57® M I s s o n’s Travels th rough the Book II. 
and a great Number of ancient Sculptures, Medals, Idols, 
fepulchral Lamps, Scones, Minerals, and other natural 
Curiofities : The fecond is fill’d with Pidlures ; the third, 
called the Mathematical Chamber, (here iifed to be kept 
the Iron Nail, one half of which was pretended to be 
tranfiputed into Gold, but is not fhewn now, it having 
been found to be no more than a Sodering) has, among 
other things. Globes and Spheres of leven Foot diameter : 
The fourth has likewife nothing but Piflures, which ex- 
cel thofe of the lecond, except the Ornaments of Ivory, 
Amber, and precious Stones in a peculiar Cabinet, and 
among the reft, a large rough Emerald rooted in its 
Rock, and the Platform of Leghorn on a Table of Lapis 
Lazuli : In the fifth Chamber you fee the Pictures of moft 
of the illuftrious Perfons of the prelent Age ; among the 
Generals are Cromwell, Monk, and the late Earl oiofory : 
The fixth contains an hundred and thirty feven Pidlures 
of the moft famous Painters, done by themfelves : The 
feventh is filled with Porcelane Veflels, and the five fol- 
lowing with all Manner of furprizing Curiofities, and 
great Quantities of Arms of all Countries ; the Horfe- 
tail of twenty Foot long, prefented to the Great Duke 
by the late Charles Duke of Lorrain, is none of the leaft 
among thefe Rarities but the moft precious Thing? are 
preferv’d in an odagonal Apartment called the Tribune, 
built by Buontalenti, being twenty Foot in Diameter ; 
the Floor is pav’d with Marble of divers Colours, arti- 
ficially join’d like inlaid Work •, the Hangings are of 
crimfon Velvet, the Windows of Cryftal, and the Infide 
of the Lanthorn cover’d with Mother of Pearl. You 
have, queftionlefs, heard of that moft celebrated Dia- 
mond, which weighs 1 39 I Carats ; Tavernier fays, it is 
Pity that the Water is yellowilh. Among the. other 
Rarities, the following are the choiceft j an antique 
Head of Julius Cafar, of one entire Turquoife of the 
Bignefs of an Egg ; a Cupboard filled with Veffels of 
Agate, Lcipis Lazuli, Cornelian, and Rock-cryftal fet 
with Gold and precious Stones ; a large Table and Cabi- 
net of inlaid Work of Oriental Jafper, Calcedony, Ru- 
bies, Topazes, and other precious Stones, excellently 
well contrived ; a Golledlion of the belt Medals ; a vaft 
Number of carv’d and engraved Pieces nicely kept j 
home Mafter-pieces of the moft excellent Painters ; fix 
very beautiful Grecian Statues ; two Wreftlers ; the 
Peafant whetting his Bill, and at the Erne time liftening 
to the Confpirators, Aflbciates j ^Tauro, n Cu- 
pid fleeping, a Venus fix Foot high, and another five 
Foot, both of white Marble, the fineft Piece of Work- 
manfliip in the World, the Head turns a little towards 
her left Shoulder, with her right Hand before her Bo- 
fom, yet at fome little Diftance, and covering her Nu- 
dity with the other, but without touching ; llie ftands 
bowing gently with her right Knee forward, the better 
to hide herfelf. This bafhful Pofture is accompanied 
with all the Marks of Modefty and Chaftity in her Face, 
and with an incomparable Beauty, Sweetnefs, and youth- 
ful Air j her Neck is exceeding beautiful j and, in fhort, 
this Matter- piece is the moft exquifite Imitation of the 
Perfedlion of Nature. On the Marble Bafe are thefe 
Words : 
KAEOMENHS AnOAAOAOPOS A0HNAIOS EnOEXEN. 
Cleomenes, Son of Apollodorus the Athenian, made it. 
From this Palace paffing through a fmall Gallery, we 
came into the ancient Palace of the Republick, where 
the Great Duke’s Wardrobe is kept ; and among other 
Things we faw there the rich Coach made for the So- 
lemnity of the Great Duke’s Marriage. The Hall of 
this Palace is a hundred and feventy two Foot long, and 
feventy four broad. The Cathedral is a large and 
ftately Building, though for the moft Part of a Gothick 
Architedture, being over-crufted within and without 
with the fineft polifti’d Marble of feveral Colours : Its 
whole Length is four hundred and ninety Feet, and its 
Height, to the Top of the Crofs on the Globe, three 
hundred and eighty Feet j the worft is, that it has no 
Frontifpiece. The rareft Statues in this Church are. Sc. 
