LETTER XXXV.
SIR,Genoa, Nov. 2, 1731.
The Road from Rome to Loretto has been so fully describ’d, that I think I should pass it over in Silence; nor shall I say any thing more to you of the Santa Casa, which you know in what manner the Angels bore to the Place where it now stands. If you would be inform’d of the Treasure of this House, look into the Voyages of Misson, who has given a large Account of every Particular: Since he wrote, the Treasure is not very much increas’d, the Princes having almost done making their Offerings to it. The Queen of France has lately settled a perpetual Endowment on it for the Celebration of four Masses a Day, by way of Thanksgiving for the Birth of the Dauphin.
From Loretto to Bologna the Road is good, and ’tis a fine fruitful Country; I stay’d three Days the longer at that City, on purpose to see the Cardinal Grimani, who is Legate there from the Holy See. He is a Prelate of great Virtue, sound Morals, and polite, but unaffected Behaviour.
He has been Internuncio at Brussels, Nuncio at Cologne, and in Poland, and in this Quality he resided at Vienna, when he was advanc’d to the Purple. I knew him at all those Nunciatures; I saw him at Rome, when he went thither to receive the Hat, and I have now seen him again at Bologna, and find he is the same Man now he is both Cardinal and Legate, that he was when but an Internuncio[17]. For ’tis only in vulgar Souls that Honours change Manners.
Notwithstanding the Reluctance I had to repass the Apennine Hills a second time, I was forced to resolve upon it, or else to renounce all Thoughts of being at Leghorn at the Arrival of the Fleets from Spain and England, I have been at Florence, and have had the Honour to wait on the Great Duke, and Madame the Electoress Palatine Dowager. I had formerly paid my Compliments to this Princess, both here and at Dusseldorp, and she was now pleas’d to call me to mind again, and to shew me abundance of Respect and Kindness: Her most Serene Electoral Highness lives very retir’d, and is almost continually at her Devotions: She has her own Ladies of the Bed-chamber; but as for the rest, she is attended by the Officers of the Great Duke, and makes use also of that Prince’s Equipage.
I did not suppose that I should be able to pay my Respects to the Great Duke, because I had been told, that it was very difficult to get an Audience of him; yet I attain’d to that Honour at the very Time when I least of all expected it. As I was going from the Electress’s Apartment, I met one of the Great Duke’s Valets de Chambre, who
came to tell me, That his Royal Highness wanted to speak with me: This Message so surpriz’d me, that I thought the Man mistook me for another Person, till he convinced me of the contrary: I was obliged to yield Obedience, and the Valet de Chambre introduc’d me to the Audience: I found the Great Duke sitting upright in Bed, accompany’d by several Lap-dogs, with nothing on but a Shirt without Ruffles, and a long Cravat about his Neck of coarse Muslin: His Cap was very much besmear’d with Snuff, and truly there was nothing neat nor grand about him: By his Bed-side there stood a Table in Form of a Beaufet, upon which there were Silver Buckets, that contain’d Bottles of Liquors and Glasses: His Royal Highness receiv’d me however with great Marks of Goodness, reproach’d me because I had not yet desired to see him, and said to me in the kindest Manner possible, That I did very ill to treat my old Friends with so much Indifference. The Prince remember’d he had known my Father, and he call’d to mind, that when he was at Berlin, my Parents paid him all due Respects; he ask’d me what News from the Court of Prussia? and wanted to know all the Alterations that had been made there since his Time: He talk’d to me of the Court of Rome, and particularly of the Pope; and said with a Smile, That the Holy Father was at first his Subject, afterwards his Equal, and now the Master of him, and of all the Catholic Princes. The Conversation at length took a gayer Turn, and ran upon Pleasures, good Chear, and the Bottle. The Grand Duke said, ’twas too early in the Day to drink Wine, (for ’twas no more than Two o’Clock in the Afternoon) but that he had a choice Dram, of which I should taste, and he was so good as to fill me a Glass of it out of a Bottle which was by his Bed-side. ’Twas to no Purpose for me to
protest, that I never drank Drams; I was fain to drink that Glass, then another, and after that a third. The Great Duke assum’d no State upon Account of his Rank, but treated me as his Equal, and drank Glass for Glass with me. I was just going to fall at his Knees, and to beg Quarter, when, as good Luck would have it, Joannino, his favourite Valet de Chambre, came in, and whisper’d something in his Ear. Upon this the Great Duke put on a serious Air, and soon after dismiss’d me, but charg’d me not to go from Florence before I had receiv’d his Commands. Make yourself as merry as you can, said the Prince; but be sure not to go away without taking year Leave of me. Two Hours after I return’d to my Inn, his Royal Highness sent me a Present of Fowls, Bologna Sausages, Cheese, Sweetmeats, and other good Things, together with several Dozens of Bottles of most excellent Wine; so that I assure you I had Subsistence enough for three Months.
