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diff --git a/43754-8.txt b/43754-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 406cedc..0000000 --- a/43754-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5546 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Pictures in Umbria, by Katharine S. -(Katharine Sarah) Macquoid, Illustrated by Thomas R. Macquoid - - -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: Pictures in Umbria - - -Author: Katharine S. (Katharine Sarah) Macquoid - - - -Release Date: September 17, 2013 [eBook #43754] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PICTURES IN UMBRIA*** - - -E-text prepared by Ann Jury, Melissa McDaniel, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from images generously made -available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original 50 illustrations. - See 43754-h.htm or 43754-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43754/43754-h/43754-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43754/43754-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - http://archive.org/details/cu31924028381923 - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original - document have been preserved. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - The book consistently refers to "El Poverello", perhaps - a typographical error for "Il Poverello". - - - - - -PICTURES IN UMBRIA - - * * * * * - - TRAVEL BOOKS BY - THE SAME WRITER. - - - THROUGH NORMANDY. - - THROUGH BRITTANY. - - PICTURES AND LEGENDS FROM - NORMANDY AND BRITTANY. - - IN THE ARDENNES. - - ABOUT YORKSHIRE. - - IN THE VOLCANIC EIFEL WITH - GILBERT S. MACQUOID. - - IN PARIS WITH GILBERT S. - MACQUOID. - - - ILLUSTRATED BY - THOMAS R. MACQUOID, R.I. - - * * * * * - - - - [Illustration: VIA APPIA - Frontispiece.] - - -PICTURES IN UMBRIA - -by - -KATHARINE S. MACQUOID - -With Fifty Original Illustrations by Thomas R. Macquoid, R.I. - -[Illustration] - - - - - - - -New York: Charles Scribner's Sons -London: T. Werner Laurie -MDCCCCV - - - - - Fertile costa d'alto monte pende, - Onde Perugia sente freddo e caldo - Da Porta Sole, ... - - Di quella costa lą, dov'ella frange - Pił sua rattezza, nacque al mondo un Sole, - Come fa questo tal volta di Gange. - Perņ chi d'esso loco fa parole, - Non dica Ascesi, chč direbbe corto, - Ma Oriente, se proprio dir vuole. - Non era ancor molto lontan dall'orto, - Chč cominciņ a far sentir la terra - Della sua gran virtude alcun conforto. - - "Del Paradiso," Canto XI. - - - - - To - ARCHIBALD EARL OF ROSEBERY, K.G. - - WHO HAS KINDLY PERMITTED US - TO OFFER HIM THE DEDICATION - OF THIS BOOK - - THOMAS R. AND KATHARINE S. MACQUOID - - April 1905 - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. AN ANCIENT HILL-CITY 1 - - II. MARKET-DAY IN PERUGIA 13 - - III. FONTE DI PERUGIA 32 - - IV. COLLEGIO DEL CAMBIO AND THE PINACOTECA 69 - - V. SPELLO 76 - - VI. THE HEAVENLY CHOIR OF PERUGIA 97 - - VII. SAN PIETRO DE' CASINENSI 119 - - VIII. THE SEPULCHRE OF THE VOLUMNII 130 - - IX. THE VIA APPIA 138 - - X. THE WAY TO ASSISI 165 - - XI. SAN FRANCESCO 179 - - XII. IN THE TOWN, ASSISI 230 - - XIII. SANTA MARIA DEGLI ANGELI 260 - - XIV. ADDIO PERUGIA 295 - - XV. LAKE THRASYMENE AND CORTONA 299 - - INDEX 317 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -BY THOMAS R. MACQUOID, R.I. - - - PAGE - - VIA APPIA Frontispiece - - ALOES IN BLOOM 12 - - INITIAL--RAFFAELLE 13 - - SAN DOMENICO Facing 16 - - SAN DOMENICO FOUNTAIN 21 - - PIAZZA SOPRA MURA 25 - - THE GREAT FOUNTAIN Facing 32 - - INITIAL--NICOLO PISANO 32 - - STATUE OF POPE JULIUS III 36 - - INITIAL--PERUGINO 69 - - DOORWAY OF PALAZZO PUBBLICO Facing 70 - - A BYEWAY TO THE STATION 78 - - FONTANA BORGHESE Facing 78 - - PORTA VENERIS--SPELLO 85 - - HEAD OF PINTURICCHIO 88 - - PORTA AUGUSTA--SPELLO 93 - - INITIAL--POTS IN BANDS AT WINDOW 97 - - VIA SANT' AGATA 99 - - MADONNA DI LUCE 103 - - FAĒADE OF SAN BERNARDINO 105 - - FLOATING ANGEL 106 - - HEADS OF CHERUBIM 107 - - ANGELS PLAYING ON INSTRUMENT 109 - - ANGEL PLAYING 110 - - LA VEDUTA 121 - - INITIAL--GIRL'S HEAD 130 - - PORTA SUSANNA Facing 138 - - PORTA EBURNEA " 142 - - OUTSIDE PERUGIA 143 - - VIA APPIA AND THE TOWN 145 - - ARCO DELLA CONCA 149 - - PORTA AUGUSTA--PERUGIA 153 - - PORTA BULIGAIA 156 - - PORTA SAN ANGELO 159 - - INITIAL--GIOTTO 165 - - CONVENT AND CHURCH OF SAN FRANCESCO 172 - - ENTRANCE TO ASSISI 177 - - STATUE OF ST. FRANCIS 179 - - CHURCH TOWER 181 - - ENTRANCE TO LOWER CHURCH 185 - - THE SMALL CLOISTER 199 - - THE GARDEN OF CLOISTER 203 - - THE UPPER CHURCH, SAN FRANCESCO 227 - - OUTSIDE SAN FRANCESCO Facing 224 - - INITIAL 260 - - INITIAL--OLIVE BRANCH 299 - - LAKE THRASYMENE 301 - - PALAZZO COMUNALE, CORTONA 305 - - ETRUSCAN CANDELABRUM 308 - - - - -NOTE - - -Our book treats of a few of the Hill-cities of Umbria, but it does -not attempt exhaustive detail in regard to Perugia, Assisi, or any -other. - -Several old contemporary writers have greatly helped the book, -notably the delightful chronicler Matarazzo, and some of his fellows; -besides the "Legend of the Three Companions," and the very quaint -"Fioretti di San Francesco." - -"The Life of San Bernardino of Siena," by Pierre Clément, was also -very useful. In the book itself I speak of the great enjoyment I found -in Monsieur Paul Sabatier's thoughtful "Vie de Saint Franēois -d'Assisi," and in Miss Lina Duff Gordon's charming "Story of Assisi." - - KATHARINE S. MACQUOID. - - THE EDGE, TOOTING COMMON - April 1905 - - - - -PICTURES IN UMBRIA - - - - -CHAPTER I - -AN ANCIENT HILL-CITY - - -It has been said that the face which exercises most permanent charm is -the face whose attractions defy analysis; one in which beauty is -subtle, compounded of many and varied qualities, so that, gazing at -the harmonious whole, it is impossible to specialise its fascination. - -Such a face will not, at first, reveal its charm, for much of this -does not lie only in regularity of feature, or in beauty of colouring, -nor even in the trick of a smile; the spell is so potent, that when -one at last tries to find out its secret, the mind refuses to dispel -the sweet illusion by any such work-a-day process, and agrees with the -hasheesh smoker, "to enjoy the sweet dream while it lasts." - -Places, as well as faces, exert this undefined attraction, but in the -former, association often intrudes itself, a conscious ingredient in -the witchery they possess for us. - -I am just now thinking of a city where much of the historic -association is repulsive, even horrible; looking at the old grey walls -of Perugia, the mind strays backward, to times when these ancient -palaces with barred lower windows were gloomy fortresses, in which -ghastly tragedies were acted over and over again. - -In some of the old houses dissolute sons plotted how to murder their -fathers and brothers, how to commit every sort of crime; blood has run -like water in the grass-grown streets and piazzas,--and not only with -the blood of an Oddi, shed by a fierce Baglione, the two leading -families always fighting for power in their city: the one party being -Guelph, and the other Ghibelline. - -There was even worse strife than this: at times near and dear kinsmen -fought hand to hand in the constant brawls of Perugia; murder was done -in the churches, even before the high altar of the cathedral. - -Softer, quainter memories, however, linger in this hill-throned and -hill-girdled city, and permeate the atmosphere, in spite of the "reek -of blood" which, a poet once told me, "taints Perugia." - -Up the brick-stepped way, beneath a tall dark arch, came, even in -those years of rapine and murder, the grave Urbino painter, Giovanni -Sanzio, with his fair-haired son, Raffaelle. Giovanni came to Perugia -to place the lad with the illiterate genius of Cittą del Pieve, Pietro -Vannucci, whose praise was in every one's mouth, and who had already -set up a school and was ranked a great painter. The Perugians still -fondly call him "il nostro Perugino." It is said that Pietro was born -in the ancient hill-city. - -One feels sure that Raffaelle must have been petted and tenderly -loved. The father and son made a striking picture as they came from -the dark archway into the sunlight,--Raffaelle mounted on his mule, -his dainty locks falling over his shoulders in glossy waves of -brightness. - -Years before he came, the sun saw a very different picture, when poor, -roughly clad, coarse-featured Cristoforo Vannucci came trudging along -on foot from Cittą del Pieve, holding the red fist of his little son, -Pietro. The square-faced, square-headed boy was only eleven years old, -yet his father already firmly believed in his genius, and had brought -him all the way from Cittą del Pieve to present him to the great -Umbrian master, Benedetto Bonfigli, who was then at work on the -famous frescoes still to be seen in the Palazzo Pubblico of Perugia. -There are, both in the Sala del Cambio and elsewhere in the city, -proofs that Raffaelle actually worked here, and that he studied under -Perugino with Pinturicchio, Lo Spagna, Eusebio di San Giorgio, and the -great master's other pupils. - -One learns in Perugia how the student from Cittą del Pieve raised the -tone and widened the scope of the existing Umbrian school, and gave to -it a grace and ease, to say nothing of higher qualities, which have -rarely been excelled. Yet, except in the frescoes of the beautiful -Sala del Cambio, much of Perugino's best work is to be found -elsewhere, rather than in the town wherein he established his academy, -and from which he took his name as a painter. - -The southern side of the city holds a still more absorbing association -in the gate near the old church and convent of San Pietro de -Casinensi; for by this gate is the way to Assisi, and it has often -been trodden by Francesco Bernardone and his disciples. - -But I am straying from my text: the mysterious fascination which the -grey old city on the hill has for those who linger in it. - -I have been told that some travellers "do" Perugia in six hours, or -between trains; I have heard the Via Appia compared with the Holborn -Viaduct; but these travellers do not come under the spell of the -place; they see only an old city, part Etruscan, part Roman, chiefly -medięval, perched on top of a hill, girt with massive walls which look -down thirteen hundred feet and more, to the fertile valley of the -Tiber. - -The steep slopes as they descend are in summer-time silver with -olive-groves, golden with plots of maize; later on they are studies of -golden-green and yellow, with richly festooned vines laden with -fruit. - -These rapid travellers may, perhaps, admire the triple ranges of -purple Apennines that on every side form a varied background to this -picturesque fertility, and to the lesser hills below them, spurs -projecting boldly forward into the deep valley, above which the old -city shows her towers and massive walls; they will, perhaps, notice, -as they go downhill again, how quaintly the wall is carried in and -out, starwise, as it follows the indentations of the hills, and how -boldly at each projecting angle a warmly tinted tower stands out -against the sky. They can hardly fail to observe these salient -features; but they will not have time to study the varied form of each -hill, or to watch the sun set opposite grand old Monte Subasio. - -That is a sight worth going far to see; the intense glow dyes the -white houses of Assisi as they cling to the mountain-side, a pale -rose against the flame-like orange tint that seems to burn in the very -heart of Subasio, rather than to be reflected from the opposite side -of the horizon. - -And the hurrying travellers will not have time to enjoy the charming -drives among the olives in the valley, or to visit the many places of -interest which can be reached from Perugia. They go home, and say, "Oh -yes, we saw Perugia,--a dull old city, without a shop worth looking -into." - -A part of the indescribable fascination of the place is felt in long -wanderings through the narrow streets, often deeply shadowed by tall -palaces with grated windows and bricked-up doorways. - -Come with me under a lofty archway, made with uncemented stones on -either side, so huge that surely giants must have placed them in -position. Now we are in a vaulted way, beneath ancient houses built -over the street; these archways are frequent, sometimes low-browed -and round-headed, mere tunnels through which one almost gropes one's -way, and finds at the farther end a sudden descent down a flight of -half-ruined brick steps, which turn so quickly that a keen interest -insists they must be followed to the end. Sometimes the arch is -Etruscan, tall and pointed, and instead of a descent, steps go upwards -to another lofty archway with a darkness beyond it that still beckons -on the explorer. - -Day after day I have wandered up and down those twisting, hilly -streets, often losing my way, and as often stumbling upon some fresh -interest; some portion of Etruscan wall, or some exquisite point of -view; a vista at the far-off end of a street, and often when this is -arrived at, a grander and more varied picture, with part of Perugia -for foreground. - -One may easily lose one's way in Perugia. At first the city seemed to -us a hopeless maze of twisting streets; but after a little we -succeeded in realising the peculiarity of its form. It is said to be -that of a star; but it is more like a lobster, with its head on one -side, and outstretched tail and claws; or it is like a comet with -star-shaped sides, the head on its long neck inclined westward, and a -longer tail pointing south-east. - -A great charm for those who stay in this city is the comfortable, -home-like resting-place to be found in the Hotel Brufani. On our first -visit this hotel was in progress of erection, but its predecessor -existed in the house on the spur of the hill, outside the city gates. -We have been told that the Albergo di Belle Arti is both very -comfortable and moderate. - -I shall not soon forget the delight of that first arrival. - -The heat was so intense in Tuscany that we could not travel in -daytime, so we left Florence at night, and had a dull, sleepy -journey, arriving at Perugia towards morning. - -As we came into the hall and the long corridor of the hotel, the dim -light fell mysteriously on plants and flowers, showing curios on the -wall behind them; to our joy, when we reached our charming cool room -and opened the persiennes, we saw the exquisite light of early morning -crowning the dim, far-off hills. - -The day dawned golden with sunshine, the air breathed a delightful -freshness. We strolled into the garden, which had at one end two -majestic aloes in full bloom and a group of sun-flowers. Oleanders, -covered with rosy blossoms, stood at the garden entrance; beyond was a -bower of golden-green acacias, wreathed to their topmost branches with -blue and white morning glories; below us we saw a varied landscape, -the distant hills tinted with delicate morning light. - -We found our quarters delightful, and our host and hostess full of -attentive kindness. This was continued when the hotel removed to its -present quarters in the large house at the beginning of the city. The -views from the Brufani Hotel terrace and windows are superb; they -command both the Val di Tevere and several points of the town itself. - -Alas! both our good hosts, Signor and Madame Brufani, have passed -away, but the well-arranged house remains, and is said to be very -comfortable still. - - [Illustration: ALOES IN BLOOM.] - - - - -CHAPTER II - -MARKET-DAY IN PERUGIA - - - [Illustration: RAFFAELLE.] - -The day after our arrival we went up some steps near the hotel, -bordered by aloes not yet in bloom, and gemmed with brilliant-eyed -lizards darting in and out in the sunshine; presently we found -ourselves under the lofty walls that once supported the fortress built -by command of Pope Paul III., on the site of the Baglioni palaces. In -this wall is bricked up an ancient Etruscan gate--the Porta Marzia, -which came in the way of this erection. - -One is glad, for the sake of freedom, to think that not so many years -ago the citizens of Perugia pulled down and utterly destroyed this -hated fortress, set up by the tyrant Pope when the hill-city submitted -to his dominion. - -From a picturesque point of view, the fortress was probably more in -harmony with the old streets behind it, especially with the frowning -walls, than are the modern buildings that now border the new Piazza -Vittor Emanuele, and take off the charm of approach on this side. - -One need not, however, enter Perugia by way of Piazza Vittor Emanuele. -Keeping below the huge wall, beside an avenue of green acacias, we -climbed by a wide flight of shallow brick steps past the picturesque -church of San Ercolano, then went through a lofty archway, with huge -projecting imposts, into a street with tall, grey houses on either -side. - -One of these was evidently the back of a palace, and indeed it forms -part of the Palazzo Baglione which fronts the next street, Via Riario; -the very name Baglione made one shiver, remembering the chronicles of -that bloodthirsty race. - -We halted here before a shop, to its owner, a well-to-do merchant of -Perugia, we had been given an introduction; he most courteously -offered to show us his wine cellar, in which is a portion of the -veritable Etruscan wall of Perugia, in excellent preservation. Some of -the stones are about thirteen feet long and eighteen inches thick, -huge uncemented blocks of travertine. The floor of the cellar is -formed by the ancient way, so that one actually treads the road used -by Etruscans before Rome was thought of! - -The amount of forced labour represented by these walls of Perugia is -painful to think of, for the stones in the merchant's cellar must have -been brought from a very great distance. The blocks of travertine are -certainly the finest specimens we saw in the city. The old wall went -on from them by way of the Porta Marzia to the Porta Eburnea, then -northwards (there are visible fragments of it in the Rione Eburnea) -till it reached the famous arch near the Piazza Grimani, and so on -eastward to Monte Sole, where it took a southern course again, to join -the remains in Signor Betti's cellar. - -The house stands on the edge of the hill, and from its back windows -there is an extended view over the country on that side, and, looking -south, over the garden of San Pietro de Casinensi, then kept in order -by the boys of the reformatory. The fine old machicolated spire of San -Pietro and the quaint campanile of San Domenico are striking landmarks -from the high road winding out to the Tiber and Ponte San Giovanni. - -We discovered one secret in the charm of Perugia when we turned from -this lovely and varied landscape to the vivid contrast offered by the -old grey street. - - [Illustration: SAN DOMENICO _PERUGIA_] - -Near to Signor Betti's house is a little curiosity shop, and in its -window was a proof that the belief in "mal occhio" still exists -among the peasants. Hanging from a rough brass watch chain, much the -worse for wear, was a little bunch of hairs from a horse's tail, set -as a charm, and considered to be a specific against "mal occhio," or -any spell cast on horses, cows, etc. Near it was an irregular, stumpy -bit of coral, a man's safeguard against a like disaster. - -During our stay in Perugia we made acquaintance with Signor Bellucci, -a very learned and courteous professor of the university, who most -kindly showed us in his rooms, not only a very interesting and -valuable collection of implements and other articles, beginning at the -Stone Age, but also a collection of amulets and charms. Some of these, -especially those for protection from lightning, are bits of -prehistoric stones, and exhibit a grotesque mingling of pagan and -medięval superstition. - -A little case embroidered with the Agnus Dei contained a triangular -stone arrow-head, and this, the Professor said, used to be hung at -the bed-head of the owner, between pictures of saints; on the occasion -of a storm, candles were lighted, and prayers were offered before the -amulet. - -This collection of charms amounts to nearly two hundred specimens; it -is full of interest, and it would require many pages to do it justice. - -A very curious amulet was the fragment of a human skull enclosed in a -little brass reliquary, considered to be a sovereign protection -against epilepsy and kindred disorders. Tradition said that this bit -of bone had belonged to the skull of a person, dead some two hundred -years before, who had worked so many wonderful cures by his skill in -medicine, and had lived such a long and saintly life, that he had been -loved and venerated by all. - -The Professor told us it was not uncommon, when a body was dug up in -the course of excavations, to find a bit of the skull missing, and -this amulet doubtless explained the use that had been made of such -lost fragments. - -Another charm was a little cross of holly-wood carved by Capuchin -friars; it had been found hanging at an old woman's bed-head, to -protect her from the spells of a witch. She would only part from it on -condition that she might reserve some splinters of the wood, so as to -prevent the witch from visiting her, and tormenting her for having -parted from her safeguard. - -In Brittany we often saw a branch of holly hanging beside the bed for -the same purpose. There were corals in this Perugian collection of -various shapes, for women and children, for safety in teething, for -protection against "mal occhio," to stop bleeding, and above all, for -the cure of melancholy. The dark stone with red spots, which I have -heard called in England bloodstone, is said to be infallible in -checking bleeding; it must be useful in a country where blood-letting -and leeching are still common and frequent remedies. - -One of the most amusing of the charms was a heart-shaped agate with a -hole through the top. This was found in a house not far from Perugia, -where from time immemorial it had been held in reverence, and in which -its influence was supposed to have maintained perfect harmony among -the inmates of the house. Professor Bellucci did not tell us why its -possessors were willing to give it up: did they want a little change -from this perpetual harmony? - -Belief in witches is still very prevalent in Umbria. They are said to -haunt cross-roads persistently at night-time, it is also said that he -who walks late in the environs of Perugia will do well to carry a few -small coins in his pocket, and to fling them abroad as an offering -when he comes near to a cross-road, for assuredly a witch lies there -in ambush, ready to work him harm. Also, when the traveller sees in -some unfrequented by-road a heap of stones beside the way, he must at -once add another stone to this cairn, so that he may keep down the -phantom of the murdered traveller, whose unblessed body has been -hastily put underground in the lonely spot. - - [Illustration: FOUNTAIN OUTSIDE SAN DOMENICO.] - -Among these ciottoli, however, I did not see any of the charming -little coral hands to be found farther south, with the forefinger and -little finger, the other fingers closed, pointed in defence against -"mal occhio." It is possible that this belief in the virtue of coral -may have originated the custom of the long coral necklace so -frequently worn by the peasant women of Umbria. - -San Domenico is near the Professor's house; a flight of steps leads up -to the church, and before it is a fountain bearing on its side the -Griffin of Perugia. The lofty campanile makes this church conspicuous -from every part of the city. It must have been tall, indeed, before -the tyrannical Pope ordered its two upper storeys to be demolished. -The original church is said to have been built early in the fourteenth -century, from the designs of Giovanni Pisano; it was, however, almost -all rebuilt three centuries later. The very large and richly coloured -east window, and the beautiful tomb with its remarkable canopy, were -both in the first church. The tomb, that of Pope Benedict XI., who -died in Perugia from eating poisoned figs, is the work of Giovanni -Pisano. Some intarsia work in the choir stalls is very good, but with -this exception, and the Pope's monument, San Domenico is not nearly so -interesting as San Pietro de' Casinensi. - -Past the little Gothic church of San Ercolano, and a line of acacias -with exquisite yellow-green foliage, the tender greys of the city -seemed suddenly galvanised into vivacious colour, for Piazza Sopra -Mura was thronged with merry chattering crowds of market buyers and -sellers; many of the handsome peasant women standing or sitting -behind their wares wore a necklace of coral beads. - - [Illustration: PIAZZA SOPRA MURA.] - -This long Piazza is built on substructures which connect the two hills -on which Perugia stands; these substructures are said to be in some -places built on the foundation of the Etruscan wall. The Piazza itself -is full of infinite variety: on the right are two quaint grey medięval -palaces, with balconies and windows; the Palazzo del Capitano del -Popolo or del Podestą, and the ancient university, are now used as Law -Courts. One can fancy the sometimes inflammatory, sometimes soothing -discourses that have been pronounced from the ringhiera of the ancient -Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo. Nearly opposite this building stands -a fountain. The laughing, gesticulating, ever-moving crowd in the -market-place, and the brilliant hues of tomatoes, melons, and -vegetables, made one's eyes ache. There was a certain sobriety in the -colour of the women's gowns, for the most part pale lilac or yellow -cotton prints, with sometimes white jackets enlivened by the favourite -necklace of coral beads. - -The dark eyes, brilliant skins, and the red-gold hair of many of these -women actually seemed to burn under the gay flower-like headkerchiefs, -which looked at a little distance like some huge tulip-bed, so bright -was the orange, chocolate, scarlet, and rose colour mingled with white -and green. The laughing women mostly showed white, even teeth. The -buzz of talk and laughter was so gay and animated that one wondered -they could manage the buying and selling in such a hubbub. - -We especially noticed an old dame, her white hair showing under a gay -kerchief with a sea-green border, and a bunch of roses in the corner -hanging behind her head. She too had a long string of coral, that set -off the orange-brown of her skin and her clear blue eyes. Her features -were regular; she had not lost her teeth, so that the form of her -mouth was still good. She had been bargaining and gesticulating with a -dark lustrous-eyed girl, with blue-black hair, for a pair of snowy -struggling pigeons, and when she went back to her place behind a -basket of ripe figs she moved like an old Juno. - -Some of the young women were singularly handsome. Among these peasants -and the people of Perugia we noticed two distinct types of face: -regular features and deeply set eyes, like the faces in the old tomb -of the Volumni, were frequent; some of these faces had blue eyes and -beautiful red-gold hair, and were set on round pillar-like throats and -well-developed figures. Others--and perhaps the greater number of the -town shop-keeping class--had a far less refined type of face, -turned-up noses and sensual mouths; though many of them were very -attractive, especially when they wore the graceful black lace -mantilla, so well suited to their brilliant complexions, dark shining -eyes, and full red lips. Some of the men were also handsome, but not -so well grown as the women were. - -Probably the custom of carrying a huge basket or a tall pitcher on her -head, up and down the hills and hilly streets, gives to the peasant -woman in Umbria the stately grace that distinguishes her movements. - -These peasants seem to take an interest in foreigners, and are much -pleased to be spoken to by them. One girl who kept a handkerchief -stall greatly amused us. I had been trying to bargain with her for -some of her gaily-coloured wares, but she asked such a price that I -turned away; she came after me, almost crying: - -"If the signora will explain her ideas on the subject, we may be able -to arrange," she said. - -I am bound to say that we met with much courtesy and fair dealing in -Perugia. Even at the fruit-stalls, where we stood studying heaps of -lemons, full of colour from bluish green to most golden of yellows, -the owner left us in peace, and seemed pleased that we should take our -fill of gazing. - -But the market is soon over; the baskets empty quickly; the unhappy -turkeys and cocks and hens, tied by the feet, are soon handed over -head downwards to fresh owners; the lemon heaps, some exquisitely -green, with a leaf or so hanging from the fruit stalks, have dwindled -till the remaining fruit lies flat on the large board near the -fountain; of the scarlet army of tomatoes not one is left, and all the -cool, pink-fleshed slices of water melon, sown with black seeds, have -disappeared. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -FONTE DI PERUGIA - - -The next morning we took our way up a side turning into the Corso, the -handsomest street in Perugia. The shop windows had the day before been -made extra gay, to attract the market-sellers; they still showed long -strings of cut coral beads. - - [Illustration: NICOLO PISANO.] - -There is a mass of fine, as well as interesting, fourteenth century -building on the left of the Corso: the Collegio del Cambio, and the -Palazzo del Pubblico, or, as it is also called, Palazzo Comunale. This -has a richly-sculptured doorway, and ends on the Piazza del Duomo; it -has quaint iron lamps. On this Piazza, and facing us, we saw the -unfinished stone and brick work of the Cathedral, San Lorenzo, with -its outside pulpit, from which St. Bernardino preached to the people. - - [Illustration: THE GREAT FOUNTAIN - _PIAZZA DEL DUOMO_] - -On the left stands the Palace called the Canonica or Seminary, with -its cloisters. This belonged to the clergy, and was the dwelling of -those Popes who stayed in Perugia during their visits to the city, so -greatly beloved and coveted by the Holy See. - -In the centre of the Piazza stands the famous fountain usually -ascribed to Nicolo Pisano, but said to have been designed by Fra -Bevignate, a native of the city. However, the great Pisan sculptor and -his son Giovanni made the two large marble basins, and sculptured the -panels which decorate them. Nicolo, whose quaint costume is given in -the initial, is said to have sculptured the twenty-four statues, now -dark with age, but remarkable for the sharpness of their exquisite -carving; two of the statues are, however, restorations. The delicate -bas-reliefs of the second basin are ascribed to Giovanni Pisano, and -are full of variety; the upper basin, with nymphs and lions and the -inevitable griffin of Perugia, is supposed to have been cast in bronze -by Rossi; water no longer plays from this fountain. It is very -beautiful, but it wears a sad and desolate aspect, in perfect harmony -with the terrible tragedies which have been so often enacted on this -square. - -The finest side of the Palazzo Pubblico is that which faces the -Cathedral; it has a charming loggia and a grand double flight of steps -guarded by the Guelphic lion and the Perugian griffin. There are still -traces on this fine old wall showing where the keys of two cities, -Siena and Assisi, were hung in chains by the arrogant Perugians, till, -in one of the attacks on the city, some mercenary soldiers wrenched -them away. The griffin, the quaint emblem of Perugia, is to be found -repeated in all the decorative work of the city. The Palazzo Pubblico -was built early in the fourteenth century from the design of the -Benedictine, Fra Bevignate. The heads of criminals used to be fixed on -the steel lances which project from it. When the criminals had been -guilty of treason their heads were hung downwards. It was a custom in -Perugia to confine criminals in an iron cage hung on this old wall, -the miserable creatures being left to starve to death in the cage! The -horrible dungeons below can still be seen; they give one some idea of -the cruelties enacted in the Middle Ages. - -The cathedral of San Lorenzo, on the Piazza del Duomo, is spacious -rather than interesting, except for its associations: three Popes who -died in Perugia are buried in one tomb in a transept, and in a chapel -is preserved the marriage-ring of the Blessed Virgin. We noticed some -good wood carving in the stalls. - -On the right, beyond the cathedral and its square, is the little -Piazza del Papa. On this a bronze statue, vivid green in colour, is -raised high on a pedestal. An inscription tells that the statue -represents Pope Julius III., and is the work of Vincenzo Danti. - - [Illustration: BRONZE STATUE OF POPE JULIUS III.] - -The grand old Pope has been sitting enthroned outside the cathedral -doors for more than three hundred years, with hand outstretched, in -the act of blessing. It almost seems that during these long years the -golden sunshine, mingled with the intense blue of the sky, has created -the brilliant colour of the bronze, this vivid green which rivals that -of the lizards as they dart in and out of the grey old wall behind the -Duomo. - -Looking at the old Pope under different aspects,--in the sparkle of -morning sunshine, in its full meridian glow, or in the gloom that -comes to Perugia so swiftly at the heels of day,--one gets to see a -different expression in the Pontiff's immovable face. - -In the morning it beams on the crowd of crockery sellers, and their -wares spread out on the stones around its pedestal, and points proudly -to the grand group presented by the fountain and the Palazzo Comunale; -at midday the expression is harder; but at eventide a pensive cast -comes over the face, more in keeping with the grass-grown street -behind the statue, and the ancient grey palaces. - -This bronze Pope, Julius III., was not sitting here at the time of the -famous preaching of San Bernardino of Siena, on the Piazza del Duomo, -when the Perugians flung their grandest vanities into a heap and -burned them as a proof of penitence, as the Tuscans did at Florence in -the days of Savonarola. This preaching of San Bernardino is -commemorated in an old but restored window in the cathedral. - -Behind the adjoining Piazza dei Gigli, an open square in front of the -Sorbello Palazzo, is a way going steeply upwards to the right; it has -bricked steps in the middle, but at the side of these is a long strip -of ascending slope, so irregularly paved that it might serve as a -specimen pattern of the variously paved streets in the town. Tufts of -grass between the stones show that this way is not much used. Its -right side is walled by the church of Santa Maria Nuova, and high -above it on the left are some quaint houses. This road leads to San -Severo, a little chapel containing what is called Raffaelle's first -fresco, unhappily very much restored. The view of the country between -the houses near it is more interesting than the painting. - -This is a very old part of the town; presently, through a tunnel under -a low-browed arch, we came out on the Piazza of Monte Sole, surrounded -by old palaces. This Piazza marks the summit of one of the two hills -on which ancient Perugia was built by the Etruscans; the other hill, -Colle Landone, is crowned by Palazzo Donnini, and till the time of -wise and valiant Forte Braccio, who, though cruel, seems to have been -the best ruler the Perugians can boast of, the valley between these -two hills existed. - -Forte Braccio caused it to be filled up, and the Piazza Sopra Mura, -where the weekly market is held, takes its name from the levelling and -sub-structures then effected. - -It was from Piazza Monte Sole that the despotic Abbot Monmaggiore fled -along the covered way he had made to connect his citadel of Monte Sole -with his palaces at Porta San Antonio. On this occasion the nobles -joined hands with the citizens against the conspiring French priest, -drove the foreigners out of the city, and for the time freed Perugia -from the hated Papal yoke. - -Going on from the Piazza Monte Sole, a few steps bring us to a -tree-shaded terrace with benches placed along it. There is a grand -view from the wall that bounds the terrace, and seems to go straight -down into the valley. Just below is the red cupola-topped church of -Santa Maria Nuova, while the houses of the town lay thickly clustered -below. The ancient wall from which we now gaze runs out northward on -the right, and on the left goes on till it reaches the famous Etruscan -arch near the Piazza Grimani. Beyond are the heights, on one of which -stands the convent of San Francesco, outside the extreme northern -point marked by the gate of San Angelo; from this we get a glimpse of -Subasio. Going out behind the terrace we see the Duomo close by, and -soon find our way back to the Corso. - -Perugia was never weak; rather she was in all things powerful, and she -produced a race of the most renowned Condottieri of Italy, the -bloodthirsty Baglioni. Had the brutal nobles and the proud citizens -been able to control their passions, and to discipline their ambition; -had they been able to behave, in fact, like Christians, Perugia might -have held sovereign sway in Umbria. - -Instead of this, though nominally governed by the Podestą, or chief -magistrate and the Priori, she was frequently forced to defend herself -against Papal plots and aggression; almost constantly against the -tyranny of her rival nobles, and the mischiefs caused by their brawls -between themselves, and with the Raspanti, among whom were the richest -and most powerful of the citizens. - -Through these centuries, from the thirteenth to the sixteenth, the -Piazza del Duomo often ran with blood. It was the chief scene of the -fierce struggles which make the eventful history of the hill-city; for -until the time of Paul the Third, Perugia never entirely submitted to -the personal sway of an alien ruler, though she frequently banished -both nobles and Raspanti. - -There was a short period of comparative peace when, in the fourteenth -century, the Condottiere Biordo Michelotti entered the city at the -head of the banished Raspanti, and became supreme ruler in the name of -the people. Broils were still frequent between the nobles and the -plebs, but Biordo was the first of the brigand despots who tried to -free Perugia from Papal encroachments. - -Warlike, wicked Guidalotti, Abbot of San Pietro, jealously watched the -Captain's success, and justly estimated his power; he resolved to end -it, and to restore the influence of the Holy See in Perugia. - -Biordo, a valiant, hard-working ruler, had asked in marriage the -beautiful Lucrezia Orsini, with whom he hoped, now that the city -enjoyed comparative quiet, to end his days in peace. The Abbot thought -that these bridal festivities would give him the opportunity he -sought. - -A few days after the marriage the wily priest rode up from San Pietro -on horseback to the higher part of the town. He here collected his -bravi together, and rode on to Michelotti's palace on Monte Sole. As -soon as Michelotti came down to greet his visitor the Abbot put his -arm round him and kissed him. At this signal the other ruffians at -once attacked the unarmed governor, and killed him with their poisoned -daggers. - -After Biordo Michelotti, came early in the next century the valiant -and wise Forte Braccio, who greatly improved the condition of the -city, and repressed licence and disorder. But this brave (though -cruel) soldier and sagacious ruler was defeated in battle, and died -from the wounds he received. This was a terrible loss; it alarmed the -Perugians, for though Forte Braccio was of noble birth, being Conte di -Montone, he had protected the city against the outrages of the fierce -and brutal Oddi, Baglioni, Corgna, and others. The citizens, in their -despair at the loss of their ruler, made overtures to Pope Martin, who -received them with open arms. - -At this the nobles felt all their power restored; they knew the Pope -would side with them against the people, and, quitting their houses in -the country around the city, they established themselves in palaces -chiefly in the vicinity of Porta Marzia, whence it was easy to overawe -the town. - -After Forte Braccio's death, one of his soldiers, a singularly brave -and capable man, named Nicola Piccinino, tried to wrest supreme power -both from the Pope and the nobles. The Perugians suffered terribly, -for, while the long struggle lasted, the Pope, the nobles, and -Piccinino, who was liked by the people and idolised by the army, all -levied taxes on them; Nicola at last ceased his efforts to attain -supreme power, and accepted from the Pope the post of Gonfalionere, -chief magistrate of the city, in the pontiff's name. - -The nobles at this period were left unhindered to brawl as they -pleased. The Baglioni, a race of men so renowned for crime, strength, -bravery, and beauty, that they recall the heroes of the _Iliad_, and -one wonders whether the old pagans were not better men than those -so-called Christians, were always at war with the Oddi, till at last -they worsted their rivals, and drove them out of Perugia; then they -fell out among themselves. During their last struggle with the Oddi -they took possession of the cathedral and fortified it. - -After the banishment of the Oddi the power of the Baglioni greatly -increased; it became almost supreme. The Pope had given them the -lordship of Spello; they also owned Spoleto, and some others of the -hill-cities of Umbria. These possessions brought them great wealth. -They were cruel and tyrannical despots; they appointed civic -officials; it was even said that no legate ventured to visit the city -unless he was a friend of the Baglioni. - -Towards the close of the fifteenth century some of the poorer and more -obscure members of this powerful clan, or, as the old chronicler -Matarazzo terms them, "beautiful Baglioni," murmured loudly against -their richer kinsfolk. They were just as indolent, just as brutal and -licentious, and in proportion to their means fully as arrogant and -prodigal. But people were not afraid of them; they had neither wealth -to keep bravi with, nor influence to support and further their -pretensions. These poor relations could no longer endure their -dependent position; they saw that if the sons of the elder house were -disposed of, they should have a chance of coming to their own. At -present they were completely shadowed by the wealth and haughty -self-assertion of their cousins; they also coveted their possessions, -and longed to divide them among themselves. - -The heads of the Baglione house were the two brothers, Guido and -Ridolfo. Guido had five stalwart sons, as much noted for their prowess -and heroic bravery, as for their good looks; these were Astorre, -Adriano (usually called Morgante, because of his wonderful strength), -Marcantonio, Gismondo, and Gentile. Ridolfo's sons were Troilo, -Gianpaolo, and Simonetto. - -Besides the splendid sons of Guido and Ridolfo, there was yet another -very wealthy and distinguished scion of the Baglione family, their -young cousin Grifonetto. He was happily married to a young and -beautiful wife, and was on friendly terms with all his cousins. His -father, Grifone, had died young in battle; his still young and lovely -mother, Atalanta Baglione, was extremely rich. She so greatly loved -Grifonetto, her only child, that she remained a widow for his sake, -and gave up her own home to live with him and his fair young wife, -Zenobia Sforza, in the splendid palace he had built near Porta Marzia. - -A few years before the end of the fifteenth century, the banished Oddi -faction thought fit to attack the city; they rode suddenly in through -the gates, and began to strike at the chains stretched across the -street for defence against sudden attacks. The first to give the alarm -was Simonetto Baglione, a young and beardless youth, who, though of a -fierce and cruel nature, was heroically brave. He rushed forth in his -shirt, armed only with sword and shield, and held the squadron of -advancing Oddi at bay before the barrier that defended the Piazza. -Soon ten of his adversaries lay dead at his feet. Till he had killed -many more he persevered in attacking the foe with intense fury, until -he had received twenty-two wounds. Then his cousin Astorre rode forth -to help him. "Go and tend your wounds, Simonetto," he cried, and -dashed at the common enemy; a falcon flashed on his gilded helmet, -with the griffin's tail sweeping behind it. At once he became a target -for the Oddi, their blows fell so thick and fast that each hindered -the other from striking truly; nothing could be heard above the din of -the strokes made by lances, partizans, crossbow quarries, and other -weapons falling on Astorre's body; the sound of those great blows -overbore the noise and shouting of the combatants. But the noble -Astorre was undismayed by the horrid clamour, he rode his horse into -the thickest of the fight, and trampled the Oddi under foot; while his -horse, being a most fierce animal, gave the enemy what trouble it -could, for so soon as they were jostled and overthrown by his rider, -the beast trampled on them. By the time that the other Baglioni heroes -sallied forth to help him, Astorre and his war-horse were overdone, -they could scarce breathe. - -The Oddi were again driven from the city, but a war followed which -devastated the fertile country between Perugia and Assisi. - - * * * * * - -All through these fearful times of strife and bloodshed Art was -progressing quietly and surely in Perugia. Raffaelle was at this time -working in the atelier of Perugino, and it is thought that he must -have witnessed this splendid defence of Astorre Baglione, and that he -afterwards reproduced the young warrior, his helmet crowned by a -falcon and tail of griffin, in the St. George of the Louvre, and the -trampling horseman in the Heliodorus Stanza of the Vatican. - -After this achievement the Baglioni seem to have had a short time of -family peace. This was soon interrupted. Grifonetto's wealth, the -splendid palace in which he lived with his lovely mother and Zenobia -Sforza, his beautiful wife, helped to make him, young though he was, -the most powerful member of the family. He and his wife dearly loved -each other, and the chronicler says, "No wonder, for they were as -beautiful as angels." But for evil counsellors, and the restless -ambition of the Baglioni, this state of affairs might have lasted. -Three of the evil and disappointed relatives clung to Grifonetto like -limpets; these were his uncle Filippo, his cousin Carlo Baciglia -Baglione, and a scandalously dissolute scoundrel named Jeronimo della -Penna or Arciprete. They took counsel together as to how the sons of -Guido and Ridolfo Baglione could be easiest put out of the way, so -that their wealth and power might be divided among the conspirators. -Too poor and of too ill-repute to act alone, they saw that their -patron Grifonetto had all they lacked, and they resolved to persuade -him to head their conspiracy. At first they strove to win him by the -offer of supreme power in Perugia; he could revolt, they said, against -the Papal yoke, and become sovereign ruler in the city. Grifonetto -was not ambitious; he had all he wanted,--their proposals did not -tempt him. - -Astorre was about to wed a Roman bride, Lavinia, the daughter of a -Colonna father and an Orsini mother, and the malcontent Baglioni -decided that this marriage, which was to happen at the end of July, -would be a great opportunity for ridding themselves of their hated -kindred, as it would assemble every member of the family in Perugia, -except Marcantonio, who, being out of health, was taking baths at -Naples. - -The conspirators took fresh counsel together; the time fixed for the -marriage was now close at hand, they must at once win over Grifonetto -to their schemes. They therefore told him that Zenobia, the beautiful -wife he so adored, was unfaithful to him, with his cousin Gianpaolo, -one of the sons of Ridolfo Baglione. - -Grifonetto was furious; in his mad jealousy he believed this story, -and thirsted for vengeance: he consented to head the conspiracy, and -to rid the city of the elder branch of his family by a wholesale -murder. - -Among the conspirators were Jeronimo della Staffa, three members of -the Corgna family and others; only two of those who engaged in this -bloodthirsty scheme were over thirty years old. - -The Baglioni were chiefly lodged in houses on or near the Porta -Marzia; Astorre and his bride, on the night of the murder, were lodged -in the beautiful palace of Grifonetto, which was the wonder of -Perugia, and always pointed out to strangers as a marvel of -magnificence both inside and out. Among his other treasures, -Grifonetto possessed a lion; Astorre and Gianpaolo, the sons of Guido -and Ridolfo Baglione, each owned one of the royal beasts, and their -fearful roaring at night struck terror to the hearts of belated -Perugians on their way home. - -It had been arranged that as soon as the proposed victims were asleep -the signal should be given; this was to be a stone thrown from the -loggia of the Magnifico Guido's palace, into the court below. - -Banquets, jousts, all kinds of magnificent festivities had gone on for -days past. That night a great supper was given, at which the -conspirators were present; they appeared to be on the most friendly -terms with the others, and were even affectionate and caressing to -all,--yet the traitors had decided who was to be the murderer of each -victim, and the number of bravi by which each murderer should be -accompanied in case of resistance. - -At last the time arrived. The victims, heavy with wine, had retired to -rest, they slept undisturbed by the roaring of the lions. Then the -signal was given; each assassin stood ready at the appointed door. -Carlo Baglione, who seems to have been the mainspring of "el gran -tradimento," as the chronicler Matarazzo calls it, made first for the -sleeping-chamber of the head of the family, the "Magnifico Guido," but -he turned aside to that of young Simonetto. Jeronimo della Penna -forced open the door of the noble Gismondo; while Grifonetto himself -attacked Gianpaolo, Filippo di Braccio and one of the Corgna family -unlocked the door of valiant Astorre, who, asleep with his -newly-married wife, was thus murderously awakened; the young fellow -opened the door, and, seeing his murderers, he guessed the truth. As -they attacked him he cried out, "Wretched Astorre, who dies like a -coward." His young wife rushed up to him, and flung her arms round -him, trying to make her body a shield between him and his assailants, -but they had already stabbed him with many more blows than would have -sufficed to kill him, and she too received a wound. Then the brutal -Filippo di Braccio, seeing how large a wound was in Astorre's breast, -thrust in his hand, tore out his heart, and savagely bit it. After -this he and his accomplice flung the body of Astorre down the stairs -and into the street, where presently the murdered Simonetto lay beside -it. He had wakened, and, seeing the murderers kill the companion who -lay in his chamber, armed himself, and fought his way through the -villainous crowd of bravi, till he reached the foot of the stairs; -here fresh assailants despatched him. Simonetto's uncle Guido had also -time to snatch up his sword; but, powerful though he was, he was -killed. - -Grifonetto was less successful than his fellow-conspirators. -Gianpaolo, the most daring of the elder branch of the Baglioni, had -taken alarm, and so had his squire. But Gianpaolo was sagacious as -well as brave, and, not knowing who were his assailants, he bade his -squire guard the staircase which led from his chamber to the roof, -while he tried to escape over the tops of the other palaces. - -The squire fought valiantly, and held his post for some time,--the -staircase turned, and gave him a point of vantage over his assailants -from below. Gianpaolo reached the roof, and crawled over it till, -coming to the skylight of his cousin Grifonetto's palace, he had a -mind, in his ignorance as to the conspirators, to seek shelter there; -but he gave up the idea, and climbed through a window into another -house, owned by one of the citizens; the good man within was so -terrified at the sight of Baglione, that, in his fear, he refused to -harbour the great noble. Gianpaolo, going back to the roof, found his -way into the atelier of some foreign artists, who were also greatly -alarmed at his appearance among them. One of them, however, named -Achille de la Mandola, seems to have greatly helped the fugitive. - -Gianpaolo finally made his way out into the street; and soon after out -of the city. Seeing a mule grazing by the wayside, he at once mounted -it, though he was greatly disturbed to quit Perugia without having -either discovered the meaning of this night attack, or taken -vengeance on the unknown assassins. In the meantime day had broken, -and Gentile Baglione, who lived some way from his father's house, had -been also attacked by the conspirators; he escaped them at once, by -mounting his horse and riding away. Just as he reached the bridge -beyond the plain, he was amazed to recognise his elder cousin -Gianpaolo, riding in the same direction on a mule. - -When Atalanta, Grifonetto's beautiful young mother, heard of the -tragedy that had been acted so close to her, she rose up, wrapped -herself in a large cloak, and, taking with her the two little sons of -Gianpaolo and her daughter-in-law, Zenobia Sforza, she quitted her -son's house (she loved Grifonetto so dearly that she had always lived -with him, having been widowed before she was twenty) and took refuge -in her own dwelling on the Colle Landone. She had nothing with her but -the cloak she wore, and when she learned in detail the events of the -night she solemnly vowed she would never again cross her son's -threshold. Grifonetto had quickly repented his crime. His eyes had -opened to the wickedness into which his mad jealousy had betrayed him. -As soon as he learned his mother's departure he followed her, but he -was refused admittance; he, however, forced his way into her presence. -She stayed his approach with outstretched hands, and delivered her -solemn curse on his guilty head as the murderer of his nearest -kindred. The young fellow fled horror-stricken from her presence, but -soon returned; he could not find peace, he said, till his beloved, -beautiful mother forgave him, and removed the curse she had laid on -him. - -Atalanta had, however, taken her precautions, and though the unhappy -Grifonetto went again and again from his Palazzo to that on the Colle -Landone, Atalanta refused to see or listen to him. With the exception -of his complicity in this fearful tragedy, Grifonetto seems to have -had more human feeling than some of his cousins of the elder branch. -His suffering under his mother's curse, and his penitence for his -crime, had completely unnerved him. When Gianpaolo, who by the death -of his uncle Guido was now the head of the Baglioni, returned to -Perugia with the troops he and his brothers had rallied round them, -they were met at the city gate by an excited crowd of citizens; for -though some of the Perugians still sided with their favourite -Grifonetto, the larger portion abhorred his foul treason, and longed -to see it avenged. Gianpaolo, seeing the concourse and hearing the -cries of welcome, asked graciously that the ladies present in the -crowd would be good enough to pray for his success. They did so, and -sent out, besides, wine to refresh him and his soldiers after their -journey, before they began to revenge themselves on their enemies. -Grifonetto had come towards the gate with intent to guard it, gnashing -his teeth and weeping, for he had made another attempt to see his -mother. He presently met Gianpaolo on the Piazza, where some of the -conspirators had already been slain,--Carlo Baglione and Jeronimo -della Penna had a narrow escape by climbing the city wall. - -Gianpaolo gazed with pitying contempt at his young cousin, who, still -overwhelmed with remorse for his share in the unnatural crime, and -heart-broken by his mother's curse, was taken aback at thus suddenly -meeting his enemy within the city. - -Gianpaolo rode up, and, pointing his sword at Grifonetto's throat, -cried out; "Farewell, thou traitor Grifonetto; thou art"--Then he -added, "Go, in God's name, for I will not kill you; I will not dip my -hands in your blood, as you have dipped yours in the blood of your -kindred." - -He turned away, making a sign to his guards, they fell on the stricken -Grifonetto, and wounded him so that his "graceful limbs" could no -longer support him; he fell in a pool of blood on the ground. The -terrible news was at once carried to his mother Atalanta, and his -sorrowful wife Zenobia; they hurried down to the Piazza, and found -their dearly loved Grifonetto not yet dead, but bleeding from every -wound. His mother fell on her knees beside him; she assured him of her -forgiveness, and gave him her blessing in place of the curse she had -laid on him. She implored him to pardon his murderers, and to give her -a sign that he did so. At this the dying youth clasped the white hand -of his young mother, whom he so dearly loved, and, pressing it, he -expired. "No words," adds the chronicler, "can paint the grief of the -wife who had so dearly loved him, or of the mother who had remained a -widow because of her great love for this adored son. At last they -rose, stained with the blood that streamed from him, and ordered his -body to be carried to the hospital." - -By this time Gianpaolo and his troops had returned to the Piazza, bent -on taking a complete revenge on the conspirators and all enemies of -the Baglione family in Perugia. A fierce battle was fought on the -Piazza, and in the cathedral itself, for Gianpaolo had caused a large -fire to be kindled before the door, so as to gain access to the -interior; even those who took refuge at the high altar were slain -there. More than a hundred persons were murdered by Gianpaolo's order; -the dead bodies lay where they fell, till the cathedral was -bloodstained from one end to the other. - -Then the Magnifico Gianpaolo, being now the head of the family, took -possession of Grifonetto's palace and of all the Baglione dwellings -which, as has been said, were near the Porta Marzia. He gave command -that all should be solemnly hung with black, as a token of mourning -for the victims of "el gran tradimento,"--a term which Matarazzo -constantly repeats. Gianpaolo also gave command that the cathedral of -San Lorenzo should be washed with wine from one end to the other, and -then re-consecrated, to purge it from the blood shed there during his -vengeance on the slayers of his kindred, and on all who were in any -way unfriendly to the house of Baglione. - -Even Matarazzo, the enthusiastic admirer of Gian,--or, as he -frequently calls him, Giovanpaolo,--bursts into lamentation over the -continued excesses committed in Perugia till the death of his hero. -The chronicler tells us that from the time the Oddi were banished -there was no rule in the city, except that of might against right; -every man who was powerful enough took the law in his own hands: -rapine, murder, plunder, reigned unchecked. When the Popes, aware of -the persistent excesses, sent now and again a legate to control and -modify disorder, and to restore some amount of security to the -dismayed and outraged citizens, the envoys rarely remained long enough -to interfere, even if they ventured within the gates of Perugia, lest -they should give offence to the Baglioni, and be either stabbed or at -best flung out of window. - -At last Gianpaolo submitted himself to the power of the Pope, and -though the Perugians detested Papal government, they had suffered so -severely under the Baglioni tyranny that they hailed the prospect of -change, especially as the terms granted them promised moderation. - -Leo the Tenth, however, had little faith in Gianpaolo Baglione; he -therefore lured him to Rome by sending him a safe-conduct. On his -arrival the Pope caused him to be imprisoned in the castle of San -Angelo; where he was soon after beheaded. - -Gianpaolo's descendants went from bad to worse. They were powerful in -other states besides Perugia; captains of Condottieri in Venice, in -Florence, also in the States of the Church. One of them, Malatesta -Baglione, proved himself a most infamous traitor; he sold himself to -Pope Clement VII., and, for his dastardly treason to Florence, was -held up to public execration. The last male member of this terrible -family died in the middle of the sixteenth century. - - * * * * * - -With the accession to the popedom of Paul the Third came the deathblow -to the freedom of Perugia. He broke all the treaties as to municipal -rights and privileges, etc., granted by his predecessors, and built a -huge citadel to overawe the town, actually removing one of the -Etruscan gates, the Porta Marzia (now restored to its original site), -to make room for his tyrannical construction. The military despotism -of Pope Paul must have been heartbreaking to a free, proud people like -the Perugians. - -There seems to have been less bloodshed under the Papal tyranny, but -this little incident at its beginning, taken from an old record in the -Public Library, was a savage sort of portent: - -"While the Duke Pietro Aloigi stayed with his troops in Perugia, to -order the new government, Agostino de' Pistoia and Antonio Romano, two -of his soldiers, asked the Duke's permission to fight out their -quarrel in his presence on the Piazza of Perugia. The Duke gave -consent, and ordered that they should fight before the chapel of the -Cambio. There, surrounded by the populace, the Duke being at one of -the windows of the palace, they fought in their shirts with swords and -daggers. - -"Both men showed much courage and daring, but at last Agostino, of -Pistoia, who was both handsome and tall of stature, fell on the ground -dead. - -"Victory was at once cried for Antonio Romano, who, by his father's -side, was of Perugia; but from the many and grievous wounds the -Pistonian had given him, Antonio was considered by many as good as -dead, and was carried home by his friends. However, by the great care -taken of him, he after a while recovered his strength." - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE COLLEGIO DEL CAMBIO AND THE PINACOTECA - - -The Corso was on the left near the Fonte grand range of ancient -buildings, in which is the entrance to the chapel of the Cambio; -beside this is the Sala, adorned with Perugino's famous frescoes. A -little farther on is the richly-sculptured doorway of the Palazzo -Pubblico, and within this is the Pinacoteca, containing a very -interesting collection of art treasures. Here are marvellous frescoes -by Bonfigli; and pictures by him and by Piero della Francesca, -Fiorenzo di Lorenzo, and other famous old painters. - - [Illustration: PERUGINO.] - -It would be difficult to say too much in praise of the Sala del -Cambio: the harmony preserved throughout it, in the rich and artistic -decoration of its walls and ceiling, is most soothing, and adds -greatly to the enjoyment one feels in the beautiful little place. The -lower part of the walls is wainscotted with dark wood, inlaid with -tarsiatura by Domenico del Tasso; the doors have the date 1483. Near -the entrance is the raised throne for the judge; below this are desks -and seats for the money-changers, and these are exquisitely carved. -One account says that the intarsia designs were furnished by -Raffaelle; another tells us that Domenico del Tasso was both designer -and executor of this beautiful work. In the record of the agreement -between the authorities at Perugia and Pietro Vannucci the painter, he -writes, "My intention in the frescoes which cover the upper part of -the walls is to recommend the merchants and magistrates therein -assembled never to forsake the path of duty, but to remain faithful -to the dictates of wisdom, of natural reason, and of religion." - - [Illustration: DOORWAY OF PALAZZO PUBBLICO] - -Faith and Love are emphasised by two large frescoes facing the -entrance, the Transfiguration and the Adoration of the Magi; Hope of -an eternal future, by the prophets and sibyls on the wall to the -right. - -On the left wall the frescoes depict moral qualities,--Justice and -Prudence, illustrated below by the figures of Fabius Maximus, -Socrates, Numa, Camillus, Pittacus, and Trajan. - -On a lower level still is a portrait in oil of Perugino, painted by -himself; while the remaining half of the upper wall has figures -representing Courage and Temperance. Below them are Licinius Leonidas -and Horatius Cocles; Scipio Africanus, Pericles, and Cincinnatus. - -There is not any attempt at grouping in these frescoes: the figures -stand severe and stately, as if they were on the look-out to rebuke -any cheating or covetous practices going on in the Hall below. It is -remarkable that the painter should have been accused of greed in the -pursuit of his calling, when he considered it necessary to call up on -the walls of the Sala so many witnesses to protest against the love of -money in others. The ceiling is divided into bays, on which are the -planets. In the centre is the sun, represented by Apollo in his -chariot; the spaces between are filled with ornament and figures, some -of which are attributed to Raffaelle. - -On a bright morning, when the sun is pouring light and warmth into the -little Sala, the rich tone of these frescoes is marvellous, and, so -far as one can see, they have not greatly suffered by restoration. - -In the adjoining Cappella del Cambio are some sibyls and children, -said to be Raffaelle's, but the work in these has evidently been much -retouched. - -Perugino is at his best in the frescoes of the Sala; they form a -striking contrast to the monotony of style which, in spite of their -individual beauty, wearies one in his Perugian oil pictures. The -gallery devoted to his work upstairs in the Pinacoteca is, on the -whole, disappointing. - -The pictures are calm and sweet and refined, but one longs for variety -of feeling; a few, however, show marked superiority over the rest. It -is very curious to remember that these peaceful saintly pictures were -painted when daily brawls were taking place in the city, even while -her chief Piazza streamed with the blood of nobles and Raspanti. - -The most interesting Umbrian pictures are those, only a few, by a rare -and early painter, Fiorenzo di Lorenzo, who with Piero della -Francesca, from Borgo del Sepolcro, and Benedetto Bonfigli, had -established a school of art in Perugia. The lovely head of a Madonna -by this rarely found painter, Fiorenzo di Lorenzo, is over a doorway -in the Palazzo Pubblico, and upstairs in one of the galleries are two -very remarkable pictures, the Adoration of the Magi is especially -beautiful. - -The three kings stand on the left,--one of them is said to be a -portrait, when young, of Perugino; on the ground, in the centre, lies -the Holy Child; the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph kneel on either side -of Him. Opposite the magi are the ox, and a very wise-looking ass; -while a large group of angels fills up the background, and forms the -most interesting part of the picture; the angels are so altogether -original and graceful. - -The painting of detail is marvellously finished, though the similarity -of faces and of costume make it probable that the same model was used -for most of the angels. They and smaller figures, the shepherds and -others, seen at the openings which reveal landscape on either side of -the stable, are singularly full of grace and charm. There is -admirable colour in all the pictures by this painter. - -We find paintings by Niccolo Alunno of Foligno, another contemporary, -pictures too by some old Sienese masters; a room is filled with small -easel pictures by Fra Angelico. The student of early Italian art will -find in these galleries abundant material of a most interesting kind. -The pictures were formerly scattered in the various churches of -Perugia, for which they had been painted; the government has now -collected and placed them in the Pinacoteca. - -One of the rooms leads on to a terrace. Here is a beautiful view over -the surrounding country. The old cicerone took much interest in -showing us where Siena and Orvieto and Rome lay, all three hidden -among ranges of blue hills. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -SPELLO - - -The pleasantest and shortest road to the railway is by Porta Eburnea. -I started one day from this gate with a friend, by a steep path which -leaves the road just outside the Porta, and curves along the side of -the hill below the old wall. The bank, this fine morning, was gay with -butterflies and wild flowers, and wreathed with a luxuriant growth of -wild gourd, full of pale blossoms and small furry fruit; all was so -wild, it seemed impossible we had only just left a busy city behind -us. - -At the turn of the path we came into a delightful lane, between -bramble-covered banks; on one side was the dry bed of a little rill, -and overhead branches of quaint trees met each other. From the -Italian custom of constantly stripping the leaves to provide fodder, -the foliage was scanty, yet we went down the steep path in cool and -checkered shadow; lizards, darting across the way before us, gleamed -as they passed in and out of the light. - -This practice of stripping leaves from the trees for fodder, gives a -quaint appearance to many of them; in this lane the gnarled and -twisted branches looked grotesque. A man high up in one of the trees -sang as gaily as a bird, while he filled with leaves a sack fastened -to one of the branches. - -Now and again the rich transparent purple of the shadows was traversed -by a bar of golden light; this sometimes came in irregular flecks from -spaces between the twisted trunks and crossing branches. - -A woman coming up from the station, with a heavy basket on her head, -said, "Buon Giorno," and smiled pleasantly as she passed; then a -countryman, a fine, handsome fellow with glowing black eyes, wished us -a good journey. He was going at such a pace that he must have been -bound for the station; usually the easy, leisureful movements of its -people seem to me one of the charms of Italy, so entirely in harmony -with the burning, palpitating blue of its skies and the careless -luxuriance of its vegetation. - - [Illustration: THE WAY TO THE STATION, PERUGIA.] - -Near the end of the descent is a washing place, and here a woman on -her knees was hard at work, scrubbing and soaping linen. Looking back -up the lane we saw the grey town peeping at us through the trees,--the -tower of a house on the Piazza a prominent feature in the view. - - [Illustration: FONTANA BORGHESE - _outside PERUGIA_] - -At the foot of the lane we crossed the dusty highroad, and again -followed the short way, here very steep and rugged. At the end we -came out at a cross-road where the Fontana Borghese, at one angle, -made a striking feature; partly shadowed by tall cypresses, it glowed -red in the sunshine. The date is 1615; its basin is green with age, -and from the constant drip, drip of the water. To-day the fountain was -surrounded with wine carts, each drawn by a pair of huge white oxen. -It is fortunate these beautiful creatures are so gentle, for their -wide-spreading, sharply pointed horns make them formidable; indeed, -when the wine season began, during our stay in Perugia, we had -sometimes to take refuge in a shop while they passed, for the horns of -a pair of these splendid beasts stretched from one side of a narrow -street to the other. Inside a little wine-shop opposite the Fontana -Borghese we heard shouts of "Dieci," "otto," "sette," etc., from the -players at morra. - -One of the charms of Perugia is the genial courtesy of the people. My -companion on this excursion had stayed several times in the town, and -to-day when she appeared at the station all the officials were at her -service, full of little friendly attentions, especially one giant-like -porter called "Lungo." - -The railway takes its course to Foligno through the valley of the -Tiber, with mountain views on each side. Perugia stands grandly on the -top of her hills, while on one side rises like an advanced guard the -spire of San Pietro, and on a spur to the west Santa Giuliana; but the -city is not so picturesque from this point, because one sees the -modern buildings on the great Piazza Vittor Emanuele. On the left we -saw the outside of the famous Etruscan tomb of the Volumnii, and soon -after passed the pretty village of Ponte San Giovanni, getting a -glimpse of the Tiber. - -From the railway one has a good view of Assisi, clinging to the side -of Monte Subasio, and the station is close to the church of Santa -Maria degli Angeli; but we were bound for Foligno, and did not stop -here to-day. As the railway circles round it we noted the splendid -mass made by Subasio in this chain of mountains. - -We passed by Spello, perched on a spur of the great hill, but it was -disappointing to find that, after this, the valley broadened out into -a plain, so that Foligno stands tamely on level ground. It does not -seem to be much visited, though it is a quaint little town, and has, -we heard, a tolerable inn. - -On our arrival we were attacked by vociferous drivers and guides, so -we took one of the dirty little carriages and drove up an avenue past -the huge statue of Niccolo Alunno, a native of Foligno, to the Piazza. -We were hardly out of our vehicle when up rushed a wretched-looking -man, his bare chest showing red and hairy through the opening of his -dirty shirt, while a huge piece of green oilskin covered his -shoulders. "Ecco, Ecco, it is not possible the Signorine can find -their way," he shouted. "I only can show them Foligno." - -As he continued to persecute us, and our time was short, we submitted, -and followed his guidance. - -The outside of the cathedral fronting the Piazza is curious. Two -monsters, lions in red granite, guard the portal; one of these -creatures has an eagle in its mouth. Above the doorway is a curious -sort of arcade; the door-heading itself has been recently restored -with the emblems of the evangelists. There is nothing to see inside -this church. Opposite it is a quaint old building, and on the right is -the Tribunale del Commune. - -We had to wait some time here while the keys were fetched; we then -followed the custode up an old stone staircase to an ante-chapel to -see the frescoes of Ottaviano Nelli. We went on into the little -chapel; here the frescoes have been restored. They represent the life -of the Blessed Virgin, from her birth to her Assumption, and are full -of interest. - -Coming out, we followed our ragged, repulsive-looking guide down a -street close by, and saw the Palazzo Deli, a handsome building, -designed, it is said, by Baccio d'Agnolo. There are three other -churches; in one of them, San Niccolo, is a Nativity by Alunno; the -figure of San Joseph is very fine. One of the statues in front of the -choir, a female saint, has her feet bound with brass; the sacristan -told us that this had been done to preserve them from the devotion of -worshippers who had already kissed away the ends of the saint's toes. -The frescoes in Santa Maria infra Portas, a very old church, are -mostly ancient, but completely faded. Raphael's beautiful Madonna di -Foligno, now in the Vatican, was once in the church of Santa Anna in -this town. - -We greatly regretted that we could not drive on to Montefalco, a -picturesquely placed little town, with many good pictures by Umbrian -painters; there are several also said to be by Benozzo Gozzoli. - -We took another little carriage, standing in a side street, and had a -very pleasant drive back to Spello, between vineyards and olive -groves, eating our luncheon on the way. Spello looked very attractive -as we approached it, its white houses gleaming in the sunlight against -the green hill on the side of which it stands. - -We entered the town under a quaint and ancient gateway, the Porta -Veneris of Hispellum, for Spello is an old Roman town, and the ancient -walls and some of the gates have been preserved. This gate has three -figures outside it, a picturesque fountain stands near, and to-day -beside it sat a group of handsome peasants, eating and drinking in the -sunshine. - - [Illustration: PORTA VENERIS, SPELLO.] - -We thought the steep old street was full of pictures for a sketcher as -we drove up to the Piazza, on which is the Cathedral Santa Maria -Maggiore. Entering, we were at once struck with the remarkable early -fifteenth-century canopy, the work of an Umbrian sculptor, Rocca di -Vicenza; it is made of the stone of the country called Cacciolfo, and -has a polished surface. The four pillars are in pairs; in front of two -of them the artist has introduced portraits of himself and his wife; -beyond, right and left, are Madonnas by Perugino. The sacristan told -us that there is a still finer specimen of the sculptor Rocca di -Vicenza's work at Trevi. On the opposite side of the church is the -Capella del Sacramento, the work of Pinturicchio; three of the walls -and the ceiling here are covered with beautiful frescoes in delightful -harmony of colour. On one side is the Annunciation, with the name and -portrait of the painter, on the other walls are the Adoration and the -Disputa; this last is a very interesting picture, and is also signed. -On the ceiling are painted the sibyls, and the spaces between are -filled with rich, harmonious colour. - - [Illustration: PINTURICCHIO, SPELLO.] - -We could gladly have stayed much longer in this chapel, for the -frescoes seemed to us finer specimens of Pinturicchio's work than -anything we had seen at Perugia. In the sacristy is a beautiful -Madonna by this painter. The mortuary chapel has a quaint pair of -doors in perforated wood-work; near the west door we saw a curious -square bas-relief of ancient work, on two sides of it is carved an -olive-tree, and on another side a man on horseback. It looked like an -old burial urn. - -The way was so steep for driving, that from the cathedral we walked on -in search of the woman who had the keys of the church of San Andrea. -She, however, being busy, handed us over to a young fellow with a face -as lovely as Raffaelle's, and with those wonderful blue eyes, which -have in them the glow of an Italian sky, not to be seen in more -northern regions. - -But at San Andrea, while we were looking at the Pinturicchio behind -the high altar, a very courteous and intelligent priest came into the -church. Seeing us, he kindly removed the cross which obstructed our -view of the best part of the altar picture, the child San John the -Baptist, who sits writing on his scroll at the feet of the Blessed -Virgin. This figure is supposed to be Raffaelle's work. St. Francis -and St. Lawrence are on one side, St. Andrew and St. Gregory on the -other; the embroidery on St. Lawrence's vestments is wonderfully -painted, but as a whole this picture is not nearly so good as the -frescoes by the same master in the cathedral. - -The priest pointed out to us a graceful arcade surrounding the front -and ends of an altar. This was discovered some years ago, concealed -beneath a much larger altar which had been placed above the chest -containing the bones of San Andrea; he told as that when the bones -were sought for, in order to remove them, the arcade was brought to -light. The priest also showed us a fresco on the wall of the nave, and -graphically related how he himself, only a few months before, had -discovered it under the whitewash when the church was being cleaned -for a festa. Who knows how many treasures still lie concealed on the -church walls of these out-of-the-way towns; it must be owned, however, -that the newly found fresco at Spello is not artistically a treasure, -nor nearly as interesting as was the story of its discovery owing to -its graphic telling. - -From San Andrea our blue-eyed, gentle-spoken young guide led us to the -top of the town, crowned by the deserted Capuchin convent. "They have -sent all the brothers away," he said sadly; "there is but one left, -and he may not live in the convent, he may only come up in the -afternoon, and see the schoolboys play in the garden." There is a -pathetic look about the deserted, peaceful old place. From the -platform in front of it we enjoyed a splendid view; before us on one -side was the ever-present Subasio, towering over all, and on the top -of the hill behind stood Perugia, looking at this distance like some -giant castle. - -At our feet in the green valley was the amphitheatre of Spello; not so -perfect as that at Fiesole, but with clearly defined tiers of grassed -seats rising one above another. - -Porta Augusta is another interesting gateway. We came slowly down the -steep street, getting constant peeps, between tall, grey houses, of -the blue mountains around us. At one of these breaks in the wall a -group of peasants sat, some spinning, some idling, beneath a vine that -stretched on a trellis from house to house, the light filtering -through the leaves became a golden green before it fell on the merry -souls in the by-street below. The men of Spello look fine, robust -fellows, and the women are very tall and erect. - -One handsome grey-haired dame met us as we came down the ladder-like -street; she was spinning from a distaff in her hand. "Dio," she held -it out to my companion, "che brutta lavoro!" - -"Would that I could do it," was the prompt answer, and the old dame -went off chuckling with delight. - - [Illustration: PORTA AUGUSTA, SPELLO.] - -The little town is like an eyrie high up in the air, the houses -nestling here and there for shelter behind the grey walls. - -We saw so many bits by the way in Spello, that it seemed as if one -might spend some pleasant days in such an exquisitely placed spot; but -we could not spy out any possible lodging; and, after all, it is an -easy distance by rail or carriage from Assisi or Foligno. - -Coming home by train to Perugia, we travelled with a pleasant-looking -Italian lady and her sad-faced husband. She also seemed sad, and -constantly put her handkerchief to her eyes; we fancied she was -affected by some deep sorrow, and felt sympathy for her. The train -presently stopped at a station; her distress increased, she clasped -her hands, and entreated her husband to get out of the carriage and -see after the poor little "angiolo." - -He gently refused, and at this she sobbed, and almost howled with -anguish; then, burying her face in her handkerchief, she leaned back -and refused to be comforted. - -At the next station we heard the sharp yelping of a little dog, and -then she cried out so loudly for the "povera bestia" that we began to -understand. Seeing we were interested, she sat up, pocketed her -handkerchief, and explained. "The officials have taken my dog from me, -and have shut it up. Dio! the sweet angel would not hurt a soul," she -said, with a fresh flow of tears; "its cries break my heart. It is a -cruelty beyond belief." - -At this her husband left the carriage, looking much ashamed of -himself. When he came back he tried to pacify his still weeping wife. - -"The dog is all right, cara mia," he said. - -"Cara mia," however, would not listen, and she actually sobbed and -cried all the way to Perugia, where we left her on the platform with -her pocket-handkerchief rolled into a ball, and pressed close to her -eyes. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE HEAVENLY CHOIR OF PERUGIA - - - [Illustration: POTS AT WINDOW.] - -We had greatly desired to see the faēade of the Oratory built in -honour of San Bernardino of Siena, and we went in search of it. Going -past the cloisters of the cathedral, we traversed the street beyond -them: on one side is a fragment of an old palace, on the other a -quaint series of ancient arches, one within the other, full of -striking effects of light and shade. - -A street descends steeply from this portal. We noted here, and in many -of the old house-fronts, carved brackets, for holding flower-pots, -built out from the walls, their grey stone making a pleasant contrast -to the brilliant red and orange of the flowers blossoming in pots -placed within these hoary receptacles. We sometimes saw metal rings -instead of stone brackets fastened into the wall, so as to hold a -flower-pot. - -A wealthy Englishman, staying in our hotel, became so enamoured of the -quaint effect created by these stone brackets, that he told us he was -resolved to transport some of them to the front wall of his -newly-built London dwelling. He went to the owner of a house -possessing several of the brackets, and offered him a round sum for a -couple of them. The owner professed himself delighted with the offer; -he would most willingly gratify the English Signor's fancy. - - [Illustration: VIA SANT' AGATA.] - -"The Signore Inglese must, however, understand," he said, with a -twinkle in his heavy-lidded dark eyes, "that these articles are not -individual,--they are the same as the nose on the face, fixtures. To -possess the brackets, the Signore Inglese must purchase the entire -front of the Palazzo, it is built all in one piece." This was too much -for even an English collector; he was obliged to quit Perugia without -acquiring even one of the much-desired brackets. - -As we went along, we saw, outside the door of an old grey house, a -pretty, ragged, fair-haired child, jumping and dancing on her little -bare feet, chattering, as it seemed, to the doorpost. She was trying -to reach the knocker, and was talking merrily to the flies on the -wall, by way of amusement while she waited. - -Near the Church of S. Agata we inquired for the house of Perugino, but -this Via de' Priori so winds and twists that we were told we were too -far north, so we turned at a sharp angle, and after a little came to a -silent open space in front of a church, the Chiesa Nuova. - -Down an arched passage close by, and up a side street on the right, we -reached Via Deliziosa; in this Perugino's house is marked by a tablet. -There is nothing special in the appearance of the dwelling; the hilly -street in which it stands is grass-grown, and weirdly silent. - -We went back again to seek for San Bernardino, and descended into a -very old quarter of the city, the projecting claw which on this side -overlooks the deep valley below Porta Susanna, and forms one point of -the Cupa. We had to pass by the last remaining fortress of the nobles, -the tall brick Torre degli Scalzi; behind this are remains of the -Etruscan wall. - -Close by we saw another church, Madonna di Luce, a good example of -Renaissance work, gay with a scarlet and gold curtain, in readiness -for to-morrow's festa; then, by a quaint little street with flights of -brick steps leading down into most picturesque side-turnings, we came -in sight of a small house, its grey stone balcony screened from the -sunshine by a vine-wreathed pergola. - - [Illustration: MADONNA DI LUCE.] - -In a few minutes we reached the convent of San Francesco, beside which -is the matchless faēade of the chapel or oratory of San Bernardino -of Siena. - - [Illustration: FAĒADE OF SAN BERNARDINO.] - -The detail of this faēade is even more beautiful than we had expected; -the colour of its rosy marbles and terra-cotta adds warmth to the -exquisite sculptures. These seemed to us finer, both in design and -execution, than any Della Robbia work we had seen. We were glad to -find this opinion endorsed by Mr. Perkins in his Tuscan Sculptors. The -faēade is the work of Agostino Ducci or Gucci, of Florence. - - [Illustration: ANGEL, SAN BERNARDINO.] - -A circular arch, almost as wide as the faēade, surmounts two -square-headed entrance doors; these are surrounded by delicately -carved ornament in low relief. Above the door is a frieze, on which -are represented events in the life of San Bernardino; over it, in the -centre of the tympanum, which is deeply recessed within the arch, is a -Vesica, formed by tongues of flame containing a figure of the saint, -said to be the best existing likeness of him. Four flying angels -placed diagonally on either side of the Vesica seem to float as they -offer their musical sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Six of them -are playing various instruments; the expression in each countenance -is varied. Some of the faces are very lovely, especially the two -praying with uplifted heads; the others seem to be chanting hymns of -praise to the music of their respective instruments. The disposition -of the angels' robes is perfect; its studied grace reminded us of Lord -Leighton's drapery, the whole effect being as artistic as it is -original. - - [Illustration: HEADS OF CHERUBIM, SAN BERNARDINO.] - - [Illustration: ANGELS, SAN BERNARDINO.] - -Filling up the rest of the tympanum, so as to make a background to the -angels, there are the quaintest heads of cherubs cradled in lovely -wings, carved in full relief. Some of these heads are missing, but -those which remain are exquisite studies of baby faces, each with its -own special expression, some roguish, others sweet and loving; one of -them seems to suppress a sob. There is infinite variety among them; -and all are so very human that they are doubtless transcripts from -fifteenth-century Perugian babies. - -Winged creatures are carved in the spandrels of the arch; and slightly -below on either side is an angel within an arched niche, over which is -a pediment, the mouldings and soffits showing delicately sculptured -ornament; they are repeated below, and there are still other angels of -the Heavenly Choir, playing musical instruments; these are on the -broad pilasters that support the arch; some are in pairs, with very -beautiful faces. The arrangement of their draperies is especially -remarkable. - - [Illustration: ANGEL PLAYING, SAN BERNARDINO.] - -In all these figures and faces, besides the beauty of expression, -there is a marvellous mingling of quaintness and grace; they are so -life-like that one almost listens for the sound of their instruments, -in meet accompaniment to their chants, or to the hymns of the -cherubs, who above and beside them are singing a chorus of praise. The -Oratory is surmounted by a pediment, and in its tympanum we again find -angels and cherubs. On the fringe of the pediment are the carved -words-- - - AUGUSTA PERUSIA MCCCCLXI. - -The illustrations help the reader's appreciation of this gem of -Perugia; mere words can only sketch, without giving an adequate idea -of its beauty. - -The authorities of the city were eager to show their appreciation of -the wonderful reformation effected in its morals by the preaching of -San Bernardino; only a few years after his death, the building of this -beautiful memorial was begun, and seems to have been completed about -1462. - -Bernardino's father was governor of Massa; in the year 1380, when -Saint Catherine died in Siena, the future preacher was born in the -little town. Early left an orphan, he was tenderly reared by three -aunts, all excellent women. He, unlike his great prototype, seems not -to have shared the fashionable vices of other youths of the period; he -was from an early age bent on following, so far as he could, the -example left him two hundred years earlier by Saint Francis of Assisi. - -He spent some time in that convent of Fiesole which educated Fra -Angelico and others, ardent to revive in their generation the work of -St. Francis, which had suffered eclipse. Various reasons have been -given for this, chief among them being the pagan tendency of the -Renaissance teaching, and also the frequent visitations of plague, -which seem almost to have emptied the convents, sweeping off the monks -and nuns who gave up their lives to tend the sick in hospitals. In -most of the Italian states and cities the descendants of devout -Christians had become fierce and brutal, as unrestrained in appetite -as they were murderous and lawless in deeds. Some of these have -already been narrated. Princes and nobles strove to surpass the -citizens in evil-doing by the hideous tragedies they enacted. This had -been especially the case for many years in Perugia, whose inhabitants -had come to be designated by the epithet "ferocious": they were so -given up to every sort of crime. - -Bernardino was deeply stirred by the evil report that reached him from -all parts of the country; he had already been received into the Minor -Conventual Order of San Francis, and had signalised his courage by -nursing and ministering to the plague-stricken inmates of the hospital -in Siena. This had injured his health, but he gladly obeyed the -commission given by his superior, to journey through a certain part of -Italy, preaching as he went. - -Already the evangelising movement was in the air: in France, a -Spaniard, San Vincent Ferrier, had reaped a bountiful harvest of -souls. Bernardino determined by God's help to evangelise his country, -and to rescue souls from evil by the winning power of love. He decided -to begin his crusade in Umbria, in the powerful city of Perugia, so -notorious for the crimes of its bloodstained nobles and the frivolity -and vanity of their women. - -Bernardino lodged in a convent outside the city gate, and went every -morning to preach in the Piazza Pubblico. Crowds had flocked to hear -his first sermon, but he had a consciousness that this was mere -excitement, and that the souls of his listeners were yet to be won. -One day he told his congregation that he proposed before long to show -them the Evil One. This announcement sent the multitude crazy with -excitement; the throngs of his listeners were doubled. But for some -days after Bernardino preached only in an ordinary fashion. - -Still the people believed he would keep faith with them, and each day -brought a larger crowd of expectant listeners. At last, one morning, -Bernardino said, "I am now going to fulfil my promise; I will show you -not one devil only, for there are several here." Then, raising his -voice, "Look at one another, you will each see Satan in your -neighbour's face; every one of you does that Evil One's bidding." He -then pointed out seriously, and with much pathos, the sins that -reigned among them, and implored his hearers to renounce their evil -practices. The effect of his words was wonder-striking. Families who -had lived in hatred of their fellow-citizens for more than a -generation, hurried forward, and, clasping the hands of their -once-detested foes, begged forgiveness for wrongs committed; in more -than one instance, with halters round their necks, they besought -pardon for the evil they had wrought. Bernardino saw that the devotion -of the city was roused, and, turning to the women, he commanded them -to cause two huge fires to be lighted on the Piazza. - -"Set a pattern to your men," he exclaimed; "prove the reality of your -penitence; cast into the flames the gauds by which Satan tempts you to -ensnare mankind to their ruin; bring hither your cosmetics, your -perfumes, your false tresses, and the garlands with which you deck -them, your sumptuous robes, all the vanities you possess, and cast -them into the flames." - -Sobbing and weeping, the women rushed off to obey him; they soon -returned laden with the vanities denounced by the preacher, and, like -the Florentines many years later, they cast their prized adornments -into the huge fires. - -An old chronicler relates that one noble dame cherished a long false -tress of singular beauty, which had always commanded admiration; she -felt that this would prove a worthy offering. Taking it from its -casket, she was about to hurry with it to the Piazza; she again -looked at it. - -No, she could not make the sacrifice, the tress was too lustrous, too -lovely; more than all, it became her so rarely. Her heart failed her. -She put it back in the casket, with a smile of contempt at her own -superstition; she was closing the lid, when suddenly the beauteous -tress sprang up and struck her violently on the cheekbone. She cried -out with pain and terror; then, forcing the temptation into the casket -and closing the lid, she fled back to the Piazza, and flung the -treasured lock into the flames. - -For a while after this famous preaching, peace and devotion returned -to the hill-city; then came sad outbreaks and dissensions, and -Bernardino, hearing the disturbing news, returned to Perugia. He -exhorted his former penitents to seek after the grace and the love -which had once been granted them, and at the close of the year 1425 he -once more left them in peace one with another; while he went to -preach elsewhere in Umbria, and finally to Gubbio, to Viterbo, and to -Orvieto. - -Two years later, when preaching in Siena, he held up the conversion of -the people of Perugia as an example to be followed by the Sienese. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -SAN PIETRO DE' CASINENSI - - -The most remarkable church in Perugia is the church, at the end of the -southern point of the city, attached to the convent of San Pietro; -below it is the gate named after San Costanzo, said to have been the -first Bishop of Perugia. On the opposite side of the way from the -convent wall is a pleasant public resort, shaded by trees, called -Passeggiata Pubblica. From this point, looking down the steep road, -one gets a delightful view of the near valley and distant Apennines, -framed in by the arch of Porta Costanzo. This view goes by the name of -La Veduta. La Veduta and a lovely country walk beyond the gate are -associated with the memory of that accomplished artist and delightful -companion, Lord Leighton. He dearly loved the old hill-city; in its -delightful quiet he used to write his lecture for the Royal Academy -students. One of his favourite walks was to go out by the Porta -Costanzo, and along the lovely lanes beyond it, grown over with -honeysuckle, wild gourd, and an abundance of wild myrtle. - -The ancient church of San Pietro, with its very picturesque exterior -and campanile, serves as a conspicuous landmark in the country over -which it gazes. It is said to be the oldest church in Perugia, and to -be built on the site of an Etruscan temple; it was certainly in old -days the first cathedral. Built by Pietro, a saintly abbot of the -monastery in the tenth century, it seems to have remained for a long -period almost untouched; in the fourteenth century the campanile was -considered one of the wonders of Italy. A century later it was -restored and decorated with rich Renaissance work, some of which is -very fascinating and interesting. Then came a warlike abbot, resolved -to convert the very salient tower of San Pietro into a fortress to -overawe the surrounding country; and also to use it as a means of -defence against the ever-turbulent people of Perugia, and the despots -who were always quarrelling among themselves in order to attain -supreme power in the city. - - [Illustration: LA VEDUTA, PERUGIA.] - -The campanile was still further injured by Pope Boniface the Ninth, -who also wished to construct an ordinary fortress on the site of the -beautiful tower. Finally, the monks rebuilt it at a great cost. It was -then struck by lightning, and severely damaged. For a long period of -time the injuries caused by lightning were so frequent that it was -feared the entire building would suffer ruin; then at last the idea of -a lightning conductor suggested itself. This saved the campanile, and -it has since remained in its present condition. - -We went up the steps in the convent wall, and entered the old church -of San Pietro from the courtyard, by a doorway with a deeply carved -heading in marble. The interior is at once rich and fascinating, and -every subsequent visit we made to it revealed many treasures. - -Some of the Perugino pictures in the sacristy are worth examination, -but the large altar-piece he painted for this church was carried away -to Paris by Napoleon Bonaparte. The choir books can be seen here, -illuminated by the monks of San Miniato, near Florence. There are -several pictures in the church; in one of the aisles is a painting by -the early Umbrian master, Benedetto Bonfigli. The ancient, dark grey -columns on either side of the nave are much older than the church, -having been brought here from the curious old church at Porta San -Angelo, near the most northern gate of Perugia. We had already seen -sixteen of these columns in the ancient round church; they are -supposed to date from a very early period. The altar tomb of the -Baglioni, by Fieado, is in San Pietro; but the most remarkable feature -of this church is its choir. The stalls and their seats are full of -exquisitely carved wood-work, and the doors at the east end are -marvellous specimens of intarsia work. The sacristan shows them with -great pride, and then opens the doors which lead on to the balcony -behind. - -Below us we see a very lovely picture: the fertile valley and its -surroundings of richly-tinted hills, while in front is Assisi, -clinging to the side of rugged Monte Subasio. It is said that three -citizens of Perugia escaped by means of this balcony from the Pope's -Swiss guards, when, less than fifty years ago, the Swiss forcibly took -possession of the convent. The delicate work of the eastern doors was -executed by Fra Damiano of Bergamo; it is singularly beautiful; -perhaps the finding of Moses in the bulrushes is one of the most -curious subjects depicted. - -The choir seats and stalls were done by Damiano's brother, Stefano da -Bergamo. They are worth a very careful examination, for, besides the -intarsia on the backs and seats, and the fine carving of the -poppy-heads, notable both for subject and execution, there are, -between each stall, wonderful and beautifully-modelled creatures. Now -we see a beast like a crocodile, and next it a harpy; then an -elephant, a dolphin, a sphinx, and so on; an infinite variety, almost -every creature is different, and the carving of each is most artistic. - -We saw many treasures in the church, before we went out into the -cypress-bordered garden of the convent, and again enjoyed the lovely -view from the top of its high wall,--the view which wearied Popes and -other great and jaded personages have taken pleasure in gazing at when -they came to Perugia for refreshment. - -An intelligent-looking priest showed us the garden. He said it was -kept in order by the boys belonging to the convent. This formerly -sheltered a reformatory for lads sentenced to prison for their first -offence. It is now, I believe, used as an Agricultural College. We had -previously noticed the reformatory boys at work on the olive fields -outside the town gates, and had admired the picturesque effect of -their blue uniforms and straw hats against the silver grey of the -leafy background. - -They had then come trooping into the cloisters, and on close -inspection they did not look so interesting as we had thought them; -some of them, however, had simple, honest faces, and as they passed -into the cloister they smiled and raised their hats to the Fra. Most -of the bigger fellows had an ugly scowl, and went in with bent heads, -without any greeting. - -The Fra told us the lads behaved fairly well; his trouble was to find -suitable employment for them when they were discharged from the -reformatory. He said he greatly approved of English laws, especially -in regard to the working class. "The English are so good to -foreigners," he said. - -He asked us what would be the cost in London of a working-man's board -and lodging. We told him that we had in England already too many boys -of this sort, for whom it was difficult to find employment; we, -however, gave him an average of the expenses he inquired about. This -seemed to alarm the good Padre; with lifted hands he said, "Such a -plan would prove far too costly, it would teach the lads expensive -habits of living." But he thanked us courteously for our information. -When we left the convent garden we stood again enjoying the view over -the lovely valley, under a glorious sunset which glowed on the distant -hills. It seemed to us that splendid sunsets were another and special -charm of Perugia. - -We had meant this evening to visit the Etruscan sepulchres of the -Volumnii, discovered only about sixty years ago, and within a walk of -the San Costanzo gate; but San Pietro, even in this short visit, had -proved such an interesting study, that we saw we must defer our walk -to the ancient tomb. - -We were, however, told that, without much adding to the length of our -walk, we should considerably increase its charm, if, instead of -passing out by the Porta Costanzo, we turned aside by the Porta San -Pietro, or Romana, as it is called, and quitted the city by the little -gate at the bottom of the descent. This is indeed a delightful walk -under the old grey walls, and from it one has a perfect view over the -lovely country and the purple hills. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE TOMBS OF THE VOLUMNII - - - [Illustration: GIRL'S HEAD.] - -A few days later, as we went along a lane, with grassy flower-pied -banks, and with purple hills as background to the sunlit glory which -surrounded us, we recognised the delightful landscape so frequently -used by Perugino. The way was rather long, but there was more in it to -interest than to tire us. We at last arrived at the dark descent -beside the road, which forms the entrance to the sepulchre of the -Volumnii. Many years ago there was supposed to be a necropolis -existing in this hill, and on excavation several small cells were -discovered. In more recent years an ox was seen suddenly to stumble -on the hill above, and to be unable to rise. Going to help it, beneath -the hole into which the creature had thrust its foot a subterranean -arch was revealed, and subsequent excavation brought to light the -wonderful, long-closed tombs of the Etruscan Volumnii. - -We went down some rugged steps to the mouth of the gloomy cavern, and -found ourselves in a dark passage-way, with stone benches on either -side. The weird, mysterious atmosphere of the Etruscan vault is -indescribable. Several chambers or cells, in this underground house of -the departed, branch out on either side of the dark vaulted passage, -but we saw them in such semi-darkness, that by the light of a single -torch it was very difficult to make out details. As we went along the -dark vault, our guide raised his torch on high. In a moment we seemed -to be in an enchanted cavern, where the silent inhabitants were -guarded by strange forms; gorgon heads, owls, and serpents stared at -us from roof and walls. We could fancy that, as we passed by, the -snake heads seemed to dart from the walls, to bristle and hiss; and -the grand Medusa-faces overhead looked down on us full of dire -warning, when at the end of the passage we entered the tomb of the -Etruscan family. Here are the Volumnii sitting in a group, realistic -terra-cotta figures guarding their urns, just as they have been -guarding them for perhaps two thousand years. - -Aruns Volumni, the father, reclines on his sarcophagus, which is -guarded by two furies; on his left his daughter sits on her urn, and -on his right is his son. Their faces look dull and uninteresting, but -they seem aware of their own importance. The fourth figure of the -group, seated next the son of Aruns, is Veilia, his fair young wife. -She has an exquisite face, and one is not surprised to learn that she -died young; she must have felt isolated among such unsympathetic -family surroundings. Her face and those of the majestic solemn-eyed -Medusas are the most interesting treasures of the tomb. All the faces -and figures of the Volumnii are intensely life-like; Aruns himself has -a purse-proud expression. - -Coming out into welcome fresh air and daylight, we saw that the -entrance to the tomb was fringed by a profusion of maidenhair fern, -growing between the blocks of travertine. A weird-faced child, with -dark eyes shining through a tangle of dusky hair, showed a brilliant -gleam of white teeth as she offered us tufts of this fern ruthlessly -torn out by its roots. She seemed the uncanny guardian of the place. - - * * * * * - -Another walk with an outlook less splendid than that of the Veduta and -others, yet with a special charm of its own, was a great favourite -with us. To reach it one has to go past the interesting old church of -San Ercolano, instead of turning up beside it, till some iron gates -are arrived at; outside these, the way was blocked on the right, so we -turned leftwards, and followed the course of the picturesque old wall; -ancient houses rise above it, and the wall itself is crowned with -flowers in pots and stone vases. Here and there we saw vine-wreathed -loggias; then, at the far end of a sudden turn, there came into view -Monte Luce, with its old church and convent, and grand blue hills -rising beyond. I believe the church is really called Santa Maria -Assunta; it is the bourne of a yearly pilgrimage at the time of the -great cattle fair, which takes place on the green down across the -road. - -We passed through the open convent gate into a quaint and peaceful -scene, a small grassed quadrangle closed in by a wall and the -sacristan's house; facing us was the west front of the church, with a -large window under its low gable. The church wall itself is checkered -with squares of red and white stone. The two green doors, under a -double arch, were almost as vivid in colour as the lizards basking -between the stones. On the right was a low and singularly massive -campanile; its huge blue and white clock-face giving a peculiar -quaintness to the place. There is a projecting side chapel below, with -slit-like windows; beyond this is a cloister walk, its low tiled roof -supported by solid white-washed piers. This cloister goes on to the -angle where the convent buildings adjoin the church, and extends from -this angle along the southern and eastern sides of the little green -square to the entrance gates; on one side is an upper storey, reached -by a flight of bricked steps. - -A woman, sad and quiet-looking, but with a sweet expression on her -olive-hued face, showed us the church, and the little choir of the -Sisters behind the high altar. She told us how the nuns from the -suppressed and desecrated convent of Santa Giuliana "had been driven -to take refuge in this blessed house of Santa Maria Assunta." She -added with a deep sigh, "Who knows what will happen next?" - -It seemed sad that such a peaceful home as this should be threatened. - -A few steps beyond this church brought us to a low wall; here we sat -and enjoyed the distant view framed in by tall trees. It differs from -any other point in Perugia, in having a more varied foreground. This -is broken up by green hills, with bright-looking country houses -nestling among gardens and orchards, and surrounded by dark trees; -behind are the ever-beautiful Apennines; between, in mid distance, is -that mingling of colour created by the luxuriant vegetation of this -fertile valley. It was varied on this evening by cloud-shadows cast on -its mellowed sunny glow. - -While we sit enjoying all this beauty, the Angelus sounds in sweet -harmony with the scene; three, four, five, then one long drawn-out -solemn note. - -From the frequent campaniles the bells call one to another, and give -deep-toned musical response across the green hollows that vandyke -themselves up the walled hillside into the town; the brilliant sunset -showing in bold relief the salient balconies of a Palazzo not far -away. - -We came back into the city by another gate, and lost our way. Finally, -however, we turned up a very steep street, and then down flights of -steps by the church of San Fiorenzo. There is here a curious old wall -with a garden above it; a workman told us it was the curate's garden. - -In the lingering gleams of sunlight, oleander blossoms overhead were -glowing masses of colour against the grey stone wall. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE VIA APPIA - - -The Oratory of San Bernardino is near to gardens, orchards, and drying -grounds. Beyond the convent of San Francesco the ancient wall goes -northward, and then turns east towards the Porta Augusta, but this -afternoon we went southwards. - -A short walk down a steep narrow street beneath an archway led us out -of the low-browed passage of the Etruscan Porta Susanna on to the wall -itself. This rises up directly from La Cupa, as the indentation which -the valley here makes is called. The wall follows the curves of the -hills, always keeping close to the edge of the descent, and, as I have -already said, where an angle is sharply turned a bold round tower -stands out sentinel-wise against the blue sky. - - [Illustration: PORTA SUSANNA] - -Below the wall the fertile dell was literally covered with vines, -olives, fig and mulberry trees; plots of blue-green cabbage and -shining lettuce covered bare spaces of brown earth. In winter a -torrent flows through the Cupa. - -To-day the long range of hill on the left looked red-brown, variegated -with green and grey; behind its shoulder a more distant mountain -showed opal; tall regular houses of the ancient city rose one behind -another on the right, and the last brick tower, that of the Scalzi, -rose above them all. - -The wall makes here an inward angle before it goes out far away -westward to another point of the star-shaped hill, and here the view -becomes more beautiful. The outlines of the mountains cross, and -reveal through the openings yet another ridge behind, and this farther -ridge looks a delicate opal, while the sunbeams become less powerful. -On the right the hills stretched in two purple undulating lines, -between them a rosy vapour moved slowly, deepening in tint as it rose -towards the orange-coloured clouds. Masses of grey now sent up -warnings from below, and partly obscured the rosy vapour; southward -the grey took a lurid tinge, and across it floated pale phantom-like -cloudlets. The far-off hill, as we looked southward, had become a -purple-blue, while the town in the space between climbed upwards in -terraces, the houses bowered in vines and garden blossoms. - -This is not so extended a prospect as some others that are to be had -from the walls of Perugia, but I am inclined to consider it one of the -most interesting, from the double view it offers of the town and of -the quaint formation of the steep-sided, triangular valley, with its -mysterious depth of vegetation below. - -We kept along the wall for some distance, then our road led us away -from it between old stone garden walls, supports for vines and figs, -and brilliant orange begonia blossoms which peep above them. Quaint -side-streets looked tempting on our left. Going up one of these, we -found a portion of Etruscan wall with an opening in it of the same -period of stone-work. - -The street beyond mounted steeply to where a brick arch spanned it: on -one side a flight of broken steps led up to a tall house above the -wall; a loggia, corbelled out from between the house and the grey -pointed arch, was filled with charming foliage and flowers; an iron -crane projected from the balcony over a brick water-tank beside the -broken steps. The variety of form and colour was most vivid against -the shadow within the arch; its two projecting imposts were massive -slabs of travertine, and beside one of these, gleaming out of the -shadow, was a little shrine with a nosegay of freshly-gathered -flowers. - -In and out of narrow streets, up and down quaint steps, we reached at -last the Ivory Gate, the Etruscan Porta Eburnea,--that very -quaintly-placed old gate, from which a steep road goes down into the -country. - -We had here an extended view of the wall, curving grandly forward to a -projecting point, and completely obscuring all view of La Cupa; the -point itself crowned by a most picturesque round tower, standing out -vividly from its background of purple hills. - - [Illustration: PORTA EBURNEA] - -The road from Porta Eburnea looked attractive. On this special day it -was thronged with peasants going home from market. Some of the women -stopped outside the gate; taking off their boots, they slung them over -their shoulders, or put them in their baskets; then, with brown bare -feet and legs, they went down the steep dusty road with rapid, -swinging steps. Most of these bare-footed women wore handsome coral -necklaces; and yet shopkeepers asked from eighty to three hundred -francs for a string of these beads. Just outside the gate a man and -several boys were playing some game with walnuts. - - [Illustration: OUTSIDE PERUGIA.] - -Coming home one evening from the twisting way behind the cathedral, we -reached a lofty arched opening with "Via Appia" printed on one side. -The arch itself has a house above it; a second arch within, with grey -projecting imposts, shows a broad steep descent,--a long flight of -shallow brick steps, so undecided as to the course they shall take -that they curve first one way and then another, before they reach the -bottom of the descent. - -Some way down, a viaduct supported by three broad arches comes out -beside the stone-edged brick steps, while transversely right and left -are stone walls; that on the right is high and massive, and from its -grey-green stones were hanging long garlands of white-blossomed caper -plant. - -Beyond, just before the wall joins some old stone houses, we saw a -little pergola covered with the tender green of the vine. From the -deep hollow into which the steps descend the town rises up in front, -and as we go down, the old houses on our left, with gardens and -orchards, stand at a great height above us, looking black against the -glowing sky. - - [Illustration: VIA APPIA AND TOWN.] - -From this viaduct is an extended view over many curious roofs covered -with semicircular tiles, frosted with gold and silver lichens and -patches of green moss. First comes a series of gardens, green with -vines and fig-trees; beyond these, among the grey houses and trees, -appears the great modern building of the University. Beyond it is the -silk factory of Count Faina; behind all are the purple hills. - -Instead of crossing the viaduct we went down to the bottom of the -seemingly interminable brick staircase, catching sight through the -viaduct arches on the left of a succession of pictures: cottages -backed by trees with children in front at play, all in a vivid effect -of light and shade, framed in by the low, broad arches. - -This brought us finally on to a road leading back into the town, -spanned on the left by another broad arch of the viaduct. Through this -a group of feathered acacias glowed golden-green in the sunshine -against picturesque houses backed by the hills. - -The pointed arch on the right looks quaint, from the contrast of its -huge grey stones and small many-shaped windows, mostly open; some of -them gay with scarlet flowers; one window had a faded green curtain, -drawn half across; a bird-cage hung outside it. Behind the curtain the -olive-hued face of a woman peeped out. - -Through the arch was a strong effect of golden light and blue-purple -shadow; while we looked behind, there came a donkey, driven by a -merry-eyed, bare-footed lad, dragging a cart heaped with brushwood. A -little way on along the road is the mosaic pavement discovered several -years ago in some Roman baths. The pavement is in singularly good -preservation, and the design is very remarkable. Orpheus, a colossal -black figure on a white ground, sits with outstretched arm, while a -lion, a tiger, an elephant, a hippopotamus, stags, a rhinoceros, a -horse, birds of various kinds, a snail, a monkey, a tortoise, and -other creatures are drawn towards him from all sides. - - [Illustration: ARCO DELLA CONCA, PERUGIA.] - -A handsome dark-eyed girl kept on sweeping dust from the mosaic, and -was eager to point out that the brick-work on one side has not been -examined, and probably hides a good deal more of the pavement, as yet -unexcavated. The girl was so bright and good to look at, that she -seemed quite a part of the show. Turning through the arch, we very -soon reached Piazza Grimani, which has on one side the Palazzo -Antinori. Close by is the wonder of Perugia--the Etruscan gateway, or, -as it is called from the inscription set over it by the Romans when -they took the city, the Porta Augusta. It was growing dusk, and the -effect of this grand mass of stone-work was stupendous. On each side -of the arched gateway are massive towers,--the upper part of the -structure is less ancient than the towers are; one of them is -surmounted by a loggia. Some of the blocks of stone in the Etruscan -part of the wall are enormous, many of them four feet long, and -within the gloom of the arch is the wall, built on the same gigantic -scale. - -As we went home through the narrow, dark Via Vecchia, we saw a very -quaint scene. In a long, dark room, dimly lighted by two oil-lamps -hanging from the ceiling, a man and woman were selling soup and cold -meat at a sort of counter. The brown characteristic faces and shining -eyes of their ragged customers told out wonderfully as occasional -gleams from the lamps above singled them from the semi-darkness. In -this street we saw many examples of the walled-up doors by which the -dead had been formerly carried out, closed up, so that the living -might never pass by the same way. - - [Illustration: PORTA AUGUSTA, PERUGIA.] - -Our next view of Porta Augusta was by daylight. We had been told by -some one staying in Perugia where to seek a special point of view from -the old walls near this arch. The Porta Augusta is even finer in full -light, which reveals the immense strength of its construction. When -one considers that these great blocks of stone must have been brought -from a long distance, it is sad to think of the poor slaves whose -labour brought them and set them in their places for their Etruscan -masters. Near here must have been the house of that chief citizen who, -seeing the Romans, headed by Octavius Cęsar, masters of his native -city, and that there was no longer a hope of freedom from the detested -yoke, set fire to his dwelling, and burned himself and his whole -family therein, heedless that the blaze spreading in all directions -destroyed the chief part of Etruscan Perugia. - -Instead of following the Via Lungari, or Garibaldi, on this occasion, -our instructions sent us down a narrow street in a parallel direction, -until we were stopped by the inward curve of the city wall. Just -before we reached this, our way was blocked by two wine carts laden -with barrels of new-made wine, and drawn by a pair of huge -cream-coloured oxen, with soft dark eyes and long horns reaching from -one side of the street to the other. I delight in these splendid -creatures; they look so gentle, and though so huge they seem -unconscious of their power. They moved on at last, and permitted us to -reach our bourne. - -The Porta Buligaia was certainly the most beautiful point we had yet -seen, and we felt very grateful to the great artist who, knowing every -street of Perugia, had so kindly told us how to take this walk; for -the little narrow street opposite the Porta Augusta had hitherto -escaped our notice, although we had spent so many weeks in Perugia. - - [Illustration: PORTA BULIGAIA.] - -Just before the old wall reaches the Porta it curves into a trefoil, -and goes down steeply to the fertile valley. Through the open, green -doors of the gate the road winds beside the grand wall, which, covered -with greenery, strikes forward to the north, tall grass atop waving -like pennons among the trees above it. - -The inner wall sends out a long flank to reach the gate, and above, -level with its top, is a vine-covered pergola with quaint gabled -houses behind it; these command a grand view over the hills which -circle round in shades of exquisite blue, fading at last to opal. -Plots of maize glow through a grey mist of olives; the vines, swinging -from tree to tree, are golden-green. As the road goes down beside the -wall beyond the gate, it passes a white-walled cottage nestled in -trees. The view tempted us along this road, and soon a path, bordered -by a black handrail, mounted on the left beside a caper-wreathed wall -of stones: following it, we crossed a sort of farmyard, where an -enormous gourd vine lay atop a brick wall; huge pumpkins were sunning -themselves among enormous leaves. - -Beyond this, towards Perugia, the land was richly cultivated; maize -and vegetables, fruit-trees and vines, covered every scrap of ground. -Here and there a tangled bit of hedge served to prop the luxuriant -vines; there was no primness anywhere, and yet the ground seemed well -cultivated. - -Going on, the way curved, and the view became still more extended; at -last we found ourselves in the road again, and went on till we reached -the extreme northern point of Perugia--Porta San Angelo. - - [Illustration: PORTA SAN ANGELO.] - -Some little way outside is the convent of San Francesco, and just -within the gate, from which, up a side path, there is another -delightful view, we came to the round church of San Angelo, or San -Michele. This is very ancient, and is said to have been formerly a -pagan temple dedicated to Vesta. The lower part is round, the upper -eight-sided, but the interior is circular. The upper portion is -supported by a circle of sixteen dark-grey columns; anciently there -were three circles of these columns. All but one of the two outer -circles have been taken away to other parts of Perugia: we had already -seen some in San Pietro, and there are two in one of the palaces on -the market-place; one still remains in the second circle at San -Angelo. This interior is very interesting. In it is a well-preserved -sacrificial altar, and the woman who guided us explained with much -unction how the victims were formerly sacrificed. She also showed us -some horrible instruments of torture, and another altar, said to be -Roman. There is a curious bas-relief on the wall near the sacristy. We -had already seen this church on a festa, when, the altar blazing with -candles, the gaily-dressed people kneeling in front of it and between -the surrounding circle of pillars, had a very picturesque -effect,--marred, it is true, by the presence of sundry dogs among the -worshippers, and the extremely cracked and untuneful sounds proceeding -from the music gallery. Our brown-faced, withered guide was full of -talk; when we got into the sacristy, she confided to me she had been -foolish enough to marry late in life; then, her man had managed so -badly that he died and left her to take care of herself. "Ah, yes," -she said, "and there is more than myself, there is a boy, and he is -nine years old; he eats well,--the Signora knows how a boy eats at -nine? Dio! he is voracious; then he must be taught, and school costs -money, much money! and yet, Dio! what a thing it is to have schooling! -I can neither read nor write, and can earn but little; I wish my son -to do better than I, and yet, Signora, I am not sure if it is wise." -Her keen black eyes twinkled at me. - -I suggested that she must be right in giving her son some schooling. -She sighed heavily, and darted another keen glance at me out of her -hungry dark eyes. - -"Yes, the Signora is right; but if I spend money in teaching my son I -can have none for myself. Dio! what can become of me when these"--she -stretched out her brown, capable-looking hands--"can no longer work -for me? Holy Virgin! I know not." She gave another heavy sigh, and -again she looked wistfully at me. - -I said that if she did her duty by her son he would be sure to take -care of her hereafter, but at this her face showed me that we took -different views. She shook her head. - -"It ought to be so, Signora," she said, "but it is not; Dio, I have -lived in the world many years, and I have not found that men are what -they ought to be. No! not one.