This Palace joins to the Castle of St. Angelo, which is the Citadel of Rome, by a covered Gallery, which was made at a Time when the turbulent Romans, not paying their due Obedience to the Popes, the latter thought proper to make themselves a Passage to it in case of a Revolution; but, Thanks to God, this Precaution is no longer necessary; for the Popes are the Masters. The Castle of St. Angelo is for Prisoners of State, and in it is the Arsenal, which, by the way, is in a very bad State. There are also kept the four Millions of Roman Crowns, which Pope Sixtus V. deposited there, with an Injunction, by a Bull, at the same Time, that they should not be touched but to serve some pressing Exigency of the Church. It has the Name from the Appearance of an Angel to Pope St. Gregory the Great, putting up a Sword all over bloody, in its Scabbard, to denote that God had stay’d the Pestilence, in regard to the Prayers of St. Gregory, who, accompanied by all the Clergy and People of Rome, carried in Procession to St. Peter’s Church two Images of the Virgin, the one painted by St. Luke, and kept in the Church of St. Mary Major, the other, which appeared to St. Galle, and is worshipped in the Church of St. Mary in Compitello.
From the Castle of St. Angelo you will please to follow me to the Palace of Monte Cavallo, which is travelling from one End of Rome to the other. Gregory XIII. began this Palace, and several of the succeeding Popes have carried it on. ’Tis much more spacious than magnificent, and yet none of the Apartments are good for much, except that of the Pope, who indeed is well lodged. Paul V. of the Borghese Family, who, next to Sixtus V. was the Pope that has most embellished Rome, has also most of all contributed to the Embellishment of the Palace of Monte Cavallo. Here are excellent rich Cielings, made in the Time of his Pontificate. This vast Building forms a long Square, with a great Court in the Middle, encompassed with Piazzas, five hundred Paces in Length. The two cross Buildings, of which that at the farther End forms the main Body of the Building, are higher than those on the Sides. In the Front of the main Building there’s a mosaic Picture of the Holy Virgin, with the Infant Jesus in her Arms, as designed by Charles Maratti, which is an admirable Piece. There are also fine Paintings in the Apartments, but they are not near so magnificent as those of the Vatican. The Furniture of this Palace, and indeed, of all the Pontifical Palaces, is far from being rich. The Hangings are of crimson Damask, with Lace and Fringe of gold Tinsel. The Seats are Benches of Wood, painted with the Arms of the reigning Pope, and varnished; and the Cardinals themselves have no other in the Apostolical Palace. From the Pope’s Apartments there’s one of the most agreeable Prospects that can be over almost all Rome, and very far into the Country. The Air of Monte Cavallo is said to be the best in Rome, and indeed no other Reason could induce the Popes to
reside here rather than at the Vatican. The Gardens belonging to it are very much admir’d by the Italians, who never travell’d out of their Country, where Gardening is not in very great Perfection; but as for us Ultramontains, who know a little of what belongs to Gardens, we look upon those of this Country with very great Indifference.
The Capitol is a considerable Building, with Curiosities worthy a Traveller’s Attention. It was built in the Pontificate of Gregory XIII. The Ascent to it is by a Stair-case of several Flights, adorn’d on both Sides with Balustrades of Free-stone, at the Bottom of which two Lions are plac’d, of a kind of black Stone like Jet, which form two Fountains. At the Top of the Stair-case, there are two great Horses representing Castor and Pollux, when they came Express to Rome with the News of the Victory gain’d over the Tarquins. In the Midst of the Area, which is form’d by three separate Piles of Building, two whereof are as advanc’d Wings to the main Building that fronts the Ascent, there’s an Equestrian Statue in Brass, of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, which is the most beautiful, and completest Piece that was perhaps ever made of the Kind. They say here, that the Republic of Venice offer’d some Years ago to pay as many Sequins for this Statue as cou’d be put into the Horse’s Belly. If this be true, that Republic was undoubtedly more wealthy than it is at present. ’Tis certain, that the Capitol contains a considerable Treasure in ancient and modern Statues, in Basso Relievos, and in all Sorts of Fragments of Antiquity. The Structures are according to the Direction of Michael Angelo.
In the middlemost Pile of Buildings, which is much higher than the two others, the Senate of
Rome meets, and there Justice is administer’d. There are two Flights or Steps up to the Gate which opens into the Hall of the Tribunal where they plead. Between the two Flights, there’s a stately Fountain adorn’d with two antique Statues of Marble, lying on Pedestals, representing the Nile and the Tiber; and in a Niche over it, is the Statue of Roma triumphans, a Work of Porphyry, an antique Marble of excellent Sculpture.
The Inside of these three Piles of Building contains fine Paintings, particularly the Rape of the Sabines; and among the modern Statues, the Connoisseurs esteem the brazen Statue of Pope Urban VIII. done by Bernini; the Colossal Statue of Pope Leo X. in Marble, done by Lorenzetto of Florence; those of Alexander Farnese, Marcus Antoninus, Colonna, Gregory XIII., Paul III. and many others, in short, which I don’t mention, as being of less Value, and which are not much minded here, because they are not done by the best Hands, but wou’d pass with us for Master-pieces.
Being in the Neighbourhood of that great Square call’d Campo-vaccino, I cannot help giving you some Account of it; not that I pretend to particularize it, because I have not sufficient Learning. Here we see the admirable Ruins of the Magnificence of old Rome, which I cannot behold without pitying the Condition they are in at present. You wou’d have the same Concern as I have, were you in the Middle of a large Square, and to see nothing all round it but Ruins; to see on one Side the Walls of the ancient Capitol, on the other the Constantine Arch erected with so much Expence by the Senate and People of Rome, broken and half-bury’d; beyond that, the Arch of Titus, in a Condition still worse; on
your Left, the immense Ruins of the Temple of Peace; the Vestigies of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, on the Architrave of which is this vain Inscription, Divo Antonino, Divæ Faustinæ; on your Right-hand the melancholy Ruins of the Temple of Concord, which, to judge of it by the eight Pillars that are still remaining, must have been very superb; it was built to fulfil a Vow made by the Dictator Furius Camillus for having reconcil’d the Plebeians and the Patricians. ’Twas in this Temple, according to Varro, that the Senate assembled to treat of the Affairs of the Republic. In short, here are so many other unfortunate Remnants of the Mistress of the Universe, as wou’d put you in mind of the Instability of this World, and that all is Vanity. But what wou’d you say, if you shou’d go on till you come to the famous Coliseum, which Time, the Destroyer of all Things, had spar’d, but was destroy’d by Men, and such too as were most concern’d in the Preservation of every thing in Rome that was beautiful? And what wou’d you think, if you saw there was scarce enough remaining of this stately Edifice to give you an Idea of what it was once? ’Twas Vespasian that caus’d it to be built after the Model which was intended by Augustus. Its Form on the Outside is round, and ’tis built of a prodigious Height, intirely of great Free-Stones. The Court or Arena is oval. There were three distinct Rows of Seats in the Amphitheatre, the highest for the Senators, the second for the Knights, and the third for the common People. They say it contain’d eighty-five thousand Spectators. It was dedicated by Titus, who upon that Occasion celebrated a great Feast, distributed large Sums to the common People, and enter’d five thousand wild Beasts of all Sorts into it in one Day. Paul III. and Urban