Touring in 1600: A Study in the Development of Travel as a Means of EducationBates, E. S. (Ernest Stuart)
History
Touring in 1600: A Study in the Development of Travel as a Means of Education
Bates, E. S. (Ernest Stuart)
Europe -- Description and travel; Europe -- Social life and customs; Travel -- History
Where a begging-license was necessary, that could easily be obtained
also by being, or pretending to be, a student. Loyola lived in
term-time at Paris on what he gained by begging at fairs in Flanders
and England during holidays. Another useful option open to students,
of whatever social position, was the exemption from local tolls,
frequently a privilege belonging to all who had matriculated at the
university of the district; the graduate of Padua, for instance, was
exempt throughout Venetian territory. It so happened that one of these
tourists[122] was elected rector of Bologna University during his stay
there in 1575, and that during his term of office some students were
forced to pay taxes. He and the managing body at once appealed to the
Pope, who not only confirmed, but extended, the immunities. In Italy
the tolls were so oppressive that the matriculation fees, twenty lire
[£5] at Padua, twelve at Bologna, were soon made good, even supposing
them to have been paid; at Bologna, at least, matriculation could be
obtained for nothing by applying in formâ pauperis. The examination was
no bar worth mentioning. In Germany, moreover, according to Moryson,
the tenancy of a house often carried with it the obligation to board
and lodge a student free. Another traveller who economised thoroughly
was Sastrow, who, on reaching Rome, took service at the hospital of
Santa Brigitta, cooked, washed-up, made the beds, and received the
equivalent of 2s. 6d. a month, while Jacques Callot, the artist, when
he ran away from home, took the way to Italy in the company of those
gypsies who appear in those sketches of his which form one of the most
vivid memorials of the travelling life of the time. Yet with all these
opportunities which presented themselves to the needy, we are told
that Turkey was the only country of Europe where poverty was no bar to
travel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account