VIEW 
 
 0 F- 
 
 SOCIETY and MANNERS 
 
 1 N 
 
 I T A L Y: 
 
 WITH 
 
 ANECDOTES relatingtofome EMINENT CHARACTERS. 
 
 BY JOHN MOORE, M. D, 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES, 
 V O L. I. 
 
 Strenua nos exercet inertia: navibus atque 
 Quadrigis pe^imus bene viyere. Quod petis, hic eft. 
 
 Hon, 
 
 THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 LONDON: 
 Printed for W, Strahan ; and T. Cadei^l, in the 3t:and, 
 MDCCLXXXI. 
 
• Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/viewofsocietyman01moor_1 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 HE following obfervations on Italy, 
 
 A and on Italian manners, occurred in 
 the courfe of the fame Tour in which thofc 
 contained in a book lately published, en- 
 titled A View of Society and Manners in 
 F ranee > Switzerland, and Germany, were 
 made. All who have read that book will 
 perceive, at firft fight, that the prefent 
 work is a continuation of the former; but 
 to thofe who have not, it w T as thought 
 neceflary to account for the abrupt manner 
 in which the following Letters begin. 
 
 Clarges-ftreet, 
 December 14, 1780. 
 
Juft Publi/hed, 
 A NEW EDITION OF 
 
 A VIEW of SOCIETY and MANNERS 
 in FRANCE, SWITZERLAND, and 
 GERMANY; with Anecdotes rela- 
 ting to fome Eminent Characters. 
 In Two Volumes. Price I os. in Boards, 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 FIRST VOLUME; 
 
 LETTER I. p. i* 
 
 Journey from Vienna to Venice. 
 
 LETTER II. p. 20. 
 
 The arfenaL—Tbc Bucentaur. — Doge's mar* 
 riage. 
 
 LETTER III. p. 27. 
 
 The ijland of Murano.-~-Glafs manuf&fiory. 
 —Mr. Montague. 
 
 A3 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER IV. p. 39- 
 
 Situation of Venice. — Lagune. — Canals.— « 
 Bridges. 
 
 LETTER V. p. 46. 
 
 Piazza di St. Marco. — Patriarchal church. 
 —Ducal palace. — Broglio. 
 
 LETTER VI. p. 56. 
 
 Reflections excited by the various objecls 
 around St. Mark's fquare. — On painting. 
 —A connoijfeur. 
 
 LETTER VII. p. 69. 
 
 Origin of Venice. 
 
 LETTER VIII. p. 77. 
 
 Various changes in the form of government* 
 —tyrannical conduct of a Doge. — Savage 
 behaviour of the people. — Commerce of 
 Venice. 
 
CONTENT S. vu 
 
 LETTER IX. p. 89. 
 
 Ne*w regulations. — Foundation of the 
 arijlocracy — Origin of the ceremony of 
 efpoufmg the Sea. — New forms of ma~ 
 gijlracy* 
 
 LETTER X, p. 104. 
 Henry Dandolo. 
 
 LETTER XL p. 114. 
 
 New courts. — Neiv magiflr at es.-— Reforma- 
 tion of the Venetian code.- — The form of 
 dealing the Doge. 
 
 LETTER XII. p. 129. 
 
 Arijlocracy ejlablifhed. — Confpiracies. — In- 
 furreflions. — Eccleftajlical Inquifition* — • 
 The College^ or Seigniory. 
 
 A 4 
 
*iii CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER XIII. p. 144. 
 
 Con/piracy againfl the State, by a Doge.—* 
 Singular inftance of weaknefs and vanity 
 in a noble Venetian, — New magijlrates to 
 prevent luxury. — Courttfans. 
 
 LETTER XIV. p. 157. 
 
 Rigour of Venetian laws exemplified in the 
 cafes of Antonio Venter, Carlo Zeno, and 
 young Fofcari. 
 
 LETTER XV. p. 171. 
 
 *Ihe Council of Ten, and the State In- 
 quifitors.—Refefiions on thefe injlitu- 
 tions* 
 
 LETTER XVI. p. 187. 
 
 League of Cambray. — War with Turks. — 
 Antonio Bragadino* — Battle of Lapanto. 
 —Difputes with the Pope. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 LETTER XVII. p. 201. 
 
 Marquis ofBedamars confpiracy, — Falfe ac- 
 cufations. — The ftege of Candia, — The im- 
 patience of a Turkijlo Emperor. — Conch- 
 Jton of the review of the Venetian Govern* 
 ment. 
 
 LETTER XVIII. p. 215. 
 
 Venetian manners. — Opera. — Affectation* — 
 A Duo. — Dancers. 
 
 LETTER XIX. p. 227. 
 
 No military eftablifmnent at Venice. — What 
 fupplies its place. 
 
 LETTER XX. p. 232. 
 
 RefeSiions on the nature of Venetian Govern* 
 ment. — Gondoleers. — Citizens. — The Ve- 
 netian fubjeffs on the Terra Firma. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER XXL p. 240. 
 Gallantry. — CaJJinos. 
 
 LETTER XXII. p. 249. 
 
 Character of Venetians. — Cujloms and ufages. 
 — Influence of jajhion in matters of tafle.—* 
 Prejudice. — The excellence of Italian 
 comic aftors. 
 
 LETTER XXIIL p. 262. 
 
 Departure from Venice. — Padua.^St. An- 
 thony > his tomb and miracles. 
 
 LETTER XXIV. p. 270. 
 
 Church of St. Jujlina. — The bodies of St. 
 Matthew and St. Luke. — The univerfity. 
 —Beggars. 
 
 LETTER XXV. p. 27^ 
 
 The antiquity of Padua.— The Brenta.—* 
 The Po.—The Thames. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER XXVI. p. 285-. 
 
 Fcrrara. — The Family of Efe. — Ario/lo, the 
 Emperor-, and his brothers, lodge at an 
 inriy vohich overfets the underjlanding of 
 the landlord. An infeription. 
 
 LETTER XXVII. p. 292. 
 
 Bologna. Its government^ commerce ^ pa~ 
 laces. 
 
 LETTER XXVIII. p. 301. 
 
 The academy of arts and fciences. — Church 
 of St. Petronius. — Dominican convent.— 
 Palaces. —Raphael.— Guido. 
 
 LETTER XXIX. p. 313. 
 
 Journey from Bologna to Ancona.-* 
 
 The Rubicon. — Julius Cafar Pefaro.—* 
 
 Fano. — Claudius Nero. — AfdrubaL — Se- 
 negalia. 7 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER XXX. p. 323. 
 
 Ancona.—The influence of commerce on the 
 characters of mankind. — The Mole. — The 
 triumphal arch of the Emperor Trajan. 
 
 LETTER XXXI. p. 333. 
 
 Lor et to. —Hi/lory of the Cafa Santa. 
 
 LETTER XXXII. p. 340. 
 
 Defcription of the f acred chapel. — The 
 treafury. 
 
 LETTER XXXIII. p. 35 1. 
 
 Pilgrimages to Loretto. — Manufactures.—- ■ 
 Confeffionals. — BaJJb relievos. — Zeal of 
 pilgrims. — Iron grates before the chapels. 
 — RefeClions. 
 
 LETTER XXXIV. p. 362. 
 
 Tolentino, — The Apennines. — A hermit.—* 
 Umbria. — Bpoletto. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER XXXV. p. 371. 
 
 T ?mi. — ■ Narni. — 0 tricolu — Civita CaJleU 
 lana. — Campania of Rome. 
 
 LETTER £XXVI. p. 380. 
 
 Jlome* — Converfazionis. — Cardinal Bemif. 
 — The dijirefs of an Italian lady. 
 
 LETTER XXXVII. p. 389.. 
 
 Remarks on ancient and modern Rome—The 
 church of St. Peter's. 
 
 LETTER XXXVIII. p. 404, 
 The ceremony of the Pojfejfo. 
 
 LETTER XXXIX. p. 413. 
 Pantheon. — Colifeiim. — Gladiators. 
 
 L E T T E R XL. p. 432. 
 
 The CampidogUo. — Forum Roma num. — • 
 Jews. 
 
CONTENTS- 
 
 LETTER XLI. p. 442. 
 
 Ruins. — Via Sacra. — Tarpeian Rock Cam-* 
 
 pus Martins.— Various Forums. — Trajan* s 
 Column. 
 
 LETTER XLII. p. 45s. 
 
 The beatification of a Saint. 
 
 LETTER XLIII. p. 459. 
 
 Char after of modern Italians.. — Obfervatiom 
 on human nature in general. — An Englife 
 Officer. — Caufie of the frequency of the 
 crime of murder. 
 
 LETTER XLI V., p. 474. 
 
 Different kinds of puniflment. — Account of 
 an execution* — Souls in purgatory . 
 
 LETTER XLV. p. 487. 
 
 The ufual courfe *with an antiquarian, — An 
 expeditious courfe, by a young Englifliman. 
 —The Villa Borghefe. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 LETTER XLVI. p. 506. 
 
 The morning Jludy of an artijl. Converfa* 
 tion with him on that fubje5l.—An 
 Italian lady and her Confejfor. — The 
 Ladfs religious fcruples and precau- 
 tion* 
 
 A VIEW 
 
VIEW 
 
 0 F 
 
 SOCIETY and MANNERS 
 
 1 N 
 
 ITALY. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 DEAR SIR, Venice. 
 
 A V I N G left Vienna, we proceed- 
 
 Pft ty ^ 
 
 %H r§! ed through the Duchies of Stiria, 
 kKjfe' Carinth ; a? andCarniola, to Venice. 
 Notwithlianding the mountainous nature 
 of thofe countries, the roads are remarkably 
 good. They were formed originally at a 
 vaft expence of labour to the inhabitants, 
 but in fuch a durable manner, that it re- 
 Vol, I. B quires 
 
2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 quires no great trouble to keep them in 
 repair, to which all neceffary attention 
 feems to be paid. Some of the mountains 
 are covered with wood, but more generally 
 they are quite bare. Among them are 
 many fields and vallies, fit for pafturage and 
 the cultivation of grain ; a few of thefe 
 vallies are remarkably fertile, particularly 
 In the Duchy of Carniola, The bowels of 
 the earth abound in lead, copper, and 
 iron. Stirian fteel is reckoned excellent ; 
 and the little town of Idra, in Carniola, is 
 famous for the quickfilver mines in its 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 It has been a matter of controverfy 
 among the learned (for the learned difpute 
 about many things which the ignorant 
 think of little importance), by what road 
 the original inhabitants came, who firft 
 peopled Italy ? And it has been decided by 
 fome, that they muft have entered by this 
 very country of Carniola, Thefe gentle- 
 men 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 3 
 
 foen lay it down as an axiom, that the 
 firft inhabitants of every country in the 
 world, that is not an ifland, muft have 
 come by land, and not by fea, on account 
 of the ignorance of the early inhabitants 
 of the earth in the art of navigation ; but 
 Italy being a peninfula, the only way to 
 enter it by land* is at fonie part of the 
 ifthmus by which it is joined to the reft 
 of Europe. The Alps form great part of 
 that ifthmus, and, in the early ages, would 
 exclude ftrangers as effectually as the fea. 
 The eafieft, fhorteft, and only poflible way 
 of avoiding feas and mountains, in enter- 
 ing Italy, is by the Duchy of Carniola 
 and Friuli. Ergo y they came that way. 
 Q^E. D. 
 
 In contradi&ion to the preceding de- 
 monftratioa, others affert, that the firft in- 
 habitants came in (hips from Greece ; and 
 others have had the boldnefs to affirm, that 
 Italy had as good a right as any other 
 
 B 2 country 
 
4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 country to have inhabitants of its own 
 original produclion, without being obliged 
 to any vagrants whatever. 
 
 I thought it right to give you the 
 opinion of the learned on this country, 
 becauie it is not in my power to defcribe it 
 from my own obfervation ; for we paffed 
 through thofe Duchies with a rapidity 
 which bailies all def crip t ion. 
 
 The inns are as bad as the roads are 
 
 good ; for which reafon we chofe to fleep 
 on the latter rather than in the former, and 
 actually travelled five days and nights, 
 without flopping any longer than w 7 as 
 neceffary to change horfes. 
 
 This method of travelling, however 
 agreeable and improving it may be in other 
 refpedis, is by no means calculated to give 
 one the moft perfedt and lading idea of 
 the face of a country, or of the manners 
 
 and 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 5 
 
 acid characters of the inhabitants ; and 
 therefore I hope you will not in fife upon 
 an exad account of either. 
 
 Among other curiofities which our un- 
 interrupted and expeditious movement pre- 
 vented us from obferving with due atten- 
 tion, was the town of Gratz, the capital 
 of Stiria, through which we unfortunately 
 pafled in the middle of the night, 
 
 I did not regret this on account of the 
 regularity of the ftreets, the venerable 
 aipedt of the churches, the fublime fite of 
 the caftle, and other things which we had 
 heard extolled; but folely becaufe we had 
 not an opportunity of vifiting the fhrine 
 of St. Allan, a native of England, who 
 formerly wgs a Dominican Monk of a 
 convent in this town, and in high favour 
 with the Virgin Mary, of which fhe gave 
 him feme proofs as ftrong as they were 
 extraordinary. Amongfi other marks of 
 B 3 her 
 
6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 her regard, fhe ufed to comfort him with 
 milk from her breads. This, to be fare, is 
 a mark of affe&ion feldom beftowed upon 
 favourites above a year old, and will, I 
 dare fay, furprife you a good deal. There 
 is no great danger, however, that an ex- 
 ample of this kind fhould fpread among 
 virgins. Of the fad: in the prefent inftance 
 there can be no doubt; for it is recorded in 
 an infcription underneath a portrait of the 
 Saint, which is carefully preferved in the 
 Dominican convent of this city. We 
 continued our journey, in the full refolution 
 of reaching Venice before we indulged in 
 any other bed than the paft-chaife ; but 
 were obliged to flop fhort on a fudden for 
 want of horfes, at a fmall town called 
 Wipach, bordering on the county of Go- 
 ritia, in Carniola. 
 
 Before fetting out from Vienna* we had 
 been informed, that the Archduke and his 
 Princefs were about to return to Milan j 
 
 for 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 7 
 
 for winch reafon we thought it advifeable 
 to remain at Vienna eight days after their 
 departure, to avoid the inconveniencies 
 which might arife from a deficiency of 
 poft-horfes on fuch an unfrequented road. 
 
 Having taken our meafures with fo 
 much forelight, we little expedted, when 
 we actually did fet out, to meet with any 
 delay in our progrefs. 
 
 The Archduke and his Duche&, how- 
 ever, had thought proper to go out of the 
 dired road as far as Triefte, to view the 
 late improvements of that town, whofe 
 commerce is greatly encouraged and pro- 
 tected by the Emperor; and remaining 
 there a few days, all the poft-horfes which 
 had been aflembled to carry them to 
 Triefte, were kept in the poft-houfes for 
 their ufe; confequently we found none at 
 Wipach. It began to grow dark when we 
 arrived ; the Poft-mafter was fmoking his 
 B 4 P^e 
 
8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 pipe at the door. As foon as the chaife 
 Hopped, we called to him to get ready the 
 horfes without lofs of time ; for, I added, 
 with a tone of importance, that we could 
 not poffibly flay a moment. To this he 
 replied coolly, that fince we were in fo 
 very great a hurry, he fhould not attempt 
 to detain us 3 but that he had no horfes to 
 carry us on. I afked,how foon they could 
 be got. He anfwered, when they returned 
 from attending the Archduke; but whether 
 that would be the next day, the following, 
 or a day or two after, he could not tell. 
 
 It appeared a great hardfhip to be flopped 
 ihort, fo unexpe&edly, at a little paultry 
 inn, and we agreed that nothing could 
 have happened more unfortunately. After 
 a few hafty ejaculations, which regarded the 
 pofting eftablifhment, and the Lords of 
 Police of this country, we refolved to make 
 a virtue of necefftty, and bear our misfor- 
 tunes with firmnefs and equanimity. 
 
 As 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 9 
 
 As we flepped out of the chaife, I ordered 
 thePoft-mafter, therefore, to get ready beds, 
 a good fupper, and fonie of his beft wine. 
 Inftead of receiving thefe injunctions with 
 marks of fatisfadtion, as I expe&ed, he 
 anfwered without emotion, that he had no 
 wine but for his own drinking ; that he never 
 gave fuppers to any but his own family ; 
 and that he had no bed, except that which 
 he himfelf, his wife, and his child occu- 
 pied, which could not eafily hold anymore 
 than them three at a time. 
 
 I had not hitherto perceived that this 
 man's houfe w T as not an inn : as foon as I 
 was undeceived, I begged he would inform 
 us where the inn was. He pointed with 
 his pipe to afmall houfe on the oppofite fide 
 of the lireet. 
 
 There we were told, that all the viduals 
 in the houfe were already devoured — three 
 pr four guefts were ia every fpare room — 
 
 the 
 
jo VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 the family going to bed — and they could 
 not poffibly receive any more company. 
 We had nearly the fame account at an- 
 other little inn, and an abfolute refufal at 
 every houfe where we fu.ed for admittance* 
 
 The town of Wipach is fo near Goritia, 
 that no travellers, except thofe of the 
 meaneft kind, ever think of flopping at 
 the former; and therefore the inhabitants 
 have no idea of making preparations for 
 other guefts. 
 
 In this dilemma I returned to our Fofe* 
 mafter, who was ftill fmoking his pipe 
 before the door. I informed him of our 
 bad fuccefs, and, in a more foothing tone of 
 voice than that in which I had formerly 
 addrefled him, begged to know how we 
 were to difpofe of ourfelves that night. 
 He replied, with admirable compofure, that 
 was more than he could tell ; but as the 
 horfes were expe&ed in a few days, if I 
 3 fhou!4 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. », 
 
 ihould fend him word where we were to 
 be found, he would take care to let us 
 know the moment they fliould he ready : 
 in the mean time, as it began to rain, and 
 the evening was exceedingly cold, he 
 wifhed us a very good night. So faying, 
 he went into the houfe, fhutting and bolt- 
 ing the door very carefully after him. 
 
 No philofopher, ancient or modern, ever 
 fupported the diftreifes of others with more 
 equanimity than this man. 
 
 We were, now fully convinced, that to 
 be under the neceffity of remaining all 
 night at an inn, when they incline to 
 proceed on their journey, is not the moffc 
 unfortunate thing that can befal travellers, 
 and would have now been happy in that 
 fituation which we had confidered with 
 horror an hour or two before. 
 
 In this forlorn condition I turned to an 
 
 Italian feryant of the Duke of H m \ 
 
 a ihrewd 
 
12 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 a fhrewd fellow, who feldom wanted a re* 
 fource in times of difficulty. He feemed, 
 however, a little nonpluffed on the prefent 
 emergency; he flood fhrugging his fhoul- 
 ders, with his eyes fixed on the ground. 
 At length, ftarting as if he had that inflant 
 awaked, he muttered, u Cent ore di mani- 
 conia non pangano un quattrino di debito," 
 and then walked away with an air not to- 
 tally devoid of hope, 
 
 f 
 
 I attended him, without knowing upon 
 what his expectations were founded. We 
 came to a convent of Monks, and got admit- 
 tance ; the Italian called for the Superior, 
 and told him, in a few words, our con- 
 dition. The venerable old man heard him 
 with an air of benevolence ; he expreffed 
 forrow*at the treatment we had received, 
 and, defiring me to accompany him, faid 
 he would endeavour to find us lodgings. 
 He condu&ed us to a poor looking houfe, 
 occupied by a widow and her children. 
 As focn as the good Monk had mentioned 
 
 our 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 13 
 
 our cafe, flie faid we fhould be moll wel- 
 come to fuch entertainment as fhe could 
 afford. We had an excellent fupper of 
 four krout, and fallad. I fhall never forget 
 it. I found her wine excellent, and her 
 beds delightful ; the good Monk feemed to 
 enjoy the fatisfadtion we expreffed, and 
 positively refufed to accept of any other 
 xecompence for his trouble. 
 
 Had we found the moft elegant inn, 
 and the moil luxurious fupper at our arrival, 
 we might poffibly have fpent the evening 
 in repining at being difappointed in poft- 
 horfes; but the dread of fo fmall a mis- 
 fortune as paffing the night fupperlefs in 
 the ftreets, reconciled us at once to the 
 widow's hovel, and made us happy with 
 her homely fare ; fo neceffary is a certain 
 portion of hardihips or difficulties for 
 giving a zeft to enjoyment. Without them, 
 the comforts of life are apt to become iim 
 fipid; and we fee that the people who, 
 1 inde- 
 
*4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 independent of any effort of their owri$ 
 have every enjoyment at their command* 
 are, perhaps, of all mankind, thofe who have 
 the leaft enjoyment. 
 
 The widow* as we underftood in thd 
 morning, had fat up all night with her 
 family, that we might be accommodated 
 with beds. She had no reafon to repent 
 her hofpitality. The poor woman's grati- 
 tude made her talk loudly of the D — of 
 
 H J s generofity ; w T hich coming to 
 
 the- ears of the Poft-mafler, induced him to 
 make an effort to get the chaifes dragged 
 on to Goritia, without waiting the return 
 of the poft-horfes. 
 
 This w r as performed by three cart-horfes 
 
 and two oxen, which were relieved in the 
 
 mod mountainous part of the road by 
 
 buffalos. There is a breed of thefe animals 
 
 in this country; they are ftrong, hardy, 
 
 and docile, and found preferable to either 
 
 horfes 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. x$ 
 
 horfes or oxen, for ploughing in a rough 
 and hilly country. 
 
 When we arrived at Goritia, we found 
 the inhabitants in their holiday drefles, at 
 the windows, and in the ftreets, waiting 
 with impatience for a fight of the Grand 
 Duke and Duchefs. Having applied at the 
 poft-houfe for horfes, we were informed 
 that none could be granted, all being re- 
 tained for the accommodation of his 
 Highnefs. I could not help remarking to 
 
 the D — of H — , that Dukes feemed 
 
 to be in a very different predicament from 
 prophets in their own countries. 
 
 Things turned out better than we had 
 reafon to exped. Their Highnefles arrived 
 in the evening ; and as they did not pro- 
 pofe to leave Goritia till next morning, the 
 Archduke had the politenefs to give orders 
 
 that the D— ■ of H — - fhould have 
 
 what 
 
16 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 what horfes he wanted from the poft> 
 houfes. 
 
 We fet out immediately, and arrived at 
 the next ftage between one and two in the 
 morning. In that part of the world, raif- 
 ing the people at midnight, and hcirneffing 
 the horfes for two carriages, takes up, at 
 leaft, as much time as driving two ftages 
 in fome parts of England, juft as we were 
 going out of the poft-houfe court, the 
 Archduke's butler and cook arrived; they 
 were going forward, as tifual, to prepare 
 fupper,8cc. at the inn where their Highneffes 
 intended to lie. They knew that the 
 horfes were all retained for their m after, 
 but had not heard of the particular order in 
 favour of the D— of H~ — — — . Seeing 
 ten horfes going to fet out, they ex- 
 claimed againft the Poft-mafter, and 
 threatened him with the vengeance of the 
 whole houfe of Auftria through all its 
 
 branches. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 17 
 
 branches, if he fhould permit a fingle horfe 
 to leave the poft-houfe till the Archduke 
 and his fuite had pafled* 
 
 The man, terrified with thefe threats, 
 ordered the poftilions to difmount, and 
 put up the horles. This mandate was 
 by no means agreeable to the D— - of 
 
 H« — ; and the Pen- matter's fear of the 
 
 indignation of the Imperial family, was 
 that inftant loft in a danger which was 
 prefented to his face, and more immediately 
 threatened his perfon— — he ordered the 
 poftilions to drive on. 
 
 The next poft was at a fmall town m 
 the Venetian State, where we found that 
 orders had come from Venice to the fame 
 efPedt with thofe received at the different 
 ftages we had already paft. The D— of 
 
 H- ? s Italian fervant thought it would 
 
 lave time to make us pafs for part of the 
 company to which thefe orders related— 
 Vol. I. G lie 
 
iS VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 he ordered horfes in the name of the Grand 
 Duke, and was inftantly obeyed — -but the 
 butler and cook arriving foon after, told 
 a different tale. Couriers were difpatched, 
 one of whom overtook us, and, in the 
 name of the magiftrates, ordered the pofti- 
 lions to drive back, for we were a gang 
 of impoftures, who had no connection 
 with the Grand Duke. The fame argu- 
 ments, however, which had fo good an 
 effedt on the German Poft-mafter, pre- 
 vailed alfo on the courier to be filent, and 
 the poftilions to proceed. 
 
 It was midnight before we arrived at 
 Meftre, a fmali town on the banks of the 
 Lagune, five miles from Venice, where 
 we remained all night. Next morning we 
 hired a boat, and in two hours were landed 
 in the middle of this city. 
 
 We have taken very delightful apart- 
 ments at an inn f on the fide of the great 
 
 canal. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, ig 
 
 canal. They had been juft quitted by his 
 Royal Highnefs the Duke of Gloucefter, 
 who is at prefeut at Padua. Thus at length 
 we are arrived in Italy— 
 
 Per varios cafusj & tot di&rmiina rerum* 
 
zo VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 Few days after our arrival at Ve- 
 nice, we met the Archduke and 
 Duchefs, at the houfe of the Imperial Am- 
 bafiador. They were highly entertained 
 with the hiftory of their cook and butler* 
 which I gave them at full length. 
 
 The company confined entirely of fo- 
 reigners, the Venetian nobility never vifit- 
 ing in the houfes of foreign minifters. 
 
 Among other ftrangers was the fon of 
 the Duke of Berwick. This young gentle- 
 man has lately allied himfelf to the family 
 from which he is defcended, by marrying 
 the fifter of the Countefs of Albany. I 
 
 fuppofe 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 21 
 
 fuppofe you have heard that the Pretender, 
 now at Florence, has affumed the title of 
 Count Albany, 
 
 Next day the D — of H — ac- 
 companied the Archduke and Duchefs to 
 the arfenal. Th-ry were attended by a de- 
 putation from the fenate. 
 
 Some Venetian ladies of the firft dis- 
 tinction, in compliment to the Archduchefs, 
 were of the party. 
 
 The arfenal at Venice is a fortification of 
 between two and three miles in compafs. 
 On the ramparts are many little watch- 
 towers, where centinels are Rationed. Like 
 the arfenal at Toulon, it is at once a dock- 
 yard, and repolitory for naval and military 
 ftores. Here the Venetians build their 
 Ihips, caft their cannon, make their cables, 
 fails, anchors, &c. The arms are arranged 
 here as in other places of the fame kind, 
 
 C 3 in 
 
U VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 in large rooms divided into narrow walkg 
 by long walls of mufkets, pikes, and hal-< 
 berts. Every thing having been prepared 
 before the Archduke and Duchefs arrived* 
 a cannon was cad in their prefence. After 
 this the company were conducted on board 
 the Bucentaur, or veflel in which the 
 Doge is carried to efpoufe the Adriatic. 
 Here they were regaled with wine and 
 fweetmeats, the Venetian nobles doing the 
 honours of the entertainment. 
 
 The Bucentaur is kept under cover, and 
 never taken out but for the efpoufals. It 
 is formed for containing a very numerous 
 company, is finely gilt and ornamented 
 within, and loaded on the outfide with 
 emblematical figures in fculpture. This 
 veflel may poffibly be admired by landfmen, 
 but will not much charm a feaman's eye, 
 being a heavy broad-bottomed machine, 
 which draws little water, and consequently 
 IJiay be eafily overfet in a gale of wind. 
 
 Of 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 23 
 
 Of this, however, there is no great danger, 
 as two precautions are taken to prevent 
 fuch an accident ; one of which feems cal- 
 culated to quiet the minds of believers, and 
 the other to give confidence to the mod 
 incredulous. The firft is ufed by the 
 Patriarch, who, as foon as the veflel is 
 afloat, takes care to pour into the fea fome 
 holy water, which is believed to have the 
 virtue of preventing or allaying ftorms. 
 The fecond is entrufted to the Admiral, 
 who has the difcretionary power of poft- 
 poning the marriage ceremony, when the 
 bride feems in the fmalleft degree boifter* 
 ous. One of the virtues of the holy water, 
 that of allaying ftorms, is by this means 
 rendered fuperfluous. 
 
 But when the weather is quite favour- 
 able, the ceremony is performed every 
 Afcenfion Day. The folemnity is announ- 
 ced in the morning by the ringing of bells 
 and firing of cannon. About mid- day the 
 G 4 Doge, 
 
24 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Doge, attended by a numerous party of the 
 fenate and clergy, goes on board the Bucen- 
 taur ; the veffel is rowed a little way into 
 the lea, accompanied by the fplendid yachts 
 of the foreign AmbafTadors, the gondolas 
 of the Venetian nobility, and an incredible 
 number of barks and gallies of every kind. 
 Hymns are fung, and a band of mufic 
 performs, while the Bucentaur and her 
 attendants flowly move towards St. Lido, a 
 fmall illand, two miles from Venice. Pray- 
 ers are then faid ; after which the Doge 
 drops a ring, of no great value, into the 
 lea pronouncing thefe words — Defponfa- 
 mus te, Mare, in fignum veri perpetuique 
 dominii. The fea, like a modeft bride, 
 affents by her filence, and the marriage is 
 deemed valid and fecure to all intents and 
 purpofes. 
 
 Certain it is, the time has been, when 
 the Doge had entire poffeffion of, and 
 dominion over, his fpoufe j but, for a con- 
 
 iiderable 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 25 
 
 fiderable time paft, her favours have been 
 fhared by feveral other lovers ; or, accord- 
 ing to that violent metaphor of Otway's, 
 
 now 
 
 TheirGreatDuke (brinks, trembling in hispalace* 
 And fees his wife, the Adriatic, ploughed, 
 Like a lewd whore, by bolder prows than his. 
 
 After viewing every thing in the arfenal, 
 the Archduke and Duchefs, with all the 
 company, were invited on board fome boats 
 which had been prepared for their recep- 
 tion. They were dire&ly rowed to that 
 part of the lake from whence there was the 
 mod advantageous view of Venice, a band 
 of mufic performing all the time; while the 
 failors, in two or three fmall boats, were 
 employed in fifhing oyfters, which they 
 opened and prefented to the company. 
 
 The arnufements of this day had all the 
 advantage of novelty to render them agree- 
 2 able 
 
26 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 able to ftrangers, and every additional 
 pleafure which the attentive and polite be- 
 haviour of the Venetian nobility could 
 give. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 A S this is not the time of any of the 
 *> public folemnities which draw ftran^ 
 gers to Venice, it Is fortunate that we 
 happen to be here with the Archduke and 
 Duchefs. The great refped which this 
 ftate is anxious of fhewing the Imperial 
 family, has brought many of the nobility 
 to Venice, who would otherwife have been 
 at their country feats on the continent, 
 and has alfo given us opportunities of feeing 
 fome things to more advantage than we 
 could otherwife have done, 
 
 I had the honour of attending their 
 Highneffes when they went to vifit the 
 iflaod of Murano* This is about a mile 
 
 from 
 
28 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 from Venice, was formerly a very flourifh- 
 
 ing place, and ftill boafts fome palaces 
 
 which bear the marks of former magnifi- 
 es 
 
 cence, though now in a ftate of decay. 
 The iiland is faid to contain 20,000 in- 
 habitants. The great manufactories of 
 looking-glafles are the only inducements 
 which Grangers have to vifit this place. I 
 faw one very fine plate, for a mirror, made 
 in the prefence of the Archduke in a few 
 minutes : though not fo large as fome I 
 have feen of the Paris manufactory, yet it 
 was much larger than I could have thought 
 it in the power of human lungs to blow. 
 Inftead of being caft, as in France and 
 England, the Murano mirrors are all blown 
 in the manner of bottles. It is aftonifhing 
 to fee with what dexterity the workman 
 wields a long hollow cylinder of melted 
 glafs, at the end of an iron tube, which, 
 when he has extended as much as poffible, 
 by blowing, and every other means his art 
 fuggefts, he flits with a fharp inftrument, 
 
 removing 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 29 
 
 removing the two extremities from each 
 other, and folding back the fides : the 
 cylinder now appears a large fheet of glafs, 
 which being once more introduced into the 
 furnace, is brought out a clear, finifhed 
 plate. 
 
