第6章

BesidesthechurchofSt。MaryoftheSnowatCampra，therewasanotherwhichwasanexactcopyoftheSantaCasadiLoreto，andwheretherewasaremarkableechowhichwouldrepeatawordoftensyllableswhenthewindwasquiet。Thiswasexactlyonthesiteofthepresentsanctuary。ItseemedabetterplaceforthecontinuationofVelotti\'sworkthantheonehehadhimselfchosenforit，inasmuchasitwaswhereSignorMuratorisowellimpliesacentreofdevotionoughttobe，namely，in\"amilderclimate，andinaspotwhichoffersmoreresistancetotheinclemencyoftheweather，andisbetteradaptedtoattractandretaintheconcourseofthefaithful。\" ThedesignofthepresentchurchwasmadebyanarchitectofthenameofArduzzi，intheyear1654，andthefirststonewaslaidin1659。In1687therightofliberatingabanditeveryyearhadbeenfoundtobeproductiveofsomuchmischiefthatitwasdiscontinued，andayearlycontributionoftwohundredlirewassubstituted。Thechurchwasnotcompleteduntilthesecondhalfofthelastcentury，whenthecupolawasfinishedmainlythroughtheenergyofapriest，CarloGiuseppeGastaldiofNetro。Thispoormancametohisendinarathersingularway。Hewasdozingforafewminutesuponascaffolding，andbeingawakenedbyasuddennoise，hestartedup，losthisbalance，andfelloverontothepavementbelow。Hediedafewdayslater，onthe17thofOctober，either1787or1778，Icannotdeterminewhich，throughamisprintinMuratori\'saccount。 Theworkwasnowvirtuallyfinished，andthebuildingsweremuchastheyareseennow，exceptthatathirdstoreywasaddedtothehospiceabouttheyear1840。Itisinthehospicethattheapartmentsareinwhichvisitorsarelodged。Iwasshownalloverthem，andfoundthemnotonlycomfortablebutluxurious——decidedlymoresothanthoseofOropa；therewasthesamecleanlinesseverywherewhichIhadnoticedintherestaurant。Asonestandsatthewindowsoronthebalconiesandlooksdownontothetopsofthechestnuts，andoverthesetotheplains，onefeelsalmostasifonecouldflyoutofthewindowlikeabird；fortheslopeofthehillsissorapidthatonehasasenseofbeingalreadysuspendedinmid-air。 IthoughtIobservedadesiretoattractEnglishvisitorsinthepictureswhichIsawinthebedrooms。Thustherewas\"AviewoftheblackleadmineinCumberland，\"acolouredEnglishprintoftheendofthelastcenturyorthebeginningofthis，after，Ithink，Loutherbourg，andinseveralroomstherewereEnglishengravingsafterMartin。TheEnglishwillnot，Ithink，regretiftheyyieldtotheseattractions。Theywillfindtheaircool，shadywalks，goodfood，andreasonableprices。Theirroomswillnotbechargedfor，buttheywilldowelltogivethesameastheywouldhavepaidatanhotel。Isawinoneroomoneofthoseflippant，frivolous，Lorenzode\'Medicimatch-boxesonwhichtherewasagaudily- colourednymphinhigh-heeledbootsandtights，smokingacigarette。FeelingthatIwasinasanctuary，Iwasalittlesurprisedthatsuchamatchboxshouldhavebeentolerated。I supposeithadbeenleftbehindbysomeguest。IshouldmyselfselectamatchboxwiththeNativity，ortheFlightintoEgyptuponit，ifIweregoingtostayaweekorsoatGraglia。IdonotthinkIcanhavelookedsurprisedorscandalised，buttheworthyofficialwhowaswithmecouldjustseethattherewassomethingonmymind。\"Doyouwantamatch？\"saidhe，immediatelyreachingmethebox。Ihelpedmyself，andthematterdropped。 ThereweremanyfewerpeopleatGragliathanatOropa，andtheywerericher。Ididnotseeanypoorabout，butImayhavebeenthereduringaslacktime。Animpressionwasleftuponme，thoughIcannotsaywhetheritwaswellorillfounded，asthoughtherewereatacitunderstandingbetweentheestablishmentsatOropaandGragliathattheonewastoadaptitselftothepoorer，andtheothertothericherclassesofsociety；andthisnotfromanysordidmotive，butfromarecognitionofthefactthatanygreatamountofintermixturebetweenthepoorandtherichisnotfoundsatisfactorytoeitheroneortheother。Anywidedifferenceinfortunedoespracticallyamounttoaspecificdifference，whichrendersthemembersofeitherspeciesmoreorlesssuspiciousofthoseoftheother，andseldomfertileinterse。Thewell-to-doworking-mancanhelphispoorerfriendsbetterthanwecan。Ifaneducatedmanhasmoneytospare，hewillapplyitbetterinhelpingpooreducatedpeoplethanthosewhoaremorestrictlycalledthepoor。Aslongastheworldisprogressing，wideclassdistinctionsareinevitable；theirdiscontinuancewillbeasignthatequilibriumhasbeenreached。Thenhumancivilisationwillbecomeasstationaryasthatofantsandbees。Somemaysayitwillbeverysadwhenthisisso；others，thatitwillbeagoodthing；intruth，itisgoodeitherway，forprogressandequilibriumhaveeachofthemadvantagesanddisadvantageswhichmakeitimpossibletoassignsuperioritytoeither；butinbothcasesthegoodgreatlyoverbalancestheevil；forinboththegreatmajoritywillbefairlywellcontented，andwouldhatetoliveunderanyothersystem。 Equilibrium，ifitiseverreached，willbeattainedveryslowly，andtheimportanceofanychangeinasystemdependsentirelyupontherateatwhichitismade。