Notice where one is, a Precaution without which People would be in Danger of running foul of one another.
After I had pass’d this Cavern, I found myself near that call’d la Grotte du Chien, or the Dog’s Grotto, which is but a narrow Cavern, and at most only Five Feet in Height, so that few People can stand upright in it. I there saw the Experiment usually made there: A Dog was laid flat with his Face to the Ground, which the very same Instant fell into Convulsions, and soon after shew’d no Sign at all of Life. Upon this he was thrown out of the Cavern as dead, when a Man took him, and put him into the Lake, which is but 25 or 30 Paces from the Cavern, and the Dog immediately recover’d his Spirits. After this Experiment was over, which I leave to be accounted for by wiser Heads than mine, I went to Puteoli, which in Truth has nothing of its ancient Splendor remaining. And I can’t imagine why Foreigners make it a Sort of Law to go to it; for there’s nothing now to be seen here, except old Ruins of no Signification.
The Impatience I had to see the famous City of Venice did not permit me to continue long at Naples, so that I stay’d there no longer than was necessary to receive an Answer to a Letter, which I wrote at my Arrival there, to the Count de S——, in Sicily; wherein I pretended, that Affairs of the utmost Importance had prevented me from having the Honour of joining him as soon as I wish’d; but you must know, that this was all mere Compliment of mine, for several of my Friends had put me very much out of Conceit with going to serve in Sicily. And the Letter, which the Count de S—— return’d in Answer to mine, completed my Disgust; for he wrote in
a Style that I did not like, and the Lectures he was pleas’d to give me, made me resolve not to expose myself to the Danger of receiving a second Letter: I wrote to him therefore, that he was welcome to dispose of my Commission, and that my Affairs did not permit me to enter into the Service so soon. From that time I determin’d to continue my Travels, and to try my Fortune at the Spanish Court, to which I had for a long while been desirous of going; but you will soon perceive, that I was just as fortunate at that Court as I was at all the rest.
Having therefore no longer any Restraint upon me in my Travels, I chose to satisfy my Curiosity, and from Naples I set out for Venice. I made the best of my Way thro’ several little Towns of St. Peter’s Patrimony, in which there was nothing remarkable, besides sorry Victualling-houses, but stopp’d at Loretto, a little Town in the Marquisate of Ancona, the Suburbs whereof I thought very charming: The Town itself is very pretty, and advantagiously situate, being plac’d on a Hill, from whence is a noble Prospect of the Adriatic Sea, or Gulph of Venice. The Inhabitants of Loretto are all very rich, yet all their Trade consists in Strings of Beads, Images of the Virgin, and other Things of that Sort; but then there’s such a vast Resort of Pilgrims thither at every Turn, that the Money they lay out for Lodging, and for the Purchase of Images and Beads, is sufficient alone to maintain the Inhabitants handsomly.
You know, Madame, that the Business of a Pilgrimage to Loretto is to visit a Chapel, which was formerly the House where the Holy Virgin dwelt, when the Angel brought her the Tidings that she should be the Mother of the Saviour of
the World: ’Tis surprizing at first Dash to find a House in Italy, which was formerly built in a Country so far off; but when one comes to be a little acquainted with History, the Astonishment presently subsides; for this House shifted its Place several times before it fix’d in the Marquisate of Ancona: It was first, they say, remov’d by Angels from Nazareth, which was really its original Country, into Dalmatia, where it stay’d Three Years. When that Term was expir’d, the said Angels remov’d it a second time, and carry’d it to the Territory of Recanati, in the Marquisate of Ancona: But as every Day produc’d some Murder or Robbery in those Parts, the Angels, alarm’d at such a Neighbourhood, carry’d away the House a third time, and plac’d it some Distance from the Spot, where it stands now. But there it did not stay long; for a Couple of Friars, to whom the Ground belong’d on which the House was plac’d at that time, having a warm Contention which should be the Proprietor of it, the Angels soon put an End to the Dispute, by removing the Building the fourth and last time, and putting it where it now stands: To do Honour to this House, and perhaps also to fix it here, Care was taken to build a very magnificent Church, in the middle of which ’tis inclos’d. The Walls of this Church are lin’d with white Marble, wrought in Basso-Relievo by the ablest Workmen of that Time; containing the whole History of the Holy Virgin: There are also between double Columns of the Corinthian Order Two Rows of Niches, one above the other, in the lowermost Row whereof are the Statues of the Prophets, and in the uppermost those of the Sybils; the whole being of admirable Workmanship. The House of the Virgin, which
is commonly call’d Santa Casa, seem’d to me to be built of Brick: ’Tis much longer than broad: ’Tis divided by an Altar into Two unequal Parts, in the least whereof is the miraculous Statue of the Virgin, which stands in a Nich, bearing the Infant Jesus in her Right Arm. The Mother and Child have each a Triple Crown of Gold, adorn’d with precious Stones. The whole Habit consists of a long Mantle of Gold Brocade, embroider’d with Pearls and Diamonds. The Sanctuary is lighted by several Lamps of solid Gold, of a prodigious Size, particularly one, not only remarkable for its Bigness, but for the Richness of the Workmanship, which was sent to Loretto by the Republic of Venice, to fulfil a Vow of that Republic, during the time of a Plague, which made cruel Ravages in a great Part of the State of Venice.
As to the Divine Service, it may be said to be perform’d at Loretto, to the utmost Degree of Exactness; nor is there any thing more edifying than to see with what Devotion Pilgrims from all Countries come to visit the Santa Casa. They enter it upon their Knees, and devoutly kiss the Walls of it, as well as the Chimney, in which they pretend, the Holy Virgin dress’d her Meat. They also apply their Beads and Images to a Porringer, which, they say, was the very same that serv’d for the Holy Virgin’s Soup-Dish.
As I went out of the Church, I was carry’d to a great Room, where I saw immense Riches. There are 17 large Presses, all full of Jewels and Vessels, for most part of Gold, or of some more precious Matter. In this Room I also saw the Virgin’s numerous Suits of Apparel, of which she has Change for every Day in the Year, and so rich, that I declare I never saw any thing like it.