The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume I / Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts.

by Freiherr von Karl Ludwig Pöllnitz

As I left Trent I began to ascend a Mountain which does not become smooth till we reach to Berschen which is a Post-Stage and a half from Trent. This Mountain is exceeding steep, troublesome, and tiresome, and after 'tis pass'd, one is in a manner buried among Rocks and horrid Mountains which seem as if they would fall on the Heads of the Travellers; and I have been assur'd that this sometimes happens in rainy Weather, when so many Pieces crumble off of the Rock that it requires 4 or 500 Carts to clear the Roads. In short, all the Way till one comes within a League of Bossagno a City in the State of Venice is full of Rocks and Precipices; but from that Town to Mestre which is four Post-Stages from it, the Country is the finest in the World; and in short, every thing is good and pleasant except their Wine and their publick Houses. The Wine has naturally a musty Taste, and no Body, and the Colour is like that of the thick Wine of Bourdeaux.

This Country so abounds in Quails that the Post-Master of Bossagno assur'd me he had taken 720 in a Morning, that he drove a great Trade with 'em, and sent some of 'em to the State of Venice, and to Lombardy. Whether he said true, I know not, but he shew'd me 1100 live Quails which he kept in Wicker-Cages in a great Barn where he had hung all the Cages to Pack-Thread to keep them from Rats and Cats.

At Mestre one embarks for Venice which is about seven Leagues from it; I made the Voyage in a Gondola in less than an Hour and half. As I travell'd post to Mestre, my Gondoliers, when I came to Venice, carry'd me to the Post-Office, where I was oblig'd to tell my Name, and the Business for which I came to Venice; but this is a Ceremony to which they who don't travel post are not subject. I went and took up my Lodging at the White Lion, highly rejoic'd that I could rest my self there after my Fatigue, and that I had lost sight of the Alps, those horrid Mountains which no body would chuse to live amongst but a Swiss or a Tirolese, who, as Cardinal Bentivoglio justly observes in his Voyage to Swisserland, are a People made for the Alps, and the Alps for them.

As I have been twice before at Venice, I serve as a Cicerone[161] to two Bohemian Counts whom I was acquainted with at Prague, and whom I happen'd to meet with at my Quarters. As 'tis customary to do to all Foreigners, I began with shewing them the Square of St. Mark, the chief Square of Venice, if not of the whole World. 'Tis adorn'd by the Palace of the Doge, the Church of St. Mark, and the Procuraties, or Houses of the Procurators, and has been pav'd within these few Years with

great Squares of Free-stone. We ascended the famous Tower of St. Mark which is a four-square Building, by a Stair without Steps. It was built by the Doge Domingo Morosini, to serve as a Watch-Tower to Ships at Sea; and that it might be seen a great way off he caus'd the Angel on the top of it to be gilt; but Time the Destroyer of all Things has stripp'd off the Gold. From this Tower one sees the whole City of Venice, the neighbouring Islands, and the Terra Firma, which all together makes a noble Prospect.

We afterwards enter'd St. Mark's Church, which is an Edifice of Grecian Architecture, pretty dark and not very high, but after all, full of Curiosities worthy the Attention of a Traveller. As this Church has been describ'd with more Exactness than I can pretend to, I shall treat very succinctly of the chief Things which it contains. The grand Portico is so low that one must even go down some Steps to enter into the Church. There is a Platform over it on which are plac'd four brazen Horses brought from Constantinople, to which they were first carry'd from Rome by Constantine when that Prince transferr'd the Seat of the Empire from the one City to the other. Nothing is so magnificent and beautiful as those Horses. They were heretofore all over gilt, but People out of mere Avarice scrap'd off great part of the precious Metal, and all the rest is almost worn off by Time.

At the Entrance of the Church on the right-hand Side there is a square Stone which seem'd to me to be of white Marble, and is said to be a piece of the Rock which Moses struck in the Wilderness, whereupon there issued out Water. If this be really that Stone, what that Legislator did is so much the more to be admir'd, and may be reckon'd doubly miraculous; first in fetching Water to a Place where there was none before, and then the

bringing a quantity of it through four Holes no bigger than Pease sufficient to quench the Thirst of so numerous a Multitude. The Pavement of this Church is very grand, being of Mosaic Work exceedingly diversify'd with Stones of various Colours, Marble and Porphyry: But the stateliest Thing in all the Church are the Ornaments of the Altar for the great Holidays, of which that of St. Mark the Patron of the Republic is the most strictly kept. St. Mark's Treasure is then all laid open, which consists in the rich Spoils taken from the Emperors of Constantinople. Every part shines with solid Gold, Pearls, and Diamonds; so that the Temple of Jerusalem excepted, I believe there's not a House devoted to God that could ever boast of so much Riches. All this Treasure is kept in St. Mark's Tower, and none of it can be taken out but in presence of one of the Procurators, who must also be at the Altar when the Treasure is plac'd on it, and dare not stir from it till 'tis put up safe again.

St. Mark's Church serves as a public Chapel to the Doge, who always is or at least ought to be attended thither by the Pope's Nuncio and the Ambassadors; but M. de Gersi the French Ambassador, from I know not what Punctilio of Honour, avoids being present at the same Functions with the Count de Bolagnos the Emperor's Ambassador[162], whom he can't endure to see go before him. When the Doge goes to St. Mark's Church 'tis always with great Ceremony: He walks between the Pope's Nuncio and the Emperor's Ambassador, and the other Ambassadors walk in the same Row according to the Rank of their Masters. They are preceded by six Trumpets, and six Banners are born before the Doge together with a Chair or Stool of State,

there being no Back to it, and a Cushion of Gold Brocade. The Prince is dress'd in a long Robe of Gold Brocade also lin'd and fac'd with Ermin. The Senators follow him in Robes of red Damask, walking two and two. He is receiv'd at the Entrance of the Church by the Clergy of St. Mark who bring him Holy Water and Incense, which the Ambassadors receive after him. His Serenity and the Ambassadors fall on their Knees in the middle of the Nave, and then repeat the Prayers of Domine salvum fac Principem nostrum. Afterwards the Doge goes and places himself at the End of the Choir on the right Hand as we go in, and sits in the first upper Row of the Canons with the Pope's Nuncio on his Right and the Emperor's Ambassador on the Right of the Nuncio, and so on with the rest. The Doge does not sit down 'till the Senators are all enter'd, who, as they pass by his Serenity, make him a profound Obeisance, to which the Doge makes no manner of return. When every body is seated, the Doge accompany'd by the Ambassadors advances towards the Altar, the Nuncio strikes up High Mass and says the Overture, to which the Doge answers. After this, the Doge and the Ambassadors return to their Places, and the Prelate of St. Mark who is in waiting, continues the Office.