CHAPTER XXVIII

Ferrara,—The Pope leaves for Florence.—Venice.—A great engineering
feat.—Vicenza.—Verona.—Florence,—The Pope and the Emperor.
—Pisa.—Bologna,—Venice.

I LEFT Padua and travelled along the canals, and since
that country is very close to Venice, they colleft the
water into lakes, some of fresh and some of salt water,
but these lakes have a very evil smell, and they call
them the marshes, and when in speaking the Italians
wish to refer to anything as noxious or ftinking, they
liken it to those marshes. On drawing near to Ferrara,
they told me that the Pope was wishful to depart, and
it was so, and on arrival I found the Pope preparing
to set out for Florence. As soon as I arrived I waited
on the Emperor of the Greeks, who rejoiced greatly
to see me again, and I saw also the Pope's progress
which was in this wise.^ All the archbishops, bishops,
and other prelates and clergy, went on foot in procession
with the crosses. Then followed the cardinals on
horseback, staffs in hand, in order of precedence, and
after them came twelve horses with crimson trappings,
one bearing the umbrella, one the chair and another
the cushion, and so on until the end. The laft horse
was covered with brocade, and on a rich silver saddle
was a casket containing the Blessed Sacrament. This
horse had a silver bell, and two prelates led it by the
reins. Then came the Pope himself, upon a horse with
crimson trappings. He was vefted as for Mass,
wearing a bishop's mitre and giving his blessing on
one side and the other, while men eaft coins into the
ftreet, so that those who picked them up might gain
pardons. This was done to prevent the crowds from
pressing upon the Pope, whose horse was led by the
Marquis of Ferrara and the Count of Urbino.

225                              Q