548 ,, , M I s s o n’j travels through the Book IF. 
Befs and the Pleafantnefs of its Situation, upon an 
eafy Afcent, as in the Neatnefs and Beauty of its Build- 
ings. Nothing can be more pleafant to the Eye, than 
the little Hills that furround it, with the agreeable Mix- 
ture of Pqftures^ Vineyards, and Orchards. Their 
Olives are very good, but their Figs are abfolutely 
eileemed the beft in Italy. Meat is fo cheap here, that 
you may buy a Pound (which contains eighteen Ounces 
here) for lefs than a halfpenny ; Bread and Wine are 
cheaper in Proportion than Meat ; and as both the Sea 
and Rivers furnilli them with Plenty of Filh, fo this 
City abounds in all Things neceffary for Life. Its For- 
tifications are none of the word, confidering they are 
after the old Fafhion. In the Market-place is a fine 
Fountain, and a Statue of Pope Urban VIII, under 
whofe Pontificate this City and the Dukedom of Urbin 
were incorporated with the Ecclefiaflical State, as they 
have ever fince continued. 
From Pefaro we continued our Journey along the 
fandy Shore for feven Miles, as far as Fano. We faw 
Abundance of Walnuts, Cliefnuts, Ruflies, and many 
other Things, forced by the Winds from the neigh- 
bouring Rivers to this Shore. One of our Company, 
among the reft, took up here a certain little FifE 
call’d Cavaletto by the Italians, in France, Cbeval Marin, 
or the Sea-horfe : It is frequently to be met with in Ca- 
binets, being eafily dried and preferve.d its Head and 
Neck has fome Refemblance to 'thofe of a Horfe. The 
Italians attribute to it a peculiar Quality of curing the 
Bite of a mad Dog, if eaten roafted, and applied to 
the affefted Part, skin’d and beaten with Honey and 
Vinegar. Fano itfelf is a fmall but neat City, having 
nothing in it worth taking Notice of, except one Tri- 
umphal Arch, but the Infcription on it is quite defaced. 
It is compofed of three diftintft Gates. 
About a Mile from Fano we travelM over a wooden 
Bridge five or fix hundred Paces long, built over the 
feveral Branches of the Pongio, which overflow all the 
circumjacent Country, when the Snow begins to melt 
on the Apennines afterwards coafting along the Sea- 
fide for fifteen Miles, we came to SenegalUa, an old 
City, enclofed with a ftrong Wall, and fome Baftions, 
but not very regular. Our Wearinefs, after a tedious 
Day’s Journey, proved the Occafion of our good For- 
tune, without which we had run the fame Danger that 
befel feveral of the Inhabitants, who w^ere the fame 
Night at a Play aefted at the Governor’s Houfe, but the 
Arch, which fupported the Stage, with fome of the 
neareft Seats, being overladen, gave Way, and above 
thirty Perfons were kill’d, and many more wounded by 
this Accident. 
From SenegalUa we kept ftill all along the Shore, but 
for feventeen Miles met with no Houfes, except an old 
Caftle and fome Inns, about a hundred Paces from the 
Sea-fide.' Near a little Village call’d Furreet, about three 
Miles from Ancona, we turn’d into the Land-way, where 
we arrived in good Time. This City is feated upon a 
double Hillock, at the very Point of the Cape, being 
much larger than any of the four or five'laft-mentioned 
Cities, bur net much richer, though the Excellency of 
its Harbour, and the Fertility of the adjacent Country 
feems to entitle it toTraffick, of which it had a fuffi- 
cient Share formerly, but is much decayed of late Years, 
by being under the papal Dominion. The Streets of 
Ancona are both narrow and dark, and their Buildings 
but indifferent ; befides that, its Situation up and down 
Hill renders it very inconvenient. The Citadel is fear- 
ed on the firft Hill, which commands both the City 
and Harbour ; and on the other, which makes the 
Point of the Cape, ftands the Church of St. Cyriaca, 
being a low dark Fabrick, the Front whereof is of 
Marble, but without any Ornament. Here they boaft 
of the Body of St. Urfida, as well as thofe of Cologne, 
befides many other Saints and Relicks in high Venera- 
tion among the People. Froim hence we had a very 
delightful Profpefl of the Sea, City, and Country at 
©nee. 
