Montis-ferrat

Sources from old books

1635. Historia mundi: or Mercator's atlas. London. by Gerhard Mercator.

NOw the pleasant and fruitfull Country Montis-ferrat is to bee unfolded which is so called as Lea•der thinketh as it were M•ns Ferax the fruitfull Mountaine, in regard of the fertility of the little Hills which are in it: or from Ferro, that is from Iron, by compari∣son, because as Iron doth excell all other Mettals both for strength and hardnesse: so this Country doth excell all other Countries for plenty of sweet and pleasant fruit, as also for Wine. Merula. Lib. 6. Antiqu. V•cecom. doth describe Montis-ferrat in this manner, Mons est perpet•is expansus jugis, totus amaenus & fructifer, omniumque rerum ad vitam utilium fertilis, est colonis admodum frequens. Incipit diu•no fere itinere ab Al∣pibus, planitieque seperatur, quae inter hos colles & Alpes intercedit. Nihil his incultum quidquam propter summam soli bonitatem oportunitatemque. Lavam Tanarus, dextram Padus alluit, nec ullius alveum Regio egreditur. Quanto magis autem ab amnibus abscedunt Colles, tanto majores amoenioresque Campi inter eos panduntur, quos haud malè Mesopotamiam queas dicere, quippe quod amnibus utrinque sint inclusi. That is, it is one continued Mountaine, pleasant, and fruitfull, and yeelding abundance of all things necessary, and it is full of Husbandmen. It beginneth almost a dayes journey from the Alpes, and it is separated from them with a Plaine which lyeth be∣tweene these Hills and the Alpes. It is all tilled in regard of the goodnesse of the soyle. This River Tanarus watereth the left side, and Po the right side, neither doe their Channels reach further than this Country. But where the Hills lye farthest from the Rivers, there are fairer and pleasanter Fields, which may be well called Mesopota∣mia 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because they lye in the middle be∣tweene Rivers. The Of-spring of Palaeologa did first possesse the Mar∣quiship of Montis-ferrat, even to the yeere 1534. when after the de∣cease of George, the last of the Palaeologians, the Emperour Charles the fifth declared the Duke of Mantua to be lawfull Heir of Montis-ferrat. The Marquiship was made a Dukedome in the yeere 1575. by the Emperour Maximilian, and the first Duke of Montis-ferrat was William the third, Prince of Mantua. In this Country the Duke of Mantua hath three famous Citties, which are Casalis D. Evasij, which was made a Citty by Sixtus the fourth, in the yere 1474. it is a Bishops Se, and the Seate of the Marquesse of Montis-ferrat. It hath two Castles: the old which was heretofore the Marquesses Palace, and the new, which Vincentius Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montis-ferrat, built, which is commonly called La Citadella: Also Alba, which Pliny calleth Pompeja, and so calleth the Albensians Pompejanians. It is farre bigger than Casalis. D. Evasij, but it hath not so good an ayre, it was heretofore subject to the Marquesses of Montis-ferrat, but now to the Dukes of Mantua. That part of the Country is very fruitfull which is common∣ly call'd Laguvilla. The third Citty is that which is commonly call'd Acqui Acquae Satyellorum, which Pliny Lib. 3. Cap. 5. placeth in Liguria. A•toninus call it Aquae: from the hot and wholesome Waters and Fountaines which are here: for there are in this Citty publike Bathes with stone Tables, and steps to goe downe into them. Beside the a∣foresaid Citties, there are Bassimana, Valentia, S. Salvatore, Moncalvo, Alex•ndria, Nicaea surnamed Palea, Asta, Pollentia, Ceva, and many others.