the first City you meet with as you enter into the Dauphinate through Lionnois It was formerly inhabited by the Allobroges at what time Le Viennois was call'd the Island of the Allobroges as being scituated between the Rhone and the Isere At Vienne they make the Blades of Swords in such vast numbers that 't is the wonder of all people how the Artificers can sell 'em so cheap But the reason is because their Engins are so dispos'd as to be mov'd by the Water and that in such a manner that one workman can attend several sorts of Workmanship at one time Pilate was banish'd to Vienne by the Emperor Tiberius There is also to be seen the Tower where he was kept a Prisoner and the Precipice from whence he threw himself Headlong which is always cover'd with Clouds and Mists Vienne had formerly two Castles belongit to it which were accounted impregnable but they were demolish'd for fear they might prove a Recepticle for such as had a design to disturb the State Die or Diva Augusta seated upon the Drome among the Mountains with a Bishoprick suffragan to the Archbishop of Vienne It was one of the nineteen principal Cities of the antient Vocantis mention'd by Tacitus and once a Colony of the Romans Gap lyes two leagues from Durance with a Baileage a Bishoprick a strong Cittadel and the Fort of Puymore But neither the Cittadel nor the Fort could hinder it from being ruin'd by the Duke of Savoys Army in the year 1692. Ambrun is a Bishops See and lyes among the Mountains at the Foot of a Rock upon which stands a Castle This City is said to stand the highest of any City of Europe It is a Town of great antiquity and 't is said that Nero granted the Citizens of it the right of Latinity which Galba afterwards enlarg'd with new Priviledges In the year 1692. it was taken by the Duke of Savoy but quitted the same year after every thing was demolish'd that render'd it Tenable Before I leave the Dauphinate it behoves me to make one Observation not unacceptable to the Curious of a peculiar Wind that blows at Nyons six leagues from Orange It is call'd the Wind Pontius from the name of the Mountain whence it comes Nyons is seated in a Bottom upon the bank of a River call'd Egue where there is a Bridge with one only Arch accounted the most beautiful in the World It is said to be a Piece of Roman workmanship round like the Letter O and to be as deep from the Foundation under Ground as above And indeed altho it be of a Prodigious heighth yet there appears but the half of the Circle above Ground And I have heard the People of the place aver that when they have gone to search for the Foundation they could never find any But they perceiv'd that still the lower they digg'd the narrower the circle contracted As to the Wind of Pontius it usually blows from Midnight till ten or eleven a Clock in the Morning and it is almost as cold as the North-wind It issues out of the Cleft of a Rock about a small League from Nyons near a Hermitage Into this cleft the people have often thrown Stones and let down a Sounding Line but could never reach the Bottom Nor is the Wind so violent in this part as about a quarter of a League from thence Now in regard the cleft is not very wide it was stopt up toward the end of the last Age and so it remain'd for seven or eight years but then they were forc'd to open it again in regard the Earth surceas'd to bear the Olive Trees Vines and other Fruit Trees wither'd so that their Autumnal Harvests were very Barren and the Inhabitants were seiz'd with Contagious Diseases which caused a great Mortality among ' em As for Vivarez it being a Province very Mountainous and Barren Travellours take no pleasure in it unless it be at Viviers which is the Capital City of it and the See of a Bishop You may also visit Annonay where the Gentry are very Civil and Courteous but where the Common People make it no scruple of Conscience to discharge their Fusee's upon you from behind a Hedge upon any slight occasion CHAP. VI. Of Savoy and part of Piedmont SInce the King has brought Savoy the County of Nice and some part of Piedmont under his Subjection 't is requisite that I say something of those Parts before I engage farther into France Chamberi is the Capital City of Savoy and the Seat of a Parlament but the King of France being desirous to extend his Conquests this way having this Wind of Victory in his Poop first made himself Master of this City after which the County and City of Nice and Villa Franca which was call'd the Bulwark of the Mediterranean were forc'd to acknowledge the Dominion of France under pretence that Nice was formerly a part of Provence Not long after the Fortress of Montmelian which the Savoyards accounted Impregnable was likewise carry'd by the French and then they took and burnt Oneglia the only remaining Sea Port Town in Savoy The Fortifications of all these Towns are very Regular and the Churches very Beautiful Besides these places the King of France has Pignerol seated upon a Mountain of the Valley of Perousa five leagues from Turin The other is Casal the Capital City of Montferrat upon the River Po which the Duke of Mantoua surrender'd to the King in 1681. These two Towns are very considerable in respect of their strength and scituation in regard they secure France from the Invasions of the Princes of Italy and open him a passage when he shall be at leisure to look that way But in regard I propose to my self a particular Volume of Italy I omit here several remarks more proper for that Tome then this of France CHAP. VII Of Languedoc THere is no Province of France so vast in the extent of it as Languedoc Eastward it is bounded by the River Rhone which parts it from the Dauphinate and Lorrain to the South by the Mediterranean and the Pyreneans by the Garonne to the West and to the North by Rouergne and Quercy The Climate is accounted the best in the Kingdom and the Soil is the most Fertile insomuch that it produces whatever is to be found in all the other parts of the World except Spices your rich Gums and Sugar The People are character'd to be very witty much addicted to Study and to appear often in their Accoutrements what they are not They are accus'd of being great Talkers very inconstant and unfit to keep a secret Their Women are wanton and frolicksome much given to Paint and love a greater liberty then becomes their Sex However these Rules are not so general but that they admit of many exceptions and they that are not stain'd with these defects need not concern themselves with common fame and as for others if they are so happy to amend 'em People of Vertue
it might scare 'em into their Duty To that purpose M. de Signeley Minister and Secretary of State who was aboard the Fleet being arriv'd in the Port of Genoa sent for some of the Senators to whom he made known the Causes of Resentment which the Republick had given the King and that he was come to demand Satisfaction that in the mean time they might prevent the mischief that threaten'd 'em if they unrigg'd the four new Gallies that were already fitted for Sea and sent to Paris four Senators to excuse their Miscarriages to his Majesty But they refused to accept of this Expedient and were so bold as to let fly first of all upon the King's Gallies which had not as yet committed any Act of Hostility which drew upon 'em a shower of Bombs for some days that ruin'd a good part of their Palaces There is also some reason to believe that the King would not have stopp'd there had not the Genoeses besought Pope Innocent XI to intercede with his Majesty in their behalf offering to give his Majesty such satisfaction as he should desire The King therefore consented to an Accommodation which was Mediated by Ranuccio Bishop of Fano his Holiness's Nuncio with M. Colbert Minister and Secretary of State whom his Majesty had appointed his Plenipotentiary 〈◊〉 the Marquis de Marini Envoy Extraordinâ—â—â— from the Republick The Treaty was Sign'd at Versailles the 12th of February 1685. Ratifi'd by the Republick the 25th of the same Month and by his Majesty the 3d. of March following the substance of which was I. That the Duke then Governing and Four of the Senators should repair to the King in their Ceremonial Habit and that the Duke speaking in behalf of the rest should in the name of the Republick acknowledge their extream Sorrow for having displeas'd his Majesty