I stay’d four Days, expecting the Great Duke’s Orders; but as none came in all that Time, I desir’d his Favourite Joannino to ask him if he had any Commands for me; upon which he sent me word, that he desir’d I would stay two Days longer, and that then he would see me. I heard that a Courier was arriv’d from Leghorn, which brought him News, that the Spanish Fleet had been seen at Sea; upon which I thought, that the Grand Duke would be very much taken up with his Ministers; but I was soon inform’d, that he left all Matters intirely to the Management of his Ministers, the Commandeur d’Elbene, and the Marquis Rinuccini, who settled every thing as they thought fit with Father Ascanio, the Spanish Minister.
The Great Duke lay snug in his Bed, not that he was sick, but out of pure Indulgence. ’Tis now twenty-two Months since he went out of his Palace,
and above seven since he put on his Cloaths. His Levee is not till Noon, and then he sends for such as he has Business with to his Bed-chamber; but this is an Honour which the Florentines don’t easily attain to; for he seems to be fondest of the German Nation, whose Language he speaks well, and pretends even to know its various Dialects. There are few Pilgrims that pass this Way, either to or from Rome, but he sends for them to his Court, where he converses whole Hours with them, refreshes them with his Cordials, and puts a Crown in their Pockets when they go away: He dines at Five o’Clock in the Evening, and sups at Two in the Morning: He always eats alone, commonly in his Bed; and spends two or three Hours in Table-Talk with Joannino, and some young Fellows call’d Ruspanti, because they are Pensioners to the Great Duke, and paid in Ruspes, which are a Coin of the same Value as Sequins; and some of them have two, three, and even five Ruspes a Week. They are paid by Joannino every Wednesday and Saturday; but all their Business is to attend the Great Duke, whenever he sends for them at Dinner or Supper; ’tis said their Number consists of above three hundred, and that they cost his Royal Highness 80,000 Crowns per Ann. They consist of all Nations, but of Germans more than any other. They wear no Livery, nor are they all clad alike; and they are only Known by their Locks, which are always very much curl’d and powder’d.
When the two Days which the Great Duke had order’d me to stay were expir’d, I again sent for his Leave to be gone; upon which he commanded me to wait on him, and receiv’d me altogether as kindly as he did the first Time: He kept me near three Hours, during which he did me the Honour to talk with me on a thousand different Subjects; and then he dismiss’d me, saying, Farewel,
go to Leghorn, and see my new Guests safe ashore.
I cannot leave Florence, without thinking it my Duty to mention some Persons of Note to you, whom I was acquainted with at this Court.
The Commandeur d’Elbene is Steward of the Great Duke’s Houshold, and President of his Council, and venerable both for his Age and his Merit.
The Marquis Rinuccini is the second Minister, but is properly the Soul of the Council, having been employ’d in Business a long time; for in 1711 he was the Great Duke’s Envoy at the Hague, and about that Time he attended the late Elector Palatine to the Election of an Emperor at Franckfort. He was afterwards sent Envoy from the Great Duke to the Congress at Utrecht, and from thence he went to England: When he return’d from his Embassies, the late Great Duke admitted him a Member of his Council, and put him at the Head of Foreign Affairs, of which he has still the Direction. ’Twas he that dispos’d the Great Duke and the Electress to submit to the Times, and to recognize Don Carlos, the Infante of Spain, for their Successor: And in fine, he is the Man that settles all Matters against the Arrival of that Prince, who is expected here with very great Impatience.
