534 Miss o n’j "Travels through the Book It 
either efcaped narrowly, or perifliM by thefe Accidents ; 
and hence alfo it is, that the Churches hereabouts, and 
efpecially our Lady of Newburgh\ are almoft over- 
laden with Prefents. We were not a little furprized 
when we found the Valley of Bolfano^ in the Middle of 
the Winter, cover’d with green Willows, Rofes and 
Mulberry-trees, the Reafon whereof may be attributed 
to the Situation of the Valley, which on all Sides is 
Ihelter’d from the Winds. 
The City of Bolfano belongs alfo to the Bilhoprick of 
7 rent, but is of very little Compafs ; its chief TrafEck 
arifes from four Fairs a Year, each ol which lafts 
fifteen Days, in which they exchange the Commodities 
brought thither from Germany .and Italy. They fliew’d 
us a round Hole of three Foot diameter in the Roof 
of the Church, furrounded with a Garland of Ribbons 
of different Colours, on which hang a great Number of 
large Wafers : They told us, That an Opera being 
afted in that Church on Afcenfion-Vay^ the Perfon that 
reprefented Chrift was taken up into Heaven thro’ this 
Hole. The Valley of Bolfano is full of Vineyards, 
which produce a Wine much efleemed thereabouts, but 
is not fo pleafing to Strangers, by reafon of its ful- 
ibme Sweetnefs. The Road betwixt Bolfano and Trent 
(juft a Day’s Journey) is planted all along the Valley 
with Vines, where you fee, at certain Diftances, little 
Straw Hutts, fupported by three high Firr-poles, like 
a Trevet, from whence they kill the Bears with Fufils, 
that come from the Mountains to eat the Grapes. 
Trent is much of the fame Bignefs as Bolfano^ and 
feated after the fame Manner, on a flat Rock of a Kind 
of red and white Marble, which alfo furnifhes the Ma- 
terials for their Houfes. This City is fubje6b to moft 
dangerous Inundation.% not only from the Overflowing 
of the River, but alfo from the Brooks of Levis and 
Ferfena, which fometimes difgorge themfelves with 
fuch Impetuofity from the adjacent Mountains, that they 
force great Rocks along with them even into theTown. 
Trent is fortified only with a Angle Wall, walk’d by the 
River Adige. The Bridge and Bilhop’s Palace are 
much boafted of by the Country People, tho’ the laft 
is low and but indifferently large. The Bilhop is both 
a Temporal and Spiritual Lord, and his Territories are 
of a confiderable Extent. Some place this Country in 
Germany., others in Italy., becaufe the Bilhop is a Prince 
of the Empire ; but the common Language of Trent 
is Italian., and the Inhabitants of the Country reckon it 
Part of Italy, in which, however, they are not follow’d 
by their Neighbours. In one of the Chapels of the Ca- 
thedral they Ihew a Crucifix as big as the Life, which, 
they very gravely fay, bow’d its Head at the Time of 
the Councils being fworn and proclaimed under it, to 
ftiew its Approbation of the Veracity of their Decrees. 
They add, That no body knows the Materials of which 
it is compofed ; and for that Reafon would have you 
believe it was made without Hands. They are build- 
ing a moft magnificent Chapel, where it is to be pla- 
ced, this being fomewhat dark : They call it the Holy 
Crucifix. 
The Church of St. Mary major, where this Council 
fate, is a little Church, built of a kind of bafe Marble. 
The Organs here are worth taking Notice of, for they 
rot only play’d to us many new Airs, but alfo counter- 
feited the Cries of divers Bealls, the Beat of Drums, 
and feveral other Things of this Nature, which feem’d to 
us inconfiftent with the Gravity of fuch a Council, the 
Hiftory whereof is painted near it. 
In the Church of St. Peter they Ihew the Chapel of 
the little Simonin. They tell you, that in 1276. 
the Jews Hole their Simonin, (or little Simon) a Shoe- 
maker’s Son, in the 28th Month of his Age, and af- 
ter having kill’d the Child in a moft cruel Manner, to 
drink the Blood at one of their Feafts, threw his Car- 
cafs into a Water-pipe, (which now palfes to the 
Houfe where the Thing was committed, and where 
their Synagogue was at that time) which being thence 
carried into the River, and found by fome Filhermen, 
the whole Bufinefs was difcovered, the Jews convidled. 
