the date is Post Interramnam conditam DC C IIII. Terni was called Interamna or Interamnium by reason of its situation inter amnes between the two Arms of the River which Waters it There is also another Inscription which was put on the Bridge in the time of Urban VIII in which it is said that this Bridge was built by Pompey the Great We went to see the famous Water-fall of Mount del Marmore which is three Miles from Terni The Way is rough and pleasant both together You must ascend very difficult Rocks and sometimes light from your Horse for fear of Precipices But in recompence we had the pleasure in these Mountains to meet with some Nooks to the Southward which never felt the Winter We found amongst the Bushes Jasmins Laurels Myrtles Rosemary and Nature smiling in February though it had been a very hard Winter as much as you find it in April in your Island At the third part of the Way ascending the Hill Papinio I observ'd below on the River side a great space of Ground planted with Orange-Trees I counted at least seven hundred and this was the first time we saw them in them in the plain Field without any Shelter But let us proceed to the Water-fall The River called Velerio hath its source in the Mountains twelve or thirteen Miles from the place where it falls down It passes into the Lake of * Or Piede Luco The Trouts of this Lake have no Back-Bones Du Val. Peter Tolentin a Sieneze having rid into the River on Horse-back above the Fall was hurried away by the Current and took leap with his Horse but having time to call on our Lady of Loretto he escaped being only soundly weâ— Balt. Bartoli descript of Loretto Luco at the distance of nine Miles from its Head and goes out bigger by half than it entred into it When it comes to the place of its Fall the Vally which it quits proves to be on a high Mountain considering the depth which attends it there then this River which already marched with a swift Current all in an instant throws it self down from a craggy Rock three hundred Paces high and falls into the hollow of another Rock against which its Waters break themselves with such Violence that it rises like a Cloud of Dust double the height of the Fall which makes a perpetual Rain in all the adjacent parts This pulverized Water forms in the Sun an infinite number of Rain-bows which are always diminishing and encreasing which cross themselves and flutter about according to the various rebounding and spurting up of the Surges and as this Watry Smoke is thicker or thinner I can assure you the sight of this Object fills the Spectator with an Astonishment that I cannot express The River seems to hasten its Course before its Precipitation because of the sloping of its Chanel These Surges press on as if they strove for precedency Du Val hath written that there is a certain Land near the Nera which in dry Weather turns to Dirt and when it Rains moulders into Dust Whilst they are still in the Air they foam dash against encounter and shock each other and seem to be entangled together At last they fall into an Abyss which they themselves have made from which they break forth impetuously some through the Crevices of one Rock others through the Jaws of another after which they run on grumbling and murmuring a little farther and at last mingle themselves with the Waters of the little River Nera which they enlarge by at least three quarters And so ends the poor Velino NARNI From Terni to Narni is a plain Way and a good Country it is but seven Miles This last City promises something at a distance because of the pleasant little Hills which we see about it when we come from the side of Terni But when we entred it we were surprised to find it in a manner desolate Its Streets are dirty and narrow and the situation so rough and uneven that one cannot go scarce three Steps without mounting or descending According to the sordid custom of the Country you can see nothing in the Windows but torn pieces of Paper which is a sign of beggary and makes the Houses appear as if they were uninhabited I observed as we passed two pretty handsome Fountains of Brass The Emperour Nerva was a Native of Narni We turned aside a little before we went into the City to see the Ruines of a Bridge which as they say was built under the Empire of Augustus and which they look upon as a thing worthy of Admiration The great pieces of Marble with which it is built are joined dry without any Cement and without Hold-fasts of Iron It s height is extraordinary it joyns the Mountain of Spoletto to a neighbouring Mountain and ends in the Way that leads to Perusa Of four or five Arches there remains but one entire the top of the Mold of the greatest is broken Many Persons who I believe are well informed have told me that this Arch is one hundred and seventy foot in breadth and one may by the Eye guess it near so much which far exceeds the famous Bridge of the Rialto Departing from Narni we found our selves again between the Mountains which continue for eight Miles to the Town of Otricoli Near that on a Plain OTRICOLI are the Ruines of the ancient Ocriculum We went a little aside to take a nearer view of these dismal Remains but we could find nothing which might afford us any Instruction A while after we passed the Tyber over a fair Stone Bridge which was begun under Sixtus V. and finished under Urban VIII as appears by an Inscription engraven on it It was late before we arrived at Citta-Castellana CITTA-CASTELLANA and our intention being to part thence early the next Morning we willingly gave credit to the Report of those who told us we should find nothing remarkable in it Near to Regnano we found the old Via Flaminia with its Pavement of nine hundred Years continuance which remains entire in this place to Admiration we not having perceived any Footsteps of it since we left Rimini to which this Way extended it self I shall give you a more particular Account of it on some other Occasion We dined at Castel Nuovo which is but a Paltry Town as well as Regnano Almost all the rest of the Country hitherto is untill'd and without Inhabitants The Soil is bad and the Land generally flat but uneven We saw every where an infinite Number of ancient Ruines After we had repassed the Tyber upon the Bridge which by Tacitus and other ancient Authors is call'd Pons Milvius and at present by corruption Ponte-Molle we met with a paved Way for two Miles which lead us between Gardens and Houses of Pleasure to the famous City of Rome I am SIR Yours c. At Rome Mar. 4. 1688. LETTER XXI SIR IT is so pleasant to travel
Convent and if there be any publick place where they bury those who are very poor which I have not yet seen It is only some Corner of Land in a private place without the City And besides it is the Custom where there are any Church-yards to plant Pines Yew-Trees or Cypresses but no Orange-Trees Piperno is a new City built near the old Privernum the Metropolis of the Volsci and Residence of their King Metabus Father to the famous Camilla Virg. lib. 11. Some say that Privernum was called Piperno because when they built it out of the Ruines of the other they found in the place where Piperno now stands a Tree which bore Pepper From whence it comes say they that this City hath a Tree in the Scutcheon of their Arms with the Head of Camilla born by a Lyon Others are not of this Opinion They believe that Piperno is so called by corruption for Priverno or Privernum and that the Tree now discoursed of is no Pepper-Tree but a Laurel from whence they draw great Consequences of the Bravery of the old Privernates The Bishoprick of Piperno was re-united to that of Terracina by Honorius III. because of its Poverty ob indecentem paupertatem saith Favonius Leo. The Bishop's Chair is still kept in the Choir of the old Cathedral They have in the Church of St. Benedict a famous Image of our Lady by St. Luke which would not be burned at the Saccage of Privernum and which is the grand Object of the Devotion of Piperno together with St. Sebastian St. Thomas Aquinas and the Illustrious Camilla Lillies and Daffodils grow naturally as they say on the Hillock of Piperno called Colle Rosso There is a certain fine Earth found there named Buccaro excellent for making Potter's Ware From the top of this Hill you discover