Tho’ the Nobility of Florence are in general very civil to Foreigners, yet ’tis certain, that the Marquis Richardi is one of those Gentlemen that give them the best Welcome; and as he is one of the richest Gentlemen in Tuscany, he is also one of those that keep the best House; he has three Sons, and one of them is a Prelate; the eldest of them, Don Vincenzo, who is like some Day or other to be the Head of the Family, has travell’d very much, and is certainly a Gentleman of very great Acquirements and Merit.
There are a great many fine Ladies here, but they don’t dress well, and have not near so much Liberty as those of Rome: There’s one Madame Suarez indeed, that cuts a very great Figure, and keeps open House to all Comers; she receives Foreigners in a grand Manner, especially the English; but her House would be better, if there was not so much Gaming in it.
Before I set out from Florence, I can’t think it will be improper to give you a few Particulars concerning the Family of the Medicis, which is near being extinct in the Person of the Great Duke John Gaston.
This Family has given seven Sovereign Princes to Tuscany. Cosmo the First, of that Name, was also the first Great Duke. He obtain’d that Title about Ann. 1568. from the Emperor Maximilian II of whom he had demanded the Title of King of Hetruria; but the Emperor return’d him for Answer, That he knew of but one King in Italy, and that was himself. However, to gratify Cosmo’s Vanity, Maximilian invented the Title of Great Duke, that of Arch Duke being already the Appenage of the House of Austria. The Names of the seven Great Dukes, with their Alliances, are as follow.
Cosmo I. who married Eleanor of Toledo.
Ferdinand I. who married Joan of Austria.
Francis I. who married Mary Magdalen of Austria.
Cosmo II. whose Wife was Claude of Lorain.
Ferdinand II. married to Mary de la Rovero, Duchess of Urbino.
Cosmo III. who married Margaretta Louisa of Orleans.
John Gaston, married to Anna Maria Frances of Saxe-Lawenbourg.
The Family of Medicis calls to my Mind that of the Kettlers, Dukes of Courland; and I fansy the
following Parallel will hold between the two Families. The Medicis, before they were Sovereigns of Tuscany, were Standard-Bearers of Florence; the Kettlers were Gentlemen, and Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order in Courland. The Emperor Maximilian II. made Medicis Grand Duke: Sigismond Augustus, King of Poland, made Kettler a Duke. The two Families have each given seven Sovereigns to Europe, and they are alike related to the greatest Families. The last of the Medicis, and the last of the Kettlers, were married to Princesses of the Saxon Family. They both see Foreign Powers disposing of their Succession before they are dead[18]. Both Families began to flourish almost at the same time, at the two Extremities of Europe; and in all Appearance their Period is like to be the same.
I could stay but six Days at Florence this Journey, because I had a mind to see the Landing of the Spaniards at Leghorn. I had no Time neither to lose, for they came into the Road the Day before I arriv’d, and landed two or three Days after. The Fleet was compos’d of two Squadrons, one of which, viz. the English, consisting of thirteen Ships, was commanded by Admiral Wager. The two Squadrons set Sail at one and the same time, but had been dispers’d by a Storm in the Gulph of Lyons. The English came in all together;
but the Spaniards arriv’d one after another, and some of their Transports were lost. In fine, the Troops were all landed on the second of November, All Souls Day, whereon there fell a terrible Rain, on which the Superstitious sounded dismal Conjectures. The Marquis de Charni[19], the Commander of the Spanish Forces, came on Shore the Day preceding, to adjust all Matters with the Marquis Rinuccini, whom the Grand Duke had sent for that Purpose to Leghorn. The Spanish General was oblig’d to take an Oath of Fidelity to the Grand Duke before the Marquis Rinuccini, which when he had done, the Spanish Forces enter’d the City, incorporated themselves with those of the Grand Duke, and mounted Guard on the very same Day that they landed. It is stipulated, that there shall be always two Thirds Spaniards to one Third of the Great Duke’s Soldiers. The Spanish Army consists of no more than 6000 Men, but then they are the Flower of their Troops, and there are Arms and Equipage for above 20,000. There’s one Swiss Regiment, another of Walloons.
