a torrent breaking through cliffs, and they only know by the tune; Blowtumbling through fragments of rocks! zy-bella is almost Italian, and ButSheets of cascades forcing their sil-tered peas is Pizelli al buro. There ver speed down channelled precipi- are but three days more; but the ces, and hasting into the roughen- two last are to have balls all the ed river at the bottom! Now and morning at the fine unfinished palace then an old foot-bridge, with a bro- of the Strozzi; and the Tuesday ken rail, a leaning cross, a cottage, night a masquerade after supper; or the ruin of an hermitage! This they sup first, to eat gras, and not ensounds too bombast and too romantic croach upon Ash-Wednesday. What to one that has not seen it, too cold makes masquerading more agreeable for one that has. If I could send here than in England, is the great you my letter post between two love- deference that is showed to the disly tempests that echoed each other's guised. Here they do not catch at wrath, you might have some idea of those little dirty opportunities of saythis noble roaring scene, as you were ing any ill-natured thing they know reading it. Almost on the summit, of you, do not abuse you because upon a fine verdure, but without any they may, or talk indecently to a woprospect, stands the Chartreuse. We man of quality. I found the other staid there two hours, rode back day, by a play of Etheridge's, that through this charming picture, wish- we have had a sort of Carnival even ed for a painter, wished to be poets! since the Reformation; 'tis in She Need I tell you we wished for you? would if She could, they talk of goGood night! Yours ever. LETTER IV. ing a-mumming in Shrove-tide.-After talking so much of diversions, I fear you will attribute to them the fondness I own I contract for Florence; but it has so many other charms, that I shall not want excuses The Hon. Horace Walpole to Ri- for my taste. The freedom of the chard West, Esq. Carnival has given me opportunities to make several acquaintances; and Florence, February 27, 1740, N. S. if I have not found them refined, WELL, West, I have found a little learned, polished, like some other unmasked moment to write to you; cities, yet they are civil, good-naturbut for this week past I have been so ed, and fond of the English. Their muffled up in my domino, that I have little partiality for themselves, opnot had the command of my elbows. posed to the violent vanity of the But what have you been doing all the French, makes them very amiable mornings? Could you not write in my eyes. I can give you a comithen? No; then I was masked too; cal instance of their great prejudice I have done nothing but slip out of about nobility; it happened yestermy domino into bed, and out of bed day. While we were at dinner at into my domino. The end of the Mr. Mann's, word was brought by Carnival is frantic, bacchanalian; his secretary, that a cavalier demandall the morn one makes parties ed audience of him upon an affair of in mask to the shops and coffee- honour. Gray and I flew behind the houses, and all the evening to the curtain of the door. An elderly. operas and balls. Then I have danc- gentleman, whose attire was not ed, good gods, how I have danced! certainly correspondent to the greatThe Italians are fond to a degree of ness of his birth, entered, and inour country dances: Cold and raw formed the British minister that one LETTER V.. The Hon. Horace Walpole and Mr. Martin, an English painter, had left a challenge for him at his house for having said Martin was no gentleman. He would by no means have spoke of the duel before the transaction of it, but that his honour, his blood, his &c. Rome, April 16, 1740, N. S. would never permit him to fight with I'LL tell you, West, because ene one who was no cavalier; which was is amongst new things, you think what he came to inquire of his ex-one can always write new things. cellency. We laughed loud laughs, When I first came abroad, every but unheard; his fright or his nobi- thing struck me, and I wrote its hislity had closed his ears. But mark tory; but now I am grown so used the sequel. The instant he was gone, to be surprised, that I don't perceive my very English curiosity hurried any flutter in myself when I meet me out of the gate St. Gallo; 'twas with any novelties; curiosity and asthe place and hour appointed. We tonishment wear off, and the next had not been driving about above ten thing is, to fancy that other people minutes, but out popped a little figure, know as much of places as one's self; pale but cross, with beard unshaved or, at least, one does not remember and hair uncombed, a slouched hat, that they do not. It appears to me and a considerable red cloak, in as odd to write to you of St. Peter's, which was wrapped, under his arm, as it would do to you to write of the fatal sword that was to revenge Westminster Abbey. Besides, as the highly injured Mr. Martin, paint- one looks at churches, &c. with a er and defendant. I darted my head book of travels in one's hand, and out of the coach, just ready to say, sees every thing particularized there, "Your servant, Mr. Martin," and it would appear transcribing to write talk about the architecture of the upon the same subjects. I know triumphal arch that was building you will hate me for this declarathere; but he would not know me, tion; I remember how ill I used to and walked off. We left him to take it when any body served me so that wait for an hour, to grow very cold was travelling. Well, I will tell you and very valiant the more it grew something, if you will love me: you past the hour of appointment. We have seen prints of the ruins of the were figuring all the poor creature's temple of Minerva Medica; you shall huddle of thoughts, and confused only hear