls . hereupon our english martiall admiring the scituation of the magnificent venetians city , sayes to them quid mirum est vestram consistere legibus vrbem legibus exleges cum teneaatis aquas . no wonder if by lawes your city stands , since out-law waves are chain'd to your commands . if some casuall necessity did not constraine men to build venice , i could never conceive how so stately pallaces , how so compacted a city should stand in the midst of the sea . at the end just before the chiesa san marco , are three standards with pedestalls of brasse , very exquisite worke . at the right side from these , is the clock-house , adorn'd with the signes of heaven , with the sunne and moones monethly entrance to them , and two statues of brasse that strike . saint marks church is not so admirable for vastenesse , as for the rarenesse of the designe , and precious materialls it is compos'd of . the whole facade , or frontispiece , is beset with pillars , of serpentine and porphyre , towards the top stand foure horse of brasse , most worthy trophees , taken ( as some say ) by a stratageme , out of constantinople . and first stood in an arch-triumphall at rome . amongst the imagiry worke on this church , there stands a woman stroking a dog ; the venetian annals mention the story , of a senators daughter , who ( her father altogether , depriving her of society with men ) had a prodigious birth by that over familiar play-fellow . for the inward part of this temple , it is a little obscure within , yet most richly wenescoted with marbles , and the whole top coverd with lively pieces in mosaick worke : an art lost or unknowne in these parts , and highly valued there . neere that church gate , that lookes into the sea , is a little chappell , and therein is an ill hewd image of the lady , made ( as their tradition goes ) out of the same rocke , which moses strooke when the water miraculously gushed forth ; and to make good this story , they shew three little holes out of which the fountaine came forth . some probability there may be of this , an old and now scarce legible greeke inscription , on the same stone beginneth thus — {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . and underneath these latine words , aqua quae prius ex petra miraculosè fluxit oratione prophetae moysis , producta est , nunc autem haec michaelis studio labitur , quem servas christe & conjugem irenem . the construction is dubious the lines verbatim , as there i found them . in this same church is kept with great reverence , the body of the cities protectour saint marke , whose winged lion with the motto , pax tibi marce evangelista meus , is the banner and armes of this common-wealth , in honour of this saint , here is likewise conservd a most inestimable treasure . to this cathedrall church joynes the dukes pallace wholly of marble , with a kingly arcade of three and thirty pillars , under which , t is a most comely sight to see the venetians in their long gownes , daily consulting of state affaires . just against the great gate , at the top of the steps , stand two colosses , the one of mars , the other of neptune , works of famous sansovinus . opposite to these staires is a facade of statues , both ancient and moderne . above is a most royall corridor ; wherein are divers tribunalls , or courts of justice , and higher are most gallant ascents into the senate house , and other sumptuous halls . below in the court , in going out , i observd the mouthes of two wells in brasse , of very singular art . on the other side of the place is the zecca , where they coine money , and the procuratorio ; on the top of this structure stand five and twentie statues . on the seventeenth of september , whilst wee were at venice , there was a new made procurator , ( the second man in the republick ) enterd into his office , at which solemnity wee saw the senatours in their robes of scarlet , damaske , three hundred most grave , proper persons , every one speaking himselfe no lesse then an embassadour in his deportment . the following morning , the secretarie of the state , of the family of the tommasini , for appearing a favourite to some banditas , was privately strangled , and his body afterwards hung up in the place of execution , which place brings mee againe into my description , it being between the two pillars that stand towards the canale della giudeca . these two colomnes were brought out of greece , on the one stands the statue of sanct. theodorus , with the crocodile , on the other saint markes lion of brasse . this is the summe of what is to be noted within , and about the piazza san marco , yet before i leave it , t is worth the paines to get up saint marks steeple , which stands by it selfe , eightie feet distant from the church . from thence one may discerne how the city lies compacted of many little islands , separated by channells , joyned by bridges , the number whereof , if well reckoned up , comes to foure hundred and fifty , and the greater part of stone . the fairest and most remarkable is the bridge of rialto , which , though but of one arch , yet for the height , length , and breadth , hath no where a parell . upon it stand twelve shops , at each side coverd all alike with lead , and behind magnificent balustrades . this bridge passeth over the canal grande , along which are the most stately houses in all venice . it is a most satisfactory sight to behold the corso in this channell , every feast towards the evening , to see the venetian ladies habited like nymphs , and the gondola's like so many daulphines running a race . these gondolas are boats , which because of the little use of walking a foot there , are still carrying some passenger one way or another . every noble venetian keeps one of these seacoaches for his family , and others there are to be hir'd by any man for money very genteel and commodious . hence one may easily conjecture how populate venice is ; for the number of gondolas is 40000. so that in case of necessity ; the boatmen would make a considerable army , for every gondola hath a rower , and the better sort too . and now i am on the water , before i set foot to land , i may visite some of the neigbouring islands , and first murano a mile distant from venice . here continually ( excepting in august and september ) are fornaces to make glasses , which for the variety of the worke , and the chrystall substance , exceed all others in the world , and are transported to all parts : out of which merchandise venice drawes infinite summes of money . in returning wee stept into the arsenall , the magazine and store-house of warre , mars his warehouse . in this place the republick hath all ammunition for sea and land , all instruments of offence and defence , all preparations for shipping so ready , that t is said they can raise a gally in foure and twenty houres , and though the late approach of their common enemy the turke , hath much impoverisht this arsenal , yet the daily labours of artisans that worke there , still restore it . the next day wee went to the greek church , where at their service in their owne tongue , there was a great congregation , who us'd more ceremonies , but lesse superstition then the church of rome , which calls the greeks schismaticks onely , because they differ not much in exteriours from them ; but will not acknowledge the pope to bee head of the church . neither have the orientall christians alone this liberty at venice , but loyalas sonnes being exild thence , the inquisition reacheth not so far as strangers , which made us hereticks ( as they call us ) thinke wee were come out of the land of bondage , to a more secure country . the day following wee made a gondola carry us over to san georgeo , an island with a most beautifull monastery ; the chappell is pav'd ( as generally they are in venice ) with a reddish marble , about the coire are very rare statues , and in the cloister , sits venice triumphant . from thence wee went to san giovanni e paulo , more in devotion to the living ladies , then to the dead image there worshipt . this place is much frequented by the venetian walking may poles , i meane the women , which gives mee occasion to speake of the common habits or fashions of venice . the citizens rich and poore follow all the same mode , viz : a long black gowne with wide sleeves , and a kinde of skirt to throw over one shoulder , the collar alwayes open , and a black cap edg'd with fringe of wooll . the ladies have found out a devise very different from all other europaeian dresses . they weare their owne , or a counterfeit haire below the shoulders , trim'd with gemmes , and flowers their coats halfe too long for their bodies , being mounted on their chippeens , ( which are as high as a mans leg ) they walke between two handmaids , majestickly deliberating of every step they take . this fashion was invented , and appropriated to the noble venetians wives , to bee constant to distinguish them from the courtesans , who goe coverd in a vaile of white taffety . these fashions , because they are not so variable as ours , i have here inserted . before the church i last mentioned , san giovannie paulo is a cavalier , or horseman in brasse , with these words . bartholomeo coleono bergomensi ob militare imperium optime gestum s c. joanni mauro , & marino venereo curatoribus an : sal : mcccclxxxxv. this is the chiefe of what i observ'd in three weeks residence at venice . as concerning the trade , or traffique of this city , shee is without doubt , mistris of all others ; it is shee that makes rise or fall the exchange at her pleasure . and this i imagine proceeds from the great and innumerable company of jewes , that are harbourd here , and that enjoy the priviledge of a synagogue for every nation ; so that in their guetta they have nine diverse ones , yet weare they a badge of distinction , viz : a scarlet hat . the shops at venice are most richly furnisht with easterne merchandize , as sattins , damasks , cloaths of gold , with a world of costly drugs , which word intimates i must hasten to the medicinall padua . from venice to padua , because of the convenient passage by water , is one easie dayes journey . about five miles from venice wee came to liza fusina , where the continent or firme land beginnes , here one finds commodity of going either by land or boate , wee tooke the latter ; a most delightfull spasso on the river brenta , which runnes in so direct a line , that one may see its course foure miles behind or before one , on both sides is a garden-like countrey , and a multitude of villa's , or countrey houses , with gardens of orange trees , and other greens after the italian way . at the close of the evening wee arriv'd at padua . patavium was founded , long before romulus suckt the wolfe , t is reported that antenor flying with some force into these parts , after the destruction of troy began this name and city ; to confirme this , they yet shew this noble heros tombe , with this epitaph in old characters . inclitus antenor pat: &c. the words are these . c inclytus antenor patriam vox nisa quietem , transtulit huc henetum dardanidumque fugas , expulit euganeos , patavinam condidit vrbem ; quem tegit hic humili marcaesa domus . the monument whereon these verses are ingraven stands by s. lorenzos church , in this figure . as in the page following . antenors tombe {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} not farre from this marble chest , are some remnants of the walls that antenor laid ; for the city is divided into the old , and the new , the old hath round about it the river , both are encompast with strong bull-warkes , upon which are planted rowes of trees , very pleasant to walke amongst , though they quite hinder the view of the city a farre off . neither indeed ( i must confesse ) doth padua abound with stately houses , like the other chiefe cities of italy , yet those renowned disciples of aesculapius that are nourisht there , make it to be said both at home and abroad , padua the learned . it stands in a most delicious and fertile plaine , which produceth so great abundance of things necessary to humane life ; that the vulgar proverb goes bolonia la grassa ma padoua la passa . by reason of this plenty of provisions , and the daily practise in physick , and the other liberall arts this city is no lesse frequented by strangers , then athens anciently was . and indeed those who have been students at padua , have reason to commend the place , for by the senate of venice's constitution ( under whom padua is ) every nation , english , dutch , &c. hath a consul , enjoyes many priviledges , and by their matriculation may lay in provisions , without paying any excise or taxation . this liberty is very prevalent to draw forreigners thither , yet the ill government of the schollars there much disswades others from likeing the place . it is strange to finde minerva so joynd with mars , to see students in so warlike a posture , for the common mode of the schollars is to goe arm'd with a paire of pistolls , and a stilletto by his side , this they say proceeds from some old and inbred dissentions between the vicentines and brescians , which two parties so fill the towne with slaughter , that no man can walke the streets late at night for fear of their chi-va li ? and which is a more manifest signe of their barbarismes on the pillars of the porch , or arches that runne before the houses of this city , one may discerne where bullet have past ; nay , so triviall is homicide amongst them that if at any time they want a body for the anatomy lecture , they make it a small busines to kil a poore fachin , or porter to put his body to that use . notwithstanding these grosse abuses , yet padua is a very worthy university . it was vacation time when wee were there , however wee stept into the schooles . over the gate is the lion san marco , and this inscription . sic ingredere ut teipso quotidie doctior , sic egredere ut indies patriae christianaeque reipublicae utilior evad●s . ita demum gymnasium a se feliciter ornatum existimabit . mdc . within is a square court , the building two stories of pillars , one over another , and round about in every corner are the armes of all such as have been consulls in that university ; some in colours onely , others in colours and stone , with the countrey , name , and yeare ; all which is made at the expence of the venetian , to make famous this nursery of learning . above is the anotomick theatre a very neat , and singular invention ; commodious both for the professour , and his spectatours . not farre from the physick schooles is the palagio della ragione , or hall of justice , which considered as an upper roome is the fairest and most spacious in christendome . some impose more on the excellency of this fabrick , then can be discernd by a common eye , alledging t is plac't to the foure parts of the heaven , so that in the equinoctiall the beames of the sunne rising , entring at the east windowes strike those at the west , and in the solstice , the rayes that come in at the south , touch the opposite window , in a word , there is no part without some astronomicall secret . the pictures represent the influence of higher bodies on these below . it is coverd with lead , round about goes a stately corridor of marble . over every dore , is some remembrance of those men who for their birth have celebrated padua . amongst these is that immortall treasure of history and eloquence , livie . in whose never fading memory there is , ( at one end of this hall ) a monument erected , and this old inscription added thereunto . ve tlivivs liviae . tf qvartael halys concordialis sibi et svis omnibvs . t. livius 4o imperii tib ▪ caesaris ano vita excessit aetatis vero suae lxxvi . there is likewise a poeticall elegie , but i passe by this new monument , with all the appertenances of the same , to come to livies old tombe , which is there extant in this forme . as in the page following . ossa t livii pataivni vnivs oivm mortalivm ivdicio disini cvivs prope invicto calamo invicti p. r. res gestao conscriberentvr to this westminster hall at padua , joynes the podestas pallace . the podesta is he who represents the senate ; and executes their power ; in most of the cities under the state of venice there is one . there is likewise a capitan grande . he lookes after the military affaires , the other the politicall . many houses in padua are worth seeing , as the captaines lodging in the piazza . at the palazzo di foscari all arena , are some vestigia of a theater . in the garden of mantua are divers singularities ; amongst others a huge colosse of hercules , with these words . hercules buphiloponus bestiarius , qui tristitiam orbis depuli● omnem peramplo hoc signo mantuae cura reflorescat . one day walking to some of those places , i espi'd a good faire chappell put to no better use then a barne , asking the reason , t was told me it had been a jesuites church ; an argument that those religious states-men are not welcome where the venetians sway the sword ; neither indeed have the loyalists one colledge in the venetian cities . as for the churches of padua , that of saint anthony deserves the first place . before the dore is a man and horse of brasse , within is a most precious altar , under which lies the body of s. anthony , about is his life and miracles in figures of marble , cut by the most famous masters of those times , or ( i thinke ) that ever were , or will be . hard by this church is il prato della valle a medow , at the end whereof stands that most wealthy and kingly convent of s. justine , the best and stateliest i can remember i sawin italy . the chappell is an incomparable piece . in the cloysters an antiquary might spend a yeares study ; for amongst the legend stories design'd on the walls , they have inserted hundreds of old inscriptions , with the draughts of old stones , and pieces of urnes , all which were dug up out of the ground , when the foundations of this convent were first laid a little farther is the physick garden , fild with simples , but the euganean hills furnish padua more abundantly with medecinall herbes . these hills are in view from padua , and have been alwayes famous for the medecinall bathes , that proceed from them . having spent a week in padua , the gentlemen wee left at venice , came thither ( viz : sir j. g. a northerne baronet , and my lord b. his eldest son ) with whom wee joynd company to goe thorough lombardy , and so over the alpes into france . from padua we hird a coach to verona ; in our first dayes journey we had nothing to observe but the fertility and pleasantnesse of the country , neither could i imagine my selfe anywhere but in lombardy . had not the people , language , manners , seemd italian , i might have thought my selfe to have been out of italy ; so great an alteration is there in the landskip betwixt this , and the other side of the appenines . the meliority of either i dispute not , they being equally good , yet contrary , that mountanous , this flat . the latter is cald lombardy , and under that name is comprehended the whole plaine betwixt the alpes , and the appenines . it was almost vintage time when wee past through this paradise , and it made my journey much easier , to see the trees rangd in order so farre as one can see , to looke on the vines embracing the elmes , with such an incredible quantity of grapes , that they are coverd more with purple , then green . et tellus bacchi pondere pressa gemens . besides this wee lodgd every night in some memorable city , where wee sound good accommodation , and something observable . the first day some houres before it grew darke , we were in vicenza . vicenza , in latine vicentia , was according to livie built by the galli senones in the reigne of tarquinius priscus , since that time it hath without doubt sufferd many changes . it is now under the venetians , and stands in the marquisate of treves . it is neither fortified , nor capable of fortification , it being situated at the bottome of a hill that commands the towne , however the fidelity of the inhabitants keep it in safety . the vicentins delight to goe abroad in the world , to see forreigne customes ( an humour seldome found in other italians ) so that at their returne home they live splendidly , goe richly appareld , keep many followers ; for which cause this city is reputed very full of gentry , & those rich , the common title to a gentleman here being signor conte , as much as my lord . neither are they lesse noble in their buildings then in their garbe ; for by the art of palladius , the late reviver of the roman architecture a vicentin , this city is beautified with stately pallaces publick , and private . the hall of justice is admirable , both for the ancient and moderne structure , the tower lofty , the piazza most capacious of turnaments , and other assemblyes of the gentry , who are much given to shewes and pastimes ; and to this purpose they have erected a theatre , the figure whereof i conceive to bee like those of the ancienr romans , though the materialls differ , palladius was the inventor , as this inscription over the stage , testifieth . virtuti ac genio . olympior : academia theatrum hoc a fundamentis erexit . paladio archit : anno 1584. it will hold five thousand persons , the scene is very well contrived with statues , and corinthian order , the prospective represents a kingly city . diverse like places of recreation there are , within and about the city , amongst which is the campo marzo made in imitation of that , anciently at rome , for to exercise the youth in chevalry , thither the ladies and gallentry of the city resort , in the sommer evenings to take the aire . the arch or entrance into this field will stand as a perpetuall monument of palladius that built it . just opposite is the garden of connt valmarana , wherein the close walke of citron and orange trees , together with the labyrinthe are things very commendable . going forth at the gate di monte , one sees another arch of palladius , with a most high paire of staires to the top of the madonna del monte . halfe a mile farther by the river side ( which river was in latin cald meduacus minor ) is the rotonda of conte mario capra so cald from the cupola at the top , or likenesse it hath with the pantheon at rome , though in my opinion it more resembles the temple of janus quadrifrons , for it hath foure faces and foure gates . palladius made this his master-piece ; for t is so contriv'd , that it containes geometrically a round , a crosse , and a square . the master of this house uses all strangers very civilly . his sellars are the best , and the best furnished i met with , neither is he sparing of his wines to travellers ; as wee were returning from this house to our inne , wee met with him and his followers attending him , one of them who spake french sayd , his master desir'd to see us at his house to morrow , but our short stay would not permit us to accept of that kind invitation , i infer this passage to shew the generous minds of the vicentines . the next morning wee left vicenza very early , dind at osteria nuova the midway : and about foure in the afternoone wee came unto verona . t is the vulgar criticisme on this name , that if it bee syllabizd , it comprehends the first letters of the three head cities of italy ve-venetia . ro-roma . na . others leave the verball dirivation , and more strictly interpret it , that whatsoever is containd in those three cities may bee found in verona . her wealth may be compar'd to that of venice ; her monuments of antiquity equall even those of rome , neither is the delightfull situation inferiour to that of naples . thus much i must needs say , were i to see italy againe , i should make my station at verona , for i know no place more agreeable or commodious for a stranger . the city stands one part on the side , the other at the foot of a hill , behind which is a continuation of huge mountaines . before one side of the city lies a rich plat countrey ; before the other a stony champion , or downes , wherein c. marius gave a totall overthrow to the cimbrians . the river athesis divideth the city in the midst . thus nature hath adornd her , neither hath art been wanting to glorifie her , and this one may collect from the mighty remnants of roman magnificence , that yet stand within her walls . i may say with martiall , — vnum pro cunctis fama loquatur opus . of the amphitheatre at verona , the most perfect that is to be seen this day in christendome , the figure whereof i have here set downe . as in the page following . the amphitheatre at verona arena this noble worke was spoild of all its ornaments by the barbarous that sackt italy , yet one may easily judge , how betwixt the arches and the columnes there were statues . in the circuit of this moles are three porches , one within another , made for the spectatours to goe in , and out without disturbance to any one in the midst is the arena , where the combatants fought in an ovale forme , foure and thirty perches long , large two and twenty , environed with two and forty seats , which lie gradatim , one above another , still extending to the top . in these cirques the vastnesse of marble stones is incredible , so bigge that one cannot conceive how they were transported thither . this worke was perfected by l. v. flaminius cousul anno vrb : cond. 53. many other signes of venerable antiquity are there in verona , as arches-triumphalls , ruines of temples , aquiducts , urnes and the like . there 's one arch triumphall dedicated to marius for his victory over the cimbrians . and although this city bee not now of so great a compasse as historians report , it was in the height of the roman empire , yet the venetians have with great expence joynd new bulwarkes and walls unto the old , and it is fencd with three castles , which make it as well impregnably strong , as delightfull . the buildings of this city are answerable to the italian . the fairest is the councell house , upon the roofe whereof stand expos'd to the open ayre the statues of cornelius nepos , emilius marcus , old poets . pliny the naturall historiographe , vetruvius the architecture , all which men graced their native verona by their singular vertues . besides these , the learned scaliger was of verona , for whose sake and his family i signori della scala , there is ( in the heart of the city , before the inne wee lay at il cavaletto ) a stately tombe of marble , encompast with iron worke , in the fashion of a ladder , which that name implies . these things wee saw before it grew darke at verona , which wee left the next morning , having renewed our bargaine with the same coach that brought us thither , to carry us to milan . at our going out of the towne , i saw a porphire tombe in a church yarde , t was told me that a king of the goths lay buried there . looking into the river athesis , i espied a bridge of old roman work , and some engines which convey water out of the river in to the city by pipes . when wee parted from verona , and indeed through all the venetian state , our matriculations wee had from padua did us much service , for by that meanes none of the guard , would dare to hinder us as they usually doe strangers . two miles beyond verona wee past over the downes , memorable for the battells of marius . about noone wee came to cavalli caschieri , an inne two miles short of peschiera , which is a most strong fort of the venetians , standing at the embushment of the lago di garda into that of mantua . the greater part of the afternoone , wee past by the side of the lake , which by the ancients ws cald benaca . from peschiera it extends it selfe towards the north five and thirty miles . t is very rough and tempestuous , as virgil saith , fluctibus & fremitu assurgens benaca marino . which i believe proceeds from its enclosure , between mountaines which stop up the winde , yet being fenct so with alpes which keep of the northerne blasts , and warmd by the reflection of the sunne , those hills produce great store of olive , citron , and orange trees . the lake abounds with fish , especially with troutes , equall to them of the lake of geneva , which wee tasted of that night at supper at lunato . in the midst of the lago di garda , is an island wherein stands sermonea . the next day wee had very bad coach way , yet at dinner time wee were at brescia , where because of bad weather wee tarried that day . brescia , ( by the romans brixia ) may be cald the venetians magazine , here is a perpetuall appearance of warre though they live in peace , every shop is stord with armes ; in a word ▪ the chiefe traffick of this place are swords , muskets , and other military engines , from whence t is vulgarly cald brescia the armed . it hath a plaine on all sides , excepting towards the castle which stands on hill ; behinde which are very high mountaines ; by reason of this vicinity to the hills the city is beautified with many fountaines , a commodity which few of the cities in lombardy have . in some of the streets there runnes porches , whereby one may walke drye in rainy weather . the torre della pallada is of rare tuscan structure , the piazza is but little , yet the towne house may be reckoned amongst the fairest of italy the dome was a repairing when i was there . in that is kept a skie colour crosse , which they hold to be the same which appeard to constantin . there is little observable , ( onely some churches ) at brescia ; which we left the next morning , and dind at vrsa vecchio ; after dinner wee past by vrsi novi , a strong garrison in the venetian frontiers that way . a little farther , having past the river oglio , we went by soncino , the first place where wee saw the armes of spaine over the gates , a signe wee were come into the state of milan , but wee soone were out of it again , for that night wee lay at crema , which is under the signory of venice : it stands in a plaine very well fortified with ramparts and a mote . the dome , the tower , the place , and the podestas pallace are worth seeing . the next morning foure miles beyond crema wee enterd into the state of milan , and past by lodi , a great city on the side of the river ada , this city is famous , for the cheeses made there which are not much different from the parmisano , lodi was cald by the romans laus pompeia . from lodi wee went to dinner at marignano ten miles from milan ; all which way the countrey is more garden-like then in any part of lombardy , the high wayes are as streight as one can imagine , on both sides runne channells of water , on both sides trees planted , and in the fields there is corne , wine , fruits , and medowes altogether , till wee came to the very gates of milan . milan for the mighty circuit of her walls , the great number of churches , is before any other city in italy said to be the great . the metropolis of either france , or england , either paris or london , goe much beyond it for bignesse , yet they must be lookt on as heads of kingdomes , this as the capitall of a dutchy or province , besides their chiefest greatnesse is in their suburbs , milan hath none at all , but lies within a stately wall of ten miles compassc . t is plac't in a wide plaine , and hath about it green hills , delightfull medowes , navigable rivers , and enjoyeth a wholsome ayre , the territory doth so well furnish it with all necessary provisions , that t is worth a dayes journey onely to see the market of milan . neither doth it want trade to support it in a flourishing condition , for t is so throngd with artisans of all sorts , that the vulgar proverb goes chi volesse rassettare italia rouinarebbe milano . for the antiquity of this place mediolanum its ancient appellation speakes it old , and some pieces of roman edefices , yet standing there confirme the same . before san lorenzo's church stand sixteene marble pillars , a a remnant of the temple of hercules , at one end of them is this inscription put in . imp : caesari . l. aurelio vero aug : arminiaco medico parthico max : trib : pot : vii imp : iiii cos. iii pp divi antonini pii divi hadriani nepoti : divi trajani parthici pronepoti divi nervae . abnepoti dec dec . since milan shooke off paganisme to imbrace the faith of christ , that glorious pillar of the church , saint ambrose was her bishop . to whom there is a church dedicated vulgo sanct ' ambrogio . under the high altar supported by foure porphyre pillars , is interred the body of saint ambrose ; t is beleev'd that saint ambrose stood at the gates of this church , when he excommunicated theodosius the emperour , and would not suffer him to enter therein . hard by is a poore chappell in a blinde corner , with a well , where saint ambrose baptiz'd saint augustine , and began the te deum , as the inscription on the wall witnesseth . hic beatus ambrosius baptisat augustinum , deodatum & alippum , hic beatus ambrosius incipit te deum laudamus . augustinus sequitur te dominum confitemur . this place is so meane , and so little regarded , that t is very probably true ; for t is incredible how the name of carolus baromaeus a councell of trent saint , highly cryd up at milan , hath extinguisht the memory of that learned father . in s. eustorgios church is to be seen the sepulcher wherein lay the bodies of the three magi ; the bodies were transported to colen in germany , but there remaies the tombe in this forme . sepvlchrvm trivm magorvm most of the churches in milan deserve the eye of the curions , yet all may bee included in the dome or cathedrall , for the fabrick ; the most like ours of any i saw in italy ; yet for the materialls more costly . t is all of white marble , and about it , are five hundred statues of the same . the addition that is now in building is very glorious , especially for the huge pillars of granito , a sort of marble very common at milan . about the body of the church , are set up pictures of the miracles wrought by saint charles barromee . and in a chappell under ground is devoutly worshipt the body of that new founded saint , with a treasure of rich presents . as these divine buildings are glorious , so the private mens houses of milan are not inferiour to those of other cities in italy ; the streets are of a more then common breadth , and there are very many gardens within the walls . the fairest pallace in milan ( i may say in italy ) is the great hospitall , a square of columnes and porches six hundred rods about ; fitter to be the court of some kings then to keep almes men in ; yet no use can it be put to better then to feed the hungry and cloath the naked . next to this i reckon the castle accounted by all engineers the fairest , the strongest fortification or citadell in europe . they are very cautelous in letting strangers to see it , to cast an eye on the outworkes is a crime , wherefore i omit any farther description . foure dayes past while wee were visiting these things , i have set down at milan . after this repose , wee began to bethinke our selves of the laborious taske we had to undertake , to get over the neighbouring mountaines the alpes . milan is the rise for two passages , either by mount goodard , or sampion , the first is through switzerland , tedious and long ; the other is through valesia more delightsome , and short . wee meeting opportunely with a guide who had been conversant in the way by sampion , made our agreement with him , that hee should beare all our charges , for horse , diet , and lodging , till wee came to geneva , wee paying him eight pistolls a man . the passage over the alpes . our first dayes journey to sesto at the foot of the alpes was by coach , wee dind in the midway alla castellanza ; three miles short of sesto , t is very remarkable to see how on a suddaine the alpes break off the flat countrey , like a wall to part italy from her neighbours france and germany . thereabouts wee had in full view the mount san bernardo il grande , the highest terrasse in europe . and wee could perfectly discerne it about foure english miles to out top the cloudes . that night wee lay at sesto . the next morning before break of day , wee tooke boate to passe over the lago maggiore ( in latine verbanus lacus ) so cald not that t is the biggest amongst the alpes ; but because the river ticinus passeth through it into the po , so that all merchandise is thereby transported out of helvetia , six mile beyond seflo , wee past by arona a strong towne in the dutchy of milan , three yeares since besieged by the french ; it stands on the side of the lake , and against it is angiera . all that morning wee had a pleasant passage going terr' a terra , till about three in the afternoone wee came to marguzzo a poore village at the end of the lake . here began the difficulty of our voyage , wee could see nothing but a series of rockes , heapt to the skies upon one another , yet to get over wee are constraind . from marguzzo wee had horses to duomo , that forenoone was not so tedious as wee expected it would have been , for wee rode rather through then over the mountaines in a very fruitfull though narrow valley . having dind at duomo wee changd horse , and so the way required ; being mounted we presently got two miles higher where wee met with extreame hazardous way , and deep precipices to boot . ( believe mee hanniball had a most hard taske to lead an army over the alpes — difficilis est ad astra via . ) our horses though tract up in those pathes , seemd to tell their steps and pick out their footing ; however in this slow pace wee got safe to vedra sixe mile beyond duomo , the last village in dutchy of milan . the next morning about three mile farther , wee enterd into the paese de' valesi ; a most barbarous disconsolate place , a habitation for wolves and beares . our terminus visus was most hideous mountaines , coverd with snow , on all sides terrible precipices , monstrous rockes , passages over narrow bridges , cataracts of water , tumbling downe with such noise that wee could not heare one another speake . this strange and unusuall landskip continued not above five houres , but presently wee met with a new people , a new phisiognomy , a new genius , a new dresse , a new language . yet the first words wee heard , wee even understood com heyn gots name , and got tanke heir . these monticoli are in all things consonant with the switzers stout , lusty fellowes , yet very dull and ignorant . they weare long breeches , and rough bands , their tongue is a broken dutch . that which they are most commendable for is their honesty , a man may travell over all their country with gold in his hand . their women speake more of the male then their owne , the female sex . having with much paines , yet delight , because of the variety , crouded through some of the alpes , wee came to dinner at sampion , at the top of the mountaine , to which that village gives the denomination . this mount sampion was by the latins cald mons sempronius after dinner we had the hardest part of our journey to passe over , and then wee were worst of all provided ; the poverty of the place could not afford us either saddles or bridles to our jades , yet necessitie drives and away wee must . wee were now at the very top of the alpes ; nothing to bee seen but snow , which hath laid there beyond the memory of man , and as some say ever since the flood . there are poles set up to direct the way to passengers , yet in the very path our horses went so deep that few or none of us scapt without a fall . in some parts of the yeare , as december , january and february this mountaine is impassable , the best time is in september , october or november . after wee had past over the snow which was but for foure mile or thereabouts , wee were forc't to alight , to crawle down the steeper part of the mountaine ; when our guide desird us to horse againe , it hapned one unruly jade broke loose and ran away . t was my ill fortune to be set upon a mule , an untamable headstrong beast , which seeing the other horse , a great way before , ranne headlong up and downe , and carried the rider over such terrible places that all the company gave mee for lost : when the horse and my mule stayd of themselves my fellow travellers , overtooke mee , so that evening wee reacht to briga , at the bottom of the sampion which was the end of our alpine voyage . hereabouts the rivers , the rhene and the rhosne , have their fountaines but neither are navigable . the rest of our way to the lake of geneva , was amongst alpes but not over any . there running along a rich valley between two huge mountaines . from briga wee lay the next night at sion ( sedunnm in latine ) being from briga six switzer mile , thirty italian . sion is the head city of valesia , the bishop hath both the spirituall and temporall jurisdiction . from sion wee lay at martigni . the next morning wee past by saint mauritz , a little farther wee went through a gate that divideth the vallois from the dutchy of savoy : wee dind at montei , and in the afternoone wee came to boveretta , and there hir'd a boate , to passe by the lake unto geneua . the lake of geneva , heretofore lacus lemanus is held to be the biggest in christendome , on one side it hath the switzers and france , on the other the savoyarde , and at that end where it looseth it selfe in the rhodanus stands the city that christens it geneva , where wee arrivd the sixteenth of october : the eighth day from the time we sate out of milan . geneva ( ancienty head of the allobroges ) would bee but an obscure towne were not fame her friend . yet is she placed in such a corner of the world , that she seemes to lye geografically in the center between germany , france , and italy . for this reason t is suppos'd master calvin began to preach up his reformation , in this city before any other , not through any splendour in the place , but that some might come from all parts to follow his doctrine . and now by gods protection i am in no roman , though catholicke state , no inquisition to lay hold of my words , or writings ; i may set downe that which a marble table hath in letters of gold , on the towne-house at geneva thus . post tenebras lux . quum anno 1535. profligata romana antichristi tyrannide , abrogatisque ejus superstitionibus , sacrosancta christi religio hic in suam puritatem , ecclesia in meliorem ordinem , singulari dei beneficio reposita , & simul pulsis fugatisque hostibus vrbs ipsa in suam libertatem non sine insigni miraculo restituta fuerit . senatus populusque genevensis monumentum hoc perpetuae memoriae causa fieri atque hoc loco erigi curavit : quo suam erga deum gratitudinem ad posteros testatam fecerit . before their eyes were opened by master calvins sermons , the motto of the genevists was post tenebras spero lucem , since it is alterd to post tenebras lux . god will confound great things by small , else t is miraculous how those seeds of the gospell , which were first sow'd in this towne , should spread it selfe into many parts of the world maugre rome and her adherents . this advantage geneva hath by its situation , the better sort speake or understand any of these three languages , french , dutch , italian , so that every weeke there are sermons in them all . amongst the divines of geneva , deodatus is their great patron , a great schollar , and a pricking thorne in the jesuites sides . for the ecclesiasticall government of geneva , it is presbyterian such as calvin instituted . for the politicall , i conceive it to depend on aristocracy . their state ( excepting some private men ) hath hardly wealth to subsist , yet every citizen will lay downe his life and meanes for to maintaine their cause , and liberty . they keep contiauall watch and ward , and not without reason for their owne territory about the city , exceeds not the lands of many countrey gentlemen about their houses . the savoyards very often make suddain incursions , so farre that they shewed us where they once had scal'd the walls , but were repulst . yet if the duke of savoye prohibit his subjects to carry provisions into geneva . the genevists presently can sallie forth , and take their cattle or the like by force . for there is no castle neere to counterpoise the strength of geneva . besides this , in cases of necessity they have the three protestant cantones to help them , with whom they are confederates , as this inscription standing in the towne house witnesseth . d. o. m. s. anno a vera religione divinitus cum veteri libertate genevae restituta l. quasi novo jubilaeo ineunte plurimis vitatis domi & foris insidis , & superatis tempestatibus , & helvetiorum . primar i tigurini aequo jure in societatem perpetuam nobiscum venerint , & veteres fidissimi soci bernenses prius vinculum novo adstrinxerint s. p. q. g. quod felix ese velit dom . tanti beneficii monumentum consecrarunt anno temporis vltimi mdxxciv . there is little remarkable in the city except in the towne-house there are kept fourteen urnes , which were dug up as they were raising the workes of the city . s. peters church is their chiefe . the houses in geneva are generally well built , but through most of the streets is a timber worke very offensive to the eye , for it hinders the view of the houses , neverthelesse t is convenient to keep out raine . the greatest merchandise geneva sends to other parts is bookes of all sorts . this is the summe of what i tooke notice of in those few dayes i spent at geneva . from thence i made the quickest dispatch i could to paris , and so to my native home . but t is now high time to set my last period to this itinerary of my italian voyage . finis . an appendix on the same subject . for the readers fuller satisfaction ; and to leave no part of this empresse of the world undescribed ; i have here annexed a captiulation of those places which i casually omitted to see , partly collected from my discourse with italians , partly from my converse with forreigne authors of this nature . in my first digression the city lucas is most obvious . this republickes dominions lie promiscuously in those of the duke of florence's , and containe not above two dayes journey in circuit , yet the vigilancy of the state under his catholike majesties protection , defends their liberties against all opposers . to maintaine their freedome more powerfully , the luchesi have reduc't this city to that strength as few in italy can equall it . it stands on a flat some few miles distant from a branch of the appenines . the compasse is but small ( as places of most hard accesse alwaies are ) the whole not exceeding three mile ; which is inclos'd and fenc't with gallant walls and eleven bulwarkes . there is little observable within the city except the pallace , counsell-hall , arcenall , and in the dome the volto santo , which ( pardon the tradition ) was set miraculously on an image of our saviour , carv'd by nicodemus his disciple , whilst the artist was surmizing after what forme to expresse that sacred face . the inhabitants are very affable to strangers ( as i have been informd ) so that some chuse to stay there , and their language is much consonant with the sanesian . the territory of luca by the country mans industry , abounds in fruits , olives especially , which are famous here with us . out of luca towards pistoia , in the high way there runnes a rivolet of salt water , and from the same source ( as is imagind ) issue those renowned bathes ; to goe to which from luca one passeth , over the river serchio upon two bridges of admirable structure . advancing towards rome , t is worth stepping out of the way to perugia , and orvietta both under the patrimony of saint peter . the first perugia gives denomination to the lacus thrasimenus , though six miles distant . here precisely was fought that memorable battell between hanniball and the romans the latter routed . perusia stands on a high hill , hath but poore walls , the citadell well fortified , the fountaine , the popes pallace , and the schooles deserve seeing , yet i heard of nothing more remarkable there , then the delicious muscatelle wine . orvietta is a great towne on a mountaine too ; there is in this city one most singular piece to satisfie curiosity , and that is the well , made so that they goe down by one side and come up the other ; it hath a hundred and fifty staires , and seventy windowes . the dome is such as all italy hath few the like , t is built of pietra teverina , and on the front are most exact ouerages of marble . in or about rome i know no place i mist , excepting bagnaia on this side and albano on the other ; the latter deserves seeing , if not for the antiquity , yet for the good wine ; one of the best sorts in italy . however florus saith alba latii caput before romulus had laid his cities foundation : besides the tombes of ascanius , and of the three horatii yet stand there . there are many ensignes of the romans greatnesse , and places often cited amongst ancient writers ; as canna , sulmo ovids towne , brundusium , with many others towards calabria , but few or none steere that course . those that make the circuit in italy , far il gyro as they say goe to venice by the way of loreto . between rome and loreto one passeth by divers remnants of antiquity , as first the ruines of otricoli , then narnia , which martiall describes thus . narnia sulphureo quam gurgiti candidus amnis circuit ancipiti vix adeunda jugo . out of the towne there are most huge arches of a bridge standing over the river , made by augustus out of the sicambrian spoyles , the reliquiae declare it to have been the worke of some flourishing empire . 't is of marble , one arch though not entire is two hundred foot broad , a hundred and fifty high , nor can i thinke martiall spoke of any other bridge in the precedent epigram , which hee concludes thus . sed jam parce mihi , nec abutere narnia quinto . perpetuo liceat sic tibi ponte frui . there comes an aquiduct into the city fifteen miles in length , at the embushment are three faire fountaines of brasse . beyond spoleto runnes the river clitumnus , the water whereof the old poets feign'd , made the oxen that dranke of it , white , as virgill in his georgicks hinc albi clitumne greges & maxima tauri , victima saepe tuo persusi flumine sacro . romanos ad templa deûm duxere triumphos . keeping on the via flaminia you come to foligni , of old forum flaminii ; some step out of the way to assisa famous for the birth of saint francis , institutor of the capuchian order : but the nearest is to goe to recanati and so to loreto . great was diana of the ephesians , great is the lady of loreto . loreto is of it selfe but a little bourg or village , yet by the noise it makes through christendome , especially in the catholike regions , t is as much frequented as saint peters chaire . hee 's no zealous romanist that hath not made one pilgrimage thither , or sent some offering to the virgin here ador'd . the church is on an eminence ; in the midst with great reverence is kept the cottage or chamber ( as they tell ) where the virgin mary liv'd and conceiv'd her heavenly offspring . the house is environd with a case of marble most curiously workt , their legend runnes that this lodging was brought out of palestina by the angels , and plac't here at the adriatick shoare : why not at rome i wonder ? to confirme this story they shew the window where the angell enterd at the salutation . here is without dispute the greatest treasurie in christendome , and is daily increast by new oblations from catholike princes . which the turks and other pyrates well know , and would make incursions were the place as weake , as it is little . though little it deserves a longer survey then my speed will admit . i passe now towards ravenna , and first ancona presents it selfe to my view . ancona the greatest maritimate under his holinesses jurisdiction is mountainously scituated , yet before hath a most capacious and commodious port ; ancient without any farther enquiry ; that arch-triumphall erected by the senate to trajan is so firme and solid an antiqual , as rome her selfe can scarce shew the like , t is of parian marble , each stone of a prodigious bignesse , cimented with no morter , but with lead . in the front these words are legible . imp : caesari . divi . nervae . f. nervae trajano . optimo . aug. germanic . daci . co. pont. max. tr. pot. xix . imp. ix . cost . vi . p. p. providentissimo principi . senatus p. q r. quod accessum italiae . hoc etiàm addito , ex pecunia sua portum tutiorem . navigantibus reddiderit . on the right side . plotinae . aug. conjugi aug. on the left . divae marcianae sorori aug. ancona gives the name to the country marca d' ancona , anciently ager pisenus , all under the pope , though the next cities senogallia and fossombrone belong to the dukedome of vrbin . this dukedome is at the present vacant , both the pope and the duke of toscany lay claime thereto , t is thought there will be a publick contest shortly . after fossombrone you finde the river metaurus and the via flaminia cut through a rock . vrbin is a city amongst the mountaines of very hard accesse , raphael d' vrbino purchast it a great fame by his deserving pensill , of which many excellent pieces are here extant , one especially , his owne picture drawne by his owne hand . the pallace , the bibliotheck , and castello durante ten miles off may bee seen if you have leasu●e . before the place are the statues of the dukes . pesaro succeeds vrbin a neat city in a plaine under the same duke , the princes pallace and his other seats of pleasance ( but above all mille fiore ) deserve any ones sight . the next city of note is ariminum , famous for caesars ingression when he past the rubicon of which take this . in the piazza at rimini , heretofore forum ariminense upon the stone whereon caesar stood when he made a speech to his souldiers . c. caesar dict. rubicone superato civili bello commilit . suos hic in foro ar . adlocut . 1555. per cos. restit . at the east gate comming from pesaro , there 's an old decayed arch of marble built by augustus where the via flaminia ended . over the marecchio is a bridge began by augustus , and finished by tyberius , as the title thereon intimates . arimini stands , on the sea-side but the port is very bad , the place is faire , grac't with the pope paulus quintus his statue in brasse . betwixt ariminum and cesena neere to cesena on the high way , upon a white marble is yet visible the decree of the senate when caesar past the rubicon , and sayd — eatur quo deorum ostenta & inimicorum iniquitas vocat , jacta sit alea . the edict runs thus . jussu mandatuve p. r. cos imp : mili . tyro . commilito . manipularive cent. turmaeve legionariae armat . quisquis es hic sistito vexillum , sinito , nec citra hunc amnem rubiconem , signa , arma , ductum , commeatum , exercitumve traducito . si quis hujusce jussionis ergo adversus jerit feceritve , adjudicatus esto hostis p. r. ac si contra patriam arma tulerit , sacrosque penates e penetralibus asp●rtaverit . sanctio plebesci senatusve consult : vltra hos fines arma proferre liceat nemini . this stone was restor'd tem : pauli tertii . upon one of the sides is writ ( as may be suppos'd by the restorer ) quae fluit vnda brevis gallorum terminus olim ausoniaeque fuit ; parvulus hic rubicon . advancing towards ravenna you passe by cervia , where before the cathedrall an ancient sepulcher , made like a pyramid with two infants ingrav'd thereon is to be noted : nearer revenna is la pignada that notable forrest of pines which furnisheth all italy with that sort of fruit . revenna a city very venerable for its antiquity stands in a plat very low , three miles from the sea side ; it hath one great inconvenience , a scarcity of good water ; which martiall knew when hee wrote this epigramme sit cisterna mihi , quam vinea malo ravennae cum possum multo vendere pluris aquam . in the porta speciosa for the beauty of the architecture cald aurea this title is to be read ti claudius . drusi . f. caesar . aug. germanicus . pont. max. tr. pot. cos. 2. des. 3. imp. p. p. dedit . at ravenna t is worth the paines to step into the church of saint apollinary built by theodorick king of the gothes . there are two rowes of most noble columnes brought by the same king from constantinople . before the church of saint vidal there are some old idols of the pagans , and in the convent is the sepulcher of galla placidia . hard by are the ruines of theodoricks pallace . in the vessell of a fountaine stands a statue of hercules horarius the like not in italy . the dome of ravenna is very sumptuous . the tradition is that , saint apollinary praying god would shew some miraculous signe to whom hee would commit the bishoprick of ravenna , at a solemne convention , the spirit came downe in the likenesse of a dove upon one ; the window whereat the dove enterd , they conserve with great devotion . in saint francis his convent , is buried the great italian poet dante , with this epitaph made by himselfe . jura monarchiae , superos phlegetonta lacusque lustrando cecini , volverunt fata quousque sed quia pars cessit melioribus hospita castris . actoremque suum petiit felicior astris . hic claudor danthes patriis exornis ab oris quem genuit parvi florentia mater amoris . these are the most considerable rarities at ravenna . i will now make a speedy cut through those parts in lombardy i left out . neere to padua is arquato , where petrarch liv'd and past to the other life , they shew his house . on a faire tombe is this his epitaph . frigida francisci lāpis hic teossa petrarchae suscipe virgo parens , animam sate virgine parce fessaque jam terris coeli requiescat in arce . these cities in lombardy , as mantua , modena , parma , turino , the capitalls of foure dukedomes are seldome visited by strangers ; and indeed the splendour those princes live at drownes the rarities of the cities , but i have been so superfluous in curiosities , that i feare delight should turne too tedious thererefore in brief . mantua stands in the midst of a lake , which renders the place inaccessable . there are to come to the city two great bridges , the one named san georgio , the other molini . gradaro is a very faire church , as likewise the dome , where there 's two excellent pieces of the councells held at mantuo . the duke hath divers seats and pallaces about the city . as the fontana where in a hall there are rangd about wild boares heads , that vincenzo father of this present duke ferdinand killed with his owne hand . the favorita and the thea , and above all the hall of gyants , where by strange and unusuall art , how low soever one speaks , at the corners t is intelligibly to be heard , and those in the midst heare nothing . the dukes pallace is of a most vast extent , virgils house is shew'd neere the city , no memoriall but his statue — man tua me genuit . in the rest of the cities of lombardy , there is little should draw a traveller out of his way to bee seen , but the courts of their princes , till he comes to turin the duke of savoys amongst the alpes where he may shut this booke . 1648. the end of the appendix . errata . page 24. line 11. for one read owne . p. 42. l. 12. for è r. & . p. 44. l. 7. for distance . r. distant . p. 75. l. 5. for antonius , r. 〈◊〉 p. 86. 4. for some r. same . p. 86. l. 4. for printed r. painted . p. 11. 7 l. 8. o●it s . p. 206. l. 11. for mar. r. marmore . p. 206. l. 9. for constitution r. institution . imprimatur . nathaniel brent . junii 28. 1648. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a92196e-850 * vesuuius † the alpes notes for div a92196e-1200 * a weak broath of hearbs * good words . a porter . notes for div a92196e-3260 monaco . genua . pisa . ligorne . florence . sum osiris rex . jupiter universo in terrarum orbe . rome . * vid. rom. antic. pag. 355. * vid. rom. mod pag. 280. * vid. rom. antic. pa. 343 & 346. * vid. rom. antic. p. 353. * vid. rom ▪ an. i● . pag. 1●9 . a vid. rom antic. pag. 173. b vid. rom antic. pag. 171. * vid. rom. antic. pa. 350. vid. rom. mod. pag. 442. * vid. rom. mod pag. 45 * vid. rom. mod. pag. 486. a vid. rom. mod. pag. 491. * vid. rom. antic. pag. 215 * vid. rom. mod. pag 3. * vid. rom antic. pag. 190. * vid. rom. antic pag. 349. * vid. rom mod pag. 6. * vid. rom. mod. pag 10. * vid. rom. mod. pag. 20. * vid. rom. antic. pag. 248. * vid. rom. mod pag. 205. * vid. rom. mod. pag. 402. vid. rom. an●ic . pag. 69 * vid. rom. an●ic , pag. 309. * vid. rom. antic. pa. 168. * vid. rom. an●ic . pag. 86. & 88. a vid. rom. mod. pag. 326. * vid. rom. antic. pag. 202. a vid. rom. antic. pag. 207. * vid. rom. antic. pag. 225. a act. 28. 30. b vid. rom. mod. pag. 428. c vid. rom. antic. pag. 165. * vid. rom. antic. pa. 239. * vid. rom antic. pa. 228. naples . bolonia ferrara . venice . padua . vicenza . verona . brescia . milan . geneva . notes for div a92196e-29340 perugia . loreto . ravenna . the present state of the princes and republicks of italy with observations on them / written originally in english by j. gailhard ... gailhard, j. (jean) 1671 approx. 304 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 136 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-05 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a41525 wing g125 estc r40437 19320043 ocm 19320043 108607 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a41525) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 108607) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1670:29) the present state of the princes and republicks of italy with observations on them / written originally in english by j. gailhard ... gailhard, j. (jean) the second edition corrected and enlarged [24], 240 p. printed for john starkey ..., london : 1671. "licensed, roger l'estrange" --p. [24]. pages 170 and 174 misnumbered as 136 and 474, respectively. reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng popes -election. italy -history -1559-1789. italy -kings and rulers. spain -social life and customs. 2003-12 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-01 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-02 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2004-02 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the present state of the princes and republicks of italy , vvith observations on them . the second edition corrected and enlarged , with the mamnner of the election of popes , and a character of spain . written originally in english by j. gailhard , gent. london , printed for john starkey , at the miter near temple-bar in fleet-street , 1671. to the right honourable , robert , earl of sunderland , baron spencer of wormleighton . my lord. 't is usual with some when they publish any of their works , to pretend they were forced to it by the importunity of friends , which is often true , and sometimes it is allowable ; but 't is no great modesty to boast of it upon every occasion . others do prefix to their books , to give them credit , the name of some considerable person ; this is well done , if the worth of the piece be any wayes suitable to the qualifications of that person ; else ( to speak in solomons words ) it will be as a jewel of gold in a swines snout . i hope , my lord , i have at present in some measure hit upon that necessary proportion ; your lordship is in every account one of the most eminent noblemen of the kingdome , and my subject ( though i handle it with several defects and imperfections ) is of potent princes and republicks , a hard task indeed it is ; for when a private man is to speak of the persons and actions of kings and princes , specially of so many as i have occasion to mention , he walks upon the edge of rocks and precipices ; for of one side princes are jealous of their authority , and the people of their liberty ; on the other , if he gives monarchies such commendations as that manner of government deserves , he must be careful to say nothing to the disparagement of republicks : every one of these governments is good in it's kind , yet not in every countrey , only as it sutes the temper and constitution of the people ; but i cannot forbear to say , that monarchy hath of all governments most conformity to the pattern of all , or to the empire which god hath over the world. 't is not an easie matter to speak of a subject which hath been treated of by several others , however there are different wayes to do it , and new observations may produce new notions . sometimes one hath occasion to tell his opinion of things , and herein he is himself liable to the censure of thousands of different judgement and affections ; but as these things are unavoidable to those who appear in publick ; so they ought to be resolved to undergo any thing of that kind : the approbation of such persons as your lordship , is that which writers should mind most of all , and use their utmost care to obtain . 't is a known truth , and i declare it , my lord , that your natural parts , joyned to the experience you have gained by your travels , have fitted your lordship to pass a judicious sentence upon any thing that deserves it . i say nothing in this relation , but what your lordship hath more accurately by far , & more exactly observed : you have been , my lord , upon the places highly esteemed by some princes who knew your worth and quality , and where to my own knowledge ( if i may so say ) you omitted nothing that might conduce to the improvement of your self , as a person who by vertue of your birth , parts and merits , will find no imployment in your countrey too high for you , when some occasion shall be offered for your prince to do you that favour and justice ; to the end , the nation may have some benefit of that treasure of wisdome and experience which is in you ; and i in particular the satisfaction to see your lordship as great as you deserve ; which is the earnest desire of my lord , your lordships most humble and devoted servant , gailhard . to the reader . wonderfull and much to be admired is the goodnesse and wisdome of god , in that various distribution he hath made of his favours to nations and countries , for the benefit of humane society , that men seeing every where some tokens of his goodnesse , after a serious reflection on the same , they should reduce all to that ultimate end , which is to give him glory and praises for it . non omnis fert omnia tellus , so that one country lies under a kind of necessity of keeping correspondency with another , either for necessary or for delightfull things , if not for the being , yet for the well-being ; for this end hath the art of navigation been discovered , trade ( which makes countries so flourishing ) settled , and all manner of correspondency kept between those who live at a distance . i do not deny but that it is convenient to have things brought home to us out of forreign parts , without taking any pains , or running any hazzard , yet to have things right , we must go to fetch them upon the places where they are produced ; 't is best to have things at the first hand , and to have pure water , we must go to the spring , if it can conveniently be done , for it looses something of it's worth , either through the defect of the vessell , or some other accident , if it be brought to us : we observe in vegetables , if they be transplanted , after a while they degenerate , and loose part of their vertue , the climate and the soyle are not so sutable to their nature as that wherein they grew ; no balm was so good as that which was in gilead ; that vine-tree which in one place doth produce good grapes , in another will yield nothing but wild grapes . experience also doth demonstrate this in sensitive creatures , horses and dogs , when carried from their own climate , loose their good qualities , at the furthest at the second or third breed . this holds in rational creatures ; we know there are nations which for the generality have quicker apprehension , and sharper wit than others , yet let a man remove from his native countrey , when he hath been any considerable while in another , his temper will be like that of those amongst whom he lives , imperceptibly such an alteration is wrought , so that he will grow dull and flegmatick if the climate bears it ; this may be caused by a constant conversation with people of that constitution ; by the very diet , for those aliments which are course , make gross and thick bloud , which doth not breed quick and lively spirits ; and a man by the change of air , will find a great alteration in himself ; the breathing of a pure air refreshes the lungs , chears up the heart , and upon a suddain inspires an inward joy , which can hardly be expressed : in this i speak after my own experience , i specially took notice of it when i came to puzzuolo and baya in italy , neither was i alone to make that observation , which obliged me to think that there had been a particular reason of this nature , why some roman emperours , and others of the greatest persons amongst them , took such a delight to be there . 't was in such places as this , and tivoly , with the like , that cicero , virgil , and other eminent men for learning , composed the greatest part of those works which to this day we have amongst us . that which i have said of low and mechanicall things , will hold in those of a more noble and higher nature . what merchants do for their profit , gentlemen ought to do for their honour ; the one brings riches into his countrey , the other ought to bring good observations and maximes that may contribute to the good order and right government of his nation , if by his quality or abilities he comes to be called to havè a share in it . the great law givers in greece , sent into several parts of the world those who gathered for them the quintessence of those laws which other nations enjoyed . the romans in the times of the decemvirs did the same , and others have followed their example ; 't is true , one must be very judicious and skilful in the application of the same ; for every law doth not suite every nation ; but i say , that mutatis mutandis , there is never a monarchy , aristocracy , or democracy , but they may make an exchange of some of their laws and customes : monarchy may afford democracy some beneficial statutes , so may well regulated democracy to monarchy ; for all governments , by what name soever distinguished , have or ought to have , but one and the same end , which is self preservation first , and then the promoting of publick good , every one in his station and calling , although these different governments use different means and waies to come to that end . out of this i suppose 't will appear to any rational man how necessary and beneficial travelling is to the compleating of a gentleman , if it be well directed and improved ; and as nations are obliged to those merchants , who through many and great hazzards do bring home the best of other countries to inrich their own , certainly they must needs be much beholden to those patriots , who have been at charges and pains to collect and bring them those wholesome counsels , by the right use of which they may secure themselves in the enjoyment of their plenty , riches and happiness , to the preventing of disturbances which might happen to arise against it : it ought therefore to be the endeavours , as it is the duty , of every one to fit himself as much as he can for the service of his king and countrey . i said just now , how beneficial travelling is , if one hath good directions ; this lays an engagement upon me to say something to that effect for the satisfaction of those who stay at home , and for the instruction of them who go abroad ; not that i think my self wise enough to advise others ; only i say my naturall propensity joyned to that manner of life i have led hitherto , hath much inclined me to travel into most parts of europe , wherein i have spent most of my time ; but whether this hath fitted me to give my opinion upon this subject , i am not to be the judge : however i dare say 't is difficult for a gentleman , let him have never so good parts , to get any considerable benefit by his travels upon his first going abroad , except he hath along with him the advice of one who knows countries and fashions ; for the time allowed him to stay abroad is almost expired , before he can recover himself of the surprizal and astonishment which daily difficulties and inconveniences have cast him into : but when he is to act according to advice , and this advice is grounded upon knowledge and experience , he will find his task more easie , more pleasant and more profitable . and here i must say something in general of those who undertake to be such directors , which may well be applyed to all sorts of persons . god , whom men pray ( or ought to pray ) every day to give them their daily bread , hath commanded them to work for it , and he who doth not work , ought not to eat , as the apostle saith . as the difference of faces , and the diversity of tempers in men do express the wisdome of god , so doth that variety of employments which he calls them to , according to their genius , inclination and abilities in some measure to perform their undertakings : let every one abide in that whereunto he is called , saith st. paul. ; so that men ought to follow it after they have imbraced it , either out of choice or by necessity , especially if besides the benefit they reap by it , they are any wayes usefull to others knowing we are born not so much for our selves , as for others ; and though a constant kind of employment be necessary for one , yet this doth not exclude the use of that capacity he may have to several sorts of calling , it being well for those who have many strings to their bow , that if one breaks the other may be useful . men must ever be doing something , if it were for nothing else but to keep themselves from idleness , which is the mother of vice. but to come to that kind of employment which gives occasion to this discourse , 't is usually attended with great and many difficulties , besides the hazzards which one runs in forreign countries ; for if dangers come often to men when they are at home , what will it be when they go as it were to meet with them , when almost every day they see men of all nations , and of all sorts of tempers : certainly one must very much excercise his prudence in avoiding the perils he meets withall , and must have much courage to come off when they be unavoidable , but above all , an extraordinary protecting providence of god is absolutely necessary : yet there are more uncomfortable difficulties to struggle withal , than are the fore-expressed . the extravagancy of a young man , who will not be advised by a governour , nor ruled by a father ; this governour is to please a father who loves to spare , and a son who delights to spend , a father who would have him to learn and improve himself , and a son who in his travels hath no other end but to take his pleasure ; and after he hath fenced a long while against the wild nature , the vicious inclination and unreasonableness of a son , he is also exposed to the hardness and unthankfulness of parents . i have wondred at many who take this charge upon themselves , and consider not whether they be qualified for it , when no honest man will undertake any thing , except he knows himself in some measure able to perform it : 't is enough for them to know they shall thereby get a competent allowance , to run headlong upon any employment that lies in their way ; how can they expect in conscience or reason , that a young gentleman can improve under their conduct , that his relations can have any satisfaction , or themselves get thereby any credit or reputation , if they have no capacity somewhat suitable to their undertakings ? for how can such a one be able to direct another how to benefit himself , and to travel in forreign parts , except he hath some knowledge of the language of the countrey , and fashions ? every nation hath some particular vices and virtues , the one to be avoided , and the other learned ; what these things are i must be told , and how can be that knows it not tell me of it ? this ignorance will make him contemptible to me , and he must learn it himselfe before he can teach it me ; so that for the whole time allowed to travel , he is onely a learner who should have been a teacher . i am a bashful english man , i will learn confidence , and a handsome carriage in france , so riding the great horse , fencing , dancing , and other bodily exercises which contribute to compleat a gentleman , thence if i pass into italy , that air will fix the french quick-silver , there i will learn sobriety , frugality , and to be circumspect in words and actions , so musick picture drawing , architecture , &c. yet i must have some knowledge of persons and places , of whom and where these things may be learned best of all ; i must know also how to benefit my self in going by , or staying at a place . 't is not enough for a gentleman to say , in such a city there is a stately church , a fine palace , and the ruines of a most antient amphitheater ; this i confess ought to be taken notice of : but further , i must observe the quality of the climate , and of the soyle , the scituation of the countrey , and ( if i understand fortifications . ) the strength and the weakness of the cities and countries i go through , and take notice of the advantage or disadvantage of rivers , ways , and grounds ; so i must be acquainted with their manners , forces , riches , and wherein they consist , to see whether any thing out of it may be useful to my countrey ; but above all i must observe their government , and if it be possible their mysteries of state , so i must endeavour to know the persons and qualifications of princes and ministers of state , and any thing else that may be both for my own benefit , and the service of my countrey ; so at length my travels having ripened my judgement , quickned my apprehension , and sharpned my wit , i shall not be unprofitable , nor of the number of those the poet speaks of , nos numerus sumus fruges consumere nati . this i do insist upon , not to boast of any abilities of my own , for i ingeniously confess my weakness in this , yet i profess a desire to learn it , though it was for no other end than to impart it to others , that with me they may reap some benefit of it ; this i say still , that another cannot teach me that which he knows not , but his knowledge , experience and practice of any thing enables him to infuse it into me ; and indeed 't is a fault i have accidently observed in some when they be in a strange countrey , they keep company with none but the masters of their exercises , they ought indeed constantly to follow these exercises , but if they see no body else , at last they will learn to dance , to fence , &c. and nothing else ; they ought to make acquaintance with men of quality , and frequent their company ; of them a handsome carriage and good fashions are to be learned , they must also take care to finde themselves company for their honest pleasures , and lawful recreations ; but a hateful thing it is to see one brought up in a timorous and pendantical way , which makes a gentleman unfit for any thing of concernment ; a gentleman must be taught as to do no wrong , so to suffer no wrong as long as his honour is concerned in it , for he is not worthy to live who prefers his life to his honour ; not that imaginary honour as 't is conceived in these dayes , but that honour which is really so , not contrary to our duty to god , or obedience to superiours ; therefore a great wisdome is required in the use of a bridle or of a spur to work upon youth , to infuse courage into them , so as not to make them rash , and so to curb them , as not to dishearten them . but i am carried further than i intended upon this subject , 't is time to speak directly to my present design ; i give thee reader , the present state of the princes , and republicks of italy : 't is a worthy subject , if we consider their number , jealousies , and policy ; 't is certainly one of the most politick nations of the world , and i doubt very much whether any other can compare to it . what i express is gotten not so much by reading , as by travelling upon the places , seeing and conversing for a competent time with those who were able to instruct me : some things also are of my own particular observation . in the following discourse , i do not speak of the scituation , or of the boot-like shape of italy , which any ordinary mappe can shew ; to mention the quality of the climate , or of the soyle of every part of that garden of europe , 't would prove tedious , and contrary to the narrow bounds i doe here prescribe my self . the manners of the inhabitants , their outward form of government , their riches , force and religion , are matters for historians ; hence it is that i do not insist upon descriptions , however that which i thought fit to be known upon the matter in hand i express ; i think ( i know not whether i am mistaken ) that the variety i use in it will please thee , for in some parts i insist upon the person of the prince , in others upon the manners of the inhabitants , and in some others i briefly mention what is particular in their government ; so that i have not a constant or affected method ; contrariwise i endeavour some time to conceal it : upon every particular , i speak , either that onely which i thought necessary to be known , and so i passed by some things i could have told , or i speak according to the degree of knowledge i had of the thing ; and if amongst a thousand things unprofitable , there be but one useful , i will not grudge my time nor my pains . j. g. licensed roger l'estrange . the present state of italy . that must needs be a rare countrey which is pleasant and plentiful , watered with many rivers ; at the season adorned with corn in the fields , and grass in the meddows , with delightful land-skips , that in most parts hath a wholesome air , that abounds in strong and stately cities , where the eye is delighted with most sumptuous buildings , recreated with variety of pictures and statues , the ear pleased with as great a variety of harmonious musick as can be upon earth ; where the palate is satisfied with the best fruits , and other delicacies , and the rarest wines of europe ; where in a certain season , the nose enjoyes the sweet smell of orange and jasmin flowers , which lay over head or under feet ; and at the same time , and in the same place to behold fine perspectives , and hear the murmur of several fountain waters : in a word , that countrey which produces plenty , and variety to please all the senses , and which hath the alpes of one side for walls , and the sea on the other for bounds , must needs be an excellent country ; such is italy . the length of it , is a thousand miles , or thereabouts ; beginning from susa , a town cited at the foot of the alpes , at the coming into piemont , and ending at reggio , in the furthest parts of calabri , in the kingdom of naples . as to the breadth , 't is more or less , according to the places , it being not full four hundred any where , nor less than sixteen . parts of france and savoy lay on the west of it , parts of germany , namely , tyrot and swisserland on the north , and the mediteranian sea on the east and south , though for distinction , some call the one jonian , and adriatick ; and the other tirrenean : most passages into italy , are hard and difficult . the whole country which we call italy , is , by the italians themselves , divided into italy , the kingdom , and lombardy ; italy comprehends the dominions of the pope , of the grand duke , and of luca. naples is that which they call the kingdom , and lombardy contains great part of the state of venice , the dukedoms of milan , mantua , parma , monferrat , piemont , and the state of genoa . but to make use of the ancient division , and to descend to particulars ; i say , that in italy some are great princes , considering the extend of their dominions ; and others of an inferiour orb , may be called petty princes : the former sort come to the number of seven , and with the four republicks , to eleven . the pope , king of spain , dukes of savoy , tuscany , mantoa , parma , modena ; for though some do reckon the bishop of trent , which stands between the venetians and tyrol , yet being a prince of the empire , having a perpetual alliance with the house of austria , and often of the same family , he may be taken for a german more than for an italian prince ; and seeing little can be said concerning him , we shall pass it by to come to the republicks ; which are venice , genoa , luca , and san marino : for the order of precedency , venice hath place after spain , genoa after tuscany , though they pretend to be used as crowned heads , being masters of corcica , formerly a kingdom ; the other two republicks take place after all the forenamed princes , who also do not agree amongst themselves about precedency ; tuscany pretends it from savoy , though he be much inferiour in antiquity , and extent of dominions ; and mantoa from tuscany , neither will modena yield it to some named before him . i should also say , that france having acquired pignorolo , a door into italy , and a strong place , from the duke of savoy , that king having an interest in italy , is to be reckoned amongst the princes of it . the state of rome . the pope hath great dominions conveniently seated to disturb others , specially , naples ; for all from ostia , upon the coasts of the mediterranean sea , to loretto , ancona , &c. is his : all the lands together are called , lo stato della chiesa , in particular , old latium , now campagna romana , il patrimonio , di san pietro , of which the chief city is viterbo , part of ancient tuscany , terra sabina , umbria , ducato di spoletto , la marca di ancona , la romagna , il ducato di urbino , ducato di ferrara , perugia , orvieto , and bolognese ; he is soveraign of naples , and sicily , which he gives the investiture of , and receives homage for , as he doth for the dukedoms of parma and piacenza , pretending the same over the islands of sardegna and corcica : he is in possession of the dukedom and city of benevento in the kingdom of naples , and he pretends that in time of minority of the kings of spain , he hath right to govern that kingdom by a legat : he also enjoyes the county of avignon in france , and ceneda within the state of venice . these countries , ( i mean those who are united together ) especially from ancona to ravenna and ferrara all along the coasts of the gulfe of venice , do afford good souldiers , which upon case of an urging necessity may be gathered to about the number of 60000 , though 20000 foot and 3000 horse , as had clement the 8th . in the war of ferrara , were much to be kept on foot any long while : urban the 8th . in the war of parma had 30000 , but if the whole countrey was in armes , then 't would be upon 400000. the pope indeed may be accounted , as he is really , a strong prince , which strength consists in the extent of his territories , in their scituation , being all united , and there being no safe nor convenient places towards the mediterranean , to make any landing ; and towards the gulf they trust to the venetians , who are to keep it clear ; upon which condition they are acknowledged to be the lords of these seas ; further all along the coasts of the mediterranean , and the whole campagna romana , there is a bad air , which would soon work upon any army , either in spring , summer , or autumn : this strength further consists in the temper of his subjects and soldiers , who are esteemed to be the best foot in italy : the italian proverb calls them , the best of soldiers , but the worst of subjects : so this strength consists in his strong holds , as ferrara , bologna , fortezza urbana , &c. in his arsenals , or magazeens of arms ; the vatican or st. peter hath for 5000 men , in the castle st. angelo for 15000 , in ancona for 10000 , in ravenna for 5000 , in ferrara 25000 , and bologna for 10000 , and a new one a making at tivoly , by the late don morto's order , for 16000 men , with 80. pieces of ordnance , where he employed continually above 300 men , so that they are spread up and down the countrey to arme the people upon occasion to the number of 100000 men . upon the mediterranean he keeps five gallies , which harbour in civita vecchia , they are not handsome , nor very good , but are well maned . but that which another way strengthens much the pope , is , that respect and devotion which popish princes and states bear him , acknowledging him ( though falsly ) to be the vicary of christ , god on earth , and the head of their religion ; so that if a prince had seized upon any of his dominions , the pope who had provoked him to make war being dead , it would be restored to the new elected , all of them being perswaded , that it were a sacriledge , to detain from that church , that which did belong to it ; besides that every prince of that religion intending any such thing , would find it to be a hard work ; for the pope hath ever an army quartered upon their land , which are that vast number of secular priests , and regular friars , who depend on the pope upon several accounts , who having all sworn an obedience to their generals , who usually kept at rome , they would act according to the orders sent them from thence . so that having their pulpits , confessions , and introduction into houses of all ranks , they could make strange worke ; hence to me doth appear the happiness of those princes , who having shaken off that roman yoke , and turned out those emissaries , are freed of those dangers , which those of that religion are exposed to , though often they are liable to their private attempts . another politick strength of popes , consists in the colledge of cardinals , who are most of them chosen , either to gratifie princes , or who depend upon princes , ( without whose knowledge princes hardly resolve any thing of importance about popes ) or else are relations to princes ; and it is certain , when these princes interests come to be in competition with the pope's and churches , this last swayes with them above all , because every one of these cardinals is not without hope of being chosen pope one time or other . now i say , that popes , as they are temporal princes , though they be elective , ought to have that respect which deserveth the character which god hath set upon the forehead of soveraigns ; but as he is a tyrant over the church , and an usurper over the heritage of the lord ; all good christians and reasonable men ought to abhor him , not his person , but that tyranny , usurpation , and unlawful actions of his . i said , that 25000 or 30000 men , is a great number to be kept on foot by popes any long while ; not for want of monies , for as sixtus quartus used to say , the church can never want money in her purse , as long as the pope doth hold a pen in his hand . indeed , besides the ordinary income to the camera , for the occasions of the church ( so they call that state ) the office of the diataria , brings to popes for their own use , exceeding great treasures out of all parts , which own his religion ; besides the private wayes they have to get monies , of which i shall speak ; some reckon that popes have 6000 l. sterling a day , besides the casual incomes , which are very great : every time a legat a latere is sent abroad , he is allowed 250 l. sterling a day : for proof of this vast revenues , sixtus the 5th , who reigned but five years of a poor countrey family peretti , yet he builded the palace of st. john of lateran , began that of monte-cavallo , fortified civita vecchia , built many colledges , made chargeable aqueducts ; did many other costly works and reparations , wherein 't is thought he spent a matter of 15 millions of crowns , or upon 4 millions of english pounds , and left f●ve millions of crowns in the castle of st. angelo , and did not charge his people with heavy taxes ; and then the popes had not the dukedom of urbino , nor that of ferrara , and in a time that reformation was carried on in a great measure in these three kingdoms , france , holland , switzerland , germany , sweden , denmark , and other parts of the north. and paul the 5th . who indeed reigned longer , left to the prince of salmona , one of his nephews , 1000 crowns a day , besides what he gave to several others of his relations . and gregory the 15th . of the family of ludovisio , reigned only one year and a 11 moneths , and left to his family 250000 crowns a year , or 62000 and 500 l. besides . thus as popes are temporal princes , so they lay taxes upon their subjects , and heavy ones too . the late popes , since his falling out with france , within the space of two years , laid gables or taxes upon 16 sorts of commodities , which were free before : so 't was done upon the soldiers , kept within the state , for every common soldier was taxed one crown of his yearly pay , which came to between 5 and 6000 crowns , according to their number ; and the whole people in the city and country were exceedingly oppressed : the selling of offices is now a setled custom in the court of rome , which is very beneficial to popes : i shall give but an instance of the camera apostolica , or the apostolick chamber ; the places of the treasurer general , and of the auditor , are sold for 80000 crowns a piece . there are twelve places of chierici , clarks worth 42000 a piece ; the presidents is 30000 , and so of others : the two forenamed offices are the next step to the cardinal ; so that if the pope will have 160000 crowns he makes cardinals those who have them , and from others he finds ready money for the places . and what shall we say to that vast treasure of loretto , which is inesteemable : every week , nay , almost every day , one gift or other is brought to it from kings , queens , princes , and other great persons , cities , and particular men ; they have whole chambers full of gold and silver plate ; but this is nothing to that vast number of diamonds , and other precious stones , which they keep in a place made a purpose : in the castle of st. angelo , are ever 5 millions of gold , and one and a half in jewels . were it not for want of exercise of the protestant religion , rome is as fit a place to lead a quiet and a contented life , as any is in the world , a man may live there as he pleases ; and no body meddle with him ; offend no body , and no body will offend you ; and though the inquisition be there , strangers are not troubled with it , except they speak against their religion , which it were a great imprudence to do ; 't were a madness for a man to go tell the pope he is antichrist , this were to tempt god , and contrary to the wisdom of the serpent , which is commanded us . 't is an old and common saying ; cum fueris romae , romano vivito more , &c. a stranger and a traveller must be all eyes , and all ears , but hardly any tongue at all , he must hear , he must see , and hold his peace . i say , at rome there is a very great liberty ; if a protestant pleases , all lent he may eat flesh , by the means of a license , which he may get for two shillings ; you are not obliged to go to mass , to confession , nor to any of their superstitious wayes . one thing there is , which a stranger may do to satisfie his curiosity , which is , to go to their stationi , as they call it , that is , their devotions to certain churches , which happens in one or other every week , where is a great concourse of people of all sorts , and constantly excellent good musick ; so every saturday at the cardinal padrone's , the popes nephew , lodging at monte-cavallo , all men of good fashion use to meet , to tell and hear news ; so one day or other in the week , people use to meet at the pallace of the preferto of the church , which is either the popes brother or nephew . so at monte-cavallo , the popes palace ; when the consistory of cardinals is kept . so one may have the company one time or other of their academists or virtuosi , which in rome are of three sorts , humoristi , lincei , eantastici . one thing more is , to follow the corteggio of some cardinal and ambassadour first for protection ; for if any mischance should befall a man , when 't is known such a gentleman is of the corteggio of such a cardinal , he is respected , and no harm done to him without the leave of such a protecture , into whose house one may fly for sanctuary . secondly , going with them ( after the warning you have of it at your lodging ) when they receive or make visits , or go to their audience , one may see their formalities and ceremonies which are very great ; they never visit one another but they send before , one to know whether such a one be disposed to receive the visit of another at such an hour , and as italians , give high names to things ; they call this ambassage . further , they receive not at the same time visits from two persons ; it must be known also , whether such a person intends to come incognito , or whether he will be known , which only consists in the putting on or off of a superfluous garment , and the loops which are about the horses heads , which are of gold , if the cardinal be a prince , a roman baron , or of the family of a duke and peer of france , or other kingdoms ; so that according as they come , they are received nearer the stairs , and with more ceremonies , for every step they are to make is regulated , and they would not go an inch further ; so that all that passes between them , is more belle parole then realities ; i say , belle parole , not onely because they be complements , but also they are accurate expressions , well pronounced , according to their proverb , lingua toscana in bocca romana . one thing i must needs observe of their civility to strangers who are of their own corteggio , that although they know them to be protestants , yet they never trouble them with any discourse of religion . 't is certain , that this court is as politick as any in the world , and where by a reflection you may know all what passes in europe : for no prince in the world hath better intelligencies then the ' pope , who hath legates or nuncio's in most courts , and spies every where . cardinals do receive their letters from the courts of the princes whose interests they own ; and the general of every regular order being usually at rome , and receiving a constant weekly intelligence out of all those parts where are any of his order ; and sometimes from the confessors to kings , queens , and other high persons , do signifie what things they hear , to the pope . one may judge of this by what they do at home ; that which is to be admired at rome , is that exceeding great number of spies under pay , which are there up and down in all houses , publick places , and at every corner , the pope hath his ; every cardinal , and princes ( i put them before , for they take place of them ) have theirs ; one cardinal and prince will have his spie in the house of another , though some of them go like gentlemen of good fashion ; and others who are of a higher form keep their coaches ; some of them have keys to come in at any hour by the back door to the persons whose spies they are . some as staffieri , or footmen , serve strangers ; others are masters of excercises , nay , several cortegiane or prostitute women are under pay ; so that by these means , no particular business comes to pass , but 't is presently known . one day i had occasion to enquire for a mean person about an ordinary business , very far from my lodging , and from that of a third person concerned in 't , in a corner of a street , one that was with me inquiring for such a one , in came to us an unknown man , who stood by , i admired to hear him say , what , you look for him about such a thing , he is gone to such a place : every one of their great men who know this custome , do suspect every new servant they take . i have been told by a person who stood by , that the late duke cezarini , sent one day for a notaro ( or one of those scriveners , who kept the list of some spies ) whom he trusted , and haveing shewed him the names of all his domesticks , how doth it go said he ? the other answered , well ; then said he , 't is a wonder , i am here the only man ; this language is obscure , but he who stood by , knew the meaning of it . as to strangers , none come to rome , but 't is presently known who it is , whence he comes , what company he frequents , and the like . not long since i hapned to be at rome , at the same time that there was a considerable number of english-men ; the late pope told an english priest , and an english gentleman , who being a papist , went thither for devotion sake , that he wondered , that some of the english men that were then in town , did not come to his palace upon the dayes he gave audience , though it was but for curiosity ; but said he , i know they are so taken up to drink , that they have no time to spare : he was well informed , yet this did not proceed from any contempt he had for the nation ; contrariwise he used to speak with respect of england , calling it the land of wonders : though this may be ambiguous , yet i believe he took it in a good sence , and he hath expressed the desire he had to have come to see it when he was nuncio in germany , if he could have done it with safety . in rome are to be seen several ancient and modern curiosities ; there are particular guides for antiquities , the modern do consist in churches , palaces , houses of pleasure , called villa , where you may see the utmost of art in architecture , pictures , statues , gardens , water-works ; so there are libraries , as that of the vatican , enriched with a number of excellent books , and rare manuscripts in several tongues , and increased with the ruines of that of heildelberg , and with that of urbino : this library can be compared to none but that of oxford , yet with some difference : there are also private libraries and cabinets , of all , which as of the curiosities of tivoly and frescati , places 12. and 18. miles from the city , there are exact relations in their language , so that it were needless for me to name or to describe any . therefore i come to speak how popes stand affected to their neighbours ; some grounds of this might have been laid formerly , when the apostolick chamber had the direction of affairs : but since popes are come to be so absolute , that the chamber must do almost all what they please , now their interest , natural in●●ination , fancy or capricio , as they call it ; and sometimes the suggestions of a kinsman and favourite , such as was don mario , though 't was a woman , as don olympia , are the rule of it . some popes have had fallings out with the venetians , as had paul the 5th . concerning ecclesiastical jurisdiction , and other things ; clement the 8th . with the dukes of modena about ferrara ; urban the 8th . with the duke of parma about castro ; and so of late cardinal franciotti , bishop of luca , was like to be the occasion of a great falling out between the pope and that republick . urban the 8th . was a great friend to france , but not to spain , nor to the grand duke . innocent the 10th . the half of his reign was for spain , and then he turned to the french ; and the late alexander 7th . was all along an enemy to france , chiefly upon the account of mazarini , whom he hated with all his heart ; but the present pope carries himself even between all , although before his election he were suspected to be partial for spain , but upon no sollid grounds ; for those who pretend to the popedome stand neutrals , and declare themselves of no party the maximes of pope's are different , according to their interest and temper ; so that this being an elective dignity , no general rule but this can be given , that all endeavour to raise their families to honour and riches ; however their raggioni di stato are , to hinder naples from falling into the emperours hands : for clement the 7th . made penance for the fault which leon the 10th . had committed to favour charles the 5th . a second maxime is , still to give hopes of being promoted , to the dignity of a cardinal to those potent prelates that are at rome , and elsewhere , to keep them in dependency , and from discontents and disturbances . another is to confine the number of cardinals to 70. which was an invention of sixtus quintus , to avoid the importunities of several princes , who solicited him to confer that dignity upon some whom he would not bring into the colledge . of the same nature as this is , another arcano di stato , concerning the examen of bishops , which was ordered by clement the 8th . to stop the designes of princes , who intended to promote to prelacy many of their creatures : for then they had been ashamed to present those who had no learning , nor other qualifications fit for the place . a further secret of state is , that of the bull of residency , whereby bishops are obliged to reside in their bishopricks ; by the means of this , popes do remove from their court those cardinals and others whom they dislike : by these means urban the 8th . kept out of rome cardinal borgia , and others of the spanish faction , who spoke too boldly to him : so did alexander the 7th . keep away cardinal rossetti , who stifly opposed his election . a further maxime of theirs is , to refer to congregations , the demands of princes about ecclesiastical laws , jurisdiction , and other things which popes are not willing to grant , for so they lay the denial upon others . another raggioni di stato , is , that cardinals may not go out of the state of the church without leave from the pope , for so they prevent those counsels and assemblies before the which formerly they have at several times been summoned to appear . further , as former popes have humbled and brought down those noble and potent families that were in rome , which had given a great deal of trouble to their predecessors ; so at present popes keep them low ; by which means , they have so degenerated , that instead of those great and brave captains , now out of these families come out idle , vicious , and effeminate persons . lastly , t is a very politick maxime of popes , to send their legate to princes , to pacifie the quarrels arising between them , although they know 't will effect nothing at all ; and that sometimes 't is their interest that such quarrels should last , for hereby they shew themselves to be zealous of the publick good and peace ; and thus they maintain themselves the arbiters of princes . the cardinals nephews have also their particular maximes , namely to keep from preferment , and to remove from the pope's person those whom they do not affect : on the contrary , to raise to dignities , and to procure places of trust to their friends and creatures . publick ministers at that court know so well the jealousie of nephews , who will have nothing communicated to popes , but by their means , that usually they impart first to them , that which they are to speak of to the pope , and commonly they give them an account of what answer they had , taking cardinal padrons lodging from the popes in their way homewards . a policy of the cardinals , who are contrary to the court , is to get some eminent one disaffected as they are , to be their head ; and now 't is a custome passed as it were into a law , to choose none but italians to be popes . before the late election , the colledge of cardinals was divided into the ghigian party , which were all the creatures or friends of alexander the 7th . six of them are of siena , the city he was born in , the squadra volante , the flying squadron composed of the creatures of innocent the 10th who having left no cardinal of his name or family , cardinal imperiale was look't upon as the head of them , and most part of these were brought in to this present pope by azzolino , one of their chief members ; but the 3d. party was that of barbirini francesco the dean of the colledge being the head , and several of urbans creatures the members with some others , who being poor , received pensions from francesco ; now a fourth part is rising , which is that of the present pope . before i leave this subject , i must say something of him ; he is called clemene the 9th . which name he took , as he assured the princess of rossano , out of respect he doth bear to the memory of clement the 8th . aldobrandin ; his name is giulio rospigliosi of pistoia , an indifferent good city , about 20 miles from florence , and in the grand dukes dominions . this man was chosen the last year , in the 71. of his age ; he was employed as nuncio in spain , and then by the late pope was chosen secretary of state ; he had a very sore fit of sickness a little while afore the pope died ; he was once given over by physicians , and when he came to recover , and before the popes death , he had thoughts to leave his place . he is a man of a middle stature , and very gray ; being a cardinal , he was accounted a wise statesman , and of great parts ; i say he was , for i cannot tell whether he doth or will continue so , for often have we seen in that place that honours have changed manners ; as it was well observed of the late pope alexander , of whom it was said , as of galba , he had been worthy of reigning , if he had not reigned ; dignus imperio , sinon imperasset ; and of all other sayings , this most of all was fastned upon him ; he was maximus in minimis , and minimus in maximis . this pope , since his election to that dignity , hath made a judicious creation of cardinals ; he hath chosen his own nephew to express his affection to him ; the late pope's nephew , don sigismond , to express his thankfulness for the obligations he had to that family ; and herein he hath given an example contrary to that so much blamed of innocent the 10th . who did so bitterly persecute the relations of his predecessor . the third cardinal created , is leopold , of the family medici : thus he hath repaired the fault of alexander , acknowledged the kindness he received from the grand duke in the late conclave , and shews that he remembers he hath been his subject : further , this pope hath done two things contrary to the practices of his predecessor , who , at the beginning , would own none of his relations , nor have them about his person , or raise them to preferments , till he seemed to be forced to it by the earnest solicitations , and constant importunities of cardinals , and publick ministers ; yet it is well known how indulgent to them he hath been all along ; therefore , said the romans , alexander was as good as his word , that he would not receive his relations at rome , for he went to do it at castle gandolfo , a house of pleasure 12. miles from it : but the present pope sent for his immediately after his election , and would make no new creation ( as they call it ) of cardinals , nor distribute several favours till his nephew was come back to rome , that others might have to him the obligation of it : the other thing he hath done is , that he hath suppressed in part those heavy taxes which his predecessour , or don mario , hath laid on the people ; this hath much gotten him the love of his subjects . should i now go about to give a character of don camillo his brother , his nephews , and other relations , it would be too much like a relation , therefore i forbear it ; and indeed i have been so long upon this particular , that i must be shorter in what follows . in rome are still some noble and ancient families , as colonna , which do possess three principalities , ursini hath two more . savelli , whereof the chief is perpetual marshal of the church , and prince of la rizza , bought by the late pope , and of albano . muti , duke of that name , and prince of rignano , cezarini , prince of jansano and ardea . conti , of which is the present duke pauli . caetanis of which is the prince of caserta , son to the duke of sermonetta . frangipani , which is extinct , for the late marquess left out one daughter , who hath been married to one of the name , who lives in hungary . the others are bentivogli , baglioni , peppuli , vitelli , &c. the new families , to begin with that which now rules , are , rospigliosi , ghigi , pansilio , barberini , ludovisio , borghese , altemps , cezi , farneze , aldobrandini , buoncompagnio , &c. raised by popes of th●ir family , as now rospigliosi of clement the 9th . ghigi of alexander the 7th &c. matthei also , and lanti both dukes in rome , are both of good famiies . but now clement the 9th . is dead , after somewhat above two years reign ; he was old and weak , but the loss of candia , hath probably hastened his death : his relations had no time to rise very high , and they must leave the place to his kinsman , who is now to be chosen pope : about whose election the conclave is now much divided ; the factions being great and stiff , every one driving on her interest and advantage . the cardinals amongst themselves being divided into four parties , because they are all the creatures of so many popes , urban the 8th . innocent the 10th . alexander the 7th . and clement the 9th . besides the grand dukes interest is great in the conclave : the spanish is considerable in number , by reason of many of his subjects in 't ; but as cardinals mind themselves more than the crowns ; and as spain is not mony'd , very probably many will fall off : on the other side , the french having some of the best head-pieces in the conclave , and ready monys , will go very far ; and because the last time they were disappointed , and could not raise farnese to the popedome , they will strive very hard for it . the emperour , and king of poland have also their parties among the cardinals , but not considerable in themselves , only they may joyn with others . these princes , as the french and spanish crowns interests , are managed by those cardinals who are their protectors , and the ambassadours who are at rome : of late the crown of portugal is also come in . there are also those cardinals called neutrals , of those , who pretending to the popedome , declare themselves ( at least , not openly ) for no party . cardinals first of all were called roman priests , sent by popes , to preach and do other offices in the churches , who owned their authorities : there were but six upon their first institution . calpurnius poncinus , in the year 231. raised their number to 10 , so by degrees they were 70. but as popes may alter the orders of their predecessors , so they have lessened , or increased this number . they were very inferiour in dignity to bishops , to whom , and to the people the election belonged formerly ; but innocent the 2d . gave it wholly , and only to cardinals , in the year 1135. yet left it at their liberty to choose one of their number , or another prelate . but in the year 1464. paul the 2d . ordered that none but a cardinal should be chosen pope . innocent the 4th . was the man , who in the year , 1242. altered the precedency between bishops and cardinals , to the advantage of the last : the same gave them the red hat : bonifacius the 9th . the habite : and paul the 2d . the cap of scarlet : to shew , ( as they say ) how ready they are to shed their blood for the service of the church ; though i think , that this colour and purple which they use too , are to set forth their pomp and magnificence . these cardinals are chosen by the pope , according to his intimation , and some few upon the commendation of the emperour , and the king of france , spain , and poland , out of the german , french , &c. nations ; according to the choice of those princes , who have liberty to commend , one two , or three , of what nation they please : all these cardinals are divided into three orders , six bishops , 50 priests , fourteen deacons : every one of them takes place of all embassadours whatsoever , and pretend the hand from all princes , except crowned heads . thus much i thought fit to speak of cardinals , especially now upon the occasion of the sede vacante , for they are met to make a new election , of which 't is necessary to say something . the pope being dead , nine days are employed towards his funeral , and other formalities depending thereupon : on the ninth day after , mass is said , a speech is made in commendation of the deceased , the cardinal padrone , that is master , ( a title introduced by paul the 5th . but fully confirmed by urban the 8th . ) who is a nigh relation of the late pope , acqaints all cardinals abroad with his ●eath , who thereupon make all possible haste to come to rome . on the 10th day after the popes death all the cardinals who are able , meet at st. peters church , where the mass of the holy ghost , as they call it , is sung by the dean of cardinals , he who is of a longest standing , or the next to him , if he be not well ; there is also made a speech upon the subject of the election of a new pope , with a great concourse of people to hear it ; after this , all the cardinals go in a procession towards the conclave , following a priest who carries the cross , the musicians singing their veni creator spiritus . this conclave is a place in the vatican near st. peters church , all made a new by order of the cardinal chamberlain , or chamerlengho , all of wood , which after the election , is disposed of by the said chamberlain , where a small lodging is made for every cardinal , and every one hath his by lot . the cardinals , some prelates , and volaries go in then , whereof one reads with a loud voice the bulls concerning the election of popes , which being done , all cardinals take an oath to observe what is therein contained , in the hands of the dean , and of prince savelli , who upon this action hath leave to enter into the conclave , of which he is keeper , and perpetual marshal of the church , for himself , and successors : after this ceremony every one goes to his dinner , and hitherto the doors are shut up , but after dinner all ambassadors and roman princes have liberty to go in , and for the space of four or five hours they treat and negotiate with cardinals , within their private lodgings , which time being past , they ring a little bell , whereupon every one is to go away , excepting the cardinals , and the deputies or deputati of the conclave , to wit , two servants are allowed to every cardinal , who chooses whom he likes , the old and weak ones are allowed three ; for publick use , are one sagrista , and oschaltarra ; and solo sagrista , who take care of things relating to their devotions , and belonging to the altar ; five masters of ceremonies , the secre●ary of the conclave , a confessor , two physicians , an apothecary , and two to help him ; a surgeon , two barbers , two masons , two carpenters , and sixteen porters . assoon as all others are gone , and these are within , the conclave is walled in and out , after which , the cardinals , dean , and chamberlain , go about it to see whether it be well : it hath formerly been ordered by some popes , that after this , no cardinal should be admitted , but 't is not strictly observed , if they come soon after , and if the election is like not to be ended so soon : before they are shut up , orders are issued by them , for the peace and quiet government of the city , it being very necessary so to do , upon such a conjuncture , to prevent great and many mischiefs ; now all that time the city officers have a great power , so that if a malefactor be taken , he is soon made away . 