I have been to see the two Admiral Ships: The English has three Decks, and carries 86 Guns: The Spanish, which had Admiral Mari on board, carries 90 Guns, has three Decks also, and is by much bigger than the English Man of War: It had been fitted up for bringing over the Infante Don Carlos, and no Expence was spar’d to render it magnificent. The Admiral’s Cabbin was hung with Sky-blue and Silver Brocade; the Tables, Chairs, and the Frames of the Pier Glasses, &c. were of Indian Lacca Red and Gold: But notwithstanding all this Magnificence, the English Ship was the neatest, and
far out-did the Spaniard in the civil Treatment of those that went aboard. The English Naval Officers are almost all Men of Quality: They strove who should be the most polite to such as came to visit them, and talk’d very modestly both of their Ships and their Tackling; whereas the Spaniards bragg’d of theirs beyond measure; they pretended that their Ships, which had only two Decks, were much easier to work than those of the English, which are all of three Decks; and affirm’d, that as their Ships were broader and longer, and their Decks higher, they were much more formidable than the English, and not so much incommoded by the Smoak in a Battle. On the other hand, I was told by an Engish Officer, That a Ship with three Decks was preferable to one that had but two, because when ’tis a high Sea, and they are forc’d to shut up the lowermost Deck, there are still two Batteries remaining, whereas a Ship with but two Decks, in the same Case, can have but one remaining: Besides, a Ship with three Decks, said the Officer, being higher than a Ship with but a couple, has a great Advantage over what the other has, when they come to Boarding. As I understand nothing of Navigation, I know not whether my Englishman was in the right. But be that as it will, I am of the Opinion, which prevails almost universally, that whenever it shall please God to let second Causes have their Effects, it will be always safer to lay a Wager on the Side of the English than on the Spanish Ships.
On St. Charles’s Day, which was the Festival of the Infante Don Carlos, the Marquis Mari gave us a grand Feast: I say us, because I was there, as well as all Leghorn, Florence, Sienna, Lucca, and Pisa, which you’ll say was a goodly Company, and I assure you moreover, it was very gay. The Florence Gentry, who expected that the Infante would
have come with the Fleet, had all bespoke new Apparel; and as they are naturally very prodigal, they spar’d no Cost upon this Occasion. The Lucquese Gentry did not come short of them, of whom it may be said, that taking the Milanese and Genoese along with them, they are of all the Italians the most polite, and have most of the Air of Men of Quality. Besides the Italians, there was so great a Concourse of Englishmen and Foreigners at Leghorn, that all the Lodgings were taken up; nevertheless Provisions were in great Plenty, and as cheap as ever.
The English are return’d home. ’Tis said, that the Infante[20] will come hither speedily by Land. The Tuscans long mightily to see him, and expect he will work Miracles; for besides what they have heard in his Praise, they lay great Stress upon a Prophecy of Nostradamus, who says in one of his Stanzas,
Du plus profund de l’Occident d’Europe,
De doubles Nopces un Enfant naitra,
Qui vers le Po menera grande Troupe:
Son bruit au Regne d’Orient plus croitra.
i. e.
‘In the most Western Part of Europe an Infant
shall be born of a double Marriage, who shall
lead a great Force towards the Po, and whose
Fame shall spread to the Eastermost Kingdom.’
This Child, born of a double Marriage, must be the Infante, who is the Son of Philip V. by his second Wife.
