Description of Venice.-The Gondolas.-St. Mark's.-The Campanile.-The government.-Provisions and trade.-Wealth of the common people. - Sanitary arrangements.- Rigorous administration of justice.-The Asenal.- A hospital for foundlings.-Scrupulous regard for money matters.-The possessions abroad.

THE city of Venice is very populous, and there is much country round about it. The houses are built very close together. They say that there are 70,000 inhabitants, but the strangers and serving people, mostly slaves, are very numerous. The city has no walls, nor any fortress, except those two castles which enclose the harbour, since its defence lies in the sea. They draw a chain across from one side to the other so that they may be secure, and if the whole world came up against the city, the Venetians could sink a ship between the two castles in the canal and be safe. The city is built on the sea, and there are artificial canals along which the boats can pass, and in some parts there are streets where the people can go on foot. Elsewhere, in places where the canals are too narrow for ships, there are bridges, and as in Castile everyone has a beast to ride, so here they all have boats and pages to row and attend to them. And as we pride ourselves on a fine horse and a pretty well-dressed page, so they set great store by their boats, which are kept very properly. They are well hung and fitted with cabins and seats, so that one or two or more may travel in them. The exits from the city to the main-land are made artificially, and only small boats can go there, since the water is not sufficient for large craft, and the canals are shallow and sandy. Thus neither great ships nor beasts can enter or leave the city, which is sea-bound, and for this reason they say that Venice is the finest fortress in the world. The boats go to the main-land for all necessaries, and also for drinking water. They take certain large boats and fill them with sand, and in the bottom is a hole with a plug. When the boat enters a river of fresh water, they open the plug and fill the boats to their full capacity and replace the plug, and so they carry the water for their needs. There are cisterns in all the houses in the city, and many common cisterns, built of brick above the sea, made in such a manner that the water in them, as I found with similar cisterns at Jerusalem, neither grows stale nor stinks, as in other places. But it would take long to describe all their methods.

There are many churches and monasteries in the city which are very rich and sumptuously built, among them the principal and greatest is the church of St. Mark, which is the chief and head of all. It is built with domes in the Greek manner, covered with lead on the outside, with gilded cupolas. Inside, it is very finely decorated with rich golden mosaics. The floor also is decorated with similar mosaics, except that they are large and coloured. At the great door, high up over one of the arches, are four great horses of brass, thickly gilt. These the Venetians carried away and placed here in triumph when they took Constantinople. In front of this door is a great square, greater than the Medina del Campo, paved with bricks, and surrounded by many-storied houses with porticoes. They hold a market here every Thursday, which is greater than that of the Torre del Campo, a hamlet of Jaen. On one side of this square is a very high tower, as high as that in Seville, with a cross of fine gold on the top, a very beautiful thing to see. It can be seen in the sun at a distance of 80 miles away. In it are the bells which they ring, one for Mass, one for Vespers, one to summon the Council, which they call the Council Bell, and one when they arm the fleet, and each one is recognized by all. On another side of this square, facing the sea, are two very large and lofty columns. On the one is St. George with the Dragon and on the other St. Mark, the patron Saint and the device of the city. These also were carried away from Constantinople. They say that no one could set them up, but a Castilian climbed up and raised and secured them, whereupon the Venetians ordered that he should have whatever he desired. He did not ask anything for himself, but round about the columns are certain steps, and he requested that if any criminal, whatever his offence, took refuge there, justice should not be executed upon him. And now rogues play there at dice and commit other knaveries, praising the man who secured them such immunity.

Between these columns and the church of St. Mark is the Palace of the Seigniory, and in one part of it the Doge is lodged with his family, and the rest is open for anyone to see, as well as that great hall where, as I have related, the affair of the Pope and the Emperor is painted. Here they hold the Council. There are other halls, also very rich, where they administer justice and have their prison, and beneath the arches, over against the great square, are certain marble stones. Three are coloured, and there they hang the nobles, and the others are for hanging the common people. In these porticoes strangers leave their arms, and there are also some skins of the beasts called crocodiles which the Sultan of Egypt sent as things most monstrous to the Seigniory. This palace is indeed very noble.

The Venetians have a law that none but a noble by birth can be Doge, or hold any office of government, and this they always observe, unless for some special reason they abrogate it. Every Sunday after dinner they ring the Council Bell in that tower I have spoken of, and all the nobles assemble and report what has occurred during the week, both in matters of government aid in the administration of civil and criminal justice, excepting only the matters deliberated upon by the Secret Council, chiefly matters of war, which Council is composed of the Doge and the deputies. The assembly looks like a royal court, and at the doors of the palace are as many boats and well-dressed pages as there are beasts with us. Thus the nobles come out of the palace and go to their houses. The government provides as follows. Wine and bread, corn and oil, and other things necessary for food cannot be bought by any citizen, only by strangers and poor people. These are sold to them at a price which would appear to leave no profit for those who bring them from the ends of the earth, but the Seigniory pays for them so that there may be plenty, and that strangers and poor people shall not want. Indeed, such is the government that I never saw a country so plentifully supplied, nor so cheaply, with the necessities of life. It appears that the fruit which comes from Spain is to be had at Venice as fresh and as cheap as in our country. Likewise is to be had whatever comes from Syria and, if one desires it, from India, since the Venetians navigate all over the world. With their merchandise they bring also other things for the sustenance of the people. The citizens are very rich and deal in such vast quantities that even with small profits they gain much, and what they sell is to be had at a fair price. The houses are very notable, being exceedingly lofty, with many storeys and chimneys, and furnished with rich porticoes and windows towards the streets. They are richly adorned with gold and blue and marble. The great people close at hand, and even at a distance, pride themselves on becoming citizens of Venice in order to have her favour, such as the King of Cyprus, the Marquis of Ferrara, the Marquis of Mantua, the Marquis of Monferrat, who with other great lords and knights have magnificent houses in the city. I saw there the Cardinal of Cyprus, brother of the King, who was living in the house of his brother. He was about to depart for Cyprus, the galley which was to take him being moored to the door of his house, and there I met him and went with him through the city. Many other ships, great and small, lay there also, fastened to the doors of their owners' houses.

There are many notable monasteries at Venice, which are very sumptuous and magnificent, there being more than eighty for men and women, and above fifty churches. There are likewise many relics and holy bodies: the body of St. Helena, that of St. Marina, and a leg of St. Christopher from the knee downwards, as well as many bones of the Innocents, with an infinite number more which the Venetians brought from Constantinople when they took it. The common people are unusually wealthy, as I saw during the Carnival, at a masquerade in the Doge's Palace. Two galleys came by sea, and they were supposed to bring, the one the Emperor, who came with thirty knights dressed in brocade, and the other the Grand Master of Rhodes who was clad in black velvet. The ladies who received them were attired in brocades, and wore rich jewels, and, of a truth, I saw some who wore three different dresses at that festivity, and even that was not accounted extraordinary. All these people were of the middle classes of the city, and not of the better classes nor the richest. Yet the festival could not have been better.

The city is as clean for walking in as a gracious chamber, so well paved and bricked is it. No beast on four legs can enter it, and in winter there is no water in the streets. There is, therefore, no mud, and in summer no dust. The sea rises and falls there, although not so much as in the West, and cleans out the filth from the secret places, otherwise it would not be possible to live for the stench. They say that at times the air is infected, but they have fires both winter and summer, and burn many perfumes, and the people carry with them scents and spices, which are ground in the streets and give forth a most pleasant smell.

Until recently the rulers had no licence to own possessions on the mainland, but some time since the Seigniory, having increased its power by land and sea, and having gained many provinces, gave leave to settle on the mainland so that if necessary the people could go there to refresh themselves, and also that when sickness broke out they could have some place to escape to. The Doge is never suffered to leave the city for any cause whatever, except to go to the monastery of St. George, which is a stone's throw by sea from his palace, and when the city is, unhealthy he departs thither. It happened once that a Doge went there to escape a pestilence in the city, and everyone departed for the mainland, so that none remained except the poor people. A kinsman approached the Doge and said to him: "Lord, you have now such an opportunity as never man had. You have in your possession the treasure of Venice, the chief people have all departed, and none remain except strangers and the poor. Do what you will, take the treasure, place the crown on your head, and call yourself King of Venice, and you will wear the crown for always." The Doge reproached him greatly for what he had said, and the matter remained secret. But some time later, when certain people spoke ill of the Doge, the kinsman repeated the counsel he had given and said: "It serves him right since he would not be King of Venice." Thereupon the kinsman was taken and brought before the Council that they might know the truth, and he was closely examined as to what he had said, and he confessed all. Then the lords of the Council went to the Doge and enquired if it were true, and he replied that it had happened as his kinsman had related. The lords of the Council conferred together, and finally they called the Doge and thanked him much for his loyalty to his country, but in that he had kept silence in a matter which might have threatened great danger to the State, they requested him to await their pleasure. They then ordered that great benefits should be showered upon his wife and children, but directed that he should lose his head, since none might dare to keep silence in any matter affecting the public safety. They have in the great hall, which I have mentioned, all the arms of the Doges from the first down to the present, and also those of the Doge whom they killed among the others, these being draped in black velvet.

The Venetians pride themselves on inflicting punishments which remain for a perpetual memorial. There was a citizen in treaty against the city and they ordered him to be killed, and turned his house into a slaughterhouse, and have a statue of him hanging in chains. Another also, for some crime, they killed and left his house without a door in it which could be shut, and those who lived there had to do so as best they could. While I was there they had for Captain the Count of Carmeņola, and they said that he was engaged in some evil against the city. They made him come there under safe conduct, and he was taken, and they tore out his tongue by the roots, and tortured him in other ways until he died, and they buried him in a dung heap and placed over him a stone with these words cut upon it " Here lies the traitor, the Count of Carmeņola." These and other similar things are done in this city.

There is an arsenal at Venice which is the finest in the world, as well for artillery as for things necessary for navigation. The sea flows into it, and the ships enter the water there after they pass the castles. They told me that, including the war galleys and merchant vessels, and others which were in the water and on the stocks, there were altogether eighty galleys, besides other ships. One day, coming from hearing Mass in St. Mark's, I saw about twenty men enter the square, some carrying benches and others tables and others chairs, and others large bags of money; thereupon a trumpet was blown, and the great bell, which they call the Council Bell, was rung, and in an hour the square was full of men who received pay and went into the arsenal. And as one enters the gate there is a great street on either hand with the sea in the middle, and on one side are windows opening out of the houses of the arsenal, and the same on the other side, and out came a galley towed by a boat, and from the windows they handed out to them, from one the cordage, from another the bread, from another the arms, and from another the balistas and mortars, and so from all sides everything which was required, and when the galley had reached the end of the street all the men required were on board, together with the complement of oars, and she was equipped from end to end. In this manner there came out ten galleys, fully armed, between the hours of three and nine. I know not how to describe what I saw there, whether in the manner of its construction or in the management of the workpeople, and I do not think there is anything finer in the world. If the Venetians desired to show their strength, the enemies of the Faith in those parts would not, in my opinion, have a single ship at sea, still less on the coast, nor would they dare to match themselves against such a powerful enemy. In times past there were few weeks, or even days, when the fishermen did not take out dead babies from their nets, and this, they say, came from the fact that the merchants were so long separated from their wives. These, urged by their fleshly lusts, gave way to them and became pregnant, and with intent to save their reputations threw the offspring out of window into the sea as soon as they were delivered, the place being aptly disposed therefor. The rulers, in view of such enormous crimes, took counsel together and founded a great and rich hospital, very finely built, and placed in it a hundred wet-nurses to suckle the babes, and now those who would hide their shame take their children there to be reared. The Venetians also obtained a Bull from the Pope that whosoever visited those children in hospital should gain certain pardons. Thus men and women can go there to visit their children, as if to gain pardons. Without doubt it was a very pious work, and it is held in great reverence.

In this city there is always a heavy penalty for anyone who carries arms under whatsoever pretext, and much less are arms suffered to be worn in the Council. The elders among the people are much honoured and reverenced, and when they have to elect a Doge they choose the man, without any partiality, who is best fitted for the dignity, provided that he is a noble by birth, and once he is elected they never deprive him of office, unless for some crime. They give him 8000 ducats for his maintenance which, be it understood, is for his family. All the other expenses of his estate are borne separately by the Seigniory, and he cannot exceed what is provided, nor can he condemn or release anyone without their consent.

The Venetians set great store by honest dealing, as I found by experience, and if any man is minded to break faith in money matters they would rather pay his bills of exchange for him than suffer him to default. I do not wonder that people who go about the world should observe this rule, since otherwise they could not travel with security. They have a custom to send each year a citizen of gentle birth to their cities on the mainland and in the gulf, and in the high seas and in distant parts every two years. It happened once that they sent the podesta to the island of Crete, which we call Candia, and after a year they dispatched an in- vestigator according to their custom, and he made strict enquiry and beheaded the podesta before leaving. Thus the provinces and the city are well controlled, and if a man be in any territory of theirs, although at the ends of the earth, yet it seems as if he were in Venice itself. The government is very mighty, and this is why the city is so prosperous. Its wealth is extraor- dinary. The citizens bring thither the products of the Levant in as great a profusion and abundance as they do those from the West, so that the whole world seems to be in their possession.

Departure from Venice.-An engagement between the Venetians and the Milanese.-Ferrara.-Pope Eugenius and the Emperor of the East.-A meeting of the Council.-The Marquis Niccolo.-Parma.-Piacenza.-Milan.-Duke Filippo Maria Visconti.-The government.

WHEN I departed from Venice to go to the other Christian countries I left there the goods I had brought from the Levant, including the slaves, and my money, and all that I had purchased, in the charge of Messer Domenego Vent', a merchant of Venice, my very good friend, and took only the money which I thought sufficient for my needs. I took also bills of exchange on certain merchants in Bruges in Flanders, and departed in a boat, and slept the night of my departure at a place called Chioggia, which is founded in the sea like Venice, and is subject to it. There were certain burnt ships there, which had been lost in the battle when the Genoese came to that place to make war on the Venetians. The next morning we departed, and after four or five miles we entered the river Po, which is one of the greatest rivers in the world, and the arm by which I entered is one of three. The river is so large that many times, when the Venetians are at war with the Duke of Milan, they both of them arm great fleets in it. The ships are the most wonderful I have ever seen. They are barques of great size and are flat-bottomed, so that they can float in shallow water. On the deck is a great castle of wood with a lofty tower, and in it they place ammunition for their artillery, such as bombards, culverins and the like. The rowers are below so that they cannot be attacked. These ships do not carry sails nor are they built for sailing, since they would easily capsize. With these ships they fight mightily, and while I was there the Venetians set out with forty galleons against the Duke of Milan, intending to capture a city, and the Lombards came out to resist them, and they say that there was a great battle. The Lombards use a small kind of boat, called galapago, completely covered with metal like a vault, and they use them to set fire to the others, and it is not possible to injure them. The Venetians, however, sent a man who dived under the water and swam to the enemy's ships, and bored holes in them with a drill, so that the Lombards lost three ships before they knew what was happening, while the Venetians lost four by fire. The battle continued for so long that the Venetians were beaten and lost sixteen galleons, and recovering what men they could, they retreated down the river and returned to the city. On this wise there is frequent warfare between the Venetians and the Lombards.

I continued my way along the river Po to a place called Francolino, which is on the mainland and belongs to the Marquis of Ferrara. Thence I came to Ferrara, where the Pope and the Emperor of Constantinople then were, with a great concourse of people who had assembled to witness the union of the Church with the Greeks. The second day, well accompanied by the Castilians, I went to see Pope Eugenius, who received me very graciously. He desired to know the particulars of my journey to Jerusalem, and about the Sultan of Egypt, and the Grand Turk, also concerning the Emperor himself, what power he had, and I gave heed and then satisfied him to the best of my knowledge, and so I departed. That day in the evening I went to wait upon the Emperor of Greece, and gave him letters from his consort and from his brother the Despot. He received me gladly, saying that I was his kinsman and a native of his country. He drew me to him and made me sit there beside him, asking me for news of his country and telling me that I must visit him each day I was there, and that it would give him much pleasure if I were to reside with him. Thus we were very familiar together. The Emperor was living in a palace belonging to the Marquis of Ferrara, on the waters of the Poatello, which they call Paradise, a very pleasant residence.

That day I took my leave and rested myself, and on the petition of the Castilians who were there I cut off my beard, which I wore very long, and clad after the manner of my country, I went again to see the Emperor. When he saw me he said that I had done wrong to cut off my beard, which is the greatest honour and dignity belonging to man. But I replied: "Lord, we hold the contrary, and except in the case of some serious injury we do not wear beards"; and we spoke upon the matter for some time. Then we returned to the affairs of Greece, and he enquired of me minutely concerning matters there, about his wife and brother, the condition of the country, and what the Grand Turk was doing, and as to my movements since I was there, and I told him everything I knew. That day the Emperor was to go to see the Pope, and I went with him. The Emperor had the gout and could not walk, and he was carried in a chair by certain men. The Pope received him very honourably, in a great hall which had been made ready. There were present with him a number of cardinals, archbishops and bishops, the Marquis of Ferrara and other lords of the country, and they were all in their seats. On the right hand was the chair of the Emperor of Germany with those of the kings and princes of Christendom, and on the left that of the Emperor of Greece, and of certain prelates. In the centre was the Pope's chair which was raised above the others. That day they remained three or four hours in council, conferring, it was said, upon certain differences of faith between the Greeks and the Latins. Afterwards we departed, and the Pope entered into his chamber, while the Emperor returned to his palace accompanied by the members of his train. For he had brought from Greece a great company of people, all of whom went about in long robes and with great beards, showing themselves to be grave and serious persons. It was, indeed, a goodly company, but one had the impression that more were in attendance than was actually the case, although they say that at least a thousand persons were there.

The Emperor entered his palace, and all departed from him, but I remained and went in with him, and he made me dine at his table and showed me many kindnesses. Eight days later was the Feast of Corpus Christi, which the Pope and the Emperor, notwithstanding their magnificent attendance, celebrated in such manner that in a village of ten inhabitants it could not have been performed with more humility, only in view of the presence of so many strangers, the customary usages were altered. While I was there I saw two messengers who arrived on business with the Pope, one from the Duke of Burgundy, craving licence to hear Mass after noon, and the other from the Duke of Germany, craving leave to hear Mass before midnight. The city of Ferrara is one of the pleasantest I have ever seen. It is of the same extent as Valladolid, but with very good houses and fine streets. It is well walled, with bastion and ditch, and there is a castle on one side above the river Po. It is very pleasant within, but more so without. The soil is rich, and round about are many fruit gardens. The city pays tribute to the Pope, and they say that he received at one time 100,000 or 150,000, ducats, but it grew less by degrees to 10,000 or 6,000, and now it is reduced to 3000, and I will presently relate the reason for this.

The Marquis of Ferrara is a native of France, and also, they say, of the lineage of Galalon, and certain ceremonies are observed with him with the bread as with the others of the same descent, such as placing the loaf on the table upside down and then turning it over. They say that he came to the King of France to ask him to give him arms and release him from this custom, and the King provided the arms, but said that he could not grant the other request. This Marquis is a great lord and has for his inheritance many fine cities, towns and castles, with a revenue, it is said, of 300,000 ducats. He is very merry and handsome of person and very amorous. They say he has continuously ten or twelve concubines in certain of his palaces in the city. He must be a man of eighty years of age, small of stature and very fat. They say also that, being married to a daughter of a Duke of Germany, his wife became enamoured of a son of his by another wife, and their love took such shape that the son forgot what he owed to his father, and the wife her duty to her husband, and they indulged their carnal appetites. The Marquis, learning of this from a servant, surprised them in the act of sin, and sent them to the judges of the country that they might deliberate what judgment should be executed upon them. Many lords of the country and elsewhere remonstrated with him, and even the Pope begged him to act mercifully, but to all he replied that he would neither order them to be killed nor spared, but that the judges must decide the matter. The judges gave sentence that they must both die, and the Marquis being present, they were immediately taken to the place of justice and there executed. It would take too long to describe all that happened. Then the Marquis had a galley prepared, and entered into it and sailed for Jerusalem. On his return he married a daughter of another Duke of Germany, a very beautiful girl of fifteen, he being eighty, so that nothing can be looked for but another mischief greater than the first.

The Marquis has sons by this last wife who are infants. He has also a bastard, a youth of thirty, and a man of much virtue and a gallant knight in war. Seeing that Italy is never at peace, and that he must leave his dominions to those infant sons, who did not know how to govern and would certainly come to grief, the Marquis decided to leave all he possessed to the bastard. He, therefore, made him legitimate and constituted him his heir to everything, and made his people kiss his hand and take him as their ruler. The Pope also was consulted and gave his permission. The Marquis then ordered that there should be given to the eldest legitimate son, under oath, as his inheritance for ever, one half of the revenue, but not the government. I saw there one day a great festival in the palace to which came many nobles, both men and women, and there was a joust, and after it was finished all the ladies ran on foot in the lists. They had to run as far as a man could throw a stone. At the other end were three pieces of cloth, one of brocade, one of crimson velvet, and the third of cloth of scarlet. The first gained the brocade, the second the velvet, and the third the cloth of scarlet. But if the Garandilla de Alcudia had been there she would have run the course three times over and won all the prizes.

The Marquis is a merry man, and it well appears that he is of French birth. I remained in this city twenty days, resting myself and preparing for my journey to Germany, and buying beasts for me and my people. When all was ready I went to take leave of the Emperor of Greece, and he begged me to visit him again before I returned to Spain, since I had to go back to Venice to fetch my goods, and I promised to do so. I departed from Ferrara and passed through the March to a city called Parma, which is on the river Po and belongs to the Duke of Milan. There, passing the river, I found Nicolao Picherino, the Duke's captain-general, with 20,000 horsemen, the finest body of men I have ever seen. They say that he was going to take Bologna, which belongs to the Pope. I remained three days at Parma to see them pass, and it was a most remarkable thing to see a body of men so finely armed and mounted, and so well found in everything necessary for war, and, what was best of all, with such a discreet and able captain at their head. In this city are the finest cherries I have ever seen. From there I went to Piacenza, a city belonging to the same Duke, which is likewise a great city of 7000 or 8000 inhabitants. From there, the next day, I went to Milan, an immense city, and one of the greatest in Christendom. Indeed, in the opinion of many, it is the greatest. The city is indifferently walled, but there is a great moat with an excellent rampart, and within, the city is very well built and the streets are very fine. It is a grander sight and more interesting to see the city on a work-day than on a holiday. The streets and the houses of the armourers are most remarkable, as well as those of the spear-makers, the saddlers and the tailors who make the uniforms and materials for war. They know how many rulers and leaders of armies there are in Italy, and their devices, and they and the other craftsmen are so well provided that they can supply them with everything they need, though it be for the greatest lord in Italy. All the craftsmen are marvellously skilful and do their work with great regularity. There is in the city a palace where the Duke lives, which is a very notable residence and very large. Outside, it is defended by a great wall with a very strong bastion and a deep and capacious moat, through which the river runs, and from this they take much fish. The palace ands on level ground on one side of the city; indeed, in the whole of Lombardy there are no houses built on rocks, but they are in no way less strong for being built in the plain, so well are they moated on all sides.

In this city there are many notable churches and monasteries, especially the chief church on which they are still at work, which they call the Duomo, a most sumptuous building. Here they say the Ambrosian Mass, which is the reverse of ours, and I am told also that they observe Lent differently. There is a very rich monastery of the Order of Preachers, in which St. Peter the Martyr is buried, who is believed to have met his death in this city. The Duke of Milan is a person who does not let himself be seen. This, they say, is for fear of poison, but one day he was in a park there, and I saw him and had speech with him. He seemed to me to be a discreet person, grave and honest, of great stature, with a very long nose, and with his head shaved and uncovered. He was not well attended, and they say that he does not value any but men-at-arms. These he keeps in the field, and, indeed, he does well to value such men. This Duke has neither son nor daughter, only a bastard daughter married to the Count Francesco, who now is Duke of Milan.