and that he should in his Speech make use of most submissive and respectful Expressions and such as should manifest the sincere desire they had to merit his Majesties Good Will for the future and carefully to study the preservation of it II. That the Duke and the Four Senators at their return to Genoa should exercise their Employments and retain their Dignities and that no others should be chosen into their Places during their absence III. That the Republick of Genoa within a Months time should dismiss all the Spanish Forces that had been admitted into the strong Holds and Countrey belonging to the State and should renounce from henceforth by virtue of this Treaty all other Leagues and Associations by them enter'd into since the First of January 1683. IV. That the Genoeses might refit at the same time the same number of Gallies which they had three years agoe and should lay up those that they had since Equipp'd V. That the Republick should restore to the French all that they could recover of the Effects that had been taken from 'em in the City and Territories of Genoa the King consenting out of his Royal Compassion that instead of Reparation of Damages to which his Subjects might pretend for such of their Effects as could not be found that the Republick should engage themselves as they did by this Article to contribute toward the Repair of the Churches and Sacred Places endamag'd by the Bombs the King referring it to the Pope to settle the Sum that should be thought convenient for that purpose and to limit the time for bringing those Repairs to perfection VI. That the Republick should pay a Hundred thousand Crowns to the Count de Fiesque in deduction of his ancient Pretensions upon the sole consideration that the said Count is under the King's Protection and upon condition that the payment of this Money should no way prejudice the Reasons which the Republick has to alledge against the said Pretensions VII That the King being content with the satisfactions above-namâ—d will vouchsafe the Honour of his Favours to the Republick of Genoa VIII That all Acts of Hostility shall cease by Land from the day of this Treaty and by Sea within a Month and the Pris'ners on both sides to be set at liberty IX That this Treaty shall be Ratify'd and the Ratifications exchang'd at farthest within Three weeks c. By vertue of this Treaty the Republick sent the Duke Francis-Maria-Imperiale Lercaro then ruling together with four Senators Marcellino Durazzo Paris Maria Salvago Giovanni Garibaldo and Agostino Lomellino who departed from Genoa the 29th of March 1685. attended by six young Gentlemen appointed by the Republick They arriv'd the 10th of April at Lions and the 18th at Paris where the Duke spent about five and twenty days in preparing his Equipage and the 4th of May had his Audience of the King at Versailles to which he was conducted by M. Bonnueil Introductor of Embassadors Some days before he had caus'd the Nails that fasten'd the Cloath of State of his Coach to be taken away as being a distinction that belongs to none but Royal Persons and Sovereign Princes The King was seated upon a Throne rais'd ten or twelve steps at the end of the Great Gallery The King had on each side of him the Dauphin Monsieur the King's Brother the Duke of Bourbon the Duke of Main and the Count of Tholouze and upon the Duke of Genoa's approach he rose up and put off his Hat Then he caus'd the Duke to be cover'd but the four Senators remain'd uncover'd The Duke made an elegant Harangue which I shall insert at the end of the Chapter Which done the Senators also made their Compliments and it was observ'd that the Duke was uncover'd all the while the Senators spoke The Audience being over they were Treated at Dinner by the King's Order with all the Profusion and Magnificence imaginable and after Dinner resuming their Ceremonial Habits which they put off before they sate down to Dinner they were conducted to wait upon Monseigneur the Dauphiness the Dukes of Burgundy and Anjou Monsieur Madame and all the Princes and Princesses of the Royal Family And it was observable that the Senators did not cover till they came to the Duke of Chartres's Apartment They returned that Evening to Paris but the 18th and 23d they went back to Versailles in the Habit of Gentlemen to view the Apartments the Water-works the place where the great Horses are manag'd and the Castles of Trianon and Marli The 26th the Duke and three Senators Salvago being sick had their Audience of leave of the King and departed within a few days for Genoa where they continu'd in their Employments till the usual time of a new choice The Duke of Genoa's Speech to the King at Versailles May 14th 1685. SIR MY Republick has always held it for one of the fundamental Maxims of their Government to signalize themselves by a profound Veneration for this great Crown which being transmitted to your Majesty by your August Progenitors you have exalted to so high a degree of Power and Glory by such prodigious and unheard of
Anthony of Lisbonne is famous because that St. Anthony now call'd St. Anthony of Padua lies there interr'd And they say that the Stone that covers his Tomb smells of Musk However certain it is that 't is the most beautiful Church in the City The Palace where Justice is administer'd is cover'd with Lead and there is an Ascent of four large Marble Steps up to it The Great Hall is 256 Foot long and 86 broad where are to be seen the Twelve Celestial Signs and great number of other very Beautiful Paintings Every Night at a certain hour they make the Great Clock strike 32 times in memory of so many Traytors who would have deliver'd up the City into the Enemies hands Padua still retains several Footsteps of Antiquity as the Remains of an Amphitheater call'd the Arenae near the Austin Fryars Church And the Ruines of such another are also to be seen at Veronas another City under the Dominion of the Venetians but there is much more of the Structure standing which is said to have been erected by order of the Consul Flaminius 380 Foot in length and 200 broad There is also a Circus where above Fourscore Thousand People may sit upon Seats of Marble CHAP. VIII Of the Republicks of Luca and St. Marino LVCA is a small Republican State almost enclos'd within the Territories of Tuscany having preserv'd its Freedom ever since the Year 1430 under the Protection of the Emperour This Republick is govern'd by a Gonfaloniere who is Elected every two Months out of the Nobility and has for his Assistants nine Ancients who bear the Title of Excellentissimo's However they can determine nothing that is not approv'd in the Grand Conncil compos'd of 120 Burgesses Though the Extent of the Territories belonging to this Republick be very small yet they are very well Peopl'd so that they can easily bring 20000 Men into the Field to defend themselves besides that their Revenue amounts to above 500000 Livres a Year Their Arsenals are always provided with all things necessary to hold out a long Siege The Gonfaloniere who during his Regency lodges in the Palace of the Signiory and has a hundred Soldiers for his Guard is clad in a Robe of Crimson Velvet or Damask with a Bonnet of the same Stuff Nor are there but few States wherein the Civil Government is better Regulated then in this Republick The City of Luca the Metropolis of the Territory is seated upon the River Serchio defended by eleven Bastions lin'd with Brick and as regular as can be imagin'd Nor is it less considerable for the Antiquity of it then the Fortifications that secure it Several Silk Stuffs are made in this City wherein the Inhabitants drive a very great Trade which has acquir'd to the City the Epithite of Luca the Industrious The Churches are very beautiful especially the Cathedral Consecrated to St. Martin where they shew a Picture upon which they would make ye believe that the Angels painted our Saviour's Face It is Crown'd with a Crown of Gold having over it the two Letters Alpha and Omega that is to say the Beginning and the End or he that is was and shall be In the Austin-Fryars Church they shew ye a kind of an Abyss which as they say open'd to swallow up a Gamester that Blasphem'd the Name of his Creator The Territories of the Republick of St. Marino are of a smaller extent then those belonging to Luca because they include only the City