P AST AND P RE SENT

REV .
J . WO O D BR O W N ,
MA
. . .

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B U I LD E R S o r F L O R E N C B
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Ab r uo x O F T HE
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WI TH Mr? P S {4 1405 113 4 710

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N EW YO R K
SO N S
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C H A RLES SC R IBN E R S

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 FI L I A E

U N I CA E

QU O D

B ASC E P A GIN A S
’

D O CT I S P ER CU R R EN S SZI G L A D I GI T I S
‘
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P R EL uM C O N O I N N A V IT
-

G R AT O A N I MO
D ED I CA I
' ' ‘
 viii Fl o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
1
mys te ry of t h e n a m e a n d r es id e n c e o f the s u ffe r e r ,

T h i s r e c e n t r e p ort i n i t s a gr ee m e n t w ith t h a t giv e n

,

to m e m ay be t a k e n to s h o w t h at h e re is n o p as s i n g
,

fre ak o f a d i s ord e re d br ai n but s om e t h i n g w h ic h h as

,

b e com e a re curre n t a n d e s t abli s h e d h a bit u n d e r t h e

m ad n es s t h at h a s provok e d it L et us co m e to t h e .

re p ut e d fact s of t h e c as e .

T h e s u ffe re r h a s fit s of r e s tl e s s n e s s w h ic h r e p e a t
t h e m se lv e s e v e ry fe w w e e k s At t h e s e tim es h i s
.

a tt e n d a n t s h u m our h i s wi s h to be a lo n e but s ti l l ,

k e e p h i m u n d e r ob s e rv atio n i n h i s w a n d e ri n g s
a mo n g t h e tre e s of t h e p a rk : A s t h e y t h u s w a tc h
u n s ee n w h at t h e y s ee i s s tr an g e en oug h
,
T he i r .

c h a rg e se at s h im s e l f o n t h e grou n d a n d s e e k s for
s to n e s I f h e d o es n o t fin d w h at h e w an t s —for h e
.

i s p a rticul a r i n t h e c h oic e —h e wi l l c h i p o n e p e bbl e

o n an ot h e r ti ll h e h as got w h a t s u it s h i s purp o s e .

T h e n h old i n g a s to n e i n e a c h h an d a n d u s i n g qu ick
, ,

s trok e s of e dg e u p o n e dg e h e accom p li s h e s w it h
,

i n cre d i bl e d e xte rity t h e tri m m i n g of h i s b ea rd a n d

h a ir .

I a m told t h at m a n y o f t h e mo s t e x act t h i n k e r s i n
s ci en c e d e n y t h e tr a n s m i s s io n o f a cqui r e d h a bit s by

s h ee r i n h e rit a n c e from fa t h e r to s o n Stil l l e s s o n e .

,

s e es would t h e y t h e n a llow t h a t s uc h a n i n h e rit a n c e

,

cou ld li e dorm a n t t h roug h cou n tl es s g e n e ra tio n s to

r e viv e at l as t i n a re mote d e s c e n d a n t Y e t it m ig h t .

be di fficult to e x p l a i n t h i s s tory u n l e s s i n a w a y

1
Mil an J une
'
'
Corn ’
cre (I d /a S ara , , 4th 19 10
.
 Pre face ix

i n vol vi n g t h a t s ci en tific h e r esy W a s it i n v e n te d ?

.

W a s a m e re t a l e twice told at an i n t e rv al of t e n
y e a rs s o a s to t a lly i n all i m port a n t p a rticul a r s ?
H a rd ly .

W h at h a ve w e t h e n ? Sur e ly it w as th u s t h at
m e n work e d s to n e s a n d u s e d t h e m i n t h e p r e h i s toric
p as t T h e p a rticul a r p re s e n t migh t be e x p l a i n e d
.

w e r e w e fre e to s u p p o se t h a t i n s an ity h ad h e re
di s cov e re d an d d e v e lop e d i n h e rit e d bra i n i m p re s
s io n s co n n e cti n g wit h h i s cou n tl e s s an c es tor s of t h e

S to n e A g e t h e l a te s cio n o f o n e of t h e mo s t u ltra
civi li s e d E uro p e a n s tock s .

To m e at a n y r ate th i s s tory w h i c h I c an n ot bu t
,

b e li e v e h as b e e n a r e v e l a tio n of t h e p r e s e n t as a
,

p o s s ibl e v e h icl e of t h e r e m ot e s t p a s t A s s uc h it
.

n o t o n ly ill u s tr a t e s t h e titl e I h av e c h o s e n for t h i s

book but h as b e e n i n a v e ry r e a l w ay a d e t e rmi n an t

,

o f my t h oug h t i n p rod uci n g it .

T a k e an ot h e r e x a m p l e — an d it s h a l l be o n e wh i c h
i n volv e s l e s s di s p ut abl e e l e m e n t s I n t h e b e gi n n i n g s
.

of I t a li an co m m e rci al l ife lo n g b e for e our e ra

,

o p e ne d t h e fir s t fi gur e i m p re s s e d o n I t a li a n coi n a g e
,

w a s o n e w h ic h i s v a riou s ly i n t e r p r e t e d as t h e b ack
bo n e o f a fis h or t h e bran c h of a tr e e wit h i t s twig s
,
.

T h i s i s fou n d o n t h e e a rli es t e x a m p l e s of t h e a es
s zgn a zum a n d P rofe s s or P a i s h as wit h muc h p l a u s 1
‘

, ,

bi li ty s u pp o s e d it t h e c a n ti n g s ig n of S p i n a ; t h at
,

n ort h e r n e m p orium of tr ad e s et i n t h e m a r s h e s by

t h e mouth of t h e P o a n d bu s y wit h s h i p s i n t h e d ay s
x F l o re n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t
wh en I t aly an d Gree c e w e r e bou n d by com m e rci a l
r el atio n s whic h m ad e t h e m e ffe ctiv e ly o n e from t h e
Al ps an d t he B al k an s to S icily an d C re te 1 .

N ow go to N ap l e s an d com e i n to touch with th e

C a morra Y o u h av e o n ly to h ire a c a b th e re an d a
. ,

h u n dr e d to on e s om e p e rc e n t a ge of w h a t you p ay
will p ass i n to t he h an d s of t h e con ta bz le of t h e gre a t
'

se cre t s oci ety T h i s o ffic e r lik e a ll i n c h arg e of t h e

.
,

C amorr a w ears a d i s ti n c tive s ig n of h i s o ffic e

,

t attooe d o n h i s arm 2 I t i s t h e pre s e n t w e are

.

d eali n g with re m e mb e r : vouc h e d for by t h e blood

,

th at flow e d wh e n t h e m a rk w as prick e d an d
pou n c ed t he bl ood t h at b eat s u n d e r it s til l .

Y et t h e m ark i s t h e ol d s ig n of t h e sp i n al t h e ,

bran c h wit h i t s t w ig s u se d i n t h e old s e n se

too for it d i s ti n gu i sh e s t h e m an w h o t ak e s t he
,

mo ney and k e e p s t h e a ccou n t s By w h at s ucc es .

s io n h as t h i s h i e roglyp h fou n d i t s w ay from t h e

tim es o f i t s fi r s t i n ve n tio n to our o w n ? W e c an n ot

te ll i n thi s c as e a n y m ore t h an i n t h e l as t ; i n
thi s as i n t h e oth e r it i s as i f i n te rve n i n g ages h ad
s im ply d i s ap p e a r e d for w h a t l i e s l a t e n t i n t h e fact s
,

of t he pr e se n t i s t h e r e mot e p a s t of forgotte n ti m e .

So th e n from t h e fol l o wi n g c h apte r s th e whol e

Flore n ti n e Middl e A g e will be fou n d to d rop out .

H e re t h e re will be n o qu e s ti o n o f t he ri se of t h e
1
E . Pi
a s,
‘ ’
L O ri gi n e d eg li E tru sch i ,
’
in ii .
p p 49
.
.

P
8 7( i sa ,
9
Se e rt i l e i
a c n L a L ett um (M il an ,
p 309
. .
 P re fac e xi

Com mu n e t h e progr e s s of t h e A rti or t h e s pl en did

, . ,

fate ful d a y s o f t h e M e dici Suc h p e riod s and

move m e n t s h av e e m p loy e d ot h e r an d abl e r p en s ,

an d t h e gr ea t pict ur e t h e y com o s e mu s t be s oug h t

p
e l s e w h e re for thi s book m a k e s n o pre te n c e to
,

fu r n i s h an yt h i n g i n i t s P a s t an d P re se n t bu t t he
,
‘
,
’

fra m e to th at m as te rp i e c e I t s writ e r fee l s h a ppy

.

i n t h e t h oug h t t h a t m an y a m an w h o c an n ot p a i n t a

p i cture m ay y e t h e l p to m a k e t h e fr a m e for it T he .

re ad e r i f h e re an d t h e re h e be te m p t e d to co n d e m n
,

d e t ail s as trivi al a n d to c a ll fan c i fu l t h e use m ad e o f

,

the m m ay r e m e mb e r th at it i s j u s t t h i s ki n d of
,

w ork —t h e com mo n e s t m a t e ri a l i n a fan ciful d e s ig n

—w h ic h m ak e s a fr a m e truly Flore n ti ne .

Flor e n ti n e or n o t t h e fra m e mu s t fi t ; th e pictu re

,

c an n ot be forgott e n by t h e fra m e m ak e r ev en th oug h

,

it i s n o t h i s bu s i n e s s to m e ddl e d ir e ctly with it .

N ow l ea vi n g t h e figur e t h i s i s as muc h as to s ay
, ,

t h at t h e great p e rio d o f Fl ore n c e c an n ot e v en h e re

be a ltoge t h e r n e gl e c t e d ; it i s i n tim e t h e m iddl e
te rm an d i n e ffe ct t h e touc h s to n e of truth as r e g ard s
, ,

t h e P a s t a n d P r e s e n t of t h i s book
‘ ’
. May I poi n t
ou t t he n a cruc i a l c as e i n w h ic h thi s tes t s p e ak s i n
fa vour of t h e fol lowi n g c h a p t e rs ? T h e y will s h ow
t h at it w as n o t l e ft fo r t h e d ay s of a C h ri s ti an ity
a l r e a dy corru pt to p r e t en d for t h e fi rs t tim e a d e bt

o f Fl ore n c e to R om e r a th e r t h an to Gree c e ; t hat

t h e C h u rc h i n t h us r e v e r s i n g t h e truth by h e r tr adi

t io n o n ly co n ti n u e d wh at h ad b e e n t h e p ol icy of the
x ii F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
U rb s from p ag an d ay s an d th at i n r e a l i ty Flore n c e
’
,

w as Gr e e k r a t h e r t h a n Rom a n Gr e e k from th e fi r s t
a n d Gr e e k s til l i n h e r e s s e n ti a l s p irit Th u s th e .

w o n d e r of h e r gr e a te s t mov e m en t — t h e R e n a i s s an c e
— ga i n s n e w m e a n i n g i n t h i s n e w s e tti n g T h e .

p a s s io n for G r ee k i n t h e fi ft e e n th c e n tury the ,

s udd e n s ucc e s s of s u c h s tudy th e se w e re n o t s o

,

muc h a n e w birt h a s a n aw a k e n i n g i n w h ic h t h e
‘
’

city a ro s e to t h e m e mor y of h e r o w n p as t O r i f w e .
,

s till k e e p t h e word t h a t h a s b e com e cl a s s ic t h i s w as ,

a birt h t h a t p rov e d o n t h e gr a n d s c a l e h o w muc h

may li e l a t e n t i n m an t h rou g h d a rk a g e s an d y e t
s u r e ly p a s s to futur e g e n e r a tio n s to fin d i n t h e m t h e

mom e n t o f i t s n e w a p p e ar a n c e .

I c an n ot cl o s e t h i s p r e fac e b e tt e r t h a n by a wo rd
of h e a rtfe lt t h an k s to all w h o h a v e h e l p e d m e i n m y
d ifficult work To n a m e t h e m s e p a r a t e ly i s i m p o s
.

s ibl e but I m u s t m e n tio n wit h s p e ci a l gr a titud e t h e

,

libr a ri an of t h e B ibl iot e c a Ma ruc e lli a n a C av A ,

. .

Bru s c h i w h o s e ki n d n e s s h a s b ee n u n w ea ri e d as h i s
,

s kil l i s i n v a lu a bl e a n d t h e a ut h oriti e s of t h e Biblio

,

t e c a N a zio n a l e w h o wi th gr e a t cou rt e s y h a v e giv e n

, , ,

m e s p e c i a l fa ciliti e s i n t h e i r S p l e n did e s t a bl i s h m e n t .

To t h e k ee p e r s of t he A rc h a o lo g i c a l M u s e u m i n V i a
Colo n n a to Cav G Ca ro c c i of t h e M u s e o d i S
, . . .

M a rco a n d Cav C N a rdi n i of t h e B ibl iot e c a R i c

, . .

c a rd i a n a I wou ld a l s o e x p r e s s my w arm e s t t h an k s
, .

N or mu s t I fo rg e t t h e ki n d n e s s of r e l a tiv e s a n d o f
e rs o n a l fri en d s — e s e ci a ll y M r W a lt e r A s hburn e r
p p .
 P re fa ce xi i i
—who h av e
b ee n good e n oug h to r e a d my book i n
typ es cri p t an d proof a n d to i m p rov e i t m ate ri al ly
,

by t he corre ctio ns an d s ugg e s tio n s t h ey h av e m ad e .

Comm V A li n ari a n d S i g V J a cqui e r of Floren ce

. . . .

h a ve a l s o a cl a i m o n t h e gr a titud e of my re ad e rs as
w e l l as o n mi ne t h e y h a v e mo s t ki n dly a llowe d th e
re prod uctio n of t h e two e xc e ll e n t p h otograph s whic h
a pp ea r at p a ge s 1 1 I an d 3 2 1 .

16 C O R SO R E G IN A E L E N A ,

FL O R EN C E, c aber 19 10 .
 CO N T E N T S

PA RT I
TH E LI V I N G PA S T
CH A R P AG E
I . TH E V A L D
’
A RNO ,

S tru cture of t he — i
wh i h riv r f ll w V l
A p en n ne c e s o o . o

can i c u ph v l h w p i b l f r ur f l w r r
t r d w d m k fi h r d hu t r —
ea a : o es on s e o co se o o e

A r n o. Wa e an oo a e s e s an n e s a

sca tt re ed po p ul t i wh i h gr w f t d k
a on , w c o s as , an see s a ne

o ut l t
e .

II . FO O D AND MAG I C , 18

H owu t i g tr i t b t i
h n n —wh i h urviv i a ns o a s n enc e c s es n

Fl r t i
o en h bi t f p r i m y
ne V l u f th h t ut
a o a s on . a e o e c es n

and p r i t f th t t { th i i mp l f d
e s s e n ce o e as e or s s e oo .

M d r u p r ti t i u rviv l f th m g i f th
w d —d ri v d fr m th h u t r p u li r k ill T h
o e n s e s on s a s a o e a c o e
’

oo s e e o e n e s ec a s . e

w e re w o lf
v
.

III E AR LY T RA D E 37
b ut—u t h b rd r
. ,

T he gre t c h a—h w it m a ng e o ca e a o o e o e s

an d th i l d en Th h r
n an i t rum t of t r d
. e o se a s a n ns en a e

w i th th r d e quoa T h riv r d t r
as a c on se en ce . e e as a e e

mi nan t f th tr d ut
o Th fi h r e p rt r i
a e ro es . e s e as a a ne n

th e v tur T h G lf li
en e .d G ir tt r t t r d
e o o na an on e a ac a e

an d th r d F r i g t r d r d r w h i th r
e oa . Ev i d
o e n a e s a n e . en ce

of t h ei r p r i th V l d A
esenc e li k i d p i t n e a
’
rn o , a e n e os s

an d u rvivi g p l
s m n ac e na -
es .
XV
xv i Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
CH A I’
. P AG E

IV . T HE S I TE AN D I T S PO W ER , 57
Trad e en c o urages c o mm o n li f e in vill a
ge an d c i ty .

T he i k i g l k d ri i g d p i t f A r
s n n a d M ug e an s n e os s o no an

n on e
p r vi d i t —h w
o f v u r bl t t r d
e a s— tr f e o a o a e o a e ac e s o

earl y u p t i o cc E t p i ti f fir t
a tt l m t
on . x ac os on o s se e en .

H w th o m i r d f ll i h r A lt f t th
e a n oa s e n e e . a ron e e

ori gi l t na ce n re .

V . TH E OU BL E I N HER I TAN C E
D ,
84
T h Fl r t i
e w r tr d r w h h d b h u t r
o en n es e e a e s o a ee n n e s

T h w d l d f mil y—h w i t
.

e oo an pp r i th l l a o a ea s n e o ca

buil d i g form — d i pr v rb r g rd i g y uth d

n an n o e s e a n o an

—
-

ag e d i l g u g g r ll y T h T u
an n ant gu a e e ne a . e s can on e

pr p r d i
e a eth w d d d v l p d
n d h rp e d oo s , an e e o e an s a en e

by tr d T h f i
a e. e r zz o .

VI . TH E V I LL E E L I G I ON
AN D THE R I R , 97
Th e w li f
ne f th tr d r—h w i t br ugh t
e o e a e o o as a

n ecess a ry qu thconseM t ri r h t I d p d
en ce e a a c a e n e en

f th w m — r ti — d
.

en c e o e o
qu
en td v l p ea c on an c o n se en e e o

m t f m uf tur
en o Fi r t u l tu r
an ac f th g r u des . s c e o e o n

o bli g mm u i ty t d ivi d
es c o N w ki d
n d v luo f e . e n an a e o

p pr o r tye A i . d C m t S u
rn na an rviv l — f p ri m i a ar e . a s o

t iv m uf tur — f th rig i l d ivi i

e an ac es f l d
o e o na s on o an s

b tw th vill g T h
e e en ese t d th w t li i
a es . e eas an e es ne n

Fl r o e nc e Th mp i t
. w h r t h i m t t h tr d
e co a e e s ee s e a e

r uto esH um
. ri g h t d r li g i an th ir ul t i m t s , an e on as e a e

s an cti T h g dd
on . d th g d t t h t w
e o r
e s s an e o a e o c o ss

w y T h g m u /um d wh t i t m t —J u —h
a s . e a t ,
an a ean an s t e

b t i g f th b u d T h t
ea n o e fS o T mm
n s e s on e o an o a so

—
.

p ill r a d t r
an th r d m rri g
ee e sac e a a e .

VII . TH E E E L O P MENT O F FL OREN C E

D V , 12 6

Th b u d ry li
e o b m r d d d i r t gr w t h
n a ne eco es a oa , an ec s o

of i ty fr m M r t i
c t oM r t T h E t rue ca no o e ca o e scan s

l —H w t r d d v l p d u d r t h i r ru l
.

at Fi eso e o a e e e o e n e e e
— d—
.

Mi i g f n n pp r f lli g f w
or c o w i d r gri u l tur
e e n o oo e a c e

gi en ri g—dr i i g—bri d g bu il d i g h y d r u li
nee n a n n e v

n a cs

at Fl r C tr f i ty m v w t t t h
o en c e . mi g
en e o c o es es a e co n

of wh l d t r ffi ee e th r d D um a u d C rd c on e oa s . ec an s an a o,

D li ec f E t ru
ne o d ri f R m p w r sc an an se o o an o e .
 Co n te n ts x vi i

PA RT I I
MA T E R I A L S U R VI VA L S
CH A P .
P AG E

VI I I . B OATS AND B OAT M EN , 157

T he bu ild i g f th b t —i t p rt d th i r m
n o e oa s a s an e na es .

S d g t h ri g by b t
an a d eth b k n di ti f oa an on e an con on s o

i d u t ry —i t t i qu i ty Fi h i g—d i ff t t
-

th e n s s an s n eren ne s

F i h i g by i gh t —k i d
.

h w w rk d
o o e f fi h Th s n n n s o s e
—h w h f rm i t
.
.

fi h m
s er —
g u rd di ff r t u
an s
’
o e en ses o e o s .

Th i t v ry ld — l d r t h
s ar
p tt ry i t l f
e o o e an o e se .

IX . TH E ER T RA D E
R IV , 190

Tr d b k —fr m 860—t g d l
ac e ac f G r d D uk o 1 o on o a: o an e
— t t r p rt f C l u m f J u t i
o an s o B t f fift
o th o n o s ce oa s o een

tury—C t h dr l m rbl br ugh t by riv r Fr d m

.

c en a e a a es o e . ee o

of Ar ur d by l w —N rm p ir t t Fl r
n o sec e a o an a es a o en c e

G t h i l gi l t i
o c —R m e w t r r ut i Tu y
s a on o an a e -
o es n scan .

R e aso n o f d li t pr t t t R m i i g tr d
ec ne o e s en s a e . e a n n a e

of l w r Ar o e L i mi t d i t bu il d i g y rd
no Tr e an s n a s a ns

A r —th li f
-
. .

p r t f t i mb r
o o f th
e r ft m on no e e o e a s en

p ri m i t iv w d t r d e T h r ft oo th ri gi f th a e e a as e o n o e

b t—i t d v l pm t t th f rry — d i th bri dg

-
.

oa s e e o en a e e an n e e .

ON OA D
TH E R , 23 2

Fl r ti o en rt —tud i d i th d t il f t h ir p rt
ne ca s s e n e e a o e a s an d

m t ri l
a e Th t m a urviv l f rli r d i t i e ea as a s a o ea e con on s

—h r
.

d tri m mi g f th
a n ess a n rt —b t f burd n o e ca eas s o en

th b rr l d riv fr m th m p t— d h l p
e a e e es o e sa e as an e s to
sh p th a rt e e ca .

AM UL ETS ,
2 58

O r m t f th h r —th y
na en s m u l et
o e a n ess e
‘
e e
’

as a n a

g iv mes i g t th wh l F i tib
ean n d w y f o e o e asc n a n an a s o

—i t ri y— d u d
.

d f t i g i t— by b righ t
e ea n n es s n ca c an so n .

T h y f m gi tr f r
eo r oH w th i f r d tha c a n s e e n ce . o s ea an ese

amul t li k p i t t w d l d p t T h b l
e s a e o n o a oo an as . e car ez z o o

as a c h rm a .

é
X V II I F lo re n c e P a st an d
’
rc s m t

PA R T II I

T l 1IC l’E A S T S

CH A V.

(2
45 mm E V/I N A
A N !) D ,

Y u l l g — ti qu i ty
e -
o f it pp i anti o r e a e
ce o n re t: r
:e

tw l day f d ger T h Calli m rm we w l f

e ve s o an . e ca n l , re o

d v mp i r Fi r th r m dy C mp
t lia—t Fl r — y R m
an a Th R me. e e,
e e . e o an o i

l y u d r I um
M i —
' ‘

a a o en ce na o an on n e an

t
eac hi g n p h p . h gyp ti f
an a er a r
.
-
an o

Ph i g li —h w h h r
a a m i —th t ur f th
o t e o se c o er n c ce n a a o

eq uiv alen t o f Ma n i a . N oi se in (fl e e c e an d It a ly as a

de f
ence . Mask i n g . T he bean aa a mean s o f i mi tat iv e

an d r t t iv m gi W i t h
p o ec e a c . c craft. I rni ta ti m gi
ve a c

b rr w d fr m hu t r th ugh
o o e o n e re c ere rn on i c u o f i i ti t in a on

an d to temi s rn .

X I II . Mi n -
LEV I A M ; h uma n, 3 14

D ay of laxldc ra at y lV I ‘ flI C ‘L
‘
F l fo m o f i e
'
an d ’
ul r rt
i ts mean n g i
S p r ng eq nox p oba . t he i
ue da t e a! ui r bl y tr
t i it
tr di t i f ri gi —
h s ( : a nd of t h e K 23 46 ? F i i c The firt c z re m uuy i n ‘
.
a l

i ts p re sen {tu rn — t at a on o o n si mples t a {all

o f f e by g vi ty fr m py r t py
i r ra o e o re . Fi re by p e r
c u i m
ss d f i ti
r Fi re i
an th t r rc on . n e ee . D e c mnan m a ,

s n u li v
N d f m m ri m bi h
n e. ee s o y .
-
rt s «
the do v e of

ivi i by M m u w r p t d ri tu ll y
wh i c h d s on a na a-n s as e ea e a

v ry y r N m d y f Fl r M th g d dm as
f A rui — l } l t
e e ea . a e -
a o o a I ce -
.
o er o

th eAr na o Cy p i d na a nt a.
’
o r nna . r a n an

S i ili
c ii O
anj u ti f godd ess
I '
d god
fo
. l rr nc l/ n o an “
 C o n te n t s x ix

i f lld l' . PA H “

X IV . t mr G ui
'

. ld .“ Mi n Mn mumw cu , 3 52
'

li n: ( fa m i ne
‘
A ucc nui nn t i tt y ~ myuti c mean ng o f the
nn i
—
r ll
g i ” i :n ri li mzti u ri wi h “ li llt i i fftf Fear “ o f San ( i ii ) t .

vannl ( i cuCI i lu i i en urc upn nr lenc c i h G eek K o n i n

'
-
wt r r .

i i ln i i upt i nt nu n rr larr uc n tn ti vc o f lleli ou

' '

D ay o f -

Fo rtu ne at Ho me . K m ncm hecomeu S rmi poliu at . lt li u

.

T he l m tunc R o man J ani cu l u m

'
i
of lhc T he godd cun
'

«I f r
t i a o a nd l n ! i ' i e un i c —i i w :n i n S an t a V e d ana ri .

li v ruuluu nltt lui u he hi m l S I .

J ui m ’ S ea. l of Fl r o e n ce

ml Mn rm c un
n li e ri z ullm .
,
Fo rtu ne and Mars .

llup t i ntury aml ltn (i nmmm I lu: li ac c huu

' ‘

. eautern

rc prc ue n tu t he i nun «
HC L f t
' -

u np ed t i m i w ter ai r o r :
n a .

T he N i le a nd i ts lo tuu —the g i gl i f l l —ri tu l o o " o re n ce a

Imlhlng i n riv r e . T he ho m ra e
e- th D um uc on e ec an s

n u ll i i rmu i i n: I n vn n n i k «i f [he

S tar rlamnn u,
' ‘
l n lc i 3 98
'
c Ht on
' ‘ '

Fi eruc n i o nc i
t f‘ lt t t l i i nfli -

i t f i ld t h th
t he an c e n n r n
o er an e

t u bi rt hd y Pr b bili t y f fe t
'
h aun of the V i rg i n a . o a o a as

M or nea liqni no x r l w
f ut f th
a d ti
an w i ll o e Hee -
nn c -
i

llvmc le r and U ln n ymm an the g o dd am

n and the go d .

l’rt m ln e

lln ‘
(J ul i a/a 0f N aplen H

en rrc npmn i e nc c wi th
great er lli i
e uui n i a. J anna the ( i cn i uu o f Flo rc tlcc w
hcrc
n hv i mmly C o nulvuu I hc ettnln rn Bacch u s. Ri tu la

marri age at I llv i mi n at Fl o re nc e i n S an i i c ro i li n l

'
,
’
.

o f i t s meani ng i n A nt ell a (m i n Doc t ri ne mu ut t ou ch .

H ai r o f d e ad Ht) in G r e ec e , at i t lc uuiu
'

. S een
rl y t mbu Iml
—
b ov e all in fl ral
‘

at I lurc nci : by
t ea o a o

u H i ll
’
m wnN sed at rnarrl and in
‘
(
'
ugc
r n n lw . l lmuli i c li lt
'
i n lrc ¢z ~
i ranflfc ri ct i to
‘
li ri ti e
gn m m .
‘
The t rut h t h t a i uy hehi ncl the ri t e .

lN lnu . 43 1
xx i i Flo re n c e Pa s t an d P res e n t
P A GE

B ARC A I UOLO L I FT I N G A S C OO PFU L 0F SAN D ,

I 66

B OATS AT W OR K U N D ER P ONTE S O SP Eso,

-
I 67

F ISHER M AN ’
S HOUSE W ITH,
'

GI A C H I OC H UNG O U T To I 73

BI L A N CI A AT A B AL C ONY IN BORGO S AN J A C O P O ,

E NGRA V I NG D ON E BY HAN D ON A W IN E GOU R D -

,
I 84

FI S H E R MA N
’
s GOUR D LINE D W IT H P I TCH ,
I 86

E ARTHEN W ARE JAR GLAZE D W I THIN , . I 87

A RNO B AN K , W ITH B OATS NEAR THE P IGNONE

, , 19 1

A N C I ENT M ILL ON THE A RNO AT R O V Ez z A N O , I 94

C ARGO B OAT IN THE M E D I C EAN P ORT P ISA

-

, , I 99

T O W ER O F THE F RES C O B AL DI ON THE A RNO ,

NEAR M ONTELU P O ,

T HE P OOL AT L I M ITE , W IT H N E W LY LAU N C HE D C RAFT ,

IN THE YAR D OF TH E F RATELL I P ICC HIOTTI AT L I M I TE ,

T HE IVA VE OF R O V EZ Z ANO,

T HE T US C AN C ART ; A W AYS I D E HALT ,

A C ART H OR E AT REST
-

S ,

A T G ALLUZZO ; A C ART I N THE M A K ING ,

A T US C AN SA DD LE , 2 46

C ARTERS AN D THE I R TEA M , 2 47

A P AIR OF O EN ; S IENA B REE D

X , 25 I
M ULE TASSELS AN D B ELL
-

, 2 59

T HE W I SE W IV ES OF T US C ANY , 263

270
 L ist of I llus t ra t i o n s XX III
PA G E

F IGU RI N E ER O M
- S . G I O V AN NI ALLA V ENA
(I n th e bac k g roun d n i e t l y t y f th
an a c n C a o o e sa me t y pe
fro m Cyp rus ) ,

B ELLS W HISTLE AN D TRU M P ET O GLASS U SE D ON N IGHT

, , F

O B EFANA
. F
,

E ASTER C R I N HO U SE ON T E P RATO
-
A ITS H ,

TH -

E FIR R ITE OF E AS T E
E -
R S ATU R D AY (Ph o to . by J v ui e r) ,

T HE W INGS OF T H E A ss OF E M P OLI ,

COU N TRY P RO C E SSION W I TH , A N GI O L E T T O ,

'

ENTER I G S IGNA N ,

P R O C E SS I ON FRO M P I E V E C R O SS E s P I AZZA OF S IGNA ;

FORTUNE TELLER AN D HER -

T A BL E I N FOREG ROU N D ‘
,

T REES NATU RAL , AN D R I TUAL AT ,

MA D O N NA D EL S ASSO ,

S TON E OF M A D ONNA I N SAN C TUARY ALTAR ,_

F LO R ENT I N E E ASTER -
C A K ES ; EGGS I N B AS K ETS AN D D O V E ,

T HE OAK OF TH E C AS CIN IN I TS THRE GENERATIONS E E ,

T H E C AS C INE ON A S C ENSION D A ; C R IC K ETS FOR SALE Y

I N C AGES ,

C AG O R C RI C K ET I N B U C KW H AT STE M TRA DI T I ONAL

E F A E

FO RM ,

R US TI C RESTAURANTS O THE C AS CI NE ON A S C ENSION D F AY, 3 57

C O I N OF T H EZ W I TH SER P ENT G o D D E
LI -
sS

(By k i nd p mi i
er f th D l g t
s s on o e e e a es of th e C l a re n d on

P re ss ) ,

L I ON FRO M T H
'
E GI PP OF S AN T O M M ASO
Us
-

(K i d l y p h n o to g ph d f
ra t hi b o k by
e or s o . th e e xp e rts of

t he Muse o A rc h l gi
eo oFl ) c o, o re n c e ,
xx i v F l ore n ce P as t and P rese n t
PA G E

S V
. ER D IANA s SHE A PP EARS ON HER HOUSE AT C ASTEL
, A

FIORENTINO , 3 79

Glc u o FRO M LINTEL OF R I GATTI ERI IN M USEO D I S . M AR C O ,

T REE FRO M W H I C H C RI C K ETS ARE SOL D ON A S C ENSION D A Y ,

P A P ER LANTERNS FRO M F I E R U CO LO N E OF 19 10, 3 99

P I AZZA OF S . P IERO , W I TH P O R T IC O OF C HU R C H
(T h e arch on th e l ft l d t B g P i ti )
e ea s o or o n , 404

ILEx AN D SA C RE D W ELL NEAR M ONTE MuR L o , 42 5

MA PS

I T HE
. VAL D
’
ARNo As IT ON C E W AS ,

T HE T RA D E R OUTES ,

III F LOREN C E IN HER E LE M ENTS

.

N OT —E e pt th
E xc i p ifi
o se O t h e rw s e s ec e d , all t h e a bv
o e
i llu
s tra ti on s f m ph are ro o to g ra ph k
s t a en by t h e auth or .

T he t h m p h v l b
ree a s a e a so ee n re p du d f
ro ce ro m hi s d
raw n si
g .
 C H A PT E R I
’
TH E VA L D A RN o

TW O great ele men ts the one natural the other

, ,

m ore or less artificial have gone to the makin g of

,

Fl oren ce : the river an d the ro ad Of these the .

form er is the m ore i mportan t as i t d istinguishes the

,

capital of Tuscany from the n eighbouring cities ,

and has given i t a perm ane n t an d prevail in g

ad vantage over these W ith the river therefore
.
, ,

we begin as king how the Arno came to flow as it

,

does i n its l ower course an d thus to d etermine

,

here the site th e be ing and the prosperity of

, ,

Floren ce .

E veryw h ere water is t he constant s c u lptor of

th e va l ley in which i t m oves but to move at al l it
,

must fi nd the fall ing gradient which the mountain

su pplies I ts cou rse to the sea wil l th us depend
.
,

on e sees on the direction al ready given by nature

,

to the main l i nes o f the land which it d rai ns Thus .

the proble m of the A rno at Florence can only

be attacked i n a re ference to the structure of the
T uscan A pennine .
 4 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
Any good relief map of the coun try wi l l S how at
a glance that the main ridges o f these hil ls are
laid obliquely ; run ning from n orth west to s outh -

east W e shou ld thus expect to fi nd the rivers

.

fl owing in the same d i rection ; as fol lowi n g this

general tren d and con fined to i t by these i m passabl e
bou ndaries I n a measure i t is so ; the u pper Magra
.

and S erchio the S ieve too still obey this natural

, ,

r ule as does the Tiber throughout i ts course I t is

,
.

the sa me with the A rno so l on g as it fl ows i n the

Casentino but under Arezzo a sud den chan ge a ffects
,

the stream I t s weeps rou nd to the right al most

.
,

exactly reversing its earlier cou rse and ru ns north ,

west past Montevarchi and Figline to P ontassieve

, ,
.

H ere i t turns again n o w to the left and co mmences

, ,

that general westward flow wh ich bri n gs it at last

to P isa and the sea N ow it is here that Flore n ce
.

l ies on the w e s t w a rd q un n i n g Arno and the bei n g

, ,

of the city is the refore bou nd up with the questio n

of how the A rno came to be thu s d iverted from
what must have been its original cou rs e For the .

Florenti ne Val d A rn o i s clearly b ut a substi tu te

’

that acts now i n place of the Val d i C hi ana by ,

which ou r river must once have found i ts way to

the T iber and the southern sea .

Fire as wel l as wate r has played no s mal l part

i n fashi oning the earth as w e fin d it a n d the geology,

of Tuscany acquaints us w ith a volcan ic eruption

which took place after the lines of the A pe n n ine
6 F lo re n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t
what may be call ed the hinge of the movement
the li ne along w hich the origin al nor th — west by
south east valleys w ere broken w hen the l ower
-

southern end of each was lifted to a new w atershed

i n the present hills o f the C h ianti and Vol terra
then it is pl ai n that these v alleys no longer able to ,

d rai n to the south east must have become l akes ;

-

the n e w reservoi rs of waters that rose i n each t i ll

they fou n d the l o w est p oi n ts o f escape A s such .

outlets l ay of cou rse al ong the l ine of depress i o n

, ,

W here t h e rid ges had been broken across and as ,

this l in e w as itsel f incl ined falli n g from rid ge to ,

lower rid ge til l it lay on t h e pl ain and touched the

sea of P isa we are to thin k of a series o f parallel
,

l akes each higher than the last if it lie mo re e ast

, ,

w ard j oined to each other by as many short steep

, ,

rivers rap ids and fal ls These already begin to

, , .

trace i n bro ken fashion the western course of the

Arno as w e kno w i t to day -

S o when the Arno turned at Arezzo it fel l at once

into a l ake fed from the S ieve and w hich its stream ,

helped to fil l at the I mbuto A t P ontassieve l ay .

the point o f escape whence the stream began to ru n

,

down to the Girone H ere it met another l ak e

.
,

m uch wider and l arger that m ust have c overed the ,

site o f Flo rence and reached as far as P istoi a and

Sign a The l ine of d epression passed the latter
.

place and here then the water agai n fou nd its

, , ,

escape by the strait o f t h e G o lfo li n a to Montelupo

 T h e V al d A rn o
’

7
and the sea or sal t lagoon which must then have
, ,

covered so m uch o f the P isan pl ain One begins to .

see i t all : the short rapid reaches that ran from

,

R O C AN D
K R IVER AT T H E G O L FO L I N A

l ake to la ke as i t w ere from lock to l oc k and the

, ,

d escend in g val ley staircase on the s teps o f w hich

thes e waters lay or plu nge d from level to l evel by
,

thei r western lin e of descent t o find at last the sea .

N ow this w as a state of things w hich coul d not

10 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
l ast for a certain change w a s boun d u p in its very
,

being Born of eruption it brough t erosion ; a

.
,

necessary consequence as the waters m oved i n

volume and fo rce on thei r n e w lin e The roc k o f .

the G o lfo li n a lies high on the hi ll to day ye t w h o -

can doubt seeing i t so pl ai nly w ater w orn that the

, ,

river w as once at w ork i n this pl ace and at this

level I f it flo w s l ower now that can only be
.
,

because i t has cut the gorge in which its waters stil l

move A nd the w o rk done below S ign a is on ly a
.

s am ple of w hat the n e w Arn o was bu sy abou t as

soon as it fou nd by force this lin e of fal l fro m lake
to l ake ; bet w een P on tassieve and the Girone there ,

fore n ot less than from S ign a to Montelu po

, .

The result o f s uch ri ver action can only have been

the disappearance of the lak es through w hich the
Arno once fou nd its w ay to the sea There was a .

double reason for this change O n the one hand a s .

,

the depth of the l akes w as from the fi rst d etermined

by the height o f their lowest poi nts o f escape so of ,

necessity as the gorges between the m were cut down

,

and ever deeper by t h e moving fal ling w aters the , ,

lakes ten ded to drain away w ith the stream an d ,

became shallower and ever more shall ow losing in ,

extent too as they lost i n d epth B ut the cutting .

of the gorges i mpl ies the trans port d o w nstream of

the m aterial —the rocks stones an d sand — that once
, ,

fi l led them These wil l settle where the river loses

.

speed i n the l ake and thus the lakes wil l tend to

,
 T h e V al d A rn o
’
I I

shallo w and d isappear under a d ouble action since , ,

as thei r waters d rai n a w ay a rising al luvi al plai n is

,

ever l i ft i ng the lake bed and making the escape

easier an d more co m pl ete Thus at last the river .

emerges as a l i ne of w ater movemen t united through

out i ts w hole extent fo r whi le i t n o w run s steadier
, ,

i n the gorges it has d eepe n ed these are no longer ,

its o nly reaches The l akes have disappeared ;

.

on ly swam ps remai n in the deeper depressions of

thei r fo rmer beds ; and through alluvial plain s n o w ,

com paratively dry the A rno fi nds a way w ard and

,

changefu l course fro m gorge to gorge its shal lows , ,

i ts d igressions and its retu rns occupyi n g the ground

,

where each lake once lay This n ew featu re is .

particul arly noticeabl e at an d below the site o f

Florence for with the disappearance of the lake in to
, ,

which the Arno once fel l at the Gi rone d ry ground ,

at l ast emerged here and the city stand s to d ay on

,
-

gravel an d sand that the fal ling flo w ing w aters h ave ,

brought a n d left to be its si te T his in its brie fest .

,

term s i s the fi rst contribution of geology and physics

,

to t he long history of the pl ace .

The arti ficial as d istinguished from the natu ral

, ,

appears al ways an d everywhere w i th the advent o f

m an nor can the Val d A rn o o ffe r any exception to
,
’

the rule Yet at fi rst man is passive rather than

.

active acted on rather than acting and here then

, ,

ou r fi rst concern wi l l be to see what effect this land

m ust have had on the men who fi rst reached it
12 F l o re n ce P as t and P re s e n t
W h ence they came is as yet of no i m portance and
, , ,

the c h anges they u lti m ately wrought here m ay be

left for after consideration ; it is the action of the
land on its fi rst col on ists that must now be deter

IN TH E TUS C AN WOO D LAN D

mined ; the rest wil l fol low as a natural c o ns e

q ue n c e .

The mid dle Val d A rn o w hen man fi rst saw it

’

must have been nearly i f not qu ite w hat it i s now

, , ,

with this con siderable d i fference ho w ever that then , ,

i t w a s al l wood an d water The oak an d s tone .

pine the chestnu t and cyp ress wi th al l the lesser

, ,

trees c overed every yard o f d ry ground in the close

,
I 4 Fl o r e n c e P a s t and P re s e n t
lagoon Shepherds m ay feed their flocks i n the
.

Cam pagna by the Tiber for t h e grass lands of ,

Latiu m are wid e and ready for such l i fe But here .

,

by the A rno only the hu nter an d fishe r c an as ye t

,

l ive ; others if they come mus t pass on or d ie

, , ,

acted on or d riven by the local conditions Every .

land deal s thus wi th its i m migran ts and the resu l t ,

of such natu ral selection in the valley w e are study

i ng is too plain t o need further proof T h e fi rst .

me n here wil l be hu nters an d fishers .

This fact assured it is e asy to fi nd i n i t a fre s h

,

point o f de parture ; so obvio us are the consequen ces

i t involves Un like the shepherd or farm e r the
.
,

hu nter and fi s her m arry early un der a n atu ral ,

hum a n i mpulse which i n their case i s no t chec k ed

by artifici al obstacles The farme r m ust have l an d
.

and house or at l east hi s plough and yoke of oxen

, ,

before he can take a W i fe ; and the s h epherd m u st

w ai t like J acob till he h as gathere d a floc k ; b u t
, ,

the ski l l of the hunte r an d fisher is born w i th them ,

and su ffici en tly developed i n boyhood and the bow ,

and arrow the snare and net even the dugou t

, ,

canoe are the irs at the price of a fe w days perhaps

,
’

of a few hours work on ly ; w i th this con sequ en ce

’
, ,

that they m arry as soon as thei r w ishes mee t a

suitable occasion a n d response N ow large fam ilies .
,

are the consequ ence o f early m arriages an d w hen ,

one re m embers that much more land is needed to

support the h u n ter than su ffices for the shepherd
 T h e V al d A rn o
’
I 5
or farmer i t i s easy to see that this form o f human
,

l i fe spreads qu icke r than the others covers all the ,

g rou nd available to i t an d soon reaches the l im its

,

set by n at ure to its further progress on these

l ines I n the case of Tuscany such lim i ts will lie
.

at the Lo m b ard pl ai n on the north and on the , ,

s ou th at t he fi rst levels of the Roman Campagna

, .

T he hunters an d fi shers w e have foun d by the

Arno will spread and spread qu ickly as far as
, ,

t here are woods to beat or w aters to drag They .

w ill cli m b the A pen nine and reach the last trees
,

on the farther sl ope They w il l press south through

.

the great C i m i n i an forest til l the heights that

,

h arbour i t dro p to t he valley of the T iber I n a .

word they wil l no t pause till stopped on the edge

,

o f l ands occu pied by men of another way o f l ife ,

and o fferin g li ttl e or n ot h ing o f that w h ich they

seek .

Thu s l an d s of wood and w ate r o nly s i ft their ,

i nhabi tants but scatter the m too ; and this not on ly

,

as we have seen — s eparating the one from the other

by s paces o f wood l and an d river reaches that are
,

necessarily l ong and W ide —but se nd ing them far

afield in their chase and encou raging them to
,

fol l ow the game i n i ts m i grati on s or the m ovement ,

of the fish u p or d o w n stream Thi s then is n ot .

t he p lace nor are these the peopl e for cl ose fami ly

, ,

l i fe o n the pattern of the patriarchal household .

Such nearer s ociety the hunter and fisher leave to

16 F l o re n c e P as t and P re s e n t
the shepherd an d farmer an d i n stead they multi p ly
,

in these wi lds an d subdue the m i n a success ion of

scattered fa milies that ever part and move on til l
,

the limits of their co mmon possession in wood and

stream are reached an d furthe r progress on these
,

li nes beco mes i m possible A s multipl icati on how

.
,

ever stil l goes on W ithout corres pond in g i n c rease

,

i n the means o f subsistence some change i s clearly,

i mmi nent The hunter and fi she r are n ow at the

.

point when under the pressure of ste m necessi ty

, ,

they m ust become other tha n they have been Le t .

us try to see i n what d i rection this inevi tab le change

is l ikely to carry them .

W hen they have gone as far as they can across

coun try these men are in contac t at last with others
,

of a di fferent way o f l i fe with the farmers of ,

Lombardy on the north an d the shepherds of ,

Latium on the south ; fo r n ot the wood lan d an d

stream alone but the al luvial pl ain and th e grass
,

l ands too have power to shape by their own nature

,

the l ives o f their i nhabitan ts W i ll the n the w oods

.
, ,

and the stream s of Tuscany that l ie b etween y ield

thei r surplus population to the farm s of the north
or the pastures o f the sou th ? W il l the hu n ter and the
fi sher fi nd new worlds to c onquer by si mp l y i mitat
ing the men who l ive j ust beyond thei r borders ?
N o t so fo r al l experience teaches u s that such a
,

ch ange on any l arge sc ale is u n natu ral

, T he
, .

d i fference bet w ee n these way s of l ife is too great t o

 T h e V a l d A rn o
’
I 7
be easily overc o me The hu n ter and fisher must
.

and wi l l devel op bu t thei r progress will move along

,

l i n es of its own They w i l l find som e outlet some

.
,

n e w occu pation bu t it w il l be one for w hich thei r

,

s ituation their trai ned facul ties and acqu ired e x p e ri

, ,

ence al i ke fi t them ; no t theirs then the labour o f

,

the plough or the care of the flock where they have ,

every thing to l earn and everything to forget .

The new w ay that o pens before them is that of

trad e bu t befo re w e fol l ow them in i t l et us pau s e
,

to see what we have gained The hun ter and fisher .

,

in ad opti ng a l ife of co m merce are not going to ,

leave their past behind ; they wil l carry i t along

wi th them The story of Florence acquaints us
.

with a city founded on trade and growi ng in its

ex pan sion But i f w e are right these trade rs set
.
, ,

by the A rno were hunte rs and fis hers fi rst o f all .

H ence a new reason why we should break off here

to stu dy afresh this pri mitive li fe of the wood lan d
and the stream For i f it h ave left traces of itsel f
.

i n the l i fe of to d ay as w e find it i n the Tuscan

-

capital al l the more re aso n wi ll there be to concl ud e

,

that the hun ter and the fisher w ere indeed the fi rst
ancestors o f the modern Florenti ne .
 CH A PTE R II

FO O D AND MAG I C

TH E prime necessi ty of the hu nter and fi sher as of al l ,

me n i n al l ci rc u mstan ces i s food ; but W hat d istin

,

g ui s h es hi m fro m others i s the ki n d of food on which

he l ives and the w a y he procu res it Be sure that
,
.

this man ner of l i fe li ke every other has its own

, ,

conditions which perforce and constan tl y obey ed

, ,

end by leaving a deep im pression on the race N ow .

among these the fi rst to be noticed is that of the

enforced fast wi th its consequence i n the acquisitio n
,

of an ex traord inary po w er of volunt ary abstinence .

The descen dants of the hunter and the fi she r are

likely to show a marked sel f— restrai n t i n these
matters an d while ready to feast on occasion wil l
, , ,

practise economy as the general ru le of their eat ing

and d rinking .

I n the T uscany we th ink of a game preserve was

,

u nk n own and the breeding of fis h un heard o f ; and

,

me n fol lowed the chase u nder absol u tel y n atu ral

cond i tions W hen the fi sh m oved u ps tream o r the
.
,

quails came over from A frica there wou l d be plenty ;

,

18
 F ood an d M ag i c I9

bu t whe n the hu nter m issed the trail or the fisher ,

threw his n et i n vain when the boar hid himsel f

,

fro m t h e heat I n I nacces sible swam ps or the birds ,

an d dee r m i grated thos e that d epended on them

,

m ust go withou t suc h provend and stay their hunger ,

as best they could ; happy i f wild frui t w ere stil l on

the trees or earth n uts to be had for the d igging
, .

M ore an d m ore m ust the uncertainty of their sub

si stence have pressed o n these m en as their nu mbers
gre w and they fi lled the l and
,
I t w as a ste rn .

d iscipl ine then under which they l ived and one

, , ,

which fi tted them to bear ex treme changes from ,

wan t to sud den pl enty an d then again to w an t ,

w i thou t fli n c h i n g Bu t ever as tim e w ent on and

.
,

the tri bes m u lt ipl ied it w as hu n ger rather than

,

excess that formed the rule an d mo ulded the temper ,

o f the race to sel f rest raint : a quality fi t to pass by

-

i nheritance and to appear as the rul ing C haracte r of

,

d istant generations T he flint arrow h ead s used by

.
-

these people i n the chase are still turned u p here

and there where the Tuscan earth is moved but ,

these after al l m ight be held as on ly t h e rel ics o f

, ,

a rac e that had passed on A n acquired racial.

characteristic on the other hand is the fruit of ages

, ,

s pent i n one way of l i fe u nder certain co nd itions .

I f there fore the restraint natu ral to t h e fi rst

, ,

d w el lers i n the A rno val ley be fou nd to d isti nguish

thei r successors t o day this sugges ts that they
,

are n ot only successo rs but descendan ts ; that the

20 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P r es e n t
race is one and has kept and carried i ts prim itive
,

stamp past al l the changes t hat have happened

si nce .

N ow i n a hundred signs this temperance i n food

, ,

and d ri n k may be seen to d ay at Fl ore nce T he -

.

market and i ts habits surp rise the st range r and if ,

he analyse the matter he will fin d that a wi se and

convenien t economy is the pri nci ple th at accoun ts
for what he wond ers at One exam pl e o f this
.
,

trivial though i t be m ay su ffice t o prove the case

, .

The Florentine chicken having regard to i ts s ize

, ,

is n ow prob ably no cheaper than such a fowl wou ld

be anywhere else But smal l as i t i s the bird i s
.
,

d eal t with as if it were a sh eep : cu t u p j oint by

.

j o int ; d ecom posed i n to the elements of wings and

legs and breast and body w hi ch are eac h sold ,

separately Even the combs of the cocks are cli pped

.

off and the gizzard s and l i vers l aid apart ; With the
,

result that the buyer can consul t his taste and com ,

pose dishes that i f not substan tial are at least

, ,

dainty in their nice economy So far is the m atter .

pushed t h at I have heard of a stranger to T uscan

,

ways W hose ignoran ce o f m arket u sage led to his

disappointmen t at d in ner ti me H e h ad told his
-
.

servan t to buy and prepare hi m a d ish of fowls legs ’

and found when it cam e to tab le that these legs

, ,
‘ ’

were on ly d ru msticks On co mplain t he w as told

.
,

the m istake had been his own as i f he wished the , ,

thighs as w ell he shoul d have said so ! To s uch

,
22 Fl o r e n c e P a s t an d P re se n t
been that of temperan ce ; born we m ay b e su re i n , ,

the earlies t d ays of al l when the l ong hunter s fast

,
’

divided his brief an d occasional days of plenty and ,

formed a l asting habi t of s e lf res t rai n t that persis ts n

even under the changed conditions of l ater and

mod ern l ife .

I n the absence of game or fish the fi rs t T uscans

must have fal len back on the fruits o f the earth for
a scanty subsis t ence : nor on ly then for at al l t imes ,

the natu ral harves t of the wood must have give n

them w hat man need s the m ixed d iet not wholly
, ,

animal bu t vegetable as wel l Be su re they gathered .

acorns and chestnuts too i n autu mn an d fou n d this

, , ,

advantage in the harvest that such provision unl ike

, ,

that o f fish or game cou ld be k ept fo r m onths and

,

consumed care ful ly as requi red I f the uncertainty .

of the chase taught the hu n ter self restraint i n the -

use o f food it was i n great measure here that he

,

could and d id practise parsim ony ; l ivin g on rations

, ,

of nu t meal till fortune met h i m agai n i n the wood

or on the river .

Here too there is d istinct su rvival o f early h abits

, , .

I t is hardly necessary to quote P l iny for the prim itive

u se of the acorn ; 1 P rocopius however is m o re to , ,

ou r purpose tell ing of what happened i n 53 9 A D

, . .
,

when the Goths were i n the Val d A rn o : how the ’

w retched people were reduced to eat bread m ade o f

acorns for thus under stress of circu m stances men

, , ,

S h w v
1
N H
ee , vii 56 d xvi p m
o e e r, . .
, . an . ro /z .
 F ood an d M ag i c 23

are seen retu rning to thei r fi rst habits of life 1 N ay .

,

i f w e pass from the oak to th e chestnut the matter ,

i s su rer stil l and m ay safely and evidently be

,

connected with what Florence and its neighbou r

hood can sti ll S how .

The taste fo r chestnuts here is very strong and ,

these prepared i n m any d i ffere n t ways form to d ay

,
,
-

no sm al l part of the sustenance of the people A t .

the street corners in winter the chestnut stal ls spread

the ru dd y gl ow of their fi res and the tem pting ,

O dou r o f their hot ware the a rros z zze that perfum e

'
‘ ‘
:

the air aroun d O ften you wil l see the passer by

.
-

become the purchaser ; the quil ted cover is l ifted the ,

hand ful o f hot chestn u t s measu red and the buyer ,

moves on mu nchin g cheerful ly what has al ready

,

ser ved to w arm his fros t bi tten h and s These s tal ls -

are pi cturesque but peri patetic ; they lead u p to the

regular shop i n this kind w hich stand s open in the ,

poorer streets an d caters for thei r inhabitants on a

,

larger scal e and with more variety H ere are not .

only roast chestnuts b ut chestn uts boiled with j ust

, ,

that spice o f fen n el i n the water which meets the

Florentine taste an d tem pers the n atural quality of
,

this somewhat heavy food The é o/[zte lie here i n

'

the huge coppe rs th at have served to cook them ,

and on a w ood en board stand s the great round

1 P roc o pi u s, De B ella Got/ri m , ii . 20 . S ee , ho we v e r, C i i
n ,

(Fi re nz e p 16 , wh o p i o ut t h a t th e
'

[li on /(I g n a
z P i s t oz es e ,
. o n ts

g
l an s i
o f t h e a n c en ts a s O ften m e an t a c h es t n ut a s an ac o rn .
 24 F l o r e n c e P as t and P re s e n t

p olen a a
’
s moking hot This too is made of chestnut
,
.
, ,
'

flou r a n d mu st be very p opu l ar to j udge by the rate

, ,

at which it d isappears as the stri ng cuts into its

chocolate coloured mass and it g oes o ff sl ice by
-

slice : a cheap and com forti n g m orsel i n cold d ays .

There is the ca s tag n acczo too also m ad e of chestnu t

’

, ,

flour b ut prepared d i fferen tly and i n its w ay a

, ,

t riu mph of the art For i t a large rou n d copper

.

tray wi th a S hallow bord er is used T his is oi led . ,

fil led with a wide thi n cak e o f dough sprink l ed with

pi n e n uts and set to cook ove r the fi re The copper
,
.

retai n s the heat wel l and when the cooki n g i s do n e

,

m any a cake o f cas tag n a cczo is sent i n i ts tray to the

'

bridges where as you cross the A rno you may see

, , ,

it sol d at a hal f penny a sl ice T here w as —is stil l

-
.

—a dark shop under the arc h of San P i ero as y ou ,

come i nto the market from the Via del l O ri volo ’

,

which had a great re putation for thi s dai nty n or is ,

i t so l ong s ince an auth entic cou nt and cou n tess

might be seen eating cas tag n a ca o in the streets as
'

they walked ; peopl e of such ancien t descent and

acknowled ged pos itio n that they could l augh at the
prej udices o f their class as they fol lowed the old
Florenti ne habit I t may be add ed that most of
.

the é uz z urri as the chestnu t sellers are cal led here

, ,

come from the I talian foothi l ls of t h e Al ps : a S ig n

of the stro n g dem and at Fl orence for thei r art a n d
w ares .

Not observe that the Val d A rn o does n ot grow

, ,
’
 F ood a nd Mag i c 2 5
che stn uts of its own These fine trees are common
.

i n the hi l ls above P istoia where their fruit is ,

an x iously expected and gathered as the principal

harvest of the year and where the hil l people ,

depen d chiefly on chestnuts still as their mai n

susten ance The form this food takes w ith them
.

is i n the m ai n the same po/en aa d olce we have

, ,
’

already met at Floren ce bu t instead of the ,

broad rich Florentine ca s tag n a cczo they have the

'

m en , smaller cakes of the same kind Here i n .

,

the cooking o f the 726 6 6 2, a fu rther survival may be

seen an d one t h at seems to make our whole con
,

tention pl ai n Each kitchen i n the hills has by the

.

j a mb of i ts great fire pl ace a pile of flat round stones

l aid one on top o f the other These are heated .

beti mes i n the fi re and then when the chestnut

, ,

d ough has been m i xed and the pi ne nuts ad ded and , ,

the whole formed into thin round cakes a hot ston e ,

by the fi re form s the foundation on w h ich a cake ,

w rapped i n chestnut leaves i s laid This is covered ,

.

by another hot ston e a n d so on til l the pile is buil t

,

comp lete of cakes and stones alternately Thus as

,
.
,

wil l be see n t he chestnut and the pine fu rni sh the

,

W hol e m ateri al o f this food and the cooking being , ,

don e by hot stones appl ied to the cakes in this

i ngenious way i s pri m itive too ; only to be paralleled
,

by savage ways of b ak ing and boil ing w hich i f used , ,

to d ay are yet known as a d irec t inheritance from

-

the earl iest t imes N ot only the con tinued use o f

.
26 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
the chestnu t then but the man ner of its preparation
,

as food i n the wilder hills su ggest stron g ly that the

,

present inha bitants of the Val d A rn o are the d irect ’

descendants of th e fi rs t w ood men i n this valley .

Such trivial details though importan t in the con

,

e lusions to w hich they lead are in themselves of ,

l ittle consequen ce . Not so ho w ever the great er , ,

subj ect of Florentine su perstition and magic in al l

its forms S up errtz zzon as its very name i nd icates
' '

,
.
,

is wh at has survived of an cient t hought and practice .

I n I taly i t means the persistence of early belie fs and

rites even after the com ing of Christianity A nd
,
.

magic is a name to conj u re wi th sti ll I t wil l not .

indeed be possible to do m ore here than tou ch so

wide a subj ect ; enough i f w e can see that m ost ,

remotely an d essen tial ly superstition and m agic are

,

the heritage left by the woodme n to the ir successors

i n the Val d A rn o ; this done such things m ay be
’

trusted o f themselves to declare their own i mportance ,

i f not the value of the legacy .

I f one w ere asked to fi nd a point of direct con

n e c t i on between superstition and the woodl and
habi ts j ust d isc ussed it would perhaps be en ou gh to
,

recal l our poin t of departure in the en forced fasts of

the hunter . Fasting has always pl ayed a great
part for good or evi l i n all religiou s systems and
, , ,

its physical a n d mental effects are so we ll known

that there is no need to i nsist on them I n certai n .

savage tribes boys are m ad e to fast at thei r e ntry on

 F oo d an d M ag i c 2 7
m a n hood with a very practical purpose I n thi s
1
.

s t ate it is fou nd they readily see visions and the ,

fi rst ani mal they thus visual ise beco mes their
personal totem fo r life ; a thi n g to be regarded with
s uperstitiou s reverence N ow whether or n ot there
.

was e ver totemis m i n the Arno val ley it is qu ite ,

ce rtai n that the fi rs t i nhabitants here followed a l ife

no t u nl ike that of those savages w h o stil l practis e
this peculi ar custom And here too there must then
.

h ave been d reami ng of strange d ay— dreams fo r the ,

powe r o f fastin g to prod uce these does not in the

l eas t degree depen d upon w ill or desig n .

The bac kgrou nd o f th is phantasmagoria was of ,

cou rse natu re itsel f : the wood s an d waters of the

,

Val d A rno seen u nder the vei l o f night w h en the

’

hunter i s on foot after his quarry h op ing to surprise

i t at rest and when torche s are l it on the river to
,

attrac t the fi sh I f you have ever walked l ate in

.

this count ry du ring early su m mer whe n the fire

fl ies are ou t you d o not n e ed to be told how i t s til l
,

l end s itsel f to ill usion how betwee n the fi xed lights ,

above and those that move below the heavens seem ,

d oubled ; how this S p angled orb above and beneath

seem s to m ake the ea rth with its sol id ity sink away ,

t i ll on ly the d ark wood s o f th e ho rizon dividing the ,

upper fro m the under world remain as a refuge for ,

ret reating reality : themselves bu t the shadow of a

1
S
ee F z
ra er,T t m m p 53 t
o z zr
'

l G ld . a a so o en

B ug h
o iii p 43 0. . .
28 F l o r e n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
shade A t such moments a m an cl ings to his sel f
.

con sciousness as his surest hold on the everyday

world and what then i f fasti ng have weakened him
,

in his o w n b eing ? Anything will then be possibl e

i n the way of i l lus ion and of vision .

T h u s the w oods and the w aters becam e peopled

wi th wood an d with water spi rits al w ays presen t ,

and sometimes visible especial ly at n ight I t w a s,

.
,

as i t w ere a transfere nce that took pl ace wherein

, ,

man his V itality en feebled by fasting recognised

, ,

what h e had l ost i n w hatever me t his eye at

m om ents l i ke these and gave the tree an d the,

stream a sou l an d spi rit o f thei r o w n Yet in .

,

reality t h ese w ere n ot thei rs bu t his ; a proj ection

,

o f hi msel f upon natu re The m iracle l ay i n .

hum ani ty with fas ti n g as the mean s to it and some

, ,

lingering sen se o f thi s fact is perhaps the true

explanation of tote mism For the doctrine of the .

totem proclai ms that i n i t m an has fou n d a spi ri t

of kin to h i s o w n or has even learned to transfer
,

his soul elsewhere .

There w ill yet be ti me and oppo rtunity to enlarge

o n this matter and to point out the various fo rm s
,

and actual instances in whi ch the d reams of early

time have survived to ou r own For the momen t i t .

is enough to s ay that the be l ief in w ood and water

spirits is not dead to d ay Th e girls of the M ugell o
-
.

are stil l careful when they si t down with the ir backs

to a tree les t the tree s pirit l ike an old m an of the
, ,
‘
30 F lo r e n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
where boi ling goes on I t is true that the con
the .

n e c t i o n i n this case i s far from d i rect or i m mediate ,

for the cl othes so treated do not belong to the witch

herself But it is no less pl ain that she must be
.

thought to have m ade them her o w n by the S pel l

an d s ick ness she has cast on the we arer in a k i nd of
j et ta tum : a self proj ection i n an evi l sense Thus
-
.

the counter spell d epends for its supposed e fficacy

-

on the theory of sym pathy and in it the w itch is as ,

it were hoist w ith her o w n petard for by her witch ,

’

craft she has put hers e l f i n som e degree under the

power of those she has inj ured 1 .

An in stance of m agical practice at once cl earer

and more sign ificant w il l be found i n the p odg a taj a ,

the p i n a ta t ag li a ta or cu t footstep of the Fl orentine

, ,

Romagna : the w ild hill country towards Forl i w here -

life is still pri m itive and mu ch s up e rs t i t i o n li n g e rs 2 '

This magic presc ribes the cutti n g o f earth or grass

from the footprin t left by a passer by W hat is -
.

cu t is put i n a bag and may t h en be used to c ast a

,

spell o n the person who left the footprint I t wi l l be .

seen that we are here o n the s ame g round of sym

pathy though n o w the relation between the person
,

and the thing is more d irect W ere thi s al l however .

, ,

the i nstance need hardly have been cited w hat

makes it interesting is the prom ise it hold s ou t o f
1
Fo r E n g li sh i n s ta n ce s , se e G lan vi ll, S a da’ . T ri u mp h , 4th ed .

Pp 3 2 7. 3 6 3
.

2
S ee Pi t e r , A rc/i .
per T ra d P op
. .
,
vo l . i p
. .
50 .
 F oo d an d M ag i c 31

clearing u p the matter so as to make pl ain the basis

o f fact o n which thi s part of the magical theory
rests : the fundamental truth to which it owes i ts
re markable pers i stence .

W hat one wants and seeks is clearly a case in

which con nection more or less close betwee n a
, ,

person a n d a thi n g does lead to distinct and im port

an t resu lts d oes put the person more or less in the
power of a n y one who can gain possess ion of the
th ing N ow the valu e of the p edg a taj a m agi c li es
.

here that in its d ependence on the footstep i t sug

, ,

gests the rea l case we want I f the foot sink deep .

e n ough it leaves a trail that the enemy can fol low

, ,

with certai n consequence to the fugitive whe n the

pu rsuer gain s o n him E ven if the keenest eye can
.

see n othing where t he m an has passed a d og wi l l ,

know and when l aid on the trail w il l l ead his master

, , ,

to the sam e great m om en t when hatred fi n ds its

o bj ect and wreaks its wi l l as far as strength and
weapons will serve Here i s the occasion too when
.

the leas t bel ongi ng of a m an — any trifle he has

touched or worn — becom es of d read i mportance ,

servin g to co m plete the connection telling the hound ,

what he has to do ac ting as a conductor toward s the

,

fin al discharge i n w hi ch hum an passion breaks loose

to wo und an d to kill .

Ca n it be d o ubtful that these facts are the found a

t io n of the m agic w hich d epends o n a theory o f
sy m path y betwee n persons an d things ? But i f this
 32 F lo r e n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
be so then one sees no less distinctly the kind of l i fe
,

i n w hich such magic is born W h o i s it that lives .

by follo w ing the trail ? W h o gains experience by

generations of hunger sharpened pu rsu it of gam e -

til l his insight as a tracker becomes al m ost

miracu lous —at least m agical — to the onlookers ?
W h o fi rst tames and train s the W i ld dog w ith i ts
faculties ready to be i mproved beyond those o f man ?
There can of course be only one a nswer ; i t is the
, ,

d w eller i n the woods the h u nter whom we h ave , ,

thus reached again H is neighbou rs u ntrai ned in

.
,

his school think hi m a sorcerer as he performs these

,

wo n d ers H e begi n s to accept the suggestion and

.
,

magic is born in the exaggeration o f m ere fact an d

,

truth But fro m the fi rst this magic of sy mpathy is

.

the magic of the woods .

The other m agical theory i s the co mplement of

this I t gives rise to w hat h as been cal led li om a o
.
’

p a tk i c m agic or more s im ply the magic of i m i ta t i on

, , ,

practised by those w h o believe that to i mitate any

desi red effect is to create a cause quite capable o f
producing it W e have seen this at w ork al ready
.

w hen the clothes are boiled to bring the w itch to

j us tice the boiling of the clothes is S upp o sed to be

equ ivalent to the boiling of the wom an hersel f The .

f a t tum d ella mort e or d eath spell is bu t an other

, ,

appl ication of the same princi pl e and it will be best ,

understood from an actu al case w h ich hap pen ed in

Tus cany a few years ago T w o policem en on their .
 F o od and M ag i c 33

n ightly beat passed the gate o f a cemetery and

heard Suspicious s ound s E ntering they fou n d a .
,

pai r of ol d wome n at work by a new m ade grave -

bu rying what on ex amination p roved to be a le mon

, ,

S k in stu ffed with hu man hair T he hair was that of .

the victi m who hi s ene m ies hoped would waste as

, , ,

the fruit decayed a n d w ho m the buried dead would

,

d raw to death The w idespread magic of en votlte

.

men t which hu rts or k il l s by wound ing or melting

,

a wax i m age is a capital case un der the same

,

theory Yet here too the wax should contain hair or

.
, ,

nai l parings of the subj ect ; for the magic o f im ita

-

t ion ul ti mately de pend s on that of sy mpathy or

association and can do nothing i t is thought ti ll
, , ,

fi rst a true rapp ort be es tablished .

N o w i f i t be asked W here d oes i m itation play a

,

real an d u n deni abl e part ; w hen does i t fi rs t become

o f real u se t o m an ? the answer still points to the wood ,

and to the w oodl and li fe o f the h unter and fisher N o .

o ne can touch the secret or win the profit of s uc h , ,

l i fe save i n the way that teaches h i m to become

what he pursues H e stud ies his quarry keeps its
.
,

hours and mi mics i ts voice a n d habits ; often forced

to c ra w l l i ke a beast o n al l fours or to cover himsel f
-

with the ski n of the ani mal he hu n ts I f he is b ird .

ing he fi n d s the u se o f a decoy ; the fi rs t taxidermist

worked to this e n d t hat a stu ffed skin might take
the place o f the ani mal that o n ce wo re it T he .

fi sher learns the same lesson of the l ure ; learns to

34 F lo re n c e P a s t and P re s e n t
i mitate i n one way or another that on which the fish
feed All this then is the doctrin e of t h e i mag e ;
.
, ,

as yet confined to the world of real fact an d proved

ex perience bu t ready once the m agical idea enters
, , ,

to pass these l im its an d to become the w orking

theory of the strange practices we h ave j us t n oticed .

There is an intermed iate stage w hich connects the

real w i th al l such d evelopm en ts and it i s to be ,

found in the magic d ances of certain savage tribes .

These often im itate the gestu res and movements of

the bi rd or beast o n which the tribe chi efly de pends
for nourishment Thus the G i ly a k s o f S iberi a use
.

a bear dance 1 a n d in Austral ia the b lack men at

-

their feast act a pantomime i n which t hey i mitate

the birth and first m ovem ents of the i nsect that
s uppl ies them w ith food 2 I t seem s o n the whole .
, ,

pretty plai n that such d ances mus t at first have been

merely the school of p ractice in which boys l earnt ,

in com pany w ith ex perienced men the move ments ,

of the wi ld game —the secret of an approach that

w oul d not disturb the quarry— an d that only there

after d id the m atter develop u nder the magical

doctrine into a supposed means o f secu ring success
by mere i mitation w ithou t further troubl e .

W e have vi sited S iberia and Aus tralia only

beca use the stage these countries stil l represen t has
dropped out i n Tuscany but even here there is a ,

surviving superstition — that of the [up o m a n n a ro or ,

1
F G ld B g / ii p 3 8
raz e r, o en fi d i p 4
on i , . . 1
.
2
n , . . 2 .
 F ood an d M ag i c 35

were wolf— which can hardly be ex plai ned wi thou t

-

viewin g i t i n the w ay to which these fo reign facts

l ead u p The l u po m annaro one m ust expl ain is a
.
, ,

man l ike any other w h o is subj ect however to

, , , .

occasional fi ts of sheer an d d angerous madness in ,

which h e wan de rs by n ight and attacks wit h savage

cries those w hom he meets I have known .

of one who confessed to thus becoming a wolf ‘ ’

from time to ti me and asked that the d oor should

,

be kept shu t agai nst hi m i f he appeared i n this

abnormal state S uch w ou ld probabl y be described
by an al ien ist as a case O f f oli o ci rcula i re in w hich
sanity altern ates pe riod ical ly w ith a state of del u
sion follo w ed by one of violen t man ia W hen sane
,
.

the lupo m ann aro i s as other men ; when delusion

comes he i m agines him sel f a w olf w hi le the acute ,

m ani a at once im presses others and perhaps may , , ,

partly persist in his own memory to give strengt h

to the d elusi on when i t recurs .

S til l w he n al l this is said there is so me di fficulty

, ,

in accou nting for the nu mb er o f cases i n w hich delu

sion takes this particu lar form and even it would , ,

seem re mains so as t o in fluenc e th e succeed in g

, ,

violence an d give i t bestial character u nless i ndeed , ,

the solution n o w to be proposed approve i tsel f as

l i kely I n sanity som eti mes has the e ffect of undo
.

i ng generation s o f civilisation an d settin g the

mad man back fo r the m oment where his pri mitive
an cestors once stood i t m ay eve n awaken i nherited
36 F lo r e n c e P as t a nd P r es e n t
habits no one could have sus pected 1 A s the lu po .

m annaro is con fessedly insane may it not be t hat ,

something of this has happened i n his case ? I n hi s

m adness then he would simply pl ay the w ol f as
, ,
‘ ’

his remote kind once did in the w ood s and his ,

violence awaken and use the same skil l that they

l earned i n some deliberate an d concerted w ol f dance -

I t may be so ; i f it be so then the l upo mannaro ,

'

repeats in ou r own d ay u nconsciously an d i n vo lun

,

t ari ly one of the earliest d evi ces of the h u nter s

’

magic the wood m agic of im itation ; and so d oing

,
-

, ,

carries us back to the li fe and habits o f the fi rst

inhab itants of the Val d A rn o ’
.

1
See P re fa c e , p vii ix
.
-
.
 F l o re n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t
38

They are henceforth to be traders nor is it d i ffi ,

cult to see how easily an d natu ral ly they must have

passed into the new life that alone lay O pen to them .

The process of change began on the border— l ine

w here the hu nter and fi sher were in con tact w ith the
farme r an d shepherd began i n the barter to whic h
such a situation eas ily lent itsel f The winters are .

cold i n Latium as in Lombard y an d fu r is the ,

w armest wi n ter w ear l ighter and w armer even than

,

sheepskin Thoug h the su mmers are hot the ,

cl i mate does not sui t the sugar —

.

cane an d w ere i t ,

not for the honey that the wild bees have stored in
the trees man with h is sweet tooth w oul d never
, , ,

know the taste of sweetness B ut so it is the

.
,

men of the w ood s alon e who have the secret of

both : this deli cate warm th an d no l ess del icious
sweetn ess They track the wil d bee to the robbing
.

of his honey and when they have kil led and ski nned
,

the fox or th e badger their wives know the cunning

art of preparing the peltry ti ll the sk in of these furs
is as soft as thei r pile is light an d war m Envy .
,

then on the part of the farmer and shepherd and

, ,

o ffers of much grain and cheese i n ex chan ge for

such clothes and d aint ies ; w ith the resu l t that the
hunter along the bord er begins to fol low the game
not entirely on his o w n accou nt and so enlarges his ,

ideas of l i fe .

Another stage in the p I O C C S S of evol ution soon

‘ ‘

fol lows O n the one h and game thus pursued

.
,
 E arl y T ra d e 39

w ith n e w m ean ing a n d keenness beco mes scarcer all

along the bo rder li n e ; retreats before t hese hunters
-

already hal f traders On the other thei r kin in t he

-
.
,

heart o f the cou ntry begin t o envy those who ,

through b arter with the farmer and shepherd are no ,

l o nger e n ti rely dependent on the flesh of game for

food but can vary their diet with grain an d cheese
, .

H ence an arrangeme nt useful to both whereby the ,

s kins h oney an d chestnuts of the i n terior co me

, ,

down to the border l ine where barter goes on and-

fro m it corres pond ingly the grain an d cheese of the

, ,

l owl an ds move up from hand to hand through the

forests and along the river banks T hus the process .

of t ran s formati on com es to a ffect the whole forest

peopl e and Tuscany is agai n one at the highe r level
,

o f l i fe w hich the m ovement of commenc i ng trade

h as establ ished here .

O ne more s tep co mpletes the process These .

forest d w ell ers are i n touch and friend ly relation

-

W ith the farmers of the north and the shepherds

of the south The id ea of exchange has take n
.

possession of their minds The moment can not .

,

then b e long d el ayed when barter wil l become trade

,

i n i ts hi gher stages The Tuscans wi ll see a new

.

fu t u re open before them as a li nk people the agents -

of co mmu nication an d of the transfer o f goods

, ,

bet ween the south and the north and back again .

Thus shep h erds and farmers wil l e x change thei r

su rpl us ch eese a nd grain w ith each other across
40 F lo re n ce P as t a nd P re s e n t
country and the Tuscan w i l l act as the carrier i n
,

this true com merce .

O bserve the exact nature of this fu rther chan ge .

The Tuscan we suppose is sti l l paid in ki nd as i n

, ,

the d ays of mere barter but w hat he n o w sel l s is ,

not this fu r or that honeyc omb but his ski l l and

pains as a carrier H is past as a m ere hunter or
.

fi sher is n o w bearing its highest fru i t The Tuscan .

hil l country is n ot an easy one but these are the

-

men who know it like the palm o f thei r hand .

Their hu nti ng paths run everywhere among the

thickest wood s and even pass t h e Apennine j oining
, ,

one valley to another across the great w atershed .

The fishers kn o w the streams in drought as i n

flood : their easy and di fficu l t reaches ; and where ,

transport by water w il l hel p the fish e rman s canoe ,

’

is at the service of the n e w traffic Thus hunter .

an d fis h er al ike become trad ers and carriers w i t h out , ,

as one m ight say ceasing to b e themselves This

,
.

change in short is a true developme n t i n w hich

, ,

commerce and all its consequences keep hol d stil l

of a remoter and ruder past .

O ne of the fi rst of these consequences m us t have

been the domestication of the anim a l best able to
help the new venture The farme r one su p poses had
.
, ,

al ready his ox without which any deep cul tivation of

,

the rich Lombard plain m ust h ave been i m possi ble .

The shepherd of Latium to exist at all m ust have his , ,

flock and herd The Tuscan him sel f even as a

.
,
 E a rl y T r ad e 41

hu nt e r probably knew an d used the trained facul ty

,

o f the dog i n fol l owin g game I t was only natural .

,

then that become a carrier and m an of com merce he

, , ,

should seek i n a l ike d irec tion the hel p he n o w needed ,

and furnish hi m sel f wi th the horse as a beast of

bu rd en .

T he p rocess was probab ly a grad ual one and ,

there is eve n some little eviden ce of the l ines on

which it moved W il d horses of a s m all and hardy .

breed m ay be su pposed indigenous i n t h e M arem ma ,

where sm al l and hardy they run half w i ld s til l

, ,
-
.

B ut accord ing to good authority m ules w ere the

, ,

earlier beas t em ployed in carri age 1 W e are thus .

obliged to think of domestication a s beginning w i th

the ass and proceeding in so m e custom of sprin g
,

freedom in w hich these anim als were tu rned out to

,

graze by the sea w ith as i ts r e sult the m ingl ing , , ,

o f the two races i n a state of n atu re The fin al .

step wou ld thus be the domestication of the horse ,

with probably an intermediate stage in w hich he

, ,

was already ca ught and kept but on ly that he ,

m ight m ore conven iently serve as a sire And .

the end w as that the trader had an ani m al whether ,

mule or horse fi t to ans w er his need and do the ,

heavy work of trans po rt under his guidan ce .

A t this point is born of the beating o f these ,

hoofs the road ; the second great element in the

,

Mull p W W l R oman F est i va ls ,

’
1
Fest m (e d . er ) , . 148 . S ee . . Fo w er s

p . 2 08 , t o wh i ch I a m i d bt d f
n e e or i
th s referen c e .
42 Fl o re n c e P a s t and P r es e n t
bei ng and prosperi ty of Florence To study this .

is to find oneself sensi bly advanced in the long way

that lead s to the fi rst foun dation and l ater prosperity
of the place w ith which w e are c hiefly concerned .

Fl orence l ived by the road n o less than by the

river ; it is in the combination of these two elements
that we shall fi nd her seat determ i ned an d her
prosperity assu red .

I t is not di fficult to see along w hat l ine this

combination w ill chiefly occur i n Tuscany The .

roads will ru n speakin g rough ly north an d south

, , ,

for the tra ffic that creates them is that bet w een
Lombardy and Lati u m But the river o f Tuscany
.
,

the Arno flows across cou ntry fro m east to w est

,

i n its lower course ; why we have al ready seen , .

Thus the brown road s l ie paral lel like the w arp

threads in some mighty loom and across these ,

nature s shuttl e has d rawn a single weft i n the

’

l ine of the lower Arno —yello w when i t flows in

flood and green agai n as soon as the river rain s
,

are over I t is here then by the A rno ban k where

.
, , ,

point below point the roads meet the river at right

,

angles that the combination o f these t w o great

,

elements the l and and the w ater way arises i n e vi t

,
-

ably ready to be the cau se of fu rther change and

,

development .

Can these im portant poin ts be more cl osely de

fined and determined ? They are crossing places -

and we may there fore feel su re that they wi l l l ie

 E a rl y T ra d e 43

i n each case j ust w here the passage of the river is

easi est N ow we k now en ough of the lower Arno
.

to say som ethi ng abou t the distribution o f such

co nveniences The river course is not uniform or
.

regular here I t is i nterrupted by the gorges which

.

the water h as cut through the ridges of the hi lls ,

an d where the stream flows narro w ly and steadily ,

whil e bet w een go rge and gorge the Arno slackens

and spreads wan dering i n many d ivided and re
,

cu rrent ch annels over the level of the marshy plain s

that were once wide lakes .

So afte r al l i t is n atu re itsel f that d eterm i nes

, ,

the crossing places whi ch in their turn attract the

-

, , ,

road s and fi x the lines by which they w i ll approach

and pass the stream T here is no attraction on
.

the l evel where the Arno runs shallo w indeed bu t ,

u n certainly here to d ay elsewhere to m orrow an d

,
-

,
-

where besides the approach to it must l ie over

, ,

m arshy and i m possibl e ground P assage will be .

rather sought an d fou nd at the gorges where the ,

su re grou n d of the hil ls fall s steeply to the strea m ,

con fi ning it to a constant bed H ere the Arno .

ru ns at its n arrowest withou t wanderin g ; and its

depth an d force need n ot hind er for here the fisher ,

with his boat is ready an d an x iou s to act as ferry

m an an d so take part i n the new enterprise Thus
,
.
,

to hi m above al l the gorge becam e of the fi rst

,

i m portance ; the rive r gates w ere those by which

he passed i n to his new and highe r li fe as a partner
TH E TR ADE RO U TE S
Road s
Ri vers
Coas t li nes
A . Am i na r
Florence )
3 a

3 . Gi ron e an d Cand el!

:
lla
Au

' C o
fi
I
1
“
“
a
P rac eh 13
t I. .
.

o P i s t oi a
S e rra v a lle
'

’
Q L I I c ea
8

7 Y R R H E III E
'

P i sa
F uc ec c h i o

‘
I

S EA
n

‘ O

o V olt erra
46 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
in the great trade movement that had already trans
formed his neig h bour o f the w ood and chase into
an e fficient carrier Like the hu nter he m ay have
.
,

begun by d reaming d re ams abou t the tree ; he had

his own reasons to do so for i t was the tree that ,

gave him his boat Bu t n o w in the magic al change

.

that trans formed his life the river gates the gorge , , ,

su rely pl ayed the pri ncipal part ; s trong as the death

that waited him in their d ark stream yet on the ,

whole be n efice n t and altogether wonderful We .

shal l meet l ater and in several forms this su re

, ,

passage o f the Gorg o i nto myt h ology and trace i ts ,

l ong sur vival i n the valley of the Arno ; for the

moment it i s enough to have seen h o w early and
,

h o w natu ral ly the superstition arose and w ith how ,

great a m omen t its birth w a s connected .

Returning then to the road one sees t h at nature ,

here not only laid do w n i n the gorges the places

w here i t m ight most easily pass the river bu t also ,

provided on the s ame l ine the best possible approach

to such crossings For the gorge l ies where the
.

river cuts through a ran ge of hills and thus on , ,

ground both d ry and high along the hi ll rid ges ,

-

themselves the road s w il l ru n avoidi ng the so ft

, ,

ground in the val leys an d led by the tre nd o f the

,

hill system to j ust the places w here the Arno may

-

mos t easily be passed N ow we kn ow that in.

Tuscany the hills tend to ru n n orth w es t by s outh -

east and o n this line therefore the road s will com e

, , ,
 E a r l y T ra d e 47

from the s outh to meet the A rno O nce the river .

is p assed however the sam e roads wil l te n d sooner

, ,

or later to break back for i f the l ower P o is to be

,

reached fro m La t iu m the main Ape nn i n e mu s t be

c ros sed a n d this i m pl ie s u lti mately a no rth east
,
-

l ine for the road s .

This is the m o ment when suc h a theory o f the

t rafl i c l i nes m ay be fitted to the country abou t
Fl orence wi th the V ie w o f seeing what actual results
i t w i ll give in this n eighb o urhood and how far these ,

correspon d wi th k nown facts P robabil ities are very

.

wel l i n thei r way on e m ust ofte n begin with these

, ,

bu t thei r hi ghest u se lies i n the l ight they throw on

the real mean i ng o f what is ce rtain : the facts that
can be adduced to p rove them .

Two fi xed points i n the course of the A rno lie

near Florence the one bel o w and the othe r above
,

the city ; we kn o w them already for the u pper is ,

the gorge o f the Girone and the lower that of the

G o lfo li n a by which respecti vely the river once
, , ,

en tered and le ft the g reat lake O f these the l atter .

,

offers a natural crossin g pl ace to tra ffi c comin g from

-

the h ig h ground of S iena and the Chianti for the ,

road here wil l pass by the hi l ls of the P esa to the

G o lfo li na and thence fol low the Mo n te Albano
, ,

b reakin g bac k at Serraval le for P racchi a and so ,

reachin g the great pl ain at Bologna by the val ley

o f t he Reno The ot h er suits those coming north
.

fro m A rezzo by the A ppari ta ; they wil l cross at the

48 F lo re n c e P as t an d P rese n t
Girone a n d rise to Fiesole on the same l i ne break ,

i ng back at this n earer poi n t to pass the Ol mo c ross ,

the Mugello and take the pass of Casagli a for Faenza

,

and t h e mouth o f the P o ; 1 thus reaching the same

northern plain by another rou te There i s evid ence .

NEAR BO RG NT U O ; TH E G I R O NE R A D R I I NG
O S TO TH E P A SS

at hand ready to prove beyon d dou bt that these two

roads were actual ly used in e arly ti mes bu t i n order ,

to appreciate i ts value and meaning the reader h i m

sel f like the roads he has j ust followed m ust be
, ,

1
A d ep i t fos o un d n ea r F i l
e so e an d re p resen t e d i n th e co ll ti
ec on of
D ot t A . . C G a rg i olli , F
. l o ren ce , co n ta n e i d x mpl e a es o f th e at : mark e d
i
w t h t h e fis h -
b on e S ig n, wh i c h see m s t i di
o t th
n ca e at th e S pi na t raf fic
use d th i s ro a d . S ee P reface , p ix
.
, an d R C arruc c i , L e {Wan e/e ,
. P a rt I .

p . 8 (P l ate X .
, No .
 E arl y T rad e 49
con tent to break back a l ittle W e must in short
.
,

fi nd he re a n ew approach to the whole subj ect .

I t m ay be su pposed evident that the fi rs t me n i n

the Arno val ley m u st have reached this seat from
the east This gen e ral concl usion need not o f
.
,

cou rse i m ply that they c ame hither overl an d from

,

the Ad riatic s hore —a d ifficul t and therefore unlikely

approach whic h would i nvolve the passage of the
high A pen nine at a poi n t where no co nsiderable
rou te has ever run I t i s m u ch more li kely that i n
.

the l ast stage o f the j ourney these im migrants

travelled up from the Tyrrheni an sea by P isa and
the river i tsel f yet it can h ard ly be d oubtful that
,

thei r poin t of departu re l ay some w here to the eas t

of I taly an d that they came to the Arno in the
, .

cou rse of that general w est w ard m ovemen t of p eoples

which i n early ti mes carried c ivilisation with the
moving sun fro m shore to s hore o f the Med i terranean .

N o w this hum an m ove m en t was n ot conti n uous

n or at on ce com plete ; it proceeded by successive
w aves as population rose i n d istant cen tres and

dem and ed fro m ti me to ti me a fresh outl et ; it sent

w estward s warms of a di fferent ki n d too with an ,

ever high er cul ture as civil isation matured i n t h e

,

great eastern f uoi n m g en t i um And ever as before

.
, ,

I taly l ike al l the western l ands si fted ou t these

, ,

s w arms accordi n g to the varying opportuni ties she

o ffe red here and t he re i n her long peni nsula .

The fi rst arrival s here m ust h a ve bee n those of

D
50 F l o re n ce P a s t and P rese n t
mere explorers on th e outl ook for ne w l and s to
,

shelte r and support them As time w en t on how

. .
,

ever trade between settle ment and settlemen t be

, ,

t w een the eastern ho me o f t h e race and i ts coloni es

that spread ever w estward became the moving power,

that prompted wand e ring and made these scattered,

nations one along every sounding shore ; bi nd in g

them i n a n e w unity of Med iterranean peoples and
cul ture .

So one sees the e ffect that must have been pro

d uc e d at this stage by w hat h ad taken place in the
central I taly we are chi efly studyi ng I n Tuscany .

the fi rst arrivals had of necessity lived the l i fe of

hunters and fishers but later at the cal l of a n ew
, ,

need had become c ross cou ntry traders So when

,
-
.

n e w arrivals on the outl ook for com mercial o p p o r

t un i t i e s reached I tal y whether t hey touched its

,

shores at the mouth of the P 0 or on the opposite

Ty rrh eni an coast they found a cross —
, cou n try tra d e
al ready on foot fit to pass o n t h eir sea borne goods -

from one h arbou r to the other and from sea to sea , ,

by way O f Tuscany N ay they found people here

.
,

at the same stage of culture as themselves who ,

could understa n d their ideas an d for w ard the m who ,

woul d even perhaps accept their persons and fin d

a place fo r them up cou ntry on the trad e routes or ,

at least ad mi t their passage on w hat was rapid ly

becomi n g a highway of commerce For re m em ber .

that the shape given by natu re to I taly and ,

 E arl y T rad e 5I
especial ly the length of thi s peninsu la w as not ,

without its m eani ng here Even the twin extremes .

o f C alabria an d A pul ia m ad e themselves favou r

ably fel t i n Tuscany ; thei r southward reach in the
I o n i an sea mak ing the p erip lus an d stil l more the ,

conveyance of good s all t he way by water a l engthy ,

and d oubt fu l affair as compared w ith their t rans

port by the shorter overlan d route But this route .

crossed T uscany and Tu scans as carriers and traders

,

were the gain e rs by such a n atural advantage .

N o w of this stage i n the commercial development

of the cou ntry the road s we have n oti ced and ,

roughly traced presen t certai n evidence Taking

,
.

fi rst that w hich cros sed at the G o lfo li n a comin g ,

fro m S iena toward s P istoia we find that here and , ,

there i t is m arked by stations yield i ng deposits of

,

high antiqui ty and interest C astel l ina in Chianti .

is one of these so i s Argi ano ne a r San Casciano

,
.

Arti mi no which comm and s the crossing seems as

, , ,

one woul d ex pect to have been a pl ace of consider

,

abl e i m portance ; i t was here that in 1751 accident , ,

led to the d iscovery o f certain ancien t urns sealed

with pitch and supposed to have contained gol d as
the l i ke goo d fortu ne had already brought to l ight
n ear the same place a l arge deposit of sm all figu res
thought to be id ols an d a bu ll in bron ze finely
,

m odel led 1 But C ol le d i Val d E lsa— a point easily ’

con nected w ith the s ame route —

.

has the distinction

1
G L am
. i , L ez i om ,
'

p .
43 8 .
 52 Fl o re n c e P a s t and P re s e n t
of furnishing the highest proof at onc e of its im port
ance and o f the race and dawni ng cul tu re o f those
t h at moved in i t On a site n o w un cer tain bu t n ear .
,

t h e Badi a a ll I sol a the re w a s found i n 16 9 8 a shaft

’

tomb since closed and lost I t contai ned ashes of

,
.

the dead and on t h r e e S ides of the shaft a pain ted

, , ,

alphabet and syllabary w hich Le psi us has pronou n ced

to be Greek or e arl y P el asgic 1 N o w as a school
,
.

boy trick is not to be thought of in so so le mn a

situation only one moment can be conceived to have
,

prod uced such a record ; that of the fi rst i nven tion

of letters or rather the time w hen the m iracu lous
,

d iscovery w as n e w to Tuscany an d sti ll s u rrounde d

by a hal o of d ivine m ystery Then an d then only .
, ,

could the bare al phab et have see med a fit decora

tion for the tombs o f the dead : the great victory
w ri tten over a gains t the great de feat I t w oul d .

seem too that trade had d irected the d i s covery

, ,

and the course o f com merc e brought it hither from

the East The alp h abet of Colle w ith i ts eastern
.

analogies seems to prove w hat we have al ready seen

reason to suspect ; the presence movement and , ,

settlemen t o f foreigners from Greece and the Levant

on these Tuscan trade routes .

O ne might d ra w further and w ider co nclusions

from the tusks of ivory found i n early d wel lings near
Fucecchio ; 2 they seem to sho w that some trade
1
A nn . Corr A rc/2 . .
(R o m a , vo l . viii pp
. . 18 6 2 0
-

3 .

2
L am i , p
o . ci t .
, p .
'

3 28 .
 F l o r e n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
54
and who l ived l on g enough here to name thei r settl e
ment as Greek S peakin g people wou l d naturally do
-
.

I t i s even possible to trace the matter furt h er yet .

Scholars tel l us o f a tongue o lder still wh ich i s only ,

ETR U SC AN W ALL OF F I E S O LE A O VE
B BO RG NTO
U

preserved in certain scattered wo rd s contained i n

Greek as fossils are fou nd embedded i n l ate r rock
,
1
.

The distinguishing m ark by whi ch these pre G reek -

w ord s are k nown is they s ay the occurre nce i n them

, ,

of the co mbination a t or n tlz as i n the n ames of ,

Corin th and Z acynthus or the word s m i n t lz a m int

, , ,

or p li n t/zos a b rick N ow such n am es showi ng this

, .
,

1
See K retsch m e r, E z n lei t ung (G ot t ngen ,
‘

i pp .
3 05 3 11,
-
an d

th e ii
A n n ual of th e Br t sh Sch o o , A th ens, l viii p
. . 155 .
 E a rl y T rad e 55

very co mbin ation are fou nd at in terval s along the

,

road we are s tudying ; which indeed they serve to

defi ne very exactly J ust below the pass of the
.

A pparita l ies A ri tella and j us t beside Fiesole w here

, ,

the road fi n ds a n atu ral gap in the hill and c o m ,

m en e es its n orth eastern course is Borg un to while

-

, ,

n ear the highest poi n t of a ll i n the A pen nine of ,

Casagl i a it passes R oma to reach the summit level

, ,

a n d the last wate rshe d between the A r n o and

the P O .

T hu s i t w oul d see m that the road had been k nown

and l ong use d by the peo pl e that spoke the a t lan
gu age I t i s no t yet s u re who these were bu t i t may
.
,

be pos sibl e to see so mething of the w estern move

men t u nder which for a tim e they fou n d thei r dwel l
ing and occupation here Z acy nthus (Zante ) is an .

isl and w hose ve ry n ame b rin gs evid ence th at su ch

men o n ce d w elt there N ow both P liny 1 and S trabo
.

t e ll u s that Zacyn thus was the mother land of a -

gre at and famous colony i n S pai n ; that S agun tu m

( Mu rviedro ) whose n a m e not only shows the s i g ni fi

can t 7z t bu t corresponds so cl osely i n form with ou r

,

Borgu n to by Fiesole There i s thus a high proba

.

bi li t y that th e a t n ames found on the trade rou te

near Fl oren ce ma rk a distinct stage i n the western
m igratio n fro m Zan te to S pai n when the em igrants ,

s oj ou rned and t raded here But P liny an d S trabo .

both refer the fou nd ation o f S agu ntum to the

N t u l H i t y xvi 4
1
a ra s or , . o .
56 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
four teenth century B C and thus for t he fi rst t i me . .
,

w e are able t o rel ate the early l i fe of the Val d A rn o

’

t o history and establish roughly t h e d ate 1 500 B C

, , ,
. .

as that of the 122 names here and of t h e internatio nal ‘

,

commerce to w hich they bear such i m portant

w i tness 1 .

1
T h e R ut u li see m v
t o h a e ta k e n p a rt i n th i s mo v e m e n t , th o ugh in
a way n o t e as
y to d efi ne . It is sa i d th ey w e re l at e r a rr iv l a s at S ag un
t um from th e i r se a t at Ar d e a on t h e c oa st of L a t um i . L an z i , S agg i o,
ii p 3 74 i t th f m R uthl f m ud u p
. .
,
c es e or v d t Si e ro a r e rn rese r e a en a ,

w h i h i f ppli b l
c , w uld giv t h
a i g f th M k t th i p pl
ca e, o d e e S n o e o s eo e , an

w ul d o ugg t th t A d
s m y h v b
es th ah l ti g pl
r ea f a a e een e a n -
ace o on e

s w m f m Z
ar
y hu ju t
ro B gu t ac u ly w
nl f th
s, sIt i as or n o s re as o an o er . s

w th or ti t th t t h
no R ut uli h v l ft t h i
ce, oo , am t f f m
e a e e e r na e no ar ro

Fl t F t
o ren c e , a K ut li th h i gh g u d b t w
on e th oC h i ti
, on e ro n e e en e an

C t lli
’
an d th V l d E l e a sa , n ear as e na .
 C H APTER I V
T H E SI TE A N D IT S PO W E R
BE T W E E N t h e roads j ust described a little lo w er
,

than C and eli a good deal higher than t h e G o lfo li n a

, ,

l ies the site of Floren ce an d the relation here is

,

not merely l ocal o r geograph ical ; Florence enters

at once and deepl y in to the early commercia l
system o f w h ich these n eighbou ri n g li nes of tra ffic
speak s o eloq uent ly N o stu dy o f detai ls is needed
.

to sho w t h is and these w e m ay there fore defer

,

consi dering for the m oment The very bein g o f

.

Fl orence as a city i ts bare beg i nn i n g as a village

, ,

is e n ou gh to prove the con necti on fort h e gafhé ring

of m en i n su ch com m unity is a new fact which
clearl y belongs to hum an li fe i n its commercial
stage an d developmen t .

The hu nter a n d fi s her l ive as we have seen i n

, ,

s catter e d h uts set here an d there among the woods

and by the streams ; con strained by the l ife they
lead to thi s natural sepa ration Bu t al ready in
.

Tuscany a change h a s com e and a l arge part o f

,

the popu l at ion has ceased to hu n t or fish forced ,

57
58 F lo re n ce P a s t an d P re se n t
by its o w n increase t o take t o th e road and to earn ,

a n e w livel ihood as the conductors of cross cou ntry -

tra ffic N ot of set pu rpose th en but in obedi e nce

.
,

to a n e w necessi ty their once scattered homes now

,

assemble t h emselves i n vil lages set o n t h e trade

rou tes ; which vi llages when the cond i t ion s are ,

favou rable tend to i nc rease by the attrac tion s they

,

o ffer a n d so to becom e towns an d at last true

, ,

cities : the centres and capitals of the n e w com

merce .

Consider the conditions of the case The trader .

trades by travel ; his fi rst capital is n ot the goods

he carries but hi s own kno w l edge o f the cou ntry ,

and of the best and quickest rou tes of passage

from one fronti er to the other : the kn o w ledge
he gained w hen he w as stil l a hunter Bu t the .

country is w i ld and w hat he carries i s tem pting

, ,

so he w il l not travel alone but i n com pany, for de

fen ce and sa fety The ne w l ife i n short leads to a
.
, ,

c o operation unkno w n to the hun te r or fi sher save in

-

the smal lest measu re and on the rarest occasions i t

begets the ca ra va n th e com pany of men armed for
,

defence w h o in n umbers lead loaded beasts along

,

the new highroads of trade .

This co mb in ation is not without consequence .

I f men are th us to act together for com mon d efence

ti me gain s a n ew val ue as i t gives the signal for such
,

c o operation
-

sounding the hou rs of departu re and

,

of arrival The railway would be an i mpossibi lity

.
 T he S i t e an d i ts Pow er 59
wi thou t the t i me tabl e and the caravan i m plie s
-

som eth i ng at l east of the same order and regul atio n ,

i f t hose who com pose it are to meet and start

together .

B u t clearly place i s nearly as i mportant as ti me i n

the n ew o rder of t hings Convenience dictates that .

i f m e n are to start in n u mbers an d travel together , ,

the y shal l grou p thei r ho mes about the starting

poin t and build l odgin gs along the route w here at
, ,

the end of eac h d ay s m arch they may spen d the ’

n ight T he average rate o f the caravan en route wi ll

.

determ in e t h e distance at wh ich these halting places -

wi l l l ie the one from the other Thu s as the rail

,
.
,

way has i ts term ini and i n te rmediate stations so the ,

road as the earl ier inst ru ment of co mmerce cal l s ,

vil l ages i n to bein g A nd a s to —

,

day the occurrenc e

'

o f a j u nctio n i m pl ies a station of grea t er si ze and

i m portance so we may b e su re tha t from the begin

,

n i n g s o f trad e the station s set where t h ey belonged

to two or more syste m s of ro ad s would soon have

the ad va n tage Here above al l population would
.
, ,

gathe r a n d the vi l lage soon beco me a town or even

,

a c ity u nder the operation of mere natu ral c o n ve n i

en ce S uch was the case and such the fortune of
.

Florence She owe d her being and prosperity to

.

the place she occu pied and it i s now ti me to ex ,

am in e that S in gular site with n e w attention .

A t first as we have seen the re was n o plac e for

, ,

m a n here ; the site was covered by the water that

60 F lo r e n c e P as t an d P re s e n t

l ay i n the eastern gu lf of a w ide lak e Bu t the v ery .

up h eaval w hich brought the l a ke i nto being d eter

mined its d i sappearance by l ayi ng a n ew d rai nage
l ine across it from the G i ron e to the G o lfo li n a a n d ,

as the i nfant A rn o cut do w n the latter strait the

l ake d ra i ned a w ay w ith the cou rse o f t h e stream -

TH E P LA I N T AT H WAS A LA E ; EE
K S N FRO M B ELL G AR D
OS U O

l eavin g w id e m ars h es that i n t h eir turn tended s til l

to di sappear I t m a y be t h at the last stages of this
.

l ong process w ere w itnessed by man and even that ,

hum an e ffort m ay have h astened their accom plis h

me n t To su ppos e so w ould help one to understand
.

the t rad ition registered by Vi llani that art had o n ce ,

aided natu re h ere as agai n i n the d ays o f Castr ucci o

,

art promised to u ndo the past and d estroy Flore nce,

 T he S i te and i ts P ower 63

by creati ng the old l ake anew agai nst an artifi cial

barrier to be bu il t at Signa .

H o w ever t his m ay be th e n atural process is cer

,

tain and n o l ess sure is the d ouble part played in it

,

by the A rn o w hich n ot on ly cut a w ay o f escape for

,

the fal li ng lake bu t by the al luvium of its constan t

,

deposits l aid fi rm ground w h ere Florence should

stan d an d spre ad These deposits i n any river
.
, ,

consist of lighter and heavier particles the latter ,

tend ing to travel less an d fall fi rst Thus the eastern .

gul f at the mouth of which the city stands m ust

, ,

already have em erged dry and fi rm w hile as ye t

, , ,

west w ard w ide m arshes stil l encumbered the w a y

,

ward stream .

I n this process o f bu il ding the site the Arno did

not act alone Behin d Fiesole as every visitor
.
,

knows the g roun d fal ls steeply to the Mugnone and

, ,

the holl ow valley of that stream has a t ale to tel l

that m u st not be neglec ted Many have found i t an .

ad m i rable background for the stage of t h e ancient

theatre on the hi l l fe w have conside red that it l ies
behi nd a wider s tage that on w hich the great d rama
,

o f Florence w a s pla y ed age after ag e on ground

, ,

that the Mugnone had hel ped to lay and prepare .

Yet stan d in g at San Gall o and noting h o w alon g ,

each wi d e as wel l as in fron t t h e grou nd falls gradu

, ,

al ly a n d gently t o the Arno w h o does not see that ,

Floren ce i s buil t on the Mugnone delta and that the ,

d eep ho l l ow of th at val ley behin d Fiesole is empty

 64 F lo r e n ce P a s t an d P re s e n t
to d ay only because of w hat it has yiel ded i n the
-

remote past to t h e stream that drai ns it : the sands

an d gravels that m i ngl e d with those of the greater ,

strea m n o w form t h e found ation of t h e ci ty

,
.

This tributa ry o f the A rno had an ot h er e ffec t

w h ich mus t not be overlooked I ss uing then as .
,

now from the gorge at the Badia o f San D omenico

, ,

i t once flowed u ntouched by art and o n a course ,

which seems speaking general ly to have brought i t

, , ,

by the site of S an M arco a n d the Canto alle M aci ne ,

to skirt the little h i ll on w hich San Lorenzo is built .

S o by the Borgo and past S anta M aria Maggiore

, ,

the Mugno ne found the l ine o f Via T o rn a buo n i and

kept it till it fel l i nto the A rno at the P onte Trin it a1 .

Signs of this natural course have been found here

from time to time : in 1 56 5 w hen w ater broke out ,

as they were digging the found ation for the colu m n

of P iazza Trinit a; i n 156 7 when a strong spring ,

hindered the build ing of the n orth pier of the bridge ;

and sti l l more lately in 18 94 w hen the old river bed ,

itsel f w as laid bare i n fron t of the C hurch o f S anta

Tri nit a;
2
N o w such a co n fl uence could not take
pl ace without the tributary havi ng an influence on
the course of the m ain stream and as we kn ow the , ,

ol d course of the Mugnone w e are n ow prepared to ,

see what i ts force an d burd en brought abou t w here

i t fell into the A rno .

1 L am i , L ez z om
' ’

,
p 3 77
. .

2
G aye , Ca rteggz o,
'

iii pp 6
. . 2 , 2 71 an d Mil an i ,
p 55
, ,
 T he S i te an d i ts P ow e r 67

The greater river was here pushed sou thward by

the s trea m that came from the north I n the u pper .

angl e betwee n them their mingled deposits te n ded

,

to gather an d rise high a n d this ban k of gravel , ,

w hich re mained u ntouched til l i t was d ug away i n

I pin ned the Arno again st the o pposite hil l o f

S an Giorgio as i n a n arrow strait where it mus t pass
, ,

an d from which it co uld not wander One thin ks o f .

the sn ake cau ght and hel d down in the cleft stick of
the charm er for w hile above and belo w the Arno
, , ,

flowed free eve r changin g its course u n der the law

,

of river movem ent—witness the many B i s am z i n

'

the u p pe r and l ower pl ai n which appear i n docu

m ents an d i n m aps of the d istri ct—here the river
was hel d fast betwee n the more ancient barrier of
the hil l behind the Vi a dei Bard i on the south and ,

that neare r wal l o f d eposit on the north wh ich the

M u gnone had brought about and helped to build .

Thus then u nd er the hil l of San Giorgi o we meet

, ,

the n atu ral fact which m ore than any other has
d etermined the site of Flo ren ce W e have seen .

al ready the val ue of a fi xed point i n the course of

the A rn o and how as at C and el i and the G o lfo li n a
, , ,

i t determ ines a c rossi ng and draws the road to ,

itse lf alon g the ridges of approach S hal l i t not .

the n be the sa me where Florence stan ds and with ,

a new advan tage ? For while a true mou ntai n

gorge mu st al w ays offer d ifficul ty to the builder ,

G y 1 i p 52 1
a e, . . .
68 F lo re n ce P as t an d P re se n t
affording on ly a scanty s ite on a steep slope or i f ,

that slope be overpasse d as in the case of A rti mi no , ,

fo rci ng hi m to build o n a hil l top far fro m the -

stream and only reached with difficu lty here on the

, ,

contrary is a fi xed point w ith a w id e and wel l

drained site ready to hand where the river has ,

heaped its gravels on the plain and the t ribu tary ,

F L O REN C E , W IT H H I LL OF S . G I RG I
O O , S EEN F R OM B ELL G AR D
OS U O

has poured them far and n ear ove r a gently sl oping

del ta fit as time and h istory p rove to form the si te
, , ,

of a great city .

The more one stud ies the pl ace the more d istinct ,

and convincing does its advantage seem The

Mugnone at i ts confluence with the A rno d oes
more than bring alluvi um with i t ; i t pou rs water
70 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
Borgo P inti the Via d el Mercatino and the Via dei
, ,

Rustici Hence though later building now inter

.
,

venes the distance to the P i azza d el l A rno i s so

,
’

short and the di rection of the road so well assured ,

that the P iazza may be taken as fi x i ng the pl ace

where it once j oined the river Bu t this is j u st the .

fi xed point i n the Arno we have al ready found an d ,

i f a boat l au nches to leave i t for the other side it ,

w il l fal l with the current and w ill land good s an d

,

passengers j ust where the south roads — the Via d ei

Bardi in both branches and the Costa S an Giorgio,

—j oin to meet the river and open the way to the

south T hu s the site an d crossing are easily in
.

touch w ith the Chianti on the one h and an d with

Borgunto on the other ; not to speak o f the Mugello
and far Faenza to which the road from Arezzo by
,

Candeli and Borgu nto ulti mately leads over the

pass of C asagli a .

The m ost i mportant pass in the neighbourin g

Apenni ne ho w ever w a s n ot perhaps that of
, ,

Casaglia but rather the Futa which opens the road

, ,

to Bol ogna ; for near the site of t his city stood i n

.

very early times the great settlemen t of Vill anova ,

w hich must have been one o f the chief pl aces w here

the cross country trader dealt with the dwellers i n

-

the basin of the P o A gl ance at the m ap w i l l

.

show how wel l pl aced i s the s ite of Florence for

direct co m munication with this northern trade ce ntre .

The ma ss if of Monte Morel lo o ffers no real

 T he S i te an d i t s P owe r 71
obstacle O ne road rises to the right o f the h i ll
.
,

al ong t he ridge o f the P ietra and find s Barberino ,

d i M ugel l o by way of Vagl i a and S an P iero a S i e ve .

The other keeps to the left and the low grou nd by ,

Q uarto Q uinto and Ses to and reaches Barberino ,

through the val ley of the M ari n a above Calenzano .

Fro m Barberi no to the Futa pass and thence by ,

P iet ram al a and L oj a n o the road runs to Vi llanova

,

almost as straight as it c an be d rawn though the main ,

waters hed of the A pen nine l ies b e tween Thus the .

easy cros sing at S an Giorgio gathered an d directed

ro ad s that j oined the Lo mbard pl ain with the heights
of the south and u l timately with the lower val ley
,

of t h e Tiber i tsel f An d w hen w e remember that

.

he re the A rno o ffered its o w n wes tern water way -

to P isa and the sea the resu l t of all these a d van

,

tages canno t be doubtful There is room here by

.
,

the crossin g for a vil l age a to w n even a great city

, , , .

A nd the ci ty wil l be g reat fo r no other site in the

,

neighbou rhood co m man d s and combines so m any

trad e routes an d opportu n i t ies .

These theoretical advantages of the San Giorgio

crossi n g are see n to be real w hen on e comes to
exam ine the proofs o f early settlement on t h e
M ugnone d el ta and to trace the history of the city
,

thus set by the Arno I n 18 9 5 whe n foundati ons

. ,

were bei ng laid for the build i ngs of th e n ew centre ,

a group o f early graves came to l ight w here the

C affe Gambrin us now stand s The cinerary urns .
72 F lo re n c e P a s t an d P re se n t
then d iscovered an d n o w preserved i n the Museu m
,

o f Via della Colonna were o f d i stinct Vi llanovan

,

type and beside them lay a bron ze fibula that spok e

,

of Greece and the East so cl early [E g ae an was the,

art it s howed 1 Here then must have l ai n a

.

ce metery of the earl iest Fl orence no t without proof ,

that the to w n itself w as i n to uch by the Futa road

with Villanova an d that sou th and seaward it lay
,

open to the same eastern influence that we have

al re ady rem arked in the neighbou rhood at Can deli
and at Coll e The story is con sisten t then nor
.
,

does it want for further confirm ation but ere we ,

proceed i n it w e must determ ine m ore accurately

the si te of the fi rst settlemen t here The Gam .
‘

bri n us
’
graves have given us the ce metery bu t ,

where was the vill age of those w h o here buried

their dead P
The fi xed poin t in the A rno and the easy c ross .

ing u nder San Giorgio mark the pl ace of greatest

,

advan tage near which the vil l age m ust stand if i t

,

is to be i n touch with the ferry and com man d the

tra ffic d ownstream to and fro m the sea T h e one .

danger the river brings to hu man habitation on this

si te is that o f its floods and i f there be a poi n t less
,

exposed than another to t h e in road s o f water that ,

point wil l be chosen for the s ettl ement N o w we .

kno w that there was high ground close by i n the ,

angl e bet w een the M ugnone and the A rno j ust ,

1
S f th i V ill v d p i t Mil i R l qm ' '

ee, or s ano an e os , an ,
z z e
 T he S i te an d its P ow e r 73
w here the Via dei Rustici runs towards the river 1 .

I f we suppose then that the fi rs t village stood on

this bank o f gravel behi nd the P iazza del l A rno i t ’

w il l be easy to show that n o other situation fits so

well the k nown ci rcu mstances of the case .

This si te l ies at the very centre and meeting place -

of all the l ines of com mun ication we h ave al ready

trace d To it fal ls an d runs i n a line al l the more
.
,

i m pressi ve because so straight the road from Bor ,

gun to I n its d irect approach to the river careless

.

of au ght bu t speed this road would seem to have

,

found its line be fore a bu ildi n g of any k ind had risen

here to preoccu py the trader o r cau se him to change ,

route even by a hair s b readth I t is true that as

’
-
.

n o w seen i n the Via T o rc i c o d a between the Via del ,

Mercatino and the Via dei Rustici the road does ,

bend before returning to resu m e i ts origi n al l ine but ,

this d i version is eas i ly expl ai ned ; i t has occurred

by the intrusion here of the Roman Am phitheatre .

N ow as i t is certai n th at ha d this bui ldi ng bee n

, ,

al ready raised the road woul d have run clear of

,

i t we m us t su ppose rather t hat the road is the

,

old er o f the two and that it date s from pre Roman

,
-

days T his i m pression i s co n fi rmed when r e mem

. ,

beri ng that i t connects the Arno crossing w ith Bor

gun to we n otice that part o f the road sti l l bears
,

th e n ame o f P inti For thus again as on the

. ,

Can d eli rou te w e come across the tracks of the

,

S b v p 67
1
ee a o e, . .
74 F l o r e n ce P a s t an d P rese n t
s t range and early people who used the m l a nguage ‘
.

P lainly they were busy here 1 Thei rs may have .

bee n the [E g ae an brooch found in the ce metery near

by and certainly we can not do wrong i n taking the
,

l ine of the Borgo P i nti and of the lower streets that ,

carry i t dow n to the P iazza dell A rno an d the river ’

,

as the original trade route about the foot of wh ich ,

PI AZ Z A D E I P ERU Z I ; URVE Z C O F A MI’H I T H E A T R E 0N RIG T

H

on her h igh ban k Florence first began to l ive and

,

gro w .

W hat is perhaps l e ss obvious but certainly no t ,

less remarkable when observed is that the road ,

from S esto tells nearly the sa me story i f we stu dy

it carefully Here the firs t matter to be n oticed
.

1
I t i w th ti th t s zl m ly s p p ‘

m i
'
‘
s or no uce a zz zz oc c rs ear a a re er n a e n

Flo re nc e S L mi f
. ee p 57a , o ). . 2 .
 T he S i te and i ts Po we r 75
is that of d irection i n this secon d approach As .

the road run s in the remo te r country it d oes so

un d er a natu ral preoccu pation : that whi ch woul d
l ead the travel ler to seek fi rm ground on the fi rst
sl o pes of M onte Morel lo and so to avoid the ,

m arshes on his righ t as he d raws near the river .

This accou n ts for the w i nd ings o f the road al l

the w ay fro m Col on n ata to the Romito Tak ing .

i t u p now fro m the other e n d we fin d an altered ,

d irection fro m the P i azza Mad onn a by the Via del la

,

Fo rca very n atural and expl ic able as lead ing to the

,

m ain north gate of Rom an Florence but j us t on ,

‘

that accou n t to be hel d as a later d i ve rsion There .

remai ns the Vi a Faen za from the Fortezza da Basso

to the P iazza M adonna and as we are here on plai n
,

grou nd and within s ight of the j ou rney s end this

,
’

street may be taken as evidence of the d irecti on in

wh ich early travell ers chose to reach the A rno from
Sesto P rol ong the Vi a Faenza then i n a l ine that
.
, ,

cuts s traight across the present centre of Florence 1

,

an d wh at is the resul t ? The Sesto road reaches the

river at a pl ace only a very l ittle l ower than that .

fou n d by the road from Borgunto Between these .

two poi n ts then the one in the P i azza del l Arno the
,
’

other i n the Lu n g Arno del la Borsa near t h e P iazza

’

dei Gi udic i lie s the probable site o f the first settl e

,

ment o n the high grou nd near the ri ver

,
.

1
Furt h e r w arran t for t h i b ld
s o j
c on ec ture w ill be fo un d b el ow ,

on p . 1 10 .
 F L O R E N CE
i n h er e l eme n ts
Pi az z a del/ A m o
'

A lt af ront e
Pi az z a d el Vi n o and
Logg i a d el Grano
Merca ti n o
Gen i c ulum
Mercat o Vec oh i o
Pi az z a V Eman uele
_
.

Pi az z a
A mp hi t h e at re
 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
78
Observe that the indication fu rnished bythe Sesto
road is as ancien t and authoritative as that which
Borgu nto has already give n and that these two ,

rou tes not only point to the sam e crossing place by -

the river bu t tel l a l ike story of forgotten time O n

,
.

the Sesto road as it passes Q uinto stands a villa

, ,

call ed La Mul a and for a reason The T u scan

, .

p eople of this neighbou rhood have long said

T a Qui t o S e s t o
r C oln at a, e on n ,

G ia e u m ul d o ro s tt e rat a ’ ’
c na a o r

and i n fact the villa is bui lt on a tu mu lus 1 th at

, ,

covers an ancient tomb w hose spoils of gold w h en ,

it was first robbed l ive n o doubt in t he local rhyme

,
.

This tomb is very remarkab le and has been the ,

subj ect of expert study w hich assigns i t to the s ixth

century before Christ For ou r presen t pu rpose it
.

is enough to note that i t reprod uces the si ngular

architectu re of the Treasury of A t reu s i n Greece ,

and on a scale of size which may fairly compare

w ith that o f the bette r kn own monu m ent T he road .

must be o lder than the monu mental to mb that thus

relates itsel f to i t and the traders w h o passed o n
,

this li ne to and from Vill anova were at one ti me

surely in touch wi th the far life an d famous art of
Mycenae .

The near coincidence of the road s from Borgunto

and Sesto where they ru n to meet the A rno at so
convenient a crossi ng pl ace m ight seem enough to
-

L M l m yb u ti f th i m l
1
a a a a e a c o rr on o s
p o e.
82 Fl o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
dei Bardi draws away again from the Arno t o seek
the farther slopes H ere i ndeed on the so uth bank
.
, , ,

is n o place for a c ity The grou n d is too narrow . ,

steep and uncertain so treacherous in fact that one

, , ,

hal f of the Vi a dei Bard i i s gone where i t meets

the hill and the blank ret ain in g wall bears th e
,

w ords
H ui n s Mo n tis ae d es soli
vi ti o ter co llap s as n a

quis d enn o re st i tue ret

Cosmus Med Flore n tin . .

ac Sen en s D ux 11 vetui t .

’
1
O c tobri c ro . D . v .

N ot h ere then but across the Ar n o at that point

, ,

of departure with which this l anding place so wel l -

correspond s are We to seek the site of the fi rst

,

hou ses o f the city .

One more corroboration may be added to w hat

i s al ready su ffi ciently plai n T he castle of A lta fro n t e .

stood i n the M idd le Ages on the high grou nd — as

its name indicates —w here Florence fi rst rose Now .

we k now from the chronicle of Vill an i t h at there

were still some i n the histori a n s d ay who hel d that ’

A lt afro n t e marked the site of the C apitol o f Florence .

Vil lan i himsel f wi l l n o t have i t s o b ut says the ,

Capito l stood westward at the Via del Cam pidoglio , ,

where ind eed i ts ruin s w ere found i n the late ex

R ui i k
n w t h v t k
s pl h i 1 84 d g i i
no n o a e a en ace e re n 2 an a a n n

S A mmi to S t Fi xxxiii ; M i S ai /1 xxi ; '

1 547
. ee ra , ar . on , . ann ,
r 2, .

an d L t i
as r F i m viii
, r , .
 T he S i t e an d its P ower 83

for the new Cen tre Yet both he and

c a va t i o n s .

those he report s were probably right 1 A lt afro n t e .

stoo d o n the high grou nd w here Florence began ,

and i f her C en tre shi fted so that the Roman Capitol

cam e to stand else w here these are matters which ,

concern the later deve lopmen t of the city and not

h e r origi n al site Those w h o gave such i mportance
.

to A lt afro nte had the trad i tion of an older truth ,

and to recove r this to day and fi nd the fi rs t seat of -

Floren ce by the river th at brough t her li fe at the ,

crossi ng where the road s met is to begin well The ,

.

rest i s bu t the lon g story o f a growth age after ,

age which carried the city n orth an d westward from

,

thi s her origin al site an d sure poi n t of departu re .

