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cullus had his garden. From the walk, the profpect of the haven is concealed by this fortrefs. On the right of the promontory of Sorento ftands the high island of Capri; like a rocky mountain in the open fea.

"This walk on the fea fhore would be fill more pleasant, were it planted with lofty trees. Two long alleys of the Yprenfis-Ulmus, with its branches cut to form a trellis, and hung round with vine plants, afford it a necellary fhade in fummer. Small orange and oleander trees are planted on each fide. In the centre of the place is the celebrated group of white marble, known by the name of the Farnelian bull; which is one of the most beautiful of the antiques.

"This walk is called Villa Reale ; and, between this and the rocky shore at the foot of the Pofilipo, there is a large place which is de ftined for the exercife of arms. What a delightful walk would this be, were it shaded by the spreading plane tree! The way is open as far as the beautiful haven, and the coaft of Portici, on the left. On the right, I amufed myfelf among the rocks; which I now climbed, and now ftood waiting till the waves fhould retreat. The nymphs of this bay are a little malicious, They fuffer you peaceably to ap proach the edge of the fea, and fuddenly fend a rolling wave that dashes over your fest. You step back, and the fea affumes its former repofe."

ANECDOTES of the MODERN TARENTINES, with the HUMOURS of a

Y

SAINT'S DAY.

[From the fecond volume of the fame Work.]

ESTERDAY, being the 10th, the Tarantines kept the feftival of their patron, St. Cataldus; who was an Irishman, and, according to the legend, arrived here in the fecond century; though I doubt whether, at that time, Chriftianity had travelled as far as Ireland. The love of antiquity may eafily have thrown back the æra when this bifhop lived a few centuries. During the eighth, ninth, and ten centuries, when the Italians were funk into barbarifi, fome Hibernians came there who taught the fciences, nay more, the Latin language, in Italy; and principally in Pavia, and Bologna.

"The Tarentines, as Chriftians,

take no lefs delight in their holidays than did their ancestors, as Pagans. They will ride miles, from all parts, to be prefent at the feftivals of other towns: for which reafon many perfons had arrived from the neighbouring places, on the prefent occafion: the number of which vifitors was eftimated at ten thousand.

"The magiftracy of the town intended me the honour of making me bear a ftar before the folemn proceflion of the faint: from which project they were with difficulty diverted, by the archbishop. His authority, and not my herefy, was my protection.

"The lower orders are extremely

ly credulous. The principal object of adoration among the men, and ftill more among many of the women, appears to be the filver image of the faint. With no lefs zeal than that recorded by St. Paul, they feemed to emulate the Ephefians; while they exclaimed, 'Great is Cataldo, the patron of Ta• ranto!"

"The ftatue had been taken from its fhrine, and placed in the middle of the church, the preceding day; on the 9th, in the afternoon. You can form no conception of the clamour of the people; or of the loud mixture of riotous mirth, and fleeting devotion. The women uttered their feelings with tears, howlings, and hideous grimaces. Men and women, all were defirous of touching the faint: fome with their lips, others with the hand, and the moft devout with their garments. One woman fuccefsfully opened herself a paffage through the crowd, placed herself fervently before the image, gazed at it, and prayed to it, to excite its attention, as people are accustomed to do to those whom they would awaken from a reverie. Hift! Hit fan Cataldo! fan Cataldo! A merchant converfed with me as zealoudly, concerning the uncovering of the image, as if he had fpoken of the actual appearance of the faint; although he knew he was talking to a heretic, for he had questioned me, the Sunday before, whether I would not go to mafs? and I had told him I was not a catholic. His terror deprived him of all reply. In his panic, not knowing how to conceal it and forgetful of what he was doing, he fuddenly attempted to kits both my

hands.

"The divine fervice of yefterday was long; for in Taranto, and

in Brindifi, the ancient - Brundufium, the epiftles and gofpels are always read firft in Greek, and then in Latin. The folemn proceffion, with the image through the town, was numerouíly attended.

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According to the ancient Greek cuftom, the day of the town patron, woλixos, was devoted to national games. A high pole, which was foaped two thirds of its height, was erected before the gate, in honour of San Cataldo. A wheel was fattened above, which was hung round with hams, fowls, flasks, cheefes, faufages, and viands. To climb up this pole was the task; and, after many vain attempts and tumbles, at length one adventurer took poffeffion of the wheel. Loud fhouts of joy then refounded from the place, the city walls, and the round towers: all of which were covered with the thronging multitude. This was a peep into Gre. cian antiquity.

"The people are handfome; and, among the women, 1 faw many truly Greek beauties. I did not find that undeviating furface, which defcends from the forehead to the nofe and chin in a right line: a line which certainly can only exift in nature as an exception, is rather uncommon than beautiful, was firft ufed by the artifts who were guilty of excefs, and afterward received among the dilettanti as the fection of ideal beauty: but a gentle projecting, which effectually connected in many the right lined nofe with the fmall forehead.

"The women wear their hair platted behind, and wound round the head; as we fee it in the bufts of the Grecian women, and efpecially of the Mufes. The people of rank fubject themselves to the fashion; and thus lofe very much

in comparison with those who adopt this beautiful coftume.