the little City of Mayença near which is a Lake the Waters of which by the Report of P. Paolo Benvenuti rise considerably on a sudden two Days before Rain Leaving Piperno we passed over some sandy Hillocks full of those various sorts of Shrubs which are Green in all Seasons In the Wood which we go into afterwards are a great Number of Cork-Trees This Tree extreamly resembles an Ever-green Oak and I believe we may very well call it a kind of Oak since it bears Acorns When you strip other Trees of their Bark you at the same time take away their Sap and Life whereas far otherwise when you take away the Bark from this Tree it grows stronger and presently produces a new Coat as Sheep after shearing bear a new Fleece Departing from the Wood of Piperno we went out of the Way two or three hundred Paces FOSSA NUOVA This Abbey is on the Ruines of the Forum Appii of which Benvenuti assure us some Foot-steps remain to see the Abbey of Fossa Nuova The Monks who led us into the Church told us That Thomas Aquinas going from Fondi to the Council of Lyons and finding himself ill alighted from his Mule stuck his Stick in the Ground and fastened his Mule to it and afterwards fell asleep in a Corner of the Wood near the Church It is said that the Mule getting loose run furiously into the Church those who were there not being able to hinder it They add that the Beast was so insolent as to set his Feet in the Choir but immediately he sunk into the Pavement * Others say that the Mule wandred some days in the Wood and that running to the Tomb of his Master he died there for Grief and was presently punished with sudden death They show the pretended print of his Feet and have put little Iron Grates over them to preserve them Moreover as they searched for the Master of the Mule to punish his negligence in not tying him better they were surprised to see that it was ‖ Villani and others write that he was poisoned by order of Charles I. King of Naples St. Thomas who was ready to expire for want of his Mule to carry him to seek for Relief They brought him to the Convent where he died some Days after and his Body was laid for some time in this Church from whence it was afterwards removed to Fondi and from Fondi to Tholouse About ten Miles on this side Fossa Nuova we found the old Way called Via Appia Appius Claudius Censor Aquam Claudiam induxit viam Appiam stravit Entrop Appia Longarum teritur Regina viarum Statius which was made by Appius Claudius when he was Censor The Alterations which time makes on the Surface of the Earth is the Cause that the Ways are many times changed also as 't is plain from daily Experience but nothing more evidently demonstrates this truth than this part of the Via Appia which we met with You see it come out of a deep Marish and at present wholly inaccessible whereas formerly it was the direct Road from Capua to Rome You are obliged to make a great turning when you leave this Way to go into that of Piperno I observed the same thing between Citta-Castellana and Rome on occasion of the Via Flaminia of which we find great pieces preserved on this side Regnano and in some places and particularly towards Castel Nuovo fifteen Miles from Rome this ancient Pavement may be observed which sometimes mounts on Ascents now inaccessible and in other places loses it self in deep Valleys which cannot be descended into and afterwards appears again some Miles farther 'T is certain that by Winds Rains great Floods Earthquakes and other Accidents Plains are raised up and Hills fall down Valleys are filled up the Earth gains upon the Sea and the Sea on the Earth the Sea makes the Earth Lakes and the Earth turns the Sea to Islands Rivers are dried up and change their Course Mountains swell and become level and the Figure of the Globe is in perpetual variation I could produce Examples of all this It is true these Changes are not universal The length of the Pavement for Example which continues for two Miles or thereabouts to Terracina is exactly level with the circumjacent Lands Of all the Antique Monuments I have seen hitherto there is nothing in my mind deserves so much to be admir'd as these famous Roads The Buildings which are preserved have been exposed to few Accidents and all things being well considered it is rather matter of Astonishment that Edifices so exceedingly solid were so soon ruined than to see them still remaining But that an innumerable Number of Passengers Horses and Chariots should incessantly tread on a Pavement for so many Ages and yet so considerable Fragments of it should still be found entire is a thing which seems incredible The * Procopius saith they were all Square but he was mistaken Stones of this Pavement are of unequal bigness their Colour Greyish and Reddish almost like rusty Iron extreamly hard and ten or twelve Inches thick To speak generally the greatest in their largest Dimensions are
all the Fathers of his Convent to try if he could find out whom we looked for And at last with a scowling look he pray'd us to talk of something else This is all I can tell you of the Library and the Library-keeper or at least of his Deputy For it is not very probable that all the rest of this Society are of the same Stamp However they carry four fair and high Corners in their Caps and their House may be said to be a stately Palace Their Church is also extreamly fine it is of but one Body very high large and strongly roofed the Vestry is full of Riches and they want no Reliques They shewed us a Joynt as big as that of an Elephant or some huge Animal and this great Bone as we were inform'd is in great veneration with them as being one of the Joynts of great St. Christopher's Back-Bone Leaving the Church of the Jesuites we went to that of the Augustines where are Pictures of great value We went thence to the Cajetans who have a great and fair Church I observ'd in a Map of Munich that this City bears a Monk for its Arms This City was built in the Year 962. by Duke Henry Otho inclosed it with Walls in 1157. and that it is called Monacum or Monachium because there was a Monastery on the place where it is built We also went to see in the Church of Nostre Dame the Tomb of the Emperor Louis IV. This Sepulchre is adorn'd with many fine Marble and Brass Figures Having advanced Ten or Twelve Steps from the entrance of the great Door of this Church you behold one of the Stones of the Pavement on which is a double Cross and it hath been observ'd that when you stand upright in this Place the Pillars of the Church are so placed that you cannot see one of the Windows though they are very many All that come to Worship in those Churches have a lighted Wax-Candle in their Hands and that Candle is bigger or lesser according to the Quality of the Saint or their Devotion There is an ample and exact Description of this Palace written in Italian by the Marquiss Ran. Pallavicino This Royal House contains saith he Eleven Courts Twenty great Halls Nineteen Galleries Two Thousand Six Hundred great Glass Windows Six Chapels Sixteen great Kitchens and Twelve large Cellars Forty vast Apartments which are even without one lower than the other and in which you may distinguish Three Hundred great Chambers richly Painted Wainscoated Paved Furnished c. The out-side of the Elector's Palace is not suitable to the Magnificence within and though the greatest part of its Apartments are well contriv'd it may be said that they are all irregular The reason is that this great Mass of Building was not erected at the same time every one wrought according to the Fancy of his Time or his own private Judgment and that hath been the cause of the dis-proportionableness of its Parts But if it be taken altogether it may certainly pass for a very beautiful Structure You must not expect that I should give you an ample Description of a Place that is so vast and so full of Rarities I tell you in general that all sorts of Beauties and Riches are found there in abundance The great Hall of the Emperour's Apartment is One Hundred and Eighteen Foot in length and Fifty Two Feet in breadth We may justly say that it is in every respect Magnificent All its Pictures are highly esteemed They are Histories the Sacred on one side and the Prophane on the other there are Latine Verses to every