<115> From Paris next, &c.] This description is from THE HISTORY
OF DR. FAUSTUS; "He came from Paris to Mentz, where the river
of Maine falls into the Rhine: notwithstanding he tarried not
long there, but went into Campania, in the kingdome of Neapol,
in which he saw an innumerable sort of cloysters, nunries, and
churches, and great houses of stone, the streets faire and large,
and straight forth from one end of the towne to the other as a
line; and all the pavement of the city was of bricke, and the
more it rained into the towne, the fairer the streets were:
there saw he the tombe of Virgill, and the highway that he cu
through the mighty hill of stone in one night, the whole length
of an English mile," &c. Sig. E 2, ed. 1648.

<116> The way he cut, &c.] During the middle ages Virgil was
regarded as a great magician, and much was written concerning
his exploits in that capacity. The LYFE OF VIRGILIUS, however,
(see Thoms's EARLY PROSE ROMANCES, vol. ii.,) makes no mention
of the feat in question. But Petrarch speaks of it as follows.
"Non longe a Puteolis Falernus collis attollitur, famoso palmite
nobilis. Inter Falernum et mare mons est saxeus, hominum manibus
confossus, quod vulgus insulsum a Virgilio magicis cantaminibus
factum putant: ita clarorum fama hominum, non veris contenta
laudibus, saepe etiam fabulis viam facit. De quo cum me olim
Robertus regno clarus, sed praeclarus ingenio ac literis, quid
sentirem, multis astantibus, percunctatus esset, humanitate fretus
regia, qua non reges modo sed homines vicit, jocans nusquam me
legisse magicarium fuisse Virgilium respondi: quod ille severissimae
nutu frontis approbans, non illic magici sed ferri vestigia
confessus est. Sunt autem fauces excavati montis angustae sed
longissimae atque atrae: tenebrosa inter horrifica semper nox: