NOTES OF A JOURNEY THROUGH FRANCE AND ITALY
Reading edition
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BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Notes of a Journey through France and Italy, By W. Hazlitt, was published in 1826, in an 8vo. volume (9 × 5¼ inches). Printed for Hunt and Clarke, Tavistock-Street, Covent-Garden. The printer’s name is given behind the title-page as ‘William Clowes, Northumberland-court,’ and the following lines from Cymbeline (Act III. 4.) appear underneath the author’s name on the title-page:—
‘I’ the world’s volume
Our Britain seems as of it, but not in it;
In a great pool, a swan’s nest. Prithee think
There’s livers out of Britain.’
As stated in the Advertisement, the Notes were reprinted from the Morning Chronicle, to which they had been contributed in 1824 and 1825. They are now reprinted for the first time since the publication of the volume of 1826, and as they appeared in that volume. A few passages which appeared in the papers as they came out in the Morning Chronicle, and were omitted when Hazlitt collected the letters in book-form, will be found among the notes at the end of the volume.
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ADVERTISEMENT
The following Notes of a Journey through France and Italy are reprinted from the columns of the Morning Chronicle. The favourable reception they met with there suggested the idea of the present work. My object has been to describe what I saw or remarked myself; or to give the reader some notion of what he might expect to find in travelling the same road. There is little of history or antiquities or statistics; nor do I regret the want of them, as it may be abundantly supplied from other sources. The only thing I could have wished to expatiate upon more at large is the manners of the country: but to do justice to this, a greater length of time and a more intimate acquaintance with society and the language would be necessary. Perhaps, at some future opportunity, this defect may be remedied.
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CONTENTS
PAGE
Chapter I.—Rules for travelling abroad. Brighton. Crossing the Channel. Dieppe. Remarks on the French common People 89
Chapter II.—Normandy. Appearance of the Country. Rouen. The Cathedral there. The sense of Smell 94
Chapter III.—The Road from Rouen to Paris. A Mistake. Evreux. A young Frenchman. A trait of national Politeness. Louviers. The Diligence, and the Company in it. Lord Byron and Mr. Moore 100
Chapter IV.—The Louvre 106
Chapter V.—Gravity of the French. Their Behaviour at the Theatre. Account of going to a Play. Minute attention paid to the Arts and Sciences in France. Sir T. Lawrence. Horace Vernet 113
Chapter VI.—Dialogue on the Exhibition of Modern French Pictures 122
Chapter VII.—The Luxembourg Gallery 129
Chapter VIII.—National Antipathies. Cemetery of Père la Chaise 138
Chapter IX.—Mademoiselle Mars. The Théatre Français. Molière’s Misanthrope and Tartuffe. Admirable manner of casting a Play in Paris. French Actors, Le Peintre, Odry, and Potier. Talma and Mademoiselle Georges 147
Chapter X.—Description of Paris. The Garden of the Tuileries. The Champ de Mars. The Jardin des Plantes. Reflections 155
Chapter XI.—French Sculpture. Note on the Elgin Marbles 162
Chapter XII.—The French Opera. Dido and Æneas. Madame Le Gallois in the Ballet. Italian Opera or Salle Louvois. Mombelli and Pellegrini in the Gazza Ladra. Allusion to Brunet 169
Chapter XIII.—Leave Paris for Lyons. Adventures on the Road. Fontainbleau. Montargis. Girl at the Inn there. A French Diligence. Moulins. Palisseau. The Bourbonnois. Descent into Tarare. Meeting with a young Englishman there. Arrival at Lyons. Manners of French Servants. French Translation of Tom Jones. M. Martine’s Death of Socrates 175
88Chapter XIV.—Set out for Turin by Way of Mont Cenis. The Cheats of Scapin. The Diligence. Pont Beau Voisin, the frontier Town of the King of Sardinia’s Dominions. Have to pass the Custom House. My Box of Books leaded. A Note which is little to the Purpose. First View of the Alps. The Grand Chartreuse. Cavern of La Grotte. Chambery. St. Michelle. Lans-le-Bourg. Our Spanish fellow-traveller. Passage of Mount Cenis. Arrival at Susa 183
Chapter XV.—Turin. Its magnificent Situation. The Effect of first feeling one’s-self in Italy. Theatre. Capital Pantomime-acting. Passports. Get seats in a Voiture to Florence, with two English Ladies. Mode of travelling. Italian Peasants. Parma. Windows lined with Faces. Maria-Louisa. Character of Correggio. Frescoes by the same in the Cupola of St. Paul’s. The Farnese Theatre. Bologna. Academy of Painting. Towns in Italy 195
Chapter XVI.—Road to Florence. The Apennines. Covigliaijo. La Maschere. Approach to and Description of Florence. Carnival. Lent. The Popish Calendar. Fesole. Cold in Italy 207
Chapter XVII.—The public Gallery. Antique Busts. The Venus. Raphael’s Fornarina. The Perseus of Benvenuto Cellini. John of Bologna’s Rape of the Sabines. The Palace Pitti 219
Chapter XVIII.—Sienna. Radicofani. Aquapendente. Description of the Inn there. San Lorenzo. Monte-Fiascone. Lake of Bolsena. Desolate Appearance of the Country near Rome. First View of St. Peter’s from Baccano 227
Chapter XIX.—Rome. The Vatican. The Capella Sistina. Holy Week. The Coliseum. The Temple of Vesta. Picture Galleries—the Ruspigliosi, Doria, Borghese, Corsini, and Little Farnese. Guido 232
Chapter XX.—Character of the English 241
Chapter XXI.—Return to Florence. Italian Banditti. Terni. Tivoli. Spoleto. Church and Pictures at Assizi. Perugia. An Irish Priest. Cortona. Arrezo. Incisa 253
Chapter XXII.—Journey to Venice. Plain of Lombardy. A country Inn. Ferrara. Rovigo. Padua. Description of Venice 263
Chapter XXIII.—Palaces at Venice—the Grimani, Barberigo, and Manfrini Collections. Paul Veronese. Titian’s St. Peter Martyr. The Assumption and Martyrdom of St. Lawrence. St. Mark’s Place 268
Chapter XXIV.—Journey to Milan. Verona. The Tomb of Juliet. The Amphitheatre. The Fortress of Peschiera. Lake of Garda. Milan. The Inhabitants. The Duomo. Theatre of the Gran Scala. Isola Bella. Lago Maggiore. Baveno 275
Chapter XXV.—The passage over the Simplon. Inn at Brigg. Valley of the Simplon. Sion. Bex. Vevey 281
Chapter XXVI.—Excursion to Chamouni. Mont-Blanc. Geneva. Lausanne 288
Chapter XXVII.—Return down the Rhine through Holland. Concluding remarks 295
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NOTES OF A JOURNEY
THROUGH FRANCE AND ITALY