I heartily wish that I cou’d have staid at Florence till this Prince arriv’d; but I have order’d
my Affairs so as to be at Paris before Christmas, and I must steer my Course accordingly. Yet before I leave Leghorn, I must give you some Account of this City, which is of more Note for its great Trade, than for its Antiquity. ’Tis one of the neatest Cities in Italy, and that to which there’s the greatest Concourse of Foreign Merchants, either for the sake of Trade, or for Shelter from their Creditors: The City is well built, the Streets broad, strait and lightsome, and several have Canals in them, after the Manner of Holland. The great Square is beautiful, and the Port magnificent, being divided into the great and little Harbours, the former of which has been render’d convenient by the Expence of a fine Mole, and some Towers that serve for Light-houses; the other, which has a very narrow Entrance, serves for the Gallies. There’s an admirable Marble Statue of Cosmo I. de Medicis, which is rais’d on a Pedestal of the like white Marble: The Great Duke is represented in Armour, with a Ducal Mantle over his Shoulders, a Turban on his Head, and a Scymitar at his Feet. The Concomitants of this fine Statue are worthy of a nice Observation: At the very Foot of the Base or Pedestal, at the four Corners, there are as many Slaves in Brass, representing Turks, in admirable Attitudes, which seem, as it were, chain’d to the Pedestal: The Connoisseurs reckon them Master-pieces: Their Proportion, which is twelve Foot, makes the Vulgar think they represent four Giants; but Tradition says, that they are the Figures of four Turks, viz. the Great-Grandfather, the Grandfather, the Father, and the Son; who being all on board a Turkish Vessel, the youngest of them, who was an Astrologer, prophesied to his Companions, as they embark’d, that on such a Day they shou’d all be taken into Slavery by the Christians; which Prediction, to their Misfortune, came to pass; for they were taken by
the Great Duke’s Gallies, and this Prince caus’d their Statues to be carv’d, to transmit the Event to Posterity.
Pisa, tho’ a much more considerable City than Leghorn for its Antiquity, and the Beauty of its Buildings, is not so pleasant a Place by far. ’Tis a large, fine, well built City, but extremely thin of People; ’tis divided into two Parts by the River Arno, which comes from Florence, and forms two stately Kays here. The Cathedral is a great stately Fabric of Gothic Architecture: It has three great Gates, the Doors or Leaves of which are of Brass, and represent the Passages mention’d in the New Testament, a Proof how grosly they are mistaken, who say they were the Gates of Solomon’s Temple; but they are not near so fine as those at the Baptistery of Florence. The Inside of the Church is answerable to the Magnificence of the Outside, and the Roof is supported by sixty Marble Columns.
I say nothing to you of the Tower that leans to one Side, and which consists of six or seven Degrees or Rows of Pillars one above another, nor of the stately Baptistery, much less of the Church-yard, call’d il Campo Santo. Look into Misson, he will tell you the Measures of every thing; for that Gentleman always carry’d Mathematical Instruments about him, so that there was nothing but what he measur’d and weigh’d.
Pisa is a City, which a Traveller can’t avoid seeing, but ’tis impossible for him to stay in it; the People being so proud of the Honour their Ancestors gain’d by the Conquest of Carthage, that their Vanity is perfectly surfeiting.