History I will set down the Distick for Susanna because I think it one of the best Casta Susanna placet Lucretia cede Susannae Tu post illa mori maluit ante scelus * The Inscription over the Door runs thus D. O. M. ad cultum virginum Principis salutatae genetricis genitoris sui jam geniti gignendi sacrum dicatum The little Chapel which is in the Apartment of the Electress is full of precious things There is nothing but Gold Pearls and Gems of all Fashions They keep a a great many Reliques there among which I took notice of a piece of Gold Mohair which they say was part of one of the Virgin 's Robes The Parlour of Perspectives is one of the finest things of this Palace But the Hall of †The greatest part of these Antiquities were brought from Rome Antiquities is famous all the World over I counted One Hundred Fourscore and Twelve Busts and above Four Hundred other Pieces All these are choice and rare for the Beauty of their Workmanship as well as their Antiquity The greatest part of the Furniture of the Palace is very rich and they affirm that there are Eight Millions of Crowns-worth of Tapistry in the Wardrobe The Sum perhaps is a little too big besides what is in ordinary use But the Treasury infinitely exceeds all the rest There are many Services of Vessels of Gold and many other precious Vessels A prodigious quantity of great Pearls Diamonds Rubies and other oriental Stones of exquisite Beauties and an infinite number of excellent Pictures curious Works Medals and other Rarities I cannot forget the Cherry-stone upon which you may distinctly perceive the graving of One Hundred and Forty Heads nor the Boat of Palm-Wood turned into Stone on which they have inscribed these two Verses Palma fui coepi lapidescere cymbala nunc sum Si non Neptunus navita Bacchus erit Marble is to be found every where in this Palace yet we must not cheat our selves for they have the secret with a certain Composition to make it which becomes so hard and polishes so well that those who are not very skilfull take it for true Marble They have made divers * Walks under Ground Galleries of Communication which cross the Streets and Houses by which they can go privately from the Palace to all the Churches and Convents of the City I will say nothing of the Arsenal because they have carried the Cannon and most of the best Arms into Hungary We saw there the Tent of the Grand Vizier which was taken in the last Battel in which the Elector did so remarkably signalize his Valour This Tent was vastly great but no way fine It is made of Cotton-Cloth printed with the Strings as they seem to me of fine Sattin cover'd with Silk Brede and the Lozenges of the same placed from one place to another between the Strings I cannot tell you why this Country is not proper for Vines there are none in it and their ordinary Drink is Beer They know no other Religion here but that of Rome And they look upon Men as Wolves that are not of that Profession Their principal Devotion is for the Virgin She is painted on all their Houses every place is full of her Chapels and Oratories and they bestow Divine Titles on her I am SIR Yours c.
the three Stones together weigh no more than one of 'em singly and consequently one weighs as much as all the three Not far from thence is the City of Assisa where they keep the Bones of that Saint who preached to the Swallows and made himself a Wife and whole Family of Snow and whose Legend is stored with Fables You know the Man ‖ They pretend that his Body and that of St. Dominick are side by side standing on their Feet At Porciuncula five Miles from hence they boast to have the first of these Saints St. Francis and at the great Convent of Bologna they affirm also they have the Body of St. Dominick His Relicks are under the great Altar of the Cathedral but no living Soul is permitted to see them It is said that a certain Bishop of the Isle of Corsica who believed himself to have a greater Privilege than others about sixty Years ago obstinately resolved to see them and that by Divine Permission he was presently struck with sudden Death It is true so much intercession was made to this Saint that a little after the Prelate came to life again Near the Village of Pesignano between Foligno and Spoletto and at the Foot of the Hill which surrounds the Plain a plentiful Spring runs out of four Outlets under a Rock and instantly makes a little Lake There the four Rivulets being united make from thence a pleasant River which afterwards forms an infinity of Meanders which without doubt contribute very much to the fruitfulness as well as Ornament of the Country it waters About two hundred Paces from this Spring there is on the Way-side a very little Temple of Corinthian Order One who seem'd to have some skill in Antiquity told me at Spoletto that this little River is the Clitumnus spoken of by some ancient Authors and among others by Virgil in the Second Book of his Georgicks and the Reasons alledged for this Opinion seem very probable But that which the vulgar Opinion adds that the little Temple consecrated to Clitumnus was made a Deity is a Story without any appearance of Truth For besides that this Temple is built Cross-wise and Eastward as the most part of the Christian Churches are and that there are Crosses carved in divers places of the Pediments which agrees not with the fashions of Paganism The three following Inscriptions are engraved on the Frises of the Front and on both sides 1 ✚ S C S Deus Profetarum qui fecit Redimptionem 2 Deus Angelorum qui fecit Resurrectionem 3 ✚ S C S Deus Aposto **** the rest is broken off The Characters are not in the least Gothick nor any other part of the Architecture Perhaps this Temple was built out of the Ruines of that of Clitumnus It is now call'd S. Salvatore and the Bishop of Spoletto says Mass there once a year From Pesignano to Spoletto SPOLETTO which is but seven Miles you coast the plain Country at the foot of the Hills there are in all these Parts a considerable number of Villages and Houses scatter'd here and there Spoletto lies within the Mountain over the rich Plain which I describ'd before It is a poor City thinly peopled ill built and in a very uneven Situation They carried us to the Cathedral after they had boasted much of the height of the Body of the Church but after all we found nothing extraordinary in its height The Pavement is made of little Pieces of Marble inlaid like the Church of St. Mark at Venice and all the Pediment of the great Portal is fine Mosaick on a Golden Ground From thence we went to the Castle which is in the highest place of the City It is only strong by its Situation but we found nothing in it to recompense the trouble we had in going up to it They shewed us from this height about five hundred Paces from the City a Church which had been consecrated to Concord and is now call'd The Chapel of the Crucifix There are at Spoletto some other old Fragments a Triumphal-Arch half ruined some Remainders of an Amphitheatre and divers loose Marble Stones but without any Inscriptions except the Arch on which we may yet distinguish some Characters The Aqueduct which joyns the Mountain of St. Francis to that of Spoletto is the more considerable in that it is entire and hath always been in use since it was first made But this is a Gothick Work it is three hundred and fifty Paces in length and two hundred and thirty Foot high measuring from the top of it to the bottom of the Valley Three Miles on this side Spoletto we passed the Somma which is the highest Mountain on this Road. And after we had been for five or six Miles amongst the dry and desart Rocks those Rocks were on a sudden changed into Embellishments During the space of four Miles we found Nature had employed all its endeavours to cover these Mountains entirely with Laurels wild Olive-Trees Tamarinds Junipers Ever-green Oaks and a wonderful variety of other Trees or Shrubs which preserve their Verdure all the Winter If you pass that way in January or July you find it still almost the same 'T is true that as the Plain of Foligno looks chearful and pleasant this seems to have a sad and melancholy Beauty At our approach to Terni those Mountains which had always confined us in a streight Passage on the Brink of the Torrent which runs