To the Right Honourable

JOHN Lord SOMERS,

Baron of EVESHAM.

My LORD,

HERE is a Pleafure in owning Obligations which it is an Honour to have received, but should I publish any Favours done me by Your Lordship, I am afraid it would look more like VaniNEW YORK

ty than Gratitude.

I had a very early Ambition to recommend my self to Your Lordship's Patronage, which yet encreased in me as I Travelled through the Countries, of which I here give Your Lordship fome Account: For whatever great Impreffions an Englishman must have of Your Lordship, they who have been converfant Abroad will find them still improved. It cannot but be obvi

ous

ous to them, that though they fee Your Lordship's Admirers every where, they meet with very few of Your Wellwishers at Paris or at Rome. And I could not but obferve when I paffed through most of the Protestant Governments in Europe, that their Hopes or Fears for the Common Caufe rofe or fell with Your Lordship's Intereft and Authority in England.

I here present Your Lordship with the Remarks that I made in a Part of these my Travels; wherein, notwithstanding the Variety of the Subject, I am very fenfible that I offer nothing New to Your Lordship, and can have no other Defign in this Address, than to declare that I am,

PREFA CE.

HERE is certainly no place in the world where a man may travel with greater pleafure and advantage than in Italy. One finds Something more particular in the face of the country, and more aftonishing in the works of Nature, than can be met with in any other part of Europe. It is the great school of Mufick and Painting, and contains in it all the noblest productions of Statuary and Architecture both ancient and modern. It abounds with cabinets of Curiosities, and vast collections of all kinds of Antiquities. No other country in the world has fuch a variety of Governments, that are fo different in their Conftitutions and fo réfined in their Politicks. There is scarce any part of the nation that is not famous in Hiftory, nor fo much as a mountain or river that has not been the scene of fome extraordinary action.

As there are few men that have talents or opportunities for ex amining fo copious a fubject, one may obferve among those who have written on Italy, that different Authors have fucceeded beft on different forts of Curiofities. Some have been more particular in their accounts of Pictures, Statues and Buildings; fome have fearched into Libraries, cabinets of Rarities, and collections of Medals, as others have been wholly taken up with Infcriptions, Ruines and Antiquities. Among the Authors of our own country, we are obliged to the Bishop of Salisbury, for his mafterly and uncommon obfervations on the Religion and Governments of Italy: Laffels may be useful in giving us the names of fuch Writers as have treated of the feveral States through which he passed: Mr. Ray is to be valued for his

Obferva

Obfervations on the Natural productions of the place. Monfieur Miffon has wrote a more correct account of Italy in general than any before him, as he particularly excells in the Plan of the country, which he has given us in true and lively colours.

There are still feveral of thefe Topicks that are far from being exhaufted, as there are many new fubjects that a Traveller may find to employ himself upon. For my own part, as I have taken notice of feveral Places and Antiquities that no body else has spoken of, so, I think, I have mentioned but few things in common with others, that are not either fet in a new light, or accompanied with different reflections. I have taken care particularly to confider the Several paffages of the ancient Poets, which have any relation to the Places and Curiofities that I met with; For before I entered on my voyage I took care to refresh my memory among the Claffic Authors, and to make fuch collections out of them as I might afterwards have occafion for. I must confefs it was not one of the leaft entertainments that I met with in travelling, to examine thefe feveral Defcriptions, as it were, upon the Spot, and to compare the natural face of the country with the Landskips that the Poets have given us of it. However, to avoid the confufion that might arife from a multitude of quotations, I have only cited fuch verfes as have grven us some Image of the place, or that have fomething else befides the bare Name of it to recommend them.

OLY

MONACO,