Chap. III. through S w I s : 
with Alabailer and Marble, of a fine Colour inclining 
to red. From this Garden one goes on a Level to all 
the reft of the Allies and Parterres, Herb and Flower- 
gardens, in all which there are Variety of Fountains 
and Arbours ; but the great Parterre is a furprizing 
Thing : For as it is well furniftied with Statues and 
Fountains, and is of a vaft Extent, and juftly fituated to the 
Palace, at the farther End of it there is a great Mount ; 
the Face of it, that looks to the Parterre, is made like 
a Theatre, all full of Fountains and Statues, the Height 
rifing up in five feveral Rows, about fifty Foot high, 
and about fourfcore Foot in Front *, and round this 
Mount, anfwering to the five Rows into which the 
Theatre is divided, there run as many Terraffes of no- 
ble Walks. The Walls are all as clofe covered with 
Oranges and Citrons, as any of our Walls in England 
are with Laurel. The Top of the Mount is feventy 
Foot' long, and forty broad : and here is a vaft Cif- 
tern, into which the Mill plays up the Water that fur- 
nifties all the Fountains. The Fountains were not quite 
finifhed when I was there •, but when all is compleat, 
this Place will look like an inchanted Ifland. The 
Frefhnefs of the Air, it being both in a Lake, and 
near the Mountains, the fragrant Smell, the beautiful 
Profpeft, and delightful Variety that is here, makes it 
fuch a Habitation for Summer, that perhaps the World 
hath nothing like it. 
19. From hence I went to Sejiio, a miferable Village 
at the End of the Lake 1 and here I began to feel a 
mighty Change, being now in Lombardy^ which is cer- 
tainly the beautifulleft Country that can be imagined, 
the Ground lies fo even, is fo well watered, fo fweetly 
divided by Rows of Trees, inclofing every Piece of 
Ground of an Acre or two in Compafs, that it cannot 
be denied that here is a vaft Extent of Soil, above two 
hundred Miles long, and in many Places an hundred 
broad ; where the whole Country is equal to the love- 
lieft Spots in England and France ; it hath all the Sweet- 
nefs that Holland or Flanders have, but with a warmer 
Sun, and a better Air. The Neighbourhood of the 
Mountains caufes a Frefhnefs here, that makes the Soil 
the moft defireble Place to live in that can be feen, if 
the Government were not fo fevere, that there is no- 
thing but Poverty all over this rich Country. A Tra- 
veller in many Places finds almoft nothing, and is fo 
ill furnilhed, that if he does not buy Provifions in the 
great Towns, he will be driven to a very poor Diet, in 
a Country that feems to flow with Milk and Honey : 
But of this 1 fhall lay more hereafter. The Eago Mag- 
giore difcharges itfelf in the Kw^vFefino^ which runs 
with fuch a Force, that we went thirty Miles in three 
Hours with a fingle Skuller, and. the Water was no 
Way fwelled. From hence we went into the Canal 
v;hich Francis I. cut from this River to the Town of 
Milan^ which is about thirty Foot broad, and on both 
its Banks there are fuch Contrivances to difcharge the 
W^ater when it rifes to fuch a Height, that it can ne- 
ver be fuller of Water than it is intended it fhould be : 
It lies alfo fo even, that fometimes for fix Miles toge- 
ther one fees the Line exadly before one. It is thirty 
Miles long, and is the beft Advantage that the Town 
of Milan hath for Water-carriage. 
I will not entertain you with a long Defcription of 
this City, which is one of the nobleft in the World for 
an inland. Town, that hath no Court, no Commerce 
either by Sea, or any navigable River, and that is now 
the Metropolis of a very fmall Country •, for that, which 
is not mountainous in this State, is not above fixty Miles 
fquare, and yet it produces a Wealth that is furprizing. 
