to the Temporal Treasure in an other roome they shewd vs by candle light as they did also the Spiritual Treasure these things First the twelue crownes of gold and the twelue brest and backpeéces like womens close Bodyes of beaten gold also set thick as well as the Crownes with exquisit pearle both round and big Twelue yong Virgins vsed to weare them anciently vpon a Feast day Then three great Carbuncles one whereof weigheth six ounces and is bigger then an ordinary henns egg They Value it at two hundred thousand crownes Then the two Crownes of gold set thick with pretious stones one being the Crowne of the kingdome of Cyprus the other of the kingdom of Candie After this they shewed vs the Doges Crowne called here il Corno because it s made somewhat sharp and turning in at the top like a horne It s set round with a close row of excellent pearle each one as big as a hasel nutt with a Vast Ruby in the front of it worth a hundred thousand crownes say they and one of the fairest diamants in Europe in the top of it Then they shewd vs many other rich things as the Flower de Luce of gold with a rich Diamant in it giuen by Henry the Third of France at his passing by Venice when he came out of Poland The two Vnicorns hornes farre lesse then that at S. Denys in France but no lesse true The two Crucifixes set with pearle and rich iewels and in great number The Great Candlesticks and Thurible of beaten gold and curiously wrought each one being almost as heauy as a man can carry in both hands The Great Chalice of gold as great as a man can lift with both hands A Saphir weighing ten ounces A cup or dish as broad and deep as an ordinary caslotte or cap which we weare vnder our hatts and all of one Turky stone entire and of huge value It was sent vnto this Republick by a King of Persia A Vessel like a tankard of a rich Cameo its handle being curiously engrauen with a diamant A little Vase of the rootes of Emmeraud An other of Sardonick A great cup of Agate An other of Roman Agate farre finer then the former and more transparent A rich Pax of Mother of Pearle A Spanish Embassador once viewing this Treasure tooke a candle and looked curiously vnder the long tables vpon which these rich things are exposed and being asked what he looked for answered that he looked whether this Treasure had rootes or no as his masters Treasure had and therefore groweth yearly meaning the India Fleet of Spayne which bringeth home yearly to the King of Spaynes coffers and Treasure twelue millions 5. Hauing seen this Treasure thanked the two noble Venetians that stood by and requited the vnder officers that shewed it we went into the Dogès Pallace which ioynes to S. Marks Church and mounting vp the open stairs into the open Gallery we saw the two great marble Statues of Mars and Neptune which stand at the head of these stairs and signify the strength of the Venetians both by Sea and Land They are excellent peéces otherwise great Sansouinus would neuer haue owned them by writeing vnder them Opus Sansouini This open Gallery led vs into a world of Chambers of Iustice and Clercks offices all throngd with business and busy men Going vp from hence into a higher story we saw the Dogès Chamber of audience his Antichambers his dineing roome and the like From thence we were led into Seueral great Chambers of Counsel all rarely well painted After that we saw the Great Chamber or Sala of the Senate house where the Nobles meet vpon affairs as great as the Chamber For here they meet about the chuseing of publick Officers either for the gouerning of the Citie or Army and sometimes they haue been forced to stay there eight dayes sayth Sabellicus not being able to agree about the Elections they not being permitted to depart thence till they agree This Senate house or Great Chamber is aboue threescore paces long and thirty wide It s full of Seats for the Noble Venetians to the number of two thousand men who haue right to enter in here It s painted on all sides by the rarest painters that were in Italy when this roome was made Ouer the Dogès Throne is a rare peéce of painting couering the whole end of the roome aboue and representing heauen in a glorious manner It s of the hand of Tintoret The great pictures vpon that side of the roome which lookes towards the court of the Pallace containe the history of Pope Aâ—exander the III and the Emperor Federick Barbarossa I saw also in this great roome and in the next ioyning to it the true pictures of all the Dogès of Venice In the other Chambers of this Pallace in the Churches and other Pallaces of this towne I saw so many and so rare peéces of painting of Titian Tintoret Bellino Gentile Castel Franco Bassano Paolo Veronese Perdonone and others that with Madame Romes leaue I dare bodly say that no place of Italy hath so many rare pictures in it as Venice hath and perchance you will be of my opinion if you read the curious booke of Rodolfi who hath written the liues of the Painters of Venice and the Venetean State and sets downe where their prime peéces are to be seen 6. Hauing seen these Chambers of Iudicature we were led about to the Sala of the Consiglio de Dieci otherwise called the little Arsenal in the Pallace still It s a curious sight and therefore not to be omitted by my Traveler There are armes in it for a thousand men ready vpon all occasions of sedition or reason The muskets are alwayes charged and primed and euery six months they discharge rhem to charge them a fresh Pikes and swords are also so ordered here that by plucking a string they fall into the hands of those that should vse them so that in lesse then half an houre a thousand men may sally our armed In the end of the great roome where the muskets hang stands a great iron ball pierced through like a basket hilt and four times as big as a soldiers helmet within which there is a spring which being vncockt by the pulling of a corde strikes fire into gunpowder which lyeth round about within this Ball in a train and there are so many several ends of match as there are muskets here half of the match hanging out of the holes of the Ball the other half being within and reaching into the train of powder so that the first man that should come in and pluck the foresayd corde would presently strike fire and light the matches all at once and then euery man catching a musket and one of these matches lighted they are armed in a moment This armory is to secure the Dogè and the Senators while they are assembled in counsel from such like treasons as haue been plotted against them
THE VOYAGE OF ITALY PRINTED AT PARIS Anno dnÌ„i M.DC.LXX THE VOYAGE OF ITALY OR A Compleat Journey through ITALY In Two Parts With the Characters of the People and the Description of the Chief Towns Churches Monasteries Tombs Libraries Pallaces Villas Gardens Pictures Statues and Antiquities AS Also of the Interest Government Riches Force c. of all the Princes With Instructions concerning Travel By Richard Lassels Gent. who Travelled through Italy Five times as Tutor to several of the English Nobility and Gentry Never before Extant Newly Printed at Paris and are to be sold in London by John Starkey at the Mitre in Fleet-street near Temple-Barr 1670. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND MOST TRVLY NOBLE LORD RICHARD LORD LVMLEY VICOVNT WATERFORD c. MY LORD It were needlesse to tell you by how many titles this little Orphan booke claimes the honour of your Lord ps protection First by the law of nature its parent dying in your seruice you stand bound to bee a foster father to it againe it haueing been my fortune to contribute something to the bringing it forth to light it hath a new relation to you vnder the title by which I haue long agoe consecrated all my endeauours to your seruice But to passe by these two there is yet a third reason wherby it will appeare not the effect of choise but of necessity that it should come forth vnder the fauour of your name The wellgrounded experience which you haue gained in your trauells the exacte and iudicious account you are able to giue of the places you haue seen which make a great part of the subiect of this booke the mature iudgment of the interests of states and manners of people wherof it treats which in you is not the after fruit of age the Gentile and courteous behauiour which you haue acquired and which charmes all those who haue the honour to conuerse with you These I say are vertues so peculier to your Person and so conspicuous in the eyes of all the world that the designe of this Booke being to forme the like in the rest of the Gentry of our Nation that pretend to trauell It would bee a wrong to the publike to let it appeare vnder the Patronage of any other then of him that is the Idea of an accomplisht and consuÌ„mate Traueller And this I doubt not was the reason why the Author haueing had the honour to haue been a Gouernour to so many of the flower of our Gentry made choise of your Lordship to bequeath this worke vnto by his last Will and Testament And which imposeth vpon me a necessity both in compliance to the memory of my worthy friend and fellow traueller and to the duty I owe vnto your Lordship by the honour I haue to succeed vnto him in his last engagement to offer vp this his last worke to you as an euerlasting monument of esteeme and gratitude of him who while hee liued euer was and of him who liueing euer is MY LORD Your Lordships most humble most obedient seruant S. Wilson A TABLE OF THE NAMES OF THE CHIEF TOWNES contained in this first part A. AIguebelle 69 Aiguebellet Mt. 66 Aix 42 Alexandria 103 Apennins Mts. 154 Aquapendente 241 Auignon 38 B. S. Baume 43 Beauuoysin 66 Berlin Mt. 58 Bologna 141 Bolsena 242 Briare 32 Briga 6â— C. Caprarola 247 Cassale 103 Castelfranco 141 Chambery 67 Cenis Mt. 70 Coire 57 D Deuedra 65 Domodoscela 65 F. Florence 155 Fontainbleau 27 Fort-Vrban 140 G. Geneua 48 Genua 82 I. S. Iohn Morian 69 Isere Riu. 68 L. Lake of Geneua 49 Lake of Bolsena 243 Lakes of Wollinstade and Isee 59 Lake Maior 65 Lasneburg 69 Lausanna 50 Ligorne 232 Lodi 133 Lucca 225 Lyons 32 M. Marseiles 42 Marguzzi 65 Marignano 133 S Maurice 59 S. Maximin 44 Milan 112 Modena 138 Monferat 103 Montargis 32 Montefiascone 243 Monterosa 249 Montmelian 68 Murat 52 N. Neuers 32 Noualese 71 Noui 10â— P. Parma 135 Pauia 105 Piacenza â—4 Piemont 72 Pisa 228 Pistoia 225 Po. Riv. 72 Poggibonzi 235 Pont S. Esprit 38 Pougues 32 R. Radicofino 241 Regio 238 Riuiera di Genua 82 Roanne 32 S. Sampion M. 63 Sauona 80. Sauoy 76 Sesto 66 Siena 235 Sion 62 Soleur 52 Splug Mt. 58 Susa 71 Swisserland 51 T. Terrara 32 Ticinum 105 Tortona 104 Tournon 38 Turin 72 V. Valance 38 Valtaline 57 Valetians 59 Veij 250 Vienne 38 Viterbo 246 Y. Yssonne â—â— Z. Zuric 54 A PREFACE TO THE READER CONCERNING TRAVELLING WHEN I first set pen to Paper to handle this subject I had not the least thought of the presse nor of erecting my selfe into an Author J onely discharged my memory hastily of some things which J had seen in Italy and wrapt vp that vntimely Embrio in fiue sheets of paper for the vse of a noble person who set me that taske Yet this Embrio likeing the person for whom it was conceiued obliged me to lick it ouer and ouer againe and bring it into better forme Second thoughts and succeding voyages into Italy haue finished it at last and haue made it what it is A compleat Voyage and an exact Itinerary through Italy And here I thought to haue drawne bridle and rested after so long a iourney when a learned friend hauing perused this my Description of Italy desired much to see a Preface to it of my fashion and CoÌ„cerning Traueling I could refuse nothing to such a freind and haue done it here willingly both for my owne and my countryes sake For my owne sake to preexcuse some things in my booke which some perchance may dislike For some I feare will quarrel with my English and justly seeing three long voyages into Flanders six into France fiue into Italy one into Germany and Holland haue made mee liue half of my life time in forrain countryes to the disturbance of my owne language Yet if J bring not home fine language J bring home fine things and I haue seen great Ladyes both in France and England buy finde things of chimney-sweepers and Pedlars that spoke but course Lombard language and grosse Scotch Others perchance will finde fault that J write merrily sometimes And why not Seeing I write to young men and for them and mirth is neuer so lawfull as in traueling where it shortens long miles and sweetens bad vsage that is makes a bad dinnar go downe and a bad horse go on Others will say that I fill my booke with too much Latin But these must be minded that I am writing of the Latin country and that I am caruing for Schollers who can disgest solid bitts hauing good stomacks Others will say J ieere now and then And would any man haue me go through so many diuers countries and prayse all I see Or in earnest do not some things deserue to be ieered when things cannot be cured but by ieering ieering sayth Tertullian is a duty and I thinke the Cynick Philosophers struck as great a blow at vice as the Stoicks Others
