Chap. III. through the State 
of an ancient Town, and of the Foundations of certain 
Buildings in the Water. Not far thence, we pafs’d the 
fourth Day, the new Town of Jntio, and a Mile di- 
Itant thence, we faw vafl Ruins of the old Town, and 
of a great Mole belonging to the Hafbour. Vv e ftaid 
this Night at St. Michael^ a fmall Town not far from 
Opa, near the Mouth of the River Tiber. 
The 5th Day, we fail’d with a fair Gale to St. Ste- 
■phano, not far from Orhitello, paffing in Sight of 
Civita Vecchia, and Porto Hercols, comparing Monte 
Argentorato. 
The 6rh Day, Being ot^ertaken by a Borafco, or 
Storm of Thunder and Lightning, we rowed 18 or 20 
Miles to a little Creek, under the Tower of Calo di 
Furno. On the Sea-fliore we faw thofe Opercula concha- 
rum^ which by fome Naturalifts, are taken, for Stones, 
and called Umbilici marini, by the Italians^ S. Lucies 
Eyes. The 7th Day, We reached the IQe of Troia, 
and the Wind turning againft us, we took Shelter in a 
fmall Creek near the Tower of Lo Molino. 
The 8th Day, paffing in Piornbind^ (a City 
fubjea to a Prince of the fame Namej Populonia P. 
Barreto, S, Vincentio, Caftagneto, and Vara, lodged at 
the Tower of Cajiiglione. The 9th Day, the Sea was 
very rough, it having blown hard all the Night beforCj 
yet we got fa.fely into Leghorn by Noon. 
24. Florence, firnamed the Fair, anfwers its Character 
by the Beauty of its Buildings, tho’, in my Opinion, were 
it not forthe great Number of Stone Palaces (fuch as the 
Great Duke’s, the Palazzo de Pitti, of the Strozzi, Sal- 
mati, and others) Antwerp, and divers other Cities in 
the Low-Countries, might challenge the Precedency in 
this Point : For though its Streets are well paved with 
broad Stones, like thofe of Luca and Cologne in Germa- 
ny, yet are they very narrow (to keep off the fcorching 
Heat of the Sun) and the Paper Windows much fliat- 
ter’d in many Places, are no fmall Difgrace to the Beau- 
ty of this City. The River Arno runs through the 
Middle of it, over which are built four Stone Bridges, 
among which, the Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge, has 
Goldfmiths Shops on both Sides. Its whole Circumfe- 
rence is laid to be fix Italian Miles ; but of this, the 
Duke’s Palace and Gardens take up at leaft one Sixth, 
befides fome Flundreds of Acres made into Vineyards. 
It has forty four Parifhes, including the twelve Prio- 
rates. The Number of Inhabitants is computed by 
fome at Eighty-five thoufand Souls, by others Nine- 
ty thoufand, nay, an Hundred thoufand ; but in my 
Opinion they fpeak too large. We were told, that it 
had fifty-fix Nunneries, and twenty-four Convents of 
Monks, and 37 Hofpitals, one of which, viz. thtOrpha- 
mtrophium, has 70,000 Crowns yearly Revenue, and 
maintains 900 Perfons. The chief Strength of this City 
confifts in, its three Caftles, among which, that on the 
South-fide has a good Garrifon, and an Armory fur- 
niffied with Arms for 30,000 Men. Another is a Fort 
in the Great Duke’s Gardens. The third we viewed not. 
The Churches of Florence, if not in all other Re- 
fpeds, at leaft in Point of Architecture, are moft ex- 
cellent ; the Cathedral of St. Maria Florida being ac- 
counted the moft exquifite Piece that ever was made, 
efpecially for the Pillars which fupport the Nave or Bo- 
dy of the Church, which ftands at fuch a Diftance one 
from another, and are fo flender, that they do not ob- 
fcure the Iftes, and afford a fair Profpect at once of the 
whole Church. The Cupola, (the firft and the Pattern 
of all the reft) both for its Compafs and Height, ex- 
ceeds all in Italy, except that of St. PeteFs at Rome. 
The Choir, which is of an otftogonal Figure, is under 
this Cupola. The Wails of the Church are covered on 
the Outfide with Marble, cut into fmall Pieces, and 
chequer’d, of divers Colours. Within the Church be- 
yond the Choir, you fee four Infcriptions, i . Concer- 
ning the Building of the Church, the Foundation of 
which was laid in 1280. The 2d, Concerning its Con- 
fecration by Pope Eugene IV. March 25, 1436. The 
3d, Concerning the Union of the Greek and Roman 
Churches, under the faid Pope Eugene IV. in 1438. 
