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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, From the Thames to the Tiber, by J. Wardle
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: From the Thames to the Tiber
+ or, My visit to Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Switzerland, etc.
+
+
+Author: J. Wardle
+
+
+
+Release Date: December 1, 2011 [eBook #38183]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM THE THAMES TO THE TIBER***
+
+
+This ebook was transcribed by Les Bowler.
+
+ [Picture: Portrait of Author]
+
+
+
+
+
+ FROM
+ THE THAMES
+ TO THE TIBER;
+
+
+ OR,
+ MY VISIT TO PARIS, ROME, FLORENCE, VENICE,
+ MILAN, SWITZERLAND, ETC.,
+ WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+ BY
+ J. WARDLE
+
+ Author of
+
+ “General Gordon, Saint and Soldier.”
+ “Tour in Palestine and Egypt.”
+ “Sound at heart,” etc.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+ A. TAYLOR,
+ CHAPEL BAR, NOTTINGHAM.
+ 1909.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+ PAGE
+ CHAPTER I.
+London: Its teeming millions of population; Its commercial 1
+aspect: Leaving Victoria Station for New Haven: On the
+boat: New found friends: Landing at Dieppe: Leaving for
+Paris: Arrival at Rouen: Its Cathedral, etc.
+ CHAPTER II.
+Arrival at Paris: Our Hotel—“Hotel Londres and New York”: 11
+Visit to the Louvre: The Cathedral of Notre Dame: The
+Church of St. Geniveve: The Pantheon: Bloody Bartholomew:
+Its awful massacre.
+ CHAPTER III.
+Paris: Palace de Concorde: Champs-Elysees: The Bois de 19
+Boulogne: The extensive Boulevards: The River Seine:
+Leaving Paris: Arrival at Dijon: Our Hotel: Dijon: Its
+Churches, etc.: Our journey to Chambery, etc.
+ CHAPTER IV.
+Through Mont Cenis Tunnel: Passing the Customs: Our new 28
+friend—Nurse Reynolds: Our scrimmage for provisions at
+Turin: Arrival at Genoa and Table-de-hote: Arrival at
+Rome: Our Hotel, etc.
+ CHAPTER V.
+Visit to the Forum and Coliseum: Crossing the Tiber: 36
+Castle of St. Angelo: Palace of Justice: Trajan’s Column:
+Garibaldi’s Monument: The Appian Way: St. Peter’s: Its
+magnitude and magnificence: Michael Angelo’s work.
+ CHAPTER VI.
+Rome, continued: St. Peter’s Cathedral: St. Peter’s 50
+Statue: His resting place: The Columns, Pictures, Fonts,
+Confessionals, etc., etc.: The Vatican: The Professional
+Letter Writer: The Arch of Titus: Statue of Nero, etc.
+ CHAPTER VII.
+The Church of the Trinity: St. Maria: Church of Onesemus: 67
+The Grand Corso: The British and Foreign Bible Society:
+Outside view of the Quirinal: Nero’s House: Leaving Rome:
+Scene at a wayside station: Arrival at Florence: Visit to
+the Cathedral.
+ CHAPTER VIII.
+Florence: Michael Angelo’s House: Baptistry of St. John: 77
+The Uffizi Gallery: The Tribune: A drive to the suburbs:
+Dante’s House: His Poems: Mrs. Browning on Vallambrosa:
+Michael Angelo’s work: Galileo, his trial, etc.
+ CHAPTER IX.
+Appalling catastrophe in Italy: Messina: Savonarola: His 90
+defiance of the Pope: His excommunication: His prison
+cell, etc.: His martyrdom: Raphael: His genius as a
+painter: His works: The old Protestant Cemetery: Leaving
+Florence: Bologna: Crossing the Lagoons: Venice.
+ CHAPTER X.
+Arrival at Venice: The ubiquitous Gondolo: The Grand 102
+Canal: The curious water ways: Our Hotel: A snap shot of a
+Gondolo and its freight: St. Mark’s Cathedral: Its curious
+history: Its wonderful Tower, and its interior
+possessions.
+ CHAPTER XI.
+The Pigeons in St. Mark’s Square: Description of its 113
+interior: The Palace of the Doges: The Bridge of Sighs:
+The general Archives of Venice: Church of St. Maria dei
+Frari: A London Polytechnic Party: The slums of Venice:
+Our leaving.
+ CHAPTER XII.
+Arrival in Milan: Our visit to the Cathedral: Its Spires, 127
+and Turrets: Its Stained Glass Windows, Altars, Pictures,
+and Sculpture: The Church of St. Ambrogio: The Bera
+Picture Gallery: The Hospital: Leaving Milan: Arrival at
+Como: Lake Como.
+ CHAPTER XIII.
+Arrival at Lugano: The river Tessin and its bridge of ten 140
+arches: Bellinzono: Entrance to the great St. Gothard
+Tunnel: Station of Andermath: St. Bernard’s Hospice: The
+Devil’s Bridge: The Wood Cutter at Work: William Tell’s
+Chapel: His story: Lucerne: Our Hotel: Our run up the
+Sonnenberg, etc.
+ CHAPTER XIV.
+The glacier gardens: The Lion of Lucerne: The glacier mill 153
+holes: The museum: The Bridge over the Reuss: The
+Cathedral: Pilatus Mountain: Leaving Lucerne: Zurich: Lake
+of Zurich: Zwingli, the reformer.
+ CHAPTER XV.
+From Zurich to Basle: Arrival in Basle: Our Hotel: Our 165
+visit to the Rhine Bridge: “The Watch on the Rhine”: The
+Market: The Cathedral and its sculpture, etc.: Erasmus:
+The Museum: The Zoological gardens: Leaving Basle: Arrival
+at Belfort: Belfort besieged.
+ CHAPTER XVI.
+At Marseilles: Our Hotel; Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Green and 175
+Mrs. Martin: The sights of the City: The Cathedral, etc.:
+En route for Mentone: Toulon: Passing Nice: Cannes:
+Arrival at Mentone: Our Hotel: Meeting Mr. and Miss Brown:
+The scenery, etc.: Visit to Monte Carlo.
+ CHAPTER XVII.
+Monte Carlo: Its Casino and gardens: Leave taking at 185
+Mentone of Mr. and Miss Brown: Arrival at Cannes: Meeting
+Mr. and Mrs. Green: Cannes, its scenery, etc.: Visit to
+Grasse: Journey to Paris: London: Home, Sweet Home.
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+ FACING
+ PAGE
+i. St. Martin’s-le-Grand, London 3
+ii. The Marble Arch, London 4
+iii. Triumphal Arch, Paris 15
+iv. The Bastille Column, Paris 20
+v. Christian Martyrs in the Colosseum, 37
+ Rome
+vi. The Roman Forum, Rome 39
+vii. The Pantheon, Rome 41
+viii. Garibaldi’s Monument, Rome 45
+ix. St. Peter’s Cathedral, Rome 49
+x. The Arch of Titus, Rome 61
+xi. Church of the Trinity, Rome 67
+xii. Team of Oxen in Tuscany 72
+xiii. Dante and Beatrice, Florence 83
+xiv. Mrs. Wardle near the Duomo, Florence 81
+xv. St. Mark’s Cathedral, Venice 109
+xvi. Mrs. Wardle and Miss Himmel by the 116
+ Doges Pillar, Venice
+xvii. Ditto, in Gondola, Venice 105
+xviii. Milan Cathedral, Milan 129
+xix. St. Gothard Tunnel 141
+xx. William Tell’s Monument 145
+xxi. Lion of Lucerne 153
+xxii. The Rhine Bridge, Basle 167
+xxiii. The Casino, Monte Carlo 185
+xiv. Miss Brown at Mentone 183
+xxv. Mr. and Mrs. Green, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. 189
+ Wardle and Mrs. Giles at Cannes
+
+ “Go, little book, God send the good passage,
+ And specially let this be thy prayer:
+ Unto them all that thee will read or hear,
+ Where thou art wrong, after their help to call,
+ Thee to correct in any part or all.”
+
+ —CHAUCER.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER I.
+
+
+London: Its teeming millions of population: Its commercial aspect:
+Leaving Victoria Station for New Haven: On the Boat: New found friends:
+Landing at Dieppe: Leaving for Paris: Rouen, its Cathedral, etc.
+
+We had settled to have a holiday—not a mere pic-nic, not a week-end at
+Blackpool, or a tour of a few days in the Isle of Man—but a real
+first-class, out-and-out trip. Where then is it to be? Why, to Rome and
+back, came the reply. From St. Paul’s in London, the largest city in the
+world, to St. Peter’s in Rome, one of the great cities of the ancient
+world.
+
+“To Rome!” my friends said in astonishment.
+
+“Yes! to Rome.” There seems to be magic in the very word. Rome—The
+Eternal City. The city of the seven hills. The city of which St. Paul
+was proud to be a citizen. See Acts, chapter 22, verse 25. “Is it
+lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, uncondemned?” verse 28.
+“Then the Chief Captain came and said unto him. Tell me, art thou a
+Roman?” He said, “Yes.”
+
+Rome stands for power. Her proud eagles once swept their wings over
+almost the then known world. Rome stands for antiquity, greatness,
+wealth, splendour, conquest and colonization, liberty, law, self control,
+prowess, skill. But, alas! It also stands for cruelty, luxury, strife,
+war, humiliation, decay, decline.
+
+This is the objective really of our holiday. Now it is settled, ways and
+means, and the route, etc., are but details. Packing! Well, I am a poor
+hand at packing. I think it must be a gift to be able to pack well. I
+think a good packer must be born, not made. If I pack, sure as fate, the
+things I want first are at the bottom of the trunk. My dear little wife,
+to whom I owe much for packing and general comfort during the tour, and,
+indeed, I owe to her well-kept journal, much that assists me to make this
+record of our holiday.
+
+ [Picture: St. Martin’s Le-Grand, London]
+
+On the 25th September, 1907, we found ourselves en route for London,
+followed by the good wishes and prayers of loved ones left behind, also
+of the many friends we knew had kind thoughts of us. We reached London
+about 6 p.m., and were soon snug and comfortable in “The Manchester
+Hotel.” We had no time and no special wish just now to see London.
+London cannot be seen in a day or two. Its magnitude bewilders, having a
+population of about 7,000,000, and for its teeming millions, there is
+need of bread, milk, beef, clothes, work, etc. We cannot understand at a
+glance what it means. In London we have the largest breweries,
+distilleries, and sugar refineries in the Kingdom; also many metal
+manufacturers and machine makers, including: plate, jewellery, watches,
+brass works, and all kinds of tin and zinc works; large printing and
+publishing houses; also, as you know, large millinery and tailoring
+establishments; cabinet-making on a most extensive scale,
+leather-working, coopering, coach-building, ship-building, hat-making,
+extensive chemical works, soap manufacturing and dye works; also dock
+labourers, ’bus drivers, cab drivers, tram guards and drivers, railway
+men and engine drivers, policemen, postmen, ministers of religion, there
+being over 3,000 churches in this great city, and many other means of
+living besides the few I have mentioned. Then there are its hotels, as
+“The Manchester Hotel” where we are staying, “The Midland Grand,” “Grand
+Hotel,” Trafalgar Square, “The Victoria Hotel” in Northumberland Avenue.
+Many more offering accommodation to the tens of thousands of visitors to
+this great city from all lands. We cannot refrain from mentioning the
+religious aspect of the city. We have our noble Cathedral, St. Paul’s,
+always worth a visit, if only for its monuments and torn banners, and its
+choral service; then we have “Spurgeon’s Tabernacle”; “The City Temple,”
+where once ministered that mighty man of God, Dr. J. Parker; also
+Wesley’s Church; City Road West London Mission, and many others I cannot
+describe.
+
+Its theatres on all hands, who claim their votaries by tens of thousands
+nightly. The underground electric railways give to the city traveller
+and visitor an idea of the vastness and importance of the City. However,
+it was no part of my intention when I began this record to describe
+London, so I will content myself with saying we only spent one night in
+the city on our outward journey.
+
+[Picture: The Marble Arch, London] Many of my readers will be quite
+familiar with the streets, shops, bazaars and churches of this great hive
+of human life, human industry, and human skill. A good night’s rest and
+we rose refreshed for our journey, now it is to Paris. We had very
+little difficulty in re-packing our valise and trunk, settling our
+account and calling to our rescue a porter. We were soon in train at
+Snow Hill for Victoria, arriving at this latter place in time to catch
+“The Continental” for New Haven and Dieppe. It is not an easy matter
+even with a porter to guide you, to find out amidst such a labyrinth of
+platforms and stair-cases to find the train you want, and to get a
+comfortable seat. We managed, however, ultimately to reach the right
+platform and to find a seat in a comfortable compartment. We noticed our
+fellow passengers, by label on their luggage, were also going to foreign
+fields and to Continental cities. The morning was a lovely autumn
+morning. As we steamed out of Victoria Station we got a sight of the
+lovely landscape, the morning sun was shining in great brilliance. We
+passed villages of importance, and towns in rapid succession. Lewes was
+a stopping place not far from New Haven. We did not stay long at this
+station, just long enough for the railway officials to satisfy themselves
+we were all furnished with tickets for the Continent. After leaving
+Lewes, we were in New Haven in about half-an-hour.
+
+New Haven is about 56 miles from London. A pretty place, lying at the
+foot of the white chalk cliffs. It has a population of about 3,000. It
+is, however, an important place, as the mail packets for the cities of
+Europe leave here twice daily. Our train ran us very close up to the
+landing stage, and the securing our luggage and getting it conveyed from
+train to steamer was only the work of about ten minutes, and was managed
+without the least difficulty. The weather continued all we could desire,
+and it seemed quite clear we were going to have a calm sea and a pleasant
+voyage across channel. We got very nice seats on the boat; we found our
+fellow-passengers on the whole most agreeable, polite, and, indeed,
+friendly; were we not all on pleasure bent, and should we not now, on the
+wide ocean, show to others respect. We strolled the deck of our pretty
+little vessel, she was a beauty, and behaved so well, we had not the
+least fear of that terrible disease that afflicts so many who sail the
+seas, I mean what the French call mal-de-mer—“the sickness of the sea.”
+We had hardly lost sight of the white cliffs of dear, old England, when
+our thoughts went back to home, and to loved ones. Then we began to
+think of refreshments. We found a menu that filled us with hopefulness
+that an agreeable meal at least might be obtained. We went to the buffet
+and found we could get a real good English dinner. This we had and
+enjoyed it heartily; I considered it excellent, and my wife, who is a
+connoisseur in the cookery line, declared she was well satisfied.
+
+A newly-married couple joined us. We found they were on their honeymoon.
+A very happy couple apparently. In our hearts we wished that their lives
+might be as smooth as the sea we were now crossing. We became quite
+friends before we got half way across the channel. I had my Kodak with
+me, so I must take a snap-shot or two of the happy pair; then I and my
+wife must submit to the same process. So the time passed pleasantly, and
+in about three hours we were landing on the shores of France at Dieppe.
+
+Our little ship, as if in a hurry to serve us, was quickly up at the
+landing stage, and we were safe on shore with our baggage, en route for
+the Custom House. We soon found out we were in a foreign land, because a
+foreign tongue was spoken, and although I am able to parley vous un peu,
+I could not hold conversation with a Frenchman, he speaks so quickly. I,
+however, could ask a simple question in French and also give a simple
+answer to a question, and this was of immense value to me during this
+tour. Our trunks duly examined, and free, we had a short time to look
+round Dieppe.
+
+On our strolling about a little, waiting for our train, we saw a little
+of this rather important French town and watering place. It has a
+population of about 20,000; it lies in a hollow so to speak; the white
+chalk hills surround it; the quays are substantially built of solid
+masonry. Dieppe seems to have an old castle, quite out-of-date, as a
+defence; there is also a citadel of modern construction; a small
+light-house, about 40-feet high, stands by the entrance of the town. We
+learned that a large number of French people come to Dieppe for the
+summer and autumn holidays. There are some works for the labouring
+classes, such as: ivory works, one of the most famous in Europe; also
+there are some works in horn, in bone, some in lace, some sugar
+refineries, a little ship-building, and the fishing industry is fairly
+prominent; a good supply of herring and mackerel is sent daily to Paris;
+also there are extensive oyster beds, which are a source of profit to the
+inhabitants. We boarded the train about 4 o’clock p.m., and leaving
+Dieppe and the sea behind us, we steamed away at a rapid rate towards
+Paris. We passed some lovely country, rich in fruit and foliage; some
+most beautiful Chalets, with grounds like fairyland; also, we saw the
+working-class home, apparently very poor, no windows and little
+furniture; they seem to live out of doors, and eat very much fruit and
+vegetables; they appear, however, healthy and strong. We saw some one or
+two cemeteries, and so near we could see very strange archways of flowers
+or wood, or marble over the graves, and very large crucifix’s.
+
+We had left our new found friends at Dieppe, so now we were more alone to
+enjoy each others company, and to speak of the scenery and places as we
+passed them. In about an hour-and-an-half we reached Rouen. A very
+large and important railway station. Here we stayed a little while, and
+we could see the town was large and important. It was formerly the
+capital of the province of Normandy. It is one of the best commercial
+centres in France. It has been called the Manchester of France on
+account of its great cotton manufactories, producing goods to the value
+of 80,000,000 francs annually. It has also manufactories of hosiery,
+silk and wool fabrics, hardware and machinery. It is an important
+sea-port, as it has a harbour that can receive steamers of 600 tons. It
+has a population of about 150,000. The Cathedral of Notre Dame, built
+between 1207 and 1210, is a fine Gothic building. The spire is nearly
+500 feet high. In this old Cathedral rests the remains of Rollo, first
+Duke of Normandy, and his son William.
+
+M. B. Edwards, in a poem, says of this old-world Cathedral:—
+
+ “The isles grow dim, and as by winding ways,
+ Eager I climb St. Onen’s giddy height,
+ The silver censers vanish from my gaze
+ As shooting stars upon a dusky night
+ I hear the chanting vespers at my feet
+ Like wordless water, music fair and sweet.
+
+ “On priest and acolyte and people falls,
+ From western window many a sapphire ray;
+ The sculptured knights within the niched walls
+ Look not more mute and marble-like than they,
+ Living and dead with fingers clasped seem praying
+ God and the angels hear what they are saying.
+
+ “The city gleams with lights that come and go,
+ The hills are cut against the opal west;
+ The river hath a soft and onward flow
+ As some tired spirit fain to seek its rest,
+ While from the far outlying mists of green
+ Tinkle some vesper bells of Church unseen.
+
+ “Monk, Martyr, Saint, and paladin arise
+ Around me now in pinnacled array;
+ An hour ago they seemed to touch the skies,
+ At last I stand as near to heaven as they,
+ And at last ’mid this mute companionship of stone
+ I cannot feel that I am quite alone.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+Arrival in Paris: Our Hotel—“Hotel Londres and New York”: Visit to the
+Louvre: The Cathedral of Notre Dame: The Church of St. Geniveve: The
+Pantheon: Bloody Bartholomew: Its awful massacre.
+
+Our stay in Rouen was of the briefest, so we were soon full steam ahead
+for Paris, and Rouen was left behind. We crossed some wonderful bridges
+of the rivers, or river; I think we crossed the Seine several times.
+
+On approaching the suburbs of Paris, we saw large villas and larger
+mansions, surrounded with luxuriant foliage; indeed, the whole landscape
+is charming. Soon we found the train rattling over points and crossings,
+and into Gare de Lazare. So we are in Paris; the city of gaiety, the
+city of beauty, the goal of pleasure seekers from all parts of the world;
+a city, it is said by Victor Hugo, combines in itself—Athens, Rome,
+Jerusalem—such is the city we have just entered, and which is to be our
+home for two or three days. The distance from the station to our
+Hotel—“Hotel Londres and New York,” 15, Place du Havre, is so short that
+our luggage was conveyed by porter, without a cab; we just walked across
+the square, and we were in the Hotel. I had, however, a difficulty on
+hand with the porter. My idea of remuneration for porter’s services were
+by no means up-to-date for Paris; I thought a franc for ten minutes’
+service ample. He, evidently, did not think so, as he showed himself
+highly dissatisfied, and expressed himself in language (happily I
+understood but little of) anything but polite. I told the Hotel Manager
+how I had acted, and he went and sent him away.
+
+When in Paris, if you are in doubt as to your exact position, and want
+direction (in England you would say, “ask a policeman”), in
+France—pardon, monsieur, Quel est le chemin pour le madoline. If you put
+on side, he won’t notice you; if you offer him a tip, he will probably
+take you for a spy, and arrest you as an anarchist. The lifting of the
+hat and the word “monsieur” is an open sesame which appeals to all
+Frenchmen, and smooths away many difficulties; it transforms the haughty
+policeman into the politest of bobbies; the frowning hotel-keeper into
+the most jovial of hosts; and the cross-grained custom house official
+into a most agreeable acquaintance. You must avoid whistling while in
+Paris; the Scotchman says, “Ye mauna whustle on the Sabbath”; this saying
+must be applied to every day of the week in Paris; nothing is so
+irritating to a Frenchman, except perhaps the sight of a British tourist,
+arrayed in white flannels, marching in their grand Cathedrals, or even
+one of their ordinary Churches, with a cigarette in his mouth. The
+untravelled man soon finds out the difference between an English and a
+Continental City, and habits of the people.
+
+We were shown to our rooms, which we found clean and comfortable; the
+Hotel is all we could desire. A porter, at the entrance, speaks fairly
+good English. We soon had a good square meal, in the shape of
+table-de-hote, which we were quite ready for and enjoyed; plenty of fruit
+on the tables, grapes, oranges, apples and peaches. After satisfying the
+inner man, we strolled into the lounge or writing-room, which we found
+most convenient and pleasant—writing material, newspapers and bills of
+concerts, plays, etc.; also, here I could enjoy my pull at the weed. We
+were not late in retiring to rest; rest we could, but not sleep for a
+time; I thought, O! restless Paris! The only time that is quiet from
+tram, ’bus and cab seems to be from about 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.; after this
+early hour, wagons begin to lumber past, farmers from the country, I
+think, with produce which must be in the market early. We slept,
+however, a few hours, rising fairly early for dejeuner, we were able to
+enjoy a cup of coffee made in Paris; coffee here is perfect; roll and
+butter, fish, eggs, etc. Breakfast over we engaged a cab, a taxi-cab,
+and we drove round some parts of this wonderful city; we went by some
+parts of the banks of the river Seine, and here there are literally miles
+of quays, and the river is spanned by fifteen bridges, some of them of
+great strength and beauty.
+
+The Louvre was one of the places we visited. No one would think of going
+to Paris without seeing this vast pile of buildings; no less than sixty
+acres, I learned, in the very heart of the city was taken up by this
+building. It stands to-day as it has stood for more than an hundred
+years, with its grand facades, pavillions and colonnades, and its
+splendid halls, saloons and galleries, as a proud monument to the ancient
+Royalty of France. It was the home of Henry III., till civil war drove
+him from his capital, and he perished at St. Cloud by the assassin’s
+knife. Here for a time Henry of Navarre had his abode. It is now a
+museum or a series of grand museums; miles of the most wonderful
+paintings, choice sculptures, Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman
+antiquities, bronzes, historic relics from far off lands, and from
+different races, engravings and models—indeed, it is a great storehouse
+of art. During the war with Germany, the Communists set fire to one of
+the wings and the library of 90,000 volumes and many rare manuscripts
+were destroyed.
+
+ [Picture: Triumphal Arch, Paris]
+
+It is said that on the night of the 23rd of May, a troop of Germans had
+entered the city and made their way so far, they ordered the porter or
+door-keeper of the Louvre to pour petroleum into the different rooms, and
+on his refusal, they imprisoned him and his wife in his own lodge, and
+then at once set fire to the place. Next day the French troops arrived
+in time to release him from his sad plight, and also to arrest the flames
+in their destructive work.
+
+The Cathedral of Notre Dame, of course, came in for a visit. It stands,
+we are told, on the site on which the Roman conqerors erected a temple to
+Jupiter. This Cathedral is a marvel of architectural beauty. As you
+gaze you wonder at the skill of the architect, and also of sculpture, for
+there are in marble and stone fanciful scenes from bible history
+portrayed—the Kings of Judah; a colossal image of the Virgin Mother; Adam
+and Eve. There are many pointed arches and stained windows glistening in
+the sun’s rays. Two massive towers rising to the height of 200 feet.
+The interior is in keeping with the exterior, only, if possible, richer
+and finer; the length is about 400 feet, and the breadth about 150. It
+has stood in its beauty on this spot during the last 600 years.
+
+One of the Chapels of this Cathedral contains, they tell us, some
+wonderful relics. For instance, “a part of the crown of thorns with
+which our Saviour was crowned in mockery”; also the sponge and winding
+sheet used at His death. Kings and princes of the Roman Catholic
+persuasion have vied with each other in the costliness of their offering
+at this sacred shrine—cups, gold cups, silver cups, vases, candlesticks,
+crosses in gold and silver, some studded with diamonds, and all kinds of
+precious stones. There are curiosities and art treasures in abundance
+within the precincts of this holy place. It must have been a proud day
+for Napoleon when he came to be crowned in this great Cathedral, heralded
+by Popes, Marshalls and sword-bearers. Bearers bore his train amidst the
+most brilliant assembly of this, or any other land.
+
+Another notable building we visited after the Cathedral of Notre Dame, I
+think more interesting in its way—what was at one time the Church of St.
+Geniveve—now it is known as the Pantheon. It stands upon an elevation,
+and its magnificent dome can be seen from almost all parts of the city.
+It rises to a height of 267 feet. The funds to build it with, we are
+told, were provided by lottery at the time of Louis XV. Its approach is
+very attractive, being by a stately portico, and by a triumphal progress.
+The grand car, upon which the Sarcophagus containing the body of Voltaire
+was laid, was drawn by twelve white horses to the Pantheon. It is said
+that 100,000 people joined in the procession. Rousseau and Marat were
+buried with similar honours; but we are told, that so fickle is the
+populace, that six months after, the body of one of them was removed and
+buried in a common sewer. Our guide was not shy in showing us the very
+sad effects of the German shells. The large dome was shot through by
+their cannon balls, and, but for the timely help of the troops from
+Versailles, very likely this noble building would have shared the same
+fate as many others did.
+
+Opposite the grand collonade, near the Louvre, is the Church of St.
+Germain, with its strange gable, buttresses and gargoyles. From the
+belfry of this Church, it is said, “rang out the tocsin,” which was the
+signal for the massacre of St. Bartholomew, on the 24th of August, 1572.
+At the dead of night—fit time for such awful deeds of blood and murder—at
+the sound of this tocsin the courtly butchers went forth to their work of
+slaughter, armed and shouting “for God and the King.” They forced the
+dwellings of the Christians. Six thousand of these assassins, wielding
+the weapons of the brigand and the soldier, ran about in the wildest
+fury, murdering without mercy or distinction of sex, or suffering, or
+age. Many of these fiends in human form ran shouting “kill the heretic,
+kill the heretic! Death to the Huguenots—Kill! Kill!!”
+
+That day the human seemed to be turned into the fiend. It is said there
+perished in Paris alone, over 15,000 Christian Martyrs, and in the
+provinces more than as many more. The sun of that beautiful sabbath
+shone with its pure light upon the desolate and dishonoured homes of the
+victims of this terrible massacre; and the air, which should have been
+hushed from sound until the psalm of praise woke it, bore upon its
+midnight billows the yell of fierce blasphemers flushed and drunk with
+murder. Says one, “Unhappy, Paris, thou hast suffered many things since
+that unhappy time.”
+
+There are many interesting Churches in this gay city, but I must refrain
+from dwelling upon their beauty and utility.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+Paris: Palace de Concorde: Champs Elysees: The Bois de Boulogne: The
+extensive Boulevards: The River Seine, etc.: Leaving Paris: Arrive at
+Dijon: Our Hotel: Dijon, its Churches, etc.: Our journey to Chambery,
+etc.
+
+The Place de la Concorde. Here we were pointed out was a place where a
+terrible struggle took place between the Germans and the French in 1871.
+The work of devastation and ruin was only too apparent. We drove to the
+Champs Elysees. This is a most lovely place, with a broad avenue a mile
+long, with trees on each side of all sorts, and grass lawns and flower
+beds in the greatest profusion. Here wander carelessly the gay crowds,
+or sit in beautiful little cafes under the spreading branches of the
+trees. In the groves around the children are swarming, shouting, and
+playing. We noticed there was the ever-loved of children, “The Punch and
+Judy,” also with stalls with toys, gingerbread, etc., etc.
+
+[Picture: The Bastille Column, Paris] When the darkness gathers and the
+numerous and brilliant gas jets are lighted, stretching for the distance
+of more than a mile, and music and song float on the air, the scene is
+very fascinating. It is said, that along this broad avenue, in 1871,
+Paris with suppressed rage—watched the last of the German army disappear.
+Our jarvey then drove us to the Bois de Boulogne, which is not far from
+here. This is a grand promenade for chariots and horses, a little like
+our Rotten Row, in London. There are here to be seen lakes, islands,
+caverns, artificial mounds, avenues, and, indeed, everything to make a
+most charming retreat from the busy city life. The Champ de Mars is
+another of the open spaces. Napoleon, before the famous battle of
+Waterloo, held his last review of the grand army of France here. Again,
+in 1852, 60,000 soldiers were brought together on the occasion of the
+distribution of eagles to the different regiments, also several Arabs, in
+native costume, as representative of the vanquished Algerian tribes. And
+here again, sad to say, in 1871, the Germans levelled their dreadful
+“mitrailleuse” and shot down, in their helplessness, many of the French.
+We can hardly leave Paris without saying further that the boulevards of
+Paris are a great boon and joy to the city. Whatever may be thought or
+said of the career of Napoleon III., in fourteen years he spent
+£60,000,000 in building seventy miles of streets and two hundred
+boulevards, eight churches, eighty schools, twelve wonderful bridges, and
+planted fifty thousand trees. All added ultimately to the wealth as well
+as the attractions of the city. To describe the streets is a task I
+shall not attempt. They are called Rue—as Rue Lafitte, Rue de la
+Chausse, Rue de la Victorie, Rue St. Dennis. The numerous places and
+things in and around Paris that call for remarks are legion, but I must
+forbear, only to give one passing reference to the river Seine and its
+many bridges. Pont Notre Dame or the bridge of Our Lady, dates from the
+fifteenth century; a bridge of later date, we were told, was made of
+wood, and fell into the river taking sixty houses with it. This is a
+fine bridge built of solid masonry. The Pont d’Arcole is a suspension
+bridge for foot passengers only. The Pont Neuf was built by Henry IV.
+There is a bronze horse on the bridge which was cast in Tuscany. On its
+way to Paris, the vessel bringing it was wrecked off the Norman coast,
+and lay for a year at the bottom of the sea. It was ultimately fished up
+and brought to its present position. And now I must leave, for a time at
+least, any further reference to Paris, only to say we settled our account
+at the Hotel and drove off to Gare-de-Lyon to catch the train at 10.25
+for Dijon. Our driver was a very interesting sort of Frenchman, and
+tried to explain and show us places and things, but we were little the
+better for his attempts to enlighten us. We reached the station early,
+and were soon steaming away through France, and as we did so, we came to
+the conclusion it was as fair a land as e’er we had set eyes on; miles of
+lovely lawns; hedges cut and trimmed as if by a barber; the poplar trees
+rising in rows, long and even, all in order and beauty; then the rivers
+here and there rolling along, between grassy banks, and the lovely fat
+looking cattle browsing or sleeping in soft sunshine; cosy cottages,
+almost buried in bowers of roses; quaint old world villages, with
+red-tiled cottages; and stately churches with ivy covered towers, made
+one think of the poet who sang:—
+
+ “Through thy cornfields green and sunny vines,
+ O, pleasant land of France.”
+
+We had very comfortable seats in the train, and our travelling
+companions, I think, saw we were foreigners, therefore did not trouble us
+with any conversation. The country scenery we passed was charming, as
+the autumn tints were visible upon the trees; also the rich corn harvest
+was gathered in, and stacks of wheat were plentiful. Labourers we could
+see in the fields tilling the soil for next year’s produce. The country
+we passed through in our journey from Paris to Dijon (our next stop) is
+comparatively flat, slightly undulating in places, and I should think the
+soil is of a rich nature. About 6 o’clock we arrived at Dijon, and soon
+were out of the train and into the hotel ’bus. We had arranged
+beforehand our hotel from a list supplied from “Cook & Sons.” Here we
+had chosen the “Grand Hotel de la Cloche,” or we should call it the “Bell
+Hotel.” After having secured our apartments—which were of a first-class
+order, most profusely decorated and richly furnished, and clean beyond
+description—we had a wash, and found table-de-hote was ready, and we were
+ready too. A well prepared and well served dinner of eight courses;
+wines free and abundant to those who cared to have it; indeed, a bottle
+of the French red wine was placed to each individual at the table; fruit
+in abundance. A very good company, and apparently very jolly. All were
+foreigners, either French, German or Italian. After dessert we went for
+a little while to the smoke room, and then to bed. We slept well until
+very early in the morning, when a terrible storm of thunder and lightning
+broke over the town—it was very startling, being so severe. We learned,
+when at breakfast, that a woman had been struck by lightning close by our
+hotel; she, however, was not killed.
+
+Dijon lies in a valley, the river Onche runs through it, and a beautiful
+undulating piece of land, covered with vines, lies to the left of the
+town, which is nearly 200 miles from Paris. It has now, I believe, a
+population of about 50,000. We took the best means of seeing it in the
+short time at our disposal, by hiring a car. One of the most
+jolly-looking Frenchmen I ever saw, with a face as round and red as an
+apple, his horse was just as fat as a horse could be, and he cared for it
+as if it was human, or even more than some human beings are cared for.
+He drove us to some lovely gardens where there was a fine lake and a
+fountain which was then playing. Having my Kodak with me I took a
+snap-shot, though I regret to say, I did not get a good picture. We
+drove to the lovely Cathedral of St. Boniface, built, we were told, for
+the third time in the twelfth century. The spire is very fine, rising to
+a height of 300 feet. We also visited St. Michael’s, which is Grecian in
+its exterior, but it is Gothic in its interior. We passed a very old
+Carmelite Church with rich carving about the entrance, and a fine old
+carved oak door. On the steps sat two old men resting, typical of the
+labouring class of France. I just managed to get a snap-shot. There is
+a fine town hall, which shows itself to great advantage. We learnt it
+was at one time the Palace of the Duke of Burgundy, and had then a very
+large collection of scientific and art subjects, and a library of 50,000
+volumes. Dijon is one of the loveliest towns of France. It has in it
+some manufacturies as woollen cloth, blankets, glue, baskets, mustard
+oil, saltpetre, and there is also a brewery. At the time of the Roman
+invasion, it is said, Cæsar fixed and fortified a camp near here. The
+Germans attacked it in 1871, and it capitulated on October 23rd of that
+year, after a long and severe struggle, and was made, for the time being
+(to the great chagrin of the inhabitants) the head-quarters of the German
+General Werder. Having made as full an acquaintance of the place as we
+could in the short time at our disposal, we paid our hotel account and
+found ourselves again at the railway station. Here I had a long and
+angry altercation with the ticket examiner. I understood him to say our
+tickets were for another route; I closely scanned them, and assured him
+in the best French at my command, our tickets were in order, and, after
+considerable difficulty, he consented to our passing the stile and
+getting, to the train. Again we were on rail, comfortably fixed and
+destined for Chambery. We had not left Dijon long before we noticed the
+vine-clad hills, which indicated our approach to the South of France, and
+Alpine hills. The scenery grew more beautiful as we sped along towards
+our destination. We were able not only to enjoy the views as we passed
+villages and hamlets—but were able to get a fairly good square meal on
+the train. We arrived safely at Chambery about 5 o’clock, and as usual
+we had fixed upon an hotel. This time it is Hotel de France, and we were
+soon in a rumbling old ’bus and driven to a very quiet part of this quiet
+sleepy little town. We found it fairly comfortable, and a hostess who
+had a robust and bonny appearance, and whose welcome in the French
+fashion was all we could wish. Our rooms were lofty and rather barely
+furnished. There was a feeling of chilliness about the place, but we
+were only staying for one night, so would put up with it. A good hot
+table-de-hote dinner, and we felt better. To bed at an early hour, was
+our habit, and here we did not break it. A good night’s rest, and I was
+stirring early to look round and get information. It is a town of about
+13,000 inhabitants. An Archbishop resides here (of the Romish Church) of
+course. It has some manufacturies in silk gauze, watches, leather, etc.
+I saw some soldiers on horseback on parade and took a snap-shot. Also
+two fine bullocks pulling a wagon of timber. We had a very good
+breakfast, as our hostess was most gracious and obliging. We settled up
+accounts, which we found on a moderate scale, indeed, cheaper than a
+similar hotel in England. We started for the station on foot, the
+morning being fine, while a porter conveyed our luggage on a wheelbarrow.
+Arriving in good time at the station we managed to get good comfortable
+corner seats, so we could “view the landscape o’er” at our leisure. We
+soon found it was worth surveying, for we were nearing the Alps. On our
+left, some fifty miles or more—Geneva and, between the city and Chambery,
+lay a rugged mountainous district scarcely matched in any part of the
+world. For an hour or more we watched the changing scenery with an
+intense interest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+Our journey to and through Mont Cenis Tunnel: Passing the Customs: Our
+new friend Nurse Reynolds: Our scrimmage for provisions at Turin: Arrival
+at Genoa and Table-de-hote: Arrival at Rome and our Hotel, etc.
+
+Mountains, rivers, waterfalls, landscapes, vineyards, castles, chalets,
+and in some cases, so near the villages, we saw children playing on the
+village green, our train steaming on at a good speed, we soon found
+ourselves at Modane. This is the frontier between France and Italy, and
+here I expected we should have to change trains, go through the Customs,
+and re-embark on another train. So we got out of the train. I soon
+found, however, we were not to change, so we re-entered another part of
+the same train, and here we were civilly and carefully dealt with; the
+very acme of politeness was shown. Our bags and valises were just
+opened, but scarcely examined. We declared we had nothing within, to the
+best of our knowledge and belief, upon which duty was payable. When asked
+the question, I answered “Non, Monsieur.” When we came to settle down
+before the train proceeded on its journey we noticed our fellow
+travellers were different. We found two ladies, mother and daughter,
+going to join a near relative in India; an Italian woman, not over clean,
+with a babe about four weeks’ old; and a nurse in uniform who was going
+to Rome to fill a position, also she wanted to learn the Italian
+language. My dear wife and this nurse soon became close acquaintances,
+as they both had learned the profession, and for some time they were too
+absorbed almost to notice the scenery we were passing, for we were now
+nearing the Alps through which we were to pass. We reached Mont Cenis
+duly, and, as we heard so much of this terrible tunnel, we almost dreaded
+passing through it. At this point there is an old pass over Mont Cenis,
+or roadway between Piedmont and Savoy, the highest point 11,570 feet
+above sea level. The pass was an old unused road, and dangerous on
+account of brigands and bandittis. Bonaparte, be it said to his credit,
+in 1803, spent £300,000 in repairing it, and it was here the great
+Napoleon III. sent his troops into Italy against Austria in 1859. The
+tunnel is about eight miles in length. To make it was a work of almost
+superhuman labour and skill. It was commenced by two sets of men, one on
+the Italian side and one set on the French side, in the year 1857; and so
+exact had been the calculations made, that when the men met in the
+middle, they were not a single foot out of their calculations. The cost
+was nearly £3,000,000, and quite a number of valuable lives. Now, both
+for business and pleasure, a way has been opened to the sunny south. We
+settled in our respective corners as we pierced this great mountain, and
+gave ourselves up to reflection. The great train thundered on, and
+silence largely held us all in its thrall. The half-hour in going
+through Mont Cenis seemed almost half-a-day. At last we emerged into the
+day light, and into the glorious sunshine of sunny Italy, with its
+vine-clad hills, and its serene and sunny sky—“Land of all lands the
+pride,” leaving behind us the Alpine heights (to revisit them on our
+return). We were running for Turin. We found we had no buffet on the
+train, and as we had not laid in a stock of refreshments, we began to
+feel the cravings of nature, and we began to wonder how they were to be
+satisfied. We ultimately pulled up at Turin; how long we were to stop I
+did not know, and I could not ask, for now it was beyond my bit of
+French. I said to my dear wife, here goes, we must have bread or starve:
+if the train leaves before I return to you—well, good-bye! But I will do
+my best to be back in a few minutes and before the train leaves. Without
+hat I rushed down the platform looking for a buffet, right at the bottom
+of a long platform I saw the word buffet. I darted in, threw down a
+lire, and picked up two rolls of bread worth about twopence each, also
+some fruit worth about as much. I seized these and hurried back to the
+carriage, passengers and people looking on and the waiters seemed to
+think I must be an escaped lunatic. Well! I reached our carriage just as
+the train was moving out. What would have happened if I had been left
+behind I do not care to think. “All’s well that ends well.” So we got
+at least something that would keep soul and body together until we could
+get a proper meal. We had decided to stop at Genoa, but my wife said
+“well, now Nurse is going right through to Rome, let us keep her
+company.” So we decided not to remain at Genoa, but to go right through;
+that meant twenty-four hours in the train. As we were approaching Genoa
+we could see lovely vine-clad slopes, also the hills, the rivers and
+lakes, the landscapes, lovely beyond my power to describe.
+
+Genoa is a very fine city. I felt I could say of it as is said of the
+City of Jerusalem. Beautiful for situation is Genoa. Here we found we
+should have time for dinner; twenty minutes being allowed. We left our
+carriage—now I had two nurses to take care of—we had to go under some
+arches, and across several platforms, to get to the buffet; this took us
+five minutes out of the twenty. We found, to our extreme satisfaction, a
+table-de-hote fully set out. Soup was laid out and waiting; waiters
+plenty. No sooner one course was over, another was before us—chicken,
+fish, saddle of mutton, pastry, ices, and more than we needed—so that in
+ten minutes we had well satisfied the inner man. Cigars were lying on
+the counter, and each passenger having dinner just helped himself, also
+to as much fruit as we could conveniently take. We were also helping
+ourselves to Post Cards but these, we were reminded, we must pay for as
+extra. So we scampered back with all speed. Never, I think, did a
+dinner of eight courses disappear so quickly. We had no time to explore
+the town, and we could only get glimpses of it from the train going in.
+It is called “le Superb.” Has some of the finest churches in Italy; is
+also a city of Commerce, of Shipping. It is a garrisoned city, and has
+fortifications considered impregnable. It is a city of palaces. Also
+has a picture gallery containing some fine paintings by the old masters,
+one by Guercino, in the very best colouring, “Virgin and Child.” This
+has been a favourite subject of the Artists, as both in oils and in
+marble and stone, this subject is prominent. “The Flight into Egypt” is
+another favourite. These, however, we had not the pleasure of seeing, so
+we could only have the pleasure of knowing we had been near them. We
+left Genoa about 9 p.m.; it was quite dark, and so sultry we could hardly
+bear the heat of the atmosphere. We hutched up into our corners to try
+to sleep, but with the rattle of the train, the screams of the baby, and
+the impatience of the mother, we could not sleep, at least I could not.
+I think my wife got a little sleep. So did the nurse, our travelling
+companion. Before midnight, there broke over us a thunder storm. The
+lightning was so vivid I could clearly see the objects we passed, and it
+continued for several hours. We passed the leaning tower of Pisa before
+daylight broke in upon us, we were also getting too tired to enjoy the
+look out when the day broke.
+
+As we sped on we expected to see the City of Rome about 10 a.m. At last
+the vision burst upon our view. Rome at last. Yes, certainly, there is
+the proud City. Its towers, spires and domes, and minarets, all
+glistening in the morning sun. The monuments and ruins of this city
+still standing testifies to the greatness of its past history. The
+gigantic Colosseum to the humblest of ruins, everything in Rome is
+eloquent in the language of history. We soon hunted up our luggage, and
+made our way out of the carriage to the platform. After a few words with
+our companion, the Nurse, we separated. She was expecting to be met, and
+we were anxious to get to our hotel. This time we had chosen the “Grand
+Hotel Continental,” and finding their ’bus at the station we were soon
+conveyed to our destination.
+
+The hotel was certainly of a high-class order, and very extensive. The
+grand saloon for dining was most costly furnished. Mirrors and paintings
+on the walls gave brilliancy and attractiveness to the scene. The
+lecture room, the smoke room, the reading room, were all most luxuriantly
+fitted up. The bed rooms also were sweet and clean. Abundance of
+lavatories, bathrooms, lifts, etc., make the place a comfortable home
+from home. After having fixed our number (I mean the number of our bed
+room, this was always our first business at a fresh hotel) we had
+breakfast, then a bath, for we had no opportunity of even a good wash
+since leaving Chambery twenty-four hours ago. We were needing it badly.
+An ample supply of hot water for the bath, towels ready to hand, soap we
+carried with us. We thought it strange, but we found it true, the hotels
+don’t find soap. This reminds me of Mark Twain’s position when in Italy,
+in his “Innocents Abroad.” He says, “We have had a bath in Milan, in a
+public house. They were going to put all three of us in one bath tub,
+but we objected. We chose to have three tubs, and large ones—tubs suited
+to the dignity of aristocrats who had real estate, and brought it with
+them. After we were stripped and had taken the first chilly dash, we
+discovered that haunting atrocity that has embittered our lives in so
+many cities and villages of Italy, there was no soap. I called. A woman
+answered and I barely had time to throw myself against the door, before
+she would have been in, in another second. I said, ‘Beware, woman! Go
+away from here—go away, now, or it will be worse for you. I am an
+unprotected male, but I will preserve my honour at the peril of my
+life.’” We had a good bath, then to bed for a few hours, as we had had
+hardly any sleep in the train. We rose about 2.30 p.m. refreshed, and
+after lunch we prepared for a stroll or ride to see the sights of this
+wonderful city. We soon found it is a wonderful city. The ancient and
+the modern are seen at almost every point. And yet you seem to feel
+there is no jar on your taste or feeling.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+Visit to the Forum and the Colosseum: Crossing the Tiber: Castle of St.
+Angelo: Palace of Justice: Trajan’s Column: Garibaldi’s Monument: The
+Appian Way: St. Peter’s: Its magnitude and magnificence: Michael Angelo’s
+work.
+
+ [Picture: Christian martyrs in the Colosseum, Rome]
+
+Our first visit was to the Colosseum. Among the many sights of Rome none
+give us a better idea of its ancient civilisation than the Forum and the
+Colosseum. The heart of the great Roman Empire throbbed in the Forum.
+Here was, at one time, the Senate, the market, the courts, indeed, it was
+the very centre of the life of Rome. As we gazed upon the ruins, the
+vast marble columns, still standing, its broken arches, and gables in
+ruins, it needed no great stretch of the imagination to fancy we were
+back to the palmy days of Rome, and the Forum is ringing with the cheers
+of the vast populace who have sat under Cicero’s eloquence; or, we fancy
+we can hear the tramp of Roman legions as they return from some nightly
+conquest, passing the gates of this remarkable building. The ground it
+covered would be about 250,000 square feet. These, of course, embraced
+the market place, the rostrum, several temples, and the triumphal arch.
+The whole building was of marble, and with its marvellous architecture,
+it must, in its glory, have presented a striking appearance. The Palace
+of Cæsar stands just behind. We had a chance of seeing a little of the
+gardens, once belonging to this palace. Enough of the remains serve to
+show something of the wealth and luxury of those ancient Emperors. I
+took two snap-shots of a part of the ruins of this wonderful place. In
+my photograph the marble columns are seen to be standing, and they are
+where they have stood for the last fifteen hundred years at least. From
+here to the Colosseum, no less wonderful than the Forum, we then made our
+way. The first view of it filled us with awe. In its ruins it is
+awfully grand. It must surely be the most imposing ruin in Rome, and it
+is the most historically interesting relic of ruin in the world.
+Vespasian began to build it in the year 72 A.D., and the Emperor Titus
+completed it in the year 80 A.D. Historians tell us it was built by the
+forced labour of Jews and Christians. Its architect, they tell us, was
+one “Gaudentius,” who afterwards became a Christian, and died a martyr
+within the walls he himself had planned and helped to build. Originally
+it would hold in all 100,000 people, and 90,000 could be seated in its
+vast galleries and rooms. It would cover, apparently, about six acres of
+land. Down to the sixth century it remained in its beauty undiminished,
+and little decayed. Inside the vast building was a fine statue of Nero.
+The extreme length of the walls outside are about six hundred feet, and
+the width nearly five hundred feet. There was originally a portico
+carried round the whole building, adorned with gilded columns, while
+statues of the finest marble filled the arcades, and there were rich
+awnings of silk for a protection from the sun’s heat. It is stated the
+carnival lasted for several weeks, and no less than five thousand wild
+beasts, some from the Indian Jungles, and some from the African morasses
+took part. These terrible gladiator fights were the amusements for the
+aristocracy of Italy, and were attended by stately courtiers and the
+nobles of the land. We saw the bars still standing in the ruins, behind
+which the wild beasts lurked, waiting to be turned into the arena to
+fight with gladiators, i.e., men trained, who with their lives in their
+hands were prepared for this terrible ordeal. If they came out with the
+trophy they were applauded, and with honours escorted through the streets
+of Rome.
+
+[Picture: The Roman Forum, Rome] Sometimes, at the bidding of the wicked
+Emperor Nero, one hundred Christians would be brought into the arena,
+when a vast crowd would be present to watch four or five lions and as
+many tigers turned in, wild with fury, and mad with hunger, the Christian
+martyrs were soon delivered from their fleshly tenement and went up to
+their reward. It is said that St. Ignatius was brought from Antioch to
+be devoured by these wild beasts. Church traditions record many martyrs
+within these now ruins. Byron says:
+
+ “I see before me the Gladiator lie;
+ He leans upon his hand, his manly brow
+ Consents to death, but conquers agony.
+ The arena swims around him, he is gone
+ E’er ceased the inhuman shout which hailed the wretch who won.
+ He heard it, but he heeded not; his eyes
+ Were with his heart, and that was far away.
+ There were his young barbarians all at play.
+ There was their Dacian mother—he their sire
+ Butchered to make a Roman holiday.”
+
+Or Keble:
+
+ “And now the gratings ope, with hideous roar
+ Leap forth those hungry brutes, while kneel in prayer,
+ Those heaps of Christians, how their spirits soar
+ Above or wounds or death.”
+
+I stood and gazed, and thought, by those terrible ruins. I think I was
+as much affected as when I stood and gazed upon those marvellous
+structures, the Pyramids of Egypt. I took a snap-shot of my dear little
+wife within the ruins of the Colosseum, and we left it to ponder over its
+history and its ruin. We thought of the prophecy in prose of an
+Anglo-Saxon Pilgrim. He said: “While stands the Colosseum, Rome shall
+stand; when falls the Colosseum, Rome shall fall. And when Rome
+falls—the world.”
+
+ [Picture: The Pantheon, Rome]
+
+“The Pantheon” was one of the places we were delighted with. This dated
+from before Christ’s time, and is now in a wonderful state of
+preservation. It was originally dedicated by Agrippa to “All the gods.”
+It was consecrated as a church in the year 610 A.D. by Pope Boniface IV.,
+under the name of St. Maria. The portico consists of sixteen granite
+corinthian columns nearly forty feet high, eight in the front and the
+others in three colonnades. Inside, we were struck with its beauty,
+especially by the arrangement for light which comes from a vast dome over
+our heads. We walked reverently as we knew we were walking on the very
+same pavement as Augustus and Agrippa, and others whose dust has long
+centuries ago, gone to its mother earth. Here rest the remains of one of
+the world’s greatest painters—Raphael. He was buried in 1620. In recent
+years a doubt was raised as to whether he really was buried here, and a
+search was allowed and made in 1833, it was then ascertained beyond the
+shadow of a doubt that he was buried here, as his remains were intact.
+On leaving the Pantheon, and before crossing the Tiber, we were reminded
+of the poet’s words referring to this church: “Simple, erect, austere,
+sublime—Shrine of all saints and temple of all gods from Jove to
+Jesus—Spared and blest by time, looking tranquilly while falls or nods
+arch, empire, each thing round thee, and man plods his way through thorns
+and ashes—glorious dome! shalt thou not last? Times’ scythe and tyrant’s
+rods shiver upon thee—Sanctuary and home of art and piety—Pantheon!
+Pride of Rome.”
+
+After crossing the Tiber on one of its many wonderful bridges, adorned on
+each side by statues in stone of the celebrities of all ages, we found
+that just opposite this bridge is what is called the Castle of St.
+Angelo. An immense pile, circular in form, on its summit a large
+monument, and in front a clock of very large dimensions. It was erected
+by the Emperor Adrian, and intended to be for his own tomb and those of
+succeeding kings or emperors. We did not go inside, but we learned it
+was fitted and filled with the finest works of art, specially that in
+marble finished by the sculptor’s chisel. From here we started to drive
+to our hotel, for we were satiated with the wonderful sights of Rome. We
+passed the Palace of Justice, a modern building, indeed, only just having
+the finishing touches put upon it. It is of granite, the size is immense
+and the appearance noble. As we passed, churches and theatres seemed to
+be numerous. Gay and grave, sad and happy, new and old. There “Beeston
+Humber Motor Cycle” advertised. There the ruins of a building that had
+stood for a thousand years.
+
+The Column of Trajan calls for a passing note. It is a fine specimen of
+the Doric order, and very fortunately it is in a good state of
+preservation. On three sides of the pedestal there are bas-reliefs, on
+the fourth side is an inscription to Trajan’s tomb. On the column are
+over 20 very fine carvings, representing the various wars in which he had
+taken part. On the top is a fine statue of the Apostle St. Peter. As we
+stood and looked upon this ancient monument and thought of the fact that
+it had stood there for well nigh on 2,000 years, we re-called the words
+of a poet who represents fairly the condition of things in Trajan’s day.
+
+B. E. H. Plumbtree says:
+
+ “Through haughty Rome’s imperial street
+ The mighty Trajan rode,
+ And myrrh and balm and spices sweet
+ In silver censers glowed;
+ In car of state erect he stood,
+ And round him rushing like a flood
+ The people poured with shout and song,
+ And every eye through all that throng
+ Turned to him with delight.
+ For he had triumphed far and wide,
+ Had sated Rome’s high-soaring pride,
+ And, laying captive nations low,
+ Now dragged the pale and trembling foe
+ Bent down in sore affright.
+ And still before him spread afar
+ New pathways for his conquering car,
+ More crowns of world-wide fame to win
+ ’Mid shouts of warriors battle din:
+ One triumph being o’er he spurned
+ And still his fevered spirit burned
+ New realms, new worlds to gain.
+ And still his legions on he led,
+ Legions that ne’er from foe had fled,
+ The glory of his reign.”
+
+We left the mighty column standing in its solitary grandeur, a memorial
+of man’s achievement, while yet other things around us testified to the
+instability of all earthly things. “Change and decay in all around I
+see.”
+
+We reached our hotel tired and hungry. We, however, soon found the value
+of a good wash, then a good table-de-hote meal, and then to write up our
+diaries and think of the day’s experiences, then to go to rest. After a
+good night’s sleep we rose refreshed. Had a good wash, then breakfast.
+After letters, postcards, etc., we prepared for further investigations of
+the great city. We went out, but no sooner did we appear in the great
+square facing our hotel, when, I should think, at least a dozen cabmen
+turned their horses heads towards us, asking for our patronage. We could
+only hire one, so we had choice and it fell upon a decent looking man—the
+very picture of a son of Italy—with a very good looking horse. This time
+we drove to the mound upon which stands the noble monument to General
+Garibaldi, the statue of one of Italy’s noblest heroes and patriots.
+Garibaldi was born at Nice in 1807. His family were quite obscure, and
+without name or fame. His father had a small coasting vessel, and to
+this, probably, is due something of the adventurous spirit of his son.
+When he had attained his manhood, he went to Genoa and then to Rome.
+Here he joined a band called “Young Italy,” and as a member of this band
+he was indicted for treason and sentenced to death.
+
+ [Picture: Garibaldi’s Monument, Rome]
+
+By some means he escaped this sentence and fled to Marseilles in France.
+From here to South America, and here he joined the army and fought
+against Brazil. He became a most adventurous and daring leader. In 1848
+he returned to Italy with a view to give himself to the army of Italy.
+They, however, did not receive him with the cordiality he deserved. He,
+however, raised an army of 1,500 brave men, like-minded with himself, and
+went against the Austrians, who were threatening Italy severely and
+dangerously. He showed skill and bravery on the field of battle, and so
+attracted the notice of Victor Immanuel, who with his own hand fastened
+on the hero’s breast the gold medal for military bravery. He became the
+idol of the nation of Italy, as General Gordon might be called the hero
+of the Soudan. So Garibaldi may be called the hero of Italy, and as in
+Gordon’s case, riches, titles, conventional distinctions were as nothing,
+so in the case of this illustrious soldier and hero. He had the honour
+of a seat in the Parliament of Italy in 1875. The latter part of his
+life was spent in retirement, and he died suddenly in the year 1882. And
+here to his memory is erected, in the very heart of the Eternal City, a
+splendid monument. His life-sized figure in bronze on a fine charger,
+while around the monument are bas-reliefs of great interest. From this
+high elevation we had a good view of the city and of the river Tiber,
+which is about equal to our river Trent for width, it is spanned in
+several places by bridges. Here we could look down the Appian Way. It
+would not be difficult, standing here, to imagine just away at yonder
+port, some ten or twelve miles away, a shipwrecked crew has landed its
+cargo of grain; also some soldiers with three prisoners, amongst them is
+Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles. He is chained to a soldier;
+they come along the Appian Way, where we are just looking—a road that had
+often rung with the plaudits to the victors in many a hard fought fight.
+A strange sight to see this poor man, without money, friends, or
+influence. Yet he was the true conqueror of Rome. He said truly “God
+hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God
+hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are
+mighty.” Cor., chapter I, verse 27. St. Paul says again: “And so we
+went towards Rome, and from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they
+came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and the three taverns: whom when
+Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.” Acts, chapter 28, verses 14
+& 15. Paul is allowed to speak for himself, having appealed to Cæsar.
+“And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all
+that came to him, preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things
+which concern the Lord Jesus Christ.”
+
+Up this Way, it is likely, Titus brought up the spoils he had taken in
+his overthrow of the City of Jerusalem. The spoils consisted of the “Ark
+of the Covenant,” overlaid round about with gold, the golden pot that had
+manna, “and Aaron’s rod that budded.” Heb., chapter 9, verse 4. From
+this vantage ground we could see Rome, regal Rome, republican Rome, and
+in the distance St. Peter’s and the Vatican, and many hundreds of other
+churches and prominent buildings which hold the records of ecclesiastical
+Rome.
+
+We visited, of course, the grand church or cathedral of St. Peter. This
+is the one thing we _must_ see. This is the goal of millions of pious
+pilgrims from all lands, and at all seasons. I noticed in our
+illustrated papers of about November, 1908, the Pope had been celebrating
+his fifty years of priesthood, there was a great procession of thirty-six
+Cardinals, four hundred Bishops, fifty thousand spectators, and St.
+Peter’s offerings were asked for by His Holiness for chalices for the
+poorer churches. The Duchess of Norfolk presented £500 as a response.
+The Pope was carried shoulder high in the Sedia Gestoria, over the heads
+of the vast masses, and as he was borne aloft, he bestowed his blessings
+on all sides, and amongst all classes of people. Passing over or through
+the vast throng he was placed on his golden throne, whence he grants his
+indulgences and extends to his flock sympathy and prayers.
