My fourth Voyage.
S. Maurice.My fourth voyage into Italy was from Lyons again and Geneva, where I now took the Lake on my left hand, and passing along the skirts of Savoy, I came to Boveretta, a little Village; and so to Saint Maurice the first Town in the Valetians Countrey: This Town is so called from St. Maurice the Brave Commander of the Theban Legion, in the primitive times, and who was martyred here for the profession of Christian Religion, together with his whole Legion. Hence an Abbey was built here by Sigismond King of Burgondy, and called S. Maurice.
The Valesians.Now, this Country is called the Country of the Valesians, from the perpetual Valley in which it lyeth. The people have for their Prince the Bishop of Sion the chief Town of the Country. Their Valley is above four dayes journey long, besides their hills which are two more: Most of their little Towns and Villages stand upon hill sides, leaving all the plain Country for tillage and pasturage. Their houses are low and dark, many of them having no windows, and the rest very little ones. Sed casa pugnaces Curios angusta tegebat. As for the people here, they are all Catholicks, sincere honest men, of stout courage, yet of innocent lives, much snow quenching their lust, and high mountains staving off from them all luxe and Vanity, the harbingers of Vice. They have short hair on their heads, but beards in folio: they are got so for into the grande mode, as to wear breeches and doublets; but that's all: for otherwise their clothes look as if they had been made by the Taylors of the old Patriarcks; or as if the fashion of them had been taken out of old hangings and tapistry. In fine, both men and women here are great and massive, and not easily to be blown away: so that I may justly say of this people, as Cardinal Bentivoglio said of the Swissers, that they are good for the Alpes, and the Alpes for them. One thing I observed particularly in this windy Country, which is, that they have many natural fools here, which makes me think it no vulgar errour, which is commonly said, that the climats that are most agitated with winds produce more fools, then other Climats do.
Their StrengthAs for their strength, upon a defensive occasion, they can assemble forty thousand men together under their known Commanders, who are often times the Inn kepers in whose houses we lodge; but out of their own Pit they are not to be feared, having neither spirits, nor sinews: that is, neither ambition, nor money to carry on a forraign warre.
Martigni.From S. Maurice I went to Martigni a great In in a poor Village, and from thence to Sion.
Sion.Sion (antiently Sedunum) is the chief town of the Country, and stands in the Center of it. Here the Bishop, who is Prince, resideth with his Chapter and Cathedral on one hill, and his Castle stands on another hill hard by. The Court of this Prince is not great, because of his, and his peoples quality. A good Bishop hath something else to do, then to be courted,The best Gards of a Prince. and good plain people must follow their trades, not Courts. This Prince hath no Gards, because no fears: and if danger should threaten him, his people, whose love is his onely Arsenal,Plus tutatur amor. have hands enough to defend him. So that the Prince and People, that is, the Body Politick of this state, seemed to me like the Body natural in man, where the soul and the body being friends together, the Soul directs the body, and the Body defends the Soul.
Lucia.From Sion I went to Lucia, but lodged a quarter of a mile from the town; and from thence I reached Briga at night.
Briga.Briga is a little Village standing at the foot of great hills; where having rested well all night, at the Colonels house (the best Inn here) we began the next morning to clime the hills for a breakfast. For the space of three hours our horses eased us, the ascent not being so surley as we expected from so rugged a brow of hills: but when we came to the steep of the hill it self Mount Sampion,Mount Sampion. (one of the great Staircases of Italy) we were forced to compliment our horses, and go a foot. It was towards the very beginning of October when we passed that way, and therefore found that Hill in a good humour; otherwise its froward enough. Having in one hours time crawled up the steep of the Hill, we had two hours more riding to the Village and Inn of Sampion: where arriving, we found little meat for our great stomachs, and cold comfort for all the hot stincking Stove.
At last, having paid for a dinner here, though we saw nothing we could eate, we were the lighter in purse, as well as in body, to walk well that afternoon, rather then that afterdinner. To describe you the rough way we had between Sampion and Devedra, down hill alwayes, or fetching about hills upon a narrow way artificially made out of the side of those hills, and sometimes sticking out of them, as if it had been plastered to them, were able to make my pen ake in writing it, as well as my leggs in walking it. And here I found the Proverb false, which saith, That its good walking with a horse in ones hand: for here we could neither ride, nor lead our horses securely, but either the one, or the other were in danger of stumbling, that is, of falling five hundred faome deep. For here, as well as in war, semel tantum peccatur, a man need but stumble once for all his life-time: Yet by letting our horses go loose with the bridle on their necks, and making a man go before each horse, least they should jumble one another down (as I once saw the like done by horses in (Swisserland) we arrived safely at Devedra.Devedra that night. You would do well also to light from horse at the going over all the little trembling Bridges of wood which you will finde there, remembring the Italian Proverb, which saith: Quando tu Vedi un Ponte, falli piu honore che tu non fai a un Conte.
Domososcela.Having reposed all night in the house of the Signor Castellano, we went the next morning to Domodoscela a little garrison town of the state of Milan, troublesome enough to travelers that pass from Milan this way, and carry pistols and guns without licence.
Marguzzi.From Domodoscela we passed through a fine plain Country to Marguzzi, a little Village standing upon the Lake Major (anciently called Lacus Verbanus) Lake Majorwhere making our bargain with our boatmen to carry us in one day from thence to Sesto, and keep aloof off from the command of all the Castles, which now and then warn boates to come in; and under pretence of searching them for marchandize, stop passengers till they have screwed a piece of Mony out of them.
Sesto.Arriving safe at Sesto that night, we took Coach the next day for Milan, and Dining at Civita Castellanza, Civita Castellanza.arrived betimes at that great Town which was called anciently Altera Roma: a second Rome.