 This manufa&ory formerly ferved all 
 Europe with looking-glaffes ; the quantity 
 made here is full confiderahle ; for although 
 France and England, and fome other coun- 
 tries, make their own mirrors, yet, by the 
 natural progrefs of luxury, thofe countries 
 which ftill get their mirrors and other 
 things from Murano, ufe a much greater 
 quantity now than formerly ; fo that on 
 the fuppofition that the Murano manu- 
 facturers have loft three-fourths of their 
 cuftomers, they may flill retain half as 
 much trade as they ever had. It is fur- 
 prifing that, inftead of blowing, they do 
 not adopt the method of calling, which I 
 fhoukl think a much eafier procefs, and by 
 
 which 
 
3 o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 which larger plates may be made. Befides 
 mirrors, an infinite quantity of glafs trin- 
 kets (margaritini as they are called) of all 
 fhapes and colours are made here. Wo- 
 men of the inferior ranks wear them as 
 ornaments, and as rofaries 5 they alfo 
 mould this fubftance into many various 
 whimfieal forms, by way of ornamental 
 furniture to houfes and churches. In fhort, 
 there are glafs baubles enough made here 
 to bribe into flavery half the inhabitants of 
 the coaft of Guinea. 
 
 Since the departure of the Archduke 
 
 and Duchefs, the D — of H has 
 
 paffed his time moftly in the houfes of the 
 foreign Ambaffadors, the beft refource 
 here, next to the theatres, for ftrangers. 
 
 We were lately at a converfazione at the 
 Spanifh Ambaffadoris; it might have paffed 
 for a pantomime entertainment. The Am- 
 baffador, his lady, and daughters, fpeak no 
 
 language 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 31 
 
 language but Spanifh ; and unfortunately 
 this was underftood by none of the com« 
 pany but the Duke of Berwick's fori. 
 Hearing that Mr. Montague refided at 
 
 Venice, the D — of H— has had 
 
 the curiofity to wait on that extraordinary 
 man. He met his Grace at the ftair-head, 
 and led us through lb me apartments, fur- 
 nifhed in the Venetian manner, into an 
 inner room in quite a different ftyle. There 
 were no chairs, but he defired us to feat 
 ourfelves on a fopha, whilft he placed him- 
 felf on a cufhion on the floor, withiiis legs 
 croffed in the Turkifh fafhion. A young 
 black flave fat by him, and a venerable old 
 man, with a long beard^ ferved us with, 
 coffee. 
 
 After this collation fome aromatic gums 
 
 were brought, and burnt in a little filvef 
 
 veffel. Mr. Montague held his nofe over 
 
 the fteam for fome minutes, and fnuffed up 
 
 the perfume with peculiar fatisfa&ion ; he 
 
 afterwards 
 1 
 
32 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 afterwards endeavoured to colled the fmoke 
 with his hands, fpreading and rubbing it 
 carefully along his beard, which hung in 
 hoary ringlets to his girdle. This manner 
 of perfuming the beard feems more cleanly, 
 and rather an improvement upon that ufed 
 by the Jews in ancient times, as defcribed 
 in the pfalms tranflated by Sternhold and 
 Hopkins. 
 
 'Tis like the precious ointment, that 
 
 Was pour'd on Aaror^s head, 
 Which from the beard' down to the fkirts 
 
 Of his rich garments fpread. 
 
 Or, as the Scotch tranflation has it i 
 
 Like precious ointment on the head 
 That down the beard did flow, 
 
 Even Aaron's beard, and to the fkirts 
 Did of his garments go* 
 
 Which of thefe verhons is preferable, I 
 leave to the critics in Hebrew and Englifh. 
 poefy to determine. I hope, for the lake 
 
 of 
 
Manners in italy. 33 
 
 t)f David's reputation as a poet> that 
 neither have retained all the fpirit of the 
 original. We had a great deal of con- 
 verfation with this venerable looking per- 
 fon, who is, to the laft degree, acute, 
 communicative, and entertaining, and in 
 whofe difcourfe and manners are blended 
 the vivacity of a Frenchman with the 
 gravity of a Turk, We found him, how- 
 ever, wonderfully prejudiced in favour of 
 the Turkifh characters and manners, which 
 he thinks infinitely preferable to the Euro- 
 pean> or thofe of any other nation* 
 
 He defcribes the Turks in general as a 
 people of great fenfe and integrity, the 
 moft hofpitable, generous, and the happieft 
 of mankind. He talks of returning, as foon 
 as poffible to Egypt, which he paints as a 
 perfect paradife; and thinks that, had it 
 not been otherwife ordered for wife pur- 
 pofes, of which it does not become us to 
 judge, the children of Ifrael would cer- 
 
 Vol. L D tainly 
 
34 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 tairily have chofen to remain where they 
 were, and have endeavoured to drive the 
 Egyptians to the land of Canaan. 
 
 Though Mr, Montalgue hardly ever Air's 
 abroad, he returned the D — h vifit ; and 
 as we were not provided with cufhions, he 
 fat, while he flaid, upon a fopha, with his 
 legs under him, as he had done at his own 
 houfe. This pofture, by long habit, is 
 now become the mod agreeable to him> 
 and he infifts on its being by far the molt 
 natural and convenient ; but, indeed, he 
 feems to cheriih the fame opinion with re- 
 gard to all the cuPtoms which prevail 
 among the Turks. I could not help men- 
 . tioning one, which I fufpe&ed would be 
 thought both unnatural and inconvenient 
 .by at leaft one half of the human race; 
 that of the men being allowed to engrofs 
 as many women as they can maintain, and 
 confining them to the moft infipid of all 
 lives, within their haram§# " No doubt,'* 
 
 replied 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 35 
 
 replied he, " the women are all enemies to 
 u polygamy and concubinage ; and there 
 *' is reafon to imagine, that this averfion 
 €i of theirs, joined to the great influence 
 " they have in all Chriftian countries, has 
 M prevented Mahometanifm from making 
 " any progrefs in Europe. The Turkifh 
 f men, on the other hand,' 5 continued he^ 
 " have an averfion to Chriftianity, equal to 
 ^ that which the Chriftian women have to 
 u the religion of Mahomet : auricular 
 u confeffion is perfectly horrible to their 
 ci imagination. No Turk, of any delicacy, 
 * c would ever allow his wife, particularly 
 €C if he had but one, to hold private coii- 
 u ference with a man, on any pretext 
 u whatever. 5 ' 
 
 I took notice, that this averfion to auri- 
 cular confeffion, could not be a reafon for 
 the Turk's diflike to the Protejlant religion* 
 u That is true," faid he, u but you have 
 11 other tenets in common with the Catho- 
 D 2 « lies, 
 
3<5 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 <c lies, which renders your religion as 
 " odious as their's. You forbid polygamy 
 u and concubinage, which, in the eyes of 
 4C the Turks, who obey the dictates of the 
 " religion they embrace, is confidered as 
 ic an intolerable hardfhip. Befides, the 
 " idea which your religion gives of heaven, 
 f< is by no means to their tafte. If they 
 * c believed your account, they would think 
 iC it the raoft tirefome and comfortlefs 
 * c place in the univerfe, and not one Turk 
 " among a thoufand would go to the 
 a Chriftian heaven if he had it in hi$ 
 * c choice. Laftly, the Chriftian religion 
 " confiders women, as creatures upon a 
 rc level with men, and equally entitled to 
 11 every enjoyment, both here and here- 
 " after. When the Turks are told this," 
 added he, " they are not furprifed at being 
 * c informed alfo, that women, in general, 
 <c are better Chriftians than men ; but they 
 " are perfe&ly aftonifhed that an opinion, 
 " which they think fo contrary to common 
 
 fenfe, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 3: 
 
 u fenfe, fhould fubfift among the rational, 
 * c that is to fay, the male part of Chriftians. 
 " It is impoffible," added Mr. Montague, 
 " to drive it out of the head of a Mufful- 
 u man, that women are creatures of a 
 11 fubordinate fpecies, created merely to 
 <c comfort and amufe men during their 
 ** journey through this vain world, but by 
 <c no means worthy of accompanying be* 
 Si lievers to paradife, where females, of a 
 cc nature far fuperior to women, wait with 
 w impatience to receive all pious MulTul- 
 * c men into their arms/' 
 
 It is needlefs to relate to you any more 
 of our converfation. A lady, to whom I 
 was giving an account of it the day on 
 which it happened, could with difficulty 
 allow me to proceed thus far in my narra- 
 tive ; but, interrupting me with impatience, 
 fhe faid, fhe was furprifed I could repeat 
 all the nonfenfical, deteftable, impious 
 maxims of thofe odious Mahometans j and 
 P $ (he 
 
38 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 fhe thought Mr. Montague fhould be fent 
 back to Egypt, with his long beard, and 
 not be allowed to propagate opinions, the 
 bare mention of which, however reafbnable 
 they might appear to Turks, ought not to 
 be tolerated in any Chriftian land. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY." 
 
 39 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 Venice, 
 
 H £ view of Venice, at fome little 
 
 JL diftance from the town, is mention-r- 
 ed by many travellers in terms of the 
 higheft admiration. I had been fo often 
 forewarned of the amazement with which 
 I fhould be (truck at firft fight of this city, 
 that when I a&ually did fee it, I felt little 
 or no amazement at all. You will behold, 
 faid thofe anticipators, a magnificent town, 
 —or more frequently, to make the deeper 
 imprefiion, they gave it in detail — You 
 will behold, faid they, magnificent palaces, 
 churches, towers and fteeples, all ftanding 
 in the middle of the fea. Well ; this, un- 
 queftionably, is an uncommon fcene; and 
 (here is no manner of doubt that a town, 
 
 D 4 
 
 furrounded 
 
4 o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 furronnded by water, is a very fine fight 3 
 but all the travellers that have exifted fince 
 the days of Cain, will not convince me, 
 that a town, furrounded by land, is not z 
 much finer. Can there be any comparifon* 
 in point of beauty, between the dull mo- 
 notony of a watery furface, and the delight- 
 ful variety of gardens, meadows, hills, and 
 woods ? 
 
 If the fituation of Venice renders it lefs 
 agreeable than another city, to behold at a. 
 diftance, it muft render it, in a much 
 ftronger degree, lefs agreeable to inhabit. 
 For you will pleafe to recoiled:, that,inftead 
 of walking or riding in the fields, and 
 enjoying the fragrance of herbs, and the 
 melody of birds ; when you wi£h to take 
 the air here, you muft fubmit to be paddled 
 about, from morning to night, in a narrow 
 boat, along dirty canals ; or, if you don't 
 like this, you have one refource more, whicfy 
 is, that of walking in Su Mark's jplace. 
 
 Thefe 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 41 
 
 Thefe are the difadvantages which Ve- 
 nice labours under, with regard to fituation; 
 but it has other peculiarities, which, in the 
 opinion of many, overbalance them, and 
 render it, on the whole, an agreeable 
 town. 
 
 Venice is faid to be built in the fea; 
 that is, it is built in the midft of (hallows, 
 which (Iretch fome miles from the ihore, at 
 the bottom of the Adriatic Culph. Though 
 thofe fhallow r s, being now all covered with 
 water, have the appearance of one great 
 lake, yet they are called Lagune, or lakes, 
 becaufe formerly, as it is imagined, there 
 were feveral. On failing on the Laguna, 
 and looking to the bottom, many large 
 hollows are to be feen, which, at fome 
 former period, have, very poffibly, been 
 diftin£t lakes, though now, being all covered 
 with a common furface of water, they form 
 one large lake, of unequal depth* The 
 intervals between thofe hollows, it is fup- 
 
 pofed, 
 
42 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 pofed, were little iflands, and are now 
 fhallows, which, at ebb, are all within 
 reach of a pole. 
 
 When you approach the city, you come 
 along a liquid road, marked by rows of 
 flakes on each fide, which dire£t veflels, of 
 a certain burthen, to avoid the fliallows, 
 and keep in deeper water. Thefe fhallows 
 are a better defence to the city than the 
 ftrongeft fortifications. On the approach of 
 an enemy's fleet, the Venetians have only 
 to pull up their flakes, and the enemy can 
 advance no farther. They are equally be- 
 yond the infult of a land army, even in the 
 midft of winter ; for the flux and reflux of 
 the fea, and the mildnefs of the climate, 
 prevent fuch a flrength of ice as could 
 admit the approach of an army tha$ 
 way. 
 
 The lake in which Venice ftands, is a 
 kind of fmall inner gulph, feparated froni 
 
 the 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 4$ 
 
 the large one by fame iflands, at a few 
 miles diftance. Thefe iflands, in a great 
 meafure, break the force of the Adriatic 
 ftorms, before they reach the Laguna ; yet, 
 in very high winds, the navigation of the 
 lake is dangerous to gondolas, and fome- 
 times the gondoleers do not truft them- 
 felves, even on the canals within the city. 
 This is not fo great an inconveniency to 
 the inhabitants as you may imagine; be- 
 caufe molt of the houfes have one door 
 opening upon a canal, and another com- 
 municating with the ftreet ; by means of 
 which, and of the bridges, you can go to 
 almoft any part of the town by land, as 
 well as by water. 
 
 The number of inhabitants are computed 
 at about 150,000; the ftreets, in general, 
 are narrow ; fo are the canals, except the 
 grand canal ; which is very broad, and has 
 a ferpentine courfe through the rriiddle of 
 the city. They tell you, there are feveral 
 
 hundred 
 
44 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 hundred bridges in Venice. What pa& 
 under this name, however, are (ingle arches 
 thrown over the canals; moft of them 
 paltry enough, 
 
 The Rialto confifts alfo of a fingle arch, 
 but a very noble one, and of marble. It is 
 built acrofs the grand canal, near the 
 middle, where it is narroweft. This cele- 
 brated arch is ninety feet wide on the level 
 of the canal, and tw r enty-four feet high. 
 Its beauty is impaired by two rows of 
 booths, or ftiops, which are ere&ed upon 
 it, and divide its upper furface into three 
 narrow ftreets. The view from the Rialto 
 is equally lively and magnificent; the 
 obje&s under your eye are the grand canal, 
 covered with boats and gondolas, and 
 flanked on each fide with magnificent 
 palaces, churches, and fpires ; but this fine 
 profped is almoft the only one in Venice ; 
 for, except the Grand Canal, and the Canal 
 Regio, ail the others are narrow and mean; 
 
 fome 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 4$ 
 
 fome of them have no keys; the water 
 literally wafhes the walls of the houfes. 
 When you fail along thofe wretched canals, 
 you have no one agreeable obje£t to cheer 
 the fight ; and the fmell is overwhelmed 
 with the ftench which, at certain feafons* 
 exhales from the water. 
 
VIEW OF 
 
 SOCIETY 
 
 ANI3 
 
 L li i 
 
 T E R V. 
 
 Venice* 
 
 S the only agreeable view in Venice 
 
 is from the grand canal, fo the only 
 
 fafety, is in the piazza di Sr. Marco, This 
 is a kind of irregular quadrangle, formed 
 by a number of buildings, all fingular in 
 their kind, and very different from each 
 other. 
 
 The Ducal palace — the church of St; 
 Mark — that of St. Giminiano — a noble 
 range of buildings, called Procuratie, the 
 new and the old, in which are the Mufeum, 
 the public library, and nine large apart- 
 ments belonging to the Procurators of St. 
 Mark; all thefe buildings are of marble. 
 7 There 
 
 place where you can walk with eafe and 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 47 
 
 There is an opening from St. Mark's 
 Place to the lea, on which ftand two lofty 
 pillars of granite. Criminals condemned 
 to fuffer death publicly, are executed be- 
 tween thefe pillars ; on the top of one of them 
 IB a lion, with wings; and on the other, a 
 faint — without wings ; — there is, however, 
 a large crocodile at his feet, which, I pre- 
 fume, belongs to him. At one corner of 
 St. Mark's church, contiguous to the 
 palace, are two ftatues of Adam and Eve; 
 they have neither wings nor crocodile, nor 
 any kind of attendant, not even their old 
 acquaintance, the ferpent. 
 
 At the corner of the new Frocuratie, 
 a little diftant from the church, ftands the 
 lieeple of St. Mark. This is a quadran- 
 gular tower, about three hundred feet in 
 height. I am told it is not uncommon in 
 Italy for the church and fleeple to be in 
 this ftate of difunion ; this fhocked a 
 clergyman, of my acquaintance, very much ; 
 
 he 
 
48 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 he mentioned it to me, many years ago* 
 amongft the errors and abfurdities of the 
 church of Rome* The gentleman was 
 clearly of opinion, that church and fteeple 
 ought to be infeparable as man and wife, 
 and that every church ought to confider 
 its fteeple as mortar of its mortar, and 
 ftone of its ftone. An old captain of 
 a fhip, who was prefent, declared himfelf 
 of the fame way of thinking, and fwore 
 that a church, divorced from its fteeple, 
 appeared to him as ridiculous as a fhip 
 without a maft. 
 
 A few paces from the church are three 
 tall poles, on which enfigns and flags are 
 hung on days of public rejoicing; Thefe 
 ftandards are in memory of the three king- 
 doms, Cyprus, Candia, and Negropont, 
 which once belonged to this republic ; 
 the three crowns are ftill kept in the Ducal 
 palace. Since the kingdoms are gone, I 
 Ihould think the crowns and the poles 
 5 hardly 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 4 £ 
 
 hardly worth preferring; they arc, how- 
 fever, of the fame value to Venice, that the 
 title of King of France is to his Britannic 
 Majefty. At the bottom of the Tower of 
 St. Mark, is a fmall neat building of 
 marble, called the Loggietta, where fome 
 of the Procurators of St. Mark conflantly 
 attend to do bufinefs. Some people are of 
 opinion that, particularly when the grand 
 council, or the fenate, are afiembled, thefe 
 Procurators are placed there, as ftate cen- 
 tinels, to give warning in cafe of any 
 appearance of difcontent or commotion 
 among the populace, which mufl neceffarily 
 ihew itfelf at this place, as there is no 
 Other in Venice where a mob cduld 
 aflemble. 
 
 The patriarchal church of St. Mark, 
 though one of the richeft and moft ex- 
 pen five in the world, does not ftrike the 
 eye very much at firft ; the archite&ure is 
 of a mixed kind, moftly Gothic, yet many 
 
 Vol. I. E of 
 
5 o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 of the pillars are of the Grecian orders ; 
 the outfide is incrufted with marble ; the 
 infide, cieling, and floor, are all of the 
 fineft marble ; the numerous pillars which 
 fupport the roof are of the fame fubftance ; 
 the whole is crowned by five domes.; — but 
 all this labour and expence have been 
 dire&ed by a very moderate (hare of tafte. 
 
 The front, which looks to the palace, 
 has five brafs gates, with hiftorical bas- 
 relieyes ; over the principal gate are placed 
 the four famous bronze horfes, laid to be 
 the workman&ip of Lycippus ; they were 
 given to the emperor Nero, by Tiridates, 
 king of Armenia; the fiery fpirit of their 
 countenances, and their animated attitudes, 
 are perfe&ly agreeable to their original 
 destination, of being harnefled to the cha- 
 riot of the Sun.— Nero placed them on the 
 triumphal arch confecrated to him, and 
 they are to be feen on the reverfe of fome 
 of his medals ; they were removed from 
 
 Rome 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. S i 
 
 Rome to Conftantinople, placed in the 
 Hyppodrome by Conftantine, and remained 
 there till the taking of Conftantinople by 
 the French and Venetians in the beginning 
 of the 13th century, when they were car- 
 ried to Venice, and placed upon the gate 
 of St. Mark's church. 
 
 The treafury of St. Mark is very rich in 
 jewels and relics ; and it was neceflary to 
 apply to one of the Procurators of St. 
 Mark for leave to fee it. I (hall only men- 
 tion a few of the mod valuable eife&s 
 kept here. Eight pillars from Solomon's 
 temple at Jerufalem ; a piece of the Virgin 
 Mary's veil, fome of her hair, and a fmall 
 portion of her milk ; the knife ufed by 
 our Saviour, at his lafb fupper ; one of the 
 nails of the crofs, and a tew drops of his 
 blood. After thefe it would be impertinent 
 to enumerate the bones, and other relics, 
 of faints and martyrs, of which there is a 
 
 plentiful {how in this church, and ftill lefs 
 E 2 need 
 
S 2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 need I take up your time with an inventor^ 
 of the temporal jewels kept here j it would 
 be unpardonable, however, to omit men- 
 tioning the picture of the Virgin, by St. 
 Luke. From this, compared with his 
 other works, it is plain, that St. Luke was 
 a much better evangelift than painter : fome 
 profeffions feem to be almoft incompatible 
 with each other. I have known many 
 very good painters who would have made 
 bad faints, and here is an inftance of an 
 excellent faint who was but an indifferent 
 painter. 
 
 The old Procuratie is built of a kind of 
 black marble ; the new is of the pietra 
 dura of Iftria. 
 
 The church of St. Geminiano is an ele- 
 gant piece of archite&ure, by Sanfovino. 
 
 The Ducal palace is an immenfe build-* 
 ing, entirely of marble. Befides the apart- 
 ments 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 35 
 
 meats of the Doge, there are alfo halls and 
 chambers for the fenate, and all the dif- 
 ferent councils and tribunals. The prin- 
 cipal entrance is by a fpacious ftair, called 
 the Giants ftair, on account of two Coloflal 
 ftatues of Mars and Neptune, placed at 
 the top ; they are of white marble, the 
 work of Sanfovino, and intended to repre- 
 fent the naval and military power of this 
 ftate. Their gigantic fize might be proper 
 enough formerly, but they would be jufter 
 emblems of the prefent force of this re- 
 public if their ftature were more moderate. 
 
 Under the porticoes, to which you afcend 
 by this flair, you may perceive the gaping 
 mouths of lions, to receive anonymous 
 letters, informations of treafonable prac- 
 tices, and accufations of magiftrates for 
 abufes in office. 1 
 
 From the palace there is a covered bridge 
 of communication to a ftate prifon, on the 
 
 E 3 other 
 
54 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 other fide of the canal. Prifoners pafs to 
 and from the courts over this bridge, which 
 is named Ponte Dei Sofpiri. 
 
 The apartments and halls of the Ducal 
 palace are ornamented by the pencils of 
 Titian, Paul Veronefe, Tintoret, Palma, 
 the Baflans, and other painters. The rape 
 of Europa, and the ftorming of Zara, both 
 by Paul Veronefe are amongft the higheft 
 efteemed pieces of that mafter. The foot 
 of Europa is honoured with the particular 
 admiration of the connoiffeurs ; the bull 
 feems to be of their way of thinking, for 
 he licks it as he bears her along above the 
 waves. Some people admire even this 
 thought of the painter ; I cannot fay I am 
 of the number : I think it is the only thing 
 in the picture which is not admirable 3 it is 
 making Jupiter enter a little too much 
 into the character which he had affumed. 
 There are a few pi&ures in this palace by 
 Titian, but a great many by the other 
 
 matters. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. £ 
 
 matters. The fubje&s are moftly taken 
 from the hiftory of Venice. 
 
 Within the palace there is a little 
 arfenal, which communicates with the hall 
 of the great council. Here a great number 
 of mulkets are kept, ready charged, with 
 which the nobles may arm themfelves on any 
 fudden infurre&ion, or other emergency. 
 
 The lower gallery, or the piazza under 
 the palace, is called the Broglio. In this 
 the noble Venetians walk and converfe: 
 it is only here, and at council, where they 
 have opportunities of meeting together; for 
 they feldom vifit openly, or in a family way, 
 at each other's houfes, and fecret meetings 
 would give umbrage to the Rate inquifitors; 
 they chufe, therefore, to tranfadl their 
 bufinefs on this public walk. People of 
 inferior rank feldom remain on the Broglio 
 for any length of time when the nobility 
 are there. 
 
 E 4 
 
5& VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 T Was led, in my laft, Into a very par- 
 -It ticular (and I wifh you may not have, 
 alfp. found it a very tedious) defcription of 
 St, Mark's Place. There is no help for 
 v/hat is paft, but, for your comfort, you 
 have nothing of the fame kind to fear 
 while we remain here; for there is not 
 another fquare, ox place ^ as the French with 
 more propriety call them, in all Venice. 
 To compenfate, however, for their being 
 but one, there is a greater variety of objects 
 to be fcen at this one, than in any half 
 dozen of the fqiiares, or places, of Londou 
 oi Paris. 
 
 After our eyes had been dazzled with 
 looking at pictures, and our legs cramped 
 
 with 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 57 
 
 y,'ith fitting in a gondola, it is no Tmall 
 relief, and amufement, to faunter in the 
 Place of St. Mark. 
 
 The number and diverfity of objects 
 which there prefent themfelves to the eye, 
 naturally create a very rapid fucceffion of 
 ideas. The fight of the churches awakens 
 religious fentiments, and, by an eafy tran- 
 sition, the mind is led to contemplate 
 the influence of fuperftition. In the in id ft 
 pf this reverie, Nero's four horfes appear, 
 and carry the fancy to Rome and Co n flan- 
 tinople. While you are forcing your way* 
 fvvord in hand, with the heroic Henry 
 Dandelo, into the capital of Afia, Adam 
 and Eve flop your progrefs, and lead you 
 to the garden of Eden. You have not 
 long enjoyed a Hate of innocence and hap- 
 pinefs in that delightful paradife, till Eve 
 
 « her rafh hand in evil hour 
 Forth reaching to the fruit, fhe plucks, fhe eats. 
 
 After 
 
S S VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 After that unfortunate repaft, no more 
 comfort being to be found there, you are 
 glad to mount St. Mark's winged lion, and 
 fly back to the Ducal palace, where you will 
 naturally reflect on the rife and progrefs 
 of the Venetian ftate, and the various 
 fprings of their government. While you 
 admire the ftrength of a conftitution which 
 has flood firm for fo many ages, you are 
 appalled at the fight of the lion's mouth 
 gaping for accufations ; and turning with 
 horror from a place where innocence feems 
 expofed to the attacks of hidden malice, 
 you are regaled with a profpedt of the fea, 
 which opens your return to a country of 
 real freedom, where juftice rejects the libel 
 of the hidden accufer, and dares to try, 
 condemn, and execute openly, the higheft* 
 as well as the loweft, delinquent* 
 
 I a dure you I have, more than once, 
 made all this tour, ftanding in the 
 middle of St. Mark's fquare; whereas, 
 
 in 
 
 8 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 59 
 
 in the French places, you have no- 
 thing before your eyes but monuments 
 of the monarch's vanity, and the people's 
 adulation ; and in the greater part of the 
 London fquares, and ftreets, what idea can 
 prefent itfclf to the imagination, beyond 
 that of the fnug neatnefs and conveniency 
 of fubftantial brick houfes ? 
 
 I have been fpeaking hitherto of a morn- 
 ing faunter ; for in the evening there ge- 
 nerally is, on St. Mark's Place, fuch a 
 mixed multitude of Jews, Turks, and 
 ChriRians ; lawyers, knaves, and pick- 
 pockets ; mountebanks, old women, and 
 phyficians ; women of quality, with rnafks; 
 ftrumpets barefaced ; and, in fhort, fuch a 
 jumble of fenators, citizens, gondoleers, 
 and people of every character and condition, 
 that your ideas are broken, bruifed, and 
 diflocated in the crowd, in fuch a manner, 
 that you can think, or refledt, 00 nothing; 
 
 yet 
 
6o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 yet this being a ftate of mind which many 
 people are fond of, the place never fails to 
 be well attended, and, in fine weather, 
 numbers pafs a great part of the night 
 there. When the piazza is illuminated, 
 and the fiiops, in the adjacent ftreets, 
 lighted up 3 the whole has a brilliant effe£t ; 
 and as it is the cuftom for the ladies, as 
 well as the gentlemen, to frequent the 
 caffinos and coffee* houfes around, the 
 Place of St. Mark anfwers all the purpofes 
 of either Vauxhall or Ranelagh. 
 
 It is not in St. Mark's Place that you are 
 to look for the fined monuments of the 
 art of Titian, or the genius of Palladio ; 
 for thofe you muft viiit the churches and 
 palaces : but if you are inclined to make 
 that tour, you mull: find another Cicerone, 
 for I fhall certainly not undertake the office. 
 I do not pretend to be a competent judge of 
 painting or architecture; I have no new 
 
 remarks 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 6r 
 
 remarks to make on thofe fubje&s, and I 
 wifh to avoid a hackneyed repetition of what 
 has been faid by others. 
 
 Some people feem affe&ed by paintings 
 to a degree which I never could feel, and 
 can fcarcely conceive. I admire the works 
 of Guido and Raphael, but there are 
 amateurs who fall downright in love with 
 every man, woman, or angel, produced by 
 thofe painters. 
 
 When the fubjed is pathetic, I am often 
 firuck with the genius and execution of the 
 artift, and touched with the fcene repre- 
 fented, but without feeling thofe violent 
 emotions of grief which fome others dif- 
 play. I have feen a man fo affe&ed with 
 the grief of Venus, for the death of 
 Adonis, that he has wiped his eyes as if 
 he had been fhedding tears; and have heard 
 another exprefs as much horror at the 
 martyrdom of a faint, as he could have 
 7 done 
 
6z VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 done had he been prefent at the real exe- 
 cution. Horace's obfervation is perfe&ly 
 juft, as he applies it, 
 
 Segnius irritant animos demifla per aurem, 
 Quam quas funt oculis fubje&a fidelibus— 
 
 He is treating of dramatic pieces ; 
 
 Aut agitur res in fcenis, aut adta rcfertur, 
 
 is the preceding line. On the ftage, what 
 is actually reprefented, makes a ftronger 
 impreflion than what is only related ; and 
 in real life, no doubt, we fhould be more 
 fhocked by feeing a murder committed, 
 than by hearing an account of it. But 
 whether feeing a pathetic ftory exprefTed 
 in painting, or hearing it related, has the 
 moft powerful efFed, is a different queftion. 
 I only fay for myfelf, that, on contem- 
 plating a painted tragedy, I can never help 
 recolle&ing that it is a&ed upon canvas. 
 This never fails to dart fuch a ray of 
 comfort into my heart, as cheers it up, 
 in fpite of all the blood and carnage I fee 
 
 before 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY- 63 
 
 before my eyes. With a mind fo vulgarly 
 fabricated, you will not be furprifed when 
 I acknowledge, that I have felt more com- 
 paffion at the fight of a fingle highway- 
 man going to Tyburn, than at the maflacrc 
 of two thoufand innocents, though exe- 
 cuted by Nicholas Pouflin himfelf. This 
 convinces me that I am not endued with 
 the organ s of a connoifleur. 
 
 But if you are violently bent upon being 
 thought a man of very refined talle, there 
 are books in abundance to be had, which 
 will put you in pofleffion of all the terms 
 of technical applaufe, or cenfure, and fur- 
 nifli you with fuitable expreffions for the 
 w 7 hole climax of fenfibility. As for myfelf, 
 I was long ago taught a leftbn, which made 
 a deep impreffion on my mind, and wjll 
 efFe&ually prevent me from every affecta- 
 tion of that kind. Very early in life, I 
 refided above a year at Paris, and happened 
 €ne day to accompany five or fix of our 
 
 countrymen, 
 
64 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 countrymen, to view the piSures in th& 
 Palais'Royal. A gentleman who affected 
 an ehthufiaftic paffion for the fine arts* 
 particularly that of painting, and who had 
 the greateft defire to be thought a con-* 
 hoifleur, was of the party. He had read 
 the lives of the painters, and had the 
 Voyage Pittorefque de Paris by heart. 
 From the moment we entered the rooms he 
 began to difplay all the refinements of his 
 tafte; he inftru&ed us what to admire, and 
 drew us away with every figti of difguft 
 tvhen Wt Hopped a moment at an un- 
 celebrated picture. We w T ere afraid of 
 appearing pleafed with any thing we fawj 
 till he informed us whether or not it wad 
 worth looking at. He fhook his head at 
 fome, to fled up his nofe at others ; com- 
 mended a few, and pronounced fentence 
 on every piece, as he palled along, witH 
 the mod imponng tone of fagacity. — <c Bad, 
 " that Caravaggio is too bad indeed, devoid 
 
 " of all grace j — but here is a Caracci that 
 
 " makes 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 65 
 
 iC makes amends ; how charming the grief 
 u of that Magdalen ! The Virgin, you'll 
 " obferve, gentlemen, is only fainting, but 
 * c the Chrift is quite dead. Look at the 
 <c arm, did you ever fee any thing fo dead ? 
 " - — Aye, here's a Madona, which they 
 " tell you is an original, by Guido; but 
 " any body may fee that it is only a tole- 
 " rable copy. — Pray, gentlemen, obferve 
 u this St. Sehaftian, how delightfully he 
 c< expires : Don't you all feel the arrow 
 cc in your hearts? Pm fure I feel it in 
 u mine. Do let us move on ; I fhould die 
 u with agony if I looked any longer." 
 
 We at length came to the St. John, by 
 Raphael, and here this man of tafte flop- 
 ped fhort in an extafy of admiration. — One 
 of the company had already pafTed it, 
 without minding it, and was looking at 
 another pidture ; on which the connoifTeur 
 bawled out — " Good God, Sir ! what are 
 ?? you about?" Thehoneft gentleman ftarted, 
 
 Vol. I. F and 
 
66 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 and flared around to know what crime h£ 
 had been guilty of. 
 
