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。