250 Travels in Italy 



as a farming traveller, to prefer to any city, and I determined 

 accordingly. Signore Arduino received me politely, and 

 appointed to-morrow for that gratification. At night to the 

 opera, the Due Baroni, of Cimarosa, whose music to me has 

 always something original and pleasing; but though the parts 

 were not ill performed, and the orchestra powerful, yet the house 

 being almost empty, — and those in it wearing such a shabby 

 appearance, and the musicians all so dirty and undressed, that 

 I felt here, what I have often done before, that half the charms of 

 a theatre depend on the audience ;— one must be in good humour 

 — a certain exhilaration must be springing in the bosom; 

 willingness to enjoy must be expanded into enjoyment by the 

 sympathy of surrounding objects. Pleasure is caught from eyes 

 that sparkle with the expectation of being pleased. Empty 

 boxes and a dirty pit, with a theatre but half lighted, made the 

 music, with all its gaiety, sombre ; I left Gulielmi's Pastorella 

 nobili, for the silence of my chamber. — 21 miles. 



2^th. In the morning, viewing buildings, of which few are 

 worth the trouble : then to deliver letters, but I was not fortunate 

 in finding messieurs the professors at home: Signore Arduino 

 was so by appointment, and showed me the experimental farm, 

 as it ought to be called, for he is professor of practical agriculture 

 in this celebrated university. I will enter into no detail of what 

 I saw here. I made my bow to the professor; and only thought 

 that his experiments were hardly worth giving up the capital of 

 the world. If I keep my resolution, this shall be the last eco- 

 nomical garden that I will ever go near. Among the buildings 

 I viewed to-day, I was much struck with the church Santa 

 Justina: though built in no perfect style, it has, on entering, an 

 effect unusually imposing. It is clean and well kept; the 

 pavement a very fine one, of marble, — and the magnitude being 

 considerable, forms on the whole a splendid coup d'oeil. That 

 of St. Anthony is little, on comparison, and made less by multi- 

 plied divisions and numerous decorations. Numbers were on 

 their knees before the sainted shrine, to which millions have 

 resorted. Here mingled faith, folly, and enthusiasm have sought 

 consolation, and found more than they merited. The Palazzo 

 di Consiglia, which we should call the town-hall, is one of the 

 greatest — if not the greatest room in Europe. It is 300 feet long 

 and 100 broad; it does not want the excrementitious garniture 

 of that of Vicenza. 



2gth. Waited, by appointment, on Signore Carbury, professor 

 of chemistry; a lively pleasing man, with whom I wished to 