exquisitly carued with historical statues representing the most remarkable actions of that Doctor 4 In the same Church we were showne the Tombe of Seuerinus Boëtius author of that great little booke de Consolatione Philosophica which he wrote in his exile to comfort himself He was a Consul of Rome for dignity an other S. Denys for learning loosing his head and held a Martyr by many 5 In the Cloister of this Conuent of the Augustins lye buryed two Englishmen of note the Duke of suffolke and an English Bishop called Parker of the house of Morley I read their seueral Epitaphs vpon the wall of this Cloister neare the little doore that goes from hence into the Church but haue forgot them since 6 The Chappel where the Bones of the Frenchmen killed in the Battle of Pauia are kept and showne to strangers 7 In the Franciscans Church here lyes buryed Baldus the famous Iurisconsult 8 The long wodden Bridge couered ouer head with a perpetuall penthouse to deffend men as well from the Sun as from the rayne Of this towne were Ennodius Ticinensis and Lanfrancus Archbishop of Canterbury who wrot so learnedly against Berengarius for the Reall Presence He that desires to know the particular history of Pauia let him read Antonio Spelta and Sacco From Pauia we went to Milan same twenty miles off and in the way saw the famous Monastery of the Carthusians neare vnto which vpon S. Mathias his day a day fauorable to Charles the V seeing he was borne on that day crowned Emperour on that day and got this Victory on that day was fought that memorable battle between the sayd Emperours forces and the French King an 1525. where Francis the I. of France was taken prisoner haueing lost the day not for want of courage but conduct for he had a little before sent away halfe of his army to the conquest of Naples by which he so weakened the rest of his army here that he both lost the day and did nothing against the kingdome of Naples A great fault obserued by one that was present there to wit Monsieur Monluc Francis being thus taken prisoner was presently conducted to the Carthusians Monastery which was hard by Entering into the Church and finding the Monks singing in the third houre this verse of the Psalme Coagulatum est sicut lac cor eorum egovero legem tuam meditatus sum he struck up with them at the next verse and sung aloud with a piety as great as his losse or courage Bonum mihi quia humiliasti me vt discam iustificationes tuas that is it s well for mee that thou hast humbled me that I may learne thy iustifications After he had heard Masse here he was carryed to dinner in the Monastery and was serued by three Generals of the Spanish Army Launoy Bourbon and the Marquis of Vasti the one holding the basin the second powring water vpon his hands and the third presenting him the Towel Some say he refused to bee serued by Bourbon looking vpon him as a revolted Trayter rather then as an ennemy indeed the braue Frënch Knight Bayard surnamed the Cheualier sans peur who died in this battle being found expireing in the feild by Bourbon who sayd to him Poore Bayard I pitty thee answered him with all the courage and life that was left him No Traytor J am not to be pittyed who dye nobly seruing my King and country but thou rather art to be pittied who liuest à Traytor to thy king and country As for the King he was led prisoner into Spayne where he was kept at Madrid till he payed his ransom Hence the Spaniards brag that they had once a French king prisoner and the French had neuer any King of Spayne prisoner but the French answer that their King had not been prisoner had he fought as the Kings of Spayne do of late that is by Proxie and not in person Howeuer this Francis the first deserued better fortune being A Prince of great courage and honour and a great louer of his souldiers For not long before he had beaten the Swissers in the battle of San Donato where his souldiers fought for him with singular courage and zeale And hee had deserued it all For he was so good to his souldiers in that expedition that he would ride vp and downe the campe in the night to visit the wounded souldiers and help them to all necessaries commanding euen His owne sheets to be cut in peeces to binde vp their wound◠As for the Monastery it self of the Charthusians it s one of the most stately Monasteries of Jtaly and I beleeue the second of that Order The great Cloister is all couered with lead The Church is one of the hansomest of Italy though built a la Tedesca The Frontispice of it is adorned with a world of heads and figures of white marble The Chappels within are richly adorned and painted The Tabernacle is worth fourscore thousand crownes The tombe of their founder Iohn Galeazzo Visconti Duke of Milan which stands a little without the Quire with the cumbent statues of Ludouico Moro the last Duke of Milan and his wife lyeing vnder the other is a stately Monument In the Sacristy we were showne many fine Relicks much rich Church-plate and a curious back of an Altar of Yuory cut into histories after a rare māner Passing from hence we came to Milan This towne is surnamed the Great and rightly seing it carryes full ten miles in compasse within the walls It hath ten gates to it two hundred Churches within it and three hundred thousand souls dwelling in it Hence it was anciently called Altera Roma a second Rome both because of its greatness and because of its other titles which made it looke like Rome It s the Head of the best Dutchy in Europe which is a hundred miles long from North to South and containeth four hundred townes in it It s called Milan quasi Midland being a pure Mediterranean Towne and hauing which is a wonder not so much as a riuer of its owne running by it but is onely serued by two Channels cut out of the Ticine and the Adder This towne hath heretofore suffered much by warre great townes being the fairest Markes to shoot at and Milan hath been forty times shot at by Sieges and twenty times Hit and taken haueing had the misfortune to haue been vnder diuers factions and Rulers as the Emperours the Turriani the Visconti the Sforze the French and the Spaniards who now keep it mercè al Castello which staueth of all tempts of strangers France pretends to this Dutchy as heire of Valentia Visconty who was marryed to Lewis Duke of Orleans whose house was excluded from this Dutchy by Francis Sforza who possessed himself of this State As for the things which I saw in Milan they are these 1. The store of Gentry and Nobility here which I perceiued to be very numerous
Creation that where Adam sowes that where the sheep drink that were Jacob saw the ladder that of the last Supper of Christ with his Apostles that where Moyses shews the Laws are all of the hand of Raphael Vrbin That of the Deluge of the adoration of the golden Calf are of the hand of Raphael dal Borgo That where Josue commands the Sun to stop that of Bersabee and the like are of the hand of Pierino del Vago That of the Chariot and some others are of the hand of Carauagio That of Moyses strikeing the Rock that of the iudgement of Salomon and some others are of the hand of Iulio Romano That of the Baptisme of Christ with other such like are of the hand of Pellegrino da Modena Yet because in all these pictures Raphael Vrbin giue either the designe or some touches this Gallery is called Raphaels Gallery indeed nothing but the diuine history it self can be finer then this painting of Diuine Raphael And it belongs onely to Rome to haue the Bible set out thus in its owne colours and if pictures be the best bookes for ignorant people who can say that the Bible is kept from the people here seing its painted and printed here in the most Vulgar tongue and knowne language pictures In a word Raphaels colours seemed to me to illustrate the text very much and to be an excellent Comment vpon the Holy scripture 7. From this gallery I was led into the great chamber where Constantins Victory ouer Maxentius is so rarely painted vpon the walls by Raphaels owne hand that this painting serues this chamber not onely for a rich Tapistry but also for an eternal Trophee to that Emperour The seueral postures here of men and horses all in confusion yet all in such due proportion make this picture in the judgement of Monsieur Poussin a famous painter the rarest thing in the world for designe In the other fellowing rooms there are diuers other rare peeces of the same hand as that of Attila and Pope Leo that of S. Peter in prison a peece much admired for the perspectiue of it That of the B. Sacrament that of the burning of the Borgo that of Aeneas carrying his Father Anchises out of the flames are of Raphaels hand The history of HoHeliodorus ouer the chimney is of the hand of Iulio Romano Raphaels scholler 8. Going vp from hence into the highest open gallerie you l finde it painted with Geographical Maps of the hand of Antonio da Varese The roof of it is also well painted by Pomerancio Paris Romano and Bronzini excellent painters all 9. Then comeing downe I saw the Sala Clamentina a noble roome The rare perspectiues in the roof and in one of the corners both of them expressing the armes of Clement the VIII are worth your attentiue consideration 10. Then the diuers Chambers of his Holyness hung all with Damask hangings in sommer and veluet hangings in winter are very neat In the Popes bed chamber I saw the graue picture of our Lady with her Sonne in her armes called Saint Mary Maior it s painted curiously vpon a white transparent stone three fingers thick and yet shewing the picture on both sides if held before the sun 11. The great roome guilt ouer-head where the Pope treats at dinner great Princes when they come to Rome 12. The old appartament of Pius Quintus with the great wodden bed or rather the little wodden chamber of Paulus Quintus 13. The rare peece of perspectiue ouer the dore of the long roome leading to the Gallery of Maps At the first looking vpon it you see nothing but certain types or figures of the Blessed Sacrament out of the old Testament but being placed directly vnder it and looking vpwards you see all the foresayd types contracted into the forme of a Calice and an hoast ouer it so shew that those old types and shadowes prefigured onely the body and blood of our Sauiour in the holy Sacrifice of the Altar 14. The long gallery of the Maps of Italy painted vpon the walls on both sides by Paulus Brillus a Flemming and others and that so distinctly that you see plainly euery State Prouince City Riuer Village Castle highway of Italy and where any famous battle was fought either in the Romans time or since A Gallery which I wish I had spent as many houres in as I spent dayes in going vp to Rome Diuers other Galleries there are in this house which I passe ouer in silence 14. But I cannot passe euer so the long Gallerie leading to the Beluedere in which is kept the Conclaue of all Popes in this one great roome fifty or thresecore Cardinals lodg and haue euery one two chambers one for himself and the other for his Conclauist Ex vngue Leonem you may judge by this what the whole house is or els by this what they assure you when they tell you that there are fiue thousand Chambers in that Pallace 15. From the middle of the foresayd Gallery you enter into the Vatican Library famous all the learned world ouer for hauing in it besides the Registers of the Roman Church the choycest manuscripts of rhe world in holy languages This Baronnius found who drew from hence notable succour for the maintaining of this Ecclesiasticall history against the Centuriators of Magdebourg who wanting these assured aymes and being otherwise wrongly biassed made faults in their history as many as their Centuries and as great as their Volumes The description of this Library hath been made by learned Angelus Rocca in Latin and by Mutius Pansa in Jtalian yet for the sactisfaction of my curious countrymen I shall say something of it First the roome is a vast long roome speading it self in the furter end into two wings of building which are all full of presses where the manuscripts are kept carefully from mice and rats and moist weather At the entrance into this Library you are let into a fair chamber full of desks for a dozen of writers who haue good stipends to copie out bookes in all languages and they are bound to be writeing so many houres in a morning Round-about this roome hang the Pictures of all the Cardinals that haue been Bibliothecarii since Sixtus Quintus his time Then entrâ—ng into the Library it self I saw the vast wide roome supported like a Church by great squar pillars about which are as many cupbord were the manuscripts are conserued On the wall on the right hand are painted in Fresco the General Councils of the Church with the Bible in the midst laying open vpon a stately throne and with the order and place of precedency obserued in them as also some notable accidents in Ecclesiastical history On the left hand are painted all the famous Libraryes anciently mentioned by authors and vpon the great pillars are painted the first Inuentors and promotors of learning This long roome spreads it self at last into two wings on
each hand both which are full of curious bookes both manuscripts and printed bookes diuers of which were showne me with great ciuility by Monsignor Holstenius then keeper of this Library whom I had formerly knowne The chief of these bookes were these A vast Hebrew Bible too heauy for any man to lift vp An ancient copie of the Septuagints translation in Greek after which the Bible hath been printed both in Rome and London The Acts of the Apostles in Greek curiously written in golden letters The Ghospel written by S. Chrysostoms owne hand An Hebrew Bible written in sheets of parchment pasted to one another and rowled vp hence the word Volumen for a booke A little booke written in barke of trees hence the word folium for a leaf in a booke Certain old Roman Table bookes A China Tablebooke of wood in which they wrote with a pointed steele A curious China booke all in Hieroglyphs and folded vp in many folds our Purchas in his curious nauigations hath both printed and deciphered it Polidor Virgils history of England written with his owne hand An old booke of Sermons in Latin in whose margin S. Thomas of Aquin had made notes with his owne hand An old Virgil with the pictures of the history in old painting An old Terence written twelue hundred yeares a goe and the ancientest that euer Politian saw as he testifyeth vnder his owne hand in the inside of the couer of this booke Baronnius his Annals in his owne hand writeing The rare quotations out of the ancient Fathers painfully and faithfully collected out of the best copies by learned Cardinal Sirleto in the time of the Council of Trent and sent by him weekly by the Poste from Rome to the Fathers in the Council who proceeded to their definitions by the ancient tradition of the Church found so plainly and vnanimously in those Fathers Those quotations make six Volumes in folio and this was it which out aduersaryes call the sending downe of the Holy Ghost to Trent in a cloak-bag when it was onely the seding downe of these faithfull testimonies of the Tradition of the Church gathered out of the most ancient and authentick copies The letters of Henry the VIII of England to Anne Bolen his mistresse then in his owne hand writeing Some in English some in French but all amatory It is easy to imagine them written by him if you compare the hand-writing of these letters with those two Verses written by the Kings owne hand in the frontispice of the following Booke to wit The booke which the sayd Henry wrotte against Martin Luther and dedicated it by a couple of Latin verses written with is owne hand in the Frontispice of it to Pope Leo the tenth which booke purchased to King Henry the honorable title of defender of the faith Then I was showne the Library of the Duke of Vrbin who dyeing without heires male bequeathed his Library to the Vatican Library here In this I saw many rare manuscripts written in parchment and painted in miniature especialy that booke in whose margins are painted by a rare hand and wonderfull diligence all the insects in nature in their liuely colours and true resemblance Ouer against this Library they shewed me in the same roome the Library of Heidelberg