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,