't is not usual with the cardinals to discharge the officers entrusted by the late pope , but 't is necessary they should be confirmed by them . within the conclave , is kept an exact guard , under the command of the high marshal ; first at the ruota , seven in number , which are some holes left unwalled , to take in the victuals which are brought in to every cardinal ; these ruota's are used at rome , in every monastery and nunnery ; the use whereof is to receive what things are brought from without , and given from within : for at the inside of the wall are some few boards joyned together , of five or six foot high , and three or thereabouts in breadth , some more , some less ; but being all of an equal bigness ; and this is so suspended , that it turns about like a wheel , which in italian is called ruota ; 't is hollow within , so that it is capacious of receiving great dishes , baskets , and some can hold a child of twelve yeares old ; then upon the staires in the courts , and at all passages , guards also are set with four great corps de guard in the great place before st. peters church ; every time dinner is sent in to a cardinal , 't is attended by some of his servants , and a mace-bearer , with a silver mace , with the cloth and other things used at table ; this is done twice a day , and besides the soldiers , four prelates stand at every ruota , to search strictly every thing which is sent in , the very bread is all cut in small pieces for fear their should be any bills in 't , and those four prelates are changed every day by the marshal , to whom these bills shall be given , in case any be intercepted , which he will keep till the election be over ; but this is searched , not only without , but also within , by the masters of ceremonies ; who have taken an oath of fidelity , and after the meat is in , these ruota's are sealed with paper , both at the in and out-sides : at every one of these holes , twelve soldiers are of guard in the day , and twenty five in the night time . every cadinal eats and drinks alone with his domesticks , and all their victuals are dressed by order of the martial , but the church pays for 't , and one buyeth as much as the other ; there is also an allowance for others , who are shut up , some more or less according to their quality , but usually the cardinals servants have the rest of their masters , and the guards every where are mounted every day according to the marshals order , who also according to the bulls doth lessen the victuals of cardinals , when ten days are over , since they , being shut up , in case the election be not made , and this is to force them to hasten it , and to come to an agreement about it ; which to effect , once a day they meet at the chappel of the conclave , and he who at last is chosen , ought to have two parts of three of the votes , so that if of sixty he had but thirty nine , it would not be a right election . the cardinal dean , hath the command of cardinals , as the camerlengo of others who are shut up , and and at last they must agree about him who is to be chosen , and all this while , all within the conclave are ignorant of what passes in the city . assoon as 't is known within the conclave who is the pope , the cardinal decano desireth him to approve of the choice which the colledge hath made of him , which he consents to , and takes what name he likes , as innocent , clement , alexander , or the like : then standing between the two chief cardinals , he is led behind the altar , where they take off his cardinals clothes , and give him the habit of a pope ; immediately after is sung the te deum : then all the cardinals one after another , falling upon their knees , do ( to use their words ) adore him , kissing his foot , then the right hand , and then he gives them osculum pacis , upon both cheeks , so they give him signs of submission , which is meant by kissing of the feet , they expect from him protection , in kissing his hand , and they receive from him a sign of affection , being kissed on the lips or cheeks . these things being performed , one of the masters of ceremonies , takes the cross , and carries it before him , whilst the ecce sacerdos magnus is sung , and they go towards the balcone which looks upon the great place before st. peters church , called la loggia della benedictione ; and the masons beat down the wall of partition , and there the pope being between two cardinals , they shew him to the people , who stand below in the great place , one of the cardinals with a loud voice pronouncing these latin words , annuntio vobis gaudium magnum , habemus papam eminentissimum & reverendissimum n. n. qui sibi nomen imposuit , n. n. hereupon , the people cries out , god save the new pope , god bless the family , n. n. and at the same time , one can hear the artillerie of the castel san. angela go off , there being constantly some to observe the pulling down of the wall ; then all the soldiers give their vollies ; the drums beat , the trumpets sound , and all the bells in town ring . assoon as the people hear who is chosen , they run to his palace and plunder it , it being the custom so to do ; but those cardinals who are likely to be chosen before they go to the conclave , have removed the best things they have . the ceremony at the window of the balcone being ended , all the cardinals wait upon the new pope to his palace in the vatican , whence every one goes home : in the mean time , the pope receives no publick visits , only private ones from his relations , if they be at rome , and those who have been his friends in the conclave , who come to receive the effects of the promises he made to them to get their assistance , for usually they engage upon such conditions of interest and preferment : about a fortnight's time is allowed to prepare things , in order of his being carried in a chair on mens shoulders to st. peters church , to take possession of the popedom , which is done with much pompe and magnificence ; and about a fortnight after he goes in a cavalcata to do the same at the church of st. john of lateran : but from the first day of his election , he begins to give his orders about the goverment of all his dominions . 't is usual with every pope to take an oath before the cardinals , about several things , the chief whereof are , 1. to labour to keep peace between all christian princes . 2ly . they will promote to the dignity of cardinals , none but those who are worthy of it . 3ly . to call to an account all the officers of the state , of the church , when their time is expired . 4ly . they will not make two brothers cardinals , which was the decree of julius the second . 5ly . not to alienate any thing belonging to the church , which things all the world knows how well they are observed , but if popes may ( as they think ) dispence others from their oathes , why not themselves too ? so that after this principle of the popes infallibility , men who believe it , must not complain against him , for if he be infallible , he can do nothing amiss ; these were the words of the late duke cezarini to two jesuits , who complained to him , that the pope alexander the 7th . had perswaded father oliva their general , to fell to him land for 100000 crowns . i thought it would not be amiss to mention so much about the election of a pope , it being seasonable now , in the time of a conclave , for those who have a mind to be informed of their wayes about it , for as to many other practices of that court , i wholly wave it off , as are their formalities in visits , their change of cloths , creation of cardinals , and things depending therefrom ; of their jubilees , indulgences , blessing ofswords , agnus dei's , and roses , cavalcataes , and processions , washing of the feet , beatification , canonization , and so many other things which we account to be vain or superstitious . i judge it unnecessary to mention the order setled in the popes court and family , but withal think it not amiss to say few words about their great courts and offices , which i will only mention , they being not material for any protestant state who have nothing to do there , by way of publick ministers . all businesses there are managed by certain councels or commitees , which they call congregationi , to the number of sixteen . the first , is that del sant officio , or inquisition , which as all the rest hath a secretary , by whom are given all dispatches , which he seals also with the seal of the cardinal , who is the president of it ; in it are treated matters of religion , conducing to what they call heresie , prophanation , blasphemy , &c. this ever is governed by the dominicans , and meets three times a week , on monday at the palace del sant officio , on wednesday , at the dominicans church , called , la minerva ; and the thursday , before the pope . the 2d . is that which takes cognizance of affaires concerning bishops and regular priests , or other of their diocess's , of this , as of all the rest a cardinal is the head ; into it enter 24 cardinals , which is the greatest number of any , yet never under six in any other ; whensoever friars have any falling out with bishops , they presently threaten to bring them before this congregation , which meets every friday in the house of the cardinal , president of it . the 3d. is del concilio , the jurisdiction of which , is to give interpretation to the text of the council of trent , it meets every sunday in the house of the cardinal president of it , or a thursday if he hath a mind to it . the 4th . is della immunita ecclesiastica , instituted by urban the 8th . to judge of ecclesiastical priviledges , which is kept every thursday , at one of the popes palaces , a cardinal being the head of it , for which the camera allowes him 1000 crowns a year . the 5th . is di stato , which handles matters of state ; all the cardinals , who have been nuncios and ambassadours , come in to it , and the secretary of state : there is no prefixed day , but it depends upon the pleasure of the pope , or his nephew cardinal , in whose presence it meets . the 6th . is de propaganda fide instituted by gregory the 15th . it consults about all manner of wayes , how to promote the roman faith throughout all parts of the world ; all their emissaries depend upon this , so that what jesuits and priests soever we have here , have their mission from this congregation , whereof cardinal francesco barberini is president ▪ it meets usually once a moneth upon a munday , either in the presence of the pope , or in the colledge called de propaganda fide , which is , in piazza d' ispagna . the 7th . is de' riti which judges of all differences about ceremonies , formalities , places , canonizations , &c. it sits once a month , and more if needs be , in the house of the cardinal president of it ; who is ever the senior of the deputies , who is to summon it , as do all other cardinals , presidents of other congregations . the 8th . is del acqua wherein are treated matters concerning rivers , channels , bridges , and the like ; there is no certain day to meet , but when occasion requires it , the cardinal who is the head of it , sends out his summons about it . the 9th . is ; delle strade , whereof the camerlengo is the chief , all things relating to the necessaries and ornament of streets , is treated of in 't , under its jurisdiction are matters of aqueducts and fountains ; the distribution , whereof is made by this congregation as they think fit and convenient : and meet only upon occasion . the 10th . is della consulta per governo , dello stato di s. chiesa , is of a great concernment , it takes cognizance of any thing relating to the government of the whole state of the church ; all legats , governours of cities and provinces give an account of what things of concernment happens in their government to this congregation , who orders them to act as they think fit : yet by especial priviledge , the legats of avignon , ceneda , benevento , and the governor of fermo , and spoleti are free from her jurisdiction . the cardinal padron , for the time , who is ever a nigh relation of the pope , and who rules all under him is the head of it , at whose pleasure it usually meets in his lodgings . the 11th . is dell , indice , into it are brought matters of books , printed , or to be printed , to be examined , corrected , and licensed ; it usually meets once a month or seldomer , as the cardinal president of it is pleased to order . the 12th . is degli syravii , or grievances , otherwise , de buono regimine , 't is a court of redress and equity , this , particular subjects , and whole corporations apply themselves to , when they are wronged , or oppressed by their governours ; this cardinal padron , is the head of , who orders it to meet at his house when he hath a mind to 't . the 13th , is soprale zecche , about the mint ; sees all monies to be coyned , and sets the price of forreign coyns , and all currrent moneys . this congregation upon occasion , meets at the house of the cardinal , head of it . the 14th . is dell , essame . all they who are to be promoted to any bishopricks in italy , and not one of it , are to be examined by these ; it is usually done in the popes presence , and at his pleasure , for the time , he who is examined kneeling all the while upon a stool opposite to the pope ; the cardinals only are free from this examen . the 15th . is de negotii consistoriali , about consistorial affairs ; of which the cardinal docano , senior , or eldest as to election , is the head : at whose house 't is kept but very seldome , because it treats only about matters referred to it by the pope , as are resigning of bishopricks , abbeys , ecclesiastical taxes and impositions . having already mentioned consistorial affairs ; one is to know that the consistory is the assembly of all cardinals then at rome , whereat the pope is ever present : it being kept at monte cavallo on mundays , wednesdays or frydays ; where more general and serious affairs are treated of : and what things the pope is pleased to lay to their consideration , upon a consistory day , no congregation is kept except it had been summoned before the pope had intimated the consistory ; and in such a case the congregation is put off till the afternoon ; for consistories are ever held betimes in the morning . of consistories , some are publick ; when by example , hats are bestowed upon cardinals after a publick cavalcata , or when audience is given to ambassadors , and forraign ministers ; or else private , according to the affairs they are to treat of ; and this last sort are kept more often than the former . that which they call collegio , is the whole body of cardinals ; among whom ever is one camerlengo of the sacro collegio , to distinguish it from the popes chamberlain , and is but for a year : there is also a secretary , a clerk , and controller● the secretary is ever an italian ; but the clerk is one year a german , another a french man , and then a spaniard . but there is the 16th . and last congregation , della visita apostolica , whose care it is to see all churches , chappels , and places of devotion in and about rome , that nothing be wanting in 't , tending to the necessaries , ornaments and decorum thereof ; and to cause every thing to be duely and orderly performed in 't . besides all these courts , there is a considerable one called la ruota , composed of twelve prelates ; whereof there is one german , one french-man , two spaniards ; one of bologna , one of ferrara , one venetian , one toscan , one milanese , and three romans . they judge of all causes about benefices , whether they be in those countries which own the popes authority , or else-where . about which they use to meet in the apostolical palace twice a week , on mondayes and fridayes ; and although the place of auditori di ruota be not very beneficial in it self , it being not worth much above one thousand crowns by the year , yet the pope , bestowing upon them other ecclesiastical preserments , it makes it very considerable , the more as to honour , that sometimes some of the auditory are made cardinals . there is also the camera apostolica , or apostolick-chamber , consisting of the cardinal-chamberlain , the governor of rome in quality of vice-chamberlain , the treasurer-general , the auditor and the president of the chamber , the advocate of the poor , the solicitor-general , and attorney-general , the commissary & o twelve chierici or clerks ; whereof four ever are over-seers or prefetti , the one dell annona of all manner of corn , and price the other della grajua over the price of all sorts of flesh and fish ; the third over all the prisons which he visits , with others , every thursday ; and the fourth is to oversee the streets . the jurisdiction of this court is extended upon every thing relating to the church , in the way of bonds , leases , in-comes , expences , matters of rights , customes , impositions , and all rights , possessions and priviledges ; in a word , when popes were not so absolute , as they are now , these camera , was as the guardian of the state of the church , to see that it should not be imbeciled , wronged or a lienated ; so that 't is indeed the true treasury of the church , all tributes due to it being paid here . there is also another office called diataria , which is administred usually by a cardinal , who hath one under him called sotto datario , throughout whose hands pass the vacancies of all benefices , which bring yearly very great in-comes to the pope , who allows 2000 crowns to the datario , and 1000 to the sotto datario . this office is not the same as that of the secretary of the pope , as some do imagine ; for he who is properly the secretary of state is the popes nephew , or nephews sometimes , who hath several under him : to him all ambassadors , & publick ministers make their addresses . this writes and subscribes by the popes orders , all letters to kings , princes , nuncioes , and others , and signs the patents of several governours , and other officers of the state of the church ; yet the patents and commissions of legats , vice-legats , governors of great cities &c. are signed by the pope himself , and sealed sub annalo piscatoris . but there are other great offices granted for life . first , the popes vicar , now cardinal gimetti above 84 years of age , a coveteous man , who hath many kinsmen , which two things have made him lose the hopes of ever being chosen pope . his jurisdiction is extended upon regular priests & nunneries : the jews , and deboist women which in rome are publickly allowed , for which toleration , 't is the common opinion , they pay a tribute , and certainly there is more than opinion in 't , because every one who is a house-keeper , & a known whore must have her name registred at the office of the vice-gerent , who is one of the chief officers of the vicario , who is also the judge of them as such : so that all the year long they enjoy the liberty of their licentious life , except at certain times which they call uacanze , as about christmass and easter , for then the sbirri or bayliffs go to search their houses , and if they find any there , they may if they will carry them and her to prison ; therefore to prevent this inconveniency , these women send to the office , and by the means of some moneys , obtain a defence to those officers to come to their houses , and to molest them . and in the dayes of alexander the 7th . there was a talk of suppressing these infamous houses ; a sign of the popes protection , which gave occasion to this impious pasquinata , laudata dominum pueri . another great office is that of the sommo penitentiere , at present cardinal ludovicio , a person of mean parts ; his jurisdiction is about penances , absolutions , and confessions ; for he having many under him in great and weighty cases , they acquaint him with the faults , though not with the name of the party , to know of the penance to be said upon . the vice-cancelliere , or vice-chancellor so called , because the pope reserves to himself the title of chancell or of the universal church , hath the whole ordering of the chancery . the camerlengo , now cardinal antonio barberini , hath a very honourable and beneficial place , for the chamberlain takes cognizance of every thing belonging to the camera , and in the time of sede vacante , or when there is no pope , he takes the popes lodgings , is attended with his guard , and causes money to be coyned in his name : this place is worth 15000 crowns by the year ; besides of three keys of the treasure of the castle saint angelo , he hath one , the pope having the other , and the cardinal decano the third . the prefetto della signatura di giustitia , must see all petitions about matters of justice , and answers them , ordering what he thinks fit to be done about it . the like is done in matters of grace , pardon , &c. by the prefetto della signatura di gratia . the prefetto de brevi peruses and signs all the apostolical writs and orders . the bibliothecario is over-seer of the presses and of the library in the vatican , and commands those who have any thing to do in it . these four last offices i mentioned only because they are in the hands of cardinals as well as the four former , though lesse honorable and beneficial . so are the three following bestowed upon cardinalls , and all is for life , to wit , the three arch-priests ; of st john of lateran , now cardinal ghigi ; of st. peter in vatican , at present cardinal francesco barberini ; & of santa maria maggiore , now cardinal rospigliosi , by the late resigning of it up by cardinal antonio barberini , who received some satisfaction for it . now these three arch-priests have an absolute power over all the canons , priests , curats , and beneficiaries of their churches ; which benefices they may bestow upon whom they please when they are vacant ; besides this , he of lateran hath the administration of justice in civils and criminals over all persons within the jurisdiction of his church , having already insisted so long upon this subject , i must forbear speakingof othergreat charges , whether they belong to the court , as the master of ceremonies , master of the s. palace , secretaries , steward , &c. or be military , as general of the galleys of the popes guards of the church , who hath four under him , to wit , of avignon & ferrara , and the generals of the horse , and of the artillery . this great place is ever given to a nigh relation of the pope ; and he , with him of the galleys , and the governour of the castle saint angelo , are answerable of their actions to the pope alone ; or whether they be ecclesiastical , as almoners , chaplains , &c. or at last , whether they be civil , as governour of rome , divided into 14 rioni or quarters ; namely , monte , colonna , st. eustacio , ponte , regota , ripa , trastevere , trivio , campidelli parione , pigna , campo marzo , st. angelo , borgo ; but this last is actually depending upon the governour of st angelo , and also senator , and conservatours of rome , &c. the king of spain comes next to the pope in italy ; he hath naples , and the islands of sicily and sardegna upon the coasts , with milan in lombardy , and finale the head of a marquisate upon the coasts of genoa , and nearer to tuscany , he hath portolongone , and orbitello . the state of naples . naples containes twelve provinces which are a division of the three ancient , their names are terra di lavora principato citra , principato ultra , basilicata , calabria citra , calabria ultra , terra d'otranta , terra di bari , capitanata , contato di molisse , abruzzo citra , and abruzzo ultra . ; most of these parts are inhabited by very dangerous people , the more by reason of the abundance of woods which do shelter those rogues , whom the crimes they have committed have driven from the cities , whither they are not safe to return ; whence they have the name of banditi , and whom the protection of great men to make use of them one against another , by reason of their animosities , keeps there : those of calabria , specially along the coasts , have the name of being the worst of all , so ha t 't is turned into a proverb , he is as wicked as a calabrese . the best part of the kingdom is , terra di lavoro , which is all the countrey about capua and naples : there are but three good havens able to receive at fleet , brundisi , taranto , and trani ; for gaeta , napoli , puzzuolo , bari and otranto , are neither safe nor great enough . 't is said , that the cities , lands , or castles in the king dome come to 2573 , the least of which will make 500 souls , or there abouts : they have good souldiers , but proud , treacherous and inconstant for the generality ; yet there are brave men amongst the nobility , i mean for civility , courage and valour . the chief strong holds of the kingdom have garrisons of natural spaniards , by whom they are strangely oppressed , as by them they were conquered . they are governed by a spanish vice-king , to whom this people is given as a prey , that he may make himself amends for the expences he hath been at in some chargeable embassage , or a reward for some service he hath done to the crown ; so that in three years , which is the usual prefixed time for the exercise of that authority ( because the court of spain would not have subjects to grow too potent in those parts ) they squeeze and oppress that people with an infinite number of taxes , and other heavy burthens ; the nation being look't upon by them as factious , seditious , reckoned and desirous of novelties ; there being 30 notable rebellions within the space of 500 years : so that the vice-kings rule with a despotick authority ; and let him do what he pleases in this kind , people must never look for redress , he not being accountable for things of this nature ; besides that , the city , or any part of the kingdom may not send upon any occasion an agent or deputy into spain without a special license from the vice-king , which he grants very seldome : neither are the nobility free from oppressions , being dragg'd into prisons , or driven into exile upon the least suspicion that they grow too potent , or are any ways disaffected . the insolencies of the spanish souldiers , and others of that nation are not at all punished ; the very high-way-men , and other rogues , who are as thorns in the sides of the people , and who vex , disturb , and plague them , are winked at , except it be upon a jealousie of state : so that , that formerly flourishing kingdom , and full of all manner of necessary and delightful things , is at this day brought to an utmost misery ; that nation not being allowed so much as liberty of trading with strangers , on selling their inland commodities , but upon certain conditions , and a licence well paid for ▪ and all the gold which can be gathered there , is sent into spain , which doth amount to vast sums . the duke medina delas torres los volez , told one day the cavaliero damenico zane , then embassadour at the spanish court from venice , that in six years of his government of that kingdome , he raised 44 millions of crowns to supply the occasions of the dukedome of milan , and of flanders , moneys are drawn from thence , with a number of souldiers to serve in the wars that are made in the forenamed countteys : these and many other intollerable oppressions caused the great and many insurrections that have been there , which cost so much blood , not only in the times of troubles , but long after , it being the custome of spaniards to punish to the tenth generation those faults which have been committed against the state. for all this , the nobility of that kingdom triumphing over their miseries , and boasting of their slavery , are high and proud , and yet gentle and courteous in their carriage , though they insult over the common people , they spend beyond their estates , are splendid in an outward shew , but frugal at home , loyal to the king , enemies to the people , slaves of royal ministers , and very hard to their vassals , whom they pinch to the very bones : with all this they hate the spanish nation . out of this , one may judge of that enmity which is between the napolitans , specially the people and the spaniards ; there is never a year but hundreds of these last are killed by others , either at night in the streets of naples , or in the fields , when fruits and grapes grow ripe ; this people , and so those of milan , are grieved to see how those same spaniards who come to them in a low and poor condition , and with capatos de cuerda , within a year or two do live very high , out of the blood and substance of the countrey . so that the spaniards being so hard masters , they keep what they have in this kingdom only , by the means of the division which is in it ; so they keep all what they have in italy , only because the italians suffer them to enjoy it for fear of falling into the hands of worse masters , not that they can have worse , but because they are not so sensible at injuries received from spaniards , as those which they have suffered from some other nations , not as to the things , but as to the manner of doing them ; the spaniard layes heavy burthens and impoverishes them , and upon suspicions and jealousies of state takes away mens lives ; nay , he attempts upon the honor of families , but he carries it with more secresie and circumspection than other lighter nations , whose manner of proceeding seems more insolent ; besides that , the spanish haughtiness and gravity is more sutable to the italian temper . further , spain and other dominions belonging to it , being remote from italy ; the italians do not account them altogether so dangerous , as other martial nations who are at hand . however , if the late duke of guise had play'd his game well in massanillo's time , and well used that conjuncture , he could have given them a great check in that kingdom , but unadvisedly he left the city , which was at his devotion , and he kept a number of insolent persons about him , which ever undid the french affairs in italy . there goes a story of this duke , that several persons of quality and interest , to the number of 2000 , appointed a marquess to go in their name , and tell him , they were unanimously resolved to stand by him , and settle the crown upon his head , if he would come to them ; but he was fast asleep when that person came to his palace ; who said , he had matters of great concernment to impart to him ; but his people being loath to awaken him , he was forced to stay a long while ; at last being awaken'd , the other was called in , but before he was come to the chamber , the duke had began to dance a courante ▪ and would not speak with him till he had danced ; which the other being arnazed at and offended , said to him afterwards in few words , i was come to you upon such an errand ; but said he , by my so long waiting here , the time and opportunity are lost , therefore know that , co'l balare non se quadagnano li regni , kingdoms are not gotten by dancing : so he went to those who sent him , and told them what he had seen ; so that every one went home , and this person soon after forsook the kingdom to avoid the punishment which the spaniard would have inflicted upon him : if this be true , how did he strangely miscarry in 't , for so he lost all the nobility , who afterwards closed with the spaniard . the city of naples is great and populous , they reckon , that with the late plague 200000 died in it . churches there are a sanctuary to malefactors , which hath been often an occasion of falling out between the vice-kings and card. filomarini late arch-bishop , for some of those having upon occasion caused these malefactors to be taken by force out of ; these churches ; he threatned , and did actually excommunicate some for breaking , as he pretended , the priviledges of those churches , as if the house of god ( if such a name may be given to such places ) was to be a sanctuary to , and a den of thieves . there are three castles in this city , one is st. elme upon a mountain , built by king robert the first ; the other is castel novo , in the port which keeps communication with the palace of the vice-kings nigh to it , this was built by charles , brother to lewis the 9th . of france ; the third is , dell-ovo , which is upon a rock in the sea , william the third of normandy built it . there are also several fair churches embelished with rare pictures , and other ornaments , so ther are two cabinets worth seeing . at the end of one of the suburbs , in the way to puzzuola , is , la grotta di lucullo ; a way made through the rock of almost a mile in lenth , and broad enough for three coaches when they are gotten in 't : i shall not mention all the relicks of antiquity which are seen in the way to puzzuola , when one is at it , and at baya , as the elysian fields , and those other things so often mentioned in the poets ; nor the mount vesuvius , now la montagne di somma , these things are out of my purpose . i return to naples , and say , that the virtuosi there are called some ardenni , others intronati ; and 't is to be observed , that when these societies take a name , 't is either a title of imperfection , which betokens a privation , or of a moral virtue , or of some habit of the intellect , and all this to shew that they esteem and study the perfection , contrary to the defect signified by the name . their great offices of the kingdome are either given or sold according to the kings pleasure , but the last rather than the first ; and this for life : they are the high-constable now a rom an prince , of the family colonna , the high judge , high admiral , high-chamberlain , gran pronotario , a kind of a principal secretary , gran sinisculco , or high-steward , and high-chancellour , all which are given some to italians , some to spaniards . all the high-courts do sit in the city of naples , for there are the seggi , which are the assemblies of the nobility of the whole kingdom , divided into five classes : the first is seggio capoano . the second , di nido ; the third , di montagna ; the fourth , di porta : and the fifth , di porta nuova , so that except one be admitted into one of those seats , he cannot pass for a nobleman or gentleman ; the nobility and gentry there differing only in degree , and not in order ; now some enter into several seggi , so that to be admited in , he must be past 20 years of age , and have the greater part of the votes of all the nobles of the seggio . out of these 3 seggi are chosen 3 gentlemen , who with one chosen by the people , make up the body , called the magistrate of the city , through whose hands do pass all manner of taxes and impositions which the vice-roy hath a mind to lay upon city and whole kingdom : they also finde out means how to bring it about . there is also in naples that tribunal so much talked of , called , la vicaria , which matters of the greatest importance are brought unto , and receive ; appeals from all parts of the kingdom . the greatest of all is also kept there , called it collaterale , whereof the consigliere , or counsellors have the title of regenti , and for distinction-sake , they wear a long gown , this under the king is the supreme court of justice , treating of several important matters ; these regenti are chosen by the king , part napolitans , and part spaniards , and 't is for life . it also hath a councel of state , which judges of things concerning war composed , of six persons , whereof three are spaniards , and three italians , half souldiers , and half gown-men , chosen by the king ; over this as all the rest is the vice-king , whose authority is very great , and the profit arbitrary . i am loath to omit speaking of a custome of the napolitans , for all their reserved temper once a year , at vintage-time , they allow themselves a very great liberty of jesting one with another ; the meanest person is then allowed to jear the noblest man of the land , who use to begin with them : they give one another all the bad names which their language doth afford , whereof the least at another time would cause murthers and stabbings . this calls to my mind a singular custome they have at rome , when there is fallen some snow , at which time the most reserved and vertuous men and women throw balls one at another ; the princes and their wives practise it one with another within their palaces : neighbours throw it through the windows into the chambers one of another ; if one hath any kindness for another , 't is the fashion to go under the window , and throw in some , as they receive some , if they go by the door of any of their acquaintances ; and this is amongst them a token of civility and favour , and so much observed , that if any gentleman or friend of mine comes to me , the most vertuous woman that happens to be my neighbour , can shew me no greater respect nor kindness , than to throw at him snow balls . before i speak of the secrets of state , which the spaniards have in relation to this kingdom , 't will not be amiss to speak few words of some maximes they have in general ; relating to the rest of their state-dominions in italy . at madrid for the affairs of italy , there is a particular council consisting of six counsellours , whereof two are napolitans , two sicilians , and two of milan , besides the president , who ever is a spaniard , and now the marquess of vellada by name ; this council was instituted by philip the second , no other affairs but those of italy are treated of in it , which formerly belonged to the congnizance of the council of aragon . when first of all the spaniards came to italy , and had gotten footing in it , they went about by fair means to insinuate themselves into the affection of the nation , to turn it upon occasion to their own advantage ; but the italians , who , as they say of themselves , dormono co'll occhio aperto , who are constantly awake , stood upon their guards , and observed the spanish motion , which being taken notice of by the house of austria , charls the 5th , & then the council i spake of just now under his son philip the second , took another course , and went about to terrifie them with their arms , to draw some to them with fair promises , to threaten others , to sow divisions amongst them , but above all they lookt upon the republick of venice as a great let to their designs , having ever appeared to be the champion of the liberties of italy ; the troubles which this raised in those parts sometimes against mantoa , other times , against savoy , &c. are well known ; but now a constant maxime they hold , is , to get at rome as many cardinals as they can to be their friends , that if possible they may every time have a friend of theirs chosen pope , the truth is , they are potent in the conclave , because of several napolitans , and milaneses who are in it , the several means they have to gratifie church-men , by conferring benefices on them within their dominions in italy , and by selling lands and states to others within the same , besides the many pensions which they allow to several of them : so that whilst the french hath but eight or ten of his side , namely , d' este , ursini , antonio , grimaldi , mancini , maldachini , de rets , bouillon , the greater number of them are for the spaniard ; 't is true , 't is very chargeable for them to keep this party , and a spanish states-man had reason to say , it were better for his king to buy popes ready made , than to make them . but now in few words , spaniards do govern naples with these few rules ; the first is , to hold good correspondencie with the pope , not only because they do him homage for it , but because he is a next neighbour , much able to trouble it , and to foment and assist insurrections in it . the second is , to foment divisions between the nobility and the people , and between the nobility themselves who being all together united , could for certain drive them out ; and though the napolitans horse's back be much gall'd , if he could gather his strength together , he would be able to shake off the rider . the third maxime is , as much as they can doe to make great states fall into the hands of women , whom they marry afterwards to spanish noble-men . the chief families of that kingdom are at present caraccioli , where of the duke of auelina is the head ; caraffa , of which family is the duke matalone ; pignatelle , who had the title of duke of monteleone , monaldesqui , aquaviva , brancaccio , and several others who have the name of princes , as , marana , &c. the antient family of the princes of salerno is extinct as to the name , and their palace at naples ; which was very stately , hath these several years been possessed by the jesuites . i shall not say much of sicily , 't is governed by a vice-king at present ; the duke of albuquerque , as don pedro d' arragon is he of naples : this island is known to be plentiful ; and as formerly it was the granary of italy , so 't is still of part of it , but specially of maltha , for the gallies of the order come almost every week to transport corn cut of it . messina drives a great trade of silks ; the inhabitants have still their est & non est , that is , when any thing is proposed by the vice-king or his order , after a debate had thereupon to satisfie the people , they cry out non est , if it be not contrary to their priviledges ; if it be , they say , est , then every one gets to his arms. this city hath several priviledges , but cannot get them confirmed at madrid ; neither do the vice-kings dare to trust themselves amongst them ; therefore they reside at palermo , which was the landing place of don pedro d' arragon , when the moneys he had received from lewis the 9th of france , to make war against the infidels in affrica , he went to drive charles d' anjou , lewis's brother , out of the kingdome whereof he was lawful sovereign . the peoople of this island speak a very corrupt italian language , mixed with some words of corrupt greek ; & as their luanguage is , so are their manners , and nature , which how treacherous it is let the sicilian vesspers bear witness ; by which action they are become not only odious , but also a proverb to italy , having thereby been the author of all the disturbances where-with the spanish nation have since afflicted those parts of the world ; it had been something in withdrawing from the subjection of one ( who though he was their lawful prince , yet he was of a forein nation ) they had gotten their liberty ; yet princes may see of how dangerous a consequence is this president : but to leave the bad for the worse , 't is to find a pain , wherein they look't for a pleasure , that is , to be no more reasonable than were the frogs , who rejected the reed , to have the stork to rule over them ; they should have learned of the fish , how it is better to keep in the pan , though amidst boyling water , than to leap out and fall into the burning flames and fire . mount aetna , now gibello , with some of his flames , is still to be seen ; its horrid late casting up stones , flames , cinders , as far as catania , and the running of rivers as it were of fire and brimstone , are known to all europe ; such as we cannot read ever there was the like . syracusa is not very far from it , which is much decay'd , they shew some old standing ruines of a castle , as they say of dyonisius ; they affirm 't was in the shape of a shell ; in the centre of which was the tyrants closet , whence by the means of some pipes , which conveyed the voice , he heard ( if we believe the tradition ) every word spoken by the prisoners ; 't is probable that such a thing may be , there being things of that nature in several parts ; though these prisoners were at a great distance from the closet . the spaniards govern this land almost by the same maximes which they use in naples , only they let them have some few priviledges , in consideration of their withdrawing from the french , and giving themselves up to them ; nevertheless , the spaniards are much odious to them by reason of the great and many oppressions they suffer from them , for the which no body pities them , since they brought it upon themselves ; however , 't is the division of the two chief cities messina and palermo about precedencie and other things , which upholds the spaniards authority in the island ; for when one of these cities stands up , the other stoops , and they do every thing in opposition one to another ; the spaniard therefore knoweth how much it imports to his interest to see these differences continue , he foments it with the best of his skill , and to the utmost of his power . it were in vain to speak of sardegna , seeing the people in it are become spaniards in every thing . there hapned in it not long since a great division caused by falling out between two of the chief persons of the island , but having been both transported into spain , the factions were dispersed , and gave way to a general tranquility . this is a kingdome , and therefore is governed by a vice-king , who was lately prince ludovisio . of late they have stirred very much , having killed a vice-roy ; for which act some have been executed , which their friends and relations highly rescenting , are causing new disturbances ; so that the present vice-king not thinking himself strong enough , hath desired more forces out of spain , specially his enemies being potent in cagliari , hereby are laid the foundations of an eternal hatred , for their children inherit of the quarrels , and desire of vengeance , as of the states of their parents , this had been a fair occasion for any forrein enemy of the spaniard . this island , as that of sicily and naples , maintain a number of gallies , which of late is much diminished , for put them altogether with the squadron of the duke of tursi , they do not come to above twenty . the state of milan . vvesterly it borders with piemont and monferrat , sur southerly with the republick of genoa , westerly with the duke of parma , with the republick of venice and the duke of mantoa , and northerly with the valtoline . the dukedome of milan is as good and as plentiful a countrey as any in italy , full 300 miles about , plain and even ground ; in it are many lakes full of fish , and is watered by considerable rivers , which make it pleasant , plentiful and strong ; po runs by cremona , the tanaro by alessandria , and the bormia , which is a little one not far off . adda , nigh to lodi and ticcino by the walls of pavia , by milan run two channels , one of which is of great use ( and this goes through it ) and both for watering of grounds , whence it is that they have so good pastures ; hence it is that this dukedom doth furnish with cheese all italy , and other places ; the best sort of that which goes under the name of parmesan is made at lodi , one of the cities of the dukedome , and its territory . this countrey doth also produce abundance of all manner of corn , good fruits , and good wines ; this goodness of the soyle , joyned to the industry of the people , makes it very rich ; it contains many cities , as milano , pavia , tortona , alessandria , della paglia , novarra , mortara , vigevana cremona , lodi , como and lomellina , every one strong , and except mortara , the head of a territory , which borrows its name from the town . this dukedome is governed by one sent from spain , and hath the name of governour , who was don lewis de gusman ponce de leon : and now the marquess de los balbases : these governours improve well their time , which , as i said in the case of naples , is for three years , or thereabouts , except they be confirmed ; and this makes part of the misery of that people , that every three years they have new and greedy ministers , who make haste to be rich , and when they begin to be full , they are gone to give place to one who is as hungry as they were . the king of spain raises here one millions ofcrowns a year , but it goes all for the necessities of the state. in time of peace there are kept 5000 men ; there was a strong hold , called the fort sandoval , which commanded the way into one of the gates of vercelli , which is but a cannon-shot off , and 't was raised to bridle that place ; but the spaniards after the taking of vercelli demolished it not long since as a thing chargeable , and nor necessary ; but by the late treaty of peace with france , they restored vercelli to the duke of savoy . the city of milan is called the great , for 't is of a large circumference , full of people , to the number of about 300000 , and of handy-craft-men , almost of all fort , in so good repute amongst the italians , that when any sumptuous clothes or furnitures are to be bought , or any considerable equipage is to be made , to the very liveries , they send thither to have it done : they work much in silks , gold and silver thread , and make admirable good gun-barils ; all this maintains abundance of weak and poor people . in this place is a castle , esteemed one of the strongest in europe , well provided with ammunition and artillery ; there is a particular governour of it , who doth not depend upon the governor of the dukedome , but hath his orders immediately from spain . in this city is a very great number of stately churches , specially the domo , all built with white marble ; they say , about it are 600 statues , which cost 1000 crowns a piece : if this church be once finished according to the design ; none but st. peter in rome will be able to compare to it ; till then , this last will be the fairest in europe , and i believe , of the world , for all the great commendations given to that of santa sophia in constantinople . i returnto milan , and say , not only there are in 't fair churches , but also sumptuous cloysters , hospitals , palaces , and other noble buildings : a church-man there hath a fine cabinet full of rarities , most of his own invention and making . virtuosi in milan have the name of nascosti ; but i must not omit to say that the house which the cartusians have fifteen miles from milan , and five from pavia , is the best of their order . notwithstanding the proverb tha● the king of spain governs sicily in meekness , or dolcezza naples by fraud , or con inganno , and milan by authority , con authorita ( which may be understood in relation to the strong holds he hath in it : ) 't is his maxime of state , to rule this dukedome with more gentleness , than the rest of his dominions in italy ; this practice is inforced by the temper of the people , who are nor so willing nor so apt as others to suffer abuses , burthens exceedingly heavy , nor other great opresfions , their spirits can hardly bear it ; they are of an humour free , open , plain , and as they call it , rozzo , being usually called the lombarad's temper : that which makes further the spaniards more circumspect in this , is that many neighbour princes would willingly receive and assist them , if they came to have a pull for their liberty , for they joyn with the duke , of mantoa , the venetians , with parma , genoa , piemont , and with the grisons , by the ualteline ; therefore the spaniards , who knew the importance of that passage to them , struggled so hard for it , and set all europe in an uproar about it : yet for all this gentleness of theirs used to the milenesi , that people is not free from grievances and oppressions . that countrey which for a long while together hath been the seat of war , hath been obliged to maintain in a good measure the spanish , germans , french , savoy , modena , and mantoan forces , the perpetual lodging , quartering , and contributing , for the souldiers hath wasted them ; and all this hath been a pretence for the spanish ministers to oppress them : the italian proverb saith , that the spanish ministers in sicily rodono they gnaw , in naples mangiano they eat , but in milan divorano they devour : but they bear it , seeing that excepting the republicks , the subjects of other princes are used no better than they . at first the sforzi got this countrey from the visconti , and the house of austria hath gotten it from these , yet the venetians have of it brescia , bergamo , and crema : i will not shew whose right it is to have it , if the heirs of valentina have it not . the chief families of it are now borromeo , trivultio , stampa , trotti , sforza , homodei , litta , &c. finale is a town well fortisied , of great concernment to the spaniard , for 't is the only door they have to get into milan from spain , naples , sicily , &c. it is also a bridle to the genoesi . portolongone and orbitelle are also upon the coasts , the one on the continent , the other close by upon a rock in the sea , of great importance to bridle the grand duke , viareggio belonging to luea and the genaesi . the state of the duke of savoy . the duke of savoy is the most considerable prince of italy , after the crowned heads ; he comes from humbert , a younger brother of saxony , and a man of fortune : amede the great , or , le comte verd , or green earl , so called , because usually his clothes were of that colour , as were those of his followers ; by his merits and good fortune raised himself to a great credit ; he did great services against infidels , specially at the taking of rhodes from the infidels , and then he took the motto about the coat of arms which to this day that family retains ; f. e. r. t. signifying , fortitudo , ejus , rhodum tenuit . his history is in fresco at the pleasure-house of the dukes at rivoli . this family was first earls of moriene , then by marriage and favour of some emperour , princes of piemont , and dukes of savoy ; and of late from the duke of mantoa , they have gotten trin and alba in monferr at by the treaty of chierasco , so that besides piemont with its vallies , and savoy , the duke hath upon the sea-coasts , villa franca , oneglia , and nizza di provinza , with as strong a castle as any in europe , his dominions indeed are large , though to speak the truth , savoy is a barren and a mountainous countrey , which defect is somewhat made up by the indefatigable laboriousness of the people , and by the populousness and plenty of piemont . his court is for certain the ornament of italy , not composed of a vast number of persons , nor solitary neither ; there is in it a variety without confusion , well compacted , consisting of choice persons , well qualified for a court in a handsome and orderly way ; in it the french and italian languages are commonly spoken , and the free french manner of life is practised in it . these princes have been , and are still very honourable in europe ; for this long while emperors and kings have given them the title of serenissime , when some other princes of italy did not so much as pretend to it : but it happened in the days of pope urban the 8th , that he ( it may be to please his nephews ) gave a higher title to cardinals than they had before , the title of illustrissime was changed into that of eminentissime ; this obliged some princes to take the title serenissime and of highness ; upon which account still to keep a distinction between them and other princes , the dukes of savoy added reale to altezza to make up royal highness , which they pretend to , as being titular kings of cyprus , and so by vertue of a match with france , the french did not oppose it ; and this duke is now in hopes that the king or prince regent of portugal ( being now himself own'd to be a crowned head ) by reason of the late marriage , or that which is to be made with that prince regent , and the dutchesse's sister , will approve of it , but upon what grounds i dispute not . this duke is vicar of the empire in italy , he could not yet obtain from the emperour the investiture of what he hath in montferrat ; however of late the electoral colledge at the sollicitation of the house of bavaria , whose present elector married his sister , did something on his behalf , to wit , made a decree , that his not being invested by the emperour shall be no prejudice to his right , seeing he had used his diligence to obtain it . 't is a thing which raises much the glory of this prince , that he hath several of his subjects descended from emperours of east and west kings , other sovereign princes , and of the chief families of italy ; in piemont alone are above fifty earles , fifteen marquesses at least ; this makes him the more considerable , and adds something to his strength , which on the other side doth consist in the largeness of his dominions , the number , affection , and fidelity of his subjects ; and in his strong places , of which the castle of montmelian , though taken by the french , is one of the chief in savoy ; they use to say , that their prince hath a city which is 300 miles about , to shew how thick towns are in it , and how populous it is ; in piemont alone are 8 episcopal cities , and 130 very populous places . another thing is , that the duke is as absolute as any prince in europe . 't is said of charles emanuel , this dukes grand-father , that one day discoursing with henry the fourth of france , and the king having asked which of the two pistols ( pieces of gold ) the french or spanish he accounted the heaviest ; his answer was , that which i shall give my grain to , meaning that of the two kings , he whom he would assist should be the strongest . his riches i will not mention , his yearly income is said to amount to one million , and eight hundred thousand crowns , out of which savoy and the vallies yeild him but four hundred thousand , all which is nobly spent . i must say however , that gold and silver are scarce in his dominions , which on the other side afford him a great plenty of all things , whereby all manner of provisions are at a low rate . upon consideration of this , two several proposals were made to the present duke by a judicious person ; the first and less important , was to settle a fixed and a constant office for the conveniencie of travellers , so that giving so much , they should be defrayed for their diet , and should be provided with horses ; to this effect a correspondencie was to be setled at lyon , as this had been convenient for strangers and safe , so it had made the moneys of all those who enter italy that ways to pass through the hands of the dukes officers ; and these sums had been very considerable , seeing all those , who go by land into italy out of spain , in time of peace out of france , and pats of germany , come by the way of lyon , this would have encouraged many to go that way who do not , helpt the sale of provisions , and brought moneys into the countrey : but this proposal , though approved , yet wanting a further encouragement came to nothing . the second is to make nizza , or villa franca a free port , any of these lies convenient for ships , this would bring in trade , and consequently moneys , and would help the sale of the lands commodities : but i omit the reasons which are given to inforce this proposal , for i must come to other things . turin is the metropolis of piemont , and the ordinary place of the dukes residence , when he is not at his houses of pleasure , of which he hath as great a number of fine and convenient ones , as any other prince : this city is well seated in a plain , the rivers po and doire running not far from it ; in the court is an office of the admiralty , as they call it of the po , which is more for formality-sake , than for any benefit . in turin are to be seen the old and new palaces , with the garden , from the place to the new palace to that of st. garloe , is on both sides a row of fine houses all uniform . i shall say nothing of churches there , nor of the countrey-houses , as rivoli , moncallier , le valentin , millefleur , and la venerea , which is the present dukes delight : but i must take notice that there is as good a citadel as any in europe , in which there is a well , into which one may go down to water a horse , and at the same time , one can come up thence and not see one another . there are also armes for 40000 men . many things i omit here to tell , that carlo emanuele , the present duke , is a prince well made of his person , of a middle stature , full face , with that natural red , which only doth embelish it ; his sight is none of the best , as may be observed when he eats or reads ; he loves hunting with some kinde of excess , the scorching heat , nor the foulness of weather , being not able to divert him from it : and by this constant course he hath brought himself into a capacity to endure any hardship ; yet this passion doth not take him off his important businesses , which he is vigorous in , and follows it very close : he hath set days to give publick audience , at which time the least of his subjects may speak to him without any disturbance at all , and he hears them very patiently , as he is an active man , so he takes cognizance of every thing , and imparts all to his lady , who being a judicious princess , and exceedingly complying with his highness , she ever hath a place in his closet , as in his bed. he is a prince very civil to strangers , and now frugal at home , for he finds his ancestors have been too free so he hath been himself , but now says for a reason of his alteration , that as to frugality he cannot imitate a greater monarch than the , king of france , with whom he hath a conformity of temper , joyned to a natural affection . his inclination to women hath been discovered by his actings with the marchioness of cahours , and is daily observed by those who follow his court. his first minister of state is the marquess of pianezza , of the family d' allie , and brother to count philip ; a great polititian he is , and a greater enemy to the protestants of the vallies of piemont : his son the marquess of livorno , kept the place when he was lately retired for some distasts , though under pretence of devotion . the marquess san germano governour of turin , is of the same family ; the marquess palavesin ( successor to the marquess de fleury , who was turned out for his privacies with the marchioness de cabours ) captain of the guards , is also much in favour ; so is the old marquess of voghera , whose lady hath the oversight of the maids of honour , but none can boast of being his special favourite . the princes of the blood are few , the young prince of piemont , son to the duke by this wife , and prince philibert , with the earl of soissons , sons to the late prince thomas . there is at court a princess , the dukes sister unmarried : there is a natural uncle of the dukes , don antonio , governour of villa franca , and a natural son of the late victor amedeo , who lives privately in france . this princes countrey is much exposed to the french power , whereby they have been stript twice , and therefore his interest is to agree with france , for fear of bringing himself into the sad condition which the duke of lorrain is in , for the 18 or 20000 men , which without any great inconveniencie he can keep on foot , could hardly save him ; he is withal as handsomely as he can to prevent the french from setling in milan , for then he would be shut up by them every way . the state of the grand duke . the family of medici , of which are the grand dukes of toscany , hath not been very long possessed of that dignity , neither is it so antient as are many others in italy ; when florence was a republick , 't was one of the chief , but no more than the strozzi , pitty , and some others were . alexander began the work , but was quickly dispatched by his cousin lorenzo : then came cosmo , who was the first named & crowned grand duke by pope pio quinto of his family , ferdinand who left off the cardinals cap after the death of his elder brother , cosmo 2d . and ferdinand 2d . who is the present grand duke , who married donna vittoria della rovere , last heir of the late duke of urbino . some say a physician was the first who raised that family , and that in token of it , they took the pile ( but 't is the balls or globes ) for their armes ; they were raised by charles the 5th . the emperor , who gave margarita his natural daughter to alessandro , and so forced the florentines to submit to him . the grand dukes are creatures of clement the 7th . and of charles the 5th . emperour , with whose arms and countenancing , they became masters of florence ; at present they are in possession of three formerly potent republicks , to wit , florence , pisa , and siena ; they have all antient toscany , except luca and sarzana ; hence is the proverb , which saith , if the grand duke had luca , and sarzana , sarebbe , re di toscana , for he hath also the cities of pistoias volterra , cortona , arezzo , montepulciano , and several other lands and castles of a lesser importance , besides part of the island alba , where is cosmopoli , and porto ferrario . when the dukes came to the government , the florentines had subdued pisa , wherefore the condition of that city is the worst of the three , for being a conquer'd countrey they are under the jurisdiction of florence ; but siena is governed in the same way , as when it was a republick , owning none but the grand duke , or the governour sent by him ; thus they have nothing to do at florence , even they are used better than the florentines , who being look't upon at sactiout men , and desirous of liberty , are not only disarmed , as all other subjects are , but are more bridled too : a further reason is , that the duke doth homage for it to the crown of spain ( as he doth for radicofany to the pope ) therefore he dares not take altogether the same liberty there , which he uses in other places . pisa is void of inhabitants , but well seated , and hath in it several things worthy to be seen ; the grand duke delights to be in 't , therefore he comes to it , having the conveniencie of a forrest , which lies not far from it . siena is a finecity , in a good air , with good store of people in it , the italian tongue is well spoken , the virtuosi that are there , are called intronati . florence , the place of the courts ordinary residence , is a stately city , and very populous , there being accounted to be 100000 souls in it ; the gentry in it doth not think it below themselves to follow trade , which is specially of silks , so that it may pass for a rich town ; there are in it 10 or 12 families , accounted to be worth one million of crowns . there are three castles , fine churches , specially the domo , which on the outside is all of white and black marble , and that incomparable chapel of san lorenzo , for the which marble is not rich enough to enter , as one of the materials , but jasper , agatha , porphiry , &c. there are further rare palaces , and the dukes galleries exceedingly rich , the river arno runs through it , there is that learned society , called la crusca . the grand duke trading much underhand , as its thought , and being very frugal , must be very rich ; not to mention those rich galleries of his esteemed worth above three millions , but he draws to himself the best of his dominion , there being hardly in the world a countrey more oppressed with customes and taxes than this is ; hence it is , that except florence , where trade doth flourish , and siena , where is still some rest of liberty the whole country is the grand dukes , very little inhabited , and full of poverty , and this for fear those toscan active wits should cause some disturbance ; therefore he hath several strong holds , with a 1000 horse commanded by strangers , and about 4000 foot , besides the militia's , which upon occasion ought to be ready . 't is a priviledge of the horse-men , that they may not be arrested for any debt whatsoever ; so that any one that 's affraid and in danger of it , uses all possible means to get in amongst them . this prince for his person is a judicious man , and upon all occasions carries himself very politickly , besides the general genius of the nation , the particular one of the florentines , which goes beyond others , and his own natural parts ; having ruled these many years , he hath gotten a great deal of experience ; therefore he knows admirably well how to far fatti suoi , to mind and do his businesses , whereat he is as a cervellone , italiians call it . he carries his whole council along with him , for he hath no constant nor fixed councellours , but upon occasson he sends for whom he pleases to have their advice , but all resolutions do absolutely depend upon him ; so that the whole manner of his government is to be attributed to him alone . he is extraordinary civil to strangers , specially if they be persons of quality , and after they have had the honour of waiting on him , he sends them a regale , or a present of fruits , wines , &c. but of all nations , germans are those who have the greatest priviledges about his person , and in his dominions , strangers of other nations having any thing to do with his searchers , and the like officers , do free themselves of toyl and trouble , by saying they are germans ; and at present , amongst those many of that nation who are at his service , there is one who is much in favour with him . he is very careful to know the affairs of other states , to be able the better to rule his own , to that end he spares no charges that he may be well informed of it , knowing it is the deepest policie of princes to dive into the affairs of others : so every year he spends great sums of moneys to maintain the spies he keeps abroad , there being no court , and hardly any considerable city , but he hath some to give him intelligences of what passes in 't . he will have an exact knowledge of the state of every thing within his dominions , therefore in 1645 , having a mind to know the yearly income of his clergy , he caused an account to be made of it ; 't was found to amount to 765000 crowns , whence one may guess he doth not neglect to know his own , which is thought to be of half a million of english pounds , besides casualities , of which he hardly spends the half ; so that he must needs have many a million in his coffer ; indeed legorn alone is worth a treasure to him , it being the most noted store-house of all the mediterranean , there being at it an extraordinary concourse of ships from all parts , and 't is a place well fortified ; there is in it the statue of ferdinand the first , with four slaves in brass , then the which nothing better can be seen in that kind . but to return to the grand dukes riches , he daily improves them with his frugality , for to save charges he hath lessened the number of his gallies , having now but four , two of which are unfit for service ; and to get monies he hires the others to merchants to transport their wares ; formerly his gallies lay along the coasts to secure them from pyrates ; now they have towers along the sea shore , where they use tolight fires when any enemies or pyrates appear , which gives a warning where the danger is . this prince gathers monies on all hands , for at florenee , legorn , and other places , he receives contribution from the cortegiane , or prostitute women , for the tolleration and protection he gives them ; so that an injury done to any of those infamous persons shall be punished , as if it had been done to the most virtuous in the world . but the grand duke is not satisfied to be frugal himself , he hath often exhorted the grand prince his son to the practice of it ; son , saith he , non spender ' quell ' che tu hai perche , chi non ha none ; do not spend what thou hast , for he who hath nothing , is nothing . another way of this grand duke to get monies , and wherein lies his great maxime of policy at home , is to keep his subjects low ; no people in the world lye under heavier taxes and burthens than this doth ; every house that is let out , payes him the tenth part of the rent ; every contract of marriage , eight by the hundred of the portion ; and every one who will goe to law , afore he begins must pay two for the hundred , out of this one may judge of the rest ; this usage makes that prince to mistrust his subjects , who are active , stirring , and men of pregnant parts , exceedingly desirous of , and breathing after liberty , for 't is very hard for a people who lived a long while in a way of republick , to bring themselves to live under a monarch , so absolute and so hard as this is ; so that upon this account the grand dukes strong places are all well furnished with armes , ammunition , and provision , not only to resist a forreign enemy upon occasion , but to bridle his own subjects ; which is indeed a sad case , when a prince hath as many enemies as he hath subjects ; how can he think himself sure with those who hate and fear fear him , seeing any one who out of despair caresnot for his life , is ever the master of anothers , specially in those parts where 't is so much used , and where men are so skill'd at it ; and the devil who is a murtherer from the beginning , omits no occasion to infuse bloody motions into his hirelings . happy is that prince whose strongest fortress consists in the love of his subjects , who hath not only their hands but their hearts along with him ; 't is certain that of all enemies the domestick is the most dangerous , and the most to be feared . oderint dum metuant , was a fit expression for such a man as tyberius . yet though the grand duke keeps his people so low , he hath left them a shaddow of liberty , whereat they be somewhat satisfied , it consists in the use of those common laws of justice which they had in the time of the republick . now to the maximes of state of this prince in relation to his neighbours , the first is apparently to be united with spain , yet in private to keep friendship and correspondency with france , which the spaniards often times have been much displeased at , and had some thoughts to resent it , but fearing least the remedy might prove worse than the disease , they have chosen to sit still . what he doth in france , the same he practises with the republick of venice : but that which he minds most of all , is to have a good number of cardinals , and other useful persons of quality his pentioners at rome , to have none but those who be his friends chosen popes , for the great'st stormes he is afraid of are from thence , for knowing how matter is combustible at home , he fears least popes would encourage and assist his people to recover that liberty which they are so much longing after ; and there hath been some popes who were born his subjects , as one of the clements , and lately urban the 8th . who have given him or his ancestours trouble enough . of his family , prince matthias his brother died lately , governour of siena , and now prince leopold is created cardinal , his son the grand prince his heir apparent is called cosmo , who hath married the princess of voalis , of the french royal blood : for a long while there hath been an unhappy falling out between them , but now all differences are composed ; by some the fault was laid upon one , and by others upon the other ; 't is not fit for men to search into the causes of falling out between husband and wife , specially when they are princes ; some particular ones i heard , which i doe not minde , onely one may say that the retired manner of life practised in florence differs very much from that which is lead at paris , so that an italian may happen to require a thing which a french woman will have no mind to grant : i know in toscany there are still some noble and ancient families , but as the grand dukes have been very jealous of their aurhority , they have either rooted out , or brought very low the chief , and those of whom they were the most jealous . the state of mantoa . the family gonzaga hath possessed the state of mantoa since the year 1328. at which time roberto gonzaga having expelled some petty usurpers , he made himself master of it ; they enjoyed it without any title till the year 1432. when the emperour sigismond created giovanni francesco marquesse , and charles the 5th . in the year 1530. made federico duke of it ; this married margarita paleologa heir to the marquesate of monferrat . the titles of this prince are these , duke of mantoa , marquess of monferrat , prince , and perpetual vicar of the empire in italy , marquess of gonzaga , viadane , gozzolo , dozzolo , earle of rodiga , and lord of luzara . these dukes could formerly live in as great a splendour as any prince in italy , their equal , specially since monferrat was united to their state , but since the late warre made against the duke charles the first , in the year 1630. by the house of austria , under pretence that he had not done homage to the emperour , nor acknowledged him for his soveraign , though the true reason was , because being born in france , he was by them suspected to be wholly inclined that way , and by the duke of savoy , who would have stript him of monferrat , which is joyning to piemont : their strength is so weakned , and their revenue , and yearly income so lessened , that without the help of other princes they cannot maintain their garisons , as it is in the case of cazal that strong place , so that from above 300000 crowns they had a year , they are brought to 80000. which yet are not clear . mantoa , formerly a most flourishing and very populous city , hath at present but few inhabitants , and is full of misery , not caused by their princes who have been the meekest of all italy , but they could not rise up again since they were taken and plundered by the imperial army . the best ornament of that city was , and is , still the dukes palace , where they reckon at least 550. chambers very richly furnished with hangings and bedding , there are 1000. beds , and many rich statues ; but before the taking of the city , 't was as they say , more stately and rich , then the mills only of the city were worth 10000. sterling a year . upon occasion this duke can raise 10000. foot , but not to keep them very long , and 800. horse : now the mantoan horse is esteemed the best of italy . there are more sovereign princes of this family , than of any other in italy , because duke alfonso having many sons , would make every one of them a sovereign ; therefore by the emperours consent , some lands he separated from the jurisdiction of mantoa , and others he bought ; so that the eldest sonne was duke of mantoa , another prince of bozzolo , a third prince of sabionetta , another duke di guastalda , a fifth duke of novellara , and a sixth marquesse of castiglione della stivere : but now sabionetta as a doury hath been alienated by a marriage to the house caraffa in naples , and since , the princess of stigliano of this last family being married to the duke medina de las torres los velez , brought this state into his family . the late duke charles the 2d . to unite himself the more to the house of austria , ( for the late emperour had already married a princess of his family ) took one of the princesses of insprack to his wife , but for all this he neither was much trusted to , or rewarded ; the truth is , he was affected to france , whose interests he would not have separated from , if he had not thought himselfe slighted at paris , and less respected then was the duke francis of modena . this duke of mantoa died not long since in the flower of his age , leaving only a son of 12 , or 13. years old , who hath succeeded him . he was generally inclined to women , but in particular to the countess margarita di cazale : he was a great gamester , and lost much money at venice : upon all occasions he was supplyed by a jew of mantua , who almost ruled the dukes affairs to his own advantage , and to the princ's loss . jews are tollerated in mantoa to the number of above 5000. for which they pay 20000. crowns , or 5000. sterling a year , the more willingly because they are obliged to no marks of distinction , as they are in all other places . the city of mantoa , as all others that are consideralile in italy hath some virtuosi called invaghiti , it hath been a maxime of state of these princes to be united to france , where they had the dukedoms of nevers , rethel , and mayene which cardinal mazarine bought , the last for himself , the other two for one of his nepews , and also to be united to the venetians ; to the first , because that king could fall heavy upon the duke of savoy , the perpetual and unreconcileable enemy of his family ; to the last , because being his next neighbours , they could assist him upon any occasion . the friendship which seems to be between this duke and those of parma and modena is not real , by reason some state-differences which happened formerly between them : with the grand duke he hath had fallings out about the precedency of their ministers : though the grand duke hath larger dominions , the others family hath been more noble , and is more antient ; besides the other reason of the enmity is , that the grand duke hath several goods of his for the portion of the princess catharina di medici , married to duke ferdinando . but the greatest enmity of this house , is , against that of savoy about monferrat , and other things ; their differences are so great , that no means can be found out to compose them : and here i must not omit to speak of the treaty of chierasco in reference to these differences : thereby the duke of savoy is put in possession of two good cities of monferrat , but some satisfaction is to be given for them to the duke of mantoa , therefore the french doth oblige himself to pay the duke of mantoa 494000. crowns of gold pretended by that house from savoy for portions ; but for the forenamed summe , the french is put in possession of pinarolo , and yet the duke of mantoa never asked those monies , protesting against that treaty ; so that upon occasion this may happen to be a ground of troubles in italy . the state of the duke of parma . the dukedoms of parma and piacenze , two of the best cities of italy , have been possessed by the family farneze above these 122. years , after several revolutions they fell to the church , and were at last by pope paolo tertio , given to pietro luigi farneze his son born afore he was a church-man . charles the 5th emperour opposed it at first , but after the marriage of ottavio 2d duke with his natural daughter he approved of it ; besides the dukedoms of parma and piacenza in lombardy , he hath the dukedome of castro , and county of roncigliont within the sate of the church , which the first was pawned to , and for want of paying the monies in the prefixed time , it was united and entailed to the church , which is the worst that a turk or a jew can do a christian : yet notwithstanding the sufficient reasons to the contrary given by the duke , that pretended father of christians played this unmerciful trick ; and though of late by the means of the french king , this entail was cut off , as yet they could not bring the pope to part with it , as he is obliged by the treaty of pisa ; so well these popes agree , the one to get , and the other to keep . besides this the duke of parma hath some lands in the kingdome of naples for the doury of margarita of austria married to prince ottavio . this prince is perpetual standard bearer of the church , to which his state is to fall incase he should die without male issue . although he doth homage to the church for the whole , he is nevertheless absolute for that ; after the homage received , popes having nothing to do in his dominions . urban the 8th was a great enemy to this family ; he took castro , and had it demolished ; he would have ruinated odoardo then duke , and father to this present , who was a wise and a valiant prince ; but italian princes expressing to be dissatisfied at it , he was obliged to be quiet , having raised upon the frontires of parma , that strong place called la fortezza urbana . this family hath given the world some men of great repute , specially him who was governour of the low-countries ; the loss of castro hath been a great prejudice to the duke , yet he hath still a matter of 400000. crowns a year : the apennini are as a wall to his state , which joyned to many rivers , and some strong holds , makes his countrey considerable ; he keeps nigh upon 5000. men , but in case of necessity he could bring into the field 20000. foot , and 1000. horse , the half he can bring forth without inconveniency ; he hath much nobility in his dominions , and he is very jealous of them , specially of those of piacenza , because the first duke was kill'd there . what manner of cities are parma and piacenza i will not describe , nor the curiosities to be seen in them ; i name nothing , only let this general rule be taken ; in every good city of italy , one is to see the churches wherein consists their glory , their palaces , gardens . houses of pleasure , cabinets , &c. all which are embelished with statues , pictures in oleo , in fresco , and mosaick works , wherein porphiry , marble , and such rich materials are often used ; this i say to free my self from making descriptions which might make up a great volume , i only take notice that in parma are some academists , called innominati . the present duke ranuccio , a man of a fat complexion , as yet hath no children , his first wife being-dead , he is again married to the sister of the late duke of modena , he hath prince alessandro farnese his brother , who hath been in the service of the venetians , and came off with some discontent ; at present he serves in spain . there is now at rome cardinal farneze , but he is not very nigh kinsman , i am sure he did not act the part of a good kinsman , when he found out some ways to sell his principality of farneze to the pope for don mario for 80000 crowns , and a cardinals cap , excluding thereby the duke of parma from that succession , in case the branch should fail ; but an entail having afterwards been found out , the pope called for his monies , and restored the principality , however he is cardinal by the bargain ; the best palace in rome is farneze , built after the direction of michel angelo buonarotta ; and one of the best countrey-pleasure-houses of italy , is caprarola in the county of ronciglione , belonging to the duke of parma . till of late , since the dayes of charles the 5th , 't was a constant maxime of state of these princes to keep close to the house of austria ; but odoardo the late duke being unsatisfied with the earl and duke of olivares , he left that union , and they have since sided with france , as the fittest power to uphold them in their quarrels against the pope , which will be a continual ground of troubles in italy , and an occasion of bringing the french into it . one thing more is , that these dukes do more willingly make use of strangers to be their ministers when they find them qualified for it , than of their own subjects . the state of the duke of modena . the family d'este , though we put it here last , is much more antient and richer than the two former , yet according to that period which is set to families of princes , and their dominions , this hath lost something of its antient greatness . they derive their pedigree from atto marquess of este , who took the surname , which now his family keeps , from the city este , which doth still belong to it : this married alda , daughter to the emperour othon the first , in the year , 1000. and had with her , modena and reggio . theobaldo d' este othon's grand-child , had in the year 1055. ferrara from pope john the 12th , which was in the year , 1598. taken from them by clement the 8th , after the death of alfonso the 2d , for want of lawful heirs males : yet there was cesare d' este whom alfonso had from laura ferrarese who would have proved that his father had married his mother , and so that he was a lawful heir , but the proofs of the pope who had already taken possession of the place , were the strongest : yet that family still pretends to it , affirming they come from a lawful heir , though popes will have him to have been a natural son ; and this as to precedency wrongs that family , for other princes will not grant them as dukes of modena only , what they had as dukes of ferrara , although their standing dukes of modena be from barso d' este , who had the title given him by frederick the 3d emperour in the year 1460. the city hath been a great looser by this change , for instead of the seat of a court , 't is now made a city of war , and of 80000. soules that were in it under the dukes , there 's now hardly 20000. however this duke is still in possession of the dukedomes of modena and reggio , the principalities of carpi and correggio , the earldome of roli , and the lordships of sassevil , garfagna and frignano , by the late treaty of pisa ; his dispute with the pope about the vallies of gommachio was decided , being to receive as he did 400000. crowns for them , 40000. more of damages , and some other advantagious , conditions : all these lands with others which he hath still in the dukedom of ferrara , yield him every year full 500000. crowns ; all his dominions joyning one to another , makes him the more considerable ; his strength therefore consists in the number of his people ; the only province carfagnana is said to contain 80. places walled about ; he hath also several strong holds ; upon extraordinary occasions he is able to bring into the field 20000. foot , and 1000. horse , and he can without inconveniency keep the halfe of the number , however his country lies somewhat open to several neighbouring princes , not for want of good places , of which he hath many , seated at a proportionable and convenient distance one from another , but because that country lies upon an even ground ; in his citadel of modena , are as they say , armes for 40000. men ; this city is not in repute with other italians , who call it modena la pazza . these princes observe the general maximes of their neighbours , to have a good correspondency with venice , which was ever lookt upon as the protectour of the liberties of italy : since the loss of ferrara they kept close to the spaniards , but of late their interest made them change their affections , for duke francis was in the late italian war , made general of the french , and mazarine's neece married to prince almerigo his son , who hath left a young prince to succeed him . at present all things are done after the advice of cardinal d'este , protector of the french interest at rome , and the promoter of the late union of his family to france ; he is a prince very active and stirring , who lives at rome , when he comes there , with greater pomp , and more splendour then any other cardinal whatsoever ; he is zealous for the french , by whose friendship his family is much better with monies , being enriched with the late generalship : so is the country , for in winter the head quarters were in modena , whereto resorted all the great officers , and a great number of inferiour ones ; this somwhat helped the poor people to pay those taxes that are laid so heavy upon them ; at present there is one of their name , and kinsman afar of , don carlo d'este , if i mistake not , a subject born to the duke of savoy , who is a knight of the order of the fleece , whom i have seen attending on the empress at alexandria , pavio , &c. the duke of modena hath this advantage above most princes in italy , that he hath some of his subjects who have feudi fiefs of the empire ; we find many great families in his dominions , as the rich earls , di san paolo , the bentivogli-ragoni , buoncompagni , the marquesses spilimbergo , peppoli ; gualengo , di vignola and gualteri . the earls caprari , san martino , di molsa , di maluisia , montecuculi , tassoni ferrarese di conoscia , and few others ; the present duke being very young , we have nothing to say as to his person ; and though he were older , we could say of him that which must be spoken of some others , they are reserved , and live retiredly ; so that strangers , for any long while have not free excess to their courts and persons . the state of venice . now to go on , i must say something of the republicks . i do confess i am much at a stand when i see my self obliged to speak of venice ; the abundance of matter is often to a man a greater hindrance then help , when he must pick out that which is onely fit for his purpose ; to speak well of a republick esteemed a miracle of nature , and a prodigy of art , the tongue of an angel is necessary : 't were too trivial to say , that this republick was founded above 1246 years ago , by those who from aqueleia , padoa , &c. fled from the cruelty of attila : they were governed by tribunes till the year , 697. at which time they made a head called doge , and they chose san marco to be their protectour ; wherefore a lyon holding a book , is their arms , with this motto , pax tibi marce evangelista . the government was part aristocracy , and part democracy , but at the time when pietro gradenigo was doge in the year , 1280. it was resolved in the senate , that the government should hereafter belong to the nobility alone ; and to avoid oppositions , all the families that were in some esteem amongst the people , were declared nobles , as it hath been practised afterwards upon urging occasions , as in the wars against genoa , and lately in the wars against the turk , 100000. crowns being paid by every one who is made such , besides that he must be otherwise qualified for it . in the majesty and perpetuity of the duke , there is a shadow of monarchy , but the strength and the authority resides in the senate ; their dominion is of a great extent . in terra ferma they have dogado , la marca trevigiana , padoano , vicentino , veronese , feltrino , bellunese , bresciano , beragamasco , cremasco , &c. there is further il fruili , with many considerable cities in it , as udine , palma , and that strong hold palma nova . istria with four good cities , and many lands and places . out of italy they have dalmatia , with the islands thereto belonging , and the chief cities of zara , clissa : cataro , and few other places in albania ; in the levante , corfu , cefalonia , cerigo , zante , and some other islands in the arcipelago ; and the sovereignty of all the golfo from venice to otranto , and to la vallona , which is seven hundred miles in length ; of the kingdom of candia , they have nothing but the city . it would require whole volumes , if one would insist upon the manner of their government in general , seeing they have been curious to gather the quintessence of all the good laws and statutes which antient and modern republicks had , which they make use of upon occasion : they have above 60. courts of judicature , such a diversity being necessary for them to employ so many noblemen they have . i will hardly mention the gran ' consiglio , wherein are usually 1500. votes , besides other 500. nobles who are in offices else-where , either by land or sea ; nor the pregadi composed of ' 200. or thereabouts , or the collegio , or the consiglio di dieci , nor what manner of bus●inesses they treat of : why should i tell who are the procuratori di san marco , sesteri , tre capi di quaranta savi di mare , savi di terra , savi grandi , and so many officers ; this with an exact description of that republick , and of all her dependencies i could undertake , if i saw occasion , but 't is a thing that deserves to be by it self , as well as the account of the forces , and riches of the republick , and wherein they consist ; i shall not speak of the city which is full of wonders with antient and modern curiosities , only i shall name the arsenal , which is certainly the best in europe , and the treasure hath many rich and precious stones , however i will not omit to say , that in the city are two sorts of virtuosi , one is called discordanti , and the other gussoni . i must come to something of the political part of that government , but before , i must name some of the chief families of that republick . i believe the number of the nobles exceeds that of 3500. though 40. or 50. families with their friends and relations , whose leaders they are do govern the whole , the most considerable of these are contarini , now doge , sagredo , corraro , capello , moccenigo morosini , cornaro , gradenigo , grimani , querini , loredano , marcello , pesaro , giustiniano , foscari , bembo , delfini , &c. now i proceed , the venetians take a great care to have their young men instructed in those things which concern their republick ; in part to this effect they have found out such a variety of employments , to the end that applying themselves to these , they may in time be fitter to administer those of a higher nature , so that there is hardly any one without some employment suitable to his genius and capacity ; they also have an usual way to speak familiarly of policy , so that after a long use , and earnest application , and an often hearing of those who understand things well , they must needs make improvement in it . the venetians also most of any italians do travel abroad , and hardly an ambassadour ever goes to any place , but he is attended by some of the young nobles , who go to learn the politick part of the government of the countrey which the ambassadour is sent to ; and that which is the chief , to the end that the senate may be instructed of the present state of affairs of any court , we may observe that almost everywhere they have ambassadours ( not mattering what charges they come to ) who all the time of their residence , by a constant intelligence do acquaint the council with every particular thing that falls out in the court they live at ; who not only leave instructions to those who succeed them in the place , but who also when they come home , are obliged to make in pregadi , a full relation of the state wherein stands the court whence they come . one thing above all , which i find extraordinary , is that secresie so inviolably observed amongst them , that amongst so many heads there should be no tongue , nay there have been those who were present at the council , when violent resolutions were taken against some friend or relation of theirs ; they have conversed with them after that , and yet never discovered any thing . publick ministers of princes who reside there , do confess it is more difficult to penetrate into those results made sometimes by above 1500. men , than into those which are made by three or four : 't is true , this is look't upon as a part of their wisdome , that publick affairs are communicated to all , for then when the resolutions they have taken , require secresie , they think themselves obliged to observe it , though it were only upon this account that they are true and faithful to themselves . thus their general aime is , or at least their laws tend to maintain peace , union , and liberty . we must not wonder therefore if this republick is come to such a height , and maintains herself in it , with the excellency of her counsil , the observation of the laws , the gravity of manners and customes , and the common desire of maintaining liberty with a severe punishment of all innovations which could disturb the publick peace . laws ought not to be despotick or arbitrary , nor after the suggestions of sycophants , and the byassed parasites , but inconformity to those of the great law giver ( who though he have an absolute and unlimitable right and power over all , yet he is often times graciously pleased to give reasons of what he doth ) they ought to be grounded upon justice , reason , and equity , and to tend to the publick good , which should be the end of all civil and municipal laws , and not to be turned into private channels , to run to particular ends , which hapning , let him look to 't who bears not the sword without cause , for all private ends ought to be subservient to the publick interest : to this effect , when first all men contracted societies , and united themselves in corporations , they knew well they could not subsist without order , which can never be observed without laws , tending to protect the good in the enjoyment of that peace and quietness they desire , & to terrifie the evil with those punishments threatned them , in case the , go about to disturb it . and the truth is , that such laws being enacted , they look to future ages more than to that time wherein they are made , because those who made them being free agents , and entring willingly ; and with their own accord into such societies as every one of them had a hand in the passing of the laws , if not in the framing , at least in the approving and confirming of the same ; for that which is to be above all , as laws are , is to be made by the consent of all ; so 't is to be supposed they would not break the lawes which they made themselves , upon grounds of reason and justice ; hence it is , that as they have made use of the legislative power they had , and that they have bound themselves to the execution of them , which being once done , the bond cannot be loose or untied but by the general consent , and in such a case it may be done according to the maxime , that he who makes the law , can disanul it ; ( but it must be the whole legislative power ) for as grounds and reasons sometimes do alter , so may the laws accordingly , because as a law doth not sute in all places , so neither at all times , neither may they be allowed , but as much as they conduce to the publick good , which as i said , before is the end for the which they were roade ; but if they turn to be destructive to these ends for the which they were made , they ought certainly to be abrogated and made void ; and this shews that every law is not of the nature of those of the persisians and medians , which might not be altered ; but because the life of the law doth not so much consist in the legislative act , but specially in the executive part , not only in wisdome , but also in powers therefore they who made the lawe do appoint those who are to see them executed ; and because at first law-givers could not foresee all cases and accidents which might fall out , there is a certain power reserved to interpret , to explain and to amplifie those laws , yet upon this condition that sense shall be given to the words of the law which is most conducing to the end of the law , that is , to the publick good : for those rules that are imposed by conquerours as such , and do deserve the name of laws , but are only despotick orders and commands ; the conquerour after his victory imposes what he pleaseth upon the conquered ; sometimes nothing but martial and arbitrary laws , as it is this day practised in the turkish empire , for as he hath gotten it , so he must keep it either by force or fraud ; this is by virtue of a right used between wild beasts , who will tear or spare those that are weaker than themselves . the laws of venice , which are the occasion of this discourse , abhor these last , and are of the nature of the former , the happiness which they have enjoyn'd under them , do highly declare the wisdome of their law-givers . i believe it were of no little use , if every countrey were acquainted with the same ; i altogether for bear speaking of them that are common and ordinary , one kind excepted , which is very beneficial , and might prove so to other countries , being introduced therein , i mean the sumptuary laws against excess in clothes , jewels , equipage , &c. which though vain and superficial things do consume & wast the state & substance of many ; the servant is not to be known by his cloaths from his master ; and of these how many have we who are more sollicitous of getting perriwigs , gaudy cloathes , and the like , than careful to acquire knowledge , virtue and experience , not knowing that those things are borrowed , and not their own , which make no difference between an honest man and the vilest wretch in the world , however they are satisfi'd with the shew , and are like those apples that grow about the lake of sodom , which have a fair shew , but have nothing within , blow upon them and they fly into dust and ashes . as there is a difference of quality in persons , so there should be some distinction in cloathes , or the like ; the very stars shew greater brightness some than others . men should strive to goe one beyond another , not in clothes but in virtue , and good quality . but i 'le leave this discourse , not for want of matter , one who hath but common sense and reason could have much to say upon 't , but because i avoid to be accounted too censorious and critical , and that some times every truth must not be spoken , or when it is odium parit : but to come to my subject , i say , 't is not so in venice , they minde more solid and substantial things than these , and they practise certain refined maximes , which i have observed . first , their doges may not ally themselves to any forreign princes , to preveni receiving from abroad councils tending to the destruction of liberty at home . neither is it lawful for any of the nobles to converse with any forreign ministers , or any one that hath any relation to them , or to keep communication with them by way of letters , or any other direct or indirect way , to remove all occasions of being bribed , and so of betraying the state or their councils ; for this cause 12. or 13. years agoe was put to death one of the family of carnaro , it being found out that he had been several times at the lodging of the spanish ambassadour . further , as they know that the greatness of the republick comes from their power upon the seas ; so all the nobles apply themselves specially to sea affairs : as for land service they usually take strangers of known valour and experience out of germany , italy , and other places . to preserve union between the nobles and the people , and that these may have where to apply themselves ; the noble ; do not roeddle with publick schools , or ruling of parochial churches , or the like ; and more than this , the direction of the chancery of the republick , which is a high dignity that hath the ordering of all publick expeditions , and the secretaries places are ever given to some of the people , to whom also they allow liberty of fishing , coursing , shooting , and the like , there being no propriety in things of this nature , and that they may yet the more get the love and affection of the people , they converse together in walks , play-houses , gaming-places , and upon all occasions and meetings ; so also they take citizens daughters to be their wives : yet for all this the nobles are so far from hindring , that rather they encourage the divisions which are in the city of venice of one part against another , that is , between the castellani and nicolotti , who use to meet specially in the month of september , upon the bridge of st. barnabas , which they flock to in great numbers , and the nobles who happen to be there do encourage every one of those of his side ; there they kick and cuff one another , but have no armes : this to some is an eff●ct of animosity , to others ' a sport , to others a shew , and to all a diversion from other things . upon this account , they suffer the insolencies of scholars at padoa with their chi va li at night to keep a division between them and the citizens , who also are looked upon as a factious people . another maxime which they have , is to keep the scales even between warring princes , specially in italy , as they have done in the wars of milan , to preserve the publick liberty , that one prince do not grow too potent by the loss of another ; but a thing which they study most of all , is , to know the genius , customes , strength , and to find out the designes of all princes and republicks , by which diligence many a time they have found out and avoided great dangers impending over themselves and others . but a very useful maxime they have , and which is very wise , it is ever to hearken after peace , and fit themselves constantly for war : afore they were involved in this last with the turk , their policicy was by all means to avoid a falling out with so dreadful an enemy ; but it seems at this time providence hath made use of the perfidiousness of those of candia , and of the turks ambition , to make this maxime to be null and void . but to withdraw from this ocean , i will say , that out of policy they suffer the delayes of doing justice , and the tedious proceedings at law , to keep people in exercise , and the courts of justice in credit : by the same reason they are so severe in punishing faults against the state upon all sorts of persons ; and to avoid innovations and disorders ; contrariwise , they be very remiss to those which proceed from humane frailty : so 't is to punish more rigourously the faults of the nobles , than those of the people , to the end that the former do not grow insolent , nor these last discontented . further they are careful to maintain their priviledges to provinces and cities , that they may continue in their loyalty and affection . lastly , 't is a part of their justice , as of their policy , not to punish the crime of the fathers upon the children , nor e converso , the person only which is guilty suffering . i have one thing more to say before i leave it : of all states in italy this of venice hangs loose from the pope most of all , therefore they meddle not in the court of rome , neither do they care to bestow pensions upon cardinals to have a favourable election , & indeed 't is not much material to them , seeing they extend their jurisdiction upon all regular & ecclesiastical persons within their dominions , notwithstanding the endeavours of several popes to the contrary : and they have good laws to bridle the power of popes within their state , as i will instance only in two cases ; the first is , though the inquisition be amongst them , yet they have taken away its sting , there being constantly three of the wisest and more moderate senators named to be present at their consultations ; and it is further ordered , that nothing shall be resolved in it , except there be present one of these senators , who qualifies things , reduces them to moderation , and in case of extremity telling , the senate must be acquainted with such and such things . the second case is , the nomination which popes make , of whom they think fit to some , church-livings and benefices within their state , the pope pretends he hath right so to do , which they deny ; however because they will not openly cross him , they have found out an indirect way , which is this , there is an order , that no man whosoever shall be put in possession of any benefice by virtue of any grant or nomination from the pope , except the same be first approved of by the council , so that the patent being brought to the council , there it lies till either the person who had it , or the pope who granted it , be dead , which maxime now being known , none of their subjects will be at the charges and trouble to sue at rone for any such thing . the wisest amongst them laugh at the pretended authority and jurisdiction which popes arrogate to themselves within the limits of their republick : he may ( say they ) play rex at rome , and have his patriarchal churches , namely st. peter representing the patriarch of constantinople ; st. paul of alexandria , st. mary the greater of antiochia , st. laurance without the walls of jerusalem , and set over these four , st. john of lateran , representing the pope , who is over all ; but say they , such liberty is not allowed him in the states of other princes . from time to time there hath been quarrels between popes and this republick ; paul the fifth's excommunication is not yet forgotten there , nor the principles of padre paolo , and padre fulgentio rooted out ; though the gospel be not taught there in publick , one may hear it sometimes in private . 