of Sancto Marino and some few Castles that serve to defend it the whole containing not above six Thousand Inhabitants It settl'd it self in the Year of Christ 600 and has all along supported it self under the Protection of the Pope being almost enclos'd within the Territories of the Church It is govern'd by two Captains that are new chosen every year She still preserves her Gravity especially in respect of other Republicks so that when she writes to the Republick of Venice she calls her Dear Sister The City of Sancto Marino is very strong not only by reason of the situation of it which is upon the top of a Mountain in the Dutchy of Vrbin but also because of the Fortifications which are very regular and certain Castles that defend it The Name of it was deriv'd from one Sancto Marino a Stone-Cutter born in Dalmatia who coming into Italy in the Third Age and being addicted to Piety preach'd the Gospel to the Pagans and Converted several to the Faith He Dy'd in a kind of Hermitage where he had his Oratory upon the top of the Mountain where now the City of Sancto Marino stands CHAP. IX Of TUSCANY THE State of Tuscany Is purely Monarchical and Despotick It is compos'd of three Estates which were formerly as many Republicks the Florentin Pisan and Sienese which derive their Names from their Capital City where the Grand Duke has built good Citadels This is one of the most considerable States of Italy and wants nothing but the Title of a Kingdom which a Pope of that Family had a design once to have conferr'd upon it In the mean time according to the Italian Proverb the Grand Duke wants nothing but Luca and Sarzana to be King of Tuscany This Prince is one of the Richest in Italy his ordinary Revenue amounts to two Millions and a half of Crowns and 't is said that he has above Five and Twenty Millions of Gold in his Treasury besides his Moveables and Jewels which are of an Inestimable value He is able to bring into the Field 30000 Foot and 3000 Horse and as to his strength by Sea in a case of necessity he can set out Twenty Men of War a Dozen Galleys and some Galeasses As to the Money Spanish Pistoles Piasters and Reals of Peru go currant all over the Dukedom provided they be weight The Money which the Grand Duke Coyns are Pistoles Ducatoons Julio's and Gratie The Pistole of Spain goes for Forty two Livres of the Country but the Tuscan Pistole goes but for Forty A Ducatoon is worth seven Livres A Julio is worth eight Gratie which is a small piece of Money part Copper part Silver A Livre is worth a Julio and a half and every Gratia is worth Eleven Deneers of France so that the Tuscan Livre is not worth above Eleven French Sols Florence is the Metropolis of the Dukedom with an Archbishobprick Erected in the Year 1421. by Pope Martin V. Surnam'd the Fair because that without all contradiction it surpasses in Beauty and Magnificence all the Cities round about it to which the situation of it contributes not a little being built upon the River Arno which divides it into two unequal parts joyn'd together by Four Stone Bridges and it is about Six Miles in circuit with very neat Streets and well kept Some Authors will have Sylla's Soldiers to be the Founders of Florence to whom he gave the Land as a Reward of their Services That it was at first call'd Fluentia by reason of the
beautiful City When you are at the top of this Tower you may see all at once five Provinces of France Provence the Dauphinate Languedoc Auvergne and Forest CHAP. V. Of the Dauphinate and Vivarez THE Dauphinate is one of the most beautiful Provinces of France Historians speak wonders of it and as such they observe seven things extreamly remarkable which they call the seven Wonders of the Dauphinate that is to say the Tower without Poison the Inaccessible Mountain the Burning Fountain the Caves of Sassenage the pretious Stones of the Mountain of Sassenage The Manna of Brianson and the Grove of our Lady de la Balme 'T is commonly divided into the Upper and Lower and is bounded eastward by Piemont and Savoy to the South by Provence northward by la Bress and to the west by the County of Venaissin The sterility of the Mountains of the Upper Dauphinate is not so bad but that they afford great quantities of Cassia Manna Turpentine and Agaric But the Lower Dauphinate bestows in a bundance upon the Inhabitants Wine Corn Silk and all sorts of Fruit. The People in general are stout civil and courteous to Strangers which Civility extends even to the most rustical Peasants for it is a common thing to see a Ploughman leave his Plough to put a Stranger in the right Road when he has lost his way Historians have always character'd the Dauphinois to be faithful to their King jealous of their Liberty somewhat given to litigious petty-fogging and inclin'd to praise themselves Nevertheless the learned Mr. Richelet has not done 'em all this justice in his Dictionary perhaps because he would make the Province suffer for the injury which some Dauphinois might have done him This Province is not so much celebrated by all those Advantages which I have recounted as for the Honour which it has of being the Title born by the Eldest Son of France and presumptive Heir of the Crown They who know not why the Dauphinate enjoys this Honour before any of the Provinces of France may here be inform'd in few words Hubert II. Soveraign Prince of the Dauphinate having but one only Son at that time very young and being at his Castle of Vienne took him in his Arms to play with him and making a shew as if he would throw him out of the Window the Infant being a brisk lively child slipt out of his Hands and fell into the Rhone nor did the unfortunate Father ever hear more of him His Grief was such as is not to be imagin'd and his despair transported him so far as to make a Donation of the Dauphinate to Philip Valois King of France in the year 1349. upon condition among other things that the First born Son of the Kings of France for the time to come should be call'd Dauphins Grenoble is the Capital City of the Province seated among the Mountains upon the Banks of the River Isere which divides the City into two parts It is the Seat of a Parliament a Chamber of Accounts or place for the publick Receipt of the Finances a Generality a Baillage a Mint and a Bishoprick It is adorn'd with Magnificent Buildings of which the principal are the Palace of the Duke de L'Ediguieres the Bishops Mansion and the Parlament House The Prelates of this Diocess assume the Title of Prince by reason of several Donations of the Lords of the Country at several times There are some things in the Parts about Grenoble worthy the curious observation of Travellers chiefly the spatious Charter-house which is usually the Residence of the General of that Order Never was Desert better baptiz'd then this Nook which those Monks have made choice of for their place of Retirement for indeed the Mountain has something of a dreadful Aspect But when you come to the Convent you are presently surpriz'd to meet with so goodly a Mansion so magnificent a Church and Monks so civil and courteous where you thought to find nothing but Precipices and Wild Beasts The Order of the Chartreux was founded in 1084 by St. Bruno who was the first General of it The Air is very healthy the top of the Mountain Fertile and in a word it may be said that a Man is amply recompens'd for the trouble and dread in clambring up which redoubles when you are about to quit that delightful solitude the descent being worse then the ascent and much more terrible Among the wonders that environ Grenoble the burning Fountain is not the least considerable which darts forth Flames through the Water a foot high whither the young Men and Virgins go frequently to make Fricassees and fry Pancakes Not far from thence is to be seen a Tower where no venomous Creature will live and they which are sometimes brought thither dye presently after Valence is the second City of the Dauphinate and much better scituated then Grenoble as being seated on the Banks of the Rhone and upon the High Road from Paris to Marseilles It is adorn'd with a Bishoprick and a University for Law and Physick founded by Lewis the Dauphin Son of Charles VII in the year 1452. who confirm'd the Priviledges it enjoys in the year 1475. when he came to the Crown It is also the Seat of a Presidial-court and a