Chap. III. through tie Low- 
Altinum to be founded by Antemr^ and ?adua by F a- 
tavius, a King of Veneti. This City, after having bom 
its Share in the Devaftations made by the Huns and Lorn- 
hards, and having obtained its Liberty under the Em- 
peror I. was governed by its own Magiftrates, till 
Ezzellinus the Tyrant, and not many Years after the 
Carrarefi lorded it over them, and at laft, in 1405, fell 
under the Venetian Jurifdidtion, It is furrounded by 
two Walls, the firft is called to this Day AntenoF^ 
Wall, though of a far later Strudlure, being about three 
Miles in Circumference, the outward comprehending, 
with all its Fortifications and Ditches, a Compafs of fix 
Miles, built by the Venetians, at the Time of the League 
of Camhray, as may be feen by the Latin Infcription 
over the Gate of AV Saints. 
Hanc antiquijfimam Urbem literarum omnium Afyliim cujus 
agrum fertilitatis femen natura ejfe voluit, Antenor con-- 
didit : Senatus autem Yenetus his belli propugnaculis 
ernavit, Leonardo Lauredano Venetorum invic- 
iiUimo, cujus P rincipatus varias Fortunre vices excipiens 
quctm gloriofe fuperavit. 
However, this City is neither rich nor populous, in 
any Proportion to its Bignefs, containing, according to 
my Opinion, not above thirty thoufand Souls^ though 
fome fay, thirty eight thoufand. There is a large and 
fertile Plain belonging to this City, fo that their Bread 
is both very cheap and good, according to the Italian 
Proverb, that Bread of Padua, Wine of Vicenza, Fripe 
of Trevifo, and Courtezans of Venice, are the hefi in their 
Kind. No Trees are allowed to be planted within a 
Mile of its Fortifications, the Ground which they call 
the Wafte, being preferved for Corn ; for as there is 
little Ground near this Place for Pafturage, Milk is ex- 
cefiive dear here. For the Ufe of the Poor, they make 
Bread of Indian Wheat, and of Sorgum. 
It has feveral goodly publick Stru6lures, as, i. The 
Palazzo della Raggeone^ or Town-hall, where the Courts 
of Juftice arc kept, being two hundred and fifty fix 
Foot long, and eighty fix broad, unto which you af- 
cend by many Steps, having Shops underneath it i fome 
will have this to be the largefk Room in Europe, tho’, 
according to our Eye-fight, we thought it not quite fo 
big as Weftminfter-Hall. 2. The publick Schools. 3. 
The Church of St. Anthony. 4. The Church of Sc. 
Juftina, with the Convent of BenedilUnes. 5. The Pa- 
lace of the Arena or Amphitheater. 6. The Magazine 
of Com and Ammunition. 7. The Ponte Molino, where 
there are about thirty Mills together upon the River 
Brent a. 8. The Palace of the Capitaneo. 9. AntenoFs 
Tomb, as they would make us believe, for the parti- 
cular Defcription of which, I refer to Schottus and others. 
There is one remarkable Building here near the Domo, 
called Mans Pietatis, where they tell you a Stock of 
Money of forty thoufand Crowns is kept for the Ufe 
of fuch poor People as have Occafion to borrow upon 
Pawns, for which, if the Sum be fmall, they pay no 
Intereft, if it be confiderable, they allow only Five per 
Cent, which defrays the Charges of the Clerks, and 
other Attendance, the Overplus, if any, being diftribu- 
ted among the Poor, the Bank always remaining entire. 
The like Foundations are in many other Cities of Italy. 
But what renders this City moft famous is its Uni- 
verfity, which acknowledges the Emperor Frederick II. 
for its Founder, Anno 1220, for a compleat Account of 
which, I will recommend the Gymnafium Patavinum of 
Fhomafinus. Such is the outrageous Temper of the 
Students here, that no Inhabitant or Stranger dare ap- 
pear in the Streets in the Night-time, which if they 
happen to do, and meet with a Troop of thofe Nodur- 
nal Vagabonds, they cry to them, Who goes there? 
and if they anfwer, they bid them turn back, which if 
they do not inftantly, they mull expedt to be faluted 
with their Pifiols they carry with them ; nay. Nothing 
is more common, than if two Parties of thofe Students 
happen to meet, they retire behind the Pods of the Por- 
tico’s or Gloifters, which are on both Sides, and fo let 
fly one at another. 
The Phyfick Garden is well dored with Simples, but 
its Fame is chiedy owing to thofe excellent Men which 
have had the Management of it, as Aloyfms Mundella, 
V o L. II, N U M B. I 14. 