't is true , of late the jesuites were re-admitted there , but meer necessity of state obliged them to it , though their re-admission was carried on but by few balls or votes , the late popes letter earnestly entreating them to do it , and saying , that if he could have gone in person to ask it , he would have done it , was not so efficacious as the promise of keeping 3000 men at his own charges in dalmatia , for theservice of the republick ; and upon occasion the use of his gallies , with some other advantages : however , they are still odious in that city to all sorts of people , and a small matter will send them out again : in a private conversation between the late popes and a venetian ambassadour then at rome , upon the question moved by the pope , where was their title to the soveraignty of the gulf ? the other answered him smartly , 't is upon the back of constamines donation ; this shews somthing in the bottom of the venetian hearts not favourable to rome , whence they have received so many grounds of displeasure ; we have seen of late how much trouble a nuncio of the popes at venice was like to have raised between the duke and senate about the barigello , who had seized certain of the nuncio's servants when they had done some insolencies , though he said he knew not they were his servants , and though things had been composed so , that the barigello should not appear in the church of st. mary , where the nuncio was to be till the last holy day of christmass , yet upon that very day against the agreement , within the church the nuncio prevailed with the duke to order him to go out , whereat the whole senate were highly incensed that the duke would do such a thing without their advice : and now the late grudge about the turning of the channel of the po another way , might produce somthing , were it not for the war of candia , however there remains a cause of falling out hereafter . the state of genoa . but 't is time to speak of genoa , formerly the dangerous rivall of veuice ; history shews us the several & great revolutions of government in this city ; it was by charles the great made an earldom , and under one of their earls won the island corfica from the saracens ' , afterwards they became a republick , they asked the protection of charles the sixth king of france , and having rejected this , they submitted to the duke of millan , and then would have withdrawn from his obedience , but he being too hard for them , they were kept under till the days of andrea doria , who having pacified the intestine divisions , instead of making himself prince of it , as some think he might have done , he got them the liberty wherein they stand at present : this republick is no more now what it hath been , that genoa which hath formerly been so potent at sea , as to beat the venetians , take one of their dukes prisoners , as they did in 1258. run victorious up and down , taking several cities belonging to them , and block up venice it self . furthermore , in the year 1337. they conquered the kingdome of cyprus , took the king and queen prisoners , but restored them upon certain conditions ; the reason is , because though the countrey be the same , yet that people hath exceedingly degenerated ; in those days every one minded the publick good , and the honour of the nation , but now every one seeks his private ends and interests , let what will become of the publick , which is a meer folly , for when the publick goes to wrack , particular men cannot thrive very long ; but if all particular men strive together to promote the publick , as they are members of that body , so they will find the benefit of it ; when we have seen in the roman commonwealth men sacirfice states , friends , relations and lives for the republick , when nothing was so dear to them , but they could part with it for the good and safety of the republick , then were all things in a flourishing condition , but when they began to seek their own , and every one to set up for himself , all things began to totter : how can the parts be saved , if the whole perish ? the bees and the ants natural instinct goes beyond some mens reason , they may be hyerogliphicks to us , and their example teach us to be publick spirited men , but it seems the genoesi are not so . this republick is in possession of what was formerly called liguria , now 't is riviera di genoa , from the city of genoa to porto di luna , is called , la riviera di levante , or of the east , and from genoa to monaco 't is rivieradiponente of the west , which makes 150. miles in length , though the breadth is hardly above 25. in any place : 't is true , that upon the ponente is finale belonging to the spaniarols , and three places to savoy , but withal beyond monaco it hath st. remy and ventimiglia ; towards milan they have gavi with a strong castle , and novi not so good as the other ; they have also the island corsiea : formerly trade did much flourish in genoa , but now legorn hath spoiled it , as genoa had spoiled that of savona , they suffered extreamly by the late great plague that was there ; so that to make themselves amends , and to keep up trade , they have thought fit to bring in the jews , by whose means they hope in time to bring trading back again from legorn ; but others are in expectation to hear how they will agree , for between a jew and a genoese ( setting aside baptism ) there 's no difference ; and if they do 't will pass for a wonder . but not to be tedious upon this , i say , that although the city be very fair , and the palaces stately , it is inhabited by men , then whom ( few excepted ) there cannot be worse , this is the opinion which all other italians have of them : there goes a story , ( which how true 't is i will not dispute ) that when the grand duke first of all made livorno a free port , he gave leave of trading in 't to all nations , as english , french , and to all merchants , even out of turkey , anch ' ai genoesi , having named several nations , amongst whom there were infidels ; those of genoa are put the last , as being the worst of all . indeed they are proud , revengeful in an extraordinary way , and enemies to strangers , though out of that city they goe almost into all parts . i do not think there is a city in italy where more mischief is done than in this , one hears of it almost every day : in the way of trade they are very skilful , yet so interessed , that there are those in it who could prefer one 5 s. to twenty lives ; their temper is such , that they cannot agree with any sort of people , nay , not so much as amongst themselves ; their unsettledness appears in this : from earles they came to consuli , from these to potesta , then to capitani , to governatori , luoghitenenti rettori di populo , abbati di populo , reformatori , protectori , duchi nobili , and duchi popolari . civil divisions ever regarded amongst them , for they are no sooner come under one sort of government , but they wished for another . when francis the first heard they would desire his protection ; let them go to hell , said he , for i am not willing to needdle with such people . the italian proverb of them is , mare senzapesci , they have seas without fish , montagne senzalegno , mountains and no woods , huomini senza fede , men without faith , and donne senza vergogna , women without shame ; yet some brave men are come out of it . the government is aristocratical , with a doge , only for two years , who with the 8 governatori , is called the signoria , then the little council of 100 men , and the great of 400. they have also the sindici over-seers of the actions of governours , as censors were at rome : the doge hath a guard , which he of venice hath not ; their forces are much decayed from what they were , when they reduced venice to an extremity ; still they continue to be good sea-souldiers , and keep eight gallies , which do dispute the hand with those of maltha , but they are not esteemed by land. 't is a thing which will seem an extravagancy , yet 't is a truth , that there hath been persons , and there are now families in genoa , more esteemed abroad than is the republick it self , and some are as rich , if not richer , who keep gallies of their own . the republick hath not above 200000 crowns a year , because part of the dominion , and of the revenue , doth belong to the company of st. george , which is , as it were another republick within that ; yet some make the yearly income greater ; but confess that it doth not exceed the charges . silks are the staple commodity , which they work very well in velvet , plush , satin , taby , taffitie , and the like silk-works , which they send into all the northern parts of europe . st. george is their champion , and the red cross is their coat of armes . the city as 't is usual with republicks , draws the best of the land to it self , and hath destroyed the trading of other places , as savona to advance its own ; in it are a sort of virtuosi , who call themselves addormentatis the city is not strong . the great secret of state of this republick hath been to keep herself united to , and depend upon spain since charles the fifth ; and philip the 2d of spain to keep them to her self , hath borrowed vast sums of monies , and assigned lands in naples and milan for the payment ; so that they must keep fair with the spaniard , for fear of loosing the principal ; on the other side , as the king of spain hath occasion of them , in relation to finale and milan not to loose them , he allows very great use for this money , so that they are even , and think to have over-reached one another ; most of the monies which are currant being spanish coine , it shews there hath been very great dealings between them . however now the spaniard hath much lost the great authority he had first amongst them , for formerly they so far depended upon him , that they might not receive within their city the embassadour of any prince but his own , who might come as he did often into the consultations of the senate ; but now there is no such matter ; they being exposed to so many alterations , there are no fixed nor constant maximes of policy among them . i think 't is a republick great by name , but small in srtength , despised by her superiors , hated of her equals , and envied by her inferiors , which doth subsist only because one neighbour would not have another to get it , the interest of every one being to have it remain in a third hand ; genoa is very jealous of two of her neighbours , savoy and toscany , of the former , who hath aimed and attempted to bring her under his yoake ; of the latter , by reason of his pretentions to sarzana , which formerly belonged to florence , and of both , because she is odious to both , and that upon the account of state , and of private interest , they wish to see her brooght low . in it are many noble and rich families , as doria , of which are the marquess of toreglia , prince of melfy , of the branch of andre doria , and the duke of tursi ; spinola the marquess , and de duke of sestri , marquess de los balbases , a spanish title , because a grandee of spain ; other families are fieschi , grimaldi , giustiniani , pallavicini , cibo , carrieri , imperiale , and some others . now the marquess hyppolito centurione with his ships and gallies , is entred into the french service . of the state of luca. i see i do fall from an ocean into rivers , yet there is water enough for me to swim in , in some places , if not every where . you will not be troubled with hearing a long enumeration of places and dominions ; yet 't is to be admired of the places i am now to speak of , not how they can preserve themselves ; this the jealousie between , and the interest of their neighbours , joyned with watchfulness on their side , doth for them ; but how formerly in times of conquest they could free their necks from the yoke of their potent neighbours . luca is one of these places which hath sometimes been possessed by the goths , the emperours of constantinople , the faseoli , castrucci , spinoli , by the family della scala , by the fiorentini , pisani , and by one carlo of bohemia , who having made a bishop governour of it , this bishop received 25000 crowns , and left them the liberty they are now in , their dominion is extended upon few mountains , not much inhabited , upon the top of which they have some strong holds , as monte ignoso , castiglione , minuoiano , with camagiore and via reggio upon the sea ; but the best they have is the city well seated , people'd , and fortified with the territory belonging to it , which produces abundance of olives , the best of italy ; and the industry of the inha bitants about silk-works makes the city flourish and grow rich , every one in it hath something to live upon ; there are in it a matter of 10 families esteemed at least worth 20000 crowns a year ; others to the number of 30 have some 15000 , some 10000 a year , and above 60 have been between 4 and 5000 ; the yearly income of the commonwealth comes to not much above 100000 crowns , with a treasure they have esteemed a million , with certain plate and jewels , which upon occasion might bring in some monies . they are governed by a council of 150 of the chief citizens , the city is divided into three parts , which they call tertieri , out of every one of which the general council doth elect three men , in all , nine , called senators , who joyned with the gonfaloniero their head are called la signoria : the senators do command by turns every three dayes , the gonfaloniero hath a bare title , and nothing but the precedency above the rest , he is himself commanded by the senators ; he keeps his place but two months , then another is chosen , but within that time he may not go out of the palace under pain of death : as for warlike affairs they are in a good condition upon the defensive , their listed militia's are of 18000 men , besides the city contains 30000 inhabitants , and is constantly guarded by 300 good souldiers , whereof 200 are born in the city , and have the keeping of the gates , walls , and other places , the other 100 are all strangers , born 50 miles at least from the city ; amongst them they admit no florentine ; their captain is a stranger too , the palace is committed to their guard , and under pain of death they may not come nigh the walls . the city keeps a constant provision of mouth , and ammunition of war for whole 7. years ; their few strong holds are well provided , and their souldiers well paid , which is the onely way to keep them upon duty and obedience ; so that their care , and the plenty of their territory about the city do supply the narrowness and littleness of it : in a word , if they come short of other princes and republicks , as to the extent of dominions they have great advantages above them another way . first , they are not revengeful , as all the rest of italians are , they casily forgive offences received , which doth argue the goodness of their nature , upon this account they are a proverb to other italians , riceve gli affronti come un ' lucbese . 2dly , their women are very modest , and inclined to chastity , and their young men sober and temperate , some out of a natural inclination , and others by virtue of the good order kept amongst them : for 24 men , known to be of a good life and conversation are chosen out of the council to be inspectors over the manners of youth , ( this they call consigliodi discoli ) specially of deboist persons , and every time they meet , which happens once a year , every one puts in his bill with the names of those whom he hath found and observed to be unruly ; and if the name of one be put in the little box by the two thirds , that is by sixteen ; herein is his sentence conteined of 3 years banishment , he must go out of the city the next day after he hath had warning , and within 3 dayes after out of the state : so that by the observation of these good orders , god fits them the better for conversion and reformation , after the reading of scriptures , which they are much inclined to : hence it is , that we have seen so many families leave luca and go to geneva to enjoy the liberty of the gospel , and to make an open profession of the truth : after these commendations 't were superfluous to say , they have also amongst them two sorts of virtuosi , the one called oscari and the other freddi . they might boast of the antiquity of their city , which was built by lucamon king of toscany , but they have a greater advantage which they glory in , that this is the first city of toscany , which received the christian faith ; though they be united amongst themselves , they are not sometimes without troubles at home , caused by the pride of their clergy which is so far protected by popes , that urban the 8th for their sake excommunicated the republick . this people is civil to strangers , and very courteous to those who come into the city , yet so watchful over them , that they have the council della vigilanza to know what they come for , whence they come , and whether they go , not allowing them to wear swords in the streets without a special leave , yet they give them liberty to walk upon the moat , by the walls , and to view the same ; in this city , the tongue is spoken in the purity of it . all their maximes of state are onley about the defensive part , and how to preserve themselves from their great neighbour the gran ' duke , who would be glad to bring toscany to her old limits that way , wherefore the republick hath a strict correspondency with genoa , which fears the same ; however as i have observed , one neighbour would cross another , if any thing was design'd against luca : their care hath provided against open attempts , they being in a readiness to oppose them , all what they must do , is to take heed of surprisals . the state of san marino . san marino is , i believe , the least republick of europe , when the empire was transferred out of italy into germany ; this city , with some others made her self a republick ; it lies on the west of the dukedome of urbino , under whose dukes protection it remained , till this state fell to the church , so that now it is shut up within the popes lands , and under their protection , yet some of them , specially the late alexander the 7th , have done what they could by promises and fair means to make their nephews princes of it , but she would not part with her liberty ; and though the pope could easily force them to it , yet he dares not , it being certain that the venetians , and the grand duke would oppose him in it , specially now when italian princes do dislike novelities and innovations : when this republick hath written to venice , she hath called her carissima sorella , very dear sister , a weak one indeed , for having but the city , and two or three villages besides , her strength and riches are but small , which must be supplyed with their care of themselves , and watchfulness over their neighbours . of the petty principalities this is all as i think , that needs be said upon the subject of great princes , and republicks of italy . i must therefore now speak to the petty princes , or rather continue it , for the last republick i have mentioned may have her place amongst these , rather than amongst the great ones : but i desire not to be mistaken , when i call some petty princes , 't is not to be understood , as if they depended from others , and were not sovereignes , for every way they act as such : in their lands there is no appeal from their sentence , they dispose of life and death , as well as the greatest princes , they coyn , or may coyn monies , elect officers , make laws , and when there is occasion for it , they treat of peace and warre . i call them petty princes , because their states are but small in comparison of those whom i call great ones . 't is true , that there are very many who have the name of princes , who are not sovereigns , but are subjects to others ; the number of these all italy over is between 75 and 80 ; between 90 and 100 have the titles of dukes , and of marquesses and earls , there are above 500 ; but i speak onely of sovereigns . the duke of della mirandola is one of this sort ; the city la mirandola is seated upon the confines of modena towards the river po ; the family pico , one of the most antient and famous of italy , have been lords of it , and of concordia since the year , 1110 till now ; that line failed in the year , 1637 , and therefore another was invested of it by the emperour . of this sort are also the princes of bozzolo , and of sabionetta , the dukes of guastalda , and of novellara , and the marquess of castiglione ; all within the state of mantoa , as we said before , they have been such for these 100 years past , and are all of the family gonzaga , he of sahionetta excepted , which in the year 1540 was given with a daughter , and heir to general caraffa , and now in the hands of a spaniard . the principality of monaco is another , this is a strong city by nature , seated upon the mediterranean , between nizzadi , provenza and genoa , this makes the prince more considerable than any other of his sort ; there is an indifferent harbour ; the way up to it is very steep and difficult , and several guards to speak with , before one can get to it . at the comming in there is a broad place with a prospect as pleasant as can be ; within few miles from it , is another place , good enough , called menton , depending from the said principality : there was in monaco a spanish garrison , but the late prince having partly by a stratagem , and partly with help from the french driven it out , he desired the french protection , and now there is in it a french garrison , he is duke de valentionis , and peer of france , whose coin is currant in that kingdom . this princes family is grimaldi , who derive their pedegree from grimald , son of pipin king of austrasia , and brother to charles martel : this pipin as they say , gave the lordship to grimald , in the year 713. but they were declared princes in the year , 1411. cardinal grimaldi yet living , and brother to the late duke , was in great part the occasion of the admitting in of the french , induced to it by the persecution which the barberini suffered from the pope at the secret instigations of spain , and by the protection which the french gave to that family , whose passionate creature this grimaldi is , and also by the interest he hath gotten in france , to be arch-bishop of aix , and other good benefices he enjoys : he is of an active spirit , therefore he hath been much spoken of at rome ; their family , or a branch of it is named amongst the greatest in genoa , where some of the name are admitted to the highest charges : the present prince of monaco is not much passed twenty five , he hath married marshall grammonts daughter , who prefers the pleasure of paris , to the soveraignty of monaco . massa is in toscany , seated part ' of it at the bottom of a great mountain , part upon the mountain , and highest of all is the princes castle , yet he is a building a palace in the lower town , and 't is almost finished ; this is but a post from sarzana : the family malaspina possessed it along while , till by the marriage of ricarda malaspina , with lorenzo cibo , it came to this family , because she was the heir of it : they were marquesses till the year , 1499. at which time innocent the 8th of the same family being pope , alberico cibo , was by the emperour maximilian made prince of the empire . bonifacius the 9th was of the same family , which coming from grecia , where they had possessed some islands , principalities , and other territories , they seated in genoa , there is a cardinal of the name and family . massarana is in monferrat , not far from veroelli , this principality hath been in the hands of the family scala , but in the 1568. 't was bought from them by the ferreri , who are at present in possession of it . upon 15 miles from genoa is another sovereignty , the marquesate of torreglia , it was given by charles the 5th to andrea doria , who had left the service of frances the first king of france , and done many eminent services to the emperour ; the same family doth also enjoy the principality of melfey in the kingdom of naples , but not in sovereignty : this family doria hath for 500 years been esteerned in genoa , one of the most noble , if not the first of that republick : the head of the family is young at present there are two branches of it flourishing in genoa , who hath each of them a stately palace , though one is more antient and more sumptuous than the other . another principality is , piombine , in the island alba , whereof part belongs to the grand duke , as cosmopoli , &c. prince ludoviso hath it now , it was bought for his father by his uncle gregory the 15th of the same family ; not long since the princes father died in sardegna , where he was vice-king for spain , having layed before noble and stately foundations of a palace in piazza colonna at rome . this prince underwent his fathers displeasure unto the time of his death by reason of a strong passion he had for a mean person in the island : at present there is cardinal ludoviso great penitentiere of the roman church , which is one of the most eminent dignities of it : he is of bologna of this family by the side of late prince ludovisio's mother ; he is a man of no considerable parts . speaking of this sort of princes , i say nothing of strength , riches and policy , things so inconsiderable with them , that they are to be not so much as mentioned ; all are under the protection of those within whose dominions their principalities stand , or of some other ; the inconsiderableness of others , and the affection of their few subjects are a security to them , and happy are they if satisfied with their condition ; they are free of fears and of ambition ; as they have little , so they have little to care and to answer for ; they have the satisfaction to command , and not be commanded , and enjoy what sweetness there is , giving law , without being exposed to the inconveniencies of it . but now we must come to those principalities which are seated within the state of the church , and first to those which belong to the family colonna , now divided into two branches , one of which hath the principality of carbognana , whose eldest son hath married his sister , who is at present the head of the other branch , whereof however the late cardinal colonna , who died at finale , attending on the empress , and who was protector of the empire , was the chief , and with his frugality acquitted the debts , and cleared the state of his family : his nephew don lorenzo colonna ( who hath married the mancini , one of mazarins neeces ) commonly called contestabila colonna , because he is high constable of the kingdome of naples , is now the head of that branch , a man whose inclination agrees better with the french than with the spanish temper ; yet he must keep fair with these by reason of his place , and of the land he hath in naples : his free and frequent conversation with the duke of crequi ambassadour to rome , gave the spaniards much jealousie , some think he left rome in part upon this account but the aversion he had for the late popes family by reason of some discontents he had received from them , was a sufficient ground to oblige him to leave rome for two years time , as he did lately ; he is a man who lives in his pleasure , yet he hath so high and so noble a spirit , that he could not stoop to the popes kinsmen , as few others did ; he hath a brother called don domenico colonna , and is sovereign of pagliano and prince of marini , the antiquity of his family is well known : their arms are a colonna , or a pillar , crowned because stefano colonna the roman senator did crown lewis of bavaria emperour , in the year 1260. they say they come from columnius an antient roman . the rival , and antient enemy of this family hath been casa ursini , most noble and very antient , of which was that proud nicholas the 3 d ; this family hath been much decayed in her state , though of late 't was somewhat restored by the means of some rich matches made with other families , which yet for want of children may at last prove disadvantagious : their palace at rome in monte jordano is very antient : the eldest of the family is now cardinal ursini protector of poland , portugal , and com-protector of the french interest at the court of rome ; a man of no extraordinary parts , who not long since was obliged to take a journey to paris to pacifie that court , angry with him for not acting according to directions in the business of crequi at rome ; and therefore had taken from him his pension of 5000 crowns a year , and bestowed it upon cardinal aldobrandini , who being dead , ursini posts away to paris , and obtains his desire , the head of this family is now the duke of bracciano , who is also conte di petiglione , two soveraignties belonging to the family by an antient gift of some popes for services done to the church ; this duke is the head of the antient nobility of rome , as all other roman princes do , he stands much upon the points or punctillio's of ceremonies ; hence it is , that lately he had a kind of a broglio , or falling out with cadinal sforza , though some think it was not so much his fault as the cardinals ; he hath a younger brother , called don lelio ursini prince of vic●varo . another antient family is that of cezarini duke of the name , and prince of fansano , and of ardea he derives his pedigree from the cezars , the family , as to a male issue , is like to be extinct : the late duke , a man of 50000 crowns a year could afford his cook 4giulius , two shillings for his dinner , and no more . he appeared so high for the french in the business of crequi , out of an enmity he had for the popes relations , that he was obliged to retire into the kingdom of naples till the peace was made ; he was one of those whom italians call matti porta a casa , he died lately , and left three or four daughters in monasteries , who had made no profession ; his brother the abbot cezarini hath succeeded him , a man of a most loose and dissolute life ; when i came from rome he was upon marrying a lady of milan , without hopes on his side , by reason of his former deboistness of having any children ; yet with what he had before he is worth 60000 crowns a year . rignano is a principality belonging to the duke muti , of a very antient family , for they derive themselves from mutius scevola , and a proof of it is the possession of campi mutii , wherein porsenna was encamped , given by the senate to mutius and his posterity : the present duke is not married , though he begins to be antient , he hath much squandered his state with gaming and women , he hath a brother a prelate , and another called marquess muti , a very ingenious person to my knowledge , and of good parts , their palace as that of the forenamed family is in rome . i will make no further mention of the sovereignty of farneze , i said what was fit to be known of it speaking of the duke of parma , the cardinal of that name is prince of it . i will only name the marquess di monte another sovereign , and the noble family of caetani who have a stately palace at rome . of this family is the prince of caserta , who for an unhappy business was obliged to fly from rome , where he was lookt upon as the best qualified of all other princes , as to his personal worth . pope clement the 8th a florentine , in the year , 1595 , bought the marquesate of meldola , and gave it to his nephew ottavio aldobrandini , which is a sovereignty ; this family hath lived at rome with great pomp , and much splendour , where they have three or four fair palaces : now there being no males , the great heir of that family is the princess of rossano married first to the late prince borghese his father that now is , and after to prince panfilio , nephew to innocent the 10th , of which she is now a widow ; this match with those two families is like in time to cause great clashings between them , about a clause in the contract of marriage with the former ; both are very potent , for borghese hath 300000 crowns a year , and pansilio little less : so we are now come to late families raised at rome by popes . urbanus the 8th , subject born to the grand duke , by the means of his long reign : had time enough to settle his family barberini ; he had three nephews , francesco , whom he made cardinal padrone , that is master , antonio who for a while was the head of the family , but desired at last to be made a cardinal , and don thaddeo : francesco was made arciprete of st. peters church . antonio of st. mary the greater , and high chamberlain , and don thaddeo prefetto , or general of the church ; this last being made the head of the family , they bought him the principality of palestrina , formerly praeneste , which is now in the hands of his younger son , the eldest having voluntarily resigned his birth right to his brother to be made a cardinal , who at present is called cardinal carlo barberini , he is the third of the family who hath that dignity , which is very rare at the same time ; and that which is the more to be admired is , that he was elected by innocent the 10th , who made it his task to persecute and destroy this family ; but this was the work of donna olympia , who recollecting her self , and being affraid least the next pope might prove a friend of the barbarines , whose faction was then potent , and so retaliate the panfilio's what they had done to the barbarines , she thought it fit to reconcile both families , and this cardinals cap was the seal of that reconciliation ; though this family was persecuted by innocent , it is still flourishing ; the prince of palestrina being already in possession of a vast estate , and in expectation of a great addition to it , after the death of his uncle francesco , who is very rich , and at present the dean of the colledge of cardinals , and titular protectour of the english interest at rome ; but how much more would he get if he were made a pope , as he pretends to it in case of a sede vacante : this princes palace is in as good air , and as pleasant a seat as any in rome nigh to monte cavallo , which innocent was upon taking from them , had not cardinal grimaldi prevented it by setting the armes of france over the gate . but we must come to the late reignning family of the ghigi's , that pope at first was seemingly unwilling to do any thing for his relations , but at last he was as busie as any of his predecessours had been , to raise them up ; to this purpose he bought , as we said before , the principality farneze , but afterwards he parted with it for the reasons before expressed . he perswaded father oliva , the general of the jesuites , to enduce those of their colledge who had authority to sell him the best land belonging to it , to the summ of 100000 crowns , under pretence of getting monies to pay their debts ; and this was bought for don augustino , whereat the jesuites were much grieved , when they saw their fault at a distance ; then did he secretly tamper to get those of san marino to receive a prince over them ; then did he proffer to duke muti for his principality of rignano a cardinals cap , and a great summe of money ; and after the death of duke cezarini , he offered the cardinals cap to his brother and heir with 200000 crown , if he would give one of his neeces that are in the cloister to don sigismond the youngest of his nephews , and resign the principality , but he not willing to marry , nothing of this could take effect ; however the head of his family is provided for , because the noble family of prince savelli being exceedingly decayed , want of monies obliged him , who now is to hearken after the proposals , made by the popes agents , to sell his principality of la rizza and albano , which he did not absolutely , reserving for many years to come for himself and his heirs ( having already a fine young son ) to enter again into his right and possession , paying the summe received , which there is no great probability as yet to effect , except in case of some very great match , or of a popedom in their family , which yet is not very probable , though at present there be a cardinal of the family , who had some things left him by cardinal mont ' alto : however the pope is dead , and don maria , who at rome ruled the rost , hath soon followed him , and a spend-thrist of no parts is left after them ; the prsent pope as yet hath gotten no principality for his nephews , and he hath hardly had time to do it ; what he will do hereafter time will reveal . all princes and republicks in italy do homage , or pay tribute either to the pope or to the emperour , except the venetians , who yet for some islands pay a tribute to the turk . namely , first , the king of spain is feudatario of the pope for the kingdom of naples , and of the emperour for the dukedom of milan . the duke of savoy depends from the emperour of piemont and monferrat , by virtue of which last he is vicar of the empire . the grand duke acknowledges the pope for radicosans , the king of spain ; for siena , and the emperour for florence , and the rest . the republick of genoa doth homage to the emperour for her whole state ; the duke of mantoa , who is also vicar of the empire , by reason of monferrat to the emperour , for what he hath of moferrat , and for the mantoan . the duke of parma to the pope for parmas piacenza , castro and riociglione . the duke of modena to the emperour for his whole state ; so doth the republick of luca. the prince of monaco doth homage to the french king for what he hath in fance . the duke della mirandola , the princes di piorulino , and all those of the family gonzaga , with the marquesses di massa and torreglia , depend from the empire , as due from the pope , the republick of san marino , the prince di massarano , the duke di itracciano , and earl di petigliano , the marquesses di moldota and di monte , and the princes di palestrina , di pagliano , and di farneze . now the difference of those papal and imperial fiefs or feudi , consists in this chiefly , that most of the last pass by succession from the line male , to the female , but 't is not so off the others , for the lawful masculine line hapning to faile , 't is presently devolved to the church , as in cases of ferrara and urbino . thus far have we spoken in particular of the several princes and republicks of italy ; now i have some few things to observe in general , relating to the whole nation : first , their language , which is a corruption of the latin , caused by the irruption of the goths , huns , vandals and lombards , who setling in it for a while , and using their own languages , the countrey tongue , which was in latin , came to grow corrupt by degres , and to be somewhat forgotten , and which is a mixture of the french , and some of the spanish , because these nations have been there with their armies , and have ruled over parts of it for a long while ; hence it is , that about piemont , milan , and genoa , they speak a corrupt italian , which hath most of the provenzal in it , and except in part the state of the pope , in toscany and at leuca , the right italian is spoken no where else ; i do not speak as to the pronunciation , which is very different , at genoa 't is pronounced much with the lips , in naples with the teeth , in venice with the palat ; and the florentine pronunciation is well enough known , how ever the right italian language , or toscan , as they usually call it , is very sententious , and full of judicious and significative proverbs ; 't is very sweet , and doth abound in fine and civil expressions , as for instance , if i desire to speak with one , the first words he will say to me will be these , che commanda us , what are you pleased to command me ; if they answer to a question , 't is in these words , daservitore non lo so , as i am your servant i cannot tell ; if i desire one to do any thing for me , he will say , sara servito , i will do it ; or if i buy any thing , and we cannot ag●ee about the price , the parting words will be to me , mispiace di non poter servirla , i am sorry i cannot afford it , and the like ; all which expressions in their original , have more of civility then in any other language . i need not to penetrate into the sincerity of their discourses , which is not material to the purpose . i know the saying , the french do not speak as they write , nor the italians as they think : i speak only as to the sweetness of the language , whereupon one said , if i was to speak to senators or ambassadors , i would do it in spanish , if to souldiers in high dutch , to courtiers in french , but to ladies in italian . there is indeed a kind of excess in their civil expressions , for they use to say , schiavo di v. sigria , i am your slave instead of your servant ; and the word vosignoria , your lordship is ordinary with them ; so is the title of molto magnifico given to inferiour persons , as that of illustrissimo to those of a higher quality , yet 't is given to many who are no great matter : a stranger with them is presently sigre conte , or barone , or at least sigre cavaliere ; they call men by the christian name , sigre francesco , giouanni , francis , john , when they speak to them , onely adding the word don , to those of the highest quality , as don domenico , don lelio , yet they speak in the third person , when 't is with one whom they will shew respect to , thus , dove vanno loro sigri , but in naples 't is usual with men of the highest quality to do 't in the second person of the singular , thou , as che fai , sei tu stato , which with other nations is a sign either of great familiarity , or of much contempt . neither must i omit here how fit and proper epithets they give to things and places , as in the case of every one of their chief cities , so they call roma la santa , the holy , according to their opinion , venice , la ricca the rich , padoa , la dotta the learned , ravenna , l' anticha the antient , fiorenzala bella , the fair , milan la grande the great , genoa la superba the proud or stately , bologna la grassa the fat , naples , la gentile the gentile , capua la deliciosa , the delicious , &c. i will not insist upon their customes , which is a subject of which many have treated , however by the by let me say in few words , that in their division of the artificial day , they differ from the general practice of europe , excepting only ( as far as i could observe ) prague in bohemia , instead of our reckoning from 12 to 12 hours , they reckon from 24 till 24 , and their first hour begins at night an hour after sun setting , wherein they imitate the jews , who after the method of the creation reckoned the night afore the day , for saith scripture , the evening and the morning was the first day , the second day , &c. another custome of italians wherein they differ from us , is in the sign we use to make with the hand to those whom we call , for here we do it with our fingers upwards , but there it would be taken for an affront , my hand must be downwards , and move gently when i make a sign with it ; here we take that to be the upperhand which is next to the wall , but there they judge of it by the hand it self , the right hand though next to the chanel is with them the upper hand ; and in the case of riding in a coach , a place in the boot in their way , is before one in riding backwards , but in venice the left hand in the gondola is the upper hand ; but when three walk together , the middle is the most honourable , hence it is , that when they walk upon a place to and fro , they are careful to let every one take his turn in the middle : a strange way they have to retort affronts upon others , which is , to break a bottle of ink upon one , specially women , or else over the door of the house , so that it remains spotted with it , 't is the greatest note of infamy that can be laid upon any one . italians , both men and women , have a general and a natural inclination to play upon the gittar ; and i admired sometimes to hear those play who never learned at all ; the very inferiour sort of people without any direction , only with a constant application do get it , and they are so taken with it , that as they travel upon the high way from town to town , they play upon it ; and at the same time to play , to sing and to dance , is usual with them . i cannot well omit to speak some few words about their temper and manners , but before i do 't , some passage i observed somwhere there ( for in things of this nature i name no places nor persons ) which gave occasion to my following reflection , how fit it is for princes to be careful what manner of men they bring about their persons in private . when a prince comes into a place of retirement , he puts off that majesty and gravity which he hath when he appears abroad ; they are but men , and so they must allow ' themselves some liberty in ther chambers when they are withdrawn from the croud of men and business . now if when they are thus retired to be private , every action of theirs , and every word they speak be vented abroad by those who are present , in this the condition of princes of all men in the world were the most miserable , quisque suos patitur naevos , every one hath his failings , and the feailties of humane nature , so that wisdom consists in the concealing of it , and not in the not having of it , besides that nemo sapit omnibus horis : so that if standers by who see things , spread them abroad , then additions and glosses are made upon 't , and as the actions and words of princes are exactly taken notice of , so every one passes his judgment upon them . how necessary is it then for princes to have no rash or giddy , but wise , sober and discreet men to wait on them in their retirements , who without being told , may know what 's fit to be spoken , and what to be concealed , those things which may give a good opinion of a prince must be published , but not the contrary , or else i say , that those who have the honour to be admitted into the presence of princes , so as to be private to their retirement from the croud of affairs , to ease , chear up , and refresh their spirits , if they allow their tongue as much liberty as they do to their ears and eyes , they are very unfaithful or very imprudent , and so not fit to be in such places . certainly domitian himself never told , that when he was in his closet , he was busie about killing of flies ; the first report of it came undoubtedly from some other hands , which brought a great deal of disparagement upon him ; i know in this he took his pleasure , as nero , and other emperours took it , in the company of buffoons , and things of that nature ; but they forgot that their honour was to have been to them dearer then their pleasure . i do not deny however , but that one friend may sometimes whisper in the ear of another private things of this nature , and impart in secret some such things to them as they have seen , for this manner of reposing confidence in the discreetness of another is a strict bond of friendship : i disapprove here those who speak at random , before those whom they scarce ever saw , whom they do not know well , or when they speak it unseasonably , for there is a time for all things , and to know it is not the least part of wisdom . but upon the subject of the nature of italians , i must observe that the people of those parts which are on this side the appennini mountains , as piemont , monferrat ; all lombardy , part of the state of venice , and la romagna , have some things of the french humour , but on the other side , as the gonoeses , toscans , romans and napolitans , they have much of the spanish temper , however they are all in general , dextrous , subtil and prudent , those who are good , know all the tricks that are put upon men ; there is no leading of them by the nose , neither will they be easily cheated , but they who are bad apply their whole wit to hide it ; so that one is easily mistaken in them , and 't is very difficult to know them well , but after a long dealing and conversing with them . italy the mother of arts and sciences , i look upon as a nurse , who hath vertue in one breast , and vice in another , and as ever one extream joyns with another , so best and worst are to be learned there ; this is according to the constitution of the people , who when they be good they are very good , when bad extraordinarily bad , corruptio optimi est pessima ; however a judicious man will benefit himself by the good which there he will meet withall , but also like an experienc'd artist he will extract wholesome cordials out of the worst of poisons ; though the corruption of humane nature is so strong , that it inclines and draws us to evil , rather then to good , but the beams of grace , the light of nature , and the testimony of ones conscience , may teach us the right way . however , to speak first of the best , i say the conversation of italians is not easie to be had , but when it is , 't will be found sweet , civil and obliging , very circumspect not to give offences to any one in the company , or any one else that hath a relation to it , ever respectful one to another ; the greatest familiarity doth not make them recede from a courteous carriage , so that such persons have one of the best qualifications to make friends , for friendship without respect is not to be cared for : furthermore a thing very commendable in point of conversation is , that though they be many in company , they never speak together , which is the vice of some other nations , and fit only for children ; let a man make a discourse never so long ; they will hear him quietly , and not interrupt him , as they will not be interrupted when it is their turn to speak ; 't is true , that most of them speak rationally and juditiously ; and as they are a people who love exceedingly their liberty , for which cause their princes , to keep them under , have built so many strong holds and castles , so the ordinary subject of their discourses are affairs of state , which by a constant custome of speaking and hearing of , they have brought themselves to an ordinary knowledge in , as the example of that poor fisherman at naples , mas ' anello so cunningly blowing up the fire of that insurrection , which made so much noise in the world , doth demonstrate ; upon this account , books treating of any state revolutions are so strictly forbidden them , knowing that this is to add fewell to the fire ; and in some places , where most of all princes are jealous of their authority , as in naples , discourses of this nature , if known , are severely punished . but there are two extremities upon this subject , some princes of the east and north east parts of the world , namely the tartars and muscovites , keep their people in a beastly ignorance , and have exiled all manner of arts and sciences out of their dominions , and this under pretence , that hereby having not so much the use of reason , they are not apt to cavil at , or to disobey the orders of their superiours , as do other nations , who have more knowledge and understanding ; but this hath no more consequence , then if one should say , meat and drink are not to be used , because there are gluttons and drunkards ; because there are somtimes knowing and judicious subjects , who are disobedient , 't is not to be concluded , that knowledge and judiciousness are the cause of disobedience , so far from it , that these letting a man know of his duty , do fence against any thing that goes about to withdraw him from it : pride , ambition , discontents , covet ousness , cruelty and the like , are the caufes of risings against lawful authority , and not wisdom and understanding , so far from it , that where they are not , the use of reason is suspended , and men act onely out of a natural impetuosity , and out of a sensitive principle , wherein they differ nothing from beasts ; so that the same ignorance and violent motion which leads them to obedience upon the lesse shadow and fancy , will spur them to disobedience ; and one alone , if not quickly taken off , is enough to turn away whole thousands , for who can more easily be mislead , then he who receives falsehoods for truths , and who hath not a spirit to discern good from evil ; these are mules , which will as soon kick their master as a stranger ; or like those elephants , who having once felt the smart of a wound , in spite of their rider turned from upon the enemyes , and fell foul upon their own army : i am further of the mind , that ignorance is the great prop of rebellion ; for as there is nothing so natural to men as the desire of liberty , and that there is nothing in men to oppose the motions and desires of it ; and seeing they obey onely out of fear of punishment , upon all occasions , they will embrace any means let them be never so wrong , to attain it : like lyons and tygers used to be chained up , when they break loose they tear and devour any thing that lies in their way , and like violent torrents they over-flow all ; from the fury of such people , libera nos domine . as to those barbarous countries where they have such erronious principles , contrary not only to reason , but also to common sense , they bear the punishment of this fault , for all their subjects are generally incapable to do them service , having neither parts nor abilities to effect it ; and in the managing of their warres , which is the chief thing they minde , they are obliged , specially in muscovite , to get officers of other nations to carry it on , their own subjects , few excepted , wanting knowledge and experience in it . arts and sciences , not only make a kingdom flourishing , but also do fit subjects to obey and to command ; over-rules with the use of reason , that bruitish impetuosity which is in some men , not only teaching them their duty , but also strengthning it in them with reasons & examples . but 't is not enough to disapprove this singular errour , for there is another extream to be condemned ; 't is the too great curiosity of private men . i know particular persons are concern'd in publick transactions , as being members of that politick body , which can never fare well or suffer , but they must be sensible of it : yet some more and some less , according as they are eminent in their places , and called to it by the favour of their prince , for every one must know his station , and act within that sphear , ne ultra crepidem ; for if every one were his own carver , and had that share which he wishes in the government , then all would command , and there would be none to obey , so that all would degenerate into a confusion and anarchy . men ought to refer themselves to their rulers , for the direction and steering of publick affairs , knowing that god who hath called them to it , hath not been wanting to endue them with necessary abilities : therefore those subjects are to be blamed , who would penetrate into the secrets of princes , and dive into their coucils , and consequently cavil at their actions , and censure their proceedings : they see indeed the effects , but know not the causes , which if they knew , they would be satisfied and approve of them , if they were capable to understand them , but oftentimes they will judge of an undertaking by the event , which is a great mistake ; as we could give examples of designs , which were as rationally grounded as could be , carried on with all imaginable dexterity and secresie , yet miscarried upon the point of execution ; on the other side , rash attempts managed with the greatest imprudence in the world have proved successful : what then ? were the former to be blamed , or the latter commended ? no , we must look upon men to be no more than instruments , if according to the reason they have , they make use of the means afforded them , 't is all that may justly be required from them , for success of things depends upon the over-ruling hand of providence , which disposes of all things as it seems good unto her : it is true , 't is said a successful man was never a fool , nor an unfortunate a wise man ; but this is a vulgar errour as well as this other , the strongest is never the traytour . out of this i deduce , that for the most part 't is beyond the sphear and capacity of subjects , specially those of an inferiour orb , to judge aright of the actions of princes ; they have certaine motions whereby they act , which are invisible to particular men , they are acted by an intelligence which is hidden from the eyes of the commonalty ; and as they stand nearer to god , so they receive more of his influences : but some sort of people do proceed to an excess of unreasonableness , in that as much as in them lies , they will not give princes that liberty which they allow themselves , as if they were servants more then masters of the sate ; 't is true , certain faults of princes are more unexcusable than those of private men , because by these last , none but themselves or few else do suffer , but by the former , whole nations are sometimes the worse , and share not only in the disgrace before men , but also in the punishment from god ; however a distinction is to be made ; some failings are natural to them as men , and others as they are princes , and neither are to be examined by subjects , for to their great master they must fall or stand . now i must return to my principal subject , to some other virtues practised by italians , which are sobriety , and frugality ; i will joyn them together , for they have a great dependancy one upon another , only the latter is of a larger extent : sobriety is a thing so much in request amongst them , that with them 't is accounted to be , as indeed it is , a great shame to practise any thing contary to it , specially in point of drinking ; so that to call one there imbrioco , a drunkard , 't is to give him one of the greatest affronts he can receive ; and 't is a certain truth , that they are very temperate in their meat and drink , and whole diet , as i will give some particulars by and by upon the point of their frugality ; in the mean while some make a doubt , whether their sobriety bean effect of their temper , or of the climate : i confess in hot countries , such as this is , men have no such stomack to their meat , as they have in those which are colder , and though they had , the stomack could not have the facility to digest much of their aliments , which are very nourishing , and some of a hard concoction ; however this argues nothing at all against italians sobriety in matter of drink , for the hotter the climate is , the more apt men are to drink , and no nation hath more enticements to it than they , if by nature they were inclined to it , they having as rare and excellent wines as europe can afford ; but since they forbear , i will not deprive them of that praise which they deserve for this virtue ; as for eating , they have as delicious meats as can be wished for , which are both pleasant to the palate , and light to the stomack , in the use of which they forbear all excesses . this will better appear by their frugality , which yet some who are used to misname every thing , and give the worst construction to all , do call covetousness , when 't is known , that in certain things no nation is more noble and more splendid than they are ; this frugality is extended to their cloaths and diet , they go very plain , men of vast estates , yea , their very princes , except upon extraordinary occasions , very seldom exceed 10. ponunds in a sute of clothes . i know princes and cardinals , who when they have received a present of sweet meats , fowls and the like , send it to their confectioners , poulterers , &c. who by it of them ; this here would be look't upon as the effect of a miserable and covetous nature , but there 't is their way ; from the highest to the lowest they are very private in their diet , there is no coming to them at such hours , and the meanest of the people would not be interrupted by the best man in the land : the most part of noblemens servants do not diet in their houses , but are allowed bord wages instead of it . but italians delight in rich and fine coaches drawn by stately horses , and to be attended by a number of staffieri , or men in liveries ; coaches of 800 or 1000 pounds are not rare there , and there is never a king in europe that hath coaches so rich as hath the grand duke , and the duke of parma , the formers coat of armes , which are the six balls , are set over head in his coach , for every ball a precious stone , valued at 10000 l. sterl . and if we will believe them , the whole coach comes to 40000 l. further they delight in buildings , and stately palaces built up after the symmetry , and exact architecture ; so in gardens and water houses , ornaments and furnitures of houses , as statues and pictures ; hence it is that they are so passionately in love with pictures , that they will give any thing for one when they like it , 4 or 500 l for one picture is no extraordinary rate amongst them ; there hath been some princes who have offered in siver the weight of some statues , and could not have them ; in a word , italians delight in those things which make a shew . 't is not to be admired that in italy they are such lovers of pictures , for that art is there brought to the height of its perfection , and that country is absolutely the best , if not the only shcool of it , where within this age or thereabouts , have flourished those eminent picture-drawers who have filled europe with their names , but most of their works are safely and dearly kept there , whether they be in fresco or in oleo : what excellent artists have been bassano , ticiano , michel angelo , rafaele di urbino , tintoretto , all the caracci , coregio , paola veronese , dominichino , lan franco guarcini , guido reny , and a great number of others , who excelled , almost every one in something ; some in invention , others in the mixture of colours , in the proportions , exactness of features , and after the natural ; and in designing , drawing and touching or perfecting : in great or short , in mignatura with the pen or pencil , or otherwise , fights , land-skips , flowers , perspectives , sea-prospects , great and small figures , and in other wayes and things depending upon that curious profession ; in this , for certain italy goes beyond all the world. now we will come to what is worst in them , but we must premise this , that their youth is very fiery , which is the cause of murthers and other mischiefs committed in those parts ; however this heat doth not last usually after they are passed 25 years of age , or a little more : as for the meanest sort of people , they are generally civil in their carriage , if one be so to them , but if a stranger speaks a hard word to them , they take fire and grow very insolent , yet so , that if they see themselves the weaker , and not in a place convenient for them , they hold their peace and for bear till they have opportunity of time and place ; but let 's come to their vices . as the natural propension of men is to evil more than good , so many who travel into italy do quickly take notice of their vices , but do not minde their virtues ; so when they come from thence , all that they can say for it is , they are given to such and such evil courses , and are so and so qualified , but virtue and vice with nations are as corn and tares in the field , and like wheat and chaff in the barn , one must have skill to pick out the right and leave the wrong : some vices as the apostle speaks , are not so much as to be named , and as he saith in another place , it is even a shame to speak of those things which are done of them in secret ; a certain modesty in speaking is required , which if a man doth not observe , i judge him to be disposed to evil doing ; some vices there are so odious in themselves , that they defile the tongue of the speaker , the ear of the hearer , the pen of the writer , and the eye of the reader , yea , the very thoughts ; this consideration obliges me to pass by some things to come to others . some will tell me , 't were well also to omit speaking of jealousie , which both sexes there are subject unto , though that of the men , as being the strongest , doth produce the saddest effects ; i confess 't is a very unpleasant subject , which i leave after few words speaking ; this extravagant passion which is caused by love , but destroys it , and which as solomon saith , the rage of a man , doth so blind , possess and alter men in italy , that from husbands it turns them into goalers and tyrants , and murtherers of their wives , who become thereby their prisoners and slaves upon this consideration , ariosto one of their most eminent poets , hath the expressions here inserted : che dolce piu , che piu giocondo stato saria di quel ' d'un amoroso cuore ? che viver ' più felice , e più beato che ritrovarsi in servitu d' amore . se non fosse l' huomo sempre stimolato da quel ' sospetto rio , da quel ' timore , da qvel ' furor ' , da quella frenesia , da quella rabia detta gelosia . another vice of italians which i am more free to speak of , is that desire of revenge , which is so strongly seated in them ; they are certainly of a most revengeful nature , and therefore 't is very dangerous to offend them , they profanely say , that vengeance is so sweet a thing , and so great a good , that upon that account god doth reserve it to himself , as a thing wherein he will not have men to share with him ; and as italians to attain it , use all possible means , let them be lawful or unlawful , and as it carries them to the utmost extremities ; so i am of opinion , that there is a cruelty in that nature which is so bent to the execution of it ; out of this principle , i mean of cruelty , pope sixtus quintus used to say , upon the occasion of a great princess , who in his dayes was brought upon the scaffold , che gusto , said he , di tagliar teste coronate what a pleasure is it to cut off crowned heads ! northerly people do blame the wayes which they use to be avenged , as poysoning , stabbing and the like ; but they and the spaniards too laugh at us , and call germans , french and other nations , fools , who use to challenge and fight duels one with another , for so doing ; for say they , if one hath been offended , is he not a fool to take the way , perhaps of receiving a greater offence , instead of a satisfaction , and to venture his life upon such an account , but men ought to take their advantage : the truth is , the italian is a dangerous person upon this account , for he appears cold in his anger , constantly thinking upon the means how to be avenged , he keeps the injury in the bottom of his heart , and the worst is , that he dissembles and conceals his desire of revenge , which aims at no less than the death of the offendor , by the means of poison , dagger , or any other way , leaving nothing unattempted to bring his design to pass . neither will they hearken sincerely after a reconciliation ; for their proverb , saith , amicitie reconciliate , eminestre riscaldate non furono mai grate , there was never any pleasure in reconciled friendships , nor in warmed pottage ; and this is so deeply fixed in their hearts , that many die obstinate in that resolution . upon this subject there is a very notable passage of an italian gentleman , who being strongly exhorted by a franciscan fryar , to be reconciled to his enemy , answered him in these words , you exhort me to forgive as a christian , and i cannot do 't being a gentleman ; i was born a gentleman before i was a christian , for i am the one by nature , and the other by virtue of my baptisme ; therefore i will first be avenged as a gentleman , before i forgive as a christian. from what hath been said , we make some few general observations , namely that the italian nation is not only fallen from that great power it had formerly , but also it hath much degenerated from that heroick virtue and martial spirit it had before ; for a thousand eminent men it produced formerly , there is hardly one now ; and that generosity of the lion which they had heretofore , is turned into the cunning of the fox ; so their businesses are mannaged with dexterity , ( not to speak worst , ) more than with strength : hence it may be concluded , that virtues , though but moral ones , make glorious states , kingdomes and republicks , and vices are the cause of their decay , as it hath happened to the roman empire ; virtue gets honour , strength and riches ; and as the best things are apt to be corrupted in their use , so these produce pride , ambition , idleness , covetousness , and other vices , which causes destruction one time or other . it appears also from hence , how unfortunate the condition of those petty princes are , who depend upon others , for their preservation , their protectors do often turn to be their oppressors , and yet they dare not camplain of it ; how watchful must those be who have ambitious , and much more potent neighbours than themselves , 't is a sad case to think what straights they are sometimes brought to , to provide for their safety , and how many real evils they are exposed unto , to maintain that vain shadow of liberty which they are so taken with , and that dream of a sovereign authority , of which they be so fond of ; they waste and consume themselves in charges for their preservation , and are besides obliged to observe the humours of friends and foes ; and what is this to the odium and disaffectedness of their subjects which they often bring upon themselves , who must bear the burthens , and be at the charges of upholding this authority , which makes also the condition unhappy of the people who lives under such princes as have no power to protect them ; and as the right use of these two princely virtues , valour and prudence , do consist in these two things , to free his states from forreign , and to avoid civil wars ; certainly if they can prevent neither , but with much difficulty , by reason of weakness and discontents , they must needs be constantly offended with dangers and fears , which makes to them their life uncomfortable ; and let things fall out how they will , if ever they be engaged in any troubles at home or abroad , what success and advantage can they get either from those who are much more potent then they , or from those in whom their strength ought to lie ; by this last they act against their own interest , and do as it were tear themselves in pieces , for 't is not enough for a war to be just , 't is necessary it should also be beneficial and advantagious . i must make one observation more , that the number of petty princes ( such are all italian ones , in comparison of potent kings and kingdoms , as england , france and spain ) doth much contribute to their common safety and preservation , for every prince watches constantly the design of another , not only upon his own states , but upon that also of his neighbour , for he is much concerned that the dominions of one of his neighbours should not fall into the hands of another , who would thereby grow too potent for him , and one time or other bring him upon the stage ; and 't is a necessary maxime , not only to remove the will and inclination he hath to do him hurt , but also to hinder and prevent his being able to do it ; so then , that mutual jealousie which they have one of another , keeps the scales even between them ; and if a single one would attempt something upon him who is weaker , then the others whuld not fail directly or indirectly to assist the weakest ; and if the prince should happen to be stronger than all the other together , rather than be made a prey to such a one , they would call in a forreign power to ballance him , as it hath been of late done in germany , for princes there being grown very jealous , and not without cause , much affraid of the emperours power , they brought in the french and the swedes , who having gotten an interest in the empire , the one in alsatia , the others in pomerania and bremen , and are now concern'd to curb the imperial authority if it would over-flow the banks of its just and limited power : this is also the case of italy , where the french and the spaniard have each some interest , though the former not comparable to the latter , as to possession of lands , but when he pleases he can pour thousands of his subjects into it , having in his hand a door into it , then the differences between the houses of savoy and mantoa , and of parma and modena with the pope , will be now and then an occasion for the french to meddle in italy . and although the princes of italy care neither for french nor spaniard , yet they care for their interest , which is ever to make use of one to oppose the designs of the other . so that publick persons , as well as private men , may learn from italians , the rules and practise of oeconomy and policy ; the greatest of princes , as the meanest of subjects , need to be frugal and saving , for let their incomes be never so great , the charges of the state , and their own , are sometimes greater : often there happens extraordinary , and undispensible occasions and necessities to be supplyed , or else the state will run into a palpable danger . men from the highest to the lowest , have nothing but what they save and spare , and let them receive never so much , they will not want unnecessary occasions of laying out more then that comes to . monies are the sinews , not only of war , but really there cannot be any politick motion without it , wherefore we use to see that of princes , he is the strongest who is the richest , if he knows how to make use of that advantage : by these means he will draw the greatest and the best armies into the field , and will keep them upon duty and in obedience , and so in a fit posture for service ; the best experienced officers , and the stoutest and most undaunted souldiers , will ever follow an exact and a good pay ; he will not only secure his own places , but also work within the garisons of his neighbours , and even have influences upon their very councils ; the rich prince will tire out and consume him who is poor ; how much then are they concerned , when present occasions of state allow it , to lay up in their coffers that which may serve for the future necessities of it ; that prince who is in this condition , is feared , respected , and admired at home and abroad , if he hath learned well how to improve this advantage . as to that part of a princes policy , which consists in this , not to discover the bottom of his heart , nor the utmost of his power ; we have it from italians , not the former , for when the inclinations of a prince come to be found out , and his heart can be known , then all his neighbor princes will work upon him that way ; they will give him monies if he be covetous , praises and flatteries if he be proud and vain ; they will go about to strike fear into him if he be umorous , or in a contrary way to please him in that passion , which they know to be predominant in him ; and hereby many a time he will be drawn to act or comply in those things which are contrary to his honour and interest : at home he is also exposed to the attempts of parasites and flatterers who for their own ends ; ever study to please him in that which they know him to be most of all prone and given to , by which , compliance with him , he becomes a prey unto them : the latter part of this policy , for a prince not to discover the utmost of his power , is to be learned from italians , as well as the former . some princes and states do subsist and are upheld by credit and reputation more then by a real strength ; 't is more by the opinion which others have of them , then by any true cause in themselves ; and 't is well for one never to do so much , but to give others to think that he can do more , for when 't is once found out how far one may go , others will be more apt to cross him , and will take courses sutable to their designs against him ; so that in this a prince lies open to the attempts of others . another thing neecssary for publick and private persons to be learned from italians , as much as from any other nation , is , not to discover the utmost reach of ones capacity , and of that faculty of the soul , called understanding or intellect : this learned men do so observe , that in the solution of questions , though sometimes they have said as much as they are able , yet they will tell one , that much more might be said to that purpose , and the like ; for above all things they would avoid to be suspected of ignorance by others , seeing they make an open profession of learning . so 't is a matter of high concernment to princes to be accounted to be men of parts , judicious and understanding , which are qualifications necessary to those who rule kingdomes and nations , therefore they are so careful not to give the least grounds to make people suspect they want , abilities to govern , seeing nothing can be so injurious and prejudicial to them , as to be accounted soft and shallow heads . solomon the wisest of kings , pronounces a woe to that land whose princes are children , not so much in years as in wisdom and understanding , as was his son rehoboam , who was said to be young at 40 years of age , for want of knowledge and experience : a wise prince therefore will chuse not to speak at all , rather then not to speak to the purpose upon a subject : hence it is also that he sits in council , not only to hear the several advices given him there , but also to judge of them himself , and having digested it in his mind , to give them a form , chuse the best , and be himself the author of his resolutions in consequence of councils given him , which thus he makes to be his own . it is then a great part of wisdom to conceal his ignorance , and in capacity of any things , specially of those which ought to be known , and to give as good opinion as one can of his abilities , and rather forbear speaking of a thing then not to do it well , or instead of praises which every one is desirous of , one brings himself into slight and contempt , for i think that one of the greatest discommendations of a man is this , he was so put to it , that he knew not what to say . silence also , and secreste , which are qualities so essentially necessary to all sorts of persons , are to be learned from the same nation ; as nothing makes a man so vile and so contemptible , as not to be able to hold his peace ( an imperfection and defect to be excused only in children , fools and drunken persons ) so nothing argues so much the infidelity and rashness of a publick person , as the revealing of secrets ; as i am the master of my own secret , i may declare it to a friend ; but my friends secret i may not tell it to another , because 't is not my own ; much less may a publick minister betray his masters secret , wherein not only one or few persons , but whole nations for the most part are concerned . many great designes have been obstructed , and many great evils caused or prevented , either by an yntimely discovery of resolutions , or by some few words spoken unadvisedly ; one word dropt from a mans mouth is sufficient at least to breed a suspition , which usually puts men upon further inquiries and discoveries ; therefore want of secresie is a great breach of prudence , which is the salt , the spirit and the life of moral and politick vertues . one thing more to be learned is , constancy and settleness of mind , so necessary to private men , in both fortunes , and to publick persons in times of troubles and difficulties . a skilful pilot is not moved so , as to despair amidst the roaring of the winds , the tossing and tumbling of the waves , and the raging of the storm ; contrariwise he sticks the closer to his work , grows more careful , and minds the more the safety of the ship , wherein his own and all others in it are included : so an experienced minister of state , amidst all troubles , crosses and conspiracies against the state , doth retain that soundness of mind , and tranquility of soul , which at last may bring him out of all dangers , instead of falling into confusion and disorder , or yielding to fear , he uses those means which are lawful , possible , and likely to quiet and pacifie things ; he is not moved at different reports , he is neither incredulous nor over credulous , but hears every thing , examines and weighs all , receives that which to him appears to be the truest , and resolves upon that which he thinks to be the best . that italians have known and practised these things , the history of antient rome , and the experience of these last times do justifie it , and some able states-men , and great polititians , whom that nation hath afforded germany , france , spain , and other countries , do clearly convince of this truth , and are presidents of it , and one single proverb of theirs ( to shew how solid and substantial they are ) doth teach us all the vertues aforesaid in these words , non spendor ' cio che tu hoi , non far ' cio che tu puoi , non creder ' cio che tu udi ; that is , one must not spend all that he hath , nor do all that he can , nor tell all that he knows , nor believe all that he hears . the character of spain . in the south-west parts of europe , between the 37. and 42. degrees of latitude , lies a potent kingdome , named spain , or spains in the plural number , for so philip ii. called himself , rex hispaniarum , after the acquisition he made of portugal , in the year 1550. it fell into the hands of the house of austria by the match of philip the xi . first son to maximilian of austria , with the daughter of ferdinand of aragon , and isabella of castilla , heir of those countries , united by the marriage of the said ferdinand and isabella . these dominions have in time been so enlarged by marriages and conquests , as to reach some things in africa , a great part of europe , and almost all america , which hath given occasion to say , that the sun never shines out of the spanish dominions . the struglings of this nation after an universal monarchy , have proved so lusty and so hard , that at one time or other , whole europe hath been shaken with it : whereby the spanish name is become so famous , that 't is not to be admired at , if curiosity of seeing a countrey where so great designs were continued , hath put several men upon travelling into it . i confess , with many others , i have been taken with that itching desire , in hope of seeing an extraordinary land , peopled with none but heroes , but with what successe , the following discourse shall witnesse , being sure that no curiosity was ever more severely punished then mine , nor pleasure more constantly attended with pain : if this be a sin , i vow never again to fall into it , and herein i ought not to be accounted singular , for i protest i found all those whom i conversed with , and who have been there , to be of my opinion ; but patience . in this world one must see not only good but evil also , things better judged of by their contraries , yet to go thorough , one must be stored with monies and patience . let a man begin this journey which way he pleases , he will find it very tedious , and must resolve to suffer many inconveniences : whither he goes from bayone to yrun , san sebastian , and thence the straight way to victoria , puerto de sant adrian , or on the left , to pamplona in navarra by estella de navarra ( where is an university ) la puente de la reyna and viana passing by logrono , whence some go to santo domingo de la calcada , in the church whereof are seen a cock and a hen of the breed ( as 't is reported ) of those which ( if you will believe it ) came to life again after they had been roasted ; and to be short , thence to burgos valladolid , medina del campo , salamanco scyonia , el puerto de guadarrama , iscuriale el pardo and madrid , alcula de trenares , aranjues , toledo , &c. or whether a man goes into spain by catalonia , valenza murcia , grenada : one shall be ill horsed , hardly used , and have bad accommodation ; of which three things , one alone is enough to vex a traveller . although spanish horses be very good , there are so few , that they are not employed in ordinary uses , mules must doe the worke , which are very slow creatures , very ill harnessed , and very dangerous for biting kicking ; to these inconveniencies , let a spaniard be joyned as a guide , who as well as the mule , keeps to his slow pace , caused not only by his natural gravity , but also ( when they walk as many do ) by shooes made of little cords , which the generality of them doth wear , so that the sand and drye ground they walk upon being already much heated by the sun , must needs gall and burn their feet , let them be never so used to 't , this must needs be very tedious to those who are used to ride good horses . but there are other difficulties caused by the rudeness and barbarity of men , all rational people will shew themselves civil to strangers who pass thorough their , countrey , to give them cause to commend the inhabitants when they are out of it ; but here no such thing is thought upon , they are called by the nick-name gavachos , and assoon as a man comes into spain he must shew all the moneys he hath about him , and every thing else , and must pay for 't according as he is taxed by those unreasonable men , whether it be a silver sword , a watch , a ring , silver buttons and the like , so that nothing goes free ; and then if any thing lyes in the way of these searchers , they will make conscience to take it as dexterously as they can , and though one should take notice of it , yet he dares hardly say any thing for fear of the worst , because sometimes they send one or other upon the passage to rob or kill as they have a minde to . after this they give a note , which some call albaran , and others aluala , to certifie to other searchers that the things have been payed for ; yet for all this , others if they please ( and they do 't very often except monies be given them ) they cause one to open all again , they search all , and make pay for all ; and the worst is , that this sort of men ever lies at the coming in and going out of every province , which in those parts ( for greatness sake ) they call kingdomes , so that after this rate one is to pass thorough several kingdoms before he can come to madrid . at the coming out of spain one meets with the like ( or worse usage if it be possible ) as he found at the going into 't . but after all , the worst is , that one hath no accommodation by the way , for sometimes you shall ride 30. miles and not see a house , nor meet with a man , so that in some places one must carry for himself something to eat , and oats for the mule , and so lie sometimes under a tree : how uncomfortable this is in winter , and the heat of summer , i leave every one to judge . and the misery is , that when one comes to an inn , he is hardly the better for 't , for excepting some alcoues which are used onely by persons of quality , all the bed you can get , is some formes or few boards lay'd close , with straw or wooll at the most , within a matteress upon 't , without bed-steads or curtains , for they know not what such things mean , and if one will have clean sheets , the surest way is to carry some along with him . yet this is but beginning of trouble , for these inns ( if i may so call it ) afford nothing to eat , and if you will have bread , you must send for 't out of the house into one place , for wine into another , for meat into another , for one can hardly find two such different things in one place ; after all , if you will have it well dressed , i advise you to have a cook of your own . now see whether or not i have reason to wish my self out of this countrey , but i must go throughout , seeing i am so far engaged in 't , and give some observations i made of their nature , and of some manners and customes of theirs . though the spaniard be not very sociable , yet'tis easy for a man to know his natural genius and inclination as to the generality : i confess amongst the true castillans , some generous and gallant men are to be found , but these are so scarce , that we may say of it , as of bread , the countrey affords it very good , but so little of it , that though the countrey ( catalonia excepted ) be very void of inhabitants , there is hardly enough of it to serve 3. months in the year , so of 10000. men , hardly one will be found to have a right principle of honesty . if at any time a man hath offended them , though it be an offence taken rather than given , they will seem not to take notice of it , but they will watch one so long , and so well , that at last he must fall into their clutches ; then they give no quarter , but one night or other as a man is going to his lodging , they will shoot him dead in a treacherous way , and when he is not aware of them . their pride is known by the contempt they have for all other nations , therefore they say their king alone is el roy de los hombres ; the same they affirme of their language , but most of all 't is known by their carriage ; they have an affected gravity which goes beyond the natural , and make themselves valiant with oftentation . they walk up and down the streets like peacocks and turkies with a great deal of pride , staring upon others , and looking on themselves from top to toe with a losty , scornful and braving courtenance ; and yet when there is occasion to go to it , except there be three or four against one , toman las oulcas de villa diego , as they say , that is in plain english , they run away , till they have an opportunity of being avenged ; and this is most of all practised in valenza , arragona , catalonia , &c. in castilla , and some other places , there being more generosity than in others . in summer , they wear long cloakes of black london serge , specially those who are of any fashion , but i have seen some of cloth and very heavy , for they say , that which keeps from cold , preserves also from the heat ; their shooes for the most part have no heele , or a very little one ; the clock of their stockings comes up to the fat of their legg . it were needless for me to make an exact description of their cloathes , seeing they often have been seen in england , specially in eighty eight . i shall not dispute whether they are becoming or not , much of it depending upon custome and fancy , yet they are so taken with it , that still they keep to their fashion in most countries where they live , and very hardly can resolve upon changing in some courts where they have ambassadours , for else they have so good opinion of their countries that they scorn almost all others , and account them not worthy to be seen , except the low countries , naples , sicily , milan , the west-indies , &c. where they goe to feather their nest and to grow rich , and often they take such courses , as makes them speed well in 't in a very short time . they use to wear sword and dagger , and though their cloak be new , very often they make a hole in it , that the dagger may be seen ; the lowest sort of tradesmen , as carpenters , shooe-makers , &c. never sit at their work without a dagger by their sides . thus the commonally is possessed with pride , witness the story of the woman , who being a begger , yet would not have her son to serve an ambassadour ; i will not said she ( being spoken to about it ) undervalue my son so much , who knows whether one day he shall not be king of spain . hence it is that we do not see spaniards to be servants of men of other nations , nor to travel but upon the account of necessity . now this vanity follows them to their grave , as we hear of the cobler , who being upon his death-bed , having called his children to him , said to them , take heede you do nothing to disparage your selves , or to dishonour your family . to see the meanest of them in their cloathes , and to act their gravity , is a thing to make any sranger mistake their quality , insomuch , that one day in their late kings time , a foreign minister being private in his lodging , took one of them for a grandee , who ( as he thought ) came to give him a visit incognito , as 't is usual in those parts , and received him with a great civility , but at last this proved to be a glasier , who went to mend a window : and they so much affect gravity in their march , that one of them being once whipped at paris , ( you may conceive not for any good he had done ) and being told by some spectators who pittyed him , to mend his pace , that he might sooner come out of his pains , he turned about , and with much gravity , told them , that he would not go an inch the faster , though all the hangmen of france were at his heels . but to goe on in telling of their good qualities , i must not omit to say that idleness , and lasiness are some of those which most of all they are subject to : i cannot tell whether it be meerly an effect of their natural disposition , or a trust they put to the harvest they receive from the indies ; or , as i believe , of both ; but the matter is such , that their land which in many places is good , and could be made fruitful , nor only in fruites and good wines , but also in other necessaries , for want of being manured , is barren and useless . now the ground doth not produce without the care of man ; at present god doth not shew us such miracles , as he hath done sometimes in the dayes of old . if tradsemen amongst them , do work 2 or 3 hours in the day , they will think themselves the greatest workmen in the world ; and they who set them at work , must pay as dear , as if they had been a whole day at it : when this is done , they go to play or iport themselves one way or other , but those that live in sea-towns never fail to walk by the sea-side , to see ships coming in , to enquire what parts of the world they come from , and what news they bring : and here passenger : do find some office of the inquisition summoning them to go and give an account of their faith to the office , but their chief end is to get a piece of money , and then they let people alone . others there are in these sea-towns , who drive another sort of trade , they come aboard and offer to passengers wine and other provisions at a very low rate , only to oblige them to go to their houses , where they shew them spanish flesh rather than victuals . no nation hath more ceremony , and less reality than the spanish , when they think to cut one's throat , then they make the greatest protestations of love and friendship : they stand so much upon titles and places , that as boccalini saith , it is a particular custome of spaniards , to visit others more to affront , than to honour them . complements also are so mixed with their ordinary discourses , that they wholly take away the pleasure of society , & banish liberty , wherein doth consist the sweetness of conversation : an english nobleman having often been troubled at madrid with such a way of dealing , by one of their great men , resolved one day to be avenged on him , therefore once when the other was come to him , he caused a great fire to be made , and both being drawn near to it , with their backs towards the chimney , the nobleman engaged the spaniard in discourses of civility , who many times bowed towards the fire , which he did so often , that at last feeling the heat , he clapt his hand upon the back side , and found the fire had burned part of it , he was as amazed , as the other who sitting by a fire , and feeling the heat thorough his boots , said , i am a fraid of burning my boots , when another who stood by answered , sir , do not mind your boots , for already they are gone , onely look to the spurs . they profess a new divinity , to allow of a certain evil , that an uncertain may be avoided thereby , that is to practice a peccadillo as they call it , a little sin , to avoid falling into a greater , and for fear of sodomy , to indulge themselves in their leachery ; a thing so generally used amongst them , that he who hath not his love in that kind , is accounted a man without wit and merit ; and the generality of them goes as openly and freely into such places , as here one will goe to a tavern , or an ale-house : they consuetudo peccandi , tollit sensum peccati , the custom of tinning , takes away the sense of sin ; their proverb is , el fatigado con cosas deveres , recreese con donagres , he who is a weary of serious things , must betake himself to his pleasures ; of which , as of wines they allow themselves a calabrada , a mixture and variety , wherein they so much indulge themselves , that rather than be deprived of the least , they will loose any thing ; whereupon they use to say , siempre en las tardangas a'y peligro , y. vale mas paxaro en mano que buy tre volando , a bird in hand is better than two in the bush ; which they mean of their pleasures . sometimes i have seen some of their priests come to strangers lodgings ( provided they be acquainted with the landlord ) to play with them , in a disguise , not out of any shame , but only to have more liberty with those who know them not , except a landlord , or some body else tells them what they are . there be also some priests and fryars carrying up and down the streets , the image of one or other nuestia sennora , as they call it , for whom they beg , & yet the poor lady is never the better for it ; for most part of the time , what they have gotten , they bestow upon their own pleasures , and other uses ; and once i saw at alicant , one of them , who played at cardes what monies he had then about him , and lost it to an english master of a ship : whereby we see now ready they are to sacrifice their shew and pretence of devotion , to their pleasure or covetousness ; and sometimes they dispose of it another way , which is , to make a mock at what they call piety themselves , and which we , with a more proper word , do name superstition . many of these secular , and regular priests , are very offensive to the laity , by reason of the great power theclergy hath in those parts , who assert their priviledges with a great severity , by the means of the inquisition , which is formidable to the greatest men in the land , as to the lowest ; so that under this shelter , they commit many unjust and unlawful things . but in general , to return to the nation , they are very singular in their diet , still making good the proverb which saies , a spaniard is not sober when he lives at the costs of others : but else they are very sparing and i am very much of the opinion of one , who thinks that in london , there is more meat eaten in one month , than in whole spain in one year . they do not roast whole capons , and pullets , but leggs , and wings by themselves , and then spread the feathers before their doors , to make others think thatgood chear is made in that house ; a crust ofbread rubbed with garlick , or an onion , is an ordinary and a good diet for them , which , if a stranger sees them to eat , they presently fall upon commending of sobriety , and how wholsom a thing it is : many a time i have seen numbers of them dine so , close by a wall , to enjoy the heat of the sun , which is their ordinary fire in those parts , so saving they endeavour to be in every thing ; yet if any one will have the pleasure , how well they can eat , or rather devour , let him treat them at his own charges . for certain flesh isvery nourishing there , but this is not the onely reason of their sobriety , 't is also dear , in part , because 't is scarce , and also by reason of a great tax laid upon butchers : fruits , herbs and roots , are things which they feed upon most of all , and in every thing almost , they use much pimiento , a kind of red pepper which grows in the country ; but they are not used to see any quantity of meat upon a table ; this is the reason why gondomour being gone back into spain from his ambassy in england , and being asked by his master about several fashions used here in the court , amongst the rest , being very inquisitive to know what ceremonies were used here when the king was at table ; he answered , for his part , he could not well tell , though he had been in the dining room when his majesty was at dinner , because , said he , he was hidden from him by a great piece of beef which was laid upon the table . they allow not their wives to sit at table with them , those persons of quality are private in a chamber and by themselves , but others of the common sort of people , do usually keep in the same chamber where their husbands dine , at a table with their children , or else there is a place raised half a foot or thereabouts above the flower , with a carpet laid over it , thereupon the wife , and children either kneel or sit without chairs , and eat what the husband is pleased to send them from his table , so that to speak the truth , they are deprived of their liberty and kept in great subjection , little different from slavery . which hard usage they are sensible of , upon occasion doing them all the turns of unfaithfulness which they are able , being naturally by the influences of the climate , the hot things they eat and drink , and out of a desire of the liberty they see themselves abridged off , much inclined to luxury ; they take care to curle their hair , keep their breast naked , yet not so low as the shoulders , they paint much with red their lips and cheeks , a custom so general amongst them , that they hide it not one from another ; they wear above their wast a fardingale , or guarda infanta , as they call it , which is like a circle of a good breadth , and very fit to hide a big belly ; when they go thorough a narrow door they must strike it down of one side ; those of an inferiour quality , when they are abroad , do usually wear a black hood which falls lower then their breast and shoulders , and hides the whole face , except one eye , which is all one is able to see of it , whereby they are so hard to be known , that towards evening a husband going by his wife shall have much ado to know her ; though they be more civil to those strangers or others whom they intend to favour , by uncovering the whole face when they come nigh to them : they improve the few moments they have of liberty , and they endeavour to hazer su agosto , to speak in their own words , or as we say , make hay whilst the sun shines , and they do it de la buena gana , with a good will. men there , are extraordinarily careful of their beards , which are black and thick with mustacchio's 〈◊〉 tusks ; to save them at night , they have las bigotes , that is a kind of a waxed case which they lay upon it , and which to one who knows not what it is , seems very strange in a morning when they appear with it at a window : they also make a beard so essential to a man , that if he be altogether shaven , as now we are in england , they will doubt whether or not he be an eunuch : and in the streets of madrid , i have seen an outlandish man of about 30 years of age , taken by the arme by a woman who never saw him before . and asked him very boldly , tien los cojones voste , sir , are you a whole man , because he was wholly shaven . a thing which most of all seemed strange to me in spain , is the custome of some to walk in the streets with spectacles on their noses , which with a little thread they tye to both ears , and there is a two-fold reason for it ; the one is the scorching heat of the sun which heats so much the ground , that the reverberation of it is hurtful to the eye , but as in winter the sun is not so hot as in summer , so methinks the use of these spectacles should cease ; therefore besides the former there is an inward reason , arising from the immoderate luxury which they are given to , for by reason of the strict communication there is between those parts and the head , specially the opticks , the organ is much offended , and consequently weakned , so that this people becomes short sighted ; and i think that the fresh waters with ice , which they so much drink of in summer , are used to cool their lust more then to quench their thirst . the extraordinry long swords they have must needs be very inconvenient , specially by reason of the long cloaks they wear them under , insomuch that most part of time they must turn up their cloaks of one side when they walk , and the other hand they must lay upon the hilt of the sword , that thereby the point of it be lifted up , otherwise it would constantly trail upon the ground , and often the crosse above the hilt being of one side turned upwards , and downwards on the other , seems at the same time threatning heaven and earth . formerly they used to wear ruffs about their necks , which were forbidden , because in arragon a great man was strangled with it , so that since that time they have been lookt upon as a halter about ones neck , and instead of it , they use a little band stretched and stiffned with a little wire . in their discourses they would be taken for senators , for upon every occasion they play the statesmen , they dispose of crowns scepters and kingdoms , just as if they were of gods council , they decide the fortune of princes , censure the actions and carriage of ministers of state , and when they are three or four together , one would think that like so many gods they sit in council to resolve upon the fare , and dispose of all states and empires of the world , and this not by conjectures , but out of a certain and infallible knowledge , and whilest they fancy mountains of gold , and think how to dispossesse other nations of their country , they take no notice how void of people their own is , by reason of their driving the moores out of granada , of their plantations in the indies , their wars in flanders and italy , and of the many garrisons they must keep in sundry places ; thus they make good their proverb , cada loco con su tema , every fool hath his fancies . benefit and pleasure are the two great ends of travellers , but in spain neither is to be had , the people of it not being sociable , and there is hardly any thing worthy of a mans curiosity , or at least the pains to go to see it ; all spain doth not afford one noble and stately city . pamplona in navarra is noted for the citadel in 't , burgos the metropolis of castilla the old for the great church , and an inconsiderable castle ; valladolid where formerly the court hath resided for a considerable time , is a proverb , villa per villa , valladolid en castilla , but there are not so much as walls about it . salamanca hath the famous university of spain , their is the bridge built by the romans , and the bull at one end of it ; segovia hath without the monasterie , called parral , the mint , a palace and the aqueducts , & the fine cloth made there : toledo the chief arch-bishoprick of spain hath a great church & a thing called the treasure within it , & water-works ; so at granada is the palace of the palace of the kings of the moors , the altrambra : cordova hath the mosquea or church of the moors , sarragossa is a good place , and to be short , their sevile the chief of andaluzia , of which their proverb says , el que non ha vista sevilla , non ha vista maravilla : indeed about it grow good fruits , the river guadulquivin , runs by , and after falls into the sea by san iuan de burrameda , but certainly in other places are much better churches , palaces . bridges , universities , &c. and i say that all these things together are not worth the pains and the charges of going so far to see them , except a man hath absolutely a mind to be able to say , i have seen ; neither is a good breeding to be gotten there . indeed there are in spain two things worth seeing , and no more , one is a work of nature , the river guadiana in estramudara , sinking under ground beyond placio del rey , and then raising about miajada nigh upon 14 short leagues off ; upon this account 't is said they have the best bridge of europe : the other is the escurial , the master-piece of the great and wise king philip 11. though 't was no part of wisdome in him to have at once 3 such great designs , to conquer england , uphold the league in france , and to recover the low-countries , all which came to nothing , because as the italian saith , chi troppo abraccia nulla stringe ; however he built the iscuriale where the courts , the kings and queens lodgings , the fryars cloysters , the water , the gardens , the library , the chappel , in a word , the whole is a rare thing , but not so miraculous to those who have seen other parts of the world ; the pardo , buen retiro and aranjuez , i will hardly mention , those forenamed are the best things in spain , but he who hath a mind to suffer so many inconveniences before he comes thither must do it by way of penance ; as for cities , barcelona is certainly the most populous of any in spain . the rest of these towns are full of pride , idleness , misery , cheats , treachery murthers and other oppressions , caused by their ambition , animosities , covetousness , desire of revenge , luxury and jealousies about wives , concubines , daughters , sisters , neeces , and what other relations they have of that sex , they account themselves obliged to be watchful over : yet for all their poverty they are taken with the vanity which is too common in other places , nor to observe a distinction of cloaths according to the quality of persons , for i have seen carpenters and shooemakers in silver cloath doublets , and in extraordinary fine cloath ; but i know it to be their humour , that the poorer they are , the more they indeavour to hide it , the best countenance they put on , and the greatest shew they make : their very alguazils or bailies , who are the vilest sort of people , think themselves as good as the best in the land , and to see them walk with a switch lifted up in their hand , one would perceive in them as much lostiness , as if they were high stewards , or high chamberlains of the kingdome . but to speak of somthing which is or ought to be the best in spain , we must come to madrid , the ordinary place of the courts residence , which is far from being numerous , and their way is particular and different from others ; the generality of women about it , are antient and tanned , but they use painting very much as a remedy to it : yet i confess i have seen in spain some with a very white skin , ( but these are scarce ) a brown hair , and a lively black eye , but there is not that honest society of both sexes which is found in other places : and great men do so affect gravity , and stand so much upon their formalities and points of honour , that amongst them there can be no sincerity nor satisfaction . coaches in madrid are drawn by mules , in them ladies sit in the same gravity which men do affect , they are almost like statues without motion , and when they think fit to move the head , 't is done in so slowand so lingring a way , that one who is not used to it , would admire to see it ; for all this i believe if they had the liberty which others enjoy in other places , some of them would prove the wittiest and most gallant women in the world , even as were the moors in granada , but as things stand they must live a very retired manner of life . on the other side , no greater prostitution in the world then there is in that town , for the generality of women : mothers make no difficulties to sell their daughters maidenhèads four or five times , and as often as they can to cheat men ; young girles begin to keep mens company when they are but ten , eleven , or at the most twelve years old , this is the cause of so much infection there in that kind , that it is a lamentable thing for any one who hath the curiosity to see their hospitals of incurables , besides that horrid sin which to punish sufficiently no pain was found upon earth , but god was pleased to pour down , as it were , hell from heaven , causing fire and brimstone to rain and shower down upon earth ; about this horrid sin they have this proverb in their language , en spania los cavalleros , en francia los pedantos , en italia todos . a thing observable in the court is the way of their grandees , who sit down and put on their hats in the kings presence ; of these men there are three sorts , some have it by a personal priviledge and special favour of the king , others have it as an hereditary right and propriety derived from their parents , and others in the third place , have it by a right of their charge and place , as namely the president of the council of castilla , who though he be not a grandee , yet enjoys the same priviledge as they do . charles the fifth was the author of these grandees , to gratifie the spanish nation , and in some kind make some of them equal with some german princes who followed him in that voyage , and who by their quality and extraction , had the right of sitting and being covered in his presence , a thing which other european kings do not allow of , portugal excepted . again , at madrid is to be seen that cruel bull-fighting , a remainder of those bloody spectacles used by the romans for to give a pleasure to the spectators , men as mad as the bulls they fight against , must encounter those wild creatures , and hazard in a combate which hath proved fatal to the lives of so many . what shall i say of madrid it self , where are neither good streets nor stately buildings , antient or modern , not considerable for the materials or for the rules of architecture ; in winter there is nothing but dirt , and dust in summer , so that if for the space of three or four hours men have been to walk , their cloaths shall be as white for dust , as if they had been at the mill , so that 't is no wonder if their cloaths and taffity hats ( that is overlaid with taffita ) grow greasie so soon . above all , let not one who is there walk abroad late at night , nor very early in the morning , for as they have no houses of office they fling it up and down the streets , and how unpleasant these objects are to the nose , and the eye , let any one judge , yet about 9 or 10 of the clock there is nothing to be seen , but all is dissolved into dust , & as men say , that one stench & poison drives away another , so their use of onions and garlick is by them thought to be a sovereign remedy against these spanish perfumes we are now speaking of ; the air indeed is the only good thing at madrid , for 't is very pure and free from the plague . but if for all this men have a mind to go to see that stinking place , i will say to them in spanish , sea con pie derecho , that is in an english sence , much good may 't do to them . finis . three letters concerning the present state of italy written in the year 1687 ... : being a supplement to dr. burnet's letters. burnet, gilbert, 1643-1715. 