at the bottom of the Valley left us by degrees and we found our selves in a great Forest of Olive-Trees These Trees were loaden with Fruits it being the Custom to let them ripen till they fall off themselves or with the least shaking The green Olives which they preserve in Pickle are gathered before they are ripe and they take away their bitterness by Art Those which are ripe have no less bitterness than the green ones And it is very strange that the bitterest of Fruits should produce the sweetest Liquor As we left this Wood of Olives we travelled about a Mile in a Plain whose agreeable Air and Fruitfulness was little inferiour to that of Foligno and then came to Terni which is on the River Nera in the midst of this excellent Country Terni is less than Spoletto TERNI but appeared to us somewhat better peopled It s whole Trade consists in Oil. They told us that during six Months of the Year Pliny praises the Cabbages and Turneps of Interamnia It has been called Interamnia Interamnia and Interamnium they make there an hundred Charges of Oil every Day The Charge weighs six hundred Pounds and is worth near twelve English Crowns This City is very * Interamnia anno ante Christum 671 condita vivente Numâ Pompilio ancient It appears by an Inscription which we observed in the Porch of the Seminary near the Cathedral that its Foundation is not of much later date than that of Rome This Inscription was made for Tiberius and
have given occasion to this Opinion but this Reason is of no force for Titus Livius expresly affirms That the Sepulchres of these Heroes were erected in the same places where each of 'em expir'd those of the Horatii towards Alba and those of the Curiatii nearer Rome The Lake of Castel Gandolfo is as we were inform'd six or seven miles in compass and the rising Grounds which environ it form an exact Amphitheater There are two parts where the depth of the Lake cannot be sounded but which is more wonderful its Waters do from time to time suddenly swell and rise to the very top of the Banks which doubtless proceeds from its communication with subterraneous Gulfs that disgorge themselves into it Half a mile from thence near Gensana we saw another little Lake call'd by the Moderns Lago di Nemi and by the Ancients Speculum Dianae from a Grove and Temple consecrated to that Goddess which were formerly on the Bank of this Lake Between Albano and Castel-Gandolfo we observ'd the Ruins of an Amphitheater and were surpriz'd to behold certain great Trees among 'em that had formerly taken root and in a wonderful manner wrought a passage for themselves between the best cemented Stones and Bricks which they have cleft asunder and pierc'd the Walls where they are grown great in spite of all opposition Mittit praecipuos nernoralis Aricia Porros Mart. The whole Country about Albano and Gensana is fruitful the Wine especially and Fruits which it produces are much esteem'd The Inhabitants do still observe their ancient Custom of cultivating Leeks and Onions with a great deal of care Since I have already entertain'd you with an account of the Houses of Pleasure in the Neighbourhood of Rome I will also add some Observations concerning the chief Palaces in the City But I will not insist long upon 'em that I may avoid telling you what you know already The Catalogue of the Antiquities which we saw at the Palace Justiniani amounts to 1867 and that of the rare Pictures to 638. Nero's Head the Minerva Venus coming out of a Bath and the three little Cupids sleeping and leaning upon one another are the most esteem'd Pieces Cardinal Chigi's Palace is one of the finest Houses in Rome All the Gates are overlaid with Antique green Marble Among the Statues the two Venus's Marsias flay'd and the dying Gladiator are chiefly remarkable Ant. de St. Gallo begun it You have heard without doubt that Michael Angelo was the principal Architect of the * Tertius has Paulus struxit Farnesius aedes Quarum forma oculos ponitur ante tuos Aspicis immensos Hospes qui frontis honores His similes dices Roma nec Orbis habet Farnesian Palace The Front of this beautiful Structure is 180 foot broad and 90 foot high The Gates Corner-pieces Cross-bars of the Windows Cornish and all the principal Stones were taken from the Colliseum I shall take this occasion to tell you that a great part of this admirable Monument has by such means been destroy'd The great Palace of the Chancery as well as * St. Lawrence in Damaso St. Lawrence's Church is almost wholly built with its spoils and even some parts of the City-walls have been repair'd with the same Instead of repairing and preserving those precious Remainders of Antiquity after the Example of Sixtus V to whom Rome owes the greatest part of its beauty some brutish persons endeavour to compleat the destruction of its Ornaments Innocent VIII broke the Arch of Gordian to build a Church Alexander VI. demolish'd the beautiful Pyramid of Scipio to pave the Streets with its Stones The Marble Steps which serve for an Ascent to the Church of Ara Coeli were taken from a Temple of Romulus St. Blaise's Church was erected out of the spoils of a Temple of Neptune St. Nicholas's of the Soul is built out of the Ruines of the Circus agonalis and I might easily add several other Instances All the World knows that the Farnesian * It is the Work of Glycon a Grecian Sculptor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hercules and Bull are two famous Pieces The Gallery by Caracchio the Hall by Salviati the Venus and the Adonis by Titian are also universally known The Library in the Palace Altieri is numerous and in good order The Stair-case is very fine At the foot of the Stair there is a Statue of a Captive King which was found four or five hundred years ago in the Place call'd Navona Spon The Apartments are great and adorn'd with rare Pictures and magnificent Furniture Here I observ'd a Looking glass of Crystal of the Rock ten inches long and six broad in a golden Frame cover'd all over with Jewels of great value They also magnified extreamly a little Earthen Dish which is carefully preserv'd in a very rich Frame as being painted by Raphael It is of the same kind of work with those Vessels at Loretto which I mention'd before And I saw some more of 'em here that are preserv'd with equal Esteem or rather Veneration Perhaps I should not have had the Courage singly to attack that common Prejudice that puts the Reputation of Raphael in a Threepenny Dish which he never saw or touch'd tho' I am pretty well acquainted with the History of that Artist and had several good Arguments to confute that Opinion But having had the Fortune to discourse with the famous Carlo Marotti on the same subject I dare confidently assure you that Raphael never drew a stroke on any of these Dishes notwithstanding the great value that is set upon 'em and the commonness of the contrary Opinion I acknowledge indeed that these Pictures have some resemblance to Raphael's way of working from which we may probably infer that either they were made by some of his Scholars or in imitation of some of his Designs The Palace contaons Four thousand Chambers The Palace Barberini call'd the Palaestrin is reputed to be the greatest in Rome next to the Vatican Among its Antiquities which are very numerous the little Diana of Oriental Alabaster is particularly esteem'd The Tullia Daughter of Servius Tullius and Wife of Tarquin the proud is a very rare Piece and said to be the only one of the kind in Rome I observ'd also the God Osiris with his Hawk's Head on a Human Body which was found with the Obelisk of Minerva under the Ruins of Isis's Temple In this Palace also I took notice of a Marble Bust of Pope Vrban VIII which was made by a blind man and yet is the best Representation we have of that Pope The other Palace Barberini towards the four Fountains is a heap of Rarities Antiquities and all sorts of Curiosities They assur'd us that its Library contains Forty thousand Volumes The first Halls of the Palace Colonna are adorn'd with the Pictures of * Adrian I. and Martin V two of the honestest Popes that ever fill'd the Chair two Popes nineteen Cardinals and fifty four
