nothing worth noting in it The Beds in the Inns are made like Presses or Cupboards which you go up a Ladder to and after plunge your self into a deep Feather-bed and have another of the same sort for your covering Two good hours and an half from Arnheim we passed the Yssell divided into three Branches very near each other And then having traversed Doesbourg DOESBOURG which is a little City on that River in the County of Zutphen we were forced to Dine with Biscuit and Milk in a paltry Village and in the Evening we were treated much after the same manner at Ysselbourg YSSELBOURG which is a poor little dismantled place at the entrance into the Country of Cleves There is scarce any thing but Woods and Sandy Grounds between Ysselbourg and Wesel WESEL formerly a Hans-Town and this last place hath no great matter remarkable Its Fortifications are so so They are at present at Work on a Cittadel between the City and the Fort of Lippe on the bank of the Rhine The Elector of Brandenburg gives liberty for the publick exercise of their Religion to the Roman Catholicks in his Dutchy of Cleves by a Treaty which that Prince made with the Duke of of Neuburg now Elector Palatine on condition that the Duke should grant the same liberty to the Protestants in his Dutchies of Juliers and Berg. There are four Churches at Wesel The Protestants called Calvinists have the two principal the Lutherans the third and those of the Roman Communion the other The Jews have a little Synagogue there We passed the Lippe half an hour from Wesel which River throws it self into the Rhine and we came the same day in good time to Duisbourg DUISBOURG formerly a Hans-Town This City is about the bigness of Wesel without Fortifications or any thing considerable but its University The principal Church is fair enough and belongs to the Protestants The Scholars walk about the Streets in their Morning-Gowns like those of Leyden I was informed that the Roman Catholicks might carry the Host about there according to the plenary liberty which is granted them in all this Country though they chose rather to refrain from doing it lest any accidents should happen which might disturb the peaceable manner of living which they and the Protestants enjoy together A good half League from Duisbourg we entred into the Country of Berg which with that of Juliers belongs to the Duke of Neuburg Eldest Son to the Elector Palatine And two hours after we passed through Keyserwaert KEYSERWAERT which is a very little City upon the Rhine It belongs to the Elector of Cologne to whom as we were informed it remains in Mortgage and by whom it was Fortified We have now been a few hours at Dusseldorp DUSSELDORP where we have already walked about a great while to discover something worth our Observation This City is bigger by half than Duisbourg and every way better there are no Suburbs to it no more than to Keyserwart The Fortifications are very well kept and the Electoral Prince the Duke of Newbourg there makes his Residence This is all I can now say I am SIR Yours c. At Dusseldorp Octob. 23. 1687. LETTER V. SIR THis Letter will give you an Account of part of what I could observe at Cologne in three days COLOGNE an Imperial City and Hans-Town Otho the Great made it an Imperial City and gave it the Priviledges it now enjoys As we wander'd in our Walks abroad you must expect no regular Order in the little Relations which I send you I am glad to give you this Advertisement by the by that you may not expect to have things in a better Method than we found them Cologne is to be seen far enough off and all in plain view in a level Country The City is very great There are 24 Gates 13 to the Land and 11 on the Rhine surrounded with a Wall and dry Ditch with Towers and Bastions which defend its Gates There is rarely so great a number of Steeples to be any where seen as appeared to us on the side we approached it Cologne as you know is an Imperial City governed by its Burgo-Masters But the Arch-Bishop hath there a very great Power This Prince takes cognizance of all Affairs both Civil and Criminal and can Pardon those whom the Magistrates condemn And the Oath which the City takes seems to be a kind of Homage It is in these terms We Free Burgesses of Cologne do this day for now and for ever promise to Arch-Bishop of Cologne to be faithful and favourable to him as long as he shall conserve in our Rights and Honour and in our ancient Priviledges Us our Wives our Children and our City of Cologne So God and his Saints help us There is great Jealousie between the City and the Elector They will not suffer him to stay long there with any great Train Many Arch-Bishops have attempted their Liberties Vnder the Reign of the Emperour Adolphus of Nassaw the Inhabitants went in Arms to meet their Arch-Bishop as far as Woringhen in Brabant where having put the Keys of their City between him and them in the Field of Battel to be the price of the Victory they obtained