Noamountofchangeshocks——or，inotherwords，isimportant——ifitismadesufficientlyslowly，whilehardlyanychangeistoosmalltoshockifitismadesuddenly。Wemaygodownaladderoftenthousandfeetinheightifwedosostepbystep，whileasuddenfallofsixorsevenfeetmaykillus。 Theimportance，therefore，doesnotlieinthechange，butintheabruptnessofitsintroduction。Nothingisabsolutelyimportantorabsolutelyunimportant，absolutelygoodorabsolutelybad。 Thisisnotwhatweliketocontemplate。Theinstinctofthosewhosereligionandcultureareonthesurfaceonlyistoconceivethattheyhavefound，orcanfind，anabsoluteandeternalstandard，aboutwhichtheycanbeasearnestastheychoose。Theywouldhaveeventhepainsofhelleternaliftheycould。Iftherehadbeenanymeansdiscoverablebywhichtheycouldtormentthemselvesbeyondendurance，wemaybesuretheywouldlongsincehavefounditout；butfortunatelythereisastrongerpowerwhichbarstheminexorablyfromtheirdesire，andwhichhasensuredthatintolerablepainshalllastonlyforaverylittlewhile。Foreitherthecircumstancesorthesuffererwillchangeafternolongtime。Ifthecircumstancesareintolerable，thesuffererdies:iftheyarenotintolerable，hebecomesaccustomedtothem，andwillceasetofeelthemgrievously。Nomatterwhattheburden，therealwayshasbeen，andalwaysmustbe，awayforusalsotoescape。 CHAPTERXVII——SoazzaandtheValleyofMesoccoIregretthatIhavenotspaceforanyofthesketchesItookatBellinzona，thanwhichfewtownsaremorefullofadmirablesubjects。TheHoteldelaVilleisanexcellenthouse，andthetowniswelladaptedforanartist\'sheadquarters。Turner\'stwowater-colourdrawingsofBellinzonaintheNationalGalleryaredoubtlessveryfineasworksofart，buttheyarenotlikeBellinzona，thespiritofwhichplace(thoughnottheletter)isbetterrepresentedbythebackgroundtoBasaiti\'sMadonnaandchild，alsoinourgallery，supposingthecastleonthehilltohavegonetoruin。 AtBellinzonaamantoldmethatoneofthetwotowerswasbuiltbytheViscontiandtheotherbyJuliusCaesar，ahundredyearsearlier。So，pooroldMrs。BarrattatLangarcouldconceivenolongertimethanahundredyears。TheTrojanwardidnotlasttenyears，buttenyearswasasbigalieasHomerknew。 AlmostalldaysinthesubalpinevalleysofNorthItalyhaveabeautywiththemofsomekindoranother，butnonearemorelovelythanaquietgraydayjustatthebeginningofautumn，whenthecloudsaredrawinglazilyandinthesoftestfleecesoverthepineforestshighuponthemountainsides。Onsuchdaysthemountainsareverydarktillcloseuptotheleveloftheclouds；here，ifthereisdewyorrain-besprinkledpasture，ittellsofaluminoussilverycolourbyreasonofthelightwhichthecloudsreflectuponit；thebottomedgesofthecloudsarealsolightthroughthereflectionupwardfromthegrass，butIdonotknowwhichbeginsthisbattledoreandshuttlecockarrangement。Thesethingsarelikequarrelsbetweentwooldandintimatefriends；onecanneversaywhobeginsthem。Sometimesonadullgraydaylikethis，Ihaveseentheshadowpartsofcloudstakeagreenish-ashen-colouredtingefromthegrassbelowthem。 OnoneofthesemostenjoyabledaysweleftBellinzonaforMesoccoontheS。Bernardinoroad。Theairwaswarm，therewasnotsomuchasabreathofwind，butitwasnotsultry:therehadbeenrain，andthegrass，thoughnolongerdeckedwiththegloryofitsspringflowers，wasofthemostbrilliantemerald，savewherefleckedwithdelicatepurplebymyriadsofautumnalcrocuses。ThelevelgroundatthebottomofthevalleywheretheMoesarunsiscultivatedwithgreatcare。Herethepeoplehavegatheredthestonesinheapsroundanygreatrockwhichistoodifficulttomove，andthewholemasshasintimetakenamulberryhue，variedwithgrayandrussetlichens，orblobsofvelvetygreenmoss。Theseheapsofstonecropupfromthesmoothshavengrass，andareoverhungwithbarberries，mountainash，andmountainelderwiththeirbrilliantscarletberries——sometimes，again，withdwarfoaks，oralder，ornut，whoseleaveshavejustsofarbeguntobetingedastoincreasethevarietyofthecolouring。Thefirstsparksofautumn\'syearlyconflagrationhavebeenkindled，butthefireisnotyetragingasinOctober；soonafterwhich，indeed，itwillhaveburntitselfout，leavingthetreesitwerecharred，withhereandtherealivecoalofaredleafortwostillsmoulderinguponthem。 Asyetlingeringmulleinsthrowuptheirgoldenspikesamidaprofusionofbluechicory，andthegourdsrunalonguponthegroundlikethefiremingledwiththehailin\"IsraelinEgypt。\"Overheadaretheumbrageouschestnutsloadedwiththeirpricklyharvest。 Nowandagainthereisamanureheapuponthegrassitself，andlustywantongourdsgrowoutfromitalongthegroundlikevegetableoctopi。Ifthereisastreamitwillrunwithwaterlimpidasair，andasfullofdimplesas\"WhileKedron\'sbrook\"in\"Joshua\":- [Atthispointinthebookamusicscoreisgiven] Howquietandfullofrestdoeseverythingappeartobe。Thereisnodustnorglare，andhardlyasoundsavethatoftheunfailingwaterfalls，orthefallingcrywithwhichthepeasantscalltooneanotherfromafar。{29} Somuchdependsupontheaspectinwhichoneseesaplaceforthefirsttime。