M I s s o N’i' ^favels thfough the 
SS4 
We teturn*d to Mola^ and then coafting the Sea upon the 
Via Appia for eight Miles, came to the Ruins of the 
ancient City of Minturna, in the Neighbourhood of 
which Marius fhelter’d himfelf after his Army had been 
defeated by Sylla^ as Hiitory informs us. 
We took Notice in our Paflfage of the Ruins of an 
old Amphitheatre, and the Remnants of an Aquedud: 
which came from the little City of Tajetto, two Miles 
further on the I.eft Hand. The River Garigliano (for- 
merly call’d Lyris) runs juft by Minturna ; we pafs’d it 
in a Ferry-boat, and quitting the old troublefome and 
flippery Pavement, travel’d through the Meadows to 
the Village of St. Agatha, where we lodg’d that Night. 
The Country between this Village and Capua (which is 
lixteen Miles) is very level, and extremely fruitful near 
Capua. Not far from St. Agatha they fhew’d us, at 
fome Miles Diftance, the Hills which formerly pro- 
duced the famous Falernian ^Vine, that infpired the Ro- 
man Poets, but are at prefent barren. 
Capua is feated upon the Bank of the Volturno, the 
chief River of the Kingdom of Naples, though of an 
indifferent Bignefs •, it has various Infcriptions and Mar- 
ble Stones, brought thither from the ancient Capua, the 
Ruins whereof we vifited, about two Miles from thence, 
near the Mountains to the Eaftward, the Town called 
St. Mary^^ being built out of the Ruins of this once fo 
celebrated City : The many little Temples and old 
Caftles, the Remnants of two Amphitheatres, one of the 
Gates, and a great Number of broken Pillars, and other 
magnificent Fragments of Architefture, are undeniable 
Proofs of its former Grandeur. The Country People 
brought us Variety of Medals to fell, but as they are 
cunning enough to carry the beft to the Antiquaries of 
the neighbouring Cities, who pay them a good Rate 
for them, fo they feldom offer any Thing but their Re- 
fufe to Travellers. The Campaign betwixt Capua and 
Naples {\N\nch. is fixteen Miles, and Part of the Pro- 
vince of Terra di Laura) is perhaps the moft fruitful 
Soil in the World, whence it is that they have given it 
the Name of Campagna Stellata, to fignify the benign 
Influence of the Stars upon this Country, as if Fertility 
proceeded wholly from thence. Among other Places 
we paffed through Averfa, built fas they tell you) out 
of the Ruins of Atella by the Normans, after they had 
' driven the Saracens and Greeks out of Naples. 
The City of Naples was rebuilt by the Cumani, who 
gave it the Name of to diftinguifh it from the 
Remnants of the high City, unto which they gave the 
Name of tor both were before that Time 
called Parthenope, from the Mermaid Parthenope, who, 
after Ulyffes and his Companions had efcaped her Snare, 
threw herfdlf, out of Defpair, headlong from a Preci- 
pice, and was interr’d at Palaiopolis \ though fome others 
derive fits Etymology from Parthenope the Daughter of 
Eumelus King of Thejfaly, who fettled a Colony there, 
and changed its ancient Name into that of Parthenope. 
Thefe Grecian Names leem fufficiently to evince, that 
the Greeks were the Founders of this City, which is very 
large and populous, though I am not able to give you 
-an exa6t Account of the Number of its Inhabitants : Its 
Figure is very irregular, and its Circuit, according to 
the Computation of fome who have walk’d round the 
Wall, is about nine Miles, not including the Suburbs, 
which, amounting to nine more, make the whole Cir- 
cumference up eighteen ; It is pav’d all over with fquare 
Stones of the fame Bignefs, the Streets being generally 
ftreight and broad, the Houfes lofty, flat-roof’d and 
uniform, in which it exceeds the Buildings of London, 
Paris, Venice, and even Romenk% all which have very 
line Palaces, but thefe are mix’d with a great Number 
of ordinary Houfes, whereas at Naples they are, gene- 
plly fpeaking, very handforae Fabricks. To the South 
it is enclofed by a little Bay, and to the North by very 
fertile Hills, which rife, by an eafy Afcent, into Cam- 
pagna Felice to the Eaft lies the Plain which leads to 
Mount Vefuvius, and on the W^eft Side the high Town, 
where are the Chartreux, and the Caftle of St. Eraf nus, 
the Profpea; of which Afcent is very charming to the 
Beholders. ° 
Book II. 