Having stay’d but one Day at Pisa, I proceeded in my Journey to Genoa, passing thro’ the Forest of Viareggio, where, if I had had a great Charge of Money about me, and had credited what my
Guide said, I shou’d have sweat for Fear; because he affirm’d to me, that there was not a Week throughout the Year but Passengers were robb’d and murder’d in this Forest. But when I came to the Village of Viareggio, which stands in the Middle of the Forest, I heard that every Word my Guide has told me was false; and that since the Courier from Lucca was robb’d, which was eighteen Years ago, they had not heard of any Robbers this Way: This put me very much in Heart again, for, to be plain with you, I don’t care to tilt with Highwaymen; but for all this, an Italian Lacquey that I have in my Service, cou’d not be easy: As we had still three Leagues of this Forest to pass thro’, he conjur’d me to take a Guard; but I banter’d him, and proceeded on my Way. My Lacquey rode by me on Horseback, telling his Beads. I had scarce travell’d half a League, but I saw five Men coming arm’d; my Lacquey, who was the first that spy’d them, cry’d out like a Madman, Jesu Maria! what! must I die without Confession? Misericordia! Misericordia! I put my Head out of the Chaise to take a View of the Men, who had innocently put my Lacquey into such a Fright, and found by their Garb, that they were Soldiers from Lucca, who patroll’d there for the Security of the Forest. The Panic which my Lacquey was under made me at first laugh very heartily, but I soon changed my Note; for when we came to Pietra-Santa, a little Place in the State of Lucca, he had not Strength to alight from his Horse; for the Fright had so seiz’d him, that he was almost dead: He wanted a Confessor; but I thought a Surgeon would do every whit as well for him, and therefore I sent for one, and caus’d him to bleed the Fellow, who in two Hours time grew better. I took him into my Chaise, and went and lay at Massa di Carrara, the Capital of a very small Feodal Sovereignty
of the Empire, belonging to Cardinal Cibo, the last of his Family. After his Death, this Principality is to fall to his Niece, who, ’tis said, is design’d for the young Prince Eugene of Savoy, Nephew[21] to the Great Eugene, and Lieutenant-General of the Emperor’s Forces.
The Founder of this Family was Alberic Cibo, the natural Son of Innocent VIII. and, for his Sake, the Emperor Maximilian II. erected Massa into a Feudal Principality of the Empire: This City has nothing remarkable in it but the Prince’s Palace, which makes some Shew. The Emperor keeps a Garrison in it[22]. The People at Massa are of good florid Complexions, and the Country is famous for its Quarries of Marble, and for Oil in abundance.
From Massa to Sersana, or Sarzana, a City in the State of Genoa, the Country is extremely well cultivated, being planted with Olive-Trees and Vines. In this City the Genoese have a Governor, or Podestat, but they keep a very sorry Garison in it; and if the Republic has no better Soldiers to withstand the Corsicans, who are call’d the Devils of Italy, I question whether the Rebellion will be soon suppress’d. The Sergeant of the Guard at the Gate made me a very civil Petition for Charity, which he assured me was a small Tribute due to him from Foreigners.
From Sersana I proceeded to Lerici, a little Town on the Sea-side. There I put my Chaise on board a Felucca, and arriv’d in less than twenty-four Hours at Genoa, tho’ I stay’d some Hours at Sestri, an Episcopal City of that Republic: It is a small, but pleasant Town, and
very agreeably situate upon a Rock forming a Cape, which runs very far into the Sea. This Town is defended by a Fort, which seem’d to me to be well furnish’d with Cannon, but the Garison is no better mann’d than that of Sersana.
Genoa, from that Side which is next the Harbour, affords one of the greatest and finest Points of View in the World; and though most of the Streets are narrow, close, and not very lightsome, yet among all the Towns of Italy it is with Justice call’d the Superb; for there is not a City in Europe, where there are more spacious and magnificent Palaces, and where the Houses are in general better built. This rich and stately City has been subject to several Revolutions, but never suffer’d a greater Shock than in 1684. when ’twas bombarded by Order of Lewis XIV. The Marquis de Seignelai, who was the Minister of his Revenge, discharg’d his Commission so well, that from the 18th of May to the 28th, he caus’d 13,000 Bombs to be thrown into the Town. The Genoese were oblig’d to humble themselves, and the King granted them a Peace, on Condition that they wou’d send four Senators into France, to make their Submission to him by the Mouth of the Doge, whose Title was to be kept up, tho’, according to the Laws of the Republic, he loses it as soon as he stirs a Foot out of the City, Francis-Maria-Imperiali Lercari was then the Doge, who went to Versailles, and had his Audience there on the 15th of May 1685. He affected to appear very gay there, by which means he gave more Lustre to the Satisfaction which he came to make, than to his own Dignity.