+
+When we got within sight of the noble building we were constrained to
+stand still and look and let our thoughts and feelings have full play,
+for just then they were of a very mixed character, as we thought of Rome
+and its history, of this building and its surroundings, and what it
+meant. At the entrance we could see right through the large Piazza or
+Square, in the centre of which is an obelisk, I think Egyptian in
+character. On either side are fountains throwing their sparkling waters
+from almost innumerable jets. Then there are colonnades also, and 284
+columns, each column is about 40-feet high, and on the column a statue
+about 16-feet high, these give an idea of the vastness of the building
+beyond. The obelisk in St. Peter’s Square weighs 3,270 tons—it is said
+that the ship that brought it from Egypt was so large that the Emperor
+Claudius had it sunk at the mouth of the Tiber to serve as part of the
+foundations for the outward wall of the Port of Ostia, in the year 39
+A.D.
+
+ [Picture: St. Peter’s, Rome]
+
+It was left until the year 1566 before orders were given by Pope Sextus
+to have it placed in this square. At the top of this great obelisk is a
+cross which is said to be a part of the real cross on which our Lord and
+Saviour was crucified. Passing this outward display of grandeur in the
+shape of statuary, columns and colonnades, we reached the steps leading
+up to the vestibule, these are massive marble steps, with colossal
+statues of St. Peter and St. Paul at the foot. It is said that this is
+the largest and the most costly church in the world. It was built on the
+site of the Emperor Nero’s circus, which was the scene of the most
+terrible martyrdoms, and it is also said to be the place where St. Peter
+was buried after his crucifixion. About the year 106 A.D., history tells
+us there was a monument erected here to mark the site of St. Peter’s
+tomb. Earlier a basilica was founded on this spot, which stood for over
+one thousand years, then showing signs of decay (and one cannot wonder at
+it). Nicholas V., in 1447, decided to erect one larger and better in its
+place.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+Rome continued: St. Peter’s building: St. Peter’s Statue: St. Peter’s
+resting place: The vast Columns, Pictures, Fonts, Confessionals, etc.:
+The Vatican: The Professional Letter Writer: The Arch of Titus: Statue of
+Nero, etc.
+
+This decision, however, he never carried out, but in the year 1506,
+Julian II. laid the foundation of this vast church we are now about to
+enter. The first architect died while the work was in its early stages.
+Then Raphael, with two other architects, were appointed, and these also
+died during the building. Michael Angelo, who was then between seventy
+and eighty years of age, was selected to superintend the work. He is
+credited with the designing of that marvellous dome and cross, but did
+not live to see it completed. Indeed, not less than fifteen architects
+succeeded one another during the time of its building, and twenty-eight
+Popes reigned before it was completed (a time of 176 years). Its actual
+completion was not until 1784, a term of 278 years.
+
+Carlo Fountana estimates the cost at £11,000,000. He states that it
+required 400,000 lbs. of bronze to form the statue of St. Peter inside
+the cathedral. The whole area is 240,000 square feet; when this is
+stated one may form some faint idea of the magnitude of the building.
+There are within and without the building columns in marble to the number
+of 756; 245 are inside. There are 46 altars and 121 lamps, most of them
+are kept burning night and day. One hundred and thirty-two Popes have
+been buried here, if you count as they do from St. Peter on to the last
+Pope who passed away. It is stated that the cost of keeping the place in
+repair is over £6,000 per year. Our first view of the Nave as we
+entered, created such a feeling of awe and reverence, that like the Queen
+of Sheba, of whom it is said, “when she saw the glory of Solomon there
+was no more spirit in her.” “And behold the half was not told me.” I.
+Kings, chapter 10, verses 5 and 7. I gazed with awe and admiration at
+one time on the marvellous Niagara Falls, and the sight seemed to bring
+me into the very presence of the great Creator, God. And now, to gaze
+upon works of such a colossal magnitude and of such a costly character,
+made us feel subdued and reverent. I may safely assume, I think, that
+every one will not see it just as we saw it; I mean they will interpret
+its meaning differently. We were some time before we came to realize the
+fact that it was of such extraordinary proportions. Looking at the
+cherubs which support the fonts that contain holy water, at first you
+think they are models of children, but when you come beside them you find
+they are much larger than ordinary grown-up people. On the floor we
+noticed there are stars or marks telling the length of the building as
+compared with other large cathedrals. St. Paul’s in London, is here
+given as 516-feet long, the Cathedral in Milan as 440-feet, the Cathedral
+in Florence is given as 495-feet, St. Peter’s, at Bologna, 440-feet, and
+St. Sophia, at Constantinople, 364-feet, while this St. Peter’s is
+619-feet in length. On your right hand passing up the nave is the
+gigantic statue of St. Peter in bronze, which, with the foot held out
+slightly, I suppose millions of visitors from all nations and peoples and
+tongues have stooped to kiss the large toe, which, in consequence, is
+worn seriously out of shape. Some have gone so far as to say that this
+is the statue of Jupiter, only it has been slightly altered to suit its
+present purpose. I think it is Dean Swift who said (in a joke) “that the
+difference between the ancient and modern Rome was, that the one was the
+worshipper of Jupiter, and the other the worshipper of Jew Peter.” As we
+stood beside this image in bronze and looked to the right—the
+confessional to the left—the confessional. Visitors in kneeling posture
+before an image of the Virgin, another before a picture. Another walks
+up to the font and crosses his forehead with holy water, we felt that we
+could not but pity these poor deluded souls in bondage to a priestly
+intolerance, when they might have had the real liberty of the children of
+God.
+
+Above this great statue of St. Peter, sitting in a chair of marble, in
+the act of blessing the people, is a portrait in mosaic of Pope Pius IX.,
+and an inscription which states that he is the only Pope whose years of
+pontificate are more than were those of St. Peter. In the niches around
+the pillars which support the cupola are some very fine specimens of
+statuary, and above these are several small galleries which contain the
+Holy Relics, these are shown to the public on the great festive days.
+There are sixteen windows round the cupola, and over these are sixteen
+richly gilded pillars, between each of these are beautiful mosaics
+representing Popes and Bishops buried in the church, also of the Virgin
+Mary, Jesus Christ, and the Apostles. Over the High Altar under the
+cupola, where the Pope alone has the right to say Mass, rises a very
+costly canopy of bronze, supported by four spiral columns of richly
+gilded bronze about 60-feet high, including the cross. The Altar is
+placed in such a position that the Pope saying Mass, faces the people.
+Under the Altar is St. Peter’s tomb; a double flight of steps of Greek
+marble lead down to it, and at the bottom is a statue of one of the Popes
+kneeling; at the sides are four large columns of alabaster, and above
+these are two pillars of agate with the statues of St. Peter and St.
+Paul. The place in which St. Peter’s ashes rest, and that forms part of
+the oratory, is covered with the most costly marble. When Peter said
+“silver and gold have I none,” Acts. chapter 3, verse 6, he could not
+have had the least idea of the costliness of his resting place in Rome.
+
+All things seem to be provided for the purpose of a worship meant to
+captivate the senses by its external splendour and beauty, until the very
+object of religion, the cultivation of the Christian virtues, which are
+meekness and humility, are forgotten in the magnificence of a priesthood
+of princes, combining their splendour and luxuries with their duties. On
+all sides we see monuments to Popes and Bishops; such as one to Pope
+Innocent XII., with fine bas-reliefs in marble. The Pope Gregory’s
+monument which has some fine sculpture on it in marble. Another wing of
+this huge building designed by Michael Angelo contains an altar enriched
+with alabaster, amethyst, and other precious stones. Over the altar is
+an image of the Madonna that is greatly venerated, as it is supposed to
+have been brought here from one of the early churches. Altars, crosses,
+and confessionals confront you wherever you go in this great cathedral;
+also, pictures adorn the walls where there is no sculpture. St. Peter
+raising Tabitha from the dead. See Acts, chapter 9, verse 40. “But
+Peter put them all forth and kneeling down prayed; and turning to the
+body, said, ‘Tabitha, arise,’ and she opened her eyes, and when she saw
+Peter she sat up.”
+
+Two porphry steps lead to the Tribune, about fifty yards long, where
+there is another altar, and over it four colossal bronze statues; on the
+right, the tomb of Urban VIII., on the left, that of Paul III. In one of
+the wings of this building there are eleven confessionals for strangers,
+and inscriptions indicating the nationality or language. On all sides we
+saw these relics of popery until we were sick of it. We could not visit
+the grottos, as time did not permit, we were very desirous of making a
+visit to the Vatican, but we could not for the same reason. We gathered
+from information gained in various ways, that the Vatican or Pope’s
+Palace is the largest palace in the world. The Pope is allowed from
+Italy about £130,000 per annum, and the Peter’s pence, from many lands,
+amounts to as much as £20,000 per annum. The Vatican contains 11,000
+rooms, there are also 22 court yards. The ground it covers is the size
+of a town. The museums, the picture galleries, the statues in marble,
+are worth many millions of pounds. It is enriched with bronzes, marble
+columns, and the best things that can be had from all lands. Paintings
+of the very richest and highest class from all the old masters. Massive
+gold and silver goblets, the gifts of kings and of princes. Ancient
+relics from Assyria and from Egypt. Some Egyptian mummies in sarcophagi
+with hieroglyphics, indicating the locality from whence they came. In
+the library are 26,000 manuscripts, about 19,000 are in Latin, 4,000 in
+Greek, and about 2,000 in the Eastern and Oriental languages, besides
+about 50,000 printed volumes. In one of the halls there is a bible of
+the fifth century, which is a great rarity. The gifts from kings,
+emperors, princes, presidents of almost all lands, which have been sent
+to the Pope are too many to name or specify. We left St. Peter’s,
+pleased with some things, grieved with others. The greatness of Rome’s
+intellectual power; her art in sculpture and painting; proofs of this we
+saw on all hands. She had, at one time, over 400 temples, most of them
+with floors of marble, great domes with wonderful frescoes, gorgeous
+beyond anything we could conceive if we had not seen it. Walls of
+marble, porphyry, jasper, precious stones, stones polished till they
+shine like a mirror. Pictures, priceless and innumerable. All this,
+side by side with the degradation of the people, as seen in their daily
+visit to the confessional; or to the holy water; or to seek a mass from
+the priest for some friend in sickness; or a more important one for the
+soul of some brother, sister, or friend in the agony of purgatory, and
+who must remain there until certain masses are said. All this means the
+lowering of the poor to the enriching of the rich. Rome, I say, is to be
+pitied in this thing, under the heel of the Pope. Her wealth is lavished
+on churches, priests, cardinals, etc., but her poor abound on all hands.
+At the very church door you have the extremes of lavish wealth in church
+decoration, and extreme poverty in many worshippers. We had a view of
+the Vatican from without; it seems one vast area of palaces, churches,
+temples, galleries, colonnades, etc. I suppose we have some fine palaces
+in England; there are some, I believe, in France, Germany, in Egypt; but
+nowhere in the world is there a palace so large and costly as the Pope’s
+Palace in Rome. How unlike his divine Lord, “who had not where to lay
+His Head,” or his predecessor (allowing the expression) who said, “silver
+and gold have I none.” Mark Twain says of the place: “It is a perfect
+wilderness of statues, paintings, and curiosities of every description
+and every age. The old masters fairly swarm there. I shall remember the
+Transfiguration, by Raphael, because it was in a room by itself, and
+partly because it is acknowledged by all to be the first oil painting in
+the world. It is fine in tone and feeling, it is a beauty, it is
+fascinating. Acres and acres of walls and ceilings fairly papered with
+them. There is one thing I am certain of, with all the Michael Angelo’s,
+the Raphael’s, the Guido’s, and the old masters, the sublime history of
+Rome remains unpainted! They painted Virgins enough, Popes enough, and
+saintly scarecrows enough to people Paradise almost.”
+
+Leaving the great St. Peter’s and the Vatican to return to our hotel for
+dinner, we noticed the mixed crowds jostling one another in the streets.
+The men seemed to be broad shouldered, and their rugged bronze faces and
+dark piercing eyes give you an idea that they look upon you with
+curiosity. Men dressed in home-spun blue cloth as a rule. The women
+dress in colours, no unusual thing to see them apparently enjoying a feed
+of raw onions and salad with a good square piece of black bread. Here we
+passed a professional letter writer, sitting in the open-air in the
+street with a table before him on which are pens, ink and paper. Here he
+is ready to read or write letters for the unlearned, and they are by no
+means few in the city of Rome. Many a declaration of passionate love
+must have been whispered into the ear of this old Italian, to be
+transmitted to some village maiden on the mountain heights, or in some
+sequestered village. A rustic approaches the old scribe as we watch him,
+he has received an epistle from some Italian beauty far away. As he
+waits his turn he looks over the precious documents with wandering eyes.
+Oh! if only he could himself spell out its sacred contents. His cheeks
+are flushed, his heart throbs as he hands the paper to the scribe; and,
+as the old man reads, the smile plays upon his face, his dark eyes
+brighten with delight. Yes! she is true to the boy who is far away, what
+a joy to know their hearts beat in unison and in passionate love. What a
+strange task! that of the Italian scribe. Sometimes his task is to read
+letters that tell of separations by death; the scalding tear, the heart
+throbs, tell of grief and anguish, a life’s hope crushed out. A dear
+mother, sister or lover passed away. All these experiences go through
+the old scribe’s hands daily. Young Italy, however, is awaking to her
+need as a nation, for education and for the training of the young.
+
+Our hotel is our home of rest, and we certainly enjoyed it after hours of
+travel and inspection. Sights seen that we had never dreamed of.
+Pictures, sculpture, arch, column, colonnades, so profuse and so
+attractive that we forgot we were tired until we turned away for a break
+and a rest.
+
+Again, we are on the tram, and down one of the principal boulevards, past
+shops, bazaars, cafes, hotels and churches, to the Pont du Angelo, over
+the Tiber. This is a lovely piece of workmanship, built of solid
+masonry, and on the pont, or bridge, there are six statues on each side
+on pedestals, representing the various architects, sculptors and painters
+of ancient Rome, and as we crossed the bridge, right in front of us we
+saw the castle of St. Angelo, erected by one of the Emperors for his own
+tomb, and for the tombs of his successors. As most of the important
+buildings in Rome, it is lavishly decorated with marble sculpture, more
+fitted for a palace than for a mausoleum. [Picture: The Arch of Titus,
+Rome] In the tenth century it was turned into a fortress and fell into
+the hands of the barons, who, during a long time, made use of it against
+the city itself. It is said that Clement VII. took refuge in it in the
+year 1527. To-day it is a beautiful temple. The floor is very largely
+composed of Italian marble; on the staircase, on our right on entering,
+is a fine statue of Michael the arch-angel, in a niche. In another room
+are some fine paintings by Pierin; another room still retains some of the
+implements of torture of the Inquisition. On the top stands the bronze
+statue of the arch-angel Michael, placed there in 1770; it is said it is
+placed there in memory of a vision of St. Gregory the Great. According
+to tradition, when Rome was severely visited by a pestilence, and while
+the Pope was going in procession to St. Peter’s, to obtain the cessation
+of the scourge, he saw, on arriving at this bridge, an angel on the top
+of the mausoleum, in the act of replacing his sword in its sheath, as a
+sign that the visitation of the scourge was at an end. On account of
+this the castle was named “The Castle of the Holy Angel.” “The Arch of
+Titus” is another fine specimen of the builders’ art. Erected to him by
+the people in homage of his great victory in Palestine over the Hebrews,
+and of the destruction of the Holy City of Jerusalem, in the year 79
+A.D., and consecrated to his memory by his successor in the year 81 A.D.
+It has somewhat suffered by the ages that have passed over it; still, it
+is marvellous that it has so long withstood the ravages of the iron tooth
+of time. There is a fine frieze in the inside and some fine bas-reliefs.
+One, that of the Hebrew prisoners, and Titus’ triumphal march to Rome.
+In Macaulay’s we find the following verses, evidently written on the
+subject of Titus’ victory:
+
+ “Valerius struck at Titus and lopped off half his crest,
+ But Titus stabbed Valerius, a span deep in his breast.
+ Like a mast snapped by the tempest, Valerius reeled and fell.
+ Ah! woe is me for the good house that loves the people well!
+ Then shouted loud the Latins, and with one rush they bore
+ The struggling Romans backward, three lances length or more:
+
+ And up they took proud Tarquin, and laid him on the shield,
+ And four strong yeomen bore him, still senseless from the field.
+ But fiercer grew the fighting around Valerius dead,
+ For Titus dragged him by the foot, and Anlus by the head.
+ Twice tenfold round the body the roar of battle rose
+ Like the roar of a burning forest, when a strong north wind blows.
+
+ Now backward and now forward, rocked furiously the fray,
+ Till none could see Valerius, and none knew where he lay.
+ For shivered arms and ensigns were heaped there in a mound,
+ And corpses stiff, and dying men, that writhed upon the ground,
+ And wounded horses kicking, and snorting purple foam,
+ Right well did such a couch befit a Consular of Rome.”
+
+There are also, in this palace, the seven-branched candlesticks, and many
+other objects taken from the Temple of the Holy City.
+
+Next we saw the triumphal arch of Constantine (the first Christian
+Emperor of Rome), this seems to be the best preserved of all the arches
+we saw, although now it has been standing since 311 A.D. We learned it
+was erected by the people of Rome in honour of the great victory achieved
+over Maxentius at Ponte Mollo. The central arcade is about thirty-feet
+high, the side ones are about twenty-feet. There are four beautiful
+columns of Corinthian marble which support the pillars upon which stand
+some fine statuary representing some of the “Dacian prisoners,” “Trajan’s
+entry into Rome after his victory in the east,” “The rest on the Appian
+Way,” “Trajan bringing help and succour to the poor children,” “Trajan
+speaking to his soldiers.” Under these are bas-reliefs which represent
+hunts and sacrifices. On the opposite side of the street we noticed a
+large pedestal which we were told held, in ancient times, a colossal
+statue of Nero, executed in bronze. After his death it was thrown down
+and replaced by another called “The god of the sun.” This, however, has
+been allowed to fall into decay; the iron tooth of time has done its
+work, and only the pedestal remains.
+
+The Navona Square or Piazza calls for a remark or two, it is the next
+largest to St. Peter’s. There are three fine fountains in the square,
+These seem to be of a modern design and workmanship. One represents
+Neptune coping with a sea monster, surrounded by sea horses. In the
+basin rises a kind of rock; on the four sides of which are
+representations of “The Danube,” for Europe; “The Ganges,” for Asia; “The
+Nile,” for Africa; and the “Rio de la Plata,” for America. The rock is
+surmounted by a very neatly-cut obelisk. The first and largest fountain
+is about 100-feet high, and when in play has a very beautiful effect.
+The Church of St. Mary is but a plain looking building from the outside.
+We approached with little interest, but when we got inside we found it to
+be a perfect museum of painting and sculpture; also, there are many tombs
+of celebrated cardinals. The guide showed us a picture said to be the
+work of St. Luke, and in all seriousness, told us it was supposed to have
+the power to work miracles still. We did not stay to ask whether that
+power was ever evoked. There is a chapel inside, the architecture of
+which was planned by Raphael. The design of big mosaics on the vault of
+the dome is simply marvellous. There is a representation of the heavenly
+bodies in their fullest splendour; also a fine statue of Jonah by
+Raphael. There is attached to this church a monastery, in which reside
+the monks of the Order of St. Augustine. It is said to have been the
+residence of the famous Martin Luther, during his visit to Rome. He
+entered the city through the Porto del Popolo, and knelt down as soon as
+he had passed the gate, crying most sincerely, “I salute thee, Oh! holy
+Rome!—Rome, venerable through the blood and the tombs of the martyrs.”
+And then he went straightway to the convent, and there he celebrated
+mass. And after the experiences he went through during his stay in the
+city, what he had seen, and what he had heard—he said, on passing again
+through the same gate out, with bitterness and grief, “Adieu, Oh! City,
+where everything is permitted, but to be a good man.” Every place we
+visited brought some reminders of the sad fall of the papacy from real
+Christianity.
+
+To the Berbine picture gallery, was a visit which gave us much pleasure,
+as we saw pictures from the ablest of artists. The paintings by Michael
+Angelo and Raphael, Francesco and Tiziano. “Adam and Eve driven from
+Paradise,” by Guido Reni; “Christ and the Doctors of the Church,” by
+Dürer; “The Holy Family,” by Andrea; “The Annunciation,” by Bronzine; and
+many others that we considered marvels of the artists’ brush. There is
+also within this gallery a very large room as a library in which, we
+learned, there are over 30,000 books in print, and over 8,000 in
+manuscript, by Dante, Galileo, Lasso and others. The wonders of these
+places filled us with such admiration, we could stay and look until quite
+weary, so we take tram to hotel again for rest.
+
+ [Picture: Church of the Trinity, Rome]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+The Church of the Trinity: St. Maria: Church of Onesemus: The Grand
+Corso: The British and Foreign Bible Society: Outside view of the
+Quirinal: Nero’s House: Leaving Rome: Scene at a wayside station: Arrival
+at Florence: Visit to the Cathedral.
+
+The wonderful Church called the Church of the Trinity, up a very broad
+staircase of some 330 steps; then a very fine piazza or square, and an
+obelisk, at the top of which they say is a piece of the cross on which
+St. Peter suffered martyrdom. In this square we found artists’ models
+waiting to be engaged. Some of them very pretty Italian peasant girls
+fresh from mountain homes, in costumes quaint and queer; old men with
+white beards and capacious cloaks; shepherd boys from the Campagna;
+bag-pipers from Abruzzi; also mendicants of more than one nationality;
+also vendors of wares of various kinds, principally small brooches, photo
+frames and pins, with nic-nacs that were considered to be attractive. A
+scene of very great interest to the Britisher. We left here to have a
+stroll in the streets, to watch with interest the customs and habits of
+the people. Hotels almost without number; beer-houses, only a few;
+cafes, many; confectioners, many; chemists and doctors, fairly numerous;
+dentists, several at any rate; restaurants, many, and some on a very
+large scale; telephone call offices; lavatories; specialities, as
+jewellers who sell Roman pearls, mosaics, religious ornaments, bronzes,
+marble, etc.; porters standing in various places to give you a hand with
+a parcel; omnibuses running to the station from all parts of the city;
+carriages for hire at about eightpence per mile, English money. So we
+passed an hour in watching the ever changing street scenes, until tired,
+then to our hotel and to rest once more. Returning to our further
+inspection of churches, museums, and places of interest, we went to see
+the old St. Maria. This is a very interesting place, and is said to be
+built upon the site of what was Paul’s “own hired house in which he dwelt
+for two whole years,” see Acts, ch. 28, v. 30. It is said that on this
+spot, Onesimus, the runaway slave, was converted, and that he received
+the gifts sent by the Philippians and the Colossians, by Epaphroditus,
+which he so thankfully acknowledges. Philippians., chapter 4, verse 18.
+“I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent
+from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable,
+well-pleasing to God.” Three rooms in the basement of the church are
+shown as the very rooms in which St. Paul and St. Luke taught and wrote.
+Col., chapter 4, verse 14.
+
+Leaving this place we enter the Corso, the principal street of the city.
+To our surprise and delight we saw a depot of the British and Foreign
+Bible Society; the window full of Italian copies of the scriptures spread
+open, some showing clearly one passage, and some another; so that he who
+runs can read. We found we could buy the New Testament for threepence in
+English money. A separate gospel for less than one penny. It is not
+many years since when this would not have been allowed in Rome or in
+Italy. Before the Pope’s power was broken, I mean his temporal power, he
+did not allow a circulation of the Bible, nor did he allow a public
+assembly of heretics (Christians) within the city. Now, thank God, there
+are numerous Protestant Churches in the city. The Wesleyans have one or
+more churches. The Americans, the Lutheran, the Greek, the English
+church and others are now allowed the privileges not long since denied to
+them. We had the pleasure of an outside view of the Quirinal, the
+present residence of the King of Italy in Rome. It was at one time the
+residence of the Pope. It is an old building, 1574 is the date. It is
+said the Popes prepared this residence because the air was so fresh, and
+the neighbourhood so healthy. While the King is in Rome the Quirinal
+palace is not open to visitors. The gardens are on an extensive scale.
+Within the palace are sculpture, museums, library, paintings by Raphael,
+Michael Angelo and Luigi Serra. Some of the subjects are simply
+masterpieces. We went from the Quirinal to the Baths of Titus, erected
+by the Emperor of that name, it is said upon the same place where once
+stood the house of Nero. The excavators in 1811 laid bare many
+interesting facts concerning the times of Titus, about the year 80 A.D.
+Only a semicircle can be seen showing the foundations, yet it seems to be
+clear that these are the only remains of the baths referred to. We left
+here feeling we were satiated with sight seeing, and our time for leaving
+Rome was near at hand, so we determined upon a few purchases. Then to
+our hotel to reflect, to think, to recall, if possible, to memory what we
+had seen and heard. To fill up our diary, to settle our hotel accounts,
+and to get ready to leave the “Eternal City.” We reviewed in our mind at
+leisure, where we had been, and what we had seen in Rome. And we read up
+history which tells us in the palmy days of Rome, there would be within
+the city over 400 temples, and over 17,000 palaces, over 13,000
+fountains, more than 30 theatres, 8 amphitheatres, 11 baths, some of
+which would accommodate some 1,500 bathers at once, 80 gilt statues, and
+over 3,700 bronze statues, 82 statues of figures on horseback, so we
+think of Rome in her imperial pride, when luxury lay on the lap of so
+many of her nobles. Since then she has been humbled to the dust. Many
+of these costly buildings and statuary are in ruins, but there is enough
+left to show her once illustrious position.
+
+We had certainly made the best of the time at our disposal, so we leave
+thee, Oh! Rome! the great, the illustrious. “It may be for years, or it
+may be for ever.” We said good-bye, and soon we were en route for
+Florence. The scenery for some distance is not particularly attractive.
+The usual Italian villages, in some cases just a cottage or two, the
+tenants of which are out with their ox and plough, or a pair of donkeys
+and a rickety old cart, or the man is draining his farm. We saw about
+eight or ten women at a large stone trough by the side of a highway
+washing. It seems this is their custom, for the women of several
+families to have a joint washday, and go to the nearest clean flowing
+water.
+
+As we proceeded northward, we noticed the country became more undulating
+and richer in fruits and flowers. The season for the grapes being ripe
+was just on, and we noticed as we journeyed, on all sides, grape vines;
+there seemed to be miles of them, and still, as we hurried along, more
+vineyards. Oxen in wagons in the rows of vines, were being loaded with
+the luscious fruit. Six white oxen in each wagon mostly. The husband,
+wife and children, all seemed to be engaged in plucking and loading the
+fruit. We passed scores of miles of vineyards of this sort. We stopped
+at a station called Cartona. I saw a typical Italian girl with a grape
+stall on the platform. I alighted and selected two large bunches of
+beautiful ripe grapes, and as I could not ask the price, not speaking
+Italian, I held out my hand with a number of coins of various value for
+her to take the cost of the grapes. She selected twenty centimes, that
+is about twopence in English money; so very cheap are grapes. The
+country is a lovely country and rich beyond compare. Our train, we could
+perceive at times, was climbing, so slow was the speed, but as we got
+higher the scene became more lovely; the Italian lakes in the distance;
+the towns with the usual Duomo or Church always noticeable.
+
+ [Picture: Team of oxen in Tuscany]
+
+At every road crossing we noticed an Italian woman, usually aged, sat at
+the gate crossing, with horn in hand ready to give warning of an
+approaching train. About four o’clock in the afternoon we came in sight
+of Florence. The first view was entrancing. The city lies in a hollow,
+the surrounding hillsides are, here and there, dotted over with castles
+and mansions, each in their own lovely and extensive grounds. They were
+mostly of white marble. The river Arno runs through the city. Florence
+is essentially a city of flowers, as its name indicates. All around for
+miles castles, mansions, villas, gardens and shady nooks fill the soul
+with a consciousness that Nature here has bestowed her gifts of beauty in
+no stinted degree. Florence has been called, and I think very aptly, the
+Athens of Italy. This city possesses the memories of some of the world’s
+greatest men, “the priceless heirlooms of a glorious past.” Here the
+peerless bard, “Dante” sang his deathless song and made his lovely
+Beatrice immortal. Was it not from these very hills and fields on which
+we were gazing, that Galileo every night scanned the heavens to compel
+the distant orbs to reveal their secrets?
+
+Here we see her peerless domes and towers rise in all their stately
+grandeur beneath a lovely Italian sky. We are now at the station.
+Alighting, we soon found the ’bus for “Hotel Minerva” (this we had
+selected before hand) so were soon once more settled for a little while.
+Our hotel was very comfortable, and we found mine host most gracious, and
+evidently most desirous to satisfy us, and so keep our patronage as long
+as possible. The rooms were lofty and furnished with taste, dinner
+served in good style, which included everything we could wish for. A
+look round the city for a little while, was our first thought, so out we
+went into the great open square, facing which is the Duomo or Cathedral
+Maria del Fiore, so called from the lily which figures in the arms of
+Florence. This vast pile of buildings was begun in the year 1298, and
+finished in the year 1462. It is stated it was built on the foundations
+of an earlier church. It is a grand example of the Gothic art. The
+length of the building is 185 yards, and its width, 114 yards. The dome
+is 300 feet high, and with the lantern 352 feet. On the 8th of
+September, 1298, a representative of Pope Boniface VIII. blessed the
+foundations of this new grand temple in the presence of the “Gonfaloniere
+Borgo,” many bishops, “the chapter,” all the Florentine clergy, the
+captains of the arts, and the magnificent and sublime “Signori of the
+Republic,” as they were called. The words with which the community gave
+charge of this sumptuous building were, literally translated, “to make it
+so magnificent and so sublime that it would be impossible that it should
+be surpassed.” And it seemed to us that for size and strength and
+adornments, few can compare with it. Many vicissitudes occurred during
+the building—wars, deaths of architects, etc.—till in the year 1492 it
+was something like a completed building. In April, 1860, King Victor
+Emmanuel laid the foundation of a new facade, which was to replace one
+taken away, as the design was considered unsuitable. Above the south
+door is a Madonna between two angels. Inside we were struck with its
+massiveness, more than with its decorations. On the right there is a
+fine equestrian statue of John Hawkswood, of date 1384, an English
+soldier of fortune, who had served the Republic with unswerving fidelity.
+Over the portico is a fine picture of the Virgin Mary in mosaic. On the
+right side are some fine marble figures of great men of ancient dates.
+In the east nave are fine statues of St. John and St. Peter; a fine
+stained-glass window with most attractive and telling designs. Inside
+the great dome is a very peculiar, very grotesque frieze, by a great
+painter named Vasari, depicting the flames of hell and awful monsters
+around them. Also the heaven of delight and bliss.
+
+Near the Cathedral is the wonderful Campagna or tower, which visitors
+through centuries have visited and admired. A distinguished visitor once
+said, “The Florentines should enclose this tower in a glass case, and
+only let it be on exhibition during the great festivals.” It is solid
+and strong, though it rises to the height of 292 feet. It has four
+stories, the lower ones are richly fixed with variegated marble, and
+covered almost with statues of illustrious men. A view of this tower
+from a distance is very fine. We had seen nothing like it before in all
+our travels on the continent.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+Florence: Michael Angelo’s House: Baptistry of St. John: The Uffizi
+Gallery: The Tribune: A drive to the suburbs: Dante’s House: Dante’s
+Poems: The Gardens: Mrs. Browning’s description of Vallambrosa: Michael
+Angelo’s work: Galileo, his trial, etc.
+
+As we had little time for visiting other places of interest, the day
+being now far advanced, we determined to give our minds and bodies a
+rest. So we entered a cafe for refreshment, we found them exceedingly
+clean and most obliging; we took what refreshment we needed, then went
+for a stroll on the streets to see the shops, and we found the city has
+some fine streets and shops of almost every kind. The city has a
+population of about 200,000. We were reminded frequently of some of the
+worthies of the city in sculpture or in painting. Michael Angelo, though
+not born in Florence, spent a great deal of his life here, and here some
+of his finest works were completed, and in Florence he died and was
+buried. At the corner of the Via Buonarotti stands the house in which he
+lived. It is now (like the house of the immortal Shakespeare) a museum
+given to the city.
+
+“Farewell,” said Michael Angelo, on setting out for where he was to
+undertake the finishing of the great St. Peter’s, in Rome. “Farewell, I
+go to try to make thy sister, but I cannot hope to make thy equal.”
+
+About the old Baptistry of St. John, to which, we are told, all the
+children of the city are taken to be christened, there are two bronze
+gates at which a famous workman was employed forty years. Michael Angelo
+declared “these gates were worthy to be the gates of Paradise.”
+
+1st design. The creation of man.
+2nd ,, Expulsion of our first parents from the Garden of
+ Eden.
+3rd ,, Noah after the deluge.
+4th ,, Abraham on Mount Moriah.
+5th ,, Esau selling his birthright.
+6th ,, Joseph and his brethren, and the law given on
+ Sinai.
+7th ,, The walls of Jericho.
+8th ,, The battle with the Ammonites.
+9th ,, Queen of Sheba in Solomon’s palace.
+
+I believe there is a cast of these gates exhibited at the South
+Kensington Museum.
+
+The Uffizi Gallery or museum or both, where I should think may be found
+the most wonderful collection of art to be found in the world. Even in
+Rome we had seen nothing to equal it. It contains over 13,000 paintings.
+Cameos and original designs without number. There are long corridors
+where statues of celebrated Tuscans fill the niches. There is sculptured
+marble, or painted canvas, of all imaginable beings in heaven or on
+earth. Emperors and kings, saintly Madonnas, angels, gods and goddesses,
+muses and nymphs; all may be found in this marvellous collection. And on
+the ceiling are frescoes setting forth the annals of Florence. In one of
+the halls stands a painting of Niobe with her sons and daughters clinging
+around her, victims of the cruel vengeance of Diana and Apollo. In
+another room are some angels surrounding a Madonna, making a lovely
+picture. There is a gallery in which are paintings of the painters of
+all nations, painted by themselves. Vandyck, with his clear blue eye,
+long hair and fair countenance; Raphael, looking sad and gentle and very
+sallow; Michael Angelo, simple yet sublime, he is in his dressing gown.
+We were simply surrounded and bewildered by the fascinating sights on
+every hand. There are cabinets also, containing rare gems, cameos and
+bronzes of all sizes and shapes. The Tribune also demands notice, as it
+contains vast masses of valuable treasures. One room is paved with the
+most costly marble. There are five masterpieces of antiquity. In the
+centre stands the Venus de Medicis, serene, pure, delicate, and perfectly
+lovely; another, the Dancing Fawn; another, “Apollino,” “The Wrestlers,”
+and the “Grinder.” There is also here, one of the finest and best of
+Raphael’s paintings, “The Glorious Madonna.” Two others by Titian. We
+soon became exhausted and weary, so we left the entrancing scenes for
+another day. To our hotel was but the work of ten minutes; safely
+housed. Table-de-hote dinner, to write up our diaries, to commend our
+lives and our loved ones to the care of our Heavenly Father, we slept.
+During the night there was a severe thunder storm, the lightning played
+round our hotel, lighting up the great square in front, but so far as we
+know, no damage was done. We rose in health, refreshed and ready for a
+good breakfast; this, the Italians know how to provide. Their coffee is
+the best I have ever tasted. Fish, eggs, cold meats and fruits in
+abundance. We made a fine breakfast, and after writing some letters and
+post cards we ventured out, this time for a drive to the suburbs. I soon
+found carriage and driver and made terms.
+
+ [Picture: Mrs. Wardle near The Duomo, Florence]
+
+Before starting, however, I took a snapshot of my wife in the carriage,
+with the archway or part of the facade of the Duomo for background. We
+passed through the principal parts of the city, and our driver pointed
+out the house, still standing, where Dante, the greatest of all the great
+poets of Italy, was born. It is very near to the church of Santa Croce,
+a very old building, but in its vicinity lies the dust of some of Italy’s
+noblest sons. Near here in the year 1865, on the 5th day of May, a vast
+concourse of people assembled to see the unveiling of a statue of Dante.
+It is 19 feet in height, and it is mounted on a pedestal 23 feet in
+height. This was the six hundredth anniversary of the poet’s birthday.
+Dante was not buried here, but at Ravenna, where he died in exile away
+from the city he loved so much. In the “Sheep-fold of St. John” as he
+called it. His life was full of strange vicissitudes, apparently more of
+cloud and storm than of sunshine. His father was in the legal
+profession, and this, Dante adopted, and studied very successfully at
+several schools in Italy and Germany. At an early age he fell madly in
+love with one, Beatrice, but she married another man, and left him with a
+great sore in his heart. He was called to bear arms against Ariezo and
+Pisa, where he served with great assiduity. He afterwards married, but
+not happily, at the age of 28. He had a family, however, and his
+first-born being a girl, he called her Beatrice, after his first love. A
+civil war had been brewing for some time. Again Dante took the field,
+this time, unfortunately, on the weaker side, and a revolutionary
+government being formed, he, with other ringleaders who wished to resist
+the extreme pretensions of the Pope, were sentenced to be burned alive.
+He, however, managed to escape into Germany, where he wandered about from
+place to place, finding no settled residence, and desiring to return to
+his native city, but this was denied him. He died, as we have seen, in
+Ravenna. His daughter Beatrice was a nun in one of the convents, but to
+do some tardy justice to the noble bard, a sum of money was raised for
+her own special use. I can hardly leave this interesting subject without
+a passing reference to his poems, as are now principally read. The
+volume I refer to includes the “Inferno,” “The Purgatorio,” and “The
+Paradiso.” It is here surmised that Virgil and St. Bernard conduct Dante
+through these divisions of the universal world, to help him to write
+something that would show up the source of Italy’s ruin. The poem is a
+fine allegory, showing, as it does in the first part, a Panther,
+representing Florence or envy; a Lion, France or ambition; a She-Wolf,
+the Court of Rome or avarice; a Greyhound, Our Saviour or His vicegerent
+the Pope; Virgil, human wisdom; and Beatrice, heavenly wisdom. His
+representation of Hell as a dark valley, at the mouth of which is Limbo,
+and which are nine circles indicating nine different degrees of sin to be
+punished. The wise and good even are represented as lying in tears and
+sorrow, because they were not baptized. Purgatory is a step hill in the
+hemisphere opposite hell. Seven rounds have to be climbed before the
+seven stains of sin are washed away. At the top is the Garden of Eden.
+It is most interesting to follow Dante, as he ascends with his beloved
+Beatrice to Paradise, through the various heavens of the moon, Mercury,
+Venus, Mars, the Sun, Jupiter, etc. The eighth heaven contains the
+triumph of Christ; and the Virgin Mary and Adam he makes to dwell there
+also. In the ninth heaven is a manifestation of the Divine Essence,
+viewed by three hierarchies of Angels. While these poems are
+allegorical, they are full of interest and show that Dante was greatly
+moved and influenced by “the things that are unseen which are eternal.”
+In his youthful days he paced the fields and groves of lovely Italy,
+writing sonnets to his beloved Beatrice. In his later years he had to
+eat the bread of bitterness, being an outcast from his friends and from
+the city he loved. The world, however, has been enriched by his poverty.
+A sight of the place where he was born has suggested to us this
+commentary. We left the place not without reflection upon the
+immutability of things that are earthly. From here our driver took us
+towards the lovely gardens across the river Arno, the gardens of Boboli;
+these are open to the public Thursday and Sunday. Approaching the bridge
+which spans this lovely river, we were struck with its massiveness as
+well as its beauty. It is called the Jewellers’ Bridge, as jewellers’
+shops line the bridge on each side fully, except a very small break in
+the middle through which you get a very nice view of the river as it
+rolls along. A bridge further on is adorned with statues, and is
+considered the most beautiful of the seven that cross the Arno. When
+over the bridge the road is very steep; our driver left his box to give
+the horse the benefit. Now we seem getting into the suburbs, the road is
+lined with trees of all sorts; the acacia, the box, the walnut, the
+maple, the olive and many others, I do not think I could tell the names
+of them all. Up and up we went, in a semicircular fashion, until we
+gained the summit. When we had gone through the gate into the garden,
+the view was simply entrancing. Florence, with its towers and spires and
+domes, lay like a fine panorama at our feet, and the river gliding gently
+through the city. The villages in the distances nestling amidst
+luxuriant foliage of trees and plants. The gardens around us full of
+beauty, adorned with statuary, and a profusion of moss and creeper and
+colour of flowers, we may never see again. Just across the river, we
+could see the tower of Galileo, where the great astronomer nightly
+watched the stars, or
+
+ “Moon, whose orb
+ Through optic glass the Tuscan artist views,
+ At evening from the top of Fiesole,
+ Or in Voldarno, to descry new lands,
+ Rivers or mountains, in his spotty globe.”
+
+ [Picture: Dante And Beatrice, Florence]
+
+Farther out the Casine, or the Hyde Park of Florence, could be seen.
+Perhaps no better description can be given than by Mrs. Browning:
+
+ “You remember, down at Florence, our Casine,
+ Where the people on the fast days walk and drive,
+ And through the trees, long drawn in many a green way,
+ O’er roofing hum and murmur like a hive,
+ The river and the mountain look alive.
+
+ You remember the Piazzo there, the stand place
+ Of carriages abrim with Florence beauties,
+ Who lean and meet to music as the band plays,
+ Or smile and chat with some one who afoot is
+ Or on horseback, in observance of male duties.
+
+ ’Tis so pretty in the afternoon of summer,
+ So many gracious faces brought together;
+ Call it rout, or call it concert, they have come here
+ In the floating of the fan and of the feather,
+ To reciprocate with beauty the fine weather.”
+
+Along the valley of Vallambrosa, as you look across, pine forests, lawns
+and mountains combined, make a scene the fairest fair Italy can show.
+Milton, in his “Paradise Lost,” alludes to this valley, speaking of the
+fallen angels who
+
+ “Lay entranced,
+ Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brooks
+ In Vallambrosa’s, where oh! Etrurian shades
+ High over arched embower.”
+
+This was one of the favourite walks of Dante, where he loved to wander
+and muse on his lovely Beatrice. The views from this elevation on all
+sides were very beautiful, and we left it with a feeling we could never
+again gaze on scenes so delightful.
+
+Returning from these lovely scenes, in and from the Boboli Gardens, over
+the same bridge we turned to the left and passed the Mozzi Square, where
+is the Mozzi Palace. A very large building that has connected with it,
+we were told, a very fine picture gallery, but we had not time to visit
+it. We then came to the Necropolis of St. Miniato, a church considered
+to be one of the oldest on the continent. The Florentine Republic
+considered its splendid military position, and ordered Michael Angelo to
+fortify it. He therefore threw a strong rampart around it, with strong
+bastions which were provided with cannon. It is said that many Christian
+martyrs died for the faith and were buried in this church. The tower was
+greatly damaged by Charles V., but Michael Angelo saved it from utter
+ruin. Rev. D. M. Pratt says of Michael Angelo:
+
+ “A master mind before the marble stood,
+ Fresh quarried was it, rough and all unhewn,
+ To other eyes it seemed a shapeless stone;
+ To his, a stately form and beautiful.
+ Chisel in hand he wrought and what he saw
+ Came forth a statue, living and divine.
+ An artist stood and gazed on fallen man:
+ He to the soul, what to the marble rough
+ Was Angels, he saw and sinful man
+ A seraphs form. He wrought, and forth there came
+ Manhood divine—the lifeless took on life,
+ Oh! for the artist’s eye! In every man
+ God’s image dwells, and he who sees the Christ
+ Sees God in man restored, and with him seeks to bring
+ His thoughts to life in saving men.”
+
+A poet has written:
+
+ “In Santa Croce’s holy precincts lie
+ Ashes which make it holier, dust which is
+ Even in itself an immortality.
+ Though there were nothing save the past, and this
+ The particles of those sublimities
+ Which have relapsed to chaos, here repose
+ Angelo’s Alfieris bones, and his
+ The starry Galileo with his woes;
+ Here Machiavelli’s earth returned to whence it rose.”
+
+The tomb of Galileo calls for a passing remark, as he dared to contravert
+the old world notions of a central earth fixed in space, immovable with
+planets curling round it. The church had stood by the old theory for
+ages. If now they adopt Galileo’s theory, where is their infallibility.
+And so ignorant monks shut him up in prison and burnt his books in the
+public market place, and led out this great philosopher in mockery before
+a gaping crowd, with a wax taper in his hand and a halter round his neck,
+and demanded he should recant his opinions. Amidst the jeers of his
+friends and the awful threats of his enemies, he was induced to go
+through a certain form of recantation, in which he was required to
+declare “With a sincere heart and faith unfeigned, I abjure, curse and
+detest the said errors—I swear for the future never to say anything
+verbally, or in writing, which may cause to any further suspicion against
+me.” Rising from his knees he whispered: “But it does move for all
+that.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+Appalling catastrophe in Italy: Messina: Savonarola, the enthusiastic
+preacher: His defiance of the Pope: His excommunication: His cell, etc.:
+His martyrdom: Raphael, his genius as a painter: Some of his works: The
+old Protestant Cemetery: Our leaving Florence: Journey to Bologna and on
+to Venice.
+
+While I am here writing of the beauties of Italy, its fertile plains, its
+sunny skies, its lovely lakes, its great works of art and its still
+greater artists, a newsboy is calling out in the streets: “Appalling
+catastrophe in Italy.” An earthquake killing not thousands merely, but
+tens of thousands. What! is that fair land devastated, and death swept
+by such a calamity? Is it true that loveliness and danger lie so near
+together? What! is there no spot on earth where we may be absolutely
+free from danger? Here in lovely Messina and Reggio, I passed them on
+board the S.S. “Benares” about two years ago. The sun shone brilliantly
+on the scene, a lovelier it would be difficult to describe. On my left
+Messina, with its marble buildings glistening in the sun. Temples and
+towers, churches and barracks, all giving signs of strength and beauty to
+the fair city; on our right Reggio, which appeared to be a city of great
+beauty and prosperity. Mount Etna in the distance, slumbering for a
+time. Stromboli as we passed was alive hurling up stones, fire and
+smoke. Now the cities named are practically wiped out. _The Daily
+News_, of December 31st, 1908, says: “Yesterday, the total of the dead
+was calculated as from fifty thousand to seventy-five thousand. To-day
+it is two hundred thousand. This morning’s news helps us to form a
+clearer idea of the awful scene as it occurred. It was early morn just
+before daylight, and all the beautiful towns along the coast of these
+historic straits were still asleep. Death came suddenly and unawares.
+By five successive shocks, the cities were toppled down, and where they
+had stood great columns of dust were rising. Men, women and children,
+soldiers in barracks, the sick in hospital and prisoners in gaol were
+killed together as they slept. They died like ants in a blown up nest.”
+A survivor from Messina says: “The town is nothing but a dust heap, even
+the railway station is swallowed up, the railwaymen are nearly all
+killed.” Another says: “It is too horrible to describe.” The Pope has
+shown the greatest anxiety; has even asked permission at the Quirinal to
+transmit massages to the suffering and the bereaved. He also summoned to
+the Vatican the Director of the Bank of Rome and had with him some
+private conversation, and arranged for the sum of £40,000 to be sent at
+once. Our own King Edward sent to the King of Italy messages of
+condolence and sympathy. The navies and soldiers of England, France,
+Germany and others are giving assistance in extricating sufferers from
+the debris, and feeding the hungry, and erecting temporary shelters and
+generally doing all that can be done to mitigate the distress and grief
+and pain. Money is being sent liberally by all the Christian nations at
+least. So all feel as nations and as individuals that “One touch of
+sorrow makes the world akin.” It is at such a time that the brotherhood
+of nations asserts itself. All racial barriers are swept away in the
+face of such a terrible catastrophe. The latest news is that no less
+than 220,000 have perished, as many inland towns have suffered most
+severely. The cathedral and churches, with all their valuable works of
+art, have been totally destroyed. Scenes simply indescribable are
+enacted and too sad to relate. So we see the uncertainty of things that
+are on earth.
+
+Notwithstanding the natural beauty of the surroundings, before we left
+the fair city of Florence, we must needs do a little shopping, and make
+some further investigations into the interests and associations of the
+place. The convent of San Marco is a place worth a visit, and is open on
+receipt of a small fee or gratuity. Here is the cell of Savonarola, in
+which he was confined before the martyrdom of flame. Here is a fine
+portrait of the man who dared to face even death in his defence of the
+truth. Here are some of his manuscripts, traced with his own pen. Here
+are his tunic, girdle and crucifix, and even a charred piece of wood from
+the scene of his martyrdom. Such sights fill the soul with thoughts of
+what men have endured to rescue the truth from Papal tyranny. Of
+Savonarola it may be said, he was a great reformer, a religious
+enthusiast, and a martyr. Born at Ferrara, in 1452, he early joined the
+religious order of Dominicans at Bologna. At first his career as a
+preacher was not marked by any unusual event, nor did he meet with great
+success, but on his appointment to the Duomo, crowds came to listen to
+his preaching, and indeed so eloquent did he become and so effective
+that, at times, his discourses were interrupted by the masses of the
+people sobbing and crying in their pews. He became so popular that the
+people pressed round him in the streets to kiss his garments. He went
+forth like a flaming herald of the cross in defiance of pope, cardinal or
+priest. It is stated that under his influence the morals of the city
+became purified. The children were specially cared for, as many as 8,000
+at one time were banded together in a sort of republic, and were called
+“the children of Christ.” The Pope did his very best to suppress this
+holy work, but it was useless to try to stop so God inspired a man as
+Savonarola. When this was ineffectual, they said make him a Cardinal;
+give him a red hat, so make of him a friend. He answered from the pulpit
+of St. Mark’s: “I will have no other red hat than that of martyrdom,
+coloured with my own blood.” Then he was summoned to appear in Rome.
+This, however, he refused to do. Then came the ban of excommunication,
+but this brought with it no terrors. His answer to it is: “he who
+commands a thing contrary to the law of Christ, is himself
+excommunicated.” “I may have failed in many things, for I am a sinner,
+but I have not shunned to declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They
+threaten to burn me or fling me into the Arno, that gives me no concern.”
+Ultimately he was arrested and charged with impiety and sedition, of
+these, however, there was no proof shown, until a certain man named Ser
+Cocone presented a forged document, and our hero was condemned to be
+burned. And on May 23rd, 1498, this noble saint of God passed away.
+Three platforms were erected in front of the palace; Savonarola was taken
+up to the central one, clad in his priestly robes. Then piece by piece
+the Bishop removed his vestments in the presence of the multitude, and
+pronounced the degradation. “I separate thee from the church militant
+and from the church triumphant.” “Nay,” said the bold and daring saint,
+“from the church militant, if you please, but not from the church
+triumphant, that is more than you can do.” He then mounted the pile and
+gave utterance to the following sentence; “Oh! Florence, what hast thou
+done this day.” Soon there was nothing left but the ashes of Savonarola.
+His spirit leapt into the chariot of fire, and he was with the martyr
+throng before the Throne. By order of the Commune, his ashes were thrown
+into the river Arno, so that no relic could be found of the patriot and
+martyr.
+
+We could hardly leave Florence without giving some reference to Raphael,
+one of our world’s greatest painters. Though not born in Florence, he
+spent a good deal of his life in the city. His education in the art was
+completed in Florence. He was born in the year 1483. Michael Angelo was
+to him an attraction and an inspiration. It is said that so fine was his
+genius, that in his time of tuition he could surpass his tutors. His
+most famous pictures are “Christ in the attitude of prayer on the Mount
+of Olives,” and “St. Michael and St. George,” which are now in the
+Louvre, at Paris. The Pope gave him a grand reception on his entering
+Rome; and, while there, he executed some very fine pieces for his
+Holiness, which so pleased him that he ordered Raphael to give him other
+proofs of his artistic skill. He then painted on the Vatican walls
+figures of “Poetry,” “Theology,” “Justice,” and “Philosophy”; also “The
+fall of Adam,” “Astronomy,” “Apollo,” and “Philosophy.” On another wall
+he painted “Fortitude,” “Prudence,” “Temperance”; and on another place
+“The Emperor Justinian delivering the Roman law,” “Peter’s deliverance
+from prison,” “Moses viewing the burning bush,” “Jacob’s dream,” etc. It
+is said he turned the Vatican into a picture gallery. His pictures are
+in many countries and in many cities. He died at the early age of
+thirty-seven, on the same date he was born, and his body was conveyed to
+the Pantheon, in Rome, where it now rests. It is said of him, he was
+most affable, kind, and generous to a fault. He had an open manly
+countenance which inspired all who met him. Florence, fair city, must be
+credited with the training and making of this bright gem of the painter’s
+art. Indeed, this city has given to the world some of the finest men of
+mind and soul the world has ever known. We felt proud to walk its
+streets and to know we were on ground that should be reverenced for the
+purity and greatness of the lives of the men we have referred to. We
+could not readily say good-bye, but time presses, and after a visit to
+the old Protestant Cemetery outside the Porta Pinta, which to Britishers
+is hallowed ground, as there are here the graves of Elizabeth Barrett
+Browning, the poetess to whom we have already referred our readers; also
+“Theodore Parker,” and “Arthur Hugh Clough.” This “city of the dead” was
+closed in 1870, and a new cemetery has been opened for Protestants about
+a mile outside the city. To try to describe the beauties of all the
+suburbs of Florence would require an abler pen than mine. So we must
+close our account at the “Minerva,” take our last night’s repose and
+leave for Venice.
+
+We rose early in order to have a full day of interest and experiences.
+We left this lovely place in the forenoon, and as our train was about to
+leave, a lady traveller who spoke good English boarded the train and
+entered our compartment. We soon became friendly and familiar. She
+spoke our language, she was of a kindred spirit, though not from England,
+she was of English stock and we soon discovered she came from Dunedin,
+New Zealand (Miss M. Himmel). She had visited Balmoral Castle in
+Scotland, and the Trossachs, Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Also
+Dublin in Ireland, The Giants’ Causeway, Bantry Bay and the lovely Lakes
+of Killarney. She spent three months in our great city of London, and
+visited every important church, museum, picture gallery, etc. Also
+Norway with its weird and awe-inspiring scenery. Rome with its telling
+old world stories in stone, marble and bronze. Naples, Milan, Venice,
+Florence, Frankfort-on-the-Rhine, Bingen, Berlin, and to Cologne. Then
+to Paris, the gay city of France, to see its Notre Dame, its fine
+Boulevards, etc. Two weeks’ sight seeing in Paris. Then to London and
+next Liverpool. Then for Dunedin, New Zealand and home. We found her
+well read and of wide experience, a lady both in manners, education, and
+by birth. We could exchange ideas and enjoy each others company as the
+train sped on towards Venice. The railway intersects a rich tract of
+land at the base of the Apennines. On our right the picturesque castle
+of Monte Mario, near which, we learned, at one time, the Florentine
+Republicans with their troops were defeated and taken prisoners by the
+troops of Cosino, in the year 1537. We soon found out our train was
+climbing, by the speed she made, up the great Etruscan Apennines we
+mount, now through a tunnel, then across a fine aqueduct. Again and
+again this occurred, while the sides of the vast mountain ranges, we
+noticed, were covered with trees—pines, poplars, chestnuts, olive, fig,
+mulberry, and others. The plains of Tuscany, which were now below us,
+are reputed to be the richest in Europe. Wheat is largely cultivated.
+Rice is also sown in considerable quantities, and is used by the peasant
+for food. The use of buffaloes as beasts for farm use are common. No
+less than 3,000 are in constant use on the farms and vineyards of
+Tuscany. We saw waggons drawn by six buffaloes frequently. The grapes
+of the neighbourhood, through which we were passing are said to be of an
+exceptional quality. As we passed villages on the slopes of the hills,
+we saw the natives in their simplicity of dress and manner, at work and
+at home. At every gate where there was a crossing of the railway there
+was a woman, mostly aged, with a horn to warn travellers of the
+approaching train. Reaching a wayside station our train stopped, and I
+noticed on the platform an Italian girl with a rude simple table or stall
+on which were large bunches of grapes, I presumed for sale, so I alighted
+from the train and seized two bunches about one pound each. As I could
+not speak to her in her language, I took some change from my pocket and
+offered her the cost, so she took what she wished. She took twenty
+centimes, that is the value of twopence, so cheap are grapes in Italy.
+At this station an Italian lady, and evidently two daughters, came into
+our compartment with a little fancy dog, which one of the daughters
+carefully nursed. They brought with them one or two large baskets. In a
+little while one of them took from a basket a very fine roast chicken,
+from which she began to feed the dog with the nicest pieces off the
+breast. When the animal was satisfied they spread napkins on their
+knees, and evidently enjoyed the rest of the fowl. Some rolls and butter
+and grapes for dessert, and also some bottles of wine were produced from
+the baskets. Later, as we needed refreshments, we had to be satisfied
+with a few sandwiches, but the ladies seeing we had no napkins, at once
+offered theirs, and, indeed, spread them over our knees, with the
+greatest delicacy and politeness. Then they offered us, and pressed us,
+though in a language we did not understand, to have grapes and wine with
+them. Their kindness and manner of giving expression to it touched us
+very much. They left us as we arrived at Bologna station, but our friend
+Miss Himmel, however, remained with us. We did not stay long enough to
+look over the town, but from its appearance it is a large and prosperous
+city, having a population of about 100,000. The cathedral is one of very
+great antiquity and importance. There are 130 Roman Catholic Churches
+and twenty monasteries in this city. There is a very fine Piazza or
+Square, called Victor Immanuel Square, in which is a fine bronze statue
+of Pope Gregory XIX. St. Petronio is the largest church in the town, in
+the Gothic style. Over the principal entrance is a bronze statue of Pope
+Julius II., with the keys and a sword in his hand, by Michael Angelo. We
+left Bologna after a short time of waiting, and were soon speeding
+through lovely and fertile tracts of country. The Adriatic on our right,
+not near enough to see, but the air seemed impregnated with its ozone.
+Our approach to Venice became apparent as we crossed the lagoons with a
+roar and a rattle, the numerous arches (miles of them) told us we were
+near the city.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+Arrival at Venice: The ubiquitous Gondola: The Grand Canal: The curious
+water ways: Our Hotel: A snap shot of a Gondola and its freight: St.
+Mark’s Cathedral: Its curious history: Its wonderful Tower, and its
+interior adornments.
+
+I think it was the most thrilling moment of our tour, as our train left
+Mestra, and almost immediately we began crossing the long bridge
+(two-and-a-half miles long) which crosses the lagoon, we seem to be
+travelling right into the sea, the gentle ripple of the watery waves by
+moonlight as they extend on either side of the line, has a pleasing
+effect. The peculiar smell of the seaweed is strong in the air, and
+right ahead is Venice, of which some poet has sung:
+
+ “There is a glorious city in the sea,
+ The sea is in the broad, the narrow streets
+ Ebbing and flowing, and the salt seaweed
+ Clings to the marble of her palaces.
+ No track of men, no footsteps to and fro
+ Lead to her gates! the path lies o’er the sea,
+ Invisible: And from the land we went
+ As to a floating city—steering in,
+ And gliding up her streets as in a dream,
+ So smoothly, silently—by many a dome
+ Mosque-like, and many a stately portico
+ The statues ranged along an azure sky,
+ By many a pile, in more than Eastern pride,
+ Of old the residence of merchant kings;
+ The fronts of some, tho’ time hath shattered them,
+ Still glowing with the richest hues of art,
+ As though the wealth within them had run o’er.”