that with their Keys and Franchises They have ever since celebrated a Festival on this Account with a great deal of Ceremony Heiss If you please you may have the Answer which the Bishop returns them it was a Burgo-Master gave me them both We by the Grace of God Arch-Bishop of the Holy Church of Cologne and Arch-Chancellor of the Empire in Italy To the end that there may be an amicable Confederacy entire Confidence and sincere and inviolable Peace between Us and our dear Burgesses of the City of Cologne do make known to all by these Presents that we do promise and declare sincerely and without Fraud that we do confirm all their Rights and Franchises written or not written old or new within or without the City of Cologne which have been granted to it by the Popes Emperours Kings and Arch-Bishops of Cologne without ever doing any thing to violate the same In Testimony whereof c. The Chapter of Cologne is composed of sixty Canons who ought all to be Princes or Earls The four and twenty Eldest are the Capitularies It was formerly the Electors of Cologne who Crowned the Emperour according to the Constitution of the Golden-Bull but these Electors not having been Priests for a long time those of Mentz perform that Office in their stead and the last have * They pretend also to this right in quality of the first Arch-Bishops The Emperour now reigning was Crowned by the Arch-Bishop of Cologne since remained in possession of that Priviledge I am inform'd that there are here many Protestants known to be such They go into the Lands of the Duke of Newbourg to exercise their Religion They are always call'd by their old name of â€
at Vienna or follows the Imperial Court This ‖ This Council is alâ—o compos'd of Members of both Religions Council is not perpetual nor in all respects of equal Dignity with the Imperial Chamber yet Cases of the same nature are also debated and soveraignly determin'd here No Suits can be remov'd from one of these Chambers to the other only in some cases a review of the Judgment may be obtain'd before the Emperor himself The express Orders which the Mareschal de Turenne receiv'd during the last Wars not to disturb or interrupt the ordinary course of Justice in the Chamber of Spire makes the Members of that Court believe that they shall be still treated with the same Respect And they are so firmly perswaded of the * A little after the first Edition of this Book Spire and Worms were plunder'd by the French Troops without the least regard to the Imperial Chamber French Civility that tho' they lye open to an Invasion in case of a Rupture they never think of removing either the Court or Original Records I shall pass from Spire to Colen having nothing to add to the account I have already given you of the Cities that lye between ' em JULIERS At our departure from Colen we took the Road to Juliers the Motropolis of the Dutchy of the same Name As far as we could judge by the slight view we had of it 't is pretty well fortified Here the Protestants enjoy the free exercise of their Religion by vertue of the Treaty which I mention'd before AIX LA CHAPELLE an Imperial City 't is also call'd Royal being perhaps honour'd with that Title because according to the Tenor of the Golden Bull the King of the Romans ought to receive his first Crown here Heiss Leaving Juliers we pass'd thro' a good and pleasant Country and in four or five hours came to Aix la Chapelle That famous City is still large and beautiful tho' it has lost much of its ancient lustre It has also preserv'd its Liberty entire only the Duke of Newburg as Duke of Juliers within whose Lands it lies has a Right to name the Burgo-master 'T is under the Protection of the King of Spain as Duke of Brabant This * This City is double the inward City call'd Carolina is enclos'd with its ancient Walls Blond City was almost wholly rebuilt by Charles the Great having lain desolate for almost four Ages after it was sack'd by Attila The same Emperor endow'd it with several Privileges made it the capital City of Gaul beyond the Alps and honour'd it with his usual Residence He built also the great Church from which the Town took the Name of Aix la Chapelle whereas before it was call'd Aquisgranum from a †The old Tower join'd to the Town-house on the East side does still retain the name of Granus or Granius Idem Roman Prince nam'd Granus a Brother or Kinsman of Nero who having discover'd Mineral Waters in this place built a Castle and laid the first Foundations of the City Charles the Great ‖ At the age of 72 years in the Fourteenth year of his Empire the Forty eighth of his Reign and of Christ 814. dy'd here and his Tomb remains to this day For the space of above Five hundred years several Emperors that succeeded Charles the Great were desirous to be Crown'd at Aix and I think I told you that Charles IV. made a positive regulation of this Ceremony by one of the Constitutions of the Golden Bull which ordain'd that the Emperors