Countries, ^c. 661 
Aloyfus Anguillara, Melchior Guilandinus, facohus AnF 
tonius Cortufus, Profper Alpinus, and foannes Vefingius. 
The Government of is adminider’d by a Podefld 
or Major, and a Capitaneo, the fird for Civil, the fecond for 
Military Affairs. They are both fent by the Venetians. 
6 . From Padua we took a Turn to Alhano, anciently 
Apona, five Miles hence, to view the hot Springs there 
which arifing in a rocky Hillock, confiding of a po- 
rous Stone, furnifli fuch plenty of Water, that one of 
them drives an overfliot Mill ; and by the Porofity of 
the Rock and the Salt it contains^ wadies off certain 
fmall Particles of the Stone, which by Degrees it lets 
fall again, and precipitates to the Bottom of the Chan- 
nels through which it runs, fo that they pick Abun- 
dance of Stone of a dark grey Colour off the Mill- 
Wheel every Month. The Water is fo hot, that iri 
one of thofe Springs the Inhabitants fcald their Hogs toi 
get off the Hair, being full of white Salt, which coa- 
gulates upon the Surface of the Water. The Waters of 
Alhano are ufed only for Bathing. 
February, 3. We continued our Journey to Vicenzai 
a City not quite fo big, but more populous than Padua, 
its Compafs being no more than four Miles, but con- 
taining between thirty and forty thoufand Souls. It is 
feated upon the River BacchiUo, and watered by the 
Rero oc Eretenus, as alfo by two Rivulets called AjUchello 
and Seriola, but is of no great Strength, being fur- 
rounded only by a Brick Wall. It is inhabited by No- 
bility and Gentry, of wKich there are faid to be above 
two hundred Families here. I will not pretend to give 
an exacd Account of the feveral Changes of their Go- 
vernment, referring my felf as to this Point to Schottus 
and Leander Albertus. I will only add, that after they 
had recovered their Liberty, they fubmitted voluntarily 
to the Protedlion of the Venetians, which is the Reafon 
they enjoy greater Privileges than any of the neighbour- 
ing Cities. The Theatre of the Academy, called the 
Olympic, is a very neat Strufture, the Inhabitants live 
chiefly by Silk-worms, and winding, twilling, and dy- 
ing of Silks. Their Wines hereabouts are both rich and 
agreeable, elpecially what they call Dolce Piccante. 
7. Hence we travelled fix Miles to the famous Cave of 
Cujloza, being fix hundred and fifty Perches, or four 
thoufand Foot long, and four hundred and ninety Per- 
ches, or three thoufand Foot broad, and about three 
Miles in Circumference. The whole feems to be No- 
thing elfe but a Cave left from the Digging of Stones, as 
Triffinus has very well obferved, it being certain, that 
the ancient Buildings of Padua and Vicenza are of the 
fame Stone, and the Roof of this Cave is at Diftances 
fometimes greater, and fometimes leffer, fupported by 
above one thoufand huge Pillars of the Quarry, of three 
Perches fquare ; befides, that to this Day, you fee 
great fquare Pieces of Stone cut round about, and the 
Tracks of Cart Wheels, whereas there has been no 
Cart there in the Memory of Man. We faw great 
Numbers of Bats clinging to the Roof and Sides of the 
Cave, and fome ftanding Waters, with aKindofFilh, 
or rather Infed, in them, called by them Squillce Vene-- 
tiance, though they properly were the fame called by 
the Naturalifts Pulices marini, or aquatici, i. e. Sea- 
flees, or Water-flees. 
In the fame Village we had alfo a Sight of the fa- 
mous Ventidudl: belonging to a Nobleman of Vicen’i.a^ 
contrived for the Coolnefs of his Palace^during the 
Heat of the Summer : To effeff which, Channels are 
cut thro’ the Rocks, from a fpacious high-rooPd Grotto 
to the Palace, fo that when they intend to let in the cool 
Air, they Ihutupthe Gate at the Cave,- and by opening 
a Door at the End of the Channel, convey the Frejco 
into the Rooms of the Palace, each of which has a 
Conduit or Hole to receive it. 
8. From Vicenza went to Verona, feated upon the 
River Athefs or Adige, which being very broad here, 
has a Stone Bridge built over itj reckoned among the 
faireft of Europe, befides three leffef ones. Its Circum- 
ference (without the Suburbs) is feven Miles, and is 
very populous and ftrong both by Nature and Art, 
being defended by good Baftions, Towers, and deep 
Ditches water’d by the Adige, befides which, it is ftrengtk- 
8 F ned 