The city is without a rival in Christendom, in point of size, abundance, and in the number of its inhabitants, both nobles and artisans. They say that the Duke's revenue from the city itself, not counting the Church revenues, is 1000 ducats a day. No one can enter the city unless first, on entering the Duke's dominions, he obtains a certificate which establishes that he comes from a healthy country, uncontaminated by plague. This regulation is most rigidly enforced, and they say that it is now sixty years since there has been an outbreak of plague in any part of the country. I enquired concerning many things relating to the government of the city which is very well ordered. Much more is this the case in the Duke's household. They say that those of his council can take money from no one but from him, and that when a council is necessary its deliberation is secured in this manner. A writing is sent to each councillor containing the particulars of the matter to be decided, and each one writes his opinion at the foot of the paper without consulting with his fellows. Indeed, anyone who does otherwise would suffer heavy penalties. Thus, reading the opinion of each councillor, the Duke adopts that which seems to him to be the wisest, and during his government his decisions have been much praised.

The route for Germany.-Crossing the Alps.-The St. Gothard Pass.-Basle.-The Baths.-Schaffhausen.-Washing for gold.-Strassburg.-Precautions against fire.-Mainz.-The Rhine.- Coblenz. -Arrival at Cologne.

I DEPARTED from Milan and set out for Germany, and as I came to no city worthy of mention I have nothing to relate, but I found many places burned and destroyed, which had been laid wale by the great Italian commander, Facino Cane. The third day after leaving Milan I arrived at a German town which is called Lucerca, but before I could enter it was necessary to load all the animals and baggage upon boats, and to cross a great lake which receives its waters from the Alps. The lake is very deep and quite four leagues across, and in it are multitudes of fish which are said to be very good to eat. This town must have about 1500 burghers. It is well walled and adorned with beautiful houses in the German manner, with stoves in them, and excellent inns, very abundantly provisioned.

The next day I departed and arrived at the foot of the St. Gothard pass, high up in the Alps, and the following day after the necessary preparations had been made we commenced the ascent. It was the end of August when the snow melts by reason of the great heat, and the crossing is therefore very perilous. The people in those parts have oxen which are accustomed to the way. One of these beasts goes in front drawing a long rope, and attached to the rope is a trailer which resembles a Castilian threshing machine. On this the passenger sits, holding his horse behind him by the reins, and the crossing is thus safely accomplished, for if anything untoward occurs, only the ox is imperilled. In passing along narrow ways, where the snow which covers the mountains on either side threatens to fall, the people discharge fire-arms so that the report may bring down any snow which is ready to be dislodged. For it happens at times that the snow becomes loosened and buries travellers. At this season the streams and rivers are much swollen by thaws. These mountains are thickly populated, and everywhere one comes upon inns and small hamlets. This day we climbed to the hermitage of St. Gothard, which lies almost in the sky, and even so there are other heights above, the summits of which, so the monks maintain, have never been seen, since they are perpetually shrouded in mist. From here one looks towards Italy, and anyone with sufficiently good sight can see the whole country, so high are the mountains and so flat and low is Italy in comparison. We now paid off our beasts and took the road to Basle through the mountains. Here there are numbers of martens and other creatures, as well as animals like goats, from which the people make chamois leather.

So continuing by those ways, and descending from the mountains and ridges, and travelling for a day along the plain, we reached the noble city of Basle. The Council was then sitting, and a great company of people of all nationalities had assembled in the city. There were many notable personages from Spain, although the Alferez had by that time departed. Nevertheless, the Cardinal of San Pedro, and the Bishop of Cuenca, the Bishop of Burgos, and others still remained. This town is situated upon the banks of the river which comes from the Alps and the Lake of Schaffhausen. The stream is of furious swiftness, and it happens frequently that the water sweeps down with it great blocks of ice, frozen as hard as stones, which destroy the buildings and bridges and everything else in their way. The boatmen are in constant peril of striking some obstacle and of being dashed in pieces, although they are very skilful and wary. The boats travelling down the river never return, for they could not make headway against the current. Indeed, such is the pace with which they sweep downstream that it turns one giddy to behold them. In this river are many delicate and wholesome fish, including very large salmon.

The city of Basle is abundantly supplied with everything which Germany produces, and excellent wines, and other beverages may be had there. It is well walled and delightfully built; the houses are of several storeys with high chimneys, and very pleasantly adorned with glass windows looking on to the street. Many of the buildings have towers on which are crosses and weather-cocks. The city is very pleasant to behold from within, and still more so from without. The streets are paved with stones, and are well supplied with drinking troughs. The churches and monasteries are indeed notable. The principal church is exceedingly well built, and there the Council holds its sessions. The inhabitants, both men and women, are very comely and rich. The city is self-governing, although it belongs to the Empire, and they say that the citizens owe no tribute to the Emperor except to entertain him at dinner when he is there, and to provide him with a pair of breeches, but he can summon them to war. The city has large and well-populated suburbs. Such multitudes of beggars had flocked to Basle from all parts of Germany, having been attracted thither by the Council, that they alone would fill a large city. I heard that the Cardinal of San Pedro was in the Alps at the warm baths, which they call the Holy Baths, and about a mile distant is a notable monastery called Maria Stella, where the Cardinal had resided for six months, since he did not desire to enter Basle for fear of offending Pope Eugenius, but he transacted the business of the King, our Master, from that place. I went to see the Cardinal, who received me very graciously, and since I was still suffering from the wound which I received in Troy, and which with travel seemed always to be getting worse, the Cardinal made me remain there in the care of a surgeon, and in twenty days I was cured. This surgeon is held in great esteem as well by the clergy as by laymen, and without doubt he deserves it, for he is a notable person of sovereign virtue and outstanding honesty. The monks regard him with special affection, for besides the good which he does them, he has made heating rooms for them and other contrivances for the service of the establishment, which is situated high up in the mountains in the coldest place in all Germany. I went to see the bathing etablishments where I found a great concourse of people, both sick persons and pilgrims who had come there under vows from afar. They think nothing of men and women bathing together quite naked, and it is the custom to play games and take their meals in the water. I met a lady there who was on pilgrimage for her brother, who had been taken prisoner in Turkey, and I frequently threw silver coins into the bath, and her maids dived for them and picked them up in their mouths. One can well imagine what it was they held in the air when they put down their heads. The people in general have excellent voices. Even the common people sing part songs with great skill, like trained artists.

As soon as I was cured of my wound I craved licence of the Cardinal, and returned to Basle in company with the lady I had encountered at the Baths, whom I did not leave until we reached the city of Cologne, where she had her estates. The first day, after leaving the Baths, we travelled by boat to a town where the river falls from a place as high as two towers. The boatmen land their passengers and fasten the boat with long ropes so that it sweeps over the falls. Then, when it is in the water below, they secure it again, and the passengers having embarked, the boat shoots downstream with the force of the water, which runs very swiftly from the mountains. We thus arrived at Basle, and remained there six days, after which we departed.

We came next to a town where I saw, by the shore, a number of people washing gold from the sand of the river, and it was done in this wise. Close to the water was a table on a bench, with one of the supports by the water's edge, and the other raised on high. Upon this they placed pieces of wood, like steps, about the breadth of an arm. Then they shovelled the sand from the bank of the stream and cast it to the top of the table, and let it run down, so that a kind of white mud remained clinging to the steps. When sufficient had been collected they placed it in a trough which was close by, and filled it. The gold, being heavy, sank to the bottom, and as they lifted the mud with their hands one could see the gold shining below. But fortune does not favour them every day. From this gold they make the coins which are known as Rhenish guldens. On either bank of the river are cities, towns, and castles all close together, and many notable churches and monasteries, and there are so many leper-houses of St. Lazarus that it is a marvel to see them. It is said that these are necessary by reason of the fact that the people eat much fish, and drink very little wine and oil. They relate that not long. ago the son of a Duke of Germany came with his wife, the daughter of another Duke, to sleep for a night at one of the leper-houses, and that the lepers tried to rape her, so that the husband was forced to kill her, and they killed the husband; and when it became known the parents set out and burnt the house with those that were in it. But it would take much space to narrate all that happened.

The following day we arrived at the city of Strassburg, which is called in Latin Argentina, as if to say the town of silver, and, indeed, such is it that it must be one of the most delightful cities in the Christian world. The river flows by it and enters the streets. The city is strongly walled, with a deep ditch. It is very well built, with fine streets which are level and well-paved. There are many chimneys and stoves in the houses: the inns are excellent, and the churches and monasteries very noteworthy, especially the great church, a wonderful piece, with a stately tower in which is the clock, the finest I have ever seen. On the tower, above the clock, three men keep watch in turn all night, and each time the clock strikes they blow a horn like a shepherd's horn, but it makes more noise than a trumpet. They say that these men are placed there as a protection against fire, of which the people are much afraid. In each parish there are captains, and on an alarm of fire each man knows to which standard he belongs, and everything proceeds in an orderly manner. Some bring sacks of straw, others pails of water, hatchets, iron-hooks and long pikes, so that help is immediately at hand. One night I went to see the companies turn out, and certainly it is a remarkable thing to see the order which is preserved. This city is indeed notable.

We now departed for Mainz, and on the left as one goes is a seat of chalk and stone, very lofty, where they elect the Emperor. He is forced to come here and to wait thirty days to see if anyone opposes him, and it has happened on occasions that a rival did appear, who sat himself in that seat and supplanted the other. This is a ceremony imposed upon candidates so that all may see that the choice is publicly made. We came then to the city of Mainz, which is very large and closely populated, .and well-provisioned and wealthy. It is one of the great Arch-bishoprics of Germany. Its churches and monasteries are very fine, and the inhabitants are exceedingly comely. We remained there two days and departed for Cologne. In truth, the Rhine is so lovely that the world cannot show the like. On one hand and on the other are such stately towns, and so many castles, and so much beauty that a man can hardly dare to describe what he sees. Towns and castles are all crowded closely together and the towers are adorned with lofty crosses and gilded weather-vanes.

So by this river we arrived at a city called Coblenz, a notable place. Opposite the city, on the other side of the river, lie the towers and castle of the lord of Hanesberque, a knight who set out once on pilgrimage to Santiago and was captured and taken to Burgos. Nor was he released until such time as certain merchants of Burgos, who were detained in Germany, were allowed to return to Castile. Thus it happened and he was set at liberty. But as he was returning home, he fell into the hands of Count Ferdinand of Villandrando, who held him to ransom, so that his pilgrimage was in truth an unlucky one. I was advised to pass speedily so as to avoid any injury on the part of that lord, which I accordingly did. During all this time I had in my company the lady whom, as I have related, I encountered in the Baths. I now took my departure and slept in the great and noble city of Cologne, where that lady had her dwelling, and she invited me to her house and showed me much honour all the time I was there, which was eight days. The following day that lord of Hanesberque sent one of his sons to me with certain squires to ask me to go to his lands, where I should find pleasure and rest. Further, that I should not believe what was told me concerning his intentions, for he desired to make peace with the Castilians, who had done no more than their duty, and that it was far from his desire that those who came there should suffer on his account. They also said that the Emperor had sent word to his palace, commanding him to entertain any knights who came there. I thanked him much for his good will, but said that I had to repair with all speed to the Duke of Burgundy, and then to return to the Council, but that another time I would visit him, and so I took my leave.

Cologne.-The Inns.-Archbishop Dietrich von Murs.-The Cathedral.-A miracle in the Chapel of the Three Kings.-The Fair.-Journey down the Rhine.-The Duke of Cleves. -Nymegen.-Bois-le-duc.- Lila.-Malines.- Brussels.-Duke Philip the Good. -A hospitable Abbess.

