The next place I visited was Florence, where there are so many curiofities, that the idea of one chases the next from the mind. The palaces here are not only grand, but beautiful; and as Tufcan pillars were invented in this ftate, the architects always give them a place in their moft fplendid buildings. The grand duke's new palace is a noble pile. It has fome resemblance to that of the Luxemburgh, built by Mary of Medicis, and for that reafon, perhaps, the artists fell into the Tuscan ftyle. In the court is an antique ftatue of Hercules lifting Antæus from the earth. This was found at Rome, and brought hither under the pontficate of Leo X. In the different apartments are many pictures by the first masters. The famous gallery of the old palace is adorned with admirable pieces of fculpture, both ancient and modern; and contains, perhaps, the nobleft collection of curiofities in the whole world. Among the most celebrated bufts are thofe of Alexander the Great, Auguftus, Vespafian, Adrian, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus, Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and Geta. There are alfo the head of a fawn and the god Pan in porphyry. Among the whole length figures is a veftal virgin, with the holy fire burning before her, and a e ftatue of Morpheus in touchstone, under the gure of a boy afsleep, with a bundle of poppies his hand. After furveying the gallery, I was conducted into four or five chambers, filled with curiofities, which adjoin it. The first was a cabinet compofed chiefly of idols, talifmans, lamps, and hieroglyphics. The two next chambers contain fe veral artificial curiofities, in marble, amber, ivory, cryftal, and precious fiones. In the apartment laft fhewn, ftands the celebrated Venus of Medicis, reckoned the moft perfect model of fculpture in the world. It feems lefs than the life, from its being perfectly naked, and in company with others of a larger make; but, from measurements, it appears to be of the ordinary fize of a woman. The foftnefs of the flesh, the delicacy of the fhape, air, and posture, and the correctnefs of the defign in this ftatue are inexpreffible. In the fame apartment is a Roman flave, whetting his knife and liftening, which, viewed from the fhoulders upwards, is incomparably fine. In fhort, Florence, in fome refpects, feems to excel Rome itself in the elegant arts. After a tedious journey over the Apennines, we came at laft to a river, formerly called the Little Rhine, and following its courfe, arrived in a fhort space at Bolonia, where I was foon fenfible of the difference between the northern and the fouthern fides of the mountains, both in the coldnefs of the climate and the badness of the wine. Bolonia is famous for the richness of its foil and the magnificence of its convents. It is alfo efteemed the third city of Italy for pictures, as being the fchool of the Lombard painters. Here I faw a beautiful filver medal of the younger Brutus, in which the character of the perfon is delineated in the features of the face. On the reverfe is the cap of liberty, on each fide of which is a dagger, fubfcribed Id. Mar. the date of Cæfar's murder. Among other attractions was a moft exquifite picture of St. Cecilia by Raphael. The feafon of the year, together with the wars of Italy, made me pafs through the duchies of Modena, Parma, and Savoy, with more expedition than I wished. The foil of Modena and Parma is extremely rich and well cultivated. I procured a licence of the Grand Duke of Parma to enter the theatre and gallery of his palace. The theatre, though very spacious, is fo admirably contrived, that from the very depth of the ftage the loweft voice may be heard very diftinctly by the remoteft audience; and yet, if the voice be raised ever fo high, there is nothing like an echo to cause the leaft confufion. The gallery contains a numerous collection of pictures, all performed by the most celebrated mafters. On one fide is a large room adorned with inlaid tables, cabinets, works in amber, and other pieces of great art and value; and in an adjoining apartment is a collection of idols, bufts, medals, old infcriptions, and fimilar curiofities. I left the road to Milan on my right, having before vifited that city, and having paffed through Afti, the frontier town of Savoy, came in fight of the Po, which even at Turin is a fine river, though within fix miles of its fource. It has been made the fcene of two or three poetical fables, and Ovid has made choice of it to throw his Phaeton into, after all the smaller rivers had been dried up by the conflagration. The fifters of Phaeton were transformed into poplars on the banks of the Po; and to finish the disasters of the family, Cycnus was turned into a fwan. This river gives name to the chief street of Turin, which fronts the ducal palace. Turin has one advantage, which is perhaps exclufively its own. By means of a river that runs along the upper fide of the town, they can convey a small ftream of water through all the most confiderable ftreets, which ferves to cleanse the gutters, and to carry away the filth; and every night the manager opens his fluice, and diftributes the water into what quarter of the town he judges proper. Hence, when a fire happens to break out, in a few minutes a fmall river is directed to the very house that is in flames. The walls and baftions of Turin are all lined with freeftone, and it takes up an hour and a half to walk round the fortifications. Though not large, this city is populous, and is likely to increase and flourish. The palace is a noble structure, and is adorned with a gallery of fine paintings, and another of marble ftatues, moft of them antiques. The court of Turin is effeemed the moft fplendid and polite of any in Italy; but it being at this time in mourning, I had not an opportunity of feeing its magnificence. The common people of this ftate are more exafperated against the French than any of the reft of the Italians; for the mifchiefs they have fuffered from them, are fill fresh in their remembrance, notwithstanding the interval of peace. One may easily trace the feveral marches made by the French armies, and the ruin and defolation they left behind them; and all this at a time when the duke, from the nature of connections, was obliged to be in alliance with the court of Verfailles. It is certain, that the French were always perfidious to those with whom they had any connection; and there is not a power in Europe they have not in turn betrayed *. If those reflections were just in the time of Addison, recent events have not tended to alter their force, but, on the contrary, have confirmed them all, On my leaving Turin, I proceeded directly to Geneva, and made an easy journey over Mount Cenis, though it was the beginning of December. On the top of this high mountain is a large plain, with a beautiful lake in the centre. The inhabitants of the adjacent places pretend that this lake is unfathomable. Though it is covered with ice three parts of the year, it is well stocked with trout. There is nothing more delightful in the natural face of Italy, than the several lakes dispersed up and down among the many breaks and hollows of the Alps and Apennines. The ancient Romans took the moft laborious pains in forming paffages for thefe lakes to discharge themselves into fome neighbouring river, either with a view of improving the air, or recovering the foil they occupied. In our whole journey through the Alps, both when we afcended and defcended them, a river ran along by the road, which probably at firft difcovered this paffage. Silius Italicus has thus defcribed this ftupendous range of mountains. Stiff with eternal ice and hid in fnow, That fell a thoufand centuries go, The mountain ftands; nor can the rifing fun The |