1
Ce rta i ly
n w o rth i
no t ce too i n t h i s i
c o nn ec t on i s th e si g n ifi c an t

m an n er i n w h i ch Mali S p i n i , rec o r di n
g th e d w lli ng pl aces of t h e m
e -
ost

i
an c e n t F l oren t n e i fam ili es , b gie n s, not from Me rcato V ecch i o, but
fro m S an Pi
ero S ch e raggi o an d Bo rgo d e i G rec i . S ee R . e G .

Ma li s pi n i , S lon a , c ap Ii i
'

. .
 C H A P TE R V
TH E D O U BL E I N H ER I TA N CE
I T is plain that the crossi n g place m ade Florence
‘

an d that its advantages w ere ready to secu re the

d evelopment and progress of any town wh ich rose

here Of this l ater history much rem ains to be
.

said but before entering on it another m atter de

,

m ands some attention I s it possible one asks to

.
, ,

know anything of the peop le who fi rst lived here ,

and to trace i n the Floren ti nes of later ti mes and

of the p re sen t day any of the characteristics o f
these early ancestors
Something is al ready su re : that Florence rose
on the trade rou te and therefo re had her being from
,

the fi rst as a town begotten of com merce To the .

truth of this succeedi ng time has borne abun d ant

witness for Florence has never forgotten her origin
, ,

and her greatest d ays have ever been those when

her trade most freely flou rished Th is is the sen se
.

of the magn iloquen t i nscription you m ay sti l l read

in the choi r o f San ta M ari a N ovella
84
86 F lo r e n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t
generation s inhabit w i th w ives and child ren the
same hom e This is the ty pe of li fe proper to the
.

shepherd and in a measu re to the born agriculturist

, , ,
.

You may fi nd it at Rome then or among t h e ,

farmers of the P o v al ley hardly by the A rno till , ,

times l ate indeed w hen co m mu nications have becom e

,

easy and have w orn a w ay the sharpness of o riginal

characteristics T he Florentine wil l l ive close to
.

his neighb ou rs and his kin for trade demands this ,

c h ange bu t he is still himself and wil l l ive his own

, ,

l ife apart from t h eirs in a house of his own w hich , ,

if near is yet distinct and private the pecul iar

, ,

dwel ling of the si ngle fami ly that owns and occupies

it Thus Florence rose the n a town indeed but
.
, ,

one buil t of smal l and separate houses : o f w ood

and thatc h no doubt that i n their ve ry m aterial
,

they might recal l the h ut of the hun ter constrained ,

to no suc h neighbourhood but set alone am ong the

wide spaces of the forest .

Even w hen the Florentines had come to build

in stone the manner of that later build in g shows
,

to a wo nder the same c haracteri stic and here , ,

and there remains to day to prove it T he fi rst

,
-

Floren tin e palazzi w ere not as those of Rome , ,

the vast dwell ings of patriarchal hou sehold s gather

ing many branches and generations w ithin the
same four w al ls of massive bri c k or stone At .

Florence they built d i fferently Each fam i ly had .

‘

its house ; each house w as a self contained to w e r -

.
 T h e D o uble I n h e ri t a n c e 87

i n several stories ; m ore or fewer accord ing to the

means o f the b uilde rs There was grouping indeed .

o f such to w ers as the kin dred grew and occupied

a whole plot o f ground tower beside towe r till , ,

the whole was gird led about and the free space in ,

the centre alone remained unoccupied within that

singu lar d efence The la w o f the c ity might and
.

d id i nterfere cutting d own the towers to a u niform

,

height above an d causing t hei r owners to cover

,

the whole bloc k w ith a single roof 1 Thus the .

grou p o f towers became a palazzo but who does n ot ,

see t h at i t was stil l a pal azzo after the m a n ner of

Florence and not o f Rom e ? Under that roof the
towers stil l stan d d istinct as you m ay s e e three ,

of them even to day at the east end of Vi a del le

,
-

Term e ; so close that they present but one wal l to

the street and i ndeed seem one til l you notice the
,

lines o f perpend icular d ivision b e tween them that

a kni fe bl ade cou l d hard ly find y et clear en ough to
-

give the Flore n ti ne what he wanted ever since he l ived

alone i n the woods : a house of his own shut w ith in
i ts own fo u r w al ls The early palazz i of Florence.

were cities in m iniatu re bu ilt up o f separate ho mes ,

as the city is but of homes in stil l closer j ux t ap os i

,

tion ; her pal azzi a re the ci ty i n the essence of i t ,

bearing su re wi tness to the remote history and funda

mental cha rac ter o f those w h o m ade the place .

1
U n d er th e law of 12 51. S e e my B u i lders of Floren ce (L on d on :

Me th uen , pp .
70 -
1 12 , fo r a fu e r ll d i i i
sc uss on o f th s matter .
88 F l o re n c e P a s t
'

and P rese n t
As one thinks of the change that took pl ace
When the hunter became the trader it appears that ,

s uch a new ventu re m ust have al tered a n d extend ed

the value of hum an life in no smal l degree The .

hunter wh o marries earl y ages soon and in a li fe ,

where child re n scatter beti mes and the fami ly tie

i s loose the ageing fi nd themselves at a grea t d is
,

adva n tage as with du l led senses an d en feebled

, ,

strength they compete with the young in the pursui t

,

of game To the trader on the other hand a new

.
, ,

prospect opens fo r a man may rid e t h e road whe n

,

he can no longer w alk it ; and even i f in age he

choose to s tay at home he may abide there as the ,

useful and honoured master o f cou nsel and director

of trade ven tures w hose past ex perience in this
,

way of life has a value that years and the decay of

bodi ly strengt h cannot touch .

So it would certainly seem that the Floren ti ne ,

originally a hunter and now turned to the way o f

trade must look at old age from a double poin t
,

of view As he yields to the suggestion o f his

.

remoter past he wi ll fear the com i ng years and

, ,

rudely chee r his heart i n scorn of al l who are yet

older than himsel f As a trad er again and in
.
,

another mood he w ill fi nd gentler comfort i n the

,

praise of age i ts wisd om and th e counsel i t d raws

, ,

from a ripe experience .

Now these are j ust the con trasted mood s we fi n d

re fl ected to d ay in the c urrent proverbs of Tuscany
-

.
90 F lo r e n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
because fa mi lies —even those w h o never open a book
n o w l ive in s uch close i ntercourse and soci e t y that

together they form a standard of speech and keep

eac h ot h er true to i t .

But i n the forests of Tuscany things w ere very

differe n t N ot only w as th ere no literature—the
.

great check to d i alect —b ut there w as no society

either in the modern sen se of the word
,
I t has .

been said that among the I nd ians w h o hunt and fish

i n the vast fore sts of t he A m a zon there is a dialect ,

for every hundred m embers o f the tribe One has .

the ri g ht to su ppose it w as the same in the w oods of

Tuscany and by its streams and for the same rea ,

son ; the h unters and fishers w ere so scattered and

s a w so l ittle o f eac h other that there w as the least

possible check on these natu ral varieties of speech .

The m atter m ay be prove d and studied to d ay by -

the curious for i t has left a d irect su rvival at Fl or

,

ence The fishers of the A rno w i l l te l l you not

.
,

only that their tal k is tech n ical and pecul i ar to

themselves bu t that within the l imits of the city i n
, ,

the short distance that separates the P o nte d i Ferro

from the P onte Sospeso —not more than a mi le and
a qu arter— a trai n ed ear can d istinguish t w o or three
dialects where not o n ly the accen t but even so me of
,

the w ord s w il l be fou nd to vary from point to point

on the river I f it is so st ill under the shadow o f a
.
,

great ci ty h o w much more must dialect have varied

,

and flourished here i n prehistoric d ays w hen as y et ,

 T he D o uble I n h e ri t a n c e 91

t here w as neither road nor town on ly the river the , ,

hil l an d the wood held by the scattered famil ies

,

they harbou red and fed ? 1

N o w i f from t h e hu nter he had been the Floren
, ,

t ine w as becom e the trader grou ped as never before , ,

al ike at hom e an d on the road this c a n only mean a ,

victory w o n ove r di alect by a n e w unity of com mon

sp e ech N ay more i f the trader here is to prosper
.

by l e arn ing the tal k o f Lom bardy and Latium ,

bet w een w hich he moves he m ust begin by reform ,

i ng his own l angu age T o w ard s this l i nguisti c pro .

gress then each age brought i ts o w n contribution

, ,
.

The hunter s l i fe was responsi ble n o doubt for the

’
, ,

breaki n g u p of lan g uage i nto d ialect among the

l oneliness o f the w ood s but on the other hand it , , ,

l aid a found ation for the opposite process that w as

ready to com mence w hen the ti me sh ould be ripe .

For by necessity the hu n ter is a man whose ear

, ,

and voice are shre w d ly trai ned by the life he follow s .

There i s a l angu age of t h e woods inarticulate ,

i ndeed bu t al l i mport a n t to thos e w h o follow the

,
-

chase The n otes o f the birds and the voice of the

.
,

deer w hen t h ey b reed mean much to the h unter ,

.

They not only lead him where game lies but hi s ,

c hie f art is fou nd by i m itating them training his ,

throat to the liquid tril l or w hi s tle cal l ing reeds to ,

Th m yh v b th i u viv l Am m ‘
1
e re a f a e e en a g
re a son or s s r a : on so e

t ib f W t Vi t i tu ll y f b i dd
es o e s e rnm w c or a a t man y as ac a or en o arr a

—
r

i p d i l i l A fi ig
'

w f e w h k t ho s m o e t h m
e sa f J D w
e a ec as se . . a so n , or z n es ,

t d b F G ld B ug/
raz e r, l i p 420 ( d
o en a z , vo 2n
q u o e y . . .
 92 Fl o re n c e P a st an d P re s e n t
hel p his bird ing or setting a blade of grass bet w een
,

his hands to mi mic the bleat of the fawn T hus he .

spares hi msel f many a w eary step not conten t \

merely to fol lo w w hat fl ies but am bitious rather to

,

call the game and fi nd i t come to his feet Yet who .

does not see that such art i s subs ta n ti ally t h e same

as that i n w hic h men teach themselves to speak a
strange l anguage as wel l as t h eir neighbou rs : by
listen ing keenly remembering long and exactly
, ,

and im itating constantly ? I f as w e m u st suppos e

, ,

t h e Tuscan trader l ived by learning to tal k w e ll i t ,

is plai n t h at h i s trai ni ng as a hunte r l aid the fou n

d ation for t h at excellen ce ; he came to his gre at
c h ange wel l prepared to take ad vantage of it .

A nd the n e w way of li fe he found not only p ut

h i m u nder the necessity of u sing a com mon lan
guage w it h his k in and learning the speech of h i s
,

neigh bou rs ; i t gave him di rect hel p to both The .

great agency at w ork to day for the su ppression of

-

d ialect is the co n sc ri pt army : the meeting — pl ace of

men from e very province who must l ive and w o rk
toget h er and w hose society and service give prom ise
,

o f an I taly not merely politic ally one bu t that shall ,

yet be u nited m ore cl osely than ever by the bon d o f

a common s peech and understand in g S o m ust it .

have been in Tu scany when the hu nter turned

trader These men o nce scattered n o w l ived an d
.
, ,

w orked together and i n t h ei r caravan w a s born

al most at once —was i t not th e con d ition of thei r

,
 Fl o re n ce P as t an d P re se n t
94

use that distingu ish the Tu s can and especial ly the

, ,

Florentin e from other men 1 There is much i nter

,
.

provincial j ealou sy in I taly an d the Tu scan h a s at ,

least h i s share of ab use for this or that in him that

his neighbou rs find u n pleasin g bu t i f the tal k fal l on ,

language it is s till the li ng ual Tosca n a that all u n ite

to praise and i f possibl e to i m itate conquered i n
, , , ,

spite o f themselves by the rich subtl ety which fears

no rival in the art o f fitting words to things an d
ex pressing the thought i n the phrase .

The great Fl orentine poet d id m uch for the l an

guage but it were a d eep mi stake to su ppos e that
,

Tuscan before Dante s d ay was a me re d ialect l ike ’

any other form o f I tal ian which only the happy ,

accide n t of his birth an d Muse raised to the pl ace

it ho ld s amon g the great langu ages o f the world .

Tuscan like any other tongue w a s what it was

, ,

because of those who s poke it an d w as therefore ,

originally inevitably richer than its neighbou rs as

, ,

being the tal k of men w hose whol e training and

hope made them m asters of soun d and of s peech i n
a sense hard ly known t o the res t of I taly Q uite .

apart from any au thor even the greatest who ever , ,

used it Tuscan w as thus s u re of the s upre me place ;

,

born to it from the remotest past in the early history ,

trai n ing and facu lty of the Tuscan s themselves

, .

1
Cf T i f th E g li h v tp v l ‘ ’
. a n e, Il mu
o e n s : s n e sa e n as s a ser a ec a

p l
aro e ,
’
d th an f i f F C pp l L t d i ud i i d i p l
e co n e s s on o . o o a,
’
ar e n r rs aro e ,

d i pp g i d i p l d i i b i i d i p l e t s
a a a rs d ubb i
aro e, ne r a rs aro e , ar e enz a o

i t li
a an a T bu
.
’
i 4t h A p il 9 0
rz
'

na, r e 1 1 .
 T he D o ubl e I n he r i t an c e 95

I t is d i fficult to put i nto English word s the real

nature an d si ngu lar e ffects o f thi s pre em inence as - -

they a ppear i n the com mon talk of modern Florence .

T o speak of the Florentine s delight i n language is ’

bu t an appro ach to the central tru th This del ight .

i s born of a sense of m astery over w ords and j oy ,

fu lly in spires their further use and refinement .

S tran g ers have sometimes w ondered that there is no

gam e p roper to Tuscany u nl ess i t be P allone and ,

that even here the people only watc h an d bet while

pro fessionals pl ay I t may be truly said o f the
.

cou n try i n general that the real I tal ian game i s that
of w ord pl ay an d that non e is s o expert on this
-

ground or takes such del ight in the botta e rzsp os za

'
‘
, ,

as the Tuscan the Flo ren ti ne I t gives h i m all the .

sensation s of keen ex pectation w atchful interest , ,

an d j oyful successfu l entry a nd victory that others

, ,

fi nd i n contests o f phys ical strengt h and skil l ; he

feels it al l but find s his exerci se and d elight on the
,

higher the m ental pl an e

, ,
.

H ere then l ies the genesi s and perpetual rene w al

, ,

of the f rzz z o the pecu li arly Fl oren tine j est H um

'

,
.

ou r is proverbially un translatable and Florentine ,

wit is t he leas t li kely to form an exception to the

r ul e To describe its form i s nearly as di fficult
. ,

though h ere so mething m ay perhaps be d one by an

an alogy T he double stopping of the ex pert vio
.

li n i s t and his art o f creating harmo n ics that are

,

h e ard above belo w and behind the principal notes

, ,
96 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
he pl ays to their indescribable enrichment m ay ,

serve as figur e s o f what you hear —o r i f you are

,

inex pert more frequentl y miss — i n this Florentine

,

s peech Every phrase al most every word has a

.
, ,

meaning beyond the com mon and the obvi ous so ,

that seeming rud en ess may be real flattery or , ,

m ore frequently the apparent com pli ment cover a

,

real and atrocious attack .

Some of t h e s e f rzz z z are stereotyped t h ey live in

' '

the m emory of all and become as it w ere the cards

, , ,

used in the game : phrases an d repl ies framed of

old to fol lo w each other i n a com mon sequence .

But j ust as the shu ffling of the cards i m p lies n e w

combinations and m akes the game o n e o f o p p o r
,
'

t un i ty so the accidents of l i fe and i ntercou rse lend

,

themse lves to n e w applications of the old m aterial

of language W ord pl ay at Fl orence is never stale
.
-

ever ful l of fresh e xcitement and i nteres t to these ,

masters o f the phrase The vic tory of the Tuscan .

tongue has been won age after age on these playi ng

, ,

fields and t h e facu lty w h ic h enj oys i tsel f there sti l l

,

is agelong ; it l ooks back to the l ife o f the wood

l ands and to the new necessity brought by early
,

trade w here fi rst that art of vocal mim icry fou nd its
h igher application an d m ore end u ring fame .
98 Fl o r e n ce P as t an d P r e se n t
believe profoundly in fluenced by this change of
,

pl ace and o f occ upation Let us try to conj ecture

.

what such change must have implied and how i t ,

made i tsel f fel t Florence itsel f was from the fi rst

.

a resul t of the n e w grou ping that d rew men together

i n an altered way of li fe nor i s it likely that this
,

should not have a ffected the units i nvolved i n it ;

those lesser ultimate g rou ps which were the fa m ilies
gathered here H ow did they d i ffer from the family
.

of the hunter or the fisher ?

To say that they were trad e rs is to i m ply more
than we have yet observed The way is long from .

Lombardy to Latiu m and the roads steep a n d rough

,

that l ead across Tuscany from the eastern to the

western sea by the A penn i ne passes I f we add .

that the passage w as not altogether safe that it l ay

through the woods w h ere wi l d men lingered ar med
,

with arrows and s pears i n the fashion of the for mer

age ; a n d that the hun ters who had taken to the road
and its trade were therefore forced to travel in com
pany and use their old weapons i n a new defe n ce it
, ,

becomes plai n that these j ou rneys could not fail to

produce their natural effect at hom e — that is i n the ,

fa mil ies of Florence .

Time much time is necessary for such exped i

, ,

tions The way is long and the caravan moves

.
,

slowly constrained to the pace o f the weakest mule

,

and the worst m an W eeks i f not m onths wil l pass

.

before i t retur n s and it does so only to s et out again

,
 T h e V i ll e an d t h e i r Re l igio n
'

99

on a n e w venture As the caravan is composed of

.

me n only the conditi ons i mply that in the trading

,

co m mu n ity of Fl o rence there i s a sharp separation

of the sexes The m en are on the road most of the
.

ti m e whi le the w omen stay at hom e in the society

,

of thei r own sex and those o f the other who are too
,

young or too ol d to travel

.
.

N o w this is the situation which wherever i t ,

occu rs in the world has al ways and natu ral ly

,

brough t about that cons titution of the fami ly and

of society which i s kn own as the M a t ri arch a te .

W here the husban d is absent from h is w ife m ost o f

the year she can hard ly be expec ted on marriage
, , ,

to go to live w ith her husband s rel ations who are ’

com parative strangers ; she w il l n a tu rally stay w ith

h e r own peopl e whom she has always k no w n a n d
, ,

the ch i ld ren wi l l be reck one d as belonging to the

fa m ily o f the mother an d not to that of the father .

I f the hun ters come to combine forces in the chase ,

and are absen t from home much of the time in

organ ised band s the M atriarchate wil l develop even
,

i n the woods This i s the reason of its occu rren ce

.

among A merican I nd i ans I t m ay therefore have .

, ,

b een k nown i n Tuscany even i n the fi rst period and ,

in that case the association o f the hunter in com

p a n i e s wou l d precede and suggest the caravans in
which l ater he began to travel the roads i n pursuit
, ,

o f trad e H owever thi s may be it is certain that

.
,

s uch organ ised absence of the men whe never it came

’

,
100 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re se n t
about—a n d therefore i n the period of t rade if n ot ,

already in that of the chase —could o nly result i n

the consti tu tion o f the family on the basis of the
Matri archate .

I t is evident that such a society where d escen t is ,

traced th rough t he mother rathe r than the father ,

m ust give wo m an a position o f unco mm on i m port

an ce But the case o f Florence is such that we c a n
.

see further reason why she should here have enj oyed
a pecul iar i ndependence and c onsiderati o n I n the .

woods the wife of the hu nter had spe n t her spare

,

time i n such simple tasks as the curing of furs the ,

clearing of honey a n d the pl aiting o f baskets and

, ,

hers therefore w ere the products that passed from

hand to hand in that fi rst barter on the bord er that
led u p to true trade an d changed the life of the tribe
, .

N ow as the trader s wife an d settled at Floren ce she

,
’

, ,

has more ti me stil l o n he r han d s W hen the men .

are abse n t for weeks or months at a ti me the women

, ,

for m perforce a society apart ply their tasks i n ,

common and learn the secrets of c o operatio n

,
-
.

Rivalry betwee n these workers is to be expected and ,

leads to improved resul ts i n the output The .

curing of sk ins becomes the tanning of h ides the ,

plaiti n g of wi ll ow or reed the weaving o f fl ax and ,

pottery once m ade c asually and for hom e c on sump

,

tio n only i s now tu rned out with n ew art a n d in the

, ,

quanti t ies that trade dem ands For t rad e rules all .

at Flore n ce and wom an who can n ot ente r it

, ,
102 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P rese n t
n early i f not qu ite as alien from that of the fields as
from th e flocks and pastures that formed the riches
of Lat ium Y et one must suppose that the ground
.

here was not qui te left to itsel f and i n trying to see ,

how culture of a slight sort may have come abou t

near Florence we gai n a valuable cl u e to the d i s tri
,

but i on of the popu l ation here and the con sequent ,

di rection i n which the town began to s pread

onwards an d ou tward s from its fi rst seat by the
A rno ferry .

The cl im ate of thi s val ley is far from tropical ,

and though hot i n su mmer is quite cold enough in

winter to make fires necessary The hun ter had .

buil t them of ol d by his hut i n the wood s and the ,

trader w ill not be content i n his new hom e w ithou t

the comfort of a hearth in the cold season Thus .

quite apart from the woo d used al l the year round i n

cook in g house and boat bu i ld ing and the operation s
, ,

of ind ustry there wil l be a de mand for w in ter fuel at

,

Florence which the neighbou ring woods m ust be

sought to supply B ut the cutting of the woods
.

means the cle aring of the ground about the town ,

and even one m ay say the ploughing of these town

l an ds—thinking o f the p ac k m ules yoked to the
, ,

fel led tree to bri ng it home the weight o f the trunk

, ,

and the furrow its butt m ust have l eft al l the way
from t he wood to the h ou se H ad the Florentines .

kn o w n nothin g of field labour before one sees that ,

this m ight easily have been thei r i n troduction to i t .

 T he V i l l e and t he i r R e l igi o n 103

I n a n y case t h e town must soo n have stood i n a

,

clearing a n d the n atu ral use of such ground m u s t

,

have been fou nd i n its cultu re .

A s tree fel li n g proceeds however a d i ffi culty

-

,
, ,

e merges fo r the w ood l and is al ways movi n g farther

,

away a n d the transport of fuel becoming more

,

tro ubleso me Th is d i fficu lty may be su pposed to

.

act i n the fol l owin g way Under i t there w i l l

.

c learly be the tem ptati on to extend Florence p er

s a lt um ,by dividing i t—that i s by pl anting a new ,

settl emen t nearer the retreati ng woods Thus as .

,

aband o n m ent of the ferry is not to be thought of

si nce its trade advantages are so great we get the ,

probabil i ty of a d o ubl e com munity here one stil l ,

clingi ng to the ol d seat at the P iazza del l Ar n o the ’

othe r set towards the firs t hil l slopes on the north -

and between them n othing but the clearing : once

woodland and now arable grou nd One may pause .

to remember that this is j u st the stage where

Villa n i takes up his tale of Florence : i n the twin
V i lle of A rn i n a a n d C a m a rt e A rn i n a o n e supposes
.

the ori gi nal vi l lage by the ferry and Ca m arte may ,

have lai n at t he slopes sti l l called C a merata or on ,

some height o f that pl ain Which was sti l l known as

C a mart e i n the M idd le Ages w here the Baptistery ,

an d the Chu rch of San M arco both stand to day I n -

.

any case the secon d vi llage must have lain wel l to

,

t h e north o f the V i lla A rn i n a .

N ow wi th the cu ltivation of the grou n d there

104 Fl o re n ce P as t and P re s e n t
comes by necessity a new c onception of property in
i t The d w el lers i n the woods had regarded their
.

solitudes as free the com mon hu nting ground of the

,
-

scattered tribe But where the trees have fal len and
.

the ground is give n to cu lture men will not spend

thei r l abour on it unless i t be declared their own .

H en ce the necessity of d ivision and appropriation ,

and in the particular cas e of the twi n village here

, ,

of a bord er l ine t raced by art and its el f the ex pres

-

sion of some new law that gave in j u st pro portion

to A r uina and C a m arte the whole arabl e gro und
that l ay between .

A rrived at this point o f probabi lity some proof of ,

w hat has been reached in theory n o w becomes an

u rgen t need and mu st of course be sought i n the

, , ,

region of survivals A s to the M atriarchate one .

,

might point to the case of a great Fl orenti ne family ,

the Adi m ari called N e p o t umc os e N e p o tec o s e or

, , ,

N i p o t e c o sa as the descendants of a certain Cosa d i

,

Lit ri ; for here a woman appears plainl y as the head

of the house and descent i s reckoned from her 1 A s
, .

to the rise o f i ndustry i n the c o operation of w omen -

left to themselves the state of the fi rs t convents at

,

Florence i s not without interest and significance I t .

has been said of them by a very competent author

ity that they were erected solely i n the m ateri al ‘

i nterests of the founder s fam i ly and that they ’

,
’ ‘

assumed a religious character only th at they might

1
S C i m d ll R (Fi p 33 '

ee os S o e a e n a, erz e re n z e , . .
106 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
co operatio n which raised household tasks til l they
-

became a true manu factu re for which trade began to

act as the carrying and d istributing agency .

N ow the Church of S ant A ndrea re mai n ed to ’

mark the s eat of this remarkable su rvival til l a few

years since when the Centre of Florence was de
,

stroyed and rebuil t S an Michele fortunately is

.
, ,

stil l with us a n d as O r S an Michel e is one of the

, , ,

chief attractions o f the city M ay we n ot look the n

.
,

near these sites for anot her su rvival i n equ al ly

,

substantial form W hat of the border lin e that h as -

see med so likely ? May not Florence be ex pecte d

to show some sign still of a ye t m ore sig n i ficant
su rvival i n the persistence of the o ld divi sio n which
once separated n orth from south here the lan d s of
C a ma rte from thos e of Vil la A rn i na ?
I n what form m ay w e expect to fin d i t ? T h e
d octrine of l an d measure m ent is very o l d I t comes .

to us from the Rom ans as the work o f the Agri ‘

men so re s but the Romans say t hey had it from the

’
,

Etrusca n s an d indeed the m atter may be more

,

ancient still N ow amid much that is perplexi n g

.

and uncertain t w o things surely emerge from th e

confusio n fou nd in the R ei A g ra rz a e A uctores and
'

these are fi rst the dependence o f the whole art u pon

, ,

the su n which i n hi s rising southing a n d setting

, , , ,

fi xes the card inal points for men who have n o other
c ompass .A nd next the constan t te n de n cy of
,

every border line whether i t ru n north an d south

-

,
 T he V i l le an d the i r Re l i gi on 10 7
o r east and west to a ffirm itsel f i n a road ; , th e
li m es i s al w ays becom in g the s em i ta or the vi a

p ubli ca
1
.

N ow i n the case o f Florence —that is of the Vi l l a ,

C a m a rte and the Vill a A r mina which l ay north and

south o f each o ther —
,

the d ividing line m ust run east

'

and west b etween them W herever C am arte m ay .

h a ve stood A rn i n a o ne may feel su re lay at the

, , ,

A rno ferry ; about the refo re and behind the P iazza , ,

’
del l A rno T hus i t fol l ows that the border wil l lie
.

t o the north of this point and that it must have run ,

east and west 13 there any sign of i t to d ay ; any

.
‘

.
-

street in F lorence wh i ch fu l fi ls these con di tions and ,

which may be hel d as the s urvival of the old d ivi

si on ? I f any it m u st be the l ine of the Via S trozzi
, ,

the Via S peziali the C orso the Borgo degl i A lbi z z i

, , ,

and the Via P ietra P iana for no other bears the ,

signs of w hich we are i n search .

The l in e i n ques tion clearly belongs to a n e w

ord er o f things The roads already ex amined — the
.

Via Faen za with its ideal prolongation across Flor

en ce to the Lung A rno della Bor sa an d the other ’

m e mber of the V the l ine of the Borgo P inti the , ,

Vi a d el Mercatino and the Vi a dei Rustici —are ,

sim pl y o n e m ay w ell believe the approaches to the

, ,

river fer ry found by ancien t travellers careless of ,

au ght bu t speed conven ience and the n atu ral con, ,

1
S ee t h e R ei A g ra rz ae A uclores , e te by W G oes i us (A m s t
'

di d . .
,

p . i
151 (H yg n us ) ; e d L ac h m a n n , Be r n , 18 48 ,
. 16 8 li i p
. . .
108 F l o re n ce P as t an d P r es e n t
[

d i t i ons of the grou nd over which they m u st move .

But the new l i n e which crosses these m ak ing the V ,

an V is not natural but clearly arti ficial and the art

, ,

betrayed here is that of the Agri mensor i n its rudi

ments ; the land measure r w hose fi rst preoccu pation
lay i n t he u se of the su n to fi nd and trace an east
a n d west line N o such east and west line for truth
.
,

and length together is to be found at Florence as , ,

m ay be s t i l l seen in the streets j us t na med .

As soon as this fi rs t great correspond ence is

recognised m any details crowd to corroborate i t
, ,

and many facts sho w them selves in qu ite a n e w

light I t appears that the bou ndary road ran from
.

water to water for as the fi rst course o f the Mugnone

, ,

fol lowed Via T o rn abuon i so in old ti mes the A ffri eo

—sti ll called a river on accoun t o f its former
,

‘ ’

i mportance —reached a point marked by the Church

of S ant A mbrogio at the end o f the Vi a P ietra
'
,

piana before i t fel l into the A rn o 1 Thu s the arti fi

, .

c i al combined exactly wi th the natu ral bou nd aries

of the te rritory here .

Then the earl iest trace of hu man occu pati on at

Fl orence relates itsel f natu ral ly to the l i ne i n ques
tion . T he six u rn burials were fou nd in sa n d -

on the bank of the Mugnone a l ittle no rth of the

west end of this road I f one is right i n tak ing i t as .

I th i i ghb u h d t b tw S A m b gi d th P t ll ’
n s ne o r oo o o, e een . ro o an e or a a

Croce , lyl d ll d th g g p h p b u th e A ff i
a an ca e e f llor o, er a s eca se r co o n ce e

i t th A
n o e t thi pl
rno a S G L mi M m s bi li pp 1098
ac e . ee . a , e ora a, .
,

m pp 70 05 110 3 84 3 8 7
‘

d L
’

1099 1100 an ez zo 1
, , , , , , ,
. .
1 10 Fl o re n ce P a s t an d P re se n t
Two points i n thi s east an d w est l i n e are evidently
of singular i mportance the crossing pl aces where it -

meets the road s that come from Sesto an d Borgu nto

respectively These as c omp i ta may be e xpected to
. , ,

gather to themse lves the religiou s sanction s invoked

to hallow and preserve the boundary line As to .

the first it may be w el l to observe that as yet i t i s

, , ,

for us merely i d eal ; the s ituation we give i t depend s

on ou r being allo w ed to proj ect the l i n e of the Vi a
Faen za across the city to the A rn o N ow here a .

sin gul ar circu mstan ce comes to con firm t h e boldness

of that conj ectu re For the comp i tum t hus d eter .

mined coincides exactly w ith the situ at ion o f the

pi l lar whi ch til l the Centre was emptied a few years
,

ago of its antiquities stood at the cor n er o f the old ,

m arket place and carri ed the statu e with i ts cornu

-

copia cal led the Abundance of Florence 1 Through ‘ ’

.

the centre of this colum n the east and west line we

follow certai nly passed and ou r right to prolong the ,

line of the Vi a Faen za as we h a v e done i s strangely

1
V asar i says o f it :
‘
In Me rcat o i
V ecc h o, 50p m una c o onn a l di
g ran to , ei di m an o dim ac g no forte , t ut ta i so
D o n a to una D o vi i d iz a i
lata ; tan t o ben fatta ch e a d li
g a rte fic i , e d a tut t gli eo mi n i n ten en t , i i d i
ld
e o ata s o mmamen te L a qua c o onn a, so ra c ui e ues ta s tatua
. l l p q
ll
co oca ta, e ra g i a i n S a n G o an n v
, do
’
i
e son o l alt re
gran to ch ei v i di
t
sos e n g l di di d t
o no
’
or fu l v t
ne d i u mb i p t i e n ro e ne e a a, e n s o ca o os o v

u lt
n a
’
l l t p l qu l l v gi a l m zz di q u l
ra co on na acc an a a a, so ra a a e s a a ne e o e
t mpi
e l t tu d i M t
o a s a h fu l v t q u d i Fi
a ti i fu
ar e , c e ne e a a an o o re n n rono

all f d d i G uC i t
a e e v ti ti I t w ul d th u
es rs om t h t th c on er .
’
o s see a e
t d i ti
ra f Flon o i d th m tt b k t th fi t tu i f
o re n c e ca rr e e a er ac o e rs c en r es o

ou d
r e ra, an i t d th i l um w i th till li p g w h ip
assoc a e s co n s e ar er a an ors .

S fu th
ee b l w pp 45 49 3 8
r er e o , . 1 -
1 , 2 .
MER C A T o V E CC I O
H AND P I LLAR OF A N D AN C E
BU (Ph oto A li n ari )
1 14 F lo re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
change the city has ever seen has remained o b ,

s t i n a t e ly attached to this site For thi s comp i z um ‘

.
,

marked of old by the goddess on her pil lar came , ,

under Christianity to bear the shrin e and fi gure

,

of the Madonna della T romba once set at the ,

corner of the m arket here and now seen in the

,

Arte d ella Lana where it looks to Or S an M i chele .

So much for t h e primitive M atri a rchate and its fi rst

consequences at Florence .

I t is a pleasan t change to pass from the site of

the pil l ar of Abund ance to that other eastern , ,

crossing whe re the road from Fiesole i ntersects the

east an d w est l ine . The alteration s c arried out
twen ty years ago i n the Centre have made of t he
first comp i t um a mere street corner such as you
m ay see anywhere ; while the other i s sti ll worth
a visit for its obvi ous antiqu ity quite apart from ,

the inte rest that longer an d closer study may d is

cover here The w ay thither leads east w a rd and
.
,

e ntering the Corso where once stood the ancient

Chu rch of San ta Maria N i p o t ec o s a—with its far
:

me mories of the M atriarchate—you fin d w hat the

Centre has lost the Flo rence of the past The
, .

street ru n s narrow an d straight between high houses

shaded by broad eaves P assing the inte rsection
.

of the Via del P roconsolo i t becomes the Borgo

,

degli A lbi z z i on ce cal led the Borgo San P iero an d

, ,

takes a still deeper tint of the past and o f de parted

splendours i n the shadow of its great palace s l on g ,
 T he V i ll e an d t h e i r Re l i g i o n 1I 5

the homes o f the A lbi z z i the Alessand ri a n d the

, ,

A lt o vi t i . A few more steps and you sta n d i n a

wider space the P iazza o f the M ercati no d i San
,

P iero. O n the left a deep dark archway bri ngs

hithe r the ancient road fro m Fiesole by the Borgo
P i n ti O n the right the sam e road leaves the P iazza
.

for the r iver u n der the sh adow of an old tower at

the corner o f the Via del M ercatino I n front as .
,

it w ere to m ark an d hallow the crossin g stan d s ,

a great portico the atrium bu ilt i n 16 2 8 for the

,

C hurch of S a n P iero Maggiore and n ow the on ly ,

rel ic of that very ancien t bu ild ing which ti me has

spared T he P iazza is a b u sy pl ace with its s hops
. ,

an d s moking stal ls that o ffe r hot d ainties to t h e

crowd ; its tra ffic of loaded carts bright w ith the ,

trappi n gs of thei r team s that sti l l fi nd this a con

,

v e n i e n t road to the h ill s and the n orth By d ay .

the p lace is loud with m ark et cries a n d when night ,

fal ls you may fi nd the ca mas tori e chal king the orb
o f the world on these stones and gatherin g a silent
crowd about that c i rcle spel lbound to h ear hi m as
,

he recites fro m the page of S e rd o n at i the battle of

Gavina n a a n d the fal l o f Ferruccio Bu t the deepes t
.

interest of the pl ace lies further back than these

fit fully re membered w ars W e are stil l on the
.

boun d ary road i n search of its early religious

,

sanctio n s a nd m ay ex pect to fi n d these localised

,

in no co mmon way at this second comp i tum .

To begin wi th w h at is certain this c hu rch had ,

I 16 F l o re n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t
extraord inary im porta nce in the Florenti ne religion
of the Midd le Ages T he ritual of the See pre
served in the Bul lettone —a manuscript o f the early
.

fourteenth century —prescribed that eac h new bishop

should take possession here S an P iero M aggiore .

thu s took precedence o f S anta Reparata or even ,

S an Giovanni and w a s i f we accept the i mplied

, ,

evidence of this ritual the religiou s centre of the

,

city .

N or onl y under Christiani ty for there is some ,

reason to thin k that a like importance attached

to this comp i la m in stil l earlier times I n t he .

neighbo urhood —one does not know exactly where .

-
l ay a street c alled the Via Genti lis w hich we ,

may provis ional ly tra n slate the street of the ‘

pagans 1 Thus rendered the name w ou ld probably

.
’
,

belong to the days w hen Christianity w a s n e w ,

before it had quite won its victory over heathenism ,

and if so it surely points to this quarter of Fl orence

,

as the place where the older rel igion gathered its

.

last forces in the great conflict Thus each bishop s .

’

progres s hither assumes the character o f a demon

s t rat i o n ordered in mem ory o f the final victory
, ,

an d brings ind irect evidence of the earlier san ctity

which had fi rst attached to the cross roads here -
.

This established in a certain probability it m ay ,

be possible to go further and even to ascertain the ,

manner of worshi p practised here i n p agan d ay s .

S bl w p 41
1
ee e o , . 1 .
1 18 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
The Gen iculu m of the Borgo San P iero i s i ndeed
as ol d as the fi fth centu ry ; nay much older for it
is the J anicul u m —the lesser J anus shrine —o f the
, ,

Tuscan city .

I f this w as the lesser where was the greate r ,

J anus of Fl orence ? I f w e su ppose it stood by

the Mercatino a d ouble reason at once appears in
su pport of the conj ecture : J an us shrines were com
mo uly set i n or near m arket places and S an P ietro -

, ,

who came as we k now to occu py the ground here

, , ,

is so natural a substitute that his pres ence at this

com i t um as on the Roman J an icu l um may al most
p , .

be taken as i tsel f a sign o f the preceding pagan

worship that d ist inguished the pl ace 1 Before S t . .

P eter was thought of as the P orter the Door h ad ,

lon g been under th e custody of J an us who seem s ,

i n popular fancy to have preceded the Apostle in

this function N othi ng so easy then or so l ikely
.
, ,

as the trans ition w e have su pposed .

J anus is one of the oldest names i n I talian myth

ol ogy an d though his attributes are obscure at
,

times there is much regarding h i m whi ch seems to

,

fi t wel l the pl ace and pu rpose of such a c o nsec ra

t ion . H e wears a double face which a distinguished ,

Fl orentine has al ready indicated as the probable

sign of a double government an d state 2 Here on .
,

1
N t th t
o e l um
a at d h l th
co n t th th
o n ce s oo e re no ess an a e o e r,

w t
es e rn , comp i lum S L t i O Fi v p 89
. ee as r , ss . at , . . .

2
F ilipp B A M p i D mp l i
’
ot Et u
o n a ro a , a A dd i t
on . 7
’

56 . o er e s er an o a

ex p/i t .
j
et con ect . D . 21.
 T he V i l l e an d the i r Re l i g i o n 1 19

the b order l ine b etween the men of the two Ville

-

A rn i n a an d Ca ma rt e concerned to keep thei r ,

bou n d s withou t o fferi ng or sufferi ng i ntrusion n o ,

symbol woul d seem m ore significan t o f the si t uation ;

n o god they knew m ore i n place at these cross
roads A gai n j anus i s not only the god of nu m ber
.
,

an d divisio n —w it n ess the statue of hi m set up in

Ro me by N um a P ompilius w hich d ecl ared in the
l angu age o f the d u m b how m any d ays there are i n
the year 1—but i n a deeper sen se as th is exam ple
, ,

shows he represents the sun on whose course and

, ,

apparent moti on such d ivision ul ti mately depends ,

and by which the year i s measu red and divided 2 .

But the su n we k now to have been the compass used

by the Fl orentines to t race the east an d wes t l ine of
the road we are studyi ng and i f rel igi on entered ,

i nto the m atter at al l — as how should it not — the

heavenly s anction they i nvoked w as n o other than .

that which J an us came to represent .

Return ing n o w w estward alon g the bound ary , ,

road i n the footsteps o f the bishop on his way fro m

S an P iero to the Geniculu m we pause at t h e lesser ,

J anu s to no te a curious correspond en ce w hich con

fi rm s the vie w we have take n of this road and its
real meanin g The Gen iculu m was not only visited
.

1 P li n y, N a tura l H i s t ory , xxxiv .

7 .

2
T h e E trus c an na me of J a n us , A ni ,
’
g iv es th e L a t i n wor d fo r th e

ye ar, a mms ,
w th i a i i
fe m n ne an n a as in A nna P e re nn a ; p e rh a p s th e

na me of th e co rres p di g
on n go dd ess . A nn a w o u ld th us be th e e q ui
v l
a ent o fD i an a .
 120 Fl o re n c e P a s t and P re s e n t
when a new bishop came to the S ee bu t yearly an d , ,

in a singul ar fashion O n the day after the gr e at .

feast of E aster the clergy went i n procession to S an

P iero Maggiore : thu s made the fi rst o f these urban
stations in sign of its religious im portance Return .

ing thence by the Borgo they halted at the ,

Geniculu m to si n g and p ray in honou r of San

Z anobi and this d one broke u p thei r assembly
, , , ,

reaching the cathedral in a studied haste and dis

order so that this was known as the runa w ay pro ‘

cession 1 N o w the ri t ual flight belonged to many

’

parts of pagan practice and w as general ly associ ated ,

with a sacrifice rather apparent than real either ,

because the hu man vi ctim was not i n fact k il led , , ,

or because an animal became hi s substi tute 2 The .

flight was pa rt of the prete n ce that a hei n ou s act of

mu rder had been com mitted at the altar A t Rome .

such a flight k no w n as the R eg i fug i um took place

, ,

once a year and i t fol lowed i mmediately on the

,

feast of the Termi n alia w hen the boundaries o f land ,

w ere consecrated anew Thus i t becom es probable .

that the Easter Monday cere mony at Fl orence h as

preserved some trace of an anteceden t pagan
observance a ritual flight connected with a sacrifice ,

to the god of bound aries N ay i t m ight be a ques .

,

tion whethe r procession s i n general as a part o f ,

religious ritual have not come o f the desi re to use

,

1
D g li
e pp
s ca n
c
‘
i . S ee C oc c h i C/ i
, i Fi
z es e a
’
rm z e p .
97 .

2
Fo w l e r, R om an F est i va ls , pp 3 4 3 3 0
. 2 -
.
12 2 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
co m formed where the road from Sesto crossed
p i t um
the Vi a S acra— which is i n fact as nea r the site of
San Tommaso as may be on this line —then a
, ,

s ingular combination m ust be taken account of ,

that in w hich the mother goddess and the sun

god are associated on the same s ite The p il lar o f .

stone at this comp i tzm z prob ably replaced a tree ,

as w e kno w that by the Baptistery d id I f w e i m .

agine t h e stone of San Tom maso set u p here u nd er

the shadow of the tree — the tree representing
t h e mother goddess and the stone the sun god 1

then we have i n these t w i n symbols the pri m itive

, ,

stock and stone of Flo rence ; the visi ble signs

of the sanctity early religion lent to this bou nd ary
line .

O ne m atter rem ain s for consideration the relation ,

o f the goddess to the god W hethe r their m aterial .

symbol s eve r stood together at the w estern cros s

roads o r not it is certain that the goddess and the
,

god shared the hon ours of this ritual road W hether .

the stone of the sun ever stood unde r the tree here
o r n ot to su ppose it d id so i s to have a striking
,

sym bol of how the goddess related herself to the god

in the mind s of their worshippers These are m en .

of the Matriarchate and the Matri archate me ans ,

that under i t the man l ooks up to the wom an as the

1
S m ti m
o i
so Sy i But th
e ymb l w
es n ft rav d. e s o s e re o en re e rse :

th
e t p reeti g t h m l
re d th p i t d
re sen n th
e f m l a e, an e o n e s tone e e a e,

l m t S uth i t i i t d by F
e e en . ee a i hi A d i
or es p 4
c e raz e r n s on s . 1 ,

n o te 6 .
 T h e V i ll e an d t h e i r R e l i gi o n 12 3

o rigi n al and head of hi s race as t h e Ad im ari hard , ,

by this crossing looked to Cosa thei r eponymous

, ,

found ress A nd sti ll at Floren ce the race is ca l led

.

the cepp o t he tree trunk from which the branches

,
-

bre ak ou t an d the t w i gs sti l l divide U nd er the

, .

Matriarchate then the tree is the m other w here

, , ,

every branch and t w ig belon gs to the whole only in

ri ght of each fres h fem ale descent The woman .

is the ori gin al and the m ale the derivative i n such

, ,

a genealogy .

A s with the men so with the god s they create and

worship The pillar stood for the tree ; the tree was
.

the cepp o the stock the origi n al mother deity under

, , ,

whose shad ow the god represented the m ale

pri nci pl e ; necessary i ndeed to the generation of
men ; appearing therefore besid e the mother god
, ,

d ess yet ce rtai n ly derivative an d subordinate even

,

i n su ch a situation H e might be and here he cer .

,

t a i n ly was the Sun itsel f stron g as a lion to run the

, ,

d aily race of heaven B u t if so the god d ess sti ll .

,

rose above and behind h im as the stock surpassed

the stone for she was the li ght itsel f the dawn seen
, ,

before the su n appears the twil ight glow when he is ,

gone the bright con stant background to al l his d aily

,

s plendou r As the pearl that grows on the shel l i s

.

bu t a gathe ri ng in one smal l orb of the w ider

brightness behin d t hat we stil l cal l the m olk er— of

pearl so it seemed to the old w orl d that the sun

,

i tsel f was d erived not o riginal a gathered splendour

,
12 4 F l o re n c e P as t an d P rese n t
ma d e of the m other light o f heave n throu gh which
he moved 1 .

There is another vie w o f this relation so n atu ral

as to be i nevi tabl e O nce ad mit the idea o f sex i n .

such a theology and sooner o r l ater i t wi ll issue i n ,

the doctri ne of a divine marriage between the god

dess and the god : a relation in finitely im portant to
man because conceived of as the fruitful source of
every blessing he enj oys incl uding and transcendin g ,

l ife itsel f N ow it i s singul ar that w h i le d e at h l ies at

.

the western end of the Vi a S acra i n the ce metery

set towards the sun set l ife i n its source is acted at ,

the other towards the sunrising W e only know this .

l atter rite in the form in w hich Christi an ity has

admitted and preserved it : the ritual marri age of
the bishop to the abbess o f S an P iero 2 But the .

rite has so li ttle o f Christian ity about it and agrees ,

so well with the known pagan practice of the I sp os '

I d/109 that under the robes o f Ch ristia n Rom e we

‘
.

can easily di scern those o f a lon g series o f priests

an d priestesses the represen tatives in this rite of the ,

goddess and the god respect ively I f the idea of .

property in l and c ame w ith the fi rst practice o f

agricultu re here ; i f the Via Sac ra was the boundary
d rawn to d ivid e tilth fro m tilth early bel iefs not yet
1
E v en b i gi
th e A ustra ll th pl t V u th li an a or n e s ca e an e en s e Mo th e r
F T E l w th y Th E i l Ey (L d : Murray
’
of th e Su S n . ee . . or , e v e on on ,

p 43 9 w h q u t J D w
.
, A u t lioA b igi o es . a son , s ra an or n es (Me l

b o urn e , pp 49 00 .
, 1 .

2
S ee b l w p 413 f full d i u i f th i
e o , . m y , or a sc ss on o s c e re on .
 C H A P T ER V I I
T H E D E V EL O P ME N T O F FL OR E N C E
I T is probable that the east and west road from the
A ffri co to the M ugnon e w as originally a bou n dary ;
i ts u ndou bted religious i mportance as so to s ay the , ,

Vi a S acra of Florence is best ex pl ained on s uch a

,

supposi tion But this was not its only character and
.

use Am id much that must be alwa ys matter o f

.

i n ference and conj ecture on ly one fact e merges both

,

s ure a n d significant : this road as i t runs from east

,

to west is the directive l ine alon g which the develop

,

me n t of the city has proceeded W he re it cuts the

.

vital l ines of the roads that com e to the A rno fe rry

from Sesto and Borgunto respec tively it for ms the ,

two compi ta of which the last chapter has taken

accoun t These we must now l ook at from another
.

point o f view They are m arkets —the Mercatino

.

and the Mercato —and d raw population about the m

i n varying degrees from age to age The ca use of .

that variety and i n particu lar o f the westward

, ,

movement of Florence which i n the end gave the

,

Mercato its advantage ove r the Mercatino and ,

120
 T he D e v e l o p me n t of F lo re n c e 12 7
establ ished i t as the u ltim ate centre is worth investi ,

g a t i o n and our study of i t must begin i n the

,

si m pl ici ty of the thing i tsel f ; the force that obliged

developmen t and progress here Th at force though .
,

a real benefi t appeared in u nfriend ly shape and was

, ,

felt w ith t h e com in g o f the Etruscan invader and

conqueror .

A s far as one can see in the di m li ght that fal ls on

this peo pl e fro m early ti m es the E truscans w ere a ,

race of pi rates settled in the northern island s o f the

n ean sea — Lem nos and the others — an d in part
on the c oas ts of Greece— a t Mou nt Athos and of -

Asia i n Cari a an d Lycia I f as seem s likely they

, .
, ,

are the T ursc h a o f the Egyptian monum ents who ,

h ad a c olony by the N ile then one m u st suppose ,

that they w ere essentially traders w h o becau se , ,

their seat was by the sea and their lawful opportuni ,

ties i nsu fficient eked ou t their living by piracy as ,

occ asion served This combination of sea trade and .

robbery is one t h at the Med i terranean has often

seen nor i s it yet co m pletely s u ppressed among the
,

Greek isl ands where the E truscans had thei r early

seat 1
.

1
Th
‘
w h d
e re d f t li
as no b t w th m i
ar an d th as ne e een e ar ne r a n e

pi t I th M d i t
ra e . n e pi y e w th u f th
e rra n e a n , ra c as e res o rc e o e

t iv d l ut m g th f i g p p ul ti Th
y u g
o n ,
ac e, an res o e a on e s ea a r n o a on . e

m h
e rc t vi w m
an ser d t g t x t t by pi t w h w
ce as an ne o a rea e en ra e s o e re

—
, ,

g et t i n
g t ld f oot h t o h u bl or lli g W A h bu
a T/
on o ra e ca n .
’
. s rn e r, ze

lrl i
‘
zoa a n
’
S L w (O x f d ea a p lxii Th i f th Mi dd l
or cc s or e e

—18 98 1900— J C L w
. .
,

Ag es , w h il f m d e tim or o e rn M d
es -
see . . a son , o ern

Gree k F lk L (C m b i d g
o -
ore p 6 a r e, . 1 2 .
 12 8 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re se n t
P ossessed then of shi ps accustomed to the sea
, , , ,

strong and unscrupu lous the Etruscans c a me west,

and northward landed on the Mediterranean coast

,

of I taly and con quered the country they had

,

reached I t is above al l i m portant to notice how

.
, , ,

ever that these con querors were men o f war here

, ,

j ust as they had been pi rates in the Z E ge an by the ,

mere force o f circ umstances and as a means to an

end Essentially they w ere traders and here this
.
,

invasion sho w s a m arked di fference from m any

others under which I taly has from time to time
suffered The people w h o hel d Tuscany were n o w
.

subd ued by in vaders whose habit an d purpose i n l i fe ‘

was closely of kin to the i r o w n ; con querors who

u nderstood the c o un t ry an d found it worth taking an d
,

keeping because its n ature gave them j u st the seat

and w ide commercial oppor tu nity of w hich they were
i n search That the Etru scans were as w e h ave sup
.

posed the m appears plainly i n the fact that though ,

i n ti me they overran I taly an d have le ft traces o f,

their occupation i n Lombardy in Lat iu m and i n

'

, ,

C am pania w hen the i r power sank it w as upon

,

Etru ria they retreated and that Tuscany alon e o f al l

,

the I tali an provinces still bears thei r name For .

Tuscany as by its very nature a link —

,
l and i s m ade ,

for com merce and those who choose an d hold i t as

,

their chief seat may come as conquerors but can ,

only remain here as m as ters o f trade an d of

exchange .
1
3o F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
of it They w il l use force only to fi nd thei r o w n
.

place i n the sun an d to tu rn ex isting Tuscan trade

,

to thei r own advantage .

The detail s of the Etru scan com mercial policy

l ie beyond our reach and may be fo r ever i rre c o ver
able ; w hat seems certain is that i n one form or ,

other t h e conquerors took tol l of the cou ntry t hey

,

held as those i n commerce always d o i n every

.

exchange w here they have a hand I f they were .

the msel ves trad ers w ith an i nborn commercial

capacity and inherited ex perience this m ight be ,
'

expected to sho w itsel f i n thei r m od eration and

c o O peration
-
they w ould not pretend to a profi t that
might cru sh the trad e they controlled and w ou ld ,

rather increase their gains by b ringin g al l their

r esources to bear u pon its developmen t and ex
ten sion The known prosperity o f Tuscany under
.

their rule seem s to sho w that su ch was in fact the , ,

policy of the Etruscan s i n the cou ntry they had

made their own .

I t m ay be worth w hile to e x ami ne in some detai l

the d evelopment of Tuscan trad e u nder i ts n e w
mast ers These were the last arrival s from the
.

East a n d they pu t Tuscany there fore i n a n e w

, , ,

and cl oser relation w ith the great eastern m arkets ,

and with the move ments of overseas trade The .

ships that had brought their w arlike exped itio n

rem ained to come an d go on peaceful rather than
piratical errands P ossessed of their new and
.
 T he D e v e l o p m e n t of F l o re n ce I 31

co m mand ing com mercial seat the Etruscans m ade ,

co m mon cause w ith P hocaea P hoenicia an d C arth,

age i n a Mediterranean trade that touched Crete

and Cypru s and m any a coast beside T h e [E gae an .

brooch shows that Floren ce w as i n touch with

1

the E ast long before the Etruscans came and th e ,

t usks o f C appian o probably tel l the same story but ,

wi th the co m in g o f these conquerors the old trade

su rely found new doo rs and a wider d evelopmen t .

The ruli ng race were a lux uri ous people and thei r ,

Tu scan su bj ects and carriers had more to d o than

e ver as the incense the ivory the perfumed oils
, , ,

and painted pottery of the sou th and east reached

the coast and came under their hand ling for c ross
country transport .

There w a s more than mere mercanti le ad vantage

i n these i m ports ; they could not but stimu late
ex i stin g m an u factu res and inspire local a rt i n its
fi rst m an i festations P ottery cam e w est not only
.
,

to be hand led by Tuscan carriers but c opied on ,

T uscan wheels til l the vases o f A rez zo came at

,

last to V i e with the best that the sea cou ld bring ?

Model ling in cl ay became scul ptu re in stone and the ,

series of cipp i w rought h ere under the Et ruscan rule

show plai n ly that thi s art d rew i ts inspi ration from
the East and was a consequence of the bo n ds that
,

e xpandin g comm erce h ad d ra w n still closer between

Tus cany an d th e land s o f the risi n g sun The l ion s .

b v n 7 I l t R m ti m h w v
‘
1 1
See a o e, . 2 . n a e o an es , o e er .
13 2 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
of Usil 1 recal l those foun d at many an ancient site
in Asia M inor and the fin i als o f the other cippi
,

repe at a motif co mmo n to M inoan art and to t h at

o f Mycenae al ike To study the series of these
.

s tones in the Museu m o f Fl orence is to see the new

outlook of that city on the east a n d the n ew i m ,

pulse she received from her growi ng trade .

These i m ports were necessarily paid fo r and at ,

a price which rose with their rarity and the d istance ,

w hich separated Tuscany from the cou ntries that

produced them N ow i mports can only be paid

.

for i n one way by ex ports o f correspond in g moment

,

and value H ence the grow th of Tuscan co m merce

.

necessari ly implies the devel op ment of local t e

sou rces in T uscany and the Etruscan rule u nder
, ,

w hich such developmen t took place distinguished ,

i tsel f eminen tly here : i n the appl ic ation of n e w art

and energy to the i m provemen t o f the country so
as to secu re a new productiveness an s w erable to
the demands of the wider market .

N o smal l part of the riches O f Tuscany lay u nder

gro und i n the mineral wealth of the Marem ma her ,

m ariti me province and copper abu ndan t in these

, ,

hi lls had a pl ace and a price i n early m arkets

,

w hich m ade it a standard o f value The a es made .

,

the earl iest I tal ian cu rren cy was of copper and , ,

passed fro m ha n d to hand i n the form of rough

ingots un marked at fi rst by any device ; carryin g
S b v p 11
1
ee a o e, . 2 .
I 34 Fl o re n ce P a s t an d P r es e n t
d id two thousand years later i n the d ays of the
Fl o ren tine Renaissance For at Florence the highest .

developments of the hu man spiri t are fatally i ne vi t ,

ably bound up with com mercial enterprise and

,

success The Gen i us loci here is J a n us the go d of

.
,

the portico and of the market .

Another sou rce of riches lay above ground in the

forests of Tusc any hard ly touched as yet covering
, ,

all the hills and ready to yiel d al most i nexhaustible

,

supplies o f ti mber These tall an d sol id trees must

.

have appealed at on ce to the Etruscans w h o h ad ,

reached the coast i n shi ps and s aw their val u e for

the constructio n of sea going vessels T hencefort h -

each trad i n g voyage accompl ished in craft buil t

,

here became an advert iseme n t in every po rt of the

,

qual ity o f Tuscan ti mber To the Et ruscan pe riod .

,

then m ay be attribu ted t h e fi rs t serious fell i n g of

,

trees in the Val d A rn o and the use of the river

’
,

and the sea to carry logs abroad i n rafts as an

article of co mmerce W hat Tuscan c opper was i n
.

the overseas m arket Tu scan ti mber became in the

nearer I talian ports an d Florence set by the strea m
, , ,

could not re mai n un affe c te d by the new venture

‘

She was now a pri n cipal gate th rough wh ich the

n eighbouri ng woods sent thei r trees downstream to
P isa a n d the sea The P iazza d A rno her origi n al
.
’

seat and centre has an al ternative n ame—the P iazza

,

del le Travi derived from this tra ffic A s the n am e

-
.

i ndicates the ti mber trad e lasted down to our own

,
 T he D e v e l o p m e n t o f F l o re n ce 13 5

d ay with this P iazza as one of its principal seats

, .

T here i s much evid ence to show that it was busy

in Rom an ti mes but we m ay safely hol d that the
,

Etruscan s were the fi rst to d evelop the ti mber trade

i n serious sort as a ready and natural means o f
,

payi ng for the i mpo rts that their high c ivi lisation
de m and ed .

The trade in wood i m pl ied o f course the clearing , ,

of the land with as its con sequence a n e w and

, , ,

wid er agricul ture I t is said that the Etruscans

.

used the l abou r of s laves i n t h is larger a n d intenser

c u ltivation I t may be so ; what seem s certain is
.

the passion w ith which they promoted this furt h er

c o nques t of the earth W e have al ready noticed .

how natural ly religion is sti mulated and d eveloped

by the sense of property i n arabl e l an d an d may ,

here rememb er as not without significance h o w t h e

Etruscan legen d made T ages the mysterious author ,

o f their su pernatu ral d iscipli ne rise from the field s ,

of T a rq ui n i i A con i a a i n o fol l owing the plough

.
’

was the fi rst witnes s of the birth i n w h ich his

furro w b rou ght forth the god und er the appearance ,

of a child bu t venerable w ith al l the wisdom of the

,

ages By their o wn con fession the Etruscans learned

.

this mystery after they reached I taly ; it was the

G en i us loci that taught them w hat they came to
kno w I f we s u ppose that the tree w hic h was the
. ,

fi rst plo ugh turned up a strange stone in the furrow

, ,

we are prob ably as near the u lti mate m aterial fac t

1
36 F l o r e n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
of this mystery as m ay be Yet 50 we b u t find .
,

again the tree and the stone the goddess and the ,

god i n a n e w d iscovery This was what I taly

,
.

taugh t the Etrus can s ; thei r d eveloped d i scipl ine

depended on beliefs they found rooted i n the Tu scan
soil and fi rm ly establ ished here before their arrival
,
.

