Chap. III. through the State 
?* ^ * **S * ^ HE Defign of this Seflion is to extraft fb 
1 much of Mr. Rafs Travels through Italy., 
HL as may inform the Reader, in many Parti- 
culars, that were either omitted by, or did not occur 
to the Authors whofe Works have been already inferr- 
ed, as alfo to enlarge the Accounts already given, with 
the Defcriptions of the Kingdoms of Naples., the Iflands 
of Sicily and Malta., and many other Places thro* which 
he paired, and which were not mentioned by the former 
Writers. The Reader will alfo obferve, that in regard 
to the Curiolities of Art and Nature which are men- 
tioned in thefe Travels, they are more clofely and 
thoroughly examined than in thofe of Mijfon, Burnet., 
or indeed any other*, becaufe they were what thefe 
Gentlemen particularly fought after, and perfectly un- 
fterllood 5 neither may it be improper to take Notice, 
that in Confequence of many ufeful Difcoveries made 
by them in their Travels, and communicated to their 
Countrymen after their Return, feveral ufeful Trades 
were fet up, and new Manufaflures introduced in this 
Kingdom. It were to be wilhed, that the fame bene- 
ficent and publick Spirit was more common among mo- 
dern Travellers, and that they would accuftom them- 
felves to think of bringing home fome valuable Inven- 
tion, in Return for great Sums of Money fpen,t in their 
Travels, and which mult be confidered as intirely thrown 
away, by fuch as carry their Views no higher than bare 
Amufement. But let us now return to our Author, 
and continue the Story of his Travels as near as may 
be in his own Words. 
Ouiober 4, Quitting the Mountains, we entred the 
Plains of Friuli, palTing by Limonia, fituated at the 
Foot of the Mountains, and fome Leagues further 
through St. Daniele *, after which we forded the River 
I^iment in leveral Places, though in Time of Rain, or 
when the melted Snow comes down from the Mountains, 
it is of a confiderable Breadth. The firfl; Time we palled 
the River we came to Spilemherg, feated upon a Cliff, 
where we faw Gloillers under the Houfeson both Sides of 
the Streets (a thing common in Lombardy) and after ten 
Italian Miles travelling, took up our Lodgings in the 
Village of St. Avogio. 
Odiober 5, We tra veil’d for ten Miles to a walled 
Town call’d Saribe, encompafs’d by the River Livenza, 
which divides itfelf into two Branches. We travelled 
for two German Leagues, and lodged at Conegliano, 
a fmall City, feated on a Ridge of a Hill. Whilft 
we travelled in Italy, we met rarely with any wheaten 
Bread, that which we ufed, being made of Sorghum, 
a certain Grain, the Blade of which grows feven or 
eight Foot high, of the thicknefs of a Finger, bearing 
a large Pannicle on the Top, the Seed being bigger 
than Wheat, of a dusky Colour. 
Ollober 6. A German League from hence we ferried 
over the River Anams ( Have ) and ten Italian 
Miles further came to the large and famous City of 
Trevifo, the Capital of the Province call’d Marca Hre^ 
vifana. Hence we continued our Journey through a 
fertile Country to Mejlre, a fmall Place, feated near the 
Lagunes, or Flats about Venice, which are dry at low, 
but. covered with Water at high Tide. From whence 
we pafs’d in a Boat to Venice, Throughout the great- 
eft Part of Friuli, the Marca Frevifana, and Lombardy, 
we faw the Corn-fields planted with Trees as thick as 
our Orchards, againft each Tree a Vine, the Branches 
of which draw from Tree to Tree in Rows, and make 
a kind of a Hedge *, their Soil being fo rich, that it 
Suffices for the Produdion of Corn and Grapes, the 
Trees not giving the leaft Hindrance to the Corn, ei- 
ther by their Droppings or Shadow, becaufe little Rain 
falls here in the Summer, and the Leaves keep off the 
. fcorching Heat of the Sun, which notwithftanding this 
fuffices to bring it to Maturity. This part of Italy has 
for its Beauty and amazing Fertility, juftly deferved the 
Name of the Garden oV Europe. 