I REMAINED in this city oĢ Cologne in great contentment, and replaced my beasts, since those I had brought with me were fatigued. This is the richest and the most beautiful city in all Germany. On one side is the Rhine, and on the other are great fields and meadows, such as are commonly found in Germany. The city is well walled, with a good and deep ditch. The streets are pleasant, and there are numbers of artisans engaged in trades of all kinds. The houses are beautiful within the city, but there are many more on the outskirts.. The inns are excellent, worthy to entertain a king if needs be. It is customary for a number of gentlemen to bind themselves together to found an inn, each one putting down a sum of money, and receiving a share of the profits in proportion to his contribution. They then choose as host a man of parts and of noble birth, for they say that a good host befits good guests. It happens not infrequently that a gentleman, desiring through age to retire from the world, comes to an innkeeper and bargains with him for the rest of his life. He has a room, a bed, two large and two small meals, and money for Mass, and having paid his due, he lives without care for the rest of his days. There are other matters of note in connection with the inns here, which would take too long to relate, for, as I understand, there is much traffic in them and careful management, and the entertainment is excellent.

In this city a great lord is Archbishop, great by reason of his office and by birth, for he is the son of a Duke, but he seems, in my judgment, to be more apt for a secular than an ecclesiastical calling. He was most hospitable and gracious to me, and I was as familiar with him as if I had been born there. He rode about the city with me and showed me the churches and monasteries, and the palaces of the lords and of the ladies, whom, as it seems to me, he did not wholly disdain. The great church is very remarkable, and a most sumptuous edifice, upon which they are still constantly at work. In the centre of the largest chapel is a smaller shrine enclosed with iron railings, where lie the Three Kings, and they say that a few days previously a great miracle happened there, and it was in this wise. The chapel was completed except for a great stone with which to roof it, and as they were lifting this ready to place it in position, it leapt from the ropes just above the place where the bodies of the Kings were lying. The shrine thereupon moved itself as much as one pace to the side, and the stone fell beside it. The three bodies are preserved so that all can see them from head to feet. They are quite intact, and are without doubt very holy relics, wherefore they are richly adorned and looked upon with the greatest devotion. There is in this city a nunnery where lies the virgin St. Ursula, with the eleven thousand virgins who died with her, and it was here that she received her martyrdom. It is a great nunnery, and a famous place of pilgrimage. While I was in the city the fair was being held, and much merchandise had been brought there, in particular a number of English horses, trotters and hackneys, which pleased me greatly. The Germans are a very diligent people and, as I have said, they are specially skilled in handicrafts. Leaving Cologne I travelled down the Rhine until I came to a town belonging to the Duke of Cleves, father of the Princess of Navarre who is married to a sister of the Duke of Burgundy, a mighty lord of lands and dues, but the best of them he took from his neighbours, as they say, by personal prowess. The Duke received me very graciously and entertained me well, and had his device shown to me, and I learned the conditions attached to it, but they seemed to me to be too onerous, and because the Pope had absolved me from the vow attached to that one I already bore, I could not consent to wear it.

I departed from that lord, and lower down the Rhine, on the right hand, I came to a town called Nymegen, that is to say, New May. It was founded by Julius Caesar, and there is a stone there with the whole story inscribed on it. This town belongs to the Duke of Guelders, who is a great lord and even richer than the one I had just left. He is married to a daughter of the Duke of Burgundy. This town is in every way the most beautiful that I have seen. It is very strong, being built on the rocks behind a strong wall and moat. I was there three days and saw the Duke, who was a league out of the town in a palace which he has in the country for riding and hunting. He received me very kindly, and I saw there the Duchess and their sons and daughters, and they desired me to dine with them, and in the evening I took my leave and returned to the town. The next day I departed and arrived at a large town called Bois-le-duc, which is in Brabant and belongs to the Duke of Burgundy. It is a very remarkable place, although not well populated. The river runs into the town in many places, and they breed as many swans as there are geese in Castile. They say that the Duke of Burgundy orders them to be distributed among the people, who bring up the birds and have to render an account of them, and on feast days they are eaten and esteemed to be a great luxury. I purchased a horse here for sixteen ducats which would, without doubt, have fetched a hundred at home.

I now departed for Lila, which is likewise in Brabant and belongs also to the Duke of Burgundy. It is a very pleasant town. The people here are accustomed to travel in carts, but I could not suffer it, for I would far rather be at sea. I continued to ride, while my people followed in the carts. The greater part of this district is dotted at intervals with wind-mills, and instead of wood they burn sods of earth like bricks. They cut them in the summer, each one from his land, and dry them in the sun and keep them until winter. These sods make a pleasant fire and are said to be very healthy. There is very little wine, and the people drink beer, as the water is bad. I departed from Lila and came to Malines, which the Castilians call Mellinas, and although it is small, I have never seen, before or since, such a charming place. The Duke delights greatly to come here to rest, as one retiring to a garden. He has no palace in the town, but he lies at an inn, which is so excellent that it is fit to entertain, not him alone, but the greatest prince on earth. I remained in the town two days, and had great pleasure there by reason of its charm and beauty. I then left for Brussels, which is also in Brabant, and there I found the Duke of Burgundy and the Duchess, his consort, to whom I made my reverence. They received me very graciously, the Duke on account of his French descent and the love which he bears to the Castilians, and the Duchess by reason of her Spanish origin and her relationship with our Master, King Juan, whose cousin she is. The Duke ordered me to be lodged and provided with everything that was needful for me and mine, and I was soon comfortably bestowed.

The next day I repaired to the palace of the Duke whom I found at Mass. Afterwards I enquired for the Bastard of St. Pol and I joined myself to him, and greeted. him from Gutierre Quixada, who was under obligation to fight a duel with him, and whom I had seen embarking for Jerusalem. He sent word to say that he would shortly return to accomplish his undertaking, and he commended himself to the Bastard. The Duke drew near and heard this and said that it was a fine thing that Mosen Gutierre had done, to go to Jerusalem with intent to return to kill or dishonour his comrade, and that such a journey would be better undertaken after the duel. All this was said by way of jest. From that day onwards the Bastard paid me great attention as if I had been his closest kinsman. He is a gracious knight and a man of honour, and by his personal valour he has advanced himself more than many others of greater estate, who are far less respected by the Duke and Duchess and all the ladies. He is as gentle as he is brave, and in token of his virtue and integrity the Duke has bestowed on him the Order of the Golden Fleece. Until then neither minor nor bastard had ever received the Order, but seeing that this knight was so valiant and gracious, the Duke and the electors of the Order had to bestow it. They say that the one which he wears is that which was forfeited by the lord of Tremouille, who ran away in battle. The Bastard is graceful in person and body, of good stature, a man both discreet and adroit. He is fifty-five years old, thin and somewhat sallow, and has a wound on the face which he received in battle, when he was taken prisoner. Afterwards he was ransomed for a large sum which was paid by the Regent, mother of the Duke of Burgundy, who they say loves him very dearly.

This knight showed me the Duke's palace as well as the city and everything in it, but nothing could surpass in majesty the persons of the Duke and Duchess and the fate in which they live, which is the most splendid I have ever seen. At that time the following great persons were housed in the palace, to wit, the Duke of St. Pol, a mighty lord, with his wife and retainers, the Count of Estampes, likewise a great lord, with his followers, and the Princess of Navarre, a niece of the Duke, who keeps a separate establishment, also John of Cleves her brother, and two gentlemen, by name de Charni and de Crequi, with their wives, as well as many knights of the Duke's household. They say that there are two hundred maids of honour continually in attendance on the Duchess, all of whom sleep and eat in the palace, as do also the knights who have no separate establishments, and the Duke pays all the expenses as if for his own person. In this he appears to me to be the opposite of the Duke of Milan; the one keeps all the men he can in the field and none with him, and the other keeps all with him and none in the field, but the Duke of Burgundy can safely retain his knights at court, for he enjoys good peace. The multitude of people and their refinement and splendour can scarcely be described. There is a constant succession of tourneys and everything that makes for pleasure. The Duke is a very noble person, of great virtue, and very gracious in his bearing, and comely. He is tall, though slight, and as gallant as may be. He is about fifty-five years of age. The Duchess is extremely well spoken of. She is much loved by her subjects, and still more by her consort. They have but one son. I saw at the court two blind men from Castile who played the guitar, and later I met them again here in Castile. While I was there the Duke sent for me many times, and enquired as to the places I had visited, and by repeated questions desired to be exactly informed concerning all that I had seen and done. He showed great pleasure at what I told him, giving me to understand the longing which he had to make the conquest of Jerusalem; at least so it appeared to me from his enquiries. He asked me whether I desired to continue my journey, or if it pleased me to remain at his court. I replied that having visited his country and Paris, I must speedily return to Castile, for I knew that the King, my Master, wished to wage war in person against the Moors, and he took it in good part, and ordered the Bastard of St. Pol to bear me company and, when I desired to depart, to escort me through his dominions; further, that if it was necessary he would give me letters of recommendation, which pleased me greatly. Afterwards we went to see the city, which is large and rich, with beautiful houses, and in the centre of a square is the Hotel de Ville, where the Council meets, which has no equal. We went also outside the city to see certain estates belonging to the Duke, whither he retires for his pleasure, among which was one with a very fine house and a great enclosed park, about a league. in circumference, where are many deer and other wild creatures.

I departed from Brussels in company with a knight, the captain of Sluys, to whom the Bastard had recommended me, and we arrived that day for dinner at a town where there was not a drop of wine to be had, and I proposed that we should go on to Bruges where we should certainly find some, but the knight informed me that a lady, a kinswoman of his, was abbess of a convent close by, and that he would send to enquire if she had any wine, and this he accordingly did. The abbess sent a message that she had wine in plenty, but that she would not produce it unless he came to dine with her, and brought with him the Spanish knight who was his companion. We therefore presented ourselves, and were very pleasantly received and exceedingly well entertained. After dinner the abbess told me that she had been on pilgrimage to Santiago, and had received such honourable treatment from the Castilians that she scarcely knew how to repay it. She thereupon begged me to remain some days there to refresh myself after the fatigue of my journey, and told me that she would treat me as her own son, but I thanked her and took my leave. We then set out for Bruges, where we arrived at Vespers and lodged at the Angel, and the captain of Sluys, who was with me, departed to his place, having invited me to visit him there and take my pleasure with him, which I promised to do.

Bruges.-Arras.-Ghent.- Antwerp.

This city of Bruges is a large and very wealthy city, and one of the greatest markets of the world. It is said that two cities compete with each other for commercial supremacy, Bruges in Flanders in the West, and Venice in the East. It seems to me, however, and many agree with my opinion, that there is much more commercial activity in Bruges than in Venice. The reason is as follows. In the whole of the West there is no other great mercantile centre except Bruges, although England does some trade, and thither repair all the nations of the world, and they say that at times the number of ships sailing from the harbour of Bruges exceeds seven hundred a day. In Venice, on the contrary, be it never so rich, the only persons engaged in trade are the inhabitants. The city of Bruges is in the territory of the Count of Flanders, and is the chief city. It. is well peopled, with fine houses and streets, which are all inhabited by work people, very beautiful churches and monasteries, and excellent inns. It is very strictly governed, both in respect of justice as in other matters. Goods are brought there from England, Germany, Brabant, Holland, Zeeland, Burgundy, Picardy, and the greater part of France, and it appears to be the port for all these countries, and the market to which they bring their goods in order to sell them to others, as if they had plenty at home.

The inhabitants are extraordinarily industrious, possibly on account of the barrenness of the soil, since very little corn is grown, and no wine, nor is there water fit for drinking, nor any fruit. On this account the products of the whole world are brought here, so that they have everything in abundance, in exchange for the work of their hands. From this place is sent forth the merchandise of the world, woollen cloths and Arras cloths, all kinds of carpets, and many other things necessary to mankind, of which there is here a great abundance. There is a large building above a great tract of water which comes from the sea at Sluys, which is called la Hala. Here all goods are unloaded in the following manner. In these parts of the West the sea rises and falls greatly, and between Bruges and Sluys, a distance of two and a half leagues, there is a great canal, as great and as deep as a river, and at different places sluice-gates, as of water mills, are set up, which when opened admit the water, and on being closed the water cannot escape. When the tide rises the ships are laden and travel with their cargoes from Sluys on the tide. When the water has reached its highest point they lock it up, and those ships which have been unloaded and filled with fresh cargoes return with the same water which carried them up-stream, travelling down again with the falling tide. Thus the people by their industry make use of the water, carrying great quantities of goods to and fro, the transport of which, if they had to use beasts, would be exceedingly costly and troublesome.