 <c Have you eyes in your head, Sir? 1 ' 
 continued the connoifleur : u Don't you 
 " know St* John when you fee him V 9 
 
 <c St.- John!" replied the other, in amaze- 
 ment. " Aye, Sir, St. John the Baptift, 
 
 " in propria perf on a" 
 
 " I don't know what you mean, Sir,** 
 faid the gentleman, peevifhly. 
 
 <c Don't you? 5 * rejoined the connoifleur ; 
 €l then I'll endeavour to explain myfelf. I 
 " mean St. John in the wildernefs, by the 
 M divine Raffaelle Sanzio da Urbino, and 
 * c there he ftands by your fide. — Pray, my 
 4C dear Sir, will you be fo obliging as to 
 iC beftow a little of your attention on that 
 " foot ? Does it not ftart from the wall ? 
 " Is it not perfectly out of the frame ? Did 
 
 <c you 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 67 
 
 u you ever fee fuch colouring ? They talk 
 " of Titian ; can Titian's colouring excel 
 " that? What truth, what nature in the 
 u head! To the eloquence of the antique, 
 ic here is joined the fimplicity of nature.'* 
 
 We flood lifcening in filent admiration* 
 and began to imagine we perceived all the 
 perfections he enumerated 5 when a perfon 
 in the Duke of Orleans' fervice came and 
 informed us, that the original, which he 
 prefumed was .the picture we wiihed to 
 fee, was in another room ; the Duke 
 having allowed a painter to copy it. That 
 which w T e had been looking at w r as a very 
 wretched daubing, done from the original 
 by fome obfcure painter, and had been 
 thrown, with other rubbiih, into a corner; 
 where the Swifs had accidentally difcovered 
 it, and had hung it up merely by w r ay of 
 covering the vacant fpace on the wall, till 
 the other fhould be replaced. 
 
 How 
 
68 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 How the connoifleur looked on this try- 
 ing occafion, I cannot fay. It would have 
 been barbarous to have turned an eye upon 
 him. — I ftepped into the next room, fully 
 determined to be cautious in deciding on 
 the merit of painting ; perceiving that it 
 was not fafe, in this fcience, to fpeak even 
 from the book. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 69 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 E acquire an early partiality for 
 
 W * Rome, by reading the daffies, and 
 the hiftory of the ancient republic. Other 
 parts of Italy alfo intereft us more on 
 account of their having been the refidence 
 of the old Romans, than from the regard 
 we pay to what has been tranfa&ed there 
 during the laft fourteen or fifteen cen- 
 turies. 
 
 Venice claims no importance from an T 
 cient hiftory, and boafts no connection 
 with the Roman republic ; it fprung from 
 the ruins of that empire; and whatever 
 its annals offer worthy of the attention of 
 mankind, is independent of the prejudice 
 we feel in favour of the Roman name, 
 
 The 
 
7 o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 The independence of Venice was not built 
 
 on ufurpation, nor cemented with blood ; 
 it was founded on the firft law of human 
 nature, and the undoubted rights of man. 
 
 About the middle of the fifth century, 
 when Europe formed one continued fcene 
 of violence and bloodfhed ; a hatred of 
 tyranny, a love of liberty, and a dread of 
 the cruelty of Barbarians, prompted the 
 Veneti, a people inhabiting a fmall diftridl 
 of Italy, a few of the inhabitants of Padua, 
 and fome peafants who lived on the fertile 
 banks of the Po, to feek an afylum from 
 the fury of Atilla, amongft the little iflands 
 and marflies at the bottom of the Adriatic 
 Gulph. 
 
 Before this time fome fifhermen had 
 built fmall houfes, or huts, on one of thefe 
 iflands, called Rialto. The city of Padua, 
 with a view to draw commercial advantages 
 from this eftablifiiment, encouraged fome 
 
 of 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. yt 
 
 of her inhabitants to fettle there, and fent 
 every year three or four citizens to aft as 
 magiftrates. When Attila had taken and 
 deftroyed Aquileia, great numbers from all 
 the neighbouring countries fled toRiaito; 
 whofe fize being augmented by new houfes, 
 took the name of Venice, from the diftri£t 
 from which the greater number of the 
 earlieft refugees had fled. On the death of 
 Attila, many returned to their former ha- 
 bitations ; but thofe who preferred freedom 
 and fecurity to all other advantages, re- 
 mained at Venice. Such was the beginning 
 of this celebrated republic. Some nice 
 diftinguiihers pretend, that this was the 
 beginning of their freedom, but not of their 
 independency ; for they aflert, that the 
 Venetians were dependent on Padua, as 
 their mother city. It is certain that the 
 Paduans claimed fuch a prerogative over 
 this infant ftate, and attempted to lubject 
 her to fome commercial reftridions j thefe 
 
 F 4 were 
 
72 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 were rejected by the Venetians, as arbitrary 
 and vexatious. Difputes arofe very dan- 
 gerous to both ; but they ended in Venice 
 entirely throwing off the jurifdidion of 
 Padua. It is curious, and not unworthy 
 of ferious attention in the prefent age, to 
 fee the parent now totally fubje&ed to the 
 child, whom fhe wifhed to retain in too 
 rigorous a dependence. 
 
 The irruption of the Lombards into 
 Italy, while it fpread havoc and deftruclioa 
 over the adjacent country, was the caufe of 
 a great acceffion of firength to Venice, by 
 the numbers of new refugees who fled to i t 
 with all the wealth they could carry, and 
 became fubje£ts of this ftate. 
 
 The Lombards themfelves, while they 
 eftablifhed their kingdom in the northern 
 parts of Italy, and fubdued all the ancient 
 diftri£t of the Veneti, thought proper to 
 
 leave 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 73 
 
 leave this little ftate unmolefted, imagining 
 that an attempt againft it would be attended 
 with more trouble than profit ; and while 
 they carried on more important conquefts, 
 they found it convenient to be on a good 
 footing with Venice, whofe numerous fqua- 
 drons of fmall veffels could render the moft 
 effential fervices to their armies. Accord- 
 ingly leagues and treaties were formed 
 occafionally between the two ftates; the 
 Lombards in all probability imagining, that 
 it would be in their power, at any time, to 
 make themfelves mafters of this inconfider- 
 able republic. But when that people had 
 fully eftablifhed their new kingdom, and 
 were free from the expence of other wars, 
 they then found Venice fo much increafed 
 in ftrength, that, however much they might 
 have wifhed to comprehend it within their 
 dominions, it appeared no longer confident 
 with found policy to make the attempt. 
 They therefore chofe rather to confirm 
 their ancient alliance by frefti treaties. 
 
 When 
 
74 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 When Charlemagne overturned the 
 kingdom of the L ombards, and, after hav- 
 ing fent their king Didier prifoner to 
 France, was crowned emperor at Rome, 
 by Leo the Third, the Venetian ftate cul- 
 tivated the favour of that conqueror with 
 fo much addrefs, that, inftead of attempt- 
 ing any thing againft their independence, 
 he confirmed the treaty they had made 
 with the Lombards; by which, among 
 other things, the limits, or boundaries, be- 
 tween the two ftates, were afcertained. 
 
 In the wars with the eaftern empire, and 
 in thofe of later date between France and 
 the houfe of Auftria, Venice always endea- 
 voured to avoid the refentment of either of 
 the contending parties; fecretly,* however, 
 affifting that which was at the greateft 
 diftance from her own dominions, and, of 
 conf quence ; the leaft formidable to her. 
 Thofe great powers, on their parts, were fo 
 eager to humble, or deftroy, each other, 
 3 that 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 75 
 
 that the riling vigour of Venice was per- 
 mitted to grow, for ages, almoil unobferv- 
 ed. Like the fame of Marcellus, it might 
 have been faid of that republic, 
 
 Crefcit occulto velut arbor asvo. 
 
 And when, at length, fhe began to excite 
 the jealoufy of the great ftates of Europe, 
 fhe had acquired ftrength and revenues 
 fufficient to refill: not only one, but great 
 combinations of thofe powers leagued for 
 her deftru&ion. 
 
 This republic, in its various periods of 
 increafe, of meridian fplendor, - and of de- 
 clenfion, has already exifted for a longer 
 time than any other of which hiflory 
 makes mention. The Venetians themfelves 
 affert, that this duration is owing to the 
 excellent materials of which their govern- 
 ment has been compofed, by which they 
 imagine it has long fince been brought to. 
 the higheft degree of perfe&ion. 
 
 As 
 
76 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 As I have beftowed fome time fince we 
 came hither in confidering the Venetian 
 hiftory and government, I fliall, in my 
 next, take a general view of thofe boafted 
 materials, that we may be able to judge 
 whether or not this high eulogium is well 
 founded. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 77 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 HE firft form of government efta- 
 bliflied at Venice, was purely tie- 
 
 mocratical. Magiftrates were chofen by a 
 general aflembly of the people : they were 
 called tribunes ; and as this fmall com- 
 munity inhabited feveral little iflands, a 
 tribune was appointed to judge caufes, and. 
 diftribute juftice on each of thofe iflands. 
 His power was continued one year ; at the 
 expiration of which, he was accountable 
 for his conduct to the general aflembly of 
 the people, who annually ele&ed a new fet 
 of tribunes. 
 
 This fimple form of government, while 
 it marks a ftridt regard to that freedom fo 
 
 delightful 
 
78 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 delightful to the mind of man, was found 
 fufficient, for the fpace of a hundred and 
 fifty years, to maintain order in a fmall 
 community, fituated as this was. At 
 length the bad adminiflration of fome of 
 the tribynes, difcOrd and animofity among 
 others, and fome fufpicions that the Lom- 
 bards promoted civil diflention, with a view 
 to bring the republic under their dominion, 
 awakened the fears of the people, and made 
 them liften to the opinions of thofe who 
 thought a change in the form of govern- 
 ment neceffary. 
 
 After various debates and propofals, it 
 was finally determined, that a chief ma- 
 giftrate fhould be ele&ed, as the centre of 
 public authority, whofe power might give 
 fuch vigour and efficacy to the laws, as was 
 abfolutely neceffary in times of danger, 
 and whofe duty fhould be, to dired the 
 force of the refources of the jftate with 
 promptitude; uncramped by that oppofi- 
 
 tion, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 79 
 
 fition, and confequent dilatorinefs, which 
 had been too apparent under the tribunes. 
 This magiftrate was not to be named King, 
 but Duke, which has fince been corrupted 
 to Doge ; the office was not to be here- 
 ditary, but ele&ive; and the Doge was to 
 enjoy it for life. It was agreed that he 
 fhould have the nomination of all the in- 
 ferior magiftrates, and the power of 
 making peace, and declaring war, without 
 confulting any but fuch of the citizens as 
 he fhould think proper. 
 
 When the ele&ion took place, all the 
 fufFrages fell upon Paul Luc Anafefte, who 
 entered into this new office in the year 
 697. 
 
 ✓ 
 
 The Venetians muft certainly have felt 
 great inconveniences from their former 
 government, or have been under great 
 dread from domeftic or foreign enemies, 
 
 before 
 
So VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 before they could fubmit to fuch a funda- 
 mental change in the nature of their 
 confutation. It is evident, that, on 
 this occafion, they feem to have loft 
 that jealous attention to liberty which 
 they formerly poffefled ; for while they 
 withheld from their chief magiftrate the 
 name, they left him all the pow r er, of a 
 King. There is no period when real 
 and enlightened patriots ought to watch 
 with more vigilance over the rights of the 
 people, than in times of danger from 
 foreign enemies ; for the public in general 
 are then fo much engroffed by the dangers 
 from without, that they overlook the en- 
 croachments which are more apt, at thofe 
 times than any other, to be made on their 
 conftitution from within: and it is bf fmall 
 importance that men defend their country 
 from foreign foes, unlefs they retain fuch a 
 fhare of internal freedom, as renders a 
 country worth the defending, 
 
 6 It 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 8i 
 
 It is highly probable, that the great 
 degree of popularity which their firft Doge 
 had acquired before he arrived at that 
 dignity, and the great confidence the people 
 had in his public and private virtues, ren- 
 dered them unwilling to limit the power 
 of a perfon who, they were convinced, 
 •would make a good ufe of it. If the man 
 had been immortal, and incorruptible, they 
 would have been in the right : however, 
 itmuft be confefled, that this Dogejuftified 
 their good opinion more than favourites of 
 the people generally do. 
 
 In the councils which he called on any 
 matter of importance, he fent meflages 
 to thofe citizens, for w r hofe judgment he 
 had the greateft efteem, prayings that they 
 w r ould come, and affift him with their 
 advice. This method was obferved after- 
 wards by fucceeding Doges, and the citi- 
 zens fo fent for were called Pregadi. The 
 poge's council are ftill called Pregadi, 
 
 Vol, I, G though 
 
82 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 though they have long fat independent of 
 his invitation* 
 
 The firft, and fecond Doge, governed 
 with moderation and ability ; but the third 
 gave the Venetians reafon to repent that 
 they had not confined the powers of their 
 chief magiftrate within narrower limits. 
 After having ferved the ftate by his mili- 
 tary talents, he endeavoured to enflave it ; 
 his projects were difcovered; but as the 
 improvident people, in the laft arrangement 
 of their conftitution, had preferved no legal 
 remedy for fuch an evil, they were obliged 
 to ufe the only means now in their power. 
 They affaulted the Doge in his palace, 
 and put him to death without farther 
 ceremony. 
 
 The people had conceived fo much hatred 
 for him, that, after his death, they refolved 
 to abolifh the office. In the general affem- 
 bly it was agreed, that the chief magiftrate, 
 
 for 
 
 8 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 83 
 
 for the future, fhould be elected every year; 
 that he fhould have the fame power as 
 formerly, while he remained in office; but, 
 as this was to be for a fhort time, they 
 imagined he would behave with equity and 
 moderation ; and as they had an equal dif- 
 like to Doge and Tribune, he was called 
 Mafter of the Militia. 
 
 The form of government, introduced by 
 this revolution, was but of fhort duration. 
 Fa&ions arofe, and became too violent for 
 the tranfient authority of the Matters of the 
 Militia to reftrain. The office expired fiv$ 
 years after its inftitution ; and, by one of 
 thofe ftrange and unaccountable changes of 
 fentiment, to which the multitude are fo 
 fubjed, the authority of the Doge was 
 reftored in the perfon of the fon of their 
 laft Doge, whom, in a fit of furious dis- 
 content, they had aflaffinated. This re- 
 Iteration happened about the year 730. 
 
 For 
 
84 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 For a long time after this, the Venetian 
 annals difplay many dreadful fcenes of 
 cruelty, revolt, and aflaffination ; Doges 
 abufing their power, endeavouring to efta- 
 blilh a permanent and hereditary defpotifm, 
 by having their eldeft fons aflbciated in the 
 office with themfelves, and then oppreffing 
 the people with double violence. The 
 people, on the other hand, after bearing, 
 with the moil abjed patience, the capri- 
 cious cruelty of their tyrants, rifing at 
 once, and murdering them, or driving 
 them, with ignominy, out of their do- 
 minions. Unable to bear either limited or 
 abfolute government, the impatient and 
 capricious multitude wifh for things which 
 have always been found incompatible ; the 
 fecrecy, promptitude, and efficacy, of a de- 
 fpotic government, with all the freedom and 
 mildnefs of a legal and limited conftitution* 
 
 It is remarkable, that when the Doge 
 was, even in a fmall degree, popular, he 
 
 feldoix* 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 85 
 
 feldom found any difficulty in getting his 
 fon elected his aflbciate in the fovereJga 
 authority ; and when that was not the cafe, 
 there are many inftances of the fon being 
 chofen dire&ly on the death of his father. 
 
 Yet, about the middle of the tenth cen- 
 tury, the fon of the Doge, Peter Candiano, 
 took arms, and rebelled againil his father. 
 Being foon after defeated, and brought in 
 chains to Venice, he was condemned to 
 banifhment, and declared incapable of 
 being ever elected Doge. It appears, how- 
 ever, that this worthlefs perfon was a great 
 favourite of the people ; for no fooner was 
 his father dead, than he was chofen to 
 fucceed him, and condu&ed, in great pomp, 
 from Ravenna, the place of his exile, to 
 Venice. 
 
 The Venetians were feverely punifhed 
 for this inftance of levity. Their new Doge 
 G 3 fhewed 
 
86 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 fliewed himfelf as tyrannical in the cha- 
 racter of a fovereign, as he had been un- 
 dutiful in that of a fon. He became a 
 monfter of pride and cruelty. The people 
 began to murmur, and be became fufcep- 
 tible of that terror which ufually accom- 
 panies tyrants. He eftablifhed a body of 
 life-guards, to defend his perfon, and 
 lodged them within the palace. This in- 
 novation filled the people with indigna- 
 tion, and awakened all their fury. They 
 attack the palace, are repulfed by the 
 guards, and fet fire to the contiguous 
 houfes. The wretched Doge> in danger of 
 being confumed by the flames, appears at 
 the gate of the palace, with his infant fon 
 in his arms, imploring the compaffion of 
 the multitude : they, inexorable as demons, 
 tear in pieces both father and child. At 
 fuch an inflance of favage fury, the human 
 affe&ions revolt from the oppreffed people, 
 and take part with their oppreffor. We 
 
 almoft 
 
MANNERS IN ITAL Y. 87 
 
 almoft wifh he had lived, that he might 
 have fwept from the earth a fet of wretches 
 more barbarous than himfelf. 
 
 Having fpent their fury in the de- 
 finition of the tyrant, they leave the 
 tyranny as before. No meafures are taken 
 to limit the power of the Doge. 
 
 For fome time after this, a fpirit of 
 fuperflition feemed to lay hold of thofe 
 who filled that office, as if they had 
 intended to expiate the pride of the late 
 tyrant by their own humility. His three 
 immediate fucceflbrs, after each of them 
 had reigned a few years with applaufe, 
 abandoned their dignity, Ihut themfelves 
 up in convents, and palfed the latter years 
 of their lives as Monks. 
 
 Whatever contempt thofe pious Doges 
 difplayed for worldly things, their example 
 made little impreffion on their fubjctts, 
 
 G 4 who. 
 
88 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 who, about this time, began to monopolize 
 the trade and riches of Europe. And fome 
 years after, when all Chriftendom was 
 feized with the religious phrenzy of re- 
 covering the Holy Land, the Venetians kept 
 fo perfedly free from the general infedion, 
 that they did not fcruple to fupply the 
 Saracens with arms and ammunition, in 
 fpite of the edids of their Doges, and the 
 remonftrances of the Pope, and other pious 
 princes, 
 
 Thofe commercial cafuifts declared, that 
 religion is one thing, and trade another ; 
 that, as children of the church, they were 
 willing to believe all that their mother re- 
 quired ; but, as merchants, they muft carry 
 their goods to the beft market* 
 
 In my next, I fhall proceed with my 
 review of the Venetian government. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 89 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 HE minds of the Venetians were not 
 
 JL fo totally engroffed by commercial 
 ideas, as to make them negledt other means 
 of aggrandizing their ftate. All Iftria fub- 
 mitted itfelf to their government : many of 
 the free towns of Dalmatia, haraffed by 
 the Narentines, a nation of robbers and 
 pirates on that coaft, did the fame. Thofe 
 towns which refufed, were reduced to 
 obedience, by Peter Urfeolo, the Doge of 
 Venice, who had been fent with a fleet 
 againft them, in the year 1000. He carried 
 his arms alfo into the country of the Naren- 
 tines, and deftroyed many of their towns. 
 
 On his return it was determined, in a 
 general aiTembly of the people, that the 
 
 conquered 
 
VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 conquered towns and provinces fhould be 
 governed by magiftrates fent from Venice. 
 Thofe magiftrates called Podeftas, were 
 appointed by the Doge. The inhabitants 
 of thofe new-acquired towns were not 
 admitted to the privileges of citizens of 
 Venice, nor allow r ect to vote at the general 
 aflemblv : the fame rule was obferved with 
 regard to the inhabitants of all the do- 
 minions afterwards acquired by the re- 
 public. It will readily occur, that this 
 actelfion of dominions to the ftate greatly 
 augmented the influence and power of the 
 chief magiftrate : this, and the pradlice of 
 afTociating the fon of the Doge with his 
 lather, raifed jealoufies among the people, 
 and a law was made, abolifhing fuch aflb* 
 ciations for the future. 
 
 In the year 1173, after the afTafiination 
 of the Doge Michieli, a far more important 
 alteration took place in the government. 
 At this time there was no other tribunal at 
 
 Venice 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 91 
 
 Venice than that of forty judges. This 
 court had been eftablifhed many years be- 
 fore: it took cognizance of all caufes, civil 
 as well as criminal, and was called the 
 council of forty. This body of men, in the 
 midft of the diforder and confufion which 
 followed the murder of the Doge, formed 
 apian of new-modelling the government. 
 
 Hitherto the people had retained great 
 privileges. They had votes in the affem- 
 blies ; and, although the defcendants of the 
 ancient tribunes, and of the Doges, formed 
 a kind of nobility, yet they had no legal 
 privileges, or exclufive jurifdidtion ; no- 
 thing to diftinguiih. them from their fellow- 
 citizens, but what their riches, or the fpon- 
 taneous refpe£t paid to the antiquity of 
 their families, gave them. Any citizen, 
 as well as them, might be elected to a 
 public office. To acquire the honours 
 of the ftate, it was abfolutely neceffary 
 for the greateft and proudeft Vene- 
 tian, to cultivate the good-will of the 
 
 multitude, 
 
92 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 multitude, whofe voice alone could raife 
 him to the rank of Doge, and whofe rage 
 had thrown fo many from that envied 
 fituation. The inconveniences, the difcord, 
 and confufion, of fuch a mixed multitude, 
 had been long felt, but nobody had hitherto 
 had the boldnefs to ftrike at this eftablifhed 
 right of the people. 
 
 The city was divided into fix parts, 
 called Seftiers. The council of forty pro- 
 cured it to be eftablifhed, in the firft place, 
 that each of thofe feftiers fhould annually 
 name two electors ; that thofe twelve elec- 
 tors £hould have the right of choofing, 
 from the whole body of the people, four 
 hundred and feventy counfellors, who 
 Ihould be called the Grand Council, and 
 who fhould have the fame power, in all 
 refpeds, which the general aflembly of the 
 people formerly enjoyed. 
 
 It was pretended, that this regulation was 
 contrived merely to prevent confufion, and 
 4 to 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 9i 
 
 to eftablifh regularity in the great national 
 affembly; that the people's right of ele&ioa 
 remained as before, and, by changing the 
 counfellors yearly, thofe who were not 
 fle&ed one year might retain hopes of 
 being chofen the next. The people did 
 not perceive that this law would be fatal to 
 their importance : it proved, however, the 
 foundation of the ariftocracy, which was 
 foon after eftablifhed, and ftill fubfifts. 
 
 The forty judges next propofed another 
 regulation, ftill more delicate and import- 
 ant. That, to prevent the tumults and dif- 
 orders which were expected at the impend- 
 ing ele&ion of a Doge, they fhould (for 
 that time only) name eleven commiffioners, 
 from thofe of the higheft reputation for 
 judgment and integrity in the ftate; that 
 the choice of a Doge fhould be left to thofe 
 commiffioners, nine fufFrages being indif- 
 penfably requifite to make the ele&ion 
 valid. 
 
 This 
 
94 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 This evidently pointed at the exclufiori 
 of the people from any concern whatever 
 in the creation of the chief magiftrate, and 
 certainly was the obje£t in view ; yet, as it 
 was propofed only as a temporary expe- 
 dient, to prevent diforders, when men's 
 minds were irritated againft each other, 
 and fa&ions ran high, the regulation was 
 agreed to. 
 
 Having, with equal dexterity and fuccefs, 
 fixed thofe reftraints on the power of the 
 people, the council of forty turned their 
 attention, in the next place, towards limit- 
 ing the authority of the Doge. This was 
 confidered as too exorbitant, even for good 
 men ; and, in the hands of wicked men, 
 had always been perverted to the purpofes 
 of tyranny, and for which no remedy had 
 hitherto been founds but what was aimoffc 
 as bad as the evils themfelves ; revolt on 
 the part of the people, and all the horrors 
 and excelfes with which fuch an expedient 
 
 is 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 95 
 
 is ufually accompanied. The tribunal of 
 forty therefore propofed, that the grand 
 council fhould annually appoint fix perfons, 
 one from each divifion of the city, who 
 fhould form the privy council of the Doge, 
 and, without their approbation, none of his 
 orders fhould be valid ; fo that, inftead of 
 appointing his own privy-council, which 
 had been the cuftom hitherto, the authority 
 of the chief magillrate would, for the fu- 
 ture, in a great meafure, depend on fix men, 
 who, themfelves, depended on the grand 
 council. To be conftantly furrounded by 
 fuch a fet of counfellors, inftead of creatures 
 of his own, however reafonable it may feem 
 in the eyes of the impartial, would have 
 been confidered by one in pofleffion of the 
 .dignity of Doge, as a moft intolerable in- 
 novation, and probably would have been 
 oppofed by all his influence ; but there was 
 no Doge exifting w T hen the propofal was 
 made, and confequently it paffed into a law 
 with univerfal approbation. 
 
 Laftly, 
 
§6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Laftly, it was propofed to form a fenate* 
 confifting of fixty members, which were 
 to be eledted, annually, out of the grand 
 council. This aflcmbly was in the room 
 of that which the Doge formerly had the 
 power of convocating, on extraordinary 
 occafions, by fending merges, praying 
 certain citizens to come, and afTift him with 
 their advice. The members of the new 
 fenate, more fixed and more independent 
 than thofe of the old, are ftill called the 
 Pregadi. This alfo was agreed to without 
 opposition ; and immediately after the fu- 
 neral of the late Doge, all thofe regulations 
 took place. 
 
 They began by choofing the grand 
 council of four hundred and feventy, then 
 the fenate of fixty, then the fix counfellors, 
 and laftly, the eleven ele&ors. Thefe laft 
 were publicly fworn, that in the election 
 now entrufted to them, rejecting every 
 motive of private intereft, they fhould give 
 
 their 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 97 
 
 their voices for that perfon, whofe elevation 
 to the dignity of Doge they believed, in 
 their confciences, would prove mod for the 
 advantage of the State. 
 
 After this, thev retired to a chamber of 
 the palace, an 1 Qrio Malipier, one of the 
 eleven, had the votes of his ten colleagues; 
 but he, with a modefty which feems to 
 have been unaffeded, declined the office, 
 and ufed all his influence with the electors 
 to make choice of Sebaftian Ziani, a man 
 diftinguifhed in the republic on account of 
 his talents, his wealth, and his virtues; 
 alluring them that, in the prefect emer- 
 gency, he was a more proper perfon than 
 himfelf for the office. Such was their 
 opinion of Malipier's judgment, that his 
 colleagues adopted his opinion, and Ziani 
 was unanimoufly elected. 
 
 As this mode of election was quite new, 
 and as there was reafon to imagine that 
 Vol. !• H the 
 
98 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 the bulk of the people, on reflection, would 
 not greatly approve of it, and that the new- 
 Doge would not be received with the ufual 
 acclamations, Ziani took care that creat 
 quantities of money fhould be thrown 
 among the multitude, when he was fir ft 
 prefented to them. No Doge was ever re- 
 ceived with louder acclamations. 
 
 During the reign of Ziani, the lingular 
 ceremony of efpoufing the fea was firft 
 inftituted. 
 
 Pope Alexander the Third, to avoid the 
 refentment of the emperor Frederic Bar- 
 baroffa, had taken refuge at Venice, and 
 was prote&ed by that State. The emperor 
 fent a powerful fleet againft it, under the 
 command of his fon Otho. Ziani met him 
 with the fleet of Venice. A very obftinate 
 engagement enfued, in which the Vene- 
 tians were vi&orious. The Doge returned 
 in triumph, with thirty of the enemy's 
 
 veflfels. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 99 
 
 veflels, in one of which was their com- 
 mander Otho. All the inhabitants of 
 Venice rufhed to the fea Chore, to meet 
 their victorious Doge : the Pope himfelf 
 came, attended by the fenate and clergy. 
 After embracing Ziani, his Holinefs pre- 
 
 fented him with a ring, faying, with a loud 
 voice, cc Take this ring ; iife it as a chaia 
 " to retain the fea, henceforth, in fub- 
 €i je£lion to the Venetian empire ; efpoufe 
 €i the fea with this ring, and let the mar-" 
 iS riage be folemnized annually, by you 
 c< and your fucceffors, to the end of time, 
 <c that the lateft pofterity may know that 
 u Venice has acquired the empire of the 
 " waves, and that the fea is fubje&ed to 
 " you, as a wife is to her hufband." 
 
 As this fpeech came from the head of 
 the church, people were not furprifed to 
 find it a little myfterious j and the multi- 
 tude, without confidering whether it con- 
 tained much reafon or common fenfe, re- 
 
 H 2 ceived 
 
ioo VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 ceived It with the greateft applaufe. The 
 marriage has been regularly celebrated every 
 year fmce that time. 
 
 After the death of Ziani, if the terms 
 which had been agreed upon previous to 
 the election, had been literally adhered to, 
 the grand council of four hundred and 
 feventy would have proceeded to choofe a 
 Doge, fimply by the plurality of votes; but, 
 for fome reafon which is not now known, 
 that method was waved, and the following 
 adopted. Four perfons were chofen by the 
 grand council, each of whom had the 
 power of naming ten ; and the whole forty 
 had the appointing of the Doge. 
 
 Their choice fell upon the fame Orio 
 Malipier, who had declined the dignity in 
 favour of his friend Ziani. 
 
 Under the .adminiftration of Malipier, 
 two new forms of magistracy were created ; 
 
 the 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, 101 
 
 the fii ft was that of the Avogadors. Their 
 duty is to take care that the laws in being 
 fhall be pun&ually executed ; and while it 
 is the bufinefs of other magi fit rates to pro- 
 ceed againft the tranfgreffors of the laws, it 
 is theirs to bring a procels againft thcfe 
 magiftrates who negledfc to put them in 
 execution. They decide alfo on the nature 
 of accufations, and determine before which 
 of the courts every caufe fhall be brought, 
 not leaving it in the power of either of 
 the parties to carry a caufe to a high court, 
 which is competent to be tried by one lefs 
 expenfive ; and no refolution of the grand 
 council, or fenate, is valid, unlefs, at leaft, 
 one of the three Avogadors be prefent 
 during the deliberation. It is alfo the 
 duty of the Avogadors to keep the originals 
 of all the decifions and regulations of the 
 grand council and fenate^ and to order 
 them, and all other laws, to be read over, 
 whenever they think proper, by way of re- 
 frefhing the memories of the fenators. If 
 
 H 3 the 
 
io% VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 the fenators are obliged to attend during thofe 
 lectures, this is a very formidable power 
 indeed. I am acquainted with fenators in 
 another country, who would fooner give 
 their judges the power of putting them to 
 death at once, in a lefs lingering manner. 
 
 The fecond clafs of magifirates, created 
 at this time, was that called Judges al Fo- 
 refiieri ; there are alfo three of them. It 
 is their duty to decide, in all caufes be- 
 tween citizens and ftrangers, and in all dis- 
 putes which ftrangers have with each other. 
 This inftitution was peculiarly expedient, 
 at 9. time when the refort from all countries 
 to Venice was very great, both on account 
 of commerce, and of the CrufadeSo 
 
 In the year 1192, after a very able 
 adminiftration, Malipier, who w r as of a very 
 philofophical turn of mind, abdicated the 
 office of Doge, and Henry Dandolo was 
 idedted in his place. 
 
 I 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 103 
 
 I am a great deal too much fatigued 
 with the preceding narrative, to accom- 
 pany one of his a£tive and enterprifmg 
 genius at prefent; and I have good reafon 
 to fufped, that you alfo have been ? for 
 fome time paft ? inclined to repofe. 
 
 H 4 
 
VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 TJEnry Dandolo had, in his early 
 JL years, paffed, with general appro- 
 bation, through many of the fubordinate 
 offices of government ; and had, a few 
 years before he was elected to the dignity 
 of Doge, been Amhaffador at the court of 
 Manuel, the Greek emperor at Conftan- 
 tinople. There, on account of his inflexible 
 integrity, and his refufing to enter into 
 the views of Manuel, which he thought 
 contrary to the interefl of his country, his 
 eyes were aim oft entirely put out, by order 
 of that tyrant. Notwithftanding this im- 
 pediment, and his great age, being above 
 eighty, he was now eleded to the office of 
 Doge. 
 
