The mountain, on which the town ftands, with a few hillocks at the bottom of it, is the whole extent of this republic in miniature. They have three caftles, five churches, and three convents, and reckon about five thousand perfons in their community. St. Marino, the founder of it, was a Dalmatian by birth, and a mason by trade. About one thousand three hundred years ago, he was employed in the reparation of Rimini; and having finished his work, retired to this folitary mountain, where he led the life of a hermit, and fubjected himself to all the aufterities of religion. He had not been long in this fituation, before he wrought a reputed miracle, which, joined with his extraordinary fanctity, procured him fuch efteem, that the princess of the country made him a prefent of the mountain. His reputation foon brought a number of inhabitants, and gave rife to the republic which goes by his name, and which may boast a nobler original than that of Rome. In the principal church, the afhes of this faint are depofited, and his statue is erected over the high altar, holding in its hands mountain crowned with three caftles, which are alfo the arms of the commonwealth. While empires and kingdoms have rifen and fallen, this inconfiderable republic has remained nearly the fame. They are, indeed, in a manner cut off from the reft of the world, as there is only one road by which they are approached; and a fevere law is made against their own people, from attempting to enter the town by another path, left it thould facilitate the inroads of an enemy. All, who are capable of bearing arms, are not only exercifed, but ready at a moment's call. The two chief officers of the republic, are the capitanoes, who are elected every fix months. They have alfo a council, confifting of forty perfons, half noble, half plebeian. Thefe decide every thing by ballot, and chufe the officers of the commonwealth. The people are esteemed very honeft and rigorous in the execution of juftice, and feem to enjoy more content and happiness among their rocks and fnows, than the rest of the Italians in the moft fertile and inviting spots. Indeed, nothing can be a greater inftance of the natural love of nankind for liberty, and of their averfion to arbitrary government, than such a savage mountain covered with people, while the Campania of Rome is almoft deftitute of inhabitants. In paffing from Rimini to Loretto, the most remarkable towns are Pefaro, Fano, Senigallia, and Ancona. Fano receives its name from the Fane of Fortune, which stood here. A triumphal arch, erected to Auguftus, is ftill to be feen, though in ruins. Ancona is the moft confiderable of these places, and, being fituated on a promontory, has a beautiful appearance from the fea. This town was built by Trajan, in honour of whom is a triumphal arch erected near the fea. On my arrival at Loretto, I enquired for the refidence of the English Jefuits, and on their ftair-cafe saw several pictures, of fuch has had been executed in England for their criminal intrigues, and adherence to the holy fee. The treasures in the Holy House of Loretto, almost exceed imagination. Here filver can ely find admiffion, and gold itself lofes its amidst fuch an incredible quantity of Rones. It is, indeed aftonishing, to fee fuch fuch a profufion of riches lie dead and untouched, in the midft of fo much poverty and mifery as reign on all fides of the place. If these riches were all converted into current coin, and employed in commerce, they would make Italy the moft flourifhing country of Europe *. The legendary origin of this houfe is fo well known, that we forbear repeating it. But whoever were the inventors of this impofture, they seem to have taken the hint of it from the veneration which the old Romans paid to the cottage of Romulus, which stood on the Capitoline Hill, and was repaired from time to time, as it fell to decay. From Loretto, in my way to Rome, I paffed through Recanati, Macerata, Tolentino, and Poligni. At Spoletto, the next town on the road, are fome antiquities, the most remarkable of which is an aqueduct of Gothic ftructure, for conveying the water from Mount St. Francis to the town. From the foundation of the lowest arch of this aqueduct to the top, is computed to be two hundred and thirty yards. In proceeding from thence to Terni, I saw the river Clitumnus, celebrated by fo many of the poets, for making the cattle white that drink its waters; an opinion which still remains. A white breed of cattle was probably first introduced here, and continuing ftill the fame fpecies, has made the inhabitants impute this peculiarity to a wrong cause. * In this age of revolutions, when want preffes the papal court, and its enemies are reftrained by no ideas of fanctity, or even honefty, it is not improbable, but the treasures of Loretto may be put into circulation, and again conveyed to the countries they came from. I vifited I vifited the famous cataract about three miles from Terni, formed by the fall of the river Velino, which is mentioned by Virgil in the seventh book of his Æneid. The channel of this river lies very high, and is shaded by a foreft of various trees, that preferve their verdure all the year. The river is extremely rapid before its fall, and then rushes down a precipice one hundred yards high, throwing itself into a rock, which has probably been hollowed by the inceffant action of the water. It is impoffible to see the bottom, on account of the mift which rifes from it, which, at a diftance, looks like clouds of smoke afcending from a large furnace, and diftils in perpetual rains on the borders. From this spot I proceeded to Narni. The only antiquity worth notice, in this vicinity, is the Bridge of Auguftus, which is one of the moft stately ruins in Italy. It was built to unite two mountains, and no doubt is the fame to which Martial alludes: Preferve my better part, and fave my friend; The fatigue I felt in crofling the Apennines, and in my whole journey from Loretto to Rome, was agreeably relieved by the variety of scenes which prefented themfelves. Not to mention the rude prospect of rocks and deep channels worn by the rain and melted fnow, in fix days travelling, I faw all the various feafons of the year, in their beauty and perfection, though it was in the mnth of February. rrival at Rome, I took a view of St. he Rotunda, leaving the reft till my Naples. St. Peter's St. Peter's feldom anfwers the expectation of the traveller on his firft entering it; but infenfibly enlarges itself on all fides, and every moment improves on the eye. The proportions are so nicely obferved, that nothing appears diftinguished from the reft: a beautiful fymmetry is its diftinguishing character. The moft aftonishing thing, however, in this mighty fabric, is its cupola. It is not easy to conceive a more glorious effect in ar chitecture than what is seen in ftanding under the dome. In looking upwards, the spacious hollow fills the mind with awe, and the vista on each fide is the most beautiful on which the eye can reft. Having furveyed this dome, I went to fee the Rotunda. This church is fo much changed from the ancient Pantheon, that some have been inclined to think it is not the fame; but Fontana has fhewn how the ancient figure and ornaments of the Pantheon have been changed into the prefent form. The profeffed admirers of antiquity find abundance of chimerical beauties in this ftructure, which it is probable never entered into the contemplation of the architects themselves. In paffing from Rome to Naples, nothing ftruck me fo much as the beauty of the country, and the extreme poverty of the inhabitants. The prefent defolation of Italy is indeed furprising, when we confider its immenfe population under the Roman empire; nor is it eafy to conceive how fuch a fertile foil could be changed to what it now is. In the papal territories this defolation is moft eminently confpicuous; and though a fuperficial reafoner would draw the contrary conclufions, an ecclefiaftical government is, certainly, of all others, moft unfriendly to improvement. Hereditary fucceffion |