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judices against the Italians -Prejudices, of which many are only grounded on our folly. There are fubjects enough to blame: ferious fubjects; demanding ferious confideration and fuch the love of truth will not fuffer me to overlook.

"The education of the daughters of the nobility is wretched. Hence, domeftic happiness is rare. Domestic happinefs is a fource of tranquillity, of joy, and a prefervate againft vice; and I think it probable that this kind of happinefs is better understood, in Germany, than in any other country on earth. With respect to myself, I can with inward peace and delight affirm, with the good old poet, Walter,

Und das ist meiner reifen frucht,
Dafs mir gefällt die deutfche zucht *!

"From the bad education of the women, domeftic virtues, and with them the domeftic happiness of the higher ranks, are injured; and the poifon of their vices fheds itfelf among their inferiors: whofe paffions, without this concomitant, are violent to excefs. The people of Rome are rather led aftray and 'bewildered than, as fome would perfuade us, addicted to vice by nature. Where the climate inflames the paffions, which are neither reftrained by education nor curbed by law, they muft rife higher, and burn with greater excefs, than in other countries. It is dreadful to hear that, in Rome, the population of which is estimated at a hundred and fixty eight thoufand perfons, there are annually about five hundred people murder

ed. I do not believe that, in all Germany, fifty men perish, by murder, within the fame period. But could this have been faid of the middle ages? And yet our nation has always maintained the beft reputation among nations.

"The people of Rome cannot be juftly accufed of robbery. A ftranger is no where fafer; but is more frequently plundered in most of the great cities of Europe. The Roman ftabs his enemy, but does not rob. Anger is his ftimulus; and this anger frequently lingers for months, and fometimes for years, till it finds an opportunity of revenge. This paffion, which is inconceivable to thofe who do not feel it, this moft hateful of all the paffions, the antients frequently fuppofed to be a virtue; and it ftill rages among many of the nations of the fouth. The paffions of the people of Rome are frequently roufed, by playing at mora; though the law has feverely prohibited this game; and, if they are difappointed at the moment of their revenge, they wait for a future occafion. Jealoufy is another frequent caufe of murder: it being with them an imaginary duty to revenge the feduction of their wife, their daughter, or their fifter, on the feducer. The catholic religion, ill underflood, encourages the practice: the people being perfuaded that, by the performance of trifling ceremonies, and the inflicting of penance, they can wash away the guilt of blood.

"All the affiduity of the prefent pope is not fufficient to reform the police; the faults of which originate in the conftitution of Rome. Many churches afford a

* By travel taught, I can a'teft, I love my native land the buft. G 2

fan&tuary

fanctuary to the purfued culprit. Foreign ambaifadors, likewife, yield protection; which extends not only to their palaces but to whole quarters of the city, into which the officers of juftice dare not purfue offenders. The ambaffadors, it is true, are obliged to maintain a guard but who is ignorant of the mifchief arifing from complicated jurifdiction? Many cardinals feek to derive honour, by affording protection to purfued criminals. Could we find all thefe abuses collected in any other great city, many men would be murdered, though not fo many as in Rome; but robbery would be dreadfully increased, which here is unknown. "Were I to live in a foreign country, and condemned to fpend my life in a great city, it is probable there is no place I should fer to Rome. In no place is the fashionable world fo free from reftraint. You may daily be prefent at the converfazioni; and go from one to another. Numerous focieties, in fpacious apartments, are continually to be found; and the vifitor is always received with the moft prepoleiting politeness. The intercouric of fociety is no where fo free as here: you may neglect your vifits for weeks or months, and undifturbed indulge your own humour. You may return again, after an abfence of weeks or months, without being once queftioned, concerning the manner in which you have difpofed of your time.

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"Do not from this accufe the

Roman nobility, more than any other people of fashion, of a want of perfonal affection: the apathy of the great world is every where the fame. The abfence or the death of any man is in no country felt in fashionable fociety: but every where, except in Italy, it arrogates to itself an infupportable tyranny, over each of its affociates.

