neither poetry in his head, nor pathos in his heart."--But enough of pictures for the present.

25th. Visited the Gabinetto Fisico. This is a shockingly accurate imitation of dissected subjects, in wax. I went in immediately after breakfast, and was as much discomposed as I could have been by so many real carcasses. It is too horrible, and, it might be added, too indecent an exhibition for miscellaneous admission. Yet all the world, men and women, lounge there ;-though all that is revolting and disgusting in disease or deformity is laid bare and exposed, with a nakedness that can only be gratifying to the eye of science. The commencement and progress of the fatal plague at Florence is represented in miniature; and, from the effect produced by looking at it, I am inclined to believe what is said-that if it had been made as large as life, it would have been too horrible for exhibition. Gallery again.

26th. The most interesting church here is the S. Croce-the Westminster Abbey of Florencefor here are the bones and the tombs of Galileo, Machiavelli, Michael Angelo, and Alfieri. Machiavelli's epitaph is a good specimen of that brevity, which, when well managed, makes an epitaph so impressive—

VOL. I.

Tanto nomini nullum par elogium.

Nicholaus Machiavelli.

F

કર

Michael Angelo is buried, according to his own desire, so that his grave might command a view of the cupola of the Cathedral-the work of Brunnelleschi; which suggested to him the idea of his own grander work at St. Peter's.

The Florentines would gladly have recovered the bones of Dante, whom they exiled, to die at Ravenna; and they point with pride to an original picture of him in fresco on the wall of the cathedral.

27th. Bitterly cold. A Siberian wind from the Apennines cuts one to the heart. This is no place for the winter. The scene must be changed; -but whither? Pisa will never do, after Florence. It is as well to die of consumption as of ennui. All the world is going to Rome—and every body says that Rome is a charming place in the winter. What every body says must be true;—and I shall swim with the stream.

28th to 5th December. Very unwell. My surgeon attributes my illness to the water, which, he says, is very noxious here. I believe it has more to do with the air, for it is more cold than ever I felt it in England, whatever the thermometer may say to the contrary.

6th. A long morning at Morghen's;-the first engraver in the world. His Last Supper, from the picture of Leonardo da Vinci, is the triumph

of engraving. It is pity that he did not engrave the Madonna della Seggiola at a later period, in his best and softest manner. How could he throw away his time and his labour on the Madonna del Sacco; the fresco daub of Andrea del Sarto? Gallery again.

Met a funeral procession with a military guard. Upon inquiry, I found the defunct was a Jew, and that the precaution was necessary as a protection against the insults of the populace.

Sunday 7th. Bertolini's studio. There is no sculptor of eminence now at Florence. Bertolini is an excellent workman, and takes admirable likenesses; and if he were employed less in this way, might succeed in original composition. It is now the fashion among the English to sit to him; and you find all your acquaintance drawn up in fearful array, in hard marble ;-some at full length ! If this fashion hold, it will give posterity some trouble. Family pictures are easily put out of the way; but family statues would be sadly durable lumber-unless, indeed, they found their way to the limekiln.

The cheapness of sculpture here must injure our English artists. Casts have been imported from London of the busts of the King, Fox, Pitt, Nelson, Perceval, and many others. These Ber

tolini reproduces in marble, and sends back to London, all expenses of carriage included, for twenty-two pounds each.

Made a circuit of the palaces. The Corsini and Gerini have each of them a fine collection of pictures. I was particularly struck with two, by Carlo Dolci, whose productions are generally too cloying for my taste. The first is the figure of Poetry in the Corsini palace-one of the most beautiful countenances I ever saw ;-the charms of which are lighted up by that indefinable expression, which makes the face the index of the mind, and gives the assurance, at the first glance, of intellectual superiority. The other is the Martyrdom of St. Andrew in the Gerini palace ;- -a most affecting picture; the impression of which is aided by every excellence of arrangement, contrast, and colouring.

At the Mozzi palace is Benvenuto's picture of the Saxons taking the Oath of Confederation, after the battle of Jena. The figure of Napoleon is admirable; and is said to be one of the best portraits extant of that extraordinary being.

Vespers at the Duomo ;-afterwards to the Cascine the public drive and promenade—in a word--the Hyde-park of Florence.

CHAPTER III.

Journey to Rome-The Forum-Palace of the CæsarsClimate-Tombs-The Tiber-Temple of Vesta-Cloaca Maxima-Baths of Caracalla-Fountain of Egeria.

Monday, 8th December. LEFT Florence with a friend, who had a seat to let in his calèche ;and we agreed to travel together. Having met with a courier, who was working his way home and offered to serve us for his expenses, we engaged him to accompany us;-though nothing but our complete inexperience of Italian travelling would have reconciled me to such an ostentatious piece of extravagance.

This man's business is to ride on before you; get the horses ready at the post-houses; and prepare for your reception at the inns where you may be inclined to halt. Carlo, I believe, protects us from much imposition; and as he conducts all the disbursements and disputes on the road, which are in fact synonymous terms-for every bill is a battle-what he saves us in breath and temper is incalculable.

The road to Sienna is hilly and tedious, and we ` did not arrive till after dark.