"Both fexes are well proportioned. The women here are fair complexioned; though, in the other parts of Puglia, they are still as fwarthy as the Apulians were in the times of Horace; whofe ufurer, Alphins, overcome for a moment by rational feelings, fighs after the country and wishes for a wife :

Sabina qualis, but perusta folibus
Pernicis uxor Appuli.
HOR. Epod. 2.

Of fun-burnt charms but honest fame, Such as the Sabine or Apulian dame. FRANCIS.

"Many of the Tarentine women have fair hair, and blue eyes.

"This hand fome people were yefterday particularly jocular; and, after the Italian manner, ornamented with various colours.

"The conqueror of the hams and faufages played many tricks upon the wheel, took one of the flasks and drank to the honour of the faint and of the city, and defcended by a rope, which was faftened laterally to a wall, fometimes fwinging by the hands, and at others holding by the legs.

"When this diverfion was over, they had an afs race; and of many a one of thefe courfers it might well have been said, as Boileau has remarked of Rofinante, that

fouthern nations, they are eafily excited, and easily appeated. Anid their zeal, they are tolerant; and there is dignity in the toleration of zeal. Nothing but ftupidity or knavery, and more frequently the laft, will praise the toleration of indifference.

"There are many Greek words in the Tarantine dialect. The archbishop caused a copy of thefe words, as collected by the Abbate Tommai, to be tranfcribed for me; most of which I here enclose.

"There is a kind of manufac ture here, which has defcended from mother to daughter, probably from the times of the Greeks. A fpecies of thell-fish, called pinna, the least of which are fome inches and the largest may be an ell long, afford a tuft of fine hair, or threads, of polished green colour. The archbishop had the goodness to fend for fome women, to work while we were prefent. The art is fimple. The tufts are taken from the fith, are washed twice with foap, three times in clear water, then heckled, and afterward fpun from the diftaff: after which they take three threads, wind them, and out of them knit gloves, stockings, and entire garments. They have the glofs of the cloth called drap de vigogne, fit eafily, and look handfomely. They likewife take two fuch threads for knitting, and add a third of filk; and the manufacture is then more durable, but lefs

Galoppa, dit l'hiftoire, une fois dans fa beautiful.

vie.

Hiftory fays he once began to gallop.

"Others ran foot races; and fome were tied in a fack, fo that, if they fell, they could not rife without help.

"Mildness is the character of the people. With the vivacity of

"These ftuffs lofe their glofs, and their green colour, when they are placed by the fide of woollen garments. All aromatics likewife are ftill more injurious to them; and they are beft preferved when worn with linen. After the glofs has been loft, by wear, it may be reftored, by lemon juice, and water.

Η ΑΠΟΣ

"A woman, who fhewed us the manufacture, fent me fmall famples of the raw thread; alfo in its different ftates: washed, heckled, spun, and knit.

"I gave her a trifle, the blushed, and, with true cordiality and fenfibility, requested that, before my departure, the might bring me a pair of gloves. The next day fhe came to the archbishop, and entreated him to intercede with me to take the gloves, which he brought me the fame evening.

"I must not forget to tell you of a fingular request. A monk came, when I was prefent, fent by the young novices, to the archbishop, and whispered him to petition me to petition the monk that he might grant them permiffion to go into the town in the evening, and fee the illumination, in honour of the faint. Accordingly, the archbishop petitioned me, I petitioned the monk, and he complied."

CLASSICAL

CLASSICAL AND POLITE CRITICISM.

SHORT ACCOUNT of the MODERN GREEK LANGUAGE, its ORIGIN and SYSTEM.

[From DALLAWAY'S CONSTANTINOPLE ANCIENT and MODERN.]

BETWEEN the Romeika, or prevails, was univerfally establish

modern Greek language, and the ancient, a fimilar analogy may be found, as between the Latin and the pure Italian; for languages, no lefs than governments, have their revolutions and their periods. The Greek claims the highest antiquity, and perhaps after the Arabic has been preferved longer than any other; from the irruption and domination of other nations its purity has been eventually corrupted, as from Grecian conquefts the Egyptian lapfed into the Coptic, and the Arabic into the Syriac.

ed. Not that one mode of expreffion only is in ufe. The inhabi tants of the Morea and the coafts of the Adriatic partake much of the Venetian; the islanders of the Archipelago and the Smyrniotes mix Venetian with Turkish. The Greeks of the Fanal speak almoft claffically, whilft those of the oppo fite town of Pera have the moft vulgar pronunciation.

"The leading caufe of deviation from the ancient Greek has been the great ufe of contractions, and the blending by that means feveral words into one.

"When Conftantine established "At what era the modern prohis new capital, fo many Roman nunciation was adopted it would citizens followed him, that the be difficult to determine with any Greek language adopted many La- degree of precifion. The more tinifms, and, once corrupted, the learned of the inhabitants of the more readily admitted the idiom Fanal ftrongly contend, that and words of the French and Ve- however their language has been netian invaders, at the commence- debafed by the alloy of others, that ment of the thirteenth century. the pronunciation of the remotest The establishment of the Ottonian times is continued to them, pure empire extended the change, by and without variation. This quefthe adoption of fo many Turkish tion, fo much agitated at the rephrafes and words, and the Romeï-vival of literature, is foreign to my ka, or vernacular dialect, as it now prefent purpofe, and it may be ne.

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