furnished. Above this stable is a gallery on one side, adorned with the statues of horses and riders, with their complete armours, fifty in nnmber, besides many armours lying by the walls. On the other side is a gallery, having forty like statues, and thirty six sledges, which they use in Misen, not only to journey in time of snow, but also for festival pomps. For in those cities, especially at Shrovetide, and when much snow falleth, they use to sit upon sledges drawn with a horse furnished with many bells; at the foot of which sledge they many times place their mistresses, and if, in running or sudden turning, the rider, or his mistress, slip, or take a fall, it is held a great disgrace to the rider.Some of these sledges are very sumptuous, as of unpurified silver as it comes from the mines, others are fairly covered with velvet and like stuffs."

He visited the baths at Baden. "Women come hither as richly attired as if they come to a marriage; for men, women, monks, and nuns, sit altogether in the same water, parted with boards, but so as that they mutually speak and touch; and it is a rule here to shun all sadness, neither is any jealousy admitted for a naked touch. The waters are so clear as that a penny may be seen at the bottom; and because. melancholy must be avoided, they recreate themselves with many sports, while they sit in the water; namely, at cards, and with casting up and catching little stones, to which purpose, they have a little table swimming upon the water, upon which, sometimes, they do likewise eat.'

"

It was his design to proceed from Stode to Embden; but every one, in the former place, spoke of the Spanish thieves, who, stealing out of their garrisons in the Low Countries, rendered travelling dangerous: if he went by sea, there was no less danger from the pirates of Dunkirk. He therefore, resolved to clothe and otherwise disguise himself as a poor man, and proceed by land. The latter part of his journey we shall allow him to narrate in his own words:

"All this night and the next day, great store of rain fell, and the wind was so tempestuous, as we could not pass by water, neither would my companions hire a waggon, besides that, the way was at this time so dirty, as no waggon could pass it. Notwithstanding, since now only two miles remained of my dangerous journey, and I thought no thief could come out in such rain, I resolved to go on foot with my companions to Embden, being two miles, but of unspeakable length and difficulty to pass. In the highway we had three passages; one upon the top of the bank, lying upon an arm of the sea, or rather upon the River Emsz running into the Sea; and in this passage the tempestuous wind was like to bear us over, and blinded us with driving salt water into our eyes, besides that we went over the shoes in dirt. The second passage was on the side of the bank, from the water, somewhat fairer than the other, but in that most troublesome, that we were

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forced continually to lean upon a staff, which every one had in his hand, lest, being not stayed with the staff, we should fall into the lower way, which was intolerably dirty. The lower way, or third passage, in the bottom of the bank furthest from the water, was for the passage of waggons, but the fields round about being overflowed in winter, this passage was now intolerably dirty. In this way we passed a very long mile, from the little city Leere, to the village Aldernsea, from seven o'clock in the morning to twelve. We came out, at first, ten companions in this journey, but at the very coming out of Leere, six of them left us, despairing to pass against a contrary wind, in a foul rainy day, and their feet sticking fast in the dirt, and they mocked at our obstinacy in going. Within a while, myself was wet to the skin, and my shoes, at every step, were almost torn off, so as I was forced to bind them on with four points, neither did any of us look back at his fellow, to help him if he could not follow; and if I should have fallen into the sea, I am confident none of them would have come back to succour me. After we had gone half a mile, one of our four companions, being a young man with a black beard, and able body, would not go one foot further, though he had but one stiver in his purse, and was forced to borrow money of us, that he might stay in a poor ale-house. When we came to Aldernsea, the freebooters' spies came to the inn and gaped upon us, so as though I were wet to the skin, yet I durst not pull off any thing to dry, lest my inward garments, better than my upper, should betray my disguise: neither durst I call for wine and spend freely, lest they should think I had store of money. Each of us paid seven stivers for his dinner. Here another of our companions left us, being so tired, as he went to bed without eating one bit; so as now I had only one companion left, called Anthony, a man of little stature, and a citizen of Embden. We, to be free of this dangerous journey, went forward, and as we came out of the village, the free-booters' spies came close to us, and beheld us narrowly; but seeing us all covered with dirt, they took us for poor men, and a prey unfit to be followed. We, gathering up strength, went on, till at last we were so weary, as having no strength to choose our way, we cast away our staves, and went almost up to the knees in dirt, in the lower way.

