SITTING down cross-legged on the very oldest and dirtiest of rugs, and just outside our fragrant1 hedge of oleander, is to be seen an old Jew, the finest type of a Shylock that could be imagined; with ample, heavy, flowing beard, aquiline2 nose with sharp cut nostril3, and deep-set piercing eyes shadowed by an ample turban. He has before him, on his rug, a collection of arms, pistols of the old approved Turkish form and yataghans of every 95 price, from the common horn-handled weapon in a wooden sheath to the jewel-hilted Kharjar in a sheath of repoussé silver. Around is a motley group of countrymen, all talking at the top of their voices in their several languages, whilst examining and praising or depreciating4 the weapons there for sale, just as they are either simple flaneurs in the square, or really intending purchasers. The varieties of costume rendered this picturesque5 group most interesting, there were Morlacchi from the neighbouring mountains with full blue Turkish trowsers fast to the knee; gold embroidered6 crimson7 jackets without sleeves, and gaiters to match; the whole finished off by an immense Albanian scarf of many colours wound round the waist, holding a perfect armoury of weapons in the front. On the head most of them wore a small red fez, others wore a turban, but it was not put on like the Jews, they did not seem au fait in settling it; but whatever head-gear they adopted they all were decorated with a tail—a genuine plaited tail coming down their backs with such luxuriance that it might have been the envy of any Celestial8. I could not bring myself to like it—though report says that 96 the Morlacchi are wonderfully attached to their tails, and cherish and pet them somewhat in the manner of our old tars9 in the days of Collingwood and Nelson.
There were Turks from the Herzegovina, ill-looking, badly-clad, scowling10 Mussulmans, who would willingly have earned ten paras by sending a Christian11 to his latter home, but still gorgeous in their tatters and vermin. There were Christian Albanians with their white fustanellas, high aquiline nose, glittering eyes, and false smile, in dress somewhat similar to the Morlacchi, but wearing a smaller fez with a long blue tassel12. Conspicuous13 above them all was a Risanese from the Gulf14 of Cattaro, in full Montenegrin costume; but with a green instead of the white characteristic coat, all overladen about the breast and shoulders with plates of solid gold of considerable thickness, especially over the shoulders, where they would, if required, afford some protection from the blow of a sabre.
Mingled15 with the men were several women—some very good-looking—with golden-brown hair and dark eyes and eyelashes; their hair in plaits, 97 not hanging but coiled round their heads, which were further adorned17 with Turkish piastres and other coins. The dress is a mixture of red, white, and blue artistically18 combined, with coral and coins twisted round their necks.
The noise of this Babel of tongues was deafening19, and the scene not to be described. One wretched, tattered20 old man, but armed to the teeth like the rest, long tried to persuade me to buy a hank of onions, and would not be gainsaid21 when told by one of the waiters of the café that I was a traveller and did not require onions; what better or more portable provisions could I carry with me in my travels than onions? said he.
Having finished my granita, I again started to explore the city; this time under the guidance of a most obliging gentleman, well versed22 in the antiquities23 of the place, and to whom I had brought an introduction. We first went outside the city to inspect the grand Porta Aurea. This had only lately been thoroughly24 excavated25, and even in its present dilapidated condition, not so much the effect of time as of the plundering27 propensities28 of 98 man, is still most beautiful and grand. What must it have been before the eight columns which decorated its front were taken away to adorn16 some modern church?
From the Porta Aurea, we again got into the city, proceeding29 straight to the court of the vestibule of the Palace, where all that is best worth seeing in Spalato is collected together. Here in front of us was the fa?ade of the peristyle, consisting of four large and beautiful granite30 columns, supporting a triangular31 pediment, and which occupied the whole breadth of the court. On each side were a row of six Corinthian columns, equally large, and also of rose-coloured Egyptian granite, supporting not an architrave as is generally the case, but a series of arches which sprang from their capitals. On the right was the smaller temple, dedicated32 to Esculapius, now converted into a baptistry, and dedicated to St. John. On the left, the Temple of Jupiter—now the Cathedral of Spalato, by the side of which rises that most elegant campanile, the Giralda of Spalato, only one hundred and ninety-nine feet high, since the two upper stories were thrown down by lightning. 99
The interior of the Cathedral does not offer much to admire—nevertheless its general effect is sufficiently33 imposing34. But it is outside in the court, the present piazza35, that all the beauty of the place reveals itself. It is not a ruin—of the sixteen original granite columns not one has been displaced, and this portion of the Palace of Spalato is as in the days when Diocletian came into his Temple to pray. Can the reader believe that all this is really within five days of London?