sent to Rome by the Duke of Bauaria after he had dispossessed the Elector Frederick Prince Palatin of Rhein of his country as well as of the kingdome of Bohemia which he had seazed on at the instigation of Bethleem Gabor and others See the Mercure François They shewed me here among diuers other bookes the booke of designes of the sayd Prince Elector Palatin which he had designed being yong Happy Prince if he had not designed to himself an other mans crowne In the great roome of this Library there is an iron dore which leteth you into a more secret roome where the Registers of the Church of Rome are kept the keeper of which Registers was anciently called Chartularius an office much like to that in the Greek Church called Cartophylax In fine I was showne here diuers letters of great persons and Princes written with their owne hands as of S. Charles Boromaeus to Cardinal Sirleto who had had a hand in his education of Queen mary of England of King Philip the second of Spayne hir husbād stileing himselfe King of Spayne England and France of Francis the First of France of Margaret of Parma that Gouerned Flanders when it reuolted of President Vargas a Spaniard and a great statesman in Flanders but no great Latinist as it appeared by his answer to the Doctors of Louain petitioning him in Latin for their priuiledges when he se sayd Non curamus vostros priuilegios Mali faxerunt templa boni nihil faxerunt contra ergo debent omnes patibulari the tearmes of the expostulation being as harsh as the Conclusion of it and some old polite Orators had rather haue been hangd indeed then threatened in such bad Latin A little before I went out of this Library I sawe neere the dore the Statue of Hippolitus Bishop of Portua who liued 1400 yeares ago sitting in a chair of stone vpon which is cut in Greek letters the ancient Canon Paschalis vpon which Scaliger and others haue written It s a curious peece of learned antiquity and worthy to he taken notice of 16. Hauing seen the Library we were led on by the long Gallery mentioned before vnto the Beluedere were we descended into the Popes priuate garden full of orange trees fine walkes and fountains Here are three or four vnauoidable wetting places to those that are not acquainted with them Henc you goe downe to see the rare fountain of the iron ship In this garden I saw the Pineapple of brasse guilt which is as great as three men can fathom about and twice as high as the tallest man can reach Here also stand by it the two great Peacocks of brasse guilt which stood anciently vpon Scipio Affricanus his tombe and are some three or four yeards long 17. From hence we were led hard by to see the Beluedere of the Maschere which Michel Angelo called his Studie It s a squar Court sett with Orange trees in whose walls are great Niches with leaues to them of wood where the choyce statues of the world are conserued vnder lock and key and free from ill weather The chief statues here are these that of the riuer Nilus and that of Tyber both in cumbent postures That of Antinous minion of the Emperor Adrian it s of pure oriental marble and rarely cut that of Cleopatra that of Venus comeing out of a bath that of Commodus the Emperor that of Laocoon and his sonns inuolued about with serpents This statue of Laocoon is the master peece of sculpture That in the middle of the Court of Hercules without armes leggs or head is so rare a trunck that Michel Angelo professed
Pope Honorius the First A courteous Father of S. Bernards Order here did me the fauour to shew me neare the high Altar this Head and this Picture These two are most authentical things for the attestation of them is in the very Acts of the second Concil of Nice held an 789 where to prooue the lawfullness of sacred Images against the Iconoclasts â—â—e sacred Council cites a miracle wrought by this very picture of S. Anastasius and Baronius quotes diuers others wrought by the same picture In the second Church here to wit the little round Church on the righâ— hand there is a famous picture of S. Bernards Extasis Vnder this Church I was led into a Vault where many of the bodyes of the foresayd ten thousand Christians who were martyred with S. Zeno are buryed This vault goes a mile vnder-ground In the third place stands the little Church of the Tre Fontane so called because S. Paul was here beheaded and where his head iumpt thrice three fountains gushed out Vpon an Altar on the left hand is an excellent Picture of S. Peters crucifixion of the hand of Guido Rheni On the other side is seen a little block within an yron grate vpon which they say S. Pauls head was cut off Going from hence I went ouer the fields to the Church of the Annuntiata one of the nine Churches of Rome visited by Pilgrims and from thenc to S. Sebastians S Sebastians Church is one of the seauen Churches and of great deuotion by reason of the Catacombes which are vnder it Here I saw the Tombe of S. Sebastian vnder an altar on the left hand many relicks kept ouer an altar on the right hand and the Vault vnderneath where Pope Steuen was beheaded in his owne Seat of stone and where S. Peters and S. Pauls bodyes were hidden many yeares Thenc I was let into the Catacombes which are vnder this Church and which from thenc running many miles vnder ground made anciently a Christian Rome vnder the Heathen There were divers of these Catacombes in the primitiue times and they were called diuersly Arenaria Cryptae Areae Concilia Martyrum Poliandria but most frequently Caemeteria that is dormitoria because here reposed the bodyes of the holy Martyrs and Saints qui obdormiuerunt in Domino But the greatest of all these Caemeteria was this of Calixtus In these Catacombes dureing the persecutions raysed against the Christians by ten Heathen Emperors the faithfull beleeuers together with their Popes and Pastors vsed priuatly to meet to excercice their Religion and steale their deuotions that is to heare Masse in little round Chappels painted ouer head poorely Minister the Sacraments bury the dead Martyrs and Confessors in the walls of the long alleys preach hold conferences and euen celebrate Councils too sometimes I descended seueral times into seueral parts of these Catacombes with a good experienced guide which you must besure of and with waxe lights torches being too stifeling and wandered them vp and downe with extraordinary satisfaction of minde The streets vnder ground are cut out with mens hands and mattocks They are as high as a man for the most part no broader then for two men to meet All the way long the sides of these Alleys are full of holes as long as a man and sometimes there are three rowes one ouer an other in which they had buryed their Martyrs and Confessors and that posterity might afterwards know which were Martyrs which Confessors they engraued vpon the stone which mur'd them vp or vpon one of the bricks a Palme branch in signe of a Martyr and a Pro Christo in Cyphers for a Confessor It s recorded that during the forsayd persecutions a hundred seauenty four thousand Martyrs were buryed here in this Cametery of Calixtus among whom were nineteen Popes Martyrs Hence these Catacombes haue alwayes been esteemed as a place of great deuotion and much frequented by deuout persons The words ouer the dore as you descend into them from the Church of S. Sebastian tell you how S. Hierome confesseth that he vsed euery Sunday and Holyday during his stay in Rome to go to these Catacombes And a picture hung ouer the same dore sheweth how S. Philip Neri vsed to frequent these holy places in the night and from whence I beleeue he sucked that true spirit of the primitiue Church which reigned in him and still reigneth in the breasts of his most vertuous children the pious Priests of the Oratory of Rome whom I must alwayes prayse wheresouer I find them because I alwayes find them either writeing holy things or liuing them that is either writeing books fit to be liued or liuing liues fit to be written Indeed its incredible how much the presence of these Holy Martyrs bodyes hath sanctifyed this place in so much that no man enters into the catacombes but he comes better out then he went in Catholicks come out farre more willing to dye for that faith for which so many of their ancesters haue dyed before them The Aduersaryes of the Roman Church come out more staggered in their fayth and more milde towards the Catholick Religion to see what piety there is euen in the bowels of Rome Atheists come out with that beleef that surely there is a God seing so many thousands of Martyrs haue testifyed it with their blood From S. Sebastians I went to the place hard by called Capo di Boue standing vpon the Via Appia It is a great building faced about with marble stones It was the Sepulcher of Metella wife of rich Crassus It s now called Capo di Boue because of the oxe heads cut in marble which compose the cornice that runns about the top of this Moles Entering into it you will wonder at the thickness of the walls which are aboue eight ells thick It was begun to be pulled downe especialy the great marble stones on the outside of it to make vp the Fontana di Treui but Cardinal Barberino would not suffer it to be so defaced Close by stand the ruines of the Pretorium the Quarters of the Pretorian Bands which the Emperours lodged here a little out of the throng of the towne that they might not occasion so easily tumults and that they might exercise themselues often in the Circo of Caracalla which was hard by This Circus was made by the Emperor Caracalla and is the most entire of all the Circos that were in Rome You see where the Carceres or starting place was where the Meta where the Guglia were You see how long it was and the walls yet show you what compasse it carryed In the midst of it stood that Guglia which now stands in the midst of Piazza Nauona I saw it lye here broken in three peeces and neglected quite till the Earle of Arundel our late Lord Mareshal Offering to buy it hauing already depositated threescore crownes in earnest for it made the
will say I change stile often and sometimes ruâ—n smoothly sometimes joltingly Truâ—â—raueled not allwayes vpon smooth ground and paceing horses Swisserlande and Sauoye are much different from Campania and Lombardy and its one thing to describe a Pleasant garden an other thing to describe a Venerable Cathedrall and if in the one and the other we haue seueral lookes much more ought we to haue seueral words in describing them Others will say I affect a world of exotick words not yet naturalized in England No I affect them not I cannot auoyd them For who can speak of Statues but he must speak of Niches or of Churches Wrought Tombes or inlayd Tables but hee must speak of Coupolas of bassi rilieui and of pietre commesse If any man vnderstand them not it s his fault not mine Others will say I hunt too much after Ceremonies and Church antiquityes No I onely meet them And as a man cannot speak of Hercules but he must speak of clubbs of combats of Labours and victories so I cannot speak of Rome the Christian but I must speake of Relicks Ceremonies and Religion Yet I beleeue I giue my Reader a full drought toâ— of prophane antiquityes Mascarades Shews dressings and passetimes Others in fine will say that I do but a thing done allready seeing two others haue written of this subiect in English Well if others haue written vpon this subiect why may not I They did the best they could I beleeue but they drew not vp the ladder after them The one writes much of Italy and says little the other writes little and leaueth out much which I impute to the ones writing out of old Geographers long after he had been there and to the others short stay in Italy when he was there And if these ingenious gentlemen haue painted out Italy in busto onely and profile why may not I paint her out at full face and at her full length If they like ancient Statuaryes haue represented Italy vnto vs like a naked statue I haue set her out in all her best Attire and Iewels And thus much for my owne sake For my countryes sake To read to my countrymen two profitable Lessons The first of the Profit of traueling The second of Traueling with profit 1. For the first to wit the Profit of Traueling its certain that if this world be a great booke as S. Augustin calls it none studdy this great Booke so much as the Traueler They that neuer stirr from home read onely one page of this booke and like the dull follow in Pliny who could neuer learne to count further then fiue they dwell allwayes vpon one lesson They are like an acquaintance of mine who had alwayes a booke indeed lyeing open upon a deske but it was obserued that it lay allwayes open at one and the same place and by long custome could lye open no where else He then that will know much out of this great booke the world must read much in it and as Vlysses is setforth by Homer as the wisest of all the Grecians because he had traueled much and had seen multorum hominum mores Vrbes the Cittyes and customes of many men so his sonn Telemachus is held for a very shallow witted man and Homer giues the reason because his mother Penelope instead of sending him abroad to see forrain countryes had allwayes kept him at home and so made him a meere Onocephalus and a homeling Mammacuth So true is the saying of Seneca that Imperitum est animal homo sine magna experientia rerum si circumscribatur Natalis soli sui fine 2 Traueling preserues my yong nobleman from surfeiting of his parents and weanes him from the dangerous fondness of his mother It teacheth him wholesome hardship to lye in beds that are none of his acquaintance to speak to men he neuer saw before to trauel in the morning before day and in the euening after day to endure any horse and weather as well as any meat and drink Whereas my country gentleman that neuer traueled can scarce go to London without makeing his Will at least without wetting his handkercher And what generous mother will not say to her sonn with that ancient Malo tibi malè esse quà m molliter I had rather thou shouldst be sick then soft Indeed the coral-tree is neither hard nor red till taken out of the Sea its natiue home And I haue read that many of the old Romans put out their children to be nurced abroad by Lacedemonian nurces till they were three yeares old then they put them to their Vncles till seauen or tenn then they sent them into Toscany to be instructed in Religion and at last into Greece to studdy Philosophy 3. Traueling takes my yong nobleman four notches lower in his self-conceit and pride For wheras the country Lord that neuer saw any body but his Fathers tennants and M. Parson and neuer read any thing but Iohn Stow and Speed thinks the Lands-end to be the Worlds-end and that all solid greatness next vnto a great Pasty consists in a great Fire and a great estate Wheras my traueling yong Lord who hath seen so many greater men and Estats then his owne comes home farre more modest and ciuil to his inferiours and farre lesse pufft vp with the empty conceit of his owne greatness Indeed nothing cured Alcibiades his pride so much as to see in a Map shewd him for the nonce by Socrates that his house and lands of which he was so prowd either appeared there not at all or onely a little spot or dab and nemo in pusillo magnus 4. Traueling takes off in some sort that aboriginal curse which was layd vpon mankind euen allmost at the beginning of the world I meane the confusion of tongues which is such a curse indeed that it makes men who are of one kind and made to be sociable so strangely to fly one an other that as great S. Austin sayth A man had rather be with his dog then with a man whose language he vnderstands not Nay this diuersity of language makes the wisest man passe for a foole in a strange country and the best man for an excommunicated person whose conuersation all men auoyd Now traueling takes off this curse and this moral excommunication by making vs learne many languages and conuerse freely with people of other countryes 5. Traueling makes vs acquainted with a world of our kinred we neuer saw before For seing we are all comne from one man at first and consequently all akinn to one another it s but a reasonable thing that a man should once at least in his life time make a journey into forrain countries to see his Relations and visit this kinred haueing allwayes this saying of young Joseph in his mouth quaero fratres meos 6. Traueling enables a man much for his countryes seruice It makes the merchant rich by shewing him what abounds wantes in other countryes that so he