+
+Our arrival at Venice was about eight o’clock in the evening, surely no
+time so fitting to be introduced to the fair Queen of the Adriatic. From
+the busy, bustling railway station we were concluded by a Fakena, who
+brought up our luggage to a gondola lying in the shimmering sea just
+outside. No cabs or ’bus as at other stations, the gondola seemed to be
+everywhere. As we stepped into our new found equipage we were entranced,
+imagination fails to picture a sight so bewitching. Lights in a thousand
+directions, gondolas passing and repassing as we sweep through the
+principal waterway, then turn sharp round a corner as our gondolier
+cries: “Stali priene gai e” as he passes others with most wonderful
+precision. We were thus conveyed to the door of the Grand Hotel
+Victoria, where for a short time we were to make our home. We found the
+house all we could desire, warm, clean sweet, and fitted up almost
+luxuriantly. To bed and a rest, and oh! how sweet after toil and travel.
+We were awake and out early to see the sights of this unique city. We
+opened our eyes on a lovely picture, soft, dreamy, beautiful. The water,
+dotted over in all directions, with this strange craft. It seems this is
+the only means of locomotion. No cabs, omnibuses, carts, or even a
+barrow. There is no animal in Venice larger than a dog. Here the
+universal bike cometh not. The fashionable or unfashionable motor
+neither puffs nor smells. The train must not approach nearer than the
+head of the Grand Canal. A horse would be as great a novelty in Venice,
+I should think, as a ship in full sail would be in Wheeler Gate,
+Nottingham. Right from the water’s edge at our hotel door, we could see
+gondolas gliding swiftly hither and thither. In Byron’s “Beppo” we find
+the following lines:
+
+ “Did’st ever see a Gondola; for fear you should not
+ I’ll describe it exactly,
+ ’Tis a long covered boat common here,
+ Carved at the prow, built lightly but compactly,
+ Rowed by two rowers, each called gondolier;
+ It glides along the water looking blackly,
+ Just like a coffin clapt in a canal,
+ Where none can make out what you say or do.”
+
+ [Picture: Mrs. Wardle and Miss Himmel in gondola, Venice]
+
+Appearing suddenly, through unsuspected gateways and alleys, yonder, we
+see vast bridges and stately palaces of marble throw their shadows
+athwart the glittering waves. There seems life and motion everywhere,
+and yet there is no noise. There seems a hush as if suggestive of secret
+enterprise, of mysterious shadows, of the departed greatness of this
+still great city. Old Petrarch might well exclaim: “I know not that the
+world hath the equal of this place.”
+
+Standing at our hotel door, the gondolier waiting for my wife and our
+friend Miss Himmel, I ventured (after they had seated themselves) to take
+a snap with my camera to secure some little permanent reminder of the
+curiosity of this manner of travel. The gondola is a most handy and
+quick means of getting about. We were out in the Grand Canal, and the
+sight was, to say the least, most interesting. Here is a party of young
+ladies and gentlemen, with their gondola decorated with ribbons in
+various colours, and with them, evidently, an opera or chorus party, with
+their guitar, and some other peculiar instruments of music, but sweet as
+the evening zephyrs, as the sounds floated over the silvery sea. The
+gondolas are all black, why? I am unable to say; but I don’t think I saw
+one either brown or red, or green or white, simply painted black. The
+stern of the boat is usually decorated with a kind of matting or carpet,
+at its prow the gondolier stands, he has only a single oar. A long
+bladed oar, so he stands erect. How he can scull ahead at such a speed
+is a mystery, and at once pull back when there is danger. He seems to
+make all his calculations with the greatest precision, he never makes a
+mistake. Mark Twain says: “The gondolier is a picturesque rascal for all
+he wears no satin harness, no plumed bonnet, no silken tights. His
+attitude is stately, he is lithe and supple; all his movements are full
+of grace.”
+
+A party of ladies go out shopping in a gondola, this may seem strange,
+but it is really true. They flit from street to street, and from shop to
+shop, they leave the gondola as a lady here leaves her carriage or her
+motor, by the curb, while they have rolls and rolls of silk or muslin or
+linen unrolled, and then, perhaps, have just enough cloth to make the pet
+dog at home a paletot. Human nature, we find, is much the same the world
+over. Boys and girls go to school in the gondola, while they jump and
+kick, and fight on the way, but only in play, until landed at the school
+house gateway. Nurses are out in the gondola with babies for an airing,
+and to pass away the sunny hours on the waters. Families go to church in
+the gondolas, dressed in their best, they are soon sculled to the place
+where they are wont to worship. The mail boat is a gondola, with its
+freight of letters newly arrived, and is always interesting. Funerals
+are also carried out in the same way. The gondola is heavily draped in
+black velvet and silver trimmings, and furnished with huge candles
+lighted, surmounting the canopy, under which lies one who, in his turn
+has trodden the silent highways in the enjoyment of health, but is now on
+his last journey, accompanied by the solemn chant of the priestly
+requiem. Business men come or go in the gondola as we do here in cab or
+motor. The doctor visits his patients in and out of the quaint old city,
+not on a bicycle, but in a gondola. We saw a party flitting, the
+furniture remover brought his gondolas, and furniture was handed out into
+this strange vehicle for such a purpose. At Venice it is common, indeed,
+the only way possible of conveying goods or furniture from house to
+house. So, for almost all purposes, the gondola is useful. We found it
+a most enjoyable, as well as a speedy means of getting about. To say
+there are no streets in Venice would be hardly true, or to say you cannot
+get from place to place only by water. There are only three bridges
+cross the Grand Canal which divides the city into pretty nearly equal
+halves. The city is built upon one hundred and seventeen islands,
+intersected by one hundred and fifty small canals, and two thousand five
+hundred and eighty passages or waterways; but almost all the waterways
+have a footpath bordering it, while four hundred bridges unite one island
+to another. It is, however, very bewildering to pace the mazes of this
+strange city. If you get five hundred yards from your starting point,
+you may have to cross half a dozen bridges before you can get back again.
+
+ [Picture: St. Mark’s Cathedral, Venice]
+
+Our first visit was paid to the cathedral or church of St. Mark’s, and
+this wonderful building, for it is a wonderful place, has a wonderful
+history; it is this: when the Caliph of Alexandria, who was bitterly
+opposed to the Christian religion, was building for himself a magnificent
+palace, he gave orders that the most precious marbles were to be procured
+for its adornment, and to this end the Christian churches were to be
+stripped of their richest treasure. A raid was made on the church of St.
+Mark at Alexandria, where the body of the Saint was said to rest in a
+state of spiritual repose, and so great was the grief of the two Greek
+Priests who officiated in the temple that their cries and lamentations
+came to the ears of two Venetian merchants who chanced to be trading in
+that port. When these merchants found out the cause of their trouble
+they offered to take away the body of St. Mark and secure for it a sweet
+resting place in their own country. The Priests at first disliked the
+idea, but when the temple was profaned and robbed and stripped of all
+that made it attractive, they gave consent. It was a work that was very
+risky they thought, for St. Mark had been known to work strange miracles,
+and was held in great awe and veneration by the people. However, they
+entered the tomb in which the body lay, cut open the wrapper in which the
+sacred remains were enfolded, removed the body and substituted the body
+of St. Claudian therein. How to carry the body away safely was their
+next consideration. They fell upon the following stratagem. Placing the
+body in a large basket covered with herbs and savoury joints of pork,
+they bore it along the streets crying: “Khan zir! Khan zir!” Pork!
+Pork! A cry hateful to all true Mussulmen. In this manner they reached
+the vessel with their precious burden in safety, where, in order to make
+sure of their prize, they concealed the body in the sails until they left
+the city. It is said the Venetians received the sacred remains with wild
+demonstrations of joy. A succession of fetes were given, ceremonies were
+held in honour of the Saint, pilgrims flocked to the shrine from all
+parts of the world. A revival in the fortunes of the Venetian Republic
+followed, and for a time the cry was often heard “Viva san Marco!” To
+secure a fitting resting place for the body thus secured from Alexandria,
+this church of St. Mark was built. It is a five domed Romanesque
+structure, decked with 500 marble columns. It contains more than 45,000
+square feet of mosaics of the tenth century. In form it is of a Greek
+cross. Marble from the Haram floors of Eastern potentates panel its
+walls and cover its principal porticos, and over its grand portals stand
+the four horses of gilded bronze which were taken from the arches of Nero
+and Trajan at Rome. They were first taken by Constantine in the fourth
+century after Christ to Venice. Then they were taken from Venice again,
+and this time to Paris by Napoleon, but they were restored to Venice in
+the year 1815. And here, as we saw them, they look most attractive. The
+Campanile or Tower of St. Mark’s is not a part of the building, but
+stands a little way off. It rises to the height of 322 feet, and at the
+top is one of the largest and finest vanes I ever saw, it is that of an
+angel with wings outstretched gilded with gold. It was from the tower of
+St. Mark’s that Galileo made most of his astronomical observations. We
+visited several churches of importance, but they are pretty much alike.
+All have their high altars and immense wax candles burning; the picture
+of the Madonna in prominent places. The confessional box for the
+natives, also for strangers and travellers such as we were. We, however,
+declined to patronize this particular line. If we must confess at all,
+we certainly take the Psalmist for our ideal, he said: “I said I will
+confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity
+of my sins.” Psalm 32, verse 5. Plenty of Holy Water and evidently
+plentifully used, as nearly every one coming in puts his fingers in the
+bowl and makes the sign of the cross on his forehead. Cowled monks paced
+the floor with noiseless tread. Priests and Bishops in their distinctive
+dress are not scarce. I gathered from some source that there are 1,200
+priests in Venice, a city of about 100,000 people. It seems as if
+everything had to bend to the church and the priest. In the church you
+have riches without end, there are huge columns carved out of solid
+marble and inlaid from top to bottom with hundreds of delicate figures
+wrought in costly verde antique; pulpits of the richest material, whose
+draperies hang down in many a lovely picture, showing the artist’s work
+from the loom. The Grand Altar, brilliant with agate, jasper and all
+manner of precious stones and slabs of what is almost priceless, the
+lapis lazuli, which is on all sides lavishly laid as if of no value. Yet
+in the midst of all this display of wealth and of lavish expenditure, all
+about and at the doors of the churches a dozen or more of hats or bonnets
+are doffed and heads bowed in mute appeal and a hundred hands extended
+appealing for help. Appealing in a language we could not understand, but
+with sad, pitiful eyes and hollow cheeks and tattered garments, no words
+were needed to translate their wants. I wondered why all these riches
+should lie idle and so many poor actually starving. Mark Twain, when
+visiting Italy, said: “Oh! Sons of classic Italy, is the spirit of
+enterprize, of self reliance, of noble endeavour, utterly dead within ye.
+Why don’t you rob the church?”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+
+The Pigeons in St. Mark’s Square: Further description of the interior:
+The Palace of the Doges: “The Bridge of Sighs”: The general Archives of
+Venice: The Church of Santa Maria dei Frari: London Polytechnic Party:
+Some of the slums of Venice: Our farewell.
+
+In the Piazza of St. Mark’s there may be seen, almost any time, some
+hundreds of pigeons. They are very tame, we passed them so closely I
+think we could have picked them up in our arms. There is an old legend
+that these pigeons are the safety valve of Venice. How? it is difficult
+to learn, but they are regarded almost with reverence. Twice a day they
+are fed by the public authorities. A huge bell is rung, and they come
+from all quarters of the city. They know the time of feeding and to show
+visitors that this is true, when the bell is not rung, the pigeons are
+there. If anyone hurts or kills one of these pigeons, he is fined
+heavily for the first offence, if it is repeated he is imprisoned. We
+went inside this beautiful church of St. Mark’s and at first we could not
+realise the magnificence, the beauty, the costliness of its interior.
+The columns of porphry and amalachite and verde antique, panels
+glittering with gold and gems, pavements dazzling in mosaic work.
+
+After some time we began to realize the splendours by which we were
+surrounded. Mr. Ruskin, I think, gives a fine picture in very simple
+words of the beauties and richness of St. Mark’s: “Then opens before us a
+vast cave hewn out in the form of a cross, and divided into shadowy
+aisles by many pillars. Round the domes of its roof, the light enters
+only through narrow apertures, like large stars; here and there a ray or
+two from some far away casement wanders into darkness, and casts a narrow
+phosphoric stream upon the waves of marble that heave and fall in a
+thousand colours upon the floor. What else there is of light is from
+torches or silver lamps burning ceaselessly in the recesses of the
+chapels. The roof sheathed with gold, and the polished walls, covered
+with rich alabaster, gives back at every curve and angle some feeble
+gleaming to the flames: and the glories round the heads of the sculptured
+saints flash out upon us as we pass them, and sink into gloom. Under
+foot and over head a continual succession of crowded imagery, one picture
+passing into another as in a dream; forms beautiful and terrible, mixed
+together, dragons and serpents and ravenous beasts of prey, and graceful
+birds that in the midst of them, drink from running fountains and feed
+from vases of crystal. The passions and pleasures of human life
+symbolized together and the mystery of its redemption; for the mass of
+interwoven lines and changeful pictures lead always at last to the Cross
+lifted and carved in every place and upon every stone, sometimes with the
+serpent of eternity wrapped around it, with doves beneath its arms, and
+sweet herbage growing forth from its feet. But conspicuous most of all
+is the great road that crosses the church before the altar, raised in the
+bright blazonry against the shadow of the Apse.”
+
+To describe all the interior of this lovely structure would be as easy as
+to describe our British Museum in London. We were enchanted, bewildered,
+surprised. The baptistery, with its sculptured front, and for an altar
+piece a massive granite slab, on which, it is alleged, our Lord stood
+when he preached to the inhabitants of Tyre. Then the choir stalls are
+rich in carvings of every description, indeed, everywhere about us are
+treasures unspeakable. The outside is hardly less wonderful than the
+inside, with its domes, spires, statues, arches and columns, which fairly
+bewilder you, as for the first time your eyes fall upon such marvellous
+productions of the skilful workmanship of man. The King’s palace or what
+is called the Palace of the Doges is just against the Piazza or Square of
+St. Mark’s. Against one of the columns at the entrance I took a snapshot
+of my dear wife and our friend Miss Himmel. This place is full of things
+ancient and interesting. Ruskin says of its many coloured marbles,
+columns, arches, and curiously sculptured windows: “A piece of rich and
+fantastic colour, as lovely a dream as ever filled the imagination.” It
+has been twice destroyed by fire, but from the ashes it has arisen more
+beautiful than ever; here it stands to-day a monument of a strange and
+eventful history of over one thousand years.
+
+ [Picture: Mrs. Wardle and Miss Himmel by The Doges Pillar, Venice]
+
+The power of the Doges it seems, was an absolute power for a time, yet
+was of uncertain tenure. Out of fifty, it is said, five abdicated, nine
+were exiled, five were banished and their eyes put out, and five were
+massacred, this up to 1172. Life was of little value in those days, even
+amongst kings, nor was it less so amongst the people, as often a man
+accused was condemned without trial, punishment was swift and sure and
+secret, generally by strangulation in prison, or by drowning, hands tied
+and body weighted. It was no uncommon sight in those days in this land
+to see a body swinging from the gallows by the wayside. No one dared to
+enquire about the unhappy man’s fate, or he stood in danger of similar
+treatment. Everywhere there was unsafety and fear. As Rogers, one of
+our poets, puts it:
+
+ “A strange mysterious power was there,
+ Moving throughout; subtle, invisible
+ And universal as the air they breathed.
+ A power that never slumbered, never pardoned,
+ All eye, all ear, nowhere, and everywhere;
+ Most potent when least thought of—Nothing dropt
+ In secret, when the heart was on the lips,
+ Nothing in feverish sleep, but instantly
+ Observed and judged—A power that if but glanced at
+ In casual converse, be it where it might,
+ The speaker lowered at once his eyes, his voice
+ And pointed upwards as to God in heaven.
+ But, let him in the midnight air indulge
+ A word, a thought against the laws of Venice,
+ And in that hour he vanished from the earth.”
+
+Those were dark days in this city of wealth and power. We were not
+permitted inside the palace, but were allowed to ascend the staircase at
+the head of which is the famous “lions’ mouths,” into which, in ancient
+times, were placed terrible denunciations, secret letters, etc., which
+meant, what I have already referred to, imprisonment, torture or death.
+Also, along a long corridor, where we could see the busts of the Venetian
+heroes, whose names were enrolled in the “Golden Book.” Beyond is the
+hall of the Grand Council, in which are some of the richest and most
+valuable pictures in Venice. There is Tintoretto’s masterpiece, “The
+glory of Paradise,” the largest picture (74 feet long) ever painted on
+canvas, the most precious thing in Venice to-day. From the hall of the
+Grand Council, there is further on the hall of the Council of Ten.
+Indeed, the rooms are so many, so large and so full of things of
+interest, we left the place greatly interested and very tired.
+
+Another marvellous old church we visited was erected in 1565. It is,
+however, much like other churches, full of pictures, bronze statues and
+carvings in wood in great variety. The tomb of Titian is an object of
+interest in the Church of Frari, but time does not permit us to dwell
+upon it. The offices of the general archives of Venice are very fine
+buildings, they were in the cloisters of the Frari, they are now simply
+the resting places of the most ancient records of the old republic. It
+is said there are now over fourteen million volumes of immense value
+stored there. They occupy thirteen large rooms. The museum is a place
+worth a visit to those who are interested in curios. It belongs to the
+city, and in it are many curiosities, chiefly artistical and
+archaeological—antique medals, armoury, engravings, books, ivory,
+engraved stones. It is a place of great interest.
+
+We crossed the famous “Bridge of Sighs,” immortalised by Lord Byron, who
+says:
+
+ “I stood in Venice, on the bridge of sighs,
+ A palace and a prison on each hand.”
+
+It was built in the year 1610. We could not fail to remember Tom Hood’s
+pathetic poem, written, it is believed, after seeing a poor girl, one of
+the unfortunates, whose corpse has just been discovered in the cold black
+waters under this bridge of sighs—Drowned! drowned!
+
+ “One more unfortunate weary of breath,
+ Rashly importunate, gone to her death;
+ Take her up tenderly, lift her with care;
+ Fashioned so slenderly, young and so fair.
+ Touch her not scornfully, think of her mournfully,
+ Gently and humanly; not of the stains of her,
+ All that remains of her now is pure womanly.
+ Make no deep scrutiny into her mutiny,
+ Rash and undutiful, past all dishonour,
+ Death has left on her only the beautiful.
+ Still for all slips of hers, one of Eve’s family,
+ Wipe those poor lips of hers, oozing so clammily.
+ Loop up her tresses, escaped from the comb,
+ Her fair auburn tresses, while wonderment guesses
+ Where was her home? Who was her father?
+ Who was her mother? Had she a sister?
+ Had she a brother? Or was there a dearer one
+ Still and a nearer one yet than the others?
+ Alas for the rarity of christian charity
+ Under the sun, Oh! it was pitiful!
+ Near to a city full, home she had none.
+ Where the lamps quiver, so far on the river,
+ With many a light from window and casement
+ From garret to basement, she stood with amazement
+ Homeless by night. The bleak wind of March
+ Made her tremble and quiver, but not the dark arch
+ Or the black flowing river, mad with life’s history
+ Glad to death’s mystery, swift to be hurled
+ Anywhere, anywhere, out of the world.
+ In she plunged boldly, no matter how coldly
+ The rough river ran.
+ Over the brink of it. Picture it, think of it.
+ Then if you can, take her up tenderly,
+ Lift her with care; fashioned so slenderly,
+ So young and so fair. E’er her limbs frigidly
+ Stiffen so rigidly, decently, kindly
+ Smooth and compose them, and her eyes close them
+ Staring so blindly, dreadfully staring
+ Through muddy impurity. As when the daring
+ Last look of despairing, fixed on futurity.
+ Perishing gloomily, spurned by contumely,
+ Cold inhumanity, burning insanity,
+ Into her rest—Cross her hands humbly
+ As if praying dumbly, over her breast.
+ Owning her weakness, her evil behaviour,
+ And leaving with meakness her sins to her Saviour.”
+
+The bridge derives its name from the fact that criminals crossed it from
+the judge’s chamber to the prison. This passage used to be on the
+bridge: “The way of the transgressors is hard.” The bridge is a single
+arch of one span of ninety feet. There are some nice shops on the top.
+Our next visit was to the church of San G. Maggiore. Amongst so many
+churches that we visited, I must not omit to name the old church of Santa
+Mari dei Frari. It is about five hundred years old. It is said the
+heart of Titian lies somewhere here. He died at the age of about one
+hundred years. A plague was raging at the time of his death, which
+carried away something like fifty thousand of the inhabitants of Venice.
+Yet such was the esteem in which he was held, the state permitted a
+public funeral in that season of death and terror. In this church there
+is a fine monument to one of the Kings “Foscari.” It is in its way a
+curiosity. It is over forty feet high, and is fronted in such a peculiar
+fashion, I could only liken it to some heathen temple. Against it are
+four black men, as black as the blackest marble could be, dressed in
+white garments of marble. Their black legs are bare, and through places
+that seem torn in breeches and sleeves, the shining black marble shows.
+Above all this sits the departed Doge or King.
+
+“The Church of Santa Maria della Salute.” On our way home we dropped
+from our gondola to have a look at this sacred building. It stands
+nearly at the entrance of the Grand Canal. A hundred statues adorn the
+facades. It is said the building rests upon over one million massive
+piles driven deeply into the sea. It was erected in response to a vow,
+so it is said, in the year 1631. Sixty thousand inhabitants were swept
+away by a terrible plague. The then Doge vowed a vow to build a costly
+church in honour of the Virgin, if the plague was stayed, from the day
+the vow was made, no more deaths occurred, and every year this event is
+commemorated in a festival. Reaching home tired, we soon went to bed and
+rested. Rising refreshed and it being Sunday morning, we felt a need of
+our English Sabbath with its quiet rest and worship. This, however, was
+partly supplied by a party from the Polytechnic in London, who, we found,
+were sleeping at our hotel, so we joined them, after we had breakfasted,
+in their songs, and so passed a part of the sacred day happily and
+pleasantly. We visited one of the principal manufactories of mosaics and
+carvings. A gentleman, who spoke fairly good English, escorted us
+through these extensive works. The building was, at one time, one of the
+Ducal Palaces. Room after room, full of the finest mosaics, cameos,
+china works in every conceivable variety, statuary, and carvings. Some
+of these works of art are almost priceless. We bought a few small
+specimens of the Venetians’ workmanship. These large palaces of days
+long past are crumbling to ruins. Byron says:
+
+ “In Venice Tasso’s echoes are no more,
+ And silent rows the songless gondolier.
+ Her palaces are crumbling on the shore,
+ And music greets not always now the ear.”
+
+Among the many places of interest in this very interesting old-world
+city, that we cannot stay to describe, are the Mint, the Arsenal, the
+Public Gardens, Titian’s house, Academy of Fine Arts, etc. We had just a
+look at what we should call the slums, I mean the places where live the
+poor, and the poor are very poor. Someone has compared Venice to a page
+of music, with its curious streets, palaces, museums, canals and bridges,
+resembling lines, notes, double notes, crotchets, pauses; its long and
+straight, its short, narrow and crooked ways, its open spaces scattered
+up and down, its mounting and descending of bridges. The comparison
+holds good in as far as the stranger may easily lose his way and not
+easily find it again, in this maze of land and water. In Venice nearly
+everything is sold in the open-air in the poorer quarters, and almost
+everything that is eaten, is eaten in the open-air. Stalls, where fish
+or mutton is grilled or fried, and passed hot into the al fresco
+customer’s hands. Turning into a sequestered nook resembling one of the
+openings in our Narrow Marsh, we saw a number of girls, very good looking
+damsels, with guitars and dulcimers, they were giving a serenade to the
+poor of that quarter. They are the pearl threaders. The pearl threading
+is an occupation prevalent in Venice, as embroidery was at one time in
+England. A home of the poor was being removed from one house to another,
+the furniture consisted simply of a bedstead and a huge chest or coffer
+with a stool or two, and a small wooden table. These constituted their
+whole inventory. Nothing of marble or mosaic here. Nothing of gold or
+purple, only squalor, poverty and rags. And now we think we have seen
+Venice, our time also is used up or nearly so. We have surely seen
+enough of the profusion of costly ornamentation in the old churches. We
+gazed upon pictures until our eyes were weary of looking at the finest
+works of the painters’ art ever produced. We have surely learned
+something in this old-world city of the deeds and doings of bygone ages.
+To have seen St. Mark’s and its wonderful Campanile or Tower, and the
+Palace of the ancient Kings or Doges, and the Grand Square, and the
+Bronze Horses that figure in so many legends (it is said there are
+hundreds of people in this curious old city that have never seen a living
+horse). We think we have now seen Venice, and if this had been all we
+had seen on this tour, it would be worth all the cost and all the trouble
+to have seen this city on the sea.
+
+Our new found friend, Miss Himmel, left us in the early morning, her next
+visit was to Munich. We wished her good-bye and God speed, for in our
+very short acquaintance we had learned to look upon her as a dear friend.
+And so we leave Venice, calling it as Goethe does: “a grand work of
+collective human effort. A glorious monument, not of a ruler, but a
+people.” So we departed, our gondola was at our hotel door early, we
+settled up, he swung out and we were at the station and caught the 9.45
+for Milan.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+
+Arrival in Milan: Our visit to the Cathedral: Its Spires, and Turrets:
+Its Stained Glass Windows, Altars, Pictures, and Sculpture: The Church of
+St. Ambrogio: The Bera Picture Gallery: The Hospital: Leaving Milan:
+Arrival at Como: Lake Como.
+
+As we steamed out of this dear old city, a palace of dreams, we looked
+back with a lingering desire to know her better. Across the lagoons we
+were soon out of waterways and amongst the mountains of Italy; scenery
+lovely, bewitching, enchanting. With a certain poet
+
+ “I ask myself is this a dream?
+ Will it all vanish into thin air?
+ Is there a land of such supreme
+ And perfect beauty anywhere?”
+
+For a long time we sped on through mountainous country whose peaks were
+bright with sunshine, the hillsides were dotted with pretty villas, which
+were surrounded with lovely gardens full of shubbery, or ravines that
+looked cool and shady. Before the day had begun to wane, we caught
+glimpses of the great city of Milan, and soon we were being driven to
+“Hotel Europe.” We found it all we could desire, large, clean, well
+fitted and most moderate. Our great desire, of course, was to see the
+wonderful cathedral. We had heard so much of this grand, solemn, vast,
+airy, peaceful building, that we could hardly sleep for the thought that
+we were so near what our eyes were aching to see. We rose refreshed,
+and, after a good breakfast, we sallied forth to feast our eyes on the
+object we had heard of so often, but never seen. Into the streets we
+went in a fever of excitement. In this direction and in that, around us,
+behind us, before us were busy crowds. At last, a very forest of
+graceful spires, shimmering in the light of the lovely morning sun, burst
+upon our view. We needed no one to tell us what it was. The Cathedral!
+my dear wife exclaimed. We knew it in a moment. How sharply its angles
+and its hundred of spires are cut against the sky. It is like a vision!
+Some one has said: “a poem wrought in marble.” From whatever standpoint
+you view Milan Cathedral, it is noble, it is beautiful. You can see it
+from almost any point of the city, and for many miles outside it is
+visible. We were at its doors early in the morning. The central one of
+the five is finely bordered with a bas-relief of birds and fruits, beasts
+and insects, so ingeniously carved that they look as if they were really
+living things. On entering, we felt as though we might hear a strange
+voice saying: “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon
+thou standst is holy ground.”
+
+ [Picture: Milan Cathedral, Milan]
+
+And the lines of Milton at once rose to our lips.
+
+ “But let my dear feet never fail
+ To walk the studious cloisters’ pale,
+ And love the high embowered roof
+ With antique pillars, massive proof
+ And storied windows richly dight,
+ Casting a dim religious light.
+ There let the pealing organ blow
+ In service high and anthems clear
+ As may with sweetness through mine ear
+ Dissolve me into ecstacies,
+ And bring all heaven before mine eyes.”
+
+And Tennyson says:
+
+ “Oh! Milan! oh! the charming choirs!
+ The giant windows blazoned fires,
+ The height, the space, the gloom, the glory,
+ A mount of marble, a hundred spires.”
+
+We were amazed at the magnitude, the brilliancy, the beauty of all its
+interior parts. In every nook and cranny and corner there is some lovely
+statuary, or vase, or painting, and every one is a study in itself, every
+face is eloquent with expression, and every attitude is full of grace.
+You can trace the master mind and hand of Michael Angelo or Raphael in
+the many objects of interest that arrest attention. “Long rows of fluted
+columns, like huge mountains, divide the building into broad aisles.”
+The lovely stained glass windows, one of which contains no less than
+sixty panes; these throw in the soft morning light their shadows upon the
+marble floor of the aisles. We quietly strolled along, viewing with
+admiration the pictures and mosaics so artistically arranged by their
+thousands of small pieces of coloured glass, until the whole seems to
+have the finish of a picture. Our guide showed us many things of
+interest, which we might have missed but for his aid. A piece of
+sculpture, the colour of a coffee bean, was shown to us, and our guide
+stated it was believed to be the work of that famous artist, Phidias. It
+is a figure of a man without a skin, with every vein, artery and muscle,
+every fibre and tendon and tissue of the human frame shown in the
+minutest detail. It was not a very attractive object to look upon, yet
+it was a work of skill and genius. The staircases to the roof are of the
+whitest of white marble. There is no stone, no brick, no wood apparently
+amongst its building material. We did not feel like going up the one
+hundred and eighty-two steps, to gain the summit of this great block, we
+contented ourselves with a general view from the floor. The statues up
+in the niches high, looked like tiny dolls, while they are really the
+size of a man. There are niches for nearly five thousand statues, but
+only about three thousand are filled up-to-date. We were not allowed to
+see the treasures and relics, these are most valuable and curious. We
+learn there is treasure inside the coffers to the value of six million
+francs. This is in silver and gold bas-reliefs and images of Bishops,
+Cardinals, Madonnas and Saints, Crosses, Croziers and Candlesticks. For
+relics they have a stone from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, a fragment
+of the purple robe worn by Our Saviour, two of St. Paul’s fingers, and a
+bone of Judas Iscariot, a nail from the real cross on which Our Saviour
+died. Once every year these sacred relics come out of their dusty
+archives, and are carried in a grand procession through the city, amid
+the acclaims of a deluded people. On the High Altar is a very fine
+tabernacle of gilt bronze adorned with figures of Our Saviour and the
+twelve disciples, the gift of one of the ancient Popes. A magnificent
+candelabrum hangs from the roof of the choir stall. Beneath the choir is
+a small subterranean church, in which services are held in the winter
+months, as it is much warmer than in the great cathedral above. This
+lower church is from the designs of Pellegrini, and from this church is
+an entrance to the Chapel of St. Carlo. This Saint, it appears, was born
+about 1505, and was specially good to the poor, as he sold his life
+interest in some property and distributed it amongst the hospitals and
+charities of the city. He tried to introduce some salutary improvements
+into the church, for the scandalous manner of living of the priests had
+become notorious. For his desire to reform their habits, an attempt was
+made to assassinate him. Several of the attempts failed, they then hired
+a priest named Farina to execute the bloody deed. He gained access to
+this private chapel, and as San Carlo was kneeling before the altar, he
+fired at him with an old blunderbuss, just at the moment he was chanting:
+“Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” The bullet
+struck him on the back but did not penetrate his silken stole, but
+dropped harmlessly to the ground. This failure of the attempt to murder
+him was considered an interposition of Divine Providence. He died,
+however, at the early age of forty-six. His death was hastened by the
+severe austerity of his life. His body is deposited in a gorgeous shrine
+of silver, the gift of Philip IV., of Spain, and he lies in his full
+canonicals and can be seen through panes of rock crystals. Upon the
+sarcophagus is worked in rich tapestry San Carlo’s favourite motto:
+“Humility.” There are several busts of San Carlo, also a fine statue. A
+mitre, also said to be worn by this Italian worthy during the plague, it
+is beautifully embroidered with feathers of the choicest and richest
+hues. There are many churches in all the cities of Italy that are full
+of interest, some have been so much modernized that, from the outside,
+there appears nothing unusual, but once you are inside, surprise follows
+surprise. Saint Ambrogio is one of these. The moment you get inside you
+are interested, statues of costly marble, silver shrines, columns of
+marble, vast and numerous. One of the great sights is the splendid
+facing of the altar, which is a marvellous display of the goldsmiths’
+art. A fee of five francs must be paid to see it, the front of the altar
+is of rich plates of gold, the back and sides are of silver, all richly
+enamelled and set with precious stones, the golden front is in three
+divisions, each contains smaller compartments; in the centre one are nine
+containing the emblems of the four Evangelists and the twelve Apostles.
+The transfiguration is also clearly seen amongst them. On one side are
+to be seen eight angels bearing vials, on the other side are the four
+archangels—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. But the back is quite as
+full of interest; like the front it consists of three grand compartments,
+and these are divided into similar tablets. On one of the first is seen
+a swarm of bees buzzing around the head of a sleeping child. The legend,
+when explained, tells us that when St. Ambrose was born in the year 340
+A.D., a swarm of bees were thus seen around the head of the infant while
+in his cradle while lying in the palace of his father, and as no harm
+followed, it was said to be an omen of his future eloquence and power.
+He was chosen Bishop of Milan in the year 375 A.D. Other emblems, indeed
+they are too numerous to mention. On the right side of the nave is a
+large serpent of brass. Tradition states it is the serpent of brass
+which was set up in the wilderness for the serpent-bitten Israelites to
+look upon and live. Tradition is not always truth. In the centre of the
+choir is a curious marble throne, called the chair of St. Ambrose, its
+appearance is very ancient, it is decorated with figures of lions and
+strange carvings. We left this interesting sanctum as we had left other
+churches—impressed, instructed and grieved. The Brera Picture Gallery or
+Museum is also well worth a visit. It originally belonged to the
+Umiliate Order of Jesuits. It is of immense size, and its frescoes are
+simply magnificent. Amongst them I may name “The Virgin and Child, with
+St. John and the Lamb”; three girls playing a game then called “hot
+cockles”; “A youth riding on a white horse”; “Child seated amongst vines
+and grapes”; “The Virgin and St. Joseph proceeding to their marriage at
+the Temple”; two minstrels, such as usually accompany wedding parties;
+“The martyrdom of St. Sebastian;” “The Israelites preparing to leave
+Egypt”; “The Prophet Habakkuk awakened by the Angel”; “Three cupids with
+musical instruments.” I believe there are thirteen rooms all full of the
+finest works of arts to be found anywhere out of Rome. The botanical
+gardens are not, to my mind, equal even to our own in this country. The
+Grand Hospital of Milan is well worth looking at from the outside, built
+in the year 1456. The first stone was laid by Antonia Filarte. As you
+enter the great gateway, a very fine quadrangle appears in view, and
+there is a double colonnade of arches, twenty-one on one side and
+nineteen on the other. I was told that over thirty thousand patients
+passed through this hospital every year. It can accommodate at once
+about five thousand people. Monuments abound outside that have been
+raised to the memory of the principal benefactors. The theatres of Milan
+are really palaces of beauty; indeed, I learn that Milan is known by the
+magnificence of its theatres. The principal one is La Scala. It is said
+to be the largest and the best arranged of any in Italy, It is capable of
+holding three thousand six hundred spectators easily. There are
+forty-one boxes in each row. We did not go inside as our time was fully
+taken up with other scenes and places. There is a Church of England, or
+rather services rendered by a clergyman of the Church of England. The
+Protestants in Milan are very few. There are several Free Church
+services conducted in the city, but the buildings are not of any special
+character. From observation I should say four-fifths of the inhabitants
+are Roman Catholics. The city has now a population of over four hundred
+thousand. We visited a good many parts of this beautiful busy city. It
+has some very fine squares, some noble monuments, some pretty gardens;
+also shops of all kinds, and goods may be had at reasonable prices. We
+secured some small mementoes that were not very difficult to pack and
+carry away. After a few days stay we agreed to move on. So packing once
+again, and settling up our accounts, and tipping the waiters (it is
+unpardonable to leave without doing this), our luggage was once more on
+the ’bus, and we were lumbering along to the railway station, now to make
+our way to Como, and so on to Lucerne through the great St. Gothard
+tunnel. We had only a little while to wait, and our train came in with a
+roar and a hiss. A few minutes and we have left behind us one of the
+sights that will linger long with us. “The Cathedral of Milan,” for some
+distance we could see it behind us, and in front of us snow-clad
+mountains some twenty miles away, our interest deepened as we proceeded,
+for the beauties nature’s bounteous hand has spread all over Italy is one
+continual surprise and joy. In less than an hour our train steamed into
+the station at Como. This is not a large place, but looks very pretty as
+it nestles in quite an amphitheatre of hills. Como was the home of
+Pliny, and it is said to have been a very fashionable resort at the time
+of the Cæsars. In the middle ages it became an independent republic, and
+for a long time held its own against the large city of Milan. It is now
+a very prosperous little town, and it is said rivals Lyons in some
+respects for its beautiful production of silks. It is surrounded by
+Olive yards and Orange groves, and near by is the beautiful lake of Como.
+This is one of the most beautiful of all lakes of lovely Italy we have
+seen, and we had seen several from our carriage windows, and it was only
+from this point we could gaze upon this scene of loveliness. Time did
+not permit us to leave the train to explore and to enjoy. We could see
+its blue waters shimmering under a warm glow of sunshine. The
+surroundings are very interesting and beautiful, the eye does not grow
+weary in tracing the outline of the hills which surround it. I do not
+wonder at the Psalmist saying: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
+from whence cometh my help.” Psalm 121. For surely earth cannot
+present, nor unassisted reason fancy or conceive an object more
+profoundly significant of Divine Majesty than these hills clothed in
+their vestures at the top, by everlasting snow. In their presence “There
+is silence deep as death, and the boldest hold their breath.” The slopes
+of the hills are covered with a very lovely verdure of green, intersected
+here and there by glens. On one side there are crags and precipices,
+under whose shelter the vine hangs in bright green festoons. The Olive
+tree also is in good evidence, as shown by its gnarled and knotted stem;
+Orchards and fine Chestnut trees in rich profusion. Passing along we see
+the white foam of a waterfall as it shines amongst the verdure or leaps
+over the rocky crags and comes dashing and splashing down the hillside.
+Further on we see the little white houses dotting the hillsides, as if
+they grew out of the same. Then a single arch of a bridge that spans a
+small ravine and unites one little cluster of houses with another, giving
+interest to the whole surroundings. In another hour and a half we were
+steaming into beautiful Lugano.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+
+Lugano: The river Tessin and its bridge of ten arches: Bellinzono:
+Entrance to the great St. Gothard Tunnel: Andermatt Station: St.
+Bernard’s Hospice: The Devil’s Bridge: The Wood Cutter at Work: William
+Tell’s Chapel: His story: Entrance to Lucerne: Our Hotel: Our visit to
+the mountain top of Sonnenberg, etc.
+
+Our stay at Lugano was only for a few minutes, it looks very much like
+the town of Buxton, in Derbyshire, “Peakland.” The houses are built of
+stone, the streets are white and clean looking. It has a population of
+about 7,000, and has a little trade in silks, leather, hats, and some
+shoes. It is an important railway depot, as it stands very near the
+frontier, dividing Italy and Switzerland. The Roman Catholics have a
+very fine church, and, as an accessory, a very extensive nunnery. The
+river Tessin runs near and the town is protected by a very large dam,
+nearly a mile long. We crossed this river as we left for Lucerne, over a
+fine granite bridge of ten arches and something like seven hundred feet
+long. As we left behind us this pretty little town, we were soon
+recompensed by ever changing scenery that no pen can fully describe.
+
+ [Picture: St. Gothard Tunnel]
+
+About an hour brought us to another stopping place, Bellinzono. From
+here we run side by side with the river Ticino, a very fine river, and
+here began to ascend rapidly towards the Alps and the great tunnel of St.
+Gothard, which is the largest in the world, and by a long way the most
+costly. On our way we had a good view of Monte San Salvatore, some three
+thousand feet high, and beautifully covered with green vegetation right
+to the summit, and its sides are dotted over with little white
+homesteads, they look very pretty in the distance. We soon reached the
+entrance to the great tunnel, which is a marvel of engineering skill. It
+is built in corkscrew fashion. As we proceeded into the darkness, in
+about ten minutes or less we came into daylight for a few seconds and
+found we were about two hundred feet above the little church we had
+passed a few minutes before. Again we plunged into darkness, again we
+emerge into daylight, only to find the church is now about six hundred
+feet below us, and this is repeated, we see the church five times and
+ultimately we reach the top, about seven thousand feet above sea level.
+I think the station is called Andermatt. Here we stopped for a little
+while, we bought some postcards with views of the tunnel and of some of
+the scenery about here. The cold was intense, the air very rarified.
+Not far from here is a Hospice where the dogs, the great St. Bernard dogs
+are kept for the purpose of protecting the mountain pass. Before the
+railway was made there was a road that was passable with guides and
+mules, though, not unfrequently, storms would overtake the party and they
+would get lost in the snow, or some venturesome individual would go very
+near the edge of the precipice, and, as the snow hung over considerably,
+with his weight it would break loose and cause an avalanche of snow to
+fall, which would take the whole party into the gulf below, sometimes two
+or three thousand feet. At other times, overtaken by terrible
+snowstorms, the party and guide would lose their way, and so get buried
+in the drifts. On such nights the monks of the hospice would go out with
+the dogs and listen for cries of help. It is stated that scores have
+been saved from being frozen to death by the great St. Bernard dogs.
+After leaving Andermatt, we again pierced the mountain in this great
+tunnel, now we began to descend. Coming into daylight the sight that met
+our view was simply enchanting, we were right on the top of the Alps and
+could see the great peaks and the lesser mountains covered with eternal
+snow. Down we descended to Wassen, here we crossed a foaming cataract
+(by an iron bridge) that had cut for itself a deep gorge in the side of
+the mountain. A little further we crossed what has come to be called
+“The Devil’s Bridge.” This is in the midst of scenery of the wildest
+nature imagination can conceive. Why it is called by such a name I don’t
+know, only the awful desolation of the place, the awe inspiring grandeur
+of the cliffs, the terrible roar of the river one hundred feet below, and
+the shrieking of the wild wind, aptly called by the natives, “Hutshelm,”
+or “hat rogue.” Certainly it is an eerie, creepy sensation that steals
+over you as you pass. On we glide, now through narrow rocky defiles,
+then crossing chasms of great depths, as we did so we leaned out of the
+windows and tried to guess the depth of the yawning gulf beneath us. It
+made us dizzy to look down. Proceeding, we came into the pine zone, and
+the black forests of these lovely pine trees seemed to be stuck on their
+mountain shelves as if staring at us and saying: “Why do you come
+uninvited into this quiet sanctuary of nature, too deep, too awful to be
+trodden by man?” Passing along we discovered the woodcutters were
+clearing out the pine trees on their mountain heights. To fell the trees
+the men seemed to be chained or roped on the rocky precipices, and the
+trees, when cut down, fall upon wires ingeniously hung from trees or
+large posts fastened in the mountain side and reaching for a distance of
+two or three miles. We saw the trunks of trees sliding along and down
+these wires as fast as our train was running. We were not long before we
+came to the Lake of Uri, which may be said to be out of the mountain
+ranges, and just by there we saw the Chapel, erected at a very early
+date, and re-built in 1880, to the memory of Switzerland’s great hero,
+William Tell.
+
+ [Picture: William Tell’s Monument]
+
+He was famous as a crossbowman, could shoot an arrow with great
+precision. The Canton in which he was born and lived was partly, if not
+entirely, under Austrian rule of that time, and so imperious was Gesler,
+the Governor, that he demanded of his people that when his hat was hung
+up in the market place of the town, every one passing should doff his hat
+and bow to it. William Tell refused to be so humiliated, and, as the
+result of his refusal, he was arrested, and it was demanded of him to
+shoot through an apple placed on the head of his only child, a boy of
+ten, at a distance of fifty yards. This, Tell accomplished without
+injury to his son; he, however, declared in his own mind the next arrow
+should go into the heart of Gesler, the tyrant. Tell, however, was not
+liberated, but was being taken a prisoner to the castle across this lake.
+While crossing, a very sudden squall arose, threatening to upset the boat
+which had Gesler and his prisoner Tell on board. So severe was the storm
+that Tell was liberated from his chains and asked to take an oar, it was
+known that he was a clever oarsman. Tell saw his opportunity, he ran the
+boat on the rocks, then leaping out he pushed the boat off into the lake
+again. Gesler, however, managed to land, but he fell to the arrow of
+Tell who had watched and waited for him for some time. To be relieved of
+so imperious a Governor was to constitute Tell an hero, hence the keeping
+his memory green by building a chapel; he is also commemorated in song as
+well as in story. Tell sings:
+
+ “Ye crags and peaks, I’m with you once again!
+ I hold to you the hands you first beheld,
+ To show they still are free. Methinks I hear
+ A spirit in your echoes answer me,
+ And bid your tenant welcome to his home
+ Again! Oh! sacred forms, how proud you look!
+ How high you lift your heads unto the sky;
+ How huge you are! how mighty and how free,
+ Ye are the things that tower, that shine, whose smile
+ Makes glad—whose frown is terrible—whose forms
+ Robed or unrobed, do all the impress wear
+ Of awe divine. Ye guards of liberty,
+ I’m with you once again! I call to you
+ With all my voice, I hold my hands to you
+ To show they still are free, I rush to you
+ As though I could embrace you! Scaling yon height
+ I saw an eagle near its brow
+ O’er the abyss: his proud expanded wings
+ Lay calm and motionless upon the air,
+ As if he floated there without their aid,
+ By the sole act of his unlorded will,
+ I bent my bow, yet kept he rounding still
+ His airy circle, as if in great delight.
+ The death that threatened him, he knew it not,
+ I could not shoot!—’Twas liberty,
+ I turned my bow aside and let him soar away.
+
+Passing along we were on the side of the lovely lake of Lucerne, and as
+it was after seven o’clock as we rounded the hillside, and passed the
+rocky precipices of the hills we could see the twinkling lights of the
+town some two miles away. We steamed into a beautiful station, I think
+Lucerne station, for beauty, for comfort, and arrangement, is the best we
+have seen on our lengthy tour. We alighted from the carriage on to a
+lovely platform. Porters in attendance, our luggage conveyed most
+expeditiously to the ’bus of the Hotel de L’Europe, and soon we were
+bowling along to that very delightful hotel. We found the place all that
+could be desired by the most scrupulous. We had an excellent bedroom,
+clean, dry and comfortable. Our luggage disposed of, a wash and brush,
+and away we go to enjoy a splendid table-de-hote. We did justice, I am
+sure, to the good things so abundantly provided, for there was no stint,
+no lack of variety, and served with great delicacy and tact. We were not
+long after we had had dessert before we began to feel we needed Nature’s
+sweet restorer, balmy sleep, and to bed we went. Seeing the nets for the
+mosquitoes were hanging on, we examined the room as far as we could and
+we came to the conclusion the room was void of the troublesome creatures.
+Sleep fell upon us sound and refreshing, when we awoke we found we had
+been the victims of the evil creatures, for we were both bitten in one or
+more places. Still, as the Yorkshire man said, “It mud a bin war.” We
+arose refreshed, and were anxious to see the Rigi mountain, and the still
+more popular Pilatus. First we drew the blinds, stepped out on to the
+balcony, we found a lovely garden under our window. It was beautifully
+laid out with flower beds and gravel walks. We stood and gazed, seeming
+to doubt if it was real, that we were really on earth. Could it be the
+Garden of Eden? It is like an exquisite dream. The scene seems to
+thrill like the sweetest chords of music. The hotel is like a palace,
+such lovely roses, charming walks, sculpture and vases on all sides,
+broad flights of stone steps leading in and out of the grounds to the
+hotel, and around the grounds massive trees with all manner of names.
+The Lake of Lucerne, just peeping through the trees, and the mountain
+ranges beyond, peak above peak covered with their snow white mantle made
+the scene entrancing. After we had tired our eyes with looking on the
+lovely landscape we went to enjoy our dejeuner of fish, fowl, bacon, eggs
+and coffee. We left our hotel for the first visit into the lovely town
+of Lucerne. It is not a large town but well built and kept very clean.
+The accommodation for getting about is good, by tram or ’bus or cab, and
+not too expensive. We soon found ourselves in the centre of an industry
+of silk and cotton works, making all kinds of fancy articles of ladies’
+wear and of the very finest materials. Young girls sitting in the shop
+fronts, and, indeed, in the doorway, plying their needles and crocheting
+hooks. A large number are employed in this branch of industry. Also the
+shops for toys were strangely attractive, chiefly made of wood by the
+mountaineers, while waiting for parties. The Swiss guide lives in the
+rocky regions, has a cow or two, and two or three goats, and is prepared
+to be used as a guide, or he fills in his time with making boxes of all
+sizes and shapes, pipes, animals of various kinds, indeed, almost
+anything you can imagine he can carve out of wood, with his knife. Time
+is not very valuable, so he works away until he has completed his work,
+which finds its way into the shops and so, finally, gets to England,
+France or Germany, as a toy for boys’ or girls’ amusement. We soon found
+our way to the front of the Lake of Lucerne. It is a charming lake, the
+colour is simply indescribable, it is neither blue nor green, but a
+lovely tint made up of both. As we looked across this beautiful water we
+could see orchards and meadows sloping right down to the water’s brink.
+Straight in front stood the mighty mountain called the Rigi. As we stood
+awe struck with delight to watch the vapours chased away by the coming
+sun and the rugged face of the mountain laid bare in all its grandeur and
+power, the sun shed its glow over rock and tree, and the stony monarch
+seemed to salute you with a smile. On the other side, that is at our
+right hand, old Pilatus, rugged and bare, seemed to look down upon the
+lake with a frown, and between the two giant mountains we could see the
+wondrous Alps, peak upon peak in a wonderful variety, clad in their
+mantle of eternal snow. And now above us and around us is the sunshine
+of, to us, unusual brilliancy and a sky of faultless blue, not a single
+cloud to be seen anywhere. The picture is one that will never fade from
+our memories. It will enter into our life to remain a constant joy to
+think of.
+
+It was our intention to go up by rail to the top of the Rigi or Pilatus
+or both, but other sights were so attractive that we kept putting off
+that pleasure, as there seemed to be doubts if, on the very summit, there
+might not be clouds to obscure the view, as the height of the Rigi is six
+thousand feet, the height of old Pilatus seven thousand feet, and there
+is an old saying put in rhyme that
+
+ “If Pilatus wears his cap, serene will be the day;
+ If his collar he puts on, you may venture on the way.
+ But if his sword he wields, at home you’d better stay.”
+
+We ventured a visit up the Sonnenbergh. This is done by train, or it
+would be more correct to say by carriage, for the train consists of one
+carriage only. The engines seem to have their boilers tilted up on ends.
+The railway has a central rail which is cogged, and into this endless cog
+fits a wheel underneath the engine. This is really the driving wheel by
+which it slowly moves up the steep gradient. We passed farms, orchards
+and plantations, up and up. It is a curious sensation to find yourself
+steadily moving up without any effort of your own, but still up we went
+until we landed on a lovely plateau, with a charming hotel. The view
+from this mountain height was beyond description. We left the train and
+wandered into the woods and viewed our surroundings. I had a camera with
+me so must get one or two pictures. We were ready to return by the next
+train after being up almost in the clouds for two hours. Our curious old
+steamer soon put us in safety again by the side of the lake, and from
+here we made our way to our hotel for some refreshments and for a rest.
+Again leaving our good “hostel” we visited the Glacier Gardens, these are
+now enclosed and protected, and a small fee is charged to see the natural
+wonders of this lovely and picturesque scenery. At the very entrance you
+see what is called “The Lion Monument.” It is cut out of the solid rock.
+
+ [Picture: Lion of Lucerne]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+
+The glacier gardens: The Lion of Lucerne: The glacier mill holes: The
+museum: The Bridge over the Reuss: The Cathedral: Pilatus Mountain:
+Leaving Lucerne: Zurich: Lake of Zurich: Zwingli, the reformer.
+
+As we entered the Glacier Gardens our eyes were at once drawn to this
+massive and very interesting and pathetic piece of sculpture, “The Lion
+of Lucerne.” The smooth face of this quarry is about fifty feet high,
+and it looks to be about as wide, it is overshadowed by some very nice
+trees and climbing plants. It is protected by a wooden rail, so you
+could not, if you so wished, carve your name on the rocky surface. In
+the very centre of this vast square is a wounded and dying lion. The
+size in stone (for it is really a part of the rock itself) is about
+twenty-eight feet in length. It was hewn by the order and from a model
+by the renowned Danish sculptor, Morwalsden, and was finished in the year
+1821. This famous masterpiece is dedicated to the memory of the Swiss
+Guards of Louis XVI., who fell a prey to the fury of the populace, as
+they retreated unarmed into the French Tuileries. The sculptured figure
+is in a lying position, and a broken arrow or spear is in its side. I
+don’t remember ever being so impressed with an object in stone as I was
+by this. It has an expression of the deepest grief, and such as must
+have moved many to tears. Above the figure you may read (as it is carved
+into the rock) the following words: “To the fidelity and bravery of the
+Swiss.” Beneath it the names of the twenty-six officers who fell on that
+terrible day. Passing into the gardens we were soon beside one of the
+glacier pots or holes. These glacier pots or mill holes were discovered
+in the year 1872, and it is asserted by geologists that they were formed
+in far past ages. One of them, Albert Heim, says: “I hereby testify both
+as a geologist and an eye witness of the first unexpected discovery, as
+also of the subsequent careful excavations of this wonderful phenomenon,
+that the hand of man had nothing to do with the formation of these
+glacier mills and polished surface of the glacier, nor with the erratic
+boulders that lie about, or in those mill holes, but that we have here to
+deal with a marvellous operation of free organic nature, a relic of a
+time when these countries were not inhabited by man.” In those days
+almost the whole of Switzerland and, indeed, the greatest part of the
+Northern Hemisphere was buried under immense masses of ice, as can now be
+proved with the greatest certainty, with here and there an oasis
+inhabited by animals long ago extinct. Our attention was drawn to a
+large hole in the solid rock almost round, and the sides quite smooth and
+about eight or ten feet deep, and at the bottom a large boulder or stone,
+also smooth. This hole is made by the whirling of the stone round and
+round by the force of melting ice, causing the waters to flow in strong
+descending streams. It is thus these glacier mills are formed. In these
+gardens are quite a number of these interesting specimens of the work of
+Nature in the far past ages. The largest of all the mill stones we saw,
+was one which weighs over five tons. This having in some remote age,
+been whirled round and round like a toy. There are also some large
+boulders carried by the glaciers from the high Alps and left here. We
+also found some very fine specimens of fossils and ferns that had been
+petrified into stone. We left this most interesting part of the gardens
+and mounted up a large number of steps to the imitation of a lovely
+little Swiss Chalet, surrounded by tall trees which seem to be growing
+out of the side of the rocky eminence on which the Chalet is perched. It
+is called “An Alpine Cottage.” The president of the Alpine Club
+describes it thus: “This cottage, cleverly and accurately imitated, gives
+us a true picture of these highland places of refuge. Not many men, and
+still fewer women, are enabled to see such a building in its airy
+district. Here it is, within reach of every one in perfect imitation of
+the real thing, inside and out. Even the inscription, here dedicated to
+the section Pilatus is not wanting. Let us walk in! The hut contains
+that homely furniture, those poor and scanty utensils, the view of which,
+however, is so welcome to him who, in the evening twilight, tired and
+weary, enters the hospitable and friendly space, and makes use of them to
+take his frugal meal. Let us go to the window! O wonder! what a sight!
+We are, as if by magic, transported to God’s beautiful world of the Alps.
+We stand far above the glacier which descends majestically from the land
+of eternal snow. It requires a long time and a close observation to
+realize that this is an illusion. The foreground is a plastic formation
+as in a panorama. All the characteristics of the world of glaciers are
+wonderfully rendered with scientific accuracy.” I have here given in his
+own words the description of this most wonderful imitation of a Swiss
+Cottage and its surroundings. The museum is one that would give
+entertainment and information to an enquirer after knowledge for some
+time, particularly in geology and the condition of our race in these
+regions in the far back past. Instruments of defence made of stone or
+flint or of bone. These have all been discovered in the immediate
+neighbourhood and preserved. A pick axe made of flint, chisels of flint
+stone, sling-stones, lance-like instruments, earthenware vessels,
+carbonized wheat, half of an apple petrified, hand hatchet of bone, knife
+of bone, dagger of bone, dagger of horn, shovel of stag’s horn, tumbler
+of horn, shuttle made of bear’s teeth, sewing needle, very crude, made of
+bird’s bone. In another part of the museum there are groups of the
+animals of the Alps. The otter, the eagle, the horned owl, the bearded
+vulture, a group of Alpine hares, a wild boar, a group of bears, a pole
+cat, the common ibex, foxes, Alpine jackdaw, wild cats, sea swallow, the
+chamois, the St. Bernard dog, and many other interesting relics of past
+ages, preserved for the pleasure and benefit of the present generation.
+A fine collection of the mountain ferns are to be seen in their richness
+and beauty, with notices of the places in the Alps where they may be
+found. There is the ice grotto, which we did not descend to see, but we
+were greatly pleased with our visit to this very interesting place.
+Before leaving the gardens I took a snap-shot of my dear little wife on
+the bridge, crossing from the glacier gardens to the Alpine Chalet. We
+visited several other places of interest in the town, one, particularly,
+attracted our attention. It is a very old bridge over the river Reuss.
+It has stood against “the iron tooth of time which devours men and their
+works together,” for about four hundred years. Anything more quaint I
+think I never saw. It is covered in and is in length about one hundred
+yards. In the triangular spaces formed by the beams that go to support
+the roof, pictures have been painted, I should think for the amusement of
+passers over, as they are not, as a whole, very edifying. I should say,
+perhaps, two hundred paintings are to be found on the bridge. There are
+some that may claim some merit; these are representations of the various
+battles and victories by the Swiss armies. About the centre of the
+bridge is a curiosity shop or bazaar, containing toys, bronzes, etc.
+Hastening across, for time began to be valuable, as we had seen so little
+of this wonderful city, and our time for leaving grew near, we needed to
+use the time left us wisely and well. The old cathedral must be visited.
+We had, however, seen so many, it hardly seemed likely this one would be
+at all interesting, but we determined to pay it a visit; and, although
+there is much about it that is similar to others we had seen, still there
+is a difference. On the outside and near the entrance is a large metal
+plaque in bronze, with a large cross on which is an image of the
+suffering Saviour, and a good number of names of persons deceased, who
+had left the instructions for the erection of the tablet. Inside, the
+usual array of bowls of holy water, confessional boxes, candles burning
+on the altar. There is also some very fine sculpture in marble, also
+some very fine pictures by the old masters. Of course it is Roman
+Catholic, consequently the priest is in evidence everywhere. We left the
+church with feelings that a great deal of the religion of the Roman
+Catholics, as we have seen it on the continent, is a soulless religion.