its situation, and then fihopes of victory or fame, of his unfi- gure what a villa might be laid out nished pictures, or his situation upon there. "Tis in the middle of a garbouncing into the next world. You den at a little distance are two subwill think us strange creatures; but terraneous grottos, which were the 'twas a pleasant sight, as we knew burial places of the liberti of Augusthe poor painter was safe. I have tus. There are all the niches and thought of it since, and am inclined covers of the urns with the inscripto believe, that nothing but two Eng- tions remaining; and, in one, very lish could have been capable of such considerable remains of an ancient a jaunt. I remember, 'twas report-stucco ceiling with paintings in groed in London that the plague was tesque. Some of the walks would at a house in the city, and all the terminate upon the Castellum Aquæ town went to see it. Adieu! Yours Martiæ, St. John Lateran, and St. ever. Maria Maggiore, besides other churches; the walls of the garden would be two aqueducts, and the entrance through one of the old gates of Rome. passes one's time here very ill; and This glorious spot is neglected, and if I did not wish for you in the mornonly serves for a small vineyard and ings, it would be no compliment to kitchen-garden. tell you that I do in the evening. I am very glad that I see Rome Lord! how many English I could while it yet exists; before a great change for you, and yet buy you wonnumber of years are elapsed, I ques-drous cheap! And then, French and tion whether it will be worth seeing. Germans I could fling into the barBetween the ignorance and poverty gain by dozens. Nations swarm of the present Romans, every thing here. You will have a great fat is neglected and falling to decay; French cardinal, garnished with thirthe villas are entirely out of repair, ty abbés, roll into the area of St. and the palaces so ill kept, that half Peter's, gape, turn short, and talk the pictures are spoiled by damp. of the chapel of Versailles. I heard At the villa Ludovisi is a large ora- one of them say, t'other day, he had cular head of red marble, colossal, been at the Capitale. One asked, and with vast foramina for the eyes of course, how he liked it—Ah! il y and mouth the man that shewed the a assez de belles choses.* * palace said it was un ritratto della Tell Asheton I have received his famiglia. The cardinal Corsini has letter, and will write next post; but so thoroughly pushed on the misery I am in a violent hurry, and have no of Rome, by impoverishing it, that more time; so Gray finishes this dethere is no money but paper to be licately seen. He is reckoned to have amass ed three millions of crowns. You NOT so delicate; nor indeed would may judge of the affluence the nobi- his conscience suffer him to write to lity live in, when I assure you, that you, till he received de vos nouvelles, what the chief princes allow for their if he had not the tail of another perown eating is a testoon a day, eigh- son's letter to use, by way of evasion. teen pence; there are some extend I sha'n't describe, as being in the their expense to five pauls, or half a only place in the world that deserves crown: cardinal Albani is called ex-it; which may seem an odd reason travagant for laying out ten pauls-but they say as how it's fulsome, for his dinner and supper. You may and every body does it (and I supimagine they never have any enter- pose every body says the same tainments: so far from it, they never thing); else I should tell you a vast have any company. The princess-deal about the Coliseum, and the es and duchesses, particularly, lead Conclave, and the Capitol, and these the dismalest of lives. Being the matters. A propos du Colisée, if posterity of popes, though of worse you don't know what it is, the prince families than the ancient nobility, Borghese will be very capable of they expect greater respect than my giving you some account of it, who ladies the countesses and marquises told an Englishman, that asked what will pay them; consequently they it was built for "They say 'twas consort not, but mope in a vast pa- for Christians to fight with tigers in." lace, with two miserable tapers, and We are just come from adoring a two or three monsignori, whom they great piece of the true cross, St. are forced to court and humour, that Longinus's spear, and St. Veronica's they may not be entirely deserted. handkerchief; all which have been Sundays they do issue forth, in a vast this evening exposed to view in St. unwieldy coach, to the Corso. In short, child, after sunset one *Ah! there is a plenty of fine things. Peter's. In the same place, and on vels; but we have seen something the same occasion, last night, Wal-to-day that I am sure you never read pole saw a poor creature, naked to of, and perhaps never heard of. Have the waist, discipline himself with a you ever heard of the subterraneous scourge, filled with iron prickles, till town? a whole Roman town, with he had made himself a raw doublet, all its edifices, remaining under that he took for red satin torn, and ground? Don't fancy the inhabitshowing the skin through. I should ants buried it there to save it from tell you, that he fainted away three the Goths: they were buried with it times at the sight, and I twice and a themselves; which is a caution we half at the repetition of it. All this are not told they ever took. You reis performed by the light of a vast member, in Titus's time, there were fiery cross, composed of hundreds of several cities destroyed by an eruption little crystal lamps, which appears of Vesuvius, attended with an earththrough the great altar, under the quake. Well, this was one of them, grand tribuna, as if hanging by itself not very considerable, and then callin the