Seneschalship There is to be seen in the Church of the Jacobins the Body of a Giant fifteen foot high and seven in breadth some of the Bones of which were carri'd to Paris where they are preserv'd in the Kings Closet There is a Fountain without the City very hot in the Winter and extreamly cold in the Summer The principal Churches are the Cathedral dedicated to St. Apollinaris St. Johns which is said to have been a Pantheon in ancient time the Abby of St. Ruff and St. Peters Church in the Burrough Les-valence in which is to be seen a Cavern which 't is said crosses under the Rhone near to which stands a Sepulchre wherein formerly was found the Body of a Woman cover'd with Gold and Precious Stones which appear'd to be fresh but so soon as it was brought into the Air crumbl'd to dust There was also found in the same Tomb a Latin Inscription in these words The Happy Justina Mother whence some infer that it was the Empress Justina's Tomb. Near St. Felix's Gate there is also a Round Tower which leans forward more at the top then below and most people believe that the Tower bow'd out of respect when St. Felix enter'd the City Pont St. Esprit or The Holy Ghost's Bridge is a very pleasant City that derives its name from a Bridge built over the Rhone with extraordinary labour and expence It consists of two and twenty Arches twelve hundred Fathom long and fifteen broad so that it may not be vainly lookt upon to be one of the largest and most beautiful Bridges in France The Dauphinate includes several other Cities which have their particular Ornaments and Beauties as Montelimar Cret Die Gap Ambrun and Vienne which is
Authors affirm it to have been built by the Gomerites who were sent into Gaul a little after Noah's time However certain it is that the Druids built this City long before the Birth of Christ whose Nativity they foretold and that he should be Born of a Virgin which was the reason that Priscus the Roman Governor erected a Temple there which he consecrated Virgini Pariturae to the Virgin that should bear a Son And seeing that St. Paul coming to Athens met with an Altar dedicated to the Vnknown God we may the more readily believe that either by some Prophetick Spirit or by some other Prerogatives only known to Providence that the Pagans in the midst of their Darkness had some glimmerings of that knowledge which God reserv'd for the Christians And hence I may observe that if some Christians were to be met among the Pagans of those Times there are more Pagans to be found among the Christians at this day There is a Well to be seen at Chartres which is call'd the Saints Well because the Romans were wont to throw the Primitive Christians into it There belongs to this City a Presidial Court together with a Bishops See under the Archbishop of Paris ever since 1622. for before it depended upon the Archbishop of Sens. There are to be seen in this City many Pieces of Antiquity and a great number of Reliques The Cathedral dedicated to the Holy Virgin is very considerable for the Quire the Church under-ground and the two Steeples are the Admiration of Forreigners The Streets are fair and straight the Houses neatly built the Market-Places large and the River Eure affords a Water very proper for several sorts of Manufacture In the Year 1591. Hen. IV. took it from the League and caus'd himself to be Crown'd in it by reason that Reims held out in Rebellion Orleans is a very considerable City dignify'd with the Title of Dukedom and a Bishop's See under the Archbishop of Paris with a Presidial Court and a University for the Law founded by St. Lewis and confirm'd by Philip the Fair in 1312. All this advances much the Honour of the City but her greater Glory to be the Appanage or Childs Portion and Title always belonging to the Second Son of France much more Exalts the Idea that Forreigners have of her This City is seated upon the Banks of the River Loire in a Country full of Vineyards that furnish it with excellent Wine Among the most considerable Buildings is to be seen the Church of the Holy Cross which the Religionaries ruin'd in the last Age but though Henry the Great caus'd it to be rebuilt he has not restor'd it the Beauty of her Pristin Antiquity This City was several times Besieg'd and twice miraculously deliver'd Once by the Prayers of her Bishop St. Aignan when Attila King of the Hunns besieg'd it in the Year 450. Long after that the English besieg'd it in the Year 1417. at what time it was succour'd by Joan of Arc call'd the Maid of Orleans The Kingdom was then in a Low condition and upon the very brink of Ruin at what time this Maid who was no more then a poor Shepherdess born at Dompremi upon the Meuse receiv'd a Command from God to go and succour Orleans and to Crown Charles VII K. of France at Reims Coming to Court she made up to the King whom she had never seen in her life before and though he had nothing to be signaliz'd from the rest in the croud of Courtiers that were in a huddle about him She told him of the Command she had receiv'd from Heaven They gave her what Men she desir'd with which she defeated the English and reliev'd Orleans After that she caus'd the King to be Crown'd at Reims re-conquer'd all Champagne and had expell'd the English quite out of France but that she had the Misfortune to be taken before Compiegne which she had laid Siege to When the English had her in their power they carri'd her to Rouen and Burnt her for a Witch She was call'd the Maid or Virgin because that having been search'd by several Matrons in the presence of the Queen of Sicily she was found to be so The Orleanois had so great a Veneration for her Memory that they set up her Statue upon the Bridge of Orleans There are several very fair Country seats in the Parts about Orleans of which Chambort is the most remarkable as being built by the Command of Francis I. and the Stairs belonging to it are look'd upon to be a kind of a Prodigy for that when you would go up into the Chamber over head from the Room where you are instead of ascending you must descend The Loire washes the Walls of Bloise as well as of Orleans This City is seated in a most delightful Air which the Pleasure of the Walks about it renders much more Charming provided the Weather be dry For otherwise the Soil is so fat that the least Rain makes the ways almost impassable There is a very beautiful Castle belongs to it built upon a Rock which has been the seat of several Kings There is also a Pyramid erected upon the Bridge that crosses the River in Honour of Hen. IV. of France There are also to be seen some fair Ruins of Roman Antiquity and Travellers will find a great deal of Pleasure in viewing the Park that belongs to the Royal Castle At some distance from the City is to be seen the Castle of Buri in the Court of which is erected a Pillar on the top of which stands a Figure of King David in Brass which was brought from Rome The Lake also which is in the Dutchy of Vendosme is very remarkable for this that the Water abounds in it for seven Years together but the next seven Years it lyes quite dry During which time you may perceive Caverns in it that are extreamly deep The Country people also know by certain Marks of the Height of the Water whether the seven Years that the Water is absent will be fruitful or barren Amboise is a very ancient City where Charles VIII was Born and this Prince it was who built the Castle which is the greatest Ornament of it In this Castle Lewis XII instituted the Order of the Knights of St. Michael the First day of August in the Year 1469. This City is also famous for the Conspiracy there discover'd against Francis II. Catherine de Medicis his Mother and all the Court in 1560. And History informs us that there was a most Bloody Butchery of the Conspirators among whom there was a great number of Persons of Quality CHAP. XX. Of the Island of France VVHen Forreigners hear talk of the Island of France unless they cast their Eyes upon the Map they take it for a Land divided from the rest of the Kingdom But though it be intercut and intercepted with many Rivers however they do not make any Island only it is a Name which the Province has deriv'd from