Thirty nine of them executed, and the reft for ever 
banjlh’d the City. Pope Sixtm IV. canoniz’d the 
Child, who being embalm’d, is now to be feen in a 
Cafe upon the Altar of a Chapel dedicated to his Me- 
mory, with a Knife, Pincers, and four great Iron 
Needles they made Ufe of in tormenting him, and two 
Silver Goblets, in which they drank the Blood.' The 
fame Story is painted at Frankfort on the Main, under 
the Bridge Gate. In the later Editions of our Author’s 
Book there are many Hiftories of the fame Nature 
mentioned, to fhew, that this is not altogether incredible, 
15. The Additions and Alterations that our Author 
has made in the Courfe of numerous Editions through 
which his Book has pafs’d, renders it extremely diffi- 
cult to make fuch an Abridgment of it as was requifite 
for our Purpofe j fince in order to this, we are obli- 
ged to run through all his Volumes, that we may brino- 
together and unite the many different Palfages in thei^ 
that relate to the fame Place •, yet after all this is 
done, there remain fome Things ftill to be mention’d 
for the Satisfaflion of a judicious Reader. As for In- 
ftance, at the End of his fecond Volume, our Author 
has added a diftind Treatife under the Title of, 
firuliions to a Traveller, which at the Time he wrote it^ 
was certainly one of the moft ufeful and entertaining 
Parts of his Work ; but we know by Experience, that 
the Length of Time has hurt it extremely. 
He tells us therein, what Carriages a Traveller fhould 
make ufe of, the Times when they fet out and come 
in, and ^ their Expence ; but we know with Certainty 
that Things are much altered fince, and that in this 
Refped, the wifeft Thing a Traveller can do, is to 
provide himfelf with a Butch Almanack for the Year 
in which he travels, where he will find every thino- fet 
down of that Nature as it ftands at prefent. We ^may 
fay the fame Thing with refped to the beft Inns at 
every Place, and the Houfes where they fpeak French 
and Englifh, which alter fo frequently, that they would 
be of little or no Ufe in a Colledion of this Nature. 
He fuggefts likewife the Enquiries a Traveller ought to 
make, which is quite befide our Purpofe, and are alfo 
fubjed to many Variations. 
We the rather mention thefe Particulars, that it may 
appear we confider’d well what we were doing, and 
that we have left nothing untouch’d from Hafte or In- 
advertency. There are allb Ibme long DifiTertations of 
his upon various Subjeds, founded only upon Hints that 
he met wiffi in his Travels ; fuch, for Example, as the 
Hiftory of the Art of Printing, in which there are 
many Things curious and ufeful, but the taking in thefe 
would fwell our Work far beyond its proper Bounds, 
or would oblige us to exclude other Things that 
the Publick have more Reafon to exped from u^ 
and after all, they would not anfwer very well the In- 
tention for which they are introduced, fince they re- 
ally require much more Room than he has allowed 
them. But it may not be amifs to obferve, that what 
has been lately publiflied to the World as a new Inven- 
tion in^ this ufeful Art, under the Title of Block Print- 
ing, is in reality no more than what was firft pradifed 
by Coifer and Faufius, and which was juftly laid afide 
upon Mentele, inventing the Art of calling feparate 
Letters. For according to the ancient Method, which 
is ftill in Ufe in China, the Letters were cut in Blocks 
of Wood or of Metal, from which the Sheets were 
wrought ; but then it was necellary to cut Plates for 
every Page of a Book, which were of no Ufe but for 
the printing of that Book ; and befides their being very 
expenfive, took up a vaft deal of Room, and after all, 
could never be brought to furnilh fuch neat, beautiful, 
and corred Imprefljons, as we have from the Method 
that is now pradifed. 
In regard to the Alteratio ns that have happen’d 
in the Places through which he palTed, with refped to 
their Change of Mailers or Forms of Government, it 
would be equally needlefs and endlefs to aim at Cor- 
redions, becaufe we mull then write the Hiftory of 
every City and Territory, which would require many 
Volumes. All that in this relped could be done, was 
to retrench fuch Palfages as are no longer either uleful 
or entertaining upon account of fuch Changes, and pre- 
ferving only thofe that are and will be inftrudive and 
pleafant 