This city of Bruges has a very large revenue, and the inhabitants are very wealthy. Recently they rebelled against the Duke, at a time when he was in the city, so that he had to flee with his wife and attendants. He then armed himself, and made war again it and took it by force, and took great vengeance upon it, both in the matter of lives and property. I myself saw many high gallows around Bruges, and from there to Sluys, and around Sluys, upon which were fixed the heads of dead men. The people of this part of the country are exceedingly fastidious in their apparel, very extravagant in their food, and much given to all kinds of luxury. They say that in that Hala, the women who were so minded had licence that any who so pleased might go and remain there at night, and the men who resorted there might bring. any woman they chose and lie with her, on condition that no one should endeavour to see her, nor to know who she was, and that any who should do so should be deserving of death. The bathing of men and women together they take to be as honest as church-going with us. Without doubt, the goddess of luxury has great power there, but it is not a place for poor men, who would be badly received. But anyone who has money, and wishes to spend it, will find in this town alone everything which the whole world produces. I saw there oranges and lemons from Castile, which seemed only just to have been gathered from the trees, fruits and wine from Greece, as abundant as in that country. I saw also confections and spices from Alexandria, and all the Levant, just as if one were there; furs from the Black Sea, as if they had been produced in the district. Here was all Italy with its brocades, silks and armour, and everything which is made there; and, indeed, there is no part of the world whose products are not found here at their best. There was a great famine in the year of my visit

I departed to see Sluys, which is the seaport of Bruges, and lodged with the captain. As I was in the church hearing Mass, a woman approached me and said that she had something to communicate to me in private which would be to my advantage. She took me to her home close by, and she there showed me two young girls and offered me the one who should please me most. Astounded, I enquired of her how she could bring herself to behave thus, whereupon she told me that she was almost dead with hunger, having had nothing to eat for many days except a few small fish, and that the two girls were like to die of starvation and that they were virgins. I extracted from the woman and the girls a solemn oath that they would never again attempt such traffic with anyone. The new year, I said, would bring an improvement in their fortunes, and that which I was about to give them would suffice to provide for all three. I then gave the woman six Venetian ducats, and departed. The famine was the worst which had ever been known, and it was followed by a dreadful plague which devastated many places.

I remained there with the captain for two days and saw the place. It numbers more than fifteen hundred burghers, and is strongly fortified with a wall and moat and so crowded with foreigners and their wares that the houses are insufficient to shelter them. I met there many Castilians, and people of other nations known to me. The harbour of this town is said to be very difficult to enter, on account of the sand banks, but, once inside, the ships are very secure and with the tide they can reach the town walls. At low tide many of them lie aground, but on such soft deep sands that they are as well placed as on the water. The harbour looks as if half the world had armed itself to attack the town, so great a fleet of ships of all kinds is always at anchor here: caracks, sloops from Germany, galleys from Italy, barques, whalers, and many other kinds of vessels according to the different countries, and even if the people are enemies among themselves they do not show their enmity either in the harbour or on land, but everyone goes his way and does his business. Anyone acting otherwise is severely punished. One can see there all the nations of the world eating at a common table without disputing. I remained two days at Sluys with the captain, and then returned to Bruges.

I now travelled through Picardy to a city called Arras, which belongs to the Duke of Burgundy. It is a pleasant place, and very rich, especially by reason of its woven cloths and all kinds of tapestries, and although they are also made in other places, yet it well appears that those which are made in Arras have the preference. The negotiations for the peace between the King of France and the Duke of Burgundy took place here. I remained three days in the city and intended to pass on to Normandy to see Rouen, and thence to go to Paris, but the plague was so severe that I was forced to change my route, and to return to Bruges in Flanders. I had certain money with bankers there, and went to obtain it from them, but I found that the merchants had all gone to Antwerp to the fair. I remained, therefore, one day only in Bruges and then departed, and in two days I arrived at Ghent which is likewise in the County of Flanders.

Ghent is one of the greatest cities in the Christian world; it is very strongly fortified in every way although situated in a plain, for it is well walled, with a high rampart and moats, in such a way that none can attack it except at a great distance. It is also well furnished with arms and all kinds of artillery. They say that by law each inhabitant must have his own armour and a lance, and that 60,000 footmen can be put into the field, but whether this be so or not, it is said that there are sufficient provisions in the city for six years, and every year they are renewed. Since I was there the people have had a quarrel with the Duke, their ruler, and he came against them and blockaded the city, which held out for a long time, but at last he took it and executed great vengeance. It is said that the citizens had to come unclad in their shirts to ask pardon, and they submitted to many things to show, their subjection, and so he departed. But the undertaking cost the Duke much labour, and he lost his goods and one of his sons. Messer Jaques de la Ben who warred in Castile died there also of a wound from a piece of ordnance. The city is very large and populous and very wealthy by reason of its trade, for the water reaches to the walls and many ships enter there. A great deal more might be said concerning this city, but I do not wish to enlarge upon it and grow tedious with much writing. I departed from Ghent and came to the city of Antwerp, which is in Brabant and belongs to the Duke of Burgundy. It is large, and has about 6000 burghers. There is also an excellent wall with a rampart and a moat. The houses and streets are very fine and it has a good harbour. The ships enter by a river so that the galleys can be fastened to the city walls. The faire which is held here is the largest in the whole world, and anyone desiring to see all Christendom, or the greater part of it, assembled in one place can do so here. The Duke of Burgundy comes always to the fair, which is the reason why so much splendour is to be seen at his court. For here come many and divers people, the Germans, who are near neighbours, likewise the English. The French attend also in great numbers, for they take much away and bring much. Hungarians and Prussians enrich the fair with their horses. The Italians are here also. I saw there ships as well as galleys from Venice, Florence and Genoa. As for the Spaniards they are as numerous, or more numerous, at Antwerp than anywhere else. I met merchants from Burgos who were settled in Bruges, and in the city I found also Juan de Morillo, a servant of our King.

As a market Antwerp is quite unmatched. Here are riches and the best entertainment, and the order which is preserved in matters of traffic is remarkable. Pictures of all kinds are sold in the monastery of St. Francis; in the church of St. John they sell the cloths of Arras; in a Dominican monastery all kinds of goldsmith's work, and thus the various articles are distributed among the monasteries and churches, and the rest is sold in the streets. Outside the city at one of the gates is a great street with large stables and other buildings on either side of it. Here they sell hackneys, trotters and other horses, a most remarkable sight, and, indeed, there is nothing which one could desire which is not found here in abundance. I do not know how to describe so great a fair as this. I have seen other fairs, at Geneva in Savoy, at Frankfurt in Germany, and at Medina in Castile, but all these together are not to be compared with Antwerp.

Louvain. -Bois-le-duc.-Nymegen.-Frankfurt.-Cologne.-Mainz.-The travellers are kidnapped and released.-Tafur loses his sword.-Basle.-A tourney at Schaffhausen.- Constance.-Ulm.-Nordlingen. - Kastpar Schlick. -Nuremberg. -Prague. -The Margrave.- Meissen.

I DEPARTED from Antwerp and came to the city of Louvain, which is in Brabant. It is a very great place, but much de-populated. Here is a very notable university for the study of all sciences, but they say that theology is taught more than the others. I saw there two bastard sons of the Duke of Burgundy who were studying philosophy. One of them afterwards became a valiant man of arms, and fell, as I have related, at the blockade of Ghent. I left Louvain and came to Bois-le-duc, where I had already been, and from there I travelled to Nymegen, which, as I have said, belongs to the Duchy of Guelders; from there I passed on to the Duchy of Cleves and came to Frankfurt. It was the time of the fair which is very noteworthy, as I have said, but not equal to that at Antwerp. The city is very well provisioned, and has 4000 burghers, and the fair brings it much wealth. Frankfurt is situated in the middle of Germany and is chiefly notable, as it seemed to me, for its beasts. I remained there three days, and departed and returned to Cologne. I visited the Archbishop, as I had promised, and he received me most graciously.At Cologne I fell in with an embassy which was returning to Basle from the Duke of Burgundy, a goodly company dispatched by the Council to the Duke, to endeavour to persuade him to take sides with the Council, and to throw off his allegiance to the Pope,whom he had hitherto supported. There were three prelates in the embassy, one was the Bishop of Viseo, in Portugal, the second was a German, the third was Ludovico, the greatest scholar of his age and proto-notary of the Pope. It happened that through my acquaintance with the Bishop of Viseo, whom I had encountered in the island of Chios in Greece, whither he had gone to receive the Emperor of Constantinople, I was obliged to return in his company as far as Basle. When we came to Mainz the ambassadors sent at once to Duke Stephen of Bavaria for a safe-conduct, since the Duke was tutor to his nephew Duke Ludwig who was lord of all that country. This was because the Duke was a supporter of Pope Eugenius. Nevertheless, in due course he sent his safe-conduct and we departed from Mainz, but about three leagues from there we were set upon by some 200 horsemen, who took captive the ambassadors, and me with them, and they carried us to a castle in a mountain, called Livantane [Laubenheim], and this with great discourtesy. But, as for me, seeing I was a knight, no one approached me, but they sent for a knight who took my sword and spurs from me. For a whole fortnight they kept us in captivity, but at least there was no likelihood of death from want. On the contrary, at night and break of day, indeed at all hours of the day, we were forced to eat and drink with our guards, as is the custom there, which was quite strange to us and became us very ill. I sent at once to Duke Stephen to tell him who I was, and the manner of my coming, and demanded to be released. He complied by sending one of his kinsmen to deliver me from prison, and when I was at liberty I desired to see and have speech with my companions, but this was denied me, since they kept each one of us apart. As soon as I was free of the castle I rode with my people to Duke Stephen, who was in a town a league from there, and spoke with him, demanding the release of my companions. I told him that if he did not set them free at once he would lose not only his own goods, but also the estates of his nephew which were in his charge. While I was there news came that his nephew's people had risen against the Duke, saying that he had dishonoured his nephew and violated his safe-conduct. Whereupon the Duke asked me to return to the ambassadors to try to make peace with them, saying that he was anxious to set them free, but that they must agree not to make complaint to the Council or to the Emperor. He sent also to the messengers, who came to him, to inform them that he had liberated the ambassadors and had shown them much honour. I then departed with one of his kinsmen and returned to the place where the ambassadors were imprisoned, and had speech with them, and they were very pleased at what I had done and readily consented to the conditions, and they were set at liberty and had restitution of all that was taken from them, so that nothing was lost. But, to my amazement, my sword, which had been taken from me when I was captured, could not be found. They offered me one belonging to the Duke, but I scorned to take it, swearing that I would never wear any but my own, and that the Duke's country should pay dearly for the injury done to me in the face of his safe-conduct. With this we departed, the ambassadors and I, through the lands of that Duke Ludwig, where they showed us much honour and would not suffer us to pay for anything. But just as we were about to leave his dominions, a squire from the Duke rode up and begged me to make an end of my wrath, since what had happened had been directed not against me, but against the ambassadors, and they brought me my sword, and told me that it had cost the Duke more labour to recover it than to capture a city. So we departed from the country of those lords, both uncle and nephew, and returned to Strassburg and continued our journey, taking with us from each city an armed escort for our protection, in view of the contending factions and the disputes between the Pope and the Council. We thus returned to Basle, where we found again the ambassadors from the King, our Master, whom I had seen before.

