Bressia

Sources from old books

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

HItherto wee have viewed Lombardy: now wee must describe the County of Bressia, and the Dukedome of Mediolanum. The former was so named from the noble Citty Brixia. It containeth part of that Country, which the Cenomanians heretofore possessed. And the Territory of Brescia is 100. miles long, from Limon a Towne neere the Lake Benacum, to the Towne Vrceanum. The breadth of it is 50. miles from Moso even to Dialenges: and it is situate between the Lakes Benacum and Sabinum. The soyle is fruitfull, and yeeldeth great store of Wheate, and other kindes of Corne, as also great store of Wine, and Oyle, it hath also Iron and Brasse. And moreover it hath Gold, Silver, Allum, Marble, Porphiry, and an other kinde of Stone enameld with blacke and greene spots, which they call Serpentium; Pliny cals it Ophites which is a kinde of Marble having spots like a Serpent, and many other Precious Stones: also the Marchasita, which the ancients did call Pyrites, or the Fire-stone. And it hath abundance of all things necessary for the sustentation of mans life. Brixia did alwaies continue faithfull unto Rome: especially in the Punick Warre, after that overthrow which Hanniball gave them by the River Trebia. Cn. Pompeius. Strabo brought thither a Colony with other Transpadanians, in the yeere 665. and afterward Caesar the Dictator made it a Citty with many others. Afterward it was subject to the Romane Emperours as long as the Romane Empire flourished. But afterward Radagisus King of the Gothes did waste it with fire in the yeere 412. and then it was ruinated by Attila Prince of the Hunnes, but it was reedified in the yeere 452. by the Emperour of Martianus; afterward the Langbards possessed it untill Charles the great tooke Desiderius: after whose decease the Frenchmen succeeded. Afterward the Emperour Otho a Saxon made it a free Citty of the Romane Empire, in the yeere 1136. and not long after Henry sackt it, threw downe the Walls, and and deprived it of all Priviledges: and the Scaligers, Dukes of Verona, being ayded by the Gwelfians tooke it. After them there succeeded Vice-Counts, who were Princes of Mediolanum: by whom being often vexed, it revolted unto the Venetians: from whom the Frenchmen tooke it, and afterward it was restored to them againe. That which Strabo and Ptolemy doe call Brexia, is now called Brescia. There are divers opinions concerning the originall of this Citty. But Livies opinion is most probable which many follow. For he noteth that it was built by the Cenomanians: and by the Captaines Elitovius and Belovesus, when they came out of France, over the Taurine and Iulian Alpes into Italie. Hence Pliny and Ptolemy doe attribute the building of it to be the Cenomanian Nation, and Livie also, Lib. 32. mentioneth that Brixia was the head Citty of the Cenomannians. It is an ancient, rich, populous, large, and well-fortified Citty, having an impregnable Castle. and faire buildings both publike and private. Also the River Garcia slideth by it, which some call Mela. It hath a strong Castle which overlooketh the Citty, which was fortified by the Venetians with a strong Garrison: it hath also magnificent Churches, wondrous great Monasteries, and a faire Hospitall. In the Captaines Palace there are these Verses.

Hic locus odit, amat, punit, conservat, honorat,Nequitiem, pacem, crimina, jura, Probos.This place doth love¹, hate², punish³, keepe⁴, and reverence⁵,Wickednesse¹, peace², faults³, lawes⁴, and good mens⁵ innocence.

There are many inscriptions upon Marble, and many Elogies of Statues, and divers Epitaphs both in the Churches, the Bishops Palace, and also in all parts of the Citty and the Territories thereof. The Inhabitants are wealthy, neate, Noble, subtile, and witty. It flourisheth now for riches: so that it is usually called Vrbis Venetae Sponsa, the Citty of Venice his Bride. It received the Christian faith from D. Appollinaris Bishop of Ravenna. And it is a Bishoprick. Of which Scaliger thus.

Quae pingues scatebras specula despectat ab altaPostulat Imperij Brixia magna vices,Caelum hilarum, Frons laeta urbi, gens nescia fraudis,Atque modum ignorat divitis uber agri.Si regeret patrias animas concordibus oras,Tunc poterat Dominis ipsa jubere suis. Great Brixia that from a Hill doth viewThose fruitfull springs which doe the ground bedew,Complaines of change of government, the ayreIs pleasant, and the Citty is most faire.The people are ignorant in all deceit,The richnesse of the soyle is very great,And if dew concord could be here maintain'd,Those who are now her Lords, she might command.

