mentioned, upon its very top, that in the middle of winter calmly lay in their stock of provifions and firing, and so are buried in their hut for a month or two under the fnow. When we were down it, and got a little way into Piedmont, we began to find " Apricos quofdam colles, rivofque prope fylvas, & jam humano cultu digniora loca." I read Silius Italicus too, for the firft time; and wifhed for you according to custom. We set out for Genoa in two days time. LETTER XXII. MR. GRAY TO MR. WEST. Genoa, Nov. 21, 1739. HORRIDOS tractus, Boreæq; linquens Regna Taurini fera, molliorem Advehor brumam, Genuæq; amantes Litora foles. T leaft if they do not, they have a very ill tafte: for I never beheld anything more amiable: Only figure to yourself a vast semi circular bafin, full of fine blue sea, and veffels of all forts and fizes, fome failing out, fome coming in, and others at anchor; and all round it palaces, and churches peeping over one another's heads, gardens, and marble terraces full of orange and cyprefs trees, fountains, and trellis-works covered with vines, which altogether compofe the grandeft of theatres. This is the first coup d'œil, and is almost all I am yet able to give you an account of, for we arrived late last night. To-day was, luckily, a great festival, and in the morning we reforted to the church of the Madonna delle Vigne, to put up our little orifons; (I believe I forgot to tell you, that we have been fome time converts to the holy Catholic church ;) we found our Lady richly dreffed out, with a crown of diamonds on her own head, another upon the child's, and a conftellation of wax lights burning before them: Shortly after came the Doge, in his robes of crimson damask, and a cap of the fame, followed by the Senate in black. Upon his approach began a fine concert of music, and among the reft two eunuchs' voices, that were a perfect feast to ears that had heard nothing but French operas for a year. We listened to this, and breathed nothing but incense for two hours. The Doge is a very tall, lean, stately old figure, called Conftantino Balbi; and the Senate feem to have been made upon the same model. They said their prayers, and heard an abfurd white friar preach, with equal devotion. After this we went to the Annonciata, a church built by the family Lomellini, and belonging to it; which is, indeed, a most stately structure, the infide wholly marble of various kinds, except where gold and painting take its place. From hence to the Palazzo Doria. I should make you fick of marble, if I told you how it was lavished here upon the porticoes, the baluftrades, and terraces, the lowest of which extends quite to the fea. The infide is by no means answerable to the outward magnificence; the furniture seems to be as old as the founder of the family. great emboffed filver tables tell you, in bas-relief, his victories at fea; how he entertained the Emperor Charles, and how he refused the sovereignty of the Commonwealth when it was offered him; the reft is old-fashioned velvet chairs, and Gothic tapestry. The rest of the day has been spent, much to our hearts' content, in curfing French mufic and architecture, and in finging the praises of Italy. We find this place fo very fine, that we are in fear of finding nothing finer. We are fallen in love with the Mediter There |