 At 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. . 105 
 
 At this time, fome of the moft powerful 
 princes and nobles of France and Flanders, 
 mitigated by the zeal of Innocent the Third, 
 and ftill more by their own pious fervour, 
 refolved, in a fourth crufade, to attempt 
 the recovery of the Holy Land, and the 
 fepulchre of Chrift, from the hands of 
 Infidels ; and being, by the fate of others, 
 taught the difficulties and dangers of tranf- 
 porting armies by land, they reiolved to 
 take their pafiage from Europe to Afia by 
 fea. On this occafion they applied to the 
 Venetian State, who not only agreed to 
 furnifh (hips for the tranfportation of the 
 army, but alfo to join, with an armed fleet, 
 as principals in the expedition. 
 
 The French army arrived foon after in 
 the Venetian State ; but fo ill had they cal- 
 culated, that, when every thing was ready 
 for the embarkation, part of the fum which 
 they had agreed to pay for the tranfporting 
 their troops, was deficient This occafioned 
 
 difputes 
 
/ 
 
 £06 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 flifputes between the French leaders and 
 the State, which the Doge put an end to, 
 by propofing, that they fhould pay in mili- 
 tary fervices what they could not furniih in 
 money. This was accepted, and the firft 
 exploits of the Crufade army were, the re- 
 duction of the town of Zara, and other 
 places in Dalmatia, which had revolted 
 from the Venetians. It had been previoufiy 
 agreed, that, after this fervice, the army 
 fhould embark immediately for Egypt ; but 
 Dandolo, who had another project more at 
 heart, reprefented that the feafon was too 
 far advanced, and found means to perfuade 
 fhe French army to winter in Dalmatia. 
 
 During this interval, Dandolo, availing 
 himfelf of fome favourable circumftances, 
 had the dexterity to determine the French 
 Crufaders, in fjpite of the interdiction of 
 the Pope, to join wkh the Venetian forces, 
 and to carry their arms againfl: the em- 
 peror of Conftantinople ; an expedition 
 
 whicl^ 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 107 
 
 which, Dandolo aflerted, would facilitate 
 their original plan againft the Holy Land, 
 and which, he was convinced, would be 
 attended with far greater advantages to 
 both parties. 
 
 The crown of Conftantinople was never 
 furrounded with greater dangers, nor has it 
 ever known more fudden revolutions, than 
 at this period. 
 
 Manuel, who had treated Dandolo, while 
 ambaffador, with fo much barbarity, had 
 been precipitated from the throne. His im- 
 mediate fucceffor had, a fhort time after, ex- 
 perienced the fame fate. Betrayed by his own 
 brother, his eyes had been put out, and, in 
 that deplorable condition, he was kept clofe 
 prifoner by the ufurper. The fon' of this 
 unfortunate man had efcaped from Con- 
 flantinople, and had arrived at Venice, to 
 implore the protection of that State : the 
 companion which his misfortune naturally 
 
 excited, 
 
Ml VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 excited, had confiderable effed in promo- 
 ting the Doge's favourite Icheme of leading 
 the French and Venetian forces againft 
 Conftantinople, The indefatigable Dan- 
 dolo went, in perfon, at the head of his 
 countrymen. The united army beat the 
 troops of the ufurper in repeated battles,, 
 obliged him to fly from Conftantinople* 
 placed his brother on the throne, and re- 
 Sored to him his fon Alexis, who had been 
 obliged to take refuge at Venice, from the 
 cruelty of his uncle, and had accompanied 
 Bandolo in this fuccefsful enterprife. 
 
 A rnifunderftanding foon after enfued 
 between the united armies and Alexis, now 
 afiociated with his father on the throne of 
 Confta'ntinople. The Greeks murmured at 
 the favour which their emperor fhewed to 
 tliofe foreigners, and thought his liberality 
 to thern inconfiftent with his duty to his 
 own lubjeQs. The Crufaders, on the 
 other hand, imagined, that all the wealth 
 
 of 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. **j 
 
 of his empire was hardly fufEcient to repay 
 the obligations he owed to them. The 
 young prince, defirous to be juft to the one,, 
 and grateful to the other, loft the confi- 
 dence of both ; and, while he ftrove to con- 
 ciliate the minds of two fets of men, whofc 
 views and interefts were oppofite, he was 
 betrayed by Murtfuphlo, a Greek, who had 
 gained his confidence, and whom he had 
 raifed to the higheft dignities of the empire. 
 This traitor infuiuated to the Greeks, tfeajt 
 Alexis had agreed to deliver up Conftanti- 
 nople to be pillaged, that he might fatisfy 
 the avarice and rapacity of thofe ftrangers 
 who had reftored his family to the throne* 
 The people fly to arms, the palace is in- 
 verted, Alexis and his father are put to 
 death, and Murtfuphlo is declared emperor. 
 
 Thefe tranfa&ions, though afcertauied- 
 by the authenticity of hiftory, feem as 
 rapid as the revolutions of a theatrical 
 reprefentation. 
 
 The 
 
no VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 The chiefs of the united army, flrucli 
 with horror and indignation, aflemble hi 
 council. Dandolo, always decifive in the 
 moment of danger, gives it as his opinion* 
 that they fhould immediately declare war 
 againft the ufurper, and make themfelves 
 mafters of the empire. This opinion pre- 
 vails, and the conqueft of the Greek em- 
 pire is refolved upon. 
 
 After feveral bloody battles, and various 
 affaults, the united armies of trance and 
 Venice enter victorious into Confbntinople 5 
 and divide the fpoils of that wealthy city. 
 
 The Doge, never fo much blinded with 
 fuccefs as to lofe fight of the true intereft of 
 his country, did not think of procuring for 
 the republic, large dominions on the con- 
 tinent. The Venetians had, for their 
 fiiare, the iflands of the Archipelago, fe- 
 veral ports on the coaft of the Hellefpont, 
 the Morea, and the entire ifland of Candia. 
 
 This 
 
M A N N E K S IN' ITALY. ur 
 
 This was a judicious partition for Venice, 
 the augmentation of whofe ftrength de- 
 pended on commerce, navigation, and the 
 empire of the fea. 
 
 Though the flar of Dandolo rofe in ob- 
 fcurity, and fhone with no extraordinary 
 luftre at its meridian height, yet nothing 
 ever furpafled the brilliancy of its fetting 
 rays* 
 
 This extraordinary man died at Con- 
 flantinople, oppreffed with age, but while 
 the laurels, which adorned his hoary head, 
 were in youthful verdure. 
 
 The annals of mankind prefent nothing 
 more worthy of our admiration. A man, 
 above the age of eighty, and almoft entirely 
 deprived of his fight, defpifing the repofe 
 neceffary for age, and the fecurq honours 
 which attended him at home ; engaging in 
 a hazardous enterprife, againft a diftant 
 7 and 
 
ii2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 and powerful enemy ; fupporting the fa- 
 tigues of a military life with the fpirit of 
 youth, and the perfeverance of a veteran, 
 in afuperftitious age ; and, whilft he led an 
 army of religious enthufiafts, braving, at 
 once, the indignation of the Pope, the pre- 
 judices of bigots, and all the dangers of 
 war ; difplaying the ardour of a conqueror, 
 the judgment of a ftatefman, and the dif- 
 interefced fpirit of a patriot ; preparing 
 diftant events, improving accidental cir- 
 cumftances, managing the mod impetuous 
 chara&ers; and, with admirable addrefs, 
 making all fubfervient to the vaft plan he 
 had conceived, for the aggrandizing his na- 
 tive country. Yet this man pafTedhis youth, 
 manhood, and great part of his old age, 
 unknown. Mad he died at feventy, his 
 name w r ou!d have been fwept, with the 
 common rubbifh of courts and capitals, into 
 the gulph of oblivion. So neceffary are 
 occafions, and fituations, for bringing into 
 light the concealed vigour of the greatefl: 
 
 charters ; 
 
 8 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 113 
 
 chara&ers; and fo true it is, that while we 
 fee, at the head of kingdoms, men of the 
 mod vulgar abilities, the periods of whofe 
 exiftence ferve only as dates to hiftory, 
 many whofe talents and virtues would have 
 fwelled her brighteft pages have died un- 
 noted, from the obfcurity of their fitua- 
 tions, or the languor and ftupidity of the 
 ages in which they lived. 
 
 But the romantic ftory of Henry Dan- 
 dolo has feduced me from my original 
 purpofe, which was, to give you an idea of 
 the rife and progrefs of the Venetian arifto- 
 cracy, and which I fhall refume in my 
 next. 
 
 Vol, L I 
 
U4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 HE fenate of Venice, ever jealous 
 
 ^ of their civil liberty, while they 
 rejoiced at the vaft acquifitions lately made 
 by their fleet and army, perceived that 
 thofe new conquefts might tend to the ruin 
 of the conftitution, by augmenting the 
 power and influence of the firfl: magiftrate. 
 
 In the year 1206, immediately after they 
 were informed of the death of Dandolo, 
 they created fix new magiftrates, called 
 Corredors ; and this inftitution has been 
 renewed at every interregnum which has 
 happened fince. 
 
 The duty of thofe Corre&ors is, to exa- 
 mine into all abufes which may have taken 
 
 place 
 
 Venice. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 115 
 
 place during the reign of the preceding 
 Doge, and report them to the fenate, that 
 they may be remedied, and prevented for 
 the future, by wholefome laws, before the 
 election of another Doge. At the fame 
 time it was ordained, that the State fhould 
 be indemnified out of the fortune of the 
 deceafed magiftrate, from any detriment it 
 had fuftained by his maladminiftration, 
 of which the fenate were to be the judges. 
 This law was certainly well calculated to 
 make the Doge very circumfpe£t in his 
 conduit, and has been the origin of all the 
 future reftraints which have been laid on 
 that very unenviable office. 
 
 Men accuflomed to the calm and fecure 
 enjoyments of private life, are apt to ima- 
 gine, that no mortal would be fond of any 
 office on fuch conditions ; but the fenate of 
 Venice, from more extenfiive views of human 
 nature, knew that there always was a fuf- 
 ficient number of men, eager to grafp the 
 
 I 2 fceptre 
 
n6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 fceptre of ambition, in defiance of all the* 
 thorns with which it could be furrounded. 
 
 It was not the intention of the Venetian 
 fenate to throw the fmalleft (lain on the 
 character of their late patriotic Doge ; 
 tieverthelefs they thought the interregnum 
 after his death, the mod favourable oppor- 
 tunity of paffing this law; becaufe, when 
 the Inquifition had taken place after his 
 glorious reign* no Doge could expect 
 that it would ever afterwards be difpenfed 
 with. 
 
 The Corre&ors having been chofen, and 
 the inquifition made, Peter Ziani was 
 elected Doge. In his reign a court for 
 civil caufes, denominated the Tribunal of 
 Forty, was created. Its name fufficiently 
 explains the intention of eftablifhing this 
 court, to which there is an appeal from 
 the decifions of ail inferior magiftrates in, 
 civil caufes tried within the city. It is to 
 
 be 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. n; 
 
 be diftinguiihed from the court of Forty, 
 formerly mentioned, whofe jurifdi&ion was 
 now confined to criminal caufes : it after- 
 wards got the name of old civil council of 
 Forty, to diftinguifh it from* a third court, 
 confiding alfo of forty members, which 
 was eftablifhed at a fubfequent period, to 
 decide, by appeal, in all civil caufes, from 
 the judgments of the inferior courts with- 
 out the city of Venice. 
 
 Towards the end of his life, about the 
 year 1228, Ziani abdicated his office. 
 At the ele&ion of his fucceflbr, the fuffrages 
 were equally divided, between Rainier 
 Dandolo, and James Theipolo. This pro- 
 longed the interregnum for two months ; 
 as often as they were balloted, during that 
 time, each of them had twenty balls. The 
 fenate> at laft, ordained them to draw lots, 
 which decided in favour of Theipolo. 
 
 During his adminiftration, the Venetian 
 code was, in fome degree, reformed and 
 
 I 3 abridged. 
 
n8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 abridged. One of the greateft inconve- 
 niences of freedom, is the number of laws 
 neceffary to prote£l the life and property 
 of each citizen ; the natural confequences 
 of which are, a multitude of lawyers, with 
 all the fuits and vexations which they 
 create ; " les peines, les de'fpenfes, les 
 " longueurs, les dangers memes de la juf- 
 " tice, v fays Montefquieu, " font le prix 
 " que chaque citoyen donne pour fa liberte." 
 The more freedom remains in a State, of 
 the higher importance will the life and 
 property of each citizen be confidered. A 
 defpotic government counts the life of a 
 citizen as of no importance at all. 
 
 The Doge Theipolo, who had himfelf 
 been a lawyer, as many of the Venetian 
 nobles at that time were, beftowed infinite 
 labour in arranging and illuminating the 
 vaft chaos of laws and regulations in which 
 the jurifprudence of a republic, fo jealous 
 of her liberty, had been involved. After a 
 long reign, he abdicated the government ; 
 
 and* 
 
r MANNERS IN ITALY. nq 
 
 and, to prevent the inconveniency which 
 had happened at his election, the number 
 of ele&ors, by a new decree of the fenate, 
 was augmented to forty-one. 
 
 In the reign of his fucceffor, Marino 
 Marfini, two judges, called Criminal Judges 
 of the Night, were appointed. Their 
 function is to judge of what are called noc- 
 turnal crimes, under which denomination 
 are reckoned robberies, wilful fire, rapes, 
 and bigamy. We find alfo, that Jews ly- 
 ing with Chriftian women, is enumerated 
 among* nocturnal crimes; though, by an 
 unjuftifiable partiality, a Chriftian man 
 lying with a Jewifh woman, whether by 
 night or day, is not mentioned as any 
 crime at all. 
 
 A few years after, in the reign of the 
 Doge Rainier Zeno, four more judges were 
 added to this tribunal ; and, during the 
 interregnum which took place at his death, 
 
 I 4 in 
 
120 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 in the year 1268, a new form of electing 
 the Doge was fixed, which, though fome- 
 what complicated, has been obferved ever 
 fmce. 
 
 All the members of the grand council, 
 who are paft thirty years of age, being 
 affembled in the hall of the palace, as many 
 balls are put into an urn as there are mem- 
 bers prefent ; thirty of thefe balls are gilt, 
 and the reft white. Each counfellor draws 
 one; and thofe who get the gilt balls, go into 
 another room, where there is an urn, con- 
 taining thirty balls, nine of which are gilt. 
 The thirty members draw again ; and thofe 
 who, by a fecond piece of good fortune, 
 get the gilt balls, are the firji eleEiors^ and 
 have a right to choofe forty, among whom 
 they comprehend themfelves, 
 
 Thofe forty, by balloting in the fame 
 manner as in the former in fiances, are re- 
 duced to twelve fecond e.leftorS) who choofe 
 
 twenty- 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. m 
 
 twenty-five, the firft of the twelve naming 
 three, and the remaining eleven two, 
 a- piece. All thofe being afiembled in a 
 chamber apart, each of them draws a ball 
 from an urn, containing twenty-five balls, 
 among which are nine gilt. This reduces 
 them to nine third eleSiors^ each of whom 
 choofes five, making in all forty-five; 
 who, as in the preceding inftances, are re- 
 duced by ballot, to eleven fourth elect or s> 
 and they have the nomination of forty- 
 one, who are the dire 61 eledors of the Doge. 
 Being fhut up by themfelves, they begin 
 by choofing three chiefs/and two fecre- 
 taries ; each ele&or, being then called, 
 throws a little billet into an urn, which 
 ftands on a table before the chiefs. On this 
 billet is infcribed the perfon's name whonn 
 the ele&or wiihes to be Doge. 
 
 The fecretaries then, in the prefence of 
 the chiefs, and of the whole aflembly, 
 ©pen the billets. Among all the forty-one 
 7 there 
 
122 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 there are, generally, but a very few dif- 
 ferent names, as the eledion, for the moft 
 part, balances between two or three candi- 
 dates. Their names, whatever is the num- 
 ber, are put into another urn, and drawn 
 out one after another. As foon as a name 
 is extracted, the Secretary reads it, and, 
 if the perfon to whom it belongs is prefent, 
 he immediately retires. One of the chiefs 
 then demands, with a loud voice, whether 
 any crime can be laid to this perfon's 
 charge, or any objection made to his being 
 raifed to the fovereign dignity ? If any 
 objedion is made, the accufed is called in, 
 and heard in his own defence ; after 
 which the eledors proceed to give their 
 decifion, by throwing a ball into one of 
 two boxes, one of which is for the 
 Ayes, the other for the Noes. The Se- 
 cretaries then count the balls, and if 
 there are twenty-five in the firft, the 
 eledion is finifhed ; if not, another name 
 is read, and the fame inquifition made as 
 3 before, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 123 
 
 before, till there are twenty-five approv- 
 ing balls. 
 
 This form, wherein judgment and chance 
 are fo perfectly blended, precludes every 
 attempt to corrupt the electors, and all cabals 
 for the Ducal dignity ; for who could dream, 
 by any labour or contrivance, of gaining 
 an ele&ion, the mode of whofe procedure 
 equally baffles the addrefs of a politician 
 and a juggler ? 
 
 Lawrence Theipolo was the firft Doge 
 chofen according to this mode. In his 
 reign the office of Grand Chancellor w r as 
 created. 
 
 Hitherto the public ads were figned by 
 certain perfons chofen by the Doge himfelf, 
 and called Chancellors; but the Grand 
 Council, which we find always folicitous to 
 limit the power of the Doge, thought that 
 method improper; and now propofed, that a 
 
 Chancellor 
 
124 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Chancellor fhould be appointed by them- 
 felves, with rights and privileges entirely 
 independent of the Doge, At the fame 
 time, as the people had fhewn fymptoms 
 of difcontent, on account of the great offices 
 being all in the difiinguifhed families, it 
 was thought expedient to ordain, that the 
 Chancellor fhould always be taken from 
 among the Secretaries of the fenate, whq 
 were citizens. Afterwards, when the coun- 
 cil of ten came to he eftabliflhed, it was 
 ordained, that the Chancellor might be 
 ehofen either from the Secretaries of that 
 court, or from thofe of the fenate. 
 
 The Grand Chancellor of Venice is aq. 
 officer of great dignity and importance ; 
 lie has the keeping of the great feal of the 
 Commonwealth, and is privy to all the 
 fecrets of the State ; he is confidered 
 as the head of the order of citizens, 
 and his office is the moft lucrative in the 
 republic ; yet, though he muft be prefent 
 
 at 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 125 
 
 at all the councils, he 'has no deliberative 
 voice* 
 
 In perufing the annals of this republic, 
 we continually meet with proofs of the 
 reftlefs jealoufy of this government ; even 
 the private oeconomy of families fometimes 
 created fufpicion, however blamelefs the 
 public conduit of the mafter might be* 
 The prefent Doge had married a foreign 
 lady; his two fons followed his example; 
 one of their wives was a princefs. This 
 gave umbrage to the fenate; they thought 
 that, by fuch means, the nobles might ac- 
 quire an intereft, and connexions, in other 
 countries, inconfiftent with their duty as 
 citizens of Venice ; and therefore, in the 
 interregnum which followed the death of 
 Theipolo, a law was propofed by the Cor- 
 rectors, and immediately paffed, by which 
 all future Doges, and their fons, were 
 interdicted from marriage with foreigners, 
 
 under 
 
126 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 under the pain of being excluded from the 
 office of Doge. 
 
 Though the people had been gradually, 
 as we have feen, deprived of their original 
 right of eleding the chief magiftrate ; yet, 
 on the elections which fucceeded the efta- 
 blifhment of the new mode, the Doge had 
 always been prefentcd to the multitude 
 aflembled in St. Mark's Place, as if re- 
 quefting their approbation ; and the people, 
 flattered with this fmall degree of attention, 
 had never failed to announce their fatis- 
 fadion by repeated fhouts : but the fenatc 
 feem to have been afraid of leaving them 
 even this empty fhadow of their ancient 
 power ; for they ordained, that, inftead of 
 prefenting the Doge to the multitude, to 
 receive their acclamations, as formerly, a 
 Syndic, for the future, fhould, in the name 
 of the people, congratulate the new Doge 
 on his eledion. On this occafion, the fenate 
 
 do 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 127 
 
 do not feem to have a&ed with their ufual 
 difcernment. Show often affe&s the minds 
 of men more than fubftance, as appeared 
 in the prefent infiance ; for the Venetian 
 populace difplayed more refentment on 
 being deprived of this noify piece of form, 
 than when the fubftantial right had been 
 taken from them. After the death of the 
 Doge John Dandolo, before a new elec- 
 tion could take place in the ufual forms, % 
 prodigious multitude affembied in St. 
 Mark's Place, and, with loud acclamations, 
 proclaimed James Theipolo; declaring, that 
 this was more binding than any other mode 
 of ek&ion, and that he was Doge to all 
 intents and purpofes. While the fenate 
 remained in fearful fufpenfe for the con- 
 fequences of an event fo alarming and 
 unlooked-for, they were informed, that 
 Theipolo had withdrawn himfelf from 
 the city, with a determination to remain 
 concealed, till he heard how the fenate and 
 people would fettle the difpute. 
 
 The 
 
128 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 The people, having no perfon of weight 
 to conduct or head them, renounced, with 
 their ufual ficklenefs, a project which they 
 had begun with their ufual intrepidity. 
 
 The Grand Council, freed from alarm, 
 proceeded to a regular ele&ion, and chofe 
 Peter Gradonico, a man of enterprife, firm- 
 nefs, and addrefs, in whofe reign we fhall 
 fee the dying embers of democracy per- 
 fectly extinguished. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 1 2d 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 'jf^ Radonico, from the moment he was 
 in poffeffion of the office of Doge, 
 formed a fcheme of depriving the people 
 of all their remaining power. An averfion 
 to popular government, and refentment of 
 fome figns of perfonal diflike, which the 
 populace had fhewn at his efe£fciofi, feem 
 to have been his only motives; for, while 
 he completely annihilated the ancient rights 
 of the people, he fliewed no inclination to 
 augment the power of his own office. 
 
 Although the people had experienced 
 many mortifying deviations from the old 
 confutation, yet, as the Grand Council 
 was chofen annually, by electors of their 
 
 Vol. I. K own 
 
* 3 o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 own nomination, they flattered themfelves 
 that they ftill retained an important fhare 
 in the government. It was this Jaft hold 
 of their declining freedom which Gra- 
 donico meditated to remove, for ever, 
 from their hands. Such a projed was of a 
 nature to have intimidated a man of lefs 
 courage; but his natural intrepidity, ani- 
 mated by refentment, made him overlook 
 all dangers and difficulties. 
 
 He began (as if by way of experiment) 
 with fome alterations refpeding the man- 
 ner of choofing the Grand Council ; thefe, 
 however, occafioned murmurs ; and it was 
 feared, that dangerous tumults would arife 
 at the next eledion of that court. 
 
 But, fuperior to fear, Gradonico infpired 
 others with courage ; and, before the pe- 
 riod of the eledion arrived, he ftruck the 
 decifive blow. 
 
 A law 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 131 
 
 A law was pubiifhed in the year 1297, 
 hy which it was ordained, that thofe who 
 actually belonged to the Grand Council, 
 fhould continue members of it for life ; and 
 that the fame right {hould defcend to their 
 pofterity, without any form of eledion 
 whatever. This was at once forming a 
 body of hereditary legiflative nobility, and 
 eftablifliing a complete ariftocracy, upon 
 the ruins of the ancient popular govern- 
 ment. 
 
 This meafure ftruck all the citizens, who 
 were not then of the Grand Council, with 
 concern and aftonifhment 3 but, in a par- 
 ticular manner, thofe of ancient and noble 
 families ; for although, as has been already 
 obferved, there was, firidly fpeaking, no 
 nobility with exclufive privileges before 
 this law, yet there were in Venice, as 
 there muft be in the mod democratical re- 
 publics, certain families confidered as more 
 honourable than others, many of whom 
 K 2 found 
 
iyt VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 found themfelves, by this law, thrown into 
 a rank inferior to that of the leaft confider- 
 able perfon who happened, at this import- 
 ant period, to be a member of the Grand 
 Council. To conciliate the minds of fuch 
 dangerous malcontents, exceptions were 
 made in their favour, and fome of the molt 
 powerful were immediately received into 
 the Grand Council ; and to others it was 
 promifed that they fhould, at fome future 
 period, be admitted. By fuch hopes, art* 
 fully infinuated, and by the great influence 
 of the members who actually compofed the 
 Grand Council, all immediate infurre&ions 
 were prevented ; and foreign wars, and 
 objeds of commerce, foon turned the 
 people's attention from this mortifying 
 change in the nature of the government. 
 
 A ftrong refentment of thofe innova- 
 tions, however, feftered in the breads of 
 fome individuals, who, a few years after, 
 under the dire&ion of one Marino Bocconi, 
 
 formed 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 135 
 
 farmed a defign to affaffinate Gradonico, 
 and maflacre all the Grand Council, without 
 diflin&ion. This plot was difcovered, and 
 the chiefs, after confeffing their crimes, 
 were executed between the pillars. 
 
 The confpiracy of Bocconi was confined 
 to malcontents of the rank of citizens ; but 
 one of a more dangerous nature, and which 
 originated among the nobles themfeives, 
 was formed in the year 1309. 
 
 This combination was made up of fome 
 of the moft diflinguiihed of thofe who were 
 not of the Grand Council when the reform 
 took place, and who had not been admit- 
 ted afterwards, according to their expecta- 
 tions ; and of fome others of very ancient 
 families, who could not bear to fee fo many 
 citizens raifed to a level with themfeives, 
 and who, befides, were piqued at what 
 they called the Pride of Gradonico. Thefe 
 men chofe for their leader^ the fon of Jamel 
 K 3 Theipolo, 
 
i 3 4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Theipolo, who had been proclaimed Doge 
 by the populace. Their objedt was, to dif- 
 poffefs Gradonico, and reftore the ancient 
 conftitution ; they were foon joined by a 
 great many of inferior rank, within the 
 city, and they engaged confiderable num- 
 bers of their friends and dependents from 
 Padua, and the adjacent country, to come 
 to Venice, and a {Tift them, at the time ap- 
 pointed for the infurredion. Confidering 
 the numbers that were privy to this under- 
 taking it is aftonifhing that it was not 
 difcovered till the night preceding that on 
 which it was to have taken place. The 
 uncommon concourfe of flrangers created 
 the firft fufpicion, which was confirmed by 
 the confeffion of fome who were acquaint- 
 ed with the defign. The Doge immediately 
 fummoned the council, and fent expreffes 
 to the governors of the neighbouring towns 
 and forts, with orders for them to haften 
 with their forces to Venice. The confpi- 
 ^rators were not difconcerted j they aflem- 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 135 
 
 bled, and attacked the Doge and his 
 friends, who were colle&ed in a body 
 around the palace. The Place of St. Mark 
 was the fcene of this tumultuous battle, 
 which lafted many hours, but was attended 
 with more noife and terror among the in- 
 habitants, thanbloodfhed to the combatants. 
 Some of the military governors arriving 
 with troops, the conteft ended in the rout 
 of the confpirators. A few nobles had 
 been killed in the engagement ; a greater 
 number were executed by order of the 
 fenate. Theipolo, who had fled, w r as de- 
 clared infamous, and an enemy to his coun- 
 try ; his goods and fortune were confis- 
 cated, and his houfe razed to the ground. 
 After thefe executions, it was thought ex- 
 pedient, to receive into the Grand Council* 
 feveral of the mo ft diftinguifhed families 
 of citizens. 
 
 Thofe two confpiracies having imme- 
 diately followed one another, fpread an 
 K 4 univerfal 
 
136 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 univerfa: diffidence and dread over the city* 
 ana gave rile to the court called the Council 
 of Ten, which was erected about this 
 time, merely as a temporary Tribunal, to 
 examine into the caufes, punifh the accom- 
 plices, and deflroy the feeds of the late 
 confpiracyj but which, in the fequel, became 
 permanent. I fhall wave farther mention 
 of this court, till we come to the period when 
 the State Inquifitors were eftablifhed ; but 
 it is proper to mention, that the Ecclefiafti- 
 cal Court of Inquifition was alfo eredted at 
 Venice, in the reign of the Doge Gra- 
 donico. 
 
 The Popes had long endeavoured to in- 
 troduce this court into every country in 
 Europe ; they fucceeded too well in many ; 
 but though it was not entirely rejected by 
 the State of Venice, yet it was accepted 
 tinder fuch reftridions as have prevented 
 the difmal cruelties which accompany it in 
 pther countries* 
 
 This 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. t$f 
 
 This republic feems, at all times, to have 
 a ftrong impreffion of the ambitious and 
 encroaching fpirit of the court of Rome ; 
 and has, on all occafions, fhewn the 
 greatefl unwillingnefs to entruft power in 
 the hands of ecclefiaftics. Of this, the Ve- 
 netians gave an undoubted proof at pre- 
 fent ; for while they eftabliihed a new civil 
 Court of Inquifition, with the moft un- 
 limited powers, they would not receive the 
 ecclefiaftical inquifitions, except on con- 
 ditions to which it had not been fubje&ed 
 \n any other country. 
 
 The court of Rome never difplayed more 
 addrefs than in its attempts to elude thofe 
 limitations, and to prevail on the fenate to 
 admit the inquifition at Venice, on the fame 
 footing as it had been received eltewhere ; 
 but the fenate was as firm as the Pope was 
 artful, and the Court of Inquifition was at 
 laft eftahlifhed, under the following con- 
 ditions : 
 
 That 
 
138 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 That three commiffioners from the Senate 
 ffiould attend the deliberations of that 
 court, none of whofe decrees could be exe- 
 cuted without the approbation of the com- 
 miffioners. 
 
 Thofe commiffioners were to take no 
 oath of fidelity, or engagement of any 
 kind, to the Inquifition; but were bound 
 by oath to conceal nothing from the fenate 
 which fhould pafs in the Holy Office. 
 
 That herefy fliould be the only crime 
 cognifable by the Inquifition ; and, in cafe 
 of the conviction and condemnation of any 
 criminal, his goods and money fhould not 
 belong to the court, but to his natural 
 heirs. 
 
 That Jews and Greeks fhould be in* 
 dulged in the exercife of their religion, 
 without being difturbed by this court. 
 
 The 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 139 
 
 The ccmmiffioners were to prevent the 
 regiftration of any ftatute made at Rome ; 
 or any where out of the Venetian State. 
 
 The Inquifitors were not permitted to 
 condemn books as heretical, without the 
 concurrence of the Senate ; nor were they 
 allowed to judge any to be fo, but thofe 
 already condemned by the edict of Cle- 
 ment VIIL 
 
 Such were the reftri£tions under which 
 the Inquifition was eftablixhed at Venice; 
 and nothing can more clearly prove their 
 efficacy, than a comparifon of their num- 
 bers, who have fuffered for herefy here, 
 with thofe who have been condemned to 
 death by that court in every other place 
 where it was eftablifhed. 
 
 An inftance is recorded of a man, named 
 Narino, being condemned to a public 
 punifhment, for having compofed a book 
 3 io 
 
140 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 in defence of the opinions of John Hufg, 
 For this (the greateft of all crimes in the 
 fight of Inquifitors) his fentence was, that 
 he fhould be expofed publicly on a fcaffold, 
 drefied in a gown, with flames and devils 
 painted on it. The moderation of the civil 
 magiflrate appears in this fentence. With- 
 out his interpofition, the flames which 
 furrounded the prifoner would, in all pro- 
 bability, not have been painted. This, 
 which is mentioned in the Hiftory of Ve- 
 nice as an inftance of feverity, happened at 
 a time, when, in Spain and Portugal, many 
 wretches were burnt, by order of the Ih* 
 quifition, for fmaller offences. 
 
 In 1354, during the interregnum after 
 the death of Andrew Dandolo, it was pro- 
 pofed, by the Correctors of Abufes, that, 
 for the future, the three chiefs of the Cri- 
 minal Council of Forty fhould be members 
 of the College; and this paffed into a 
 law. 
 
 2 It 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 141 
 
 It may be necefiary to mention, that 
 the College, otherwife called the Seigniory, 
 is the fupreme cabinet council of the State. 
 This court was originally cor^ poled of the 
 Doge and fix counfellors only; but to 
 thefe, at different periods, were added j 
 firll, fix of the Grand Council, chofen by 
 the Senate ; they were called Savii, or 
 Sages, from their fuppofed wifdom ; and 
 afterwards, five Savii, of the Terra Firma, 
 whofe more immediate duty is to fuper- 
 intend the bufinefs of the towns and 
 provinces belonging to the republic, on 
 the continent of Europe, particularly what 
 regards the troops. At one time there 
 were alfo five Savii for maritime affairs, 
 but they had little bufinefs after the 
 Venetian navy became inconfiderable j and 
 now, in the room of them, five young 
 noblemen are chofen by the Senate every 
 fix months, who attend the meetings of 
 the Seigniory, without having a vote? 
 
 though 
 
142 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 though they give their opinions when 
 afked. This is by way of inftru&ing, and 
 rendering them fit for the affairs of State. 
 They are called Sages of the Orders, and 
 are chofen every fix months. 
 
