Unpublished fragment from Mr. Arthur Young's diary of his travels inItaly in the year 1789.

　　October 1st.

　　Having agreed with a vetturino to carry me to Pianura, set out thismorning from Mantua. The country mostly arable, with rows of elm andmaple pollard. Dined at Casal Maggiore, in an infamous filthy inn. Atdinner was joined by a gentleman who had taken the other seat in thevettura as far as Pianura. We engaged in conversation and I found him aman of lively intelligence and the most polished address. Though dressedin the foreign style, en abbe, he spoke English with as much fluency asmyself, and but for the philosophical tone of his remarks I had takenhim for an ecclesiastic. Altogether a striking and somewhat perplexingcharacter: able, keen, intelligent, evidently used to the best company,yet acquainted with the condition of the people, the methods of farming,and other economical subjects such as are seldom thought worthy ofattention among Italians of quality.

　　It appeared he was newly from France, where he had been as much struckas myself by the general state of ferment. Though owning that there wasmuch reason for discontent, and that the conduct of the court andministers was blind and infatuated beyond belief, he yet declaredhimself gravely apprehensive of the future, saying that the people knewnot what they wanted, and were unwilling to listen to those that mighthave proved their best advisors. Whether by this he meant the clergy Iknow not; though I observed he spoke favourably of that body in France,pointing out that, long before the recent agitations, they had defendedthe civil rights of the Third Estate, and citing many cases in which thecountry curates had shown themselves the truest friends of the people: afact my own observation hath confirmed.

　　I remarked to him that I was surprised to find how little talk there wasin Italy of the distracted conditions in France; and this though thecountry is overrun with French refugees, or emigres, as they callthemselves, who bring with them reports that might well excite the alarmof neighbouring governments. He said he had remarked the sameindifference, but that this was consonant with the Italian character,which never looked to the morrow; and he added that the mild dispositionof the people, and their profound respect for religion, were sufficientassurance against any political excess.

　　To this I could not forbear replying that I could not regard as excessesthe just protests of the poor against the unlawful tyranny of theprivileged classes, nor forbear to hail with joy the dawn of that lightof freedom which hath already shed so sublime an effulgence on the wildsof the New World. The abate took this in good part, though I could seehe was not wholly of my way of thinking; but he declared that in hisopinion different races needed different laws, and that the sturdy andtemperate American colonists were fitted to enjoy a greater measure ofpolitical freedom than the more volatile French and Italians--as thoughliberty were not destined by the Creator to be equally shared by allmankind! (Footnote: I let this passage stand, though the late unhappyevents in France have, alas! proved that my friend the abate was nearerright than myself. June, 1794.)In the afternoon through a poor country to Ponte di Po, a miserablevillage on the borders of the duchy, where we lay, not slept, in ourclothes, at the worst inn I have yet encountered. Here our luggage wasplumbed for Pianura. The impertinence of the petty sovereigns totravellers in Italy is often intolerable, and the customs officers showthe utmost insolence in the search for seditious pamphlets and othercontraband articles; but here I was agreeably surprised by the courtesyof the officials and the despatch with which our luggage was examined.

　　On my remarking this, my companion replied that the Duke of Pianura wasa man of liberal views, anxious to encourage foreigners to visit hisstate, and the last to put petty obstacles in the way of travel. Ianswered, this was the report I had heard of him; and it was in the hopeof learning something more of the reforms he was said to have effected,that I had turned aside to visit the duchy. My companion replied thathis Highness had in fact introduced some innovations in the government;but that changes which seemed the most beneficial in one direction oftenworked mischief in another, so that the wisest ruler was perhaps not hethat did the greatest amount of good, but he that was cause of thefewest evils.

　　The 2nd.

　　From Ponte di Po to Pianura the most convenient way is by water; but theriver Piana being greatly swollen by the late rains, my friend, whoseems well-acquainted with the country, proposed driving thither: asuggestion I readily accepted, as it gave me a good opportunity to studythe roads and farms of the duchy.