Dalmatia has been the birthplace of many men of letters and science, and Spalato can boast of having even given a Protestant Dean to our royal Windsor, in the person of the celebrated36 Mark Anthony de Dominis, once Catholic Archbishop of Spalato, whose life and death would furnish materials for a sensational38 novel. As his history is not commonly known, it may, perhaps, interest some of my readers to hear it now.
He was born about the year 1570, and educated at the Illyrian College of the Jesuits, in Loretto, from whence he passed to Padua, where he became Professor of Mathematics. In the year 1600, he 100 was created Bishop37 of Segna, and in 1602 he was raised to the Archbishopric of Spalato, where, during the terrible plague of 1607, he nobly distinguished39 himself by his liberality to the poor, and his fearless and humane40 attendance on the sick in the administration of his sacerdotal duties—emulating the courage and devotion, under similar circumstances, of Borromeo of Milan. He occupied the Archiepiscopal throne of Spalato for fourteen years, during which period his time was divided between the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and the investigations41 of science. He converted the upper part of the Palace, at Spalato, into a Laboratory and an Observatory42, and the window is still shown where he is supposed to have made the discovery of the prismatic colour of light, "by the falling drops of water;" which discovery, including a description of the nature of the rainbow, he published to the world in a work printed at Venice in 1611. His fickleness43 in matters of religion, however, proved his ruin; his Chapter accused him of heretical opinions, upon which he withdrew to Venice at the close of 1615, having previously44 vacated his See in favour of his nephew 101 Sforza Ponsoni. During his residence in that city, he wrote a work in favour of the Republic, which was condemned45 by the Inquisition, when he determined46 on withdrawing, for safety, to a Protestant country.
He went first to Heidelberg, and thence came to England in the suite47 and at the invitation of Sir Henry Wotton, Ambassador of James I. to the Venetian Republic. In England, he published and dedicated to James I. a history of the Council of Trent, which had been lent him, it is said, by its author, Fra Paolo Sarpi. He also edified48 the Protestant public by an open recantation of his religion in St. Paul's Cathedral, and then published a work against the Papacy, entitled, "Scoglio del Naufragio Christiano." He was particularly well received in England; and was patronized by the King, who made him Dean of Windsor. He seems, however, to have expected more, and to have been disappointed at not getting a bishopric; and on Gregory XV., who was a friend and relative of his, succeeding him to the Papal throne, he changed his religion again, and yielding to the solicitations of the Pope, conveyed to him through 102 the Spanish Ambassador, who promised him a Cardinal49's Hat, he returned to Rome in 1622.
Gregory XV. received him kindly50, and as long as he lived De Dominis remained unmolested, but at his death Pope Urban VIII., who succeeded him, saw no reason to extend his protection over the ex-Protestant Dean of Windsor; he was accused of heresy51, handed over to the tender mercies of the Holy Inquisition, and thrown into a dungeon52 of the Castle of St. Angelo, where he died in 1625—it is supposed by poison, and his body was subsequently burned, together with his writings, in the Campo dei Fiori.
De Dominis was a very distinguished philosopher, and we must not be too severe when judging him by the light of the present day. There can be no doubt that the change from Popery to the Reformed religion was principally due, not to a feeling of animosity against the Church of Rome, as many have maintained, but chiefly to those doubts concerning the truth of the things taught by that church, and to its conduct in persisting to refuse the results of the investigations of science, as evinced by its treatment of Galileo and others. 103 His return to the church is more difficult to account for on generous grounds; but he, himself, is stated to have said that by becoming a Cardinal he might be of greater use in effecting a reformation in that community to which he had originally belonged. The Holy Inquisition had hoped to have enjoyed the satisfaction of publicly roasting, "ad majorem Dei gloriam," a professor of Natural Science, a renegade Catholic Archbishop and a Protestant Dean all in one; but some charitable friend robbed that holy confraternity of its anticipated triumph by passing in some poison to the unfortunate De Dominis, who learnt too late that Rome never changes, "che il Lupo perde il pelo, il vizio no" and that according to Papal ethics53 to keep faith with heretics is at best a grievous sin.