2. The famous City of Venice is built upon feveral 
little Iflands in the middle of Shallows, furrounded by 
the Sea, called by them Lagunes. Thefe Lagunes are 
feparated from the Gulph of Venice by a certain Land- 
0/ Venice, &‘c'. 659 
bank (which they call the Lido) about thirty-eight or 
forty Miles in Extent, and refembling the Space con* 
tained in a bent Bow, fuppofing the firft to be the 
Continent, and the String Lido. Venice ixItVi is at 
an equal Diftance of five Miles from each i The Lido 
ferves as a Fence againft the Violence of the Sea, and 
has feven Inlets or fmall Harbours, two only being 
capable of receiving Veffels of any great Burthen, viz^ 
Thofe of Malamocco and Lio. Not far from the La>^ 
gunes moft of the confiderable Rivers of Italy difeharge 
themfelves into the Gulph, viz. Padus the Po, Athefis 
or Adige, Meduacus major or Brenta, Meduacus minor, 
or Bacchilione, Liliaventum or Lajamento, Liquentia or 
Livenza, Silis or Sile, Anajfus or Piave ; and thefe car- 
rying along with them a vaft Quantity of Earth, may 
in Time fill up the Lagune *, for Gianotti tells us, that 
in ancient times the City of Venice was ten Miles from 
the Continent Oriago {Ora lacus) then lying upon the 
Shoar of the Lagune, which is now five Miles from 
Fufina, where they take Boat for Venice. The firft O- 
rigin of Venice may be traced as far as the Irruption of 
the Buns into Itcily, under Attila, when many of the 
beft Families fled for Shelter into thefe IQands, and at 
laft ere< 5 led here a noble City. Certain it is, that this 
City has maintained its Sovereignty thefe 1200 Years, 
though it be not ftrengthned by any Fortification, but 
what the Sea affords it, no great Ships being able to 
approach nearer than the Harbour of Malamocco 5 
thofe Inlets where fmall Veffels may pafs, being defend- 
ed by ftrong Forts ; befides, the Channels are fo diffi- 
cult to pafs, that none but their own Pilots dare ven- 
ture to navigate through them. The Circumference of 
(taking in lh.Q. Giudecha) is of about eight Italian 
Miles, being divided into two Parts by the grand Ca- 
nal, which paffes through the middle of it in the Form 
of the Letter S. Each Side is fubdivided into three 
Wards, called by them SePHeri, viz. Cajiello, St. Marco, 
and Canarejo, on one Side, and San Paolo, Santa Croce 
and Dorfo duro on the other Side. In the whole it 
contains 70 or 72 Pariffies, and 67 Convents, accord- 
ing to a Survey taken in the Year 1581. according to 
which there were then in the City, of Noblemen 1843, 
Women 1659, Boys 1420, Girls 1230 : Of common 
Citizens, Men 2117, Women 1936, Boys 1708, Girls 
1418: Servants 3732, Maids 5753: Of Artifans, Men 
32887, Women 31617, Boys 22765, Girls 18227: 
Of Beggars, Men 75, Women 112, Monks 945, Nuns 
2508, Priefts p,i 6 . Poor of the liofpital 1290, Jews 
1043. The Sum total of which amounts to 134,871. 
Sanfovino makes the Number of Souls in his Time to 
have been 180,000 in which I fuppofe he comprehends 
the Suburb of Murano and fome' other fmall Iflands. 
Some of our modern Writers have increafed this Num- 
ber to 300,000, but without much Probability, nothing 
being more common than to magnify the Number of 
Inhabitants of great Cities ; thus I have heard fay fre- 
quently, that in Paris there is a Million and a half of 
People, whereas there is fcarce half a Million. The 
whole City is divided into many Iflands, by fmall Chan- 
nels, thro’ which you convey yourfelf and Goods by Boats 
from one Place to another, there being no Ufe of Carts, 
Horfes, Coaches, Litters, or Afles, except that they 
employ now and then Porters in the Alleys, which 
run a-crofs the City for the PafTage on Foot, for 
Conveniency of which 450 Bridges are built crofs the 
Channels of one Arch each, and moft of Stone. The 
Bridge call’d Ponte di Rialto, is built over the grand 
Canal, excels all the reft. The Number of Boats for 
the Convenience of Carriage in the Canal, fome make 
amount to 10,000, fome fwell them to 12,000, fome to 
15,000. The Buildings here are generally lofty and 
beautiful, efpecially thofe along the grand Canal, and 
the Noblemen’s Palaces, which though not very fpaci- 
OLis, yet are very handfomely contrived j they all Hand 
upon Piles of Wood, like the Houfes of Amfterdam. 
The Arfenal of Venice has above two Miles in Circum- 
ference, containing a great Store of all Manner of war- 
like Provifions, 20000 Pieces of great and fmall Cannon, 
and Arms for 250,000 Men. Here they build and lay 
'up their Galleys (of which, as they fay, they have 200) 
