Chapter X

311

Boboli Gardens—Buondelmonte—Ponte Vecchio—Santa Croce—Palazzo
Borgo—Tombs—Michael Angelo’s monument—Died the year Galileo was
born—Machiavelli—Alfieri—Galileo dying the year in which Newton
was born—Chapel of the Pazzi—San Lorenzo—Monument of Cosmo, Pater
Patriæ—Michael Angelo’s Day and Night—Contradictory
employments—His reply to a verse addressed to his statue—Cappella
dei Principi—Santa Maria Novella—Cimabue’s Virgin—Cappella de’
Spagnuoli—Portraits of Petrarch and Laura—Turned out by a
friar—Pietre Dure—Our guide again—Sarcophagus of the Gran
Duchessa—Shut up in a private oratory—Let out by a
priest—Cascine—Palazzo Vecchio—Small tower-chamber prison of
Cosmo—Savonarola—His prediction of Lorenzo’s death—The
confession—The anathema—Trial by fire—The heavy rain—Savonarola
executed—The Appennines—Birthplace of the Maréchale d’Ancre—Tre
Maschere—Fog—Rain—Lojano—Crosses—Bologna—Grizzle’s attack on
the kitchen—Miss Kemble—Modena—The ducal stable—The stuffed
charger—Parma—The five saints canonized in May—Their claims to
canonization

CHAPTER XI.

349

La Steccata—The Teatro Farnese—Its magnificence—Its ruins—Would
contain 9000—St. Jeronimo—Sir Thomas Lawrence—Alti Relievi—The
overflowed Po—The infant saved—Placentia again—Misery of
Piedmontese—Voghera—Tortona—Plains of Marengo—The wrong
road—The Tanaro overflowed—Asti—The Angelo and its
reception—Moncaglieri—The vow, and the Virgin, who resembled a
Duchess—The old Italian gentleman—Victor Amedée’s abdication—The
old man’s arrest—His death at Moncaglieri—Susa—Its
waterspouts—A chimney on fire—Mont Cenis—Fog and snow-storm—A
postilion’s wonder—Danger of tourmente—Lanslebourg—A thick smoke
and ill scent—Modane—Lesseillon—St. Michel

CHAPTER XII.

387

St. Jean de Maurienne—A tradition of two fingers—Story of a
procession of bears at Henry the Second’s passage—Peculiar
customs—Baptism—Funerals—Aiguebelle—La Carbonaria—Chambéry—Road
by the Mont du Chat—A valley of the Rhone—Pierre Châtel once a
monastery—Bellay—Murder committed by a notary—A peculiar
race—Pont d’Ain—Cathedral of Brou—Its foundress and her
motto—Bourg—Fair-time—An aubergiste—Montrevel—We are taken for
part of Franconi’s troop—Tournus—Chalons—Arnay le
Duc—Vermenton—Joigny—A poor traveller—The chapter of
Sens—Montereau where Jean sans Peur was murdered—Melun—Paris—Fanny