in the way of supplying this tafte, than any other power, fpared nothing for its gratification; all the Louvre editions, ancient and modern, Le Jai's Polyglot, the Byzantine hiftory, the collections of councils, the great works of facred and profane literature, together with every valuable production of French typography, were fent to Rome by loads, and in the neatest and most curious bindings. The pope received them with transport, and, after entertaining himself with them for a few months, fent them away to Bologna. The example of France was followed by other powers; England itself joined in this contribution, which all terminated in the advantage of the Inftitute. Benedict XIV. farther left to it, at his death, his whole remainder of books, obfervations and collections.'

The defcription of the fair at Sinigaglia, which is held on the last eight days of July, may afford fome amusement to our Readers :

The fhore, along which we had come from Fano, fays our Author, was lined with culverines, cannon, loop-holes, old arquebufes, all pointed towards the fea; likewife with parties of foldiers in barracks at regular diftances, befides fome ships of the pope's lying in the offing. In fhort, nothing had the apof'tolic chamber omitted for the fafety of the fair. Mr. Merlini, prefident of Urbino, was there in perfon, and kept open house for the neighbouring nobility. All this nobility, men, women, and children, for whom this fair is a party of pleasure, throws a pleafing variety, and a kind of tranquillity, amidst the perpetual buftle of crowds of people of all nations, eagerly looking out for one another, or hurried in removing goods from the harbour or road to the city, from the city to the harbour or road, in unpacking or packing up, in embarking or landing: not a single -beaft of carriage or draught is made ufe of for this business, the whole is done by fachini, or porters, who, with equal dexterity and ftrength, carry the greatest burdens, whether in weight or bulk. The streets are all fhaded by tents hung across, and wetted from time to time, and, for the conveniency of carriage, the ground is boarded. Palaces, houfes, the whole city, is a warehoufe; the harbour, the quays, the streets, are one continued fhop, and in the midft of them, a thousand little ambulatory fhops moving backwards and forwards. The ditches, the glacis, and the outworks of the city, are covered with tents, huts, kitchens, and horfes ftanding at pickets; and in every little cottage are ftowed feveral families. The people of fashion fhelter themselves in the coffee-houses, where abbés are always gallanting the ladies, and thefe tricked up in all their finery in the French mode. The bafis of this fair is formed by the islands, and all the coafts of the Adriatic, Sicily, and a part of the Archipelago. The Greeks fpeak Italian, or make use of the Lingua Franca: a harsh compound of Greek, Italian and Provençal,

3

the

the three smootheft languages now in being. By their air and countenance, they appear as good people as one would wish to deal with every one lay dozing on the pavement, his body being a kind of fence to his little fhop, and thus fold away without changing his fituation. In all other dealers the national air might be distinguished at first fight. The Lombard, the Swifs, and the Lyonefe called to every one that paffed by to fee what they liked, eagerly difplayed all his thop, exacted beyond all reafon, but very complaifantly thanked the least customer. The Hollander was wholly taken up with the difpofition of his shop, placing and brufhing and cleaning every piece. The Romanefe and Sicilian leaning with his belly against his counter, with his hat thrust down to his eyes, and his hands across in the fleeves of the oppofite arm, was ruminating on his accounts. The fullen and haughty Englishman fhewed what goods were afked him, at the fame time naming the price, and on any appearance of haggling, haftily put them up again, and took t'other turn in his fhop. I faw two Frenchmen there, one an abbé, taken up, like us, with viewing the fair; the other having bought a fillet of a pretty Grecian woman, was for adding to it two small ribbons, and defired her to favour him fo far as to few them to the two ends of the large ribbon. These words were no fooner out of his mouth, than out came, over the Grecian beauty's fhoulder, a brawney arm, naked to the elbow, holding up to the abbe's nose a fift with the fore-finger erect, and at the fame time accompanied with a fierce voice, Signor, no, from her indignant hufband, to whom that ugly arm belonged.

