Count Maffei* refides at Brescia. He is old, and at prefent engaged in a controverfy on ecclefiaftical topics; of which difpute I can tell you no particulars, because indeed I asked none. He is little known here. We have fome men of letters in Florence that do honour to their country. Most of them read and understand English. I was amazed to find our authors and language in fuch high esteem in this part of the world. Let me name fome of thefe literati. perfon among them with whom I have the greatest friendship is Dr. Cochi, a most worthy, learned, and ingenious physician. He is in himself a living library, and has a heart not at all inferior to his excellent head. He was in England with the late Lord Huntingdon, and fpeaks English

66

The

This learned and polite writer, the author of Merope, &c. died foon after, as Dr. Warton, in his Effay on the writings and genius of Pope," published in 1758, on quoting a paffage from him, ftyles him (p. 191) "a late' acute fearcher into anti"quity," and fays, "his death is juftly lamented."

fluently

fluently and well. So does the Abbé Nicolini, who has also been in England, and is a man of great family, of excellent fenfe, thorough knowledge of books, perfons, and things,and particularly obliging and attached to the travellers of our nation. The Abbé Buondelmonte is fuperior to moft, and inferior in learning to none. My health hindered me from attending the exercises of the Crufcan academy laft winter; a lofs which I hope to repair the next. There Buondelmonte fhines. There are feveral others, but I have fent you a triumvirate not easily to be paralleled.

I fuppofe, the winter has abounded, as ufual, in London, with infinite productions of wit, or what wishes to be wit, but as yet I have scarce seen an English book. I expect fome foon; amongst them Mr. Johnson's dictionary and Hume's hiftory of Great Britain. The latter has made a noise, so as to raise the curiosity of many here. After this expected parcel, I fhall fcarce venture to fend for any more books, left they fall a prey to the

Gallic privateers, who will drown all English books, as evil fpirits that ought to be laid in the fea. I am forry that the chorus of the popular fong is Bella, borrida bella. As yet we have gained fo little by wars, that iny wishes are all for peace; but if we muft have a war, let it be fharp, fhort, and decifive.

Your kindness will make you glad to know that I am perfectly recovered; but I owe my recovery to the heat, and not to the cold, of Italy. The latter indeed was too strong for me, and knocked me down. I am now enjoying the former, and, as yet, think it agreeable as well as wholesome. The evenings are delightful. We generally walk from eight to ten, without fear of damps, which, you will allow, is a moft happy circumstance.

Few books are written here; fome are, but they are local; and the Florentines are in too decaying a state to produce any great or noble work, though they enjoy the finest

and

and fome of the rareft manufcripts in the world. The fcene of Florence is melancholy. The city extremely beautiful, but poverty and idlenefs in every street. The fhops are shut up four or fix hours in the middle of the day. By that you will judge of their trade. Sir Horace Mann, the king's refident here, does great honour to our nation. He lives nobly, keeps an affembly once a week, and omits no civility or act of friendship to his countrymen, or to the Italians; fo that fcarce any minifter was ever fo much or fo juftly esteemed and beloved.

My paper draws me to an end. I will finish almost in your own words :-Objects, when viewed near, lose their lustre; and the admiration, which firft poffeffed us, turns into a kind of familiarity, that fome times is the parent of contempt. I am, dear Sir,

Your obliged and faithful humble fervant,

CORKE.

VOL. III.

F

LETTER

LETTER CLV.

Earl of CORKE to Mr. DUNCOMBE.

Florence, Sept. 12, 1755.

You will excufe the haste, dear Sir, in

which I write this letter, when I tell you that I am packing up my trunks, faddling my mules, and bridling my horses to return to England. Bufinefs calls me, and inclination is very ready to obey the call. We fhall leave Florence on the 20th, and as we go through Germany, instead of France, we may poffibly be five or fix weeks on the road, though we are fully refolved to lofe no time that our diligence or health can command.

Our fummer now is over, and therefore I can affure you that the heats of Italy are by no means fo dreadful as they have generally been reprefented; nor have the climate, the people, or the profpects, answered

the