1688 approx. 322 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 105 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a30473) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 53104) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 861:4) three letters concerning the present state of italy written in the year 1687 ... : being a supplement to dr. burnet's letters. burnet, gilbert, 1643-1715. [16], 191, [1] p. s.n.], [s.l. : 1688. reproduction of original in huntington library. errata: p. [1] at end. table of contents: p. [3]-[16] relating to the affair of molinos, and the quietists -relating to the inquisition, and the state of religion -relating to the policy and interests of some of the states of italy. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng quietism. inquisition -italy. italy -description and travel. italy -description and travel -early works to 1800. 2003-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-10 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-11 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2003-11 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-12 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion three letters concerning the present state of italy , written in the year 1687. i. relating to the affair of molinos , and the quietists . ii. relating to the inquisition , and the state of religion . iii. relating to the policy and interests of some of the states of italy . being a supplement to dr. burnets letters . printed in the year 1688. a table of the contents of the three letters . the first letter . the curiosity which dr. burnets letters had excited of knowing more concerning the quietists , was the motives to this author's further enquiry about them , p. 1 , 2. with what difficulty things before the inquisition come to be known , and with how much fear and reserve the italians talk of them , especially to hereticks . p. 2 , 3. the amasing wealth of the churches , palaces , and convents in rome and thro all italy ; and yet the astonishing poverty of the inhabitants , p. 4. a comparison between the italians upon the one hand , and the english and dutch on the other hand , p. 4 , 5. that the poverty of the people in italy , ariseth from the government 's being in the hands of priests , and from the ascendancy which the principles of their religion give them over mens consciences . p. 6 , 7. how little many of the italians believe the chief doctrines of their church ; and what temptation their religion lay's them under to atheism . ibid. that the mysteries of the conclave ; the qualifications of the cardinal 's ; the characters of the late popes , particularly of the present ; and the manner how the purple , and the triple crown are obtained , are evidences that the romish church is not what she pretends to be , p. 8 , 9. that tho they who are under the yoak , may be willing to continue in slavery ; yet 't is matter of amasement ▪ that such who are delivered from papal bondage , should submit again unto it . p. 9 , 10. whence it was , that so many of all ranks came to be so favourable to molinos ; and upon what grounds , his opinions came to be so universally received . p. 11 , 12. a character of molinos himself ; with an account of the chief authors of the mystical divinity ; together with a representation of it , and why the followers of molinos are stiled quietists ; and what different ends men might have , in falling in with this new method . p. 12 , to 19. when molinos's book called il gui●a spirituale was first published ; and with whose approbations ; and how much it was esteemed . p. 19 , 20. the great reputation he grew into , especially with which of the cardinals . p. 20 , 21. the friendship betwixt card. d'estrée and him ; and the value that the present pope had for him , and the encouragement he gave to his design . p. 21 , 22. of a french book written on the subject of mystical divinity , and by whose means , and of its being translated into italian . p. 22 , 23. of the several writings of petrucci in relation to a contemplative state , with their character . ibid. the jesuites and dominicans allarmed at the progress of quietism , and why . ibid. books writ by the society against molinos and his method ; and the way that the jesuite segueri took to decry it . p. 24. that the matter being brought before the inquisition , the jesuites were accounted accusers ; with an account of what became of f. martin esparsa a jesuite , who had approved molinos's book . p. 25. of molinos and petrucci their coming off justified , and that their books were approved , and the answers of the jesuites censured as scandalous . p. 26. the popes advancing petrucci to be bishop of j●ssi , and how he behaved himself in his bishoprick . ibid. how the party grew in credit and in number , with a short character of them . ibid. & p. 27. of the jesuites persevering to calumniate them , and in what methods ; and of the care that molino ▪ took to desend himself , and of his writing in order thereunto a treatise of frequent and dayly communion . p. 28. an account of that book ; and with whose approbations it was published ; and of the answers given therein to some of mr. arnau●'s objections against frequent communion . p. 28 , 29. of the offence taken at that book , and for what ; and how the quietists are in many things calumniated , p. 30. that their maxims are resembled to those of socrates his school , and wherein . p. 31 , 32. a conversation which the author had with a french clergy-man , with the reasons given by that person why worship ought to be pompous , &c. p. 33. the jesuites upon not being able to ruin molinos by their influence upon the pope , apply themselves by means of f. la chaise to the french king. p. 3● . the ascendant they have over that monarch ; with a just censure of the persecution exercised in france . ibid. the popes disputing the regale with the french king , and at the same time favouring molinos , laid hold of in france , to reproach the pope , and to crush the quietists . p. 34. 35. a report at rome of cardinal d'estrees betraying molinos , by informing the inquisition of many particulars against him . a relation of that whole story , & of molinos's being thereupon clapt up . p. 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ▪ the imprisonment of count vespiniani and his lady , and how they came to be released upon bail ' . ▪ p. 38 , 3 ▪ of the popes being suspected of heresie , and his being examined by the inquisition . p. 39. how they endeavour to avoid the reflection that this exposeth the papal infallibility unto . p. 40. of a circular letter sent by the inquisition to cardinal cibo . p. ●1 , 42 , 43. that several cardinals are apprehensive of a storm from the inquisition , and who they are . a character of don livi● the popes nephew , and how jealous he is of falling into the hands of the inquisitors , p. 44. of the imprisonment of f. appiani a jesuite , and the mortification it gave the society , with a reflection upon the conduct of the society . p. 45. a remarkable story of f. cann an english jesuite in rome . p. 46 , 47. a character of cardinal howard ; and of his being shut out of all the councils of the e. of cast●em●n during his embassay at rome , with an account of the rude and insolent carriage of f. morgan towards the cardinal . p. 47 , 48. the great concern expressed for those in the inquisition by their friends ; with the impression it makes upon the inquisitors , and their behaviour thro the apprehension they have of it p. 48 , 49. that the pope and cardinal cibo are much troubled to see this matter gone so far ; and that cardinal petrucci is still in the popes favour ▪ ibid. the great number of the regulars in rome and in naples , who being generally against the quietists , they are made a sacrifice to their resentment , p. 49. nineteen propositions pretended to be extracted out of the writings and doctrines of the quietists , with a censure of them published by order of the inquisition . p. 50. the circular letter , both in italian and in english , p. 51 , 52 , 53 , 54. the censure of the opinions of the quietists in italian and in english , with some remarks upon it , shewing that many things charged upon them are misrepresented ; that other things are weakly and ridiculously resuted ; that several absurdities are therein obtruded upon the world for truths ; and that the adoration of images , which the papists in england and france do disclaim , is in the censure justified and recommended . p. 55. to p. 88. of the condemnation of molinos ; of the rage expressed by many of the people against him ; and of the hatred declared upon this occasion against the present pontificate , with a character of it , and an account of the gentlness of the inquisition to many of molinos's followers , and what reflections wise men make thereupon , p. 89 , 90 , 91. the whole ceremony at the minerva , the day that molinos was brought forth to abjure , with a relation of some things he said , and of his deportment , p. 92 , 93 , 94. the mildness of the punishment inflicted upon him , ibid. of the boldness of one of his followers before the inquisition , and how slightly he came off , p. 94. of the vast correspondence which molinos had in all places ; and that most of the condemned articles , are but an invidious aggravating of the doctrine of predestination , and of efficacious grace , ibid , & p. 95. the second letter . the author's capacity for giving the following relation , thro having resided so long in rome and in italy , p. 96. some reflections upon the study of manuscripts , medals , inscriptions , and of religion and politicks , p. 97 , 98. a commendation of dr. burnets letters , and that most which the author had observed , is already related there ; and that what is here published , referreth either to places which the dr. did not see , or to matters which his short stay in italy , did not allow him to enquire after , ibid. of a crucifix shut up in the inquisition , the occasion of it , with several reflections on the bigotry , superstition , and idolatry of the papists , especially of the italians , p. 99 , 100 , 101. of the plague in s. gregory the great 's time , ibid. of a stone in the chappel of ara coeli , pretended to have the impression of an angel's foot upon it , and therefore worshipped by the people ; but is now made prisoner in the inquisition , to keep the crucifix company , p. 102 , 103. the story of sr. burrhi a millanese gentleman and a chymist , who becoming suspected by the priests , was brought into the inquisition , and getting off at that time , was afterwards apprehended , and being accused of many errors , was made to abjure , and confined to a perpetual imprisonment , &c. p. 103 , 104 , 105. of the scandalous and lascivous pictures , that are in many churches of italy , and that their most celebrated madonna 's have been the mistresses of the great painters ; with a relation of an intrigue between a frier and a nun , p. 106 , 107. of their sottish and idolatrous representations of the trinity , ibid. of the picture of the b. virgin , with the order of the capuchins under her petticoat , ibid. how learning came to flourish so much in the last age , and to decay so greatly in this ; and of the great masters of painting that italy produced in the former century , p. 108 , 109 , 110. of the picture of the virgin in the annunciata in florence , which they pretend to have been finished by an angel , p. 110. the fable of loretto , and what exceptions the author made to it in a conversation ; and how the italians justify the devotion of the people , upon a supposition that the whole story is a fiction , p. 111 , 112. of a conference between an abbot and an english clergy-man , of the difference between the two churches , p. 112 , 113. that the conversion of nations , is no further accounted of at rome , than as it brings profit to the datary ; and the reason why so little respect was had to the english ambassador , and to every thing he proposed , p. 113. what retarded the promotion of the card. d'esté so long ; with a relation how the late card. d'esté protector of the french nation at rome , hector'd pope alexander vii . p. 114. of the scandalous imposture of the blood of st. january at naples , p. 115. to what excessive height the priests carry the ecclesiastical immunities , and in what danger the general of the horse at naples was of being excommunicated , p. 116 , 117. a remarkable story how far the immunities of the clergy have been pusht in the dukedom of florence , for the saving of a priest ; with a character of the present duke , p. 117 , 118. the present vice-roy of naples commended , for supporting the secular tribunal against the invasions of the ecclesiastical court ; with a relation of the ingenuous and publick affront he put upon an auditor of the nuncio's , and how ill it was resented at rome , p. 118 , 119 , 120. of the difference betwixt the pope and the french king about the regale ; with a further character of the pope , p. 120 , 121. what improvement the jansenists made of the difference , p. 121 , 122. concerning the business of the franchises , and that the pope seems resolved to maintain his late bull , and how it may prove fatal to himself , and the papal sea , to contend that matter with the french king , p. 123. of the way that this pope treats ambassadors ; and of an answer he gave to the english ambassador upon his threatning to leave rome , that shew'd the little respect he had either for him or his master , p. 124. how the present pope conducts his revenue ; that being the only thing he understands . of his retrenching both all expences and the publick charities ; and that he must have a vast treasure , p. 124. the inducement to the making so many cardinals in the last promotion . and the aversion which card. taia , and card. ricci expressed to the purple in the promotion that was made five year ago , p. 125. how cardinal farnese , that was afterwards paull iii. and who raised the family of parma , came to be created cardinal by alexander vi. with an account in what manner the promotion of cardinals is carried ; and how the wench was too crafty both for that lewd pope , and for his son caesar borgia , p. 126 , 127 , 128. of the aversion which this pope has to the jesuites ; and that the english ambassador's resigning himself to their conduct , was the reason of the cold usage he met with at rome , p. 129. what character all wise and indifferent italians fasten upon those of that society ; and their concluding from the credit which they have in england , that the roman catholick religion must needs miscarry there , ibid. & p. 130. the romantick letters which the jesuites write to rome out of england , and what just discredit this puts upon all that they write out of the indies and other remote countreys , ibid. of the letter lately printed that was wrote by a jesuite of liege to those at friburg , concerning the present state of popery in england ; that it is a true and authentick letter , p. 130 , 131. of two things peculiar to this order which render it formidable ; how independent the general of the jesuites is above the generals of other orders , and how absolute his government , p. 132 , 133. by what means the mission comes to be generally in their hands , and of their getting thereby into families , p. 133 , 134. the different humour and conduct of the secular priests , from those of the regulars : and what prejudice 't is the suffering regulars to live in protestant states ; how 't is matter of wonder at rome , that protestans should permit regulars to be in their countreys ; and what a wise roman said to the author about it , p. 134 , 135. how the people of lombardy are possessed with a superstition of mixing water with their wine , and how the priests who nourish the vulgar in that conceit , excuse their own wine from being mix'd , p. 136 , 137. that the tax which is laid upon wine in florence , makes the people there preserve it pure , ibid. of an abbey of benedictines at etal in bavaria , where the monks live in as great abundance as the duke himself , p. 138. a beautiful prospect the author had at burgo in the hills of trent , p. 138. the way of celebrating st. anthony's day at rome , and how the people bring all their horses , mulets , and asses to be sprinkled with holy water by the monks of thet order . how profitable this piece of superstitious folly is to the priests , p. 139 , 140. that molinos's abjuring was only a pretended thing ; that his party continues still to be very numerous ; and that all the reports about the lewdness of his life , are esteemed to be no other than fables , p. 141 , 142. the third letter . of a curious salt-work at sode near francfort , with an account of the way , of making the salt , p. 144 , 145 , 146 that italy is the highest country in europe , as appeareth by the small descent from the alps on that side , to what it is either on the french or german side , p. 147. of guastale , its situation , and of its being wrested from the rightful owner by the french king ; the danger that all italy will be thereby exposed unto , p. 148 , 149 , 150 , 151 , 152. a character of the present duke of mantua ; how he favours the french interest ; of his putting cassal and guastale into their hands ; and how they wind him as they please , p. 152 , 153. of the courage and fidelity of the marquises of cannosse and palliotti to the duke of mantua ; and how the french got them both to be made close prisoners , p. 153 , 154. that the princes of italy are absolute in their dominions , and the slavery their subjects are in , ibid. that there is a french envoy always attending upon the duke of mantua , ibid. how one of the duke of mantua's secretaries was by the duke sent to turin , and seised by a party of french horse from pignerol , p. 155 , 156. the imperious way that the french in casal act towards those of montferrat , and piedmont , p. 157. that having bargain'd with masons , how they broke the agreement , ibid. how the french king having advanced three millions towards a fond for an east-india company , did withdraw it , p. 158. of the disfavour that the marquise of pianesse fell in to with the late duke of savoy , and how he came to be introduced into the ministry again , and afterwards was disgraced , put in prison , and tried ; and how the court of savoy remains governed by the french , p. 158 , 159 , 160 , 161. of the design that was carried on of matching this present duke to the infanta of portugal ; and of his being poysoned ( as his father had been ) and his reflecting on the wise advices which the marquise de pianesse had given him , p. 161 , 162. how much the dukes of savoy are sunk in this age from the figure that they made in the last ; how difficult it will be to remedy it , while cassal and pignerol are in the hands of the french , ibid. of the late persecution in the valley's of piedmont ; how all in the court of savoy are ashamed of it ; with an account of the fidelity , peaceableness , & industry of that poor people ; & what the person who acquainted the author with these things , upon his knowing him to be an englishman , said to him upon it , p. 162 , 163. of the luxury and vanity of living magnificently , wherewith france hath infected the princes of germany , together with a representation of the mischiefs which arise from princes and noblemens travelling into france , p. 164. how fatal luxury & a vain expencefulness are in a special manner to common-wealths ; and what sensible decays in strength , the expenceful way of living that the dutch and cantons are grown into ; with a commendation of that part of the venetian constitution , which regulates the expence of their nobility , p. 165 , 166. of the misery and poverty that appears in pisa thro the severity of the government ; and of the wealth and populousness of lucca , thro being a free government ; how jealous they of lucca are of having their liberty supplanted , & how infinitely they prise it ; with an account of the strength and decoration of the town , p. 167 , 168. of genoa ; its decay from what it formerly was ; and yet its being vastly more wealthy and populous , than any part of tuscany or of the popes patrimony . of the number of the subjects of that republick ; their forts in corsica , with a character of the corses ; the compass of the fortifications of genoa ; the expence they have laid out on the two moles ; the debt it hath run them into ; with an account of the extent of their whole countrey , and how it is defended ; & what their marine strength is , p. 168 , 169 , 170 , 171. how much the safety of millan and of all italy depends upon the preservation of genoa ; and that its interest and spains are inseparably united , p. 172 , 173. a large account of their civil constitution ; and of the divisions that are among them , and how occasioned ; and that these were the inducements to france to attack them , p. 173 , 174 , 175 , 176 , 177. that tho the subjects be wealthy , yet the state is weak ; that there is such a degeneracy among them from what they were , that they have neither heads nor hearts to defend themselves , were they vigorously assaulted ; and whence that degeneracy proceeds , p. 178. curious refl●ctions upon the diseases , that common-wealths are subject unto , with a friendly application of all unto holland , p. 179. that the project of france's falling upon genoa , was formed by one valdyron of nismes , that was a protestant , and had lived long in genoa . that the french might have been easily masters of it , had they assaulted it vigorously at first . the injustice of this way of proceeding , and how the italians stile it , p. 180 , 181 , 182. what reflections a spaniard , belonging to the count of melgar , made upon the french miscarrying in that , and in some other of their undertakings , p. 182 , 183. how valdyron was treated by the genoese , & how poorly requited by the french king , p. 184. an account of a conversation the author had with two of the old magistrates of messina , wherein they said many things reslective on the honour , veracity and iustice of the french king and his ministers , and by what arguments they justified the revolt of their town from the spaniard , p. 185 , 186 , 187. of the method they use in preparing vitriol in the sulfatara near puzzolo . of a little town in the appenins , called norcia , which tho in the popes territories , may be accounted a common-wealth , and which is so jealous of all priests obtaining any share in their government , that they will admit none into magistracy , who can either read or write p. 189 , 190. of the mortification which one of the magistrates , put upon an auditor who was a church-man , by gelding him , for attempting to debauch his wife ; with a pleasant account , how one that hath been so treated , may continue capable to say mass , ibid. & p. 191. the stationer to the reader . i can give no other account of these letters , but that they were communicated to me , by a person of known integrity ; who assured me , that he who made these observations , is a man of great vertue , and considerably learned : who has been long and much in italy : who is both capable of looking narrowly into matters , and is of such severe morals , that one may safely depend on all he says . this was enough for me ; so without making any further enquiry , or knowing any thing of the author , i have set about the printing of them . vale . a letter writ from rome , to one in holland , concerning the quietists . sir , your desire of being informed particularly by me , of the state of religion and learning in italy , and chiefly here at rome , has quickned my curiosity , and has set an edge upon a humour that is of it self inquisitive enough : and tho i am not so much in lo●● with writing , as to delight in transmitting you long letters , yet i find i have matter at present for a very long one ; chiefly in that which relates to the quietists : for you observe right , that the short hints that dr. burnet gave of their matters in his letters , did rather increase the curiosity of the english , than satisfy it . he told as much as was generally known in rome at that time , concerning them ; but as a longer stay might have discovered more particulars to him , so there have fallen out since that time such new and surprising accidents , that there is not more hearkning after new evidence in england , upon the breaking out of plots , than there was at rome upon the imprisonment of so great a number of persons in february and march last ; the number alone of 200 persons , was enough to raise a great curiosity ; but this was much encreased by the quality of the persons that were clapt up , who were both for rank , for learning , and for piety , the most esteemed of any in rome . so i was pusht on by my own inclinations , as well as by your entreaties , to take all the pains that was possible for me , to be well informed of this matter . the particular application with which i had read some of the books of devotion writ in this method , and the pleasure , and , i hope , profit , that i had found in it , made me still the more earnest to know this matter to the bottom . it is true , it was hard to find it out : for those who have been in rome , know with how much caution all people there talk of matters that are before the inquisition : those are like the secrets of state elsewhere : of which a man cannot talk much without incurring some inconvenience ; and there is no inconvenience that is more terrible at rome , than the falling into the hands of the inquisitors : for besides the danger that a man runs , if the suspitions are well founded , the least ill effect that this must have , is the cutting off all a mans hopes of preferment ; for what a suspition of high treason is elsewhere , the suspition of heresy is at rome ; and where there are many pretenders , and there is so much to be expected , you may imagine that hope and fear working at the same time so powerfully , it must be very hard to ingage such persons as probably know the secret of things , to trust themselves upon so tender a point , to strangers . the truth is , learning is so low in italy , and the opinion that they have of the learning of strangers , chiefly of hereticks , is so high , that they do not willingly enter either on subjects of learning or of religion with them ; and on the other hand a stranger and a heretick , who is considered as a spye , or a fair enemy at best , will not find it convenient to thrust on such subjects of conversation , as are tender and suspitious . all this is to prepare you for a relation which you will perhaps think defective , yet is as full a i could possibly gather , out of all the hints and informations that some moneths stay at rome procured me . the first thing that surprises a stranger in rome , is the very unequal mixture of wealth and poverty , that he sees here , as well as in all the parts of italy ; yet it is more conspicuous here , than elsewhere : for as the wealth of the churches , palaces and convents is astonishing , so the poverty of the inhabitants , and the meanness of the ordinary buildings , is extremely unsuteable to the magnificence of the other . when a man sees what italy was an age or two ago , not to go back so far as to remember what rome was once ; he can hardly imagin how such a fall , such a dispeopling , and such a poverty could befall a nation and climate , that nature has made to be one of the richest of the world , or of europe at least ; if the priests had not at the same time a secret to make the natives miserable , in spite of all that abundance with which nature has furnished them . it were not able to withstand even an ordinary enemy , and it can scarce support it self . those italians that have seen the wealth and abundance that is in england and holland , tho their sun is less favorable , and their climate is more unhappy , and that come home so see their towns deserted , and their inhabitants in raggs , speak of this sometimes with an indignation that is too sensible to be at all times kept within bounds . they speak of the difference betweeen holland and italy , like men affected when they compared the two soils and climates together . the one is a soil divided between sand and turff , preserved from the innudations of land-floods , and the overflowing of the sea , at a vast charge , suffering often such losses as would ruin other states , and paying great and constant impositions : and yet with all these inconveniences , and all the disadvantages of a feeble sun , a stagnating and phlegmatick air , violent colds , and moderate , or at least very shorts heats , this countrey is full of wealth and people ; and there is in it such an abundance of great towns and considerable villages , and in all these there appear so many marks of plenty , and none at all of want : and the other has a kind sun , long and happy summers , and mild winters : a fruitful and rich soil , and every thing that the inhabitants can wish for on natures part , to render them the envy of the world : whereas they are become the scorn and contempt of all that see them . and as much as the dutch seem to have acted in spite of nature on the one hand , in rendring themselves much more considerable than she has intended they should be ; so the government of italy seems to have reversed the design of nature as much on the other hand , by reducing the inhabitants to such a degree of misery , in spite of all her bounty : upon this subject the italians will talk more freely than upon matters of religion : and do not stick to say , that it flows from the share that priests have in the government , and that not only in the popes territory , but in all the other courts of italy , where they have the main stroke . they will tell you , that priests have not souls big enough , nor tender enough , for government : they have both a narrowness of spirit , and a sourness of mind , that does not agree with the principles of human society : their having so short and so uncertain a time of governing , makes them think only on the present , so that they do not carry their prospect to the happiness of , or misery that must be the consequences of what they do , at any considerable distance of time : nor have they those compassions for the miserable with which wise governours ought to temper all their counsells ; for a stern sourness of temper , and an unrelenting hardness of heart , seems to belong to all that sort of men in italy . whatsoever advances their present interests , and inriches their families , is preferred to all wise , great or generous councells . now tho the natives dare not carry this matter further , yet a stranger , that thinks more freely , and that has examined matters of religion , in a more inquisitive manner , sees plainly that all these errors in government , are the effects of their religion , and of that authority which they believe is lodged in the pope , chiefly and of which every priest has so considerable a share , that he is easily able to make himself master of every mans conscience that lets him into it , and that believes those three great branches of their power : that they can pardon their sins , make their god , and secure them both from hell and purgatory . these are things of such a mighty operation , that if it is not easy to imagine how they should be so easily believed , yet supposing once the belief of them , all other things flow very naturally from thence : men are not convinced of these errors till it is too late to come and undeceive others . it is true , many of the italians believe these things as little as we do ; yet this is in them rather an effect of a loose and libertine temper , than of study and enquiry , in a countrey where not only heretical books would endanger a man , but the bare reading even of a latin new testament would give some suspition . but the thinking men among them are led to doubt of all things , rather from a principle of atheism , than of searching into matters of controversy : the one is much less dangerous there , than the other would be . and indeed as soon as a man becomes a little familiar with any of the men of freer thoughts here , he will soon see that the belief of their religion has very little power over many of those who are the most zealous to support it , only because their interest determins them . when a man has lived some time at rome , and has known a little of the mysteries of the conclave , with the character both of the present and the late popes , particularly the weakness and ignorance of him that now reigns , who does not so much as understand latin ; when a man sees how matters are carried in that court , what are the maximes they go by , and the methods that they take ; when he sees what a sort of men the cardinals are , men indeed of great civility , and of much craft ; but as to the matters of religion , men of an equal sise both of ignorance and indifference : when a man sees how all preferments are obtained , but chiefly how the purple is given , and how men rise up to the triple crown : when , i say , a man has seen and observed all this a little , he cannot wonder enough at the character that so great a part of the world sets on that court. the plain and simple arguments of common sense work so strong , that transubstantiation it self is not harder to be believed , than that this man is christs vicar , a man of infallibility , and the source or channel at least of divine truth . so that a man that has given himself the opportunities of observing these matters critically , will feel a persuasion of the falsehood of those pretensions formed so deep in him , that all the sophistry of argument will never be able to overthrow it : for the plain sense of what he has seen will apparently discover the delusion of those reasons , which perhaps he is not learned enough to answer : for let men say what they will , it is no easy matter to believe in a contradiction to the clear evidence of sence : and i cannot make my self so much as doubt , but that as cato was wont to wonder how it came that every one of the heathen priests did not laugh when he saw another of the trade , so the cardinals when they look on one another , and a pope even as ignorant a one as the present pope is , when he receives the submissions that are offered him by all who are of that communion , must laugh within himself when he sees how lucky that imposture is , which has subdued the world into so much respect for him , and to so great a dependance on him . a man who sees all these things upon the place , and is of an age capable of making solid reflections , and has a due portion of learning , must return amased , not so much at those who being already under the yoke , have neither knowledge nor courage enough to shake it off , nor at those who go into it because they find their account in it , and so hope to have a good share of the spoil , as at those who have shaken off the yoke , and have got into more liberty and more knowledg , and feel the happy influence of their deliverance even in their civil liberties and other temporal concerns , if they should ever come so much as to deliberate whether they ought to return and serve their old and severe masters , or not . for my part , i speak freely to you , that i could sooner bring my mind to believe that there is no such thing as instituted religion ; and that it is enough for men to be just and honest , civil and obliging , and to have a general reverence for the deity , than ever to think that such stuff as the men of the mission would impose on the world can be true . chiefly in that part of it which relates to the popes authority , after all that i have seen and known . you will perhaps think , that this is a long digression , or at least a very improper introduction to that which i told you i would offer to you , since the relation that all this has with the matter of the quietists , does not appear to be so very proper . yet you will perhaps change your mind , when i tell you , that the miseries of italy , that the aversion that all men of sense there have to the artifices of their religion , and chiefly to the conduct of the regulars , and above all , of the iesuites , is believed the true reason that led such numbers of men of all sorts to be so favourable to molinos : to which this was rather to be ascribed , than to any extraordinary elevation of piety or devotion , of which so little appears in that country , that nothing which touches only upon that principle can have great effects among them . men that are sick , turn to all sorts of remedies : and those who are discontented , do naturally go into every new thing that either promises relief , or that wounds those that displease them . the present state of things in italy being such as i have described it , you need not wonder to find so many ready to hearken after any thing that seemed both new and safe . for as the novelty gave that curiosity which might draw in many , so the safety that seemed to be in a method of devotion in which so many of the canonised saints had gone before them , and which appeared at first authorised by the approbation of so many inquisitours , made them apprehend that there could be no danger in it . in the recital that i am to give you , i do not pretend to tell you all the whole affair : nor will i assure you of the truth of all that you will find here . for in matters of this nature , in which interest and passion are apt to work so strongly , there are alwayes so many false reports spread , and matters are so often aggravated on the one hand , and diminished or denied on the other , that i will not say but there may be some things here that upon a stricter inquiry will perhaps appear not to be well founded ; yet of this i will assure you very positively , that i have invented and added nothing my self . i leave those arts to the italians , and the court of rome : therefore i will tell you things nakedly and simply , as i found them , without adding so much as one circumstance out of my own invention . i also made as much use of my judgment as was possible for me to do , both in considering the circumstances of those with whom i talked on those heads , and the things themselves that they said to me ; so i let pass all that seemed to be the effect of passion or prejudice , and only marked down that which seemed to be true , as well as that which i had from men whom i had reason to believe . my informers were men of probity and of sense ; they were not indeed easily brought to talk of this subject , and they spoke of it with great reserves : so that there may be many defects , and possibly some mistakes in the account that i am to offer you ; yet you must be contented with it ; for it is all that i could gather ; and it is not corrupted with any mixture of my own . michael de molinos is a spaniard , of a good and opulent family . he entred into priests ordors , but had never any ecclesiastical benefice : so that he seemed to have dedicated himself to the service of the church , without designing any advantage by it to himself . he passes in italy for a man both of learning and of good sense . his course of life has been exact , but he has never practised those austerities that are so much magnified in the church of rome , and among the religious orders : and as he did not affect to practise them , so he did not recommend them to others ; nor was he fond of those poor superstitions that are so much magnified by the trafficking men of that church but he gave in to the method of the mystical . divines , of which , since your studies have not perhaps lien much that way , i shall give you this short account . that sublime , but mysterious way of devotion , was not set out by any of the first writers of the church ; which is indeed a great prejudice against it : for how many soever they may be , who have followed it in the latter ages , yet cassians collations , which is a work of the midle of the fifth century , is the antientest book that is writ in that strain : for the pretended denis the areopagite is now by the consent of all learned men thought no elder than the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth century . yet after these books appeared , very few followed the elevated strains that were in them : the latter was indeed too dark to be either well understood or much followed . so that this way of devotion , if it was practised in religious houses , yet was not much set out to the world before s. bernards time , whose melting strains , tho a little too much laboured and affected , yet have something in them that both touches and pleases : after him many began to write in that sublime strain ; such as thauler , rusbrachius , harphius , suso , but above all thomas a kempis . and when for some considerable time that way of writing was discontinued , it was again raised up in the last age , with much luster by s. teresa ; and after her by baltasar alvares a iesuit : and as england produced a carthusian in king henry the sixths time , one walter hilton , who writ the scale of perfection , a book inferior to none of these i have cited , and more simple and natural than most of them ; so of late f. cressy has published out of f. bakers papers , who was a benedictine , a whole body of that method of divinity and devotion . the right notion of this way of devotion is somewhat hard to be well understood , by those who have not studied their metaphisicks , and is entangled with too many of the terms of the school ; yet i shall give it to you as free of these as is possible . with relation to devotion they consider a man in three different degrees of progress and improvement : the first is the animal , or the imaginative state : in which the impressions of religion work strongly upon a mans fancy , and his sensitive powers : this state is but low and mean , and suteable to the age of a child ; and all the devotion that works this way , that raises a heat in the brain , tenderness in the thoughts , that draws sighs and tears , and that awakens many melting imaginations , is of a low form , variable , and of no great force . the second state is the rational , in which those reflections that are made on truths , which convince ones reason , carry one to all suteable acts : this they say is dry , and without motion : it is a force which the reason puts upon the will , and tho upon a great variety of motives , and many meditations upon them , the mind goes thro a great many performances of devotion , yet this is still a force put upon the will. so they reckon that the third and highest state is the contemplative , in which the will is so united to god , and overcome by that union , that in one single act of contemplation , it adores god , it loves him , and resigns it self up to him : and without wearying itself with a dry multiplicity of acts , it feels in one act of faith more force than a whole day of meditation can produce . in this they say that a true contemplative man , feels a secret ioy in god , and an acquiescing in his will ; in which the true elevation of devotion lies ; and which is far above either the heats of fancy , which accompany the first state , or the subtilty of meditation , that belongs to the second state : and they say , that the perfection of a contemplative state above the others , appears in this , that wheras all men are not capable of forming lively imaginations , or of a fruitful invention , yet every man is capable of the simplicity of contemplation : which is nothing but the silent and humble adoration of god , that arises out of a pure and quiet mind . but because all this may appear a little intricate , i shall illustratte it by a similitude , which will make the difference of those three states more sensible ; 1. a man that sees the exteriour of another , with whom he has no acquaintance , and is much taken with his face , shape , quality , and meen , and this has a blind prevention in his favour , and a sort of a feeble kindness for him , may be compared to him whose devotion consists in lively imaginations , and tender impressions on his lower and sensible powers : 2. a man that upon an acquaintance with another , sees a great many reasons to value and esteem , both his parts and his vertues , yet in all this he feels no inward charm that overcomes him , and knits his soul to the other ; so that how high soever the esteem may be , yet it is cold and dry , and does not affect his heart much , may be compared to one whose devotion consists in many acts , and much meditation . but 3dly , when a man enters into an entire friendship with another , then one single thought of his friend , affects him more tenderly , than all that variety of reflections , which may arise in his mind , where this union is not felt . and thus they explain the sublime state of contemplation . and they reckon that all the common methods of devotion , ought to be considered , only as steps to raise men up to this state : when men rest and continue in them , they are but dead and lifeless forms : and if they rise above them , they become cloggs and hindrances , which amuse them with many dry performances , in which those who are of a higher dispensation will feel no pleasure nor advantage . therefore the use of the rosary , the daily repeating the breviary , together with the common devotions to the saints , are generally laid aside by those who rise up to the contemplative state ; and the chief business to which they apply themselves , is to keep their minds in an inward calm and quiet , that so they may in silence form simple acts of faith , and feel those inward motions and directions which they believe follow all those who rise up to this elevation . but because a man may be much deceived in those inspirations , therefore they recommend to all who enter into this method , above all other things , the choice of a spiritual guide , who has a right sense and a true tast of those matters , and is by consequence a competent judge in them . this is all that i will lay before you in general , for giving you some tast of molinos's methods ; and by this you will both see why his followers are called quietists and why his book is entitled il gui. da spiritualc . but if you intend to inform your self more particularly of this matter , you must seek for it , either in the authors that i have already mentioned , or in those of which i am to give you some account in the ●equel of this letter . molinos having it seems drunk in the principles of the contemplative devotion in spain , where the great veneration that is payed to s. teresa gives it much reputation , he brought over with him to italy a great zeal for propagating it . he came and setled at rome , where he writ his book , and entred into a great commerce with the men of the best apprehensions , and the most elevated thoughts that he found there . all that seemed to concur with him in his design for setting on foot this sublimer way , were not perhaps animated with the same principles . some designed sincerly to elevate the world above those poor and trifling superstitions , that are so much in vogue , among all the bigots of the church of rome , but more particularly in spain and italy , and which are so much set on by almost all the regulars , who seem to place religion chiefly in the exact performing of them . it was thought that others entred into the design upon more indirect motives . some perhaps from the aversion that they bore the regulars , were disposed to entertain every thing that might lead mens devotions into other channells , and to a conduct different from that prescribed by friers and iesuites . some perhaps had understandings good enough to see the necess●ty of correcting many things in their worship , which yet they dur●t not attack as simply unlawful : so that it might appear more safe to expose these things to the contempt of the world , by pretending to raise men far above them : and thus they might have hoped to have introduced a reformation of many abuses without seeming to do it . in fine , some who seemed to enter into this matter , were men that aspired to fame , and hoped by this means to raise a name to themselves ; and to have a party that should depend upon them : for in such great numbers as seemed to imbark in this design , it is not to be imagined that all were acted by the same motives , and that every man had as good intentions as it is probable molinos himself had . in the year 1675. his book was first published with five approbations before it . one of these was by the archbishop of rheggio ; another was by the general of the franciscans , who was likewise one of the qualificators of the inquisition : another was by fa. martin de esparsa a jesuit , that had been divinity professor both at salamanca and at rome ; and was at that time a qualificator of the inquisition . as for the rest , i refer you to the book it self . the book was no sooner printed , than it was much read and highly esteemed both in italy and spain . it was considered as a book writ with much clearness and great simplicity ; and this so raised the reputation of the author , that his acquaintance came to be generally much desired : those who were in the greatest credit in rome , seemed to value themselves upon his friendship . letters were writ to him from all places : so that a correspondence was setled between him and those who approved of his method in many different places of europe . some secular priests both at rome and naples declared themselves openly for it : and consulted him as a sort of an oracle upon many occasions . but those who joyned themselves to him with the greatest heartiness and sincerity , were some of the fathers of the oratory , in particular three of the most eminent of them , who were all advanced at the last promotion of cardinals , coloredi , ciceri , but above all petrucci , who was accounted his timothy . many of the cardinals were also observed to court his acquaintance : and they thought it no small honour to be reckoned in the number of molinos's friends . such were cassanata azolini and carpegna ; but above all card. d'estrees . the last you must needs know , is a man of great learning : he was ambitious to be thought a reformer of some of those abuses , which are among them , that are too gross to pass upon a man of his freedom of spirit ; who had been bred up in the sorbon , and had conversed much with mr. de launay . he therefore seemed the most zealous of all others to advance molinos's design : so that he entered into a very close commerce with him . they were oft and long together : and notwithstanding all the distrust that a spaniard has naturally of a frenchman , and that all men have of one another , who have lived long at rome , yet molinos , who was sincere and plain-hearted , opened himself without reserve to the cardinal : and by his means a correspondence was setled between molinos and some in france : for tho the spirits of those of that nation go generally too quick for a way of devotion , that was setled and silent , yet some were strongly inclined to favour it even there . perhaps it might be considered as a method more like to gain upon protestants , and to facilitate the design of the re-union , that was so long talked of there . all these things concurred to raise molinos's character , and to render his person so considerable . when the pope that now reigns , was advanced to the throne , which was , you know , in the year 1676. that he took most particular notice of him : and made it visibly apparent , that even in all that exaltation , he thought it might contribute to raise his character , if he were considered as a friend of molinos's and an encourager of his design : for he lodged him in an appartment of the palace ; and put many singular marks of his esteem on him . this made him become still the more conspicuous , when he had the advantage of favour joyned to his other qualities : tho he neither seemed to be fond of it , nor lifted up with it . his conversation was much desired ; and many priests came not only to form themselves according to his method , but to dispose all their penetents to follow it : and it grew to be so much in vogue in rome , that all the nuns , except those who had iesuites to their confessors , began to lay aside their rosaries , and other devotions , and to give themselves much to the practice of mental prayer . this way had more credit given to it by the translation of a french book , that was writ upon the same subject , which cardinal d'estrees ordered to be made . it was writ in the form of a dialogue , and was printed in france in the year 1669. by the approbation of some of the doctors of the sorbon . i am able to give you no other account of the author , but that in the italian translation he is called francis malleva●la , a blind clergy-man . the book being chiefly formed upon the model of s. terese , the translation of it was dedicated to the discalciate carmelites of her order . this did not contribute a little for raising the credit of molinos's method , since it appeared to be approved both in italy , france and spain . at the same time fa. petrucci writ a great many letters and treatises relating to a contemplative staete : yet he mixed in many of them , so many rules relating to the devotions of the quire , that there was less occasion given for censure in his writings : they are a little too tedious ; but they were writ chiefly for nuns and others , that perhaps could not have apprehended his meaning aright , if he had expressed himself in a closer stile , and in sewer words . both the iesuites and the dominicans began to be alarmed at the progress of quietism : they saw clearly , that their trade was in a decay , and must decay still more and more , if some stop was not put to the progress of this new method : in order to this , it was necessary to decry the authors of it : and because of all the imputations in the world heresy is that , which makes the greatest ▪ impression at rome , molinos and his followers were given out to be hereticks . it being also necessary to fasten a particular name to every new heresy , they branded this with the name of quietism . books were also writ by some iesuites against molinos and his method ; in which there appeared much of that sourness and malignity that is thought to be peculiar to the society ; they were also writ with their usual candor and sincerity . one of the fathers segueri took a more dectrous method to decry it . he began his book magnifying the contemplative state highly , as superiour to all others ; and blaming those who had said any thing that seemed to detract from it : yet he corrected all this , by saying , that very few were capable of it ; and that none ought to pretend to it , but those who were called by god to so sublime a state : and by this he seemed only to censure the indiscretion of those spiritual guides , who proposed this way of devotion to all persons , without distinction . he also believed , that such as were at some times called to it , could not remain long in so high a state , to which god called men rather for some happy minutes , than for a longer continuance : therefore he thought that such persons as were raised to it , ought not to fancy that they were now got so far above all their former helps , as never to need them any more : so he proposed to them the accustoming themselves still to meditation , and to support themselves by that when they could not contemplate . he censured severely some of molinos's expressions , such as that , he who had god , had christ ; as if this were an abandoning of christs humanity : he also insisted much on that of a fixed looking on god , and the suspending of all the powers of the soul : but that on which he insisted most , was the molinos ( whom he never named , tho he cited his words , and described him very plainly ) made the quiet of contemplation to be a state to which a man could raise himself ; whereas he maintains , that in this quiet the soul is passive , and as it were in a rapture ; and that she could not raise her self to it , but that it was an immediat and extraordinary favour , which was only to be expected from god , and which an humble mind could not so much as ask of him . these disputes raised so much noise in rome , that the inquisition took notice of the whole matter : molinos and his book , and f. petrucci's treatises and letters , were brought under a second and severer examination ; and here the iesuites were considered as the accusers . it is true , one of the society , as was formerly told , had approved molinos's book ; but they took care that he should be no more seen at rome : for he was sent away , and it is not known whether , it is generally believed that he is shut up within four walls ; but what truth soever may be in that , he is no more visible , so careful are they to have all their order speak the same language ; and if any speak in a different stile from the rest , they at least take care that he shall speak no more ; yet in this examen that was made , both molinos and petrucci justified themselves so well , that their books were again approved , and the answers which the iesuites had writ , were censured as scandalous : and in this matter petrucci behaved himself so signally well , that it raised not only the credit of the cause , but his own reputation so much , that soon after he was made bishop of iessi , which was a new declaration that the pope made in their favours : their books were now more esteemed than ever , their method was more followed , and the novelty of it , the opposition made to it , by a society that his rendred it self odious to all the world , and the new approbation that was given to it after so vigorous an accusation , did all contribute to raise the credit and to encrease the numbers of the party . f. petrucci's behaviour in his bishoprick , contributed to raise his reputation still higher , so that his enemy's were willing to give him no more disturbance ; and indeed there was less occasion given for censure by his writings , than by molino's little book ; whose succinctness made that some passages were not so fully nor so cautiously expressed , but that there was room for making exceptions to them : on the other hand , petrucci was rather excessively tedious , so that he had so fully explained himself , that he very easily cleared some small difficulties that were made upon some of his letters : in short , every body was that thought either sincerely devout , or that at least affected the reputation of it , came to be reckoned among the quietists : and if these persons were observed to become more strict in their lives , more retired and serious in their mental devotions , yet there appeared less zeal in their whole deportment as to the exteriour parts of the religion of that church . they were not so assiduous at mass , nor so earnest to procure masses to be said for their friends : nor were they so frequently either at confession or in processions : so that the trade of those that live by these things was sensibly sunk : and tho the new approbation that was given to molinos's book by the inquisition stopt the mouths of his enemies , so that they could no more complain of it , yet they did not cease to scatter about surmises of all that sort of men , as of a cabale , that would have dangerous consequences ; they remembred the story of the illuminated men of spain , and said , here was a spawn of the same sect : they insinuated , that they had ill designs , and profound secrets among them ; that these were in their hearts enemies to the christian religion ; and that under a pretence of raising men to a most sublime strain of devotion , they intended to wear out of their minds the sense of the death and sacrifice of christ , and of the other mysteries of christianity : and because molinos was by his birth a spaniard , it has been given out of late , that perhaps he was descended of a iewish or mahometan race , and that he might carry in his blood , or in his first education , some seeds of those religions , which he has since cultivated , with no less art than zeal : yet this last calumny has gained but little credit at rome ; tho it is said , that an order has been sent to examine the registers of the baptism , in the place of his birth , to see if his name is to be found in it or not . thus he saw himself attacked with great vigour , and with an unrelenting malice . he took as much care as was possible to prevent , or to shake off these imputations ; for he writ a treatise , of frequent and dayly communion , which was likewise approved by some of the most learned of the regulars at rome , among whom one is martinez a iesuite , the senior divinity reader in their colledge at rome . this was printed with his spiritual guide , in the year 1675. and in the preface he protests , that he had not writ it with any design to engage himself into matters of controversy , but that it was drawn from him , by the most earnest solicitations of some zealous persons . in it he pressed a daily communion , by a vast number of passages that he cited both out of the ancient fathers , and the schoolmen ; yet he qualified this and all his other directions in the matters of devotion by that which he constantly repeats , which is the necessity of being conducted in all things by a spiritual guide : whether he intended to soften the aversion that the iesuites had to him , by refuting some parts of mr. arnaud's famous book of frequent communion or not , i cannot tell , but in this discourse he answers some of the objections that mr. arnaud had made to frequent communion , and in particular , to that which he makes one main ground of restraining men from it , which was the obliging them to go thro with their penitence and mortifications , before they were admitted to the sacrament ; whereas molinos makes the being free of moral sin , the only necessary qualification . in this discourse one sees more of a heated eloquence , than of severe or solid reasoning : yet it presses the point of daily communion , and of an inward application of soul to iesus christ , and to his death , so vehemently , that it might have been hoped that this should have put an end to those surmises , that had been thrown out to defame him ; as if he had designed to lay aside the humanity of our saviour , by his way of devotion : but there is no cure for jealousy ; especially when malice and interest are at bottom : so new matter was found for censure in this discourse . he had asserted , that there was no other preparation necessary , but to be free of mortal sin : so it was given out , that he intended to lay aside confession : and tho he had advised the use of a spiritual guide , in this , as well as in all other things ; yet the necessity of confession before communion , was not expressed : so that by this people seemed to be set at liberty from that obligation : and it was said , that what he advised with relation to a spiritual guide , lookt rather like the taking some general directions and council from ones priest , than the coming alwayes to him as the minister of the sacrament of pennance before every communion ; and to support this imputation , it was said , that all of that cabale had set down this for a rule , by which they conducted their penitents , that they might come to the sacrament , when they found themselves out of the state of mortal sin , without going at every time to confession ; but i will not inlarge further upon the matters of doctrine or devotion , in which you may think that i have dwelt too long , for a man of my breeding and profession : and i should think so my self , if i were not consining my self exactly to the memorials and informations that i received at rome . you will see by the articles objected to the quietists , and censured by one of the inquisition , which i send you with this letter , what are all the other points that are laid to their charge . only i must advertise you of one thing , that their friends at rome say , that a great many of these articles are only the calumnies of their enemies , and that they are disowned by them : but that they have fastned these things on them , to render them odious , and to make them suffer with the less pitty : which is the putting in practice the same maximes which we object to their predecessors , who condemned the waldenses and albigenses of a great many errors of which they alwayes protested themselves innocent : yet the accusing them of those horrid opinions and practices , prevailed upon the simplicity and credulity of the age , to animate them with all the degrees of rage against a sect of men , that were set forth as monsters : the same maximes and politicks are still imputed , and perhaps not without reason to that severe court , which if you believe many has as little regard to justice as it has to mercy . some have carried their jealousies so far against the quietists , as to compare their maxims to those of socrates his school , and his followers after his death , when they saw what his freedom in speaking openly against the establisht religion had cost him : they resolved to comply with the received customs in their exteriour , and not to communicate their philosophy to the vulgar ; nor even to their disciples , till they had prepared them well to it , by training them long in the precepts of vertue , which they called the purgative state : and when men were well tried and exercised in this , then they communicated to them their sublimer secrets : the meaning of all which was , in short , that they would not discover their opinions in those points that were contrary to the received religion , and to the publick rites to any , but to those of whom they were well assured , that they would not betray them : and therefore they satisfied themselves with having true and just notions of things ; but they practised outwardly as the rabble did . they thought it was no great matter what opinions were entertained by them , and that none but men of noble and elevated tempers deserved that such sublime truths should be communicated to them , and that the herd of the vulgar neither were worthy nor capable of truth , which is too pure and too high a thing for such mean and base minds . the affinity of the matter makes me remember a conversation that i once had with one of the wittiest clergy-men of france , who is likewise esteemed one of the learnedst men in it ; he said , the world could not bear a religion calculated only for philosophers : the people did not know what it was to think ▪ and to govern themselves by the impressions that abstracted thoughts made on their minds : they must have outward things to strike upon their senses and imaginations , to amuse , to terrify and to excite them : so legends , dreadful stories and a pompous worship were necessary to make the impressions of religion go deep into such course souls : for a lancet , said he , can open a vein , but an axe must fell down a tree ; so he concluded , that the reformation had reduced the christian religion to such severe terms , that among us it was only a religion for philosophers : and since few were capable of that strength of thought : he concluded , that if the church of rome had perhaps too much of this exteriour pomp , those of the reformation had stript it too much , and had not left enough of garnishing , and of the bells and feathers for amusing the rable . the speculation seems pretty enough , if religion were to be considered only as a contrivance of ours , to be fitted by us to the tempers and humours of people ; and not as a body of divine truths , that are conveyed to us from heaven . thus was molinos's method censured or approved in rome , according to the different apprehensions and interests of those that made reflections upon it . but the iesuites finding they were not so omnipotent in this pontificate , as they have been formerly , resolved to carry their point another way . i need not tell you how great an ascendant f. la chaise has gained over that monarch , that has been so long the terrour of europe : and how much all the order is now in the interests of france . the zeal with which that king has been extirpating heresy , furnishes them with abundance of matter for high panegyricks ; since that which in the opinion of many will pass down to posterity , for the lasting reproach of a reign , which in its former parts has seemed to approach even to augustus's glory , but has received in this a stain , which with indifferent men passes for a blind , poor-spirited and furious bigottry , and is represented by protestants as a complication of as much treachery and cruelty as the world ever saw ; yet among the bigots it is set forth as the brightest side of that glorious reign : and therefore it has been often cited by them with relation to the cold correspondence that is observed to be between the courts of rome , and that at versailles , that nothing was more incongruous , than to see the head of the church dispute so obstinatly with its eldest son such a trifle , as the matter of the regale , and that with so much eagerness ; and that he shew'd so little regard to so great a monarch , that seemed to sacrifice all his own interests to those of his religion ▪ it is believed , that the iesuits at rome , proposed the matter of molinos to f. la chaise , as a fit reproach to be made to the pope , in that kings name , that while he himself was imploying all possible means to extirpate heresy out of his dominions . the pope was cherishing it in his own palace : and that while the pope pretended to such an unyielding zeal for the rights of the church , he was entertaining a person who was corrupting the doctrine , or at least the devotion , of that body , of which he had the honour to be the head. but here i must add a thing which comes very uneasily from me , and yet i cannot keep my word to you , of giving you a faithful account of all that i could learn of this matter at rome , without mentioning it . i do not pretend to affirm it is true , for i only tell you what is believed at rome , and not what i believe my self , nor what i would have you to believe ; for i know you have so high an esteem of cardinal d'estrees , that you will not easily believe any thing that is to his disadvantage . it is then said , that he being commanded by the orders that were sent him from the court of france , to prosecute molinos with all possible vigour , resolved to sacrifice his old friend , and all that is sacred in friendship , to the passion he has for his masters glory ; finding then that there was not matter enough for an accusation against moliuos , he resolved to supply that defect himself ; so that he , who was once as deep as any man alive in the whole secret of this affair , went and informed the inquisition of many particulars , for which tho there was no other evidence but his testimony , yet that was sufficient to raise a great storm against molinos ; and upon this delation , he and a few others of his friends were put in the inquisition ; but this was managed so secretly , that all that is pretended to be known concerning it , is , that upon a new prosecution both molinos and petrucci were brought before the inquisition in 1684. petrucci was soon absolved ; for there was so little objected to him , and he answered that with so much judgement and temper , that he was quickly dismissed ; and tho molinos's matter was longer in agitation , yet is was generally expected that he should have been acquitted . in conclusion , a correspondence held by him all europe over , was objected to him : but that could be no crime , unless the matter of that correspondence was criminal : some suspitions papers were found in his chamber , but as he himself explained them , nothing could be made out of them , till cardinal d'estrees delivered a letter and a message from the king of france to the pope , as was formerly mentioned : and that the cardinal added , that he himself could prove against molinos , more than was necessary to shew that he was guilty of heresy . the pope said not a word to this , but left the matter to the inquisitors ; and the cardinal went to them , and gave other senses of those doubtful passages , that were in molinos's books and papers , and pretended that he knew from himself , what his true meaning in them was . the cardinal owned , that he had lived with him in the appearances of friendship : but he said , he had early smelled out an ill dedesign in all that matter ; that he saw of what dangerous consequence it was like to be ; but yet , that he might fully discover what was at the bottom of it , he confessed , he seemed to assent to several things , which he detested : and that by this means he saw into their secret , and knew all the steps they made , he still cautiously observing all that past among them till it should be necessary for him to discover and crush this cabal . i need not tell you how severely this is censured , by those who belive it . i would rather hope , that it is not true , how positively soever it may be affirmed at rome ; but tho it is hard to reconcile such a way of proceeding with the common rules of human society and of vertue , yet at rome a zeal for the faith , and against heresie , supersedes all the bonds of morality or humainty , which are only the common vertues of heathens . in short , what truth soever may be in this particular , relating to the cardinal , it is certain that molinos was clapt up by the inquisition in may 1685. and so an end was put to all discourses relating to him : and in this silence the business of the quietists was laid to sleep , till the ninth of february 1687. that of a sudden it broke out again in a much more surprising manner . the count vespiniani and his lady , don paulo rocchi , confessor to the prince borghese , and some of his family , with several others , in all 70 persons , were clapt up . among whom many were highly esteemed both for their learning & piety . the things laid to the charge of the churchmen were their neglecting to say their breviary ; and for the rest , they were accused for their going to communion without a going at every time first to confession : and in a word , it was said , that they neglected all the exterior parts of their religion , and gave themselves up wholly to solitude and inward prayer . the countesse vespiniani made a great noise of this matter ; for she said , she had never revealed her method of devotion to any mortal , but to her confessor , and so it was not possible that it could come to their knowledge any other way , but by his betraying that secret : and she said , it was time for people to give over going to confession , if priests made this use of it , to discover those who trusted their secretest thoughts to them ; and therefore she said , that in all time coming , she would make her confessions only to god. this had got vent , and i heard it generally talked up and down rome : so the inquisitors thought it more fitting to dismiss her and her husband , than to give any occasion to lessen the credit of confession ; they were therefore let out of prison , but they were bound to appear whensoever they should be called upon . i cannot express to you , the consternation that appeared both in rome and in many other parts of italy , when in a months time about 200 persons were put in the inquisition : and that all of the sudden , a method of devotion , that had passed up and down italy for the highest elevation to which mortals could aspire , was found to be heretical , and that the chief promoters of it were shut up in prison . but the most surprising part of the whole story , was , that the pope himself came to be suspected as a favourer of this new heresy : so that on the 13th . of february some were deputed by the court of the inquisition to examin him , not in the quality of christs vicar , or st. peters successor , but in the single quality of benedict odescalchi : what passed in that audience , was too great a secret for me to be able to penetrate into it : but upon this there were many and strange discourses up and down rome : & while we hereticks were upon that asking , where was the popes infallibility ? i remember a very pretty answer that was made me . they said , the popes infallibility did not flow from any thing that was personal in him , but from the care that christ had of his church : for a pope , said one , may be a heretick as he is a private man : but christ , who said to st. peter , feed my sheep , will certainly so order matters that the pope shall never decree heresy , and by consequence shall never give the flock poyson instead of the bread of life ; while the popes heresy was only a personal thing , it could have no other effect but to damn himself : but if he decreed heresy , this corrupted the whole church : and since christ had committed all the flock to the popes care , it ought to be believed , that he would never suffer them to pronounce heresy ex cathedra , as they call it . this had some colour in it , that was plausible : but the shift of which another served himself , seemed intolerable . he said , the pope could never decree heresy : for which he argued thus : he must be a heretick before he can decree it ; and upon that he gave me many authorities to prove , that in the minute that the pope became a heretick , he fell ipso facto from his dignity ; and therefore he said , the pope could not decree heresy ; for he must have fallen from his chair , and have forfeited his authority , before he could possibly do it : so that he was no more pope . this lookt so like a juggle of the schools , that i confess it made no great impression on me . imagine what a thing it would be , to see a king accused of treason by one of his own courts ; and then you have fancied somewhat that comes near this attempt of the inquisition's : which being a court authorised by the pope , yet had the boldness to examin himself : and it had certainly been an odd piece of news , if upon the popes answers , the inquisition had stained him with the imputation of heresy , and had lodged him in the minerva . upon the discourse to which this gave occasion , i have heard the authority of the court of inquisition magnified to so extravagant a degree , that some have asserted , it was in some respects superiour even to the pope himself . two days after that , the inquisition sent a circular letter to card. cibo , as the chief minister , to be sent by him all about italy , of which i send you a copy in italian : for tho it ought to have been writ in latin , yet i do not know how it came to be writ in italian : for the writing it in the vulgar language , was censured not only as an indecent thing , but as that which made the matter more publick ; it was addressed to all prelats ; and it warns them , that wheras many schools and fraternities were formed in several parts of italy , in which some persons , under a pretence of leading people into the wayes of the spirit , and to the prayer of quietness , they instilled in them many abominable heresies ; therefore a stricte charge was given to dissolve all these societies : and to oblige all the spiritual guides to tread in the known paths : and in particular , to take care , that none of that sort should be suffered to have the direction of the nunneries , order was likewise given to proceed in the way of justice against those who should be found guilty of these abominable errors . after this a strict enquiry was made into all the nunneries of rome ; for most of their directors and confessours were found to be engaged into this new method . it was found that the carmelites , the nuns of the conception , of the palestrina , and albano , were wholly given up to prayer and contemplation , and that instead of their beads , and their hours , and the other devotions to saints , or images , they were much alone , and oft in the exercise of mental prayer : and when they were asked , why they had laid aside the use of their beads , and their antient forms ; their answer was , that their directors had advised them , to wean themselves from these things , as being but rude beginnings , and hindrances to their further progress : they justified also their practice from those books that had been lately published by the approbation of the inquisitors themselves , such as molinos and petrucci's books . when report was made of this matter to the inquisition , they sent orders to take out of the nuns hands all those boaks , and such forms of devotion as were written in that strain ; and they required them to return again to the use of their beads , and their other abandoned forms , which was no small mortification to them . the circular letter produced no great effects ; for most of the italian bishops were either extream unconcerned in all those matters , or were inclined to molinos's method : and whereas it was intended , that this as well as all the other orders that come from the inquisition , should he kept secret , yet it got abroad , and copies of it were in all peoples hands , so that this gave the romans the more occasion to discourse of these matters , which troubled the inquisitors extreamly , who love not to have the world look into their proceedings , nor to descant upon them : they blamed card. cibo , as if this matter was grown so publick by his means : but he on the other hand blamed the inquisitors for it , and his secretary blamed both . it was also said , that the pope was not pleased with card. cibo's conduct , and that he thought he had suffered this matter to go too far , without giving a check to the inquisitors , when it might have been more easily done ; wheras now matters are gone to that height , that many think they cannot end without some very great scandal . for the quality of the prisoners is considerable ; some of cardinal petrucci's domesticks , and both his secretary and his nephew were of the number ; and tho the cardinal himself came to rome soon after , yet he was there for some time incognito . it is generally believed , that both he and the cardinal caraffa , and cardinal ciceri , who is bishop of como , are in great apprehensions of a storm from the inquisition : and the ceremony of giving them their hats being so long delayed , was generally ascribed to some complaints that it seems the inquisitors made ; yet in conclusion they appeared in publick , and had there hats given them . the duke of ceri , don livio , that is the popes nephew , is believed to be deeply engaged in the matter : for the count vespiniani , who was first seised on , is his particular friend and favorite : and is a sort of a domestick of his . don livio himself is likewise a person of a melancholy temper , that is much retired ; and this at present is enough to make a man pass there for a quietist . he went from rome to a house he has not far from civitavecchia , to avoid , as was thought , the falling into the hands of the inquisitors . the pope writ oft for him , before he could prevail with him to return ; and it was said , that he did not think himself secure even after all the assurances that the pope gave him , that no harm should come to him ; for it might be justly enough apprehended , that the inquisitors , who had been so hardy as to examin the pope , would make no ceremony with his nephew , if they found matter against him . but among all that were clapt up , father appiani was the man that surprised the romans the most : he was seised on the first sunday of april ; he was esteemed the learnedest and eminentest iesuite that was in the whole roman colledge . this did not a little mortifie the society ; one of their fathers had approved of molinos's book , and now another was found to be engaged in this matter : upon which a priest , that was indeed no friend to their order , said to me , that this was their true genius , to have men among them of all sides ; that so which side soever prevailed , they might have some among them , that should have a considerable share in the honour of the victorious . and thus if molinos's method had been established , then they would have gloried as much in esparza and appiani , as they are now ashamed of them . it is likely that they had not discovered appiani's favouring the party , otherwise no doubt they had been before-hand with the inquisition , and had shut him up as they did esparza ; and so have covered themselves from the reproach of having a man that favoured heresy among them . but the confidence of that society is an original ; and since i have this occasion to mention them , i will here digress a little from the business of quietism , to give you account of some of their practices at rome , with relation to english affairs , with which i was made acquainted during my stay there . there is a iesuit belonging to the english house , f. cann , well known in england , by some of his writings , and in particular by one against the oath of allegeance , in which he pleads for the popes power of deposing princes ; it seems he was sorry to see that the discourse which he had writ against the taking that oath , had no better effect , and that the papists generally took it : so he resolved to carry this matter further , therefore tho he had no other character but that of a father of the society ; he proposed at rome , that a formal oath , abjuring the oath of allegeance , should be taken by all who had taken the other ; and that for all that should be received to be students in that house , in all time coming , they should be bound by an oath never to swear the oath of allegeance : since he said , a time might come , in which it should be necessary for their interests , that they should be under no such tie to a heretical prince : but because it was not safe for them to enjoin any new oath , without an order from the court of the rota , according to the forms there , it was necessary to present a memorial for this : and that ought to come from the protector of the nation concerned : so he ought to have addressed himself to cardinal howard ; but the cardinal's temper , and his principles , with relation to civil obedience , were so well known , that f. cann thought to carry the business without his having any share in it . yet he found himself mistaken ; for the iudges of the rota were surprised at the proposition ; and gave notice of it to the pope , who lookt upon it as a thing of very bad consequence : and askt cardinal howard , if it had been set on by any direction from him ; for it seems his name was made use of , tho without his knowledg . the cardinal was surprised at it , and highly resented the impudence of f. cann : he sent a complaint of it to the general of the society , who , to give the cardinal some content , gave cann a reprimand , and sent him out of rome : but the iesuites carry a grudge in their hearts to the cardinal for this , and other things : and this appeared very visibly during the earl of castlemain's embassay : for tho he lodged for some time in the cardinal's palace , yet he gave himself up so intirely to the conduct of the iesuites , that the cardinal was quite shut out of the councils : and while fa. morgan came at all hours to the ambassadour , even in his night gown and shippers , which was thought an unusual thing at rome , where publick persons live in an exactness of ceremony : once the cardinal was made to wait in the antichamber , while the father was within entertaining the ambassadour in this lasy dress , who coming out in it , the cardinal was so provoked at this indignity , that was done him , and at the iesuites insolence , that he threatned to sling him down stairs , if he ever presumed to come within his house again in that habit : and indeed , a cardinal makes so great a figure in rome , that such an usage of him was thought a little extraordinary , but the cardinal is of so mild a temper , and the iesuites are so violent , as to be reckoned the horns of the beast , that no wonder if a sympathy of temper made the ambassador fall in more naturally with them . but i will now return to the quietists , from whom , the particular regard that i hear to the order of the iesuites , has diverted me so long . the prisons of the holy office were full , and the terrour of this matter had struck so many , that no body could guess when or where it should stop . it is said , that the inquisitours have found in some of their examinations , that they have to do with men that are learneder than themselves : and that their prisoners are steady and resolute . it is also said , that their friends abroad have expressed a great concern for them , and for the cause of their sufferings , and that many letters have been writ to the inquisitors , wishing them to consider well what they do to their prisoners ; and assuring them , that they will maintain their interests : and that they are ready to seal them with their blood. it is certain , the pope and cardinal cibo are much troubled , to see that this matter is gone so far , and is now so much talked of . cardinal petrucci is still much in the popes favour , and was suffered not long ago to go visit molinos , with whom he had a long conversation all alone , but the subject and the effects of it are not known : yet a severe sentence is expected against molinos . those that speak the mildest , think he will be a prisoner for life : but a little time will shew more than i can presume to tell you . it is a terrible thing to have the whole body of the regulars against one , who according to the estimate that is made at rome , are about 500000. persons , and of that number it is said the iesuites make 40000. in the city of naples alone it is believed the regulars and other ecclesiasticks amount to 25000. so it is very likely , that when such bodies , and molinos are in the ballance , cajaphas's resolution may once more take place : it is expedient that one man should die , rather than that those nations of regulars should perish , or their trade and profits be lessned . but to come to an end , the inquisitors have prepared the world for any judgments that they may pass in this matter , by ordering one of their number , to draw up a censure of 19. articles , which he pretends to have collected out of the writings and doctrines of the quietists , and thus by representing them so odiously , they have as much as in them lies , prevented those compassions which may perhaps be kindled by the sufferings of those whom they may condemn as guilty of those censured opinions . i have now given you all the informations that i could pick up of this matter , with all possible sincerity ; for i have represented this business to you , just as it was set before my self , without making any additions to it , or interposing my poor judgment in such a matter , which i leave to you , and to such as you are . i conclude , referring you for a further light into this affair to the censure of the inquisitors , which i procured in italian , for tho probably it is written originally in latin , yet i could not get a copy of the latin censure , and so was forced to content my self with this that follows . it appears by it , how low the study both of divinity and of the scriptures is sunk at rome : some few strictures will be found on the margin of the english translation of this censur , which i have added , because some perhaps may desire to see this , who do not understand italian . the circular letter , that was sent about italy , by the order of the inquisition . emmo e rmo sig e mio ossmo essendo venuto à notitia di questa sacra congregatione , che in diversi luoghi d' italia si vadino poco à poco erigendo , e forse anche si siano erette certe scuole ò compagnie , fratellanze , ò radunanze , ó con altro nomi , ò nelle chiese , ò nelli oratorii , ò in case private à titolo di conferenze spirituali , ó siano di sole donne , ó di soli huomini , ò misti , nelle quali alcuni direttori spirituali inesperti della vera via dello spirito calcata da santi , e forse anche malitiosi sotto titolo d'instradare l'anime per l'oratione , che chiamano ▪ la la quiete , ò di pura fede interna , ó con altri nome , benche dal principio apparisca , che persuadino massime d'isquisita perfettione , ad ogni modo da certi principi● mal ' intesi , e peggio pratticati van●●o insensibilmente instillando nella mente de semplici diversi gravissimi errori , che poi abortiscono anco in aperte eresie , & abominevoli laidezze con discapito irreparabile di quelle anime , che per solo zelo di ben servire à dio si mettono in mano di simplice direttori , come pur troppo è noto esser sequito in qualche luogho . hannò perció questi miei em. signori colleghi generali inquisitori stimato opportuno di significare à v. e. con la presente ch● si fà circolare à tutti gll ordinarii d'italia ; acció si compiaccia d'invigilare sopra qualsivoglia nuove adunanze simili diverse dalle già pratticate & approvate ne luoghi cattolici , e trovandone de tali onninamente , le abolisca ; ne permetta in avenire che in modo alcuno ne vengano instituite , & insista , chei direttori spirituali caminino la strada battuta della perfettione christiana , senza affettare singolarità di vie di spirito , con avvertire sopra tutto , che nessuna persona sospetta di novità simili s'ingerisca à diriggere ne in voce , ne in scritto le monache , acciò che non entri ne ' monasterli quella peste , che pur troppo potrebbe contaminare la spiritual intentione di queste spose del signore . il che tutto si rimette alla prudenza dell ' e. v. con che però non s'intenda con quelle provisionali , che ella sarà per fare preclusa la via di procedere , anche per via di giustitia : quando si scoprissero in qualche persona ●ali errori non escusabili . in tanto si và quì digerendo la materia , per poter à suo tempo auvertire il christianesimo degli errori da evitarsi . e le bacio , 15. febrari , 1687. the circular letter , put in english most eminent , or most reverend lord : this holy congregation , having received advertisement , that there are some in divers places of italy , that by little and little are erecting , or perhaps that have already erected , some schools , companies , fraternities , or assemblies , under some other denomination , either in churches , chappels , or in private houses , under the pretence of spiritual conferences ; and these consisting either only of women , or only of men , or of both sexes together , in which some spiritual guides , that are unacquainted with the true way of the spirit , in which the saints have trod , and that are perhaps men of ill designs , do under the pretence of leading souls by the prayer of quietness , as they call it , or of pure inward faith , or under any other name , in which tho in the beginning that they carry men , by maxims that are of the highest perfection , yet at last they by certain principles , that are ill understood , and worse practised , do insensibly infuse into the minds of the simple , divers grievous errors , that do break out into open heresy , and to abominable practices , to the irreparable prejudice of those souls , who out of their single zeal to serve god well , put themselves in the hands of such simple directors , which is too notoriously known to have fallen out in some places . in consideration of all this , my most eminent lords and colleagues , the inquisitors general , have thought fit to signify this to you , by this circular letter , which is sent to all the ordinaries of italy , that so you may be pleased , to watch over all such new assemblies , that are different from those that are practised and approved in other catholick places : and that where you find any such , you abolish them entirely , and suffer them not to be any further advanced ; and that you take care that spiritual directors shall tread in the beaten paths of christian perfection , without affecting any singularity in the wayes of the spirit : and that above all other things , you take care , that no person suspected of these novelties , be suffered to thrust himself into the direction of nunneries , either by word or writing : that so this pest may not enter within those houses ; which may too much corrupt the spiritual intention of those spouses of christ. all this is referred to your prudence : but with all this provisional care , it is not to be understood as if hereby the proceedings in the way of justice , were to be hindred , in case any persons are found to hold inexcusable errors . in the mean while , care is taken so to digest this matter , that christendom may be in due time advertised of those errors that are to be avoided . rome the 15. of february , 1687. the censure of the opinions of the quietists , prepared for the inquisition . errori principali di quelli , che esercitano l'oratione di quiete , co ' le risposte . i. la contemplatione , o vero oratione di quiete consiste in constituirsi alla presenza di dio , con un atto di fede oscura , pura , & amorosa , e dipoi senza passar più avanti , e senza ammettere discorso , specie , ò pensiero alcuno , starsene cosi otioso ; par esser contrario alla riverenza dovuta à dio il replicare quel purissimo atto , il quale però è di tanto merito , e vigore , che contiene in se , anzi supera con gran vantaggio tutti insieme li meriti delle altre virtù , e persevera tutt ' il tempo della vita , mentre non si ritratti con un atto contrario : onde non è necessario reiterarlo , e replicarlo . censura e ris posta . niun ' atto di fede ci constituisse presenti à dio , il quale è dentro à noi per indispensabile necessità della ●ua immensit à , e però spesso dicevano elia , michea , & altri proseti : vivit deus in cujus conspectusto . e con agostino dicono i teologi : in deo vivimus , movemur , & sumus . dunque l'atto di fede , perche suppone l'estere della creatura , suppone questa già prima nella presenza di dio , e solamente sará rassegnatione di spirito nelle braccie della divinitá . intorno à questa all' hora sará contemplatione , quando l'anima contemplarà , e non sarà otiosa , doppo il primo atto di fede oscura , pura , & amorosa . e poifalfità evidente il dire , che non sono necessarii altri buoni atti . l'atto buono , per es●er finito , è migliorabile , per mezzo della continuatione di simili atti . ne ' la moltiplicatione di atti virtuosi e'contrario alla riverenza dovuta à dio , perche iddio non si tedia , ò impedisce , essendo libero da'ogni passione , & in tanto non conviene replicare atti riverentiali a' maggiori del mondo , in quanto , che questi , secondo che porta l'esperienza , sono alterabili , impedibili , ó tediabili della vista di simili atti frequentati . l'atto dunque in se stesso buono , moltiplicato sarà un buono maggiore , e però da ' dio approvato , a più rimunerabile , che un ' atto solo . nella contemplatione poi si stà in atto di operare , e non ostinatamente sopra l'attopassato , essendo il contemplare l'operare mentalmente , ancorche altro anco vi si richieda . ii. senza la contemplatione , per mezzo della meditatione non può darsi un passo nella perfettione . r responso per meditarsi dal christiano precisamente la passione di christo , si riflette , che per amor dell ' huomo tanto pati un dio , unde può risolvarsi à riamarlo , e volerlo obedire in che commanda , e mettere in prattica ( con la gratia di dio , che sempre è in noi ) tal santa deliberatione . dunque permezzo della meditatione può bene incaminarsi l'anima alla perfettione . anni senza contemplare , e senza meditare , purche s'opri secondo li leggi , con l'ajuto di dio fi puo ogn ' uno salvare ; non si salva poi chi non è perfetto , & amico di dio. dunque è falsissima l'opinione contenuta nel secondo capo . iii. la scienza , e dottrina anche teologica , e sacra , è d'impedimento , e repugnanza alla contemplatione , della quale non possono dar giuditio gli huomini dotti , mà solo li meditativi , e contemplativi . r responso la dottrina teologica notifica stabili in noi l'oggetto della contemplatione , che dicono i quietisti esser la divina essenza . dunque in noi è compinibile con la contemplatione , alla quale se la teologia repugnasse l'istesso sarebbe esser contemplativo , e nulla saper d'iddio teologalmente , e cosi agostino , e gli altri santi dottori , e luminari della chiesa , perche erano scientifici , si doverebbero incapaci esser stati della contemplatione . il che è falso , imperoche dio , che institui il sacerdotio , come ministero il più degno , non v'è ragione , che habbia voluto i sacerdoti , ma' che non fossero contemplativi , già che volse col sacerdotio unita la scienza , mentre nella sacra scrittura minaccio per osea profetta à chi disprezzatore della scienza esercitava il sacerdotio . tu repulisti scientiam , & ego repellam te , ne sacerdotio fungaris mihi . e tralascio altre scritture , e raggioni , perche mi viene incaricata la breuità . in quanto poi al che si dice in questo 3. cap. che della contemplatione non possono dar giuditio li dotti , si vede apertamente , che l'ignoranza di questi spiritelli senza intelligenza hà una temerità di non volar soggiacere all' emenda , per mezzo dell ' infallibile sentimento de' scientifici . iv. non può darsi perfetta contemplatione , se non circa la sola divinità . i misteri dell ' incarnanatione , vita , e passione del nostro salvatore non sono oggetto di contemplatione , anzi l'impediscono , onde devono dà contemplativi tenersi lontani ; ò solo considerarsi spregiatamente . r responso se la contemplatione è un affettione dell ' intelletto , e della volontà con l'ogetto , mediante la gratia di dio , in un raccoglimento di spirito , potrà la vita di christo contemplarsi , perche à quella il christiano può farsi presente in spirito , & affettive con atto di fede , & amore. aggiongo che se christo venne à piantar paradisi in terra per commissione dell ' eterno padre , come disse il profeta isaia , posui verbum meum in ore tuo , ut plantos coelos , & fundes terram . dove la parafrase caldea cosi legge : ut plantes coelos in terra : come dire ( si come l'intese girolamo ) che piantasse le contentezze negli huomini disgratiati per il peccato originale : e se i contemplationi si portano sopra se stessi alla consolationi divine nella loro contemplativi , perche si deve disprezzare , e tener lontano christo , che è l'immediato datore ? christo non impedisce l'atto del contemplatione se ve●ne à compartirci perfettioni , e contenti spirituali , che sono il fine de' contemplativi . v. le penitenze corporali , l'austerità della vita non convengono alli contemplativi , anzi meglio si comincia la conversione dalla vita contemplativa , che dalla purgativa , e dalle penitenze . ancora gli effetti della divotione sensioile , la tenerezza del cuore , le lagrime , e consolationi spirituali si devono fuggire , anzi dispreggiare da ' contemplativi , come cose repugnanti alla contemplatione . r. responso le mortificationi dispongono lo spirito , acciò viva sopra le motioni del senso , e perciò tutti i santi cominciarono à viaggiare verso la perfettione con discipline , digiuni , &c. dunque se i contemplativi hanno per fine anco la perfettione , ben li convengono le penitenze , perche più spedito si renda alla contemplatione , chi più tiene domate le alterationi del senso . e se dio promette nelle scritture pardonar al peccatore piante , che saranno dà lui le colpe , mà in nessun luogo del vecchio , ò nuovo testamento , per essersi posto nella contemplatione . dunque meglio si comincia la conversione dalla vita purgativa , e dalle penitenze , che dalla contemplatione . vi. la vera contemplatione deve fermarsi nella pura essenza d'iddio , spogliata delle persone , e degli attributi , e l'atto di fede di dio cosi concepito , è più perfetto , e meritorio di quello , che riguarda dio con le persone , & attributi . r. responso le persone divine , egli adorabili attributi di dio hanno la raggione formale d'esser oggetti di fede , ed'amore nel racoglimento delle nostre potenze , e nella rassegnatione dello spirito , perche sono verità rivelate , e come predicati divini suoni buoni in se stessi , & alle creature . donde può darsene vera contemplatione . che poi l'atto di fede di dio senza le persone , & attributi concepito sia più perfetto , e meritorio di quello , che riguarda dio con le persone , & attributi è falsità . perche se già il credere che dio sia trino , e sia giusto è atto di fede perfetto , e meritorio , e credere dio vero nell ' essenza anco è atto meritorio e perfetto , sarà l'atto con cui si crede dio vero erino , e giusto , più perfetto , e meritorio d'un altro atto , con cui solamente si crede uno nell ' essenza , perche si merita più per due atti dell ' istessa virtù , che per un solo di questi . ( havendoci dio communicate le virtù supranaturali non per sar un atto solo virtuoso , mà per avanzarsi col ' esercitio ●li tali doni ) un ' atto di fede , che equivale 〈◊〉 due è più meritorio , e perfetto di un solo atto delli due : onde ben si conclude contra la prima propositione di questo 6. cap. che la vera , e perfetta contemplatione per essere megliore deve fermarsi nella pura essenza di dio , mà questa nella persone , e negli attributi . vii . nella contemplatione s'unisee l'anima immediatamente con dio , onde non vi si richiedè fantasmi , ò imagini , ò specie di sorte alcuna . r. responso nella contemplatione ancorche in un certo modo s'unisca l'anima immediatamente con dio , cio è effettiye , perche vi concorre l'intelletto a mirar dio semplicemente , però si richiede qualche specie per sollicitare l'intellettuale habilità naturale à portarsi nella consideratione di dio , servendo la specie per oggetto mottivo all' intelletto . viii . tutti i contemplativi nell ' atto della contemplatione patiscono pene , & angoscie si gravi , che pareggiano , anzi superano , li tormenti dell● istessi martiri . r. responso se ( come dicono i quietisti nel primo capo ) la contemplatione consiste nel farsi presente à dio con un atto di fede amorosa , e poi starsene in otio , non è formalmente essere tormentato , e patire pene più delli martiri . e quantunque ad alcuno spesso succeda nella contemplatione angoscie , e dolori , ciò proviene da ' altra causa ò dal demonio , permettendolo dio , ò da ' fiachezza di natura , che consuma il corpo , ò da ' motivi di malenconia , ò da ' soverchio sangue , che sormontato alla testa caggiona dolore . mà moltissimi altri si sono visti nell ' atto della contemplatione , circondati di luce con fronte serena , é bocca ridente , come francesco di paola fu osservato dà luiggi xi . ré di francia , e finita la contemplatione restar tutti inondati di allegrezza , perche in quella vennero à vista ( semplicemente ben si ) li sposi , per restar concertato il matrimonio frà dio e l'anima . ix . nel sagrificio della messa , e nelle feste de' santi , è meglio applicarsi all' atto di pura fede , e contemplatione , che alli misteri di esso sacrificio , ò à considerare le attioni , ele cose aptenenti alli medesimi santi . r. responso vive ingannato chi giudica entrare nella contemplatione senza buona dispositione dell ' anima ; e perche la consideratione delli mister● della messa , e dell'esempio de' santi è preparamento spirituale , ancorche remoto , perciò stimarsi deve meglio , prima applicarsi il christiano alla consideratione de i misteri della messa , e delle attioni de' santi , e poscia darsi alla contemplatione con più adobbo nell ' anima . x. la lettione spirituale de' libri , le prediche , l'orationi vocali , l'invocationi de'santi , e cose simili , sono d'impedimento alla contemplatione , overo oratione di quiete , alla quale non si deve premettere preparatione alcuna . r. responso se in ogni professione , e ' maggiormente in quella della vera , e non fintionata spiritualità : nemo repente sit summus , come l'esperienza dimostra , perche è ordine della nostra fiacca natura , co ' cui si và accommodando la gratia per il nostro camino all' ultimo termine dell ' eternità , che à facilioribus sit incipiendum ; che perciò è grand ' ignoranza , e presontione entrare nell ' oratione di quiete , prima d'altri esercitii , e senza preparatione . chi cosi entra , uscirà ancora senz ' aleun profitto . xi . il sacramento della penitenza , avanti la communione non è per l'anime interiori , e contemplative , mà per l'esteriori , e meditative . r. i contemplativi hanno solamente un ' anima che è può meditare , e può contemplare , & anco può star in peccato . dunque il sacramento della penitenza prima della s. communione , è necessario all' anime contemplative . xii . la meditatione non riguarda dio col lume della fede , mà con il lume naturale in spirito e verità , e però non hà merito appresso dio. r. responso se la meditatione non fosse meritoria appresso dio , ( saltem aliqualiter de congruo ) no' sarebbe cosi famigliare alle religioni , dove furono , e sono grand ' huomini fanali della s. c. r. ne sarebbe incaricata da ' ss . patriarchi , e da ' sommi pontefici rimunerata con indulgenze plenarie , come esercitio spirituale , proportionato alli amici di dio , & à quelli , che abandonano le fallacie del mondo . di dio , come si può conoscere l'esistenza col lume naturale , e con la fede sopranaturale , cosi può darsi meditatione che lo riguardi naturalmente , e meditatione che lo riguardi con fede pura , e sopranaturale . xiii . l'imagini non solo interne , e mentali , mà anco l'esterne solite venerarsi da ' fedeli , come sono quelle di christo , e de' suoi santi , sono dannose a' contemplativi , onde devono fuggirsi , e toglier via , accio non impediscano la contemplatione . r. responso quanto decretò , e decretarà la s. madre chiesa , à cui presiede direttore lo spirito santo tutto giovevole all' vassallaggio di christo ; però se a' fedeli la chiesa ordina l'adorationi delle ss . immagini , non devono queste s●uggirsi , ò toglier via , come nocive alla contemplatione : nulladimeno alcuni sguardi alla sfuggita verso dette immagini non sono valevoli à far perdere la contemplatione , overo oratione di quiete al contemplativo , quale se in ogni caso la perde , proviene dalla sua troppa imbecillità , e per altro poi e più ampia l'anima raggionevole ; e maggine la gratia , che l'assiste di quello che suppone queste 13. cap. anzi la moderata consideratione di dette imagini serve à formar nell ' anima l'interno racoglimento , perche il contemplativo si faccia regolare dalla gratia. xiv . chi una volta si è applicato alla contemplatione non deve piu ritornare alla meditatione , perche sarebbe un passare dal meglio al peggio . r. responso e vero che è cosa mala passare dal meglio al peggio , mà spesso conviene non possedendo attualmente it meglio incaminarsi à posseder il buono . e vero ancora , che essendo pontualmente nella contemplatione , non si deve lacciar questa à fine di mettarsi nella meditatione . ancorche la contemplatione sia migliore , non ritrovandosi il christiano attualmente nella contemplatione , non opera inconvenientemente applicandosi à meditare , perche conviene , che per ogni via , che dio si può mirare dall ' anima , sia da questa riverentemente essequiata . xv. se nel tempo della contemplatione vengono pensieribrutti , & osceni , non si deve usar diligenza alcuna in scacicarli , no' riccorrer ad alcu uno buon pensiero , mà compiacersi di essere da ' quelli molestato . r. responso per non perdersi l'unione effettiva con dio , che nella formale contemplatione si trova , è atto di prudenza toglier via l'occasione , come è atto di scioperaggine il trattenersi con compiacenza , perche come dice s. tomaso d'aquino , qui vult causam , ex quanecessariò , vel regulariter sequitur affectus , vult virtualiter effectum , e lo spirito santo . qui amat periculum peribit in illo . dunque sentendo in noi la rebellione del senso nella contemplatione , ancorche fidati in noi stessi , dobbiamo usar ogni diligenza per superarla . dovemo però raccommandarci alla divinità , e chieder la sua gratia , per tranquillare i mali pensieri , diffondere le sue gioie nell ' anima , incalmare i sensi alterati , & ut sint aspera in vias planas . xvi . niun ' atto ò affetto nostro interno , benche formato per mezzo della fede , e puro , ne piace a' dio , perche nasce dall ' amor proprio , mentre non vi sia infuso dallo spirito santo , sensa nostra industria , e diligenza alcuna , onde quelli , che stanno nella contemplatione ò in oratione d'affetti , devono stare otiosi , ò aspettando l'influsso dello spirito santo . r. responso a dio solamente piacciono i' suoi doni , mà tutte quelle nostre operationi , che da ' noi si fanno con la sua santa gratia. quindi tanto pier , profetta sara ' la contemplatione , quanto meno sarà otiosa , purche il contemplatore non si lasci da ' qualche sensibile trasportare , preche perderia la contemplatione , e gli succederabbe come alla moglie di loth , che per mirar indietro perse il camino . e poi temerità aspettarè in otiosità l'influsso miracosa ' dallo spirito santo , perche a' quei , che sono nell ' oratione di quiete non si deve il camino passivo , mentre non hanno condegnità sopra i doni della spirito santo . bensi succede alle volte che lo spirito penetri l' anima di chi stà nell ' oratione d'affetti , mà per gratia particolare . aggiongo contro la prima propositione di questo 16. capo . li quietisti dicono nel 12. capo che la meditatione non hà merito appresso dio , perche non lo riguarda col lume della fede , dunque l'atto formato per mezzo della fede hà merito appresso dio , dunque è puro , e gli piace . xvii . quelli che stanno nell ' atto della contemplatione , ò dell ' oratione di quiete , ò siano persone religiose , ò figli di famiglia , ò altri , che vivono sotto l'altrui commando , non devono in quel tempo obedire & eseguire gli ordini della regola , ò de' superiori , per non interrompere la contemplatione . r. responso la contemplatione ancorche sia in noi di gran perfettione , perche non ci viene commandata da ' dio , interrompendosi non si pecca , mà essendoci commandata da ' dio l'obedienza a' genitori , & à superiori , si deve obedire a' questi , anco con ●lasciare l'attual contemplatione , perche in riguardo dell ' ordine divino l'obedienza è preferibile nella prattica , ancorche la contemplatione sia molto più considerabile nella sua perfettione objettiva . xviii . devono i contemplativi esser totalmente spogliati dell ' affetto di tutte le cose , che rigettino a' se , e dispreggino li doni , e favori di dio , e si disaffettionino dell ' istessa virtù , ò per maggiormente spogliarsi d'ogni cosa , e viver meglio a'●se medisimi , fare ancora quello , che ripugno alla modestia , & all' honestà , purche non sia espressamente contro liprecetti del decalogo . r. responso iddio favorisce i contemplativi con la communicatione de' suoi boni , non per essere questi disprezzati , mà per abbellirgli l'anima , e fortificargli l'habilità naturale all' esercitio della virtù . dvnque ancorche i contemplativi non se ne debbano insuperbire , devono sopramodo stimarli , ò servirsene con humiltà di spirito : e se dio vuole l'honestà come buona , sono in obligo anche i contemplativi esser honesti , perche iddio non hà fatto decreto , che privilegiasse i contemplativi à non esser sogetti alla raggione , su là quale si fonde la modestia , e l' honestà della vita . xix . li contemplativi sono sogetti alle violenze , per le quali restano privi dell ' uso del libero arbitrio , si che se anco bene gravissimamente peccano esteriormente , nondimeno interiormente non fanno peccato alcuno ; onde ne anco devono confessarsi di ció , che hanno fatto . ciò si prova con l'esempio di giob , il quale con tutto che non solo ingiuriasse il prossimo , mà anco bestemmiasse empiamente dio , in ogni modo non peccava , perche tutto questo faceva per violenza del demonio . e per dar giuditio di queste violenze , non serve la teologia scolastica , e morale , mà è necessario spirito sopranaturale , il quale in pocchissimi si trova , & in questi s'hà dà giudicare non l'interno dall ' esterno , mà l'esterno dall ' interno . r. responso che in questo cap. 19. non solamente latet anguis sub herha , mà apertamente si vede , che sotto nome di contemplativi spirituali , vogliono i quietisti essere debacanti sensuali . l'esempio , che adducono di giob ben dimostra che no' hanno intelligenza della scrittura . mai giob peccò esteriormente nè contro il prossimo , nè contro dio , quando parlò nel cap. 19. nel 6. vorso , come ben dimonstra , anco per mezzo del senso litterale pineda tom . 