 To thofe were added, the three chiefs 
 of the Criminal Court of Forty ; the 
 court then confifting, in all, of twenty-fix 
 members. 
 
 The College is, at once, the cabinet 
 council, and the reprefentative of the re- 
 public. This court gives audience, and 
 delivers anfwers, in the name of the re- 
 public, to foreign Ambaffadors, to the 
 deputies of towns and provinces, and to 
 the generals of the army ; it alfo receives 
 all requefts and memorials on State affairs, 
 fummons the Senate at pleafure, and ar- 
 ranges the bufinefs to be difcuffed in that 
 aflembly. 
 
 In 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 143 
 
 In the Venetian government, great care 
 is taken to balance the power of one court 
 by that of another, and to make them 
 reciprocal checks on each other. It was 
 probably from a jealoufy of the power of 
 the College, that three chiefs of the Cri- 
 minal Court of Forty were now added to it. 
 
244 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 HE hiftory of no nation prefents a 
 
 than that of Venice. We have feen a con- 
 fpiracy againft this State, originating among 
 the citizens, and carried on by people of 
 that rank only. We faw another, foon 
 after, which took its origin among the 
 body of the nobles; but the year 135^ 
 prefents us with one of a ftill more extra- 
 ordinary nature, begun, and carried on, by 
 the Doge himfelf. If ambition, or the aug- 
 mentation of his own power, had been 
 the object, it would not have been fo fur- 
 prifing ; but his motive to the con- 
 fpiracy was as fmall as the intention was 
 dreadful. 
 
 emce. 
 
 variety of fingular events 
 
 Marino 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. i 43 
 
 Marino Falliero, Doge of Venice, was, 
 at this time, eighty years of age; a time 
 of life when the violence of the paffions is 
 generally pretty much abated. He had, 
 even then, however, given a ftrong in- 
 ftance of the rafhnefs of his difpofition, by 
 marrying a very young woman. This 
 lady imagined fhe had been affronted by a 
 young Venetian nobleman at a public ball, 
 and (he complained bitterly of the infult 
 to her hufband. The old Doge, who had 
 all the defire imaginable to pleafe his wife, 
 determined, in this matter at leaft, to give 
 her ample fatisfa&ion. 
 
 The delinquent was brought before the 
 Judges, and the crime was exaggerated 
 with all the eloquence that money could 
 purchafe ; but they viewed the affair with 
 unprejudiced eyes, and pronounced a fea- 
 tence no more than adequate to the crime. 
 The Doge was filled with the moft extra- 
 vagant rage, and, finding that the body of 
 
 VoLo h L the 
 
i 4 6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 the nobles took no fhare in his wrath, he 
 entered into a confpiracy with the Admiral 
 of the Arfenal, and fome others, who were 
 difcontented with the government on other 
 accounts, and projected a method of vin- 
 dicating his wife's honour, which feems 
 rather vi'olent for the occafion. It was 
 refolved by thofe defperadoes, to maiTacre 
 the whole Grand Council. Such a fcene of 
 bloodfhed, on account of one woman, has 
 not been imagined fmce the Trojan war. 
 
 This plot was conduced with more 
 fecrecy than could have been expe&ed, 
 from a man who feems to have been de- 
 prived of reafon, as well as humanity. 
 Every thing was prepared ; and the day, 
 previous to that which was fixed for the 
 execution, had arrived, without any perfon, 
 but thofe concerned in the confpiracy, 
 having the leaf!: knowledge of the horrid 
 defign. 
 
 is 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 147 
 
 It was difcovered in the fame manner in 
 which that againft the King and Parlia- 
 ment of England, was brought to light in 
 the time of James the Firft. 
 
 Bertrand Bergamefe, one of the confpira- 
 tors, being defirous to fave Nicolas Lioni, 
 a noble Venetian, from the general maf- 
 facre, called on him, and earneflly admo- 
 nilhed him, on no account, to go out of 
 his houfe the following day; for, if he did, 
 he would certainly lofe his life. Lioni 
 prefTed him to give fome reafon for this ex- 
 traordinary advice ; which the other obfti- 
 nately refufing, Lioni ordered him to be 
 feized, and confined ; and, fending for fome 
 of his friends of the Senate, by means of 
 promifes and threats, they at length pre- 
 vailed on the prifoner to difcover the whole 
 of this horrid myftery. 
 
 They fend for the Avogadors, the Coun- 
 cil of Ten, and other high officers, by 
 
 L 2 whom 
 
i 4 8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 whom the prifoner was examined ; after 
 which, orders were given for feizing the 
 principal confpirators in their houfes, and 
 for fummoning thofe of the nobility and 
 citizens, on whofe fidelity the Council could 
 rely. Thefe meafures could not be taken 
 fo fecretly as not to alarm many, who found 
 means to make their efcape. A confider- 
 able number were arrefied, among whom 
 were two chiefs of the confpiracy under 
 the Doge. They being put to the queftion, 
 confeffed the whole. It appeared, that 
 only a fele<ft body of the principal men had 
 been privy to the real defign ; great num- 
 bers had been defired to be prepared with 
 arms, at a particular hour, when they 
 would be employed in attacking certain 
 enemies of the State, which were not 
 named ; they were defired to keep thofe 
 orders a perfect fecret, and were told, that 
 upon their fidelity and fecrecy their future 
 fortunes depended. Thofe men did not 
 know of each other, and had no fufpicioa 
 
 that 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 149 
 
 that it was not a lawful enterprife for 
 which they were thus engaged ; they were 
 therefore fet at liberty ; but all the chiefs 
 of the plot gave the fulleft evidence againil 
 the Doge* It was proved, that the whole 
 fcherne had been formed by his direction, 
 and fupported by his influence. After the 
 principal confpirators were tried, and exe- 
 cuted, the Council of Ten next proceeded 
 to the trial of the Doge himfelf. They 
 defired that twenty fenators, of the higheft 
 reputation, might affift upon this folemn 
 occafion ; and that two relations of the 
 FaHier family, one of whom was a member 
 of the Council of Ten, and the other 
 an Avogador, might withdraw from the 
 court. 
 
 The Doge, who hitherto had remained 
 under a guard in his own apartments in 
 the palace, was now brought before this 
 Tribunal of his own fubje&s. He was dreffed 
 in the robes of his office. 
 
 L 3 It 
 
I5d VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 It is thought he intended to have denied 
 the charge, and attempted a defence ; but 
 when he perceived the number and nature 
 of the proofs againft him, overwhelmed by 
 their force, he acknowledged his guilt, with 
 many fruitlefs and abjed intreaties for 
 mercy. 
 
 That a man, of eighty years of age, 
 fhould lofe all firmnefs on fuch an occafion, 
 is not marvellous ; that he fhould have 
 been incited, by a trifling offence, to fuch 
 an inhuman, and fuch a deliberate plan of 
 wickednefs, is without example. 
 
 He was fentenced to lofe his head. The 
 fentence was executed in the place where 
 the Doges are ufually crowned. 
 
 In the Great Chamber of the palace, 
 where the portraits of the Doges are 
 placed, there is a vacant fpace between 
 the portraits of Fallier's immediate pre- 
 
 deceffor 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 151 
 
 deceflbr and fucceffor, with this ia- 
 fcription l 
 
 Locus Marini Fallieri decapitati. 
 
 The only other inftance which hiflory 
 prefents to our contemplation, of a fove- 
 reign tried according to the forms of law, 
 and condemned to death by a Tribunal of 
 his own fubje&s, is that of Charles the 
 Fir ft 9 of Great Britain. But how differ- 
 ently are we affected by a review of the 
 two cafes ! 
 
 In the one, the original errors of the 
 mifguided Prince are forgotten in the feve- 
 rity of his fate, and in the calm majeftic 
 firmnefs with which he bore it. Thofe 
 who, from public fpirit, had oppofed the 
 unconftitutional meafures of his govern- 
 ment, were no more ; and the men now 
 in power were actuated by far different 
 principles. All the paffions of humanity, 
 therefore, take part with the royal fuf* 
 L 4 feren 
 
i$2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 fercr ; nothing but the ungenerous fpirit 
 of party can feduce them to the fide of his 
 enemies. In his trial we behold, with a 
 mixture of pity and indignation, the un- 
 happy monarch delivered up to the malice 
 of hypocrites^ the rage of fanatics, and 
 the infolence of a low-bom law ruffian. 
 
 In the other, every fentiment of com* 
 paffion is effaced by horror, at the enor- 
 mity of the crime. 
 
 In the year 1361, after the death of the 
 Doge John Delfino, when the laft ele&ors 
 were confined in the Ducal Chamber to 
 choofe his fucceflbr, and while the ele&ion 
 vibrated between three candidates, a report 
 arrived at Venice, that Laurentius Celfus, 
 who commanded the fleet, had obtained a 
 complete vi&ory over the Genoefe, who 
 were at that time at war with the Vene- 
 tians. This intelligence was communicated 
 to the de&ojs, who immediately dropped 
 
 all 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY* 153 
 
 all the three candidates, and unanimoufly 
 chofe this commander. Soon after, it was 
 found, that the rumour of the victory was 
 entirely groundkfs. This could not affe£t 
 the validity of the ele&ion ; but it produced 
 a decree to prevent, on future occafions of 
 the fame kind, all communication between 
 the people without, and the conclave of 
 ele&ors. 
 
 This Doge's father difplayed a fingular 
 inflance of weaknefs and vanity, which 
 fome of the hiftorians have thought worth 
 tranfmitting to us. I do not know for what 
 reafon, unlefs it be to comfort pofterity 
 with the reflection, that human folly is 
 much the fame in all ages, and that their 
 anceftors have not been a great deal wifer 
 than themfelves. This old gentleman 
 thought it beneath the dignity of a father 
 to pull off his cap to his own fori ; and 
 that he might not feem to condefcend fo 
 far, even when all the other nobles fhewed 
 
 this 
 
154 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 this mark of refpedl to their fovereign, fie 
 went, from the moment of his fon's elec- 
 tion, upon all occafions, and in all wea- 
 thers, with his head uncovered. The Doge 
 being folicitous for his father's health, and 
 finding that no perfuafion, nor explanation 
 of the matter, that could be given, were 
 fufficient to overcome this obftinacy, re- 
 collected that he was as devout as he was 
 vain, which fuggefted an expedient that 
 had the defired effe£t. He placed a crofs 
 on the front of his ducal coronet. The old 
 man was as defirous to teftify his refped to 
 the crofs, as he was averfe to pay obeifance 
 to his fon ; and unable to devife any way 
 of pulling off a cap which he never wore* 
 his piety, at length, got the better of his 
 pride ; he refumed his cap, as formerly, 
 that, as often as his fon appeared, he might; 
 pull it off in honour of the crofs* 
 
 During the reign of Laurentius Celfus* 
 the celebrated poet Petrarch, whorefidedfor 
 
 Come 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 155 
 
 feme time at Venice, and was pleafed with 
 the manners of the people, and the wifdom 
 of their government, made a prefent to the 
 republic, of his colle&ion of books ; which, 
 at that time, was reckoned very valuable. 
 This was the foundation of the great 
 library of St. Mark. 
 
 In perufing the annals of Venice, we 
 continually meet with new inftitutions. No 
 fooner is any inconveniency perceived, 
 than meafures are taken to remove it, 
 or guard againft its efFe&s. About this 
 time, three new magiflrates were appointed, 
 whofe duty is to prevent all oftentatious 
 luxuries in drefs, equipage, and other ex- 
 pensive Superfluities, and to profecute thofe 
 who tranfgrefs the Sumptuary laws, which 
 comprehend fuch objects. Thofe magiflrates 
 are called Sopra Proveditori alle Pompe; 
 they were allowed a difcretionary power of 
 levying fines, from people of certain pro- 
 feffions, who deal entirely in articles of 
 
 luxury. 
 
i 5 6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 luxury. Of this number, that of public 
 courtefans was reckoned. This profeflion, 
 according to all accounts, formerly flourifh- 
 ed at Venice, with a degree of fplendour 
 Unknown in any other capital of Europe ; 
 and very confiderable exactions were raifed 
 to the ufe of the State, at particular times, 
 from the wealthieft of thofe dealers. This 
 excife, it would appear, has been pufhed 
 beyond what the trade could bear ; for it is 
 at prefent in a ftate of wretchednefs and 
 decay ; the beft of the bufmefs, as is faid, 
 being now carried on, for mere pleafure, 
 by people who do not avow themfelves of 
 the profeflion. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. i$f 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 % TO government was ever more punc- 
 tual, and impartial, than that of 
 Venice, in the execution of the laws. This 
 was thought eflential to the well-being, 
 and very exiftence, of the State. For this, 
 all refped: for individuals, all private con- 
 fiderations whatever, and every compunc- 
 tious feeling of the heart, is facrificed. 
 To execute law with all the rigour of 
 juftice, is confidered as the chief virtue of 
 a judge ; and, as there are cafes in which 
 the fterneft may relent, the Venetian go- 
 vernment has taken care to appoint certain 
 magiftrates, whofe fole bufinefs is to fee 
 that others perform their duty upon all 
 occafionst 
 
 Venice. 
 
 All 
 
* 5 8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 All this is very fine in the abftrad, but 
 we often find it deteftable in the appli- 
 cation. 
 
 In the yeaf 1400, while Antonio Ve- 
 nier was Doge, his fon having committed 
 an offence which evidently fprung from 
 mere youthful levity, and nothing worfe, 
 was condemned in a fine of one hundred 
 ducats, and to be imprifoned for a certain 
 time. 
 
 While the young man w as in prifon, he 
 fell fick, and petitioned to be removed to a 
 purer air. The Doge rejected the petition; 
 declaring, that the fentence mud be exe- 
 cuted literally ; and that his fon muft take 
 the fortune of others in the fame predica- 
 ment. The youth was much beloved, and 
 many applications were made, that the 
 fentence might be foftened, on account of 
 the danger which threatened him. The 
 father was inexorable, and the fon died in 
 
 prifon. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. reg 
 
 prifon. Of whatever refined fubftance this 
 man's heart may have been compofed, I 
 am better pleafed that mine is made of the 
 common materials. 
 
 Carlo Zeno was accufed, by the Council 
 of Ten, of having received a fum of money 
 from Francis Carraro, fon of the Seignior 
 of Padua, contrary to an exprefs law, which 
 forbids all fubje&s of Venice, on any pre- 
 text whatever, accepting any falary, pen- 
 fion, or gratification, from a foreign Prince, 
 or State. This accufation was grounded 
 on a paper found among Carrara's ac- 
 counts, when Padua was taken by the 
 Venetians. In this paper was an article 
 of four hundred ducats paid to Carlo Zeno, 
 who declared, in his defence, that while 
 he was, by the Senate's permiffion, gover- 
 nor of the Milanefe, he had vifited Carraro, 
 then a prifoner in the caflle of Afti ; and 
 finding him in want of common neceffaries, 
 8 he 
 
i6o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 he had advanced to him the fum in ques- 
 tion ; and that this Prince, having been 
 liberated fome fhort time after, had, on his 
 return to Padua, repaid the money* 
 
 Zeno was a man of acknowledged can- 
 dour* and of the higheft reputation ; he 
 had commanded the fleets and armies of 
 the State with the mod brilliant fuccefs j 
 yet neither this, nor any other considera- 
 tions, prevailed on the Court to depart 
 from their ufually feverity. They owned 
 that, from Zeno's ufual integrity, there 
 was no reafon to doubt the truth of his 
 declaration ; but the aflertions of an accufed 
 perfon were not Sufficient to efface the 
 force of the prefumptive circumftances 
 which appeared againft him* — His declara* 
 tion might be convincing to thofe who 
 knew him intimately, but was not legal 
 evidence of his innocence ; and they ad- 
 hered to a diftinguifhing maxim of this 
 Court, that it is of more importance to the 
 
 State$ 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. i6t 
 
 State, to intimidate every one from even 
 the appearance of fuch a crime, than tt> 
 allow a perfon, againft whom a prefump- 
 tion of guilt remained, to efcape, however 
 innocent he might be. This man, who 
 had rendered the moft eflential fervices to 
 the republic, and had gained many vic- 
 tories, was condemned to be removed 
 from all his offices, and to be imprifoned 
 for two years. 
 
 But the moft affe&ing inftance of the 
 odious inflexibility of Venetian courts, 
 appears in the cafe of Fofcari, fon to the 
 Doge of that name. 
 
 This young man had, by fome impru- 
 dences, given offence to the Senate, and 
 was, by their orders, confined at Trevifo, 
 when Almor Donato, one of the Council 
 of Ten, was affaffinated, on the 5th of 
 November 1750, as he entered his own 
 houfe. 
 
 Vol. L M A reward, 
 
i62* VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 A reward, in ready money, with pardon 
 for this, or any other crime, and a pen- 
 fion of two hundred ducats, revertible to 
 children, was promifed to any perfon who 
 would difcover the planner, or perpetrator, 
 of this crime. No fuch difcovery was 
 made. 
 
 One of young Fofcari's footmen, named 
 Olivier, had been obferved loitering near 
 Donato's houfe on the evening of the 
 murder ; — he fled from Venice next morn- 
 ing- Thefe, with other circumftances of 
 lefs importance, created a ftrong fufpicion 
 that Fofcari had engaged this man to 
 commit the murder. 
 
 Olivier was taken, brought to Venice, put 
 to the torture, and confeffed nothing ; yet 
 the Council of Ten, being prepofTefTed with 
 an opinion of their guilt, and imagining 
 that the mailer would have lefs refolution, 
 ufed him in the fame cruel manner. — The 
 4 unhappy 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 163 
 
 unhappy young man, in the midft of his 
 agony, continued to aflert, that he knew 
 nothing of the affaffination. This con- 
 vinced the Court of his firmnefs, but not 
 of his innocence ; yet as there was no legal 
 proof of his guilt, they could not fentence 
 him to death. He was condemned to pafs 
 the reft of his life in banifhment, at Canea, 
 in the ifland of Candia. 
 
 This unfortunate youth bore his exile 
 with more impatience than he had done 
 the rack ; he often wrote to his relations 
 and friends, praying them to intercede in 
 his behalf, that the term of his baniihment 
 might be abridged, and that he might be 
 permitted to return to his family before he 
 died. — All his applications were fruitlefs ; 
 thofe to whom he addrefTed himfelf had 
 never interfered in his favour, for fear of 
 giving offence to the obdurate Council, or 
 had interfered in vain* 
 
 M 2 i After 
 
164 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 After languishing five years in exile, 
 having loft all hope of return, through the 
 interpofition of his own family, or country- 
 men, in a fit of defpair he addrefled the 
 Duke of Milan, putting him in mind of 
 fervices which the Doge, his father, had 
 rendered him, and begging that he would 
 ufe his powerful influence with the State 
 of Venice, that his fentence might be re- 
 called. He entrufted his letter to a mer- 
 chant, going from Canea to Venice, who 
 promifed to take the firft opportunity of 
 fending it from. thence to the Duke; inftead 
 of which, this wretch, as foon as he 
 arrived at Venice, delivered it to the chiefs 
 of the Council of Ten. 
 
 This conduct of young Fofcari appeared 
 criminal in the eyes of thofe judges ; for, 
 by the laws of the republic, all its fubjefts 
 are exprefsly forbid claiming the proteftion 
 of foreign Princes, in any thing which 
 relates to the government of Venice. 
 
 Fofcari 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, 165 
 
 Fofcari was therefore ordered to be 
 brought from Candia, and fhut up in the 
 State prifon. There the chiefs of the 
 Council of Ten ordered him once more to 
 be put to the torture, to draw from him 
 the motives which determined him to apply 
 to the Duke of Milan. Such an exertion 
 of law is, indeed;, the mofl: flagrant in- 
 juftice. 
 
 The miferable youth declared to the 
 Council, that he had wrote the Letter, in 
 the full perfuafion that the merchant, whofe 
 eharader he knew, w r ould betray him, and 
 deliver it to them ; the confequence of 
 which, he forefaw, would be, his being 
 ordered back a prifoner to Venice, the only 
 means he had in his power of feeing his 
 parents and friends ; a pleafure for which 
 he had languished, with unfurmountable 
 defire, for fome time, and which he was 
 willing to purchafe at the expence of any 
 danger or pain. 
 
 M 3 The 
 
t66 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 The Judges, little affected with this 
 generous inftanoe of filial piety, ordained, 
 that the unhappy young man fhould be car- 
 ried back to Candia, and there beimprifon- 
 ed for a year, and remain banifhed to that 
 ifland for life; with this condition, that if 
 he fhould make any more applications to 
 foreign Powers, his imprifonrnent fhould 
 be perpetual. At the fame time they gave 
 permiffion, that the Doge and his lady* 
 might vifit their unfortunate fon. 
 
 The Doge was, at this time, very old ; 
 he had been in poffeffion of the office 
 above thirty years. 7 hofe wretched parents 
 had an interview with their fon in one of 
 the apartments of the palace ; they em- 
 braced him with all the tendernefs which 
 his misfortunes, and his filial affection, 
 deferved. The father exhorted him to 
 bear his hard fate with firmnefs ; the fon 
 proiefted, in the moll moving terms, that 
 this was not in his power j that however 
 
 others 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 167 
 
 others could fupport the difmal lonelinefs of 
 a prifon, he could not; that his heart was 
 formed for friend£hip, and the reciprocal 
 endearments of fecial life ; without which 
 his foul funk into dejedion worfe than 
 death, from which alone he fliould look 
 for relief, if he fhould again be confined to 
 the horrors of a prifon; and melting into 
 tears, he funk at his father's feet, imploring 
 him to take companion on a fon who had 
 ever loved him with the moft dutiful 
 afFedion, and who was perfedly innocent 
 of the crime of which he was accufed ; he 
 conjured him, by every bond of nature and 
 religion, by the bowels of a father, and 
 the mercy of a Redeemer, to ufe his in- 
 fluence with the Council to mirigate their 
 fentence, that he might be faved from the 
 moft cruel of all deaths, that of expiring 
 under the flow tortures of a broken heart, 
 in a horrible banifhment from every crea- 
 ture he loved. — " My fon," replied the 
 Doge, "fubmit to the laws of your country, 
 
 M 4 " and 
 
s6§ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 " and do not afk of me what it is not in 
 H my power to obtain." 
 
 Having made this effort, he retired to 
 another apartment ; and, unable to fupport 
 any longer the acutenefs of his feelings, 
 he funk into a ftate of infenfibility, in 
 which condition he remained till fome time 
 after his fon had failed on his return to 
 Candia, 
 
 Nobody has prefumed to defcribe the 
 anguifli of the wretched mother ; thofe who 
 are endowed with the moll exquifite fenfi- 
 bility, and who have experienced diftreffes 
 in fome degree fimilar, will have the jufteft 
 idea of what it was. 
 
 The accumulated mifery of thofe un- 
 happy parents touched the hearts of fome 
 of the moft powerful fenators, who applied 
 with fo much energy for a complete pardon 
 for young Fofcari, that they were on the 
 2 point 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 169 
 
 point of obtaining it; when a veffel arrived 
 from Candia, with tidings, that the mifer- 
 able youth had expired in prifon a fhort 
 time after his return. 
 
 Some years after this, Nicholas Erizzo, a 
 noble Venetian, being on his death-bed, 
 confeffed that, bearing a violent refentment 
 againft the Senator Donato, he had com- 
 mitted the affaffination for which the un- 
 happy family of Fofcari had fuffered fo 
 much. 
 
 At this time the forrows of the Doge 
 were at an end ; he had exifted only a few 
 months after the death of his fon. His life 
 had been prolonged, till he beheld his fon 
 perfecuted to death for an infamous crime ; 
 but not till he fhould fee this foul ftain 
 wafhed from his family, and the innocence 
 of his beloved fon made manifeft to the 
 world. 
 
 The 
 
170 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 The ways of heaven never appeared 
 more dark and intricate, than in the inci- 
 dents and cataftrophe of this mournful 
 ftory. To reconcile the permiflion of fuch 
 events, to our ideas of infinite power and 
 goodnefs, however difficult, is a natural 
 attempt in the human mind, and has exer- 
 cifed the ingenuity of philofophers in all 
 ages ; while, in the eyes of Chriftians, thofe 
 feeming perplexities afford an additional 
 proof, that there will be a future ftate, in 
 which the ways of God to man will be 
 fully juftified. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 171 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 Venice, 
 
 T Deferred giving you any account of the 
 A Council of Ten, till I came to mention 
 the State Inquifitors, as the laft was in- 
 grafted on the former, and was merely 
 intended to flrengthen the hands, and aug- 
 ment the power, of that court. 
 
 The Council of Ten confifts, in effect, 
 of feventeen members ; for, befides the ten 
 noblemen chcfen annually by the Grand 
 Council, from whofe number this court 
 receives its name, the Doge prefides, and 
 the fix Counfellors of the Seigniory affift, 
 when they think proper, at all deliberations. 
 
 This court was firft inflituted in the 
 year 1310, immediately after Theipolo's 
 confpiracy. 
 
 It 
 
lyz VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 It is fupreme in all State crimes. It is 
 the duty of three chiefs, chofen every 
 month from this court, by lot, to open all 
 letters addrefled to it ; to report the con- 
 tents, and affemble the members, when 
 they think proper. They have the power 
 offeizing accufed perfons, examining them 
 in prifon, and taking their anfwers in 
 
 writing, w 7 ith the evidence againft them ; 
 which being laid before the court, thofe 
 chiefs appear as profecutors. 
 
 The prifoners, all this time, are kept in 
 clofe confinement, deprived of the company 
 of relations and friends, and not allowed 
 to receive any advice by letters. They 
 can have no counfel to affifr them, unlefs 
 one of the Judges choofes to a flu me that 
 office ; in which cafe he is permitted to 
 manage their defence, and plead their 
 caufe; after which the Court decide, by a 
 majority of votes, acquitting the prifoner, 
 or condemning him to private or public 
 
 execution* 
 
Manners in Italy. 
 
 execution, as they think proper ; and if 
 any perfons murmur at the fate of their 
 relations or friends, and talk of their inno- 
 cence, and the injuftice they have met 
 with, thefe malcontents are in great danger 
 of meeting with the fame fate. 
 
 I am convinced you will think, that fuch 
 a court was fufficiently powerful to anfwer 
 every good purpofe of government. This, 
 it would appear, was not the opinion of 
 the Grand Council of Venice; who thought 
 proper, in the year 1501, to create the 
 Tribunal of State Inquifitors, which is ftill 
 more defpotic and brief in its manner qf 
 proceeding. 
 
 This court confifts of three members, 
 all taken from the Council of Ten ; two 
 literally from the Ten, and the third from 
 ' the Counfellors of the Seigniory, who 
 alfo make a part of that Council. 
 
 Thefe 
 
174 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Thefe three perfons have the power of 
 deciding, without appeal, on the lives of 
 every citizen belonging to the Venetian 
 State ; the higheft of the nobility, even the 
 Doge himfelf, not being excepted. They 
 keep the keys of the boxes into which 
 anonymous informations are thrown. The 
 informers who expert a recompence, cut 
 off a little piece of their letter, which they 
 afterwards fhew to the Inquifitor w r hen 
 they claim a reward. To thofe three In- 
 quifitors is given, the right of employing 
 fpies, confidering fecret intelligence, iffuing 
 orders to feize all perfons whofe words or 
 a&ions they think reprehenfible, and after- 
 wards trying them when they think proper. 
 If all the three are of one opinion, no 
 farther ceremony is neceffary ; they may 
 order the prifoner to be ftrangled in prifon, 
 drowned in the Canal Orfano, hanged 
 privately in the night-time, between the 
 pillars, or executed publicly, as they 
 
 pleafe j 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, 175 
 
 pleafe ; and whatever their decifion be, no 
 farther inquifition can be made on the 
 fubjed ; but if any one of the three differs 
 in opinion from his brethren, the caufe 
 muft be carried before the full affembly of 
 the Council of Ten. One would naturally 
 imagine, that by thofe the prifoner w r ould 
 have a good chance of being acquitted ; 
 becaufe the difference in opinion of the 
 three Inquifitors fhews, that the cafe is, at 
 leaft, dubious ; and in dubious cafes one 
 would expedl the leaning would be to the 
 favourable fide ; but this court is governed 
 by different maxims from thofe you are 
 acquainted with. It is a rule here to admit 
 of fmaller preemptions in all crimes which 
 affedt the Government, than in other cafes; 
 and the only difference they make be- 
 tween a crime fully proved, and one more 
 doubtful, is, that, in the firft cafe, the exe- 
 cution is in broad day light; whereas, 
 when there are doubts of the prifoner 's 
 guilt, he is only put to death privately. 
 
 The 
 
i 7 6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND* 
 
 The State Inquifitors have keys to every 
 apartment of the Ducal palace, and can, 
 when they think proper, penetrate into the 
 very bed-chamber of the Doge, open his 
 cabinet, and examine his papers. Of courfe 
 they may command accefs to the houfe of 
 every individual in the State, They con- 
 tinue in office only one year, but are not 
 refponfible afterwards for their conduct 
 while they were in authority. 
 
 Can you think you would be perfectly 
 compofed, and eafy in your mind, if you 
 lived in the fame city with three perfons, 
 who had the power of fhutting you up in 
 a dungeon, and putting you to death when 
 they pleafed, and without being account- 
 able for fo doing ? 
 
 If, from the chara&ers of the Inquifitors 
 of one year, a man had nothing to dread, 
 ftill he might fear that a fet, of a different 
 character, might be in authority the next ; 
 
 and 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, 177 
 
 and although he were perfuaded, that the 
 Inquifitors would always be chofen from 
 among men of the mod known integrity in 
 the State, he might tremble at the malice 
 of informers, and fecret enemies; a com- 
 bination of whom might impofe on the 
 underftandings of upright Judges, efpe- 
 cially where the accufed is excluded from 
 his friends, and denied counfel to affift hini 
 in his defence ; for, let him be never fo 
 confcious of innocence, he cannot be fure 
 of remaining unfufpe&ed, or unaccufed ; 
 nor can he be certain, that he fhall not be 
 put to the rack, to fupply a deficiency of 
 evidence: and finally, although a man 
 were naturally poffefled of fo much firm- 
 nefs of character as to feel no inquietude 
 from any of thofe confiderations on his 
 own account, he might ftill be under ap- 
 prehenfions for his children, and other 
 connexions, for whom fome men feel more 
 anxiety than for themfelves. 
 
 Vol. I. 
 
 N 
 
 JSueh 
 
i?8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Such refle&ions naturally arife in thg 
 minds of thofe who have been born, and 
 accuftomed to live, in a free country, where 
 no fuch defpotic Tribunal is eftablifhed j 
 yet we find people apparently eafy in the 
 midft'of all thofe dangers; nay, we know- 
 that mankind {hew the fame indifference in 
 cities, where the Emperor, or the Bafhaw> 
 amufes himfelf, from time to time, in cut- 
 ting off the heads of thofe he happens to 
 meet with in his w 7 alks ; and I make no 
 doubt, that if it were ufual for the earth 
 to open, and fwallow a proportion of its 
 inhabitants every day, mankind would be- 
 hold this with as much coolnefs as at 
 prefent they read the bills of mortality. 
 Such is the efred of habit on the human 
 mind, and fo wonderfully does it accom- 
 modate itfelf to thofe evils for which there 
 is no remedy. 
 
 But thefe considerations do not account 
 for the Venetian nobles fuffering fuch 
 £ Tribunals 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 179 
 
 Tribunals as thofe of the Council of Ten, 
 or the State Inquifitors, to exift, becaufe 
 thefe are evils which it unqueftionably is in 
 their power to remedy ; and attempts have 
 been made, at various times, by parties of 
 the nobility, to remove them entirely, but 
 without fuccefs; the majority of the Grand 
 Council having, upon trial, been found for 
 preferving thefe inftitutions. 
 
 It is believed to be owing to the attention 
 of thefe courts, that the Venetian republic 
 lias lafted longer than any other ; but, in my 
 opinion, the chief obje£t of a government 
 Ihould be, to render the people happy; and 
 if it fails in that, the longer it lails, fo much 
 the worfe. If they are rendered miferable 
 by that which is fuppofed to preferve the 
 State, they cannot be lofers by removing 
 it, be the confequence what it may ; and I 
 fancy moft people would rather live in a 
 convenient, comfortable houfe, which could 
 ftand only a few centuries, than in a gloomy 
 gothic fabric, which would laft to the day 
 N 2 of 
 
180 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 of judgment. Thefe defpotic courts, the 
 State Inquifitors, and Council of Ten, have 
 had their admirers, not only among the 
 Venetian nobility, but among foreigners ; 
 even among fuch as have, on other occa- 
 fions, profeffed principles very unfavourable 
 to arbitrary power. 
 
