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O >■ ■^/^aiAiNn-iw^^ ^tllBRARYr ■-3 11 f^ \^my\^ 'Or ^VlOSANCElfjv "^/raaAiNii-jwv ^.OFCAIIFO/?^ ^.OFCAIIFO%. ^OAavaaii-^^ ^ imi liirri |:^i i^^ '^CAavaan-i'*^ ^OAavaani^"^ ^-r?l]DNVS01^ ^OAavaaii'i^ Jt?Aavaan-i^ .^MfUNIVERy/A & 5 %a3AiNn]\\v ^.sMllBRARYQf ^HIBRARY(2c ^ •^TiUDKVSOl'^ ^/'?a]AIN1-3WV^ ,5,MM'KIVER% ''rji3>\soi^'^ ^\lOSANCflfj> ■^/^a3AINI1-3VVi ^OFfAllFOff^ ^OFCAllFOfti^ Y< ^OAavaaiH^ ^<9Aavaaiii'^ .^WEUNIVERS/A ^lOSANCflfj> SO ^ I> ^ '^'^'^ajAiNdiwv ^.. ^jMllBRARYO/ ^tllBRARYi?/ "^tfOJIWDJO^ ^Of CAllFORil^ ^•OfCAllFOff^ '^^OAavaaii-1^ -•jMEUNIVERS/a. ^lOSA(JCElfj>^ o ^ ^HIBRARYQr ^IIIBRARYO/ ^TiiaONVSOl^ "^/SajAINn-JWV^ "^AOdlWDJO^ '^iOJIlVDJO'^ ^\«EUNIVER% ^lOSANCflfj-^ ^.0FCAIIF0% '^(?Aavaan# ■^TiuDNvsoi^ '^ajAiNnjwv' ^.OFCAtlFOff^ '^ -^ 20 ^ <,. ^vM-llBRARYOc. ij 1 ii— ' ^ ^^lllBRARYOr 5 1 1 C^ s ^OFCAilFOfti^ ^OFCAllFORi^ ^^Aavaan-'i^ ^\«EUNIVERy/4 ^lOSAHCElfj^ ^tUBRARYQc. *,^illBRARY(> ^TiHONVSOl^ ■^Aa3AIN(13Wv^ -^.JOJnVDJO^ '^.^OJITOJO''^ ^5WEUNIVERS5^ ^lOSANGEltf^ ■^^OAavaan-^ '^jvi3Dnvsoi'^ %a3AINI13iV>^ .^;OFCAIIFO% >i;OFCAllfOff^ ^&Aava8iii^ <§ c^ A\^EUNIVERy//, ^lOSANCElfj> -vTl!BRARY(?/r^ ^tllBRARYQ.^ ,\WEUNIVERS//v ^lOSANCElfj> CLASSICAL TOUR THROUGH ITALY. Ha.'r est Italia diis sacra, hse gentes ejus, hsec oppida populorum. Plin. Nat. Hist. iir. 20, An. MDCCCII REV. JOHN CHETWODE EUSTACE. THIRD EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED. ILLUSTRATED WITH A MAP OF ITALY, PLANS OF CHURCHES, INDEX, &c. VOL. L LONDON: I'KINTED FOR J. MAWMAN, S9, LUDGATE STREET. 1819. RIGHT HONOURABLE ^ DGr 4-2.5" ■E3lc (8 19 JOHN LORD BROWNLOW, ^. | U)RD LIEUTENANT OF THE COUNTY OF LINCOLN, <5c. 4c- Ac- THIS WORK IS INSCRIBED, AS A TRIBUTE TO HIS MANY' VIRTUES, AS AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HIS CONSTANT KINUNESS, AND, AT THE SAME TiME, AS A MONUMENT OF AN INSTRUCTIVE AND PLEASANT TOUR, BY HIS lordship's FELLOW TRAVELLER MOST SINCERE FRIEND, JOHN CHETWODE EUSTACE. lA 2008164 ADVERTISEMENT. The Piihlishei' thought, that he should gratify several of the Purchasers of this Edition of Mr. Eustace's Classical Tour by uniting it with the additional Volume of Sir Richard Colt Hoabe, so as to form one complete Work upon the present and past State of Italy. He cannot but i-egret, that Mr. Eustace did not live to finish the supplemeiUary Volume which he had 7neditated, and for which he was engaged in collecting materials, when a premature death put an end to his valuable life. What, however, Mr. Eustace did not live to accom- plish. Sir Richard Colt Hoare has executed, and in a manner it is hoped that Mr. Eustace himself would have approved. The Publisher trusts, therefore, that this additional Volume, while it is an honourable tribute to the revered memory of Mr. Eustace, will be gratifying to his numerous friends. LuDGATE Street, January f 1819. DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING THE PLATES. [All to be in the First Volume.) Page Map or Italy, to face the Title Page. Church of St. Clement, to face page 304 Section of the Church of St. Clement 304 Section of the Church of S. Pietro Alle Vincole 306 Basilica of St. Sebastian 312 Basilica of St. Lawrence 322 Basilica Liberiani, or Sta. Maria Maggiore 324 Basilica Lateranensis, or St. John Lateran 327 Basilica Sancti Crucis in Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Cross 331 Basilica of St. Paul 332 Basilica Vaticana, or St. Peter's ; 341 PREFACE. THE Author presents the foUowdng pages to the Public with diffidence. He is aware that the very title of " a Tour through Italy" is sufficient in itself to raise expectation, which, as he has learned from the fate of similar compositions, is more frequently disappointed than satisfied. To avoid as much as possible this inconvenience, he thinks it necessary to state precisely the nature and object of the present Work, that the reader may enter upon its perusal Avith some previous knowledge of its contents. The Preliminary Discourse is intended chiefly for the infor- mation of young and inexperienced travellers, and points out the qualities and accomplishments requisite to enable them to derive from an Italian Tour its full advantages. The Reader then comes to the Tour itself. The epithet Classical sufficiently points out its peculiar charac- ter, which is to trace the resemblance between Modern and An- cient Italy, and to take for guides and companions in the begin- ning of the nineteenth century, the writers that preceded or adorned the first. Conformably to that character, the Author may be allowed to dwell with complacency on the incidents of ancient history, to admit every poetical recollection, and to claim indul- VOL. I, J) X PREFACE. gence, if in describing objects so often alluded to by the Latin writers, he should frequently borrow their expressions ; Materiae scripto conveniente suae*. Citations, in fact, which, notwithstanding the example of Cicero, and the precept of Quintilian-j-, some severe critics are disposed to proscribe, may here be introduced or even lavished, without censure ; they rise spontaneously from the soil we tread, and constitute one of its distinguishing beauties. In Modern History, he may perhaps be considered as some- times too short ; but it must be remembered that Modern History is not Classical, and can claim admission only as an illustration. As for the forms of government estabhshed in many provinces by the present French rulers, they are generally passed over in silence and contempt, as shifting scenes or rather nierefgiiranti in the poli- tical drama, destined to occupy the attention for a time, and to dis- appear when the principal character shews himself upon the stage. I Of the state of painting and sculpture, though these arts reflect so much lustre on Italy, little is said:]: ; an acknowledgment which may surprise and disappoint many readers. But, on the one hand, to give a long catalogue of pictures and statues, without ex- planatory observations, appeared absurd ; and on the other, to * Ovid, Trist. 1. v. 1. t Quintil. lib. i. cap. v. Edit. Rollin. X Little is said of the arts, when the extent and importanee of the subject are consi- dered ; but muQh is said in comparbon of other Tours and similar compositions. PREFACE. xi execute such arwork in a becoming manner requires leisure, tech- nical information, and the pen of a professed artist, perhaps of a Reynolds. The subject is therefore touched incidentally only; but as it is extensive and amusing, and affords scope to the display of skill, taste and erudition united, it will, it is to be hoped, ere long attract the attention of some writer capable of doing it justice. As to the Style — in the first place some, perhaps many ex- pressions, and occasionally whole sentences, may have been inad- vertently repeated ; a fault great without doubt, but pardonable because almost unavoidable in descriptive composition. JVho, indeed, can paint like Nature, or who vary his colouring with all the tints of Italian scenery, lighted by an Italian sky ? If Lucre- tius has repeated at length two of the most beautiful passages in his poem*, the Author may claim indulgence, if, in describing the perpetual recurrence of similar objects, he has been betrayed into similar language. In Proper Names, he has ventured frequently to use the ancient appellation if not irrecoverably lost in the modern. Thus, he sometimes introduces the Benacus, Liris, and Athesis, instead of the Lago di Gai-da, Garigliano, and Adige, because the former names are still familiar to the learned ear, and by no means unknown even to the peasantry. The same may be said of the Amo, the Tiber, and several other rivers, and may be ex- tended to many cities and mountains. He has, as much as possi- * Lib. i. V. 925.— Lib. iv. v. b2 arii PREFACE. ble, attempted to discard the French termination in Italian names, and laments that he cannot carry consistency so far as to apply it to antiquity, and rejecting the semi-barbarous appellations with which the French have misnamed some of the most illustrious an- cients, restore to Horace and Virgil all their Roman majesty*. But this general reformation must be left to more able and more popular Avriters, or rather perhaps recommended to the learned gentlemen who preside over the Universities and the great Schools, and to the Critics who direct the public taste in Reviews, and have of late exercised no small influence over custom itself. We now come to objects of greater moment, and here the Au- thor must, however reluctantly, obtrude himself on the attention of the Reader. Religion, Politics, and Literature, are the three great objects^ that employ every mind raised by education above the level of the labourer or of the mechanic ; upon them every thinking man must have a decided opinion, and that opinion must occa- sionally influence his conduct, conversation, and writings. Sincere and undisguised in the belief and profession of the Roman Ca- tholic Religion, the Author affects not to conceal, because he is not ashamed of its influence. However unpopular it may be, he is convinced that its evil report is not the result (rf any inherent defect, but the mitural consequence of polemic animosity, of the exaggerations of friends, of the misconceptions of enemies. Yes ! he must acknowledge that the affecting lessons, the holy examples, * Titus Livius owes the recovery of his Roman appellation to the Bishop of Landafl^ who introduces it into his Apobgy for the Bible. PREFACE. xiii and the majestic rites of the Catholic Church, made an early im- pression on his mind ; and neither time nor experience, neither reading nor conversation, nor much travelling, have weakened that impression, or diminished his veneration. Yet with this affec- tionate attachment to the ancient Faith, he presumes not to arraign those who support other systems. Persuaded that their claims to mercy, as well as his own^ depend upon Sincerity and Charity, he leaves them and himself to- the disposal of the common Father of all, who, we may humbly hope, will treat our errors and our de- fects with more indulgence than mortals usually shew to each other. In truth. Reconciliation and Union are the objects of his warmest wishes, of his^ most fervent prayers ; they occupy his thoughts, they employ bis pen ; and if a stone shall happen to mark the spot where his remains are to repose, that stone shall speak of Peace and Reconciliation. We come next to PoFitics, a subject of a very delicate nature, where difference of opinion, like disagreement in Religion, has given occasion to many rancorous and interminable contests : and here, expressions apparently favourable to republicanism, or perhaps the general tendency of his principles to the cause of freedom, may incline some of his readers to suspect him of an ex- cessive and unconstitutional attaclmient to that form of govern- ment. Witliout doubt. Liberty, the source of so many virtues, the mother of so many arts, the spring of public and private happiness, of the glory and the greatness of nations, is and ever will be the idol of Uberal and manly minds, and that system which is most favourable to its development must necessarily obtain their appro- xiv PREFACE. bation. But fortunately they need not have recourse to fine-spun theories for the principles, or look to past ages or to distant coun- tries for the practice of a free, and, what may justly be called, a republican government. The Constitution of England actually comprises the excellencies of all the ancient commonwealths, together with the advantages of the best fonns of monarchy ; though Uable, as all human institutions are, to abuse and decay, yet, hke the works of Providence, it contains in itself the means of correction and the seeds of renovation. Such a system was considered as one of unattainable perfection by Cicero, and was pronounced by Tacitus, a vision fair but transient. A scheme of poUcy that enchanted the sages of antiquity may surely content the patriot and the philosopher of modern days, and the only wish of both must be, that, in spite of royal encroachment and of popular frenzy, it may last for ever. In Literature, if the Author differs from those who have pre- ceded him in the same Tour ; if he censureis the opinions of any other traveller or writer ; he hopes he has expressed the reasons of his dissent with the tenderness and with the attention due to their feelings and reputation. On the merits of the French language and literature he differs from many; but he is open to conviction even on this subject, and only requests the Reader to weigh with impartiality the reasons which he produces against both, and the more so, as the question is of greater importance than may perhaps be imagined ; for, to the wide circulation of French authors may be attributed many of PREFACE. XV the evils under which Europe now labours. This observation naturally leads to the following. If ever he indulges in harsh and acrimonious language, it is when speaking of the French, their principles, and measures ; and on this subject he acknowledges that his expressions, if they correspond with his feelings, must be strong, because his abhorrence of that government and of its whole system, is deep and unqualified. Neither the patriot who recol- lects the vindictive spirit with which the Ruler of France carries on hostilities against Great Britain, the only bulwark of Europe, and the asylum of the Independence of Nations, because he knows where Freedom makes her last stand, Libertas ultima mundi Quo steterit ferienda loco j LucAN, vii. nor the philosopher who considers the wide wasting war which the French government has been so long carrying on against the liberties and the happiness of mankind, will probably condemn the author's feelings as intemperate, or require any apology for the harshness of his expressions. As long as religion and literature, civilization and independence are objects of estimation among men, so long must revolutionary France be remembered with horror and detestation. It now only remains to inform the reader, that the Tour sketched out in the following pages was undertaken in company with Philip Roche, Esq. a young gentleman of fortune, who, while he spared no expense to render it instructive, contributed much to its pleasures by his gentle manners, and by his many mild and benevolent virtues ; virtues which, it was hoped, would have ex- xvi PREFACE. tended their influence through a long and prosperous life, and contributed to the happiness, not of his family only, but of an extensive circle of friends and acquaintance. But these hopes were vain, and the Author is destined to pay his unavailing tribute to the memory of his friend and companion- The two gentlemen who, with the Author and his fellow traveller, formed the party often alluded to in the following pages, were the Honourable Mr. Cust, now Lord Brownlow, and Robert Rush BROKE, Esq. of Rushbroke Park. The information, the politeness, and the good humour of the fiormer, witli the liveliness, the mirth, and the accomplishments of tlie latter, heightened the pleasures of the journey, and, by supplying a continual fund of incident and conversation, rendered even Italy itself more delight- ful. To Lord Brownlow,, the Author must acknowledge another obligation, as he is indebted to his Lordship for several useful ob- servations during the course of this work, and particularly for the details of the excursion to the island of Ischia, and the account of the solitudes of Camaldoli and of Akcniia. The publication of these volumes has been delayed by frequent avocations, and particularly by a more extensive and scarcely less intei'esting excursion to parts of Dalmatia, the Western Coasts of Greece, the Ionian Islands, to Sicili/, Malta, &c. &c. The details of this latter Tour may, perhaps, be presented to the public if the following pages meet its approbation^ Great Chest erf ord, Essex, Sept. 14, 1812. . - _, PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. Jam mens praetrepidans avet vagari : Jam Icfiti studio pedes vigescunt. O dulces comitum valete costus, Longe quos simul a domo profectos, Divers^ variae viae reportant. Catul. xliv. THE degree of preparation necessary for travelling depends upon the motives which induce us to travel. He who goes from home merely to change the scene and to seek for novelty ; who makes amusement his sole object, and has no other view but to fill up a few months that must otherwise remain unemployed, has no need of mental preparation for his excursion. All that such a loiterer can possibly want, are a convenient postchaise, a letter of credit, and a well furnished trunk ; for occupation he will have VOL. I. c xviii PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. recourse to inns, to coffee-houses, and to theatres, with their appurtenances, which cannot fail to supply him with incidents, anecdote, and pastime in abundance. But he who believes with Cicero, that it becomes a man of a Uberal and active mind to visit countries ennobled by the birth and the residence of the Great ; who, with the same Roman, finds himself disposed by the con- templation of such scenes to virtuous and honourable pursuits ; he who, like Titus Quintius devoting the first days of leisure after his glorious achievements to the celebrated monuments of Greece, embraces the earliest opportunity of visiting the classic regions of Italy; such a traveller will easily compre- hend the necessity of providing beforehand the information requisite to enable him to traverse the country without constant difficulty, doubt, and inquiry. And indeed, if there be a Tour in which such preparation is more particularly wanting than in any other, it is that to which I allude ; as Italy owes more to history than even to nature ; and he who goes over it merely with his eyes open to its embellishments, and his mind intent on observation, though he may see much and learn much also, will yet, with all his curiosity and diligence, discover one half only of its beauties. Even those travellers who have made some efforts to qualify themselves by previous appUcation, will on many occasions regret that they have not extended their researches still farther, and that they have not, by a longer course of preparation, added to their means both of amusement PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xlx and of instruction*. It may, therefore, be considered as an appropriate introduction to an account of Italy, to point out to the reader such branches of information as are either indis- pensable or highly advantageous in an excursion to that coun- try ; after which I mean to add a few reflections and cautions, with a view either to remove prejudices, or to prevent incon- veniences. CLASSICAL KNOWLEDGE. I. As these pages are addressed solely to persons of a liberal education, it is almost needless to recommend the Latin Poets and Historians. Virgil and Horace, Cicero and Livy, ought to be the inseparable companions of all travellers; they should occupy a corner in every carriage, and be called forth in every interval of leisure to relieve the fatigue and to heighten the pleasure of the journey. Familiar acquaintance or rather *' Vous ne sauriez croire," says the Abbe Barthelemi to the Comte De Caylus, " com- bien mon voyage (en Italic) m'a humili^ ; j'ai vu tant de choses que j'ignorois, et que j'ignore encore, qu'il m'a paru fou de se savoir gr6 de quelques connoissances super- ficlelles." — 'Lettre xxi. Yet the author of Anacharsls was one of the most learned and judicious antiquaries in France. c 2 XX PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. bosom intimacy with the ancients is evidently the first and most essential accomplishment of a classical traveller. But there is a class of Poets who, though nearly allied in language, sentiments, and country, to the ancients, are yet in general little known; I mean the modern Latin poets, Vida, Sannazarius, Fracastorius, Flaminius, Politian, &:c.* who laboured so successfully to restore the pure taste of antiquity. Boileau and the French critics aftected to despise these authors f, and, for * Pope printed, or rather, I believe, reprinted with additions, a collection of poems from these authors in two volumes duodecimo. The Clarendon press gave the public a superb specimen of typographical elegance, in an edition of Vida, in three volumes octavo, in the years 22, 23, 24, of the last century. t The contempt which the French critics generally shew for modern Latin poetry may, perhaps, arise frnm a consciousness of their own deficiency in this respect. Cardi- nal Polignac, Vaniere, Rapin, and Santeuil*, are the only Latin poets, if I recollect well, of any consideration that France has produced, and ihuugh they are not without merit, yfet they betray in the effort with which they advance and in the very art which tjiey display, somewhat of the latent barbarian. Even in Latin prose the French do not seem to have succeeded better. There is always an appearance of study and constraint in their style, very different from the easy, unaffected flow of Italian authors. The latter only have either preserved or recovered the " certa vox Romani generis, urbisque propria. * This last author is inferior to the others, because more affected. His Hymns, though inserted in the Parisian Breviary, and much admired by French critics, are quite disfigured by conceit and antithesis. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxi what reason it is difficult to discover, undervalued their latinity. But men of equal discernment, Atterburj^, Pope, and Johnson, entertained a very different opinion of their merit, and not only read but sometimes borrowed from them. Every body is ac- quainted with the beautiful compliment which the British poet pays to Vida, and through him indirectly to his fellow bards, whose united rays lighted up the glories of the second Augustan age ; and every reader not blinded by prejudice must admit the propriety of this poetical tribute, and acknowledge, that not Vida only but several of his contemporaries tread in the footsteps of their illustrious countrymen Virgil and Horace ; not unfrequently catch a spark of their inspiration, and often speak their language with the grace and the facility which distinguish native Romans. Upon the present occasion I mean to recommend, in particular, only such passages in their works as have an immediate connection with Italy, and are calculated to give an additional interest to any part of its history, scenery, or antiquities. In these passages, where the subject calls forth their energies, they glow with native fire, and in numbers not unworthy the fathers of Romaja verse, pure, majestic, or pathetic, celebrate the grandeur, describe the beauties, or lament the misfortunes of their country. in qua nihil offendi, nihil displicere, nihil animadverti possit, nihil sonare, aut olere pere- grinum." — (Cicero de Or.) Hence Mr. Roscoe has reason to mention these poets with partiality, under the appellation of the rivals of Virgil and Horace. xxii PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. ITALIAN LANGUAGE. II. It is evident that he who wishes to become acquainted with the manners, or to enjoy the society of the inhabitants of any country, must previously learn their language ; it is not therefore my intention, at present, merely to recommend, what indeed no traveller entirely neglects, the study of Italian, but to enforce the necessity of commencing it at a much earlier period, and of con- tinuing it for a much longer space of time than is now customary. He who enters Italy with an intention of applying to its language particularly, must make a longer residence there than our country- men usually do, or he will find too many external calls upon his attention and curiosity to allow him to devote his time to cabinet studies. Information there, is to be gathered, not from sedentary application, but from active research and observation. One day is devoted to the contemplation of churches or ruins, the next is passed in the examination of pictures, a third is dedicated to a groupe of ancient statues, and a fourth and a fifth are agreeably spent in the galleries or the gardens of a villa ; then excursions are to be made to spots consecrated by history or by song, to Horace's Sabine farm or to Virgil's tomb, to Tibur or Tuaculum, to Fesole or Vallombrosa. In these delightful and in- structive occupations, days, weeks, and months glide away with imperceptible -rapidity, and the few leisure hours that may chance to occur at intervals are scarcely sufficient to give the PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxiii diligent traveller time to collect his remarks ahd to embody his recollections. Let him, therefore, who wishes to visit Italy with full satisfaction and advantage, acquire, if possible, such an acquaintance with its language, previous to his journey, that nothing may be wanting to complete his command of it but practice and conversation. " He that travelleth into a country before he hath some entrance into the language, goeth to school and not to travel," says Bacon. ITALIAN HISTORY. III. The next object which claims attention is the History of the different Revolutions of I tali/, not only before, but during the decline and after the fall of the Roman Empire. The republican part of Roman history is considered as purely classical, and as such is presupposed in the first para- graph. The lives or the reigns of the first Emperors are contained in Suetonius, Tacitus, and Herodian, whose curious and amusing volumes must of course be perused with attention, while the Scriptores Historic Augusta will not be neglected. The Abate Denina's History of the Revolutions of Italy, a work in great estimation, gives a very satisfactory view of the whole sub- ject, including both ancient and modern times. The two Sister Histories of Lorenzo and of Leo, by Mr. Roscoe, contain xxiv PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. a full and interesting account of one of the most important epochs that occur in the annals of Italy ; they have long since attracted the attention of every candid and reflecting mind, and need not be recommended to persons who mean to visit the country which has been the theatre of the events, and the abode of the great men so eloquently recorded in them. MEDALS. IV. Though I do not mean to turn young travellers into profound antiquaries, yet I would have them at least skim over all the regions of ancient learning. No spot in this extensive territory is either dreary or unproductive. Medals are inti- mately connected with the history and the manners, with the arts and even the taste of the ancients. .... And faithful to their charge of fame Through climes and ages bear each form and name. In one short view, subjected to our eye, Gods, emp'rors, heroes, sages, beauties, lie. They merit therefore considerable attention. Addison's Dia- logues, written with the usual felicity of that graceful author, deserve to be recommended as a very proper introduction to this amusing branch of knowledge. These dialogues PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxv have also, independently of their scientific merit, a very strong claim to the attention of the classical traveller, from the number- less extracts from the ancients, and particularly the poets, intro- duced with art, and frequently illustrated with elegance. ARCHITECTURE. V. As Italy posseses some of the most perfect monuments of antiquity now remaining, " Res antiquae laudis et artis," as well as the most splendid productions of modern genius in Ar- chitecture, Sculpture, and Painting, it is absolutely necessary to acquire a general knowledge of the principles of these three great arts- With regard to Architecture, Dean Aldrich's Elements, trans- lated by Mr. Smyth of New College, is a very clear and con- cise treatise on the general principles, proportions, and terms of this art, and may be recommended as a good work of the kind for the use of beginners. The five orders, according to Pulladio's s^^stem, are explained in a little treatise, and illus- trated in a set of neat engravings by Cypriani*. Scamoz- zi's Lives of the principal Architects, preceded by a disser- * Roma. ISOl. VOL. I. xxvi PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. tation on the art in general, is an useful and very entertaining work. But the man who wishes to have accurate ideas and com- prehensive notions on this subject, must not content himself with these nor indeed with any modern compositions. He must have recourse to the ancients — " inventas qui vitam exco- luere per artes" — and in their writings and monuments study the best models and the fairest specimens of architectural beauty. Rollings short treatise, in his Appendix to his Ancient History, enriched with several citations and classical references, may serve as an introduction. It is not perhaps always accurate, because written before an exact survey of several ancient monuments had been made, but it is perspicuous and interesting, and, like all the works of that excellent author, admirably calculated to awaken curiosity in the youthful mind. Stuart's Athens, a work of surprising exactness, pre- sents, to the eye, in one groupe, a collection of the noblest specimens of Grecian art and of Attic taste now existing*. In these matchless edifices, erected during the most flourish- ing period of Grecian architecture, the reader will discover * Mr. Wilkins's magnificent work, entitled. Magna Grecia, is, in execution, ac- curacy, and interest, equal to any of the kind, and cannot be too strongly recom- mended. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxvii the genuine proportions of the original Doric, the first and favourite order of the Grecian architects ; an order either slightly mentioned or totally omitted by modern artists, though it is supposed, at least as employed in the Parthenon and the temple of Theseus, to unite, above all others, ornament with simplicity and beauty with solidity. Vitruvius must be perused or at least consulted, with the assistance of the Italian translation and notes, to remove such difficulties as must invariably occur without some explanation*. Many works of greater length and more detail might be re- commended, but the few alluded to are sufficient, not indeed to perfect an architect, but to form the taste of a young traveller. Besides, when the first principles are once known and the original proportions well understood, an attentive observer may improve his taste by comparing the best models of Greek and Roman, of ancient and modern, architecture -f-. * Vitruvio del Galiani, Napoli, * No art deserves more attention than Architecture, because no art is so often called into action, tends so much to the embellishment or contributes more to the re- putation of a country. It ought, therefore, at all events to occupy some portion of time in a liberal education. Had such a method of instruction as that which is here recommended been adopted a century ago, the streets of London, Oxford, and Cam- bridge, would not present so many shapeless buildings, raised at an enormous d2 xxviii PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SCULPTURE. VI. We come in the next place to Sculpture. Some ac- quaintance with anatomy is a desirable preliminary to the know- ledge of this art ; therefore he who wishes to form correct notions of the statues, which he must necessarily examine during his travels, would do well to attend a few anatomical lectures pre- vious to his departure from the University. The best method of acquiring a correct and natural taste in sculpture is, without doubt, to inspect frequently the masterpieces of the art, to com- pare them with each other, and to converse occasionally with the best informed artists. PAINTING. VII. Du Fresnoys Art of Painting, and Sir Joshua Rey- nolds's well known discourses, together with much observation expense, as if designed for eternal monuments of the opulence and of the bad taste of the British nation. VVe should not see such a multitude of absurd edifices under the names of temples, ruins, &c. disgrace the scenery of England so much admired by foreigners. In short, instead of allowing architects to pursue novelty at the expense of taste, and seek for reputation by adaptations and pretended improve- ments of their own invention, a method which has never yet succeeded, their PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxix and frequent conversation with persons well versed in this en- chanting art, may enable attentive observers to distinguish the different schools, to observe the characteristic excellence of each great master, the peculiar beauty of every celebrated piece, and give them, if not the erudkos oculos, the discriminating eye of the professed artist, at least the liberal satisfaction of the judicious admirer. MUSIC. VIII. As Italy is acknowledged to be the first country in the world for Music, both with regard to composition and execution, something perhaps may be expected on that subject also. But, much as we may value music, yet I think that young travellers ought rather to be cautioned against its allurements than exposed by preparatory lessons to their dangerous influence. Music in Italy has lost its strength and its dignity ; it is little calculated either to kindle patriotism or to inspire devotion ; it docs not call forth the energies of the mind, nor even touch the strings of melancholy. It tends rather by its effeminacy employers would oblige them to adhere strictly to the ancients, and by adopting their forms and proportions to adorn England with the noblest edifices of Greect and of Italy. XXX PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. to bring dangerous passions into action, and like the allegorical stream of antiquity, to unman those who allow themselves to be hurried down its treacherous current. Plato would have for- bidden such music, and banished its professors from his republic ; at all events it neither wants nor deserves much encouragement, and we may at least be allowed to caution the youthful travel- ler asainst a taste that too often leads to low and dishonourable connections. IX. I have now pointed out the preparatory knowledge which I think necessary to all travellers Avho wish to derive, from their ItaUan Tour, their full share of information and amuse- ment. I will next proceed, according to my plan, to point out such dispositions as will contribute very materially to this object, by removing prejudices, and leaving the mind fully open to the impressions of experience and observation. All the dispositions alluded to, are included in one short but comprehensive expression, an unprejudiced mind. This excellent quality is the result of time and observation, of dociUty and be- nevolence. It does not require that we should be indifferent to the prosperity of our own country or blind to its pre-eminence ; but, that we should shew some indulgence to the errors, and some compassion for the sufferings of less favoured nations. Far be it from me, to wish to repress that spirit of patriotism which forms PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxsi one of the noblest features of the national character, and still far- ther every idea of encouraging the unfeeling sect, who conceal general indifference under the affectation of philanthropy, and sacrifice the feelings of the patriot to the pretended benevolence of the philosopher. But attachment to our own country, and partiality to its reputation, do not oblige us to despise those nations, which having been once tumbled from the pinnacle of Glorj% are held by a series of disastrous revolutions and irresistible circum- stances in a state of dependence and of consequent degradation. On the contrary, the numberless evils and abuses which result from slavery and oppression, cannot but excite sentiments of compassion and of sympathy. Scipio, when he beheld the flames of Carthage ascending to the skies, exclaimed with a prophetic application to Rome then triumphant, E5 /AiV Y*P '''o'^^ o*^^* xccToi (fpiva, xa5 x«ra 6u(aov 'EmfM rliuoLp, St £y mr oAtiX'p 'I^ioj Ip-^ Iliad vi. 447 — 8. Yet come it will, the day decreed by Fates, How my heart trembles, while my tongue relates ! The day when Thou, imperial Troy ! must bend. And see thy warriors fall, thy glories end. Iliad vi. xxxii PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. Empire has hitherto rolled westward : when we contemplate the dominions of Great Britain, and its wide extended power, we may without presumption imagine that it now hovers over Great Britain ; but it is still on the wing ; and whether it be destined to retrace its steps to the East, or to continue its flight to Transatlantic regions, the days of England's glory have their number, and the period of her decline will at length arrive. The inhabitants of these islands may, like the sons of Greece and Italy, Ue prostrate at the feet of a victorious enemy, and claim his compassion as a tribute due to the greatness of their ancestors. Let us therefore extend our sympathy to the now enslaved off- spring of our predecessors in the career of glory, of the former LORDS OF HUMAN KIND — " tcrrae dominantis alumni." In fine, let us contemplate the different forms of wor- ship which prevail in different parts of Christendom, not with the acrimonious contempt of a narrow minded sectary, but with the compassionate indulgence of a mild and humble Christian. Let it be remembered that Englishmen are re- proached by foreigners with intolerance, and that it becomes them to keep up the national reputation of candour and good sense, by conciUatory and forbearing conduct. I do not mean to recommend either compliance with practices which they condemn, or indifference to that form of Christianity which they have adopted ; but surely every candid and consistent Protestant will PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxxiii admit, that Christianity is excellent in all her forms ; that all Christian Establishments receive the same primitive creeds, and admit the same moral obligations ; that it becomes a benevolent and charitable mind to consider rather in what they agree, than in what they differ ; especially as the former is so much, and the latter comparatively so little ; that while the spirit of Christianity is, like its divine author, immutable, its external form may change with the age and the climate, and, as public opinion and autho- rity shall direct, assume or resign the pomp and the circumstance of worship ; that ceremonies, in themselves unmeaning, signify just as much as those who employ them attach to them, and that Catholic as well as Protestant nations may be allowed to adopt in religion as well as in civil life, such forms and rites as may seem calculated to ensure order and respect ; that whether the Gospel be read in the language and according to the simple forms of the Church of England, under the Gothic vaults of York or of Canterbury ; or whether it be chanted in Greek and Latin, with all the splendour of the Roman ritual under the golden dome of the Vatican ; it is always and everywhere the same voice of truth, the same tidings of salvation : in fine, that all Christians are marked on their entrance into life with the same seal of salvation ; that all hope to receive at the eucharistic table the same pledge of redemption, and that all resign their souls in death to the same merciful Father, with humble hopes of for- giveness through the same gracious Redeemer. That there should VOL. I. e xxxiv PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. be such an universal agreement in these great and interesting articles must be a subject of consolation, and of pious acknow- ledgment to every benevolent mind. But I fear that Charity itself can scarce look for a greater unanimity. An agreement in all the details and consequences drawn by arguments from first principles, is not to be expected in our present state, so chequered with light and shade, where knowledge is dealt out so unequally, and where the opinions of even good and wise men are so biassed by education, by habit, and by prejudice. But if we have not knowledge enough to coin- cide in speculation, we may at least have charity enough to agree in practice, by treating each other's opinions with tenderness; and, in all our differences and discussions, keeping in view that beautiful maxim inculcated by a very learned, a very zealous, and a very benevolent Father, " In necessariis Unitas, in dubiis Libertas, in omnibus Caritas." X. It is usual to take with us as guides on our journey cer- tain works written for the purpose, and Addison's Travels are generally recommended; and indeed his known taste and character, together with the avowed purpose of his journey, might have justified the expectation of a finished performance. But though Addison had naturally an enlarged mind, humane feelings, and a fancy teeming with imagery, yet prejudice had narrowed PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxxv his extensive views, religious acrimony had soured his temper, and party spirit had repressed his imagination. He gave therefore to one half of the nation, what he owed to the whole ; he considered principally how he might support one party and annoy the other ; and he ran over a great part of Europe, particularly Italy, not so much a Classic as a Whig traveller. In his eyes countries appeared fertile and happy, or barren and miserable, not as nature formed them, but as they were connected with France or with England, as their religion was Protestant or Catholic. Hence, he dwells with at least as much complacency on the little miserable details of German and Italian superstition, as on the interesting remains of Roman grandeur, and fills with the dreams of bigotry and the censures of intolerance, those pages which ought to have been devoted to the effusions of classical enthusiasm, and strewed with the flowers of ancient poesy*. Prejudice or malevolence, in ordinary writers, excites neither surprize nor regret; the ignorance or the folly of mediocrity can claim nothing more than contempt ; but the errors and the defects of the wise and of the good awaken more serious emotions ; and while we justly lament the weakness of human nature we are cautioned by such examples against the indulgence of passions, which could imbitter the benevolence, and * Vide seven pages devoted to St. Anthony's Sermon to the Fish, in Italian and English. 6 2 xxxvi PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. pervert the good sense, of the mild, the judicious Addison. Suc- ceeding travellers have improved on this author's defects, and loaded their pages with misrepresentation and invective : while, within the last ten years, some tourists have employed their jour- nals as vehicles of revolutionary madness, and instead of the laudes Italice and the fortia facta patrum have given the public elaborate panegyrics on the French generals, and accounts of their achievements as exaggerated as their own dispatches*. To conclude this topic, — an attentive traveller, after having acquired the preparatory knowledge recommended in the preceding pages, may safely rely on his own diligence, aided by the observa- tions of the intelligent inhabitants, and by the maps and guides to be procured in every great town. Books, though necessary, are an incumbrance which never fails to increase as we advance ; ^vje * The best guide or rather companion which the traveller can take with him, is Corinne ou Vltalie, a work of singular ingenuity and eloquence. In it Madame de Stael does ample justice to the Italian character; though a protestant she speaks of the religion of Italy with reverence, and treats even superstition itself with indulgence. She describes the climate, the beauties, the monuments of that privileged country with glowing animation, " Musceo contingens cuncta lepore :" she raises the reader above the common level of thought, and inspires him with that lofty temper of mind, with- out which we can neither discover nor relish the great and the beautiful in art or in nature. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxxvii ought therefore to confine ourselves to the classics, if possible, and even then we shall find our hbrary sufficiently numerous and bulky. XI. Maps form an indispensable part of a traveller's furni- ture. At setting out, two will be sufficient : one of Ancient, one of Modern Italy. Of the former D'Anvilk's is the best ; of the latter, an excellent one, extremely beautiful in the execution, and upon a scale large enough for information without being burthensome, has been published by Zannoni*. As the traveller advances, he must enrich his collection, and procure in its prin- cipal town, the map of each province or division. At Milan, he will find separate maps of the lakes and the various regions of the Milanese. At Mantua, a beautiful, correct^ but I believe scarce map, of that city and its vicinity, should be inquired for. At Bologna may be had the excellent maps of the Roman territory by Father Boscovich. At Rome may be purchased a map of the patrimony of St. Peter, and one of Latium. These I recom- mend, as they give the ancient and modern names of each town and territory, and at the same time mark the ancient roads, aqueducts, and ruins. The great and beautiful map of Rome * The map prefixed to the present edition has been copied from that of Zannoni alluded to. It is very accurate, and well executed, and does credit to the ingenious engraver, Mr. Smith. xxxviii PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. must not be neglected, though if it should be deemed too expensive and bulky, there are two others of a smaller and more convenient size. ITie best map of the kingdom of Naples is in four sheets, well printed, and said to be very accurate, by Zannoni. There are, moreover, three maps of Naples and its neighbourhood, of the bay and its islands, of exquisite beauty in execution and ornament. These of course every traveller will purchase*. ROUTE. XII. We are now to speak of the time requisite to make a full and complete Tour of Italy, as well as of the season best adapted to the commencement of such a Tour. A year, I think, is the shortest space that ought to be allotted, and a year and a half or even two years might be well devoted to this useful and amusing part of our travels. The want of leisure is the only objection that can be made to this arrangement, but it is an objection seldom well grounded, as youth in general from nine- teen to three or four-and-twenty, have more time than business, and seem much more frequently at a loss for occupation than for leisure. Occupation, necessary at all seasons, but particularly in * Maps on the same scale, and of the same beauty, of all the provinces of the Neapolitan territory, have, I believe, been since published. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xxxix youth, should be furnished, and no occupation can suit that age, when the mind is restless and the body active, better than tra- velling. Moreover, every man of observation who has made a cursory visit to Ital}^ will find that a first view of that country has merely qualified him to make a second visit with more advan- tage, and will perhaps feel the cravings of unsatisfied curiosity, the visendi studium, at a time when travelling may be inconsistent with the cares and the duties of life. It is more prudent, there- fore, to seize the first opportunity, and by then allotting a suffi- cient portion of time to the Tour, gratify himself with a full and perfect view for ever. Supposing therefore that a year and a half is to be devoted to this part of the journey. I advise the traveller to pass the Alps early in the autumn, thus to avoid the inconvenience of travelling in winter or cold weather, an incon- venience always felt on the Continent, where ready fires, Avarm rooms, doors and windows that exclude the air, are seldom found. His route to the Alps may be as follows. He may first proceed to Brussels, thence to Liege, Spa, Aix-la~Chapelle, Co- logne, Bonne, and along the banks of the Rhine to Cohlentz, Mentz, and Strasburg ; there cross the Rhine to Manheim, tra- verse the Palatinate, the territories of Wittenberg, Bavaria, and Saltzburg, enter the defiles of the Tyrol or Rhetian Alps, and pass- ing through Inspruck and Trent turn to Bassano and to Maestre, whence he may send his carriage by land to Padua and embark for Venice. From Venice he may go by water up the Brenta to xl PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. Padua, where he may estabUsh his head quarters, and visit Arcqiia, the Monti Euganei, and thence pass onwards to Ferraia and Bohgna ; then follow the Via Emilia to For/i, thence proceed to Ravenna and Himini^ make an excursion to San Marino, and advance forward to Ancona, whence he may visit Osimo. He will then continue his journey by Loretto and Macerata to Tokntino ; thence over the Apennines to Foligno, Spoleto, and Terni, and so follow the direct road through Civita Castellana to Rome. I suppose that a traveller passes the Alps in September ; of course he should reach Rome by the end of November. I calcu- late ten or fifteen days delay on account of the autumnal rains ; for it is advisable by all means to stop at some large town during that period of inundation. These autumnal rains take place sometimes in September, though they frequently fall at a later period. At any rate, I woiild by no means advise a traveller to pass the Apennines, or visit any territory supposed to lie under the influence of the malaria, till these salubrious showers have purified the air and allayed the noxious vapours that hover over the Pomptine marshes, the Campagna di Roma, and some other low tracts, during the latter weeks of summer and the beginning of autumn : the air of Venice itself is sup- posed by many persons not to be quite exempt from this incon- venience. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xU Tlie traveller will devote the month of December to the first contemplation of Rome, and the consideration of its most striking beauties. He will then do well to proceed to Naples, where the months of January, February, and (if Easter be in April) of ]\larch, Avill be delightfully employed in visiting the numberless beauties that lie in that neighbourhood, and along the storied shores of Magna Grecia. At all events, the traveller must so time his return as to be at Rome the week before Easter, in order to be present at the ceremonies that are performed in the Sixtine Chapel, and in St. Peter's^ before and during that festival. The months of April, May, and June will not appear long when passed in a leisurely survey of the remains of ancient magnificence and the study of the great models of modern art, and when enlivened by frequent excursions to TibuVf Ostia, Antiiim, Mount Soracte, Pmneste, and the Sabine moun- tains. The Alban Mount, with all its tumuli and luci, may be reserved for the hot months of July and August ; there he may easily establish himself in some villa, whose cool retreats will afford him shade and refreshment during the oppressive heats of the season. In the course of September, or rather when the autumnal rains have fallen, it will be time to turn towards Florence. The first object which should claim the attention of the traveller in the VOL. I. f xlii PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. neighbourhood of this city is Vallomhrosa, because its elevated situation renders it difficult of access at an early period of autumn. The first opportunity therefore must be embraced, and the excur- sion, if the weather be favourable, continued to CainaldoU and La Vernia, two other celebrated and highly romantic solitudes. The winter may be divided very agreeably between Florence and the other Tuscan cities. In the beginning of February the traveller may pass the Apennines to Modcna, Panna, Placentia, Lodi, Cremona, Man- tua, and Verona, allowing four days or a week to each town and its neiohbourhood. From Verona he will visit Peschiera and the Logo di Garda (Benaciis) ; thence direct his course by Brescia and Bergamo to Milan. From Milan he will make the celebrated lakes Como and Maggiore objects of attention, and thence shape his course by Vercelli, and Tortona, to Genoa. He will then take the road of the maritime Alps by Savona to tiice, ■ after which he will turn inland to Turin. INIount Cenis, the termination of his Italian Tour, then rises before him in distant perspective. If, while at Naples, he find it safe or practicable to penetrate into the southern provinces of Calabria and Apidia, he will not neglect the opportunity; and, with the addition of that excursion, by following the road which I have traced out, he will have seen every town of note, and indeed every remark- PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xliii 111 able plain, hill, or mountain in Italy, and become intimately acquainted with the numberless beauties and curiosities of that most interesting country. But if he should not have so much time at his disposal, he may retrench the first part of the tour, proceed direct to Switzerland, pass the Alps, by Blount St. Gothard or Scmpione, and descending directly to Dotm D'OssoIa visit the lakes, and proceed from Como to Milan, Brescia, Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Venice, and returning again by Padua and Vicenza turn to Mantua, Piacenza, Parma, Modena, Bologna, along the Adriatic as above. He will moreover abridge the time devoted to Naples and Rome, pass the summer in Tuscany, go by sea from Leghoi'n or Carrara to Genoa, and pass thence by the Bocchetfa direct to Turin. The visit to the lakes ought to be so timed as to avoid the equinoctial winds, extremely dan- gerous, because very sudden and very boisterous ; so that it is not uncommon in these seasons to see the lakes pass, in the short space of half an hour, from a state of perfect calm to the most tremendous agitation. "O* XIII. The great roads in Italy are good, the posts well furnished with horses, and robberies not common ; traveUing is therefore, in general, safe and expeditious. The principal, and indeed almost the only inconveniences, arise from the equinoc- tial rains and the summer heats. The influence of both is felt over all Italy ; that of the former is particularly inconvenient and even sometimes dangerous, especially in the northern pro- f2 xliv PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. vinces and along the eastern coast. The immense number of considerable rivers, such as the Tanaro, the Tesiiw, the Boimida^ the Adda, &c. that pour their tributary waters into the Fo, while with it they contribute so largely to the luxuriancy and beauty of the plains through which they glide, yet, when swelled with continued rains, like it they overflow their banks and inundate the level surface of the surrounding country. On these occasions the roads are covered with mud, the fords rendered impassable, bridges not unfrequently swept away, and the communication between difterent towns and provinces entirely suspended. Nor do these inundations always subside as soon as might be ex- pected from the general heat and dryness of the climate ; their pernicious effects are sometimes felt for months afterwards, and T recollect to have myself observed, in March 1802, in the neigh- bourhood of Mantua, or rather about ten miles lower down, between the Mincio and the Fo, vast sheets of water, and whole fields immerged, the effects of an inundation some months be- fore. Virgil, whose farm bordered upon the Mincius, seems to have had a particular apprehension of the consequences of inundations, if we may judge from the accurate details which he gives of the signs of approaching rain, and the picture which he draws of their disastrous consequences. The traveller, there- fore, who may be surprised by these periodical showers, if, in compliance with the advice given above, he establish himself in the first commodious inn, will not find such accidental delays either useless or unpleasant. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xlv But to return to the principal object of this paragraph. Though the sun in Italy has, even in the cooler seasons, a suffi- cient degree of warmth to incommode a foreigner, yet the heat can scarcely be considered as an obstacle to travelling, except in the months of July and August ; then indeed it is intense, and it is imprudent in the traveller to expose himself to the beams of the sun for any time ; though Englishmen frequently seem insensible of the danger, and brave ali; e the rigours of a Russian Avinter and the heats of an Italian or even of an Egyptian summer. Fevers and untimely deaths are sometimes the con- sequences of this rashness, and more than one traveller has had reason to regret his imprudence. To avoid these dangers, persons who are obliged to travel during the hot months generally pro- ceed by night, and repose during the sultry hours of the day. By this method, without doubt, they guard sufficiently against the inconveniencies and dangers of the weather, but at the same time they sacrifice one of the principal objects, the scenery of the country ; and this sacrifice in Italy can, in my opinion, be compensated by no advantages. The best method, therefore, is to set out a full hour before sun-rise, to stop at ten, and repose till five, then travel as day light will permit : by this arrangement of time the traveller will enjoy the prospect of the country, the freshness of the morning, and the coolness of the evening, and devote to rest those hours only which heat renders unfit for any purpose of excursion or of enjoyment. xlvi PRELIM I NAllY DISCOURSE. ACCOMMODATIONS. A few words upon the inns and accommodations in Italy will be sufficient. An English traveller must, the very instant he embarks for the Continent, resign many of the comforts and conveniences which he enjoys at home, and which he does not sufficiently prize, because he is seldom in the way of learning their value by privation. Great will be his disappointment if, on his arrival, he expects a warm room, a newspaper, and a well stored larder. These advantages are common enough at home, but they are not to be found in any inn on the Continent, not even Dessennes at Calais or the Maison Rouge at Frankfort. But the principal and most offensive defect abroad is the want of cleanliness, a defect in a greater or lesser degree common to all parts of the Continent. In Italy, to Avhich these observa- tions are confined, the little country inns are dirty, but the greater inns, particularly in Rome, Naples, Florence, and Venice, are good, and in general the linen is clean, and the beds are excellent. As for diet, in country towns, the traveller will find plenty of provisions, though seldom prepared according to his taste. But, " il faut bien," says Mr. De la Lande, " racheter par quelque chose les agremens de I'ltalie." This representation of Italian accommodations, which, it is hoped, will be found on experience tolerably accurate, is not PRELIxMINARY DISCOURSE. xlvii on the whole discouraging, and our traveller may commence his journey without the apprehension of any very serious or distressing inconvenience. He who can content himself with plain food and a good bed, will find abundant compensation for the absence of the supernumerary pleasures of accommodation, in the in- dulgence of rational curiosity, and the acquisition of knowledge. The classical reader will console himself in the assurance, that accommodations in the worst Italian inns at present, are far better than what they seem to have been in Horace's time, at least, if we may be allowed to form conjectures about the state of inns in general from that of Beneventum in particular. The inconvenience of which the poet complains at Trevicus is at present very general at the inns both of France and Italy, where the shivering traveller finds himself, if he happens to travel in cold weather, like Horace, often ushered into a damp room, and placed before a newly hghted fire, diffusing a half smothered flame, " lacrimoso non sine fumo." OBJECTS OF ATTENTION. XIV. It may not be deemed superfluous to enumerate the principal objects which deserve a traveller's attention, and to point out, at the same time, the best method of satisfying his curiosity. The manners, customs, and opinions, together with the different lights which religion, government, and climate, throw xlviii PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. upon the characters of nations and individuals, without doubt, ckiim our first attention. To converse with the natives of the country, to frequent pubUc assemblies and courts, and, on the other hand, to take an occasional range through the humble walks of life, is the proper method of acquiring this useful infor- mation. Introduction to the higher class in Italy is not very difficult ; they meet in evening parties, either at particular houses, where such assemblies are called conversazzioni ; or at the casino, a sort of fashionable club established in most towns in Italy. A lelter of introduction to any person of rank will open all such assemblies to a stranger. But the traveller, who really wishes to know the manners of the Italian gentry, must endeavour to penetrate into the interior of society, and form acquaintance with some of the principal characters in each town, particularly if there be any among them of literary reputation. Nor would this be a difficult task, if we went to Italy better versed in its language ; and if we devoted more time to the cultivation of our acquaintance there. This private society, if it be select, and I recommend no other, is, I think for very obvious reasons, far pre- ferable to larger circles. But, while speaking of society, I think it necessary to make an observation, the propriety of which must strike every reader, because it is founded upon the change which has taken place in the higher classes on the Continent during the last ten years. The court of Versailles was formerly considered as the most PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. xlix polished court in the world, and the state of society at Paris, as well as at Rome and Turin, Avas supposed to have reached a very high degree of refinement. The principal object of travelling then was to acquire, in some accomplished society, that ease and those graces which constitute the perfection of good breeding, and which were seldom, it was then fancied, to be discovered in the manners of a home-bred Englishman. How far this opinion was true it is not my intention to examine, but it was very generally admitted, and in consequence no young man of rank was deemed qualified to make an advantageous entrance into the world till, by a considerable residence in the capitals mentioned above, he had worn otF somewhat of the native roughness of the Briton. But the case is very different at present. The French Revolution has been as fatal to the manners as to the morals of nations ; it has corrupted the one and brutalized the other. It is not to society in such a state that he is to look for improve- ment, nor indeed is such improvement either the sole or the principal motive of travelling at present, nor is it necessary to wander over the Continent in quest of accomplishments. Lon- don, that has long been the first city in Europe for population, extent, and opulence, is now also confessedly the first in point of society, and the capital of the polite and fashionable, as it has long been of the commercial world. The first class of its society, the most numerous of that description that has ever been united in any great city, comprehends all the advantages of VOL. I. g 1 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. title, of fortune, and of information. I do not hereby mean to depreciate continental society, or represent it as useless, but I wish to point out to the reader the change that has taken place, and to caution him against expecting from foreign society, in its present state, all the advantages which were formerly supposed to be derived from it. This subject naturally leads to a question, which, I believe, is generally solved rather from habit and prejudice than reason. Are we, as Bacon says, " to sequester ourselves from the com- pany of our countrymen" while abroad, or may we be allowed sometimes to associate with them ? The answer to this question should be drawn fiom principles of general or rather durable utility. The object of all our travels, studies, and pursuits is, or ought to be, permanent advantage. We do not, doubtless, travel to France or to Italy to see Englishmen, but yet we travel for improvement and for amusement ; and whatever society con- tributes to either, ought to be cultivated with an assiduity pro- portioned to its advantages. The traveller, therefore, ought by all means to procure an introduction to the best company of the great towns through which he may pass ; and at the same time he may become acquainted with such English gen- tlemen as may chance to be in the same place. Such an acquaintance superinduces no obligation ; it may be cultivated or dropt at pleasure ; but the trial ought to be made ; and if ex- PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. li perience may be credited, the reader may be assured, that casual acquamtance not unfrequently ripens into settled and permanent friendship. Continental connections in general are of a very different nature ; however agreeable, they are contracted only for the occasion, and cannot be supposed, in general, strong enough to resist the influence of absence. Besides, why should we voluntarily reject one of the greatest advantages of travelling, an opportunity of selecting friends, and forming sincere and durable attachments ; for, as Ovid observes in some beautiful hues, there is not a stronger bond than that which is formed by a partici- pation of the accidents and of the vicissitudes of a long and eventful journey*. * Te duce, magnificas Aslae perspeximus Urbes : Trinacris est oculls, te duce, nota meis. Vidimus Etnaeft coelum splendescere flamm^; Suppositus monti quam vomit ore gigas : Hennaeosque lacus, et olentia sfagna Palici, Quaque suis Cyanen miscet Anapus uquis Et quota pars haec sunt rerum, quas vidimus ambo, Te mihi jucundas efficiente vias ! Seu rate caeruleas picta sulcavimus undas : Esseda nos agili sive tulere rotft. Soepe brevis nobis vicibus via visa loquendi ; Pluraque, si numeres, verba fuere gradu. g2 Ki PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SCENERY. The general face of the country, so conspicuously beautiful all over Italy, merits from this circumstance alone peculiar atten- tion, and when to its picturesque features we add those charms, less real but more enchanting, which Fancy sheds over its scenery, we give it an irresistible interest, that awakens all the feelings of the classic youth. Our early studies, as Gibbon justly observes, allow us to sympathize in the feelings of a Roman ; and one might almost say of every school boy not insensible to the sweets of his first studies, that he becomes in feeling and sentiments, perhaps even in language, a Roman. It is not then wonderful, that when in a riper age he visits that country and beholds those very scenes which he has imaged to himself so long before, he should feel an uncommon glow of enthusiasm, and, in the moment of enchantment, should add some imaginary to their many real Soepe dies sermone minor fuit ; inque loquendum Tarda per oestivos defuit hora dies. Est aliquid casus, pariter tiinuisse raarinos; Junctaque ad sequoreos vota tullsse Deos : Haec tibi si subeant (absim licet) omnibus horis Ante tuos oculos, ut modo visus, ero. Ovid. £p. £x Ponto, lib. ii. x. 21. seq. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. liii charms. Besides, the scenery of Italy is truly classical ; I mean, it is such as described by poets and historians. Earthquakes, the only species of revolution that can permanently alter the great features of nature, however common they may be there, have, if we except a few places in the neighbourhood of Naples, and some distant parts of the coasts of Calabria, made in the whole but little alteration. Even wars, invasions, and the devastation of eighteen centuries have not yet eradicated those local ornaments that arise either from the tendency of the soil or from the perse- vering attention of the inhabitants. The Sylaris is still shaded with groves and thickets ; the rose of Pcestum, though neglected, still blooms twice a year, to waste its sweetness on the desert air ; while Mount Alburnus still glories in the ilex and in the never- fading verdure of his lofty forests. But not to anticipate various observations that will occur, each in its proper place, one advantage, at all events, the face of nature possesses in Italy, which is, that it seldom or never disappoints the traveller, or falls short of his expectations, however high they may have been previously raised ; on the contrary, if I may form any opinion of the sentiments of foreigners in general by my own and by those of my fellow travellers, the lakes, the vale of the Clitumnus, the fall of the Anio, the banks of the Nar, the waters of Tibur, the groves of Albano, and the plains, the hills, the coasts, the bays of Campania Felix, not only liv PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. equal but even surpass the descriptions of the poets, and the bright pictures of youthful imagination. RUINS. The same observation cannot be appHed to ruins, which, however interesting they may be, seldom answer expectation. When we read or hear of Roman ruins we figure to ourselves a vast scene of broken columns, shattered cornices, mutilated statues, hanging arches, and interrupted colonnades. Such a magnificent scene of desolation may indeed be seen at Tcestum, Agrigentum, and Selinus ; and such also is occasionally presented on the Seven Hills, in the majestic remains of the ancient City. But these grand objects are rare ; for, if to the exceptions just mentioned, we add the temple of Tkoli, the amphitheatre and gates of Verona^ and two or three triumphal arches, we shall find little more than tottering walls and masses of brick. Ruins, till the revival of taste in the fifteenth century, were considered as quarries furnishing materials to those who chose to employ them : and un- fortunately many did employ them with little or no regard to their ancient fame, their costly workmanship, or their fair pro- portions. When Belisarius turned the tomb of Adrian into a fortress, he paid httle attention to the masterpieces of sculpture that adorned its circumference, and it is said that, on that occasion, PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. Iv the sleeping Faun pleaded in vain the beauty of his limbs and the grace of his attitude. AVhatever obstructed the machinery was tumbled to the ground; whatever- was fit for defence was worked into the rampart. In short, first war, then convenience, and lastly, Taste itself directed by self-love destroyed or defaced the works of ancient art, and either left no marks of their existence behind, or reduced them to a mere dislocated skeleton. The traveller, therefore, must not be sanguine in his expectations of satisfaction from the first appearance of ruins in general, but content himself with the certainty of finding, amid numberless un- interesting masses that bear that name, some few beautiful speci- mens, as well as some grand monuments of Roman magnificence. CHURCHES. Modern edifices next claim our attention, and among them the principal are churches, particularly cathedrals. Many of the latter are indeed very noble piles, and either externally or in- ternally present striking instances of architectural beauty. Even where there is no display of architecture, there is generally a richness of materials, a profusion of marble, and not unfrequently a luxuriancy of sculpture and painting that delights and surprises the transalpine spectator. There is also in every cathedral a chapel of the Holy Sacrament, which is almost universally of exquisite workmanship and of splendid decorations. Some Ivi PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. indeed are perfect masterpieces of proportion, symmetry, and elegance. I have hinted above, that few churches present an exterior and interior equally finished ; in reality one-half of the great churches in Italy are left in a very imperfect state with regard to the outside ; the fact is singular, but the reason obvious. At the restoration of the arts, a sudden enthusiasm seized all Italy ; princes, bishops, noblemen, entered the lists of taste with ardour ; each longed to signalize himself and immortalize his name by some superb fabric, and rival cathedrals, palaces, and villas rose on all sides. But their means were not always adequate to their grand undertakings. Some edifices were finished, some entirely neglected, and many have been continued with slow, parsimonious patience do^vn to the present period. The nobility of Vicenza are said to feel even at present the consequences of their forefathers' magnificence, and the Falladian decorations of their city are still supposed to prey on their finances. However, the propensity of the nation is uncontrolable ; for though public and private property has been exhausted by the French invasion, yet the enemy were scarcely withdrawn when, with laudable spirit, exertions were instantly made in many places to repair some of the edifices which those modern Vandals had damaged, and to supply the place of some of the masterpieces PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. VII which they had carried away. Churches, on the Avhole, are very interesting, as there are few that do not present some object wor- thy the attention of the traveller. With respect to palaces, I must venture to say, that, in general, they are deficient in strict architectural beauty, as few, I fear, are to be found even in Italy, where, in some point or other, the archi- tect has not sacrificed symmetry and proportion to caprice and vanity. But, if it be possible to overlook a defect so material, it must be acknowledged, that the marbles, statues, and paintings that generally adorn the spacious apartments, oftentimes compen- sate the caprice that deforms the exterior of these edifices. In fine, with regard to buildings, we may generalize and apply to Italy the observation which was originally made on Rome, that no country presents so many specimens both of good and of bad architecture. Of museums, galleries of paintings and statues, public hbraries, &c. I need only say that they exist in almost every town in Italy, and open an ample field to the exercise of observation and curio- sity. And here let me recommend to the traveller, with due atten- tion to his health and fortune, to spare neither pains nor expense, in order to acquire every previous information ; and to explore, when travelling, every recess, and visit every object, without rely- ing too much on the representations of others : as the common guides are lazy and interested, Ciccrones are often ignorant, and writers as often wrong, through want of opportunity, of knowledge, VOL. I. h Iviii PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. or of exertion, and not unfrequently from too great an attachment to their own systems. CONCLUSION. But one final observation I wish to impress strongly on the mind of the youthful traveller, as its object is intimately connected with his present repose and with his future happiness. Moral improvement is, or ought to be, the end of all our pursuits and of all our exertions. Knowledge, without it, is the amusement of an idle moment, and the great and splendid exhibitions which nature and genius present to our contemplation are merely the shifting scenery of an evening drama — delightful but momentary. Let him therefore look continually to this most important attainment, and while he endeavours every day to increase his store of know- ledge, let him exert himself with still greater assiduity to add to the number of his virtues. Nations, like individuals, have their characteristic qualities, and present to the eye of a candid observer, each in its turn, much to be imitated, and something to be avoided. These qua- lities of the mind, like the features of the face, are more promi- nent and conspicuous in southern countries ; and in these coun- tries perhaps the traveller may stand in more need of vigilance and circumspection to guard him against the treachery of his own passions, and the snares of external seduction. Miserable indeed will he be, if he shall use the liberty of a traveller as the PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. lix means of vicious indulgence, abandon himself to the delicious im- morality (for so it has been termed) of some luxurious capital, and, forgetful of what he owes to himself, to his friends, and to his country, drop one by one, as he advances, the virtues of his education and of his native land, and pick up in their stead the follies and vices of every climate which he may traverse. AVhen such a wanderer has left his innocence and perhaps his health at Naples ; when he has resigned his faith and his principles at Paris; he will find the loss of such inestimable blessings poorly repaid, by the languages which he may have learned, the antiques which he may have purchased, and the accomplishments which he may have acquired in his journey. Such acquirements may furnish a pleasing pastime ; they may fill the vacant intervals of an useful life ; they may even set off to advantage nobler endow- ments and higher qualifications ; but they can never give the credit and the confidence that accompany sound principles, nor can they bestow, or replace " The niitid's calm suiiiliiiie and tlic licaitfflt joy, " at once the effect and the reward of virtue. These are the real» the permanent, I might almost add, the only blessings of life. He who possesses them can want but little more, and he who has for- feited them, whatever his fortune may be, is " poor indeed." CLASSICAL TOUR THROUGH ITALY. CHAPTER I. DEPARTURE FROM VIENNA MUNICH SALTZBURGH SALT MINES DEFILE OF THE ALPS INSPRUCK ASCENT OF THE BRENNER SUMMIT OF THE ALPS DESCENT BRIXEN BOLSANO TRENT. SOME travellers, having set out from England during the sum- mer of 1801, met at Vienna the following autumn; and finding that their views and tastes coincided, agreed to make the Tour of Italy together. Although eager to commence their journey, and reach its confines, they were detained by the charms of the Aus- trian Capital, which, since the manners of Paris have been barba- rized by the Revolution, has become the seat of politeness, and the school of refinement. An account of the state of society, as well as a description of the city itself, would be both entertaining and instructive; but, as Italy is the grand object of these volumes, the reader will probably be as impatient as the travellers them- selves, and dispense with details, which, however amusing elsC' VOL. I. B 2 CLASSICAL TOUR where, would here only retard him in his progress. We shall, therefore, reserve the description of this city, as well as that of Munich and the intermediate country, for our German Tour, and only inform the reader, that on Thursday, January the twenty- eighth, 1802, we withdrew from the attractions of Vienna, and commenced our journey, which we continued through deep snow, with little interruption, till we reached Munich, where we arrived late at night on the following Monday. AVe devoted four days to the inspection of this Capital, and the usual ceremonies of pre- sentation at court; and in justice to the Elector I must add, that by his affability and condescension he converted this formality, in general dull and tiresome, into a very pleasing interview. On Friday the fifth of February, we set out from Munich at eleven o'clock at night. At break of day the Alps, just reddened by the beams of the morning, and mingling with the clouds, pre- sented to our eyes a new and interesting object, and continued to attract our attention during the day, by shifting their situation with the windings of the road, and changing their tints with every shadow that flitted over them. We entered Saltzburg late in the evening. We are now at the foot of the Alps; and considering ourselves as treading classical ground, we may be allowed to expatiate more at large on the surrounding scenery. The mountains now rising immediately before us, were represented by the ancients as an in- superable rampart raised by nature to separate Italy from the less favoured regions of the north, and to protect her beauties and her treasures from the assault of barbarian invaders*. Though this * Herodiatij II. 39, viii, 2. THROUGH ITALY. 3 natural barrier has long ceased to answer that end, because one or other of the petty powers possessing the defiles has usually been in the interests of the common enemies, yet it is well calculated for such a purpose; and may, in times more favourable to Italy, be rendered a frontier far more impenetrable than the triple range of fortresses, which guarded the northern boundaries of France, and on a late occasion saved that country from invasion and ruin. These defiles, according to the same authors, were opened with in- credible labour by the early inhabitants of Italy, and may be re- garded as so many avenues leading to the garden of Europe. Saltzburg, a subalpine city, is placed, as if to guard the entrance into the grand defile, which traverses the Rhetian Alps; and it may be considered, for that reason, as forming one of the outposts of Italy. The cathedral is built of fine stone, and has two towers in front. It is said to be one of the earliest specimens of Italian ar- chitecture in Germany, and is fashioned internally on the Roman model ; that is, with the choir behind the altar, and a canopy over the latter, supported by four marble pillars, an exact copy, as our guide pretended, of a similar ornament in St. Peter's; yet, with all these supposed advantages, this church is neither large nor beautiful, and has little to boast of besides its solidity. There are two palaces belonging to the Prince Bishop. In one there are several very fine rooms, in the other a spacious and most magnificent gallery. But the most striking object, that Saltzburg presents, is a very noble gateway cut through the solid rock, which rises perpendicularly to a considerable elevation, is crowned with tall and spreading elms, and forms a natural rampart equall}'^ strong and beautiful. Through this mass of stone a passage has been opened, three hundred feet in length, thirty in height, and twenty-four in breadth. The inscription, in honour of the bishop b2 4 CLASSICAL TOUR who executed this noble work, is neat and appropriate — Te saxa loquuntur. This grotto opens on a Uttle square, the principal or- nament of which is an equestrian statue of St. Sigismund, in dress, attitude, and form, extremely elegant. The situation of this city is, however, its principal beauty and advantage; in a valley Avatered by the Salza, open only to the north, and enclosed on the other sides by hills and mountains of various forms and magnitude. Upon one of these hills immedi- ately contiguous to the town, stands the citadel, an edifice large and roomy, but ill supplied, ill furnished, and ill supported. The bishops of Saltzburgh, indeed, like all the petty princes of Germany, rely more upon the watchfulness and jealousy of the greater powers, than upon their own strength, for defence and independence. But, however neglected the citadel may be, its situation is very bold and commanding. Behind it, on the emi- nence, is a beautiful walk; and from an oak near this walk, ex- pands a most romantic view, extending over fertile vales, deep dells, rocks and crags, hills and mountains. The descent from this lofty site is worked in the rock, and formed into regular flights of steps. It brought us under the wall to the gate which I have already described. Among the mountains in the immediate neighbourhood of the town, the Unterberg is the most conspicuous. Rough, craggy, and wooded, it seems to frown upon the city and the vale below; and by its shaggy mass, and dark sullen appearance, forcibly attracts the attention. Popular tradition, which seldom fails to select appropriate scenery for its wayward tales, has converted the Unterberg into a place of confinement for certain perturbed spirits, or rather made it the haunt of a club of infernal sports- men. Confined to the bowels of the mountain during the day» THROUGH ITALY. , 5 and perhaps doomed there to undergo certain unknown chastise- ments, these hapless spirits are said to fill the cavern with groans and shrieks, and yells so loud, as to pierce the surface of the earth, and not unfrequently to reach the ear of the lonely woodman. But at night the dungeon is opened, the imprisoned spirits are at liberty, and the woods, that overhang the steep brows of the mountain,* echo with the sound of an infernal trumpet, with the barking of hellish dogs, and with shouts too deep and loud to proceed from mortal organs. Tradition does not say, that the sportsmen have ever condescended to shew themselves to any human lieing; but it is reported, that at midnight, flames of a blueish tint and of various sizes have been seen traversing the forests of the Unferbc7-g with the velocity of lightning; and these flames the people have turned into hounds and horses, huntsmen and beast, all of fire. Some conjecture, that the chief of these restless sports- men is one of the former bishops, who, like many of his German brethren, in ages not very remote, was accustomed to pass in the chace the hours and days which he ought to have devoted to the duties of his station. Others pretend, that it Avas a Count, or, A\liat was nearly the same thing in certain periods of German history, a robber, who had built a castle amid these fastnesses, and used to employ his days in pursuing and arresting tra- vellers, in ravaging the fields and vallies below, and compelling all the country round to pay him tribute. It would be difficult to decide the question, as the Bishop and the Count seem both to have a fair claim to the manorial honours of ihc Unterherg: we shall therefore wave the discussion of this knotty point; and the more readily, as the invisible horn has now ceased to sound; the infernal pack no longer disturbs the silence of the woods, and the spirits of the chace have either fulfilled the days of their punish- ment, or are sent to sport in solitudes less liable to observation. 