Departing in due course from Basle, I came to a town called Schaffhausen which lies on the Upper Rhine. It is small, but pleasant and very clean. A grand tourney was being celebrated there, which the nobles had arranged in this manner. Certain knights gathered together and made a list of all the noblemen in the district, and they caused a painter to paint the coats of arms of each one, which a herald carried from house to house, presenting the shield and giving notice that on a certain day every nobleman should present himself in that place, fully equipped with arms and horses, to take part in a tournament. They gave notice also to all the great ladies in those parts. Then the nobles and ladies assembled at their own cost, and when all were gathered together the elders went apart with certain matrons and took counsel, and enquired whether any nobleman had done ought amiss, whether any had forced or dishonoured matron or maid, or had seized the goods of a minor who had no protector, or had debased himself for greed of money by marrying a woman of low birth, or had otherwise degraded his rank. Thus the misdeeds of each were brought to light, and when any culprit was found they provided as follows. Certain knights were summoned, and when such an one appeared in the lists, they were ordered to fall upon him and beat him with rods and drive him thence. This was done, and afterwards the older knights and ladies drew near to the culprit and told him why he had been beaten. Then they escorted him back and allowed him to take his place with the other noblemen in the tourney, as if he had purged his offence and done his penance. But if he refused to attend he was sentenced to a double punishment, and if, after a third summons, he fill remained obdurate, he was no longer regarded as a noble since he had refused to joust with his peers. In these parts all can joust and join in any knightly sports, but only nobles of known escutcheon can take part in the tourney. This is a good and worthy custom, since thereby everyone knows who can lay claim to chivalry and high lineage, and those who have been guilty of base deeds may be brought to shame. I was bidden to join with the other nobles and witnessed the rejoicings.

I remained at Schaffhausen two days, and departed and came to Constance, where an earlier Council had been held concerning the healing of the differences in the Church, and Fernand Perez de Ayala, and the Alcalde de los Donceles were the Castilian ambassadors. Here I met the Cardinal of San Pedro who was then dwelling there. I remained with him eight days, taking much pleasure and admiring the city, which is indeed a fine place to see. There are delightful houses, streets, churches and monasteries, and excellent inns and lodging houses. It must always have been a noble city, but it is much finer since the Council was held there. A lake of sweet water flows up to the walls, which comes from the Alps. This lake is five or six leagues in length and of equal breadth. It is very deep, and many great caracks could float in it. It contains an abundance of fish, which are said to be very good to eat. In the lake are a number of islands, where are hermitages and a convent. Vast supplies of provisions come in by that lake, to which the city owes much of its prosperity. The suburbs are very extensive. I saw there the most beautiful woman it has ever been my lot to see. So great was her beauty that I doubted if she could be really human. If she was as good as she was beautiful; they should make much of her in Paradise. It was here in the cathedral church that the Council held its sittings, and it happened that King Fernando of Aragon died at that time, and there were grand obsequies in this church as befits a King, and the whole church is painted with the arms of Aragon.

I now took leave of the Cardinal, and departed to see the Emperor who was in Bohemia, and travelling through Upper Germany I came to Ulm, which we call Olmos, where they make the fustians which are named after it. The city is pleasantly situated and charmingly built. It is an Imperial city, which signifies that justice and revenue and all things belong to the Emperor. Half a league from there runs the Danube, which flows into the Black Sea. I departed from this city and came to Nordlingen, which town was then at sttrife with a lord in the vicinity, and they gave me an escort through the dangerous country. I then arrived at the city of Nuremberg, where I encountered many people, ambassadors from the Pope, and the Cardinal of Santa Cruz, and many other prelates, among them the present Cardinal of San Sisto, who was then called Brother Juan de Torquemada On the side of the Council were the Cardinal of Arles and many other prelates, including Magister Juan de Segovia, professor of theology, and for the Emperor there were Kaspar Schlick, vice-chancellor, and many lords and learned men. I was obliged to remain there until the Diet was finished and they were ready to depart, in order to travel farther with Kaspar Schlick, who was on his way to the Emperor in Bohemia, for otherwise I could not have travelled without grave peril of death. The Castilians who were there recommended me to him, and he was pleased to take me in his train. There had come with him the son of a Count whom I knew in Castile, in the Moorish wars on the frontier of Jaen, and who was knighted in Cambil. He had fled to Spain from his father who wished to make a bishop of him, as he had an elder brother, but on his return to Germany he found his father and brother both dead, and he inherited the estates with a rental of 20,000 ducats. His name was Patendorf. From this knight I received many kindnesses, as well by the way as in the Emperor's household.

This city of Nuremberg is one of the greatest and richest in Germany. It is a very ancient city and has about the same population as Toledo, which city it resembles in size and situation. There are many workpeople in the place, especially metal workers. They make the coats of mail which are called after the city. There is a church where the Emperor Charlemagne placed the relics which he brought from the Holy Land when he took Jerusalem, and I went with the Cardinals to see them. They showed me many relics, among them a lance of steel of the length of an ell, and they told us that it was the very lance which pierced Our Lord's side, but I said that I had seen the real one in Constantinople, and I believe that if the great people had not been with me, I should have been in peril from the Germans for what I said. This city is very wealthy, and although situated inland it is full of merchandise. When the ambassadors had finished their labours, each returned to his home, and I went with the Germans to the confines of Bohemia, to a town called Eger, in which the Emperor Sigismund had bestowed on Kaspar Schlick all the chief offices, and here he had his wife. We remained in the town six days, during which time he celebrated the marriage of one of his brothers, and many great people were there from Germany and Bohemia, and there were joustings and tourneys and great celebrations. We departed from Nuremberg, and travelling through Bohemia we came to the city of Prague, but we could not meet with the Emperor, who had de parted for Silesia on the confines of Poland, where he was waging war with the Polish King. Prague is a very ancient and notable city and very rich, although it has declined since the Bohemians became heretics. It also appears to me that the heresy has in no way been exterminated, for there are mountains and lofty strong holds belonging to the Taborites, and a castle which they call Tabor. The people persist still in their errors, and the greater part of the kingdom sides with them, especially the women, for there is community of wives, but I believe it is to satisfy their lusts, as I also heard. Prague is divided into two parts, the one they call Old Prague, and the other New Prague, and between the two runs a great river, crossed by a bridge which leads from one to the other. There is here a famous university for the study of all the sciences, particularly theology. We remained for two days, and departing from the city we travelled through Bohemia to its farthermost limits. Between Germany and Bohemia there rises, like a wall, a high and thickly wooded range of mountains, over which one can neither ride nor walk, except by specified routes. Leaving Bohemia we entered Germany and came to . a town belonging to the Margrave of Meissen, Duke of Saxony, who is now married to the sister of the . Emperor Frederick. It was then about a fortnight since he had fought a battle with the Bohemian heretics and had defeated them, and had taken much spoil and 1000 prisoners, including 100 nobles. This lord received me well and showed me much courtesy, and Kaspar Schlick remained there with him three days. We then departed, travelling through Germany, and saw many places and churches in ruins, which had been destroyed by the King of Poland while the Emperor was at war with the Bohemians, so that he had to cease hostilities there and march straightway against the Poles.

Breslau.-The Emperor Albert ll.-Life at court.- The King of Poland. -Breslau in winter.

THREE days before Christrmas we arrived at Breslau, in Silesia, on the very outskirts of Germany. There we found the Emperor Albert, accompanied by many dukes, counts, and other great men, and prelates, as well from Germany as from Hungary and Bohemia. A knight of the Prussian Order was there also with many soldiers sent by the Grand Master. The Emperor had in addition a great army with him, for he was in the field, and had need of them, being at war with a numerous and valiant foe. But, as I learnt, the fighting did not hinder the festivities, nor the jousts, tourneys and nuptials which the Emperor had planned for his people, nor did the festivities hinder the fighting, but due provision was made for each. The Emperor had only recently been crowned, and a great concourse of people was in attendance, am- bassadors from kings and princes, and from the Italian republics. The Bishop of Burgos was there by order of our King and Master, Don Juan, to whom the Emperor showed the greatest respect. And, indeed, he deserved it, for apart from the Sovereign whom he represented, he was a noble and discreet man, and learned, and kept great and worthy fate. Repre- sentatives were also there from the Duke of Burgundy, the Duke of Milan, from Venice, Florence, and Genoa, from Pope Eugenius, and from the King of Aragon. Many brought presents, especially the Venetians and Florentines, those from Venice being specially note worthy. The Emperor received them all very graciously, but those from Venice he would not accept, saying that it was not fitting for him to take presents from a people upon whom he intended to make war. He said further, in the presence of all, that he had made a solemn vow not to accept the Imperial crown, nor even to enjoy its revenues, until that which the Venetians had filched was restored to the Empire. Then having re-taken the Holy Sepulchre, he would be crowned there. All who heard this vow were very glad, except the Vene- tians who straightway departed.

This day I made my reverence to the Emperor, being well attended by Castilians and Germans, also by two noblemen whom I had met at Jerusalem, and by that knight of Patendorf with whom I had travelled. The Emperor received me very graciously, and did me much honour. He had celebrated that day a marriage between a widowed countess and a knight of the court, and the Emperor jousted with the Margrave of Branden burg, and the Emperor was unhorsed in one of the encounters, but he got up very merrily, and laying aside his helmet, he placed on his head a hat adorned with a very costly brooch. He then approached the bride, and presented hat and brooch to her, and taking her by the hand he led her to the palace, accompanied by many noblemen and great lords. It was Vespers when the company went to table. The ladies sat apart, but the bridegroom sat with the gentlemen. At the Emperor's table he, and the knight of Prussia, and I sat alone, and the banquet lasted until an hour after midnight, and then followed the dancing which went on until dawn.

The Emperor was a man of light-hearted disposition, very graceful in person and face, although of unusual stature. He was somewhat dark in colour, so that the Germans said in jest that he was of Castilian blood. He took me by the hand and bade me look upon the ladies, and choose the one it would please me best to dance with, and on two or three occasions he even carried a light before me. Thus we passed that night, and I saw there many noblemen with the device of the Escama which I received from the King my Master. These gentlemen accompanied me to my inn when I took leave of the Emperor. The next day after Mass the Emperor summoned all the ambassadors, and sitting on his raised throne, he called to him the Bishop of Burgos, and asked him to make reply for him to the ambassadors, and this he did in order to honour the Bishop. After this I drew near to him, and he gave me his device, as well as the Order of the Dragon, which is in Hungary what the Order of the Eagle is in Austria, and the Order of the Tusino in Bohemia.

Each day the Emperor provided feats, but, as I have remarked, he did not neglect the war for which he was always prepared. The chief cause of this war was the Empress, widow of Sigismund, and mother in-law of the present Emperor Albert, who, as they say, was a very loose woman, and when her son-in-law took steps against her, she left his country and fled to the King of Poland, taking with her much treasure which she gave to the King. She bestowed upon him all rights over her German lands, and then she married him. But this was the greatest absurdity, for she was more than sixty-five years of age and he not yet twelve. On the strength of this quarrel the Poles entered Germany, but the Bishop of Burgos who was there, a discreet man, dealt with the matter in such wise that the parties were appeased and peace was made, which was a very difficult business in view of the damage which had been done. On account of this I had an opportunity of seeing the King of Poland. I found him in a village, a day's journey away, with a great company of lords who were very wonderfully clad and armed according to the custom of their country, and very well mounted. They say that the King is a great lord, both in lands and revenue. He was of the age before mentioned, of a pleasant face, and very valiant. I wished also to see the city of Cracow, which is the chief city of his Kingdom, but it was not possible. Nor was I able to witness a tiger (bear ?) hunt, which is the most remarkable thing to be seen in these parts. The beats are very wild and fierce, and very fleet-footed, and it is a great sport which cannot be undertaken without many men and dogs, and the flesh is good to eat.

