AT about one o'clock p.m. we steamed away from Zara while we were at dinner, and at five p.m. reached Sebenico. Should I ever travel again in that part of the world, I think I should try to go from Zara to Sebenico by land in order to see the ruins of Asseria, which I learnt afterwards were well worth a visit; but the journey should in that case be undertaken earlier in the year, to avoid the oppressive heats. 80
The afternoon between leaving Zara and arriving at Sebenico passed quickly away, for I had the advantage of two most agreeable companions; one the capuchin monk5, the other a charming young fellow, an officer in an Austrian J?ger regiment6, Baron7 Heyd von Heydeg.
The Capuchin was a most interesting man, and we chatted many an hour together by moonlight on the deck, when every one else had gone to sleep, when I used to chaff8 him about the rules of his order, which forbid the smoking of tobacco, while they permit the use of snuff without any restriction9. He used to take it most good-humouredly, and laughed as if his sides would split when I would refuse to take a pinch of his snuff unless he smoked one of my cigarettes. I verily think I should have brought him round at last, had he not been constantly under the surveillance, and in mortal "soggezione" of his lay brother.
Heyd was a different fellow altogether, but most agreeable. He was going to join his regiment, then quartered at Budua. We travelled together as far as Cattaro, and I met him subsequently 81 both at Cettigne and Budua, where I went expressly to pay him a visit.
The time sped swiftly and most agreeably in spite of the heat, and at five o'clock p.m. we steamed through the narrow tortuous10 opening, bordered by steep rocky sides, which leads into the bay, at the further end of which stands Sebenico. It is a noble harbour, and so deep that a frigate11 can lie alongside the quay12. At the narrowest part of its entrance, the approach is defended by what a few years ago would have been considered a masterpiece of fortification, but which at present would offer too fair a target to our projectiles13 to afford any great protection against an enemy. It is still worth a visit, as its casemates are perhaps among the finest in the world. It was engineered and built in 1546, by the celebrated14 architect San Micheli. The entrance to the fortress15 is surmounted16 by the usual Venetian Lion with the following inscription:—
"Pax tibi Marce Evangelista meus."[4]
82
Having landed with Baron Heyd, who had been quartered there some time before, for cicerone, I proceeded to inspect the Duomo, or cathedral, the principal object of interest there. Some people are lost in admiration18 of this cathedral, I really could not see much about it to admire, and the two statues on its fa?ade representing Adam and Eve (they might as well be Gog and Magog) are simply detestable. But the roof of the cathedral is a curiosity in itself, and worth the journey. It is of its kind unique, and though it is said to be perfectly19 safe, and I suppose must be so, having continued so for so many years, still I could not help feeling a sense of insecurity as long as I was in the church, and enjoyed great relief when I finally came out of it.
This roof is simply a semi-cylinder made of enormous slabs20 of stone joined edge to edge, but so beautifully adapted and fitted one into the other that, without any other support save what they afford each other, they form the vault22 of this 83 cathedral. I trust they may never crack; but I, for one, could never say my prayers with comfort under such a roof.
Having taken a ramble23 through the streets, which were clean and contained many fine mansions24, we went up to the fort on the hill behind the town, and which commands the whole place, where we passed a pleasant hour with the officers of the garrison25.
My time being limited, I was unable to make an expedition from Sebenico, which under different circumstances I should certainly have undertaken, that is to the falls of the Kerka and the monastery26 above them. My friend, the Capuchin, who had travelled a good deal both in Europe and America, and had a good eye for the picturesque27, told me they were well worth seeing; but like many other interesting spots down that coast, I must only hope to visit them at some future time.
At dusk we returned to the steamer, though we knew it would not leave till the following morning early, and we could have spent a most pleasant night on shore; but Sebenico shuts its 84 gates at sunset, and then till the following sunrise no one can come in or go out, and had we attempted it we should only have lost our passage.
Having partaken of an excellent supper, I returned to the deck, where, as was my wont28, I sat down beside my friend the Capuchin, who always took a cup of coffee with me though he would not consent to smoke. We chatted till very late, when he went down to his camerino, and I settled myself on deck as usual for my night's sleep. It turned out awfully29 hot, as the steamer remained till break of day in the harbour of Sebenico, but what must it have been in the cabin?
At the very earliest dawn we left our moorings, and steamed out of the harbour by its well guarded entrance. Just outside we passed a group of small islands, among which is established a considerable coral fishery. The coral is not however of the finest quality, mostly of the common deep red kind, and is principally sold on the spot or at the fair of Sinigaglia in the Romagna on the opposite or Italian side of the Adriatic.
The dawn was just merging30 into daylight, when 85 we steamed out of that land-locked harbour. It had been stiflingly31 hot as long as we had lain still alongside the quay, but the moment we came out into the open sea, the
". . . . Aura messaggiera . . . .