Whatscenerycanstand，forexample，anoontideglare？ TakethevalleyfromLanzotoViu。Itisofincrediblebeautyinthemorningsandafternoonsofbrilliantdays，andalldaylonguponagrayday；butinthemiddlehoursofabrightsummer\'sdayitishardlybeautifulatall，exceptlocallyintheshadeunderchestnuts。Buildingsandtownsaretheonlythingsthatshowwellinaglare。Weperhaps，therefore，thoughtthevalleyoftheMoesatobeofsuchsingularbeautyonaccountofthedayonwhichwesawit，butdoubtwhetheritmustnotbeabsolutelyamongthemostbeautifulofthesubalpinevalleysupontheItalianside。 TheleastinterestingpartisthatbetweenBellinzonaandRoveredo，butsoonafterleavingRoveredothevalleybeginstogetnarrowerandtoassumeamoremountaincharacter。Erelongtheeyecatchessightofawhitechurchtowerandamassivekeep，neartooneanotherandsometwothousandfeetabovetheroad。ThisisSantaMariainCalanca。Onecanseeatoncethatitmustbeanimportantplaceforsuchadistrict，butitisstrangewhyitshouldbeplacedsohigh。Iwillsaymoreaboutitlateron。 PresentlywepassedCama，wherethereisaninn，andwheretheroadbranchesoffintotheValCalanca。Alightinghereforafewminuteswesawacanelupino——thatistosay，adunmouse-coloureddogaboutaslargeasamastiff，andwithaverylargeinfusionofwolfbloodinhim。Itwaslikefindingone\'sselfalonewithawolf——buthelookedevenmoreuncannyandferociousthanawolf。I oncesawamanwalkingdownFleetStreetaccompaniedbyoneofthesecanilupini，andnotedthegeneralattentionandalarmwhichthedogcaused。Encouragedbythelandlord，weintroducedourselvestothedogatCama，andfoundhimtobeamostsweetperson，withnosensewhateverofself-respect，andshrinkingfromnoignominyinhisimportunityforbitsofbread。Whenweputthebreadintohismouthandfelthisteeth，hewouldnottakeittillhehadlookedinoureyesandsaidasplainlyasthoughinwords，\"Areyouquitesurethatmyteetharenotpainfultoyou？DoyoureallythinkImaynowclosemyteethuponthebreadwithoutcausingyouanyinconvenience？\"Weassuredhimthatwewerequitecomfortable，soheswalloweditdown，andpresentlybegantopatussoftlywithhisfoottoremindusthatitwasourturnnow。 Beforeweleft，awanderingorgan-grinderbegantoplayoutsidetheinn。Ourfriendthedoglifteduphisvoiceandhowled。Iamsureitwaswithpleasure。Ifhehaddislikedthemusichewouldhavegoneaway。Hewasnotatallthekindofpersonwhowouldstayaconcertoutifhedidnotlikeit。Hehowledbecausehewasstirredtotheinnermostdepthsofhisnature。Onthishebecameintense，andasamatterofcoursemadeafoolofhimself；buthewasinnowaymoreridiculousthananArtProfessorwhomIonceobservedashewasholdingforthtoanumberofworkingmen，whilstescortingthemroundtheItalianpicturesintheNationalGallery。 WhentheorganleftoffhecastanappealinglookatJones，andwecouldalmosthearthewords，\"WhatISitoutof？\"comingfromhiseyes。Wedidnothappentoknow，sowetoldhimthatitwas\"Ahchelamorte\"from\"IlTrovatore，\"andhewasquitecontented。 Joneseventhoughthelookedasmuchastosay，\"Ohyes，ofcourse，howstupidofme；IthoughtIknewit。\"Heverywellmayhavedoneso，butIamboundtosaythatIdidnotseethis。 NeartoCamaisGrono，whereBaedekersaysthereisachapelcontainingsomeancientfrescoes。IsearchedGronoinvainforanysuchchapel。Afewmileshigherup，thechurchofSoazzamakesitsappearancepercheduponthetopofitshill，andsoonafterwardsthesplendidruinofMesoccoonanotherrockorhillwhichrisesinthemiddleofthevalley。 ThemortuarychapelofSoazzachurchisthesubjectmyfriendMr。 Goginhasselectedfortheetchingatthebeginningofthisvolume。 TherewasamanmowinganotherpartofthechurchyardwhenIwasthere。Hewassooldandleanthathisfleshseemedlittlemorethanparchmentstretchedoverhisbones，andhemighthavebeenalmosttakenforDeathmowinghisownacre。Whenhewasgonesomechildrencametoplay，buthehadlefthisscythebehindhim。 Thesechildrenwerebeyondmystrengthtodraw，soIturnedthesubjectovertoMr。Gogin\'sstrongerhands。Childrenaredynamical；churchesandfrescoesarestatical。Icangetonwithstaticalsubjects，butcandonothingwithdynamicalones。Overthedoorandwindowsaretwofrescoesofskeletonsholdingmirrorsintheirhands，withadeath\'sheadinthemirror。Thisreflectedheadissupposedtobethatofthespectatortowhomdeathisholdinguptheimageofwhathewillonedaybecome。IdonotremembertheinscriptionatSoazza；theoneintheCampoSantoatMesoccois，\"Sicutvosestisnosfuimus，etsicutnossumusvoseritis。\"{30} OnmyreturntoEnglandImentionedthisinscriptiontoafriendwho，asayoungman，hadbeenanexcellentLatinscholar；hetookapanicintohisheadthat\"eritis\"wasnotrightforthesecondpersonpluralofthefuturetenseoftheverb\"esse。\"Whateveritwas，itwasnot\"eritis。\"Thispanicwasspeedilycommunicatedtomyself，andwebothpuzzledforsometimetothinkwhatthefutureof\"esse\"reallywas。Atlastweturnedtoagrammarandfoundthat\"eritis\"wasrightafterall。Howskin-deepthatclassicaltrainingpenetratesonwhichwewastesomanyyears，andhowcompletelywedropitassoonaswearelefttoourselves。 