6 CLASSICAL TOUR The Unterherg, however, is not the only mountain in Germany supposed to be the haunt of preternatural hunters. The salt mines at Hallehn, about four miles from Saltzburff, are deservedly celebrated. The entrance is near the summit of a mountain, and the ascent, though over a good road, long and tedious. Near the summit is a village with a handsome church. Seeing a crowd assembled round the door of a public house, we were informed, that they were celebrating a jubilee, on the fiftieth anniversary of the marriage of an old couple, and, at the same time, the wedding of a grandson. We Avere invited in as soon as observed, and treated with cake, wine, and beer. The dance was going on merrilyj and some of our party joined in it, conspirito; a circum- stance which seemed to give much satisfaction. The persons of the 3'ounger damsels were not uncomely, nor were their counte- nances without expression: but their dress was such as Avould liave disfigured far more perfect forms, and turned beauty itself into deformity. To enliven the dance, they now and then clapped their hands and uttered a shriek very grating to ears unaccustomed to the tones of Alpine merriment. We departed, pleased with the novelty of the scene, and still more with the hospitality of the good people. At length we reached the summit, and entered the mines by a long subterranean gallery, which terminated in the mouth of the first descent. We there accoutred ourselves in miners dresses, and slid Atmn five hundred feet, in a manner perfectly safe and connnodious. It is managed thus. The shaft may be about four feet broad, and about five high, worked above into the form of an arch. The line may diverge about thirty feet in the hundred from the perpendicular. The space in the middle is hollowed and THROUGH ITALY. 7 worked into steps. On each side of these steps, at about a foot distance, runs a pole hke the side of a ladder. On these poles a niiner reclines with his feet extended, so that the poles pass under his knees and under his arms. A traveller places himself behind him in the same posture, but so close, as to rest the inside of his knees on the miner's shoulders. The others follow the example, and form a line, in such a manner, that the one above always rests gently on the shoulders of the one below. Another miner generally goes in the middle, and a third closes the rear. The first miner regulates the motion, and if he find it necessary to check or stop it entirely, he need only to put his foot backAvard, and touch one of the steps behind. The miners carry torches made of the fir tree. When the line is formed, upon a signal given, the miner undermost lets the ropes loose (for two ropes run parallel with the poles and nearly touch them) and glides down with great rapidity. We suddenly found ourselves in an immense hall, lighted up with a prodigious number of candles. This hall was very long and broad but extremely low, and as the ceiling was fiat, unsupported either by pillars or props, and apparently of very crumbling materials, it was natural to feel some apprehension of its giving way. The miners, however, tranquillized us, by assiuing us that such acci- dents never happened, however probable they might appear. The sides were adorned here and there with basso relievos of different bishops, rudely worked in the earth or rock. The lights, as I said above, Avere numerous; but instead of being reflected from a great variety of spars and shining minerals, Avhich a traveller might naturally expect to find in a salt mine, the blaze falls sullen and dead from the Avails, and serves only to shew the thickness of the surrounding gloom. From this hall Ave passed into a gallery, and thence descended, in the same manner as before, into a second, a third, and a fourth, of nearly the same form and dimensions. These halls are used for the foUoAving purpose: the salt is Avorkcd 8 CLASSICAL TOUR from the sides and ceiling ; then water is let in, and kept confined till it is impregnated with salt, after which it is drained away into the salt works, and the earthy particles remain deposited on the floor. We quilted the mine with as much facility as we entered. We were placed astride a long bench ; one miner moved before to guide, two others were placed behind to push this bench down a gently inclined plane. After some minutes of rapid motion, we perceived the appearance of a star, which gradually increased upon us, till we were launched once more into full day. The exit is as pictu- resque as the entrance is gloomy. It opens under a cliff, clad with brambles growing out of its crevices, and overhung with pines and firs, clinging to the sides, and bending from the brows of the precipice. On one side, a torrent bursting from the crag, tumbles from steep to steep, till it engulphs itself in a deep shaded dell; and on the other, far below, stretches the town of alleim, with its white houses and spire. On our exit, the miners presented each of us with a little box containing specimens of salt. They were very beautiful in colour and shape, but are not easily preserved, as they crumble into dust by the motion of the carriage, and are dissolved by the least humidity. On the whole, our visit to the mines of llalkim was a very pleasant, and not unimproving excursion. Our stay at Snltzhurg was much enlivened by the hospitality of Prince J. Schwartzenburg, a canon of the cathedral, to whom the Princess oi' Schuartzenburg had obligingly recommended us. This young nobleman entertained us with great splendour, pointed out to us the most interesting objects, introduced us to the best com- pany at his dinners, concerts, and suppers, and rendered the place so agreeable, that we fixed the day of our departure with no small THROUGH ITALY. 9 reluctance. We must ever retiiin a grateful recolleclion of his attention and kindness. February the 10th. About nine in the morning we set oti" from Saltzbiirff. A thick foa; hung over the surrounding scenery. We could only perceive that the road ran over a plain, naked in ge- neral, but occasionally ornamented with villages, whose graceful spires at intervals attracted our attention. After having crossed the plain, we reached the skirts of a vast mountain, presenting at first a black indistinct mass, which cast a dark shade on the fog that enveloped it, and then just displayed its fir-clad summit so far above the mist, that it appeared to hang in the air, and to belong to some other region. Reiclicjihall h a well-built little town, or rather village, remark- able for its salt works, and in a prosperous condition. We were now at the very foot of the Alps, and entered their defiles at a place called Vnkiu, about one mile from Re/chenlia/l. The road first sweeps along the base of a noble eminence covered with firs; a church spire rises on the side of a hill ; and on the summit of the same hill stands a castle in ruins. Proceeding onwards we come to the foot of the precipice, which Avith its castle overhangs the road in tremendous majesty. We then enter a dell, a sudden turn of which presents on one side a vast mountain clad Avith firs ; while on the other the precipice, girded with a zone of forest trees, increases in height and grandeur, and, surmounted with the old rampart walls, looks like the battlemented dwelling of a race of giants. In front an immense mass, covered with a hundred woods, and half wrapped in fogs and clouds, obstructs the view, and forms an awful foreground to the picture. Still continuing to ascend, we wind along the dell, with a torrent murmuring by the road side. VOL. I. c 10 CLASSICAL TOUR and all around mountains in various grotesciuc forms, increasing in height, in shagginess, and in horror. The scene was here truly tremendous. The defile is very narrow, leaving space only for the road and for the torrent. The mountains rise on each side so nearly perpendicular, that the vast forests growing on their sides cast a dismal shade over the road, and loaded as they were Avith a weight of snow, seemed ready to fall, and bury the traveller as he passed below. Now and then, a chasm broke the uniformity of this gloomy scenery, and presented an object less dark, but ecpially terrific — a torrent arrested in its fall by the frost, lianging from the brow of a crag in solid masses, and terminating in immense pointed icicles. The least of these icicles, if detached from the sheet above, would have crushed the whole party ; and, when contemplated thus suspended over our heads, jamjam lapsura cadentiqiie adshnilis, could not fail to excite some emotions of terror. Whenever the mountains receded and sloped backwards, they only enabled us to discover forests rising above each other, and swelling into new regions, till they concealed their extent and elevation in the clouds. The snow lay deep on the road, and on the approach of night began to fall again in great quantities. We moved slowly on; and when night set in with all the darkness of the season, our situation appeared such as might have discouraged even experi- enced travellers. After some hours' exertion, and very little pro- gress, our drivers were seriously alarmed, and entreated us to allow them to return with their horses, before the depth of the snow, Avhich was every moment increasing, should render the roads impassable. They promised to come to our assistance early in the morning, with a sufficient number of persons to remove the snow, and enable us to proceed. This proposal, as may be supposed, was rejected, and the drivers were, partly by representations, and partly by THROUGH ITALY. U threats, induced to remain. All the horses were put alternately to each carriage, whilst we proceeded on foot, and with no small difficulty at length reached the post house, Avhere we took sledges, and continued our journey at the rate often miles an hour. AVe reached St. John at a late hour. A neat collegiate church is the only remarkable object in this little towu. February 11th. The scenery this day did not appear so grand and awful as on the preceding; whether this part of the defile be more open, or whether our eyes were more accustomed to its gloomy magnificence I know not; but I believe the former to be the case, as the road gradually ascends, and consequently the ele- vation of the mountains apparently diminishes; whereas, while at the bottom of the defile, we beheld the whole mass of the Alps in full elevation above us. I need not, I suppose, caution even the unlravelled reader against a mistake, into which some have fallen, that any of the passages through the Alps crosses the ridges, or even approaches the summits of these mountains. The various roads traversinji the Alps are conducted through as many defiles, and were proba- bly traced out by the paths, that have served fi,om time immemo- rial as means of communication between the fertile valleys that lie interspersed up and down the windings of this immense chain. These defiles are always watered, and were perhaps formed, by streams incessantly ghding down from the eternal snows that man- tle the highest regions: these streams, increasing as they descend, work their way between the rocks, and continue for ever opening and enlarging their channels. Such is the Inn that now bordered our road, and such is the Salza still nearer the plains of Bavaria, When therefore it is asked, who first crossed the Alps, or opened c 2 12 CLASSICAL TOUR such a particular passage over these mountains, tlie question means only, Avhat general or Avhat army first forced a way through this immense barrier, or made such a particular track or path practi- cable? Of these tracks, that which we are now pursuing seems to have been one of the most ancient and most frequented. The first people who passed it in a body were probably the Gauls; that race ever restless, wandering, and ferocious, who have so oi\en since forced the mighty rampart, a\ Inch nature raised to pro- tect the fertile provinces of Italy from the rapacity of northern invaders. Of a tribe of this people, Livy says*, that in the con- sulship of Spurius Posthumius Albinus, and Quintus Marcus Phi- Hppus, that is, in the year of Rome 566, they passed the Alps by roads till then undiscovered, and entering Italy, turned towards Aquileia. Upon this occasion, contrary to their usual practice, they came in small numbers, and rather in the character of sup- pliants than of enemies. But the most remarkable army that ever crossed these mountains was that of the Cimbri, who in less than a century after the above mentioned period, climbed the Rhetian Alps, and rushed like a torrent down the Tridentine defile. The first successes and final destruction of this horde of savages are well known. At length Augustus, irritated by the lawless and plundering spirit of some of the Rhetian tribes, sent a Roman army into their territory under Drusus, who in a very short space of time entirely broke the spirit of the mountaineers, brought their country into perfect subjection, and opened a commodious communication through the whole range of Alps that bears their name. This expedition is celebrated by Horace, and forms the subject of one of his most spirited productions-f-. Ever * L. xxxix, 22. t L. iv. 4, THROUGH ITALY. 13 since this event, this road has been frequented, and always con- sidered as the best and safest passage from the Transalpine regions to Italy. As we had set out late, darkness fell upon us before we had made any very considerable progress, and deprived us of the view of the celebrated vale of Inspruck. We travelled nearly the Avhole night, and entered that city about four o'clock in the morning. Inspruck is the capital of the Tyrol, a large Alpine province of the Austrian empire, and as it was once the residence of a sovereign prince, is still the seat of government, and has frequently been visited by the emperors. It possesses some noble edifices, more remaikable however, as is usual in Germany, for magnitude than for beauty. The style of architecture, therefore, both of the palace and the churches, is, as may be expected, below criticism; and, wlien I mention the great hall in the palace, I point out to the traveller almost the only building that deserves his notice. To this I will add another object, that has a claim upon his attention far superior to any that can be derived from mere architectural beauty. It is a little chapel, erected ui)on a very melancholy and interesting occasion. It is well known that the Emperor Francis the First, husband to the celebrated Maria Teresa, died suddenly at Inspruck. He was going to the Opera, and while walking through the passage from the palace to the theatre, he fell down, and instantly expired. lie was conveyed to the nearest room, which happened to be that of a servant, and there laid upon a miserable bed. Attempts were made to bleed him, but to no purpose; and it is stated, that for a considerable time the body remained with the blood trickling slowly from the arm, un- noticed, and unattended by a servant of any description. The 14 CLASSICAL TOUR Empress, who loved him with unusual tenderness, shortly after raised an altar on the very spot where he fell, and, clearing the space around, erected over it a chapel. Both the chapel and the altar are, though plain, extremely beautiful, and a pleasing monument both of the affection and of the taste of the illustrious widow. This princess, then in the fidl bloom of youth and beauty, and the first sovereign in Europe in title and in territorial possessions, continued ever after to wear mourning ; and to some subsequent matrimonial overtures, is said to have replied in the animated lines of Virgil, Ille, meos primus qui me sibi jutixit amores, Abstulit, ille habeat secura servetque sepulcro ! The inscription runs as follows, and breathes more grief than elegance. D : O : M. Memoriae eternae fati, quo Princeps optimus « Throni decus Populi Deliciae Franciscus D: G: Rom: Imp: Aug: Germ: & Jerus, Rex M: D: Het: Loth et Bur: D. XVIII Aug: MDCCLXV Vitae hie loci et nobis ereptus Monumentum [wsteritati positum— I shall say nothing of the magnificent cenotaph of the Emperor Maximilian in the church of the Franciscans, Avith its sculptured pannels and bronze statues ; nor of the humble cells of the Arch- duke of the same name in the convent of the Capuchins, but pro- ceed to a much nobler object than either, to the vale of Inspruck. This vale is perhaps the most extensive and most beautiful of all that lie in the Northern recesses of the Alps. It is about thirty THROUGH ITALY. lo miles in length, and, where widest, as in the neighbourhood of Inspruck, about six in breadth. It is watered by the Inn, anciently the CEnus, Avhich glides through it, intersecting it nearly in the middle, and bestowing freshness and fertility as it winds along. The fields that border it are in high cultivation, finely adorned with every species of forest-trees, enlivened with towns and vil- lages, and occasionally graced wtih the ruins of a castle, frowning in shattered majesty from the summit of a precipice. Large woods line the skirts and clothe the sides of the neighbouring mountains, and, with the ragged misshapen rocks that swell above them, form a frame worthy of a picture so extensive and so beautiful. In the southern extrenaity of this vale stands Inspruck; and behind it rises a long ridge, forming part of the craggy pinnacles of the Brenner, one of the loftiest mountains of the Tyrolian Alps. About five miles North of Inspruck is the town of Hall, famous for its salt Avorks; and about four miles on the opposite side, on a bold eminence, stands embosomed in trees, the c?i%\\e oi Ambr an. This edifice is of very ancient date, and its size, form, and furniture are well adapted to its antiquity. Its exterior is dignified with turrets, spires, and battlements; and its large halls are hung with sj^ears, shields, and helmets, and lined with the forms of hostile knights mounted upon their palfreys, with visors down and spears couched, as if ready to rush forward in battle. The smaller apartments are fitted up with less attention to Gothic propriet}' than to utility, and contain various natural curiosities, intermingled with gems, medals, and pictures. Though at Inspruck Ave had made a considerable progress in the defile, yet Ave had not risen in elevation so much as might be ima- gined; for that city is said to be no more than fifteen hundred feet above the level of the sea. But, about three miles farther, 16 CLASSICAL TOUR the road suddenl}' turns, and the traveller begins in reality to Avork up the steep. The road is well contrived to lessen the labour of" ascent, Avinding gently up the mountains, and affording every where perfect security, though generally skirting the edge of a precipice. It presents some striking objects, such as the Abbey of Willtean, anciently Villitenum, the castle of Sonenbers;, and, through a break to the west, a transient view of a most majestic mountain, rising from the midst of the surrounding glaciers, and lifting its pointed summit to the skies. Its craggy sides are sheathed in ice, and its brow is whitened with eternal snows*. Its .height is supposed to be nearly equal to that of Mont Blanc, though in grandeur the mountain of Savoy yields to that of the Tyrol; because the former heaves itself gradually' from the plain, and conducts the eye by three different stages to its summit, whilst the latter shoots up at once without support or gradation, and terminates in a point that seems to pierce the heavens. The ascent still continued steep and without intermission to Stei7mch; and the cold, which hitherto had not much incommoded us, except at night, became more intense. The scenery grew more dreary, gradually assuming all the bleak appearances of Alpine winter. The last mentioned place, though situated amidst the pinnacles of the Rhetian Alps, is yet not the highest point of ele- vation; and the traveller has still to labour up the tremendous steeps of the Brenner. As he advances, piercing blasts blowing around the bare ridges and summits that gleam with ice, stunted lialf-frozen firs appearing here and there along the road, cottages almost buried under a weight of snow, all announce the regions where winter reigns undisturbed, and where the Alps display all * Thi< mountain bears, I believe, the very barbarous appellation of Both KogeL THROUGH ITALY. 17 their ancient and unchangeable horrors. — " Nives ccelo prope im- " mistce, tecta iuformia impositu rupibus, pecora, jumaitaqiie torrida " frigoi-e, homilies intomi et iuculti, unimaliu, inaiiimaquc omnia ri- " gentia gelu^." The summit, or rather the highest region of the mountain which the road traverses, is crowned with immense crags and precipices enclosing a sort of plain or A'alley : this plain was bleak and dreary when we passed through it, because buried in deep snow, and darkened by fogs and mists, and the shades of the approach- ing evening: yet it possesses one feature, which in ^summer must give it some degree of animation, of beauty, and even of fertility; I mean the source of the river Atagis, Avhicli, bursting from the side of a shattered rock, tumbles in a noble cascade to the plain. We had just before passed the fountain head of the river Sill, which takes a northward course, and runs down the defile that leads to Inspruck, so that we now stood on the confines of the north, our faces being turned towards Italy, and the genial regions of the south. At the post we once more entered sledges, and Avith great satisfaction began to descend, a vast mass of mountain hang- ing over us on the left, and the Atagis, now called the Adige, tumbling from steep to steep on our right. Night soon enveloped us, and we pursued ourAvay with great rapidity down the declivity through Mairk and Middkzmld, and at length entered the epis- copal city of Bridcn, or Bremiione. "VVe had now passed the wildest retreats and most savage scenery of the Alps, once the impenetrable abode of fierce tribes of bar- barians, and the haunt of associated robbers, who plundered Avith * Liv. xxi. VOL. I. D 18 CLASSICAL TOUR the numbers, the spirit, and the discipline of armies. The Roman legions were not unfrequently impeded in their progress, and more than once stripped of their baggage by these desperate moun- taineers. The expedition of Drusus, before alluded to, seems to have reduced the Alpine tribes, at least the Vindelici and the Rhoeti, so far to subjection as to ensure a safe and easy passage through their territories for many succeeding ages. The incursions, invasions, and consequent anarchy, that preceded and followed the dissolution of the Roman empire, naturally revived the fierceness of the mountain tribes, and renewed the disorders of earlier pe- riods. But these disorders yielded in their turn to the increasing influence of Christianity and to the authority of the clergy; two causes, Avhich, fortunately for Europe, Avorked Avitli increasing extent and energy, and successfully counteracted the prodigious efforts of ferocit}^ of barbarism, and of ignorance during the mid- dle ages. So effective was their operation, that the Rlietians, from the most savage, became the most gentle of mountain tribes, and have for a long succession of ages continued to distinguish them- selves by their innocence, simplicity, and benevolence: and •few travellers have, 1 believe, traversed the Rhetian Alps, without hav- ing witnessed some instances of these amiable virtues. It is indeed fortunate, that religion has penetrated these fast- nesses impervious to human poAver, and spread her influence OA^er solitudes Avhere human laws are of no avail; that Avhere precaution is impossible, and resistance useless, she spreads her invisible ^Egis over the traveller, and conducts him secure under her protection, tlu'ough all the dangers of the way. While rapidly skimming the edge of a precipice, or Avinding cautiously along under the loose masses of an impending cliff, he trembles to think that a single touch might bury him under a crag precipitated from above, or that the start of a horse purposely alarmed, might hurl him into the THROUGH ITALY. 19 abyss below, and give the ruffian a safe opportunity of preying upon his plunder. When in such situations the traveller reflects upon his security, and recollects that these mountains, so savage, and so well adapted to the purposes of murderers and of banditti, have not in the memory of man been stained by human blood, he ought to do justice to the cause, and gralefully acknowledge the beneficent influence of religion. Impressed with these reflections, he will behold with indulgence, perhaps even with interest, the crosses Avhich frequently mark the brow of a precipice, and the little chapels hollowed out of the rock where the road is narrowest : he will consider them as so many pledges of security, and rest assured, that as long as the pious mountaineer continues to adore the* Good Shepherd, and to beg the prayers of the afflicted Mother, he will never cease to befriend the traveller, nor to discharge the duties of hospitality. If French principles should unfortunately pass from the courts and the cities in the plains, to the recesses of these mountains, the murderer may shortly aim his rifle from behind the ruins of the cross, and the nightly banditti lurk, in expectation of their prey, under the roof of the forsaken chapel. * Pastor bonus, Mater dolorosa; such are the titles often niscribed over those rustic temples; sometimes a whole sentence is subjoined, as, Pastor bomis qui animam siiain (I at pro ovibus siiis*. Under a crucifix on the brow of a tremendous crag, I observed some lines taken from the Dies IrcB, a funeral iiymn, which, though disfigured by rhyme, was justly admired by Johnson and by Lord Roscommon for its pathos and sublimity.' — The lines were, Recordare, Jesu pie ! Quod sum causa tufe viae — Quaerens me sedisti lassus, Redemisti crucem passus; Tantus labor non sit cassus. * St. John, X. 11. D 2 20 CLASSICAL TOUR Bressi)wne,m German Brixen, presents nothing very remarkable to the attention of the traveller. Its cathedral is neither large nor beautiful; and its claim to antiquity is rather dubious, as the name of Brixentes, in ancient authors, belongs not so much to thetOAvn, as to the inhabitants of the surrounding country. I need scarcely inform the reader, that the Brixia, alluded to by Catullus, is now Brescia, a well known and flourishing city in the plain below, between the lake Benacus and Cremona. Brisia Chinaea supposita specula ; Flavus quam molli percurrit flumine Mela. Brixia, Veronffi mater amala meae*. The River Mela, described in these verses as a yellow and smooth flowing stream, and represented by Virgil as meandering through cultivated valleys, still retains its ancient name and character, and runs near the last mentioned town-j-. The descent from the little pMn of Bressinone is not so steep as the road which leads to it. On a hill not far from Chiusa stands the abbey of Sabiona, the only remains of the ancient Sabina: thus .bearing its former name, with little variation. Chiusa or Clausen, once Clusium, takes ts name, as other towus of similar appellations, from its situation: as the plain, in which it stands, is terminated by a tremendous defile, whose rocky sides jut out so * Catull. Lxv. 32. 31. •|- tonsls in vallibus ilium (florem) Pastores, et curva legunt prope flumiiia Mellae. It is remarkable, tliat while Virgil calls this river Mella, Catullus, a citizen of Verona, gives it the exact appellation which it still retains, and which probably was then current in its neighbourhood. THROUGH ITALY. 21 far and rise so high, as ahuost to hide the face of Heaven : while the river, contracted into a torrent, or rather a continual cascade, rolls in thunder from steep to steep, hurrying shattered fragments of rock down its edd}-, and filling the dell with uproar. The num- berless chapels, hewn out of the rock on the road, answer the double purposes of devotion and of security, protecting the traveller against the sudden bursts of storm in summer, and against the still more sudden and destructive masses of snow that roll from the moun- tains towards the termination of winter. The road, which leads to this dell, runs along the edge of a most tremendous precipice, and is so near it, that from the carriage, the eye, without perceiving the parapet, looks all at once into the abyss below, and it is scarcely possible not to draw back within voluntary terror. The defile, to which the road leads, seems yawning as if ready to swallow up the traveller, and, closing over him as he advances, has less the ap- pearance of a road in the land of the living, than of a descent to the infernal regions. A heavy snow, falling as we passed, added to the natural gloom of the scene, and made it truly terrific. We entered Bolsano late. The name of this town is converted by the Germans into the barbarous appellation of Botzen. It is a commercial and busy place. Its situation, at the opening of several valleys, and near the confluence of three rivers, is advan- taseous ; its neitrhbourhood Avell cultivated and romantic. It con- tains, however, no remarkable object. A little below Bolzano the Atasis flows into the Athesis; rivers, which from the resemblance of their names are frecpiendy confounded ; especially as they now go under the same appellation, and are called the Adige, sometimes the Adese. The former name may be derived from either of the ancient titles; the latter can come from the Athesis only. This river takes its rise near a little town called Bing, not far from Claras and Tiroli, anciently Tirioli, whence the territory takes its 22 CLASSICAL TOUR modern name, and after traversing the valley of Venosta, joins the Ataois at Bohano. From Bolsano the road presents nothing pecuharly interesting as Alpine scenery. Some castles, however, finely situated, project into the valleys of Sole and Anania; Monte Cenio and Monte Mendala are objects grand and beautiful. We left the village of Mezzo Tedesco, and entered that on the opposite side of the river called Mezzo Lomhardo, Avith pleasure. Scdiinw interested us by its antiquity, of which its name is a memorial. Night had al- ready closed upon us when we entered Trent. THROUGH ITALY. 2;? CHAP. u. TRENT COUNCIL OF TRENT CASTELLO DKLLA PIETRA — ROVEREDO SLAVINI DI MARCO ALA ClIIUSA VERONA, ITS ANTIQUITIES AND HISTORY. TRENT is the seat of an archbishop. Its ancient , name was Tridentuni, and the tribes and Alps in its vicinity were not un- frequentlj called Tridentini. It is seated in a small but beautiful valley, exposed, however, from its elevation, to intense cold in winter, and, from the reflection of the surrounding mountains, to heat as intense in summer. When we passed (February the six- teenth) the ground was still covered with snow, and the frost, notwithstanding the influence of the sun, very severe. The town is well built, and boasts some palaces. That of the prince bishop contains some very noble apartments, but it had been plundered and disfigured by the French in their late invasion. The ca- thedral is (Jothic, and not remarkable either for its beauty or magnitude. Its organ is admired, though supposed to be inferior to that of the church Santa Maria Maggiore, in the same city. But Trent owes its fame neither to its situation nor to its edifices, but to the celebrated Council held within its walls about the middle 24 CLASSICAL TOUR of the sixteenth century*. It was opened in the cathedral, but o-enerally held its sessions in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore^ where a picture still exists, representing the Council sitting in full Synod. The most conspicuous figures are supposed to be portraits taken from the life. This assembly sat, with various interruptions, under three successive pontiffs, during the space of eiohteen years. It was convoked by Paul the Third, and con- sisted of cardinals, archbishops, bishops, abbots, chiefs of religious orders, representatives of the universities, and ambassadors from the Emperor, Kings of France, Spain, Portugal, &c., from the republics of Venice, of Genoa, and from the Cantons of Switzer- land, from the German electors, &c. These ambassadors were called Oratores, and were accompanied each by a certain number of lawyers and divines selected by their respective sovereigns. The whole number of persons composing the general assemblies amounted to one thousand -f-. The subjects of discussion were prepared in committees, and definitively settled in the general assemblies. The bull of convoca- tion, issued by Paul the Third, is a master-piece of its kind. The style of the Acts is pure and dignified, and the dissertations and observations that precede the canons cannot be perused, even by an impartial and pious protestant, without instruction and edification. One of the great objects of the Council was the resto- ration of peace and unity among Christians. In this respect it failed: animosity prevailed over charity; conscious authority on * One thousand five hundred and forty-two. • -)• Gibbon says of tlie council of Constance, that the number and weight of civil and ecclesiastical members might seem to constitute the States general of Europe ; a remark equally applicable to the council of Trent. THROUGH ITALY. 25 one side, rage of innovation on the other, would submit to no concession. The other object was the reformation of the church. Here its efforts were attended, if not with total, at least with very ge- neral success, and must receive the approbation of every impartial reader. Many of its regulations have been adopted by the civil authority, even in Protestant countries; such, for instance, as those relating to matrimon}-; and where admitted, their utility has been felt and acknowledged. Intrigue, without doubt, was not inactive at Trent; and where so many persons of such rank and weight, so many diplomatic agents from almost all the countries and all the corporate bodies in Christendom, were brought together, it must have been frequently and strongly exerted. Yet with such an obstacle in its way, the Council drew up a set of articles clear and concise, comprehending all the principal points then in de- bate, and fixing the faith of the Catholic with logical precision. After having thus represented the Council in a favourable light, I nuist now, reluctantly I confess, turn to the charges advanced against it; the first of which is the influence supposed to have been exercised over it by the Roman court; an influence which, after all, seems to have been confined to subjects connected with the tem- poral interests and with the interior concerns of thatCourt, and never extended either to the deliberations or to the final decrees of the Council. In the second place, many a benevolent man, many a true friend of the peace and union of the Christian body, has deplored the degree of precision, with which the articles in debate were defined, and a line was drawn between the contending par- ties, — to separate them perhaps for ever! Real union, indeed, at that time of delirious contest, was not to be hoped for; but some latitude allowed to the wanderings of the human mind, a greater scope given to interpretation, and a respectiul silence recommended to the disputants on subjects too mysterious to be explained, and VOL. I. E 26 CLASSICAL TOUR too awful to be bandied about in scholastic disputation, might, perhaps, at a more favourable season, have soothed animosity, and disposed all temperate persons to terms of accommodation. Re- mote, however, as we now are from that aera of discord, and strangers to the passions which then influenced mankind, it might seem to border upon temerity and injustice, Avere we to censure the proceedings of an assembly, which combined the benevolence, the sanctity, and the moderation of the Cardinals Pole and Sadokti, Contareni, and Seripando^. February 18th. From Trent the road continues to run through a narrow valley watered by the Adige (or Athesis), and covered with vines conducted over trellis work, or winding from tree to tree in garlands. High mountains rise on each side, and the snow, though occasionally deep, was yet sensibly diminished. After the first stage, the snow appeared only on the mountains, while in the valley we enjoyed some share of the genial influence of an Italian sun. The number of neat villages seemed to increase on both banks of the river; though in all, the ravages of Avar and that * Vida has made a beautiful allusion both to the City and the Council of Trent, in the form of a devout prayer, at the end of one of his hymns. Nos primum pete, qui in sedem convenimus unam, Saxa ubi depressum condunt pvserupta Tridentum Hinc, atque hinc, variis acciti e sedibus orbis, Ut studiis juncti, atque animis concordibus una Tendamus, duce te freti, succurrere lapsis Legibus, et versos revocare in pristina mores. Teque ideo coetu celebramus, et ore ciemus, Sancte, veni, penitus te mentibus insere nostris. Aura potens, amor omnipotens, caeli aurea flamma ! Hym. Spin. San. THROUGH ITALY. 27 wanton rage for mischief, which, upon all occasions, distinguishes an invading army, were but too discernible. Cottages destroyed, houses burnt or damaged, and churches disfigured forced them- selves too frequently upon the attention of the traveller. A fortress, covering the brow of a steep hill, rises on the left at some distance from the road, and forms too conspicuous an object to pass unnoticed. Its ancient name was, according to Cluverius, Vcrrucca Castellum ; it is now called Castdlo delta Fietra, from its site. It Avas taken and re-taken twice by the French and Austrians during the last Avar, though its situation might induce a traveller to consider it impregnable. Roveredo, anciently Roboretum, the second stage from Trent, is a neat little town in the defiles of the Alps, situated, geographi- cally speaking, in the German territory, but in language, manners, and appearance, Italian. The entrance on the side of Trent looks well, though the main street is narrow. An inscription over the gate, relative to the marriage and passage of the Princess of Parma, pleased me much, as it affords a specimen of the good taste of this little town. Isabellae Phillippi Borb. Parmae ducis Joseplio Austriae duci nuptae Viennam proficiscenti Felix sit iter Faustusque thalamus Roboretanis gaudentibus. In fact, as you approach Italy, you may perceive a visible im- provement not only in the climate of the country, but also in the ideas of its inhabitants; the churches and public buildings assume a better form; the shape and ornaments of their portals, doors, and E 2 28 CLASSICAL TOUR windows are more graceful, and their epitaphs and inscriptions, which, as Addison justly observes, are a certain criterion of public taste, breathe a more classical spirit. Roveredo is situated in the beautiful valley of Lagarina, has distinguished itself in the literary world, and has long possessed an academ}^ whose mem- bers have been neither inactive nor inglorious. The descent (for from Steinach, or rather a few miles south of that village, three stages before Brixen, we had begun to descend) becomes more rapid between Roveredo and A /a; the river, which glided gently through the valley of Trent, assumes the roughness of a torrent; the defiles become narrower; and the mountains break into rocks and precipices, Avhich occasionally approach the road, sometimes rise perpendicular from it, and now and then hang over it in terrible majesty*. Ala is an insignificant little town, in * Amid these wilds the traveller cannot fail to notice a vast tract called the Slavi7ii di Marco, covered with fragments of rock torn from the sides of the neighbour- ing mountains hy an earthquake, or perhaps by their own unsupported weight, and hurled down into the plains below. They spread over the whole valley, and in some places contract the road to a very narrow space. A few firs and cypresses scattered in the intervals, or sometimes rising out of the crevices of the rocks, cast a partial and melancholy shade amid the surrounding nakedness and desolation. This scene of ruin seems to have made a deep impression upon the wild imagination of Dante, as he has in- troduced it into the twelfth canto of the Inferno, in order to give the reader an adequate idea of one of his infernal ramparts : • — Era lo loco ove a scender la riva Venimmo, Alpestro e per quel ch' iv' er' anco, Tal, ch' ogni vista ne sarebbe schiva. Qual'e quella ruina che nel fianco De qua da Trento I'Adice percosse, O per tremuoto o per sostegno manco; Che da cima del monte onde si mosse, Al piano e si la roccia discoscesa, Ch' alcuna via darebbe a chi su fosse. THROUGH ITALY. 29 no respect remarkable, except as forming the geographical boundary of Italy. The same appearances continue for some time, till at length the mountains gradually sink into hills; the hills diminish in height, in number, and at last leave an open space beyond the river on the right. In front, however, a round hill presents itself at a little distance, which, as you approach, swells in bulk, and open- ing, just leaves room sufficient for the road, and for the river on the right, between two vast perpendicular walls of solid rock, that tower to a prodigious height, and cast a most terrific gloom over the narrow strait that divides them. As the road leads alono- a precipice, hanging over the river, without any parapet, the pea- sants, Avho live at the entrance of the defile, crowd round the car- riage to support it in the most dangerous parts of the ascent and descent. A fortification*, ruined by the French in the late war, formerly defended this dreadful pass, and must have rendered it impregnable. But French gold, Perrumpere amat saxa, potentius Ictu fulraineo. In the middle of the defile a cleft in the rock on the left gives vent to a torrent that rushes down the crag, and sometimes sweeps away a part of the road in its passage. After winding through the de- file for about half an hour, we turned, and suddenly found our- selves on the plains of Italy. * The fortress alluded to is called Chiusa, and is said to have been originally built by the Romans; and though frequently destroyed during the wars and various invasions of Italy, yet it was as constantly repaired in more peaceable times. It must be ac- knowledged that Nature could not have erected a more impregnable rampart to Italy than the Alps, nor opened a more magnificent avenue than the long defile of the 'J'yrol. * 30 CLASSICAL TOUR A traveller, upon his entrance into Italy, longs impatiently to discover some remains of ancient magnificence, or some specimen of modern taste, and fortunatel}^ finds much to gratify his curiosity in A'erona, the first town that receives him upon his descent from the Rhetian Alps. Verona is beautifully situated on the Adige, partly on the decli- vity of a hill, which forms the last swell of the Alps, and partly on the skirts of an immense plain extending from these mountains to the Apennines. The hills behind are adorned with villas and gardens, where the graceful cypress and tall poplar predominate over the bushy ilex and spreading laurel. The plains before the city are streaked with rows of mulberry trees, and shaded with vines climbing from branch to branch and spreading in garlands from tree to tree. The devastation of war had not a little disfi- gured this scenery, by stripping several villas, levelling many a grove, and rooting up whole rows of vines and mulberry trees. But the hand of industry had already begun to repair these ra- vages, and to restore to the neighbouring hills and fields their beauty and fertility. The interior of the town is worthy of its situation. It is di- vided into two unequal parts by the Adige, which sweeps through it in a bold curve, and forms a peninsula, within which the whole of the ancient, and the greater part of the modern city, is en- closed. The river is wide and rapid, the streets, as in almost all continental towns, are narrower than our's, but long, strait, well built, and frequently presenting, in the form of the doors and windows, and in the ornaments of their cases, fine proportions, and beautiful workmanship. But besides these advantages which Verona enjoys in common THROUGH ITALY. 31 with many other towns, it can boast of possessing one of the no- blest monuments of Roman magnificence now existing; I mean its amphitheatre, inferior in size, but equal in materials and in so- lidity to the Coliseum. Almost immediately upon our arrival, we hastened to this celebrated monument, and passed the greater part of the morning in climbing its seats and ranging over its spacious arena. The external circumference, forming the ornamental part, has been destroyed long ago; with the exception of one piece of wall containing three stories of four arches, rising to the height of more than eighty feet. The pilasters and decorations of the out- side were Tuscan, an order well adapted by its simplicity to such vast fabrics. Forty-five ranges of seats, rising from the arena to the top of the second story of outward arches, remain entire, with the different vomitoria, and their respective staircases and galleries of communication. The whole is formed of blocks of marble, and presents such a mass of compact solidit}^ as might have defied the influence of time, had not its powers been aided by the more active operations of barbarian destruction. The arena is not, as in Addison's time, filled up and level with the first row of seats, but a few feet lower; though still somewhat higher than it was in its original state. As it is not my intention to give an architectural account of this celebrated edifice, I shall merely inform the reader, in order to give him a general idea of its vast- ness, that the outward circumference is 1290 feet, the length of the arena 218, and its breadth 129: the seats are capable of con- taining 22,000 spectators. At each end of the amphitheatre is a great gate, and over each a modern balustrade with an inscription, informing the traveller, that two exhibitions of a very different nature took place in it some years ago. The one was a bull-baiting exhibited in honour of the Emperor Joseph then at Verona, by the governor and the 32 CLASSICAL TOUR people. The seats were crowded, as may be imagined, on this oc- casion; and a Roman Emperor was once more hailed in a Roman amphitheatre with the titles of Caesar and Augustus, by spectators who pretend and almost deserve to be Romans. The other exhi- bition, though of a very different nature, was perhaps equally in- teresting : the late Pope in his German excursion passed through Verona, and was requested by the magistrates to give the people a public opportunity of testifying their veneration. He accord- ingly appeared in the amphitheatre, selected on account of its ca- pacity as the properest place, and when the shouts of acclaim had subsided, poured forth his benediction on the prostrate multitude collected from all the neighbouring provinces to receive it. The thoughtful spectator might have amused himself with the singular contrast, which this ceremony must have presented, to the shows and the pomps exhibited in the same place in ancient times. A multitude in both cases equally numerous, then assembled for pur- poses of cruel and bloody amusements, now collected by motives of piety and brotherhood: then all noise, agitation, and uproar; now all silence and tranquil expectation : then all eyes fixed on the arena, or perhaps on the Emperor, an arena crowded with human victims, an Emperor, Gallienus for instance, frowning on his trembling slaves: now all looks rivetted on the venerable person of a Christian Pontiff, who, Avith eyes and hands uplifted to Heaven, implored for the prostrate crowd peace and happiness. The French applied the amphitheatre to a very different purpose. Shortly after their entrance into Verona, they erected a wooden theatre near one of the grand porlals, and caused several farces and pantomimes to be acted in it for the amusement of the army. The sheds and scaffolding that composed this miserable edifice were standing in the year 1802, and looked as if intended by the builder for a satire upon the taste of the Gixat Nation^ that could THROUGH ITALY. 33 disfioure so noble an arena. The Veronese beheld this characte- ristic absurdity with indignation ; and compared the French, not without reason, to the Huns and the Lombards. In reality, the inhabitants of Verona have always distinguished themselves by an unusual attachment to their ancient monuments, and have endea- voured, as well as the misery of the times, and the general impo- verishment of Italy would allow them, to preserve and repair their public buildings. From an early period in the thirteenth century (1228) we fmd that there were sums appropriated to the repara- tion of the amphitheatre ; and that afterwards public orders were issued for its preservation and ornament, and respectable citizens appointed to enforce them. This latter custom continued till the French invasion, and two persons, entitled Fresidenti alia arena, were intrusted with its inspection and guardianship. Such zeal and attention, to which the world owes one of the noblest monu- ments of antiquity, are highly creditable to the taste and the pub- lic spirit of the Veronese, and aftbrd an honourable proof that they not only boast of Roman extraction, but retain some features of the Roman character. But the amphitheatre is not the only monument of antiquity that distinguishes Verona. In the middle of a street, called the Corso, stands a gate inscribed with the name of Gallienus, on ac- count of his having rebuilt the city walls. It consists of two gate- ways, according to the ancient custom, one for those who enter, the other for those who go out : each gateway is ornamented with Corinthian half pillars, supporting a light pediment; above are two stories with six small arched windows each. The whole is of marble, and does not seem to have suffered any detriment from time or violence. The gate, though not without beauty in its size, proportions, and materials, yet by its supernumerary ornaments proves, that at its erection, the taste for pure simple archilectuie VOL. I. 1' 34 CLASSICAL TOUR was on the decline. The remains of another gate, of a similar though chaster form, may be seen in the Via Leoni, where it stands as a front to an insignificant house ; and within that house, in the upper story, a few feet behind the first gate, there exist some beautiful remnants of the Doric ornaments of the inner front of the gate : remnants much admired by modern architects, and said to present one of the best specimens of that order to be found in Italy. This double gate is supposed to have been the entrance into the Forum Judiciale, and ought to be cleared, if possible, of the miserable pile that encumbers it, and buries its beauty. From the first-mentioned gate, which formed the principal en- trance into the to^vn, as appears from some remains of the wall or rampart, which ran on each side of it, and was repaired by Gal- lienus, we may conclude that Verona was anciently of no great extent, as it was confined to the space that Hes between this wall and the river. This observation, apparently improbable, considering that Verona was an ancient Roman colony, the native country or the residence of many illustrious persons mentioned by historians and celebrated by poets, is founded on the authority of SiUus and of Servius; if indeed the descriptions of the former can, like Homer's, be considered as geographical authority*. However, it may be presumed, that the suburbs of the town ex- tended into the neighbouring plain ; a conjecture favoured by the situation of the amphitheatre, which, though standing at some distance from the ancient gate, was probably erected in or near some populous quarter. At all events, the modern Verona is of * Athcsis Veronae circumflua. — Sil. VIII. Athesis Veneti'jE fluvius est Veronum vivitatem ambiens. — Servius in yiig. VIII. THROUGH ITALY. 35 much greater magnitude, and spreading into the phiin to a con- siderable distance beyond the old wall on the one side, and on the other covering the opposite banks of the river, encloses the an- cient town as its centre, and occupies a spacious area of about five miles in circumference. Many parts of it, particularly the square called Piazza dclki Bra, near the amphitheatre, are airy and splendid. Some of its palaces, and several of its churches, merit particular attention : among the latter, the beautiful chapel of /S. Bernardino, in the church of the Franciscan Friars, and .S'. Zeno *, with its painted cloister and vast vase of porphyry, may perhaps claim the precedency. Among public edifices, the Gran-Guardla and the Miiseo Lapi- dario are the most conspicuous : the portico of the latter is Ionic : its court surrounded with a gallery of light Doric, contains a vast collection of antiquities -j- of various kinds, such as altars, tombs, sepulchral vases, inscriptions, &c., formed and arranged principally by the celebrated Maffei, a nobleman whose learning and taste (two qualities not always united) reflect great honour on Italy, and particularly on Verona, the place of his birth and his usual residence. The garden of the Giusti family, alluded to by Addison, is still she^vn to travellers, though it has little to recommend it to attention * Tliis church suffered considerably from the brutaUty of the French soldier)', some of whom amused themselves, a?* might have done the Huns of Attiia, or tiic Goths of Radagaisus, in breaking porpliyry pillars and vases, ransacking tombs, and disfigur- ing paintings. t The French visited this collection, and carried off some of the most valuable articles. r 2 36 CLASSICAL TOUR except its former celebrit}^ and some wild Avalks winding along the side of a declivity remarkable as being the last steep in the immense descent from the Alps to the plain. From the highest terrace of this garden, there is a beautiful and extensive prospect of the town, the hills, and the Alps on one side ; and on the other, of plains spreading wide, and losing their fading tints in the southern horizon. This is in reality one of the best spots for viewing Verona, and as such it may be considered worthy of the attention of tra- vellers, together with the hills that rise behind the town, parti- cularly that on which formerly stood the Castello di San Pietro, now in ruins. Few towns have contributed more largely to the reputation of Roman literature, or have been more fertile in the production of genius, taste, and knowledge, than Verona. Catullus and INIacer (supposed to be introduced by Virgil into his Eclogues under the pastoral name of INIopsus), Cornelius Nepos and Pomponius Se- cundus, Vitruvius and Pliny the Elder, form a constellation of luminaries of the first magnitude, and shed a distinguishing lustre on the place of their birth and early education. A succession of writers followed ; and though feeble tapers in comparison of their predecessors, yet they cast a transient gleam as they passed on, and not only preserved the light of science from being utterly extinguished during the middle centuries, but contributed to revive its glories at a later and more fortunate period. In this revival, at the commencement of the fifteenth century, Verona had some share : Gitarini, a A'eronese, returning from Constantinople, re- stored the study of Greek some time before the arrival of Chnisolo- ras, and of the other learned Constantinopolitan fugitives. He was succeeded by a long line of eminent men, among Avhom we may distinguish Domitius Cahkrim (who, with Laurentius I alia and Po- lilian, received the honourable appellation of Triumvirs of Litera- THROUGH ITALY. 37 ture), Scalige7; and Taminhis ; and in fine Fracastorius the poet, the naturahst, and the astronomer. In modern times, Verona still preserves her reputation in taste and science ; and the names of Bianchini and Scipio Maffci may be considered as proofs of her present, and pledges of her future literary glory. The history of Verona is various and interesting. Situated as it is at the foot of the Alps, and at the southern opening of the grand defile through Rhetia, forming the most ancient and regular com- munication between Italy and Germany, it is exposed to the first fury of the northern invaders, and has always been the first object of their attacks. It resisted with various success ; sometimes it was treated with lenity, and sometimes with cruelty. Like the other Italian towns, it submitted sooner or later to the prevailing power, and bore successively the yoke of the Ileruli, of the Goths, of the Greeks, of the Lombards, and of the Italian and German emperors. During this long period of invasion, of anarchy, and of dc\astation, Verona seems to have enjoj^ed a better fate, or, to speak more correctly, to have suff"ered less than most other Italian cities. Many of the sovereigns, Avho reigned during this interval from Theodoric to Frederic the Second, either allured by the beauty, or struck by the importance of its situation, made Verona their occasional residence ; and frequently paid much attention to its accommodation, strength, and ornament. In the twelfth century, Verona, together with many other Italian cities, shook ofl^" the yoke of foreign barbarians ; erected itself into an independent repubhc ; and, as conquest frequently attends liberty, became the capital of a very considerable ter- ritory. In this state of freedom and of consequence ^'erona remained till the commencement of the fifteenth centur)?^ ; when, seduced by the influence, allured by the glory, or awed by the 38 CLASSICAL TOUR oreatness of Venice, she submitted to the genius of her powerful neighbour. Howe\ er, this voluntary dependance was rather a state of tranquillity, than of servitude or degradation. The Venetians respected the laws and customs of the Veronese, and consulted the beauty and prosperity of their city ; so that the change might be considered as the union of bordering territories, not the subjection of a separate state ; and the sway of the Venetians was regarded ratlier as the superiority of countrymen, than as the usurpation of Ibreigners. At length, during the revolutionary war, the French invaded Italy ; and, after a long and bloody contest, remaining masters of the Venetian territory, employed it to purchase peace, and made over the greatest part to the emperor. Upon this occasion, the territory of Verona was divided, and the city itself torn asunder ; the Adige was declared to be the boundary of the two states, the territory and part of the town on the left bank was con- .signed to the Austrians, while the greater part, which lies on the right, Avas annexed to the new-created Italian republic. This dismemberment (if the expression may be allowed) is considered by the Veronese as the greatest disaster their town has ever suffered ; and the French are detested as the most cruel of the many barbarous tribes that have invaded their devoted country* They look upon themselves as victims of a partition-treaty be- tween two rival powers, agreeing only in one point — the subjuga- tion and oppression of Italy ; but these powers they hate as trans- alpines and barbarians (for the latter term is applied by the modern as well as the ancient Italians, to all foreign or hostile nations), but the French most, as aggressors, who have added treachery and insult to invasion and plunder. The Italian re- public they regard as the handmaid and creature of France, with a pompous name to dupe the populace, and to palliate THROUGH ITALY. 39 the odium of tyrannical measures and of oppressive taxation. They consider its duration as uncertain as the existence, and its administration as irregular as the caprice of its founder ; like the French republic, it is in their ej^es a phantom, which appeared yesterday, and may vanish to-morrow : doubtful therefore of its permanency, but convinced that while it exists it will be a mere instrument of oppression in the hands of an enemj^, they behold its operations mth distrust, and hear its name with contempt and indignation. Hence the inactivit)'^ and solitude that pervade the streets of the Italian, or rather French part of the town, and an- nounce the apprehension and the despair of its inhabitants, their attachment to their old, and their hatred to their new government. The Austrians they do not and cannot love : they are barba- rians and invaders ; and though the emperor be a just and even benevolent sovereign, yet his right over them is that of the sword only ; and though he may be h/rannorum mitissimm, yet in the eyes of every Italian patriot, still he is, as well as Buomqjarte, a tyrant and an usurper : since, however, they are doomed to be slaves, of the two they prefer the former. I'he Austrian government is mild and equitable ; it proceeds on fixed principles, and moves on in the straight and beaten track ; it is, and so is the French republic, liable to the reverses of war ; but it is exempt, and so is not the French republic, from internal change and unexpected revolution. Hence they submit, with something like resignation, to the imperial sway ; and hence some life and activity, some share of confidence, and some appearance of business, enliven the Austrian quarter of Verona. It is indeed highly probable, that if the present pre- carious state of things lasts for any time, the ancient city will be almost deserted, and all the population of ^^erona pass to the Austrian territory. Not to speak therefore of llie money raised. of the pictures, statues, and antiquities cairied oti' by the French, 40 CLASSICAL TOUR Verona has suftered more, in a political sense, in the last convulsive war, than perhaps any city, Venice excepted, that lay within its range of devastation. Not content with dividing and enslaving it for the present, the French seem determined to prevent it from ever again becoming a place of importance ; and have accordingly levelled its fortifications, and destroyed the walls of its castle, formerly a fortress of some strength from its ramparts and com- manding position. The top and sides of the liill are now covered with its ruins ; and the emperor is, I believe, obliged, by an article in the treaty, not to rebuild them at any future period. Such was the state of Verona in the year 1802. Our last visit, as our first, was to the amphitheatre : we passed some hours, as before, in a very delightful manner, sometimes reclining on the middle seats, and admiring the capaciousness, the magnitude, and the durability of the vast edifice ; at other times seated on the upper range, contemplating the noble prospect expanded before us, the town under our eyes, verdant plains spreading on one side, and on the other, the Alps rising in craggy majesty, and bearing on their ridges the united snows of four thousand winters ; while an Hesperian sun shone in full brightness over our heads, and southern gales breathed all the warmth and all the fragrance of Spring around us. Prospects so grand and beau- tiful must excite very pleasing emotions at all times, and such vernal breezes may well be supposed to inspire " delight and joy able to drive « All sadness." But the pleasure, which we felt on the occasion, was not a little enhanced by the contrast between our present and late situation. ^Ve had just descended from the mountains of the Tirol, where our THROUGH ITALY. 41 view had long been contincd to a deep and nairow defile : our eye now ranged at liberty over an immense extent of scenery, rich,, magnificent, and sublime. We had just escaped from the rigors of winter, and we were now basking in the beams of a summer sun. We still stood on the very verge of frost, and beheld whole regions of snow rising full before us ; but vernal Avarmth, vegetation, and verdure, enveloped us on all sides. In such circumstances, when for the first time the traveller beholds the beauties of an Italian prospect expanded before him, and feels the genial influence of an Italian sun around him, he may be allowed to indulge a momentary enthusiasm, and hail Italy in the language of Virgil. Sed neque Medorum sylvae, ditissima terra, Nee pulclier Ganges, atque auro turbidus Hermus Laudibus Italiae certent ; non Bactra neque Indi, Totaque thuriferis Panchaia pinguis arenis Hie gravidffi fruges et Bacehi Massieus humor Implevere; tenent olese armentaque Iseta Hie ver assiduum, atque alienis mensibus sestas .... Adde tot egregias urbes operumque laborem Tot congesta nianu praeruptis oppida saxis Fluminaque antiquos subterlabentia muros Salve magna parens frugum, Saturnia tellus Magna virum ! Georg, u. On the whole, we visited few places with more satisfaction, and left few with more regret, than Verona; whether as the first Italian city on our road, it happened, by its appearance and monuments, very novel to a transalpine traveller, particularly to engage our attention; or whether it really possesses many means of exciting interest, I know not; but as we departed, we felt ourselves inclined to address it in the words of one of its poets. VOL. I. o 42 CLASSICAL TOUR *' Verona, qui te viderit, " Et non aniarit protinus, " Aiiiore perditissimo, " Is, credo, se ipsum non amat, " Caretque amaiidi sensibus, " Et odit omnes gratias*." CorxA. If a traveller have any time to spare (and he who wishes to travel with benefit, ought always to have some da} s at lois disposal) he may spend'it Avith advantage at Verona, as his head-quarters, and take an opportunity of visiting Monte Bolca abought eighteen, and Valle Ro7wa about fifteen miles distant; where the lovers of the picturesque will find some beautiful scenery, and the mineralo- gist some remarkable specimens of various stones, earths, petrifac- tions, incrustations, basaltic pillars, &c. Among similar curiosities, we may rank the Ponte Veto, a natural arch of considerable sweep and boldness. The wines of Verona were formerly famous, as appears from Virgil's apostrophe. " et quo te carmine dicam " Rhastica ? nee cellis ideo contende Falernis.' But their reputation at present is very low, as is that of almost all the wines produced on the northern side of the Apennines. * The best guide is the Compendia delta Verona, in four very thin, or two ordinary small octavo volumes, with prints. It is an abridgment of a larger work, entitled " Verona Ittiistrata," by the celebrated Maffei. THROUGH ITALY. 4.'J CHAP. III. VICEXTIA BUILDINGS OLYMPIC ACADEMY AND THEATRE STYLE OF PALLADIO CHURCH OP MONTE BERICO CIMBRI SETTE COMMUNI PADUA ITS ANTIQUITY, HIS- TORY, LITERATURE, AND UNIVERSITY. THE distance from ^^erona to A'iceiitia is three posts and a half; the road runs over a plain highly cultivated, and beautifully shaded Avith vines and mulberries. "When I say a plain, I do not mean that the face of the country is a dead insipid flat, but only that it is not hilly. However, near Monte Bello bold hills rise on each side, and present, in their windings or on their summits, villages, to^vns, and castles. Vincentia (Vicetia), Vicenza is a tovm as ancient as Verona, large and populous ; its circumference is of three miles, and the number of its inhabitants is said to amount to 30,000. It has passed through the same revolutions as its neighbour \'erona, but it seems to have suffered more from their consequences. It was indeed burnt by the Emperor Frederic the Second, while a I war with the Pope, on account of its attachment to the latter, and can- not consequently be supposed to exhibit any remnants of its Roman glory. o 2 44 CLASSICAL TOUR But the want of ancient monuments is supplied in a great degree by numberless master-pieces of modern genius. Palladio was a native of this city, and seems to have employed with complacenc}'' all the power of his art in the embellishment of his country. Plence the taste and magnificence that reign in most of the public buildings, and in many of the private houses. Among the former we may distinguish the Town House, called very significantly Palozzo (klla ragione, that is, the Palace of Public Reason, or Opinion, where justice is administered, and the business of the city transacted ; the Palazzo del Capitanio, the residence of the Podestci, or principal magistrate, so called from potestas*, a title sometimes given by the Romans to persons charged with the highest functions in provincial towns ; the gate of the Campus Martius, a triumphal arch, solid and well proportioned ; and, above all, the celebrated Olympic Theatre erected at the expense of a well known academy bearing that pompous title. This edifice is raised upon the plan of ancient theatres, and bears a great resemblance to those of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The permanent and immoveable scenery, the ranges of seats rising above the other, the situation of the orchestra in the podium, and the colonnade that crowns the upper range, are all faithful representations of antiquity. The scene consists of a magnificent gate, supported by a double row of pillars, with niches and statues : it has one large and two smaller entrances, opening into as many principal streets, decorated with temples, palaces, and public edifices of various descriptions, formed of solid materials, and disposed according to the rules of perspec- tive, so as to assume somewhat more than the mere theatrical appearance of reality. The sides are a continvuition of the same plan, and have also each one entrance giving into its respective An Fidenaruni Gabiorutnque esse potestas. — Juv. x. 100, THROUGH ITALY. 45 street ; thus there are five entrances, through Avhlch the actors pass and repass to and from the stage. The orchestra occupies the centre, or that part which Ave call the pit ; thence rise the seats, forming the side of an ellipsis, and above them the gallery, com- posed of a range of Corinthian pillars, with their full entablature, surmounted by a balustrade, and adorned with statues of marble. An air of simplicity, lightness, and beauty reigns over the whole edifice, and delights the ordinary observer ; Avhile, in the opinion of connoisseurs, it entitles the Teatro OUnipko to the appellation of the master-piece of Palladio. But honourable as it is to the taste and to the talents of its architect, it reflects equal, perhaps greater lustre on the Society, at whose expense and for whose purposes it Avas erected. The Olympic iVcademy was instituted at ( iceiiza so early as the year 15.55, by a set of gentlemen, for the encouragement and propaga- tion of polite literature. PubUc exhibitions were among the means employed by the Society to attain that object; and several attempts were made to accommodate various buildings to their purpose ; but finding none perfectly suitable, they at length came to the public spirited resolution of erecting a theatre ; and, that its form might correspond Avith its destination, no less than Avith the classic spirit of the actors that Avere to tread its stage, they commissioned Palladio to raise it on the ancient model. The inscription over the stage points out its object : VIRTUTI AC GENIO, OLYMPICORU]\I ACADEMIA THEATRUM HOC A FUNDAMENTIS EREXIT ANNO 1581. PALLADIO ARCHITECTO. The spirit of ancient genius seemed to revive, and the spectator might have imagined himself at Athens, Avhen the members of 46 ' CLASSICAL TOUR the Society acted the tragedies of Sophocles and of Euripides, with all possible attention to the dresses and to the manners of the age and of the country, surrounded with the scenery and amidst the statues of the gods and the heroes of antiquity. Such an institu- tion was highly honourable to Italy in general, and to J icoiza in particular, at a period when 'J'ransalpine nations were just emerging from ignorance, and opening their eyes to the rising brightness of taste and of science. The Olympic Academy still exists, and is composed now, as it was formerly, of the most respectable citizens, and of many learned foreigners ; though I am sorry to add, that the Theatre has long lamented the absence of the tragic muse, having been devoted for many years solely to the assemblies of the Academy, or perhaps enhvened with the occasional merriment of a ball or a masquerade. Moreover, since the French invasion, it seems to have suffered from the negligence or from the poverty of the proprietors, owing partly to the heavy contributions laid on the town, and partly to that listlessness and depression of spirits which generally accompany national disasters. But when this storm shall have blown over, the national genius will probably revive and return with redoubled ardour to its favourite pursuits. There are said to be about twenty palaces, which were erected by Palladio, some of which are of unusual magnificence, and con- tribute in the whole to give Vicenza an appearance of splendour and beauty not common even in Italy. In materials and magnitude they are inferior perhaps to the palaces of Genoa, but in style of architecture and in external beauty far superior. Palladio in fact had a particular talent in applying the orders and the orna- ments of architecture to the decorations of private edifices. Unlike the ancients, who seem to have contented themselves with employ- ing its grandeur in temples, porticos, and public buildings, he introduced it into common life, and communicated its elegant THROUGH ITALY. 47 forms to private edifices and to ordinary dwellings. 1 do not mean to assert that the houses and the villas of the ancients were entirely devoid of architectural ornaments. Horace speaks of the columns that decorated the palaces of the rich Romans of his time. Nempc, inter varias nutritur Sylva Columnas. Epist. lib. 1. 10. Non trabes Hymettiie Premunt columnas ultimd recisas Africa Tu secanda marmora, &c. Hor. ii, 18. Pillars had been introduced long before, as Crassus, the orator, was humorously styled Venus Palatina, on account of six pillars of Hj-mettian marble, which ornamented his house on the Palatine Mount*. We learn also, from the same author, that Mamurra, a Roman knight, who had acquired great riches in the service of Julius Ciesar, entirely incrusted his house on Mount Celius with marble, and adorned it vn\h columns of the richest species of the same materials. Cicero speaks of a Greek architect whom he em- ployed, and complains of his ignorance or inattention in raising his pillars as he had placed them, neither perpendicular, nor opposite to each other. Aliquando, says Cicero, perpendkuh et lined discet ntij: This surely is a strange compliment to a Greek artist. The pillars here alluded to seem to have supported the portico of his villa at Arpinum. Suetonius also, to give his reader an idea of the modera- tion of Augustus, observes, that the pillars of his house on the Pala- tine Mount were of Alban stone, not marble. But I am inclined to believe that such ornaments were confined to the most celebrated palaces, or perhaps employed only in the interior courts and sur- rounding porticos : if they had been common on the exterior we * Plin. XXXIV. cap, 3. t Ad Quint: Fratrem. Ill, v. 48 CLASSICAL TOUR should have discovered some traces of them in the ruins of different villas, or at least in the fronts of the houses of Pompeii : and yet though I cannot assert that there are none, I do not recollect to have observed in the streets of the latter city the slightest vestige of architectural ornaments on private edifices. To these external decorations of architecture, the cities of Italy, and indeed most modern towns of any consideration, owe a great part of their beauty ; and may glory, not perhaps Avithout reason, in surpassing the towns of antiquity in general appearance. I feel some regret in being obliged to acknowledge, that the metropolis of the British empire, though the first city in Europe, for neatness, convenience, and cleanliness, is yet inferior to most capitals in architectural embellishment. This defect is owing, in a great degree, to the nature of the materials of which it is formed, as brick is ill calculated to receive the oraceful forms of an Ionic volute, or of a Corinthian acanthus ; while the dampness of the climate seems to preclude the possibility of applying stucco to the external parts with permanent advantage. Besides some blame may justly be attributed to architects, who either know not, or neglect tiie rules of proportion and the models of antiquity; and in edifices, Avhere no expense has been spared, often display splendid instances of tasteless contrivance and of grotesque inge- nuity. But, it is to be hoped, that the industry and the taste of the British nation will, ere long, triumph over this double obstacle, inspire artists Avith genius, teach even brick to emulate marble, and give a becoming beauty and magnificence to the seat of government and to the Capital of so mighty an empire. Augustus found Rome of brick, and in his last moments boasted that he left it of marble*. May not London hope at length to see its Augustus ? ■ * Suet: D. Oct: Cass: Aug. 28. THROUGH ITALY. 49 As Palladio was a native of Vicenza it may be proper to say something of that celebrated architect, while we are employed in admiring the many superb structures with which he ornamented his countrj% Of all modern architects, Palladio seems to have had the best taste, the most correct ideas, and the greatest influence over his contemporaries and posterity. Some may have had more boldness and genius, others more favourable opportunities of dis- playing their talents ; and such, in both respects, was the felicity of the two grand architects of St. Peter's, Braniante and Michael Angelo : but Palladio has the exclusive glory of having first collected, from the writings and monuments of the ancients, a canon of sym- metrjr and proportion, and of having reduced architecture, under all its forms, to a regular and complete system. I am aware that many parts of that system have been severely criticized ; that his pedestals, for instance, are by many considered as heavy, his half pillars as little, and his decorations as luxuriant : yet it must be remembered, that these real or merely nominal defects are autho- rized by the practice of the ancients ; and that it is not fair to blame, in a modem edifice, that which is admired in the Temple of Fortuna Virilis, or on the Triumphal Arch of Trajan. But supposing this criticism well founded, every candid spectator will admit, that there are in all the edifices erected under the direction, or on the immediate plans of Palladio a simplicity and beaut}^, a symmetry and majesty, that abundantly compensate petty defects, and fulfil all the ends of architecture, by producing greatness of manner and unity of design. I know not whether my opinion, in this respect, may agree with ihat of professed artists ; but of all the grand fabrics which I have had an opportunity of contemplating after St. Peter's and the Pan- theon, the two master-pieces, one of ancient, the other of modern VOL. I. H 50 CLASSICAL TOUR architecture, I owii I was most delighted with the abbey church of St. Xj€orge, at Venice, and that of St. Justina, at Padua. Addison represents the latter as the most luminous and disencumbered building that he had ever seen ; though, for my part, I should be inclined to give the preference to the former, which he passes over in silence : but be the superiority where it may, both these superb edifices display the characteristic features of Palladian architecture to the highest advantage ; and in a manner not often witnessed, even in Italy, blend simplicity with ornament, extent with propor- tion, and combination with unity. St. Justina was, if I be not mistaken, erected on the plan of Palladio, though after his death ; some defects consequently occur in the execution, wliich ought not to be attributed to that illustrious architect, particularly as these defects are lost in the admirable sj^mmetry and proportion of the whole; perfections owing exclusively to the genius that conceived and arranged the original model. On the whole, Pal- ladio may be considered as the Vitruvius of modern architecture ; and it has been very properly recommended to persons who wish to make a proficiency in that art, to pass some time at J icenza, Padua, and Venice, in order to study the many monuments of Palladian skill that abound in these cities. The splendor of Vicenza is not confined to its walls, but extends to the country for some distance round, where private or public munificence has erected several villas and magnificent edifices. Among the former, we may rank the villa of the Marches}, called the Hotunda, an exquisite fabric of Palladio's, and among the latter the triumphal arch and the portico which lead to the church on Monte BericQ. The arch is said by some to be the work of Palladio, in imitation of that of Trajan at Ancona ; and is, like it, light and airy. The portico is a noble gallery leading from the town to the THROUGH ITALY. 51 church, and intended to shade and shelter the persons Avho visit the sanctuary in which it terminates; and as its length is more than a mile, its materials stone, and its form not inelegant, it strikes the spectator as a very magnificent instance of public taste. The church is seen to most advantage at a distance ; as, on a nearer approach, it appears overloaded with ornaments. It is of fine stone, of the Corinthian order, in the form of a Greek cross, with a dome in the centre ; but wants, in all its decorations, both internal and external, the proportions and the simplicity of Palladio. The view from the windows of the convent annexed to the church is extensive and beautiful. It may be here the proper place to mention a political pheno- menon of a very extraordinary nature, which few travellers have, I believe, noticed. The Cimbri and Teutones, two tribes from the northern Chersonesus, invaded Italy, as it is well knowTi, in the year of Rome 640, and were defeated, and almost extirpated by INlarius, in the neighbourhood of Verona. The few who escaped from the vengeance of the conquerors took refuge in the neighbour- ing mountains, and formed a little colony, which, either from its poverty, its insignificance, or its retired position, has escaped the notice, or perhaps excited the contempt of tlie various parties that have disputed the possession of Italy for nearly two thousand years. They occupy altogether seven parishes, and are therefore called the Sette commune ; they retain the tradition of their origin, and though surrounded by Italians still preserve their Teutonic language. The late King of Denmark visited this singular colony, discoursed with them in Danish, and found their idiom perfectly intelligible. Though we felt no inclination to visit them (for a classic traveller cannot be supposed to be very partial to barbarian establislmients in Italy, however ancient their date), yet we were struck with the circumstance, and beheld their distant villa oes 52 CLASSICAL TOUR nested in the Alps, as they were pointed out to us from Vicenza, with some interest. The reader will hear, with more satisfaction, that a Roman colony still remains on the borders of Transylvania, and that it retains the Latin language nearly unmixed, and glories in its illustrious origin. Hence, when any of its members enUsts in the imperial service, and, according to custom, is asked his country and origin, his answer is always " Romanus sum*." The hills, called the Colles Berici, in the neighbourhood of Vicenza, present some natural grottos, of great extent and of sur- prising variety. Monsieur de la Lande speaks of a little temple of the form of the Pantheon, which he represents as a master-piece * In mezzo alia colta Europa, says Lmizi, vivon tuttora popolaziuni di linguaggi non estesi; nelle montagne di Vicenza vive il Celtico di Barbari chi vi si annidarano ai tempi di Mario ; nella Valakia il Latino di presidi che vi mise Trajano ; in qualche parte di Elvezia il Romans di Franzesi antichi. — Saggio di lingua Etrusca Epilogo, 8(c, Vol. i. Non e stato fuor di proposito il distendersi alquanto nel racconto della spedizione de' Cimbri si per distinguerne i tempi ed i fatti, si perche oltre all' essere di quella famosa guerra il paese nostro stato teatro, un avanzo di quella gente rimase per sempre nelle montagne del Veronese, del Vicentino, e del Trentino, mantenendo ancora in questi territory la discendenza ed una lingua differcnte da tutti i circostanti paesi. Si e trovato Tedesco veramente essere il linguaggio, e simile pure la pronuncia, non pero a quella de' Tedeschi piu limitrofi dcU' Italia, ma a quella dh Sassoni e de' popoli situati verso il mar Baltico; il che fu studiosamente riconosciuto da Federico IV. Re di Danimarca, che onor6 con sua dimora di dieci giorni la citta di Verona nel 17O8. Non s' inganna dunque il nostro popolo, quando per immemorabil uso Cimbri chiama gli abitatori di que' boschi e di quelle montagne. — Maffe ; Verona illustrata, Lib. III. With two such vouchers, the author thinks himself justified in preferring the opinion expresed in the text to that of some writers of inferior reputation. Tliere are several works for the information of travellers with regard to the curiosities of this town, among others I recommend " Desrrizzione della Architetture," 2 vols. with prints. THROUGH ITALY. 53 of the kind ; if it be such, I regret that we had not an opportunity of visiting it, though not above twenty miles from Vicenza. Bas- sano, seven leagues to the north, merits a visit without doubt, if the traveller has time at his disposal. From Vicenza to Padua it is eighteen miles. About three miles from the former is a bridge over a stream, a branch of the Medua- cus, now Bacchiglione, erected by Palladio, which will not fail to attract the attention of the curious traveller. Late in the evening we entered Padua Urbem Patavi Sedesque Teucrorum, and reflected with some exultation that we stood, as it were, on the confines of Greek and Latin literature, in a city that derives its origin from a catastrophe celebrated in itself or in its consequences, by the two greatest poets of antiquity. Few cities can boast of an origin so ancient and so honourable, and not many can pretend to have enjoyed for so long a period so much glory and prosperity as Padua. We learn from Tacitus* that it was accustomed to celebrate the antiquity of its origin and the name of its founder in annual games, said to have been instituted by that hero. Livy informs us that a Naumachia, exhibited annually on one of the rivers which water the town, perpetuated the memory of a signal victory obtained by the Paduans long before their union with Rome, over a Lacedemonian fleet commanded by Cleonymus -f. They are also said to have not unfrequently assisted the Romans, and con- tributed in no small degree to their victories, particularly over the * Tacit. Annal. lib. xxvi. c. 21. t And Liv. book x. c. 2. 54 CLASSICAL TOUR Gauls, the common enemy of both States ; while an immense population furnished them with the means of giving effect to their measures, by sending powerful armies into the field. Padua afterwards submitted to the genius of Rome, but sub- mitted with dignity, and was accordingly treated not as a conquered but ian allied republic. She was admitted at an early period to all the privileges and honoms of the great Capital, and shared, it seems, not only the franchises but even the riches of Rome ; as she could count at one period five hundred Roman knights among her citizens, and drew, by her manufactures, from the emporium of the world, no small portion of the tribute of the provinces. After having shared the glory of Rome, Padua partook of her disasters; was, like her, assaulted and plundered by Alaric and Attila ; hke her, was half unpeopled by the fiight of her dismayed inhabitants, and obhged to bend under the yoke of a succession of barbarian invaders. After the expulsion of the Goths, Rome recovered her independence ; not so Padua, which was subject successively to the Lombards, to the Franks, and to the Germans. During this long period of disastrous vicissitude, Padua sometimes enjoyed the favour and sometimes felt the fury of its way^vard tjrrants. At length it shook otf the yoke, and, with its sister states, Verona, Vicenza, Fernira^ ajid ISlantua, experienced the advantages and disadvantages of republicanism, occasionally blessed Avith the full enjoyment of freedom, and occasionally, with all its forms, smarting under the rod of a powerful usurper*. At length, in the fifteenth * In the fourteenth century Padua owned the sway of the Carrara family; Puudolfo ili Carrara was the friend of Petrarea. This family and iheir rivalHn power and ]Tbce, the Sculigeri, were among the many patrons and supporters of literature that graced Italy in that and the succeeding centuries. TH'ROUGH ITALY. 