Ad annunziar che se ne vien l'Aurora,"
came with a most refreshing32 breeze, so light, however, as not even to raise a "cat's paw" on the glassy waters, but still deliciously cool and invigorating.
The steward33 was not long manufacturing me a good cup of coffee, after which, having made myself comfortable in a capital arm-chair, I again went to sleep, not to awake until Giovanni summoned me again, "per far colazione."
In the course of the morning we reached Spalato, a beautiful and most interesting place, where an artist could with advantage spend many days. It was celebrated in ancient times for the gorgeous palace which the Emperor Diocletian built for himself after abdicating34 the Empire in 303 a.d., and the magnificent remains35 of which still form the glory of the present city. After a 86 reign36 of twenty years, "Diocletian executed his memorable37 resolution of abdicating the Empire," and acquired the glory of giving to the world the most remarkable38, if not the first, example of a resignation which has not been very frequently imitated by succeeding monarchs39. Withdrawing to Salona, he passed the last nine years of his life in seclusion—the building of a palace in the neighbourhood, and the superintendence of his garden, occupying his leisure hours. The satisfaction he derived40 from these pursuits is sufficiently41 proved by his well-known answer to Maximian, when urging him to re-assume the purple, "If I could show you the cabbages I have planted with my own hands at Salona, you would no longer urge me to relinquish42 the enjoyment43 of happiness for the pursuit of power."
This immense palace, which covered very nearly nine English acres of ground, was almost a perfect square terminating at the four corners by a quadrangular tower. Its faces were directed as nearly as possible to the four cardinal44 points—the southern side being pointed45 to the shore and facing the sea. It still exists in good preservation46 and forms a grand 87 object of attraction to the visitor entering the harbour. Two streets intersected each other at right angles nearly in the centre of it, which has lately been completely excavated47 and is now fully21 exposed to view.
The following description by the late Mr. Paton (author of "Highlands and Islands of the Adriatic," one of the most charming books ever printed) will convey to the reader a far clearer impression than anything I could pen; I therefore make no apology for inserting it here, and whoever should wish to go still deeper into the matter and learn all that is to be learned concerning this palace, I refer him to Mr. Adams' book "Spalato Restored," which is a perfectly exhaustive treatise48 on the subject.
"At the outset we are struck with the enormous extent of the palace, which is not less than nine acres and a half; so that even Constantine Porphyrogenitus speaks of it with admiration, as one of the greatest edifices49 then extant. In the time of Diocletian, his great retinue51 and a pretorian cohort could be lodged52 with convenience in it. Sixteen towers gave strength and elegance53 88 to the edifice50, of which the largest were those at the four corners. The back of the edifice looked to the north-east on the land-side, and there was the principal entrance, the Porta Aurea, or golden gate, which led to the Peristylium, a great court of granite54 columns; and the cross street which intersected the principal passage at right angles was terminated at each end by gates, the one the Porta Ferrea, or iron gate, the other the Porta ?nea, or gate of brass55, which are so called to this day.
"This peristylium, or court of granite columns, was flanked by two temples; the greater of Jupiter, and the smaller of Esculapius; the former, a lofty octagon, was ascended56 by a stair of fifteen steps; an uneven57 number being generally found in the temples of the ancients, that, beginning to move with the right foot, they might, of course, place it first upon the uppermost step in order to enter the temple—a form which was accounted respectful in approaching the Deity58. From the peristylium, or court of granite columns, the Roman entered the principal inhabited part of the palace; first was the porticus of Corinthian order, then the 89 circular dome-covered vestibulum, with the Lares and Penates; then the atrium, or quadrangular hall, ninety-eight by forty-five with its arms and trophies59 dedicated60 to ancestry61; and last of all the crypto-porticus, or grand gallery, looking to the south-west, thus facing the sea, and forming a noble promenade62 of five hundred and fifteen feet in length, in which, during the heat of Summer or inclemency63 of Winter, the Emperor could take exercise. This crypto-porticus was the principal feature of the palace, and the well-known taste of Diocletian leads us to suppose that the choicest statuary and paintings of the Old World must have adorned64 its walls. The relics65 of Pompeii give some idea of the classic fancy in ornament66, the harmonizing contrasts in colour, and the consummate67 skill in tessellation employed in the domestic architecture of the ancients; and if we relieve these splendours with the latest fascination68 in the unpretending forms of Greek statuary, how puny69 is the utmost magnificence of Versailles compared with the dwelling3 of the retired70 Roman!