+It has a framework but no soul. We really hoped, before leaving Lucerne,
+to have gone up the Pilatus mountain, as from there we understand, can be
+had a splendid view of the Bernese hills, the highest of which is the
+Tomlishorn, about seven thousand feet. It used to be most difficult to
+climb the Pilatus, but now it is easy and safe. It used to be associated
+with legends of hobgoblins, fairies, dragons, etc. It is said to get its
+name from Pontius Pilate, who crucified the Christ, after which he was so
+smitten with remorse that he fled the Judean country and found his way to
+Switzerland, finding here in this awe inspiring mountain, a fit place to
+close his wretched career, and in a tiny lake near on the summit, he
+ended his miserable life. There is still a superstition abroad that his
+spirit, in its restlessness, visits this mountain periodically, and may
+be seen washing its hands as we read “And when Pilate saw that he could
+prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and
+washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood
+of this just person; see ye to it.” Matthew, chapter 27, verse 24. It
+may, however, be only imaginary, but superstition dies hard in such
+lonely localities. As we could not visit its summit this time, we must
+content ourselves with viewing it in the distance. And now our time in
+this lovely city closes. Our stay has been of the pleasantest; the
+manager of our hotel (The Hotel de L’Europe) has been to us the very
+essence of kindness; even the mosquitoes were fairly generous, only on
+one or two occasions have they troubled us. So we packed up, paid our
+bills and left, very reluctantly. It was on a very lovely morning we
+bade adieu to the most pleasant and enjoyable scenery of the lakes and
+mountains around the pretty town of Lucerne. Having boarded the train
+our first impulse was to get snugly into a corner and live over again the
+past few days, but the scenery around us was of such a character, we
+could not rest in forgetfulness of things passing. We could see in the
+distance the great Jura mountains. Then near to us homely, lovely
+scenery; there a little stone farm and farmyard, a little stream flowing
+by, the farmer’s maid on an iron bridge spanning the stream, giving the
+whole surroundings a picture of rusticity. A little further and we see
+an old mill, with its massive wheel in motion and the miller’s man in
+dusty garments, standing with his arms akimbo, giving orders for the
+unloading of a heavily laden mule wagon; around us is forest and field in
+pleasing variety. We are not very long before we near the lake of
+Zurich, which is very extensive, and like all the Swiss lakes, it is very
+beautiful. Then to Zurich. I was greatly surprised at the importance
+and the accommodation at and about the railway station. I think it was
+one of the best we had seen, and for attractiveness I should say the
+finest. The town itself is of importance, having a population of over
+one hundred and twenty thousand people. From the railway the city shows
+itself well, as a part of it is built on the side of a rocky eminence,
+with the River Limmet running at the foot. Indeed, this river divides
+the town, the upper and lower Zurich. There are six bridges (and they
+know how to make useful and beautiful bridges on the continent). Three
+are used for carriages, wagons, etc., and the other three only for foot
+passengers. The streets in Zurich are very narrow, crooked and dirty.
+On the hill stands conspicuously, a grand Cathedral, the Grosse Minster;
+of course, it is a Roman Cathedral, but it is, I learn, very rich in
+sculpture and pictures, although, I fear, very poor in that which should
+make any church rich—the Divine in-dwelling. There is a very fine Post
+Office, and all the modern appliances and conveniences for the
+acceleration of information. It is a very ancient town, indeed, it was,
+as history tells us, at one time a Roman city. Zwingli, the great Swiss
+reformer, played an important part in the history of Zurich. It was then
+the centre of the reformation in Switzerland, and Zwingli was leader. He
+was a contemporary with Martin Luther. He had studied at Basle and Bern,
+and was made parish priest in 1506. He was a great student of Holy
+Scripture; it is said he copied the epistles of St. Paul in Greek and
+committed them to memory wholly. He accompanied the Pope’s army against
+France as a Chaplain, and was granted a pension by the Pope for his
+sympathetic attention to the wounded and the dying. His knowledge of the
+Bible led him to examine closely into the teaching of the Romish Church
+and he, led doubtless by the good Spirit of God, discovered many things
+his conscience could not approve amongst them—the sale of indulgences.
+He wrote a work of great importance condemning the feasts of the Church,
+also against the worship of images, the mass, the confessional, and other
+abuses he conceived existed. In 1524 he married a lady of standing and
+importance, by this act he broke away from the Romish Church and incurred
+the Pope’s displeasure. Soon after this he joined the German Reformers;
+at that time Martin Luther was leader. Zwingli’s Bible was to him
+everything, he found in it complete and unbroken rest to his soul. To
+him it was the one only ground of appeal, also the test of faith and
+practice. On minor points such as baptism and sacraments, Luther and he
+did not see eye to eye; but on the main points of Christian theology and
+general church discipline they were in agreement. He fought and fell in
+a war between Zurich Canton and the Roman Catholic Cantons of
+Switzerland, in the year 1531. His great battle cry was “my countrymen,
+trust in God.” Our stay at Zurich was only short, we soon found
+ourselves en route for Basle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+
+From Zurich to Basle: Arrival in Basle: Our Hotel: Our visit to the Rhine
+Bridge: “The Watch on the Rhine”: The Market: The Cathedral and its
+sculpture, etc.: Erasmus: The Museum: The Zoological gardens: Leaving
+Basle: Arrival at Belfort: Belfort besieged.
+
+As we journeyed from Zurich, we felt we were leaving behind us sights we
+might never see again. A certain poet’s words came to my memory:
+
+ “Beautiful world,
+ Though bigots condemn thee:
+ My tongue finds no words
+ For the graces that gem thee!
+ Beaming with sunlight,
+ Beautiful ever,
+ Streaming with gay delight,
+ Full as a river.
+ Bright world! Brave world!
+ Let cavaliers blame thee,
+ I bless thee and bend
+ To the God that did frame thee.”
+
+Between Zurich and Basle we contrived to get a little relief from the
+excitement of new scenes. We had really been surfeited almost with the
+richness and beauty of our surroundings for so long a time that it was a
+relief to allow the train to speed on, and to get into a corner and
+contemplate and rest. We arrived at Basle in the afternoon, and found it
+a great railway centre, and indeed, a very important town, both for
+commercial men and for pleasure seekers. It is a great centre for
+cyclists, as there are at least forty castles to be seen within a radius
+of fifty miles. You can be in Germany in about twenty minutes. From the
+north, east and west, a number of the most important lines of central
+Europe are focussed here, and swelling to a mighty mass, branch off again
+in every direction to the interior of Switzerland. Thus inner
+Switzerland is laid open to the world’s traffic and pleasure. The
+surroundings of the city are very pretty, and we saw it when it was most
+charming, i.e., when the autumn tints are seen. Here we see field and
+forest around this grand old city in all the glory of the season’s
+attractions. We were advised by the manager of our hotel in Lucerne, to
+go to the Hotel Victoria in Basle, so we secured the usual fakeno to
+carry our luggage across, for it is only about two hundred yards from the
+station. We were, however, disappointed in the hotel and its management.
+They were neither obliging nor scrupulously true or honest, the very
+worst treatment we met with in all our travels.
+
+ [Picture: The Rhine Bridge, Basle]
+
+However, our stay was short, so we determined to make the best of it, the
+bedroom was good; and, although close by the station, we slept well. We
+decided to see the city the day following; and going out, we soon found
+it to be a great centre of commerce. It has a population of about one
+hundred and thirty thousand inhabitants. Great silk factories rear their
+heads in the centre of this great city. There are also manufacturies of
+chemicals, tobacco, machinery, etc.; also some very large breweries. It
+is said to be the wealthiest town in Europe, measured by its population.
+It has plenty of open-air spaces, as parks, gardens and monuments; cool
+avenues and well trimmed gardens are plentiful in the suburbs. We went
+to see the wonderful Rhine which flows through Basle, and we stood on
+that wonderfully constructed bridge of which the poet writes:
+
+ “A voice resounds like thunder peal
+ Mid dashing waves and clang of steel:
+ The Rhine, the Rhine, the German Rhine!
+ Who guards to-day my stream divine?
+
+ Dear fatherland, no danger thine,
+ Firm stand thy sons to watch the Rhine!
+ They stand a hundred thousand strong,
+ Quick to revenge their country’s wrong;
+ With filial love their bosoms swell,
+ They’ll guard the sacred land, mark well.
+
+ While flows one drop of German blood,
+ A sword remains to guard thy flood.
+ While rifle rests in patriot’s hand,
+ No foe shall tread thy sacred strand!
+
+ Our oath resounds, the river flows,
+ In golden light our banner glows,
+ Our hearts will guard thy stream divine;
+ The Rhine, the Rhine, the glorious Rhine!”
+
+For some time we stood and watched the rolling river flow by until tired
+of watching, we left after I had taken a snap-shot, and retracing our
+steps to the market, a place of peculiar interest, as everything seems
+different from our English ways. The stalls are set out differently, and
+their fruits, vegetables, pots, flowers and shoes, indeed almost
+everything you can need, we saw in the great space of the market here in
+Basle. The curious customs, dresses, language and money were all
+strange; and we thought the dress of the country folk was very quaint and
+queer. We spent sometime in looking over this great place, so many
+things offer attractions; without however, making any purchases save a
+few post-cards and a little fruit for our immediate use. We strolled on
+to the principal streets to note some of the very fine buildings that
+adorn the city. The Post Office is an imposing building, I should say it
+was partly ancient and partly modern. It is a Gothic building and seems
+to be well suited for, and capable of dealing with the work it has to do.
+The House of Parliament, or shall I say Government House, in the great
+market square, to look at it, it seems to rise terrace-like, up to the
+Martin’s Grasse; in the centre of each terrace is a court, round which
+the halls and the various offices are grouped. There is a fine statue
+close by the stairs representing a Roman pro-Consul, who had to do with
+the founding of the city. Of course, we must see the Cathedral. In all
+the continental cities there is a Duomo or Cathedral, and many of them
+are well worth a visit. The Cathedral of Basle stands on an elevation
+and consequently shows itself well. It has two steeples, not very lofty
+but very pretty. It dates from the year 1010, but has been restored and
+very nearly re-built, as there was a great fire which destroyed a large
+part of it in the year 1185. Again, in the year 1356, there was an
+earthquake, so serious that the vault of the central nave fell in, and
+the upper portion of the choir was thrown into the Rhine. Over the
+entrance is a fine stone gallery, and above this a very large window,
+with Madonna and Child in fine colours. There are several fine pieces of
+statuary inside. The Emperor Henry II. and his Consort Kunigundi, in
+colossal figures. To the left of one of the steeples is St. George in
+the act of killing the dragon. To the right, or St. Martin’s steeple, is
+a figure of St. Martin sharing his cloak with a poor beggar. On the side
+of the nave are some very fine works of art in sculpture, such as four
+life-size figures of the “Four Evangelists”; there is St. Peter and St.
+Paul; “The Seven Wise and Seven Foolish Virgins”; “Christ, as Judge of
+the World”; “John the Baptist and John the Evangelist.” Above these are
+seen angels blowing their trumpets; the dead arising from their graves
+and preparing for judgment; over the doorway inside, “The Wheel of
+Fortune.” There is an absence of the confessional, the Holy Water and
+other symbols of the weakness of the faith of the Roman Catholics. We
+were greatly interested with our visit to this, one more of the
+Continental Cathedrals, and especially so as one of the men who played
+some part in the great reformation lies buried here, I refer to Erasmus.
+He was a learned divine of the fourteenth century. He published some
+very fine pastorals and works of theology, that even now are considered
+worthy of reading. It does not seem that he ever joined Martin Luther in
+his crusade against the Pope and Popery in general, but he became a
+staunch protestant. It is said that King Henry VIII. offered him a
+church in Oxford. He travelled much, visiting Rome, Venice, England and
+Paris. He ended his days here in Basle, and in the sacred precincts of
+the Cathedral his dust reposes. The “blue house” is an attractive
+building; it was the residence of the Emperor and Empress of Austria
+during the war of liberation, at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
+It has a fine front and commands a full view of the river Rhine. The
+museum is one of the quaintest and strangest I have ever seen. It is
+said to be the most interesting museum in Switzerland. I cannot pretend
+to tabulate all there is to be seen here, only indicate some of the most
+curious: “The dance of death,” “Tankards,” “Bowls,” “Carved Altars of
+curious designs,” but very costly; the gold and silver plate belonging to
+the Cathedral, many trophies taken in war and weapons also. There are
+ancient household implements; also several important heirlooms of
+Erasmus; some fine figures of Samson and Delilah are to be seen at the
+entrance.
+
+“The Strassburg Monument” in the Elizabeth Gardens, close to the Central
+Railway Station, is a fine sculpture in white marble (I took a snap-shot)
+by Bartholdi, and was presented to the city by Baron Herve de Gringer, in
+commemoration of the assistance given by the Swiss in 1870, to the
+citizens of Strassburg when sorely pressed by the enemy. The Zoological
+Gardens of Basle are very extensive, and so far as I know, are the only
+gardens of this description in Switzerland. The way to it is full of
+beauty and interest. There is also another place some people might think
+important, we did not—that is the Crematorium. Many other places of
+interest in and around this fine old city, we had not time to visit, our
+time being limited. We could not help being struck with the fact that
+the ancient landmarks of this old world city are fast disappearing, and
+old buildings being pulled down and new palatial ones being erected on
+all hands. The crumbling walls of the middle ages are fallen; the moats
+are all filled in; narrow streets and alleys are being swept away in the
+onward march of time; and the broad squares and commodious dwelling
+houses are being put up. The beauty after all, is the rolling river
+Rhine. We closed our account at the hotel, wrote up our journals and
+prepared to leave this interesting old city. We left our hotel early in
+the morning, and were soon seated in a train for Belfort, in France. We
+had to cross the Rhine over a fine railway bridge, and as we crossed it
+we had a good view of the river as it rolled past. It comes through
+Alsace and Lorraine, the territory ceded by France to Germany after the
+great victory achieved by the latter, in the year 1870. The scenery,
+since leaving Switzerland, is less rugged and mountainous, but the
+foliage, in its autumn colours, is very pretty. A couple of hours
+brought us to the town of Belfort. It has now a population of about
+thirty thousand. We could see first of all, it was well fortified. The
+castle has a fine appearance in the distance, as it stands on a rocky
+eminence; something like our castle here in Nottingham. There is a fine
+old parish church (the religious element is well represented wherever we
+find ourselves). It is a manufacturing centre, especially for mats, but
+also wax tapers. There are several large breweries. This town was
+surrounded by the Germans in the great Franco-German war of 1870. But
+month after month it bravely, resolutely withstood all their attempts at
+capture; and although both food and ammunition became scanty, they still
+held on, until by sheer force of lack of provisions, they capitulated in
+February, 1871, to the great satisfaction of the Germans, and to the
+chagrin of the proud French. The Germans, in their generosity, and as a
+recognition of the bravery of the French soldiers, allowed them to march
+out of the town with full military honours. It is one of the towns that
+closely border Alsace and Lorraine of the Haut Rhin that was left to the
+French at the annexation in February, 1871.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+
+At Marseilles: Our Hotel; Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Green and Mrs. Martin: The
+sights of the City: The Cathedral, etc.: En route for Mentone: Toulon:
+Passing Nice: Cannes: Arrival at Mentone: Our Hotel: Meeting Mr. and Miss
+Brown: The scenery, etc.: Visit to Monte Carlo.
+
+Our visit to Marseilles was made in the earlier part of the year, also to
+the Riviera. On reaching Marseilles after a long and tedious journey, we
+proceeded to the “Grand Hotel du Louvre et Paix,” that we had previously
+arranged should be our stopping place, during our stay in the city. The
+hotel ’bus was at the station and we were soon safely inside and our
+baggage on the top; through some rambling streets we soon found ourselves
+at an hotel of no mean pretensions. The front is facing a very fine
+street, and is of massive proportions. Inside is even better than the
+outside. Everything up-to-date; lovely chandeliers with electric light;
+mirrors, carpets of the richest and best quality; writing rooms, coffee
+rooms, dining rooms and several hundreds of bed rooms. We just looked
+round and got the number of our bed room and were about to step into the
+lift, which had just descended, when to our surprise we met face to face,
+a dear old friend of ours, Mrs. Martin, of Glasgow, and she was
+apparently as much surprised to see us. We hurried through our toilet
+and went down stairs to learn why she was here alone. She told us her
+father, G. Green, Esq. (a very dear and almost life-long friend of ours)
+was returning from a visit to America and the West Indies, and she
+expected him and Mrs. Green arriving at Marseilles at once; indeed, she
+was just going down to the docks to see if the boat was in. In the
+meantime we had lunch, which just then was very necessary and most
+acceptable. We wanted to see a bit of the city, as our time was limited,
+and we could ill afford to lose any of it. We found the shops fairly
+good, but prices very high for anything that was worth having. We
+omitted spending at present, so went back to our hotel where we met Mr.
+and Mrs. Green to our great surprise and pleasure. After the usual
+salutations, etc., we wanted to know each other’s programme, to see if we
+could not have at least a few days together. We had arranged to go on to
+Mentone, and had booked hotel beforehand; they had decided, with Mrs.
+Martin, to go to Cannes the same day, so we arranged to return from
+Mentone earlier than we had thought, and visit Cannes; and they arranged
+to stay at Cannes till we arrived, and have at least two days with us.
+So they left us for Cannes after having some refreshments. We further
+explored the city; the population now numbers nearly half a million, it
+is the next largest city in France save Paris. There is a grand
+Triumphal Arch not far from the railway termini, erected to commemorate
+the French campaign in Spain. The docks are most extensive, as they
+cover an area of about one hundred and seventy acres, and they must have
+cost many millions of pounds sterling. On the south side of the city may
+be seen, a long distance off, “The Notre Dame de la Garde.” It stands on
+a bare rock hill. To reach it you pass through an enclosure protected by
+iron railings, you take tickets and get into an elevator which quickly
+raises you over three hundred feet. From here, however, you have to
+reach this curious old Cathedral by many steps. When you have just
+gained the summit, there is a very fine view of the city at your feet,
+and of the Mediterranean Sea, with the graceful curves of the coast line
+lending enchantment to the view. The island of Monte Cristo is also well
+in sight, reminding you of Dumas’ novel. It is said that, on the spot
+where this church stands, the Druids celebrated their crafts and
+mysteries. Inside there are some very fine columns of blue marble from
+the Alps. The ceilings and walls are hung with pious offerings,
+commemorating strange deliverances at sea. There is an image of the
+Virgin in the shape of a flying mermaid, appearing to a ship in a storm.
+The Cornish Road or Chemin de Centure, is a great attraction, as it runs
+along the coast for a long distance, indeed, it is said to run along the
+coast to Naples, following the sea all the way; curving and jutting out,
+just as the sea has apparently found the bays and the promontories. The
+principal streets of Marseilles are very broad, and there is some lovely
+architecture. I give a picture, as I took the snap-shot of what stands
+at the junction of three or four of their main streets. The city is well
+surrounded by hills, covered with vineyards and oliveyards; and the
+country round, for some distance, is specked with white country houses.
+Our stay is of short duration, so good-bye to the port, to the shops, to
+the Cathedral. Our hotel bill is to be settled, and, this done, the
+great lumbering ’bus is awaiting us. We say adieu to our French waiters,
+boots and Concierge, and are soon at the railway station and in the train
+for Mentone. Leaving Marseilles we noticed the scenery began to be
+rugged and rocky, for some distance. The sea, however, was a great
+attraction, the blue Mediterranean is I think always pleasing to look at;
+and we could feel the pure bracing air as it came up from the sea. About
+two hours brought us to an important station called Toulon. This is said
+to be the Plymouth of France. The dockyard and fleet of Toulon were
+destroyed by a British force under Sir Sidney Smith, detached from the
+fleet of Lord Hood, in November, 1793. There is a wonderful history
+attached to this city, which I have neither the time nor the disposition
+to enter upon. Our train was delayed here, so I dismounted to get some
+oranges, when, to my dismay, the train moved on and left me hatless on an
+open platform. However, I found it was only to move to the tank to take
+water. In ten minutes’ time it returned, so set at rest my little wife’s
+troubles and my own. We soon left behind us this apparently prosperous
+and busy town, and were again surrounded by hills and the sea.
+Landscapes of bays and promontories, rocks and ravines. To my mind I
+have seen nothing in all my travels (and I have been over four
+continents) to equal the stretch of coast and country from Marseilles to
+Mentone. It is beyond all question the loveliest part of the fair land
+of France. On all sides as the train steams along it is pretty, gay and
+captivating, as the sunny shores are washed by the rolling sea, and an
+azure sky is overhead; and beyond, in the background, you can
+occasionally see lines of lofty hills crowned with eternal snow. As we
+passed the various stations, as Nice, the scenery becomes richer and more
+beautiful. Lovely avenues bordered with flowers, winding through the
+plain; and shady footpaths meandering among fields of asphodel and
+lavender. As we passed St. Raphael Station we noticed a very peculiar
+formation of the sea-shore. On we sped through the most beautiful
+scenery, palm trees began to seem plentiful; the first I saw looked so
+lovely I took my camera and got a snap-shot; but as we proceeded they
+became quite common. At Nice, the races were just over, and we saw
+numerous horses and horsemen leaving the race course. We had passed
+Cannes, and after which, Monte Carlo, and soon reached our destination
+where we remained for a few days (Mentone). We had selected, as was our
+custom, a hotel beforehand, this time it was “Hotel de Mentone.” So on
+the arrival of our train in the station we looked out for the hotel
+omnibus. We were surrounded by porters to carry our baggage, and almost
+a quarrel ensued which should have the job. However, we were conducted
+to the ’bus and very quickly driven to the hotel named. We found it all
+we could wish, indeed, the most comfortable and best managed we had found
+in all our travels. The manager, M. C. Husson, is the very acme of
+kindness and attention, our wants seemed to be anticipated and met most
+expeditiously. Our bedroom, large and airy, facing and within one
+hundred yards of the blue Mediterranean; the garden full of the most
+lovely palm trees. My little wife said: “this is like paradise.” The
+climate of this lovely town is very mild, and fogs, they tell us, are
+unknown. It is surrounded by an amphitheatre of mountains, consequently
+no north or east winds affect them; the hills intervening between these
+Alpine Mountains and the town and the sea, are covered with gardens of
+the orange tree (in full fruitage when we saw them January 18th); also
+the lemon and olive tree. Mentone is a favourite winter resort for
+English visitors.
+
+In our hotel we found some interesting people, some of them from England;
+and those who could speak English were to us, more than usually
+interesting. We seemed to be specially drawn toward a lady and gentleman
+from Southend-on-Sea—a Mr. Brown and Miss Brown, his daughter. She made
+herself particularly useful and nice to my little wife. We were
+strangers, and all about us a strange tongue was spoken and new customs
+in vogue. Miss Brown most kindly offered her aid at any time and on any
+point that was desired. This was most gratefully accepted, and in a few
+days we were fast friends. A correspondence has been kept up since we
+left, so that in all likelihood the friendship formed in Mentone will be
+continuous and pleasant. We took our walks each morning along the fine
+promenade in the clear fresh sunshine and bracing sea breeze, so we could
+feel we were gaining strength and getting a real good bracing up. We
+took lunch, more than once, at a sweet little Swiss restaurant,
+everything was scrupulously clean and sweet. We visited the Park
+Gardens, where the band was every day discoursing sweet music. These
+gardens are filled on two sides with orange trees; and as we passed them
+the fruit was just lovely, ripe and ready for plucking. The borders and
+beds were full of the most beautiful flowers in full bloom. I got two or
+three snapshots of this pretty place and surroundings.
+
+ [Picture: Miss Brown at Mentone]
+
+We visited the cemetery on the hillside. It is difficult to reach, as
+there are so many steps, but it is well worth a visit. Here are laid to
+rest the dust of many generations. We found marble monuments in memory
+of several English residents, who had died in Mentone and were buried
+here. The graves or mausoleums are carefully kept. Flowers bloom most
+luxuriantly, and intertwine themselves in and around the sculpture on all
+sides. Some graves have, built over them, a small tent or room, which is
+adorned with pictures and filled with flowers. Here the relations of the
+deceased come, and seem to commune with the departed; at any rate they
+find some kind of solace in spending a little time near the sacred dust
+of loved ones. We visited the Market Place, and on market day too, to
+see the costers from the country in dresses quaint and queer, with their
+donkeys and carts of the rudest make. One would really have liked to
+have laughed at their simplicity. The fruit, flowers and vegetables were
+of a very fine quality; nothing so large in England. New potatoes in
+January, and new green peas, tomatoes; indeed, everything that our
+gardens will produce in June, they get here in January. Monte Carlo is
+only a few miles from Mentone, and there is a tram running; so we
+determined to pay a visit to this interesting place before we left the
+Riviera. A lovely day found us on the tram en route for Monte Carlo. Up
+the hillsides our tram went, and round some curves that to us seemed
+dangerous, across some deep ravines, ascending, then descending, for the
+road is along the rocky mountain side. In about forty minutes we reached
+this place of notoriety. It is certainly one of the loveliest places
+under the sun. Someone has said “it is my ideal, in outward appearance,
+of what heaven will be.” Words are too poor to paint the beauties of
+Monte Carlo. Some of the places in my native county, Derbyshire, such as
+“Lovers’ Leap,” “Monsale Dale,” “High Tor,” and others, but on a small
+and insignificant scale, remind me of the Riviera, only the sea and
+climate is lacking.
+
+ [Picture: The Casino, Monte Carlo]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+
+Monte Carlo: Its Casino and gardens: Leave taking at Mentone of Mr. and
+Miss Brown: Arrival at Cannes: Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Green: Cannes, its
+scenery, etc.: Visit to Grasse: Journey to Paris: London: Home, Sweet
+Home.
+
+It seems as if Nature had lavished her richest treasures on Monte Carlo.
+Its terraces covered with palms; its orange groves and oliveyards; its
+massive hotels of marble; its azure sky and ever blue Mediterranean
+sparkling at its foot. Then there is the Casino, “the gambling hell,” as
+it has been called. A building upon which no money or care has been
+spared to make it an attraction, and it has undoubtedly been a success,
+for thousands throng its rooms daily. We had no difficulty in getting
+inside. I presented my card to an official in braided coat, who, when he
+saw it, and had given a look at us, I presume, thought it would be safe
+to give us admission, and took us to a ticket box where the usual
+entrance ticket was granted, and we were admitted inside. Oh! what a
+scene! Tables covered with green baize and marked with figures; the
+gamblers or players crowded round every table, staking mostly five franc
+pieces; sometimes one five franc piece and sometimes five. Two men
+representing the bank with hooks or rakes, drew in the cash, as the
+Roulette declared for the bank; the winners raking their gains in as the
+tale of the Roulette was in their favour. The faces of the players were
+a study and tempted one to moralize and try to predict the effect of this
+sort of thing on the character of the gamblers. It is an awful thing to
+be caught in the clutches of a gambling saloon—this one in particular.
+There are many tables, all full; and crowds round waiting for an
+opportunity. We went through the vast building, it is richly carpeted
+and the upholstering is of the best; settees, mirrors, chandeliers, etc.,
+all give to it an appearance of wealth. Monte Carlo is in the territory
+of Monaco, which is the smallest independent state in Europe at least.
+It only covers about eight square miles. It formerly included Mentone
+and Roccabruna, but these have been ceded to France for four million
+francs. The Palace of the Prince is on the promontory or rock just below
+the Casino. Surrounding it are some lovely gardens, and the appearance
+of some protection in the shape of cannon, etc.; these, however, would be
+useless if they were ever needed. It is said that his chief revenue is
+from the Casino, which pays him about two hundred thousand pounds per
+annum. The population under the Prince is now about ten thousand. I
+took a snap-shot or two, and we strolled about until weary, then we found
+our way to the tram and in about an hour were in our hotel enjoying
+table-de-hote. Our time for leaving Mentone had arrived, and again we
+packed, at least, my little wife did. We said good-bye, with reluctance,
+to a place that had given us so much pleasure; also to our new found
+friends—specially Miss Brown—my dear wife had grown quite fond of her. I
+think it was because she showed such kindness to us when we arrived, also
+she spoke English; and that, in itself, attracts an Englishman when away
+from home. The leave taking between them was quite affectionate and,
+doubtless, correspondence will follow. We left Mentone in the lovely
+sunshine, and from under the lovely palm trees, and were soon passing
+Monaco, Monte Carlo and Nice. We reached Cannes all safe and sound. A
+lovely motor carriage was at our disposal for the “Hotel de la Plage.”
+We were met by our old friend—George Green, Esq., and his good wife and
+daughter, Mrs. Martin, who also had a friend with her from Glasgow, Mrs.
+Giles. They gave us a hearty welcome to our hotel, second to none on the
+continent, I think, and lovely for situation, close by the sea; and
+surrounded with the most lovely semi-tropical plants, as the photo or
+snap-shot shows. We enjoyed the two or three days immensely with our
+friends in this lovely spot; for Cannes is lovely. The Bay of Cannes
+surpasses, it is said, the Bay of Naples for beauty. “Then there is the
+Cape of Antibes, with its gardens of dreamland and fairies!” The Estrel,
+with its profound solitude, and with its masses of red porphyry, like
+buildings erected by the Titians; with its arid soil covered with crooked
+pines, raising their branches towards the pure azure sky. Cannes is said
+to be a vast garden, where the flowers are scattered in profusion by
+Nature with a lavish and never wearying hand. There is also the orange,
+the lemon, the oleander, the pepper plant, and the palm tree; all growing
+side by side with the olive, the oak, and the stone pine. Of Cannes, it
+is said: “She is the daughter of the Sirens, and sprang into existence
+one morning under the glowing kisses of the sun.” It has had a chequered
+history, but it is now merged into the liberty of a gay and prosperous
+town of thirty-five thousand inhabitants.
+
+ [Picture: Mr. and Mrs. Green, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Wardle and Mrs. Giles at
+ Cannes]
+
+Over twenty thousand visitors come to Cannes for the winter to escape the
+northern fogs and frosts. Mr. Green and I strolled the Promenade and
+talked over olden times. The ladies enjoyed their tete-a-tete and their
+shopping expeditions; so the days slipped quickly away and we must lose
+our friends, who go to Marseilles, then by sea to Glasgow. So again we
+say good-bye, expecting, however, to meet again soon in London. They
+leave early for Marseilles in order to catch their steamer. We visited
+Grasse the day after they left us. This is about twenty miles from
+Cannes by rail, and it lies up in the mountains; it is about one thousand
+feet above the sea level, yet it is surrounded by the Alps, at least east
+and north. The town has a population about fifteen thousand, and is
+built on the slope of a hill. It is steep climbing up from the station.
+Facing the town is a lovely valley or plain, where they cultivate
+flowers. The town is largely supported by the manufacturing of scent.
+There are several factories; one factory sends away over eleven million
+francs worth of scents yearly. It is a town of great interest. It has a
+fine old Cathedral, also some fairly good shops. The streets being on
+the hillside are not easy to walk along. Our stay was only for a few
+hours, but long enough to satisfy us; the place was health-giving and
+very interesting. On arriving at our hotel in Cannes we were tired; so
+after the usual table-de-hote and rest, we went to bed early, as the
+following morning we were to pack up and go. After the usual tips, bill
+settling, etc., we left Cannes and its many attractions, and as we
+rounded the bay we could see the town for miles with its white hotels,
+etc., amidst the luxuriant palm trees. We soon lost sight of the town
+and were spinning over deep ravines with rugged sides; there with jutting
+spurs of rock; here the sea pushing up in inlets and creeks, sparkling in
+the rays of the southern sun. Our train hurried us away from scenes of
+such perfect loveliness, past Toulon, and about 7.30 we reached
+Marseilles. Here we met again Mrs. Martin and her friend Mrs. Giles. We
+only stayed here about half-an-hour, but we began to feel the change in
+the atmosphere, and our rugs were brought into use, as we were travelling
+all night. About midnight we reached Lyons, and on looking out we found
+the snow was falling thick and fast. Oh! what a change in a few hundred
+miles! The sunny south was now behind us, and again we must face the
+biting frost and snow of winter.
+
+We reached Paris about 11 a.m., and soon found our way to “Hotel du
+Nord.” We spent a night at the “Magenta Hotel,” where we found friends
+in Dr. Mochwyn Hughes and his sister, who were going into Switzerland.
+We decided to “do Paris,” as they say, in a motor. So we engaged one and
+were quickly through some of the busy streets of this wonderful city. We
+visited Notre Dame, of course, and went inside. There was a funeral
+cortege, and the mourners sitting by the bier; while the priests, with
+their incantations, mummeries and ceremonies, and genuflections, just by.
+We felt how little was the comfort to be had here for the grief stricken
+relatives. From here we passed the great Eiffel Tower, the Bourse, the
+Louvre, the Tuileries, the Champs Elysees, the Bois de Boulogne, and the
+New Opera House. The Pont Neuf or the New Bridge over the Seine. Then
+to the tomb where lies all that remains of the great Napoleon. Here,
+with uncovered heads, we gazed into the grand mausoleum, and were
+constrained to moralize on the vanity of human ambition; and of how
+short-lived and unsatisfactory all worldly wealth, pomp and pleasure. We
+passed the Pantheon and several places of great interest, but time flies
+and we must away from Paris. My wife, however, had become quite friendly
+and even affectionate with Miss Hughes, so at parting there was the usual
+promise of postcards, etc. We spent a little time with Mrs. Martin and
+her French friend, then to the railway, and in a few hours ride we found
+ourselves once again in Calais. We were not long in finding our way to
+the boat, our travels had made us quite experts in getting from boat to
+train and from train to boat. My little wife had to go below; Mrs.
+Martin, who travelled with us, bravely stood it. However, we faced the
+sea bravely because we knew that beyond it lay our home and loved ones
+anticipating our home-coming. I spent my time on deck, and really got a
+good blow from the briny. We landed at Dover safe and well; and, after a
+very little time, we were on the train, bound for the great city of
+London. It was dark as we travelled through the country, so we could not
+see the places of interest. We were glad to reach the “Manchester
+Hotel,” our home from home. The Manager, Mr. Hanscomb, received us with
+a warm welcome; and soon we felt we were amongst English people and could
+again enjoy an English meal in the English fashion. Only a night in the
+city and again we are entrained for Nottingham. We had travelled now
+nearly two thousand five hundred miles. Oh! the anticipation! The
+slowness of the train, as we thought; though it was a fast train. We,
+however, reached Home, sweet Home, safely and well, after many strange
+experiences; and Oh! what a Welcome! from my precious daughter, Ivy, and
+son Gordon, and dear Auntie; then our dearest baby boy, with his smiles
+and his dimples; and oh! what a hug! Welcome home, was apparent even
+from the servants, and we thought there is much truth in Leonard Cooke’s
+poetry:
+
+ “We have basked in the far off Eastern Sun,
+ ’Neath skies of unchanging gold;
+ Held by the spell of the Orient
+ With its mystery and charm untold.
+
+ But, Oh! to the heart that is English,
+ There is nought in a distant clime
+ As fair as a field in England
+ Decked out in the summer time.
+
+ There is joy in the white faced daisy,
+ No country afar can excel;
+ There’s a charm that out rivals the orchids
+ In the tints of the pimpernel.
+
+ There’s a scent in the fields of England
+ Rich spices can ne’er surpass,
+ A pang to the heart of the exile;
+ ’Tis the scent of the cool green grass.”
+
+ * * * * *
+
+ [FINIS].
+
+
+
+
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+<head>
+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" />
+<title>From the Thames to the Tiber, by J. Wardle</title>
+ <style type="text/css">
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, From the Thames to the Tiber, by J. Wardle
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: From the Thames to the Tiber
+ or, My visit to Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Switzerland, etc.
+
+
+Author: J. Wardle
+
+
+
+Release Date: December 1, 2011 [eBook #38183]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM THE THAMES TO THE TIBER***
+</pre>
+<p>This ebook was transcribed by Les Bowler.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/fp.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Portrait of Author"
+title=
+"Portrait of Author"
+src="images/fp.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<h1>FROM<br />
+THE THAMES<br />
+TO THE TIBER;</h1>
+<p style="text-align: center"><span
+class="GutSmall">OR,</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">My Visit to Paris</span>, <span
+class="smcap">Rome</span>, <span class="smcap">Florence</span>,
+<span class="smcap">Venice</span>,<br />
+<span class="smcap">Milan</span>, <span
+class="smcap">Switzerland</span>, <span
+class="smcap">etc.</span>,<br />
+<span class="smcap">With Illustrations</span>.</p>
+<div class="gapspace">&nbsp;</div>
+<p style="text-align: center"><span class="GutSmall">BY</span><br
+/>
+J. WARDLE</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">Author of</p>
+<p class="gutindent">&ldquo;General Gordon, Saint and
+Soldier.&rdquo;<br />
+&ldquo;Tour in Palestine and Egypt.&rdquo;<br />
+&ldquo;Sound at heart,&rdquo; etc.</p>
+<div class="gapshortline">&nbsp;</div>
+<p style="text-align: center">A. TAYLOR,<br />
+CHAPEL BAR, NOTTINGHAM.<br />
+1909.</p>
+<h2><a name="pagei"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+i</span>CONTENTS.</h2>
+<table>
+<tr>
+<td><p>&nbsp;</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span
+class="GutSmall">PAGE</span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER I.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>London: Its teeming millions of population; Its commercial
+aspect: Leaving Victoria Station for New Haven: On the boat: New
+found friends: Landing at Dieppe: Leaving for Paris: Arrival at
+Rouen: Its Cathedral, etc.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page1">1</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER II.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Arrival at Paris: Our Hotel&mdash;&ldquo;Hotel Londres and
+New York&rdquo;: Visit to the Louvre: The Cathedral of Notre
+Dame: The Church of St. Geniveve: The Pantheon: Bloody
+Bartholomew: Its awful massacre.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page11">11</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER III.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Paris: Palace de Concorde: Champs-Elysees: The Bois de
+Boulogne: The extensive Boulevards: The River Seine: Leaving
+Paris: Arrival at Dijon: Our Hotel: Dijon: Its Churches, etc.:
+Our journey to Chambery, etc.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page19">19</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center"><a
+name="pageii"></a><span class="pagenum">p. ii</span>CHAPTER
+IV.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Through Mont Cenis Tunnel: Passing the Customs: Our new
+friend&mdash;Nurse Reynolds: Our scrimmage for provisions at
+Turin: Arrival at Genoa and Table-de-hote: Arrival at Rome: Our
+Hotel, etc.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page28">28</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER V.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Visit to the Forum and Coliseum: Crossing the Tiber:
+Castle of St. Angelo: Palace of Justice: Trajan&rsquo;s Column:
+Garibaldi&rsquo;s Monument: The Appian Way: St. Peter&rsquo;s:
+Its magnitude and magnificence: Michael Angelo&rsquo;s work.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page36">36</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER VI.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Rome, continued: St. Peter&rsquo;s Cathedral: St.
+Peter&rsquo;s Statue: His resting place: The Columns, Pictures,
+Fonts, Confessionals, etc., etc.: The Vatican: The Professional
+Letter Writer: The Arch of Titus: Statue of Nero, etc.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page50">50</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER VII.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>The Church of the Trinity: St. Maria: Church of Onesemus:
+The Grand Corso: The British and Foreign Bible Society: Outside
+view of the Quirinal: Nero&rsquo;s House: Leaving Rome: Scene at
+a wayside station: Arrival at Florence: Visit to the
+Cathedral.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page67">67</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER VIII.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Florence: Michael Angelo&rsquo;s House: Baptistry of St.
+John: The Uffizi Gallery: The Tribune: A drive to the suburbs:
+Dante&rsquo;s House: His Poems: Mrs. Browning on Vallambrosa:
+Michael Angelo&rsquo;s work: Galileo, his trial, etc.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page77">77</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center"><a
+name="pageiii"></a><span class="pagenum">p. iii</span>CHAPTER
+IX.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Appalling catastrophe in Italy: Messina: Savonarola: His
+defiance of the Pope: His excommunication: His prison cell, etc.:
+His martyrdom: Raphael: His genius as a painter: His works: The
+old Protestant Cemetery: Leaving Florence: Bologna: Crossing the
+Lagoons: Venice.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page90">90</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER X.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Arrival at Venice: The ubiquitous Gondolo: The Grand
+Canal: The curious water ways: Our Hotel: A snap shot of a
+Gondolo and its freight: St. Mark&rsquo;s Cathedral: Its curious
+history: Its wonderful Tower, and its interior possessions.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page102">102</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER XI.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>The Pigeons in St. Mark&rsquo;s Square: Description of its
+interior: The Palace of the Doges: The Bridge of Sighs: The
+general Archives of Venice: Church of St. Maria dei Frari: A
+London Polytechnic Party: The slums of Venice: Our leaving.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page113">113</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER XII.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Arrival in Milan: Our visit to the Cathedral: Its Spires,
+and Turrets: Its Stained Glass Windows, Altars, Pictures, and
+Sculpture: The Church of St. Ambrogio: The Bera Picture Gallery:
+The Hospital: Leaving Milan: Arrival at Como: Lake Como.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page127">127</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER XIII.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Arrival at Lugano: The river Tessin and its bridge of ten
+arches: Bellinzono: Entrance to the great St. Gothard Tunnel:
+Station of Andermath: St. Bernard&rsquo;s Hospice: The
+Devil&rsquo;s Bridge: The Wood Cutter at Work: William
+Tell&rsquo;s Chapel: His story: Lucerne: Our Hotel: Our run up
+the Sonnenberg, etc.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page140">140</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center"><a
+name="pageiv"></a><span class="pagenum">p. iv</span>CHAPTER
+XIV.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>The glacier gardens: The Lion of Lucerne: The glacier mill
+holes: The museum: The Bridge over the Reuss: The Cathedral:
+Pilatus Mountain: Leaving Lucerne: Zurich: Lake of Zurich:
+Zwingli, the reformer.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page153">153</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER XV.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>From Zurich to Basle: Arrival in Basle: Our Hotel: Our
+visit to the Rhine Bridge: &ldquo;The Watch on the Rhine&rdquo;:
+The Market: The Cathedral and its sculpture, etc.: Erasmus: The
+Museum: The Zoological gardens: Leaving Basle: Arrival at
+Belfort: Belfort besieged.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page165">165</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER XVI.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>At Marseilles: Our Hotel; Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Green and
+Mrs. Martin: The sights of the City: The Cathedral, etc.: En
+route for Mentone: Toulon: Passing Nice: Cannes: Arrival at
+Mentone: Our Hotel: Meeting Mr. and Miss Brown: The scenery,
+etc.: Visit to Monte Carlo.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page175">175</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td colspan="2"><p style="text-align: center">CHAPTER XVII.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>Monte Carlo: Its Casino and gardens: Leave taking at
+Mentone of Mr. and Miss Brown: Arrival at Cannes: Meeting Mr. and
+Mrs. Green: Cannes, its scenery, etc.: Visit to Grasse: Journey
+to Paris: London: Home, Sweet Home.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page185">185</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+<h2><a name="pagev"></a><span class="pagenum">p. v</span>LIST OF
+ILLUSTRATIONS.</h2>
+<table>
+<tr>
+<td><p>&nbsp;</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>&nbsp;</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span
+class="GutSmall">FACING</span><br />
+<span class="GutSmall">PAGE</span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>i.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>St. Martin&rsquo;s-le-Grand, London</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page3">3</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>ii.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>The Marble Arch, London</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page4">4</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>iii.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Triumphal Arch, Paris</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page15">15</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>iv.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>The Bastille Column, Paris</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page20">20</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>v.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Christian Martyrs in the Colosseum, Rome</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page37">37</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>vi.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>The Roman Forum, Rome</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page39">39</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>vii.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>The Pantheon, Rome</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page41">41</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>viii.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Garibaldi&rsquo;s Monument, Rome</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page45">45</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>ix.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>St. Peter&rsquo;s Cathedral, Rome</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page49">49</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>x.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>The Arch of Titus, Rome</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page61">61</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xi.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Church of the Trinity, Rome</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page67">67</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xii.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Team of Oxen in Tuscany</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page72">72</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xiii.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Dante and Beatrice, Florence</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page83">83</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xiv.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Mrs. Wardle near the Duomo, Florence</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page81">81</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xv.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>St. Mark&rsquo;s Cathedral, Venice</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page109">109</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xvi.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Mrs. Wardle and Miss Himmel by the Doges Pillar,
+Venice</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page116">116</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xvii.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Ditto, in Gondola, Venice</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page105">105</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xviii.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Milan Cathedral, Milan</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page129">129</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xix.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>St. Gothard Tunnel</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page141">141</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xx.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>William Tell&rsquo;s Monument</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page145">145</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xxi.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Lion of Lucerne</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page153">153</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xxii.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>The Rhine Bridge, Basle</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page167">167</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xxiii.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>The Casino, Monte Carlo</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page185">185</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xiv.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Miss Brown at Mentone</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page183">183</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>xxv.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Mr. and Mrs. Green, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Wardle and Mrs.
+Giles at Cannes</p>
+</td>
+<td><p style="text-align: right"><span class="indexpageno"><a
+href="#page189">189</a></span></p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+<blockquote><p><a name="pagevi"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+vi</span>&ldquo;Go, little book, God send the good passage,<br />
+And specially let this be thy prayer:<br />
+Unto them all that thee will read or hear,<br />
+Where thou art wrong, after their help to call,<br />
+Thee to correct in any part or all.&rdquo;</p>
+<p style="text-align: right">&mdash;CHAUCER.</p>
+</blockquote>
+<h1><a name="page1"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 1</span>CHAPTER
+I.</h1>
+<p class="gutsumm">London: Its teeming millions of population:
+Its commercial aspect: Leaving Victoria Station for New Haven: On
+the Boat: New found friends: Landing at Dieppe: Leaving for
+Paris: Rouen, its Cathedral, etc.</p>
+<p>We had settled to have a holiday&mdash;not a mere pic-nic, not
+a week-end at Blackpool, or a tour of a few days in the Isle of
+Man&mdash;but a real first-class, out-and-out trip.&nbsp; Where
+then is it to be?&nbsp; Why, to Rome and back, came the
+reply.&nbsp; From St. Paul&rsquo;s in London, the largest city in
+the world, to St. Peter&rsquo;s in Rome, one of the great cities
+of the ancient world.</p>
+<p>&ldquo;To Rome!&rdquo; my friends said in astonishment.</p>
+<p>&ldquo;Yes! to Rome.&rdquo;&nbsp; There seems to be magic <a
+name="page2"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 2</span>in the very
+word.&nbsp; Rome&mdash;The Eternal City.&nbsp; The city of the
+seven hills.&nbsp; The city of which St. Paul was proud to be a
+citizen.&nbsp; See Acts, chapter 22, verse 25.&nbsp; &ldquo;Is it
+lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman,
+uncondemned?&rdquo; verse 28.&nbsp; &ldquo;Then the Chief Captain
+came and said unto him.&nbsp; Tell me, art thou a
+Roman?&rdquo;&nbsp; He said, &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>Rome stands for power.&nbsp; Her proud eagles once swept their
+wings over almost the then known world.&nbsp; Rome stands for
+antiquity, greatness, wealth, splendour, conquest and
+colonization, liberty, law, self control, prowess, skill.&nbsp;
+But, alas!&nbsp; It also stands for cruelty, luxury, strife, war,
+humiliation, decay, decline.</p>
+<p>This is the objective really of our holiday.&nbsp; Now it is
+settled, ways and means, and the route, etc., are but
+details.&nbsp; Packing!&nbsp; Well, I am a poor hand at
+packing.&nbsp; I think it must be a gift to be able to pack
+well.&nbsp; I think a good packer must be born, not made.&nbsp;
+If I pack, sure as fate, the things I want first are at the
+bottom of the trunk.&nbsp; My dear little wife, to whom I owe
+much for packing and general comfort during the tour, and,
+indeed, I owe to her well-kept journal, much that assists me to
+make this record of our holiday.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p3.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"St. Martin&rsquo;s Le-Grand, London"
+title=
+"St. Martin&rsquo;s Le-Grand, London"
+src="images/p3.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>On the 25th September, 1907, we found ourselves en route for
+London, followed by the good wishes and prayers of loved ones
+left <a name="page3"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 3</span>behind,
+also of the many friends we knew had kind thoughts of us.&nbsp;
+We reached London about 6 p.m., and were soon snug and
+comfortable in &ldquo;The Manchester Hotel.&rdquo;&nbsp; We had
+no time and no special wish just now to see London.&nbsp; London
+cannot be seen in a day or two.&nbsp; Its magnitude bewilders,
+having a population of about 7,000,000, and for its teeming
+millions, there is need of bread, milk, beef, clothes, work,
+etc.&nbsp; We cannot understand at a glance what it means.&nbsp;
+In London we have the largest breweries, distilleries, and sugar
+refineries in the Kingdom; also many metal manufacturers and
+machine makers, including: plate, jewellery, watches, brass
+works, and all kinds of tin and zinc works; large printing and
+publishing houses; also, as you know, large millinery and
+tailoring establishments; cabinet-making on a most extensive
+scale, leather-working, coopering, coach-building, ship-building,
+hat-making, extensive chemical works, soap manufacturing and dye
+works; also dock labourers, &rsquo;bus drivers, cab drivers, tram
+guards and drivers, railway men and engine drivers, policemen,
+postmen, ministers of religion, there being over 3,000 churches
+in this great city, and many other means of living besides the
+few I have mentioned.&nbsp; Then there are its hotels, as
+&ldquo;The Manchester Hotel&rdquo; where we are <a
+name="page4"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 4</span>staying,
+&ldquo;The Midland Grand,&rdquo; &ldquo;Grand Hotel,&rdquo;
+Trafalgar Square, &ldquo;The Victoria Hotel&rdquo; in
+Northumberland Avenue.&nbsp; Many more offering accommodation to
+the tens of thousands of visitors to this great city from all
+lands.&nbsp; We cannot refrain from mentioning the religious
+aspect of the city.&nbsp; We have our noble Cathedral, St.
+Paul&rsquo;s, always worth a visit, if only for its monuments and
+torn banners, and its choral service; then we have
+&ldquo;Spurgeon&rsquo;s Tabernacle&rdquo;; &ldquo;The City
+Temple,&rdquo; where once ministered that mighty man of God, Dr.
+J. Parker; also Wesley&rsquo;s Church; City Road West London
+Mission, and many others I cannot describe.</p>
+<p>Its theatres on all hands, who claim their votaries by tens of
+thousands nightly.&nbsp; The underground electric railways give
+to the city traveller and visitor an idea of the vastness and
+importance of the City.&nbsp; However, it was no part of my
+intention when I began this record to describe London, so I will
+content myself with saying we only spent one night in the city on
+our outward journey.</p>
+<p>
+<a href="images/p4.jpg">
+<img class='floatleft' alt=
+"The Marble Arch, London"
+title=
+"The Marble Arch, London"
+src="images/p4.jpg" />
+</a>Many of my readers will be quite familiar with the streets,
+shops, bazaars and churches of this great hive of human life,
+human industry, and human skill.&nbsp; A good night&rsquo;s rest
+and we rose refreshed for our journey, now it is to Paris.&nbsp;
+We had very little <a name="page5"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+5</span>difficulty in re-packing our valise and trunk, settling
+our account and calling to our rescue a porter.&nbsp; We were
+soon in train at Snow Hill for Victoria, arriving at this latter
+place in time to catch &ldquo;The Continental&rdquo; for New
+Haven and Dieppe.&nbsp; It is not an easy matter even with a
+porter to guide you, to find out amidst such a labyrinth of
+platforms and stair-cases to find the train you want, and to get
+a comfortable seat.&nbsp; We managed, however, ultimately to
+reach the right platform and to find a seat in a comfortable
+compartment.&nbsp; We noticed our fellow passengers, by label on
+their luggage, were also going to foreign fields and to
+Continental cities.&nbsp; The morning was a lovely autumn
+morning.&nbsp; As we steamed out of Victoria Station we got a
+sight of the lovely landscape, the morning sun was shining in
+great brilliance.&nbsp; We passed villages of importance, and
+towns in rapid succession.&nbsp; Lewes was a stopping place not
+far from New Haven.&nbsp; We did not stay long at this station,
+just long enough for the railway officials to satisfy themselves
+we were all furnished with tickets for the Continent.&nbsp; After
+leaving Lewes, we were in New Haven in about half-an-hour.</p>
+<p>New Haven is about 56 miles from London.&nbsp; A pretty place,
+lying at the foot of the white chalk cliffs.&nbsp; It has a
+population of about <a name="page6"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+6</span>3,000.&nbsp; It is, however, an important place, as the
+mail packets for the cities of Europe leave here twice
+daily.&nbsp; Our train ran us very close up to the landing stage,
+and the securing our luggage and getting it conveyed from train
+to steamer was only the work of about ten minutes, and was
+managed without the least difficulty.&nbsp; The weather continued
+all we could desire, and it seemed quite clear we were going to
+have a calm sea and a pleasant voyage across channel.&nbsp; We
+got very nice seats on the boat; we found our fellow-passengers
+on the whole most agreeable, polite, and, indeed, friendly; were
+we not all on pleasure bent, and should we not now, on the wide
+ocean, show to others respect.&nbsp; We strolled the deck of our
+pretty little vessel, she was a beauty, and behaved so well, we
+had not the least fear of that terrible disease that afflicts so
+many who sail the seas, I mean what the French call
+mal-de-mer&mdash;&ldquo;the sickness of the sea.&rdquo;&nbsp; We
+had hardly lost sight of the white cliffs of dear, old England,
+when our thoughts went back to home, and to loved ones.&nbsp;
+Then we began to think of refreshments.&nbsp; We found a menu
+that filled us with hopefulness that an agreeable meal at least
+might be obtained.&nbsp; We went to the buffet and found we could
+get a real good English dinner.&nbsp; This we had and enjoyed it
+heartily; I considered it <a name="page7"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 7</span>excellent, and my wife, who is a
+connoisseur in the cookery line, declared she was well
+satisfied.</p>
+<p>A newly-married couple joined us.&nbsp; We found they were on
+their honeymoon.&nbsp; A very happy couple apparently.&nbsp; In
+our hearts we wished that their lives might be as smooth as the
+sea we were now crossing.&nbsp; We became quite friends before we
+got half way across the channel.&nbsp; I had my Kodak with me, so
+I must take a snap-shot or two of the happy pair; then I and my
+wife must submit to the same process.&nbsp; So the time passed
+pleasantly, and in about three hours we were landing on the
+shores of France at Dieppe.</p>
+<p>Our little ship, as if in a hurry to serve us, was quickly up
+at the landing stage, and we were safe on shore with our baggage,
+en route for the Custom House.&nbsp; We soon found out we were in
+a foreign land, because a foreign tongue was spoken, and although
+I am able to parley vous un peu, I could not hold conversation
+with a Frenchman, he speaks so quickly.&nbsp; I, however, could
+ask a simple question in French and also give a simple answer to
+a question, and this was of immense value to me during this
+tour.&nbsp; Our trunks duly examined, and free, we had a short
+time to look round Dieppe.</p>
+<p>On our strolling about a little, waiting for <a
+name="page8"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 8</span>our train, we
+saw a little of this rather important French town and watering
+place.&nbsp; It has a population of about 20,000; it lies in a
+hollow so to speak; the white chalk hills surround it; the quays
+are substantially built of solid masonry.&nbsp; Dieppe seems to
+have an old castle, quite out-of-date, as a defence; there is
+also a citadel of modern construction; a small light-house, about
+40-feet high, stands by the entrance of the town.&nbsp; We
+learned that a large number of French people come to Dieppe for
+the summer and autumn holidays.&nbsp; There are some works for
+the labouring classes, such as: ivory works, one of the most
+famous in Europe; also there are some works in horn, in bone,
+some in lace, some sugar refineries, a little ship-building, and
+the fishing industry is fairly prominent; a good supply of
+herring and mackerel is sent daily to Paris; also there are
+extensive oyster beds, which are a source of profit to the
+inhabitants.&nbsp; We boarded the train about 4 o&rsquo;clock
+p.m., and leaving Dieppe and the sea behind us, we steamed away
+at a rapid rate towards Paris.&nbsp; We passed some lovely
+country, rich in fruit and foliage; some most beautiful Chalets,
+with grounds like fairyland; also, we saw the working-class home,
+apparently very poor, no windows and little furniture; they seem
+to live out of doors, and eat very much fruit and <a
+name="page9"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 9</span>vegetables;
+they appear, however, healthy and strong.&nbsp; We saw some one
+or two cemeteries, and so near we could see very strange archways
+of flowers or wood, or marble over the graves, and very large
+crucifix&rsquo;s.</p>
+<p>We had left our new found friends at Dieppe, so now we were
+more alone to enjoy each others company, and to speak of the
+scenery and places as we passed them.&nbsp; In about an
+hour-and-an-half we reached Rouen.&nbsp; A very large and
+important railway station.&nbsp; Here we stayed a little while,
+and we could see the town was large and important.&nbsp; It was
+formerly the capital of the province of Normandy.&nbsp; It is one
+of the best commercial centres in France.&nbsp; It has been
+called the Manchester of France on account of its great cotton
+manufactories, producing goods to the value of 80,000,000 francs
+annually.&nbsp; It has also manufactories of hosiery, silk and
+wool fabrics, hardware and machinery.&nbsp; It is an important
+sea-port, as it has a harbour that can receive steamers of 600
+tons.&nbsp; It has a population of about 150,000.&nbsp; The
+Cathedral of Notre Dame, built between 1207 and 1210, is a fine
+Gothic building.&nbsp; The spire is nearly 500 feet high.&nbsp;
+In this old Cathedral rests the remains of Rollo, first Duke of
+Normandy, and his son William.</p>
+<p>M. B. Edwards, in a poem, says of this <a
+name="page10"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 10</span>old-world
+Cathedral:&mdash;</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;The isles grow dim, and as by winding
+ways,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; Eager I climb St. Onen&rsquo;s giddy height,<br />
+The silver censers vanish from my gaze<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; As shooting stars upon a dusky night<br />
+I hear the chanting vespers at my feet<br />
+Like wordless water, music fair and sweet.</p>
+<p>&ldquo;On priest and acolyte and people falls,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; From western window many a sapphire ray;<br />
+The sculptured knights within the niched walls<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; Look not more mute and marble-like than they,<br />
+Living and dead with fingers clasped seem praying<br />
+God and the angels hear what they are saying.</p>
+<p>&ldquo;The city gleams with lights that come and go,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; The hills are cut against the opal west;<br />
+The river hath a soft and onward flow<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; As some tired spirit fain to seek its rest,<br />
+While from the far outlying mists of green<br />
+Tinkle some vesper bells of Church unseen.</p>
+<p>&ldquo;Monk, Martyr, Saint, and paladin arise<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; Around me now in pinnacled array;<br />
+An hour ago they seemed to touch the skies,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; At last I stand as near to heaven as they,<br />
+And at last &rsquo;mid this mute companionship of stone<br />
+I cannot feel that I am quite alone.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<h2><a name="page11"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+11</span>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Arrival in Paris: Our Hotel&mdash;&ldquo;Hotel
+Londres and New York&rdquo;: Visit to the Louvre: The Cathedral
+of Notre Dame: The Church of St. Geniveve: The Pantheon: Bloody
+Bartholomew: Its awful massacre.</p>
+<p>Our stay in Rouen was of the briefest, so we were soon full
+steam ahead for Paris, and Rouen was left behind.&nbsp; We
+crossed some wonderful bridges of the rivers, or river; I think
+we crossed the Seine several times.</p>
+<p>On approaching the suburbs of Paris, we saw large villas and
+larger mansions, surrounded with luxuriant foliage; indeed, the
+whole landscape is charming.&nbsp; Soon we found the train
+rattling over points and crossings, and into Gare de
+Lazare.&nbsp; So we are in Paris; the city of gaiety, the city of
+beauty, the goal of pleasure seekers from all parts of the world;
+a city, it is said by Victor Hugo, combines in
+itself&mdash;Athens, Rome, Jerusalem&mdash;such is the city we
+have just entered, and which is to be our home for two or three
+days.&nbsp; The distance from the station to our
+Hotel&mdash;&ldquo;Hotel Londres and New York,&rdquo; 15, Place
+du Havre, is so short that our <a name="page12"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 12</span>luggage was conveyed by porter,
+without a cab; we just walked across the square, and we were in
+the Hotel.&nbsp; I had, however, a difficulty on hand with the
+porter.&nbsp; My idea of remuneration for porter&rsquo;s services
+were by no means up-to-date for Paris; I thought a franc for ten
+minutes&rsquo; service ample.&nbsp; He, evidently, did not think
+so, as he showed himself highly dissatisfied, and expressed
+himself in language (happily I understood but little of) anything
+but polite.&nbsp; I told the Hotel Manager how I had acted, and
+he went and sent him away.</p>
+<p>When in Paris, if you are in doubt as to your exact position,
+and want direction (in England you would say, &ldquo;ask a
+policeman&rdquo;), in France&mdash;pardon, monsieur, Quel est le
+chemin pour le madoline.&nbsp; If you put on side, he won&rsquo;t
+notice you; if you offer him a tip, he will probably take you for
+a spy, and arrest you as an anarchist.&nbsp; The lifting of the
+hat and the word &ldquo;monsieur&rdquo; is an open sesame which
+appeals to all Frenchmen, and smooths away many difficulties; it
+transforms the haughty policeman into the politest of bobbies;
+the frowning hotel-keeper into the most jovial of hosts; and the
+cross-grained custom house official into a most agreeable
+acquaintance.&nbsp; You must avoid whistling while in Paris; the
+Scotchman says, &ldquo;Ye mauna whustle on the Sabbath&rdquo;;
+this saying must be applied to <a name="page13"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 13</span>every day of the week in Paris;
+nothing is so irritating to a Frenchman, except perhaps the sight
+of a British tourist, arrayed in white flannels, marching in
+their grand Cathedrals, or even one of their ordinary Churches,
+with a cigarette in his mouth.&nbsp; The untravelled man soon
+finds out the difference between an English and a Continental
+City, and habits of the people.</p>
+<p>We were shown to our rooms, which we found clean and
+comfortable; the Hotel is all we could desire.&nbsp; A porter, at
+the entrance, speaks fairly good English.&nbsp; We soon had a
+good square meal, in the shape of table-de-hote, which we were
+quite ready for and enjoyed; plenty of fruit on the tables,
+grapes, oranges, apples and peaches.&nbsp; After satisfying the
+inner man, we strolled into the lounge or writing-room, which we
+found most convenient and pleasant&mdash;writing material,
+newspapers and bills of concerts, plays, etc.; also, here I could
+enjoy my pull at the weed.&nbsp; We were not late in retiring to
+rest; rest we could, but not sleep for a time; I thought, O!