I took leave of the King of Poland and returned to the Emperor at Breslau. Speaking one day about my experiences, he asked me how I had fared in Germany, and I had to tell him that Duke Stephen had imprisoned me in the Rhineland, whereat he was much incensed, and said that the Castilians did not deserve such treat- ment, since he knew well how many favours the Germans had received from the King of Spain and his people. He told me, further, that before he was married he had proposed to visit Spain. The next day, as I was at dinner with the Bishop of Burgos, the Emperor's Hungarian herald entered, whom I had already en countered with the admiral Don Fadrique, and who was known as Tusol. He brought a silver-gilt cup in which were some 300 florins, which the Emperor sent, saying that I must pardon him that he could not show me greater liberality, but that the time and place were not favourable. I returned answer that I thanked him greatly for what he sent me, but that I must return the money, as I had sufficient for my needs, and it would be a burden to me to take it. I said also that if I had been without money, I would not only have accepted it, but, indeed, I should have asked for it, knowing well his great generosity, and with this the herald left me. The Bishop of Burgos was greatly pleased with my answer, and related the affair after wards to King Juan in my presence.

It is seldom that a day passes at this court without a contest, the parties having sharpened lances and steel helmets and shields, but they are all so used to the practice and so skilful that there is no more danger than in a contest with jousting lances. The city of Breslau is very large, greater than Seville, and very populous, It belongs to the Bishop of Silesia, who is the greatest prelate in those parts. Besides his great revenues, the number of men he can place in the field of battle is most remarkable. The country is as cold in comparison with Lower Germany, as Germany is in comparison with Castile. The chimneys and stoves do not give sufficient warmth; but there is another kind of stove for heating which they use. They make a fire beneath an upstairs room, and in the floor are covered holes, and they place seats above, also with holes in them. The people then sit down on those seats and unstop the holes, and the heat rises between the legs to each one. So cold is the city that the Emperor and his courtiers go about the streets seated in wooden vehicles like threshing machines. These are drawn by horses shod with iron in the manner of the country, and so they are dragged through the streets. Others go in carriages drawn by eight or ten horses. These carriages are entirely closed with awnings, and they fix braziers to them. Thus they go from their houses to the palace or wherever they wish. No one with any money rides on horseback for fear of falling, for the streets are like glass owing to the continual frosts, and many go on foot. Everyone attends church at midnight, even the children, and the people are very devoted to the Mass. They fortify themselves by taking great quantities of food and drink, a custom which to us seems stranger than anything else. I believe that more money is expended here upon furs and spices than in half the world besides. The people are very wealthy, having much silver, and as they do not keep many servants and have large revenues and great wealth, they live very well. The Emperor Albert was a man of sovereign virtue, a good Christian and devout, as well in the hearing of divine offices, as in the acts of piety which he did. He was honest in his bearing and very continent, an open and vigorous knight. It was due to him alone, when he was Duke, that the Bohemians did not penetrate into Germany, for the Emperor Sigismund made little resistance, being a Bohemian by birth, for which reason he did not march against them.

Departure from Breslau.-,7ourney to Vienna.-Tafur is attacked by the way.-Yienna.-The Empress Elizabeth..-Buda.-Neuladt. -Duke Frederick of Austria.-The Carnic Alps.-Friuli, Treviso.-Padua.

I NOW asked the Emperor if it would please him to give me licence to depart, as I desired to return to Castile since the King, my Master, was taking part in person in the Moorish war, and those who were there requested him to commit me to the care of two of his knights, who were travelling with an escort of 200 horsemen to Vienna. We accordingly departed from Breslau and came with much labour and danger to the Bohemian frontier. We now entered the Margravate of Moravia which belonged to the Emperor Albert, the Emperor Sigismund, his father-in-law, having bestowed it upon him at the time of his marriage, and we found many places wasted and burnt, which the Bohemians, had destroyed. Thus we passed twelve days until we arrived at Vienna, suffering much from ice and frost, and in our route we passed over two rivers which we crossed with our carts on the ice. It was so cold that my teeth almost fell out of my mouth. Without doubt, it is a terrible business to travel through such country in winter. Of the two knights, my companions, one lived in a place belonging to the present Emperor, and the other resided in Vienna, having a house in commission from the Emperor Albert some two leagues outside the city, where he lived with his wife, and when we were two leagues from the city they departed, each one to his place. That one who lived in Vienna asked me to spend some five or six days with him in his house, saying that he would fetch me from the city. He then showed me the way to Vienna and told me where to lodge, and we parted.

I had not gone half a league from there when I was attacked in the way by some unmounted noblemen with intent to rob, but they did not succeed in their plan, as I and my people had good horses. So we escaped and arrived at Vienna, and put up at the inn which had been recommended, but no sooner had I sat down to eat than those very noblemen appeared who had attacked me, and I recognized one of them immediately. I asked them how they could behave thus, and they told me that they were poor noblemen, and had to rob for a living. I replied that I also was noble and poor, and moreover a stranger in their midst, and that my needs were equally great. Then they craved pardon and offered to go and seek for money so that they could give me entertainment. But I thanked them and made them sit down with me, and gave them money with which they were greatly pleased, and they accompanied me on most of the days that I was in the city.

Vienna is situated on the river Danube and is very large, about the same size as Cordova. The houses, both inside and outside, are very beautiful. The streets are pleasant, as are also the churches and inns. The great church is most notable, particularly the tower which was copied from that at Strassburg. The organs. are so large that when they are played the church seems as if it would fall. In this city there are many workpeople of all kinds, and a university for the study of sciences. The Emperor has a very notable palace. The Empress was there, and I visited her, as the Emperor had commanded me to do. She is the daughter of the Emperor Sigismund, a most beautiful lady, and tall. She has a little son, who is now King of Hungary, and two daughters of between eleven and fifteen years of age. I gave her the news of the Emperor, her husband, and told her that peace was concluded between him and the King of Poland, and that the Emperor was preparing to return, at which she was much pleased. She sent for certain of her gentlemen and ordered them to treat me well, and to show me the city and bear me company, which they did. I then took my leave, and although the Emperor had invested me with the Order of the Dragon, she gave me the one she was wearing, since it was, she said, her father's Order, and only she had authority to bestow it.

I remained with these gentlemen and was four days in the city, entertaining myself with them until the knight, who was my travelling companion, sent two squires to me, and I departed and left the palace and betook myself to the place where he awaited me. His house is called Lacsensdorf, and he received me there. But before leaving Vienna I went to see Jorge Voniroc, who had made a vow of arms with Don Fernando de Guivara, and this knight accompanied me those two leagues to the house, where my host made him dine with us before he departed, and that day we had great entertainment. The knight then returned to Vienna and I remained with my host four days, refreshing myself pleasantly after my exertions. I was received there as a familiar, and by the lady of the house as if she had been my own mother. I saw the whole estate, which is among the largest and most splendid I have seen. It is very strong, with rampart and moat, although situated in a plain, and on one side is a great park about a league in extent, where there are wild pigs, deer and other game. A river runs through it and the thickets rise on either side. In this palace the Emperor keeps armourers, and swords and bows and arrows, suits of mail, and many other things wonderful to behold. The knight and his lady gave me presents, she linen, and he a sword, spurs and gilded stirrups, and so I took my leave of them. I asked that knight to send one of his squires with me to Buda, a city of Hungary, three days' journey from there. I departed with this squire, and travelling along the Danube, we entered Hungary, which is very extensive and well populated, with great strongholds on the German frontier.

We arrived at Buda, a city as great as Valladolid, and the Danube flows by it. It is the greatest city in Hungary and has many workpeople, but it is not so cleanly as the German cities. The inhabitants are somewhat gross, which comes, they say, from their plenty. The Emperor Sigismund improved the city greatly and erected a noble palace there, in which he built a great audience chamber, made like that at Padua, but to me it did not appear to be so magnificent. I departed from there and came to the confines of Hungary, and entered Germany, and came to a city called Neustadt, which signifies New Town, and there I found the present Emperor Frederick, then Duke of Austria, a first cousin of the Emperor Albert, but not so noble a man. He was in the midst of the celebrations attending the marriage of his daughter with that Margrave of Meissen before mentioned, who had defeated the Bohemians. I remained with the Duke, who now is Emperor, a whole week, and there I met again my second travelling companion, who showed me great courtesy, as did also the Duke, with whom I dined daily. A great multitude of people had assembled from Germany for the wedding, not only from among his own household, for he is a great lord, but also his kinsmen and friends. The bride was a gentle lady, and there was much entertainment, but the bridegroom was absent in his country by reason of the war, and they took the bride to him. This Duke, now Emperor, is exceedingly wealthy, but they say that he knows well how to keep what he has. He had returned from Jerusalem a few days before I set out, and he took great pleasure in conversing with me of lands beyond the sea, and I enjoyed myself there with him. I then took leave of the Duke and dismissed the squire who had escorted me to Hungary, and sent him to his master, a day's journey from that place.

I departed from Neustadt, going by lands and cities, towns, and castles of that Duke, who has great possessions, until I arrived at the Alps, which I crossed with great labour and peril on account of the severe frosts, but the passes are all so well populated, and provisions are so plentiful that it is a marvel to behold. All this country has been taken by the Venetians from the Empire, and in those passes and narrow ways they have built towers and gates with which they close them; all which is to further their tyranny. I descended towards Italy, and came to a country which they call Friuli, which belongs by right to the Patriarch of Aquileia, where he had many and great possessions, but the Venetians have taken everything. I saw the Patriarch at the court of the Emperor, where he made complaint about the matter. They say, without doubt, that if the Emperor had not died, the Venetians would have compassed his death with poison, having been apprised of the oath which he swore, that they should be dispossessed of what they had taken by violence. I went now to Treviso, another city which the Venetians had seized. It is a great city and wealthy, situated near the sea about a day's journey from Venice.

I desired to go on at once to Venice, but hearing that the Pope proposed to leave Ferrara for Florence, I hurried on in order to arrive first, and came to Padua. This city is about as big as Seville and very rich and a great trading centre. It is close to the sea, about half a day's journey from Venice. This also the Venetians took from the lord of Carrara, which was his patrimony, and he, too, was with the Emperor com- plaining of the Venetians. I learnt that the Pope would not leave for five or six days, and I remained at Padua three days, and, indeed, there is much to see there. It possesses a very remarkable university, among the best in the Christian world, also a magnificent and very wealthy monastery where lie the bodies of St. Anthony of Padua and St. Luke the Evangelist, which is a notable place of pilgrimage and devotion. In the centre of the city there is a great hall which is twice as big as any I have seen. The roof is covered with lead and the interior with Milanese metal work; the ceiling is blue, finely painted at intervals with golden stars. In the centre there are bars of iron like beams, adorned with great gilt apples, and it is all painted with the history of the world from the Creation to the Advent. They say that the painting cost more than 40,000 ducats. Round the hall are seats of wood, and there they administer justice, and outside there are porticoes. The hall has four doors, on each of which are sculptured marbles. Two of them commemorate men of science of that city, namely Titus Livius, the historian, and Magister Pedro d' Abano, a great necromancer, who was burnt there by the Friars Minor for doing strange and wonderful things, such as drawing straightway to the harbour of Venice the ships of Contantinople, and other matters falling within the province of witchcraft. Beneath this hall they have erected shops for those that make clothes and shoes. From these it is possible to see how great the hall is, for although the city is very extensive, all these tradespeople are housed there. The city has some very ancient buildings. They say it was built by Antenor after the destruction of Troy, and, indeed, its buildings are of great antiquity. On the day of my arrival justice was executed upon a native of Padua, who had murdered a knight of Catalonia, named Mosen Villafranca, who was his guest.

Ferrara.-The Pope leaves for Florence.-Venice.-A great engineering feat. Vicenza.- Verona.-Florence.-The Pope and the Emperor. -Pisa.-Bologna.-Venice.

I LEFT Padua and travelled along the canals, and since that country is very close to Venice, they collect the water into lakes, some of fresh and some of salt water, but these lakes have a very evil smell, and they call them the marshes, and when in speaking the Italians wish to refer to anything as noxious or stinking, they liken it to those marshes. On drawing near to Ferrara, they told me that the Pope was wishful to depart, and it was so, and on arrival I found the Pope preparing to set out for Florence. As soon as I arrived I waited on the Emperor of the Greeks, who rejoiced greatly to see me again, and I saw also the Pope's progress which was in this wise. All the archbishops, bishops, and other prelates and clergy, went on foot in procession with the crosses. Then followed the cardinals on horseback, staffs in hand, in order of precedence, and after them came twelve horses with crimson trappings, one bearing the umbrella, one the chair and another the cushion, and so on until the end. The last horse was covered with brocade, and on a rich silver saddle was a casket containing the Blessed Sacrament. This horse had a silver bell, and two prelates led it by the reins. Then came the Pope himself, upon a horse with crimson trappings. He was vested as for Mass, wearing a bishop's mitre and giving his blessing on one side and the other, while men cast coins into the street, so that those who picked them up might gain pardons. This was done to prevent the crowds from pressing upon the Pope, whose horse was led by the Marquis of Ferrara and the Count of Urbino.