 I find the following paflage in a letter of 
 Biflhop Burnet, relating to Venice : 
 
 " But this leads me to fay a little to you 
 * of that part of the conftitution, which is 
 " fo cenfured by Grangers, but is really 
 " both the greateft glory, .and the chief 
 <c fecurity, of this republic ; which is, the 
 u unlimited power of the Inquifitors, that 
 u extends not only to the chief of the 
 ' c nobility, but to the Duke himfelf ; who 
 4< is fo fubjed to them, that they may not 
 ^ only give him fevere reprimands, but 
 u fearch his papers, make his procefs, and, 
 " in conclufion, put him to death, without 
 " being bound to give any account of their 
 " proceedings, except to the Council of 
 
 « Ten. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 181 
 
 c4 Ten. This is the dread, not only of all 
 « c the fubje&s, but of the whole nobility, 
 " and all that bear office in the republic* 
 " and makes the greateft amongft them 
 " tremble, and fo obliges them to an exa<ffc 
 u conduit." 
 
 Now, for my part, I cannot help think- 
 ing, that a Tribunal which keeps the Doge* 
 the nobility, and all the fubje&s, in dread, 
 and makes the greateft among them 
 tremble, can be no great bleffing in any 
 State. To be in continual fear, is certainly 
 a very unhappy fituation ; and if the Doge, 
 the nobility, and all the fubjedts, are ren- 
 dered unhappy, I fhould imagine, with all 
 fubmiffion, that the glory and fecurity of 
 the reft of the republic mi) ft be of very 
 fmall importance. 
 
 In the fame letter which I have quoted 
 above, his Lordfhip, fpeaking of the State 
 Inquifitors, has thefe word-s : a When 
 * c they find any fault, they are fo inexo- 
 
 rable, and fo quick as well as fevere in 
 N 3 €C their 
 
181 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 J* their juftice, that the very fear of this is 
 
 ct fo eiTe&ual a reftraiat, that, perhaps, the 
 
 €i only prefcryation of Venice, and of its 
 
 " liberty, is owing to this fipgle piece of 
 
 <{ their conftitution." 
 
 How would you, my good friend, relifh 
 that kind of liberty in England, which 
 could not be preferved without the affiftance 
 of a defpotic court ? Such an idea of 
 liberty might have been announced from 
 the throne, as one of the myfteries of 
 Government, by James the Firft, or the 
 Second ; but we are amazed to find it pub- 
 liihed by a counfellor, and admirer of Wil- 
 liam the Third. It may, indeed, be faid, 
 that the fmallnefs of the Venetian State, 
 and its republican form of government, 
 render it liable to be overturned by fuddea 
 tumults, or popular infurre£tions : this ren- 
 ders it the more neceffary to keep a watch- 
 ful eye over the conduct of individuals, 
 and guard againft every thing that may be; 
 t r he fource of public commotion or diforder, 
 
 Thq 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 183 
 
 The inftitution of State Inquifitors may be 
 thought to admit of lome apology in this 
 view, like the extraordinary and irregular 
 punifhment of the Oftracifm eftablifhed at 
 Athens, which had a fimilar foundation. 
 In a large State, or in a lefs popular form 
 of government, the fame dangers from 
 civil commotions cannot be apprehended ; 
 fimilar precautions for preventing them are 
 therefore fuperriuous; but, notwithflanding 
 every apology that can be made, I am at a 
 lpfs to account for the exiftence of this 
 terrible Tribunal for fo long a time in the 
 Venetian republic, becaufe all ranks feem 
 to have an interefl: in its deftru&ion ; and 
 I do not fee on what principle any one 
 man, or any let of men, ftiould wifh for 
 its prefervation. It cannot be the Doge, for 
 the State Inquifitors keep him in abfolute 
 bondage ; nor would one naturally imagine 
 that the nobles would reliflx this courts for 
 the nobles are more expofed to the jealoufy 
 of the State Inquifitors than the citizens^ 
 or inferior people ; and lead of all ought 
 
 N 4 the 
 
184 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 the citizens to fupport a Tribunal, to which 
 none of them can ever be admitted. As* 
 however, the body of the nobility alone 
 can remove this Tribunal from being part 
 of the conftitution, and yet, we find, they 
 have always fupported it; we muft con- 
 clude, that a junto of that body which has 
 fufficient influence to command a majority 
 of their brethren, has always retained the 
 power in their own hands, and found 
 means of having the majority at leaft of 
 the Council of Ten, choien from their own 
 members ; fo that this arbitrary court is, 
 perhaps, always compofed, by a kind of 
 rotation, of the individuals of a junto. But 
 if the pofiibility of this is denied, becaufe 
 of the precaution ufed in the form of elect- 
 ing by ballot, the only other way I can 
 account for a Tribunal of fuch a nature 
 being permitted, to exift, is, by fuppofing 
 that a majority of the Venetian nobles have 
 fo great a relifh for unlimited power, thatj 
 to Jiave a chance of enjoying it for a fhort 
 | period. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 1S5 
 
 period, they are willing to bear all the 
 miferies of flavery for the reft of their lives. 
 
 The encouragement given by this Go- 
 vernment to anonymous accufers, and 
 fecret informations, is attended with confe- 
 quences which greatly outweigh any benefit 
 that can arife from them. They muft 
 deftroy mutual confidence, and promote 
 fufpicions and jealoufies among neigh- 
 bours ; and, while they render all ranks of 
 men fearful, they encourage them to be 
 malicious. The laws ought to be able to 
 protedt every man who openly and boldly 
 accufes another. 
 
 If any fet of men, in a State, are fo 
 powerful, that it is dangerous for an in- 
 dividual to charge them with their crimes 
 openly, there muft be a weaknefs in that 
 government which requires a fpeedy re- 
 medy ; but let not that be a remedy worfe 
 than the difeafe. 
 
 It is no proof of the boafted wifdom of 
 this Government, that, in the ufe of the 
 
 torture* 
 
136 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 torture, it imitates many European States, 
 whofe judicial regulations it has avoided 
 where they feem far lefs cenfurable. The 
 pra&ice of forcing confeffion, and procuring 
 evidence by this means, always appeared 
 to me a complication of cruelty and abfur- 
 dity. To make a man fuffer more than 
 the pains of death, that you may difcover 
 whether he deferves death, or not, is a 
 manner of diflributing jufiice which I can- 
 Slot reconcile to my idea of equity. 
 
 If it is the intention of the Legislature, 
 that every crime fhall be expiated by the 
 fufferings of fomebody, and is regardlefs 
 whether this expiation is made by the ago- 
 nies of an innocent perfon, or a guilty* 
 then there is no more to be faid ; but, if 
 the intention be to difcover the truth, this 
 horrid device of the torture will very often 
 fail ; for nineteen people out of twenty 
 w 7 ill declare whatever they imagine will 
 fboneft put an end to their fufferings,, 
 whether it be truth or falfehood. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 187 
 
 LETTER XVL 
 
 Venice. 
 
 A Lthough many important events 
 JL 3l have happened fince the eftablhh- 
 meat of the State Inquifition, which have 
 greatly afFe&ed the power, riches, and ex- 
 tent of dominion of this republic, yet the 
 nature of the Government has remained 
 much the fame. In what I have to add, 
 therefore, I fhall be very fhort and general, 
 
 I have already obferved, that it was the 
 ufual policy of this republic to maintain a 
 neutrality, as long as poffible,in all the wars 
 which took place among her neighbours; 
 and when obliged, contrary to her inclina- 
 tions, to declare for either party, fhe gene- 
 rally joined with that State whofe diftant 
 fituation rendered its power and profperity 
 the leaft dangerous of the two to Vepice. 
 
 This 
 
m VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 This republic feems, however, to have 
 too much negle&ed to form defenfive 
 alliances with other States, and by the con- 
 tinual jealoufy (he fhewed of them, joined 
 to her immenfe riches, at laft became the 
 objed of the hatred and envy of all the 
 Powers in Europe. This univerfal jealoufy 
 was roufed, and brought into a&ion, in 
 the year 1508, by the intriguing genius of 
 Pope Julius the Second. A confederacy 
 was fecretly entered into at Cambray, be- 
 tween Julius, the Emperor Maximilian, 
 Lewis the Twelfth, and Ferdinand of Arra- 
 gon, againft the republic of Venice. A 
 bare enumeration of the Powers which 
 compofed this league, gives a very high 
 idea of the importance of the State againft 
 which it was formed. 
 
 The Duke of Savoy, the Duke of Far- 
 rara, and the Duke of Mantua, acceded to 
 this confederacy, and gave in claims to 
 part of the dominions of Venice. It was 
 not difficult to form pretenfions to the beft 
 
 part 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 189 
 
 part of the dominions of a State, which 
 originally poflefled nothing but a few 
 nradhy iflands at the bottom of the Adriatic 
 Gulph. It was the general opinion of 
 Europe, that the league of Cambray would 
 reduce Venice to her original poffeffions. 
 
 The Venetians, finding themfelves de- 
 prived of all hopes of foreign afTiftance* 
 fought fupport from their own courage, 
 and refolved to meet the danger which 
 threatened them, with the fpirit of a brave- 
 and independent people. 
 
 Their General, Count Alviano, led an 
 army againft Lewis, who, being prepared 
 before the other confederates, had already 
 entered Italy. However great the magna- 
 nimity of the Senate, and the fkill of their 
 General, the foldiery were by no means 
 equal to the difciplined troops of France, 
 led by a martial nobility, and headed by a 
 gallant monarch. The army of Alviano 
 was defeated ; new enemies poured on the 
 republic from all fides; and £he loft, in one 
 
 campaign ; 
 
igo VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 campaign, all the territories in Italy winch 
 £he had been ages in acquiring. 
 
 Venice now found that flie could no 
 longer depend on her own ftrength and 
 resources, and endeavoured to break, by 
 policy, a combination which fhe had not 
 force to refift. The Venetian Senate, know- 
 ing that Julius was the foul of the con- 
 federacy, offered to deliver up the towns 
 he claimed, and made every other fub- 
 miffion that could gratify the pride, and 
 avert the anger, of that ambitious Pontiff; 
 they alfo find means to feparate Ferdinand 
 from the alliance. Lewis and Maximilian 
 being now their only enemies, the Vene- 
 tians are able to fuftain the war, till Julius, 
 bearing no longer any refentment againft 
 the republic, and feized with remorfe at be- 
 holding his native country ravaged by French 
 and German armies, unites with Venice 
 to drive the invaders out of Italy ; and this 
 republic is faved, with the lofs of a fmall 
 part of her Italian dominions, from a ruin 
 
 which 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 191 
 
 which all Europe had confidered as in- 
 evitable. The long and expenfive wars 
 between the different Powers of Europe, in 
 which this State was obliged to take part, 
 prove that her flrength and refources were 
 not exhaufted. 
 
 In the year 1570, the Venetians were 
 forced into a ruinous war with the Ottoman 
 Empire, at a time when the Senate, fenfible 
 of the great need they flood in of repofe* 
 had, with much addrefs and policy, kept 
 clear of the quarrels which agitated the 
 reft of Europe. But Solymon the Second, 
 upon the mod frivolous pretext, demanded 
 from them the ifland of Cyprus. 
 
 It was evident to all the world, that 
 he had no better foundation for this 
 claim, than a drong defire, fupported by a 
 fufficient power, of conquering the ifland. 
 This kind of right might not be thought 
 complete in a court of equity; but, in the 
 jurifprudence of monarchs, it has always 
 been found preferable to every other. 
 
 The 
 
i 9 2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 The Turks make a defcent, with a grest 
 army, on Cyprus ; they inveft Famagoufta, 
 the capital ; the garrifon defends it with the 
 moft obftinate bravery ; theTurks are repulf- 
 ed in repeated aftaults ; many thoufands of 
 them are flain ; but the ranks are conftantly 
 fupplied by reinforcements. Antonio Bra- 
 gadino, the commander, having difplayed 
 proofs of the higheft military fkill, and the 
 moft heroic courage, his garrifon being 
 quite exhaufted with fatigue, and greatly 
 reduced in point of numbers, is obliged to 
 capitulate. 
 
 The terms were, that the garrifon fhould 
 march out with their arms, baggage, and 
 three pieces of cannon, and fhould be 
 tranfported to Candia in Turkifh veffels } 
 that the citizens fhould not be pillaged, but 
 allowed to retire with their effeds. 
 
 Muftapha, the Turkifh Bafhaw, no 
 fooner had poffeffion of the place, than he 
 delivered it up to be pillaged by the Janif- 
 faries ; the garrifon were put in chains, and 
 
 made 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 193 
 
 made flaves on board the Turkifh gallies. 
 The principal officers were beheaded, and 
 the gallant Bragadino was tied to a pillar, 
 and, in the Bafhaw's prefence, flayed 
 alive. 
 
 We meet with events in the annals of 
 mankind, that make us doubt the truth of 
 the moft authentic hiftory. We cannot be- 
 lieve that fuch a&ions have ever been 
 committed by the inhabitants of this globe, 
 and by creatures of the fame fpecies with 
 ourfelves. We are tempted to think we 
 are perufing the records of hell, whofe in- 
 habitants, according to the moft authentic 
 accounts, derive a conftant pleafure from 
 the tortures of each other, as well as of all 
 foreigners* 
 
 The conqueft of the ifland of Cyprus is 
 faid to have coft the Turks fifty thoufand 
 lives. At this time, not Venice only, but all 
 Chriftendom, had reafon to dread the pro- 
 grefs of the Turkifli arms. The State of 
 Venice folicited affiftance from all the Ca- 
 
 Vol. L O tholic 
 
t 9 4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 tholic States ; but France was, at that time, 
 in alliance with the Turks ; Maximilian 
 dreaded their power ; the Crown of Portu- 
 gal was poffeffed by a child, and Poland 
 was exhaufted by her wars with Ruffia, 
 The Venetians, on this prefling occafion, 
 received affiftance from Rome, whofe power 
 they had fo often refilled, and from Spain, 
 their late enemy* 
 
 Pope Pius the Fifth, and Philip the 
 Second, joined their fleets with that of the 
 republic. The confederate fleet afiembled 
 at Meffina. The celebrated Don John of 
 Auftria, natural fon to Charles the Fifth, 
 was Generaliffimo ; Mark Antonio Co- 
 lonna commanded the Pope's divifion, and 
 Sebaftian Veniero the Venetian. The 
 Turkifli fleet was greatly fuperior in the 
 number of veflels. 
 
 The two fleets meet in the Gulph of 
 Lapanta: it is faid, that the Turkifli gallies 
 were entirely worked by Chriftian (laves, 
 and the gallies of the Chriftians by Turk- 
 ifli 5 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 195 
 
 ifh ; a fhocking proof of the barbarous 
 manner in which prifoners of war were 
 treated in that age; and, in this inftance, 
 as abfurd as it was barbarous ; for a cartel 
 for an exchange of prifoners would have 
 given freedom to the greater number of 
 thofe unhappy men, without diminifhing 
 the ftrength of either navy. The fleets 
 engage, and the Turks are entirely de- 
 feated. Hiftorians afiert, that twenty thou- 
 fand Turks were killed in the engagement, 
 and one half of their fleet deftroyed. This 
 is a prodigious number to be killed on one 
 fide, and in a fea fight; it ought to be 
 remembered, that there is no Turkilli writer 
 on the fubjed. 
 
 Pius the Fifth died foon after the battle 
 of Lapanta. Upon his death the war 
 languifhed on the fide of the Allies ; Philip 
 became tired of the expence, and the Ve- 
 netians were obliged to purchafe a peace, 
 by yielding the ifiand of Cyprus to the 
 Turks, and agreeing to pay them, for three 
 
 O 2 years, 
 
196 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 years, an annual tribute of one hundred 
 thoufand ducats. Thofe circumftances 
 have no tendency to confirm the accounts 
 which Chriftian writers have given, of the 
 immenfe lofs which the Turks met with at 
 the battle of Lapanta. 
 
 In the beginning of the feventeenth 
 century, the republic had a difpute with 
 the Pope, which, in that age, was thought 
 a matter of importance, and engaged the 
 attention of all Chriftendom. 
 
 Paul the Fifth fhewed as eager a dif- 
 pofition as any of his predeceffors, to extend 
 the Papal authority. He had an inveterate 
 prejudice againft the Venetian republic, 
 on account of her having, on every occa- 
 fion, refifled all ecclefiaftical encroach- 
 ments. 
 
 He fought, with impatience, an oppor- 
 tunity of manifefting his hatred, and ex- 
 pe&ed that he fliould be afiifted by the pious 
 Princes of Europe, in bringing this refrac- 
 tory 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 197 
 
 tory child of the church to reafon. He 
 began by demanding a fum of money, for 
 the purpofe of carrying on the war againft 
 the Turks in Hungary ; he complained of 
 certain decrees of the Senate, relating to 
 the internal government of the republic, 
 particularly one which forbad the building 
 of any more new churches, without the 
 permiflion of that afTembiy, and which, he 
 faid, fmelt ftrongly of herefy ; and above 
 all, he exclaimed againft the Council of 
 Ten, for having imprifoned an Ecclefiaftic, 
 and prepared to bring him to a public 
 trial. This reverend perfon, for whom his 
 Holinefs interefted htmfelf fo warmly, was 
 accufed of having poifoned five people, 
 one of whom was his own father. He 
 was alfo accufed of having caufed another 
 to be affafiinated ; and, to prevent a dis- 
 covery, had afterwards poifoned th^ 
 aflaflin. 
 
 The Senate refufed the money, con- 
 firmed their decree againft the building of 
 O 3 churches, 
 
i 9 S VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 churches, and applauded the condud of 
 the Council of Ten, in profecuting the 
 Ecclefiaftic. 
 
 The authors of the age arranged them- 
 felves on the one fide, or the other, and 
 this became a war of controversy ; in which, 
 though there was no blood fhed, yet it 
 appeared, by the writings of the partifans, 
 that a confiderable number of underftand- 
 ings were greatly injured. Thofe who 
 Supported the Pope's caufe infilled, that 
 the temporal power of Princes is Subordinate 
 to his ; that he has a right to deprive 
 them of their dominions, and releafe their 
 fubjeds from their oaths of fidelity, as 
 often as this fhall be for the glory of God, 
 and for the good of the Church ; of which 
 nobody could be fo good a judge as the 
 Pope, fince all the world knew he was 
 infallible ; that ecclefiaftics were not fub- 
 jeded to the civil power ; that an eccle- 
 fiaftical court, or the Pope, only, had 
 authority over that body of men j and no- 
 thing 
 
•MANNERS IN ITALY. 199 
 
 thing could be more abominable, than to 
 continue a profeeution againft a prifoner, 
 whatever his crimes might be, after the 
 Father of the church, who had the un- 
 doubted power of abfolving iinners, had 
 interfered in his favour. 
 
 The Senate, in their anfwers, acknow- 
 ledged, that the Pope was fupreme head of 
 the Church, and that, in all fubje&s of reli- 
 gious belief, his power was unbounded ; 
 for which reafon they remained implicit 
 and fubmiflive believers ; that they were 
 far from difputing the infallibility of his 
 Hoiinefs in eccleiiaftical matters, particu- 
 larly within his own dominions ; but, 
 with regard to the government of their 
 fubjedts, they would certainly take the 
 whole trouble of that on themfelves, and 
 would adminifter as impartial juilice to 
 EcclefiaRics, as to thole of other profeiKons. 
 They imagined alio, that they were com- 
 petent judges when, and for what purpofes, 
 they ought to levy money upon their own 
 O 4 fubjeds, 
 
200 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 fubjeds, and whether it would be neceflary 
 to build any new churches in Venice, or 
 not. Finally, they flattered themfelves, 
 that the profecuting a murderer was no 
 way inconfiflent with the glpry of God. 
 
 The greater number of the Princes of 
 Chriflendom. feemed to think the Senate 
 were in the right. The Pope was dis- 
 appointed in his expectations ; and finding 
 himfelf unfupported, was glad to fhelter 
 his pride under the mediation of Henry the 
 Fourth of France, who endeavoured to give 
 his Holinefs's defeat the appearance of 
 victory. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 2.0? 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 Venice* 
 
 /"T^HEyear 1618 is diftinguifhed in the 
 annals of Venice, by a confpiracy 
 of a more formidable nature than any 
 hitherto mentioned. The defign of other 
 confpiracies was a change in the form of 
 government, or, at moft, the deftrudtion of 
 fome particular clafs of men in power ; but 
 the prefent plot had for its object the total 
 annihilation of the Venetian republic. I 
 fpeak of the confpiracy formed by the 
 Marquis of Bedmar, ambaflador from the 
 Court of Spain, in conjunction with the 
 Duke of Oflbno, and the Spanifh governor 
 of the Milanefe. 
 
 The interefting manner in which this 
 dark defign has been defcribed by the 
 Abbe St. Real, has made it more univer- 
 fally known than any other part of the 
 2 Venetian 
 
p.o% VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Venetian ftory. This writer is accufed of 
 having ornamented his account with fome 
 fanciful circumftances, an objedion often 
 envioufiy urged againft fome of the moft: 
 agreeable writers, by authors whom nature 
 has guarded from the poffibility of com- 
 mitting fuch an error; men, whofe truths 
 are lefs interesting than fictions, and whofe 
 fidions are as dull as the moft infipid 
 truths. Does any reader believe that the 
 fpeeches of the Generals before a battle, 
 as recorded by Livy, were adually pro- 
 nounced in the terms of that author ? Or, 
 can any one wifh they were expunged 
 from his hiftory ? Abbe St. Real has alfo 
 put fpeeches into the mouths of the con- 
 fpirators, and has embellifhed, without 
 materially altering, the real circumftances 
 of the ftory. For my own part, I feel a 
 degree of gratitude to every perfon who 
 has entertained me ; and while my paffions 
 are agreeably agitated with St. Real's lively 
 hiftory, 1 cannot bear that a phlegmatic 
 fellow fhould interrupt my enjoyment j 
 
 3 an<^ 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 203 
 
 and, becaufe of a few embellifhments, 
 declare, with an affe&ed air of \vildom, 
 that the whole is an idle romance. 
 
 The difcovery of this plot, and the im- 
 preffions of jealoufy and terror which it 
 left on the minds of the inhabitants of 
 Venice, probably firfi fuggeiled a plan of 
 a more wicked nature than any of the 
 confpiracies we have hitherto mentioned, 
 and which was actually put in execution. 
 
 A fet of villains combined together to 
 accufe fame of the nobility of treafonable 
 pra&ices, merely for the fake of the rewards 
 beftowed upon informers. This horrid 
 crime may be expe&ed in all Governments 
 where fpies and informers are encouraged; 
 it certainly occurs frequently at Venice; 
 fometimes, no doubt, without being de- 
 tected, and fometimes it is dete&ed, without 
 being publicly punifhed, for fear of dis- 
 couraging the bufinefs of information : but 
 on the difcovery of the prefent combina- 
 tion^ all Venice was ftruck with fuch 
 
 horror, 
 
2C4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 horror, that the Senate thought proper to 
 publifh every circumftance. 
 
 A certain number of thofe mifcreants 
 adted the part of accufers ; the others, 
 being feized by the information of their 
 accomplices, appeared as witnefles. 
 
 A noble Venetian, of a refpe£table cha- 
 racter, and advanced in years, of the name 
 of Fofcarini, fell a vi&im to this horrid 
 cabal ; and Venice beheld with aftonifh- 
 ment and forrow, one of her mod refpedt- 
 able citizens accufed, condemned, and exe- 
 cuted as a traitor. 
 
 At length, accufations followed each 
 other fo clofe, that they created fufpicions 
 in the minds of the Judges. The in- 
 formers themfelves were feized, and exa- 
 mined feparately, and the whole dreadful 
 fcheme became manifeft. Thefe wretches 
 fuffered the punifhment due to fuch com- 
 plicated villany ; the honour of Fofcarini 
 was re-inftated, and every poffible compen- 
 
 fation 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 205 
 
 fation made to his injured family. An 
 inftance like this, of the defpotic precipi- 
 tancy of the Inquifitors, more than counter- 
 balances all the benefit which the State 
 ever receives from them, or the odious 
 race of informers they encourage. 
 
 If the trial of the unfortunate Fofcarini 
 had been open, or public y and not in fecret, 
 according to the form of the Inquifitor's 
 Court ; and if he had been allowed to call 
 exculpatory evidence, and affifled by thofe 
 friends who knew all his adiions, the falfe- 
 hood and villany of thefe accufers would 
 probably have been difcovered, and his life 
 faved. 
 
 In the year 1645, the Turks made an 
 unexpected and fudden defcent on the 
 ifland of Candia. The Senate of Venice 
 did not difplay their ufual vigilance on 
 this occafion. They had feen the immenfe 
 warlike preparations going forward, and 
 yet allowed themfelves to be amufed by the 
 Grand Seignior's declaring w T ar again ft 
 
 Malta, 
 
2 o6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Malta, and pretending that the armament 
 was intended againft that ifland. The 
 troops landed without oppofition, and the 
 town of Canea was taken after an obftinate 
 defence. 
 
 This news being brought to Venice, 
 excited an univerfal indignation againft the 
 Turks ; and the Senate refolved to defend, 
 to the utmoft, this valuable part of the 
 empire. Extraordinary ways and means 
 of raifing money were fallen upon: among 
 others, it was propofed to fell the rank of 
 nobility. Four citizens offered one hun- 
 dred thoufand ducats each for this honour ; 
 and, notwithftanding fome oppofition, this 
 meafure was at laft carried. Eighty families 
 were admitted into the Grand Council, and 
 to the honour and privileges of the no- 
 bility. What an idea does this give of 
 the wealth of the inhabitants of Venice ? 
 
 The fiege of Candia, the capital of the 
 ifland of that name, is, in fome refpeds, 
 more memorable than that of any town, 
 
 which 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 207 
 
 which hiftory, or even which poetry, has 
 recorded. It lafied twenty-four years. 
 The amazing efforts made by the republic 
 of Venice aftonifhed all Europe ; their 
 courage interefted the gallant fpirits of 
 every nation : volunteers from every coun- 
 try came toCandia, to exercife their valour, 
 to acquire knowledge in the military art, 
 and aflift a brave people whom they ad- 
 mired. The Duke of Beaufort, fo much 
 the darling of the Parifian populace during 
 the war of the Fronde, was killed here, 
 with many more gallant French officers. 
 
 During this famous fiege> the Venetians 
 gained many important vi&ories over the 
 Turkifh fleets. Sometimes they were 
 driven from the walls of Candia, and 
 the Turkifh garrifon of Canca was 
 even befieged by the Venetian fleets. The 
 (laughter made of the Turkifh armies is 
 without example; but new armies were 
 foon found to fupply their place, by a 
 Government which boafts fuch populous 
 
 dominions. 
 
208 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 dominions, and which has defpotic autho- 
 rity over its fubje&s. 
 
 Mahomet the Fourth, impatient at the 
 length of this fiege, came to Negropont, 
 that he might have more frequent oppor- 
 tunities of hearing from the Vizier, who 
 carried on the fiege. An officer fent with 
 difpatches, was dire&ed by the Vizier, to 
 explain to Mahomet the manner in which 
 he made his approaches, and to affure him 
 that he would take all poffible care to fave 
 the lives of the foldiers. The humane 
 Emperor anfwered, That he had fent the 
 Vizier to take the place, and not to fpare 
 the lives of foldiers ; and he was on the 
 point of ordering the head of the officer 
 who brought this mefTage, to be cut off, 
 merely to quicken the Vizier in his opera- 
 tions, and to fliew him how little he valued 
 the lives of men* 
 
 In fpite of the Vizier's boafted parfimony, 
 this war is faid to have cod the lives of 
 two hundred thoufand Turks. Candia 
 
 capitulated 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 209 
 
 capitulated in the year 1668 : the con- 
 ditions on this occafion were honourably 
 fulfilled. Morfini, the Venetian General, 
 after difplaying prodigies of valour and 
 capacity, marched out of the rubbifh of 
 this well-difputed city, with the honours 
 of war. 
 
 The expence of fuch a tedious war 
 greatly exhaufled the refources of Venice, 
 which could not now repair them fo 
 quickly as formerly, when fhe enjoyed the 
 rich monopoly of the Afiatic trade ; the 
 difcovery of the Cape of Gpod Hope hav- 
 ing long fince opened that valuable com- 
 merce to the Portuguefe and other nations. 
 
 This republic remained in a ftate of 
 tranquillity, endeavouring, by the arts of 
 peace, and cultivation of that fhare of com- 
 merce which fhe fall retained, to fill her 
 empty exchequer, till fhe was drawn into a 
 new war, in the year 1683, by the info- 
 lence of the Ottoman Court. The Vene- 
 tians had for fome time endeavoured, by 
 
 Vol, L P negociation, 
 
2io VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 negociation, and many conciliatory repre- 
 fentations, to accommodate matters with 
 the Turks ; and though the haughty con- 
 dud of her enemies afforded fmall hopes 
 of fuccefs, yet fuch was her averfron to 
 war on the prefent oeeafion, that £he 
 ftill balanced, whether to bear thofe infults, 
 or repel them by arms ; when Ihe was 
 brought to decifion by an event which 
 gave the greateft joy to Venice, and afto- 
 nifhed all Europe. This was the great 
 vi&ory gained over the Turkifh army be- 
 fore the walls of Vienna, .-by Sohiefki, King 
 of Poland. 
 
 In this new war, their late General Mor- 
 fmi again had the command of the fleets 
 and armies of the republic, and fuftained 
 the great reputation he had acquired in 
 Candia. He conquered the Morea, which 
 was ceded formally to Venice, with fome 
 other acquifition, at the peace of Carlowitzy* 
 in the laft year of the laft century. 
 
 During 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. ait 
 
 During the war of the fucceflion, the 
 State of Venice obferved a HxiCt neutrality. 
 They confidered that difpute as uncon- 
 nected with their interefts, taking care, 
 however, to keep on foot an army on their 
 frontiers in Italy, of fufficient force to 
 make them refpetted by the contending 
 Powers. But, foon after the peace of 
 Utrecht, the Venetians w 7 ere again attacked 
 by their old enemies the Turks ; who, be- 
 holding the great European Powers ex- 
 haufted by their late efforts, and unable to 
 afiift the republic, thought this the favour- 
 able moment for recovering the Morea, 
 which had been fo lately ravifhed from 
 them. The Turks obtained their objeft, 
 and at the peace of Paffarowitz, which 
 terminated this unfuccefsful. war, the Ve- 
 netian State yielded up the Morea ; the 
 Grand Seignior, on his part, reftoring to 
 them the fmall iflands of Cerigo and Ceri- 
 gotto, with fome places which his troops 
 had taken during the courfe of the w 7 ar in 
 Dalmatia. Thofe, with the iflands of 
 
 P 2 Corfou, 
 
512 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Corfou, Santa Maura, Zante,* and Cepha- 
 Ionia, the remains of their dominions in 
 the Levant, they have fince fortified, at a 
 great expence, as their only barriers againft 
 the Turk. 
 
 Since this period no effential alteration 
 has taken place in the Venetian govern- 
 ment, nor has there been any efiential 
 increafe, or diminution, in the extent of 
 their dominions. They have little to fear 
 at prefent from the Turks, whofe attention 
 is fufficiently occupied by a more formi- 
 dable enemy than the republic and the 
 Houfe of Auftria united. Befides, if the 
 Turks were more difengaged, as they have 
 npw flripped the republic of Cyprus, 
 Candia, and their pofieflions in Greece, 
 what remains in the Levant is hardly w r orth 
 their attention. 
 
