Chap. III. Low-Countrie 
and yet it is the Refidence of the Bifhop of Adria^ that 
famous City, which imparted its Name to the Gulph, 
though now no more than a half-drown’d Village. 
Ferrara is a large and beautiful City, but poor and 
ill Peopled : We went on Purpofe to one of the beft 
Places of the whole City, where four Streets meet, but 
could not perceive one Perfon in any of them, though 
the Country about it is one of the beft in Lombardy, 
but wants Tillage for Want of Inhabitants, this fruitful 
Country being almoft defolate, by the Severity of the 
Papal Government. Ferrara was united to the Eccle- 
liaftical State under the Pontificate of Clement VIII. 
who built a very ftrong Citadel, which is ftill in good 
Repair. Of the ancient Univerfity of Ferrara, there 
remains only a poor College, belonging to the Jefuits. 
Near the Cathedral ft and fome Statues on Horfeback 
of Brafs ; and diredtly over againft the Palace of the 
Nobility is one of Duke Hercules 11 . on Horfeback, on 
the Pedeftal of which is an Infcription granting a Sanc- 
tuary to Criminals for Twenty Paces round it. We 
affo faw the Ducal Palace, the Houfe of the Mar- 
quefs de Villa, and divers Churches and Convents, 
which have all their peculiar Beauties ; and, among the 
reft, took Notice of the Tomb and Epitaph of 
in the Church of the Bene dibiins. In the Opera we 
heard a pretty little Songftrefs of Twelve or Thirteen 
Years of Age ; moft of the Boxes were fill’d with Je- 
fuits and Clergymen. 
From Ferrara to Ravenna is Fifty Miles ; all the 
Way we faw not one Town or Village worth taking 
Notice of. The firft Day’s Journey was very paffable, 
but afterward the Road becomes very deep, betwixt 
the Branches of the Adige and the Po : The ancient 
Geographers defcribe its Situation like that of Venice, 
amongft the Waters, and it is certain that this was the 
beft Harbour the Romans were Mafters of in the Adriatick 
Gulph, but fince that time the Lagunes are dried up, 
and the Sea is at leaft three Miles from it, the City 
being now furrounded with the moft fruitful Fields of 
Italy : Neither is there the leaft Doubt, but that the 
prefent Ravenna ftands in the fame Place where the 
ancient Ravenna was, there being in the Walls that face 
the Sea-fide many great Iron Rings, by which they 
ufed formerly to fatten their Veffels ; and the Ruins of 
the ancient Beacon are to be feen to this Day. This 
City is feated in a flat Country, is not above half as 
big as Ferrara, but meanly built, and as thinly peo- 
pled. Without the Walls, near the ancient Harbour, 
you fee the Maufoleum erefted to the Memory of Fheo- 
doric King of the OJirogoths, by Amalafintha his Daugh- 
ter ; it is fince turned into a little Church call’d 
the Rotunda ; it is covered with one hewn Stone of 
Thirty eight Foot Diameter, and Fifteen in Thicknefs, 
on the Top of which ftood the Tomb of Fheodoric, 
furrounded by the Statues of the Twelve Apoftles, 
which were deftroyed during the laft Wars of Lewis 
XII. together with the Tomb of Porphyry, which fince 
has been fix’d in the Wall of an ancient Palace within 
the City. 
The Cathedral is a very ancient Strudure, fupported 
by Fifty fix Pillars of Marble of the Archipelago, pla- 
ced in a double Range on each Side. The Choir is 
vaulted with excellent Mofaick Work, where they Ihew 
you, as a precious Relick, one of the Stones with which 
St. Stephen was martyr’d. But the great Door of this 
Church is the moft curious Thing, and deferves moft 
a Traveller’s Obfervation, being made of Planks of 
Vines, fome of which are twelve Foot high, and Four- 
teen or Fifteen Inches broad ; for it is to be obferv’d, 
that hereabouts, in thole Places that were formerly 
covered by the Sea, the Vines grow to a prodigious 
Bignefs. In the Church of the Fheatins (or Jefuits) 
they Ihew a little Window juft over the Altar, with the 
Figure of a white Pigeon upon it, placed there, as 
they tell you, in Memory of a Miracle that happened 
at the Eledion of the fecond Bilhop of Ravenna, after 
the Death of S. Apollinarius, when a Pigeon coming 
into the Window, perch’d upon him who was to be 
eleded \ and the fame Thing happened Eleven Times 
after fucceffively. 