"In the great cities of Germany, we talk of being focial: but what can be more unfocial than a company of men, who fit down to a filent card party? The animation of the Italians obviates the degrading neceflity of fuch parties. In company, they play very little; but they converfe with fire: and, notwithstanding their rapidity, many Italians exprefs themfelves excellently.

"A fenfe of the ancient grandeur of Rome is not yet quite loft, to the people. When the queen of Naples was laft here, and at the theatre, the was received with great applaufe. Self-forbearance induced her to make figns to the people to cease their loud clapping, and their fhouts of welcome. The people took this very ill; and, the next day, a perfon of my acquaintance heard one orange woman fay to another, Did you hear how the foreign queen defpifed our people, last night? She must furely have forgotten that many queens, before now, have been brought in chains to Rome."

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CHARAG

CHARACTERISTIC ANECDOTES of the MODERN NEAPOLITANS.

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[From the fame Work.]

Great city is a great evil. It is pernicious to population, the fink of morality, and the wide difpenfer of its own poifon. Naples is very large, and extremely populous: it contains above four hundred thoufand, or probably as many as five hundred thoufand, inhabitants; yet, fo excellent is the foil, that the neceffaries of life are in great plenty, and very cheap. Among thefe neceflaries, we muft include ice: the want, or the dearnefs, of which would enrage the people. The common people of Naples, and indeed of all Italy, are very moderate in eating and drinking they would rather fuffer all the inconveniences of life than remove them by their labour. This appears a very natural inclination in a hot country. What enjoyment can be greater than that of repofing in the fhade? Thofe, who repeatedly wonder at, and are difgufted by, the indolence of this people, fhew that their remarks are either the confequence of hafte or incapacity. That the effects of indolence are prejudicial is undoubtedly true: but that the men, who, to fatisfy fome of their artificial wants, labour a few hours more than others are preferable to the laft, who prefer the most natural of all pleasures, reft, and fhelter from the heat, is what I cannot difco

ver.

"The principal wants of the Neapolitan are fupplied by benevolent nature; without requiring him fcarcely to ftretch out his hand. Abstemious in eating and drinking, the clothing he needs is trifling, the

fuel none, and he can even live without a habitation. The clafs of people called Lazaroni, fome of whom you meet with even in Rome, are here computed at forty thoufand. Many of thefe live in the open air; and at night, or in bad weather, take fhelter under gateways, porticos, the eaves of houfes, or under the rocks. They cannot eafily be perfuaded to work, while they have the smallest coin in their pocket. They think not of mak ing provifion for to-morrow. The ferenity of the climate, and the ever generous, ever fruitful lap of earth, fympathife with their joyous hilarity. Their blood flows lightly through their veins with care they are unacquainted. Should any one offer money to a Lazarone, when he is not prefied by neceflity, he raifes the back of his hand to his chin, and toffes his head upwards, being too idle to speak, in token of refufal: but, if any thing delights him, I do not speak of his paffions, which may be kindled and extinguifhed as eafily as a five of ftraw, if he be invited to partake any pleasure, no man is more talkative, more alert, more full of antics, than himself.

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from the ruins of the Baftille. He will certainly excite an infurrection. We would have thrown him into the sea, but I wished firft to hear your opinion: though I think we ought to have thrown

likewife appeals to the king in per-yet underftand; and he is kitfing fon. The demands of the Lazaro-a ftone, which he has brought ni are moderate: they have a fenfe of right and wrong: which the people feldom want, when they are not mifled. To difregard any just remonstrance of this people, or not to comply without ftating the grounds of refufal, would be dan-him into the fea.' gerous. They love the prefent king; and I am affured that, in cafe of neceffity, he might depend upon their affiftance of this, however, he is in no need.

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"Before the king laft year made a journey to Germany. Nicola Sabbato, for fo is the prefent chief of the Lazaroni called, made him a fpeech. He lamented that the king fhould be absent so long from his people yet rejoiced in a journey that thould afford pleasure to a prince, who took fo much fatisfaction in the good of his fubjects. We are,' faid he, thirty thoufand ftrong; and, in your abfence, we will preferve the peace of the country. You certainly have nothing to fear from any man: but, fhould any one have the infolence to spread inflammatory opinions, we will tear him into as many pieces as we are men; and each of us will have a morfel of him to fmoke in our ' pipes.'