11. sopra giob c. 35. nè peccò contro il prossimo , come nell ' istesso può vedersi , sempre fondata su la dottrina de' ss , padri , che delle scritture , e insegnano il vero senso . e per dirla in poche parole con altre raggioni , la gratia con la quale iddio sempre ci assiste , unita con la nostra cooperatione può superare ogni assalto nemico . e christo lo disse à t●tti in persona di s. paolo : sufficit tibi gratia mea . dunque il contemplativo non e violentabile de venghi necessitato al peccato este●iori , &c. the principal errors . of those who practise , the prayer of quietness , censured and refuted . i. error . contemplation , or the prayer of inward quietness , consists in this , that a man puts ●imself in the presence of god , by forming an ●bscure act of faith , full of love , tho simple , and stops there , without going further : and without suffering any reasoning , the images of any things , or any object whatsoever to ●nter into his mind : and so remains fixed and ●nmoveable , in his act of faith : it being a ●ant in that reverence that is due to god , ●o redouble this simple act of his : which is a ●hing of so much merit , and of so great force , ●hat it comprehends within it self , and far ex●eeds the merit of all other vertues , joyned ●ogether : and it lasts the whole course of a mans life , if it is not discontinued by some other act , that is contrary to it ; therefore it is not necessary to repeat or redouble it . the censure and refutation . it is not an act of faith that puts us in the presence of god : for he is within us by a necessary effect of the immensity of his nature : therefore elias , micaiah , and the other prophets said , vivit deus in cujus conspecto sto . the lord lives in whose presence i stand : and it is upon the same reason that the divines have said after s. austin , in deo vivimus movemur & sumus ; in god we live , we move , and have our being : so that an act of faith , that presupposes that the agent is in being , supposes likewise that it is in the presence of god ; & is indeed nothing else but a resignation that the creature makes of it self to god. therefore contemplation , even during that first obscure act of faith , that i● simple and full of love , is carried on by the soul while she looks at god , and not at all while she continues in an unmoveable state . it is then an evident falsehood to say , that other good actions are not at all necessary : any good act being of its nature finite , may become alwayes better , by being often reiterated , and the multiplying the acts of vertue cannot be contrary to the reverence that is due to god , who being exempt from all passion , can never be troubled or wearied with importunities , as great men are apt to be , who as experience teaches , are often changed , disturbed , and become uneasy , when the same things are too often repeated to them . but with relation to god , when an act is in it self good , the repeating it is a progress in good ; which is approved of god , and becomes more meritorious in his sight . therefore the soul in contemplating , continues her acts , and does not stick obstinatly to one single act , contemplation being still an operation of the mind , tho other things are likewise necessary . ii. error . one cannot make one step towards perfection by meditation , that being to be obtained entirely by contemplation . refutation . a christian by meditating seriously on the passion of christ , and teflecting on that love that made a god suffer so much for mankind , may upon that resolve to love him again , and to obey all his commands : and he may by the grace of god which is ever present to us , put those good purposes in execution : so that the soul may well advance towards perfection by meditation : it may be also done without meditation : for every one that lives according to the laws of god , may work out his own salvation by the help of god. now since no man can be saved but he that is perfect , and a friend of god's , then this article is most certainly false . iii. error . all study and learning , even in sacred matters and in divinity , is a hindrance to contemplation : of which learned men are not able to make a true judgment , that being only to be expected from those that are given to meditation and contemplation . refutation . the study of divinity makes known to us the object of contemplation : which as the quietists say , is the divine essence : therfore it consists well with contemplation : and if the study of divinity were opposit to this , then the ignorance of it is necessary to make a man contemplative : and thus since s. austin and all the other holy doctors and lights of the church , were men learned in this study , they must be looked on as men that were incapable of rising up to contemplation : which is false : because god , who has appointed the priesthood as the highest degree of service done him , cannot be supposed to have intended that the priests should not be contemplative persons ; and it is plain , that god will have his priests to be knowing : since in the scriptures he threatens by hosea the prophet such as despised knowledg , and yet were in the priesthood . turepulisti scientiam & egorcpellam te ne sacerdotio fungaris . thou hast rejected knowledg , and therefore i have rejected thee from the priesthood . i pass over other arguments from scripture and reason , because i am ordered to be short : and as for what is said in this article , that the learned cannot iudge of contemplation , it shewes plainly , that the ignorance of those spiritualists carries them to this boldness , of not being willing to submit to that correction , which they might expect from that infallible mean of the judgment of the learned . iv. error . there is no contemplation that is perfect , but that which regards god himself ; the mysteries of the incarnation , and of the life and passion of our saviour , are not the objects of contemplation : on the contrary , they hinder it : so that contemplative persons must avoid them at a great distance , and think of them only with contempt . refutation . if contemplation is an affection that is raised in the understanding or the will by its proper object by the help of the grace of god , and that consists in an inward recollection of the mind , then the life of christ is a proper object for it , since a christian can present this to his thoughts , and raise upon it an act of faith and love . besides , christ came by a commission from his eternal father to plant paradise here on earth , according to that of the prophet isaias , posui verbum meum in ore tuo ut plantes coelos & fundes terram ; i have put my word in thy mouth that thou may plant the heavens and establish the earth ; or as the chaldee paraphrase hath it , ut plantes coelos in terra , that thou may plant the heavens in the earth ; as if he had said ( as s. ierome understood the words ) that thou may plant true joy in those minds , that were debased by original sin ; and how can it be imagined , that contemplative persons can rise above themselves in their contemplations to tast of divine joy's , if they must keep at such a distance from jesus christ , who is the immediat giver of them ; and despise him ? christ is so far from hindring of contemplation , that he came into the world to distribute all those perfections and spiritual joys to which the contemplative aspire . v. error . corporal penitences and austerities do not belong to contemplative persons : on the contrary , it is better to begin ones conversion by a state of contemplation , than by a state of purgation or of pennance ; and contemplative persons ought to avoid and despise all the effects of sensible devotion , such as tenderness of heart , tears , and spiritual consolations , all which are contrary to contemplation . refutation . mortifications dispose the spirit to rise above the motions of sense ; and therefore it is that all the saints have begun their course towards perfection with fasting and discipline . and therefore if these contemplatives design perfection , they must practice pennance : since nothing renders a man so fit for contemplation , as to rise above all the disorders of sense . god in the sciptures promises to forgive the mourning sinner ; but this is not promised to the contemplative in any place either of the old or new testament . therefore it is better to begin ones conversion with purgative exercises and pennances , than with contemplation . vi. error . true contemplation must keep it self fixed only to the essence of god , without reflecting either on his persons or his attributes . and an act of faith thus conceived , is more perfect and meritorious than that which considers god with the divine attributes , or with the persons of the trinity in it . refutation . the persons of the trinity , and the attributes of god , are the proper objects of faith and love , while we recollect all the powers of our souls , and resign our selves to god : for as these are divine truths , that are revealed to us , so the attributes of god are both good in themselves , and good to us , so that they are proper to raise in us a true contemplation . it is also false , that an act of faith , that has god for its object , without considering his attributes , or the persons of the trinity , is more perfect than that which regards god in conjunction with them . for if to believe that god is one , and that he is just , is a perfect and a meritorious act of faith , and to believe that god is true in his nature is also a perfect and meritorious act ; then the act by which god is believed to be true , just and three in one , is a more perfect and a more meritorious act , than that in which he was considered only as one in essence . because a man merits more by two acts of the same vertue than by a single one only : for god has communicated supernatural helps to us , not only for doing one act of vertue , but that we may make an advance in such acts. therefore one act of faith , that is equivalent to two others , is more meritorious and perfect than any one of these two . therefore we may justly conclude against the first branch of this article , that true and perfect contemplation raised to its highest pitch , must not only regard god in his essence , but likewise in his persons and attributes . vii . error . the soul becomes immediatly united to god in contemplation ; so that there is no need of phantasms , images , or any sort of representation . refutation . tho it is true , that the soul in some sort unites her self immediately to god in contemplation , that is , by a union of affections ; for the understanding beholds god simply , yet some ideas are necessary for exciting the natural force of the understanding , and to carry it to look at god : which idea is a sort of object that moves the understanding . viii . error . all contemplative persons suffer in the act of contemplation such grievous torments , they seem to surpass even the sufferings of the martyrs themselves . refutation . if contemplation consists ( as the quietists pretend it does ) in this , that the soul puts her self in the presence of god , by an act of faith , full of love , and after that continues idle : this is not the being formally tormented , or the enduring more than the martyrs suffered : and tho it is true in some sort , that pains and miseries come after contemplation , this flows either from the devil , to whom upon that occasion god gives leave to try those persons , or from some weakness in nature , that oppresses the body , from melancholy , or an abundance of blood , that raises headaches , or from some other unknown cause . but many others have appeared to be in the very act of contemplation , as it were environed with light , and have looked with a serene , and sometimes with a smiling countenance ; which lewis the xi . of france observed in francis a paula ; and they have been as it were overflown with joy , when the contemplation was over ; having been admitted in it , to see their bridegroom in that simple act , in which there passes as it were a marriage between god and the soul. ix . error . during the sacrifice of the mass , and on the festivals of the saints , it is better to apply ones self to an act of pure faith , and to contemplation , than to the mysteries of that sacrifice , or to consider the lives of those saints . refutation . he is much deceived , who thinks to arrive at contemplation without a due disposition of soul for it : and therefore the consideration of the mysteries of the mass , and of the examples that the saints have set us , is a spiritual preparation for it , tho it may be only a remote one : therefore a christian ought to set himself first to consider the mysteries of the mass , and the lives of the saints , and then apply himself to contemplation , having prepared his soul duly for it . x. error . the reading of spiritual books , sermons , vocal prayer , the invocation of saints , and all such things , are hindrances to contemplation , which is only attained by the prayer of quietness , to which it is not necessary to premise any preparation whatsoever . refutation . if in every profession , but chiefly in a true and unfainedly spiritual temper , that maxim holds good , nemo repente sit summas , no man attains to the height all of the sudden , which daily experience demonstrates , then it is but suteable to the feebleness of our nature , to which the divine grace accommodates it self , that in our journey towards that heighth of eternity , as facilioribus sit incipiendum , we must begin with those things that are easier ; therefore it is great ignorance or presumption to enter into the prayer of quietness before other exercises , and without due preparation . and he who begins his course thus , will end it without any fruit . xi . error . the sacrament of pennance before communion , is not for contemplative souls , that live in this inward state ; but only for those that are in the exteriour and meditative state . refutation . these contemplative persons have but one soul , which at some times meditates , and at other times contemplates : and that may come to be in a state of sin . therefore the sacrament of pennance is necessary even for those contemplative souls , before they go to communion . xii . error . meditation does not look at god with the light of faith , but only in a natural light , in spirit and in truth : and therefore it is not meritorious before god. refutation . if meditation were not in some sort at least in the way of congruity , meritorious before god ; it could not be so much practised in all religious orders , from whence there have come , and daily there does come , so many of the shining-lights of the holy roman church : nor would it have been set on so much by their holy patriarchs , nor rewarded by the popes with plenary indulgences , as a spiritual exercise suteable to the friends of god ; and to those who had abandoned the snares of this present world. but as one may know the existence of god by the light of nature , as well as by a supernatural faith , so likewise some meditations look at god , only with the light of nature ; and others are acts of a supernatural faith. xiii . error . not only inward and mental images , but those outward ones which are worshipped by the faithful , such as the images of christ and of his saints , are hurtfull to contemplative persons , and they ought to be avoided and removed , that so they may not hinder contemplation . refutation . all things are useful to the service of christ , that either is decreed , or that may be decreed by the holy mother church : in all whose consultations the holy ghost presides and directs them . therefore if the church appoints the adoration of images , none of the faithful ought to avoid them , or remove them as hurtful to contemplation , and some secret looks towards these images , is no way likely to make a man fall from the heighth of contemplation ; or the prayer of quietness ; from which if he falls at any time , it flows from his own great instability , since the reasonable soul is a nobler being , and the grace that it receives , is of a higher nature , than is supposed in this article . therefore a moderate regard to images will serve to confirm the soul in her inward recollection , if a contemplative man regulates this by the help of the grace of god. xiv . error . he that has once applyed himself to contemplation , must never return to meditation ; for this were to fall from a better state to a worse . refutation . it is true , that it is an ill thing to go from better to worse ; but it is oft times good for a man , that cannot attain to that which is better , to content himself with that which is good . it is also true , that while a man is in contemplation , he ought not to let that go that he may turn himself to meditation . yet tho contemplation is still the better state , when a christian is not actually in contemplation , it is not inconvenient for him to apply himself to meditation : because the soul ought to follow god with all due reverence , in all those ways in which he may lead her . xv. error . if foul and impure thoughts come into the mind while one is in contemplation , he ought to take no care to drive them away : nor to turn himself to any good thoughts , but to have a complacence in the trouble that he suffers from them . refutation . it is a piece of prudence in a man who being in contemplation , would not lose that union by which he is united to god , to avoid every thing that may occasion it ; as on the contrary , it is a strong piece of neglect to entertain that with complacence which must make one lose it , as st. thomas of aquin says , he that loves the cause from which any effect follows , either naturally , or at least commonly , does vertually love the effect it self : and the holy ghost says , he that loves danger , shall perish in it . therefore a man who being in contemplation , feels the rebellion of the sensible part , he ought to use all diligence to overcome in whatsoever a state he may be in . he ought therefore to recommend it to god , and to implore his grace to quie● all those evil thoughts : that so his joy being spread abroad in the soul , all the disorderly motions of sense may be calmed , & ut sine aspera in vias planas , that what is rough may be made smooth . xvi . error . no inward action or affection , tho formed by the vertue of faith , is pure or pleasing to god : because it rises out of self-love , unless it is unfused in us by the holy ghost , without any industry or diligence used by us : therefore they that are in the state of contemplation or of prayer , or inward affections , ought to continue in a state of suspence , waiting for the miraculous influence of the h. ghost . refutation . god is not only pleased with all his own gifts , that are in us , but with every thing that is done by us , with the help of his grace : therefore our contemplation will be so much the more perfect , the less inactive we our selves are : provided that the contemplative person does not suffer himself to be carried away by any sensible object ; for by that he would fall from that state , and become as lot's wife , who was stopt short , because she looked behind her . it is then a rashness to keep our selves in an unactive state , and in it to look for the miraculous influence of the h. 〈◊〉 ▪ for all that are in the prayer of quietness , must not expect to be led into this passive state , since they have not a condignity suteable to those gifts . tho sometimes the h. ghost does penetrate the souls of those who are in this prayer of inward affection , but this is the effect of a particular grace : i add against the first branch of this article that the quietists say in the 12th article , that meditation is of no merit in the sight of god , because it does not look at him with the light of faith ; from which i infer , that an act formed by the power of faith , is meritorious before god , and by consequence , it is pure and acceptable to him . xvii . error . those who have arrived at the state of contemplation , and the prayer of inward quietness , being religious persons , or being under the authority of parents , or any other superiours , are not bound to observe their rules , or to obey their superiours , while they are in contemplation , lest that interrupt it . refutation . altho contemplation is an act of high perfection , yet since it is not commanded by god , it may be interrupted without sin : and since obedience to parents and superiours , is commanded by god , 〈◊〉 ought to take place , and even contemplation ought to be discontinued in order to it . and therefore considering the order that god has setled , that obedience ought to be preferred to contemplation , tho the latter is as to its objective perfection much more valuable than the former . xviii . error . contemplative persons ought to divest themselves of all affections to all things : they ought to reject and despise all gods gifts and favours , and to strip themselves of all inclinations even for vertue it self ; and in order to this totall abnegation of all things , and that they may live better within themselves , they ought even to do that which is contrary to modesty and decency ; provided that it be not expresly contrary to some of the ten commandments . refutation . when god favours contemplative persons so far , as to communicate any of his blessings to them , these things ought not to be despised , but to be considered as favours that tend both to beautify the soul , and to fortify her in the exercise of vertue : so that tho contemplative persons ought not to be lifted up with them , yet they ought to value them highly , and to make use of them with all humility of spirit : and since god considers decency as a sort of goodness , contemplative persons ought to be decent in all things : for god has not by any special decree exempted them from the rules of reason , upon which all the modesty and decency of life is founded . xix . error . contemplative persons are subject to violent commotions , by which they lose the exercise of the freedom of their will. so that tho they may fall into most grievous sins , as to the exteriour act , yet they do not at all sin inwardly : and so they are not bound to confess that which they have done . all this is proved by the example of job , who tho he not only said things that were very injurious to his neighbour , but had blasphemed god most impiously , yet he did not sin in all this : because all was done by the violence of the devill . in order to the judging of these violences , neither the learning of the schoolmen or of the casuists , is of any use : but a supernatural spirit is necessary , which is to be found in very few persons : now these are the only competent iudges , who must not judge of the internal by the external ; but on the contrary , of the external by the internal . refutation . in this article the snake does not hide himself in the grass , but shews himself very visibly : since by this it is plain , that the quietists will be sensual libertines under the name of spiritual and contemplative persons . the example that they bring of iob shews clearly how little they understand the scripture . iob did not sin outwardly , neither against his neighbour nor against god in what he said , cap. 19. ver . 6. as pineda ( tom . 2. in iob 235 ) has evidently proved from the literal sense of the words : he did not sin against his neighbour , as appears by the expositions of the holy fathers , from whom we are to learn the true sense of the scriptures . and to end this matter in a few words , that grace with which god assists us at all times , is such , that we co-operating with it , may overcome all the temtations of our enemies . and christ has said to all in the person of s. paul , my grace is sufficient for thee : therefore a contemplative person cannot be pushed on by any violence or necessity whatsoever , to any external act of sin. it is not easie to judge whether these articles are faithfully drawn out , or truly represented : for it is probable , that malice has a large share in some of them , chiefly in this last , which leads to down-right libertinage ; tho others have rather suspected , that all tended to an elevated deism : yet it is certain , that if there is much poison in these articles , the antidote of the censure is so feeble , that it cannot have a strong operation ; and it shews how little the scripture and true divinity is understood at rome . postscript . in the former letter , i told you all that i could learn of this matter , during my stay at rome , but having left in iuly , i prevailed with one to give me an account of the conclusion of this affair , of which i send you a copy : for tho i know all the gazettes of europe will be full of the decision and end that is believed to be put to the business of quietism , yet you know too well , how little one ought to depend on such relations : all the news of this matter , will either be that which is writ by the direction of the inquisition , or by the strangers that are there , and pick up such things as they find among the romans , who are ever true to the old character that iuvenal gave of that city , sequitur fortunam , ut semper , & odit damnator . therefore i will give you an account of this business , on which you may depend , in the words of a letter writ me from rome . now this great affair , upon which men have so long lookt with so much expectation , is at an end : and a party that was believed to be a million strong , is now either quite extinguisht , or at least oppressed with a great deal of infamy : and mr. molinos , who has lived above twenty years in this city , in the highest reputation possible , is now as much hated as ever he was admired : he is not only considered as a condemned , and an abjured heretick , but he is said to have been convicted of much hypocrisy , and of a very iewd course of life ; which is so firmly believed by the romans , that he was treated by them on the day of his abjuration , with all possible indignities ; but the people as they shewed their affections to him , by their cries of fire , fire , so were ready to have sacrificed him to their rage , if he had not been well defended by the sbiri and guards that were about him . and it would be a crime enough at present , to recommend a man to the care of the inquisitors , if he should seem to doubt either of his heresy , or of the scandals of his life . all the party is extreamly sunk : cardinal petrucci himself lives in rome as if he were in a desert ; for no body goes to visit him , and he stirs as little abroad : nor is it thought that he will escape : there are four sent by the inquisition to his diocess of iessi to examin his behaviour there : there is also a discourse , that has lately appeared at rome , that was secretly printed , of which he is suspected to be the author , which is an apology for quietism , that gives great offence . it is said , that the inquisitors had full proofs against molinos , by fourteen witnesse ; of whom eight indeed came and offered their depositions of their own accord , and the other six were forced to declare the truth , which raises the credit of their testimony : since his abjuration , it is said that many of his followers have abjured in private , and that besides the prisoners that are in their hands , great numbers come in every day to accuse themselves , and to offer themselves to pennance , these are all very gently dismissed by the inquisitors , who are now as much censured by the romans for their excessive mildness , as ever they have been blamed by others for their rigour : and those secret abjurations are believed to be all the severity that they will practise on this occasion ; for it is said that even f. appiani the iesuite will be abjured in secret ; tho some say , he is madd , others that he is become deaf and dumb , and not a few believe that he is dead : so uncertain are all reports at present . in a word , the hatred of the present pontificate appears very visibly upon this occasion : the people affecting to shew a very extraordinary rage against a person , and a party , that has been so much favoured and supported by the pope : so that this matter comes clearly home to him , and wounds his reputation extreamly ; all this raises the credit of the iesuites , who value themselves upon the zeal and the conduct of their society upon this occasion . all the popes enemies , the iesuites , the french party , and the body of the people , that are malecontented and weary of him , and his long and dull reign , shew the pleasure they have in aggravating this matter against him : they say , this is the first time that ever any heresy made rome its seat , where it choosed to nestle it self ; but it is yet more strange , that it should have continued there above twenty years , notwithstanding all that multitude of spyes that the inquisition has every where ; that the pope should have shut his ears against all complaints , so that this doctrine had gained so great authority , that those who attackt it , passed for hereticks , or calumniators at least , and that even after all the discoveries that have been made , that the pope was known to favour molinos secretly , and was so hardly brought at last to consent to the condemnation , in which it is said , that nothing prevailed on him till the cardinal 's informed him of the scandals of molinos's life , that were proved : this was indeed a matter that could fall within the popes understanding ; for the points of doctrine are believed to be above it . all these things concur to increase the contempt under which the present pontisicate lies ; yet as for those scandals of molinos's life , i do not know what to believe : many will not believe them , and think they are only impostures given out to render him odious ; for if they had been true , and well proved , it is said , that the censure would have been severer ; for a perpetual imprisonment , and the saying his credo , and the fourth part of the rosary every day , are mild punishments , if he is found to have been so flagitious a man , and so vile a hypocrite , as is given out . his own behaviour at the minerva did not look , either like a man , that was much confounded with the discoveries that had been made , or that was very penitent for them , or for his heresy : so that the mildness of the censure , to a man that shewed to little humility or repentance , seems to flow rather from the defectiveness of the proofs , than from the gentleness of the tribunal . i confess , i was not a witness to what passed in the minerva ; for as i would not venture in the crowd , so both money and favour was necessary to accommodate a man well on that occasion , where not only a general curiosity brought a vast confluence of people together , to see the issue of a business that has been so long in suspence , but a particular devotion : for the pope had granted a general indulgence to all that should assist in that solemnity : but i will give you the account as i had it from eye-witnesses . molinos was well dressed , new trimm'd , in his priestly habit , with a cheerful countenance , that as was said by his enemies , had all the charmes on it , that were necessary to recommend him to the fair sex. he was brought from prison in an open coach , one dominican being with him in it . he was at first placed for some time in one of the corridori of the minerva : he looked about him very freely , and returned all the salutes that were made him : and all that he was heard say , was , that they saw a man that was defamed , but that was penitent ( infamato ma pentito . ) after that he was carried to dinner , where he was well treated , that being to be his last good dinner . after dinner , he was brought into the church , as in a triumph , carried on the shoulders of the sbiri in an open chair : when he was brought to his place , as he made his reverence very devoutly to the cardinals , so there was no shew of fear or of shame , in his whole deportment . he was chained , and a wax light was put in his hand , while two strong-lung'd fryers read his process aloud , and care had been taken to lay matters so , that as some of the articles were read , all should cry fire , fire . when he came back to prison , he entred into his little cell , with great tranquillity , calling it his cabinet , and took leave of his priest in these words , adieu father , we shall meet again at the day of iudgment , and then it will appear on which side the truth is , whether on my side , or on yours . so he was shut up for life . yet after all i find none of the wise men here think that the thing is at an end ; but that the fire which seems to be now extinguished , will break out with more violence ; for one of his followers had the boldness to tell the inquisitors to their face , that they were a company of unjust , cruel , and heretical men ; and compared their treatment with that which christ had met with , and yet even he has escaped upon an abjuration , as is pretended . the reasons that are given for this extraordinary gentleness of the inquisitors , who are seldom accused for erring on this side , are both the numbers of the party , who might be much irritated by publick examples , and also the great credit that their doctrine has from the mystical divinity , that is authorised by so many canonisations : for it is said , that from several parts the inquisitors have brought together above twenty thousand of molino's letters : whose correspondence was so vast , that some give out , that the post of the letters , that were brought him the day in which he was seised on , rise to twenty crowns . and i heard a divine of rome confess , that they have such authorities for most of their tenets , that they will never be beat out of them , by the force of their school divinity , therefore he thought it was necessary to condemn them by a formal sentence , in which the authority of the church was to be interposed . most of the condemned articles are nothing but an invidious aggravating of the doctrine of predestination and grace efficacious of it self , and of immediat inspiration : for all the hard consequences that are pretended to be drawn , either from the one or the other of these opinions , are all turned into so many articles , and condemned as so many impious doctrines ; but you will be better able to judge of this matter when you see all that the inquisitors will think sit to print concerning it . a second letter writ from rome , containing some particulars , relating to the inquisition ▪ sir ; my last to you , together with the advertisement which was sent me from rome , related wholly to the affairs of the quietists ; but because i know your curiosity will perhaps go further , and that you expect such observations from me , as you fancy me capable to make , in a countrey where i have now made so long a stay , that it is my own fault , if i have not been able to see a little further than common travellers do , therefore i will try what i can say that may please you . i am , as you know , no searcher into manuscripts , or the curiosities of libraries , nor can i bring my self to so dry a study as is that of medals , or inscriptions . i had rather be beholding to the labours of others , for the discoveries they have made in those matters , than wear out my eyes and spend my time in the reading and deciphering those remains of antiquity . i love all that knowledg , which , with how much difficulty soever it may be acquired , feeds the mind with some useful ideas : but as for that knowledg which carrys one no further , then that such a word , or such a hierogliphick signified such a thing , and that gives the mind no matter to work on , and raises no game at which it may fly , it has not charm enough to work on so lasy a man as i am . i confess , my studies , and my way of life would have carried me more naturally into matters of religion , or into the politicks : but as to the former , italy is not a country , where a man either can or dare reason upon these subjects : for their ignorance is such , that no man can profit much by their conversation on those heads : besides that , it is not safe to do it . the italians are too well bred , to attack a man on that argument ; and they know their own ignorance so well , and have so high an opinion of the learning of the hereticks , that they are sure never to provoke any of them : and he were a very bold and indiscreet man , that would begin the dispute with them : so after all , newes and politicks is all that remains , and you know i am idle enough both to think and to talk of these upon occasion : yet i must confess , that i find so many of my reflections in dr. burnets letters , that i have got sent me from leghorn , that if i had not seen these , i had very likely writ you a great many of those that are already set out by him , with so much advantage , that i find the best part of all my observations are already made by a better pen : but i , who have as great an aversion from copying , as he says he has ; will avoid the saying any one thing that i find in his letters : and will only speak of those places that he did not see , or of those matters which he had not time enough to enquire after , or to observe ; and since the former letter , contained such a long and serious recital of a matter , that if it fixed your attention , yet must have wearied it , i will now divert you a little , with some storys , that will be more agreeable ; and then i will return to more serious subjects . i will begin with some relating to the inquisition . i told you in my former letter , of a great many prisoners in the inquisition , but among all the prisoners that are there , none will surprise you so much as when i tell you that there is a cruxifix kept there , which is called , our saviour in the inquisition : when this was first told me , i durst not speak out that which naturally occurred to my thoughts , which was , that our saviour and the truth of his gospel , was indeed shut up with so much severity by the inquisitors , that it was no wonder if he were reckoned among the prisoners of that severe court. but this story is less serious , and more comical . you know that in all the bigotted towns , the people are sorted in several fraternities , and every one of these , has their peculiar churches , altars , images and relicks , to which they pay a more extraordinary devotion : so there was one in florence , among whose favourite images a crucifix hapned to be one : a woman ( that had a fair daughter ) fell sick : and as she had payed many devotions to that image , so she came to fancy , that in her sickness she had the returns of very extraordinary favours from it . the truth of the matter was , that one who had a mind to have frequent access to her daughter , made a shift to deceive the poor sick woman : for he appeared in such a disguise to her , that she believed it was the image that came to comfort her . and that which was the most acceptable part of the imposture was , that the impostor knew by her daughters means , every thing that she wanted , and took care to provide it for her , so that at every visit that he made her , he brought along with him , all the things that she needed : this was sensible ; so the credulous woman believed all this came from her beloved image : and she was now as gratefull as she had been before devout : she told all that came to see her ; how careful and bountiful that image was to her : and shewed them how well she was supplied by it . in short , this came to be generally believed : for when the least story of this kind gets vent , and is well received by the priests , the people run in so headlong to it , that it would pass for a crime capable enough of ruining one in the spirit of the inquisitors , to seem to doubt of it ; but much more if one studied to undeceive others : therefore things of this nature kindle the minds of a superstitious multitude so quick , that in a few days a whole town will seem as it was out of its wits : which appeared signally on this occasion at florence : for now the whole town entred into this fraternity . the great duke himself came into the number , and all were studying what new honours should be done to an image that had been so kind to one of its worshippers . but some that were wiser than the rest , saw thro the cheat , and informed p. innocent the 10th . of it , who was resolved to put a stop to the current of this superstition : yet he saw it was necessary to do it with some address : it fell out to be the year of iubily 1650. so the pope writ to florence , that he had heard of the miracles of that image , to which he desired earnestly to do his own devotions , therfore he intreated them to bring it to rome ; that so the image might have the addresses of all the pilgrims , as well as his own made to it . upon this the more bigotted of the fraternity , would needs accompany the charitable image : so they carried it in procession to rome : and did not doubt but that the pope and cardinalls with the clergy of rome would have come out in procession to meet them and their image : the surprise was no doubt very great , when instead of all this , they found a company of sbirri staying for them at the porta dell populo ; who took their image from them , and carried it away to the inquisition ; and sent them away not a little mortified at the disgrace , that had befallen their crucifix , who has been ever since a prisoner in the inquisition . i was told of another prisoner there of a later date , but not much unlike this . you know the legend of the plague that was in rome , as i remember in s. gregory the great 's time , that was stopt by an angel , that as was pretended came down , and stood over that castle , which was formerly called moles hadriani , but has carried the name of castro s. angelo ever since . the fryers of ara coeli had got a stone , upon which there was an impression like the print of a foot : so they had put this in some part of their church , and gave it out that this print was made by the foot of that angel ; tho one can hardly imagine how they fancied that an angel treads so hard . this stone had many devotions payed it . the learned sig r. pietro bellori , who is without dispute the best antiquary in rome , being once in that chappel at his devotions ; observed a great many praying about this stone , and kissing it with great respect and affection ; so he came to look upon it , and having examined it carefully , he saw clearly it was a fragment of a statue of the goddess isis ; the greek characters were legible , and many things concurred to make a man of his learning and exactness conclude , that the devotions were mis-applied that were payed it ; so he went to one of the fathers of the house , and acquainted him with his observation : and wished that they would remove that mistaken object of worship , lest some of the learned hereticks that passed thro rome , might discover and reproach the church with it . but the fathers of the house found their account in this matter , so they were so far from following his good advice , that they aspersed him that had given it , so as to accuse him of impiety for diverting the devotions of the people : the imputation was carried so far that he was brought before the inquisition to clear himself , which he did so fully , that he not only got safe out of their hands , but which was more , he convinced them that he was in the right : so the stone was removed , and keeps the crucifix company in the inquisition . but by these two storys , you will perhaps imagin that i design to beget in you a good opinion of that court ; but i will now tell you another , that will soon bring you back to your old thoughts of that tribunal . burrhi is a man so famous in the world , that one that has looked into natural philosophy and chimistry , could not be long in rome without making an acquaintance with him : but to tell you truth , i neither found him to be so great a chimist as he fancies himself to be , nor so great a heretick as the inquisitors have made him . i tell you this the more particularly , that you may upon it judge how far you are to believe the account that the inquisitors may give of their proceedings against molinos : since you may conclude from what was done to the one , what may be expected in all cases that are brought before them . burrhi's story is in short this ; he is a gentleman of the millanese , who was born to an estate of 8000. crowns a year : in his youth he had travelled , and had got into his head the notions of the now philosophy and of chimistry : so at his return to milan , he began to propogate the new philosophy , and to form a conference upon those matters : the priests it seems suspected , that there might be somewhat under this , so he was put in the inquisition , but nothing could be made out against him , he was let out : after that he went and stayd for some years in germany and holland ; and it is very probable that he might have expressed himself concerning the courts of inquisition , as a man that had no great opinion either of their justice , or of their mercy . and as he has gone into all the high pretensions of the chimists , so it is probable enough that he has talked of matters of religion in that mysterious unintelligible iargon , that is used almost by all the men that are of the highest elevation of chimistry , but chiefly by paracelsus and van helmont . in short , some accusations were given in to the inquisitors against him , who complained of him to the emperour , and had so much credit in his court that he strained his power to the utmost , and seised on him , and sent him to italy , where those good fathers were resolved not to give him a second occasion of boasting , that he had got safe out of their hands : strange things were objected to him ; and as is pretended , they were proved against him ; as that the b. virgin was god equal with the son ; and that the h. ghost was incarnate in her , as well as the eternal word was in her son : that the three persons in the trinity were the first , the second , and the third heavens : that the son was from all eternity discontented with the father , for not making him equal to him : that the consecrated hosty had in it the body of the mother as well as that of the son : and that the putting the pieces of it together in the chalice , demonstrated the vnion between the mother and the son. these opinions were all proved against him : tho he protests that he never thought of them , yet he was forced to abjure them in the year 1668. and was upon that condemned to perpetual imprisonment ; he continued in the prison of the inquisition , till within these five or six years , that the duke d'estrees being sick , procured an order for having burrhi to come and treat him ; and in gratitude to burrhi , who cured him , he got his prison changed to the castle st. angelo : where he now entertains himself with chimical processes . it is indeed very probable , that he had provoked the inquisition , by speaking severely and reproachfully of them , and this was all his crime , unless another article against him might be his estate ; for of his 8000. crowns a year , there is but 3000. left him ; for the good fathers have had the charity to take 5000. to themselves : and his 3000. is so eat up by them , thro whose hands it comes to him , that he has not 1500 : crowns a year payed him : and from this you may see what credit you ought to give to the processes , the articles , and the abjurations that are made before that court. if instead of that zeal which animates them against heresy , they would purge their own church of those disorders , which they themselves acknowledg to be corruptions , they would sooner bring themselves again into credit . the scandalous pictures that are in many churches of italy , are things that might deserve their care , if they would turn it to that hand . is it not a shameful thing , that there has not been a great master in painting who has not put that complement on his mistress , as to paint her for the virgin ? so that the most celebrated madonna 's of italy are known to have been the mistresses of the great painters . the postures , the looks , and the nakedness of many of the church-pieces , are monstrous indecent things . the great design of the cupulo at florence , is such a representation of vice , that all that can be presented by a defiled imagination , comes short of what is to be seen there : and tho the scripture speaks but of one apparition of the holy ghost in the shape of a dove ; one shall find this dove on the head , at the ear , and the mouth of i know not how many of their saints ; and as one finds in many pieces , that their masters have resolved to perpetuate their own amours in them , so amours are every day managed by the same methods : for while i was at rome , i discovered an intrigue between a fryer and a nun , by two pictures , that were drawn for them : the fryer was drawn as a s. anthony , and the nun as a s. katherine of siena : these they were to exchange , and so to feed their passion under this disguise of devotion . but to return to indecent pictures , there is nothing more scandalous , than the many various representations of the trinity , which must needs give to all iews and mahometans as well as to us , that pass for hereticks , a strange horror to a religion that suffers those odious resemblances , that give such gross ideas of the deity , and of the trinity : and that which is yet the most scandalous part of those pictures , is that the representation of god the father is often diversified according to the caprice of the painter ; and he is to be seen in the habits of the several orders of that church , and indeed both features , hair , habit , and postures , have all the diversity in them that is necessary to feed an idolatry , that is as extravagant as it is gross . the picture of the b. virgin , with the order of the capuchins under her petticoat , is not very apt to raise chast idea's in those who look upon it . in short , whereas the rule of the antient architecture of churches , was to below and dark , which was thought the most proper , for the recollection of a man's faculties , and by consequence for devotion , is now quite altered : and great cupulos with a vast illumination , are necessary to shew the beauty of those rich pieces , which would be lost in churches built as dark as the antient ones were . i confess , those pictures are charming things , if they were any where else than in churches : but the pleasure they give , does so possess a man that begins to understand them , that it will kindle any thoughts in him , sooner than devout ones . i will not here let my pen carry me into a subject that must needs set all my thoughts on fire ; and speak of the great pieces of painting that are in italy , and of the many masters that it produced in the last age : who as they were such extraordinary men , so they lived within the compass of one age ; as if the perfection in that amasing art had been to dye with them , as well as it was born with them ; this , i say , would make one think , that there are revolutions and aspects in the heavens that are favorable or cross to arts or sciences : and that then , the most favourable aspect for painting that ever was , produced those astonishing performances . for tho the great decay of learning that is every where , may be reasonably enough resolved in this , that whereas in the last age many great princes were either learned themselves , or at least they made it a maxim to protect and encourage learning ; but this having at last grown to an excess of rudeness and pedantry , and princes becoming generally extream ignorant , it came to pass for a piece of breeding , to say nothing that was beyond their pitch , or that seemed to reproach their ignorance : and those who could not hide their learning , were called pedants : and pedantry was represented so odious , that ignorance being the lasiest as well as the surest way to avoid this , all men took that very naturally ; and when other methods are as effectual to raise men to the highest preferments either of the barr or of the pulpit as true learning or reall merit , few will choose the long and tedious , and often the most uncertain way , when the end that they propose to themselves , may be certainly compassed by a more effectual and easier one . flattery and submissions are sooner learned and easier practised by men of low and mean souls , than much hard and dry study : thus , i say , the decay of learning is very easily accounted for , in the age in which we live : but as for the art of painting , it is still in such esteem , and great pieces go still at such vast rates , that if the genius and capacity for it were not lost , there is encouragment enough still to set it a going : but i leave this subject not without putting some constraint on my self ; for who can think of such wonderful men as correge , michael angelo , raphael , paulo veronese , iulio romano , carrache , palma , titian and tintoret , without feeling a concern at every time that he reflects on the wonders of their pencils : st. lukes pretended work , and even the supposed performances of angels , are sad things set near their pieces . one , whose thoughts are full of the wonders of that art , that are to be seen in florence , goes into the annunciata , and sees not without indignation , that adored picture of the virgin , which , as the fond people there believe , was finished by an angel , while the painter that was working at it , and that could not animate it as he desired , fell asleep , who as soon as he awaked , saw his piece finished . this fiction of the painters , to raise the credit of his picture , is so well believed at florence , that he presents made to enrich the altar and chappel , where it stands , are invaluable : & yet after all , the angel's work is still no better than the common painting of that time : and that angel-painter , was but a bungler if compared , to the great masters . in a word , what can be thought of humane nature , when in so refined a place as florence , so course an imposture has been able to draw to it , such an inestimable stock of wealth . all these things are so many digressions from my main subject , which was , to shew you how much matter the inquisitors might find , if they would use any exactness in redressing those abuses which they themselves will not defend in common conversation : and yet tho the smallest thing , that seems even at the greatest distance to go against their interest , is lookt after with a very watchful care ; yet the grossest of all impostures , that proves profitable to them , is much encouraged by them . the fable of loretto , is so black and so ridiculous a piece of imposture , that i never saw a man of sense , that cared to enter upon that subject . i was once in company where i took the liberty to propose two modest exceptions to it : the one was , that about 200 years after the rest of the angelical labour in carying about that cottage is pretended to have fallen out , vincent ferrrier , whom they believe a great saint , not only sayes nothing of its being then in italy , but sayes expresly , that it was then in nazareth , & that many miracles were wrought about it . antonin of florence ; who is also the most impudent writer of legends that ever was , say's not a word of it some ages after they say that it was at loretto . all the answer that i had to this was , that it was no article of faith , but whether it was true or false , the devotion of the people was still entertained by it : and this , they said , was as much meritorious , tho founded on a fable , as the giving of charity to one who is believed a fit object , but yet is indeed a cheat , is acceptable to god : and thus he who gives upon a good inward motive , will be rewarded according to the disposition of his mind , and not according to the truth or falsehood of the story , that wrought upon him . i durst not press this matter too far : otherwise i would have replied , that how excuseable soever the superstition of ignorant people may be , yet this does not at all justify the cheat that the church puts upon her so easily deluded children . the truth is , the romans themselves have not such stiff notions of all the points of controversy as we are apt to imagine : this makes me remember a conversation that past some years ago , between an abbot & one of our clergymen , that was then a governour to a person of quality , that in his travels stayed for some time at rome . the abbot seeing the governour was considered as a man of learning , desired to be informed of him , what were the points in difference between the two churches : so the governour told him , that we had our worship in a known tongue ; that we gave the cup in the sacrament ; that we had no images , and did not pray to saints : all this did not disturb the abbot , who said , that these were only different rites and ceremonies , which might be well enough born with : when the other added , that we did not believe transubstantiation nor purgatory , the abbot said , these were the subtilties of the school : so he was very gentle till the governour told him , that we did not acknowledge the pope ; then the abbot was all on fire , and could not comprehend , how men could be christians , that did not acknowledge christs vicar , and s. peter's successor : and it is very plain at rome at this day , that they consider the conversion of nations , only as it may bring in more profit into the datary court , and raise the value of the offices there ; for when i seemed amased in conversation with some of them , to see so little regard had to the ambassadour of england , and to every thing that he proposed ; they told me plainly , that perhaps the angels in heaven rejoiced at the conversion of a sinner upon the pure motives of perfect charity , but they at rome looked at other things . they saw no profit like to come from england ; no bulls were called for , and no compositions like to be made ; if those things should once appear , then an ambassadour from thence would be treated like the penitent prodigal , especially if he were a little less governed by the iesuites , who were believed to have managed our ambassadour a little too absolutely : and here it will be no unpleasant digression if i tell you the true reason that retarded the promotion of the cardinal d'esté so long . the pope himself saw what the vncle of this cardinal did at rome , in p. alexander the 7ths time , upon the business of the corsis , and the affront that was put on the duke of crequy , which made so much noise . that cardinal being then the protector of the french nation , offered first to the d. of crequy , to go with him , accompanied with 500 men , that he knew he could raise in rome , to the palace of dom mario chigi , and to fling him out at window : but the d. of crequy thinking that such a revenge went too far , the cardinal himself went accompanied with his 500 men to the palace , and expostulated the matter with the pope , and demanded reparation ; and when the pope put it by in some general answers , he prest him so hard , till the pope threatned to pull his cap from him , but he answered , that he would clap a head-piece on it , to defend it , and that he would never part with that , till he had pulled the tripple crown from his head : this was vigorous , and the cardinal had a mind to perpetuate the memory of it , for he made himself be drawn with a headpiece by him , his hand pointing towards it , which i saw at modena ; and it is plain by their way of speaking of this matter , that they were proud of it . the present pope being at that time a cardinal , saw this disorder , and so he was resolved never to raise one of that family to the purple : yet the earnest and repeated instances from england , overcame him at last . but now again i return to that from which i have digressed so often , which is the work that the inquisition might find in italy , even without departing from any of their received principles . that scandalous imposture of the blood of s. ianuary at naples , that seems to be firm & dry in the vial , and that dissolves and moves as it is brought near his head , which is so firmly believed by all the bigots there , must needs give an indignation to all that love truth , when they see such gross deceptions put upon the world. i will not take upon me to say how it is managed ; but nothing is more easy than the ordering of this matter may be . for if that vial be filled with tinctured liquor , the vial being put in ice and salt , will freese in an instant ; and it being again in the air , may return very quickly to its former state , so that there is no need of any great skill for the conducting this matter : and it is so much their interest , who have the keeping of this pretended blood , to keep the secret very religiously , that it is no wonder if it is not discovered . he indeed who either doubts of it , or would adventure to discover it , must resolve to go and live some were else than in naples , where this passes for the chief glory , as well as the greatest blessing of their city : and the people there are so extreamly credulous , & the priests are so very insolent , that this has appeared of late in such instances , that if the viceroy of naples , were not both a very extraordinary man , and most excessively esteemed and beloved there , he could not have stood his ground in the dispute which is now on foot , and of which tho all the gazettes make mention , yet i may perhaps tell you some particulars , that may be new to you , for i was in naples while this matter was in its greatest heat . the business of the ecclesiastical immunities , is carried so high here , that the general of the horse , who is by birth a flemming , had almost felt it to his cost ; there were two under him , that had quarrelled , but were made friends ; and one of these meeting the other some days after that , he embraced him with all the shewes of friendship , but having a stiletto in his hand , he managed it so fatally , that under all the appearences of tender embraces , he killed him out-right , and presently he took sanctuary in a church , that was hard by ; the general hearing of this , resolved he would make an example of the murderer : but not daring to drag him out of the church , he set a sentinel to the doors , reckoning that hunger would soon force him to come out : and tho the priests that belonged to the church , carried him in some provisions , yet that could not serve him long . but the general was forced to discharge the sentinels : for he was informed , that an excommunication was coming out against him , for distrurbing the devotions of those that went to the church : and he knew that if the excommunication should be once given out , no body would so much as talk with him or come near him after that : so he would not run that risque : and this assassinate had a fair occasion given him to make his escape : this was a good essay of the zeal for the immunity of places . another fell out about the same time near leghorn , in which the sacredness of exempted persons was asserted in a manner that was no less scandalous ; a priest was seised on , for a most horrid crime , either a rape or a murder , i do not remember which : but he who had no mind to be taken , defended himself ; and shot one of the sbiri , upon which the rest run away . so he apprehending that a stronger party would be sent , that would be too hard for him , went and retired into a wood , with his fusee ; and some being sent to find him out , he had shot six or seven of them ; yet after all the sacred character was like to save this execrable man ; for while i was at leghorn i was told that an excommunication was coming out , against all that should violate the ecclesiastical immunities in his person : and no doubt the great duke will give way to this : for he is so entirely delivered up to his priests , and is become so excessively scrupulous , that to deliver himself from those troubles of conscience , which many things , in the administration of the government are apt to give him , he has found out an easy receipt , which if all other princes can be brought to follow , it will be very happy for their ministers . he then considers , that the only sure way to be innocent in the conduct of affairs , is not to know them at all : but to devolve them entirely on his ministers , who do all , without so much as communicating matters to him . but the viceroy of naples is not so very tractable in those matters , as appears by the vigour with which he has supported the secular tribunal against the invasions of the ecclesiastical court. that which gave the rise to the dispute , was , a sute that was between a lay-man and a church-man , before one of the iudges of naples , who decided in favour of the layman ; upon which it was pretended , that this was a violation of the immunities of the church : so the iudge was excommunicated ; and upon it no body would willingly appear before him , or so much as speak to him , so terrible a thing is that thunder there : but the viceroy has shewed on this occasion , that firmness that has appeared in all his other actions : and has also received orders from spain authorising him to keep his ground . the iudge is not only maintained in what he has done , but continues still to sit on the bench , all people are forced to bring their causes before him ; & his sentences are executed with resolution . this contempt put on the ecclesiastical censures by a minister of spain , and at a time in which the pope is so much in their interests , is a little extraordinary . but the affront that the viceroy put on an auditor of the nuntio's , was yet much more provoking , for it was managed with a particular care to make the scorn very wounding as well as it was publick . the nuntio is believed to do ill offices in this matter ; and his auditor was known to be a man of liberties ; it was found out that he went often to a bordello ; the viceroy therefore gave order to watch him so carefully , that the sbiri should be sure to find him in such circumstances , as should make his shame very conspicuous : so he was taken , and carried before the next iudge : the thing was laid before hand , and the iudge refusing to medle in it , the sbiri ( a sort of men like our bailiffs ) carried him to another , and so made the round of all the iudges in naples ; and every one of them refusing to medle with the auditor , the sbiri let him go , when the matter was made sufficiently publick , by their carrying him about to so manny places . the nuntio complained of the violation of the rights of a publick minister , especially of so sacred a one . but the reparation that the viceroy made , was a redoubling of the affront : for he ordered the sbiri that had taken the auditor , to be carried about all naples with an inscription writ in capital letters , both on their breasts and on their backs , mentioning the crime for which they were thus led about , which was their having disturbed the nuntio's auditor in his pleasures . you will easily imagin that this was considered at rome as a most outrageous affront ; and indeed the pope has carried the matter of the regale in france so very far , that it is hard to tell to what a degree this breach in naples may be also carried : for tho the pope is most excessively ignorant in all those matters , yet he has another quality , that is the only thing that is great in him , and that would indeed become him very well , if he had a little more knowledg to govern it : and that is , that he is the wilfullest man alive ; and his temper is fearless enough to make him shut his eyes upon all danger . it cannot be denied , but it is the interest of the pope , as he is a temporal prince , to be of the side that is now the weakest ; and that needs his support the most : and therefore it is no wonder if he is so favourable to the crown of spain , and the house of austria : but after all , his carrying the business of the regale so far , against so great a king , and a king that has merited so much from that church , by his zeal against hereticks , is somewhat unaccountable : after all the havock , that has been made both by princes and popes of the true liberties of the church , and particularly after that shameful bargain that was made between them in the concordate , it has a very ill grace to see a pope make this the subject of so great and so long a dispute ; and that the factious clamours of a few ill-natured and angry priests , should have been so much considered , as to interrupt the good understanding of the courts of the vatican and versailles . all this flowed from the ill opinion that the pope had of the iesuites , which being known in france , the iansenists thought it was high time for them to recommend themselves to the court of rome , in hope of mortifying the iesuites : yet they could not with any decency carry the papal authority high , after they had with so much force both of reason and learning , depressed it as they had done : so they betook themselves to the first thing that offered it self , that they knew would be very acceptable in rome , which was the asserting the liberties of the church , and the disputing the kings imposing the rights of the regale ( that is , the mean profits of bishopricks , and the collating to benefices without cure , during the vacancy ) on the four southern provinces of france . i will not say more of a matter that is so well known , only i will tell you , what a doctor of the sorbon said to me upon this subject ; i found he did not believe the pope's authority more than i did my self ; and yet he was one of those that indirectly opposed the articles of the clergy , and the condemnation that was past on the bishop of strigonium's censure of those articles ; for his authority and learning gave a great turn to that matter : so when i seemed amased at this , that a man of his principles , had acted as he had done upon that occasion , he told me , he had no other consideration before him in that matter , but to mortify the clergy of france , and to maintain the dignity of the sorbon . it was not long since that in the dispute about iansenius's matter , they had made the pope not only infallible in matters of right , but of fact : and now because the pope was not in the interests of france , the dispute of infallibility , and of the councils of constance and basil , were again set on foot ; all which would be given up , and the pope would be considered infallible to morrow , if he were once more in the interests of france ; & the clergy , who had neither learning nor vertue , but made up all defects , by a slavish obsequiousness , would be then as forward to magnify the infallibility , as they are now to depress it . how far the pope will embroil himself in this new business of the franchises , i do not know : he has expressed a great steadiness in it ; and the truth is , rome is now so sunk from what it was , and the franchises are so considerable a part of the city , that their being covered from the execution , both of civil and criminal iustice , is a most horrible disorder : and it seems reasonable enough , that as in all other courts , there is nothing now under the ambassadours protection , but that which is within his gates , so the same regulation should be made in rome ; where the extent of those priviledged places is very great : yet afterall , if the french ambassadour , that is now on his way thither , has positive orders to maintain them , and has mony enough to list men , if the matter goes on to a more obstinate dispute ; it will be no hard matter for him to raise such a revolt in rome , that neither the popes guards , nor those in the castle of st. angelo , will be able to subdue it : and if this matter goes on so far , the french will very probably cut off all annates , and find a shorter way of granting of bulls within the kingdom . it is said , that while some have represented the apparent inconveniences of a rupture with france to the pope , and that he was in no condition to resist that mighty power : he answered , that he would suffer martyrdom in maintaining the rights of st. peter . it must be confessed , that there was something in this saying that was more magnanimous , than prudent . and indeed the popes way of treating with ambassadours , has somewhat in it that comes neerer the simplicity of the fishermen , the more modern politicks . his dry answer to our ambassadour , when he threatned him that he would leave rome , and go back to england , if he were not better used ; lei e badrone ; you are master of that as you please ; had an air in it that i should have been much pleased with , if it had fallen on any other than on the king's minister . his conduct of the revenue is an unaccountable thing ; for if there is not a vast treasure laid up , or a most prodigious deal of wealth secretly conveyed to his family , it is not to be imagined what has become of all that revenue that he has raised , in which the income is so vastly disproportioned to the expence , that the most prying men do not know what is become of it . the war with the turks has not cost him so much as is believed ; on the contrary , many think that he has got by it ; and that the taxes which he has laid on the clergy of italy amount to more than he has laid out upon it : it is certain , it has not cost him very much . he retrenched all expences to so great a degree , that even the publick charities were lessened : for in lent , there is a weekly charity of a iulio , or a six pence , to all the poor that come and ask it : and the poor commonly brought their children with them , so that they got as many iulio's as they brought children ; but the pope limited this , that no charity should be given to any under such an age , as i remember it was below ten year old . the administration of the revenue is indeed the only thing that he understands , and in which he imploys all his thoughts : and it was believed , that the true secret of the greatest number of the cardinals in the last promotion , was the advantages that he made by the sale of the offices which they held , and that fell to the pope upon their advancement ; out of which it was thought that he gained above a million : and upon this i will tell you , what i have learned concerning the aversion that two of the cardinals , taia and ricci , expressed to the purple in the promotion that was made five year ago ; this was magnified in several books , that were printed out of italy , as somewhat that seemed to approach to the best ages of the primitive times , when men refused to accept of so great a dignity , that brought them within a step of the supream elevation : but the truth of this matter was , they were both men of fourscore , and not like to live long ; as they both died within a year of their preferment : they had very good imployments , which they had bought , and which by their accepting the purple were to fall into the popes hands : besides that , the new dignity was not to be entred upon without a great expence : so all this being considered , the vertue of refusing so chargeable a dignity , in men that were more concerned for their families , than for that small remnant of life that was before them , was not so very extraordinary . but since i am upon the discourse of promoting of cardinals , i will tell you a remarkable instance of a promotion , that i do not remember to have met with in any book ; and the dignity of the person and of the family descended from him makes me think it worth the relating ; and the rather because i had it from no ordinary person , but from one of the exactest men in rome , and who has taken the greatest pains to be well informed in the modern history . i had seen several pictures of clara farnese , for there are more than one of them in the palestrina : so i knowing nothing concerning her , asked her story , which in short was this : that she was p. paul the 3d's sister , and the person to whom he owed his cardinals cap , and by consequence all that followed upon it , tho he rewarded her ill for it ; for he poysoned both her and his mother , that he might have all their wealth ; their father was a poor man , that went about selling saucidges and such sort of stuff . clara was married young , and was soon a widdow ; she was a lovely woman , but no extraordinary beauty : her brother was bred to letters , and was one of those poor churchmen , that was looking about on all hands where he might find a patron ; when of a sudden his sisters charms and her artifices together raised him to a height , to which he was far enough from pretending at that time . on a great occasion clara farnese was so near p. alexander the 6th , and was so much in his eye & in his thoughts , that he ordered one that was about him , to enquire who she was , and where she lived : instruments upon such occasions are never wanting to great persons : and notwithstanding the popes great age , yet his vices hung still so close to him , that he could have no quiet till clara farnese was brought him . she resolved to manage her self on this occasion , and to raise her price all that was possible , so a cardinals cap to her brother was both asked and granted : a promise of it was made at least , upon which she came and attended on the old leud pope : yet when the next promotion came to be in agitation , the proposition for abbot farnese was rejected by cesar borgia with scorn ; he had never been a slave to his word , and he had no mind that his father should observe it on this occasion . the way of a promotion is this , the pope setles the list of the cardinals , and writes down all their names in a paper with his own hand ; and in a consistory , when all other business is ended , he throws down the paper on the table , and say's to the cardinals , habetis fratres ; you have now some brethren . one of the secretaries upon that takes up the paper , and reads the names aloud ; and the sbiri are at the door , and as soon as one is named , they run for it , to see who shall be able to carry the first newes of it to the party concerned . upon this occasion , the pope after he had concerted the promotion with his son , writ down all the names . clara farnese was in great apprehensions for her brother , so she being to pass that night with the pope , rise when the old man was fast asleep , & searched his pocket , & found the paper , but her brothers name was not in it : then she set her self with great care to counterfeit the popes hand ; and writ her brothers name the first in the list : next morning she kept the pope as long in bed as was possible ; till word was brought him , that the consistory was set , and that the cardinals were all come : for she reckoned that the less time that the pope had for being drest , there was the less danger of his looking into his paper : so without ever opening it , he went into the consistory , and according to custom , he threw down the list on the table : but to the great surprise of him , and of all that were upon his secrets , the first name that was read , was that of abbot farnese ; and it seems the pope thought it better to let the matter pass , than to suffer the true secret of the business to break out . it is well that the doctrine of the intention , does not belong to the creation of cardinals , otherwise here was a nullity with a witness . thus begun that long course of p. paul the thirds greatness , who lived above 50 years after this , and laid the foundation of the family of parma , which he saw quite overthrown , his son being assassinated in his own time ; and both his grand-children having revolted against him , which , as was believed , precipitated his death , tho he was then fourscore . but now i return to the present pope ; for i have writ you a very loose sort of a letter , all made up of digressions . his aversion to the order of the iesuites is very visible ; for he takes all occasions to mortify them ; and every thing that is proposed to him , thrives the worse for their sakes , if he believes they are concerned in it ; which was given by all at rome , as the true reason of the cold usage that the english ambassadour found there . indeed the pope is not singular in the hard thoughts that he has of that order : i never saw an indifferent man in all italy , that was of another mind : they do generally look upon them as a covetous , fraudulent , intriguing , and turbulent sort of people ; who can never be at quiet , unless they reign : who are men of no morals , that will stick at nothing that may raise the wealth and power of their order : and at rome they do not stick to say , that all the concerns of the roman catholick religion must needs miscarry in england , because the iesuites are so much in credit there . and indeed the extravagantly vain letters that they write to rome out of england , are such contextures of legends , that ever since i saw them , i know what value i ought to put on their letters that come from the indies and other remote countreys ; for when they take so great a liberty when the falsehood is so easily found out , what must me think of the relations that come from places at such a distance , that they may lie with more assurance & less hazard of discovery . the letter that was writ in february last from liege to the iesuites at friburg , of which so many copies were given , that it got to the press at last , was a good instance of their vanity , and of the small regard that they have to a prince , that has as they give out , so much for them . their representing the king , as so concerned in the interests of their order , that he espoused them all as if they were his own , that he was now become a son of the society , and that he was received into a communication of the merits of the order , ( tho a share in their treasure upon earth were a much more considerable thing , than of their treasure that is invisible , ) their setting out the kings zeal for their religion , in such high terms , that they say he is resolved to die a martyr rather than not to succeed in his design of changing the religion , and converting the nation : and this at a time when the king was declaring himself so much for liberty of conscience : and their affirming that the king is become bigotted to so high a degree , as to refuse to suffer a priest to kneel down and do the duty of a subject in kissing his hand , and to tell him , that he himself ought rather to kneel down , and to kiss his hands : all these are such extravagant strains , that by the boldness of them it is evident , that they were writ by a iesuite , and my copy came to me from so good a hand , and so near the source , that how many falsehoods soever may be in that letter ▪ i can assure you , it is no imposture , but was really writ by those of liege . in a word , all the romans have so very ill an opinion of the iesuits , that as soon as any piece of newes comes from england , that is not favourable to their affairs , one finds all , from the highest to the lowest , agree in the same short reflection ; thus it must ever be , where the iesuites have such a share in the councils . a man long practised in the court of rome , told me , it was impossible it could be otherwise , for all the chief men of that order are kept teaching in their schools , till they are almost forty years of age ; and by that means pedantry , a disputatious and imperious humour , and a peevish littleness of soul , becomes natural to them , so that an eminent man here said to me , it was impossible that matters could go better than they did in england , as long as the morals and the politicks of the jesuites , and the vnderstandings and courage of the irish , were so much relied on . but besides all these general considerations , there are some things in the constitution of the order of the iesuites that give those at rome reason enough to be on their guard against them . there are two things peculiar to this order that make it very formidable ; the one is , that those who have made the fourth vow are capable of no preferment , unless it be to be cardinals , and then they are indeed capable of bishopricks . in most of the other orders , every man has his own private interest , and his particular views ; so that they are not always looking after the concerns of their order . but a iesuite can receive no honour but from his order , therefore he consecrates himself to it , and advances the interests of the society with all possible zeal , knowing that there is no other way left him to advance his own interests , but this . so that hope being one of the great springs of humane nature , a iesuite , who hopes for nothing but from his order , must be extreamly devoted to it . besides this , a iesuite fears nothing but from his order : they have not a cardinal protector , as the other orders have , to whom an appeal lies from the sentence of the general of the order : but the iesuites are a body more shut up within themselves ; for the sentence of the general is definitive , and can never be reviewed , no appeal lying from it : whensoever a pope comes that dares mortify them , he will open a way for appeals , for till that is done , the general of the iesuites is the most absolute and the most arbitrary soveraign that is in the world. all these things concur to unite almost all the several interests in rome against this society , which yet is strong enough to support it self against them all : they have the mission generally in their hands ; for the congregation de propaganda , payes a small pension of 20 crowns to all the secular priests that are on the mission , whereas the iesuites bear the expences of their own missionaries , to whom they allow an 100 crowns a year : & so those of the propaganda being willing to be eased of a charge , accept of the missionaries that the iesuites offer them : and they find their account in this . their missionaries are powerfully recommended , so they are quickly received into families , especially where there are yong children to be bred up , or estates to be managed : for in these two lies their strength : but they never forget their order , for which they are as so many factors every where : and they draw vast presents from all places to the house that returns them their appointments ; wheras the poor secular priest must make a shift to live out of the small allowance that he has from the congregation de propaganda fide , and out of what he can raise by his masses . therefore there is nothing that they desire so much , as to see protestant states that give a tolerance to popery , grow once so wise as to shut out all the regulars , and above all the iesuites ; and to admit none but secular priests : for the former , as they are so many agents , to return all the wealth that they can possibly draw together , to the house to which they belong , so they are united together in one body , under a most strict obedience to their general , which may be as great a prejudice to the peace and security of a countrey , as the other is to its wealth and abundance : on the other hand , the secular priests are generally good-natured men , who are only subject to their bishop , and that have no designs upon the government , nor the concerns of any house that is in forreign parts lying upon them : so that since those of that communion have the full exercise and all the consolation of their religion from secular priests , even those in rome it self wonder at the error of protestant states , who have not learned long ago to make this difference in the toleration that they allow : and one that has been almost 50 years in the most refined practices of the court of rome , said to me with a very sensible concern , how happy would we here reckon our selves , if we could have a toleration of our religion allowed in england , tho it were with an eternal exclusion of all regulars and iesuites ? and added , that if he saw good grounds for making it , he himself would go and carry the proposition to those of the propaganda . and now i am sure , i have rambled over a great variety of matter , and have made a shift to bring in to one place or other of this letter , a great many particulars , that i could have hardly brought out in an exactness of method , without a much greater compass of words , and a greater stifness of form : but i thought it was more natural , and by consequence , that it would be more acceptable to you , to make them follow one another , in an easy and unforced contexture . i have discoursed all these matters often over and over again since i came into italy : but i have read very little concerning them ; therefore there may be many things here , that i mention because they were new to me , that perhaps are no newes to those that are much more learned than my self . i have told you all that i could gather upon these subjects from the wisest and worthiest men that i found here : i have writ of all matters freely to you , because i am in a countrey where freedom of discourse , in matters of state especially , is practised in its utmost extent . i have yet matter for another long letter , in which the matters of religion will have no share ; for i will end all these in this : and therfore there is one piece of the superstition of lombardy , that affected me too sensibly , not to lead me to bestow a severe censure upon it . i went through that country in october and november , and was often in great distress , because it was not possible to find a glass of wine , that could be drunk , all being either dead or sour . at parma i waited on an eminent person , and lamented to him the misery of travallers , since no wine was to be found that could be drunk : he told me , the natives felt this much more sensibly than strangers did , with whom it was soon over , but they were condemned to suffer that every year ; and tho he himself had vineyards , that produced much more wine than he could consume , yet he could not be master of a good glass of wine , for a great many months of the year ; since all the people were possessed with this superstition , that it was indispensably necessary to mix it with water in the cask , that by this means it drunk dead or sour for so great a part of the year : and all that could be said could not beat this out of the heads of those that dressed their wine : but he added , that the priests , who confirmed the vulgar in this conceit , had found a device to excuse their own wine from this hard fate : for they said , it must needs be kept unmixed , since in the sacrament the wine must be pure , and is then only to be mixed with water ; and thus in all their cellars good wine is to be found , where there is not a drop any where else that can be drunk : one would think that this is to abuse the weakness and credulity of the people , a little too grosly , when they condemn all the laity to drink ill wine , whereas they themselves drink it pure , which is felt more sensibly by the laity , than the depriving them of the chalice , and the engrossing it to the priest in the sacrament . yet the excise that is laid on the wine in florence , has taught the inhabitants a point of wisdom , that those on the other side of the appenins are not capable of ; for the excise being raised upon all their wine , the people who have no mind to pay excise for water , keep their wine pure , so perhaps some such severity in the government in lombardy , may likewise reform them in this piece of absurd superstition , which i felt too sensibly with all the effects that naturally follow the drinking of sour liquor , not to insist upon it with some more than ordinary concern . but since i am upon the point , of the arts that the convents have to live easy , i will end this letter with an account of a house that was very extraordinary , which i saw in my way to italy thro bavaria ; etal , an abbey of benedictines , that by its foundation is bound only to maintain an abbot and 25 monks . it was founded by lewis duke of bavaria , that was emperour : the building is not answerable to the endowment , which is so vast , that they keep a stable of 150 horses , which is indeed one of the best in germany , the horses are of great value , and well kept : they hunt perpetually , and live in as great an abundance of all things as the duke of bavaria himself can do ; and yet these are religious men , that are dead to the world. i cannot forget to tell you a very beautifully diversified prospect that we had at burgo , a little town in the hills of trent , as we lookt out at window , we saw before us a lovely meadow in all the beauty and pride of the moneth of may : a little beyond that was a rising bank all covered over with trees in their full verdure : beyond that the ground rise higher , and the trees had not yet put out their leaves , and things lookt dead and dry , as after harvest : and beyond that there was a huge hill , all covered on the top with snow : so that here we saw in one prospect all the seasons of the year : upon which one of the company made this reflection , that if any painter should in one landskip ; mix all these things , that were then in our eye , he would be thought a man of an irregular fancy , whose designes did not agree with nature ; and yet we had them all then before us . i will make no excuses nor compliments : for those things do not mend matters , and therefore i send you my letter , such as it is , just as it has grown under my pen : and so adieu . postscript . i find i have forgot to mention one very extravagant piece of devotion , to which i was a witness at rome , on the 17 of ianuary , which is st. anthonys day , that was the great father of the monastick orders , whose life is pretended to be writ by s. athanase ; all horses and other beasts of burden are believed to be in an especial manner under his protection : and the monks of his order , have a house near st. maria maggiore ; thither all the horses , mulets and asses of rome , and all round the city , are brought that day to the door of the church , where some monks stand with a broom in holy water , and sprinkle it upon them all : many doggs and lambs , and other favorite animals , are also brought to share in this aspersion : which is believed to have a most special vertue : the force of this hallowing is believed to be such , that if any should fail to bring his horses thither , all the neighbourhood would look on those that have no portion in it , as accursed animals , upon whom some unlucky accident were hanging ; which is so firmly believed , that none would hire a horse or a mulet , that had not been so sprinkled . so that from the popes horses down to the poorest man in rome , all are brought thither ; but this is not all , the profitable part of this piece of folly is , that every one brings a present ; the richer sort send purses of money ; some give great wax lights , all stuck full of testons ( a piece of 20 pence ) the poorer bring either smaller pieces of money , or presents of wine , oyl , bread , or such things as they can afford : but in a word , no man comes empty ; so that this is the market-day of those monks , in which for some gallons of water and salt , they get more presents , than would serve to maintain them for seven years : they quickly convert all that is not necessary for them into money : and by this means they are vastly rich . when i saw all this , i could not but think that men must become first beasts themselves , before things of this kind could pass upon them : but since i have added this in a postscript , rather than give my self the trouble to make it come in pertinently into my letter i will add another particular that is writ me from rome the sixth of october 1687. i am told , that men are now more puzled in their thoughts with relation to the business of molinos than ever . it was visible that his abjuration was only a pretended thing ; for in effect he has abjured nothing : his party believe , that they are very numerous , not only in rome , italy , spain , and france , and in all these parts of the world , but that they have many followers even in america it self : one sees now in almost all the churches in rome some of them praying in corners , with their hands and eyes lifted up to heaven , and all in tears , and sighs ; which is no small trouble to those who thought they had quite routed them : but find they are not so much quasht as it was thought they would have been by the mock triumph that was made upon molinos . nor do they believe a word of those reports that are spread of his leudness : they say , there was no proof ever brought of it ; and that there are many thousands in rome , of both sexes , that conversed much with him , who have all possible reason to conclude , that all these stories that were given out concerning him , are impudent calumnies , set about only to blast him and his doctrine : and the truth is , this seems to be much confirmed by the bull that condemns his books , and his doctrine ; in which no mention is made of his ill life and hypocrisy , which had been very probably done if the matter had been well proved : since this would not only have satisfied people , with relation to him , but would have very much confirmed the accusations of those horrid opinions that are laid to his charge , which had appeared with much more evidence , if it had been found that his life had agreed with those tenets : for tho it had not been a just inference to conclude him guilty of those things , because they were charged on him in the bull , yet one may reckon it almost a sure inference , that he is not guilty of them , since the bull does not tax him for them . a third letter , concerning some of the states of italy ; and of their present interest and policy . sir ; i threw into my former letter , all those general reflections on the state of religion , and the maxims of the romans , concerning it , that i could gather together during my stay at rome . now i quit that subject , and shall at present entertain you with some political observations , which will be so much the more acceptable , because i fancy they will be new to you . but before i go so far as italy , i will give you an account of a very curious salt-work , that i saw in my way to italy , at sode near francfort . it belongs to mr. malapert , and has been wrought above 60 years ; but the present master of it , as he is a man of great worth , so he is very ingenious , and has much perfected that , which was managed at a much greater expence before he undertook it . there rises at the foot of some little hills , which produce a very good wine , a spring of water , that is so very little brackish to the tast , that one will hardly think it possible to fetch much salt out of it ; yet it has such a tast of salt , that there was room for industry to prepare this water , so that without such an expence in fire as should eat out the profit , it might turn to a good account ; which mr. malapert seems to have carried as far as is possible . the meadow that lies in the levil with this spring , is impregnate with salt , iron , nitre , and sulphur : but salt is that which prevails : first then , a pump is put upon this spring , which is managed by a watermil , and throws up the water about fifteen foot high ; and then it goes by a pipe into vast machines , that are made to receive it . there is a great piece of ground inclosed , in which there are 24 vast chests or cisterns for the water , in two stories , 12 in a story , the one just over the other ; they are about seventy foot long , twelve broad , and two deep ; over every one of these , there is a roof of boards , supported by wooden pillars , of 12 foot high ; which covers them from rain-water , but yet the water within them is in a full exposition to the sun ; those roofs are hung with straw , upon which some that manage the work , are often throwing up the water , so that a great deal of the phlegme is imbibed by the straw , and the more fixed parts fall down : according to the heat of the season , this evaporation of the watry parts , goes quicker or slower ; there is a gage , by which they weigh the water ; and so they know how the evaporation advances ; it is of silver , and is so made , that according to the weight of the water , it sinks in it to such a depth ; & so by the degrees markt upon it , they know how heavy the water is : according then to the heat of the season , and the progress of the evaporation , they let the water out of one cistern into another , by a pipe , and when it has past thro the 12 that are in the upper story , then it is conveyed down by pipes into the 12 that are below , and in them all they continue still to throw up the water upon the wit hs of straw , that are over head . in a word , this evaporation discharges the water of so much of its phlegin , that the same quantity of water , that weighed one ounce when it was drawn from the spring , weighs six ounces in this last chest : and all this rolling about of the water from chest to chest lasts sometimes not above twenty day's ; but if the season is only moderately hot , it will be longer a doing ; sometimes it will not be done in a month's time : after that the water is brought to a very considerable degree of saltness , it is conveyed into two great cauldrons , that are 13 foot long , ten broad , & 3½ deep ; under which there are vast furnaces , where in a most violent fire of 11 or 12 hours continuance , the water receives its last evaporation ; & when that is done , the salt which is become thick , but is still moist , is taken up in baskets of willows , and placed about the wall of the furnace : and so the humidity that remains in it drops out , and it is brought to its last degree of perfection : out of it , a tyth is payed ; of which the elector of ments has one half , and the city of francfort the other . this salt is exceeding good and pleasant to the tast . it is much solider and more like the portugal salt , than like our newcastle salt . it serveth very well all the uses of the kitchin , and table : but it has not strength enough to preserve things long . there are vast quantities made of it in hot and dry summers : for the chests are always kept full : and thus all franconia is furnished with salt of its own production at very moderate rates ; for there is so great a lessening of the expence of the fire by this conveyance of the water thro so many chests , that it is afforded very cheap . this i thought deserved well that i should interrupt the earnestness in which you be , to hear what i have to tell you concerning italy , so that i hope you will not be ill pleased with it , especially if your curiosity after the history of nature is as great as it was . i now go over in one step all the iourney that i made from hence to italy , which is certainly the highest scituated country in europe : for as the rhine and danube , that rise in the alpes , and run down to the ocean and the euxine , shewes you that all that tract of ground to those seas is a constant descent , so when one comes to the alpes , either on the french or on the german side , he is a great many days in climbing up those vast mountains , but the descent on the italian side is very inconsiderable . this appears yet more sensible when one comes from turin , where the ascent up mount senice is but a work of a few hours : and yet from the height of that hill , one is in a constant descent till he comes to lions . i will not carry you about italy , to tell you the remarkable things that are there ; but will only tell you some particulars that made the greatest impression on my self , and which were not seen by dr. burnet . in my way from parma to mantua , i past at guastale , which is half way between them , 18 miles distant from both ; where i saw a scene that surprised me . this town is situated on the southside of the po , at half a miles distance from it : it was a considerable branch of the territory of mantua , that was given off to one of the cadets of that family , and was setled in an intail to the heir male . the best part of the revenue of this small principality , was a duty that was payed for all merchandises that went or came upon the po , which when the trade of italy was in a more flourishing condition than it is at present , was farmed for above threescore thousand crowns . the situation of this place makes it yet much more considerable than it is in it self ; for as it lies in the neighbourhood of the principalities of parma and modena , and is not far from the popes territory , so if this place is master of the po , by crossing it , the detachments that may be sent out from it are not only in the territory of mantua , but they may be also in a very few hours both in the milanese and in the venetian dominion ; so that guastale in some respect may be esteemed the center of all the states of lombardy . the duke of mantua married the daughter of the last duke of guastalé , who died in the year 1680. and his nephew don vespasiano gonzaga , who was then in the spanish service , was acknowledged to be his undoubted heir : so he came & took peaceable possession of his dutchy : he was extreamly much beloved by his subjects , and thought himself at quiet in the enjoyment of his new dignity : but all this was soon overturned ; for one came to him from the court of france , to let him know , that that great king could not be wanting to his ally the duke of mantua , to whom guastale belonged of right , his dutchess being the daughter and heir of the late duke , and that therefore since he had usurped the just right of another , the french king warned him , that if he did not withdraw of his own accord , he would give order to put the d. of mantua in possession . it was to no purpose to argue against all this , and to shew the messenger that guastale was a fee intailed on the heir male , of which there had never been the least dispute : but reasons taken from the equity of the thing , are seldom thought strong enough to hold the ballance against reasons of state : so the poor prince being in no condition to resist so powerful an enemy , was forced to abandon his right , and to withdraw , and he was again entertained by the spaniards . for tho there was a sort of a fortification cast about guastale 50 or 60 year ago , yet as that was at best an inconsiderable defence , so even that was now quite ruined . upon his retiring there came a detachement of 300 men from cassale , who took possession of guastale , and continue there to this day : but this had been no great matter , if it had not gone further : some years passed after the new duke was driven away before the true design of this matter appeared . the world was first to be laid to sleep . the town it self is composed of about six or seven thousand inhabitants ; and so the small garrison in it seemed of no great consequence , and was rather an advantage than a prejudice to the town ; they were kept in very good order , and they payed punctually for every thing that they called for : only they brought the place into the method of a garrison ; for all must come in and go out of the town only at one gate . but in the beginning of the year 1686. the mystery of this matter begun to appear : for mr. du plessis , a french engineer , came thither , under the pretence of repairing the old fortifications , and designed a noble and a regular fortification : it is to be a hexagone , with all necessary out-works ; and there is a great splanade that is to be made round the place , and all the houses or trees that are within a considerable distance are to be beat down . in a word , the design is great , and will be executed in all the exactness of the modern fortification ; so that the advantage of the situation , will make it the most important place of italy , and that which will bridle all lombardy , and be able to put it all under contribution upon every occasion . the works were begun in april 1686. and ever since they have kept 400 men constantly at work , upon the pay of a iulio a day : another year will go near to finish it . and yet tho here the justest ground possible , is given to alarm all italy , none seems to be so much as concerned at it . the venetians , that have at all other times , valued themselves upon their prospect of danger , even at the greatest distance , either do not see this , or dare not own their fear . it is true , all this is carried on in the name of the d. of mantua : but it is as certain , that tho it lies so near him , he has never been at the pains to go and see it : it has never been so much as once considered by his council ; nor is his revenue in such a condition as to bear such an encrease of expence : and yet it passes among the people there , that this is a great strength , that is to be made to keep the french out of italy ; and some priests that are corrupted to serve the french interests promote this fiction . if the venetians look on till this is finished , they will do very well to assure themselves of their new conquests in the morea , for their antient ones in the terra firma of italy will probably fail them very quickly . all those of the territory , who know well that their princes name is only made use of , for the fortifying this place , look on with great regret , while they see a work advancing so fast , that is to be a citadel upon all their countrey : of which an ancient person of quality , that is there spoke to me with so much feeling , that he could hardly forbear