air. All the confraternities ed Herculaneum. Above it has of the city resort thither in solemn since been built Portici, about three procession, habited in linen frocks, miles from Naples, where the king girt with a cord, and their heads has a villa. This under-ground city covered with a cowl all over, that is, perhaps, one of the noblest curiohas only two holes before to see sities that ever has been discovered. through. Some of these are all black, It was found out by chance, about a others parti-coloured and white year and a half ago. They began and with these masqueraders that digging, they found statues; they vast church is filled, who are seen dug further, they found more. Since thumping their breast, and kissing that they have made a very considerthe pavement with extreme devotion. able progress, and find continually. But methinks I am describing :-'tis You may walk the compass of a an ill habit; but this, like every thing mile; but, by the misfortune of the else, will wear off. We have sent modern town being overhead, they you our compliments by a friend of are obliged to proceed with great yours, and correspondent in a corner, caution, lest they destroy both one who seems a very agreeable man, and t'other. By this occasion the path one Mr. Williams: I am sorry he is very narrow, just wide enough and staid so little a while in Rome. I high enough for one man to walk forget Porto Bello all this while; upright. They have hollowed as pray let us know where it is, and they found it easiest to work, and whether you or Asheton had any have carried their streets not exactband in the taking of it. Duty to ly where were the ancient ones, but the admiral. Adieu! Ever yours, sometimes before houses, sometimes T. GRAY. through them. You would imagine that all the fabrics were crushed together; on the contrary, except some columns, they have found all the edifices standing upright in their proper situation. There is one inside of a temple quite perfect, with Naples, June 14, 1740, N. S. the middle arch, two columns, and Dear West, two pilasters. It is built of brick, ONE hates writing descriptions that plastered over and painted with are to be found in every book of tra- architecture: almost all the insides LETTER VI. The Hon. Horace Walpole to R. of the houses are in the same man-[ransacked the ruins in quest of treaner; and, what is very particular, sure, and had no regard to the form the general ground of all the paint- and being of the building; or to any ing is red. Besides this temple, they circumstances that might give light make out very plainly an amphithea- into its use and history. I shall fitre: the stairs, of white marble, and nish this long account with a passage the seats, are very perfect; the in- which Gray has observed in Statius, side was painted in the same colour and which directly pictures out this with the private houses, and great latent city : part cased with white marble. They Haec ego Chalcidicis ad te, Marcelle, sonabam have found, among other things, some Littoribus, fractas ubi Vestius egerit iras, fine statues, some human bones, some mula Trinacris volvens incendia flammis. rice, medals, and a few paintings, Cum segetes iterum, cum jam hæc desertu virebunt, Mira fides! credetne virûm ventura propago, extremely fine. These latter are Infra urbes populosque premi ?* preferred to all the ancient paintings SYLV. lib. iv. epist. 4. that have ever been discovered. We Adieu, my dear West! and believe have not seen them yet, as they are me yours ever. kept in the king's apartment, whither all these curiosities are transplanted; and 'tis difficult to see them; but we shall. I forgot to tell you, that, in several places, the beams of the LETTER VII. houses remain, but burnt to charcoal; The Hon. Horace Walpole to John Chute, Esq.t Stowe, Aug. 4, 1753. He so little damaged that they retain visibly the grain of the wood, but, upon touching, crumble to ashes. What is remarkable, there are no other marks or appearances of fire, but what are visible on these beams. you had not lost almost as much pleaThere might certainly be col-sure as you have disappointed me of.‡ lected great light from this reser- Whether George Montagu will be so voir of antiquities, if a man of learn- content with your commuting punishing had the inspection of it; if he ments, I don't know: I should think directed the working, and would not: he cried and roared all nights make a journal of the discoveries. when I delivered your excuse. But I believe there is no judicious is extremely well housed, after havchoice made of directors. There is ing roamed like a Tartar about the nothing of the kind known in the country, with his whole personal esworld; I mean a Roman city entire tate at his heels. There is an exof that age, and that has not been tensive view, which is called pretty : corrupted with modern repairs. Be- but Northamptonshire is no county to sides scrutinizing this very carefully, please me. What entertained me I should be inclined to search for was, that he, who in London was the remains of the other towns, that grown an absolute recluse, is over were partners with this in the general ruin. 'Tis certainly an advan-the Chalcidian shores, where Vesuvius, in its tage to the learned world, that this wrath, emulates the fires of Etna. Will the has been laid up so long. Most of future race of men, when these forest fields shall the discoveries in Rome were made their inhabitants are buried beneath them? again be green with corn, believe that cities and in a barbarous age, where they only Of the Vine, in Hampshire. * # Pompeia was not then discovered. *These things I sung to you, Marcellus, on In not accompanying Mr. Walpole on a visit to Mr. George Montagu, at Greatworth. A phrase of Mr. Montagu's. |