--Pardon me, Signore," she looked -deprecatingly towards my companion. "The Signora has as much money as -she wants, and she does not hear the truth; she sees the best side of -people, they show the worst to us poor ones." - -Poor woman! I hastened to assure her that I was not in the happy state -she fancied. I felt ashamed at giving her my modest fee, and said I -wished it could have been larger; but evidently she was not greedy, -she clasped both her brown hands round my arm and squeezed it, while -she poured forth effusive thanks. Then she went back to the heap of -stones near the entrance of the cave where I had found her, sitting -like a hungry spider in wait for an inquiring fly, in the shape of a -traveller. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE WAY TO ASSISI - - -We had for years desired to make a pilgrimage to Assisi, and now, -across the lovely valley the sight of the little white town clinging -to Monte Subasio, veiled by grey and purple vapour, was a daily -reminder of our wish. Some places stamp themselves into the heart, and -while life lasts the longing to revisit them increases, till -realisation quenches desire. A visit to such a haunt of delightful -memories as Assisi requires time, so we waited till a few days could -be spared. - - [Illustration: GIOTTO.] - -It was very early morning when we drove down from Perugia along the -Assisi road, a road bordered by the silver and gold of olive-groves -and vineyards. Fragrant, dewy freshness lay on everything; even when -the sun rose higher, and blazed fiercely down on us, we had become so -absorbed by the surrounding scenery and its associations that we did -not seem to feel the brilliant heat. - -Now and then, between the leafy trees on our right, we had glimpses of -yellow Tiber on its way to Rome. Francis Bernardone must also have -enjoyed these glimpses as he walked to and from Assisi with some -favourite disciple, perhaps along this very road. - -St. Francis did a far greater work for his contemporaries than any -reformer of the later Renaissance period. He did not attack popes and -bishops, or find fault with everything and everybody who differed from -his special ideas: he used the most powerful means by which to -influence mankind,--he lived the life he preached. He had been -accustomed to luxury and every form of self-pleasing,--he gave up all -to follow the way of the Cross, from love to his Saviour. In that -brutal and licentious age, the beginning of the thirteenth century, -his example seems to have been irresistible. The life of poverty, -obedience, and chastity enjoined by his rule sounded utter folly -when first proclaimed to the multitude; but it says something in -favour of those times that, when the first outcry ceased, and his -fellow-citizens witnessed the harmony that existed between his life -and his teaching, he was left comparatively unmolested, and his work -was not materially interfered with. Though he died at forty-four, he -lived long enough to see his Order recognised by Holy Church and by -secular potentates, and to know that its widely spread communities -were firmly established wherever they had planted themselves. - -It may be said of St. Bernard and St. Dominick, that they also -practised all they preached, but one feature peculiar to St. Francis -is not chronicled of those other revivalists,--his idea of life was a -very happy one. In the century that followed, Boccaccio did not teach -joy as a duty one whit more strenuously than the Poverello did, -although the two men's ideas of the source of joy were so opposite. - -One remembers the recorded talk about joy, of that which fails to -make, and of that which _is_ the true root of happiness, between -Francis and Fra Leone,--a talk which continued for two miles, while -the master and his disciple walked out from Perugia to Assisi. - -At last Fra Leo, called by Francis "the little sheep of God," cried -out: "Father, tell me, I pray thee, wherein can perfect happiness be -found?" - -Whereupon Francis made his well-known answer, recorded in the eighth -chapter of _I Fioretti_ ("The Little Flowers of St. Francis"). - -As we drove along we remembered that the hills looking down on us, now -varied by exquisite cloud-shadows, had listened to cheerful lays, -improvised in the Provenēal tongue by Francis as he trudged along this -road. He did not have his hymns rendered into Italian verse, so that -they might be understood by the people, until he needed them to help -his teachings; his sympathy with human nature taught him the power of -music in creating fervent devotion. - -Reading the _Fioretti_, one learns that, in spite of the severe rule -he followed, Francis enjoyed his life; there must have been a singular -power of fascination in the man, who could always, wherever he went, -change sorrow into joy. He rejoiced in the beauty of nature, and went -singing along the dusty way, between the olive-trees and the -grape-laden vines, which then, as now, probably bordered the road on -either hand; he rejoiced in every trial laid on him, as a fresh -offering he could make to his God. - -Francis sang till the birds came fluttering round him to share his -gladness, mingling their songs with his. At Bevagna, a place south of -Spello, he preached his famous sermon to these winged disciples, and -bade the swallows cease their disturbing twitter. - -He loved all dumb creatures, and strove to care for them, calling them -his brothers and sisters; at Gubbio he tamed a wolf, till then the -terror of the place. Once, meeting a peasant who had an armful of wild -turtle-doves, he took them from the man, lest they should be killed or -ill-treated, and, bringing them home to La Portioncula, he caused -little nests to be made for the gentle birds, bade them live -peacefully, and increase and multiply according to the will of God. - -As we drove along the lovely valley, filled now with golden light -varied by purple shadow, its glorious background of hills in every -delicate shade of blue, with spaces between, an opal gauze in the -sunshine, and villages nestling beside the tree-shaded Tiber, we saw, -hard by, the grey-peaked bridge, so ancient looking, that Francis may -one time or another have gone singing across it; and we felt that such -a mind could not have lived amid so much beauty without becoming -interpenetrated by it. - -He is so entirely incorporated with Assisi and its surroundings, that -one cannot describe the old town without now and again referring to -the timeworn tale, so beautifully told by Monsieur Paul Sabatier. - -Our two hours' drive between vines and olive-trees backed by grand -purple hills had been lovely. The grapes were almost ripe, pale gold -in colour, thickly hanging from tender green garlands, which stretched -from one tree to another and linked them together. In some fields -long-horned oxen were ploughing the stiff lumpy land between the -vines; here and there golden stalks of maize lay on the rich brown -soil. The sun-touched summits of Subasio and his brethren looked like -radiant clouds; the pure invigorating air was delightful. - - [Illustration: CONVENT AND CHURCH OF SAN FRANCESCO.] - -As one nears Assisi, the two salient points in the view are, on the -left, high up the mountain side, the great convent of San Francesco, -with its double churches; on the right, at the foot of the ascent to -the town, is seen the dome of Santa Maria degli Angeli. - -The body of this church was built in the sixteenth century over the -original chapel, the Portioncula, in which St. Francis and his -disciples worshipped, and in which Santa Chiara and so many others -took the vows of the Order, and devoted themselves to lead lives of -poverty, chastity, and obedience. - -Huge Subasio had been in front of us all the way, but we could now -distinguish clearly the long stretch of white houses clinging midway -to the side of the mountain; and above the houses, the campaniles and -spires of Assisi, while towering high over the road, supported by a -double row of lofty arches, are the convent, and the two churches of -San Francesco. - -In a picture it would be difficult to give an adequate idea of the -approach to Assisi,--certainly word-painting cannot describe it. -Probably the thrill caused by the associations and surroundings of the -town intensifies the charm. - -The varied colour of the hills on either side of us had become more -exquisite. Now we had in full view the scene described by Dante as -the birthplace of San Francesco, for the town seems a part of the - - "Rich slope of mountain high, whence heat and cold - Are wafted through Perugia's eastern gate, - Upon that side where it doth break its steepness most, arose - A sun upon the world"-- - - Cary's Translation of _Il Paradiso_. - -For miles round, this building of San Francesco makes a striking -landmark, and as long as it stands it bears witness to the strange and -beautiful story of the youth who gave up all that seemed to make life -worth living, to save not only his own soul, but those of others. - -There was no tardy justice in the recognition given to his holy life, -and the benefits worked by his discipline. In 1228, two years after -his death, Francesco Bernardone was canonised by Pope Gregory IX.--the -tried friend who knew the life as well as the work of El Poverello--as -St. Francis of Assisi was called, and the building of the Lower Church -was begun. - -Before the century ended this church and the upper one had become a -great centre of art-workers; in a sense, we may look on Francis of -Assisi as a source of inspiration to both Giotto and Dante; they were -all three originators and purifiers. - -Dante's description in the _Paradiso_, or rather the story which he -makes St. Thomas Aquinas relate concerning Saint Francis, shows that a -lapse of centuries has not in any way altered the high esteem in which -he was held less than a century after his death. Dante was born only -thirty-nine years later; and as he certainly visited Assisi, he must -have been well acquainted with all the details of the saint's history. -It may have been in his exultation at the triumphs achieved by his -friend Giotto's frescoes at Assisi that the poet writes, after -mentioning Cimabue, "And now the cry is Giotto's." - -Our driver stopped at the foot of the hill, and told us we had better -begin our pilgrimage at the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. We -had, however, planned to begin the wonderful story at its first -chapter, and to visit the saint's birthplace, also the scene of his -final renunciation of the world. So we bade honest Checco drive us on -to the Hotel Subasio beside the hill, where we dismissed our carriage, -and looked at the room allotted to us. - -We then climbed the bit of ascent, and feasted our eyes on the outside -of the churches of San Francesco. - - [Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE TOWN, ASSISI.] - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -ASSISI--SAN FRANCESCO - - -As we mounted the hill the great shrine had seemed to rise higher and -higher above us; in the flaming sunshine the olives looked a pale -silver against the deep blue sky. When at last we took the way to the -monastery, we seemed to have reached a deserted town. Assisi was still -and lifeless; the very inn was asleep. Flies and gnats, however, made -us sharply feel that the heat gave them extra thirst, and that we were -a boon in this absence of human life. - - [Illustration: STATUE OF ST. FRANCIS.] - -We had been told that the Lower Church of the monastery is best seen -in morning light, so, instead of beginning our pilgrimage with the -first chapter of the saint's story, in Chiesa Nuova, at the top of the -town, we turned to the cloister of San Francesco, and passed along it -to the terrace, on to which the beautiful porch opens. - -To-day this porch was full of exquisite effects of light and shadow; -near it is Fra Filippo's massive and finely proportioned campanile. -The name of the architect of the church is unknown; but it seems -fairly attested that the campanile was built by Fra Filippo Campello, -who later on became the architect of the church erected by the -Assisans, on the site of San Giorgio, in honour of Santa Chiara, or -Clara, the first female convert of St. Francis, the foundress of the -"Poor Clares." - - [Illustration: THE TOWER, SAN FRANCESCO.] - -It is strange that the name of the great architect who designed this -beautiful church and monastery should be doubtful, especially as San -Francesco is said to be almost the first Gothic church built in -Italy, and remains to this day one of the purest and most beautiful in -style, free from that admixture of Renaissance work which robs so many -Italian churches of the reverence and religious inspiration created by -our English and so many French cathedrals. At San Francesco the very -walls are sermons in stone; while, especially in the Lower Church, the -rich beauty of colour calls out a perpetual hymn of praise. - -The offerings made by pilgrims from all parts of Italy at the tomb of -Francis in San Giorgio had, in the space of two years, amounted to a -sum large enough to defray the expense of building this Lower Church. - -We went in by the porch to the atrium; coming from the brilliant -sunshine outside, all seemed so dim that we feared we should not make -out the frescoes that cover, with mellow, delicious colour, the walls -and low vaults of nave and side chapels. - -One seems to breathe colour in the atmosphere of this Lower Church; -the very air is painted, as light comes in through the stained glass -windows, most of which are worth a careful study. There are -interesting tombs in this first part of the church, before one enters -the nave; one of the tombs resembles in its arrangement Giovanni -Pisano's beautiful monument to Pope Benedict XI. at San Domenico, -Perugia, but the Assisan tomb is wholly inferior in execution. As we -stood looking up the nave, we realised how truly this church embodies -the life and work of Francis Bernardone; it is a house of prayer and -praise. Its exquisite beauty, both of architecture and colour, -inspires the joy so continually preached by Francis, in which he -lived, despite his ascetic privations and self-denying labour for the -good of souls. - -It is impossible to describe, or even to name, except generally, the -numberless frescoes which enrich the walls and the vaultings of the -transepts and chapels; the golden-starred, blue roof of the nave -absorbs the light, but it adds to the mysterious beauty of the church. - - [Illustration: ENTRANCE DOOR TO LOWER CHURCH, ASSISI.] - -Perhaps the first thing that one admires on entering the nave is the -richly-coloured cross-vaulting above the high altar, and that between -the choir and transepts. There are four chapels on the right, and only -two on the left side of the nave; between these two are the -sacristies. There can be no doubt that in the original plan these -chapels did not exist. - -The foundation of the church was laid in 1228; evidently the walls -when completed were covered with frescoes by some very early painters, -who failed to satisfy the taste of the Franciscans; for one can make -out portions of old fresco work near the entrances to the chapels, the -wall here having been removed when these additions were made to the -original building. - -This took place before Cimabue and Giunta Pisano and then Giotto and -his pupils came from Florence; followed by the Lorenzetti and Simone -Martino, from Siena, to make the basilica the burnished jewel it is -to-day. A harmony of blue and scarlet, of green and gold, fills one's -sight as one looks onward to the high altar. - -We went up to the right transept; here is the famous Madonna of -Cimabue. Above the arch of the chapel within the transept is a -beautiful fresco by Giotto, of the Annunciation, part of a series by -that painter of the Infant Life of our Lord, from the Annunciation to -the Finding the Holy Child in the Temple; the figures in these -frescoes all tell their own story, and are full of beauty and dignity. -The Annunciation over the arch leading to the chapel is especially -lovely. - -There is also another series of Giotto frescoes on the wall of this -transept; in one a child is falling from a window; there are sweet -faces among the women who kneel in front. St. Francis meets the child -as its body is being taken to burial, and restores it to life. The -other two frescoes also deal with restoration to life. Our guide said -that one of the faces in these was a likeness of Giotto Bondone. In -this Lower Church are many frescoes by Giotto's pupils, notably by -Taddeo Gaddi and by Giottino, who have done very fine work on its -walls. Within the chapel, beyond the Annunciation, is an interesting -series of frescoes, which represent the story of St. Nicholas; these -are said to be the work of Giotto's best pupil, name unknown, some of -whose work is also in the Upper Church. The truth to nature in the -conception, and the simplicity of this master's work, make the study -of it most fascinating; its breadth of treatment gives it a peace and -dignity which the solemn stiffness of Cimabue fails to inspire. - -Giotto must have been young when the Franciscans summoned him to -adorn the walls of their basilica, for his work there is supposed to -have been completed in the early years of the fourteenth century, and -he was not born till 1265. - -It is well known how the great artist Cimabue, on his way from -Vespignano, a village some miles north of Florence, found among the -hills a shepherd lad of ten years old, named Giotto Bondone, sketching -on a bit of stone, and how the great Florentine was, on close -inspection of the sketch, so impressed by the truth to nature shown in -the boy's likeness of one of his sheep, that he thenceforth adopted -Giotto as his pupil, and took him to Florence, where for ten years the -youth worked in Cimabue's atelier. - -It is strange that the painter should have so greatly admired the -simple love for and the truthful rendering of nature which -characterises his protégé's work, for Cimabue himself clung to the -stiff drawing and unlovely ideals of Byzantine art, overlaid with -gold and jewels. The most striking feature in Giotto's work is the -life-likeness of his figures and faces and their surroundings; and the -natural and simple way in which he portrays action. The faces are -seldom as lovely as those of the Sienese painters in this church, but -there is no exaggeration about Giotto. Ruskin says "his imagination -was exhaustive without extravagance." - -At Assisi one seems to trace his progress from these early paintings -in the right transept, to the very excellent series on the Life of St. -Francis in the Upper Church. Time has probably lent its mellowing -help, but the rich yet soft harmony of colour is beyond the power of -word-painting,--it takes complete possession of the gazer. - -The left-hand transept contains the chapel of San Giovanni. The -Franciscans confided its adornment to Pietro Lorenzetti of Siena, who -covered the walls with scenes from the Passion. The colour is rich -and remarkable, but the design is frequently exaggerated. In the -fresco of the Crucifixion, however, the figures beneath the cross are -beautiful, especially those of the Madonna, of St. John the -Evangelist, and St. Francis. - -Another very interesting chapel, also on left side of nave below the -grille, which at great functions is closed, dividing the nave from the -transept and the high altar, is that dedicated to St. Martin, filled -with lovely frescoes by Simone Martini of Siena, representing the life -and miracles of Martin of Tours. The faces and figures are delightful, -so is the colour; the story of the saint is admirably told. - -There are also beautiful frescoes by Simone Martini, or Simone Memmi, -as this Sienese painter is often called, between the entrances to the -chapels of the Sacrament and that of St. Mary Magdalene. Many others -by Giotto and his pupils are in the various chapels. - -When we had looked at some of these, we went back to the high altar, -and, standing there, beneath that glorious vaulting overhead, we found -it difficult to realise that we were actually on the place so filled -with memories of the three great revivalists of purity, for in their -respective generations Francis Bernardone, Dante, and Giotto strove to -regenerate Italy. - -After a while, as one stands gazing at the great lunettes overhead, -one can picture the two friends, Dante and Giotto, on the space now -occupied by the high altar,--the imagination of the poet aiding the -skill of the painter to perpetuate the teaching of the Spouse of -Poverty. - -The tomb of St. Francis is in an open crypt below the high altar; this -crypt is called by the Assisans the Third Church; the neighbouring -peasants frequently attend the early mass celebrated here. - -Owing to the care with which Brother Elias, who succeeded Francis as -Vicar-general of the Order, secreted the urn containing the remains -of the saint, they were not discovered till the year 1818. A tradition -had been circulated, and was firmly believed in, that a third very -beautiful church had been built underground, and contained the body of -the founder. - -This successor of Francis, Fra Elia, was doubtless proud and -ambitious; his grasping worldliness and irreligion greatly injured the -repute of the Franciscan community, but in this special case he acted -wisely. Perugia had determined to possess herself of the precious -body, which drew pilgrims from all parts of Europe to make offerings -at its shrine; Elias knew this, and therefore, when the basilica was -completed, and the saint's remains were removed from their tomb at San -Giorgio to the new church, he buried them secretly, and surrounded -them by a strongly cemented underground wall of masonry, which -effectually baffled all attempts to discover them, though the -Perugians made several attacks on Assisi for that sole purpose. - -In 1818 the Assisans made a more skilful and sustained excavation. At -the end of two months, spent in piercing the rock on which the church -is built, and the solid wall of masonry which seemed part of the rock -itself, the urn was discovered. The excuse for Elias is that he -considered the presence of the saint's body to be the honour and glory -of the city of Assisi, to say nothing of the wealth accumulated by -offerings at the shrine. - -Overhead is the culminating glory of the church, the frescoes on the -four central lunettes of the vault, sometimes considered to be -Giotto's finest work at Assisi. They represent, in allegory, the -poverty, the obedience, and the chastity enjoined by the saint, and -embodied by him in the rule of his Order. The fourth spandrel -represents St. Francis in Glory. - -Probably the poet and the painter stood together on this very spot. -Tradition says that Dante aided his friend in the conception of these -grand designs. The marriage of Francis to the Lady Poverty seems to -prefigure the lines in the _Paradiso_, for Giotto had finished his -work at Assisi before those lines were written. - -In the next compartment, a monk, a nun, and a lay-brother of the Order -are seen taking the vow of chastity; they are supposed to represent -Bernard di Quintavalle, the wealthy noble who became the first -disciple of St. Francis; Santa Chiara, who wears the robe of the -Second Franciscan Order; the lay-brother, in a Florentine garb, is -thought to be Dante. The Virtue, guarded by angels, looks out from a -tower above. There are many other figures, mortals, angels, and -demons, who indicate in various ways the constant struggle and -mortification attendant on the Franciscan calling. Some of the angels -with beautiful faces are busily engaged repelling the spirits of the -world, the flesh, and the devil, who strive to tempt the neophyte, a -naked youth who is being baptized by two angels in a font in middle -distance. The good angels hurl the devils over the rocks into depths -far below. - -The third fresco, Obedience, is also full of allegorical figures, and -the Virtue wears the Franciscan robe. The fourth fresco shows St. -Francis in Glory, surrounded by throngs of fair-haired angels, who -sing hymns of perpetual praise. The truth to nature in these figures -is remarkable, some of the faces are beautiful. - -One might fill many pages with detailed descriptions of the frescoes -on the walls and vaulting of this gemlike church. It takes several -days even to see them, and therefore it is wiser to spend some time in -Assisi, so as to examine them in their best light. - -So wonderfully picturesque is every part of this Lower Church, that it -is very difficult to give any idea of such a storehouse of early -Italian art, for both Upper and Lower Churches seem to have been a -rallying-ground for Giotto and his pupils, for the early Sienese -masters, and for others following after Cimabue, Giunta Pisano, and -the very early painters of Italy. - -Fra Antonio, the sacristan, was a most kind and intelligent guide: -pointing out to us the portrait of Francis, attributed to Giunta da -Pisano, he took us into the sacristy, and let us see strips of old -embroidery mounted on frames. The faces in this embroidery were -beautifully rendered, and the colour was delightful. The Fra told us -that some English ladies from Perugia had so greatly admired the old -lace in the vestiary that he felt sure we should also like to see it; -among it was some very fine point de Venise, used to trim surplices. I -forget how old he said it was; some of the vestments were exquisitely -embroidered. - - [Illustration: THE SMALL CLOISTER, SAN FRANCESCO.] - -Then he opened a door, and we saw the quaintest little cloister, -surrounded by the grey convent walls; the garden, in its grass-grown -quadrangle, was seemingly left to itself. We spied out rosy cyclamen -blossoms dotted among the grassed hollows of the rough ground, and our -kind Fra, tucking up the skirts of his cassock, for at San Francesco -the Franciscan habit is not worn, the conventual garb takes its place, -stepped into the quad, and gathered a bunch of blossoms, which he -presented to me, with tufts of maidenhair fern from the low wall of -the cloistered garden. He asked my companions to come and dig up roots -of both cyclamen and maidenhair. - -"The Signori may as well have them," he said, with a sigh, "as those -who set no store by them." - -He was very kind, but we wondered what St. Francis would have thought -about the change of costume and the comparative comfort of these -guardians of his burial-place. - -We went back into the basilica, and up a staircase which led to the -east end of the Upper Church, built some twenty-one years after the -Lower one. It is a beautiful and graceful example of early Gothic. The -Pope's chair, near which we entered, is in red marble; the high altar -at that time was surrounded by a screen, mass being no longer said -there. - - [Illustration: CLOISTER-GARDEN, SAN FRANCESCO.] - -Cimabue and other old painters have covered the walls in this part of -the Upper Church with frescoes, many of them grand and impressive in -design, though they have greatly suffered from so-called restoration -by unskilful hands, while damp has damaged others. Some of the -subjects are from the Old Testament, others from events in the life of -our Lord; the general effect is, however, rich and harmonious. The -long series taken from the life of St. Francis, along the lower part -of the nave, is very interesting. There are twenty-eight subjects, -chiefly painted by Giotto; the rest are said to be executed by that -pupil of the Florentine master who painted the legend of St. Nicholas -in the Lower Church. Giotto's fine series in this Upper Church -portrays the saint's history, and contains, I believe, the best work -executed by the artist in the basilica; it is much later in date than -some of his other Franciscan frescoes. The painter is said to have -taken as his guide Father Bonaventura's Life of St. Francis. As this -writer was born during the lifetime of Francis, and was later on -commissioned to write the saint's Life, his narrative may be -considered reliable. The painting of the various scenes is masterly, -and the detail in the interesting events here depicted, the -architecture especially, is rendered in a very striking manner. - -These frescoes are so lifelike, that they stamp yet more strongly into -the mind the impression created by a visit to Assisi, the truth of -the wonderful conversion and subsequent life of Francesco Bernardone. - -One of the most striking incidents in this conversion is illustrated -in the fourth fresco of the series, in which the saint is shown -praying before the crucifix in San Damiano. Those who have read the -beautiful _Vie de Saint Franēois d'Assise_, by Monsieur Paul Sabatier, -will understand the meaning of this fresco, though it has been so -sadly injured by damp. For those who have not enjoyed this privilege a -short sketch of the saint's life is here added. - - * * * * * - -Francis Bernardone was born at Assisi in 1182, his father being a rich -merchant called Pietro Bernardone. His mother, Madonna Pica, is said -to have been better born than her wealthy husband, who travelled, -according to the custom of the time, from one city and castle to -another, journeying sometimes as far as France, with his company, and -the goods he had to sell. He does not seem to have taken Francis with -him; he preferred that the youth should remain at home, and use his -singular power of making friends among the wild and dissolute young -nobles of Assisi. - -Now and again Pietro would ask for his son's help in his warehouse, -but this was seldom. He wished the young fellow to distinguish himself -among these prodigals, and therefore gave him liberal means, so that -he might join in all their sports and amusements, in their banquets -and night revelries. - -The whole world of this period seems to have abandoned itself to every -form of sin and pleasure. There was no discipline, no self-restraint -to be found; might meant right. Self was everywhere worshipped, -especially among the nobles and the wealthy. - -Francis and his companions did not lack bravery. They joined the -Assisan troops in resisting an attack made by the rival and far more -powerful city of Perugia; the Assisans were defeated, and Francis, -with some of his friends, was for months imprisoned in a Perugian -dungeon. This gave him leisure for reflection. - -Soon after being liberated, he fell ill of a fever, and could not -return to his former life. He had already begun to see it with new -eyes, and during his slow recovery fell into a strange melancholy; -rousing from this, he decided to lead a military life. He would, he -told himself, perform daring feats of valour; so, when a very -distinguished knight asked him to take service with the Pope's troops, -then warring in Apulia, Francis eagerly accepted the proposal. - -The night before the two friends started, Francis dreamed that he saw -his father's warehouse, usually stored with bales of silk, and gold -and silver stuffs, filled with lances and military accoutrements both -for men and horses. He awoke in great delight. He considered this -dream a good omen for the success of his expedition, and rode joyfully -next day to Spoleto. A version of this dream is given on fresco No. 2, -by Giotto, in the Upper Church. At Spoleto his fever returned, and he -heard a voice telling him he had completely mistaken the meaning of -his dream, and that he must at once return to his father's house. -Francis obeyed, but on his return his father and his fellow-citizens -were disgusted by his apparent cowardice in turning back. - -Francis had always been charitable to the poor, flinging liberal -largesses to them as he rode about the country, sumptuously dressed -and with his horse richly caparisoned; he now awoke to the conviction -that the poor and suffering were his fellow-creatures, and merited a -more personal and tender treatment than he had bestowed on them. -Hitherto he had so dearly loved his gay companions, that he grudged -every moment spent away from them; he even hurried over meals with -his father and mother, so that he might the more speedily rejoin his -frivolous friends. Now, after his return from Spoleto, he often went -to a grotto, in a wood near Assisi, and prayed there; he saw less and -less of his companions, he even sold some of his rich clothing that he -might have more to give to the poor. In his father's absence he would -clear the table of all food left on it, and give it among his poor -friends. He had always been extremely dainty and fastidious in his -habits and tastes, and he especially shrank from contact with any of -the numerous lepers who, since the return of the Crusaders, had become -a plague along the high-roads of Europe. One day he met a leper, and, -after giving him an alms, turned abruptly away; on reflection, this -seemed to him cruel and uncharitable. Soon afterwards he paid a visit -to the lazar-house, spoke kindly to the inmates, and gave each leper -a special alms, kissing their hands as he did so. More than once, when -he met a poor man and had not a coin with him, he would bestow an -article of his own clothing on the beggar. - -His gay friends became greatly troubled at his changed behaviour. They -dearly loved his sweet, fearless nature, and his winning charm of -manner. They could not spare him from among them, for they looked on -him as their leader. - -They reproached him with his absence, and implored him to return to -them. Francis announced that he was going to give them a banquet, and -did so; there was every possible luxury, the table was magnificently -decked, and he was chosen lord of the feast. But though he was -cheerful, he was quieter, less full of wild revelry than he had -formerly been, and when they all left the feast, instead of leading -his companions into the streets of Assisi, as he had formerly done, he -lingered behind, till they had to retrace their steps so as to join -him. - -They asked what ailed him;--was he thinking of marriage? - -He remained silent awhile, then he said: - -"You have guessed rightly: I intend to espouse that most beautiful of -brides, the Lady Poverty. No longer will I waste my time and dissipate -my substance on follies." - -They stared in unbelief, then they treated it as a jest, but when they -found he was in earnest, they jeered at their idolised leader. - -When Pietro Bernardone learned that Francis had broken with his former -associates, he became furious. Already greatly angered by the report -of his son's visits to the lazar-house, and by other instances of the -young fellow's charity, he could not pardon this public act of folly. - -So long as his son shared the pursuits of the dissolute nobles who -had so greatly admired him, so long as he was to be found in their -company, the arrogant, purse-proud merchant, keenly desirous to -better, as he considered, his son's position in the world, had been -lavish of his money to the spendthrift; though even in those wild days -instances are recorded of the younger Bernardone's goodness to the -poor and suffering. - -He therefore sent for Francis. - -"You are welcome," he said, "to spend my money as you please, even to -the half of it, provided you spend it in the company of noble lords, -so as to bring you, in return, praise and honour. I covet for you -distinction, and you well know that it can only be gained from the -world; not one soldo will I give you to bestow on vile lepers, or on -churches and priests. You are idle, I hear; you spend all your time in -praying." - -This tyranny greatly troubled Francis, though it seems to have helped -his inward convictions by turning him more and more from the -temptations to worldliness. - -From this time forth the young fellow's domestic life became a daily -martyrdom, except when his father was absent for weeks together in -pursuit of business. But on Pietro's return he always began to -persecute his son. This, joined to the mental suffering endured by -Francis in his struggle after truth, had greatly affected the young -convert's health. - -Outside the Porta Nuova, in the midst of a wood, was the little ruined -church of San Damiano, served by one poor priest, who dwelt in a -miserable hermitage beside it. Francis had made acquaintance with this -priest, who, on his side, was hospitable to the friendless youth, for -not only his former companions, but the Assisan citizens sided with -his father in condemning Francis's behaviour. Frequently the younger -Bernardone would spend all night on his knees in the old church of -San Damiano. - -He was one day kneeling here in prayer when he heard a voice calling -him. He listened, and heard it distinctly bid him seek a closer walk -with God; it told him henceforth to devote himself to the restoration -of God's ruined houses in Umbria. At that time, owing partly to the -continual warfare and brigandage under which the country groaned; also -to the frequent visitations of the plague, which carried off so many -monks who tended the stricken hospital patients, some religious houses -were almost bereft of their inmates, very few monks were left to -repair and keep in order the churches and chapels of Umbria, and many -of these were therefore sadly dilapidated. - -Francis felt transported out of himself, his doubts and difficulties -seemed to vanish before this direct call from heaven. In his religious -fervour he resolved to quit his father's house, now a scene of daily -persecution. He would in future devote himself to the building up of -ruined shrines, and he would begin with the chapel of San Damiano. In -a fresco by Giotto in the Upper Church, Francis is seen kneeling -before the crucifix listening to the voice. The crucifix still exists, -but it has been removed from San Damiano to Santa Chiara. A part of -this fresco is almost obliterated by damp. Perhaps the most -interesting fresco of the series is that in which Francis renounces -the world before the bishop and the people of Assisi. - -After he had vowed at San Damiano to devote himself to the reparation -of ruined churches and shrines, he remembered that he had no money -wherewith to begin his labours. The remarkable gift he possessed, -decision of character, now impelled him to put his resolve into -instant action. - -He hastened back to Assisi, made into a bundle some rich stuffs, his -own property (not, as has been said, goods belonging to his father), -then, bent on speedily repairing the fabric of San Damiano, Francis -rode off along the valley, to the thriving commercial town of Foligno, -only a few miles away. In the market of Foligno he sold all he -possessed, even the horse he rode, with its trappings, and joyfully -returned on foot to San Damiano, with a bag full of money. - -The arrogance and avarice of Pietro Bernardone were known throughout -the country-side, his quarrels, too, with his son's new ideas were by -this time public property; so that, when Francis toiled joyfully up -the hill to the chapel, and offered his bag of money to the priest, -the good man refused to accept it, warning the young enthusiast that -such a gift would greatly anger the rich merchant, his father. At this -refusal Francis flung his purse into the window nook of the chapel, -and, turning to the priest, begged him to feed and lodge him in his -humble dwelling. - -Pietro was at home, and after a while became anxious at his son's -continued absence; he went to look for him at San Damiano. Francis, -however, guessing at his father's anger, had already found a safe -hiding-place in the wood. When he heard Pietro's fierce reproaches, he -trembled; he then termed himself a coward to prove thus unworthy of -the call he had received. - -He resolved to go back to Assisi, and announce to his father his -choice of a vocation. His long mental struggle, his nights spent in -prayer and fasting, his weeks of severe discipline, had greatly -changed his appearance; his clothing was soiled and torn, his face -pale and emaciated. When he trudged into Assisi, the town children -failed to recognise him, and, excited by the sight of this strange -beggar, they surrounded him, crying out, "A madman, a madman!" -throwing stones at him. - -The outcry called his father to his house door; he saw and recognised -his son. The furious merchant seized Francis by the collar, dragged -him into the house, which stood on the site of Chiesa Nuova, and, -after a severe flogging, flung him into a cellar. Here the young -ascetic was rigorously imprisoned till Pietro again left home for one -of his business journeys. - -He had no sooner gone than Madonna Pica released and tried to comfort -the son she so dearly loved. Francis soon bade her adieu, and returned -to San Damiano. - -But when Pietro came home again, and found his son absent, it is said -that he gave his wife a beating before he hurried off to the ruined -chapel in the wood. - -This time Francis did not try to hide himself; but when his father, in -a torrent of reproaches, told him he must quit the country, because he -had brought such disgrace on his family, the young fellow respectfully -answered: - -"Henceforth God is my only Father; I cannot obey any other." - -Pietro again broke into furious accusation. He had lavished a fortune -on Francis, he said, and this was the return he got for it. - -For answer, his son pointed to the bag of money which still lay in the -window nook. - -Bernardone eagerly seized it. He swore that he would appeal to the -justice of the law to punish his son. - -He did appeal. Francis was cited to appear before the magistrate. He -refused to obey the summons; he had put himself, he said, under the -protection of the Church. - -When Bernardone heard of this answer he appealed to the Ecclesiastical -Court; but the Bishop's answer to the angry father was a warning. He -said that if Pietro really wished to punish his son for being good and -pious, his only resource was to persuade Francis to give up all claim -to his patrimony, or he could, if he chose, disinherit him. - -Francis was summoned to the Bishop's palace, on the Piazza Santa -Maria Maggiore. He found the place thronged by the excited citizens of -Assisi. The Bishop, at that time well disposed towards the young -fellow, advised him to end the quarrel with his father by renouncing -all claim to his inheritance. - -When Francis heard this counsel, his face beamed with joy. He stripped -off his clothing, rolled it into a bundle, and laid it and the few -coins he still possessed at the feet of the Bishop. He then turned to -the wonder-struck citizens of Assisi: - -"Mark all of you," he said, "I have given back my possessions to -Pietro Bernardone; I once called him father, hereafter I address -myself altogether to our Father which is in Heaven." - -Pietro pushed forward; he snatched up the money and the clothing. - -This drew a loud murmur from the Assisans, for the rich merchant's -arrogance and avarice had alienated his fellow-townsmen; he had grown -to be unpopular. - -The compassionate Bishop at once flung his own cloak over the youth's -shivering shoulders; his charity drew forth a pitying chorus of -approval. The people, who had hitherto despised Francis as a fool, saw -him suddenly in a new light; they marvelled at this singular proof of -self-abnegation. - -Thus the first-fruits of his mission were reaped from the impression -created in many of these bystanders, who during the past two years had -scornfully witnessed and mocked at his good deeds and his devout life. - -The reality of the scene represented in this fresco is marvellous; it -at once tells its own story. The compassionate Bishop puts his cloak -round the naked youth, who holds up his hands in the act of -renunciation, while the stern-looking Pietro bustles forward to snatch -at the money and clothing, and also apparently to strike a blow at his -son, but is held back by a wealthy-looking fellow-citizen in an -ermine-lined cloak and tippet. - -In another fresco Francis is preaching to the birds at Bevagna; in -another we see the arid summit of La Vernia above the Casentino -valley, where, in his later years, he is said to have received the -Stigmata. Another fresco full of beauty and interest is called "The -Mourning of the Nuns of San Damiano." It shows how, after the saint's -death, his body was carried past the convent of San Damiano, on its -way to sepulture at San Giorgio; the saintly Clara had been for some -years Abbess of the little convent in the wood, and she and the Poor -Clares, her Sisters, wept over the body of their beloved founder. - -These frescoes, and the thoughts they recall, are deeply interesting, -and yet the Upper Church is not so delightful as the Lower one is,--at -least, we did not find it so fascinating, although, in addition to the -frescoes, the painted windows are full of beauty; there is rather too -much light; one misses the rich mellowness of atmosphere which fills -the Lower Church with a dim mystery of splendid colour, especially one -misses the work of the Sienese painters. - -The way to La Vernia, judging by the fresco, must have been terribly -rugged. The favourite resort of St. Francis, when he retired from the -distractions of life at La Portioncula, to give himself more fully to -prayer and contemplation, was Le Carceri; the cells are still to be -seen in a ravine on the side of rugged Monte Subasio, some way north -of San Damiano. Le Carceri is a series of caves in the solid rock, -containing the monks' cells; it is backed by a wood, and has the hill -torrent before it. The walk there from Assisi is full of beauty, and -it is not a very long way from Piazza Nuova, leaving Assisi by Porta -Cappucini. Here the saint had frequent talk with the birds in the -woods near Le Carceri; the ilex tree is still shown on which the -winged disciples perched while Saint Francis talked with them. - - [Illustration: OUTSIDE SAN FRANCESCO] - -It was at Le Carceri that he invited the nightingale to try which -could sing longest to the praise and glory of God. Brother Leo -declined to join in this trial, but the saint and the nightingale sang -on through the night, till Francis, completely exhausted, had to yield -victory to the bird. - -While we stood gazing at the frescoes, thinking of all these things, -Fra Antonio said softly: - -"The Signora and the Signori have now seen all I can to-day show -them." - -We longed to linger, but already the kind man had given us much of his -time; he quaintly added, "It is, moreover, my dinner-hour." - -Then we took leave of the kind Fra, and said we would come again. We -went out by the west door under the fine window, and rejoiced in the -very lovely view before us. We wished our guide a good appetite, and -he stood watching us as we went down one flight of the double range of -steps leading from the Piazza of the Upper Church to the Lower one. - -We were tired when we came out into the sunshine, and we sat down in -the shade opposite a fountain, at the foot of the steps. - -A girl came presently up the hill behind us, her bare feet white with -dust. She carried on her red-kerchiefed head a tall copper pitcher -with dinges which bespoke it the worse for wear; her skirt was short -and dark, and the light blue bodice laced up behind showed a white -undervest. In a minute she began to run fast, deftly balancing the -tall pitcher. Then we saw behind her a long-legged lad, evidently bent -on arriving first at the fountain. The two figures seemed to fly along -the dusty road; the lad outran the girl, and, when she reached him, -panting and choking with laughter, he had the courtesy to fill her -pitcher for her, and helped her in raising it to her head. - - [Illustration: SAN FRANCESCO, THE UPPER CHURCH.] - -It is wonderful how these women can so surely support the loads they -carry on their heads; the burden is sometimes a huge round basket, -three feet across, full of grapes or heavy vegetables. - -We rarely saw a man thus burdened; he seems to content himself in -Italy, as he does in France, with looking on and admiring, while the -women do the work. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -ASSISI--IN THE TOWN - - -Our little hotel, the Albergo Subasio, is close to San Francesco, and -from its windows commands a most exquisite view of the valley and the -richly-tinted hills. If time served, one could spend hours in enjoying -the beauty of this landscape, so full of colour and of variety. - -We passed by San Francesco, and up the long, solemn street which it -seems to guard. Grass grows freely between the stones that pave the -street, which mounts very steeply; farther up were shops, but all were -full of silence. No one seemed to be alive within the dark openings on -either side, though from the wares displayed it was evident that -inhabitants were not far off; doubtless all sound asleep at this time -of day. - -At the top of the street on either side are tall old grey palaces; one -of these, on the right, has a projecting roof, supported by long and -beautifully-carved brackets. This is the Ospedale, with its curious -door. On the left is the Palazzo Allemanni; over every door and window -is the legend, _In Domino confido_. - -The blue mountains, each range paler and more exquisite in tint as it -rose behind another, were seen through a glimmering veil of -sparsely-planted olives, and seemingly ended the street we were -mounting; but, going on, we presently came out on the Piazza di -Minerva. - -Here is a fine, very ancient portico, supported by five columns of -travertine, once the front of a temple to Minerva. Behind it is the -more modern church of Santa Maria della Minerva. We were now on the -site of old Roman Assisi, for the Forum lies below the Piazza, and one -goes down steps to it. Formerly a flight of steps in front of the -temple led to the Forum, and the effect must have been very fine; now -the artificially raised ground of the Piazza takes away from the -apparent height of the portico, which has no longer so lofty a -position in the general view as of old. It seems a pity that the space -round it is not clearer. - -Up a turning not far from the Temple of Minerva we came to the -cathedral of Assisi, San Rufino, built by Giovanni da Gubbio in -twelfth and early part of thirteenth century. It has an interesting -brown faēade and a picturesque campanile; its three fine doorways and -rose windows are full of beauty, but the interior is comparatively -modernised, although a triptych by Niccolo da Foligno is worth seeing. -There are many frescoes and pictures in Assisi, by Matteo da Gualdo, -Tiberio di Assisi, l'Ingegno, and one at least by that rarely found -master, Fiorenzo di Lorenzo. There are some in the small church of San -Paolo, near the Temple of Minerva, some in the Palazzo Pubblico, and -elsewhere. Beyond the Piazza Grande is the house wherein Metastasio -was born. - -But we found it difficult to detach our interest from Francis -Bernardone, who is truly the moving spirit of Assisi, and, turning -downwards to the right, we were soon in the little square of Chiesa -Nuova. We knocked at the church door, and, after some delay, a very -old monk, wearing the Franciscan habit, opened it. - -He only nodded or shook his head in answer to our questions. The -interest attaching to Chiesa Nuova lies wholly in the fact that it -stands on the site of the Bernardone house. The shop of El Poverello's -father is still preserved in the Via Portici. The high altar in Chiesa -Nuova is supposed to occupy the place of the saint's bedchamber; a -side-chapel on the right is an unaltered room of the house, that in -which his mother, Madonna Pica, dreamed her wonderful dream. The door -is still standing at which, in her vision, the angel appeared to her, -with the tidings that her expected child would be born in a stable; -this is said to be a later invention of the Franciscans. There is a -dark cave in the church, said to be part of the cellar in which his -father imprisoned Francis to cure him of his so-called fanatical -follies. It looked dismayingly dismal. He was probably flung in here -on his return from San Damiano. The little Piazza before the church -was not that which witnessed the young saint's renunciation of the -world, and heard his memorable vow. That scene took place in front of -the now decayed romanesque church of Santa Maria Maggiore, near the -Bishop's palace. This was one of the churches partly restored by St. -Francis, who rebuilt its eastern end. It was probably on the Piazza -here that Francis flung down money and clothing, and, sheltered only -by the Bishop's mantle, borrowed the serge garment of a rough -countryman, and began his new life. - -Francis, when he left the Piazza, was free. He at once set to work to -repair San Damiano, begging bricks and other needful materials from -the more charitable of the citizens. He next restored another chapel -in the neighbourhood; this completed, he fell to work on the wayside -shrine to which his mother had often taken him as a child, the -well-known chapel of the Little Portion of St. Mary, or, as it is to -this day called, La Portioncula. - -It belonged to the Benedictine abbey on the heights of Subasio, whence -a priest occasionally came down the mountain to celebrate mass for -worshippers. Francis found much comfort in this service, and it was a -delight to him to restore with his own hands the little building to a -weather-proof condition. - -One day the Gospel read by the officiating priest greatly impressed -Francis; it seemed to him that the life he was leading could not be -altogether pleasing to God, because its aim was only the saving of his -own soul: he ought surely to incite others to share the light he had -received. From this time there began in him that intense hunger after -souls which was, next to his love of God, the chief motive-power of -his life. He had once been pre-eminent in folly, and by his -vainglorious and prodigal example had led many souls to sin: he was -bound, he decided, not only to submit himself joyfully to every trial, -as a means sent to subdue his will and his self-pleasing nature, but -he must try to prevail on others to follow the same discipline. - -His character seems to have developed with every fresh demand on his -exertions, a development caused not so much by impulse, as by a humble -feeling that he had not done nearly enough to prove his penitence. - -He walked to Assisi, and began to preach in its streets. He at once -attracted listeners; disciples soon followed. - -The first of these was a wealthy noble, called in the _Fioretti_ and -elsewhere in connection with Francis, Bernard di Quintavalle. This -nobleman, also called in the _Fioretti_, "Bernard of Assisi, who was -of the noblest and richest and wisest in the city," wisely began to -take heed unto St. Francis,--how exceeding strong must be his contempt -of the world, how great his patience in the midst of wrongs, because -albeit abominated and despised for two whole years by everyone, he -seemed yet more patient; Bernard began to think and to say to himself, -"This could not be, unless the Brother has the fulness of God's -grace." He invited the preacher that evening to sup and lodge with -him, and St. Francis consented thereto.... Thereat Bernard set it in -his heart to watch his sanctity, wherefore he let make ready for him a -bed in his own proper chamber, in the which, at night-time, ever a -lamp did burn. And St. Francis, for to hide his sanctity, when he was -come into the chamber, incontinent did throw himself upon the bed, and -made as though he slept; and likewise Bernard, after some short space, -did lie him down, and fell to snoring loudly.... St. Francis, thinking -truly that Bernard slept, rose up from his bed, and set himself to -pray ... "My God, my God" at intervals through the night. When morning -came, Bernard professed himself ready to become a follower of the new -teaching. Francis, though overjoyed in his heart, told his convert -that this was a task so great and difficult that it behoved them to -seek for Divine guidance in the matter. He proposed that they should -go together to the Bishop's house, and find there a good priest he -knew; and, after mass had been said for them, that the priest, at the -request of Francis, should open the missal thrice and read each time -the words at which it opened. - -At the first opening the words were, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and -sell that thou hast," etc. - -At the second opening the words were, "Take nothing for your journey," -etc. - -At the third, "If any one will come after me, let him deny himself, -and take up his cross and follow me." - -Bernard at once obeyed Christ's words: he sold all his possessions, -distributed his money among the poor and suffering, and went to live -with El Poverello, as Francis was called, in a small hut not far from -the lazar-house. The house of Bernard still stands, also the room in -which the friends talked; it is now called Palazzo Sbaraglini, and is -in the same street as the home of Clara Scifi. - -The next convert who came to seek Francis in the hut, to ask leave to -share his labours in tending the lepers, was the learned Pietro di -Cataneo, a canon of the cathedral of San Rufino. The third was Fra or -Fratello Egidio, called in English "Brother Giles," a poor labourer, -who proved to be one of the most remarkable of the group termed by -Francis his "Knights of the Round Table." Egidio seems to have been -willing as well as able to set his hand to any work he was asked to -do. Besides helping to tend the lepers, these men begged their daily -bread in the streets of Assisi, and Francis preached constantly, -sometimes in several adjacent villages the same day, so fervently that -crowds flocked to listen. - -The number of penitents soon increased, and, seeing this, Bishop Guido -of Assisi, at first so kind, grew jealous of the new power of the -penitent brothers. He advised Francis to join either the Dominican -community, or the Benedictines, a branch of whom had already -established themselves on the heights of Subasio. - -"Your present life," the Bishop said, "is impracticable." - -Francis answered that, "as the Bishop knows, money is at the root of -all quarrels, therefore I and my brother penitents, wishing to live in -peace, prefer to be without it." - -As time went on the number of penitents increased. Francis was -perplexed how to dispose of them; he felt also that if he could gain -the Papal sanction the power of his mission would be strengthened. He -resolved to make a pilgrimage to Rome, in order to ask Pope Innocent -the Third to consider his Rule, and to give it his approval. - -Eleven of the brothers went with him cheerfully to the Imperial City, -singing hymns of praise as they walked. They were received very -coldly: it was considered that such a dusty, travel-soiled handful of -men, with so small and insignificant a leader, could not have the -capacity to found a new Order, and that its Rule of Poverty, -Obedience, and Chastity was unseemly and preposterous. - -But when at length Francis was admitted to the Pope's presence, -Innocent saw in the face of his suppliant something that pleaded too -powerfully to be resisted, and, after a little more delay, against the -advice of his worldly, pleasure-loving cardinals, he gave his sanction -to the objectionable Rule, and named the new community, The Order of -Brothers Minor. - -They quitted Rome as soon as they could; they seem to have suffered -much privation on their homeward journey, so that they were glad, as -they approached Assisi, to find and take refuge in a small, empty -dwelling at Rivo Torto, near the leper-house. - -They established themselves here, but their number increased so -rapidly that they soon outgrew their quarters, and were shown that -they were unwelcome guests. - -When he found that he and his followers could no longer live by -themselves at Rivo Torto, Francis went to Guido, the Bishop of Assisi, -and begged to be allowed the use of an oratory, or of any chapel, in -which he and his brethren could say the Hours of Prayer. He was told -that no such building could be allotted him; and, almost weeping with -earnestness and baffled hope, Francis climbed the side of Subasio till -he reached, near the top, the abbey of the Benedictines. As this side -of the great hill belonged to the Abbot, the kindly man, who seems to -have fully sympathised with Francis, granted him the chapel of "the -Little Portion of St. Mary," to have and to hold for his own. - -At once the overjoyed Francis and his disciples, as has been said, set -to work and built themselves huts to dwell in, near their place of -worship. - -Next to the rapidity with which the new Order made its way, its most -remarkable feature was its social aspect. - -In those days, when the haughty nobles and the still more haughty -Church dignitaries seem to have ignored the existence of the -peasantry, we find in the Franciscan brotherhood, from its beginning, -a complete union of all classes. Its first four members