Founded Under The Auspices Of The Medici It Has Risen Rapidly To
Grandeur And Opulence, And Has Eclipsed Genoa In Commerce.
It is a
remarkably handsome city, the streets being all broad and at right angles;
the Piazze are large and the Piazza Grande in particular is
magnificent.
There is a fine broad street leading from the Piazza Grande
to the Port. The Port and Mole are striking objects and considerable
commercial bustle prevails there.
Among the few things worthy of particular notice is the Jewish Synagogue,
decorated with costly lamps and inscriptions in gold in the Hebrew and
Spanish languages, many of which allude to the hospitality and protection
afforded to the Hebrew nation by the Sovereigns of Tuscany. There are a
great number of Hebrew families here: they all speak Spanish, being the
descendants of those unfortunate Jews who were expelled from Spain at the
time of the expulsion of the Moors in the reign of Don Felipe III surnamed
el Discreto, who was determined not to suffer either a Jew, Mahometan or
heretic in all his dominions. This barbarous decree was the ruin and
destruction of a number of industrious families, thousands of whom died of
despair at being exiled from their native land. In return for this what has
Spain gained? The Inquisition - despotism in its worst form - poverty - rags
- lice - an overbearing insolent and sanguinary priesthood of whom the
monarch is either the puppet or the slave; a degraded nobility; a half
savage, grossly ignorant, lazy and brutal people.
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