Ontheright-handsideofthedoorofthemortuarychapeltherehangsawoodentabletinscribedwithapoemtothememoryofMariaZara。Itisapleasingpoem，andbegins:- \"AppenaaltrapassarilterzolustroMariaZaralasuavitafini。 SeaSoazzaebbelasuacolmaARoveredolasuatomba…… shefound，\"orwordstothateffect，butIforgettheItalian。 ThispoemisthenearestthingtoanItalianrenderingof\"AfflictionsorelongtimeIbore\"thatIremembertohavemetwith，butitislongerandmoregrandiosegenerally。 Soazzaisfullofbeautifulsubjects，andindeedisthefirstplaceinthevalleyoftheMoesawhichIthoughtgoodsketchingground，inspiteofthegeneralbeautyofthevalley。Thereisaninntherequitesufficientforabachelorartist。Theclergymanoftheplaceisamonk，andhewillnotletonepaintonafeast-day。I wastoldthatifIwantedtopaintonacertainfeast-dayIhadbetterconsulthim；Ididso，butwasflatlyrefusedpermission，andthattooasitappearedtomewithmoreperemptorinessthanapriestwouldhaveshowntowardsme。 ItisatSoazzathattheascentoftheSanBernardinobecomesperceptible；hithertotheroadhasseemedtobelevelalltheway，buthenceforththeascentthoughgradualissteady。MesoccoCastlelooksveryfineassoonasSoazzaispassed，andgetsfinerandfineruntilitisactuallyreached。Hereistheupperlimitofthechestnuts，whichleaveoffuponthelowersideofMesoccoCastle。 AfewyardsoffthecastleontheuppersideistheancientchurchofS。Cristoforo，withitshugeSt。Christopherontheright-handsideofthedoor。St。Christopherisaveryfavouritesaintintheseparts；peoplecallhimS。Cristofano，andevenS。Carpofano。 IthinkitmustbeinthechurchofS。CristoforoatMesoccothatthefrescoesarewhichBaedekerwritesofasbeingnearGrono。OftheseIwillspeakatlengthinthenextchapter。Abouthalforthree-quartersofamilehigheruptheroadthanthecastleisMesoccoitself。 CHAPTERXVIII——Mesocco，S。Bernardino，andS。MariainCalancaAtthetimeofmyfirstvisittherewasaninnkeptbyoneDesteffanisandhiswife，whereIstayednearlyamonth，andwasmadeverycomfortable。Lastyear，however，JonesandIfounditclosed，butdidverywellattheHotelToscani。AttheHotelDesteffanisthereusedtobeaparrotwhichlivedaboutlooseandhadnocage，butdidexactlywhatitliked。ItsnamewasLorrito。 Itwasaveryhumanbird；Isawiteatsomebreadandmilkfromitstinonedayandthensidlealongapoletoaplacewheretherewasatowelhanging。Ittookacornerofthetowelinitsclaw，wipeditsbeakwithit，andthensidledbackagain。Itwouldsometimescomeandseemeatbreakfast；itgotfromachair-backontothetablebydroppingitsheadandputtingitsroundbeakontothetablefirst，makingathirdlegasitwereofitshead；itwouldthenwaddletothebutterandbeginhelpingitself。Itwasagreatrespecterofpersonsandknewthelandlordandlandladyperfectlywell。Ityawnedjustlikeadogorahumanbeing，andthisnotfromloveofimitationbutfrombeingsleepy。Idonotremembertohaveseenanyotherbirdyawn。Ithatedboysbecausetheboysplagueditsometimes。Theboysgenerallygobarefootinsummer，andifeveraboycamenearthedoorofthehotelthisparrotwouldgostraightforhistoes。 ThemoststrikingfeatureofMesoccoisthecastle，which，asI havesaid，occupiesarockinthemiddleofthevalley，andisoneofthefinestruinsinSwitzerland。Moreinterestingthanthecastle，however，isthechurchofS。Cristoforo。BeforeIentereditIwasstruckwiththefrescoonthefacciataofthechurch，which，thoughthefacciatabearsthedate1720，waspaintedinastylesomuchearlierthanthatof1720thatIatfirstimaginedI hadfoundhereanotheroldmasterbornoutofduetime；forthefrescowasinsuchagoodstateofpreservationthatitdidnotlookmorethan150yearsold，anditwashardlylikelytohavebeenpreservedwhenthefacciatawasrenovatedin1720。When，however，myfriendJonesjoinedme，heblewthatlittleromanceawaybydiscoveringaseriesofnameswithdatesscrawleduponitfrom\"1481。viii。Febraio\"tothepresentcentury。Thelowestpartofthefrescomustbesixfeetfromtheground，anditmustriseatleasttenoradozenfeetmore，sothewritingsuponitarenotimmediatelyobvious，buttheywillbefoundonlookingatallclosely。 Itisplain，therefore，thatwhenthefacciatapairedtheoriginalfrescowaspreserved；itcannotbe，asIhadsupposed，theworkofalocalpainterwhohadtakenhisideasofrocksandtreesfromthefrescoesinsidethechurch。ThatIamrightinsupposingthecuriousblanc-mange-mould-lookingobjectsoneithersideSt。 Christopher\'slegstobeintendedforrockswillbecleartoanyonewhohasseenthefrescoesinsidethechurch，wheremountainswithtreesandtownsuponthemaretreatedonexactlythesameprinciple。Icannotthinktheartistcanhavebeenquiteeasyinhismindaboutthem。 Onenteringthechurchtheleft-handwallisfoundtobecoveredwiththemostremarkableseriesoffrescoesintheItalianGrisons。 Theyaredisposedinthreerows，oneabovetheother，occupyingthewholewallofthechurchasfarasthechancel。ThetoprowdepictsaseriesofincidentspriortotheCrucifixion，andiscutupbythepulpitatthechancelend。Theseeventsaretreatedsoastoformasinglepicture。 