 The declenfion of Venice did not, like 
 that of Rome, proceed from the increafe 
 of luxurv, or the revolt of their own 
 armies in the diftant Colonies, or from 
 
 civil 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 213 
 
 eivil wars of any kind. Venice has dwin- 
 dled in power and importance, from caufes 
 which could not be forefeen ; or guarded 
 againft by human prudence, although they 
 had been forefeen. How could this re^ 
 public have prevented the difeovery of a 
 paffage to Afia by the Cape of Good Hope ? 
 or hinder other nations from being in- 
 fpired with a fpirit of enterprife, induftry, 
 and commerce ? In their prefent fituation 
 there is little probability of their attempting 
 new conquefts ; happy if they are allowed 
 to remain in the quiqt pofleflion of what 
 they have. Venice has a mod formidable 
 neighbour in the Emperor, w 7 hofe <do- 
 minions border on thofe of this republic 
 on all fides. The independency of the 
 republic entirely depends on his modera- 
 tion ; or, in cafe he fhould lofe that virtue* 
 on the protedion of fome of the great 
 Powers of Europe, 
 
 I have now finifhed the fketch I pro- 
 , of the Venetian government, with 
 P 3 which 
 
214 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 which I could not help intermingling many 
 of the principal hiftorical events ; indeed 
 I enlarged on thefe, after you informed 
 me, that you intended to give your young 
 friend copies of my letters on this fubjedt, 
 before he begins his tour* I wifh they 
 were more perfed on his account ; they 
 will, at leaft, prevent his being in the 
 fituation of fome travellers I have met: 
 with, who, after remaining here for many 
 months, knew no more of the ancient or 
 modern ftate of Venice, than that the in- 
 habitants went about in boats inftead 
 of coaches, and, generally fpeaking, wors 
 mafks. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 215 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 AVING travelled with you through 
 the fplendid seras of the Venetian 
 ilory, and presented their ftatefmen and 
 heroes to your view, let us now return to 
 the prefent race, in whofe life and con- 
 verfation, I forewarn you, there is nothing 
 heroic. The truth is, that in every 
 country, as well as Venice, we can only 
 read of heroes ; they are feldom to be feen: 
 for this plain reaion, that while they are 
 to be feen we do not think them heroes. 
 The hiftorian dwells upon what is vaft and 
 extraordinary; what is common and trivial 
 finds no place in his records. When we hear 
 the names of Epaminondas, Themiftocles, 
 Camillas, Scipio, and other great men of 
 Greece and Rome, we think of their great 
 a£lions,w T e know nothing elfe about them 
 
 P 4 but 
 
2-i 6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 but when we fee the worthies of our own 
 times, w r e unfortunately recollect their 
 whole hiftory. The citizens of Athens 
 and Rome, who lived in the days of the 
 heroes above mentioned, very probably had 
 not the fame admiration of them that we 
 have ; and our poderity, fome eight or 
 ten centuries hence, will, it is to be hoped, 
 have a higher veneration for the great 
 men of the prefent age, than their intimate 
 acquaintance are known to have, or than 
 thofe can be fuppofed to form, who daily 
 behold them lounging in garaing-houfes* 
 All this, you perceive, is little more than 
 a commentary on the old obfervation, That 
 no man Is a hero to his Valet de Chambre. 
 The number of playhoufes in Venice is 
 very extraordinary, coniidering the fize of 
 the town, which is not thought to contain 
 above one hundred and fifty thoufand in- 
 habitants, yet there are eight or nine 
 theatres here, including the opera-houfes. 
 You pay a trifle at the door for admit- 
 tance ; this entitles you to go into the pit, 
 
 where 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 217 
 
 where you may look about, and determine 
 what part of the houfe you will fit in. 
 There are rows of chairs placed in the 
 front of the pit, next the orcheftra $ the 
 feats of thefe chairs are folded to their 
 backs, and fattened by a lock. Thofe who 
 choofe to take them, pay a little more 
 money to the door-keeper, who imme- 
 diately unlocks the feat. Very decent- 
 looking people occupy thefe chairs; but 
 the back part of the pit is filled with foot- 
 men and gondoleers, in their common 
 working clothes. The nobility, and better 
 fort of citizens, have boxes retained for 
 the year j but there are always a fufficient 
 number to be let to Grangers : the price 
 of thofe varies every night, according to 
 the feafon of the year, and the piece a£ted. 
 
 A Venetian playhoufe has a difmal 
 appearance in the eyes of people accuftom- 
 ed to the brilliancy of thofe of London. 
 Many of the boxes are fo dark, that the 
 faces of the company in them can hardly 
 
 be 
 
2iS VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 be diftinguiflied at a little diflance, even 
 when they do not wear mafks. The ftage, 
 however, is well illuminated, fo that 
 the people in the boxes can fee, perfectly 
 well, every thing that is tranfa&ed there j 
 and when they choofe to be feen them- 
 felves, they order lights into their boxes. 
 Between the acts you fometimes fee ladies 
 walking about, with their Cavalieri Ser- 
 ventes, in the back part of the pit, when 
 it is not crowded. As they are mafked, 
 they do not fcruple to reconnoitre the com- 
 pany, with their fpying-glaffes, from this 
 place : when the play begins, they return 
 to their boxes. This continual moving 
 about from box to box, and between the 
 boxes and the pit, muft create fome oon- 
 fufion, and, no doubt, is difagreeable to 
 thofe who attend merely on account of 
 the piece. There muft, however, be found 
 fome douceur in the mid ft of all this ob- 
 fcurity and confufion, which, in the opinion 
 of the majority of the audience, overba- 
 lances thefe obvious inconveniences. 
 
 6 The 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 219 
 
 The mufic of the opera here ia 
 reckoned as fine as in any town in Italy ; 
 and, at any rate, is far fuperior to the 
 praife of fo very poor a judge as I am. The 
 dramatic and poetical parts of thofe pieces 
 are little regarded : the poet is allowed to 
 indulge himfelf in as many anachronifms* 
 and other inconfiftencies, as he pleafes* 
 Provided the mufic receives the approba- 
 tion of the critic's ear, his judgment is not 
 offended with any abfurdities in the other 
 parts of the compofition. The celebrated 
 Metaftafio has difdained to avail himfelf of 
 this indulgence in his operas, which are 
 fine dramatic compofitions. He has pre- 
 ferved the alliance which ought always to 
 fubfift between fenfeand mufic. 
 
 But as for the mufic of the ferious 
 operas, it is, in general, infinitely too fine 
 for my ear to my fhame I muft confefs, that 
 it requires a confiderable effort for me to 
 fit till the end. 
 
 It 
 
220 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 It is furely happy for a man to have a 
 real fenfibility for fine mufic ; becaufe he 
 has, by that means, one fource of enjoy- 
 ment more, than thofe whofe auditory 
 nerves are lefs delicately ftrung. It is, 
 however, equally abfurd and filly to afFe£t 
 an exceffive delight in things which nature 
 has not framed us to enjoy ; yet how 
 many of our acquaintance, accufed of this 
 folly, have we feen doing painful penance 
 at the Hay-market ; and, in the midft of 
 unfuppreffable yawnings, calling out, 
 Charming ! exquifite ! braviffimo, &c. 
 
 It is amazing what pains fome people 
 take to render themfelves ridiculous ; and 
 it is a matter of real curiofity to obferve, in 
 what various fhapes the little defpicable 
 fpirit of affectation (hews itfelf among 
 mankind. 
 
 I remember a very honeft gentleman, 
 who ■underftpod little or nothing of 
 French ; but having picked up a few 
 
 phrafeSj 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, 2' 2 r 
 
 phrafes, he brought them forward on every 
 occafion, and affe&ed, among his neigh- 
 bours in the country, the mod perfect 
 knowledge, and higheft admiration, of that 
 language. When any body, in compliance 
 with his tafle, uttered a fentence in that 
 tongue, though my good friend did not 
 underftand a fyllable of it, yet he never 
 failed to nod and fmiie to the fpeaker with 
 the moft knowing air imaginable. The 
 parfon of the par ill), at a country dinner, 
 once addrefled him in thefe emphatic 
 words : Monfieur^ je trouve ce plum-pud- 
 ding extrcmement ban! which happening not 
 to be in my friend's collection of phrafes, 
 he did not comprehend. He nodded and 
 fmiled to the clergyman, however, in his 
 ufual intelligent manner ; but a perfon 
 who fat near him, being ftruck with the 
 fagacious and important tone in which the 
 obfervation had been delivered, begged of 
 my friend to explain it in Englifh : — on 
 which, after fome hefitation, he declared, 
 that the turn of the exprefiion was fo gen- 
 8 ted, 
 
<m VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 teel, and fo exquifitely adapted to the 
 French idiom, that it could not be rendered 
 into Englifh, without lofing a great deal 
 of the original beauty of the fentiment. 
 
 At the comic opera I have fometimea 
 feen adtion alone excite the higheft ap- 
 plaufe, independent of either the poetry or 
 the mufic. I faw a Duo performed by an 
 old man and a young woman, fuppofed to 
 be his daughter, in fuch humorous 
 manner, as drew an univerfal encora from 
 the fpedators. The merit of the muficai 
 part of the compofition, I was told, was 
 but very moderate, and as for the fentiment 
 you fhall judge. 
 
 The father informs his daughter, in a; 
 fong, that he has found an excellent match 
 for her 5 who, befides being rich, and very 
 prudent, and not too young, was over and 
 above a particular friend of his own, and 
 in perfon and difpofition, much fuch a 
 man as himfelf ; he concludes, by telling 
 her, that the ceremony will be performed 
 
 next 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 223 
 
 next day. She thanks him, in the gayeft 
 air poffihle, for his obliging Intentions, 
 adding, that (lie fhould have been glad to 
 have (hewn her implicit obedience to his 
 commands, provided there had been any 
 chance of the man's being to her tafte ; 
 but as, from the account he had given, 
 there could be none, fne declares fhe 
 will not marry him next day, and adds, 
 with a very long quaver, that if fhe were 
 to live to eternity fhe fhould continue of 
 the fame opinion. The father, in a violent 
 rage, tells her, that inftead of to-morrow, 
 the marriage fhould take place that very 
 day; to which fhe replies, Non: he re- 
 joins Si; fhe, Non, non; he, Si, fi; the 
 daughter, Non, non, non ; the Father, Si,- 
 fi, fi ; and fo the tinging continues for five 
 or fix minutes. You perceive there is no- 
 thing marveltoufly witty in this ; and for 
 a daughter to be of a different opinion 
 from her father, in the choice of a huf- 
 band, is not a very new dramatic incident. 
 Well, I told you the Duo was encored— 
 
 they 
 
»4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 they immediately performed it a fecomf 
 time, and with more humour than the firft. 
 The whole houfe vociferated for it again 5 
 and it was fung a third time in a manner 
 equally pleafant, and yet perfe&ly differ- 
 ent from any of the former two. 
 
 I thought the houfe would have been 
 brought down about our ears, fo extrava- 
 gant were the teftimonies of approbation. 
 
 The two a£tors were obliged to appear 
 again, and fing this Duo a fourth time ; 
 which they executed in a ftyle fo new, fo 
 natural, and fo exquifitely droll, that the 
 audience now thought there had been 
 fomething deficient in all their former per- 
 formances, and that they had hit on the . 
 true comic only this laft time. 
 
 Some people began to call for it again ; 
 but the old man, now quite exhaufted, 
 begged for mercy ; on which the point 
 was given up. I never before had any 
 idea that fuch ftrong comic powers could 
 
 have 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 22$ 
 
 have been difplayed in the finging of a 
 fong. 
 
 The dancing is an eftential p&rt of the 
 entertainment at the opera here, as well 
 as at London. There is certainly a much 
 greater proportion of mankind deaf to the 
 delights of mufic, than blind to the beau- 
 ties of fine dancing. During the finging, 
 and recitativo part of the performance, the 
 fingers are often allowed to warble for a 
 confiderable time, without any body's 
 minding them; but the moment the ballet 
 begins, private converfation, though pretty 
 univerfal before, is immediately at an end, 
 and the eyes of all the fpeftators are fixed 
 on the ftage. This, to be fure, has been 
 always the cafe in London, and, in fpite of 
 the pains fome people take to conceal it, 
 we all know the reafon ; but I own I did 
 not expert to find the fame preference q£ 
 dancing to mufic in Italy, 
 
 After feeing the dancing at the French 
 opera, and coming fo lately from Vienna, 
 Vol, L where 
 
226 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 where we had feen fome of Novere's 
 charming ballets very well executed, we 
 could have no high admiration of thofe 
 performed here, though there are at pre- 
 fent fome dancers highly efteemed, who 
 perform every night. 
 
 The Italians, I am informed, have a 
 greater relifh for agility and high jumping 
 in their dancers, than for graceful move- 
 ments. 
 
 It is extraordinary that they do not vary 
 the ballets oftener. They give the fame 
 every night during the run of the opera. 
 There is a propriety in continuing the fame 
 opera for a confiderable time ; becaufe 
 mufic is often better reliflied after it be- 
 comes a little familiar to the ear, than at 
 firft ; but a ballet might be changed, with- 
 out much difficulty, every night. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 227 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 Venice, 
 
 Ik /f ANY people are furprifed, that, in 
 XV**. a Government fo very jealous of 
 its power as that of Venice, there is no 
 military eftablifhment within the city to 
 fupport the executive power, and reprefs 
 any popular commotion. For my own 
 part, I am ftrongly of opinion, that it pro- 
 ceeds from this very jealoufy in government, 
 that there is no military garrifon here. 
 
 An arbitrary Prince is fond of a (landing 
 army, and loves to be always furrounded 
 by guards ; becaufe he, being the perma- 
 nent fountain of honours and promotion, 
 the army will naturally be much attached 
 to him, and become, on all occafions, the 
 blind inftruments of his pleafure ; but at 
 Venice ; there is novifible permanent objed, 
 
 Q^3 to 
 
22S VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 to which the army can attach itfelf. The 
 Doge would not be allowed the command 
 of the garrifon, if there was one. The 
 three State Inqulfitors are continually 
 changing ; and before one fet could gain 
 the affe&ions of the foldiers, another would 
 bechofen; fo that Government could not 
 be fupported, but much more probably 
 would be overturned, by a numerous gar- 
 rifon being eftablifhed in Venice ; for it 
 might perhaps not be difficult for a few of 
 the rich and powerful nobles to corrupt the 
 garrifon, and gain over the commander to 
 any ambitious plan of their own, for the 
 deftrudion of the conftitution. 
 
 But although there is no formal garrifon 
 in a military uniform, yet there is a real 
 effe&ive force fufficient to fupprefs any 
 popular commotion, at the command of 
 the Senate, and Council of Ten. This 
 force, befides the Sbirri, confifts of a great 
 number of flout fellows, who, without any 
 diftinguifhing drefs, are kept in the pay of 
 
 Government, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 229 
 
 Government, and are at the command of 
 that Council. There is alfo the whole 
 body of the gondoleers, the molt hardy 
 and daring of the commonVenetians. This 
 body of men are greatly attached to the 
 nobility, from whom they have moft of 
 their employment, and with whom they 
 acquire a certain degree of familiarity, by 
 paffing great part of their time, fhut up in 
 boats, in their company, and by being 
 privy to many of their love intrigues. 
 Great numbers of thefe gondoleers are in 
 the fervice of particular nobles ; and there 
 is no doubt, that, in cafe of any popular 
 infurre£tion, the whole would take the 
 fide of the nobility and Senate, againft the 
 people. In fhort, they may be confidered 
 as a kind of ftanding militia, ready to rife 
 as foon as the Government requires their 
 fervices. 
 
 Laftly, there is the Grand Council itfelf, 
 w r hich, in cafe of any violent commotion, 
 of the citizens and populace, could be 
 
 Q 7 armed 
 
230 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 armed dire&ly, from the fmall arfenal 
 within the Ducal palace, and would prove 
 a very formidable force againft an unarmed 
 multitude; for the laws of Venice forbid, 
 under pain of death, any citizen to carry 
 fire-arms ; a law which is very exactly exe- 
 cuted by the State Inquifitors. 
 
 By thofe means the executive power of 
 Government is as irrefiftible at Venice, as 
 at Peterfburgh or Conftantinople, while 
 there is a far lefs chance of the Govern- 
 ment itfelf being overthrown here by the 
 inftruments of its own power ; for, 
 although a regular army, or garrifon, might 
 be corrupted by the addrefs of an am- 
 bitious Doge, or by a combination of a 
 few rich and popular nobles, in which 
 cafe a revolution would take place at once ; 
 it is almoft impoffible to conceive, that 
 all the different powers above mentioned 
 could be engaged to a£t in favour of one 
 man, or a fmall combination of men, with- 
 out being deteded by the vigilance of the 
 
 Inquifitors, 
 
$1 ANNERS IN ITALY. 231 
 
 Inquifitors, or the jealoufy of thofe who 
 were not in the confpiracy. And if we 
 fuppofe a majority of the nobles inclinable 
 to any change in the form of the Govern* 
 ment, they have no occafion to carry on a 
 fecret plot ; they may come to the Council 
 Chamber, and didtate whatever alterations 
 they think proper. 
 
232 VIEW OF SOCIETY A^ND 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 HERE is unqueftionably much re- 
 
 difplayed in the formation of the political 
 conftitution of Venice ; but I fhould admire 
 it much more, if the Council of Ten, and 
 State Inquifitors, had never formed any 
 part of it. Their inftitution, in my opinion^ 
 deflroys the eifed of all the reft. Like 
 thofe mifers who adually ftarve themfelves, 
 by endeavouring to avoid the inconvc- 
 niencies of poverty, the Venetians, ia 
 whatever manner it is brought about, 
 adually fupport a defpotic tribunal, under 
 the pretext of keeping out deipotifm. Ia 
 fome refpeds this fyftem is worfe than the 
 fixed and permanent tyranny of one 
 perfon; for that perfon's charader and 
 maxims would be known, and, by endea- 
 vouring to conform themfelves to his way 
 
 fledion, and great depth of thought, 
 
 of 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, 233 
 
 of thinking, people might have fome 
 chance of living unmolefled ; but accord- 
 ing to this plan, they have a free-thinker 
 for their tyrant to-day, and a bigot to- 
 morrow. One year a fet of Inquifitors, 
 who confider certain parts of conduit as 
 innocent, which, in the fight of their fuc- 
 ceffors, may appear State crimes ; men do 
 not know what they have to depend upon. 
 An univerfal jealoufy muft prevail, and 
 precautions will be ufed to avoid the fuf- 
 picions of Government, unknown in any 
 other country. Accordingly we find, that 
 the noble Venetians are afraid of having 
 any intercourfe with foreign ambafladors, or 
 with foreigners of any kind ; they are even 
 cautious of vifiting at each other's houfes, 
 and hardly ever have meetings together, 
 except at the courts, or on the Broglio. 
 The boafted fecrecy of their public councils 
 proceeds, in all probability, from the fame 
 principle of fear. If all converfation on pub- 
 lic affairs were forbid, under pain of death, 
 and if the members of the Britifli Parlia- 
 ment 
 
234 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 ment were liable to be feized in the night- 
 time by general warrants, and hanged at 
 Tyburn, or drowned in the Thames, at 
 the pleafure of the Secretaries of State, I 
 dare fwear the world would know as little 
 of what paffes in either Houfe of Parlia- 
 ment, as they do of what is tranfa&ed in 
 the Senate of Venice. 
 
 It is not fafe for a noble Venetian to 
 acquire, in a high degree, the love and 
 confidence of the common people. This ex- 
 cites the jealoufy of the Inquifitors, and 
 proves a pretty certain means of excluding 
 him from any of the high offices. A Go- 
 vernment which difplays fo much diftruft 
 and fufpicion where there is little or no 
 ground, will not fail to fhew marks of the 
 fame difpofition where, in the general 
 opinion, there is fome reafon to be circum- 
 fped. Ecclefiaftics, of every denomination, 
 are excluded, by the conftitution of Venice, 
 from a place in the Senate s or holding any 
 civil office whatever j nor is it permitted 
 
 them, 
 
• MANNERS IN ITALY. 235 
 
 them, dire£tly or indire&ly, to intermeddle 
 in State affairs. In many inftances, they arc 
 deprived of that kind of influence which, 
 even in Proteflant countries, is allowed to 
 the clergy. The Patriarch of Venice has 
 not the difpofal of the offices belonging to 
 St. Mark's church : all the Deans are 
 named by the Doge and Senate. 
 
 Though it is forbid to the nobility, and 
 to the clergy, to hold any converfation with 
 firangers upon politics, or affairs of State; 
 yet it is remarked, the gondoleers are 
 exceeding ready to talk upon thefe, or any 
 other fubjefts, with all who give them 
 the fmalleft encouragement. Thofe who 
 are not in the immediate fervice of any 
 particular nobleman, are often retained by 
 Government, like the Valets de-place at 
 Paris, as fpies upon flrangers. It is faid, 
 that while thofe fellows row their gon- 
 dolas, in feeming inattention to the conver- 
 fation, they are taking notice of every 
 thing which is faid, that they may report 
 
 it 
 
236 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 it to their employers, when they imagine 
 it any way concerns the Government. If 
 this is true, thofe are to be pitied who are 
 obliged to liflen to all the fluff that fuch 
 politicians may be fuppofed to relate. As 
 foon as a ftranger arrives, the gondoleers 
 who brought him to Venice immediately 
 repair to a certain office, and give infor- 
 mation where they took him up, to what 
 houfe they conduced him, and of any 
 other particulars they may have picked up. 
 All thofe precautions recalled to my me- 
 mory the garrifon of Darmftadt, of which 
 I gave you an account in a letter from 
 that place, where the ftri&eft duty is kept 
 up by day and night, in winter as well as 
 fummer, and every precaution ufed, as if 
 an enemy were at the gates; though no 
 mortal has the fmallefl defign againft the 
 place, and though it is perfectly under- 
 ftood by all the inhabitants, that if an 
 army was in reality to come with hoftile 
 intentions, the town could not hold out a 
 week. In the fame manner, I cannot help 
 
 thinking, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 137 
 
 thinking, that all this jealoufy and diftruft, 
 thofe numerous engines fet a going, and 
 all this complicated fyftem for the difcovery 
 of plots, and the defence of the conftitution 
 of this republic, ferves only to harafs 
 their own fubje&s. Their conftitution is 
 certainly in no fuch danger as to require 
 fuch an apparatus of machines to defend 
 it, unlefs, indeed, the Emperor were to 
 form a plot againft it ; and, in that cafe, 
 it is much to be feared, that the fpies, gon- 
 doleers, lions mouths, and State Inquifitors, 
 would hardly prevent its fuccefs. 
 
 Exclufive of this State Inquifition, my 
 abhorrence to which, I perceive, leads me 
 fometimes away from my purpofe, all 
 ranks of people here might be exceeding 
 happy. The bufinefs of the various 
 courts, and the great number of offices in 
 the State, form a conftant employment for 
 the nobles, and furnifh them with proper 
 obje&s to excite induftry and ambition. The 
 citizens form a refpedable body in the 
 
 State ; 
 
238 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 State ; and, though theyare excluded from 
 the Senate, they may hold fome very 
 lucrative and important offices. By apply- 
 ing to the arts and fciences, which are 
 encouraged at Venice, they have a fair 
 chance of living agreeably, and laying up 
 a competency for their families. Private 
 property is no where better fecured than at 
 Venice; and notwithftanding fhe no longer 
 enjoys the trade of Afia without com- 
 petitors, yet her commerce is ftill confider- 
 able, and many individuals acquire great 
 wealth by trade. The manufactories efta- 
 blifhed here employ all the induflrious poor, 
 and prevent that fqualid beggary, that 
 pilfering and robbery, one or other, or all 
 of which, prevail in moft other countries 
 of Europe. 
 
 Their fubje&s on the Terra Firma, I am 
 informed, are not at all opprefled ; the 
 Senate has found that mild treatment, and 
 good ufage, are the beft policy, and more 
 effe&ual than armies, in preventing revolts. 
 
 I The 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 239 
 
 The Podeftas, therefore, are not allowed 
 to abufe their power, by treating the 
 people with feverity or injuftice. Thofe 
 Governors know, that any complaints pro- 
 duced againft them, will be fcrutinized by 
 the Senate very carefully. This prevents 
 many abufes of power on their part, and 
 makes the neighbouring provinces which 
 formerly belonged to this State, regret the 
 chance of war which ravifhed them from 
 the equitable government of their ancient 
 matters* 
 
240 
 
 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XXL 
 
 Venice, 
 
 /TpHOUGH the Venetian Government 
 is ftill under the influence of jea- 
 loufy, that gloomy Daemon is now entirely 
 banifhed from the bofoms of individuals. 
 Inflead of the confinement in which wo- 
 men vvere formerly kept at Venice, they 
 now enjoy a degree of freedom unknown 
 even at Paris. Of the two extremes, the 
 prefent, without doubt, is the preferable. 
 
 The hulbands feem at laft convinced* 
 that the chaftity of their wives is fafeft 
 under their own guardianfhip, and that 
 when a woman thinks her honour not 
 worth her own regard, it is ftill more 
 unworthy of his. This advantage, with 
 many others, muft arife from the prefent 
 fyftem ; that when a hulband behaves that 
 his wife has faithfully adhered to her con- 
 4 jugal 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 241 
 
 jugal engagement, he has the additional 
 fatisfa&ion of knowing, that fhe a£ts from, 
 a love to him, or fome honourable motive ; 
 whereas, formerly, a Venetian hufband 
 could not be certain that he was not obli- 
 ged, for his wife's chaftity, to iron bars, 
 bolts, and padlocks. 
 
 Could any man imagine, that a woman, 
 whofe chaftity was preferved by fuch mfeans 
 only, was, in fad, more refpedable than 
 a common proftitute? The old plan of 
 diftruft and confinement, without even fe- 
 curing what was its obje£t, muft have had 
 a ftrong tendency to debafe the minds of 
 both the hufband and the wife ; for what 
 man, whofe mind was not perfectly abje£t, 
 could have pleafure in the fociety of a wife, 
 who, to his own convi£lion, languifhed to 
 be in the arms of another man? Of all 
 the humble employments that ever the 
 wretched fons of Adam fubgiitted to, furely 
 that of watching a wife from morning to 
 night, and all night too, is the moft per- 
 
 Vol. I. R fedly 
 
24* VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 fc&ly humiliating. Such ungenerous dif- 
 truft muft alfo have had the worft efFed on 
 the minds of the women ; made them 
 view their gaolers with difguft and horror; 
 and we ought not to be much furprifed 
 if fome preferred the common gondoleers 
 of the lakes, and the vagrants of the 
 ftreets, to fuch hufbands. Along with 
 jealoufy, poifon and the Jliletto have been ba- 
 nifhed from Venetian gallantry, and the 
 innocent mafk is fubftituted in their places. 
 According to the beft information I have 
 received, this fame malk is a much more 
 innocent matter than is generally imagined. 
 In general it is not intended to conceal 
 the perfon who wears it f but only ufed as 
 an apology for his not being in full drefs. 
 With a mafk ftuck in the hat, and a kind 
 of black mantle, trimmed with lace of the 
 fame colour* over the fhoulders, a man is 
 fufficiently drefled for any aflembly at 
 Venice. 
 
 Thofe who walk the ftreets, or go to 
 the playhoufes with niafks aftually cover- 
 
 5 kg 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 243 
 
 ing their faces, are either engaged in fome 
 love intrigue, or would have the fpe&ators 
 think fo; for this is a piece of affe&ation 
 which prevails here, as well as el fe where J 
 and I have been allured, by thofe who 
 have refided many years at Venice, that 
 refined gentlemen, who are fond of the 
 reputation, though they fhrink from the 
 cataftrophe, of an intrigue, are no un- 
 common characters here ; and I believe it 
 the more readily* becaufe I daily fee many 
 feeble gentlemen tottering about in malks* 
 for whom a bafon of warm reftorative 
 foup feems more expedient than the moft 
 beautiful woman in Venice. 
 
 One evening at St* Mark's Place, when 
 a gentleman of my acquaintance was 
 giving an account of this curious piece 
 of afFe&ation, he defired me to take notice 
 of a Venetian nobleman of his acquaint- 
 ance, who, with an air of myftery, was 
 conduding a female mafk into his Caffino, 
 My acquaintance knew him perfectly well, 
 
 R % and 
 
244 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 and a flu red me, he was the mofi innocent 
 creature with women he had ever been 
 acquainted with. When this gallant perfon 
 perceived that we were looking at him, 
 his malk fell to the ground, as if by acci- 
 dent ; and after we had got a complete 
 view of his countenance, he put it on with 
 much hurry, and immediately ruihed, with 
 his partner, into the Caffino, 
 
 Fugit ad falices, fed fe cupit antevideri. 
 
 You have heard, no doubt, of thofe little 
 apartments, near St. Mark's Place, called 
 Caffinos. They have the misfortune to 
 labour under a very bad reputation ; they 
 are accufed of being temples entirely con- 
 fecrated to lawlefs love, and a thoufand 
 fcandalous tales are told to ftrangers concern- 
 ing them. Thofe tales are certainly not be- 
 lieved by theVenetians themfelves, the proof 
 of which is, that the Caffinos are allowed 
 to exift; for I hold it perfe&ly abfurd to 
 imagine, that men would fuffer their wives 
 to enter fuch places, if they were not con- 
 
 6 vinceci 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 245 
 
 Vinced that thofe ftories were ill-founded ; 
 -nor can I believe, after all we have heard 
 of the profligacy of Venetian manners, 
 that women, even of indifferent reputa- 
 tions, would attend Caflinos in the open 
 manner they do, if it were underftood that 
 jnore liberties were taken with them there 
 than elfewhere. 
 
 The opening before St. Mark's church 
 is the only place in Venice where a great 
 number of people cap a (Tenable. It is the 
 fafhion to walk here a gre,at part of the 
 evening, to enjoy the mufic, and other 
 amufements ; and although there are coffee- 
 houfes, and Venetian manners permit 
 ladies, as well as gentlemen, to frequent 
 them, yet it was natural for the noble and 
 molt wealthy to prefer little apartments 
 of their own, where, without being ex- 
 pofed to intrufion, they may entertain a 
 few friends in a more eafy and unceremo- 
 nious manner than they could do at their 
 palaces. Inftead of going home to a 
 R 3 formal 
 
* 4 6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 formal fupper, and returning afterwards t* 
 this place of amufement, they order coffee, 
 lemonade, fruit, and other refrefhments, to 
 the Caffino. 
 
 That thofe little apartments may be 
 occafionally ufed. for the purpofes of in- 
 trigue, is not improbable ; but that this 
 is the ordinary and avowed purpofe for 
 which they are frequented \s% of all things* 
 the leaft credible. 
 
 Some writers who have defcribed the 
 manners of the Venetians, as more pro- 
 fligate than thofe of other nations* 
 aflert at the fame time* that the Go- 
 vernment encourages this profligacy, to 
 rela* and diflipate the minds of the people, 
 and prevent their planning, or attempting! 
 any thing againft the conftitution. Were 
 this the cafe, it could not be deniedj that 
 the Venetian Jegiflators difplay their 
 patriotifm in a very extraordinary manner* 
 and have fallen upon as extraordinary 
 means of rendering their people good fub- 
 jedt§. They fijft ere£t a defpotig court to 
 
 guar4 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. a 47 
 
 guard the public liberty, and next they 
 corrupt the morals of the people, to keep 
 them from plotting againft the State. This 
 laft piece of refinement, however, is no 
 more than a conje&ure of fome theoretical 
 politicians, who are apt to take fads for 
 granted, without fufficient proof, and af- 
 terwards difplay their ingenuity in ac- 
 counting for them. That the Venetians 
 are more given to fenfual pleafures than 
 the inhabitants of London, Paris, or 
 Berlin, I imagine will be difficult to prove ; 
 but as the State Inquifitors do not think 
 proper, and the ecclefiaftical are not allow- 
 ed, to interfere in affairs of gallantry ; as 
 a great number of flrangers aflemble twice 
 or thrice a year at Venice, merely for the 
 fake of amufement ; and, above all, as it 
 is the cuftom to go about in mafks, an 
 idea prevails, that the manners are more 
 licentious here than elfewhere. I have 
 had occafion to obferve, that this cuftom of 
 wearing a mafk, by conveying the ideas of 
 concealment aad intrigue, has contributed 
 
 Jl 4 greatly 
 
24 3 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 greatly to give fbme people an impreffion. 
 of Venetian profligacy. But, for my qwa 
 part, it is not a piece of white or black 
 paper, with diftorted features, that I fuf- 
 pe£t ; , having often found the mod complete 
 worthleffnefs concealed under a frnqotti 
 fmiling piece of human fkin. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 LETTER XXII. 
 
 Venice. 
 
 I AM very fenfible, that it requires a 
 longer refidence at Venice, and better 
 opportunities than I have had, to enable 
 me to give a character of the Venetians* 
 But were I to form an idea of them from 
 what I have feen, I fhould paint them as 
 a lively ingenious people, extravagantly 
 fond of public amufements, with an un- 
 common relifh for humour, and yet more 
 attached to the real enjoyments of life, 
 than to thofe which depend on oftentation, 
 and proceed from vanity. 
 
 The common people of Venice difplay 
 fome qualities very rarely to be found in 
 that fphere of life, being remarkably fober, 
 obliging to ftrangers, and gentle in their 
 intercourfe with each other. The Vene- 
 tians in general are tall and well made. 
 
 Though 
 
2 5 & VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Though equally robuft, they are not fo 
 corpulent as the Germans. The latter 
 alfo are of fair complexions, with light- 
 grey or blue eyes } whereas the Venetians 
 are for the moft part of a ruddy brown 
 colour, with dark eyes. You meet in the 
 ftreets of Venice many fine manly coun- 
 tenances, refembling thofe tranfmitted to 
 us by the pencils of Paul Veronefe and 
 Titian. The women are of a fine ftile of 
 countenance, with expreffive features, and 
 a fkin of a rich carnation. They drefs 
 their hair in a fanciful manner, which be- 
 comes them very much. They are of an 
 eafy addrefs, and have no averfion to cul- 
 tivating an acquaintance with thofe ftran- 
 gers, who are prefented to them by their 
 relations, or have been properly recom- 
 mended. 
 