should afterwards receive their first Crown here but that Custom has been laid aside for some time and there remain only two Marks of the ancient Privileges of this City first there are Deputies sent both to Aix and Nuremburg to acquaint 'em with the Election of a new Emperor that they may send the Imperial * Ornaments and other things necessary for the Solemnity of the Inauguration Aix sends some Relicks a book of the Gospels written in Letters of Gold and one of Charles the Great 's Swords with the Brit I have already given an account of the Ornament that are kept at Nuremburg that are deposited in their hands And secondly wheresoever the Ceremony is perform'd the Emperor declares solemnly That tho' for some particular Reasons he could not receive his first Crown at Aix that Omission shall not be interpreted to the prejudice or diminution of the Privileges of that City The Emperor is always a Canon of Aix and takes an Oath for that purpose on the day of his Coronation Some Persons here assure me that both Religions enjoy equal Privileges at Aix but I must confess I forgot to enquire when I pass'd by that City and therefore I will affirm nothing positively I read t'other day in a short description of the Country of Juliers 〈◊〉 Monulsus and St. Godulrus Bishops of Liege that two Canoniz'd Prelates gave themselves the trouble of rising from the Dead on purpose to be present at the Dedication of the Chapel of Aix after which they march'd back to their Tombs Does not this Story put you in mind of L. Q. Cincinnatus who after he had been Dictator and gain'd a Battel return'd peaceably to his Plough MASTREICHT We stay'd but two or three hours at Mastreicht a City of an indifferent largeness pretty well built and strongly fortified the Garrison consists of between Nine and Ten thousand Men and we saw the †The present King of England Prince of Orange take a review of ' em Some Battalions perform'd several Martial Exercises and they are all extreamly well disciplin'd The little part of the City on the right Bank of the Meuse is call'd Wyek I know not whether you have observ'd that the Names of Mastreicht and Vtrecht are both deriv'd from the word Trajectum which is their common Name in Latin Vtrecht was call'd inferius or ulterius Trajectum and was the passage of the Rhine And Mastreicht was nam'd Mosae Trajectum the passage of the Meuse and Trajectum superius or the upper Passage About Three a-clock in the Afternoon we left Mastreicht LIEGE and arriv'd the same Evening at Liege which we found so full of People The Bishop's Seat was formerly at Tongres from whence it was transferr'd to Mastreicht and from thence to Liege Heiss by reason of the Ceremony of the Bishop's Election that we could not be accommodated with Beds Liege is a pretty large City populous and adorn'd with some fine Structures of which the Cathedral Church and the Bishop's Palace are the two principal Formerly there was not a Chapter in the whole Empire so honourable as that of Liege The Annals of this City relate that in the year 1131 when the Emperor Lotharius II. was crown'd in this place by Pope Innocent II the Chapter that assisted at the Ceremony was compos'd of nine Sons of Kings fourteen Sons of Dukes who were Soveraign Princes nine and twenty
At Munich Dec. 4. 1687. LETTER XII SIR AFter we had for some time follow'd the Banks of the Iser which is the River of Munich we entred into a Forest at our coming out of which we saw distinctly the beginning of the Alps Their Snowy tops are mingled with the Clouds and resemble very much the swelling and foaming Waves of a tempestuous and raging Sea If the Courage of those has been admir'd who first expos'd themselves to the Fury of that Element here is matter enough of Astonishment that any one should venture himself among the Cavities of such frightful Mountains The same Day we departed from Munich we came to a Village call'd Lagrem which is at the Foot of the Mountains and near to a little Lake of very fresh Water there they gave us Fish whose Names we knew not The first thing our Host treated us with was a Chafing-Dish full of Incence with which he perfum'd our Chambers and truly we found more neatness in this little solitary Habitation than in many great Cities in our Journey After we had coasted the Mountains about Two Hours we entred there and for a long time mounted amongst the Rocks Firr-Trees and Snow Nothing is more wild and dismal than these places Sometimes you find some Fisher-men's Cottages on the Banks of two or three Lakes which are between the Mountains But there is no sign of any till'd Land and probably a little Goat's Cheese with some Fish is the principal Diet of these poor People Their Cabins are made of the Roots of Firr-Trees well joined together and their Boats are fram'd of the same Trees hollow'd They gave us Goats Flesh and great Salmon-Trouts in the Village of Mittenwald which is Three Leagues farther This Village is in the