　　Crossing the Piana, drove near four hours over horrible roads acrosswaste land, thinly wooded, without houses or cultivation. On myexpressing surprise that the territory of so enlightened a prince wouldlie thus neglected, the abate said this land was a fief of the see ofPianura, and that the Duke was desirous of annexing it to the duchy. Iasked if it were true that his Highness had given his people aconstitution modelled on that of the Duke of Tuscany. He said he hadheard the report; but that for his part he must deplore any measuretending to debar the clergy from the possession of land. Seeing mysurprise, he explained that, in Italy at least, the religious orderswere far better landlords than the great nobles or the petty sovereigns,who, being for the most part absent from their estates, left theirpeasantry to be pillaged by rapacious middlemen and stewards: anargument I have heard advanced by other travellers, and have myself hadfrequent occasion to corroborate.

　　On leaving the Bishop's domain, remarked an improvement in the roads.

　　Flat land, well irrigated, and divided as usual into small holdings. Thepernicious metayer system exists everywhere, but I am told the Duke isopposed to it, though it is upheld not only by the landed class, but bythe numerous economists that write on agriculture from their closets,but would doubtless be sorely puzzled to distinguish a beet-root from aturnip.

　　The 3rd.

　　Set out early to visit Pianura. The city clean and well-kept. The Dukehas introduced street-lamps, such as are used in Turin, and the pavementis remarkably fair and even. Few beggars are to be seen and the peoplehave a thriving look. Visited the Cathedral and Baptistery, in theGothic style, more curious than beautiful; also the Duke's picturegallery.

　　Learning that the Duchess was to ride out in the afternoon, had thecuriosity to walk abroad to see her. A good view of her as she left thepalace. Though no longer in her first youth she is one of the handsomestwomen I have seen. Remarked a decided likeness to the Queen of France,though the eye and smile are less engaging. The people in the streetsreceived her sullenly, and I am told her debts and disorders are thescandal of the town. She has, of course, her cicisbeo, and the Duke isthe devoted slave of a learned lady, who is said to exert an unlimitedinfluence over him, and to have done much to better the condition of thepeople. A new part for a prince's mistress to play!

　　In the evening to the theatre, a handsome building, well-lit with wax,where Cimarosa's Due Baroni was agreeably sung.

　　The 4th.

　　My lord Hervey, in Florence, having favoured me with a letter to CountTrescorre, the Duke's prime minister, I waited on that gentlemanyesterday. His excellency received me politely and assured me that heknew me by reputation and would do all he could to put me in the way ofinvestigating the agricultural conditions of the duchy. Contrary to theItalian custom, he invited me to dine with him the next day. As a rulethese great nobles do not open their doors to foreigners, however wellrecommended.

　　Visited, by appointment, the press of the celebrated Andreoni, who wasbanished during the late Duke's reign for suspected liberal tendencies,but is now restored to favour and placed at the head of the RoyalTypography. Signor Andreoni received me with every mark of esteem, andafter having shown me some of the finest examples of his work--such asthe Pindar, the Lucretius and the Dante--accompanied me to aneighbouring coffee-house, where I was introduced to several lovers ofagriculture. Here I learned some particulars of the Duke's attemptedreforms. He has undertaken the work of draining the vast marsh ofPontesordo, to the west of the city, notorious for its mal'aria; hasrenounced the monopoly of corn and tobacco; has taken the University outof the hands of the Barnabites, and introduced the teaching of thephysical sciences, formerly prohibited by the Church; has spent sincehis accession near 200,000 liv. on improving the roads throughout theduchy, and is now engaged in framing a constitution which shall deprivethe clergy of the greatest part of their privileges and confirm thesovereign's right to annex ecclesiastical territory for the benefit ofthe people.

　　In spite of these radical measures, his Highness is not popular with themasses. He is accused of irreligion by the monks that he has removedfrom the University, and his mistress, the daughter of a notedfree-thinker who was driven from Piedmont by the Inquisition, is said tohave an unholy influence over him. I am told these rumours arediligently fomented by the late Duke's minister, now Prior of theDominican monastery, a man of bigoted views but great astuteness. Thetruth is, the people are so completely under the influence of the friarsthat a word is enough to turn them against their truest benefactors.

　　In the afternoon I was setting out to visit the Bishop's gallery whenCount Tresc............