"Such was the Palace of Diocletian; what now remains of the edifice? The shell or outer wall, 90 of which the best preserved part is the grand gallery facing the sea; for Spalato like its contemporary Baalbec being used as a fortification, the rough stone and mortar71 of the middle-age battlements surmount17 in many places the massive normal masonry72 of the Roman Empire.... Within the town, fragments of Roman architecture are scattered73 thickly enough, but so obscured and mingled74 with modern houses as to present a mass of confusion."
Did we stop short here, the reader might well imagine that beyond the shell, the walls which surrounded the palace, nothing has been preserved; such however is not the case, and I shall now endeavour to describe what I saw in Spalato the morning that I steamed into its harbour, when from the deck of my vessel75 I gazed on that sea studded all over with numberless boats spreading the most fantastic sails to the gentlest of breezes!
The prevailing76 form, if not the only one, was the lateen in all its varieties, most of the boats carrying but one. But such colours and such devices painted on them! things that would look simply outrageous77 at Cowes or Ryde, how lovely they 91 seemed there! Some were striped from above downwards78 with every colour of the rainbow, but only two colours to each sail and these always harmoniously79 contrasted; others of one uniform colour, with some fantastic ornament in sharp contrast in the middle; while some, all of one colour had at the topmost angle of the lateen a representation of the sun generally in burnished80 gold with its rays coming down a long way over the sail. The glittering golden sea, those fairy-looking boats gliding81 over it, the picturesque costumes of the sailors, the whole scene bathed in that golden light was a fit preparation for my introduction to the rare beauties of Spalato itself.
As we slowly approached the quay, there was ample time to admire the long fa?ade of Diocletian's Palace, with the tall and elegant campanile which rises inside it on the right, and the strong hexagonal machicolated tower on the left. The lofty steeple on the right, a very Giralda of elegance and airiness—the dungeon82 on the left a sturdy emblem83 of the iron-fisted middle ages.
After some customary formalities, during which I feasted my eyes on the picturesque groups that 92 crowded on the quay, permission was finally given to go ashore84; when crossing as quickly as could be the narrow intervening space, I plunged85 through the Porta Ferrea into the vaulted86 passage which on this side gives entrance to the city of Spalato; and now commence the real difficulties of description, but having undertaken it I must only try, trusting to the kind forbearance of my readers.
This vaulted entrance is narrow, perhaps not twelve feet wide, but very lofty and formed of immense blocks of stone put together with wonderful accuracy. After following it a little way, it opens out into a spacious87 round hall rising up to a considerable height, this portion being unroofed; from it open out several streets, all running about here and there, crossing and recrossing each other as if in search of light and air. The dwellings in these streets are full of quaint artistic88 beauty; at one point one meets a massive wall of square-cut blocks dating from the days of Diocletian, against which, perhaps, is built up a modern house with wrought-iron balconies of the most delicate workmanship; further on, an outside staircase of rude stone steps, partly covered with a roof of 93 russet tiles, leads to a door some thirty feet above our heads, from which a flying buttress89 crosses over to an opening in an ancient wall beyond, where a modern habitation has been constructed in some medi?val donjon.
Each turn brings a new surprise, and so one passes on till one comes to the piazza90, and this day being a festival, it swarmed91 with natives from all the surrounding campagne. The reader must now come with me to the café, where under a thick awning92 and surrounded by a screen of oleanders and orange-trees in full bloom, we shall take a granita di caffé (a water-ice flavoured with coffee), and study the moving panorama93 before us, whilst we slowly puff94 away a cigarette made with the ambrosial tobacco of Trebigna—a kind still unknown in London and in Paris!
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1
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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ambrosial
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| adj.美味的 | |
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monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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chaff
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| v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳 | |
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restriction
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| n.限制，约束 | |
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tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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projectiles
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| n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器 | |
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14
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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15
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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17
surmount
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| vt.克服；置于…顶上 | |
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18
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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19
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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slabs
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| n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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23
ramble
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| v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延 | |
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24
mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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merging
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| 合并（分类） | |
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stiflingly
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| adv. 令人窒息地(气闷地，沉闷地) | |
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32
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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33
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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34
abdicating
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| 放弃（职责、权力等）( abdicate的现在分词 )； 退位，逊位 | |
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35
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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37
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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40
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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41
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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42
relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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excavated
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| v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘 | |
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treatise
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| n.专著；(专题)论文 | |
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49
edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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50
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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52
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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53
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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54
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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trophies
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| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
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dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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ancestry
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| n.祖先，家世 | |
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promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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inclemency
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| n.险恶，严酷 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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70
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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71
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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77
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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78
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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79
harmoniously
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| 和谐地，调和地 | |
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80
burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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81
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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82
dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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83
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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84
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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85
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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86
vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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87
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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buttress
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| n.支撑物；v.支持 | |
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piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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