Befides thefe fine private Houfes, there are a great many 
may be rank’d among the Number of the beft Palaces 
as for inftance, thofe of the Dukes of Matalone, Gra-^ 
Nina, Airola, and de laTour ; of the Princes of St. Ao-a- 
tha, Montmilet, Bo ter a, and Cellamare', the Palace of the 
Viceroy ftands in a Great Place, its Front is very re- 
gular, and adorned with three Orders of Architecture 
Its whole Length is near four hundred foot, and was 
built by the famous Montana. The three Caftles of 
Naples, the Academy called Studii Nuovi, the School 
for riding the great Horfe, the Convents in general, the 
Holjpitals, the Arfenal, and the Magazines for their 
Galleys, are all very remarkable Struaures. The whole 
City is adorn’d vvith a confiderable Number of Foun- 
tains, among which three are of an incomparable Gran- 
deur and Beauty ; But the Churches here, both for their 
Number and Beauty, furpafs all the reft ; their Frontif- 
pieces, Portals, Chapels, Altars and Tombs being the 
moft exquifire Pieces of Architeaure that Art ever pro- 
duced ; they are filled with Piaures, Sculptures, and 
Gold and-filverVeflels, and their Arches, Wainfcots and 
Walls are covered with the moft precious Marble curi- 
oufly laid together, or with Compartments of Baffo re- 
lievo, or of gilt Joyners Work, and beautified with the 
Pprormances of the greateft Painters. To be fhort 
wnerever you turn your Eye, you are dazled with the 
curious W^orks of Jafper, Porphyry, and Mofaick of all 
borts, and the moft exquifite Produas of Art. The 
excellent Fabrick, embel- 
ilv magnificent Ornaments from Too to Bottom 
The Painting of the Dome is the Work of Lanfranc \ 
that of St. Mary of the Annunciata is not inferior to it ; 
and the famous Hofpital (which has two hundred thou- 
fand Ducats annual Revenue) is exceeding rich as are 
thole of Sr. Philip of Neri, St. Maria la Nuova, St. Se- 
verin, St. Paul, St. Dominick, the Church and Convent 
of Mount Olivet, the Church of the Hoh Apodles, St 
JohnCarbonara, of the little Hofpital, and St. Maria della 
fanita, not to mention ipany more, which are all very 
fklr, and have their Veftries and Treafuries crowded with 
Riches. ^ I remember that two Theatines, as they were 
conduaing us into their Church of the Holy ApoSiles^ 
made heavy Complaint of the Poverty of their Order* 
(they having no Pofteflions, and at the fame Time not 
being permitted to beg like the Mendicants) but after 
they had fhewed us the Magnificence of their Church, 
and fourteen large Cupboards in the Veftry filled with 
Gold and Silver Veffels, and other precious Things, we 
had fufficient Reafon to believe that they had no great 
Occafion to go a Begging. In Italy all Monks are at 
once Mifers and Mendicants. 
The fpacious Convent of the Chartreux of St. Martin 
is every where full of curious and magnificent Pieces ; 
and the Church, though none of the largeft, yet is a 
compleat Piece, both for the Materials and Exquifite- 
nefs of the Art. The Monks that were our Conduc- 
tors aftur’d us, that under one Priorate there were be- 
ftow’d among them above five hundred thoufand Du- 
cats in Silver Plate, Sculptures and Pidures ; The Na- 
tivity of Chrift is a moft exquifite Piece, done by Guido ; 
the four Pictures of the Laft Supper are of the Hands of 
Efpagnolet, Hanihal Caracche, Paul Veronefe, and Cavalier 
Majfimo, the laft of which has reprelented Chrift ftand- 
ing, giving the Sacrament to his Apoftles, who are 
upon their Knees ; befides many other Pieces of high 
Value, and exquifite in their Kind. 
The Pavement of the Cloyfter (which is an hundred 
Paces fquare) is of Marble inlaid in Boughs and fuch- 
like Ornaments, the four Galleries being fupported by 
fixty Pillars, each of one entire Piece of the beft white 
Marble of Carrara. Every Frier has his own Cham- 
ber, a Clofet and Library, befides a little Garden ; and 
the Prior’s Lodgings are fit for the Reception of a 
Prince ; Here it is they fliew the famous Crucifix of 
Michael Angelo, done, as they fay, to the Life after a 
Peafant, who, to that End, was crucified by the Painter i 
it is of Wood, and not above half a Foot high : It is 
obfervable, that the Crucifix holds his Head ftreight, 
which looks not very like the Pofture of an expiring 
Perfon 
