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"It is said there are eleven thousand statues in this church, if so, this enumeration must include figures of every size and denomination. Among the principal, is that of St. Bartholemew, with his skin hanging over his shoulders as a drapery. The execution of this statue is exquisite: but the subject is so shocking that our travellers scarcely gazed upon it long enough to remark the lines inscribed on its pedestal. They are in Latin, and in English run thus:

Lest at the sculptor doubtfully you guess,
'Tis Marc Agrati, not Praxiteles.'

"This statue is reckoned worth its weight in gold.

"Just at the entrance of the choir is a little subterraneous chapel, dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo, where they saw his body in episcopal robes, lying upon the altar in a shrine of rock crystal. This little chapel is richly adorned with silver work. There are two noble brass pulpits in this cathedral, each of them running round a large pillar of the same metal. They were shewn an innumerable quantity of relics; and some of the bones of their countryman Thomas à Becket, formed a part of this valuable collection. He appears to be a great favourite in Italy; for few of the principal cities are without some part of his remains.

"St. Ambrose was bishop of Milan," observed the Doctor, as they passed out of the cathedral; "and in a convent of Celestines they will shew us the gate that this bishop had the hardihood to shut against the emperor Theodosius; refusing to admit him to the holy sacrament, until he had atoned for his cruelty to the Thessalonians. We will visit this convent, for the library contains many fine pictures. Of the books I can say but little, for the Italian libraries generally contain more paintings than MSS. more statues than folios." This they found was the case in the present instance; they were shewn a few very valuable and ancient MSS. and busts of many learned men. Edward eagerly looked for those of Locke, Newton, Milton, &c. &c. but in vain. I see no Englishman at all," said he, as he looked at the different busts. The Librarian pointed out one of Fisher. "Who was this learned Fisher, Sir?" said the youth, addressing Dr. Walker, I never heard of him."

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What! have you never heard of Bishop Fisher!" replied his friend, whom Henry the VIIIth put to death for not acknowledging his supremacy? Now, although, I pity Fisher's fate, I cannot but smile to see him placed here as a learned man. Do you recollect Cowper's lines on seeing some names of little note recorded in the Biographia Britannica. He compares the

Attempt to give a deathless lot,

To names ignoble, doomed to be forgot.'

to the sparks of fire: but you shall have it in his own words.

'So when a child, as playful children use
Have burnt to tinder a stale last year's news,
The flame extinct, he views the roving fire;
"There goes my lady, and there goes the squire ;
"There goes the parson-Oh, illustrious spark,
"And there, no less illustrious-goes the clerk.”

And so Mr. Fisher ought to be much obliged to these good people for placing him as one of the learned men of England!'

"If they had made a martyr of him I should not have been at all surprised," said Edward.

The following day our travellers made an excursion to a Carthusian monastery, near Pavia, where Francis 1st was confined, in order to view its fine Gothic architecture. The country round Milan is extremely picturesque, and this little journey gave them the most unalloyed pleasure. The monastery is spacious and beautiful, and the chapel, contrary to the usual custom of this order, is curiously adorned in a Gothic style of architecture. Upon quitting Milan, they passed through many luxuriant and wellwatered fields, on their way to Lodi, whose neighbourhood is celebrated for the making of Parmesan cheese. As the meadows are parcelled out among many proprietors, and the smallest cheese manufactory requires the milk of at least fifty cows, different individuals are usually associated in one concern.

Binasco, which Buonaparte caused to be burnt, lies on the road between Milan and Pavia; indeed the part of Italy they were now traversing, was most interesting. The whole of it having undergone many revolutions during the late war. From Lodi they continued their journey to Cremona, so celebrated for its violins, and Bozelo; but they made no stay in either of these places, and continued their journey till they arrived at Mantua, after traversing innumerable windings over an extensive plain, which is unenlivened by any variety whatever. When Buonaparte invaded Italy, and had subdued Mantua, as well as a great many other places in its vicinity, the inhabitants were no sooner freed from his presence, than they revolted and imprisoned those persons who had been appointed by him to support the free government he had established in the city. His rage was unbounded when he heard of these proceedings, and returning to wreak vengeance on the inhabitants, he declared, 'that if a single hair of any of his people had received the least injury, he would level Mantua with the dust, and erect a pillar on its ruins with this inscription-Here stood Mantua ; fortunately all his people were in good health, and when he saw them in good spirits. A monument to Virgil was erected in Mantua during the consulship of Bonaparte. The bust of the poet is placed on a high columu, supported by four iron swans, which are covered with plaister of Paris. The plaister has already began to fall off, and the whole has a most pitiful and mean appearance: indeed

our travellers were much disappointed upon entering Mantua, and quitting it for Padua much sooner than they expected, they entered that city, after passing through Porto and Este. Their first visit, the next morning, was to the church of St. Justina, the most handsome disencumbered building in the inside they had yet seen; indeed it is esteemed by many artists as one of the finest works in Italy. The long nef consists of a row of five cupolas; the cross one has, on each side, a single cupola deeper and broader than the others. The martyrdom of Saint Justina, painted by Paul Veronese, hangs over the altar. In front of this church is a wide area, called the Prato del Valle, where booths and shops are erected for all kinds of merchandise during the fair. The ornaments of the church consist principally of Mosaic work, of marble of various colours. Dr. Walker and his pupil were pestered on all sides by beggars, even in the church; as it is the case indeed throughout the whole continent of Europe. Having relieved one or two, they were soon surrounded by a crowd, who were clamorous beyond all description. "No," said, the Doctor, who was irritated at their noisy importunity, "neither St. Anthony, nor Saint Francis will serve your purpose; not a single sol will I give to any one of you. I am astonished," continued he, as they quitted the church," that these vagrants should be allowed to molest and torment strangers in such an abominable manner. Kotzebue says, and I perceive how justly now: 'Whoever wishes to see a model of a wretched police, let him only visit the towns of Italy.'

