formed of bricks, ground to powder, and mixed with oil, which, being well tempered, has a fmooth, fhining, and beautiful furface.

The arsenal of Venice is an island about three miles in circumference, which contains all their naval and military ftores. Here are docks for hip-building, and a variety of buildings for the accommodation of officers. The edifice, in which the armour is depofited, makes a grand fhow; but great part of its furniture is grown useless by time and the change of fashion.

This republic was, formerly, very powerful, and they fill pretend, that, in cafe of neceffity, they could fit out thirty ships of the line, and one hundred gallies; but it is not easy to conceive, how they could man them. Indeed, they owe their fecurity rather to the jealousy of their neighbours, than to their prefent ftrength.

The Venetian fenate is one of the most politic inftitutions in the world; though, according to the reports of fuch as are well verfed in their conftitution, many of its maxims are far from being honourable. If we reckon only the fitting members, the fenate is generally as numerous as our house of commons, and yet its refolutions are feldom known, till they are developed in the execution.

Not many years ago, they had great debates about the punishment of one of their admirals, and though they lafted a month, and at last were concluded on condemning him, none of his friends, who were refolutely engaged in his defence, gave him the leaft intimation of what was , and he was actually in the hands of juse he fufpected his danger.

M. Amelot

M. Amelot computes, that in his time, there were two thousand five hundred nobles, who had a voice in the great council; but I was told they did not now exceed one thousand five hundred. The nobility fpreads equally through all the brothers of a family, and the daughters are generally provided for in convents, to preferve the eftates. Hence the Venetian nuns are diftinguished for the liberties they allow themfelves. They have operas within their own walls, and are faid to admit, or meet their admirers, at their pleasure.

The carnival at Venice, is celebrated over all Europe. The great diverfion then, as on other occafions, is making; for though the Venetians are naturally grave, they love to give into the follies and entertainments of fuch feafons, under an affumed character. Thefe difguifes give occafion to a number of intrigues; and I queftion not, but the fecret hiftory of a carnival would furnish a collection of many diverting novels.

Operas are another grand entertainment at this feafon, and the poetry is generally as bad as the mufic is delightful. The comedies are equally infipid, for having no idea of genteel comedy, when they with to make their audience merry, they fall into the most filthy double entendres; but the moft wretched fcenes of all are, where a fine gentleman converfes with his mistress, the whole dialogue, in that cafe, being a difgufting mixture of pedantry and romance. But it is not furprifing, that the poets of fo referved and jealous a nation, fhould fall into fuch mistakes, when they have fo few patterns in nature.

At Venice I took a barge for Ferrara, and in my paffage faw the mouths of the Po, by which VOL. XII.

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it

it empties itself into the Adriatic. This is not only the largest, but the moft rapid river of Italy.

The Po, that rushing with uncommon force,
O'eriets whole woods in its tumultuous course;
And rifing from Hefperia's wat`ry veins,
Th' exhausted land of all its moisture drains.-
The Po, as fays the fable, firit convey'd,
Its wana ring current through a poplar fhade:
For when young Phaeton mitook his way,
Lott and confounded in the blaze of day,
This river, with furviving streams fupply'd,
When all the rest of the whole earth was dried;
And nature's life lay ready to expire,

Quench'd the dire flame that fet the world on fire.

At Ferrara I met with nothing extraordinary. The town is large, but not populous. It has a citadel, and fuch an extenfive fortification, that all the papal foldiers are not fufficient to man it. The streets, in length, breadth, and regularity, are remarkably fine.

I now proceeded down a branch of the Po, as far as Alberto, within ten miles of Ravenna. The intervening space is marfhy and uninhabited, and reminds one of what Martial fays:

Ravenna's frogs in bitter mufic croak.

The place that is fhewn for the haven, is on a level with the town, and has probably been choked up by the mud which the fea has thrown up; for all the foil on that fide of Ravenna, has heen left there infenfibly, by the sea discharging upon it for fo many ages.

remains of the Pharos ftand about three from the fea, and two from the city, and their foundations covered with earth for ne yards. On the other fide of the city, where

the

the fea is fuppofed to have formerly flowed, is a little church, called the Rotunda, at the entrance of which is a fquare piece of marble, which appears to have been a Pagan monument of two perfons that were fhipwrecked, perhaps in the very place where the memorial now ftands.

Ón the outfide of the cupola formerly flood a great tomb of porphyry, and the ftatues of the twelve apoftles; but they were all demolished by one cannon ball. It was perhaps the fame accident that occafioned the flaw in the cupola, though the inhabitants fay it was occafioned by thunder and lightning, at the fame time that one of their Gothic princes was killed by it, who had taken shelter here, I asked a priest what was the name of this Gothic prince; and, after a little hesitation, he told me he believed his name was Julius Cæfar. This fhews how ignorant the Italian clergy are in hiftory.

In a convent of Theatines, they fhew a fmall window in their church, through which the Holy Ghoft is faid to have entered, in the form of a dove, and to have settled on one of the candidates for the bishopric. The dove is reprefented in the window, and in feveral other places of the edifice, and is in high reputation all over Italy.

The ftatue of Alexander VII. is erected in the large fquare of the town. It is cast in brass, in the ufual attitude of popes, with the arm extended, as if in the act of bleffing the people.

In another fquare, on a high pillar, is fet up the ftatue of the Bleffed Virgin, arrayed like a queen, with a fceptre in her hand, and a crown upon her head. By her interceffion it is believed the town was once freed from a raging peftilence. The cuiftom of crowning the virgin is much the fashion among the Italians.

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From Ravenna I proceeded to Rimini, paffing the Rubicon in my way. This river is not fo very contemptible as has been represented; particularly when it is fwelled by the melting of the fnow, as was the cafe when Cæfar croffed it with his legions, and put a period to the liberties of Rome. Lucan thus reprefents it.

While fummer lafts, the streams of Rubicon,
From their spent course, in a small channel run:
Hid in the winding vales, they gently glide,
And Italy from neighbouring Gauls divide.
But now with winter ftorms increas'd they rose,
By wat'ry moors produc'd, and Alpine fnows,
That melting on the hoary mountains lay,
And in warm eaftern winds diffolv'd away.

Rimini has little modern to boaft of. Its antiquities, are a triumphal arch raised by Auguftus; the ruins of an amphitheatre; a marble bridge of five arches; and the Suggeftum, on which Julius Cæfar is faid to have harangued his army, after paffing the Rubicon. It is built of hewn ftone, like the pedestal of a pillar. At twelve miles diftance from Rimini, lies the little republic of St Marino, which, though it be out of the common road of travellers, I could not forbear vifiting.

The town and republic of St. Marino, ftands on the fummit of a very high and craggy mountain, where it is generally hid among the clouds. I could not hear of a spring on the whole territory; but the people are well provided with large cifrefervoirs of rain and fnow water. The

ced here is reckoned extremely good, ble to any that grows on the cold fide nuines.

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