CHAP. XIV.
FLORENCE, AND JOURNEY TO ROME.
I congratulated myself on having arrived safely at this universally admired city, and had the additional pleasure of finding the hotel, to which I had been recommended, exceedingly comfortable; the establishment was excellent, and the charges, at the same time, reasonable; every thing was conducted upon a fixed system, the prices for rooms and meals being undeviating; nor did they charge for any thing which was not actually partaken of. The rates were as follows:—breakfast, a paul and a half (the paul being little more than five pence sterling); there was a table d’hôte at two o’clock, chiefly frequented by merchants of all nations; and another at five, for the accommodation of those who were travelling for amusement, comprising amongst other articles a good substantial English dinner; for each of which, with a good bottle of wine, the charge was five pauls, somewhat less than half-a-crown sterling; and the bedroom was charged three pauls per night.
The table d’hôte was nearly over when I arrived, but I contrived to make a good dinner from the remains of a roasted turkey, during which I recognised the voice of the Saxony merchant entering the house, and of whom I had gained ground half an hour; but he did not come near me, for the two or three days that he remained at this hotel.
I was not disposed to consider my present visit to this city, more than en passant on my way to Rome, intending to take it more at leisure on my return; my present observations are therefore to be regarded as very casual ones.
Madame H⸺ had the kindness to procure me a servant, but it was not easy to gain much information from him, as he was an Italian, and not in the least acquainted with the French language; however by his naming, as he had been ordered, each street and public building, as we passed along, I soon began to acquire a general idea of the town, and contrived to go wherever I wished, so as to call upon my friends and explore most parts of the city; the weather, however, was unfavourable, and, notwithstanding the advanced state of the spring, both cold and wet, so that for the nine days I staid at Florence, we were only one day exempt from rain more or less: as compared with Nice, it might be considered an English climate.
The cathedral is a beautiful edifice, paved with fine marble, as is also the Duke’s chapel, which is said to contain some exquisite paintings over the altar. On Sunday I was present at the ceremonies of this chapel, where I heard some fine vocal and instrumental music; after which I proceeded to attend divine service at the house of our ambassador, which is opened for that purpose to English residents and visitors: and I could not avoid contrasting its devout and simple solemnity, with the pompous ritual of the Roman church.
There were few public places of amusement open, during my stay at Florence, it being the season of the Carême, or Lent. I visited the Theatre Cocomero, and heard the Barber of Seville, an opera so well known, that it would be superfluous to enter into any description of it; but I cannot resist stating the extraordinary effect produced upon me by the singing of the prima Donna. I thought I could have given the world to have seen her pretty face and figure; the tones and expression of her voice, however, appeared to connect themselves in my mind, by pure sympathy, with exact delineations of her person and attitudes, and to excite the most intense desire to possess the power of vision, which I ever recollect to have experienced since I had the misfortune to lose it. I heard, I felt, I saw or imagined I saw, every thing which words, gestures, and actions could convey: I rose, leaned forward, and felt an almost irresistible impulse to spring upon the stage, to ascertain whether my ideas were illusive or real; and what may be thought more strange my desire to see, appeared to originate from a wish to convince myself that I could not see. I may be thought to overcharge this description with too vivid or affected sentiment, but I can assure the reader, that it contains only a small portion of the exquisite feelings which I experienced.
I am unable to give any account of the state of society at Florence, my intercourse being confined to a very few friends, who were chiefly former acquaintance.
I met with a gentleman just arrived from Rome, who assured me that every thing was quiet and safe there, and I consequently determined, whatever might be the result of the Austrian and Neapolitan war, to advance forward to that place; but my determination was still more confirmed, the day before my proposed departure, by the official news which arrived, of the Austrians having entered the Neapolitan states, without any considerable opposition. At the same time we received intelligence of a revolution having broken out at Turin, Genoa, and Nice, and I could not but feel an equal concern for my friends at the latter place, with what they had previously felt for me; but my apprehensions on this score soon subsided, on finding the effort immediately checked by the Austrians stepping into Piedmont; so that in fact they appear to have taken upon themselves the guardianship of all Italy.