55 century, Padua united itself to the ^^enetian territory, and under the influence of its o^\^\ laws acknowledged the supreme authority of that republic. The consideration that Venice was founded by citizens of Padua, who liying from the ravaging armies of Alaric and Attila took refuge in the soUtary isles of the Adriatic, might perhaps have lightened the yoke of submission, or facilitated the arrangements of union. As fire and sword, aided by earthquakes and pestilence, have been employed more than once during so many ages of convulsion, in the destruction of Padua, we are not to expect manj^ monuments of the Roman colony within its walls, or to wonder so much at its decline as at its existence. However it is still a great, and in many respects a beautiful city, as its circumference is near seven miles, its population about fifty thousand persons, and notmth- standing the general narroAvness of its streets, many of its buildmgs both public and private, are truly magnificent. The abbey of St. Giusfina deserves particular attention. Its church, planned by Palladio, and built by Andrea Riccio ; its library, hall or refectory, and cloister, are all in the highest style of architecture*. The piazza before it, called Prato della Valle, * Dijiiensions of the Church of St. Giustina. The length 600 feet Breadth 140 The Transept 350 Height 120 Tlie central dome (there are several) 265 The pavement is laid out in compartments of white and red marble, its various altars with their decorations are of beautiful marble. The whole is kept in a style of neatness and repair that gives it the appearance of a church just finkhed. The outside was never completed. 56 CLASSICAL TOUR is perhaps one of the largest and noblest in Europe. The ca- thedral, though not remarkable for its architecture, still deserves to be ranked among buildings of eminence, and contains several objects worthy of notice. The church, denominated // Santo, a title given by way of eminence to St. Antony of Padua, though the most frequented, is not by any means the most beautiful ; it is of Gothic architecture, of great magnitude, and was, before the late French invasion, enriched with a valuable treasury. That treasury, consisting of church plate, gold and silver candlesticks to a vast amount, was seized and carried off by the French ; but the most remarkable object still remains — the tomb of the Saint, adorned with fine marbles and most exquisite sculpture. In Ad- dison's days, ointments, it seems, distilled from the body, celestial perfumes breathed around the slirine, and a thousand devout catholics were seen pressing their lips against the cold marble, while votive tablets hung over and disfigured the altar. When we visited the Santo, the source of ointment had long been dried, the perfumes were evaporated, the crowds of votaries had disappeared, and nothing remained to certify the veracity of our illustrious traveller but a few petty pictures hanging on one side of the monu- ment. But the excellency of the sculpture makes amends for the wretchedness of the painting, and small must the taste of that man be, who derives no satisfaction from the examination of the marble pannels that line the chapel. Each pannel represents some mi- raculous event of the Saint's life; and however strange or chi- merical the subject may be, yet the skill of the artist finds means to make it interesting. The rich materials and ornaments of the altar and of the shrine, the bronze candelabra and lamps, will not escape the attentive observer. On the whole, though the style of architecture is bad, yet this church, from its size and furniture, deserves attention. CH. III. THROUGH ITALY. 57 Jl Salone, or the town-hall, remarkable for its vast magnitude*', contains a monument in honour of Titus Livius, with an ancient bust. This author, as is well known, was a native of Padua, and is supposed to have retained in his style some of the provincial pecuharities of his country j- perceptible indeed only to the refined critics of the Augustan aera. The Italian towns, in general, are not apt to forget such of their natives as have distinguished them- selves in ancient or modern story ; and Padua, amongst others, is not wanting in the honours which she pays to the memory of her illustrious citizens. The inscription under the bust of the historian is not remarkable for its beautj^ The last line expresses at least the generosity of the Paduans, who, if their means were adequate to their zeal, would have converted the marble statue into one of gold. Hoc totus stares aureus ipse loco ! They shew a house which, as they pretend, belonged to him ; and, whether it was built upon the spot which traditionary report repre- sented as the site of the historian's dwelling ; or Avhether it was erected on the ruin of some ancient edifice that bore a name re- sembling his ; or whether, in short, some inscription favourable to such an opinion may have been found in or near it, I could not discover ; but every object, connected in the most distant manner with so eminent an author, inspires interest and claims some atten- tion. I need not observe, that the pretended tomb of Antenor, though it recals to mind the antiquity of the city, and at the same * It is tliree hundred and twelve feet in length, one hundred and eiglit in breadth, and one hundred and eight* in lieight, and consequently the largest hall in Europe. t PoUio, says Quintilian, reprehendit in Livio pativinitatem. — L. i. VOL. I. I 58 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. iii. time some very beautiful verses*, is a momiment of some prince of the middle ages, discovered in 1274-. Padua Avas famous in ancient times for its woollen manufactures, celebrated in prose by Strabo and in verse by Martial. It still retains much of its reputation in this respect, and its wool and woollen articles are considered as the best in Italy. But the prin- cipal glory of Padua arises from its literary pursuits, and from an ancient and well directed propensity to liberal science. The prince of Roman history (perhaps, if we consider the extent of his plan, and the masterly manner in which he has executed it, we may add the first of historians) was not only born, but, as we may fairly con- jecture from the local peculiarities of language, which adhered to him during life, was educated at Padua. Silius ItaUcus, among the various chieftains whom he introduces, represents Pedianus, the leader of the Euganeans and Paduans (Apono gaiidens populusj, as equally excelling in the arts of war and of peace, and dear aUke to IMars and to the Muses. As the verses are composed in the best style of Silius, and likely to please the reader, I insert them. Polydarncanteis juvenis Pedianus in armis Bella agitabat atrox, Trojanaque semina et ortus, Atque Antenoiea sese de stirpe ferebat : * Antenor potuit medlis elapsus Achivis, lUyricos penetiare sinus atque intima tutus Regna Liburnorum et fontem superare Timavi; Unde per ora novem magoo cum murmure montis It mare proiuptum et pelago premit arva sonanti. Hie tamen ille urbem Patavi, sedesque locavit Tcucrorum et genti nomen dedit, armaque fixit Troia; nunc placida compostus pace quiescit. iENSID i. CH, iir. THROUGH ITALY. 5T> Hand levior generis fama, sacroque Timavo Gloria ct Eugancis dilectum nomen in oris. Huic pater Eridanus, Venetaeque ex ordine gentes, Atque Apono gaudens populus, seu bella cieret, Seu Musas placidus, doctfpqiie silontia vitie Mallet, et Aouio plectro mulcere laljores, Non ullum disere parem; nee notior alter Gradivo juvenisj nee Plioebo notior alter. xii. 215. The love of knowledge, the partiaHty to learned ease here alkided to, was probably attributed to the Chief, because in some degree characteristic of the people ; so much at least we should infer from a similar passage in Homer or in Virgil. During the various revolutions that followed the fall and dis- memberment of the Roman empire, Padua, in the intervals of re- pose that followed each successive shock, endeavoured to repair the shattered temple of the Muses, and to revive the sacred fire of knowledge. Some success always attended these laudable exer- tions, and a beam of science occasionally broke through the gloom of war and of barbarism. At length, the University was founded about the end of the eleventh century, and its foundation was to Padua the commencement of an era of glory and of prosperity. Its fame soon spread over Europe, and attracted to its schools prodi- gious numbers of students from all, even the most remote coun- tries ; while the reputation of its professors was so great, and their station so honourable, that even nobles, at a time when nobles were considered as beings of a more elevated nature, were ambitious to be enrolled in their number. Eighteen thousand students are said to have crowded the schools during ages ; and amidst the multi- tude were seen, not Italians and Dalmatians, Greek and Latin Christians only; but even Turks, Persians, and Arabians are said to have travelled from the distant regions of the East to improve their knowledge of medicine and botany, by the lectures of the 1 2 60 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. iii. learned Paduans. Hence the catalogue of the students of this University is rich in numbers and in illustrious names. Petrarca, Galileo, and Christopher Columbus appHed here, each to his favourite art, and in classics, astronomy, and navigation, collected the materials that were to fonii their future fame and fortune. But Universities like empires have their seras of prosperity, and their periods of decline ; science, as commerce, often abandons its favourite seat ; and those very arts of medicine and anatomy Mhich flourished for so >many centuries in Salertio and in Padua, have Ions: since migrated to the North, and seem to have fixed their tem- porary residence at Gottingen and Edinburgh. Of eighteen thou- sand students six hundred only remain, a number which, thinly scattered over the benches, is barely sufficient to shew the deserted state of the once croM ded schools of Padua. This diminution of numbers is not to be attributed either to the ionorance or to the negligence of the professors ; to the defects of the system of in- struction, or to the want of means of improvement. The lecturers are men of zeal and abilities ; the plan of studies is the result of long and successful experience ; and libraries, collections, and ca- binets of every kind are numerous and magnificent. Moreover, encouragement is not wanting, as the places of professors are both lucrative and honourable, and the directors, till the late disastrous revolution, were three Venetian senators. The decrease of num- bers, therefore, at Padua, and in other ancient Universities, is to be attributed to the establishment of similar institutions in other countries, and to the general multiplication of the means of know- ledge over the Christian Avorld. KnoAvledge is now fortunately placed within the reach of almost every village ; the most abstruse science may be learned in the most remote corners ; colleges and seminaries have been planted and flourish even in the polar circles ; and youth, in almost everj^ country, may enjoy that, which an elo- CH. III. THROUGH ITALY. 61 quent ancient justly considers as one of the greatest blessings of early life — home education*. The architecture of the schools or University is admired, and, I believe, said to be of Palladio ; the observatory, the botanical garden in particular, the cabinet of natural philosophy containing a peculiarly curious collection of fossils, the hall of midwifery, and indeed most of the dependencies of the University, are grand in their kind, well furnished and well supported. An agricultural lecture is, I believe, peculiar to Padua, and consequently very honourable to it ; especially as so large a space as fifteen acres is allotted to the professor for experiments. It is singular that no such lecture exists in any British University, when we consider the bent of the national character to a rural life, and the areat encouragement and countenance given by the higher classes, and indeed by the Nation at large, to every species of agricultural improvement -)-. Besides the University, there are in Padua, for the propagation of taste and of Uterature, several academies, some of which were opened so early as the beginning of the sixteenth century. At that time, the love of knowledge and of classical distinction seems to have been the predominant passion of the Itahans, who were then like the ancient Greeks — prater laudem nullius avari. * Ubi enim aut jucundlus morarentur quam in patriS ? aut pudicius continerentur quam sub oculis parentum ! aut minore sumptu quam domi? iv. Ep. xiii. t There has been such a lecture for many years in the University of Edinburgh ; and to those who know with what distinguislied success and ability the duties of that office are discharged, no apology will appear necessary for having stopped to notice this mistake." — Edinbuigh Review. 62 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. hi. Others have been estabHshed in the last centur3% particularly the Academy of Sciences founded by the senate of Venice. Most of these institutions are supported with spirit, not only by the clergy, but moreover by the gentry of Padua, Avho seem to take an ho- nourable pride in the literary reputation of their city. The following beautiful lines of Nougeriiis, a poet of Leo's golden days, contain a fine, though concise, encomium on Padua, and may be considered as an abridgment of its history, even to the present period, when war has again ravaged its vicinity, and dis- figured its edifices. Urbs, quam vetusto vectus ab Ilio Post fata Troum tristia, post graves Tot patriffi exhaustos iniquo Tempore, tot pelago labores, Ducente demum Pallade, qua rapax Cultos per agros Medoacus fluit, Diis fretus Antenor secundis Condidit, Euganeis in oris. Tu nuper & flos, & decus urbium, Quascumque tellus Itala continet : Magnas tot artes, tot virorum Ingenia, & studia una alebas. Te, septieornis Danubii accola, Te fulva potant flumina qui Tagi, Longeque senioti Britanni Cultum animi ad capiendum adibant. At nunc, acerbi heu saeva necessitas Fati, severas ut pateris vices ! Ut te ipse vastatam vel hosti Conspiclo miserandam iniquo ! Quid culta tot pomaria conquerar ? Tot pulchra flammis hausta suburbia? Quid glande deturbata ahena Moenia ? CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 63 CHAP. IV. THE BRENTA VENICE; ITS MAGKIFICE?f CE, POWER, DEGE- NERACY, AND FALL RETURN TO PADUA THE ENVIRONS OF THAT CITY THE PONS APONUS COLLES EUGANEI ARQUATO VILLA AND TOMB OF PETRARCA,; OBSERVA- TIONS ON HIS CHARACTER. WE defen-ed the consideration of the neighbourhood of Padua till our return from Venice, whither we hastened in order to enjoy the few remaining daj^s of the expiring carnival. AVe accord- ingly embarked on the Brenta about ten o'clock in the morning, February the twentj^-first, in a convenient barge drawn by horses, and glided rather slowly down the river. The country through which it flows is a dead flat, but highly cultivated, well wooded, and extremely populous. The banks are lined Avith villages, or rather little towns, and decorated with several handsome palaces and gardens. Among these, that of Giovanelk at Norenta, two miles from Padua ; that of Fisani at Stra ; of Tiona at Dolo ; that of Bembo at Mira ; and about ten miles farther, that of Foscari, of the architecture of Paliadio, merit particular attention. These celebrated banks have, Avithout doubt, a rich, a lively, and some- times a magnificent appearance ; but their splendour and beauty have been much exaggerated, or are much faded ; and an English- man, accustomed to the Thames, and to the villas which grace its 64 CLASSICAL TOUR ch.iv. banks, Avill discover little to excite his admiration as he descends the canal of the Brenta. About five o'clock we arrived at Fminci, on the shore of the Lagime'*, opposite Venice. This city instantly fixed all our atten- tion. It was faintly illuminated by the rays of the setting sun, and rising from the waters with its numberless domes and towers, attended, if I may be allowed the expression, by several lesser islands, each crowned with spires and pinnacles, it presented the appearance of a vast city floating on the bosom of the ocean. We embarked, and gliding over the Lagime, whose surface, unruffled by the slightest breeze, was as smooth as the most polished glass, we touched at the island of S. Georgia half way, that is two miles from the main land on one side, and from Venice on the other ; and then entering the cit\% passed under the Bialfo, and rowed up the grand f- canal, admiring, as we advanced, the various architecture and the vast edifices that line its sides. Venice cannot boast of a very ancient origin, nor has it any di- rect connexion with Roman story and with classical recollections ; * The Lagune are the shallows that border the whole coast, and extend round Venice : their depth, between the city and the main land, is from three to six feet in general. Tliese shallows are occasioned by the vast quantities of sand carried down by the many rivers that descend from the Alps and fall into the Adriatic, all along its western shores. Ravenna, which lies much lower down, anciently stood like Venice in the midst of waters ; it is now surrounded with sand, as Venice will probably be, ere long, if it should continue subject to the Austrian government. The republic expended considerable sums in cleansing the canals that intersect and surround the city, in remov- ing obstacles, and keeping up the depth of waters so necessary for the security of the Capital. The interest of a foreign sovereign is to lay it open to attack. t Ca7ml grande (so called because the widest of the canals of Venice) is more than three hundred feet wide, and intersects the city nearly in the middle. The Rialto crosses it, and forms one of its most conspicuous ornaments. CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 65 yet I doubt, much, whether any city in Italy, not even excepting Rome itself, contains so much genuine Roman blood ; as none has, certainly, preserved so long the spirit of the ancient Romans. Founded bv the inhabitants of Aquileia, of Padua, and other Roman colonies bordering on the Adriatic, joined probably by several from the interior provinces, it escaped the all- wasting sword of Alaric and Attila : first eluded, then defied the power of succeeding invaders, and never saw a barbarian army within its walls till the fatal epoch of 1797- Its foundation dates from the year 421 ; the succession of Doges or Dukes from the year 697- Its name is derived from the Veneti, a people that inhabited all the neighbour- ing coasts, and appropriated, as it has been, from a very early period to it, is a sufficient monument of the origin and of the numbers of its founders. Its government was at first popular ; as the power and riches of the state increased, the influence of the nobles augmented ; at intervals the Doges acquired and abused the sovereignty; till at length, after six centuries of struggle, the aristocratic party prevailed, limited the power of the Doge, ex- cluded the people, and confined to their own body all the authority and exercise of government. As Venice may justly be considered a Roman colony, so it bore for many centuries a striking resemblance to the great parent Republic. The same spirit of liberty, the same patriot passion, the same firmness, and the same wisdom that characterized and ennobled the ancient Romans, seemed to revive in the Venetians, and to pervade every member of the rising State. That profound respect for religion, also, which formed so distinguished a feature in the character of the former*, was equally conspicuous in the latter, * Et si cofnerre volumus nostra cum externis, costeris rebus aut pares aut etiatn iii- VOL. I. K 66 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. iv. but more permanent and effectual, because directed to a better object, and regulated by superior information. The same success in a just proportion accompanied the same virtues ; and we behold Venice, from dirt and sea-zieed, rise into magnificence and fame, extend its sway over the neighbouring coasts, wrest towns, islands, and Avhole provinces from mighty potentates, carry its arms into Asia and Africa, and cope, successfully, with the collected force of vast empires. As its greatness rested on solid foundations, so was it permanent ; and Venice may boast of a duration seldom allowed to human associations, whether kingdoms or common- wealths, thirteen complete centuries of fame, of prosperity, and of independence. It is not wonderful, therefore, that this Republic should have been honoured Avith the appellation of another Rome, considered as the bulwark and pride of Italj'^, and celebrated by orators and poets as the second fated seat of independence and empire. Una Italum regina, altae pulcherrima Rorase ^mula, quffi terris, quse dominaris aquis ! Tu tibi vel reges cives facis ; O decus ! O lux Ausonise, per quam libera turba sumus ; Per quam barbaries nobis non imperat, et Sol Exoriens nostro clarius orbe micat ! Act. Syn, Sannaz, lib. iii. Eleg. i, 95. The hterary fame of Venice was unequal, it must be confessed, to its military renown : perhaps because the government, as is usually the case in free countries, left talents and genius to their own activity and intrinsic powers ; yet the ardour of individuals, who either did not or could not take a share in public administration, fertorcs reperiemur; Religione, id est, cultu Deorum, multo superiores.— Z)e Nat. Deor, ii. 3, CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 67 led many to seek distinction in the new career which the revival of letters opened to their ambition. Many eminent scholars had visited, and some had settled in the Republic, and to their labours we owe many an interesting publication on some or other branch of classic erudition. But it would be difficult to say whether the exertions of any individual, however splendid his talents, or even the labours of any particular association or academy, however cele- brated, ever shed so much lustre on the place of their residence as that which Venice derives from the reputation of a stranger, Avho voluntarily selected it for his abode. I allude to Aldus Manutius. This extraordinary person combined the Hghts of the scholar with the industry of the mechanic : and to his labours, carried on Avith- out interruption till the conclusion of a long life, the world owes the first or priiicipes edit/ones of twenty-eight G reek Classics. Among these we find Pindar, /Eschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus, Thucydides, Demosthenes, Plato, and Aristotle. Besides these, there are few ancient authors, of any note, of whom this in- defatigable editor has not published editions of acknowledged accuracy, and, as far as the means of the art then in its infancy permitted, of great beauty. In order to appreciate the merit of Aldus, we must consider the difficulties under which he must have laboured at a time when there were few public libraries ; when there was no regular communication between distant cities ; when the price of manuscripts put them out of the reach of persons of ordinary incomes ; and when the existence of many since discovered was utterly unknown. The man who could surmount these obsta- cles, and publish so many authors till then inediled ; who could fmd means and time to give new and more accurate editions of so many others already published, and accompany them all with prefaces mostly of his own composition ; who could extend his attention still farther, and by his labours secure the fame by immortaliiiing the com- positions of the most distinguished scholars of his oAvn age and coun- K 2 €8 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. iv try *, must have been endowed in a very high degree, not only with industry and perseverance, but with judgment, learning, and discrimination. One virtue more Aldus possessed in common with many of the great literary characters of that period, I mean a sincere and manjy piety, a virtue which gives consistency, vigour, and permanency to every good quality, and never fails to commu- nicate a certain grace and dignity to the whole character. The appearance of Venice is not unworthy of its glorious des- tinies. Its churches, palaces, and public buildings of every descrip- tion, and sometimes even its private edifices, have, in their size, materials, and decorations, a certain air of magnificence truly Roman. The stj^le of architecture is not always either pure or pleasing, but conformable to the taste that prevailed in the different ages when each edifice was erected. Hence, the attentive observer may discover the history of architecture in the streets of Venice, and may trace its gradation from the solid masses and the round arches, the only remains of the ancient grand style in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries, through the fanciful forms and grotesque embellishments of the middle ages, to its revival and re-establishment in these latter times. The church of St. Mark, with its accompaniments, its tower, its square, its library, and its palace, from its celebrity alone de- serves the traveller's first visit. The tower has neither grace in its form nor beauty in its materials. Its only merit is its height, which, though not extraordinary in itself, yet, from the flatness of the surrounding scenery, gives the spectator a very clear and ad- vantageous view of the city and its port and shipping, with the neighbouring coasts, and all their Avindings. The famous Piazza * Among these is Politianus. CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 69 de S. Marco, surrounded with arcades, is more remarkable for its being the well known scene of Venetian mirth, conversation, and intrigue, than for its size or its sj'mmetry. It is inferior, in both respects, to many squares in many great cities ; yet as one side is the work of Palladio, and the whole of fine marble,' its appearance is grand and striking. The church of St. Mark, the great patron of the city and of the Republic, occupies one end of this square, and terminates it with a sort of gloomy barbaric magnificence. In fact, the five domes which swell from its roof, and the paltry deco- rations which cover and encumber its porticos, give it externally the appearance of an eastern pagoda ; while formed within on the plan of the Greek churches, and adorned with clumsy mosaics, it is dark, heavy, and sepulchral. This church is extremely ancient, it was begun in the year 829, and, after a fire, rebuilt in the year 976. It was ornamented with mosaics and marble in 1071. The form of this ancient fabric, evidently of eastern origin, may per- haps throw some light on the rise of the style called gothic. Its architects, it is related, were ordered by the Republic to spare no expense, and to erect an edifice superior in size and splendour to any then existing. They took Santa Sophia for their model, and seem to have imitated its form, its domes, and its bad taste. But if riches can compensate the absence of beauty, the church of St. Mark possesses a sufficient share to supply the deficiency, as it is ornamented with the spoils of Constantinople, and dis- plays a profusion of the finest marbles, of alabaster, onyx, emerald, and of all the splendid jewellery of the East. The cele- brated bronze horses stood on the portico facing the Piazza. These horses are supposed to be the work of Lysippus ; they orna- mented successively different triumphal arches at Rome, were transported by Constantinc to his new City, and conveyed thence by the Venetians, when they took and plundered it in the year 70 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. iv. 1206, They were erected on marljle pedestals over the portico of St. INIark, where they stood nearly six hundred years, a trophy of the power of the Republic, till they were removed to Paris in the year 1797, and placed on stone pedestals behind the palace of the ThuUkries, Avhere they remain a monument of the treachery of French friendship *. As it is not my intention to give a minute description of the ornaments or riches of the church of St. Mark, I shall only observe, that they merit much attention ; and that to discover the value of the internal decorations, a ^ery minute inspection is often jendered necessary by the gloominess of the place. The reader may perhaps wish to know how and when St. Mark, whose life and evanoelical writinos seem to have no connexion with the Venetian history, acquired such consideration in the city of Venice, as to become its patron Saint, and to give his name to the most splendid and celebrated of its churches. Tlie following account may possibly satisf)' his curiosity. In the year eight hundred and twenty-nine, two Venetian mer- chants of the names of Bono and Rustico, then at Alexandria, con- trived, either by bribery or stratagem, to purloin the body of St. Mark, at that time in the possession of the Mussulmen, and to convey it to Venice. On its arrival, it was transported to the Ducal palace, and deposited by the then Doge in his own chapel. St. Mark Avas shortly after declared the patron and protector of * The French entered Venice as friends, and were ferried over the Lagune in Vene- tian boats. The Venetians entered Constantinople as enemies, sword in liand ; and no restraints, says Gibbon, except those of religion and humanity, tvere imposed on the conquerors by the laws of war. CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 71 the Republic ; and the lion which, in the mj^stic vision of Ezekiel, is supposed to represent this evangeHst, was emblazoned on its standards, and elevated on its towers. The church of St. Mark was erected immediately after this event, and the Saint has ever since retained his honours. But the reader will learn with surprise, that notwithstanding these honours, the body of the evangelist was in a very short space of time either lost, or privately sold by a tribune of the name of Carozo, Avho had usurped the dukedom ; and to support himself against the legitimate Doge, is supposed to have plundered the treasury, and to have alienated some of the most valuable articles. Since that period, the existence of the body of St. Mark has never been publicly ascertained, though the Venetians firmly maintain that it is still in their possession. The place, however, where the sacred deposit lies, is acknowledged to be an undkulged secret, or, perhaps, in less cautious language, to be utterly unknown. 'I'he Piazetta, opening from St. Mark's to the sea in front, and lined on one side with the ducal palace, on the other Avith the public library, with its two superb pillars of granite standing insu- lated in the centre, is a scene at once grand, airy, and from the concourse of people which frequents it, animated. Close to St. Mark's stands the ducal palace, the seat of the Venetian govern- ment, where the senate and the different councils of state used to assemble each in their respective halls. This antique fabric is in the Gothic or rather Saracenic style, of vast extent, of great so- lidity, and of venerable appearance. Some of its apartments are spacious and lofty, and some of its halls of a magnitude truly noble. They are all adorned with paintings by the first masters of the Venetian school ; and Titian, Faolo Veronese, and Tintoretto, have exerted all their powers, and displayed all the charms of their art to adorn the senate-liouse, and to perpetuate the glories of the Republic. The subjects of the pictures are taken either fiom the 72 CLASSICAL TOUR cii. iv. Scripture or from the history of Venice ; so that the nobles, when assembled, had always before their eyes incentives to virtue and examples of patriotism. Tablets with inscriptions were suspended over the tribunals of the magistrates, pointing out either the duties attached to their offices in particular, or those of the nobility in general. The style is often diffusive, but the sentiments are always just. The following, which is inserted in a picture over the Doge's seat in one of the council chambers, may serve as a specimen. " Qui patriae pericula suo periculo expellunt, hi sapientes putandi sunt, cum et eum quern debent honorem rcipub. reddunt, et pro multis perire malunt quam cum multis. Etenim, vehementer est iniquum vitam, quam a nature acceptam propter patriani con er- vaverimus, naturie, cum cogat, reddere, patriae, cum roget, non dare. Sapientes igitur aestimandi sunt, qui nullum pro salute patriae periculum vitant. Hoc vinculum est luijus dignitatis Cju4 fruiniur in repub. hoc fundamentum libertatis. Hie fons equitatis; mens et animus et consilium et sententia civitatis posila est in legibus. Ut corpora nostra sine mente, sic civitas sine lege. Legum ministri magistratus. Legum iiiterpretes judltes. Legum deiiiq. idcirco omnes servi sumus, ut liberi esse possimus." It would have been happy for the State, if the nobles had been animated by these principles previous to the French invasion. The courts and staircases are decorated with antique statues ; marble and bronze shine on every side, and the whole edifice cor- responds in every respect ^vith the dignity of its destination. The celebrated Riolto is a single but verj^ bold arch thrown over the Gran-Camik ; and though striking from its elevation, span, and solidity, yet it sinks almost into insignificance when compared with the beautiful bridge Delia Triuito, at Florence, or with the superb, and far more extensive structures of Blackfriars' and Westminster. The arsenal occupying an entire island, and fortified not only cn. IV. THROUGH ITALY, 73 by its ramparts, but by the surrounding sea, is spacious, commo- dious, and even magnificent. Before the gate stand two vast pillars, one on each side, and two immense lions of granite, which formerly adorned the Piraeus of Athens. They are attended by two others of a smaller size, all, as the inscription informs us, " TriuwphaU inatiu e Pirao direpta." The staircase in the principal building is of white marble. The halls are large, lofty, and commodious ; one of the principal is decorated with a beautiful statue by Canova, representing Fame crowning the late admiral Emo, the Pompey of Venice, the last of her heroes. In short, nothing is wanting to make this celebrated arsenal perhaps the first in Europe; exceptino- that for which all arsenals are built, stores and shipping ; and these the French in their late invasion either plundered or destroyed. So far their rapacitj^ however odious, had an object and a pretext ; but it is difficult to conceive any motive, excepting an innate pro- pensity to mischief, which could have prompted them to disfigure the buildings and statues, to break the marble stairs, by rolling cannon balls down them, and to dismantle the Bucentaur, the fa- mous state gallery of the republic. Highwaymen have been known to spare or to restore a seal, a ring, a trinket, to indulge the whim or the feelings of the owner; and robbers and housebreakers refrain from damaging furniture which they cannot carry away; in the same manner the French might have respected the above-men- tioned monument of a gallant man, and not disfigured it by forcing a paltry gold pencil from the hand of a figure of Fame: they might have spared a gaudy state pageant, whose antique magnificence had for ages delighted the eyes, and soothedthe pride of the Vene- tian commonalty. Yet such is the peculiar cast of this peopl(% whose armies, at Venice, in every town in Italy, and indeed in almost every country they have over-run, have uniformly added insult to rapacity, and have wounded the feelings, while they plun- dered the property of the miserable inhabitants. VOL. I. L 74 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. iv. But no public edifice does so much credit to the State, as the noble rampart erected on the Lido di Palestrina, to protect the city and port against the swell and the storms of the Adriatic. This vast pile, formed of blocks of Istrian stone resembling marble, runs along the shore for the space of nineteen miles, connects various little islands and towns with each other, and if completed, would excel in utility, in solidity, in extent, and perhaps in beauty, the Piraeus, the mole of Antium and of Ancona, and all other similar Avorks of either Greeks or Romans. Of the churches in Venice, it may be observed in general, that, as some of them have been built by Palladio, and many raised on models designed by him, they are of a better style in architecture, and als^, that on account of the riches and the religious temper of the Republic, they are adorned with more magnificence than those of any other town in Italy, if we except the matcliless splendours of Rome. I need not add, that the talents of the first Venetian artists have been exerted, to adorn them with sculptures and with paintings. Of these churches, that De Salute, that De Redemptore, two votive temples, erected by the Republic on the cessation of two dreadful pestilences, and that of S. Georgia Maggiore, are very noble ; the latter in particular, an exquisite work of Palladio, with some few defects, has numberless beauties. The church of the Dominican friars, SS. Giovanni e Paoloy is gothic, and remarkable for a chapel of the Blessed Virgin lined with marble divided into pannels, con- taining each a piece of gospel history represented in beautiful basso rehevo. But the peculiar and characteristic ornaments of this church are the statues erected by the Senate to many of its Worthies, and the superb mausoleums of several heroes and doges. The materials are always the finest marbles, and the ornaments frequently of the best taste. The descriptions as pompous as the tombs themselves, carry us back to the heroic ages of the Republic; CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 73 and in lofty and classical language relate the glorious achieve- ments of the f'oges and warriors of ancient times. The appellations of Creticus, Africanus, Asiaticus, grace many of the tombs, and seem to revive and emulate the triumphs and the titles of consular Rome. The conclusion of one of these epitaphs deserves to be recorded ; it is the last admonition which the dying hero addresses to his countrymen, " J'os justitiam et coiicordiuj/i, (juo sempiternum hoc sit impcrium, conseixate." Next to the churches we may rank the Scuole or the chapels and halls of certain confraternities, such as that of St. Roch, St, Mark, and that of the Mercatanti ; all of noble proportions and rich fur- niture, and all adorned with paintings relative to their respective denominations by the best masters. But why enlarge on the beauty, on the magnificence, on the glories of Venice ? or why describe its palaces, its churches, its monuments ? That liberty, which raised these pompous edifices in a swampy marsh, and opened such scenes of grandeur in the middle of a pool, is now no more ! That bold independence, which filled a few lonely islands, the abode of sea-mews and of cormo- rants, with population and with commerce, is bowed into slavery ; and the Republic of Venice, with all its bright series of triumphs, is now an empty name. The city, with its walls and towers, and streets, still remains ; but the spirit that animated the mass is tied. Jacet ingens littort tnmcus. It is unnecessary, therefore, at present, to enlarge upon the for- mer government of Venice ; suffice it to say, that it is now a petty province of the Austrian empire, and that of all its former territo- ries the Seven Ionian Islands only, once considered as a very in- significant part of the Venetian dominions, enjoy a nominal and l2 76 CLASSICAL TOUR cri. iv. precarious independence. The unjust and cruel deed of destroying a Republic weak, inoffensive, and respectable from its former fame, belongs to Buonaparte ; but the causes that led to it must be sought for in the bosom of the Republic itself Had tlie same virtues which fostered the infant commonwealth still flourished ; had the courage, which urged it so often to unequal contest with the mighty power of the Ottomans, continued to inspire its sons ; had the spirit and the wisdom, that directed its councils during the famous league of Cambray, influenced its decisions in 1797, it might still have stood ; and in defiance of the treachery and of the power of France, it might have preserved if not all its territories at least its honour and independence. But those virtues, that spirit, that wisdom, were now no more ; they blazed out for the last time in the war of the Morea*, and even the last spark died away with the gallant Emo. Luxury had corrupted ever}^ mind, and unbraced every sinew. Pleasure had long been the only object of pursuit ; the idol to which the indo- lent Venetians sacrificed their time, their fortune, their talents. To attend the doge on days of ceremony, and act their part in public pageantry ; or, perhaps, to point out in the senate the best mode of complimenting some powerful court, or of keeping or patching up an inglorious peace with the piratical powers of Africa, was the only business of the nobihty. To accompany their chosen ladies, to while-away the night at their casinos, and to slumber away the day in their palaces, Avas their usual, their favourite employment. Hence A'enice, for so many ages the seat of inde- pendence, of commerce, of wisdom, and of enterprise, gradually sunk from her eminence, and at length became the foul abode of * A.D. 1718. CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 77 effeminacy, of wantonness, and of debauchery. Her arsenal, where so many storms once fermented, and whence so many thunderbolts had been levelled at the aspiring head of the Turk, resigning its warlike furniture, became a scene of banquetting; and, instead of resounding to the stroke of the anvil, re-echoed to the dance and the concert*. In short, this once proud and potent Republic, like some of the degenerate Emperors of Rome, seemed to prefer the glories of the theatre to those of the field, and willingly rested its modern claim to consideration, on the pre-eminent exhibitions of its well-knowai carnival -f*. From a people so degraded, so lost to bold and manly senti- ments, no generous exertions, no daring enterpize is to be ex- pected in the hour of danger. It is their policy to temporize, to Aveigh chances, to flatter the great contending Powers, and it must be their fate to sink under the weight of the victorious. Such was the destiny of Venice. After having first insulted, and then courted the French Repubhc, it at length, with all the means of * Several noble halls in the arsenal had been for a long time appropriated to the entertainment of royal guests, and of strangers of very great distinction. t " In fatti, un certo Egoismo sempre fatale alle repubbliche, un reflessibile raft're- damento di quel zelo patrio clie tanto distinse gli aristocratici dei passati secoli, una fftlsa clemenza nci tribunali, onde rimanevano i delitti senza il castigo delle Leggi prescritto, una cerla facilitik di propalare i secreti del Senate, sor[)assata con indolenz^ dagl' inquisiwri dello stato, una non curanza delle cose sacre c religiose, un immcderato spirito di passatempi, una scandalosa impudenza nelle donne, un libertinaggio posato per cosi dire in trionfo negli nomini erano fra gli altri disordini che dominavano in una parte di Patrizi, e di Cittadini d'ogni condizione si in Venezia, che nello Stato. Ne fanno fede gl' interni sconvolgimenti degli anni 1762 e l/t-^O, e la Loggia dc Liberi Muratorl scoperta nel 1785, in chi; alcuni rispettahili soggetti avevano ingresso: Queste furono le cagioni estrinseche, che disponevano I'cdificio ad un irnminente pericolo di crollare."— Such is the acknowledgment of a Venetian author. — R.'Vccolta, vol. i. p. 16. 78 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. iv. defence in its hands, resii>ned itself to hollow friendship ; and sent a thousand boats to transport the armies of France from the main land over the La^iine into the very heart of the city. The English commodore in the Adriatic protested against such mad- ness, and offered to cover the city with his own ships — in vain ! The people, who are always the last to lose a sense of national honour, expressed their readiness to stand forth and to defend their country — in vain ! The nobles trembled for their Italian estates ; and in the empty hope of saving their income they betrayed their country, and submitted to plunder, to slavery, and to indelible disgrace. Not one arm was raised, not one sword was drawn, and Venice fell, self-betrayed and unpitied. Her enemies punished her pusillanimity, by pillaging her public and her private treasures, by defacing her edifices, by stripping her arsenal, by carrying away her trophies ; and then they handed her over as a contemptible prize to a foreign despot. A tremendous lesson to rich and etFe- minate nations to rouse them to exertion, and to prove, if such proof were wanting, that independence must be preserved, as it can only be obtained, by the sword ; that money may purchase arms, but not freedom : that submission excites contempt ; and that determined heroic resistance, even should it fail, challenges and obtains consideration and honour. Non tamen ignavte Percipient gentes quam sit non ardua virtus Servitium fugisse nianu .... Ignorantque datos, ne quisquara serviat, enses. LOCAN. The population of Venice, previous to the late revolution, amounted to about one hundred and fifty thousand souls; it is supposed to have decreased considerably since that event, and if the present order of things should unfortunately continue, CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 79 it will diminish, till, deserted like Sienna and Pisa, this cit}' shall become a superb solitude, whose lonely grandeur will remind the traveller, that Venice was once great and independent. The state of society in Venice seems to be upon a more en- larged scale than formerly ; the cosmos indeed continue still to be the places of resort, of card-parties, and of suppers ; but various houses are open to strangers; and balls and concerts, and club dinners are given frequently ; to all which, introduction is not dif- ficult. The carnival was distinguished by plays in the day, and by masked balls at night ; the illumination of the theatre on such nights is very beautiful. One species of theatrical amusement at this season is singular. It is a regular farce, carried on at all hours; so that the idle part of the community may, if they please, pass all the twenty-four hours in the play-house, fall asleep, and awake, go out and come in, and still find the play going on with its usual spirit. In such pieces, the actors seem to be obliged to have re- course to their own ingenuity for the dialogue, which, however, seldom flags for want of materials ; such is their natural talent for repartee and buffoonery. A person accustomed to the rides, the walks, the activity of ordinary tOAvns, soon grows tired of the confinement of Venice, and of the dull, indolent, see-saw motion of Gondolas. He longs to expatiate in fields, and to range at large through the streets, with- out the encumbrance of a boat and a retinue of Gondolieri. We therefore left Venice on the sixth of March, without much regret, and embarking at the inn door, proceed towards Fusina. As we rowed over the Lagune, we prevailed upon our Gondolieri to sing, according to an ancient custom, mentioned I think by Addison, some stanzas of Tasso; but however beautiful the poetry might 8a CLASSICAL TOUR ch. iv. be, we thought the tune and execution no ways superior to that of a common baUad-singer in the streets of London. This classical mode of singing verses alternately, a remnant of the ancient pas- toral* so long preserved in Italy, has been much on the decline in Venice since the French invasion, which has damped the ardor of the people, and almost extinguished their natural mirth and vivacity. From Fusina we ascended the Brenta in the same manner as we had descended it, and arrived late at Padua. The next morning, after a second visit to the most remarkable edifices, such as St. Gimtina, the Santo, the Cathedral, the Salone, we turned our thoughts to the neighbouring country, and consi- dered what objects it presented to our curiosity. The warm foun- tains and baths of Aponus, now called Apono, lie about four miles from Padua. They were frequented by the ancient Romans under the Emperors, and have been celebrated by Claudian, and by the Gothic king Theodoric, in long and elaborate descriptions in verse and prose f-. These writers attribute to them many * Alternls dicetis, amant alterna Camense. Virgil. t Tlie principal effects are described in the following verses. Claudian addresses himself to the fountain : — Felices, proprium qui te meruere coloni, Fas quibus est Aponon juris habere sui ; Non illis terrena lues, corrupta nee Austri Flamina, nee saevo Sirius igne nocet .... Quod si forte malus membris exuberat humor Languida vel nimio viscera felle virent ; Non venas reserant, nee vulnere vulnera sanant, Pocula nee tristi gramine mista bibunt > CH.iv. THROUGH ITALY. 81 strange and wonderful effects; however, making all due allowances for poetical exaggeration, the waters are in many cases of great advantage. About seven miles southward of Padua, rises the ridge of hills called the Colli Euganei, still retaining the name of one of the earliest tribes that peopled the Paduan territory. These moun- tains, for so they might justly be termed, if the enormous swell of the neighbouring Alps did not in appearance diminish their eleva- tion, Avere formerly, it seems, inhabited by a race of soothsayers, who vied with the Tuscans in the art of looking into futurity. One of these seers, according to Lucan, beheld the battle of Phar- salia while seated on his native hill, and described to his asto- nished auditors, all the vicissitudes of that bloody contest*, on the very morning on which it took place. Aulus Gellius relates the same story, but attributes it to a priest of the name of Corne- lius, a citizen of Padua, without mentioning, as he frequently does, the author from whom he derived the tale. But, whether it was a Paduan priest or an Euganean soothsayer who was gifted with this extraordinary power of vision, it proves at least that Amissutn lympliis rcparant impune vigorem, Pacaturque, aegro luxuriante, dolor. ElDYL. ApON, * Euganeo, si vera fides memoraiitibus, Augur Colle sedens, Aponus terris ubi fumifer exit, Atque Antenorei dispergitur unda Timavi, Venitsumma dies, geritur res maxima, dixit, Impia concurrunt Pompeii et Caesaris arma. Luc. vii. 1!)2. (Tlie poet's geography is not very accurate.) VOL I. M 82 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. iv. claims to the faculty termed second sight are not confined to mo- dem times, or to the northern regions of Great Britain*. In one of the recesses of the Colli Euganei stands the village of Arquato, distinguished by the residence of Petrarca during the latter years of his life, and by his deatli which took place in 1374. He was buried in the churchyard of the same village, and a mo- nument was erected to his honour. This monument and his villa have been preserved by the people with religious care, and con- tinue even now to attract a number of literary visitants of all countries, who, as they pass through Padua, fail not to pay their respects to the manes of Petrarca. The road to Arquato, as far as Monte Selice, runs along a canal, over a very flat and very fertile country, bearing a strong resem- blance to some of the finest parts of the Netherlands. Villas and large villages lie thick around, and the scene on every side gives the traveller an idea of plenty and of population. To relieve the flat- ness of the adjacent country, mountains rise in various forms in front, and Monte Selice (or Silicis) in particular, strikes the eye by its lofty conical form. About eight miles from Padua, on the banks of the canal, stands the castle of the Obizzi, an ancient and illustrious family of Padua. This edifice is much in the style of the old castles of Romance. Loi'ty rooms, long galleries, winding staircases, and dark passages, fit it admirably for the pur- poses of a novelist, and render it equally proper for the abode of a great baron, for the receptacle of a band of robbers, for the scene of nightly murders, or for the solitary walk of ghosts and of spectres. But the predominant taste of the country has fitted it up in a style well calculated to dispel these gloomy transalpine * Aul. Cell. lib. XV. 18. CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 83 illusions, and to cure the spectator's mind of its Gothic terrors. The apartments are adorned with paintings, some of which are infresco, on the walls representing the glories and the achievements of the Obizzian heroes in days of old, and others are on canvas, being ori- ginals or copies of great masters. The galleries, and one in par- ticular of very considerable length, are filled with Roman antiqui- ties, altars, vases, armour, inscriptions, pillars, &c. On the whole, the castle is very curious, and ought to be made the object of a particular visit, as an incidental hour is not sutiicient ibr an ex- amination in detail of the various curiosities which it contains*. A little beyond the village of Catoio, we turned oft' from the high road, and alighting from the carriage on account of the swampiness of the country, we walked and rowed occasionally through lines of Avillows, or over tracts of marshy land, for two or three miles, till we began to ascend the mountain. Arquato is prettily situated on the northern side of a high hill, with a valley below it winding through the Euganean ridge. It is not a very large, but a neat village. Petrarca's villa is at the e:;tremity farthest from Padua. It con- sists of two floors. The first is used for farming purposes, as it is annexed to a farmer's house, 'i'he second story contains five rooms, three of which are large, and two closets; the middle room seems to have been used as a reception room or hall ; that on the right is a kitchen; that on the left has two closets, one of which mioht have been a study, the other a bed-chamber. Its fire-place is high, and * When we visited it, the proprietor was walking up and down the great gallery, and giving directions to his servants to clear and arrange some new acquisitions. He seemed to contemplate his collection with great complacency; and it must be owned that the number and arrangemerit of the articlci, whicli compose it, give a favourable opinion both of his diligence and his judgment. M 2 84 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. iv. its pastes fuligine ?iigri. To the chief window is a balcony; the view thence towards the opening of the valley on the side, and in front towards two lofty conical hills, one of which is topped with a convent, is calm and pleasing. The only decoration of the apart- ments is a deep border of grotesque painting running as a cornice under the ceiling; an old smoky picture over the fire-place in the kitchen, said by the good people to be an original by Michael A?i- gelo, and a table and chair, all apparently, the picture not ex- cepted, as old as the house itself On the table is a large book, an Album, containing the names, and sometimes the sentiments, of various visitants. The following verses are inscribed in the first page; they are addressed to the traveller. Tu che devoto al sagro albergo arrivi, Oves'aggira ancor I'ombra immortale Di clii un di vi depose il corpo frale, La Patria, il nome, il sensi tuoi qui scrive. The walls are covered with names, compliments, and verses. Be- hind the house is a garden, with a small lodge for the gardener, and the ruins of a tower covered with ivy. A narrow walk leads through it, and continues along the side of the hill, under the shade of olive trees; a solitary laurel* still lingers beside the path, and recals to mind both the poet and the lover. The hill ascends steep from the garden, and winding round, closes the vale and the pros- pect. Its broken sides are well cultivated, and interspersed with olives and with cottages. It was already evening when we arrived. After having examined the house, we walked for some time in the garden; a thousand violets perfumed the air; the nightingale was occasionally heard, as if making its first essay; and, excepting his * It is necessary to remark here, once for all, that the Italian laurel is the bay-tree, the laurus of tlie ancients. CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 86 evening song, " most musical, most melancholy," all was still and silent aiound. The place and the scenery seemed so well de- scribed in the following beautiful lines, that it was impossible not to recollect and apply them, though probably intended by the poet tor another region. Qui non palazzi, non tcatro, o loggia, Ma'n lor vece un abete, un faggio, un pino, Tra I'erba verde, e'l bel monte vicinoj Onde se scende poetando e poggia, Levan di terra al ciel nostro intelletto : E'l rosignuol che dolcemente all' ombra Tutte le notti si lamenta e piagne. Son. X. The garden is entirely neglected, but the house is kept in good repair; a circumstance which cannot but reflect much honour on the spirit of the proprietor and on the inhabitants of the village, ^vhen it is considered that more than four hundred years have now elapsed since the death of Petrarca, and that many a destructive war has raged in the country, and many a wasting army passed over it since that event. His body lies interred in the churchyard of the village in a large stone sarcophagus raised on four low pillars, and surmounted with a bust. As Ave stood and contemplated the tomb by the pale light of the moon, we indulged the caprice of the moment, and twining a branch of laurel into the form of a crown, placed it on the head of the bust, and hailed the manes of the Tuscan poet in the av ords of his admirer. Deh pioggia, o vento rio non faccia scorno Air ossa pie; sol porti grati odori L'aura che'l ciel suol far pure e sereno. Lascin le ninfe ogni lor antro ameno E raccolte in corona al sasso intorno, Liete ti cantin lodi e spargan fiori ! AlESS, PiCEOLOMlNI. Several of the inhabitants, Avho had gathered roimd us, during this singular ceremony, seemed not a httle pleased with the whim. 86 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. iv. and cheered us with repeated ihas as we passed through tlie village, and descended the hill. Though overturned by a blunder of the drivers, and for some time suspended over the canal with im- minent danger of being precipitated into it, 3'et as the night was bright and warm, and all the party in liigh spirits, the excursion was extremely pleasant. Few names seem to have been so fondly cherished by contem- poraries, or treated with so much partiality by posterity, as that of Petrarca. This distinction he owes not so much to his talents, or even to his virtues, as to the many amiable and engaging qualities which accompanied them, and set them off to the greatest advan- tage. As an orator, an historian, and a poet, he had even in his own time many rivals, perhaps in Boccaccio an equal, and in Dante undoubtedly a superior. But in pleasing manners, in generous feelings, in warm attachment, and in all the graceful, all the attractive accomplishments of life, he seems to have sur- passed every public character of his time, and to have engaged universal and unqualified admiration. Gibbon asserts that the literary reputation of Petrarca must rest entirely on his Latin Avorks, and insinuates that his sonnets arc tritles; that his passion was, in his own opinion, and in that of his contemporaries, criminal: and that Laura, the mother of ten children, could have possessed kw of the charms ascribed to her by the poet. Though I have no particular inclination to enter the lists as champion of the lady's charms, yet I may venture to observe, that a matron, who died at the age of forty or fort3 -two, may possibly have been very beautiful at the age of nineteen or twenty, when the poet first beheld her; that female beauty some- times survives forty, however fatal that age may be to it in general ; that it is less liable to fade when it consists more in expression than in colour and freshness; and in fine, that though Laura, if we CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 87 may believe her lover, possessed both species of beauty, yet she excelled in the former. Le crespe chiome d'or puro lucente E'l lanipeggiar dell angelico riso .... II Parte, Sonn. 24. Le perle in ch' [amor] frange ed affrena Dolci parole I Parte, Sonn, 1S4. are perishable charms without doubt, and liable to very rapid decay. But, Leggiadria singolare e pellegrina ; E'l cantar che nell anima si sente : L' andar celeste, e'l vago spirto ardente : Begli occhi che i cor fanno stnalti : Col dir pien d' intelletti, dolci ed alti : E'l bel tacere, e quel santi costumi ! I Parte, Sonn. 17S. These arc charms which emanate directly from the mind, and seem almost to enjoy some portion of its pure and imperishable nature. Laura, therefore, may still be allowed to retain her honours, and continue to rank anions; the celebrated beauties of ancient times, oltra le belle bella*. As to Petrarca's passion, it was undoubtedly misplaced, excessive, and highly reprehensible; but his contemporaries do not seem to have considered it in that light, especially as it n^'ver broke out in any guilty deed, or even indecorous expression. The author of his life, Bcccadelli, a man of unblemished morals and reputation, and an archbishop, declares that Petrarca's attachment was innocent in itself, and beneficial in its consequences, as it called i'ortli the powers of his genius, and contributed in a high degree to the * Vol. ii. Son. xxi. 88 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. iv. perfection of his language, and to the honour of his country. The Poet himself condemns and applauds his passion alter- nately ; representing it sometimes as having preserved him from the indulgence of low grovelling appetites, and urged him to the pursuit of honourable fame* ; and at other times lamenting it as a guilty weakness, to which he had sacrificed his time, and had devoted talents destined for nobler objects -]■. But, notwithstanding the severity of this self-censure, he continued either to compose or to correct the strains that love inspired, not only for several years after the death of its object, but even to the near approach of his OAvn : a circumstance which, considering the religious turn of his mind, particularly in his latter days, proves that he attached no criminality to the passion itself, since he could indulge himself so freely in its recollection. As to the sonnets of Petrarca, in the eyes of a moralist they are trifles, and so are the elegies of Propertius and of Tibullus, and all the numerous poems both ancient and modern, that treat the same airy and unsubstantial subject; but trinkets may derive value from their materials and workmanship, and even love songs may acquire both importance and interest from their language and their sentiments. Genius communicates its own dignity to every sub- ject that it chooses to handle ; it can give weight to insignificance, and make even an amorous ditty the vehicle of awful truths and of useful lessons. This observation is more applicable perhaps to Petrarca than to any other poet. Equal, I had almost said superior, in felicity of expression, and in harmony of language, to his Roman predecessors, he rises far above them in delicacy of thought, and in dignity of sentiment. He borrows no embellish- ments from the fictions of mythology, and indulges himself in no * Parte II. Canz. vii. f Son. Ixxxvi. CH. IV. THROUGH ITALY. 8i9 pastoral tales, no far-fetched allusions. The spirit of religion, which strongly influenced his mind in all the vicissitudes of life, not unfrequently gives his passion something of the solemnity of devotion, and inspires the holy strains that chant Quanto piu vale Sempiterna bellezza che mortale. This peculiar turn of thought, that pervades the poems of Pe- trarca, and raises them so much above all similar compositions, is noticed by his biographer as a distinction highly honourable to the Tuscan muses, k qiiali, ha mostro, come altarnente e santamcnte possono cuntar tV amove. It is not wonderful, therefore, that the poet himself should have rested his hopes of fame on his Italian poems, and have persisted in correcting and in re-polishing them with so much assiduity ; or that posterity should have confirmed the author's judgment, and continued ever since to set a high value on these short, but highly laboured productions. While his Latin poems, histories, and moral dissertations, slumber undis- turbed on the shelf, his Hime will sometimes amuse the leisure of the youthful reader, and now and then, perhaps, attract the atten- tion of the philosopher, who will often find in them, intermingled with the frivolous graces of the subject, sublime sentiments, eX' pressed in language the most harmonious. VOL. I. 90 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. v. CHAP. V. VISIT TO THE LAGO DI GARDA, OR BENACUS THE RIVER MINCIUS THE PROMONTORY OF SIRMIO DESENSANO STORM ON THE LAKE PARADISINO BANKS OP THE MIN- CIUS MANTUA PIETOLE EXCURSION TO THE PO HONOURS PAID TO VIRGIL VIRGILIANO. NEXT day we took leave of Padua, returned through Vicenza to Verona, and having passed the following day there, on the ensuing morning (March 13) we set out for the Lago di Gavda (the Benacus) celebrated by Virgil as one of the noblest ornaments of Italy. Its principal promontory, Sirmio, has been commemo- rated by Catullus, as his favourite residence. We reached Peschiera, a fortress on the southern extremity of the lake, at about half past two. The distance is about eighteen miles, the road is excellent, generally descending, and always passing through corn fields striped with vines, with some swells at a distance crowned with villages, and churches, and seats ; while the Alps formed a vast line to the north. Traces of hostility, as I before observed, are indeed too visible in the neighbourhood of Verona, where several severe skirmishes, and one decisive battle, took place during the late war. en. V. THROUGH ITALY. 91 The vineyards and mulbeny trees, of course, were torn up or cut do^\Ti by the armies as they passed alons^. However, I observed, with satisfaction, that the peasants were busily employed in re- planting them. At PcscJiiera, the lake terminates in the river Mhicio, which flows through the to\vTi, broad, deep, and clear as crystal, though almost as rapid as a mountain torrent. The traveller, when he beholds this river, the name of which is so familiar and so pleasing to a classic ear, will recal to mind the passages in which ^''irgil describes its banks and appearances. We contemplated it for some time from the bridge, and then went out of the town, and, embarking without the gate, glided over the surface of the lake so smooth and clear, that we could distinguish the bottom at the depth of twenty or five and twenty feet. The weather, though only the thirteenth of March, was as warm, and the sun as bright, as on a summer's day in England ; yet some clouds hung on the summits of the mountains, and a certain haziness dimmed their sides, llie borders of the lake towards the south, though rather flat, rise suf- ficiently to display to advantage the towns, villages, and seats, with the olives, corn fields, and vineyards that adorn them ; and when lighted up by a bright sunshine, they present a very exhilarating- prospect. The shores, as they advance northward, assume a bolder aspect, and exhibit all the varieties of Alpine scenery. Rocky promontories, precipices, lofty hills, and towering moun- tains, in all their grotesque, broken, and shapeless appearances, rise in succession one above another; while the declining sun, playing upon the snow that capped their summits, tinged them with various hues, and at length spread over them a thin veil of purple. The peninsula of 6Vrw?o7?r,and the bolder promontory oCMinerho, N 2 92 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. v. the foraier about seven, the latter about fouiteen miles distant, appeared to great advantage from Peschiera, and grew upon the sight as we advanced. Sirmione appears as an island ; so low and so narrow is the bank that unites it to the main land. Its en- trance is defended, and indeed totally covered, by an old castle, with its battlements and high antique tower in the centre, in the form of a Gothic fortification. The promontory spreads behind the town, and rises into a hill entirely covered with olives ; this hill may be said to have two summits, as there is a gentle descent between them. On the nearest is a church and hermitage, plun- dered by the French, and now uninhabited and neglected. On the farthest, in the midst of an olive grove, stand the Avails of an old building, said to be a Roman bath, and near it is a vault, called the Grotto of Catullus. The extremity of this promontory is covered with arched ways, towers, and subterranean passages, supposed by the inhabitants to be Roman, but apparently of no very distant aera. At all events, Catullus undoubtedly inhabited this spot, and preferred it, at a certain period, to every other region. He has expressed his attachment to it in some beautiful Hnes. Peninsularum Sirmio, insularumque Ocelle, quascunque in liquentibus stagnis Marique vasto fert uterque Neptunus : Quam te libenter, quamque laetus inviso. Catull. 32. He could not have chosen a more delightful retreat. In the centre of a magnificent lake, surrounded with scenery of the greatest variety and majesty, secluded from the world, yet be- holding from his garden the villas of his Veronese friends, he might have enjoyed alternately the pleasures of retirement and of society; and, daily, without the sacrifice of his connexions. CH. V. THROUGH ITALY. [):i which Horace* seemed inclined to make, in a moment of despon- dency, he might have contemplated the grandeur and the agitation of the ocean, without its terror's and immensity. Besides, the soil is fertile and its surface varied ; sometimes shelving in a gentle declivitj', at other times breaking in craggy magnificence ; and thus furnishing every requisite for delightful walks and for luxurious baths; while the views vary at every step, presenting rich coasts or barren mountains, sometimes confined to the culti- vated scenes of the neighbouring shore, and at other times bewil- dered and lost in the windings of the lake, and in the recesses of the Alps. In short, more convenience and more beauty are sel- dom united ; and such a peninsula is, as Catullus enthusiastically observes, scarcely to be matched in all the wide range of the world of waters. We left Sirmione after sunset ; and, lighted by the moon, glided smoothly over the lake to Desensano, four miles distant, where, about eight, we stepped from the boat into a very good inn. So far the appearance of the Benacus was very different from the description which Virgil has given of its stormy character. Before we retired to rest, about midnight, from our windows, we observed it still calm and unruffled. About three in the morning I was roused from sleep by the door and windows bursting open at once, and the wind roaring round the room. I started up, and, looking out, observed, by the light of the moon, the lake in the most dreadful agitation, and the waves dashing against the walls of the inn, and resembling the swellings of the ocean more than the petty agita- tion of inland waters. Shortly after, the landlord entered with a * Lib. i. Ep. xi. 94 CLASSICAL TOUR Ch. v. lantern, closed the outward shutters, expressed some apprehen- sions, but at the same time assured me, that their houses were built to resist such sudden tempests, and that I might repose with confidence under a roof which had withstood full many a storm as terrible as that which occasioned our present alarm. Next morning the lake, so tranquil and serene the evening be- fore, presented a surface covered Avith foam, and swelling into mountain billows, that burst in breakers every instant at the very door of the inn, and covered the whole house with spray. Virgil's description now seemed nature itself, and, taken from the very scene actually under our e}'es, it was impossible not to exclaim, Teque Fluctibus et fremitu assurgens, Benace, marino. Geor. ii. 160. After breakfast (ISIarch 14, Sunday) I walked up the road to Brescia, and from a high hill viewed the lake, its coasts, penin- sulas, and promontories. The peninsula of Sirmione forms the most striking object, as running between Peschiera and Desensano ; it divides the first and widest part of the lake into two nearly equal spaces, and, on account of the lowness and the narrowness of the passage to it, appears like a beautiful and well wooded island. The next striking feature of the lake is the bold promontoiy of Minerbo, or rather of Sa7i Pietro, and the Isoki dei Venti. Behind this promontory and island lies the river of Salo, supposed to be one of the most picturesque parts of the lake. Nearly opposite to San Pietro stands the town of Garda (founded in the middle ages), which noAv gives its name to the lake, while, ancientlj^, the lake gave its name to the surrounding territory called Ager Bena- CH. V. THROUGH ITALY. of so mixed a composition, and so heavy a form, so near to the simple and airy edifice of Trajan, unless it were to display their opposite qualities by the contrast, and of course to degrade and vilify his own workmanship. But all modern architects, not ex- cepting the great names of Michael Ange/o, Bivma/ife, and Valladio, have had the fever of innovation, and more than ten centuries of 158 CLASSICAL TOUR cti. viii. unsuccessful experiments have not been sufficient to awaken a spirit of diffidence, and to induce them to suspect that, in deviating from the models of antiquity, they have abandoned the rules of sjinmetrj'^ ; and, that in erecting edifices on their own peculiar plans, they have only transmitted their bad taste, in stone and marble monuments, to posterity. The cathedral of Ancona is a very ancient, but a low dark edi- fice. It contains nothing within, and exhibits nothing without, to fix attention. Its situation, however, compensates, in a great degree, its architectural defects. Placed near the point of the Cumerian promontory, elevated far above the to^vn and the har- bour, it commands a most magnificent view, extending along the sea coast to Pesaro and Fano on the north, bounded on the west by the snow-crowned Apennines, while on the east it wanders over the Adriatic, and, in clear weather, rests on the distant hills of Dalmatia. We lingered on this delightful spot with much satis- faction, and while our eyes feasted on the varied prospect ex- panded before us, we enjoyed, though it was only the second of April, the freshness of the gale that sprang occasionally from the sea, and fanned us as we ascended the summit of the promontory and the tops of the neighbouring mountains. There are, however, several churches that merit observation ; particularly the Agostiniani, and the Giesu (of VanviteUi) as also the Palazzo dclla Comminiita, or Town-hall, and the Palazzodei Mercanti, or Merchant's-hall. The Popes have not been wanting in their attention to the prosperity of iincona. They have made it a free port, allowed liberty of conscience to persons of all religions, im- proved the harbour, and opened a new and very noble approach on the land side. However, in commerce, activity, and popula- tion, Ancona is still inferior to Leghorn, OAving probably to the situation of the latter on the western coast of Italy, in the heart of CH. VIII. THROUGH ITALY. 159 the Mediterranean, and open, of course, to the commerce of France, Spain, Africa, and the Mediterranean ishinds ; while the former, on the Adriatic, a sea comparatively unfrequented, faces Dalmatia, a country little known in the commercial world, and little given to mercantile speculation and activity. The general appearance of Ancona, though beautiful at a dis- tance, is, within, dark and gloomy, in consequence of the narrow- ness of the streets, and the want of squares and of great public buildings. Ancona and its neighbouring towns and coasts are celebrated in the followino; lines of Silius Italicus : — 'O Hlc & quos pascunt scopulosre rura Numanfe, Et quls litoreae fumant altaria Cuprae, Quique Truentinas servant cum flumine turres Cernere erat : clypeata procul sub sole corusco Agmina, sanguined vibrant in nubila luce. Stat fucare colus nee Sidone vilior Ancon, Murlce nee Libyco. Statque humectata Vomano Adria, & inclemens hirsuti signifer Ascli. SiL. Ital. viii. 430, 438. Numana is now Humana ; Cupra, Le Grotte. Truentium on the banks of the Tronto, unknown at present. The river still bears its ancient name Vomano, and Ascli Ascoli. The distance from Ancona to Loretto is about fourteen miles ; the road hilly, the country in the highest degree fertile, and the views on every side extremely beautiful. Camurano, the interme- diate stage, stands on a high hill, and has a small but handsome church. Loretto also is situate on a very bold and commanding eminence. Tliis town is modern, and owes its existence to the Santissima Casa, and its splendour to the zeal or to the policy of 160 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. viii. Sixtus Quintiis. It is large, well built, populous, and notwith- standino- its elevated site well supplied by an aqueduct with water. It is surrounded with a rampart, and from that rampart commands a varied and most delightful prospect on all sides. To the north rise O.s/mo the Auximum of the ancients, and Camurano, each on a lofty hill ; also close to the sea, an abbey perched on the summit of Monte Gomero (Cumerium promontorium) ; on the south, Monte Santo, anciently Sacrata, and Macerata ; to the west, Recanati, and Monte Fiore; with the Apennines rising, broken, white, and craggj'-, behind ; while to the east, between two hills, the Adriatic spreads its blue expanse, and, brightening as it retires from the shore, vanishes gradually in the white Heecy clouds that border the horizon. Every reader is acquainted with the legendary history' of the Santissima Cam, or most holy house ; that it was the very house which the Virgin Mother, with the infant Saviour and St. Joseph, inhabited at Nazareth; that it was transported by angels from Palestine, when that country was totally abandoned to the infidels, :ind was placed, first in Dalmatia, and afterwards on the opposite shore in Italy, close to the sea side, whence, in consequence of a quarrel between two brothers, the proprietors of the ground, it was removed, and finally fixed on its present site. This wonderful event is said to have taken place in the year 1294, and is attested by the ocular evidence of some Dalmatian peasants, the testimony of the two quarrelsome brothers, and, I believe, the declaration of a good old lady of the name of Laureta. Some had seen it in Dalmatia, others beheld it hovering in the air, and many had found it in the morning on a spot, which they knew to have been vacant the evening before. Such is, at least in general, the account given at Loretto, circulated all over Italy, piously admitted by many holy persons, and not a little encouraged by the Popes. CH. viii. THROUGH ITALY. 161 I need not saj', hoAvever, that many men of reflection in Italy, and indeed within the precincts of Loretto itself, consider this wonderful story as an idle tale, or at best a pious dream, conceived by a heated imagination, and circulated among an ignorant race of peasants and fishermen. They suppose the holy house to have been a cottage or building, long buried in a pathless forest, and unnoticed in a country turned almost into a desert by a succession of civil wars, invasions, and revolutions, during the space of ten or twelve centuries. A dream, an accidental coincidence of circumstances, might have led one or more persons to the discovery of this long forgotten edifice, and such an incident, working on minds heated by solitude and enthusiasm, might easily have produced- the con- viction, and propagated the belief of the wonderful tale. But be the origin of the holy house what it may, the effect of artifice or of credulity, it gradually attracted the attention, first of the country round, then of Italy at large, and at length of the whole Christian world. The miracle was everywhere heard with joy and admiration, and everywhere welcomed with implicit, vm- suspecting faith. Princes and prelates, rich and poor, hastened with pious alacrity to venerate the terrestrial abode of the incarnate AVord, and to implore the present aid and influence of his Virgin Mother. Gifts and votive offerings accumulated; a magnificent church was erected ; gold, silver, and diamonds blazed round every altar, and heaps of treasures loaded the shelves of the sacristy ; various edifices rose around the new temple, and Loretto became, as it still remains, a large and populous city. The church was planned by Braniante, and is a very noble struc- ture, in the form of a cross, with a dome over the point of inter- section. Under this dome is the Santa Cam, a building about thirty feet long and fourteen high, vaulted, of stone rough :aid VOL. I. Y 162 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. viii. rather uneven. It is difficult to discover the original colour of the stone, as it is blackened by the smoke of the numberless lamps continually burning, but it is said to be of a reddish grey ; the interior is divided by a silver rail into two parts, of unequal dimen- sions. In the largest is an altar ; in the less, which is considered as peculiarly holy, is a cedar image of the blessed Virgin, placed over the chimney-piece. The exterior is covered with a marble casing, ornamented with Corinthian pilasters and sculptured pan- nels, representing various incidents of Gospel History. The font, the Mosaics over several altars, the bronze gates both of the church and of the Santa Casa, and several paintings in the chapels are admired by connoisseurs, and deserve a minute examination. The square before the church, formed principally of the apostolical palace, the residence of the bishop, and of the canons, and the penitentiaries, is in a very grand style of architecture. The treasury was formerly a subject of admiration and astonish- ment to all travellers, who seemed to attempt, but in vain, to de- scribe, not the gold and silver only, but the gems and the diamonds that glittered on every vase, and dazzled the eyes with their splen- dour. Long catalogues were produced of the names of Emperors, Kings, Potentates, and Republics, who had contributed to augment this immense accumulation of wealth with additional offerings, and some surprise was expressed, that the Turk, or some hardy pirate, tempted by the greatness of the booty, and by the facility of the conquest, did not assault the town, and endeavour to enrich himself with the plunder. But such was the supposed sanctity of the place, such the religious awe that surrounded it, that even the 1'urks themselves beheld it with veneration, and the inhabitants reposed with confidence under the tutelar care of the Virgin Patroness. Once, indeed, the infidels made a bold attempt to assault the sanctuary of Loretto ; but, like the Gauls under Brennus CH. viii. THROUGH ITALY. 163 presuming to attack the temiole of Delphi, they were repulsed by tremendous storms, and struck with supernatural blindness. Lo- retto, indeed, in latter times, as Delphi in days of old, was sur- rounded with an invisible rampart, which no mortal arm could force, and no malignant damion even venture to assail, repressed both by superior power, motique verendft, Majestate loci • But Loretto has now shared the fate of Delphi; its sacred bounds have been violated, its sanctuary forced, and its stores of treasure seized, and dispersed by the daring hands of its late in- vaders. No vestige now remains of this celebrated collection of every thing that was valuable ; rows of empty shelves, and num- berless cases, only aftord the treasurer an opportunity of enlarging on its immensity, and a tolerable pretext for cursing the banditti that plundered it. " Galli," said he, " semper rapaces, crudeles, barbarorum omnium Italis infestissimi :" he added, in a style of compliment, " Angli, justi, moderati, continentes." I hope our countrymen will endeavour to verify the compliment, by their con- duct towards the degraded Creeks and the oppressed Italians! But though we condemned the sacrilegious rapine of the French, we could not share the deep regret of the good father. Treasures, buried in the sacristies of churches, are as useless as if still slum- bering in their native mines ; and though they may contribute to the splendour of an altar, or to the celebrity of a convent, they can be considered only as withheld from the purposes for which Provi- dence designed them, and as drawbacks upon that industry which they are made to encourage. The altar ought certainly to be pro- vided with a sufficient quantity of plate for the decency, and even for the splendour of divine service : such was the opinion of the Y 2 164 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. viii. Christian church even in the second century ; but it is the duty of government not to allow it to accumulate; and it is much to be la- mented, that the immense wealth deposited in the churches in Italy had not been emploj^ed, as anciently was the custom in times of public distress, for public relief " Ad divos adeunto caste : pietatem adhibento : opes amovento*." The church of Loretto is a magnificent establishment. It con- sists of twenty prebendaries or resident canons : twenty chaplains or minor canons ; and twenty penitentiaries, to hear the confessions of the pilgrims, and administer to them advice and spiritual con- solation. These penitentiaries are selected from various countries, that every pilgrim may find a director, Avho can discourse with him in his own language. The number of pilgrims seems at present to be very small ; indeed they have long ceased to be of any ad- vantage to the town, as they are generally of the lowest class, beg their bread on the road, and are supported at the expense of the church while at Loretto. We visited the fathers, and were treated T^y them with much kindness and cordiality. The traveller would do well, while his head quarters are at Loretto, to visit Osiino, Humana, Monte Santo, and as much of the coast and country southward as possible. These places are all of ancient fame, and the Avhole region around is both beautiful and classical. From Loretto the road turns directly to Rome, passes under a noble gateway, descends the hill of Loretto, with an aqueduct run- ning on the left, and then rising traverses Kecanati, a neat but deserted episcopal X,ovn\. Again descending it winds through a delicious plain watered by the Potenza, adorned with all the beauty Cic. de Legibus, ii. S. CH. VIII. THROUGH ITALY. 