young’s TRAVELS IN FRANCE.

5 6 9

2263, Factions of the Guelphs and Ghibellines now in full a£Hvity at Milan ,

1271, The Navillio Grande navigable.

1277, Civil war;—Toriani and Vifconti.

1281, Ditto.

1288, Milan buys wool from France , Flanders, and England.

129 6 , Decree, that gave to every one the power of conducting water acrofs all greatroads, provided ftone bridges were ereCted.

1302, Revolution ;—the Toriani get the better of the Vifconti.

1305, Canal of Treviglio made.

1310, Revolution; the Vifconti prevail.

1327, Violent factions of the Guelphs and Ghibellines.

1332, Grant of water for irrigation to the people of Treviglio.

1350—1385, Tyranny of the Vifconti drives away the manufactures.

1395, Great power of Milan over the cities of Lombardy *.

Through every part of the fourteenth century, the paflages in the Annals arenumerous, which prove how well irrigation was underltood, and how high*ly canals of water were valued.

1421, Milan exports cloths to Venice f.

1457, Molt of the conquefts of Milan loft.

1460, Canal de Martefano made.

1481, Sluices invented at Padua.

1497, Leonardo da Vinci joins the canals at Milan .

It Ihould feem from this detail that the exertions in irrigation were almoft purelyagricultural; the benefit enjoyed by the people of Pavia , from the Navillio Grande,was a conftant proof of the advantages to be derived from fimilar canals ; and theywere executed at moments which will not allow us to attribute them to the influence ofmanufacturing or commercial wealth.

To this may be added, that during the 13th and 14th centuries j, Italywas the perpetualfcene of bloody wars; the Venetians and Genoefe, the Venetians and the Milanefe, and, intheir turns, the other republics feem to have had no other bufinefs than that of cutting eachother’s throats. A perpetual ftate of warfare, and fo many revolutions as were taking

* In 1378, Giovanni Galeazzo Vifconti Conte di Virtu was declared Duke of Milan , his dominionsthen comprifing Arezzo, Reggio, Parma, Piacenza, Cremona, Lodi, Crema, Bergamo , Brefcia, Verona,Vicenza, Feltro, Belluno, Baflano, Bormio, Como, Novara, AlefTandria, Tortona , Vercelli, Pontremoli,Bobbio, Sarzana, Pavia, Valenza, Cafali, Padua, Alba, Afti, Bologna, Pifa, Siena, Perugia , Nocera, Spo-leto, and Affifi. Verri. p.417.

f As this woollen manufacture is faid to have been in the hands of an order of friars, the frati umiliati,we have no reafon to fuppofe it an objeft of great confequence ; the expreflions feeming to imply its magni-tude being applicable to a comparifon with poorer neighbours. Count Gnilini lays, on occafion of itsbeing carried from Milan to Sicily , “ chetantoJioriva fra noi,” (tom. viii. p. 58c ;) but recofds do not ex-plain the extent; though we are told that they worked up wool from France , Flanders, and England, in1288 (tom-viii. p. 399 ;) which trade had exilled to fome degree of confideration in 1216. Count Verriufes the expreffion- “ lavoro de pannilani la quale formo la ricchezza cofpicua di Milano(Storia di Mi-

lano, tom. i. p. 357.) But it was Venice, Genoa, Pifa, Amalfi, and Ancona that had the empire of thefea, which gave that author reafon to fay, “the tutlo tl commercio dell'Europa eraprejfo gl’Italiani.” (tom. i.

P- 465 -)

X In the preceding periods it was probably worfe. Count Verri obferves, “ DelloJlato della populazionenel dectmo fecolo—mi pare •verofmile che domejfe ejfere mediocrcmente popolato Milano. Le terre er ana collimate parteda fer-vi e parte da liberti. Molte parti del ducato erabofco. In quakbe luogo, che ora Ji coltiva forfe, ancorav’erano delle acqueJlagnanti.” Storia di Milano , tom, i. p. 76.

vol. iv. 4 d place