The 4th, Intimates the Removal of the Body of St. Ze- 
nobius from Sc. Lawrence^ Church hither, by Archbi- 
ijf Venice, ^e. 675 
fhop Andreas his Succeffor, In the fame Cnurch I alfd 
faw the Monuments of Marfilius Ficiniis, and of GF 
otto, a famous Archited^ who firft revived Painting 
in Italy, as alfo of Philip ErihteUejhi, another noted Ar- 
chitefl, who defigned the Cupola of this Church and 
that of St. Lawrence^ s,. On the North Wall of this 
Church is to be feen the Pihlure of an Englifh Knight 
on Horfeback, named 'Johti Acutus, which makes fome 
think his Name to have been S'wjohn Sharpe, though 
others would have his Name to be Sir John Hawkwoodi 
becaufe Guicciardin calls him Aucutus, and defcribes him 
as a great and valiant Captain. Here alfo you fee on 4 
Table, the Pi6fure of the famous Italian Poet Dante, a 
Native of Florence, but living in Exile, was buried at 
Ravenna. 
In the Church of St. Croce is to be feen the Monu- 
ment of that great M^an Michael Angelo Buonarota, the 
famous Architeff, Sculptor, and Painter ; under his 
Effigies is a Coffin, and under that three Statues fitting,- 
reprefenting Painting, Sculpture, and Architedure. 
In the Church of the Annunciata, you fee the Monu- 
ment of another great Artift, John Bologna^ in a Cha- 
pel behind the Choir, built by himfelf. 
In the Church of St. Mark is the following fmall In- 
fcription on the Tomb of the famous Johannes Picus 
Mirandulanus 
Johannes jacit hie Mirandula, catena norunt 
Et Tagus et Ganges, for fan L? Antipodes. 
Ob. An. Sal. MCCCCLXXXXIV. vixit An. XXXIL 
The Church of St. Lawrence contains the Tombs of 
feveral of the Great Duke’s Family, and to this Church 
belongs the famous Chapel of Si. Lawrence, w\iich,\v\i^n. 
finiftied, will prove the moft magnificent in the World, 
the Infides of the Walls being laid over with Jafper of 
feveral Kinds and Colours, Agate, Lapis Lazuli^ 
Touch-ftone, iFc. all neatly poliflhed and inlaid, and 
wrought into various Figures. This Chapel is an Oc- 
tagon, the Roof of which is a fpacious Cupola : One 
Side of this Oftagon is left void hitherto, being refer- 
ved for a moft magnificent Altar oppofite to the Door, 
the reft of the Sides being for the Statues and Monu- 
ments of fuch as have been Grand Dukes 5 the firft, 
beginning on the Left Hand of the Door, being in- 
tended for Alexander, who was only Duke of Florence, 
was not yet made up ; the reft have their refpeeftive 
Names fet over their Effigies, each of which ftands in a 
Nich, fome of Stone, fome of Brafs, and underneath a 
Coffin or Cuftiion, with a Ducal Crown lying upon it, 
with the following Infcriptions in this Order : 
Francifeus Mag. Dux Etruria II. vixit ann. XLVI. 
ob. XIX. Oliob. M. D. LXXXVII. 
Cofmus Mag. Dux Etruria II. vixit ann. LV. 
ob. XI. Kal. Maii, MDLXXXXIV. 
Ferdinandus Mag. Dux Etrur. III. vixit ann. LX. 
ob. VII. Id. Feb. CID 13 CIX. 
Cofmus Mag. Dux Etrur. IV. vixit ann. XXX. 
ob. XXVIII. Feb. CIO 10 CXX. 
There is one Side remaining for Ferdinand II. the 
fifth Great Duke, who died fince our Departure i the 
prefent Great Duke’s Name being Cofmus III. 
Betwixt the Tombs are the Arms of two of the chief 
Cities under their Jurifdi6lion. There are fo great a 
Number of Towers, Pillars, Fountains, and Statues of 
Brafs and Stone, and moft excellent Pictures, at Flo- 
rence, that I will not pretend to enter upon a particular 
Defeription of them here, contenting myfelf with men- 
tioning only the two Statua Equefires in Brafs, much 
greater than the Lfie ; one of Cofmus I. upon the great 
Piazza ; the other of Ferdinand I. in the Piazza of the 
Annunciata •, and fo proceed to give you a fhort Ac- 
count of the Great Duke’s Gallery in the Palace, a very 
handfome Strufture, having die Stables under Ground, 
and above them fair Portico’s to walk in j over thefe, 
the Shops of all the Artificers that are employed by the 
Great Duke ; above them is that they properly call the 
Gallery, where in a Walk free for any to come into, 
you 