165 of cultiv^ation, and with all the exuberance of fertility, producing corn and beans, clover and tlax, vines and mulberries, in profusion ; and when we passed through it, all lighted up and exhilarated by the beams of a vernal evening sun. A little beyond the post Sambucheto, and on the banks of the river, he the ruins of an amphitheatre, or rather of a town, sup- posed by some antiquaries to have been Recina ; though others conclude, from the distance of fourteen miles marked by the Iti- neraries, between Auximum and Recina, that the latter stood on or near the site of the modem Macerata, that is, about two miles and a half farther on. Macerata is an episcopal see, a town of some population, ac- tivity, and even magnificence. It is situated on a high hill, and commands an extensive view of the lovely country which we had traversed terminating in the distant Adriatic. The gate is a sort of modern triumphal arch, not remarkable either for materials or for proportion. The same beautiful scenery continues to delight the traveller till he reaches Tollentino. Tollentino, an episcopal see and very ancient, contains nothing remarkable. Its principal church is dedicated to St. Nicolas, a native saint, and of course in high veneration. The bust of a cele- brated philosopher of the fifteenth century, Philelphus, is placed over the entrance of the Town-hall ; a circumstance, which I men- tion merely as an instance of the respect which the Italians are wont to shew to the memory of their great men of every descrip- tion. The gate towards liOretto is double, of Gothic architecture, and of singular form*. The situation of the town is extremely * As we sat on a heap of stones contemplating the Gothic structure of the gate, and 1G6 CLASSICAL TOUR en. viii. pleasing, on a gentle eminence on the banks of the Chknti, in a fertile plain lined on either side with wooded hills. A little beyond ToUentino we began to enter the defiles of the Apennines ; the hills closing and swelling into mountains, the river roughening into a torrent, and the rocks breaking here and there into huge precipices. The road runs along the sides of the hills, with the Chienti rolling below on the left. A little bej^ond Belforte, a view opens over the precipice towards a bridge, and presents a landscape of very bold features. BeJforte is an old fortress perched on the side of a rock in a very menacing situation, and well calcu- lated to command the defile. A village on the opposite side of the river adds not a little to its picturesque appearance. The grandeur of the scenery increased as we advanced ; bej'ond the stage Valcimara, the mountains are naked, rocky, and wild for some miles ; on a sudden they assume a milder aspect, sink in height, clothe their sides with sylvan scenerj^ and present on their wooded summits churches, castles, and ruins, the usual ornaments of Italian mountains. The landscape continued to improve in softness and in milder beauty till we arrived at Ponte de la Trave, its antique accompaniments, a Pilgrim made his appearance under the archway. He was dressed in a russet cloak, his beads hung from his girdle, his hat was turned up with a scollop shell in front, his beard played on his breast, and he bore in his hand a staff with a gourd suspended. Never did Pilgrim appear in costume more accurate, or in more appropriate scenery. With the Gothic gate through which he was slowly moving, he formed a picture of the thirteenth century. We entered into conversation with him, and found that he was a German, and had been, as Kings and Princes were wont to go in ancient times, to the Threshold of the jlpostles (ud liviina ^pnstohrum) and had offered up his orisons at the shrine of St. Peter. He did not ask for alms, but accepted a trifle with gratitude, and with an humble bow promised to remember us in his prayers, and proceeded on his journey. CH. VIII. THROUGH ITALY. 107 so called from a bridge over the Chienti. Here, though we had travelled two stages, or eighteen miles only, and it was still early, we determined to remain during the night ; partly from a just ap- prehension of danger in passing the steep and lonely fastnesses of Seravalle in the dark, and partly from an unwillingness to traverse the majestic solitudes of the Apennines, when incapable of enjoy- ing the prospect. The inn, it is true, was indifferent, but the sur- rounding scenery extremely pleasing. The river rolling rapidly along close to the road ; a convent seated in the middle of a vine- yard ; groves waving on the sides of the hills ; the fields painted with the lively green of vernal vegetation ; fruit-trees in full blossom on all sides; farm-houses interspersed in the groves and meadows; and broken crags surmounted with churches and towers in distant perspective, formed on the whole a scene, rich, varied, tranquil, and exhilarating. One would imagine that Addison, who travelled this road, had this deUcious valley in view, when, in imitation of Virgil, he exclaims, Bear me, some God, to Baise's gentle seats. Or cover me in Umbria's green retreats ; Where western gales eternally reside, And all the seasons lavish all their pride : Blossoms and fruits and flowers together rise, And the whole year in gay confusion lies. Letter from Italy. 168 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. ix. CHAP. IX. PASSAGE OF THE APENNINES FOLIGNO IMPROVISATORE THE CLITUMNUS, ITS TEMPLE AND VALE SPOLETO MONTE SOMMA TEIINI FALLS OF THE VELINO, ADDI- SON's OPINION REFUTED THE NAR, NARNI THE TIBER OTRICOLI CIVITA CASTELLANA MONTES CI5IINI NEPI CAMPAGNA FIRST VIEW OF ROME. FRO]M Ponte cle Trove, the road runs for some time over a country enclosed, cultivated, and wooded, with much A^ariety; but the scenery gradually roughens as you ascend the Apen- nines ; the mountains swell and close upon you, assume a savage aspect, and though on the banks of the river which still attends you, and winds through the defile, yet the scenery is rocky, naked, and barren. Serra Voile is in a deep dell, where the river rolls tumbling along, shaded by oaks, poplars, and vines. A rocky mountain rises immediately to the west of the town. From its foot close to the road, through various crevices, gushes a vast source of the purest water, which may justly be considered as one of the heads of the Potentia. On the steep side of the hill stands an old ruined Gothic castle, whose fortifications run in different com- partments down to the road side. In the nearest is an aperture CH. IX. THROUGH ITALY. 1G9 in a vault formed over a large and deep sjiring. Tliis rocky mountain appears to be a vast reservoir of waters, as a litlle higher up towards the summit, about one hundred yards from the first source of the river Potentia, another bursts out at the bottom of a cavern finely shaded with bushes, shrubs, and fruit trees. A little farther on, you enter a plain spreading in the midst of the Apennines, whose summits rise in various shapes around and form a majestic amphitheatre. It is not however to be under- stood, that the summits to which I allude are the highest points of the whole ridge; this is not true, as the pinnacles of the Apen- nines are covei'ed Avith snow almost all the year, while the moun- tains which we passed over only exhibited a few detached sheets of snow, and were in general green. I mean therefore, that above Seravalh you reach the highest point of the mountains that in- tersect the Via Flaminia, and the road from Ancona to Rome. On the sides of the mountains you see villages and cottages, the greatest part of which look bleak and miserable, and in the midst of the plain graze numerous flocks of sheep, and herds of cattle. There is, however, an appearance of loneliness about the place, that excites in the traveller's mind ideas of danger, which are con- siderably increased by accounts of murders and robberies said to have been committed in this remote region. While we were gliding over this elevated plain, with silence and dreariness around us, I began to reflect on the descriptions which the ancient poets have left us of the Apennines, a ridge of moun- tains which the Romans beheld with fondness and veneration, as contributing so much both to the beauty and to the security of their country. In reality, they had reason to thank Providence for having placed such a tremendous barrier between them and their VOL. I. z 170 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. ix. victorious enemy, after the disastrous engagement on the banks of the Trebia, The attempt of Annibal to pass the Apennines is eloquently described by Titus Livius*: upon that occasion one would suppose that the Genius of Rome, enveloped in tempests, and armed with thunder, had stood on the summit to arrest the invader: — " Tum ver6 ingenti sono coelum strepere et inter hor- rendos fragores micare ignes." After repeated, but useless exer- tions, Annibal returned to the plain, and Rome had time to arm her youth and to call forth all her energies, to meet the approach- ing tempest. Lucan, in his description of the Apennines, indulges as usual his vein of hyperbolical exaggeration; but as he is accurate in his representation of the bearing of this immense ridge, and of the rivers that roll from its sides, it may not be amiss to insert his lines. Mons inter geminas medius se porrigit undas Inferni, superique maris: coUesque cocrcent Hinc Tyrrhena vado frangentes fequora Pisse, mine Dalmaticis obnoxia fluctibus Ancon. Fontibus hie vastis immensos coneipit amnes, Fluminaque in gemini spargit divortia ponti. In laevum eecldere latus veloxque Metaurus, Crustumiumque rapax, et junctus Isapis Isauro, Scmnaque, et Adriacas qui verberat Aufidus undas: Quoque magis nullum tellus se solvit in amnem, Eridanus, fractasque evolvit in sequora silvas .... Dexteriora petens montis declivia Tybrini Unda facit, Rutubamque cavum; delabitur inde Vulturnusque celer, nocturnaeque editor aurae Sarnus, et umbrosae Liris per regna Maricae * Liv. xxi. 58. CH. IX. THROUGH ITALY. 171 Vestinis impulsus aqiiis, radensque Salerni Culta Siler, nullasqiie vado qui Macra moratus Alnos, vicinae procurrit in sequora LutifiB. Longior educto qua surgit in aL'ra dorso, Gallica rura videt, devexasque excipit Alpes. Tunc Umbris Marsisque ferax, domitusque Sabello Vomere, piniferis amplexus rupibus omnes Indigenas Latii populos, non deserit ante Hesperlani, quam cum Scyllaeis clauditur undis, Extenditque suas in tenrpla Lacinia rupes. Lib. ii. This poet delighted in details, and loved to display his knowledge, whether connected with his subject or not. Others have been more correct, and have selected such particular features only as suited the circumstance. Thus Petronius Arbiter alludes merely to height, as an extensive view only was requisite for the Fury, whom he represents as perched upon its summit. Haec ut Cocyti tenebras, & Tartara liquit, Alta petit gradiens iuga nobilis Apennini, Unde omnes terras, atque omnia littora posset Adspicere, ac toto fluitantes orbe catervas. Silius Italicus enlarges upon the deep expanse of driven snow, and the vast sheets of solid ice, vvhich, when Annibal attempted the passage, buried the forests, and wrapped up the pinnacles of the Apennines in impenetrable winter. Horrebat glacie saxa inter lubrica, summo Pinilerum coelo miscens caput Apenninus; Condiderat nix alta trabes et vertice celso Canus apex struct^ surgebat ad astra pruin&. SiL. Ital. ix. T-ll- In fine, Virgil, whose masterly hand generally gives a perfect pic- 22 172 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. ix. ture in a single line, to close one of his noblest comparisons with the grandest image, presents the Apennine in all its glory, with its evergreen forests waving on its sides, and a veil of snow tluown over its majestic summit. Quantus Athos aut quantus Fry's, aut ipse, coruscis Cum fremit ilicibus, quantus, gaudetque nlvali Venice se attollens pater Apenninus ad auras, ViRG. xii. 701. On quitting the plain you wind along the mountain with a lake on your right, and passing an eminence, begin to descend the decli- vity of Colfiorito, represented more dangerous than it really is, be- cause, though the precipice be steep and abrupt, the road is good, and winding along the side of the hill descends on an easy slope. Through the deep dell that borders the road, a streamlet murmurs along, and gradually increasing becomes a river, which, in the plain below, falls into the Clitumnus. The little post of Casenouve forms the first stage of the descent, which continues with little or no in- termission to the neighbourhood of Fol/giw. About three miles from this town the mountains open and give the traveller a delight- ful view through the deep wooded defile into the adjoining vale, a view, which, when we passed, was considerably improved by the splendid colouring of the evening sun. At the village situate in the dell below amid woods and rocks, the river, pent up between the closing crag, works its waj^ through several little chasms, and tumbles in seven or eight cascades down the steep through tufts of box and ilex, amidst houses and fragments of rocks intermingled, into the plain below, where, turn- ing two or three mills as it passes, it hurries along to join the neigh- bouring Clitumnus. I should advise the traveller to alight, order his carriage to wait CH. IX. THROUGH ITALY. 173 for him at the foot of the hill, and going down to the village, visit a very curious grotto formed by the waters while confined within the caverns of the mountain. It is entirely under ground, may be about five-and-twenty feet high, is hollowed into several litde- niches supported by stalactite pillars, and ornamented on all sides ■with natural fretwork. He may then pass through the rows of olive trees that cover the opposite rocks, observe the singular situation of the village between two mountains, one of naked rock, the other covered with brush-wood; examine as he descends the picturesque effect of the several hills bursting through masses of wall and ver- dure, and then he may follow the road that runs along the foot of the hill, and mount his carriage within a mile of Foligno. While at supper, we were amused by the appearance of an Impro- fisatore, who, after having sung an ode of his own composition in honour of England, poured forth his unpremeditated verse with great harmony of tones, strength of voice, and rapidity of utter- ance. He asked for a subject, and we gave the prosperity of Italy, which he enlarged upon with some enthusiasm, asking emphatically at the conclusion of each stanza, how Italy, open as it was to two barbarous nations, such as the French and the Germans, could ever expect prosperity? His extemporary effusions generally ended in the praises of England; and, after some bumpers and a suitable present, he retired with much apparent satisfaction. These characters, in their wandering habits, precarious mode of living, and interested exertions, so much like the bards of ancient davs, have, it is said, decreased in number since the French invasion, owing partly to the depression of the national spirit, and partly to the poverty of their former patrons, and to the absence of wealthy foreigners. The exhibition was perfectly new to us, and while we enjoyed it, we could not but agree that such an ease and versatility of talent might, if properly managed, be directed to very great and very useful purposes. 174 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. ix. Follgnoy the ancient Fulginia, though a large, is yet a very in- ditferent town. Its catiiedral, unfinished without, is neat within, of handsome Ionic, and contains two pretty side altars. In realit}^ there are few Italian churches which do not present some- thing interesting to an attentive traveller, so generally is taste dif- fused over this classic country. But the situation of Foligjio com- pensates all its internal defects. At the foot of the Apennines, in a delightful plain that winds between the mountains, extending ten miles in breadth and about forty in length, adorned with rows of vines, corn fields, and villages, it enjoys the breezes and the wild scenery of the mountains with the luxuriance and the ^varmth of the valley. This, its site, is alluded to by Sihus. patuloque jacens sine moenibus arvo Fulginia. SiLi vili. About three miles distant rises Bevagna, the ancient IMevania; and through the same valley the Clitumnus rolls his " sacred streams," and glories in the beauty and fertility of his banks. At Foligiio, the traveller from Loretto again re-enters the Via Fla- minia. The first stage from Foligno terminates at a place called Le Vene. Almost close to the post-house, on the northern side, rises on a steep bank an ancient temple; and a little to the south of it, from various narrow vents or veins, gushes out a most plentiful stream of clear limpid water, forming one of the sources of the Clitumnus. From these sources the place takes its name, and the temple on the bank was once sacred to the river-god, under the appellation of Jupiter Clitunmus. The younger Pliny has given a lively and accurate description of this fountain, which the reader Avill prefer, no doubt, to the best modern picture. CH.IX. THROUGH ITALY. 175 C. Plinius Romano Suo. S. " Vidistine aliquando, Clitunmum fontem? Si nondum (et piito nondum alioqui narrasses mihi) vide: quem ego, poeiiitet tarditatis, proxime vidi. Alodicus coUis assurgit, antiqua cupressu nemorosus et opacus : hunc subter fons exit, et exprimitur pluribus venis, sed imparibus, eluctatusquc facit guigitem, qui lato giemio patescit purus et vitreus, ut numerate jactas stipes et relucentes calculos possis. Inde, non loci devexi- tate, sed ipsft sui copii et quasi pondere impellitur. Fons adiiuc, et jam amplissimum flumen atque etiam navium patiens, quas obvias quoque et contrario nisu in diversa ten- dentes, transmittit et pertert: adeo validus ut ilia qua properat, ipse tanqiiam per solum planum remis non adjuvetur: idem segerrime remis contisque superetur adversus. Ju- cundum utrumque per jocum ludumque fluitantibus, ut flexerint cursum, laborem ocio, ocium labore variare. Ripte fraxino multa, multa populo vestiuntur: quas perspicuus amnis, velut mersas viridi imagine annumerat. Rigor aquae certaverit nivibus, nee color cedit. Adjacet templum priscum et religiosum. Stat Clitumnus ipse amictus, ornatus- que praetexta. Prsesens numen atque etiam fatidicum, indicant sortes. Sparsa sunt circa sacella complura, totidemque Dei simulacra: sua cuique veneratio, suum numen: quibusdam vero etiam fontes. r»*am praeter ilium, quasi parentem caeterorum, sunt mi- nores capite discreti; sed flumini miscentur, quod ponte transmittitur. Is terminus sacri profanique. In superiore parte navigare tantum, infra etiam natare concessum. Bali- neum Hispellates, quibus ilium locum Divus Augustus dono dedit, publice praebent et hos- pitium. Nee desunt villae, quae secutae fiuminis amaenitatem, margini insistunt. In summd, nihil erit, ex quo non capias voiuptatem. Nam studebis quoque, et leges multa multoruni omnibus columnis, omnibus parietibus inscripta, quibus fons ille Deusque celebratur. Plura laudabis, nonnulla ridebis, quanquam tu vero, quae tua humanitas, nulla ridebis. Vale." C. Plin. lib. viii. epist. 8. Some changes have however taken place, not indeed in the great features of nature, but in those ornamental parts which are under the influence of cultivation. The ancient cypresses that shaded the hill, the ash and the poplar that hung over the river, have fallen long since, and have been replaced by mulberries, vines, and olives, less beautiful but more productive. The sacred grove has not been spared; the little chapels have disappeared, and the statue of the god has yielded its place to the triumphant cross. This circumstance is rather fortunate, as to it the temple oAves its preservation. 176 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. ix. This temple consisis of the cella and a Corinthian portico, supported by four pillars and two pilasters; the pilasters are fluted ; two of the pillars are indented with two spiral lines wind- ing round, and two ornamented with a light sculpture representing the scales offish. The inscription on the frieze is singular, " Deus angelorum, qui fecit resurrectionem." Underneath is a vault or crypta : the entrance is on the side, as the portico hangs over the river; the walls are solid, the proportions beautiful, and the whole worthy of the Romans, to whom it is ascribed. I am however in- clined to think, that the portico has been altered or repaired since the construction of the temple, as it is more ornamented than the general form of the edifice would induce us to expect. Besides, the capitals of the pilasters differ from those of the pillars, a cir- cumstance very unusual in Roman architecture. It is not impro- bable, that this temple suffered considerably before it was converted into a Christian church, and that when repaired for that purpose, the ancient pillars, perhaps thrown into the river, might have been replaced by columns from the ruins of the various other fanes, which, as Pliny informs us, Avere interspersed up and doAVTi the sacred grove, around the residence of the principal divinity. The Clitumnus still retains its ancient name, and recals to the traveller's recollection many a pleasing passage in the poets, con- necting the beauty of the scenery about him with the pomps of a triumph, and transporting him from the tranquil banks of the rural stream to the crowds of the Forum, and to the majestic temples of the Capitol. Hinc albi, Clitumne, greges et maxima taurus Victima, saepe tuoperfusifluiiiine sacro, Romanos ad templa De6m duxere triumphos. ViUG. Georg. ii. 146. CH. IX. THROUGH ITALY. 177 Propertius confines his softer muse to the beauty of the scenery, and seems to jepose with complacency on the sliaded bank, Qua formosa suo Clitumnus flumina liico Integit et niveos abluit unda boves. Lib. ii. 17. Though white herds are still seen wandering over the rich plain watered by this river, yet a very small portion of it is employed in pasturage. Its exuberant fertility is better calculated for tillage, and every year sees it successively covered with wheat, grapes, mulberries, and oUves. From Le Vene to Spokto is about nine miles. The ancient town of Spoletum is situated on the side and summit of a hill. It is well known that Annibal attacked this town immediately after the defeat of the Romans at Thrasimenus, and the inhabitants still glory in having repulsed the Carthaginian general, flushed as he was with conquest, and confident of success. An inscription over the great arch of an ancient gate commemorates this event so honourable to the people of Spokto. I have observed, as I have already hinted, with great satisfaction, not only in Spokto, but in many Italian towns, particularly such as were founded by Roman colonies, a vivid recollection of the glory of their ancestors. Notwithstanding the lapse of so many ages, notwithstanding so many cruel and destructive invasions, though insulted and plundered, and almost enslaved, the Italians remember with generous pride, that the Romans were their ances- tors, and cherish the records of their glorious achievements as an inheritance of honour, a birth-right to fame. Unhappy race! it is the only possession which their invaders cannot wrest from them — " Maneant meliora nepotes!" Two other gates seem, by their VOL I. 2 a 178 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. ix. form and materials, to have some claim to antiquity. Some vast masses of stone forming the piers of a bridge, the ruins of a the- atre, and of a temple said to be dedicated to Concord (though the latter scarce exhibit enough to constitute even a ruin), as being Roman, deserve a passing look. The cathedral, in a commanding situation, presents a front of five Gothic arches, supported by Grecian pillars, and within, con- sists of a Latin cross, with a double range of pillars, of neat and pleasing architecture. The order is Corinthian. Tlie two side altars are uncommonly beautiful. Two vast candelabra, near the high altar, deserve attention. The view from the terrace of the cathedral is very extensive and beautiful. Near it, a very fine fountain of an elegant form pours out, though near the summit of a high hill, a torrent of the purest water. The Roman pontiffs, it must be acknowledged, have in this respect retained the sound maxim of antiquity, and endeavoured to unite the useful and the agreeable. Never have I seen water employed to more advan- tage, or poured forth in greater abundance than in the Roman territories. It is sometimes draAvn from distant sources, sometimes collected from various springs gathered into one channel, and always devoted to public purposes. The castle is a monument of barbarous antiquity built by The- odoric, destroyed during the Gothic war, and repaired by Narses, the rival and successor of Behsarius. It is a vast stone building, surrounded by a stone rampart, standing on a high hill that over- looks the town, but as it is commanded by another hill still higher, it loses at present much of its utility in case of an attack. Be- hind the castle, a celebrated aqueduct, supported by arches of an astonishing elevation, runs across a deep dell, and unites the town by a bridge to the noble hill that rises behind it called CH. IX. THROUGH ITALY: 179 Monte Luco. This lull is covered with evergreen oaks, and adorned by the white cells of a tribe of hermits established on its shaded sides. These hermits are of a very different description from most others who bear the name. They are not bound by vows, nor teased \vith little petty observances; and notwithstanding this kind of independence, they are said to lead very pure and exemplary lives. The aqueduct is Roman, but said to have been repaired by the Goths. The tovna of Spoleto is in general well-built, and though occasionally damaged by earthquakes, as we were informed by various inscriptions on the pubUc buildings, yet it possesses many noble edifices and beautiful palaces. The road from Spoleto is bordered by a stream on the left, and by wooded hills on the right. About two miles from the tOAvn we began to ascend the Somma. The road is excellent, and winds up the steep, without presenting any thing particularly interesting, till you reach the summit, whence you enjoy a delightful and extensive view over Spoleto, and the vale of Clitumnus on one side, and on the other towards Ter7ii, and the plains of the Nar. Monte Somma is supposed to have taken its name from a temple of Jupiter Summanus placed on its summit, is near five thousand feet high, fertile, shaded with the olive, the ilex, and various forest trees, well cultivated, and enlivened with several little towns. The descent is long and rapid, and extends to the stage next to Terni. This ancient town, the Interamna of the Romans, retains no traces of its former splendour, if it ever was splendid, though it may boast of some tolerable palaces, and what is superior to all palaces, a charming situation. The ruins of the amphitheatre in the epis- copal garden consist of one deep dark vault, and scarcely merit a visit. Over the gates is an inscription, informing the traveller that 2 A 2 180 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. ix. this colony gave birth to Tacitus the historian, and to the empe- rors Tacitus and Florian; few country towns can boast of three such natives. The principal glory of Terni, and indeed one of the noblest objects of the kind in the world, is the celebrated cascade in its neighbourhood, called the " Cadiita delk Marmore." To enjoy all the beauties of this magnificent fall, it will be proper first to take a view of it from the side of the hill beyond the Nar. The way to it runs through the valley along the Nar, sometimes overshaded by the superincumbent mountain with its groves of pinie, ilex, and beech rustling above, and at every turn exhibiting new scenery of rocks, woods, and waters. At length you climb the steep shaggy sides of the hill, and from a natural platform behold the cascade opposite. This point enables you to see, with much advantage, the second fall, when the river, bursting from the basin into Avhich it was first precipitated, tumbles over a ridge of broken rocks in various sheets half veiled in spray and foam. Hence are taken most of the views hitherto published, and when we visited it, we found two Roman artists employed on the spot. If the contempla- tion of this scene, for ever shifting to the eye, should be found tiresome, the remainder of the day may be spent very agreeably in traversing the surrounding woods, and exploring the vale of the Nar and its enclosing mountains. The second day must be devoted to the examination of the cascade from above, and the excursion commenced from the earliest dawm. Mules, or one horse chairs, are commonly hired, though, if the weather be cool, and the tra- veller a good walker, it may easily be performed on foot. The upper road to the Cadiita crosses a plain varied with olives, vines, and corn fields, and climbs the mountain through a defile. CH. IX. THROUGH ITALY. 181 whose sides are clad with vines below, and with box and ilex above. Through the dell, the Nar, " sulfurea albus aqua," of a wheyish colour, tumbles foamino; alono; his rocky channel. In the centre of the defile rises. an insulated eminence topped with the ruins of the village of Papignia destroyed by the French. Ascending still higher, you come to an angle, where the road is Avorked through the rock, and, forming a very elevated terrace, gives you a view of Terni and its plain ; of the dell below with the Nar ; of the mountains around with their woods ; and of the J'eliuo itself at a considerable distance just bursting from the shade, and throwng itself down the steep. The road still continues along the precipice, then crosses a small plain bounded by high mountains, when you quit it and follow a pathway that brings you to a shed, placed on the point of a hill just opposite to the cascade, and so near to it, that you are occasionally covered with its spray. Here we sat down, and observed the magnificent phenomenon at leisure. At a little distance beyond the cascade, rise two hills of a fine swelling form covered Avith groves of ilex. The Vdino passes near one of these hills, and suddenly tumbling over a ridge of broken rock, rushes headlong down in one vast sheet, and in three streamlets. The precipice is of broAvn rock ; its sides are smooth and naked ; it forms a semicircle crowned with wood on the right, and on the left it rises steep and feathered Avith evergreens. On the one side it ascends in broken ridges, and on the other sinks ura- dually away, and subsides in a narrow valley, through which the Nar glides gently along till its junction with the Vel/iio, after which it rolls through the dell in boisterous agitation. The artificial bed of the Velino is straight, but, before it reaches it, it wanders tlu-ough a 182 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. ix. fertile plain spread between the mountains, and extending to the lake Pie cle Lugo. This beautiful expanse of water about a mile in breadth fills the defile, and meanders between the mountains for some miles. The way to it from the fall is by a path winding along the foot of the mountain, and leading to a cottage, where you may take a boat, and cross to a bold promontory opposite. There, seated in the shade, you may enjoy the view of the waters, of the bordering mountains, of the towns perched on their sides, the village Pie de Lugo, and rising behind it the old castle of Labro, whose dismantled towers cro\m a regular hill, while its shattered walls run in long lines down the declivit5^ We were here entertained with an echo the most articulate, the most retentive, and the most musical I ever heard, repeating even a whole verse of a song, in a softer and more plaintive tone indeed, but with surprising precision and distinct- ness. We sat for some time on the point of the promontory, partly to enjoy the view, and partly to listen to the strains of this invisible songstress, and then crossed the lake to the village now called Pie di Liico, or " ad Pedes Luci." This name is probably derived from a grove which formerly covered the hill, and was sacred to VeUnia, the goddess Avho presided over the " Lacus Velinus." Around and above the lake are the " Rosea rura Velini," so cele- brated for their dews and fertility, and always so interesting for their variety and beauty. We would willingly have followed the banks of the Velino up to its source, and visited Reate, now Rieti, with its vale of Tempe, alluded to by Cicero; but the day was on the decline, and it would have been imprudent to have allowed ourselves to be benighted, either amid the solitudes of the mountain, or on its declivity. We CH. IX. THROUGH ITALY. 183 therefore returned, again visited the cascade, ranged through a variety of natural grottos and caverns, formed in its neighbourhood by the Avater, before the present spacious bed was opened to receive it; and then descending the hill we hastened to Tenu''. After having minutely examined the scenery of this superb water- fall, I cannot but wonder that Addison should have selected it as a proper gulph to receive the Fury Alecto, and transmit her to the infernal regions. The wood-crowned basin of rock that receives the Velinus ; the silver sheet of water descending from above ; the white spray that rises below, and conceals the secrets of the abyss ; the Iris that plays over the watery cavern, and covers it Avith a party-coloured blaze, are all features of uncommon beauty, and better adapted to the watery palaces of the Naiads of the neighbouring rivers, Centum quae sylvas, centum qua flumina servant. ViRG. Georg. iv. 383. Addison's conjecture is founded upon one particular expression, " Est locus Itahae medio," and two verses in Virgil's description : — Urget utrimque latus nemoris, medioque fragosus Dat sonitum saxis et torto vertice torrens. iEN. lib. vii. 566. But the first expression may merely imply that Amsanctus was at a distance from the coasts and extremities of Italy ; and the de- * The first artificial vent of the Velinus on record was made by the consul Curius Dentatus, but it did not fully answer the purpose. The Velinus still continued to inundate the vale of Reate, and occasioned, in Cicero's time, several legal contests be- tween the inhabitants of that city and those of Interamna, who opposed its full discharge into the Nar. The present bed was opened, or at least enlarged, by the late Pope Pius ihe Sixth, and gives the river a free passage down the steep. 184 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. ix. scripllon contained in the verses may be applied to any wood, and to the roar and agitation of any torrent ; while, if intended to re- present the thunder of the falling Velinus, they convej', what Virgil's descriptions are seldom supposed to do, a very faint idea of their object. Besides, in opposition to these critical conjectures, we have the positive authority of the ancients, and particularly of Cicero and Titus Livius, who inform us in plain terms, that the vale or lake of Amsanctus was in the territories of the Hirpini, which lay on and along the Apennines, to the south of Beneventum, and about twenty-five or thirty miles east of Naples*. In that territory, not far from Friento, a lake even now bears the name of Ansanto, and emits a vapor, or rather throws u}^ in the middle a torrent of sulphur, " torto vertice," and if we may credit travellers, agrees in every respect Avith Virgil's description f. However, I cannot close these remarks better, than by inserting the verses of Virgil, which actually allude to the river in question, and to the neigh- bouring Nar, as they give the characteristic features in the usual grand manner of the poet. The Fury, says Mrgil, Tartarcam intendit vocem : qua protinas omne Contremuit nemus, et sylvas intonuere profundffi. Aiidiit et Tiivite longe lacus, audiit amnis Sulfurei Nar albus aqu4, fontesque Velini. Ms. vli, 514. The Nar, now called the Nera, is the southern boundary of Umbria, and traverses, in its way to Narni about nine miles distant, a vale of most delightful appearance. The Apennine, in its mildest form, " coruscis ilicibus fremens," bounds this plain ; the niilki/ Nar intersects it, and fertility equal to that of the neighbouring vale * Cic. de Div. i. f See Swinburne. CH. IX. THROUGH ITALY. 18.3 of Clitumnus, compressed into a smaller space, and of course placed more immediately within the reach of observation, adorns it on all sides with vegetation and beauty ; so that it resembles a noble and extensive park, the appendage of some princely palace laid out and cultivated to please the eye, and to amuse the fancy. The ancient Roman colony of Nanii stands on the summit of a very high and steep hill, whose sides are clothed with olives, and whose base is washed by the Kn'o. At the foot of the hill we alighted, in order to visit the celebrated bridge of Augustus. This noble row of arches, thrown over the stream and the defile in which it rolls, to open a communication between the two moun- tains, and to facilitate the approach to the town, was formed of vast blocks of white stone fitted together without cement. All the piers and one arch still remain; the other arches are fallen, and their fall seems to have been occasioned by the sinking of the middle pier : otherwise a fabric of so much solidity and strength must have been capable of resisting the influence of time and of weather. The views towards the bridge on the high road and the plain on one side, and on the other through the re- maining arch along the river, are unusually picturesque and pleasing. We proceeded through this dell, along the Nar tum- bling and murmuring over its rocky channel, and then, with some difficulty, worked our way through the olives and evergreens that line the steep, up to the town. We were particularly struck with the romantic appearance of Narni. Its walls and towers spread along the uneven summit, sometimes concealed in groves of cypress, ilex, and laurel, and sometimes emerging from the shade, and rising above their waving tops; delightful views of the vales, to\vns, rivers, and mountains, VOL. I. 2 b 186 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. ix. opening here and there unexpectedly on the eye ; a certain loneli- ness and silence, even in the streets, the consequence and sad memorial of ages of revolution, disaster, and suffering, are all fea- tures pleasing and impressive.' Few towns have suffered more than Norjii, but its greatest wounds were inflicted by the hands, not of Goths or Vandals, of barbarians and foreigners, but of Italians, or at least of an army in the pay of an ItaUan government, of Venice itself, which at that time gloried in the title of the second Rome, the bulwark and pillar of ItaUan liberty and security. It is probable that this army Avas composed of mercenaries, banditti, and foreigners, and, like that of Charles V. which they were hastening to join, fit solely for the purposes of plunder, sacrilege, and devastation. But, of what- ever description of men these troops were composed, they acted under the authority of the Venetians, when they destroyed Nami^ and butchered its defenceless inhabitants. The site of this to^vn, its extensive views, its dell, and the river, are happily described in the following Unes of Claudian : — Celsa dehinc patulum prospectans Narnia campum Regali calcatur equo, rarique coloris Non procul amnis adest urbi, qui nominis auctor, nice sub densa sylvis arctatus opacis Inter utrumque jugum, tortis anfractibus albet. Db Sext. Cons, Hon. From Narrii the road runs tlirough the defile along the middle of the declivity, till suddenly, the opposite mountain seems to burst asunder, and opens through its shaggy sides an extensive view over the plain of the Tiber, terminating in the mountains of Viterbo. Here we left the defile and the Nar, but continued to CH. IX. THROUGH ITALY. 187 enjoy mountain and forest scenery for some miles, till descending the last declivity, a few miles from Otrkoli, for the first time, in the midst of a spacious and verdant plain, we beheld clear and dis- tinct, glittering in the beams of the sun, and winding along in silent dignity — the Tiber*. OtricoU stands on the side of a hill, about two miles from the ancient Ocriculi, whence it takes its name. The remains of the latter lie spread in the plain below, along the banks of the Tiber, and present a considerable heap of fragments, in which the vestiges of a theatre, perhaps, and a few porticos may be perceived, while the principal features of the to^vn are lost, and buried in a confused mass of ruins. We had now not only tra- versed the Apennines, but extricated ourselves from the various labyrinths and defiles which border the immense base of these mountains. The windings of the Tiber below Otrkoli, have been alluded to by Ariosto, who seems to have beheld one particular spot, a sort of peninsula formed by the meanderings of the stream, with par- tiality; but either his muse has shed supernumerary beauties around it, or the shades that adorned the banks in his time have disappeared ; as it now presents a green but naked surface almost encircled by the waves. QvHJSpts iiip'ptlnis mraiJ.uiv /Sas-jXEuVaroy ciXKuiv, @ui/.^piS o; li/.Epf^Y d.TroTfjj.vBrai avhya. 'Pco'/iijv Mr^risa itxirdtuv voXiuiv, a/pvaw sSe^Kov. DiONYs. HEPIHrHSIS. 2 B 2 1^8 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. ix; Ecco vede un pratel d'ombre coperto Che si d' un alto fiume si ghirlanda Che lascia a pena un breve spazio aperto. Dove I'acqua si torce ad altra banda, Un simil luogo con girevol onda Sott' Otricoli '1 Tevere circonda. Canto xiv. 38. We crossed the Tiber by the Ponte Felice, changed horses at Boi-- ghetto, and arrived, when dark, at Civita Castellana. From Civita Castellmui we passed over a tract of forest country, enjoying beautiful views of the Montes Cimini, with their towns, villas, and villages to the right, and an occasional glimpse of Soracte to the left, and having passed the river Falisco, which anciently gave its name to the people and territory of the Fahsci, came to Nepi, a small, but very ancient, episcopal to^vn, whose cathedral, built on the site of a temple, was consecrated, if we may believe an inscription over one of the doors, by the blood of the towns- men, in the early period of the -year 150. Another inscription may record, with more certainty, though perhaps posterity may be as little incUned to credit it, that the same pile was deluged mth the blood of its clergy, and almost entirely destroyed by the French army in the year 1798. From Nepi we proceeded to Monte Rosi. The inhabitants of all this territory, who derived their names from its towns, some of which still remain, are enumerated in the foUo^ving lines of Silius : — His mixti Nepesina cohors, aequique Falisci, Quique tuos, Flavina, focos ; Sabatia quique Stagna tenent, Ciminique lacum ; qui Sutria tecta Haud procul, & sacrum Phoebo Soracte frequentant. Lib. viii. CH.IX. THROUGH ITALY. 189 Many authors suppose, that the road hence, or rather from Po7}te Felice, was lined by a succession of magnificent edifices, obelisks, and pahices, adorned with statues, and conducted under triumphal arches, to the gates of the imperial city. Claudian, in- deed, seems to encourage this supposition, in the well-kno\vn lines, Inde salutato libatls Tibride nympliis, Excipiunt arcus, operosaque semita vastis Molibus, et quicquid tantae preemittitur Urbi. De Sext. Cons. Hon. If this description be accurate, it is singular, that no trace should now remain of all these splendid monuments. No mounds nor rem- nants of walls, no mouldering heaps of ruins, scarce even a solitary tomb, has survived the general wreck. On the contrary, beyond Nepi, or rather beyond Monte Rosi, the next stage, the Campagna di Koma begins to expand its dreary solitudes ; and naked hills, and swampy plains rise and sink by turns, without presenting a single object worth attention. It must not, however, be supposed, that no vegetation decorates these dreary wilds. On the contrary, ver- dure but seldom interrupted, occasional corn fields, and numerous herds and flocks, communicate some degree of animation to these regions otherwise so desolate : but descending from mountains the natural seat of barrenness, where still we witnessed rural beauty and high cultivation, to a plain in the neighbourhood of a populous city, where we might naturally expect the perfection of gardening and all the bustle of life, we were struck with the wide waste that spreads around, and wondered what might be the cause that de- prived so extensive a tract of its inhabitants. But neatness and population announce the neighbourhood of every common town ; they are the usual accompaniments of capitals, and ex- cite no interest. The solitude, that encircles the fallen Metro- polis of the world, is singular and grand ; it becomes its majesty : 190 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. ix. it awakens a sentiment of awe and melancholy, and may, perhaps, after all, be more consonant, both to the character of the city and to the feelings of the traveller, than more lively and exhilarating scenery. On the heights above Baccano the postillions stopped, and, pointing to a pinnacle that appeared between two hills, exclaimed, — " Roma!" — That pinnacle was the cross of St. Peter's. — The " ETERNAL CITY" rose before us! CH. X. THROUGH ITALY. 191 CHAP. X. REFLECTIONS ROME ST. PETER S THE CAPITOL. AS the traveller advances over the dreary wilds of the Cam- pagna, where not one object occurs to awaken his attention, he has time to recover from the surprise and agitation, which the first view of Rome seldom fails to excite in hberal and ingenuous minds. He may naturally be supposed to inquire into the cause of these emotions, and at first he may be inclined to attri- bute them solely to the influence of early habits, and ascribe the feelings of the man to the warm imagination of the school-boy. Without doubt, the name of Rome echoes in our ears from our infancy; our lisping tongues are tuned to her language; and our first and most deHghtful years are passed among her orators, poets, and historians. We are taught betimes to take a deep interest in her fortunes, and to adopt her cause, as that of our own country, with spirit and with passion. Such impressions, made at such an age, are indelible, and it 19-2 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. x. must be admitted, are likely to influence our feelings and opinions during life*. But the prejudices instilled into the mind of the boy, and strengthened by the studies of youth, are neither the sole nor even the principal causes of our veneration for Rome. The Mistress of the World claims our respect and aifection, on grounds which the Christian and the philosopher must admit Avith grateful ac- knowledgement. In addition to her ancient origin and venerable fame, to her mighty achievements and vast empire, to her heroes and her saints, to the majesty of her language and the charms of her literature ; " habe ant« oculos hanc esse terram qua' nobis miserit jura, qux leges dederit-j." Rome has been in the hands of Provi- dence the instrument of communicating to Europe, and to a consi- derable portion of the globe, the three greatest blessings of which hu- man nature is susceptible — Civilization, Science, and Rehgion. The system of Roman government was peculiarly adapted to the attainment of this great end, and the extension of its empire seems to have been ordained by Heaven for its full accom- plishment. The despotism of the Eastern monarchies kept all prostrate on the ground in abject slavery; the narrow policy of the Greek repubhcs confined the blessings of liberty within their own precincts: Rome, with more enlarged and more generous sentiments, considering the conquered countries as so * We may apply to every youth of liberal education, the beautiful lines addressed by Claudian to Honorius: — Hinc tibi concrete radice tcnacius haesit, Et penitus totis inolevit Roma meduUis, Dilectaeque urbis tenero conceptus ab ungue Tecum crevit amor. Cons. vi. t Plin. Lib. viii. 21. CH.x. THROUGH ITALY. 193 many nurseries of citizens, gradually extended her riglits and pri- vileges to their capitals, enrolled their natives in her legions, and admitted their nobles into her senate. Thus her subjects, as they improved in civilization, advanced also in honours, and approached everj^ day nearer to the manners and to the virtues of their masters, till every province became another Italy, every city another Rome. ^A'ith her laws and franchises she communicated to them her arts and sciences ; wherever the Roman eagles penetrated schools were opened, and pubUc teachers were pensioned. Aqueducts and bridges, temples and theatres, Avere raised in almost every town ; and all the powers of architecture, of sculpture, and of painting, were employed to decorate the capitals of the most distant pro- vinces. Roads, the remains of which astonish us even at this day, were carried from the Roman Forum, the centre of this vast em- pire, to its utmost extremities ; and all the tribes and nations that composed it were linked together, not only by the same laws and by the same government, but by all the facilities of commodious intercourse, and of frequent communication*. Compare the state of Gaul, of Spain, and of Britain, when covered with numberless cities, and flourishing in all the arts of peace under the protection of Rome, with their forests, their swamps, and the sordid huts of half-naked savages scattered thinly over their wastes previous to their subjugation ; and you will be enabled to appreciate the blessings which they owed to Rome. HfEC est, in gremium victos quae sola rcccpit, Humanumque genus coriimuni nomine fovit, Matris non dominae ritu ; civesque vocavit * " Liceat diccre," says Lipsius, with great truth, " divino niunere Romanes dates ad quidquid rude expoliendum, ad quidquid iufcctum faciendum, et loca homineaque «legantia et artibus passim exornandos." VOL I. 2 c 194 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. X. Quos domuit, nexuque pio longinqua revinxit . . : (Armorum legumque parens, quae fundit in omnes. Imperium, primique dedit incunabula juris) . , . Hujus pacificis debemus moribus omnes Quod veluti patriis regionibus utitur hospes Quod sedem inutare licet ; quod cernere Thulen Lusus, et horrendos quondam penetrare recessus .... Quod cuncti gens una sumus. Claudian De Cons. Stilick. lib. iii. Rome, in thus civilizing and polishing mankind, had prepared them for the reception of that divine rehgion, which alone can give to human nature its full and adequate perfection ; and she com- pleted her godhke work, when influenced by her instructions and example Europe embraced Christianity. Thus she became the metropolis of the world by a new and more venerable title, and assumed, in a more august sense, the appellation of the " Holy City," the " Light of Nations," the " Parent of Man- kind*." When in the course of the two succeeding ages she was * A classical bishop of the fifth century, who endeavoured to communicate the charms of poetry to the metaphysical discussions of a refined theology, saw this new empire then gradually rising on the increasing ruins of the old, and expressed its extent and greatness in language not inelegant. Sedes Roma Petri, quse Pastoralis honoris Facta caput Mundo, quicquid non possidet armis, Religione tenet. St. Prosper. Leo the Great, standing over the tomb of St. Peter and St. Paul, on their festival, addresses the Roman people in language equally elevated :— " Isti sunt viri per quos tibi evangelium Christi, Roma ! resplenduit ! . . . . Isti sunt qui te ad banc gloriam provexerunt ut gens sancta populus electus, civitas sacer- dotalis ac regia per sacram beati Petri sedem caput orbis effecta, latius presideres religione divina, quam doniinatione terrena." — Sekm. in Nat. App. Petri et Pauli. cn. X. THROUGH ITALY. 195 stript of her imperial honours ; when her provinces were invaded, and all the glorious scene of cultivation, peace, and improvement, was ravaged by successive hordes of barbarians ; she again renewed her benevolent exertions, and sent out, not consuls and armies to con- quer, but apostles and teachers to reclaim, the savage tribes which had wasted her empire. By them she bore the light of heaven into the dark recesses of idolatry ; and displaying in this better cause all the magnanimity, the wisdom, the perseverance, which marked her former cai'eer, she triumphed, and in spite of ignorance and of barbarism again diffused the blessings of Christianity over the AVestern world. Nor is it to be objected, that the religion of Rome was erroneous, or that she blinded and enslaved her converts. The religion which Rome taught was Cliristianity. With it the convert received in the Scriptures, the records of truth ; and in the sacraments, the means of sanctification; in the creeds, the rule of faith; and in the commandments, the code of morality. In these are comprised all the belief and all the practices of a Christian, and to communicate these to a nation is to open to it the sources of life and of happiness. But whatever may be the opinions of my reader in this respect, he must admit, that the Latin muses, Avhich had followed the Roman eagles in their victorious flight, noAv accompanied her humble mis- sionaries in their expeditions of charity ; and with them penetrated the swamps of Batavia, the forests of Germany, and the mountains of Caledonia. Schools, that vied in learning and celebrity with the seminaries of the south, rose in these benighted regions, and diffused the beams of science over the vast tracts of the north, even to the polar circles. Thus the predictions of the Roman poets were ful- filled, though in a manner very different from their conceptions ; and their immortal compositions were rehearsed in the remote 2 c 2 196 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. x. islands of the Hebrides, and in the once impenetrable forests of Scandinavia*. At the same time, the arts followed the traces of the muse, and the untutored savages saw with surprise temples of stone rise in their sacred groves, and arches of rock spread into a roof over their heads. The figure of the Redeemer, till then unkno^vn, seemed to breathe on canvas to their eyes ; the venerable forms of the apostles in Parian marble replaced the grim uncouth statues of their idols ; and music, surpassing in sweetness the strains of their bards, an- nounced to them the mercies of that God whom they were summon- ed to adore. It was not wonderful that they should eagerly em- brace a religion adorned with so many graces, and accompanied by so many blessings : and Europe finally settled in the profession of Christianity, and once more enlightened by the beams of science, was indebted to the exertions of Rome for both these blessings. 'o^ But the obligation did not end here, as the work of civilization was not yet finished. The northern tribes long established in the invaded provinces had indeed become Christians, but they still remained in many respects barbarians. Hasty and intemperate they indulged the caprice or the vengeance of the moment ; they knew no law but that of the sword, and would submit to no decision but to that of arms. Here aoain we behold the oenius of Rome interposing her authority as a shield between ferocity and weakness, appealing from the sword to reason, from private combat * " Visam Brifannos hospitibus feros, " Et Isetum equino sanguine Concanum, " Visam pharetratos Gelonos, " Et Scythicum inviolatus amnem." HoR. lib. iii. 4. CH. X. THROUGH ITALY. 197 to public Justice, from the will of the Judge and the uncertain rules of custom to the clear prescriptions of her own Avritten code*. This grand plan of civilization, though impeded and delayed by the brutality and the obstinacy of the barbarous ages, was at length carried into effect, and the Roman law was adopted by consenting nations as the general code of the civilized world. Rome, therefore, may still be said to rule nations, not indeed with the rod of power, but with the sceptre of justice, and may still be supposed to exercise the high commission of presiding over the world, and of regulating the destinies of mankind-j-. Thus too she has retained, by her wisdom and benevolence, that ascendancy which she first acquired by her valour and magnanimity ; and by the pre-eminence which she has enjoyed in every period of her history, she seems to have realized the fictitious declaration of her founder, " Ita nuncia Romanis, Ccelestes ita velle, ut mea Roma caput orbis terrarum sit:|;." " Urbs urbium — templum aequitatis — portus omnium gentium," are titles fondly bestowed upon her in the days of her imperial glory ; and she may assume them without arrogance even in her decline. Her matchless magnificence, so far superior to that of every other capital ; the laws which have emanated from her as from their source ; and the encouragement which she has at all times given to men of talents and of virtue * On the eflFects produced by the discovery of the Pandects of Justinian, at udmalfi, in the twelftii century, see Hume's Theory of England, chap, xxiii. On the general effects of Roman domination on the provincials, see Cuxvper's Ex- postulation, t Tu regere imperio populos Romane memento Hse libi erunt artes ! pacis imponere morem Parcere subjectis et debellare superbos. ViRG. Mfi. vi. X Tit. Liv. i. 16. 108 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. x. from every country, still give her an unquestionable right to these lofty appellations *. To conclude, in the whole universe there are only two cities interesting aUke to every member of the great Christian common- wealth, to every citizen of the civilized world, whatever may be his tribe or nation — Rome and Jerusalem. The former calls up every classic recollection, the other aM^akens every sentiment of devotion ; the one brings before our eyes all the splendours of the present world ; the other, all the glories of the world to come. By a singular dispensation of Providence, the names and influence of these two illustrious capitals are combined in the same grand dispensation; and as Jerusalem was ordained to receive, Rome was destined to propagate " the hght that leads to heaven." The cross which Jerusalem erected on Mount Calvary, Rome fixed on * " Null! sit ingrata Roma," says Cassiodorus, in the sixth century, " ilia eloquentise facunda mater, iliud virtutum omnium latissimum templum." " Aliis alia patria est ; Roma communis omnium literatorum et patria, et aUrix, et cvectiis," says the Cardinal of St. George to Erasmus, in the sixteenth century. " Quid loquor," says the latter, " de RomS, communi omnium gentium parente." The benefits derived from the Roman government are tolerably well expressed in the following lines of Rutilius : — Fecisti patriam diversis gentibus unam Profuit injustis te dominante capi ; Dumque offers victis proprii consortia juris Urbem fecisti quod prius Orbis erat. Lib. ii. " Numine Deftm electa," says Pliny, " quae ccelum ipsum clarius faceret, sparsa congregaret iniperia, ritusque molliret, et tot populorum discordes^ ferasque linguas, ser- monis commercio contraheret ad colloquia, et humanitatem homini daret ; breviterque una cunctarum gentium in toto orbe, patria fieret. — iii. cap. v. At te, qujB domitis leges, ac jura dedisti Gentibus, instituens magnus qua tenditur orbis Armorum, morumque feros mansuescere ritus. Prudent, contra Svm. CH. X. THROUGH ITALY. 199 the diadem of emperors ; and the prophetic songs of Mount Sion have resounded from the seven hills to the extremities of the earth. — How natural then is the emotion of the traveller, when he first beholds the distant domes of a city of such figure in the History of the Universe, of such weight in the destinies of man- kind, so famihar to the imagination of the boy, so interesting to the feelings of the man ! While occupied in these reflections, we passed Monte Mario, and beheld the city gradually opening to our view: turrets and cupolas succeeded each other, with long lines of palaces between, till the dome of the Vatican, lifting its majestic form far above the rest, fixed the eye, and closed the scene with becoming grandeur. We crossed the Tiber by the Ponte Molle (Pons Milvius) and proceeding on the Via Flaminia through the suburb, entered the Porta del Popolo, admired the beautiful square that receives the traveller on his entrance, and drove to the Piazza d'Espagna. Alighting, we instantly hastened to St. Peter's, traversed its superb court, con- templated in silence its obelisk, its fountains, its colonnade, walked up its lengthening nave, and before its altar offered up our grate- ful acknowledgments in " the noblest temple that human skill ever raised to the honour of the Creator." Next morning we renewed our visit to St. Peter's, and examined it more in detail : the preceding day it had been somewhat veiled by the dimness of the evening ; it was now lighted up by the splen- dours of the morning sun. The rich marbles that compose its pavement and line its walls, the paintings that adorn its cupolas, the bronze that enriches its altars and railinos, the pildiu"- that lines the pannels of its vault, the mosaics that rise one above the other in brilliant succession up its dome, shone forth in all their varied colours. Its nave, its aisles, its transepts, expanded their 200 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. x. vistas, and hailed the spectator wherever he turned, with a long succcession of splendid objects, and beautiful arransement; in short, the whole of this most majestic fabric opened itself at once to the sight, and filled the eye and the imagination v>^ith magnitude, proportion, riches, and grandeur. From St. Peter's we hastened to the Capitol, and ascending the tower, seated ourselves under the shade of its pinnacle, and fixed our eyes on the view beneath and around us. That view was no other than ancient and modern Rome. Behind us, the modern town lay extended over the Campus Martins, and spreading along the banks of the Tiber formed a curve round the base of the Capi- tol. Before us, scattered in vast black shapeless masses over the seven hills, and through the intervening vallies, arose the ruins of the ancient city. They stood desolate, amidst solitude and silence, with groves of funereal cypress waving over them; the a\vful monuments, not of individuals, but of generations; not of men, but of empires. A distant view of iEgina and of Megara, of the Piraeus and of Co- rinth then in ruins, melted the soul of an ancient Roman, for a while suspended his private sorrows, and absorbed his sense of personal affliction, in a more expansive and generous compassion for the fate of cities and of states*. What then must be the emotions of the man who beholds extended in disordered heaps before him, the disjointed * " Ex Asia redien?, cum ab JEgmk Megaram versus navigarem, coepi regiones circumciica prospicere. Post me erat ^Egina, ante Megara, dextr^ Piraeus, sinistra Corinthus; quae oppida quodam tempore florentissima fuerunt, nunc prostrata ac diruta, ante oculos jacent. Ccepi egomet mecum sic cogitare. Hem ! nos homunculi indignamur, si quis nostrdm interiit, aut occisus est, quorum vita brevior esse debet, cum lino loco tot oppidiim cadavera projecta jaceant?" — Cic. ad F.am. lib. iv. ep. 5. CH. X. THROUGH ITALY. 201 " carcase of fallen Rome," once the abode of the gods, the grand receptacle of nations, " the common asylum of mankind." Immediately under our eyes, and at the foot of the Capitol, lay the Forum lined with soHtary columns, and terminated at each end by a triumphal arch. Beyond and just before us rose the Palatine Mount encumbered with the substructions of the Imjierial Palace, and of the Temple of Apollo; and farther on, ascended the Celian Mount with the Temple of Faunus on its summit. On the right was the Aventine spotted with heaps of stone swelling amidst its lonely vineyards. To the left the Esquiline with its scattered tombs and tottering aqueducts; and in the same line, the Viminal, and the Quirinal supporting the once magnificent Baths of Diocletian. The liaths of Antoninus, the Temple of Minerva, and many a venerable fabric bearing on its shattered form the traces of destruction, as well as the furrows of age, lay scattered up and down the vast field; while the superb temples of St. John Lateran, Santa ]\Inna Maggiore, and Santa Croce, arose with their pointed obelisks, majestic but solitary mo- numents, amidst the extensive waste of time and of desolation. The ancient walls, a vast circumference, formed a frame of vene- rable aspect, well adapted to this picture of ruin, this cemetery of ages, " Romani bustum populi." Beyond the walls the eye ranged over the storied plain of La- tium, now the deserted Campagua, and rested on the Alban Mount, which rose before us to the south, shelving downwards on the west towards Antium and the Tyrrhene sea, and on the east towards the Latin vale. Here, it presents Tusculum in white lines on its decli- vity; there, it exhibits the long ridge that overhangs its lake, once the site of Alba Longa, and towering boldly in the centre with a hundred towns and villas on its sides, it terminates in a point once VOL. I. 2 I) 202 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. X, croAvned mth the triumphal temple of Jupiter Latialis. Turning- eastward we beheld the Tiburtine hills, Avith Tibur reclining on their side : and behind, still more to the east, the Sabine mountains en- closed by the Apennines, which at the varying distance of from forty to sixty miles swept round to the east and north, forming an immense and bold boundary of snow. The Montes Cimini and several lesser hills, diverging from the great parent ridge the Pater Apenninus, continue the chain till it nearly reaches the sea and forms a perfect theatre. Mount Soracte, thirty miles to the north, lifts his head, an insulated and striking feature. While the Tiber, enriched by numberless rivers and streamlets, intersects the immense plain ; and batliing the temples and palaces of Rome» rolls like the Po, a current unexhausted even during the scorching heats of summer. ITie tract now expanded before us was the country of the Etru- rians, Veientes, Rutuli, Fahsci, Latins, Sabines, Volsci, iEqui, and Hernici, and of course the scene of the wars and the exertions, of the victories and the triumphs of infant Rome, during a period of nearly four hundred years of her history ; an interesting period, when she possessed and exercised every generous virtue, and established on the basis of justice, wisdom, and fortitude, the foundations of her future empire. As the traveller looks towards the regions once inhabited by these well-known tribes, many an illustrious name, and many a noble achievement, must rise in his memory, reviving at the same time the recollection of early studies and of boyish amusements, and blending the friendships of youth with the memorials of ancient greatness. The day was cloudless, the beams of the sun played over the landscape ; hues of light blue, intermingled with dark shades deep- ening as they retired, chequered the mountains. A line of shining CH.x. THROUGH ITALY. 203 snow marked the distant Apennines, and a vault of the purest and brightest azure covered the glorious scene ! We passed a long and delightful morning in its contemplation. The following day was employed in wandering over the city at large, and taking a cursory view of some of its principal streets, squares, buildings, and monuments. This we did to satisfy the first cravings of curiosity, intending to proceed at our leisure to the examination of each object in detail*. ANCIENT ROME. THE CAPITOL. After havins thus oratified ourselves with a general and some se- lect views, and formed a tolerably accurate idea of the most striking * I tliink it necessary to repeat here, what I dL-clared in the preliminary discourse, that it is not my intention to give a particular account of ruins, churches, buildings, statues, or pictures, &c. This belongs rather to guides and Ciceroni, and may be found in numberless works written professedly for the information of travellers on such heads. My wish is to lay before the reader an account of the observations which wc made, and of the classical recollections which occurred lo us, while we traced the remains of ancient grandeur. We began this examination by visiting in order the seven hills. We then proceeded to the Vatican and Pincian mounts, ranged over the Campus Martius, and along the banks of the Tiber; then wandered througli the villas, both within and without the city; and finally explored the churches, monuments, tombs, hills, and fields, in its immediate neighbourhood. This method I recommend as being more easy and more natural than the usual mode of visiting the city, according to its " ^wh»" (regiones), or allotting a certain portion of it to each day; by which mode the traveller is obliged to pass rapidly from ancient monuments to modern edifices; from palaces to churches; from galleries to gardens ; and thus to load his mind with a heap of uncon- nected ideas and crude observations. Hy the former process we keep each object, distinct, and take it in a se])arate view; we first contemjilate ancient then visit modern Home, and pass from the palaces of the profane to the temples of the sacred city. 2 1) '2 204 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. x. features of Rome, we proceeded, on the fourth day, through the Via Lata, now // Corso, through " streets of palaces and walks of state," to the Capitoline Plill. Every school-boy has read with delight ^^irgi^s short, but splendid, description of this hill, then a silvan scene of dark forest and craggy rock, though destined one day to become the seat of regal opulence and of universal empire, Hinc ad Tarpeiam sedem, et Capitolia ducit, Aurea nunc, olim sylvestribus horrida dumis. Jam turn Relligio pavidos tenebat agrestes Dira loci : Jam turn sylvam saxumque tremeljant. Hoc nemusj hunc, inquit, frondoso vertice coUem, (Quis Deus, incertum est) liabitat Deus. Arcades ipsuni Credunt se vidisse Jovem : cum sspe nigrantem ^gida concuteret dextrS, nimbosque cieret. JixEiD, viii. Every circumstance, that could dignify and consecrate the spot, and prepare it for its grand destiny, is here collected and gradually expanded ; while a certain awful obscurity hangs over the whole, and augments the magnitude of the object thus dimly presented to the fancy. The traveller, however sensible he may suppose him- self to have been of the beauties of this description before, imagines that he feels its full force for the first time as he ascends the accli- vity of the Capitoline Mount. The Capitol was anciently both a fortress and a sanctuary. A fortress surrounded with precipices, bidding defiance to all the means of attack employed in ancient times ; a sanctuary, crowded with altars and temples, the repository of the fatal oracles, the seat of the tutelar deities of the empire. Romulus began the grand work, by erecting the temple of Jupiter Feretrius ; Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, and Tarquinius Superbus continued, and the Consul Horatius Pulvillus, a few years after the expulsion of the CH. X. THROUGH ITALY. 205 kings, completed it, with a solidity and magnificence, says Tacitus, which the riches of succeeding ages might adorn, but could not increase. It was burnt during the civil wars between Marius and Sylla, and rebuilt shortly after ; but again destroyed by fire in the dreadful contest that took place in the very forum itself, and on the sides of the Capitoline Mount, between the partisans of Vitel- lius and Vespasian*. This event Tacitus laments, with the spirit and indignation of a Roman, as the greatest disaster that had ever befallen the city-j-. And, indeed, if we consider, that the public archives, and of course the most valuable records of its history, were deposited there, we must allow, that the catastrophe was peculiarly unfortunate, not to Rome only, but to the world at large. However, the Capitol rose once more from its ashes, with re- doubled splendour, and received, from the munificence of Ves- pasian, and of Domitian his son, its last and most glorious embellishments. The edifices were probably in site and destina- tion nearly the same as before the conflagration ; but more atten- tion was paid to symmetry, to costliness, and, above all, to gran- deur and magnificence. The northern entrance led under a triumphal arch to the centre of the hill, and to the sacred grove, the asylum opened by Romulus, and almost the cradle of Roman power. On the right, on the eastern summit, stood the temple of * A.D. G9. t Id facinus post conditam Uibcm luctuosissimum fredissimumque populo Romano accidit: nullo externo hoste, propitiis, si per mores nostros liceret, diis, sedem Jovis Jovis optimi maximi, auspicate a majoribus pignus imperii, conditam, quam non Porsena deditS Urbe, neque Galli captA, temerare potuisBcnt, furore Principum exscindi ! 206 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. x. Jupiter Feretrius. On the left, on the western summit, was that of Jupiter Custos : near each of these temples were the fanes of inferior Divinities, that of Fortune, and that of Fides, alluded to by Cicero. In the midst, to crown the pyramid formed by such an assemblage of majestic edifices, rose the residence of the guardian of the empire, the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, on a hundred steps, supported by a hundred pillars, adorned with all the refinements of art, and blazing with the plunder of the world. In the centre of the temple, with Juno on his left, and Minerva on his right side, the Thunderer sat on a throne of gold, grasping the lightning in one hand, and in the other wielding the sceptre of the universe. Hither the consuls were conducted by the senate, to assume the military dress, and to implore the favour of the gods before they marched to battle. Hither the victorious generals used to repair in triumph in order to suspend the spoils of conquered nations, to pre- sent captive monarchs, and to offer up hecatombs to Tarpeian Jove. Here, in cases of danger and distress, the senate was assembled, and tlie magistrates convened to deliberate in the presence, and under the immediate influence of the tutelar gods of Rome. Here the laws were exhibited to public inspection, as if under the sanction of the divinity ; and here also they were deposited, as if intrusted to his guardian care. Hither Cicero turned his hands and eyes, when he closed his first oration against Catiline, with that noble address to Jupiter, presiding in the Capitol over the destinies of the empire and doomino- its enemies to destruction. o In the midst of these magnificent structures, of this wonderful display of art and opulence, stood for ages the humble straw-roofed palace of Romulus, a monument of primitive simplicity dear and CH. X. THROUGH ITALY. 207 venerable in the eyes of the Romans *. This cottage it may easily be supposed vanished in the first conflagration. But not the cottage only, the temples, the toAvers, the palaces also that once surrounded it, have disappeared. Of all the ancient glory of the Capitol, nothing now remains but the solid foundation, and-f- vast substructions raised on the rock, Capitoli immobile saxum. Not only is the Capitol fallen, but its very name, expressive of dominion, and once fondly considered as an omen of empire, is Uow almost lost in the semi-barbarous appellation of Campidoglio. At present the Capitohne Mount is covered with buildings, far inferior without doubt to the imperial edifices above described. * Mars speaks in Ovid, as follows :— Quae fuerit nostri si quaeris regia nati ; Adspice de canni straminibusque domum. In stipule placidi carpebat munera somni : Et tamen ex illo venit in astra toro. Ovid Fast. lib. iii. v. 18S. Romuleoque recens horrebat regia culmo. ViRG. JEs. lib. viii. v. 654. Vitruvius speaks of the cottage of Romulus as existing in his time, that is in the reign of Augustus. In Capitolio commone facere potest et significare mores vetustatis Romuli casa in arce sacrorum.— Lib. ii. t These walls on one side form the stables of the Senator, and on the other a dark gloomy chapel, said to have been origmally the TuUianum in which Catiline's associates were put to death. The criminal was let down into this dungeon by a hole in the vault, as there was anciently no other entrance; the modern door was opened through the side wall, when the place was converted into a chapel, in honour of St. Peter, who is supposed to have been confined in it. Notwithstanding the change, it has still a most appalling appearance. 208 CLASSICAL TOUR CH.X. but yet grand both in their proportions and in their magnitude. The northern still the principal entrance is an easy ascent adorned with a marble balustrade, which commences below with two colossal lionesses of Egyptian porphyry pouring a torrent of water into spa- cious basins of marble, and is terminated above by statues of Castor and Pollux, each holding his horse. Here you enter the square, iti the centre of which stands the well known equestrian statue of Marcus A\irelius. In front, and on each side, are three palaces erected by Michael Angelo. The edifice before you, of bold elevation, adorned with Corinthian pilasters and with a lofty tower, is the residence of the senator. A double flight of marble steps leads to its portal. In the centre of this staircase stands the genius of Rome, like Minerva armed with the iEgis, and leaning on her spear. A foun- tain bursts forth at her feet. On her right the Tiber, on her left the Nile lay reclined, each on its urn. The French have carried oft' the two latter statues Avith some other ornaments of the Capitoline square. In the palace of the Senator, and in that of the Consenritori, are several halls and apartments, magnificent in their size and decorations. The Capitol is the palace of the Roman people, the seat of their power, and the residence of their magistrates. The statues and other antiques placed here by the Popes, are dedicated in the names of the donors to the Roman people, and the inscriptions in general run in the ancient style. One, in the palace of the Conser- vatori, pleased me much : " S. P. Q. R. majorum suorum prjicstan- tiam ut animo sic re quantum licuit, imitatus, deformatum injuria temporum capitolium restituit ; anno post urbem conditam 2320." Nor is it unworthy of its destination ; as the beauty of its architecture, the magnitude of its apartments, the excellence of its paintings, and the prodigious number of statues and antiques with which it is decorated, give it a splendour unequalled in any other cir. X. THROUGH ITALY. 209 city, and only eclipsed even in Rome itself by the recollection of its former greatness. Tlie Museum Capitolinum contains in several large rooms a most splendid collection of busts, statues, sarcophagi, &c., bestowed by different Popes and illustrious personages on this magnificent cabinet devoted to the use of the Roman people, or rather of the literary and curious of all nations. One of the most interesting objects in this collection is an ancient plan of Rome cut in marble, once the pavement of a temple in the Forum, and thence transferred to the Capitol, where it lines the walls of one of the grand staircases of the JMuseum. But unfortunately it is not entire ; if it Avere, we should have had a most perfect plan of ancient Rome, the streets, forums, temples, &c., being marked out in the most distinct manner. There are moreover in the palace of the Conservatori galleries of paintings, and halls appropriated to the use of young artists, Avhere lectures are given, and drawings taken from life ; premiums are also bestowed publicly in the grand hall in the Senator's palace. In short the Capitol is now consecrated, not to the tutelar gods of Rome, but to her arts, to the remains of her grandeur, to the monuments of her genius, and I may add to her titles, now the mere semblance of her ancient liberty. It is to be regretted that the highest and most conspicuous part of the Capitoline Mount should be occupied by a building so taste- less and deformed as the church and convent of Ara Cali. The ascent from the plain below, by an hundred and twenty-four marble steps, deserves a better termination than its miserable portal ; and the various ancient pillars of Egyptian granite, that adorn the nave of the church and the portico of the cloisters, furnish a sufficient quantity of the best materials for the erection and decoration of a very noble edifice. VOL I. 2 E 210 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. x. Anciently there were two waj^s from the Capitol to the Forum ; both parted from the neighbourhood of the Tabularium, and, diverging as they descended, terminated each in a triumphal arch ; that of Tiberius to the west, that of Severus to the east. Of these arches the latter only remains. The descent at present is a steep and irregular path, winding down the declivity from the senator's stables, without any regular termination. The traveller as he descends, stops to contemplate the three Corinthian pillars with their frieze and cornice that rise above the ruins, and preserve the memory of the temple of Jupiter Tonans, erected bj'^ Augustus, as a monument of his preservation from a thunderbolt that fell near him. A little lower down on the right, stands the portico of the temple of Concord built by Camillus, consisting of eight granite pillars with capitals and entablature of irregular Ionic. To account for this irregularity it is to be remembered, that the edifices on the sides of the hill shared the fate of the Capitol, in the contest which took place between the parties of Vespasian and Vitellius, and were rebuilt shortly after by Titus and Domitian, and afterwards by Constantine. Hence the word " restitutum" in the inscription, and hence the want of regularity in some parts of such buildings as were monuments of republican Rome, and did not perhaps enjoy the favour of the emperors. Tlie triumphal arch of Septimus Severus is nearly half buried in the ground. CH. XI. THROUGH ITALY. 211 CHAP. XI. THE ROMAN FORUM COLISEUM PALATINE MOUNT AVEN- TINE TOMB OF C. CESTIUS C(ELIAN SABURRA ESQUI- LINE BATHS OF TITUS MINERVA MEDICA PALACE OF MAECENAS VIMINAL QUIRINAL BATHS OF DIOCLESIAN. THE Roman Forum now lay extended before us, a scene in the ages of Roman greatness of unparalleled splendour and magnifi- cence. It was bordered on both sides with temples and lined with statues. It terminated in triumphal arches, and was bounded here by the Palatine Hill, with the imperial residence glittering on its summit, and there, by the Capitol, with its ascending ranges of porticos and of temples. Thus it presented one of the richest exhibitions, that eyes could behold or human ingenuity invent. In the midst of these superb monuments, the memorials of their greatness, and the trophies of their fathers, the Roman people assembled to exercise their sovereign power, and to decide the fates of heroes, of kings, and of nations. Nor did the contemplation of such glorious objects fail to pro- duce a corresponding effect. Manlius, as long as he could extend his arm, and fix the attention of the people on the Capitol which he 2 E 2 212 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xi. had saved, suspended his fatal sentence*. Caius Gracchus melted the hearts of his audience, when in the moment of distress he pointed to the Capitol, and asked, with all the emphasis of despair, whether he could expect to find an asylum in that sanctuary whose pavement still streamed with the blood of his brother f-. Scipio Africanus, when accused by an envious faction, and obliged to appear before the people as a criminal, instead of answering the charge, turned to the Capitol, and invited the assembly to accom- pany him to the temple of Jupiter, and give thanks to the gods for the defeat of Annibal and the Carthaginians :j:. Such, in fact, was the influence of locality, and such the awe, interest, and even emotion inspired by the surrounding edifices. Hence the frequent references that we find in the Roman historians and orators to the Capitol, the Forum, the temples of the gods ; and hence those noble addresses to the deities themselves, as present in their re- spective sanctuaries, and watching over the interests of their favoured city, " Ita praesentes his temporibus opem et auxilium nobis tulerunt, ut eos pene ocuHs videre possimus§." But the glories of the Forum are now fled for ever ; its temples are fallen ; its sanctuaries have crumbled into dust ; its colonnades encumber its pavements, now buried under their remains. The walls of the Rostra, stripped of their ornaments, and doomed to eternal silence, a few shattered porticos, and here and there an insulated column standing in the midst of broken shafts, vast frag- ments of marble capitals and cornices heaped together in masses, remind the traveller, that the field which he now traverses was once the Roman Forum. * Liv. vi. 20. t Cic. De Orat. lib. iii. cap. 56. J Liv, xxxviii. 51. § Cat, iii. 8. CH. XI. THROUGH ITALY. 