Bridge and stands where the Red Bridge stood before There are moreover several other Bridges very considerable as the Change Bridge St. Michael's the Bridge of Nostredame and Pont Marie which have Houses on both sides so high that they cannot be perceiv'd to stand over the Water The French Academy is become so famous over Europe that all Men have a particular Esteem for all the Learned Men who have the Honour to be Members of it It was not Confirm'd by the King's Edict till the Year 1635. though it were set up five or six Years before and was instituted by Chance For that in the Year 1620. certain Learned Persons that Lodg'd in several parts of the City resolv'd to meet once a Week at one of their Houses by Turns that so they might with more ease confer together And this was that which gave a Beginning to this Academy which was at first under the Protection of Cardinal Richlieu Now the Number of the Academies is fix'd to Forty Besides this Academy Paris has also Three others The Academy Royal of Painting which owes the Beginning of it to M. de Noyers Secretary of State and Surveyor of the King's Buildings in the Reign of Lewis XIII They met at first in the Palais Royal but were afterwards remov'd into the Galleries of the Louvre at what time it was settl'd by a Decree of Council in the Year 1648. The Academy Royal of Sciences compos'd of a great number of Learned Physicians Philosophers and Mathematicians settl'd by Mr. Colbert Minister of State at the Sollicitation of M. du Clos and the Abbot of Bonzaisi And for the sake of these Learned Men it is that the King has erected an Observatory in the Suburb of St. James for the making new Experiences and discovery of new Secrets in Physick and Mathematicks And lastly The Royal Academy of Architecture settl'd by the same Mr. Colbert in 1671. As for the Divertisements of Paris no body can be ignorant that there are wanting neither Exquisite Voices for Opera's nor good Actors for French and Italian Comedies nor any sort of excellent Company whether for Conversation Play or Courtship And for Places of Meeting and Walking there are the Tuilleries the Queen's Court and the Groves of Boulogne and Vincennes But I perceive this Chapter has carried me too far which obliges me to omit a Thousand Wonderful Things which Paris encloses and only to tell Forreigners That they can never be able to understand the Beauty and Magnificence of it till they have made a considerable stay in the Place and that the most elevated Idea's which I could give 'em by a more Copious Description and better Study'd would come short of what they really are CHAP. XXI Of the Places adjoyning to Paris AFter what I have said of the Grandeur Beauty and Magnificence of Paris 't will be no hard matter to believe that the parts about it are extreamly well peopled There being Ten Thousand Boroughs Villages or Castles within Ten Leagues round it I shall only say something of the most Considerable places not much caring for the Criticisms of those who shall censure me for not reporting faithfully all their Beauties For I declare to 'em before hand that I shall not engage to satisfie 'em with a Piece of Perfection For in short if a Man should go about to examine all the Wonders Magnificence and Riches of the Royal Seats not far from Paris it would be enough to dazle his Eyes nor can any Man Contemplate 'em without being ravish'd into Extasie Since the Reign of Lewis the Just Versailles was no more then an Ordinary Castle consisting of a Body of Lodgings accompani'd with two Wings and ending in four Pavillons But in 1661. the King proposing to himself to make some stay there enlarg'd this Building with another much more Magnificent At length in 1678 the Old Castle not appearing worthy the State and Grandeur of so Great a Monarch it was pull'd down to make room for another more Superb for the rearing of which all the most Famous Masters in Europe for Architecture Sculpture and Painting were sent for to display their utmost Skill So that the Magnificence of every Apartment out-does whatever there is of most rare in Forreign Countries Even the Stables of Versailles are more Magnificent and Nobler then the Palaces of several Princes of Europe There is a City built on two sides of the Castle with extraordinary Symmetry The Castle is of so large Extent that not only all the Princes and Princesses of the Blood have Large and Convenient Lodgings within it but also all the Ministers and Secretaries of State and a great number of other Lords The Soil about Versailles is naturally dry and unpleasant But Lewis the Great has enforc'd Nature as I may so say to be more favourable to that Part which he had made choice of for his Residence For the Earth not only produces all the Plants the Fruits the Flowers that grow in the most fertile places in the World but by the benefit of the Aqueducts this place abounds so much in Water that you would take it rather for a Sea when all the Engins play then for a Garden of Pleasure And what is more particular and almost incredible those Engins throw the Water up into the Air in different Figures You shall perceive Galleries of Water Triumphal Arches Pavillions Arbors Theatres Mountains c. The fairest Receptacles for Water are those of Ceres Flora Apollo and Bacchus The Banqueting-Hall the Labyrinth the Walk of Water are Machines worthy the Curiosity of Strangers All this Water is drawn from the Sein by the Assistance of a great number of Pumps ranvers'd and carry'd to Versailles by the only Engin which is to be seen in Europe being the Invention of the Sieurs de Ville and Ranequin This Piece of Workmanship which may contend with the Seven Wonders of the World consists of Fourteen Wheels that have Eight and twenty Motions which are caus'd by Twenty Chains and Eight Water Engins with which they force up the Water into an Aqueduct of Thirty six Arches seated upon the Top of a Mountain and Five hundred and seventy Foot from the side of the River All these Motions work Night and Day there being no more then 18 Men in three different Divisions to look after ' em All people admire the Effects of the King's Glory and Grandeur and the large extent of the Genius of those Artists who invented this Engin to the highest degree of Perfection They who will visit the Apartments of Versailles the Gardens the Park the Place where all sorts of Strange Creatures are kept the Grotto's the Labyrinths and the Castle of Trianon which is a real Jewel all wrought within and without with Marble of divers colours have need of Eight days time neither will that suffice to view all these Wonders that surpass Imagination The Castle of Merli but a small League from Versailles is another Royal Seat
Mountains afford Mines of Sulphur and several Quarries of Alablaster and all sorts of Marble The principal Rivers that water it are the Po the Adige Adda Arno and Tiber which contribute not a little to the Fertility of it from whence it is call'd The Garden of Europe The highest Mountains are the Alpes the Apennine which runs quite through the whole length of Italy Mount Masso Mount Barboro Vesuvius and Mount Gibello 'T is said the Italians are very wicked or very honest and virtuous The People are generally polite obliging quick of apprehension ingenious crafty eloquent politic and want not worth when they have once rid themselves of a certain Reservedness which frequently begets 'em the Epithete of Knaves These good Qualities are accompanied with some bad ones to which they are a little too much enclined For they are jealous quick of their promises slow to perform but above all revengeful insomuch that many times Revenge descends from Family to Family The Italian Language is a kind of adulterated Latin which the Goths Huns Vandals Lombards and other People inhabiting Italy have much corrupted Nor do they speak it equally polite in all parts of the Kingdom It is more refined in Tuscany then any where else but the Tuscans do not pronounce it so well as the Romans which is the reason of the Italian Proverb Lingua Tuscana in Bucca Romana And it is observed that the Italians speak in the throat the Venetians in the roof of the mouth the Neapolitans between the teeth and the Genoeses between the Lips The Roman Apostolic Religion is the only Religion allowed over all the States of Italy wherein for the preservation of it there are several Tribunals of the Inquisition erected not but that there are great numbers of Lutherans and Calvenists settl'd upon the Sea-Coasts drawn thither by the conveniency