"At last, having gone one mile (as methought wonderous long) from one of the clock in the afternoon to five, we came to Embden, where myself entering the gate, could not stand till the soldiers wrote our names, but had lain down on the ground if they had not given

me a seat.'

It is well known, that the water of the Baltic Sea is less salt, and, consequently, of less specific gravity than that of the German Ocean, with which it communicates. The evidence and result of this difference are pointed out by our author, from the observation of a very obvious and decisive fact, which, however, we do not recollect ever to have seen noticed elsewhere,— direct experiments having been made to ascertain the comparative saltness and specific gravities of the two seas: "Neither

is the water of the Baltic Sea any thing so salt as otherwhere, so as the ships sailing therein do sink deeper three spans than in the German Ocean, as manifestly appears by the white sides of the ships above water, when they come out of the sea and enter the said ocean." (p. 57.)-It is a generally received opinion, that the level of the waters of the Baltic is higher than that of the German Ocean, but that the elevation is gradually diminishing; and an hypothesis has very recently been formed to account for both facts. According to this hypothesis, the inferior specific gravity occasioned by the inferior saltness of the Baltic, required a greater mass, and, consequently, a greater elevation of water in that Sea, to counterpoise the heavier waters of the German Ocean: thus they were originally; but, in process of time, by the operation of sharp winds, especially west and south-west winds, which prevail most and set in directly from the German Ocean to the Baltic, the waters of the two seas became mingled, the difference in their specific gravity lessened, and, consequently, a smaller elevation of the waters of the Baltic requisite to counterpoise the waters of the German Ocean. The hypothesis is certainly ingenious; but, were this the proper place, we think we could prove it unsound.

Dantzic, at the time our author visited it, was, as at present, a grand depôt for the corn of Poland. After noticing a fair water-conduit in this city, where, by a mill, the waters are drawn up into a cistern, from whence they are carried by pipes into all the streets and private houses, he mentions a mill for grinding corn, belonging to the Senate. "It hath eighteen rooms, and bringeth into the public treasure a golden guilder every hour; and another, without any help of hands, saweth boards, having an iron wheel which doth not only drive the saw, but hooketh it and turneth the boards to the saw. The garners for laying up corn, called speiker, are very fair, and very many lying together, in which the citizens lay up corn brought out of Poland, and, according to the wants of Europe, carry it into many kingdoms, and, many times, relieve fruitful provinces in case of casual dearth. The Queen of Poland came in disguised habit to see these garners; and they have a law, that no man may carry fire or a lighted candle into them."

How disgracefully and lamentably applicable is his description of the road between Rome and Naples, when he travelled it in 1594, to its present state. Banditti then, as at present, rendered it very dangerous by robbing and killing passengers. The chief of these banditti, as they were "vulgarly called," he informs us, "was the nephew (so they call Churchmen's bastards) of the Cardinal Cajetano." The only safe, or, indeed, allowed mode of travelling, was along with the carrier of letters; he was guarded by musqueteers appointed, by the

Pope. With him, passengers might be safe, though they purchased their safety by excessive fatigue and inconvenience; for they were obliged to rise before day and take horse, and so sitting all the day, yet not ride above twenty miles for the slow pace of the mules, and, at noon, they have no rest, only when they have the inn in sight, so as there is no danger of thieves, they are permitted to gallop before that they be permitted to eat a morsel, or rather devour it for as soon as the mules are past, they must to horse again every man, not only making haste for his own safety, but the soldiers forcing them to be gone who are more slow than the rest. To conclude, the mules going a very slow pace, it was very irksome to the passengers to rise before day, and to follow them step by step."