Spalato, in common with the rest of Dalmatia, has given birth to many able men, among which they claim even St. Jerome, the most learned of the ancient fathers and the talented author of the noblest translation of the Bible; but I fear on insufficient54 grounds, as all the authorities I have looked into seem to make him a Pannonian and not an Illyrian; Carrara, however, claims him as 104 a compatriot in his "Uomini Illustri di Spalato."
Within a few miles of Spalato are the ruins of Salona, I had not time to visit them. There is not comparatively very much of interest to be seen above ground, but I believe that methodically conducted diggings have yielded some valuable results. It was the Roman capital of Dalmatia and was destroyed by the Avars in 640, when the inhabitants who escaped from the slaughter55 took refuge in Spalato and there founded the new city, by grouping themselves around and under the protection of the Palace of Diocletian.
The majority of the inhabitants of Spalato are Roman Catholics, with an admixture of Greeks and a good number of Jews, who wear the turban and the Oriental costume, and are principally descended56 from those who were expelled from Spain in 1493. For many centuries they were subjected to the same indignities57 as in other Christian countries, and compelled to inhabit the Ghetto58 where they used to be locked up at night; but such practices have long been abolished in Dalmatia, and the Jews of Spalato have enjoyed for many years the same privileges as the other citizens of that place. 105
My stay at Spalato was much too short for enjoyment59; I saw indeed most that was to be seen there, but it was not much more than a glance, and I longed to be sketching60 amongst those picturesque nooks.
Having several times mentioned the Morlacchi, it will, I think, be interesting to my readers to know something about them. Again I have to regret that I was unable to visit them in their villages, and that the only information I can give of them is, that they are inhabitants of the wild mountainous district lying to the East of Dalmatia. They are a fine race of men, though much smaller and inferior to the Montenegrin; their women, on the contrary, are often very beautiful, and they have many strange customs in their dealings with foreigners which would make an excursion into the fastnesses of their mountains of more than ordinary interest.
With the Lowland Dalmatians and the inhabitants of the towns on the coast, the name of Morlacchi is always associated with plunder26 and cattle-lifting, just as in Scotland a hundred years ago every Highlander61, in the eyes of a Lowlander, 106 was a cateran and a robber; but I heard from people that had been among them, that they are very hospitable62, and that their country can be freely traversed in any direction without the smallest danger. They are Catholics and apparently63 of the same stock as the Montenegrins, though these latter are schismatic Greeks.
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1
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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aquiline
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| adj.钩状的，鹰的 | |
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nostril
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| n.鼻孔 | |
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depreciating
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| v.贬值，跌价，减价( depreciate的现在分词 )；贬低，蔑视，轻视 | |
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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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embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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tars
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| 焦油，沥青，柏油( tar的名词复数 ) | |
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scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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tassel
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| n.流苏，穗；v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须 | |
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conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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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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adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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artistically
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| adv.艺术性地 | |
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deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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gainsaid
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| v.否认，反驳( gainsay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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versed
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| adj. 精通，熟练 | |
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antiquities
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| n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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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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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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propensities
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| n.倾向，习性( propensity的名词复数 ) | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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triangular
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| adj.三角（形）的，三者间的 | |
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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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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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humane
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| adj.人道的，富有同情心的 | |
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investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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observatory
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| n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台 | |
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fickleness
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| n.易变；无常；浮躁；变化无常 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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edified
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| v.开导，启发( edify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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50
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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heresy
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| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
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52
dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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53
ethics
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| n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准 | |
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54
insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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55
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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56
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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indignities
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| n.侮辱，轻蔑( indignity的名词复数 ) | |
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ghetto
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| n.少数民族聚居区，贫民区 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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60
sketching
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| n.草图 | |
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61
highlander
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| n.高地的人，苏格兰高地地区的人 | |
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62
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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