ABSTRACT
The concept of the common weal had a different meaning from in the other capitals of Europe, and necessarily so, for Rome resembled none of them, neither in spirit nor structure. De Brosses saw the palace when it was brand-new and found the architecture "extremely tasteful", although he was otherwise very critical of contemporary architecture in Rome. The manufacture of tobacco in Rome was farmed out until Benedict XIV made the State take over the business and set up a factory in the present Via Garibaldi. The Governor of Rome was a very powerful personage; he belonged to the prelature, surrounded himself with a guard of honour of Halbardiers and was invariably created cardinal after his retirement. The learned republic in Rome had two strongholds, the original university, L'Archiginnasio della Sapienza, called Lo Studio for short, and the Jesuits' own academy, Collegia Romano.