213 A fountain fills a marble basin in the middle, the same possibly to which Propertius alludes when speaking of the Forum in the time of 1 atius he says, Murus erant montes, ubi nunc est Curia septa, Bellicus ex illo fonte bibebat equus*. Lib. iv. 4. A little farther on commences a double range of trees that leads along the Via Sacra by the temples of Antoninus and of Peace to the arch of Titus. A herdsman seated on a pedestal while his oxen were drinking at the fountain, and a few passengers moving at a distance in different directions, Avere the only living beings that dis- turbed the silence and solitude which reigned around. Thus the place seemed restored to its original wildness described by Virgil -)-, and abandoned once more to Hocks and herds of cattle. So far have the modern Romans forgotten the theatre of the glory and of the imperial power of their ancestors, as to degrade it into a com- mon market for cattle, and sink its name, illustrated by every page of Roman history, into the contemptible appellation of Compo Vaccino. Proceeding along the Via Sacra and passing under the arch of Titus, on turning a little to the left, we beheld the amphitheatre of Vespasian and Titus, now called the Coliseum. Never did human art present to the eye a fabric so well calculated, by its size and form, to surprise and delight. Let the spectator first place himself * As this fountain is near the three pillars, which have occasioned so much discus- sion, wc may draw a presumptive argument from these verses, that they formed part of the Curia. •pasiimque armenta videbant Romanoque foro et lautis mugire carinis. Ms. viii. 214 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xi. to the north and contemplate that side which depredation, barba- rism, and ages have spared, he will behold with admiration its won- derful extent, well proportioned stories and flying Unes, that retire and vanish without break or interruption. Next let him turn to the south, and examine those stupendous arches, which, stripped as they are of their external decorations, still astonish us by their soli- dity and duration. Then let him enter, range through the lofty arcades, and ascending the vaulted seats, consider the vast mass of ruin that surrounds him; insulated walls, immense stones sus- pended in the air, arches covered with weeds and shrubs, vaults opening upon other ruins; in short, above, below, and around, one vast collection of magnificence and devastation, of grandeur and of decay *. Need I inform the reader that this stupendous fabric, " Which on its public shews unpeopled Rome, " And held uncrowded nations in its womb," was erected by the above-mentioned emperors, out of part only of the materials, and on a portion of the site of Nero's golden house, which had been demolished by order of Vespasian, as too sump- tuous even for a Roman Emperor. * Martial prefers, perhaps with justice, this amphitheatre to all the prodigies of architecture known in his time. Barbara Pyramidum sileat miracula Memphis: Assiduus jactet nee Babylona labor ; . . . . Nee Trivi;e templo molles iaudentur tones; Dissimuletque deum cornibus ara frequens Aere nee vacuo penderitia Mausolea Laudibus iiniiiodicis Cares in astra ferant. Omnis Caesareo cedat labor amphitlieatro Unum pro cunctis fama loquatur opus. De Spbct. CH. XI. THROUGH ITALY. 215 The Coliseum, OAving to the soHdity of its materials, survived the era of barbarism, and was so perfect in the thirteenth century, that games were exhibited in it, not for the amusement of the Romans only, but of all the nobilitj^ of Italy. The destruction of this wonderful fabric is to be ascribed to causes more active in general in the erection than in the demolition of magnificent buildings — to Taste and Vanity. When Rome began to revive, and architecture arose from its ruins, every rich and powerful citizen wished to have, not a commodious dwelling merely, but a palace. The Coliseum was an immense quarry at hand ; the common people stole, the gran- dees obtained permission to carry otf its materials, till the interior was dismantled, and the exterior half stripped of its ornaments. It is difhcult to say where this system of depredation, so sacrile- gious in the opinion of the antiquary, would have stopped, had not Benedict XIV. a pontiff of great judgment, erected a cross in the centre of the arena, and declared the place sacred, out of respect to the blood of the many martyrs Avho Avere butchered there during the persecutions. This declaration, if issued two or three centuries ago, would have preserved the Coliseum entire ; it can now only protect its remains, and transmit them in their pre- sent state to posterity. We next returned to the Meta Sudans, and passed under the arch of Constantine. I need not give a description of this species of edifice so well known to the reader ; it will suffice to say, that the arch of Constantine is the only one that remains entire, w ith its pillars, statues, and basso relievos, all of the most beautiful marble, and some of exquisite workmanship. They were taken from the arch of 'IVajan, which, it seems, was stripped, or probably demolished, by order of the senate, for that purpose. It did not occur to them, it seems, that the achievements of Trajan and his 216 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xi. conquests in Dacia, could have no connexion with the exertions of Constantine in Britain, or Avith his victory over the tyrant Max- entius. But taste was then on the dechne, and propriety of ornament not ahvays consulted. We then ascended the Palatine Mount, after having walked round its base in order to examine its bearings. This hill, the nursery of infant Rome, and finally the residence of imperial grandeur, presents now two solitary villas and a convent, with their deserted gardens and vineyards. Its numerous temples, its palaces, its porticos, and its libraries, once the glory of Rome, and the admiration of the universe, are now mere heaps of ruins, so shapeless and scattered, that the antiquary and architect are at a loss to discover their site, their plans, and their elevation. Of that Aving of the imperial palace, which looked to the west, and on the Circus Maximus, some apartments remain vaulted and of fine propor- tions, but so deeply buried in ruins, as to be now subterranean. A hall of immense size was discovered about the beginning of the last century, concealed under the ruins of its oAvn massive roof The pillars of Verde antico that supported its vaults, the statues that ornamented its niches, and the rich marbles that formed its pave- ment, were found buried in rubbish ; and were immediately carried away by the Farnesian family, the proprietors of the soil, to adorn their palaces, and furnish their galleries. This hall is now cleared of its encumbrances, and presents to the eye a vast length of naked wall, and an area covered with weeds. As we stood contem- plating its extent and proportions a fox started from an aperture, once a window at one end, and crossing the open space scrambled up the ruins at the other, and disappeared in the rubbish. This scene of desolation reminded me of Ossian's beautiful description, " the thistle shook there its lonely head ; the moss whistled to the gale ; the fox looked out from the Avindows ; the rank grass Avaved CH.XL THROUGH ITALY. 217 round lus head," and almost seemed the accomphshment of that awful prediction, " There the wild beasts of the deserts shall lodge, and howlino' monsters shall fill the houses; and wolves shall howl to one another in their palaces, and dragons in their voluptuous pavilions*." The classic traveller as he ranges through the groves, which now sliade the Palatine ISlountf, will recollect the various passages in which Virgil alludes to diis hill, a scene of so much splendour in his days, but now nearly reduced to its original simplicity and lone- liness. Like /Eneas, he will contemplate the interesting spot with delight, and review like him, though with very different feelings, the vestiges of heroes of old, " virum monumenta priorum." * Lowth's Isaiah, xiii. v. 21, 22. t Let the reader now contrast this mass of ruin with ti\e splendours of the Palatine in Claudian's time, Ecce Palatino crevit reverentia monti Non alium certe decuit rectoribus orbis Esse larem, nuHoque magis se coUe potestas iEstimat, & summi sentit fastigia juris. AttoUens apieem subjectis regia rostris, Tot circum delubra videt, tantisque Deorum Cingitur excubiis. Juvat infra tecta Tonantis Cernere TarpeiA pendentes rupe Gigantes, Cselatasquc fores, mediisque volantia signa Nubibus, & densum stipantibus sethera templis, jEraque vcstitis numerost puppe coluranis Consita, subnixasque jugis immanibus aedes, Naturam cumulante manu; spoliisque micantes Innumeros arcus. Acies stupet igne mctalli, Et circumfuso trepidans obtunditur auro. De Cons, Honor, vi. VOL. I. 2 F 218 CLASSICAL TOUR ca.xu Cum muros arcemque procul, ac rara doraorum Tecta vident, quae nunc Romana potentia ccelo -Equavit: turn res inopes Evandrus habebat. ^N. viii. 9S. Miratur, facijesque oculos fert omnia circum jEneas, capiturque locis, et singula Isitus Exquiritque auditque virum nionumenta priorum. Turn Rex Evandrus, Romanae conditor arcis Haec nemora indigena Fauni nymphfeque tcnebant. 310. From the Palatine we passed to the Aventine INIount, well known for the unpropitious augury of Remus, and at an earlier period for the residence of Cacus, and the victory of Hercules, both so well described by Virgil, - Ter totum fervidus irA Lustrat Aventini montem ; ter saxea tentat Limina nequicquam ; ter fessus valle resedit. Stabat acuta silix, praecisis undique saxis, Speluncee dorso insurgens, altissima visu, Dirarum nidis domus opportuna volucrum. My. viii. 230. Here also stood the temple of Diana, erected in the joint names of all the Latin tribes, in imitation of the celebrated temple of that goddess at Ephesus built at the common expense of the cities of Asia. The erection of the temple of Diana at Rome by the Latins in the reign of Servius Tullius, that is, at a time when the Latins were independent and had frequently disputed with the Romans for pre-eminence, was considered as a tacit renunciation of their pretensions, and an acknowledgment that Rome was the centre and the capital of the Latin nation at large. The sacrifice of a celebrated ox in this temple by a Roman instead of a Sabine, was supposed to have decided the destiny of Rome, CH. XI. THROUGH ITALY. 219 and to have fixed the seat of universal empire on its hills*. Of this temple, once so magnificent and so celebrated, no traces remain, not even a base, a fallen pillar, a shattered wall, to ascer- tain its situation, or furnish the antiquary with orounds for pro- bable conjecture. The same may be said of the temple of Juno, of that of the Dea Bona, and of the numberless other stately edifices that rose on this hill. Some parts, indeed, are so deserted and so encumbered with ruins, as to answer the description Virgil gives of it when pointed out by Evander to his 'I'rojan guest. Jam primum saxis suspensam hanc aspice mpem : Disjectae procul ut moles, desertuque montis Stat domus, et scopuli ingentem traxere ruinani. .Ex. viii. 190. The west side of the Aventine looks down on the Tiber and on the fields called Prati del Popolu Homano, These meadows are planted with mulberry trees, and adorned by the pyramidal tomb of Caius Cestius. This ancient monument remains entire, an advantage which it owes partly to its form, well calculjited to resist the influence of weather, and partly to its situation, as it is joined to the walls of the city, and forms part of the fortification. It stands on a basis about ninety feet square, and rises about a hundred and twenty in height. It is formed, at least externally, of large blocks of white marble : a door in the basis opens into a gallery, terminating in a small room, ornamented with paintings on the stucco in regular compartments. In this chamber of the dead once stood a sarcophagus, that contained the remains of Cestius, At each corner, on the outside, there was a pillar, once surmounted with a statue : two of these remain, or rather were restored, but without the ornament that crowned them anciently. It is probable, * Tit, Liv. i. 45. Valerius Maximus, vii, 3. 2 F 2 220 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XJ. that this edifice stands on an elevation of some steps, but the earth is too much raised to allow us to discover them at present. Its form is graceful, and its appearance very picturesque : supported on either side by the ancient walls of Rome, with their towers and galleries venerable in decay, half shaded by a few scattered trees, and looking down upon a hundred humbler tombs interspersed in the neighbouring grove, it rises in lonely pomp, and seems to pre- side over these fields of silence and of mortaUty. AVhen we first visited this solitary spot a flock of sheep was dispersed through the grove, nibbling the grass over the graves ; the tombs rose around in various forms of sepulchral stones, urns, and sarcophagi, some standing in good repair, others fallen and mouldering, half buried in the high grass that waved over them ; the monument of Cestius stood on the back ground in perspective, and formed the principal feature of the picture ; and a painter, seated on a tomb-stone, was employed in taking a view of the scene. None but foreigners, excluded by their religion from the cemeteries of the countrj% are deposited here, and of these foreigners several were English. The far greater part had been cut off" in their prime, by unexpected disease or by fatal accident. AA hat a scene for a traveller far remote from home and liable to similar disasters! Turning from these fields of death, these " lugentes campi," and repassing the Aventine hill, we came to the baths of Antoninus Caracalla, that occupy part of its declivity and a considerable portion of the plain between it, Mons Caliolus, and IVIons Cwlius- No monument of ancient architecture is calculated to inspire such an exalted idea of Roman magnificence, as the ruins of their thermae or baths. Many remain in a greater or less degree of preservation ; such as those of Titus, Diocletian, and Caracalla. To give the untravelled reader some notion of these prodigious CH.xi. THROUGH ITALY. 221 piles, I will confine my observations to the latter, as the greatest in extent, and as the best preserved ; for though it be intirely stript of its pillars, statues, and ornaments, both internal and external, yet its walls still stand, and its constituent parts and principal apartments are evidently distinguishable. The length of the therma^ of Caracalla was one thousand eight imndred and forty feet, its breadth one thousand four hundred and seventy-six. At each end were two temples, one to Apollo and another to iEsculapius, as the " Genii tutelares" of a place sacred to the improvement of the mind, and to the care of the body. The two other temples were dedicated to the two protecting divinities of the Antonine family, Hercules and Bacchus. In the principal building were, in the first place, a grand circular vestibule, with four halls on each side, for cold, tepid, warm, and steam baths ; in the centre was an immense square for exercise, when the weather Avas unfavourable to it in the open air ; beyond it a great hall, where sixteen hundred marble seats were placed for the conve- nience of the bathers ; at each end of this hall were libraries. This building; terminated on both sides in a court surrounded with porticos, with an odeum for music, and in the middle a capacious basin for swimming. Round this edifice were Avalks shaded by rows of trees, particularly the plane ; and in its front extended a gymnasium for running, Avrestling, &c., in fine weather. The whole was bounded by a vast portico, opening into exedrae or spacious halls, where poets declaimed and philosophers gave lectures. This immense fabric was adorned within and without with pillars, stucco work, paintings, and statues. The stucco and painting, though faintly indeed, are yet in many places perceptible. Pillars have been dug up, and some still remain amidst the ruins ; 222 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xi. while the Farnesian bull, and the famous Hercules found in one of these halls, announce the multiplicity and beauty of the statues which once adorned the therma> of Caracalla. The Hues and reservoirs for water still remain. The height of the pile was proportioned to its extent, and still appears very considerable, even though the ground be raised at least twelve feet above its ancient level. It is now changed into gardens and vineyards: its high massive walls form separations, and its luny ruins spread over the surface, burn the soil, and check its natural fertility. From these Therma? we crossed the A'allis Co^limontana and ascended tlie Coelian Mount. JSIany shapeless ruins, that bewilder antiquaries in a maze of conjectures, are strewed over the surface of this hill. One object only merits particular at- tention, and that is the church of S. Stephatw in rotondo, so called from its circular form, admitted by all to be an ancient temple, though there is much doubt as to the name of its tutelar god. Some suppose it to have been dedicated to the Emperor Claudius, a leaden divinity not likely either to awe or to delight his vota- ries; while others conceive it to have been the sanctuary of the most sportive of the rural powers, of Faunus, " Nympharum fugientum amator." On this conjecture the imagination reposes with complacency. Its circular walls are supported by a double range of Ionic pillars of granite, to the number of sixty, and it de- rives from such an assemblage of columns, a certain air of grandeur, though ill other respects it is much disfigured, and at present much neglected. This latter circumstance seems extraordinary, as it is one of the most ancient churches in Rome, having been conse- crated as such by Pope Simplicius in the year 468 ; and as it gives title to a Cardinal deacon, a privilege which generally secures to a church endowed with it the attention and munificent partiality of the titular prelate. CH. XI. THROUGH ITALY. 223 Descending the Coelian hill, we crossed the Saburra, once the abode of the great and opulent Romans, now two long streets lined with dead walls, and covered with a few straggling houses and solitary convents. Proceeding over the Esquiline Mount we stop- ped at the baths of Titus, an edifice once of unusual extent and magnificence, thouoh on a smaller scale than the Thermal of Cara- calla. Part of the theatre of one of the temples and of one of the great halls still remains above, and many vaults, long galleries, and spacious ruins under ground. Some of these subterraneous apart- ments were curiously painted, and such is the firmness and consis- tency of the colours, that notwithstanding the dampness of the place, the lapse of so many ages, and the earth Avhich has filled the vaults for so long a time, they still retain much of their original freshness. Many of the figures are scratched on the plaster, and supposed to have been so originally to imitate basso relievo ; but upon a close examination the little nails which fastened the gold, silver, or bronze, that covered these figures are perceptible, and seem to prove that they were all originally coated over in a similar manner. Many of the paintings are arabesques : a fanciful style of ornament observed and reprobated as unnatural and ill-propor- tioned by Vitruvius*, but revived and imitated by Rafi'ael. Titus's baths are, as I have observed before, inferior in extent to those of Caracalla and of Diocletian; but, erected at a period when the arts still preserved their primeval perfection, they must have surpassed all later edifices of the kind in symmetry, decoration, and furniture. Every person of taste must therefore lament that they are not cleared and opened ; the famous groujje of Laocoon was found in an excavation made there not many years ago, and several pillars of granite, alabaster, and porphyry have since been Lib. vii. cap. 5. 224 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xr. discovered in various partial researches. A\ hat precious remnants of ancient art and magnificence might we find, if all the streets of this subteiraneous citi/ (for so these thenncc may be called) were opened, and its recesses explored •' At present the curious visitor M-alks over heaps of rubbish so high as almost to touch the vault, so uneven as to require all his attention at every step ; and whilst he examines the painted Avails by the faint glare of a taper, he is soon obliged by the closeness of the air to retire contented with a few cursory observations. 'I'o these baths belong the Sette Sale, seven halls, or vast vauhed rooms of one hundred feet in length by fifteen in breadth and twenty in depth, intended originally as reser- voirs to supply the baths, and occasionally the Coliseum with water when naval engagements were represented. Besides the baths of Titus several other vaulted subterraneous apartments, halls, and galleries, ornamented in the same style and with the same magnificence, have been discovered at different times on the same hill. They are supposed to have been parts of the same therma\ or perhaps belonging to some of the many palaces that were once crowded together in this neighbourhood. Towards the extremity of the Esquiline and not far from the Porta Maggiore, in a vineyard, stands a ruined edifice called the Temple of INIinerva Medica, though it is supposed by some to have been a bath. Its form, circular without, is a polygon within ; its arched roof swells into a bold dome ; in its sides are nine niches for so many statues ; the entrance occupies the place of the tenth. Many beautiful statues were found in the grounds that border it, among otliers that of ]\Iinerva with a serpent, an emblem of /Escu- lapius, twined round her legs, a circumstance which occasioned the conjectuie that this structure was a temple of that goddess. It seems to have been surrounded with a portico, cased with marble, and higiily decorated. Nothing now remains but the walls, the CH. XI. THROUGH ITALY. 225 vaulted roof in some places shattered, and on the whole a mass that daily threatens ruin. In the same vineyard are various subterranean vaulted apart- ments, some more some less ornamented, the receptacles of the dead of various families, whose ashes, consigned to little earthen- ware urns, remain in their places, inscribed with a name and an ex- clamation of sorrow. Anciently indeed, a considerable part of the Esquiline was devoted to the plebeian dead, whose bodies were sometimes burnt here, and sometimes I believe thrown into ditches or graves uncovered: a circumstance to which Horace seems to allude when he represents it as the resort of beasts and birds of prey, Insepulta membra difterant lupi Et Esquilinae alitcs. To remove such funereal objects, and to purify the air, Augustus made a present of the ground so employed to Maecenas, who co- vered it with gardens and groves and erected on its summit a palace. The elevation of this edifice and its extensive views are alluded to by the same poet, when, pressing his friend to descend from his pompous residence and visit his humble roof, he says, Eripe te morse ; Ne semper udum Tibur et vEsulte Declive contcmpleris arvum, et Telegoni juga parricidai. Fastidiosam desere copiam, et Molem propinquam nublbus arduis : Omitte mirari beatje Fumum et opes strepitumque Romee. Cakm. iii. 29. Trom the top of this palace, or from a tower in the garden, ISero VOL I. 2 c 226 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xi. contemplated and enjoyed the dreadful spectacle of Rome in flames*. The precise site of this palace and its towers, and of the gardens surrounding, has never been ascertained in a satisfactory manner; statues and paintings have been discovered in profusion in various parts of this hill; but numberless were the temples and palaces that rose on all sides, and to which such ornaments be- longed it would be difficult to determine. Near the palace of his patron Maecenas, Virgil is said to have had a house; but the retired temper of this poet, and his fondness for a country life, seem to render extremely improbable a report, which I believe rests solely on the authority of Donatus. From the Esquiline hill we passed to that elevated site which as it advances Avestward branches into the Mminal and Quirinal hills. On it stands one of the grandest remains of ancient splendour, a con- siderable portion of the baths of Diocletian, now converted into a convent of Carthusians. The principal hall is the church, and though four of the side recesses are filled up, and the two middle ones somewhat altered; though its pavement has been raised about six feet to remove the dampness, and of course its proportions have been changed, yet it retains its length, its pillars, its cross-ribbed vault, and much of its original grandeur. It was paved and in- crusted with the finest marble by Benedict XIV. who carried into execution the plan drawn up originally by Michael Angelo, when it was first changed into a church. It is supported by eight pillars forty feet in height and five in diameter, each of one vast piece of granite. The raising of the pavement, by taking six feet from the height of these pillars, has destroyed their proportion, and given them a very massive appearance. The length of the hall is three hundred and fifty feet, its breadth eighty, and its height ninety-six. Suetonius. Nero, 3S. CH. XL THROUGH ITALY. 227 Notwithstanding its magnificence, the mixture of Corinthian and Composite capitals shews how much the genuine taste of architec- ture was on the decHne in the time of Diocletian. The vestibulum or entrance into this church is a beautiful rottmda, consecrated by the monuments of Carlo Maratti and Salvator Rosa. The cloister deserves attention : it forms a large square, supported by a hundred pillars. In the centre, four towering cypresses shade a fountain, that pours a perpetual supply of the purest waters into an immense marble basin, and forms a scene of delicious freshness and antique rural luxur5^ The Viminal hill has no remnant of ancient magnificence to arrest the traveller in his progress to the Quirinal, once adorned with the temple of Quirinus, whence it derived its name. Titus Livius and Ovid both relate the Apotheosis of Romulus ; the his- torian in his sublime manner — the poet in his usual easy, graceful style. " Romulus," says Proclus in the former, " parens urbis hujus, prima hodierna luce co'lo repente delapsus, se mihi obvium dedit. Quum perfusus horrore venerabundusque astitissem petens precibus ut contra intueri fas esset. Abi, inquit, nuncia Romanis, ca?lestes ita velle ut raea Roma caput orbis terrarum sit ; proinde rem militarem colant, sciantque, et ita posteris tradant, nullas opes humanas armis Romanis resistere posse. Ha^c, inquit, locutus, sublimis abiit*." Pulcher et humano major, trabeSque decorus Romulus in media visus adesse viii . . . . Thura feraiit, placentque novum pia turba Quiriiium Et patrias artes, militiamque colant Templa Deo fiunt. Coiiis quoque dictus ab illo : Et referunt certi sacra paterna dies. Ovid Fast. lib. ii. 507. * Liv. i. IG. o r o ^ \j ,j 228 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xi. We may easily suppose, that a temple, dedicated to the founder and tutelar divinity of Rome, must have been a structure of unusual magnificence, and we find accordingly, that a noble flight of marble steps conducted to its portal, and that it was supported by seventy-six lofty columns. It stood on the brow of the hill that looks towards the Viminal, and in such a site, and with such a colonnade, it must have made a most majestic and splendid appear- ance. On the opposite side, and commanding the Campus Martins, rose the temple of the Sun, erected by iVurelian, and almost equal in grandeur and decorations to the palace of this deity described by Ovid, " subhmibus alta columnis." In fact, the pillars that supported its portal must have been, if Ave may judge by a frag- ment remaining in the Colonmi garden, near seventy feet in height; and as they were, with the whole of their entablature, of the whitest marble, and of the richest order (the Corinthian), they must have exhibited a most dazzUng spectacle, worthy of the glorj^ of " the far beaming god of day." But not a trace of either of these edi- fices remains ; their massive pillars have long since fallen, and the only remnant of the latter is a block of white marble, and a part of the entablature ; and of the former, the flight of marble steps that now leads to the church of Am Ca:li, in the Capitol. From the Quirinal we passed to the Monte Pincio, anciently without the city, and called " Collis hortulorum ;" because covered then, as now, with villas and suburban gardens. Pompey, Sallust, and at a later period the emperors, delighted in the rural airy retreat of this hill, high and commanding extensive views on all sides. CH. XII. THROUGH ITALY. 229 CHAP. XII. campus martius, its edifices mausoleum of augustus pantheon column a tea j an a bridges circus Causes of the destruction of ancient edifices. FROINI the hills we descended to the Campus ISIartius, in the early ages of the Republic an open field devoted to military exer- cises, and well calculated for that purpose by its level grassy surface, and the neighbourhood of the river winding along its border. In process of time some edifices of public utility were erected upon it ; but their number was small during the Republic ; while under the Emperors they were increased to such a degree, that the Campus Martins became anothercitycomposed of theatres, porticos, baths, and temples. These edifices were not only magnificent in themselves, but surrounded with groves and walks, and arranged with a due regard to perspective beauty. Such is the idea which we must naturally form of buildings erected by Consuls and Em- perors, each endeavouring to rival or surpass his predecessor in magnificence ; and such is the description which Strabo gives of the Campus in his time, that is, nearly in the time of its gieatest glory. This superb theatre of glorious edifices, when l)ehe!d from the Janiculum, bordered in front by the Tiber, and closed behind ■I'M) CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xil. by the Capitol, the Viminal, the Quirinal, and the Pincian hills, with temples, palaces, and gardens lining their sides, and swelling from their summits, must have formed a picture of astonishing beauty, splendour, and variety, and have justified the proud appella- lion so often bestowed on Rome " of the temple and abode of the CJods." But of all the pompous fabrics that formed this assemblage of wonders how few remain ! and of the remaining few how small the number of those which retain any features of their ancient majesty ! Among these latter can hardly be reckoned Augustus's tomb, the vast vaults and substructions of which indeed exist, but its pyramidal form and pillars are no more ; or Marcellus's theatre, half buried under the superstructure raised upon its vaulted galleries ; or the portico of Octavia, lost with its surviving arch and a few shattered pillars in the Pescheria. Of such surviving edifices the principal indeed is the Pantheon itself The Pantheon it is true retains its majestic portico, and presents its graceful dome uninjured : the pavement laid by Agrippa and trodden by Augustus, still forms its floor ; tlie compartments and tinted pillars of the richest juarble that originally lined its walls, still adorn its inward circumference ; the deep tints that age has thrown over it only contribute to raise its dignity and augment our veneration; and the traveller enters its portal, through which twice twenty generations have flowed in succession, Avith a mixture of awe and religious veneration. Yet the Pantheon itself has been " shorn of its beams," and looks echpsed through the " disastrous twiUght" of eighteen centuries. Where is now its proud elevation, and the flight of steps that conducted to its threshold ? Where the marbles that clothed, or the handmaid edifices that concealed its brick exterior ? Where the statues that graced its cornice ? The bronze that blazed on its dome, that vaulted its portico, and formed its sculptured doors? And where the silver that lined the compartments 'CH. XII. THROUGH ITALY. 231 of its roof within, and dazzled the spectator with its brightness ? The rapacity of Genseric began, the avarice of succeeding barba- rians continued to strip it of these splendid decorations ; and time, by levelling many a noble structure in its neighbourhood, has raised the pavement and deprived it of all the advantages of situation. The two celebrated pillars of 2\ntoninus and Trajan stand each in its square, but they also have lost several feet of their original elevation ; and the colonnade or portico that enclosed the latter, supposed to be the noblest structure of the kind ever erected, has long since sunk in the dust, and its ruins probably lie buried under the foundations of the nei^hbourins; houses. Seven bridges formerly conducted over the Tiber to the Jani- culum and the Vatican Mount ; of these the most remarkable were the first, the Pons Elius ; and the last, the Pons Sublicius : the former, erected by Adrian, opened a grand communication from the Campus Martins to his mausoleum. It remains under the appellation of Ponte S. Angela; the statues that adorned its balustrade disappeared at an early period, and have since been replaced by statues of St. Peter and St. Paul, and of several angels, executed by eminent masters, and considered beautiful. The an- cient statues were probably thrown into the Tiber, and may, at some future period, emerge from its channel. The Pons Sublicius lay much lower, and formed a passage from the Aventine Mount to the Janiculum. Though consecrated by its antiquity, for it was the first bridge built at Rome, and still more by the heroic exertions of Horatius Codes, it has long since fallen, and only some slight traces of foundations or abutments remain on the Ripa Grande, to mark the spot where it once stood. Two others, the Pons TriumphaHs and Pons Senatorius, have shared the same fate. 232 CLASSICAL TOUR en. Xii. The reader will probably expect an account of the various theatres and circuses that rose in every quarter of the city, and furnished perpetual occupation to the degenerate Romans of later times, who confined their ambition to the pittance of bread and the pubhc amusement of the day ; and he will feel some disappointment when he learns, that scarce a trace remains of such immense structures, that in general their very foundations have vanished, and that the Circus ISlaximus itself, though capable of containing half the population of Rome within its vast embrace, is erased from the surface of the earth, and has left no vestige of its existence, excepting the hollow scooped out in the Aventine valley for its foundations. It may be asked how the edifices just alluded to, and a thousand others equally calculated to resist the depredations of time and the usual means of artificial destruction, should have thus sunk into utter annihiliation ? ]\lay we not adopt the language of poetry? Some felt the silent stroke of mould'ring age. Some hostile fury, some religious rage. Barbarian blindnesss, Christian zeal conspire, And Papal piety and Gothic fire. Popk's Episti-e to Addison. These verses contain a very comprehensive scale of destruc- tion ; five causes sufiicient to compass and explain the widest range of devastation, and annihilate the most solid fabrics that human skill can erect, even the Pyramids themselves. Yet upon impartial examination, we shall find that the fiirii of enemies, and the zeal of Christians, the pictii of Popes, and the firea kindled by the Goths, have not been the sole or even the principal agents in the work of devastation ; and that other causes, less observable because slower, CH. XII. THROUGH ITALY. 233 but equally eftectual in their operations, have produced the wide extended scene of ruin which we have just traversed. To begin therefore with the first cause, hostile fury: it is to be recollected that the barbarians, who took and sacked Rome, such as Alaric and Genseric, had plunder and profit, not destruction, in view ; and that they warred with the power and the opulence, not with the taste and the edifices of the Romans. Gold and silver, brass and precious stones, cloth and articles of apparel, with furni- ture of every sort, were the objects of their rapacity: the persons also of the unfortunate Romans, whom they could either sell or em- ploy as slaves, were considered a valuable part of their booty : in collecting the former and securing the latter, their attention was fully occupied, nor had they leisure, supposing that they had the inclination, during the short space of time they occupied the city (confined to six days the first and fourteen the second time the city Avas taken) to demolish, or even very materially to disfigure the solidity of the public edifices. The massive roof of the Capitol formed of brass and it seems lined with gold, and the bronze co- vering and sculptured portals of the Pantheon, were torn from their respective temples by Genseric; but the edifices themselves Avere spared, and the latter still remains to shew how little damage its essential form suffered in the disaster. As for the destructive effects of Gothic fire, they seem to have been confined to a few palaces and private houses ; and so partial was the mischief that only one edifice of any note, the palace of Sallust, is mentioned as having been consumed on this occasion. Religious rage or Christian zeal, two expressions meaning the same thing, are frequently introduced by authors of a cer- tain mode of thinking, as agents unusually active in the work VOL. 1. 2 II •234 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xii. of destruction ; while Papal piety is represented as the presiding demon who directed their operations, and quickened their natural activity. The fact however is otherwise ; we do not find that any one temple in Rome was destroyed by the Christians, either tumul- tously, or legally, that is by imperial orders; on the contrary, such was the respect which the Christian Emperors paid even to the prejudices of the Romans, that idols proscribed in the pro- vinces, were still tolerated in the capital, and allowed to occupy their rich shrines, and sit enthroned in their deserted temples. In the pillage of Rome by the Goths and Vandals, these statues when of precious materials, such as gold, silver, or brass, were not spared : but the shrine only, or perhaps the furniture and decora- tions of the temple of similar materials, and of course equally cal- culated to attract the hand of rapacity, were violated; while the edifices themselves, without I believe one exception, were re- spected. The influence of Papal piety was employed to preserve these buildings, and if possible to consecrate them to the pure mysteries of Christian adoration ; and to it we owe the few tem- ples that have survived the general ruin, such as the temple of Vesta, that of Faunus, that of Fortuna Virilis, and last, though first in estimation and grandeur, the Pantheon itself. Having thus rejected as fabulous or inefficient the causes pro- duced by the poet, and admitted by ignorance and prejudice with little or no examination; it is necessary and not diflicult to substitute in their place the real agents that effected the degrada- tion, and finally the destruction of the noblest city that the world had ever beheld. Under the auspicious government of Trajan, the empire of Rome had reached the utmost extent of its destined limits; and Rome hei-self had attained the full perfection of her beauty, and the CH. XII. THROUGH ITALY. 235 highest degree of her magnificence. During the virtuous admi- nistration of the Antonines, that is during the space of nearly a century, this state of prosperity and glory continued unaltered till the tyranny of Commodus revived the memory and the disasters of the reigns of Caligula, Nero, and Domitian, and ended hke them, in assassination, civil war, and revolution. From the portentous aera of the death of Pertinax, Rome ceased to be the fixed and habitual residence of her Emperors, who were generally employed in the field, either in repressing rebellious usurpers, or in repelling foreign enemies. Still they occasionally returned to celebrate festive games, to receive the homage of the Senate and Roman people, or perhaps to ascend in triumph to the Capitol, and to worship the tutelar deities of the empire. From the accession of Diocletian, these visits became less frequent, and Avhile the Mistress of the World was neglected by her half-barbarian Emperors, the handmaid cities of the provinces, Thessalonica,Nicomedia, Antioch, Milan, and Ravenna, enjoyed the honour and the advantages of their residence. Though Rome was still the acknowledged capital of the world, and though her population and her riches were unbounded, yet the arts, no longer encouraged or employed by the sovereign, languished. Taste was on the decline, and the great masterpieces (edifices, statues, paintings) that adorned the city, monuments of the genius and magnificence of happier periods, were passed by unnoticed, and gradually neglected. We cannot suppose that a people who had lost their taste and spirit, or that Emperors occupied in remote provinces with the intrigues of competition, or with the dangers of war, were disposed to furnish the sums requisite to repair and to maintain buildings, which they scarcely knew, or probably beheld with indifi'erence. We may therefore fairly con- clude, that at the beginning of the reign of Constantine some. 2 H 2 236 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xir. perhaps several, public edifices must have suffered from neglect ; and when we behold the triumphal arch of Trajan destro} ed by order of the senate, to furnish materials for the erection of a similar trophy in honour of the former Emperor, we may fairly infer that such edifices were considered as scarcely worth pre- servation, and that they were indebted for their duration to their own soUdity. Among the causes of ruin we may therefore safely rank the indifference and the neglect of government; nay we have even some reason to suspect that the Emperors not only neglected the repara- tion but sometimes hastened the fall of pubhc structures. Each sovereign was ambitious of distinguishing his reign by some magnificent fabric, by erecting baths or a circus, a portico or a forum ; but it is to be feared that they were not always delicate as to the places whence the materials were taken, and sometimes stripped the monuments of their predecessors of their ornaments in order to employ them in the decoration of their new edifices. Certain it is that some Emperors, while they were adding to the splendour of the city on one side, made no difficulty of plundering it on the other. Moreover, as the number of Christians increased the temples became deserted ; and Christian princes, though not obliged by their religion to destroj^, did not perhaps consider themselves as authorized in conscience to repair the sanctuaries of idolatrous worship *. * We may conjecture from an ancient inscription, liow much Rome was encum- bered with ruins even in the age of Honorius. S. P. Q. R. IMPP. CAESS. DD. NN. INVICTISSIMIS. PRINCIPIBUS. ARCADIO. ET. HONORIO. VICTORIBUS. AC. TRIUMPH ATORIBUS. SEMPER. AUGG. OB. INSTAURATOS URBI. AETERNiE. MUROS. PORTAS. AC. TURRES EGESTIS. IMMENSIS. RUDE- RIBUS. &c. &e.— Apud. Grut. CH. xiL THROUGH ITALY. 237 \Mien Rome ceased to be free, and lost even the forms of re- publican libertjs the forum (the seat of popular deliberations) be- came useless, and the five or six superb squares that bore that appellation were turned into so many lonely walks. The various ciir'ue (the superb palaces of the senate), so necessary in the days of Roman freedom, when almost the whole of the civilized Avorld was governed by the wisdom of that venerable body, stood silent and unfrequented under the later Emperors, when public delibera- tion was a mere form, and the senate itself an empty shadow. The hasilicce, indeed (the halls where the magistrates sat to administer justice), might still collect a crowd and challenge attention ; but as the population of the city decreased, their numbers appeared too great, and the Emperors seemed to embrace Avith readiness every opportunity of turning them to other purposes. These three sorts of edifices may be supposed, therefore, to have fallen into decay at an early period, and to have mouldered imperceptibly into dust, even though no active power was employed to hasten their dissolution. Of the several curia., not one has escaped destruction, and the reader will learn, with regret, that time has swept away the very vestiges of these celebrated seats of liberty, of wisdom, and of public dignity. Some few temples remain Avhich, after they had long been aban- doned, both by their deities and their votaries, are indebted for their existence to " Christian zeal and Papal piety," which saved them from complete ruin by turning them into churches. We may lament, that more of these beautiful edifices were not destined to partake of this advantage ; and particularly, that the magnificent temple of Jupiter Capitolinus was not of the number ; especially as it survived the taking of the city, and stood, as to its walls, unimpaired in the time of Theodoric. But, in the first place, the Christians do not seem to have taken possession of any temple, at least in Rome, 238 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xii. where the Emperors treated the ancient religion of the empire with pecuHar deHcacy, till the total downfal of idolatry, and the complete change of public opinion ; that is, till many of these fabrics had fallen into irreparable decay and become incapable of restoration*. In the next place, the forms of pagan temples in general, and particularly such as were built (and these formed the far greater number) on a smaller scale, were extremely ill adapted to the pur- poses of Christian worship. Narrow oblong edifices, frequently dark, and lighted only from the entrance, they seem to have been constructed merely as sanctuaries, to receive the statues of their respective gods, while the multitude of adorers filled the porticos, or crowded the colonnades without, and waited till the trumpets announced the moment of sacrifice, or the priest proclaimed the oracles of the god. The external ornaments, and the vast extent of porticos and galleries that surrounded the principal temples, and not the capacity of the interior, constituted their magnificence. The Adyta, or Penetralia, seem mostly to have been on a con- tracted scale, and though well calculated for a chapel or oratory * The opinion of the Christians, relative to the idols themselves, appears from the following lines, which prove satisfactorily, I conceive, that they had no desire to destroy them. The poet addresses himself to Rome. Deponas jam festa velim puerilia, ritus Ridicules, tantoque indigna sacraria regno. Marmora tabenti respergine tincta lavate, O proceres, liceat statuas consistere puras, Artificum magiiorum opera, haec pulcherrima nostro Ornamenta cluant patriie, nee decolor usus In vitium versae monumenta coinquinet artis. Prvdent. If they spared even the idols, it b difficult to conceive wliy they should destroy the temples. CH. XII. THROUGH ITALY. 239 for a small assembly, are too confined for a parish church, and for the accommodation of a large congregation. The basilica, on the contrary, presented every convenience, and seemed as if expressly erected for the purpose of a Christian as- sembly. The aisles on either side seemed formed to receive and screen the women ; the vast area in the middle furnished a spacious range for the men ; the apsis, or semicircular retreat, raised on a flight of steps at the end, gave the bishop and his presbyters an elevated and honourable station ; while the sacred table surrounded with youth and innocence, stood between the clergy and the people, a splendid and conspicuous object. Hence several of these edifices, which depended entirely on the will of the sovereign, and might, without offence or injustice, be devoted to such purposes as he judged most expedient, were at an early period opened for the reception of the Christians, and consecrated to the celebration of the holy mysteries. Thus in the time of Constantine, the Basihca Lateranensis was converted into a church and dedicated to the Saviour; while the Basilica Vaticana became another Christian temple under the well-known appellation of St. Peter's. It follows of course, that the temples would in general be permitted to crumble away insensibly into ruin, as useless and unappropriated edifices, while many of the basilica^ would be repaired with diligence, and not unfrequently enriched with the pillars and marbles of the fallen fanes in their neiohbourhood. o The neglect of the Emperors was followed by indifference in the city magistrates, and contempt among the people, who made no difficulty of stealing from the public edifices the materials re- quisite for the erection or ornament of their private houses ; a disorder which rose to such a pitch as to require the interference of public authority more than once, in order to prevent the total dilapidation of some of the finest monuments of Roman greatness. 240 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xii. This interference, however, only took place during the short reign of one Emperor, whose virtues struggled in vain against the mis- fortunes of the time and the destinies of the falling empire. I allude to Majorian, whose patriotic edict on this subject is cited Avith becoming applause by Gibbon, and proves that the magis- trates themselves connived at the abuse, and were, perhaps, too frequently the transgressors. To the neglect of the sovereign, therefore, we may add the indifference of the magistrates, and the. interested pilferings of the people, a second and powerful agent of destruction. However, notwithstanding these disadvantages Rome retained much of her imperial grandeur, after the nominal fall of her em- pire, and still challenged the respect and admiration of nations, even when subjected to the sway of barbarian princes. Odoacer, for instance, and liis victorious rival Theodoric, during a long and prosperous reign watched with jealous care over the beauty of the city, and not only endeavoured to preserve what it retained, but to restore what it had lost of its ancient splendour. Their attempts merited praise and acknowledgment, but the effect was temporarjs and withheld, but could not avert, the stroke which fate already levelled at the monuments of Rome. When the evil genius of Italy prompted Justinian to re-annex it as a province to the empire, of which it had formerly been the head ; and when Belisarius took possession of the capital with a force sufficient to garrison, but not to protect it fully against the enemy, Rome was turned into a fortress, her amphitheatres, mau- soleums, and surviving temples were converted into strong holds, and their splendid furniture and costly decorations were employed as they presented themselves, for means of defence or of annoy- ance. In the course of this most destructive war, Rome was five times taken ; many of her edifices were demolished, not by the CH. xir. THROUGH ITALY. 241 hostile rage of the Goths, but by the military prudence of Belisa- rius ; her streets were unpeopled by the sword and by pestilence ; the titles of her magistrates were suppressed ; her senate was dis- persed : and her honours were finally levelled with the dust. The Exarchs, who succeeded Narses in the government of Italy, were more attentive to their own interests than to the prosperity of the; country ; and residing at Ravenna, then an almost impregnable fortress, abandoned Rome to her own resources, and her edifices to the care of the citizens, or rather to their own solidity. The misery and humiliation of Rome lasted near three hundred years ; that is-, from the invasion of Italy, or rather from the taking of Rome bj'^ Belisarius in the year 536, to the coronation of Charlemagne in 800. During the disastrous interval which elapsed between these eras Rome was oppressed by the Exarchs, threatened by the Lombards, wasted by pestilence, and visited at once by all the plagues employ- ed to chastise guilty nations. The iew surviving Romans who re- mained to lament the ruin of their country, and to glide like spec- tres about its abandoned streets now turned into the sepulchres of the inhabitants, had too much employment in supporting their miserable existence to think of repairing or maintahiing the vast edifices raised in prosperous times. During so many ages of war and despair, of public and private dejection, how extensive must have been the ravages of desolation ! how many pillars must have fallen from their bases ! how many temples sunk under their own weight ! how many lofty fabrics subsided in the dust ! Even after these ages of war, when Rome became the head of a new empire, and the kings and princes of the western world listencHl with re- spect to the oracles of her Pontiff; when some share of opulence probabh^ accompanied her reviving dignity, and Emperors and vol.. I. 2 I 242 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xii. Sovereigns hastened to enrich her sanctuaries with their gifts — yet no re-animating ray visited the pompous ruins spread over her hills, where the taste and spirit of her ancestors still slumbered undisturbed, and temples, curise, and forums, whose names and destination had long been forgotten, were left tottering in decay, or extended in heaps on the earth. A transient gleam of prosperity is not sufficient; a long season of tranquillity and encouragement is requisite to call forth and mature the varied powers of the mind that produce taste and en- terprize. But Rome was far from enjoying this tranquillity; threatened sometimes by the Greeks, and sometimes by the Sara- cens ; alternately oppressed by her barbarian Emperors, and dis- turbed by her factious nobles; and at last convulsed by the unna- tural contests between her Emperors and her Pontitfs, she assumed by turns the appearance of a fortress besieged or taken; her edi- fices, sacred and profane, ancient and modern, were demolished without distinction, and her streets and churches were strewed with the bodies of her inhabitants. To these bloody divisions succeeded the absence of the Popes, and their very impolitic residence at Avignon, at a dis- tance from the seat of their spiritual authority and of their tem- poral dominion, which in the mean time Avas abandoned to the intrigues of a domineering nobility, and to the insurrections of a factious populace. During this period, the reign of anarchy, the few monuments of antiquity that remained were turned into forts and castles, and disfigured with towers and Gothic battlements; the country was overrun with banditti, and the city itself convulsed and defiled with perpetual scenes of violence and bloodshed. CH.Xii, THROUGH ITALY. . xlii. •270 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xm. "Opposite is one of" the Farnesian palaces, which, though in the middle of the Strada Lungara, is sometimes called I ilia Farnesitma. It has, in reality, something of the appearance of a villa, as its gardens are extensive and border the banks of the Tiber. The interior, though unfurnished and neglected (it belongs to the King of Naples) yet still interests and will continue to attract the curious traveller, till the splendid scenes which the genius of Haf- faello has shed on the walls and ceilings shall vanish, and the Loves and Graces that now smile and sport on all sides, shall melt away and lose their airy forms in the damp vapours that too often brood around them. From the villa we naturally pass to the Palazzo Farnese. This edifice occupies one side of a handsome square, adorned with two fountains. It was planned, and its construction directed by the best architects, and principally by Michael Angelo: its apart- ments were painted by the first artists, and chietly by Domenickino and Amiibal Caracci. It is of immense size and elevation, and on the whole is considered as the noblest palace in Rome. Twelve massive pillars of Egyptian granite support the vestibule ; three ranges of arcades rise one above the other round a spacious court, and suites of noble apartments open at every door and follow each other in endless succession. The traveller contemplates so much magnificence with surprise and delight, but he learns with regret that it is founded upon wanton depredation : the Farnesian palace chines with the plundered fragments of the Coliseum. The Palazzo Costaguti, indifferent in every other respect, has the walls of its apartments adorned by the hands of the first masters ; Albano, Domenickino, Guercino, 8cc. have all displayed their match- less powers in its decorations, and thus given it a reputation to CH. xiiT. THROUGH ITALY. 271 which its size and architecture could never have raised it. Some sharein a simihir advantage, added to great magnitude, distinguishes the Palazzo Mottei The Palazzo, Borghcse is a superb edifice remarkable for its extent, its porticos, its granite columns, its long suite of apartments, its paintings and antiques ; and still more distinguished by a certain well-supported magnificence that pervades every part, and gives the whole mansion, from the ground floor to the attic, an appearance of neatness, order, and opulence. It may be added with justice that the illustrious family to which the palace belongs, has been long and deservedly celebrated for taste, ahd for magnifi- cence directed by order and regularity.^ — " Maneant ea fata Nepotes!" In an anti-chamber of the Palazzo Spada, stands the cele])rated statue of Pompey ; at the foot of which Caesar is supposed to have fallen. 'I'he history of this statue deserves to be inserted. It was first placed, during Pompey s life, in the senate house Avhich he had erected ; and when that edifice was shut up, it was raised by order of Augustus on a double arch or gateway of marble opposite the grand entrance of Pompey 's theatre. It was thrown down or fell during the convulsion of the Gothic wars, and for many ages it lay buried in the ruins. It was at length discovered, I believe about the beginning of the seventeenth century, in a partition Avail between two houses. After some altercation, the proprietors of the two houses agreed to cut the statue asunder and to divide tiie marble; when fortunately the Cardinal de Spada heard the circum- stance, and by a timely purchase prevented the accomplishment of the barbarous agreement, and the destruction of one ol" the most interesting remnants of Roman anti(iuity. 272 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xiii. Another danger awaited Pompey's statue, at a much later period and from an unexpected quarter. A\ hile the French occupied Rome in the years 1798-99, &c. they erected in the centre of the Coliseum a temporary theatre, Avhere they acted various republican pieces for the amusement of the army, and for the improvement of such Romans as might be disposed to fraternize with tliem and adopt their principles. Voltaire's Brutus was a favourite tragedy, as may easily be imagined ; and in order to give it more effect, it was resolved to transport the very statue of Pompey, at the feet of which the dictator had fallen, to the Coliseum, and to erect it on the stage. The colossal size of the statue and its extended arm rendered it ditficult to displace it ; the arm was therefore sawed off for the conveyance and put on again at the Coliseum : and on the second removal of the statue it was again taken oft' and again replaced at the Palazzo de Spado. So friendly to Pompey was the republican enthusiasm of the French ! So favour- able to the arts and antiquities of Rome is their Love of Liberty ! The Palazzo Barberini, besides its paintings, its statues, and its vast extent, possesses a noble library which on certain days in every week is open to the public ; a species of patriotic magnificence which compensates whatsoever architectural defects critics may discover in the exterior of this palace. I shall conclude this enumeration of palaces with the Palazzo Colonna, the residence of one of the most ancient and most distin- guished families in Rome, ennobled by its heroic achievements and immortalized by the friendship and the verses of Petrarca. Gloriosa Colonna, in cui s'appoggia Nostra sperauza, e'l gran nome Latino, CH. XIII. THROtJGH ITALY. 273 Ch' ancor non torte dal vero camino L' ira di Giove per ventosa pioggia. SONKITO X*. The exterior of this mansion is indifferent ; but its extent, its vast court, its gardens, and its furniture, are worthy the rank and dignity of its proprietor. Its hbrary is spacious and well filled ; its staircase is lined with statues ; and its apartments are filled with paintings by the first masters; but its principal and charac- teristic feature is its hall, or rather gallery, a most magnificent apartment of more than two hundred and twenty feet in length and forty in breadth, supported by Corinthian pillars and pilasters of beautiful yellow marble (gia/lo antico) and adorned on the sides and vaulted ceiling with paintings and gildings intermingled ; so that it presents on the whole a scene of splendour and beauty seldom equalled even in Italy j-. * The present Prince Colonna merits the title and supports the character of an old Roman Senator. He raised and maintained a regiment against the invaders of his country ; and when obliged to yield he submitted with dignity, witiiout descending to any mean compliance. Though almost ruined by the exactions of the French and by the subsequent injustice of the Neapolitan Government, and oljliged to sell not only his pic- tures but even the utensils of his kitchen, he yet had the public spirit to present the Pope with a state-coach and six horses to enable him to enter Rome with becoming dignity. t Of the Roman palaces, many of which have been erected by the nephews or rela- tions of different Popes, Gibbon speaks with admiration but with severe censure. " They are," says he (ch. T\), "the most costly monuments of elegance and servitude; the perfect arts of architecture, painting, and sculpture have been prostituted in tlieir service, and their galleries and gardens are decorated with the most precious works of antiquity which taste or vanity has prompted them to collect." The judgment of the historian seems on this occasion, as indeed on a feiu others, to be biiissed by the prejudices of the philosophist. To raise and enrich favourites, whatever may be their recommendation to VOL. I. 2 N 274 CLASSICAL TOUR ch.xiii; the notice of the sovereign, at the expense of the country is criminal, but unfortunately too common in all governments ; in ours, free and republican as it is, as well as in others conducted on more arbitrary and selfish principles. Whether these favourites be the bastards of kings or the nephews of popes is a matter of little consequence to the public ; for though in the latter the scandal be less, yet the inconvenience and the expense are the same; in point of dignity the former have no superiority to claim, and as for talents the nephews of different pontiffs may, I believe, enter the lists against most royal favourites without having any reason to blush at the comparison. CH.xiv. THROUGH ITALY. 275 CHAP. XIV. PONTIFICAL palaces: THELATERAN THE QUIRINAL THE VATICAN. WE now proceed to the three pontifical palaces. The Lateran stands close to the patriarchal church of that name, and was ap- pointed for the residence of the Bishops of Rome, at the same time as the adjoining basilica was converted into a church by Con- ^tantine*. It had fallen into ruin and was rebuilt by Sixtus Quin- tus. A part only is now reserved for the accommodation of the pontiff when he comes to perform service at St. John's. The main body of the building was turned into an hospital for the reception of two hundred and fifty orphans by Innocent XI. It presents three fronts of great extent and simplicity, and strikes the eye by its magnitude and elevation. The Quirinal palace (Monte CavuUo) is become, from the lofti- ness and salubrity of its situation, the ordinary or at least the * Juvenal mentions egregias Latcranorum CEtles, as surrounded by the bloody co- horts of Nero, who put the proprietor to death, confiscated his estates, and seized his palace. It continued at the disposal of the Emperors till the reign of Constantine. 2 N 2 276 CLASSICAL TOUR ' ch. Xiv. summer residence of the Roman pontift'. Its exterior presents two long fronts plain and unadorned ; the court within is about three hundred and fifty feet long and near two hundred wide. A broad and lofty portico runs along it on every side, and terminates in a grand staircase conducting to the papal apartments, to the gallery and the chapel, all on a grand scale and adorned with fine paint- ings. In the furniture and other decorations the style is simple and uniform, and such as seems to become the grave unostenta- tious character of a Christian prelate. The adjoining gardens are spacious, refreshed by several fountains, and shaded by groves of laurel, pine, ilex, and poplar. In the recesses, arbours, and alleys, are statues, urns, and other antique ornaments placed with much judgment, and producing a very picturesque effect. In other re- spects the gardens are in the same style as the edifice, and exhibit magnificence only in their extent. The square before this palace is remarkable for an Egyptian obelisk erected in it by the late Pope. Two statues repre- senting each a horse held by a young man, stand, one on each side of the obelisk, and give the hill the appellation of Monte CavaUo. They are of colossal size and exquisite beauty ; are supposed to represent Castor and Pollux, although the in- scription says Alexander and Bucephalus, and are acknawledged to be the works of some great Grecian master. They were transported by Constantine from Alexandria and erected in his baths which stood in the neighbourhood ; and from thence they were conveyed by order of Sixtus Quintus to their present situa- tion. The erection of the obelisk between these groupes has been censured by some as taking from their eftect and oppressing them by its mass : but as it is admitted that they were made not to stand insulated but probably to adorn the side or angle of some edifice, perhaps a mausoleum, and even, as appears from the roughness CH.xiv. THROUGH ITALY. 277 of their back parts, to touch tlie wall, and seem as if springing from it, their connexion with the obelisk must be considered as an improvement and an approximation to their original attitudes and accompaniments. The Vatican hill retains its ancient appellation, and gives it to the palace and church which adorn its summit and declivity. AVhether this appellation took its origin from the influence of some local divinity, which was supposed to manifest itself in omens and predictions, more frequently on this spot than elsewhere, as Aulus Oellius imagines; or whether, as Varro asserts, the God himself takes his title from the first efibrts of the infant voice at articula- tion, over which it seems to have presided, is a matter of little importance; from which we pass to the recollection of the pleasing imagery of Horace, so well known to our early years: Ut paterni Fluniiiiis rips, simul et jocosa Redderet laudes tibi Vatican! Montis imago, Od. XX. lib. 1. But I know not whether these sportive ideas have not, in the minds of most of my readers, given way to impressions less pleas- ing; and whether the accents of the echo have not been droAvned in the thunders of the Vatican, that have rolled through so many ages and resounded so long and so tremendously in every English ear. But be that as it may, the Vatican has long ceased to be the forge of spiritual lightnings, the grand arsenal of ecclesias- tical weapons, " Sacri armamentaria cosli," and ages have now elapsed since the roar of its thunders has dis- 278 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xiv. turbed the repose of the universe, or with fear of change perplaved tnonarchs. The Vatican is now the peaceful theatre of some of the most majestic ceremonies of the pontifical courts it is the repository of the records of ancient science, and the temple of the arts of Greece and Rome. Under these three heads it commands the attention of every traveller of curiosity, taste, and information. The exterior, as I have already hinted when speaking of palaces in general, does not present any grand display of architectural magnificence, nor even of uniformity and symmetrical arrangement; a circumstance easily accounted for, when we consider that the Vatican was erected by different architects at different aeras, and for very different purposes ; and that it is rather an assemblage of palaces than one regular palace. It was begun about the end of the fifth, or the beginning of the sixth century, and rebuilt, increased, repaired, and altered by various pontiffs, from that period do^vn to the latter years of the reign of the late Pope, when the French invasion put an end, for some time at least, to all improvements. All the great architects whom Rome has produced were in their days employed in some part or other of this edifice, and Bramante, Rqffaello, Funtana, Maderno, and Beimini, successively displayed their talents in its augmentation or improvement. Its extent is immense, and covers a space of twelve hundred feet in length and a thousand in breadth. Its elevation is proportionate, and the number of apartments it contains almost incredible. Galleries and porticos sweep around and through it in all directions, and open an easy access to every quarter. Its halls and saloons are all on a great scale, and by their multitude and loftiness alone give an idea of magnificence truly Roman. The walls are neither wainscotted nor hung with tapestry : they are adorned or rather animated by CH. xiv; THROUGH ITALY. 279 the genius of Raffaello and Michael Angelo. The furniture is plain, and ought to be so : finery would be misplaced in the Vati- can, and would sink into insignificance in the midst of the great, the vast,^ the sublime, which are the predominating features, or rather the very genii of the place. The grand entrance is from the portico of St. Peter's, by the Scala Regio, the most superb staircase perhaps in the world, consisting of four flights of marble steps, adorned with a double row of marble Ionic pillars. This staircase springs from the equestrian statue of Constantine, which terminates the portico on one side ; and whether seen thence, or viewed from the gallery leading on the same side to the colonnade, forms a perspective of singular beauty and grandeur. The Scala Begia conducts to the Sala Begia, or regal hall, a room of oreat length and elevation, which communicates by six large folding doors, with as many other apartments. The space over and the intervals between the doors are occupied by pictures in fresco; representing various events, considered as honourable or advan- tageous to the Roman See. Though all these pieces are the works of great masters, yet one only is peculiarly beautiful ; and that is the triumphal entrance of Gregory XJ. into Rome, after the long absence of the pontiffs from the capital during their residence at Avignon. 'I'his composition is by Vasari, and is perhaps his master-piece. The battle of Lepanto, in which the united fleet of the Italian powers, under the command of Don John of Austria, and under the auspices of Pius V., defeated the Turks, and utterly broke their naval power, till then so terrible to Europe, is Justly ranked among the most glorious achievements of the Roman pon- tiffs, and forms a most appropriate ornament to the Sa/a R(g/a. Unfortunately, the skill of the artist was not equal to the subject, and the grandeur and life of the action is lost in undistinguishable confusion below, and above in wild allegorical representations. 280 CLASSICAL TOUR cif. xiv. The massacre of St. Bartholomew, if the memory of such an atrocious and most horrible event must be preserved, would be better placed at Paris, where it was perpetrated, than at Rome ; and in the palace of the Louvre, where it was planned, than in the Vatican. Occidat ilia dies sevo, nee postera credant Saecula : nos certe taceamus, et obruta mult& Nocte tegi nostra patiamur crimina gentls. Statics. This was the patriotic and benevolent wish of a worthy French magistrate (the chancellor L'Hopital), and in this wish every humane heart Avill readily join. The humiliation of the Emperors Henry IV. and Frederic Barbarossa, ought not to be ranked among the trophies of the Holy See. It reflects more disgrace on the insolent and domineering pontiffs, who exacted such marks of submission, than on the degraded sovereigns who found themselves obliged to give them. At all events, it does not become the com- mon father of Christians to rejoice in the humiliation of his sons, or to blazon the Avails of his palace Avith the monuments of their weakness or condescension. At one end of the Sola Regia is the Cappella Paolina, so called because rebuilt by Paul III. The altar is supported by porphyry pillars, and bears a tabernacle of rock crystal : the walls are adorned Avith various paintings, filling the spaces betAveen the Corinthian pilasters. The whole, hoAvever, though rich and mag- nificent, looks dark and cumbersome. ToAvards the other end of the hall, on the left, a door opens into the Cappella Sistina, built by Sixtus IV., and celebrated for its paintings in fresco, by Michael Angelo and his scholars. These paintings, which cover the walls and vaulted ceilings, are its CH. XIV. THROUGH ITALY. -281 only ornaments. The famous " Last Judgment" of Michael Angelo occupies one end entirely. Its beauties and defects are well known and may be comprized in one shoit observation ; that its merit consists more in the separate figures than in the arrangement or effect of the whole. The upper part glows with brightness, angels, and glory : on the right, ascend the elect; on the left, the wicked blasted with lightning tumble in confused groupes into the flaming- abyss. The judge stands in the upper part, supported on the clouds, and arrayed in the splendour of Heaven : he is in the act of uttering the dreadful sentence, Go, ye accursed, into everlasting Jire ; his arms are uplifted, his countenance burns with indignation, and his eyes flash lightning. Such is the Messiah in Milton, when he puts forth his terrors and hurls his bolts against the rebel angels ; and so is he described by an eloquent French orator, when he exercises his judgments on sinners at the last tremendous day. Similar representations, either in prose or verse, in language or in painting, are sublime and affecting ; but I know not whether they be suitable to the calm, the tranquil, the majestic character of the aAvful person who is to judge the world in truth and in justice. Nothing indeed is so difficult as to pourtray the features, the atti- tudes, and the gestures of the Word incarnate. He was not with- out feeling, but he was above passion. Joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure, could reach his soul, for he was man ; but they could not cloud its serenity, for he was God. Benevolence brought him from Heaven ; it was therefore his prevailing sentiment, and may be supposed to influence his countenance, and to shed over his features a perpetual expression of benignity. To obey or to sus- pend the laws of nature was to him equally easy ; a miracle cost him no effort and excited in him no surprize. To submit or to command, to suffer or to triumph, to live or to die, were alike welcome in their turns as the result of reason and obedience. To VOL. I. 2 o 282 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xiv. do the will of his Father was the object of his mission, and every step that led to its accomplishment, whether easy or arduous, was to him the same. What poet shall dare to describe such a charac- ter ? What painter presume to trace its divine semblance ? ^ No wonder, then, that the greatest masters should have failed in the bold attempt ; and that even Michael Angelo, by transferring, like Homer, the passions of the man to the Divinity, should have degraded the awful object, and presented to the spectator the form, not of a God but of an irritated and vindictive monarch ? If Michael Angelo has failed we can scarcely hope, that other painters can succeed ; and we find few, very few representations of the Saviour, on which the eye or the imagination can rest with satisfaction. The divine infants of Carlo Dolce are, it must be acknowledged, beings of a superior nature, that seem to breathe the airs and to enjoy at once the innocence and the bloom of Paradise ; and his Saviour of the World, in the act of consecrating the bread and wine, is a most divine figure, every feature of whose seraphic face speaks compassion and mercy ; Love without end, and without measure grace. MiiTON, iii. 142. But love and mercy are not the only attributes of this sacred Personage ; justice and holiness accompany his steps, and cast an awful majesty as a veil around him, and these grand accompani- ments of the Godhead are sought for in vain in the mild, the soft, I had almost said the effeminate figures of Carlo Dolce. Four, I think, I have seen of a happier touch and more elevated description. One is in the King of Prussia's gallery in Sam Souci, and represents Christ in the act of raising Lazarus ; and three were in the Palazzo Justimani at Rome. In one Christ restores life to the son of tlie widow at Nain ; in another he multiplies the loaves in the desert ; CH. XIV. THROUGH ITALY. 283 in the third he gives sight to a bUnd man. The three last, I think, by Annihal Carracci. In all these noble paintings, benevolence, compassion, and power, unconscious of exertion, mark the fea- tures and attitudes of the incarnate God, and give at least a dis- tant and feeble glimpse of his majestic demeanour. Opposite the Cappe/Ia Si.stina folding doors open into the Sala Ducale, remarkable only for its size and simplicity. Hence we pass to the Loggie di Kaffaello, a series of open galleries, in three stories, lining the three sides of the court of St. Damasus. These are called the galleries of llaffacUo, because painted by that great master, or by his scholars. The first gallery in the middle story is the only one executed by Rajfaello himself, or, to speak more correctly, partly b^r him, and partly by his scholars, under his inspection, and not unfrequently retouched and corrected bj^ his hand. In the thirteen arcades that compose this wing of the gallery is represented the History of the Old and part of the New Testament ; beginning with the Creation and concluding with the Last Supper. The plan, the arrangement, the ornaments of these celebrated pieces, are in general great and beautiful ; the fancy and expression oftentimes rise to the grand and even to the sublime. Some critics have ventured to find fault with the exe- cution in detail, and the colouring has been censured frequently. The first compartment represents the Eternal Father, with arms and feet expanded, darting into chaos, and reducing its distracted elements into order merely by his motion. This representation is much admired, particularly by French connoisseurs, and, if we may credit tradition, astonished Michael Angelo himself, who is said to have accused Raftaello of havino- borrowed the fioure of the Eternal from the Sistine chapel ; from this chapel the latter artist was then excluded by the express direction of the formej', who, it seems, 2 o2 284 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xiv. feared either his criticism or genius. The figure of the Eternal, thus represented, may be poetical and sublime, even as the Jupiter of Homer, but {si verbo audacia detur) it excites no admiration and deserves little praise. If it be difficult to represent the Son of God, who " became man" and " dwelt amongst us," without impairing the dignity of his sacred person, and degrading his majestic form, what means can the painter employ, what art can he call into plaj , to pourtray with becoming magnificence the Eternal himself, the model of beauty, the grand archetype of perfection, " who dwelletli in light inaccessible, whom no mortal hath seen or can see 1" It is true that the prophet Daniel has introduced the Almighty in a visible form, and under the emphatical appellation of the " An- cient of Days" ventured, with the guidance of the Heavenly Spirit, to trace a mysterious and obscure sketch of the Eternal. " While I beheld," says the prophet, " thrones were placed : then the Ancient of Days took his seat : his garment was shining as snow : the hair of his head as the purest wool. His throne was raging flames : his wheels consuming fire. A torrent blazing and impetuous rolled before him : thousands of thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand waited in his presence. He sat as judge and the books were opened." In this description one only circumstance connected with tlie person of the Divinity is mention- ed. The prophet seems to refrain, with reverential awe, from such a subject, and expatiating on the garments, the throne, the minis- tering spirits, he leaves the indescribable form to the imagination, or rather to the religious terror of the reader. Painters and poets would do Avell to imitate this holy discretion., and to refrain from all attempts to embody the Eternal Mind, which, by confining the energies of pure spirit within a human form, degrade omnipotence; and disfigure the original of all that is lovely in the Heavens and on the Earth, by marking it with the perishable featmes of humars CH. XIV. THROUGH ITALY. 285 decrepitude. Besides, in the picture now before us, it is not the fVord of the Creator that composes the disorder of chaos. No ; his hands and feet are emploj'^ed to separate the warring elements and confine them within their respective boundaries. This is an idea bordering upon the burlesque, and perfectly unworthy the lofty conceptions of Raftliello. How difterent the sentiment con- veyed in the sublime language of the Scripture. No eftbrt, no. action even was requisite. Chaos stood ready to obey his will, and nature arose at his word. " He said, let Light Be and Light Was ! — He spake and they were made : he conmianded and they ,were created." To the encomiums passed in general on the decorations of these galleries, I need not add, that the intermediate ornaments, such as the basso relievos, which are supposed to be antiques taken from the halls of the different thermic, and the arabesques which separate and grace the different compartments, are much and justly admired. From one of the galleries a door opens into the Cantere de Hajj'ael/o. The Canicre de JXaffaello are a range of halls, totally unfurnished and uninhabited. As the walls from the floor are covered Avith figures, furniture could only conceal their beauties ; and the busy hands of inhabitants, it is feared, might damage the delicate tints or nicer features of some of these invaluable compositions. They are therefore accessible only to the visits of the traveller and to: the labours of the artist, and are thus consecrated as a temple to the genius of painting, and to the spirit of Raffaello. They have not, however, passed over three centuries without losing some portion oi" their original lustre, and paying tribute to the supreme decree that dooms man and his works to decay and to dealh. \\\\\ their degradation is not to be attributed to their innate frailty, or 286 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xiv. to the unavoidable depredations of time ; but to folly and perver- sity, or rather to ignorance and stupidity. When the army of the Emperor Charles V. took and plundered Rome, a guard Avas estab- lished in these very halls, and tires were lighted in the; middle of each room for their accommodation. The consequences of this deed, so characteristic of the barbarian horde of the German Emperor, are sufficient to account for the faded tints and obscure shades of many of these celebrated pieces, without the intiuence of dampness, which cannot be supposed to exist on a site so elevated, and in so dry a climate ; or to the guilt of negligence, so incompatible with that love of the arts, and that princeh' en- couragement of genius, which has so long been the predominant spirit of the Roman government Two anti-chambers, large and painted by great masters, lead to the first hall, called the Sala di Costautino, because adorned with the grand achievements of that Christian hero ; and thence to the second Camera, where the story of Heliodorus, from the Macca- bees, the interview of Pope Leo and Attila, the miracle of Bolsena, and, above all, the deliverance of St. Peter from prison, attract and charm the eye. Then follow the third Camera, with the School of the Philosophers, the Debate on the Holy Sacrament, the Judg- ment of Solomon, and Parnassus with its groves of bays, Apollo, the Muses, and the poets whom they inspired : and the fourth with the Incendio del Borgo, the victory of Pope Leo over the Saracens at Ostia, and the coronation of Charlemagne. All these are the work of RafFaello ; all master-pieces in their respective kinds ; standards of good taste and grand execution, and considered as the models of perfection. They present all the different species of painting, all the varied combinations of light and shade, all the sin- gularities of attitude, all the secrets of anatomy ; in short, all the difficulties and all the triumphs of the art. Hence these apart- err. XIV. THROUGH ITALY. 287 merits are considered as the great school of painters, who flock from all paits to contemplate and to imitate the wonders of the pencil of Raffacllo, and to catch, if possible, in this sanctuary of his genius, some spark of his creative soul, some portion of his magic talent. It may perhaps be asked, ta which of these celebrated per- formances the preference is given. The answer is difficult : for although these paintings have been so long the subject of con- sideration, and their merits so fully and so accurately under- stood and defined, yet the masters of the art have not been able to fix their relative excellence, or pronounce on their re- spective superiority. Each in fact has some peculiar beauty, some characteristic charm, which gives it a partial advantage but cannot entitle it to a general preference. Besides, each nation has its propensities and every profession its bias, which imperceptibly influence the taste, even in the arts, and decide the opinion perhaps in painting itself. Those who love to contemplate a crowd of figures, all ani- mated by strong emotions and engaged in the tumult without being lost in the confusion of some grand event; and those who delight in forms strained by some unexpected exertion and features distorted by some sudden and imperious passion, will dwell with complacency, like the German, on the victory of Constantine, or, like the Frenchman, on the conflagration of the Borgo. The Englishman who delights in the calmer expression, and the tranquil scenes of still hfe, stands in silence before the school of Athens ; enjoys the easy and dignified attitudes and the expressive but serene countenances of the dift'erent philo- 288 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. ?civ. sophers. The Italian, accustomed to the wonders of art and habituated from his infancy to early discrimination, admires the two aerial youths that pursue H-eliodorus and glide over the pavement without seeming to touch its surface ; dwells with rapture on the angelic form that watches St. Peter and sheds a celestial light, a beam of Paradise, over the gloom of the dun- geon — but like the Ejiglishman he rests finally on the architectural perspective, the varied but orderly groupes, the majestic figures, and all the combined excellencies of the matchless School. Yet notwithstanding the acknowledged superioritj' of this piece, the theologian will turn with reverence to the awful assem- blage of divine and human beings ; the union of holiness and learnino- iu the saints of the Old and in the doctors of the New Testament ; in short, of glory above and dignity below that fill the picture opposite, and give a just representation of the sublime objects of his profession. The poet, on the other hand, led by classical instinct, fixes his looks on the haunts of his fancj", feeds his eyes with the beauties of Parnassus, contemplates the immortal bloom of Apollo and the Muses, and " holds high con- verse with the illustrious dead." " P/icEbo digna locuti." The traveller, while occupied in examining the transcendent beauties of the grand compositions of which I have been speaking, is apt to pass over unnoticed the minor ornaments that cover the vaults and fill up the intervals between the greater pieces and the floor or arch. Yet many of these, and particularly the basso re- lievos and medallions of the three first apartments by Caravaggio, representing rural scenes and historical subjects, are of exquisite beauty, and claim alike the attention of the artist and of the spec- tator. To conclude my remarks, the Camere di Rajfaello, like all works of superior excellence, display their beauties gradually, and en. XIV. THROUGH ITALY. 