diuertissement here to throw a halfpenny loaf into the moat among the Carps and to see how they will mumble and iumble it to and fro how others will puff and snuff and take it ill not to haue part of it and how in fine they will plainly fall to blowes and fight for it You would wonder how such hoat passions should be found in cold water but euery thing that liues will fight for that which makes it liue its Vittails Hauing seen Fontainbelleau I saw on extraordinary thing in the rest of the way to Lyons but an old Inscription in letters of gold vpon a woodden Fabrick a mile before I came to Montargis importing that the English being encamped here had been forced to rayse their Seige before Montargis by reason of great raynes and suddain inundations Some of the French historians will haue it that it was the Count de Dunois that forced the English to rayse the Seige here but I had rather beleeue publick inscriptions then priuate flattery and it was more honourable for the English to be ouercome by God then by men From hence I passed through Montargis a neat pleasant towne in the great Hall of whose Castle is painted the history of the dog that fought a Duel with the Murderer of his Master and it is not strange that the Dog that had put on humanity ouercame him that had put it of to espouse the deuouring humour of a Dog This is the chief towne of the Gastinois From hence I went to Briare where I saw the cut channel that ioynes Loire and Sene together in trafick whose bedds oftherwise stand wide from one another in situation From thence to Cosne la Charité Pougues famous for wholesome stincking waters Neuers famous for glasse houses Moulins famous for kniues and Cizars la Palisse where they make excellent winter bootes Roanne where Loire beginns to be nauigable and so ouer Terrara hills to Lyons Lyons is one of the greatest and richest townes in France It stands vpon the riuers Saone and Rhosne Araris and Rhodanus and intercepting all the merchandize of Burgondy Germany and Italy It licks its fingers notably and thriues by it It expresseth this in its looks for here you haue hansome people noble houses great jollity frequent balls and much brauery all markes of a good towne and could it but intercept either the Parlament of Aix or Grenoble it would be as noble as its name or as its Catedral Chapter whose Deane and Prebends are all counts and noble of four descents they got the title of counts thus A great contest arriseing between the Chapter of S. Iohns Church and the Count de Forests called Guigo for some rights ouer the towne of Lyons which they both pretended to at last anno 1166. they came to an agreement vpon this condition that the Count should leaue to the Chapter his County of Forests which he did and so euer since the Decane and Prebends haue been called Counts of S. Iohn The cheif things to be seen in Lyons are these 1. The great Church or Cathedral called Iohns Church It s the Seat of an Archbishop who is Primat of Gaule S. Irenaeus was a great ornament of this Church as was also Eucherius Vpon solemne dayes the Canons officiate in Miters like Bishops They sing here all the office by heart and without booke as also without pricksong musick organs or other instrumens vseing onely the ancient plainsong The High Altar is like those of Italy that is open on all sides with a Crucifixe and two little candlestiks vpon it I neuer saw any hangings in this Church not vpon the greatest dayes but Venerable old walls The clock here is much cryed vp for a rare peice 2. The stately new Towne house of pure white freestone able to matche that of Amsterdam and indeed they seemed to me to be twinns for I saw them both in the same yeare as they were in building The curious stair-case and Hall aboue are the things most worthy taking notice of the owne for its contriuanc the other for its painting 3. The Jesuits Colledge and fair Library 4. The Carthusians Monastery vpon a high Hill 5. The Minimes Sachristy well painted 6. The rests of the old Aqueduct vpon the Hill 7. The Mail and the sweet place of Belle Cour. 8. The Heart of saint Francis de Sales in the Church of the Visitation in Belle Cour. 9. The Charité where all the poore are kept at worke with admirable oeconomy It looks like a little towne haueing in it nine courts all built up with lodgeings for the poore who are about fifteen hundred and diuided into seueral Classes with their seueral Refectories and Chappels 10. The Head of S. Bonauenture in the Cordeliers Church 11. The Castle of Pierre Ancise built vpon a rock 12. Nostre Dame de Fouruier standing vpon a high hill from whence you haue a perfect view of Lyons 13. Lastly the rare Cabinet of Monsieur Seruier a most ingenious gentleman where I saw most rare experiments in Mathematiks and Mechanicks all made by his owne hand as the sympatheticall balls one springing vp at the approach of the other held vp a pretty distance off the demonstration of a quick way how to passe an army ouer a riuer with one boat and a woodden bridge easily to be foulded vp vpon one cart the mouse dyall where a little thing like a mouse by her insensible motion markes the houres of the day The Lizard Dyal is much like the former onely the mouse moues vpon a plain frame of wood which hath the houres marked on it and the Lizard creeps vpward from houre to houre The night dyall shewing by a lighted lamp set behinde it the houres of the night which are painted in colours vpon oyled Paper and turne about as the time goes The Tortoise dyall where a peice of cork cut like a Tortoise being put into a puter dish of water which hath the twelue houres of the day marked upon its brims goeth vp and downe the water a while seeking out the houre of the day that is then and there fixeing it self without stirring The Rare engine teaching how to throw Grenados into beseiged townes and into any precise place without fayling The way how to set vp a watch-tower with a man in it to looke into a towne from without and see how they are drawne vp within the towne a way how to change dineing Roomes three or four times with their tables the Seats and ghests being by the turning of a wheele transported sitting out of one Roome into another and so into three or four more Roomes variously hung with tables couered The Desk dyall which throwes vp a little ball of yuory without rest and thereby marketh the houre of the day and sheweth what a clock it is the Dyall of the Planets representing the dayes of the week by seueral figures in iuory of the planets the
Arsenal I confesse heretofore they were strong enough to offend others For they made warre against the Pisani and worsted them They set also vpon the Iland of Corsica distant from Genua about a hundred miles and tooke it This Iland gaue the Republike of Genua more honour then profit for it being once a Kingdome giues still to Genua the title of Serenissima and a Close Regal Crowne ouer its Coat of Armes In fine the Genuesi were strong enough heretofore to lend great succours to Godfrey of Bullen in his holy conquest of Hierusalem Hence vpon the very Arca of the Holy Sepulcher in Hierusalem are written these words Praepotens Genuensium praesidium As for their Interest it seemed to mee to be farre more Spanish then French by reason of the great profit they draw from Spayne which corresponds with the rich State of Milan in men and monyes by meanes of the Gennesi yet they are well with all Christian Princes except with the Duke of Sauoye who pretends to Sauona As for the Learned men of this towne I find them not to be so many The rich Banquier is more esteemed here then the learned Diuine Yet I finde here also some famous for learning to wit Baptista Fregosus or Fulgosus who for his singular parts being chosen Doge of Genua and by his owne disloyal kinred chased from Gouerment and country comforted himself in his studdyes and haueing obserued many particular things in history he reduced them to heads and left vs a iust volume of Memorable sayings and Deeds of the ancients for which work he is stiled by Alberto Leandro the Valerius Maximus of Italy He wrote in Italian and dedicated his booke to his Sonn The other learned men of this towne are Iustinianus Balus Mascardi and Christopher Columbus Genua also hath giuen to the Church three Popes Adrian the V. Innocent the IV and Innocent the VIII Here is an Academy of Wits called the Adormentati which together with the other Academyes of the like nature in all the townes of Italy I would wish my Traueller to visit particularly that he may see how farr the Jtalians excell vs in passing their time well and how it s much better to spend the week in making of Orations and Verses then in drinking of Ale and smoaking of Tobacco He that desires to know more of Genua let him read Augustinus Iustinianus of the History of Geuua Hauing spent six dayes in Genua we agreed with an honest Vetturino to conduct vs to Milan which is about four little dayes iourney from hence In another voyage I went from Genua to Turin by Monferat and saw in my way Noui of which by and by Trino Cassale one of the strongest places of Italy hauing a strong Cittadelle a strong Casile strong towne-walls and ditches and Alexandria della paglia a strong towne standing vpon the Po. But now at this time leaving Genua and intending for Milan we rid through San Pietro d'Arena by the Carthusians Monastery ouer the Apenniu Hills and in a day and a half came to Noui. Noui is a little strong towne belonging to the Genuesi and Frontier to the Milanesi It s some twelue miles distant from Tortona the first frontier towne of the State of Milan and because these Frontiers were then pestered with Bandits a noble man of Genua who was in our company beggd of the Gouernour of Noui a Couuoy for himself and vs to secure vs to Tortona The Gouernour presently granted vs a Conuoye of eight or ten horsemen but those very men he gaue vs for our Conuoye were Bandits themselues who being banished from the State and towne of Genua for their misdemenours had two months a yeare allowed them to come freely into frontier townes and negotiate with the State These men were thought by the Gouernour to be our safest gards in danger who were the onely men that caused danger Hauing been thus conuoyed safely by out honest rogues past all danger we payed them some three Pistoles and feard no more danger till we should meet with such seruants as these another time I confesse it seemed at first à fearfull thing to see our selues in the hands of those who had their hands often in blood yet there is such a charme in a Gouernours parole that we thought our selues as well armed with it as if we had been shot-free and had had all the Spells of Lapland about vs. We had no sooner parted from these our guards but passing ouer a little riuer on horsback we entred into the Milanese land came at night to Tortona a strong frontier towne of the Milanese where Charles the VIII of France in his returne from the conquest of Naples beat the Venitians and the Milanesi in a battle From Tortana we went the next day to Pauia the second towne of the state of Milan and once the Seat of twelue Kings of the Longobards It stands vpon the riuer Ticinum and hence it s also called in Latin Ticinum Here 's an Vniuersity either founded or furnished at first with readers or by readers of the Vniuersity of Oxeford The Cheif Colledges are that of Pius Quintus and that of S. Charles Boromaeus The other remarkable things here are 1 The Domo in which lyeth buryed the body of a holy Bishop of this towne called Sauli who was contemporary to S. Charles Borromaeus and of the same Pastoral spirit and zeale Neare the great doore of this Church on the inside they show you a little mast of a boate which they make ignorant people beleeue for sport to haue been the Lance of Orlando Furioso 2 Neare the Domo in the Piazza stands A Brazen statue which some affirme to be the Statue of Constantin the Great others more probably of Antoninus Pius It was brought from Rauenna hither by victory and it had like to haue been carryed back againe to Rauenna by Victory For Lotrech the French general in the takeing of this towne haueing granted this Statue to a soldier of Rauenna who serued vnder him and who haueing mounted the breach first asked nothing for his recompence but that statue taken anciently from his natiue towne Yet afterwards moued with the generosity of the townsmen who hauing left all things else with some patience to the prey of the soldiers burst into tears when they heard that this statue was to be taken from them Lotrech changed his gift to the soldier left the Citizens of Pauia their deare Statue 3. I saw the Augustins Church where the body of that great Father of the Church S. Augustin lyeth buryed It was translated hither out of Sardinia by Luitprandus King of the Longobards an arme of which S. Augustin a King of England redeemed at a great rate and yet cheap too if it where his writeing arme wherewith he wrote such admirable bookes The new Tombe in the Sacristy is all of white marble most