There is also in this Territory the Towne Quintianum, situate 20. miles from Brixia Southward, neere the River Ollius. Also Reggiate, Bottesino, Vtele, Novalara, with many others, it hath also the Lake Be•acum, so called from a Towne, the ruines whereof are still remaining. Catullus calls it Lydius, from the Lydians that is the Tyrrhenians, who as fame reporteth did sometime inhabit the Country neere unto it: it is called in Italian Lago di Garda: and in the Germane speech Gard-se, from the Castle which is seated on the East banke thereof. This Lake, as Alexius Vgonius writeth to Cardinall Pole, doth excell all others for good fish: it is environd with pleasant Hills, and Springs doe every where breake forth: here there are woods, and greene Medowes, Vines, Olives, Maple-trees, Bay-trees, and Cedars: and Townes full of all provision doe encompasse it round about, so that it wanteth nothing either for delight and pleasure, or for use and profit. There is also another Lake called Sebinus or Sevinus, now it is called Lago d'Iseo, from the Castle Iseus which is on the banke thereof. This receaveth the River Ollus on the North, and casteth it forth againe on the South. Lastly, there is also betweene Sebinum and Benacum the Lake Idrinus, commonly called Lago d'Idro, or Idro Lago. It was so named from the Castle Idrus: Some suppose it was so called from the Hydra, which Hercules slew here, it hath abundance of fish. It dischargeth it selfe into Idrinus by divers streames: the lesser Lakes are those which are called in their Country speech Lago Cap. Lago Ru•cone, and others. The River Mella or Mela doth cut thorow the middle of this Territory. It still retaineth the name of Mella even untill this day. But yet it doth not runne by the Citty as we may see, but by the Precincts thereof. The little Rivulet which glideth by the Citty is now called Garza.

BRESSIA, OF THE SEGƲSIANS. (Book Bressia)

BRESSIA is a Country lying under the Alpes in Sabaudia, where Caesar heretofore placed the Segusians according to Villonovanus; although Ptolomy doth make Lions a City of the Segusians. At the least these people were next to the Aedus, which he affirmeth lib. 7. de bello Gallico in these words. His constitutis rebus, or Aeduis, Segusianisque, qui sunt finitimi ci l'revincioe x. millia perditum imperat· These things being thus setled he levieth 10000. Foote out of the Aeduans and Segusians, which are Provinces neere unto him. Also Pentingers Chart doth hereabouts place Segusione in the Alpes. Ammianus, who lived in the time of •ulian the Apostate, in the 15. Chapter of his History maketh mention of the Towne Segovium, situated at the foote of the Alpes. Bressia therefore is situate betweene the Rivers Rhodanus and Araris, now called Saona, and Marcellinus Sacona, at the beginning of the Alpes in a fruitfull place, so that it may compare with any Country of France, for plenty of Wine, Corne, and all kindes of fruits, and for Rivers, Cattell, and Woods. It is neighboured with the Burgundians, and was sometime subject to the Princes thereof, afterward it was a part of the Kingdome of Arelatum, which being devided into divers parts, was afterward governed by Earles, one of which Vlrick Earle of Bresse and Baugenciak lived about the yeere 1300. who much enlarged his Territories, and left one onely Daughter and Heire Sibyll of Bressia who was marryed to Amades the fourth, the 8. Earle of Sabaudia, who brought her Husband beside a large Inheritance, the County of Bressia, which being afterward united to Subaudia, remained in that Family 300. yeeres even untill our age, when Henry the fourth, King of France for his vertue surnamed the Great, understanding that the Saluffians a people of France were possessed and overcome by Sabaudus by treachery and deceit, and that Henry the third was almost oppressed by his rebelling Subjects, and was engaged in a dangerous Warre, he thought it fitt to recover that part of France, and seeing the Duke of Sabaudia did delay the restitution thereof by making many exceptions and deceiving promises, which by reason hee could not doe, he thought it meete by force of Armes to regaine that which was lost, and having levied an Army he tooke Bressia, by the helpe and assistance of the Marshall Byroone, and brought the Duke to that straite, and was content to end the matter by exchange, and that the King for the Salussians taken from him, should have the Bressians, the Brengeans, the Virroneans, and generally all that belong'd to France on the other side of Rhodanus, so that all that Country which lookt toward France from the issuing of that River out of the Lemanick Lake, should be afterward united to the Kingdome of France. And so the Duke should wholly deliver into the Kings hands the strong Castle of the Towne, with all the Warlike furniture thereof, by which Bressia and all that Province were as it were fetterd and manacled, so that France was secured from any future attempt from those parts. And so Sabaudus learnt with his owne losse how dangerous a thing it is, to use violence with those that are stronger than our selves, since such rashnesse redounds to his harme that attempts it, and most commonly he is compell'd to restore againe unto them with interest that which he had so gotten.