In the third day of the fair, the Venetian commander of the gulph appeared off Sinigaglia in his proper fhip, accompanied with fome fmaller gallies. Every year he makes this appearance, under pretence of protecting the fair, but rather to receive a fettled fee paid him by the apoftolic chamber, and which by Venice is looked on as an acknowledgment from the pope of its fovereignty over the gulph. In a pretty keen expoftulation about this fee, a pope asking the Venetian ambassador, where were the republics vouchers for the fovereignty of the gulph, They are to be found, Holy Father, answered he, on the back of Conftantine's grant.'

Our Author now proceeds to make some quotations from Muratori and other hiftorians, giving an account of the culture and population of this part of Italy in the middle age, alfo of their manners and customs compared with those of later date; but we pass over these to attend our Author to the famous city of Venice, on which he employs many pages.

In fpeaking of the state of religion at Venice, he fays, The offices and religious ceremonies, which the Italians comprehend

under

under the generical name of funzioni, are as common and as pompous here as all over Italy, and conducted with the ftricteft decency. Concerning this, I was told that at the exposition of the hoft in St. Mark's church, and at which the fenate affifted, whilft the whole affembly were kneeling, an English gentleman remained ftanding. A fenator fent to him to kneel, and his meffage not meeting with immediate compliance, he went himfelf. Šir, faid the Englishman, I don't hold with tranfubftantiation. Ne anche io, warmly replied the fenator, pero gin occhione, • fuor di chiefa." Nor I neither, but down on your knees, or get out of the church."

His account of the manner of worship observed by the Greeks (who together with Jews, Armenians, Proteftants, we are told enjoy fome toleration) gives us no very pleasing idea. The archbishop, fays he, happened to officiate the day that I went to their church. I was not wanting to obferve all the ceremonies of the office. Every Greek, whether layman or ecclefiaftic, on his entrance into the church, ftopped in the middle of the choir, where flightly bending his body, and looking to the door of the chancel, in which is the only altar belonging to this church, he made a fign of the crofs, beginning with his thumb on his head, then from the right to the left, and from thence with a peculiar gracefulness, drawing it down to his knees, and thefe motions were repeated several times. Afterwards going up to the chancel, he kiffed, with the greatest marks of veneration, the pictures against the wall which conceals from the choir and the people what is doing in the chancel. Thefe ceremonies being gone through, he withdrew backward to his feat. The archbishop himself, being come, at the head of his feminary, performed all the like ceremonies before putting on his pontificalia.

During the whole fervice the fanctuary is closely fhut, opening only at fhort intervals for faying prayers over the people, which are accompanied with benedictions, and for taking in the elements which are to be confecrated.—

The office is composed of pfalmody performed by the choir, and prayers, which are fung by the officiating prieft within the chancel: these prayers are of St. John Chrifoftome, and have all the energy and loftinefs which that kind of compofition admits of. Whilft the choir is finging, fome boys likewise within the fanctuary ftrain their voices in Kyrie eleefons and Amens, not the least correfponding with the public finging which goes on amidst all this bawling.

The chancel's being fhut during the whole fervice, furprized me the more, having heard fome perfons in France fay, that it was quite otherwife in the primitive church, to the rites of which, according to the very fame perfons, none had fo faith

fully

fully adhered as the Greeks. However, the Greeks of Ve nice are among thofe whom the Romans call fchifmatics.'