the greatness of this family came from Cosmus Medices surnamed Pater Patriae This man being very rich and of a liberal mind spent four hundred thousand crownes in publick and priuate buildings and one hundred thousand crownes more in loane monyes to the poore citizens These generous actions which should haue got him the loue of all men purchased him the hatred of some of the great ones who accuseing him of affecting Souerainty raysed a strong faction against him The heads of this faction where Rinaldo Albizzi Pala Strozzi Ridolfo Peruzzi and Nicolo Barbadori These men corrupting the suffrages of the Senate caused Cosmus to be clapt vp with an intention to take away his life Cosmus in prison fearing poyson abstained from meats four dayes together and dyed almost for feare of being killed At last hee was rescued from this melancholy humor by his honest keeper who gaue him such assurances that he should not be poysoned that he tooke meat againe and kept in his vital breath which was almost come to his lips Then his keeper not content to be half courterous haueing recouered his body stroue to recouer his mind too which was sore spent with feares and melancholy and for this purpose brought vnto him the buffon of Bernardo Guadagni then Confaloniero The chief Magistrate of the Republick who with his witty ieasts so cheared him vp with mirth that he began not onely to think of liuing againe but also of getting out from thence that he might liue long To this end he works with the buffon to carry a promise in writeing from him to the Confaloniero of 1000 crownes of gold vpon condition he would free him The buffon vndertakes it and money takes with the Confaloniero who vnder pretence of examining the cause to put him to death finds him onely worthy of baÌ„nishment to which he condemns him and the place of his banishment was Venice This was it that he desired For being at Venice he wrought so well by Freinds with the people that loued him that he was restored againe to his country and got the title of Pater Patriae by a publick decree By this title his family grew into that esteem that it ouertopt the rest and in time wrought it self into Souerainty For the Gouerment of Florence it is now Monarchical and despotical the Great Dukes will being absolute all great businesses passing through his knowledge and likeing so that he wants nothing of a King but the name and that too he almost hath vnder the name of Great Duke As for the Strength of this State it hath 20 Episcopal cittyes 500 litle walled townes strong Forts on the confines and can make an army of forty thousand foot three thousand horse twelue Gallies two Galleasses two Galleonies and twenty ships of warre For the Gentry it is a Gentry dyed in graine that is it s both witty and rich The subtil ayre of this country and the Academy of the Crusca haue sharpened them into much wit and their good husbandry and vnder-hand traffick hath put them notably into purse For they think it no disgrace to haue a banco at home and meet dayly at the exchange about traffick and trayding while their wifes Lady it in coach with their hansome liueries This makes them hold vp their nobility by the chinn and not onely preserues their familyes from sinking but rather makes them swime in a full sea of honour they being enabled thereby to buy great offices for their children in other courts whereby they often make them mount to the highest dignityes when they are there no man reproches vnto them the way they tooke to come thither whether by water or Land by traffick or by the sword by the schoole-booke or count-count-booke If the French gentry would follow this way they might haue shoos and stockings for their children which some of them want in the country where with to keep their noble blood warme in winter For the Riches of this Prince they are about a million and a half of Piastri or crownes These are his annual reuenews besides his iewels forfeitures and his Datij which last are of vast profit to him The Interest of this Prince is much Austrian and consequently Spanish yet not so farre as to break with France to which he opens his ports and passages for his owne sake He loues to haue no warre in Jtaly because he hath something to loose and though he loue to haue the Pope his freind yet he cares not for hauing any of his subiects Pope A Pope of his family Clement the VII hauing made him what he is he is affrayd a Pope of some other Florentin family would striue to make him what he was As for the Language of Florence its pure but in their books not in their mouths They do so choke it in the throat that it s almost quite drownd there nor doth it recouer it self againe till it come to Rome where Lingua Toscana in bocca Romana is a most sweet language The Academy of the Crusca hath much contributed to the enriching of this language with choice words The rich Dictionary made by this famous company and called from them the Crusca was forty yeares in compileing but it will be in vogue as long as men shall speak Italian Finally for the Learned men of of this towne in later times they are these Marsilius Ficinus the Christian Platonick Dante and Petrarck in Poëtry Guicciardin in History Poggio in raillery Vespâ—cius in Geography Accursius in law Michel Angelo in painting Ioannes Casa in practical morality Naclantus in diuinity Galilaeo in Astronomy Doni Luigi Alemanni and others in belle lettere He that desires to know the History of Florence let him read Giouanne Villani Matthaeo Villani Scipione Ammirato and the life of Gran Cosimo Hauing thus seen faire Florence we desired to see Ligorne and make an excursiue iourney by Pistoia Lucca and Pisa Pistoia is an ancient towne in a plain country Of this towne is Clement the IX this present Pope of the ancient Family of Rospigliosi aÌ„d that is all I can say of it For it looks baldly of it either out of pure old age els by reason of our neighbourhood to Florence which hath fleeced it or which I rather think by reason of its ciuil factions heretofore which almost ruined it quite Lucca is a prety little Commonwealth and yet it sleeps quietly within the bosome of the Great Dukes State But that State may wisely feare none which no State feares and the great Duke is vnwilling to measure his sword or take vp the cudgels against little Lucca least the world should cry shame vpon him and bid him meddle with his match This little Republick looked in my eye like a perfect mapp of old Rome in its begining It s Gouerned by a Confaloniero and the gentry The great Counsel consists of 160 citizens who are changed euery
lyeing in its Churches and so many Churches within its precincts which are aboue there huÌ„dred in all 6. For hauing been the happy occasion of conuerting most of the Nations of Europe and many others out of Europe vnto the faith of Christ by Prachers sent from thenc 7. For haueing been the Depositary as S. Irenaeus calls her of the Holy Apostolical Traditions and doctrine which haue alwayes been conserued in her Church 8. For hauing alwayes conserued the Symbole of the creed inuiolably saith S. Hierome and for neuer hauing runn in a by-channel of errour Besides these foresayd reasons Rome may deseruedly be called Holy for the many singular acts of Charity which are done there dayly more then in any other place Charity is the Queen of Vertues and if euer I saw this Queen in her throne it was in Rome For there I saw no euil either of body or mind but it had its remedy if curable at least its comforts if incurable For the first to wit Euils of body it hath is Hospitals and those many and many of those are Hospitals in folio Besides no Pilgrim comes to Rome but he findes Rome as Adam did Paradise with the table couered and bed made ready for him Poore yong girles finde portions either for husbands or nunneries according to their choice Infants whom cruel vnlawfull mothers like wolfes expose to death Rome receiues to life and thinks it but a sutable Antipelargesis to nurrish wolfes children seing a shee wolfe nurrished her Founder being exposed by men Fooles too and Madmen so much the more miserable as not being so much as sensible of their condition for saepe calamitatis solatium est nosse sortem suam haue here those that take care of them Poore men finde Hospitals when they are sick and gentlemen whom nature hath not exempted from common miseries Rome exempts from common Hospitals and not being able to giue them better health she giues them at least better accommodation in their sickness Here you shall finde an Apothecaries shop founded by Cardinal Francis Barberin with an yearly reuenue of twelue thousand crownes and this for euer to furnish the poore with physick gratis Here you shall finde the Hospital of the Holy Trinity which in the Jubily yeare of Clement the VIII is found to haue treated at table in one day fifteen thousand pilgrims and in the whole yeare fiue hundred thousand The last Iubily yeare 1650 I my self was present one day when the sayd Hospital treated nine thousand Pilgrims that day the Pope himself Jnnocent the Tenth and many of the Cardinals hauing been there to wash the feet of the pilgrims and to serue them at table Adde to this that euery nation hath here its seueral Hospital and Refuge with Church and Churchmen to serue it As the English Colledge once an Hospital for the English That of the Anima for the Germans That of the S. Lewis for the French That of S. Iacomo for the Spaniads That of S. Antony of Padua for the Portuguesi That of S. Iulian for the Flemmings That of S. Ambrose for the Lombards That of S. Iuo for the Britons That of S. Hierome for the Illyrians That of S. Marie Egyptiaca for the Armenians That of S. Stephano for the Hungarians That of S. Stanislaus for the Polonians Besides a world of others Nay almost euery corporation or body of artisans haue their Hospital among themselues which they maintaine In the Church of the 12 Apost they choose yearly 12 noblemen one Prelat who is called their Prior These go into every corner of Rome to seeke out poore men who are ashamed to beg yet are in great want These bashfull poore men put their names into a coffer well locked vp and standing in a publick place by which meanes these charitable noblemen finde them out and relieue them What shall I say of the publick charity of the Pope himself well knowne to all Besides a world of priuate charities which he giues by his Secreto Limosiniâ—ro to those that are ashamed to beg publickly The like do many Cardinals by their owne hands and in that high measure that Cardinal Montalto to name no more is found by his books of Accounts to haue giuen away aboue a hundred and seuen thousand crownes to the poore Of which pious Cardinal I cannot omit to write this following story as I haue learned it from very good relation A poore widdow of Rome mother of one onely daughter both yong and hansome got her liuing honestly by her owne and her daughters labour and rubbed out poorly but yet honestly Now it happened that this widdow falling sick and her daugther haueing enough to do to tend her their wrork went on so faintly and their gains came in so slowly that at her recouery she found her purse as much spent as her person Whereupon being called on for the quarter rent of her chaÌ„ber and not knowing what to doe she was aduised by her Confessarius to go to Cardinal Montalto who gaue publick audienc thric a week to all the poore in Rome and to beg as much of him as would pay her little debt Pressed therefore by her great necessity emboldened by the fame of the charity of this good Cardinal she entred the pallace and found him in his great hall giuing care and almes to all those that could giue him a good account of their wants In her turne she and her yong daughter approached vnto him sitting at his tables end and expresing modesty her wants caused by her three months sickness she humbly besought his Eminence to giue her fiue crownes for to pay the rent of her chamber and pacify her Landlord who otherwise threatened to put her out of dores The Cardinal seeing as much modesty in her looks as sickness in her countenance and likeing well that she did not go about to fright him into charity by vrgeing the danger of being forced one day to expose her daughter to lewd courses a common Rhetorical figure of begars in all contryes wrote downe in a little paper 50 crownes to be giuen to her and folding vp the paper he bid her carry it to his seruant below at the entrance of the pallace who kept the Cardinals bills and payed the contents of them She did so with humble prayers of thankfulnesse and the seruant vpon sight of the paper presently threw her out 50 crownes and bid her make an acquittance for it The poore woman seing 50 crownes counted out for her who had asked but 5 and fearing least the seruant vpon sight of her hansome daughter might haue done this by way of bribery told him smartly that though she were poore yet she was honest and that she scorned to go by one corruption to an other The honest seruant ciuily replyed that he vnderstood not her words nor I your deeds sayd she I asked the Cardinal 5 crownes he granted me my request and why then do you