Thesecondrowisinseveralcompartments。Thereisasaintinarmouronhorseback，life-size，killingadragon，andaqueenwhoseemstohavebeenleadingthedragonbyapieceofredtapebuckledrounditsneck——unless，indeed，thedragonissupposedtohavebeenleadingthequeen。Thequeenstillholdsthetapeandpointsheavenward。Nexttothisthereisaverynicesaintonhorse-back，whoisgivingacloaktoamanwhoisnearlynaked。 ThencomesSt。Michaeltramplingonthedragon，andholdingapairofscalesinhishand，inwhicharetwolittlesoulsofamanandofawoman。Thedragonhasahookinhishand，andthrustingthisupfromunderSt。Michael，hehooksitontotheedgeofthescalewiththewomaninit，anddragsherdown。Theman，itseems，willescape。NexttothisthereisacompartmentinwhichamonkisofferingaroundthingtoSt。Michael，whodoesnotseemtocaremuchaboutit；thereareothersaintsandmartyrsinthiscompartment，andSt。Anthonywithhispig，andSta。Luciaholdingaboxwithtwoeyesinit，shebeingpatronessoftheeyesightaswellasofmariners。Lastly，thereistheAdoration，ruinedbythepulpit。 Belowthissecondcompartmentaretwelvefrescoes，eachaboutthreeandahalffeetsquare，representingthetwelvemonths——fromapurelysecularpointofview。Januaryisamanmakingandhangingupsausages；February，amanchoppingwood；March，ayouthproclaimingspringwithtwohornstohismouth，andhishairflyingallabroad；Aprilisayoungmanonhorsebackcarryingaflowerinhishand；May，aknight，notinarmour，goingouthawkingwithhishawkononefinger，hisbrideonapillionbehindhim，andadogbesidethehorse；Juneisamower；July，anothermanreapingtwenty-sevenearsofcorn；August，aninvalidgoingtoseehisdoctor；October，amanknockingdownchestnutsfromatreeandawomancatchingthem；Novemberishiddenanddestroyedbythepulpit；Decemberisabutcherfellinganoxwithahatchet。 Wecouldfindnosignatureoftheartist，noranydateonthefrescoestoshowwhentheywerepainted；butwhilelookingforasignaturewefoundanamescratchedwithaknifeorstone，andrubbedthetracingwhichIreproduce，greatlyreduced，here；JonesthinksthelastlinewasnotwrittenbyLazarusBovollinus，butbyanotherwhosignsA。T。 [Atthispointinthebookthereisabrassrubbing。Itlookslike:LazarusBouollins153430Augustiexplenit20Amurs……] TheBoeliniwereoneoftheprincipalfamiliesinMesocco。GaspareBoelini，theheadofthehouse，hadbeentreacherouslythrownoverthecastlewallsandkilledbyorderofGiovanniGiacomoTriulciintheyear1525，becauseaschancellorofthevalleyhedeclinedtoannulthepurchaseofthecastleofMesocco，whichTriulcihadalreadysoldtothepeopleofMesocco，andforwhichhehadbeeningreatpartpaid。Hisdeathisrecordedonastoneplacedbytheroadsideunderthecastle。 Examiningthewallfurther，wefoundalittletotherightthatthesameLazzaroBovollino(Ineedhardlysaythat\"Bovollino\"isanotherwayofspelling\"Boelini\")scratchedhisnameagainsomesixteenyearslater，asfollows:- 1550adj 26Decemb。morijm LazzaroBovollino 15L——B50 Thehandwritingisnotsogoodasitwaswhenhewrotehisnamebefore；butweobserved，withsympathy，thatthewriterhaddroppedhisLatin。Closebyisscratched\"GullielmoBo。\" ThemarkbetweenthetwolettersLandBwasthefamilymarkoftheBoelini，eachfamilyhavingitsmark，apracticeofwhichfurtherexampleswillbegivenpresently。 Welookedstillmore，andontheborderofoneofthefrescoeswediscovered- Veneris。 \"1481dieJovisviiIjFebruarijhoinesdiMisochietSoazzafeceruntfidelitateminmanibusdiJohaniJacobiTriulzio，\"- \"ThemenofMesoccoandSoazzadidfealtytoJohnJacobTriulcionFridaythe8thofFebruary1481。\"ThedayoriginallywrittenwasThursdaythe7thofFebruary，but\"Jovis\"wasscratchedoutand\"Veneris\"writtenabove，whileanother\"i\"wasintercalatedamongthei\'softheviijofFebruary。Wecouldnotdeterminewhethersomehitcharosesoastocauseachangeofday，orwhether\"Thursday\"and\"viij\"werewrittenbyamistakefor\"Friday\"and\"viiij，\"butweimaginedbothinscriptionandcorrectiontohavebeencontemporaneouswiththeeventitself。ItwillberememberedthatontheSt。Christopheroutsidethechurchthereisscratchedit\"1481。8Febraio\"andnothingmore。Themistakeoftheday，therefore，ifitwasamistake，wasmadetwice，andwascorrectedinsidethechurchbutnotuponthefrescooutside——perhapsbecausealadderwouldhavehadtobefetchedtoreachit。PossiblythedayhadbeenoriginallyfixedforThursdaythe8th，andaheavysnow-stormpreventedpeoplefromcomingtillnextday。 IcouldnotfindthatanyoneinMesocco，notevenmyexcellentfriendSignoraMarca，thecuratohimself，knewanythingabouteithertheinscriptionsorthecauseoftheirbeingwritten。Noonewasawareevenoftheirexistence；onborrowing，however，thehistoryoftheValleMesolcinabySignorGiovanniAntonioaMarca，{31}IfoundwhatIthinkwillthrowlightuponthematter。ThefamilyofDeSaxhadheldthevalleyofMesoccoforoverfourhundredyears，andsolditin1480toJohnJacobTriulci，whoitseemstriedtocheathimoutofalargepartofthepurchasemoneylateron；probablythisJohnJacobTriulcihadthefrescoespaintedtoconciliatetheclergyandinauguratehisentryintopossession。 