He notices a curious trait of the people of Rome: " they who sold any thing in the market, used to look into the hands of the buyers to see whether they brought silver or brass coin, and then after made their price, whereupon many shewed silver till they had bought, and then paid in copper, which the people durst not refuse. And from hence it was, that in a solemn pomp, when the people fell on their knees before the Pope, and I thought they only expected his blessing, they all cried out: Holy Father, command that we have white bread; and that the gentlemen may be forced to take our brass quatrinis:' so as it seems they refused to receive them."

Our author made a point of conversing with, or, at least, getting a sight of any very celebrated man, who might be in the places he visited. Two men of this description, one a champion of the Reformation, Beza; the other, of the Catholic Religion, Bellarmine, he thus describes:

"I had an obstinate purpose to see Bellarmine. To which end, having first hired a horse, and provided all things necessary for my journey to Sienna, and having sent away my consorts to stay for me, with my horse and boots at an inn in the suburbs, that I might more speedily escape, if my purpose succeeded not, I boldly went to the Jesuits' College, and Bellarmine then walking in the fields, I expected his return at the gate, the students telling me that he would presently come back; which falling out as they said; I followed him into the College (being attired like an Italian, and careful not to use any strange gestures; yea, forbearing to view the College, or to look upon any man fully, lest I should draw his eyes upon me.) Thus I into Bellarmine's chamber, that I might see this man so famous for his learning, and so great a champion of the Popes; who seemed to me not above forty years old, being lean of body, and something low of stature, with a long visage and a little sharp beard upon the chin, of a brown colour, and a countenance not very grave, and, for his middle age, wanting the authority of grey hairs. Being come into his chamber, and having made profession of my great respect to him, I

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told him that I was a Frenchman, and came to Rome for performance of some religious vows, and to see the monuments, especially those which were living, and among them himself most especially, earnestly entreating, to the end I might from his side return better instructed into my country, that he would admit me at vacant hours to enjoy his gráve conversation. He gently answering, and with gravity not so much swallowing the praises I gave him, as shewing that my company should be most pleasing to him, commanded his novice, that he should presently bring me in, when I should come to visit him, and so, after some speeches of courtesy, he dismissed me, who meant nothing less than to come again to him."

He had an interview with Beza, at Geneva:

"Here I had great contentment to speak and converse with the reverend Father Theodore Beza, who was of stature something tall, and corpulent, or big boned, and had a long thick beard as white as snow. He had a grave senator's countenance, and was broadfaced, but not fat, and, in general, by his comely person, sweet affability and gravity, he would have extorted reverence from those that least loved him. I walked with him to the church, and giving attention to his speech, it happened that, in the church porch, I touched the poor man's box with my fingers, and this reverend man soon perceived my error, who, having used in Italy to dip my fingers towards the holy water (according to the manner of the Papists, lest the omitting of so small a matter generally used, might make me suspected of my religion, and bring me into dangers of great consequence), did now, in like sort, touch this poor man's box, mistaking it for the font of holy water. I say, he did soon perceive my error, and taking me by the hand, advised me hereafter to eschew these ill customs, which were so hardly forgotten."

We are at a loss to ascertain what tree and fruit he alludes to, as being abundant between Sienna and Florence. "Pine trees, the boughs whereof are thick, and round at the top, but the rest of the tree has neither boughs nor leaves, and it yields a very great nut, with very many kernels in one shell, which are pleasant in taste, and much used here in banquets." (p. 143.)

The following is a curious hypothesis to account for the beauty of the men and women near Carara. After describing the mode of making the celebrated quarries there, he gravely adds ; "When I beheld the beauty of the men and women in these parts, which seemed to me to be greater than in any other part of Italy, I remembered the Patriarch Jacob, who laid partycoloured rods in the watering troughs, when the ewes were in heat, to make them bring forth party-coloured lambs and I thought, by the same reason and force of motive, that they who digged these white marbles, might have a more beautiful race." (p. 165.)

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