The legend that what Tages left unsaid w as told

by the nymph Beg o e ex pound er of the lore of
,

heaven and of the l ightning but l ays the em phasis

,

again where w e have foun d it fall n aturally among

people living under a Matri archate Nor need it .

seem strange that the new comers were so teachable

-

fell so easily u nder the spell o f the w estern l and

they h ad made their own For the Etruscan s knew
.

the Matriarchate al ready i n th ei r eastern seat and ,

brought it with them when th e y came w est Traders .

and pirates they had fal l en into t h e way of l ife and

,

o f society natural to men who spend thei r ti me from

home in the ex pe d i tions o f commerce or o f war .

They w ere formed for Tuscany before ever they

saw it as the Tuscans were formed against the d ay
,

of their conquest Conquerors and conquered alike

.

learned from each other in a mutual u nderstanding

w hich made of the fi rst armed oc cu pation a stable

comm onwealth i n Tuscany .

I n the neig h bourhood of Florence the progress of

agriculture had its o w n local problem to solve The .

pass ion of which we have s poken c ou ld n ot but

d irect the eyes of the n e w masters to the p lai n that
13 8 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
said sto n e o f the G o lfo li n a was attacked by sk i l led
workme n who with pick a n d chise l l aboure d its
,

cuttin g so that the level of the Arno w as l owered ,

and the stream so sun k that the said marshes drained

away and l eft fertile soil the n atural conclusion is
,
’

that his words register a tradition of E truscan times

when enginee rin g was fi rst appl ied to the ser vice of
Florentine agri cu lture I f we further s u ppose that
.

the i rregular and u n certain Arno w a s em ban ked and

di rected i n these pl ai ns —fro m the Gi rone to S an
Giorgio and from that Florentin e ferry to the G 01
,

foli ma —j ust as P liny says the Etruscans hand led

and constrained the P o at Ad ria — w e see the sure
e mergence o f the Flore ntine eon taa o wi th al l the ’
,

possibilities it offe red of a w ide and profitable cul

tu re in the close neighbourhood o f the city These .

were the l ands that fi lled the P iazze of Florence

with corn and w ine an d oi l an d this the agric ulture
,

that s upport ed as it s till d oes her weekly m arket

, , .

Villani m ust agai n be qu oted here as he says : I t ,

‘

is true indeed that the site of Flore nce held som e

thing o f a vil lage for the men o f Fi esole kept
market here once a week Th is su burb w as cal led
.

by its ol d name Campo M arti since there was ever

,

a market here even before Fieso le w a s found ed a n d ,

this w as its n ame be fore it bec ame a city and bore

the n a me of Florence Both the pre E truscan com
.
’
-

merce here and its devel op men t unde r the new

reg i me are cl early i n dicated in this passage and very ,
 T he D e v e l o p me n t of F l o re n c e 1
39
m uc h as we have al ready conce ived them nay there ,

is ind irec t eviden ce i n this t rad ition o f the si te o c c u

pied by the Vi l la o f Cam a rt e W e have su ppos ed
.

thi s to l ie wel l to the north of the Villa A rn i n a and

t he ferry ; an d in fact it mu st have done s o i f it
, , ,

rather than t he othe r was chosen as the seat of the

,

m arket to whic h the men of Fiesole came so often

an d so regularly .

I f Etruscan e nginee rs were busy on the Arno ,

cu ttin g a deeper cou rse for the river at the G o lfo li n a ,

an d emban king i ts wand eri ng s tream s in the plain of

Florenc e the re i s s ome reason to thin k they di d not
,

leave the pa ssage of the Gi ron e un touched by their

art Vil lan i i s agai n ou r auth ority fo r the tradit i on
.

that the fi rst Arno bridge was built not at the ,

Fl orentine ferry but at Candel i For i f a bridge

, .

stood here be fo re t h e P o nte Vecchio was thought of ,

s uch preced ence i mpl ies m uch It s peaks o f a ti m e

.

n ot merely re mote but suc h t hat Fiesole and not

,

Florence was th e n the pl ace of c hief im portance .

H ither rose the road fro m Candel i ; the brid ge had

i ts meaning on ly as a c o nvenienc e for the tra ffic
bet w een south an d n orth on the l ine that passed
throu g h Borgu nto Un less there fore we bring the
.
, ,

tradi tion down to times late indeed and suppose it ,

n o ol der t han the si x th or seventh cen tury of our

era when Fi esole seems again to have flou ri shed at ‘

the ex pense of Floren ce there is n o escape from the

,

conc l usion that the brid ge in question m ust have

14o F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
been con trived by the Etru scan s in correspondence
with their seat at Fiesole an d fo r the convenience of
,

the trade it was thei r chief i nterest to pro mote .

The same may be said of the hyd raul ic system by

which Florence was flushed a n d periodi cal ly cleansed
i n the ad m iss ion of water from the river w hich
entered and left the town by subterranean chan ne ls .

I t is true that the chronicles ascribe t his d evice to

the Romans ; bu t Fiesole itsel f like m any an ancient
,

Tu scan seat shows that in al l such matters of d rain

,

age and of the appl ication of engineeri ng to civic

,

need s the Etruscans led the way Those who had

,
.

cut the G olfo li n a chann el and bridged that of C an

deli u nder whose skil l and energy the eon la a o began
,
’

to e merge and to supply the Fl orenti ne m arket are

, ,

here seen applying their art stil l m ore closely for the
im prove ment of the to w n i tsel f Arrived thus once
.

more at Florence we m ay resu me the story of her

,

local development u nder the Etruscan power and in

the days that fol lowed its d ecl i ne and fal l .

Let it be repeated then that the Via Sacra formed

, ,

the bou nd ary bet w een the two settlem en ts of w hich

Florence original ly consisted : the Vi lla A r uina by
the river fe rry at the P iazza del le Travi and the ,

Villa Camarte towards Fiesol e Two points of chief

.

i mportance l ay on this ritual road and these were ,

the crossings where it met the western and eastern

b ranches of the V respectively The history of .

Florentine d evelopme nt i n a m aterial sense l ies at

 F l o r e n c e P a st an d P re s e n t
142
at the crossi n g not only to atte n d the week ly
,

m arket but to settle an d build i n i ts n eighbou rho o d

,

i n the fou r irregular quarters whic h the road s de fi ned

and d ivided H i ther must the hou ses have crept
.

upw ard s from the Vi lla A rn i n a a n d the attraction ,

of the m arke t town would be fel t at Fiesol e w hich

-

probably sent d own some of its Etruscan popul ation

to l ive and trade at the cross road s W hen one -
.

remem bers how m uch th e domi n a n t class h ad i n

common with the peopl e they su bd ued and h ow i n , ,

fact one co mm onwealth cam e to comprehend victors

,

and vanquished i n Tuscany Florence gathe ri n g at , ,

this her early Centre begins t o appear as probably

,

one o f the chief po i nts w h ere a m utu al u n derstan d

ing was arrived at on the material basis o f a com
mon interest in trade T he Gen i us loci i n short
.
,

agai n appears o n his own ground as j anus —Ani the

,

Etruscans cal led him — the power that lies at and

behi nd the market pl ace ready to make o f t w ai n
-

one new pe ople as his t w ofold i mage su ffic iently

,

declares .

The trans ference of the Cen tre westward fro m the

Mercatino to the Mercato i m pl ie s a change of cond i
tions i n Fl orence I f t h e Mer catino is to lose i ts O ld
.

im portance this can only be b e cause tra ffi c on the

,

north and south road here is no lo n ger what it was .

Nor can that tra ffic fai l as l on g a s Fiesole which ,

h ad enco uraged it continues to fl ou rish The d e

, .
n

cline of the Etruscan wealth and power at this its

 T he D ev e l opme n t of F l o re n ce I 43

chief local seat i s therefore the fi rst cond itio n o f the

, ,

tran s fere nce that m oved the Centre of Florence from

the eas te rn to the w estern cross road s -
.

S o met h ing more is needed however to account , ,

fu l ly for such a change The failing traffi c at the

.

Mercati n o must fi n d a new d irection and o ne that ,

leads i t to the Mercato U nde r what power would .

Such a tran sference take place and what was the ,

attraction w hich fi nal ly set the Ce n tre of Florence

w here i t stands to day ? -

H itherto w e have thought of traffic as cond ucted

.

sol ely by the hel p of beasts of burden : the mule

or the pack horse Bu t an in n ovatio n i s on the w ay
-
.

whe reby the strength of these an imals become s s ti l l

m ore serviceable in the tran sport of merchan dise .

The chariot long known i n w ar becomes the market

, ,

cart an d with that change the w heel en ters on a

,

n ew period o f u sefu l n ess as a mechanical power

appl ied to the need s and for the advantage of
, ,

com merce .

This great m oment was lon g del ayed not because

the wheel awaited d iscovery — eve ry potter knew i t ,

and as an orn ame nt it is found i n I talian deposi ts

,

of t he Bronze Age—but because as an aid to tra ffic

,

, ,

the wheel is useless w i thou t the road ; nay w ithou t ,

road s that have been traced an d built afresh w ith

consc i ous regard to the new means of transport .

Gradients that are poss i b le i f not easy to the horse , ,

th at carries a pack are too steep for him whe n he

,
144 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
must pull a load ed cart Thus if the power of the
.
,

whe el i s to be u ti l ised this means at least in a hilly

, ,

country like Tuscany a dupl ication of al most the

,

whole syste m of roads : a change com parable only

to that seen in the l ast centu ry w hen the rai l cam e
seeking easie r grad ients still at the bidd ing and for
the convenience o f the st e am d riven wheel Thu s
-
.

at the coming of the cart the physical contou rs and

levels of the country once more i m posed themselves
as the u l timate conditions wi th which m an must
make a new reckonin g I nevi tably under natural
.
,

la w these determ ined the place and passage o f the

,

roads that w ere destined to prevail the only roads

ad mitting the advantage of that swi fter and cheaper
traffic w hich the wheel made possible .

N ow at Flo rence the road to be abandoned i n the

n e w age w as clearly that eastern member of the

V which h ad brought the principal tra ffic to the

Mercatino under the old reg i m e ; w hat condemned
it was the steep ascent by which it c limbed fro m
San Domen ico to Fiesole and what took i ts place was
,

the al ternative route w h ich reached the Ol mo fro m

Florence by the easier slope of the M ugnone valley .

Thu s the fi rst and perhaps m ost remarkable effect

, ,

of the altered cond ition s of transpo rt i s the pre

valence o f Florence over Fiesole The town by the
.

stream must always have had an advantage i n the

i mmed iate com mand of river trade but now with , ,

the coming of wheeled tra ffic this ad van t age i s

, ,
 1 46 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
wheel is not merely such then as i n early Rome led , ,

the sheaves home in the w ain or carried the corn to ,

market H er good things are those of a wid e com

.

merce by l and and sea and here in the new Centre , ,

o f Florence if anywhere she is at hom e and m ay

'

, ,

claim a pl ace For i f Florence rose as Fiesole fel l ,

and if her Centre moved w estward to the cross —

.

road s
w here the goddess had her seat w hat wrou ght this ,

change an d secured this p ros p erity w a s beyond al l ,

question nothing but N ature hersel f guid ing the

,

veritable magic of the wheel .

The new Cen tre once it w a s d eterm ined at the ,

Me rcato became in its turn a determinant of the

,

tra ffic line which shou ld put it in connec tion w ith t h e

r oads which left the opposite bank of the Arno for
the south But as the w estern cross road s had a d is
.
-

t i nc t ly rel igious character it i s stil l on ritual l ines ,

that thi s later link is l aid The former age had traced .

w ith the sun a true a ecum a n us an east and west

’
,

road in the Via Sacra H ere and now com es the

,
.

Ca ra o the absolute north and south road to com

’
, ,

p le t e at this poi nt the practice i f not the doctrine , ,

of the Agrimensores ; you may trace it sti l l in the

Via del l Arcivescovado and the Via Cali m a ra—the
’

Cardo Maj or or C alle Mayor —o f Florence 1 I n .

obed ience to this d octrine of the heaven s the road ,

that comes down from the Mugnone on a l ine ne arly ,

T h d iv t i
1
e f th
er m C li m
a — ft
on oi d i p ut —i th u
e na e a ara o en n s e s s
i mpl y d tu ll y f u d
s an na ra o n .
M ER C AT NUOV O ; N O RT H W E T C ORNER
O -
S , W I TH ’

L E MO N A D E S T A L L
1 50 F lo re n ce P a s t and P re se n t
this place was nothi ng if n ot n at ure ~w o rs h i p ; its
rit es the ack n owledgment of the po w ers that w ere ,

and are in heaven an d earth The Cardo was deter

,
.

mined by the sun itsel f j u st as the Decu manus h ad ,

been Yet w here the Cardo cha nged in i ts southern

.

course the n e w determinant w as but that other l ine

,

and power of the stream of which the P o n ti fex w as

the high priest Fire a n d water are successively at
.

work here ; nay as water is powerless till it move and

, ,

depends i n its motion on the sun i t is still the force ,

of heaven di rectly or ind irectly gathered in the su n

, ,

or movi n g in the stream that rules the eart h an d ,

com mand s the obedience of men They m ay s pell .

strangely and variously the N ame in which the com

mand issues but none the l ess d o they feel the
,

necessity of ackno w l edgmen t and of subm ission ,

and thus moved they draw the m ain l ines about

, ,

which Floren ce has ever sin ce gathered her houses

and her hearths .

This Ce n tre w ith its sym metrical cross roads and

,
-

this bridge con necting i t with the farther bank of

,

the stream are the m ai n determinants of the city as

,

it spreads north an d south of the Arno ; al l the rest

i s a mere matter of development along these l ines .

Such development cannot here be traced i n detai l ;

rather m ay we spen d a moment i n fi xin g as far ,

as m ay be the chronology of the m oveme nts and

,

changes that led up to it The m iddle of the second .

mi l lenn ium B C has seemed a probable date for the

. .
 T h e D e v e l o p me n t of F l o re n ce 1 51

i m m igration and trad e that left their traces in P inti

an d the other ui n ames o u the route to Faenza 1
‘
. .

H ow the Vi l lanovan graves o f the Centre are to be

rel ated to that epoch and co m merce is yet u ncertai n ;
they may be earlier or contem poraneous but can , ,

hard ly be supposed later than the coming of the

people from Zante Th e Qui nto tomb i s clearly
.

Mycenae an H el big dates it in the si xth century

.

B C bu t re m arks that its constructio n is peculiarly

. .
,

prim itive The great peri od of Mycenae lay four or

.

five centu ries earl ier and there is no apparent reason ,

w h y this sure exam ple o f her art in I taly should be

brought do wn l ater than 1000 B C I t woul d thus . .

fal l outsid e the Etruscan period and b e a produ ct of ,

that still earlier in terc ou rse with Greece an d the

East of which the [E g ae an brooch of the Centre and
the n z names are al ready a su fficient proof
‘
.

The comin g of the Etruscans to I taly i s n o w

tentatively ascribed to the eighth century and a 2
,

certain time is further al lowed for thei r full con quest

of Tuscany The buil d ing and occupation of Fiesole
.

would thus fal l considerably l ater than the above

date and the great walls that de fe n ded it later still
,
.

The com mercial i m pu lse commu nicated to Florence

by this conquest and neighbou rhood — the rise of the
ti m ber trade on the river of agricu lture in the con taa o ,
’
,

and the new activity on the roads —can hardly be

1
Se e ab v p
o e, .
56 .

th d i ti P ul y W i sso w a, E trus k e r
’
on ary o f
1
Se e
'

e c a -
.
 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P r e se n t
1
52
s upposed earlier than 500 B C probably later Thus. .
,
.
,

w ere t h e Qu into tomb Etruscan we must su ppose ,

it even less ancient than the date gi ven by H elbig .

To this Etruscan period however on e m ay safely

, ,

ascribe the bui l ding of the bridge at Candel i .

The decline of the Etruscan power i n I taly i s

d ated with certainty fro m 3 9 6 B C ; its l ast vain . .

effort against the advance of Rome took place in

the year 2 8 3 at Falerii The Rom an s secured their
.

conquest in a period of road bu il din g w hich fel l -

bet w een 2 18 and 16 3 B C clos ing w ith the c o ns t ruc

. .
,

tion of the Vi a Cassia i n which Fl orence was d irectly

,

interested This then was the all im portan t epoch

.
, ,
-

of t h e coming of the w heel w hich gave Fl orence her

defi nite superiority over Fiesole leaving the l atter ,

town nothing bu t the strategic va lu e w hich had fi rst

d ra w n attention to the site o n the h il l The first .

b ridge at Florence —the origin al P onte Vec chio

was p robably as Roman as the road it served being ,

the Ro man ans w er to the bridge at C and eli whi ch ,

bel onged to the earl ie r Etru scan orde r o f th ings

, , .

A hundred years l ater the e ffect of the road

,

and of the n e w C en tre it set had becom e evid ent .

T h e b rid ge had superseded the ferry the M ercato ,

the Mercatino an d the P i nti road once the chief

, ,

l ine o f trade as connecting Fiesole with the A rno ,

w a s beco m e so unimportant that Fl oren ce bui l t he r

Amphitheatre right across it O n the other h an d .

,

the n e w w estern Centre fu l ly j ustified the change that

 F lo re n ce P a s t an d P rese n t
1
58

built in the outskirts of the city and if you chance ,

on such a case as I have done —at the Anconella or ,

else w here—you may see for you rsel f the rough and
ready method that still yields as of ol d the fine , ,

result The working practice of the yard is as

.

follows .

A centre line is set U p i n a series of blocks of

-

stone The boat is to be flat bottomed and the first

.
-

timber laid is therefore a plank — the Z n volo ma es t ro

to which others are added on each side till the w hole
bottom ta k es shape on the stones in the form of a
long oval poi n ted and someti mes tilted at each end
, , ,
.

This bottom is called the f an a o T h e high stem and ’

.

stern —posts — the rota a a p rua and rota (la p opp a — are ’

then keyed i h at each end and the boat begins to

-

take shape ready for the ribs the th w arts and the
, ,

sheathing w h ich are to com plete it .

The rib or p a laca rma as it is called at Florence

, ,

n o t only speaks of the remote past in its name w hich ,

is purely Greek 1 but is so peculiar and character ,

i s t i c a part of the boat that it cal ls for particular

descri ption I n the craft to w hich w e are accustomed
.

the rib consists of two sy m metrical hal ves set in to

the central l ine of the keel from the one side and the
other The Flore n tine boat has no keel but a flat
.

floor and the rib adapts itself to these altered circu m

,

stances I t has two parts but these are not equal

.
, ,

1
E l se w h e re th e w o r d p a la ca rma, or p a ra sc/za lm a , i s use d of th e
b oat i t lfse : th e p art fd r th e w h o l e , as we ca ll b a oat a k ee l .
 B oats an d B o at m e n 1 59

though they combine i n a sym metrical form The .

longer is straight with a cu rve at one end like a

,

hockey club The straight part— called the mua i le

.
’

is fi xed fi rmly to the u pper side of the boat s bottom ’

which it com pletely crosses at right angles At th e -

edge of the f oun o the rib curves outwards and up w ard s

’

at one side in what is prop erly the p a laca rma To

, .

bal ance this rising curve a corresponding piece but ,

now a cu rve only is keyed i n to the opposite end of

,
-

the m a d i le at the other edge of the f on a o Thus each ’

.

rib consists of a short and a long and w hile their ,

j oints always lie along the edges of the f on a o the ribs ’

,

are set so that their shorts and longs alternate giving ,

alternately a j oint and a solid rib right and left along

each side of the boat s bottom T h ere is a reaso n for
’
.

this singularity . The system of alternate j oints

secu res as perhaps no other could do the combined
, ,

stiffness and fle xibility so useful in a craft that is

designed for the A rno and that must be able to face
,

shal lows as well as deeps when the boatmen d rag it

,

over the gravel bars that sum mer has left bet w een
-

one pool and another Before leaving the ribs it m ay

.

be wel l to add that the pair next the stem are allowed
to proj ect above the gu nwale and are j oined h ead to
,

head by a curved wooden brace These ribs are .

cal led mon ac/z etz e and the brace the f orca cci o and
‘

, ,

the arrangement is contrived to hold turns of the

m oori ng rope w hen the boat lies at the bank or
river wall .
 16 0 Fl o r e n c e P as t and P re se n t
W hen the ribs are place and tri mmed to th e in ,

s h eer the builder designs for his boat he binds them ,

together from stem to ste m outside by the qua d ra t i

the upper streak — to which corresponds w ithin a , ,
‘

simil ar strip of planking : the ba rg a n ello These are .

j oined the one to the other over the rib head s by the
‘

, ,

p a lcnetla w hich is the gunwale proper

,
Outside the .
,

gua a ra li are continued downwards about the ribs to

’
,

the f on a o in the f as ci a me or lo w er streaks w hich

’
, , ,

form the shell of the boat from the floor up w ards .

W ithin w here the ribs are still l argely visible a l ining

, ,

of movable boards —the p a lco or false flo o r—is laid ,

over the m a a i li and rises on each side some w ay up

’
,

the p a la ca rme serving to distribute weight and pres

,

sure and save ribs and bottom when the boat carries
,

cargo and passengers I n the bo w s under the f or .

,

ca cci a a small deck roofs in the f ru a as it is called

, g ,

th e locker w here the boatman keeps his su ndries or ,

sometimes his catch whe n he goes a fis h i n g This -

.

l ast use has given its name — the p es ci a i uola —to the
loose board w ith a ring which serves to close the
f rug a At the stern a like space is reserved for the
.
,

p redelli n o a flat wooden platform hardly higher than

,

the boards of the p a lco On this support the boatman .

rests one foot as he punts while t h e other— right or ,

left as may be— fin d s higher purchase on the f a ctori n o ,

‘

a kind of round thwart which crosses the boat from

side to side just above the step where t he p red elli n o
drops to the pa lco Here too the a i a ci or tiller with
.
,
’
, ,
16 2 F lo re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t

Ar n o is sought to day as of old by those who hav e

-

bu ildi n g to do on this site .

O n ce the coarser gravels were prized as m atei i al

,
'

for that wonderful ca lci s t ruz z o the concrete hard as ,

rock itsel f which formed the heart and substa nce of

,

every Florentine wall of palace or of tower Beside

,
.

all its other advantages the site of the city had this
convenience that here the very d igging of foun d a
tions produced most of the material requ ired for the
building that was to occu py them The p i etra f orte .

of the hil ls the ma ci gn o of Fiesole were i n deed

, ,

quarried and carried hither bu t only to serve in ,

s mall pieces as the w all fac i n g within and without

'

.
,

Between the hollow heart of the wal l was fi lled with

,

river grave l and among these st o

, nes was poured the
fl u i d mortar that the finer river sands he l ped to
com pose and to bind W hen the wall thus built .
,

and filled had settled and set it was as nearly

, ,

indestructible as building could be and Owed its ,

strength n o t to what the quarry yi elded but rather ,

to the skil ful use of what t h e river had brought the ,

gravel or sand that i n cunning proportion for med the

wall core This ma n ner O f building is practise d no
-
.

longe r but still though the gravel is seldom sou ght

, , ,

the sa n d is i n consta n t request for Flore n ce grows ,

i n every direction and witho ut sa n d to make m ortar

, ,

bui ldi n g even as practised to day cannot go o n

,
-

, .

I n the neighbourhood of the city there i s no

grou n d where lake water has n ot lain and left its
 B o at s an d B o at m e n 16 3

d eposits ; hardly anywhere the Arno A ffri c o and , ,

Mug n one in thei r floods wanderings and c o ns tant

, , ,

changes have not ag ai n and ag ain pass ed to lay

,
“

gravel and sand in alternate beds u pon the blue

clay that once formed the lake floor Digging wi ll .

fi nd sand everywhere as you m ay see in the fields

,

S AN D F I T S N EAR
-
V A R L U N GO

beyond the M adon none to w ards V a rlun g o w here ,

the sand pits call the builders carts and the whole
’ '

structu re of thi s alluviu m is laid b are down to t he

clay itsel f But plainly these beds are the w ork of
.

th e river in its wanderings and it is t othe river m

, en

I s t i ll tu rn when they want sand of the finest and ,

would have it witho ut breaking arable land or

bending to the labour of the spade .
16 4 F l ore n ce P as t an d P re se n t
Not every sand gatherer can afford the money
-

that would make him the owner of a boat ; hence

t h e ren a i uoli are d ivided into two classes the ,

oa rca i uoli or boatmen and the p i aggi a i uoli who

, ,

keep to the bank Every flood brings these men

.

their fresh opportu n ity fo r as the Arno rises and

, ,

changes colour it brings down anew the debris of

,

the hil ls the gravel and sand at fi rst suspended and

,

transported then sinki n g as the water tu rns green

,

again ; at last settled i n some new arra n gement of

deposits on the river bed .

W hen the flood has passed it is the p i agg i a i uolo

who opens the work of dealing with what i t has
brought down for the banks he labours are the
,

fi rst grou nd to stand clear of the fall ing waters .

H is tools are the spade and the screen He sets .

h i s screen among the m i n gled sand and gravel

of the shore and fli n g s against it what he digs
up. The gravel falls back from the screen the ,

sand passes and forms a heap behind ready for

, ,

carriage to some larger deposit of recovered material

which the wheelbarrow reaches alo n g a path of
planks Meanwhile the screen and heap m ark the
.

centre of operations rou nd which within the shi fting

, ,

radius that the plan k path describes the p i agg i a i uolo ,

tries for sand in every likely spot I t is hard w ork .

an d hot as the sun beats white on the gravel banks

, ,

and the men are apt to throw off all clothin g but
'

a ragged shirt and sash sh owing l imbs bronzed and ,

16 6 F l o re n c e P as t an d P res e n t
than t h e oar is what they use i n this progress for
, ,

s o they are in constant and s e n s itive contact w ith

t h e ri ve r be d ; not only moving u p and dow n but
'

trying the grou nd as they go They s to p When t h e .

pole tel ls them ; where the river h as j ust 1ai d w h at

’

they are seek ing Then the pole is exchanged for

.

B AR C A I U O L O LI F T I N G SCO O P FU L OF S AND

t h e p a la ,
‘

and the work of getting the sand on board

begins .

The p ct /a di ffers from the punting pole only i n

havi n g an i ron scoop fixed at one end Standing o n .

the p redellzn o one foot braced fi rmly on the f a ttorz n o

'
'

,
,

th e boatman l et s go his pa la till the scoop t ouches

bo t tom an d enters the sand bed Slowly laborio usly-
.
,
‘

,
I 7O F l o re n c e P as t an d P res e n t
may I n this l iberty the ren a z uolz tu rn to another
' '

clas s and trade that of the éa rocczaz the C arters who

' '

. , ,

act as midd lemen in t h e b usiness The rena z uolo

' ‘

sel ls to the and he again to the b uilder

at an advance w hich p ay s fo r the carriage At
‘

p res ent sand is bought and sold at a price which may

'

be as much as six lire per cart load at a tim e of

‘
'

great demand the price tending to rise with the late

act i vit y of th e building trade at Florence I f yo u
-
.

ask the rena zuolv he wil l allow that his working d ay

’ "

is worth anyth i ng be tw een seve n a n d ten lire I t .

must be remembered however that the river is not

, ,

always in order and the average gains i n this trade

,

may therefore be taken at four lire per d ay or say , , ,

£ 50 a yea r Florence holds and e mpl oy s a bout

.

o ne hu ndr ed and twenty ren d z uolz of w hom eight y or

' ‘
‘

s o may be ba rca zuolz and forty This

' ' ‘

mea ns that sand i s taken from the Arno to the yearly

value of some £6 000 no contemptible gain when ,

the state of the stream and the general cond itions of

'

life in Florence are considered .

The freedom of the ren a zuolz i n their work m ay be

' '

taken as a sign that their trade is not only ancient ,

but has preserved m uch of its primitive character in

so late a l iberty For i t is certain that in the evolution
.

of Florentine industries it was j ust this freedom once ,

the boast of every workman that the Guilds of the

.
,

Middle Age c onfined and destroyed ; making the

artisan the bondservant of the capital they repre a
 Bo at s an d B oat me n I 71
se n ted But as k h i m to day a n d any renazuolo will
'

-
.
,

tel l you that his ki n d and cl ass have n o trade

'

'

organisat ion ; they re mai n the n wha t they h ave , ,

always been each man free to w ork as s e ems best to ' '

hi msel f an d on his ow n acc ou n t Thu s the whole

‘ '

M i ddl e A ge h as passed with out chang i n g a Whit the

'

life or libert y of the river wh i ch fl owing still still , , ,

gathers O n its ba n k s and bos om men t hat represent

to d ay i n the independe n ce o f their activity another
-

,
‘
'

, ,

e arli er world of prim itive l abour

, .

Though u n organ ised the rena zuolz form a distinct

' '

c las s w i t h stro ng class feeling and a high j ealousy of

’
' ‘

, ,

their privilege i n the c om mon use of th e river an d its

s hores They will unite to defend rights here which
’

are theirs by no statute but t h at of im m e mo rial use

' ’
‘
‘

a n d wo nt I f you would know it se nd a servant to

'

.
,

fetch yo u a load of sand from the river He must

-
‘

either buy it fro m the ren a z uolz or p ay his footi n g on

' ' ‘
‘

)
,

the shore i n on e form or other before t hey wil l al low

hi m to work for you on ground they claim as their
own I n t his property one fi nds a survival of the
.

primitive co mmu nity which he ld its ground in ,

Comm on while u niting to defend these commo n rights

-

against all outsiders The tende n cy of language

‘

a mo n g the ren azuolz to break u p i nto dialect h as

' ’
'

al ready show n us 1 how nearly pri mitive their li fe still -

is and ; as We proceed it Wi ll still further appear that

,
'

early hal f forgotte n thi n gs li ke water spi rits haunt

-
,
-

S b v p 90 1
ee a o e,
'

. .
1 72 F l ore n ce Pas t a n d P rese n t
to day the banks of th e A rn o and the minds of the
-
‘

men that make th e i ri h om e by th e stream .

The ren a zuolo whether he work on the b ank or

'

afloat is not always in search of sand ; h e is a true

,

child of th e Arno ready to seek anything t h e river

,

may yield W hen the demand for sand falls off or

.
,

the su pply is scanty he does not rem ai n idle but sets

,

at once to fi shing The Florenti ne is fond of fish

.
,

but can not have it from the sea save at a hi gh price ,

or of doubtful freshness The Arno fi shermen who .

,

are no other than the ren a z uolz cater in this kind for
' ‘

the common people y ou will see their catch laid out

on the co unter of the R os tzccerza —that peculiarly
' '

Florentine institution — o r may notice the sign P esci

d A rn o painted at a Trattoria door in city or country
’ ’

to draw custom I n the good old days of a hundred

.

years ago those who took their m orning bath i n the

"

river used to follow it u p by a v isit to Il Dottore ,

’

the host who dispensed fried A rno fish to a ll comers

at the P i age n ti na On the same spot or near it a
.
, ,

humble house of call at Bellariva still o ffers the same

dish which those w h o fancy it consu me to the acco m
,

p an i me n t of a certain w hite wine not to be despised .

Close by live the fishermen their boats line the shore

i n front and this branch of the ren a zuolo s activity
'
’
,

may occupy our attention for a moment ; the more

that being what he is he is sure to d isplay in this
, ,

craft also the manner and practice of forgotten ti me .

J ust as when he seeks sand the ren a zuolo is either

’
17 Fl o re n ce P ast an d P re s e n t
4
Which you
'

before the wader are t he common

.
,
.

m ay see an y day swingi ng from its cord and p ole ; .

t h e elegant gz a cck zo w eighted with leads and us ed

' '

, ,

like a sl ing ; the m en d and t rapp ola on thei r fra mes

like shrimping nets the rzp a z uola used to follow the
’ '

fish under the river ban k in time of fl ood ; and ,

finally the berta zle a bag net stretched on rings set

'

, ,

within a frame of three osiers 1

This last net is .

trapped at the mouth and anchored u n der water in

the fish runs The bzla n cz a is someti mes used fro m
' '

-
.

the windows of houses overlooking the river Some .

years ago when l ooking at an apartment i n Borgo

,

Sa n J acopo I was bid to notice a cra n e a n d pulley

,

fi xed t o the wall of the house for the management of

such a net : So they said you can d raw u p you r ‘
,
’
,
'

breakfast without paying for it .

’

I f on the ot her hand the fisher is a éa rca zuolo

'

, ,

one who commands a boat—his net is apt to be the

berta i lorze much larger and heavier than any of the
others but for that very reason enclosin g more
, , ,

water and securing a better catch of fish i f fortune

favou r the fi shers The berta zlon e consists of netting
’

so me sixty feet long by six feet deep with leads be ,

l ow and corks above Two berta zlz wi th th eir traps

' '

.
,

a nd rings but without framewo rk are s et in the

,
.
,
«

R gh ti ni Fanl an i reg i s te rs th e forin s bertuello, b rlozzello and u m

i
' ‘ '

a
-
.

i l d d
‘ '

as the names of th s n e t, an d i bert a vello i s a so fo un 4Th e wo r s .

bertai le and bertazlom , unk n wn to th e

'

ct onar es, ere ta en o wn

o di i i w k d
'

by ie wi th great c are from a w or n g sh erman at ki fi th e Po te di

'

tr n ,

l i v i
' r

~I h ey are th e F o ren t n e ar ant s of th e o th ers

' '
' ‘
.
Fe rro . .
BI L A N CI A AT A B A L CO N Y I N BO RG O SA N J A CO PO
178 F l o re n ce P ast an d P re s e n t
winter especially—are apt to lie in the mud or u nder ,

the stones of the river bottom Half an hou r passes .

in this work and then the net is carefully drawn

,

aboard again ; the men meanwhile thrashing the

water with the leads to d rive the fish into the pockets .

W hen these come aboard the p escza zuola is lifted ;

' '

first one g ala and then the other is u ntied at th e

point and the fish pou red l ike a stream of silver into
,

the f rug a I have seen fi fteen pou nds of fish taken

.

i n this w ay by one cast of the aerla zlon e on a gray day

'

in January ; mostly smal l fry i ndeed but with t h em ,

lay a brown carp of three pounds w eight My friend .

the ba rca zuolo told me after w ards that he had kept

'

this fish for himself and that it ate like butter

,
.
’

More picturesque if not more profitable is the

, ,

night fis h ing with hand net and l antern which you -

may see in the soft sum mer darkness as you look

from the P onte alla Carraia towards the weir and the
Cascine On the right in the stil l water above the
.
,

w eir the lamps of the Lung Arno shine reflected ;

’

the ripple of the river makes them look like long

spools on which the river— spirits are for ever winding
gold and silver thread But it is beyond and below
.

'

the w e i r t h at other fainter points of fi re as they flit

, , ,

hither and thither among the scanty streams an d

heaped gravels show that the fisher is on foot and at
,

w ork .H e carries a tin lantern — the f org n olo— i n his

left hand and in his right the f ora/zetla or l eister
, .

Thus he wades the water dazzli ng and d rawing the ,

 B o at s a n d B oa t m e n I 79
fish within reach an d spearing as many as come ,

u nder his hand .

S o then by d ay or night from boat or shore w ith

, , ,

one kind of net or another the fishers of the Arno ,

su pply the humbler Florentine market The fish .

they bring in are of several kinds some eight or so ,

i n al l There are the

.
(L euczs cus a ula ) well
'

k nown from V asari s t ale o f the painter Buffalm ac c o ’

who cro w ned his figure of S t E rcolano with these .

fish at P eru gia ; they are fou nd in the Arno as w ell

as in Trasimene There are the eels (A ng ui lla .

vul a r2s too in their season about w hich the fis h e r

)
'

g
/
,

men w ill tel l you strange tales not forgetting the ,

congers o f the sea —the g rog m as they are called —h ow

'

they pour foam from their mouths by the sea shore in -

the breeding season ; h o w as they move up — stream , ,

you m ay hear them among the gravel of the river

making a noise like the hu mming of a hundred
wheels These a ng a zlle seek the sea in autumn and
.
,

m ount the A rno again in the storms and flood s o f

J anuary and February when they are taken at the ,

weirs in cleverly contrived traps of osier Even .

science confesses that there is mystery here and that ,

a true m ale of this species is un known ? Then there

1
Cav V . . A . V e c ch i t ll
e s m e th a t th e l o we r A rn o as fa r as C aste l
franc o di
S o tto i s vi i t d
s e i lly by th
o c cas o n a e (072720 ( Tb 7m m /
g a ri s
v ul )
an d reg ula r y by l th e pi l h d (Cl p
c ar a ea T he l a tt er is
k n o wn on the A rn o as th e c/ze fizp i a an d is th o ug h t a g reat e d li c ac y ;

to eat wh i ch m a n y m ak e th e j o urney t o C as t e l fran c o i n th e fi his ng

s e as o n .
180 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
are the and the
' ' '
'

arocczolz (G oé z o
5a m (B a rby : p leé ez as V al) but the l atter is a fish to
' '

, ,

be eaten cautiously as the roe is poisonous Some .

times unpleasant consequences follow a meal of A rno

fish and the su fferers from such an accident are apt
,

to suppose that the state of the river is to blame As .

a matter of fact no sew age enters the Arno at ,

Florence and a fe w é a ré z carelessly cleaned are

'

, , ,

quite enough to account for the illness of a w hole

party The éog a (C obza s a vern em zs ) is a species
' '

peculiar to the Arno and with it may be mentioned ,

various kind s of trout and pike But the finest fish .

got at Florence is the carp al ready spoken of

(Cyp rz n us ca rp zo) here k nown as the rezn a At
' ' ’

.
,

Rome it is called more am ply and exactly the dark , ,

queen or the dark queen in gauze of gold from

,
’ ‘
,
’

the su perb lustre of its scales which change from ,

smoke colour to golden brown as the light catches

them I t runs to several pounds weight and in
.
,

quality as well as beauty is a true queen of the river

the best fish Florence kno w s The trade of the fisher .

is n o t unprofitable ; one day with another he will ,

take an average of five francs worth from the ’

river This is not enough as one sees to tem pt the

.
, ,

ren a zuolo to forsake the sand w hich pays him still

'

better ; but when the sand forsakes him rather ,

than remain idle he tu rns fisherman and thus ,

fairly m aintains the average of his daily takings

from the Arno .
18 2 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P r ese n t
The z ucca as the gourd is called h ere i n al l its
, ,
-

forms long middling and round is a familiar object

, , , ,

at Fl orence ; its deep orange flesh shows all w inter "

on the stall of the greengrocer for cooked sea m aa m , ,

’

a rt em w ith onion and pepper

,
it makes a dish not ,

to be despised The seeds like th ose of the melon

‘

.
, ,

are d ried salted and sold as nuts for eating ; they

, ,

a re the whitish sem i with a green k e rn e l o ffe re d by

‘ ’

, ,

measure on the bridges and i n the humbler circuses

as a diversion and pastime durin
g the performance
'

I n another fashion empti ed an d d ried the gou rd , ,

serves as a vessel and often forms part of the

‘

furniture of the kitchen in the poorer I tal ian houses ,

especial ly i n the cou ntry I t is com monly used to .

hold salt and the Z ucca aa s a le h as become pro

,
’

ve rbi a l : a phrase doub ly fi t as c arrying much of ,

that subtler salt w hich is the Florenti n e wit To .

taste this one must remember that zucca l ike

,
‘

,
’

our o w n nut is current s lang for the head ; a bald

‘

,
’

man for i nstance , w ill often be addressed as zucca

,
‘

pel ata Zucca mia da sale " H o w m uc h then

.
’ ‘
, ,

does such an apostrophe not im ply ? Tis easy "

to see you come from the country—are a country

p u m pkin — have a head indeed but lack the wit ,

yo ur head should hold Still subtler and nearer .

’

our subj ect is the form hai venduto i l pesce which ‘

,
’

means you have nothing i n your gou rd — you r head '

is em pty of al l but air S uch covert forms of scorn .

’

are pec ul iarly Florentine .

 B oats an d B o at m e n 18 3

The gourd has long served to hold liquids as well

as solid s P liny says that i n his day wine was
.

often thus kept and that there was a n ew fashion

,

for the gou rd as a utensil i n the bath : 1 no doubt

as a l ad le for hot or cold w ater ; u nless indeed , ,

we shou ld thin k here o f the loof a h The use .

of the gourd is thus undoubted ly ancient and ,

at Florence to — d ay in the hands of the fishermen

,

of the Arno it represents as we shall see a

, , ,

whole t ech n i que— a manner of cultivation and pre

p a ra t i o n — which derived from early times is still
, ,

known an d practised by these sim ple Tuscan

people .

N atu re gives two principal shapes to this fruit ,

the long and the round both useful in their different

ways as vessels for holding liquids or solids even if ,

only emptied and d ried in their natural form I “

once saw a cu rious i nstance of this at a rustic f es za ‘

u n der the chestnut trees of P ied mont A man came

-
.

on the ground with w ine carrying it on his person ,

i n a long t w isted gou rd which as he w as not very

, ,

tal l clu ng to his whole body from head to heel

,
.

Below the gou rd was strapped to his ankle and

, ,

when a thirsty soul came near he kicked up his

heel opened a plug in the gourd an d filled a glass
, ,

for hi m i n a moment Such forms have however .

, ,

their obvious awkwardnesses and P liny who registers , ,

them as the d raconis intorti fig ura hints at some

‘
,
’

M I ! ” xix 5 1
. .
18 4 F l o re n ce P as t and P re s e n t
thing more handy when h e says of the gourd c re s c i t
qua c og i tur forma 1
.
’

Such then is the practice at Florence The fis h e r

, ,
.

men o f the Arno scorn to buy thei r z uook e ; they

EN GRAV I N G D O N E BY H AN D ON A W I NE G O UR D
-

grow them in their gardens and still know the art ,

of vegetable modell ing by which the fruit as it ,

swells takes the shape they need The old men

,
.

1
1V E
. .
,
lac . ( i t. A trum p e t sh a
-
pd
goure re d di d
an d o e n e at p d
b oth en d s is so me t m e si d
use i n T usc an y as a h orn t o ca gs T h ere ll pi .

is an e x mpl
a e o f suc h a h o rn i n th e Museo E tn ografic o , F o ren ce l .
 Fl o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
the fi re and pou red i nto the dry g ou rd which the ,

fisherman then tu rns about in his hands till the whole

is lined to the lip and beyond it with a black
, ,

resistant varnish So prepared you w ill see gourds

.
,

F I ER MA N S G O UR D LI N E D
SH
’
W I T H P I T CH
hanging for sale at the doors of deal ers in fishing
tackle they are now ready to hold safely what the
net brings i n .

Now this art of the gou rd deserves the particular

attention we have given it because it is a d isti nct
survival of the earliest times and explains much
 B oa t s an d B o at m e n 18 7
that m ight otherwise be unintelligible W hen P liny .

tel ls that wine was often stored in gou rds 1 we ,

re me mber that the old w orld h ad the habit—still kept

u p in G reece —o f treating w ine w ith pitch to make

E A RT H E N \V A RE JA R G LA Z E D ' ‘

\V I I H I N

i t keep better or to gi ve it a favourite flavou r

, .

Bu t so it seems certain that this practice was

,

derived from that we have j us t studied The .

gou rd — and for that m atter the am phora too before ,

the i nvention of glaze—could not hold w ine till

1
loo .
18 8 Fl o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
lined with pitch 1 The liquor gained sharpness in
:

this contact ; the consumer learned to prefer such

wines and s o even when pottery and vitreous
, , ,

glaze had come to abolish the fi rst necessity the ,

vintner still treated his w ine with pitch to meet

an established taste The rez zn a to of Greece is a
'

survival from the times of the primitive gourd and

its necessary preparation as a wine vessel S o too i n .

Tuscany to day the rough earthenware of the house

-

hold is porous as any ancient amphora till glazed .

The glaze is often applied to the inside of the pot

only in the very m anner of the pitch whose colour it
,

so nearly i mitates and is to be seen spilt carelessly

,

over the l ip j ust as the pitch shows a little outside

,

the gourd ; the tech n i que used in the preparation of

this earlier vessel has clearly passed from the fis h e r
man to the potter .

I t would seem indeed that not the glaze only but ,

the pottery itsel f may have come of that still earlier

practice in which men adapted the gourd to their use
as a conven ient vessel I believe that M C ogn et . .

has the credit of first suggesting that clay may

original ly have been used to protect a gourd or
basket in its em ployment as a cooking vessel Thus .

the clay would be at once shaped and bu rned and ,

ere long men would find that shaped and burned , ,

it needed no other support than that of i ts own

1
C t
a o, D R 18 m
e xxv d li p i t S
e a l PRT , .
,
‘
o a ca a .
’
ee a so . . .

A m i li i D R R um x 1 d G L mi L m p 43 8 f
‘ ‘

e an , e e , .
, an . a ez zo or
, , .
,

p t f th i k i d f u d t A rti m i
o s o s n o n Sig a n o n e ar na .
 C H A P TE R IX

TH E R IV E R TRADE

TH E sand trade and the fishing still carried on at

-

Florence are only the poor remai n s of a river life once

much fuller and more im portant There is a back .

ground here which i t is well to remember thinking ,

as one sees the boats still movi n g on the stream of ,

what that movement once meant to the city ; how i t '

linked her with P isa and the sea and how Florence ,

was great very much because of her place on this open

water way -
.

The m atter does not l ie altogether beyon d the

memory of livi ng men I heard o f a case i n which .

the furniture o f an E ngl is h fam ily m ovin g fro m

Leghorn to Florence as late as 18 6 3 was brought , ,

u p al l the way by water in a barge to the ol d city

port at the P ignone There i ndeed a basin a n d .
, ,

shelter had long been contrived for the gondolas ‘ ’

of the Grand Duke —you m ay still see the p lans of

i t i n the Archivi o 1—and t h ence the Cou rt u sed to
1
Fi zren e , A rch . di S tato, Ca pi t i d i P
an a rte , I n d i ce de ll e Pi an te ,

No . xiv . 2 1,
‘
A rsen a l d ll
e e e G on d l l Pig
o e a no n e .
’

190
19 4 Fl ore n c e P as t . an d P re s e n t
bar below P isa that her gal leys might pass freely
to and from the sea 1 Earl ier sti l l i n 142 2 B ru nel
.
, ,

lesco busy as he was in : designing his D ome found

, ,

ti me to wi n a prize for a new oa rea or n a vzglzo fi t

'

, ,

to carry cargo at a cheap rate by water The city .

AN C I ENT M ILL ON TH E ARN O AT R O V EZ Z A N O

bought hi s rights i n this inven ti on m ean ing n o ,

doubt to use i t on the A rno 2 .

I t woul d seem as i f the architect o f the Dome ,

when he designed his boat might have been think ,

ing of how best to bri ng home the m aterial for

that i mperishable monument H owever this m ay .

h ave been it is certain that the building he so

,

1
G aye , Ca rtegg zo,
'

i .
56 5
. i .
547 .
 T h e R i v e r T rad e 19 5

m agical ly crowned might itself have set his mind at

work on j ust such a plan I n the thirteenth centu ry .

the growi n g prosperity of Florence and especially of

her principal manu facture had brought about the
buildi n g of m a n y mil ls and weirs on the river with
some d anger to the freedom of the ancient water way -
.

I n 13 3 1 an d successive years legislation limited these ,

obligi n g the own ers to provide a passage for the river

trade 1 The Cathedral was then being built and
.
,

the l aw that secured this new l iberty had its chief

j ustification in the traffic that presently brought the
marbles of Carrara by the Arno and the serpentine ,

o f P rato by the Bisenzio to shine where they stand ,

to day as the appl ied decoration of Church and

-

Cam pani le alike .

Fu rther stil l ; the d im days of the earlier middle

age show us the barbarians leaving their mark h ere .

O nce in 8 2 5 it is the N ormans who come to sack

, ,

the B adia at San Domenico pushing their long ,

‘

shi ps u p the river as far as Florence ; again still

’ 2
,

earl ier and in a w ise favou r it is the great Theodoric

, , ,

K ing of the Goths who i n the fi fth century directs ,

the removal of obstacles to the river trafli c : 3 the very ’

legislation which Fl orence herself re — enacted in the

fou rteenth centu ry I f we are to think of the circum .

1
R ep ett i , D z z d ella Terra n d , i
’

.
146 . p . .

‘
2
R Da.
vi d
so h n , S tarla d z F i ren z e (F re n
’

i z e : Sanson i , vol
. i .

p . 120 .

3 C ass i d o o rus,
'

Va rzae, v . 17, 20 ; Mon . Germ . S erzptores, X11

n

154 5
-
19 6 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
stances as sim ilar this Gothic law would say much
,

for the i mportance of the Arno trade in Gothic days .

That it was of consequence u nder the Romans

is plain from the fact that a Ro man inscription
acquaints u s with the o ffice of the Curator ‘

K ale n d ari i F lo re n t i no rum at P isa showing that ’

Florence had invested mo n e v there and needed ,

one to take charge of the payment of interest on

the K alends of each month 1
I t is a fair i nference .

that this connection between t h e two towns de

pended u ltimately o n the river that u nited them ,

and that the A rno traffi c was then considerable

indeed .

I t is difficul t to believe that the physical relation

of the Val d A rn o to the Val di Chiana had not a
’

com mercial consequence ; the trade of the latter

hel ping to keep the former busy Now i n early .

times the Chiana traffic was very considerable ;

S trabo assures u s of its im portance 2 which appears ,

beyond question in the ancient prosperity of Cortona

and Chiusi the chief cities of this valley P li n y
, .

says the Chian a was navigable i n his day 3 an d how ,

long this water w ay remained open and what interest

-

Florence still had in it m ay be read i n the record ,

that tells us h o w as late as I 3 9 0 the c ity paid

, ,

”
for two ships to sail h ere for the defence of
“

M o n tepul ciano 4
The m atter seems su mmed u p
.

1 xi . 1 ; 1444 .
2
E ,
2 26 , 2 3 5
.
3
ME , iii .
5
.

4
G aye, op .
'

cz t . , i .
53 4 .
19 8 F l o re n c e P a s t an d P r e se n t
riv er from Florence— nay from Arezzo — to the sea ,

that has chiefly brought the change W ith the .

appearance of the new means of transport came a

natural carelessness o f the old in which the towi n g ,

paths were neglected and allowed to fall i n to the

stream and the great weir of Castel franco royally
, ,

built by the Medici in the sixteenth centu ry was ,

sold i n 18 75 to a private owner w ith the result that

, , ,
.

it now lies in disrepair and offers a serious d anger

,

to the boats that would pass u p or down by its

callon e Still in spite of all d i fficulty they pass and
.
, ,

we h ave only to descend the Arno to find even now ,

though in diminished measure the river trade still ,

moving which once reac h ed Florence and contributed

so muc h to her prosperity .

The Mugnone n ow falls i nto the Arno much lower

than it formerly d id reaching the greater stream on ly
,

at the western end of the Cascine : a change which

may be reckoned with the rest as one of the causes
why com merce no longer comes to Florence by water .

P ass this confluence however ; pass the shallow of

,

Marcignana w hich the alluvium brought down by

,

the Mugnone has formed and the river begins at ,

once to show w hat it can do still in the m anner if , ,

not the measure of the greater past At Ugnano

, .
,

scarcely a mile belo w the Cascine a true cargo boat ,

-

though of smal l si ze l ay w aiting its load in the wi n ter

,

of 1909 ; I suppose this is now the highest point

reached by the existing river trade Such boats .
,
2 02 F l o re n ce P as t and P re s e n t
water is not merely a survival of the past but that , ,

in a singular persistence it still keeps the ancient

,

line of passage a branch of the river once followed

,

across the P isan plain Not that the same boats

.

may not be found at P isa too lying in the Medicean ,

port w ith its great sluice and roof or crowding the ,

canal of the N aviglio for which that port was built

in 16 03 They are of precisely the type we have
.

already stud ied at Florence w ith a rather e x agg e r

,

ated sheer fore and aft w hich in the stern leaves

, , ,

room for a great earthen w ater j ar under the curve -

of the tiller The chief difference is in the size of

.

the boat for these of the lower Arno may ru n to

,

t w enty five or even thi rty tons as against t w o or

-

three at Florence .

H o w essentially of the A rno this trade and

navigation are is proved by the site of the yards and
slips where the boats are built You would ex pect .

to find t h ese build ing places at P isa or Leghorn or ,

at least on the lo w er reaches of the river but it is not ,

50. Light boats are still occasionally built at Florence

itself and from Florence but a short j ourney do w n
,

stream w ill bring you to the seat of this i ndustry I t .

is a tri p worth taking The w hole matter is both

.

singular and suggestive and is so little known that

, ,

even in Tuscany fe w are a w are of its existence and

,

importance or could tell you w here to go to fi nd an

,

Arno boat in building The place is Lim ite so

.
,

cal led as mark ing the convergence of the three

2 06 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
do ubt fi xed the site o f the vill age and its industry ,

for to the pool the slips of the building yards all lead -

down as there is plenty of water here even i n t h e

,

droughts of su mmer Floating craft of al l sizes lie

.

anchored by the banks and as you land and enter ,

Limite itsel f skeleton boats and builders that move

, ,

about their work betray the occupation of the place

,
.

There is a singul arity in the scene that stimulat es

cu riosity Here we have a village —
. o r town rather ,

for it holds some two thousand inhabitants — lying

fi fty m iles from the sea yet building not only the ,

l ighter and heavier craft that still ply on the Arno

but sea going vessels as w ell and these in some
-

number and size W hen built they pass to the

.

Mediterranean down the river and the fact that this ,

water way still bears them to day is enough to sho w

- -

and even to set in a n e w light the existing possi ,

bi li t i es of this neglected stream The details of .

the industry when examined only confi rm the first

im pression which may well be o n e of surprise
, .

The principal yard at Limite which may serve as an ,

example of the rest belongs to the F rate lli P icchiotti

, ,

representatives of a family which has built boats

here for at least three centu ries A hundred men .

fi nd re gular employment i n this yard some of them ,

veterans of fi fty or sixty years experience of the ’

c r aft. The boats they build for the river are j ust
.

th ose we h ave alre ad y d es c ri be d in detail For such

'

no draw ings are needed ; the type is fixed by

 T h e R i ve r T rad e 2 11

tradition They will not have it ch anged say the

.
‘
,
’

P icchiotti of their customers the Arno boatmen who ,

are wise i n a conservatism which the ages have

taught ; the te mper of m ind w hic h having found ,

what is really needed here is determined to abide ,

by it T he yard obeys in a traditional and corre

.
,

s on d e n t k nowledge of the old t ech n i ue ; hears the

p q
order and turns out by rule of thumb a boat of the
,

tonn age requi red These river craft are built with
.

ribs and un d e rs t rak e s of oak for the P aduli of ,

Fucecchio which yield the best quality of this

,

timber are not far o ff The rest of the boat is apt

,
.

to be of pine and the price may run as high as £ 120

,

for one carrying 2 5 tons T hose sent to Florence .

are much cheaper than the boats that go down

stream costing from £ 12 to 5 16 apiece ,
.

I n the two hund red years from 16 00 to 18 00 the

books of the P icchiotti show that t h e yard worked
for the river alone turning out in that time about ,

three hu n dred Arno craft greater and smaller 1 Only ,

.

in the l ast centu ry did they begin to build for the

sea bu t the record runs that from 18 05 onwards they
,

l au nched about two hund red ships bzla m elle

'
'

ta rta ne and even ,

the least measuring
20,
and the l argest 450 tons O f late the firm .
,

has secured several Government contracts and h as ,

S ee R elaz zon e alla 0mm aell E xp os [ / ztem az (13 Mzlarzo, S an

' ' '
' ’
1 . .

i
Casc an o, S t i an ti , 1906 Fo r t h e c ommun c at on of th s u cat on ,
. i i i p b li i
a n d for much c ourtesy,
I am n e te to th e Fratelli cch ott
i db d Pi i i .
2 12 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
su pplied the I talian N avy w ith two wooden torpedo
boats besides executing smal ler orders O ne of its
,
.

last feats was the launching of a yacht with a motor

engine of a hundred horse power for a private -

customer The larger w ork at Li mite is all in the

.

hands of the P icchiotti but theirs is by no means the ,

only yard and the yearly tonnage the place turns out
,

must be considerable indeed when a single fi rm is ,

able to show such a record .

The P icchiotti have a curious fam ily tradition

which is worth reporting here The name com monly .

given on the river to a n A rno boat is oecolzno which

'

, ,

the P icchiotti say comes from that of an ancestor ,

of theirs a certain Domenico or Beeo who accord

, , ,

ing to the story fi rst invented the peculiar design of

,

these river craft To speak frankly I do not believe

.
,

the tale and for the following reaso n The word

, .

oecoli n o is not registered in R i g ut i n i Fan fani 1 but -

in the g erg o— the thieves cant of I taly —the word ’

beccola occu rs and is explained to mean the ti mber

,

carried down by river flo o d s 2 The connection here .

is obvious and I am inclined to thin k that the g erg o

,

—often very valuable philologically— here presents

the root of the matter Beeeolzn o as the derivative
‘

.
,

fro m beccola w ou ld be properly so spelt and the

, ,

form beeolz n o would thus appear as the result o f the

'

story j ust reported and of the fa lse etymology on ,

1
Vocabolan
'

o I ta lza /zo
'
’
a ella L z ng ua P a r/a m, F
'

i ren e, z Bar b era .

1
Mi rab ell a Mala Vi ta (N ap oli P ll p
‘

, : e re a, . 2 99.
2 14 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re se n t
tact and they thus float down no longer singly but
, , ,

in pairs and masses As the case of the G o lfo li n a .

sho w s the river gorge is above all the place where

,

trees tend thus to group themselves as they float ,

and the gorge again appears then as a place w here , ,

the river po w er acts on m an and raises his S pirit and

st ate I t was here one remembers that the fis h e r
.
, ,

man j oined the hunter i n his n e w enterprise of trade ,

but earlier still it was here that the matted trees

, ,

the river assembled taught man to com mence raft

building on his own accou nt and to use the stream ,

for the deliberate and profitable transport of timber .

W hen the great tho ugh simple discovery was , ,

made w e shall never kno w nor is it necessary more ,

or less the transport of w ood in rafts has occu pied

,

the Arno ever since man came to this val ley and it ,

is only in our own times that the river has ceased to

carry timber Men are still living at Fl orence w h o
.
,

in their strength took an active part in this traffic, ,

and from their memories it is possible to recover

something of the l ast days of the A rno raft and of ,

a life and trade w hich perpetuates its nam e in that

of the P iazza delle Travi 1 w hile its com mencement ,

lies beyond the beginni n gs of history .

I f you are given to that waterside idling which

R L Stevenson found so rich and rewarding an
. .

1
Th ere Was l
a so a g a te i n th e iv
r er wa ll h ere c a ll d th
e e port zeella d z
’

f oaa rz
’
'

, th e p o ste rn o f th e rafts . S ee G aye , Ca r/egg zo,

’

i p .
510 a d
.

an n u m I 3 58 .
 T he R i ve r T ra d e 2 15

occu pation patience combined with duly directed

, ,

cu riosity m ay bring you to Speech with one of these

,

m en This has been my good fortune and what I

.
,

learned shall here be set down as a curious relic of

t h e past But fi rst I must keep faith w ith my
.

in formants They are j ealous of the traditions of

.

their craft and w hat I heard was told me under

,

pl edge of a prom ised record in this book To .

perform my promise to the letter I begin with what

is of l ittle consequence for our purpose a roll of t h e ,

chief nam es heard on the A rno thes e last hundred

years ; the m uster roll of the dead raftsmen called
-

for the last ti me by the fe w w h o still kno w and

survive . H ear then and note that in the past
centu ry the chief of the craft w ere Beco i l Vecchio , ,

P irole Morino S tefano Giacom ino Drea and Brogio

, , , , ,

all of Rignano ; w hile to the Casentino belonged the

fam ily of the P ignotti Giovacchino Luigi Giuseppe , ,

and Giovan ni w ith Leopoldo son of Giovanni and

, ,

O reste and Grisanti s ons of Giuseppe al l strong men ,

and famous in their d ay sk illed in the b uilding and

,

guiding of rafts on the river which is not by any ,

means the sim ple matter it might seem W hat .

it meant and was — this craft and life of the river

raftsmen — these ancients rather know than tel l here
a re my gatherings from their unstudied speech .