Earlyin1481hemadetheinhabitantsofthevalleydofealtytohim。Imaysaythatassoonashehadentereduponpossession，hebegantooppressthepeoplebydemandingtollsonallproducethatpassedthecastle。Thisthepeopleresisted。TheywerealsoharassedbyPeterDeSax，whomadeincursionsintothevalleyandseizedproperty，beingunabletogethismoneyoutofJohnJacobTriulci。 Otherreasonsthatmakemethinkthefrescoeswerepaintedin1480 areasfollows。ThespurswornbytheyoungmenintheAprilandMayfrescoes(pp。211，212)areaboutthedate1460。TheirfacsimilescanbeseenintheTowerofLondonwiththisdateassignedtothem。Thefrescoes，therefore，canhardlyhavebeenpaintedbeforethistime；buttheywereprobablypaintedlater，forintheSt。Christopherthereisadistincthintatanatomy；enoughtoshowthatthestudyofanatomyintroducedbyLeonardodaVinciwasbeginningtobetalkedaboutasmoreorlessthecorrectthing。 Thiswouldhardlybethecasebefore1480，asLeonardowasnotborntill1452。ByFebruary1481thefrescoeswerealreadypainted； thisisplainbecausetheinscription——which，Ithink，maybetakenasarecordmadeatthetimethatfealtywasdone——isscratchedoverthem。PeterDeSax，ifhewassellinghisproperty，isnotlikelytohavehadthefrescoespaintedjustbeforehewasgoingaway；Ithinkitmostlikely，therefore，thattheywerepaintedin1480，whenthevalleyofMesoccopassedfromthehandsoftheDeSaxfamilytothoseoftheTriulci。 Underneaththeinscriptionaboutthedoingfealtythereisscratchedinanotherhand，andverylikelyyearsaftertheeventitcommemorates——\"1548fuliberatalaVallata。\"Thisdateiscontradicted(and，Ibelieve，corrected)byanotherinscriptionhardby，alsoinanotherhand，whichsays- \"1549。LavallediMisochocomprolalibertidacasaTriulciaper2400scuti。\" Thisinscriptionissignedthus:- [Inthebookthereisapictureoffoursymbols] CarloaMarcahadwrittenhisnamealongwiththreeothersin1606 onanotherpartofthefrescoes。Herearethesignatures:- [Again，somesymbols] TwoofthesesignaturesbelongtomembersoftheTriulcifamily，asappearsbythetrident，whichtranslatesthename。TheTineachcaseisdoubtlessfor\"Triulci。\"Fouryearsearlierstill，CarloaMarcahadwrittenhisname，withthatofhiswifeorfiancee，onthefrescoofSt。Christopheronthefacciataofthechurch，forwefoundthere- 1602{CarloaMarca。 {MargheritadeiPaglioni。 Thereisoneotherplacewherehisnameappears，orratherapartofit，fortheinscriptionishalfhiddenbyagallery，erectedprobablyinthelastcentury。 TheaMarcafamilystillflourishinMesocco。ThecuratoisanaMarca，soisthepostmaster。Onthewallsofahouseneartheconventthereisaninscriptiontotheeffectthatitwasgivenbyhisfellow-townsmentoamemberoftheaMarcafamily，andthebestworkonthehistoryofthevalleyistheworkofGiovanniAntonioMarcafromwhichIhavealreadyquoted。 Returningtothefrescoes，wefoundthatthemenofSoazzaandMesoccodidfealtyagaintoJohnJacobTriulcionthefeastofSt。 Bartholomew，the24thdayofAugust1503；thisIbelievetohavebeenthesonoftheoriginalpurchaser，butamnotcertain；ifso，heistheTriulciwhohadGaspareBoelinithrowndownfromthecastlewalls。Thepeopleseembyanotherinscriptiontohavedonefealtyagainuponthesamedayofthefollowingyear。 OntheSt。Christopherwefoundonedate，1530，scratchedontherightankle，andseveralof1607，apparentlydoneatonetime。Onedatewasscratchedintheleft-handcorner- 1498…… ilContedi(Misocho？) Therearealsootherdates——1627，1633，1635，1626；andrightacrossthefrescothereiswritteninredchalk，inaboldsixteenthorseventeenthcenturyhandwriting- \"Ilparlardilihominidabenedevevalerpiuchequellodeglialtri。\"- \"Thewordofamanofsubstanceoughttocarrymoreweightthanthatofotherpeople；\"andagain- \"Nonhalafedeognuncometuchredi； Nonchrederalmen[quello？]chenonvedi\"- \"Peoplearenotsoworthyofbeingbelievedasyouthinktheyare；donotbelieveanythingthatyoudonotseeyourself。\" Bigwithourdiscoveries，wereturnedtowardsourinn，Jonesleavingmesketchingbytheroadside。PresentlyanelderlyEnglishgentlemanofsomeimportance，judgingfromhismanner，cameuptomeandenteredintoconversation。EnglishmendonotoftenvisitMesocco，andIwasrathersurprised。\"HaveyouseenthathorridfrescoofSt。Christopherdownatthatchurchthere？\"saidhe，pointingtowardsit。IsaidIhad。\"It\'sverybad，\"saidhedecidedly；\"itwaspaintedintheyear1725。\"Ihadbeenthroughallthatmyself，andIwasalittlecrossintothebargain，soI said，\"No；thefrescoisverygood。Itisofthefifteenthcentury，andthefacciatawasrestoredin1720，notin1725。Theoldfrescowaspreserved。\"Theoldgentlemanlookedalittlescared。\"Oh，\"saidhe，\"Iknownothingaboutart——butIwillseeyouagainatthehotel；\"andleftmeatonce。Ineversawhimagain。Whohewas，wherehecamefrom，howhedeparted，Idonotknow。HewastheonlyEnglishmanIsawduringmystayofsomefourweeksatMesocco。 OnthefirstdayofmyfirstvisittoMesoccoin1879，IhadgoneontoS。