of Trade And thô the Magistrates know that they are departed from the Church yet 't is their interest to take no cognizance of it The Jews enjoy much more freedom and have their Synagogues even in Rome it self upon the Payment of an Annual Tribute There are also Greeks and Armenians in some Cities who perform their Church Worship according to the customs of their Country History informs us that after the Foundation of Rome Italy was govern'd by Kings for the space of 245 Years and that Tarquin the Proud was the last of her Kings That afterwards the Romans erected themselves into a Commonwealth which under the conduct of Consuls and Senarors acquir'd Immortal Honour as well for their Policy as for an infinite number of Victories which they obtain'd over their Enemies That Commonwealth lasted till the 706th Year of Rome at what time Julius Caesar was proclaim'd Emperor and extended the Roman Empire in all the three parts of the World which were then known for America was not discover'd in those days After this Empire had mounted to the highest period of its Grandeur it declin'd in such a manner that it has left us a memorable Example of the instability and fleeting condition of all Earthly Grandeur This formidable Empire being fallen to decay was dismember'd in the Reign of Honorius who dy'd in the year of Christ 423 and 4176th after the Foundation of Rome Italy after this fell under the Dominion of the Emperors of Constantinople who sent thither their Viceroys or Governors under the Title of Exarchs who kept their Court at Ravenna But that Government which began in the year of Christ 568 lasted not above 184 years at what time those Emperors were expell'd by the Kings of Lombardy Afterwards the Emperors of the West conquer'd Italy and the Kingdom of Lombardy was quite extinguish'd in 774 by Charlemain who made great Presents to the Holy See that Monarch and the Kings of France his Successors being the only Princes who rais'd the Temporal Power of the Pope to that degree wherein we now behold it This part of Europe is at this day divided among several Potentates That is to say the Pope in the Ecclesiastical State The King of Spain who is of the House of Austria of the Branch of Burgundy possesses the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily the State of Milan and the Island of Sardigna These two Potentates are the most considerable in Italy the next to them are The Republic of Venice The Republic of Genoa The Republic of Luca. The Grand Duke of Tuscany of the House of Medici The Duke of Savoy of the House of Saxony The Duke of Mantua of the House of Gonzaga The Duke of Parma of the House of Farneze The Duke of Modena of the House of d'Este There are many other Sovereign Princes who have power of Life and Death over their Subjects with absolute authority to make War and Peace and to coyn Money but by reason of the small Extent of their Territories are call'd the Petty Princes of Italy Such are The Republic of St. Marin The Bishop of Trent The Duke of Guastalla The Duke of Sabionetta The Count of Novelare The Prince of Bozzolo The Duke of Mirandola The Prince of Monaco The Prince of Massera The Prince of Piombino The Duke of Bracciano And several others All the States of these Princes hold of the Church or of the Emperor of Germany Only the Territories of the Pope and the Republic of Venice are independent 'T is to be observ'd that the States that hold of the Church devolve to it again if the Proprietors happen to die without Issue Male the Daughters not being admitted to succeed their Fathers There are reckon'd to be in Italy 68 Principalities 95 Dukedoms an infinite number of Archbishoprics and Bishoprics and great store of Universities of which the most famous are those of Padua Venice Turin Pavia Siena Pisa Bologna Rome Ferrara Fermo Macerata Salerno Naples The Principal Cities of Italy are Rome which is the Metropolis of the whole Country term'd the Holy next to that Naples the Noble Florence the Fair Genoa the Proud Milan the Great Ravenna the Ancient Venice the Rich Padua the Learned and Bologna the Fat. It remains that I should speak of some Customs that are general in Italy In regard the Coasts of Italy upon the Mediterranean Sea are much infested by the Pyrates of Barbary who often Land there and carry away the Inhabitants in the Country with the best of their Goods there are little Forts built all along the Coasts about a mile distance one from another more especially upon the Riviera di Genoa and upon the Coasts of Naples and Sicily where six men keep Garrison with two Pieces of Cannon to prevent Descents These Guards every night kindle one or two Fires upon the neighbouring Mountains When there is but one it is call'd a Fire of Assurance as being a sign that no Turkish Brigantine has appear'd all that day But if they kindle two some Paces off one from another 't is to give notice to the Inhabitants to stand upon their Guards and that they
is counted one of the richest Cities in the World in regard it was never yet taken or plunder'd by her Enemies which makes it a common Saying That 't is as impossible that Money should be wanting in the Treasury of St. Mark as Soldiers in France The City of Venice is the Metropolis of the whole State and I have already said that she is very potent and I may add That if she had but plenty of Fresh Water she would want nothing But that defect proceeds from her being built upon Seventy two Fenny Islands Most Authors agree that Venice was Founded in the year 421. of Christ to which others more precisely add That the Building was begun upon the 25th of March which day is principally observ'd for that it was the day when the World was Created and of the Incarnation of Christ The Inhabitants of Padua were they who Founded this City at what time Attila King of the Hunns after he had laid Aquileia in Ashes undertook to subdue and ruine all Italy His Cruelties enforc'd the Paduans and other People that inhabited between the Alps and the Golph now call'd The Golph of Venice to shelter themselves in certain unwholsome Fenns And in the year 421. they began to build some Houses in the Island of Rialto which was proclaim'd to be the Place of Sancturay and Refuge and so in process of time those Buildings multiply'd in such a manner that Venice now takes in Seventy two Islands joyn'd together with 450 Bridges and because the Soil would not admit of any solid Foundations they built upon Piles as they do at Amsterdam in Holland The Bridge of Rialto over the Great Canal is the most beautiful in Venice and indeed in all Europe It has but one Arch all of Marble built upon 6328 Piles and border'd with two rows of Shops The situation of the City in this manner is the reason that there is no use of Coaches in Venice so that when they goe from one place to another they take Water in Shallops or Boats call'd Gondola's with which the Canals are cover'd The Canals and the Bridges are Lin'd with a White shining Stone and in regard the Women are handsome and the Gown-men very severe this has occasion'd a Proverb which admonishes Travellers to have a care of the Women the White Stones and the Men of the long Robe At first the Government of Venice was Democratical under Consuls and Tribunes Every Island had their particular Consuls that assum'd to themselves a Petty Sovereignty But the Jealousies that arose among 'em were the occasion that in the year 709. the Tribunes of the Twelve Principal Islands resolv'd to set up a Republick and to elect a Chieftain to Command 'em and first of all they cast their Eyes upon Paolo Lucio Anafesto to whom they gave the Title of Duke or Doge This First Duke and his Successors Rul'd with Absolute Authority till the year 1172. because that in their Life time they caus'd their Sons or their Brothers to be chosen to succeed 'em and went about in that manner to perpetuate the Ducal Dignity in their Families But the Principal Citizens abolish'd the Election which was made till then by the People and set up an Independent and Sovereign Council out of which they elected their Duke This Tribunal was compos'd of 240 Citizens indifferently chosen out of the Nobility the Burgesses and Artificers and at the same time they created Twelve Tribunes who were to oppose the Decrees of the Prince if they appear'd to be unjust This Form of Government