232 Travels in Italy 



29/A. Signore Briolo was this morning my conductor to 

 Gruliascho, to view the farm^ by appointment of Signore Bracco, 

 to whom Signore Capriata had spoken for that purpose; we 

 walked by the nobly planted road that leads to Suza, and I was 

 glad to find that my Turin bookseller was a farmer, though a la 

 meta, and answered those useful inquiries which I have long 

 found abundantly convenient always to have ready arranged 

 in my head and adapted to the people into whose hands chance 

 may throw me. We dined together at the village, in a villainous 

 hole, much better adapted to offend the senses than to gratify 

 them. Our repast finished, we sallied forth to find Signore 

 Bracco; he showed us several watered meadows, and explained 

 all the particulars ; after which, coming to the house, lo ! instead 

 of a farmer or metayer, as I expected, I found a large house, in a 

 style superior to any farm one, and that he was a bailiff to a 

 signore, I do not know whom, jeweller to the king and court; 

 an awkward explanation of this came on, and then I found this 

 person knew of my coming two days before: — to mend the 

 matter, after making us wait some time he showed himself. I 

 was pressed to enter : — whether it was that a hot walk or a bad 

 dinner had fretted me, or, in fine, that I did not like the jeweller's 

 physiognomy, I know not, but I begged to be excused, and per- 

 sisted in my refusal. A rich citizen, at his country villa, is to 

 me a formidable animal. — Had he said he was a farmer, and 

 would converse on the subject, or anything of that tendency, it 

 had been olherwise; but I departed ^rz^^^M?we«/, with a character, 

 I believe, molto selvaggio. In the evening, some beautiful 

 passages in the Pastorella Nobile brought me into better temper. 



30//z. The intendant Bissati returned to Turin, and I had 

 the pleasure of a visit from him ; he carried me to the university, 

 and some other places which I had not seen before; Signore 

 Capra also, and Dr. Buniva, favoured me with their company. 

 The knight , I find, is as complete a croaker as could ever issue 

 from the school of Dr. Price himself. Piedmont furnishes an 

 instance which, if I had touched upon to Signore Capra, he 

 would have pressed it into his service on the question of farms. 

 But there are not many circumstances more curious in politics 

 than the contrast between great and small dominions. Here is 

 a court sufficiently splendid; and a palace well kept; an army 

 (not equally well kept) of 30,000 men; fortifications many, and 

 among the first in the world, and a power of receiving with 

 hospitality and splendour the princes of the blood of France; 

 all this is done with 30,000,000 of French money: if the com- 



