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narrative of our journey thus far. We met with a 
very good voiture with two mules, which conveyed 
us to Florence, and the same afterwards brought us 
to Rome, and had a very safe and pleasant journey ; 
except that the country inns were very bad, and 
some of the country little better than the borders 
of Scotland. We had a very sharp wind all the way 
to Florence, so that we had but little enjoyment of 
the famous vale of the Arno, through which we 
passed. It is highly cultivated; the fields bordered 
with elms or mulberry-trees, each of which supports 
one or more fine vines, which hang in festoons from 
one tree to the other; but at present they are quite 
without leaves, except here and there in a warm 
corner, where the old leaves remain. We were quite 
in raptures with Florence, where we spent eight 
days, the greatest part of which was passed in the 
gallery. Nothing can be more handsomely con- 
trived than this place is for the convenience of 
strangers. The Grand Duke (a worthy brother of 
the Emperor) gives the most positive orders that 
no money should be taken on any pretence for 
showing the gallery, the library, museum or any 
thing, except only one of his palaces. The civility 
and extreme attention of the guides deserves no 
less praise than their sovereign’s liberality. The 
gallery is open every day, except Sundays, from 9 
till 1, and from 4 till 5. Here we contemplated at 
leisure the Venus de Medicis (of which I had a very 
inadequate idea before), the Venus of Titian, the 
Wrestlers, the Slave whetting his Knife, the Apollo 
Venator, with many other master-pieces of sculp- 