The Churches of S. Vtialis^ S. Apollinarius, S. Romu^ 
8, Germany, 
aldus, and S. Andrew have many ftately Pieces of 
ble and Porphyry, brought from Greece during the 
Time of the Emrchy, or while under that Name it 
continued a Province of the Greek Empire. The 
Tomb of Galla Placidia, the Daughter of Fheo^ 
dofius the Great, is to be feen in the Church Of S. CeU 
fus, between thofe of Valentinian and Homrius. 
In the Grand Place you fee a noble Statue of Brafs 
of Pope Alexander VII. And at the other End of the 
fame Square, two Columns, on which formerly ftood 
the ancient Patron and the Arms of Venice, whilft Ra- 
venna was under their Jurifdidion ; the like Columns 
they ered in all Cities belonging to their State •, but 
fince that Time the Pope has put the Statutes of S. 
Vibfor and Apollinarius upon the fame Columns. Near 
them, under a Portico, they fhew the Gates of Brafs^ 
and fome other Spoils, thofe of Ravenna took from 
thofe of Pavia. 
We had fcarce travel’d a good Hour from Ravenna, 
but we enter’d a Foreft of Pine-trees, which is four 
Miles long, after which we travell’d within Sight of 
the Sea to the left, and the Marlhes to the right. 
Having palTed the River Savio in a Ferryboat, we 
continued our Journey thro’ the little City of Cervia, 
feated among the Bogs ; the Inhabitants live by mak- 
ing of Salt. We dined at Cofenate, near the Sea-fide, 
and before we had made three Miles more, came to 
the Banks of the famous River Rubicon, call’d alfo the 
Pifaiello, and by fome the Frumicino ; and we were 
not a little furpriz’d to fee our Coach pafs it without 
a Bridge or Ferry-boat, yet Lucan in his Time gives it 
the following Charader : 
Fonte cadit modico, parvifque impellitur undis* 
Within an Hour after we travel’d clofe along the 
Sea-fhore, which was even, fandy and firm, without 
any Rocks or Shells, till within a Mile of Rimini, 
where we were forc’d to travel deeper into the Coun- 
try, for the Conveniency of pafling the River Arimi- 
num, which waflies the Walls of the City of Rimini ; 
it is now call’d Marechia. 
Rimini is a fmall and poor City, feated in a rich 
Country. On the Bridge of Marble are two entire In- 
feriptions, intimating, that Augubius and Fiberius were 
the Founders of this City, and that the triumphal 
Arch was built by the firft. Behind the Gardens of 
the Capuchins are to be feen the Ruins of an Amphi- 
theatre, and Five hundred Paces thence, without the 
City, a Brick Tower, which was the Pharos of the 
ancient Harbour, but is now encompafled with Gar- 
dens, the Sea being retir’d at leaft half a Mile thence. 
The Church of S. Francis was built out of the Ruing 
of the Harbour, which was once one of the beft in 
Italy. The Library of the Count de Gambalonga is 
numerous, but without any rare Books that deferve 
Notice. In the Midft of the Market is a Marble Pe~ 
deftal with thefe Words upon it, Caius Cafar Dibit 
Rubicone fuperato civili bell: Commilit: fuos hie in fora 
Ar: adlocutus. In another Place you fee the brazen 
Statue of Paul V. and near it a curious Marble Foun- 
tain. 
From Rimini we travel’d for fifteen Miles along the 
Downs betwixt the Sea and the Fields. As we pafled 
thro’ the Village Catholica, we found over the Portal 
of the great Church an Infcription, by which it ap- 
pear’d that this Village receiv’d its Name from certain 
Orthodox Fathers, who, during the Council of Rimini 
3 59j compos’d, for the moft part of Arians, ufed to 
perform their religious Service here, in Spite of that 
Affembly. About ten or twelve Miles thence, towards 
the Apennines, we difeover’d the City and little Re- 
publick of Marino on the Top of a Mountain, at the 
Foot of which are the Limits of its Territories ; 
This fmall and inconfiderable Commonwealth being 
below the Envy and Jealoufy of its Neighbours, has 
maintain’d its laberty for many Ages. The Country 
between Catholica and Pefaro is for feven Miles toge- 
ther very well inhabited and cultivated. 
The City of Pefaro exceeds Rimini as well in Big- 
nefs 