What the Author fays concerning the paintings at Venice, will give fome pain to those who are admirers of the elegant arts: The halls, he tells us, and all the apartments of the doge's palace, together with the feveral courts of juftice, the churches, chapels, &c. are full of paintings; among which Jhine thofe of Titian, old Palma, Paul Veronese, &c. The Titians and old Palma's are fo blackened with the fmoke of the many lights in the churches, or faded by the moisture of the Venice air, that they are now only magni nominis umbra, scarce any ftrokes or lineaments of the general defign or of the contour appearing. That was all that at high noon, in a very bright day, and with the moft favourable light, I could make out in the affumption, one of Titian's capital pieces, over the great altar of the church of the Frati, or conventual cordeliers. Of all that mafter's paintings here, the celebrated St. Peter's martyrdom alone affords a clear view of fome of its parts.-The republic, he adds, is very jealous of thofe productions of the great mafters of its fchool, but this jealoufy goes no further than to hinder the exportation of them, without beftowing a thought on their prefervation, which might be done with very little care.-I was fhewn in the treafury of St. Marcuola's church, three capital pieces of Titian, Tintoret and old Palma, which have lain by, bundled up on the vaults of the church, till now they are rotted away to mere rags, femefaque fruftra.' Some further account of this work we propofe to give in another number of our review.

[To be concluded next Month.]

Hi.

The Natural History and Antiquities of Northumberland: and of fo much of the County of Durham as lies between the Rivers Tyne and Tweed: commonly called, North Bishoprick. By John Wallis, A. M. 4to. 2 Vols. 21. 2 s. on fmall Paper, fewed; and 41. 4 s. on large Paper. Bladon. 1769.

I

N fuch an enlightened age as the present, to send abroad the natural history and antiquities of a county, is, undoubtedly, an arduous undertaking. How well the indefatigable author, now before us, hath fucceeded, must be left to the decifion of those perfons, whofe intimate acquaintance with the extenfive and remote county of Northumberland, may be fupposed to render them more competent judges of the execution of the work, than we can pretend to be. We muft, however, be allowed to express our regret, that a number of uncouth words, local phrafes, and mifapplied terms, fhould fo frequently occur as they do, to the no fmall difguft of a critical

reader;

reader ;-fome few of which, may be feen in the present article.

The following extracts, from the Preface, will afford fome, idea of the Author's plan, and defign:

It is now' [fays Mr. Wallis] upwards of twenty years fince I first turned my thought to the ftudy of Natural Hiftory, rather then for amufement, than from any defign of cafting my obfervations under an hiftorical form, for public view; rocks and dales, woods, heaths, hills, and mountains, the fhores of rivulets and the ocean, being my company in the hours of leifure and relaxation,

• In my fearch after foffils, I have met with fome hitherto fuppofed, by eminent and learned lithologifts, not to be of Britifh, but of tranfmarine origin.

In my botanic fearches, I have met with fome curious plants. on our northern Alps, acknowledged by the indefatigable and accurate Dillenius not to have been seen by him any where in England. Of these, and other curious and useful plants, I have given fhort descriptions, and have added the fynonyms of the most eminent and ingenious authors.

I have alfo given fhort defcriptions and fynonyms of the moft curious birds obferved with us, and of the infects, &c. with no other embellishments than those of nature and truth.

Antiquities had a fhare of my attention at the fame time. The works of the British Druids, their cefpititious and rocky thrones, temples, and fepultures, attracted my obfervation; their rude grandeur greatly raifing my curiofity.'-If the Author had properly adverted to the commonly received acceptation of the word fepulture, he would have found it to mean, not the place, but the act of burial.

Northumberland being Roman ground, and receiving my firft breath in one of their Caftra *, I was led by a fort of enthufiafm to an enquiry and fearch after their towns, their cities and temples, their baths, their altars, their tumuli, their military ways, and other remains of their splendour and magnificence; which will admit of a thoufand views and reviews, and fill give pleafure to fuch as have a guft for any thing Roman; every year almoft prefenting new difcoveries of the wif dom, contrivance, ingenuity, and elegance of that refpectable people.'

Many of the Romana exhibited in this work, we are informed, were never before described,—and, that not a few of them afford excellent precepts to prefent and future times. The Saxonica and Monaftica, he adds, are as curious and inftructive as the Romana.-In fpeaking of the religious houfes, he