The principal forest from which these men drew

their m aterial lay about Camaldoli and was ,

skilful ly ad m inistered by the monks of the great

2 16 F l o re n c e P as t and P re s e n t
House it surrounded and sheltered in the Apennine
of Stia and P ratovecc h io The w ord s ecula r ofte n .
,

loosely used of any trees beyond a certain age and

size had here its strict and proper application
,
.

Felling was done in the grand manner and was ,

ordered by epochs of a hund red years P lanting .

followed the same rule so that giant beeches and ,

pines at least a centu ry old were never wanting ever ,

falling u n der the axes of the men of Moggi o na who

,

served the Abbey as foresters fro m generation to

gen eratio n 1 The same hands b uilt the wood on
.

sledges which white oxen d rew dow n forest paths

‘

and rough hill roads to the river at P ratovecchio .

Here the raftsmen took u p their w ork The unit .

of the river train w as the f oa ero or raft built o f pi ne ’

,

trees i n the rou nd fit for ships masts or yards or

,
’

composed of squared timber trim med from the

larger hard wood M uch skill w ent to the building
-
. .

Only the f oa era tore w h o had known the u pper A rno

’

from boyhood and inherited his craft from his

,

ancestors could tell j ust how the work should be

,

d one how much wood and n o more he could safely , ,

steer over the Arno shallo w s h o w the f oa ero should ’

be built so as to float clear i n the frequent narrows

and safely turn the sharp corners of the rock girt -

stream The work of building was com plicated by

.

the fact that to save men and l abour the f oa ero did
, ,
’

not float do w n stream alone but travelled i n

-

1
S e e R e pe tti , op . iii pp
. . 242 -

3 .
2 18 F l o re n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t
Camaldoli Vallombrosa too sent its supplies and ,

a still more notable forest was that of V a llo m bro s a s ’

daughter House the Bad i a of Montepiano in

,

the Apennine of Vernio above P rato Here the .

Bisenzio w as pressed into service and carried the ,

ti mber to Signa w here it found the fu ll current of

,

the Ar no ready to bear i t down w ith the rest .

As one listens to the f oa era tore it is not so much ’

,

the art of his raft building as the skil l and ora vura
of his wild voyage and adventure down stream that -

seem characteristic of th e trade The ma a za ta w as

’
’
.

managed on the w ater with long poles or swee ps one ,

worked from the bo w s of the leading f oa ero the other ’

,

acting as a helm from the last The men stood naked .

,

or nearly so to their work and no w o n d e r fo r at

, , ,
'

every rapid and chiefly at the river weirs the stress

,
-

on the coupling chains was apt to becom e a parting

strain w hen men and logs together leapt the fall
, ,

lashi ng the pool below to foam in a fierce and

dangerous confusion These risks and accidents
.

were indeed so much in the day s w ork of the ‘ ’ ’

f oa era tore that our ancients of the river rem i niscent

’
, ,

will j est of it to day with broken l aughter Che bella

-
.
‘

frullata they w il l say as i f tall pines dancing on end

,
’

were no more than W hisks and the d e eps of brown ,

Bisenzio or Arno in flood only the chocolate that

foams in the cup Yet not always ; their dim eyes
.

will look far and thei r faces harden as they tell yo u

,

of the P ozzo della Botta where the Bisenzio fi nds its ,

 T he R i ve r T rad e 2 19

way down the rocks below Vernio and they w il l ,

confess if pressed to it that none of their craft would

, ,

ride down these j a w s of death till he had first signed

hi mself with the river water 1 and called on the name
of San Gorgone H ope clearly lay in the appeal and .
,

the rapids hel d more than the risk to life that

prom pted it The religious feelings of the I talian are
.

strongly local w h o can doubt that the f oa era lorz ’

'

thought of these danger points as the place watched

for them by the protecti ng power ? But so the gorge
again asserts its i m portance and Gorgone appears in ,

his true light as the g en i us [06 2, with a San prefixed

as a concession to altered religiou s circu mstance .

San Gorgone is not the pecul iar protector of the ’

raftsm an ; it was from a ren a z uolo and fisher I fi rst

'

heard of hi m and he is known to and invoked by all

,

of the river craft San Gorgone ci m andi la piena ,

’

they say w hen the river run s lo w or ci tratta male ‘

San Gorgone when they are w aiting for the rai ns

,
’

and a fresh s upply of fish an d sand This Gorgon .

is the river spirit with a special habitat in the gorge 2

,
.

Descend ing from un reckoned time he still haunts ,

the old shores and still l ives in the minds of those

,

who look to the Arno for their occupation .

Once fai rly i n the m ain stream and safely belo w

1
C f H es
. i d
o , W ork s an d D ay s , 73 7 41, wh o
-
i
reg s te rs th e p rece pt
t h at h an ds m ust be d ippe d i
at t h e c ross n g o f a s tre am . Thi s r it e

l ll
w o u d t h us ge n e ra y be erfo rm e a t th e gorge p d . S ee abv po e, .
46 .

2
C L a w s on , Modem Greek Folk L ore
.
-

(C a mb i d g
r e,

18 9 90, 259
pp
-
.
.
 2 20 F l o r e n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
the G o lfo li n a— not w ithout a fresh appeal to the
spirit of the gorge— matters wen t more smoothly
for the raftsman Empoli it seems w as the p laCe
.
, ,

where t h e w ood w as measu red for duty and here the ,

f oa e
’
ra torz did their best — generally w ith su ccess — to
come to an u nderstanding with the Customs A .

hundred of w ood w ould pass as sixty and if let off , ,

thus easily the men would on thei r return bring a

, , ,

present of coffee and sugar to the complacent officers .

Leghorn as w e have said w as the goal of the Wood

, ,

trade an d i n those days that city was a free port

, ,

w here all goods w ere sold as it w ere in bond and ,

w hence they might with a little add ress be smuggled

out of the gates into the country .

From P isa the wood often travel led to Leghorn by

,

the river mouth and the o pe n sea but this true , ,

though brief voy age w as so much at the mercy of the

,

w eather that a halt was often called at Bocca d A rn o

’

and a night spent on the beach to prepare for it

'
“

‘
W e had ki ndled ou r fi res of driftwood — i t is the
'

old raftsman who speaks and all w as cal m The .

men sang by the sea as they smelt their supper cook

ing for w e had meat that night and wine and bread
, ,

in ple n ty S uddenly the wind rose an d the storm

.
,

w as on us w ith rain that quenched ou r fires and

, ,

waves that wet us to the skin as we struggled to save

our floating wood H ow often one w o n ders by
.
’

, ,

Arno m o n t h since men fi rst found and used the river

, ,

has j ust that sim ple al most savage scene been re , ,

222 F l o re n ce P as t an d P rese n t
of all these ancient records is the sto n e stil l standing , ,

and in p art legible to day by those w h o climb to -

the lower gallery of the Baptistery at Flore n ce .

This slab of m arble forms the sculptu red parapet

to one of the window openings but seen from , ,

within it sho w s a mutilated inscription of the second

,

century A D which speaks of the gu ild of the wood

. .
,

merchants at Florence as then associated with a like

corporatio n at Ostia So to day through the F ratelli
.
,
-

P icchiotti Limite has a trade connecti on with a n other

,

shipbuilding yard by the sea at Civita Vecchi a .

Just what has h appened in these eighteen ce n turies

is thus clearly shown C ontraction not exti nctio n
.
, ,

is what has affected the trade ; such co n tractio n as

may be measured by the miles betwee n Osti a and
Civita Vecchia in Latium and i n Tuscany betwee n ,

Florence and Limite The Arno is fl owi n g still .

,

and still carrying i f not rafts boats and even ships ;

, ,

which after all are only rafts in a higher a n d final

, ,

development The origin of th e boat however is

.
, ,

a matter too obscure and at the same time too ,

interesting to be dism issed thus in a simple assertion

, .

The flood that brings down floating timber wou ld

seem the origin of the w hole m atter I m possible .

that the men who w atch from the bank s h ould not .

come to attempt the sal vage of What the river brings

them ; equal ly impossible that the moment can be
long delayed of an accident in whi ch one of the ,

waders loses footing pulled out by the log he has

,
 T he R i v e r T ra d e 2 23

grasped and in the same fateful instant finds a new

, , ,

po w er : that of t h e wood i tself buoyant and able to , ,

su pport his weight Clingi ng to his log he struggles

.
,

for he is still afraid and finds he can direct what i s

,

supporting hi m Some trick of the current c o mbi n

.
,

ing w ith these instinctive e fforts brings him to land ,

on the opposite bank and the d iscovery is made ,

that the floating tree is a safe means of crossing the

river.

From this natural float to the dug out and the -

canoe the progress is easy and m ust have been

early m ade The passenger from bank to bank who
.
,

stri ps to enter the water fi nds it convenient that the ,

lo g he leans on in swim ming should have a hollow

where h e can stow his clothes and w hatever h e ,

carries to keep them d ry H e bu rns or chips the

,
.

log accordingly and by bu rning and chipping w ith

, ,

fi re and flint he reaches at last his ideal the craft

, ,

that is long enough and deep enough to carry a m an ,

or even a party and their goods u pon the w ater ,

without putting them to the troub le of und ressing

or of swim ming The teacher in th is lec/ mzgue was
'

.
,

obviously Vesta or as the Greeks said Hestia the

, , , , ,

prim itive savage h earth kindled i n the root of the ,

w hite oak and burning its own chimn ey u pwards

,

i n the tru nk o f the tree by the power of a fire ever

sm oulde ring and never allowed to d ie out I n a n e w .

an d studied application of fire art now gave for ,

the sta n d i n g h ollow tree a ca n oe w hich the same ,

2 24 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
useful element had prepared and this discovery one , ,

supposes brought about the strange ritual of May

,

I 5t h at Rome w hen the P o n t i fic e s carried rush dolls

,

t o the S ubli c i an bridge and the Vestal virgins cast

,

them into the Tiber 1 For these dolls at such a .

,

date may well have been an offering to the spirit

,

o f the stream ever eager for hu m ,

an victi ms at the ,

opening of the boating season ; and what goddess

'

had more right to be represented when the boat was

i n question than Vesta whose fi re u nderlay the ,

whole craft ? As for Florence i s i i a as w e have ,

‘
,

seen is still the Tuscan name for the tree and timber
,

that are most valued and employed i n the boat

building of the Arno yards .

Thus the canoe and the process of preparing it ex

plain much yet not quite all we want I n the boat
,
.

there are t w o things to be considered the form and ,

t h e structure by w hich that form is attained I f one .

thinks only of the fi rst of these then fine as t h e , ,

Arno craft are and full of the character that comes

,

of perfect ad aptation to the en d they are meant to

ser ve the canoe may well have been the model from
,

w hich they w ere derived ; but structure is another

matter the expl anatio n of which is yet to seek

, .

The canoe is made by destruction —the removal of

superfluous w ood — j ust as the sculptor finds his
statue i n the marble by force of chisel ling it away .

The boat on the other hand is shaped by a process

1
S
ee F wl R m
o F ti v l (L
e r, d
o M m ill
an es a s p 11 on on : ac an , . 2 .
2 26 F l o re n c e P as t an d P res e n t
and followed W here the road met the river as soon
.
,

as commerce w as on foot the canoe w ould be in

,

request to carry merchants and their goods across ;

it w as thus that the fisher became a partner with the
hunter in the new trade enterprise But for such a .

purpose the raft has obvious advantages over the

canoe ; it at once s upports a heavier load an d
d raws less water and as soon as beasts of bu rden
,

came to carry the gro w ing commerce the u se of the

raft w ould become a necessity Yet if the raft was
.

to pass easily and surely between the two fixed points

w here the road met the river on either bank it must ,

be steadied by means of a stretched rope along w hich

it might travel N o w as soon as the raft is thus
.
,

m ade to move across current rath er than float down

stream its inherent wea k ness appears it becomes an
,

obstacle over which the w ater rises in its flow ,

t h reatening to s w am p it H ence a corresponding

.

modification and n e w invention w hereby the raft is ,

no longer built fou rsquare but oblong and its timbers ,

tilted and brought to a point at one end that which ,

faces u p stream Set n o w diagonally alike to the

-

.
,

stream and the rope by which it travels across the ,

pointed and tilted raft divides the current and makes

the j ourney safely from bank to bank keeping its ,

contents dry Such rafts are actually to be seen still

.

at river ferries in the Archipelago of Asia The long .

bamboos of w hich they are built are flexible enough

to make the raising of the boat s bow an easy matter
’
 T he R i v e r T r ad e 22 7
it is in fact done by a tight brace of rope stretched
between the bow and a m idships mast which also ,

serves to keep the raft in touch with the restraining

and d irecting rope of the passage One may suppose .

that w here bamboo was not available—as i n Tuscany

the same tilt w as stil l gained if less easily by the
, ,

choice of timber naturally crooked or by sheer shaping ,

and bending in the use of flint or fi re Yet so at last .

, ,

the workman is a boat builder as busy on such a

-

modified raft and when the last step is taken —w hen

,

such a raft is set free from the guiding rope of the

river ferry and poi nted at both ends instead of one
it is a boat i ndeed and fit for any service on the
,

stream to which it owes its being Yet not to the .

stream in general ; rather must the d iscovery be

localised at those specific poi nts where the roads met
it Thus again on the A rno the g org e we have so
.
, ,

often met asserts a new i m portance and the g en i us ,

loci is seen in a new association N o wonder that the

.

boatmen as well as those w h o guide rafts are apt to

, ,

call on San Gorgone .

I t is not necessary to visit the Far East and the

Archipelago to find exam ples of the ra ft on its way
to becom e the boat The progress we have ven
.

t ure d to i magine is so real that it has left traces stil l

visible near Florence wherever above or belo w the
,

city ferries cross the A rno The ferry boat of to day

,
.
- -

is enough to prove the matter it supplies the inter

mediate form which is al l w e need to feel sure that the
2 28 Fl o re n ce P as t an d P res e n t
Arno boat has at one time or another been evolved
from the A rno raft At Bad ia a Settimo Ugnano
.
, ,

P eretola R o ve z z an o A n c h e tt o and Compiobbi —to

, ,

n ame no more of these points of convenience—you

w ill fi nd the n a ve as it is locally called sometimes
, ,

w orked with a rope sometimes w ithou t but always

, ,

itsel f ; the A rno boat in all essentials of structure

m a a i li p a la ea rm e and p a lm—yet in an arrested de
’
, ,

ve lo p m en t that betray s plainly the original raft from

w hich that structure came I t is the persistence of

.

tra ffic at these points which has there p reserved in the ,

absence of bridges something truly of the past ; the

,

raft ready to become the boat w h ich the road called

,

i nto being of old as it met the river .

Eve n were there bridges w here these n a v i n o w cross

the A rno the past w ould not be dead nor the line of
,

development broken For so surely as the boat has

.

come of the raft the bridge stands but at a later

,

point in the same succession The travelling rope of.

the ferry easily becomes a mooring to which boats are

fastened at j ust intervals their bows up stream ; the
,
-

flat raft a platform laid between boat and boat so

, ,

that m e n and carts can cross easily on these floating

su pports Rightly w as the P on t if ex — the bridge
.

builder associated w ith the Vestals at Rome on the

1 5th of May and natur al ly w as the bridge itself t h e
,

altar w here sacrifice was then offered for boat and ,

bridge both belong to the same order of things w h ich ,

early ti mes must have thought o f as the good gi fts of

 T he R i ve r T rad e 23 1

the guardia n spirits of fire and water of the tree and

,

of the gorge So bridges fi rst rose at Candeli at

.
,

Florence and at S i gna They are built in stone to

, .

d ay but still if you look you will see the sign of the
, , ,

past i n every pointed pier set bow and ste m to the

,

stream l ike their original the river boat I t is the

-
.

river fl owing still that has kept us so mething of what

, ,

it once created .
 C H A P TE R X

ON TH E RO AD

IF the boat took shape at th e ferry its devel opment

,

was certainly due i n no smal l d egree to the appear

a n ce there of the road the second great element in
,

the being and prosperity of Florence As one turns .

to this new subject it presents several distinctio n s that

,

are sharply mark e d The road is artifi cial the work

.

of man rather than the child of natu re as the ,

river is O ne may speak of it as a unity yet in

.
,

reality it is not so there is but one Arno w hile the ,

roads are many Even i n Florence and at the single

.
,

point of her primitive ferry from w hich the whole

,

city developed how many were the lines of land

,

tra ffi c that here fell in from either side of the stream ,

ready to serve as the directi ves along which t he

growing city grouped her houses ? And these
differences present from the fi rst are here com pleted
, ,

in another which h as emerged w ith the progress of

,

time and the change of circumstance The road like .

,

the river has seen its old traffic slacken but this
, ,

decli n e is less complete by l and than on the stream

23 2
 On t he R oa d 23 5

trad e by w ater is now all but unknown at Florence ,

while her roads still have something to show and ,

rem ain com paratively busy This last di fference

.

relates itsel f closely to that j ust mentioned as effect ,

to cause Because the river is single the com peting

.
,

railway can fol lo w its course and rob its trade

, .

A C ART HO R E AT RE S T
S

Because the roads are many some of t h em at least are

,

su re to remain untouched by the dangerous rival ry

of the steam d riven wheel Very naturally then what
-
.
,

is left of Florentine com merce moves to d ay by land -

and is fou nd on the one road or the other ; either the

ancient trade routes or the modern railway lines that
,

begin here and there to s upplant them

, ,
.
23 6 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
As t h e river h as its boats so the road shows its ,

carts ; and the Florentine cart is as characteristic a

piece of human handicraft as the A rno boat itself .

These carts are the means by which the remaining

trade is carried on : a more picturesque vehicle it
would be di fficult to fi nd You w ill see them i n the .

city unloading at the doors of w ine shops ; the cart

,

propped in the sun amid a litter of packing straw ;

the horses out and standing i n the shad e well
, ,

mu ffled in their scarlet cloths against a chill As you .

look you w ill remember the ancient p a li o of w hich

,

Villani speaks and wil l wonder w hether in t h e be

, ,

ginning when that famous race w as fi rst ru n the

, ,

prize of the scarlet was not j ust this t h e horse cloth -

that keeps its splendid colour to d ay and w h o kno w s -

, , ,

its ancient use The w hole cart is a triumph of con

.

s e rvat i s m over the forces of change one of the best

survivals that Florence can sho w The carter stands .

in the old ways and better perhaps than any other

, ,

here save only the fisher represents his ancestor the

, , ,

early Florentine j ust turned to trade the first to ,

change the hun t ing path for the traffi c route Such .

a man one feels may well keep the tradition of the

, ,

p a li o. P roud of h i s team no wonder he still chooses,

the scarlet as a housing ; it means that every horse

he d rives little as you might think i t is fit in his
, ,

opinion to w i n the race .

Notable a ny w here the cart is never so pictu resque

,

as in movement whether i n the street or on the road

, .
23 8 F lo re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
by the highroad not far from the gates of Florence
at Gallu zzo for instance or near the bridge over the
, ,

Greve on the P isan road The l ocal name for the

.

cart is ba rocci o a t w o wheel er as in fact it is I f

,
‘
-

,
’
.

you w ould know its struct ure i n more detail you

AT GA LL U Z Z O ; A ART I N
C TH E M A I NG
K

must go to the ea rra a ore who makes it Like the

’
.

boat the cart of Florence only reveal s its quality and

,

specific character when thus studied and the time ,

one spends on it is repaid by the discovery that the

fi rst strong im pression i t m akes is fu lly borne out by
'

the fa cts that it has a real and demonstrable relation

to the remote past and may be considered one of the
,

mo s t remarkable of Florentine su rvivals .

 On the R o ad 239

The ba rocci o is a long open cart narrow and flat ; ,

its body balanced on a pair of high light but exceed ,

i n g ly strong wheels and so hung that when it

, ,

travels the back is never far above the ground I ts

, .

principal members are the shafts which not only serve ,

as su ch in front but ru n backwards unbroken to

,

form the sides of the long cart frame : they are -

k now n as the s la ng /1e Six or seven cross pieces

.
-

the t ra vers e— run from one shaft to the other at

regular intervals and support t h e p i a n on i ; the planks
,

laid lengthwise — three to five in nu mber according to

thei r w idth — to form the cart floor Two of the .

p i a n on z are longer than the others and project a good ,

deal behind where they are braced together by the

,

last and shorter pair of tra vers e This projection is .

o f cou rse much narrower than t he body of the ba rocci o

it thus forms a kind of tail w hich bears no load but ,

considerably lengthens the cart behind The use of .

such a proj ection w ill presently appear .

I n front the shafts are sometimes seen con nected

,

by a cross piece slightly curved so as to clear the

-

haunches of the beast that d ra w s the cart S ome .

way behind this brace but still i n front of the first

,

i ra versa a flat board called the p on t i cello crosses the

,

shafts I t is at once fastened to and raised above

. , ,

the shafts on a pair of small brackets and may be ,

do ubled or trebled ; in which case the whole comes

to resemble a flight of shallow wooden steps as each ,

m ember of the p on ti cello rises higher than the one

2 4o F lo re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
immed iately behind it Such a p on ti eello is as it
.
,

were the prow of the cart forw ard set here as if to

,

balance the projecting stern it carries behind .

Below the cart frame are several attachments which

-

deserve notice The ba rocci o has two wheels only

.
,

and if it is to stand level when the horse is not in the

sh afts some support must be provided This is .

permanently fixed to the front of the cart frame

below and takes the form of a curved triangle of
,

wood not unlike the breast bone of a fowl with a

,
-

small sol id w heel at the ap ex I t travels clear of the .

ground as the cart moves and comes to rest there as ,

a prop for the cart as soon as the horse is taken out

of the shafts its wheel allowing the cart to be then
,

moved easily back w ards and forwards bv hand .

This eap ra as it is called consists of three pieces

, , ,

and between these the carter often sets an oblong

basket to serve as a boot and to hold his sundries
‘
,
’
.

Here also hangs by chain or cord a tin lantern in a

, , ,

round basket frame of its own to light the road as ,

the cart travels at night .

P assing from side to side below the centre of the

cart —frame stands the s a lle as the ea rra a o re of ,
’

Florence calls i t — the i ron axle of the wheels — shut

i n its w ooden box the eass a d ella sa lle Just behind
, .

this comes a singular attachment the ve ri eello To , .

see it you must imagine a w ooden mallet like those ,

used for croquet with a cylind rical head and short

,

flat shaft carrying in its tip a double pulley of brass .

 2 42 F lo re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
The wheels of the oa roeei o are as the name indicates
, ,

its essential feature High and slim they measu re

.
,

well over five feet i n diameter with a tyre breadth

of barely t w o inches and a h al f The nave proj ects .

considerably an d tapers out w ards from the w heel

, ,

w hich is scarcely dished at all The nave is

‘ ’
.

known as the mez z o ; the spokes are the raz e e in the

common tal k of the ea rra a ore the felloes qua rtz,
’

and the iron tyre the cerchi on e The linch pi n or .

-

a eei a i eri n o made of steel as the name indicates as it

, ,

rises from the axle is bent sharply back and inward s

over the nave T h is return is beaten out flat in the
.

shape of a pointed leaf it serves well as a step when

the carter w ould climb his cart as it moves for so the ,

a eei a i eri n o gives h i m a steady if slight toe hold above -

the revolving nave .

I n the parts j ust described the oa roeei o is com plete

,

as re g ards its essentials But the habit—

.

p robably
comparatively recent— o f using it to convey w ine in
flasks has brought about the i n ventio n and add ition
of a fitting mean t to adapt the cart to this di fficu lt
load The flask as every one knows is of glass and
.
, , ,

though the gl ass is sing ularly tough and is protected ,

from shocks by a close w rapping of twisted reed

leaves worked about the body tw o hund red or so of ,

these vessels full of w ine form a load that requires

, ,

careful packing and adj ustmen t if it is to travel safely .

Stability is here t h e prime necessity and to secu re it ,

the flasks are built on the cart i n a kind of pyramid ,

 On the R o ad 243

n arrow above and broad below with plenty of straw ,

between flask and flask Yet even so there is d anger

.

of the fragile load shifting on the cart and so falling

to ruin for the cart itself has no sides to hinder such
,

m ovement H ence the cart is com pleted for the

.

pu rpose in question by the ees ta a long shallo w tray ,

formed within a double frame of strong w ood by the

in terlacing of many flat and flexible w ooden strips .

The oes ta w hen in use is laid on the cart floor w ith

, , ,

which its size corresponds and is held fi rmly in ,

pos i tion there by the ri lli short wooden uprights set

,

i n i ron sockets attached to the outside of the cart

frame The e ffect of this addition is to give the cart
.
,

sides w hen the nature of the load requires them I f .

the cart is to be used to carry sand it is boxed i n fo r ,

-

this pu rpose by simple boards set on edge and

su pported by the ri m, but these sand carts are
oa roeei of a degenerate type w ith which we h ave little
concern here The ees la reduced deepened and set
.
, ,

by itsel f on a pair of smal l wheels forms a hand cart ,

-

often seen in the streets of Florence

E xcept the axle and linch —
.

pins t h e tyres pulleys , , ,

and a fe w external fittings the w h ole oa rooei o is made

,

o f w ood but in a singu lar variety of this material

,
.

Beech is chosen for the s h afts the t ra verse and

i eelli are (SI el m cypress is taken for the planks
‘

p on z
of the floor the cap ra the d rag and the axle box are
, ,
-

m ade of acacia the spokes and oeri eello of ilex and

, ,

the wheel n aves and felloes of walnut As to the

-
.
2 44 F lo r e n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
its double frame — the tela i o and
t es ta , — is
of elm but the rest is w oven of strips —s lecch e they
,

are called — made of chestnut Thus no less than .

seven kinds of wood are used before the cart is

complete These éa roccz are fi nished by pai n ting
'

.
,

w h ich is done in one colou r generally cri mson but

“

, ,

someti mes d ark blue .

The Florentine cart belongs of course to the , ,

later world of the w heel and of the easier road which ,

the wheel made necessary and brought into fashion .

Yet when one studies it further it is seen to preserve ,

not a little of the remoter past it has carried more

than the load for w hich it w as designed and has ,

brought down to our own day distinct traces of the

still sim pler tra ffi c it su p planted To recognise the .

fi rst and most important of these it wil l be necessary ,

to say something of the team and of the harness ,

w hich attaches it to the ba roccz o

'

Rarely is a é a m cczo of ful l si ze seen moving behind

'

a single horse or mule ; the team consists of t w o or

three beasts ill matched accord ing to our ideas but
, ,

curiously picturesque in their variety of height and

strength The l argest wal ks between the shafts ; he
.

may be a horse or a heavily built m ule The others .

— sm aller mules or a mule and a pony —are set to

,

d raw from s w ingle bars one on each si de pul ling on

-

, ,

chains hung diagonally bet w een the shafts and the

cart body The team is known as the g ubé za or
'

-
.
,

ba tterza and the arrangement described is local or at

'

, ,
2 46 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
the others I n either case the p a l/i 720 forms one piece
.

w ith the wooden foundation of the saddle More .

interesting than such details is the mechanical problem

of traction and the w ay it is solved in the Florentine
,

cart .

The principal draught anim al is harnessed so that

A TU SCAN S A DD LE

the e n ds of the shafts hardly reach further forward

than the saddle w here w hen the cart is loaded they
, , ,

are kept very high ; often rising above the saddle

itsel f across w hich they are braced strongly by many
,

plies of strapping or of cord This bracing lies in

.

the crutches of t w o w ooden bridges —the é as tom or ,

2 5o F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
done by the slo w w hite o k en that pull the plough ,

a nd t h e bre e d of horse is still pretty much what i t

has always been drawing its original its points and ,

its de fects fro m the hal f—

,
wild Marem mano Non .
‘

appetta bene says the I talian groom ; the Tuscan

’

breed has a narrow chest and falling stern with all ,

his hardihood and fire Little or no care is taken of

.

the native horse and the introduc t ion of foreign

,

blood is not favoured as it is thought to make the

,

progeny less hardy The ba roccza zo prefers to work

' '

with what he has setting three to do the task of one

, ,

and gathering to day in his -

gay with tinkl ing
bells and scarlet h ousin gs the very material once ,

used on the road as pack animals by his remote

ancestors .

Returning then to the horse in the cart one sees ,

that the persistence of his race is responsible for

certain peculiarities w hich betray the unchanged
habits of an earlier age I f you go to the Val di
.
.

Marina perhaps the road nearest to Florence where

,

pack animals are still working you will notice that ,

the sacks of charcoal or faggots of wood tied i n pairs ,

to the bas i c or pack saddle are trim med so as to

-

hang long and low behind and high and short in front , .

The reason seems to be that the beast of burden

may have his shoulders and chest free Thus the .

very trimming of the cart which repeats i n its rising ,

shafts the same line in the same situation is a relic ,

of the past The é a roccza zo still uses a beast whose

' ’

.
 2 54 F l o re n ce P as t an d P r ese n t
easy to see that the Tuscan barrel like ma n y ,

another convenience h as been evolved gradually ,

under pressure of inevitable circumstances A s the .

d ug out canoe preceded the boat proper so the

-

barrel i n its original must have been a sim ple thing :

the mere section of a tree trun k hollowed out as the -

canoe was ; fitted with ends and pierced with a ,

bung hole This stage of invention has left traces of

-
.

itsel f in l anguage for the w ord f us z o means alike the

,
‘

trunk of a tree and a sm al l keg So too Ra msay .

,

the poet tal ks in his Scots tongue of barrels as

, ,

‘
nine gallon trees ; 1 the matter i ndeed is sim ple
-
’

enough to be world w ide i n its use and survival -

alike .

The final stage that of the true barrel was gained

, ,

in a development w hich exactly corresponded to

what we have already seen in the case of the boat .

The boat found the form of the canoe and i mitated it

by true structure So the barrel took the f us to—the
.

hollow tree trunk — for a model and reproduced it in

-

the crafty combination of a cunning carpentry The .

Tuscan barrel like the Arno boat has risen natu ral ly
, , ,

and gives proof of this origin in details which speak

not so much of the present as of the past and of the ,

early conditions of that simpler traffic to which it was

exactly adapted .

The body of the barrel consists of staves—called

d og /z a—made of pine wood gathered and held i n pl ace ,

E l gy L u ky W d (E d i b u gh
1
e on cp 34 oo n r , . .
 O n t h e R oa d 2 55

by hoo p s —carc/z i —o f bent chestnut and themselves ,

includ ing the flat head s — the f omz i —also cut from ’

pine planks O ne of the staves however differs from

.
, ,

the rest both in m aterial and in form I t is made of .

beech w ood and cut ou t of the solid in such a w ay as

-

to leave a block projecting in the m iddle This block .

is some t w o and a half inches thick and through it ,

the bu ng hole is bored so that a cork fills it as tightly

-

as i f the hole were the neck of a bottle I n these .

details there is nothing very remarkable the interest

comes rather w hen one observes the resultant form to
w hich thei r combination gives rise .

A gl ance at the barrel itself will d o more than pages

of descri ption to make its pecu liarity plain I t is .

sm all yet d i ffers from the kegs used else w here

, ,

being longer in proportion to its girth than these .

The sides are cu riously flattened too so that i f cut , ,

ac ross the barrel in section w ould give the form of an

,

oblong with rounded corners ; yet an oblong defined

everywhere by curves bolder or flatter rather than by
, ,

straight lines One notices too that at each end t h e

.

head of the barrel is set deeply and t h at the staves

,

proj ect a good deal beyond it .

N ow none of these peculiarities is without s i g n i fi

cance To begin w ith the last the project i ng ring of
.

staves is meant to give a good hand gri p to the man -

who l ifts t he barrel and its length —one may add — is

,

ca lculated not to exceed the spread of his arms j ust ,

as its w eight when full is not too heavy for his strengt h .
2 56 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
I t is to a place at the side of the pack saddle he raises -

it and this is the reason of the strange flattening in

,

the form of the barrel ; it is made to fit the place

where it is to hang and travel Finally it is to be .
,

balanced there by another of the sam e shape and size

hung on the O pposite side of the saddle and therefore , ,

j ust as the single barrel must not be too heavy for a

man to lift so the pair m ust not be too much for the
,

anim al that is to carry them The Tuscan barrel .

,

then not only belongs in form and size to the earlier

,

epoch of trade carried on by the hel p of the pack

horse bu t has a definite relation i n these peculiarities
,

to two dominant factors in natu re : the local breed

of burden bearing animals and the lie of the country
-

to be crossed in this tra ffic The barrel in short .

, ,

represents exactly half the fair load of such a beast on

the average Tuscan trade route taking the plain and ,

the hill together As a matter o f fact such a load

.

the s oma or pair of barrels —is still a known unit of

,

commerce in the local market and corresponds in ,

quantity to about one hundred litres of wine I t is .

a clear survival of early methods of transport .

I t w ould be easy to carry the matter into further

detail and to bring it still nearer dai ly experience
, .

The wine flas k which the waiter sets on you r table at

-

the restaurant even if you do not call for it belongs to ,

the same order of things and owes its defi nite capacity
,

to t h e same ulti mate factors I t is blown to hold the

.

t w entieth part of a Tu scan barrel ; that is two litres ,

 C H A P TE R XI

A MU L E T S

TH E har n ess of the Tuscan cart is orna me n tal as

well as useful ; it is indeed the d ecorative value of
the whole th at firs t strikes the eye of the observer .

I t has bells greater and lesser for sound and much

, , ,

polished brass about it fo r brightness while wool and ,

fur add their own charms of textu re and notes of

colour Even the least details of these trappi n gs are
.

worth study for they not only confi rm the fi rst i m

,

pression but enforce it i n another ; that o f the

,

strangeness which see m s to hold a hidde n meani n g

behind what is merely bright and gay The bells are .

of two kinds and the carter is proud to h ave the m

,

ring in harmony The brass of the saddle often

.

takes the form of a serpent 0r bears a crescent moon

,

swinging from the knob of the pa llz n o So meti mes

'

thi s pommel carries a standard —the van ta ruola

risi n g through two or more flat pl ates of brass hu n g '

rou nd with small bells and crowned wi t h a tur n ing

,

fl ag or va n e of the same metal So meti mes the

.

258
 A mul et s 2 59

standard is shorter and bears onl y a highly polished

,

m etal bal l ; as it w ere a u niversal mirror that t h e

sun cannot miss Mirrors of silvered glass too —the
.
,

sp afz n a or little sphere s

'

,
— oblong or round in various ,

set tings may be seen hung between the horses eyes

,
’

or d angling from a tu fted strap in front o f their

M U L E TA SS E L AN
-
S D B EL L

chests Foxes tails are apt t o swing at the cheek

.
’

straps someti mes with a wild boar s tusk beside them

,
’
.

A really fine set of harn ess is bordered throughout

w i t h bad ge r fur set at the seam between leather and
'

li ning and coloured wool shows everywhere in great

, ,

t assels of re d and blue bal l and fringe and pl ait

'

wo rk hung from the he adstalls

'

,
mixed
26 0 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
too with the shining chiming standard above the ,

saddle These coloured w ools tufted and clipped

.
,

close often replace badger fu r as an alternative

,
-

border and setting for the bright glass of the swing

ing mirrors and are always to be found sewn to a
,
r

flap o f cloth in front of the g a ébza ; the great nose

' '

bag of plaited cord carried by cart horse and mule

alike .

Such variety and complexity of ornament com ,

bi n ed with such insistence on certain constantly

recurring details suggest that there m ay be a m ean
,

ing here more t han meets the eye The poorest .

,

humblest ba roaaza zo with his sand cart i f he can a fford

' '

nothing better will plant a bright tu ft of s a i d — the

,

dyed flower of the great reed —at his horse s ear or ’

w ill m imic cheaply the brass sadd le vane w ith a -

W hirligig of coloured paper set i n the same place .

There is a passion for this adornment of the labour

ing beast and a tradition of form i n the horse trap
,

pings o f Tuscany which suggest that the common ,

distinction is inapplicable here : that the ornamental

must be to those who thus demand and procure it
, ,

the useful as well W hat use it is supposed to have

.

we must now try to see .

Take the whole as a hieroglyphic of which the ,

determinative must be found i f the true sense is to

appear More primitive and central than any other
.

part of the h arneS S i s the saddle and i f you look

'
'

past its obvious brightness and under the strapping ,

26 2 F l o re n c e P as t a nd P re s e n t
more step westward and we are in Tuscany w here ,

the same sig n must be surely taken to have the

'

same meaning But if this is sure a high p roba

. e

bili ty follows ; that this eye o n the sadd le bridges -

is a determinant which gives the key to the hidde n

meanin g of the whole ornament lavished on the
'

harness about it The sign tells us that the s up e rs t i

.

tion of the evil eye is k nown in Tuscany ; m ay

not the other singularities the h arness shows prove
to be developments of the same system of magical
defence ?
Those who believe in fatal fascination trust much ,

and naturally to distraction as a means of averting

,

w h at they d read I f the gl ance of the envi ous and

.

evil can be turned aside it wil l spread itself harm

,

lessly as an arrow or stone that the shield has

,

deflected So in general the w hole bright decoration

.
, ,

of the labou ring horse or mule would clearly have

this advantage wou ld belong even as mere ornament , ,

to the very system that the sign on the saddle has

made so probable The accent here falls of cou rse
.

on the colour—re d or blue —o i the tu fted wool and ,

even more definitely on the l ight reflected from the

h arness studs the p al/[i 720 with its shining ball an d
, ,

the swinging m irrors that form part of the trappin gs

these details d raw and fi x the eye of the observer so
that he hardly notices the animal for whose protection
the w hole has been contrived .

This superstition has elaborated on t he same line ,

 I E
TH E W S W IV ES OF T U SC AN Y
26 6 F l o re n c e P as t and P re s e n t
yellow that hang at the horses heads plaited work
,
’

appears as i t ofte n does — strands of twisted and

crossed threads that connect the upper to the lower
bu n ches of balls i n the tassel —w e do not pass the
matter as trivial or merely ornamental for it has a
, ,
.

m eaning of its own The coloured tresse s here

.

combine w ith t heir magic su rroundings ; belong to

the same world of mystery and have been doubtless ,

contri ved to add their own peculiar power to the

general system of defen ce .

There is some reason to think that the sam e result

was s ought in sound or at least that the tinkling of
,

t he b ells attached to the harness had a defi nite magi c

value for those who fi rst hung them there These .

bells are of two kinds the buébolz or hollo w globes of

'

metal with a solid metal ball left l oose within to ring

them at every movement and an eyed slit by which ,

th e s o und escapes and the s quzlla oblon g or conical

'

, ,

with open mouth and the usual cl apper h ung within

. .

The fo rm er are large bells generally fastened to

.
,

the traces of the cart the latter are quite sm al l , and

,

may be seen four or six together sewn to a loose

, ,

strap about the horse s neck where they swing and

’
,

tinkle gaily .

The same authority that has given us the hidden

me aning of the tress or pl ait reports that in popular ,

Tuscan belief the bell has like e fficacy and for a

si milar reason I t is to be carried in the pocket she
.
,

says because so the witches cannot cou nt the

,
‘
.
 A m ul e t s 26 7
strokes of the clapper —gua n ta voi la p a llz no ao rta }
'

There m ay indeed be doubt how far this ex planation

’

is applicable to horse bells un muffled and ri nging -

freel y on the road but at least the main fact i s sure

'

, ,

that the bell has a magic m eaning and is constantly ,

used to dispel and defeat by its chime the influences

of evil H ow often in su mmers spent near Siena I
.
, ,

have heard as the hail clouds darkened over the

,

Chianti ch urch after chu rch take up the flying peal

, ,

ringing to break the cloud and avert the danger '

The direct u nm istak able cl aim of the church bel ls
,
-

themselves the f ulg um f ra ng o so often fused with

,

them as a bell inscription shows th at i n no secondary

-

sense as a cal l to prayer but in itself the sound of , ,

the bell is relied on as a true defence N or is any .

ritual consecration by the Church thought necessary

t o secu re this e ffec t I n the days of danger between .
,

Christm as and E piphany at the open i ng of the year 2 ,

I h ave met i n a Tuscan country town masked dancers

'

in white ringing bells at nightfall in the principal

,

street A nd thes e were precisely h orse bells w h ich

.
-

the m askers had hun g about their necks strap and all , ,

j ust as they c ame from the harness I t would seem .

,

i n fact that What bri ghtness and colou r are trusted

,

to do by d ay is secu red by night w hen the bells are

heard the oa rocczo and its d river travel safely i n the
'

d arkness u nder cover of that cheerful chime .

1
C G Le
. .
l d an , E truscan R ema i n s (L on do n : U nw i n, I 892) , p .
3 57 .

2
eb l w p
'

Se e o , .
3 04.
268 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
The fox tail and badger fur found among the
-

Tuscan hors e trappings may be treated as belonging

to a distinct though al lied department of the same
, ,

defen sive magic For defe n ce m ay be i ndirect and

.
,

like t h e physician s tonic m ay help by con ferri ng’

,

strength to meet and defeat d anger no less than ,

by avertin g its onset ; the a n tiseptic is not the only

possible treatment Tonic m agic depends on a .

theory of transference and under it valuable qualities ,

of strength or subtlety are supposed to pass fro m

their natural possessors to the man w h o k nows the
secret Sometimes the practice consists in eating
.

the flesh of the ani mal whose powers seem desirabl e ;

sometimes the mere wearing of its spoils is thought
enough to secure the result Thus beaters i n the .

I ndian j ungle will often beg the claws or whiskers

of the dead tiger from the hu nter that has killed it
because t hey wish to wear them as amulets I n the .

case before us there a re several animals i n question

the fo x the badger and —one m ay add — the boar
, ,

and the serpent ; a ll o f them distinguished by a

'

mixture of strength and cu nn ing which m e n have

always ad mired and coveted The fox and the .

serpent have become proverbial in this matter but ,

swine according to P liny h ave the advantage even

, ,

over snakes and devour them greedily in spite of

,

their poison 1 As to the badger the same author

.
,

1
N H xi 53 S th h m f M t h i S p i
, . . o id t b
e a s o on anc es n a n are sa o e

fi th
n er th
an b u th th wi fi d vip t t S
o e rs, eca s e ere e s ne n ers o ea .
‘

ee

F d
or
’
Gui d
s P p 489
e . . .
27o Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
hair I n a j eweller s shop at t h e F oru m of Traja n
.
1 ’

i n R ome I fo und on sale some years since tassels

, , ,

of this hair set in silver for the Watch ch ai n : they -

w ere said to be us eful a gainst the evil eye The .

serpent is a com mon charm P aired as for a .

T H E CI M A R U TA

caduceus it has been found cut in bone at Siena 2

,
‘

l have an exam ple of the az ma ruza the com poun d

'
‘
,

a mulet worn by child ren at N aples where the serpent

appears en folding in its coils the crescent m oon ; 3
and these are j ust the t w in symbols of t h e mother
goddess which so often appear separately i ndeed ,

1
B ll u i p pp 4 47 E l w th y p p 2 ’

e cc , o . . t1, . or , o . cz .
, .

3
I owa, p 3 45 . .
 A mul e t s 2 7I
yet d isti n ctly i n the brasse s of the po mmel at
,

Flore n ce W ith regard to the whole it may su rely

.
,

be said t hat such corresponde n ce s strengthe n eac h

other a n d that the theory whic h would regard the
,

Tu sca n harness orna ments as a mulets a gai n st fas cina

tio n —whatever may have been t h e underlyi n g reaso n
for this u se—has been fairly mad e out .

At this point a n atu ral question occurs : why

such fear for the team prompt i n g su ch elaborate an d
,

multiplied means of protection ? I f we are right ,

those who devised it m ust have travelled the road

i n a Constant superstitious terror of foes unseen .

W hat ti me the n a n d what circu mstanc e can have

, ,

given rise to such an obsession

I t wil l be fou n d that to recover the n atural facts
,

here it is necessary to go back to the day s when

,

the woodmen and hunters of Tuscany first changed

their li fe and took to the n ew business of trade .

This change occu rred u nder pressure of necessity ,

and it is therefore probable that it was gradual and ,

did n ot at once a ffect the whole population The .

ga me which could no longer su pport a natio n ; was

,

still plenti ful enough to feed m a n y Some the more

.
,

progressive and adaptable would become traders t he

, ,

rest i n dim inishi n g nu mber would l ong follow in

t he woods what had once bee n the life o f the whole
,
.

people .

Yet even the hunter who re mai n ed such could not

be j ust what he was before trade came his way an d
 1
272 Fl o re n ce P a s t and P re s e n t
claimed part of his kin A contrast was now forced .

o n his attention ; that between the old life to which .

he stil l clung an d the new that was movin g near

-

him on the widenin g road Comparison too was .

inevitable ; the trader was in the van of hu man

progress and as he profited in the new venture his
, , ,

neighbou r of the old way must often have been stung

to envy W e have thought al ready of the woodland
.

life and can understand therefore how every re

,

cu rring period o f scarcity would sharpen the hunter s ’

feelings as he saw the comparative regularity of

trade and the steady supply of the necessities and
,

even the luxuries of life it had begu n to ensure .

One or other of two results was inevitable Some .

would leave their hunting tempted by what they ,

saw of trading success The rest to whom for one .

,

reason or other this escape w as closed would act , ,

at least occasionally u nder impulse of their envy

, ,

turning to the caca o g rossa the pursuit of their ,

fellow men an d so becoming the terror of the

,

road Hunters of wild game for the most part as

.

their fathers had been they would now especially , ,

when game was scarce and hunger pressed occa , ,

s i on ally prey on the passing trader to possess them

selves o f his tem pting load of Lombard grain or

Latin cheese Thus the bow and arro w the sling
.
,

and the skilful ambush had a n e w value for the ,

enterprising hunter and the woods and hills through

,

which his w ay w ound an d th e nigh t tha t darkened

,
2 74 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
This then was the superstition to which the t rader
succeeded in his separation from his own kin and his
association with those who first conceived it Nay .
,

one m ay fancy that his own ex perience may well have

led him to contribute a new element to the growing
body of magical doctrine He sadly kne w the skill
.

with which the hunter could waylay him and set an ,

ambush in the woods for his passing caravan ; t he

sure aim of the silent death that smote man or beast
from the thicket Yet 50 the ey e was everything
.
,

here ; the eye that aimed arrow spear or sling stone

, , ,
-

w ith such diabolical precision H is o w n was nothing

.

to it for in becoming a trader he had lost much of the

,

old skill that his enemy still preserved by d aily

practice Rather than ack n owledge his natural
.

i n fe ri o ri tv he would exaggerate the forces he must

meet on the trade route Strange powers he begins
.
,

to suspect and to protest are leagued against him

, .

The e n vy that directs the aim may act of itsel f even

in the absence of arrow dart or stone the eye of the
, ,

envious is itsel f a fatal engine fit to proj ect death

where it fixes its terrible glance f at ta zum is stil l the.
‘

word for such fascination and in what it involves of

, ,

direction and projection it points to the original idea

,

that gave rise to the superstition of the evil eye .

So the amulet follows as a natural consequence of

such belief and fear I f the arrow the d art and the
.
, ,

sling stone are not all if the envious eye that aims
-

these is able of itsel f to work mischief the caravan ,

 A m ul e t s 275

must fin d a correspo n ding defence I t will travel the

‘

road s the n n ot only armed i n the ordi n ary se n se but

, , ,

protected horse and m an together by whatever may

, ,

serve to d efeat the power o f evil fascinatio n

'

N ow w here are such charms to be found ? The

obj ect here is to defeat the po w er of the hu n ter and ,

hel p m ay therefore well be sought i n a mulets derived

from the ani mals that d o i n fact most ofte n escape , ,

his toils The fox the boar and the badger e ffect
.
, ,

this by their strength or cunning the serpe n t too ,

because he is slippery and poisonous and as a matter , ,

of fact these anim als have all as we know le n t either

, , ,

their form or their spoils to the horse h arness I n .

this artificial connection magical rapp ort is designed ,

in th e plai n hope that such escape may also be the

good fortune of the travelling merchant as he and his ,

team ru n the gauntlet of the hu nter s ambuscade ’

.

But there is another decoration of the harness as ,

yet u n noticed w hich seems even more signi ficant and

, ,

which le n ds itsel f to a like interpretation The tassels .

of the head stall and the red wool hung in bu nches

-

from the standard of the saddle pom mel both tend to ,

take the form of balls w hich i n form size and colou r , , ,

al ike mimic very exactly the bright yellow or red

,

fruit of the arb u tus : the aoroaaaola see n on every

Florentine fruit stall i n the l ater autu mn I f this also
-
.

be an a mulet and i f the resemblance we have traced be

,

inte n ti on al defence is again sough t from the woods as

,

be fore though its secret now lies not i n the wild l i fe

,
276 F l o re n ce P a s t an d P re s e n t
they shelter but in the trees themselves W hat .

tho ught can have prompted such a belief and such an

artifice
One thing is pl ain that antiquity recognised in the
,

arbutus the power of averting evil influences Ovid .

,

speaking of the nym ph Cardea says : ,

P rot i nus a rbut ea p ostes te r i n ord i e t gi t

n an

Fron d e, te r arbut ea li mi na f o d e ot t
r n n a
1

and as the same poet introd uces Cardea as the

p rotegee of J anus there can be little doubt that the
’

arbutus thus applied to the door must share with

, ,

the white thorn the prophylactic virtue supposed to

-

reside in the o z rg a j a n alzs I t is no modern fancy

‘ i

then but an ancient trad ition and use that w e must

, ,

try to understand .

Far behind Roman times the worship of trees was ,

com monly practised i n I taly as in every other land

where they grow This cult depended of cou rse on
.
, ,

the belief that the tree harbou red a spiritual presence ,

which might i ndeed be evil i f neglected or offended ,

but which duly regarded and called forth was ready

, ,

to help man in his need Now there is no natural .

fact so likely to have suggested this s up e rs t i t i o n a s

that w hich comes under m an s n ot i c e w ith the dis ’
.

c o ve ry of fire For fi re can be rubbed from wood

.

almost as easily as it is struck from flint and as the ,

l atter process suggests the worship of stones so the ,

1
F a sti , vi . 155 6 .-
 F l o re n ce P as t a nd P re s e n t
2 78
seem indeed that j ust as the flag on the castle is a
, ,

sign of residence and of power so this col our on bush ,

or t ree was tak en as a proof that where i t showed , ,

there men should recognise and pay court to the

spirit of the woods and of indw elling fi re .

Now by its rough and brilliant fruit yellow that ,

changes to fiery red in ripening the arbutus pla i nly ,

belongs to this mystic order ; the fire trees that have -

furnished men with so many protective charms One .

is not surprised then to find that the Greeks called

this tree by a name which means a brazier an d is ,

derived from the word for a burning coal ; 1 or that

the Latins kne w it as a defence against the powers
"

of evil The Lati n name for the arbutus — un ad o

.

must hav e some meaning other than the trivial

explan ation of P liny would suggest 2 M ay i t not .
,

one asks preserve that of Uni the Etruscan j un o P

, ,

Thus A m or Jan us w ould hand on to Cardea only

’

w hat he had himsel f received from U m, and in

"

goddess and nym ph al ike would appear something ,

of their original ; the mother goddess d iscovered in -

the grove the tree mother propitious to w oodla nd

,
-

men .

The amulet from a fire tree might be and no -

doubt often was sim ple and direct ; the branch with
,

its colour plucked and worn as a protective c h arm

, .

But spring and autu mn pass ; trees are not always

budding or h e ari n g their fruit and therefore art must ,

1
i d xl q f m i fip g
c t/ v ro IK Evxv 4 a .
2
, . 2 .
 A mul e t s 2

su pple ment nature i f the protection they seem to

pro mise is to be always available The art here was .

that of i mitation which replaced the n atural red by

,

the corresponding colou r i n dyed wool Thus i n the .

,

n o rth , bra n ches o f the rowan were bound to the

horns of the herd with re d wool to disarm the evi l
eye ; 1 the wool replacing the scarlet berry char
ac t eri s t i c o f the tree A developme n t of the same
.

d evice is seen at Flore n ce i n the habit of binding red

threads about pots of rue to co mplete thei r char m .

H ere art no longer i mitates natu re but assu mes a ,

power of its own fit it is thought to rein force wh at

, , ,

natu re su ppl ies M idway between these two co mes

.

the case of the Flore n tine harness with its balls of

red wool As with the rue art here stands alone ;
.
,

able of itself to provide an amulet without hel p fro m

natu re Yet the art of these rzapp a i s imitative as
.

n o mere thread or bindi n g can be a n d what it ,

presents is the fruit of the fire tree the sacre d arbutus -

th at protects from evil fascination .

Evidently the whole matter rests here i n the ,

i mitation we have supposed and therefore nothi n g , ,

however trivial mu st be neglected which tends in the

,

l east to show that there is a know n connection

between the arbutus and the cart of the Tuscan
road s The authority al ready more than once quoted
.

1
T he p pul
o ar rh ym e run s

R owan tree an d re d th rea d

W ill d ive th e w i tch e "
’
r s a wud .
280 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
in this chapter gives a traditional version apparently ,

current still at Florence of the story of Cardea 1 I n ,

.

it the m ain elements of Ovid s tale are all present : ’

the pining child the witch that brings the evil and
, ,

the arbutus berries that act as a counter charm but -

the white witch or good fairy that uses the arbutus

-

, ,

to cu re the child is no longer Cardea bu t Ca rra a om ; ’

as it were the preserver of the cart and its team j ust ,

as the Ca rra dore is the cart maker 2

Su ppose this -

name a pure invention ; yet it could only occur to

one who had seen in the harness tassel s a direct
imitation of the arbutus berries they so much resemble .

W e m ay take it then that this is the traditional

Florentine way of looking at these details and that ,

they were meant to protect the team as representing

the fruit of a tree peculiarly sacred to the mother of
the woods .

Thus the present decoration of the Florentine

harness is derived from a past th at lies beyond the
reach of history I ts m any amulets date from the
. .

time when the hunter became the trader on the first

cross country roads This at least was the moment
-

when their application to the horse seemed necessary ,

but they themselves or many of them derive from a , ,

past still more remote The change that put enmity .

between the trader and his kin who still fol lowed the
chase could not entirely cut him off from his i n h e ri
C G
. . Le l d
an ,
E t ruscan R oman R ema i n s , pp . 1079 .

2
See a b v p
o e, . 23 8 .
2 86 F l o re n ce P a s t an d P r es e n t
how the family gathered about it while their head ,

called for w ine d rank and poured a libation from his

, ,

cup on the glowing wood after which the others ,

drank in turn as the cup went round 1 Later .

authorities enable us to complete the scene telling ,

h o w the log was beaten to make the S parks fly up the

chimney and that the Florentines l iked it large so
, ,

that w hen kindled it might bu rn l ong even for days , ,

without going out 2 .

Here then are all the signs which show the

antiquity of a rite The house itself without further
.
,

consecration than the presence there of the family is ,

the temple ; the hearth the altar and the father the ,

priest The Lari or fire dogs are the B i t L a ras of

.
,
-

Roman household religion T h e capp o itsel f is a true .

and huge tree trunk ; it must be so i f as we sh all

-

presently see it is to burn continuously for twe lve

,

days One thinks of it as set on end reaching high

.
,

in the chim ney and sinking gradually to the hearth

'

d ay by day as it burns away from the root Thus .

,

behind Roman religion w e fi nd w hat p re c e d e d i t ,

'

The Ceppo is a yearly retu rn to the original life of the

woods w hen the hunter s fi re smouldered from day to
,
’

d ay in the root of the stand ing tree and when th at ,

hearth blo w n betimes to a leaping flame gathered

, ,

about it all the mystery and com fort that might

belong to forest nights in winter their encom passing
1
G . Bo cc acc i o,
'

Gan ea logz a da gla D az (V en e t

' '

i a, p . 204 .

2
S ee th e R i ma o f Fagi uo li , an d Pi t ré , xii . 2 05 .
 C e p po an d B e fa n a 28
'

7
fear and its sure i f narrow remedy W hat we know
, .

of how this primitive religio n developed in the

defi nite worship of the Lares shows that the libation
o f wi n e at Ceppo stil l used at Florence in the,

fourteen t h cent ury if no l ater represents an offering ,

to the spirits of darkness and of the u nder w orld ;

perhaps to those of the dead .

From Florence to Greece is a step we have already

fou nd n atu ral it is Greece rather than Rome that is
likely to thro w light on Florentine peculiarities and ,

therefore on the C eppo and i t s real meaning The .

C eppo is still a Greek usage and is found in the very ,

form we have supposed likely : that of a long log

reaching up the chim ney and burning g rad uallv from
the l ower end 1 The reason given for the practice is
.

that the chi mney is the place where evil dwells or at ,

least the passage by which it may enter the house

to work mischief and Greek fancy has been busy in
,
"

giving this d read a definite form dividing c lassing , ,

and naming the enemies it fears Children born .

between December 2 5t h and J anuary 6 th are called

‘
feast stricken or possessed of a devil 2 The evil spirit
-
’
.

may it is thought m aterialise in one or other of three

, ,

forms ; as a ca llzca n tz a ros a werewolf or a vampire ;

'

, ,

all more or less connected and interchangeable .

The fi rst is a bestial demon shaggy black and wild , , , ,

i n whose n ame some vestige has been fou nd of the

C L aw son , Modern Greek Folk L ora (Cam

.
-
b i dg
r e, p . 2 00
.

é oprom dap am , p 2 08
2 '
. . .
288 F l o re n c e P ast an d P re s e n t
classi c centaur The second is at once more and
.

less human : a man who can change hi mself into a

wol f at will and work death as such The third
,
.
,

and most d read ful of all is a hum an corpse possessed

,

by an evil spirit which d rives it from the grave to

make havoc among the living .

Against these horrors the Greek uses fi re as the

first remedy Children suspected of the fatal birth
.

gift have the soles of their feet bu rnt or are roasted ,

in a hot oven to drive out the spirit that w ould make

them wolves by night The corpse found in an
1
.

unnatural fullness and freshness is consu med by fire

lest it should w ork mischief as a vampire 2 The .

yule log is set in the chimney and kept burning all

-

the twelve days of danger against any entry by that

dark road an d especially against the coming and
,

atte mpts of the ca llzaa n taa ros the black and evil
'

horseman 3 H and fuls of herbs and other matters

.

are thrown too from time to time on the fire to make

it crackle j ust as the log is beaten i n Tuscany that
,

it may sparkle ; a warning then in either c ase that , ,

the fla ming sword has been set in the chi mney and ,

an assurance that the house is safe 4 Torches are .

waved outside for the same reason and the whole ,

is an evident development wherein the ancient forest

,

fears are still recognisable under their altered shapes ,

a n d the natural forest defence the fi re reappears in , ,

1
L aw so n , op a t . .
2
I bzd
‘

.
, pp .
3 74, 41 1, 48 8 .

3
1on2, p .2 00 .
4
I bzd
'

.
, pp . 2 01 2 .
-
2 90 Fl o re n ce P as t an d P rese n t
w ith the religious character of the feast he
introduced .

The Compitalia then as one would expect w as , ,

the feast of the Lares and in a special sense of their ,

mother Mania the ancient and terrible L a rva whose , ,

name nurses used to frighten children ; j ust as the

Befana is the bugbear of Tuscany to day But in -
.

the old time these fears had a sad fou ndation in fact ,

for time was when children were offered up at the

feast as a sacrifice to secure the peace of the family .

Later these sacrifices were replaced by images of

,

w ool or wax called M a rz z aa These were hung at the

'

house door one for each soul i n the house 1 At the

,

cross roads —t h e Comp z ta from which the feast had

'

its name— the Lares were set u p and honoured by

the s h ed blood of a dog a rare sacrifice which they
shared w ith P roserpine the infernal Ceres goddess , ,

of the s h ades and of the underw orld The purpose .

of t h e rite is stated to be propitiation lest any one

should become m a n as and w ith this V iew it was ,

o ffered to Genita Mana 2 I t w ill be seen how this .

corresponds with the Greek fear for children born

during the fatal period and what reason therefore ,

there is to suppose that the ancient ma n as su rvives

in the adj ective of the Tuscan name lupo m an n a ro .

W hat men feared then as now was that their , ,

children should be possessed from birth and should ,

M
1
n S t i 7
a cro ,
a .
, . .

P l ut Q R lii i S
1
‘

.
, l D mb i g t S g li D i t i
, . cx . ee a so are e
‘

e a o, c on

M M i ’
'

n az ra, s v . . an e s , an a.
 C e pp o an d Be fa n a 29 1

grow u p the victi ms of a fatal lycanthropy For .

this at least of the old fears lives i n Tuscany to day -

and to such purpose that in the g arg o ma n na ra has , ,

su rvived as the sl ang word for a festival of any

kind ; 1 as i f the day sacred to Mania had le ft a n
i m pression i n I taly n ever to be e ffaced .