These Caves are dug out of the Rocks and extend very far on every side each Vault is commonly about fifteen or eighteen foot wide and the heighth of the Arch amounts to twelve or fifteen feet on each side there are hollow Niches in the Walls fram'd like Chests of all sizes plac'd in rows above one another without any regular Symmetry where the Bodies were laid without Coffins and cover'd with flat Stones or large Tyles cemented with Chalk and Sand as it appears distinctly in some places to this very day Besides the Niches in the Catacombs of Naples there are some Tombs of a reasonable bigness adorn'd with diverse Pictures among which there are many Figures of Heads and half-Bodies with the Names of the Persons Paulus Nicolaus Proculus c. and sometimes a hic jacet or hic requiescit is added to the Names Of all the Catacombs we view'd at Rome those of St. Sebastian are the grearest the Arches are commonly as high as those of Naples but the Vaults are but about two foot and a half broad In several places we saw a great number of cover'd Niches in the higher rows A Priest whom we happen'd one day to meet there had the Curiosity to open one of 'em in which we found a Skeleton almost moulder'd away into whitish Ashes yet we might perceive that the Body had been laid on its Back The reason why these Catacombs were not made wider is because the Ground is sandy and could not be underpropp'd whereas those of Naples are hewn out of the solid Rock They pretend here that these Vaults were dug by the Christians that during the First Ages of Christianity Divine Service was perform'd in 'em that these burying-places were peculiar to the Christians and never us'd by the Heathens that a great number of Saints and Martyrs were interr'd in 'em and consequently which is the Cream of the Story that they are inexhaustible Store-houses of Relicks Tho' these Suppositions were true they could not justifie the Practice of those who pick up every Bone they meet with in a Catacomb and meerly because they found it there conclude that it ought to be rank'd among those things call'd Relicks But this Consideration would lead me into a Controversie which I am not willing to examine at this time neither will I undertake to write a long Dissertation concerning the first part of the above-mention'd Hypothesis which would require more time and Books than I am Master of at present only in obedienee to your desire I shall make a few short Remarks on these Propositions Since we are not oblig'd to give credit to the single Testimony of any man in his own Cause 'T is a general Rule that admits of no Exceptions that every Man that expects to be believ'd must prove what he affirms 'T is plain then that they who maintain so positively That the Catacombs were made by Christians for their own peculiar use ought to demonstrate the Truth of their Assertion This they have not done and therefore I might justly reject their Opinion without being at the charge of an Argument to confute it Yet by way of supererogation and out of complaisance to you I shall subjoin some Considerations which will very much weaken if not entirely destroy their Hypothesis 1. The first thing that comes into my mind on this occasion is a Passage which I observ'd not long ago in Horace where that Author speaking of the Puteculi or public Burying-places where the poorer sort of People in Rome were usually interr'd makes a description of 'em which agrees exactly with the account I have given you of the Catacombs Huc priùs angustis ejecta Cadavera Cellis Conservus vili portanda locabat in arcâ Hoc miserae plebi stabat commune Sepulchrum Thomas Goodwin an English Author has represented 'em after the same manner in his Anthology of the Roman History see the Chapter that treats Of Funeral Ceremonies 2. I am not ignorant that the Christians were wont to imitate the Heathens on many occasions but the words Fata diis Manibus Domus aeternae and several other such like Expressions that are often found in the Epitaphs on these Tombs were so peculiar to the Heathens that it is not conceivable they were ever us'd by Christians I might if it were necessary confirm my Opinion by the Authority of no less famous an Antiquary than Mr. Spon for you may observe in the Collection of ancient Inscriptions with which he has enrich'd the account of his Voyage to Greece that he could not be perswaded to believe that the Epitaph on a Tomb at Thebes which they assur'd him was St. Luke's Sepulchre was made by a Christian meerly because of the word MOIPHC which he found in it tho' it also mention'd the Immortality of the Soul The same Author speaks more positively to this purpose when he refutes the common Opinion concerning the pretended Tomb of a Saint near Valentia He says expresly that the words Aethera and Superis mention'd in the Inscription are in his opinion sufficient Arguments to prove that it is the Tomb of a Heathen and subjoins this Maxim That the Stile of Epitaphs ought to be distinguish'd from that of Poesie by reason of the liberty claim'd by Poets of all Religions whereas he assures us that he has always discover'd evident marks of the Piety and Simplicity of the Primitive Church in the Inscriptions on ancient Tombs What opinion then do you think this learned Antiquary would have had of the Gods Manes and Eternal Houses of the Catacombs 3. The Glass Vials and little Metallic Vessels that have been frequently found in those Sepulchres are also marks of Paganism The Assertors of the common Opinion concerning the Catacombs pretend that these Vessels serv'd to contain the Blood of the Martyrs but this is a bare Conjecture without the least Proof or Illustration And besides we have reason to conclude that these are true Lachrymatories such as the Heathens were wont to put both into their Urns and Tombs You know that they were not only desirous to be lamented which made 'em hire Women to weep at their Funerals but also took care to gather these Tears and to preserve 'em with their Ashes or Bones I confess this Reason alone could not have convinc'd me since 't is certain as I intimated before that the Christians borrow'd several less innocent Customs from the Heathens But this Observation may serve to illustrate and confirm the first 4. There is a Passage in Tertullian's Apologetic that does not at all agree with the Opinion of those who believe that the ancient Christians were usually buried in the Catacombs That Author complains of the Fury of the Heathens who took the Bodies of the Christians out of their Tombs and drag'd 'em about the Streets and 't is probable that if once those Persecutors had discover'd these Caves they would have for ever depriv'd the Christians of ' em 5. If I should enquire how the
Christians were able to dig and empty these Caves without alarming their Neighbors and how they dispos'd of all the Rubbish my Adversaries would doubtless tell me That this Work was not done in secret and that the Peuzzolane or Sand of the Catacombs was sold by the poor Christians who for this reason were nick-nam'd Arenarii that in the mean time they perform'd the Duties of Religious Worship in these holes under pretext of burying their Dead But this Answer is by no means applicable to the Catacombs of Naples that are hewn out of a Rock And as for the Nick-name of Arenarii it may be observ'd that this Derision of the Misery and Poverty of the Christians does not prove that they were the only Persons in Rome who were reduc'd to trade in Sand which is the thing that ought to have been demonstrated to remove the Difficulty which may arise from our supposing that other persons besides the Christians were employ'd in digging these Holes Tho' the Jews of Frankfort for example are oblig'd to run to any part of the City where a Fire happens to break forth and to carry Water to quench it it does not follow that the Christian Inhabitants of that City remain idle Spectators of their Labours 'T is the common Opinion here That these Cyphers represented in the Margin are compos'd of a Latin P for Pro or For and a Cross which signifies Christ so that these Characters are call'd Pro Christo's They conclude from hence that such Figures are the sure Marks of the Tomb of a Martyr or of one that suffer'd Pro Christo for the Name of Christ and accordingly raise the price of the Relicks But 't is plain that these Cyphers consist of a X Chi and a P. Rho which are the two first Letters of ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ as ΜΑ and ΘΥ signifie ΜΑΡΙΑ ΘΥΓΑΤΗΡ as I observ'd in the Mosaic Work on the Front of St. Mary major and in several other places The Christian Epitaphs that are found here serve as little to confirm the adverse Opinion as the above mention'd Symbols for the Question is not whether the Bodies of some Christians were buried in the Catacombs which is a certain and undoubted Truth Not only Eusebius and Miltiades Bishops of Rome under the Empire of Constantine but Cains and Marcellus their Predecessors who suffer'd Martyrdom with some other Christians by the express Order of Dioclesian were all interr'd in these Vaults if we may believe Platina Besides it appears by the dates of a great number of Epitaphs that several Christians were buried here during the First Ages And I have sufficient ground to believe they appropriated these Sepulchres entirely to themselves in the succeeding times of Peace and Liberty Thus we may easily comprehend how those Christian Epitaphs are to be found in these Cells but after all the Controversie remains untouch'd for the burying of Christians here is not a Reason to exclude others from being interr'd in those Holes that were set apart for the Dregs of the People The Pictures of diverse sorts and ages in the Catacombs at Naples the Fashions of the Altars both there and at Rome and several other Circumstances from which some pretend to draw Inferences give no light to the Controversie and deserve not to be consider'd The reason of which is because the Popes of these last Ages having always look'd upon their Catacombs as a profitable Source and Magazine of Relicks have repair'd 'em in several places and made such alterations as they thought most proper to strengthen the Opinion of the People and especially of the Pilgrims who come from all parts to visit these Holy Places Panciroli makes a long description of these Reparations by the help of which we may easily resolve the Difficulties that might arise from several things that are observ'd in these Catacombs I must not forget to tell you that during the time of the Plague which rag'd at Naples about forty years ago the Catacombs were the most usual places of burial and all the Bodies that are to be seen there at present are such as were interr'd on that occasion Near the Church and Catacombs of St. Agnes there is an old round Temple which some think was a Temple of Bacchus This Conceit is grounded only on certain ancient Representations of Vines and Vintages which are on the Roof and on the Figures of Grapes Vine-branches little Cupids gathering and pressing the Grapes Vessels Tuns Panniers and such other Appurtenances of Bacchus that are to be seen on a Tomb of Porphyry in the same Temple But all these Circumstances are not sufficient to prove that this Temple was consecrated to him or that the above-mention'd Tomb is his Sepulchre especially if we call to mind that Bacchus dy'd not at Rome Since this Temple is but a hundred or sixscore paces distant from St. Agnes Church which was undoubtedly built by Constantine it may with much greater probability be conjectur'd that the former was built at the same time to serve for a Baptistery to the latter according to the general Custom of those times and there is also another like Building which was erected by the same Emperor for a Baptistery to S. John de Lateran Neither the Ornaments of the Roof nor those of the Tomb are inconsistent with this Opinion since they are also Symbols of Christianity But I need not insist longer on these Conjectures since the Controversie was decided long ago by Pope Alexander the Fourth who taking it for granted that the Bones of Constantia Daughter to Constantin were enclos'd here Ann. 1255. took 'em out and having plac'd 'em as Relicks under the Altar which he built in this little Temple dedicated both to St. Constantia The Tabernacle of the high Altar of St. Agnes is supported by four pretty large and extreamly-well polish'd Pillars of Porphyry We were inform'd that the little Statue we saw there was formerly the Statue of a Pagan Deity but has since been adopted and consecrated to be for the future the Statue of St. Agnes It s Mantle deserves to be attentively consider'd I might entertain you with an account of many other Antiquities which I observ'd in the Cabinets we have visited and particularly in that of the Cavalier Pietro Paulo Manini but my Letters are already so stuff'd with such Descriptions that I shall content my self with mentioning some of those that I had time to consider in the Cabinet of Mr. Bellori The Curiosities it contains are not extraordinarily numerous but they are all well chosen and every thing in it is absolutely rare and perfect His Fortuna Panthea is a little Signum of Brass half a foot high and extreamly well preserv'd How odd were the Imaginations of the Heathens The Gods govern'd the World while they themselves were subject to the fantastical Humours of Fortune This little Goddess is surrounded with or to speak more properly compos'd of all the Marks and Characters of Divinity that were proper to other Deities She has
by a secret and artificial contrivance of the Architect And there are some who pretend that it seems to lean to all sides according to the different position of the Spectator But they are all equally mistaken and in vain strive to find out a Mystery where there is none for any reasonable and attentive Considerer will be easily convinc'd by his own Observation without further Proof that the Tower does really lean and that its inclination was accidentally occasion'd by the sinking of part of its Foundation The heighth of this Tower amounts to One hundred eighty and eight feet The Stairs that lead to the top of the Tower consist of 193 Steps and it has the Figure of a perfect Cylinder The Platform or Balcony on the top is surrounded with Rails from whence having let fall a Plummet on the side that enclines most after several Tryals to the right and left hand I found that my Lead touch'd the Ground exactly at the distance of fifteen feet from the Foundation The Burying-place call'd Campo Santo because of the Earth which the Pisans * When they assisted Frederic the First call'd Barbarossa who took Jerusalem brought from the Holy Land in the year 1228 is a kind of Cloyster 190 paces long and 66 broad comprehending the breadth of the Portico's It contains a great number of Tombs Here I observ'd an ancient Inscription fix'd against the Wall under one of the Portico's which is a Decree of the City of Pisa occasion'd by the death of Caesar ordaining the People to wear Mourning a whole year and in the mean time to abstain from all public Divertisements I will not trouble you with a description of the Garden of Simples or of the Collection of Natural Curiosities in the School of Physic for I could not find any Rarities in 'em which I had not already seen in other places The * They wear a red Cross on a black Cloak and a flamecolour'd Collar Knights of St. Stephen have their resisidence at Pisa You are not ignorant that this is the Great Duke's Order and that it was instituted by Cosmo I in the year †On the 6th of August after he had gain'd the Battel of Marciano The Knights must be of Noble Blood and born in lawful Wedlock They vow Conjugal Chastity Their Cross is like to that of Malta Every one of 'em is oblig'd to say a hundred Pater Nosters and as many Ave Maria's daily and on certain occasions they double the Dose 1561. The Church of the Order is very full of Standards Ship-Lanthorns and other Spoils taken from the Turks and over against it in the Place is the Statue of the Founder LEGHORN Pisa is fourteen miles distant from Leghorn The interjacent Country is flat and the Way lies for the most part through Woods of ever green Oaks Cork-Trees and Wild Myrtles 'T is said that all these Forests were formerly cover'd by the Sea which reach'd within three miles of Pisa to a place where there is now a great Church at the entry of the Woods They tell us That one day as St. Peter was fishing there arose a Tempest which drove him to this very place where he was shipwreck'd And they add That he erected an Altar there about which the Church was built by a certain Pope some Ages afterward It would be needless to relate the rest of the Story I have already told you that Leghorn is a modern City it is situated on a flat Ground and surrounded with handsom Fortifications cover'd over with Brick the Streets are large streight as a Line and parallel the Houses are generally of equal heighth and almost all painted on the outside Most of the Painting was done by Aug. Tasso a Native of Bologna The Harbour is not so well stor'd with Ships as several others but the Trade of the Bank is very considerable This is the only Sea-Port in the Dukedom of Tuscany and the station of the Great Duke's Galleys There is a House built on purpose for the Slaves or a kind of Hospital in which they lye contrary to the Custom of all other places In our Journey from Leghorn to Lucca we were forc'd to pass a second time thro' Pisa three miles on this side of which we saw the rugged Mountain of St. Julian which divides Tuscany from the Signiory of Lucca Lucca is situated in the midst of a fertile Plain which extends fifteen or twenty miles LUCCA according to its various dimensions and is surrounded with very rich and well-inhabited Hillocks The Fortifications of the City are pretty regular and well lin'd but their Foundations are level with the Plain We walk'd round the Ramparts in one hour which is an Argument of the smallness of the Town but to make amends it contains many great Houses and exceeds Pisa in the number of its Inhabitants by almost one half Here they carried us to see the Palace of the Republic where the * Vexillifer or Standard-bearer Gonfalonnier lodges with his nine Counsellors call'd Anziani We were inform'd that these Magistrates do also usually eat together in this Palace while their Wives and Families in the mean time live at home The State of Lucca is a Fief of the Empire and under its protection The Government is purely Aristocratical for the Soveraignty is lodg'd in the Council of Two hundred and forty Nobles who are divided into two Bodies which succeed one another every six months with the Gonfalonnier at their Head The Office of this Chief Magistrate of the Republic is not unlike to that of the Doges of Venice and Genoua save only in this respect that he continues but two months in the possession of the supreme Dignity by which he receives no other Advantage than the maintaining of his Table at the public Charge during that time He wears a Bonnet and Stole with a Robe of Crimson Velvet and has the Title of a Prince tho' he is only stil'd His Excellency He may be chosen again to the same Dignity after an interval of six years and his ordinary Guard consists of threescore Switzers From the Palace we enter'd into the Arsenal where there is a considerable quantity of Arms for so small a State and besides they are kept in good order From thence we went to the Cathedral to see the Chapel of the Volto Santo 'T is said That Nicodemus having often attempted in vain to paint a Crucifix the Angels that beheld his fruitless Labours took his Pencil from him and finish'd this Piece They cannot give a positive account how this Picture was first brought to the Church of St. Fredian but they assur'd us that it remov'd from thence to the Cathedral and remain'd hanging in the Air in the same place where we saw it till they had built an Altar under it on which it rested and about which they afterwards built a magnificent Chapel This Image does not work so many Miracles as several others but every
Drink but there is no great quantity of 'em the Great Duke's delicate Moscadello grows in a little Vineyard and is consecrated to his own use or to be sent as Presents but never dispers'd thro' the Country there are also some good sorts of Wine near Verona and in the State of Genoa About Loretto the Casks are made short and broad like a Dutch Cheese but towards Pavia their length amounts to seven times their diameter Towards Parma and Placenza Leand. Alberti says he saw at Parma four Cheeses which weigh'd Five hundred pounds each where there are excellent Pastures they make Cheese of all their Milk Butter is scarce in Italy instead of which they use Oyl in all their Ragou's and Fricasies but tho' they draw it from their own Olive Trees 't is oftentimes worse than in those Countries where none of these Trees grow for the Fruit that will yield the best price and keep longest is always transported We have not seen the chief Season for Fruit in this Country At Venice where we stay'd two months in the Winter we had white Grapes of Bologna very firm and of a most delicious taste At Naples we eat Winter-Melons and at Genoa we were entertain'd with all sorts of small red Fruits and I never saw so good and large Cherries as there The Country about the River of Genoa is peculiarly excellent for Fruit. It may be truly said of Genoa that its Hills are without Wood but all the rest of the Proverb is false Men without Faith Ladies without Shame and a Sea without Fishes There are both Rogues and Honest men every where and we found by Experience that there are very good Fishes in the Sea of Genoa I took pleasure two or three times to go in the morning to see the Fishing at Naples where I observ'd several sorts of Fishes that I had never seen in other places The Gulf of Cajeta abounds with Sturgeon some of which are also found in the Tiber. In all our Travels thro' Italy we never saw either a Hare or Partridge in the Fields and I might also add that we saw as few in the Inns. 'T is very strange in my opinion that these Animals are not more plentiful since the Country is not wholly destitute of ' em My Reasons are these In the first place there are large extents of Ground in Italy which are almost uninhabited and consequently ought to abound with Game proportionably to the like places in the New World And secondly it might be reasonably suppos'd that the Game should be more plentiful here than in other places because the Lords of those Grounds are never wont to reside on 'em and yet are no less jealous of their Rights than the Gentlemen of other Countries In England and France there are many Persons of Quality who pass their time in the Country but that is not the Custom in Italy where all Persons of Note live in the Cities out of which there are neither Castles nor great Houses to be seen which belong to private Persons or at least they are very rare especially if we compare this Country with France for I am not so well acquainted with England To return to our Game it must be acknowledg'd that Quails are not so great Rarities here as Partridges for when the Spring approaches they come in Flocks from Afric and cover the whole Country These poor little Creatures are so tir'd with their long Voyage that they throw themselves into Ships and wheresoever they can find a place to repose themselves They may be caught in heaps without the least trouble but since they are extreamly lean those who take 'em usually feed 'em for some time before they eat ' em I believe 't is uncertain whether these Birds fly over the Sea or whether they do not sometimes swim to take breath 't is indeed hard to conceive that the Quail which has not a strong Wing and flies heavily should be able to continue its flight so long But on the other side I 'm inclin'd to believe that the Water would so moisten and drench its Feathers that it could never spread its Wings again And besides its leanness and weariness the Dangers to which it exposes its self and its eagerness to find a resting place are in my opinion convincing Arguments that it flies all the way without intermission I saw but one Scorpion in Italy and I could not learn that these Animals are very mischievous in this Country There are several ways to guard against 'em but I never saw any of those hanging Beds that are usually talk'd of The People about Verona make use of Iron Bedsteads which they place at some distance from the Walls that those Insects may neither breed in 'em nor be able to come up on the Beds and the Feet of the Bedsteads are fil'd and polish'd partly for the same reason If the Animal its self can be caught and bruis'd on the part which it stung 't is a certain Remedy and there are also Salts and Oils extracted out of it which produce the same effect But after all the stinging of Scorpions is not mortal in Italy and besides such Instances happen so very rarely that they who are desirous to travel into Italy ought not to be discourag'd by ' em The Tarantula had its Name from the Territory of Tarentum where there is abundance of those Animals See the Treatise which Sanguerdius wrote concerning ' em There are two sorts of Animals to whom the Italians give the name of Tarantula one is a sort of Lizard whose Biting is reputed mortal 't is found especially about Fondi Cajeta and Capoa but this is not that which other Nations call the Tarantula the true Tarantula is a Spider and lives in the Fields 'T is said there are many of 'em in Abruzzo and Calabria and they are also found in some parts of Tuscany They that are stung by this Creature make a thousand different Gestures in a moment they weep dance vomit tremble laugh grow pale cry swoon away and after few days of torment expire if they be not assisted in time they find some Relief from Sweating and Antidotes but Music is the great and only Remedy A learned Gentleman of unquestion'd credit told me at Rome that he had been twice a Witness both of the Disease and of the Cure they are both attended with circumstances that seem very strange Alex. ab Alexandr assures us that he was an Eye-witness of the same and relates several curious Instances on this occasion Dier Geneal l. 2. c 17. but the Matter of Fact is well attested and undeniable I think I could produce natural and easie Reasons to explain this Effect of Music but without engaging my self in a Dissertation that would carry me too far I shall content my self with relating some other Instances of the same kind which may satisfie any ingenious person Every one knows the infallible efficacy of David's Harp to restore
the first night after our departure from Turin next morning we pass'd by the Gate of Susa SUSA a little City seated among the Mountains by which 't is commanded almost on every side and din'd at Novalesa Novalesa Mount Cenis at the foot of Mount Cenis This is the highest Mountain of the Alps over which there is a Passage but you must not conclude from thence that it is another Caucasus or Tenerif neither must you fancy it to be a single Hill or that the Way lies over the top of it For when a Traveller comes to the highest part of the Passage he finds himself in a Plain or a new Valley with respect to the lofty Mountains that surround it At Novalesa we took Mules to ascend the Hill The Way is pretty broad and free from Precipices but uneven and full of Stones On the highest accessible part of it there is a Cross that divides Piedmont from Savoy and consequently is one of the Boundaries of Italy In the middle of the Plain there is a Lake of so great a depth that if we may believe the common Report its Bottom could never be reach'd by sounding it is a large mile in compass and sends forth a great Brook which falls into the little Doire near Susa The Snow was almost all melted on the Hill 't is true the highest tops of the Mountain on both sides were cover'd with it but there were only some Heaps left here and there in the passage The tumbling of the Snow makes the passage dangerous in some places and in some Seasons of the Year otherwise there is no danger at all in it The side of the Hill towards Savoy is much rougher than the other and Travellers are usually carried this part of the way by Men tho' they might pass it on Horseback as Charlemain's Army did heretofore They made us sit down in ordinary Chairs to which they had fasten'd Arms like the Shafts of a Litter We were each of us attended by four Men two who bore the Chair and two more to relieve their Fellows At the foot of the Hill we pass'd the little River Arche on a Bridge of Wood to the Village of Lasneburg I have almost nothing to relate concerning Savoy The Country is generally mountainous and we found hardly any thing remarkable in that part of it thro' which we pass'd Chambery the Metropolis of the Dutchy CHAMBERY formerly the Residence of the Dukes and now the Seat of a Parliament is a very small and unfortified City seated at the foot of the Mountains near the Confluence of the Lessa and Orbana neither of which is navigable We were told that its Inhabitants are very civil and the Ladies handsom S. JOHN DE MAURIENNE St. John de Maurienne is situated in a pleasant Valley of the same name We pass'd by within two hundred paces of the City without entring into it being credibly inform'd that it was not worth the while to go so far out of our way to see it MONTMELIAN Neither did we stop at Montmelian which is a little City on the right Bank of the Isera defended by a Citadel indifferently strong AIX Aix is much frequented by reason of its Baths I know not whether you have observ'd that the French Name of those Towns that are call'd Aix is deriv'd sometimes from Aqua and sometimes from Augusta Aqua Sextiae Aix in Provence Aquisgranum Aix la Chapelle Augusta Alorum Ais or Auchs in Annagnac About Annecy we found the whole Country in a general Consternation for fear of the Vaudois there was a Report That above Two thousand of these poor Exiles were enter'd into Savoy towards Evian and had already burnt five or six Villages but there was not the least Ground for such an Alarm The Dutchy of Savoy is separated from the Territory of Geneva by the River Arve over which there is a Bridge of Wood that leads almost to the Gates of Geneva The Arve is a great Torrent which falls from the Mountains and always brings some Gold-dust along with it but it happens very rarely that a Man is able to refine so much of it in a day as he might earn at some other Work and therefore this Gold is almost wholly neglected I will not undertake to give you an account of the Antiquity Government GENEVA or History of Geneva of which we have had so many Descriptions I shall content my self with giving you a general Idea of this City to which since I had occasion formerly to be pretty well acquainted with it I shall add some particular Observations The Rhone at its coming out of the Lake forms a little Island On the right Bank of the River or rather toward its right Channel the Land is low and even but on the other side there is a Hillock that rises insensibly The principal part of the City is seated on this Hillock the rest of it is in the Island and beyond the Rhone and the whole is encompass'd with a Fortification The Republic of Geneva is in League with the Switzers The Republic of Geneva enter'd into a perpetual League with that of Bern An. 1536 which has been frequently renew'd since J. Simler particularly with the Cantons of Zurich and Bern and in this their great Strength consists Their Ramparts may preserve 'em from a sudden Surprisal and might perhaps protect 'em against all the Force of Savoy But tho' these Fortifications are not contemptible they could not long resist a more potent Enemy if the State had nothing else to depend on They have good store of Cannon and a well-furnish'd Arsenal where they preserve the famous Ladders that were made use of by the Savoyards * In the year 1602. in the Scalado of which you have doubtless read an account In the same place they keep the Petard that was design'd to burst open the new Gate These are two lasting Monuments of their Deliverance in memory of which they still continue to solemnize a * Decemb. 12 22. Festival with Thanksgiving and extraordinary Sermons suitable to the occasion and also with little Feasts or rather with joining the Meals of several Families according to the various Tyes of Relation and Friendship by which they are united They never part without singing a Song that was made about the time of that Action of which it comprehends the principal Circumstances and is now become an essential part of the public rejoicing The Republic keeps some Gallies on its Lake and there are also others belonging to the Duke of Savoy and the Switzers I say its Lake for the Lake was given to the City by its Masters when it was a Roman Colony and the common way of Expression at present seems to confirm that Donation The Duke of Savoy keeps a †Belle-rive Fort on the Bank of the Lake at the distance of a large league from Geneva contrary to the Treaty of St. Julian in which among