It was rumoured that the Duke of Milan was lying in wait to capture the Pope, so that the Marquis escorted him that day to a hermitage a mile from there with a great company of armed men, making it seem that the Pope was travelling with troops to one of his cities, where he had arranged great festivities. But in fact he rode with him in a different direction, and in two days brought him safely to Florence. They say that for this service, and others that the Marquis did, the Pope reduced the tribute payable by the Marquisate to 3,000 ducats, and confirmed all its privileges, as appears in the Bull which the Marquis had engraved in stone and set up in the great church at Ferrara. I remained two days in Ferrara and desired to depart, and I could not do otherwise than go to Florence, for all the banks were closed and the bankers had gone away.

The Emperor desired to take me with him, but I departed, and leaving my horses at Ferrara to bait, I went to Venice to see after my goods and rest, while my horses refreshed themselves at Ferrara. The Emperor left the next day, and I remained at Venice, and was as well placed as if I had been in my own house, and I was very grateful to my friend, the merchant, whom I had entrusted with my property, for, indeed, I could not have left it in better hands. He was preparing to depart for Seville, and I asked him if he would ship my goods for me, except the money which I retained, and he did me this good office as willingly as the first. I remained there with him at Venice until he departed. At this time, while the Pope was holding his court at Brescia, news came that the Duke of Milan had closely invested that city by boats from the lake, in such manner that no provisions could be got in, whereupon the Venetians equipped a galley, and by a cunning contrivance carried it overland and across a mountain, as high as any in Castile, and then brought it down and launched it in the lake, and I think that 100,000 people came to see the feat, and not without reason, for I never saw anything so skilful, however difficult it may be to believe it. When the galley was launched it soon destroyed all the other boats, and no others dared to come, and it succoured the city, and the siege was raised, although the Milanese prided themselves they had already taken it. I went to see the Duke of Milan's men who were there, with Nicolao Picherino, their chief captain, and a very fine army it was. I now departed and came to Vicenza, a pleasant city of the Venetians; thence I reached Verona, likewise a Venetian city. It is large and rich though thinly populated, and very ancient. They report that it was built by Roman exiles, who named it Veroma, which is to say: "Lo! another Rome," and indeed many Roman remains may be seen there to prove the resemblance. I then returned to Venice and remained there two days, after which I left for Florence, where I found the Pope and the Emperor, and I collected my money. I remained there eight days marvelling at the city, which is one of the most wonderful in Christendom, wonderful alike in size, as in wealth and government. It is ruled by individuals who are elected each month by lot, and the lot may fall on shoemaker or nobleman alike, but nevertheless the government could not be bettered. Florence is full of delightful houses, excellent streets and inns, and it is very cleanly and well ordered, with magnificent churches and monasteries. Its hospitals are unequalled in the world. There is one for men and one for women, so clean and well ordered and provisioned that if it happens that a king or prince falls sick, he straightway leaves his house and goes there in order to be nursed. Moreover, there are pardons for those who live in them, and plenary indulgence for those who die there. Who can measure the good work which is done in these hospitals ? Each sick person is lodged according to his station, but the treatment is the same for all. In what will so wise a people not do well ? Indeed, Florence has ever produced great and valiant men in science, and it is so to this day.

The great church of this city is very notable. There are also wonderful buildings, particularly the tower at the door of the church, which is adorned almost to the top with marble statues. There is a great square in front, and in the centre is a very great church worked with mosaics within, and covered with lead without. They call it the church of St. John the Baptist. In it is a great baptismal font, as well as an altar where they say Mass, and high up are suspended the banners of all the cities which belong to Florence and are governed by her; for by good government she has gained much territory, and even the city of Pisa, to which Florence was once subject, but now her lords hold it in their hands.

This city of Pisa, they say, owned at one time the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, with vast provinces on the mainland. But once a ship passed which carried a cardinal and certain prelates, ambassadors from the Pope to the King of France, without giving the accustomed salute. Thereupon the Pisans flew to arms, and captured and burnt the ship, and the Pope, when he heard of it, was so incensed that he ordered war to be declared and proclaimed a crusade against them, and did them great damage. But on the entreaty of certain kings and princes, the Pope made an end of his wrath, on condition that the culprits should be absolved if they set out and captured the Holy City. Then the Pisans prepared a great fleet and passed over the seas, and took Jerusalem with its dependencies, and remained there some time, but finally they found it was too costly to retain the city and they sold it, from which act all their evils are believed to have come. It is to be doubted if there is now a single natural-born Pisan in the city. They had also to pull down their buildings, and, further, as a mark of dishonour, to wear their helmets reversed. Thus they are disdained by all men and are subjugated to those who were their servants.

It is said that when they captured Jerusalem, the Venetians and Genoese were also there, and after the city was taken they divided the treasure which they found into three parts. In one they placed the Holy Grail, which is made of a single emerald, in the second they placed two columns, in which each one can foresee the evils which are to befall him and whatever he desires, and in the third they placed the treasure. They then threw lots, and the Holy Grail fell to Genoa, where it now is, as I myself have seems the columns, with the city of Jerusalem, came to the Pisans, which columns they brought to Pisa, and Venice took the treasure which is the foundation of all its wealth, but the columns which were brought to Pisa lost their virtue when Jerusalem was sold.

There is a very notable church and a cloister, the soil of which is from the holy field at Jerusalem, which was purchased with the thirty pieces of silver. It is called here in Pisa the Campo Santo. They say that bodies interred here do not endure more than thirty days, as the earth consumes them. Without doubt, Pisa was formerly a great place. Its harbour is a river which reaches to the city, and the galleys enter and go out there. But Leghorn, which is close at hand, is the principal harbour for galleys and ships.

I departed from Florence, and came to a town which they call Firenzuola. It is in the mountains of Pistoia, and it was there that Hannibal won the battle of Cannae. Close to Firenzuola, surrounded by a river, is a field, all burnt, and if they throw wood in, it is consumed at once, but no fire appears nor anything that burns, which is a great marvel. I climbed those mountains, which are very rugged although well populated, and came to the great and famous city of Bologna. From there I travelled to Ferrara, and took my horses which I had left there at bait, and they had grown very fat, and I sold them and returned to Venice. Here I stayed a month waiting for a ship, and finally I found one which was bound for Sicily, and I collected all that I had and went on board.

The homeward journey.-Ravenna.-Brindisi.-The Straits of Messina. -The Sirens. Lipari Inlands.-Palermo.-Syracuse.-Moune Etna.-Tunis.-Sardinia.

DEPARTING from Venice we coasted along Italy to a city called Ravenna, a very ancient place, and from there we came to Rimini which belongs to the Count of Urbino da Malatesta. We then went to Pesaro and Fano, two fine cities, and arrived at last at Ancona, which is of the patrimony of the Church. We sailed thence for the port of Brindisi, which is as fine, or finer, than any I have seen. It is in the territory of Apulia, which they call Tierra di Lavoro. The next day we departed, and after doubling the Cape of Spartivento, and sailing to the right, as we had a favourable wind, we came that evening to the island of Sicily, and we lay out at sea until the following day. We then came with good weather through the Straits, leaving Calabria, which is in the Kingdom of Naples, on the right, and Sicily on the left, and after much labour, by reason of the strong currents thereabouts, we anchored at the city of Messina. These Straits, according to the poets, were the home of the Sirens. They say that Naples and the island of Sicily were at one time joined together and formed one country, and that an earthquake broke off this island. Here the sea is deeper than anywhere else.

They say, also, that there is a species of fish in these parts, formed like a woman from the waist upwards, and below like fish, and these creatures live in the depths where the first movements of the wind can be noticed, and when they feel the motion, if it is very strong, they know that a great storm is brewing, and they show themselves on the face of the waters, singing a song. They say that to hear it is certain death. It is a sad song, lamenting the fate of those to whom they appear. Death comes to all who hear it, because they sing only when the storm rages mightily and none can escape, except by a miracle. The port of Messina has very deep water, so that a great ship can ride at anchor with its bowsprit on land. It is closed by a spit of land which looks like an artificial mole. At one end is a monastery of Greek monks, and at the other end is the dockyard. The city has many large buildings and is very ancient, and the poets, orators and his- torians of old wrote much concerning it, especially in the First Punic War. It is sufficiently well walled and there are beautiful gardens within and without, and it is well watered. Although it is now somewhat sparsely inhabited, one can see that it was once a great city. Over against it, towards Calabria, there is a place called Reggio, and the Straits are so wide that on a clear day it is only just possible to see a man riding on horseback on the beach on the other side.

I left Messina and came to Patti, a small town in the same island, and there in front is the island of Vulcano, which, they say, is one of the three mouths of Hell, because it throws up smoke continually, with noise of thunder, and large quantities of scoria, which latter are so light that they float on the water. Close by is another opening which they call Stromboli, as furious as the other. Adjoining is an island. which they call Lipari. It is a small place, and by reason of the smoke from Stromboli, those that live there suffer much from their eyes. It is the chief seat of a bishop ric. I saw there, as I was trying to land, the biggest fish I have ever beheld. It was as large as a very great tower. We rode there that day as our ship could make no headway on account of the great calm. A large Moorish galley with two small ones was cruising about and drew near us, but did not venture to attack us; so we passed that day until Vespers, when a fresh wind sprang up and filled the sails, and we sailed all that night, and the next day at dawn we drew near to Monte Pelegrino, which is above the harbour of Palermo. We anchored in the harbour and came on shore, as the captain had business there, and we remained for six days.

Palermo is as large as Seville, and since the King of Aragon made war on Naples, the city has been much enlarged, and there are now more inhabitants. It is the chief place of traffic in the island. It is the seat of an archbishopric. The cathedral is about two miles distant from the town, and in it they crown and bury the kings of those parts. It is a magnificent church, most richly adorned, and it has the finest mosaics of any I have seen in Latin countries. It is called Monreale. The city of Palermo is very wealthy on account of its trade. It is well provided with all things, and in addition to being in a great country, it is one of the largest cities there. It is remarkable for its sugar canes. Monte Pellegrino is a very high mountain, with much water and large pastures. They say that if any beast is likely to die, as soon as they take it to that mountain, in eight days it is well. This city sends large supplies to the King of Aragon at Naples, provisions as well as horses, and they build ships for him called tafareas, which carry sixty horses or more. I departed from Palermo and went to Trapani, which is at the end of the island, a very good harbour. There is a tower there which they call Columbaria, and close by it they fish for coral. It is a pleasant place and well built. Above it is a high mountain which they call Monte Trapani, where lies the body of Anchises, father of Aeneas. We departed and sailed round the island towards the east, and came to Girgenti. Thence we sailed to Syracuse, a pleasant city, belonging to the Queen of Aragon, sister of King Juan, our Master. We next came to Catania which is on the slopes of Mount Etna, the third mouth of Hell. Here we took in cargo, and three days later we sailed for Sardinia, but as we drew out to sea an east wind from Greece arose and carried us towards Tunis. After sailing a day and a night, the next day at three o'clock we came to Cape Blanco, the port of Tunis. I desired much to go on shore to see the town, but the captain would not suffer it, as he intended leaving at once. The harbour of Tunis is very shallow so that ships cannot enter it, and they unload their cargoes into light boats. We remained there one day, and then sailed for two days and nights, and came to the island of Sardinia, which belongs to the King of Aragon, and entered the port of Cagliari, which is a fine place. We discharged our merchandise and remained there two days. This island is very unhealthy, having bad air and bad water . . . . (Here the narrative breaks off)