to mankind; at the Council-table, or at Dick's coffeehouse; fick and fimple, or well and wife; whatever alteration mere accident works in you, (fuppofing it utterly impoffible for it to make any change in your fincerity and honesty, fince these are conditions fine quâ non) I do not fee any likelihood of my not being yours ever.

LETTER XXXIX.

MR. GRAY TO HIS FATHER.

Florence, Oct. 9, 1740.

HE beginning of next fpring is the time determined for our return at furtheft; poffibly it may be before that time. How the interim will be employed, or what route we shall take is not fo certain. If we remain friends with France, upon leaving this country we fhall cross over to Venice, and fo return through the cities north of the Po to Genoa; from thence take a felucca to Marseilles, and come back through Paris. If the contrary fall out, which feems not unlikely, we must take the Milanese, and those parts of Italy, in our way to Venice; from thence pass through the Tirol into Germany, and come home by the LowCountries. As for Florence, it has been gayer than ordinary for this last month, being one round of balls and

entertainments, occafioned by the arrival of a great Milanese Lady; for the only thing the Italians shine in, is their reception of strangers. At fuch times every thing is magnificence: The more remarkable, as in their ordinary course of life they are parfimonious, even to a degree of naftiness. I saw in one of the vastest palaces in Rome (that of Prince Pamfilio) the apartment which he himself inhabited, a bed that most servants in England would difdain to lie in, and furniture much like that of a soph at Cambridge, for convenience and neatness. This man is worth 30,000l. fterling a year. As for eating, there are not two Cardinals in Rome that allow more than fix paoli, which is three fhillings a day, for the expence of their table and you may imagine they are still less extravagant here than there. But when they receive a vifit from any friend, their houses and perfons are set out to the greatest advantage, and appear in all their splendour; it is, indeed, from a motive of vanity, and with the hopes of having it repaid them with interest, whenever they have occafion to return the vifit. I call vifits going from one city of Italy

to another; for it is not so among acquaintance of the fame place on common occafions. The new Pope has

retrenched the charges of his own table to a fequin (ten shillings) a meal. The applause which all he says and does meets with, is enough to encourage him really to deferve fame. They say he is an able and honest man; he is reckoned a wit too. The other day, when the Senator of Rome came to wait upon him, at the first compliments he made him, the Pope pulled off his cap: His Master of the Ceremonies, who stood by his fide, touched him softly, as to warn him that fuch a condefcenfion was too great in him, and out of all manner of rule: Upon which he turned to him and faid, "Oh! I cry you mercy, good Master, it is true, I am but a Novice of a Pope; I have not yet so much as learned ill manners.

LETTER XL.

MR. GRAY TO HIS FATHER.

Florence, Jan. 12, 1741.

E ftill continue conftant at Florence, at prefent one of the dulleft cities in Italy. Though

it is the middle of the Carnival there are no

public diverfions; nor is masquerading per

mitted as yet. The Emperor's obfequies are to be celebrated publicly the 16th of this month; and after that, it is imagined every thing will go on in its ufual course. In the mean time, to employ the minds of the populace, the Government has thought fit to bring into the city in a folemn manner, and at a great expence, a famous statue of the Virgin called the Madonna dell' Impruneta, from the place of her refidence, which is upon a mountain seven miles off. It never has been practifed but at times of public calamity; and was done at present to avert the ill