The French boast very much of this Event, and have not only struck Medals upon it, but have represented it in Basso Relievos of Brass, in Tapestries, and in Pictures; and all their Historians talk of it as one of the most glorious Epochas of the
Reign of Lewis XIV. Far be it from me to detract from the Glory of a Reign, which all the Universe admires, and to this Day respects; but I cannot help saying, that I question whether the French wou’d easily pardon any other Nations for making the like Boast of their Exploits. The Spaniards, who have the Character of being vain, are, in my Opinion, if I may presume to say it, less so than the French. They have a more glorious Passage in their History, and that is, the Excuses which Philibert, Prince of Piedmont, Son to Charles Emanuel, Duke of Savoy, made in Person to Philip IV. King of Spain, in 1610. That Monarch, being disgusted at the Conduct of the Duke, because he had made a Treaty with France, sought to be reveng’d on him, and found an Opportunity. Henry IV. King of France being assassinated, Mary de Medicis, the Regent, was in no Condition to embroil herself with Spain, by assisting Charles Emanuel. Philip IV. improv’d this Opportunity, and caus’d Troops to march from the Milanese towards Piedmont: The Duke, in order to divert the Storm, sent his Son to Madrid. The young Prince was very well receiv’d there at first, but he had the Mortification to be oblig’d to make the most submissive Speech that could come from the Lips of a Sovereign Prince: ‘Sir, said he, addressing himself to the King, the Duke, my Lord and Father, being hinder’d from coming himself, by his Age and Business, has sent me to supplicate your Majesty on my Knees, to accept of the Satisfaction which I am now making. I am at a Loss for Terms strong enough to express the Grief of the Duke my Father for the Loss of your Favour. I fall once more at your Majesty’s Feet, resolv’d not to rise, were I to die on the Spot, till you have granted me the Favour I desire of you, which is, to take the Duke my Father, and our whole Family, into
your Royal Protection. By this, Sir, you will give a Proof of your Readiness to pardon the greatest Errors, and of the Kindness which you always had for a Family which is devoted to you, and honours you as its Lord and Father. This Declaration, which is now made at your Knees by a Prince of your Blood, shall, if necessary, be seal’d by mine. The Duke my Father absolutely relies upon your Majesty’s Goodness, and we resign ourselves to you without Reserve. If it pleases you to grant me the Favour which I humbly desire of you, it will be a new Obligation, that will attach us forever to your Interests.’
Was not so submissive a Speech as this more likely to feed the Vanity of the King of Spain, than all the Excuses made by the Doge of Genoa to puff up Lewis XIV? And is not a Prince of Piedmont at Madrid, a Person of more Consequence than a Doge of Genoa at Versailles? Nevertheless, the Spaniards have neither struck any Medals, nor raised any Monuments to transmit that Event to Posterity. Pardon me, Sir, for this Digression: The Prince of Piedmont’s Speech is not to be met with in all the Historians: I believ’d it would be acceptable to you, and thought it was not altogether foreign to my Subject, to put the Reparation made by that Prince in a Parallel with that of the Doge. I now resume the Thread of my Narrative.
The Street Balbi, and the new Street, are more like Galleries than Streets. The former lies near the beautiful Church of the Annunciation and the first considerable Structure that appears in it, is the Jesuits College, of which James Balbi, a Genoese Nobleman, made a Present on his Death-bed to the Society, on Condition that his Arms would always remain over the great Gate. The Reverend
Fathers the Jesuits have laboured much to efface this poor Remembrance of their Benefactor, and for this End have had great Law-Suits with the Balbi Family; but at length they were condemn’d by an Arret of the Senate to keep up the Arms of the Founder, and there they still remain.
The two Palaces Purazzi, which are in the same Street, are very magnificent, and richly furnished. In one of those Palaces there is a Theatre, called the Theatre of the Falcon, which is so extremely well laid out, that every Spectator may see and hear what passes with Ease, and without incommoding his Neighbour, the Boxes being large and convenient, and the Ornaments dispos’d every-where with Judgment.