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"During the abfence of the king, this Nicola Sabbato vifitedthe princes and princeffes; that, as he faid, he might give the people an account of their welfare. He likewife vifited the prime minifter, Mr. Acton; and, on one occation, came to him breathlefs, demanding to fpeak to him. 'I

have juft fcen a man,' faid he,

"The minifter had much difficulty to make him conceive that a preliminary enquiry was neceflary. He continually returned to the ne ceffity of throwing the orator into the fea; and, when the minifter told him he would fend foldiers to put the man in prifon, Nicola replied, There is no occafion for foldiers; I will ndertake that bufinefs.'

"The man man accordingly was taken to prifon, by the Lazaroni. The contents of the hand-bill were entirely feditious. The infurgent was one of those emiffaries that were fent, by the too provident care of the French clubs, over Europe; to enlighten, improve, and make the people happy. He had difguifed himself like a pilgrim, and was fubject to the gallows, according to the common rights of nations; but the government only thought proper to banith him to the land of Maritima; one of the Egades, on the weft fide of Sicily.

"The Lazaroni are devoted to the prefent king. A body of many thousand men, who have nothing to lofe, may reasonably be dreaded; and may keep a tyrannical king in very wholefome awe. A defpotic conftitution may perhaps need a remedy like this: the terror of which thall preferve a ba

lance

lance between itfelf and a power that is equally blind, and unwife. A free conftitution requires order; for order is the foundation of freedom. Bodies of people, like the numberless Lazaroni of Naples, or the hags of the halls, the fithwives of Paris, could not exift among a people that fhould be truly free.

"The ftreets are uncommonly crowded: yet the crowd is much lefs inconvenient here than in other cities. The coachmen too are lefs infolent than fuch gentlemen ufually are; when, mounted upon their throne, they look down with . contempt on the multitude beneath. However, the number of coaches is fo great that the foot pallenger must be continually on his guard: which it is difficult to be, ftunned as the ear is by the rolling of the carriage wheels. Yet the coaches are much leis dangerous than the little one horfe cabrioles; which are driven through the city by the young gentlemen, who imagine that the foot paffengers fhould vanifh before them, as eafily, and as inftantly, as the yielding air before the breath of their fnorting horfes.

"There is great oftentation here of carriages and horfes: which laft are justly famous. They are finall, but beautiful, full of fire, and are treated with cruelty. Nothing is fo highly difpleafing, in the Italians, as the manner in which they treat their animals.

"Horace called this city otiofa Neapolis: the indolent Naples. I, and my fellow travellers, were lately taking a walk on the fa thore; when a great crowd of men and women made us imagine there was fomething extraordinary in agitation. All preffed forward to the fame place; for curiofity is catching, and we got into the midft

of the throng. The object of enquiry was a fifhing boat, the people of which were dragging up a large net; and the fpectators were in eager expectation to know how many tifh had been taken. Had a man of war, after a fea fight, returned to harbour, and had the mothers, wives, brothers, and fifters, all crowded together on the ftrand, to enquire how many of their deareft relations were on board, or how many were cut off, the emotion in their countenances could not have affumed a more animated appearance. The draught of filh was found not to be very great; and the people retired in a difconfolate manner, with very evident tokens of difappointment.

"In general, the city is well built: you feel, however, the want of the better ftyle of the Romans; and ftill more of the more noble palaces of Florence. The houfes are most of them flat-roofed. The pavement confifts, as in moft of the cities of Italy, of fquare flag ftones of lava. The royal palace is capacious, and has a noble appearance. The fituation of the city is inexpreffibly beautiful. No great city in Europe, Conftantinople alone excepted, can, in this refpect, be compared with Naples.

"There is a long extenfive walk on the fea fhore; from which the whole high mountainous coaft is feen on the left, and oppofite to the city the promontory of Sorento. Mount Vefuvius likewife rifes to the left; and Portici lies at its feet. On the right of the city, the hill Polipo extends itfelf far into the fea.

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