lasted till the year 1289. at what time Duke Peter Gradenigo chang'd it into a Real Aristocracy such as it is at this day all the Authority being devolv'd into the hands of a certain number of Families writ down in a Golden Book which is the Register of the Venetian Nobility There are four different Councils in Venice the first which is called the Grand Council compos'd of 2000 Noblemen out of which they choose all the Magistrates Podesta's Generals of their Armies Proveditors Ambassadors c. and they make all the Laws which are deem'd necessary for the Welfare of the State The second is call'd the Council of Pregati which determines all things that relate to Peace or War Alliances or Leagues and this is that which we call the Senate of Venice The third is the Council call'd the Colledge compos'd of 26 Noblemen that gives Audience to Ambassadors and carries their Demands to the Senate The fourth is the Council of Ten which judges all Crimes against the State and is the most redoubted Council in Europe This Council is renew'd every Year This Council every Month chooses three Inquisitors of State who are always taken out of the Ten to the end that every one may serve in his Turn and the Authority of this Triumvirate is such that they have as much Power over the Duke's Life as over the Life of the meanest Subject without acquainting the Senate This Council has cavs'd several Heads of Marble to be plac'd against the Walls of the Palace with gaping Mouths upon which these words are to be read Secret Denunciations into which they who have any accusation against any Magistrate or other person holding Criminal Correspondence throw in little Notes And upon these Accusations it is and sometimes upon the least suspicion that they put People to Death who are sometimes guilty of no other Crime then not to please their Enemies For such is the Policy of Venice rather to take away the Lives of the Innocent then to let the Guilty go unpunish'd We must not forget that all the Nobility when they betake themselves to the Church are excluded from all their Councils and from all Employments in the State to prevent the Court of Rome from having any knowledge of the Secrets of the State As to Spirituals Venice is govern'd by a Patriarch who by a particular Rubrick at the beginning of his Commands and Orders never sets any other Titles than N. divina misericordia Venetiarum Patriarcha without ever adding like the Prelates of the Roman Church Et Sanctae sedis Apostolicae gratia as if he were no Member of it He is Primate of Dalmatia and Metropolitan of the Archbishopricks of Candy and Corfu Venice has also another Patriarch within her Territories that is to say the Patriarch of Aquileia who resides at Vdena in Friuli And in regard the City of Aquileia now belongs to the Emperour he pretends to have a Right to appoint the Patriarch But the Venetians to the end the Patriarchate may never become vacant have empowr'd the Patriarch to nominate a Coadjutor and Successor so soon as he is advanc'd to that Dignity which the Senate presently confirms if they deem him worthy of it The Employment of Duke of Venice is for life and generally they choose to that Dignity an Old Man who has been Ambassador in the principal Courts of Europe and who is perfectly acquainted with Forreign Countries
He cannot stir out of the Laguna without leave and can do nothing without the Advice of his Counsellors which are allotted him chosen out of the most considerable Gentlemen of the Republick When the Duke gives his Opinion in the Senate he has but one Voice but his suffrage goes for two in the Grand Council The Duke is clad in a Purple Robe with hanging Sleeves and when he parades upon any publick Ceremony he walks under a Canopy of Cloth of Gold eight Silver Trumpets marching before him and a Youth carrying a Torch of white Wax a Sword is also carried before him as a mark of his dependency All Declarations and Letters of State are written in his Name and the Money is also stamp'd with his Portraiture though there is always on the Reverse a Lyon and the Image of St. Mark with the Duke kneeling before him The Duke is Elected after the following manner The Grand Council being assembl'd at the hour prefix'd the Door is shut and after they have counted the number of those in the Hall they throw into a Bason an equal number of little Balls among which there are thirty guilt and when they are well jumbl'd and mix'd every Gentleman goes and takes one Then the Thirty that have the Golden Balls assemble together in another Room where there are ready prepar'd as many little Balls of which there are but Nine guilt These Nine Gentlemen whose chance it is to light upon the Nine guilt Balls choose out forty Gentlemen of the Assembly which forty are reduc'd to Twelve by means of the guilt Balls and those Twelve elect Five and twenty which are reduc'd to Nine Those Nine choose out Forty five who are reduced at length to Eleven who choose out One and forty Gentlemen and they Elect the Duke This Tedious Ballating prevents the Effects of Canvossing Now when these Electors are approv'd by the Grand Council they are shut up in the Palace of St Mark out of which they never stir till they have Elected the Duke And it is to be observ'd that though the Election be authentick it must be corroborated by Five and twenty Suffrages and while the Electors are thus shut up they are carefully guarded and diligently lookt after almost in the same manner as the Cardinals in the Conclave The Venetian Nobility is distinguish'd into four Classes The first comprehends the Families descended from the Tribunes who in the Year 709. were the Electors of the first Duke of Venice and which have continu'd by a kind of Miracle to this present time Those Twelve Electoral Families are the Contarini the Morosini Badouari Ziopoli Micheli Sanudi Gradenighi Meonni Falieri Dandoli Polani and Barozzi There are also other four Noble Families that have continu'd in a Lineal Succession ever since the Year 800 viz. The Justiniani Cornari Bragadini and Bembi For which reason the first are vulgarly call'd the Twelve Apostles and the latter the four Evangelists The second Classis of Noblemen are they that began to be enregister'd in the Golden Book when Gradenigo the Duke settled the Aristocracy in 1289. The third comprehends about fourscore and ten or a hundred Families who purchas'd their Nobility for a Thousand Ducats apiece These Noblemen are never employ'd in the high Preferments of the Republick The fourth Order of Nobility is that which the Republick confers upon Forreign Princes and other Illustrious Personages Thus Hen. III. and Hen. IV. of France were admitted into the Body of the Nobility of Venice The Noble Venetians walk the Streets in a long Black Robe and a Bonnet of black Tissue border'd with a Fringe that hangs round about and falls down over their Hair for they are not suffer'd to wear Perriwigs their Gowns are open before and discover a rich Cassock their Shooes are all of black Spanish Leather and for their Gate and Aire they are very Grave and Majestick But this Nobility of theirs deprives 'em of the freedom of conversing with Forreigners Nor will their Jealousie of all other Nations permit 'em so much as to give Strangers a Visit or to pay the least Civility to Ambassadors their Wives nor any other person belonging to their Retinue without express leave from the Senate Nor dare they speak to a Venetian Merchant if he be known to frequent a Forreign Minister's House Having thus discours'd of the Government both Politick and Ecclesiastick of Venice I shall only speak one word of what is most worthy the Curious Observation of Travellers If they happen to be there at the Festival of the Ascension they will see the Ceremony which is annually perform'd upon that Day of the Duke's Espousing the Sea At what time the Duke and the Senators in their Purple Robes accompanied by the Patriarch the Pope's Nuncio and the Ambassadors go aboard the Bucentaure which is a sort of Galley with several Decks guilded down to the Water and cover'd with Crimson Velvet with broad Gold Fringes and attended by all the Nobility and the People in four or five Thousand Gondola's and other Vessels rows forward within a Mile of the Main Sea And then it is that the Duke Espouses the Golf of the Adriatick Sea in Testimony