Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-09-16

And hands that are ready and willing,
Than to snap the delicate, minute threads
OF our curious lives asunder,
And then blame heaven for the tangled ends
And sit, and grieve, and wonder
For the Spectator.
FLORENCE!
FROM NOTES ABROAD
There's a land of flowers in gentle cline,
Need tell you where fair "Frenze' lies?
She's as lovely now as in the olden time,
As when first she smiled meath glorious skies.
This beautiful city, SO rightly. so aptly called
the Athens Of Italy, from its being the cradle
of the fue arts and their great natural Patron,
Civilization is situated in an extensive plain sur
rounded by fine hills, nearly all of which are
cultivated up to their SUBMITS. The river
Arno runs through this garden of Italy and di-
vides it into two unequal parts. [ think the
population is about lS0 900, although it is some
what difficult TO fix the precise number of the
Inhabitants. | remember asking the question
regarding the extent of its population several
times during my visit, without receiving any
reply that varied very materially from this esti-
mate found it mpossible to hear or learn
anything of recent census, or gain any official
knowledge upon the subject. The city is ex-
tended very much beyond its original limits
You will remember that it is a walled city and
these walls have been added to and extended
from time to time under different administra-
tions of the government and at four different
epochs. In its early history, it was known as
"FIorentia, and the modern Italians call it
"Fireuze" It sstyled the Flower of all cities
and the city all flowers" and this figure is not
less applicable than it is beautiful This Ital-
ian Athens, this magnificent Florence is glo
rious name among the far famed cities of Italy,
whose eVer-illustrious name, whose noble fame
has ever. with an undimmed glory, presented
to the world like that of its great Grecian pro-
totype, all those grand, ennobling ideas which
have proa oted patriotism, advanced liberty and
exalted fire arts. 1t is very old city, but
we'll preserved, and retains and presents much
of its early beauty Old time has dealt gently
enough and all the fresh tints, the graceful de-
velopmen of ber youth are truly and happily
reflected and blended in we'll matured, healthy
and vigorous matron. who, apart from her age,
is not surpassed in &l the symmetry of her ele-
CANT. per ect proportions, not even by her most
cherished child, her proudest offspring
Venus de Medci" | cannot tell you exactly
her age, Tor there appears to be diversity of
opinions amorg His: orians, some asserting that
the Etruscans raised her and others declaring
that she vas a child of the Romans. There
"pinks OF chivalry," and it may only have been
their extreme gallantry that has kept them
from telling what they really know (pardon this
little conoeit) 10 regard to what has always
been most profound and unanproachable Sc
cret with he ''gentler SEX will drop the
figure or illustration that | have been using and
will leave the learned to decide on the Orl-
gin and age of my subject. It was in this city,
between seven and eight hundred years ago, Or
in the eleventh century, that those two cele-
brated parties called the Guelphs and Ghibel-
lines were formed. The former were in favor
of the Papacy and the latter of the Empire
These two parties divided the unfortunate city
into two hostile camps, and it was often stained
with fraternal blood, and for more than hun
dred years, poor Florence suffered all the hor-
rors OF civil war. First one party would be In
power and victorious. and then the other would
also for time be the couquerors. Sometimes
the Guelphs would be driven out and banlshed
for years and then be recalled by the people,
and then the GhibeIines would in their turn be
banished from Florence, and thus there was con-
tinual war and blood shed, until finally the Ghb-
elines were banished and were never again able
to re-establsh themselves as masters. But
even after this happy termination, there was
not permanent peace. and the Guelphs, who
had now become the dominant power, soon
split into factions aid the terrible hydra, civil
war, again raised its myriad uncauterlzed heads,
dealing death and destruction for years before
Hercules could be found to slay the monster
| will not tax you longer with this extract from
history May it never be repeated as 'clta-
BILE case may it never again point moral
for you and me-for US and ours. May our
great country with lis grand future never again
know anything of cruel, Devastating war, or
even hear upon any breeze, from either North
or South, East or West, its rude alarms. -
Florence richly deserves the name OF beautiful,
not only from her lovely situation, but also tor
her elegant monuments, her spiendld edlnceS
aud artistic treasures Well do | remember,
how beautiful she looked the first time gazed
upou her extreme loveliness. 1t was bright
summer evening, beneath one of those deeply
blue Italian skies, when fellow v-passenger bade
me look from my car window and behold the
pride of I-aly. With a heart that grew warm
er, and pulse that beat quicker, and brain
that recalled all that had read of, fixed my
eyes iu silent admiration upon her, and not
once did [ withdraw them until our train had
entered the depot. After arriving at our Ho-
tel and taking luxurious bath, we sat down
&, an elegant and sumptuous dinner, spending
an hour at the table, then We took stroll to view
her Palaces. We found them numerous. exten-
sive and in their proportions perfect but was
struck and impressed with the very severe style
of their architecture, being without porttcos OF
columns, and very simple, and solid In all their
construct IN. Their black facades really made
them look more like old citadels than grand
buildings erected with an eye to beauty. Most
of them are monuments of the middle ages and
thew impress us with the almost indescribable
genius Of severity, SO iodel'bly stamped on these
almost castles and giving, as they do, physi-
6ss0 Of this aDsstsi ey mvos W'h9
the history of her people, and those same walls
have heard many aud many wondrous tale
that will neer be told II These rugged and nd
GnaInhs. and the pumberless churches bring
to one s mind the grandeur and wealth Of the
pasta grandeur which still sheds J light upoI
quarters or the repository Of the fine arts o
sunny Italia" for you will fnd here most O.
those grand works in painting and sculpture
that ali the celebrated masters have left to pos
terity, and whose fame and whose names arr
as unfading as those rare tints in their pictures
\ \ 4 L II u