It pays for an Eftablifhment of feven and forty thoufand 
Men, and yet there are not fixteen thoufand Soldiers 
efiedively in it ; fo many are eat up by thofe in whofe 
Hands the Government is lodg’d. But the Extent of 
the Town, the Noblenefs of the Buildings, and above 
all, the furprizing Riches of the Churches and Convents, 
are Signs of great Wealth : The Dome hath Nothing 
to commend it of Architedure, it being built in the 
rude Gothick Manner ; but for the Vaftnefs and Riches 
of the Building, it is equal to any* in Italy^ St. Feter\ 
itfelf not excepted. It is all Marble, both Pavement 
lERLAND, &C. 607 
and WallSi both Outfide and In, and on the Top it ig 
all flagged with Marble ; and there is the vafteft Num- 
ber of Niches for Statues of Marble, both within and 
without, that are any where to be feen. Juft under the 
Cupola lies St. Carlo's Body, in a great Cafe of Cryftal, of 
vaft Value, but I could not come near it 5 for we were 
there on two Holidays, and there was a perpetual Crowd 5 
and the Superftition of the People for his Body is fuch, 
that on a Holiday he runs a Hazard that comes near it 
without doing home Reverence. His Canonization coft: 
the Town an hundred thoufand Crowns. They pre- 
tend they have Miracles too from Cardinal Frederigo 
Borromeo \ but they will not fet about his Canonization^ 
the Price is fo high. The Plate and other Prefents made 
to St. Carlo, are Things of a prodigious Value ; fome 
Services for the Altar are all of Gold, fome fet with 
Jewels, others fo finely wrought, that the Fafhion is 
thought equal to the Value of the Metal. The Habits, 
and all the other Ornaments for the Funftion of his 
Canonization, are all of an incredible Wealth. He 
was indeed a Prelate cf great Merit *, and accord- 
ing to the Anfwer that a Fryer made to Philip de Co- 
mines, when he asked him, how they they came to qua- 
lify one of the worft of their Princes with the Title of 
Saint, in an infeription which he read, which was, that 
they gave that Title to all their Benefaflors ; never 
Man deferved of a City this Title fo juftly as Cardinal 
Borromeo did •, for he laid out a prodigious Wealth in 
Milan, leaving Nothing to his Family, but the Honour 
of having produced lo great a Man, which is a real 
temporal Inheritance to it. For as there have been 
fince that Time two Cardinals of that Family, fo it is 
efteemed a Cafa Santa, and when-ever it produces an 
Ecclefiaftick of any confiderable Merit, he is fure, if 
he lives, to be raifed to this Archbifhoprick : For if 
there were one of the Family capable of it, and that did 
not carry it, that alone might difpofe the State to a Re- 
bellion ; and he were a bold Man that would venture on a 
Competition with one of this Family. He laid out a great 
deal on the Dome, and confecrated it, though the Work 
will not be quite finiftied for fome Ages ; that being one 
of the Crafts of the Italian Pr lefts, never to finifh a 
great Defign, that, by keeping it in an unfinifti’d State, 
they may be always drawing vaft Sums from the Su- 
perftition of the People. He built the Archbiftiop’s 
Palace, which is very noble, and a Seminary, a Col- 
lege for the Switzers, feveral Parifh Churches, and 
many Convents. In fhort, the whole Town is lull of 
the Marks of his Wealth. The Riches of the Churches 
of Milan ftrike one with Amazement, the Building, the 
Painting, the Altars, and the Plate, and every Thing 
in the Convents, except their Libraries, are Signs both 
of great Wealth and Superftition ; but their Libraries 
npt only here, but all Italy over, are fcandalous Things. 
The Room is often fine, and richly adorn’d, but the 
Books are few, ill bound, and worfe chofen ; and the 
Ignorance of the Priefts, both fecular and regular, fuch, 
that no Man, that hath not had Occafion to difeover 
it, can eafily believe it. ^ The Convent of St. Vidfor, 
that is without the Town, is by much the richeft j it is 
compofed of Canons regular, called in Italy, Fbe Order 
of Mount Olive, or Olivet an. That of the Barnabites 
is extreme rich ; there is a Pulpit and a ConfelTional, 
all inlaid with Agates of different Colours, finely fpot- 
ted Marbles, and Lapis Lazuli, that are thought almoft 
ineftimable. St. Lawrence has a noble Cupola, and a 
Pulpit of the fame Form with that of the Barnabites. 
The Jefuits, the Fheatines, the Dominicans, and St. Se- 
bastians, are very rich. The Citadel is too well known 
to need a Defcription ; it is very regularly built, and 
is moft effedual to keep the Town in Order. The 
Hofpital is indeed a Royal Building 5 I was told it had 
ninety thoufand Crowns Revenue, The old Court is 
large, and would look noble, if it were not for the 
new Court that is near it, which is two hundred and 
fifty Foot fquare, and there are three Rows of Corri- 
dors, or Galleries, all round the Court, one in every 
Stage, according to the Italian Manner, which makes 
the Lodgings very convenient, and leaves a Gallery be- 
fore every Door. It is true, thefe take up a great 
deal. 