were a canon, -a nobleman, a rich merchant's son, and a labourer. - -The Palazzo Scifi, in which the future Santa Chiara (the first member -of the Second Order founded by St. Francis) was born, is only a very -short distance from the church, afterwards built on the site of the -old San Giorgio, and called, in memory of the Abbess of the Poor -Clares, Santa Chiara. - -On his return from Rome, when it became public talk that he had -received tonsure, with the Pope's sanction to his Rule for the Order -of Brothers Minor,--Frati Minori, as they were called,--Francis found -himself in much higher favour with the Assisans. - -Instead of the street preaching he and his Brothers had daily -practised, he was offered the pulpit of San Giorgio; but that church -was found too small for the multitudes who flocked to hear El -Poverello, he was therefore invited to preach in the cathedral of San -Rufino. This was considered a great honour, and it fixed public -attention on the founder of the new brotherhood. - -It was in San Rufino that this beautiful young girl, named Clara -Scifi, daughter of the powerful Count Favorini Scifi, as despotic as -he was powerful, heard the new preacher. Listening with rapt attention -to these new doctrines of Poverty, Obedience, and Chastity for the -love and glory of God, and in imitation of his life, the girl -contrasted this teaching with the life lived around her. This new way, -the way of the Cross, opened out to her a new revelation. - -At that time, her father, a cruel and violent despot, had just laid -his commands on her, his elder daughter, to wed a young noble of -Assisi. While the girl listened to the saintly preacher, her heart and -mind were deeply stirred; she determined to ask the Poverello's advice -in her trouble. How could she follow out the purpose that had formed -in her heart, that of leading the life he pictured, if she wedded the -husband destined for her by her father. Her mother, the Lady Ortolana -del Fiume, a daughter of the Fiumi, those hated enemies of the -Baglioni of Perugia, and rivals of the Nepi of Assisi, was a devout -and good woman. But Clara shrank from consulting her on this subject, -lest she might breed discord between her parents; she therefore opened -her heart to her aunt, Bianca Guelfucci, who seems fully to have -sympathised with her niece's perplexity. - -Francis was sorely troubled when the trembling girl sought him out at -the Portioncula, and begged him to advise her. He said she must not -act rashly, she must prove the reality of her vocation before he could -counsel her to take the veil, and thus withdraw herself from her -parents' guardianship. He bade her wrap herself in a sackcloth robe, -with a hood drawn over her head so as to conceal her face, and thus, -clad like a mendicant, beg her bread from door to door through the -town of Assisi. Clara did this secretly; but it only added to the -fervent strength of her vocation, and finally Francis consented to her -wish. - -On the night of Palm Sunday the girl quitted the Scifi Palace, and, -accompanied by her aunt Bianca Guelfucci and a waiting-maid, went -rapidly out by the Porta Nuova, and across the starlit plain. As they -drew near the little brown chapel, surrounded by a thick wood, they -heard the Brothers of the Poor chanting a Psalm, and, waiting till -this had ceased, the trembling Clara knocked on the door and asked -leave to enter. - -Francis bade her come in, and he questioned her a little, then bade -her kneel; she obeyed, and took the vows he prescribed, after which he -cut off all her golden hair and laid it as an offering on the altar. -When her companion had wrapped her in the veil and sackcloth garment -of the Order, El Poverello led her and her aunt, through the dark -night, to the way they had to follow to reach the convent of the nuns -of San Paolo, about an hour's distance from Assisi. He told her that -she would there be safe from persecution. - -This Second Order of Franciscans was called, when Clara had -established herself at San Damiano, the Sisterhood of "the Poor -Clares." Her sister Agnes soon joined Clara, provoking the stormy -displeasure of her father and her uncle, who was savagely cruel in his -treatment of this young girl. The church of Santa Chiara was built -after Clara's death by Fra Campello, in red and cream-coloured marble. -It has a graceful campanile, and the flying buttresses are very -remarkable; they spring completely across the pathway beside the -church. - -The building was begun in the year after Santa Clara's death, but the -nuns remained at San Damiano for fifteen years longer; then the body -of their foundress was removed to Santa Chiara, and they took up their -abode in the convent adjoining the church. There are interesting -pictures in this fine building, especially in the chapel of San -Giorgio, and by this date the chapel probably contains the famous and -very ancient crucifix brought here from San Damiano, before which -Francis was kneeling when he heard the voice bidding him rebuild the -ruined houses of God. This crucifix was, I think, when we saw it, in -the convent of Santa Chiara, but we heard that it would be placed by -the altar of the chapel. - -Santa Chiara was built on the site of the old church, San Giorgio, the -first burial-place of Francis, but it is not clear how much of the -original edifice was spared by Fra Campello when he designed the new -building; there is much mention of the older church in the _Life of -Francis Bernardone_. Clara was buried in the chapel of San Giorgio, -but her tomb there was not discovered till 1850. - -There was great rejoicing in the town at this discovery; her remains -were carried through Assisi with much splendour of ceremonial, and -were followed by an immense procession. The coffin was reburied in a -crypt made to receive it in front of the high altar, reached by a -double flight of steps. The public are permitted to go down to view -the body of the saint in a glass case; candles are ever burning before -it. - -We did not, however, visit the crypt, and our gentle-faced conductress -seemed surprised by our lack of devotion. - -When we set out to visit San Damiano, and again passed by the church -of Santa Chiara, we noticed the contrast of colour between the -rose-tinted church and the brown convent walls. - -We followed the road till it reached a gate on the brow of the hill. -Here is a lovely view over rugged hill and fertile valley, wilder and -more picturesque than any we saw from Perugia. A breeze had sprung up; -now and again a light purple cloud-shadow varied the rosy tint of -Subasio, already darkened in places by ravines that gaped in his -rugged side, while the glint of a mountain rill showed here and there -like a stray gem on the grassy tufts that helped to mark its course. -Leaving the gate, we went down the steep descent on the right, between -silvery veils, the deep valleys being clothed with olive-groves; -their pale leaves gleamed in the sunshine against bright green -berries, and ancient trunks so gnarled and shrunken that we wondered -at the abundant crop of fruit overhead. Huge brown patches glowed like -velvet on these grey trunks; and through the silver veil we saw ranges -of hills in varied shades of blue, a more delicate tint indicating the -valleys that lay between them. - -There was not anywhere a hope of shade, unless we climbed the bank and -walked on the rough ground under the olive-trees, but these did not -grow closely enough to give shelter worth having, and the road under -foot being fairly smooth, we trudged downhill in the sunshine. - -The way proved longer than we expected. At last, concealed among -trees, we found San Damiano. - -We rang a bell beside the entrance; after a long pause, our summons -was answered by a beautiful young Franciscan, who showed us about -very courteously. He first took us into the quaint little chapel, and -pointed out an ancient crucifix; he told us how an angel had come -during the night, and had carved the unfinished head of the figure. He -showed us on the right of the entrance the hole below the window into -which St. Francis flung the money gained at Foligno by the sale of his -possessions; also, he showed the little cracked bell with which Santa -Chiara summoned her Sisters to prayer. - -It is interesting to learn that, though she ran away from her father's -house at night to adopt a religious life, Clara's mother, the Lady -Ortolana, after Count Scifi's death, was received into the Second -Order, and joined the community under her daughter's rule, then called -the Poor Ladies of San Damiano. - -Behind the little chapel is the choir of the nuns, left just as it was -when Santa Chiara died. The refectory on the other side of the -cloisters is also unaltered, and above it is the dormitory of the -nuns; at the end is Clara's cell. Every step makes the poetic history -more real. There is still the little garden in which this sweet, brave -woman took daily exercise, and tended the flowers she so dearly loved. - -When we came out we found the artist of our party sketching. Beside -him was a small boy about seven years old, a curiosity as to clothing. -He had on part of some ragged knee-breeches, the remains of a shirt, -and a portion of a straw hat; he seemed a bright, intelligent little -fellow. He was very much interested in the sketch, and delighted to be -talked to in his own language. Between his praises he held out a grimy -little hand, in a saucy, smiling way. - -Said the artist, "How much would you like, my man,--would a hundred -lire suit you?" - -The urchin grinned all over. "Si, Signore, I should much like a -hundred lire, but I would take less!" - -We went back up the olive-bordered hills to the pleasant little inn, -which seems to hang over the lovely valley behind the house. Just -before reaching Hotel Subasio there is a picturesque view looking -upwards, the great convent and churches of San Francesco towering -above us. - -Even apart from the touching interest with which the story of St. -Francis invests the little town, Assisi is delightful, so many -churches and religious houses exist there, full of picturesque charm -is the exquisite setting of landscape beyond and around them. - -Wherever one looks between the old grey houses, one sees the valley -full of rich colour, and the far-off, softened outlines of the hills. -The town on market-days is very bright and cheerful. - -It is a steep climb up to the old grey castle, the Rocca di Assisi; it -sits there crowning the hill like a falcon in its eyrie, the little -town beneath its feet; and what a wonderful prospect it dominates! - -To the west is Perugia, on its group of hills; eastward glistens many -another town, sometimes sheltered in a hollow of the hills, sometimes -standing out as Foligno does on the plain beyond. - -Behind the castle there is the wildest of ravines; Monte Subasio is -full of strange nooks and glens, of which the most interesting is that -of Le Carceri, the group of cells built in the mountain caves by -Francis and his brethren. He retired here for prayer and penance when -he found his life at the Portioncula distracting. Close by is the -little mountain stream of the Tescio, and the ilex-wood in which -Francis held discourse with the nightingale. - -In thinking and writing about St. Francis, one forgets the history of -Assisi. Till the Roman invasion of Umbria, this history seems chiefly -traditional. Dardanus is said to have built Assisi before he built -Troy; in consequence of a dream that came to him while he lay sleeping -on the slope of Subasio, he founded the famous Temple of Minerva, and -the city grew up round it. - -Goethe greatly displeased the Assisans by journeying to their city -only to see this temple; he passed by San Francesco without so much as -entering the church. - -The number of subterranean passages leading to the Rocca from all -parts of the town seems to prove that the little city greatly needed -shelter from surrounding foes. - -From the time that the Etruscans possessed themselves of a large part -of Umbria, and built the city of Perugia, Assisi was constantly -persecuted by this powerful neighbour, till the Romans overspread the -country, conquering the Etruscans, and the grim, hitherto unconquered -city of Perugia, burning most of it to the ground. - -In the Middle Ages, Assisi had frequently to submit to the despotism -of great leaders of Condottieri and others who bore rule in -Perugia,--Galeazzo Visconti, Biordo Michelotti, Forte Braccio of -Montone, Nicola Piccinino, Sforza, and others. Before these, however, -Charlemagne is said to have taken the city and utterly destroyed it. -After its destruction, the citizens built walls around their new town, -they also built the castle on the hilltop. This was at one time -occupied by Frederick Barbarossa, and then by Conrad of Suabia and -other despots. - -The two noble houses of the Fiumi and the Nepi, one being Guelph and -the other Ghibelline, though less bloodthirsty than the Baglioni and -the Oddi of Perugia, seem to have been constantly at strife till the -advent of St. Francis, who prevailed on them to live more peaceably. - -Later on there was again terrible strife and carnage in Assisi, and -when his lordship the Magnifico Gianpaolo Baglione took upon himself -to settle matters, famine and misery almost destroyed the inhabitants -of the brave little city. Miss Lina Duff Gordon, in the chapter called -"War and Strife" of her charming _Story of Assisi_, gives a vivid -account of this siege. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -ASSISI--SANTA MARIA DEGLI ANGELI - - -It is better, perhaps, after visiting Chiesa Nuova, to go next to St. -Mary of the Angels at the foot of the hill, instead of visiting San -Francesco, the saint's memorial church; for at the Portioncula, within -the walls of Santa Maria, Francis lived and worked and died. Most of -the Brothers whose names have come down to us were received into the -Order within the walls of the little chapel. - -The vast baldness of Santa Maria's nave, rebuilt less than a hundred -years ago, in consequence of the damage caused by an earthquake, was -very uninteresting, but at the east end is the brown Portioncula, the -home of Francis and of his first followers; for the little chapel -remained uninjured when the earthquake shattered the walls of the -outer church. - -The dark walls of the Portioncula are covered with votive offerings, -and over the entrance is a fresco by Overbeck. Looking within, it is -difficult to imagine how the events recorded in the _Fioretti_ could -have found room to happen in the tiny place. - -On the right is a chapel, the site of the cell of St. Francis; his -portrait is over the altar, and there are frescoes of his companions. -Our guide, a Franciscan, looked as if he had come direct from the -thirteenth century, but he had not brought thence the warm, loving -glow that must have radiated from the founder of his Order. - -The great interest of the place is its story. The Portioncula was a -well-known shrine, and had existed for years before Francis restored -it from its ruinous condition. It has been told how, when he was a -child, the saint was often taken by his mother to the little chapel, -and prayed there beside her. Two years after he renounced his home and -his father, Francis was kneeling here in prayer when he received his -second inspiration. According to his biographers, he hastily rose, -and, taking up a bit of cord near at hand, tied it round his waist, as -the outward badge of the Order of Poor Brethren. - -Our guide's scanty hair stood erect, and his red-veined blue eyes -stared at us, as the Gorgons did in the Etruscan tomb. At first he -would scarcely speak. He may have thought heretics would not -appreciate his information. When we came to the little rose-garden -outside the Chapel of the Roses, and talked to him about flowers, he -thawed; he told us how an unbelieving English traveller had begged a -rose-tree, so that he might try it in English soil, and how next year -the Englishman had written to say that the rose-tree was covered with -thorns; whereas at Santa Maria degli Angeli, these roses, brought here -from St. Benedict's monastery near Subiaco, have been thornless ever -since the day when St. Francis carried the original bushes from the -Benedictine garden at Il Sacro Speco, and planted them here. - -Our guide said we ought to pay our next visit when the roses were in -blossom, "a sight to be met with in no other place." He took us into a -chapel, where, under the altar, is the den into which the saint -retired for penance--a most wretched hole; then we went into the -sacristy, to see a Perugino. In another little chapel is the portrait -of El Poverello, a very remarkable face, painted on a plank which once -formed part of the saint's bed. There is a terra-cotta statue of him -by Andrea della Robbia. - -We went back to the church, and looked again at the Portioncula. In -it Clara, or Chiara, took the vows, and here her beautiful hair was -shorn from her head by St. Francis. Other memories of Santa Chiara -cling about this church of Santa Maria. Perhaps the Third, or -universal, Order was here determined on. The space outside has never -been built on, because it was here that the memorable meeting took -place between Clara and St. Francis, in answer to her repeated -petitions that they might eat bread together. The meeting is very -quaintly described in _I Fioretti_. Clara had often asked for this -privilege; this time the Brothers seconded her request, and Francis -granted it. He had, as soon as was possible, obtained for her the -little church of San Damiano, and had built up little huts beside it -for her and the poor ladies, who so soon joined her community. Clara -passed the rest of her life among the Sisters, and died Abbess of the -"Poor Clares" of San Damiano. - -The community of Brethren met on the open space twice yearly; the -great chapter of the Order convened by St. Francis eleven years after -its beginning, recorded in the _Fioretti_, took place on this vacant -ground. The number of the brethren must have increased very rapidly, -for several thousands came over the hills and along the valleys from -far-off parts of Italy to look their founder in the face, and to -receive his instructions and his blessing. Among others came San -Dominic, with some of his followers, and the Bishop of Ostia, Cardinal -Ugolino, afterwards Pope Gregory IX. - -The space occupied by Santa Maria must have been covered by the -village of huts built by St. Francis and his Brothers. In an old map, -these huts are shown built at regular distances on three sides of the -Portioncula; among them is one larger than the rest, probably the -Refectory or the Infirmary of the Brothers. Doubtless they lived here -a happy family life, though Francis began early to send them out to -found branches of the Order in other directions. The first sent away -from the nest-like home was Bernard of Quintavalle, to Bologna; here -he had to suffer insult and persecution, but he soon won many converts -by his preaching, and established a community of Brothers Minor in -that city, over which Francis appointed him guardian. This enterprise -was repeated over and over again, with success, till, in his hunger -after souls, several years later, El Poverello set forth with a couple -of Brothers to Damietta to convert the Soldan, who is said to have -permitted him to visit the Holy Sepulchre. His visit failed in its -object, but it is spoken of by Jacques de Vitry, Bishop of Acre, as a -fact. - -He was never tired of exhorting his brethren to live joyfully, so as -to make others happy. Their cares and the sorrow for sin which would -from time to time beset them, they should, he told them, pour out to -God in their prayers; he also exhorted them to live always according -to the Rule of the Order. - -The Popes seem to have troubled him by their persistent efforts to -persuade him to alter the extreme simplicity of this Rule, and to -assimilate his teaching with that of the other Orders. But St. -Francis, always most humble and gentle in his denials, pleaded so -earnestly and so sweetly for the original lines on which he had begun, -that he succeeded in gaining his point both with Innocent the Third, -and his successor Honorius. Even his dear friend Ugolino, the Cardinal -Bishop of Ostia, tried hard, when he succeeded to the Papacy as Pope -Gregory the Ninth, to convince El Poverello that union with the -Dominican Order would be a gain to the Church, but the saint's sweet -humility at last conquered Ugolino. These discussions, however, which -made needful journeys to and from Rome, involved much loss of time, -as well as mental weariness, and wore out his decreasing strength. - -He was, after a time, constantly suffering, but always cheerful and -uncomplaining. His greatest trial seems to have been the tendency he -saw, especially in the more recent converts, to relax the strictness -of the Rule in regard to Poverty; when he heard, during a journey -which would take him past Bologna, that larger and more comfortable -houses had been built for the Brethren there, he at once showed his -displeasure by passing by the city without stopping to greet the -Franciscans therein. - -He always returned with fresh joy to the Portioncula, and his life -there with his dear sons; a hard life, supported by the work of their -own hands. - -The gentle saint seems to have had plenty of dignity when called on to -rebuke a wrongful act; we see this in his dealings with one of his -early converts, Brother Juniper, that delightfully simple but most -indiscreet of the Minor Brothers, yet of whom Francis said, after -pondering on his simplicity and patience in the hour of trial: - -"Would to God that I had a whole forest of such Junipers." - -Indeed, on that day Brother Juniper was in sad disgrace with the other -monks. He was visiting a sick Brother, and, being afire with the love -of God, asked the sick man with much compassion, "Can I do thee any -service?" - -Replied the sick man: - -"Much comfort would it give me if thou couldst get me a pig's -trotter." - -Straightway cried Brother Juniper: - -"Leave that to me; you shall have one directly." - -So he went and took a knife from the kitchen, and in fervour of spirit -ran through the wood in which certain pigs were feeding; he threw -himself on one of them, cut off its foot and ran away. Returning to -the house, he washed and dressed and cooked the foot; and when, with -much diligence, he had prepared it, he brought the foot right lovingly -to the sick man. - -And the sick man ate it up greedily, to the great comfort and delight -of Brother Juniper, who with glee told his invalid how he had made -assault upon the pig. - -Meanwhile the swineherd, who saw Brother Juniper cut off the foot, -went and told all the story to his lord, who, when he was ware of it, -came to the house of the Brothers, crying out that they were -hypocrites and thieves and knaves. - -"Why have ye cut off my pig's foot?" he shouted. - -At the noise he made, St. Francis and the Brothers came out, and with -all humility the saint made excuses, and promised to make reparation -for the outrage. - -But for all that he was no whit appeased, but with much insult and -threats went away from the Brothers, full of anger. - -And St. Francis bethought him, and said within his heart, "Can Brother -Juniper in his indiscreet zeal have done this thing?" - -He called Juniper to him secretly, and said: - -"Didst thou cut off the foot of a pig in the wood?" - -Whereat Brother Juniper, not as if he had committed a crime, but as if -he had done a deed of charity, answered cheerfully: - -"It is true, dear Father, I cut off that pig's foot. Touching the -reason why, I went out of charity to visit a sick Brother." He then -narrated the facts, and added, "I tell thee, Father, that, considering -the comfort given by the said foot to our Brother, if I had cut off -the feet of a hundred pigs as I did of one, in very sooth methinks God -would have said, 'Well done.'" - -Whereat St. Francis said very severely, and with righteous zeal: - -"Brother Juniper, why hast thou caused so great a scandal? Not -without reason doth this man complain of us; he is perhaps already -noising it in the city. Wherefore I command thee, by thy obedience, -that thou run after him till thou come up with him, and throw thyself -on the ground, and confess thy fault, promising to make such -satisfaction that he may have no cause to complain of us, for of a -truth this has been too grievous an offence." - -Brother Juniper marvelled much at the words, being surprised that -anyone should be angry at so charitable a deed. He answered: - -"Doubt not, Father, that I will straightway pacify him; why should he -be so disquieted, seeing that this pig was rather God's than his, and -that great charity hath been done thereby?" - -Francis was constantly journeying about, preaching in all the villages -through which they passed, as well as in the castles which frowned -down on them, founding new houses of the Order in and near the larger -towns; he travelled great distances, and carried everywhere with him -the element of joy, showing it forth in the lovely hymns which he and -his Brothers carolled along the high-road to lighten the fatigue of -their journeys. - -Reading the _Fioretti_, one feels intimately acquainted with several -of the Brothers Minor,--with gentle Fra Leone, "the little sheep of -God"; with Fra Rufino, styled by Francis "one of the three most holy -souls in the world"; with Fra Masseo, who seems, in one recorded -instance, to have affected incredulity in regard to the saint's -humility. - -In those days the Portioncula and its village were surrounded by a -wood, and St. Francis often said his prayers therein; one day as he -came from them, he was met at the entrance of the wood by Fra Masseo -of Marignano, a man of much sanctity, discretion, and grace, for the -which cause St. Francis loved him much. - -Said Masseo, "Why to thee? Why to thee? Why to thee?" - -Quoth Francis, "What is thy meaning?" - -Brother Masseo answered: - -"I say, why doth all the world come straight to thee? and why do all -men long to see thee, to hear thee, and obey thee? Thou art not a man -comely to look at, thou hast not much learning, thou art not noble: -whence is it, then, that to thee the whole world comes?" - -Hearing this, St. Francis, all overjoyed in spirit, lifting up his -face to Heaven, stood for a great while wrapped in meditation. - -Anon returning to himself again, he knelt him down, and rendered -thanks and praises unto God; and then with great fervour of spirit he -turned him to Brother Masseo, and said: - -"Wilt thou know why to me? Wilt thou know why to me? Wilt thou know -why to me the whole world doth run? This cometh unto me from the eyes -of the most High God, which behold in every place the evil and the -good: for those most holy eyes have seen among sinners none more vile, -none more lacking, no worse sinner than I.... Therefore hath He chosen -me to confound the nobleness and the strength and the greatness and -the beauty and wisdom of the world, to the intent that men may know -that all virtue and all goodness come from Him, and not from the -creature, and that no man may glory in himself; but whoso will glory -may glory in the Lord." - -He often told his Brothers they must never forsake the Portioncula, -which he and they also so dearly loved. But his strength was almost -spent, and when he was only forty-two, two years before his death, he -appointed Brother Bernard vicar-general of the Order, so that he might -give himself up more completely to meditation and prayer before the -end came. - -He had founded a community near Rome, and appointed a good and -discreet Guardian thereto; but this Brother seems to have had some -difficulty in controlling the outbreaks of Brother Juniper, who had -been sent to this Roman home. - -There came a time when all the other Brethren had to go out. - -Quoth the Guardian, "Brother Juniper, we are all going out; see to it -that when we return you have cooked a little food for the refreshment -of the Brothers." - -Replied Brother Juniper, "Right willingly; leave that to me." - -Said Brother Juniper to himself, "It is a pity that one Brother should -always have to be in the kitchen, instead of saying prayers with the -rest. Of a surety, now that I am left behind to cook, I will make -ready so much food that all the Brothers will have enough for a -fortnight, and the cook will have less to do." - -So he went with all diligence into the country, and begged several -large cooking pots; he got also meat, fowls, eggs, vegetables, and -firewood in plenty; then he put all the eatables in the pots to cook, -to wit, the fowls with their feathers on, the eggs in their shells, -and so with the rest. - -After a while the Brothers came back to the home, and one of them -going to the kitchen, saw many great pots on an enormous fire; he sat -him down and looked on with amazement, but said nothing, watching the -care with which Brother Juniper did his cooking, and how he hurried -from one pot to the other. Having watched it all with great delight, -the Brother left the kitchen, and, finding the other Friars, said to -them: - -"I have to tell you Brother Juniper is making a marriage feast." But -the Brothers took his word as a jest. - -Presently Brother Juniper lifted the pots from the fire, and rang the -dinner bell. The Brothers sat down to table, and he came into the -refectory with his dishes, red-faced with his exertions. - -Quoth he, "Eat well, and then let us all go and pray: no one need -think of the kitchen for a while; I have cooked enough food for a -fortnight." - -And Brother Juniper set his stew on the table. But there is not a pig -in the whole countryside that would have partaken of it. - -Then Juniper, seeing that the Brothers did not eat thereof, said: - -"These fowls are strengthening for the brain, and this stew is so good -it will refresh the body." But while the Brothers were full of wonder -at his simplicity, the Guardian was wroth with the waste of so much -good food, and reproved him roughly. - -Then Brother Juniper threw himself on the ground and humbly confessed -his fault, saying, "I am the worst of men." - -After this he went sorrowfully out of the refectory. The Guardian, -touched by his humility, asked the Brethren to be kind to Juniper, who -had, with good intentions, erred through ignorance. - -Such pity had Brother Juniper for the poor, that when he saw anyone -ill-clad or naked he would at once take off his tunic, and the cowl of -his cloak, and give it to the beggar. - -Wherefore the Guardian commanded him that he should give to no poor -person his tunic or any part of his habit. - -Now it happened that a few days after, he met a poor man half-naked, -who asked alms for the love of God. - -"I have nothing," quoth he, "I could give thee save my tunic, and my -Superior hath enjoined me not to give it to anyone, but if thou take -it off my back I will not say thee nay." - -He spoke not to the deaf, for straightway the poor man pulled his -tunic off his back and went away with it. - -And when Brother Juniper returned to the house, and was asked what had -become of his tunic, he answered-- - -"A poor man took it off my back and went away with it." His charity -had become incessant. - -More than once our gentle saint had visited La Vernia, a bleak and -rugged mountain some four thousand feet above the Casentino valley. On -these occasions, his friend the Count