Ancona.
In our way from Bologna to this place, we passed through Ravenna, a
disagreeable town, though at one period the seat of empire; for, after
Attila had left Italy, Valentinian chose Ravenna, in preference to
Rome, for his residence, that he might always be ready to repel the
Huns and other Barbarians, who poured from the banks of the Danube,
and prevent their penetrating into Italy. The same reason afterwards
induced Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths, to keep his court at this
city of Ravenna, after he had defeated and killed Odoacer, and assumed
the title of King of Rome. The ruins of his palace and his tomb now form
part of the antiquities of Ravenna; among which I shall not detain you
a moment, but proceed to the river of Pisatello, the famous Rubicon,
which lies between this town and Rimini, and was the ancient boundary
between Italy and Cisalpine Gaul. No Roman, returning to Rome, could pass
in arms beyond this, without being deemed an enemy to his country. The
small town of Cesenate is situated near this brook, and the inhabitants
value themselves not a little upon their vicinity to so celebrated a
neighbour. But the people of Rimini have had the malice to endeavour to
deprive them of this satisfaction: they affirm, that the rivulet Lusa,
which is farther removed from Cesenate, and nearer to themselves, is the
true Rubicon. I have considered this controversy with all the attention
it merits; and I am of opinion, that the pretensions of Pisatello, which
is also called Rugone, are the best founded. That you may not suspect my
being influenced in my judgment by any motives but those of justice, I
beg leave to inform you, that it is a matter of no importance to me which
of the rivers is the real Rubicon, for we had the honour of passing
_both_ in our way to Rimini.
What Suetonius mentions concerning Cæsar’s hesitation when he arrived at
the banks of this river, does not agree with what the historian says a
little before. Quidam putant captum Imperii consuetudine, pensitatisque
suis & inimicorum viribus, usum occasione rapiendæ dominationis, quam
ætate prima concupisset. And this, he adds, was the opinion of Cicero,
who says, that Cæsar had often in his mouth this verse:
Nam si violandum est jus, regnandi gratia
Violandum est, aliis rebus pietatem colas.
It is most probable, that Cæsar took his resolution to cross the Rubicon
as soon as Antony and Curio arrived in his camp, and afforded him a
plausible pretext, by informing him and the army of the violent manner
in which they had been driven from Rome by the Consul Lentulus and the
adherents of Pompey. As for the phantom, which Suetonius informs us
determined the Dictator while he was yet in hesitation, we may either
consider it intirely as a fiction, or as a scene previously arranged by
himself to encourage his army, who may be supposed to have had scruples
in disobeying a decree of the Senate; which declared those persons
sacrilegious and parricides, devoting them at the same time to the
infernal gods, who should pass over this river in arms. Cæsar was not of
a character to be disturbed with religious scruples; he never delayed an
enterprise, we are told, on account of unfavourable omens. Ne religione
quidem ulla a quoquam incepto absterritus unquam vel retardatus est. Quum
immolanti aufugisset hostia, profectionem adversus Scipionem & Jubam non
distulit, &c. &c.
This hesitation, therefore, which is mentioned both by Suetonius and
Plutarch, has no resemblance with the ambitious and decisive character
of Julius Cæsar; the picture which Lucan has drawn of him has much more
spirit, and in all probability more likeness.
Cæsar ut adversam superato gurgite ripam,
Attigit, Hesperiæ vetitis & constitit arvis,
Hic, ait, hic pacem, temerataque jura relinquo;
Te, Fortuna, sequor; procul hinc jam fœdera sunto.
Credidimus fatis, utendum est judice bello.
Sic fatus, noctis tenebris rapit agmina ductor
Impiger, & torto Ballaris verbere fundæ
Ocyor, & missa Parthi post terga sagitta;
Vicinumque minax invadit Ariminum—
Though Rimini is in a state of great decay, there are some monuments of
antiquity worthy the attention of the curious traveler. It is the ancient
Ariminum, the first town of which Cæsar took possession after passing
the Rubicon. In the market-place there is a kind of stone pedestal, with
an inscription, declaring, that on it Cæsar had stood and harangued his
army; but the authenticity of this is not ascertained to the satisfaction
of antiquarians.