+restless Paris!&nbsp; The only time that is quiet from tram,
+&rsquo;bus and cab seems to be from about 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.; after
+this early hour, wagons begin to lumber past, farmers from the
+country, I think, with produce which must be in the market
+early.&nbsp; We slept, however, a <a name="page14"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 14</span>few hours, rising fairly early for
+dejeuner, we were able to enjoy a cup of coffee made in Paris;
+coffee here is perfect; roll and butter, fish, eggs, etc.&nbsp;
+Breakfast over we engaged a cab, a taxi-cab, and we drove round
+some parts of this wonderful city; we went by some parts of the
+banks of the river Seine, and here there are literally miles of
+quays, and the river is spanned by fifteen bridges, some of them
+of great strength and beauty.</p>
+<p>The Louvre was one of the places we visited.&nbsp; No one
+would think of going to Paris without seeing this vast pile of
+buildings; no less than sixty acres, I learned, in the very heart
+of the city was taken up by this building.&nbsp; It stands to-day
+as it has stood for more than an hundred years, with its grand
+facades, pavillions and colonnades, and its splendid halls,
+saloons and galleries, as a proud monument to the ancient Royalty
+of France.&nbsp; It was the home of Henry III., till civil war
+drove him from his capital, and he perished at St. Cloud by the
+assassin&rsquo;s knife.&nbsp; Here for a time Henry of Navarre
+had his abode.&nbsp; It is now a museum or a series of grand
+museums; miles of the most wonderful paintings, choice
+sculptures, Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities,
+bronzes, historic relics from far off lands, and from different
+races, engravings and models&mdash;indeed, it is a great <a
+name="page15"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 15</span>storehouse of
+art.&nbsp; During the war with Germany, the Communists set fire
+to one of the wings and the library of 90,000 volumes and many
+rare manuscripts were destroyed.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p15.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Triumphal Arch, Paris"
+title=
+"Triumphal Arch, Paris"
+src="images/p15.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>It is said that on the night of the 23rd of May, a troop of
+Germans had entered the city and made their way so far, they
+ordered the porter or door-keeper of the Louvre to pour petroleum
+into the different rooms, and on his refusal, they imprisoned him
+and his wife in his own lodge, and then at once set fire to the
+place.&nbsp; Next day the French troops arrived in time to
+release him from his sad plight, and also to arrest the flames in
+their destructive work.</p>
+<p>The Cathedral of Notre Dame, of course, came in for a
+visit.&nbsp; It stands, we are told, on the site on which the
+Roman conqerors erected a temple to Jupiter.&nbsp; This Cathedral
+is a marvel of architectural beauty.&nbsp; As you gaze you wonder
+at the skill of the architect, and also of sculpture, for there
+are in marble and stone fanciful scenes from bible history
+portrayed&mdash;the Kings of Judah; a colossal image of the
+Virgin Mother; Adam and Eve.&nbsp; There are many pointed arches
+and stained windows glistening in the sun&rsquo;s rays.&nbsp; Two
+massive towers rising to the height of 200 feet.&nbsp; The
+interior is in keeping with the exterior, only, if possible,
+richer and finer; the length <a name="page16"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 16</span>is about 400 feet, and the breadth
+about 150.&nbsp; It has stood in its beauty on this spot during
+the last 600 years.</p>
+<p>One of the Chapels of this Cathedral contains, they tell us,
+some wonderful relics.&nbsp; For instance, &ldquo;a part of the
+crown of thorns with which our Saviour was crowned in
+mockery&rdquo;; also the sponge and winding sheet used at His
+death.&nbsp; Kings and princes of the Roman Catholic persuasion
+have vied with each other in the costliness of their offering at
+this sacred shrine&mdash;cups, gold cups, silver cups, vases,
+candlesticks, crosses in gold and silver, some studded with
+diamonds, and all kinds of precious stones.&nbsp; There are
+curiosities and art treasures in abundance within the precincts
+of this holy place.&nbsp; It must have been a proud day for
+Napoleon when he came to be crowned in this great Cathedral,
+heralded by Popes, Marshalls and sword-bearers.&nbsp; Bearers
+bore his train amidst the most brilliant assembly of this, or any
+other land.</p>
+<p>Another notable building we visited after the Cathedral of
+Notre Dame, I think more interesting in its way&mdash;what was at
+one time the Church of St. Geniveve&mdash;now it is known as the
+Pantheon.&nbsp; It stands upon an elevation, and its magnificent
+dome can be seen from almost all parts of the city.&nbsp; It
+rises to <a name="page17"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 17</span>a
+height of 267 feet.&nbsp; The funds to build it with, we are
+told, were provided by lottery at the time of Louis XV.&nbsp; Its
+approach is very attractive, being by a stately portico, and by a
+triumphal progress.&nbsp; The grand car, upon which the
+Sarcophagus containing the body of Voltaire was laid, was drawn
+by twelve white horses to the Pantheon.&nbsp; It is said that
+100,000 people joined in the procession.&nbsp; Rousseau and Marat
+were buried with similar honours; but we are told, that so fickle
+is the populace, that six months after, the body of one of them
+was removed and buried in a common sewer.&nbsp; Our guide was not
+shy in showing us the very sad effects of the German
+shells.&nbsp; The large dome was shot through by their cannon
+balls, and, but for the timely help of the troops from
+Versailles, very likely this noble building would have shared the
+same fate as many others did.</p>
+<p>Opposite the grand collonade, near the Louvre, is the Church
+of St. Germain, with its strange gable, buttresses and
+gargoyles.&nbsp; From the belfry of this Church, it is said,
+&ldquo;rang out the tocsin,&rdquo; which was the signal for the
+massacre of St. Bartholomew, on the 24th of August, 1572.&nbsp;
+At the dead of night&mdash;fit time for such awful deeds of blood
+and murder&mdash;at the sound of this tocsin the courtly butchers
+went forth to their work of slaughter, armed <a
+name="page18"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 18</span>and shouting
+&ldquo;for God and the King.&rdquo;&nbsp; They forced the
+dwellings of the Christians.&nbsp; Six thousand of these
+assassins, wielding the weapons of the brigand and the soldier,
+ran about in the wildest fury, murdering without mercy or
+distinction of sex, or suffering, or age.&nbsp; Many of these
+fiends in human form ran shouting &ldquo;kill the heretic, kill
+the heretic!&nbsp; Death to the Huguenots&mdash;Kill!&nbsp;
+Kill!!&rdquo;</p>
+<p>That day the human seemed to be turned into the fiend.&nbsp;
+It is said there perished in Paris alone, over 15,000 Christian
+Martyrs, and in the provinces more than as many more.&nbsp; The
+sun of that beautiful sabbath shone with its pure light upon the
+desolate and dishonoured homes of the victims of this terrible
+massacre; and the air, which should have been hushed from sound
+until the psalm of praise woke it, bore upon its midnight billows
+the yell of fierce blasphemers flushed and drunk with
+murder.&nbsp; Says one, &ldquo;Unhappy, Paris, thou hast suffered
+many things since that unhappy time.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>There are many interesting Churches in this gay city, but I
+must refrain from dwelling upon their beauty and utility.</p>
+<h2><a name="page19"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+19</span>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Paris: Palace de Concorde: Champs Elysees: The
+Bois de Boulogne: The extensive Boulevards: The River Seine,
+etc.: Leaving Paris: Arrive at Dijon: Our Hotel: Dijon, its
+Churches, etc.: Our journey to Chambery, etc.</p>
+<p>The Place de la Concorde.&nbsp; Here we were pointed out was a
+place where a terrible struggle took place between the Germans
+and the French in 1871.&nbsp; The work of devastation and ruin
+was only too apparent.&nbsp; We drove to the Champs
+Elysees.&nbsp; This is a most lovely place, with a broad avenue a
+mile long, with trees on each side of all sorts, and grass lawns
+and flower beds in the greatest profusion.&nbsp; Here wander
+carelessly the gay crowds, or sit in beautiful little cafes under
+the spreading branches of the trees.&nbsp; In the groves around
+the children are swarming, shouting, and playing.&nbsp; We
+noticed there was the ever-loved of children, &ldquo;The Punch
+and Judy,&rdquo; also with stalls with toys, gingerbread, etc.,
+etc.</p>
+<p>
+<a href="images/p20.jpg">
+<img class='floatright' alt=
+"The Bastille Column, Paris"
+title=
+"The Bastille Column, Paris"
+src="images/p20.jpg" />
+</a>When the darkness gathers and the numerous and brilliant gas
+jets are lighted, stretching <a name="page20"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 20</span>for the distance of more than a mile,
+and music and song float on the air, the scene is very
+fascinating.&nbsp; It is said, that along this broad avenue, in
+1871, Paris with suppressed rage&mdash;watched the last of the
+German army disappear.&nbsp; Our jarvey then drove us to the Bois
+de Boulogne, which is not far from here.&nbsp; This is a grand
+promenade for chariots and horses, a little like our Rotten Row,
+in London.&nbsp; There are here to be seen lakes, islands,
+caverns, artificial mounds, avenues, and, indeed, everything to
+make a most charming retreat from the busy city life.&nbsp; The
+Champ de Mars is another of the open spaces.&nbsp; Napoleon,
+before the famous battle of Waterloo, held his last review of the
+grand army of France here.&nbsp; Again, in 1852, 60,000 soldiers
+were brought together on the occasion of the distribution of
+eagles to the different regiments, also several Arabs, in native
+costume, as representative of the vanquished Algerian
+tribes.&nbsp; And here again, sad to say, in 1871, the Germans
+levelled their dreadful &ldquo;mitrailleuse&rdquo; and shot down,
+in their helplessness, many of the French.&nbsp; We can hardly
+leave Paris without saying further that the boulevards of Paris
+are a great boon and joy to the city.&nbsp; Whatever may be
+thought or said of the career of Napoleon III., in fourteen years
+he spent &pound;60,000,000 in building seventy <a
+name="page21"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 21</span>miles of
+streets and two hundred boulevards, eight churches, eighty
+schools, twelve wonderful bridges, and planted fifty thousand
+trees.&nbsp; All added ultimately to the wealth as well as the
+attractions of the city.&nbsp; To describe the streets is a task
+I shall not attempt.&nbsp; They are called Rue&mdash;as Rue
+Lafitte, Rue de la Chausse, Rue de la Victorie, Rue St.
+Dennis.&nbsp; The numerous places and things in and around Paris
+that call for remarks are legion, but I must forbear, only to
+give one passing reference to the river Seine and its many
+bridges.&nbsp; Pont Notre Dame or the bridge of Our Lady, dates
+from the fifteenth century; a bridge of later date, we were told,
+was made of wood, and fell into the river taking sixty houses
+with it.&nbsp; This is a fine bridge built of solid
+masonry.&nbsp; The Pont d&rsquo;Arcole is a suspension bridge for
+foot passengers only.&nbsp; The Pont Neuf was built by Henry
+IV.&nbsp; There is a bronze horse on the bridge which was cast in
+Tuscany.&nbsp; On its way to Paris, the vessel bringing it was
+wrecked off the Norman coast, and lay for a year at the bottom of
+the sea.&nbsp; It was ultimately fished up and brought to its
+present position.&nbsp; And now I must leave, for a time at
+least, any further reference to Paris, only to say we settled our
+account at the Hotel and drove off to Gare-de-Lyon to catch the
+<a name="page22"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 22</span>train at
+10.25 for Dijon.&nbsp; Our driver was a very interesting sort of
+Frenchman, and tried to explain and show us places and things,
+but we were little the better for his attempts to enlighten
+us.&nbsp; We reached the station early, and were soon steaming
+away through France, and as we did so, we came to the conclusion
+it was as fair a land as e&rsquo;er we had set eyes on; miles of
+lovely lawns; hedges cut and trimmed as if by a barber; the
+poplar trees rising in rows, long and even, all in order and
+beauty; then the rivers here and there rolling along, between
+grassy banks, and the lovely fat looking cattle browsing or
+sleeping in soft sunshine; cosy cottages, almost buried in bowers
+of roses; quaint old world villages, with red-tiled cottages; and
+stately churches with ivy covered towers, made one think of the
+poet who sang:&mdash;</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;Through thy cornfields green and sunny
+vines,<br />
+O, pleasant land of France.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>We had very comfortable seats in the train, and our travelling
+companions, I think, saw we were foreigners, therefore did not
+trouble us with any conversation.&nbsp; The country scenery we
+passed was charming, as the autumn tints were visible upon the
+trees; also the rich corn harvest was gathered in, and stacks of
+wheat were plentiful.&nbsp; Labourers <a name="page23"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 23</span>we could see in the fields tilling
+the soil for next year&rsquo;s produce.&nbsp; The country we
+passed through in our journey from Paris to Dijon (our next stop)
+is comparatively flat, slightly undulating in places, and I
+should think the soil is of a rich nature.&nbsp; About 6
+o&rsquo;clock we arrived at Dijon, and soon were out of the train
+and into the hotel &rsquo;bus.&nbsp; We had arranged beforehand
+our hotel from a list supplied from &ldquo;Cook &amp;
+Sons.&rdquo;&nbsp; Here we had chosen the &ldquo;Grand Hotel de
+la Cloche,&rdquo; or we should call it the &ldquo;Bell
+Hotel.&rdquo;&nbsp; After having secured our
+apartments&mdash;which were of a first-class order, most
+profusely decorated and richly furnished, and clean beyond
+description&mdash;we had a wash, and found table-de-hote was
+ready, and we were ready too.&nbsp; A well prepared and well
+served dinner of eight courses; wines free and abundant to those
+who cared to have it; indeed, a bottle of the French red wine was
+placed to each individual at the table; fruit in abundance.&nbsp;
+A very good company, and apparently very jolly.&nbsp; All were
+foreigners, either French, German or Italian.&nbsp; After dessert
+we went for a little while to the smoke room, and then to
+bed.&nbsp; We slept well until very early in the morning, when a
+terrible storm of thunder and lightning broke over the
+town&mdash;it was very startling, being so severe.&nbsp; We
+learned, when at breakfast, that <a name="page24"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 24</span>a woman had been struck by lightning
+close by our hotel; she, however, was not killed.</p>
+<p>Dijon lies in a valley, the river Onche runs through it, and a
+beautiful undulating piece of land, covered with vines, lies to
+the left of the town, which is nearly 200 miles from Paris.&nbsp;
+It has now, I believe, a population of about 50,000.&nbsp; We
+took the best means of seeing it in the short time at our
+disposal, by hiring a car.&nbsp; One of the most jolly-looking
+Frenchmen I ever saw, with a face as round and red as an apple,
+his horse was just as fat as a horse could be, and he cared for
+it as if it was human, or even more than some human beings are
+cared for.&nbsp; He drove us to some lovely gardens where there
+was a fine lake and a fountain which was then playing.&nbsp;
+Having my Kodak with me I took a snap-shot, though I regret to
+say, I did not get a good picture.&nbsp; We drove to the lovely
+Cathedral of St. Boniface, built, we were told, for the third
+time in the twelfth century.&nbsp; The spire is very fine, rising
+to a height of 300 feet.&nbsp; We also visited St.
+Michael&rsquo;s, which is Grecian in its exterior, but it is
+Gothic in its interior.&nbsp; We passed a very old Carmelite
+Church with rich carving about the entrance, and a fine old
+carved oak door.&nbsp; On the steps sat two old men resting,
+typical of the labouring class of France.&nbsp; I just managed to
+get a snap-shot.&nbsp; There is a <a name="page25"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 25</span>fine town hall, which shows itself to
+great advantage.&nbsp; We learnt it was at one time the Palace of
+the Duke of Burgundy, and had then a very large collection of
+scientific and art subjects, and a library of 50,000
+volumes.&nbsp; Dijon is one of the loveliest towns of
+France.&nbsp; It has in it some manufacturies as woollen cloth,
+blankets, glue, baskets, mustard oil, saltpetre, and there is
+also a brewery.&nbsp; At the time of the Roman invasion, it is
+said, C&aelig;sar fixed and fortified a camp near here.&nbsp; The
+Germans attacked it in 1871, and it capitulated on October 23rd
+of that year, after a long and severe struggle, and was made, for
+the time being (to the great chagrin of the inhabitants) the
+head-quarters of the German General Werder.&nbsp; Having made as
+full an acquaintance of the place as we could in the short time
+at our disposal, we paid our hotel account and found ourselves
+again at the railway station.&nbsp; Here I had a long and angry
+altercation with the ticket examiner.&nbsp; I understood him to
+say our tickets were for another route; I closely scanned them,
+and assured him in the best French at my command, our tickets
+were in order, and, after considerable difficulty, he consented
+to our passing the stile and getting, to the train.&nbsp; Again
+we were on rail, comfortably fixed and destined for
+Chambery.&nbsp; We had not left Dijon long before we noticed the
+<a name="page26"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 26</span>vine-clad
+hills, which indicated our approach to the South of France, and
+Alpine hills.&nbsp; The scenery grew more beautiful as we sped
+along towards our destination.&nbsp; We were able not only to
+enjoy the views as we passed villages and hamlets&mdash;but were
+able to get a fairly good square meal on the train.&nbsp; We
+arrived safely at Chambery about 5 o&rsquo;clock, and as usual we
+had fixed upon an hotel.&nbsp; This time it is Hotel de France,
+and we were soon in a rumbling old &rsquo;bus and driven to a
+very quiet part of this quiet sleepy little town.&nbsp; We found
+it fairly comfortable, and a hostess who had a robust and bonny
+appearance, and whose welcome in the French fashion was all we
+could wish.&nbsp; Our rooms were lofty and rather barely
+furnished.&nbsp; There was a feeling of chilliness about the
+place, but we were only staying for one night, so would put up
+with it.&nbsp; A good hot table-de-hote dinner, and we felt
+better.&nbsp; To bed at an early hour, was our habit, and here we
+did not break it.&nbsp; A good night&rsquo;s rest, and I was
+stirring early to look round and get information.&nbsp; It is a
+town of about 13,000 inhabitants.&nbsp; An Archbishop resides
+here (of the Romish Church) of course.&nbsp; It has some
+manufacturies in silk gauze, watches, leather, etc.&nbsp; I saw
+some soldiers on horseback on parade and took a snap-shot.&nbsp;
+Also two fine bullocks pulling a wagon of <a
+name="page27"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 27</span>timber.&nbsp;
+We had a very good breakfast, as our hostess was most gracious
+and obliging.&nbsp; We settled up accounts, which we found on a
+moderate scale, indeed, cheaper than a similar hotel in
+England.&nbsp; We started for the station on foot, the morning
+being fine, while a porter conveyed our luggage on a
+wheelbarrow.&nbsp; Arriving in good time at the station we
+managed to get good comfortable corner seats, so we could
+&ldquo;view the landscape o&rsquo;er&rdquo; at our leisure.&nbsp;
+We soon found it was worth surveying, for we were nearing the
+Alps.&nbsp; On our left, some fifty miles or more&mdash;Geneva
+and, between the city and Chambery, lay a rugged mountainous
+district scarcely matched in any part of the world.&nbsp; For an
+hour or more we watched the changing scenery with an intense
+interest.</p>
+<h2><a name="page28"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+28</span>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Our journey to and through Mont Cenis Tunnel:
+Passing the Customs: Our new friend Nurse Reynolds: Our scrimmage
+for provisions at Turin: Arrival at Genoa and Table-de-hote:
+Arrival at Rome and our Hotel, etc.</p>
+<p>Mountains, rivers, waterfalls, landscapes, vineyards, castles,
+chalets, and in some cases, so near the villages, we saw children
+playing on the village green, our train steaming on at a good
+speed, we soon found ourselves at Modane.&nbsp; This is the
+frontier between France and Italy, and here I expected we should
+have to change trains, go through the Customs, and re-embark on
+another train.&nbsp; So we got out of the train.&nbsp; I soon
+found, however, we were not to change, so we re-entered another
+part of the same train, and here we were civilly and carefully
+dealt with; the very acme of politeness was shown.&nbsp; Our bags
+and valises were just opened, but scarcely examined.&nbsp; We
+declared we had nothing within, to the best of our knowledge and
+belief, upon which duty was payable. When asked the question, I
+answered &ldquo;Non, Monsieur.&rdquo;&nbsp; When we came to
+settle down <a name="page29"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+29</span>before the train proceeded on its journey we noticed our
+fellow travellers were different.&nbsp; We found two ladies,
+mother and daughter, going to join a near relative in India; an
+Italian woman, not over clean, with a babe about four
+weeks&rsquo; old; and a nurse in uniform who was going to Rome to
+fill a position, also she wanted to learn the Italian
+language.&nbsp; My dear wife and this nurse soon became close
+acquaintances, as they both had learned the profession, and for
+some time they were too absorbed almost to notice the scenery we
+were passing, for we were now nearing the Alps through which we
+were to pass.&nbsp; We reached Mont Cenis duly, and, as we heard
+so much of this terrible tunnel, we almost dreaded passing
+through it.&nbsp; At this point there is an old pass over Mont
+Cenis, or roadway between Piedmont and Savoy, the highest point
+11,570 feet above sea level.&nbsp; The pass was an old unused
+road, and dangerous on account of brigands and bandittis.&nbsp;
+Bonaparte, be it said to his credit, in 1803, spent
+&pound;300,000 in repairing it, and it was here the great
+Napoleon III. sent his troops into Italy against Austria in
+1859.&nbsp; The tunnel is about eight miles in length.&nbsp; To
+make it was a work of almost superhuman labour and skill.&nbsp;
+It was commenced by two sets of men, one on the Italian side and
+one set on the French side, in <a name="page30"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 30</span>the year 1857; and so exact had been
+the calculations made, that when the men met in the middle, they
+were not a single foot out of their calculations.&nbsp; The cost
+was nearly &pound;3,000,000, and quite a number of valuable
+lives.&nbsp; Now, both for business and pleasure, a way has been
+opened to the sunny south.&nbsp; We settled in our respective
+corners as we pierced this great mountain, and gave ourselves up
+to reflection.&nbsp; The great train thundered on, and silence
+largely held us all in its thrall.&nbsp; The half-hour in going
+through Mont Cenis seemed almost half-a-day.&nbsp; At last we
+emerged into the day light, and into the glorious sunshine of
+sunny Italy, with its vine-clad hills, and its serene and sunny
+sky&mdash;&ldquo;Land of all lands the pride,&rdquo; leaving
+behind us the Alpine heights (to revisit them on our
+return).&nbsp; We were running for Turin.&nbsp; We found we had
+no buffet on the train, and as we had not laid in a stock of
+refreshments, we began to feel the cravings of nature, and we
+began to wonder how they were to be satisfied.&nbsp; We
+ultimately pulled up at Turin; how long we were to stop I did not
+know, and I could not ask, for now it was beyond my bit of
+French.&nbsp; I said to my dear wife, here goes, we must have
+bread or starve: if the train leaves before I return to
+you&mdash;well, good-bye!&nbsp; But I will do my best to be back
+in a few minutes and before the <a name="page31"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 31</span>train leaves.&nbsp; Without hat I
+rushed down the platform looking for a buffet, right at the
+bottom of a long platform I saw the word buffet.&nbsp; I darted
+in, threw down a lire, and picked up two rolls of bread worth
+about twopence each, also some fruit worth about as much.&nbsp; I
+seized these and hurried back to the carriage, passengers and
+people looking on and the waiters seemed to think I must be an
+escaped lunatic.&nbsp; Well! I reached our carriage just as the
+train was moving out.&nbsp; What would have happened if I had
+been left behind I do not care to think.&nbsp; &ldquo;All&rsquo;s
+well that ends well.&rdquo;&nbsp; So we got at least something
+that would keep soul and body together until we could get a
+proper meal.&nbsp; We had decided to stop at Genoa, but my wife
+said &ldquo;well, now Nurse is going right through to Rome, let
+us keep her company.&rdquo;&nbsp; So we decided not to remain at
+Genoa, but to go right through; that meant twenty-four hours in
+the train.&nbsp; As we were approaching Genoa we could see lovely
+vine-clad slopes, also the hills, the rivers and lakes, the
+landscapes, lovely beyond my power to describe.</p>
+<p>Genoa is a very fine city.&nbsp; I felt I could say of it as
+is said of the City of Jerusalem.&nbsp; Beautiful for situation
+is Genoa.&nbsp; Here we found we should have time for dinner;
+twenty minutes being allowed.&nbsp; We left <a
+name="page32"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 32</span>our
+carriage&mdash;now I had two nurses to take care of&mdash;we had
+to go under some arches, and across several platforms, to get to
+the buffet; this took us five minutes out of the twenty.&nbsp; We
+found, to our extreme satisfaction, a table-de-hote fully set
+out.&nbsp; Soup was laid out and waiting; waiters plenty.&nbsp;
+No sooner one course was over, another was before
+us&mdash;chicken, fish, saddle of mutton, pastry, ices, and more
+than we needed&mdash;so that in ten minutes we had well satisfied
+the inner man.&nbsp; Cigars were lying on the counter, and each
+passenger having dinner just helped himself, also to as much
+fruit as we could conveniently take.&nbsp; We were also helping
+ourselves to Post Cards but these, we were reminded, we must pay
+for as extra.&nbsp; So we scampered back with all speed.&nbsp;
+Never, I think, did a dinner of eight courses disappear so
+quickly.&nbsp; We had no time to explore the town, and we could
+only get glimpses of it from the train going in.&nbsp; It is
+called &ldquo;le Superb.&rdquo;&nbsp; Has some of the finest
+churches in Italy; is also a city of Commerce, of Shipping.&nbsp;
+It is a garrisoned city, and has fortifications considered
+impregnable.&nbsp; It is a city of palaces.&nbsp; Also has a
+picture gallery containing some fine paintings by the old
+masters, one by Guercino, in the very best colouring,
+&ldquo;Virgin and Child.&rdquo;&nbsp; This has been a favourite
+subject <a name="page33"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 33</span>of
+the Artists, as both in oils and in marble and stone, this
+subject is prominent.&nbsp; &ldquo;The Flight into Egypt&rdquo;
+is another favourite.&nbsp; These, however, we had not the
+pleasure of seeing, so we could only have the pleasure of knowing
+we had been near them.&nbsp; We left Genoa about 9 p.m.; it was
+quite dark, and so sultry we could hardly bear the heat of the
+atmosphere.&nbsp; We hutched up into our corners to try to sleep,
+but with the rattle of the train, the screams of the baby, and
+the impatience of the mother, we could not sleep, at least I
+could not.&nbsp; I think my wife got a little sleep.&nbsp; So did
+the nurse, our travelling companion.&nbsp; Before midnight, there
+broke over us a thunder storm.&nbsp; The lightning was so vivid I
+could clearly see the objects we passed, and it continued for
+several hours.&nbsp; We passed the leaning tower of Pisa before
+daylight broke in upon us, we were also getting too tired to
+enjoy the look out when the day broke.</p>
+<p>As we sped on we expected to see the City of Rome about 10
+a.m.&nbsp; At last the vision burst upon our view.&nbsp; Rome at
+last.&nbsp; Yes, certainly, there is the proud City.&nbsp; Its
+towers, spires and domes, and minarets, all glistening in the
+morning sun.&nbsp; The monuments and ruins of this city still
+standing testifies to the greatness of its past history.&nbsp;
+The gigantic Colosseum to the humblest of ruins, everything <a
+name="page34"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 34</span>in Rome is
+eloquent in the language of history.&nbsp; We soon hunted up our
+luggage, and made our way out of the carriage to the
+platform.&nbsp; After a few words with our companion, the Nurse,
+we separated.&nbsp; She was expecting to be met, and we were
+anxious to get to our hotel.&nbsp; This time we had chosen the
+&ldquo;Grand Hotel Continental,&rdquo; and finding their
+&rsquo;bus at the station we were soon conveyed to our
+destination.</p>
+<p>The hotel was certainly of a high-class order, and very
+extensive.&nbsp; The grand saloon for dining was most costly
+furnished.&nbsp; Mirrors and paintings on the walls gave
+brilliancy and attractiveness to the scene.&nbsp; The lecture
+room, the smoke room, the reading room, were all most luxuriantly
+fitted up.&nbsp; The bed rooms also were sweet and clean.&nbsp;
+Abundance of lavatories, bathrooms, lifts, etc., make the place a
+comfortable home from home.&nbsp; After having fixed our number
+(I mean the number of our bed room, this was always our first
+business at a fresh hotel) we had breakfast, then a bath, for we
+had no opportunity of even a good wash since leaving Chambery
+twenty-four hours ago.&nbsp; We were needing it badly.&nbsp; An
+ample supply of hot water for the bath, towels ready to hand,
+soap we carried with us.&nbsp; We thought it strange, but we
+found it true, the hotels don&rsquo;t find soap.&nbsp; This <a
+name="page35"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 35</span>reminds me of
+Mark Twain&rsquo;s position when in Italy, in his
+&ldquo;Innocents Abroad.&rdquo;&nbsp; He says, &ldquo;We have had
+a bath in Milan, in a public house.&nbsp; They were going to put
+all three of us in one bath tub, but we objected.&nbsp; We chose
+to have three tubs, and large ones&mdash;tubs suited to the
+dignity of aristocrats who had real estate, and brought it with
+them.&nbsp; After we were stripped and had taken the first chilly
+dash, we discovered that haunting atrocity that has embittered
+our lives in so many cities and villages of Italy, there was no
+soap.&nbsp; I called.&nbsp; A woman answered and I barely had
+time to throw myself against the door, before she would have been
+in, in another second.&nbsp; I said, &lsquo;Beware, woman!&nbsp;
+Go away from here&mdash;go away, now, or it will be worse for
+you.&nbsp; I am an unprotected male, but I will preserve my
+honour at the peril of my life.&rsquo;&rdquo;&nbsp; We had a good
+bath, then to bed for a few hours, as we had had hardly any sleep
+in the train.&nbsp; We rose about 2.30 p.m. refreshed, and after
+lunch we prepared for a stroll or ride to see the sights of this
+wonderful city.&nbsp; We soon found it is a wonderful city.&nbsp;
+The ancient and the modern are seen at almost every point.&nbsp;
+And yet you seem to feel there is no jar on your taste or
+feeling.</p>
+<h2><a name="page36"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+36</span>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Visit to the Forum and the Colosseum: Crossing
+the Tiber: Castle of St. Angelo: Palace of Justice:
+Trajan&rsquo;s Column: Garibaldi&rsquo;s Monument: The Appian
+Way: St. Peter&rsquo;s: Its magnitude and magnificence: Michael
+Angelo&rsquo;s work.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p36.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Christian martyrs in the Colosseum, Rome"
+title=
+"Christian martyrs in the Colosseum, Rome"
+src="images/p36.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>Our first visit was to the Colosseum.&nbsp; Among the many
+sights of Rome none give us a better idea of its ancient
+civilisation than the Forum and the Colosseum.&nbsp; The heart of
+the great Roman Empire throbbed in the Forum.&nbsp; Here was, at
+one time, the Senate, the market, the courts, indeed, it was the
+very centre of the life of Rome.&nbsp; As we gazed upon the
+ruins, the vast marble columns, still standing, its broken
+arches, and gables in ruins, it needed no great stretch of the
+imagination to fancy we were back to the palmy days of Rome, and
+the Forum is ringing with the cheers of the vast populace who
+have sat under Cicero&rsquo;s eloquence; or, we fancy we can hear
+the tramp of Roman legions as they return from some nightly
+conquest, passing the gates of this remarkable building.&nbsp;
+The ground it covered would be <a name="page37"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 37</span>about 250,000 square feet.&nbsp;
+These, of course, embraced the market place, the rostrum, several
+temples, and the triumphal arch.&nbsp; The whole building was of
+marble, and with its marvellous architecture, it must, in its
+glory, have presented a striking appearance.&nbsp; The Palace of
+C&aelig;sar stands just behind.&nbsp; We had a chance of seeing a
+little of the gardens, once belonging to this palace.&nbsp;
+Enough of the remains serve to show something of the wealth and
+luxury of those ancient Emperors.&nbsp; I took two snap-shots of
+a part of the ruins of this wonderful place.&nbsp; In my
+photograph the marble columns are seen to be standing, and they
+are where they have stood for the last fifteen hundred years at
+least.&nbsp; From here to the Colosseum, no less wonderful than
+the Forum, we then made our way.&nbsp; The first view of it
+filled us with awe.&nbsp; In its ruins it is awfully grand.&nbsp;
+It must surely be the most imposing ruin in Rome, and it is the
+most historically interesting relic of ruin in the world.&nbsp;
+Vespasian began to build it in the year 72 <span
+class="GutSmall">A.D.</span>, and the Emperor Titus completed it
+in the year 80 <span class="GutSmall">A.D.</span>&nbsp;
+Historians tell us it was built by the forced labour of Jews and
+Christians.&nbsp; Its architect, they tell us, was one
+&ldquo;Gaudentius,&rdquo; who afterwards became a Christian, and
+died a martyr within the walls he himself had planned and helped
+to build.&nbsp; <a name="page38"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+38</span>Originally it would hold in all 100,000 people, and
+90,000 could be seated in its vast galleries and rooms.&nbsp; It
+would cover, apparently, about six acres of land.&nbsp; Down to
+the sixth century it remained in its beauty undiminished, and
+little decayed.&nbsp; Inside the vast building was a fine statue
+of Nero.&nbsp; The extreme length of the walls outside are about
+six hundred feet, and the width nearly five hundred feet.&nbsp;
+There was originally a portico carried round the whole building,
+adorned with gilded columns, while statues of the finest marble
+filled the arcades, and there were rich awnings of silk for a
+protection from the sun&rsquo;s heat.&nbsp; It is stated the
+carnival lasted for several weeks, and no less than five thousand
+wild beasts, some from the Indian Jungles, and some from the
+African morasses took part.&nbsp; These terrible gladiator fights
+were the amusements for the aristocracy of Italy, and were
+attended by stately courtiers and the nobles of the land.&nbsp;
+We saw the bars still standing in the ruins, behind which the
+wild beasts lurked, waiting to be turned into the arena to fight
+with gladiators, i.e., men trained, who with their lives in their
+hands were prepared for this terrible ordeal.&nbsp; If they came
+out with the trophy they were applauded, and with honours
+escorted through the streets of Rome.</p>
+<p>
+<a href="images/p38.jpg">
+<img class='floatright' alt=
+"The Roman Forum, Rome"
+title=
+"The Roman Forum, Rome"
+src="images/p38.jpg" />
+</a>Sometimes, at the <a name="page39"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 39</span>bidding of the wicked Emperor Nero,
+one hundred Christians would be brought into the arena, when a
+vast crowd would be present to watch four or five lions and as
+many tigers turned in, wild with fury, and mad with hunger, the
+Christian martyrs were soon delivered from their fleshly tenement
+and went up to their reward.&nbsp; It is said that St. Ignatius
+was brought from Antioch to be devoured by these wild
+beasts.&nbsp; Church traditions record many martyrs within these
+now ruins.&nbsp; Byron says:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;I see before me the Gladiator lie;<br />
+He leans upon his hand, his manly brow<br />
+Consents to death, but conquers agony.<br />
+The arena swims around him, he is gone<br />
+E&rsquo;er ceased the inhuman shout which hailed the wretch who
+won.<br />
+He heard it, but he heeded not; his eyes<br />
+Were with his heart, and that was far away.<br />
+There were his young barbarians all at play.<br />
+There was their Dacian mother&mdash;he their sire<br />
+Butchered to make a Roman holiday.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>Or Keble:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;And now the gratings ope, with hideous
+roar<br />
+Leap forth those hungry brutes, while kneel in prayer,<br />
+Those heaps of Christians, how their spirits soar<br />
+Above or wounds or death.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p><a name="page40"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 40</span>I stood
+and gazed, and thought, by those terrible ruins.&nbsp; I think I
+was as much affected as when I stood and gazed upon those
+marvellous structures, the Pyramids of Egypt.&nbsp; I took a
+snap-shot of my dear little wife within the ruins of the
+Colosseum, and we left it to ponder over its history and its
+ruin.&nbsp; We thought of the prophecy in prose of an Anglo-Saxon
+Pilgrim.&nbsp; He said: &ldquo;While stands the Colosseum, Rome
+shall stand; when falls the Colosseum, Rome shall fall.&nbsp; And
+when Rome falls&mdash;the world.&rdquo;</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p40.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"The Pantheon, Rome"
+title=
+"The Pantheon, Rome"
+src="images/p40.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>&ldquo;The Pantheon&rdquo; was one of the places we were
+delighted with.&nbsp; This dated from before Christ&rsquo;s time,
+and is now in a wonderful state of preservation.&nbsp; It was
+originally dedicated by Agrippa to &ldquo;All the
+gods.&rdquo;&nbsp; It was consecrated as a church in the year 610
+<span class="GutSmall">A.D.</span> by Pope Boniface IV., under
+the name of St. Maria.&nbsp; The portico consists of sixteen
+granite corinthian columns nearly forty feet high, eight in the
+front and the others in three colonnades.&nbsp; Inside, we were
+struck with its beauty, especially by the arrangement for light
+which comes from a vast dome over our heads.&nbsp; We walked
+reverently as we knew we were walking on the very same pavement
+as Augustus and Agrippa, and others whose dust has long centuries
+ago, gone to its mother earth.&nbsp; Here rest the remains of one
+of the <a name="page41"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+41</span>world&rsquo;s greatest painters&mdash;Raphael.&nbsp; He
+was buried in 1620.&nbsp; In recent years a doubt was raised as
+to whether he really was buried here, and a search was allowed
+and made in 1833, it was then ascertained beyond the shadow of a
+doubt that he was buried here, as his remains were intact.&nbsp;
+On leaving the Pantheon, and before crossing the Tiber, we were
+reminded of the poet&rsquo;s words referring to this church:
+&ldquo;Simple, erect, austere, sublime&mdash;Shrine of all saints
+and temple of all gods from Jove to Jesus&mdash;Spared and blest
+by time, looking tranquilly while falls or nods arch, empire,
+each thing round thee, and man plods his way through thorns and
+ashes&mdash;glorious dome! shalt thou not last?&nbsp;
+Times&rsquo; scythe and tyrant&rsquo;s rods shiver upon
+thee&mdash;Sanctuary and home of art and
+piety&mdash;Pantheon!&nbsp; Pride of Rome.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>After crossing the Tiber on one of its many wonderful bridges,
+adorned on each side by statues in stone of the celebrities of
+all ages, we found that just opposite this bridge is what is
+called the Castle of St. Angelo.&nbsp; An immense pile, circular
+in form, on its summit a large monument, and in front a clock of
+very large dimensions.&nbsp; It was erected by the Emperor
+Adrian, and intended to be for his own tomb and those of
+succeeding kings or emperors.&nbsp; We did not go inside, but we
+<a name="page42"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 42</span>learned it
+was fitted and filled with the finest works of art, specially
+that in marble finished by the sculptor&rsquo;s chisel.&nbsp;
+From here we started to drive to our hotel, for we were satiated
+with the wonderful sights of Rome.&nbsp; We passed the Palace of
+Justice, a modern building, indeed, only just having the
+finishing touches put upon it.&nbsp; It is of granite, the size
+is immense and the appearance noble.&nbsp; As we passed, churches
+and theatres seemed to be numerous.&nbsp; Gay and grave, sad and
+happy, new and old.&nbsp; There &ldquo;Beeston Humber Motor
+Cycle&rdquo; advertised.&nbsp; There the ruins of a building that
+had stood for a thousand years.</p>
+<p>The Column of Trajan calls for a passing note.&nbsp; It is a
+fine specimen of the Doric order, and very fortunately it is in a
+good state of preservation.&nbsp; On three sides of the pedestal
+there are bas-reliefs, on the fourth side is an inscription to
+Trajan&rsquo;s tomb.&nbsp; On the column are over 20 very fine
+carvings, representing the various wars in which he had taken
+part.&nbsp; On the top is a fine statue of the Apostle St.
+Peter.&nbsp; As we stood and looked upon this ancient monument
+and thought of the fact that it had stood there for well nigh on
+2,000 years, we re-called the words of a poet who represents
+fairly the condition of things in Trajan&rsquo;s day.</p>
+<p><a name="page43"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 43</span>B. E.
+H. Plumbtree says:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;Through haughty Rome&rsquo;s imperial
+street<br />
+The mighty Trajan rode,<br />
+And myrrh and balm and spices sweet<br />
+In silver censers glowed;<br />
+In car of state erect he stood,<br />
+And round him rushing like a flood<br />
+The people poured with shout and song,<br />
+And every eye through all that throng<br />
+Turned to him with delight.<br />
+For he had triumphed far and wide,<br />
+Had sated Rome&rsquo;s high-soaring pride,<br />
+And, laying captive nations low,<br />
+Now dragged the pale and trembling foe<br />
+Bent down in sore affright.<br />
+And still before him spread afar<br />
+New pathways for his conquering car,<br />
+More crowns of world-wide fame to win<br />
+&rsquo;Mid shouts of warriors battle din:<br />
+One triumph being o&rsquo;er he spurned<br />
+And still his fevered spirit burned<br />
+New realms, new worlds to gain.<br />
+And still his legions on he led,<br />
+Legions that ne&rsquo;er from foe had fled,<br />
+The glory of his reign.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>We left the mighty column standing in its solitary grandeur, a
+memorial of man&rsquo;s achievement, while yet other things
+around us testified to the instability of all earthly <a
+name="page44"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 44</span>things.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;Change and decay in all around I see.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>We reached our hotel tired and hungry.&nbsp; We, however, soon
+found the value of a good wash, then a good table-de-hote meal,
+and then to write up our diaries and think of the day&rsquo;s
+experiences, then to go to rest.&nbsp; After a good night&rsquo;s
+sleep we rose refreshed.&nbsp; Had a good wash, then
+breakfast.&nbsp; After letters, postcards, etc., we prepared for
+further investigations of the great city.&nbsp; We went out, but
+no sooner did we appear in the great square facing our hotel,
+when, I should think, at least a dozen cabmen turned their horses
+heads towards us, asking for our patronage.&nbsp; We could only
+hire one, so we had choice and it fell upon a decent looking
+man&mdash;the very picture of a son of Italy&mdash;with a very
+good looking horse.&nbsp; This time we drove to the mound upon
+which stands the noble monument to General Garibaldi, the statue
+of one of Italy&rsquo;s noblest heroes and patriots.&nbsp;
+Garibaldi was born at Nice in 1807.&nbsp; His family were quite
+obscure, and without name or fame.&nbsp; His father had a small
+coasting vessel, and to this, probably, is due something of the
+adventurous spirit of his son.&nbsp; When he had attained his
+manhood, he went to Genoa and then to Rome.&nbsp; <a
+name="page45"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 45</span>Here he
+joined a band called &ldquo;Young Italy,&rdquo; and as a member
+of this band he was indicted for treason and sentenced to
+death.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p44.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Garibaldi&rsquo;s Monument, Rome"
+title=
+"Garibaldi&rsquo;s Monument, Rome"
+src="images/p44.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>By some means he escaped this sentence and fled to Marseilles
+in France.&nbsp; From here to South America, and here he joined
+the army and fought against Brazil.&nbsp; He became a most
+adventurous and daring leader.&nbsp; In 1848 he returned to Italy
+with a view to give himself to the army of Italy.&nbsp; They,
+however, did not receive him with the cordiality he
+deserved.&nbsp; He, however, raised an army of 1,500 brave men,
+like-minded with himself, and went against the Austrians, who
+were threatening Italy severely and dangerously.&nbsp; He showed
+skill and bravery on the field of battle, and so attracted the
+notice of Victor Immanuel, who with his own hand fastened on the
+hero&rsquo;s breast the gold medal for military bravery.&nbsp; He
+became the idol of the nation of Italy, as General Gordon might
+be called the hero of the Soudan.&nbsp; So Garibaldi may be
+called the hero of Italy, and as in Gordon&rsquo;s case, riches,
+titles, conventional distinctions were as nothing, so in the case
+of this illustrious soldier and hero.&nbsp; He had the honour of
+a seat in the Parliament of Italy in 1875.&nbsp; The latter part
+of his life was spent in retirement, and he died suddenly in the
+year 1882.&nbsp; And here to his memory is erected, in the very
+heart of the Eternal City, a splendid <a name="page46"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 46</span>monument.&nbsp; His life-sized figure
+in bronze on a fine charger, while around the monument are
+bas-reliefs of great interest.&nbsp; From this high elevation we
+had a good view of the city and of the river Tiber, which is
+about equal to our river Trent for width, it is spanned in
+several places by bridges.&nbsp; Here we could look down the
+Appian Way.&nbsp; It would not be difficult, standing here, to
+imagine just away at yonder port, some ten or twelve miles away,
+a shipwrecked crew has landed its cargo of grain; also some
+soldiers with three prisoners, amongst them is Paul, the great
+apostle to the Gentiles.&nbsp; He is chained to a soldier; they
+come along the Appian Way, where we are just looking&mdash;a road
+that had often rung with the plaudits to the victors in many a
+hard fought fight.&nbsp; A strange sight to see this poor man,
+without money, friends, or influence.&nbsp; Yet he was the true
+conqueror of Rome.&nbsp; He said truly &ldquo;God hath chosen the
+foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath
+chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that
+are mighty.&rdquo;&nbsp; Cor., chapter I, verse 27.&nbsp; St.
+Paul says again: &ldquo;And so we went towards Rome, and from
+thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as
+far as Appii forum, and the three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he
+thanked God, and <a name="page47"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+47</span>took courage.&rdquo;&nbsp; Acts, chapter 28, verses 14
+&amp; 15.&nbsp; Paul is allowed to speak for himself, having
+appealed to C&aelig;sar.&nbsp; &ldquo;And Paul dwelt two whole
+years in his own hired house, and received all that came to him,
+preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which
+concern the Lord Jesus Christ.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>Up this Way, it is likely, Titus brought up the spoils he had
+taken in his overthrow of the City of Jerusalem.&nbsp; The spoils
+consisted of the &ldquo;Ark of the Covenant,&rdquo; overlaid
+round about with gold, the golden pot that had manna, &ldquo;and
+Aaron&rsquo;s rod that budded.&rdquo;&nbsp; Heb., chapter 9,
+verse 4.&nbsp; From this vantage ground we could see Rome, regal
+Rome, republican Rome, and in the distance St. Peter&rsquo;s and
+the Vatican, and many hundreds of other churches and prominent
+buildings which hold the records of ecclesiastical Rome.</p>
+<p>We visited, of course, the grand church or cathedral of St.
+Peter.&nbsp; This is the one thing we <i>must</i> see.&nbsp; This
+is the goal of millions of pious pilgrims from all lands, and at
+all seasons.&nbsp; I noticed in our illustrated papers of about
+November, 1908, the Pope had been celebrating his fifty years of
+priesthood, there was a great procession of thirty-six Cardinals,
+four hundred Bishops, fifty thousand spectators, and St.
+Peter&rsquo;s offerings were asked for by His Holiness for
+chalices for the poorer <a name="page48"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 48</span>churches.&nbsp; The Duchess of
+Norfolk presented &pound;500 as a response.&nbsp; The Pope was
+carried shoulder high in the Sedia Gestoria, over the heads of
+the vast masses, and as he was borne aloft, he bestowed his
+blessings on all sides, and amongst all classes of people.&nbsp;
+Passing over or through the vast throng he was placed on his
+golden throne, whence he grants his indulgences and extends to
+his flock sympathy and prayers.</p>
+<p>When we got within sight of the noble building we were
+constrained to stand still and look and let our thoughts and
+feelings have full play, for just then they were of a very mixed
+character, as we thought of Rome and its history, of this
+building and its surroundings, and what it meant.&nbsp; At the
+entrance we could see right through the large Piazza or Square,
+in the centre of which is an obelisk, I think Egyptian in
+character.&nbsp; On either side are fountains throwing their
+sparkling waters from almost innumerable jets.&nbsp; Then there
+are colonnades also, and 284 columns, each column is about
+40-feet high, and on the column a statue about 16-feet high,
+these give an idea of the vastness of the building beyond.&nbsp;
+The obelisk in St. Peter&rsquo;s Square weighs 3,270
+tons&mdash;it is said that the ship that brought it from Egypt
+was so large that the Emperor Claudius had it sunk at the <a
+name="page49"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 49</span>mouth of the
+Tiber to serve as part of the foundations for the outward wall of
+the Port of Ostia, in the year 39 <span
+class="GutSmall">A.D.</span></p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p48.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"St. Peter&rsquo;s, Rome"
+title=
+"St. Peter&rsquo;s, Rome"
+src="images/p48.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>It was left until the year 1566 before orders were given by
+Pope Sextus to have it placed in this square.&nbsp; At the top of
+this great obelisk is a cross which is said to be a part of the
+real cross on which our Lord and Saviour was crucified.&nbsp;
+Passing this outward display of grandeur in the shape of
+statuary, columns and colonnades, we reached the steps leading up
+to the vestibule, these are massive marble steps, with colossal
+statues of St. Peter and St. Paul at the foot.&nbsp; It is said
+that this is the largest and the most costly church in the
+world.&nbsp; It was built on the site of the Emperor Nero&rsquo;s
+circus, which was the scene of the most terrible martyrdoms, and
+it is also said to be the place where St. Peter was buried after
+his crucifixion.&nbsp; About the year 106 <span
+class="GutSmall">A.D.</span>, history tells us there was a
+monument erected here to mark the site of St. Peter&rsquo;s
+tomb.&nbsp; Earlier a basilica was founded on this spot, which
+stood for over one thousand years, then showing signs of decay
+(and one cannot wonder at it).&nbsp; Nicholas V., in 1447,
+decided to erect one larger and better in its place.</p>
+<h2><a name="page50"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+50</span>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Rome continued: St. Peter&rsquo;s building:
+St. Peter&rsquo;s Statue: St. Peter&rsquo;s resting place: The
+vast Columns, Pictures, Fonts, Confessionals, etc.: The Vatican:
+The Professional Letter Writer: The Arch of Titus: Statue of
+Nero, etc.</p>
+<p>This decision, however, he never carried out, but in the year
+1506, Julian II. laid the foundation of this vast church we are
+now about to enter.&nbsp; The first architect died while the work
+was in its early stages.&nbsp; Then Raphael, with two other
+architects, were appointed, and these also died during the
+building.&nbsp; Michael Angelo, who was then between seventy and
+eighty years of age, was selected to superintend the work.&nbsp;
+He is credited with the designing of that marvellous dome and
+cross, but did not live to see it completed.&nbsp; Indeed, not
+less than fifteen architects succeeded one another during the
+time of its building, and twenty-eight Popes reigned before it
+was completed (a time of 176 years).&nbsp; Its actual completion
+was not until 1784, a term of 278 years.</p>
+<p>Carlo Fountana estimates the cost at <a
+name="page51"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+51</span>&pound;11,000,000.&nbsp; He states that it required
+400,000 lbs. of bronze to form the statue of St. Peter inside the
+cathedral.&nbsp; The whole area is 240,000 square feet; when this
+is stated one may form some faint idea of the magnitude of the
+building.&nbsp; There are within and without the building columns
+in marble to the number of 756; 245 are inside.&nbsp; There are
+46 altars and 121 lamps, most of them are kept burning night and
+day.&nbsp; One hundred and thirty-two Popes have been buried
+here, if you count as they do from St. Peter on to the last Pope
+who passed away.&nbsp; It is stated that the cost of keeping the
+place in repair is over &pound;6,000 per year.&nbsp; Our first
+view of the Nave as we entered, created such a feeling of awe and
+reverence, that like the Queen of Sheba, of whom it is said,
+&ldquo;when she saw the glory of Solomon there was no more spirit
+in her.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;And behold the half was not told
+me.&rdquo;&nbsp; I. Kings, chapter 10, verses 5 and 7.&nbsp; I
+gazed with awe and admiration at one time on the marvellous
+Niagara Falls, and the sight seemed to bring me into the very
+presence of the great Creator, God.&nbsp; And now, to gaze upon
+works of such a colossal magnitude and of such a costly
+character, made us feel subdued and reverent.&nbsp; I may safely
+assume, I think, that every one will not see it just as we saw
+it; I mean they <a name="page52"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+52</span>will interpret its meaning differently.&nbsp; We were
+some time before we came to realize the fact that it was of such
+extraordinary proportions.&nbsp; Looking at the cherubs which
+support the fonts that contain holy water, at first you think
+they are models of children, but when you come beside them you
+find they are much larger than ordinary grown-up people.&nbsp; On
+the floor we noticed there are stars or marks telling the length
+of the building as compared with other large cathedrals.&nbsp;
+St. Paul&rsquo;s in London, is here given as 516-feet long, the
+Cathedral in Milan as 440-feet, the Cathedral in Florence is
+given as 495-feet, St. Peter&rsquo;s, at Bologna, 440-feet, and
+St. Sophia, at Constantinople, 364-feet, while this St.
+Peter&rsquo;s is 619-feet in length.&nbsp; On your right hand
+passing up the nave is the gigantic statue of St. Peter in
+bronze, which, with the foot held out slightly, I suppose
+millions of visitors from all nations and peoples and tongues
+have stooped to kiss the large toe, which, in consequence, is
+worn seriously out of shape.&nbsp; Some have gone so far as to
+say that this is the statue of Jupiter, only it has been slightly
+altered to suit its present purpose.&nbsp; I think it is Dean
+Swift who said (in a joke) &ldquo;that the difference between the
+ancient and modern Rome was, that the one was the worshipper of
+Jupiter, and the other the worshipper of <a
+name="page53"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 53</span>Jew
+Peter.&rdquo;&nbsp; As we stood beside this image in bronze and
+looked to the right&mdash;the confessional to the left&mdash;the
+confessional.&nbsp; Visitors in kneeling posture before an image
+of the Virgin, another before a picture.&nbsp; Another walks up
+to the font and crosses his forehead with holy water, we felt
+that we could not but pity these poor deluded souls in bondage to
+a priestly intolerance, when they might have had the real liberty
+of the children of God.</p>
+<p>Above this great statue of St. Peter, sitting in a chair of
+marble, in the act of blessing the people, is a portrait in
+mosaic of Pope Pius IX., and an inscription which states that he
+is the only Pope whose years of pontificate are more than were
+those of St. Peter.&nbsp; In the niches around the pillars which
+support the cupola are some very fine specimens of statuary, and
+above these are several small galleries which contain the Holy
+Relics, these are shown to the public on the great festive
+days.&nbsp; There are sixteen windows round the cupola, and over
+these are sixteen richly gilded pillars, between each of these
+are beautiful mosaics representing Popes and Bishops buried in
+the church, also of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, and the
+Apostles.&nbsp; Over the High Altar under the cupola, where the
+Pope alone has the right to say Mass, rises a very costly canopy
+of <a name="page54"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 54</span>bronze,
+supported by four spiral columns of richly gilded bronze about
+60-feet high, including the cross.&nbsp; The Altar is placed in
+such a position that the Pope saying Mass, faces the
+people.&nbsp; Under the Altar is St. Peter&rsquo;s tomb; a double
+flight of steps of Greek marble lead down to it, and at the
+bottom is a statue of one of the Popes kneeling; at the sides are
+four large columns of alabaster, and above these are two pillars
+of agate with the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul.&nbsp; The
+place in which St. Peter&rsquo;s ashes rest, and that forms part
+of the oratory, is covered with the most costly marble.&nbsp;
+When Peter said &ldquo;silver and gold have I none,&rdquo; Acts.