Bernardino，andjustbeforegettingthere，lookingdownoverthegreatstretchesofpasturelandaboveS。Giacomo，couldseethattherewasastormraginglowerdowninthevalleyaboutwhereMesoccoshouldbe；Ineversawsuchinkyblacknessincloudsbefore，andtheconductorofthediligencesaidthathehadseennothinglikeit。Nextmorningwelearntthatawater-spouthadburstonthemountainaboveAnzone，ahamletofMesocco，andthatthewaterhaddoneagreatdealofdamagetotheconventatMesocco。Returningafewdayslater，Isawwherethetorrenthadflowedbythemuduponthegrass，butcouldnothavebelievedsuchastreamofwater(runningwiththevelocitywithwhichitmusthaverun)tohavebeenpossibleunderanycircumstancesinthatplaceunlessIhadactuallyseenitstraces。Itcarriedgreatrocksofseveralcubicyardsasthoughtheyhadbeensmallstones，andamongothermischiefithadknockeddownthegardenwalloftheconventofS。Roccoandcoveredthegardenwithdebris。AsI lookedatitIrememberedwhatSignorBullohadtoldmeatFaidoabouttheinundationsof1868，\"Itwasnotthegreatrivers，\"hesaid，\"whichdidthedamage:itwastheruscelli\"orsmallstreams。Soinrevolutionsitisnottheheretoforegreatpeople，butsmallonesswollenunderunusualcircumstanceswhoaremostconspicuousanddomostdamage。PadreBernardino，oftheconventofS。Rocco，askedmetomakehimasketchoftheeffectoftheinundation，whichIwasdelightedtodo。Itwasnot，however，exactlywhathewanted，and，moreover，itgotspoiledinthemounting，soIdidanotherandhereturnedmethefirstwithaninscriptionuponitwhichIreproducebelow。 Firstcamethewords- [RicordoaMesocco] Thencamemysketch；andthen- [Inthebookthereissomehandwritingatthispoint——unfortunatelyIcannotreadit] TheEnglishofwhichisasfollows:-\"Viewofthechurch，garden，andhospiceofS。Rocco，afterthevisitationinflicteduponthembythesadtorrentofAnzone，ontheunhallowedeveningofthe4thofAugust1879。\"Iregretthatthe\"no\"ofPadreBernardino\'sname，throughbeingwritteninfaintink，wasnotreproducedinmyfacsimile。IdoubtwhetherPadreBernardinowouldhavegotthesecondsketchoutofme，ifIhadnotlikedtheinscriptionhehadwrittenonthefirstsomuchthatIwantedtobepossessedofit。 Besides，hewrotemeanoteaddressed\"all\'egregiopittoreS。 Butler。\"Tobecalledanegregiouspainterwastoomuchforme，soIdidthesketch。Iwasonceaddressedas\"L\'esimiopittore。\"I thinkthisisonedegreebettereventhan\"egregio。\" Thedamagewhichtorrentscandomustbeseentobebelieved。 Thereisnotastreamlet，howeverinnocentlooking，whichisnotliableoccasionallytobeturnedintoafuriousdestructiveagent，carryingruinoverthepastureswhichatordinarytimesitirrigates。Perhapsinoldtimespeopledeifiedandworshippedstreamsbecausetheywereafraidofthem。EveryyeareachoneofthegreatAlpineroadswillbeinterruptedatsomepointoranotherbythetonsofstonesandgravelthataresweptoveritperhapsforahundredyardstogether。IhaveseentheSt。Gothardroadmorethanoncesoonaftertheseinterruptionsandcouldnothavebelievedsuchdamagepossible；in1869peoplewouldstillshudderwhentheyspokeoftheinundationsof1868。Itiscurioustonotehowtheywillnowsaythatrockswhichhaveevidentlybeenintheirpresentplaceforhundredsofyears，werebroughttherein1868；asforthetorrentthatdamagedS。RoccowhenIwasinthevalleyofMesocco，itshavedoffthestrongparapetofthebridgeoneithersidecleanandsharp，butthearchwasleftstanding，thefloodgoingrightoverthetop。Manyscarsarevisibleonthemountaintopswhichareclearlytheworkofsimilarwater-spouts，andaltogethertheamountofsolidmatterwhichgetstakendowneachyearintothevalleysismuchgreaterthanwegenerallythink。LetanyonewatchtheTicinoflowingintotheLagoMaggioreafterafewdays\'heavyrain，andconsiderhowmanytonsofmudperdayitmustcarryintoandleaveinthelake，andhewillwonderthatthegradualfilling-upprocessisnotmorenoticeablefromagetoagethanitis。 Anzone，whencethesadtorrentderivesitsname，isanexquisitelylovelylittlehamletclosetoMesocco。AnothernolessbeautifulvillageisDoera，ontheothersideoftheMoesa，andhalfamilelowerdownthanMesocco。Doeraoverlooksthecastle，theoriginalhexagonalformofwhichcanbemadeoutfromthispoint。ItmusthavebeenmuchofthesameplanasthecastleatEynsfordinKent—— ofwhich，bytheway，Iwasonceassuredthattheoldestinhabitantcouldnotsay\"whatitcomefrom。\"WhileIwascopyingthefrescooutsidethechapelatDoera，somecharmingpeoplecameroundme。I saidthefrescowasverybeautiful。\"Sonpersuaso，\"saidthespokesmansolemnly。Thenhesaidthereweresomemorepicturesinsideandwehadbetterseethem；sothekeyswerebrought。Wesaidthattheytoowereverybeautiful。\"Siampersuasi，\"wasthereplyinchorus。Thentheysaidthatperhapsweshouldliketobuythemandtakethemawaywithus。Thiswasamoreseriousmatter，soweexplainedthattheywereverybeautiful，butthatthesethingshadacharmuponthespotwhichtheywouldloseifremovedelsewhere。Thenicepeopleatoncereplied，\"Siampersuasi，\"andsotheyleftus。