That the dog was sacrificed to Mania and to P ro

s e r i n e alike is not the only reason why these two
p ,

n ames should appear together in this chapter Many .

details occu r at this seaso n and i n its rites which , ,

suggest that the two goddesses are substantially one

being only differe n t aspects of the same chthonic
p ower The time of the Compitalia is appropriate to
.

P roserpine for it is the season of deep winter w hen

, ,

the cor n l ies buried in the earth Dalmatia the hal f .

,

way house between Florence and Greece still adds ,

grain to the Florentine libation scattering it on the ,

burni n g Yule log 2 P ork the flesh of the animal -

.
,

w hich the ancients gave to Demeter a n d her daughter ,

is l aid out in Greece during the twelve days as an

o ffering to the Calli c ant z a ri 3
To this day in Tuscany .
, ,

i f you wish to call a m an a pig you may say n orcz n o

'

a derivative by w ay of her town in the Umbrian

,

hills of that N o rt i a the Etruscan alias of the Roman

Fortu na hersel f a corn —
, ,

,
goddess to whom Servius ,

Tullius was so devoted 4 But as we have seen .

, ,

1
Mi b ll M l Vi t (N p li
ra e a, p 3 47
a a a a o ,
. .

2
F H J k
. . Sh acf t l A d i ti (L d
o s on , Mu y ores za r a c on on : rra ,

pp 12 13
.
-
.

1 F wl r
3
L w
a p t
son , p 2 09o . cz
'

p t p 171
.
, . .
‘
o e , o . cz .
, . .
29 2 Fl o re n c e P a s t and P re s e n t
Servius set up the Compitalia and here is reason to ,

think that the Mania then named and worshipped

w as only the Fortune of the harvest or N o rt i a under , ,

another name ; as the goddess of the hidden corn ,

and perchance of other buried things thought of with

, ,

that and feared as well as hoped for in their springing

,
.

I t is in strict accordance w ith this idea that the feast

of the Compitalia was chiefly observed by farm
labourers w h o hung o x yokes that day on the shrine
,
-

of M ania an d the Lares 1 The ploughman s wife is .

’

still the L a ralla in I talian g arg o 2 and even now in ,

Tuscany the rhymed prayer sung by child ren while ,

the capp o burns closes with an appeal for sunshine ,

and plenty of it ;3 the ans w ering heavenly fire to

warm the earth and bring the buried grain to light
and fruitfulness For the a 5t h of December w as the .

Dies I n vi c t i Solis the winter solstice according to the ,

J ul ian Calendar ; the opening of a period of danger

when the sun n e w born and still weak might seem to
,
-

need help in meeting and m astering the cold that

grew stronger with the growing day A t this moment .

too the sun stood i n the gate by w hich s ouls

returned from earth to the spirit w orld 4 .

Egypt once called to what slept in her fields Maa

n e hra come thou back again and lest you should
‘ ’
-

, , ,

think she had only the corn in mind wrote the mystic ,

1
Fo w l p
e r, o . czt
'

.
,
p . 279 .
2
Mi rab ell a , p
o .
'

czt .
,
p .
3 41
.

3
L . D uff G o r do n, H ome L if e i n I t a ly , p .
3 14 .

4
S ee Mac rob .
,
S om n . S czp
'

.
, i . 12 .
29 4 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
with a hu man body but the head of a horse 1 has a ,

gentler parallel in that of Venus E rycina P oseidon .

belongs to both though in Sicily his place is some ,

times taken by Butes I n the one case he becomes .

the father of Hera i n the other of E ryx 2 That ,

.

Venus Erycina is the equivalent of Demeter appears

in the account of her Sicilian temple given by A eli an , ,

w h o says a perpetual d e w fell on the sacred spot ,

causing the grass to grow there in a spring that every

night renewed 3 Originally these stories came from .

Arcadia w here the goddess w as cal led Demeter at

,

P h i ga li a and Venus at P s o p h i s ; a neighbouring

,

town which had its name from that P so p h i s daughter

, ,

of Eryx w h o chose the site and built the tem ple of

,

Venus Erycina beside the river A ro an i us 4 Now i t .

w as the town of P s o ph i s which colonised the island of

Z acynthus and gave its own name to the ancient

,

citadel there ; no doubt Zacynthus shared w ith the

mother country the worshi p of this verdant Venus of
the spring But Zacynthus in its turn sent ou t a
.

s w arm that reached and founded Sagu ntu m in S pain .

W e have seen the probability that this w estward

1
P i
a usan as , viii 5 4 . 2 ,
2 .
1
‘
A p ll d
o o orus, 3 .

3
T he mi rac ul u pi tu
o s c re o f C uston ac i seem s to a ssure ith s fac t ;
i i
c o n t n u ng to -
d ay th e m em ory, i f no t th e cu lt , of V en us E y i
r c na as a

dd es T he pi p i d i lly is id Mon te S an
—h
co rn -

go s. ct ure er o ca carr e to
G iuli an o t e anc i en t E yx —f rw h ip or o rs . It sh o w s t h e Ma donna
an d Ch il d ho l di n
g th ree ears o f co rn . S ee G . Pi t e
r , Fes te P a t ron a lz
'

Mil an
' '

S zczli a , an d th e Corrzcra
' '
’
zn a ella S ara , 16 A ugust 19 10
, .

1
“
For th e D emete r of Phi gali a an d V en us E ryc i n a at P sop h i s , see
P ausan as , i viii .
 C e pp o an d B e fan a 29 5

m ovement m ay have touched and for a time held , ,

the valley of the A rno and new proof of this ,

te m porary settle ment is now at hand The Verruca .

of P isa is even etymologically the Eryx of Pso p hi s

, , ,

and o f L i ly ba um 1
Near by is the vil lage of Buti
.
,

and from thei r hills both these Tusca n sites look

down on the course of the Arno as P so phi s in ,

Arcad ia does on the A ro an i us To these streams we .

shall yet return for there is reason to think their

,

n ames embody that of A rn a the alias of the very ,

Flora or Ven us we are discussing The immediate

, , .

question however rather concerns Ph i gali a and the

, ,

bl ack Demeter I f she too appear by the Arno the

.
,

practical identity of these goddesses may be held for

certai n the one w ill represent the winter the other ,

the spri n g and the corn buried or sprouting w ill be

, , ,

the bond of u nion between them .

The horse cou nts for much in the Arcadian myth .

P oseidon assu mes this form because Demeter al ready

has it : as she sits in her cave above P h i g ali a the
m oody goddess retains her horse s head th ough for ’

the rest a very wom an The god on the other hand.

,

though h i s im ages express a human form is ,

worshipped as the father of the horse the teacher o f ,

horsemanship and the patron of horse races I t

,
.

would seem then that this myth cannot but have

some connection w ith that o f the centau rs whether ,

on the side of the god dess or t hat of the god and i n ,

E P i p i t pp
1 15 111
. a s, o . c ,
.
-
.
 2 96 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re se n t
fact the story goes on t os ay that when the centaurs ,

fleei ng from the L ap i thi , reached the caves of Mal ea , !

’

P oseidon took unde r hi s protection those whom . .

s la ug h t e r h ad spared :
1 '

clearly h e wh o had I 7r7rev9 "

as his su rname could do no less And his consort .

Demeter with the horse s head hersel f a kind of ’

centau r thou gh by transposition of parts —does she

,

deny her kind ? P erhaps in G reece though even ,

there the argu ment is but that of silence But .

suppose her the d arker form of Venus E rycina 2 and ,

follow her in this character to the Tuscan E ryx at the

Verruca Belo w that singular hill and close to the
.
,

Arno that bounds it on the south lies the village o f ,

S an Giovan ni alla Vena Here they w ork clay and .

burn it i n many forms and among the toys turned ,

out from the kiln in hund reds an d thousands for the

V illage markets and fairs of Tuscany a constant type , ,

even to day is that of the horseman who is all horse

-

and only partly m an H e does not bestride his .

steed for he has no legs ; he is one with his horse

,

from the w aist downwards That the horse is com .

p le t e head and all may indeed separate this type

, ,

sharply from t h at of the centaur as he appears in

classic art yet on ly to bring it nearer that of the
,

1
A p ll d u
o o o r s, 2 .

2
T h T m pl
e fVe u G et ix t R m
e o h d v tiv ff i g i
en s en r a o e a a o e o er n n

th f m f
e or i gul
o t u h
a s n w i th h um f f t
a r c en a P li y r a orse an o re -
ee . n ,

IK E viii 4 Th i m t h v b
, . 2 . ly f y S D i
s s ee s o a e een an ear an c . ee en n s ,

Ci ties
f Et u
o ii 6 4 I i t p i b l th t i u T u
r rz a , . 1 . x m pl s oss e a n o r scan e a e

th f
e ron t f t f th
ee h ll y m
o t te b h um o rseth f
are rea ean o e an , ose o

his r id P er
 C e pp o an d B e fa n a 29 9

P higal ian cave the Demeter who of the horse she

, ,

once was retained alone the significant h ead The

, .

fi gures made u nder the Verruca are probably the

centau r in his local Tuscan type and may possibly ,

derive from a Greek tradition more ancient and

persistent than that which has found expression in
the works of famous scul ptors These artists may .

indeed be su pposed to have selected w hat best suited

them from among the many forms which early fanc y
had conceived and prim itive art embodied .

P urs uing this m atter of the centau r yet another ,

alias of the blac k Demeter o ffers herself to ou r

attention i n the dark H ecate the Diana of the ,

in fernal regions 1 The two are practically indis .

t i n g ui s h a ble especially at the Com pitalia

,
for t h e ,

cross roads were defi nitely sacred to Diana and she

-
,

must certainly be taken i nto account when we try

to u nderstand al l that w as meant by the Mania who
held her place there I s it so strange then to fi nd .

that when the evil S pirit appears at the cross roads of -

Florence popular fancy gives him the form of a black

ho e rs p 2 For evidently the same ideas w hic h gave ,

birth to the ca llzca n tz a rz of Greece are here at w ork

' '

to the same pu rpose ; all the more that sou nd in ,

Tuscany as in Greece is rel ied on to banish such ,

1
Th V e u f P ph i
en s d p
o um b l y f Z
so y th u b ms, an ,
res a ,
o ac n s, eca e

Di an a t th
a fu th e l y f S gu tum S P li y N H xvi
r e r co on o a n . ee n , . .
, .

40 .

2
In 1243 du i r ng th e p re ac h n g i of Pt e er of V e rona . See E .

Bac c i otti , Fi ren z e, iv . p . 172 , an d Fi nesch i , Memori a , p .

98 .
3 00 F l o re n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t
dem ons of the darkness I n the story j ust allude d .

to the voice of the saint preaching by the pillar at

, ,

the cross roads at once summons and puts to flight

-

the opposing devil I n memory of this w onder a .

shrine of the Madonna is b uilt at the opposite corn e r ,

facing the pillar of the goddess and she is the ,

Madonna a ella Tromoa Even the clay centaurs made

’
.

at San Giovanni have a whistle in their tail I have .

heard these horse whistles blown i n a Tuscan church -

du ring a religio us ceremony and it would seem likely ,

that the form given them indicates the dark horse

man o r ca llzca n taa ros as the specific devil their sound
'

, ,

is supposed to banish and defeat But this matter of .

noise as the remedy for evi l recalls us to the Befana

feast where it reigns indeed yet only in a cli max and
, , ,

accompanied by rites that demand further attention .

Manni the historian of the Befana tell s us that for

, ,

the night of J anuary 5th each Florentine house

prepared a dol l of rags or other m atters in the form
of a w om an 1 This figure cal led the Befana had a
.
, ,

black face w as carried through the streets at dusk in

,

an irregular procession w ith rude torches and burning

straw to the music of horns bells and w histles and
, , , ,

next day w a s set u p in the windows before the pass

ing crowd About the Befana much popular s up e rsti
.

tion gathered S he lived all year in the chimney .

!

hence her black face On the night of J anuary 5th .

1
D . M Man n i
.
,
I st . N ot . delle B e
f a n a, L ucca, 1766 . Se e
l
a so th e p oe ms of Fag i uoli .
3 02 Fl o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
for rolling and cutting the paste for beneath one or
other of these domestic u tensils the threatened child
was thought quite safe The fear of the Befana was .

naturally used during the w hole year by parents and

nurses as means of controlling the un ruly .

Now in al l this it is easy to see the survival o f

, ,

ancient mythology and usage The Befana doll with .

the black face is the dark Mania figured at the

Com pitalia in w hat one supposes must have been , ,

nearly the same form She fills child ren s stockings .

’

and thus shares the office o f S an t a Claus who in ‘

,
’

one country or another on the st h of December or ,

Christmas Eve is busy in the same benevolent duty

, .

But Santa Claus is St N icolas w hom the latest .

,

investigations of Greek Folk Lore have identified -

as the successor of P oseidon 1 Thus the Befana .

appears as the consort of P oseidon and may therefore ,

fairly be taken as a modern form of the black

Demeter ; declared as such even by her liberality .

Hers are the uncouth brood of the ca llzca n tz a rz that

' '

haunt Greek chimneys and she hersel f chooses the ,

same retreat in Tuscany from which she issues once ,

a year for w eal or woe The mortar or domestic mill .

, ,

and the rolling board on w hich the dough is worked ,

both belong natu rally to the corn goddess ; hence -

1
L awson , pp 756 S L A p m t O d t l f
op .
'

cz t. , . . ee
’
s ro on e ccz
'

en a a o

M lv i
a d Z
ez z t ti Bi
an (Mil p 6 f
an o C l b i
-
an c o an o , . 1 1, or a a a r an

p y t S N i l wh i h h w th t h i g d d i I t ly t
ra er o . co a, c s o s a e s re ar e n a oo as

th
e lv z d i vig ti A t G l t h h
‘
sa e za e th y
na w i th S an .
’
a a ro e s ares e ear
‘
.

M i d ll M t g
ar a e i oi i p
a 65
on a n a,
’
a , . 1 .
 C e pp o an d B e fa n a 3 03

they are rel ied on as a means of averting her malice .

Of fire and noise there is hardly any need to speak

fu rther ; i n Tuscany as in Greece they accompany
the period o f danger and are supposed to keep at a
distance all that threatens .

J ust here h o w e ve r a certain difference of practice

, .

appears I n Greece the whole period of the twelve

.

B E LL S ,
WH S I TLE AN D TRU MP ET O F G L A U S E D O N N I G H T
,
SS OF B E F ANA

days is ful l of clamour from Christmas to Epiphany

I n C rete on Mou nt P elion in Scyros and Macedonia
, ,

ali ke the vi llages furnish companies of mummers in

,

wild and shaggy masks hung with many bells who

dance the danger away w ith a constant din Their .

hands are blackened their faces hidden and with , ,

lights and this wil d music they defy the po w ers o f

darkness 1 At Florence on the other hand the , ,

blo w i ng of horns and whistles and the ringing of clay

bells not un known du ring the preceding week is
, ,

1
L a ws on , op . az t.
'

, pp . 2 22 2 6 .
-
3 04 F lo re n ce P a s t an d P resen t
heard chiefly on the night of the st h of J anu ary : it is
the last rem nant of a feast w hich the Befana herself
once graced visi bly and in effigy Yet there are .

signs that it was not al w ays so At Milan even still .

, ,

Christmas Eve is the night chosen for a li ke clamou r 1 ,

and in the cou ntry places of Tuscany masked d ancing

of a w ild sort has al w ays tended to begin with the
year so that in the smaller to w ns the sound of the
,

out t a/2 thus shaken fairly belongs to the t w elve days

'

, ,

and not only to the vigil that closes them ?

But it is the masking rather than the music w e
must attend to here Those who have seen it in .

Greece have no doubt of its meaning ; the maskers

have done their best to look like the ca lli ca n tz a rz they
'

fear and hope in s uch a disguise not only to escape

,

themselves but to banish the threatened invasion

,

from their homes and to w n ? I s t h ere any trace that

at Florence too the same tactics are kno wn and acted
upon
As we have seen it has been the Florentine habit
,

to prepare for the moment of d anger by a special

diet A full meal is eaten and children especially are
.
,

encouraged to partake plentifully of beans against

the coming of the Befana This food as is w ell .
,

know n has certain physical consequences and the

, ,

verse the full fed children sing show s that these are
-

counted on for the success of the m atter i n hand .

1
R io .
’
ael Touri ng Cluo, 1908 , p .
556 .

2
See a b v p
o e, . 26 7
.
3
L aw son , op .
'

czt . , p . 227 .
 Fl o r e n ce P as t an d P res e n t
3 06

hether from vam pire or callzca n tea ros ! The bean

'

baked in the T w el fth night cake of France and -

Germany is no doubt a modified and attenuated form

of the full Florentine meal .

I n common Tuscan tal k befana means a witch ‘ ’

and this by no freak of language for w hether the ,

matter be studied generally or in detail me d i mval ,

witchcraft will be found to descend i n a pl ain

succession from j ust that body of superstitious
beliefs and practices we have been examining .

Child ren are commonly the victims of these evil

arts j ust as they su ffered at the Compitalia or as
, , ,

more lately they trembled on Twelfth night Crops

, .

gave the w itch another favou rable opportunity as ,

if she were indeed the black Demeter her m istress ,

moody and bent on m ischief 1 But the i nfernal .

Diana is still more distinctly see n in the dark

succession Hers are the cross roads where the
.
-

dead might be met and whither witch and wizard ,

repaired by night to work their spell s ? H ers is even

the name Diana Dea P ag an o rum w hich appears
,
‘

,
’

in the D acratum as that of the w itches leader and ’

queen along w ith the name of her second in

,

1
T h ere is a n ot h er p i
o nt of co rres p d on en ce in th e l i
re a t on of

D eme te r an d P ose id on to each o th e r. S ee Mi c h e l e t , L a S orcz ere

'

(Pari s , p . 16 6 , an d Le l d
an , L egen ds o f F loren ce, i .

pp . 2 489 ; -
ii . 2 09 1 1
-

2
H o w far t h i s m ay go b ac k it is d i ffi ul t
c t o say . O ffe r n gs i at

c ross road s-
to
‘
d
th e great la y an d h er tra n ’ w ere i l t ly
a e ma e i n d
Z ac yn th us as to H ec at e see L aw s on , op czt , 17 0, .
'

. p . an d re m e m e r b
c onn ec t on o f i Z an te i
w th F l ore n c e .
 C e p po an d B e fa n a 00
2
7
com mand Herodias whose connection with Epiphany
, ,
1

and the B efana is su fficiently obvious eve n without ,

referen ce to the fact that as R ad odes e she has , ,

become the Befana of Venice ? The d read name of

M ania long survived in the ma n zas as so me French
'

witches called the wax images used in their spells 3

the n ame and we m ay add the very form of the
, ,

classic Ma n i ac T hat the Queen o f the N ight could .

be liberal —was a true though dark Demeter—appears , ,

further when she is called A bun d za in the doctrine of

'

sorcery 4 W ith a start one recognises the A bun da /zt za

'

.
,

of the Florence cross roads by the market and knows -

, ,

better tha n before why the evil spirit chose this place ,

for his dark appearance to hear sermon ; and why ,

over agai nst the goddess on her pillar was set the ,

tru m pet of the M adonna s S hrine That pillared ’

.

figure is the Befana and still to sou nd fi re is added , , ,

for her defeat as every oven heated sevenfold to , ,

roast a Tuscan witch can testify even to day 5 not , ,

-

to speak of the witch bu rnings of earl ier times -

.

W hat is the real meaning of it al l ? The log of

Ceppo carries us back to the fi rst woodland li fe of
1
D ecret um, p ii . . c. xxvi .
qu . 12 , 1
. Th i s i s t he ear e st li do cu m en t
b i g
e ar n on th e s ubj ec t . The p a ssag e re erre f d to seems to h a v b
e een

qu t d f
o e S t A ugus t n e , w h ch w ou
ro m . carry th ese names i i ld b k
ac to

th e fourth c en tury But th e t rea t se i n q uest on i s s ur ous

. i i p i .

2
Mann , op czt , i 16 v
.
3
. p
D ucange, Glossarz um,
. .
‘

s v
. .

1
‘
I bi d .
,
s v.
.
‘
A bu d n a
’
an d
‘D
i an a .
’

5 P it e
r , A rc/li mo, xii pp . . 12 3 5 . qu t o es con te m o rary p l ega l
e vi d en c e of a t err i bl e case wh i ch oc c urre d at P on t e a E ma n ear

Fl o re n ce as l ate as 1893 .
 3 08 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re se n t
Tuscany ; may it not be that there in the woods , ,

t h e secret is waiti n g that will ex plain these mysteries .

I f one is to s um u p the strange rites of Ceppo and

Befana and the days between in Greece and at ,

Florence alike thei r substance see ms to lie in the

,

defiance of death u n der masks a n d on a principle of

imitation Now at first and in the woods this was
.
, ,

j ust what must have been habitually done in the

easiest and most natural way Death threatened the .

hunter in two forms ; by famine in t h e failure to

procure food —that is game—and by war i n the , ,

onset of hostile tribes pretending rights i n the same

hunting ground I n either case what we may call.
,

the mask was obviously the best defence Clothed .

i n the skins of animals copyin g their stealthy move ,

ments the hunter best followed and secured the game

,

on which he l ived I n the same mask he eluded .

pursuit or chose that de fence in a bolder spirit to

,

defy and intimid ate his human foes Masking for .

these purposes was at once d i fficult and i m portant .

I t had to be learnt as a fi ne art and was taught to ,

boys on their entry on manhood by the most ex

p e ri e n ce d hu nters and warriors of the tribe The .

initiation ceremonies of savages in many parts of the

world have conti n ued to our own ti me relics of what
must have been once the universal practice 1 To the .

1
F x mpl
or e ae F G ld
es, B g / iii pp 422 46
se raser, N t o en an t, . .
-
. o e

t h t lud m t i mi t t d g iv t h L ud C m i t l i gi lly ’

a ere eans o a e, an es e z o
p a es , o r na

no d ub t th m sk d d i g f thi
o e a eS l th L ud
anc n o s season . o a so e
‘

R m i f S p temb
o an o e er.
3 10 F l o re n c e P as t an d P r e se n t
rises invulnerable I t is the wisdom of the old man .
‘

of the mou ntain in a more primitive shape and as the ’

A ss as s i ns woke from the paradise of their haschisch

dream to a ffront peril fearlessly at the com mand of
that master so the n ew made warrior returned from
,
-

the woods convinced that the bitterness of death w a s

past and filled with the lust of battle O n th e s e
,
.

pl aying fie ld s of defensive mi micry the victories of

-

the tribe are already w o n for there death is met and ,

defied by anticipation The flexible axe of the .

Florence Museum 1 in its close correspondence w ith ,

the d ard i n g knife of the Columbian savage suggests

‘ ’
,

that the totemism of w eapons w as kno w n in Tuscany ,

j ust as the saying H appy they w h o change their ,

soul into that whi c h at death they would become ’

collected of l ate from a Florentine witch 2 sho w s that ,

the root pri nciple of this defensive totemism is still

recognised here W h o can hear these w ord s without
.

thinking of their classic parallel in Sophocles and

P ind ar H appy he that hath seen those rites ere he go
,
‘

beneath the earth The c orrespondence goes far

to com plete the pictu re suggesting on the one hand ,

1
Museo l gi
A rch eo o co , Sal a V 111, C ase E , N o . 15, S cure pl
a eo

etrusc o , c o l t g li t pi
a en e egh e v l o e v
t ro at o n el 18 73 i n un a
to mb a a z ro i di Chiu i s . V . Mil i an ,
M us . I ta l , . p .
3 07, n o ta T he
f ldi g b
o n ack of s uc h a bl d a e on th e n ec k o f ld
t h e v ct i i m w o u , on e se es ,
av i d th
o e rea li ty , w h il g ivi e n
g all th e ill u i f s ontu l ifi
o an ac a sac r ce .

T he axe th us m ee ts all th e con d i ti ons o f t t m i t i i i ti t i

a o e it s c n a on r e.
2
C G L e an , un u
. . l d p b li h s e d o ll e t i
c c on s p an es me .

3
p
So h , F rag m , 719
. Pi d n .
, Foagr
e , 13 7 Fra z er,

Gold en B oug /z , iii p

. .
43 1 .
 C e pp o an d B e fa n a 3 11

that the Mysteries of Greece w ere but a develop

ment of some earlier ruder initiation ceremony , , ,

a nd on the other that Tuscany too had such rites

which begun i n the savage life of her w oods and
,

in formed by w oodl and magic became at last and ,

definitely the mysteries of Demeter in mid winter -

.

W ere it necessary to insist further on these parallels ,

we shoul d find t h e bean so honoured at Befana , ,

pl aying its part among savages to day as the vehicle -

of n e w l ife and safety to the i nitiate in close corre ,

s p on d e n c e with the doctrine of P ythagoras 1 The .

classic rnorn ous too as the bull roarer is still used ,

‘
,
’

in these savage rites and w hen one learns that in ,

France it is someti mes called the loup g a rou? the name -

seems ready to thro w light at once on the Tuscan

su perstition of the w ere wolf and on the Roman -

Lu percalia ; the more that the latter ceremony ,

connected as it con fessedly was w ith the fertility o f

women 3 plainly belongs to the order of half natural
, ,

half superstitious rites we are studyi ng .

W hile points of detail such as these last touched ,

i f suggestive are still obscure and probably may

, ,

ever remain so the general li ne of inheritance and of

,

1
F or Pyth a go ras , se e P li n y, N H , xviii . 12 , q u i m m tu
on a or o rum

a n i m ae sun t Th e E n g sh Mo rr s ance i s sa
in ea .
’
o cli e an i d -
i d t m i mi b
i i
s e t t n g i n s pr n g (wh c h i s n o th n g ess i
an th e an c en t i l th i
p i v i l
i

agan n o c at on o f th e earth S ee th e w ee k y Sp ectat or o f

J uly 4th 909
2 ,
1 . T he
‘
ho bby h o rse
’
of th e d ance is p e rh a p s th e

E g li h
n s lli t
ca can z aros .

L i tt e l up g
‘ ’
2 r s v.
. o -
aro u .
,

3 F wl o R m
er, o an F es ti va ls , p .
3 20 .
3 12 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
su cc e s s ive modific atio n i n th e se s tran g e rit es i s p re tty
c e rt a i n
. W e h av e to do h e re wit h u s a ge s n atu ra l to
m e n of t h e wood s an d r e c e i vi n g from t h e m th eir
,

firs t d e v e lo p m en t u n d e r a m agic al i n te rp re t a tio n .

I n cours e of ti m e as t h e w oods s h ow cl e a ri n g s an d
, ,

as cultur e b e gi n s i n t h e n e ig h bou rh ood of t h e ri s i n g

vill ag es an d tow n s th e s e traditio n a l cu s tom s fin d a

,

n e w a pp lic atio n a mo n g com mu n iti e s b e com e at l e as t ,

i n s om e d e gree agricultura l
,
T h e fe a r of t h e fa rm e r
.

re p re sen t s to h i m t h e p os s ibl e failure of h i s cro p ,

an d i s abov e all n a t ur a l i n t h e d e p t h of wi n t e r w h e n ,

t h e fi e ld s are b a re a n d t h e life t h e y h id e s till doubt

ful Beyo n d t h e d e a t h of t h e corn li es h i s o w n as a

.

c e rt ai n co n s e qu e n c e of fa mi n e i n t h e fa ilu re of t h e
crop s h e h as s ow n A p oig n an t p e rs o n a l fe a r k n ock s
.

at h i s h eart a n d l e ad s h i m to t h i n k of h i s d ead ,

w h om h e m u s t j oin s oo n if h i s cor n do n o t ri s e ag ai n .

Till t h e fat a l d ay s are ove r all m an n e r of u n d e rworld

,

te rror s t ak e s h ap e i n h i s mi n d i n form e d by th i s fe a r .

T he re i s a d read alte r n ative be fore h i m of c e rta i n

re tur n from b e n e ath ; e it h e r t h e cor n mu s t s p ri n g
a g ai n to m ak e h i s h e a rt gl ad or t h e d e a d will com e
,

b ack i n more or l es s m ate ri a l more or l e s s h u m an

, ,

s h a p e to d r ag hi m dow n to t h e s h a d e s .

H e n c e t h e old m agic with a n e w m e an i n g or at ,

l e as t a n ew ap plic atio n T h e old m as k s t h e old

.
,

d an c e s t h e o ld fire s an d mu s ic s til l m ark t h e d ead

, ,

s e as o n but t h e ir mum mi n g h as n o w a n ot h e r
, p u rp o se .

T h ey s e rve to k e e p up t h e farm e r s h e a rt at i t s ’
 C H A P TE R XIII

MI D -
L EN T AND EA S T E R

MI D —
LEN T Flore n c e i s t h e d ay of t h e sca la a
at ,

c h a racte ri s tic loc a l u s ag e s till ob se rve d by t h e p e o p l e .

T h e se l add e rs ap p ea r i n diffe re n t form s ; s om e tim e s

t he y are cut out of c ardbo a rd an d c h a l k e d s o ,

t h a t t h e c h ild re n w h o c a rry t he m c an e a s ily tr an s fe r

t h e s ig n t o t h e clot h e s of t h e h ee dl e s s ; s om e

tim es m an y ap p e a r s id e by s id e on a t h i n s h e e t of
p e rfora t e d p ap e r s urmou n te d by more c l e v e r s c i s s or
work i n a flor al p atte r n ready to be p i n n e d to t h e
,

s kirt s of th e p as s e r by l Som e tim e s t h e l add e r

-
.

i n s p ire s e ve n t he p as try cook an d l e n d s i t s form to

-

v a riou s ki n d s of bi s c uit s e t for s a l e i n t h e s h o p

wi n dow s .W h e n th e c h ildre n h a ve s ucc ee d e d i n
p l ayi n g s ucc es s fully t h e trick of t h e d a y t h e y run ,

off mo c k i n g t h e ir victim —w h o i s m o s tly an old

,

wom an —wit h t h e tr aditio n a l cry L h a ! L h ae ’ ’

you ve got it !
’ ’

T h e b ackgrou n d of t h i s c u s tom yi e ld s m a t e ri a l
w h ic h h e l p s to e x p l ai n it an d to s h ow i t s re l atio n to
,

p im i th M u u m f E t h gr p h y F l r
1
S ee s ec en s n e se o no a , o en c e .

3 14
 Mi d -

Le n t an d E as t e r

s im il a r O b s e rvan ce s i n oth e r plac es I t j s s ai d th a t .

«
‘

du ri n g th e fi fteen th an d fi i x t een th ce n turi e s it w as ‘

t h e h a bit h e re to m ark — t h e d ay by d re ss i n g a l a rg e

d oll j n t h e f e rm of an old wom an w h ic h w as s tuffe d ,

w i t h n ut s a n d d ri e d fruit an d ti e d to a l add e r Thus

, .

p r e p a r e d t h e d oll w a s c a rri e d i n trium p h to t he

,

M e rc ato N u ovo a n d s aw n i n two ; t h e c h ildre n

s cr a mbli n g for w h a t fe ll out 1 Of t h e com p l e te c e re .

mo n y of s awi n g t he old wom an s om e d e t a il s h av e

s u rviv e d i n o n e
p l a c e s om e i n an ot h e r ,
N a p l e s an d .

C al a bri a k e e p t h e s aw to m ark t he d ay w h il e ,

Flore n c e re t a i n s t h e l add e r but t h e rit e w as e vid en tly ,

t h e s a m e i n e a c h c as e an d r e p r e se n t s a wid e s p re a d
,

cu s tom 2 .

I f w e a cc e p t t h e V i e w w h ic h m a k e s t h e old ‘

wom a n r e pre se n t t h e p as t y e a r it i s p re tty p l a i n

’
,

t h at t h e c e re mo n y j u s t d e s crib e d i s ap p rop ri ate to

one p e riod o n ly a n d mu s t o n c e h av e b ee n p e rform e d
,

at a fi x e d d a t e re pres e n ti n g as it did t h e d eath of

, , ,

t h e y ea r N or s h ou ld it be di fficu lt to di s cove r for

.
,

Flor en c e at an y r at e w h at th at d at e w as At p re se n t
,
.

t h e d ay of M id L e n t v a ri es b e tw ee n t h e limit s of
-

Fe bru a ry 24th an d M a rc h 3 o th Now with i n th i s .

p e riod fa ll s the 24 t h of M arc h w h ic h w e k n ow w as , ,

,
l
til l I 749 t h e as d ay t of t h e y e a r a t Flor e n c e
3
If .

w e s u p po s e w h a t i s mo s t p rob abl e t h a t t h e s awi n g

‘
,

1 P i tre A / i vi iv 94
,
rc L a, . 2 .

2
F or rr p d
co es i t h r u t ri
on e n ce s Frn r p o ii
e co n es , se e az e , o . .

p p 8 6 seq
. .

p 65
3
Bi g az z i , . .
3 16 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
of the old wom an on c e took pl ac e re gul arly at thi s
’

d e fi n it e d ate th en th e c e re mo n y b e com es i n te lligibl e

, ,

an d i s seen to re l a t e it se lf n aturally to wh at w e h ave

alr e ady ob s e rve d T h e Flor en ti n e y ea r op en e d wit h

.

t h e e qui n ox of s p ri n g T h e l as t d ay o f t he old y ear

.

w as cl e arly th e tim e to bid fare w e ll to t h e fe a r o r

wi n te r an d th e wi n te r cold I n th e old wom an w e .

see t h e fi n al ap p e a r an c e of t h e Ma n i a or B e f a n a of
J an u ary as it w e re i n h e r dotage ye t s till i n p art ,

be ne fic e n t an d b ea ri n g gift s t h ough of a d ry an d ,

dyi n g s ort as sh e he rse l f i s ready to be do ne a w ay

, .

Eve n t h e children s trick i n th e s tree t s which s u rvives

’

to d ay appears as j u s t th a t bitte r s cor n o f age

-

, ,

es p e ci ally i n wom an w h ich h as a lw ay s b e e n a

,

Flore n ti n e c h ar act e ri s tic 1 A ge i s u po n you i s

.
‘ ’
,

t he s e n s e of t h e an d t h e fruit s of
’
L h a ! L h ae ‘ ’ ’ ‘
,

ag e an d of th e p as t are a ll t h a t you c an h o e to
, , p
yi e ld .
’

Accordi ng to t h e C h ri s ti an e ccl es i as tic al C al e n d ar

twen ty d ay s n o w s e parat e Mid Len t from E as t e r but -

i f t h e sawi n g of the old wom an o n c e fe ll re gul arly

on t h e l as t d ay of th e y e ar an d i f th at d ay w as the ,

24t h of M a rc h it i s n o t s o c e rt a i n t h a t t h e c e re mo n y

n o w to be d e s crib e d — th at of E as te r S atu rd ay —
,

may
n ot h av e o n c e clo se ly follow e d on t h e oth e r an d b een ,

ob se rve d with e qu al re gul a rity on t h e 2 5th of M a rch ,

t h e Flore n ti n e N ew Y ea r s D ay Occ as io n ally as

’
.
,

e v e ry o n e k n ow s it fal l s on t h at v e ry d a t e s till an d
, ,

S e b v pp 88 9
1
e a o e, .
-
.
3 18 F l ore n c e P as t an d P re se n t
wrought bro n z e w h ic h a boy i n tra i n i n g for t h e pri est
hood i s c h o sen to b e a r T h e cl e rgy form i n fro n t the.
,

pe opl e follow an d s o t h e ligh t m a k es i ts w ay from t he

,

Churc h of t h e A po s tol i a lo n g t h e Borgo acro ss the ,

P i azz a d e ll a Sign ori a an d by t h e B adi a to t he ,

C ath e dral wh ic h i s re a c h e d a bout n i ne o clock A

,
’
.

crowd g ath e rs about t h e l an te rn w h e re it no w s tan d s

n e ar t h e fi rs t pill a r of t h e n av e : t h e y are t he re to

ki n dle th e t ap e rs th ey h a ve brought an d s o to c arry ,

h
t e bl esse d fire e a c h to hi s o w n h om e
1
.

M ean whil e t h e t e am of w h it e V al d i C h i an a ox e n ,

e n ormou s m ag n ific e n t t h i s d ay i n s c arl e t tr a ppi n g s

, ,

an d c arryi n g fa n s o f flow e r s b e tw ee n th e i r h orns ,

h ave alre ady broug h t t h e gr eat c a r from i t s hou se on

t h e P r ato to t h e P i a zz a w h e re t h e y h a v e l e ft it s t an d
,

i n g m i dw ay b e tw e e n t h e C a t h e d r a l an d t h e Ba pti s t e ry .

T h e car i s a h igh an d h o llow s tructur e of d a rk wood ,

s e t on wh ee l s an d p r e p a r e d for t h e c e re m o n y by th e
,

fes too n s of firew o rk s —a co n ti n uou s s quib m an y y a rd s

lon g chok e d at i n te rva l s with bur s ti n g ch arg es of
powd e r—an d t h e ro se tte s of p ap e r flow e rs with w hich
it i s h u n g A l a rge C a t he ri n e w h ee l s et horizo n tally
.
, ,

crow n s t h e whol e .

W ithi n t he C h urc h t he fire brough t th e re i n t h e ,

morn i n g h as se rve d b e tim e s to ki n d l e th e P asch al

c an dl e T h e cl e rgy of t h e C a t h edr al a re com e i n
.

p omp from t h e B ap ti s t e ry an d b e gi n t h e M as s of
1
I S bb t P h
n a ti
a o t v t
asc i v u i g i b edi tu et
ae , e x nc o e er , no s n s en ca r,
H am d : Cum P a st
’
p er p oplum di vi d atur, L eo IV .
, . .
, c .
7 s ee
l
a so G V
. ill an i , Cram , i . 60
.
 Mi d -
Le n t an d E aster 3 lo
midd y At t h e Glori a a d e aco n to uc h es wit h t h e
a .
,
’

s a cre d fire a s quib c alled t h e co/ombz mz w h ic h ru s h es

'
'
’
,

hi s s i n g from t h e a l tar a lo n g a wire s tre tc h e d i n t h e

n av e a n d t h u s r
, ea c h e s t h e c ar by w ay of t h e w e s t
door an d t he o p e n P i a zz a For a mom e n t n oth i n g .

se e m s t o h a
p p e n s ave t h e r e coi l of t h e m e s s e n g e r
, ,

EASTE R C AR
-
IN ITS HOUSE ON THE '
P R AI O
'

wh ic h s om e ti m e s re tur ns a lo n g t h e wire as it c am e .

T h e n a t h re ad of blu e s m ok e curl s u p w a rd from th e

c ar follow e d by gr e a t cl oud bu r s t s t h a t ri se a n d d rift
,
-

a w a y as o n e a ft e r an ot h e r t h e c h ok e d c h a rg e s of t h e
, ,

wre at h e d s quib e x p lod e with d e a fe n i n g s ou n d T h e .

s t a rtl e d p ig e o n s of t h e s qu a re cir c l e ov e r h e a d wom e n

i n t h e crowd s cre a m ; t h e b e ll s ri n g out ag ai n from
t h e C a m p an il e a n d t h e m a s s e d p e o p l e mov e off to
,
 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
3 20

di s cu ss i n th e s tree t or th e res tau ran t t h e s ucc es s or

, ,

fai lure of th e fire O n E as te r S aturd ay t h e cou n try

.

s en d s i t s thou s an d s to Flore n c e for no oth e r pu rpo s e .

R e g a rdi n g th i s s tran ge fire t he po p u l a r trad itio n ,

ru n s th a t it i s a c e re mo n y brough t from t he E ast by

P a zzo th e e po n ymou s fou n d e r oft h e Flore n ti ne h ou se
,

of t he P a zzi H e i s said to h ave b ee n a C ru s ad e r

.
,

an d t h e fi rs t to pl an t th e cro s s o n t h e w a ll s o f

J e ru s al e m Som e say h e brought th e fire b ack i n h i s

.

h an d s all t h e w ay from t h e Holy L an d oth e rs t h at

w h at h e c a rri e d w as t he s to n e s till u se d i n t h e C h urc h
of t h e A po s toli to obt a i n i t 1 I n m e mory of th i s .

p rowess t h e c ar of E as te r S a turd ay u s e d to p ass from

,

i t s firs t po s itio n to an oth e r at t h e cor n e r of t h e Cors o

b es id e th e P a zzi P al ac e T h ree y e ars ag o it w e n t .

i n s te ad to t h e n e w P i a zz a Vittorio E m an u e l e bu t ,

s till re c e ive d t h e fire for t h i s se co n d e x p lo s io n from

t h e C an to d ei P azzi by a fr e s h colomé z n a tr a v e lli n g

'

on a wire s tre tc h ed alo n g t h e l i n e o f t h e Corso an d

th e V i a d egli S p e zi ali I n 19 09 a tra ge dy h a pp en e d .
,

an d t h i s y e a r t h e se co n d e x plo s io n h as b e e n forbidd en

by th e aut h oriti e s .

A s a m att e r of fact how e ve r t h e P a zzi h ad n ot h i n g

, ,

to do with th e fire c e re mo n y till about I T h e ir

th e n con te m p ora ry V ill a n i di s ti n gui s h es th e c e re
, ,

mon y it se l f from t h e c are of t h e P azzi w h o h ad com e

1
O t s f I b l i v th r
r s on e ,
or t h re O
e e th r o ll
e e e a re e. n e or o e , ra , are

sa i d t m fr m th H l y S p u l hr
o co e o e o e c e.
2
L tt er
e f D R
o D vi d lm t r
. Sy di. f Fl r c a S e so o n c o o en e . e

C i
arr er: d l/ S e 5J u
a 1909
ara , ne .
 Mi d -
Le nt an d E as t e r 3 23

to s u ppo rt an d en cou rage it a ddi n g th at it mu s t be

s u p o s e d as o ld as t h e fi r s t Flor en ti n e Chri s ti an ity i f
p ,

n o t ol d e r ; for h e h as a lr e a dy s a id — c o n t ut t oc h e i ‘

Fioren ti n i d i n u ovo fo s s o n o dive n uti Cri s ti a n i an cora ,

t e n e an o molti co s tum i d e l P ag an es imo 1 I t would ’

.

s ee m s a fes t t h e r e fore to forg e t t h e po u l a r tr a ditio n

p
-

, ,

of Flore n c e s a ve i n two poi n ts t h a t t h e fire c e re

mo n y w as an im p ort atio n from t h e E as t an d t h a t i t ,

h ad s om e t h i n g to do wit h t h e w al l s of a n eas t e r n
city Both th e se p o i n ts will be fou n d j u s tifi e d by th e
.
a

fa ct s of th e c as e .

Looki n g th e n wit h out p rejudic e at t h e rite it se lf it ,

se e m s t ol e r ably c e rt a i n t h a t t h e c ar of t h e p r e s e n t

d ay h as t a k e n t h e p l a c e of w h at w as o n c e a s i m p l e
fire . O n ly two y e a rs ag o I h ap p e ne d to s p en d ,

E as t e r S a tu rd ay i n t h e vill a g e of S e ttimo an d ,

n otic e d h o w at n oo n wh e n t h e fa i n t b e ll s of
,

Flore n c e an n ou n c e d t h e e x p lo s io n o f t h e c ar c h ild re n -

w e re l igh ti n g an d te n di n g a bo n fire i n fro n t of t h e

-

vill ag e c h urc h So t h e n it mu s t o n c e h av e bee n i n

.

t h e c a pit a l too ; t h e cou n try i s an e x c e ll e n t mu s e u m

l

for t h e s tudy of t h e old e r p e rh ap s t h e ori g i n a l , ,

form s of u s ag e w h ic h Flore n c e h as a lte red or los t .

N or c an t h i s fire h a v e b e e n s i n gl e or h ave bur n t ,

a lo n e .A s it i s t h e c ar re c e ives t h e s p a rk t h a t
,

ki n d l es it from an ot h e r fire t h at w h ic h bu rn s wit h i n

t h e c h urc h b es id e or u p o n t h e C h ri s ti an a lt a r
, , , But .

w e a re s ee ki n g a use old e r t h an t h e C h urc h or

G V ill i C m i 6 0
1
. an , ra , . .
 3 24 Fl o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
C h ri s ti an ity and mu s t Su p p os e t wo fires equ a lly
,

ri mitiv e an d p ag a n ; t h e on e h an di n g o n t h e s p ark
p
to th e oth e r by s om e ritu a l d e vic e of whi c h t h e
a ctu a l colombzn a i s t h e d e ve lopm e n t and c a rri es t h e
'
‘

re mi n i s c en c e W h at c an th i s d e vic e h ave b e e n ?
.

T h e gu n powd e r no w u s e d to s en d t he s p a rk on i ts
w ay a lo n g a l e ve l wire i s of cours e n ot to be t h ou gh t
of ; i t s us e will no t c arry us b ack farth e r th an at
mo s t t h e fi ftee n th c e n tury 1 But s ure ly gravit a tio n
,
.
,

old e r th an t h e world an d s e rvic eabl e alw ay s m igh t , ,

m ee t t h e p urpose w e re o n ly t h e pyres a rran ge d on ,

di ffe re n t l e ve l s s o th at a d uly d es c en d i n g cord migh t

form t h e co n n e ctio n b e tw ee n th e m N or i s t h i s m e re .

fan cy ; w e fin d s uc h a d e vic e i n use s till ev e n a ft er ,

gu n p owd e r w as k n ow n to Eu ro p e At S t P e t e r s of . .
’

R om e i n 149 3 a w h it e dove wit h a glory s e t a bout

it w as a rran g e d to s lid e dow n a cord s tre tc he d
from t h e roof of th e B as ilic a to t h e h igh a lt a r 2 Th at .

t h e fire t h e dov e c arri e d o n c e c a ught t h e cord ; th at

t h e dov e o n c e fe ll an d s o di e d withou t d oi n g i ts ,

offic e i s a m e re accid e n t al d e t ail ; pri n ci p l e an d

,

p r a ctic e a re alik e ass ure d i n t h i s e x a m pl e w h ic h fully ,

j u s ti fi es ou r s uppo s itio n .

A n oth er i n s tan c e of t he s a m e d evic e c a rri e s t he

1
Th tr v ll i g fi r w rk t F l
e a e n i id t d t
e fr m th
o a o re n ce s sa o a e o e

P ti fi t
on f Le x
ca e o th fi r t h l f f th
o . i te th tury S G
e s a o e s x en c en . ee .

C ti F m V i ' '

on ,
zr zep 53 5 ecc na , . .

2
M t i R
nra o r I t SS ( d
,
er. t ii p i F
.
4 p 44
. e . . xxx . . . as c. , . 2 .

I m gr t l y i d ebt d f
a ea nt i f th i s mp l t my fri d M
e or n o ce o ex a e o en r.

W A h bu
. s Srn er. th i ubj t I R S h mi d t D C /umb i
ee on s s ec . . c , e o zr
'

E ccles i d G recd at L ati n d us i ta tz s , H e lms tadi i ,

'

I 711 .
 Mi d -
Le n t an d E as te r 3 27

m att e r b e yo n d C h ri sti an ity an d s hows how a s lidi n g

,

fall a rran ged a s w e h av e s u p po se d migh t e ve n se rve

, ,

to produc e t h e fire n ee d e d to ki n dl e t h e low e r pyre .

O n occ as io n i n K um ao n a provi n c e of I n di a on t he
, ,

s lope s of t h e w e s t e r n H im a l ay a a s tr an g e rit e t ak es ,

pl a c e c all e d t h e Ba m z A gras s rope i s s tre tch e d

‘
.

fro m t h e brow of a cl iff to th e v all ey b e low 1 O n th e .

rop e a wood en s addl e i s arran g e d to trave l by

gra vity an d on t h e saddl e a m an s its s tra ppe d with
, ,

w e ights hu n g to hi s fee t to i n crease th e frictio n A s .

h e s hoot s dow n hi s a iry w ay th e sa ddl e s mok e s , ,

rea dy to burs t i n to fl a m e : o n e sees h o w e as ily it

might be u se d to ki n dl e a lo ad of s tra w s e t to bre a k
t h e s h ock of t h e a rriv a l .

S u s picio n m ay att ac h to an e x am p l e brought to

Tu s c an y from th e H i m a l ay a bu t n o n e n ee d be fe lt ,

wh en Tu s c an y its el f p roduces a s im il a r use A t .

Em poli till 18 6 2 e ac h Corpu s Domi n i d ay as it

, ,

re curred s aw a s i n gu l ar c e re mo n y i n whic h an as s
fle w from h tow r of h pri ci l Church 2
A
’
‘
t e e t e n p a .

rope w as s tre tc h e d from t h e top of t h e C a mp an il e

to t h e corn e r of t h e P i a zz a be l ow O n th i s trav e ll e d .

w h a t m ay be c a ll e d a s add l e yet o n ly b e c au s e ,

fas t en e d by gi rth s to t h e ass s b ac k I t w as i n ’

.
,

fact a wood en b e am b e a ri n g wi n g s of wood w h e re

, ,

it met th e s h ould e rs of t h e a n im al an d furn i sh e d ,

1
F r r
az e , Golden B ough (2 i ii .
pp . 104 -

5, wh o rfr
e e s to

N orth I n di an N ote: a n d Queri es .

D e G ubern at i s , Z oolog i cal My th ology , i i p 3 6 2 . . .

 F l o re n ce P as t and P re s e n t
3 28

bes id e wit h pull ey s arran ge d to trav e l o n the cord by

whic h th e ass accom p li s h e d h i s fligh t Thu s fur
‘
.
’

n i s he d,
frictio n w as n e arly e li mi n ate d an d th e
production of fire m ad e im po ss ibl e but i f w e may ,

s up p o se t h e rit e i n rud e r form —t h e rope m e re ly

p ass e d t h rough t h e h ol e s of t h e ordi nary saddl e
brid ges —fire mig h t re s ult at Em pol i as e asily as it
-

s til l do e s i n t h e Bo w l of K um a o n an d u n d e r t h e
,

s am e n a tur a l pow e r I t m ay be th at thi s or s om e

.
,

t h i n g lik e i t w as o n c e t h e m ean s u s e d to ki n dl e t h e
,

s e co n d pyre at Flor en c e .

A s to t h e fi rs t e xi s ti n g u s ag e i s e n oug h to s how
, ,

i n no u n c e rt ai n ty w h a t p rimitive p ractic e w as ; for

,

t h e ha bit of e a rly tim e i s co n ti n u e d e ve n n o w i n t h e

use of fli n t an d s t e e l Two w ay s of fire mak i n g may

.

be c all ed primitiv e ; fire i s s truck from t h e s to n e as ,

it s till i s o n E as te r S atu rd ay i n Floren c e ; o r it i s

rubbe d from wood by fricti o n a s s av ages s till obt ai n
it H e re t he n a n ew prob ability a ppears to s tr en gt h e n
.

our l at e s u ppo s itio n T h e fi rs t pyre w e k n ow w as

.

ki n d l e d by pe rcu s s io n i s it n o t n atural an d lik e ly

,

th at frictio n m ay h ave bee n u s e d to light t he se c on d P

O n c e o n e fan ci es t h e d e s c e n di n g cord m ay h ave
, ,

b een u sed as th e actu al m e an s of ge tti n g fire T h en .

,

j u s t as fire mak i n g by frictio n h as ev e rywh e re ten d e d

to d i e out b e fore t h e gre at e r co n ve n i e n c e of p e rcu s s io n ,

s o i n thi s rit e whil e t h e fi r s t pyr e w as s till light e d

from th e s tone t he d es c e n di n g cord s urvive d o n ly as

,

a m eans of c a r ryi n g t h e fire a l r eady ki n d l e d

, from ,
3 30 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
of fire t h e dw e lli n g pl ac e s of t h e godd e s s a n d t h e
,
-

god .

At Flore n c e as w e h ave s e en 1 t h e D e cum an u s w as ,

'

t h e ritu a l ro ad as s oci a t e d e s p e ci a lly a t i t s doubl e

"

cro s s ro ad s with ju s t t h i s tre e a n d s to n e t h e s ign s

-

, ,

an d a s o n c e m e n t h oug h t t h e h a bit a tio n s of t h e

'

:
, ,

godd es s a n d th e god T h ese s ig ns of t h e i n dw e lli n g .

p owe r w e h av e fou n d ag a i n i n t h e rit e of E as t e r

S aturd ay an d it i s worth n otic e h o w e v e n u n d e r
, ,

C h ri s ti an ity t h a t rit e w as n o t t h oug h t com p l e te til l

,

t h e c a r h ad fou n d i t s p l ac e on t h e v e ry li n e i n qu e s tio n

a t t h e cor n e r of t h e V i a d e l P roco n s olo a n d t h e

Cors o Tradi t ion s ay s it c a m e h e re b e c a u s e of t h e
.

a dj oi n i n g P a l a zzo P a zzi I t i s mor e n a tur a l to s e e i n .

t h i s t h e origi n al s ite s o ugh t s till e v e n a ft e r C h ri s ti an ity

,

h ad dr aw n t h e fi r s t p art of t h e c e r e mo n y to t h e s p ac e
b e fore t h e C ath e dr al T h e i n te re s t of t h e P a zzi i n .

t h e E as te r Fire would t h u s a pp e a r as t h e e as y c o n s e

q uen c e of t h e ir h avi n g acqu ire d p ro p e rty a n d built ,

t h e i r h ou se clo se to t he origi nal s c ene of t h e

,

Ce re mo n y ? T h e l e ge n d t h at t h ey b e g an it w h ic h ,

w e k n ow to be fa l se m ay ye t r e pr es en t t h e a bidi n g ,

1
bv p
S ee a o e, . 122 .

2
N t h w v r t h t th P i h l l pr p rty t h t t d d l g
o e o e e a e az z e c o e a e x en e a on

t h B rg t w rd t h C h u r h
e o of S P i r Th y w r r k d f
o a s e c o an e o. e e e ec on e o

the S t f S Pi r es o d h d mu h t d
o v i th tw l fth
an e o, an a c o o, e en n e e

cen tury w i th th H pi t l t h r
, A l t 16 8 t h i f mily
e os a e e. s a e as 2 s a

h lp d t
e p y f
e th r t r ti
o f th C h ur h
a S G
or L mi e es o a on o e c . ee . a ,

Memora bi li a , pp . 12 7,
109 78 , -
e t c. B acci otti , Fi rm z e I llm lra la ,
188 7, vo l . iv .
p . 173 . C an it ha v b th t t h i
e e en a s fire w as on ce

ki dl ed in Pi S Pi r th e t r mp tum ? ’

n az z a . e o, eas e n oo z
 Mid Le n t an d E as t e r 33 I

popul ar s e n s e th at h e re by th e hou ses of th e P azzi

, ,

lay i n d ee d t h e root of t h e whol e m att e r .

R ead i n g t h e rit e t h u s —as a v e ry an ci en t fire ;

c e re m o n y— one se es a n e w prob ability : th at j u s t as

th e copy/J o bur n e d at t h e wi n t e r s ol s tic e s o thi s s pri n g
,

fire would fin d i t s m o s t n a tur a l d a te wh e r e we h av e

v en tu re d to s et it o n M a rch 2 5th For thi s d ay n o t
, .

o n ly op en e d t h e Flore n ti n e y e a r but w as the S pri n g

,

Equi n ox accordi n g to t he Juli an C a l e n d a r T h e s un .

i s e vid e n tl y t h e com m an d i n g factor h e re I n .

primitive b e li e f th e fire l aten t i n wood an d s to n e

,

a lik e h ad v a lu e abov e a ll b e c a u se it w as t h e u
, pp e r
fire m a n i fe s ti n g i t se l f on earth Duly e vok e d i n
.

s ol e m n ritu al it fu rn i s h e d i n thi s d e riv atio n a n d

, ,

corre s po n d e n c e t h e s un ch arm re li e d o n as a m ean s

,
-
‘

of co n trolli n g t he s e a s o n s H en c e at o n c e t h e
.

D e cu m an u s as t h e s ce n e of thi s rit e— for s uc h a ro ad

re p ea te d on e arth t h e d a ily cou rs e of t h e sun from
eas t to w es t —an d t h e E qui n ox as i t s n atura l d a t e ;

m arki n g as thi s d ay did a critic al mom e n t i n t h e

s ol ar p a t h a mo n g t h e s ig n s of th e Z odi a c .

To bri n g t h e tree an d t h e s ton e i n to thi s corre

s p o nd e n c e with t h e s un i s to r a i se an ot h e r qu es tio n ,

which e a rly man mu s t i n on e w ay or an oth e r h av e

att e mpt e d to s olv e Obviou s ly th e s un w as o n fire ; ‘

pl ai n ly fire abod e al s o i n wood an d s to ne I f me n '

b e li eve d th a t fire w as o ne an d the s a m e whe re ve r

fou n d th ey mu s t often h av e won d e red by wh at m ean s
,

t h e fire c a m e from abov e to t h e s e i t s e a rt h ly dw e lli n g

 3 32 F l o re n c e P as t an d P res e n t

p la c e sTwo re as o n s se e m to a c cou n t fer t h e ,

u n d e n i abl e fa ct th at t h e fowl s of th e ai r w e re s o bn
t h oug h t of as lik e ly g o b e tw ee n s i n th i s gr e a t m a tt e r -

Bird s fly out of s igh t at tim e s but c h oo s e tree s as ,

th e ir h om e C e r tai n bird s h ave t h e colou r of fire i n

.

t he ir p lum ag e an d h a bit s of bori n g wood with t h e ir

,

bill s an d t ap p i n g s t o n es i n a w ay to s ugg e s t t h e
,

a ctio n of m an w h e n h e el i cit s fire by p e rcu ss io n

or frictio n Mig h t it n o t be t h at th ey h ad bro ug ht
.

from h e ave n an d h idd en i n i t s s e cre t p lace th e fire

t h at m an fou n d s l eep i n g t h e re
T h e u n iv e rs al ity of t h i s b e li e f i s i n d e e d b e yo n d
qu e s tio n I n t h e myt h of Suy j i n t h e C h i n e s e
’

-
.
,

P rom e t h e u s t h i s s age w a lki n g i n h eave n s e es t h e re a

, , ,

tre e w h i c h a bird i s p e cki n g wh il e fire i s s u e s fro m it ; 1

an e vid e n t di s cov e ry of w h at m e n o n c e t houg h t t h e .

s e cre t of t h e fire t h e y h ad l e a r n t to bri n g fort h So ‘

too t h e Fj o rt of th e A fric an Co n go h av e a fire t a l e i n

wh ic h t h e wood p e ck e r pl ay s t h e c h i e f p art bori n g ,

h e av e n wit h h i s bil l to le t fire t h roug h ? T h e sa m e

bird e nj oy e d e qu a l h o n ou r a m on g t h e Gr e e k s a n d
Rom an s ; o n e mu s t b e l i e ve for t he s am e re aso n .

S ui d a s quot e s a Cre t an i n s cri p tio n w hic h ru n s

‘

H e re li e s t h e wood p e ck e r w h o w as Z e u s N ow .
’

Z e u s e tymologic ally th e e quiv al e n t of J u p ite r m e an s

, ,

t h e brig h t o n e a n d a s Jove w a s wor s h i p p e d on t h e

’

E B l yl R
1 '

N t th ll g d d rivat i
‘

h 865 p
'

o r,
. .
5 es ea rc es , 1 , . 2 2. o e e a e e e on
of P r m t h u fr m th S
o e ri t P m th th fi drill
e s o e an sc ra an a, e re -
.

R 2
E D . tt F l/ L
.
f t h Fj t (L d
en n e , o e -
ore o e or on on ,

p 7, . e tc .
 Mi d -
Le n t an d E as t e r 335

R om an C a pitol as Fag ut ali s the god mu st pl ai n ly ,

h av e b een co n c e iv ed of by hi s worsh ipp e rs as th e

fire of h ea ven i mm ane n t i n t h e tr ee T h e wood .

pe ck e r bore h i s n am e the n be c au se it was though t to

, ,

bri n g him from hi s h eav en ly to h i s earth ly abod e .