+chapter 3, verse 6, he could not have had the least idea of the
+costliness of his resting place in Rome.</p>
+<p>All things seem to be provided for the purpose of a worship
+meant to captivate the senses by its external splendour and
+beauty, until the very object of religion, the cultivation of the
+Christian virtues, which are meekness and humility, are forgotten
+in the magnificence of a priesthood of princes, combining their
+splendour and luxuries with their duties.&nbsp; On all sides we
+see monuments to Popes and Bishops; such as one to Pope Innocent
+XII., with fine bas-reliefs in marble.&nbsp; The Pope
+Gregory&rsquo;s monument which has some fine sculpture on it in
+marble.&nbsp; Another wing of <a name="page55"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 55</span>this huge building designed by
+Michael Angelo contains an altar enriched with alabaster,
+amethyst, and other precious stones.&nbsp; Over the altar is an
+image of the Madonna that is greatly venerated, as it is supposed
+to have been brought here from one of the early churches.&nbsp;
+Altars, crosses, and confessionals confront you wherever you go
+in this great cathedral; also, pictures adorn the walls where
+there is no sculpture.&nbsp; St. Peter raising Tabitha from the
+dead.&nbsp; See Acts, chapter 9, verse 40.&nbsp; &ldquo;But Peter
+put them all forth and kneeling down prayed; and turning to the
+body, said, &lsquo;Tabitha, arise,&rsquo; and she opened her
+eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>Two porphry steps lead to the Tribune, about fifty yards long,
+where there is another altar, and over it four colossal bronze
+statues; on the right, the tomb of Urban VIII., on the left, that
+of Paul III.&nbsp; In one of the wings of this building there are
+eleven confessionals for strangers, and inscriptions indicating
+the nationality or language.&nbsp; On all sides we saw these
+relics of popery until we were sick of it.&nbsp; We could not
+visit the grottos, as time did not permit, we were very desirous
+of making a visit to the Vatican, but we could not for the same
+reason.&nbsp; We gathered from information gained in various
+ways, that the Vatican or Pope&rsquo;s Palace is <a
+name="page56"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 56</span>the largest
+palace in the world.&nbsp; The Pope is allowed from Italy about
+&pound;130,000 per annum, and the Peter&rsquo;s pence, from many
+lands, amounts to as much as &pound;20,000 per annum.&nbsp; The
+Vatican contains 11,000 rooms, there are also 22 court
+yards.&nbsp; The ground it covers is the size of a town.&nbsp;
+The museums, the picture galleries, the statues in marble, are
+worth many millions of pounds.&nbsp; It is enriched with bronzes,
+marble columns, and the best things that can be had from all
+lands.&nbsp; Paintings of the very richest and highest class from
+all the old masters.&nbsp; Massive gold and silver goblets, the
+gifts of kings and of princes.&nbsp; Ancient relics from Assyria
+and from Egypt.&nbsp; Some Egyptian mummies in sarcophagi with
+hieroglyphics, indicating the locality from whence they
+came.&nbsp; In the library are 26,000 manuscripts, about 19,000
+are in Latin, 4,000 in Greek, and about 2,000 in the Eastern and
+Oriental languages, besides about 50,000 printed volumes.&nbsp;
+In one of the halls there is a bible of the fifth century, which
+is a great rarity.&nbsp; The gifts from kings, emperors, princes,
+presidents of almost all lands, which have been sent to the Pope
+are too many to name or specify.&nbsp; We left St. Peter&rsquo;s,
+pleased with some things, grieved with others.&nbsp; The
+greatness of Rome&rsquo;s intellectual power; her art in
+sculpture and painting; proofs of this <a name="page57"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 57</span>we saw on all hands.&nbsp; She had,
+at one time, over 400 temples, most of them with floors of
+marble, great domes with wonderful frescoes, gorgeous beyond
+anything we could conceive if we had not seen it.&nbsp; Walls of
+marble, porphyry, jasper, precious stones, stones polished till
+they shine like a mirror.&nbsp; Pictures, priceless and
+innumerable.&nbsp; All this, side by side with the degradation of
+the people, as seen in their daily visit to the confessional; or
+to the holy water; or to seek a mass from the priest for some
+friend in sickness; or a more important one for the soul of some
+brother, sister, or friend in the agony of purgatory, and who
+must remain there until certain masses are said.&nbsp; All this
+means the lowering of the poor to the enriching of the
+rich.&nbsp; Rome, I say, is to be pitied in this thing, under the
+heel of the Pope.&nbsp; Her wealth is lavished on churches,
+priests, cardinals, etc., but her poor abound on all hands.&nbsp;
+At the very church door you have the extremes of lavish wealth in
+church decoration, and extreme poverty in many worshippers.&nbsp;
+We had a view of the Vatican from without; it seems one vast area
+of palaces, churches, temples, galleries, colonnades, etc.&nbsp;
+I suppose we have some fine palaces in England; there are some, I
+believe, in France, Germany, in Egypt; but nowhere in the world
+is there a palace so large <a name="page58"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 58</span>and costly as the Pope&rsquo;s Palace
+in Rome.&nbsp; How unlike his divine Lord, &ldquo;who had not
+where to lay His Head,&rdquo; or his predecessor (allowing the
+expression) who said, &ldquo;silver and gold have I
+none.&rdquo;&nbsp; Mark Twain says of the place: &ldquo;It is a
+perfect wilderness of statues, paintings, and curiosities of
+every description and every age.&nbsp; The old masters fairly
+swarm there.&nbsp; I shall remember the Transfiguration, by
+Raphael, because it was in a room by itself, and partly because
+it is acknowledged by all to be the first oil painting in the
+world.&nbsp; It is fine in tone and feeling, it is a beauty, it
+is fascinating.&nbsp; Acres and acres of walls and ceilings
+fairly papered with them.&nbsp; There is one thing I am certain
+of, with all the Michael Angelo&rsquo;s, the Raphael&rsquo;s, the
+Guido&rsquo;s, and the old masters, the sublime history of Rome
+remains unpainted!&nbsp; They painted Virgins enough, Popes
+enough, and saintly scarecrows enough to people Paradise
+almost.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>Leaving the great St. Peter&rsquo;s and the Vatican to return
+to our hotel for dinner, we noticed the mixed crowds jostling one
+another in the streets.&nbsp; The men seemed to be broad
+shouldered, and their rugged bronze faces and dark piercing eyes
+give you an idea that they look upon you with curiosity.&nbsp;
+Men dressed in home-spun blue cloth as a rule.&nbsp; The <a
+name="page59"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 59</span>women dress
+in colours, no unusual thing to see them apparently enjoying a
+feed of raw onions and salad with a good square piece of black
+bread.&nbsp; Here we passed a professional letter writer, sitting
+in the open-air in the street with a table before him on which
+are pens, ink and paper.&nbsp; Here he is ready to read or write
+letters for the unlearned, and they are by no means few in the
+city of Rome.&nbsp; Many a declaration of passionate love must
+have been whispered into the ear of this old Italian, to be
+transmitted to some village maiden on the mountain heights, or in
+some sequestered village.&nbsp; A rustic approaches the old
+scribe as we watch him, he has received an epistle from some
+Italian beauty far away.&nbsp; As he waits his turn he looks over
+the precious documents with wandering eyes.&nbsp; Oh! if only he
+could himself spell out its sacred contents.&nbsp; His cheeks are
+flushed, his heart throbs as he hands the paper to the scribe;
+and, as the old man reads, the smile plays upon his face, his
+dark eyes brighten with delight.&nbsp; Yes! she is true to the
+boy who is far away, what a joy to know their hearts beat in
+unison and in passionate love.&nbsp; What a strange task! that of
+the Italian scribe.&nbsp; Sometimes his task is to read letters
+that tell of separations by death; the scalding tear, the heart
+throbs, tell of grief and anguish, a life&rsquo;s hope crushed <a
+name="page60"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 60</span>out.&nbsp; A
+dear mother, sister or lover passed away.&nbsp; All these
+experiences go through the old scribe&rsquo;s hands daily.&nbsp;
+Young Italy, however, is awaking to her need as a nation, for
+education and for the training of the young.</p>
+<p>Our hotel is our home of rest, and we certainly enjoyed it
+after hours of travel and inspection.&nbsp; Sights seen that we
+had never dreamed of.&nbsp; Pictures, sculpture, arch, column,
+colonnades, so profuse and so attractive that we forgot we were
+tired until we turned away for a break and a rest.</p>
+<p>Again, we are on the tram, and down one of the principal
+boulevards, past shops, bazaars, cafes, hotels and churches, to
+the Pont du Angelo, over the Tiber.&nbsp; This is a lovely piece
+of workmanship, built of solid masonry, and on the pont, or
+bridge, there are six statues on each side on pedestals,
+representing the various architects, sculptors and painters of
+ancient Rome, and as we crossed the bridge, right in front of us
+we saw the castle of St. Angelo, erected by one of the Emperors
+for his own tomb, and for the tombs of his successors.&nbsp; As
+most of the important buildings in Rome, it is lavishly decorated
+with marble sculpture, more fitted for a palace than for a
+mausoleum.&nbsp;
+<a href="images/p60.jpg">
+<img class='floatright' alt=
+"The Arch of Titus, Rome"
+title=
+"The Arch of Titus, Rome"
+src="images/p60.jpg" />
+</a>In the tenth century it was turned into a fortress and fell
+into the hands of the <a name="page61"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 61</span>barons, who, during a long time, made
+use of it against the city itself.&nbsp; It is said that Clement
+VII. took refuge in it in the year 1527.&nbsp; To-day it is a
+beautiful temple.&nbsp; The floor is very largely composed of
+Italian marble; on the staircase, on our right on entering, is a
+fine statue of Michael the arch-angel, in a niche.&nbsp; In
+another room are some fine paintings by Pierin; another room
+still retains some of the implements of torture of the
+Inquisition.&nbsp; On the top stands the bronze statue of the
+arch-angel Michael, placed there in 1770; it is said it is placed
+there in memory of a vision of St. Gregory the Great.&nbsp;
+According to tradition, when Rome was severely visited by a
+pestilence, and while the Pope was going in procession to St.
+Peter&rsquo;s, to obtain the cessation of the scourge, he saw, on
+arriving at this bridge, an angel on the top of the mausoleum, in
+the act of replacing his sword in its sheath, as a sign that the
+visitation of the scourge was at an end.&nbsp; On account of this
+the castle was named &ldquo;The Castle of the Holy
+Angel.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;The Arch of Titus&rdquo; is another
+fine specimen of the builders&rsquo; art.&nbsp; Erected to him by
+the people in homage of his great victory in Palestine over the
+Hebrews, and of the destruction of the Holy City of Jerusalem, in
+the year 79 <span class="GutSmall">A.D.</span>, and consecrated
+to his memory by his successor in the year 81 <span
+class="GutSmall">A.D.</span>&nbsp; <a name="page62"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 62</span>It has somewhat suffered by the ages
+that have passed over it; still, it is marvellous that it has so
+long withstood the ravages of the iron tooth of time.&nbsp; There
+is a fine frieze in the inside and some fine bas-reliefs.&nbsp;
+One, that of the Hebrew prisoners, and Titus&rsquo; triumphal
+march to Rome.&nbsp; In Macaulay&rsquo;s we find the following
+verses, evidently written on the subject of Titus&rsquo;
+victory:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;Valerius struck at Titus and lopped off
+half his crest,<br />
+But Titus stabbed Valerius, a span deep in his breast.<br />
+Like a mast snapped by the tempest, Valerius reeled and fell.<br
+/>
+Ah! woe is me for the good house that loves the people well!<br
+/>
+Then shouted loud the Latins, and with one rush they bore<br />
+The struggling Romans backward, three lances length or more:</p>
+<p>And up they took proud Tarquin, and laid him on the shield,<br
+/>
+And four strong yeomen bore him, still senseless from the
+field.<br />
+But fiercer grew the fighting around Valerius dead,<br />
+For Titus dragged him by the foot, and Anlus by the head.<br />
+<a name="page63"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 63</span>Twice
+tenfold round the body the roar of battle rose<br />
+Like the roar of a burning forest, when a strong north wind
+blows.</p>
+<p>Now backward and now forward, rocked furiously the fray,<br />
+Till none could see Valerius, and none knew where he lay.<br />
+For shivered arms and ensigns were heaped there in a mound,<br />
+And corpses stiff, and dying men, that writhed upon the
+ground,<br />
+And wounded horses kicking, and snorting purple foam,<br />
+Right well did such a couch befit a Consular of Rome.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>There are also, in this palace, the seven-branched
+candlesticks, and many other objects taken from the Temple of the
+Holy City.</p>
+<p>Next we saw the triumphal arch of Constantine (the first
+Christian Emperor of Rome), this seems to be the best preserved
+of all the arches we saw, although now it has been standing since
+311 <span class="GutSmall">A.D.</span>&nbsp; We learned it was
+erected by the people of Rome in honour of the great victory
+achieved over Maxentius at Ponte Mollo.&nbsp; The central arcade
+is about thirty-feet high, the side ones are about
+twenty-feet.&nbsp; There are four beautiful columns <a
+name="page64"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 64</span>of Corinthian
+marble which support the pillars upon which stand some fine
+statuary representing some of the &ldquo;Dacian prisoners,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Trajan&rsquo;s entry into Rome after his victory in the
+east,&rdquo; &ldquo;The rest on the Appian Way,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Trajan bringing help and succour to the poor
+children,&rdquo; &ldquo;Trajan speaking to his
+soldiers.&rdquo;&nbsp; Under these are bas-reliefs which
+represent hunts and sacrifices.&nbsp; On the opposite side of the
+street we noticed a large pedestal which we were told held, in
+ancient times, a colossal statue of Nero, executed in
+bronze.&nbsp; After his death it was thrown down and replaced by
+another called &ldquo;The god of the sun.&rdquo;&nbsp; This,
+however, has been allowed to fall into decay; the iron tooth of
+time has done its work, and only the pedestal remains.</p>
+<p>The Navona Square or Piazza calls for a remark or two, it is
+the next largest to St. Peter&rsquo;s.&nbsp; There are three fine
+fountains in the square, These seem to be of a modern design and
+workmanship.&nbsp; One represents Neptune coping with a sea
+monster, surrounded by sea horses.&nbsp; In the basin rises a
+kind of rock; on the four sides of which are representations of
+&ldquo;The Danube,&rdquo; for Europe; &ldquo;The Ganges,&rdquo;
+for Asia; &ldquo;The Nile,&rdquo; for Africa; and the &ldquo;Rio
+de la Plata,&rdquo; for America.&nbsp; The rock is surmounted by
+a very neatly-cut obelisk.&nbsp; The first and largest fountain
+is about 100-feet <a name="page65"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+65</span>high, and when in play has a very beautiful
+effect.&nbsp; The Church of St. Mary is but a plain looking
+building from the outside.&nbsp; We approached with little
+interest, but when we got inside we found it to be a perfect
+museum of painting and sculpture; also, there are many tombs of
+celebrated cardinals.&nbsp; The guide showed us a picture said to
+be the work of St. Luke, and in all seriousness, told us it was
+supposed to have the power to work miracles still.&nbsp; We did
+not stay to ask whether that power was ever evoked.&nbsp; There
+is a chapel inside, the architecture of which was planned by
+Raphael.&nbsp; The design of big mosaics on the vault of the dome
+is simply marvellous.&nbsp; There is a representation of the
+heavenly bodies in their fullest splendour; also a fine statue of
+Jonah by Raphael.&nbsp; There is attached to this church a
+monastery, in which reside the monks of the Order of St.
+Augustine.&nbsp; It is said to have been the residence of the
+famous Martin Luther, during his visit to Rome.&nbsp; He entered
+the city through the Porto del Popolo, and knelt down as soon as
+he had passed the gate, crying most sincerely, &ldquo;I salute
+thee, Oh! holy Rome!&mdash;Rome, venerable through the blood and
+the tombs of the martyrs.&rdquo;&nbsp; And then he went
+straightway to the convent, and there he celebrated mass.&nbsp;
+And after the experiences he went <a name="page66"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 66</span>through during his stay in the city,
+what he had seen, and what he had heard&mdash;he said, on passing
+again through the same gate out, with bitterness and grief,
+&ldquo;Adieu, Oh! City, where everything is permitted, but to be
+a good man.&rdquo;&nbsp; Every place we visited brought some
+reminders of the sad fall of the papacy from real
+Christianity.</p>
+<p>To the Berbine picture gallery, was a visit which gave us much
+pleasure, as we saw pictures from the ablest of artists.&nbsp;
+The paintings by Michael Angelo and Raphael, Francesco and
+Tiziano.&nbsp; &ldquo;Adam and Eve driven from Paradise,&rdquo;
+by Guido Reni; &ldquo;Christ and the Doctors of the
+Church,&rdquo; by D&uuml;rer; &ldquo;The Holy Family,&rdquo; by
+Andrea; &ldquo;The Annunciation,&rdquo; by Bronzine; and many
+others that we considered marvels of the artists&rsquo;
+brush.&nbsp; There is also within this gallery a very large room
+as a library in which, we learned, there are over 30,000 books in
+print, and over 8,000 in manuscript, by Dante, Galileo, Lasso and
+others.&nbsp; The wonders of these places filled us with such
+admiration, we could stay and look until quite weary, so we take
+tram to hotel again for rest.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p66.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Church of the Trinity, Rome"
+title=
+"Church of the Trinity, Rome"
+src="images/p66.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<h2><a name="page67"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+67</span>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">The Church of the Trinity: St. Maria: Church
+of Onesemus: The Grand Corso: The British and Foreign Bible
+Society: Outside view of the Quirinal: Nero&rsquo;s House:
+Leaving Rome: Scene at a wayside station: Arrival at Florence:
+Visit to the Cathedral.</p>
+<p>The wonderful Church called the Church of the Trinity, up a
+very broad staircase of some 330 steps; then a very fine piazza
+or square, and an obelisk, at the top of which they say is a
+piece of the cross on which St. Peter suffered martyrdom.&nbsp;
+In this square we found artists&rsquo; models waiting to be
+engaged.&nbsp; Some of them very pretty Italian peasant girls
+fresh from mountain homes, in costumes quaint and queer; old men
+with white beards and capacious cloaks; shepherd boys from the
+Campagna; bag-pipers from Abruzzi; also mendicants of more than
+one nationality; also vendors of wares of various kinds,
+principally small brooches, photo frames and pins, with nic-nacs
+that were considered to be attractive.&nbsp; A scene of very
+great interest to the Britisher.&nbsp; We left here to have a
+stroll in the streets, to watch with <a name="page68"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 68</span>interest the customs and habits of
+the people.&nbsp; Hotels almost without number; beer-houses, only
+a few; cafes, many; confectioners, many; chemists and doctors,
+fairly numerous; dentists, several at any rate; restaurants,
+many, and some on a very large scale; telephone call offices;
+lavatories; specialities, as jewellers who sell Roman pearls,
+mosaics, religious ornaments, bronzes, marble, etc.; porters
+standing in various places to give you a hand with a parcel;
+omnibuses running to the station from all parts of the city;
+carriages for hire at about eightpence per mile, English
+money.&nbsp; So we passed an hour in watching the ever changing
+street scenes, until tired, then to our hotel and to rest once
+more.&nbsp; Returning to our further inspection of churches,
+museums, and places of interest, we went to see the old St.
+Maria.&nbsp; This is a very interesting place, and is said to be
+built upon the site of what was Paul&rsquo;s &ldquo;own hired
+house in which he dwelt for two whole years,&rdquo; see Acts, ch.
+28, v. 30.&nbsp; It is said that on this spot, Onesimus, the
+runaway slave, was converted, and that he received the gifts sent
+by the Philippians and the Colossians, by Epaphroditus, which he
+so thankfully acknowledges.&nbsp; Philippians., chapter 4, verse
+18.&nbsp; &ldquo;I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the
+things which were sent from you, an <a name="page69"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 69</span>odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice
+acceptable, well-pleasing to God.&rdquo;&nbsp; Three rooms in the
+basement of the church are shown as the very rooms in which St.
+Paul and St. Luke taught and wrote.&nbsp; Col., chapter 4, verse
+14.</p>
+<p>Leaving this place we enter the Corso, the principal street of
+the city.&nbsp; To our surprise and delight we saw a depot of the
+British and Foreign Bible Society; the window full of Italian
+copies of the scriptures spread open, some showing clearly one
+passage, and some another; so that he who runs can read.&nbsp; We
+found we could buy the New Testament for threepence in English
+money.&nbsp; A separate gospel for less than one penny.&nbsp; It
+is not many years since when this would not have been allowed in
+Rome or in Italy.&nbsp; Before the Pope&rsquo;s power was broken,
+I mean his temporal power, he did not allow a circulation of the
+Bible, nor did he allow a public assembly of heretics
+(Christians) within the city.&nbsp; Now, thank God, there are
+numerous Protestant Churches in the city.&nbsp; The Wesleyans
+have one or more churches.&nbsp; The Americans, the Lutheran, the
+Greek, the English church and others are now allowed the
+privileges not long since denied to them.&nbsp; We had the
+pleasure of an outside view of the Quirinal, the present
+residence of the King of Italy in Rome.&nbsp; It was at one time
+the residence of <a name="page70"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+70</span>the Pope.&nbsp; It is an old building, 1574 is the
+date.&nbsp; It is said the Popes prepared this residence because
+the air was so fresh, and the neighbourhood so healthy.&nbsp;
+While the King is in Rome the Quirinal palace is not open to
+visitors.&nbsp; The gardens are on an extensive scale.&nbsp;
+Within the palace are sculpture, museums, library, paintings by
+Raphael, Michael Angelo and Luigi Serra.&nbsp; Some of the
+subjects are simply masterpieces.&nbsp; We went from the Quirinal
+to the Baths of Titus, erected by the Emperor of that name, it is
+said upon the same place where once stood the house of
+Nero.&nbsp; The excavators in 1811 laid bare many interesting
+facts concerning the times of Titus, about the year 80 <span
+class="GutSmall">A.D.</span>&nbsp; Only a semicircle can be seen
+showing the foundations, yet it seems to be clear that these are
+the only remains of the baths referred to.&nbsp; We left here
+feeling we were satiated with sight seeing, and our time for
+leaving Rome was near at hand, so we determined upon a few
+purchases.&nbsp; Then to our hotel to reflect, to think, to
+recall, if possible, to memory what we had seen and heard.&nbsp;
+To fill up our diary, to settle our hotel accounts, and to get
+ready to leave the &ldquo;Eternal City.&rdquo;&nbsp; We reviewed
+in our mind at leisure, where we had been, and what we had seen
+in Rome.&nbsp; And we read up history which tells us in the <a
+name="page71"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 71</span>palmy days of
+Rome, there would be within the city over 400 temples, and over
+17,000 palaces, over 13,000 fountains, more than 30 theatres, 8
+amphitheatres, 11 baths, some of which would accommodate some
+1,500 bathers at once, 80 gilt statues, and over 3,700 bronze
+statues, 82 statues of figures on horseback, so we think of Rome
+in her imperial pride, when luxury lay on the lap of so many of
+her nobles.&nbsp; Since then she has been humbled to the
+dust.&nbsp; Many of these costly buildings and statuary are in
+ruins, but there is enough left to show her once illustrious
+position.</p>
+<p>We had certainly made the best of the time at our disposal, so
+we leave thee, Oh! Rome! the great, the illustrious.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;It may be for years, or it may be for ever.&rdquo;&nbsp;
+We said good-bye, and soon we were en route for Florence.&nbsp;
+The scenery for some distance is not particularly
+attractive.&nbsp; The usual Italian villages, in some cases just
+a cottage or two, the tenants of which are out with their ox and
+plough, or a pair of donkeys and a rickety old cart, or the man
+is draining his farm.&nbsp; We saw about eight or ten women at a
+large stone trough by the side of a highway washing.&nbsp; It
+seems this is their custom, for the women of several families to
+have a joint washday, and go to the nearest clean flowing
+water.</p>
+<p><a name="page72"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 72</span>As we
+proceeded northward, we noticed the country became more
+undulating and richer in fruits and flowers.&nbsp; The season for
+the grapes being ripe was just on, and we noticed as we
+journeyed, on all sides, grape vines; there seemed to be miles of
+them, and still, as we hurried along, more vineyards.&nbsp; Oxen
+in wagons in the rows of vines, were being loaded with the
+luscious fruit.&nbsp; Six white oxen in each wagon mostly.&nbsp;
+The husband, wife and children, all seemed to be engaged in
+plucking and loading the fruit.&nbsp; We passed scores of miles
+of vineyards of this sort.&nbsp; We stopped at a station called
+Cartona.&nbsp; I saw a typical Italian girl with a grape stall on
+the platform.&nbsp; I alighted and selected two large bunches of
+beautiful ripe grapes, and as I could not ask the price, not
+speaking Italian, I held out my hand with a number of coins of
+various value for her to take the cost of the grapes.&nbsp; She
+selected twenty centimes, that is about twopence in English
+money; so very cheap are grapes.&nbsp; The country is a lovely
+country and rich beyond compare.&nbsp; Our train, we could
+perceive at times, was climbing, so slow was the speed, but as we
+got higher the scene became more lovely; the Italian lakes in the
+distance; the towns with the usual Duomo or Church always
+noticeable.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p72.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Team of oxen in Tuscany"
+title=
+"Team of oxen in Tuscany"
+src="images/p72.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p><a name="page73"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 73</span>At
+every road crossing we noticed an Italian woman, usually aged,
+sat at the gate crossing, with horn in hand ready to give warning
+of an approaching train.&nbsp; About four o&rsquo;clock in the
+afternoon we came in sight of Florence.&nbsp; The first view was
+entrancing.&nbsp; The city lies in a hollow, the surrounding
+hillsides are, here and there, dotted over with castles and
+mansions, each in their own lovely and extensive grounds.&nbsp;
+They were mostly of white marble.&nbsp; The river Arno runs
+through the city.&nbsp; Florence is essentially a city of
+flowers, as its name indicates.&nbsp; All around for miles
+castles, mansions, villas, gardens and shady nooks fill the soul
+with a consciousness that Nature here has bestowed her gifts of
+beauty in no stinted degree.&nbsp; Florence has been called, and
+I think very aptly, the Athens of Italy.&nbsp; This city
+possesses the memories of some of the world&rsquo;s greatest men,
+&ldquo;the priceless heirlooms of a glorious past.&rdquo;&nbsp;
+Here the peerless bard, &ldquo;Dante&rdquo; sang his deathless
+song and made his lovely Beatrice immortal.&nbsp; Was it not from
+these very hills and fields on which we were gazing, that Galileo
+every night scanned the heavens to compel the distant orbs to
+reveal their secrets?</p>
+<p>Here we see her peerless domes and towers rise in all their
+stately grandeur beneath a lovely Italian sky.&nbsp; We are now
+at the station.&nbsp; Alighting, we soon found the &rsquo;bus <a
+name="page74"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 74</span>for
+&ldquo;Hotel Minerva&rdquo; (this we had selected before hand) so
+were soon once more settled for a little while.&nbsp; Our hotel
+was very comfortable, and we found mine host most gracious, and
+evidently most desirous to satisfy us, and so keep our patronage
+as long as possible.&nbsp; The rooms were lofty and furnished
+with taste, dinner served in good style, which included
+everything we could wish for.&nbsp; A look round the city for a
+little while, was our first thought, so out we went into the
+great open square, facing which is the Duomo or Cathedral Maria
+del Fiore, so called from the lily which figures in the arms of
+Florence.&nbsp; This vast pile of buildings was begun in the year
+1298, and finished in the year 1462.&nbsp; It is stated it was
+built on the foundations of an earlier church.&nbsp; It is a
+grand example of the Gothic art.&nbsp; The length of the building
+is 185 yards, and its width, 114 yards.&nbsp; The dome is 300
+feet high, and with the lantern 352 feet.&nbsp; On the 8th of
+September, 1298, a representative of Pope Boniface VIII. blessed
+the foundations of this new grand temple in the presence of the
+&ldquo;Gonfaloniere Borgo,&rdquo; many bishops, &ldquo;the
+chapter,&rdquo; all the Florentine clergy, the captains of the
+arts, and the magnificent and sublime &ldquo;Signori of the
+Republic,&rdquo; as they were called.&nbsp; The words with which
+the community gave charge of this sumptuous <a
+name="page75"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 75</span>building
+were, literally translated, &ldquo;to make it so magnificent and
+so sublime that it would be impossible that it should be
+surpassed.&rdquo;&nbsp; And it seemed to us that for size and
+strength and adornments, few can compare with it.&nbsp; Many
+vicissitudes occurred during the building&mdash;wars, deaths of
+architects, etc.&mdash;till in the year 1492 it was something
+like a completed building.&nbsp; In April, 1860, King Victor
+Emmanuel laid the foundation of a new facade, which was to
+replace one taken away, as the design was considered
+unsuitable.&nbsp; Above the south door is a Madonna between two
+angels.&nbsp; Inside we were struck with its massiveness, more
+than with its decorations.&nbsp; On the right there is a fine
+equestrian statue of John Hawkswood, of date 1384, an English
+soldier of fortune, who had served the Republic with unswerving
+fidelity.&nbsp; Over the portico is a fine picture of the Virgin
+Mary in mosaic.&nbsp; On the right side are some fine marble
+figures of great men of ancient dates.&nbsp; In the east nave are
+fine statues of St. John and St. Peter; a fine stained-glass
+window with most attractive and telling designs.&nbsp; Inside the
+great dome is a very peculiar, very grotesque frieze, by a great
+painter named Vasari, depicting the flames of hell and awful
+monsters around them.&nbsp; Also the heaven of delight and
+bliss.</p>
+<p><a name="page76"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 76</span>Near
+the Cathedral is the wonderful Campagna or tower, which visitors
+through centuries have visited and admired.&nbsp; A distinguished
+visitor once said, &ldquo;The Florentines should enclose this
+tower in a glass case, and only let it be on exhibition during
+the great festivals.&rdquo;&nbsp; It is solid and strong, though
+it rises to the height of 292 feet.&nbsp; It has four stories,
+the lower ones are richly fixed with variegated marble, and
+covered almost with statues of illustrious men.&nbsp; A view of
+this tower from a distance is very fine.&nbsp; We had seen
+nothing like it before in all our travels on the continent.</p>
+<h2><a name="page77"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+77</span>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Florence: Michael Angelo&rsquo;s House:
+Baptistry of St. John: The Uffizi Gallery: The Tribune: A drive
+to the suburbs: Dante&rsquo;s House: Dante&rsquo;s Poems: The
+Gardens: Mrs. Browning&rsquo;s description of Vallambrosa:
+Michael Angelo&rsquo;s work: Galileo, his trial, etc.</p>
+<p>As we had little time for visiting other places of interest,
+the day being now far advanced, we determined to give our minds
+and bodies a rest.&nbsp; So we entered a cafe for refreshment, we
+found them exceedingly clean and most obliging; we took what
+refreshment we needed, then went for a stroll on the streets to
+see the shops, and we found the city has some fine streets and
+shops of almost every kind.&nbsp; The city has a population of
+about 200,000.&nbsp; We were reminded frequently of some of the
+worthies of the city in sculpture or in painting.&nbsp; Michael
+Angelo, though not born in Florence, spent a great deal of his
+life here, and here some of his finest works were completed, and
+in Florence he died and was buried.&nbsp; At the corner of the
+Via Buonarotti stands the house in which he lived.&nbsp; It is
+now (like the house <a name="page78"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+78</span>of the immortal Shakespeare) a museum given to the
+city.</p>
+<p>&ldquo;Farewell,&rdquo; said Michael Angelo, on setting out
+for where he was to undertake the finishing of the great St.
+Peter&rsquo;s, in Rome.&nbsp; &ldquo;Farewell, I go to try to
+make thy sister, but I cannot hope to make thy equal.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>About the old Baptistry of St. John, to which, we are told,
+all the children of the city are taken to be christened, there
+are two bronze gates at which a famous workman was employed forty
+years.&nbsp; Michael Angelo declared &ldquo;these gates were
+worthy to be the gates of Paradise.&rdquo;</p>
+<table>
+<tr>
+<td><p>1st design.</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>The creation of man.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>2nd&nbsp;&nbsp; ,,</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Expulsion of our first parents from the Garden of
+Eden.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>3rd&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ,,</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Noah after the deluge.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>4th&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ,,</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Abraham on Mount Moriah.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>5th&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ,,</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Esau selling his birthright.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>6th&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ,,</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Joseph and his brethren, and the law given on Sinai.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>7th&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ,,</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>The walls of Jericho.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>8th&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ,,</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>The battle with the Ammonites.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><p>9th&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ,,</p>
+</td>
+<td><p>Queen of Sheba in Solomon&rsquo;s palace.</p>
+</td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+<p>I believe there is a cast of these gates exhibited at the
+South Kensington Museum.</p>
+<p>The Uffizi Gallery or museum or both, where I should think may
+be found the most <a name="page79"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+79</span>wonderful collection of art to be found in the
+world.&nbsp; Even in Rome we had seen nothing to equal it.&nbsp;
+It contains over 13,000 paintings.&nbsp; Cameos and original
+designs without number.&nbsp; There are long corridors where
+statues of celebrated Tuscans fill the niches.&nbsp; There is
+sculptured marble, or painted canvas, of all imaginable beings in
+heaven or on earth.&nbsp; Emperors and kings, saintly Madonnas,
+angels, gods and goddesses, muses and nymphs; all may be found in
+this marvellous collection.&nbsp; And on the ceiling are frescoes
+setting forth the annals of Florence.&nbsp; In one of the halls
+stands a painting of Niobe with her sons and daughters clinging
+around her, victims of the cruel vengeance of Diana and
+Apollo.&nbsp; In another room are some angels surrounding a
+Madonna, making a lovely picture.&nbsp; There is a gallery in
+which are paintings of the painters of all nations, painted by
+themselves.&nbsp; Vandyck, with his clear blue eye, long hair and
+fair countenance; Raphael, looking sad and gentle and very
+sallow; Michael Angelo, simple yet sublime, he is in his dressing
+gown.&nbsp; We were simply surrounded and bewildered by the
+fascinating sights on every hand.&nbsp; There are cabinets also,
+containing rare gems, cameos and bronzes of all sizes and
+shapes.&nbsp; The Tribune also demands notice, as it contains
+vast masses of valuable treasures.&nbsp; <a
+name="page80"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 80</span>One room is
+paved with the most costly marble.&nbsp; There are five
+masterpieces of antiquity.&nbsp; In the centre stands the Venus
+de Medicis, serene, pure, delicate, and perfectly lovely;
+another, the Dancing Fawn; another, &ldquo;Apollino,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;The Wrestlers,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;Grinder.&rdquo;&nbsp;
+There is also here, one of the finest and best of Raphael&rsquo;s
+paintings, &ldquo;The Glorious Madonna.&rdquo;&nbsp; Two others
+by Titian.&nbsp; We soon became exhausted and weary, so we left
+the entrancing scenes for another day.&nbsp; To our hotel was but
+the work of ten minutes; safely housed.&nbsp; Table-de-hote
+dinner, to write up our diaries, to commend our lives and our
+loved ones to the care of our Heavenly Father, we slept.&nbsp;
+During the night there was a severe thunder storm, the lightning
+played round our hotel, lighting up the great square in front,
+but so far as we know, no damage was done.&nbsp; We rose in
+health, refreshed and ready for a good breakfast; this, the
+Italians know how to provide.&nbsp; Their coffee is the best I
+have ever tasted.&nbsp; Fish, eggs, cold meats and fruits in
+abundance.&nbsp; We made a fine breakfast, and after writing some
+letters and post cards we ventured out, this time for a drive to
+the suburbs.&nbsp; I soon found carriage and driver and made
+terms.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p80.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Mrs. Wardle near The Duomo, Florence"
+title=
+"Mrs. Wardle near The Duomo, Florence"
+src="images/p80.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>Before starting, however, I took a snapshot of my wife in the
+carriage, with the archway or part of the <a
+name="page81"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 81</span>facade of the
+Duomo for background.&nbsp; We passed through the principal parts
+of the city, and our driver pointed out the house, still
+standing, where Dante, the greatest of all the great poets of
+Italy, was born.&nbsp; It is very near to the church of Santa
+Croce, a very old building, but in its vicinity lies the dust of
+some of Italy&rsquo;s noblest sons.&nbsp; Near here in the year
+1865, on the 5th day of May, a vast concourse of people assembled
+to see the unveiling of a statue of Dante.&nbsp; It is 19 feet in
+height, and it is mounted on a pedestal 23 feet in height.&nbsp;
+This was the six hundredth anniversary of the poet&rsquo;s
+birthday.&nbsp; Dante was not buried here, but at Ravenna, where
+he died in exile away from the city he loved so much.&nbsp; In
+the &ldquo;Sheep-fold of St. John&rdquo; as he called it.&nbsp;
+His life was full of strange vicissitudes, apparently more of
+cloud and storm than of sunshine.&nbsp; His father was in the
+legal profession, and this, Dante adopted, and studied very
+successfully at several schools in Italy and Germany.&nbsp; At an
+early age he fell madly in love with one, Beatrice, but she
+married another man, and left him with a great sore in his
+heart.&nbsp; He was called to bear arms against Ariezo and Pisa,
+where he served with great assiduity.&nbsp; He afterwards
+married, but not happily, at the age of 28.&nbsp; He had a
+family, however, and his first-born <a name="page82"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 82</span>being a girl, he called her Beatrice,
+after his first love.&nbsp; A civil war had been brewing for some
+time.&nbsp; Again Dante took the field, this time, unfortunately,
+on the weaker side, and a revolutionary government being formed,
+he, with other ringleaders who wished to resist the extreme
+pretensions of the Pope, were sentenced to be burned alive.&nbsp;
+He, however, managed to escape into Germany, where he wandered
+about from place to place, finding no settled residence, and
+desiring to return to his native city, but this was denied
+him.&nbsp; He died, as we have seen, in Ravenna.&nbsp; His
+daughter Beatrice was a nun in one of the convents, but to do
+some tardy justice to the noble bard, a sum of money was raised
+for her own special use.&nbsp; I can hardly leave this
+interesting subject without a passing reference to his poems, as
+are now principally read.&nbsp; The volume I refer to includes
+the &ldquo;Inferno,&rdquo; &ldquo;The Purgatorio,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;The Paradiso.&rdquo;&nbsp; It is here surmised that Virgil
+and St. Bernard conduct Dante through these divisions of the
+universal world, to help him to write something that would show
+up the source of Italy&rsquo;s ruin.&nbsp; The poem is a fine
+allegory, showing, as it does in the first part, a Panther,
+representing Florence or envy; a Lion, France or ambition; a
+She-Wolf, the Court of Rome or avarice; a Greyhound, Our Saviour
+or His <a name="page83"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+83</span>vicegerent the Pope; Virgil, human wisdom; and Beatrice,
+heavenly wisdom.&nbsp; His representation of Hell as a dark
+valley, at the mouth of which is Limbo, and which are nine
+circles indicating nine different degrees of sin to be
+punished.&nbsp; The wise and good even are represented as lying
+in tears and sorrow, because they were not baptized.&nbsp;
+Purgatory is a step hill in the hemisphere opposite hell.&nbsp;
+Seven rounds have to be climbed before the seven stains of sin
+are washed away.&nbsp; At the top is the Garden of Eden.&nbsp; It
+is most interesting to follow Dante, as he ascends with his
+beloved Beatrice to Paradise, through the various heavens of the
+moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, the Sun, Jupiter, etc.&nbsp; The
+eighth heaven contains the triumph of Christ; and the Virgin Mary
+and Adam he makes to dwell there also.&nbsp; In the ninth heaven
+is a manifestation of the Divine Essence, viewed by three
+hierarchies of Angels.&nbsp; While these poems are allegorical,
+they are full of interest and show that Dante was greatly moved
+and influenced by &ldquo;the things that are unseen which are
+eternal.&rdquo;&nbsp; In his youthful days he paced the fields
+and groves of lovely Italy, writing sonnets to his beloved
+Beatrice.&nbsp; In his later years he had to eat the bread of
+bitterness, being an outcast from his friends and from the city
+he loved.&nbsp; The world, <a name="page84"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 84</span>however, has been enriched by his
+poverty.&nbsp; A sight of the place where he was born has
+suggested to us this commentary.&nbsp; We left the place not
+without reflection upon the immutability of things that are
+earthly.&nbsp; From here our driver took us towards the lovely
+gardens across the river Arno, the gardens of Boboli; these are
+open to the public Thursday and Sunday.&nbsp; Approaching the
+bridge which spans this lovely river, we were struck with its
+massiveness as well as its beauty.&nbsp; It is called the
+Jewellers&rsquo; Bridge, as jewellers&rsquo; shops line the
+bridge on each side fully, except a very small break in the
+middle through which you get a very nice view of the river as it
+rolls along.&nbsp; A bridge further on is adorned with statues,
+and is considered the most beautiful of the seven that cross the
+Arno.&nbsp; When over the bridge the road is very steep; our
+driver left his box to give the horse the benefit.&nbsp; Now we
+seem getting into the suburbs, the road is lined with trees of
+all sorts; the acacia, the box, the walnut, the maple, the olive
+and many others, I do not think I could tell the names of them
+all.&nbsp; Up and up we went, in a semicircular fashion, until we
+gained the summit.&nbsp; When we had gone through the gate into
+the garden, the view was simply entrancing.&nbsp; Florence, with
+its towers and spires and <a name="page85"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 85</span>domes, lay like a fine panorama at
+our feet, and the river gliding gently through the city.&nbsp;
+The villages in the distances nestling amidst luxuriant foliage
+of trees and plants.&nbsp; The gardens around us full of beauty,
+adorned with statuary, and a profusion of moss and creeper and
+colour of flowers, we may never see again.&nbsp; Just across the
+river, we could see the tower of Galileo, where the great
+astronomer nightly watched the stars, or</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;Moon, whose orb<br />
+Through optic glass the Tuscan artist views,<br />
+At evening from the top of Fiesole,<br />
+Or in Voldarno, to descry new lands,<br />
+Rivers or mountains, in his spotty globe.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p82.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Dante And Beatrice, Florence"
+title=
+"Dante And Beatrice, Florence"
+src="images/p82.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>Farther out the Casine, or the Hyde Park of Florence, could be
+seen.&nbsp; Perhaps no better description can be given than by
+Mrs. Browning:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;You remember, down at Florence, our
+Casine,<br />
+Where the people on the fast days walk and drive,<br />
+And through the trees, long drawn in many a green way,<br />
+O&rsquo;er roofing hum and murmur like a hive,<br />
+The river and the mountain look alive.</p>
+<p>You remember the Piazzo there, the stand place<br />
+<a name="page86"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 86</span>Of
+carriages abrim with Florence beauties,<br />
+Who lean and meet to music as the band plays,<br />
+Or smile and chat with some one who afoot is<br />
+Or on horseback, in observance of male duties.</p>
+<p>&rsquo;Tis so pretty in the afternoon of summer,<br />
+So many gracious faces brought together;<br />
+Call it rout, or call it concert, they have come here<br />
+In the floating of the fan and of the feather,<br />
+To reciprocate with beauty the fine weather.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>Along the valley of Vallambrosa, as you look across, pine
+forests, lawns and mountains combined, make a scene the fairest
+fair Italy can show.&nbsp; Milton, in his &ldquo;Paradise
+Lost,&rdquo; alludes to this valley, speaking of the fallen
+angels who</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;Lay entranced,<br />
+Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brooks<br />
+In Vallambrosa&rsquo;s, where oh! Etrurian shades<br />
+High over arched embower.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>This was one of the favourite walks of Dante, where he loved
+to wander and muse on his lovely Beatrice.&nbsp; The views from
+this elevation on all sides were very beautiful, and we left it
+with a feeling we could never again gaze on scenes so
+delightful.</p>
+<p>Returning from these lovely scenes, in and from the Boboli
+Gardens, over the same <a name="page87"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 87</span>bridge we turned to the left and
+passed the Mozzi Square, where is the Mozzi Palace.&nbsp; A very
+large building that has connected with it, we were told, a very
+fine picture gallery, but we had not time to visit it.&nbsp; We
+then came to the Necropolis of St. Miniato, a church considered
+to be one of the oldest on the continent.&nbsp; The Florentine
+Republic considered its splendid military position, and ordered
+Michael Angelo to fortify it.&nbsp; He therefore threw a strong
+rampart around it, with strong bastions which were provided with
+cannon.&nbsp; It is said that many Christian martyrs died for the
+faith and were buried in this church.&nbsp; The tower was greatly
+damaged by Charles V., but Michael Angelo saved it from utter
+ruin.&nbsp; Rev. D. M. Pratt says of Michael Angelo:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;A master mind before the marble stood,<br
+/>
+Fresh quarried was it, rough and all unhewn,<br />
+To other eyes it seemed a shapeless stone;<br />
+To his, a stately form and beautiful.<br />
+Chisel in hand he wrought and what he saw<br />
+Came forth a statue, living and divine.<br />
+An artist stood and gazed on fallen man:<br />
+He to the soul, what to the marble rough<br />
+Was Angels, he saw and sinful man<br />
+A seraphs form.&nbsp; He wrought, and forth there came<br />
+<a name="page88"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 88</span>Manhood
+divine&mdash;the lifeless took on life,<br />
+Oh! for the artist&rsquo;s eye!&nbsp; In every man<br />
+God&rsquo;s image dwells, and he who sees the Christ<br />
+Sees God in man restored, and with him seeks to bring<br />
+His thoughts to life in saving men.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>A poet has written:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;In Santa Croce&rsquo;s holy precincts
+lie<br />
+Ashes which make it holier, dust which is<br />
+Even in itself an immortality.<br />
+Though there were nothing save the past, and this<br />
+The particles of those sublimities<br />
+Which have relapsed to chaos, here repose<br />
+Angelo&rsquo;s Alfieris bones, and his<br />
+The starry Galileo with his woes;<br />
+Here Machiavelli&rsquo;s earth returned to whence it
+rose.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>The tomb of Galileo calls for a passing remark, as he dared to
+contravert the old world notions of a central earth fixed in
+space, immovable with planets curling round it.&nbsp; The church
+had stood by the old theory for ages.&nbsp; If now they adopt
+Galileo&rsquo;s theory, where is their infallibility.&nbsp; And
+so ignorant monks shut him up in prison and burnt his books in
+the public market place, and led out this great philosopher in
+mockery before a gaping crowd, with a wax taper in his hand <a
+name="page89"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 89</span>and a halter
+round his neck, and demanded he should recant his opinions.&nbsp;
+Amidst the jeers of his friends and the awful threats of his
+enemies, he was induced to go through a certain form of
+recantation, in which he was required to declare &ldquo;With a
+sincere heart and faith unfeigned, I abjure, curse and detest the
+said errors&mdash;I swear for the future never to say anything
+verbally, or in writing, which may cause to any further suspicion
+against me.&rdquo;&nbsp; Rising from his knees he whispered:
+&ldquo;But it does move for all that.&rdquo;</p>
+<h2><a name="page90"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+90</span>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Appalling catastrophe in Italy: Messina:
+Savonarola, the enthusiastic preacher: His defiance of the Pope:
+His excommunication: His cell, etc.: His martyrdom: Raphael, his
+genius as a painter: Some of his works: The old Protestant
+Cemetery: Our leaving Florence: Journey to Bologna and on to
+Venice.</p>
+<p>While I am here writing of the beauties of Italy, its fertile
+plains, its sunny skies, its lovely lakes, its great works of art
+and its still greater artists, a newsboy is calling out in the
+streets: &ldquo;Appalling catastrophe in Italy.&rdquo;&nbsp; An
+earthquake killing not thousands merely, but tens of
+thousands.&nbsp; What! is that fair land devastated, and death
+swept by such a calamity?&nbsp; Is it true that loveliness and
+danger lie so near together?&nbsp; What! is there no spot on
+earth where we may be absolutely free from danger?&nbsp; Here in
+lovely Messina and Reggio, I passed them on board the S.S.
+&ldquo;Benares&rdquo; about two years ago.&nbsp; The sun shone
+brilliantly on the scene, a lovelier it would be difficult to
+describe.&nbsp; On my left Messina, with its marble buildings
+glistening in the sun.&nbsp; Temples and towers, churches and
+barracks, all giving signs of <a name="page91"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 91</span>strength and beauty to the fair city;
+on our right Reggio, which appeared to be a city of great beauty
+and prosperity.&nbsp; Mount Etna in the distance, slumbering for
+a time.&nbsp; Stromboli as we passed was alive hurling up stones,
+fire and smoke.&nbsp; Now the cities named are practically wiped
+out.&nbsp; <i>The Daily News</i>, of December 31st, 1908, says:
+&ldquo;Yesterday, the total of the dead was calculated as from
+fifty thousand to seventy-five thousand.&nbsp; To-day it is two
+hundred thousand.&nbsp; This morning&rsquo;s news helps us to
+form a clearer idea of the awful scene as it occurred.&nbsp; It
+was early morn just before daylight, and all the beautiful towns
+along the coast of these historic straits were still
+asleep.&nbsp; Death came suddenly and unawares.&nbsp; By five
+successive shocks, the cities were toppled down, and where they
+had stood great columns of dust were rising.&nbsp; Men, women and
+children, soldiers in barracks, the sick in hospital and
+prisoners in gaol were killed together as they slept.&nbsp; They
+died like ants in a blown up nest.&rdquo;&nbsp; A survivor from
+Messina says: &ldquo;The town is nothing but a dust heap, even
+the railway station is swallowed up, the railwaymen are nearly
+all killed.&rdquo;&nbsp; Another says: &ldquo;It is too horrible
+to describe.&rdquo;&nbsp; The Pope has shown the greatest
+anxiety; has even asked permission at the Quirinal to transmit
+massages to the suffering <a name="page92"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 92</span>and the bereaved.&nbsp; He also
+summoned to the Vatican the Director of the Bank of Rome and had
+with him some private conversation, and arranged for the sum of
+&pound;40,000 to be sent at once.&nbsp; Our own King Edward sent
+to the King of Italy messages of condolence and sympathy.&nbsp;
+The navies and soldiers of England, France, Germany and others
+are giving assistance in extricating sufferers from the debris,
+and feeding the hungry, and erecting temporary shelters and
+generally doing all that can be done to mitigate the distress and
+grief and pain.&nbsp; Money is being sent liberally by all the
+Christian nations at least.&nbsp; So all feel as nations and as
+individuals that &ldquo;One touch of sorrow makes the world
+akin.&rdquo;&nbsp; It is at such a time that the brotherhood of
+nations asserts itself.&nbsp; All racial barriers are swept away
+in the face of such a terrible catastrophe.&nbsp; The latest news
+is that no less than 220,000 have perished, as many inland towns
+have suffered most severely.&nbsp; The cathedral and churches,
+with all their valuable works of art, have been totally
+destroyed.&nbsp; Scenes simply indescribable are enacted and too
+sad to relate.&nbsp; So we see the uncertainty of things that are
+on earth.</p>
+<p>Notwithstanding the natural beauty of the surroundings, before
+we left the fair city of Florence, we must needs do a little
+shopping, <a name="page93"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+93</span>and make some further investigations into the interests
+and associations of the place.&nbsp; The convent of San Marco is
+a place worth a visit, and is open on receipt of a small fee or
+gratuity.&nbsp; Here is the cell of Savonarola, in which he was
+confined before the martyrdom of flame.&nbsp; Here is a fine
+portrait of the man who dared to face even death in his defence
+of the truth.&nbsp; Here are some of his manuscripts, traced with
+his own pen.&nbsp; Here are his tunic, girdle and crucifix, and
+even a charred piece of wood from the scene of his
+martyrdom.&nbsp; Such sights fill the soul with thoughts of what
+men have endured to rescue the truth from Papal tyranny.&nbsp; Of
+Savonarola it may be said, he was a great reformer, a religious
+enthusiast, and a martyr.&nbsp; Born at Ferrara, in 1452, he
+early joined the religious order of Dominicans at Bologna.&nbsp;
+At first his career as a preacher was not marked by any unusual
+event, nor did he meet with great success, but on his appointment
+to the Duomo, crowds came to listen to his preaching, and indeed
+so eloquent did he become and so effective that, at times, his
+discourses were interrupted by the masses of the people sobbing
+and crying in their pews.&nbsp; He became so popular that the
+people pressed round him in the streets to kiss his
+garments.&nbsp; He went forth like a flaming herald of the cross
+in <a name="page94"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+94</span>defiance of pope, cardinal or priest.&nbsp; It is stated
+that under his influence the morals of the city became
+purified.&nbsp; The children were specially cared for, as many as
+8,000 at one time were banded together in a sort of republic, and
+were called &ldquo;the children of Christ.&rdquo;&nbsp; The Pope
+did his very best to suppress this holy work, but it was useless
+to try to stop so God inspired a man as Savonarola.&nbsp; When
+this was ineffectual, they said make him a Cardinal; give him a
+red hat, so make of him a friend.&nbsp; He answered from the
+pulpit of St. Mark&rsquo;s: &ldquo;I will have no other red hat
+than that of martyrdom, coloured with my own blood.&rdquo;&nbsp;
+Then he was summoned to appear in Rome.&nbsp; This, however, he
+refused to do.&nbsp; Then came the ban of excommunication, but
+this brought with it no terrors.&nbsp; His answer to it is:
+&ldquo;he who commands a thing contrary to the law of Christ, is
+himself excommunicated.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;I may have failed in
+many things, for I am a sinner, but I have not shunned to declare
+the Gospel of Jesus Christ.&nbsp; They threaten to burn me or
+fling me into the Arno, that gives me no concern.&rdquo;&nbsp;
+Ultimately he was arrested and charged with impiety and sedition,
+of these, however, there was no proof shown, until a certain man
+named Ser Cocone presented a forged document, and our hero was
+condemned to be burned.&nbsp; And on <a name="page95"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 95</span>May 23rd, 1498, this noble saint of
+God passed away.&nbsp; Three platforms were erected in front of
+the palace; Savonarola was taken up to the central one, clad in
+his priestly robes.&nbsp; Then piece by piece the Bishop removed
+his vestments in the presence of the multitude, and pronounced
+the degradation.&nbsp; &ldquo;I separate thee from the church
+militant and from the church triumphant.&rdquo;&nbsp;
+&ldquo;Nay,&rdquo; said the bold and daring saint, &ldquo;from
+the church militant, if you please, but not from the church
+triumphant, that is more than you can do.&rdquo;&nbsp; He then
+mounted the pile and gave utterance to the following sentence;
+&ldquo;Oh! Florence, what hast thou done this day.&rdquo;&nbsp;
+Soon there was nothing left but the ashes of Savonarola.&nbsp;
+His spirit leapt into the chariot of fire, and he was with the
+martyr throng before the Throne.&nbsp; By order of the Commune,
+his ashes were thrown into the river Arno, so that no relic could
+be found of the patriot and martyr.</p>
+<p>We could hardly leave Florence without giving some reference
+to Raphael, one of our world&rsquo;s greatest painters.&nbsp;
+Though not born in Florence, he spent a good deal of his life in
+the city.&nbsp; His education in the art was completed in
+Florence.&nbsp; He was born in the year 1483.&nbsp; Michael
+Angelo was to him an attraction and an inspiration.&nbsp; It is
+said that <a name="page96"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+96</span>so fine was his genius, that in his time of tuition he
+could surpass his tutors.&nbsp; His most famous pictures are
+&ldquo;Christ in the attitude of prayer on the Mount of
+Olives,&rdquo; and &ldquo;St. Michael and St. George,&rdquo;
+which are now in the Louvre, at Paris.&nbsp; The Pope gave him a
+grand reception on his entering Rome; and, while there, he
+executed some very fine pieces for his Holiness, which so pleased
+him that he ordered Raphael to give him other proofs of his
+artistic skill.&nbsp; He then painted on the Vatican walls
+figures of &ldquo;Poetry,&rdquo; &ldquo;Theology,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Justice,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Philosophy&rdquo;; also
+&ldquo;The fall of Adam,&rdquo; &ldquo;Astronomy,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Apollo,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Philosophy.&rdquo;&nbsp; On
+another wall he painted &ldquo;Fortitude,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Prudence,&rdquo; &ldquo;Temperance&rdquo;; and on another
+place &ldquo;The Emperor Justinian delivering the Roman
+law,&rdquo; &ldquo;Peter&rsquo;s deliverance from prison,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Moses viewing the burning bush,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Jacob&rsquo;s dream,&rdquo; etc.&nbsp; It is said he
+turned the Vatican into a picture gallery.&nbsp; His pictures are
+in many countries and in many cities.&nbsp; He died at the early
+age of thirty-seven, on the same date he was born, and his body
+was conveyed to the Pantheon, in Rome, where it now rests.&nbsp;
+It is said of him, he was most affable, kind, and generous to a
+fault.&nbsp; He had an open manly countenance which inspired all
+who met him.&nbsp; Florence, fair city, must be credited <a
+name="page97"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 97</span>with the
+training and making of this bright gem of the painter&rsquo;s
+art.&nbsp; Indeed, this city has given to the world some of the
+finest men of mind and soul the world has ever known.&nbsp; We
+felt proud to walk its streets and to know we were on ground that
+should be reverenced for the purity and greatness of the lives of
+the men we have referred to.&nbsp; We could not readily say
+good-bye, but time presses, and after a visit to the old
+Protestant Cemetery outside the Porta Pinta, which to Britishers
+is hallowed ground, as there are here the graves of Elizabeth
+Barrett Browning, the poetess to whom we have already referred
+our readers; also &ldquo;Theodore Parker,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Arthur Hugh Clough.&rdquo;&nbsp; This &ldquo;city of the
+dead&rdquo; was closed in 1870, and a new cemetery has been
+opened for Protestants about a mile outside the city.&nbsp; To
+try to describe the beauties of all the suburbs of Florence would
+require an abler pen than mine.&nbsp; So we must close our
+account at the &ldquo;Minerva,&rdquo; take our last night&rsquo;s
+repose and leave for Venice.</p>
+<p>We rose early in order to have a full day of interest and
+experiences.&nbsp; We left this lovely place in the forenoon, and
+as our train was about to leave, a lady traveller who spoke good
+English boarded the train and entered our compartment.&nbsp; We
+soon became friendly and familiar.&nbsp; She spoke our language,
+she <a name="page98"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 98</span>was of
+a kindred spirit, though not from England, she was of English
+stock and we soon discovered she came from Dunedin, New Zealand
+(Miss M. Himmel).&nbsp; She had visited Balmoral Castle in
+Scotland, and the Trossachs, Inverness, Glasgow and
+Edinburgh.&nbsp; Also Dublin in Ireland, The Giants&rsquo;
+Causeway, Bantry Bay and the lovely Lakes of Killarney.&nbsp; She
+spent three months in our great city of London, and visited every
+important church, museum, picture gallery, etc.&nbsp; Also Norway
+with its weird and awe-inspiring scenery.&nbsp; Rome with its
+telling old world stories in stone, marble and bronze.&nbsp;
+Naples, Milan, Venice, Florence, Frankfort-on-the-Rhine, Bingen,
+Berlin, and to Cologne.&nbsp; Then to Paris, the gay city of
+France, to see its Notre Dame, its fine Boulevards, etc.&nbsp;
+Two weeks&rsquo; sight seeing in Paris.&nbsp; Then to London and
+next Liverpool.&nbsp; Then for Dunedin, New Zealand and
+home.&nbsp; We found her well read and of wide experience, a lady
+both in manners, education, and by birth.&nbsp; We could exchange
+ideas and enjoy each others company as the train sped on towards
+Venice.&nbsp; The railway intersects a rich tract of land at the
+base of the Apennines.&nbsp; On our right the picturesque castle
+of Monte Mario, near which, we learned, at one time, the
+Florentine Republicans with their troops <a
+name="page99"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 99</span>were defeated
+and taken prisoners by the troops of Cosino, in the year
+1537.&nbsp; We soon found out our train was climbing, by the
+speed she made, up the great Etruscan Apennines we mount, now
+through a tunnel, then across a fine aqueduct.&nbsp; Again and
+again this occurred, while the sides of the vast mountain ranges,
+we noticed, were covered with trees&mdash;pines, poplars,
+chestnuts, olive, fig, mulberry, and others.&nbsp; The plains of
+Tuscany, which were now below us, are reputed to be the richest
+in Europe.&nbsp; Wheat is largely cultivated.&nbsp; Rice is also
+sown in considerable quantities, and is used by the peasant for
+food.&nbsp; The use of buffaloes as beasts for farm use are
+common.&nbsp; No less than 3,000 are in constant use on the farms
+and vineyards of Tuscany.&nbsp; We saw waggons drawn by six
+buffaloes frequently.&nbsp; The grapes of the neighbourhood,
+through which we were passing are said to be of an exceptional
+quality.&nbsp; As we passed villages on the slopes of the hills,
+we saw the natives in their simplicity of dress and manner, at
+work and at home.&nbsp; At every gate where there was a crossing
+of the railway there was a woman, mostly aged, with a horn to
+warn travellers of the approaching train.&nbsp; Reaching a
+wayside station our train stopped, and I noticed on the platform
+an Italian girl with a rude simple table or stall on which <a
+name="page100"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 100</span>were large
+bunches of grapes, I presumed for sale, so I alighted from the
+train and seized two bunches about one pound each.&nbsp; As I
+could not speak to her in her language, I took some change from
+my pocket and offered her the cost, so she took what she
+wished.&nbsp; She took twenty centimes, that is the value of
+twopence, so cheap are grapes in Italy.&nbsp; At this station an
+Italian lady, and evidently two daughters, came into our
+compartment with a little fancy dog, which one of the daughters
+carefully nursed.&nbsp; They brought with them one or two large
+baskets.&nbsp; In a little while one of them took from a basket a
+very fine roast chicken, from which she began to feed the dog
+with the nicest pieces off the breast.&nbsp; When the animal was
+satisfied they spread napkins on their knees, and evidently
+enjoyed the rest of the fowl.&nbsp; Some rolls and butter and
+grapes for dessert, and also some bottles of wine were produced
+from the baskets.&nbsp; Later, as we needed refreshments, we had
+to be satisfied with a few sandwiches, but the ladies seeing we
+had no napkins, at once offered theirs, and, indeed, spread them
+over our knees, with the greatest delicacy and politeness.&nbsp;
+Then they offered us, and pressed us, though in a language we did
+not understand, to have grapes and wine with them.&nbsp; Their
+kindness and manner of giving <a name="page101"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 101</span>expression to it touched us very
+much.&nbsp; They left us as we arrived at Bologna station, but
+our friend Miss Himmel, however, remained with us.&nbsp; We did
+not stay long enough to look over the town, but from its
+appearance it is a large and prosperous city, having a population
+of about 100,000.&nbsp; The cathedral is one of very great
+antiquity and importance.&nbsp; There are 130 Roman Catholic
+Churches and twenty monasteries in this city.&nbsp; There is a
+very fine Piazza or Square, called Victor Immanuel Square, in
+which is a fine bronze statue of Pope Gregory XIX.&nbsp; St.
