ever along the rich plain of Lombardy, while the view of the mountains, to the north, gave variety and additional beauty to the

scenery.

The first town of any size, which I passed on the route, was Brescia originally built by the Gauls, in the early ages of Rome, but since, many times destroyed. The most interesting object in the city, was the ruins of an ancient temple, built by the Romans, in the seventy-second year of our era, and consecrated to Vespasian. I was pre-determined not to like it; for a foolish whim came into my head, at the moment, that this admiration for Roman relics was all a piece of affectation, or an antiquary's dream. With a feeling of proud superiority, I went to the spot; the gate was opened and, for the first time in my life, I gazed on a classic ruin. The lofty and spacious platform, of white marble, with the noble flight of steps, all of which belonged to the portico of the temple, still remained; and along the front arose the columns which had anciently supported the roof. These were of white marble, of immense size, and elegantly sculptured: one alone remained entire. The ground around, and the floor of this portico, were thickly strewed with the fallen remnants of this superb edifice. Beautiful Corinthian capitals and entablatures, of white marble, exquisitely carved, lay in wild confusion on every side. I entered the building which has been erected on the floor of the ancient temple, to preserve the more precious relics discovered here. The pavement is of rich mosaic; the walls covered with inscriptions; altars and tombs stood around me; and in the centre of the apartment was a statue of Victory, in bronze, found on the spot, and in fine preservation. As I gazed on these relics of the magnificence of the Romans, and read the inscriptions in their noble language, as I contemplated, above all, the exquisite form and the superb face of the goddess, the spirit of the place penetrated my soul, and I felt disposed to kneel down and worship this glorious emblem of a nation that had conquered the world. The very dust under my feet seemed sacred and I retired, with a feeling even of remorse, for the absurd idea under which I had entered these precincts.

From Brescia, I rode to Desanzano a small village on the borders of the lake, which the ancients called Bernacus, now Lago di garda. This is one of the most beautiful lakes in Italy: the mountains, which surround it, in some places rise boldly from the water, and again receding, leave room for numerous pretty villages, along the shore. The lake is easily troubled by a slight breeze; and if we may believe Virgil, it was the same in his day. He says

'Fluctibus et fremitu assurgens Benace marino.'

I had a little specimen of this uncommon irritability, the night I spent on its shores. The hotel, in which I lodged, arose partly from the water which flowed under my window. The day had been fine, and extremely warm; but in the night, clouds came up, with thunder and lightning, and sudden gusts of wind. The little lake was soon chafed into fury; and the noise of its waves, dashing against the shore, awakened me. I arose and looked out; the night was intensely dark, but the flashes of lightning, in quick succession, shed a brilliant glare upon the lake, and showed its waters, crested with foam, glittering and sparkling under the intense light.

The next morning, when I arose, all was bright and calm. The lake was slumbering, as if wearied with its efforts; and, as I rode along the shore, the sun was reflected, in dazzling rays, from its glassy surface. A few hours' traveling brought me to the city of Verona, which would have been interesting, had it no other claims, as being the scene of that beautiful tragedy, Romeo and Juliet-my favorite, among Shakspeare's master-pieces. The city is large, and, like all I have yet seen in Italy, surrounded by a wall and moat. One of the most interesting buildings in the city, is a Roman amphitheatre, supposed to have been constructed in the time of Domitian or Trajan. What most surprised me, in looking at this work, was its enormous size. It is in very perfect preservation, with the exception of an outer arcade, which originally surrounded the whole, but which has been nearly destroyed by an earthquake. The interior of the building, the vomitories, the passages and stairways, and the cells, in which the wild beasts were confined, remain precisely as they were when first erected. The very vastness of the place gives it an air of solitude and desolation: the crevices, between the stones, are overgrown with weeds and rank grass; and lizards and other reptiles are seen creeping about the walls. A small portion has been applied to the purpose of a modern theatre, of which the stage, built in the arena, fronts upon a small section of the seats. The vast entries, on the entire exterior, have been taken up, for stables, shops, and even dwelling-houses; and thus a whole colony has gathered around these walls, and found a resting place in their nitches. The whole edifice seems, indeed, as if it had been intended for a larger race of beings than those who now inhabit it.

I must not forget to speak of a beautiful painting, by Titian, which I saw in the cathedral, and which is regarded as one of the finest works of that great master. That I remember it among the many I have seen, is a proof, at least, of the impression it made Wearied, with gazing on paintings which represent, but too well, the sufferings of our Saviour and of the martyrs, my eyes reposed upon this exquisite piece, with delight.

upon me.

It is the Assumption of the Virgin.' A marvelous light bursts forth from Heaven, and beams upon the forms of those surrounding the sepulchre, and irradiates their faces, expressive of the deepest wonder and adoration. The Virgin reposes in the clouds above them, looking down upon her friends; and thus it is managed that the light, from the sky, rests upon her form, but not upon her face. Her countenance is surpassingly beautifulbeaming with an expression of peace, mildness, and immortal happiness; it is not pleasure which is expressed; it is serenity—a consciousness of meriting and a certainty of possessing Heaven.

One pilgrimage remained for me, before leaving Verona ; and I determined to accomplish it. This was to visit the tomb of Juliet. My conductor assured me it was not worth seeingthat it was a long distance, outside the walls; and, after all, was nothing but a paltry stone. Feeling more capable, however, of judging of these matters myself, I insisted upon going. Accordingly, we sallied forth. On the way, the guide showed me the house of the Capulets an ancient and lofty structure, with gothic windows, but much decayed and injured. Passing out of the city gate, we entered a long and solitary lane, which conducted to an ancient building, once a Franciscan convent. We entered the part which was once a church, but now, alas ! reduced to a barn: nothing indicated its ecclesiastic character but a few paintings, in fresco, which still rest on the wall. On one side was a large empty sarcophagus, raised on a platform of stone, just as it had been placed in the church; the lid had been carried away or broken to pieces, and the body removed, or had entirely perished. But the pen of Shakspeare has immortalized the spot; and I felt, as I stood there, how true it is, that

"The beings of the mind are not of clay:
Essentially immortal, they create

And multiply in us a brighter ray,

And more beloved existence.'