ItwaslikeafragmentfromoneofMessrs。 GilbertandSullivan\'scomicoperas。 Fortherest，Mesoccoisbeautifullysituatedandsurroundedbywaterfalls。Thereisamantherewhotakesthecowsandgoatsoutinthemorningfortheirseveralownersinthevillage，andbringsthemhomeintheevening。Heannounceshisdepartureandhisreturnbyblowingatwistedshell，likethosethatTritonsblowonfountainsorinpictures；ityieldsasoftersoundthanahorn； whenhisshellisheardpeoplegotothecow-houseandletthecowsout；theyneednotdrivethemtojointheothers，theyneedonlyopenthedoor；andsointheevening，theyonlywantthesoundoftheshelltotellthemthattheymustopenthestable-door，forthecowsorgoatswhenturnedfromtherestofthemobmakestraighttotheirownabode。 Therearetwogreatavalancheswhichdescendeveryspring；oneofthemwhenIwastherelastwasnotquitegoneuntilSeptember； theseavalanchespushtheairbeforethemandcompressit，sothataterrificwinddescendstothebottomofthevalleyandmountsupontothevillageofMesocco。Oneyearthiswindsnappedawholegroveoffull-grownwalnutsacrossthemiddleoftheirtrunks，andcarriedstonesandbitsofwoodupagainstthehousesatsomedistanceoff；ittoreoffpartofthecoveringfromthecupolaofthechurch，andtwistedtheweathercockawryinthefashioninwhichitmaystillbeseen，unlessithasbeenmendedsinceIleft。 ThejudgesatMesoccogetfourfrancsadaywhentheyarewanted，butunlessactuallysittingtheygetnothing。Nowonderthepeoplearesonicetooneanotherandquarrelsoseldom。 ThewalkfromMesoccotoS。Bernardinoisdelightful；itshouldtakeaboutthreehours。ForgrassyslopesandflowersIdonotknowabetter，moreespeciallyfromS。Giacomoonward。InthewoodsaboveS。Giacomotherearesomebears，orwerelastyear。 Fivewereknown——afather，mother，andthreeyoungones——buttwowerekilled。Theydoagooddealofdamage，andtheCantonoffersarewardfortheirdestruction。TheGrisonsistheonlySwissCantoninwhichtherearebearsstillremaining。 SanBernardino，5500feetabovethesea，pleasedmelessthanMesocco，buttherearesomenicebitsinit。TheHotelBroccoisthebesttogoto。Thevillageisabouttwohoursbelowthetopofthepass；thewalktothisisapleasantone。TheoldRomanroadcanstillbeseeninmanyplaces，andisinpartsinanexcellentstateevennow。SanBernardinoisafashionablewatering-placeandhasachalybeatespring。Inthesummeritoftenhasasmanyastwoorthreethousandvisitors，chieflyfromtheneighbourhoodoftheLagoMaggioreandevenfromMilan。Itisnotsogoodasketchingground——atleastsoIthought——assomeothersofasimilarcharacterthatIhaveseen。Itisnotcomparable，forexample，toFusio。ItislittlevisitedbytheEnglish。 OnourwaydowntoBellinzonaagainwedeterminedtotakeS。MariainCalanca，andaccordinglyweredroppedbythediligencenearGabbiolo，whencethereisapathacrossthemeadowsandunderthechestnutswhichleadstoVerdabbio。Therearesomegoodbitsnearthechurchofthisvillage，andsomequaintmodernfrescoesonapublic-housealittleoffthemainfootpath，butthereisnoaccommodation。Fromthisvillagethepathascendsrapidlyforanhourormore，tilljustasonehasmadealmostsurethatonemusthavegonewrongandhavegottoohigh，orbeonthetracktoanalpeonly，onefindsone\'sselfonawidebeatenpathwithwallsoneitherside。WearenowonalevelwithS。Mariaitself，andturningsharplytotheleftcomeinafewminutesrightuponthemassivekeepandthecampanile，whicharesostrikingwhenseenfromdownbelow。Theyaremuchmorestrikingwhenseenfromcloseathand。ThesketchIgivedoesnotconveythenotion——aswhatsketchcanconveyit？——thatoneisatagreatelevation，anditisthiswhichgivesitsespecialcharmtoS。MariainCalanca。 Theapproachtothechurchisbeautiful，andthechurchitselffullofinterest。Thevillagewasevidentlyatonetimeaplaceofsomeimportance，thoughitisnoteasytounderstandhowitcametobebuiltinsuchasituation。Evennowitisunaccountablylarge。 Thereisnoaccommodationforsleeping，butanartistwhocouldroughitwould，Ithink，findagooddealthathewouldlike。Onp。226isasketchofthechurchandtowerasseenfromtheoppositesidetothatfromwhichthesketchonp。224wastaken。 Thechurchseemstohavebeenverymuchaltered，ifindeedthebodyofitwasnotentirelyrebuilt，in1618——adatewhichisfoundonapillarinsidethechurch。Ongoingupintothegalleryatthewestendofthechurch，thereisfoundaNativitypaintedinfrescobyalocalartist，oneAgostinoDusoofRoveredo，intheyear1727，andbetterbyagooddealthanonewouldanticipatefromtheepochandhabitatofthepainter。OntheothersideofthesamegallerythereisaDeathoftheVirgin，alsobythesamepainter，butnotsogood。Ontheleft-handsideofthenavegoingtowardsthealtarthereisaremarkablepictureofthebattleofLepanto，signed\"GeorgiusWilhelmusGroesnerConstantiensisfecitA。D。1649，\"andwithaninscriptiontotheeffectthatitwaspaintedfortheconfraternityofthemostholyRosary，andbythemsetup\"inthischurchofSt。MarycommonlycalledofCalancha。\"Thepicturedisplaysverylittlerespectforacademicprinciples，butisfullofspiritandsensiblepainting。