weeping , when he shewed me that yoke of slavery under which they were falling . i saw , during my stay in mantua , how much all the sensible people there , are concerned to see their prince deliver himself up so blindly to the french interests : they told me , that since his childhood he has been so beset with the instruments and agents of that court , that his inclinations for them are become as another nature in him : he was not out of childhood , when almost all his domesticks , and his masters , both for languages and armes , were furnished him from thence . his putting cassale in the hands of that monarch , was one good evidence , and now the business of guastale is another , to shew that they have gained such an ascendant over his spirit , and have insinuated themselves so much into him , in all those fatal hours of liberty which he allows himself , that it is not thought he will stick at any thing that they demand of him , unless it be at his own going into france ; to which he has been much solicited : but it is not so much as doubted , that if he goes once into that countrey , he will never come out of it again . so he is not like to be wrought on so far ; and if it were not for some such apprehension , it is like enough that he might undertake the journey ; for he does not love staying in his principality so well , but takes pleasure to ramble about ; and he devests himself often of the ceremonies of his greatness , that so he may take a freer career in those exercises , that he loves better than his affairs : and a prince , whose revenue is none of the greatest , and whose expence is often irregular , who has an active envoy always near him , and who is ever ready to furnish him with money , falls naturally into a great dependence on that court. of this a very extraordinary instance appeared not long ago , in the disgrace of the marquisses of cannosse and palliotti : the first of these is his kinsman , and has served him now for many years , with as much fidelity as affection ; the second was captain of his guards , and governour of the castle of mantua which commands the town . these then had the courage as well as the fidelity , to lay before him the ruin that he was like to bring upon himself as well as upon all italy , by delivering himself up so intirely to the french councils , and by putting them first in possession of guastale , and now suffering then to fortify it , which was in effect the delivering up of his principality , and of all his people to them ; who looked upon themselves as brought already under a forreign yoke : they also represented to him the danger of having almost no other domesticks but frenchmen about him , who were all as so many spies upon him , and upon all that were near him , and that were very exact in giving the french envoy mr. baumbeau an account of every thing that he either said or did . these demonstrances made some impressions on the duke , and he promised to them to find out an effectuall remedy to all those evils : but this was not a secret very long ; money and spies find out every thing ; and it is possible that they who gave the duke these faithfull advices might have been engaged to it , either by some instruments of the court of spain , or of the republick of venice : yet the truth of this is not known , but the french envoy made a shift to charge them so heavily , that he got them both to be made close prisoners ; in this condition they were when i was at mantua , and no body durst so much as mention their names , much less interpose for them . all the princes of italy , are as absolute in their own dominions , and as much delivered from all the bonds of law , as some greater kings are , so their subjects are at their mercy , both for their lives , liberties , and estates : and this is that from which one may take a sure measure of the weakness of italy . subjects that retain still all the due liberties of humane nature , and that are not under an arbitrary but a legall government ; fight for themselves , as well as for their prince ; but if they are already as miserable as they can be , so that a change may perhaps put them in a better condition , but can hardly put them in a worse , they will not much concern themselves in their princes quarrel , since they only fight for the continuance , if not for the encrease of their slavery . but now to return to the duke of mantua ; the french envoy has since that time stuck closer to him than ever ; he indeed waits always on him , sometimes acting like an officer of his houshold , and at other times like the governour of his person : he made the tour of italy with him this year , and waited on him to millan , genoa , florence , rome , naples and venice , where they passed the carnavall together : and he took a most particular care that the duke should meet with none in all those places , that might open his eyes , to let him see the ruin that he is bringing upon himself ; yet after all , one of his secretaries , had still the integrity and courage to give him such faithful councels , as had been fatal to others : yet the duke used him better than he had done the two marquisses : for tho the french spies discovered him likewise , yet , nothing could be done to hurt him in the dukes good opinion , therefore it was resolved to take another method to tear so dangerous a man from him ; so he being sent to negotiate some business at the court of turin , was often invited to go a hunting , which he resisted for a great while , tho the french ambassadour pressed him much to it ; at last he was overcome , but his sport was fatal to him ; for he was seised on , and carried by a small party sent from pignarol as is believed . in short , he is in the hands of the french , and it is said in italy , that he is clapt up in st. margarite one of the little islands in the mediterranean sea . this matter was at first highly resented by the duke , but a little time will shew whether the earesses of the court of france can soften him in this matter or not ; for if they can lay him asleep after such an attempt , then all persons will conclude that he is so much in their power , that none will dare to run the hazard of undeceiving him any more . those in the mountferrat feel what a neighbour cassal is to them ; that imperious way of proceeding , without having any great regard to justice , or to contracts and aggreements , that is practised in france , begins to be felt here likewise : of which many smaller instances were given me , but i will tell you two that were more remarkable ; when the garrison was first setled in cassal , those of the mountferrat held the price of their corn so high , that it was hard to furnish the garrison with bread : so some of piedmont undertook to supply them for two years at 21 livers the ration , and the bargain being made ▪ they bought in great stores , and so they quickly filled their granaries : upon this some in the mountferrat came and offered to serve the garrison at 14 livers the ration , upon which the other bargain tho made as sure as any such contract can possibly be made , was broke , and the undertakers were ruined by it . the other story was , that in order to the building the fortifications , some masons made a bargain at 32 livers such a measure , so they brought together a great number of workmen , and were at work ; when others came and offer'd to perform the work at 28 livers , for which the others had 32 livers , only they demanded a considerable advance ; so the first bargain was presently broken , to the great loss of the undertakers : but the 2d undertakers , that had money advanced them , found they had made a bargain that was too hard for them to execute , so they ran away with the money , to the great joy of the countrey . he that told me this , said , that perhaps it surprised the italians , who were not yet acquainted with such things ; but nothing of that kind would seem extraordinary in france , which was so much accustomed to such a way of proceeding that he gave me a particular account of so many , that he had reason to know well , as would fill a book : but that which touched him most sensibly , was the fonds that was made for an east-india company , to which the king gave in three millions , with this positive assurance , that all the losses and dammage of the company should fall on that stock . this was a great encouragment to draw in men , to put money into the stock , and the court set on the project with so much zeal , that letters were writ to all the great bodies and towns of france , that were considered rather as commands than desires : yet after all were engaged , upon the first occasion the kings three millions were taken out of the stock , and the rest were left to shift for themselves . but i must here give you an account of a very extraordinary transaction in the court of turin , which is likewise thought an effect of the authority that the councils of france have likewise there . the marquis de pianesse the son of him that set on the massacre of the protestants in the valleys of piedmont 34 years ago , was in great favour with the late duke of savoy , but the war of genoa miscarried so in his hands in the year 1672 that the duke could never forgive him that matter ; of which the resentments were so quick when he died , that he left a charge on madame royale , never to forgive him , nor to imploy him : he upon his disgrace retired into france and was so well entertained there , that he had interest enough to procure a recommendation from the king to the dutchess of savoy in his favour ; but her excuse was so reasonable , being founded on the orders she had received from the duke on his death bed , that there was no reply to be made to it : yet afterwards a nephew of his , the count massin , was so happy in the dutchesses favour , that he found he only wanted a head as able as his vncles was to support him in that credit , which her favour gave him : and he was so much in the good graces of mad. royale , that he at last prevailed with her to bring his vncle into the chief ministry ; he being certainly one of the ablest men that belongs to that court ; and the pretence found to bring this about decently , was , that the dutchesse did secretly intimate to the court of france , that she found it necessary to imploy the marq. de pianesse , and therfore she desired that the king would renew his recommendation of him , which being done , he was received into the ministry , and had the chief stroke in all affairs : he placed another of his nephews about the duke , and supported him so that he got very far into his favour , so mr. de pianesse observing great disorders in the government , and a great and useless consumption of the revenue , he instructed his nephew that was about the duke so well , that he entertained the young duke often upon these heads , who was not then 15 year old : he shewed him how his countrey was ruined by his mothers ill conduct , and was always suggesting to him the necessity of his assuming the government , and putting an end to his mothers regency , which is a discourse to which all persons of that age have such a natural inclination , that it was no wonder if both vncle and nephew came to believe that the duke hearkned to the proposition : but the duke thought it too hardy a thing to venture on it , without consulting it with some wiser heads ; upon which mr. de pianesses nephew told him , that he would bring his vncle to him , who would conduct the matter for him ; for tho he had great obligations to madam royale , yet his fidelity to his prince , and his affection to his countrey overcame them all . this was a great surprise to the duke , who looked on mr. de pianesse as the person in the world , that was the most obliged to his mother , and that was the most in her interests : and it was believed that the prejudice which this gave him , blasted this whole design : yet he gave him several audiences in secret , and had concerted with him the whole method , both of assuming and managing the government : which was carried on so secretly , that there was no suspition of the matter , till the day before it was to break out , and that the duke was to withdraw himself from his mother : but then it was discovered , and the duke to reconcile himself to his mother , sacrificed the marq. de pianesse to her resentments : he was not only disgraced , and put in prison , but his processe was made before the court of parliament of chambery , for having endeavoured to throw the government into a confusion , by sowing of division between the duke and his mother : yet he defended himself so well that he was acquitted , but he continues still a prisoner : upon his disgrace , there was none that durst oppose himself to mad. royale , or offer any advices to the duke , so that the court of turin was as absolutely governed by the directions that were sent from the court of france , as if the one had been the vassal , if not the subject to the other . i will not prosecute this discourse to tell you that which all europe knows , of the designed match with the infanta of portugal , by which savoy and piedmont would have undoubtely fallen into the hands of the french. the breaking of this , and the dukes being poysoned , as well as his father had been , tho his youth carried him thro it , are things too well known , for you to be ignorant of them . it is true , those who poysoned the present duke , have not been yet discovered and punished , as those were who poysoned his father . while i was at turin , there was a discourse , that the duke was reflecting on the wise advices that mr. de pianesse had given him , and that he intended not only to bring him out of prison , but to receive him again into the ministry , which is confirmed to me since i left those parts . there is nothing more visible , than that the dukes of savoy have sunk extreamly in this age , from the figure which they made in the last ; and how much soever they may have raised their titular dignity , in having the title of royal highness given them , they have lost as much in the figure , that they made in the affairs of europe : and it is now almost too late to think of a remedy : for pignerol and cassal are two very inconvenient neighbours . the truth is , the vanity of this title , and the expenceful humour that their late marriages with france has spread among them , have undone them , for instead of keeping good troops and strong places , all the revenue goes to the keeping up of the magnificence of the court ; which is indeed very splendid . i will not ingage in a relation of this last affair of the valleys of piedmont ; for i could not find particulars enough , to give you that so distinctly as you may perhaps desire it . it was all over , long before i came to turin ? but this i found , that all the court there , were ashamed of the matter : aud they took pains upon strangers , not without some affectation , to convince them that the duke was very hardly drawn to it : that he was long pressed to it , by the repeated instances from the court of france ; that he excused it , representing to the court of france the constant fidelity of those people ever since the last edict of pacification , and their great industry , so that they were the profitablest subjects that the duke had , and that the body of men which they had given his father in the last war with genoa , had done great service ; for it saved the whole army : but all these excuses were without effect ; for the court of france having broken its own faith , that had been given to hereticks , and in that shewed , how true a respect it pays to the council of constance , had a mind to engage other princes to follow this new pattern of fidelity that it set the world : so the duke was not only pressed to extirpate the hereticks of those valeys ; but this threatning was added , that if he would not do it , the king would send his own troops to extirpate heresy ; for he would not only not suffer it in his own kingdom , but would even drive it out of his neighbourhood . he who told me all this , knowing of what countrey i was , added , that perhaps he would within a little while send the like messages to some others of his neighbours . but to return to the expence that is made in the court of turin , i cannot forget a discourse that i had on this subject with a german , that was a man of very good sense : he told me , that nothing ruined the empire so much , as the great magnificence which all the princes affected to keep up in their courts ; and the luxury in which they begun to live , which had much corrupted the antient simplicity and gallantry of that great and warlike nation . not only the nobility , but their very princes travel into france ; and are so much taken with the splendor & luxury that they see there , that they return home quite spoiled with the ill impressions that this makes on them . they carry home with them french-cooks , and all the contrivances of pleasure that are so much studied there , for the vitiating the minds of their countreymen : and by a vast expence , they not only exhaust their revenue , and ruin their subjects , but they become so liable to corruption , that if their income at home cannot support their charge , both their princes and their ministers are reduced , as it were to the necessity of taking pensions , from those whose instruments have set on this luxury , and whose pensions will still support it , till the germans are sufficiently enervated by the feebleness into which all that luxury must needs throw them , and then they will despise and trample upon them , as much as they do now court them . he who told me all this , added , that the little princes of the empire , affected now as much splendor in their courts as the electors did in the last age , and that the electors lived now in as much magnificence as crowned heads did formerly . but he carried his observation further , and having staied some considerable time both in switzerland and holland , he added , that luxury and expence were wicked things even in monarchys , but they were fatal and destructive when they got into common-wealths ; of which the history of lacedemon , athens , and above all of rome , give proofs that are beyond exception ; for there is a humility , a sobriety , and a frugality , that is so necessary for their preservation ; that kingdomes can be better-maintained without troops and strong places , than common-wealths without these . an emulation in expence , a vanity in clothes , furniture , or entertainments , are so contrary to all the principles upon which a common-wealth must be either built or preserved , that he said , he thought that the dutch had lost more of their real strength , by the progress that this pest makes among them , than by all the expence of the last war , of which they complain so much : and indeed the men of luxury and vanity ought to be driven out of common-wealths , as publick enemies to the constitution of the government : since an irregular profusion throws them into injustice and oppression , and may in time expose them to the corruption of other princes , and dissolves that industry and application for affairs by which only they can subsist : for all the maximes that relate to a common-wealth , there is none more indispensable , than that all men regulate their expence , so that it may not exceed their income : and therefore he admired that part of the venetian constitution , that regulates the expence of their nobility ; and concluded , that if the states and the cantons did not put an effectual stop to the progress of those disorders among them , the figure that they had made in all the affairs of europe , as it was in a great degree already eclipsed among the cantons , so would sink apace even in the states ; and this was all that was wanting , to set up a new monarchy in the west . but i have got such a trick of making digressions , that i find it is hardly possible for me to hold long close to a point : there is something in travelling , i fancy , that makes a mans thoughts reel ; and that leads his pen to wander about as much as his person does : yet i remember still what drew me into all this ramble ; it was the business of guastale , and the court of mantua that led me so far about . i will say no more to you of the rest of lombardy ; nor will i enter into any description of tuscany ; but shall only tell you one thing , which both touched me much and pleased me extreamly . i need not inlarge to you on the poverty & misery that appears in pisa , where there remains yet enough to shew what they once were , and how much they are now sunk from what they were while they were a free state : but all this is much more sensible , when one goes from hence to lucca , which tho it has not the advantage of situation that pisa has , yet is quite another sort of a place . the town is well built , full of people , and as full of wealth : the whole soil of this small state is well cultivated and is full of villages , all the marks and effects of liberty appear , in an universal civility , & a generous and frank way of living : this is also the place of all italy that is freest of all crimes and publick vices ; they value themselves upon nothing but their liberty , of which the state is so jealous , that the frequent change of their magistrates , from two moneths to two moneths , & the restraint in which they are kept while they bear office , they being indeed honorable prisoners all the while , have preserved that here , which so ▪ many of their neighbouring states have lost : and as liberty is engraven in capital letters , upon the publick buildings of this state , so it appears to be much deeper in all their hearts . one sees the effects of their wealth , in all their publick works , as well as in the fortifications of this place , which are much better , and better kept than in any place i saw in italy , except genoa . there is on the inward side of the ramparts , a noble plantation , which is one of the beautifullest decorations that belongs to this place ; for as there is a considerable space left void between the ramparts and the buildings , so this is planted all about the whole town , with several rows of trees , which afford pleasant walks , and a lovely shade , which is no small matter , where they are exposed to so hot a sun. i come in the last place to give you an account of genoa , which tho it is not able now to compete as it did some ages ago with the republick of venice , yet is still a great body and full of wealth ; one that comes out of the popes patrimony and tuscany , into this narrow border that lies between the hills and the sea , should expect to find as great a difference between their abounding in people and wealth , as there is between the soil of these two countries : but he finds the change just contrary to what in reason he ought to expect : for all this edge of soil , is so full of villages and towns , and there is so great a plenty of money and of every thing else here , that it amases a traveller no less , than the abandoned state of those other places . the numbers of the subjects of this republick , are estimated to 330000 persons ; which are thus reckoned up ; in the town of genoa it self there are about 80000. persons : in the villages and towns that lie westward there are 120000. and 30000. in those that lie to the east : and the inhabitants of the island of corsica are reckoned to be 100000. they keep two small forts in corsica , one at calvi on that end that looks to genoa , and another at boniface on the other end that looks to sardinia ; for they have let s. fiorenza and some other small places go to ruin . these two are considerable in themselves , and command two very good harbours ; yet as the building in calvi are too much exposed and too high , so boniface is under a high ground , that is within musket shut of it , and that commands it : these places are now in a sad condition , ill kept , and ill furnished both with men and animunition , so that they could not make a great resistance , there being but 150 men in calvi , and 200 in boniface ; and it is believed , that the reason of their letting s. fiorenza go to ruin , is , the greatness of the place , and the expence of keeping it . the corses are extreamly brave , and have a rage in their courage , that would be much more valueable and usefull than it is if they were more governable , and could be brought under an exact discipline : but they are unruly , and as apt to mutiny , when they see no enemy , as to fight well when it comes to that . the compass of the fortification of genoa is an amasing thing ; for it runs all along the hills in a compass of many miles , i was told it was above 15 mile , & in the expence that has been laid out on this and on the two moles , chiefly the new one , one sees that this state spares nothing which publick safety or the convenience of trade do require : these publick works has run the republick into a vast debt ; for they owe above nine millions of crowns that are upon the bank , besides several other debts , in particular their great debt to st. georges house ; the greatest part of the revenue of this state stands engaged for the interest that they pay , so that tho the whole revenue amounts to 1200000 crowns , they reckon that 900000 crowns of this is engaged , so that they have only three hundred thousand crowns clear for their whole expence , which is so small a matter , that it is no wonder if they are in a low condition , and can do little upon so narrow a fond : their revenue rises chiefly out of an excise that falls so equally upon all the subjects of this state , that they reckon that every man in genoa , payes six crowns a year to the state. the whole land forces of this state were but 3500 men , yet of late they have raised them up to 4000 men ; of which 2500 are the garrison of the city , and there are 600 in savona , which after the city it self is the most important place that belongs to this state : the extent of the whole countrey , that goes by the name of the river of genoa , is 180 miles , of which 120 lie westward , and 60 lie eastward ; the mountains that are almost impassible are thought a sufficient defence to cover them from their neighbours in lombardy , and from the duke of savoy , and the state of millan . it is true , they have one fort called gavi , that is 25 miles distant from the town , which has all the advantages of sitution that are possible for keeping the passes thro the mountains : but as they keep only a garrison of 120 men in it , so all things in it are so neglected , that it could make no considerable resistance to an enemy that could attack in vigorously . in short , the strength of this state is very inconsiderable , their souldiers are ill disciplined , their officers want experience , and they have no good engineers ; the new mole is indeed a vast work , built out into the sea seven fathom deep , and there are an hundred pieces of cannon on it to defend the old mole ; their naval forces consist in six galleys , and and two men of war ; but these are not kept as ships of war , but are imployed rather as merchant-men , so that they not only bear their own expence , but bring in an overplus to the state. finale , which is the only seaport that belongs to the state of millan , is a poor abandoned village without either fortification or garrison , nor do the spanish galleys come there any more ; but make genoa it self their step , and passage between spain and millan : so that an attempt upon genoa was indeed the taking of all the milanese , since the communication between spain and it , being now thro genoa , whensoever this republick falls into the hands of the french , all the millanese must fall of it self , or rather indeed all italy , must needs fall with it . this is as far as i could understand it the outward force of genoa : for it can expect little from its allies , it having none at all beside spain : and the slowness and feebleness of that court , are too visible to give any state great courage that has no other support besides this to depend on : as for their neighbours in italy , they have no sort of commerce with them ; for they pretend to a degree of precedence , equal to the venetians : and to have the respect of a crowned head pay'd to them , and this cuts off all communication with the other courts of italy , who consider venice in another manner than they do genoa . as for spain , they have all possible engagements with it : many of the richest families of genoa have great estates in the milanese , and the other dominions of the king of spain ; so that they must upon their own account be true to the interests of that crown , and spain is as much concerned in their preservation as in any of its own provinces , since it defends their empire in italy ; so that genoa and spain are now inseparably united to one another , by their mutual interests . but i come next to give you some account of the inward state of genoa . it is known , that the liberty was restored to them , by the most earnest intercession of that great captain , and gallant countrey-man , andreas doria , whose statue , in remembrance of this , is set up in an open place in their town : this was in the year 1528. yet tho from that time they had their government in their own hands , they were still obliged to let a squadron of the spanish gallys , stand in their arsenal , who kept then a fleet of about 80. gallys , so that till spain was so much sunk from its former greatness , that it was no more a terrour to any of its neighbours , genoa was still in great dread of having their liberty swallowed up by them , and therefore they do not reckon their entire liberty but from the year 1624. or 1625. that they saw themselves out of all danger from any of their neighbours : france was not then begun to grow strong at sea , and spain was strong no where ; so that since that time , till france began to put out great fleets , and that they had such a dreadful neighbour of touloun , they were safe and at quiet : but they fell under the common disease of all common-wealths , when they are long in peace , and while their commerce flourishes ; a spirit of insolence and of faction began to spread it self over the whole town , which was grown to such a height , that in the project that was offered to the court of france , shewing the easiness of this conquest ( of which i have seen the copy ) the divisions and factions amongst them are proposed , as the chief ground upon which they founded the probability of the ruin of that common-wealth . there are three sorts of persons in genoa , the nobility , the citizens , and the inferior people . there are two ranks of nobility , the one is of the more antient families , the other is of those who have been chosen and raised up to that dignity of late . it is true , the aggreement that was made in the year 1576. between them , is exactly observed , by which the government and the publick imployments are to be equally divided between them : but yet there is so great a height of pride kept up among the ancient families , that they will not inter-marry with the other , and think it a diminution to them , to enter into any familiarity with them , and even to keep them company : this on the other hand kindles an indignation in those latter families , when they see themselves so much despised by the other . the ancient families have a necessary dependence upon the crown of spain , by the great estates that they have in their dominions ; but the others , whole estates lie rather in money , which either is in the bank , or that runs out in exchange or trade , they are concerned in nothing but in the preservation of their bank , and by consequence in their liberty ; for none can doubt but that if they fell in the power of another prince , the debts on the bank would be but ill payd . thus the nobility stand divided into two factions , which discover their animosities to one another upon very many occasions : for publick imployments are sought after here , with as much intrigue as elsewhere . i will give you only one instance of this , because it is both very refined , and it related to that doge , whose government was so unhappy both by the bombarding of genoa , and by his own going to versailles to ask pardon . he himself was a man of a quiet temper , that did not aspire ; but his wife could not be satisfied till he was doge , and she dogesse : so she set so many machines at work , that after the several tours , that the matter made in the many ballottings , it came to the fixing of the last three out of whom the doge was to be chosen : and her husband was one of them ; but there being one of the three , of whom she was very apprehensive , she engaged one of her friends , to seem so assured of his election , as to lay considerable wagers with several of the electors , who were likeliest to favour him , that he should be chosen : now they having a greater mind to win their betts , than to promote their friend , gave their votes in favour of him , that was upon that made doge . the 2d body in genoa is that of the citizens , who seem to be extreamly weary of the insolence of the nobility ; and there are many among them , that think themselves no way inferiour to them , neither in the antiquity , nor in the dignity of their families . they do also complain of a great injustice done them by the nobility ; for in the agreement made between the nobility and the citizens , in the year 1528. one article was , that every year ten citizens should be according to their merit received into their body . it is certain , that if this had been observed , the nobility of genoa had become by this time so common , that this would have sunk its dignity extreamly : but instead of doing this yearly , it is now done but once in 30 years : so the citizens complane much , that this encouragment and recompence of merit is now withdrawn . the nobility pretend on the other hand , that by that agreement , they are only enabled to make an annuall promotion , but that they are not obliged to it : and i was told , that the originall record of that agreement , could not be found now ; and no doubt it has been destroyed by the order of the senate . in short , the citizens have so great an aversion to the government , that it was generally thought that they would easily be prevailed on to shake it oft , and to throw themselves rather into the armes of another prince , who would certainly have very soon trampled upon them all equally ; for it is too common a thing , to see in all those intestine factions , that angry and ill-natured men , consider the last injury , more that all other things : and are ready to sacrifice all to their resentments : and are so intent upon their revenges , that often they will not look into the consequences of what they do , but go on , which way soever the anger of the faction drives them : and those who are wise enough , to make their own advantage of those quarrels , and that are dextrous enough to manage them artificially , make commonly those parties take their turns in using one another ill , in which they know how to find their account : and as this observation holds often in colder climates , so in a countrey where revenges are very much studied and gratified , no wonder if this was much relied on . the third rank is of the trades men and rabble , who have their chief , dependance upon the great nobility : but they are a vicious and dissolute sort of people , as any are in the world . and indeed all genoa is so extreamly corrupt , so ignorant , and so brutal , and so little acquainted with the true notions of government , that here is a common-wealth degenerated to such a degree , that it cannot resist a considerable shock . the subjects are excessively rich , tho the state is poor : and this appears both in the magnificence of their buildings , which is beyond imagination , and in the great wealth that is in their churches and convents , which seemed to me to be beyond what is in venice it self . a sensible man that i knew there told me , that as there was among them a sort of impunity to all kind of vice , so their gross ignorance made them incapable to conduct their state ; for while their wealth blew them up , with that pride that it commonly produces in mean souls , and when their intrigues brought them into a considerable share of the government , they satisfied themselves with carrying on the interests of their own cabal , and depressing those that opposed them , without opening their minds to so great a thought , as that of correcting or securing their common wealth . they neither had heads nor hearts capable of a vigorous defence : and they knew nothing of what was doing abroad ; but contented themselves with minding the interest of their city factions . he added , that when a common-wealth fell once into this disease , it was in a much worse state , than any to which the rigour even of an unhappy war , could reduce it : as a man whose vitals are inwardly corrupted , is in a much worse condition , than he that has received many wounds ; nature may bring him thro the one , tho he had lost ever so much blood ; whereas it must sink under the other : so all the mischief that could befall a common-wealth could hardly destroy it , if it retain'd the inward vigour of its first maximes and constitution : and he did not stick to say , that as high as the states of holland were now in holding the ballance of europe , if their towns fell once into established factions , if learning sunk among them , so that their magistrates grew ignorant , chiefly of the affairs of europe , if they came to have a magistracy , that had not the right understanding of war , and the courage with which some practice in military matters inspire men , and if their wealth swelled them up to an unreasonable pride , and that men rise more upon the little intrigues of city factions , than upon true merit ; whensoever , he said , the states fell into this disease , then the strength of that republick was gone ; and tho they might subsist after that longer or shorter , according to the conjuncture of affairs , yet one might reckon them to be in their decline , which must end in a most certain ruin to them , either within doors , or from abroad . i have now told you enough to let you see how reasonable a project it was to send a fleet against so feeble a body ; which without most prodigious errors in the management , could not have miscarried : and this is so clear , and so confessed by every man in genoa , that one rather wonders how they found a way to conduct it so ill . the man that formed the whole project was stiven valdyron of nismes , and a protestant , who is a person of a very good understanding , and having lived above 12 years in genoa , had time enough not only to raise a very good estate out of his trade , but to see into the whole feebleness of that government . i conversed long and much with him : and having since that time been in genoa it self , i have seen so clearly the truth of all that he told me , that i may now assure you of all that i learnt from him . he had a strange affection to his great monarch , and fancied that the obligations of raising his glory , was superiour to all other : and no doubt he reckoned to find his own account in it , if he could have been the occasion of making the king of france master of genoa : therefore he drew up the whole project , and shewed both of what importance the thing was ; and how easily it might be executed : for i have a copy of the whole scheme , which mr. st. olon sent to the court of france , of which mr. valdyron was indeed the author ; the design being entertained , st. olon had an intimation given him , to withdraw some day 's before the french fleet came before the town . but valdyron was left to try his hard fate ; for as soon as the fleet began to do acts of hostility , valdyron , who had been known to be much with st. olon , was clapt in prison , and while he was in it , a bomb broke thro his prison , but did him to hurt , only the violent noise it made weakned the tympan of his ear so much , that he lost his hearing of one side . but he , as well as all genoa , fancied they were lost , and that the french must be certainly masters of the place in a few hours . the consternation and confusion was so great , that if at first a great shower of bombs had been thrown into the town , and a descent had been made , they had certainly succeeded ; for the people were in such a disorder , that the magistrates were not regarded ; and indeed many of them shewed as much fear as the rabble did . but the french , instead of beginning vigorously at first , threw in one bomb , and after some hours another ; and so went on slowly for a day or two ; in which time , the people began to get into order , and to take heart : and now their first fear , turned to a rage against the french ; so that when they made a descent , they found such a resistance , that they were forced to go back to their ships , having left behind them 500 of their best men : and the fleet continued bombarding the town , till they had shot all their bombs ; and when their store was spent , they sail'd away , having laid a great many noble buildings in ruines . the morality of this way of proceeding , was somewhat hard to be found out : the italians do not stick to say , it was an assassinat , when without warning or proceeding in the way of a fair war , a fleet came and surprised and burnt a town : but the conduct was as extraordinary , as the action it self was honorable and worthy of a most christian king . it was pleasant to hear a spaniard , that belonged to the count of melgar talk of this matter : he said , that in this , france had acted as it had done on many other occasions , in which tho it had the favourablest conjuncture possible , it had done nothing suteable to what might have been expected ; for tho they had here a calm sea , for four dayes , which is a very extraordinary thing in the bay of genoa , that is almost alwayes in a storm , and tho they had surprised the town , that had not the least apprehension of such a design , and found them in a condition not likely to have resisted a much smaller force ; yet he said , that feebleness which had appeared upon many other occasions , shewed it self likewise here , since this great expedition failed , and the reproach of first attempting it , and then miscarrying in it , was studied to be carried off by this , that the design was only to chastise genoa , at which there is not a man in the town that does not laugh . he upon this took a great compass for these last twenty years backwards , to shew that there was nothing extraordinary in all this reign , that had been the subject of so many panegyricks , unless this may be reckoned extraordinary , that there has been so little progress made , when they had the fairest opportunities possible : an infant king of spain , and a feeble council , and a distraction in the states of holland ; so that the first successes that were the effects of the weakness and surprise of those that were attackt , are rather a reproach than a glory to a reign , that has understood so ill how to serve it self of those advantages , that had nothing of the greatness of a conquering genius in it ; and where the ministry shewed rather an exactness in executing little projects , than a largeness of soul in laying vast ones . i could not but be pleased to see a spaniard , find somewhat that entertained his pride in the contempt of the french , at the same time that the low estate of their affairs , made him feel the depression of their own empire as much as the progress of the great monarch of france . but now i cannot but tell you the rest of valdyron's story : as soon as the french were gone , the government of genoa began to examin him , but he stood to his denial , and said , he knew nothing : all his effects were seised on and dissipated , and he himself was four or five times put to the strapado , which was done by tying his hands behind his back , and fetching them over his head , which disjoynted his armes and shoulder-blades , in a most terrible manner , yet he had the firmness to stand it out : and so they could draw nothing from him : but as soon as the court of france understood , that both he , and several other frenchmen , that lived in genoa , were put in prison , the resident of genoa was clapt up at paris : and when the overtures were made to accommodate this matter , valdyron was no more ill used , and after some months he was set at liberty : but his estate was quite lost : yet he came to france , not doubting but that so great a service , and such severe suffering , would have procured him some considerable reward : but after he had languished there above a year , he got a pension , that was just enough to keep him alive , of two hundred crowns : and even that was stopt , as soon it was known that he was of the religion , till he changed . this piece of gratitude for such a service , that had cost him so dear , was no extraordinary encouragement for others to venture as he had done . yet i who knew him well , for almost two years , could not but admire the wonderful zeal he had for the glory of his king ; for in the midst of all his misery , and of all the neglect he met with , having fallen from so flourishing a condition , he could never be brought to think that he had done foolishly : but was rather proud of it , that he had formed so sure a scheme , for putting genoa into his masters hands : & this he said often to me , when he was so poor , that he did not know where to dine . the affinity of the matter , makes me call to mind a conversation that i had at rome , with two of the old magistrates of messina ; who had been men that bore a great stroak in that town , during the revolt : and were then reduced to the misery of accepting a charity . they told us , that all the oaths , that mr. de vivonne , and mr. la fueillade , swore to them in the kings name , as well as in their own , never to abandon them , which were made upon the sacrament , besides whole valleys of oaths , that mr. la fueillade made them from morning to night , while he was among them , it seems went for nothing , but matters of form : yet they said , they thought the french ministry would have considered the kings interests , if they had no regard to his honour . they added , that if the king of france , when he found the war of messina lay heavy upon him , had sent to spain , and offered to that court , as a pledge of the peace that he was offering them at nimmegen , to put messina again in to their hands , provided they would grant an indemnity for what was past , and a confirmation of their antient priviledges , of which he himself would be the garand , this they said the spaniards would have without doubt , accepted as something come to them from heaven : and if the matter had ended thus , as it would have been highly honourable for the king , so it would have given him the dependance both of sicily and naples , and have kept them still in a disposition to throw themselves into his hands : whereas in the way that their business ended , if there should be in any time hereafter , a provocation given in those parts to revolt , they would sooner throw themselves into the armes of the turk , if he should be again in a condition to protect them , than of those who had abandoned them in so strange a manner , taking no care neither of the priviledges of the town in general , nor of those particular persons , who had rendred themselves unpardonable to the spaniards . it is true , some were brought away to france , the two that i have mentioned were of that number , and had small pensions assigned them , which were but ill payed : and because some of them had not patience enough to bear such an unlooked for usage , but complained freely of it , a pretence was taken from thence , to banish them all out of france ; so that ever since they have suffered a great deal of misery . i will not digress so far as to give you an account of that whole revolt , which they justified to us , from the great priviledges of their town , which were indeed such as made it a sort of a common-wealth : that had a right to defend it self against those manifest infractions with which they charged the spaniards . they told us , that the confiscations of messina had amounted to twenty millions : and yet for all that the king of spain was not much the richer by their ruin ; for the vice-roy and government of sicily , pretended to exhaust all by a citadel that they are building : and by some other publick works . in conclusion , the two poor messinesses , seeing a dutchman in our company , turned the discourse to him , and wished him to warn his countreymen , by their fate , how much some courts ought to be relied on . and now i have done with all the political observations , that i could make in italy . but as i begun this letter with one piece of natural history , i will end it with another . the first was a way of preparing of salt , and the second is a new way of preparing of vitriol , which was lately set up in the sulfatara , near puzzolo . it has not been long enough a going , to enable one to judge how it will succeed ; but yet all things are very promising ; and that which gives a good prospect of it , is , that all is done without the expence of any fire . the method of it is this . there are several cistorns made in that great bottom of the sulfatara , of great stones cemented very close : into these all the rain both of that bottom , and of the little hills that are round it does fall , which is impregnated with vitriol : they do also lay a great many tiles and bricks before all those vents , that the fire which is in this soil makes : and where the smoke comes out , with so rapid a violence ; so that this smoke passing thro these bricks , leaves a great deal of sulphur and vitriol upon them : and these bricks are washed in those cisterns , and by this means the water becomes impregnated with vitriol : then they put the water into coppers , which they set over those violent hot eruptions ; so that this serves as a fire , to evaporate the phlegm , and so they find quantities of vitriol . the revenue of this goes to the annunciata of naples : and they begin to promise themselves great advantages from it : but a little time will shew this , as well as greater matters . i will add no new trouble , to that which the length of this letter must needs have given you : so i will conclude , without any other formality , but that of assuring you that i am , sir , your most humble servant . postscript . since i added a postscript to my two former letters , i intend to make this so far of a piece with them , as to conclude this likewise with one ; for i find , looking over the little notes that i took , a particular that had escaped me , and yet it seems to deserve to be mentioned : and since i have not brought it into my letters , i have resolved to make a postscript express for it . there is a little town in the appennins , about 25 miles from rome , called norcia , near which there is a considerable abbey , which belongs now to a cardinal . this town , tho it lies within the popes territory , yet has such great priviledges still reserved to it , that it my pass in some sort for a free common-wealth . they make their lawes , and choose their own magistrates ; but that which is the most extraordinary part of their constitution , and that is the most exactly observed , is , that they are so jealous of all priests , and of their having any share in their government , that no man that can either read or write is capable of bearing a share in their government : so that their magistracy , which consists of 4 persons , is alway's in the hands of vnlettered men , who are called there li quatri illiterati : for they think the least tendency to letters , would bring them under the ordinary miseries that they see all their neighbours are brought under by the credit in which both the robes are among them . and they are so shy of all churchmen , and so jealous of their liberty , that when the cardinal comes during the heats of the summer sometimes , to his abbey , they take no notice of him , nor do they make any sort of court to him . one that has been oft there , told me , that by divers of their customes they seem to be of the race of the old latines ; and that their situation and their poverty had at all times preserved them : yet they are not such strangers to the manners of the rest of the italians as not to take pleasure in severe revenges , of which this instance was given me . the abbot that was the cardinals predecessor , had an auditor who was much in his favour , that made love to the wife of one of the magistrates of norcia , which she discovered to her husband ; he ordered her to give the auditor an appointment ; but provided a good surgeon and all other things that were necessary to put the auditor out of all danger of breaking his vow of chastity : for he was a churchman ; and the auditor not failing to observe his rendezvous , was caught , and the operation was performed with all possible care : and he was treated very well till he was quite cured , and then he was sent back to his patron . the abbot was highly offended with this affront that was done him : and it may be easily believed that the auditor was not well pleased with this forced chastity that was now imposed on him : so they sent an information of the matter to the rota ; and asked their opinion : but the court of the rota was wiser than to suffer a matter of this nature to become publick . to this i shall add a pleasant thing that was told me concerning priests that fell under the misfortune of this auditor . it is known , that according to the canon law , the one indelible character defaces the other : and that a priest so treated can no more say mass : yet i was told that this distinction was used , that if the priest had all that was taken from him restored to him , so that he could carry it in his pocket , he was still esteemed entire , and might say mass ; but unless he could have the consolation of carrying those things dead about him , that had been perhaps too quick before , the character was lost , or was at least under a totall suspension : if all this is a little too pleasant and too natural , a little good humour must be forgiven to a traveller , whose spirits are too much in motion , to be so setled and so grave as they ought to be . finis . errata . page 6. line 16. dele of . p. 9. l. 22. portion r. proportion . p. 16. l. 18. after and r. upon . p. 22. l. 4. dele that . p. 27. l. 7. r. that was . p. 34. l. 23. cited r. said . p. 36. l. 19. is r. it . p. 38. l. 18. dele a. p. 47. l. last . r. slippers . p. 48. l. 9. sling . r. sling . l. 20. hear r. bear . p. 70. l. 26. is r. were . p. 82. l. 11. strong r. strange . p. 83. l. 8. or r. of . p. 85. l. 9. sr. r. st. p. 87. l. 16. 235. r. 35. p. 89. l. 3. r. damnatos . p. 130. l. 11. me . r. we . p. 157. l. 10. where r. when . p. 169. l. 18. shut r. shot . p. 171. l. 18. in r. it . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a30473-e4730 another would have thought that s. paul should have been cited for this , rather than s. aust. , since he had said this first , acts. 17. v. 28. but rome is not the place of the world where the n. testament is most read ; and this putting of ones self in the presence of god , can only mean the considering ones self as before him . this article is falsly represented : for the quietists , as all other mysticks , only except to that dry learning which is not accompanied with an inward sense of divine matters . here is a new tribunal of infallibility . if we judge of this new infallibility by this way of proving that iesus christ is the proper object of contemplation , we will not much admire it ; but if this article is true , it looks liker deism . if this article is true , it confirms the suspition of deism . here one sees what a thing school divinity is , by this way of reckoning : but the value of acts rises from the intention of the mind , and not from the extension of the object . this is not meant of pure ideas , but of gross phantasms . this article is also falsly represented ; for the quietists only mean , that souls suffer many inward agonies in a contemplative state , of which all the books of the mysticks are full , and which they call the great desolation . the quietists only mean by this , that if a man in an act of outward devotion is carried to contemplate , he is not to hold his mind to the outward devotion . the quietists only mean , that no general methods carry men to contemplation , and that it is the effect of a special grace . this of one soul is ridiculous . the quietists only condemn a dry and mechanical meditation . here , notwithstanding all our representers in england , you see the adoration of images is so received at rome , that it is a crime to think that the most perfect may be above it . this is only meant by the quietists , of returning to a mechanical way of meditation . this is only so to be understood , that according to the rules given by all the mysticks , when ill thoughts come into a mans mind , the best may to overcome them , is rather to neglect them , than to struggle much against them . this is indeed down-right enthusiasm , yet much of this strain will be found in all the writings of the mysticks . this the quietists deny , as an imputation cast upon them . all the mysticks , and in particular sr. philip nerius , have often done things that seemed ridiculous & absurd , as the highest excercises of mortification and humility . this the quietists reject as a calumny , to render them justly odious to all the world but it is vèry poorly refuted , certainly job said many very hard things , which god who knew the sincerity of his heart , and the strength of his temtations , did not lay to his charge . letters write [sic] to a friend by the learned and judicious sir andrew balfour ... containing excellent directions and advices for travelling thro' france and italy, with many curious and judicious remarks and observations made by himself, in his voyages thro' these countreys, published from the author's original m.s. balfour, andrew, sir, 1630-1694. 1700 approx. 317 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 166 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a30142 wing b552 estc r5283 15554504 ocm 15554504 103701 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a30142) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 103701) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1582:32) letters write [sic] to a friend by the learned and judicious sir andrew balfour ... containing excellent directions and advices for travelling thro' france and italy, with many curious and judicious remarks and observations made by himself, in his voyages thro' these countreys, published from the author's original m.s. balfour, andrew, sir, 1630-1694. [14], x, 274 p. [s.n.], edinburgh printed : m.dcc [1700] errors in paging: p. 97-121 misprinted 90-114, p. 187 misprinted 167. imperfect: p. 236 faded with some loss of print; p. 226-247 from trinity college library, cambridge university, spliced at end. reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng france -description and travel -guidebooks. italy -description and travel -guidebooks. 2004-09 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-09 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-10 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2004-10 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion letters write to a friend , by the learned and judicious sir andrew balfour , m. d containing excellent directions and advices for travelling thro' france and italy with many curious and judicious remarks and observations made by himself , in his voyages thro' these countreys . published from the author 's original m. s. edinburgh , printed in the year , m.dcc. to the most illustrious , most potent , and noble earle , alexander earle of murray , lord doun and abernethy , &c. sometime lord high commissioner , and principal secretary of state for the kingdom of scotland . my noble lord ! in all ages , discerning and serious men , who knew best to allow and distinguish things and persons , have made it their great complaint , that the present generation did degenerat from the former ; and that the generality of men were too apt and ready to pursue bad courses : and some thinking persons now , are easily induced to believe , that , the days we live in , the world is not much mended . this notwithstanding , no time hath been known ( how dissolut soever ) wherein some worthy & vertuous men have not appeared , who have studied to improve natural and moral enduements , and to pursue vertue , preferring that way to base interest , and selfish ends. and it is well known , that even at this time , when many & great duties are easily superceded , there are here and there some persons who worthily act upon the principles of honour , conscience , and vertue , maugre all discouragements . among whom your lordship ( even in your solitude ) moves and acts in a very high and conspicuous sphere , to that measure of lovely vertue and splendor , that your friends and wellwishers admire , and your enemies ( if you have any ) can find no matter of censure . if there were many such in the nation , it would be no hard mater to retrieve & bring in vogue again , these adequat qualities and vertues , which often have rendered many of our countrymen ( endued therewith ) famous and illustrious both at home and abroad . in the mean time it is to be wish'd that each man would labour to reform himself and his own ways , conforming them to these excellent rules . and that certainly at length would make and advance a laudable reformation indeed . but it is to be feared , that this would rather prove an abortive wish , than that it shall have its wisht for effect : albeit ( to have it so with the world ) it should be a part of our dayly prayers , and come in continually to our letany . my lord ! whilst you are enjoying your self , and are solaced with the comfort of a good conscience , in your retirement , making your self an example of vertue , and a patern of honour and goodness to those who observe you and your actions . i humbly address your lordship , not desiring to interrupt your repose , but to afford you a litle divertisement for some of your vacant and recreating minuts : by offering to your lordships perusal these following sheets , and begging your patronage thereto : and i judge i have little reason to despair of your favour and acceptance , since your lordship was pleased to shew a more than ordinary affection and kindness to the author my father . and therefore i hope this little tract wil give your lordship some content ; and for others i am bold to say , i hope well : for many persons of great honour and judgement , have ( since my father the authour's death ) been sollicitous to get written copies from the original , which was indeed perfected by my father in his own time , without any design to make it publick . but my father's m. s. with all his books being committed to a certain person he , without my privity , gave out copies to knowing & inquisitive persons , as of late i came to understand , and now these copies abounding abroad , and most ( if not all ) being defective or incorrect , ( to prevent my father's being abused ) i now send a true copy abroad unto the world , and let it see the light : and go it must under your lordships patronage , for i am confident the design will succeed the better , and the book will be the more acceptable to these who love and desire the knowledge of such curious maters : nor shal i diffide its fate , being first wellcome to your lordship , to whom i hereby address the same , most humbly and heartily , and not in course , ingyring upon a patron , as the custom sometimes is . thus , begging your lordships pardon for my presumption , i do intreat from your lordship the honour to be accounted , my noble lord , your lordships most humble , most faithfull , most devoted , and obedient servant , m. balfovre . to the reader it is needless to show the many advantages may be had from travelling , since all are convinced of it ; and the vvisest of men in all ages have thought this the best way to improve themselves : thus , as homer , the greek master , showes us , vlysses followed this method . qui domitor trojae multorum providus vrbes , et mores hominum inspexit ; latumque per aeqour dum sibi dumsocijs reditum parat , aspera multa pertulit . and such a one homer drew his son telemachus , whose adventures have of late been painted by an excellent pen , with all the advantages , requisit for the education of a good man and excellent prince . indeed , the world is a theater , in which we may see not only the different productions of nature , but also all the arts & mysteries of government ; and all the wayes of improving nature by art ; and every climate affords new scenes for improving geography , natural and civil historie , medicine , commerce , and all the mechanick arts. medicine certainly is much improved this way , for thus galen writes , he sailed to lemnos , cyprus and palestina of syria , on purpose to see foreign plants , and rare ores and mineralls . the following letters give you some account , to this purpose , of these countries in europe viz. england , france and italy , which for , politeness & civility , for grandeur and magnificence , & for arts and inventions , and the publick incouragements of them , farr excelleth all the rest . the author of them , sir andrew balfour , doctor of medicine , spent some fifteen years in his travels , & residence in these countries ; he was a man of an excellent vvit , and of a ripe judgement , and of a most taking behaviour ; he had improven himself to the best advantage , with all the learning taught in the most famous vniversities of these countries , had acquired their languages , and conversed with the most famous man then alive . the particular curiosity he had to learn every thing that might enrich his mind with knowledge , was in his youngest years favoured with the example and instruction of his eldest brother , 30 years elder than himself , the famous sir james balfour , lyon king at arms , who had a curious bibliotheck , had collected in his cabinet many curious products of nature and pieces of art , and took delight to cherish this early curiositie of his youngest brother : with this disposition & proficiencie in the learning then taught in his native country , he begun his travels , which , in so long a tract of time he employed that way , came to qualify him exceedingly for performing all that is recorded of him . ‖ when he wrot these letters he had setled his abode at edinburgh , where he practised physick with great success , & deservedly gained the reputation of the best qualified physitian in the place , and accordingly was employed by these of the best rank . about a year or two after his settlement here he took the resolution of erecting a publick garden for plants , and a cabinet of curiosities : he had begun the last in his own lodging ▪ and was projecting how he might establish the other , when he became acquainted with that worthie gentleman patrick murray , baron of livingstone , to whom these letters ( now publish'd ) were addressed . this gentleman designed so much for the good & honour of his country , that i cannot but in this place do that justice to his memorie to give the world some character of him , having been well acquainted with him , & having had the happiness to make the acquaintance , & beginn the friendship contracted betwixt him , and sir andrew balfour , which produced these letters . this gentleman had a particular genie inclining him to studie natural history , and all the wayes and means , how to improve the arts , most usefull to his countrie ; he had studied the mathemathicks , & delighted much in the practical part of them , & employed much of the revenue of that plentifull estate he had from his ancestors , in purchasing instruments , & curious books , which treated on these subjects , he having travelled over a great part of this country , in searching after the plants that grew wild up and down in it , & withall having read severall writers on the plants , he every year sent for new seeds of foreign plants : he inclosed a considerable parcel of ground , in which he trained them up with great skill ; and before he 〈◊〉 to his travells , he had of domestick and foreign plants , growing in his garden at livingstone , above a thousand : he was above thirty six years of age before he began his travells , and had fitted himself by reading of voyages , and such books as might best inform him of what he was to inquire for , in foreign countries , ye● he was so sensible of the great advanta●●● 〈◊〉 that learning sir andrew balfour 〈◊〉 ●●●ster of , that he not only inform●d 〈…〉 him of the best books , fitted 〈…〉 and the designe he had to learne all that might be for the improving of knowledge , & of the arts usefull to this country , but likewise he obtained his promise to intertain a correspondence with him whilst he was in foreign countries , by letters , upon all occasions . these three make a part of what sir andrew wrote . he had whilst he was abroad , bought up most of the writers extant upon plants and other parts of naturall history , and many relating to the culture of plants ; he had ●exactly learned all the plants then keept in the kings garden at paris ( the most compleat that is in the world , either for the number or the quality of the plants ) or in privat gardens there ; and had travelled thorough a great part of france , when he was surprized with a feaver , that he contracted at avignion , of which he dyed . he begun his voyage the 2d . of september 1668 , and dyed in august or september 1671. in these places of england and france he travelled thorough , he gives a very particular account , even of the dimension of the publick buildings , the remarks , the distances of the places ; he gives an account of the government of france , of the peers there , & the orders of knighthood ; he gives an account of the remarkable manufactories in france , & particularizes some of the mines and quarries of marble , and has an account of the canale for the communication betwixt the mediterranean and the ocean ; he shows the quality of the weather , the habits of the people in the souths parts of france ; he des●●ibes the monuments of eminent men , & 〈◊〉 some of their sepulchral inscriptions , and takes notice of the best gardens and of the c●●iners of the curious where he travelled ▪ describing many particulars not to be ●et ●ith in the printed voyages , and upon this account his voyage deserves very well to be made publick . as to these letters of sir andrew balfour now published , i shall leave the judgement of them to the learned , who may peruse them ; yet this i must say , there are many particularities in them relating to natural history , and the way of safe and connient travelling , not to be met with in the printed accounts of these countries , and i am perswaded they are of excelleut use for these who study natural history , and physick , where they may be informed where plants , & other subjects of them , are to be found in their native places , and where they may see the cabinets of the curious . others will be hereby instructed in the manners , orders , and customes , of these people ; they will find likeways many curious reflections , which are pleasant to read , and may give rise to higher considerations . they will see what varieties foreign countries of a different soil & temperature of air , do afford ; severall of which may be brought here , and may be made usefull to this country . what sir andrew delivereth here , is what he observed , experienced , and handled himself , and none need question the relations in any circumstance ; he was known to be a most candid and ingenious gentleman , he gives his apprehension and judgment of the reasons & causes : which was allways much valued by all which knedw him ; being a gentleman of excellent vvit , and judgment : he did not expect that they should be printed , and in his lifetime he would never hear of it ; and such was his modesty , he never shewed them to any but his most intimate friends , and could not be perswaded to give a copie of them , but since his death copies of them have past from hand to hand , and all who have seen them are very well pleased ; whereupon at the earnest intreaty of his friends , his son hath published them in the stile he found them writen ; his design was to render all easie & intelligible to his friend he wrote them to ; if the phrase & language seem in some places less ornate , & not so congruous as may be expected now , it is to be remembred , they were writen thirty years ago , when he had been fifteen years absent from his own country , & had accustomed himself to speak foreign more language , than to studie the elegancie of his own native tongue ; & this i think should excuse him at the hands of the criticks , he studied more things than words , & yet , as all know , he expressed himself most handsomely upon all occasions . it was fitt this should be represented : the rest is left to the impartiall reader , who will meet with so many remarkable & usefull things in the letters , that there is no doubt of his kind acceptance of them . if these meet with the encouragement hoped for , 't is like , the baron of lovingstone his observations in his travels , in our language too , and a voyage of another countryman of ours , through france and italy , writen in a pure stile of latine , may be published for the satisfaction of such as are curious of travells , farewell . letter i. containing an account of what is remarkable in and about london , &c. and in and about paris , &c. sir , i cannot inform you of any thing considerable on this side london , except it please you , when you are got the le●gth of huntington , to turn six or seven miles out of the road to see cambridge ; which i doe truly think worth the while , in regard it is one of the two famous universities of england , where if it please you , you may take notice of the number , structure , and order of the colledges , &c. but particularly of the libraries and gardens ; as also of the book-sellers shops in the town-where possibly you may meet with something that you shal not meet with any where els in order to this it would be convenient to have some letter of recomendation or adress to some member of the university whom you might be sure ( upon this account ) to find very ready to serve you ; i am sorry that i cannot help you in this particular , having never been in this place my self ; but i think if you address your self to mr. ray ( who wrote and published the catalogue of plants growing about cambridge ) upon the score of seeing that place , and himself as a person so deserving especially in the knowledge of plants , of which you are also a verie great lover ; i make no doubt you shall find him as ready to oblidge you there , as you use to be to any virtuoso here . at london i shall advise you to lodg in or about convent-garden , as a place most commodious for your business . i thought it necessar to accompany you only with two leters of recommendation , the one to dr. morisone , whom i think the best botanist in the world , and a most honest and obliging friend ; by his means you will easily see all that is considerable of plants about london , and purchase what seeds that place affoords . the other is to mr. scott a book-seller , dwelling in little-britain by whose means you may be furnished with any book that may be be had in london ; and i think as reasonably as else-where : notwithstanding you will ' doe well to see other shops , as particularly mr. bees and mr. pulleyns , both of them in little-britain . as for the other beauties of the court and city i need not say much , being you will easily be informed of them upon the place : i shall only hint at some of the most considerable , and first , at whythall be pleased to take notice of the ●anquetting-house ; you will find it of a stately fabrick , such as the late king designed to have all the palace of ; it was built by king james , the historie of whose diefication you wil find painted on the roofe within , by the noble artist rubens , only you will find the figures too big , occasioned by the painters misinformation concerning the hight of the room , which he was made beleeve to be greater . the king 's privy rooms are worth the seeing , because of their excellent ornaments of hangings and pictures . 2 the palace of westminster , in which i find the great hall only considerable for its great breadth and artificiall roof . 3. henry vii . chappel and the tombs in and near it . 4. you will do well upon some holy-day ( if any happen during your abode there ) to see the king at divine service , in regard of the extraordinary state used on such dayes , as also of the excellent musick ; i would advise you likwise to see the king dine on some such day . 5. the tower , in which be curious to see the mint crown , scepter , & treasury , the magazine of ancient arms &c. and the new arsenall built and furnished by the present king , the wild beasts . 6. gresham-colledge , where the exchange is now kept ; inquire there for dr. pope that by his means you may see a verie fine collection of naturall rarities kept in that colledge . he will likewise carry you to see the royall society , if you so desire . 7. the king and dukes play-houses . 8. the innes of court , especially the temple , lincolns inn , and gray's inn. 9. the new exchange , and not farr from it , sommerset-house . 10. st. james's-house and park . 11. if yow please to take a pair of oares the length of greenwich , you will see the kings new house that is a building there , and if you please to walk up to the hill above it , you will have a prospect up and down the river , which the multitude of goodly ships , the pleasantness of of the countrey about , and our countreyman barcly's curious description and commendation of it , render most famous . 12. for the rest , i shall only put you in mind , that about london there are such places , as wimbletone belonging now to the earle of bri●●o● , but lately to the queen-mother and in the time of the rebellion possest by lambert ; who imbellished the garden thereof with great variety of plants . hampton-court and park belonging to the kings majesty . i shall likewise put you in mind that oxfoord is but fifty miles from london , and that it is one of the most famous universities in the world , both for the number and structure of the colledges and halls , and for the multitude of ●●udents , and competency of their provision . the chief colledges are christs church , magdalens , all-souls , st. john's , &c. baliol colledg was founded by a scots king's father of that name , the schools is a stately fabrick where there is kept a most magnificent librarie for number of books beyond any that ever i saw : there is besides near magdalen-colledge a physicall garden ; when you resolve to goe thither dr. moreson wil recommend you to such persons as will be carefull to shew you every thing . from london to paris the best way is to goe by dover and calais , that you may returne by die● and rye , except you make account to returne by flanders in which case i advise you rather to goe by rye and deip , because rouen ( which otherwise will not fall to be in your way ) is a more considerable place and better worth the seeing , than any thing upon the way of calais . for your accommodation from london to rye , you may either take post , or enquire for the rye carrier at the kings head in southwark , he will furnish you sadle horses for 12. sh. a man , and if you have anie baggage he will carrie it at an easie rate ; by this way you will arrive at rye in two dayes , where you may lodge at the marmaid untill you find an oportunitie of passage , for which if there be passingers enough you must pay 10. sh. but if there be few passingers you will be obliged to pay more . at deip be pleased to lodge a la bastile , the master of the house hath a son that speaks english , and they are all verie civil people . you may see in the shops verie manie curiosities in that place , and particularlie , au roy de la chine ; the town is famous for working in ivory , horn , and tortois-shell , for combs , boxes , dialls , and a thousand other conceats . from thence you must hire horse to rouen , the ordinarie price is a crown , if you have no companie you will do well to take a guide by the land-lords direction ; you dine at a place called tostes , the first house of the village which you come at is the best . at rouen lodge au bon pasteur , the master is a protestant , and speaks english ▪ be pleased to take notice in the town , of 1. the bridge on the river , which is of wood , supported by boats , and rises and falls with the tide . 2. the great church ; if you will be at the pains to go to the top of the steeple you may ●●ave a verie good prospect of the town and avenues , you may also see the biggest bell in the world called the st. george of amboise . 3. the palace , where the parliament sits ; the great hall is commended for its breadth , being it is without pillars , but in my opinion it comes far short of westminster-hall at london . there is a litle village about half a league from the town called santeville , famous for cream , if you please your landlord will find you a guid to conduct you thither . you may herbarize by the way . you may take the messenger to paris , as being the easiest way , you pay 13. or 14. franks a man , for which you are to be furnished with horse , lodging and diet to paris , as al●o to have six pound weight of baggage allow'd you , but if you have any more , you must pay for it beside ; the last meal which you make by the way is at po●to●● , where it is usuall after dinner for every gentlman in the company to give to the conductor a peice of 13. solds . at paris i shall advise you to lodge at mr. haes , they are very honest people , at least you may stay there untill you find the way of accommodating your self better ; he lodges a. fauxbourg st. germain rue de la bouchery ; there are so many worthie things to be seen in this place that i shall only name some of them , for fear of troubling you too much , and leave the rest to your own observation . 1. see luxemburgh palace & gardens ; monsieur marchant will be a fit person , because of his aquaintance there , to wait upon you . 2. the kings garden , where be sure to make a strong friendship with the gardner ; and you may command what you will of plants or seeds . 3. the kings library , and especialy there , the books of minature done by monsieur robert , which i look upon as the best curiosity of that kind in the world. 4. the garden of tuilliaries . 5. monsieur marchant's own garden ; he dwells , rue du roy de sicile devant la nostre dame d' argent , deriere le petit st. antoin ; his gard●n is hard by his house , and there you may see some curious plants , not to be found elsewhere in france . 6. the jesuites college , where enquire for some scots father , and desire him to procure you a sight of the bibliotheck , and mathematical house ; there you will see the 3. systems of the world , according to the severall hypotheses of copernicus , tycho brache , and ptolomeus , represented in motion . if you be desirous to learn chymie , you may cause monsieur marchant address you to monsieur barlet ; he lives au college de cambray , and uses to teach courses ; it will cost you ten crowns for the course , and two crownes for his book ; he demonstrates from two a clock in the afternoon till five , and finisheth his course in three weeks . i think it might be worth your while , in regard you will hardly find the like occasion any other where . i need not say any thing of the booksellers , being they are obvious a la rue st. jaques ; for new books at the palace ; for french books , as romances , &c. a la place de sorbone ; as also at the end of the new bridge about nostre dame church , also at the postern gate of the palace and upon the mont st. hiller , for old books of all sorts . remember to cause monsr . marchant show you a maker of mathematical instruments that lives dans l'isle du palais au key qui est vis a vis la valle des miseres , and enquire for the designing instrument ; about the same place also you may be provided of microscops of al sorts ; if you desire to have your own , or any other picture done : enquire for monsr . ferdinand , paintre sur la fosse an fauxbourgs st. germaine proche l' academy de monsr . du plessis , but make your bargain before hand . it will be worth your while to see some places about paris , as particularlie , 1 maisone , a very delicat house , belonging to the president of maisone , & standing upon the river of saine , some 4. leagues from paris ; from hence you must go two leagues up the river , to 2 st. germaine , a house belonging to the king ; from thence four leagues further a little off the river , to 3 versaile , a house begun by the late king , but finished by the present ; it is a most delicate fine place , but ( as i think ) there will be a necessity of procureing an order from the superintendent of the house ( who ordinarly resides at court ) to the cons●erge of the house to show the same to you ; from thence to 4 rue●e , you have about two leagues : it is a prettie little house built by cardinal richlieu ; the g●rdens are exceedingly prettie , and the water-works the best in france ; from thence you may come to 5 st. clou , a house belonging to the present duke of orleans ; from thence on your way to paris ( which is not above 3 leagues ) you pass thro' a wood called bois de bologne ; in which there stands a house called madrid , built by francis i. after his return from spain where he had been prisoner , to save his promise of going back to spain once a year . in my time there was a manufactorie for weaving of silk stockings kept there . having performed this journey in one or at the most two days , you may with your conveniencie visit 6 st. denys , in the abbey whereof there is a famous treasurie kept . remember to take nottice of charles the great 's crown , in which there is a rubie of the bigness of a pidgeons egg ; a large cup of oriental aggat , which they count much of ; one of the nails that fixed our saviour's bodie to the cross , sent to charles the great by constantine v. emperour of constantinople ; one of the potts , wherein our saviour changed the water into wine at the marriage of cana in galilee ; the pucel of orleans sword , wherewith she overcame the english ; the lantern that was carried before judas , when he betrayed our saviour ; and a thousand other things of great value . see the tombs likewise : you will do well to go earlie in the morning that you may have time to speak to the religious men , and take their hour of conveniencie for seing of the treasure ; which being done , you will have time enough to return to paris . 7 i know nothing better worth your seing about paris , than the aqueduct at arcqueul about 2 leagues from the town , it was built by mary of medices in the time of her regencie , for bringing the the water to her palace of luxemborg . besides the aqueduct , you will also see there a verie fine grotto with fine walks and manie prettie jetts of water ; one afternoon suffice for this journey . 8. fountainbleau , in which there are so manie things considerable : not only in the house , furniture , and painting ; but also in the gardens , walks , fish-ponds , and water-works , that it will be less trouble for you to observe them by seing , than by a long narration ; i shall only tell you for the better improvement of your journey thither that you will doe well first to go to 9. esson a house seven leagues from paris belonging to a private gentleman , where you will see very fine water works and many other prettie conceats ; from thence you have 3 leagues 10. to durance , a privat house likewise , but to which there belongs very noble gardens and walkes , with delicat ponds and jetts of water . it will not be a miss to stay here all the night , being you will have 4 leagues to fontainbleau , a great part of which is through the forrest , and therefore better to be gone in the morning , when the day is before your hand , than in the evening when night may surprize you. 11. you may arrive so early in the morning at fountainbleau that you may have time to see all before dinner , and thereafter returne to veau , a most stately house and gardens correspondent to it , built by monsr . fougues● , but since his disgrace it 's fallen to the king : from hence you may returne a short league off your way to lodge at melun ; the next morning you will have an easie journey to paris , and time enough if you please to see vinceu , within two short leagues of paris . it is a house belonging to the king in the middle of a verie pleasant park : after you have seen the house emember to see the wild beasts that are kept not far from it . if you resolve upon making any greater toure into the counrey , i shall advise you to provide a book called le voyage de france , of the latest edition , which will give you a hint of the most considerable things that are to be seen in those places you go to . i shall deferr any thing i would say further , untill i be happie to hear of your safe arivall at paris , and then i would be content to trouble you with an other sheet : in the mean time i pray for your happie journey and safe returne . sir , i intreat you to signifie to mr. hannay as also to mr. cranston that if they have any thing to send to me , you will be pleased to take charge of it ; i shall beseech you likewise to do the same by monsr . marchant at paris . letter ii. containing advice for makeing the grand toure of france , with an account of what is most observable relateing especially to the natural history and antiquities of that kingdom . sir , it seems you are not yet resolved whither to spend the winter in paris or in the country , my opinion is that out of paris , there is litle thing either to be seen or learned in all france ; but in regard it is pertinent for a traveler to see some thing of the countrie as well as the chief town : i shall therefore advise you to see those places chieflie that i judge most suitable to your inclinations , and particularie in order to botany , that is languedock and provence , for altho' there be manie other places of france verie worthie the ●eing , as particularlie the river loyre from orleance downward to nantes , which for the fertilitie aud beautie of the countrey , the frequencie of good towns and gentle disposition and courtesie of the inhabitants , is called the garden of france : yet you will find that climate produces but a few things different from normandy or the isle of france : but if you should incline to see it , my advice is that you should not spend much time in doing of it , and therefore if you think fit you may make use of the following advice at your discretion . i suppose you leave paris about the beginning of june ( for i would not have you loose the month of may in the kings garden , in regard most things will be then , or a little before , in their prime , which now that the garden of blois is no more in condition , is undoubtedly the best you are like to meet with ) and therefore , 1. you may go to orleans by the messenger : it is but two days journie ; lodge chez monsr . ogilbie , sur l'●●stape au roy de la grand bretaigne ; a day or two will serve you to see all that is considerable in the place ; it will be worth your while to see a place some two leagues from the city , called the source , where in the midst of a fair green meadow you will see a spring of water so plentifull , that it is navigable from its head , and powrs out a river called loirette . 2ly . from orleans to blois , they count 15. leagues , yet it is but a short days journie : besides if you please , you have the commoditie of the river to go by boat ; be pleased to take notice of a place by the way , some 4. leagues from blois , called st. die , where the best claret in that countrie grows , and is ordinarly to be found . blois of itself is no very considerable town , yet it is famous for makeing of watches , for the civilitie of the people , for the sweetness of the air , and puritie of the french language . you must stay there some days till you have seen the following particulars ; viz. in one day you may get to chambort , a house belonging to the king , some three leagues off , on the south side of the river , and south-east from the town ; it is said to have been built by king francis i. and is a very statelie house , though of a far different order of architecture than what is now used . from thence you may go to herbeau , 3. leagues to the southward of that , a privat house belonging to a gentleman that beares the title thereof . it is a very pleasant seat having very fine gardens with an orangery , fish-ponds , woods , maille and meadowes belonging to it ; from thence you may go to bean-regard another privat house , where amongst other prettie things you will see a fine gallerie well ornamented with the pictures of such persons as have been illustrious for some age ; from thence you returne to blois at night , & as you go and come you will have occasion to see that part of the forrest of blois that lyes to the south of the river and town ; as also a litle village called st. gervais , famous over all that countrey for excellent cream ; being returned to blois , you may take notice of the castle , as also of the garden which is now seges ubi troja ; the keeper of it is dr. brumer my very good acquantance , and sometimes one of the herbarists to the late duke of orleans , as were also monsr . morison and monsr . marchand ; upon any of whose accounts or yet upon mine , i am confident you will be very welcom to him ; i believe you may as yet see some plants in the garden , from thence walk towards the capucins or the mount , and you will have a delicat prospect both up & down the river ; from thence walk towards the alleys which you will possibly find to be the finest in length and breadth , and being well planted on either side , that you have hitherto seen ; you may chuse whither you will see vendosme or not , it being a place not verie considerable except for the holy tea●e , which is preserved in the cathedrall church with much veneration , and which people go to see out of devotion ; the toun is famous for makeing of gloves which are accounted the best of that countrey ; upon the returne from that place you may see the fountain of orchaise , of old horrcum caesaris ( for some where not far from thence the roman legion was said to be quartered ) i take the fountain to be nothing else but a rivulet or litle burn falling over the top of a soft rock into which by process of time it hath cut in a considerable way thro' the whole deepth of it , and being grown together upon the top , it seems now to spring out of the rock ; over against that , cross a meadow , you must take notice of a cave or hole digged in the side of a litle hill in which there is an aromatick kind of earth , not much inferiour as is believed to the terra sigillatae of lemnos ; the common people call the place la cave de la terre sigille . and here i must put you in mind that in this same meadow i have very often seen very large green lizards , which because it is a beautifull creature and not found with us , i must intreat you where ever you find of them to cause preserve 1 or 2 , to add to my tradescants . i know not which will be the best way of preserving them , whither by skinning them , or drying the flesh , but i suppose the best way will be ( especially if the skin be any thing strong ) to cause skin them , preserving the head feet and taile , and then stop the skin with flax. there are likewise severall other birds in france which are not common with us , which i must earnestly intreat you to do the same by , as for example the pie verte or green pyet , &c. 3ly . from blois you go to amboise in half a day by water ; the boat will give you libertie to see the castle ; in the chapell whereof will be shown you hanging a pair of hornes , they say , of a hart , the largest and biggest ( if they be true ) that ever was seen in the court of the castle there is likewise to be seen a rib , and one of the back-bones of the same animal , you are brought out of the castle by a toure whose descent is so large and so easie , being without steps , that a coach may drive from the bottome to the top thereof . from thence you go tours all night , where 4ly . in my time the best lodging was a la st. marthe ; the place is commended for the sweetness of it's situation , the delicacie of it's fields and gardens , and many other particulars . it will be worth your while to see the manufactories of silk , especially the way of working tissenes , and brocarts , which you will see of diverse colours and some of gold and silver . the invention and way of making tabbies , which i forbear to descrive , because you will abundantly discover it by sight . you must be at the pains to fetch a walk out of town a litle way to see the maille , which in any time was the longest and in the best order of any in france ; and at the same time , you may go the length of the minims convent because the first instituter of their order st. francois de paul , lyes buried in the church in a marble coffine , as will be shown you , which people visit with great veneration : if you will be at the pains to pass the river there is an ascent to the capucins whence you may discover the whole city , and a great part of the countrey about , which for it's beauty and fertility is called the gardin of france . and certainly deserves that name better than any place upon the whole river of loir . there is likewayes not far from tours , a place which they call la cave gutiere , from the top of which there drops a liquor which congeals into a substance almost as hard as a stone not much unlike that you sent me from hamiltoun . 5ly . you may go from tours to saumure a town famous for it's protestant university , of which we have two very honest countrey-men that are members , monsr . doule and monsr . gray . you may take the pains to see nostre damo d' ardeliers a place of great devotion ; if you please you may see the treasurie which is rich , and as you go and come , you may observe the great trade of that suburbs , to be making of beads or chaplets ; i beseech you forget not to bring us some that are made of young oranges : if you please you may see the castle . at saumure you must hire horses to make a litle tour of three days , and first you must go to doue , where there is to be seen an ancient amphitheatre cut out of a rock , as it is said , by the romans . there are likewise verie many great quarries of free stone and the workmen often find in cleaving of the stones , some litle peices of a finer and harder substance by farr than the rest , which from the shape they have , they comonly call langues de serpents . the little boys for a small matter will sell you abundance of them which i pray forget not to buy , if not for your own , at least for your friends curiositie . from thence you must go to thouars , a most delicate house belonging to the duke of tremoville , it is situat upon a rock , and the greatest part of the office houses cut out of the solid rock . the next morning you go to waren , a verie prettie house but not much worth the pains of seeing were it not in your way to richlieu , where you are to spend the rest of that day , that you may have the more time to view the toun and house , which i think so well worthie your seeing , that for it's sake a journey from paris that length were not ill bestowed . i shall say no more of of it , that i may not deprive you of the gusto of being surprized with the beautie of it . amongst other things be pleased to take notice of two marble statues that stand over the gate , at the upper end of the inner court , as also of a peece of painting in the chapell , that was left by way of legacie to the cardinall by monsieur de mont morency , when he was beheaded at thoulouse . there are two books the one in 40. the other in 80. containing the figure of the house , and parts thereof ; they are sold , as i take it , by the porter , of whom i intreat you to buy them for me . the third day you may dine at loudun where in my time there was a religious woman , that had been formerly possessed . at the time of her cure which they say was miraculous there was found written on her hand jesvs maria joseph , which still remained indelible . if she be yet alive you may see it . from thence you returne by shinon , where they say the famous francis rablais had his first breeding in an old convent , from thence you pass throw most delicate meadows called the valey of shinon , and in your way to saumure some three leagues from the town you may see a monasterie of religious women whereof the lady abbas in my time was the queen-mothers sister of great brittain . 6ly . you may hire horses to la fleche , where the only thing considerable is the jesuits colledge . it is a most noble structure , and by far the best they have in france . take particular notice of their church where the heart of henry the 4th who gave them that house is kept : the bibliotheck : the theatre-hall : their office houses , particularly the kitchen ; the bake-house , where one man and a dog makes bread for all the colledge every day : the myln where the water that moves the wheele doeth likewise move a pump that furnisheth water to the whole colledge . the best lodging was au quatre vents . from hence you must again take horse to angiers . 7ly it is a town famous for the profession of laws , and hath likewise a faculty of physick : see the great church called st. maurice , and therein one of those pots in which our saviour converted the water into wine at the marriage of cana in galile . see the maill , and at the end of it next the town the minims convent . you will find in their garden severall kinds of ilex ; you will likewise find in severall places of the countrey not far from the town severall sorts of pinastres , as also a kind of fruit tree called cormes , not mnch unlike our raun-tree , the fruit whereof hangs in clusters like our roddens : but of an other colour , and bigness every one being as big as a plumb . a league or two from the town towards the east , are the pierries or quarries , of blew skleat called ardoise which serve the greatest part of france : see the castle , and in it that famous crib where rene king of sicilie and duke of anjou imprisoned his queen out of jealousie all the days of her life . about half a league distant from the town , doun the river stands a convent called bamet , worthie of seeing ; there is likewise on the other side of the river an old abbacie called les bons hommes , near to which there is a litle lake , which i suppose to have been the place where the blew sklate was dug of old ; you will find about the sides of it , aboundance of tribulus aquaticus , the fruit thereof is ripe in the moneth of august ; they use to boyll them and sell them as they do chasnuts , from which they differ not much in tast or quality , but verie much in figure , and therefore be pleased to provide a quantitie of them for your self and friends . you may likewise dry the plant , if you think fit . 8ly you may go if you please from angiers to nantes either by water or by land , in one day ; it is a prettie town and stands upon the loir and the sea flowing up above the town gives commodity to ships of a considerable burden to come up to the town . it is here that the greatest part of the wines that grow upon this river or near to it , together with the brandie made thereof , which are carried out of france , are imbarked . you must return again to angiers , and from thence to paris with the messenger . it is a journey of five days , and all that i know considerable in it , is first , that when you come near to mans ( which you will leave at a leagues distance , upon the le●t hand ) you will find in aboundance a kind of cistus , not mentioned by any that i know of , except petrus bellonius . forget not to preserve a branch or two , which you may fold in your portefoile , which for such rancounters you 'l do well to be stil provided of , and you may cause make them of what bigness you please , and have them furnished with gray paper within . i did allways use to carry one of a 40 form , with good tyers to it in a carpet bag ( such as they use in france ) tyed to the tore of my saddle , so that if it was my fortune to meet with any thing by the way worth the gathering , i could easily take it and preserve it with out being in danger to loss my companie . 2ly . the town of chartres ; in the great church whereof ( which is a most stately fabrick ) k. henry iv. was sacred . it is a place of great devotion , and there is kept in it amongst other relicts , one of our ladys smocks . you wil meet with several litle shops near to the church , where the chief trade is beads , and as they call them des chemises de chartres , which devout people buy and append to their chaplets , and then get them to touch the relicts , according to the custom . you may furnish this journey , and have time enough at paris to prepare your self for the journey to provence and languedock before the dog-days be ended , at which time it will be fit to begin your journey . and 1st . you may take the messenger to lions ; i think you must pay about twentie crowns ; for the journey is of nine days ; there are not many things considerable to be seen by the way ; only take notice 1st at nevers of the glass-works , and faiance , or white lame-works , of which the best in france are here . 2ly . at mouline ( where you will fall to dine ) ●●quire for the monasterie where the body of monsr . de monmorancy is in●erred , you may see a very stately monument of marble . the town is famous for the manufactorie of knives and scissers . you will not miss to be troubled with a company of women , who wait upon the arrivall of strangers , to show them quantities of this kind o● ware in hopes to sell some . 3ly . take notice of the well of pouge , the water is alummous and boills up in great quantity , of a whiteish colour , as if there were meal mixed with it . 4ly . roane ; which is said to be the largest bourg in france : they call that bourg which is not incompassed with wall or ditch . the loir begins to be portable here and cary boats , but it 's source is many leagues higher . 5ly . mont tarare ; it is a very great hill , and here you will find a change of the climate together with the change of plants , which i leave to your observation , and think it will be worth your while at night to make a note of all those plants that you meet with . being arrived at lions you must stay some time to see the place , which altho' in regard of its situation amongst hils and rivers , it be somewhat unwholsome , the air , being either too moist , or in summer t●o hot ; yet i look upon it as one of the best and most important towns in france , both for the magnificknesse of the buildings , the great tra●ique it hath with almost all places of the world , to which the situation of it betwixt two rivers , the soane and the rhosne is no small advantage ; for by the soane it hath communion not only with burgundie , but also with the ocean ; for chalon which stands upon the soane , is but a days journey from auxere , which stands upon the saine , and that river you know disimbogues it self in the ocean at haver●degrace . by the rhosne , it hath communion with the mediterranean sea , and consequently , with all the levant . the soane in latine araris is a pleasant and very soft flowing river ; the rhosne is fluviorum rapidissimus . the people are very ingenious and dextrous in the matter of traffick and business , they are likeways courteous & human , your most convenient lodging , will be auxtrois-rois : it is a good house and nea● to the place where the messenger of paris arrives . as also to the post-house . remember to see the maisone-de-villo which without exception is the most stately in france : take particular notice of its fabrick , statues , paintings , and ancient inscriptions , of which some are extant upon brass , its fountain's , courts , &c. 2. see the great church of st. john , and in it a most stately and curious clock , upon the upper part of which , i●mediately before the hour strike , the blessed virgine appears with the angel before her , as she uses to be represented at the annunciation , and within a little , a cock upon the top claps his wings and crows , and then the hour strikes . there is likeways considerable in it , a hand that points the minut of the hour upon the o●al , and altho' the parts of an oval line , be not equally distant from the center yet the hand which is fixed in the center , doth alwayes reach that line and never exceed it , in the whole compase it maketh . 3ly . there is an old monument about the midle of that fauxbourgh , by which the messenger of paris enters they call it tombeau-de-deux amants . it seems to be of roman antiquitie . 4ly , see the bishops house & and gardens , the great place before it , the bridge over the rhosne : and in short consider the avenues and compass of the town . 5ly . forget not to take with you your catalogue of books , for there are many booksellers in this place , that have great magazins of books , and have great traffick with all germany , swizerland and italy , and it is very like , you may come by books here that you missed of at paris ; for so it happened to my self . i must not omit in this place to tell you that it will be expedient , to draw your money from paris , to lions , either by bill of ex-change , or letter of credit , upon some honest , substantiall merchant , to whom yon must be sure to yet good recommendation : by his means you may return your money , to any other place as you shall have occasion , and likeways be furnished with new recommendations as you desire ; & this way you may make your money march from place to place , without fear or danger ; and if you light upon honest men the exchange will cost you nothimg , unless it be from paris to lions ; because of the disrance and that will not be above half a one per-cent : your merchant at lions , will be a convenient steple for receiving your letters , or any thing else , that you please to send from any other place , and to send it forward to paris , to be keept for you . by them you shall give advice to receive it from the carriers , or otherways to the merchant , that returnes your money to lions : but of these things i have said enough , for i doubt not that you are sufficiently informed of them already . from lions , you take boat to avignion , which is about fi●tie leagues : if the river be not very low , which seldom happeneth , you would go near to accomplish it , in two days and a half , or three at most . you have to take notice of , by the way 1st . vienne , a little but ancient town , five leagues from lions . see the forges where they make sword-blades , the haminers are moved by a wheell which the water turns , so that the stroakes are both frequent and equall . the town hangs upon the side of a hill toward the river . 2ly . some nine leagues from vienne , there is an old castle called le maisone de pillate , the place is no otherways considerable than for having been the retreat of pontius pilate , driven here , by , god knows , what accident . 3ly . valence , a pretie town only considerable for its university . 4ly . le pont-sanct-esprite seventeen leagues lower than valence , the town is not very considerable , but only for the bridge , from whence it takes its name , and which at that place stands upon the rhosne ; that which renders the bridge so considerable , is the breadth of the river , and impetuosity of the current ; for besides other small rivers , both the soane and the isere , a little before you come at valence , and several others below that , loss themselves therein . when you come at avignion , you may lodge at louxenbourg . the town and country belongs to the pope , whose legate resides in quality of governour . it will be fitting to stay here some days , that you may the better take notice of the following particulars . 1. the churches and religious houses . 2ly . the legat's palace . 3ly . the situation , and avenues of the town , together with the walls thereof , which are high and stately , and it will be worth your while to go about them in regard of the occasion you will have to herbarize , for here you will find many plants that did not appear in any other part of your journey . 4ly . the jurie or cantone of the town where the jewes dwell , i advise you by all means if you can stay of a saturday to see their synagogue and manner of worship , and if you be curious and make enquiry , you may possibly see a circumcision . 