Orlando Cattani of Chiusi, had -caused a hut to be built for him near the hilltop. On this last visit, -Francis felt a pressing need of solitude, so that he might more -entirely give himself to prayer. He took with him the three men who -are said to have written the charming sketch of him, called, in the -French version of it, _La Légende des trois Compagnons_, Fra Leone, -Fra Masseo, and Fra Angelo. - -When they had travelled for two days, Francis became so weak he could -go no farther, so the Brothers found a peasant with an ass, and -persuaded him to lend it to their teacher. In doing this they gave his -name, Francis of Assisi. - -The peasant was greatly impressed, for, throughout Italy and beyond, -this name was a name of power; some way up the mountain of La Vernia, -or, as it is also called, Alvernia, the peasant leading the ass said -to its rider: - -"I hear that you are Francis of Assisi; well, then, I will give you a -bit of advice: Try to be as good as people say you are, and then they -will not be deceived in you." - -For answer Francis scrambled down from the ass's back, and, kneeling -before the amazed peasant, he thanked him with all his heart and soul -for his counsel. - -There is a plateau at the hilltop surrounded by pines and huge -beech-trees, but before reaching this the whole party was so exhausted -by the long climb in the heat of August sunshine, that they sat down -to rest beneath the spreading branches of an oak-tree. The birds, -accustomed to live in solitude, came fluttering round them, and -settled especially on the shoulders and head of St. Francis. - -When they reached the top, Francis bade his companions stay in their -customary refuge while he went on by himself. He seems to have stayed -alone, in a shelter contrived by the Brothers, for forty days, during -which Fra Leone brought every night and morning some bread and water, -which he left at the door of the refuge. A falcon used to tap at the -door at dawn to awaken St. Francis. He is said to have received the -vision of the Stigmata here on Michaelmas Day, and soon afterwards, -leaving two of the Brothers in charge of the retreat on the mount, he -took a touching leave of them, and of the place itself. He thanked the -birds who had so lovingly welcomed his arrival, and especially Brother -Falcon, as he termed it, for his daily summons. - -He then took his way, on horseback this time, with as little delay as -possible, accompanied by his devoted Leo, till he reached the -Portioncula, sorely exhausted and full of pain. Still he was bent on -starting at once for the south, and seeking to win fresh souls for -Christ. His strength rapidly decreased, and his sight had begun to -fail him. He was advised to make a journey to Rieti, where Pope -Honorius, being driven out of Rome, was then staying, The Pope had -with him a famous doctor, who it was hoped might cure St. Francis. But -he had not much faith in earthly remedies, and declined to go to -Rieti; when, however, St. Clare and some of the Brethren pressed him -to spend a little time of rest and refreshment at San Damiano, he was -glad to go there. - -Though he was in constant suffering, he seems really to have enjoyed -this visit. Saint Clare had caused a willow hut to be built for him in -her garden, and though at night rats and mice tormented him, his -joyousness and his poetic power returned with their early vigour; for -it was during these weeks of peaceful outer life, though blind, and -suffering from hęmorrhage of the lungs, that he composed his famous -Canticle. - -It happened that one day, while seated at table in the refectory of -San Damiano, before the meal began, Francis seemed all at once to be -wrapped in a kind of ecstasy. When he roused from this, and became -fully conscious, he exclaimed, "May God be praised!" - -He had just composed the Canticle of the Sun. - - "Altissimu, onnipotente, bon signore, - tue so le laude, la gloria, e l'onore et onne benedictione. - Ad te solo, altissimo, se konfano - et nullu homo ene dignu te mentovare. - - Laudate sie, mi signore, cum tucte le tue creature - specialmente messor lo frate sole, - lo quale jorna, et illumini per lui; - Et ellu č bellu e radiante cum grande splendore; - de te, altissimo, porta significatione. - - Laudato si, mi signore, per sora luna e le stelle, - in celu l'ąi formate clarite et pretiose et belle. - - Laudate si, mi signore, per frate vento - et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo, - per le quale a le tue creature dai sustentamento. - - Laudato si, mi signore, per sor acqua, - la quale č multo utile et humele et pretiosa et casta. - - Laudato si, mi signore, per frate focu, - per lo quale enallumini la nocte, - ed ello é bello et jucundo et robustoso et forte. - - Laudato si, mi signore, per sora nostra matre terra, - la quale ne sustenta et governa - et produce diversi fructi con coloriti flori et herba. - - Laudato si, mi signore, per quilli ke perdonano per - lo tuo amore et sostegno infirmitate et tribulatione, - beati quilli ke sosterrano in pace, - ka da te, altissimo, sirano incoronati. - - Laudato si, mi signore, per sora nostra morte corporale, - da la quale nullu homo vivente po skappare; - guai a quilli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali; - beata quilli ke se trovarą ne, le tue sanctissime voluntali, - ka la morte secunda nol farrą male. - - Laudate et benedicete mi signore, et rengratiate - et serviteli cum grande humilitate." - -The following is the almost literal rendering by Matthew Arnold:-- - - "O most High, almighty, good Lord God, to Thee belong - praise, glory, honour, and all blessing! - - Praised be my Lord God, with all His creatures; and - specially our brother the Sun, who brings us the day, and - who brings us the light; fair is he, and shining with a - very great splendour: O Lord, he signifies to us Thee! - - Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon, and for the - stars, which He has set clear and lovely in heaven. - - Praised be our Lord for our brother the wind, and for air - and cloud, calms and all weather, by the which Thou - upholdest in life all creatures. - - Praised be my Lord for our sister water, who is very - serviceable unto us, and humble, and precious, and clean. - - Praised be my Lord for our brother fire, through whom Thou - givest us light in the darkness; and he is bright, and - pleasant, and very mighty and strong. - - Praised be my Lord for our mother the earth, the which - doth sustain us, and keep us, and bringeth forth divers - fruits and flowers of many colours, and grass. - - Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon one another - for His love's sake, and who endure weakness and - tribulation; blessed are they who peaceably shall endure, - for Thou, O most Highest, shalt give them a crown! - - Praised be my Lord for our sister the death of the body, - from whom no man escapeth. Woe to him who dieth in mortal - sin! Blessed are they who are found walking in Thy most - holy will, for the second death shall have no power to do - them harm. - - Praise ye and bless ye the Lord, and give thanks unto Him, - and serve Him with great humility." - -He lingered many weeks at San Damiano, being greatly refreshed by the -sweet peace he found there, and his gentle and sympathetic talks with -his early convert, St. Clare, who seems to have been as capable and -practical as she was good and holy. After a while she persuaded him to -journey to Rieti, and take the advice of the doctors. - -At Rieti all those who had previously known him were greatly shocked -by the change in his health. The doctors seem to have tormented him by -their efforts to restore his sight, even branding his forehead with -red-hot irons; Francis bore all with the utmost patience and -sweetness, striving to conform himself to the pattern set by his -Divine example. - -When he at last set forth to return home, he could go no farther than -Assisi; Bishop Guido had sent him a pressing invitation to stay in his -palace, while a strong guard was appointed to protect him on the way, -the fame of his sanctity having made him so precious that it was -feared an attempt might be made to capture his poor suffering body. - -His four most devoted followers nursed him through the weeks that -followed, these were Leo, Angelo, Masseo, and Rufino. - -He remained some months at Assisi, and amid his worst sufferings -poured out such hymns of joy and thankfulness, that Fra Elia, who -doubtless was already coveting the power that would so soon be in his -grasp, remonstrated with the dying saint. - -Sick persons, Elia said, were expected to edify others by their -resigned and saintly demeanour, not by singing so loud that they could -be heard outside the palace walls. Francis had often asked his -companions to join in his songs; his own sweet voice had become -feeble. - -He had more than ever need of joy, for with the best intentions one of -his most saintly companions was troubling his peace by recounting the -changes worked in the simplicity of the Rule which Francis so dearly -cherished: how larger monasteries were erected for the increasing -communities, instead of the small, roughly built houses which he had -always prescribed as suited for the abodes of begging friars; friars -vowed to possess nothing of their own. Francis listened, but he had -already seen these changes: he bade the Brother have faith and trust -in God, and never to forsake the Rule or the Portioncula. - -Soon after this he expressed a wish to return to the little shrine if -he had power to make the journey, adding quaintly: - -"I cannot go so far afoot, my Brothers; you must be good enough to -carry me." - -Half-way to the Portioncula he bade his bearers stop. Raising his -hand, he gave his last blessing to the town of Assisi, which he could -no longer see because of his blindness. - -Soon after his arrival he asked Fra Leo to summon by letter the Lady -Jacoba dei Settesoli, a widow who lived in Rome, being the mother of -two Roman senators. He knew her devotion to him, and to the -Franciscan Orders, and he feared she would grieve if he did not bid -her farewell. - -Just as the letter was finished, a trampling of horses was heard -outside, and Madonna Jacoba appeared; she had felt anxious about her -beloved teacher, and had set forth of her own accord to see him. - -She was only just in time; very soon afterwards, having dictated his -testament and received the last rites, he passed away. - -All Italy mourned him, but the grief of the people of Assisi was -indescribable. On the way to his burial place in San Giorgio the -procession stopped outside San Damiano, so that Clare and her Sisters -might come forth and take a last farewell of their revered Father. - -The death of St. Francis has been well told by Miss Lina Duff Gordon -in _The Story of Assisi_. - -The more one studies the life of this gentle saint, who lived and -worked for the love and glory of God; the devotion shown in his -ardour to save souls; the practical help he gave to all; his complete -abnegation of self, and the happiness which he showed to be the duty -of every one, the more one wonders at the frequent persecution of -Franciscans. They seem to be best off at La Vernia. When we at last -drove away from Assisi, along the dusty roads, which, to those who -read the _Fioretti_, are full of flower-like memories of the -sweet-natured saint and his favourite companions, Fra Leone, Fra -Egidio, Fra Masseo, and others, the sun was setting gloriously; -Subasio glowed like a carbuncle as it reflected the gold and scarlet -splendour opposite, and while this glow faded slowly into purple, the -long line of the houses of Assisi blushed like a rose beside the -mountain. We watched till the purple became a rich grey, painted with -pale brown tints, while the sky just above the ridge of hills was -palest green, changing into yellow above. Long lines of purple barred -these delicate tints, and on the bluer, now cool, sky opposite lay -rounded masses of white cloud with grey under-edges. - -It was dark before we drove up the steep road into Perugia, and -reached our comfortable quarters in the Hotel Brufani. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -ADDIO PERUGIA - - -September had nearly fled, yet the leaves in the Tronto garden had -hardly begun to change colour; the air, however, was now extremely -cold as soon as the sun had departed. The wine-carts which daily -thronged the streets warned us that the vintage would soon be over. - -Day after day, as we looked from our windows in early morning, we saw -flocks of sheep with their attendant shepherds, and herds of goats -coming down in great numbers from the mountains. They trooped past our -windows, and took their way along the dusty road towards the Maremma. - -The poor, tired herdmen looked picturesque in ragged thin trousers -and patched coats; they wore high-peaked hats, and had a sort of -make-believe appearance as they trudged along on foot behind their -beasts. Every now and then came a padrone mounted on a mule, sometimes -on a horse, with quaint trappings; he always carried a long pole and a -huge roll of green baize in front of him. We did not see any women or -children, but we were told that the shepherds take their families -along with them in these spring and autumn migrations, for they will -go back to the hills as soon as winter is over. As we watched them we -felt sadly that we too must soon say goodbye to Perugia. - -One of our last walks was to Monte Luce; and, coming back towards -Perugia, we stopped and watched the sun set; as it sank behind the -purple, bleak hills the sky above them was blood-red; higher up, -stretched in long broad lines, was a mass of greenish slate-coloured -clouds. On the right these were reft, and showed a sea of golden -glory; while, still higher, clouds of paler grey sailed over a rosy -veil that stretched itself across a sky of luminous green. As we went -on, the blood-red tint paled and faded; the clouds above took a darker -hue, and loomed, with storm-laden, broken edges, over the deep valley -that lay between where we stood and the projecting bastion, a view -crowned by the weird tower of San Domenico. This stood up in startling -vividness against the almost appalling gloom that had so quickly -gathered. - -Around us the view opened widely, the triple range of hills showed a -sullen grey of differing tints; on some of them, where the light was -lurid with a tawny tinge, it was plainly raining; yet, although -thunder seemed imminent in the humid clouds that hung lower and lower -over the valley, we were told that probably there would not be a storm -at Perugia. Certainly, we had perfect atmosphere and perfect weather. -The hill-city seemed to us in all ways very healthy--a place where -winter and spring, summer and autumn, might alike be spent with charm -and profit by those travellers who love the nature and art of Italy. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -LAKE THRASYMENE AND CORTONA - - -The most interesting part of the journey to Cortona is the view of -Lake Thrasymene, with its reedy shores and islands, near the -picturesque little town of Passignano. - - [Illustration: OLIVE BRANCH.] - -As one leaves the station below Cortona, and mounts the hill to the -grandly placed town, Thrasymene comes in sight again, and adds much to -the beauty of the landscape. It is almost worth while to go to Cortona -for the sake of the drive up from the station, and the exquisite view -from the city walls, ponderous marvels of stone-work. But Cortona is -not a desirable place to sleep in. The inn, when we stayed there, was -not at all comfortable, and although the town is placed at such a -height, the moss growing outside the houses tells how damp is the -atmosphere. - -If Perugia had seemed ancient, Cortona appeared antediluvian. -According to the old historians, Perugia sent soldiers to fight -against Troy, but Cortona boasts of having given birth to Dardanus, -the founder of Assisi. - -It was late afternoon when we reached the top of the hill, and when we -took our way from the inn through the hilly, twisting streets to the -Porta Colonia, the sun had already set, although the sky still glowed. - -Lake Thrasymene looked pale and weird against the olive landscape. -Before us was a deep valley backed by a warm, purple mountain ridge; -behind us was the stupendous Etruscan wall. We followed the course of -this down the steep descent, for Cortona is built on the side of a -rocky hill which yet towers above it. The blocks of travertine in -the wall are even larger than those at Perugia. Nestling between them, -we found a wealth of ferns; ceterach and several delicate aspleniums -growing freely among these grim records of past ages. - - [Illustration: OLIVE-TREES, LAKE THRASYMENE.] - -Suddenly, while we were stooping to look closely at the ferns in the -fading light, there came to us, as if from the clouds, a full-voiced -chant; deep organ notes swelled above the sweet tones of treble -voices. - -We looked up and saw that a convent is built above the walls. We stood -for some time on this side of the hill listening to the aerial music. -Behind us was the deep purple of the valley,--the vast plain below was -changing into a brown olive, a wild, desolate-looking expanse; but -there was overhead a peculiar clearness of atmosphere. - -The young moon hung high above the convent towers; its light helped us -to find our way over the rough ground, till at last we reached one of -the city gates, and went back through the dark streets to our inn. - -There was not a deserted or sleepy look about the place. People were -gossiping and trafficking in the streets, and there were plenty of -customers in the shop we went into. - -Our bedroom at the inn looked alarmingly dismal; large and lofty, it -contained an enormous four-poster with a heavy, dark green canopy and -curtains. Everything looked and smelt damp; but when we asked to have -the bed aired, our host said, "Such a thing is impossible at this time -of year." - -Next morning we found a busy market on the hilly Piazza. The town hall -is here, and some women spreading out orange and scarlet handkerchiefs -in the loggia above gave colour to the scene; but the people looked -somewhat squalid and dirty after our bright Perugians; moreover, -Cortona folk are indifferent and sometimes uncourteous to strangers. - - [Illustration: PALAZZO COMUNALE, CORTONA.] - -We turned into a side street to see a fine palazzo; then, crossing -the market-place, went on to the Palazzo Pretoria. The walls of this -building, both in the street and those round the inner quadrangle, are -curiously decorated with small shields bearing the arms of ancient -magistrates; they reminded us of the Bargello walls in Florence. - -We went upstairs, and were told that the custode of the museum was not -in, but if we waited he would be sure to come soon. We had, however, -to send more than one messenger in search of him before he appeared. -There are many Etruscan and some Roman antiquities in this museum, but -its chief treasure is the famous candelabrum. This holds sixteen -lamps; between each lamp is a head of Bacchus, while eight satyrs and -eight sirens, placed alternately, form a marvellously rich border. -Within this circle is represented a fight with wild animals, then -waves and fish, with a Medusa's head as centre. The colour of the -candelabrum, an exquisite mingling of blue and bronze, is beautiful. -Near it is a painting on stone--a female--said to be very ancient. - - [Illustration: BRONZE CANDELABRUM.] - -After the museum we went into the cathedral; the pictures painted by -Luca Signorelli for his native town are here. Luca was born at -Cortona, and was a pupil of Piero della Francesca. Near the choir is a -beautifully carved marble tomb, in which the people believe the Consul -Flaminius was buried after the battle of Thrasymene. - -We had not time to visit the baptistery opposite, which also contains -pictures by Luca and by Fra Angelico. We were anxious to see the view -from the church of Santa Margherita, above the town. Her statue stands -just outside the cathedral; a little dog crouches at her feet. - -Margherita was not a native of Cortona; she lived for pleasure only; -on her repentance she entered a Franciscan convent here, and passed a -life of charity and holy penitence for her sins. Her conversion is -said to have taken place on the sudden death of one of her lovers. - -As he left her house, accompanied by his little dog, he was -assassinated. The little dog came back to Margherita's house, and by -its cries attracted her notice; it then pulled at her gown, till it -induced her to follow to where her lover lay dead. For this reason -Santa Margherita is always represented with a little dog beside her. - -We went along the road past the platform, where there is a fine view -over the Chiana valley, and turned in to old San Domenico to see the -pictures. The campanile of this church is a picturesque feature of -Cortona. We could only see two of the pictures, neither of them very -remarkable. Another was being restored, the custode said. The walk -from this point up to Santa Margherita was delightful. The sunshine -was brilliant, and the air had a delicious touch of autumn crispness. -The way beside the wall is steep, but there are constant views over -the country, and gradually, as we mounted, Lake Thrasymene revealed -itself in pale blue-green loveliness; a projecting hill, however, -partly blocks the view, and only allows about half of the lake's grand -expanse to be seen. The yellow turf was gay with wild flowers, some of -them rare specimens. When we at last reached the church, we were -rewarded for our climb. - -Santa Margherita was designed and probably built by Niccolo and -Giovanni Pisano, but it has been very much restored; the view from -its platform is magnificent. In front is a screen of tall cypresses, -between which the purple hills show exquisitely. The spacious church -originally designed by Niccolo Pisano has been re-modelled, but there -is a beautiful monument to Santa Margherita by Giovanni Pisano. Santa -Margherita's tomb reminded us of Pope Benedict's at Perugia. The saint -lies sleeping with her little dog at her feet; in a bas-relief she -yields her soul to angels, who bear it to Heaven. - -The Fortezza behind the church is said to command a still finer view, -but we were quite satisfied to sit on the flowery turf enjoying the -surpassing loveliness below us. Hills and valleys, far-reaching -plains, the still lake, and the sky overhead, seemed to vie with one -another in beauty, yet to blend into such perfect harmony that the -sensation of gazing was one of complete repose. - -Down a long, long flight of irregular steps we found our way to the -quaint little church of St. Nicholas. While we sat gazing we had -watched a woman go down these steps, so we felt sure they would lead -us somewhere; they took us to the queerest little up-and-down village -imaginable, a village of mendicants; every one begged of us, the -children being very pertinacious. - -One bright-eyed monkey of a boy, with bare brown legs and feet, and a -red cap stuck over one eye, followed us down the broken way, dancing -and chattering as he came. All at once he stopped and pointed to three -younger children, sitting in a mud pool outside a cottage door, even -more ragged and dirty, but quite as bright-looking as he was. - -I asked him if he had a father or a mother, but he shook his head. - -"Oimč, Signora!--io son padre di famiglia," he said, with a merry -laugh, and he pointed again to the black-eyed urchins. - -We joined in his laugh; his face and his tiny outstretched hand were -irresistible. He shouted for joy when we dropped a coin into it; after -this, at the end of every turning we passed, there was our -bright-eyed, dirty little beggar, with outstretched brown hand and the -sauciest of smiles. When we shook our heads at him he capered away, -the soles of his slender brown feet almost as high as his head. - -The little church of San Nicola is hidden away among the houses, with -a quaint little grassed cloister court in front of it, and a row of -ancient cypresses. On one side is a little cloister walk; a -vine-covered pergola supported itself by filling up the small space -inclosed. In the church is an altar picture, painted on both sides, -this is said to be one of the last works of Luca Signorelli. The -fresco, said also to be his, has been much restored. This little -church belonged to a confraternity, and the seats still remain along -the sides of the front court in which the Brethren have sat in -council, or from which they have enjoyed the view over the wall that -borders this quiet cloister. - - * * * * * - -As we drove rapidly downhill to the station, we looked at the country -through a silver veil, for the olive-trees are larger here than at -Perugia, and they literally cover the first part of the steep -descent,--so steep that the road has to descend by terraces zig-zagged -along the side of the hill. - -We had told our red-haired, blue-eyed driver to take us to the -Etruscan grotto, and he presently stopped at a rough break, with large -stones placed so as to form irregular steps. - -The man was in fear lest the horse should run away, and was greatly -excited. He went on chattering patois to that effect; but though I -told him I was quite able to climb up by myself, he would stand at the -top of the steps hauling me up with one hand and flourishing his whip -with the other, as if he were performing a circus feat. - -We left him there, and presently entered a solemn grassed avenue of -gigantic cypresses, their pale grey stems gleaming in the sunlight. -This avenue slopes upward, and at the end the ruined grotto shows -between the lines of tall dark trees; it is very curious, circular in -form, with neatly finished compartments in it for the urns. These have -all been taken away; only part of the circular top of the sepulchre -remains, lying near the ruined stone; but even in its fractured state -it is very impressive; alone on the hillside, screened from the -immense prospect before it by a surrounding of olive-trees. As we -drove down to the railway, far below us, it seemed to us it had been -quite worth while to stay at Cortona for the sake of this wonderful -drive down the steep hillside; but the town is probably safer from -damp in August than we found it in October. - - - - -INDEX - - - Alunno, Niccolo, 75. - Statue of, 81. - - Angelus, the, 136. - - Apennines, 7. - - Assisi, way to, 165. - Albergo Subasio, 176. - Carceri, le, 224. - Chiara Scifi, or S. Clare, conversion of, 244. - Churches-- - S. Chiara, 249. - S. Damiano, 214-216, 252, 283. - S. Francesco, campanile, 180. - Lower church, 179. - Cloister garden, 201. - Upper church, 202. - S. Giorgio, 233. - S. Maria degli Angeli, 172, 260. - Rose garden, 262. - S. Maria Maggiore, 234. - Nuova, 233. - S. Paolo, 233. - Cathedral of S. Rufino, 232. - Fra Egidio, 240. - Elia, 194. - Leone, 168. - Masseo, 273. - S. Francis, birth and parentage, 206; - dream of, 208; - visits lazar house, 210; - breaks with his friends, 211; - his father's anger, 213; - goes to S. Damiano, 214; - conversion of, 215; - markets at Foligno, 215; - renounces the world, 221; - converts Bernard and others, 237; - goes to Rome, 241; - gains Pope's sanction to Order of Brothers Minor, 242; - lives at Rivo Torto, 242; - preaches in S. Rufino, 245; - founds second Order the Poor Clares, 248; - visits the Soldan, 266; - his last visit to La Vernia, 280; - vision of the Stigmata, 282; - visits S. Chiara, 283; - composes Canticle of the Sun, 284; - visits Bishop Guido, 289; - returns to the Portioncula, 291; - Madonna Jacoba di Settesoli visits him, 291; - he dies, 292. - Brother Juniper, 268, 276, 279. - Palazzo Sbaraglini, 239. Scifi, 244. - Piazza S. Maria Maggiore, 221. - Porta Cappucini, 224. Nuova, 214. - La Portioncula, 235, 243, 247, 260, 265, 268. - Rocca di Assisi, 255. - Roman Assisi, 232. - Temple of Minerva, 231. - Tomb of S. Francis, 193. - - - Baglione, Astorre, 48, 49, 52, 53. - Atalanta, 47, 58, 59, 62. - Gianpaolo, 56-58, 60, 61, 63, 65. - Grifonetto, 50-53, 55, 59, 61, 62. - Simonetto, 48. - - Baglioni, the, 45-47. - - Bergamo, Damiano and Stefano da, intarsia by, 126. - - S. Bernardino of Siena, 33, 37. - - Bevignate, Fra, 33. - - Bonfigli, Benedetto, 5, 73. - - - Cacciolfo, 87. - - Cimabue, 190. - Frescoes by, 202. - - Cortona, 299. - Candelabrum, 307. - Cathedral, 308. - Church of S. Domenico, 310. - S. Margherita, 310. - S. Nicholas, 313. - Etruscan grotto, 315. - Palazzo Pretoria, 307. - - - Dante's mention of Assisi and of S. Francis, 175. - - Ducci, Agostino, 105. - - - Foligno, 81. - Cathedral, 82. - S. Maria infra Portas, 83. - S. Niccolo, 83. - Palazzo Deli, 83. - Tribunale del Commune, 82. - - Forte Braccio, 39, 43, 44. - - Fra Angelico, 75, 112. - - - Giotto, 188. - Frescoes by, 188, 192, 195, 205. - - Guidalotti, Abbot of S. Pietro de' Casinensi, 42. - - - Keys of Assisi and Siena, 34. - - - Lorenzetti, Pietro, of Siena, 191. - - Lorenzo, Fiorenzo di, 73, 74, 233. - - - S. Margherita, 309. - - Martini, or Memmi, Simone, of Siena, 192. - - Matarazzo, 46, 54, 64. - - Michelotti, Biordo, 42, 43. - - Montefalco, 83. - - - Nelli, Ottaviano, frescoes by, 82. - - - Perugia, 1. - Belle arti Albergo, 10. - Bellucci, Signor, 17. - S. Bernardino of Siena, 111-118. - Oratory of, 97, 105, 111. - Betti, Signor, 15, 16. - Brufani hotel, 10. - Cappella del Cambio, 72. - Charms, 17-20. - Churches-- - S. Agata, 101. - S. Angelo, 158. - S. Bernardino, 105. - S. Domenico, 23. - S. Ercolano, 14, 133. - S. Lorenzo, 35. - Madonna di Luce, 102. - S. Maria Assunta, 134. - S. Maria Nuova, 40. - S. Pietro de' Casinensi, 119. - S. Severo, 38. - Corso, 32. - Cupa, La, 138. - Daybreak at, 11. - El gran tradimento, 54-57. - Etruscan wall, 15. - Fontana Borghese, 79. - Fonte Maggiore, 33. - Griffin, 34. - Market, 24. - Monte Luce, 134. - Mosaic pavement, 148. - Palazzo Antinori, 151. - Baglione, 14. - Canonica, 33. - del Capitano del Popolo, 27. - Pubblico, or Comunale, 32, 34, 35. - Passeggiata Pubblica, 119. - Perugino, 4, 5, 73. - House of, 101. - Piazza del Duomo, 32, 35, 41. - dei Gigli, 38. - Grimani, 16. - Monte Sole, 38. - del Papa, 36. - Sopra Mura, 24. - Vittor Emanuele, 14. - Pinacoteca, 69, 75. - Pope Benedict XI., statue of, 24. - Boniface, 123. - Julius III., statue of, 36. - Paul III., 13, 66. - Porta Augusta, 151, 152. - Buligaia, 156. - Costanzo, 119, 129. - Eburnea, 142. - Marzia, 13, 15. - S. Pietro, 129. - S. Angelo, 158. - Susanna, 13. - Sala del Cambio, 69, 70. - Tombs of the Volumnii, 130. - Via Appia, 143. - Women, 28, 29, 30. - - Piccinino, Nicola, 44. - - Piero della Francesca, 69, 73. - - Pinturicchio, 87-89. - - Pisano, Giovanni, 33, 34, 184. - - Pisano, Nicolo, 33. - - Ponte San Giovanni, 80. - Sunsets, 128. - Veduta, La, 119. - - - Raffaelle, 3, 4. - - Rocca di Vicenza, 87. - - Rossi, 34. - - - Sabatier, Monsieur Paul, 171, 206. - - Sanzio, Giovanni, 3. - - Savonarola, 37. - - Spello, 84. - Amphitheatre, 91. - Capuchin Convent, 91. - Churches-- - Santa Maria Maggiore, 87. - Capella del Sacramento, 87. - Frescoes in, 87. - San Andrea, 89. - Porta Augusta, 92. - Porta Veneris of Hispellum, 84. - - Spoleto, 43, 200, 209. - - Subasio, Monte, 7, 80, 81. - - - Tasso, Domenico del, intarsia by, 70. - - Thrasymene, Lake of, 300. - - Trevi, 87. - - - Ugolino, Bishop of Ostia, 265. - - - Vannucci, Cristoforo, 4. - Vannucci, Pietro, 4, 70. - La Vernia, 224. - S. 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