gradually_. Florence is on the Arno.

[10.] Either seems, etc. _Either_ properly signifies _one of two_; it
has occasionally been used for _one of several_, as Goldsmith uses it
here.

[11.] And honor sinks, etc., a sentiment common in the poet's day, but
entertained by few persons in these times. Formerly, in many European
countries, trade, even on a large scale, was considered belittling. A
gentleman's son might enter the Church, the army, or the navy, but he
must not become a merchant.

[12.] My proper cares, my own, my personal cares.

[13.] Gelid, cold.

[14.] To winnow, to fan.

[15.] Sensual bliss is all the nation knows. This has never been true
of the Italians. At the end of the fifteenth century Italy was the
center of European civilization; at the close of the sixteenth she was
exhausted and helpless; in 1748, by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, she
was divided among various European powers; after a long struggle the
greater part of the country was united under Victor Emmanuel, who was
proclaimed king in 1861. Italy has now, besides elementary and higher
schools, twenty-one universities.

[16.] For wealth was theirs. Venice, Genoa, and Florence were cities
of great wealth during the latter part of the Middle Ages.