middle of a pleasant Plain and the Rocks which environ it are extraordinary high Our Host shew'd us some Balls or brown Masses about the bigness of a Hen's Egg or less which are a kind of soft and imperfect Bezoar and are commonly found in those Parts in the Stomachs of the Goats The good Man assured us of their great Virtues and that he often sold them to Travellers He valued them at Ten Crowns a-piece and I believe we should have done him a Courtesie if we had taken Five or Six which he had at that price A little farther we met a very pleasant Troop of Beggars when they perceiv'd us at a good distance one of them who carried a Tree loaden with Red Fruits planted it in the middle of the Way and sate down by the side of it a little Demi-Devil in the shape of a Crocodile fastened himself to the Tree and a Girl with long and dishevel'd Hair approach'd to it an old Fellow cloath'd in Black with a Peruke and Beard of Moss stood at a little distance with a young Boy clad in White who held a Sword When they thought we were near enough the little Divel open'd the Comedy with a Balderdash Song and we could without difficulty Divine that all was to represent the History of the Fall One of us as he passed by the Old Man ask'd him since he kept at a distance from them whether he was of the Company the poor Mortal answer'd coldly That he was God the Father and that if we would stay a little we should see him act his part with his little Dagger-carrier which was St. Michael the Arch-Angel Behold the Product of the representations which they make of the Deity A quarter of an Hour after this fine Rencounter we pass'd by the Fort of Chernitz which is built between two inaccessible Rocks and which separates the County of Tirol from the Bishoprick of Freisinghen This Bishoprick is in Bavaria and Tirol is one of the Emperor 's Hereditary Provinces We came very late to the Village of Seefeld after we had made many Turnings and Windings among the Mountains There is a Convent of Augustines in this Village and you may see in their Church two or three pretended Miracles with which they make no small noise They tell of a certain Gentleman named Milser who lived at the Castle of Schlosberg about a quarter of a League from thence and was very much dreaded in this Village that he was so vain as to desire to communicate with the great Host which is only for the use of the Clergy They endeavour'd to perswade him out of this Fancy but all in vain When they had put the Host into his Mouth it cast out as they say a Flood of Blood and at the same time the Legs of the Communicant sunk into the Pavement up to the Knees He would have supported himself on the Altar but the Stone gave way and softned under his Hand and the poor miserable Man had been swallow'd alive if he had not been retriev'd by a speedy Repentance The Augustines shew this pretended Host chewed and bloody in a Repository of Glass They shew also the print of a Hand on one of the Stones of the Altar and a Hole in the Pavement of the Church near the same Altar as of two Legs sunk into soft Ground They say that this Host worketh Miracles and they find it not inconvenient to their Convent Two good Leagues on this side Seefeld we began to descend and three quarters of an Hour afterwards we arriv'd in a deep Valley which was at least a Mile in breadth The River Inn glides pleasantly along and waters many not unhandsome Villages We turn'd to the left in this Valley and follow'd always the Foot of the Mountain And a little League farther they made us observe a straight and cragged Rock which they said was above an Hundred Fathom high and was call'd The Emperor's Rock About three quarters of the height of this Rock there was a Nich dug See Stephen Pegius in his Hercules Prodicius in which there was a Crucifix and a Statue on each side of it They say that Maximilian I. being in chase of a wild Goat alighted just at this place from the top of the Rock which joins to the Mountains behind and that the Emperour not daring to remount his Horse was feign to have recourse to Machines to get down Inspruck is but Two short Hours beyond the middle of the Valley INSPRUCK upon the River Inn You pass this River over a Bridge before you enter the City and it is therefore called Inspruck that Word having the same signification in High-Dutch as Aenipons or Aenipontum in Latin There are very fine Houses at Inspruck but the manner after which they cover them seems at first to be troublesome to those who are not acquainted with them for not only the Roofs are flat but instead of the Rafters rising to a Point they are reversed and the Rain falls into the middle of the Roof After the Duke of Lorrain had the misfortune to lose his Estates the Emperour gave him the Possession of Tirol and the Residence of this Prince was at Inspruck in the Palace
Figures as these in the Front of this Church I observ'd in rhe Frontispiece of the great Portal two kind of Birds which by their Combs somewhat resembled Cocks They hold an Animal with a long Tail between them which we suspected was design'd to represent a Fox this poor Beast had his Feet tied together and hung over a Pole the ends of which were supported by the Cocks I cannot forbear searching into the meaning of this little Mystery and if you please I will adventure to tell you my Thoughts of it The allusion of Gallus a Cock to Gallus a French-man is a thing so familiar that I fansie the two Cocks may signifie two French-men and the Animal thus bound must be some crafty Fellow cheated nevertheless and supplanted by the Cocks The Crane hath formerly been too hard for Renard But to apply this Emblem to some particular Event Supposing it to be true that this Chuch was built under Pepin as it seems very probable it may be conjectur'd that his Father Charlemain and he were the two Cocks and that the unfortunate Didier the last King of the Lombards was the Fox You know Charlemain caus'd himself to be crown'd King of the Lombards after he had dispossessed Didier and Pepin was crown'd King of Italy some Years after Didier then vanquish'd stripp'd shaven and put into a Convent too nearly resembles the Fox Except you had rather it should be his Son whose Name I think was Adalgise who in the end was taken and kill'd after he had vainly employ'd all his Wit and Force to regain the Possession of his Father's Dominions I will not say that Pepin amus'd himself with such a Trifle but it was perhaps the Fancy of the Carver On the side of the same Portal they have put this fine Hieroglyphick There is a Man on Horse-back in basso relievo over whom these Three Verses are written in Characters half Roman half Gothick O Regem stultum petit infernale tributum Móxque paratur equus quem misit Daemon iniquus Exit aquâ nudus petit infera not rediturus Tho' I have given you some Conjectures concerning the Fox I confess I can make nothing of this Divel's Horse you may think of both as you please Returning from thence we pass'd by the little Church of St. Mary the Old near which are to be seen many magnificent Tombs of the Scaligers who as you know were Princes of Verona before that City belong'd to the Republick of Venice The Rarities which we saw in the Cabinet of the Count Mascardo deserve that some learned Man should undertake their Description And it may be cause of Admiration that those who have had the Curiosity and the Means to amass so many fine things together should not have had the care to procure Stamps of them and to add Explanatory Remarks on such as are most considerable scarce any thing more remarkable can fall within the Observation of a Traveller nor any thing that deserves better to be studied and describ'd There you find a Gallery and Six Chambers all fill'd with the most admirable Productions of Art or Nature But as it is not possible for me to give you a particular Account of so many things so will I not engage my self in such a Task neither at present nor for the future You need but call to mind all that you have already seen in my Letters and particularly that which I writ from Inspruck Of Pictures Books Roman Rods or Fasces Rings Animals Plants Metals monstrous or Extravagant Productions and Works of all Fashions and in a Word all that can be imagin'd curious or worth inquiry whether for Antiquity or Rarity or for the Delicacy and Excellency of the Workmanship the Catalogue of them would alone amount to a Volume only to satisfie you in some measure I assure you that when-ever I shall meet with any thing that I have not taken Notice of before and which shall seem worthy of particular Observation I shall take care to communicate it to you There are here many * The Vessels which they name are enclabria paterae prefericula ollae sympullae Many sorts of Knives dolabra cultri seva secespita Axes Mallets Candlesticks Instruments and Utensils which were used in the Pagan Sacrifices They also show'd us Figures of Brass that represent all sorts of things which they hung up in the Temples of their Gods when they had receiv'd any Assistance from them We saw also many pieces of Workmanship fram'd out of the Stone Amianthos which is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so famous among the Naturalists this Stone as hard and weighty as it is is easily divided into Fibres or Threads which are so strong and flexible that they may be spun like Cotton Before I leave this Head I must acquaint you with this Remark concerning the Instances of Petrefaction which I have observ'd either here or elsewhere that there is many times a great deal of Errour and Uncertainty in them and that there are several Persons who scruple not to use a little Artifice to multiply and diversitie the Rarities with which they design to fill a Cabinet It cannot be deny'd that Nature seems to divert herself sometimes with such fantastical Changes but it must also be confess'd that they are often counterfeited by Art I know not whether you ever saw any of those pretended Animals call'd Basilisks which have a little resemblance of a Dragon The Invention is prettily contriv'd and has cheated many for they take a small Ray and having turn'd it after a certain manner and rais'd up the Fins in form of Wings they fit a little Tongue to it shaped like a Dart and add Claws and Eyes of Enammel with other little Knacks curiously order'd and this is the whole Secrecy of making Basilisks I am not ignorant that some Authors mention another sort of Basilisk without either Feet or Wings which they represent like a crown'd Serpent and many Naturalists affirm that it kills with its Breath and Looks Galen takes notice of it as the most Venemous of all Serpents and tells us that the Wezel only fears not its Poison but on the contrary poisons it with its Breath But I believe this Serpent is found only in the Land of Phoenixes and Unicorns The Curious may learn in Matthiolus how they make the Mandrakes I might alledge to you many other little Cheats like that of the first Basilisk but to return to our Account of Petrefaction I shall fix only on one of all those Observations that might be brought to Illustrate this Subject There is a certain natural Production according to some a kind of imperfect Plant or a Coralline Matter which extreamly resembles a Mushroom I know not whether they do not sometimes cheat themselves or are willing to cheat others Be it as it will this is that which they call Petrify'd Mushrooms which indeed were never Mushrooms The Question depends on the matter of Fact but one
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
handsom show but has neither fine Apartments nor Furniture The greatest Rarities that it can boast of are three Chambers painted in Fresco by Raphael with some ancient Statues The Garden is not very large but it is embellish'd with pleasant Terras-walks and Water-works which far exceed those at Frescati and are even thought to excel all the Works of that nature in Italy but the greatest part of the Canals are unfortunately stopp'd the Machins out of order and the whole House appears * April 8. 1688. at present in so forlorn and neglected a condition that 't is impossible to behold the remainders of its Beauty without a Pleasure mix'd with Grief 'T would be certainly very unjust to refuse the Praises that are due to a place which if it be consider'd singly and by its self must be acknowledg'd to have a great many Charms and to contain a great number of Curiosities Neither do I pretend in the least to derogate from its true value My design is only to give a just Idea of it and to remove those Prejudices with which many persons are possess'd concerning it I will not strive to refute the Opinion of those who believe that the Gardens and Water-works of Italy did formerly surpass those of France but since the Face of Affairs is alter'd we ought also to change our Language I must confess I was strangely surpriz'd at the sight of the trifling Curiosities of this Country after I had heard the Water-works of Italy so extravagantly commended as if there had been nothing in the Universe that could with Justice be compar'd to ' em They tell us that the Palace and Gardens of Este cost Three millions and I will not pretend to contradict 'em but I must beg leave to assure them that Versailles has incomparable Beauties that the Water-works of that place exceed a million of such as those that are at Tivoli and that the very Lead of the Canals at Versailles cost ten times more than all Tivoli The Cascade of the †In this River are found little white and smooth Flints which are call'd the Hail-shot of Tivoli Du Val. Treverona is the most remarkable thing in this little Town This River forms a very large and pleasant Pool but the Fall is not very high Not far off are the Ruins of an ancient Building said to have been the Sibyl's * Others pretend that it was a Temple of Hercules House but that is a fabulous Story which might be refuted by good Arguments There are in the Court two ancient Statues of a reddish Granite speckl'd with black which in M. Spon's Opinion do both represent the Goddess Isis The same Author supposes that Adrian caus'd 'em to be brought from Egypt to adorn his Pleasure-house at Tivoli The Hill of Tivoli has furnish'd Time out of Mind the greatest part of the Stones that are us'd at Rome This Stone is usually call'd Travertin by corruption of the word Tyburtin The Collisea was cover'd all over with it and the Front of S. Peter's Church is built with the same 'T is plain that this Stone is excellent for some uses but it is yellowish and porous and your Portland Quarry as well as those at Paris and Caen are better for service These Quarries put me in mind of a memorable Accident related by Alexander Tassoni in his Various Thoughts an account of which will not be unpleasant to you Not many days †He wrote about Fifty years ago ago says that Author the Workmen that were employ'd to dig Stone at Tivoli having cleft a great Mass observ'd in the middle of it an empty space in which they found a living Crayfish that weigh'd four pounds which they boyl'd and eat I have read in another ‖ Alexander Alexandr Bapt. Fulgosus mentions a living Worm that was found in the middle of a Flint Alexander That he found a wrought Diamond in the heart of a great piece of Marble and a considerable quantity of sweet and odoriferous Oyl in another piece of like Marble Tassoni also relates That the same year a Cat suckl'd a Rat in Tivoli If these Stories were well attested I believe you would not be less pleas'd with 'em than with the Cascades in the Gardens of Este Three miles from Tivoli Lacus Albuneus in our way homewards we pass'd by a little Lake call'd Lago de Bagni or Solfatara and by the People nam'd the Sixteen Barges because of a like number of floating Islands that are upon it It resembles a Pond being almost round and Two hundred paces in diameter its Water is extream clear and seems to be of a very blew colour It sends forth a pretty large Brook which after a short and rapid course loses it self in the Anieno Both the Lake and Rivulet exhale a sulphureous odour which is very strong They pretend that the Water of the Anieno is endow'd with a singular Vertue to whiten the Teeth and Ivory Schrad and is smelt at a great distance The late Cardinal d' Este having in vain attempted to sound the depth of this Lake perswaded two Divers to enter into it one of whom was never afterwards seen and the other related that he found the Water so hot tho' at the surface it is cold that he was not able to descend to any considerable depth The Land is dry and hollow underneath about the Banks of the Lake as it appears by the deaf sound made by the treading of Horses upon it 'T is probable that the visible part of the Lake is only a narrow Mouth of a vast Abyss which widens and extends it self under Ground very far on both sides And I think it may be conjectur'd concerning the first Diver that either he ventur'd too deep and was surpriz'd by the heat of the Water or that having wander'd into some subterraneous Gulf he struck his Head against the impending Arch instead of rising at the Mouth of the Lake But not to insist upon the first conjecture we must necessarily conclude that the Body was carried into some subterraneal Vault since it never afterwards appear'd on the surface of the Water On the Bank of this Lake we saw certain old Ruins which Antiquaries call the Baths of Agrippa The largest of the floating Islands makes a perfect Oval and is about fifteen foot long they are still crowded together on that side whither the Wind drives 'em and the least touch puts 'em in motion Two of our Company went into one of the smallest of 'em and push'd it from the Land only by thrusting against the Bank with the points of their Swords I have several other Observations to communicate to you concerning the principal Houses of Pleasure in Rome tho' I do not design to describe 'em particularly as I intimated to you before The Villa Borghese is in my Opinion kept in better order than any that I have hitherto seen 'T is certainly a very pleasant place and fit for a
deriv'd from Katha that is says my Author All and Ruine which signifies a falling down because all the Devil's Edifice fell down in her so that St. Katherine was form'd by a corruption of the word from St. Katharuine I hope this will please you who are a Lover of Etymologies You must know in the second place that this Saint while she liv'd at her House in Siena was frequently visited by Christ in propria persona who after he had for some years entertain'd a holy and intimate correspondence with her at last marry'd her according to the usual form of Matrimony and would have his Wedding solemniz'd with a great deal of Ceremony He made a Present to his Bride of a Gold Ring set with a Diamond between four Pearls He invited his Mother to the Feast with St. Peter St. John and St. Dominic and order'd King David to entertain 'em with some Tunes on his Harp I read this Story at Rome in a Description of the Church of St. Katherine in Strada Giulia and I have seen the Picture of it in several places At Siena they shew'd me the Saint's Chamber and the very Window thro' which Christ was wont to enter when he design'd to visit her incognito A Painter coming by chance into St. Dominio's Church where she lay entranc'd made bold to draw her Picture without leave ask'd or given They shew'd me this Image and assur'd me that it wrought abundance of Miracles and that it has a singular Vertue to drive away Devil's when 't is presented to such as are possess'd with ' em You know without doubt that it was this Saint who gave the fatal Blow to the Scotists in their Controversie against the Thomists concerning the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin For besides several Arguments which they alledg'd to confirm their Opinion they produc'd a Revelation of St. Bridget's which had almost put their Adversaries to silence but as ill luck would have it up starts St. Katherine in the very nick with a contrary Revelation declaring positively That the Virgin was conceiv'd in Sin as well as other Women and therefore she has been ever since as much slighted by the Scotists as she is honour'd by the Thomists There is a good Citadel at Siena and fifteen or twenty square Towers like those at Viterbo The Tower call'd Mangiana is particularly taken notice of by some for its extraordinary heighth but they are only such who never saw any other that make this Observation The City of Siena bears for Arms the famous She Wolf giving suck to the Royal Twins and the same Animal is represented in several places on a Column This proceeds from the fabulous Relations of some Authors who pretend that Siena was built by the Children of Remus The great Place is hollow like a Boat or Scollop-shell and may upon occasion be fill'd with Water when any Fire happens in the City In our Journey from Siena towards the River Arno we observ'd that the farther we proceeded the Country grew still more level and fruitful About Camiano Granayola Ponte d'Era and between Pontgibon and Pisa we found a second Campagna felice where there is abundance of every thing and the Ways are extreamly pleasant * Pongibon Poggi-bonzi is only famous for its Tobacco The Palace of the Signiory and that of the Piccolomini built by Aeneas Sylvius deserve a Traveller's Observation The present season of the Year inspires all the World with Joy and Good-humour and this Month is every where particularly remarkable for Sports and Holy-days but I never saw a more diverting Object than the Troops of young Girls who regal'd us with Dances and Songs on all this Road tho' perhaps the Rarity of the Sex might in some measure contribute to heighten the Pleasure we took in seeing ' em Five or six of the prettiest and best attir'd Girls of the Village meet together and go from House to House singing and wishing every where a Merry May. All their Songs consist of a great number of Wishes which are commonly very pleasant for they wish you may at once enjoy all the Pleasures of Youth and of the blooming season that you may be still possess'd with an equal Love Morning and Evening that you may live a hundred and two years that every thing you eat may be turn'd to Sugar and Oyl that your Clothes and Lace may never wear old that Nature may smile eternally and that the goodness of its Fruits may surpass the beauty of its Flowers c. And then come their spiritual Wishes That the Lady of Loretto may pour down her Favours upon you that St. Anthony of Padua may be your Guardian Angel that St. Katherine of Siena may intercede for you And for the Burthen of the Song after every Stanza A merry merry May. I observ'd near Certaldo according to the Advertisement you gave me several Hills of Sand stuff'd with diverse sorts of Shells Monte-mario a mile from Rome is also full of 'em besides I have found some of 'em on the Alps in France and elsewhere Olearius Steno Camden Speed and many other Authors both ancient and modern have taken notice of this Phaenomenon and I read with a great deal of Pleasure the Dissertation you sent me on this subject yet since you desire me to deal plainly with you I must tell you that I am not of your Opinion as to the main If these Shells were the Remainders and an Effect of the Deluge I would willingly be inform'd why it did not rather leave 'em in deep Bottoms and Valleys than throw up whole Mountains of 'em and also why they are so rarely found for it seems more agreeable to Reason that they should have been scatter'd more universally upon the Face of the Earth and not gather'd into heaps as the few that are left are always found I confess 't is not impossible that these Shells might be preserv'd ever since the Deluge and therefore I will not insist on that Difficulty only give me leave to tell you that you seem to have a false notion of the Waters of the Deluge for to give a reason why those Shells which you imagin to be Sea-shells are found in the middle of the Land you suppose that the Deluge was a Sea But as for me I conceive that the Water of that Inundation which fell from Heaven and was consequently sweeter and lighter than Salt-water was not so thorowly mix'd and confounded with the Waters of the Sea but that the one still preserv'd its freshness and the other its saltness or bitterness and each of 'em their particular Qualities Which being granted this Consideration alone will furnish us with Inferences which I leave you to deduce that are sufficient to destroy all your Conjectures Nor is it less in vain to have recourse to Winds Storms and Inundations for a solution of this Mystery The way of Eruption by which the new Vesuvius or Monte-nuovo was form'd is not I confess to be
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