N or d id t h i s b e li e f apply o n ly to tre e s it w as e x ,

t e n d e d to th o s e s to n es w h ic h w e re e vid e n tly the ot h e r

d we lli n g p l a ce of fire So at l eas t it would see m
-
.

n a tu r a l to i n t e r r e t t h e J u it e r L a pi s t h e my s t e riou s
p p ,

a vi s s an quali s o f P li n y 1 an d t h e t al e i n w h ich Livy,

r e cord s h o w t h i s bird w as s ee n to s trik e with i ts bi ll

t h e s acre d s to n e of Cru s tum e rium ? T h e s to ne w as
s a cre d as t h e r e s id e n c e of t h e brig h t god an d th e ,

bird v en e rabl e as t he m e s se n g e r o f h e aven t h at

broug h t him th e re By an e as y d e ve lop m en t of t h e
.

origi n al id e a t h e bird com es to be a h i e rogly ph i n di

c ati n g wh e re it i s set t h e prese n c e of s upe rn atura l
, ,

p ow e r . So it a ppears o n t h e s acre d a x es of Cre t e ,

an d i s see n p e rc h e d o n t h e p ill a r s t h at r e pr es en t e d

t h e tree i n ea rly cult s .

I n t h e V al d A rn o bird s c e rt a i n ly p l ay t h e ir p art i n
’

t h e gre a t s pri n g fe s tiv a l O n E as t e r Mo n d ay a t .

S ig n a littl e c h ildre n o f two an d three y e ars old ri d e

i n to Chu rc h on th e asse s t h at b ear t h e E as te r offe r
i n gs of oil to t h e P i e va no A s m all fi n ch i s put i n to .

t h e l as t child s h an d a n d p rese n tly fli e s fre e to es c a p e

’

by t h e C h u rc h door I t s fligh t i s c lose ly w atc he d.

,

1
N 11 , i x 7 . . For w o o d p e ck e , r x . 18, etc .

2
L iv y ,
x li . l3 .
336 F l o re n ce P a s t an d P re se n t
for it b e li e ve d to c a rry t he fortu n e of t he seas o n
is
a nd y ea r to t h e p e r s o n or t h e h ou se o n which it

firs t aligh t s At Floren ce on E as te r S aturd ay th e

. ,

P RO C ES SI O N F RO M P I E V E C ROSSES P I A Z Z
A OF
SI GN A ; FO RTUN E TE LL ER AN D HER TA BL E
-

N F OREGRO U N D
1

m essen ge r th at tra ve l s a lo n g t h e wire out of th e

C at h e dral door to th e c a r i s s till c al l e d t h e colomhi rza .

O n c e it mu s t h av e b een s h ap e d as a dove E arli e r .

s till as at R om e i n 149 3 a livi n g p ig e o n w

, , as prob ably
338 Fl o re n ce P a s t an d P re se n t
l e arn it fro mt h e colomhi n a w h il e th e b e ll s ri n g out
,

a bov e ,
an d livi n g a ut h e n tic dov e s w ea ri n g t he old ,

colours s w ee p s t a rtl e d a cro s s t h e s k y T h e s e dov es

,
.

of t h e Duomo are s till favourit es w h ic h n o n e may

h arm i n a l an d w h e re bird s a re rut h l e s s ly kill e d A nd .

t h i s t h en b e c au se o n c e t h e y w e re s o muc h more ;
h e ld for tru e fire bird s m e s se n g e r s of a brig h t h e av en
-

t h at s toope d an d a h eave n ly p ow e r th a t d re w n e a r to
,

a n s w e r an d to bl es s .

W as Z e u s t h e n or J u p ite r—to giv e h i m hi s I t al i an

,

n a m e— t h e god of t h i s Flore n ti n e fe as t ? N a m es are

of littl e co n s e qu e n c e i n re ligio n as c omp are d with
id e as t h e ir m ean i n g i s m a i n ly loc al re l a tiv e an d h i s ,

t o ri c al
. To p l a c e an d tim e an d circu m s t an c e w e
mu s t re tur n th e n e re w e c an fin d th e an s we r to s uc h
,

a qu e s tio n .

T h e tim e p ro p e r to s uch a rit e a s t h a t of E as te r

S aturd ay h as s e e m e d to be th e E qui n o x of S p ri n g ;
t h e mor e t h a t Flor e n c e t h e n b e g a n h e r y e a r Now .

i n Gre e c e t h i s Equi n ox w as t h e d at e s a cr e d to
C y b e l e wh en t h e fe as t of th e godd es s a n d of h e r
,

p a rt n e r Atti s w e re c e l e b ra t e d t h e mou r n i n g for A tti s

mi n gl e d wit h th e s u c c e e di n g p om p of t h e f i la ri a 1 -

B eyo n d t h i s g en e ral an d obviou s a gr ee m en t t h e re are

cu riou s d e tail s of b e li e f an d ritu a l w h ic h se rve to
co n n e ct t h e F lo re n t i n e f e as t with th at w h ic h Greec e
'

an d t h e E as t ob s e rv e d .

T h e godd e s s h e r s e lf form s t h e b e s t p oi n t of d e p a r

M b S t i 2
1
ac ro .
, a .
, . 1.
 Mid -
Le nt an d E as t e r 339

tur e h e r e C yb e l e i s th e S emi tic Gib el 1 and m ean s

.
,

t h e mou n t ai n Furthe r e x a mi natio n of th e n am e

.

s h ow s th a t i t s root l i es i n t h e H e b re w to
g a ha l
twi s t as a rope from wh ic h com es th e d e riva tive
,

g ehul t h e li n e by w h ic h bou n d a ri es are m e as

ure d ? T h e divi n ity t h e n co n c e iv e d to a tt a c h to , ,

t h e h il l b e lo n g s to it i n i t s offic e a s a d ividi n g w at e r

s h e d an d li mit T h e id e a of w at e r i s i n d ee d s o s ure ly
.

i m p li e d h e re th at t h e S e m itic Cyb e l e b ecom e s i n

Gree k Rh e a i n whom w e h ave n o di ffi culty i n fi n di n g
,

t h e ,6a é mea voi} t h e v as t s trea m s thoug h t of as

,

bou n di n g o n e ve ry s id e t h e h abitabl e e art h 3 Simi .

larly w e fin d 7 6: K J Beh a gp m v e ry i n d e fi n it e a n d
my s tic a l 1 as it w e re t h e utmo s t bou n d of t h e e ve r
,
‘ ‘

l as ti n g h ill s or th at m o u n ta i n of K af wh ich t he A rab s

,
’

s till b e li e v e en comp as s es t h e world .

But t h e bou n d ary i s n o t ne c ess arily the circl e of

t h e e a rth n or a lw ay s so a b s olut e an d all e mbra ci n g
, .

I t m ay be as n arrow as a city w al l or th e limits of a

s i n gl e e s t at e or fi e ld but l a rg e r or s m al l e r it i s e v e r
, , ,

t h e eucei rzt e wh e re n a tur a lly t h e moth e r godd ess

, , ,

s h ow s h e r pow e r an d do e s h e r o ffic e I f h e r n am e .

s p e l l s th e mou n t ai n th at en comp asse s h e r h e ad ,

we a rs t h e mura l crown t h e civic bou n d ary t h at ,

1
D i od S i c
. i i i 58 .
,
. .

2
G ese ni us , Thesaurus, s v , a so th e L a n Inn i s an d fin i s, l ti a nd

ivi r —u
. .

r v ti
C o rs sen s d e i a on of J an s
'
om d de e q asi D i van us u fr . Th i s
w ul
o k g
d m a e h i m a ai n th e c on so o f C be e on th e D ec man s rt y l u u wi th
w i k w
h ch w e no h e was assoc a ed it .

3 P l t C tylu
a o, ra s.

D are mberg Sagli o, D zctzon nai re, C ybel e ’

'
‘
’

4 et s. v. .
3 40 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P res e n t
en close s ; a n d h e rs i s t h e s to n e p oi nt e d lik e a ,

h ill t h a t m ark s t h e limit s of l a n d s

,
S h e i s the .

mot h e r an d t h e re fore h as a m a l e com p an ion i n fe ri o r

,
‘

at fi r s t ye t e s s e n ti a l an d e v e r growi n g i n im p o r

TREES NATU R A L AN D R I TUA L AT

, , MA D ON NA D E L SASSO
'

t an c e
"
l
t i ll
a s t h eat
as s um e s h e r p la c e
1
H e i s t he .

tow e r of t h e mur a l crow n t h e tree t h at with t h e s to n e

, , ,

s e cur e s t h e rur a l bou n d a ry T h e tree of A tti s w as i n

.

fact as e mi n en t at t h e H il ari a as t h e s to n e of Cyb el e .

1
I vi rtu
n f t h i gr wt h th h u b d i
e o s o e ft th s Th u Z u
an s o en e son . s e s

gr w
e th ;
as ef Rh
‘
son o ea .
3 42 F l o re n ce P as t an d P res e n t
an d with s om e s ol e m n ity w h en t h e di vi s io n w as m ad e
,
.

W h at o n e i s le d to fan cy th e n i s a y early c e re mo n y
i n wh ic h t h at s ol e m n m e as ur e m e n t w as re pe a t e d i n a
rite t h a t s tre tc h e d th e cord o n c e more a lo n g the '

D e cu man u s n o w b e com e a s tree t T h e moth e r an d

, .

p rot e ctr e s s of citi es would be n atu r a lly i n vok e d o n

s uc h a n occ as io n an d t h e cord m ad e to run b e tw ee n
,

h e r p yre a n d t h e fire of h e r m a l e com p an io n T he .

s p ri n g Equi n o x w h i c h w e k n ow to h a v e b e e n s a cr e d
,

to Cyb e l e would n atura lly fix t h e d a t e of t h e

,

c e re mo n y T h u s a n e w an d p l a u s ibl e m e an i n g migh t
.

at t ac h to t h e cord s till u s e d for t h e colombi n a it

would be—wire t h ough it n o w i s— a s urviv al an d
s ucc e s s or of t h e m eas u ri n g li n e — th e g ehul— th at
m ad e Flore n c e w h at s h e h as b e com e .

V ill an i s ay s t h at Flore n c e w as fou n d e d u n d e r t h e

t h ird d egree of Ari es 1 w h ic h corre s p o n d s s uffici e n tly
,

wit h t h e d at e of Cyb e l e s fe as t T h e t w e n ty fi ft h o f
’
.

M a rc h w as t h u s t h e birt h d ay may it n o t al s o h ave ,

b e e n t h e n a m e d a v of t h e city w h ic h for s o lo n g
-

b eg an h e r y ear wit h t h e E qui n o x of S p ri n g ? T h e

n a m e of Flor e n c e do e s i n fact o e n a n e w vi e w of t h e
p , ,

m att e r w e h av e i n h an d .

Of t h e two vill ag es w h ic h c a m e to t he agre e m e n t

a n d divi s io n j u s t m e n tio n e d t h e Vill a A rn i n a w as ,

p rob ably t h e mor e import an t T h i s n a m e n o w lo s t .

, ,

s urviv e s i n t h at o f t h e Ar n o an d a l s o b e lo n g e d to ,

an ot h e r s tr e a m t h e A r n i n e w h ic h d r ai n s an d w at e rs
, ,

G V ill i C
1
. iii an , ron . , . 1.
 Mi d -
Le n t a nd E as t e r 3 43
th e s outh — w es t cor ne r of Tu s c an y 1 N ow the Arn i n e .

h as b e com e t h e Fior a j u s t as A rn i n a c h an g e d i t s
,

n a m e to Flor e n ti a R iv e rs as w e ll as h ill s t en d to
.

b ear d ivi n e n a m es an d to p e rpe tu ate th e m H en c e

, .

a prob ability th a t Flor e n c e i s c all e d a ft e r t h e godd ess

Flora w h o s e e a rl i e r Etru s c an nam e s ee m s to h ave

,

b ee n Ar n a C an t h i s Arn a or Flor a h ave been

.
, ,

s imply Cyb e l e i n a loc a l a li as an d p e rh a p s i n a ,

furth e r d e v e lopm e n t ?
Cyb e l e w as t h e god d ess of bou n d a ri es but h e r ,

n am e t h e [ W a ter M a o o s how s th at t h e bou n d a ry

, g ,

h ad i m port a n c e b e c a u se of wh at it en clo s e d and pro

t ec t e d I f h e r en cei ute be t ak e n as th at of th e fi e ld
.
,

th en at h e r fe as t i n s pri n g s h e mu s t h a v e h e ld th e
, ,

pl ac e of a godd es s of ve g e t a tio n the moth e r of t h e

s p ri n gi n g c o m t h e gree n moth e r or C h lori s of th e
,

Gree k s th e Flora of t h e L ati ns A t th e E qui n ox thi s

, .

p e cu li a r pow e r of n ature w as s ee n i n e ve ry fi e ld with

t h e s pri n gi n g cor n T h e wi n t e r w as p a s t an d th e life
.

of t he n ew y ea r b e gu n T h e wi n t e r fea rs w e re d ead
.
,

but t h ey h ad l e ft a s ucc es s io n i n th e u n c e rt ai n ty of
t h e s e as o n A h arves t t h e re would be but of w h a t
.
,

k in d A s t h e Flor e n ti n e y e ar op e ne d t h i s w as t he
qu es tio n of t h e d ay
O n a p ri n ci p l e of e up he m i s m —t he wi s h t h e fat h e r
.

to t h e n a m e —Flora no w be c am e F ort un a u n c e rt ai n ,

as t h e seas o n it s e l f y e t pl a c abl e w e re it o n ly t h at s h e
,

h e ard h e r se lf c al l e d by t h i s titl e Fortu n a i s t h e .

1
A mi e ur th m f th Fi r i th M ri t i m I ti r y
n oc c s as e na e o e o a n e a e ne ar .
3 44 F l o re n ce P as t an d P res e n t
b e a ri n g c a rryi n g godd e s s 1 th e bri n g e r —
,
fort h w h o i s ,

al s o t h e bri n g e r i n mi s tres s of t h e farm di s p e n s e r of

-

t h e ru s tic j oy s of h arv e s t h om e w h en u n c e rt a i n ty i s a -

th i n g of t h e p as t To c all Flora so w as i n it se l f an
.

att e m p t at p ro p iti atio n .

Nor n ee d th e re be a n y doubt t h at t h e two a re

really o n e t h ough w e mu s t look far a fi e ld to fin d
,

p ro o f of t h i s id e n tity A s Cyb e l e i s r e al ly t h e e as t e r n
.

G i hel s o t h e F o rtuna of t h e Rom an s w a s k n ow n i n

,

Cilici a an d p re ci s e ly at T a rs u s as A th eh or A tha r
, ,
‘ ‘

a th eh w h ic h t h e Gr e e k s r e n d e re d as A t a rg at i s
?
,
On
t h e l a t e r c oi n s of T a r s u s s h e i s re p re sen t e d n o t o n ly

we a ri n g t h e mu ral crow n of Cyb e l e t h e civic Fortu n e , ,

but gr as p i n g e a rs of cor n i n h e r h an d : cl e a rly sh e

3

w as a cor n godd ess a n d mot h e r of t h e fi e ld s as w e ll ,

a s of t h e tow n H e r S e miti c n a m e ap p e a rs i n t h e
.

S p an i s h Gran ad a re ally K a ra ,
a n d u n d e r th e

Rom an s t h i s P h oen ici an tow n b ec a m e Flore n ti a j u s t ,

’

a s t h e A rn i n a by t h e Ar n o d id T h i s corre s p o n d e n c e .

s h ould be en oug h to sh ow t h a t Flor a an d Fortu na

w e re re ally on e an d t h at s h e re prese n t ed Cyb e l e i n

,

h e r c h a r acte r of a cor n godd e s s So t h e Etru s c an s .

too i n t h e ir d ay m ay h ave t h ough t to p l ac ate A rn a by

c al li n g h er N orzi a w h e n t h e h a rv es t w as i n qu es tio n
‘
.

But t h e on coi me of t h e moth e r godd e s s w as t h e‘

tow n w all as w e ll as th e bou n d ary of t h e fi e ld ; or

-

s h a ll w e s ay th a t an ot he r s to n i e r fi e ld lay i n h e r
,

1
See F wl r p i t p p
o e , 66 7
o . cFr r A d ms , p 129
. 1 -
.
2
az e , a . .

3
F rd Sp i 4 '

p 3 1 1 o s a n 2
. .
p 9 . 2 .
3 46 F l o re n c e P as t a nd P re s e n t
T h i s wors h i p did n o t s t ay i n Cy p ru s or e v e n i n ,

Gre e c e ; it p as s e d s til l w e s tw a rd with t h e P h oen ici an ,

s h i p s an d t h e Gr ee k colo n i s t s to fin d an ot h e r h om e ,

i n e xtre m e Sicily a t t h e Sicili an E ryx I f we .

s ee k it h e r e an d n o t i n A rc ad i a a t t h e P s o p h i s of ,

Z acy n th u s or i n S p ai n it i s o n ly b ec au s e e vid e n c e of
, ,

t h e Sicili an ritu al i s av a i l abl e w h il e t h a t of Gr e e c e ,

ca n but be co n j e cture d At E ry x it w as s till t h e .

flig h t an d re tu rn of a dove t h at t h e wors h i p p e rs

w atc h ed an d t h i s dov e i s d e fi n it e ly d e s crib e d as re d
,

e vid e n tly a tru e fire bird w h o s e h om e w as i n t he

-

my s te riou s e ve r bu r n i n g p yre of t h i s t e m p l e 1 Now

-
.

w e h av e a lre ady fou n d r e as o n to t h i n k t h a t t h e

godd e ss p as se d to t h e V al d A rn o w h e re s h e s e ttl e d ’

i n a n e w ye t s imil a r s eat on t h e P i s a n h ill s N or .

c an Flor e n c e be s u pp o se d i n diffe re n t to h e r wor s h i p

w h e n s till as i n t h e A n ag og e of Ery x it i s t h e fligh t

, , ,

an d e s p e ci all
y t h e r e tu rn of a fi e ry m e s se n g e r c a ll e d
,

a dove t h at h e r
p e o p l e cou n t o n an d w atc h a t t he
fes tiv al of s p ri n g !
T h e fire w h ic h a ccom p an i e s t h e godd e s s i n a ll h e r
migr atio n s d e m an d s more co n s id e r atio n th an w e h av e
ye t giv e n it U ltim a t e ly as Gib e l Cyb e l e or t h e
.
, ,

B aal ath of By blus 2 t h e D ea Sy ri a i s a godd es s of

,

bou n d ari e s an d at th e se limit s fire i s re adily fou n d

, .

E v e n i n t h e Middl e A g e t h e tow n ditc h e s of Flore n c e

a re s til l c all e d ca rbon a ri a th e pl ac e of co a l s 3 , .

1
A eli an , D e A n i ma lzbus ,
’

iv . 2 ; x .
50 .
2
F r r
az e , A d am s , p
'

. 10 .

3
L am i , Memora bi li a , p .
986 , ad an n .
 Mi d -
Le n t an d E as t e r 3 47

Al rea dy i n th e book s of t h e Agrim en sore s co al s are

, ,

s pok e n of a s a com mo n m e an s of m a ki n g a bou n d a ry .

p rm t Buri e d i n the bou n d a ry tre n c h t h ey

1
e a n e n .
,

w e re i n d es tructibl e an d s o lay re ady at t he fi rs t

,

exc a v a tio n to s h ow be v on d doubt w h e r e t h e tru e

li m os ran E a rli e r s till e re a n y h i s tory w as writte n

.
,

i n book s t h e I t a li an p e o p l e of t h e T erra ma re l e ft co a l
,

i n t h e bou n di n g tr e n c h of t h e ir tow n s 2 a n d biv a lv e ,

s h e ll s — a lw ay s s a cr e d to t h e mot h e r god d e s s— i n t h e

ritu a l furrow t h a t m a rk e d t h e D e c um an u s 3 T h e .

tow n w a ll w as s om e ti m e s u s e d as a n a lt a r w h e n t h e
tow n w as i n d an ge r4 T h u s on t h e w h ol e it would .
, ,

see m lik e l y t h a t bou n d a ri e s w e re h a llow e d a lw ay s by

t h e fi r e s of t h e mo t h e r of tow n s an d t h a t t h e p r actic e ,

of bu ryi n g co a l s o n s uc h a li ne m ay h a ve s urvived
b e c au s e of co n v e n i en c e but w as origi n a lly s ugge s ted ,

by t h e r e m a i n s of t h e s e ritu a l p yr e s .

P urs u i n g t h e m att e r of fire w e re m e mb e r th at t h e ,

p y r e of Flor e n c e w as doubl e lik e t h at of Cy p ru s ,

.

O n e of t h es e fi re s mu s t h av e b ee n lig h t e d for t h e
godd e s s an d t h e ot h e r cou ld o n ly be t h at of h e r m a l e
,

com p an io n t h e Ado n i s of th i s Ve n u s But i f s o t h e

,
.
,

bo n d b e tw e e n t h e m t h e cord on w h ic h t h e dove ,

tra v e ll e d as a m e s s en g e r could n o t but h av e i t s o w n ,

m e an i n g T h e co nj u n ctio n of t h e godd e ss an d th e
.

god s p e lt fe rti lity of e v e ry ki n d an d c h i e fly t he ,

1
S i c ulus F l acons , D e Con d A g roru m, . ed . L ac h mann , p . 140.
2
A tt i a
’
. A ccad .
’
a. L i m e i , Se r . viii .
p 3 05
. .

3
B oll. a
’
. P alel I L ,
. x xi .
p .
78 .
1
‘
2 K i n gs iii . 2 7 .
 3 48 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
h u m an i n cre as e t h e tow n e x p ecte d u n d e r s uc h
p rote ctio n A s i n gul a r d e t a il of t h e Flore n ti ne rite
.

m ak e s th i s c e rtai n as far as Flore n c e i s co n c e r n e d .

W ith i n t h e m e mory of th o s e s t i ll livi n g mi s c h i e vou s ,

boy s a r m,
ed wit h n ee dl e s an d s tout p a ck t h re ad -

p ass e d u n ob s e rv e d t h roug h t h e crowd e d P i a zz a o n

E as t e r S at urd a v s e wi n g t h e clot h e s o f t h e cou n try
,

folk toge t he r i n t h e p re ss W h en t h e Sco pp io d e l .

‘

C arro w as ove r an d t h e crowd brok e up t h e fe as t

’

, ,

b e c am e a tru e H i la ri o of j e s t l e ve ll e d at t h e un
fortu n at e m en an d wom en w h o s tood p e rp l e x e d at
t h e trick an d co n fu s e d
,
i n t h e ir v a i n a tt e m p t s to
s ep a ra t e T h e p a ck t h r ea d t h a t joi n e d t h e p e o p l e
1 -

cl e arly corres p o n d e d to t h e cord t h at u n ite d t h e p yre s

an d dir e ct e d t h e dov e t h e m e s s e n g e r of V e n u s an d
,

t h e b e a re r of h e r fire s .

Nor i n all t h i s we re t h e fi e ld s or t h e i n creas e of

the l an d forgott e n A s t h e I t a li a n V ill a s till
.
‘ ’

m ean s t h e e s t at e as w e l l as t h e cou n try h ou se s o th i s -

‘
city m ay be co n c e ive d to h ave com p re h e n d e d t h e
’

te rritory i n w h ic h t h e tow n s tood Bot h w e re p ut .

u n d e r t h e c a re of th e s am e mot h e r godd e ss an d he r ,

w id e r fu n ctio n w as r e m e mb e re d i n t h e v e ry rit e t h at

trac e d h e r n a rrowe r bou n d ary T h e tr e n c h t h at

d e fi ne d t h e limit s of t he tow n an d m a rk e d i t s ritu al
D e cum an u s w as a tru e furrow an d w as trac e d by a ,

p loug h dr aw n by w h it e ox e n as wh it e o x en s till dr ag ,

1
S ee l tt r
e e of a sep tu g
a ena ri an i n th e F l r ti
o en ne F i era mosca fo r
26 Ap ril 1909 .
3 50 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
o n ce done s o th i n ki n g to g a i n p e rs o n al i n te re st
h a ve
i n a rit e w h ic h h e b e li e v e d abl e to p ro p iti at e t he
fic k le godd e s s an d se cu r e t h e fe rtility of hi s fi e ld s
'

T h e c a k es by t h e m se lv e s i n d ee d would h ar dly be
e n oug h t o w a rr a n t s uc h a co n j e ctur e but t h e y are,

FL ORE N T I NE EASTER C A K ES ; EGGS

-

IN B A S K ETS ,
AN D D O E
V

n ot the o n l y grou n d o n w h i c h it r e s t s T h e dov e an d

.

fire c e r e mo n y t h e y p l a i n ly s ymb o li s e dr aw t h e
c o u n try p e o p l e i n t h ou s an d s s t i ll fo r t h i s c h i e f pur o s e
p
'

t h at t h ey m ay l e a r n from t he flig h t of t h e colom hi n a

w h at t h e h a rv e s t will be T h e rit e s till fur n i s h e s an
.

or ac l e th e n m ay it n o t o n c e h ave p romi se d more ?

,

I f s o muc h i s l e ft u n d e r C h ri s ti an ity wh at c an t h e
,

full d o c tri n e of Flore n ti n e P ag an i s m h av e b e e n ? -

 Mi d -
Lent an d E as t e r 3 5I
O n e m ay u m e th a t wh e re as th e pe o p l e n o w
ass ,

as s e mbl e m e r e ly to k n o w t h e ir r e mot e fore fath e rs

,

c a m e to do : to t ak e p a rt i n a rite w h ic h t h ey b e li e v e d
a bl e to bi n d or at l eas t p e rs u ad e Fortu ne an d s o
, , ,

s e cur e h e r h a rves t fa vour s .

To s um up : t h i s s p ri n g c e re mo n y n o t o n ly fits
w h a t w a s o n c e th e o p en i n g of t h e Flore n ti n e y ear ,

but re cord s t h e gre at ac t oth e rwi se forgott e n by

, ,

w h ic h Arui n a an d Ca marte c am e to a divi s io n an d

s t a bl e a gr e e m en t T h e li n e t h e n d ra w n re m a i ne d to
.

form t h e D e cu m an u s of Floren c e an d t he agree m en t ,

arriv e d at l a id t h e fou n d a tio n of a u n io n an d p rogr es s

w h ic h c a rri e d build i n g a lo n g t h i s c h i e f d e te rm i n an t ,

an d en d e d by m a ki n g Flore n c e w h at s h e i s But .

b e h i n d t h e grea t mom e n t lay a furt he r p as t lo s t i n ,

t h e d e p t h of wood s t h a t h a d b e gu n to giv e w ay to

cl e a ri n g co n s tructio n an d cultiv atio n A n d t h i s p as t

,
.

of t h e woodl an d l ife it w as t h a t broug h t i t s c on

t ribut i o n to t h e rit e t h a t s eal e d t h e civic p e a c e .

Me n h ad w a tc h e d t h e s un an d wo n d e re d at it lo n g
e re th e y w a tc h e d a g ai n to s trik e t h i s bou n d ary .

T h e y h ad fou n d i t s h idd e n fire i n t h e tree an d i n t h e

s to n e . T h e gre a t di s cov e ry a n d t h e dre a m s it
,

p rovok e d w e r e w h at t h e y n o w a ck n owl e dg e d i n t h e i r
,

rit e T h e Fortu ne of t h e d ay h ad com e wit h t h e

.

fi rs t Flore n ti n e s from t he fore s t th at w as o n c e t h e

h ome of th e ir rac e .
 C H A P T ER X IV

TH E GRILL O AND M I D S U MMER

A S C E N S I O N D A Y i s ob se rve d at Flore n c e i n a w ay
-

~
to m ak e it one of t h e mo s t c h a racte ri s tic feasts i n
'

THE OAK OF THE C AS C I NE IN ITS THREE GENERAT IO NS

the C al en d ar of th e city At d aw n t h e p e opl e s tr eam

.
,

out i n thou san d s to th e C as ci n e s p e n di n g t h e d ay

,

till n oo n i n th e O p e n gras s y s paces an d u n d e r th e ,

3 52
 T he G ri ll o an d M i d s um me r 3 55

tre es of t h at public p ark W h il e t h i s pl ac e w as s till

, .

t h e d a iry farm of th e Gr an d Duk es cu s tom pre s crib e d , .

th a t th e d ay s h ould b egi n with a dri n k of w a rm m ilk

ta k e n at t h e farm 1 T h e p e o p l e th e n p assed o n as
.
,

t h e y s till do to a ren dez vous at th e an ci en t oak tree

,
-

of t h e adj oi n i n g p ark w he n c e th e y s c a tte re d a g ai n i n

,

grou p s to c atc h t h e g ri llz t h e bl ack field crick e ts

'

, ,

t h a t form e ve n to dzi y t h e c h i e f obj e ct of t h i s outi n g

‘

, , .

T h e i r p re y c augh t an d c ag ed t h e p eopl e di ne s om e ,

e a ti n g on t h e gr as s t h e p rovi s io n s t h ey h av e broug h t

oth er s s e e ki n g th e ru s tic re s t auran ts s et out b eneath

t h e tree s. At midd ay t h e p ark i s e mpty ag ai n t h e
pe o p l e h av e go n e h om e wit h t he ir g rzlli — c aught
'

or bo ugh t—i n t h e l ittl e c ag es of buckw h e a t s te m

t h a t s e rve to co n t ai n t h e m T h e c ag es a re h u n g .

i n th e h ou se s for t h e F lo ren t i n e s t h i n k t h e crick e t s

’

s o n g bri n g s luck to t h e h om e ; e s p e ci ally if t h e

r i lli c an be k e p t a liv e a n d voc a l till t h e d ay of
‘

g
<

Cor p u s C h ri s ti I t i s to be feared t h at fe w s urvive

.

a s lo n g !

J u s t th i s s urviva l h ow e v e r mu s t be i n s i s te d o n ;
, ,

for it s h ow s cl early wh a t Flore n c e h as i n mi n d w h e n

t h e g ri lli a re c a ugh t W h e n E as te r fa ll s l ate
.

tow ard s t h e 2 5t h of A p ril — Corp us I ta ly

c all s t h e furth e r fe as t t e n d s to coi n cid e with t h e
,

s u m m e r s ol s tic e Now t h e s o n g of t h e fie ld crick e t -

. ,

o p en i n g fee bly about t h e be gi n n i n g of May reache s ,

i t s h e igh t o n ly at mid s umm e r to d i e aw ay a bout ,

T h tr d i t i l l tt
‘ ’
1 on a a on e .
e a
3 56 F l o re n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t
th e of July 1 Thu s whe n A s c ens io n d ay
15t h .
,
-

fa ll s
on A p ril 3 o th t h e re are n o s i n gi n g crick e t s ; and

C AGE F OR A C R I CK ET I N BU C K W EAT STE M ;

H
TRA D T ONA L F OR M
I I

evid en tly t h e s ol s tic e i s t h e d a te at w h ich an y o bs erv

an c e co n ne cte d wit h t h i s i n s e ct s h ould
p rop e rly fall .

W ith t h i s re fe ren c e to t h e s ol s tic e an ci e n t a uth ority

A H S wi t
1
. . [ m t V i ty (L
n on , ee ar e d C
on ll ) p 84
on , asse , . 1 .
 T h e G ri ll o an d M i ds umme r 3 59

fully agre es P li ny who m e n tio ns how th e g ry llus

.
,

w as c a ught i n h i s tim e wit h a h air h old i n g an an t a s

b a it quote s N i gi d i us for t h e gre a t im portan c e attach e d
,

to t h e fie ld crick e t i n th e doctri n e of t h e M a gi I t
-
.

bu rrow s i n th e earth he say s w alk s b ackw ard s an d , , ,

s i n g s by n ight s uc h are t h e r e as o ns h e o ffe r s for t h e

att e n tio n it attract e d 1 Now t he sam e b ackw a rd .

move m e n t w as n otic e d i n th e s carabze us of th e N il e

an d i n t h e cr ab 2 Egy p t m a d e th e sc arabze us a ‘
.

s ymbol of t h e s un an d t h e world s aw t h e cr ab i n
3
,

th a t s ig n of t he Z odi a c w h ic h th e s un e n te re d at
mid s umm e r 1 I n C an c e r t h e sun b egan hi s an n u a l
.
‘
,

re tre a t ; h en c e a pe rc e iv e d re l atio n b etw een t h i s

s ol s tic e an d all b ackw ard movi n g a n im al s A mo n g -
.

s uc h t h e n t he g ri llo h e ld a pl ac e of ho n our an d ,

b e lo n g e d lik e the m to t h e s a m e great mom en t i n t h e

, ,

y e a r ; g ath e ri n g all t h e fan ci e s with whic h th e s ol s tic e

w as as s oci ate d Som e of th e s e may n ow be m en tio n e d
. .

M a crobiu s say s th a t th e fi rs t poi n t of C an c e r i s th e

pl a c e wh e re th e mil ky w ay cuts t h e path of t h e -

Z odi a c an d th at he re t h e ga te o p en s by wh ic h s oul s
,

d e s c e n d to earth from h e av en 6 I t i s an articl e of .

m od e rn folk lore at Rom e th at on th e vigil of

-

A s c e n s io n D ay Chri s t d es c e n d s to ch an ge t h e w ate r
i n to mil k i n the s we ll i n g r of ea s co m 6
T h i s be li e f .

h as e vid en tly n o re l a tio n to t he Even t t h e C h urc h

1
ME i 6
, xx x. Mi t i 28 ; i 3
.
2
t , x . x. 1
.

M b S t i 1
‘
3 acro a 21
11xxx . . .
, .
, . .

5
S oom . i . 12 .

6
Corrze re della S era (Mil an ) May 1909
'

,
21 .
 3 60 F l o re n c e P as t an d P res e n t
Ce e l brat es I t agree s h o w e ve r wit h t h e doctri n e o f
.

M acrobi us an d mu s t h ave b e e n a ttra ct e d h o w o n e ,

c an n ot s ay to A s c e n s io n D ay from m id s u mm e r
,
' "

p l ai nly i t s tru e d at e S o t h e g ri llo o f t h e s am e

.

s ol s tic e i s n ow c aug h t by t h e F lo re n t i n e s o n A s c e n s io n

D ay an d t h e y p r e p a r e for t h e c h a s e by dri n ki n g
,

milk p e rh ap s o n c e a sym p a th e tic ch arm di re cte d to

s e cure t h e s w e e t i n flu e n c es of t h e V i a L a ci ea an d fill ,

t h e s w e lli n g c or n W e follow t h e le ad o f t he s e
'

multi p li e d i n dic atio n s an d tur n to t h e co n s id e r atio n

,

of m id su m m e r d ay a s th e re a l root of t he w h ol e
m a tt e r .

T h e 2 4t h o f J u n e o n c e t h e s um m e r s ol s tic e
, ,

i s s till o bs e rv e d a t Flor en c e a s t h e d ay of S an
Giov an n i an d with m a rk e d s o l e m n ity as t h e birth d ay
, ,

of h e r p atro n s ai n t H e h as s ucc ee d e d i n t h i s offic e

.

to S an t a R e p ar a t a ; an d h e re at l e as t i n Floren ti ne
C h ri s ti an ity a s e v e r i n h e r p a gan i s m o n e s ee s t h e
, ,

fe m al e obj e ct of w ors h i p for o n c e givi n g p l a c e to th e

m al e Outs id e t h e C h urc h e s t h e fe ature s o f t h e d ay
.
,

are s oo n d e s crib e d ; t h e y n o w co n s i s t of b an qu e t s
'

p ublic or p riv a t e an d a fin e di s p l ay of fi re work s from

[

t h e C a rr a i a bridg e ; 1 a s it w e re to h a llow t h e riv e r

for t h e s um m e r b at h i n g w h ich n o w b e gi n s To e n te r ’

t h e w a t e r b e for e t h i s d a te wo uld be r e g a rd e d a s an

irre gul a rity Fire an d w a te r th en m ay be t a k e n as

.

th e u ltim ate e l e m e n t s of th e ob s e rvan c e ; th ey

1
Si
n ce 1 8 7 B f r t h i d t th y w r
2 . e o e h w fr m th t w r f
s a e e e e s o n o e o e o

th P l
e a az z o V h i ; tw y r g th d i p l y w rd r d
e cc o o ea s a o th e s a as o e e on e

Pi l Mi h l gi l w h r i t h i r m i d
az z a e c e an o o, e e as s nc e e a ne .
362 F l ore n ce P as t an dP rese nt
E as t e r fire move d o n an ax i s by men withi n an d
-
c ar, ,

cove re d wit h fi gures o f an i ma l s fruit an d flow e rs : all

'

, ,

i n s h ort th a t t h e s un s ees and w a rm s i n hi s d a ily

,

course Th ese C e ri w e re t h e o ffe ri n g s of t he s ubj ect

.

tow n s i n th e Flore n ti n e domi n io n an d from p l ac e s ,

to o s m all to att e mpt s uc h a p resen t c a m e trib ut e i n

ki n d v e ry oft e n i n t h e form of fres h c augh t fis h
,
- .

o r r e e d s from t h e m ar s h e s
1
re presen ti n g th e s tream
as t h e C e ri re presen t ed t he s un an d h i s fru it s I n .

t h e grea t d ay s of Floren ti n e i n du s try an d tr ad e a ,

wo n d e rful s how of broc ad es hu n g out b e fore t h e ,

s h o p s i n P or S an t a M a ri a dr e w all e y es an d a p a li o
’

, ,

of ric h s tuff w as th e priz e i n t he h orse r ac e th a t clo se d

t h e fe a s t Thi s rac e s om e tim es run with rid e rs
.
, ,

s om e tim es without mu s t be r ecko n e d amo n g t h e

,

p rimitiv e e l e m en t s h e r e I n t h e fourt ee n th c e n tury it

.

w as a lr e ad y old b eyo n d m e mory of man so t h a t t he ,

Ch ron i c le ven t ures to as crib e i t s origi n to t h e tim e

‘

w h e n Floren c e fi rs t cho s e t h e Ba pti s t as h e r P a tro n ?

,

I n re a lity it i s prob ably much old e r ; an d i n d e e d to ,

fin d t h e orig i n of t h e s e O b s e rv an c es we mu s t turn ,

from C h ri s ti an ity to t h e p ag an i s m t h at pre c e d e d it .

T h e K ran i a of Gr ee c e i s th e fes tiv al w h ic h mo st

n e arly res e mbl e s th a t of S an Giov an n i at Flor e n c e .

Ath e n s ce l ebrate d t h e K ro n i a o n t h e b an k s of t he
I li s s u s j u s t as Fl ore n c e fe as t e d h er s ai n t by th o se of
'

th e A rn o A n othe r corre s p on d e n c e a ppe a rs i n th e

.

offe ri n g w h ich i n Gr ee c e as at Floren c e s ee m s to

, , ,

1
C mbi gi p G V ill i C m i 6 0 4
'

a a pp 73 5 3
o 1 2 an , ra
-
.
, .
,
. .
, . .
 T h e G ri l lo an d M id s um mer 363

h ave co n s i st e d of all ki n d s o f produc e Feasti n g

‘ ‘ ‘

fo llow e d th e sacri fi c e an d at th e feast maste rs and

'
'

ser v a n t s sat d ow n toge th e r for i t was esse n ti ally the

s e rv an t s d ay w h en an u n u s u al lic en c e of s peech and
’

b e h aviou r was pe rm itt e d t h e m T h e K ron i a fe ll i n .

s um m e r an d w as i n fa ct a h arve s t fes tiv al as i n d ee d

, ,

o ne m igh t h ave
gu e sse d from t h e s ickl e th at K ro n o s
h old s i n h i s h an d I t i s tru e t h a t At h e ns c e l e brate d
.

h e r K ron i a i n J u ly but i n t h e I o n i an C al e n d ar t h e
, ,

mo n th c al l e d K rom on corres p on d s to ou r Ju n e 1
' '

H e re th en i n h e r gre a t d ay, Flore n c e i s see n looki n g

, ,

n ot to R om e for t h e R om an S a tur n ali a fe ll at th e

,

s ol s tic e of wi n te r n o r e ve n to Ath en s w h e re th e
, ,

feas t w as h e ld i n J uly but to th at further Gree ce i n ,

A s i a w h ic h lay at t h e door s of t h e i mm e mori al E as t .

O n e poi n t of gre a t im p ort an c e r e m ai n s u n d e cid ed

how c an th e presen t P a tro n o f Floren c e be re l ate d to
t he Gr ee k K ron os t h e god w h o s e pl ac e h e se em s to
,
.

h ave t ak e n ? T he an s w e r i s s im pl e r th an m ight h ave

s ee m e d poss ibl e B e gi n n i n g with t h e Bapti s t w e
.
,

k n ow th at h i s bi rt h d ay w as fix e d fer th e 24t h of
J u n e as th at of C h ri s t w as m ad e to fall at the wi n te r
,

s ol s tic e on a fan t as tic i n t e rp r e t atio n of t h e word s of

,
”2
St J o h n H e m u s t i n cre ase but I mu s t d e crease
.
.

The re can thu s be n o doubt th at tho se who thu s

twi s te d the text saw b e hi n d St Joh n the s un th at a t .
,

t h e s ol s tic e of s u mm e r b egi ns h i s a nn u a l r e tr ea t

1
D are mber
g etS a li o , D i ct i on n a i re,
g
'

s . v. K r on i e .
’

2
A u gus t i m i 2 8 7, 4 ; vo l
ne, S e . . v .
3 64 Fl o re n c e P a st an d P re s e nt
an d d e cl i ne Now it i s eq ually w ell k n own th a t i n
.

mod e rn Gree c e St E li a h as co me to occ up y th e

i

" ’
.

p l a c e of t h e old H e lio s t h e s un god a ch an g e which

,

e vid en tly d e p e n d s on t h e gr e at s imil a rity of t h e two .

n am es ,
es p e ci a ll y i n Gr ee k 1 T h e l a t e s t wit n e s s to .

th i s fact w o n d e rs wh o St Eli a ca n be Elij ah th e .

"

ro h t or o th r ? 2
But s u re ly t h e re c an be n o
’

p p e a n e

doubt th at h e i s t h e B ap ti s t i n t h e c hara ct e r o f
’

, ,

E li as t h a t w as for to c 6 m e 3 T h u s it i s o n ly
‘ "
.

n e c e ss a ry to r e m e mb e r t h a t K r o n o s w as but a n ot h e r

n am e fo r H e lio s —t h e s un at a p oi n t of tim e the

4
,

s un of t h e s ol s tic e — to s e e t h e m e an i n g of t h e W h ol e

c ycl e of c h an g e t h at h as se t t h e B a ti s t a t Flor en c e
p ,

a s e l s e wh e r e i n t h e p l ac e of t h e old s u
,
n god .

B eh i n d St J oh n a s p atro n s t an d s t h e figure of
.

S an t a R e p a rat a w h o p re c e d e d h i m i n th i s offic e So .

i n p ag an i s m too be s ur e t h e r e w as a godd e s s old e r

‘

, , , ,

o n e mig h t a lmo s t s ay th an t h e s un god t h e m al e

, ,

w h o w as firs t s ubordi n at e an d t h e n o n ly h e r e qu al
'

p a rt n e r b e fore h e c am e to t h e s tre n gth th a t e n a bl e d

'
'

h i m to s u p p l an t h e r W e h av e s een h e r already but

.
,

to s ee h e r h e re at t h e s ol s tic e a s h ort digres s io n an d

n e w a p p ro ac h will be n e c es sary .

I n o ld Ro me t h e 2 4 t h of J u n e was k e pt as t he

d ay o f Fortu n e w h e n s h e w as w ors h i p p e d as
,

e x p r e s s ly F ort un a F orzi s Fortu n e at h e r b es t ‘

,

s tr en g t h e vid e n tl y i n s m at h y wit h t h e s un t h e n at
, y p
1
Law s on , o
p . ci t . ,
p 44
. .
2
Mi ni , no e. t
3 M tt
a . xi . 14 .
4
D arem berg et S a gli o , K ro n i a .
’
366 F l o re n ce P ast . . a nd P re s e n t
t ha t p art of t h e feast w h ic h see m s t o h ave k e pt
"

lo n g est w h at o ne may c a ll a ritu a l form a nd s ens e ;

'

an d th i s w as t h e provi s io n m ad e for t h e p oor wr etc h

w h o l a sh e d to t h e iron th a t ro se a bov e t h e p ri n cip al

,

c ar w as c arri e d t h ro u g h t h e s t ree t s to r e p resen t t h e

' ' '

m a i n figure of t he d ay t h e P a tro n a n d P rot e ctor o f

‘

, ,

t h e St at e T h e c ar s top p e d i n i t s cou rs e op p o s it e a
.

h ou s e n e x t th e C h urc h of S an t a Mari a i n C a m p o
'

Fr o m th e wi n dow s S an Giov an n i re c e iv e d a l arg e ‘ ’

p rovi s io n of food an d wi n e Muc h of th i s h e t hrew .

dow n to t h e g aol bird s t h a t form e d hi s trai n but-

a lw ay s h e p as se d h i s a rm t h rough t h e gre at ci a mhella ,

k ee p i n g th a t for h im se l f T h i s w as a s w ee t cak e .

sp e ci a lly b ak e d for t h e occ as io n i n t h e ove n a tt ach e d

to th e C a m p an il e at t h e regul ar p ric e of h a l f a p i as tre

,

y e arly p aid by t h e Sta te .

I n t h e w es t e rn P e l o p o nn e s u s s w e e t c a k es we re
o ffe red i n th e s a m e w ay to o n e wh o m t he p e opl e
r e cog n i s e d i n lik e m an n e r as t h e p rot e ctor of t h e
‘
.

S t at e a n d as h e s ee m s h e re a l s o to h av e b ee n t h e
’
,

com p an io n of Fortu n a th i s Gree k rite an d myth may ,

w e l l be com p a re d wit h t h e p r a ctic e o f Flore n c e T h e

"

'

pl ac e w as E li s th e g o d S os i p o li s— p rob ably a fo rm
' ‘ ’

, .

of K ron o s or H e l io s —an d t he Sto ry ran as follow s .

E li s w a s t h r e a t e n e d by t h e en e my A wom an after .
,

wa rd s id e n tifi ed as t h e godd es s I lit h yi a a pp e a re d o ffe r ,

i n g he r n e w born c h ild to l ead t h e tow n to victory

-
.
. .

T h e i n fan t s et a t t h e h e a d of t h e h o s t s h ow e d hi s
-

, ,
I

powe r by a s udd e n p rodigy H e b e ca m e a s e rp en t .

,
 T h e G ri l lo an d M i d s um m er 36 7
an d b e fo re s uc h a wo n d e r t h e e n e my fle d , an d E li s
w as s a fe T h e n a m e S o s i p o li s c orre s p o n d s ex a ctly
.

wit h t h a t of P herep oli s give n by P i n d ar to Tyc h e or

,

Fortu n a an d P au s an i as re cord s a t l e as t on e c ase i n

,

wh ic h at E li s a t e m p l e of Fortu ne s tood b es id e a
, ,

s m a ll e r s h ri ne d e dic a t e d to S os i o li s H i s p ri n ci p a l
p .

s e a t h ow e v e r w h e r e t h e s w ee t c a k e s w e r e offe r e d la
, , y ,

u n d e r t h e h ill c a ll e d K ro n i o s j u s t out s id e t h e t e m p l e
'

of I lith yi a T h u s t h e c ase i s p l a i n ; it i s t h at of a
.

g o d w h o on h i s w ay to s u p pl an t h i s fe m al e com
,

p a n io n be g i n s by as s um i n g h e r titl e s an d e v e n
'

"

s ymbol s .K ro n o s b e com es S os ip oli s a n d i n t h i s ,

c h a ra ct e r P a u s an i as s aw hi m at Eli s c arryi n g t h e
v e ry cor n uco p i a of Fortu n e as w e ll as h e r n am e 1 . .

At Flor e n c e s h e w as s tro n g e r an d re t ai n e d th i s ,

s ymbol e ve n to o ur o w n tim e i n h e r qu ality as

A bLi n d a n t i a t h e godd es s of th e mark e t p ill a r
, .

P as s i n g from Gree c e to I t aly w e fin d t he s am e ,

myth witn e s s e d to by th e s a m e s ymbol s H ardly more .

t h an a y e ar ag o e xc a v atio n at t he Lucu s Furri n ae o n

t h e R om an J a n iculum broug h t to lig h t t h e r e m ai n s

o f a t e m p l e of th e s un I n t h e s e cre t c avity of t h e
.

alt a r lay a bro n z e figu r e of a godd ess wit h a se rp e n t , ,

al s o 0f bro n z e t wi ne d a bo ut h er body
,
E re t h e .

c a vity w as clo se d s om e p ri es tly h an d h ad s e t a fre sh

h en s e gg i n e ach fold of t h e s e rp en t s coil s as t h e
’ ’

s u p re m e d e dic a tio n of t h e d e p o s it T he godd e s s i s

‘

t h e D e a Syri a t h e A t a rg at i s id e n tifi e d as s uc h by
'
’

1
F ll t h i smyt h l g y
or a d ri tu l o o P u i vi 0 t
an a ,
s ee a san as , . 2 , e c .
368 Fl o re n c e Pa s t an d P re s e n t
an i n s criptio n fou n d on t he s pot an d re fe rri n g to thi s ,

v ery figure i n which s h e i s c all e d by h e r R om an

,

n am e of Forturi a 1 So C alabri a s til l b ak es to thi s

"

d ay a s w ee t c ak e —I h ave j u s t s een a s pe cim e n at

Floren c e 2 — wreath e d rou n d i n t h e form of two s n a k es
with head an d ta il com p l e te an d c arryi n g eggs ,

d ee ply set i n t h e p as te one i n e a ch s p ac e th at th e ,

s n a k es l eav e b e tw e e n t h e ir fold s T h e g e n e ra l form .

of th e c a k e i s j u s t th a t of t h e Flore n ti n e Ci anzhella .

A re w e to thi n k of t h e c a k e offe re d o n t h e 24th of

J u ne to the P rote ctor o f t h e City as o n c e m ad e ‘ ’

se rp en t wi s e lik e t h i s or m ay w e n o t r at h e r s uppo se
-

th at it w as as often p l a i n th ough s w ee t ; 3 F o rtun a ,

th e P rote ctre ss k ee p i n g h e r s n a k e s to h e r se l f as we
,

1
S ee P . G auck ler, L e cou ple H eli opoli ta i n , i n Melang e:
’
ao l E eole Fran pai se (R om e ,
'
a so C
’
l
de l A caa e’mi e .
’ ’
aes

I n scripti on s ( a i s , an d Pr M . M . N i col e et D arn i er, Le

S an ctua i re dos D i eux O ri en ta ux (R ome C uggi an i ,
2
I n th e M seo di no u
g a a I a a na Et r fi t li .

'
1
The s ubj t ec of i t r t i g d d i ffi u l t
F l oren t i f t iv l k
ne es a -
ca es is n e es n an c .

F gi u li th
a ot i ri p t i h i R i m ( i 9 ) t t h t f /i i
, e sa c oe , n s e v . 1 n o es a con or n ,

as w ll e i mh ll w r b k d f
as c a S Gi v
e i C i t b th t
e, e e a e or an o ann . an e a

th i r m ll ud t t h t f F rtu F rt i ? A th y
e na e a es o l wh r a o o na o s s e are e se e e

ca ll d p i i l tt d m r p l i l y m mm ll i t w u l d m th y
e ca a
’
a e an , o e a n , a e e, o s ee e

so m tim e l i k th p i t d t
es , f T m u li i
e S rd i i b
e th
o n e s ones o a n a n a, o re e

op i g f th m th r g dd
en s n o Th e m mm ll r o d u bt th
e -
o ess. ese a e e a e no o e

Gr k m ee i f A th D ip i i i
az a , c 9; i . Th y m t h v
en .
, c , . 2 v. 12 . e see o a e

b een a Sp i li ty f Phi g li O th f t i t up b r h
ec a o a a. n ce e con or zn a o se
‘

a an c

o f l u r l b f r hi
a e h p d re o e f t d y h gi g i t w i t h t h
s s o -
oo on eas a s, an n ese

f li i i m y h p
con or n n Ev w bu
an ll ti sm ll ri p f rm f
a es . en n o eee a ,
a s a c s o o

th e i mb ll c a mm e l y l d i th tr t f Fl r
e, a re co fr m on so n e s ee s o o en ce o a
‘
tr ee, wh twi g th y
’
on tru g S th uth ri t i i t d i
ose s e are s n . ee e a o es c e n

th ed ll C ru e a V h l i i mb ll
sca d f li i nd th
oea o a r o, s v.. c a e a an con or n , a e

h p b k S n p ub li h d by A S l i t
'

c a -
oo d tt ti G g hi
a re, e a e er , s e . a an a

Fl r i 1886 p
o ence n , . 12 .
 37o F l o re n c e P as t an d P rese n t
oldi g c d r t e vid e n tly t h e
1
h h
’
h n in e a an a s e p e n :

Cre t an godd es s i n t h e fo rm i n w h i c h sh e firs t reac h ed ‘

I t aly an d b e c a m e k n ow nat Flore n c e R e m e mb e ri n g .

S an Gorgo n e a n d wh e r e th o s e work w h o s till c a ll

‘ ’

o n h i s n am e w e m ay t a k e t h i s figu r
,
e as t h e ol de s t

re p r ese n t atio n of h i s co n s ort A rn a t h e mot h e r god ,

-

d e ss of t h e Vill a A rn i n a To s ee th e l as t o n e n ee d .
,

o n ly vi s it the Co n v e nt C h u rc h o f S an t a V e rdi an a i n
t h e Flore n ti n e s tre e t of t h e s am e n am e In h er .

p ictur es t h i s s ai n t s t an d s b e tw e e n two u p ri g h t s n a k es ,

of w h ic h t h e l eg e n d s ay s th at t h ey w e re h e r co n s t an t
com p an io n s H e r n a m e s p e ll s t h e s p ri n g an d i n d e ed
.
,

s h e would s e e m to k e e
p t h e s e cre t of e t e rn a l yout h .

I n t h ree t h ou s an d y e a rs t h i s t h e s tro n g Fortu n e of ,

Flore n c e h as n o t c h an ge d n o r s u ffe re d an y to t ak e
, ,

from h e r h e re t h e twi n s e rp e n t s t h at sh e firs t gras pe d

s o lo n g a o I
g
T h e ri s k s h e ra n w as gre a t for at Flor e n c e Fortu n e ,

liv e d i n clo s e com p an y wit h the gre a t robb e r of s u c h

t h i n gs ? To see w h o t h i s w a s w e mu s t look aw ay ,

from th e food to t h e fire t he c e n tr a l e l e m e n t i n t h is ,

Flore n t i n e fe as t .

E v e n to d ay t h e fire work s of Flor e n c e giv e t h e

.
-

s ig n a l for t h e lig h ti n g u
p of th e h ill s a ll a lo n g t h e
V al d A r no o n S t Jo h n s e ve an d i n t h e c ap it al
’ ’
.
,

i ts e lf lo n g a ft e r gu n ow de r h ad com e to p l ay i t s
, .p . .

1
H e ad , H i s tori a N u moru m , 12
4
p . . .

2
S ee , for) th e at temp t , L
'
. P a sse ri i n . Curz os i / a ,
'

ii S ri
. e e (Fi ren z e ,
p 42 .
 T h e G ri ll o an d M i ds um me r 3 71

bl a zi n g bli n di n g trick s from th e tow e r of P al az zo

,

V e cchio b e low i n th e P i azz a u n s o ph i s tic ate d fires of

,

b room k e pt t h e ir p l a c e an d co n ti n u ed w h at mu s t ,

h ave b e e n t h e more p rimitiv e u s ag e These fires we r e .

w h at t h e c e ri of t h e d ay c a m e l ate r to re p re sen t
‘ ’

i n a form l es s p e ri s h abl e an d more sp e c t a cul a r T he .

c e ri re se mbl e d p yres but w e re m e an t for orn a m ent

ra th e r th an for use .

T h e s a m e m ay be s aid of t h e c a r of St J o h n t h e .
,

c en tra l fe ature of t h e great proc e ss io n A s o n e re ad s .

t h e d e s cri p tio n of it i n t h e p ag e s of C a m bi ag i 1 o n e ,

s e es cl e a rly t h a t it l ik e t h e othe rs w as m e re ly a
, ,

d e ve lo p e d c e ro look i n g b ack as t he c e ri t h e m se lve s

‘

,
’

did to an origi n a l i n t h e ritu a l fires o f t h e P i a zz a

’

.
, .

‘
Bri n d e l lo n e as t h e c ar wit h i t s figure w as c a ll ed ;
,
’

s tood on a s qu a re p l a tform se t on four m ass iv e w h ee l s ,

an d ro se abov e it i n fou r d e cr e as i n g stori e s s o as to

p r es e n t t h e form of a tru e p yra mid t he p e rm a n e nt ,

figure of t h e ritu al p yre O n t h e fi rs t s tory i n fro nt .

,

o f th e c a r a n ic h e w as co n triv e d w h e re a boy dresse d

, ,

i n l a mb s ki n s s tood for t h e s ai n t of t h e d ay O n the

'

-
.

v e ry s um m it o f t h e fourth s tory an d at t o p of a ll a ,
’

p add e d iro n h e ld i n h i s p l ac e t h e man about Wh om

t h e w h ol e c e r e mo n y g a t h e re d forc e a nd s ense It .

t h e c ar r e p re se n te d a py r e t h i s m an can o n ly h a ve ,

s too d for t h e victim H e too w as c all e d S a n .

Giov an n i i n d e e d but mu s t s u re ly on c e h ave bor n e

’
,

a n ot h e r n a m e : t h e more t h a t w e re h e re a lly an d ,

1
C ambi agi , pp .
pp 40 42 ,
.
,
-
12 0 .
3 72 Fl o re n ce P as t an d P re se n t
o ri g i n ally s uc h , rt of th e s ai n t would h e re be
th e p a

doubl ed W h o c an h e h ave b ee n ?
"

I n Gree k myt h ology it i s H e rcul e s w h o e n d s h i s

life i n t h i s way teari n g d es p e rate ly a t t h e s h irt of
,

N e ss u s an d c as ti n g h im s e l f o n t h e fl a m e s of t h e
,

burn i n g pyr e Bri n d e llo n e w e are told m e an s

.
‘

,
’

lit e rally t he t atte rd e m alio n an d more p reci se ly he

‘
,
’

t h at affe ct s rags rat h e r wil li n gly th an of n ec e s s ity 1 .

’

Can it be t h a t t h i s m a n o n c e took h i s p l ac e o n t h a t
c ar w h ic h w as a pyr e t h a t t h e re h e mig h t p l ay t he

p a rt of t he an ci e n t h e ro ? W e h av e a l r e a dy fou n d
Fortu n a as t h e cor n godd e s s of T a rs u s but t he re s h e
-

h ad a m al e com p an io n w h om th e ~G re e k s id e n tifi e d
wit h H e rcul e s T h i s god w as wors h i p p e d as t he
.
,

fou n d e r of t h e city an d i t s coi n s s h ow h i s figure p ro

,

j ec t e d on t h e b ackgrou n d of a co n ic a l p yre res ti n g o n

a s qu a r e b ase I t i s k n ow n t h at T a rs u s c el e br ated
.

h i m by buildi n g an d ki n d li n g a p yr e from tim e to tim e

i n h i s h o n our a n d t h at a s imil a r c e r e mo n y ofte n
, ,

i n volvi n g t h e burn i n g of th e god i n e ffigy c am e w e s t , ,

an d w as ob s e rv e d n o t on ly a t Tyr e w h e r e it s e e m s ,

to h av e origi na te d or at T a rs u s but i n t h e Tyri an

, ,

colo n i e s of C a rt h age an d of di s t an t C adiz as we ll .

T h e P h ce n i c i an s c all e d t h e god M e lc a rt h as t h ey ,

c all e d th e godd es s A t h eh an d a M alte s e i ns cri p tio n

‘
,

m ak es it c e rt a i n th a t M e lc art h w as id e n tifi e d by t h e
Gre e k s wit h H e rcul e s ?
1
S ee th e Voca hola ri o o f R i g uti n i F a n an i , s 21.
f .

2
S ee , p a ss i m, th e ch a p e T he tr bur i n ng of Me l c art h in F r r
az e ,

Ad on i s, pp 8 4 90,
.
-
an d 13 , 99 .
 "

374 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
fron t of t h e p a l a c e an d th i s lio n w as s ol e m n ly crow n e d
,

i n gold o n c e a y e a r for th e 24t h of J u ne 1 So too t h e .

, ,

c en tral h u m an figure of th e d ay t h e man t h at t h e

.
‘

gre a t c ar bore t h roug h th e city wor e a crow n

?
Th is ,

a dor n m en t h a rdly a p p ro p ri a t e to a s ai n t w h o s oug h t

,

t h e d e s e rt r a t h e r t h an ki n g s p a l ac es, de fi n ite ly ’ ’
‘

co n n e ct s th e h um an figure with t he Symbolic an i m al .

By th i s lio n h e c an o n ly be H e rcul es ; as h i s c ar c an
,

o n ly be at Floren c e as at T a rs u s t h e p yre of t h e
, ,

e as t e r n god .