haue been twenty three in all haue hartened and aduanced this work that the prime Architects of the world Sangalla Bramante Baldassere Buonarota Giacomo della Porta Giouani Fontana Carlo Maderno and now Caualiero Bernino haue brought it on to this perfection that the whole Church it self is nothing but the Quintessence of wit and wealth strained into a religious designe of making a hansome house to God and of fulfilling the diuine oracle which promised that magna erit gloria domus istius nouissimae plusquam primae Going at last out of this Church and summing vp in my thoughts all the rarityes I had seen in it I began to think of Ammonius a holy primitiue Saint and afterwards Bishop in the Council of Sardis of whom it s written that comeing to Rome with S. Athanasius he desired to see nothing there but S. Peters Church and knew not the way to any place els I think that if this good man had seen S. Peters Church as it is now he would neuer haue cared for seing any thing els in the world and would euen haue forgot his way home too Neare to the Church of S. Peter stands the Vatican Pallace where the Popes use to winter To describe it to you all at length would take me vp too much time nor indeed is it fit for me to dwell there I will therefore passe through it quickly and rather point you out what 's to be seen there then paint you out in words what I saw there 1. From the Church of S. Peter you ascend into this Pallace by an easy stately pair of stairs capable of ten men a brest These stairs render you vp at the great Hall called Sala Regia because the Pope receiueth here Embassadors of Kings in their Embassies of state It is beautifyed with rare pictures in a great volume as that of the Emperour Frederick kissing the Popes foot of the hand of Gioseppe del Saluiati Garfagnino That of the Ligue in France that of Coligni that of the Pope condemning heresy That of the Pope returning from Auignon are all of the hand of Georgio Vassari That of the Emperour Charles the Great signing the Brief of the donation is of the hand of Thadeo Zuccari that of the battle of Lepanto with the picture of Fayth at the side of it is of the hand of Donato Formello 2. This great Hall stands between two Chappels the Paulina and the Sista In the Paulina is seen a rare picture of the crucifying of S. Peter by Michel Angelo The roof of it also was rarely painted by Federico Zuccari but the smoke of the candles vpon Manday Thursday when this Chappel serues for the Sepulcher hath so defaced these pictures that a farre worse hand would haue serued there 3. The Chappel of Sisto is that in which the Pope holds Capella vpon certain dayes and were all the Cardinals interuene In the end of this Chappel vpon the wall is painted the last Iudgement by Michel Angelo a peece famous ouer all the world The green garments of S. Katharine and the â—ead of S. Biagio are of the painting of Daniel of Volterra who was presently set a worke to make those garments when the Pope had giuen expresse order that this rare picture should be defaced because of some nakedneess in it Vpon great dayes this Chappel is hung with a rare sute of hangings of the designe of Raphael Vrbin wrought with gold and silk containing the Acts of S. Peter and S. Paul 4. Beinde this Chappel stands the Popes Sacristy a place scarce knowne to strangers and therefore seldome seen by them though very well wroth the seeing It s kept alwayes by a Prelat who is alwayes an Augustin Fryar and a Bishop and called Monsignor Sacrista In authors of high times we finde mention of this officer vnder the name of Cimiliarcha or chief Sacristan Here I saw rare Church ornaments for the Popes vse These in particular I cannot let passe without mentioning The cope of saint Syluester Pope thirteen hundred yeares a goe The neat Chasuble of cloth of tyssue with the pictures of the ministring the seauen Sacrements all embrodered in it in silk and gold so rarely that the late Lord Mareshal of England Tho. Earle of Arundel got leaue to haue it painted out and so much the more willingly because it had been giuen to the Pope by King Henry the VIII a little before his Schisme Then the incomparable sutes of ornaments for Priest Deacon and Subdeacon to be vsed in high Masse which were giuen by King Sebastian of Portugal and set all ouer with pearle and these pearles were the first that came out of the Indyes and were in all eight hundred pound weight of pearle The other rare things here were the Head of S. Laurence which I saw neare at hand through a crystal a peece of the spunge in which the Jewes gaue our Sauiour gall to drink the Camisia of S. Prisca a primitiue Saint martyred in it 1400 yeares ago the Crucifix in which is set vnder a crystal a peece of the Holy Crosse carued with the passion of our Sauiour in it a thorne of our Sauiours crowne of thornes which belongd to Pius Quintus a crosse set with Diamans and Pearles which the Pope wears at his brest in great functions a great ring which he also weareth in such functions it s set with a fair Saphir and four great pearles a fair Crucifix enameld and beset with store of pearle and Iewels the Popes Pallium which he wears in great functions the fistula or pipe of gold wherwith the Pope receiues the consecrated blood of our Sauiour in the Chalice vpon great dayes the rare Chalices of gold set with pearle and yet more pretious for their workmanship then for their matter the great Chalice of gold into which the Cardinals put their written Votes in chuseing the Pope by scrutiny the fiue triple crownes called Regni four wereof are set thick with pretious stones and pearle of great value and therfore ordinarily kept in the Castle Angelo two miters of the same richness the chrystal Pixe in which the Blessed Sacrament is kept in the Sepulcher vpon Manday Thursday in fine the booke of the Ghospels painted in miniature by the famous Giulio Glorio for whose first picture here of the last Iudgement Paulus Tertius sent him fifteen hundred pistols as Monsignor Sacrista assured me 5. Passing from hence through the Sala Regia againe I was led into the great roome hard by where the Pope washeth the feet of thirteen Pilgrims vpon Manday Thursday and then giueth euery one of then a great Meddal of Gold with four pistols and an other of syluer 6. Thence I was led into the open gallerie which looketh vpon the court I meane the second lodge for there are three such open galleries where the histories of the Bible are painted most curiously in the roof of it by prime masters That of Adam and the
picture of our Sauiour in the very Tribuno or Abside was the first picture that appeared publickly in Rome and which was miraculously coÌ„serued in the burning of this church There are diuers in others pictures in that Vaulted Tribun in Masaick worke and some simbolical figures relating to our Sauiours life and passion which were much vsed anciently in Churches as you may see in many other Churches and in the rare booke called Roma Soterranea 4. The High Altar here within which is shut vp the Woodden Altar which S. Peter and the primitiue Popes made vse of in saying Masse vpon it during the persecutions and before they had any setled Churches S. Syluester in the dedication of this Church fixed it here and none can say Masse at this Altar but the Pope or dureing the Popes indisposition some Cardinal with a particular dispensation or Apostolical Brief which must be fastened to one of the four pillars of the Altar during the Cardinals saying Masse there Ouer this Altar stands a great Tabernacle of Marble borne vp by four pillars not onely seruing for a Canopy to the Altar but also for an Arca to the Heads of S. Peter and S. Paul which are kept within it and showne there to the people vpon great dayes through an iron grate which enuirons them 5. The Altar of the B. Sacrament adorned by the cost of Clement the VIII With a curious and pretious Tabernacle of rich polished stones and with four pillars of brasse guilt about fifteen foot high Ouer this Altar is the Table it self vpon which our Sauiour eat the Paschal Lambe before his Passion and then presently instituted the Holy Sacrament of which the Paschal Lambe was but a figure 6. The brasen Tombe of Martin the V of the house of Colonna who was chosen Pope in the Council of Constance 7. The Tombe of Alexander the III of the house of Bandinelli in Siena neatly adorned by Pope Alexander the VII who tooke his name of Alexander from him 8. The Tombe of Laurentius Valla a learned Roman and Chanon of this Church of whom as the restorer of pure Latin language after Gotick Barbarousness Latonius sung thus Romulus est Vrbis Valla est idiomatis author Hic reparat primus primus vt ille strâ—it 9. In old Gotick Letters vpon the Architraue of the portch of this Church you read these Leonine verses Dogmate Papali datur ac simul Jmperiali Quòd sim Cunctarum Mater Caput Ecclesiarum 10. In the Cloister of this Church I saw the Chaire of Porphiry which vseth to be placed neare to the Great dore of the Church on that day the Pope taketh possession of his charge in this Church in which Chaire the Pope is placed a while and at his riseing from it againe the Quire sings this verse of the 112 Psalme Suscitat de puluere egenum de stercore eregit pauperem and this Ceremony and pierced Chair are onely to put the Pope in minde of his humane infirmityes amidst His glorious exaltations and the peoples applauses For so also the Greek Emperors on the day of their coronation had a great many marble stones of seueral colours presented to them to choose which of them they would to make their Tombe of This was to put them in mind of their mortality admidst those great honours But it s strange to see how the enemies of the Popes giue out maliciously that this Chair whose vse we see so plainly in the vety Ceremonial of Rome was onely intended ad explorandum sexum and to hinder the inconueniency of another Pope Ioanne For this reason I think it not amisse to examin a little this fable of a shee Pope or of a Pope Ioanne I am not affrayd at all to call this a fable both for the vnlikelinesse of it in generall as also for the suspected authority of its first broachers the contrarietyes in the story and the little credit giuen vnto it by the learnedest aduersaryes of the Roman Church First what can be more vnlikely then that a woman should surprise such a wise nation as the Italians are and so grossely what more vnlikely then that a woman should passe her youth in those seuere studyes which are required in Popes without being knowne to have wrongd or discouered her sexe and that she must just do it when she was in a declineing age at which age Popes ordinarily are chosen What more vnlikely then that a woman findeing her self great with child should venture to go so farre a foot in a procession What more vnlikely then that if there had been such a shee Pope the Greek Church which then was at odds with the Roman Church should haue passed it ouer in silence and not haue obraided her with such a disgracefull Pastor especially seing the Roman Church had obraided the Greek Church with hauing an Eunuch for her chief Patriarch What in fine more vnlikely then that there should haue been such a shee Pope so publikly conuinced to haue been a woman that Anastasius Bibliothecarius who worte the liues of the Popes some thirty yeares after that pretended time and who must haue liued in her time speaks nothing of any such woman or any such strange accident Secondly the first broachers of this story make it Very much suspected seing Martinus Polonus and some others of the Emperors faction then at Variâ—nce with the Popes are the first that mentioned this fable and Platina who quotes no higher authors for it grounds a story of this consequence vpon no better authority then a weake si dice us fayd Thirdly the apparent contradictions in the Tale conuince it of falsity as that this Ioanne was an English woman borne in Mentz which all men know to be a Rhenish towne in Germany and that she had studyed at Athenes in Greece which long before this time had been destroyed Fourthly the little credit giuen to it by the learnedest aduersaryes of the Roman Church to wit four prime Ministers of France who take this history for a meere fable proues sufficiently that its worse then an old wifes tale For M. Blondel a French Minister whom I knew in Paris aboue twenty yeares ago and a man of that account there that he was chosen to answer the learned booke of Cardinal Peron this Blondel I say made a booke in French printed at Amsterdam by Bleau Anno 1647 in octauo On purpose to shew that this story of a shee Pope called Joanne was a meere fable And that we may not think that Blondel alone of all Protestant Ministers held this for a Fable Monsieur Serrauius a great Caluinist and Counselor of the Parlament of Paris in a letter of his to Salmasius hauing mentioned to him this booke of Blondel addeth these words Noli autem credere primum aut solum è nostris Blondellum ita sensisse quamuis Fortassis nemo vnquam fortius pressius istud solum
conclaueait Fuere enim in eadem sententia non incelebres inter Reformatos Theologi adhuc vigent in hac Vrbe insignes fide pietate viri qui audierunt ex ore Camerii se istam historiam Vulgo creditam fabulosis deputare Vidi nuper scriptas literas docti vegeti senis tibique mihi amicissimi Petri Molinaei quibus idem semper sibi esse visum affirmabat Penes me sunt literae Samuelis Bocharti quibus testatur sibi esse pro comperto vanum fictitium quicquid hactenus de ea sit proditum Thus Monsieur Serrauius in a priuate letter though his sonn after his death printed his litters to a freind of the same religion And thus you see how this fable maintained highly a long time by the Aduersaries of the Roman Church expired at last as all lyes do and was carryed to its graue vpon the shoulders of four French Ministers Blondel Chamier du Moulin and Bochart If I haue been a little too long in this digression you will pardon me We are all debtors to Truth and all men ought to be glad to see themselues disabused Going out of the little back dore of this Church I went to see the Baptistery of Constantin the Great Our most Noble Countryman and the first Emperour that publickly professed Christianity This Baptistery is built round and in the center of it in a descent of four steps stands the very Font in which the sayd Emperor was baptized by Pope Syluester It s enuironed with low rayles of marble and adorned with ten or twelue great pillars of Porphyrie the fairest in Rome which beare vp the painted Vault ouer the Font so that people standin about these rayles may see conueniently the baptizeing of Jewes and Infidels in the pitt below Vpon the Walls of the round Chappel are painted in Fresco the most memorable actions of Constantin the Great as his Vision of the Crosse in the ayre with these words aboue it In hoc signo Vinces his ouercomeing the Tyrant Maxentius his baptisme here by S. Siluester his burning the Libels against Catholike Bishops preferred to him by the Arrians his kissing the wounds of those good Bishop in the Council of Nice who had either their fingars cut off or one eye put out by the Tyrants On the other side of S. Iohn Laterans Church stands the Scala Santa and the Sancta Sanctorum The Scala Santa is called from the stairs twenty eight in all vp which our Sauiour was led in this passion to Pilats house Vpon some of them you see the places where the pretious blood of our Sauiour had fallen and for that reason they are couered with little grates of brasse which let in eyes but keep of knees I say knees for none go vp these holy stairs otherwise then kneeling and this out of reuerence to him who often fell vpon his knees as he was draggd vp and downe these stairs It s painfull enough to go vp these stairs vpon your knees yet I saw it done hourly in the Iubily yeare by continual flocks of deuout people both men and women of great condition as well as of great deuotioÌ„ these holy staires were Sent from Hierusalem