"Padua has an university, which was formerly very famous,, but it is now on the decline like its cloth manufactory, and many other excellencies of which it formerly boasted.

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Suppose," said the Doctor, "we make an excursion to Verona, and take a peep at the celebrated Amphitheatre, which Mr. Du Bourg has so faithfully represented in his cork model; and which is exhibited in London."

The proposal was warmly seconded by Edward, who anticipated much pleasure from the inspection of a place of such great antiquity, and of which they had heard so much. Their journey was extremely pleasant, for between Padua and Verona. the country is thickly planted with rows of white mulberry trees, which are much cultivated in this neighbourhood, on account of the great number of silk-worms which the inhabitants rear; these afeed upon the leaves, while the poultry and swine consume the fruit. The trees themselves serve at the same time as stays for vines, which hang in luxuriant festoons from branch to branch; and between their several ranges lie fields of corn, which ripen much better in this warm climate, when screened a little from the intense heat of the sun, by the luxuriant foliage of the mulberry trees, than when exposed to its burning rays. The rich luxuriance which such a country must present, inspired our travellers with extreme delight.

"The country about Verona," said the Doctor, as they approached that city, "has been considered as a great natural cabinet, in which a number of extraneous bodies have been preserved, some belonging to sea, and others to land animals, A short time ago there was found in the environs of this city, a tusk about thirty inches in circumference at the root, and from twelve to thirteen feet in length. I am almost sorry we did not prosecute our journey from Turin along the Po, we should then have seen the Lago del Garda, the ancient Benacus, which Virgil so beautifully describes; do you remember the lines, Edward?" "EDWARD." In English, I do, Sir."

Here vex'd by wintry storms Benacus raves,
Confus'd with working sands and rolling waves;
Rough and tumultuous like a sea it lies

So loud the tempest roars, so high the billows rise.'

Verona stands on the Adige, and our travellers entered the city with mixed emotions of admiration and regret. During the late war this fertile country was the scene of many hard fought battles; and Bonaparte, whose exploits in Italy would fill a volume, ceded one-half of the town to Austria, and attached the other half to his kingdom of Italy. The celebrated amphitheatre at Verona, is, however, greatly indebted to the exertions of Buonaparte, for he caused the area to be excavated, which had been for many years filled up even as high as the lowest row of seats for the spectators. The doors are now visible through which the wild beasts used to enter, and the whole is in a high state of preservation. Many of the lower arches are fitted up as small shops. The high walls and corridors that went round it are not quite perfect, but the different rows of seats, and those at the two extremities, which the Emperor and his guards used to occupy, are all entire. Besides the amphitheatre, there is a triumphal arch erected to Flaminius, where the pillars are Doric, without any pedestal or base,

Among the more modern buildings of Verona, the church of St. George is the handsomest. The martyrdom of the saint is in a fine style, and was the work of Paul Veronese. Verona contains also the statues of Pliny the elder, and Cornelius Nepos, both of whom were born here. The silk and woollen manufactures in this town employ above 20,000 persons; next to these are gloves and leather, which are sent to all parts of Italy.

SECTION IV.

JOURNEY TO VENICE.

DR. Walker having seen all that was remarkable in Verona, and in its neighbourhood, proposed returning to Padua, from whence they were to continue their journey to Venice.

Not far from this place is Vicenza, which gave birth to the celebrated architect Palladio; it contains above 20 palaces from his designs; here are also 60 churches, many fine public buildings, an academy for the improvement of the Italian language, and another for agriculture. It manufactures damask and taffeta; and its machinery, on the banks of the river, for winding silk, is said to be unrivalled. Its university is in great repute, especially for medicine. Here Titus Livy, the Roman historian, was born.

Venice makes a very noble appearance at a distance, its stately buildings and lofty steeples appearing to rise from the bosom of the sea. The Laguna, or marshy lake, which divides the city from the continent, is five Italian miles in breadth, and our travellers having crossed this, landed in the middle of the city, and took up their abode at one of the principal inns in the place. The very evening of their arrival, they joined the numerous assemblage of persons in the Place of St. Mark. Here many persons were in masks, many in their ordinary dress, and some few had a mask stuck in their hat, wearing a black cloak trimmed with lace of the same colour thrown over their shoulders. The mask in the last instance, is an apology for an undress; and a person in this costume is sufficiently adorned for any assembly in Venice. The scene was new, and highly diverting to our travellers, for the Piazza being illuminated, and the shops in the adjacent streets been lighted up, the effect was very brilliant. Italian music too added its charms, while Mr. Punch, enacted his ancient and doleful tragedy, and went through all his evolutions with wondrous eclat. They had more than once been amused since their entrance into Italy with the puppet shews, which are conducted with great ingenuity.

The inhabitants of every district of Italy are passionately fond of this sort of spectacle: and the theatres of the Burattini are always crowded with men of all ranks and ages. Here are performed tragedies, comedies, operas, and even pantomime ballets, which are truly extraordinary for the richness of their accompaniments, the rapidity of change in the decorations, and the singularity of the transitions. The figures are generally very small, but the wires are so arranged as to be capable of exccuting

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