+Petronio is the largest church in the town, in the Gothic
+style.&nbsp; Over the principal entrance is a bronze statue of
+Pope Julius II., with the keys and a sword in his hand, by
+Michael Angelo.&nbsp; We left Bologna after a short time of
+waiting, and were soon speeding through lovely and fertile tracts
+of country.&nbsp; The Adriatic on our right, not near enough to
+see, but the air seemed impregnated with its ozone.&nbsp; Our
+approach to Venice became apparent as we crossed the lagoons with
+a roar and a rattle, the numerous arches (miles of them) told us
+we were near the city.</p>
+<h2><a name="page102"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+102</span>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Arrival at Venice: The ubiquitous Gondola: The
+Grand Canal: The curious water ways: Our Hotel: A snap shot of a
+Gondola and its freight: St. Mark&rsquo;s Cathedral: Its curious
+history: Its wonderful Tower, and its interior adornments.</p>
+<p>I think it was the most thrilling moment of our tour, as our
+train left Mestra, and almost immediately we began crossing the
+long bridge (two-and-a-half miles long) which crosses the lagoon,
+we seem to be travelling right into the sea, the gentle ripple of
+the watery waves by moonlight as they extend on either side of
+the line, has a pleasing effect.&nbsp; The peculiar smell of the
+seaweed is strong in the air, and right ahead is Venice, of which
+some poet has sung:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;There is a glorious city in the sea,<br />
+The sea is in the broad, the narrow streets<br />
+Ebbing and flowing, and the salt seaweed<br />
+Clings to the marble of her palaces.<br />
+No track of men, no footsteps to and fro<br />
+Lead to her gates! the path lies o&rsquo;er the sea,<br />
+Invisible: And from the land we went<br />
+As to a floating city&mdash;steering in,<br />
+<a name="page103"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 103</span>And
+gliding up her streets as in a dream,<br />
+So smoothly, silently&mdash;by many a dome<br />
+Mosque-like, and many a stately portico<br />
+The statues ranged along an azure sky,<br />
+By many a pile, in more than Eastern pride,<br />
+Of old the residence of merchant kings;<br />
+The fronts of some, tho&rsquo; time hath shattered them,<br />
+Still glowing with the richest hues of art,<br />
+As though the wealth within them had run o&rsquo;er.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>Our arrival at Venice was about eight o&rsquo;clock in the
+evening, surely no time so fitting to be introduced to the fair
+Queen of the Adriatic.&nbsp; From the busy, bustling railway
+station we were concluded by a Fakena, who brought up our luggage
+to a gondola lying in the shimmering sea just outside.&nbsp; No
+cabs or &rsquo;bus as at other stations, the gondola seemed to be
+everywhere.&nbsp; As we stepped into our new found equipage we
+were entranced, imagination fails to picture a sight so
+bewitching.&nbsp; Lights in a thousand directions, gondolas
+passing and repassing as we sweep through the principal waterway,
+then turn sharp round a corner as our gondolier cries:
+&ldquo;Stali priene gai e&rdquo; as he passes others with most
+wonderful precision.&nbsp; We were thus conveyed to the door of
+the Grand Hotel <a name="page104"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+104</span>Victoria, where for a short time we were to make our
+home.&nbsp; We found the house all we could desire, warm, clean
+sweet, and fitted up almost luxuriantly.&nbsp; To bed and a rest,
+and oh! how sweet after toil and travel.&nbsp; We were awake and
+out early to see the sights of this unique city.&nbsp; We opened
+our eyes on a lovely picture, soft, dreamy, beautiful.&nbsp; The
+water, dotted over in all directions, with this strange
+craft.&nbsp; It seems this is the only means of locomotion.&nbsp;
+No cabs, omnibuses, carts, or even a barrow.&nbsp; There is no
+animal in Venice larger than a dog.&nbsp; Here the universal bike
+cometh not.&nbsp; The fashionable or unfashionable motor neither
+puffs nor smells.&nbsp; The train must not approach nearer than
+the head of the Grand Canal.&nbsp; A horse would be as great a
+novelty in Venice, I should think, as a ship in full sail would
+be in Wheeler Gate, Nottingham.&nbsp; Right from the
+water&rsquo;s edge at our hotel door, we could see gondolas
+gliding swiftly hither and thither.&nbsp; In Byron&rsquo;s
+&ldquo;Beppo&rdquo; we find the following lines:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;Did&rsquo;st ever see a Gondola; for fear
+you should not<br />
+I&rsquo;ll describe it exactly,<br />
+&rsquo;Tis a long covered boat common here,<br />
+Carved at the prow, built lightly but compactly,<br />
+<a name="page105"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 105</span>Rowed by
+two rowers, each called gondolier;<br />
+It glides along the water looking blackly,<br />
+Just like a coffin clapt in a canal,<br />
+Where none can make out what you say or do.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p104.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Mrs. Wardle and Miss Himmel in gondola, Venice"
+title=
+"Mrs. Wardle and Miss Himmel in gondola, Venice"
+src="images/p104.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>Appearing suddenly, through unsuspected gateways and alleys,
+yonder, we see vast bridges and stately palaces of marble throw
+their shadows athwart the glittering waves.&nbsp; There seems
+life and motion everywhere, and yet there is no noise.&nbsp;
+There seems a hush as if suggestive of secret enterprise, of
+mysterious shadows, of the departed greatness of this still great
+city.&nbsp; Old Petrarch might well exclaim: &ldquo;I know not
+that the world hath the equal of this place.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>Standing at our hotel door, the gondolier waiting for my wife
+and our friend Miss Himmel, I ventured (after they had seated
+themselves) to take a snap with my camera to secure some little
+permanent reminder of the curiosity of this manner of
+travel.&nbsp; The gondola is a most handy and quick means of
+getting about.&nbsp; We were out in the Grand Canal, and the
+sight was, to say the least, most interesting.&nbsp; Here is a
+party of young ladies and gentlemen, with their gondola decorated
+with ribbons in various colours, and with them, evidently, an
+opera or chorus party, with their guitar, and some other <a
+name="page106"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 106</span>peculiar
+instruments of music, but sweet as the evening zephyrs, as the
+sounds floated over the silvery sea.&nbsp; The gondolas are all
+black, why?&nbsp; I am unable to say; but I don&rsquo;t think I
+saw one either brown or red, or green or white, simply painted
+black.&nbsp; The stern of the boat is usually decorated with a
+kind of matting or carpet, at its prow the gondolier stands, he
+has only a single oar.&nbsp; A long bladed oar, so he stands
+erect.&nbsp; How he can scull ahead at such a speed is a mystery,
+and at once pull back when there is danger.&nbsp; He seems to
+make all his calculations with the greatest precision, he never
+makes a mistake.&nbsp; Mark Twain says: &ldquo;The gondolier is a
+picturesque rascal for all he wears no satin harness, no plumed
+bonnet, no silken tights.&nbsp; His attitude is stately, he is
+lithe and supple; all his movements are full of grace.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>A party of ladies go out shopping in a gondola, this may seem
+strange, but it is really true.&nbsp; They flit from street to
+street, and from shop to shop, they leave the gondola as a lady
+here leaves her carriage or her motor, by the curb, while they
+have rolls and rolls of silk or muslin or linen unrolled, and
+then, perhaps, have just enough cloth to make the pet dog at home
+a paletot.&nbsp; Human nature, we find, is much the same the
+world over.&nbsp; Boys and girls go to school in the <a
+name="page107"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 107</span>gondola,
+while they jump and kick, and fight on the way, but only in play,
+until landed at the school house gateway.&nbsp; Nurses are out in
+the gondola with babies for an airing, and to pass away the sunny
+hours on the waters.&nbsp; Families go to church in the gondolas,
+dressed in their best, they are soon sculled to the place where
+they are wont to worship.&nbsp; The mail boat is a gondola, with
+its freight of letters newly arrived, and is always
+interesting.&nbsp; Funerals are also carried out in the same
+way.&nbsp; The gondola is heavily draped in black velvet and
+silver trimmings, and furnished with huge candles lighted,
+surmounting the canopy, under which lies one who, in his turn has
+trodden the silent highways in the enjoyment of health, but is
+now on his last journey, accompanied by the solemn chant of the
+priestly requiem.&nbsp; Business men come or go in the gondola as
+we do here in cab or motor.&nbsp; The doctor visits his patients
+in and out of the quaint old city, not on a bicycle, but in a
+gondola.&nbsp; We saw a party flitting, the furniture remover
+brought his gondolas, and furniture was handed out into this
+strange vehicle for such a purpose.&nbsp; At Venice it is common,
+indeed, the only way possible of conveying goods or furniture
+from house to house.&nbsp; So, for almost all purposes, the
+gondola is useful.&nbsp; We found it a most <a
+name="page108"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 108</span>enjoyable,
+as well as a speedy means of getting about.&nbsp; To say there
+are no streets in Venice would be hardly true, or to say you
+cannot get from place to place only by water.&nbsp; There are
+only three bridges cross the Grand Canal which divides the city
+into pretty nearly equal halves.&nbsp; The city is built upon one
+hundred and seventeen islands, intersected by one hundred and
+fifty small canals, and two thousand five hundred and eighty
+passages or waterways; but almost all the waterways have a
+footpath bordering it, while four hundred bridges unite one
+island to another.&nbsp; It is, however, very bewildering to pace
+the mazes of this strange city.&nbsp; If you get five hundred
+yards from your starting point, you may have to cross half a
+dozen bridges before you can get back again.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p108.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"St. Mark&rsquo;s Cathedral, Venice"
+title=
+"St. Mark&rsquo;s Cathedral, Venice"
+src="images/p108.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>Our first visit was paid to the cathedral or church of St.
+Mark&rsquo;s, and this wonderful building, for it is a wonderful
+place, has a wonderful history; it is this: when the Caliph of
+Alexandria, who was bitterly opposed to the Christian religion,
+was building for himself a magnificent palace, he gave orders
+that the most precious marbles were to be procured for its
+adornment, and to this end the Christian churches were to be
+stripped of their richest treasure.&nbsp; A raid was made on the
+church of St. Mark at Alexandria, where <a
+name="page109"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 109</span>the body of
+the Saint was said to rest in a state of spiritual repose, and so
+great was the grief of the two Greek Priests who officiated in
+the temple that their cries and lamentations came to the ears of
+two Venetian merchants who chanced to be trading in that
+port.&nbsp; When these merchants found out the cause of their
+trouble they offered to take away the body of St. Mark and secure
+for it a sweet resting place in their own country.&nbsp; The
+Priests at first disliked the idea, but when the temple was
+profaned and robbed and stripped of all that made it attractive,
+they gave consent.&nbsp; It was a work that was very risky they
+thought, for St. Mark had been known to work strange miracles,
+and was held in great awe and veneration by the people.&nbsp;
+However, they entered the tomb in which the body lay, cut open
+the wrapper in which the sacred remains were enfolded, removed
+the body and substituted the body of St. Claudian therein.&nbsp;
+How to carry the body away safely was their next
+consideration.&nbsp; They fell upon the following
+stratagem.&nbsp; Placing the body in a large basket covered with
+herbs and savoury joints of pork, they bore it along the streets
+crying: &ldquo;Khan zir!&nbsp; Khan zir!&rdquo;&nbsp; Pork!&nbsp;
+Pork!&nbsp; A cry hateful to all true Mussulmen.&nbsp; In this
+manner they reached the vessel with their precious burden in
+safety, where, in <a name="page110"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+110</span>order to make sure of their prize, they concealed the
+body in the sails until they left the city.&nbsp; It is said the
+Venetians received the sacred remains with wild demonstrations of
+joy.&nbsp; A succession of fetes were given, ceremonies were held
+in honour of the Saint, pilgrims flocked to the shrine from all
+parts of the world.&nbsp; A revival in the fortunes of the
+Venetian Republic followed, and for a time the cry was often
+heard &ldquo;Viva san Marco!&rdquo;&nbsp; To secure a fitting
+resting place for the body thus secured from Alexandria, this
+church of St. Mark was built.&nbsp; It is a five domed Romanesque
+structure, decked with 500 marble columns.&nbsp; It contains more
+than 45,000 square feet of mosaics of the tenth century.&nbsp; In
+form it is of a Greek cross.&nbsp; Marble from the Haram floors
+of Eastern potentates panel its walls and cover its principal
+porticos, and over its grand portals stand the four horses of
+gilded bronze which were taken from the arches of Nero and Trajan
+at Rome.&nbsp; They were first taken by Constantine in the fourth
+century after Christ to Venice.&nbsp; Then they were taken from
+Venice again, and this time to Paris by Napoleon, but they were
+restored to Venice in the year 1815.&nbsp; And here, as we saw
+them, they look most attractive.&nbsp; The Campanile or Tower of
+St. Mark&rsquo;s is not a part of the building, but <a
+name="page111"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 111</span>stands a
+little way off.&nbsp; It rises to the height of 322 feet, and at
+the top is one of the largest and finest vanes I ever saw, it is
+that of an angel with wings outstretched gilded with gold.&nbsp;
+It was from the tower of St. Mark&rsquo;s that Galileo made most
+of his astronomical observations.&nbsp; We visited several
+churches of importance, but they are pretty much alike.&nbsp; All
+have their high altars and immense wax candles burning; the
+picture of the Madonna in prominent places.&nbsp; The
+confessional box for the natives, also for strangers and
+travellers such as we were.&nbsp; We, however, declined to
+patronize this particular line.&nbsp; If we must confess at all,
+we certainly take the Psalmist for our ideal, he said: &ldquo;I
+said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou
+forgavest the iniquity of my sins.&rdquo;&nbsp; Psalm 32, verse
+5.&nbsp; Plenty of Holy Water and evidently plentifully used, as
+nearly every one coming in puts his fingers in the bowl and makes
+the sign of the cross on his forehead.&nbsp; Cowled monks paced
+the floor with noiseless tread.&nbsp; Priests and Bishops in
+their distinctive dress are not scarce.&nbsp; I gathered from
+some source that there are 1,200 priests in Venice, a city of
+about 100,000 people.&nbsp; It seems as if everything had to bend
+to the church and the priest.&nbsp; In the church you have riches
+without end, there are huge columns carved out of <a
+name="page112"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 112</span>solid
+marble and inlaid from top to bottom with hundreds of delicate
+figures wrought in costly verde antique; pulpits of the richest
+material, whose draperies hang down in many a lovely picture,
+showing the artist&rsquo;s work from the loom.&nbsp; The Grand
+Altar, brilliant with agate, jasper and all manner of precious
+stones and slabs of what is almost priceless, the lapis lazuli,
+which is on all sides lavishly laid as if of no value.&nbsp; Yet
+in the midst of all this display of wealth and of lavish
+expenditure, all about and at the doors of the churches a dozen
+or more of hats or bonnets are doffed and heads bowed in mute
+appeal and a hundred hands extended appealing for help.&nbsp;
+Appealing in a language we could not understand, but with sad,
+pitiful eyes and hollow cheeks and tattered garments, no words
+were needed to translate their wants.&nbsp; I wondered why all
+these riches should lie idle and so many poor actually
+starving.&nbsp; Mark Twain, when visiting Italy, said: &ldquo;Oh!
+Sons of classic Italy, is the spirit of enterprize, of self
+reliance, of noble endeavour, utterly dead within ye.&nbsp; Why
+don&rsquo;t you rob the church?&rdquo;</p>
+<h2><a name="page113"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+113</span>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">The Pigeons in St. Mark&rsquo;s Square:
+Further description of the interior: The Palace of the Doges:
+&ldquo;The Bridge of Sighs&rdquo;: The general Archives of
+Venice: The Church of Santa Maria dei Frari: London Polytechnic
+Party: Some of the slums of Venice: Our farewell.</p>
+<p>In the Piazza of St. Mark&rsquo;s there may be seen, almost
+any time, some hundreds of pigeons.&nbsp; They are very tame, we
+passed them so closely I think we could have picked them up in
+our arms.&nbsp; There is an old legend that these pigeons are the
+safety valve of Venice.&nbsp; How? it is difficult to learn, but
+they are regarded almost with reverence.&nbsp; Twice a day they
+are fed by the public authorities.&nbsp; A huge bell is rung, and
+they come from all quarters of the city.&nbsp; They know the time
+of feeding and to show visitors that this is true, when the bell
+is not rung, the pigeons are there.&nbsp; If anyone hurts or
+kills one of these pigeons, he is fined heavily for the first
+offence, if it is repeated he is imprisoned.&nbsp; We went inside
+this beautiful church of St. Mark&rsquo;s and at first we could
+not realise the magnificence, the beauty, the costliness of its
+interior.&nbsp; The columns of <a name="page114"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 114</span>porphry and amalachite and verde
+antique, panels glittering with gold and gems, pavements dazzling
+in mosaic work.</p>
+<p>After some time we began to realize the splendours by which we
+were surrounded.&nbsp; Mr. Ruskin, I think, gives a fine picture
+in very simple words of the beauties and richness of St.
+Mark&rsquo;s: &ldquo;Then opens before us a vast cave hewn out in
+the form of a cross, and divided into shadowy aisles by many
+pillars.&nbsp; Round the domes of its roof, the light enters only
+through narrow apertures, like large stars; here and there a ray
+or two from some far away casement wanders into darkness, and
+casts a narrow phosphoric stream upon the waves of marble that
+heave and fall in a thousand colours upon the floor.&nbsp; What
+else there is of light is from torches or silver lamps burning
+ceaselessly in the recesses of the chapels.&nbsp; The roof
+sheathed with gold, and the polished walls, covered with rich
+alabaster, gives back at every curve and angle some feeble
+gleaming to the flames: and the glories round the heads of the
+sculptured saints flash out upon us as we pass them, and sink
+into gloom.&nbsp; Under foot and over head a continual succession
+of crowded imagery, one picture passing into another as in a
+dream; forms beautiful and terrible, mixed together, dragons and
+serpents and ravenous beasts of <a name="page115"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 115</span>prey, and graceful birds that in the
+midst of them, drink from running fountains and feed from vases
+of crystal.&nbsp; The passions and pleasures of human life
+symbolized together and the mystery of its redemption; for the
+mass of interwoven lines and changeful pictures lead always at
+last to the Cross lifted and carved in every place and upon every
+stone, sometimes with the serpent of eternity wrapped around it,
+with doves beneath its arms, and sweet herbage growing forth from
+its feet.&nbsp; But conspicuous most of all is the great road
+that crosses the church before the altar, raised in the bright
+blazonry against the shadow of the Apse.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>To describe all the interior of this lovely structure would be
+as easy as to describe our British Museum in London.&nbsp; We
+were enchanted, bewildered, surprised.&nbsp; The baptistery, with
+its sculptured front, and for an altar piece a massive granite
+slab, on which, it is alleged, our Lord stood when he preached to
+the inhabitants of Tyre.&nbsp; Then the choir stalls are rich in
+carvings of every description, indeed, everywhere about us are
+treasures unspeakable.&nbsp; The outside is hardly less wonderful
+than the inside, with its domes, spires, statues, arches and
+columns, which fairly bewilder you, as for the first time your
+eyes fall upon such marvellous productions of <a
+name="page116"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 116</span>the skilful
+workmanship of man.&nbsp; The King&rsquo;s palace or what is
+called the Palace of the Doges is just against the Piazza or
+Square of St. Mark&rsquo;s.&nbsp; Against one of the columns at
+the entrance I took a snapshot of my dear wife and our friend
+Miss Himmel.&nbsp; This place is full of things ancient and
+interesting.&nbsp; Ruskin says of its many coloured marbles,
+columns, arches, and curiously sculptured windows: &ldquo;A piece
+of rich and fantastic colour, as lovely a dream as ever filled
+the imagination.&rdquo;&nbsp; It has been twice destroyed by
+fire, but from the ashes it has arisen more beautiful than ever;
+here it stands to-day a monument of a strange and eventful
+history of over one thousand years.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p116.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Mrs. Wardle and Miss Himmel by The Doges Pillar, Venice"
+title=
+"Mrs. Wardle and Miss Himmel by The Doges Pillar, Venice"
+src="images/p116.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>The power of the Doges it seems, was an absolute power for a
+time, yet was of uncertain tenure.&nbsp; Out of fifty, it is
+said, five abdicated, nine were exiled, five were banished and
+their eyes put out, and five were massacred, this up to
+1172.&nbsp; Life was of little value in those days, even amongst
+kings, nor was it less so amongst the people, as often a man
+accused was condemned without trial, punishment was swift and
+sure and secret, generally by strangulation in prison, or by
+drowning, hands tied and body weighted.&nbsp; It was no uncommon
+sight in those days in this land to see a body swinging from the
+gallows by the <a name="page117"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+117</span>wayside.&nbsp; No one dared to enquire about the
+unhappy man&rsquo;s fate, or he stood in danger of similar
+treatment.&nbsp; Everywhere there was unsafety and fear.&nbsp; As
+Rogers, one of our poets, puts it:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;A strange mysterious power was there,<br />
+Moving throughout; subtle, invisible<br />
+And universal as the air they breathed.<br />
+A power that never slumbered, never pardoned,<br />
+All eye, all ear, nowhere, and everywhere;<br />
+Most potent when least thought of&mdash;Nothing dropt<br />
+In secret, when the heart was on the lips,<br />
+Nothing in feverish sleep, but instantly<br />
+Observed and judged&mdash;A power that if but glanced at<br />
+In casual converse, be it where it might,<br />
+The speaker lowered at once his eyes, his voice<br />
+And pointed upwards as to God in heaven.<br />
+But, let him in the midnight air indulge<br />
+A word, a thought against the laws of Venice,<br />
+And in that hour he vanished from the earth.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>Those were dark days in this city of wealth and power.&nbsp;
+We were not permitted inside the palace, but were allowed to
+ascend the staircase at the head of which is the famous
+&ldquo;lions&rsquo; mouths,&rdquo; into which, in ancient times,
+were placed terrible denunciations, secret <a
+name="page118"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 118</span>letters,
+etc., which meant, what I have already referred to, imprisonment,
+torture or death.&nbsp; Also, along a long corridor, where we
+could see the busts of the Venetian heroes, whose names were
+enrolled in the &ldquo;Golden Book.&rdquo;&nbsp; Beyond is the
+hall of the Grand Council, in which are some of the richest and
+most valuable pictures in Venice.&nbsp; There is
+Tintoretto&rsquo;s masterpiece, &ldquo;The glory of
+Paradise,&rdquo; the largest picture (74 feet long) ever painted
+on canvas, the most precious thing in Venice to-day.&nbsp; From
+the hall of the Grand Council, there is further on the hall of
+the Council of Ten.&nbsp; Indeed, the rooms are so many, so large
+and so full of things of interest, we left the place greatly
+interested and very tired.</p>
+<p>Another marvellous old church we visited was erected in
+1565.&nbsp; It is, however, much like other churches, full of
+pictures, bronze statues and carvings in wood in great
+variety.&nbsp; The tomb of Titian is an object of interest in the
+Church of Frari, but time does not permit us to dwell upon
+it.&nbsp; The offices of the general archives of Venice are very
+fine buildings, they were in the cloisters of the Frari, they are
+now simply the resting places of the most ancient records of the
+old republic.&nbsp; It is said there are now over fourteen
+million volumes of immense value stored there.&nbsp; They occupy
+thirteen large rooms.&nbsp; The museum <a
+name="page119"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 119</span>is a place
+worth a visit to those who are interested in curios.&nbsp; It
+belongs to the city, and in it are many curiosities, chiefly
+artistical and archaeological&mdash;antique medals, armoury,
+engravings, books, ivory, engraved stones.&nbsp; It is a place of
+great interest.</p>
+<p>We crossed the famous &ldquo;Bridge of Sighs,&rdquo;
+immortalised by Lord Byron, who says:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;I stood in Venice, on the bridge of
+sighs,<br />
+A palace and a prison on each hand.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>It was built in the year 1610.&nbsp; We could not fail to
+remember Tom Hood&rsquo;s pathetic poem, written, it is believed,
+after seeing a poor girl, one of the unfortunates, whose corpse
+has just been discovered in the cold black waters under this
+bridge of sighs&mdash;Drowned! drowned!</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;One more unfortunate weary of breath,<br />
+Rashly importunate, gone to her death;<br />
+Take her up tenderly, lift her with care;<br />
+Fashioned so slenderly, young and so fair.<br />
+Touch her not scornfully, think of her mournfully,<br />
+Gently and humanly; not of the stains of her,<br />
+All that remains of her now is pure womanly.<br />
+Make no deep scrutiny into her mutiny,<br />
+Rash and undutiful, past all dishonour,<br />
+Death has left on her only the beautiful.<br />
+<a name="page120"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 120</span>Still
+for all slips of hers, one of Eve&rsquo;s family,<br />
+Wipe those poor lips of hers, oozing so clammily.<br />
+Loop up her tresses, escaped from the comb,<br />
+Her fair auburn tresses, while wonderment guesses<br />
+Where was her home?&nbsp; Who was her father?<br />
+Who was her mother?&nbsp; Had she a sister?<br />
+Had she a brother?&nbsp; Or was there a dearer one<br />
+Still and a nearer one yet than the others?<br />
+Alas for the rarity of christian charity<br />
+Under the sun, Oh! it was pitiful!<br />
+Near to a city full, home she had none.<br />
+Where the lamps quiver, so far on the river,<br />
+With many a light from window and casement<br />
+From garret to basement, she stood with amazement<br />
+Homeless by night.&nbsp; The bleak wind of March<br />
+Made her tremble and quiver, but not the dark arch<br />
+Or the black flowing river, mad with life&rsquo;s history<br />
+Glad to death&rsquo;s mystery, swift to be hurled<br />
+Anywhere, anywhere, out of the world.<br />
+In she plunged boldly, no matter how coldly<br />
+The rough river ran.<br />
+Over the brink of it.&nbsp; Picture it, think of it.<br />
+Then if you can, take her up tenderly,<br />
+Lift her with care; fashioned so slenderly,<br />
+<a name="page121"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 121</span>So young
+and so fair.&nbsp; E&rsquo;er her limbs frigidly<br />
+Stiffen so rigidly, decently, kindly<br />
+Smooth and compose them, and her eyes close them<br />
+Staring so blindly, dreadfully staring<br />
+Through muddy impurity.&nbsp; As when the daring<br />
+Last look of despairing, fixed on futurity.<br />
+Perishing gloomily, spurned by contumely,<br />
+Cold inhumanity, burning insanity,<br />
+Into her rest&mdash;Cross her hands humbly<br />
+As if praying dumbly, over her breast.<br />
+Owning her weakness, her evil behaviour,<br />
+And leaving with meakness her sins to her Saviour.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>The bridge derives its name from the fact that criminals
+crossed it from the judge&rsquo;s chamber to the prison.&nbsp;
+This passage used to be on the bridge: &ldquo;The way of the
+transgressors is hard.&rdquo;&nbsp; The bridge is a single arch
+of one span of ninety feet.&nbsp; There are some nice shops on
+the top.&nbsp; Our next visit was to the church of San G.
+Maggiore.&nbsp; Amongst so many churches that we visited, I must
+not omit to name the old church of Santa Mari dei Frari.&nbsp; It
+is about five hundred years old.&nbsp; It is said the heart of
+Titian lies somewhere here.&nbsp; He died at the age of about one
+hundred years.&nbsp; A plague was raging at the time of his
+death, which carried away <a name="page122"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 122</span>something like fifty thousand of the
+inhabitants of Venice.&nbsp; Yet such was the esteem in which he
+was held, the state permitted a public funeral in that season of
+death and terror.&nbsp; In this church there is a fine monument
+to one of the Kings &ldquo;Foscari.&rdquo;&nbsp; It is in its way
+a curiosity.&nbsp; It is over forty feet high, and is fronted in
+such a peculiar fashion, I could only liken it to some heathen
+temple.&nbsp; Against it are four black men, as black as the
+blackest marble could be, dressed in white garments of
+marble.&nbsp; Their black legs are bare, and through places that
+seem torn in breeches and sleeves, the shining black marble
+shows.&nbsp; Above all this sits the departed Doge or King.</p>
+<p>&ldquo;The Church of Santa Maria della Salute.&rdquo;&nbsp; On
+our way home we dropped from our gondola to have a look at this
+sacred building.&nbsp; It stands nearly at the entrance of the
+Grand Canal.&nbsp; A hundred statues adorn the facades.&nbsp; It
+is said the building rests upon over one million massive piles
+driven deeply into the sea.&nbsp; It was erected in response to a
+vow, so it is said, in the year 1631.&nbsp; Sixty thousand
+inhabitants were swept away by a terrible plague.&nbsp; The then
+Doge vowed a vow to build a costly church in honour of the
+Virgin, if the plague was stayed, from the day the vow was made,
+no <a name="page123"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 123</span>more
+deaths occurred, and every year this event is commemorated in a
+festival.&nbsp; Reaching home tired, we soon went to bed and
+rested.&nbsp; Rising refreshed and it being Sunday morning, we
+felt a need of our English Sabbath with its quiet rest and
+worship.&nbsp; This, however, was partly supplied by a party from
+the Polytechnic in London, who, we found, were sleeping at our
+hotel, so we joined them, after we had breakfasted, in their
+songs, and so passed a part of the sacred day happily and
+pleasantly.&nbsp; We visited one of the principal manufactories
+of mosaics and carvings.&nbsp; A gentleman, who spoke fairly good
+English, escorted us through these extensive works.&nbsp; The
+building was, at one time, one of the Ducal Palaces.&nbsp; Room
+after room, full of the finest mosaics, cameos, china works in
+every conceivable variety, statuary, and carvings.&nbsp; Some of
+these works of art are almost priceless.&nbsp; We bought a few
+small specimens of the Venetians&rsquo; workmanship.&nbsp; These
+large palaces of days long past are crumbling to ruins.&nbsp;
+Byron says:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;In Venice Tasso&rsquo;s echoes are no
+more,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; And silent rows the songless gondolier.<br />
+Her palaces are crumbling on the shore,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; And music greets not always now the ear.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>Among the many places of interest in this <a
+name="page124"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 124</span>very
+interesting old-world city, that we cannot stay to describe, are
+the Mint, the Arsenal, the Public Gardens, Titian&rsquo;s house,
+Academy of Fine Arts, etc.&nbsp; We had just a look at what we
+should call the slums, I mean the places where live the poor, and
+the poor are very poor.&nbsp; Someone has compared Venice to a
+page of music, with its curious streets, palaces, museums, canals
+and bridges, resembling lines, notes, double notes, crotchets,
+pauses; its long and straight, its short, narrow and crooked
+ways, its open spaces scattered up and down, its mounting and
+descending of bridges.&nbsp; The comparison holds good in as far
+as the stranger may easily lose his way and not easily find it
+again, in this maze of land and water.&nbsp; In Venice nearly
+everything is sold in the open-air in the poorer quarters, and
+almost everything that is eaten, is eaten in the open-air.&nbsp;
+Stalls, where fish or mutton is grilled or fried, and passed hot
+into the al fresco customer&rsquo;s hands.&nbsp; Turning into a
+sequestered nook resembling one of the openings in our Narrow
+Marsh, we saw a number of girls, very good looking damsels, with
+guitars and dulcimers, they were giving a serenade to the poor of
+that quarter.&nbsp; They are the pearl threaders.&nbsp; The pearl
+threading is an occupation prevalent in Venice, as embroidery was
+at one time in <a name="page125"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+125</span>England.&nbsp; A home of the poor was being removed
+from one house to another, the furniture consisted simply of a
+bedstead and a huge chest or coffer with a stool or two, and a
+small wooden table.&nbsp; These constituted their whole
+inventory.&nbsp; Nothing of marble or mosaic here.&nbsp; Nothing
+of gold or purple, only squalor, poverty and rags.&nbsp; And now
+we think we have seen Venice, our time also is used up or nearly
+so.&nbsp; We have surely seen enough of the profusion of costly
+ornamentation in the old churches.&nbsp; We gazed upon pictures
+until our eyes were weary of looking at the finest works of the
+painters&rsquo; art ever produced.&nbsp; We have surely learned
+something in this old-world city of the deeds and doings of
+bygone ages.&nbsp; To have seen St. Mark&rsquo;s and its
+wonderful Campanile or Tower, and the Palace of the ancient Kings
+or Doges, and the Grand Square, and the Bronze Horses that figure
+in so many legends (it is said there are hundreds of people in
+this curious old city that have never seen a living horse).&nbsp;
+We think we have now seen Venice, and if this had been all we had
+seen on this tour, it would be worth all the cost and all the
+trouble to have seen this city on the sea.</p>
+<p>Our new found friend, Miss Himmel, left us in the early
+morning, her next visit was to Munich.&nbsp; We wished her
+good-bye and God <a name="page126"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+126</span>speed, for in our very short acquaintance we had
+learned to look upon her as a dear friend.&nbsp; And so we leave
+Venice, calling it as Goethe does: &ldquo;a grand work of
+collective human effort.&nbsp; A glorious monument, not of a
+ruler, but a people.&rdquo;&nbsp; So we departed, our gondola was
+at our hotel door early, we settled up, he swung out and we were
+at the station and caught the 9.45 for Milan.</p>
+<h2><a name="page127"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+127</span>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Arrival in Milan: Our visit to the Cathedral:
+Its Spires, and Turrets: Its Stained Glass Windows, Altars,
+Pictures, and Sculpture: The Church of St. Ambrogio: The Bera
+Picture Gallery: The Hospital: Leaving Milan: Arrival at Como:
+Lake Como.</p>
+<p>As we steamed out of this dear old city, a palace of dreams,
+we looked back with a lingering desire to know her better.&nbsp;
+Across the lagoons we were soon out of waterways and amongst the
+mountains of Italy; scenery lovely, bewitching, enchanting.&nbsp;
+With a certain poet</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;I ask myself is this a dream?<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; Will it all vanish into thin air?<br />
+Is there a land of such supreme<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp; And perfect beauty anywhere?&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>For a long time we sped on through mountainous country whose
+peaks were bright with sunshine, the hillsides were dotted with
+pretty villas, which were surrounded with lovely gardens full of
+shubbery, or ravines that looked cool and shady.&nbsp; Before the
+day had begun to wane, we caught glimpses of <a
+name="page128"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 128</span>the great
+city of Milan, and soon we were being driven to &ldquo;Hotel
+Europe.&rdquo;&nbsp; We found it all we could desire, large,
+clean, well fitted and most moderate.&nbsp; Our great desire, of
+course, was to see the wonderful cathedral.&nbsp; We had heard so
+much of this grand, solemn, vast, airy, peaceful building, that
+we could hardly sleep for the thought that we were so near what
+our eyes were aching to see.&nbsp; We rose refreshed, and, after
+a good breakfast, we sallied forth to feast our eyes on the
+object we had heard of so often, but never seen.&nbsp; Into the
+streets we went in a fever of excitement.&nbsp; In this direction
+and in that, around us, behind us, before us were busy
+crowds.&nbsp; At last, a very forest of graceful spires,
+shimmering in the light of the lovely morning sun, burst upon our
+view.&nbsp; We needed no one to tell us what it was.&nbsp; The
+Cathedral! my dear wife exclaimed.&nbsp; We knew it in a
+moment.&nbsp; How sharply its angles and its hundred of spires
+are cut against the sky.&nbsp; It is like a vision!&nbsp; Some
+one has said: &ldquo;a poem wrought in marble.&rdquo;&nbsp; From
+whatever standpoint you view Milan Cathedral, it is noble, it is
+beautiful.&nbsp; You can see it from almost any point of the
+city, and for many miles outside it is visible.&nbsp; We were at
+its doors early in the morning.&nbsp; The central one of the five
+is finely bordered with <a name="page129"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 129</span>a bas-relief of birds and fruits,
+beasts and insects, so ingeniously carved that they look as if
+they were really living things.&nbsp; On entering, we felt as
+though we might hear a strange voice saying: &ldquo;Put off thy
+shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standst is
+holy ground.&rdquo;</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p128.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Milan Cathedral, Milan"
+title=
+"Milan Cathedral, Milan"
+src="images/p128.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>And the lines of Milton at once rose to our lips.</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;But let my dear feet never fail<br />
+To walk the studious cloisters&rsquo; pale,<br />
+And love the high embowered roof<br />
+With antique pillars, massive proof<br />
+And storied windows richly dight,<br />
+Casting a dim religious light.<br />
+There let the pealing organ blow<br />
+In service high and anthems clear<br />
+As may with sweetness through mine ear<br />
+Dissolve me into ecstacies,<br />
+And bring all heaven before mine eyes.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>And Tennyson says:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;Oh! Milan! oh! the charming choirs!<br />
+The giant windows blazoned fires,<br />
+The height, the space, the gloom, the glory,<br />
+A mount of marble, a hundred spires.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>We were amazed at the magnitude, the brilliancy, the beauty of
+all its interior parts.&nbsp; In every nook and cranny and corner
+there is some lovely statuary, or vase, or painting, <a
+name="page130"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 130</span>and every
+one is a study in itself, every face is eloquent with expression,
+and every attitude is full of grace.&nbsp; You can trace the
+master mind and hand of Michael Angelo or Raphael in the many
+objects of interest that arrest attention.&nbsp; &ldquo;Long rows
+of fluted columns, like huge mountains, divide the building into
+broad aisles.&rdquo;&nbsp; The lovely stained glass windows, one
+of which contains no less than sixty panes; these throw in the
+soft morning light their shadows upon the marble floor of the
+aisles.&nbsp; We quietly strolled along, viewing with admiration
+the pictures and mosaics so artistically arranged by their
+thousands of small pieces of coloured glass, until the whole
+seems to have the finish of a picture.&nbsp; Our guide showed us
+many things of interest, which we might have missed but for his
+aid.&nbsp; A piece of sculpture, the colour of a coffee bean, was
+shown to us, and our guide stated it was believed to be the work
+of that famous artist, Phidias.&nbsp; It is a figure of a man
+without a skin, with every vein, artery and muscle, every fibre
+and tendon and tissue of the human frame shown in the minutest
+detail.&nbsp; It was not a very attractive object to look upon,
+yet it was a work of skill and genius.&nbsp; The staircases to
+the roof are of the whitest of white marble.&nbsp; There is no
+stone, no brick, no wood apparently amongst its <a
+name="page131"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 131</span>building
+material.&nbsp; We did not feel like going up the one hundred and
+eighty-two steps, to gain the summit of this great block, we
+contented ourselves with a general view from the floor.&nbsp; The
+statues up in the niches high, looked like tiny dolls, while they
+are really the size of a man.&nbsp; There are niches for nearly
+five thousand statues, but only about three thousand are filled
+up-to-date.&nbsp; We were not allowed to see the treasures and
+relics, these are most valuable and curious.&nbsp; We learn there
+is treasure inside the coffers to the value of six million
+francs.&nbsp; This is in silver and gold bas-reliefs and images
+of Bishops, Cardinals, Madonnas and Saints, Crosses, Croziers and
+Candlesticks.&nbsp; For relics they have a stone from the Holy
+Sepulchre in Jerusalem, a fragment of the purple robe worn by Our
+Saviour, two of St. Paul&rsquo;s fingers, and a bone of Judas
+Iscariot, a nail from the real cross on which Our Saviour
+died.&nbsp; Once every year these sacred relics come out of their
+dusty archives, and are carried in a grand procession through the
+city, amid the acclaims of a deluded people.&nbsp; On the High
+Altar is a very fine tabernacle of gilt bronze adorned with
+figures of Our Saviour and the twelve disciples, the gift of one
+of the ancient Popes.&nbsp; A magnificent candelabrum hangs from
+the roof of the choir <a name="page132"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 132</span>stall.&nbsp; Beneath the choir is a
+small subterranean church, in which services are held in the
+winter months, as it is much warmer than in the great cathedral
+above.&nbsp; This lower church is from the designs of Pellegrini,
+and from this church is an entrance to the Chapel of St.
+Carlo.&nbsp; This Saint, it appears, was born about 1505, and was
+specially good to the poor, as he sold his life interest in some
+property and distributed it amongst the hospitals and charities
+of the city.&nbsp; He tried to introduce some salutary
+improvements into the church, for the scandalous manner of living
+of the priests had become notorious.&nbsp; For his desire to
+reform their habits, an attempt was made to assassinate
+him.&nbsp; Several of the attempts failed, they then hired a
+priest named Farina to execute the bloody deed.&nbsp; He gained
+access to this private chapel, and as San Carlo was kneeling
+before the altar, he fired at him with an old blunderbuss, just
+at the moment he was chanting: &ldquo;Let not your heart be
+troubled, neither let it be afraid.&rdquo;&nbsp; The bullet
+struck him on the back but did not penetrate his silken stole,
+but dropped harmlessly to the ground.&nbsp; This failure of the
+attempt to murder him was considered an interposition of Divine
+Providence.&nbsp; He died, however, at the early age of
+forty-six.&nbsp; His death was <a name="page133"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 133</span>hastened by the severe austerity of
+his life.&nbsp; His body is deposited in a gorgeous shrine of
+silver, the gift of Philip IV., of Spain, and he lies in his full
+canonicals and can be seen through panes of rock crystals.&nbsp;
+Upon the sarcophagus is worked in rich tapestry San Carlo&rsquo;s
+favourite motto: &ldquo;Humility.&rdquo;&nbsp; There are several
+busts of San Carlo, also a fine statue.&nbsp; A mitre, also said
+to be worn by this Italian worthy during the plague, it is
+beautifully embroidered with feathers of the choicest and richest
+hues.&nbsp; There are many churches in all the cities of Italy
+that are full of interest, some have been so much modernized
+that, from the outside, there appears nothing unusual, but once
+you are inside, surprise follows surprise.&nbsp; Saint Ambrogio
+is one of these.&nbsp; The moment you get inside you are
+interested, statues of costly marble, silver shrines, columns of
+marble, vast and numerous.&nbsp; One of the great sights is the
+splendid facing of the altar, which is a marvellous display of
+the goldsmiths&rsquo; art.&nbsp; A fee of five francs must be
+paid to see it, the front of the altar is of rich plates of gold,
+the back and sides are of silver, all richly enamelled and set
+with precious stones, the golden front is in three divisions,
+each contains smaller compartments; in the centre one are nine
+containing the emblems of the <a name="page134"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 134</span>four Evangelists and the twelve
+Apostles.&nbsp; The transfiguration is also clearly seen amongst
+them.&nbsp; On one side are to be seen eight angels bearing
+vials, on the other side are the four archangels&mdash;Michael,
+Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel.&nbsp; But the back is quite as full
+of interest; like the front it consists of three grand
+compartments, and these are divided into similar tablets.&nbsp;
+On one of the first is seen a swarm of bees buzzing around the
+head of a sleeping child.&nbsp; The legend, when explained, tells
+us that when St. Ambrose was born in the year 340 <span
+class="GutSmall">A.D.</span>, a swarm of bees were thus seen
+around the head of the infant while in his cradle while lying in
+the palace of his father, and as no harm followed, it was said to
+be an omen of his future eloquence and power.&nbsp; He was chosen
+Bishop of Milan in the year 375 <span
+class="GutSmall">A.D.</span>&nbsp; Other emblems, indeed they are
+too numerous to mention.&nbsp; On the right side of the nave is a
+large serpent of brass.&nbsp; Tradition states it is the serpent
+of brass which was set up in the wilderness for the
+serpent-bitten Israelites to look upon and live.&nbsp; Tradition
+is not always truth.&nbsp; In the centre of the choir is a
+curious marble throne, called the chair of St. Ambrose, its
+appearance is very ancient, it is decorated with figures of lions
+and strange carvings.&nbsp; We left this interesting sanctum <a
+name="page135"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 135</span>as we had
+left other churches&mdash;impressed, instructed and
+grieved.&nbsp; The Brera Picture Gallery or Museum is also well
+worth a visit.&nbsp; It originally belonged to the Umiliate Order
+of Jesuits.&nbsp; It is of immense size, and its frescoes are
+simply magnificent.&nbsp; Amongst them I may name &ldquo;The
+Virgin and Child, with St. John and the Lamb&rdquo;; three girls
+playing a game then called &ldquo;hot cockles&rdquo;; &ldquo;A
+youth riding on a white horse&rdquo;; &ldquo;Child seated amongst
+vines and grapes&rdquo;; &ldquo;The Virgin and St. Joseph
+proceeding to their marriage at the Temple&rdquo;; two minstrels,
+such as usually accompany wedding parties; &ldquo;The martyrdom
+of St. Sebastian;&rdquo; &ldquo;The Israelites preparing to leave
+Egypt&rdquo;; &ldquo;The Prophet Habakkuk awakened by the
+Angel&rdquo;; &ldquo;Three cupids with musical
+instruments.&rdquo;&nbsp; I believe there are thirteen rooms all
+full of the finest works of arts to be found anywhere out of
+Rome.&nbsp; The botanical gardens are not, to my mind, equal even
+to our own in this country.&nbsp; The Grand Hospital of Milan is
+well worth looking at from the outside, built in the year
+1456.&nbsp; The first stone was laid by Antonia Filarte.&nbsp; As
+you enter the great gateway, a very fine quadrangle appears in
+view, and there is a double colonnade of arches, twenty-one on
+one side and nineteen on the other.&nbsp; I was told that over
+thirty <a name="page136"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+136</span>thousand patients passed through this hospital every
+year.&nbsp; It can accommodate at once about five thousand
+people.&nbsp; Monuments abound outside that have been raised to
+the memory of the principal benefactors.&nbsp; The theatres of
+Milan are really palaces of beauty; indeed, I learn that Milan is
+known by the magnificence of its theatres.&nbsp; The principal
+one is La Scala.&nbsp; It is said to be the largest and the best
+arranged of any in Italy, It is capable of holding three thousand
+six hundred spectators easily.&nbsp; There are forty-one boxes in
+each row.&nbsp; We did not go inside as our time was fully taken
+up with other scenes and places.&nbsp; There is a Church of
+England, or rather services rendered by a clergyman of the Church
+of England.&nbsp; The Protestants in Milan are very few.&nbsp;
+There are several Free Church services conducted in the city, but
+the buildings are not of any special character.&nbsp; From
+observation I should say four-fifths of the inhabitants are Roman
+Catholics.&nbsp; The city has now a population of over four
+hundred thousand.&nbsp; We visited a good many parts of this
+beautiful busy city.&nbsp; It has some very fine squares, some
+noble monuments, some pretty gardens; also shops of all kinds,
+and goods may be had at reasonable prices.&nbsp; We secured some
+small mementoes that were not very difficult to <a
+name="page137"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 137</span>pack and
+carry away.&nbsp; After a few days stay we agreed to move
+on.&nbsp; So packing once again, and settling up our accounts,
+and tipping the waiters (it is unpardonable to leave without
+doing this), our luggage was once more on the &rsquo;bus, and we
+were lumbering along to the railway station, now to make our way
+to Como, and so on to Lucerne through the great St. Gothard
+tunnel.&nbsp; We had only a little while to wait, and our train
+came in with a roar and a hiss.&nbsp; A few minutes and we have
+left behind us one of the sights that will linger long with
+us.&nbsp; &ldquo;The Cathedral of Milan,&rdquo; for some distance
+we could see it behind us, and in front of us snow-clad mountains
+some twenty miles away, our interest deepened as we proceeded,
+for the beauties nature&rsquo;s bounteous hand has spread all
+over Italy is one continual surprise and joy.&nbsp; In less than
+an hour our train steamed into the station at Como.&nbsp; This is
+not a large place, but looks very pretty as it nestles in quite
+an amphitheatre of hills.&nbsp; Como was the home of Pliny, and
+it is said to have been a very fashionable resort at the time of
+the C&aelig;sars.&nbsp; In the middle ages it became an
+independent republic, and for a long time held its own against
+the large city of Milan.&nbsp; It is now a very prosperous little
+town, and it is said rivals Lyons in some <a
+name="page138"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 138</span>respects
+for its beautiful production of silks.&nbsp; It is surrounded by
+Olive yards and Orange groves, and near by is the beautiful lake
+of Como.&nbsp; This is one of the most beautiful of all lakes of
+lovely Italy we have seen, and we had seen several from our
+carriage windows, and it was only from this point we could gaze
+upon this scene of loveliness.&nbsp; Time did not permit us to
+leave the train to explore and to enjoy.&nbsp; We could see its
+blue waters shimmering under a warm glow of sunshine.&nbsp; The
+surroundings are very interesting and beautiful, the eye does not
+grow weary in tracing the outline of the hills which surround
+it.&nbsp; I do not wonder at the Psalmist saying: &ldquo;I will
+lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my
+help.&rdquo;&nbsp; Psalm 121.&nbsp; For surely earth cannot
+present, nor unassisted reason fancy or conceive an object more
+profoundly significant of Divine Majesty than these hills clothed
+in their vestures at the top, by everlasting snow.&nbsp; In their
+presence &ldquo;There is silence deep as death, and the boldest
+hold their breath.&rdquo;&nbsp; The slopes of the hills are
+covered with a very lovely verdure of green, intersected here and
+there by glens.&nbsp; On one side there are crags and precipices,
+under whose shelter the vine hangs in bright green
+festoons.&nbsp; The Olive tree also is in good evidence, as shown
+by its gnarled and <a name="page139"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+139</span>knotted stem; Orchards and fine Chestnut trees in rich
+profusion.&nbsp; Passing along we see the white foam of a
+waterfall as it shines amongst the verdure or leaps over the
+rocky crags and comes dashing and splashing down the
+hillside.&nbsp; Further on we see the little white houses dotting
+the hillsides, as if they grew out of the same.&nbsp; Then a
+single arch of a bridge that spans a small ravine and unites one
+little cluster of houses with another, giving interest to the
+whole surroundings.&nbsp; In another hour and a half we were
+steaming into beautiful Lugano.</p>
+<h2><a name="page140"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+140</span>CHAPTER XIII.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Lugano: The river Tessin and its bridge of ten
+arches: Bellinzono: Entrance to the great St. Gothard Tunnel:
+Andermatt Station: St. Bernard&rsquo;s Hospice: The Devil&rsquo;s
+Bridge: The Wood Cutter at Work: William Tell&rsquo;s Chapel: His
+story: Entrance to Lucerne: Our Hotel: Our visit to the mountain
+top of Sonnenberg, etc.</p>
+<p>Our stay at Lugano was only for a few minutes, it looks very
+much like the town of Buxton, in Derbyshire,
+&ldquo;Peakland.&rdquo;&nbsp; The houses are built of stone, the
+streets are white and clean looking.&nbsp; It has a population of
+about 7,000, and has a little trade in silks, leather, hats, and
+some shoes.&nbsp; It is an important railway depot, as it stands
+very near the frontier, dividing Italy and Switzerland.&nbsp; The
+Roman Catholics have a very fine church, and, as an accessory, a
+very extensive nunnery.&nbsp; The river Tessin runs near and the
+town is protected by a very large dam, nearly a mile long.&nbsp;
+We crossed this river as we left for Lucerne, over a fine granite
+bridge of ten arches and something like seven hundred feet
+long.&nbsp; As we left behind us this pretty little town, we were
+soon recompensed by ever changing scenery that no pen can fully
+describe.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p140.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"St. Gothard Tunnel"
+title=
+"St. Gothard Tunnel"
+src="images/p140.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p><a name="page141"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 141</span>About
+an hour brought us to another stopping place, Bellinzono.&nbsp;
+From here we run side by side with the river Ticino, a very fine
+river, and here began to ascend rapidly towards the Alps and the
+great tunnel of St. Gothard, which is the largest in the world,
+and by a long way the most costly.&nbsp; On our way we had a good
+view of Monte San Salvatore, some three thousand feet high, and
+beautifully covered with green vegetation right to the summit,
+and its sides are dotted over with little white homesteads, they
+look very pretty in the distance.&nbsp; We soon reached the
+entrance to the great tunnel, which is a marvel of engineering
+skill.&nbsp; It is built in corkscrew fashion.&nbsp; As we
+proceeded into the darkness, in about ten minutes or less we came
+into daylight for a few seconds and found we were about two
+hundred feet above the little church we had passed a few minutes
+before.&nbsp; Again we plunged into darkness, again we emerge
+into daylight, only to find the church is now about six hundred
+feet below us, and this is repeated, we see the church five times
+and ultimately we reach the top, about seven thousand feet above
+sea level.&nbsp; I think the station is called Andermatt.&nbsp;
+Here we stopped for a little while, we bought some postcards with
+views of the tunnel and of some of the scenery about here.&nbsp;
+The cold <a name="page142"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+142</span>was intense, the air very rarified.&nbsp; Not far from
+here is a Hospice where the dogs, the great St. Bernard dogs are
+kept for the purpose of protecting the mountain pass.&nbsp;
+Before the railway was made there was a road that was passable
+with guides and mules, though, not unfrequently, storms would
+overtake the party and they would get lost in the snow, or some
+venturesome individual would go very near the edge of the
+precipice, and, as the snow hung over considerably, with his
+weight it would break loose and cause an avalanche of snow to
+fall, which would take the whole party into the gulf below,
+sometimes two or three thousand feet.&nbsp; At other times,
+overtaken by terrible snowstorms, the party and guide would lose
+their way, and so get buried in the drifts.&nbsp; On such nights
+the monks of the hospice would go out with the dogs and listen
+for cries of help.&nbsp; It is stated that scores have been saved
+from being frozen to death by the great St. Bernard dogs.&nbsp;
+After leaving Andermatt, we again pierced the mountain in this
+great tunnel, now we began to descend.&nbsp; Coming into daylight
+the sight that met our view was simply enchanting, we were right
+on the top of the Alps and could see the great peaks and the
+lesser mountains covered with eternal snow.&nbsp; Down we
+descended to Wassen, here <a name="page143"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 143</span>we crossed a foaming cataract (by an
+iron bridge) that had cut for itself a deep gorge in the side of
+the mountain.&nbsp; A little further we crossed what has come to
+be called &ldquo;The Devil&rsquo;s Bridge.&rdquo;&nbsp; This is
+in the midst of scenery of the wildest nature imagination can
+conceive.&nbsp; Why it is called by such a name I don&rsquo;t
+know, only the awful desolation of the place, the awe inspiring
+grandeur of the cliffs, the terrible roar of the river one
+hundred feet below, and the shrieking of the wild wind, aptly
+called by the natives, &ldquo;Hutshelm,&rdquo; or &ldquo;hat
+rogue.&rdquo;&nbsp; Certainly it is an eerie, creepy sensation
+that steals over you as you pass.&nbsp; On we glide, now through
+narrow rocky defiles, then crossing chasms of great depths, as we
+did so we leaned out of the windows and tried to guess the depth
+of the yawning gulf beneath us.&nbsp; It made us dizzy to look
+down.&nbsp; Proceeding, we came into the pine zone, and the black
+forests of these lovely pine trees seemed to be stuck on their
+mountain shelves as if staring at us and saying: &ldquo;Why do
+you come uninvited into this quiet sanctuary of nature, too deep,
+too awful to be trodden by man?&rdquo;&nbsp; Passing along we
+discovered the woodcutters were clearing out the pine trees on
+their mountain heights.&nbsp; To fell the trees the men seemed to
+be chained or roped on the rocky precipices, <a
+name="page144"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 144</span>and the
+trees, when cut down, fall upon wires ingeniously hung from trees
+or large posts fastened in the mountain side and reaching for a
+distance of two or three miles.&nbsp; We saw the trunks of trees
+sliding along and down these wires as fast as our train was
+running.&nbsp; We were not long before we came to the Lake of
+Uri, which may be said to be out of the mountain ranges, and just
+by there we saw the Chapel, erected at a very early date, and
+re-built in 1880, to the memory of Switzerland&rsquo;s great
+hero, William Tell.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p144.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"William Tell&rsquo;s Monument"
+title=
+"William Tell&rsquo;s Monument"
+src="images/p144.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>He was famous as a crossbowman, could shoot an arrow with
+great precision.&nbsp; The Canton in which he was born and lived
+was partly, if not entirely, under Austrian rule of that time,
+and so imperious was Gesler, the Governor, that he demanded of
+his people that when his hat was hung up in the market place of
+the town, every one passing should doff his hat and bow to
+it.&nbsp; William Tell refused to be so humiliated, and, as the
+result of his refusal, he was arrested, and it was demanded of
+him to shoot through an apple placed on the head of his only
+child, a boy of ten, at a distance of fifty yards.&nbsp; This,
+Tell accomplished without injury to his son; he, however,
+declared in his own mind the next arrow should go into the heart
+of Gesler, the tyrant.&nbsp; Tell, however, was not liberated,
+but <a name="page145"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 145</span>was
+being taken a prisoner to the castle across this lake.&nbsp;
+While crossing, a very sudden squall arose, threatening to upset
+the boat which had Gesler and his prisoner Tell on board.&nbsp;
+So severe was the storm that Tell was liberated from his chains
+and asked to take an oar, it was known that he was a clever
+oarsman.&nbsp; Tell saw his opportunity, he ran the boat on the
+rocks, then leaping out he pushed the boat off into the lake
+again.&nbsp; Gesler, however, managed to land, but he fell to the
+arrow of Tell who had watched and waited for him for some
+time.&nbsp; To be relieved of so imperious a Governor was to
+constitute Tell an hero, hence the keeping his memory green by
+building a chapel; he is also commemorated in song as well as in
+story.&nbsp; Tell sings:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;Ye crags and peaks, I&rsquo;m with you once
+again!<br />
+I hold to you the hands you first beheld,<br />
+To show they still are free.&nbsp; Methinks I hear<br />
+A spirit in your echoes answer me,<br />
+And bid your tenant welcome to his home<br />
+Again!&nbsp; Oh! sacred forms, how proud you look!<br />
+How high you lift your heads unto the sky;<br />
+How huge you are! how mighty and how free,<br />
+Ye are the things that tower, that shine, whose smile<br />
+Makes glad&mdash;whose frown is terrible&mdash;whose forms<br />
+<a name="page146"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 146</span>Robed or
+unrobed, do all the impress wear<br />
+Of awe divine.&nbsp; Ye guards of liberty,<br />
+I&rsquo;m with you once again!&nbsp; I call to you<br />
+With all my voice, I hold my hands to you<br />
+To show they still are free, I rush to you<br />
+As though I could embrace you!&nbsp; Scaling yon height<br />
+I saw an eagle near its brow<br />
+O&rsquo;er the abyss: his proud expanded wings<br />
+Lay calm and motionless upon the air,<br />
+As if he floated there without their aid,<br />
+By the sole act of his unlorded will,<br />
+I bent my bow, yet kept he rounding still<br />
+His airy circle, as if in great delight.<br />
+The death that threatened him, he knew it not,<br />
+I could not shoot!&mdash;&rsquo;Twas liberty,<br />
+I turned my bow aside and let him soar away.</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>Passing along we were on the side of the lovely lake of
+Lucerne, and as it was after seven o&rsquo;clock as we rounded
+the hillside, and passed the rocky precipices of the hills we
+could see the twinkling lights of the town some two miles
+away.&nbsp; We steamed into a beautiful station, I think Lucerne
+station, for beauty, for comfort, and arrangement, is the best we
+have seen on our lengthy tour.&nbsp; <a name="page147"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 147</span>We alighted from the carriage on to
+a lovely platform.&nbsp; Porters in attendance, our luggage
+conveyed most expeditiously to the &rsquo;bus of the Hotel de
+L&rsquo;Europe, and soon we were bowling along to that very
+delightful hotel.&nbsp; We found the place all that could be
+desired by the most scrupulous.&nbsp; We had an excellent
+bedroom, clean, dry and comfortable.&nbsp; Our luggage disposed
+of, a wash and brush, and away we go to enjoy a splendid
+table-de-hote.&nbsp; We did justice, I am sure, to the good
+things so abundantly provided, for there was no stint, no lack of
+variety, and served with great delicacy and tact.&nbsp; We were
+not long after we had had dessert before we began to feel we
+needed Nature&rsquo;s sweet restorer, balmy sleep, and to bed we
+went.&nbsp; Seeing the nets for the mosquitoes were hanging on,
+we examined the room as far as we could and we came to the
+conclusion the room was void of the troublesome creatures.&nbsp;
+Sleep fell upon us sound and refreshing, when we awoke we found
+we had been the victims of the evil creatures, for we were both
+bitten in one or more places.&nbsp; Still, as the Yorkshire man
+said, &ldquo;It mud a bin war.&rdquo;&nbsp; We arose refreshed,
+and were anxious to see the Rigi mountain, and the still more
+popular Pilatus.&nbsp; First we drew the blinds, stepped out on
+to the balcony, we found a lovely garden under <a
+name="page148"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 148</span>our
+window.&nbsp; It was beautifully laid out with flower beds and
+gravel walks.&nbsp; We stood and gazed, seeming to doubt if it
+was real, that we were really on earth.&nbsp; Could it be the
+Garden of Eden?&nbsp; It is like an exquisite dream.&nbsp; The
+scene seems to thrill like the sweetest chords of music.&nbsp;
+The hotel is like a palace, such lovely roses, charming walks,
+sculpture and vases on all sides, broad flights of stone steps
+leading in and out of the grounds to the hotel, and around the
+grounds massive trees with all manner of names.&nbsp; The Lake of
+Lucerne, just peeping through the trees, and the mountain ranges
+beyond, peak above peak covered with their snow white mantle made
+the scene entrancing.&nbsp; After we had tired our eyes with
+looking on the lovely landscape we went to enjoy our dejeuner of
+fish, fowl, bacon, eggs and coffee.&nbsp; We left our hotel for
+the first visit into the lovely town of Lucerne.&nbsp; It is not
+a large town but well built and kept very clean.&nbsp; The
+accommodation for getting about is good, by tram or &rsquo;bus or
+cab, and not too expensive.&nbsp; We soon found ourselves in the
+centre of an industry of silk and cotton works, making all kinds
+of fancy articles of ladies&rsquo; wear and of the very finest
+materials.&nbsp; Young girls sitting in the shop fronts, and,
+indeed, in the doorway, plying their needles and crocheting
+hooks.&nbsp; <a name="page149"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+149</span>A large number are employed in this branch of
+industry.&nbsp; Also the shops for toys were strangely
+attractive, chiefly made of wood by the mountaineers, while
+waiting for parties.&nbsp; The Swiss guide lives in the rocky
+regions, has a cow or two, and two or three goats, and is
+prepared to be used as a guide, or he fills in his time with
+making boxes of all sizes and shapes, pipes, animals of various
+kinds, indeed, almost anything you can imagine he can carve out
+of wood, with his knife.&nbsp; Time is not very valuable, so he
+works away until he has completed his work, which finds its way
+into the shops and so, finally, gets to England, France or
+Germany, as a toy for boys&rsquo; or girls&rsquo;
+amusement.&nbsp; We soon found our way to the front of the Lake
+of Lucerne.&nbsp; It is a charming lake, the colour is simply
+indescribable, it is neither blue nor green, but a lovely tint
+made up of both.&nbsp; As we looked across this beautiful water
+we could see orchards and meadows sloping right down to the
+water&rsquo;s brink.&nbsp; Straight in front stood the mighty
+mountain called the Rigi.&nbsp; As we stood awe struck with
+delight to watch the vapours chased away by the coming sun and
+the rugged face of the mountain laid bare in all its grandeur and
+power, the sun shed its glow over rock and tree, and the stony
+monarch seemed to salute you with a smile.&nbsp; <a
+name="page150"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 150</span>On the
+other side, that is at our right hand, old Pilatus, rugged and
+bare, seemed to look down upon the lake with a frown, and between
+the two giant mountains we could see the wondrous Alps, peak upon
+peak in a wonderful variety, clad in their mantle of eternal
+snow.&nbsp; And now above us and around us is the sunshine of, to
+us, unusual brilliancy and a sky of faultless blue, not a single
+cloud to be seen anywhere.&nbsp; The picture is one that will
+never fade from our memories.&nbsp; It will enter into our life
+to remain a constant joy to think of.</p>
+<p>It was our intention to go up by rail to the top of the Rigi
+or Pilatus or both, but other sights were so attractive that we
+kept putting off that pleasure, as there seemed to be doubts if,
+on the very summit, there might not be clouds to obscure the
+view, as the height of the Rigi is six thousand feet, the height
+of old Pilatus seven thousand feet, and there is an old saying
+put in rhyme that</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;If Pilatus wears his cap, serene will be
+the day;<br />
+If his collar he puts on, you may venture on the way.<br />
+But if his sword he wields, at home you&rsquo;d better
+stay.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>We ventured a visit up the Sonnenbergh.&nbsp; <a
+name="page151"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 151</span>This is
+done by train, or it would be more correct to say by carriage,
+for the train consists of one carriage only.&nbsp; The engines
+seem to have their boilers tilted up on ends.&nbsp; The railway
+has a central rail which is cogged, and into this endless cog
+fits a wheel underneath the engine.&nbsp; This is really the
+driving wheel by which it slowly moves up the steep
+gradient.&nbsp; We passed farms, orchards and plantations, up and
+up.&nbsp; It is a curious sensation to find yourself steadily
+moving up without any effort of your own, but still up we went
+until we landed on a lovely plateau, with a charming hotel.&nbsp;
+The view from this mountain height was beyond description.&nbsp;
+We left the train and wandered into the woods and viewed our
+surroundings.&nbsp; I had a camera with me so must get one or two
+pictures.&nbsp; We were ready to return by the next train after
+being up almost in the clouds for two hours.&nbsp; Our curious
+old steamer soon put us in safety again by the side of the lake,
+and from here we made our way to our hotel for some refreshments
+and for a rest.&nbsp; Again leaving our good &ldquo;hostel&rdquo;
+we visited the Glacier Gardens, these are now enclosed and
+protected, and a small <a name="page152"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 152</span>fee is charged to see the natural
+wonders of this lovely and picturesque scenery.&nbsp; At the very
+entrance you see what is called &ldquo;The Lion
+Monument.&rdquo;&nbsp; It is cut out of the solid rock.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p153.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Lion of Lucerne"
+title=
+"Lion of Lucerne"
+src="images/p153.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<h2><a name="page153"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+153</span>CHAPTER XIV.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">The glacier gardens: The Lion of Lucerne: The
+glacier mill holes: The museum: The Bridge over the Reuss: The
+Cathedral: Pilatus Mountain: Leaving Lucerne: Zurich: Lake of
+Zurich: Zwingli, the reformer.</p>
+<p>As we entered the Glacier Gardens our eyes were at once drawn
+to this massive and very interesting and pathetic piece of
+sculpture, &ldquo;The Lion of Lucerne.&rdquo;&nbsp; The smooth
+face of this quarry is about fifty feet high, and it looks to be
+about as wide, it is overshadowed by some very nice trees and
+climbing plants.&nbsp; It is protected by a wooden rail, so you
+could not, if you so wished, carve your name on the rocky
+surface.&nbsp; In the very centre of this vast square is a
+wounded and dying lion.&nbsp; The size in stone (for it is really
+a part of the rock itself) is about twenty-eight feet in
+length.&nbsp; It was hewn by the order and from a model by the
+renowned Danish sculptor, Morwalsden, and was finished in the
+year 1821.&nbsp; This famous masterpiece is dedicated to the
+memory of the Swiss Guards of Louis XVI., <a
+name="page154"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 154</span>who fell a
+prey to the fury of the populace, as they retreated unarmed into
+the French Tuileries.&nbsp; The sculptured figure is in a lying
+position, and a broken arrow or spear is in its side.&nbsp; I
+don&rsquo;t remember ever being so impressed with an object in
+stone as I was by this.&nbsp; It has an expression of the deepest
+grief, and such as must have moved many to tears.&nbsp; Above the
+figure you may read (as it is carved into the rock) the following
+words: &ldquo;To the fidelity and bravery of the
+Swiss.&rdquo;&nbsp; Beneath it the names of the twenty-six
+officers who fell on that terrible day.&nbsp; Passing into the
+gardens we were soon beside one of the glacier pots or
+holes.&nbsp; These glacier pots or mill holes were discovered in
+the year 1872, and it is asserted by geologists that they were
+formed in far past ages.&nbsp; One of them, Albert Heim, says:
+&ldquo;I hereby testify both as a geologist and an eye witness of
+the first unexpected discovery, as also of the subsequent careful
+excavations of this wonderful phenomenon, that the hand of man
+had nothing to do with the formation of these glacier mills and
+polished surface of the glacier, nor with the erratic boulders
+that lie about, or in those mill holes, but that we have here to
+deal with a marvellous operation of <a name="page155"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 155</span>free organic nature, a relic of a
+time when these countries were not inhabited by man.&rdquo;&nbsp;
+In those days almost the whole of Switzerland and, indeed, the
+greatest part of the Northern Hemisphere was buried under immense
+masses of ice, as can now be proved with the greatest certainty,
+with here and there an oasis inhabited by animals long ago
+extinct.&nbsp; Our attention was drawn to a large hole in the
+solid rock almost round, and the sides quite smooth and about
+eight or ten feet deep, and at the bottom a large boulder or
+stone, also smooth.&nbsp; This hole is made by the whirling of
+the stone round and round by the force of melting ice, causing
+the waters to flow in strong descending streams.&nbsp; It is thus
+these glacier mills are formed.&nbsp; In these gardens are quite
+a number of these interesting specimens of the work of Nature in
+the far past ages.&nbsp; The largest of all the mill stones we
+saw, was one which weighs over five tons.&nbsp; This having in
+some remote age, been whirled round and round like a toy.&nbsp;
+There are also some large boulders carried by the glaciers from
+the high Alps and left here.&nbsp; We also found some very fine
+specimens of fossils and ferns that had been petrified into
+stone.&nbsp; We left this most interesting <a
+name="page156"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 156</span>part of the
+gardens and mounted up a large number of steps to the imitation
+of a lovely little Swiss Chalet, surrounded by tall trees which
+seem to be growing out of the side of the rocky eminence on which
+the Chalet is perched.&nbsp; It is called &ldquo;An Alpine
+Cottage.&rdquo;&nbsp; The president of the Alpine Club describes
+it thus: &ldquo;This cottage, cleverly and accurately imitated,
+gives us a true picture of these highland places of refuge.&nbsp;
+Not many men, and still fewer women, are enabled to see such a
+building in its airy district.&nbsp; Here it is, within reach of
+every one in perfect imitation of the real thing, inside and
+out.&nbsp; Even the inscription, here dedicated to the section
+Pilatus is not wanting.&nbsp; Let us walk in!&nbsp; The hut
+contains that homely furniture, those poor and scanty utensils,
+the view of which, however, is so welcome to him who, in the
+evening twilight, tired and weary, enters the hospitable and
+friendly space, and makes use of them to take his frugal
+meal.&nbsp; Let us go to the window!&nbsp; O wonder! what a
+sight!&nbsp; We are, as if by magic, transported to God&rsquo;s
+beautiful world of the Alps.&nbsp; We stand far above the glacier
+which descends majestically from the land of eternal snow.&nbsp;
+It requires a long time and a close observation to <a
+name="page157"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 157</span>realize
+that this is an illusion.&nbsp; The foreground is a plastic
+formation as in a panorama.&nbsp; All the characteristics of the
+world of glaciers are wonderfully rendered with scientific
+accuracy.&rdquo;&nbsp; I have here given in his own words the
+description of this most wonderful imitation of a Swiss Cottage
+and its surroundings.&nbsp; The museum is one that would give
+entertainment and information to an enquirer after knowledge for
+some time, particularly in geology and the condition of our race
+in these regions in the far back past.&nbsp; Instruments of
+defence made of stone or flint or of bone.&nbsp; These have all
+been discovered in the immediate neighbourhood and
+preserved.&nbsp; A pick axe made of flint, chisels of flint
+stone, sling-stones, lance-like instruments, earthenware vessels,
+carbonized wheat, half of an apple petrified, hand hatchet of
+bone, knife of bone, dagger of bone, dagger of horn, shovel of
+stag&rsquo;s horn, tumbler of horn, shuttle made of bear&rsquo;s
+teeth, sewing needle, very crude, made of bird&rsquo;s
+bone.&nbsp; In another part of the museum there are groups of the
+animals of the Alps.&nbsp; The otter, the eagle, the horned owl,
+the bearded vulture, a group of Alpine hares, a wild boar, a
+group of bears, a pole cat, the common ibex, foxes, Alpine
+jackdaw, wild cats, sea <a name="page158"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 158</span>swallow, the chamois, the St.