James, by Sanfovin ; the Adam and Eve, by Bandinello ; 
the Statue of God the Father j the dead Chrid^ and an 
Angel fupporting him, by the fame Hand, on the high 
Altar ; The Eve is fomewhat larger than Adam, The 
Refurrebiion painted in the Dome is a moft excellent 
Piece, though the Criticks find Fault with Fred. Zuc- 
chero, who made it, becaufe he has reprefented the ri- 
fing Bodies with Clothes on : Befides this, we took No- 
tice of a greater Blunder in the fame Church, com- 
mitted by no lefs famous a Painter than Paul Urcello, 
who has painted Sir John Hawkwood, whom the Italians 
call Acutus, an Englijhman, General of the Pifans, on, 
Horfeback, and his Horfe retting on two Legs on the 
fame Side, while the other two are. in Motion. 
The Pieces of the Rods of Aaron and Mofes, ftiewn 
in the Cathedral, are queftion’d by fome, becaufe thefe 
Rods are faid to be entire at the Church of St. John 
de Lateran. The Steeple (near the Church)' is a Tower 
of one hundred and eighty Feet high, over-crufted 
with Iquare Pieces of red, black, and white Marble, 
and beautified with feveral excellent Statues ; The old 
Bald Man, by Donatelli, is highly efteem’d. 
The Baptiftery is not unlike that of Pi/a. an<3 co- 
ver’d like the Church ; fome i^y it was anciently the 
Temple of Mars, and that after its being converted into 
a Baptiftery, it was dedicated to St, John Baptiii. The 
Mofaick Work on the arch’d Roof is efteem’d excellent, 
and among the Statues here, the Magdalen of Wood, 
by Donatelli, excels all the reft : But the moft furpri- 
fing Pieces are, the three Gates of Brafs, whereon are 
reprefented fome facred Hiftories in Bajfo relievo. The 
Back-Gate, with this Infcription, Andreas Ugolini de 
Pijis me fecit 1330, is not altogether fo beautiful as 
the other two, which put Michael Angelo into fuch a 
Rapture, that he faid, they deferved to be placed at the 
Entrance of Heaven : 
Dum cernit valvas aurato ex are nitentes 
In templo Michael Angelus, obUupuit ; 
Attonitufque diu, fic alta Jilentia rupit ; 
O Divinum Opus ! O Janua digna Polo / 
The Senfe of which is, 
Thefe Gates of burnijh’d Brafs when he beheld. 
Great Angelo, he^i Judge of what excelled ; 
Amazed he flood, long Jilent, and then HgFd ! 
O Work Divine! O worthy Heaven! he cry^d. 
The Statue of Juftice near the Church of the Trinity 
is fupported by a Column of Porphyry faid to have ftood 
formerly in the Pantheon. In the Court before the 
middle Gate of the Baptiftery, you fee two Columns 
of Porphyry at fome Dilfance from each other, and yet 
chain’d together, which, they fay, were brought from 
Majorca, and beftow’d upon the Florentines by the Pi- 
fans, for the Affiftance they gave them in the Conqueft 
of Part of that Ifle. Near them ftands another Co- 
lumn eredled in Memory of a pretended Miracle wrought 
by the Body of St. Zenobius, when it was removed from 
St. Lawrence to the Cathedral Church, for his Shrine 
touching by Chance the Trunk of a dry Tree that lay 
upon the Ground, it bloflbm’d immediately, and pro- 
duced Fruit. 
The Church of St. Lawrence is both fpacious and 
rich, and the Chapel, I muft confefs, when finifh’d, 
will be the moft exquifite Struflure that ever was feen 
of this Kind ; it is both very large and magnificent : 
In the Middle of each Face of the Hexagon ftands a 
double Pilafter of Jafper, with a double Chapiter of 
Brafs gilt, the Bafe being the fame. The Emblematical 
Figures on the Pedeftals of thefe Pilafters are very ar- 
tificially made of precious Stones : In the fix Angles are 
placed as many rich Tombs of Porphyry, Oriental 
Granite, and fome other of the moft precious Kinds of 
Marble ; on each Tomb lies a great Pillow of Jafper, va- 
lued each at fixty thoufand Crowns, enrich’d with precious 
Stones, and upon each Pillow ftands a Crown, exceeding 
in Richnefs the Pillow itfelf ; The Bafe fupporting the 
Tombs is over-crufted with Porphyry and Calcedony, 
on which will be engraven the Epitaphs of the Princes 
for whom thefe Tombs are defigned, and their Sta- 
tues of Brafs gilt, twice as big as the Life, are to be 
placed in the Niches of black Marble that are over the 
^ ' Tombs. 
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