Page:The Voyage of Italy (1686).djvu/169

 wife in winter time it seems too dark. The high altar, which stands in this choir, is plain like those of ancient Cathedrals, and adorned with a rare Statue of a dead Christ in white marble, made by the hand of Bandinelli. Looking up from the choir to the cupola, you see it painted on the inside with the representation of heaven, hell and purgatory. The painters were Georgio Vasari, and Thaddeo Zucchari. Behind the high altar are the rare statues of Adam and Eve, by the hand of Bandinelli. Near the door of the sacristy you may read an inscription, importing how that in this town of Florence had been held a general council, where the re-union of the Latin and Greek church had been made. The golden diploma of this union written both in Latin and Greek, and subscribed unto by the hands of the Pope and cardinals on the one side; and by the Emperor of Constantinople, with the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Greek bishops on the other side; and authenticated by the leaden seal of the pope, and the golden seal of the said Emperor, is kept in the archives, or registers of Bologna. In this council, both the Pope of Rome, Eugenius the IV, and Paleologus the Emperor of Constantinople, were present, with the cream of bishops, both of the Eastern and Western churches; and in this Council not only the procession of the Holy Ghost from the father and the son was vindicated; but also purgatory was proved to the Greeks out of their own Greek fathers, as well as out of the Latin fathers; and diverse other points of ceremony and practice were asserted and made