289 improve on examination, in proportion to the frequency of visits and the minuteness of inspection. After having traversed the court of St. Damasus and its adjoin- ing halls and chapels, which may be considered as the state apart- ments of the Vatican, the traveller passes to that part of the palace which is called the Ikkiderc, from its elevation and prospect, and proceeding along an immeasurable gallery comes to an iron door on the left, that opens into the libran/ of the Vatican. A large apartment for the two keepers, the secretaries, or rather the inter- preters, seven in number, who can speak the principal languages of Europe, and who attend for the convenience of learned foreigners ; a double gallery of two hundred and twenty feet long, opening into another of eight hundred, with various rooms, cabinets, and apartments annexed, form the receptacle of this noble collection. These galleries and apartments are all vaulted and all painted with different effect, by painters of different eras and talents. The paintings have all some reference to literature, sacred or pro- fane, and take in a vast scope of history and of mythology. The books are kept in cases ; and in the Vatican the traveller seeks in vain for that pompous display of volumes, which he may have seen and admired in other libraries. Their number has never been accurately stated, some confine it to two hundred thousand, others raise it to four hundred thousand, and many swell it to a million. The mean is probably the most accurate. But the superiority of this library arises not from the quantity of printed books, but the multitude of its manuscripts, which are said to amount to more than fifty thousand. Some of these manuscripts of the highest antiquity, such as that of Virgil of the fifth century, a Greek Bible of the sixth, a Terence of the same VOL. I. 2 P 290 CLASSICAL TOUR GH. xiv. date, &c. &c. were taken by the French and sent to Paris. The origin of this library is attributed by some to Pope Hilarius, in the fifth century : but ahhough it is probable, that long before that period the Roman church must have possessed a considerable stock of books for the use of its clergy ; yet the Popes may be supposed to have been too much occupied with the dangers and the difficulties of the times, to have had leisure or means necessary for the formation of libraries. However, that several volumes had been collected at an early period seems certain ; as it is equally so that Pope Zacharias augmented their number very considerably about the middle of the eighth century. Nicholas V. established the Ubrary in the Vatican and enlarged the collection ; while Calixtus IIL is said to have enriched it with many volumes, saved from the libraries of Constantinople at the taking of that city. From this period it continued in a regular progression, receiving almost every year vast additions, sometimes even of whole libraries (as those of the Elector Palatine, of the Dukes of IJrhino, of Queen Christina), owing not only to the favour of the pontiff" and various princes, but to the well directed zeal of its librarians; many of whom have been men both of eminent talents and of high rank and extensive influence. The French invasion, which brought with it so many evils, and like a blast from Hell checked the pros- perity of Italy in every branch and in every province^ not only put a stop to the increase of the Vatican library, but, by plundering it of some of its most valuable manuscripts, lowered its reputation, and undid at once the labour and exertion of ages. The galleries of the litwary open into various apartments filled with antiques, medals, cameos, &c. One in particular is conse- crated to the monuments of Christian antiquity, and contains a singular and unparalleled collection of instruments of torture. CH. XIV. THROLUiH ITALY. -291 employed in the first persecutions ; as also the dyptics or registers of communion of the great churches, monumental inscriptions, &c. a collection highly interesting to the ecclesiastical historian and the enlightened Christian. The grand gallery, which leads to the library, terminates in the Museum Pio-Clementinum. Clement XIV. has the merit of hav- ing first conceived the idea of this museum, and began to put it in execution. The late Pope Pius VI. continued it on a much larger scale, and gave it its present extent and magnificence. It consists of several apartments, galleries, halls, and temples, some lined with marble, others paved Avith ancient mosaics, and all filled with statues, vases, candelabra, tombs, and altars. The size and proportion of these apartments, their rich materials and furniture, the well managed light poured in upon them, and the multiplicity of admirable articles collected in them and disposed in the most judicious and striking arrangement, fill the mind of the spectator with astonishment and delight, and form the most magnificent and grand combination that perhaps has been ever beheld or can almost be imagined. Never were the divinities of Greece and Rome honoured with nobler temples; never did they stand on richer pedestals; never were more glorious domes spread over their heads ; or brighter pavements extended at their feet. Seated each in a shrine of bronze or marble, they seemed to look down on a crowd of votaries, and once more to challenge the homage of mankind ; while kings and emperors, heroes and philosophers, drawn up in ranks before or around them, increased their state and formed a majestic and becoming retinue. To augment their number, excavations were daily made and generally attended with success ; and many a statue, buried for ages under heaps of ruins, or lost in the obscurity of some unfrequented desert, was rescued 2 p 2 '292 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xiv. from the gloom of oblivion and restored to the curiosity and admiration of the public. But the joy of discovery was short, and the triumph of taste transitory ! The French, who in every invasion have been the scourge of Italy, and have rivalled, or rather surpassed the rapacity of the Goths and Vandals, laid their sacrilegious hands on the unparalleled collection of the Vatican, tore its master-pieces from their pedestals, and dragging them from their temples of marble, transported them to Paris, and consigned them to the dull sullen halls, or rather stables of the Louvre. But on this subject I may perhaps enlarge hereafter. At present I shall proceed to point out some of the most remarkable among the various apartments that constitute the Museum Pio-Clementinum. Three anti-chambers, called, from their forms or from the statues that occupy them, II Vestibolo Qundrato, II Vestibolo Botondo, and La Camera di Baccho, conduct the traveller to a court of more than a hundred feet square, with a portico supported by granite pillars and decorated by numberless pieces of antiquity. Need I observe, that the principal among these were once the Apollo of Belvidere, the Laocoon, and the Antinous ; or that the celebrated To7-so once adorned one of the anti-chambers ? They are now at Paris, and their absence is not so much supplied as rendered re- markable by the casts that now occupy their places. Next to this court is the Sala degli Animali, a noble gallery so called because furnished with ancient statues of various animals. This hall opens at one end into the Galleria deUc Statue, lined on both sides with exquisite statues both of Greek and Roman sculp- ture, and terminated by three apartments, called the Stanze delle CH. XIV. THROUGH ITALY. 293 Bmfc. The busts are placed on tal)les or stands of ancient work- manship, and generally of the most beautiful and curious marble. Towards the opposite end of the gallery is an apartment called // Gabiiietto, adorned with all the charms that the united arts of painting, sculpture, and architecture could bestow upon it. Eight pillars of alabaster support its roof; its Hoor is formed of an an- cient mosaic of the brightest colours, representing theatrical exhi- bitions and rural scenery ; its ceiling is painted and displays alter- nately historical events and mythological fables. The spaces be- tween the columns are filled each with a statue, and the walls are incrusted with ancient basso relievos formed into pannels and placed in symmetrical arrangement. Difterent antique seats, some of which are formed of blocks of porphyry and supported by feet of gilt brass, are ranged along the sides. An open gallery forms a communication between this cabinet and the Staiize delle Biiste on one side, while on the other a small anti-chamber opens into the Sail degli Animali. Hence through a noble pillared vestibule you enter the hall, or rather the Temple of the Muses ; an octagon supported by sixteen pillars of Carrara marble Avith ancient capitals, paved with ancient mosaics, repre- senting in various compartments actors and theatrical exhibitions separated and bordered by mosaic. The vault above and the great divisions of the sides, are adorned with paintings of Apollo, the Muses, Homer, and various Poets ; of Minerva, Genii, and other figures adapted to the general destination of the place. In the circumference below rose Apollo, Mnemosyne, and the Muses in the most conspicuous stations, and on elevated and highly wrought ancient pedestals. The most celebrated sages, poets, and orators of Greece stood in order around, as waiting on the divinities which had inspired their immortal strains : — 294 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xiv, a noble assembly that might have honoured the laurelled phmacles of Parnassus and not disgraced even the doud-cupt summits of Olympus. But this assembly is now dispersed. The Muses have been dragged from the light and splendour of the Vatican, and are now immured in a sepulchral hall, where a single window sheds through a massive wall a few scanty beams on tlieir gloom) niches. Next to the Stcutze delle Muse is the Sala Rotonda^ a lofty dome supported by ten columns of Carrara marble, lighted from above, and paved with the largest piece of ancient mosaic 3'^et discovered. In the middle is a vase of porphjTy of more tlian fifty feet in cir- cumference : around are colossal statues, and busts resting on half pillars of porphyry of great magnitude. This hall indeed is appropriated to colossal statues ; all its forms and ornaments par- take in some degree of their gigantic proportions- From this Rotonda, which is considered as the noblest hall in the Museum, a rich portal conducts into the Sola a Croce Greca, supported by columns, paved with ancient mosaic, furnished with statues, and hned with basso relievos. One object here naturally attracts attention. It is a vast sarcophagus formed with its Ud of one block of red porphyry, beautifully ornamented in basso re- lievo with httle infant Cupids employed in the vintage, and bor- dered with tendrils and arabesques. It once contained the ashes of Constantia the dauohter of Constantine the Great, and stood for ages in her mausoleum near the church of St. Agnes without the Porta Pia or Nomentana. At length Alexander IV. converted the mausoleum into a church, and ordered the body of the Prin- cess to be deposited, as that of a saint, under the altar ; a motive which removes all imputation of guilt from the deed, though it CH. XIV. THROUGH ITALY. 295 would Iiave been more prudent, as well as more respectful, to allow the body to remain undisturbed in the tomb to which it had been consigned by the hands of a father. The sarcophagus long remained an useless ornament, and was lately transported to the Museum. The Sala a Croce Greca opens on a double staircase, raised on twenty-two pillars of red and wliite granite; its steps are marble, its balustrade bronze. The middle flight conducts down to the Vatican library: the two other lead to the GaUeria de Candelabri, a long gallery divided into six compartments, separated from each other by columns of rich marbles. The furniture of this gallery consists in candelabra of different kinds, all of exquisite work- manship and of the finest marbles, so numerous as to have given to the place its peculiar denomination. With these are intermingled vases, columns, Egyptian figures, tablets, tombs, tripods, and sta- tues, which may have been discovered since the other apartments were filled, or could not perhaps be placed to advantage in any of the other classes. At the end of this long suite of apartments a door opens into the GaUeria de' Quadri, containing a collection of pictures by the prin- cipal masters of the different Italian schools. Though several of these pieces have a considerable degree of merit, yet they are inferior to a thousand others in Rome, and can excite little or no interest in the mind of a spectator who has just passed through such a series of temples, and has been feasting his eyes with the most perfect specimens of ancient sculpture. To this disadvantage another may be added, arising from the immediate neighbouihood of the une(jualled j>erformances of Raffaello, before which most other compositions, however great their merit or extensive their fame, lose their splendour and sink into obscurity. Plowever a gallery of pictures, though certainly not necessary in the V^atican, 296 CLASSICAL TOUR cii. xiv. may yet produce a good effect; as, under the patronage and active encouragement of government, it may gradually unite on one spot the line specimens now dispersed over Italy, and by bringing the rival powers of the two sister arts of painting and sculpture into contact, it may concentrate their influence, and eventually promote their perfection. As the traveller returns from these galleries he finds on the left, before he descends the above-mentioned staircase, a circular temple of marble supported by Corinthian pillars and covered with a dome. In the centre, on a large pedestal, stands an antique chariot with two horses in bronze. This temple, though on a smaller scale, yet from its materials, form, and proportions, appeared to me one of the most beautiful apartments of the Museum, and cannot fail to excite admiration. Such is in part the celebrated Museum Fio-Clementhuon, which in the extent, multiplicity, and beautiful disposition of its apartments, far surpasses every edifice of the kind, eclipses the splendour of the gallery of Florence, once its rival, and scorns a comparison with the Parisian Museum whose gloomy recesses have been decorated with its plunder. The design of this Museum was first formed (as I have already observed), and the court, portico, and gallery allotted to it, and fitted up in part, by Clement XIV. (Ganganelli) ; but the plan was enlarged and all the other halls and apartments were erected and furnished by Pius VI. the late pontiff. It Avould therefore be unbecoming, and indeed ungrateful, to turn from the Vatican without paying a just tribute of praise to the memory of these princes, who in the times of distress, when their income was gradually diminishing, found means to erect such a magnificent temple to taste, to the genius of antiquity, and to the loveliest and most engaging of the arts. They deserve to have their statues CH. xiy. THROUGH ITALY. 297 erected at the grand entrance of the Museum,, and the lovers of the arts would readily agree in the propriety of inscribing on the pedestal, " Quiijue eui mcmores, alios fecere mcrendo." In this account of the Vatican I have purposely avoided de- tails, and confined my observations to a few of the principal and most prominent features, as my intention is not to give a full description of this celebrated place, which would form a separate volume ; but merely to awaken the curiosity and attention of the traveller. Of the pictures and statues I may perhaps speak here- after. At present, J shall content myself with referring to the well-known work of the Abate IVinkvJman, who speaks on the sub- ject of statues with the learning of an antiquary, the penetration of an artist, and the rapture of a poet. VOL. \. 3 Q 298 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xv. CHAP. XV. CHURCHES GENERAL OBSERVATIONS — ST. CLBMENT's ST. PETER IN VINCULIS ST. MARTIN AND ST. SYLVESTER ST. LAURENCE ST. JOHN LATERAN ST. PAUL AND OTHER PATRIARCHAL CHURCHES. FROM the palaces we naturally pass to the churches, which form the peculiar glory of modern Rome, as the temples seem to have been the principal ornaments of the ancient city. On this subject, as on the preceding article, I think it best to begin by a few general observations, the more necessary as the topic is of great extent and much interest ; for while the palaces of Venice and Genoa have been compared, and the latter not unfrequently preferred, to those of Rome, the superior splendour and magnificence of her churches stand unrivalled and undisputed; and in this respect, it is acknow- kdged that still, Hsec tantiim alias inter caput extulit urbes, Quautiim lenta solent inter viburna cupressi. ViHG. EcJ. i. Addison observes, "that the Christian antiquities are so embroiled in fable and lesend, that one receives but little satisfaction from searching into them." The portion of satisfaction to be derived CH.xv, THROUGH ITALY. 299 from such researches, depends upon the taste and the views of the person who makes them; for as to fable and legend, I fancy there is a sufficient stock in Heathen as well as in Christian antiquity, to puzzle and embroil an ordinary inquirer. However, notwithstanding the obscurity A\hich ages and revolutions, ignorance or folly, may have thrown over both these species of antiquity, the traveller, as he wanders over the venerable regions of this wonderful city so long the seat of Empire and Religion, will find a sufficient number of monuments, both sacred and profane, to edify as vrell as to delight an unprejudiced mind. Among the former the churches without doubt occupy the first rank, as some few of them were erected in the aera of Constantine, and many may ascribe their origin to the zeal of that Emperor himself, or to that of his sons and their immediate successors. In these edifices the constituent and essential parts remain the same as they were at the period of erection, and even the more solid and permanent ornaments still stand unaltered in their respec- tive places. From them therefore we may learn with some certainty the form of Christian churches in the early ages, the position of the altar, of the episcopal chair, and of the seats of the clergy, together with the arrangement and furniture of the chancel and the choir. Moreover some of these churches had been temples, and many were basilicae or courts destined to public meetings, and may therefore contribute not a little to give us clearer ideas of the size and proportions of such buildings, particularly of the latter, and of the order observed in the assemblies held in them. We may per- haps from them be able to make some conjectures relative to the forms early established in Christian churches, and to judge how far the ancients may have thought proper to transfer the rules observed in civil assembhes to religious congregations. 2 q2 300 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XV. In the next place, in the churches principally we may trace the decline and restoration of architecture, and discover thence which branches of that art were neglected, and Avhich cultivated durino the barbarous ages. These edifices were almost the only objects attended to and respected during that long period, and as most of the new were erected on the plans of the old, they became the vehicles, if I may be allowed the expression, by which some of the best principles of Roman architecture were transmitted to us. It has been justly observed, that while the symmetry, the propor- tion, the very constituent forms of the Greek and Roman orders were abandoned and apparently forgotten, the solidity, the magnitude, and what is more remarkable, the greatness of manner so much admired in the interior of ancient buildings, were retained and still appear in many churches erected in the darkest intervals of the middle ages. From such fabrics we may therefore infer, that magnificence and grandeur long survived the fall of taste, and that some features of the Roman character still continued to manifest themselves in the works of their descendants, in spite of the pre- valency of foreign ignorance and of transalpine barbarism. This observation relative to internal magnificence leads to an- other which must have struck every traveller; that in many churches the outward form and embellishments are far inferior to the imvard appearances. Whether the ancients themselves did not always pay equal attention to the outside ; or whether, like the modern Italians, they sometimes deferred the execution of the whole plan for want of money or materials ; or whether the hand of time or the more destructive hand of war has torn away the marble that covered these edifices ; but it must be owned that the outside of the Pantheon and of Diocletian's baths by no means corresponds with their internal magnificence. In succeeding ages the disproportion became more. fcH. XV. THROUGH ITALY. 301 striking, and nothing can be more contemptible than the external show of some of the noblest basilicas : as that of St. Paul's for instance, of St. Laurence, and also that of St. Sebastian, which exhibits more the appearance of a neglected barn than of a patriarchal church. The same remark might have been applied to Santa Marin Maffp;iore till the reign of Benedict Xl\'., who cased it with Tiburtine stone, adorned it with a portico or colon- nade in front, and gave it an exterior of some dignity, though not perfect nor altogether worthy of its grand and splendid interior. Moreover, while the traveller expects, and not without reason, to find some specimens of the best taste and purest style of archi- tecture among the Roman churches, he must not be surprised if he should frequently meet with instances of the very reverse in both respects, and have reason too often to lament, that the finest materials have been thrown away in the construction of shapeless and deformed edifices. To explain this singular combination of good and bad taste, the reader has only to recollect, that in Rome, as in other great cities, difi'erent fashions have prevailed at difterent periods, and that architects, even when above the ignorance or the prejudices of their age, have yet been obliged to submit to them and conform to the caprice of their employers. Besides, architects in modern times have been too prone to in- dulge the fond hope of excelling the ancients, by deviating from their footsteps, and of discovering some new proportion, some form of beauty unknown to them, by varying the outlines, and by trying the effects of endless combinations. Now in no city have architects been more encouraged and employed than in Rome, and in no city have they indulged their fondness for originality with more freedom and more efi'ect, to the great depravation of taste and perversion of the sound principles of 302 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XV. ancient architecture. I'ew have been entirely exempt from this weakness, but none have abandoned themselves to its influence more entirely than Borroniini, who, although a man of genius, talent, and information, has yet filled Rome with some of the most deformed buildings that ever disgraced the streets of a capital. Such deviations from the principles of the ancients must appear extraordinary everywhere, and particularly at Rome, where so many superb monuments remain to attract the attention of the artist and form his taste, while they excite his admiration. In truth, while the portico of the Pantheon stands preserved, it would seem by the genius of architecture, as a model for the imitation of future generations ; while it meets the architect in every morn- ing walk, and challenges his homage as he passes, it must appear extraordinary indeed, that he should abandon its simple yet ma- jestic style, to substitute in its stead a confused and heavy mass of rich materials, which may astonish, but can never please even the rudest observer. Surely the double or triple range of columns, the uninterrupted entablature, the regular pediment, unbroken and unencumbered, delight the eye more by their uniform grandeur than pillars crowded into groupes, cornices sharpened into angles, and pediments twisted into curves and flourishes, which break one grand into many petty objects, and can neither fix the sight nor arrest the attention. Yet, Avhile the former, exemplified in the Pantheon, is coldly admired and neglected, the latter is become the prevailing style in ecclesiastical architecture at Rome, and of consequence over all Italy. Again, churches, like most places of public resort, have their day of favour and of fashion when they are much fVequented, and of course repaired and decorated with care and magnificence. Not unfrequently some cardinal or rich prelate, or perhaps the reigning pontiff himself, may conceive a particular attachment to some CH. XV. THROUGH ITALY.. 303 church or other, and in that case we may conchide, that all the powers of art will be employed in repairing, adorning, and furnish- ing the favoured edifice. But this sunshine of popularity may pass away, and many a noble pile has been abandoned for ages to the care of an impoverished Chapter, of a needy incumbent, or of a parish thinned by emigration. In such circumstances, only so much at- tention is paid to the edifice as is necessary to protect it against the inclemency of the weather or the injuries of time, and this care is generally confined to the exterior, while the interior is abandon- ed to solitude, dampness, and decay. Unfortunately, some of the most ancient and venerable churches in Rome are in this latter situation ; whether it be that they stand in quarters once populous but now deserted, or that churches erected in modern times or de- dicated to modern saints engross a greater share of public atten- tion, 1 know not ; but those of St. Paul, St. Laurence, St. Stephen, St. Agnes, and even the Pantheon itself, the glory of Rome and the boast of architecture, owe little or nothing to modern muni- ficence. But nothwithstandins; these disadvantasres and defects, there are few, very few churches in Rome, which do not present either in their size or their proportions, in their architecture or their materials, in their external or internal decoration, something that deserves the attention of the traveller and excites his just admiration. He therefore who delights in halls of an immense size and exact pro- portion, in lengthening colonnades and vast pillars of one solid block of porphyry, of granite, of Parian or Egyptian marble ; in pavements that glow with all the tints of the rainbow, and roots that blaze with brass or gold ; in canvas warm as life itself, and statues ready to descend from the tombs on which they recline ; will range round the churches of Rome, and find in them an inex- haustible source of instructive and rational amusement, such as no 304 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XV. modern capital can furnish, and such as might be equalled or sur- passed by the glories of ancient Rome alone. I shall now proceed to some particular churches, and Avithout pretending to enter into very minute details, mention only such circumstances as seem calculated to excite peculiar interest. The Church of St. Clement, in the great street that leads to St. John Lateran, is the most ancient church in Rome. It was built on the site, and was probably at first one of the great apartments of the house of the holy bishop whose name it bears. It is mentioned as ancient by authors of the fourth century (St. Jerome, Pope Zozimus, &c.) and is justly considered as one of the best models that now exist of the original form of Christian churches. It has frequently been repaired and decorated, but always with a religi- ous respect for its primitive shape and fashion. In front of it is a court with galleries, supported by eighteen granite pillars and paved with pieces of shattered marbles, among which I observed several fragments of beautiful Verde ontico. The portico of the church is formed of four columns of the same materials as the pil- lars of the gallery, and its interior is divided into a nave and aisles by twenty pillars of various marbles. The choir commences about the centre of the nave, and extends to the steps of the sanctuary ; there are two pulpits, called anciently Ambones, one on each side of the choir. A tiight of steps leads to the sanctuary or chancel, which is terminated by a semicircle, in the middle of which stands the episcopal chair, and on each side of it two marble ranges of seats border the walls for the accommodation of the priests ; the in- ferior clergy with the singers occupied the choir. In front of the episcopal throne, and between it and the choir, just above the steps of the sanctuary, rises the altar unencumbered by screens and con- spicuous on all sides. 'I'he aisles terminated in two semicircles. CH.xv. THROUGH ITALY. 305 now used as chapels called ancient Exedrw or Cella?, and appro- priated to private devotion in prayer or meditation. Such is the form of St. Clement's, which, though not originally a basilica, is evidently modelled upon such buildings ; as may be seen not only by the description given of them by Vitruvius, but also by several other churches in Rome, which, having actually been basihcae, still retain their original form with slight modifications. The same form has been retained or imitated in all the great Roman churches, and indeed in almost all the cathedral and abbey churches in Italy ; a form without doubt far better calculated both for the beauty of perspective and for the convenience of public worship than the arrangement of Gothic fabrics, divided by screens, insulated by partitions, and terminating in gloomy chapels*. S. Pietro in Vincoli, so called from the chains with which St. Pe- ter was bound both in Rome and at Jerusalem, now preserved, as is believed, under the altar, was erected about the year 420, and after frequent reparations presents now to the eye a noble hall, sup- ported by twenty Doric pillars of Parian marble, open on all sides, adorned with some beautiful tombs, and terminating in a semicircle behind the altar. It is pity that the taste of the age in which this edifice was erected should have been perpetuated through so many successive reparations, and the arches carried from pillar to pillar still suffered to appear ; while an entablature, like that of St. Maria * I recommend to my readers the account of ancient churches and tlieir ornaments given by the judicious and learned Fleury. The worit which contains it, with many curious details and interesting observations, is entitled Les Mccurs dcs Cliretiens. The perusal of it will give the traveller a very accurate notion of the subject at large, and enable him, not only to comprehend what he finds written upon it, but also to pro- nounce with some precision on the form and ornaments of such churches as he may here- after visit. (See chapters xxxv. et seq.) VOL. I. 2 u 306 CLASSICAL TOUR CH, XV. Maggiore, would have concealed the defect and rendered the order perfect. The pillars are too thin for Doric proportions, and too far from each other ; very different in this respect from the Doric models still remaining at Athens. But the proportions applied by the ancient Romans to this order, rendered it in fact a distinct order, and made it almost an invention of their own. Among the monuments the traveller will not fail to observe a sarcophagus of black marble and of exquisite form, on the left hand ; and on the right, the tomb of Julius II. indifferent in itself, but ennobled by the celebrated figure of Moses, supposed to be the master- piece of Michael Angelo, and one of the most beautiful statues in the world*. Not far from S. Pietro in Vincoli is the church of S. Martino and S. Silvestro, formed out of a part of the ruins of the neighbouring- baths of Titus, and, as far as regards the Crypta or subterraneous church, as ancient as the times of St. Sylvester and Constantine the Great. It has, as will easily be imagined, undergone various re- pairs, and is at present one of the most beautiful edifices in Rome. It is supported by Corinthian columns of the finest marbles, bearing not arches but an entablature, irregular indeed as to ornament, but of great and pleasing effect. The walls of the aisles are adorned with paintings by the two Poussins, and much admired by connois- seurs. The trihima or sanctuary is raised several steps above the body of the church : the high altar which stands immediately above the steps is of the most beautiful form and of the richest materials. The paintings on the walls and the roof are coloured in the brightest yet softest tints imaginable, and seem to shed over the whole * The ode or sonnet of Zappi, inspired by the contemplation of this wonderful statue, is well known, and may be found in Roscoe's late excellent work, the Life of Leo the Tenth, with a very accurate translation. CH, XV. THROUGH ITALY. 307 church a celestial lustre. Under the altar a door opens upon a marble staircase leading to a subterraneous chapel lined with stucco, nearly resembling marble, and adorned with numerous pillars in a very pleasing style of architecture. Thence you pass into the an- cient church, which from the increase of the ruins around is now become almost subterranean : it is a large vaulted hall once paved with mosaic, and seems iiom the remains to have been well fur- nished with marble and paintings ; it is now the receptacle of damp umvholesome vapours, that tinge the walls and hover round the solitary tombs. A few purple hats with their rich tassels, the insignia of the dignity of Cardinal, suspended from the vaults and tarnished with time and humidity, cast a feeble unavailing ray of splendour on the monuments of their departed possessors. The spectator, cautioned by the chillness of the place not to prolong his stay, contents himself with casting a transient glance on the sullen scenery, and returns to the splendid exhibition of the temple above. The church of St. Andrea in Monte Cavallo by Bernini, though so small as to deserve the name of chapel only, is so highly finished and so richly decorated that I should recommend it to the atten- tion of the traveller as peculiarly beautiful. It was formerly with the annexed convent the property of the Jesuits, who seldom wanted either the means or the inclination to impart splendour and magnificence to their establishments. Unfortunately they have often displayed more riches than taste, and given their churches the decorations and glare of a theatre, instead of adhering to the golden rule in religious architecture, that of disposing the best materials in the simplest order. The neglect of this maxim renders the great church of the Jesuits (the Giem), though confes- sedly one of the richest, yet in my opinion one of the ugliest, be- cause one of the most gaudy in Rome. 2 R 2 308 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XV. St. Cecilia in Trastexere has great antiquity and much magnificence to recommend it. It is supposed to have been the house of that virgin martyr, and they show a bath annexed to it in which they pretend that she was beheaded. Over the tomb is a fine statue, exactly representing the attitude and the drapery of the body as it was discovered in the tomb in the year 82 1 ; such at least is the purport of the inscription. The saint is represented as reclining on her side, her garments spread in easy folds around her, and her neck and head covered with a veil of so delicate a texture as to allow the spectator almost to discover the outlines of the counte- nance. The posture and drapery are natural as well as graceful, and the whole form wrought with such exquisite art, that we seem to behold the martyred virgin, not locked in the slumbers of death, but in the repose of innocence awaiting the call of the morning. A court and portico, according to the ancient custom, lead to this church, and pillars of fine marble divide and adorn it ; but it labours under the defect alluded to above, and like many other churches is encumbered with its own magnificence. S. Pietro in Montorio or Monte Aurco, a very ancient church, was once remarkable for its sculpture and paintings, furnished by the first masters in these two branches ; but many of the former have been broken or displaced, and some of the latter carried oft' by the French during the late predatory invasion. Among these is the famous Transfiguration, generally supposed to be the first paint- ing in the world. It was said to have been in a bad light in its original situation; but it must be recollected that Raffaello design- ed it for that very light ; besides, I do not believe that the French are likely to place it in a better*. * When I was at Paris in the year 1S02, it had been withdrawn from the gallery, and was intended for the chapel of one of the first consul's palaces. If in that of CH. XV. THROUGH ITALY. 309 In the middle of the Httle square formed by the cloister of the convent belonging to the church of St. Pietro in Montorio, is a chapel in the form of an ancient temple ; round, supported by sixteen pil- lars, and crowned with a dome. It is the work of Brarnante, and much admired. It would, methinks, have been more beautiful if the architect had copied the Greek models, or adopted the pro- portions of the temple of Tkoli of a similar form. Besides the lantern that crowns the dome, or rather terminates the cella, is by much too large for the edifice, and seems to crush it by its weight. Yet the colonnade, such is the effect of pillars, gives this little temple, with all its defects, an antique and noble appearance*. Santa Maria in Trastevere, or Basilica Calixti, is a very ancient church, supposed to have been originally built by Pope Calixtus about the year 220. It was rebuilt by Julius I. in the year 340, and has since undergone various repairs and received of course many improvements. Its bold portico and its nave are supported by ancient pillars, some of red, some of black granite, all of different orders and different dimensions ; the entablature also is composed of the shattered remains of various ancient cornices ; and, indeed, the whole edifice seems an extraordinary assemblage of orders, pro- portions, and materials. However, it exhibits a certain greatness of manner in the whole that never fails to cover defects in the detail, and its general appearance is bold and majestic. Its vault and Versailles the light be not too strong, the Transfiguration may appear to advantage, as the architecture and decorations of the chapel, the best I have seen beyond the Alps, are not perhaps altogether unworthy of contributing to display the beauties of such a master- piece. * This edifice is introduced into the Cartoon that represents St. Paul preaching at Athens, and is given with considerable accuracy. 310 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xv. chapels are adorned with several beautiful paintings by Bominichim and other great masters. The square before this church is watered by a handsome fountain, perhaps the most ancient in Rome, as it was opened by Adrian I. about the year 790, and restored and ornamented by Clement XII. S. Grisogono, a very ancient church, ascribed originally to Con- stantine, is remarkable for the numerous columns of granite, por- phyry, and alabaster that support its nave and choir. -S'. Giovanni e Paolo is equally ancient, and still more splendidly furnished with pillars and antique ornaments. S. Gregorio Magna is remarkable because erected by the cele- brated pontiff whose name it bears, on the very site of his own house, the residence of the Anician family. The church, with the convent adjoining, was by its founder dedicated under the title of St. Andrew, a title which was gradually lost, and replaced by that of St. Gregory. This fabric has undergone several changes, and though rich in materials has, from the bad taste with which those changes have been conducted, but little claim to our admiration. There are three chapels within the precincts of the convent, or rather annexed to the church, one of which is ennobled by the rival exertions of Guido and Dominichino, who have here brought their productions into contact, and left the delighted connoisseur to admire, and, if he dare, to decide the point of pre-eminence. As these paintings are on the walls of the chapel they remain ; but every article that could possibly be removed from the church and its dependent chapels were carried off by tlie Polish legion, which, during the French invasion, was stationed in the convent. So far indeed did this regular banditti carry their love of plunder, as to tear away the iron bars inserted in the walls of the church and CH. XV. THROUGH ITALY. 311 cloisters in order to strengthen them and to counteract the action of the vaults; so that it Avas considered as dangerous to walk in them as their fall was expected every hour. The classical reader would not pardon a traveller who should pass over in silence the church where the ashes of Tasso repose. This poet, the next in rank and in fame to Virgil, died in the con- vent of St. Onofrio, was buried without pomp, and lay for many years among the vulgar dead, without a monument or even an inscription over his remains. Few poets have received monumental honours immediately on their demise. Their fame has seldom taken its full range, or surmounted the ditficulties which envy throws in its way during their lifetime ; to pay due homage to their genius, and give to their memory all that man can give to the illustrious dead, sepulchral distinction, is generally the task of an impartial and grateful posterity. Upon this occasion however it was neither envy nor indifference, but friendship alone that deprived the Italian poet of the honours due to his merit. Immediately after his death, the fathers of the convent of St. Onofrio, and many persons of distinction, particularly the celebrated Manso, the friend and pane- gyrist of Milton, pressed forward with generous emulation to execute the honourable work : but the Cardinal Cinthio Medici, the patron of the poet in his latter days, considered the erection of a becoming monument as a duty and an honour peculiarly appropri- ated to himself, and though he found himself obliged to defer the discharge of the friendly office year after year, yet he never could be induced to allow any other person to fulfil it in his stead. Death however deprived him of the honour of erecting a tomb to Tasso ; and to the Cardinal Bcvilacqiia alone is the public indebted for the present monument, rather decent than magnificent, with a short inscription. Every English traveller Avho feels the sublimity of Milton, and knows how much the British bard owes to the Tuscan 312 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xv. poet, will hasten to the church of St. Onqfrio, and at the tomb of Torquato Tasso hail the muse that inspired their rival strains. Che di caduclii allori Non circonda la fionte in Helicona; Ma su ne Cielo infra i beati chori Ha di stelle immortali aurea corona! S. Sehastiano, a church erected by Constantine in memory of the celebrated martyr whose name it bears, has a handsome portico and contains some good pictures and paintings. It is however more remarkable for being the principal entrance into the ca- tacombs which he in its neighbourhood. The catacombs are subterranean streets or galleries from four to eight feet in height, from two to five in breadth, extending to an immense and almost unknown length, and branching out into various walks. The confusion occasioned by the intersection of these galleries resembles that of a labyrinth, and renders it ditiicult, and, without great precaution, dangerous to penetrate far into their recesses. The catacombs were originally excavated in order to find that earth or sand called at present prizzohmo, and supposed to form the best and most lasting cement. They followed the direc- tion of the vein of sand, and were abandoned when that Avas ex- hausted, and oftentimes totally forgotten. Such lone, unfrequented caverns afforded a most commodious retreat to the Christians, during the persecutions of the three first centuries. In them there- fore they held their assemblies, celebrated the holy mysteries, and deposited the remains of their martyred brethren. For the latter purpose they employed niches in the sides of the wall, placed there the body with a vial filled with the blood of the martyr, or perhaps some of the instruments of his execution, and closed up the mouth of the niche with thin bricks or tiles. Sometimes the name was CH. XV. THROUGH ITALY. 813 inscribed with a word or two, importing the behef and hopes of the deceased ; at other times a cross, or the initials of the titles of our Saviour interwoven, were the only marks employed to certify, that the body enclosed belonged to a Christian. Several bodies have been found without any inscription, mark, or indication of name or profession. Such may have belonged to Pagans, as it is highly probable, that these cavities were used as burial places* before as well as during the age of persecutions. It is impossible to range over these vast repositories of the dead, these walks of horror and desolation, Avithout sentiments of awe, veneration, and almost of terror. We seemed, on entering, to descend into the regions of the departed, wrapped up in the impenetrable gloom of the srave. o — — Marcentes iritus tenebrte, pallensque sub antrls, Longa nocte situs quo Non metuunt emittere manes. Independent of these imaginary terrors, the damp air and fetid exhalations warn the curious traveller to abridge his stay and hasten to the precincts of dayf-. * A Jewish cemetery was discovered on tlie Via Portueusis : it was ornamented with various paintings, in one of wliich was seen tiie golden candlestick, exactly in the same form as that in the Arch of Titus, An inscription, containing tlie word CTNArfir. . . . seems to show, that it had been employed as a place of worship. t The arenaricB extra Portam EsqiiUinam are mentioned hy Cicero (Pro Cluentio 13) as the scene of a horrible murder, the circumstances of wliich he relates ; and Nero, jt seems, was advised to conceal himself for a time in one of the arenaricB, bid refused to go under ground while alive (Suetonius, Nero 4S), Eusebius represents the Emperor Constantine as alluding to them, and frequent mention is made of them in the writers of VOL. I. 2 s 314 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xv. The church of Madonna del Sole is the ancient temple of Vesta, stripped of its whole entablature, curtailed of its full height by the raising of the ground which covers the lower part of tlie pillars, the fourth and fifth century. Prudentlus describes them with great accuracy and mi- nuteness. Ilaud procul extremo culta ad pomeria vallo RIersa hitebrosis crypta patet foveis Hujus in occultum gradibus via prona reflexis Ire per anfractus luce latente docet ; Primas namque fores summo tenus intrat hiatu, Illustratque dies limina vestibuli. '. Inde ubi progressu facili nigrescere visa est Nox obscura loci per specus ambiguum, Occurrunt celsis immensa foramina tectis, Quas jaciunt claros antra super radios. Quamlibet ancipites texant hinc inde recessus, Arcta sub umbrosis atria porticibus : Attamen excisi subter cava viscera montis Crebra terebrato fornice lux penetrat ; Sic datur absentis per subterranea solis Cernere fulgorem luminibusque frui. Pbri Steph. De Sancto Hippolito. The lively account which St. Jerom gives of these cemeteries is not less minute. Dum essem Romae puer et liberalibus studiis erudirer, solebam cum cseteris ejusdem aetatis et propositi, diebus dominicis sepulcra apostolorum et martyrum circumire, crebroque cryptas ingredi, quaa in terrarum profundo defossse, ex utraque parte ingredientium per parietes habent corpora sepultorum; et ita obscura sunt omnia ut propemodum illud propheticum compjeatur : descendant in infernum viventes : et rare desuper lumen admissum horrorem temperet tenebrarum, ut non tarn fenestram quam foramen demissi luminis putes ; rursumque pedetentim acceditur, et cava nocte circumdatis illud Virgilianum proponitur. Horror ubique animos simul ipsa silentia terrent. S. HiERON. in EZECH. The number of the cemeteries or catacombs is very great, as there are more than CH. XV. THROUGH ITALY. 315 and disfigured by a most preposterous roof. The cell and pillars of white marble remain, but the latter are almost lost in a wall drawn from column to column, and filling up the whole intermediate space. It is much to be lamented that when this edifice was fitted up for thirty known and distinguished by particular appellations, such as Cemeterium Calixti — Lucinae — Felicis et Adaucti, &c. In several, the halls or opener spaces are painted. Daniel in the Lion's Den — Jonas emerging from the Jaws of the Whale — "and the Good Shepherd bearing a Lamb on his shoulders, seem to have been the favourite subjects. The latter recurs oftener than any other, and generally occupies tlie most conspicuous place. Some of these decorations are interesting and give a pleasing picture of the man- ners of the times, while others occasionally exhibit an affecting representation of the sufferings of the Christians. Of the former kind is a painting on a vaulted ceiling in the cemetery of Pontianus : in a circle in the centre appears the Good Shepherd — in the corners four figures of Angels — on the sides the four Seasons. Winter is represented by a youth holding some sticks in his right hand and extending it towards a vase with a flame rbing from it: in his left he bears a lighted torch: a withered tree stands in the back ground. Spring is signified by a boy on one knee, as if lie had just taken up a lamb which he supports with one hand; in the other he holds a lily: the scene is a garden laid out in regular walks: near the border of one of these walks stands a tree in full foliage. Summer appears as a man in a tunic, with a round hat on his head, in the act of reaping; the sickle is of the same form as that used in England. Autumn is depicted as a youth applying a ladder to a tree, round which twines a luxuriant vine. All these compartments are divided by garlands and arabesques. Of the latter species of represen- tation we have an instance in a painting which presents a human figure immersed up to the middle in a boiling caldron, witii his hands joined before his breast, and his eyes raised to Heaven as if in ardent supplication. The three children in the flames occur frequently* and probably allude to the same subject. An inscription placed over one of these scenes of martyrdom is affecting. O tempora infausta, quibus inter sacra et vota ne in cavernis quidem salvari possumus . . . Quid miserius vita . . . quid morte . . . cum ab amicis et parentibus sepeliri nequeant. — Several words are obliterated. Besides these representations there are many detached figures, all alluding to religious and Christian feelings, such as anchors, palms, vases exhaling incense, ships, and portraits of different apostles. The dresses are often curious, and border upon some ornaments still in use in Italy, such as the cap of the Doge of Venice: the tunica and trowsers so common in the south, &c. &c. The language of the inscriptions is probably the colloquial Latin of the times, at least in many instances, and sometimes approaches very near to modern Italian. 316 CLASSICAL TOUR Cii. xv. a church, it was not restored to its original form and beauty; which mi<''ht have been done Avith less expense and difficulty than were necessary to erect the wall and raise the roof which I have just censured. It is indeed highly probable that the materials requisite for such a restoration, that is the fragments of the frieze, archi- trave, and cornice, might be found round the bases of the pillars, as they may form part of the mass of ruins which has raised the present so much above the level of the ancient pavement. But this singular want of taste appears, if possible, more conspicuous in two other instances. The temple of Fortuna Virilis*, now the church of Santa Maria Egiziaca, is one of the few monuments that still remain of the ccra of the Roman Republic. It is of the Ionic order, and its pro- portions and form are justly admired. Its portico was originally supported by four pillars, and its sides adorned with twice as many half columns. It was converted into a church in the ninth century, and long retained a considerable share of its primitive beauty. When it was reduced to its present degraded state I cannot pre- cisely determine, but I believe about the middle of the seventeenth century. It is said to have been, when repaired, in a ruinous state : though that were the case, it was less difficult to preserve than to alter its principal features. The latter however has been done. The wall that separated the Cella from the Vestibule was re- moved and rebuilt between the pillars of the portico, and windows were opened between the half columns on one of the sides. By these means a small space was added and more light was given to the interior, but the proportions and beauty Avere not a little im- paired. * There are doubts as to the real appellation of this temple, but all agree in its antiquity. cu. XV. THROUGH ITALY. 317 S. LoreiKo in Miranda. The name of this church, placed as it is in the Forum, and situated amidst a most wonderful display of Roman (grandeur, is alone a sufticient recommendation to the at- tention of the traveller ; but this recommendation acquires double weight when we learn, that it stands on the ruins of the temple of Antoninus and Faustina. 'ITie portico of the temple, excepting the pediment and part of the walls, remains. The order is Co- rinthian ; and the whole might have been restored without ditiiculty to its original form. But instead of following this process, which the state of the ruin almost forced upon the architect, he has erected a frontispiece behind the pillars, of proportions, size, and order totally dirt'erent ; of two stories so contrived, that the cornice of the first does not reach even the capitals of the pillars before it, while the second rises far above them, and exhibits on high, as if in triumph over good taste, its barbarous twisted pediment. Such instances of ignorance or stupidity, such preposterous and mis-shapen edifices, would surprise us even at Constantinople, where almost every monument of ancient magnificence has long since perished, and every recollection of ancient taste is oblite- rated ; but in Rome, where so many superb models still present themselves to our consideration, where all the arts, and particu- larly architecture, are honoured and cultivated with so much suc- cess, we behold them with astonishment and almost with horror. But neither censure, nor experience, nor disappointment, can deter vain and inconsiderate architects from fruitless attempts to improve upon the works of the ancients, or cure them of their partiality to capricious combinations, that have hitherto invariably terminated in deformity. Toiriani, for he I lielieve was the mason who built the modern part of the church of St. Lorenzo in Miranda, probably imagined, that his new frontispiece, with its two con- tracted stories, its petty pilasters, and its grotesque entablature. 318 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xv. would fix the attention of the public at once, and totally eclipse the simple majesty of the colonnade before it. Vain hopes ! The stately portico of Antoninus still attracts every eye and challenges universal admiration ; while the modern addition is condemned as often as noticed, and ranked among the monuments of a tasteless and semi-barbarous age. It is not my intention at present to describe the churches be- yond the walls : and of several within, which bear the names or are supposed to be formed of the ruins of ancient temples, I shall say but little, as they do not exhibit the least vestige of antiquity. Such is Ara Call, on the Capitoline hill, supposed by many au- thors to occupy the site of the temple pf Jupiter Capitolinus ; such also is Santa Maria sopra Minenm, reported to have been formerly the temple of that goddess ; neither of which have a particular claim, unless their titles be considered as such, to our attention*. We shall now therefore proceed to the greater churches, under which appellation I include the Pantheon and the Seven Patriarchal Basilica, so called because they are the cathedrals of the sovereign pontiff, who officiates in them on cer- tain festivals, and reserves the high altar entirely to himself. These seven churches are, St. Laurence (fuori delle 7nura), St. Se- bastian, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Maggiore or the Basilica Li~ beriann, St. Paid {fnori delle mura), St. John Lateran or the Basilica Lateranensis, St. Peter or the Basilica Vaticana. These * The traveller should visit the churclies that belong to particular nations and orders, and are considered as their respective mother churches; because not only French, Spaniards, Germans, but Greeks, Armenians, Cophts, or Egyptians, and even East Indians and Chinese have their colleges and churches. Tlie same may be said of all the religious orders. Several interesting particularities, that indicate the character of these nations and bodies, may be observed in their respective establishments. CH. XV. THROUGH ITALY. ,'$19 temples are all of great antiquity, and, if we except St. Sebastian, of great magnificence. But to begin with the Pantheon. The square of the Pantheon, or Piazza deJla Rotonda, is adorned with a fountain and an obelisk, and terminated by the portico of Agrippa. This noble colonnade consists of a double range of Co- rinthian pillars of red granite. Between the middle columns, which are a little farther removed from each other than the others, a passage opens to the brazen portals, which, as they unfold, expose to view a circular hall of immense extent, crowned with a lofty dome, and lighted solely from above. It is paved and lined with marble. Its cornice of white marble is supported by sixteen co- lumns and as many pilasters of Giallo aiitko ; in the circumference there are eight niches, and between these niches are eight altars adorned each with two pillars of less size but of the same mate- rials. The niches were anciently occupied by statues of the great deities : the intermediate altars served as pedestals for the inferior powers. The proportions of this temple are admirable for the effect intended to be produced ; its height being equal to its diameter, and its dome not an oval but an exact hemisphere. Such is the Pantheon, the most noble and perfect specimen of Roman art and magnificence that time has spared, or the ancients could have wished to transmit to posterity. It has served in fact as a lesson and a model to succeeding generations; and to it Con- stantinople is indebted for Santa Sophia, and to it Rome or rather the World owes the unrivalled dome of the Vatican. I need not inform my reader that the body of the Pantheon is supposed by many antiquaries to be of republican architecture, and of course more ancient than the portico, which, as its inscription imports, was erected by Agrippa about thirty years before the Christian a'ra. But whether the temple was built at the same time, or perhaps one \ 3-20 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XV. hundred years before its portico, is a matter of little consequence, as it is on the whole the most ancient edifice that now remains in a state of full and almost perfect preservation. It has, it is true, undergone various changes from pillage and reparations; but these changes have been confined entirely to the decorations. It was first altered by Domitian and afterwards repaired by Severus. The pillars, pilasters, and marble lining remain nearly as they were placed by the latter. It was plundered of part of its bronze orna- ments, among which some authors rank its brazen doors, by Gen- seric the Vandal monarch of Africa, and afterwards more com- pletely stripped of all its metal decorations by Constantine, the grandson of Heraclius, in the seventh century. This semi-barba- rian Emperor is represented by indignant antiquaries as the great- est scourse that ever visited Rome, and is said to have committed more excesses, and done more mischief to the city during a short stay of seven days, than the Goths or Vandals during their repeat- ed hostile approaches or long established dominion. The Pantheon was converted into a church by Pope Boni- face IV. about the year 609, and has since that period attracted the attention and enjoyed the patronage of various pontiff's. But though much has been done for the support and embellishment of this edi- fice, yet much is still wanting in order to restore to it all its glory. The pavement should be repaired, the marble lining of the attic replaced, and above all, the pannels of the dome gilt or edged with bronze. The want of some such decoration gives it a white, naked appearance, very opposite to the mellow tints of tire various mar- bles that cast so rich a glow over the lower part. Yet let not the traveller complain, if even in this magnificent monument he shall find that his expectations surpass the reality, and that his fancy has thrown around the Pantheon an imaginary splendour. He must not expect to fi^nd in it the freshness of youth. Years pass not in vain en. XV. THROUGH ITALY. 321 over man or his works ; they may sometimes spare proportion and symmetry, but beauty and grace, whether in the marble portico or in the human form, soon yield to their touch and vanish. Twenty ages have now rolled over the Pantheon, and if they have not crushed its dome in their passage, they have at least imprinted their traces in sullen grandeur on its walls ; they have left to it all its primeval proportions, but they have gradually stript it of its ornaments, its leaves of acantims and its glossy colours. Perhaps these marks of anticjuity and this venerable tint which time alone can shed over edifices, rather increase than diminish its majesty, by adding to its justly admired form, that which no architect can bestow, the charms of recollection, and the united interest of age and disaster. Though the Pantheon probably owes its preservation to the circumstance of its having been converted into a church, yet 1 know not whether it be altogether well calculated for that purpose. A circular hall, if consecrated to the offices of religion, requires that the altar should be in the centre, a position which it cannot occupy in the Pantheon, owing to the aperture perpendicularly over it. A round temple is not, even when arranged to the best advantage, nearly so suitable or commodious for a Christian as- sembly as the Basilica, with its corresponding aisles, elevated chancel, and semi-circular termination. Leaving therefore to the Pantheon its principal character of a temple, I would set it apart as a mausoleum sacred to the memory and remains of persons eminently distinguished by great talents and splendid public vir- tues ; of that class of worthies whom Virgil places in Elysium and ranks among demigods and heroes. In the centre might arise, on a lofty pedestal of steps, an altar of black marble destined solely for the service of the dead, supporting a cross of alabaster half veiled in brazen drapery. At the corners of the altar four antique VOL. I. 2 T 322 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XV. candelabra might pour a stream of solemn light on the funereal scene around. The monuments might occupy the niches, line the wall, and, when numerous, rise in circles around the centre. How- ever, as the number of personages who deserve the honour of a public funeral is small, a length of time would elapse, perhaps many centuries, before the niches would be filled, or the pavement en- cumbered with sarcophagi. The arrangement here described is only an extension of that which has actually taken place, as the Pantheon contains at present the tombs or rather the busts of se- veral distinguished characters, among which are the celebrated antiquary Winckelman, Metastosio, Mejigs, Poiissiii, Hannibal Carracci, and Baffaello himself. Two musicians also, Corelli and Sacchiniy have been admitted to the honours of the Pantheon*. On the Via Tibiirtina, at a small distance from the gate once of the same name, now more frequently called Porta cU S. Lorenzo, stands the Basilica of that martyr, erected over his tomb by Con- stantine. Though frequently repaired and altered, yet its original form and most of its original decorations still remain. A portico, as is usual in all the ancient Basilicae, leads to its entrance ; it is supported and divided by four-and-twenty pillars of granite ; the choir occupies the upper part of the nave in the ancient manner, as in St. Clement's. The ambones or two pulpits stand on either side of the entrance to the choir, close to the pillars ; they are very large and all inlaid with marble. From the choir a flight of steps leads to the sanctuary, pav ed with mosaic and adorned by a double story, each of twelve pillars of rich marble and of Corinthian form. Of the lower range of pillars part only appears above, as it descends * Tlie dedication of this church on the first of November, in the year 830, gav* occasion to the institution of the festival of All Saints. CH. XV. THROUGH ITALY. 323 through an open space left for that purpose far below the pave- ment. Four other coknnns adorn the wall that runs some feet be- hind the sanctuary, as four more of porphyry support the canopy over the altar. The seats of the sanctuary are of marble, as is the chair of the pontilV, a very ancient episcopal throne. Under the altar is the Confession or tomb of St. Laurence, where his body re- poses, as is related, with that of St. Stephen the first martyr; it is beautifully inlaid and incrusted with the most precious marble. This church, though unfrequented on account of its situation, is yet rendered highly interesting by its antiquity, its form, and its materials, and by a certain lonely majesty which seems to brood over it, and fills the mind with awe and reverence. Prudentius has described the martyrdom of St. Laurence in a long hymn, in which among many negligencies there are several beauties ; and the celebrated Vida has treated the same subject with the devotion of a bishop and with the enthusiasm of a poet. Several of his images, sentiments, and allusions, as well as his language through- out, are truly classical ; and while I recommend the two hymns of this author to the perusal of the reader, I cannot refuse myself the pleasure of inserting one passage from the first, not only on account of its exquisite beauty, but on account of its connexion with the scenery of Rome, and with the ground which we are now treading. In it the saint, when sensible or rather certain of his approaching fate, is represented as hanging occasionally over the Tiber, and turning with melancholy recollection towards his native land and the haunts of his youth. Si quando tamen in ripi subsistit amaeni Tybridis, aspectans auras, coelique profunda, Solis ad occasum versus, Non te amplius, inquif, 2 t3 324 CLASSICAL TOUR Cii. xv. Aspiciam, dives regnis*, Hispania opiinis, Nee vos, O patriae fluvii, caiique parentes. Qui spem forte mei reditfis agitatis inanem. Tuque, O Tybri! vale ! colics salvete Latini! Quos colui heroum tumuli, sacrataque busta! In another passage the last sensations and feehngs of the martyr are described in a style highly animated and affecting. The con- cluding verses of the same hymn express at once the piety and the patriotism of its author j-. From the Porta Tihiirtina a long and straight street, or rather road, leads almost in a direct line to the Basilica LiberianaX, or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which derives its former appella- tion from Pope Liberius in whose time it was erected, its latter, from its size and magnificence, as being the first that bears the ap- pellation of the Blessed Virgin. It is said to have been founded about the year 350, and has undergone many repairs and altera- tions since that period. It is one of the noblest churches in the world, and well deserves an epithet of distinction. It stands by itself on the highest swell of the Esquiline hill, in the midst of two great squares which terminate two streets of near two miles in length. To these squares the Basilica presents two fronts of mo- dern architecture and of different decorations. The principal front consists of a double colonnade, one over the other, the lower Ionic, * St. Laurence was a native of Spain. f V. 215. ■f In tiie portico of this church there is a large antique sarcophagus, on which is sculptiued an ancient marriage; on another which stands behind the sanctuary is a vintage. They are both admired for the beauty of the workmanship. The fields round St. Lorenzo were called anciently tlie Campus Veranus. CH. XV. THROUGH ITALY. 325 the upper Corinthian*; before it, on a lofty pedestal, rises a Co- rinthian pillar, supporting a brazen image of the Blessed ^'iroin. On the other side, a bold semicircular front, adorned with pilas- ters, and crowned with two domes, fills the eye and raises the expectation. Before it, on a pedestal of more than twenty feet in height, stands an Egj-ptian obelisk of a single piece of granite of sixty, terminating in a cross of bronze. These accompani- ments on each side give the ]3asilica an air of unusual grandeur, and it must be allowed, that the interior is by no means unworthy of this external magnificence. The principal entrance is, as usual in all the ancient churches, through a portico ; this portico is supported by eight pillars of granite, and adorned with corresponding marble pilasters. The traveller on his entrance is instantly struck with the two magnificent colonnades that line the nave and separate it from the aisles. They are supported each by more than twenty pillars, of which eighteen on each side are of white marble. The order is Ionic, with its regular entablature, the elevation of the pillars is thirty-eight feet, the length of the colonnade about two hundred and fifty. The sanctuary forms a semicircle behind the altar. The altar is a large slab of marble, covering an ancient sarcophagus of porphyry, in which the body of the founder formerly reposed. It is oversha- dowed by a canopy of bronze, supported by four lofty Corinthian pillars of porphyry. This canopy, though perhaps of too great a magnitude for its situation, as it nearly touches the roof, is the most beautiful and best proportioned ornament of the kind which I ever beheld. The side walls, supported by the pillars, are divided by * This front, notwithstanding the noble pillars of granite that support it, is justly censured for want of simplicity. 3-26 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xv. pilasters, betAveen which are alternately windows and mosaics ; the pavement is variegated, and the ceiling divided into square pan- nels, doubly gilt, and rich in the extreme. There is no transept, but instead ot" it two noble chapels open on either side. The one on the right, as you advance from the great entrance towards the altar, was built by Sixtus Quintus, and contains liis tomb : it would be considered as rich and beautiful, were it not infinitely surpassed in both these respects by the opposite chapel, belonging to the Borghese family, erected by Paul V. Both these chapels are adorned with domes and decorated with nearly the same archi- tectural ornaments. But in the latter the spectator is astonished at the profusion with which not bronze and marble only, but lapis lazuli, jasper, and the more precious stones are employed on all sides, so that the walls seem to blaze around, and almost dazzle the eyes with their lustre. He may perhaps feel himself inclined to wish, that those splendid materials had been employed Avith more economy, and conceive that a judicious arrangement might have produced a better effect with less prodigahty. These two chapels, Avhatever their magnificence or peculiar beauty may be, have pre- judiced the internal appearance of the church, and occasioned the only material deformity which even the eye of a critic can disco- ver : I mean the break occasioned by the arcades formed on both sides, to serve as entrances to these oratories. The colonnade, so beautiful even in its present state, would have been matchless were it not interrupted by these misplaced arches, which after all do not produce the effect intended by giving a grand entrance into these chapels, as the view is obstructed by the arch of the aisles, and by the intervention of the brazen portals. But be the defects what they may, I know not whether any architectural exhibition surpasses or even equals the Basilica Liberiana. The simplicity of the plan, the correctness of the execution, the richness of the ma- terials, and the decorations of the parts, the length of the colon- CH. XV. THROUGH ITALY. 327 nades and the elevation of the canopy, form altogether one of the noblest and most pleasing exhibitions that the eye can behold. As we advance along the ample nave, we are rather pleased than astonished with the scenery around us ; we easily familiarize our- selves with the calm grandeur of the place, and at the end retire with an impression, not of awe, but of delight and tranquillity. From the Basilica Liheriana a long and wide street leads to the Basilica Lateranemis. This church is the regular cathedral of the bishop of Rome, and as such assumes the priority of all others, and the pompous title of the Parent and M other of all Churches, " Ec- clesiarum Urbis et Orbis Mater et Caput/' It was founded by Constantine, but it has been burnt, ruined, rebuilt, and frequently repaired since that period. Its magnitude corresponds with its rank and antiquity, and the richness of its decorations are equal to both. The Basilica, like that of Santa Maria Maggiorc, has two porticos. That which presents itself to the traveller coming from the latter church, consists of a double gallery, one above the other, adorned with pilasters; the lower range Doric, the higher Corin- thian. On the square before this portico rises a noble obelisk, the most elevated of its kind. From its pedestal bursts an abundant stream, that supplies all the neighbouring streets with water. The principal portico faces the south ; it consists of four lofty columns and six pilasters. The order is Composite; the attic is adorned with a balustrade, and that balustrade Avith statues. A double order is introduced in the intervals and behind this frontispiece, to support the gallery destined to receive the pontift' when he gives his solemn benediction ; though it is formed of very beautiful pillars, yet it breaks the symmetry and weakens the effect of the whole. Other defects have been observed in this front, and the height of the pe- destals, the heavy attic with its balustrade, and the colossal statues that encumber it, have been frequently and justly criticised. Yet 328 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xv. with all these defects it presents a very noble and majestic ap- pearance. The vestibulum is a long and lofty gallery. It is paved and adorned with various marbles. Five doors open from it into the church, the body of Avhich is divided into a nave, and two aisles on each side. The nave is intersected by a transept, and termi- nated as is usual by a semicircular sanctuary. There are no rails nor partitions ; all is open, and a few steps form the only division between the clergy and the people : thus the size and proportions of this noble hall appear to the best advantage. Its decorations are rich in the extreme, and scattered with profusion, but unfor- tunately with little taste. The nave was renewed or repaired by Borromini, and is disfigured by endless breaks and curves, as well as overloaded with cumbersome masses. The church was anciently supported by more than three hundred antique pillars, and had the same plan of decoration been adopted in its reparation as was afterwards employed at Santa ISIaria Mag- giorc, it would probably have exhibited the grandest display of pillared scenery now in existence. But the architect it seems had an antipathy to pillars ; he walled them up in the buttresses, and adorned the buttresses with groups of pilasters : he raised the windows, and in order to crown them with pediments, broke the architrave and frieze, and even removed the cornice: he made niches for statues and topped them with crowns and pediments of every contorted form ; in short, he has broken every straight line in the edifice, and filled it with semi-circles, spirals, and triangles, 'i'he roof formed of wood, though adorned with gilding in pro- fusion, yet from too many and dissimilar compartments appears heavy and confused. The altar is small and covered with a Gothic sort of tower, said to be very rich, and certainly very ugly. The en. xr. r H R O U G II 1 TA LY. 3-2i) statues of the twelve apostles, that occupy the niches on each side of the nave, with their graceful pillars of T errfe antico, are much admired. There are several columns also that merit particular attention ; among these v/e may rank the antique bronze fluted pillars that support the canopy over the altar in the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento. Some suppose that these pillars belonged to the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus ; others fancy that they were brought from the temple of Jerusalem: be these conjectures as they may, the colunms are extremely beautiful. The various chapels of this church deserve attention, either for their form or for their embellishments ; but the Corsini chapel is entitled to particular consideration, and may be regarded as one of the most perfect buildings of the kind existing. Inferior perhaps in size, and more so in splendour, to the Borg/iese chapel, it has more simplicity in its form, and more purity in its decora- tion. This chapel is in the form of a Greek Cross. The entrance occupies the lower, the altar the upper part ; a superb mausoleum terminates each end of the transept ; the rail that separates the chapel from the aisle of the church is gilt brass ; the pavement is the finest marble ; the walls are incrusted with alabaster and jasper, and adorned with basso relievos ; six pillars adorn the recesses, the two on each side of the altar are / erde aiiticn ; the four others are porphyry, their bases and capitals are burnished bronze. The picture over the altar is a mosaic, the original by Giiido. The tombs with their statues are much admired, particu- larly that of Clement Xll. the Corsini pontiff, whose body reposes in a large and finely proportioned antique sarcophagus of por- phyry*. Four corresponding niches are occui)ied by as many * Tliis sarcophagus was taken from the portico of the I'anthi-on, and is supposed by some antiquaries to have contained the ashes of Agrippa. VOL. I. 2 u 330 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xv. statues, representing the cardinal virtues, and over each niche is an appropriate basso relievo. The dome that canopies this chapel, in itself airy and well lighted, receives an additional lustre from its golden pannels, and sheds a soft but rich glow on the marble scenery beneath it. On the whole, though the Corsini chapel has not escaped criticism, yet it struck me as the most beautiful edi- fice of the kind; splendid without gaudiness: the valuable mate- rials that form its pavement, line its walls, and adorn its vaults, are so disposed as to mix together their varied hues into soft and deli- cate tints ; while the size and symmetry of its form enable the eye to contain it with ease, and contemplate its unity, its proportions, and its ornaments without effort*. The Baptistery of St. John Lateran, which, according to the custom of the early ages still observed in almost all the cathedrals of Italy, though near is yet detached from the church, is called S. Giovaimi in Foiite, and is the most ancient of the kind in the Christian world. It was erected by Constantine, and is at the same time a monument of the magnificence of that Emperor and the bad taste of the age. A small portico leads into an octagonal edifice, in the centre of which there is a large bason about tlu-ee feet deep, lined and paved with marble. This bason is of the same form as the building itself; at its corners stand eight beautiful pillars, which support eight others of Avhite marble, and these latter bear an attic crowned with a dome. These pillars, with their entablatiu-e, were probably taken from various buildings, as they * Tliis edifice might be recommended as an excellent model for a domestic or college rlianel, or a mausoleum. Some critics have ventured to censure its architecture as too tame, and deficient in boldness and relievo. Its size is not, I believe, susceptible of more ; the defect, if it exist, is scarcely perceptible. en. XV. THROUGH ITALY. :m differ in order, .size, and proportion. The attic is painted in fresco, as is the gallery around the pillars below; the former repre- sents several Gospel histories, the latter some of the principal events of the reign of Constantine. The modern font, a large vase of green basaltes, stands in the centre of the bason raised on some steps of marble. Anciently the bason itself was the font into which the catechumen descended by the four steps which still remain for that purpose. There are two chapels, one on each side of the Baptistery, formerly destined for the instruction and accom- modation of the catechumens. In this chapel only, and only upon the eves of Easter and Pentecost, was public baptism administered anciently in Rome; many magnificent ceremonies which occupied the whole night accompanied this solemnity, and rendered it more delightful to the fervent Christians of that period than the most brilliant exhibitions of the day. The view from the steps of the principal portico of St. John Lateran is extensive and interesting. It presents a grove before; on one side the venerable walls of the city; the lofty arches of an aqueduct on the other: the church of Santa Croce in front, and beyond it the desolate Campagna bounded by the Alban JSIount, tinged with blue and purple, and checkered with woods, towns, and villages. A wide and straight road leads through the solitary grove which 1 have just mentioned to the Basilica di Santa Ciocc in Gierusalemnie, another patriarchal church erected by Constantine on the ruins of a temple of Venus destroyed by his orders. This church derives its name from some pieces of the holy cross, and from a quantity of earth taken from Mount Calvary and deposited in it by St. He- lena, Constantine's mother. It is remarkable only for its antique shape, and for the eight noble columns of granite that support its 2 u 2 332 "^ CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XV. nave. Its front is modern, of rich materials, but of very indifferent architecture. The semicircuUir vault of the sanctuarj^ is adorned with paintings in fresco, which, though verj^ defective in the essential parts, 5'et charm the eye by the beautj^ of some of the figures and the exquisite freshness of the colouring. The lonely situation of this antique Basilica amidst groves, gardens, and vineyards, and the number of mouldering monuments and tot- terina' arches that surround it, 2;ive it a solemn and aft'ectino; appearance. The patriarchal Basilica of St. Paul, called S. Paolo fuori delle Mura, at some distance from the Forto Ostiemis, is one of the grandest temples erected by the first Christian Emperor. It was finished by Theodosius and his son Honorius, and afterwards, when shattered by earthquakes and time, it was repaired first by Leo III. and again after a long interval by Sixtus Quintus. Such was the respect which the public entertained for this church, and so great the crowds that flocked to it, that the Emperors above- mentioned thought it necessary (if we may believe Procopius) to build a portico from the gate to the Basilica, a distance of near a mile. The magnificence of this portico seems to have equalled the most celebrated works of the ancient Romans, as it was supported by marble pillars and covered with gilt copper. But whatsoever may have been its former glory, it has long since yielded to the depredations of age or barbarism, and sunk into dust without leaving even a trace to ascertain its former existence. The road is now unfrequented, and the church itself, with the adjoining abbey belonging to the Benedictine monks, is almost abandoned during the summer months on account of the real or imaginary unwhole- someness of the air. The exterior of this edifice, like that of the Pantheon, being of cr^.xv. THROUGH ITALY. 333 ancient brick looks dismal and ruinous. The portico is supported by twelve pillars, and forms a gallery or vestibulum lofty and spacious. The principal door is of bronze ; the nave and double aisles are supported by four rows of Corinthian pillars, amounting in all to the number of eighty. Of these columns, four-and-twenty of that beautiful marble, called pavonazzo (because Avhite tinged wilh a delicate purple), and the most exquisite workmanship and proportions. Mere taken from the tomb of Adrian {Castel S. An- gelo). 