5ly . you may hire horse● to orange , which is but half a days journie up the river . the town and principality belongs to the prince of orange ; it is an ancient , tho' little town ; it was considerable in my time for the castle , which was very strong , both by art , and by its natural situation , which was so high , that from thence one might have discovered seven or eight provinces about , at least some part o● them : the town hath an ●niversity tho' not very considerable ; the inhabitants for the most part are protestants . there are yet extant some monuments of antiquitie , viz a triumphal arch a lttle without the town , and some ruins of a theatre within the town , both of which shows something of the roman greatness , in respect of modern times ; the coun●ry about is fertile , and there are whole ●●●lds of ●a●ron . i think it might be well worth the while to enquire about the best way of p●anting , cultivating , gathering and preparing o● it . having seen these thing and dyned , you return to your lodging at avignion the same day . the next day you take horses for aix , which is about two days journey or two days and a half a most . if you depart from avignion early in the morning you will have time enough to see vauclus , which is three leagues from avignion and then to go dine at cavaillion . i look upon vaucluse as one of the most considrable things i have ever seen : it is a fountain at the foot of a great rock very large and ●f immense deepness , which poures out so much water as to move four or five milnes about half a mile below . it is observed that the water diminishes and increases according to the season of the year . in rainy weather it abounds most , and yet when you consider the position of it , how much it is elevated above the plain , and what vast hills and rocks are about it , it is not conceaveable with what other water ▪ it should have any communion . the river that comes from it tumbles over so many stones and craigs ; that it makes a noise like the catarracks , and having neer three quarters of a mile to fall , it becomes exceeding swift before it arrive the plain , and there divides it self in two , and incloses a litle meadow in form of an isle , and then joyns again . the water is so clear , finding nothing among the rocks to defile it , that notwithstanding its swiftness , yet it hinders not the grass to grow in it's bed . the fiver is likewise recomended for excellent trouts and crawfish and it is agreeable to reason they should be good that live in so pure streams ; when you come the length of the mil●s you must quite your horse , to walk up ●o the sour●e , & and for that 〈◊〉 must take a guide , without which the way is not easie . as you go up you will observe upon the other side , in two other places , the ruins of two old castles , the one standing about a musket shot higher than the other , in the uppermost whereof did sometimes live that noble philosopher , and poet franciscus p●trarcha and in the lower donna laura his mistriss , in the praise of whose beautie and vertue he composed his most excelent triumfe d' amore ; a monument that hath outlasted her familie , in which her memorie is like to live as long as wit and learning continues in reputation . you may also in this place take notice of the paper-milns and consider that so usefull art of makeing paper , and labour to informe yourself well of all the particulars that when god shall be pleased to return you , you may make it practicable in your own countrey . i am sure we want not linnen rags in abundance which might be preserved for this use , and not thrown into the dunghill's , were people put once in the right way . from hence you go to dine at cavaillion ; in the rest of the journey to aix , there is nothing considerable , only you have a river to pass by boat called durance . aix , is one of the most delicate towns in france , it 's the capitall city of provence and the seat of a parliament . the streets are large , especialy one great street , the buildings fair and stately , the city well watered and the air very healthfull and sweet . from hence you go to marseilles in half a day , you may lodge at a l' aigle or al' teste noire . you must resolve to stay two or three days at least , for the more commodious seeing and observing the following things . 1st . the harbory or port , which is very spicious and deep , and exceedingly well guarded , having upon he entrie thereof to the sea ward , which is very narrow , not only a chain drawn , but also a very strong citidale , built within these seven or eight years , upon the one side o● it , and an other ●ort upon a litle island within the sea , at a leagues distance from the entrie , all which rendreth it most secure from the algiers and t●n●ies men of warr and other pyrats . 2ly . the cathedrall church , which you may easily guesse to be very ancient , from the modell and architectu●e thereof . it was first extructed in the honor of digna by the greek phocenses , who had a colonie here . 3ly . take notice in the 〈◊〉 before the church upon the wall looking to the sea , of nine or ten large brass guns , which use upon the day of the towns great festivitie ( which is sometime in october ) to be loaden with bull and discharged by so many of the best gunners of the town , a●ter great mass is ended , at a white mark placed on the side of the hill , on the other side of the harbour . he that shoots nearest the mark is esteemed the best gunner for that year . they begin to fire just as the arch-bishop comes out of the church . who having celebrated mass in pontificalibu● , returnes to his own hous● accompanied with the consul and chief magistrats of the place , and generally a●l the gentlemen & citizens of the best fashion , in their best apparell and a great consort of musick . 4ly . nostre dame de la gard , a castle upon the top of the hill to the southward of the town , in in the going thither , you will do well to bestow a whole day , and take with you a couple of souldiers , from the citidale , or else a couple of other souldiers armed at least with swords , and let one of them cary a couple of botles o● wine with bread and what else you think fit , as provision for that day , the other may cary a basket with you emptie , being thus accourted , you may herbarize upon the way to the castle , and put a litle quantitie of every herb you find into your emptie basket , the better to judge of it at your return ; as also of what seeds you find you may put up some for your own and friends use , you may returne by the way of the sea , and so herbarize all thereabouts . it is a most excellent place for varietie of plants , amongst the rest take particular notice of the tarto●rair massiliensium , upon the sea side you may likewise take notice , what stones or shells , mosses or any other naturall curiosities you can observe , & if any be worth the preserving bring them along with you . 5ly i would have you bestow half a day in a boat upon the sea without the harbour , but so as it be very calm , for then you will easily se the botom of the water , especially where it is not very deep , because the water hath no motion of ebbing or flowing , and so you may possibly light upon curiosities worth the gathering , for the taking up of which , you must provide creepers , which the seamen know how to use . 6ly . take notice of the situation fabrick , and avenues of the town , especially some shops upon the shoare , where you will find many curiosities , especially from the levant . i must recommend my self to you here , but especially for a good handsome tree of red corall ; as also one of those that are black , but are not true corall , and what else you think fit ; i shall hold you good accompt , for all expenses ; you may send them with your own things to lions , with order to your friend there to send them to paris , to be received by your factor and keept for you . 7ly . the place is commended for perfumes , sweet-powders , franchipane-gloves , &c. but there is great cheating both in the prices and quantities of the things ; therefore take heed to your self , if you buy any of them : i did formerly forget to tell you that avignion is famous for the same things , but especially for gloves ; whereof the manufactorie is very good ; and essences . but now i return to marsails where 8ly . take occasion frequently to view the fish-market , where you will not miss to see great variety of strange fishes well worth the observing , and for that end i wish you to acquaint your self with the icones piscium , together with their description , by petrus bellonius , it is in a long 80. and not very thick , & therefore you may take it along with you from pari. if any of these fishes which are not common with us can be preserved or keept any way ; as i doubt not but you will find inventions to do it , you will exceedingly oblidge us to bring them along with you , or send them as said is : be pleased to enquire ches les espiciers for a kind of seed which they call graine d' avignion , they sell it in great quantity to dyers who use it for dying yellow ; it is the lycium gallicum dalechampij ; it is a shrub not common here , nor yet in the north of france , and therefore worth the taking notice of ; i would have you bring us some quantity of the graine for a show about an ounce or so : but because i suspect , that which the grossers sell is dryed ; therefore i think it will be more profitable to search at avignion , where it grows plentifully , for some that is better conditioned for your own use . in your herborization at marsaills especially upon the hill , amongst other rare plants , you will find mypum montis ceti , sive herba terribilis narb●n●nsium lobelij . 9ly . take a view of the country about marsaills from some eminent place , especially east from the town , where the fertility is so great and the country-houses , and gardens , so thick , that they use to call it the suburbs o● marsaills , and say merrily , that marsaills and its suburbs is bigger than paris : the great conveniencie of these houses is to acc●mmodat the citizens with a retireing place , in time of plague , as also to divert themselves in summer , and to provide necessars for house keeping . at marsaills you must hire horses to frayole , which is some three dayes journey east ward toward neice ; in this journey , besides the things of pleasure you will see in this higher provence , you will have the best herborization , almost all the way , that you can possibly desire ; you must part from marsaills early in the morning , that you may have the more time to herbarize by the way , & that you may arrive in good time before it be night at saincte beaume , a place of much devotion , and the greatest solitude in the world. in the midle of a vast and terrible rock , there is a great cave where st. maria magdalen did pennance for many years before her death : it 's now upon that consideration turned into a chapell , with some few rooms clacht up against the face of a rock , like a bird cage upon the side of a wall , where some religious men ( as i think jacobins ) keep the place , and serve the cure in the chapel every day receiving confessions , & giving the sacraments to such as require them . there is a little kind of a chainge-house close to it , that provides meat for men and horses , at their own expences , but you mnst lye within the convent ; in the morning you must take a guide to the top of the craig , where there is an other chapel of devotion just in that place where the angels did use once a day , to carrie the saincts , from the cave to administer consolation to her . as you go and come you may herbarize , for the whole side of the hill before you come at the rock , is a wood : upon your arrival at the convent it is expedient to give some little thing out of charity , which i think is bestowed in maintaining the place . you will ordinarly find without the chapel door , some few little merchants that sell reads , and amongst other things , silk-cords of the just length and greatnes of the saint , all which people use to buy and carrie in to the chapel , there to touch the statue of the sainct ; which l●es just in that place , and in that posture , that she used to do pennance in ; you will likeways see within the chapel a very large well of good water , which they say did first spring there by miracle , for use of the sainct . from hence you take horses to sainct maximine , a little town , in the great church whereof , amongst other reliques , the body of st. maximine , uncle to st. mary magdalen , & sometimes bishop of marsaills , is preserved : if you please you may take this opportunity of seeing it , and there dyne , for it is a little out of your way to brignole , where you must lye the second night , and the day following you dine at a village called luques , and then go to lye ae frayote , or freust , which you please to call it . it s a town of roman antiquity , of which there are yet some rests to be seen , as aqueducts , &c. the town is not otherways considerable at all ; you will do well here , besides your own guide that goes along with you to take another man from the town , with an emptie basket , to wait upon you to the hil , called astral , about a league from the town , where you will have one of the most pleasant heborizations in the world : amongst a great variety of shrubs , plants , and trees , you will find a great number of arbutus , loaden with fruit , of a most beautifull aspect ; yet , somewhat insipid to the taste , it may safely be eaten , but doth not much allure the taste . several kind of spinous shrubs , amongst which acaeia secunda dioscorides sive aspalathus , when you come upon the top of the hil , upon the way to neice , there is an inn , where you may make a shift for dinner , and a little beyond it , upon the north-side of the hil , you will meet with aboundance of cork-trees , ilex , abics , picca , &c. i must give you notice here , that in this place , you are not , above two or three hours ryding , from cane , a village , upon the sea-side , some eight or nine leagues distant from neice , where ( were you to go to italy , ) you might commodiously hire a fel●oque of two oares a side for genova , and arrive there in four or five days , ter a terre , that is landing every day to your dinner , and to your lodging , in some convenient town : but i shall say nothing of italy , untill i understand from your self , that you have a design for it . i shall therefore returne to astrate , where having satisfied your self , with herbarizing you may returne to freiust ; loaden with seeds , and plants , and there consider them at your ease : from thence you may return to marseills in two days and so to avignion , by the way of arles , sainct eloy de cro● tarascon . at arles , remember to see the entry into a great passage all vaulted , which they say goes under the rhosne to nismes , & was made by the romans . at tarascon , you will see on the other side of the river bea●caire , most famous for a very great faire or market , keept there once a year , to which great numbers of merchants from many places of the levant , do resort . from avignion , you go ●o nismes , but you must part by times in the morning that you may have the conveniencie to see pont de gard , which is one of the finest peeces of antiquity extant in the world. it is a part of that a aqueduct , which the romans built for conveying a part of the water of the rhosne from the pont st. esprite to nismes , & because at the place where the bridge stands , the river gard runs low betwixt two hills , there was a necessity of raising the aqueduct so high as to level the tops of these hils , therefore it hath three ranges of arches , the lowermost are the biggest but fewest in number ; they are likeways the broadest , for besides that they support the second row of arches , they do likeways serve on the other side for a passage and bridge for foot , horse ▪ and coaches to the high-way : the second supports the third , which are not so high , but many more in number , on the top of all is the aqueduct five or six foot broad , and four or five foot deep , it is compassed with great flag stones on all sides , exceedingly well cemented together , insomuch that i beleeve it be yet very intire , except it be some few of the covering stones that are broak and fallen away . nismes is some three leagues , but they are long ones , from the pont de gard ; and i must tell you , altho' the way you are to follow from avignion to nismes , by the pont de gard , be for the most part very barren , yet you will find the weeds for the most part are , cistum ledum narbonense , thime , lavender , satureia , mirtles , timelaea , corranda , smilax aspera , lentiscus , terebinthinus , staebe salamantica , caliculis argenteis b. ilex , sabina baccifera , iunip : fructu majori , cistus mas , cistus faemina , thymum cephaloton clematis , vel flammula repens , aespalathus ▪ phyllarelea folio non serrata , jesiminum luteum bacciferum , stellaria argente● ambrosia campestris , datura simplici calice albo , aster attious foliolis ad florem rigidis , aster lunariae folio , flore trifolij . jacea cianoides flore albo folio multifido , trifolium bituminosum , acarna lutea , eringium luteum monspel : bicopsis flore carnec , carduus spharocephalus ceruleus , amaranthus viridis , campanula flore plumeo , attriplex non descript● semine singulari binis foliolis incluso , linaria minor lutea , paliurus and a great many more that i cannot remember of ; but it will be well worth the while to take a note of the plants you find in every place . at nismes you must lodge aux arenes ; you will see there a brave amphitheatre built by the romans , in greater integritie yet than any that ever i saw in italy , the stones of which it is built , as well as the pont de gard , are of incredible bigness , and altho' the things themselves be somewhat ruined ; yet they show greater statelynesse and magnificence than any modern building . there are some other remaine● of antiquitie about the town which will be showen you . from nismes you take horses for mompellier , which is a days journey from it ; you dine at lunel which is about mid-way , and because i have nothing to say of this place , i shall intreat you to bring me three or four ounces of the seeds of palliurus , for amongst other uses they serve for , they are the best bullets for cauters that can be , but it is for an other use i would have them . you will do well to stay some days at montpellier : you may lodge at the white horse , or otherways as you find your accommodation . it is a delicat sweet town , the streets well built , but narrow , because of the heats which are as great here as in any place of france , nor is it strange it should be so , being it is near upon the same latitude with rome . you will do well to see the physick schools , there is some curiosities to be seen in them . 2ly . the physick-garden ; in which you will find many excellent plants ; by making a little acquaintance with the gardener , you may command what seeds he has . 3ly . you will do well to make acquaintance with some of the students or young doctors of physick , by whose means and in whose company you may see all the places about monpelier that are fit for herbarizing , as particularly magelon , a little island of the mediterranean sea , lying within sight of monpellier . but by all means of the world , you must be sure to make a journey ten or twelve leagues from mompellier , to a place amongst the hils , which for the great varity of plants , that is found in and about it , is called hortus dei. you may likeways find some variety of shells and productions of the sea , to mompellier and the shoar , or coast , which is near the town . i must not omit to tell you , that if you please to make a collection of dry plants , this is a very fit place for it , both because of the heat which helps to dry them , both soon and well ; & also because of the garden & fields , that abound with plants , that are not common , & likeways , because of the good occasion you have to send them in a box , close packt up , ( as you have seen mine ) to lions , &c. in like manner , if you will make a collection of seeds , the best will be to keep them in their seed-vessels , and write upon every parcell , that you may dispose of them afterwards according to your pleasure . this i wish you to do in every place , that afterwards when it shall please god to bring you safely to bring them home , tho' you should not be able to raise them in this climat , yet you might have enough to know them by . do not forget the booksellers here , who may possibly have some of the books you look for . i must desire one favour of you in this place , that you would be pleased to enquire after the psilothrum or depilatory ointment , which they use in rome in the baths , and which i was so unluckie as not to mind when i was upon the place . it you can find the receipt , cause make some small quantity of it to try if it be right , which you will easily know by this , that being rubbed upon any hairy place , within a little space , when you come to wipe it off , it takes the hair without burning or scalding the skin ; but if it either burn or discolour the skin , it is not right . the place is afterward to be washed with a little warm water . i must likeways intreat you to be at ths pains to cause dry me a viper or two , it will be enough to dry their skins with the heads at them , stopped with flax , or cotton : but in no way must you medle with them your self , because there is danger , but imploy one of those fellows that brings them to the apothecaries , who for a small matter will do it . some day or other , you may be at the paines to see frontiniague famous for that generous moschat wine , called by the name of the place , you may collation there , and harbarize as you go and come . when you are satisfied here , it will be fit to set forward to thoulouse . you will see by the way , 1st . pesenas a pretie town , where it may fall you to dyne , au tapis vert , hard by the town , there is a very fine house , with excellent gardens , belonging to the prince of condie , it is worthy of your seeing . 2ly . beziers ; 3ly . narbone , which is a very strong and well fortified town , near upon the borders of catalonia . it hath communion with the sea , by means of a little river , that runs through the town . be pleased to see the great church , and in it a peece of excellent painting , representing the history of our saviour's raising lazarus from the dead . take likeways notice of the organes , the great pipes whereof ●stand by the pillar sides , at a great distance from the organ roome , and have the wind conveyed to them by a secret conduct ; which tho' it be no difficult thing , yet it is not common . from narbonne , you have six or seven leagues to carcassone ; they are two , ville and city ; the city stands upon a hight about half a leagues distance from the town : it is twice encompassed with walls and ditches , and is very strong , as being upon the frontiers o● catalonia . the town stands below in the plaine , and is much larger , better ●uilt , and better inhabited , & walled about with a more modern kind of fortification . the town is commended for cloath-works , & making of combs : the tradesmen use to bring them to the innes as soon as they understand any stranger to be arrived ; but your best will be to go to their houses , and see all , & try severals , for so you may best please your self , and make the best bargain too . there is of all prices , insomuch that i have seen ten pistoles refused for one single comb , of box-wood . but indeed it was of a vast bigness and most curiously carved . you may have very good ones for three , foure , or five livres a peece , as also some for 30 , 40 , & 50 solds . to be short , there is of all kindes and prices , and i shall earnestly intreat you , to bestow foure or five crowns , upon some of the midle sort , that is next to the best , and some again of the next degree to them for me , ( because of the carving ) to add to my tradescants . they must be packt up in a little wooden box , which the tradesmen know very well how to do . from carcassone to thoulouse , you have twelve leagues , viz. foure to vilpeinte , two to castelna● ▪ d' arri , two to vignonnet and four to thoulouse . the second town ( in the opinion of some ) in france , how justly , i leave to your self , when you shall see it . the town indeed is very big , and well built , all of brick ; but not very populous , i think for the want of trade , in regard it lyes farr from the sea. amongst other things , take notice of the following particulars 1st . the town house , in the court whereof they show you the place where the scaffold was erected , that monsr : de momorancy was beheaded upon , and some of his blood yet sticking upon the wall. 2ly . the parliament house , into which ( if it be sitting ) you must neither carry sword , nor spurs , unless you make account to pay a forfaulter . 3ly . the bridge over the river garonne , which is very stately , built of brick , somewhat after the model of the new bridge of paris , having a foot walk raised on every side , so that these that pass on foot , are not troubled with coaches , cairts , &c. that pass in the midle . 4ly . in the convent ( as i take it ) of the cordeliers , there is a peece of ground under a chapel , belonging to the church , wherein all dead bodies , that lye eight and fourtie hours , are so dryed , but without the consumption of any substantiall part , that they become incorruptible for ever thereafter . they will show you in a vault , hard by the chapell , some hundred of bodies , standing about the walls intire and dryed , as i have said , amongst the rest they show one bodie of a woman , called la belle paule , mistrels as it is said to some king , whose name i do not remember : but it is some hundreds of years since she died , and yet me thinks there is a beautifull proportion observable in her face . the rest of the curiosities consist in churches , religious-houses , &c. which i leave to your self . from thoulouse to montauban you about halfe a dayes journey , it is famous for the protestant university ; it stands somewhat high and declines a little toward the bridge , that stands over the tarne , which not far below the town , casts it self into the garonne . it hath many fine fountains ; but especially one , which they call the gri●one . it hath good trafique , because of the situation betwixt thoulouse and limoge and paris , as also because of the commoditie of the river , to bourdeaux : the town and bridge are all built of brick . it was formerly very strong , but because of its rebellion is now dismantled of all fortification . from moutauban to bourdeaux , you may go by water in a very short time , because the river is rapid ; the countrey about is very fertile and pleasant . you will see by the way , agen , an ancient city , where iulius scaliger was born : within 4 or 5 leagues of bourdeaux stands cadiliac , a most delicate castle , belonging some time to the duke d' espernon ; you must not faill to see them . at bourdeaux , i did lodge au chapeau rouge ; but i have been told since , that there are more commodious inns in town , which you may easily be addressed to . you will meet with severall of our countreymen in this place ; but particularly , sir david inglish , and harie iossy ▪ are of my acquaintance . and therefore , i must desire you to see them , & permit this , to present them my service . i must likeways intreat you , to be at the pains , to enquire for a doctor of physick , of the religion that lives here , whose name i have forgotten ; but you will know him by this , that he hath written in french something against doctor willes de febribus : which i remember sir david inglish , did once send me to paris . and therefore , he may probably know the man : the reason i desire you to speak with him , is , that you may learn from himself , what he hath published , upon this or any other subject ; and whatsoever they be , i must intreat you earnestly , to buy them for me ; for i have a very great honour for the mans parts , tho' i know not his person ; and i had the evil luck to lend that book , which sir david inglish sent me , to a doctor at paris , that did never render it me again . remember to see in the town , 1st . piliers tutilarrs , which are the ruins of an ancient roman temple . 2ly . the ruins of an amphitheatre , without the town , of roman antiquity likeways . 3ly . the cheasteau trompette , in which there is a garison keept by the king. it was pulled down by the citizens , in the time of their last rebellion ; but since re-built much better and stronger . 4ly . the port , which if you happen to see in the time of vintage , will be well furnished with ships from all places , and it may be from scotland . 5ly . that peece of ground without the town , which they call grave ; which brings forth the best wine about bourdeaux , and which for the most part is sold within the town , at as great a rate as ordinary french wine gives with us : and therefore being there is no great quantity of it , and that it would not turn the merchants to accompt to send it here , you may easily guesse how much graves wine we drink in scotland , altho' our people are pleased to flatter themselves , that all their clarets are such ; the rest i leave to others , to inform you of . i must only tell you , you will meet with as good fruits here as in any place of france , des treffices in latine tuberae terrae , they are found under the ground by the hogs , who use to smell them before they come at them , and by the noise and gests they make , give notice to their keeper , who presently puts them by , and digs the trefice for himself : they are in great esteeme , & being boyled and pared , use to be eaten by themselves with pepper and oyle , or else cut down with other things en ragoust . there are likeways here a kind of small birds but exceeding fatt , which they call ortolans , which are much prized for great delicacies . from bourdeaux you go to rochelle . in the way you pass by these places ; first blay , ville et city , the city stands on a hight and commands the river . it was at this place that of old the english ships were obliged to liver their canon , which were permitted the scots ( as a priviledge ) to keep a board ; as they passed to bourdeaux . 2ly . xaintes or saintes , the capital town of xaintonge ; it stands upon the river charante ; here are some rests of roman antiquity , as of an amphitheatre , &c. but especially of an arch , upon the bridge over the charante , on which you will read this inscription . caesari nep : d. iulij pontifici a. there is also an inscription , on the reverse which i remember not . you will see likeways here a steeple , the stairs whereof that lead to the top are on the outside . 3ly . brouage ; about half a days journey from saintes , a little , but one of the most regularly fortified towns in all france , in which there is a continuall garison keept , as a guard for the salt , of which vast quantities is made here , by the heat of the sun every year in this manner . they let in the sea water by a 〈◊〉 , cut purposely in the ground into severall ponds , cut out likeways of purpose of a certain deepness : they fill them in the summer time , and then stop the entries that no more water come in ; when the sun hath co●●●cted it enough , they gather it together i●●eaps , and carry it to places appointed for it . the town stands upon a little river which i● navigable , because the sea flowes a good way above it , the salt marshes about the town , are little less than four leagues about , & render the town by so much the more strong . you must be sure to arrive there at a good hour in the day , for at sun-setting the gates are shut , and none whatsoever can enter . you must salute the governour , or in his absence , the chief●off●cer , and desire libertie of him to view the town , which he will readily grant you , and appoint a souldier to wait upon you ; from the walls , you will discover the marshes about the town , and then he will bring you to the arsenal , and there you will see their magazine of ai●s , and then having given something to the souldier to drink , you may thank the governour & take leave of him . this is all that is to be seen in this place except you make account to see the isle of ol●rone , which lyes without the mouth of the little river , about a league or two in the sea. from brouage you have seven leagues to the rochell , upon the way to which you will have occasion to see a great many sea-plants , such as kali , kali spinosum , salicornia , cakeile s●rapionis , papaver corniculatum luteum , eringium marinum , crithmum ; with many others . the rochel is much more famous for what it was , than for what it is , it was the strongest hold , the protestants had in france , but after the taking of the town by lewes the 13th . the walls thereof were quite demolished , so that scarcely the vestiges thereof remaine : the harbour is considerable , for it enters within the midle of the town . at ●resent it hath a considerable trafique 〈◊〉 salt , white wines , &c. you must be at the pains to see the isle of re , about a league from the town , but not above a quarter of a league from the land. as you go from the rochel , to the place where you are to take boat to cross over , they will show you the ruins of that digue , which cardinal richlieu caused make by sinking of barks , loaden with stones , to hinder all relief for the town by sea , and it was observeable , that the very day after the town surrendered , the digue was broke down by storm , which if it had done but three days sooner , it may be justly questioned whether the town had ever been taken , especially seeing the english fleet was ryding before the isle of re. in the isle of re , there is a citadale , near to which you will be put a shore upon the island , but it is not usual to permit strangers to enter into it . at the east end of the island , there is a little town called st , martines , in which there are many dutch families , because of the great trafique the dutch hath with this place , for salt and white-wines . the island is generally of a sandie soil , and only made fertile by the sea ware which they throw upon it , and which in my opinion is the cause , that all the wines both of the island and about the rochel tast brackish , especially when they begin to be old . you will find amongst other plants upon the island aboundance of pancratium , except you come in the latter season of the year , when probably it may not be found . you may returne at night to the rochelle , from whence you have a messenger to paris , upon the way to which there is nothing that i need to trouble you with , except poictiers , that i have not seen my self , and therefore can say nothing of ; from poicteirs your way is to amboise midway betwixt tours and blois of which before . i must advertise you here , that if you please you may make this tour an other way viz. to nantes , as in the former advice concerning the petit tour , as far as nantes , from thence to the rochell , bourdeaux , toulouse , narbonne , montpellier , avignion , and so all the rest throw provence ; and then back to avignion , from whence to lions , and so to paris with the messenger , or coach , which you like best . for your better understanding in the country , it will be fit to carry a map , or carte of france along with you , to look upon the situation of every place as you pass , for doing of which a litle time will suffice once a day . let it be illuminat for the more easie discerning the different counties and their bounding . you will do well likewise to carrie a book with you in 80. called le voyage de france , which will inform you of many particulars , that either were not at all seen and observed by me , or else have escaped my memory ; and indeed it is no great wonder if they have , having been so lazie as not to make any memoire of them whilst they were yet recent in my mind . and this is one reason of the tumultuarinesse and disorder of this letter , but i am well pleased to think , that by the amendements you will make both in seeing , observing , and writing down all things more particularly , we shall have occasion afterward to put the voyage in a better dress ; i must likeways beg your pardon for not having writen to you sooner , having been several times called out of town since i began to write this letter : if you find it tedious in reading , blame your self for being the cause thereof , and be the more patient , in regard i shall not have occasion to be any more so tedious , unless you go for italy , and give me a timeous advice of your intentions . i shall conclude all with my best wishes for your health & happy return , & most earnestly intreat you not to grudge us with the effects of a spare hour , that seeing at this distance , we cannot be so happy , as to enjoy you personally ; we may at least by this next best way entertain a correspondence , which i assure you will be a great kindness to your friends here , but to none so much as to my self who cannot be indifferent in any thing , that concernes you , and therefore cannot but be sollicitous , to hear often from you , as the only thing , that can supply the want of your person , so much desired and longed for , by &c. letter iii. containing advice for travelling into italy . written to a friend it is much better to go into italy in the latter end of autumn , than in the spring ; because the change of the air is not so much from one extreme to another in that season , as in the other ; for the mildness of the winter in italy ( especialy upon the south side of the appennine ) doth not so much recede from the temperatness of autumn in france , as the heat of summer in italy exceeds the mildness of the spring in france . it is certain , that if a man intend to stay but a half a year , it is better to begin the journey in autumn , and finish it in the spring , than to begin in the spring , and finish it in autumn , and so be obnoxious to the excessive heats of summer . if one intend to stay one or more years , it is undoubtedly best to begin the journey in autumn , because the winter , being much more clement than usually it falls out with us , will be easily supported , & all the heat that happens in the following summer , in regard it comes by degrees , will not so readily affect the body , that hath been already inured to the air of the climate , for some time before . the most convenient way of making the toure of italy , ( in my opinion ) is to go through provence to cane , a small inconsiderable town upon the frontiers of provence , and there to hire a felluck to genoua , and , if you cannot get one at cane , to go to nize , which is but six or seven leagues further , where you will be sure to find one ; a felluck is ordinarily of four oares , and hath this advantage that you go in it ter ' a terre , that is so near the land , that in the case of any danger by storm or otherwise , you may easily run on shoar and escape it , and besides , land as often as there is any town or other thing worthy the seeing , and likewayes ly a shoar every night , at some good town or other . a felluck will serve to carrie half a dozen of persons with ease , besides the rowers : the price is not fixt but more or less as the fellucks happen to be more or fewer in number . ours cost us about 11 or 12 crowns , in regard there were but few at cane , but you may chance to get one for 8 , or 9. especially if ye be few in number and not much baggage ; you may provide every morning to take along with you , wine and what victuals you please , the rather because sometimes it will happen that you will have no conveniency of any town about mid-day , and therefore must dine aboard your fellucke . the first thing you will meet with , worthy the taking notice of , is nize , a city belonging to the duke of savoy , it lyes near to the sea syde , at the very foot of the alps , and hath a very strong cittadale belonging thereto : some two miles from thence stands villa franca , one of the best ports in italy , it belongs likewise to the duke of savoy , and is guarded with two castles , one whereof stands on the top of a rock , upon which growes in great aboundance the ficus indica . some three miles farther upon the coast stands the town and palace of monaco , or morgues , it is a principalitie by it self , and hath very litle land belonging to it : the place is strong standing upon a rock , which is not accessible , save at the side where the palace stands , and where it joynes with the land , all the rest being compassed with the sea. in the palace they use to show 1. the princes wairdrob , in which there is good store of silver plate , and other rich furniture , 2. severall rooms as halls , galleries , chambers &c. well furnished with hangings , cabinets , pictures , &c. 3. a little garden upon the top of the rock , behind the palace , made up of earth brought thither on purpose . at the foot of the hill near the town there are store of carobe trees , or siliqua dulcis , bauhini in pinace . i must not omit to tell you that you must be sure at your first leaving of france in the last town that you happen to be in , whither it be cane or any other , to get a certificate of your health and freedome from the plague , as also of the freedom of that town . there are persons appointed in every place for giving of such bills , or patents de sainte , as they call them . their subscriptions are known to the next townes about , where you are to go , so that it is not easie to counterfit , and besides it were very dangerous to doe so ; they are very scrupulous in this matter upon all the coast of liguria , for fear of contagion ; so that when you arrive at any town , before you go a shore , you must send one of your boat-men , with your certification to be shown to such as are appointed for those matters in that place , who immediately upon the sight of the bill permit you , la practica , that is libertie to stay in the town as long as you please , and do what you will. when you part from that , you must take a new certificat to the next place , and so of the rest untill you come at ligorn , where this niceness will end . you must carrie with you no secret weapon , as dagger , pocket pistols , or the like : and this is general all over italy , except only in the kingdom of naples , and states of venice and milan , where it is permitted to wear daggers . at most towns in italy , you will be oblidged to leave yonr hulster-pistols , and sometimes your sword with the guard at the gate you enter in by : and then they will ask you , by what gate you are to go out , and accordingly your arms will wait for you , which they will know to be yours , by the delivery of a nick-stick given you as you enter , and which for that purpose , you must carefully keep . in most places , strangers are permitted to weare their swords . your cloak-bag likeways will be visited at every town , to to see that there be no customable goods in it , and if there be any books , you must give up a list of them to the visitor , or inquisitor appointed for that end , and he will signe it with order to let them pass , providing , there be no prohibited book amongst them , for if there were any such , it would be dangerons ; yet there are wayes enough to convey books , or any other thing of whatsoever nature , or quality , from any sea-port , without any danger , which you will easily understand , after your being a while in the country . from monaco you will easily reach oneglia , which is at about twelve miles distance , and about 5 miles further albenga , from thence you have seven miles to n●li , & ten more to savona , from whence there rests five miles to genoua , all the coast , of liguria , from nize to genoua , & some days journey beyond genoua towards ligorn , is nothing but rude alps , for the most part infertile and unhabitable , except towards the bottom near the sea , where there are little smal valleys here and there , both delicious and fruitfull . for the rest it is wonderfull to see with what industry & trouble , they have been able to place little smal villages , as it were in the clefts of the hills , and plant olive trees , where one would think nothing but crows could venture to big . all this tract is extreamly hot , especially in summer , being directly opposit to the south , and altogether guarded from the north , so that the reflection of the sun beames , makes a heat almost insupportable . genoua la superba , so called from the sumptuousness of its buildings , and so they use to give other epithets to other towns , as roma la saneta , fiorenza la bella , bolognia la grassa , padua la dotta , venetia la rieta , &c. it is said that genoua has montagnie senza legno , mare senze pesce , donne senza vergonia , & gente senza sede . it is a republick & the government administred by a senate . it is a city of great trade and very rich , and it is said they account usury no great sin : it being their maxim , that cento per cento e niente , cento cinquanto per cinto e quelcha cosa , du cento per cento e quadagnio hone●io . you may take notice in the place ; first , of the situation of the town , and so you may herbarize towards the west-side . 2ly . the senate house , 3ly . the churches , and particularly that of st. lorenzo , which is the cathedrall , a stately fabrick crusted with marble . 4ly . that famous street , called la strada nova , which is composed of so many palaces , most of them of marble : you must by all means endeavour to see the most considerable palaces . within you will find them most delicatly adorned with all sorts of fine things , as statues , paintings , &c. you must also see their gardens , where besides severall sorts of flowers , shrubs , and trees , you will likeways find delicat fountains , fish-ponds , and grotto's ; as particularly in the palace of the principe d'oria ; i would likeways have you see the palace of signior baldi , and some other houses of pleasure especially towards the sea-port , where they stand at the foot of the hill over looking one another as they mount in degrees in form of a theatre , and all of them having a full view of the sea-port , which is very spacious and very deep ; but in my opinion , not so very well guarded from stormes . that which i find most considerable in it is , the mole , which secures the entrie thereof , it being the best and strongest and in the deepest water i ever saw . at the east end of the port there is a litle promontory called capo de fara , upon which stands a high turret , which they call la lanternâ , from the top whereof they use to discover all vessells at sea at a considerable distance . 5ly . forget not to visit the book-sellers , but in regard this is a generall remark not to be omited , in every town where there any , i shall say no more of it here , but shall put you in mind of it now and then . from genoua you must again provide your self of a felluck to ligorn , which you will find readier and at an easier rate , because of the more frequent traffick and intercourse , than from cane or nize , you will pass by porta fino , leresi , viaregia , &c. and you wil not find many things considerable more than i have already noted on the coasts of liguria betwixt genoua and nize , except that when ye pass leresi a litle , you begin to discover a large plain , part of which belongs to the state of genoua , and therein are the quarries that furnish all italy with the best marble , and the rest is the principality of massa ; for the better seeing of which if you please you may go from genoua by horse to ligorne . tuscany begins about viaregia , the greatest part whereof is under the dominion of the great duke of tuscany . ligorn is no antient , but yet a very handsom and well built city , by ferdinand the first , great duke of tuscany , of whom you will see a most stately statue or rather colosse , with slaves chain'd at his feet , on each side kneeling ; a litle without the gate as you go to the sea-port . the town is regularly fortified , they say , by the contrivance of the duke of northumberland , who was banished out of england in the reign of queen eli●abeth , and well receaved and much esteemed by the then duke of tuscany , for his excellent parts and qualifications . the duke for incouragment of trade hath granted great immunities to merchants of all nations whatsomever , which is the great cause that the town flourishes so much in trade , and is so well peopled : severall nations have established great factories here , but especialy the english and hollanders who have made this place , as it were the staple of all their commerce into the levant . the jews also have a very great freedome here and are not distinguished by any particular mark , as in other places , from other merchants , but live honourably in a particular street of the town , built by themselves , yet not sequestrated from the rest of the town by any wall or gate , as they use to be in all other places , where i have seen them . the english merchants live very splendidly , and are very hospitable and courteous , especially , to their countrymen , that travell that way , under which name they comprehend all that are subject to our king : the jews synagogue here is the best in italy ; and therefore worthy your seeing . they observe our saturnday , so that if you please to stay , you may see their form of worship . you must take particular notice of the sea-port , which is undoubtedly the most secure and finest in all italy , in which you will see the great dukes gallies , which he kee●s for a guard , to his countrey against the turks men of war. it is worth the while to see a gallie put out to sea , or , as she comes in , for so one may see the discipline of the slaves to whom the bosson delivers the word of command by the noise of a whisle , the diversitie whereof they are as well acquainted with , as horse-men with a trumper , or foot with a drum. if you be diligent you may meet with severall curiosities , some naturall , some of art , especially from the levant , and all at reasonable rates : and for the more commodious doing of this , it will be fitting to make acquaintance with severall merchants , especially english , who will either inform you themselves , where such things are to be found , or else address you to such persons in the town , as may best hap to do it . it is likeways necessary for you to have such acquaintance , and amongst them some one confident for returning you money from england , or at least for returning you , what money you have not present use for , to florence , as also for keping correspondence with ; that by this means , you may send any thing you please to your confident at london . and because this advice may be usefull in many other places ; i shall be more particular in it here for all . i suppose then you were to send any little ball for trunk from ligorne to london ; your way would be first to pass it at the custom house , where , i think books , and curiosities pay nothing but yet you must have an order for shipping of them , then you must agree with some english master of a ship , bound for london , for the portage , and accordingly draw a bill of loading — which is of a common stile bearing , that such a ball or coffer marked , — ( and sometimes it says , marked as on the margen , and then the mark whether it be letters or figures or both , which is put upon the goods , is likeways placed upon the margen of the bill ) is imbarked this — day of — and year of god — aboard the good ship called — now in the port of ligorn , and bound for london , whereof mr : — under god is master , the which ball is consignable at london to mr — merchant &c. or bis order , for which he is to pay — english mony , he receiving the said ball well conditioned , without skaith or damage , there must be three copies of this bill , one you must subscribe , and give to the master of the ship , for 〈◊〉 warrand to carrie his fraught . the other two he must subscribe and give to you , whereof you must send one by post with a particular letter of advice , to your correspondent at london , to warrand him to call for the goods , at the master of the ship ; and the other you must keep by you for your own security , in case there should be any miscarriage , either through the skipper , or merchants fault , and then your goods may be imbarked . if you were to send from florence , then you must in the like manner pass your goods at the custom-house ; if there be any books among them , you must have a particular licence as i noted formerly , and then cause unball them at the custom-house , and set your mark upon them , and find out some boat going for ligorn , ( which you will be sure to do , ) and take a note under the boat-masters hand of the recept of such goods so marked , consignable to such a ma●n merchant in ligorn , for which he is to pay so much fraught , he receiving the goods well conditioned . this note you must send by the post to your merchant in ligorn , together with your acquittance at the custom house of florence , which will serve to acquit them at ligorn ; together also with particular advice to dispatch them by the first good occasion for london , and to take bills of loading for them , whereof you must desire one copie to be sent to your self , which you must keep for your security , as said is ; from rome you must use the same conveyance to ligorn : but from venice you must address immediately for london , and in the same manner as from ligorn . if you be to send any thing over land , where you go not along your self , you must make two letters of voiture ( having first agreed for the carriage at the rate of so much per cent. ) whereof you must give one to the carrier , which is a kind of advice to the person you address your goods to , which is in this form : suppose from turine to lions , you write thus , sir i have sent a bundel marked — by — indweller in this town , and carrier to lions , addressed to you , which i desire you would be pleased to receive , and being in good condition , pay for it at the rate of — per cent. and i shall hold you account thereof , or otherways place it to the account of — at paris , to whom i desire you to address the bundell and send it with the first good occasion , and i shall be accountable to him . the carrier will part from hence , such a day being the — day of — and will arrive at lions the — day thereafter , the bundell contains no merchant goods , being only books , &c. for my own privat use and therefore not customable i rest . sir , yours &c. the other letter of voiture is an obligation under the carriers hand to you , which you must send by the post to your correspondent at lions . the form of it ought to be as follows . i vnder subscribed carrier of turin , acknowledge to have received from — the — day of — at turin a bundell marked — weighing — addressed to — merchant of lions to whom i promise to deliver it in good condition at lions , ( with the help of god ) or to his order , he paying me at the rate of — per cent. therefore . in witness whereof i have subscribed their presents with my hand at turin the — day of — anno — i have been the more particular in these things , because altho' they may seem to be triffles , to those that are conversant in such matters , yet a small mistake , may be the occasion of a great miscarriage . i shall now return to put you in mind of some other particulars , and 1. that in this place , oisters are a very great delicat , there being but one person that has priviledge to sell them , for which he payes a considerable sum to the great duke ; i know not well from whence they are brought , but i am sure it is from a considerable distance : they are keept in the town-ditch , on the east side of the town , which is full of salt water , because it hath communion with the sea ; the keeper hath a little house hard by , and according to the number bargained for , takes them alive & very fat out of the ditch , & sells them at the rate of a pistole the hundred . they are many times put into the ditch little , and keept untill they be big enough , they taste very well , and are by far the best in italy . 2. to the east-ward of the town , about a mile or little more , there is an hill called monte nero , upon which there is good harbarizing . you will do well to take a horse and a guide with you to the place . from ligorn you have 15 miles of smooth and plain way to pisa. it is an ancient city , sometimes a common-wealth by it self , and then both rich and populous : but since it was reduced under the command of the great duke of tuscany , it is neither of the two ; the far greater part of the inhabitants , after the town was reduced , chusing rather to abandon their native country , than their liberty , or at least preferring a voluntar subjection abroad , to a necessitated slavery at home . the city is large and beautifull , divided , as it were in two by the river arno , and again conjoyned by a beautifull bridge , of white marble . the air of this place , in winter , is judged to be more temperate than that at florence , & therefore the great duke uses to pass the winter here . there are many things considerable in this town ; as , 1st . the great church , which is a stately fabrick , and well adorned within , as also the batistaria whereof the doores , as also of the great church , are all covered with massive brass , cast into delicat figures . 2ly . the crooked steeple , which leanes to one side very far from the perpendicular ; some people alledge it was purposely so built , but i am more apt to beleeve that the ground hath miss-given on the one side by little and little , or rather insensibly , which may be some part of the reason , why it hath hung together so long without falling , to which the excellencie of the cement and workman-ship hath contributed very much ; my opinion , to one that narrowly observes , will not appear to be unreasonable , for the outside is of so many rows of small pillars going round about , and the lower-most row , on that side that it leanes to , is more than half hid in the ground , where as those of the other are wholy to be seen ; which i suppose could not have happened otherways , than as i have said . 3ly . the buriall place , which is the most stately i ever saw , being a long quadrangle , well walled and galleried about , in the midle whereof are very many monuments of great antiquity , of many of the ancient noble families of pisa. they are most of them of white marble in shape like a coffine , wherein the body of the dead persons was laid : some of them are carved in one fashion and some of them in another , and some of them into excellent figures . 4ly the dukes palace . 5ly . the physical garden , together with the rarities that are keept in a gallery belonging to the garden , where you will see a very great collection of natural curiosities . the garden uses to have very rare exotick plants ; but in regard you can have no access to it , except by the recommendation of the physitian , that is professor of botany for the time , therefore i think it will be worth your while to make your address to him , for a libertie , first , to see the garden and gallery ; secondly , to get from the gardener or himself , the seeds , of such as you have a mind to , and a peece of the plant for drying , if you think fitting ; you must not be negligent here , for this is one of the best gardens in italy , & in my opinion preferable to that of padua , especially for exotick plants . the university , for the whole estate of tuscany , is keep'd here , and if you please you may see the schooles for all professions , and particularly that for the lawes , where the most renowned bartholus did teach . amongst the booksellers you may find something to accommodat you , because it is an university town , and i shall tell you here , because i do not remember to have it done as yet , that , generally speaking , all sort of books in italy , are cheaper than in any other place where i have been . i pray you remember to get a couple of the catalogues of the garden there , of the last edition . from pisa , you have but a small half days journey , of very pleasant way , to luca , which is a delicat little town , a republick by it self , and having but a very small territory belonging to it ; it is well and regularly fortified with a dry ditch , which is keept very cleane and in good order , and allways green : the republick is governed by a prince or chief magistrat , whom they choose of their own town , and change him every two month : so soon as any one is chosen , he must leave his own house and friends , and retire himself to the publick palace , where he is assisted by some other of the nobles , & cannot come out untill his government be finished . the humour of the people is chearfull and very civil , and contrary to the custome of all italy , men and women converse freely amongst themselves or with strangers . they use balls & danceing , much after the french fashion ; the religious people use to distill spirits and essences , whereof you may provide what quantitie you please , both good , and good cheap , i wish you might help a friend to some of orange-flowers and myrtles ; the religious women likeways use to make very prettie things , and particularly i remember they use to sell stomagers of quilted silk , which most people use to wear in the winter-time , of one fashion or another . from luca , if you please , you may go to pisloia , and so to florence , or otherways returne to pisa , and from thence , either by coach or horse , to florene . if the weather be not too hot , it is better to go on horse-back , in regard of the prospect of the countrie , which cannot be had in a coach. florence is a new town , but one of the most beautifull in all italy , and therefore called fioren● a la bella ; it is situated upon the river arno , which divides it in two sev●rall places , over which stands four fair bridges . the city is counted at least six miles in compass ; the beautie of it consistes in the stateliness of the buildings , the great number of palaces , the neateness and cleannesse of the streets , occasioned by the largeness and smoothnes of the stones , with which it is paved ; the many large places , fountains , statues , churches , towers , convents & gardens ; of all which it hath very many of the best in italy . there is scarce any thing in this city ; which is not very well worthie to be taken notice of ▪ but particularly . 1. the dukes two palaces , the old and the new ; in the new the great duke himself keeps his court. it is a ●ost magnificent structure , o● the t●scan order of architecture , but not finished as yet ; the garden belonging thereto is very well furnished , with rare plants and flowers ; of which the catalogue is printed , of which i desire you to bring alongs a couple of copies . it will not be a miss to make acquaintance with the gardener ; for , so you will get what seeds you please . the old palace stands in the great place of the city , in the midle of which place there is a stately colossus of brass , of cosmus great duke of florence a horse back , by the model whereof that of henry the great upon the new bridge of paris was made . near to the entrie into the palace there are severall other noble statues of marble : within the palace it self is that so much famed , over the world , gallerie , which is composed of many roomes , containing great varietie of the choisest curiosities ; as sta●ues , busta's , baserelieues , paintings , drawings , prints , cabinets , jewels , cameo's , intaillia's , with all sorts of anticailles , with an infinite number of master-peeces of latter times . amongst other things , there is a chamber or two full of all sorts of armes , amongst which those of charles the great and roland , with severall swords of henry the great , also a great number of cymiters , some whereof have their scabbards set with rubies , emeralds , and other precious stones . there is an ancient buckler with a medusa's head , painted by michael angelo bona rota . i remember to have observed some ancient casaques , whose weight i am confident no head could sustain , unless so adjusted to the rest of the armour , and that to the sadle , that the horse must have carried all . you must endeavour to get a writen inventure of the severall curiosities in the gallerie , for without that it is not possible to remember every particular ; within this palace , the great duke uses to keep the most excellent artisans he can meet with , of all trades , to whom he gives considerable salaries and priviledges , whom you will do well to see , but especially the stone-cutters , of whose art i intreat you to take particular notice , and what instruments they use , and learne at least as much of it as may serve to polish stones . amongst other curiosities of this trade , you may see a new way of mosaick work , wherein the figure is compleated most delicatly , both as to the parts and colours thereof , by the natural colours of the severall peeces of stones assembled together ; and which is strange , all the lights and shadows requisite in painting is herein observed ; so that they can imitate nature allmost as fully this way as in painting it self . this way differs from the old mosaick , in that the particular peeces that compose it , are of different figures according as the colours require ; for example , a cherrie because it is all of one colour , therefore it may be represented by a red stone of a round figure in one peece , but the stalk of it must be of an other different figure : but in the old way , all the peeces were quadrangular , whatsoever might be the colour or thing to be represented , and of this kind of mosaick you will see a most excellent peece in st. peters church at rome , representing st. michael the arch-angel treading upon the devil . in this palace likeways , the great duke keeps a chymical laboratorie , called la funderia , wherein are made very many notable preparations with great faithfullness , especially spirits and essences , which may be bought here at reasonable rates , and without fear of being cheated , as to the goodnes of the things , 2ly . severall churches and convents , particularly the dome the out-side whereof is the most beautifull in europe , being all crusted with black. white and red marble , fit●y placed together in regular figures . the church within is paved with black and white marble , and richly adorned with chapels and altars ; the cupola is very large and fine insomuch that the golden ball upon the top of it , which is able to contain a great many persons , does not appear from the ground to be bigger than a good foot-bal ; near to the dome stands jota's towre , one of the most admirable peeces of architecture , in the world ; being a square steeple , without any spite on the top of it , all crusted with black , white and red marble , in most regular figures from the top to the bottom ; near to it stands the round chapel of st. john delicately payed with marble , and adorned with statues , with a rich vase adorned with precious stones , wherein the children are baptised . the doors of the chapel are of brass , all in figures of personage in base-relieve of most admirable workmanship ; in this chapel is the sepulchre of jota , that renown'd painter and architect , upon whom there are some excellent latin verses there ingraven , which i have lost , but ●o●mend to you to take a copie thereof . in the church of st. spirito ; there is an altar ha●cost above a hundred thousand crowns , which were left by a florentin gentleman for that effect . in the church de sancta cr●ce , ( i h●ve ●orgot whether i● belongs to the 〈◊〉 or ja●obi●● ; ) michael ang●●o bona rota i● interred , and it is said at his own desire , that he might lye within the view of jota's towre , which he did so much admire in his lifetime ; upon his tome there are three most delicate statues , the one represents painting ; the second , sculpture ; the third architecture : in which three arts , he was so great a master . st. laurence church was magnificently built by cosmo de medicis , whose scpulchre is to be seen there . there is that famous chapel , which the dukes continually labour to finish . it is the most glorious thing extant in the world , there being already bestowed upon the workman-ship thereof above eight millions of gold , and i beleeve a considerable deal more will not perfect it . it is not very large , but built round ; it is all mosaik , both the floore , roofe and sides ; and the least considerable stones that compose it , are jasper , porphir , alabaster , lapis lazuli &c. there are severall nests in the wall about , where the statues of the dukes are to stand as they lived and succeeded to the another . the great altar is not yet set up , because of peoples being still at work in the chapel , nor is it yet altogether finished , but yet there is so much done , that to look upon it , one should hardly think there were any thing wanting . it is keept in the dukes wardrobe in the old palace , of which i forgot to speake formerly , and therefore tell you now that it is one part of the old palace which you must not faile to see , there being in it a vast treasure of silver and gold plate , with many other precious things . the altar is keept in a little room by it self , i shall not under-take to descrive it particularly , but only desire you to consider well every part of it , the richness of the materials and excellencie of the workemanship , the mosaicks , and the christall pillars , and i believe you will easily excuse my holding by the general , and omitting to speak of particulars : i do truely think that the beauties and excellencies of this chapel and altar , are so great and so many , that they deserve a particular book to make them known to the world , and it may be there is some such work intended , or alreadie extant , which if it be i am confident you will take care to have it . i must give you notice in this place , that you will doe well to treat with some of those men that work about the chapel , or else with some of those stone-cutters in the gallery for some small peeces of all the species of stones ; let them be of such a bigness as may easily serve to know them by . i make no doubt but you may get them at a reasonable rate . but i must earnestly intreat you to mind those two species of stones which are found in quarries not farr from florence , whereof the one naturally represents townes and landscapes , the other is some what whiter , and has trees and forrests represented on it , by little black draughts ; i remember to have shown you a small peice of each sort , but now i would have , two or three larger peeces of both the sorts , of about a span-length , and of the best marked , for i intend to put them in frames , as a cheif ornament of my tradescants . i shall hold you compt for the price . 3. the place where the wild beasts are keept . it is a long square peece of ground walled about , and galleried on the top for spectators ; under the galleries are litle cells that open to the place , in each of which there is keept a severall wild beast , such as lyons , tygers , leopards , woolfs , beares , &c. these have their keeper that waits upon them , and feeds them , and when the great duke commands , they are brought out , one or more , as he pleases , and bated with dogs , or otherwise set to fight with one another , upon such occasions strangers are permitted to see . 4. the book-sellers ; of which there are prettie store here and those well furnished too . you cannot miss of a casalpinus de plantis or two , for it was printed in this place . if you can get his appendix ad libros de plantis , you will oblidge me to bring it with you ; it was printed by it self at rome . you may possibly meet with other good books , for it is ordinar when learned men die ▪ for book-sellers to buy their books . i must likeways put you in mind to buy a printed paper for me , that was published at florence , called testis examinatus ; it containes two or three figures of the testicles with a short description thereof , in one single leaf . there is one dr. kirton dr. of physick , he is a very civill and obligeing gentleman ; if he be yet alive he will be your interpreter : and if you need not that , he will help you to expede the rest of your affairs ; in short , both his counsell and his company are to be esteemed ; he is an english man born , low in stature and prettie ancient . you must not faill in this place to take notice , of the variety of fruits , & wines ; as the red florence wine , which is counted the best for ordinar drinking , being stomachical and without sweetnes . the white florence wine , which is sweet ; verdea , which is delicious small sweet white wine ; monte pulciano , white and red , both very good wines , so called from the place they grow upon , and many more such . if you happen to be here in the summer time , especially when the grapes are ripe , you will find in the markets great varietie of fowles and small birds , whereof i intreat you to take notice , but especially of those kinds , that are not common with us , and try to get their skins , which may be easily done , when the bird hath not been long dead ; the rump must be left at it for preserving of the taile ; the head , wings and feet must be likewise left , and only tbe body taken out , & so the skin filled with flax or cotton . this i intreat you to remember to doe wheresoever you shall happen to be in the summer time , and if any such occasion present it self to you in winter , not to ommit it . from florence to rome you have 140. miles ; there are severall wayes of travelling , viz. by coach , by procaccio or messenger with whom you agree for so much ; as is usuall in france : and by the viturin , that is , by hyring of horse at a certain rate , & paying for your own entertainment at every part as you pass . if you be acquainted with the customes of the countrey , and have language enough to make your self understood , this last way is the best , because you will be sure to fare better , and cost you no more , than you would otherwise pay to the messenger , who will be sure to provide the worst chear for you , that he may make the better for himself : in short , it is best to be master of your own purse , and not live at the discretion of your conductor . i have forgot hitherto to tell you that there is some incommoditie for travellers upon the road , as to their bedding , their cloaths espiecially , the sheets being for the most part very nasty , and it is but now and then that either money or fair words can procure a pair of clean sheets . the best remedy i know is not to put off ones cloaths , and to wrap ones self , especialy the head , in their cloak , that the face and hands may not touch any unclean thing ; in short a litle patience will do it , and you will be sure to be better accomodated in good towns. the places you are to pass by , are cheifly these as follows . florence . s. casciano 9 miles le tavernelle 8 miles pogibonzo 5 miles staggia 4 miles siena 9 miles montarone 5 miles lucignano 3 miles bonconvento 5 miles tornieri 5 miles s. quirie 4 miles la scala 4 miles ricorso 4 miles la paglia 5 miles ponte centino 9 miles acquapendente 2 miles s. lorenzo 3 miles bolsena 4 miles montefiascone 6 miles viterbo 8 miles ronciglione 10 miles monterosi 8 miles roma 20 miles there are not many considerable things to be seen upon this road ; siena was a republick by itself , but was reduced by the emperour charles the 5th . and by his son philip gifted to the great duke of tuscany , under whose power it still remains . the town is of a good bigness , and commended for it's situation , and the purity of the italian tongue . the dome or great church is a statly fabrick ; it is paved with marble , but especialy the quire , upon which is most curiously graven the history of abraham sacrificeing his son , and history of the maccabees , and for the better preservation of them they are covered with matts . there is likewise an entrie from the church to the bibliotheck of aeneas sylvius , who was born in this town . he was once legat from the pope into scotland , and afterwards created pope himself , and took the name of pius secundus . he was a man of great learning . the late pope alexander vii . was native of this place , of the family of chigi ; his statue is to be seen in the great church . the greatest part of the and the towre belonging to it are of black and white marble without . in the church of st. dominic , amongst other relicts , is preserved the head of st. catharine of siena . the tovvne is well watered with many fine fountains . the great place is made with a kind of descent theatre ways , so that from the middle of the place you may see all that walk in it . montefiascone is famous for a most delicious kind of muscatello wine , which you must be sure to tast. the messenger uses to dine without the town , but you will be sure to fare better and get better wine within ; there goes a storie that a german killed himself in this place with drinking excessivly of this muscat . as you goe from thence to viterbo you will find a kind of aspalathus , which i take to be acacia altera angularae . it growes as high as our broom , and is plentifull enough , so that you will easily discover it . from viterbo , all that distance to rome is called the campania of rome , in which it is thought most dangerous to sleep in the summer time , therefore if you fortune to travel it in summer , whither to rome or from it ( the same is under stood of 40. miles distance round about rome ) you must be sure not to sleep in the campania , which you may easily avoid by travelling in the night . when you arrive at rome you must give up your name at the port ; your countrey , the place from which ●ou came last , and the house you goe to lodge at : and from thence you must go a la dogano , or to the custom house , where your cloakbag must be searched , and from thence to your lodg●ng place , according to the billet given ●ou at the port , without which no house ●eeper dare receave a stranger ; but they ●re things of course and effectuat without any trouble . you will doe well to lodge in a pension for the first week , untill you have made some acquaintance , by means whereof you may be fullie informed where to light upon a convenient camera locanda : there was two french pensions , and one english in my time . the first of the french was al monte d'oro . the second was nella strada del populo the english pension was in the same strada del populo , alla villa di londra : we had severall countrey men living in the town in my time , as particularly signior roberto pendrick , a worthie old gentleman , and most obligeing to his countrey men , he was my particular good friend ; and i make no doubt but you will find him so , for i hear he is still alive , and i wish he may be long so . he lives in a house of his own upon the triuita di monte . there is an other called signior don gulielmo lesly , he is chaplain to cardinal carlo barberino and lives nella cancellaria . i dare be confident to give you this man for one of the most faithfull friends in the world , and one in whose goodness , prudence , kindness , and good conduct you may trust ten thousand lives : to be short you will find i am not mistaken , when i call him deliciae humani generis , for in all my lifetime i never knew another like him , make it their whole work and study to find opportunities to oblige every countrey-man according to his condition : the p●●r of them , with food and rayment and whatsoever else they may stand in need of , and all other men with continual offices of civility . by his means you will get to see many of these things i shall recommend to you hereafter . if i know of your going to italy in time , i shall have a letter there before you . your best convenience for lodging and diet will be a camera locanda . you may take it in that place of the town that suits best with your occasions , you will pay for it by the month , less or more according to the goodness of the chamber and furniture thereof . as for your diet it will be drest in the house , and you must tell at night what you intend to eat next day , that they may provide it for you : as for the prices you cannot be easily cheated , because as to that , most things are regulated , and in the quantitie it is not possible you should be overreached because all things are sold by weight . there are severall kinds of bread used in this city , but that which is called papaline is undoubtedly the best . there are likewise many sorts of wines , some of them galliardi or strong , as greco , muscatello di saragosa , lagrima &c. others are legieri , or small , and they are many ; the best for common use is albano , which you may drink pure : and it is remarkable that there are but few places in italy where water may be drunk safely , and because one may be mistaken in the choise , the best remedy is to drink none at all . there are great variety of fruits according to the seasons of the year , i shal only desire you to be cautious , and not to eat too much or too often of any , but especialy , of melons , cucumbers , and the malanzane , or mala insana , which are a kind of solanum pomiferum . there are good store and many kinds of fishes , especialy sea fish , whereof the best are , sols , il pisce capone &c. the tunino is a great fish as big as our salmond , and red like it , but harder and dryer a great deale , the bellie of it is verie fatt and they use to salt and sell it in the taverns , being sliced in small peeces upon a trencher ; fresh sturgeon is very common ; lobsters are much harder and worse to disgest than ours : as for fleshes , bufalo is only eaten by the poorer sort of people ; beif which they call vacina is good ; vitella campo reccia , or hudron is good , but above all the vitella mongana or sucking veal . lamb is worth nothing , nor mutton either , which they call castrato , and serves only to make broath for sick people ; kids are good . in the winter-time there is is abundance of sangliers or wild boars , as also porcepics . the snow in that season , driving them from the hills to the valleys , where they are killed by the hunters . there is likeways great variety of fowl. there is none so common as quailes , at two seasons of the year , that is , the spring when they come into italy , and the latter end of autumn , at which time they are much fatter and better when they go from it . it is said that they draw together to the coast side , and there wait for the rest of their number a whole moneth , and then at last , their caravan being complete , they flee away nearer the sunn in a great cloud . the pigione sotto hanca are the biggest and fattest , and best for eating in the world : they are good in all seasons of the year . about the time of vintage there are great variety of small birds , all very fatt & good , and at easie rates , amongst which the ortolani , and beccafiche are most esteemed . as for the things to be seen here , they are so many , and so considerable , that it would require a large volume to describe them , and there are abundance of such books extant , to which i referr you , and especially to one in 80. called l' antichita di roma di andrea fulvio : but you must not fail to get an antiquario , who for a certain summ of two or three crowns will show you all the particular antiquities and considerable places of the town , and as for the fuller information of them your book will serve you : i shall only hint at somethings worthie to be taken notice of ; 1. the court ; that is , the pope , cardinals , prelates , monsigniorie &c. there are some great holy days , when the pope celebrats mass in person ; it will be sit to wait upon some of these occasions , for then you will see the grandeur of the court and the forme of a cavalcata , together with the popes ordinary guards . 2. the churches . 3. the palaces ; especially those of the vatican , together with the bibliotheck and gardens of belvidere , in which amongst other things take particular notice of the statue of ly●aon with the serpents wreathed about him ; there is an other garden also belonging to the vatican , in which there are many exotick plants , it was planted by the popes order , by tobias aldinus and is keept still in reasonable good order ; amongst other things you will find the cameripses , or camedactylus , of the bigness of a low tree and carrying fruit ; there is likewise a grotta or water work , and very fine fountains of water , about which grows plentifully the capillus veneris major or ramosus . and arum aegyptium mathioli , sive colocasia , which is a plant carying no stalk , flowr nor fruit in italy ( i know not what it does in its native soyle ) but only broad leaves very large and round . the palace of farnese ; and in it that gallery whereof the painting in fresco by aniball caraccio is so famous , and the tauro which is kept in a little house a part , in the back court of the palace . it is the noblest piece of art extant in rome altho it be very antient , as being one of those named by pliny , to have been in his time in foro trajani ; yet it is not only intire , but as beautifull as if it had never been moved out of the place it stands in now . the palace of principe pamphilio ; it stands in the piazza navona , where you may take notice of that glorious fountain made by cavelier bernini , whereupon the top of a little artificial rock , are placed , four great delicate marble statues , representing the foure great rivers of the world , and each of them pouring out of a vale placed under one arme , a great quantitie of water , and in the middle of the four there stands one of these gulias graven with aegyptian hieroglyphicks , brought from a●gypt by the antient romans . they use to stop the way-goe of the water , sometimes in the summer , and lett the place overflow with water , and then people come toward the evening , in their coaches , and drive softly up and down the water to take the fresco , which is one of the greatest gusto's in rome . palazzo borghese , standing near to the ripetta . palazza palistrino ; and in it the library , where you may see two copies of the hortus eystetensis , one illuminated and the other not ; mr. lesty will command you a sight of that when you please , for it belongs to cardinall francisco barberino . the popes palace of monte cavallo , and the gardens thereof . 4. the villa's : as first that of borghese , which is without the walls : there is a particular book to be sold by the house keeper , that sufficiently descrives it and all the beauties of it , to which i refer you . 2ly . the villa or palazzo medici , belonging to the great duke of tuscany . it stands upon the monte trinita , the hall is adorned with a great many pillars standing about the walls , of most delicat marbles , and the originalls of a great many illustres and virtuosi . in one of the chambers there is a most beautifull statue of venus , of grecian antiquitie . in the garden there is a noble statue of cleopatra , the ruins whereof were repared by michaell angelo bona rota , and many other statues releiv's and vases , which for brevities sake i must omit , and refer you to the particular books that treat of those things , but most of all to your own diligence in viewing them and keeping a punctuall register of all that you see , and so i shall only name some of the villa's that remain , and are most considerable . as the villa montalto ; the villa ludovisi , where amongst other admirable things the statue of the dying gladiator is excellent . the villa farnesi ; the villa pamphilio , which is a pretie way without the walls , and the rest which i leave to your sight . 5ly . the castle of st. angelo , which formerly was the burial place of hadrian the emperor . 6. the hospitalls ; particularly that of st. spirito , which is a most magnificent structure , and well appointed in all things . they will show you amongst other remarkable things , the place where the children of such a bigness are permitted to be put in , without any further inquirie made after them , or who brought them . by this means the life of many a child hath ben saved , which otherways would have been taken away to prevent the disgrace of the parents . they are no sooner put in , but nurses are got for them : if they be boyes , when they come to a convenient age they are put to trades , according ro their several inclinations and capacities . but if they be girles , then when they come to the years of discretion , if they incline not to a religious life , every one of them is provided with so much portion to marry her with , out of the common revenue of the house ; and then upon a certain day appointed for that purpose ; all zitelle or maids come in procession , one after another , with their faces vail'd , and the men that come there upon such days , of purpose to choose a wife , ( for all of them have a like portions ) pitch upon such as please them best , and present them a nosegay , after which , she is sequestred from the rest , & the marriage solemniz'd , after the man has given information of himself and sufficient caution that he shall provide a lively-hood for her . there is a very fine little garden that belongs to the hospital lying just upon the tyber . it uses to be well furnished with plants , and i have seen the dictamnus creticus in flowre there . 7ly . the convents ; as particularly the french minims upon the monte trinita . in the upper gallerie of their cloyster there is a dyall , where the sun beams , entering by a small round hole , point the hours . it was made by marsennus that famous mathematician , a father of their countrie and order . they have likeways , in a particular part of their garden some rare plants , as malus punica flore amplissimo pleno & variegato . the minerva ; which was anciently the temple of minerva , and now is the chief convent of the domini●ans in rome . in my time there was a french father there called padre barilieri secretarie to the general for his nation ; he was a great virtuoso , and exceedingly well versed in the whole historie of nature ; he had a very curious collection of many naturall things , and was about to have published a large book in folio , wherein he had designed a natural history , with a great many cutts , which he showed me . if the book be published , i should be very glad to see it ; if he be alive , it will be worth your while to procure his acquaintance . he hath also a garden well stored with plants at st. xisto . the roman colledge ; where there is a famous shop and laboratorie for pharmacie , as also a garden . 8ly . the capitol ; the middle of the place before it , is the statue of the emperour marcus aurelius , a horse-back in brass ; it was brought thither from the place before st. john de lateran , and is thought one of the best modells in the world. at the top of the staires , as you enter into the place are two horses , one on every side held by a slave in marble . they were brought thither from the ruines of pompey's theatre . there is also in the same place two trophies of marius ; there is also columna milliaris , with a brass-ball on the top of it ; there used to be such a one at every miles end , upon the common roads ; & from thence came their fashion of counting the miles per lapides , as primo ab urbe lapide was a mile from the town &c. the capitol , as it now is , consists of three palaces all of excellent architecture , and beautified , both within and without with painting , statues , and other monuments of antiquitie ; the particular relation whereof i referr to the books that are written thereof , and particularly to one called roma antica & moderna , & to the particular demonstration of the antiquario , for i find it will be utterly impossible to discourse of every particular , unless i should resolve to compile a volumn . the rest of the monuments , and rests or rather ruins of antiquitie , i shall pass over , and only name a few of them ; as for example , first , the walls of the city , which were built by bellisarius captain of the guards to justinian the emperour . the breaches have been repaired by severall popes . the ports for the most part are the same they were anciently , only the porta del populo was made a great deal more stately , at the first entrie of chris●ina queen of sweden into rome . there is a long courten of the wall betwixt porta del populo and villa borghese , under which it seems the ground has misgiven , so that the wall bendeth , & is therefore called muro torto . near to this place also , is the burial place delle cortegiane , there being no christian burial or holy ground allowed to such persones . there is good herbarizing about the walls , especially on the out-side , and particularly you will find a plant there which is not common else where , at least that i have observed , viz. sature●a spicata sive thymbra s. juliani● 〈◊〉 satureia vera lobelii . upon the wall of the city , close by the port of st. paul● in via ostiensi ; there is yet extant a pyramid built of marble , which was the burial place of c. ces●ius septemvir epulonum . secondly . the old temples ; whereof there are so many that it would be tedious to describe them all , i shall only name some , viz. the pantheon now called madonna della rotunda ; it was built by marcus agrippa , son-in law to augustus caesar , in honour of all the gods. it had the fortune to escape almost totaly , the ruine , and fury , which the goths & vandals brought upon the roman empire and magnificence thereof . i admire the roofe of it , being so large and so flat without any pillar , to support it , and altho ' it be a vault , it hath no nevilstone to bind it in the middle , but in place thereof a round hole so wide that it lights the whole roome abundantly , nor is there any other window in the fabrick . the next thing i admire in it is ●he doore-cheeks and couple which is all of one peece of white marble . the door opens in two leaves , very wide & very high , they were covered with corinthian brass , as was also the whole roofe , until the time of vrban viii . who took it off , and covered it with lead as it now is , and made thereof the great altar of st. peters , and some peeces of ordinance , that are keept in the castel st. angelo , as will testifie a particular inscription at the side of the pantheon doore , made by the popes command . upon this occasion was that pasquinad ; quod non fecerunt barbari , fecere barberini . it has a most stately portico before the gate , of a great many large tall pillars of egyptian black and white speckled marble ; the descent into the portico from the street is of ten or twelve steps , but it is said , before the ruine of the city , that there was as great an ascent to it ; whence it may be gathered , what an universal & great devastation of buildings must there have been to fill up so great a deepth . and indeed it is observed , that when they have any occasion to dig , it is long before they come , in most places , to the terra virgine , that is , which hath not formerly been broke upon : and when they are digging into old ruins , for anticails ( as they are continually doing in severall places ) they leave off when they come to the terra virgine . before the portico there is a large coffine , with it's cover and supporters of porphyre which they commonly call agrippa's tombe . near to the entrie of the camp of vacino , at the bottom of the back stairs that lead to the capitol , there is a chapel under ground , which was formerly the prison of st. peter and st. paul , when they suffered for the holy name of jesvs . it was then called tullianum , according to that of cicero ; est locus in carcere quod tullianum appellatur . the temple of saturn is hard by , which in ancient times was the aerarium publicum , in which the publick treasury was keept . thirdly , the amphitheatres ; most part of which are ruined , especially that which was built by titus , now ●alled the coliseo ; by the part thereof that is standing you may abundantly judge of the magnificence of the whole , when it was extant . there is good herborizing within it , and there is one dominicus pa●arolus that hath writen catalogus plantarum amphitheatralium ; with the rest of his works in ●0 . romae , apud ●ranciscum monetam 1652. to which i refer you. fourthly , the aqueducts ; of which the most part are ancient : when they come near to the city , they are convey'd under ground to several fountains in the city , and some of them so deep , that it is prodigious by what art they could have peirc't so deep , as for example , the aqua virgine , which is the sweetest and best for use in all rome , is conducted so deep thro' the monte trinita , that in the french minims garden there is a descent of six or seven score steps to come at it . amongst all the fountains in rome the most beautifull are in the piazza navona , in the piazza st. pietro , the tre fountane , &c , 5ly the thermae , or baths ; as the thermae diocletianae built by the emperour diocletian . it is said that ten thousand christians were imployed about this work , and all cruely massacred when they had finished it . it is now a monastery of carthusians , in whose common garden i remember to have seen the myrtus buxifoliis . the ruins of thermae antonini caracallae ; they are situated ad radicem collis aventinae . i have seen amongst these ruins that kynd of capillary , which is called hemionitis , and no where else that i remember of . sixthly the two columns of antoninus , and tra●an emperours ; the statue of st. peter stands upon the top of one , and that of st. paul upon the other : trajan was so well beloved of the people that to make a place , which in honour of him they called forum trajani , in the midle of which this column stands , they levelled a great hill , of the precise hight of the column it self . both the columns are of white marble , and all the out side historified in base relieue , in a spirall line beginning at the bottom and ending at the top . that of trajan hath the whole storie of the dacian war. there is a great book in folio of this column , wherein all the figures are cutt in brass , and the large description thereof added . i have forgot the authors name , but i believe you will find the book al insegna di parigi alla pace from jacomo rossi . where you will likewise find all other sorts of prints and t●lledouces . the columne of antoni●us ▪ is 160 foot high and that of trajan 128. altho' they apear to be but smal yet each of them hath a stair-case within , that leads to the top. there are some others but less considerable , as that which stands before st. maria majore , which was one of the pillars of the templum pacis , brought hither by paulus v. who placed a brasen statue of the blessed virgine upon the top thereof . there is likewise not far from the same place a little column with a crucifix on the top of it , erected in memorie of the absolution given to henry the iv. king of france ; in the capitoll likewise there are two viz. the columna milliaris , of which already , and the columna rostrata , which you will see when you view the fine things within that part of the capitoll whi●h stands next to the river , where the hill is most steep and was anciently called tarpeia rupes . seventhly , the triumphall arches ; as particularly that of septimius severus ; that of titus ; and that of constantine &c. eighthly , the bridges upon the river . ninthly , the obelisks ; most part whereof are graven with aegyptian hieroglyphicks . the best of them is erected in the middle of the place before st. peters , upon the back of four brazen lyons , and a large pedestal of marble . the next best is at the porta dell populo . tenthly , the septem colles or montes ; upon which rome is said to be built viz. mons capitolinus , mons palatinus , mons aventinus , mons celius , mons esquiline●s . ( where the house of virgil was and the garden of mecoenas , ) mons viminalis and mons quirinalis , called now monte cavallo where the popes palace is . eleventhly , some other hills : as the janicular , which is a chain of hills without the walls in the trans●evere . and the mons testaceus , which is nothing but a heap of broken earthen pots and bricks ; for in ancient times these were so much in use ; and the figuli or tradesmen that made them , so numerous , that there was a necessity of appointing them a particular place , and that by publick edict , for throwing the ru●bish of their furnaces and the pot sheards that broke in the baking into , least otherwise if it had been permitted to throw them into the river , it might have occasioned an ●nundation of the city . in process of time it grew to the bignes of the third part of a mile in compass , and a hundred & sixtie foot in hight . this hill is within the walls not far from the side of the river , as also mons vaticanus in trans●evere , so called a vaticiniis which used to be made there : the palace of the vatican stands upon it . twelthly , roma subterranea ; commonly called the catacombs , whereof bosio hath writen a large volumn in folio . there are two of them , both without the walls . one of them is at st. sebastion's church . they are caverns digg'd under ground in the forme of a town , that is , larger and lesser streets crossing one another , in some place lower so that you must be forced to stoop , but in others higher than a mans hight , and all along as you go upon the one hand and the other , as thick as they can stand one by another , are holes or nests wherein were placed the bodies of the dead , one by one , upright upon their feet , and so the nests plastered over . the bodies and reliques of many saints and martyrs have been found here , and were known to be such by the cross found upon their sepulchers , with this inscription pro christo . you must take good lights and a good guide to conduct you , for some have mistaken their way and never found an outgate . the second , i need not describe it . there are severall things about rome worthie the taking notice of , as 1. ponte mola a bridge standing upon the tevere ; in latine anio , some two miles from the town , before it joynes with the tyber . you go to it by the port del populo . it is considerable for it's antiquity . it was at this bridge that constantine the great vanquished maxentius the tyrant : there having appeared to him before the battle , in the firmament , a red cross with these words in hoc signo vinces . the story is painted in fresco in the palace of the vatican by a great master , where you may see it and you will seldome miss painters in the roome a copying of it . 2. the city of tivali , in latin tibur ; by the way you will pass a little river , the sulphureous and noysome smell whereof you will perceive at a miles distance ; it is of a whitish colour as if meall were mingled with it ; there is a white slymie sulphureous substance adhering to the sydes and bottom of it , which is soft whilest it is under water , but being once dryed becomes very hard , they use to make counterfeit comfits , & which they call comfits of tivoli and use to cheat people with them for sports sake . the river runs into the tiverone and spoils the water thereof , and in my opinion , does much harme the water of the tyber it self , because the tiverone joyns with it before it come at the city of rome . the town is verie ancient , having several marks of great antiquity , as sybilla's temple , &c. close by the town the river teveron● falling from a great hight over a rock makes that famous cascata so much talked of . it makes a horrid noise and continues frothy and working for a good way below the fall , and hath made a million of meanders and strange figures in the rock where it falls . a little below the fall there is a bridge over it of a considerable hight above the water , where if you stand a while you will perceive a dew able to wet you , which arises from the fall of the water after the river is fallen . several parts of it are conveyed by aqueducts into the town for severall uses ; as namely one part for the brass works , where you may observe , that the waeer blowes the fire , not by moving the bellowes ( which is common ) but by affording the wind ; an other part of it is carried to the villa d' este where there is a curious palace and most curious gardens with all sorts of ingenious water works and other ornaments , as statues &c , belonging to gardens . amongst other things there are several artificial birds , that sing their natural notes by the help of the water . there is an organ that plays sweetly , moved only by the water , which also furnisheth it wind. the girandola is considerable , where the water rises in a gross body very high , and the ayr being artificially mixed therewith , makes a noice that exactly imitats thunder . tivoli is some eighteen or twentie miles distant from rome you may easily go from rome and see all things considerable there , & returne the same day to rome , unless you please rather to goe to frescati , which is a most delicious litle toun about twelve miles distant from rome , standing upon the side of a hill , from whence in clear weather you may easily discover rome . the place is beautifi'd with many delicat villa's about it , amongst which the most considerable are , first , the belvidere belonging now to the principe pamphilio , the water works whereof are esteemed the best in italy : there is a centaur that winds a horne by the help of the water , with that loudness , that it can be heard at six or seven miles distance . there is a low room which they call the apollo , at the end of which apollo sits upon the top of an artificial parnassus . with the nine muses about him , he with his harp , and they with their severall instruments of musick , which play by the help of the water , which is convoyed under ground and is not seen within the room . about the middle of the room there is a little hole , out of which the wind ( occasioned by the motion of the water underneath ) comeing furth , hath so much strength as to support a wooden ball , of the bigness of a tennes ball , at half a ell's distance and more from the floor , without ever letting it fall to the ground . 2ly . at half a miles distance from frescati are the ruins of cicero's tusculanum , and lucullo's country house ; as also a curious villa called monte dragone , where the house is well adorned with paintings , &c. and the gardens with water works . 3ly if you desire not to returne to rome first , you may goe directly from hence to castello gondolfo , which is about ●ive miles distant from frescati , and fourteen from rome . it is a most delicious countrey house of the popes , to which he uses to retire some moneths in the summer , for the good air 's sake , it hes the prospect of a most delicat lake , encompased with hills , that are all shadowed with trees , where amongst other pleasures you will not want that of herbarizing . being returned to rome you may make another little journey with your convenience to ostia , which is some twelve miles distant from rome doun the river tyber , it was of old the great harbour for all the ships and gallies that belonged city and empyre , cutt out as it seems by art , but now thro' long neglect filled up and useless . having seen all and dyned , you may returne before night to rome ; it will be fit you be at the pains to make another journey to caprarolla , one of the noblest palaces in italy , built by the famous architect vignoli , by order of cardinal alexander farnese . it belonges to the duke of parma . it is distant from rome miles it is in figure , pentagone , having five very high and equal faces , with a court perfectly round in the middle , as likewise are the galleries and corredor's about it . morover there is almost as much lodging below ground as above . the hangings , statues , pictures , as also the gardens , fountains , and other embellishments , doe well sute the magnificence of the palace . having seen rome and the places about it . it will be fit to make the voyage of naples . the months of april and october are most convenient for this journey , the heat being too great in summer , and the snow and raine troublesome in winter . from rome to naples .   miles . marin● , 12 velitre , 08. sezza 15 biperno , 04 terrazina , 10. portella , 03. fondi , 05. itri , 05. mola . 04. tragetto , 10. pass the river garrigliano . sessa , 07. carionole , 04. capua , 12. auersa , 07. naples 08.   114. as you go out at the port st. gioua●ni , all along the campania on every side of the high-way , you will meet with many ruins of ancient burial-places for several miles from the city . velitre ; is an ancient city of the volsci , much famed also for the parents of octavius augustus , who were originaly of this place . upon the way from veletri to sezza , upon the hill-side under sarninetta , there are some ancient ruins supposed to be the tres taberna● , of which st. luke speaks in the 28. chapter of the acts of the apostles . sezza , formerly setia ; was much commended for its wine , whence that of juvenal . — tunc illa time cum pocula sume ▪ gemmata & lato setinum ardebit in auro . piperno ; in latin privernum ; and the inhabitants privernati ; near to this place , iris florentina , grows abundantly . terracina ; was anciently called auxur , in the language of the volsci , of whom this was the metropolis . strabo sayeth that it was called trachina , quasi aspera from the rockiness of the hill upon which it is placed ; altho' the town be ancient , it is not very considerable , it is the last place of the ecclesiastick estate towards naples ; passengers use to dine here at a pittiful inn without the town , where there is no manner of furniture , but vvood to make fire : it not being secure for any body to live in it , because of the turks that often land here , and take what they can meet with . vvhen the people that keep the house see any strangers arrive , instantly they make fire and bring provision from the town . the sea comes very near to the foot of the hill where the town stands , and on that side which is towards naples , the rock is precipitious , and betwixt it and the sea , leaves but a very narrow and strait passage , which one man may guarde against a hundred . fondi is the first town you meet with in the kingdom of naples ; here you must give notice to the officers appointed for that purpose of your intended journey for naples , and cause registrat your name , together with the marks of your horse , that he may be the better known when you return , to be the same that you brought along with you from rome , or otherways you will not miss to be challenged upon your return , and stopt , untill you can produce a certificat that he is the very same you brought into the kingdom with you . there being a general prohibition , the observance whereof is strictly lookt to , against carrieing horses or mares out of the kingdom , into any foreign part , least the breede of them , which is esteemed amongst the best in europe , should become common to other nations . notwithstanding of this severity , sometimes with credit , and sometimes with a little money , a man may obtain permission for the transporting of one or more , either horses or mares . mola , is one of the most pleasant places in rhe world ; being close upon the sea side , and but a little way from gaieta , to which you may go either by sea or land. it is likeways hard by the ruins of the ancient city formiae , where cicero had his villa formiana . the place abounds with many plants , and great varietie of the choisest fruits ; especially the agrumi , such as citrons , oranges , limons &c , of all sorts . if ye please to go to gaieta , it is worth the while : it stands at the extremity of of a promontory or tongue of land that runs out into the sea , from the main-land about three miles , and by that means becomes peninsule , and formeth on the side towards rome , betwixt it and terracina , that sinus gaitanus , about twelve miles in length . the town is pleasantly situated and strongly . there is a great rock hard by , which is rent from top to bottom , which they say , happened when the saviour of the world suffered upon the cross. there is excellent herbarizing all the way betwixt it and mola . trajetto is a castle near the place where the ancient city of minturnae stood , where there is yet to be seen an amphitheatre almost intire , and the remains of a great aqueduct : it was amongst the marishes near to minturnae , that c. marius did hide himself , when he fled from his enemies ; whence that of juvenal , exilium & carcer minturnarumque paludes , et mendicatus victa carthagine panis . you must pass at this place the river garigliano , called li●is anciently . capua , is a new city standing upon the side of the river vulturnus , and some two miles from it , the ruins of the old famous capua which in the old romans time , was esteemed one of the most delicious places in the vvorld . there are yet vestiges of the gates of the city , of a theatre , of a great many sumptuous temples , cisternes under gronnd , and a great many other things ; that evidently show it to have been a magnificent city . the country from vulturnus to naples , is called the campania felice , and is indeed the fertilest soyle and bautifullest country that my eyes ever beheld . aversa is a new city , extructed out of the ruins of atella , it is distant 8 miles from naples , and famed for a kind of wine called asprin● . that way which leades from rome to naples , was anciently called via appia , from appius claudius the censor , who caused pave this way from rome , just to capua . it begins at the port now called st. sebastian , but anciently porta capena , from the capenati a people of latium , to which that way did lead . the via appia is of that breadth that one chariot may easily pass another . the emperour trajan did renew it , and continue the pavement even to brindici , drying the marishes , plaining the hills , and filling up the valleyes . by this way anciently did pass the greatest part of the triumphs ; whence it was called regina viarum : whence that of papinius ; appia cunctarum fertur regina viarum . altho' this way be ruined in many places , yet it is wonderfull to see , in how great perfection a great deal of it continues . without doubt it has been a matter of vast expense to make a way of that length , and breadth so well paved , with quadrangular stones , that even to this day ( altho' it be of common & frequent passage ) continueth as intire as if it were newly done . upon both sides of this way , as far as capua , there are a great many ancient sepulchres ; many whereof are altogether ruined , and some almost intire , as yet ; in one of these sepulchres , in the reign of alexander vi. ( as volateranus tells ) the body of a delicat young vvoman , was found altogether intire in a marble chist . she was of incomparable beautie having her long flaxen hair drawn together upon her head with a circle of gold. the body did almost swim in a mervellous kind of liquor and had a burning lamp at the feet thereof , which the air , coming in at the opening of the sepulchre , did instantly extinguish . the body ( as did appear by the letters graven upon the place ) had lyen there thirteen hundred years . some have been of opinion that it was the body of tulliola , the dearly beloved daughter of cicero . it was presented in its integrity to the conservators of rome , and for some days keept in the capitol as a singular curiosity ; but pope alexder coming to understand it , caused it to be thrown into the tyber . i must not omit to tell you , that there is some incommoditie in this journey both as to dyeting and lodging ; and sometimes there is perill from the banditi ; but he that will gather roses , must not be affraid to prick his fingers : besides , that danger is but sometimes , and you may probably find the way clear , especially , if the vice-roy be a stirring active man , as it often happens : for then the banditi will hardly dare to come so far down from the hills ▪ as the via appia , or high-way to naples . naples was anciently called parthenope , from one of the sirens , buried in this place , ( who as the fables say ) drowned her self for grief , that she could not charm vlysses and his companions . hence silius lib : 12. sirenum dedit una tuum memorab●●● nomen . parthenope muris acheloias , aequore cujus regnavere d●l cantus , cum dulce per undas , exitium miseris caneret non prospera nautis . it was built closs upon the sea , at the foot of most pleasant hills ; first built by the cumani or inhabitants of cuma ; who being taken with the sweetness of the air & pleasantness of the place ; did daily increase in number ; insomuch that the cumani that lived at cuma , took a resolution utterly to ruin parthen●pe ●east their own city should become deso●at . but it being ruined , there came so great a pestilence upon cuma , as carried away multitudes , and having consulted the oracle about the cause of this mortality ; it was answered that this fate had come upon them for the ruine of parthenope ; and that if they ever hop'd to be free from this disease , they should first restore it , whence with all diligence they went about the restauration thereof , and called it neapolis , that is to say the new city . the sweetness of the air , & delicacy of the country about is so great , that many emperours and roman senators being wearied with the wars , and weightiness of government , did repair to this place , that they might live pleasantly & peaceably , & give themselves to the study of letters ; amongst which were virgil , t. livius , horatius , claudianus ● & a great many more : at this very present it is no less frequented by the nobility and gentrie of the whole kingdom , who for the most part have their own palaces and pass the greatest part of the year here ; so that for nobility and gentry there are few cities in the world more considerable than this . i think it is for this reason , that it is commonly called napoli la gentile : nor is it to be passed by , that it gives name to a kingdom ; which is not very ordinary . the city is big and sumptuously built from the sea to these pleasant hills about it . it is very well fortified with strong walls & castles , especially since the dayes of charles v. who built the castle of st. elme and called it la brilia , that is , bridle ; intending to make it so , to the mutinous humour of that people , and it may be alluding to the armes of the city , which is an unbridled horse ; the exact emblem of the disposition of that people , as witness the innumerable tumults and revolts both of old and late years made by them . i confess there is no small occasion given them by the severe domination of strangers over them ; and it is strange that having so many brave and valourous men amongst them , they should more readily agree to submit their necks to the yoak of a stranger , than to the sweet scepter of a native of their own number and nation . it is thought the great emulation , ( which the spaniards as wisely , as industriously keep up to the hight ) amongst the princes , who are but too numerous for the extent of the kingdom , is the great cause of their unhappiness . you may take notice of these particulars within the town . 