that the Republick is the Mistress of it The Ceremony of this Espousal is perform'd by casting a Gold Ring into the Sea and saying these words We Espouse Thee our Sea as a Mark of real and perpetual Superiority After which the Patriarch gives his Benediction accompanied with the roaring of the Canon Thence they go to hear Mass upon the Lido and so return to the Palace where the Duke treats all the Senators and Great Lords Alexander III. instituted this Ceremony as a Mark of Gratitude to the Republick who had so strenuously upheld him against the Prosecutions of the Emperour Frederick Barbarossa But it is an Errour to believe upon the Credit of some Historians ill inform'd that the Republick of Venice held the Soveraignty of the Adriatick by Donation from that Pope for besides that it was never disputed with the Venetians the Holy See never had nor ever pretended to any Right over the Adriatick so that that same Pontiff could never bestow upon the Republick a thing that never was in his power to give And there needs no more then to read the Pope's own words to the Duke Ziani while he acknowledg'd the Republick's Right and instituted the Ceremony of Espousing the Sea Receive said he this Ring to give it every Year upon the same Day to the Sea as to your lawful Spouse so that your Posterity may know that the Sea belongs to You by Right of Arms. The Cathedral Church was formerly dedicated to St. Theodore but after the Body of St. Mark was brought thither from Alexandria the City made choice of that Saint for her Patron and the Church is Consecrated under his Name being one of the most Beautiful Edifices in the World and what is more surprizing is that such a weighty Bulk should have no
over the Door The Cells are finish'd in Nine Days by which time the Pope's Funeral Obsequies being over upon the Tenth the Cardinals that are at Rome enter the Conclave and without staying for the Arriual of the Absent Cardinals labour Morning and Evening in the Election of the Pope When the absent Cardinals arrive at Rome they spend some Days in Visits and reposing themselves and then they enter the Conclave also So soon as the Pope is Dead the Publick is inform'd of it by the ringing of a Bell that hangs in the Capitol and which is never towl'd upon any other occasion At the same time Courriers are dispatch'd to all the Sovereign Princes of Europe that profess the Roman Catholick Religion to inform 'em of the Pope's Death The Cardinal Chamberlain removes to the Palace and takes possession of the Fishermans Ring which was the Deceased Pope's Signet and breaks it to pieces because all Dispatches of Bulls cease during the Vacancy of the See Afterwards he gives out all necessary Orders for the Pope's Funeral whose Body is Embaulm'd and carry'd into a Chappel of St. Peter's Church and expos'd upon a Bed of State for the People to come and kiss his Feet through a Grate The Funeral Obsequies last Nine Days and the Ceremony is perform'd by the Sacred Colledge During the Vacancies of the Holy See the Three Chiefs of the Orders of the Colledge viz. the Dean of the Cardinal Bishops the first Cardinal Priest and the first Cardinal Deacon have in their hands the whole Government of the City and Ecclesiastical State and before they shut themselves up in the Conclave they issue forth all necessary Orders for the Publick Security as well in Rome as in all the Cities of the State I shall not enter into a particular description of the manner of Electing Popes since Linus's time who was the first that succeeded St. Peter till this present time as well for that it would carry me too far as for that the Ecclesiastical History has amply satisfy'd that piece of Curiosity 'T is observable in that History that the People and the Clergy joyntly and sometimes the Clergy alone proceeded to this Election that at other times the Princes and Emperors have assum'd to themselves the power of appointing whom they pleased to be Popes and reserv'd the Confirmation also to themselves That Lewis the Debonaire and his Successors Lotharre I. and Lewis II. restor'd the Liberty of Election to the Church in the Ninth Age That it was again taken from her in the Reign of Otho I. and not restor'd to her again till in the Twelfth Age. But now briefly to the manner of Election in use at this day The Cardinals that compose the Conclave repair Morning and Evening to the Chappel to make the Scrutiny to which purpose they carry every one of 'em a little Ticket wherein is written the Name of the Cardinal for whom they give their Suffrage for the Pontificate This Billet also contains the Name of the Cardinal Elector which nevertheless is inclos'd in a Cover and seal'd up and instead of a Superscription such a Motto or short saying as the Person thinks of as for example God is my Help The Holy Ghost be my Guide Every Cardinal throws his Billet into a Chalice that stands upon the Altar of the Chappel of the Conclave and after all the Tickets are in two Cardinals are appointed to open the first Fould of the Ticket and read aloud the Persons Nam'd to the Pontificate which are writ down in a Register yet not breaking open the Seal that encloses the Name of him that gives his Suffrage unless it be found that two Thirds of the Suffrages are for one and the same Person which is the number requisite to render the Election Authentick but then the Seals are broke open and the New Pope has the satisfaction to know who were the Persons that contributed to his Election This Scrutiny also continues till two Thirds of the Voices meet and after reading of the Scrutiny if the two Thirds of the Suffrages do not agree upon the same Person then they have recourse to that which they call Anough that is to say that every one is at Liberty to give his Voice for him who had the most by the Scrutiny with this Reservation that the Person is not permitted to give his Voice by the Anough for him to whom they had given it by the Scrutiny But if at length neither the Scrutiny nor the Anough determine the Election all the Tickets are burnt to the end the Names of the Electors may be kept secret Sometimes the Election is carry'd by way of Inspiration as they call it which is as it were an open Declaration several Cardinals crying out at the same time such a one Pope But this is never us'd but when They who make that Exclamation are assur'd that they shall be upheld by the Suffrages of two Thirds of the Assembly When any one of the Cardinals is Elected Pope the Masters of the Ceremonies repairs to his Cell to carry him the Tidings of his Exaltatation after which he is conducted to the Chappel and Rob'd with the Pontifical Habit Which done he receives the Adoration of the Cardinals that is to say the Respects which they are accustom'd to pay the Sovereign Pontiff That done they seat him in the Pontifical Chair and set him upon the Altar of the Apostles in St. Peter's Church where the Cardinals perform the Ceremony of Adoration a second time From thence his Holiness is reconducted to his Apartment and some Days after they proceed to the Ceremony of his Coronation as of a Temporal Prince And here are to be observ'd the two Qualifications of a Pope the one is as he is the Soveraign Pontiff and Head of the Church the other as he is a Temporal Prince and Sovereign of a considerable State The Ceremony of the Coronation is perform'd in St. Peter's Church where there is a Throne erected to which the new Pope ascends and being seated his Miter is taken off and the Crown set upon his Head before all the People And then begins the Cavalcade from St. Peters to St. John di Laterano at what time all the Cardinals Princes and Ambassadors accompany him on Horseback Being arriv'd at St. John di Laterano the Archbishop of that Church presents the Pope with two Keys the one of Gold the other of Silver and after he has given the Canons leave to kiss his Feet his Holiness is attended back to his Palace with the same Ceremony In the Account which I am going to give of the Curiosities in Rome most worthy the observation of a Traveller I shall endeavour to omit nothing considerable of what came to my knowledge and begin with a Description of the Churches which are the fairest and best adorn'd of any in the World The Church of St. Peter is deservedly lookt upon to be the most beautiful the largest and the most Superb in