'Y\\e transept, or rather the walls and arches of the sanc- tuary, rest upon ten other columns, and thirty more are employed in the decoration of the tomb of the iVpostle and of the altars. These pillars are in general of porphyrj% and the four that support the central arches are of vast maonitude. Two flights of marble steps lead from the nave to the sanctuary : the pavement of this latter part is of fme marble ; that of the former of shattered frag- ments of ancient tombs, marked with inscriptions. The altar stands under a canopy, terminated by an awkward Gothic pyra- mid; the circumference of the sanctuary is adorned with some very ancient mosaics. The walls of the nave and centre rest on arches carried from pillar to pillar ; those of the nave are high and covered with faded paintings. The length of the church is about three hundred feet, its breadth about one hundred and fifty, and, from its magnitude, proportions, and materials, it undoubt- edly furnishes all the means requisite, if properly managed, of rendering it one of the most noble, and perhaps one of the most beautiful churches in the world. As it is, it presents a very exact copy of its ancient state, for it seems to have suffered considerable tlamage almost as soon as finished, from the Avars, alarms, and devastations that commenced in the reign of Ilonorius, and con- tinued during several successive centuries. Although many popes, and particularly Sixtus Quintus and Benedict XIV., have repaired or ornamented this venerable fabric. :«4 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xv. yet it still retains an unfinished, forlorn, and almost ruinous appear- ance. The pavement is, as has been observed above, made up of broken remnants; the ancient pictures that adorned the Avails are nearly effaced by damp vapours ; the beams and rafters of the roof form the only covering of the body of the church : and the whole Basilica, excepting the sanctuary, presents the aspect of a neglected and melancholy monument. The Benedictine monks are in all countries where the Order exists, but particularly in Italy, both rich and public spirited ; and it is a subject of surprise, and just reproach, that while so many superb edifices have been erected by them in different towns and countries, one of the most ancient and celebrated temples in the Christian world should even in the Capital itself, and under the eye of the pontiff, be allowed to moulder away and sink almost unnoticed into ruin. The expenses requisite for the reparation and embellishment of such an edifice would be great without doubt ; but to an opulent and religious society, money when employed for such a purpose cannot be an object of consideration, especially as the work might be carried on gradually and with all due regard to economy*. * The roof is much admired for its mechanism and revered for Its antiquity: but how- ever curious or venerable it may be in these respects, it forms, as all mere carpentery must form, a very dull and unappropriate ceiling to a marble temple. The beams were orig'i- nally lined with gold, and indeed the whole edifice was most splendidly decorated, as we are assured by Prudentius who visited it in its first glory. Regia pompa loci est, princeps bonus has sacravit arces Lusitque magnis ambitum talentis. Bracteolas trabibus sublevit, ut omnis aunilenta Lux esset intus, ceu jubar sub ortu. Subdidit et Parias fulvis laquearibus columnas, Distittguit illic quas quaternus ordo: Turn Camyros hyalo insigni varie cucurrit arcus, Sic prata vernis floribus renident. Passio Beat. Apost. CH.xv. THROUGH ITALY. 335 The arches from pillar to pillar introduced by the bad taste of the age of Diocletian, might be covered as in Santa Maria Maggiore by a regular entablature; and, as in all the other Basilica?, the floor might be tlawsred and the walls lined with marble. The paintings might then be restored with perfect security, and the work of reparation finished by removing the present Gothic obelisk that encumbers the tomb of the Apostle, and by employing the beautiful columns that now seem to groan under its weight in supporting a light and well-proportioned canopy. I have already said that S. Paolo might be made one of the most beautiful churches in the world, and the changes here pointed out would T think accomplish that object, and give it all the splendour of which it is susceptible. It already indeed exhibits the noblest col- lection of pillars now existing, and if these were set off to advan- tage by an appropriate cornice and corresponding decorations around, its colonnades would form a scene inferior in extent in- deed, but equal if not superior in regular architectural beauty even to the magnificent arcades of the Vatican. 336 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XVI. CHAP. XVL THE BASILICA VATICAXA, OR ST. PETEr's. TO the Vatican we shall now turn, and close our account of Ro- man churches by a faint and imperfect description of some of the glories of this unrivalled fabric, the boast of modern skill and trophy of the united arts of painting, sculpture, and architecture. The Basilica of St. Peter was the first and noblest rehgious edifice erected by Constantine. It stood on part of the circus of Nero, and was supposed to occupy a spot consecrated by the blood of numberless martyrs exposed or slaughtered in that place of public amusement by order of the tyrant*. But its principal and exclu- sive advantage was the possession of the body of St. Peter ; a cir- * This supposition is far from being groundless, as appears from the words of Tacitus si>eaking of the persecutions of Nero. Ergo abolendo riimori (jussum incendium Romae) Nero subdidit reos et quiesitisimis pfenis adfecit, quos per flagitia invisos, vulgus Christia- nos appellabat Et pereuntibus addita ludibria, ut ferarum tergis contecti laniatu canum interirant aut crucibus affixi, aut flammandi, atque ubi defccisset dies, in usum nocturni luminis urerentur. Hortos suos ei spcctaculo Nero obtulerat, et circeme ludicrum cdebat habitu aurigae permixtus plebi, vel curriculo insistens. — Tacitus, Ann. XV. 41. cii. XVI. THROUGH ITALY. 337 cumstance which raised it in credit and consideration above the Basilica Latcra7iaisi.s, dignified its threshold with the honourable ap- pelhition of the Limina Apostolorum, and secured to it the first place in the affection and reverence of the Christian world. Not only monks and bishops but princes and emperors visited its sanctuary with devotion, and even kissed as they approached the marble steps that led to its portal. Nor was this reverence confined to the or- thodox monarchs who sat on the throne of the founder ; it extended to barbarians, and more than once converted a cruel invader into a suppliant votary. The vandal Gcmeric, whose heart seldom felt emotions of mercj', while he plundered everj^ house and temple Avith unrelenting fury, spared the treasures deposited under the roof of the Vatican Basilica, and even allowed the plate of the churches to be carried in solemn pomp to its hiviolable altars. Totila, who in a moment of vengeance had sworn that he would bury the glory and the memory of Rome in its ashes, listened to the ad- monitions of the pontitf, and resigned his fury at the tomb of the Apostles. Every age as it passed over the Vatican seemed to add to its holiness and its dignity ; and the coronation of an Emperor or the installation of a Pope, the deposition of the remains of a prince or the enshrinement of the reliques of a saint, appeared as so many tributes paid to its supereminence and gave it so many new claims to the veneration of the Christian world. At length however, after eleven centuries of glory, the walls of the ancient J3asilica began to give way, and symptoms of approaching ruin were become so visi- ble about the year 1450, that Nicolas V. conceived the project of taking down the old church and erecting in its stead a new and more extensive structure. However, though the work was begun, yet it was carried on with feebleness and uncertainty during more than half a century, till Julius II. ascended the papal throne and VOL. r. 2 X 338 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xvi. resumed the great undertaking with that spirit and decision which distinguished all the measures of his active pontificate. Great princes generally find or create the talents requisite for their pur- poses, and Julius discovered in Bramante an architect capable of comprehending and executing his grandest conceptions, A plan was presented and approved. The walls of the ancient Basilica were taken down, and on the eighteenth of April 1508, the founda- tion stone of one of the vast pillars that support the dome was laid by Julius with all the pomp and ceremony that became such an interesting occurrence. From that period the Avork, though carried on with ardour and perseverance, yet continued during the space of one hundred years to occupy the attention and absorb the income of eighteen pontiffs. I might have augmented this number by the addition of the names of Urban VIII. Alexander VII. and their successors down to Benedict XIII. who all contributed to the erection, embellishment, and completion of the superb colonnade that opens before the church, and adds so much to its majesty. The popes who have since followed have not been entirely inactive, but have endeavoured each according to his ability to acquire a share in the glory and duration of this edifice by some decoration or improvement. In fine, the late Pius VI. built the sacristy, and by this necessary appendage, M"hich had till then been wanting, may be considered as having accompUshed the grand undertaking and given the Basilica Vaticana its full perfection. On the whole it would not be exaggeration to assert, that nearly three hundred years elapsed and five and thirty pontiffs reigned, from the period of the commencement to that of the termination of this stupendous fabric. The most celebrated architects of modern times had an opportunity of displaying their talents and immor- talizing their names in the prosecution of the work, and Bramante, Raffadlo, San Gallo^ Michael Angela, Vignola, Carlo Maderno, and cu. XVI. THUOUGH ITALY. 339 Bernini, not to speak of others of less reputation, laboured succes- sively in its promotion or consummation. To calculate the expense with an^- great precision would be difli- cult, but from the best information that has been collected on the subject we may venture to state, that however enormous the sum may appear, the expenditure must have amounted to at least twelve millions sterling ; and when we consider that the marbles, bronze, and other valuable materials employed in its decoration are not only uncommon but scarcely known out of Rome, we may add that it would require three times as much to raise a similar edifice in any other capital. From the latter observation we may infer, that if a convulsion of nature, or, what is still more to be dreaded, an explosion of human malignity should shatter or destroy this admirable fabric, many ages must elapse and numberless ge- nerations pass away before means could be collected or talents foimd to restore it, or to erect another of equal magnificence. ^Vhat then will be the astonishment or rather the horror of my reader, when 1 inform him that this unrivalled temple, the triumph and masterpiece of modern skill, the noblest specimen of the genius and the powers of man, was during the late French invasion made an object of rapacious speculation and doomed to ruin. Yet such is the fact. When the exhausted income of the state and the plunder of all the public establishments were found unequal to the avarice of the generals, and to the increasing wants of the soldiers, the French committee turned its attention to St. Peter's, and employed a com- pany of Jews to estimate and purchase the gold, silver, and bronze that adorn the inside of the edifice, as well as the copper that covers the vaults and dome on the outside. The interior ornaments might perhaps have been removed without any essential or irrepa- rable damage to the body of the fabric; but to strip it of itsexter- 2x2 340 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xvi. nal covering was to expose it to the injuries of the weather, and to devote it to certain destruction; especially as the papal government when restored had not the means of repairing the mischief. But Providence interposed, and the hand of the Omnipotent was extended to protect his temple. Before the work of sacrilege and barbarism could be commenced, the French army alarmed by the approach of the allies retired with precipitation, and St. Peter's stands ! From the bridge and Castelde St. Angela a wide street conducts in a direct line to a square, and that square presents at once the court or portico and part of the Basilica*. When the spectator approaches the entrance of this court, he views four rows of lofty pillars sweeping off to the right and left in a bold semicircle. In the centre of the area formed by this immense colonnade -]• an Egyp- tian obelisk of one solid piece of granite ascends to the height of one hundred and thirty feet; two perpetual fountains, one on each side, play in the air and fall in sheets round the basons of por- phyry that receive them. Before him, raised on three successive flights of marble steps, extending four hundred feet in length and towering to the elevation of one hundred and eighty, he beholds the majestic front of the BasiHca itself This front is supported by a single roAV of Corinthian pillars and pilasters, and adorned with * The late pope had some thoughts of widening this street and giving it throughout an expansion equal to the entrance of tlie portico, so that the colonnade, fountains, obelisk, and churcli would thus burst at once upon the eye of the spectator when he turned from the bridge. Though the approach to St. Peter's is already sufficiently noble, yet this al- teration would without doubt have added much to its magnificence. The invasion of the French and the consequent distressing events, suspended the execution of this and many similar plans of improvement. f This colonnade, with its entablature, balustrade, and statues, is seventy feet in height. CH. xvr. THROUGH ITALY. 341 an attic, a balustrade, and thirteen colossal statues. Far behind and above it rises the matchless Dome, the justly celebrated zcomkr of Rome and of the uorld. The colonnade of coupled pillars that surround and strengthen its vast base, the graceful attic that sur- mounts this colonnade, the bold and expansive swell of the dome itself, and the pj^ramid seated on a cluster of columns, and bearing the ball and cross to the skies, all perfect in their kind, form the most magnificent and singular exhibition that the human eye per- haps ever contemplated. Two less cupolas, one on each side, partake of the state and add not a little to the majesty of the principal dome. The interior corresponds perfectly Avith the grandeur of the exterior, and fully answers the expectations, hoAvever great, which such an approach must naturally have raised*. Five lofty portals open into the portico or vestibulum, a gallery in dimensions and decorations equal to the most spacious cathedrals. It is four hundred feet in length, seventy in height, and fifty in breadth, paved with variegated marble, covered with a gilt vault, adorned with pillars, pilasters, mosaic, and basso relievos, and terminated at both ends by equestrian statues, one of Constantine, the other of Charlemagne. A fountain at each extremity supplies a stream suthcient to keep a reservoir always full, in order to carry off" every unseemly object, and perpetually refresh and purify the air and the pavement. Opposite the five portals of the vestibule are * Ad Basilicae Vaticanae vestibulum subsistimus ; neque, autlemus tam divinae fabricje majestatem rudi calamo violare. Sunt cnim nonnulla, quae nullo melius modoy quam stupore et silentio laudantur, sai/s the learned Mubillun : Iter IlaUcum. " 1 saw St. Peter's," says Gray, " and was struck dumb with astonishracut." :H2 CLASSICAL TOUU CH. xvi. the five doors of the church ; three are adorned with pillars of the finest marble ; that in the middle has valves of bronze. As 3'ou enter you behold the most extensive hall ever con- structed by human art, expanded in maonificent perspective before you ; advancing up the nave you are delighted with the beauty of the variegated marble under your feet, and with the splendour of the golden vault over your head. The lofty Corinthian pilasters with their bold entablature, the intermediate niches with their statues, the arcades with the graceful figures that recline on the curves of their arches, charm your eye in succession as you pass along. But how great your astonishment when you reach the foot of the altar, and standing in the centre of the church contemplate the four superb vistas that open around you ; and then raise your eyes to the dome, at the prodigious elevation of four hundred feet, extended like a firmament over your head, and presenting in glowing mosaic the companies of the just, the choirs of celestial spirits, and the whole hierarchy of Heaven arrayed in the presence of the Eternal, whose " throne high raised above all height" crowns the awful scene. When you have feasted your eye with the grandeur of this un- paralleled exhibition in the Avhole, you will turn to the parts, the ornaments, and the furniture, which you will find perfectly corre- sponding with the magnificent form of the temple itself. Around the dome rise four other cupolas, small indeed when compared to its stupendous magnitude, but of great boldness when considered separately : six more, three on either side, cover the difi'erent divi- sions of the aisles, and six more, of greater dimensions, canopy as many chapels, or to speak more properly as many churches. All these inferior cupolas are, like the grand dome itself, lined with CH. XVI. THROUGH ITALY. 343 mosaics ; many indeed of the master-pieces of painting which formerly graced this edifice have been removed and replaced by mosaics which retain all the tints and beauties of the orioinals impressed on a more sohd and durable substance. The aisles and altars are adorned with numberless antique pillars, that border the church all around, and form a secondary and subservient order. The variegated walls are in many places ornamented with festoons, wreaths, angels, tiaras, crosses, and medallions representing the effigies of different pontiffs. These decorations are of the most beautiful and rarest species of marble, and often of excellent workmanship. Various monuments rise in different parts of the church ; but in their size and accompaniments so much attention has been paid to general as well as local effect, that they appear rather as parts of the original plan than posterior additions. Some of these are much admired for their groupes and exquisite sculp- ture, and form very conspicuous features in the ornamental part of this noble temple. The high altar stands under the dome, and thus as it is the most important so it becomes the most striking object In order to add to its relief, and give it all its majesty, according to the ancient custom still retained in the patriarchal churches at Rome and in most of the cathedrals in Italy, a lofty canopy rises above it, and forms an intermediate break or repose for the eye between it and the immensity of the dome above. The form, materials^ and magnitude of this decoration are equally astonishing. Below the steps of the altar, and of course some distance from it, at the corners, on four massive pedestals, rise four twisted pillars fifty feet in height, and support an entablature which bears the canopy it- self topped with a cross. The whole soars to the elevation of one hundred and thirty-two feet from the pavement, and, excepting the pedestals, is of Corinthian brass L the most lofty massive work 344 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xti. of that or of anj' other metal now known. But this brazen edifice, for so it may be called, notwithstanding its magnitude, is so dis- posed as not to obstruct the view bj' concealing the chancel and veiling the Cathedral or Chair of St. Peter. This ornament is also of bronze, and consists of a group of four gigantic figures, repre- senting the four principal Doctors of the Greek and Latin churches, supporting the patriarchal chair of St. Peter. The chair is a loftj'^ throne, elevated to the height of seventy feet from the pavement ; a circular window tinged with yellow throws from above a mild splendour around it, so that the whole not unfitly represents the pre- eminence of the apostolic See, and is acknowledged to form a most becoming and majestic termination to the first of Christian temples. When I have added that every part and every ornament is kept in the most perfect repair ; that the most exact neatness and cleanliness is observable on all sides ; that the windows are so managed as to throw over the whole a light, clear and distinct, yet soft and gentle, I shall leave the reader to imagine what an impression the contemplation of an edifice so glorious must make on the mind of a youthful or enthusiastic traveller. Under the high altar of St. Peter's is the tomb of that apostle, formerly called the Coufession of St. Peter, an appellation which it has communicated to the altar and its canopy. The descent to it is before, that is to the west of the altar, where a large open space leaves room for a double flight of steps, and for an area before two brass folding doors that admit into a vault, whose grated floor is directly over the tomb. The rails that surround this space above are adorned with one hundred and twelve bronze cornucopiae, which serve as supporters to as many silver lamps that burn perpetually in honour of the Apostle. The staircase, with its balustrade, the pavement of the little area and the walls around, are all lined with CH. XVI. THROUGH ITALY. 345 alabaster, lapis lazuli, verde antico, and other kinds of the most beautiful marble. The pavement of the area is upon a level with the Sacre grotte, though the regular entrance into those subterra- neous recesses is under one of the great pillars that support the dome. The Sacre grotte are the remains of the ancient church built by Constantine, the pavement of which was respected and preserved with all possible care during the demolition of the old and the construction of the new Basilica. They consist of several long winding galleries, extending in various directions under the present building. They are venerable for their antiquity and contents, and if Addison never visited Westminster Abbey, or trod its gloomy cloisters without strong impressions of religious awe, I may be pardoned when I acknowledge that I felt myself penetrated with holy terror, while, conducted by a priest in his surplice with a lighted torch in his hand, I ranged through these dormitories of the dead, lined with the urns of emperors and pontiffs, and almost paved with the remains of saints and martyrs. The intrepid Otho, the turbulent Alexander, and the polished Christina, lie moulder- ing near the hallowed ashes of the Apostles Peter and Paul, of the holy pontiffs Linus, Silvester, and Adrian. The low vault closes over their porphyry tombs, and silence and darkness brood unin- terrupted around them. . My awe increased as I approached the monument of the Apostles themselves. Others may behold the mausoleum of an emperor or of a consul, of a poet or of an orator, with enthusiasm ; for my part, I contemplated the sepulchre of these Christian heroes with heart-felt veneration. What, if a bold achievement, an useful invention, a well-fought battle, or a well-told tale, can entitle a man to the admiration of posterity, and shed a blaze of glory over VOL. I. 2 V 346 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xvi. his^ remains, surely the courage, the constancy, the cruel suffer- ings, the triumphant death of these holy champions, must excite our admiration and our gratitude, ennoble the spot where their relics repose, and sanctify the very dust that imbibed their sacred blood. By sacrificing their lives to the propagation of truth, and to the reformation of mankind, they are become the patriots of the world at large, the common benefactors of their species, and in the truest and noblest sense heroes and conquerors. How natural then for a Christian not only to cherish their names but to extend his grateful attention to their ashes and his veneration even to their tombs. Superba sordent Csesares cadavera Quels urbs litabat impii cultfts feraxt Apostolorum gloriatur ossibus Fixamque adorat coUibus suis crucem. Nunc, O cruore purpurata nobili Novisque felix Roma conditoribus Horum tropjeis aucta quanto verius Regina fulges orbe toto civitas ! ! * Brev. Par. * St. John Chrysostom makes an eloquent allusion to this tomb, when speaking of the last day he exclaims — EKct&tv apTrayritrtTM HavXo;, txsiSiv Tlsrpo;. "Evvotjo-aTe, xai ^pi^ocTB, aitv ovj/trai @saiJ.a Poi/xi) rov TiavXov i^aifvrjs anfra/xevov affo rijf flijxijf £x£iv»;f ju.sra Tlsrp8, xeu aif-ou£voy si; rr/v airavrijriv rs Kvpio'j. And again, Eyoi xai rrjv Ptujw.ijv J(a rsro f iXw xai toi ys ai;n;v xai eTcpui^iv iyuiv efouytiy, xai airo T8 /xfyfS-af, xa( aTTO rijf ao;^a(OTT;r^, xai ava m xaXXsf, x«( a*o n;; SiivctssMS, xou owo T8 OTAsrs, xai airo raiy ■x.aro^^wu.arwv ruiv £v ■moXeij.ui aXXa. Tnayta. -raura afei;, Sia rar» aurijv /iaxafn^to, on (nauA^) xai X,ujv uxirci; eypa ra9w, xai TTyV xoviy iJeiy T8 auijj.a.T^ bkbivb; — Tijv xoviv ra ro/Aar©', — Ji ou «XaXsi EKavriw fiairiXiuiy, xai ux ijtrp^ivfro; — TvpMyes eTferof-iff I,— rr/y 0iX8f«.E)fij» rou 0En wporriyays' ry CH. XVI. THROUGH ITALY. 347 The vestrj' or sacristy of St. Peter's is a most magnificent edi- fice, connected mth the church by a long gallery, and adorned with numberless pillars, statues, paintings, and mosaics. It is in reality a large and spacious church, covered with a dome in the centre, and surrounded with various chapels, recesses, and apart- ments adapted to the devotion and the accommodation of the pontiff, the dean of St. Peter's, and the members of its chapter. It was erected by the orders of the late Pope Pius VI. at an im- mense expense ; and though in many respects liable to criticism, yet it is on the whole entitled to admiration. Froni the lower part of the Basilica, we pass to the roof by a well lighted staircase, winding round with an ascent so gentle that beasts of burthen go up Avithout inconvenience. When you reach* the platform of the roof you are astonished with the number of cupolas and domes and pinnacles that rise around you ; with the galleries that spread on all sides, and the many apartments and staircases that appear in every quarter. Crowds of workmen are to be seen passing and repassing in every direction, and the whole has rather the form of a town than that of the roof of an edifice. Here the traveller has an opportunity of examining closely and minutely the wonderful construction of the dome, and of discover- rijy xapJiav^ smivr^v lavftuf^iyriy xa9' sxa.s'dv fuiv a.mXKvji£vujv, — rrjV xaivrjv t,ri ''b. x. cap. 33. VOL. I. 3 B 370 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xvii. city of the hearers who were accustomed to join the song and to accompany the choir. This ancient music, which has long been kno\vn by the name of the Gregorian chaunt, so well adapted to the gravity of divine service, has been much disfigured in process of time by the bad taste of the middle, and the false refinements of the latter ages. The first encumbered it with an endless succession of dull unmean- ing notes, dragging their slow length alovg, and burthening the ear with a dead weight of sound ; the other infected it with the melting airs, the laboured execution, the effeminate graces of the orchestra, useless, to say the least, even in the theatre, but profane and almost sacrilegious in the church. Some care seems to have been taken to avoid these defects in the papal choir. Tlie general stjle and spirit of the ancient and primitive music have been retained, and some modern compositions of known and acknowledged merit introduced on stated days and in certain circumstances. Of musical instruments, the organ only is admitted into St. Peter's, or rather into the papal chapel, and even that not always : voices alone are employed, in general, and as those voices are numerous, perfect in their kind, and in thorough unison Avith each other, and as the singers themselves are concealed from view, the effect is enchanting, and brings to mind the celestial voices in full harmonic number joined, that sometimes reached the ears of our first parents in Paradise, and lifted their thoughts to Heaven. Of all the Roman ceremonies the pontifical service at St. Peter's is without doubt the most majestic ; and if we.add to it the proces- sion on Corpus Christi, in which the pope bears the holy sacrament in solemn pomp along the colonnade, then hung according to the ancient fashion with tapestry and graced with garlands, we shall have mentioned the two most splendid exhibitions perhaps to be CH. XVII. THROUGH ITALY. 371 seen in the Universe. But besides these there are others, particu- larly during the last week of Lent, which cannot fail to excite attention and interest. The procession with psalms, and the af- fecting chaunt of the Passion on Sunday; the evening service, called Tenebrd', in the Sixtine Chapel on AVednesday, Thursday, and Friday ; the morning service on the two latter days, par- ticularly the Mandatum, so called from the first word of the anthem sung while the pope washes the feet of thirteen pilgrims, &c. are all rites which it is dithcult to behold without edification and per- haps emotion. I must not pass over the well known exhibition that takes place in St. Peter's on the night of Good Friday, when the hundred lamps that burn over the tomb of the Apostle are extinguished, and a stupendous cross of light appears suspended from the dome, be- tween the altar and the nave, shedding over the whole edifice a soft lustre delightful to the eye, and highly favourable to pictu- resque representations. This exhibition is supposed to have ori- ginated in the sublime imagination of INIichael Angelo, and he who beholds it will acknowledge that it is not unworthy of the inventor. The magnitude of the cross hanging as if self-sup- ported, and like a meteor streaming in the air; the blaze that it pours forth ; the mixture of light and shade cast on the pillars, arches, statues, and altars ; the crowd of spectators placed in all the different attitudes of curiosity, wonder, and devotion ; the pro- cessions with their banners and crosses gliding successively in silence along the nave, and kneeling around the altar ; the peni- tents of all nations and dresses collected in groupes near the con- fessionals of their respective languages; a cardinal occasionally advancing through the crowd, and, as he kneels, humbly bending his head to the pavement ; in fine, the pontifi' himself, without pomp or pageantry, prostrate before the altar, ofiering up his 3 B 2 372 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XVii. adorations in silence, form a scene singularly striking, by a happy mixture of tranquillity and animation, of darkness and light, of simplicity and majesty. All these ceremonies of the Roman church are set off by every concomitant circumstance that can contribute to their splendour or magnificence. As indeed no people are better acquainted with the mode of conducting and managing public exhibitions than the Romans, they are performed with the ut- most precision and dignity, with every attention to the effects of perspective, and to all the graces of drapery. Every person knows his place, and the part he has to act in the solemnity : the dresses are adapted to the situation as well as to the rank of the wearers, who, whether they be sitting, standing, or moving, contrive that they should Ml into easy and majestic folds. The persons themselves are the pope, the cardinals, the chief magis- trates of the city, the principal officers of state, and various pre- lates, presidents, and judges of the principal tribunals, all men either of high birth or great talents, and venerable for their age, their virtues, or their dignity. The theatres moreover (if such an expression may be applied to such an object) in which these sacred pomps are exhibited, are either the vast and lofty halls of the Vatican palace adorned with all the wonders of painting ; or else the church of St. Peter, whose immense area, while it affords ample room for the ceremony itself, can contain countless multi- tudes without press or disorder. If, therefore, as Warburton observes, " it be difhcult to attend at a high mass performed by a good choir in any great church without sentiments of awe, if not of devotion ;" it is not surprising that the same sacred service per- formed by such persons, with such accompaniments, and amid such scenes of grandeur and holiness, should impress the same sentiments with double force and effect. CH. XVII. THROUGH ITALY. 373 These pompous offices at the Vatican only take place on the great festivals of Easter, Whitsuntide, and Christmas, to which we may add St. Peter's day, and perhaps one or two more occasional solemnities. On the other Sundays, and during the far greater part of the year, the altar stands a grand but neglected object, and the dome rises in silent majesty, unaccustomed to re-echo zdth the voice of exultation and with the notes of praise. The service of the cathedral is performed in a distant chapel, and private masses, it is true, are said at the different altars around, but the great body of the church seems deserted by its ministers, and like Sion of old, to complain that uoiie cometh to the solemnity. It may perhaps be a matter of just surprise to every thinking- observer, that in the three noblest cathedrals existing, the service of the church should be performed, not in the regular choir but in a side chapel, and that the pope should prefer the secrecy of his own oratory to the grand and majestic scenery of such noble temples. The pious Christian, as he ranges over these glorious fabrics, longs to see the genuine forms of the primitive church revived, and the spacious area filled with a crowded but orderly congregation; the men on the right, the women on the left, the youth drawn up on each side of the altar; the choir in double rows before it, with a pulpit for the readers on each side : behind it, the pontiff surrounded by his clergy, performing himself every Sunday the solemn duties of his station, presiding in person over the assembly, instructing his flock, like the Leos and the Gregorys of ancient times, with his own voice, and with his own hands administering to them the bread of Uf'e and the cup of salvation. Such was a Christian congregation during the early ages, and such the regularity of ancient times. How grand would such an assembly now be in a temple like the Vatican ! How awful, and how affecting such a spectacle ! How like an assembly of the blessed, and how conformable to the sublime 374 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xvii. description of the Revelations! — Barbarism, ignorance, and indif- ference have long since disturbed this admirable order, and in most places nearly erased its recollection; but the Roman pontiif, and he only, possesses intluence suthcient to restore it, and to spread it over the Christian world. If in reviving this part of primitive discipline, he would also exercise the power which the Council of Trent has entrusted to him, and would admit, as I have hinted above, the laity to the cup (so solemn and impressive a part of the sacred rite), and if at the same time he would communicate to every nation the comfort of singing the praises of God in tlieir own language, he would render to the church of Christ a most im- portant and ever memorable service*. I Avould not be understood as meaning by this latter observation to censure the use of ancient idioms in the liturgy, or to recommend in toto the introduction of modern dialects. The two great ancient languages which contain not only the principles and models oi^ science and literature, but what is still more valuable^ the very title deeds and proofs of divine revelation, owe their existence to the liturgies of the Greek and Latin churches, and however widely diffused they may appear to be at present, it is difficult to say whether in the course of countless ages perhaps still to come, they may not again be indebted to the same means for their continua- tion. A deadly blow is now actually aimed at them by the pride or the policy of the French government; and extensive as the intiuence of that government is, it may succeed in its barbaric attempt, unless counteracted by the still more extensive and almost universal intluence of the Catholic church. It is not my intention to interfere with the controversial part of this question, " Dii me- Uora piis;" but I own I should be sorry to see the divine dialect of * Cone. Trid. Sess. xxii. CH. XVII. THROUGH ITALY. 375 Plato and of St. Paul, the full, the majestic tones of Cicero and of St. Leo entirely banished from the altars, and replaced by the meaner sounds of Romaic, or even by the more musical accents of Italian*. Nothing can be more delightful to the ear, and if I may judge from my own feelings, more impressive, than the Latin service Avhen chaunted in a full choir, supported, not by the organ only, but by the united voices of a crowded congregation, raised from every corner and re-echoed from every vault of an immense cathedral. But with all the respect due to the prescriptive pre-eminence of the two sacred dialects, hallowed by the writings of the Apos- tles, Fathers, and primitive Martyrs, I may venture to recom- mend the use of modern languages at certain parts of the service, and the introduction of lectures and hymns adapted to the parti- cular objects of the liturgy, when the othciating priest is occupied in silent adoration, and the ordinary chaunt of the choir is sus- pended. Such is the practice all over cathohc Germany, and throughout the vast extent of the Austrian dominions, where, if the traveller enters into any parochical church during service, he finds it filled with a numerous congregation all joining in chorus with a zeal and ardour truly edifying. I was pecuUarly struck with the good effects of this custom in the churches of Bohemia, Avhere the people are remarkable for a just and musical ear, and sing with admirable precision ; but still more so in the cathedral of Vienna, where the voices of some thousands chaunting in full unison the celebrated hymn, " Holy, holy, holy," cannot fail to elevate the mind, and inflame the coldest heart with devotion. This practice, sanctioned by the authority of so considerable a * If, as a well known proverb says, Spanish is from its gravity well adapted to prayer, how much better is the dignity of Latin calculated for that solemn duty? 376 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xvii. portion of the catholic church, has many good effects, as it con- tributes to the comfoit and edification of the people, who always delight in hymns and spiritual songs ; as it amuses the ear with melody and attaches the hearers to the holy sentiments and doc- trines which it conveys, and as it may thus act as a preservative from the infidelity of the times, not only by securing the assent, but by engaging the afiections, on the side of religion. In fine, it tends to consecrate all languages to the praise of the Father Almighty, and to the propagation of the gospel of his adorable Son. " Nihil sublimius," says Leo the Great, in an ancient pre- face for Whit-Sunday, " collatum Ecclesia? tuae exordiis, quam ut evangelii tui praeconia Unguis omnium, credentium ora loque- rentur, . . . et vocum varietas edificationi Ecclesiastical non dif- ficultatem faceret, sed augeret potius unitatem." Before I close this chapter, I think it necessary to make a few additional remarks for the information of my readers in general, little accustomed to the scenes described, and perhaps totally un- acquainted with many of the subjects alluded to. To such the following particulars may not be unacceptable. The Mass is the communion service, or consecration and administration of the holy sacrament. High mass is the same service, accompanied by all the ceremonies which custom and authority have annexed to its celebration. These ceremonies are in general very ancient, and may be traced as far back as the second or third century. The language is that which prevailed at the period of the intro- duction of Christianity ; the dresses are nearly of the same a^ra. The surplice, called in Latin alba, was probably borrowed from the linen ephod worn by the Levites in their functions under the old law. The other vestments are Roman. The Stokt, called originally Ovarium or Siidarium, was a long stripe of linen worn round the neck by persons of distinction, and particularly by ma- gistrates or public speakers; it was intended, as its primitive name CH. xvii. THROUGH ITALY. 377 imports, for the same purposes as a handkerchief. The Manipulus or Moppula was a handkerchief to replace the Stola, when the latter in process of time had become an ornament only The up- per vestment, called Cosibiilum or Planefa, was originally a '•■arment of a circular form, with an opening in the centre for the head, so that, Avhen put on, it hung down to the ground on all sides, and entirely covered the body. It was raised when the action of the arms was necessary, and sometimes tied up with ribbands and tas- sels; it is particularly appropriated to the bishop or priest who officiates at the altar, and is used at mass only. On other occasions, the bishop or priest who presides wears the Cope, the ancient Toga, bordered on each side by the Latiis Cknus. This robe is the or- dinary dress of the pope in church, and on occasions of ceremony. The Dalmatica and Tunica are the distinctive dresses of the deacon and subdeacon. These garments, which naturally derive grace and beauty from their form and drapery, are ennobled by their antiquity, and sanctified by their appropriation to the altar. They combine decency and majesty; they distinguish the public man from the in- dividual; and like the robes of kings and of magistrates they garnish the exercise of office, and teach the minister to respect himself, and both the minister and the people to reverence the sacred charge of public function. The use of torches and of incense is supposed to have been in- troduced into the church in the third century; it originated in the East, but soon became general : it was founded on figurative reasons. The former were borne before the Book of the Gospels, and re- minded the faithful of the light diffused over the universe by the promulgation of the sacred volume, and of that true light that en- lighteneth every man that eonuth into this uorhV^. The latter had * St. John, i. VOL. I. 3 c 378 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XVII. been expressly commanded in the Old Law, and was considered in the New as a fit accompaniment to he offered uith the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar before the throne'^. The most solemn part of the service is recited in a low tone, audible only to those who surround the altar; a circumstance which surprises protestants, and has frequently been censured with severity. However, this custom is almost coeval with the liturgy itself, and seems to have commenced almost immediately after the apostolic age. It was in all probability a measure of precaution. One of the most sacred rites of Christianity, that of Baptism, had been exposed to public ridicule on the stage, and to prevent the recurrence of a similar profanation, in a more awful institution, it was thought prudent to confine the knowledge of the Eucharistic prayer to the clerical order. When a custom is once established reasons are never wanting to justify its continuance; and the secrecy which the fear of profanation rendered necessary in times of per- secution was continued from motives of respect in the days of Christian prosperity. Every person acquainted with ecclesiasti- cal antiquity knows with what extreme delicacy the Fathers of the fourth century speak of the mysteries, and of course m\\ not won- der that the Roman church, which glories in its adherence to anti- quity, should continue the same practice. Besides, it is considered as more ccnformable to the nature of the mysterious institution, and more favourable to the indulgence of devotion, both in the priest and in the congregation, than the most emphatic and solemn recitation. Impressed with this idea, the Greeks have from time immemorial drawn curtains, and in later ages raised a screen be- fore the altar, that conceals the priest from public view, and * Rev. viii. CH. xvir. THROUGH ITALY. 379 environs him as the High Priest of old when he entered the Holy of HoHcs, with tiie awful soHtude of the sanctuary*. The rites which I have described are pure and holy ; they in- spire sentiments of order and decency ; they detach the mind from the ordinary pursuits of life, and by raising it above its ordinary level, they qualify it to appear with due humility and recollection before the T krone of the Lamb, — the Mercy Seat of Jehovah! The Roman Basilicce, excepting St. Peter's, are the most ancient now existing, and erected as they were in the earliest ages of Christianity, give us a clear and precise idea of the notions of the Christians of that period with regard to the form and the arrange- ment of churches. In the first place, as not one of these churches bears any resemblance to a cross, we may conclude that Mr. Gibbon was mistaken, when he attributed to the first Christians a partiality to that figure in the construction of their oratories, and an unwillingness to convert pagan temples into churches, because not erected in that form. INIany temples from their narrow limits were, as I have already remarked, totally inca- pable of holding a Christian congregation. Several of greater mag- nitude were actually converted into churches, and are to this day used as such; and if Constantine could in prudence, at a time when the Roman senate was still pagan, have offered the splendid seat of pagan worship to the bishop of Rome, the offer would have been readily accepted, and the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, though not in the form of a cross, would like the Pantheon have been sanctified by Christian rites, and might probably still have remain- ed a noble monument of ancient magnificence. It is diflicult to * The laity at present lose nothing by this silence, as they have the form of consecra- nion, and indeed tho wlinle service translated in their prayer books. 3 C 2 380 CLASSICAL TOUR CH.XVII. determine at what precise period the figure of the cross was intro- duced, but it seems to have been about the end of the fifth century, as the church of St. Sophia, erected in the sixth, is in that form ; but, whenever introduced, its adoption need nofl»be regretted, as it very happily combines variety with unity, and beauty with con- venience. We cannot pass the same encomium upon those partitions, called screens, which divide the chancel from the nave, and by concealing the most ornamented part of the church from the view, and veiling the principal object, the altar, break the perspective, deprive the edifice of a proper termination, and apparently reduce its dimen- sions to half its real magnitude. When and Avhy these screens were introduced it may be difficult to determine, but as they are only found in Saxon and Gothic churches we may suppose that they are coeval with those buildings, and were from the beginning considered as constituent parts of them. Their utility is not very perceptible. Some suppose them necessary in northern climates, in order to shelter the congregation from the cold winds that pene- trate and chill the open parts of such vast edifices as cathedrals ; but this reason, which may appear satisfactory when confined to countries in which the congregation is seldom so numerous as to fill the choir of a cathedral, is totally inapplicable to places where service is attended by the populace, and where the congregations are regularly sufficient to crowd every part of the church, not ex- cepting even the aisles and transepts. I am therefore inclined to suspect, that the propensity of the northern nations to mystic allu- sions, and perhaps a wish to increase the reverence due to the altar, by removing it to a greater distance from the laity, might have suggested the idea of a screen to the architects of the middle ages. There is, it must be admitted, something very impressive in the CH. XVH. THROUGH ITALY. 381 distant view of a Gothic altar, seen from the arched entrance of the choir, through a long and double line of clergy in surplice, faintly lighted by the beams that drop from the painted windows above, or by the lamps and tapers that gleam around, encircled by ministering priests, and half lost in clouds of incense; there is I say something in such solemn scenery that seizes the imagination, and excites emotions of awe and religious melancholy*. But although these dispositions are good and suitable to the place and occasion, yet the means employed to produce them, the dim per- spective and the artificial gloom, border upon theatrical illusion, and seem better adapted to the sullen superstition of the Druids than to the plain and majestic forms of Christian worship. How dif- ferent the etiects of arrangement in a Roman Basilica, where, in a semicircle behind the altar, the bishop and his clergy form a vene- rable tribunal ; where the people before, ranged according to sex and age, exhibit an orderly multitude ; and the altar itself in the * Hovv far the altar ought to be ornamented is a question which has been debated with mucli warmth since the Reformation. The Latins, Greeks, and even the Lu- therans are accustomed to adorn it with more or less splendour or gaudiness, accord- ing to their taste and opulence. The ciiurch of England, wlicn not overawed by the clamours of the sectaries that assail her on all sides, is inclined to favour this practice; while the Calvinistic school of Geneva, hostile to every tiling tliat deliglits the eye or flatters the feelings of a polished mind, have either cast the table of the Lord out of the churcii, or stripped it of all its decent .accompanimtnts, and abandoned it in a cor- ner to dust and cobwebs. But whatever a man's opinion may be upon this subject, he must be very morose indeed if he find much to blame in the Roman altars ; I mean those of the Baxilicce: which unencumbered with tabernacles, reliquaries, statues or flower- pots, support a cross and six candlesticks; furniture which is sufticient without doubt for all the purposes of solemnity, and yet may be endured even by a puritan. The other ornaments, or rather superfluities, which are too often observed to load the altars of catholic churches, owe their introduction to the fond devotion of nuns or nun-like friars, and may be tolerated in their conventual oratories, as the toys and playthings of that harmless race, but ought never to be allowed to disfigure the simplicity of jwirochial churches and cathedrals. 382 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xvii. middle displays in full light the sacred volume and the emblems of redemption ? An assembly thus combining simplicity, order, and dignity, naturally elevates the soul, and inspires sentiments not of terror but of admiration, not of fictitious but of real solid devo- tion. It recals to mind the glorious vision of the Revelations*, and almost brings before our eyes the elders sitting clothed in zchite, the lamps bunniig before the throne, the lamb standing as if slain, and the multitudes which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds, and people and tongues. * Chap. iv. V. vii. CH.xviii. THROUGH ITALY. 383 CHAP. XVIII. VILLAS THE TIBER THE MAUSOLEUM OF CECILIA METELLA EGERIAN GROTTO AND FOUNTAIN CHURCH OF ST. CONSTANTIA — MONS SACER. THE various villas that encircle Modern Rome form one of its characteristic beauties, as well as one of the principal features of its resemblance to the ancient citj% which seems to have been en- vironed with gardens, and almost studded with groves and shady retirements. Thus Julius Caesar had a spacious garden on the banks of the Tiber, at the foot of the Janiculum, which he be- queathed to the Roman people : Maecenas enclosed and converted into a pleasure ground a considerable part of the Esquiline Hill, which before had been the common burial place of the loAver classes, and the resort of thieves and vagabonds ; an alteration M'hich Horace mentions with complacency in his eighth satire. To these we may add the Hoi-ti Luculkmi and Serviliani, incidently mentioned by Tacitus, and particularly the celebrated retreat of the historian Sallust, adorned with so much magnificence and luxury that it became the favourite resort of successive Emperors. This garden occupied the extremities of the Viminal and Pincian Hill, and enclosed in its precincts, a palace, a temple, and a circus. 384 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xviii. The palace was consumed by fire on the fatal night when iVlaric entered the city : the temple of singular beauty, sacred to ^^enus {Voieri Felici Sacruvi), was discovered about the middle of the sixteenth century, and destroyed for the sale of the materials : of the circus little remains but masses of walls that merely indicate its site, Avhile statues and marbles found occasionally continue to furnish proofs of its magnificence. The gardens of Lucullus are supposed to have bordered on those of Sallust, and with several other dehcious retreats, Avhich covered the summit and brow of the Pincian Mount, gave it its ancient appellation of CoUis Hovtulorum. To the intermingled graces of lo\m and country that adorned these fashionable man- sions of the rich and luxurious Romans, Horace alludes when addressing Fuscus Aristius, he says Nempe inter varias nutritur sylva columnas — • as in the verse immediately following, Laudaturque domus longos quae prospicit agros, HoR. £p. i. 10. he evidently hints at the extensive views which might be enjoyed from the lofty apartments, erected expressly for the purpose of commanding a wide range of country. The villas of Modern Rome often occupy the same ground, share some portion of the splendour, and enjoy all the picturesque advan- tages of the gardens of the ancient city. In point of perspective beauty Rome has, indeed, at all times possessed peculiar felicities. It covers a considerable extent of country, encloses several hills within its ramparts, and aftbrds a great variety of views, sometimes confined to its interior, and sometimes extending to the surrounding- country and the distant mountains. It is true that the ancient Ro- CH.xvrii. THROUGH ITALY. 385 man might contemplate from his garden, towering in near or dis- tant perspective, one or more of those stupendous edifices which then adorned the city, and were deservedly ranked among the wonders of the world; but I know not whether in the melancholy spectacle of the same majestic edifices now scattered on the ground and overgrown with cypresses, the modern villa does not exhibit a sight more awful and more affectins;. If the traveller wishes to be convinced of the truth of this remark, let him from the terrace of the J ilia Borghese fix his eyes on the dome of St. Peter's expanded in all its splendour and all its perfection be- fore him; and then let him ascend the Palatine Mount, and from the cypress groves of the Villa Faniesiana look down upon the shattered mass of the Coliseum spread beneath him in broken pomp, half covered with weeds and brambles. O champs de I'ltalie, O campagnes de Rome, Oil dans tout son orgueil git le neant de I'hamme ! C'cst la que des aspects fameux par de grands noms, Pleins de grands souvenirs, et de hautes lecons, Vous oflFrent ces objcts, tresors des paysages. Voyez de toutes parts comment le oours des ages Dispersant, dechirant de precieux lambeaux, Jetant temple sur temple, et tombeaux sur tombeaux De Rome etale au loin la ruine immortelle j — Ces portiques, ces arcs, ou la pierre iidele Garde du peuple roi Jes exploits eclatants: Leur masse indestructible a fatigue le temps. Des fleuves susperidus ici mugissoit I'onde; Sous ces portes passoient les depouilles du monde; Par tout confusement dans la poussiere epars, Les thermcs, les palais, les tombeaux des Cesars! Abbb OB Lille, J.\r»in's, Chant, iv. No villa presents a greater number of the local felicitiea, immortal ruinsy divine remains big with grand recollections and awful imtruc- VOL. I. 3d ,386 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XVili. don, so well described in these verses as the Orti Farnm. The gardens cover the greater part of the Palatine Mount, and spread over the vast substructions and scattered vestiges of the imperial palace. They front the Capitol, command the Forum, and look down upon the neighbouring Coliseum ; thus exhibiting in different points of view, and successivelj', the noblest remains of Roman magnificence now existing. They were formerly cultivated with care, and adorned Avith a great variety of antique vases, busts, and statues ; but having unfortunately fallen by inheritance to the royal family of Naples, the ancient ornaments have been trans- ported to that capital, and the place, notwithstanding its exquisite beauties, has been almost entirely neglected. The Villa Spada or Brunati (for these villas change their names with their proprietors) occupies, on a much smaller scale, a part of the Palatine Hill and of the imperial palace, and enjoys some of the advantages of the Orti, Farnesiani. The ruins of the palace cover the greater part of it, and on one side look down on the valley that separates the Palatine from the Aventine Mount ; from a gallery in a recess still remaining, the Emperor might behold the games of the Circus Maxiinus, which occupied the greater part of that valley. On the summit of Mount Celius stands the Villa Matthei, once famous for the beauty and number of its antiques, and though now, like the Orti Furnesi, forsaken and neglected, it is still interesting for its groves, its verdure, its prospects, and its solitudes. Villa Negroni, once the favourite retreat of Sixtus Quintus, encloses an immense space of ground on the Esquiline and Viminal Hills covered with groves, and opening upon various beautiful prospects. It contains two handsome and spacious buildings. Its ca. XVIII. THROUGH ITALY. 387 numerous antiquities have been removed. The celebrated Agger Tarquinii, or rampart raised by Tarquinius Priscus, intersects this garden, and claims the attention due to its age and origin. The Villa Aldohrandini is small and ill-furnished, but celebrated for one remarkable object, the ISlozze Aldobrandinc, an ancient painting, which represents, as every reader knows, the nuptial ceremony in graceful figures, easy drapery, and charming groupes. The Villa Ludovizi is a part only of the gardens of Sallust, and as it stands on the summit of the Pincian Hill it necessarily com- mands some very beautiful prospects. Its delicious Avalks are shaded with ilex, cypress, and bay, of the nolilest groAvth and of the most luxuriant foliage ; and it has the singular advantage of being enclosed in a great degree by the venerable walls of the cit3\ The elevated Casino or summer-house in the centre affords, from its battlements, an extensive view of the Campagiia, and the mountains that form its boundaries, particularly of those of Albano and Sabina. On a ceiling in this Casino is the Aurora of Gaercino, much admired by all connoisseurs, and by those of the French school preferred to that of Gitido. It certainly has more contrast and more bustle ; but what can equal the grace, the freshness, the celestial glory of that matchless performance, which combines in one splendid vision all the beautiful features and accompaniments ascribed to the morning by the poets ; Homer and Virgil seem to have presided over the work, and Ovid and Tasso given the pic- ture its finishing touches. 'a The Strada Tinciana separates this villa from the gardens of the Villa Medici, once the residence of the cardinal of that family, and, from its lofty situation, superb collection of statues, pillars, and marbles, as well as from the beauty of its gardens, well entitled to .3 u 2 388 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XVIII, the attention and favour of those patrons of the arts. But it has the misfortune to belong now to a sovereign ; its antiquities have therefore been transported to his capital, Florence : its noble apartments are neglected, and its gardens alone remain the resort and the dehght of every serious traveller. The Orti Barberini rises to the south of the court of St, Peter's, and while it commands from its terrace a full view of one side of the colonnade, it presents to the eye of those who are coming to- wards the Vatican a beautiful back ground for the other side, and spreads its pines and cypresses in such a manner as to form in appearance an aerial garden suspended over the pillars, and shad- ing the statues. The gardens belonging to the Corsini palace have acquired some celebrity from the meetings of the Academy of the Quirini. A similar circumstance throws a still greater lustre over the Bosco Parrhasio, a rural theatre, Avhere the Arcadians meet to hear and examine the poetical effusions of their associates. The Arcadian Academy is known to be one of the principal literary societies in Rome, instituted towards the end of the seventeenth century for the promotion of classical knowledge, and composed of some of the first scholars in that capital, and indeed in all Europe*, One of its principal objects was to correct the bad taste then prevalent, and to turn the attention of youth from the glare, conceit, and over refinements of false, to the ease and unaft'ected graces of true wit. They took their name from a people celebrated for the simplicity of their manners ; and as the love of rural scenery is inseparable from true taste, they chose a grove for the place of their assembly, * The French having degraded this academy by the absurd appellation of the arcadeSy which some EngUsh translators Lave wisely converted into arches. CH.xviif. THROUGH ITALY. 389 and gave it the name of Parrhasian. The Bosco Pan-hasio is situated on the side of the Janiculum. All the gardens and villas hitherto mentioned are within the ancient walls of the city, and may be considered as constituent parts of it, contributing much to its beauty, its coolness, and its magnificence : but besides these, many others lie in the suburbs and neighbourhood, and give the immediate environs of Rome an uncommon share of amenity and interest. To begin by the Porta S. Pancrasio, that nearest the Janiculum, anciently the Porta Aurelia ; proceeding along the Y'm Aurelia about a mile from the sate we arrive at the Til/a PamliU or Behes^ piro. Tliis country seat, which now belongs to the Prince Doria, is supposed to occupy the same ground as the gardens of the Emperor Galba, and is remarkable for its edifices, its waters, its woods, its antiquities of every description, its great extent, and its general magnificence. It is moreover well supported both with regard to the house, the ornamental buildings, and the gardens. The disposition and arrangement of the plantations, as well as the form and destination of the water, are stiff and formal, according to the obsolete mode of French gardening* ; yet the growth and luxuriancy of the one, and the extent and profusion of the other, almost hide the defect and catch and delight the eye, in spite of unnatural art and misplaced symmetry. One of the most conspicuous objects in the immediate neigh- * I might with greater propriety have said Italian gardening, as tlie French, in this respect as in most others, only copied the Itahans. The latter again imitated their ances- tors. — See Pliny's well-known Description of his Laurenlin and Tuscati villas. LiU ii. Ep. 17. V. Ep. 6. 390 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XViii. bourhood ol' Rome is the Monte Mario, anciently Clivus Cinnte, a bold eminence lying about a mile north west from the Porta Angelica, clothed with vineyards and crowned with groves of cypress and poplar. On its summit rises the Villa Mellini, remark- able for the noble view that lies expanded under its terrace. The Tiber intersecting the city and winding through rich meadows ; the Frata Quintia and Praia Miitia, fields still bearing in their names the trophies of Roman virtue and Roman heroism : the Paris Mihius with its tower, and the plains consecrated by the victory of Constantine ; the Vatican palace with its courts and gardens ; the Basilica of St. Peter with its portico, its obeUsk, and its fountains; the Campus Martins covered with the churches, squares, and palaces of the modern city ; the seven hills strewed with the ruins of the ancient; the walls with their towers and galleries; the desert Cam- pagna, with IVIount Soracte rising apparently in the centre ; and the semicircular sweep of mountains tinged with blue or purple, now bright with the sun, now dark in the shade, and generally gleaming Avith snow — such is the varied and magnificent scene spread before the traveller, while reposing on the shaded terrace of the J ilia Mellini. The same prospect may be enjoyed, but with less advantage, from the f illu Madama, which lies further on the side of the hill to- wards Ponte Milvio. In the gardens of this villa is a rural theatre formed by the natural winding of a little dell, and shaded by a whole forest of beautiful evergreens. In the golden days of the Medici (for this villa was erected and its gardens Avere laid out by a cardinal of that family) this sylvan scene was croAvded by the polished Romans of the times, assembled to listen to the composi- tions of rival poets, and to decide the priority of contesting orators. After this literary exhibition the spectators Avere regaled in lofty halls planned by Raffaello and painted by Giulio Romano, Avith all CH. XVIII. THROUGH ITALY. 391 the delicacies of the orchard, and with all the charms of music and conversation. But these days are now no more ; the Medi- cean line is extinct; and ancient fame and surviving beauty, and the architecture of Rqff'aello and the pencil of Giulio plead in vain in behalf of this superb villa. It belongs to the King of Naples, and is, as it has long been, entirely neglected. On the opposite side of the city, a little way from the Porta Salara stands the I' ilia Albania till lately one of the best supported and best furnished seats in the neighbourhood of Rome, or indeed in Europe. The palace is magnificent, and was adorned as were the gardens with a considerable and chosen collection of antiquities, to the number nearly it is said of eght hundred. To these may be added two hundred and sixty pillars of granite, porphyry, and marble, which supported and adorned the villa and the galleries ; a species of grandeur that exists only in Rome, and its vicinity. But the Alban villa has been stript of all its or- naments. The cardinal Albani, its proprietor, had the misfortune to incur the displeasure of the French, by the zeal and activity with which he opposed the intrigues of their agents previous to the invasion of the ecclesiastical states, and was punished on their entrance into the city by the pillage and devastation of his palaces and gardens. We shall now proceed to the ViUa Borgliese, or Tilla Phiciana (so called from the proximity of the Porta Pinciana, noAV shut up) which, from the space it occupies (supposed to be about four miles in circumference) its noble vistas, frequent fountains, ornamental buildings, superb palace, and almost iimumerable anlicjuilies, is justly considered as the first of the Roman villas, and worthy of being put into competition with the splendid retreats of Sallust or of Lucullus. It stands upon a continuation of the Pincian Hill, at a little distance from the walls of the city, about half a mile from 39i CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xviir. the Porta Flaiuinia or del Topolo. It covers the brow of the hill, and from the terrace has a noble view of the city, and of the Vati- can. The gardens are laid out with some regard both for the new and for the old system ; for though symmetry prevails in general, and long alleys appear intersecting each other, lined with statues and refreshed by cascades, yet here and there a winding path al- lures you into a wilderness formed of plants abandoned to thei native luxuriancy, and watered by streamlets murmuring through their own artless channels. The ornamental buildings are, as usually happens to such edifices, deficient in correctness and purity of architecture. The temple of Diana is encumbered with too many ornaments. The Ionic temple in the little island is in- deed graceful, but rather too narrow for its elevation, a defect in- creased by the statues placed upon the pediment. One of these ornamental buildings contains a considerable collection of statues, &c. found on the site of Gabii (for ruins there are none), the terri- tory of which now belongs to this family. The Casino or palace itself is of great extent, but though erected on the plans and under the inspection of the principal architects of the age, and though built of the finest stone, yet it neither astonishes nor pleases. The reason of this failure of effect is evident; the ornaments are so numerous and the parts so subdivided, as to dis- tract the eye and to leave no room for any one predominant impression. The basso relievos and statues scattered with such prodigality over the exterior of this Casino are sufficient, if disposed with judgment and effect, to adorn the three largest palaces in Europe. The interior consists of several large saloons and apart- ments, and a gallery ; all of which, particularly the latter, are lined and inlaid with the richest marbles, and supported by the noblest pillars, intermingled with bronze and gilding, and adorned with the best specimens of ancient art in sculpture and in painting. Such indeed is the value of this collection, and such the splendour of the THROUGH ITALY. »93 riety of views, sometimes confined to its interior and some- times extending to the surrounding country and the distant mountains. It is true that the ancient Roman might contem- plate from his garden, towering in near or distant perspective, one or more of those stupendous edifices which adorned the city, and attracted the admiration of the universe ; but I know not Avhether in the melancholy spectacle of the same majestic edifices now scattered on the ground overgrown with cypresses, the modern villa does not exhibit a sight more awful and more affecting. If the traveller wishes to be convinced of the truth of this remark, let him from the terrace of the Villa Bor- ghese fix his eyes on the dome of St. Peter's expanded in all its splendor and all its perfection before him, and then let him ascend the Palatine Mount, and from the cypress groves of the Villa Farnesiana look down u})on the shattered mass of the Coliseum spread beneath him in broken pomp, half covered witli weeds and brambles. O champs de I'ltalie, O campagncs de Rome Oil dans tout son orgiieil git le neant de rhomme! C'est la que des aspects fameux |)ar de grands noms, Pleins de grands souvenirs, et de hautes locons, Vous olVrcnt ces objets, tresors des paysages Voyez de toutes parts comment le cours des ages Dispersant, dechirant de precieux lambeaux, Jetant temple sur temple, ct tombeaux sur tombeaux De Rome etale au loin la ruine immortelle; Ces portiques, ces arcs, ou la pierre fidele Garde du peuple roi les exploits eclatants : Leur masse indestructible a fatigue le temps. Des fleuves suspendus ici mugissoit I'onde; Sous ces portes passoicnt les depouilles du monde ; Par tout confusement dans la poussicre epars, Les thermes, les palais, les tombeaux des Cesars ! Abbe de Lille, Jar din. Chant, ir. VOL. I. 3 E 394 CLASSICAL TOUR No villa presents a greater number of the local felicities, immor- tal ruins, divine remains, big uith grand recollections and azifnl in' stntction, so well described in these verses as the Orti Farnesi. The gardens cover the greater part of the Palatine Mount, and spread over the vast substructions and scattered vestiges of the imperial palace. They front the Capitol, command the Forum, and look down upon the neighbouring Coliseum, thus exhibiting in different points of view, and successively, the noblest remains of Roman magnificence now existing. They were formerly culti- vated with care, and adorned with a great variety of antique vases, busts, and statues; but having unfortunately fallen by inhe- ritance to the royal family of Naples, the ancient ornaments have been transported to that capital, and the place, notwith- standing its exquisite beauties, has been almost entirely neglected. The Villa Spada or Brunati (for these villas change their names with their proprietors) occupies, on a much smaller scale, a part of the Palatine Hill and imperial palace, and enjoys some of the advantages of the Orti Farnesiani. The ruins of the palace cover the greater part of it, and on one side look down on the valley that separates the Palatine from the Aventine Mount ; from a gallery, formed in a recess still remaining, the Emperor might behold the games of the Circus Maximus, which occupied the greater part of that valley. On the summit of Mount Celius stands the Villa Matthei, once famous for the beauty and number of its antiques, and thouoh, like the Orti Farnesi, forsaken and neglected, still interest- ing for its groves, its verdure, its prospects, and its solitudes. Villa Negro7ii, once the favorite retreat of Sixtus Quintus, THROUGH ITALY. 395 encloses an immense space of ground on the Esquiline and Viminal Hills, covered with superb groves, and opening upoi^^ various beautiful prospects. It contains two handsome and spa-? cious buildings. Its numerous antiquities have been removed. The celebrated Agger Tarqidnii or rampart raised by Tarquinius Priscus intersects this garden, and claims the attention due to its age and origin. The Villa Aldobrandini is small and ill-furnished, but cele- brated for one remarkable object the Nozze Aldobrandine, an ancient painting, which represents, as every reader knows, the nuptial ceremony in graceful figures, easy drapery, and charm- ing groupes. The Villa Ludovizi is a part only of the gardens of Sallust, and as it stands on the sununit of the Pincian Hill it neces- sarily commands some very beautiful prospects. Its exten- sive and delicious walks are shaded with ilex, cypress, and bay, of the noblest growth and most luxuriant foliage, and the whole is enclosed in a great degree by the venerable walls of the city. The elevated Casino or summer-house in the centre affords from its battlements an extensive view of the Campagna, and the mountains that form its boundaries, particularly of those of Albano and Sabina. On a ceiling in this Casino is the Aurora of Guercino, much admired by all connoisseurs, and by those of the French school preferred to that of Guido. It certainly has more contrast, and more bustle; but what can equal the grace, the freshness, the celestial glory of that matchless performance, which combines in one splendid vision all the beautiful features and accompaniments ascribed to the Morning by the poets ; 3e 2 396 CLASSICAL TOUR Homer and A^irgii seem to have presided over the work, and Ovid and Tasso given the picture its finishing touches. The Strada Pinciana separates this villa fi'om the gardens of the Villa IMedici, once the residence of the cardinal of that family, and from its lofty situation, superb collection of statues, pillars, and marbles, as well as from the beauty of its gardens, well entitled to the attention and favor of those patrons of the arts. But it has the misfortune to belong now to a sovereign; its antiquities have therefore been transported to his capital, Flo- rence; its noble apartments are neglected, and its gardens alone remain the resort and the delight of every serious traveller. The Orti Bai^bermi rises to the south of the court of St. Peter's, and while it commands from its terrace a full view of one side of the colonnade, it presents to the eye of those who are coming towards the Vatican a beautiful back ground for the other side, and spreads its pines and cypresses in such a manner as to form in appearance a pendent garden hanging over the pillars and shadino- the statues. G The gardens belonging to the Corsini palace have acquired some celebrity from the meetings of the Academy of the Qui- rini. A similar circumstance throws a still greater lustre over the Bosco Parrhasio, a rural theatre where the Arcadians meet to hear and examine the poetical effusions of their asso- ciates. The Arcadian Academy is known to be one of the principal literary societies in Rome, instituted towards the end of the seventeenth century for the promotion of classical know- ledge, aud composed of some of the firet scholars in tliat Ca- 5 THROUGH ITALY. 597 pital and indeed in all Europe*. One of its principal ob- jects was to correct the bad taste then prevalent, and turn the attention of j-outh from the glare, conceit, and over re- finements of false, to the ease, and unaffected graces of true wit. They took their name from a people celebrated for the simplicity of their manners ; and as the love of rural scenery is inseparable from true taste, they chose a grove for the place of their assembly and gave it the name of Parrhasian. The Bosco Panhasio is situated on the side of the Janiculum. All these gardens and villas, hitherto mentioned, are within the ancient walls of the city, and may be considered as consti- tuent parts of it, contributing much to its beauty, its coolness, and its magnificence : but besides these, many others lie in the suburbs and neighbourhood, and give the immediate environs of Rome an uncommon share of amenity and interest. To begin 'by the Porta S. Pancrasio, that nearest the Janiculum, anciently the Porta Aurelia; proceeding along the Via Aurelia about a mile from the gate we arrive at the Villa Panifili or Belrespiro. This country seat, which now belongs to the Prince Doria, is supposed to occupy the same ground as the gardens of the Em- peror Galba, and is remarkable for its edifices, its waters, its woods, its antiquities of every description, its great extent, and its general magnificence. It is moreover well supported both with regard to the house, the ornamental buildings, and the gardens. The disposition and arrangement of the plantations, as well as the form and destination of the water, are stitf and formal, according to the obsolete mode of French gardening-f-; * The French have degraded this academy by the absurd appellation of the tncaden, which some English translators have taiscl^ converted into arches. t I might witlj greater propriety have said Italian gardening, as the French, ia :J98 CLASSICAL TOUR yet the growth and luxuriancy of the one, and the extent and profusion of the other, ahnost hide the defect and catch and dehght the eye, in spite of unnatural art and misplaced sym- metry. One of the most conspicuous objects in the immediate neigh- bourhood of Rome is the Monte Mario, anciently Clivus Cinnee, a bold eminence lying about a mile north-west from the Po7ta Angelica, clothed with vineyards and crowned with groves of cypress and poplar. On its summit rises the Villa Mellini, re- markable for the noble view that lies expanded under its terrace. The Tiber intersecting the city and winding through rich mea- dows, and watering among others, the Praia Qiiintia and Praia Mutia, fields still bearing in their names the trophies of Roman virtue and Roman heroism. Tlie Pons Milvius with its tower, and the plains consecrated by the victory of Constantine; the Vatican palace with its courts and gardens ; the Basilica of St. Peter with its portico, its obelisk, and its fountains; the Campus Mar- tins covered with the churches, squares and palaces of the mo- dern city; the seven hills strewed with the ruins of the ancient; the walls with their towers and galleries; the desert Campagna, ISTount Soracte rising apparently in the centre; and the semicir- cular sweep of mountains tinged with blue or purple, now bright with the sun, now dark in the shade, and generally gleaming with snow. Such is the varied and magnificent scene spread before the traveller, while re})osing on the shaded terrace of the Villa INIellini. this respect as in most others, only copied the Italians. The latter again imitated their ancestors. — See Plinj/'s n'ell-known Description of ins Laurentin and Tuscan villas. Lib. n. Ep. 17. v. Ep. 6. THROUGH ITALY. 800 The same prospect may be enjoyed, but with less advantage, from the Villa Madama, wliich Hes further on the side of the hill towards Ponte Milvio. In the gardens of this villa is a rural theatre, formed by the natm'al winding of a little dell, and shaded by a whole forest of beautiful evergreens. In the golden days of the Medici (for this villa was erected, and its gardens laid out, by a cardinal of that famil}'), this sylvan scene was crowded by the polished Romans of the times, assembled to listen to the compositions of rival poets, and decide the priority of contesting orators. After this literary exhibition the spectators were regaled in lofty halls, planned by Rojfaello and })ainted by Giulio Romano, with all the delicacies of the orchard, and all the charms of music and conversation. But these days are now no more ; the Mcdicean line is extinct ; and ancient fame and surviving beauty, and the architecture of Raf- faello and the pencil of Giulio plead in vain in behalf of this superb villa. It belongs to the King of Naples, and is, as it has long been, entirely neglected. On the opposite side of the city, a little way from the Porta Salara, stands the Villa Albani, till lately one of the best sup- ported and best furnished seats in the neighbourhood of Rome, or indeed in Europe. The palace is magnificent, and was adorned as were the gardens with a considerable and chosen col- lection of antiquities, to the number nearly, it is said, of eio'ht hundred. To these may be added two hundred and sixty pillars of granite, porphyry, and marble, which supported and adorned the villa and the galleries, a species of grandeur that exists only in Rome and its vicinity. But the Alban villa has been stript of all its ornaments. The cardinal Albani, its proprietor, had the misfortune to incur the displeasure of the French, by the zeal and 400 CLASSICAL TOUR activity with which he opposed the intrigues of their agents previous to the invasion of the ecclesiastical states, and was punished on their entrance into the city by the pillage and de- vastation of his palaces and gardens. We shall noAv proceed to the Villa Borghese, or Villa Pin- ciana, (so called from the proximity of the Porta Pinciana, now shut up,) which, from the space it occupies, (supposed to be about four miles in circumference,) its noble vistas, frequent fountains, ornamental buildings, superb palace, and almost in- numerable antiquities, is justly considered as the first of the Roman villas, and worthy of being put into competition with the splendid retreats of Sallust or of Lucullus. It stands upon a continuation of the Pincian Hill, at a little distance from the walls of the city, about half a mile from the Porta Fla- minia or del Papolo. It covers the brow of the hill, and from the terrace has a noble view of the city, and of the Vati- can. The gardens are laid out with some regard both for the new and for the old system; for though symmetry prevails in general, and long alleys appear intersecting each other, lined with statues and refreshed by cascades, yet here and there a winding path allures you into a wilderness fonned of plants, abandoned to their native luxuriancy, and watered by streamlets murmuring through their own artless channels. The ornamental buildings are, as usually happens to such edifices, deficient in correctness and purity of architecture. The temple of Diana is encumbered v.ith too many ornaments. The Ionic temple in the little island is indeed graceful, but rather too narrow for its elevation, a defect increased by the statues placed upon the pe- diment. One of these ornamental buildings contains a consider- able Election of statues, (Sec. found on the site of Gabii (for CH. xviii. THROUGH ITALY. 401 deep and undisturbed as when it was the nightly resort of the Ro- man legishitor, Conjuge qui felix nympliS ducibusque Caniaenis Sacrificos docuit ritus ; gentemque feroci Assuetam bello, pacis traduxit ad artes.'' Ovid Mki. On the brow of the hill that borders the Egerian valley on the south stands the little church of St. Urban, formerly a temple of Bacchus, or, as it is with more appearance of truth denominated by others, the temple of the Muses, looking down upon the valley and the groves sacred to these goddesses. As the portico was taken in to enlarge the cella and adapt it better for the purposes of a church, the four marble pillars of fluted Corinthian are now incased in the wall. A little further on is a brick temple, small indeed but well- proportioned, and adorned with pilasters and a regular cornice. Antiquarians differ with regard to its appellation. Some suppose it to be sacred to the god Rediculus, who prompted Annibal, when encamped there, to return and withdraw from the city. But as Annibal was encamped, not on this but on the opposite side of the city, beyond the Anio and three miles from the Porta Collina, and as Livius makes no mention of any such temple, this opinion seems to be ill-grounded. Others suppose it to be the temple erected to Fortuna Muliebris on the retreat of Coriolanus. Such a temple was indeed erected, and perhaps on this spot, though Coriolanus was not encamped here, but three or four miles further from the city at the Fossae Cluiliae. At all events, a temple erected by public authority, even in that age of simplicity, would probably have been built not of brick, but of stone, so that after all it may possibly have been one of the many sepulchres VOL. I. 3 F 402 CLASSICAL TOUR . CH. XVlii; which bordered the Via Latina, and almost covered the space between it and the Via Appia*. The traveller then turns again towards the Via Appia, recrosses the river Almo {lubricus Almo) and re-enters by the Porta Capena. Upon another day the traveller may go out by the Porta No- mentana (now Pia) and proceeding about a mile, visit the church of St. Agnes, remarkable for its antiquity (having been erected by Constantine), for the double row of marble pillars one above the other that support its roof, and for the porphyry and alabaster columns which adorn its altar and its tabernacle. Its form is the same as that of other churches of the same era. Near this edifice stands the church of St. Constantia (the daughter of Constantine) formerly her mausoleum, and supposed to have been, at a still earlier period, a temple of Bacchus. It is of a circular form, supported by a row of coupled columns and crowned with a dome. Behind the pillars runs a gallery, the vaulted roof of which is incrusted with ancient mosaics, repre- senting little genii playing with clusters of grapes amidst the curling tendrils of the vine. I have spoken elsewhere of the tomb of the saint, a vast porphyry vase ornamented Avith various figures, and observed, that as the body had been depo- sited many years ago under the altar, the sarcophagus was transported to the museum of the Vatican. Experiar quid concedatur in illos Quorum Flaminift tegitur cinis atque LatinS. Juv. Sat. i. Cui per mediam nolis occurrere noctem Clivosae veherb dum per monumenta Latinae. Sat. v. CH. XVIII. THROUGH ITALY. 