At other times I go to my villa on the plain; there all the
paths lead to an open space, in the middle of which stands a pretty
church; an arm of the Brenta flows through the plantations-- fruitful,
well-cultivated fields, now fully peopled, which the marshes and the
foul air once made fitter for snakes than for men. It was I who drained
the country; then the air became good, and people settled there and
multiplied, and the land became cultivated as it now is, so that T can
truly say: "On this spot I gave to God an altar and a temple, and souls
to worship Him." This is my consolation and my happiness whenever I
come here. In the spring and autumn, I also visit the neighbouring
towns, to see and converse with my friends, through whom I make the
acquaintance of other distinguished men, architects, painters,
sculptors, musicians, and cultivators of the soil. I see what new
things they have done, I look again at what I know already, and learn
much that is of use to me. I see palaces, gardens, antiquities, public
grounds, churches, and fortifications. But what most of all delights me
when I travel, is the beauty of the country and the places, lying now
on the plain, now on the slopes of the hills, or on the banks of rivers
and streams, surrounded by gardens and villas. And these enjoyments are
not diminished through weakness of the eyes or the ears; all my senses
(thank God!) are in the best condition, including the sense of taste;
for I enjoy more the simple food which I now take in moderation, than
all the delicacies which I ate in my years of disorder.
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