I must not forget to mention the mausoleum of the_Scaliger family, which is raised in the very centre of the city. There are several monuments, the principal of which is of costly marble, very curiously and elaborately sculptured. I have seen engravings of it in some of our annuals. This family, which numbers in its ranks the great philosopher of that name, was one of the most noble in Verona: on the coat-of-arms is seen the ladder, from which the family name is derived. Vespasian, Titus Domitian, Catullus, Cornelius Nepos, were also natives of Verona.

I went next to Vicenza- a magnificent city, filled with palaces and public edifices, erected after the designs of the great architect, Palladio, who was born there. Among the most remarkable, was the Olympic theatre, belonging to the Academy of

Vicenza. It was erected by Palladio, whose intention was, to give an idea of an ancient theatre. The part intended for the spectators is arranged in rows, rising like steps above each other, like the Roman theatres, with the exception of not being divided into cunei: a small gallery, similar to those of the ancient theatres, rises above the two or three upper rows of benches. In front of the stage, which occupies about one half of the building, is the proscenium; then the stage, which is nothing but a continuation of the proscenium, divided from it, however, by a wall, which rises to the whole height, and is only opened by three large arches, displaying the stage, arranged, like the streets of a city, with immovable scenery. The theatre is rich in statuary, and the architecture is very fine. As a model of those of Greece and Rome, it was highly interesting.

There are many beautiful situations in the vicinity of Vicenza, as the city is surrounded by hills, which command extensive prospects over the rich plains of Lombardy. I ascended a hill, which is surmounted by the convent of the Madonna del Monte. An arched gallery, or piazza, opening on one side, and said to be a mile in extent, conducts from the foot of the hill up to the convent; but the view from the summit is so fine, that it is well worth the trouble of the ascent. Under your feet lies the fair city, with its walls and gates and streets of palaces. Every hilltop is crested with some beautiful mansion the country villa of the Vicentian nobility; and the fertile garden of Lombardy encompasses the whole. At a short distance from the convent, I remarked that master-piece of Paladio's, the famous Casa di Capra. I can conceive of nothing more perfect than the proportions of this exquisite building. It is rectangular, surmounted with a dome, somewhat in the style of the middle portion of the new market, in Boston. On each side is a portico, with a pediment resting on fine Corinthian columns; and the roof is adorned with statues. The beauty of the situation. which is a slight elevation, commanding a view on all sides adds to the charm of the edifice, upon which the eye seems to repose, and gather strength as it looks.

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From Vicenza, I proceeded to Padua, where I arrived after a short ride. The city presents a very melancholy, deserted, and forlorn appearance; grass is growing in many of the streets, and everything indicates decayed grandeur. There are many magnificent palaces and churches, however, which I did not fail to visit. I went first to the palace of Justice, to see the great saloon where justice was administered, in the days of the independence and power of the city. It is one of the largest rooms, unsupported by columns in the world. I think it is exceeded only by the one at Westminster, through which I passed, to enter the House of Commons. The walls are painted in fresco, by Giotto; but the

work is much faded and indistinct - splendor, perishing and on the wane, is the chief characteristic of the whole apartment. The most interesting object there, was a monument to the meinory of Livy, which is surmounted by an antique bust, said to be a likeness of the great historian. In the year 1413, some laborers were digging in the garden belonging to the Abbey of St. Justina, and found a coffin, of lead, enclosing another, of cypress wood, which was declared, by antiquarians, to be that of Livy. Among other reasons assigned for this belief, was, that Livy had been a priest of the goddess of Concord; and it is known that the Abbey was built on the spot where the temple once stood. The coffin was finally deposited in the town-hall, and the monument, I have made mention of, raised above it.

I did not forget the University, so famous in its day. The building which now remains, was commenced in the year 1493, and finished in 1552-a strange-looking edifice, containing a rectangular court, with a portico and gallery extending the whole length of each side, profusely, though somewhat quaintly ornamented. The sciences seem to have been cultivated here, rather than literature; and there are excellent collections of scientific books and apparatus.

The most splendid churches I visited were those of St. Antonio and Santa Justina. The former is very spacious, and surmounted by six domes, or cupolas. The painting, in fresco, by Giotto, is very interesting, as exhibiting the commencement of the revival of the art. It would be impossible for me to describe all the riches of sculpture and painting I saw in these churches; it seems as if the world had not been in existence long enough to produce so many yet, every church has its sepulchral monuments, exquisitely carved, and wrought in marble-its bassreliefs, in marble or bronze, or its master-piece of painting, by some great artist.

I had now arrived at the last of a most interesting succession of cities, which extend the whole length of the plain of Lombardy all rich in edifices, in works of art, and historical legend.

The general characteristics of these cities are the same. Each is surrounded by a wall and fosse, and strongly fortified: the walls are bastioned at each angle, and the ditches wide and deep, with scarps and counterscarps of masonry; the gateways generally defended by demilunes: the whole exterior encompassed by covered ways and glacis, sloping gently toward the plains.

These cities are fortified after the old system of the celebrated Vauban, and some of them-Capua, Verona, and othersplaces of great strength. Being situated on level plains, and the streets narrow and irregular, it is extremely difficult for a stranger to find his way to any object of interest in them more especially if he is ignorant of the language. An air of desolation and