At the Entrance of the Mole is a magnificent tri- 
umphal Arch of white Marble, ereded to the Honour 
of Trajan, by the Senate, in Acknowledgement of the 
Charge he had been at in repairing this Harbour, as 
the Infcription, which is not in the leaft defac’d tells 
the Reader j but it was with fome Difficulty defended 
from the Monks, who would often have demoliffiffi it 
to repair their Convents. The Exchange where the 
Merchants meet, is built in the Nature of a Portico of 
an indifferent Bignefs ; at the four Corners ftand as 
many Statues, reprefenting Faith, Hope, Charity, and 
Religion, the laft of which was thrown down by an 
Earthquake, and the reft ffiaken. Before I leave An- 
cona, I muft tell you fomething of the Oddnefs of the 
Drefs of the Inhabitants : We faw the chiefeft Buro-hers 
on a Holiday, appear in a black Cloak lin’d with green’ 
with blue or philamot Stockins, Shoes whiten’d with 
Chalk, and tied with Ribbons of all Sorts of Colours ; 
their unbutton’d Doublets were embroider’d with divers 
Colours, and the great Sleeves of their Shirts huno- down 
to their Fingers Ends. The ordinary Sort of Women 
wear a Kind of Coif, with a long Fringe hanging over 
their Faces j the Body of the Gown is generally red or 
yellow, faften’d on four Sides with Laces, and trim- 
med all over with colour’d Galloon ; their Waiftcoats 
and Petticoats are both very ffiort, and of various Co- 
lours. The Ladies of Quality imitate in their Drefs the 
French Fafhion, but after fo aukward a Manner, that 
they appear more ridiculous than the others in ’ their 
own Country Drefs. 
We obferv’d another Cuftom upon this Road, which, 
they told us, runs from Ferrara all over Italy ; I mean 
their Paper Windows, which being always torn, prove 
very inconvenient in the Winter, and afford a very odd 
Profpeft to Foreigners, as well as very inconvenient. 
To compleat our Mifery, they would commonly bring 
a Fricacy of three Eggs, and perhaps as many Pil- 
chards, for a Supper for five or fix Perfons, and at laft 
make us pay as dear as if we had had extraordinary 
good Cheer, our Dinner and Supper amounting gene- 
rally to four Shillings a Head. The Flux and Reflux 
of the Sea increafe and decreafe according to the Di- 
ftance from the Extremity of the Gulph ; for at Venice 
the Tide rifes about four Foot, near Ravenna to three, 
at Pefaro two, and fcarce above one at Ancona, and fo 
decreafes till at laft it comes to nothing, 
7. The Country between and is the 
beft in Italy, but the Roads the worft, which oblig’d us 
to alight feveral TiiHes to eafe the Coach. I^don’c 
queftion but you have feen feveral Accounts of our fa- 
mous Lady of Loretto ; but fince Matters of this Na- 
ture are varioufly reprefented, the Curiofity of the Thino- 
deferves very well an exaft Abridgment of what I was able 
either to learn or fee, which I will give you with great 
Fidelity. This Houfe, fo much celebrated among the 
Roman Catholicks, is the fame (if you will take their 
Word for it) in which the Virgin was born, where flie 
was betroth’d and married to Jofeph, where fhe receiv’d 
the Salute of the Angel, and where the Son of God was 
incarnate. This Houfe was from Nazareth tranfported 
by the Angels into Dalmatia, and placed on the Hill 
oi Ferfatto, 10 May, 1291, where, after it had conti- 
nued for three Years and feven Months, the Angels re- 
moved it from thence into the Middle of a Foreft in 
the Territory of Recanati, Part of the Marquifate of 
Ancona ; but this Wood being famous for many Rob- 
beries committed thereabouts, this holy Houfe was, after 
eight Months, removed a third Time from thence, to 
the fame Hill on which it now ftands ; but foon after 
a Controverfy arifing betwixt two Brothers, Coheirs of 
the Ground on which it flood, about the Poflfeffion of 
this Houfe, it was in four Months after placed by the 
Angels fome Paces from thence, in the high Road, 
where it is to be feen to this Day. 
To prevent all Inconveniencies that might happen to 
fo facred a Place, they built a moft fumptuous Church 
about it, in the Middle of which it ftands free from all 
Injuries ; and for its better Prefervation,, they have fince 
ereded four Walls, which enclofe it on all Sides like a 
Box, without touching the Walls of the Santa Cafa, or 
Holy Houfe ; all that Painting, Sculpture, and Archi- 
tefture, were able to perform in the Beginning of the laft 
Age, has been beftow’d on this Fabrick, which is built 
of white Marble of Carrara, after the Corinthian Order, 
adorn’d 