to Constantin the Great by his Moter Queen Helen together with many other Relicks kept in S. Iohn Laterans Church They are of whit marble and aboue six foot long At the head of these stairs stands the Chappel called Sancta Sanctorum because of the Holy things kept in it Hence ouer the Altar in this Chappel are written these words Non est in toto Sanctior Orbe Locus Vpon the Altar is kept the miraculous picture of our Sauiour it represents him about thirteen yeares old and onely his half body It s about a foot a halfe long and it s sayd to haue been begun by S. Luke but ended miraculously by an Angel Others say that S. Luke hauing onely prepared the ground and before he had drawne one stroke fell to his prayers to beg of God that he might draw his Son right and riseing vp againe he found his picture already finished Hence Domenico Magri a learned Antiquarie is of opinion that this pisture of our Sauiour is that very picture which Anastasius Bâ—bliothecarius in the life of Steuen the II calls Achyropaeta that is made without hands Round about this picture goes a set of great iewels enriching the frame of it Vnder the Altar reposeth the body of S. Anastasius of whose head and picture I spoke aboue in the description of the Church of this Saint at the Tre Fontane Here are also kept the Heads of S. Agnes and S. Praxedes with many other pretious Relicks Anciently as the Records here mention the Holy Prepuce or Foreshin of our Sauiour was kept here too but being taken away in the sack of Rome by one of Bourbons soldiers it was left in a a country towne called Calcata some fifteen wiles distant from Rome by the same soldier who could not rest day nor night as long as he had that relick about him I once passed by that towne Calcata by chance and by the ciuilityes of the Lord of the towne Count of Anguillara at whose house we were nobly entertained all night had the happiness the next morning to see this pretious Relick through the crystal case This Count keeps one key of it and the Parish Priest the other without both which it cannot be seen Neare to the Scala Santa is seen a famous peece of Antiquity of Christian Rome called Triclinium Leonis where is seen a Mosaick picture of our Sauiour resuscitated and holding out a booke to his Disciples in which are written these words Pax vobis Peace be to you Which picture Leo caused to be made eight hundred yeares ago as an emblem of his peaceable returne againe to his seat after he had been chased out by his enemyes Vpon a pillar on the right hand is painted our Sauiour sitting vpon a Throne and giuing with one hand the Keys of the Church to S. Peter and with the other the Imperial standard to Constantin the Great Vpon the other pillar on the left hand is represented in Mosaick worke also S. Peter sitting in a Chair and with one hand giuing vnto Pope Leo the III the Papal stole and with the other the Imperial standard vnto Charlemagne who had restored this Pope Leo to his seat againe From hence passing againe by S. Iohn Lateranâ— Church I saw first the pallace of the Pope here built by Sixtus Quintus then the great Guglia with Egyptian Hyeroglyphes figured vpon it which had stood anciently in the Circus Maximus it s aboue 100 foot high was brought from Alexandria to Rome by Constantin the Great lastly in a low roome ioyning to the Church I saw the Statue in Bronze of Henry the IV of France set vp here by the Canons of S. Iohn Laterans
bassi rilieui that its hard to decipher them He that 's curious to know them may buy them in the printed cutts sold in Rome Vpon the top of this pillar stands mounted the statue in brasse guilt of S. Paul set vp here by Sixtus Quintus From the top of this pillar I had a perfect view of Rome and of almost all the Seauen hills vpon which it is built and are within the wals which are these 1. The Capitolin hill where now Ara Coeli stands and the Conseruatorio 2. The Palatin hill I could not see because it stands behind the former It was so called from the Emperors Pallace that stood vpon it 3. The Auentin hill so called from Auentinus king of Alba buryed here where now S. Sabinas is 4. The Coelian hill beginning at S. Gregories and running to S. Iohn Laterans 5. The Esquilin hill exquilinus quasi excubinus because of the nightly watch and gard vpon it Here stands S. Mary Magiors 6. The Viminal hill so called from Vimina that is Osiers where with it was anciently couered Here stand the Thermae Diocletiani and the Villa of Montalto 7. The Quirinal hill so called from the temple of Quirinus or Romulus which stood vpon it Here now stands Montecauallo These were the Seauen ancient Hills of Rome to which were added three more to wit The Ianicule Hill so called from Ianus buryed here Here stands S. Pietro Montorio The Vatican Hill so called from the Vaticinations and southsayings made here S. Peters Church stands now vpon it The Pincian Hill now called Montrinita Descending from hence I went to the Pazzorella where they keep madmen and fooles and saw there strange variety of humours in folly yet I was pleased to see with what charity and care those poore men were tended there From hence I stept to consider in the piazza di Pietra the row of curious pillars which adorned the Basilica of the Emperor Autoninus who had his pallace here and his Forum Then turning by little vnfrequented streets I came to the Roman Colledge belonging to the Iesuits It s a faire building and stands conueniently for concourse of schollers from all parts Here I saw the schooles Gallery of famous Athanasius Kerkerius full of pretty curiosityes and experiences both mecanical mathematical and hydraulical yet in my opinion it s farre short of Canonico Settalas gallery in Milan or Monsieur Seruiers in Lyons Here 's also a faire Library hauing no fault in it but the common fault of most Libraries to-wit Locks and keys to it Good bookes should be as common as the sun seing they are the lights of our mindes and made publick by the presse and I camot but pitty a booke that 's emprisoned and locked vp in a Library by saying vnto it Odisti claues grata sigilla pudicae Paucis ostendi gemis communia laudas In fine I saw here the Apothecaries shop where a Lay brother maKes excellent Roman Treacle and other odoriferous distillations of souerain Vertue The Church belonging to this Colledge is designed to be a noble thing but it s but half built for want of a whole founder From hence I went to the Dominicans Conuent called la Minerua because it s built vpon the Place where anciently stood the Temple of Minerua Hence also the Church is called Sancta Maria supra Mineruam In this Church I saw many neat Tombes as those of Leo the X and Clement the VII both Popes of the house of Medices they stand in the Quire and are neatly wrought by that great artist Baccio Bandinelli Then the Tombe of Cardinal Pimentelli a moderne Cardinal The tombe of great Cardinal Morone Legate for the Pope in the Council of Trent and a man who had been thirteen times Legatus a Latere Here also lye buryed the ashes of Egidio Foscarari Bishop of Modena called in the Council of Trent Luminare Maius The tombe of a Lady of the family of the Raggi is very neat for the new manner of spreading as I may say and as you would think of black marble vpon an other coloured marble and both of them vpon a round pillar Here on the gospel side of the high Altar standeth a statue of our Sauiour made by Michel Angelo of white marble a rare peece At the entrance of the great dore of this Church lyes buryed vnder a plain flat stone Thomas a Vio Caetanus S. Thomas of Aquins Second his Brother in Religion his Namesake his learned Commentator and onely not hee Out of humility he would not be buryed within the Church but out of it In the Sacristy of this Church I saw the Chappel of S. Katherine of Siena and this Chappel was once her very chamber in Siena Cardinal Antonio Barberino Protector of this order caused it to be transferred hither from Siena Her body lyeth vnder the Altar of the Rosary in this Church From the Minerua I went to Saint Andrea de la Valle a fine Church belonging to the Theatins It s built vpon the place where the Theater of Pompey stood anciently and where in latter times stood the Pallace of the family of the Picolomini and perchanâ— this was the reason why two Popes of that family to-wit Pius Secundus and Pius Tertius are now buryed in this Church The Cupola was painted by Caualier Lanfranco the three corners vnder the Cupola and the tribune are of the hand of Domenichini The neat Chappel of the Barberini made by Pope Vrban the VIII while he was but yet Cardinal is built vpon the very place where S. Sebastian was beaten and throwne into a sink after he had been shot There had been formerly a little Church built vpon this place and ouer this sinke but Sixtus Quintus gaue leaue it should be pulled downe vpon condition a chappel of the new designed Church should be built in place of it In fine take all this Church together and it is one of the neatest Churches except the Basilicae that are in Rome being of the Architecture of Maderna In the piazza or rather the street which goes before this Church liued not long agoe Pietro della Valle that ingenious Roman gentleman who hauing spent great meanes in traueling hath left vs three volumes in quarto of his curious relations of Voyages In his house here he had three whole Mummies with their coffins or cases painted anciently and adorned with diuers hyeroglyphs He spent much money in buying many other rarityes which he kept also here Behinde this Church liued when I first was acquainted with Rome an other great Virtuoso and Gentleman of Rome I meane the ingenious Caualier Pozzo with whom I was brought acquainted and saw all his rarityes his curious pictures medals bassi rilieui his excellent bookes of the rarest things in the world which he caused to be painted copied and designed out with great cost From
and Land Its ayre was alwayes esteemed so pure that the great men of Rome had either their Villas in Naples or hard by It s well built well paued well furnished with excellent prouisions well filled with nobility and the nobility well mounted The chief street is strada di Toledo paued with freestone and flanckt with noble Pallaces and houses We entered into some of them and others we saw which had not recouered their embonpoint since they had been sick of Mazaniellos disease Their very looks shewd vs that their sickness had been Conuultion-Fitts The chief Pallaces are these The stately Pallace of the Viceroy that of Grauina Caraffa Vrsino Sulmone Toledo c. Most of the houses of Naples are made flat at top to walk vpon a most conuenient thing to breath vpon in the fresh Euenings and easy to be imitated by other countryes I saw here also the seueral publick places of Assemblyes of the nobility according to their seueral rancks These places are like open walking places rayld about with high iron rayles and painted within Then the Molo running a quarter of a mile into the Sea 〈…〉 and affording great refreshment to the townes men who walk here in the euenings in sommer where they are sure to coole their lungs with a sweet fresco At the end of the Molo stands mounted the high Lanterne to direct ships home safe in the night and a fine fountain of fresh water As for the Churches here they yeeld to none in Italy The Domo is ancient and therefore out of the mode a little yet it hath a moderne Chappel which is very beautifull and is one of the finest in Europe both for brazen statues rich painting The Cupola was painted by the rare hand of Domenichino In this Chappel is the tombe of S. Ianuarius Bishop of Beneuent and now Patron of this towne whose blood being conserued in a little glasse and concrete melts and growes liquid when it s placed neare to his Head and euen bubles in the glasse A French nobleman Count of la Val was conuerted from Caluinisme to the Catholick Religion vpon sight of this wonder On the left hand of this Chappel without lyes buryed Pope Innocent the IV who ordered first that Cardinals should weare red hatts The Verses vpon his Tombâ— told me this In the Sacristy are kept many pretious guifts of Princes and diuers Relicks of Saints enchased in gold and syluer The Annunciata is both neat and deuout the Cupola and roof are well painted guilt The two Infants of Bethleem with their seueral wounds one in the head the other in the body are showne here The Hospital is ioyneing to it and is of great reception It maintaines two thousand sick and decrepid in it besides aboue 800 orphans poore children Neare the great Hospital stands S. Peters Church and before it thâ— Altar vpon which as the Inscription sayth S. Peter sayd masse at his first comeing to Naples The Theatins Church called S. Pauls is very neat and if you saw it with its best hangings on you would think it one of the neatest Churches in Italy The roof is curiously painted and guilt Here I saw the rich Tombe of Beato Caëtano a holy man of this Order and the Tabernacle of the High Altar both very rich In the Sacristy they haâ—â— as rich ornaments as in any Church of Italy The Iesuits Church here is the best they haue in Italy if it be not a little too wide for its length In the Sacristy I saw the richest ornaments for the Altars and the best syluer candlesticks that I haue seen any where els It s rich in painting sculptures marble The High Altar was not yet finished but promiseth wonders The Franciscans Church called S. Maria Noua is very trim with its neat Chappels and Tombes and guilt roof Here I saw the Tombe of Lotrech who commanded so long the French forces in this kingdome His vertue in military affairs was so great that his very enemyeâ— admireing his worth haue caused his body to be translated out of an obscure place where it lay before into this Church and Tombe I wonder they did not cause those words of Virgil to be put vpon it Si Pergama dextrâ— defendi possent etiam hâc defensa fuissent The Church of the Dominicans is very hansome too if you do not surprise it and take it before it be dressed I saw it once in its best attire hung with a rare sute of embrodered hangings which set it out with great aduantage I saw also here the Crucifix which spoke to S. Thomas of Aquin the Doctor of this Order and Country and sayd Benè de me scripsisti Thoma In the Sacristy of this Church are kept in seueral coffins some couered with white some with black veluet the bodyes of seueral great persons depositated here till their Tombes should be made as of Alphonso the first King of Naples and Arragon of Queen Ioanne the vnfortunate that of an Emperor of Constantinople that of Durazzo that of the Marquis of Vasti with diuers others The Church of the Oliuetan Fathers is stately here lyes buryed Alexander ab Alexandro a great antiquary whose ingenious booke Genialium dierum giues light to many bookes by the vnshelling of a world of ancient customes of the Romans In this Church also is the Tombe of braue Marchese di Piscara surnamed the Thunderbolt of warre The words vpon this Tombe are so ingenious that though I professe not to set downe many Epitaphs in this my voyage I cannot but striue to carry them into other countyes They are these Quis iacet hoc gelido sub marmore Maximus ille Piscator belli gloria pacis honâ—s Nunquid hic pisces cepit Non Ergo quid Vrbes Magnanimos Reges oppida regna duces Dic quibus haec cepit Piscator retibus Alto Consilio intrepido corde alacrique manu Qui tantum rapuere ducem Duo Numina Mars Mors. Vt raperent quidnam compulit Jnuidia Nil nocuere ipsi viuit nam Fama superstes Quae Martem Mortem vincit Inuidiam The Church of S. Iohn Carbonare is considerable for it self but much more for the stately Tombe in it of King Robert In the Church of the Nunnery which stands at the foot of the hill as you go vp to the Carthusians I saw a most curious Tabernacle vpon the Altar of pretious polished stones It s one of the richest I haue seen any where but that of Florence described aboue Then we mounted vp that windeing hill to the Carthusians Church and Monastery called S. Martins It s the most sumptuous thing in all Europe for a Monastery whether you regard its situation or its fabrick It s situated vpon a high hil lvnder the wing of the Castle S. Elmo to put Castles in mind that they ought to defend and protect Religion The whole quandrangle or cloyster of this Monastery
