664 Mr. Ray’ 
the other three) is alfo firnamed la Grande., from its 
Bignefs, having ten Miles in Circumference, and of a 
circular Figure. It contains eleven Collegiate Churches, 
feventy one Parilhes, thirty Monafteries for Monks, 
thirty fix for Nuns, eight of regular Canons^ the Num- 
ber of Inhabitants are faid to be 300,000, but this laft 
is fomewhat too large. Provifions are here fo cheap 
and plentiful, that the Italians have made it a Pro- 
verb, Idhat they eat well only at Milan. The Cathedral 
here challenges the fecond Place after that of St. Peter^^ 
at Rome, both for Bignefs and Beauty ; being 250 
Cubits long, and 130 broad, and of a proportionable 
Height ; but the Grand Hofpital juftly claims the Pre- 
ference before all others in Europe, for its magnificent 
Strufture and Bignefs. Among other Courts, it has a 
Square furrounded with a double Portico, one below, 
the other above Stairs. Its Revenues are yearly 50000 
Crowns, out of which are maintained 4000 poor and 
infirm Perfons. The Monafteries and Churches here 
are beautified with many Pictures and Statues of the 
beft Mafters, and adorned with exceffive rich Church 
Ornaments, for which I will refer myfelf to Schottus, 
and others. The Bibliotheca Ambrofiana, founded by 
Cardinal Borromeo, is a noble Edifice, filled with excel- 
lent Books, unto which Strangers as well as the Inhabi- 
tants, have a free Accefs. But the College call’d Her- 
fnathenaum, is a truly noble Building, the Court being 
adorned with a double Row of Cloifters, one above the 
other, with double Pillars each -, the lower of the Ionic, 
the upper of the Pufcan Order. 
The Citadel of Milan, either for its Bignefs or 
Strength, may alfo compare with any in Europe, The 
ancient Caftle has been twice enlarged, firft by the 
French, who taking in a confiderable Piece of Ground, 
encompafs’d it with a very thick and high Wall, and 
a deep Ditch ; from hence you have a fair Profped 
of the whole City and adjacent Country, as well 
as thofe Fortifications added by the Spaniards, be- 
ing of a Pentagonal Figure, with a Baftion at each An- 
gle, and a Half-moon between every two Baftion s. 
Schottus fays, that the Compafs of the whole Fortifica- 
tions fnct including the Trenches) is 1600 Paces. We 
were told, that within the Caftle, they have a Water- 
mill driven by a Spring, which arifes within the Cir- 
cumference of the Caftle. 
March 6. We faw the Collection of Rarities of 
Manfredas Septalius, Son to Ludovicus Septalius, the fa- 
mous Phyfician, and among other Things, divers Look- 
ing-glafies, which by natural Refledion multiplied the 
Object almoft infinitely. A plain Glafs, with fpherical 
Protuberances, whic;h reprefented the Objects as often 
multiplied as there were Protuberances, and another 
Looking-glafs of the fame Kind ; feveral concave Bur- 
ning-glafles of Metal ; feveral Automata and Clocks, 
among which, two of a cylindrical Figure, moved with- 
out Weight or Spring, only by being placed upon an 
inclining Plain *, fo that their Motion proceeded from 
their own Weight ; befides many other Curiofities both 
natural and artificial *, for the Defcription of which, I 
will refer my Reader to the Catalogue thereof, pub- 
liftied by the Owner himfelf. There are great Artifts 
in this City in working and engraving Cryftals, and 
other Glaffes and Stones. Their Way of Polifhing is 
performed by a Brafs Wheel, upon which the Powder 
Smiris, mix’d with Water, is put ; and to fmooth it, 
they ufe the Powder of SaJJ'e-mort, or Rotten-ftone, as 
they call it, which is a heavy Pebble Stone, which by 
lying in the Water, dies by Degrees, firft degenerating 
into a light Pumice, and at laft crumbling to Duft. 
They told us for a Truth, that moft Stones, by lying 
long in the Water, will die in this Manner, except the 
clear pellucid Pebbles. 
March 10. We began our Journey towards Turin, 
along the Bank of the River Navilio, and leaving Bia- 
grajja, a fmall Town, to, our Left, we Icxiged at Bufa- 
lor a, twenty two Miles from Milan. The nth, we 
continued our Journey over Novara, a ftrong Place be- 
longing to the Spaniards, to Vercelli, under the Duke 
of Savoy*^ Jurifdi6tion ; a large Place, but neither ftrong 
nor populous. The 12th, we travelled eighteen Miles, 
s Travels Book II. 
as far as Sian and the 13th, being ftopt by the Floods* 
were conftrained to ftay at eight Miles Length, at 
Chivas and the 14th, pafling by many Waters, and 
after we had ferried over at Oreo and Stura, arrived at 
Turin. 