1ly . the churches ; of which this city hath a greater number , than any other of its bigness in europe . amongst the rest , that of the annunciata , is so rich ; that the rent of the hospitall thereof is capable to entertain , 5000 poor , part whereof are children found . st. chiana , together with the monastrie of nuns consisting of 400 with as many servants , is very glorious ; it was built by agnes of spain queen to king robert. there are many curious sepulchres to be seen here of kings , queens , and their children . in the church of st. dominico is to be seen the image of the crucifix , that said to st. thomas aquinas ; bene scripsisti do me ▪ thoma . in the church of the frat● di monte oliueto , the true pictures of ferdinand , the first and the second ; and alfonsus the first ; both kings of naples , are so admirably well done that they seem to be living . there is likewise buried here alexander ab alexandro , who composed that learned work genialium dierum . the church called the domo , hath a chapell composed of marble , jasper , gold and brass ; wherein is keept the head of st. gennaro , and a little phiole of his blood all together fixed , which being approached to the head of the st. ●immediatly begins to boyll , dissolves and becomes clear . the most ancient of all the churches is that of st. paul , keept now by the jesuits ; it was formerly the temple of castor and pollux . 2. the religious houses or convents ; of which there are so great a number , that the dominicans alone have seventeen . the chartrous convent stands upon the hill , a little beneath the castle st. elm● ' it hath the pleasantest situation that i ever beheld ; one may discover from it the whole city and suburbs of naples , a great part of the campania felice , the monte vesuvio , all the bay of naples , the island of capreae , the hill posilipo , puteoli , baii , cuma , &c. the cloister of the convent is all of white marble , and in short , both the church and whole convent are altogether magnificent . 3ly . the hospitals ; which are about twelve in number ; amongst which , that of the annunciata and of the incueabili are the most considerable . it is said that they marry 665. maids every year , and the least portion they give with any is 24 ducats , and the greatest 300. 4ly . the castles ; of which there are 4. the castle d'ovo stands within the sea upon a rock , built of an oval figure by willam iii. a norman . the castle nov● was built by charles the first , brother to st. lewes , but it was ferdinand of aragon that fortified it so well . it is of a quadrangular figure , built of polished stone as hard as marble ; it hath foure great bastions , and five towres , together with strong ramparts , and deep ditches , which the sea water filleth : it is ordinarly keept by a garison of the spaniards consisting of 500. there is a great magazin of all kinds of armes & engines for war keept within it . in the middle of it stands the governours palace , capable to lodge a king. it is excellently furnished with hangings of silk and gold , many excellent statues and pictures . amongst other fine things there is a cabinet furnished with all sorts of curiosities . the castle of st. elm stands upon the top of a rock , commanding all about it ; it 's garison consists of 250. spainards . it was built by king robert the first , son to charles ii. but afterwards farr better fortified with great bastions by the emperour charles v. who called it la brillia di napoli . the castle capuano ( so called from it's situation which is near to the port of capuano ) is rather a palace than a fortress where the magistrats of the city , and officers of justice keep their assemblies . 5. the palaces ; whereof there are a very great number , amongst which that of the viceroy ; that of the prince of salern ▪ which the jesuits now possess , are very considerable . the palace of the duke of gravina is most superb . that of the carafi is adorned with abundance of excellent statues of marble and brass . there be many other worthie to be seen : as also the beautifull garden of don garcia di toledo , which is full of grotto's , fountains , water works , statues &c. 6. the harbour , or sea port ; which is fortified with a superb mole , first made by charles ii. and then very much mended by alfonsus the first , for the greater security of the harbour . 7. the publick places , the streets , & the avenues of the town . 8. the suburbs ; which are seven in number ; amongst which the most considerable , is that which leads a la grotio di posilipo ; near to the entry of which grotto stands la mergelina , looking into the bay ; it was sometimes the house of pleasure of sanazarius that famous poet , who gave it to the religious men called servi . this suburb is no less than two miles in length from the city to the grotto of po●lipo . the circuit of the town and suburbs is counted to be about six miles : and the inhabitants to be about 30●000 . soules . statius papinius and jacobus sanazarius ; both excellent poets ; together with many other great virtuosi were borne in this city . it will be worth the while also to take a view of the book-sellers shops , there being many good books printed here which hardly or not all can be found with us ; as for example , the works of baptista porta , whereof the impressions at naples were both the first and fairest , and the cutts for the most part tailledouce . the works of fabius columna , which are almost out of print , and especially his phytobasanos . it may likewise happen that there are some new peeces emitted which will never come to our hands for at least , not tell after a great while . it is likely too that you may meet with many other books , that in other places you had sought in vain for : there are many learned and curious men in this city , and they are as mortall here as elsewhere , and as ordinary a thing it is to sell their books . you will likewise meet with a great many curiosities of all sorts , espccially from the levant : some naturall ; as stones , shells , animalls , or parts of them , fruits &c. others artificiall ; some of leather , as purses , letter-cases , cups , and a great many things of that kind , usualy brought from allepo and constantinople : some of silk either alone , or mingled with gold and silver ; as sashes , girdles , cravats , night-caps , wastcoats , stockings , &c. outlandish armes , as cimetres , poyniards , bows and arrows , with severall sorts of fire armes . medalls antient and modern : intalio ' s chameo ' s &c. but in these you must take some heed , that you mistake not the modern for antique . having well viewed and considered the city and all things in it . it will be necessary to see those things that are considerable about it . and first the hill posilipus , famous for it's gardens and houses of pleasure , for it's fruits and wines , especially the greco di posilipo . but that which is most admirable in this hill is the passage cut quite thro' it . by cocceius of whom pontanus saith , nescio an is fuerit m. cocceius nerua augusti avus , qui romae aquarum curam habuit tulitque m●ximam architecturae laudem . howeve● it is certain he must have been a man of great riches that durst undertake so great a work , at his oun expence . it is called la grotta di posilipo , and is very near a mile in length , cutt thro' the rock . as for the breadth of it , one coach may pass another with ease . and for the hight , i believe a man on horseback will hardly touch the roof of it with a lance ; at the two ends it is some what higher than in the middle , i think of purpose that the light might enter the farther . when you enter at the one end you will very hardly perceive the light in the other end , but as you advance it begins to appear by little and little . in the just middle of it , on that side which is next the sea , there is a little chapell , where a lamp is keept continually burning , but it is more out of devotion than for any light it gives : betwixt the chapell and the end , as it were about the middle on every side of the chapell there is a hole cutt thro' the hill which serveth for a window , but it gives little light . it is exceeding dusty , especeially if there be many horses ryding together altho' it be paven with stone , because there comes no rain to wash it , and none takes pains to make it clean . those that goe from naples to pozzuolo if they hear any horses coaches or carts coming toward them , least they should stop the way , or unawares justle one another , they use to cry aloud dal mare , which when the others hear , they cry in like manner dal monte and so those that goe from naples take that side of the grotto , which is next the sea and these that go to it take the side next the hill ; and so avoid all incumbrance . at the mouth of the grotto , upon the top thereof is the famous sepulchre of virgil. there is little remaning of it now except a few ruins of an old brick wall in the middle whereof anciently there did stand nine small pillars , which sustained a marble u●● , in which were contained the poets ashes , with this distich . mantua me genuit , calabri rapuere , tenet nunc parthonope ; cecini pascua , rura , duces . not far from this tomb , is the sepulchre of that famous poet sanazarius , in a place called mergelina , a villa given him by king frederick , where he built a church in honour of the biessed virgin , and composed that incomparable poem de partu virginis . he is buried within the church in a tomb of pure marble upon which his statue done to the life standeth with this epitaph by cardinal ●embo . da sacro cineri flores , hic ille maroni sineerus , musa proximus , ut tumulo . there are many other excellent statues , base relieves , and pictures within this church well worthie the seeing . when you go to pozzuolo , you must take a guide with you to show you all the considerable places . it will be a good dayes journey because you have many things to see and consider , and therefore you must part early in the morning from naples . the first thing you will meet with upon the way , ( but you turne out of the common way ) is the lago di agnano at the side of which are the natural stoves of st. german , which are certain little roomes , where the hot and sulphureous vapors entering from the ground quickly provoke sweating , and is commended in severall diseases . at a little distance from thence , upon the side of the lake is the grotto de i cani . it is a little hole dug out of the side of a brae where two or three persons scarcely can stand . the floore of it is ordinarily wet and dirtie , out of which there riseth a poisonous vapour , in form of smoak , but it ascendeth not above a foot from the ground . they use to trie it with torches and dogs , which you must carrie from naples with you , for you will not find them upon the place . as for the torches , the guide lights two , and then reaches one of them to the smoak , which instantly extinguishes , as if it were blown out by the force of powder : then he lights it at the other , and so renews the experiment as oft as you please , keeping always one lighted , untill your curiositie be satisfied ; as for the dogs he holds their nose into the vapour , and instantly they begin to fetch their breath thick , and in a very little space are quite suffocated . if ye let them ly long , they will never recover , but if ye take them immediately when they are fallen down and throw them into the lake , they will by little and little returne to live again . i guesse this vapour to be so much like the damps , that are sometimes found in our coal-pitts , only , with us , they are soon dissipated , but here this lasteth continuallie , and ( which is yet more strange ) in an open air ; but it may be the openness of the air is the reason why the vapour ascendeth no higher . i remember one of our dogs did recover without being thrown into the lake , which makes me believe , that it is not any peculiar vertue in the water ( as is commonly said ) that restoreth them to life , but only the freedom of the air , with the help whereof nature reinforceth it self , the life being yet not quite extinct , which is cleared by this , that if they lye any considerable time in the cave , neither air nor water will recover them . it is very true that , that which was thrown in the lake recovered much sooner , and better : whereas the other remained paralytick , and impotent to move his hinder quarters : ( tho' he could sit upon his foremost leggs and bark ▪ ) for almost two houres thereafter . it seems there is something in this vapour or damp that coagulats or fixes the spirits , that they cannot move or circulat in the body . from hence you take the way to pazzuolo , near to which you will meet with a place called la solfatara , it is a large plaine , oval in figure , representing a theatre , it is above 1200 foot in length and 1000 in breadth , it is compassed about with white & high hills , from which in many places , arise clouds of smoak , of a sulphureous smell , rolling up into the air impetuously , with great crackling . some of these spiracles are very small , so that it is a pleasure , to see the smoake ascend , by a direct line of the bigness of cane , and sometimes smaller by much . about these spiracles you will see quantitie of the flowres of brimstone sublimed ; but i suspect the internal use of them , because of the mixture of other minerals wherewith they may be infected : but for external uses , i am not so doubtfull , as also of the spirit which by the help of convenient glasses might be gathered in aboundance from these spiracles . when you consider the plaine you will wonder to hear it sound under your horse-feet , as you were riding over a large floore , which is caused by the vacuitie underneath . all the hills about abound in veines of allum whereof some is scissile ; nitre , sulphur , vitriol & salt armoniac . the vitriol is of a delicat blew colour and much finer than that which is commonly called roman-vitriol . it will be worth your while to take particular notice of these minerals , how they are extracted out of their mines , what differences there are of every species , how they are mixed with one another sometimes , by what art they are purified , and with what instruments , and to what use they are put . i would have you take a parcel of every sort and bring along with you , which you may box up at naples with cotton , and send before you to rome . having done these things , you come to pozzuolo ; in latine puteoli . the city is now much ruined ; but was stately and rich of old. cicero writing to atticus saith quid potui non videre cum per emporeum puteolanum iter facerem ; which is chieflly to be understood of that part of the town , which stood upon the shoare where the arti●ans , and chiefly the goldsmiths , had their shops , whereof there remaines little now except the ruins , and vestiges : and yet beneath the church di giesu maria , possessed by the dominicans , when the wind dryves out the sea , they do find sometimes severall precious stones , some cutt , some uncutt ; and if you be curious to enquire you will find people that make a trade to sell such things amongst other anticails . i remember there came severall of these persons to our lodging-house , with medals , intaglio's , lucerne antiche &c. but i found many of them to be cheats , and but moderne , brought thither from naples and other places , of purpose to cheat strangers , who are ordinarly more curious than knowing of these things ; as for medals , were they never so ancient , they are little worth unless they be well preserved , and the characters and impressions easie to be discerned . and for intaglio's unless the figure be good ▪ and well done , and the stone entire and unbroken , they are not worth much . the great church now dedicated to st. proclus was anciently dedicated to octavianus augustus . it is a sumptuous fabrick of great square marble stones ; serving for the whole thickness of the wall , with great and high corinthian pillar 's , and other excellent ornaments of architecture . here are also be seen many ruins of great antiquitie , amongst which she gardens of cicero famous for his academy , where he wrote his quaestiones academicae . but this city , in diverse ages has suffered so much by the tumults of wars , as also by the eruptions of fire and earthquakes , that it is wonderfull there should yet remain any vestiges of antiquitie . the soil about it is most fertile and fruitfull , and nature produceth here many plants of it's oun accord , which in other places are kept in gardens , not without care : among others i remember to have seen the ricinus or palma christi not only growing wild but out-living that winter , and continuing fresh green and strong in the month of march ; altho ' it be an annual plant with us , that can hardly be raised upon a hot bed . you may have your horse at pozzuolo , and hyre a boat to cross the bay for seeing of the following things , and 1. hard by the city the remains of that superb mole , which having been ruined by storme was afterwards restored by the emperour antoninus : but at present all that remains is 12. or 13. great pillars built of brick and stones of vast bigness . they appear so many towrs , over which there are yet remaining , but half ruined , some arches . this fashion of moles seem to be the best , because the pillars and arches are sufficient to break the water and secure the ships within , and by letting part of the water enter betwixt the pillars lessens it's violence , so that the pillars suffer not half so much , as if they were one continued wall . the emperour caligulae built a bridge of boats from pozzuolo to baii upon which he went in triumph first on horsback and then in chariot , but it was of small continuance and served only to be the subject of discourse in future ages . having passed these pillars . yov put ashore hard by the lacus lucrinus which as some said was so called a lucro from the profit which it yeilded to the romans by the great abundance of excellent fish especialie oysters , which were esteemed before any other in italy : whence martial to express the gluttony of a certain person . ostrea tu sumis stagno saturata lucrino . but there is little water in it now , it being almost dryed up by that most terrible eruption of the solfatara which happned in the year 1538. the 29. of september two hours after sun set , the whole countrey about having been troubled for two years before with earthquakes : at which time there burst out in one night so great a quantitie of fire , stones , pumecks , and ashes , that near to the monte barbaro formerly called mons gaurus it made another hill , near three miles in compass , and almost as high as the monte barbaro . the south part of it looks to the sea , the north reaches to the lacus avernus , & on the east it is joined with the foot of monte barbaro . it is called monte nuovo . these ashes did not only make this hill , but covered likewise a great part of the country about , killing both beasts and trees , and ruining the vintage for that year . the sea in the mean time retired above 200 paces , leaving abundance of fish upon the dry sands , and many wells of fresh water , which sprung here and there . 2. the lacus avernus is about half a miles distance from the lago lucrino . it is compassd about with small hills which they say were formerly covered with trees , that did over shaddow the water , and make it look black , and likewise did hinder the sulphureous vapours that did arise from the water to dissipat , so that the air being infected with these vapours became so noysome especially to fowls , that they could not live in it , and hence came the name avernus . at present there is little or no wood about it , nor is the air any thing more noysome there , than in other places about , and i have seen fowles haunting about it and swimming in it . it is said to be very deep & for that reason without fish but i am not certain hereof . 3. upon the west side of the lake , cutt into the hill is the antrum sybillae commonly called grotta della sybilla , but not truly , for the true cave of sybill● is at c●●●a . this seems rather to have been a common passage from avernus to p●ia , but is now stopt at the one end by the falling down of the hill above . the passage is large and high , but altogether dark , and therefore you must be guided by torch light . when you are got a good way in , upon the one side there is a little narrow passage of about three or fourscore foot in length , that leads into a handsome large chamber , which altho' it be now much ruined , appears to have been richly adorned , the roof of it being painted with gold and blew , and the walls with curious figures of divers colours and the pavement consisting of many small peeces like unto mosaick . it is a vulgar errour that this was sybilla's chamber , and that the temple of apollo , where she received her responses , was hard by upon the right hand as you enter to the lake ; but it is not so , for the ruins of that place appeare not to have been any temple at all , but rather a superb bathing house , such as that of baia , for it has the same order of windows , & spiracles for conducting of the vapours . but to returne to the grotto , upon the left hand , as you enter into this chamber , there is another passage , some what higher and larger than the first , about 40. foot in length cut out into the hill , which leads into another chamber , from which there is a narrow passage , which leads into another chamber , and severall other little passages and roomes which i doe not distinctly remember , only this much that in one of them , there is as it were a little pool of warm water . in this room the heat is so great , that it is impossible to continue any time in it without excessive sweating , which makes me to believe , that these rooms were intended for no other use than bathing and sweating . 4. the remains or ruins ; and first bagno di cicerone . 2ly . bagno di tritoli ; quasi frittoli , q●od corpora ibi fricrentur , the entrie to it is large and high . towards the ground it is cold , but if you stand upright you must needs sweat for heat , and the farther one goes in , the greater the heat is . at the bottom of the rock within sea-mark , and even where the sea covers it , the sand is so hot that one cannot lift a handfull of it . 5. baia ; so called from baius , the companion of vlysses , who was buried there . it was a most delicat city , but now altogither ruined , and in the place of it there is a castle lately built with a a garison of 30. souldiers for securing the port , which is verie safe for gallies , but not deep enough for ships . the whole bay , or sinus of baia , is exceedingly pleasant ; all that tract betwixt avernus and the mons misenus being full of the remains of great and noble structures . many of the roman emperours took great pleasure in this place , & and spared no cost for the beautifying of it . horace , who was no ill judge , gives this testimony of it , nullus in orbe locus baiis praelucet amoenis . as you go forward from baia , you will still be finding something worthie the remarking ; as , 1. the house of nero's mother , who was put to death here by her sons command . it is commonly said to be her sepulchre , but it is not true . there is yet to be seen the plaister of the roof and walls in severall curious figures , but they are much defaced by the smoak of the torches which strangers from all parts so frequently carry down with them . 2. that delicat pleasant field called the eligium , so much renowned by virgil in the 6th . book of the aeneids . all the noble persons that lived here abouts , or did otherwise attend upon the court , which did often happen to be here , likewise those that for their health's sake came to the bath's , used to walk in this place for their recreation and converse . i am easily inclined to believe that considering it's situation , prospect , and the order that it was keept in , when so many great persons frequented it , it could not chuse but have been the most delicious place in the whole world , and no wonder that it prompted virgil to borrow both it's name and his conceit in expressing and describing the place of the blessed soules departed . i saw it in the begining of the moneth of march , and then the heat was considerable , and the place not only green but covered with anemonies and other flowers . hard by this , is the piscina miraebilis : it is a cistern for keeping of fresh water , of a vast bigness , the roof whereof is supported by 48. great pillars on everie side . the whole inside of it is crusted over with a kind of plaster as hard as marble , which whither it was so made by art , or by the continuance of the water in it , i know not , but i think it probable that both have contributed to it . boccace in his book of rivers , believs it to have been built by agrippa , for preserving of fresh water , for the commodity of the navie which used to stay at misenum . the water was brought to it by aquedu●ts from serino . 3. mons misenus or the promontorium misenum , so called from aeneas's trumpeter , who was buried here . it is of a reasonable hight , and without doubt the prospect from it is noble ; but i did not ascend it , by reason of the company that would not stay for me . 4. the centum cellae ; which are a continued fabrick built of brick with great art under ground , it seems they have been cisterns for conserving of water . in short , all this peece of ground is full of ancient ruins , and it is not easie to guesse , what every one of them in particular hath been . having vieued all these things , you either go straight to cuma , or else you leave it for another day , and so returne to pozzulo , by the same boat that waited upon you from it , and so returne by horse , by the lower but plainer and more pleasant way , to naples , from from whence the next day you may go to cuma , in latine cumae ; a city built upon the top of a hill six miles from naples ; upon the highest top of this hill stood the temple of apollo built by dedalus , when he fled from the wrath of king minos . it was in this temple that sybilla cumea did pronounce the oracles of apollo . hence that of virgil , at pius aeneas arces quibus altus apollo praesidet , horrendaeque procul secreta sybillae . as you descend from cuma upon that side that looks to the east , is to be seen the frontis-peece of the true grotta of sybilla , which was cut out of the solid rock , which virgil describeth , excisum euboicae latus ingens rupis in antrum . there are many other ancient ruins worthie the taking notice of , which you may have leasure enough to observe , and have time enough to returne to naples at night . the next day you may take horse again and a guide with you from the town , to see the burning hill , about 8 miles distant from the town ; it is called in latine vesuvius , and in italian monte di soma , from the great plentie of all things wherewith it aboundeth . the hill it self is of a very large compass , and about the middle divided in two tops , of which one is much abated of its length by the burning . before the first eruption of the fire , it was much higher than the other , but now it is by much the lower . it is not easily accessible both in regard of its steepness , and the great quantitie of ashes that cover it every where , by reason whereof , the ascent becomes slippery and uncertain . in the ascending , you may take nottice of many several channels , some larger and deeper , some narrower and shallower made by the torrents of burning sulphur and other mineral substances , which boyled out at the top in the last great eruption it made , which torrents were carried several miles into the gulf or bay of naples without being quenched , and killed the fishes in the middle of the deep . you may likeways take notice of the various mineral substances , & stones burn'd to pumick , which are scattered over the whole hill. when you come at the top you will see the great gulf made by the several eruptions , which is suposed to be six miles in compasse about the brimmes , so that it makes a very large plain field at the bottom , that in deepness from the brimm is not above a hundred yards , it is all covered with ashes , and nothing green in it , except it be some few tufts , of i cannot tell what , not being able to judge of them at that distance . the descent to the bottom at some places seems to be easie enough , but we could find none so hardie as to venture to show us the way , altho' some of our guides had undertaken it before , and to speak truth , it is no great discretion to venture so far down upon a ground , which probably is not able to support one , being nothing in appearance but a field of ashes of uncertain deepthness . you will see in a hundred diverse places , spiracles , some greater , some smaller , out of which the smoak rises impetuously , as it were shott out of a gun , and with a continual crackling , like that of thunder at a distance , or the quenching of fire . when you have satisfied your curiositie of seeing all , you must return the same day , and take your horse where you left him , about the middle of the hill ; and so returne to naples . it is usuall for strangers to light at a village about midway to the city , to taste of these excellent wines , that grow upon the fertile places of the hill , and particularly of lachryma christi , otherways called lagrima di soma , which is a gross bodied red wine , strong and sweet to the taste , and very pleasant . in the suburbs of the town , as you return , you may see the kings stables , where the choisest horses of the kingdom are menaged and keept for the kings use . thus having vieued all in & about naples , it will be time to order your return for rome , by the same way you came , nor do i remember any other thing needfull to be observed or advised , except that you must l●t● your baggage ●e vieued at the gate ▪ as you go out , and take a pass from the customers ; or which you will pay some small thing . you will likeways do well to rid your self of all spanish monie ( gold excepted ) unless it be somuch as will serve to bear your expenses to fu●die , because it will not pass in any place of italy , except such as are under the spanish dominion . if the season of the year be good , there is excellent her●●rising upon this ●oade to naples . you will find wild in the fields , many sorts of narcissus's , many colours of single anemone's , squills : as●h●delus albus ma●or ; tithymalus dendroides . it is a plant i never saw , except upon the way from pipern● 〈◊〉 t●rrachina , about mid way upon a hill side , where it groweth in great aboundance . it is a stately tall plant , 〈◊〉 reading it self into severall branches , some whereof i observed to be as big as a mans wrist . it had few or no leaves on it in the season when i saw it , which was march , but aboundance of yellow flowers at the top's of the branches : the ficus indica lati-folia , is a beastly weed in the same place , and spoiles all the ground ; every leafe that falls springing up into a new plant , which at last becometh hard and woodie . tuchr●um lusit anicum arborescens , of which i saw some goodly tufts near to terachina . there be many other , which for brevities sake i omit to mention , and likeways a great many that i have forgot , having lost those notes i made of their names and places ; but i hope you will supply this defect , being your self much more able to do it . being returned to rome , which i shall suppose to be about the middle or end of april : it will be fitt for you to think of the next voyage towards loretto , unless you resolve to pass the summer at rome , for after the 20th . of may , untill the latter rains fall ( which is commonly about the middle of september , or the beginning of october , the extream heat makes travel very unseasonable . but if in the case of necessity , such as pestilence , or war , you should be forced to undertake the journey , you must order it so as to travel most in the night , and rest in the heat of the day , and be sure not to sleep till you have passed the campania of rome , as i have formerly marked . the way to loretto from rome .   miles . prima porta 7 castel novo 8 rignano 7 civita 9 o●ricoli 8 nar●i ● terni ● strettur● 8 spolet● 8 passo di spel●to 8 verchi●no b●rg● 9 pi● di dignano ● mucc●a castello 7 valcimara 8 to●entino 9 macerata 10 loretto 6 i have not much to say of the particular places upon this road , only tern● is an ancient city and pleasantly situated ; the river negra , in latine nar being divided in many branches , and drawn through the town , are as it were so many little rivers , whence also the town in latine is called interamna : the meadowes & fields about it , are exceedingly fertile , in so much that the meadowes are mowen three or four times a year ; and they talk that turneps are often found there of five or six & thirtie weight , of which seaven or eight will load an ass ; it is also renowned for pidgeons , which are thought the biggest & most savoury in italy . if you can take the leisure to stay here any time , it will be worth your while to see the lago di piedi luco , in latine lacus velinus ( not far from terni ) which is said to be the middle of all italy , that which is most considerable in it , is the issue of the waters from it , which was cut by a roman consul through a rock , whence it rushes out , and falls over so great a hight of rocks , that it makes a noise which may be heard at ten miles distance , and makes a greater cascata then that of tivoli . from verchian● you have the appennine to pass , which is that ridg of hills that divides all italy by the length . from valcimara , the way is exceeding good to loretto . loretto it self is a little town not very ancient , built upon the top of a hill , not above 3 or 4 miles from the adriatick sea , it is fortified reasonably well : the most considerable thing in it , is the church , in the quire whereof stands the casa s●ncta , brought thither from judeae miraculously by angels , as is beleeved . this is the house in which the blessed virgin is said to have been born. the out-side of it is walled about with marble cut into excellent figures , but yet so as the walls touch not the holy house . the inside hath continually lamps burning in it , some of gold , some of silver . there is in it a picture of our saviour and the virgin , which they say were painted by st. luke . the image of the virgin , which stands upon the altar , hath a garment upon it all covered with pearles , & upon the head a crown of gold , enriched with jewells ; upon the top whereof there is a carbuncle of the bigness of an egg. there is likeways shown within the house a little dish , out of which our saviour is said to have eat his meat whilst he was yet a babe . people commonly bring their beads , medals , & other peeces of devotion to be put in this dish , & to touch the other relicts . the sacristia is well worthy the seeing because of the jewels , and other rich presents and ornaments belonging to the house , which are keept there , and have been given and offered continualy , by allmost all princes and great persons in christendom . the cellar is likeways worthie the seeing , being exceedingly large and full of wines . amongst others they ordinarly shew one great tun out of which they draw 3 or 4 sorts of wine , some red , some white . the number of pilgrims , and other persons , that out of devotion resort to this place , from all the parts of christendom , is allmost infinit , insomuch that every day appears to be a holy day and the whole year but one continued feast . so soon as the gates are opened in the morning , they begin to enter as it were in procession . i believe there are but few inhabitants in the town , except a few trades-men of all sorts , for the accommodation of strangers , the greatest part are merchants , that sell nothing but beads and peeces of devotion , such as medals of silver , gold , brass , christal &c. books of devotion , and such like . there is good accommodation in the town , at a reasonable rate . the city is commanded by a governour , who hath his palace near to the church . we were recommended to him by cardinal charles barbarini , and were treated by him with great civilitie ; his secretary being commanded to wait upon us , and show us all that was considerable in the place . after two days stay here we dismissed our horses that we brought from rome , and hyred new ones from loretto to bolognia . from loretto to bolognia .   miles ancona 15 la casa brugiata 9 cenigalia 9 fano 9 pesaro 6 rimini 20 sanigniana castello 9 cesena 10 furli 10 faenza 10 imola 10 st. nicola castello 10 bolognia 10 ancona is about half a days journey from loretto . it is a verie ancient city and the best sea port in italy , at least upon the adriatick coast : the port was built , at least restored and beautified , by trajan the emperour , in whose honour a most stately triumphal arch was raised upon it , which it yet extant , with this inscription in capital letters . imp. caes. di●i nervae f. nervae trajano optimo august . germanic . daetico . pontef . max. tr. pot. xix . imp. xi . cos. vii . p. p. providentissimo princ. s. p. q. r. quod adcessum italiae , hoc etiam addito ex pecunia sua portum tutiorem navigantibus reddiderit . and upon the right side thereof you may read this inscription plotinoe aug. conjugi aug. and upon the left , divae marcian : aug : sorori august . cenigalia is a little town having a sea-port ▪ it seems from the name to have been built , and to have belonged to the galli cenones . fano , antiently fanum ; because of the temple of fortune that stood here ; there is a stately triumphall arch of marble 30 , cubits high. pesaro is a very pleasant and handsome city having many fine houses and a magnificent palace , it is well peopled and well fortified . the duke of vrbin , to whom this city did belong , used to pass one half of the year here ; but since his death without heirs male the whole dutchie is reunited to the ecclesiastick state . rimini , in latine ariminum ; is like to be so called from the river arimine that passes by it . there are severall fair palaces in it , built by the mala-testi antient lords of the place . there is a triumphal arch erected in honour of augustus , yet extant , and the ruines of a great theatre . but the most considerable thing of all is the bridge , built of great square marble stones , of twentie foot in length and 15. in breadth , with five arches . the bridge joynes the via flaminia and the via emilia together . it is said to have been built by tiberius caesar. in the mercat place there is to be seen the stone upon which julius caesar stood , and encouraged his officers , when he began the civil war. this stone hath this inscription c. caesar d. rubicone superato , civili bello , comilitones suos hic in for● ariminensi adlocutus . within a mile of cesina , or there abouts , you must pass the rubicon , which seems to be but a torrent , and in the summer time for the most part dry ; at the place where you pass there is yet extant an ancient pillar , the inscription whereof hath made the name of rubicon so famous . it is as follows ; jussu mandatuve p. r. cos. imp. myli tyro comilito manipulariaeve cent. turmaeve legionariae armat quis quis est hic sistito . vexillum sinito , ne citra hunc amnem rubiconem signa , arma , ductum , commeatum , exercitumque traducito ; siquis hujusce jussionis ergo adversum ierit , feceritve , adjudicatus esto hostis p : r. ac si contra patriam armaverit , sacrosque penatos e penetralibus asportaverit sanctio plebisci senatus . ne consulto ultra hos fines armae proferre liceat nemini . s. p. q. r. and upon the other side of the pillar , the following inscription ; rubiconem ponta subjectum transis viator , romano interdicto caesaris ausu , & adagio , jactae alcae , celebratum . flumini huic stabilem imponere trajectum , ethnica diu vetuit pavida superstitio , catholica nunc suasit socura religio . innocent : x o summo pont : card : d : legato 1654. furli ; in latine forum livii , where there is litle thing considerable except the market place . faenza ; is divided in two by the river lamone , over which stands a goodly bridge that joynes the two parts of the town together , it is called in latine faventia , and the people faventini . the whole way from ancona to bolognia is plain and smooth , and the countrey on all sides very rich and fertile , but especially near to bolognia , ( which deservedly is called la crassa ) where the whole countrey , on everie s●de of the high way , looks like gardens , being hedged and closed in on all sides , and planted with olive and while mulberry trees , the leaves whereof ●erve to the ●eeding of silk wormes , and at the roots of which the vines being planted , run up and spread themselves thorow all the branches of the trees , and load them with grapes . the distance betwixt the ranges of trees is sowen sometimes with wheat , or other usefull grain , or kitchin herbs and roots , nor is there wanting here abundance of the choisest fruits that italy affoords . bolognia ; is the second town of the ecclesiastick state , sweetly situated in a large plain , near to some hills at the one side . the city is near two miles in length and one in breadth , and about 5 miles in compass . the inhabitants are not esteemed to be under 80 thousand in number , amongst which it is thought there are two thousand gentlemen , whereof many have the titles of count and marques . there is a famous university & many fine colledges worthie to be seen : as also many fine churches & religious houses . the archdean of the cathedral of st. peters , has the priviledge of making doctors , above others . in the church of corpus christi , may be seen the intire body of st. katharine of vigri , a religious woman of the order of st. clare , that died at bolognia , in the year 1463. she sits in a chair , with a religious habit. the skin of her face seems to be bent and streacht , her eyes open , her hands and feet bare : in one hand she holds a crucifix , the other is placed upon a pillow . they use in the presence of a great deal of companie to paire her nails every month , and to cut her hair once a year , after they are grown . in the iacobins church is keept the head of st. dominick in a rich tabernacle , and his body in a curious tomb of white marble cut in severall figures of base relieve ; in the choire may be seen the histories of the new and old testament , with wonderfull artifice represented in mosaick of of wood. there is also to be seen here , a rare peece of painting , of the innocents made by guido reni ; all the parts of this convent are worthie the taking notice of , the cloisters , the dormitories of above 150 religious , the refictory painted by great masters , the apothecaries shop , and the bibliotheck , and the cellar which is extraordinarly big . there be many fine palaces worthie the seeing , and very well ornamented within , but especially the popes own palace , where the legat resides , and in it you must take particular care to see aldrovandi's studie , and collection of curiosities , which are keept in this palace , and commonly intrusted to the legats physitian . there is likeways to be seen in the back court aldrovandi's garden , in which there are some curious plants . in the study you will see a great herball , in water colours , but without any description , as also a whole press full of manuscripts , written all with his own hand . there are severall towres in the town , but especially that of degli pisanelli , which is one of the highest i remember to have ever seen ; it stands about the middle of the town , and near by it there is an other which is not finished , and the reason they give for it is very apparent , that the builders mistook the perpendicular ; when one stands near to it , it is so very crooked that it appears to be just a falling . i had the curiositie to go as high in the other towre as i could , and rather because i thought i might more easily discover the situation of the town , it's avenues , and the country about , but i had much reason to repent me : the ladders for the most part being old and rotten , so that i was in continuall apprehension of falling , and one slip would have done my turne as well as a hundred . i shall advise you rather to take the paines to see a convent , a little without the town , toward the hills , called st. michaele in bosco , from whence you will have a most delicate prospect of the town and country about . the town appears in the form of a ship , and the towre deglipisanelli , may be the maine mast of it . this convent is one of the most glorious in italy ; the religious are of the order di monte olivetto , there are many other things in the town worthie the taking notice of , which for brevities sake i omit . you must not forget to see the silk-work , which is a most curious contrivance ; it is three or four storie high , in the highest storie there are innumerable pirns of silk , which are all moved by the generall motion that the water gives to some wheeles below , & there they receive the first twist ; in the storie next to that , they receive the second ; & in the lowermost storie the last : which brings it to that form of raw silk that we commonly see sold. this place above all others in italy , or in the world , is famous for excellent soap-balls , of which you will do well to provide your self abundantly ; they will keep in their perfection above 20 years : you may have them of severall sizes , bigger or lesser as you please . it is likeways famous for sassadges , which are the best cetainly in tke world : i have seen of them of 5 crownes the peece . there is good herbarising towards the hills , if your leisure can permit you ; you may take a guide along with you . upon these hills , you will likeways find that famous stone called lapis phosphorus bononiensis , of which fortunatus lic●t●s hath written a particular book . it is very hard and flintie like , but more glistering ; when it is calcined 48 hours in a reverberatory fire & then set to cooll : if you expose it a little to the light and free air , and on the sudden bring it to the dark , it shines for a little while as if it were a red burning coale , but there is a kind of efflorescence like rust or greenish dust that growes upon the top of it , whilst it is a calcineing , which is most effectuall for the shining , and which if it by lost by any accident , the rest will not be much worth , and for saving of this they use ordinarly to fix the stone in wax in the bottom of a box , & so sell them to strangers , but this way does not secure them , to my certain experience . the best way is to bring the stone uncalcined and prepare it at home . i would have you to see an apothecarie , who is a great virtuoso especiallie in plants . he is called jacomo zanoni speciale da san biaggio custode de simplici in bolognia ; i believe he has published something of plants by this time , for he shewed me a number of brass cutts , which were allreadie graven , and told me the intention he had as soon as he could get the rest perfected , to cause print them . if they may be had , i intreat you to procure me one of them ; you will do well to see his garden , which is very curious . and the best way to ingage all such men as he is , is to have allways a parcell of rare seeds with you , and to give them some , by which means you will find them readie to give you whatever they can spare , in like manner . i shall advise you to visit the booksellers shops , concerning which i must give you this generall advice , for finding out botanick books , that you take paines to look them all over your self ; for many times the book-sellers do not know their names . you will find here panacea ex herbis quae a sanctis denominantur item historia & icones capsicorum bartholomaei ambrosini in 80. bononiae 1630. also hyacinthi ambrosini hortus studiosorum & novarum plantarum hactenus non s●ulptarum historia in 40. bononiae 1657. but above all i must intreat you to buy me aldrovandus's works , which ate 13 or 14 tomes in folio ; you may buy them in sheets , and have them packt up in your own things for venice , where you will not fail to meet with frequent occasions of sending them for london . i believe they will not cost above 18 or 20 crowns . and if they do i shall be readie to allow it . it will not be a miss here , if you think fit , to go by land to modena , parma and piatzena and returne by the river po to ferrara : but because i had not the fortune to see them my self , i shall not say any thing of them , but returne to ferrara , which is not above half a days journie , or thereabouts , from bolognia . ferrara , is situated in a large plain about half a mile distance from the po. it belongs to the ecclesiastick state , and is governed by the popes legate . the streets , houses and places , are very handsome & fine , as also the churches & religious houses . in the monasterie of s. bennet , you may see the sepulchre & epitaph of the famous poet ariosto . it hath a verie strong and well contrived cittadale . from hence you go to venice by water , that is in an open boat , by a canale near to the side of the po , where ye imbarke in a bigger vessel , which goes constantly twice a week to venice . if the wind be favourable , you will easily accomplish the voyage in 10 or 12 houres time , but if otherways , you may be longer , and therefore you will do well to make provision of victuals , to take along with you . when you arrive at venice , it will be needfull to lodge in a convenient place of the town , and for that end , you will do well to provide your self of a recommendation to the english consul ; from rome or from bolognia . giles jones was consul in my time , and entertained lodgers himself , he was a verie honest man , and did faithfullie send my things to london , according to the address i gave him . when you are setled in a lodging , it will be time to take a view of the town , for the doing of which and considering it well , 3 or 4 weeks is little enough . nothing in nature can appear more prodigious than to see a vast big town seated in the middle of the sea ; everie house whereof at one side or another is touched by the water , and the nearest land being 4 or 5 miles distance . it was built at first upon the little island of rialto in the year 421 , perhaps later by the inhabitants of the firm land that were chaced from their own homes by attila king of the huns , & forced to make choice of this place for their safety ; since that time they have built upon 70 or 71 isles more , which are joyned together by upwards of 450 bridges . the town is about 8 miles in compass . there are but few streets built on both sides , except some open places . the most part of the streets have a canale or ditch in the middle , by which the gondols pass , which is a great commoditie , for there is scarce a house in the town , but one may be carried this way , either close to it or within a few steps of it . the canals are different in breadth , some more some less large , the narrowest is broad enough for one gondole to go by another ; it is remarkable , that the water ebbs and flowes here 4 or 5 foot , which is not observed in the adriatick farther down towards naples , nor in any other port of the mediterranian sea ; the gondals are believed to be above fourteen or fifteen thousand in number ; they are small tight boats much cleaner & finer than oares upon the thames , having a prettie tilt over the seat where the passingers sit , & will be able to accommodat 5 or 6 persons : it is usual for gentlemen or persons of qualitie to have their own gondols , and those richer than the ordinary ; some are rowed by one , some by two , and it is somewhat extraordinary that the rower does not sit within the boat , but stands upon one side of it , and lookes the same way that he rows . at the turning of any corner , after they come within such a distance of it , they are obliged to cry , to give notice to the gondols on the otherside whom they cannot see , and he that cryes first hath this advantage , that he turnes close by the corner , and the others are obliged to give him way and take it larger : and i assure you it is no small wonder to me that there being so many corners to tur●e , and so continuall and frequent intercourse of gondols going some the one way , and some the other ; and in the dark as well in the day : there should be so few accidents of running one another down , especiallie , considering with what swiftness thay go . the largest canale , called canale grande , is about 13 or 14 hundred paces in length ; & fourtie in breadth , and divides the town as it were in two . the bridge of the rivo alto , or as it is commonlie pronounced rialto , is one of the most magnificent structures in the citie : it consists but of one arch , & yet is said to have cost above 250 thousand duckets ; at the one end of the bridge , there are three large streets divided by 2 rowes of houses , which are so many merchant shops . this serves for the exchange , where the merchants meet about noon to do their affairs . there are so manie things considerable in this place that it is difficult to comprehend them in this short narration , and therefore i shall onlie name a few of them , and leaue the rest to your particular inquirie , which will not be hard for you to make , when you are upon the place . be pleased then first to take notice among the churches of that of st mark , which properlie , is onlie the dukes chapel belonging to the palace of st. mark , whose bodie being brought from alexandria is preserved here ; the church has 24 chanoines belonging to it under one head , called primicero . he is commonlie chosen by the doge , and wears the miter and other ornaments of a bishop , & uses to give his benediction to the people as bishops do . the inside of the church is of marble of diverse sorts , and all verie fine , with above 40 marble pillars ; it is paved with porphire , serpentine &c. in mosaick work ; upon the top of the great altar , there is a globe enriched with a great number of pearles and other jewels of price ; the roof of the church consists of 5 cupula's covered with lead ; it hath 5 doors of brass , and over the great entrie on the outside there stands four delicat horses , equal in bigness to the natural , of brass guilded , which at first were placed upon the triumphal arch of nero , after he subdued the parths , but were afterward carried to constantinople , when the seat of the empire was removed from rome and at last brought hither by the venetians when they took constantinople . 2ly . that which is most worthie of the seeing ( it may be in all the world ) is the treasure of st. mark , where amongst other things you will see 12 royal crowns & 12 breast plates of gold , ful of pearles and jewels ; taken as they say at constantinople ; and the tradition is , that they were the ornaments of the 12 maids of honour that waited upon st. helena mother to constantine the emperour ; several rubies weighing 8 ounces a peece , and a saphir that weighs ten ounces ; two unicorns horns ; severall vessels of precious stones ▪ as agat , j●spir one of emerauld which a king of persia presented the senat with . one of one single turkis ; another capable to hold a scots quart of one single granat ; the tiar or bonnet wherewith the duke is crowned , is garnished with jewels of inestimable price ; there is a vast deal of other riches , which i cannot particularly remember ; there is likewa●s to be seen the picture of the blessed virgin done by st luke . the acts of the apostles writen in golden letters by the hand of st john chrysostome , patriarch of con●tantinople . it will be worth your while to go to the top of the steeple , from whence you will have a delicat prospect of the whole city and neighbouring islands , of a part of lumbardie , of the severall mouths of the river po , the hills of ●tria ; & the sea about ▪ 3ly : the palace of st mark , whereof the arches , pillars , halls and chambers are all most statelie , especialy the great halls , which are painted by the greatest masters of their time ; for the fetter understanding of which , it will be fitt , that you get a printed inventorie ●f all the particular ornaments of this palace . 4ly , the piazza of st marco , which is one of the largest and finest that can be 〈◊〉 in any town in italy ; being com●●●sed with most stately and regular buildings ▪ with large arches and portic●es to walk in , in the time of heat or rain ▪ with all sorts of merchandise and trades . this place is the most diverticeing in all venice , for here you may see people of many nations with different habits . at that end of that place which lookes to the sea , there stands two marble pillars , each of them of them one peece , of a great hight and bigness , at a reasonable distance one from another . upon the top of the one is placed a flying lion guilded , which is the armes of venice , and the symbole of st mark ; upon the top of the other the statue of st theodore gilded . betwixt these pillars , justice is usuallie done upon male-factors . about the middle of the place stands 3 verie tall poles like unto ships masts , whereupon the standards of the republick are displaied at great solemnities . on that side of the place , which is opposit to the dukes palace , stands the mint-house , a verie goodlie fabrick , composed of stone and iron , without any wood at all . 5ly . the arsenal , which is the largest and best furnished in the world ; it is strongly walled about , and the sea drawn about it likeways . there are fifteen or sixteen hundred men constantly at work , besides old men , who are not able to work , but intertained for instructing the younger . here are keept all sort of amunitions of war both for sea & land , in vast quantities , and in that good order , that i have heard some confidentlie say , that there were workmen within the arsenal , that were able to build a gally , and reik her out compleatly in one hours time ; which if it be true , argues a great deal of sharpness in the workmen , and readiness of the materials . there are severall lesser islands at some distance from the town , worthie to be seen , and particularlie , 1. murain about a mile northward from the city . it is well built and many good houses in it ; it is in this island , that all those famous crystall glasses so much talked of , and so much sought after throughout the world , are made . it is observed here , that the glass-works succeed much better on the one side of the street than on the other . they have likeways a great art of whitneing wax , which is observed to succeed better in this island than any other place in or about the city . there are abundance of oysters likeways in this island ; they ordinarly keep them in baskets near the shoare , to have them in readiness when they are called for , but in my opinion they are neither so pleasant , no● so wholesome as at lighorn and other places , especiallie being eaten raw , for i have often found the eating of them so , to give a verie troublesome flux of the belly to severall persons . 2ly . the isle of st helena , where there is a verie statelie monasterie & church , with monks of the order of mont olivet . in this church is keept the body of the emperess st helena . this isle lyes to the eastward of the town , and about two miles further the same way , stand the two forts del l●do and casielnovo , which both defend them selves mutuallie , and secure the entrie to the city from enemies in time of war ▪ 3ly . malamocco , where all ships and vessels of anie considerable burden do arrive because of the deepness of the harbour . 4ly . the isle of st. george , lying just before the place of st. mark , at half a miles distance , where there is an abbace of the order of st. benedict , with a most stately and glorious church , together with a garden and fair walks , which is thought no small thing in that place . altho' a traveller cannot be alltogether sure of his times , there being so many contingencies that may force him either to arive too soon or too late ; yet it were to be wished that a man might happen to be at venice in the time of carnoval , because of the opera's and fine shows that are to be seen , and the extraordinarie musick at that time . in the summer time the great divertisement is to go in gondole upon the great canale , where towards the evening , one may see five , or six hundred gondols touring up and down , full of ladies and gentlemen , & severalls of them with musick , both vocal and instrumental ; which is one of the greatest gusto's imaginable . you cannot miss to meet with a great many curiosities here , both natural and artif●cial , because of the great resort that strangers have to this place , especiallie from the levant ; you will find medals , intaleo's , chamaeo's &c. amongst the goldsmiths . i have seen severall curiosities to sell in the place of st. mark , and sometime within the court of the palace , and in many other corners throughout the city . you may meet with maby curiosities of glass , that are both usefull and delightfull . it will be worth your while to visit the book-sellers shops , for besides many curious books , that you may light upon here , and particularly of botany ; you may likeways find verie many books , that are prohibited in many other places of italy . be pleased to inquire diligently for a thin 40. called trattato de simplici pietre . & pesci marini che nascono del lito di venetia di antonio donati farmacopeo all'insegn● di st. liberale in venetia 1631. printed by pietro maria bertano . donati himself was dead before i came thither , but i found out his brother , a man of the same profession and living at the same place , but nothing knowing in simples . after i had told him the respect i had for his brothers memorie , and my regrate for the loss of so worthie a person ; he was pleased to show me a great many brass-plates of so many plants not yet described , together with their description done by his brother ; i am confident were they published , they would make a bigger volume than the first . they were in confusion when i saw them , but i put them in order and prayed him to keep them so , untill he should find the opportunitie of printing them , which i found him willing to do at his own expense , nor to trust it with an other , least his brothers name should have been stolen from it . if it be not as yet printed , you may see what you can do , either to purchase the manuscript and plates , or promise the printing of it . there are many virtuosi in the city , that have great collections of fine things which you may be pleased to inquire after and see . from venice you have twentie five miles to padua , whereof fo●r by berg to the terra ferma , and the rest you go by boat , drawen with horses by the river brent , which is a most pleasant and soft running river , having plain , fertile & most delicious fields on either side , full of villages & pleasure-houses , to which the inhabitants of venice use to resort in the summer-time . the river runs not all of a levell , & therefore there are three or four locks or sluces , by means whereof , at severall places the river is made portable ; which otherways it would not be . there is such an other lock upon the canale of briar , near to montargis in france . you will more easilie understand the manner of them by seeing them , than by any description i can make of them . padua , in latine pattavium . is a very ancient and large town ; famous over the world , for its vniversity ; whence it is called padua la dotta . there are many things considerable in the town fit to be seen and take notice of . as 1. the churches as namely that of s. sophia , that of justino , which is all pavemented with white & red marble ; there is an abbacy joyning to it of the order of st. benedict ; the reformation of which order did begin first here . it was anciently the temple of concord . the place before the church is very large & spacious . they say ten thousand men might be drawn up within it . the church of st. antonia de lisbon , is notably designed , and hath many rich things belonging to it ; many relique's , but amongst others the most considerable is the body of st. antonia , commonly called of padua , because he died and was in●erred here . there is great a devotion payed to this sainct , and a great concourse dayly to the place , as well of the inhabitants of the town , as of pilgrims that come from other places . they use to kiss the marble-stone that covers his sepulchre ; and they say it smels of musk. 2ly . the palace of justice , which is most stately . the stairs are all of marble covered with lead without the support of any pillar . the great hall is 256 foot in length , and 86 foot in breadth , and very well painted , and at the end of it , that statue of titus livius , whose tomb is likeways to be seen in the town . 3ly . the schooles , which is a very stately fabrick , being a 4 square court , where you will see a great many of the statues or busta's , names & arms of so many consuls , that have been of the several nations that compose the vniversity ; the scholars here have large priviledges , and many times abuse them , and become very insolent , insomuch that they have been sometimes known to threaten the podesta himself or governour of the town ; they have , likeways a beastly custome of carrieing arms in the night , insomuch that it is never safe to be abroad after it hegins to be dark , for many are this way unhappity murthered without any offence given or taken , but only by wantoness , or rather wickedness of the scholars . 4ly . the physical garden , which is exceedingly fine , not so much for the number as rareness of the plants . you may easily make your addrefs to the professor that keeps the garden who in my time was the excellentissimus signeur tore , but the gardener will be sufficient to do your turn , for in giving him a small peece of mony , you will command both seeds , plants , and all that he hath . we have a very worthie gentleman of our countrie , called doctor cadenhead ; in my time he was publick professor of logick nel bo , which is the publick schooles . he is a most courteous and obliging gentleman , and will be ready to do you all the kindness's imaginable . 5ly . you may see the hospitals for sick folk , and many other things , which for brevities sake i omit , only i intreat you be at the paines to visit the book-sellers shops ; and if there be any new thing in physick , since the 62 or 63 year of god , i intreat you to bring them along with you for me , especialy if there be any thing of rhodius , who hath promised us his commenta●s upon cornelius celsus long ago . if you please , you may make a little journey to the euganean hils , which are not far from p●dua . there is very good herborsing upon them . it will be worth your while , likeways to see abbano , a village 3. or 4 miles distant from padua ; famous for its natural baths . at the end of the village there is a little rising or know ; upon the top of which there are a great many springs of hot water , some where of are scalding hot . the water is convoyed by little conduits to several houses about , where baths are keept for sick people , but the greater part of it is convoyed the other way by a trough , where , at the distance of a musket shot , it moves a milne . the water it self is whitish , having a white slimy substance in it , which it deposes every where , where it runs , and which in process of time becomes as hard as a stone ; in so much that the miln-wheel , and all the wood that is toucht by it , becomes crusted as it were with marble ; and if it be not broken of timeously , it stops the motion of the wheel just as i●eicles use to do with us . the country about padua is very plain and exceedingly fertile , insomuch that they use to say , b●lognia la grassa , ma padua la passa ; yet the wine is not good , but a red small claret-wine such as they use at venice for ordinarie drink . when you ha●● past some time at padua , and satisfied your self , of all that is to be seen and known there , it will be time to set ●orward for milan . from padua to verona .   mil●s vicenza 17 montebello 12 scaldere 10 veron● 12 in going from padua to vicenza , you will do well to turne a little out of 〈◊〉 way to see a place called gus●●so , 〈◊〉 is a house of pleasure belonging to a ●●r●ticular person , where , besides many ●●riosities , of gardens &c. there is p●●ticular wayes of conveying the win● 〈◊〉 the caves below to the upper 〈◊〉 which makes a delicat fresco in the greatest heats of summer . it stands at the foot of a very great mountain , under which are the vastest and biggest caves i ever saw ; but seem not to be natural , but rather quarries , out of which the greatest part of the stone that vicenza has been built with , has been taken . in one place of these caves , there is a little well made by the water that drops from the top of the cave , which petrifies any wood , straw &c. that lyeth any time in it , and yet the water keeps clear it self , without congealing . near to the city of vicenza , upon your left hand , you wil see a delicat peece of architecture , made by the famous architect vinogli , which is likeways designed in his book ; it is only a house of pleasure , and stands upon a considerable hight from the city , discovering all the country round about . vicenza is a good large town , having many fine churches and palaces , with a large place for tilting and other exercises : there is likeways in it a noble theatre built by vinogly : the country about is exceedingly fertile , and abounds with all sort of good fruit , and is therefore called the garden of venice . verona is an easie days journey from vicenza ; it is an ancient city , large and well built , having many stately palaces , churches &c. & an old amphitheatre , yet more intire than any other in italy . the town is divided in two by the river adice , it is wel fortified , having 13 royal bastions , and three castles ; the two parts of the town , are conjoyned by 4 large stone bridges . there is excellent herborizing upon the hils near to the city , but especially upon the monte baldo , which is about 20 miles distant from this city , and which is described at great length by joannes pona , whose book i suppose you have seen . the palace del conte justi , is worthie the seeing , together with the gardens and grotta's . amongst the rest , there is one of a reasonable capacitie built with that artifice , that four persons being placed in the four corners , may speake each of them to his neighbour in the opposit corner , and yet not be heard by those that stand in the middle between them . in the palace of the signeur conte gregorio bevila●●● ▪ there is a gallerie , in which you may see a great many fine pictures , statues , medals , and other rarities . ●rom verona you pass by la peso●eira , which is a strong fort , upon the river 〈◊〉 issues from the lago di garda : from 〈◊〉 you go to dissanzano , which tho' 〈…〉 big town , but rather a village , i look upon it as one of the pleasantest 〈◊〉 in italy ; being upon the side of 〈◊〉 lago di garda , a lake not so 〈◊〉 as long , for in length it reaches to 〈…〉 rhetici . the country about 〈…〉 and fertile , and the lake it 〈◊〉 ●●ounds with all sorts of excellent 〈◊〉 such as pykes , pearches , red and 〈◊〉 trouts &c. and of all there are 〈◊〉 very big . in my time there was 〈◊〉 ●rench-man , that keept a very good 〈◊〉 , where we had excellent fare 〈◊〉 of fish and flesh , and the best wine 〈◊〉 the whole state of venice , and all at 〈◊〉 rate . from dissanzano , you go to bre●cia , which is not above half a days journey distant from dissanzano . it is a large and very strong town , especialy the castle thereof placed upon a hill , that commands the town . it is famous for making of guns , and pistols , especialy the cannons of them , which are the best i ever saw by farr . if you have the opportunity of carriage , it would be worth your while to make provision for your self here . if you resolve to make your return , not to lions but , throw switzer-land and germany , down the rhen , & so throw flanders and holland , then it will be fitt when you are at bol●gnia to go up the po , by modena , parma , piazz●nza , and so to millan , and from thence to turrin , and then back to millan again , and so returne by the other way of bergamo , brescia , dissanzano , verona , vicenza and padua to venice , by which means you will not only see the sweetest and most fertile places of lumbardie , but also have the commoditie of bringing what ever you find in all that way to venice , from whence it may easily be convoyed into england . from bres●i● to bergamo you have a dayes journey : you must dine at a place called pallazolo ; it is a little inconsiderable town . i remember we had a letter of recommendation from the duke of norfolks major-domo at padua , to a gentleman in this place , who was exceedingly civil to us & sent us a present of excellent wine , & ( which was of farr greater importance to us ) gave us the assurance of the peaceableness of the countrey & security of travelling , which sometimes is not without the danger of being robbed ; it being near the frontiers of the state of millan : & in such cases , it is usual for rogues , when they have done a mischief to pape into the next state , where the laws of the other state cannot reach them . the project of our recommendation , was to have been conducted by this gentleman on our way ; if there had been any such need . he willingly profered it , but we , upon the assurance he gave us did as willingly deny to accept it . bergamo is situated upon the side of a hil , fortifie with 9 bastions besides the castle , which is extreamly strong . there is , as i take it , in the dominicans a rare bibliotheque , collected by the great expense of alexander martinengo , you will do well here to exchange all your venetian money into spanish money , & such as will pass into the state of millan . you have a days journey from hence to millan , and must dine at a place called villa nova : as soon as ye have dined , you pass the river tesin : and then enter the state of millan . as you enter the state of millan , you will find some searchers or wayters of the custom-house , to whom you must give some small thing to let your baggage pass , or else you may be troubled with them . the state of millan , altho' but small in extent , is yet one of the pleasantest & fertilest places in italy . the country is very plain . the high-ways for the most part very large and straight , planted with trees and hedges , on every side , and having canales of water , for the most part , on every side ; and travellers have this advantage also to meet with better inns and better accommodation here than on any other road in italy . the inhabitants are not given to mutiny and rebellion as those of naples , but willingly submit to their prince . it is said that the king of spaine governs the kingdom of sicilie with mildness : naples with subtilitie and the dutchie of millan with authoritie . they say likeways that the inferior governours of sicilie , only but gentlie : those of naples eat lustilie , but that in millan they devoure . i have observed throughout all italy , that the greatest part of the inn-keepers and taverners even in rome it self are milanese : as also that the greatest part of the masons that serve all italy , are of this countrie : and it is a verie great mark both of their love to their countrie and loyaltie to their prince , that when they are not able to get so much by staying at home , as to entertain their wives and children , and pay publick burdens , they are contented to live abroad most part of their lives , and returne that home which they gaine abroad ; for they never carrie their wives with them , nor children till they be able to gaine for themselves : onlie it may be they make them a visit sometimes . the citie of millan , which is capital of the dutchie , is one of the stateliest in italy : it is near ten miles in compass , but a considerable part of it , especiallie toward the walls , is gardens . the streets are large & handsome ; many statelie churches and palaces : but i shall mark them a little more particularly as i have done in other towns : and 1. to begin with the churches , it is said there are above 230 in the citie and suburbs , whereof 96 are parochial : 40 convents of religious men , and 50 of religious women . the cathedral church called il domo , is one of the greatest and most glorious in italy except st. peters at rome . it is intirely built of white marble within & without , but that which is to be pitied is , that the design is gothick ; it is not yet quite finished ; but they are still at work , and you may guess when they are like to come to an end , they haveing been up wards of 200 years at work allreadie . there are above 600 marble statues about the walls , everie one of which cost at least 1000 crowns , amongst which the statue of adam and st. bartholomew are much esteemed , especiallie the latter which is thought to be one of the best in europe . the pend of the church is supported by 160 white marble pillars , each of them of that bigness , that scarcelie can three men fathom them . it is believed that they stand not under 10000 crowns a peece . all the rest of the parts of the church are correspondent in magnificenee , only it appears to me to be somewhat darker than need were . amongst many other things that are considerable in this church is the body of st. charles boromeus in a chappel under ground . it hath a lamp burning before it , and you look down through an iron tirles from the church to see it . you may see the head and feet , but the rest of the bodie is covered with his pontificall habit. there is a rich treasure belonging to the church , where you will see , amongst other things ▪ a silver statue of the same st. charles in his pontifical habit , with many precious stones of great value upon the myter thereof . it was presented by the jewellers and goldsmiths of millan . in the church of st. ambrose , you may see a pillar in the middle of the church , upon which stands the brazen serpent that moses elevated in the wilderness . you may likeways see two statelie tombs , one of the emperour luis , and the other of pepin king of italy , both sons of charles the great . here also you may see the chapel where st. augustine was baptized . in the church of st. satyre , upon the great altar there is a picture of the blessed virgin with the babe jesus in her armes , of which they tell a wonderfull story , that it being placed upon the church-yard-wall , a certain gamester called massario vigonzonio , being mad to have lost his money , struck the little jesus with a poynard , whereupon immediately there gusht out abundance of blood , after which it was placed upon the great altar where it is yet to be seen . 2ly . the palaces ; amongst the rest that of the governour . 3ly . the hospitals ; which are said to entertain above 9000 poor people all the year long , at the expence of the publick . that which is called the great hospital , entertaines alone more than 4000 , and so it may , for it has three score ten thousand crowns of yearlie revenue . the lazaretto is a kind of hospital without the walls , it is a large square court about a mile in compass , not unlike the form of the carthusians houses ; that are divided into so many little appartments . the chief design & use of it , is in the time of the plague : at other times it stands emptie , only some few persons that have the keeping of it , remaine there . 4ly . the places in the town ; chiefly the exchange , where the merchants meet ; there you will see the statue of st ▪ augustin , and the place where he taught rhetorick before his conversion to the christian faith. 5ly . st. ambrose's bibliotheck , where not only these books that belonged to st. ambrose himself , but many other books that have been presented since , are kept . septalie's galerie . this manfredo septali , is son to that famous physician ludovicus septalius , who hath written many things , & learnedly in philosophie and medicine . he is at present one of the canons of the great church ; and one of the greatest virtuosi in italy . his studie of books consists of 2 or 3 roomes . his galerie of curiosities of three roomes . the curiosities are both natural and artificial , of so great a number and varietie , that i must not insist upon particulars ; but only refer you to the description thereof in latine by paulus maria tersagus , the book is in 40. dertono 1664 , and bears the name of musaeum septalianum . he hath also an other room or two , full of working tooles , ●ome for turning , others for grinding of optick glasses of all sorts and fashion ; and here you will see a great variety of musical instruments . most part of the booksellers live near to the exchange , but their magasins are in severall other places of the town ; you must be carefull to see them all . you will undoubtedly find some to please , on which perhaps you will not readily fall else where . you will meet with many curiosities in this place , especiallie of cristal , brought hither from the alps , and a thousand conceits , most delicatly wrought of straw . i have heard of peeces of cristal , with severall shapes represented within them naturally , as of trees , flees , &c. others with a drop of water within them , that one might perceive to move , but is was not my fortune to light on any such . 7ly . the castle of milan , is one of the greatest forts in italy , with six royal bastions , a large fossey full of running water , and within it a second wall of strength . the place within will admit of 6000 men to be drawn up , it has above 200 peece of cannon ▪ all sorts of ammunition and 600 spaniards in garison . it has a water miln within it for grinding of corn , which is moved by the running water that fills the ditches . at a miles distance from the town , there is a privat gentlemans house , where the echo is so excellent that it repeats above 40 times , which you may try , ether by speaking loud or otherways with a trumpet ; but the surest way is with pistol shot , for then you may distinctly tell to 40 , one after another . the carthusians have a stately monastery at 10 miles distance from millan , wihin five miles of pavia , which hath 500000 crowns of yearly revenue ; the monks use to entertain strangers for one night . the church is of a most delicat fabrick and very rich. if you please you may go from hence to pavia , anciently ticinum , and afterward called pavia . the town is very strong and stands upon the tesin ▪ it is the chief vniversity of the dutchie of millan , but because i was not in it my self i cannot say much of it , only i have heard that in the great place of the city stands the brazen statue of the emperour constantine , or as some think of antoninus , very much esteemed . if you list to go thither i believe it may be well worth your seeing , because of the vniversity , for , for any thing i know , there may be both good books , and a physical garden there . from millan to turin , you have about 73 miles . from millan to turin . buffalora 9 novara 16 vercelli 15 s. germano 13 ci●uas 10 turin● 10 you have two rivers to pass , by boat viz. the dorn , after you pass vereelli and the tesin near to ci●uas : near to vercelli you enter into piedmont , & there you will meet with waiters or customers to whom you must give some thing , and before this time it will be fitt that you have changed all your spanish money except it be pistols , or half pistols of gold , for these will pass any where , either in piedmont or france . when you arrive at turin you will think your self allready in france , for their apparel , customs and discourse , are almost altogether french. turin , augusta taurinorum is the capital city of piedmont , and is situated in a plain about 20 miles distant from the alps ; having the po on the one side and the dorn on the other . the dukes of savoye keep their court here , and have made it both very pleasant & very strong : there is the old and new city , which is very well and regularly built . it is compassed with royal bastions , and walls . it hath a citadale , consisting of 5 strong bastions . they say it is after the model of the citadale of antwerp . the great church is called the domo , where amongst other relicts is keept and had in veneration the sanctum sudarium , upon which the visage of our saviour & the greatest part of his body is impressed . there is a famous vniversity here , & this is said to be the first town in italy that had the first use of printing . the castle serves now the duke for a palace . there is a rare galerie to be seen , with many fine pictures , antick statues &c. and a great collection of manuscrips . amongst the new buildings the royal place is considerable ; the walks thereof being full of shops and merchandice of all sorts . you may likeways see the valentine , which is a beautifull palace , built by madam royal a little beneath the town upon the bank of the po ▪ in the suburbs of the po , there is a house called albergo worthie the seeing , because of the many excellent manufactories of silk , and other stuffs that are made there . i leave the rest to your own observa●ion , that i may haste to bring you over ●he alps ; the ordinarie way is to tra●el with the messenger to lions or to ge●eva . we came to lions . it is a jour●ey of 8 or 9 dayes . the first day we ●arted from turin about ten a clock in ●he forenoon , and came to lye all night ●ome 10 or 12 miles from turin , having ●llready entered into one of the vallies ●hat leads to the foot of the hill ; the next day we dined at an other little village hard by the foot of the hill , cal●ed monte cene , here we hired mulets to ●arrieus up the hill ; it being impossible for our horses to do it . you must likeways ●ire men to carrie you down on the other side of the hill , because it is a great deal too far to walk , and the way that the horse goes , is farr about , because of the steepness of the hill. and yet i mnst tell you that the hill is three times steeper and less accessible on the italian side than on the french side . as you mount the hill , at first you will find the soyle somewhat fertile at least wayes for pasturage and abundance of wood ; but when you are ●ot higher you will find nothing but rocks , & shrubs , here & there ; there is a little beck in the face of the hill , where there stands a few houses , or rather corbie nests ; a habitation which some people have chosen for the benefit they may make by accommodating strangers that pass that way , for they are all victualing-houses , and ( as i take it ) a smith or two . when you pass this and continue still to mount , you will be about the middle region of the air , and it 's a hundred to one ; but you may see clouds enough beneath you , & it may be the rain falling from them ; and then you will begin to find it cold what ever time of the year it be , and the the higher you go it will still ▪ be the ●older , till you come to the very highest pitch you are to go , and there you will meet with a little house , in which one can scarce stand upright , where , if you have leisure , you will get some bread & drink to buy ; they usually have white hares and white partridges to sell , and as usuall it is for strangers to buy them for curiosities sake , & have them dressed at their next lodging . from this you have a plain of above half a mile in length , which for the most part is coveted with snow , except in the heat of summer and then it will be green in some places that are most exposed to the sunn . the great pike of the hill , which yo● leave upon the right hand as you enter the plain , is above two miles higher , and perpetualie covered with deep snow . about the middle of the plain stands the ruin of a great house , which madam ro●al began to build , but whither she finished it or not , i cannot tell ; however i am sure nothing but omnipotencie could make a house resist the rage of so much wind and storm , as that place is subject to . when you come to the end of the plain , there is an other little victualling house , but it was desolate , when i pass'd . you quite your moulets at the entrie into the plain , and take your own horses , and here you quite them again , and leave your messenger to wait upon them to the bottom of the hill , the best way he can , and permit your self to be carried by two men which came along with you ( for according to the number of the companie there comes two for one from the italian side , as i hinted at before ) it is a kind of barrow , with a litle seat , & a back at it , with two little handles to hold by , & a foot board for streaching your limbs before you , tyed at both ends with a peece of small rope , that they set ●ou upon ; & then carrie you the nearest way down the hill , which you would think steep enough for goats to climb . they go at the rate of an ordinary horse trot , & as they go will trist the stones to step upon , which lye confusedly here and there , as exactly as if they were a paire of stairs and yet they will not fall once in 500 times , and if they should it would be a fall without any great perill . but indeed the danger on the italian side is much greater ; there being great precipices on the one hand , where into , if one should fall it were impossible to escape , insomuch that i have often wondred how any body durst adventure to climb upon a beasts back : and yet is admirable to see with it what dexteritie these poor moulets pick out their way , where scarce any man could crawle all four , & how sure footed they are . but i must returne to the french side , where you may pay off your porters when they have brought you to your lodging at a little village near to the foot of the hill. the ordinarie rate is a crown a head that is , half a crown to every porter . i have told you the way of passing the mount cene at such seasons , of the year , as there is little or no snow : but in the winter time when the snows are fallen the passage is much more uneasie & unsafe , especiallie if they be newly fallen , and the paths not trod ; for then it is not only impossible to go without 2 or 3 guides , that in case one should drop throw the snow there may be more hands to let fall a rope and bring him up again ; for sometimes that will happen , as when a courier is necessitat to pass upon important affairs , & any of the guides chance to mistake a step , he will some times slip down 100 fathom or two . but this is not the greatest danger neither , for in the french side , from the foot of the hills , you have a whole dayes journey and more through a narrow valley with a small river in the middle of it , which , at the foot of the mount cene , one may easilie step over , but it grows still bigger , as it advances throw the valley ; being increased by the water that pours from everie cleft of the hills and rocks , which are on everie side of the valley , of a prodigious height , and most precipitious : the current of the river falling sometimes to be on one side of the valley , and sometimes on the other , for the most part casts the highway on the contrary side ; so that verie often you will chance to pass under horrible rocks that hang over the high way , and when the snow is new fallen and they loaden with it , the least noise in the world would bring down a whole mountain of snow , so that if a passinger were so caught , you might look upon him as buried till the following spring . but i shall advise you to choose a fitter season , and then you will have the satisfaction of herborising , for the lower parts of the hills are all covered with trees & many sorts of plants , that do not grow naturalie in an other soil . i confess my fortune , as to this , was ill ; for after i past the monte cene , we had a constant deluge of rain , till i came the length of chamberrie . but i must not here forforget to acquaint you with an other particular that had almost escaped me , in time of snow : and it is this . when you come to the french side ( supposing the snow to be frozen and able to bear above ; ) there is a singular way of going down the hill , which they call r●masser , ou se faict ramasse . that is to have a little hurdle of wood , upon which the passingers is placed , with a little bit of boord behind it , upon which the fellow stands that guides the way , and so you come hurling down together , at a greater rate than the swiftest horse in the world is able to go . i do not remember to have remarked any thing worthie the troubling you with , upon the way from mont cene untill you come the length of momilian , except only that the inhabitants near the alps , are troubled with a certain disease called bronchocele , which is an outward swelling in their throats from the chin downward , sometimes to the middle of their breast , so that they appear at first to have no neck or chin , but one continued thing from their mouth downward . it is exceedingly hard and easily affected with cold ; the cause of it is believed to be their continual drinking of snow-water , which runs continually from the neigbouring hills . montmelian , is a fortress of great strength upon the borders of savoye near to daufin ; it is the only considerable place for strength in all savoye , & stand● within 3 leagues of chamberrie , & within 5 or 6 of granoble , which is a parliament town , and the capital city o● daufine ; as chamberrie is of savoye . 〈◊〉 the necessity of your occasions and you● engagement to the messenger oblige you not to go straight to lions , it will be very proper to see granoble , anciently called gratianopolis from the emperour gratian : not that he was the first founder of it , but because he enlarged it much , and beautified it . it lyes in a plain at the foot of the hill chelmont , and hath the river isere on the one side , & drac , which is an impetuous torrent on the other . a little beyond the drac , there is a wonderfull curiositie to be seen ; that is , a fountain that burneth constantly . the fields about the town are exceeding fertile , and carrie good wine , but the neighbouring hills are so high , that you may see snow all the dayes of summer upon their tops . the manufactorie of gloves and dressing of skins of all sorts is much commended in this city . but the most considerable thing in all this country to be seen is the great charter-house , so called because the general of the order is obliged to reside here . it is a statelie monasterie , but stands in the wildest place that ever my feet trod upon . the reason they give for choosing this place is , because st. bruno , the first instituter of their order , did pennance here ; it stands very near the mount chelmount , being three miles distant from granoble by a continual ascent . these three leagues will take you eight or nine good hours riding , for in many places it is not safe to ride , and you must be forced to walk a foot . about the mid-way there stands a little inconsiderable village of 4 or 5 houses , where it wil be fit to repose a little ; you will get bread and wine , and it 's fourtie to one but you may meet with some good peece of sanglier , which abounds upon the hill ; being it is for the most part covered with trees . when you come within a mile of the house , you meet with a great port and a porter to wait upon it , who i suppose shuts it in the night time . within the port there is a bridge over a great cleft , within , which runs a little rivolet ; there is no possibilitie of entering any where on that side , but by this port , from which you ascend still to the monasterie , but , the way is easie , and all within the top● of the hills covered with oakes , beeches , and firr-trees ; within half a mile of the monasterie or some less , stands their stables , garnels and other office-houses , which indeed are statelie and well appointed , for there ▪ they have lay-brothers of all trades that serve to their purpose , and to this place it is that your horses are sent back from the monasterie to be ●eept till your going away , and if by chance any of your own or horse-furniture had been broken by the way , or your horses lost a shooe , they will be all repaired next morning without your desiring it . they have good store of hay , and have made severall closes near to the monasterie , ( which stands on that side of the hill that hangs to the southwest , and consequently has most of the sun for making of hay , ) having felled down all the wood that grew upon them . when you arrive at the monasterie , you alight from your horses and then the porter desires you to stay untill he call the prefect , who presently comes and informs himself of your names , qualities , country , and the occasion of your coming ( for most part come out of devotion , and they be but few strangers that come for curiositie , but however all are welcome , ) which being done he craves you patience to acquaint the general , but he very soon returnes to conduct you to your apartement , only you must leave your swords and pistols with the porter at the gate . the monasterie is verie large , and they have a different apartment for most nations . we were carried into one that was very convenient , being a large room wanscoted about with firr-●●ords ; and for fireing , every log of wood they put on , is like the end of a ships-mast . our beds for the most part were at the sides of the room within the wal , all boorded abou● like a ships cabbin ; and for courtens having two folding leaves , which you may shut or leave open at pleasure . upon our first arrival into this room , we were presented with a collation of very good wine , bread , butter and cheese ; and then a guide given us to conduct us up the hill , yet half a mile further , to see st. bruno's chapel , that stands in the place where he did his pennance for many years together , as they will more particularly inform you , & as you returne they will let you see another chapel dedicated to our lady . by that time you are returned to the monasterie it will be time to supp , and then according to your number you will be treated with more or fewer dishes . we were only six in companie , and we had above 30 dish of meat , but there was not above three or four varieties , except in the way of dressing ; & for that they are admirable . i believe we had at least a dussen of different dishes of eggs , all prepared in different maners ; the rest were a few fishes and fritato's , for seeing they never eat flesh themselves , it cannot be exspected they should give it to any other body within their monasterie . the next morning the prefect conducts you thorow the house , shewes you the different apartments , and particularlie to us was shown that of the english nation , which they used to assigne for them in former times , but now because of their defection from the faith , they have given it to the german nation . they show you painted about the walls the severall torments & deaths inflicted upon those of thei● order in england , in the time of king henry the 8. & queen elizabeth . they let you see the church , the library , the refectory , the religious cells , the kitchen , ( which is the best i have seen in france after that of the jesuits at l●-flesch , ) and lastly the cellers , which are well enough furnished , but nothing so well as those at naples of the same order . if any gentleman be desirous to see the general , and speake with him , it will be granted him , and he will find him very civil . all this being done you breakfast , the prefect waits upon you to the gate , where your horses attend you , and your arms are delivered you , & so leaveing a little drink-money to the servan●s , ( about a crown a head for gentlemen , ) you take leave and returne again to granoble . i must only add that all this hill over there is excellent herbarizing . from granoble to lions , you have a matter of 15 leagues , in which there is little considerable . from chamberrie to lions there is 16 leagues , but nothing considerable upon the way ; save only that within 2 miles of chamberrie you have only the gabelette to pass , which is a very steep and high mountain in several parts precipicious , especiallie on the savoy side , yet you mount that side on your own horses , and must carrie along with you from chamberrie porters to carrie you down the hill , on the french side . i think you will pay but half a crown for your two porters , and you will find them as dexterous in their trade , as those of mount ceni's . some that have a mind to see geneva pass the alps , either by the mount sampion or the mount st. bernard , and so from geneva either go straight to lio●s , which is a matter of 26 leagues , or else from geneva go to chamberrie , which is 12 leagues , and from thence to montmelian , the grand charterhouse , and so pass by granoble to lions . this is all that occurs to my memorie at present , concerning this journey . in truth i am very sensible that it might have been much more accurat , had i been so diligent as to write of it in the time i made the journey , when all things were fresh in my memorie . but that occasion being lost ; i had no more left me , but to recol●ect my thoughts as carefully as i could to satisfie your desire , & the rather because i am hopefull , it will provoke you to make a more diligent inquiry after all things , and to set them down orderly , without trusting your memorie . this i conjure you to do ; and assure your self , it is one of the greatest things i will expect from you at your return . i confess , i have been somewhat prolix in my narration , but , if you consider the vastness and fertilitie of the subject , you will find few towns in italy , of which there might not have been more said than i have said of them all ; & this you will easily find to be true if you please to make a collection of those books that are writen of the antiquities , and curiosities , of each of them : for there is scarcelie any town in italy , where , you may not find such books . however such as it is i offer it you , and wish it were better for your sake , for whole service it was only undertaken ; aud if it prove acceptable and usefull to you , i have my designe . i shall o●lie add that it had been sent you much sooner , had not the necessitie of an extraordinarie attendance upon this winter-session , so often withdrawn me , together with the other duties of my profession , which i was obliged to perform . postscript . a list of those things , which i desire the laird of levingstone to procure for me in italy . 1. all the new books of physick , botany , and that any way relate to the historie of nature , that have been printed since the 64. and of old books , aldrovandi's works at bolognia , together with any other he can meet with , that was contained in the first list i gave him when he parted from hence , as also at rome i desire him to buy me a book in taildouce , containing all the antiquities , palaces statues , churches , villa's , fountains , pyramids &c. in rome . i would have it of the best , largest and finest impression ; and if you cannot get them so in one book , i would have you take them in severall fashions as you can best find them : you may inquire appresso giacomo di rossi a la pace in roma . also caroli avantij , paraleipomena botanica , if it be to be had , for i never saw it , onlie he promiseth it in his notes in caenam baptiste fiera 4. patav 1649. 2. at florence i desire that you would remember to procure me a small parcel of all the varieties of stones you can come by . the readie way will be to inquire for them at the stone cutters in the great dukes chapel at st. laurence church , or else at the work-men that work in stone for cabinets at the dukes gallerie . but above all , of these two kinds of stone that are most comon at florence ; whereof the one represents trees , and forrests ; the other , towns and villages : i would have of each two or three large handsome choise peeces , fitt to be put in frames . i would likeways have of those peeces of cristal that are extraordinarie for colour , or otherwayes that have any substance , contained within them ; as water , &c. you may possibly find such , either at florence or millan , or it may be venice or any other where . there is likeways a stone called lapis fungiferus ; it is a stone that being placed in the ground produces large mushroms ; i had one of them given me at rome , but unhappily lost it at london . to the best of my memorie , they are commonly found about praenestae , commonly called palestrina . some honest virtuoso , & particularlie padre barilieri alla minerva in roma , will tell you where they may be got ; i have likeways heard that they were in many places of the kingdom of naples . 3. i humbly desire likeways some parcel of antieails , some●three or 4 of the antiche lucerne of the best fashioned and best preserved . in my time there was 2 or 3 in the piazza navona , that sold such things , and particularly an old man , whose name i have forgot , that had whole cabinets full of intalio's and medales . i desire likeways some intalio's that be truly antique : the excellencie of the impression , and the deepness of it commends them , especiallie if they be well preserved , & neither the stone nor impression spoiled . i would likeways have some brass-medals of the 1st . or second magnitude , that be well preserved . there are many things that commend medals to be good , particularly , 1. to be antique and not counterfeit . 2. to be well preserved , 3ly . to have a good reverse ; & it is to be observed , that the differences of reverses make different medals , altho' they be of the same emperour , or consul , and of the same magnitude , and it is likeways to be observed that those emperours who reigned longest had the greatest varietie of medals ; as for reverses , the best are such as are least common ; as for example a charriot , a triumphal arch , a trophie of warr , a man or a womans head for the reverse , two faces on one side , a galey , the instruments of sacrifice , an amphitheatre , a mousolium , an elephant , a lion , a dolphin , and many more such that i cannot remember of ; as also a reverse charged with many figures , can never be ill , nor one that relates any known historie , as one that i have of titus vespasian with a palm●tree , a slave sitting at the foot of it , with this word , judea capta for the reverse thereof . but i doubt mine is only a copie , and not truly antique . i would likeways have a few chamaeo's providing they be not dear ; that which commends them is to have the figures well done , and to be well preserved . the pretiousnes of the stone doth likeways contribute much to their value . in all there , that is , chameo's , i would be content that ye did bestow 4 or 5 pistolls for me , which tho' i confess it be a very small summ ; yet you may chance to make a better purchase for it at rome than any where else for a farr bigger . lastly , to conclude this article , i would fain have some of the ancient glass , which through time looks now as it were opal ; nothing will commend it so much as to find an intire vase or phiol , for example a lachrimatory , such as the ancients used to cape their own or their friends tears in . 4ly . there is the face of a hill near to rome , as i remember , it is at the end of the janicular , not farr from cardinal francis barherin's villa , that is full of shells of all sorts petrified , or if ye please to call them stones , resembling all the species of shells . by what means they came there , i leave you to find out ▪ only i would fain have you to make good provision of all the varieties of them , and these as intire as you can get them . 5ly . at naples i would desire you to buy me a couple of black sashes , net-work such as they use . i think the best use to cost 3 or 4 crowns a peece , and i would have the best . i would likeways have you to buy me at luca , or at florence , i think you may do it in either , two of the largest quilted silk stomagers , or breast-plates , such as people use to wear there in winter time . and at rome i intreat you to buy me a dossen a pair of gloves , concia di roma , not exceeding a testone , or 4 julio's a pair : and at venice two pound , of the best old theriae . at bolognia a dossen or two of soap-balls . 6ly . all the natural curiosities that you can meet with , with your conveniencie of fowls , fish , insects or other animals , the manner of ordering , of which i have written to you formerly . i confess these you sent me from paris were the best ordered i ever saw ; but besides that it is too expensive , you will not allways meet with the oportunity , of having them so ordered ; therefore it will be sufficient , if the skins ( being carefully taken of , and stuffed with flax , or cotten ) be so preserved : but for the smaller sort of insects , their whole bodies will easily preserve ; the guts being first taken out . of this kind i would have these viz. a viper or two both the kinds of tarantula , viz. the stellio , which is a kind of lizard curiously , spotted , but accounted poysonous ; and the other true one , which is shaped like a spider : and what others you think fitt . 7ly . be pleased to make me some purchase of outlandish curiosities , especially , such as are from the levant , of whatsoever sort that you can meet with . buy me at venice , a stilletto , and a pair of armenian shoos , shod with iron on the heels , such as they use to wear undermost . for the rest i refer you to the itinerary , and shall earnestly intreat you to do me the favour to remember all my desires , as farr as may stand with your convenience , for further i should be very sorry to trouble you . i do likeways with much earnestness recommend to you those particulars , concerning my self , mentioned in such places of the french itinerary ( which i sent you last year ) as you have not yet seen . thus , once again wishing you all happiness , i remaine your &c. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a30142-e480 ‖ in the memoria balfour●a●a .