then before Then it flamed and cast out a cloud of ashes which had the wind stood toward the Citie had couered all Naples and buryed it in those ashes Then it began to roare as if Madame Nature her self had been in labour Thunder was but pistolcrack to this noyse and the mouth of a Cannon a full mile wide must needs giue a great report It bellowed and thundered againe Naples trembled the ground swelled The Sea it self shiuered for feare when the hill tearing its entrals with huge violence was brought to bed of a world of vast stones and a fludd of Sulphurious matter which ran from the top of the mountain into the Sea for the space of three miles All this he tould me and this he shewed me afterward in a publick inscription vpon a fair marble stone erected hard by And all this made me but the more desirous of seeing this mountain Wherefore spurring on we came soone after to the foot of the hill where leauing our horses we began to crawle vp that step hill for a good mile together to the midlegg in ashes At last with much a doe we got to the top of the hill and peeping fearfully remembring Plinyes accident into the great hellow from the brinck of it found it to be like a Vast Kettle farre greater then those Hell Kettles near Deslington in the Bishoprick of Durham made by earthquakes For the orifice of this Kettle is a mile or two wide and very nigh as deep In the bottom of it is a new little hill riseing out of the hollow of the old and fumeing perpetually with a thick smoke as if it also would play tricks too in its turne Hauing gazed a while at this Chimney of Hell for Tertullian calls Aetna and Vesuuius Fumariola inferni we came faster downe then we went vp Hee that is not content with this my short description of the burning of this Hill let him read Iulius Caesar Recupitus who hath made a little booke alone of it called De Vesuniano incendio Nuntius Hauing recouered our horses againe we came back to Naples and the next morning takeing a new guide we went to see the wonders of Nature about Baiae and Puzzuâ—lo Horseing then againe betimes in the morneing we passed by the Castle Vouo and soone after to Margelino to see the Tombe of Sannazarîus the Poët who lyes buryed in the Church of Santa Maria del Parto which was once Sannazarius his owne house which dyeing he left to be made a Church of vnder that title so that in his Testament he wrote de Virginis partu as well as in his booke and he might as well haue written vpon the Frontispice of this Church as vpon the Frontispice of his Booke opera Sannazarij de Virginis parâ—u His Tombe here is adorned with marble figures and with this ingenious Epitaph made of him by Cardinal Bembo Da sacro cineri flores Hic ille Maroni Sincerus Musâ proximus vt tumulo His name was Iacobus Sannazarius but he changed his name for that of Sincerus at the request of Pontanus who also changed his name too and caused himself to be called Iouianus as Iouius in Elogiis virorum Doctorum sayth Not farr of this place nor farr from the entrance of the Grotte of Pausilipus in the Gardens of S. Seuerino stands Virgils tombe couered almost ouer with Laurel or Baâ—-trees as yf that Poëts Laurel were growne into a Shadybower to make a whole tombe of Laurel for the Prince of Poëts From thence we returned againe into our way and presently came to the entrance of the Grotte of Pausilipus this Mountain lyeing at the very back of Naples and rendering the passage to Naples extreamly inconuenient for carriages it was thought fit to cut a cart way vnder ground quite through the mountain some say it was Lucullus that caused it to be thus boared others say it was Cocceius Nerua Certain it is that it is ancient seing Seneca makes mention of it Entring into the Grotte of Paulisipus we found it to be about forty foot high and broad enough for two carts laden to meet with ease They say here that it is a full mile long but I thought it scarce so much We rid some forty paces by the light of the wide entrance but that Vanishing we were left in the darke a good while till we came to the halfway where there hangs a burning Lamp before the picture of our Sauiour in the B. Virgins armes The light of this Lamp was very gratefull vnto vs and I am confident a Puritan himself were he here would be glad to see this Lampe and Picture and loue them better for it euer after All the way of this Grotta is very euen and Leuel but hugely dusty as a roome must be that hath not been sweept these sixteen hundred yeares The people of the country meeting here in the darke know how to auoyd one another by going from Naples on the right hand and returning on the left that is by keeping on the moutain side going and returning on the Sea side and this they expresse by cryeing out often A la Montagna or a la Marina To the mountain side or to the Sea side to giue notice whether they come or go Our guide vnderstood the word and he giuing it vnto mee and I to my next man it rann through our whole Brigade which consisted of a dozen horsemen in all Almost all the way we rid in it we shut our eyes haueing little vse of them and our mouths and noses too for feare of being choked with the dust so that our exteriour senses being thus shut vp our interiour begaÌ„ to worke more freely and to think of this odd place My thoughts comeing newly from Sannazarius and Virgils tombes fell presently vpon Poetry for all this country is a Poetical country and I began to think whether this were not Polyphemus his den because Homer makes it to haue been neare the Seaside as this is and capable of holding great heards of sheep as this also is Sometimes I thought that it might haue been here that Iupiter was hidden from his deuouring Father Saturne who came into Italy for certain as also because Sophocles makes mention of Iupiter Pausilipus But at last I concluded that this was the place where the merry Gods and Goddesses after their iouial suppers playd at hide and seek without being hood-winckt By this time we began to see the otheâ— end of the Grotte a farre off by a little light which grew greater and greater till at last we came to the yssue of it Being got out of this Cymmeran rode we began to open our eyes againe to see if we could find one an other and our mouths too to discourse vpon this exotick place Thus we rid discourseing vpon this wonder till we came to the Grotta del Cane a new wonder Arriueing there we presently had a dog ready though for the most
old 22. In the Church of the Iesuits I saw the Tombe of S. Barbara Virgin and Martyr 23. In the Domo the Cathedral of Venice but standing much out of the way I saw little considerable but the Tombe of S. Laurentius Iustinianus a holy man a great Preacher and the first Patriarch of Venise the Patriarchal seat of Grado being remoued hither in his time 24. I saw also the Church of S. Iacomo the first Church that was built in Venice and built twelue hundred yeares ago in the infancy of Venice as an old inscription here told me Here are some good pictures of Lanfrancus and Marcus Titianus old Titians nephew and scholler 25. And being in Venice vpon S. Georges day the 23. of April we went to the Greek Church I meane to the Greek schismaticks Church which is dedicated to God in honour of S. George and therefore this day was one of their greatest solemnityes Their ceremonies Seruice differed little from the Catholicks Greeks if any one desire to know their tenents and how neare they come to the Roman Catholiks let him read a booke in a thin folio printed at Wittemberg an 1584. vnder this title Acta scripta Theologorum Wittembergensium Hieremiae Patriarchae 26. We went after diner one Satturday to see the Iews Synagogue Among other things I heard here a Rabbin make a Homily to his flock He looked like a French Minister or Puritanical Lecturer in short cloake and hat The snaffling through the nose made all the edification that I sawe in it It was in Italian but the coldest discourse that I euer heard in any language Indeed it was their Sabboth day and they eat no other meat that day but cold meat 27. An other day we went to Murano againe to see the glasse houses which furnish amost all Europe with drinking glasses and all our Ladyes cabinets with Looking glasses They vtter here fot two hundred thousand crownes worth a yeare of this brickle ware and they seem to haue taken measure of euery nations belly and humour to sit them with drinking glasses accordingly For the High Dutch they haue high glasses called Flutes a full yard long which a men cannot drink vp alone except his man or some other hold vp the foot of this more then two handed glasse For the English that loue toasts with their drink they haue curious tankards of thick crystal glasse iust like our syluer tankards For the Italians that loue to drink leasurely they haue glasses that are almost as large and flat as syluer plats and almost as vn easy to drink out of And so for other nations In one shop they were makeing a set of glasses for the Emperor of fiue crownes euery glasse They were drinking glasses with high couers made like spred eagles and finely guilt Sometimes to shew their art they make here pretty things One made a ship in glasse with all her tacklings gunns masts sayles streamers An other made an Organ in glasse three cubits high so iustly contriued that by blowing into it and touching the stopps it sounded musically A third made a perfect Castle with all its Fortifications ramparts Cannons Sentry houses and gates Here also I saw them make those vast Looking glasses whose brickleness sheweth Ladyes themselues more then their reflection doth In fine in Murano you see the Pallace of signor Camillo Treuisano with the rare garden and fountains à la Romana 28. After this we went vp and downe the towne of Venice sometimes a foot to see better the Shops as those of silks clothes of gold of Bookes and the Apothecaryes shops where I saw them make their famous Treacle sometimes in gondola to View ouer and ouer againe the Canale grande and the braue Pallaces which hemme it in on bothsides sometimes entring into the best of those pallaces to see their rich furniture and contriuances The best are of Iustiniani Mocenigo Grimant Priuli Contarini Foscoli Loredano Gussoni and Cornaro 29. Then I enquired what learned men had adorned Venice and I found these to haue been the chiefe Laurentius Iustinianus Hermolaus Barbarus Petrus Bembus Aloysius Lippomanus Paulus Paruta Baptista Egnatius Ludouicus Dolce Paulus Manutius with diuers others I saw some years agoe the noble and ingenious Loredano whose witty bookes make him famous ouer all the Academyes of Italy and Europe As also the Procuratore Nani whose excellent History hath got him immortal fame 30. Here 's an Academy of wits called Incogniti and for their armes they haue the riuer Nilus with this motto Incognito e pur noto vnknowne and yet famous He that desires to know the history of Venice let him read Andrea Morasini Paolo Paruta Sabellico Bernardino Tomasino Coridâ— and Nani Hauing thus seen all Venice ouer and ouer againe in a months stay there I was most willing to leaue it hauing found it true of Venice what Socrates sayd of Athens that is was melior meretrix quam uxor a fine towne for a fortnight but not to dwell in alwayes and this by reason of some stinking channels bad cellers for wine worse water and the moist ayre of the Sea not the most wholesome scarcity of earth euen to bury their dead in and little fewel for fireing So that findeing the four elements wanting here in their purity I was willing to leaue these polished Holanders and returne to Padua Padua is the second towne of the Venetian State though once the Mother of Venice It s old enough to be mother of Rome it self haueing been built by Antenor whose Tombe is yet seen here The towne is very great and fuller of good houses then of men of condition taranny and too frequent murthers haueing much depopulated it in point of nobility It stands in the Marca Treuigiana The walls about it are strong and backt vp with fine ramparts It lyes neare the Eugaâ—ian hills in a fertile soyle and plain which makes the Prouerbe say Bologna la grassa ma Padua la passa It s famous for the study of Physick as many of our thrice worthy Physitians in England can testify The chief things I obserued in it are these 1. Antenors Tombe with Gotick letters vpon it which makes me doubt whether this Tombe be so ancient as they make it 2. The publick Schooles called here Il Bue or Oxe what if the first Readers here came from Oxford as they did to the Vniuersity of Pauia 3. The Physick garden to acquaint the Students in Physick with the nature of simples 4. The Church of S. Antony of Padua whose body lyes in the open Chappel on the left hand and this Chappel is adorned with curious figures of white marble representing the chief actions of this Saints life Vnder the Altar reposeth his body and before it hang some 27 great Lampes of syluer or syluer guilt Oueragainst this Chappel stands iust such another open Chappel called the Chappel