We next passed through Pesaro, a very agreeable town, better built and
paved than the other towns we have seen on the Adriatic shore. In the
market-place there is a handsome fountain, and a statue of Pope Urban
the Eighth, in a sitting posture. In the churches of this town there are
some pictures by Baroccio, a painter, whose works some people esteem very
highly, and who is thought to have imitated the manner of Raphael and the
tints of Correggio, not without success. He lived about the middle of
the sixteenth century, and his colours seem to have improved by time. I
say, seem; for, in reality, all colours lose by time: but the operation
of sun and air on pictures bringing all the colours to a kind of unison,
occasions what is called Harmony, and is thought an improvement on some
pictures. This road, along the Adriatic coast, is extremely pleasant.
From Pesaro we proceeded to Fano, a little town, of nearly the same size,
but more populous. It derives its name from a Temple of Fortune [Fanum
Fortunæ], which stood here in the time of the Romans. All the towns of
Italy, however religious they may be, are proud of their connections with
those celebrated heathens. An image of the Goddess Fortune is erected on
the fountain in the market-place, and the inhabitants show some ruins,
which they pretend belong to the ancient Temple of Fortune; but what
cannot be disputed, are the ruins of a triumphal arch in white marble,
erected in honour of Augustus, and which was greatly damaged by the
artillery of Pope Paul the Second, when he besieged this town in the year
1463. The churches of this town are adorned with some excellent pictures;
there is one particularly in the cathedral church, by Guercino, which is
much admired. The subject is the marriage of Joseph: it consists of three
principal figures; the High Priest, Joseph, and the Virgin.
A few miles beyond Fano, we crossed the river Metro, where Claudius
Nero, the Roman Consul, defeated Asdrubal, the brother of Hannibal.
This was, perhaps, the most important victory that ever was gained by a
Roman General; for, had Asdrubal been victorious, or been able to effect
a junction with his brother, the troops he brought from Spain would
have become of triple value as soon as they were under the direction
of Hannibal; and it is not improbable that, with such a reinforcement,
that most consummate General would have put an end to the Roman State;
the glory of Carthage would have begun where that of Rome ended; and the
history of the world would have been quite different from what it is.
Horace seems sensible of the infinite importance of this victory, and
proclaims with a fine poetic enthusiasm, the obligations which Rome owed
to the family of the hero who obtained it, and the terror which, before
that time, Hannibal had spread over all Italy.
Quid debeas, O Roma, Neronibus,
Testis Metaurum flumen, et Asdrubal
Devictus, et pulcher fugatis
Ille dies Latio tenebris,
Qui primus almâ risit adoreâ;
Dirus per urbes Afer ut Italas,
Ceu flamma per tedas, vel Eurus
Per Siculas equitavit undas.
We came next to Senegallia, another sea-port town upon this coast.
There is nothing remarkable in this town, except during the time of the
fair, which is held there once a year, to which a great concourse of
merchants resort, from Venice, and all the towns on both sides of the
Adriatic; also from Sicily, and the Archipelago. England carries on a
very profitable trade with all the towns in Romagnia, from which our
merchants purchase great quantities of raw silk, and afterwards sell it,
when manufactured, to the inhabitants. They provide them also in English
cotton and linen cloths, of every kind.
The distance between Senegallia and Ancona, is about fifteen miles.
We travelled most of this road after it was dark, much against the
inclination of the Italian servants, who assured us, that it is often
infested with robbers. Those fellows, they told us, come sometimes from
the coast of Dalmatia, attack travellers on this road, carry what booty
can be got, on board their boats, which are never at a great distance,
and then sail to the opposite shore, or to some other part of the coast.
As we travelled slowly over the sandy road, some men, in sailors dresses,
overtook us. Our Italians were convinced they belonged to the gang of
pirates, or robbers, they had spoken of. Our company was too numerous to
be attacked; but they attempted, secretly, to cut off the trunks from the
chaises, without succeeding.