4p;5 About two miles farther the traveller will tind the Pontc Lamen- tano, anciently Pons Nomentanus, a bridge over the Anio ; and a little beyond it he may ascend the INlons Sacer, twice dignitied by the retreat, and by the temperate but determined resistance, of an oppressed and generous people. This hill, although of no great elevation, is steep and in the form of a rampart* towards the river, and it runs along, decreasing as it advances, towards the Ponte Salaro. It is now a lonely eminence, covered with luxuriant grass, but destitute of shade, ornament, or memorial. Yet few places seem better entitled to distinction, as few incidents are recorded in history more honourable to the Roman people than the transactions which took place on the Mom Saca; where they displayed in such a conspicuous manner the three grand virtues that constitute the Roman character — firmness, moderation, and magnanimity. About two miles northward of the Pons Nomentanus is the Pons Salarius {Ponte Salaro) remarkable for the Avell known combat between Manlius Torquatus and the gigantic Gaul ; as also for the neighbouring encampment of Annibal, when he approached the city, and by threatening Rome itself hoped to terrify the Con- suls, and induce them to raise the siege of Capua. The traveller may then return by the Via Salaria and re-enter the city by the gate of the same name. Besides these walks, as it is not my intention to specify all, it will be sufficient to observe that every gate possesses its attractions, presenting on the roads and paths which it opens to the steps of * Tliis form it probably owes to the occasion :— .Vallo, fossftque communitis castri^. — Liv. lib. ii. S2. ^ 3 F 2 4ft4 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XViil. the traveller, its views of rural beauty, or its remains of ancient grandeur ; its churches sanctified by the memory of the Good, its fields consecrated by the struggles of the Brave, and its sepulchres ennobled by the ashes of the Great. Wheresoever he directs his observation he finds himself surrounded by the wonders of modern art, and by the monuments of ancient splendour ; so that his eye is gratified by noble exhibitions, and his mind elevated by grand and awful recollections. A certain inexpressible solemnity pecu- liar to the place reigns all around : the genius of Rome and the spirits of the illustrious dead still seem to hover over the ruins, to guard the walls, and to superintend the destinies of the " Eternal Pity/' CH. XIX. THROUGH ITALY. ^05 CHAP. XIX. TiBUR — Horace's villa. AFTER having passed five delightful weeks in a first and rapid survey of the ancient ruins and of the modern magnificence of Rome, we turned our attention to the neighbouring country, and hastened to visit some of the classical retreats of the Sabine and Alban mountains. Accordingly, on Thursday, the thirteenth of May, we made an excursion to Tivoli, the ancient Tibur, and proceeding along the Via Tiburtina, again visited the ancient patriarchal Basilica of St. Laurence, about one mile from the gate. This is not the only church that bears the title of St. Lau- rence, as there are three others at least in Rome that enjoy it also ; but it is the most ancient, and at the same time it has the honour of possessing the martyr's remains. As I approached his shrine with reverence I recollected the beautiful lines of Vida. Adveniet lustris mundo labentibus aetas, Quum domus JEneie praestans Romana propago Insonti juveni flammis extrema sequuto Centum aras, centum magnis penetralia teinplis Erigct, et tuuiulo divinum imponet honorem. 406 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xix. About two miles further on we passed the Ponte Mamolo, over the Anio or Tevcronc. This bridge is said to have been built by Mammea, mother of Alexander Severus. Tlie Campagna, ex- tending thence to the mountains of Sabina, is flat but fertile, and covered either with rich grass or promising corn. Woods sur- rounding distant villas or farms appeared here and there covering the summits of little hills. About eight miles from the above-mentioned bridge we crossed the little green streamlet, called, from its sulphureous exhala- tions, the Solfatara. The lake or pool from which it rises is about a short mile from the road, somewhat less than a mile in circum- ference, and near two hundred feet deep. Its waters are of an iron grey, and its surface is frequently spotted with a bituminous matter, which mixing with weeds and vegetable substances gradu- ally coagulates, and forms what may be called a floating island. There were ten or twelve of these little green masses when we visited the lake, and being carried by the wind to the side they re- mained united and motionless till we separated and set some of them afloat. As they continually increase in number, so they gradually diminish the surface of the lake, and will probably in time cover it over entirely. It was formerly much larger than it is at present, and used occasionally to overflow the neighbouring plains ; to pre- vent this inconvenience the little canal which intersects the road was cut by the orders of the Cardinal d'Este, to give an outlet to the increasing waters and carry them to the Anio. This lake was in high repute among the ancients, and much frequented on account of the oracle of Faunus, whose temple, surrounded by a sacred grove, stood on its bank. Hence Virgil, who consecrates the usages established in his time by referring them to remote antiquity, or by ascribing their origin to the interference of the gods, represents Latinus as consulting the oracle of Faunus on this spot, and as CH. XIX. THROUGH ITALY. 407 receiving during the night a mysterious answer. The sulphure- ous exhalations of the lake, the celebrity of the temple, and the singular method of consulting the oracle, are all finely described in these lines. At rex sollicitus monstris, oracula Fauni Fatidici genitoris adit, lucosque sub alt& Consulit AlbuneS, nemorum quae raaxuma sacro Fonte sonat sievumque exhalat opaca mephitim. Hinc Italae gentes, omnisque ^notria tellus, In dubils responsa petunt. Hue dona sacerdos Quum tulit, et caesarum ovium sub nocte silenti Pellibus incubuit stratis, somnosque petivit; Multa modis simulacra videt volitantia miris, Et varias audit voces, fruiturque Deorum CoUoquio, atque itnis Acheronta adfatur Avernis. jEneid, vii. SI. At present the oracle is forgotten; the sacred grove whence the voices issued has been long rooted up ; and the very situation of the temple itself is a matter of mere conjecture. Bituminous exhalations indeed still impregnate the air to a considerable dis- tance, and the lake exists though its extent is much diminished. The surface of the surrounding fields is an incrustation gradually formed over the water, and the hollow sound which it yields to the tread of horses evidently betrays the existence of an abyss beneath. The Fonte Lugano, a bridge over the Anio, presents itself about a mile and a half farther on. This bridge is said to have taken its name from the Lucanians, who were here defeated by the Romans ; it is remarkable for a tomb of the Plautian family, a round tower built of large blocks of Tiburtine stone, resembling the sepulchre of CeciUa Metella, both in its original form and its subsequent appro- 408 CLASSICAL TOUR CH.xix. priatioii. It was employed as a military station during the middle ao-es, and surmounted by a battlement; a circumstance barbarous in point of taste, yet not to be regretted in the present instance, as it preserved the remains of these two monuments. About two miles farther a road turns off to the villa of Adrian. This imperial residence stood on a hill, with the extensive vale of Latium on one side, and a Uttle deep glade called 'Tempe on the other. It commanded a delightful view of the Sabine mountains with Tibur here, and there a prospect of the Alban hills with their towers and forests ; behind, the vale lost itself in distant mountains ; in front, appeared Rome itself extended over its seven hills, and re- flecting from all its palaces the beams of an evening sun. The sides of the hill are everywhere rather steep, and the rock itself, aided a little by art, forms an excellent barrier, enclosing a long narrow space of at least seven miles in circumference. As we are assured by an ancient author that Adrian, after having travelled over the whole empire, determined to collect around him on this spot the most remarkable edifices that lay dispersed over the Roman world, the reader will no longer wonder at the number of buildings con- stituting this villa, nor feel any unusual astonishment in perusing a catalogue embracing the following objects: the imperial palace; quarters for the legionary soldiers, cavalry and infantry, and others for the invalids; three theatres; a naumachia; a h^-ppodrome; temples of Apollo and the Muses, of Diana, of Venus, of Serapis ; halls and habitations for the different sects of philosophers; a library ; a Pa?cile, resembling that at Athens ; and porticos almost without number, together with various edifices, the names and ob- jects of which are now undiscoverable. Statues, columns, and marbles of the rarest kinds, have been, and are continually, disco- vered when excavations are made amidst the ruins of these amazing fabrics; while briars and brambles fill the halls and stuccoed apart- ctf. XIX. THROUGH ITALY. 409 ments, and a mixed confusion of orchards and gardens, forest, and fruit trees, vineyards and corn waving over them, present a strange and melancholy contrast. Returning to the road, we began and continued for some time to ascend the high hill on which Tivoli stands, passing through groves of olives till we reached the summit ; when, after having examined the noble site of the house of the Jesuits, and the Villa dc Santa Cfoce, we entered TkoU. This town, the Tibur of the ancients, boasts of high anti(juity, and, what is much better, still possesses a considerable population, amounting, it is said, to ten thousand inhabitants. The town itself is not handsome, though it contains some very fine houses and stands in j\ delightful situation, sheltered on one side by Monte Cat'di, and a semicircular range of Sabine mountains, and commanding on the other an extensive view over the Campagna bounded by the sea, Rome, Mount Soracte and the pyramidal hills of Monticelli, and Monte Txotondo, the ancient Ere- tum. But the pride and ornament of Tivoli are still as anciently the fall and the windings of the Anio, now Teverone. This river, having meandered from its source through the vales of Sabina, glides gently through Tivoli, till, coming to the brink of a rock, it precipitates itself in one mass down the steep, and then boiling for an instant in its narrow channel rushes headlong through a chasm in the rock into the caverns below. The first fall may be seen from the windows of the inn or from the temple ; but it appears to the greatest advantage from the bridge thrown over the narrow channel a little below it. From this bridge also you may look down into the shattered rock, and observe far beneath the writhings and agitation of the stream struo-gling through its rocky prison. To view the second fall, or descent into the cavern, we went down through a garden by a VOL. I. 3 G 410 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xix. winding path into the narrow dell, through which the river flows after the cascade, and placing ourselves in front of the cavern be- held the Anio in two immense sheets tumbling through two dif- ferent apertures, shaking the mountain in its fall, and filling all the cavities around with spray and uproar. Though the rock rises to the height of two hundred feet in a narrow semicircular fomi, clothed on one side with shrubs and foliage, yet a sufficient light breaks upon the cavern to shew its pendent rocks, agitated waters, and craggy borders. Such is the residence of the Naiad : Domiis Albuiiece resonontis ; . . . pendentia pumice tecta. About an hundred paces from the grotto, a natural bridge, formed by the water working through the rock, enables the specta- tor to pass the river, and to take another view of the cascade, less distinct with regard to the cavern but more enlarged, as it includes a greater portion of the superincumbent rock in front, with the shagged banks on both sides. The rock immediately above and on the left is perpendicular and crowned with houses, while from an aperture in its side at a considerable height gushes a rill, too small to add either by its sound or size to the magnificence of the scenery. The bank on the opposite side is steep and shaggy, but leaves room for little gardens and vineyards. On its summit stands the celebrated temple commonly called of the Sybil, though by many antiquaries supposed to belong to Vesta. I'his beautiful pile is so well known that it is almost unnecessary to inform the reader that it is circular (as all the temples of Vesta), of the Corinthian order, built in the reign of Augustus, and admired not for its size but for its proportions and situation. It stands in the court of the inn, exposed to the weather without any roof or covering ; but its own solidity seems to be a sufficient protection. Of its eighteen pillars CH. XIX. THROUGH ITALY. 411 ten only remain with their entabhiture. An EngUsh nobleman, well known in Italy for his numberless purchases, is reported to have offered a considerable sum for this ruin, with an intention of trans- porting it to England, and re-erecting it in his park. The proposal it is said was accepted by the innkeeper, on whose property it stands ; but fortunately, before the work of devastation was begun, a prohibition was issued by government, grounded upon a declara- tion that ruins are public property, and of course not to be defaced or removed without express permission, which as it tended to strip the country of the monuments of its ancient glory, and con- sequently of its most valuable ornament, the government could not and would not give. This attempt to transplant the temple of Vesta from Italy to England may perhaps do honour to the late Lord Bristol's patriotism or to his magnificence ; but it cannot be considered as an indication of either taste or judgment. The temple of TivoU derives it is true much intrinsic merit from its size and proportions, but it is not architectural merit alone which gives it its principal interest. Placed on the verge of a rocky bank, it is suspended over the prceceps Anio, and the echoing abode of the Naiads; it has beheld Augustus and Maecenas, Virgil and Horace, repose under its columns ; it has survived the empire and even the lansuage of its founders; and after eighteen hundred years of storms and tempests, of revolutions and barbarism, it still exhibits its fair proportioned form to the eye of the traveller, and claims at once his applause and his veneration. Near the temple of Vesta stand the remains of another temple, supposed to be that of the Sybil, consisting of four pillars, and now forming a part of the wall of the parish church of St. George. Besides these, scarce any other vestige remains of ancient Tibur, though considering its antiquity, its population, and its salubrity, 3 G 'J 412 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xix. it must have possessed a considerable share of magnificence. But if its aitificial ornaments have perished, and if its temples and its villas have long since crumbled into dust, the unalterable graces which nature has conferred upon it still remain, and its orchards, its (rardens,and its cool recesses bloom and flourish in unfading beauty. If Horace, who so often and so fondly celebrates the charms of Tibur, were to revive, he would still find the grove, the irriguous garden, the ever-varying rill, the genial soil; in short all the well known features of his beloved retreat. To enjoy this delicious scenery to advantage, the traveller must cross the bridge and folloAV the road which runs at the foot of the classic Monte Catillo, and winds along the banks of the Anio, rolling after its fall through the valley in a deep dell. As he advances, he will have on his left the steep banks covered with trees, shrubs, and gardens ; and on his right the bold but varying swells of the hills shaded with groves of olives. These sunny declivities were anciently interspersed with splendid villas, the favourite abodes of the most luxurious and the most refined Romans. They are now replaced by two solitary con- vents, lifting each its white tower above the dark green mass of olives. Their site, often conjectural or traditionary, is sometimes marked by some scanty vestiges of ruin, and now and then by the more probable resemblance of a name. Thus several subterraneous apartments and galleries near San A7itonio are supposed to be the remains of the seat of Vopiscus, celebrated by Statins. That oi" Propertius Candida qua geminas ostendunt culmina terres Et cadit in patulos lympha Aiiiena lacus is supposed to have stood on the site of the other convent, St. Angela; Avhile the villa of Quintilius Varus, or rather its foundations still retain the kindred appellation of Quintiliolo. But the house of Vopiscus, as must appear evident to any reader who thinks proper CH.xix. THROUGH ITALY. 413 to consult the poet alluded to, must have been in the dell, and have actually hunn^ over the river, as it occupied both the banks and saw its surrounding shades reflected from the surface of the water *. The fond attachment of Horace to Tibur, united to the testimony of Suetonius, has induced many antiquaries to imagine, that at some period or other of his life he possessed a little villa in its neighbourhood, and tradition accordingly ennobles a few scattered fragments of walls and arches, with the interesting appellation of Horace's Villa. The site is indeed worthy the poet, Avhere, defend- ed by a semicircular range of wooded mountains from every cold blustering wind, he might look down on the playful windings of the Anio below, discover numerous rills gleaming through the thickets as they glided down the opposite bank, enjoy a full view of the splendid mansion of his friend Maecenas rising directly before him, and catch a distant perspective of Aurea Roma, of the golden towers of the Capitol soaring majestic on its distant mount. But, whatever his wishes might be, it is not probable that his moderate income permitted him to enjoy such a luxurious residence in a place so much frequented, and consequently so very expensive ; and indeed the very manner in which those wishes are expressed seems to imply but slight hopes of ever being able to realize them. Nemora alfa citatis Incubuere vadis, fallax responsat imago Frondibus, et longas eadem fugit unda per umbras Littus utrumque domi : nee te mitissimus amnis Dividit, alternas servant praetoria ripas, Non externa sibi, fluviumve obstare queruntur. St ATI us, Syl, i. S. 414 CLASSICAL TOUR CH.xix, *' Tibur, <^-c. sit — iitinam — Unde si — Parcae prohibent iniqucE." If Horace actually possessed a villa there, the wish was unnecessary, as the eveut lay in his own power. The authority of Suetonius seems indeed positive, but it is possible that the same place may be alluded to under the double appellation of his Sabine or Tibur- tine seat*. The poet, it is true, often represents himself as meditat- ing his compositions while he wandered along the plains and through the oroves of Tibur ; o Circa nemus, uvidique Tiburis ripas operosa parvus Carmina fingo. But as he was probably a frequent companion of Maecenas in his excursions to his villa at Tibur, he may in those lines allude to his solitary rambles and poetical reveries. Catullus, a Roman knight, had fortune sufficient to indulge himself in such an expensive residence, and accordingly speaks Avith much complacency of his Tiburtine retreat, which, on account of its proximity to the town, he calls suburhana. Munatius Plancus also possessed a villa at Tibur, apparently of great beauty. To this the poet alludes in that ode-f, where, in enlarging on the charms of the place, he recommends * That villas in the vicinity of Tibur sometimes took their name from the town, and sometimes from the territory, is evident from GatuHus. O Funde noster, seu Sabine, seu Tibur Nam te esse Tiburtem autumant quibus uon est Cordi CatuUum laedere; at quibus cordi est Quovis Sabinum pignore esse contendunt. t Seu te fulgentia signis Castra tenent, seu densa tenebit Tiburis umbra tui. Carm. lib. i. od, /. CH.XIX. THROUGH ITALY. 415 indirectly and with much deUcacy to his friend, who, in a moment of despondenc}^ had resolved upon a voluntary exile, his delight- llil seat at Tibur as a retirement far preferable to Rhodes and Mitylene, places in those times much frequented by disaffected or banished Romans. But to abandon these aerial charms, spread indeed like flitting shades over every grove and every meadow, but perceptible only to the eye of imagination, let us turn to the visible beauties that line our walk and appear in new forms at every turning. As the traveller, following the bend of the hill, comes to the side of the road opposite to the town, he catches first a side glimpse, and shortly after a full view of the CascateUi, or lesser cascades, infe- rior in mass and grandeur, but equal in beauty to the great fall in the town. They are formed by a branch of the A7iio turned off from the main body of the river, before it reaches the precipice, for the uses of the inhabitants, and, after it has crossed the town, burstinsf from a wood on the summit of the hill, and then tumbling from its brow in one great and several lesser streams, first down one and then another declivity, through thickets and brambles, spangled with dew drops, or lighted up with a rainbow. The ele- vation and mass of these cascades; the colours and broken masses of the rocks down which they tumble ; the shrubs, plants, and brambles that hang over the channel and sometimes bathe them- selves in the current ; the river below fretting through a narrow pass under a natural arch ; the olives that shade that arch, and the vines that wave around it ; the bold bendings and easy sweeps of the surrounding mountains ; and the towers of the town rising on the top of the hill beyond the cascade, with the ruins of JNIiC- cenas's villa on its shelving side, form one of the most delicious pictures for softness and beauty, wildness and animation, that can be imagined. The traveller is usually conducted by his guide to 416 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. Xix. a sort of natural stage, formed by the rock projecting boldly over the river, just opposite the cascade. Here he may seat himself on the grass under the shade of a tufted olive-tree, enjoy at leisure the delightful sight, nor wonder that Horace, when surrounded by such scenery, should feel the full influence of inspiration. Quae Tibur aquae fertile praefluunt Et spissae nemorum comae Fingent iEolio carmine nobilem. IV. od. 3. However, a side view is considered as the best, because it augments the apparent mass of waters ; and this we enjoyed as we continued our walk along the road ; while before us the open- ing valley exhibited a distant perspective over the Campagna to the seven hills and the towers of Rome, and the Mediterranean closing, or rather bordering, the picture with a gleam of purple. We passed Qiihitiliolo, and the pond once probably the recep- tacle of those favourite fish which, as Cicero sarcastically observes, seem to have occupied so much of the time and thoughts of their indolent proprietors. At the foot of the hill, in a meadow called Campo Limpido, near the road, springs a fountain, Avhich some tra- vellers have thought proper to dignify with the appellation of Ban- diisia; but though its source be abundant, its waters pure, and its appearance picturesque, yet it is far remote from the classical fountain of that denomination. After having passed the bridge and ascended part of the declivity towards the town, we entered a field in order to visit a circular edifice of brick with a vaulted roof, resembling, though of a smaller size, the temple of Minerva Medica, supposed by some to be the FanumTussis, by others a sepulchre; the situation seems more appropriate to the latter, the form better cti. XIX. THROUGH ITALY. 417 calculated for the former. It has several niches for statues, is of excellent proportions, and though stripped long since of ail its ornaments is yet in good preservation*. Maecenas's villa stands at the extremity of the town on the brow of the hill, and hangs over several streamlets Avhich fall down the steep. It commands a noble view of the Anio and its vale beneath, the hills of Albano and Monticelli, the Canipagna, and Rome itself rising on the borders of the horizon. It still presents several traces of its former magnificence, such as a triple row of arches, seventeen below and fourteen above, forming a suite of apartments spacious enough for all the purposes of private luxury. The active Cardinal Ihiffo during the reign of the late pontiff turned it into a foundery, after having stripped the walls and the roof of the ivy, and effaced the venerable marks of ruin which the hand of time had shed over them. A branch of the river pours through the arched gallery and vaulted cellars, and shaking the edifice as it passes along, rushes in several sheets down the declivity. The ancient magni- ficence of this villa is probably equalled by that of the modern Villa Esteme, erected by a cardinal of that name in the sixteenth century, in a lofty situation, surrounded with terraces, waterfalls, groves of cedars, cypresses, and orange trees, and adorned with statues, vases, and marbles. The gardens are laid out in the old style, and not comformable to our ideas of rural beauty, and the whole is in a most lamentable state of decay. Very different was its condition when described by Strada, who lays the scene of two of his Prolusions in its gardens. * Some antiquaries are of opinion, that it was a bath; but its situation on a declivity and at a distance from the town seems unfavourable to such a destination. VOL I. 3 H 418 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. Xix. There are in the town or immediate neighbourhood of Tivolt other villas of great extent and some magnificence, enjoying in pro- portion similar advantages of situation and of prospect, and perhaps no spot in the universe affords more of either ; but unfortunately the modern Romans, like the Italians and the continental nations in general, are not partial to country residence. They may enjoy the- description, or commend the representation of rural scenes and occupations in books and pictures, but they feel not the beauties of nature, and cannot relish the calm, the solitary charms of a country life. Hence the delicious retreats of Tibur, and the rival beauties of the Alban Mount, scenes that delighted the philoso- pher and enchanted the poet in ancient days, are now beheld with indifference, and perhaps honoured once a year, during the Vil/eg- giatiira, with a short and impatient visit. Englishmen, who are generally educated in the country, and are attached by all the ties of custom and of inclination to rural scenery, may appreciate the beauties of Tibur, and do justice to the descrip- tion of the poet. While they behold the hills, the woods, the streams, Et prieceps Anio, et Tiburni lucus, et uda Mobilibus pomaria rivis, I, od. 6. which so often inspired the Roman LjTist, they may conceive and even share his enthusiasm, and did not a better sentiment suppress the wish, they might exclaim with him, Tibur Argeo positum colono, Sit mefe sedes utinam senectae Sit modus lasso maris et viarum Militieeque. CH. XIX. THROUGH ITALY. 419 May 15th. We rose about three in the morning, and although the weather appeared rather lowering, we mounted at four, and forming a party of nine proceeded on our road towards the Sabine mountains in order to visit Horace's villa. The Via Valeria is without doubt the shortest road to Vico Varo, but we took one which, though very bad and somewhat longer, gave us an opportunity of seeing more of the country. As we were winding along the hills, Ave saw the river meandering beneath us through a beautiful dell, and forming a variety of pleasirtg scenes, especially near a spot where the ruins of two aqueducts throw their arches over the road, and form a sort of frame for the towers of Tivoli and its neighboiuing mountains. An artist who was in company with us took a sketch on the spot, and has since made a very fine drawing of it. The aqueducts frequently re-appeared during the course of the day, sometimes rising like masses of brown rock on the hills, and sometimes sweeping in a succession of lofty arches over the plains. The face of the country was here wooded and there naked, but always bold and in general very fertile. Its most striking features were, a ruined castle on the bank of the river, distant towns lodged in the high recesses of the mountains, particularly St. Polo, far on the left, and Cmtel Madaiiia, just oppo- site. The latter is said to be extremely healthy on account of its airy situation ; it affords a fine view of the valley, ol' the river, and of the mountains, av ith their various hamlets. From the side of the hill Ave looked doAvn upon Vico Varo, Avhose churches and walls of Avhite stone appeared to much advantage. This toAvn nearly re- tains its ancient name, and is the Varige mentioned by Horace, as the principal municipality Avhere, it seems, representatives from the circumjacent villages used to meet. Quinque bonos solituna Vatiam demiltere patres. Lil>. i. Epist. I'i. 3 It 2 420 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xix. It stands on a hill close to the Anio, has considerable remains of its wall, composed of vast stones, hke those employed in the Coliseum, and though not large must have been opulent, if we may judge from such a magnificent rampart. From Vico Varo we proceeded along the river about two miles, to a bridge remarkable for the remains of a lofty arch formed to conduct the Claudian aqueduct over the Anit). Only a small part of the arch is standing, while the channel opened through the rock on the opposite side near a mill is still perfect. The banks here are extremely bold, particularly on the northern side of the river, where they rise to a great elevation, and seem to hang over the mill and the. stream. The rock is hollowed out by nature into a variety of grottos, said to have been for some time the retreat of St. Benedict, the patriarch of the western monks. On the top of the rock stands the Franciscan convent of S. Cosimato, a neat and convenient building, Avith a very clean church. Hither we repaired in order to take shelter from a very heavy shower, and were re- ceived by the good fathers with cordiality, and treated in a very hospitable and polite manner. About one o'clock we sallied forth, and returning back some little way took a path leading directly northward. I must observe, that from the convent, and indeed some little time before you reach it, you discover towards the north two villages, beautifully situated on the summit of a woody and well-cultivated hill, supported by a range of mountains behind ; one of these villages is called Canta Lubo, the other Bardda. The latter is Ma/idt/a, which, on account of its high situation, Horace represents as suffering much from the effects of the cold. RugosDs frigore pagus. As we advanced we found ourselves in a fine valley with beautiful hills rising close on oiu- left, while on our right, in the midst of fer^ CH. XIX. THROUGH ITALY. 421 tile meadows bounded on the opposite side by the hill of Mamkla and a ridge of successive mountains, glided the Licenza, anciently the Digentia, the favourite stream of Horace. Me quoties reficit gelidus Digentia rivus. Its bed is wide, stony, and shallow in summer. We had not pro- ceeded far, when to the left, on the brow of a craggy steep, we perceived the Fanum A'^acunee*, whence the poet dated one of his philosophic epistles ; it was almost in ruins in his time, and pro- bably sunk under the pressure of age not long after : a village has risen upon its site, and assumed the name of Rocca Giovcine. Near the path which leads up to this village issues a spring, called by some writers the fountain of Bandusia. The road then ran at the foot of Mount Lucretilis, and a iriore beautiful mountain has rarely been discovered by a traveller, or celebrated by a poet, it rises in a gentle but irregular swell, form- ing several hills of different shapes as it ascends, and leading the eye through several easy gradations to its summit. Rocks and precipices frequently break its lines, and open various caverns and grottos in its sides and on its declivities. Its lower regions are divided into corn fields and vineyards ; groves of olives and of chestnuts interspersed with forest trees, thrown negligently about, sometimes single, sometimes in clumps, and now and then in woods, wave round its middle ; its upper parts are heathy pasture, and in many places covered with brambles, shrubs, and forests. * Hoc tibi dictabani post templum putre Vacunae. Vacuna was the Miner\-a, or perhaps the Victory, of tlie Sabines. The temple Iiere al- luded to, or one to Victory on the same site, was repaired by Vespasian. This goddess had another temple, or at least a grove, near Rcate and the Veltnus.— P/m. lib. iii. cap. 12. 422 CLASSICAL TOUR CH.xix. Herds may be seen ranging through the meadows, and flocks of goats spread over the wilds and browsing on the precipices. Ar- cadia itself could scarcely have exhibited more beautiful scenes, or opened more delightfid recesses ; so that Lucretilis, without being indebted to poetical exaggeration for the compliment, might easily be supposed to have attracted the attention of the rural di- vinities, and allured them to its delicious wilderness *. About a mile and a half bej'ond the road which leads to Eocca Giovane we turned up a pathway, and crossing a vineyard found ourselves on the spot where Horace's villa is supposed to have stood. A part of a wall rising in the middle of brambles, and some mosaic pavements, are the only traces that now remain of the poet's mansion. It was probably remarkable neither for its size nor its decorations -f- ; neatness and convenience it must have possessed. Mitndceque pano sub hire Ccetice. Its situation is extremely beauti- ful. Placed in a little plain or valley in the windings of Mount Lucretilis, it is sheltered on the north side by hills rising gradually but very boldly ; while towards the south a long hillock, covered with a grove, protects it from the scorching blasts of that quarter Being opened to the east and west it gives a full view of Bocca Gimane, formerly Fanum Vacuna^, on one side ; on the other, tvvo towns, the nearest of which is Digentia, the farthest Civitella, perch- ed each on the pointed summit of a hill present themselves to viev/ ; below, and forming a sort of basis to these eminences, Ustica, * Velox amosnum saepe Lucretilem Mutat Lyceo Faunus, et i^iieam Defendit aestatem capellis Usque meis pluviosque ventos. t Non ebur, neque aureum Mea renidet in domo lacunar. CH.xix. THROUGH ITALY. 423 speckled witli olives and spangled with little shining rocks, stretches its recumheiU form*. Behind the house a path, leading through a grove of olives and rows of vines, conducts to an abundant rill descending from Fonte Be/lo (perhaps anciently the Bandusia), a fountain in the higher re- gions of the mountain. It is collected in its fall from an artificial cascade into a sort of basin, whence it escapes, pours down the hill and glides through the valley, under the name of Digentia, now Liceiiza. This rill, if I may judge by its freshness, still possesses the good qualities Horace ascribed to it, and still seems to flow so cool and so clear. Ut nee Frigidlor Thracam nee purior ambiat Hebrus. I must indeed here observe, that the whole tract of country which we have just traversed corresponds in every particular with the description which Horace gave of it two thousand years ago. Not only the grand and characteristic features -j- — Xhecontinued chain of mountains — the shady valley — the uinding dell — the abundant fountain — the savage rocks — features which a general convulsion of * Utcunque dulci, Tyndari, fistula Valles ct Usticce cuhantis Levia personuere saxa. Lib. i, Od. 17. t Contlnul monies nisi dissocientur opaca Valle Hie in redueta valle caniculae Vitabis testus .... Fons etlam rivo dare noraen idoneus . . . inhospita tesqua . . Ruris ama?ni. 42i CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xix. nature only can totally efface, not these alone remain, but the less and more perishable beauties — the little 7'ills — the mosa-Uned sto?ies — the frequent groies — the arbutus half concealed in the thickets — the occasional j9//5ing rapidity. However the storm was as short as it was violent ; it had diminished when we reached tlie stage called the Torre de Mezzaxia, anciently Ad Me- dian), and after changing horses we drove on to Alhaiio. From Albano the road winds at present, or at least winded when we passed it, round the beautiful little valley of Aricia, formed by some of the lower ramifications of the Alban Mount, and pre- CH. XXI. THROUGH ITALY. 451 sented on the left a fine view of Albano, Aricia, Galaio'a, Monte GiovCf Gemauo, all gilded by the rays of the sun, just then bursting from the skirts of the storm and taking his farewell sweet. These glowing tints were set otf to great advantage by the dark back ground formed by the groves and evergreen forests that clothe the higher regions of the mountain. Night shortly after closed upon us, and deprived us of several interesting views which we might have enjoyed from the lofty situation of the road, that still con- tinued to run along the side of the hill. Among other objects we lost on our left the view of Lavinia, anciently Lanuvium, so often mentioned by Cicero as connected with Milo*, and alluded to by Horace as infested by wolves -f-. We arrived about twelve o'clock at Velletri, an ancient town of the J olsci, that still retains its former name and consideration. It became a Roman colony at a very early period, and was the seat of the Octavian family and the birth-place of Augustus. Though it contains some considerable edifices, particularly palaces, yet it appears ill-built and gloomy. Its situation however is very fine. Placed on the southern extremity of the Alban hills, it commands on one side, over a deep valley, a view of Cora and the ^'^olscian mountains ; and on the other, of a fertile plain, late the Pomptine marshes, bounded by the sea and Circe's promontory. The coun- try through the two next stages is extremely green and fertile, pre- senting rich meadows adorned with forest scenery, whose mild beauties form a striking contrast with the harsh features of the bor- dering mountains. The village of Cisterna, probably on the site • Cic. Pro Mil. t ab agro Rava dccurrens lupa Lanurlno. Lib. iii. 27. 3 M 2 452 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xxr. of the Tres Taberna, is lively and pleasing. At Toitc de tie Ponti, the ancient Tripuntium, several milliarj^ stones, columns, &c. dug up on the Appian road when repaired by the late pope, will at- tract the attention of the traveller. Near it stood Forum Appii, built at the time the road was made, and inhabited by inn- keepers and the boatmen who plied on the canal that crossed the marshes *. Here commence the famous Pomptine marshes, and at the same time the excellent road formed through them on the substructions of the Appian by the same pontiff. This road runs on an exact level, and in a straight line for thirty miles. It is bordered on both sides by a canal, and shaded by double rows of elms and poplars. It is crossed by two rivers, the UJhis and the Amaseiuis, which still retain their ancient appellations, and remind the traveller of some beautiful descriptions, and particularly of the affecting adventure of Metabus, so well told by Virgil. The Tomptimc Fahuh's derive their appellation from Fomct'nim, a considerable town of the Vohci. Though this city was so opu- lent as to enable Tarquin to build the Capitol Avith its plunder, yet it had totally disappeared even before the time of Phny. It is dif- ficult to discover the precise date of the origin of these marshes. Homer, and after him Virgil, represent the abode of Circe as an island, and Pliny alluding to Homer quotes this opinion, and con- firms it by the testimony of Theophrastus, who, in the year of Rome 440, gives this island a circumference of eighty stadia or about ten miles. It is not improbable that this vast plain, even now so little raised above the level of the sea, may, like the terri- Difiertum nautis, cauponibus atque malignis. Hob. CH.XXK THROUGH ITALY. 453 tory of Ravenna on the eastern coast, have once been covered by the waves. M'hatever may have been its state in fabulous times, Jhe same Pliny relates, on the authority of a more ancient Latin writer, that at an early period of the Roman republic, the tract of country afterwards included in the marshes contained thirty-three cities, all of which gradually disappeared before the ravages of war, or the still more destructive intluence of the increasing fens. These fens are occasioned by the quantity of water carried into the plain by numberless streams that rise at the foot of the neigh- bouring mountains, and for want of sufficient decHvity creep slug- gishly over the level space, and sometimes stagnate in pools, or lose themselves in the sands. The principal of these streams are, the Astiira, the Ki/nifa, the Teppia, the Aqua Puzza, in the upper ; and the Amasenus and Ufens in the lower marshes*. The pools or lakes line the coast, and extend from the neighbourhood of the mouth of the Astura to the promontory of Circe. The fiat and swampy tract spread from these lakes to the foot of the \o\- scian mountains, and covered an extent of eight miles in breadth and thirty in length with mud and infection. The loss of so much fertile land, and the exhalations arising from such a vast tract of swamp, carried not unfrequently to the capital itself by southerly winds, must have attracted the attention of a people so active and industrious as the ancient Romans. Appius Claudius, about three hundred years before the Chris- tian era, when employed in carrying his celebrated road across these marshes, made the first attempt to drain them, and his example was, at long intervals, followed by various consuls, em- perors, and kings, do\vn to the Gothic Theodoric inclusively. The * Qua Saturae jacet atra palus, gelidusque per imas Quterit iter valles, alque in mare conditur Ufens. ViKG. J&v, viL 454 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. XXf. wars that followed the death of this prince, the devastation of Italy, and the weakness and unsettled state of the Roman govern- ment, withdrew its attention from cultivation, and left the waters of the Fahuh's to their natural operation. The popes, however, when their sovereignty was established, and their attention no longer distracted by the piratical visits of distant, or the inroads of neighbouring barbarians, turned their thoughts to the ame- lioration of the inundated territory; and we find accordingly that from Boniface VIII. down to the late pontiff Pius VI. no less than fifteen popes have attempted this grand undertaking. Most of these efforts were attended with partial, none with full success. Whether the failure is to be ascribed to the deficiency of the means employed at the beginning, or to the neglect of repairs, and the want of continual attention afterwards, it is difficult to determine ; though considering the skill and opulence of the Ro- mans, it is more natural to attribute the defect either to the nature of the evil, in itself irremediable, or to the distracting circum- stances of the intervening times. Of the methods employed by Appius, and afterwards by the Consul Cethegus, we know little ; though not the road only, but the traces of certain channels dug to draw the water from it, and mounds raised to protect it from sudden swells of water, are tradi- tionally ascribed to the former. Julius Civsar is said to have re- volved in his mighty mind a design worthy of himself, of turning the course of the Tiber from Ostia, and carrying it through the Pomptine teiritory and marshes to the sea at Terracina. This grand project, which existed only in the mind of the Dictator, pe- rished with him, and gave way to the more moderate, but more practicable plan of Augustus, who endeavoured to carry off the superfluous waters by opening a canal all along the Via Appia, from Forum Appii to the grove of Feronia. It was customary to CH. XXI. THROUGH ITALY. 455 embark on this canal at night time, as Strabo relates and Horace practised * ; because the vapours that arise from the swamps are less noxious during the coolness of the night than in the heat of the day. Many of the inconveniencies of the marshes still conti- nued to be felt, as appears from Horace's complaints -j^, and from the epithet applied by Lucan to the Via Appia. Et qua Pomptinas Via dividit Uda paludes. L. iu. However the canal opened by Augustus still remains, and is called the Cuxata. The luxury and the improvident policy of the immediate suc- cessors of Augustus, and the civil wars that raged under Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian, diverted their attention from works of peace and improvement; so that the marshes had again in- creased and the waters swelled, so as to render the Via Appia nearly impassable |.. At length Nerva resumed the task, and his * Horace embarked in the evening, and arrived at Feronia about ten o'clock next morning; liaving travelled about seven-and-twenty miles in sixteen hours. The mu- leteer seems to have been as slow and as sleepy as modern German drivers. t Aqua . . tetcrrima . . . mali culicesj ranseque palustres. X Silius Italicus, who flourislied in this interval, appears to have given an accurate description of them as tliey were in his time, though he is speaking of the age of Annibal — Et quos pestifera Pomptini uligine campi ; Qua Saturse nebulosa palus restagnat, et atro Liventes cjbdo per squulida turbidus arva Cogit aquas Ufens atque inficit a;quora limo. SiL. Ita[.. lib. viii. 4o6 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xxr. glorious successor Trajan carried it on during ten years, and with so much activity that the whole extent of country from Treponti to Terracina was drained, and the Via Appia completely restored, in the third consulate of that Emperor. This event is commemorated in three inscriptions, one of which may be seen on a marble slab at the village of Treponti ; another more explicit was found near the forty-second mile stone on the A ia Appia ; and the third exists on a stone in one of the angles of the wall of the cathedral at Ter- racina. During the convulsions of the following centuries the marshes were again overflowed, and again drained by Cecilius De- cius in the reign of Theodoric, The commencement of this work is announced in an epistle drawn up in the declamatory style of the times, and addressed by the Gothic prince to the senate. Its suc- cess is stated in another to Decius, containing a grant of the lands drained by him free from taxes for ever- Of the different popes who have revived this useful enterprise, Boniface II., Martin \^, and Sixtus Quintus carried it on with a vigour adequate to its importance, and with a magnificence wor- thy of the ancient Romans. But the short reigns of these benevo- lent and enterprising sovereigns did not permit them to accomplish their grand designs ; and their successors of less genius or less acti- vity' contented themselves with issuing briefs and imposing obliga- tions on the communities and proprietors to support and repair the drains. The glory of finally terminating this grand under- taking, so often attempted and so often frustrated, Mas reserved for the late pontiff Pius VI. who immediately on his elevation to the papal throne turned his attention to the Pomptine marshes. The level was taken with precision, the depth of the different canals and outlets sounded, the degree of declivity in the beds of the rivers ascertained, and at length the work was begun in the year 1778. It was carried on with incredible ardour and vast ex- CM. XXI. THROUGH ITALY. 457 pense for the space of ten years ; and at length it was crowned with complete success and closed In the year 1788. The impartial reader will readily acknowledge, that much praise is due to the pontiff, who in spite of every difiicully (and many occurred not only from the nature of the work, but from the petty interests, in- trigues, and manceuvres of the parties concerned) had the courage to commence, and the perseverance to complete, an undertaking of such magnitude. The unproductive marsh forced to hear the plough and mamtsiin the 7ieighbot(ring cities; the river restrained from inun- dation and taught a better course, are considered by Horace* as the most glorious of Augustus's achievements, and with reason, if glory be the result of utility. Yet Augustus had the immense resources of the Roman empire at his command; he had idle legions to em- ploy instead of labourers, and his success was partial only and tem- porary. In truth the draining of the Pomptine marshes is one of the most useful as well as most difficult works ever executed, and reflects more lustre on the reign of Pius VI. than the dome of the Vatican, all glorious as it is, can confer on the memory of Sixtus Quintusf-. I have said that the success was complete ; this however must be understood upon the supposition that the canals of communication be kept open and the beds of the streams be cleared:}:. The difte- * Alt. Poet. 64. t It is fortunate for the Pope, and indeed for catholics in general, that there is such clear and frequent mention of the Pomptine marshes in ancient authors ; otherwise these destructive swamps would undoubtedly have been attributed by such travellers as Burnet, Addison, Misson, &c. to the genius of the papal government, and to the nature of the catholic religion, to indolence, superstition, ignorance, &c. + It is reported, that since the last French invasion these necessary precautions liave been neglected, and that the waters begin to stagnate again. VOL. I. 3 N 458 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xxi. rence between the latter and all preceding attempts is this ; on former occasions the level was not taken in all parts with sutficient accuracy, and of course the decUvity necessary for the flow of the waters not everywhere equally secured. This essential defect has been carefully guarded against on the late occasion, and the emissarii or great drains so conducted as to insure a constant cur- rent. The principal fault at present is said to be in the distri- bution of the land drained, the greater part of which having been purchased by the Camera Apostolica was given over to the Duke of Braschi. Roman noblemen have never been remarkable for their attention to agriculture, and the duke, content probably with the present profit, is not likely to lay out much in repairs, parti- cularly in times so distressing as the present. Had the land been divided into lesser portions, and given to industrious families, it might have been cultivated better, and the drains cleansed and preserved with more attention. The government indeed ought to have charged itself with that concern ; but in governments where the people have no influence, public interests are seldom attended to with zeal, constancy, and effect. When we crossed the Pomptine marshes, fine crops of corn cover- ed the country on our left, and seemed to wave to the very foot of the mountains ; while on the right numerous herds of cattle and horses grazed in extensive and luxuriant pastures. Nor indeed is the reader to imagine, that when the marshes were in their worst state they presented in every direction a dreary and forbidding as- pect to the traveller or the sportsman who ranged over them. On the side towards the sea they are covered with extensive forests, that enclose and shade the lakes which border the coasts. These forests extend with little interruption from Ostia to the promontory of Circe, and consist of oak, ilex, bay, and numberless flowering shrubs. To the north rises Monte Albano with all its tumuli, and all the CH. XXI. THROUGH ITALY. 459 towns and cities glittering on their summits. To the south, towers the promontory of Circe on one side, and the shining rock of Anxur on the other ; while the Volscian mountains, sweeping from north to south in a bold semicircle, close the view to the east. On their sides the traveller beholds Corn, Sezzn, Vipcrno, like aerial palaces shining in contrast with the brown rugged rock that supports them. 1'hese towns are all ancient, and nearly retain their ancient names. The wall and two Doric temples still attest the magnificence of Cora. Setia is characteristically de- scribed in the well known lines of Martial, which point out at once both its situation and principal advantage. Quae paludes delicata Pomptinas Ex arce clivi spectat uva Setini. The town is still as anciently little, but it no longer possesses the de- licate and wholesome wines which it anciently boasted ; for although vineyards cover the hills around and spread even over the plains below, yet the grape is supposed to have lost much of its flavour. Pipeino is the Piiverni antiqua urbs of Virgil, whence the father of Camilla was expelled. The road from Rome to Naples passed tlirough these towns before the late restoration of the Via Appia, and the draining of the marshes. The post-house called Mesa, was the ancient Admedim Paludes. At the extremity of the marshes we crossed the Amasenus, now united with the Ufens, and falling with it into the canal on the right. The bridge is handsome and graced with an inscription, in a very classical style, relative to the change made in the bed of the former river. It runs as follows: — Qua len! resonans prius susurro Molli flumine sese agebat Oufens \ Nunc rapax Amasenus it lubens: et 3 N 2 460 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xxi. Vias dedidicisse ait priores Ut Sexto gereret Pio jubenti Morem, neu sibi ut ante jure possit Viator male dicere aut colonus. The Amasenus is indeed here a deep and rapid stream, and was when we passed it clear, though it carried with it such a mass of water from the marshes. The scenery around the bridge is wooded, cool, and was to us particularly refreshing. The stream was full and rapid as when Metabus reached its banks. Ecce fugae medio summis Amasenus abundans Spumabat ripis; tantis se nubibus imber Ruperat. ViuG. jEn. xi. The woods and thickets around seem to present the same scenery as anciently, and correspond well with the rest of the history, the solitary education, and the half-savage life of Camilla. AVe Avere noAV about to emerge from the Paludi, the only marshes ever dignified by classic celebrity. They have at length laid aside their horrors, and appeared to us clothed with harvest, and likely again to be- come what they were in the early ages of the Roman Republic, the granary of Latium. Titus Livius relates that the Romans under the apprehension of scarcity had recourse to the Pomptine territory for com. Now the hilly part of that territory produced much wine indeed, but little corn ; the latter must therefore have grown in the plains Avhich have since become the marshes*. They still retain their forests, the haunt now as anciently of wild boars, of stags, and sometimes of robbers -f; and their numerous streams, the resort of various kinds of excellent fish ; hence they are still much * Liv. iv. 25. t Juvenal, Sat. iii. CH. xxr. THROUGH ITALY. 461 frequented by fishermen, and indeed by sportsmen of all descrip- tions. Between two and three miles from Terracina, a few paces from the road, a little ancient bridge crosses a streamlet* issuing from the fountain of Feronia. Viridi gaudens Feronia luco. ViRG. vii. 800. The grove in which this goddess was supposed to deUght has long- since fallen; one only solitary ilex hangs over the fountain. The temple has sunk into the dust, not even a stone remains ! Yet she had a better title to the veneration of the benevolent than all the other goddesses united. She dehghted in freedom, and took de- serving slaves under her protection. They received their liberty by being seated on a chair in her temple, inscribed with these words, Bene meriti seni sedeant: siirgant lih€n-\-. The rocky eminence oi Amur noyf rose full before us, seemed to advance towards the sea, and as we approached presented to our view a variety of steep cliffs. On the side of one of these craggy hills stands the old to^vn of Terracina looking towards the marshes {prona in paludes) : the new tOAvn descends gradually towards the beach and lines the shore ; it was considerably augmented by the late pope, who built a palace, and resided here during the spring and autumn, in order to urge on his favourite undertaking. On the ridge of the mountain stood the ancient An.riir, and on the summit immediately over the sea rose the temple of Jupiter, on a conspi- * The- streamlet is mentioned by Horace: Ora manusque tui lavimus Feronia lymplifl. t See Servius, quoted by Cluverius, lOM, 462 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xxi. cuous and commanding site, whence he was supposed to preside over all the circumjacent country*, and to regulate the destiny of its inhabitants. On this pinnacle still remain two vast squares, consisting each of a number of arches, and forming probably the substruction of the temple of Jupiter and that of Apollo. The colonnades of these two temples, the colour of the rock which supported them, and the lofty walls and towers of the city which enclosed them and crowned the cliff, gave A7ixur the splendour and majesty so often alluded to by the poets; Imposltum saxis late candentlbus Anxur. HOK. Superbus Anxur. Mart. Arcesfljue superbl Anxuris. Statics. The situation of Terracina reclining on the side of the mountain, and stretched along the shore, is very picturesque; its long Hnes of white edifices, and particularly the facade of the pope's palace, give it a general appearance of magnificence. However, it possesses few objects of curiosity. The cathedral is a dark and dismal pile; it contains some antique pillars and monuments, and suffered much from the French. Some slight traces of the ancient port repaired by Antoninus, are still visible. This to\vn seems to have been rising rapidly into consideration by its increasing commerce, till the late invasion of the French checked its growth and threw it back into insignificance ; and indeed few places seem better calculated for bathing and public resort than Terracina; its beach is flat; its sands are level and solid ; the sea is tranquil ; a river bathes its walls ; and the scenery around is rich, bold, and variegated. Hence, in ancient * Queis Jupiter Anxurus arvis Prsesidet .... CH. xxr. THROUGH ITALY. 463 times, it was a place much frequented during the summer, and noticed and celebrated by the poets. O Nemus, O fontes, solidumque madentis arerice Littus, et sequoreis spleudidus Anxur aquis; Et non unius spectator lectulus undae Qui videt hinc puppes fluminis, iode maris. Martial, lib. x. Martial elsewhere alludes to the salubrity of the place, and its waters ; as when speaking of several deUghtful retreats along the same coast he mentions the two points that close on each side the bay of Terraciiia. Seu placet Eneia nutrix, seu filia solis, Sive salutiferis candidus Anxur aquis. Lib. v. If the traveller can spare a day he may hire a boat, and sail along the coast to the promontory of Circe, which forms so con- spicuous a figure in his prospect, and appears from Terracinn, as Homer and Virgil poetically describe it, a real island. As he ranges over its lofty clitFs he will recollect the splendid fictions of the one, and the harmonious lines of the other. He may traverse the unfrequented groves ; but instead of the palace of Circe he will discover the lonely village of Santa Felicita, a few solitary towers hanging over the sea, and perhaps some faint traces of the ancient Circeia, covered with bushes and overgrown with shrubs. Nearly opposite Terracinn and the promontory of Circe, but visible only from the hills, lie a cluster of islands, the principal of which, Ponza now, anciently Pnntia, was little noticed under the Republic, but ennobled under the Caesars by the exile and death of several illustrious victims of imperial tyranny. Five or six miles from Terracina at the foot of a high hill, in a 464 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xxi. defile, with the rock on one side and the sea on the other, called Passo (li PortcUa, stands a tower Avith a gate, forming the barrier between the Roman and Neapolitan territories. It is called Torre del Epitaffio, and is occupied by a few Neapolitan troops, the com- mander of which examines the passports. We had now entered the territory of the Aurunci or Ausonians, a people who under the latter appellation gave their name to all Italy. Their territory however was not extensive, nor was their power ever great. A little beyond the tower, the mountains seem to recede, the country opens and gradually expands into the fertile valley of Fondi. The Via Appia intersects it nearly in the middle. On the right between the road and the sea we beheld a fine expanse of water, the Lacus Fundamis or Amijclanus*, formed by several streams which, falling from the mountains, cross the plain and empty themselves in its bosom. Its borders, towards the road, are covered with myrtle, poplars, luxuriant shrubs, and flowers. Such was also its ancient dress -j^. It is separated from the sea by a forest ; and indeed the whole vale is beautifully adorned with orange and citron trees, interspersed with cypress and poplars. Fondi is a little town, consisting of one street on the Via Appia, which is here in its ancient form, that is, composed of large flags, fitted together with wonderful art, although in their natural shape, and without cement. With regard to the appearance of the town.]: * Still Lago di Fotidi. t Pliny, xiv. 6. X The most remarkable event perhaps in the history of Fondi is an assault made upon it by a Turkish force, for the purpose of carrying off its Countess, Julia di Gouzaga, the most beautiful princess of her age. The town was taken by surprise, and plundered j but the reader will learn with pleasure that the Lady escaped. CM. XXI. THROUGH ITALY. 465 I must observe, that two circumstances must necessarily give almost all southern towns a gloomy appearance ; in the first place, the streets are generallv narrow; and in the second, the windows are seldom glazed. These deformities, for such they are in our eyes, are the natural consequences of the climate, and prevailed in an- cient as Avell as in modern Italy and Greece. In Rome itself, even when embellished by Augustus, the streets were narrow, and re- mained so till the city was rebuilt by Nero after the conflagra- tion*. The wines of this territory, and indeed of this coast, were anciently in high repute, and still enjoy some reputation. The mountain which the traveller beholds in front as he is going out of Fondi, or rather a little to the right, is Mount Cacubifs. I must observe that the exhalations which arise from the lake, and from the marshes which it occasions when it overflows, still con- tinue as in ancient times to render the fertile vale of Fojidi unhealthy. At a little distance from it we began to ascend the hills {Formiani Colics) the ramifications of Mount Cacuhus, and found the country improve, if possible, in beauty as we advanced winding up the steep. The castle of Itri is when seen at a distance picturesque, and a mausoleum near it remarkable. The tovra itself is ugly, and its name unknown to antiquity. ^Vhen we had reached the summit of the hills that continue to rise beyond Itri, we were entertained with the new and magnificent views, that opened upon us at every turn, of the town and bay of Guicta and its bounding promontories. The ground we trod is truly poetical. We were descending Mount dccubus, one of the Wormian hills celebrated by Horace ; beneath lay Molu di Guieta, once Formia, the seat of the Lasstrygons and the theatre of one of the greatest *Tac. Annal. xv.'13. VOL. I. 3 o 466 CLASSICAL TOUR CH.XXl disasters of Ulysses. Before us, over the bay at a considerable distance, rose Proch^ta, and towering Inarime, Jovis imperils imposta Typhseo. Ms. ix. On our right stood the mausoleum of Munatius Plancus, Horace's friend, and beyond it ascended the bold promontory intrusted with the fame and the ashes of Gaieta £t nunc servat honos sedem tuus, ossaque nomen Hesperia in magna, si qua est ea gloria, signat. ^N. vii. We continued to roll over the broad flags of the Via Apjna, and descending a steep from Castellone entered Mola {Formia*) in the evening. The town is in itself little and insignificant, but it derives interest, if not grandeur, from its beautiful site, poetical scenery, and classic recollections. It consists of one street, formed by the Via Appia on the sea side, at the foot of a range of broken pic- turesque hills and mountains, covered with corn, vines, and olive- trees, and topped with rocks, churches, and towers. The waters that stream from these hills unite and gush forth in a fountain close to the town. This fountain is said to be the fair Jiomng Ar- tacia described by Homer ; if so, we may conclude that the town of the Lcestrygons lay a little higher on the hills, since the daughter of Antiphates is described as coming down from it-f. The most conspicuous and striking object from the town of Mola is the fortress of Gaieta, crowning the rocky promontory of the same * Close to the road on both sides were scattered the ruins of the Formian villa, and of the mausoleum of Cicero, t Odyss. X, 107. CH.xxr. THROUGH ITALY. 467 name with its white ramparts, and presenting to the eye, one above the other, its stages of angles and batteries. The town itself is spread along the shore, and extends nearly from the centre of the bay to the point of the promontory. The harbour so well described by Homer is that of Galeia, and whoever ranges over it will find all the features painted by the poet — the towering rocks, the prominent shores, the narrow entrance, and the hollow port. It is about four miles by land and two by water from Mala. There is some diffi- culty in procuring admittance, as it is a fortress, and not aware of this circumstance we presented ourselves at the gate without our passports ; but after a few observations, we were as Englishmen allowed to enter, conducted to the governor, then at church, re- ceived very politely, and permitted to visit every part of the fortress without further ceremony. The cathedral, though not large nor highly decorated, is well proportioned, Avell lighted, and by the elevation of the choir admirably calculated for public worship. The font is a fine antique vase of white marble, with basso relievos, representing Athamas, Ino with a child in her arms, and a groupe of Bac- chantes. The sculptor was an Athenian ; but such a vase is better calculated for a gallery of antiques than for the place where it now stands. Opposite the great portal of the cathedral rises an antique column marked with the names of the Winds in Greek and Latin. The streets of the town are neatly built and well paved, its general appearance is lively within and without, and extremely picturesque. I have already said that the fortress crowns the point or head of the promontory, or rather peninsula of Gaieta. On the narrow neck that unites it to the main land, but on a bold eminence, stands the tomb of Munatius Plancus. It is round like that of Hadrian, like it stripped of its marble casing, and turned into a battlemented 3o 2 468 CLASSICAL TOUR en. xxr. tower, called, one might suppose from the romantic hero of Ari- osto, Torre d'Orlando. But neither the mausoleum of Plancus, nor the towers of Gaieta; neither the wondrous tales of Homer, nor the majestic verses of Virgil, shed so much glory and interest on these coasts as the Formian villa and the tomb of Cicero. That Cicero had a villa here, and that it lay about a mile from the shore, history informs us; and at that very distance on the left of the road the attentive traveller will observe the remains of ancient walls scattered over the fields, and half covered with vines, ohves, and hedges. These shapeless heaps tradition points to as the ruins of Cicero's Formian villa. Again, history assures us that he was overtaken and beheaded in the walks of a grove that lay between his villa and the sea. On the opposite side of the road rises, stripped of its deco- rations and indeed of its very shape, a sort of obelisk in two stories, and this disfigured pile the same tradition reveres as his mausoleum, raised on the very spot where he was butchered, and where his faithful attendants immediately interred his headless trunk. Lower down and near the sea, or rather hanging over its waves, are shewn several vaults and galleries which are supposed to have been part of the Villa Inferior, as that which I have described above Avas called Villa Superior. It is a pity that excavations are not made (and with what success might they not be made all along this interesting coast ?) to give curiosity some chance of acquiring greater evidence^ Of the fate of Cicero's remains we know nothing, as history is silent with regard to his obsequies and sepulchre. It does not seem probable that during Antony's life the most zealous friend would have dared to erect a monument to the memory of his most active CH. XXI. THROUGH ITALY. 4(>9 and deadly enemy ; and after that Triumvir's death, Augustus seems to have concealed his sentiments, if favourable to Cicero, with so much care and success, that his very nephews did not venture to read that illustrious Roman's Works in his presence. Before the death of Augustus the personal and aftectionate interest inspired by affinity or friendship had probably subsided ; few survived that Emperor who could possibly have enjoj'-ed the happiness of an intimate and familiar acquaintance with Cicero, and fewer still could have had any particular and urgent motive to step forward from the crowd, and to pay due honours to his long neglected memory. But notwithstanding these reasons and the silence of history on the subject, yet as his son escaped the pro- scription, and as he was restored to his country and his rank when the rage of civil war had given way to the tranquil domination of Augustus, it is possible that he then might have raised a monument to the memory of a father so aftectionate to him, and so illustrious in the eyes of the public. As long therefore as popular belief, or tradition however uncertain, attaches the name of Cicero to these ruins ; and as long as even credulity can beUeve that the one has been his residence and the other his tomb ; so long will every traveller who values liberty and reveres genius, visit them with interest, and hang over them, though nearly reduced to a heap of rubbish, with delight. I cannot turn from this subject without observing, that many authors have related, but that Plutarch alone has painted, the last tragical scene of Cicero's life. About twelve o'clock, too late indeed for the distance we had to go, Ave set out from Mola. The road runs over a fine plain, bordered on the left by distant mountains, and on the right by the sea. About three miles from the Liris {Garigliano), an aqueduct, erected to convey water to Minturncc, passes the road ; it is now in ruins, but the remaining arches, at least a hundred, lofty and solid. 470 CLASSICAL TOUR ch. xxi. give a melancholy magnificence to the plain which they seem to bestride. On the banks of the Liris and to the rlffht of the road extend the ruins of Mintiinue, spread over a considerable space of ground, exhibiting substructions, arches, gateways, and shattered walls, now utterly forsaken by human inhabitants, and abandoned to owls, foxes, and serpents- Many beautiful shafts, bases, and capitals of marble have been found here and on the banks of the river, and more might possibly be discovered if the ruins were removed. The delay occasioned by the ferry aftbrds the traveller time enough to range over the site and the remains of Mintimne. This city is four miles from the sea ; the space between Avas covered by the sacred groves of the nymph Marica, sometimes called the Lotian Venus, the mother of Latinus ; and by the well- known marshes, which, though they infected the air Avith noxious exhalations, have acquired some celebrity from the adventure of IVLirius- Happy had it been for Rome and for humanity if the swamp had swallowed up for ever the withered carcase and vengeful heart of that ruthless chief. These marshes have lost something of their ancient malignity, and are become a rich cultivated plain. A tOAver stands on the bank to defend the passage over the river ; its first story or loAver part is ancient, and built Avith great solidity and beautiful proportion. The Lim forms the southern border of Latium, and separates it from Campania ; as Ave glided sloAvly over its surface we endeavoured in vain to corijecture the origin of its modern name *. May it not possibly be * Tlie reader wlio delights in classical appellations will learn with pleasure, that this river still bears its ancient name till it passes the city of Sora. That the Fibre- nus (still so called) falls into it a little below that city, and continues to encircle the little island in which Cicero lays the scene of the second dialogue de Legibun, and CH. XXI. THROUGH ITALY. 471 formed from Its original appellation Glanis, joined to its Roman name Liiis, with an Italian termination, thus GlanUiriano, after- wards altered in the Italian manner for euphony into Gamliriano, and finally Gariliano ? Having crossed the river we entered Campania*, and as we drove over the plain beyond, we had a full view of the Liris, a wide and noble river winding under the shadow of poplars through a lovely vale, and then gliding gently towards the sea. The river still retains its characteristic silence and tranquillity, while the regions through which it flows still enjoy the beauty and fertility which distinguished them of old. These are, the Umbrosa Reg7ia Manc(£, Rura quae Liris quiets Mordet aqui taciturnus amnis. Some rugged mountains appeared at a distance, but they only served as a magnificent frame to set off by contrast the rich scenery that adorned the hills and the plains that border the stream. Though the ground rises gradually from the Liris to the next stage, yet the space between is called from its comparative flatness the Plain of Sessa, and few indeed are the plains that can vie with it in beauty and fertility. In front or a little to the right rises a which he describes with so much eloquence. I must add, that Arpinum also, in the vici- nity of the Fibrenus, still retains its name, ennobled by the birth of that most illustrious Roman. * HInc felix ilia Campania est. Ab hoc sinu inclpiunt vitiferi colles, et temulentia nobilis succo per omnes terras inclyto, atque ut veteres dixere, summura Liberi patris cum Cerere certaroen, — C, Plin, Xat. Hist, iii. 5. 472 CLASSICAL TOUR CH. xxi. bold and lofty mountain, extending on that side to the sea ; it is Mount Massicus, once so famous for its wines, and it still retains its ancient name*. On the left falling a little backwards to the north is Monte Ofel/io, and on the side swells Monte Aurunco, per- petuating in its original name the memory of a very ancient people. On its side, covered with its forests behind, and before open to the beauties of the valley and to the breezes of the sea, is seated Sessa, once Svessa Aurunca. The whole scene is finely diversified by oaks, rising sometimes single, and sometimes in clumps in the middle of corn fields or vineyards ; woods girding the sides of the hills and wavino; on their summits ; large villages with their towers shining; in the middle of orchards and thickets, forming altogether a view unusually rich and delightful. Beyond St. Agatha the country becomes more hilly and is shaded with thicker and larger woods. A romantic dell with a streamlet tumbling through it forms a pretty diversity in the view. We were now engaged in the defiles of Mount Massicus, which communicate with those of the Callicula, a mountain covered with forests and crowned with Caki, the ancient Caks. From these defiles we emerged by a road cut through the rock above Fran- colisi, and as we looked do^vn we beheld the plains of Campania spread before us, bordered by the Apennines, Avith the craggy point of Ischia towering to the sky on one side, and in the centre I esuvius, calmly hfting his double summit wreathed with smoke. Evening, how far advanced, shed a purple tint over the sides and the summits of the mountains, that gave at once a softness and a richness to the * Cluverius mistakes when he says, it is called ]\[otidragone, which is the name of a village oi- fortress at its base near the sea. CH.xxi. THROUGH ITALY. 473 picture, and contrasted finely with the darkness of the plains be- low, and the Hght colours of a few thin clouds tiitting above. From Francolisi. we traversed the Falenius Ager, which is the tract enclosed between the sea. Mount Mossicus, Ca/licii/a, and the river Vidturims ; a territory so much celebrated by the ancient poets, and so well known to the modern reader for its delicious wines. It has often been asked, why Italy does not now produce wines so excellent, and in such variety as anciently; and it has been as often answered, either that the climate has changed, or that the cultivation of the grape has been neglected, and the vines allowed to degenerate for want of skill and attention. As for the first of these reasons, we find nothing in ancient authors that can furnish the least reason to suppose that any such revolution has happenejd. The productions of the soil are the same, and appear at the same stated periods ; the seasons correspond exactly with the descriptions of the poets ; the air is in general genial and serene, though chilled occasionally (at least in many provinces) with hard Avintry frosts, and sometimes disturbed by sudden unseasonable storms, full as grand and as mischievous as that described by Virgil*. Neglect and ignorance are reasons more plausible, but will not perhaps on examination be found much more satisfactory. Arts essential to the existence of man, w hen once known are never forgotten, and articles so necessary as bread and wine cannot pos- sibly be entirely neglected. The science of tillage passes from father to son, and cannot be obliterated unless the whole population of a country be at once destroyed, and a link struck out of the chain of human generations. Moreover, the mode of gathering and pressing the grape; of boiling and storing the wine, is nearly the same now * Georg. i. VOL. I. 3 p 474 CLASSICAL TOUR. CH. XXI. as anciently. Besides from the reasons given above it would follow, that the culture of the vine was lost all over Italy, Greece, and Sicily, and that the vine itself had degenerated in all the countries that lie south of the Alps, howsoever favoured in other respects by nature. Very few indeed of the numberless wines produced in these auspicious climates are palatable to an English or a French traveller, who is apt to find in them either a lusciousness or a raciness, or an inexpressible something that disgusts him, and is not always removed even by familiarity. Nor ought this cir- cumstance to surprise us. Accustomed from our infancy to hear the wines of Italy and Greece extolled by the ancient poets, we expect to find them singularly delicious; while Ave forget that the goodness of wine depends upon taste, and that our taste has been formed, I had nearly said vitiated, by wines of a flavour very different from that of the classic grape. If the Italian wines therefore are not in so much repute now as they were formerly, it is to be attributed not so much to the degeneracy of the vine, as to the change of taste not only in Transalpine countries, but even in Italy itself. The modern Italians are extremely sober; they drink wine as Englishmen drink small beer, not to flatter the palate but to quench the thirst; provided it be neither new, flat, nor unwholesome, it answers their purpose, and they require from it nothing more. In the cultivation of the vine very little attention is therefore paid to the quality or perfection, but morely to the quantity of the produce. Not so the ancients: they were fond of convivial enjoyments: they loved wine, and considered it not only as a gratification to the palate, but as a means of intellectual enjoyment, and a vehicle of conversation. To heighten its flavour therefore, to bring it to full maturity by age, in short to improve it by every method imaginable, was with them an object of primary import- CH. XXI. THROUGH ITALY. 475 ance ; nor can it occasion surprise that in circumstances so fa- vourable the vine should liourish. Yet with all this encourage- ment the two most celebrated Avines in Italy, the Caecuban and the Falernian, had lost much of their excellency and reputation in Pliny's time ; the former in consequence of a canal drawn across the vale of Amyclae by the Emperor Nero ; and the latter from its very celebrity, which occasioned so great a demand, that the cultivators, unable to resist the temptation, turned their attention from the quality to the quantity. This cause of decline is indeed (ionsidered as common to both these species of wine ; but in the former it was only an accessary, in the latter a principal agent. The canal alluded to was one of the extravagant whims of Nero, who had resolved to open an inland communication between Ostia and the Lake Avernus, by a navigable canal which might afford all the pleasures, without any of the inconveniences of a voyage in the usual manner. This work was begun but never finished ; and it is probable that the Lago Fimdano, or Ann/cloiw, which was to have formed part of the projected canal, was lengthened and extended across the little plain to the very foot of Mount Cacubus ; thus depriving the tiats of a considerable part of that moisture which perhaps caused their fertility. The Caecuban wine so much celebrated was produced, accord- ing to Pliny, in the poplar groves that rose in the marshes on the bay of Amyclae. The same author gives a long list of Italian wines, all good, though of very different degrees of excellence ; and I have no doubt that modern Italy, if the cultivation of the vine had the same encouragement now as anciently, Avould furnish a catalogue equal to it both in excellence and in variety. As it is not intended to expand a few cursory remarks into a dissertation, 3 P 2 476 CLASSICAL TOUR cii. xxi. it may finally be observed, that several of the Avines celebrated in ancient times still retain at least some share of their ancient repu- tation. Thus a wine, produced in the very extremity of the Adriatic Gulph, on the banks of the Timavus*, and in the vicinity of Aqiiikia, is still in as great request at Trieste as it was formerly in Rome ; as is the Rhetian wine so much extolled by Virgil at Venice and Veronu. The wines of Lumi and Florence are even now much esteemed all over the north of Italy, as are those of the Alban Mount, including Frescati and Gensano, in Rome. Tlie vines that flourish on the sides and around the base of Vesuvius still continue to furnish a rich and delicious wine, well known to all travellers, and to most readers, under the appellation of Lacryma Christi. To conclude, Horace has comprised, with his usual neat- ness, the four principal wines of Italy, all the produce of the coast which we have just traversed, in the following stanza : — Caecubum et prelo domitam Caleno Tu bibes uvam, mea nee Falernse Temperant vites, neque Formiani Pocula colles. 1.20. Before we arrived at Capua night had set in, but it was night in all its charms; bright, serene, and odoriferous. The only object that could then strike our eyes, or excite our curiosity, were the luciole, bright insects, many of which were flying about in every di- rection like sparks of fire, casting a vivid light around them, and seeming to threaten the waving corn, over which they flitted, with a conflagration. We entered Naples at a late hour, and drove to the * This wine was called Pucinum. The place now bears the name of Castel Dtiino, and corresponds with the description given of it by Pliny, saxeo colle, maritime qffiatu. —Lib. xiv. CH. XXI. THROUGH ITALY. 477 GiwiBretagiia, an excellent inn on the sea shore, and close to the royal garden. Few scenes surpass in beauty that which burst full upon me when I awoke next morning. In front and under my windows, the bay of Naples spread its azure surface smooth as glass, while a thousand boats glided in different directions over its shining bosom : on the right, the town extended along the semicircular shore, and Posilipo rose close behind it, with churches and villas, vineyards and pines scattered in confusion along its sides and on its ridge, till, sloping as it advanced, the bold hill terminated in a craggy promontory. On the left, at the end of a walk that foims the quay and skirts the sea, the Castel del Uovo standing on an insulated rock caught the eye for a moment; while beyond it over a vast expanse of water a rugged line of mountains stretched forward, and, softening its features as it projected, presented towns, villages, and convents, lodged amidst its forests and preci- pices, and at length terminated in the cape of Minerva, now of Sur- rentum. Opposite and full in front rose the island of Coprece with its white cliffs and ridgy summit, placed as a barrier to check the tempest and protect the interior of the bay from its fury. This scene, illuminated by a sun that never shines so bright on the less favoured regions beyond the Alps, is justly considered as the most splendid and beautiful exhibition which nature perhaps pre- sents to the human eye, and cannot but excite in the spectator, when beheld for the first time, emotions of delight and admiration, that border on enthusiasm*. * The bay of Leucadia, bounded by the bold coasts of that island on one side, and of Acarnania on the other, and interspersed with the 7VZeZio«ZM/«,«