)
W h e re did H ercul es ge t hi s lion ? H e w as
es se n ti a l ly t he bully of a n tiquity a l w ay s killi n g or ,
.

robbi n g ; a n d t h e p rob ability i s h e s tol e it from som e .

o ne else H e w as t h e e s s e n ti a l m a l e
. an d the ,

p rim aev a l fe m a l e t h e r e fore a p p ear s a s h i s p robabl e

victim I n Gre e k s tory h e g at h e rs i n h im s e lf w h at
.

o n c e b elo n g e d to m an y forgotte n h e ro es but b eh i n d ,

t h e Gre e k H e rcul e s li e s t h e old e r e as t e r n god wit h

"

w h ic h h e w as id e n tifi e d an d t h e H e rcul e s o f t h e eas t ,

'

re p re s e n ts e ve n more d e fi n it e ly th e s a m e victory of
, ,

t h e m al e o v e r t h e fe m a l e t h e god ov e r t h e godd es s ,

a c h an g e t h a t w as i n e vit abl e a s s o c i e ty it s e l f
p asse d ,

from t h e m atri a rc h a l to t h e p a tri a rc h al for m N o w . .

at P t e ri a i n A s i a M i n or a n d H i e r a oli s i n Syri a—t o

p ,

n am e no oth e r s it es— i t i s t h e A t arg at i s t h e

'

Fortu n a w h o rid e s or s t a n d s o n a lio n th e sy mbol

, ,

of s tre n gt h 3 W h e n t h e re fore t h e c o i n s o f T a rs u s
.
.

1
C am bi ag i , op 2
‘

. a t .
, p . 112 . J oi nt , p 43 . .

3
Mac rob , S a t . .
, i . 23.
L I ON F RO M TH E C PP US O F SAN T O M M ASO
I

(K i d l y h t g p h d f t h i b k
n p o o ra e or s oo

by t he exp ter s of h Mu
t e A h l gi F l
se o )
rc eo o co , ore n c e
 Fl o re n c e P as t an d P rese n t
3 78

country ; bu t a brief day s j ourn ey from the gates of ’

Flore n ce .

The birthplace of Santa V erd i an a i n whom w e

'

have fou nd the last the remaining representati ve of ‘

, ,

the ancien t ; goddess lies at Castelfio re nt i n o i n the ,

Val d E ls a A hamlet near by is still called Lu n go

’
.

tuo n o ; 1 an omi n ous name recalling as it does the

‘

doubly rolling peal of thunder that announced a n d

accompanied the birth of Hercules Yet if the god is .

here he does not prevail The legend of the sai n t

‘

tel ls how her familiar snakes were attacked how the

me n of the pl ace rose against them ; how soldiers
pursued and mutilated them ; how the saint resisted ;
put forth her power ; healed thei r wounds restored ,

their full form ; retained them for herself 2 Another .

neighbouring n ame that of Ce li aula w h e re S an ta

‘

, ,

t i p 53 9
1
S R p tti p
ee e e , o . a , . . .

2
F L Gi mi i V di
'

. . Vi t d ll g l
ac o v gi
n ,
S a e a orzosa er ng . er ana

(Fi e r nz e, pp 48 53 H w d ughte f th A tt v ti i th
.
-
. o a a r o e a an n e

ear l y thi t th tu y t pp d i t th e pl c f th
r een ce n r th g dd s
s e e n o a e o e e ar -
o e s

d pp p i t d h sym b l — th my ti c d th k es th t '

t
l d th h ve i u d f m i t—w
an a ro ra e er o s e s czs a an e sna a ,

o n ce con c ea e ere, t l at l g d ss e ro ere a a e oo on an

o b u f m
sc re t
or a Th t f th m tt
e re no e. li i th o i l e ro o o e a er es n e ccas ona

ce re m y f th V on S um (F tu
o e D V b S ig p
er acr wh es s, e er . n, . en

u d n l mi ty th you g w v i l d d b i h d t b i g i p
e r ca a e n e re e e an an s e o rn n ro

s p i ty
er th y
as so on i t ip ge W e m y th i k f V
as e can e o r e a . a n o a ar

Di u m th
an n e s ac r m mb i g t h f m i en t C t lfi
re ti e w ith er n e a ne a as e o ren no

wh i ch th L g d f th S i t pe e enth h lp sh b ught th
o e t vi g
a n o en s, e e e ro e s ar n

p pl d h v l u t y ump ti f th e v il i
eo e an er o n ar ll ut i d th
ass on o e n a ce o s e e

w ll
a N t
s. l th t th o e a so i tw d a th w pres v d
e an c en or ear , as er e

i
n th e i t u l f th E p h i
r a Di
o
(Cl m A l x S t m l 5 ed
e es an ana e . e .
, ro .
, . .

P i p 56 8 ) d giv th lik
ar s, . th
an pec i fi f m f i l oft n
es e n on , e s c or o c s a so e

used t t i th f ui t
o c on a n f th th d th
e r d k s i the
s o e ea r an e sac re sna e n

my t i fG
s er es o e ree c .
S . V ER D I A N A , A P PEAR S O N
A S SH E H ER H O USE
AT C A STE L F I O RENT I N O
 382 F l ore n ce P as t an d P re s e n t

The place held by Mars at Florence i f no t supreme ,

.

was at least very i mportan t Villa Camarte j oined ~

the Villa A rn i n a to foun d the city , as it were i n a

ritual union of the goddess and the god The Church .

where San Giovanni stayed his progress to eat and

.
’

distribute the ritual meal was in Cam po that is in ‘

C a m a rt e
1
Sa n Giovanni itself the Baptistery o f
.
,

Florence was also in C am a rt e 2 Villa n i says th i s ‘ ’

.
,

Church was first built as a Temple of Mars ; t h at it ‘

was left open above aft er t h e ma nn er of the Roma n '

P a n theon and that the statue of the god stood beneath

,

this opening on a pillar set i n the centre of t he '

building 3 This pillar according to Vasari stil l stands

.
, ,

as one of the supports of the architrave under the

fi rst gallery havi n g been set there to replace a nother
,

of granite removed to be the Colu m n of the Mercato

Vecchio where it carried the statue of Abu nd an ce
,

with her cornucopia 4 Thus again by such inter .

,

change the goddess comes into near though acci

, ,

dental relation with the god That there was a

,
.

‘
Bal neu m Martis close to the Baptistery is sure 5 ’

and that the Chu rch itsel f has taken th e place of a

temple of the god is therefore probable Mars we .
,

repeat was the male p a r ex cellen ce ; the equivalent

,

of the eastern Hercules the consort of Fortun a ,

‘

That his name and worship were associated with

L mi L
1 a m p 58
,
ez zo p 84 , . .
2
. .

G V ill i C m i 42
'

3 an ra .
.
, , .

Vi t ( d Mil
4
e ei ii 400 S b v p [ 10
. anes , . . ee a o e, . .

L m i p i t 46
5
a , o . c , .
 T h e G ri ll o and M i d s um m e r 3 83
’
Fortu na s high day eve n the present Baptistery ,

a ffords some evidence O f the zodiac stil l visible

'

in the pavement Villani says W e have it on

ancient authority that the figu re of the sun inlaid ,

with c e m ent and inscribed En giro torte sol ciclos

, ,
‘
,

e t rotor ig n e was astrologically —laid here ; for when

’

the sun enters Cancer he shines at noon on this spot

through the opening in the roof w here the lantern is
bu t does so at no other time of ye ar 1 Now th e .
’

fi rst point o f Cancer corresponds to the 24t h of

J u ne as Florence reckoned it The very inscription .

is contrived to read as well back w ards as forwards ,

as it were in sym pathy w ith the sun himsel f as he

retreats from the sols tice onwards H i s i n vo lve d . .

course thro ugh the Zodiac is what the word forte

'

insists u pon ; it is the serpent s path w hich ’

,
’

M acrobius so na m es in the very chapter where he

notes the tendency of the god to assume the attributes
and the appearance of Mars 2
.

T h e feast so far as it meant eating and drinking

, ,

has occu pied ou r attenti on long enough nor is it ,

necessary to insist further on w hat m ay be called

the fi r st aspect of that fire which was so natu ral an
ele ment of s un worship W e therefore choose this
-
.

moment to pass to the other : t h at in w h ich fi re

becomes i nvolved with the water th at s urely plays
its own part here The goddess Arna was even nom .
,

i n ally in relation with the stream that flowed through

,

G V ill i C m i 6 0 M b S t i 17 p m 2
'

1 an ra . . acro .
, a .
, .
, ars z .
.
, ,
3 84 F lo re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t

Florence The Baptist himsel f had a connection

.

with w ater th at needs no further emphasis The .

fires of the solstice ca me to be kind led at last

o n the bridge as once no doubt they burned
,

fi rst on the bank s of the A rno or shone from

fire boats that the river bore on its very bosom
-

H o w are we to understand the combination on ,

such a day of elements apparently so contrar y and

,

irreconcilable P
I t may be well to recall here ev en more exactly ,

than w e have yet done the d ress and appearance of ,

the chief actor in the festival ; the man wh o looked

do w n on the people from the h eight of the car of San
Giovanni W e know that he w as cro w ned as a kin g
.
,

we have n o t ye t noticed that the fou ntain of Florence

.

ran wine and that the king w as d ressed front and

, ,

back in two tiger skins buttoned do w n the sides

,
,
-

while his throne or pyre w as drawn through , ,

Florence by oxen 1
But by all t h ese signs together
.
,

this is Bacchus the Dionysus of the Greeks to whom

, ,

the tiger w as constantly given and the ox as w ell , ,

o n a legend that he fi rst yoked this animal to the

plough 2 Yet the d ay tel ls us that he must in fact
.
, ,

have represented not the Bacchus of the w est but

, .

the sun god ; probably after some a n cient eastern

fashion such as that of H ierapolis i n Syria where
.
,

the male consort of Fortune appeared seated upo n

1
C am bi ag i , op . pp .
42 , 123 .

2
Pl uta rch , I 45 .
3 86 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
works though withd rawn fro m the eyes of men He .

determines the strength and chief observance of the

god to fall at the su mmer solstice in sign of which ,

his beard is seen fully grown and describes his Thra

c i a n Temple as round w ith a hole in the roof open
,

to the sky l W e know why Sa n Giovanni had his

.

feast at midsum mer and can now u nderstand V i llan i s

,
’

description of his Chu rch at Florence as once open

to the sky in the m idst the chronicler was applyin g
to a C hristian Church the stil l living tradition of the
pagan temple of the sun that the Cam art e of which
he speaks had once built on or near the same site .

This conception of the secret or nightly su n is one , ,

worth development To early man every sunset and

.

every solstice of su mmer brought the same problem

w here did the sun go when he sank ; h o w was his
return prepared from what depths and by what ,

channels did his force and h eat that d ated their

, ,

annu al decline from midsu mmer still reach the earth ,

and make it fertil e ?

I f the East fi rst proposed the answer it w as in the ,

west that her children fou nd it ; pushing their

voyages till the lim its of the land were reached and
the ultimate sunset seen The furthest truth open
.

to such observation was evidently this that the sun in ,

his setting sought the water fell into the R k ea — the ,

ocean stream — and so men quickly su pposed re

, ,

turned again by secret channels to his rising point in

S t i
1
8 a .
, . 1 .
 T h e G ri ll o an d M i d s um m e r 387

the East An i mmediate development of the idea

.

provided that boat o f the Su n which Hercules was

said to have borrowed 1 .

Thus it was at the P illars of Hercules that the

secret w as learned and w here water appeared as the ,

ulti mate vehicle of the sun s hidden force W hen ’

.

the nigh t drew her veil over these fi res they burned ,

stil l it was thought i n a hundred springs W hen

, , .

Cancer came and the sun began his annual retreat

, ,

the meaning of that w ithdrawal lay open the force

that heaven lost earth gained in every rising fountain ,

and flo wing river This V iew of nature was confirmed .

to m an by many facts and fancies confounded

together in a com mon misinterpretation Did not .

the great river of Egypt commence its rise with j ust

that solstice which opened the period of the su n s ’

decline ) 2 The fountain of Dodona the A n ap auo ,

menos did it not move in sym pathy w ith the hidden

,

sun empty by day bu t ful l at midnig h t nay full of ,

the dark sun s fi re for it eve kind led torches

n
’ 3
So ,

Delos they said had a spring t h at rose a n d fell w ith

, ,

the Nile and Tenedos another which ran only after

, ,

the su m mer solstice 4 O f fou ntains that intoxicated .

there is no need to speak tho ugh these also the ,

ancients believed in pushing to this extreme point ,

1 Th i s im
scy ll d b t m ti m
ph us i s s om e t es c a e a oa , so e es a c up, th us

ch a
ll gi g mp i w i th th
en n co t f th l B ar son e cra er o e so ar acc h us. Se e
Macro b i u S m S p” i ; S t v
s, ea . a . 12 a .
,
. 21 .

2 P lut D p l i i
.
,
Pli l e i aez s z os . , . 1 .

3 P li y M H ii 03
n ,
.
Ib
,
. 1 .
1
‘
i a.
’
 8 8 7 Fl ore n c e P as t an d P r es en t
3

their faith i n that Bacchus who was once the sun

god and o n lv later the god of the vi n e 1 The god .

Volcanus too entered t heir dream for rivers of fire ,

authentic and terrible earth born could only seem , ,

to them the ultimate and now d readful effect of , ,

these secret rays K ronos the retreati n g sun 2 may .

, ,

give k rozm os the w ate rsp ri n g which i n P indar as he , , ,

describes Etna becomes the stream of red h o t lava ,

-

that Heph aestus poured 3 Under this solar c las s i fic a .

tion fire and water bane and blessing are brought

, , ,

together and one begins to understand w h y fish

,

were offered from the Tiber at Rome on the day of

Vulcan ; the waters rendering tribute to the dread
form of the god of fire who thus possessed them and ,

the worshippers using fi re as the means of m aking

that o ffering complete 4 .

The rise of the Nile w as perhaps the greatest proof

on which this theory of the hidden sun depended ,

and the lotos of the N ile 5 became the widespread

symbol of the secret doctrine for a very special reason ,

even beyond that of i t s mere h a bi ta t in so sym pathetic

a stream The lotos flow er was round and red so
.
,

that it fairly represented the sun W ith the sun it .

moved sin k i n g deep at mid night j ust showing on the

, ,

1
P li ny, M 117 .

2
T h eo p o mp us (3 3 o B C
. .
) s a ys t hat i n th e w est th ey ca ll d th
e e

w i t K
n er ro n os. See h i m qu t d o e by P lut arch , I si s cl Osi r i lxix
s, .

lxxi .

3
Pi d n ar, P .
, i .
48 .
‘
1
Fow l e r, o p . ei t ,
,
p . 209 .

4
N y mp /za a n elu mbo 3 see P e rro t et Ch ipi z v
e , .
577 .
 F l o re n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t
3 90
So Marzocco and Giglio together would tell the
sa me tale .

W hether they kindled torches or no al l hot spri n gs ,

were clearly born of the setting the secret sun and , , ,

as such were sacred to H ercules not so much one

1
'

may believe because they refreshed men after labour

, ,

as because H ercules represented the eastern sun god -

.

Mali s p i n i tells us that in old times th ere was such a

spring a m ile and a hal f beyond Fiesole in the hills
, ,

which flowed to fill a bath in that city ; brought there

in an artificial channel The water poured into the .

bath he adds through the mouth of a lion so

, ,

wondrously w rought that it see med alive 2 There is .

no reason to doubt the story for an early example of ,

the same use of the lion of the eastern Hercules

comes fro m Cyprus 3 At Fiesole it has double .

value however as it throws new light on the Fl ore n

, ,

tine Marzocco showing him defi nitely as the lion

,

of the sun H is name we may add a ffords a

.
, ,

further probability : that the Mars of Camarte was

only Hercu les that is the sun god under another
,
-

title .

Felt beyond question i n hot springs the power of ,

the secret su n might men thought be hardly less , ,

surely found in all waters fro m the solstice onwards ;

their pleasant warmth at midsummer was but the
1
A th en .
, D eip , xii i
. .

2
R . e G . Mali Sp i n i , Cron a ca , xxv .

3
I t was foun d at A math us . S ee Fra z er, A d on i s, p .
91
.
 T h e G ri ll o an d M i d s um me r 39 1

sensible sign of those deeper virtues that the decli n ing

sun then began to com municate to every stream .

There was never so far as we know any hot spring , ,

at Florence bu t the Arno flowed under the city

,
‘

w al ls and
,
by ancient tradition which lives in a
, ,

measu re to day bathing in the river began on the

-

24t h of j une This is a practice so widespread in

.

Eu rope as to be al most as u niversal as it is natural ; 1

that it is not natural only we may take two s i g n i fi ,

cant cases i n proo f .

I n Rou mani a they have a legend of the solstice ;

that the su n stood stil l i n the heavens to admire the
beauty of a maiden whom he saw bathing in the sea ,

and that his descending power transformed her into a

rose 2 H ere w e find again that ruddy l otos of Egypt
.

which already in its northward progress had become

, ,

a rose at Rhodes in view of a Colossus who was t h e ,

su n god of the East on his way to become the Greek

Hercules So too the people of the I talian Abruzzi
.
, ,

explai n the custom of bathing on the 24t h of J une ,

which they also share by saying that the water then ,

acqu ires marvellous virtue by the descent into it of

the su n and moon together 3 H ere the male and the .

female the goddess and the god are seen combining

, ,

in this secret work which at Florence — the daughter ,

of A rn i n a and Cam arte— must once have been thought

1
Fo r m an y e am es see Fraz er, A dam s, x pl '

pp . 204 seq .

2
R F olk ard , P lan t L ore (L on on ,
.
d p .
516.

3 .
i
G F namo re , Creden z e A bm z z esi , pp . 156 6 0
-
.
 392 F l o re n ce P as t an d P re s e n t
due to the united force of Arna and o f Mars d irected
at midsummer to this end The Giglio and the .

Marzocco would thus appear as the pa tent symbols ,

not so m uch of the Vi lle taken separately as of this ,

myth and of the faith i n it w hich made of these two

,

towns one Florence N or is it without significance .

here that in historic times as Florence added to her ,

growing province on every side each fresh submission ,

to h e r arms was m arked by a n e w cero offered at ‘ ’

this date and feast As to the bathing then practised.

,

its real character was so well known that the Church

early forbade it because involving a deep pagan
superstition 1 W hat that belief was w e have already
.

seen .

The fi nal ceremony of t h e feast was the horse — race

for a prize ; the famous P alio of Florence This took .

place in the evening of the great day and the h orses ,

ran sometimes w i th riders on their backs sometimes

, ,

w ithout but always across the city from w est to east

, .

At one time the race w e n t by Via P alazzuolo and

Via della Spada at another by Bo rgo g n i s s an t i and
.
,

Via Vigna Nuova to the same point at the corner of

P alazzo Strozzi but always from thence by Via ,

Strozzi Via degli Speziali and the Corso to San

, , ,

P iero and the P ort all a Croce where the goal w as set
’

a n d the P alio w aited the w in ner This prize was .

poorer or richer according to the circu mstances of the

1
S ee G r mm , i D eutse/z e M , i p
. .
49 0, an d S . A ugust i n i Opera
(Pari s , v .
903 , an d p ii. .
46 1 ai seq .
39 4 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
dedicated to the sun —was built about and had its ,

door so set that none could enter it save as they

moved from west to east 1 And the P al io itself the .
,

prize that Florence held out declared in its very ,

colou r that fi re which falli ng from heaven and ready

,

to become secret w as the hope of the day the goal

,

towards w hich not t h e race alone but the whole

festival steadily moved ; in the sunset that wakened
the cricket s song
’
.

I n a final word let it now be said by w ay of ,

summing u p that while many of the details of this

,

Midsum mer feast in Greece and Florence alike must

, ,

be pronounced mere accretions and fit as such to be , , ,

the despair of one who would reduce them to the

exact order of a historic development the root of the ,

whole is equally plain and ancient I t cannot be .

without meaning that in so man y parts of Europe

water is made to play a distinct part in harvest
festivals or that alike in Germany on the Danube
, , , ,

and in rural Fran ce the fire of S t J ohn in several

,
.

forms is thrown into wells and streams at Midsummer ,

sometimes with the expressed purpose of communi

cating virtue to their waters 2
The oldest objects of .

pagan worship the stock and the stone had that

, ,

place and kept it long because they were supposed

to be the dwelling places of the sun s fi re N ot the
-
’
.

discovery of fire by man remember but only the , ,

1
P i
ausan as , v . 13 .

2
Fraz er, Golden B oug h , iii pp
. . 273, 28 1 .
TREE F R O M WH I CH I
C R CK ET AR E
S SO LD ON A C EN S I O N
S DAY
 C H A P T ER XV

TH E FEA S T O F SE P T E MB E R
TH E evening of the 7t h of September is dis
t i n g ui s h e d by a curious observance less known ,

than those of the other Florentine festivals because

few who notice such things are then in town Once .

indeed and not so long ago this dre w crowds from

, ,

the surrounding cou ntry ; now what is left passes

unobserved in the poorer suburbs and outskirts of
the city and is in fact rather the sport of child ren
,

than the more serious matter that past generations

kne w Such as it is the F i eruco/on e may well demand
.
,

attention if only because of the greater past it still

,

faintly represents .

Light is the chief feature of this children s game ’

.

Tapers and candles are set in lanterns of coloured

paper w here their blaze makes a brave show The .

paper is stretched on sli ps of cane or thin wood so ,

bent that the lantern takes the shape desired as a ,

boat a globe a fish or a bell : to n ame those most

, ,

commonly seen So shaped it dangles w ith its

.
,

dancing flame s w ung from the end of a long cane

3 98
 T he F e as t of S e pt e m be r 3 99

which the child carries in his hand There is a .

natu ral rivalry i n the matter ; each child proud to

think his ow n lantern the best ; and as they move , ,

P A P E R L A N T ER N S F R O M FI E R U CO L O N E O F 19 10

meet and chal lenge each other on the street the ,

traditional rhym e is still heard

L e pi u b ll l mi Mi i th b tt b ve nd fi
'
e a a a ne s e e er, ra a ne

C h e q u ll d ell
e ia My u t i s oth i g l o k t m i e l
a z a a n
’
s n n , o a n

though the days are past whe n this lantern play was -

the diversion not of child re n o n ly but of their elders

, ,

as well A n other rhyme belongi n g to the same

.

occasion
B ll o b ll
e ,
e H
o i b sk et l k t m ere s a a oo o e,

A hi l gu d
c o le u F a b tt
ar a,
’
b k t you
n h ll
or e er as e
’
ne e r s a

co b ll r e o. ee s .
400 Fl o r e n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
would seem to indicate that the lantern of to day -

w as once an ordinary basket carrying a candle and ,

swinging from the end of a pole .

The noise that accompanies these dancing lights

is something beyond the shouts of childish del ight or
even rival ry it h as a further meaning that m ay often
be bitter enough ; filled as it is w ith the spirit of
Florentine mockery than w hich none is sharper , .

E ach quarter of the town each street almost h as its , ,

butt ; some unfortunate man or w oman who for one ,

reaso n or another often merely a physical peculiarity

,

or deformity has drawn t h e attention and the m alice

,

of the neighbourhood At the F i erucolon e this .

enmity finds full expression An effigy of the person .

in question is p repared and set on a pole is carried , , ,

through t h e streets 1 How the lanterns cro w d about

.

it ; h o w the cl a m our rises afresh ; t h e whistles that

are blown the bells that are rung ; the mocking j ests
,

that fly freely as t h e figure makes its progress : one

can fancy it all and yet feel sure that the fancy falls
,

s h ort of the fact i n Florence where no feast would ,

seem complete without such sal t This at an y rat e .

i s I am told the c h ief remaining feature of the

, ,

popular festival to day -

.

Once the feast of lanterns as we may call it was

,
‘ ’

, ,

muc h more im portant The name F i erucolon e—an .

augmented d iminutive of flew — tells us that a fair

1
An e x m pl
a e of th i s ef figy , an d a c o ll ti
ec on o f Fi eruc olon e l an te rn s

may be see n i n the Museo E tn o g ra fico , Fl o ren c e .

402 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
strange was the sight ; so uncouth the people and
their clothes and prayers that the open Church the ,

Cloister and the P iazza where till midnight the wild ,

scene w ent on and all night long this mass of cou ntry
,

people slept drew the to w n as to a publ ic spectacle

,
.

The boys of Florence you m ay be sure did not lose , ,

their opportunity They stole among the groups of

.
"

praying singing sleeping people now mocking thei r

, , ,

mountain l atin n ow setting to ribald music an imita

,

tion of the w ild cadence in which the cou ntry folk

prayed now blowing at the sleepers very ears w histles
,
’

of clay that w ere fit to wake the dead W histling .

,

ringing and mockery m ay be still heard at the

Fi erucolon e but these are only the poor survival of
,

a yet coarser and wilder past No e ffigy was then .

needed for the country people present i n person

, , ,

were themselves the butt of the to w n though it is ,

said that as long as the fair lasted many a paper

lantern w as itself a guy d ressed to the figure of ‘
,
’

the country fashion But neither mockery nor per.

s e c ut i o n could turn back the people of the hill s or ,

defeat the combined claims of religion and of business

they felt so deeply
'

I t w ould seem then as if this persistence marked

the Fi e ruc o lo n e as a very ancien t observance ; it
invites us at any rate to ask what the root of the
matter can possibly have been The Ecclesiastical .

Calend ar might provide an answer showing U s the ,

7t h of September as the Vigil and the 8 t h as ,

 T he F e as t of S e p t e m be r 403

the day of the Virgin s birth Yet this solution is

,
’
.

hardly su fficien t to remove al l doubt The e c c les i .

as t i c a l d ate is said to have been fixed about 6

95A D . .
,

by the d ream of a monk but its observance was not ,

general i n the W est till the end of the first Christian

mil lennium or even later 1 I n the absence of any
, .

direct trad ition as to the com mencement of the

Fi e ruco lo n e at Florence to suppose the observance ,

no older than the d ate and use j ust me n tioned is little

more satisfactory than to say that it began in the
publ ic rej oicings ordered in 16 8 3 when Vienna w as ,

delivered this d ay from the fear of the Turk So too .

the ecclesiastical d ate may have added prestige to

the Fi e ruc o lo n e and secured its observance do w n t o
,

ou r own times but can hard ly be su pposed enough to

,

accou nt for so deeply rooted a popular habit and use .

The fair we are told was originally held not at the

, , ,

Church of the Virgi n as i n l ater d ays but at that of ,

San P iero M aggiore 2 and i n the adj oining m rket

a
.
,

Thus the connection of the Fi e ruc o lo n e with the

Virgin is seen to be both late and dubious W e .

know this Mercatino as in all probability the original ,

the pre — roman market of Florence this comp i la m at

San P iero as one of her oldest religiou s centres I t .

would seem as i f the origin and real natu re of the

1
D ura n d us , D i vi li .
fli e
0 .
,
vii . 28 ; Mura tori , ii p ii
. . .

102 1. l t t d um t
T he a er oc en s h o ws th at a b o ut A D . . th e o bse rv

an c e o f th V i g i
e b i th w
r n s
’
r as n o t yet g ene ra i n l I t al y .

2
S ee G C ti F i
. on ,
re/zz e Vecc/z i a pp . 6 06 se
q
.
,
fo r th i s

i mp ortan t fac t , an d fo r m an y d e ta il s of t h e feast i n l at e r t im es .

404 Fl ore n c e P as t and Prese n t

must be soug h t i n the re mote past of

Fi eruc o lo n e
'

Florentine paga n ism rather than in the nearer

,

antiquity of her Christianity even the fi rst W e may ,

.

begin the search by considering the probabilities of

the case both general and particular .

P I KZ Z A O F S
'

. P I ER O ,
'

\V I I H
’

P O RT I CO O F CH UR CH

T he arch on t h e le ft le ad s to Borg o P i int

P ro Christian festivals certainly m arked the chief

-

astronomical moments in the Florenti n e year for at ,

the w inter solstice we have found the Ceppo at the ,

spring equinox the Fire of Fortune and at the ,

solstice of sum mer the feast of H ercules or Bacchus ,

the feast of the departing sun Now the month of .

September holds a similar d ate in that of the autumn

406 F lo re n ce P as t an d P r e se n t
to use her Florentine name the goddess of the spring ,

and of the harvest now ready to preside over ,

another seed time ? Her a ri s la is even now the

-

w ord used in Florence for a baked pig s chine as if

’

she w ere indeed the Greek Demeter to w h om that

ani mal w as sacred 1 She is the guide and hope of .

those w h o s o w yet not without the help of him w h o

,

comes to carry her cornucopia w hile she is thus busy .

His is the subterranean heat which stri kes upwards in

the soil and saves the seed from death i n the furrow
,
.

Demeter the corn mother Dionysus her consort , ,

P roserpine her d aughter who was the corn cast into ,

the earth and left for six months to that dark

keeping : such are the personages of the sacred
drama w e have the right to expect .

Here and now on I talian soil ; on the 7t h an d ,

8 th of September ; we have the full right to ex pect

them There may have been transference hither
.

from a later date ; from the 15t h of the month ,

or even from the equinox itself under some disturb ,

ance or n e w attraction brought among these days by

the Calendar of late Christian time Or there may .

h ave been n othing of the kind ; only that anticipa

tion of the equinox by t h e 8 th of the month which

the relation of Ascension day to the sum mer solstice
so plai nly suggests 2 The fact is that even now at .

1
S o V a rro ca ll s th e r i dg e bet “ ee n t wo furro w s p orea . S ee D e R e
R ust , i .
3 2, an d i
N on us , D e Com D oct . .
,
pp 6 2 , 152
. .

2
S ee a b v p
o e, .
3 57.
 T he F e as t of S e p t e mbe r 407

N aples the Virgi n s birthday as celebrated at ’

P ied igrotta is known in the g erg o as la Cori a la ; 1 the

,

feast of t h e K ore the P roserpine w h o is the corn of ,

seed ti me I t wo u ld not be w onderfu l then if w e

-
.

were to fi nd the old Greek drama in which she ,

played a pri nci pal part fully staged in the correspond ,

ing Tuscan feast .

The Greater Mysteries of Demeter held at Eleusis ,

in m id September certainly s how several points of

-

agreement w ith the Fi e ruc o lo n e of Florence The .

date su fficiently corresponds for the Mysteries were ,

celebrated from the 15th of B oea rom i on onwards 2 ’

,

and B oea roi i z i on is for practical pu rposes ou r month

’
, ,

of September At Eleusis as at Flore n c e the crowd .

, ,

from all parts of the country w as very great An .

early d ay w as devoted to a ceremonial purification

of the candidates who fou nd the lustral water in the ,

neighbouring river O f this no distinct trace rem ains .

at Florence but the original site of the Fi e ruc o lo ne

,

at the M ercatino close to the w aters of the A ffri c o ,

and the g org o w ou ld be very proper for such a ,

purpose N ext cam e the procession of the ei s i zf ers

.

may one see something of this in the lights hidden in

coroelli at the F i e ruc o lo n e and in the lanterns that , ,

for all their brightness were but swinging baskets ,

too of coloured paper ? S omething of a wish to

1
E . Mi rab e ll a op , . ci t . , p . 2 28 .

2 P l ut .
, D emelr .
, 26 . T h i s i s th e d ate a d o pte d by Meurs i us i n hi s

E leus i m a ,
'

c . 2 1, wh i ch m ay be c on su l t d f d t il
e or e a s .
408 F l o re n c e P as t an n re s e n t

hide as well as to show is clearly present the light

is there su re enough but either you do not name it
, ,

at all or in your rhyme you must call it not a light,

,

or even a lantern but a basket ,

A chi lo guarda ‘
,

1% un corbello
’
.

Lights there were at Eleusis as at Florence moving ,

in the long procession led by the D a a ouch os Under ’

.

his guidance and carrying their torches the candi

, ,

dates for initiation passed along the sacred street to

the tem ple of the goddess where they s pent the ,

night The Greek scene one sees cannot have

.
, ,

differed much from that acted at the Fi e ruc o lo n e

to the wonder of Florence N ext day saw another .

procession with the figure of the god in the midst ,

borne on high above th e shouting cro w d The .

close of the whole celebration brought the O K OSMMQ T G '

’
,

the biting ribald j ests levelled from the bridge by

the initiated against the passing crowd I t m ay w ell .

be that the f ri z z o that peculiar product of Florentine

,

w i t like so much else here derives its spirit and its

, ,

form from a remote past and from a Greek original

,
.

The comparison between the Fi e ruc olo n e and the

Eleusinia need not be confined to such detai ls and ,

shou ld not linger upon them The Greek Mysteries .

had a centre a rite of chief i mportance about which

, ,

all the subordinate ceremonies gathered and from ,

w hich they took their meaning : a thing done in

secret and revealed only to the ep op ta i I f we can

, .

find this or anything like it at Florence we m ay

, ,
410-
F l o r e n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
transition n o t unknown to day this J uno became
,
-

the Fortune perhaps the Fate of her possessor

, ,
.

There are inscriptions w hich give the Genius as

the male form of the Fortuna in a distribution of ,

office w hich recalls exactly the relation between the

male ag a i /zod m zz oi i and th e fem ale ag a r/1e ly ck e of the
Greeks 1 The serpent w hom w e have met so often
.
,

already w as the recognised sy mbol of both

, .

The sure sign that we have not wandered from

a n cient Tuscan ideas is s een in the noted and
peculiar relation betwee n Hercules a nd J uno dis
played i n many examples of Etruscan art : on the
mirror for instance where Hercules is seen as the
, ,

mate of J uno ; 2 evidently he can hardly be other

than the Genius J ovi ali s the spirit of J upiter on , ,

w hich graphic art can lay no em phasis save by

presenting him as a distin ct figure This H ercules .

,

or Genius and this J uno his companion belong

, ,

originally to I onia w h ere they are seen together on

,

t h e coins of Thasos and the frieze of A S S O S 3 .

The J anus belonged not to individuals only but ,

to hu man grou ps as well who worshipped him as the ,

common spirit of their clan embodying as it were , ,

its personality and giving distinction to its members

, .

This cult w as naturally most deeply felt among the

upper classes w here it amounted to a worship of the
1
D are mberg et S agli o , s v . . G en iu
s .
’

2
Fo w l er, op . ei t .
,
p . 143 .

’
1
D are m berg et S agli o, s . v. H e rak es l .
’
 T he F e as t of S e p t e m be r 41 1
spirit of the fam ily The J anus Pa t ri c i us is in fact
.
‘ ’

, ,

known to have borne that title i n old Rome 1 and as ,

such he can have been no other than the Genius of

the Gens Thus w hen at Florence w e find in the
.

immediate neighbou rhood of S an P ietro both the ,

Via G en t i li s and the G en i culum 2 the full sense of ,

such nam es begins at l ast to appear At this .

eomp i zum the spirit of religion and of family stood at

‘

its height ; i n a double cul mi nation indeed for this ,

pag a nism was nothing i f not aristocratic ; its last

refuge lay i n those patrician famil ies who so long
resisted Christianity as preferring to indulge their ,
‘

genius and stil l to sacrifice at his altars

’
In .

Florence the greater of these shrines probably stood

at the easte rn cross roads and the lesser was that -

g en i ea lm zz w e have fou nd close by on the Via Sacra , .

This J anus w h o w as pre eminently p a ter ; this

,
-

Geniu s thought of as the author of life in al l its

forms ; himsel f provides an easy transition from the
l ocal centre of h i s cult at Florence to the subj ect
more i m med iately in hand the purpose that d re w the
people there i n thousands every September as the , ,

autum n equinox approached For it was the seed .

time the country h ad in mind ; the risk implied in

that great com m ittal of grain to earth ; the powers
to be propitiated on such an occasion And one of .

1
Rosch L
e r, 2 26 4 P ll
ean , mp th
1, i mil ul t
, o. re er co ares e s ar c

t i tl f u d t A th d u d t d i ti g ui h th g d w
’

e w péar os o n a e n s an se o s n s e o or

s h ipp d by t h
e 01I i d t
os e on an e scen .

2
See ab v pp 116 117
o e, .
, .
412 F l o r e n c e P as t and P re s e n t
the cult titles of J anus Cans i n a s the god of sowing
-

, ,
1
,

shows that he was i ndeed recognised in a character

peculiarly appropriate to this season and to the w ork
then in hand So too the Genius appears a s the clos e .
, ,

associate if not actual ly the equ ivalent of

,
L i ber
2
that
Bacchus who bore the cornucopia and represented
the 722s zn lz ma the hidd en power of earthly plenty
' ' '

, , ,

w hich men thought could be no other than the

subterranean sun Com mitted to this power all .

,

seeds must needs be safe w armed and made fertile by ,

that secret and g en i a l heat .

W e have almost forgotten that J anus does not

work alone that he is j un on i a s ; 3 k no w n therefore
,

not so much in himsel f as by the name of his

fe male com panion H ow much was thought to . .

depend on this u n ion and c o operation of the -

goddess with the god the Mysteries of Demeter ,

are ready to show W e return to them for a .

,

moment that they may throw fresh light on the

,

market the fair and the feast of Florence and of

, , ,

September .

At Eleusis the heart of the Mysteries lay here in ,

a c o operation of the goddess and the god that was

-

figuratively set forth as a marriage visible to the ,

initiated alone and in the form of ritual espousals ,

w here the hierophant stood for Dionysus and the ,

1
M b S t i 9
ac ro .
, a .
, . .

2
S i qu i d h t m pl um
e m di i m f i t J vi L i b
a oc ut J vi e re v na ec er o e ro a o s

G i
en o I
.
’
ipti f m Fu f (N pl )
n sc r i 6 03 on ro ro a es . .

3
M b S t i 9
ac ro .
, a .
, . .
414 F lo re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
gress by a short stage from Scandicci to Monte
Oliveto w here the monks gave him hospitality till the
,

next morning On the 15th arrayed i n all his

.
,

vestments and mounted on a white pal frey he rode ,

w ith a great following to P orta San Frediano where ,

the Grand Duke s men met hi m as a guard o fh o n o ur

’
.

Surrou nded by the Visdomini the hereditary patrons ,

of the See he thence moved in the centre of a great

, ,

procession of clergy and laity by the Borghi and ,

across the P onte Vecchio to the P iazza d ella Signoria ,

w here an add ress of public w elcome w as presented and

answered Thence he rode on to the Mercatino and

.
,

found the P iazza dressed in gala and al l the Strozzi ,

of the blood of Bianca ready to receive him H ere he .

dismounted and the Strozzi allowed the servants of

,

the Convent to lead away the palfrey as their

perquisite but kept the saddle and bridle for them
,

selves W ith the Della Tosa the A rchbishop now

.
,

entered the Church of San P iero pray ed a while and , ,

then took the formal seat prepared for his new d ignity
beside the altar and beneath the canopy of state .

On the other side sat the Abbess with her nu ns and ,

as soon as all was ready she rose moved across and , ,

sat dow n on a seat prepared for her by the Arch

bishop s side He then pronounced a brief allocution
’
.

‘
in the accustomed form declaring that he accepted ,
’

her as his bride she representing the Chu rch of

Florence The rite w as made valid by the gift of the
.
-

usual ring w hich in this case cost two hu nd red flo ri n s

, ,
 T he F e as t of S e p t e mbe r 415
a nd When
the A rchbishop had set it on her fi nger she
retu rned to her for mer place among the sisterhood .

H e then blessed the people left the chu rch and went , ,

to the Cathedral staying only a mo ment at the ,

G en i culum in the Borgo to kneel and say the

accustomed prayer I n the afternoon when the .
,

religious cere mon ies in the Duomo and the Bapt i stery
w ere ove r and they had eaten the Abbess of S an
, ,

P iero sent her brid egroom of the morning with great ,

pom p the bridal bed in crimson gold and fi ne linen

, , , ,

which s h e and her n u ns had prepared against the time

w hen it would be required Thus the whole ceremony .

ended in a fl ourish of trum pets L as t ri says of it : .

This was rather a mysterious than a mu ndane

thing 1 and indeed it is to be taken as suc h
,
’
.

W hat concerns us i s to notice that by all signs this

rite is pagan and not Christian and was probably a ,

ritual m arriage that had come down fro m immemorial

antiquity I n the Bishop of Florence thus engaged
.
, ,

1
F i oren t i n o v . p .
94 . S ee l
a so , in A . Coc ch i ,

Clz zese ai
’
Fi ren z e at p . 103 , th e acco un t of an li
e ar e r

i
occa s on an d form T h e w or d s of th e B ullellon e th ere qu t d m be
—i
.
o e ay

re p eate d h e re z m , et i n camera,
verun t us q ueom n e ad c a m e ra d i
A bbati sse di c ti m onasteri i , i n q ua c am era di c t us o m n us E pi sc o p us d i
pulc erri mum lectum, uem c ta q di
o m n a A bbat i sse p ro eo fieri fece ra t , d i
i v i p
n en t , e t su er eo d em lec t o requi e vi t ad volun tate m suam

D i e aute m sequen ti redi e run t i n m an e ad d i cta m came ra m ,

ubi erat di c tus om n us E p i s co p us d i

from w h c h i t wou i ld
app th t i 1 8 6 th
ear a n 2 e cus t o m w as t h at th e B sh o i p sh o ul d p d th S en e

nigh t i th C v t n e on en . At Pi t i s o a, i
wh e re a r te o f th e same n ature

b t i d th b d w i
.

o a ne , e e as set up i n th e Ch o r of the Ch urc h . See L as tri ,

op i t p 95
. c , . .
416 F l o re n ce P as t a nd P re s e n t
we see n ot obscurely the H i erop /za n t of Eleusis ; in
his Bride the priestess of the same mysteries Those '

who surround them at t h e auspicious mo ment are not

th e people whom the Abbess is said to represent but
'

, ,

the aristocracy an d i n particul ar two fa milies where

,

th e anci ent rule of the matriarchate sti ll held good .

The Visdomini confessed it openly i n their other na me

of Della Tosa and the part taken by th e Strozzi was
,

limited to those who could prove their descent from

Bianca 1 So the Bishop himself was not Bishop of
.

Florence save by conse n t of a woman and in right of ,

her he espoused That the marriage was localised

.
’

at San P i ero where of old the S eptember feast was

held may make us bold —yet not too bold —ln accept
,

ing the conj ecture suggested by such a conj unction .

Florentine Christianity had probably l ifted from its

true setting a pagan rite that was once performed
yearly at this very pl ace as the central mystery of
September Thus the correspondence with Eleusis
.

would be com plete and the gay lights and j ests of the
,

Fi e ruco lo n e would take new colour and meaning as

the natural accompaniment of the ritual marriage .

W ere excavation possible on such a site there might ,

even yet be found beneath the Chu rch of San P iero

the subterranean vaul t that once knew the mystery
that called to the subterranean fire 2 To see this rite .

1
C i m d ll R
os o S i
e p 3 1 m k th w h l f mily f the
a en a, er e, .
,
a es e o e a o

St i t k b th th i b l d d th i m f m
ro z z a e o e r t i St oo an e r na e ro a cer a n roz z a .

2 Th G e k it w
ree p f m du d g ud L w
r e as
p it p
er o r e n er ro n . a son , o . c , .

577~
418 F l o r e n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
two of w hich bend to drop thei r grains in the ready
furro w represent the goddess to whom the pig was
,

sacred ; Demeter the m other of t h e corn The flower

,
.

s e t in such close union w ith the grain — call it l ily or

lotos — is her consort w ithout w hom sowing were in

,

vai n and w h o certainly bore ju st such a sy mbol at

,

Tarsus 1 This coin of An tella might h ave been

.

s truck to commemorate the ritual marriage of

S eptember betw een priest and priestess and i f w e ,

accept w hat it seems to give us the Giglio of ,

Florence is not simple but double t w o i n one corn , ,

a n d flo w er ; to signify goddess and god at work

together in the autumn field ; while its colou r as of ,

triump h ant fi re declares further t h e same doctri ne of

,

t h e subterranean sun .

I t w ill certainly be said w e go too fast and too far ;

a n d indeed by itsel f this coi n w ere probably a late

and surely an insufficient foundation for such a

buildi ng of conj ecture Be it ever so plausible
.
,

conj ecture cannot stand alone and only proof can ,

s upport it .I f it is to be found such proof must be ,

sough t i n a yet nearer and deeper ex amination of

t h e matter in hand .

I n general it is su rely plain enough that a doctrine

,

o f the subterranean sun such as we have su pposed , ,

w ould ,
wherever it w as held deeply influence the ,

beliefs of living men regarding the state of the dead .

The earth had received them must t h ey not belong ,

S b v p 3 89
1
ee a o e, . .
 T he F eas t of S e p t e m be r 419

to the kingd om of that hidde n power ? So P indar in ,

the wel l k n own passage where he sets forth the j oys of

-

the Greek paradise—its meadows aflame with roses ;

its trees of i ncense bearing golden fruit ; its games ,

its music its gardens —i h opening the pictu re places

, ,

all these delights under the glory of a su n which

shines ben ea llz while the living are wrapped in mid,

n ight d ark n ess 1 This w e m ay believe is the Genius .

, ,

thought able i n an u ltim ate blessing to secu re the

, ,

survival of personality even u nder bodily dissolution

and in a yet bolder figure this is the Hercules who
, ,

brings back Theseus and Alcestis to upper earth

from the under world S o Bacchu s too w as fabled .

to have descended and retu rne d from thence in a

sun myth which j oins the Greek Dionysus very
-

closely to t h e Egyptian Osiris The Mysteries of .

Dionysus we know taught the hope of life beyond

, ,

the grave 2 and i n Egypt the same doctrine openly

, ,

ex pressed i n the Book of the Dead was symbolised ,

i n the fi gure of the lotus flower bu ried with every

m ummy The qu estion then is l imited Such a
. .

hope l ived i n Greece declared i n the rites of Demeter ,

and Dionys us ; in Egypt too symbolised by the ,

ruddy flower that san k and rose i n t h e N ile as the

su n w ent and came between su mmer and winter day ,

and night Did Florence ad mit it and embody her

. ,

1 Pi n ti .
,
Frag m . 12 9 . I t is qu t d o e by P l ut .
(Con sol . ad

A poll , . iii . t o com fo rt h i s fr en i d on l

t h e oss of a s on.

2 P lut .
, Con sol . ad . a x on , 10 .
420 F l o re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t
hope in her red Giglio ? W as she in so s upreme a
-

sense the city of the Flo w er ?

The monumental s tela i of the Museu m supply an
i mmed iate answer They formally place the dead .

u n der the care of the sun god w hose lion adorns that ,

of San Tom maso while others li ft above the grave

,

a triu mphant finial w h ich probably represents the ,

risin g or setting su n 1 This doctri n e of i mmortality .

is thu s made good here at least as early as the sixth

century before our Era for the presence of such ,

symbols at the grave can h ave no other meaning I t .

ca n not be traced further back but the bel ief in life ,

beyond death su rely may ; w hat else gu ided the

hand that left beside the ashes of the dead the
ancient n ae an brooc h found in one of the
prehistoric graves that underlay the centre of
Florence ? This brooch is the beginning of the
funeral boa rd and t h e hoard consisting of useful
, ,

articles seem s to i mply more than mere respect

,

for the dead ; the feel ing that fi nds expression i n

such a way is surely t h e sense that the dead are
still alive .

I f the faith i n I mmortal ity must be recognised in

early Florence as well as i n Greece and Egypt and ,

i f this city ackno w ledged betimes the defi nite doctri n e

of the future life current in the East it becomes ,

1
T h m tif p
e o t d i th fi i l i
resen e mm i th
n t f ly ese n a s s co on n e ar o ear

C t
re e an d f My o It i f u d
c en ae. v d b tw th l g f th
s o n , re e rse , e een e e s o e

Am d l an t w i
o a c ra er n o th A Mu um
n d th pp et n c on a se , an ere a ears o

re p resen t d fi i t l y th m i d i g h t u
e n e e n s n .
42 2 F lo re n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t

co nd uct to h i s m a rr ia ge e a ch n ew Bi sho p a s he
‘ '

a rr iv es from w i t hout .

L i ke true E um o lp i d s they l e ad the p rocess i o n st i l l ,

and a re d resse d for th e part in l o n g robes th a t be fit

the occ a s i o n and the i r h i er a t i c ch a r a ct e r and be a r ing ,

co l oure d w and s re d wh i te and b l a ck i n the i r h and s

, , , ,
.

O n the i r he ad s a re g a r l and s of fresh flowers and i t i s ,

these th a t fix our a tte n t i o n wh i l e the we a rers g a ther

a bout the B i sho p he l p h i m from h i s pa l frey l e ad h i m
, ,

in to S an P i ero and from C hu rch to C o nv e n t and to

, ,

the p r iva cy and re p ose he fou nd there F or the .

ga r l and s they we a r a re n o mere rem ini sce n ce or

su r viva l of pa g an p r a ct i ce ; they h a v e a d efi ni te
d octr ina l me anin g and the d octr in e i m p l i e d in th e m
,

i s th a t v ery fai th wh i ch so l o n g a go d rew thous and s

to the M yster i es of E l eus i s .

T he herb use d we a re to l d to we av e these crow n s

, ,

w a s the f am i n ea } the p er i w in k l e w i th i ts d e l i c a te l y
-

fr i n ge d l e av es of gree n and l a rge p u r p l i sh b l ue ,

flowers . N o w the p ew/ {m a h a s two a l ter na t i v e na mes

in T usc an y ; i t i s the F i m a z M ai to or M arti n a and
'

’ ’
/
, ,

the M a mm olon a
z
T he l a st na me d ec l a res the mother
g
‘

o dd'

e ss we h av e a l re ad y fou nd i n the M a mmo l a 3

,

and the others p roc l ai m the p ervzm a as the herb

'

of the d e ad M a tt i o l i in fa c t reg i sters in h i s H erb a l

.
, ,

the T usc an p r a ct i ce of w e a v in g g a r l and s of p ew/ Mm

1
L as t ri , op . v p
. . 88 .

2
O T Ts
. . e ttj , D iz . B otan . ii . 23 4 .

3
S ee a bo v e p , . 1 13 .
 T h e F eas t of S e p t e m be r 42 3
for the cor ps es of you ng p eo p l e 1 and L ast ri record s ,

a si ng u l a r c a se of a F l ore n t i n e wom an i n w hose ,

co ffin th i s herb w a s fou nd fresh and v er dan t a fte r

m an y ce n tur i es of bur i a l 2 I t w a s c l e a r l y the l oc a l
.

i mm orte ll e .
’

N o w there is o n e e x p l ana t i o n and o n e o n l y w h i ch , ,

a ccou n ts in a na t ur a l w ay for the use of th i s herb t o

c ro w n those th a t l e d the B i sho p to S an P i ero T he .

occ a s i o n i n i tse l f w a s a ll j oyfu l ; w hy th i s flo we r of

the d e ad ? T he D e ll a T os a w ho wore i t were the , ,

P a r an ym p h s l e ad i ng the Bi sho p to h i s B r i da l
,

c h a m ber ; w hy were they cro w n e d a s for the tomb ?

T here c an be o n l y o n e an swer ; the ceremo n y ho l d s
more th an i t shows a t first s i g ht I n th i s flo w er a .

l o ng pa st d e c l a res i tse l f T he cor n mother i s her e

.
-

the Mamm olon a the g re a t mother or M a ter M agna

, ,

a s D emeter w a s a t El eus i s S he i s here to meet her .

br i d e g room and of th a t m a rr i ag e ho p e i s bor n n ot

, ,

o n l y a s m e n i n the c l e a r S e p tember c a st cor n i n the

e a rth bu t as they th i n k of the d e ad they h av e a l re ad y
,

l a i d there ; the d e ad w ho a re n ot d e ad but who l iv e ,

st i ll wh i l e the cor p se d ec a ys W e k n o w th i s w a s the .

ho p e of El eus i s an d by these crow n s she wo v e for

,

th i s m a rr iag e F l ore n c e h e ld i t too and co n fesse d i t

, ,

o n a l i ke occ a s i o n T he li g hts of the F i erucolon e

.

ga i n a n ew se n se here they a re n o mere ac c o mpan i

me n t of a r i te howe v er j oyous ; they a re d e fin i te l y
,

the R zfi co/on e a s the F loren t i n e s st i ll c all the

'

1
Comm i n D zoscw
.
'
'

. p .
48 7 .
2
0p . vi . 2 01 2 -
.
42 4 F lo re n c e P a s t an d P re s e n t

S e p tember fe a st ; l i ghts p ut out o n l y to be k i nd l e d

a gain ; a s i t w e re the sou l bre a k in g out to i mm ort a l i t y

through the g a tes of d e a th .

F i re h a s ind ee d a p ecu l i a r p l a ce in th i s d octr in e ;

and o n e wh i ch for a ll our c a re we h av e n ot yet fu l l y
, ,

e x h a uste d I t i s the forc e of the subterr an e an su n

. ,
_

the g l ory of D i o n ysus fe l t in the g en i al he a t of the ,

ea rth w here i t br in gs forth fru i t of e v ery k i nd and

, ,

whe n ce i t i ss ues i n stre a ms and fou n t ain s whose ,

w a ter— s o met i mes e v id e n t l y i g n eous —w a s su pp ose d

the co n st an t v eh i c l e of th a t bri ght e n ergy .

T hose th a t b e l i e v e d t h i s d octr in e cou l d n ot but

fi nd a n ew s a cre dn ess and wo nd er in the tree E a r l y .

and successfu l a t t em p ts a t fire m a k in g w i th woo d -

a l o n e h ad show n th a t fire l i v e d in the t ree n o l ess

,

t h an in the sto n e ; and the b i r d w a s h ai l e d a s the

messe n ger th a t l o d ge d th i s p ower of the su n i n the

woo d B ut e v id e n t l y wh a t t h e b i r d d id di rect l y by
.
, ,

fly in g d ow n the w a ter d id indi rect l y by r i s in g from

,

be n e a th I f th i s e l eme n t w a s the v eh i c l e of the

.

h idd e n fi re i t w as e ve n more sur e l y th a t wh i ch e v ery

,

tre e d r an k through i ts roots 1 H e n ce a p e c ul ia r re v er .

e n ce paid to rem a rk a b l e tre e s whose roots e n c l ose

a na tur a l s p rin g and whose br an ches o v er a rch

,

S uch i s the we ll of S t K ey n e i n C or n w a ll 2 and such .

,

t h e s p r in g wh i ch a m i ghty i l e x sh ad ows st i l l u nd er
1
Pli y
n , x v ii . 2 .

2
M A Co ur t e y C m / F t ( 8 9 0) p 6 4 F o v ery
'

. . n , or s z eas s I , . . r a

s i g i fic a t R o ma c a se w h ere t h e t ree t h e fi
n n n , d t h e w a t er a pp e a r , re an

t o ge t h er see P li y N H ii 0
, n , , . 1 .
 F lo re nc e P a s t an d P re s e n t
42 6

wh o s aid trees gre w a t first by t h e in ter na l he a t l aid

u p in the e a rth ; th a t whe n there a fter the pat h o f , ,

t he su n w a s l aid da y di v id e d from nig ht and m an

, ,

from wom an trees beg an to br in g forth fru i t by the

,

m in g l e d p ow e r i n them o fi re and w a ter W h a t

f 1
.

the d octr in e comes to i s th a t the tree i s a true s oli s

f uczn a the meet in g p l a ce of the u pp er w i th the u nd er
'

fires T he na tur a l symbo l of th i s be l i ef w a s the

.

co l um n where the s uos za m e of the sto n e i tse l f the

,
‘
,

home of fire w a s brought to the f orm of the tree

, , .

where the s a me fi re w a s be l i e v e d to d we ll in a
m a rr iag e of he ave n an d e a rth and therefore w i th ,

d oub l e effic a cy .

N o w t h e m a rket in fro n t of S an P i ero h ad j ust

such a pi l l a r wh i ch must h av e me an t much
,

more th an the mere occurre n ce here of the

an c i e n t L e t us see wh a t pa rt th i s pi l l a r
'

p l ays in an ecc l es ia st i c a l ceremo nia l wh i ch so

e vid e n t l y re p e a ts th a t of a pa g an mystery H e l p e d .

by the D e l l a T os a the B i sho p a l i ghts from h i s pa l fre y

,

but he i s n ot a l l owe d to set foot o n the grou nd ;

he ste p s o n the stum p of the co l u m n i tse l f ; an a ct
wh i ch so sure l y and co n st an t l y m ad e pa rt of the r i te
th a t the sto n e wh i ch rece iv e d h i s foot w as k n ow n
i n F lore n ce a s 1a st a ffa d e l V esco v o the B i sho p s ’ ’
.

st i rru p 2 I t w ou l d seem i nd ee d th a t he w a s t o
.
, ,
.

be c a refu ll y ke p t from co n t a ct w i th the so i l I n .

1
Quo t e d by P l u t a rch v
'

, D e pla ci t p l uL ,
. . 26 .

L as t ri , o p . v p
. . 89 .
 T h e F e as t of S e p t e m be r 42 7
I 56 7
he mere l y used the p i ll a r a s a ste pp i ng
off sto n e but in 12 8 6 the r i te ret a i n e d more of the
,
‘

pa st T he D e ll a T os a the n rece i ve d h i m i n the i r

.
‘

a rms and we n t w i th h i m to the a l t a r

, and
there a fter w he n he wou l d w i th d r a w h i mse l f they st i ll
,
,

a ccom pan i e d h i m ho l d ing h i m in the i r a rms th a t i s

, ,

he l ping to c a rry h i m and we n t w i th h i m e v e n to the

,

be d ch a mber 1 O n e ste p more in such retrogress i o n

-
.
’

and i t i s c l e a r wh a t we shou l d fi nd T he feet th a t .

h ad touche d the co l um n must n ot be p rofan e d by

an y co n t a ct w i th the e a rth t i l l the who l e ceremo n y i s
o v er S igni fic an t ind ee d i s the su dd e n ch an ge the
.

n e x t da y br i ngs H e who h ad r idd e n to the Church

.

n ow w a lk s the n ce to the G e ni cu l um ; he w h o h ad
bee n c a rr i e d i n h i s a tte ndan ts a rm s w a l ks oa ref ooz ; ’

,
‘

for n ow the gre a t M yster i es a re o v er and o n l y ,

the l esser l eft .

T he m a rr i ag e a t S an P i ero i f w e h av e re ad the s i g n s ,

a r ig ht wou l d thus re p rese n t r i tu a ll y an d symbo l i c a ll y

, , ,

the u n i o n of he a v e n and e a rth of fi re and w a ter in the , ,

tree T he pa g an H i ero p h an t whom the B i sho p h ad

.
,

come to su pp l a n t mo v e d to the comp zt um th a t i n a

'

myste ry he m ig ht re p rese n t the D i o n ysus the go d ,

who w a s the h i d d e n fire H e h i mse lf becomes .

ch a rge d —a s from an e l ectr i c co nd uctor—whe n he

touches the tree and the n ceforth must be tre a te d a s
,

the go d i n p erso n t i l l the mystery i s com p l ete bor n e

1
B ullet ton e, qu ot ed in A . C occh i ,
Clz z ese
'

dz
'

Fi rm z e

p . 103 .
42 8 F lo re n c e P as t an d P re s e n t

u p a bo v e t h e e a rth l est the G e ni us t h e n e w ,

p erso na l i ty re v e a l e d in th i s p l a ce and r i te d e pa rt ,

from h im and the myst i c m a rria ge l ose i ts h i ghest

,

s i g ni fic an ce and effect I t i s we ll k n ow n th a t such

.

p rec a ut i o n s h a v e bee n and st i l l a re t a ke n in

,
r i tes
,

o f m an y di ffere n t na t i o n s
1
.

T hus we h av e return e d — a fter m an y j our n eys

h ow
i n h o w m an y d i ffere n t di rect i o n s —to the p l a ce w h i ch
seems to h av e bee n the p r in c ipa l a n d most an c i e n t
se a t of F l ore n t in e re l igi o n ; a s the l in e i n wh i ch i t
stoo d w a s th a t a l o ng wh i ch Fl ore n ce mo v e d west
w a r d to her l a ter ce n tre and s p l e nd id d e v e l o p me n t .

M ore for we h a v e come to fi nd there th a t wh i ch i s

:

tru l y or i g ina l and ce n tra l in the c i ty of the sou l th a t

s a l t w i thout wh i ch n o re l i g i o n c an l o n g sur viv e the
ho p e of eter na l l i fe H ad i t bee n o n l y the cor n me n
.

thou ght o f whe n they g a there d of o l d in the

M erc a t in o a few b ad ye a rs h ad see n the e nd of th a t
,

1
For ex a mp l es co sul t F ra er Golden B oug h i ii 202 46 4, etc
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pp .
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WE N WA E S
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DD I 97 G OF T R 1

W ere w o l v es
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