This has never been true
of the Italians. At the end of the fifteenth century Italy was the
center of European civilization; at the close of the sixteenth she was
exhausted and helpless; in 1748, by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, she
was divided among various European powers; after a long struggle the
greater part of the country was united under Victor Emmanuel, who was
proclaimed king in 1861. Italy has now, besides elementary and higher
schools, twenty-one universities.

[16.] For wealth was theirs. Venice, Genoa, and Florence were cities
of great wealth during the latter part of the Middle Ages.

[17.] The palace learnt to rise. Beside palaces, there are in Italy
many noted buildings which the poet must have seen. Among these are
St. Peter's in Rome, the cathedral in Milan, and St. Mark's in Venice.

[18.] Again the long-fallen column, etc. When architecture began to
flourish anew in Italy, early in the Middle Ages, many of the columns
used were taken from the ruins of buildings erected during the days of
the Roman Empire.

[19.] The canvas glowed. Giotto, born about 1266, was one of the first
of the Italian painters who gained distinction. Later came Leonardo da
Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, and many others. Michelangelo
(1475-1564) was sculptor, architect, and writer, as well as painter.
Benvenuto Cellini, born in 1500, was noted as goldsmith, sculptor, and
writer.

[20.] More unsteady than the southern gale, etc. The discovery of
America and the opening of a route to India by the way of the Cape of
Good Hope, seriously affected the commerce of the Italian seaports.

[21.] Plethoric ill, ill caused by excess.

[22.] Caesars. The name _Caesar_ was assumed by all the Roman
emperors. _Kaiser_ and _tsar_, or _csar_, come from the word.

[23.] A churlish soil. Nearly three-quarters of the soil of
Switzerland is productive. [Transcriber's note: the word "productive"
may be incorrect, given Switzerland's mountainous terrain, but it is
what was printed in the original book.]

[24.] The soldier and his sword. In former times the Swiss frequently
served as soldiers in different European countries as a means of
earning a living. Many monarchs had Swiss guards for their personal
safety.

[25.] Sees no contiguous palace. The peasant now sees hotels, if not
palaces. The Swiss hotels, like the Swiss roads, are among the best in
the world.

[26.] Bred in ignorance and toil. Switzerland has