Epistolæ Ho-elianæ familiar letters domestic and forren divided into sundry sections, partly historicall, politicall, philosophicall, vpon emergent occasions / by James Howell.

XLI. To Sir J. C. from Florence.

SIR,

THis Letter comes to kisse your hands from fair Florence, a Citie so beutifull, that the great Emperour (Charls the fifth) said, That she was fitting to be shewn, and seen onely upon Ho∣lidayes: She marvailously flourisheth with Buildings, with Wealth and Artisans; for it is thought that in Serges, which is but one commodity, ther are made two millions evry yeer: All de∣grees of people live here not onely well, but splendidly well, not∣withstanding the manifold exactions of the Duke, upon all things: For none can buy here Lands or Houses, but he must pay eight in the hundred to the Duke; none can hire or build a House, but he must pay the tenth penny; none can marry, or commerce suite in Law, but ther's a Fee to the Duke; none can bring as much as an Egg or Sallet to the Market, but the Duke hath share therinna: Moreover, Ligorn which is the Key of Toscany, being a Maritim, and a great Mercantil Town, hath mightily inrich'd this Countrey by being a Frank Port to all comers, and a safe rende∣vouz to Pyrats, as well as to Marchants. Add hereunto, that the Duke himself in som respect is a Marchant, for he somtimes ingrosseth all the Corn of the Countrey, and retails it at what rate he pleaseth. This inables the Duke to have perpetually 20000 men inroll'd, train'd up, and payed, and none but they can carry Arms; he hath 400 Light-Horse in constant pay, and 100 men at Arms besides; and all these quartered in so narrow a compasse, that he can command them all to Florence in twenty four hours. He hath twelve Gallies, two Galeons, and six Ga∣leasses besides, and his Gallies, are call'd, The black Fleet, be∣cause they annoy the Turk more in the bottom of the Straits, then any other.

This State is bound to keep good quarter with the Pope, more then others; for all Toscany is fenc'd by Nature her self, I

mean with Mountains, except towards the Territories of the Apostolic See, and the Sea it self, therfore it is call'd a Countrey of Iron.

The Dukes Palace is so spacious, that it occupieth the Room of fifty Houses at least; yet though his Court surpasseth the bounds of a Duke's, it reacheth not to the Magnificence of a King's: The Pope was sollicited to make the gran Duke a King, and he answer'd, That he was content he should be King in Tos∣cany, not of Toscany; wherupon one of his Counsellors replied, That it was a more glorious thing to be a gran Duke, then a petty King.

Among other Cities which I desi•…•…'d to see in Italy, Genoa was one wher I lately was, and found her to be the proudest for buil∣dings of any I met withall, yet the people go the plainest of any other, and are also most parsimonious in their diet: They are the subtillest, I will not say the most subdolous dealers; they are wonderfull wealthy specially in Money: In the yeer 1600 the King of Spain owed them eighteen millions, and they say it is double as much now.

From the time they began to finger the Indian Geld, and that this Town hath bin the Scale by which he hath conveyed his Tre∣sure to Flanders, since the VVars in the Netherlands for the sup∣port of his Armies, and that she hath got som priviledges for the exportation of VVools, and other commodities (prohibited to others) out of Spain, she hath improv'd extremely in riches, and made Saint George's Mount swell higher then Saint Marks in Ve∣nice.

She hath bin often ill favouredly shaken by the Venetian, and hath had other enemies, which have put her to hard shifts for her own defence, specially in the time of Lewis the eleventh of France; at which time, when she would have given her self up to him for Protection, King Lewis being told that Genoa was con∣tent to be his, he answerd, She should not be his long, for he would give her up to the devill, and rid his hands of her.

Indeed the Genowaies have not the Fortune to be so well be∣lov'd, as other people in Italy, which proceeds I beleeve from their cunningnes, and over-reachings in bargaining, wherin they have somthing of the Iew. The Duke is there but Bienni∣al, being chang'd evry two yeers: He hath fifty Germans for his Guard; ther be four Centurion•…•… that have 100 men a peece, which upon occasions, attend the Signory abroad in Velvet

Coats; ther be eight chief Governours, and 400 Counsellours, amongst whom ther be five Soverain Syndics, who have autho∣rity to censure the Duke himself, his time being expir'd, and pun∣ish any Governour else, though after death, upon the Heir.

Amongst other customs they have in that Town, one is, That none must carry a pointed Knif about him, which makes the Hol∣lander, who is us'd to Snik and Snee, to leave his Horn-sheath and Knif a Shipboard when he comes a shore: I met not with an Englishman in all the Town; nor could I learn of any Factour of ours that ever resided there.

Ther is a notable little active Republic towards the midst of Toscany, call'd Luca, which in regard she is under the Empe∣rours protection, he dares not meddle withall, though she lie as a Partridg under a Faulcons Wings, in relation to the gran Duke; besides ther is another reason of the State, why he meddles not with her, because she is more beneficiall unto him now that she is free, and more industrious to support this free∣dom, then if she were becom his vassall; for then it is probable, she would grow more carelesse and idle, and so could not vent his commodities so soon, which she buyes for ready money, wherin most of her wealth consists: Ther is no State that winds the peny more nimbly, and makes quicker returns.

She hath a Counsell call'd the Discoli, which pryes into the profession and life of evry one, and once a yeer they rid the State of all Vagabonds: So that this petty, pretty Republic, may not be improperly parellell'd to a Hive of Bees, which have bin al∣wayes the emblems of industry and order.

In this splendid City of Florence, ther be many rarities, which if I should insert in this Letter, it would make her swell too big, and indeed they are fitter for Parol Communication. Here is the prime dialect of the Italian spoken, though the pronunciation be a little more guttural, then that of Siena, and that of the Court of Rome, which occasions the Proverb,

Lingua Toscana in boca Romana.

The Toscan toung sounds best in a Roman mouth.

The peeple here generally seem to be more generous, and of a higher comportment then elsewhere, very cautious

and circumspect in their negotiation; whence ariseth the Pro∣verb,

Chi há da far con Tosco, Non bisogna chi sia Losco.

VVho dealeth with a Florentine, Must have the use of both his Ey'n.

I shall bid Italy farewell now very shortly, and make my way are the Alps to France, and so home by Gods grace, to take a re∣view of my frends in England, amongst whom, the sight of your self will be as gladsom to me, as of any other; for I professe my self, and purpose to be ever

Your thrice affectionat Servitor, J. H.

Florence, 1 Novemb. 1621.