+Bernard dog, and many other interesting relics of past ages,
+preserved for the pleasure and benefit of the present
+generation.&nbsp; A fine collection of the mountain ferns are to
+be seen in their richness and beauty, with notices of the places
+in the Alps where they may be found.&nbsp; There is the ice
+grotto, which we did not descend to see, but we were greatly
+pleased with our visit to this very interesting place.&nbsp;
+Before leaving the gardens I took a snap-shot of my dear little
+wife on the bridge, crossing from the glacier gardens to the
+Alpine Chalet.&nbsp; We visited several other places of interest
+in the town, one, particularly, attracted our attention.&nbsp; It
+is a very old bridge over the river Reuss.&nbsp; It has stood
+against &ldquo;the iron tooth of time which devours men and their
+works together,&rdquo; for about four hundred years.&nbsp;
+Anything more quaint I think I never saw.&nbsp; It is covered in
+and is in length about one hundred yards.&nbsp; In the triangular
+spaces formed by the beams that go to support the roof, pictures
+have been painted, I should think for the amusement of passers
+over, as they are not, as a whole, very edifying.&nbsp; I should
+say, perhaps, two hundred paintings are to be found on the
+bridge.&nbsp; There are some that may claim <a
+name="page159"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 159</span>some merit;
+these are representations of the various battles and victories by
+the Swiss armies.&nbsp; About the centre of the bridge is a
+curiosity shop or bazaar, containing toys, bronzes, etc.&nbsp;
+Hastening across, for time began to be valuable, as we had seen
+so little of this wonderful city, and our time for leaving grew
+near, we needed to use the time left us wisely and well.&nbsp;
+The old cathedral must be visited.&nbsp; We had, however, seen so
+many, it hardly seemed likely this one would be at all
+interesting, but we determined to pay it a visit; and, although
+there is much about it that is similar to others we had seen,
+still there is a difference.&nbsp; On the outside and near the
+entrance is a large metal plaque in bronze, with a large cross on
+which is an image of the suffering Saviour, and a good number of
+names of persons deceased, who had left the instructions for the
+erection of the tablet.&nbsp; Inside, the usual array of bowls of
+holy water, confessional boxes, candles burning on the
+altar.&nbsp; There is also some very fine sculpture in marble,
+also some very fine pictures by the old masters.&nbsp; Of course
+it is Roman Catholic, consequently the priest is in evidence
+everywhere.&nbsp; We left the church with feelings that a great
+deal of the religion of the <a name="page160"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 160</span>Roman Catholics, as we have seen it
+on the continent, is a soulless religion.&nbsp; It has a
+framework but no soul.&nbsp; We really hoped, before leaving
+Lucerne, to have gone up the Pilatus mountain, as from there we
+understand, can be had a splendid view of the Bernese hills, the
+highest of which is the Tomlishorn, about seven thousand
+feet.&nbsp; It used to be most difficult to climb the Pilatus,
+but now it is easy and safe.&nbsp; It used to be associated with
+legends of hobgoblins, fairies, dragons, etc.&nbsp; It is said to
+get its name from Pontius Pilate, who crucified the Christ, after
+which he was so smitten with remorse that he fled the Judean
+country and found his way to Switzerland, finding here in this
+awe inspiring mountain, a fit place to close his wretched career,
+and in a tiny lake near on the summit, he ended his miserable
+life.&nbsp; There is still a superstition abroad that his spirit,
+in its restlessness, visits this mountain periodically, and may
+be seen washing its hands as we read &ldquo;And when Pilate saw
+that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made,
+he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying,
+I am innocent of the blood of this just person; see ye to
+it.&rdquo;&nbsp; Matthew, chapter 27, verse 24.&nbsp; It may, <a
+name="page161"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 161</span>however, be
+only imaginary, but superstition dies hard in such lonely
+localities.&nbsp; As we could not visit its summit this time, we
+must content ourselves with viewing it in the distance.&nbsp; And
+now our time in this lovely city closes.&nbsp; Our stay has been
+of the pleasantest; the manager of our hotel (The Hotel de
+L&rsquo;Europe) has been to us the very essence of kindness; even
+the mosquitoes were fairly generous, only on one or two occasions
+have they troubled us.&nbsp; So we packed up, paid our bills and
+left, very reluctantly.&nbsp; It was on a very lovely morning we
+bade adieu to the most pleasant and enjoyable scenery of the
+lakes and mountains around the pretty town of Lucerne.&nbsp;
+Having boarded the train our first impulse was to get snugly into
+a corner and live over again the past few days, but the scenery
+around us was of such a character, we could not rest in
+forgetfulness of things passing.&nbsp; We could see in the
+distance the great Jura mountains.&nbsp; Then near to us homely,
+lovely scenery; there a little stone farm and farmyard, a little
+stream flowing by, the farmer&rsquo;s maid on an iron bridge
+spanning the stream, giving the whole surroundings a picture of
+rusticity.&nbsp; A little further and we see an old mill, with
+its massive wheel <a name="page162"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+162</span>in motion and the miller&rsquo;s man in dusty garments,
+standing with his arms akimbo, giving orders for the unloading of
+a heavily laden mule wagon; around us is forest and field in
+pleasing variety.&nbsp; We are not very long before we near the
+lake of Zurich, which is very extensive, and like all the Swiss
+lakes, it is very beautiful.&nbsp; Then to Zurich.&nbsp; I was
+greatly surprised at the importance and the accommodation at and
+about the railway station.&nbsp; I think it was one of the best
+we had seen, and for attractiveness I should say the
+finest.&nbsp; The town itself is of importance, having a
+population of over one hundred and twenty thousand people.&nbsp;
+From the railway the city shows itself well, as a part of it is
+built on the side of a rocky eminence, with the River Limmet
+running at the foot.&nbsp; Indeed, this river divides the town,
+the upper and lower Zurich.&nbsp; There are six bridges (and they
+know how to make useful and beautiful bridges on the
+continent).&nbsp; Three are used for carriages, wagons, etc., and
+the other three only for foot passengers.&nbsp; The streets in
+Zurich are very narrow, crooked and dirty.&nbsp; On the hill
+stands conspicuously, a grand Cathedral, the Grosse Minster; of
+course, it is a Roman Cathedral, but it is, I <a
+name="page163"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 163</span>learn, very
+rich in sculpture and pictures, although, I fear, very poor in
+that which should make any church rich&mdash;the Divine
+in-dwelling.&nbsp; There is a very fine Post Office, and all the
+modern appliances and conveniences for the acceleration of
+information.&nbsp; It is a very ancient town, indeed, it was, as
+history tells us, at one time a Roman city.&nbsp; Zwingli, the
+great Swiss reformer, played an important part in the history of
+Zurich.&nbsp; It was then the centre of the reformation in
+Switzerland, and Zwingli was leader.&nbsp; He was a contemporary
+with Martin Luther.&nbsp; He had studied at Basle and Bern, and
+was made parish priest in 1506.&nbsp; He was a great student of
+Holy Scripture; it is said he copied the epistles of St. Paul in
+Greek and committed them to memory wholly.&nbsp; He accompanied
+the Pope&rsquo;s army against France as a Chaplain, and was
+granted a pension by the Pope for his sympathetic attention to
+the wounded and the dying.&nbsp; His knowledge of the Bible led
+him to examine closely into the teaching of the Romish Church and
+he, led doubtless by the good Spirit of God, discovered many
+things his conscience could not approve amongst them&mdash;the
+sale of indulgences.&nbsp; He wrote a work of great importance
+condemning the feasts of the <a name="page164"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 164</span>Church, also against the worship of
+images, the mass, the confessional, and other abuses he conceived
+existed.&nbsp; In 1524 he married a lady of standing and
+importance, by this act he broke away from the Romish Church and
+incurred the Pope&rsquo;s displeasure.&nbsp; Soon after this he
+joined the German Reformers; at that time Martin Luther was
+leader.&nbsp; Zwingli&rsquo;s Bible was to him everything, he
+found in it complete and unbroken rest to his soul.&nbsp; To him
+it was the one only ground of appeal, also the test of faith and
+practice.&nbsp; On minor points such as baptism and sacraments,
+Luther and he did not see eye to eye; but on the main points of
+Christian theology and general church discipline they were in
+agreement.&nbsp; He fought and fell in a war between Zurich
+Canton and the Roman Catholic Cantons of Switzerland, in the year
+1531.&nbsp; His great battle cry was &ldquo;my countrymen, trust
+in God.&rdquo;&nbsp; Our stay at Zurich was only short, we soon
+found ourselves en route for Basle.</p>
+<h2><a name="page165"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+165</span>CHAPTER XV.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">From Zurich to Basle: Arrival in Basle: Our
+Hotel: Our visit to the Rhine Bridge: &ldquo;The Watch on the
+Rhine&rdquo;: The Market: The Cathedral and its sculpture, etc.:
+Erasmus: The Museum: The Zoological gardens: Leaving Basle:
+Arrival at Belfort: Belfort besieged.</p>
+<p>As we journeyed from Zurich, we felt we were leaving behind us
+sights we might never see again.&nbsp; A certain poet&rsquo;s
+words came to my memory:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;Beautiful world,<br />
+Though bigots condemn thee:<br />
+My tongue finds no words<br />
+For the graces that gem thee!<br />
+Beaming with sunlight,<br />
+Beautiful ever,<br />
+Streaming with gay delight,<br />
+Full as a river.<br />
+Bright world!&nbsp; Brave world!<br />
+Let cavaliers blame thee,<br />
+I bless thee and bend<br />
+To the God that did frame thee.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>Between Zurich and Basle we contrived to get a little relief
+from the excitement of new scenes.&nbsp; We had really been
+surfeited <a name="page166"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+166</span>almost with the richness and beauty of our surroundings
+for so long a time that it was a relief to allow the train to
+speed on, and to get into a corner and contemplate and
+rest.&nbsp; We arrived at Basle in the afternoon, and found it a
+great railway centre, and indeed, a very important town, both for
+commercial men and for pleasure seekers.&nbsp; It is a great
+centre for cyclists, as there are at least forty castles to be
+seen within a radius of fifty miles.&nbsp; You can be in Germany
+in about twenty minutes.&nbsp; From the north, east and west, a
+number of the most important lines of central Europe are focussed
+here, and swelling to a mighty mass, branch off again in every
+direction to the interior of Switzerland.&nbsp; Thus inner
+Switzerland is laid open to the world&rsquo;s traffic and
+pleasure.&nbsp; The surroundings of the city are very pretty, and
+we saw it when it was most charming, i.e., when the autumn tints
+are seen.&nbsp; Here we see field and forest around this grand
+old city in all the glory of the season&rsquo;s
+attractions.&nbsp; We were advised by the manager of our hotel in
+Lucerne, to go to the Hotel Victoria in Basle, so we secured the
+usual fakeno to carry our luggage across, for it is only about
+two hundred yards from the station.&nbsp; We were, <a
+name="page167"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 167</span>however,
+disappointed in the hotel and its management.&nbsp; They were
+neither obliging nor scrupulously true or honest, the very worst
+treatment we met with in all our travels.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p166.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"The Rhine Bridge, Basle"
+title=
+"The Rhine Bridge, Basle"
+src="images/p166.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>However, our stay was short, so we determined to make the best
+of it, the bedroom was good; and, although close by the station,
+we slept well.&nbsp; We decided to see the city the day
+following; and going out, we soon found it to be a great centre
+of commerce.&nbsp; It has a population of about one hundred and
+thirty thousand inhabitants.&nbsp; Great silk factories rear
+their heads in the centre of this great city.&nbsp; There are
+also manufacturies of chemicals, tobacco, machinery, etc.; also
+some very large breweries.&nbsp; It is said to be the wealthiest
+town in Europe, measured by its population.&nbsp; It has plenty
+of open-air spaces, as parks, gardens and monuments; cool avenues
+and well trimmed gardens are plentiful in the suburbs.&nbsp; We
+went to see the wonderful Rhine which flows through Basle, and we
+stood on that wonderfully constructed bridge of which the poet
+writes:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;A voice resounds like thunder peal<br />
+Mid dashing waves and clang of steel:<br />
+The Rhine, the Rhine, the German Rhine!<br />
+<a name="page168"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 168</span>Who
+guards to-day my stream divine?</p>
+<p>Dear fatherland, no danger thine,<br />
+Firm stand thy sons to watch the Rhine!<br />
+They stand a hundred thousand strong,<br />
+Quick to revenge their country&rsquo;s wrong;<br />
+With filial love their bosoms swell,<br />
+They&rsquo;ll guard the sacred land, mark well.</p>
+<p>While flows one drop of German blood,<br />
+A sword remains to guard thy flood.<br />
+While rifle rests in patriot&rsquo;s hand,<br />
+No foe shall tread thy sacred strand!</p>
+<p>Our oath resounds, the river flows,<br />
+In golden light our banner glows,<br />
+Our hearts will guard thy stream divine;<br />
+The Rhine, the Rhine, the glorious Rhine!&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>For some time we stood and watched the rolling river flow by
+until tired of watching, we left after I had taken a snap-shot,
+and retracing our steps to the market, a place of peculiar
+interest, as everything seems different from our English
+ways.&nbsp; The stalls are set out differently, and their fruits,
+vegetables, pots, flowers and shoes, indeed almost everything you
+can need, we saw in the great space of the market here in
+Basle.&nbsp; <a name="page169"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+169</span>The curious customs, dresses, language and money were
+all strange; and we thought the dress of the country folk was
+very quaint and queer.&nbsp; We spent sometime in looking over
+this great place, so many things offer attractions; without
+however, making any purchases save a few post-cards and a little
+fruit for our immediate use.&nbsp; We strolled on to the
+principal streets to note some of the very fine buildings that
+adorn the city.&nbsp; The Post Office is an imposing building, I
+should say it was partly ancient and partly modern.&nbsp; It is a
+Gothic building and seems to be well suited for, and capable of
+dealing with the work it has to do.&nbsp; The House of
+Parliament, or shall I say Government House, in the great market
+square, to look at it, it seems to rise terrace-like, up to the
+Martin&rsquo;s Grasse; in the centre of each terrace is a court,
+round which the halls and the various offices are grouped.&nbsp;
+There is a fine statue close by the stairs representing a Roman
+pro-Consul, who had to do with the founding of the city.&nbsp; Of
+course, we must see the Cathedral.&nbsp; In all the continental
+cities there is a Duomo or Cathedral, and many of them are well
+worth a visit.&nbsp; The Cathedral of Basle stands on an
+elevation <a name="page170"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+170</span>and consequently shows itself well.&nbsp; It has two
+steeples, not very lofty but very pretty.&nbsp; It dates from the
+year 1010, but has been restored and very nearly re-built, as
+there was a great fire which destroyed a large part of it in the
+year 1185.&nbsp; Again, in the year 1356, there was an
+earthquake, so serious that the vault of the central nave fell
+in, and the upper portion of the choir was thrown into the
+Rhine.&nbsp; Over the entrance is a fine stone gallery, and above
+this a very large window, with Madonna and Child in fine
+colours.&nbsp; There are several fine pieces of statuary
+inside.&nbsp; The Emperor Henry II. and his Consort Kunigundi, in
+colossal figures.&nbsp; To the left of one of the steeples is St.
+George in the act of killing the dragon.&nbsp; To the right, or
+St. Martin&rsquo;s steeple, is a figure of St. Martin sharing his
+cloak with a poor beggar.&nbsp; On the side of the nave are some
+very fine works of art in sculpture, such as four life-size
+figures of the &ldquo;Four Evangelists&rdquo;; there is St. Peter
+and St. Paul; &ldquo;The Seven Wise and Seven Foolish
+Virgins&rdquo;; &ldquo;Christ, as Judge of the World&rdquo;;
+&ldquo;John the Baptist and John the Evangelist.&rdquo;&nbsp;
+Above these are seen angels blowing their trumpets; the dead
+arising from their graves and preparing <a
+name="page171"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 171</span>for
+judgment; over the doorway inside, &ldquo;The Wheel of
+Fortune.&rdquo;&nbsp; There is an absence of the confessional,
+the Holy Water and other symbols of the weakness of the faith of
+the Roman Catholics.&nbsp; We were greatly interested with our
+visit to this, one more of the Continental Cathedrals, and
+especially so as one of the men who played some part in the great
+reformation lies buried here, I refer to Erasmus.&nbsp; He was a
+learned divine of the fourteenth century.&nbsp; He published some
+very fine pastorals and works of theology, that even now are
+considered worthy of reading.&nbsp; It does not seem that he ever
+joined Martin Luther in his crusade against the Pope and Popery
+in general, but he became a staunch protestant.&nbsp; It is said
+that King Henry VIII. offered him a church in Oxford.&nbsp; He
+travelled much, visiting Rome, Venice, England and Paris.&nbsp;
+He ended his days here in Basle, and in the sacred precincts of
+the Cathedral his dust reposes.&nbsp; The &ldquo;blue
+house&rdquo; is an attractive building; it was the residence of
+the Emperor and Empress of Austria during the war of liberation,
+at the beginning of the nineteenth century.&nbsp; It has a fine
+front and commands a full view of the river Rhine.&nbsp; The
+museum is one of the <a name="page172"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 172</span>quaintest and strangest I have ever
+seen.&nbsp; It is said to be the most interesting museum in
+Switzerland.&nbsp; I cannot pretend to tabulate all there is to
+be seen here, only indicate some of the most curious: &ldquo;The
+dance of death,&rdquo; &ldquo;Tankards,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Bowls,&rdquo; &ldquo;Carved Altars of curious
+designs,&rdquo; but very costly; the gold and silver plate
+belonging to the Cathedral, many trophies taken in war and
+weapons also.&nbsp; There are ancient household implements; also
+several important heirlooms of Erasmus; some fine figures of
+Samson and Delilah are to be seen at the entrance.</p>
+<p>&ldquo;The Strassburg Monument&rdquo; in the Elizabeth
+Gardens, close to the Central Railway Station, is a fine
+sculpture in white marble (I took a snap-shot) by Bartholdi, and
+was presented to the city by Baron Herve de Gringer, in
+commemoration of the assistance given by the Swiss in 1870, to
+the citizens of Strassburg when sorely pressed by the
+enemy.&nbsp; The Zoological Gardens of Basle are very extensive,
+and so far as I know, are the only gardens of this description in
+Switzerland.&nbsp; The way to it is full of beauty and
+interest.&nbsp; There is also another place some people might
+think important, we did not&mdash;that is the Crematorium.&nbsp;
+Many other places of interest in and around this fine old <a
+name="page173"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 173</span>city, we
+had not time to visit, our time being limited.&nbsp; We could not
+help being struck with the fact that the ancient landmarks of
+this old world city are fast disappearing, and old buildings
+being pulled down and new palatial ones being erected on all
+hands.&nbsp; The crumbling walls of the middle ages are fallen;
+the moats are all filled in; narrow streets and alleys are being
+swept away in the onward march of time; and the broad squares and
+commodious dwelling houses are being put up.&nbsp; The beauty
+after all, is the rolling river Rhine.&nbsp; We closed our
+account at the hotel, wrote up our journals and prepared to leave
+this interesting old city.&nbsp; We left our hotel early in the
+morning, and were soon seated in a train for Belfort, in
+France.&nbsp; We had to cross the Rhine over a fine railway
+bridge, and as we crossed it we had a good view of the river as
+it rolled past.&nbsp; It comes through Alsace and Lorraine, the
+territory ceded by France to Germany after the great victory
+achieved by the latter, in the year 1870.&nbsp; The scenery,
+since leaving Switzerland, is less rugged and mountainous, but
+the foliage, in its autumn colours, is very pretty.&nbsp; A
+couple of hours brought us to the town of Belfort.&nbsp; It has
+now <a name="page174"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 174</span>a
+population of about thirty thousand.&nbsp; We could see first of
+all, it was well fortified.&nbsp; The castle has a fine
+appearance in the distance, as it stands on a rocky eminence;
+something like our castle here in Nottingham.&nbsp; There is a
+fine old parish church (the religious element is well represented
+wherever we find ourselves).&nbsp; It is a manufacturing centre,
+especially for mats, but also wax tapers.&nbsp; There are several
+large breweries.&nbsp; This town was surrounded by the Germans in
+the great Franco-German war of 1870.&nbsp; But month after month
+it bravely, resolutely withstood all their attempts at capture;
+and although both food and ammunition became scanty, they still
+held on, until by sheer force of lack of provisions, they
+capitulated in February, 1871, to the great satisfaction of the
+Germans, and to the chagrin of the proud French.&nbsp; The
+Germans, in their generosity, and as a recognition of the bravery
+of the French soldiers, allowed them to march out of the town
+with full military honours.&nbsp; It is one of the towns that
+closely border Alsace and Lorraine of the Haut Rhin that was left
+to the French at the annexation in February, 1871.</p>
+<h2><a name="page175"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+175</span>CHAPTER XVI.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">At Marseilles: Our Hotel; Meeting Mr. and Mrs.
+Green and Mrs. Martin: The sights of the City: The Cathedral,
+etc.: En route for Mentone: Toulon: Passing Nice: Cannes: Arrival
+at Mentone: Our Hotel: Meeting Mr. and Miss Brown: The scenery,
+etc.: Visit to Monte Carlo.</p>
+<p>Our visit to Marseilles was made in the earlier part of the
+year, also to the Riviera.&nbsp; On reaching Marseilles after a
+long and tedious journey, we proceeded to the &ldquo;Grand Hotel
+du Louvre et Paix,&rdquo; that we had previously arranged should
+be our stopping place, during our stay in the city.&nbsp; The
+hotel &rsquo;bus was at the station and we were soon safely
+inside and our baggage on the top; through some rambling streets
+we soon found ourselves at an hotel of no mean pretensions.&nbsp;
+The front is facing a very fine street, and is of massive
+proportions.&nbsp; Inside is even better than the outside.&nbsp;
+Everything up-to-date; lovely chandeliers with electric light;
+mirrors, carpets of the richest and best quality; writing rooms,
+coffee rooms, dining rooms and several hundreds of bed
+rooms.&nbsp; We just looked round and got the <a
+name="page176"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 176</span>number of
+our bed room and were about to step into the lift, which had just
+descended, when to our surprise we met face to face, a dear old
+friend of ours, Mrs. Martin, of Glasgow, and she was apparently
+as much surprised to see us.&nbsp; We hurried through our toilet
+and went down stairs to learn why she was here alone.&nbsp; She
+told us her father, G. Green, Esq. (a very dear and almost
+life-long friend of ours) was returning from a visit to America
+and the West Indies, and she expected him and Mrs. Green arriving
+at Marseilles at once; indeed, she was just going down to the
+docks to see if the boat was in.&nbsp; In the meantime we had
+lunch, which just then was very necessary and most
+acceptable.&nbsp; We wanted to see a bit of the city, as our time
+was limited, and we could ill afford to lose any of it.&nbsp; We
+found the shops fairly good, but prices very high for anything
+that was worth having.&nbsp; We omitted spending at present, so
+went back to our hotel where we met Mr. and Mrs. Green to our
+great surprise and pleasure.&nbsp; After the usual salutations,
+etc., we wanted to know each other&rsquo;s programme, to see if
+we could not have at least a few days together.&nbsp; We had
+arranged to go on to Mentone, and had booked hotel beforehand;
+they had decided, with Mrs. Martin, to go to Cannes the same <a
+name="page177"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 177</span>day, so we
+arranged to return from Mentone earlier than we had thought, and
+visit Cannes; and they arranged to stay at Cannes till we
+arrived, and have at least two days with us.&nbsp; So they left
+us for Cannes after having some refreshments.&nbsp; We further
+explored the city; the population now numbers nearly half a
+million, it is the next largest city in France save Paris.&nbsp;
+There is a grand Triumphal Arch not far from the railway termini,
+erected to commemorate the French campaign in Spain.&nbsp; The
+docks are most extensive, as they cover an area of about one
+hundred and seventy acres, and they must have cost many millions
+of pounds sterling.&nbsp; On the south side of the city may be
+seen, a long distance off, &ldquo;The Notre Dame de la
+Garde.&rdquo;&nbsp; It stands on a bare rock hill.&nbsp; To reach
+it you pass through an enclosure protected by iron railings, you
+take tickets and get into an elevator which quickly raises you
+over three hundred feet.&nbsp; From here, however, you have to
+reach this curious old Cathedral by many steps.&nbsp; When you
+have just gained the summit, there is a very fine view of the
+city at your feet, and of the Mediterranean Sea, with the
+graceful curves of the coast line lending enchantment to the
+view.&nbsp; The island of Monte Cristo is also well in sight,
+reminding you of Dumas&rsquo; novel.&nbsp; It is said <a
+name="page178"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 178</span>that, on
+the spot where this church stands, the Druids celebrated their
+crafts and mysteries.&nbsp; Inside there are some very fine
+columns of blue marble from the Alps.&nbsp; The ceilings and
+walls are hung with pious offerings, commemorating strange
+deliverances at sea.&nbsp; There is an image of the Virgin in the
+shape of a flying mermaid, appearing to a ship in a storm.&nbsp;
+The Cornish Road or Chemin de Centure, is a great attraction, as
+it runs along the coast for a long distance, indeed, it is said
+to run along the coast to Naples, following the sea all the way;
+curving and jutting out, just as the sea has apparently found the
+bays and the promontories.&nbsp; The principal streets of
+Marseilles are very broad, and there is some lovely
+architecture.&nbsp; I give a picture, as I took the snap-shot of
+what stands at the junction of three or four of their main
+streets.&nbsp; The city is well surrounded by hills, covered with
+vineyards and oliveyards; and the country round, for some
+distance, is specked with white country houses.&nbsp; Our stay is
+of short duration, so good-bye to the port, to the shops, to the
+Cathedral.&nbsp; Our hotel bill is to be settled, and, this done,
+the great lumbering &rsquo;bus is awaiting us.&nbsp; We say adieu
+to our French waiters, boots and Concierge, and are soon at the
+railway <a name="page179"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+179</span>station and in the train for Mentone.&nbsp; Leaving
+Marseilles we noticed the scenery began to be rugged and rocky,
+for some distance.&nbsp; The sea, however, was a great
+attraction, the blue Mediterranean is I think always pleasing to
+look at; and we could feel the pure bracing air as it came up
+from the sea.&nbsp; About two hours brought us to an important
+station called Toulon.&nbsp; This is said to be the Plymouth of
+France.&nbsp; The dockyard and fleet of Toulon were destroyed by
+a British force under Sir Sidney Smith, detached from the fleet
+of Lord Hood, in November, 1793.&nbsp; There is a wonderful
+history attached to this city, which I have neither the time nor
+the disposition to enter upon.&nbsp; Our train was delayed here,
+so I dismounted to get some oranges, when, to my dismay, the
+train moved on and left me hatless on an open platform.&nbsp;
+However, I found it was only to move to the tank to take
+water.&nbsp; In ten minutes&rsquo; time it returned, so set at
+rest my little wife&rsquo;s troubles and my own.&nbsp; We soon
+left behind us this apparently prosperous and busy town, and were
+again surrounded by hills and the sea.&nbsp; Landscapes of bays
+and promontories, rocks and ravines.&nbsp; To my mind I have seen
+nothing in all my travels (and I have been over four continents)
+to equal the stretch of coast and country <a
+name="page180"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 180</span>from
+Marseilles to Mentone.&nbsp; It is beyond all question the
+loveliest part of the fair land of France.&nbsp; On all sides as
+the train steams along it is pretty, gay and captivating, as the
+sunny shores are washed by the rolling sea, and an azure sky is
+overhead; and beyond, in the background, you can occasionally see
+lines of lofty hills crowned with eternal snow.&nbsp; As we
+passed the various stations, as Nice, the scenery becomes richer
+and more beautiful.&nbsp; Lovely avenues bordered with flowers,
+winding through the plain; and shady footpaths meandering among
+fields of asphodel and lavender.&nbsp; As we passed St. Raphael
+Station we noticed a very peculiar formation of the
+sea-shore.&nbsp; On we sped through the most beautiful scenery,
+palm trees began to seem plentiful; the first I saw looked so
+lovely I took my camera and got a snap-shot; but as we proceeded
+they became quite common.&nbsp; At Nice, the races were just
+over, and we saw numerous horses and horsemen leaving the race
+course.&nbsp; We had passed Cannes, and after which, Monte Carlo,
+and soon reached our destination where we remained for a few days
+(Mentone).&nbsp; We had selected, as was our custom, a hotel
+beforehand, this time it was &ldquo;Hotel de
+Mentone.&rdquo;&nbsp; So on the arrival of our train in the
+station we looked <a name="page181"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+181</span>out for the hotel omnibus.&nbsp; We were surrounded by
+porters to carry our baggage, and almost a quarrel ensued which
+should have the job.&nbsp; However, we were conducted to the
+&rsquo;bus and very quickly driven to the hotel named.&nbsp; We
+found it all we could wish, indeed, the most comfortable and best
+managed we had found in all our travels.&nbsp; The manager, M. C.
+Husson, is the very acme of kindness and attention, our wants
+seemed to be anticipated and met most expeditiously.&nbsp; Our
+bedroom, large and airy, facing and within one hundred yards of
+the blue Mediterranean; the garden full of the most lovely palm
+trees.&nbsp; My little wife said: &ldquo;this is like
+paradise.&rdquo;&nbsp; The climate of this lovely town is very
+mild, and fogs, they tell us, are unknown.&nbsp; It is surrounded
+by an amphitheatre of mountains, consequently no north or east
+winds affect them; the hills intervening between these Alpine
+Mountains and the town and the sea, are covered with gardens of
+the orange tree (in full fruitage when we saw them January 18th);
+also the lemon and olive tree.&nbsp; Mentone is a favourite
+winter resort for English visitors.</p>
+<p>In our hotel we found some interesting people, some of them
+from England; and those who could speak English were to us, more
+than usually interesting.&nbsp; We seemed <a
+name="page182"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 182</span>to be
+specially drawn toward a lady and gentleman from
+Southend-on-Sea&mdash;a Mr. Brown and Miss Brown, his
+daughter.&nbsp; She made herself particularly useful and nice to
+my little wife.&nbsp; We were strangers, and all about us a
+strange tongue was spoken and new customs in vogue.&nbsp; Miss
+Brown most kindly offered her aid at any time and on any point
+that was desired.&nbsp; This was most gratefully accepted, and in
+a few days we were fast friends.&nbsp; A correspondence has been
+kept up since we left, so that in all likelihood the friendship
+formed in Mentone will be continuous and pleasant.&nbsp; We took
+our walks each morning along the fine promenade in the clear
+fresh sunshine and bracing sea breeze, so we could feel we were
+gaining strength and getting a real good bracing up.&nbsp; We
+took lunch, more than once, at a sweet little Swiss restaurant,
+everything was scrupulously clean and sweet.&nbsp; We visited the
+Park Gardens, where the band was every day discoursing sweet
+music.&nbsp; These gardens are filled on two sides with orange
+trees; and as we passed them the fruit was just lovely, ripe and
+ready for plucking.&nbsp; The borders and beds were full of the
+most beautiful flowers in full bloom.&nbsp; I got two or three
+snapshots of this pretty place and surroundings.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p182.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Miss Brown at Mentone"
+title=
+"Miss Brown at Mentone"
+src="images/p182.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>We visited the <a name="page183"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+183</span>cemetery on the hillside.&nbsp; It is difficult to
+reach, as there are so many steps, but it is well worth a
+visit.&nbsp; Here are laid to rest the dust of many
+generations.&nbsp; We found marble monuments in memory of several
+English residents, who had died in Mentone and were buried
+here.&nbsp; The graves or mausoleums are carefully kept.&nbsp;
+Flowers bloom most luxuriantly, and intertwine themselves in and
+around the sculpture on all sides.&nbsp; Some graves have, built
+over them, a small tent or room, which is adorned with pictures
+and filled with flowers.&nbsp; Here the relations of the deceased
+come, and seem to commune with the departed; at any rate they
+find some kind of solace in spending a little time near the
+sacred dust of loved ones.&nbsp; We visited the Market Place, and
+on market day too, to see the costers from the country in dresses
+quaint and queer, with their donkeys and carts of the rudest
+make.&nbsp; One would really have liked to have laughed at their
+simplicity.&nbsp; The fruit, flowers and vegetables were of a
+very fine quality; nothing so large in England.&nbsp; New
+potatoes in January, and new green peas, tomatoes; indeed,
+everything that our gardens will produce in June, they get here
+in January.&nbsp; Monte Carlo is only a few miles from Mentone,
+and there is a tram running; so we determined to pay a visit to
+<a name="page184"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 184</span>this
+interesting place before we left the Riviera.&nbsp; A lovely day
+found us on the tram en route for Monte Carlo.&nbsp; Up the
+hillsides our tram went, and round some curves that to us seemed
+dangerous, across some deep ravines, ascending, then descending,
+for the road is along the rocky mountain side.&nbsp; In about
+forty minutes we reached this place of notoriety.&nbsp; It is
+certainly one of the loveliest places under the sun.&nbsp;
+Someone has said &ldquo;it is my ideal, in outward appearance, of
+what heaven will be.&rdquo;&nbsp; Words are too poor to paint the
+beauties of Monte Carlo.&nbsp; Some of the places in my native
+county, Derbyshire, such as &ldquo;Lovers&rsquo; Leap,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Monsale Dale,&rdquo; &ldquo;High Tor,&rdquo; and others,
+but on a small and insignificant scale, remind me of the Riviera,
+only the sea and climate is lacking.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p184.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"The Casino, Monte Carlo"
+title=
+"The Casino, Monte Carlo"
+src="images/p184.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<h2><a name="page185"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+185</span>CHAPTER XVII.</h2>
+<p class="gutsumm">Monte Carlo: Its Casino and gardens: Leave
+taking at Mentone of Mr. and Miss Brown: Arrival at Cannes:
+Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Green: Cannes, its scenery, etc.: Visit to
+Grasse: Journey to Paris: London: Home, Sweet Home.</p>
+<p>It seems as if Nature had lavished her richest treasures on
+Monte Carlo.&nbsp; Its terraces covered with palms; its orange
+groves and oliveyards; its massive hotels of marble; its azure
+sky and ever blue Mediterranean sparkling at its foot.&nbsp; Then
+there is the Casino, &ldquo;the gambling hell,&rdquo; as it has
+been called.&nbsp; A building upon which no money or care has
+been spared to make it an attraction, and it has undoubtedly been
+a success, for thousands throng its rooms daily. We had no
+difficulty in getting inside.&nbsp; I presented my card to an
+official in braided coat, who, when he saw it, and had given a
+look at us, I presume, thought it would be safe to give us
+admission, and took us to a ticket box where the usual entrance
+ticket was granted, and we were admitted inside.&nbsp; Oh! what a
+scene!&nbsp; Tables covered with <a name="page186"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 186</span>green baize and marked with figures;
+the gamblers or players crowded round every table, staking mostly
+five franc pieces; sometimes one five franc piece and sometimes
+five.&nbsp; Two men representing the bank with hooks or rakes,
+drew in the cash, as the Roulette declared for the bank; the
+winners raking their gains in as the tale of the Roulette was in
+their favour.&nbsp; The faces of the players were a study and
+tempted one to moralize and try to predict the effect of this
+sort of thing on the character of the gamblers.&nbsp; It is an
+awful thing to be caught in the clutches of a gambling
+saloon&mdash;this one in particular.&nbsp; There are many tables,
+all full; and crowds round waiting for an opportunity.&nbsp; We
+went through the vast building, it is richly carpeted and the
+upholstering is of the best; settees, mirrors, chandeliers, etc.,
+all give to it an appearance of wealth.&nbsp; Monte Carlo is in
+the territory of Monaco, which is the smallest independent state
+in Europe at least.&nbsp; It only covers about eight square
+miles.&nbsp; It formerly included Mentone and Roccabruna, but
+these have been ceded to France for four million francs.&nbsp;
+The Palace of the Prince is on the promontory or rock just below
+the Casino.&nbsp; <a name="page187"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+187</span>Surrounding it are some lovely gardens, and the
+appearance of some protection in the shape of cannon, etc.;
+these, however, would be useless if they were ever needed.&nbsp;
+It is said that his chief revenue is from the Casino, which pays
+him about two hundred thousand pounds per annum.&nbsp; The
+population under the Prince is now about ten thousand.&nbsp; I
+took a snap-shot or two, and we strolled about until weary, then
+we found our way to the tram and in about an hour were in our
+hotel enjoying table-de-hote.&nbsp; Our time for leaving Mentone
+had arrived, and again we packed, at least, my little wife
+did.&nbsp; We said good-bye, with reluctance, to a place that had
+given us so much pleasure; also to our new found
+friends&mdash;specially Miss Brown&mdash;my dear wife had grown
+quite fond of her.&nbsp; I think it was because she showed such
+kindness to us when we arrived, also she spoke English; and that,
+in itself, attracts an Englishman when away from home.&nbsp; The
+leave taking between them was quite affectionate and, doubtless,
+correspondence will follow.&nbsp; We left Mentone in the lovely
+sunshine, and from under the lovely palm trees, and were soon
+passing Monaco, Monte Carlo and Nice.&nbsp; We <a
+name="page188"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 188</span>reached
+Cannes all safe and sound.&nbsp; A lovely motor carriage was at
+our disposal for the &ldquo;Hotel de la Plage.&rdquo;&nbsp; We
+were met by our old friend&mdash;George Green, Esq., and his good
+wife and daughter, Mrs. Martin, who also had a friend with her
+from Glasgow, Mrs. Giles.&nbsp; They gave us a hearty welcome to
+our hotel, second to none on the continent, I think, and lovely
+for situation, close by the sea; and surrounded with the most
+lovely semi-tropical plants, as the photo or snap-shot
+shows.&nbsp; We enjoyed the two or three days immensely with our
+friends in this lovely spot; for Cannes is lovely.&nbsp; The Bay
+of Cannes surpasses, it is said, the Bay of Naples for
+beauty.&nbsp; &ldquo;Then there is the Cape of Antibes, with its
+gardens of dreamland and fairies!&rdquo;&nbsp; The Estrel, with
+its profound solitude, and with its masses of red porphyry, like
+buildings erected by the Titians; with its arid soil covered with
+crooked pines, raising their branches towards the pure azure
+sky.&nbsp; Cannes is said to be a vast garden, where the flowers
+are scattered in profusion by Nature with a lavish and never
+wearying hand.&nbsp; There is also the orange, the lemon, the
+oleander, the pepper plant, and the palm tree; all <a
+name="page189"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 189</span>growing
+side by side with the olive, the oak, and the stone pine.&nbsp;
+Of Cannes, it is said: &ldquo;She is the daughter of the Sirens,
+and sprang into existence one morning under the glowing kisses of
+the sun.&rdquo;&nbsp; It has had a chequered history, but it is
+now merged into the liberty of a gay and prosperous town of
+thirty-five thousand inhabitants.</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/p188.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Mr. and Mrs. Green, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Wardle and Mrs. Giles at
+Cannes"
+title=
+"Mr. and Mrs. Green, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Wardle and Mrs. Giles at
+Cannes"
+src="images/p188.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<p>Over twenty thousand visitors come to Cannes for the winter to
+escape the northern fogs and frosts.&nbsp; Mr. Green and I
+strolled the Promenade and talked over olden times.&nbsp; The
+ladies enjoyed their tete-a-tete and their shopping expeditions;
+so the days slipped quickly away and we must lose our friends,
+who go to Marseilles, then by sea to Glasgow.&nbsp; So again we
+say good-bye, expecting, however, to meet again soon in
+London.&nbsp; They leave early for Marseilles in order to catch
+their steamer.&nbsp; We visited Grasse the day after they left
+us.&nbsp; This is about twenty miles from Cannes by rail, and it
+lies up in the mountains; it is about one thousand feet above the
+sea level, yet it is surrounded by the Alps, at least east and
+north.&nbsp; The town has a population about fifteen thousand,
+and is built on the slope of a hill.&nbsp; It is steep climbing
+up from the <a name="page190"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+190</span>station.&nbsp; Facing the town is a lovely valley or
+plain, where they cultivate flowers.&nbsp; The town is largely
+supported by the manufacturing of scent.&nbsp; There are several
+factories; one factory sends away over eleven million francs
+worth of scents yearly.&nbsp; It is a town of great
+interest.&nbsp; It has a fine old Cathedral, also some fairly
+good shops.&nbsp; The streets being on the hillside are not easy
+to walk along.&nbsp; Our stay was only for a few hours, but long
+enough to satisfy us; the place was health-giving and very
+interesting.&nbsp; On arriving at our hotel in Cannes we were
+tired; so after the usual table-de-hote and rest, we went to bed
+early, as the following morning we were to pack up and go.&nbsp;
+After the usual tips, bill settling, etc., we left Cannes and its
+many attractions, and as we rounded the bay we could see the town
+for miles with its white hotels, etc., amidst the luxuriant palm
+trees.&nbsp; We soon lost sight of the town and were spinning
+over deep ravines with rugged sides; there with jutting spurs of
+rock; here the sea pushing up in inlets and creeks, sparkling in
+the rays of the southern sun.&nbsp; Our train hurried us away
+from scenes of such perfect loveliness, <a
+name="page191"></a><span class="pagenum">p. 191</span>past
+Toulon, and about 7.30 we reached Marseilles.&nbsp; Here we met
+again Mrs. Martin and her friend Mrs. Giles.&nbsp; We only stayed
+here about half-an-hour, but we began to feel the change in the
+atmosphere, and our rugs were brought into use, as we were
+travelling all night.&nbsp; About midnight we reached Lyons, and
+on looking out we found the snow was falling thick and
+fast.&nbsp; Oh! what a change in a few hundred miles!&nbsp; The
+sunny south was now behind us, and again we must face the biting
+frost and snow of winter.</p>
+<p>We reached Paris about 11 a.m., and soon found our way to
+&ldquo;Hotel du Nord.&rdquo;&nbsp; We spent a night at the
+&ldquo;Magenta Hotel,&rdquo; where we found friends in Dr.
+Mochwyn Hughes and his sister, who were going into
+Switzerland.&nbsp; We decided to &ldquo;do Paris,&rdquo; as they
+say, in a motor.&nbsp; So we engaged one and were quickly through
+some of the busy streets of this wonderful city.&nbsp; We visited
+Notre Dame, of course, and went inside.&nbsp; There was a funeral
+cortege, and the mourners sitting by the bier; while the priests,
+with their incantations, mummeries and ceremonies, and
+genuflections, just by.&nbsp; We felt how little was the comfort
+to be had here <a name="page192"></a><span class="pagenum">p.
+192</span>for the grief stricken relatives.&nbsp; From here we
+passed the great Eiffel Tower, the Bourse, the Louvre, the
+Tuileries, the Champs Elysees, the Bois de Boulogne, and the New
+Opera House.&nbsp; The Pont Neuf or the New Bridge over the
+Seine.&nbsp; Then to the tomb where lies all that remains of the
+great Napoleon.&nbsp; Here, with uncovered heads, we gazed into
+the grand mausoleum, and were constrained to moralize on the
+vanity of human ambition; and of how short-lived and
+unsatisfactory all worldly wealth, pomp and pleasure.&nbsp; We
+passed the Pantheon and several places of great interest, but
+time flies and we must away from Paris.&nbsp; My wife, however,
+had become quite friendly and even affectionate with Miss Hughes,
+so at parting there was the usual promise of postcards,
+etc.&nbsp; We spent a little time with Mrs. Martin and her French
+friend, then to the railway, and in a few hours ride we found
+ourselves once again in Calais.&nbsp; We were not long in finding
+our way to the boat, our travels had made us quite experts in
+getting from boat to train and from train to boat.&nbsp; My
+little wife had to go below; Mrs. Martin, who travelled with us,
+bravely stood it.&nbsp; <a name="page193"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 193</span>However, we faced the sea bravely
+because we knew that beyond it lay our home and loved ones
+anticipating our home-coming.&nbsp; I spent my time on deck, and
+really got a good blow from the briny.&nbsp; We landed at Dover
+safe and well; and, after a very little time, we were on the
+train, bound for the great city of London.&nbsp; It was dark as
+we travelled through the country, so we could not see the places
+of interest.&nbsp; We were glad to reach the &ldquo;Manchester
+Hotel,&rdquo; our home from home.&nbsp; The Manager, Mr.
+Hanscomb, received us with a warm welcome; and soon we felt we
+were amongst English people and could again enjoy an English meal
+in the English fashion.&nbsp; Only a night in the city and again
+we are entrained for Nottingham.&nbsp; We had travelled now
+nearly two thousand five hundred miles.&nbsp; Oh! the
+anticipation!&nbsp; The slowness of the train, as we thought;
+though it was a fast train.&nbsp; We, however, reached Home,
+sweet Home, safely and well, after many strange experiences; and
+Oh! what a Welcome! from my precious daughter, Ivy, and son
+Gordon, and dear Auntie; then our dearest baby boy, with his
+smiles and his dimples; and oh! what <a name="page194"></a><span
+class="pagenum">p. 194</span>a hug!&nbsp; Welcome home, was
+apparent even from the servants, and we thought there is much
+truth in Leonard Cooke&rsquo;s poetry:</p>
+<blockquote><p>&ldquo;We have basked in the far off Eastern
+Sun,<br />
+&rsquo;Neath skies of unchanging gold;<br />
+Held by the spell of the Orient<br />
+With its mystery and charm untold.</p>
+<p>But, Oh! to the heart that is English,<br />
+There is nought in a distant clime<br />
+As fair as a field in England<br />
+Decked out in the summer time.</p>
+<p>There is joy in the white faced daisy,<br />
+No country afar can excel;<br />
+There&rsquo;s a charm that out rivals the orchids<br />
+In the tints of the pimpernel.</p>
+<p>There&rsquo;s a scent in the fields of England<br />
+Rich spices can ne&rsquo;er surpass,<br />
+A pang to the heart of the exile;<br />
+&rsquo;Tis the scent of the cool green grass.&rdquo;</p>
+</blockquote>
+<div class="gapspace">&nbsp;</div>
+<p style="text-align: center">[FINIS].</p>
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM THE THAMES TO THE TIBER***</p>
+<pre>
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