15. This City, known to the Ancients by the Name 
of Augiifla Taurinorum, and feated upon the River Po, 
is of no great Extent, but very populous, and the or- 
dinary Refidence of the Dukes of Savoy. The old 
Buildings are but very indifferent, but one new Street, 
and feveral other Houfes of late Date^ are very hand- 
fome and uniform. The Piazza is in the Midft of the 
Street, being a large Square^ with a lofty Cloifter on 
each Side : And at one End of it another Piazza, fron- 
ting the Duke’s P.ilacCj which is not yet finiftied. The 
Citadel has five Baftions. Here we met with fome of 
the Proteftants of the Valleys of Lucern and Angrona^ 
who had lately obtained Liberty of Confcience from 
the Duke. They told us, that being about fifteen thou- 
fand Souls, they inhabited fourteen or fifteen Villages 
only, their fighting Men (who amounted not to above 
two thoufand, being divided into fourteen Companies) 
under as many Captains, and that they had killed above 
five hundred of the Duke’s People in the laft War,^ 
with the Lofs only of forty or fifty of their own. They 
are the only Proteftants in Italy, having maintained the 
Purity of their Religion for above thefe twelve hundred 
Years. Here is alfo an Univerfity, which challenges 
the firft Introduction of Printing into Italy. As the 
plain Country about Turin is very fruitful, fo all Provi- 
fions are very plentiful and cheap here j it being cer*^ 
tain, that Pismont, for Plenty of Corn, Cattle, Wine^ 
Fruit, Hemp, and Flax, may compare with the beft in 
Italy ; and the Inhabitants apply themfelves more to 
Husbandry than Traffick j which according to Lett’s, 
Obfervations, makes them live generally well, though 
none are excelTive rich. The Duke’s Revenue, if we 
may believe the fame Author, amounts to i, 800,00a 
Crowns *, of which Piemont alone produces 1,400,000. 
His PolTefilons in Italy are, befides the Principality of 
Piemont, the two Marquifates of Saluzzes and AJti, the 
Dukedom of Aojia, and the Countries of Nizza and 
Vercelli. There are three very handfome Palaces be- 
longing to the Duke near the City, called the Venere^ 
Millefiore, and Valentine. The firft Invention of oil’d 
Cloth is attributed to Giacomo Marigi, a Citizen of T urin. 
March 17. Having provided ourfelves with a good 
Guide, we fet out from Turin for Genoa, where we ar- 
rived in three Days after. Not above a Mile below 
Turin we crofs’d the Po (which begins to be navigable 
here) by a Bridge ; and after a Mile’s Travelling along 
the River, we afeended the Hills, under which the Ri- 
ver runs, and thefe are of a very difficult Afcent. 
16. Mar. 18. We proceeded on our Journey as far 
as Novi, a pretty large Town under the Genoefe, twenty 
feven Piedmont Miles from AJie ; I think they may well 
pafs for thirty five Englifh. About four Miles from 
Afie, upon the Bank of the River Tanar, (which is there 
very high) and on the Sands, under the Bank, we found 
great Variety of petrified Shells, as Oyfters, Scallops, 
Cockles, &c. as alfo thofe Tubili Jiriati, called by fome 
Antales, which Seignior Rofacco, a Mountebank in Ve^ 
nice, firft fhewed us ; Belemnites, and other rare Sorts 
of Stones. In the Corn Fields, we paffed through, -we 
obferv’d, Ornithogalum lutem, C. B. in great Plenty, now 
in Flower. This Day we pafled by a large Village 
called Non, and another, which had formerly been 
walled, called Felizan, then Alexandria, a large Town 
upon the River Tanar, of more Strength than Beauty, 
the Buildings both publick and private being generally 
but mean. It was fo called in Honour of Pope Alex- 
ander III. becaufe in his Time it was peopled by the 
Milanefe, whofe City was then almoft quite deftroyed 
and made defolate by the Emperor Frederick Barbarojfa, 
for fiding with the Pope againft him. The River 
(which feemed to me as large as the Po, at Turin) 
divides the City into two Parts, which are joined by a 
fair Brick Bridge. In our Paftfage through the Town, 
we took Notice of a triumphal Arch, erected to Philip 
IV. King of Spain^ upon his Marriage. 
19. Vfc 