The new Street is every whit as magnificent as the Street Balbi. Here are the two Palaces Brignole, and indeed they are both stately Buildings. Their Ornaments are the finest that can be imagined, and of the newest Fashion: The Furniture is extremely rich, there being excellent Pictures by the greatest Masters, Chimney and Pier-Glasses of an extraordinary Size, and placed to Advantage; Tables of choice Marble upon Stands of an excellent Contrivance, and very richly gilt: In short, one wou’d not wish to see any thing more fine, and more complete. Messieurs Brignole are four Brothers, of whom there is but one that has a Son: They are immensely rich, and have seven magnificent Palaces in Genoa.
The Palace of the Duke Doria, which is in the same Street, is grand and stately; but not so richly furnished as the Palace of the Prince Doria, without the Gate of St. Thomas, which owes its Foundation to the celebrated Doria, who was a General of the Emperor Charles V. This Palace is
very extensive, and has a Prospect of the Sea, but the Apartments are low and old-fashioned.
The Suburb of St. Peter d’Arena is very large, and contains several noble Palaces, of which the Palace Imperiali, where the Emperor and Empress lodged at their Return from Spain, is esteemed by the Connoisseurs in Architecture.
The People at Genoa are more sociable than they are at Venice, and the Nobility here much more easy of Access. I don’t believe, that they who accuse the Italians of Jealousy, include the Genoese in that Charge; there being few Countries in the World where the Women are allow’d more Freedom, and where, to all Appearance, they take more. A Woman must have very few Charms indeed, if she has not two or three profess’d Lovers. These Sparks, who go by the Name of Cicisbei, are never out of their Sight; but they take great Pains in their Amours, being obliged to run so fast by the Side of their Mistresses Sedan, that they earn a Glance from the Fair with the Sweat of their Brows. There are Ladies here, who have five or six of these Admirers always attending them where-ever they go; and ’tis happy for these Rivals, that they never fall together by the Ears. ’Tis true, that if they quarrel, they would be obliged to box it; for the Gentry here don’t wear Swords, their Dress being like that of the Lawyers in France; but they always wear short silk Mantles, which I could wish the Counsellors of Parliament in France would likewise wear, in order to distinguish them from Tailors and Shopkeepers.
The People of Quality here dress very well, and the Genoese of both Sexes have a much better Air than those of Florence and Rome. The Princess of Modena’s Residence with them has not been to their Detriment; for they have contracted
a courtly Behaviour, to which the Italians are pretty much Strangers. The Genoese in general understand good Living, and are never deficient in that respect, for want of knowing better. Tho’ they are said to be a sorry People, I could like to live here very well. I have been at two of their Assemblies, upon Occasion of the Marriage of a Nobleman, and have not seen any thing more magnificent; for a King could not have made a more splendid Entertainment. I was introduced to them by the Count Guiccardi, Envoy Extraordinary from the Emperor, and received abundance of Civilities. This Envoy is a Subject of the Duke of Modena, and was formerly in his Service. He was that Prince’s Minister at Vienna, when he went into the Service of his Imperial Majesty. He married the Countess Sinzendorff, who was the Daughter of Hawitz, the Grand Marshal at Dresden. This Lady was a Lutheran; but being at Vienna, and having a Curiosity to go to Divine Service in the Metropolitan Church of St. Stephen, while she was looking upon a Picture of the Holy Virgin, a Flash of Lightning came into the Chapel where she was, and scorch’d her in a Part, which I verily believe she wou’d not shew for all the Gold of Peru; but she received no other Harm, and thinking that she saw the Holy Virgin protecting her, it made such an Impression upon her, that she embraced our Religion, of which she is an exemplary Professor.
You know that the Genoese are actually at War with their Subjects the Corsicans, who have newly publish’d a Manifesto of their Reasons for taking Arms. If all they say be true, ’tis certain they have been very ill used; and that if any Rebellion can be excus’d, theirs may. This War has already cost the Republic immense Sums, and by the Turn which Affairs are taking, ’tis to be presumed it
will run them into a much greater Expence. The Corsicans have chose one Giafferi for their Leader. He is a Man of Courage, and a good Head-piece: They say he has taken an Oath to procure his Country its Liberties; and if the Genoese are not assisted by some Power, he is like enough to succeed.[23] Time will bring all Things to Light. I am, &c.