 Strangers are under lefs reftraint here, 
 in many particulars, than the native in- 
 habitants. I have known fome, who, a£- 
 ter having tried moft of the capitals of 
 
 Europe* 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 251 
 
 Europe, have preferred to live at Venice, 
 on account of the variety of amufements, 
 the gentle manners of the inhabitants, 
 and the perfed freedom allowed in every- 
 thing, except in blaming the meafures of 
 Government. I have already mentioned 
 in what manner the Venetians are in dan- 
 ger of being treated who give themfelves 
 that liberty. When a ftranger is fo im- 
 prudent as to declaim againft the form or 
 the meafures of Government, he will 
 either receive a meflage to leave the ter- 
 ritories of the State, or one of the Sbirri 
 will be fent to accompany him to the 
 Pope's or the Emperor's dominions. 
 
 The houfes are thought inconvenient by 
 many of the Englifh ; they are better cal- 
 culated, however, for the climate of Italy, 
 than if they were built according to the 
 Londop model, which, I fuppofe, is the 
 plan thofe critics approve. The floors 
 fire of a kind of red plaifter, with a bril- 
 liant glofly furface, much more beautiful 
 
 that* 
 
z S 2 VIEW OF SOCIETY A*ND 
 
 than wood, and far preferable in cafe of 
 fire, whofe progrefs they are calculated to 
 check. 
 
 The principal apartments are on the fe- 
 cond floor. The Venetians feldom inhabit 
 the firft, which is often intirely filled with 
 lumber : perhaps, they prefer the fecond, 
 becaufe it is fartheft removed from the 
 moifture of the lakes ; or perhaps thpy pre- 
 fer it, becaufe it is better lighted, and 
 more cheerful ; or they may have fome 
 better reafon for this preference than I am 
 acquainted with, or can imagine. Though 
 the inhabitants of Great Britain make ufe 
 of the firft floors for their chief apart- 
 ments, this does not form a complete de- 
 monftration that the Venetians are in the 
 wrong for preferring the fecond. When 
 an acute fenfible people univerfally follow 
 one cuftom, in a mere matter of conveni- 
 cncy, however abfurd that cuftom may 
 appear in the eyes of a ftranger at firft 
 fight, it will generally be found, that 
 
 there 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 253 
 
 there is fome real advantage in it, which 
 compenfates all the apparent inconveni- 
 encies. Of this travellers, who do not 
 hurry with too much rapidity through the 
 countries they vifit, are very fenfible : for, 
 after having had time to weigh every cir- 
 cumftance, they often fee reafon to ap- 
 prove what they had formerly condemned* 
 I could illuftrate this by many examples ; 
 but your own recolle&ion muft furnifh you 
 with fo many, that any more would be 
 fuperfiuous. Cuftom and fafhion have the 
 greatefl influence on our tafte of beauty or 
 excellence of every kind. What, from a 
 variety of caufes, has become the ftandard 
 in one country, is feme times juft the 
 contrary in another. The fame thing that 
 makes a low-brimmed hat appear genteel 
 at one time, and ridiculous at another, has 
 made a different fpecies of verification be 
 accounted the model of perfection in old 
 Rome and modern Italy, at Paris, or at 
 London. In matters of tafte, particularly 
 in dramatic poetry, the prejudices which 
 
 each 
 
254 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 each particular nation acquires in favotif 
 of its own is difficult to be removed. Peo- 
 ple feldom obtain fuch a perfeft know- 
 lege of a foreign language and foreign 
 manners, as to underftand all the niceties 
 of the one and the allufions to the other : 
 of confequence, many things are infipid 
 to them, for which a native may have a 
 high relilh. 
 
 The dialogues in rhime of the French 
 plays appear unnatural and abfurd to Eng- 
 lifhmen when they firft attend the French 
 theatre ; yet thofe who have remained 
 long in France, and acquired a more per-* 
 fed: knowledge of the language, affure us, 
 that without rhime the dignity of the 
 Tragic Mufe cannot be fupported ; and 
 that, even in Comedy, they produce an 
 additional elegance, which overbalances 
 every obje&ion. The French language 
 being more ftudied and better underftood 
 by the Englifli than our language is by 
 the French nation, we find many of our 
 
 country* 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 25s 
 
 countrymen who relifh the beauties, and 
 pay the juft tribute of admiration to the 
 genius of Corneille, while there is fcarcely 
 a fingle Frenchman to be found who has 
 any idea of the merit of Shakefpeare. 
 
 Without being juftly accufed of par- 
 tiality, I may aflert that, in this inftance, 
 the Englifh difplay a fairnefs and liberality 
 of fentiment fuperior to the French. The 
 irregularities of Shakefpeare's drama are 
 obvious to every eye, and would, in the 
 prefent age, be avoided by a poet not 
 pofleffed of a hundredth part of his genius. 
 Hi's peculiar beauties, on the other hand, 
 are of an excellence which has not, per- 
 haps, been attained by any poet of any 
 age or country ; yet the French critics, 
 from Voltaire down to the pooreft fcribbler 
 in the literary journals, all flop at the 
 former, declaim on the barbarous tafte of 
 the Englifh nation, infift on the grotefque 
 abfurdity of the poet's imagination, and 
 illuftrate both by partial extra&s of the 
 
25 6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AKD 
 
 moft exceptionable fcenes of Shakefpeare's 
 plays. 
 
 When a whole people, with that degree 
 of judgment which even the enemies of 
 the Britifh nation allow them to have, unite 
 in the higheft admiration of one man, and 
 continue, for ages, to behold his pieces 
 with unfated delight, it might occur to 
 thofe Frenchmen, that there poflibly was 
 fome excellence in the works of this poet, 
 though they could not fee it ; and a very 
 moderate fhare of candour might have 
 taught them, that it would be more be- 
 coming to fpare their ridicule, till they 
 acquired a little more knowledge of the 
 author againft whom it is pointed. 
 
 An incident which occurred fince my 
 arrival at Venice, though founded on a 
 prejudice much more excufable than the 
 conduct of the critics above mentioned, has 
 brought home to my conviction the rafh- 
 nefs of thofe who form opinions, without 
 
 the 
 
Manners in italy. 25? 
 
 the knowledge requifite to dlred their 
 judgment. 
 
 I had got, I don't know how, the mo ft 
 contemptuous opinion of the Italian drama* 
 I had been told, there was not a tolerable 
 a&or at prefent in Italy, and I had been 
 long taught to confider their comedy as 
 the moft dcTpicable fluff in the world, 
 which could not amufe, or even draw a 
 fmile from any perfon of tafle, being quite 
 deftitute of true humour, full of ribaldry, 
 and only proper for the meaneft of the 
 vulgar. Imprefled with thefe fentiments, 
 and eager to give his Grace a full demon- 
 fixation of their juftnefs, I accompanied the 
 
 D — of H to the ftage-box of one of 
 
 the playhoufes the very day of our arrival 
 at Venice. 
 
 The piece was a comedy, and the moft 
 entertaining chara&er in it was that of a 
 man who fluttered. In this defedt, and in 
 the Angular grimaces with which the ador 
 
 Vol. I. S accompanied 
 
2 5 8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 accompanied it, confifted a great part of the 
 amufement. 
 
 Difgufted at fuch a pitiful fubftitutioa 
 for wit and humour, I expreffed a con- 
 tempt for an audience which could be 
 entertained by fuch buffoonery, and who 
 could take pleafure in the exhibition of a 
 natural infirmity. 
 
 While we inwardly indulged fentiments 
 of felf-approbation, on account of the re- 
 finement and fuperiority of our own tafte, 
 and fupported the dignity of thofe fenti- 
 ments by a difdainful gravity of counte- 
 nance, the Stutterer was giving a piece of 
 information to Harlequin which greatly 
 interefted him, and to which he liftened 
 with every mark of eagernefs. This 
 unfortunate fpeaker had juft arrived at 
 the mod important part of his narrative, 
 which was, to acquaint the impatient 
 liftener where his miftrefs was concealed, 
 when he unluckily ftumbled on a word of 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 259 
 
 fix or feven fyllahles, which completely 
 obftruded the progrefs of his narration. 
 He attempted it again and again, but 
 always without fuccefs. You may have 
 obferved that, though many other words 
 Would explain his meaning equally well, 
 you may as foon make a Saint change his 
 religion,^ as prevail on a Stutterer to accept 
 of another word in place of that at which 
 he has (tumbled. He adheres to his firft 
 word to the lafl, and will fooner expire 
 with it in his throat, than give it up for 
 any other you may offer. Harlequin, on 
 the prefent occafion, prefented his friend 
 with a dozen j but he rejeded them all 
 with difdain, and perfifled in his unfuccefs- 
 ful attempts on that which had firft come 
 in his way. At length, making a def- 
 perate effort, when all the fpedators were 
 gaping in expedation of his fafe delivery, 
 the cruel word came up w r ith its broad 
 fide foremoft, and fluck diredly acrofs 
 the unhappy man's wind-pipe. He gaped, 
 and panted, and croaked j his face flufhed, 
 S 2 and 
 
%t6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 and his eyes feemed ready to ftart front 
 his head. Harlequin unbuttoned the Stut- 
 terer's waiftcoat, and the neck of his fhirt ; 
 he fanned his face with his cap, and held 
 a bottle of hartfhorn to his nofe. At 
 length, fearing his patient would expire* 
 before he could give the defired intelli- 
 gence, in a fit of defpair he pitched his 
 head full in the dying man's ftomach, and 
 the word bolted out of his mouth to the 
 mope diftant part of the houfe. 
 
 This was performed in a manner fo 
 perfectly droll, and the humorous abfur- 
 dity of the expedient came fo unexpe&ediy 
 upon me, that I immediately burft into a 
 moll exceffive fit of laughter, in which I 
 was accompanied by the D — , and by your 
 young friend Jack, who was along with 
 us; and our laughter continued in fuch 
 loud, violent, and repeated fits, that the 
 attention of the audience being turned from 
 the fiage to our box, occasioned a renewal 
 of the mirth all over the playhoufe with 
 greater vociferation than at fir ft. 
 
 When 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 261 
 
 When we returned to the inn, the D — 
 
 of H a Iked me, If I were as much 
 
 convinced as ever, that a man muft be 
 perfectly devoid of taiie, who could con- 
 defcend to laugh at an Italian comedy ? 
 
262 
 
 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XXIII. 
 
 Padua* 
 
 E were detained at Venice feveral 
 
 * ▼ days longer than we intended, by 
 exceffive falls of rain, which rendered 
 the road to Verona impaffabie. Relinquish- 
 ing, therefore, the thoughts of vifuing that 
 city for the prefent, the B- — determined 
 to go to Ferrara by water. For this purpofe 
 I engaged two barks ; in one of which the 
 chaifes, baggage, and fome of the fervants* 
 proceeded dire&ly to Ferrara, while we em- 
 barked in the other for Padua. 
 
 Having crofled the Lagune, we entered 
 the Brenta, but could continue our route 
 by that river no farther than the village of 
 Doglio, where there is a bridge j but the 
 waters were fo much fwelled by the late 
 rains, that there was not room for our 
 boat to pafs below the arch. Quitting 
 
 the 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 263 
 
 the boat, therefore, till our return, we 
 hired two open chaifes, and continued our 
 journey along the banks of the Brenta to 
 Padua. 
 
 Both fides of this river difplay gay, 
 luxuriant fcenes of magnificence and fer- 
 tility, being ornamented by a great variety 
 of beautiful villas, the works of Palladio 
 and his difciples. The verdure of the 
 meadows and gardens here is not furpaffed 
 by that of England. 
 
 The Venetian nobility, I am told, live 
 with lefs reftraint, and entertain their 
 friends with greater freedom, at their villas, 
 than at their palaces in town. It is natural 
 to fuppofe, that a Venetian muft feel 
 peculiar fatisfa&ion when his affairs per- 
 mit him to enjoy the exhilarating view of 
 green fields, and to breathe the free air of 
 the country, 
 
 As one who long in populous city pent, 
 Where houfes thick, and lewers, annoy the air, 
 S 4 Forth 
 
264 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Forth iffuing on a fqmmer's morn, to breathe 
 Among the pleafant villages and farms 
 Adjoin'd, from each thing met conceives delight. 
 The fmell of grain, or tedded grafs, or kine, 
 Or dairy ; each rural fight, each rural found. 
 
 I confefs, for my own part, I never felt 
 the beauty of thofe lines of Milton with 
 greater fenfibiiity, than when I paffed 
 through the charming country which is 
 watered by the Brenta, after having been 
 pent up in the terraqueous town of Venice. 
 As one reafon which induced his Grace to 
 vifit Padua at this time was, that he might; 
 pay his duty to his R — H— the D— 
 c f — , we waited on that prince 
 as foon as we had his permiffion. His 
 
 R — K - has been here for fome time 
 
 with his D~ fs. He was very ill at 
 
 Venice, and has been advifed to remove to 
 this place for the benefit of the aii\ It is 
 with much fatisfa&ion I add, that he is 
 now out of danger, a piece of intelligence 
 with which you will have it in your power 
 
 to 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 265 
 
 to give pleafure to many people in 
 England. 
 
 No city in the world has lefs affinity 
 with the country than Venice, and few can 
 have more than Padua ; for great part of 
 the circuit within the walls is unbuilt, 
 and the town in general fo thinly in- 
 habited, that grafs is feen in many 
 places in the interfaces of the ftones with 
 which the ftreets are paved. The houfes 
 are built on porticoes, which, when the 
 town was well inhabited, and in a flourifh- 
 ing condition, may have had a magnifi- 
 cent appearance ; but, in its prefent ftate, 
 they rather give it a greater air of melan- 
 choly and of gloom. 
 
 The Francifcan church, dedicated to St. 
 Antonio, the great patron of this city, 
 was the place we were firft led to by the 
 Cicerone of our inn. The body of this 
 holy perfon is inclofed in a farcophagus, 
 under an altar in the middle of the chapel, 
 guid is faid to emit a very agreeable and 
 
 refreshing 
 
266 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 refrefhing flavour. Pious Catholics believe 
 this to be the natural effluvia of the faint's 
 body; while Heretics affert, that the 
 perfume (for a perfume there certainly is) 
 proceeds from certain balfams rubbed on 
 the marble every morning, before the vo- 
 taries come to pay their devotions. I never 
 prefume to give an opinion on contefted 
 points of this kind ; but I may be allowed 
 to fay, that if this fweet odour really pro- 
 ceeds from the holy Francifcan, he emits a 
 very different fmell from any of the bre- 
 thren of that order whom I ever had an 
 opportunity of approaching* 
 
 The walls of this church are covered 
 with votive offerings of ears, eyes> arms, 
 legs, nofes, and every part almoft of the hu- 
 man body, in token of cures performed by 
 this faint ; for whatever part has been the 
 feat of the difeafe, a reprefentation of it is 
 hung up in filver or gold, according to the 
 gratitude and wealth of the patient. 
 
 At 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 2167 
 
 At a fmall diftance from this church is 
 a place called the School of St. Antonio. 
 Here many of the actions of the Saint are 
 painted in frefco ; fome of them by 
 Titian. Many miracles of a very extra- 
 ordinary nature are here recorded* I ob- 
 ferved one in particular, which, if often 
 repeated, might endanger the peace of 
 families. The Saint thought proper to 
 loofen the tongue of a new-born child, and 
 endue it with the faculty of fpeech j on 
 which the infant, with an imprudence na- 
 tural to its age, declared, in an audible 
 voice, before a large company, who was its 
 real father. The miracles attributed to 
 this celebrated Saint greatly exceed in 
 number thofe recorded by the Evangelifts 
 of our Saviour ; and although it is not 
 afferted, that St. Antonio has as yet raifed 
 himfelf from the dead, yet his admirers 
 here record things of him which are almoft 
 equivalent. When an impious Turk had 
 fecretly placed fireworks under the chapel, 
 
 with 
 
268 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 with an intention to blow it up, they 
 affirm, that St. Antonio hallooed three 
 times from his marble coffin, which terrified 
 the infidel, and difcovered the plot. This 
 miracle is the more miraculous, as the 
 Saint's tongue was cut out, and is a&ually 
 preferved in a chryftal vefifel, and fhewn as 
 a precious relic to all who have a curiofity 
 to fee it. I ftarted this as a difficulty 
 which feemed to bear a little againft the 
 authenticity of the miracle ; and the in- 
 genious perfon to whom the objection was 
 made, feemed at firft fomewhat nonplufled; 
 hut, after recollecting himfelf, he obferved, 
 that this, which at firft feemed an ob- 
 jection, was really a confirmation of the 
 fad ; for the Saint was not faid to have 
 fpoken, but only to have hallooed, which 
 a man can do without a tongue ; but if 
 his tongue had not been cut out, added he, 
 there is no reafon to doubt that the Saint 
 would have revealed the Turkifh plot in 
 plain articulate language* 
 
 From 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 269 
 
 From the Tower of the Francifcan 
 church we had a very diftindfc view of the 
 beautiful country which furrounds Padua. 
 All the obje&s, at a little diftance, feemed 
 delightful and flourifhing; but every thing 
 under our eyes indicated wretchednefs and 
 decay. 
 
2?o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 
 Padua. 
 
 THE next church, in point of rank, 
 but far fuperior in point of archi- 
 tecture, is that of St. Juftina, built from a 
 defign of Palladio, and reckoned, by fome 
 people, one of the moft elegant he ever 
 gave. St. Juftina is faid to have fuffered 
 martyrdom where the church is built, 
 which was the reafon of ere&ing it on 
 that particular fpot. It would have been 
 fortunate for the pictures in this church 
 if the Saint had fuffered on a piece of drier 
 ground, for they feem considerably injured 
 by the damps which furround the place 
 where it now ftands. There is a wide area 
 in front of the church, called the Prato 
 <klla Valle, where booths and fhops are 
 erected for all kinds of merchandife during 
 the fairs. Part of this, which is never 
 allowed to be profaned by the buyers and 
 
 fellersi 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 271 
 
 fellers, is called Campo Santo, becaufe 
 there a great number of Chriftian martyrs 
 are faid to have been put to death. 
 
 St. Juftina's church is adorned with 
 many altars, embellifhed with fculpture. 
 The pavement is remarkably rich, being 
 a kind of Mofaic work, of marble of 
 various colours. Many other precious ma- 
 terials are wrought as ornaments to this 
 church, but there is one fpecies of jewels 
 in which it abounds, more than, perhaps, 
 any church in Chriftendom ; which is, the 
 bones of martirrs. They have here a 
 whole well full, belonging to thole who 
 were executed in the Prato della Valle; and 
 what is of ftill greater value, the Bene- 
 dictines, to whom this church belongs, 
 affert, that they are alfo in poiTcffion of the 
 bodies of the two evangelifts St, Matthew 
 and St* Luke. The Francifcans belonging 
 to a convent at Venice difpute the fecond 
 of thofe two great prizes, and declare, that 
 they are pofiefied of the true body of St. 
 
 J Luke, 
 
2 7 2 VIEW Of SOCIETY AttD 
 
 Luke, this in St. Juftina's church being onty 
 an impofture. The matter was referred to 
 the Pope, who gave a decifion in favour 
 of one of the bodies; but this does not 
 prevent the proprietors of the other from 
 ftill perfifting in their original claim, fo 
 that there is no likelihood of the difpute 
 being finally determined till the day of 
 judgment. 
 
 The hall of the Town-houfe of Padua 
 is one of the largeft I ever faw. From the 
 befl: guefs I could make, after ftepping it, 
 I fhould think it about three hundred 
 Englifli feet long, by one hundred in 
 breadth ; the emblematic and aftrological 
 paintings, by Giotto, are much decayed. 
 This immenfe hall is on the fecond floor, 
 and is ornamented with the bulls andflatues 
 of Tome eminent perfons. The Cenotaph of 
 Livy, the hiftonan, who was a native of Pa- 
 dua, is ereded here. The Univerfity, for- 
 merly fo celebrated, is now, like every thing 
 elfe in this city, on the decline; the Theatre 
 7 for 
 
Manners in Italy. 273 
 
 anatomy could contain five or fix Hundred 
 iludents, but the voice of the Profeffor is 
 like that of him who crieth in the wilder- 
 nefs. The licentious fpirit of the ftudents^ 
 which formerly was carried fuch imwar*- 
 rantable lengths, and made it dangerous 
 to walk in the ftreets of this city at night, 
 is now entirely extinft : it has gradually 
 declined with the numbers of the ftudents. 
 Whether the ardour for literature, for 
 which the ftudents of this univerfity were 
 diftinguifhed, has abated in the fame pro- 
 portion, I cannot determine ; but I am 
 informed, that by far the greater num- 
 ber of the young men who now attend 
 the univerfity, are defigned for the prieft- 
 hood, and apply to the ftudy of divinity as 
 a fcience, for comprehending and preach- 
 ing the myfterious parts of which, a very 
 fmall portion of learning has been ob- 
 ferved to fucceed better, than a great deal. 
 
 There is a cloth manufactory in this 
 city; and I was told, that the inhabitants 
 Vol. I. T of 
 
274 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 of Venice, not excepting the nobles, wear 
 no other cloth than what is made here. 
 This particular manufactory, it may 
 therefore be fuppofed, fueceeds very well ; 
 but the exceffive number of beggars with 
 which this place fwarms, is a ftrong proof 
 that trade and manufactures in general 
 are by no means in a flourifhing condition. 
 In the courfe of my life I never faw fuch a 
 number of beggars at one time, as attacked 
 us at the church of St* Antonio. The D< — 
 
 of H fell into a miftake, analogous to 
 
 that of Sable in the Funeral, who complains, 
 that the more money he gave his mourners 
 to look fad, the merrier they looked. His 
 G— • gave all he had in his pocket to the 
 clamorous multitude which furrounded 
 him, on condition that they would hold 
 their tongues, and leave us ; on which they 
 became more numerous, and more voci- 
 ferous than before. Strangers who vifit 
 Padua will do well, therefore, to obferve 
 the gofpel injunction, and perform their 
 charities in fecret* 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 LETTER XXV. 
 
 The Pen 
 
 TN my letter from Padua I negle&ed to 
 4t mention her high pretentions to anti- 
 quity : lhe claims Anterior, the Trojan, as 
 her founder ; and this claim is fupported by 
 claffical authority. In the firft book of the 
 iEneid, Venus complains to Jupiter, that 
 her fon iEneas is' ftill a vagabond on the 
 feas, while Antenor has been permitted 
 to eftablifti himfelf, and build a city in 
 Italy. 
 
 Hie tamen ille urbem Patavi fedefque locavit* 
 
 Lucan alfo, in his Pharfalia, defcribing 
 the augur who read in the Ikies the events 
 of that decifive day, alludes to the fame 
 ftory of Antenor ; 
 
 Euganeo, fi vera fides memorantibus, augur 
 Colle fedens, Aponus terris ubi fumifer exit, 
 
 T 2 Atque 
 
2?6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Atque Antenorei difpergitur unda Timavi 
 Venit futnma dies, geritur res maxima dixit \ 
 Impia concurrunt Pompeii et Casfaris arma. 
 
 Some modern critics have afierted, that 
 the two poets have been guilty of a geo- 
 graphical miftake, as the river Timavus 
 empties itfelf into the Adriatic Gulph near 
 Triefte, about a hundred miles from Padua ; 
 and that the Aponus is near Padua, and 
 about the fame diftance from Timavus, 
 
 If, therefore, Antenor built a city where 
 the fiver Timavus rufhes into the fea, that 
 city muft have been fituated at a great 
 diftance from where Padua now ftands. 
 The Paduan antiquarians, therefore, accufe 
 Virgil, without fcruple, of this blunder, 
 that they may retain the Trojan Prince as 
 their anceftor. But thofe who have more 
 regard for the character of Virgil than the 
 antiquity of Padua, infift upon it, that the 
 poet was in the right, and that the city 
 which Antenor built, was upon the Banks 
 of Timavus, and exactly a hundred miles 
 
 from 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 277 
 
 from modern Padua. As for Lucan, he is 
 left in the lurch by both fides, though, in 
 my poor opinion, we may naturally fup- 
 pofe, that one of the ftreams which run 
 into Timavus was, at the time he wrote, 
 called Aponus, which vindicates the poet, 
 without weakening the relation between the 
 Paduans and Antenor? 
 
 The inhabitants of Padua themfelves 
 feem to have been a little afraid of trufting 
 their claim entirely to claffical authority; 
 for an old farcophagus having been dug 
 up in the year 1283, with an unintelligible 
 infcription upon it, this w r as declared to 
 be the tomb of Antenor, and was placed in 
 one of the ftreets, and furrounded with a 
 balluftrade ; and, to put the matter out of 
 doubts 2l Latin infcription afTures the reader, 
 that it contains the body of the renowned 
 Antenor, who, having efcaped from Troy ? 
 had drove the Euganei out of the country, 
 and built this identical city of Padua. 
 
 Though 
 
s 7 3 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Though the Paduans find that there 
 are people ill-natured enough to aflert, 
 that this farcophagus does not contain the 
 bones of the illuftrious Trojan, yet they 
 can defy the malice of thofe cavillers to 
 prove; that they belong to any other 
 perion ; upon which negative proof, joined 
 to what has been mentioned above, they 
 reft the merit of their pretenfions. 
 
 After remaining a few days at Padua, 
 we returned to the village of Doglio, where 
 we had left our veffel. We flopped, and 
 vifited fome of the villas on the banks of 
 the Brenta. The apartments are gay and 
 fpacious, and mud be delightful in fum- 
 mer ; but none of the Italian houfes feem 
 calculated for the winter, which, never- 
 thelefs, I am informed, is fometimes as 
 fevere in this country as in England. 
 
 Having embarked in our little vefTel, 
 we foon entered a canal, of about twenty- 
 two Italian miles in length, which com- 
 municates with the Po, and w T e were drawn 
 
 along, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 279 
 
 along, at a pretty good rate, by two 
 hoffes. We paffed laft night in the veflel, 
 as we fhall this ; for there is no probability 
 of our reaching Ferrara till to-morrow. 
 The banks of this famous river are beau- 
 tifully fertile. Finding that we could keep 
 up with the veflel 5 we amufed ourfelves 
 the greateft part of the day in walking. 
 The pleafure w 7 e feel on this claffical 
 ground, and the intereft we take in all the 
 obje&s around, is not altogether derived 
 from their own native beauties ; a great 
 part of it arifes from the magic colouring 
 of poetical defcription. 
 
 The accounts we have had lately of 
 the King of Pruffia's bad health, I fuppofe, 
 are not true ; or if they are, I have good 
 hopes he will recover : I found them on 
 the calm and ferene afpe£t which Eridanus 
 wears at prefent, which is not the cafe 
 when the fate of any very great perfon is 
 depending. You remember, what a rage 
 he was in, and what a tumult he raifed, 
 T 4 immediately 
 
2 8o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 immediately before the death of Julius 
 
 Caeiar. 
 
 Proluit infano contorquens vortice fylvas 
 Fluviorum Rex Eridanus, campofque per omnes^ 
 Cum ftabulis armenta tulit. 
 
 Dryden tranflates thefe lines, 
 
 Then rifmg in his might, the King of Floods 
 Rufh'd thro" the forefts, tore the lofty woods * 
 And, rolling onward, with a fweepy fway. 
 Bore houfes, herds, and labouring hinds away. 
 
 Rifing in his might is happy, but the 
 reft is not fo fimple as the original, and 
 much lefs expreffive ; there wants the infant 
 contorquens vortice fylvas. 
 
 It is not furprifing that the Po is fo 
 much celebrated by the Roman poets, fince 
 it is, unqueftionahly, the fineft river in 
 Italy.' — — 
 
 Where every dream in heavenly numbers flows. 
 
 It feems to have been the favourite rivey 
 of Virgil : 
 
 Gemina 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 281 
 
 Gemina auratus taurino cornua vultu 
 Eridanus, quo non alius per pinguia culta 
 In marepurpureum violentior influitamnis. 
 
 And Mr. Addifon, at the fight of this 
 river, is infpired with a degree of enthu- 
 fiafm, which does not always animate his 
 poetry. 
 
 Fired with a thoufand raptures, I furvey, 
 Eridanus thro' flowery meadows ftray ; 
 The King of Floods ! that, rolling o'er their 
 plains, 
 
 The towering Alps of half their moifture drains, 
 And, proudly fwoln with a whole winter's fnows, 
 Diftributes wealth and plenty where he flows. 
 
 Notwithftanding all that the Latin poets, 
 and, in imitation of them, thofe of other 
 nations, have fung of the Po, I am con- 
 vinced that no river in the world has been 
 fo well fung as the Thames. 
 
 Thou too great father of the Britifh floods ! 
 With joyful pride furvey'ft our lofty woods ; 
 Where tow'ring oaks their growing honours rear, 
 And future navies on thy fliores appear, 
 
 Not 
 
£32 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Not Neptune's felf, from all her ftreams, 
 receives 
 
 A wealthier tribute, than to thine he gives. 
 No feas fo rich, fo gay no banks appear, 
 No lake fo gentle, and no fpring fo clear ; 
 Nor Po fo fvvells the fabling poets lays, 
 While led along the fkies his current ftrays, 
 As thine, which vifus Windfor's fam'd abodes. 
 
 If you are ftill refra&ory, and ftand up 
 for the panegyrifts of the Po, I muft call 
 Denham in aid of my argument, and I 
 hope you will have the tafte and candour 
 to acknowledge, that the following are, 
 beyond comparifon, the nobleft lines that 
 ever were written on a river. 
 
 My eye defcending from the hill, furveys 
 Where Thames among the wanton vallies ftrays, 
 Thames, the moft loved of all the Ocean's fons, 
 By his old fire, to his embraces runs 
 Halting to pay his tribute to the fea, 
 Like mortal Life to meet Eternity. 
 Though with thofe ftreams he no refemblance 
 hold, 
 
 Whofe foam is amber, and their gravel gold ; 
 
 His 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 283 
 
 His genuine and lefs guilty wealth t'cxplore, 
 Search not his bottom, but furvey his fhore ; 
 O'er which he kindly fpreads his fy+aor.^ wing, 
 And hatches plenty for th' enfuing fpring; 
 Nor then deftroys it with too fond a flay, 
 Like mothers which their children over-ay. 
 Nor with a fudden and impetuous wave, 
 Like profufc kings, relumes the wealth he gav< 
 No unexpected inundations fpoil 
 The mower's hopes, nor mock the plowman's 
 toil : 
 
 But, godlike, his unweary'd bounty flows : 
 Firft loves to do, then loves the good he does. 
 Nor are his bleflings to his banks confined, 
 But free and common, as the fea or wind; 
 When he, to boaft, or to difperfe his ftores, 
 Full of the tribute of his grateful fhores, 
 Vifits the world, and in his flying towers, 
 Brings home to us, and makes both Indies ours ; 
 Finds wealth where 'tis, beftows it where it wants, 
 Cities in deierts, woods in cities plants. 
 So that, to us, no thing, no place is ftrange, 
 While his fair bofom is the world's exchange. 
 O could I flow like thee, and make thy ftream, 
 My great example, as it is my theme ! 
 Though deep, yet clear ; though gentle, yet not 
 dull ; 
 
 Strong without rage, without o'erfiowing full. 
 
 % Heaven 
 
284 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Heaven her Eridanus no more (hall boaft, 
 \Vhofe fame in thine, like leiTer current, 5 s loft. 
 
 You will fufped that I am hard pufhed 
 to make out a letter, when I fend 
 you fuch long quotations from the poets. 
 This, however, is not my only reafon. 
 While we remain on the Po, rivers na- 
 turally become the fubje& of my letter. 
 I afferted, that the Thames has been more 
 fublimely fung than the favourite river of 
 claffical authors, ^nd I wifhed to lay fome 
 of my ftrongeft proofs before you at once, 
 to fave you the trouble of turning to the 
 originals. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 285 
 
 LETTER XXVI. 
 
 Ferrara a 
 
 E arrived here early this morning* 
 
 w V The magnificent ftreets and num- 
 ber of fine buildings fhew that this has 
 formerly been a rich and flourifliing city. 
 The prefent inhabitants, however, who 
 are very few in proportion to the extent 
 of the town, bear every mark of poverty. 
 
 The happinefs of the fuhjeSs in a de- 
 spotic government depends much more on 
 the perfonal character of the fovereign, 
 than in a free flate ; and the fubjefcs of 
 little Princes, who have but a fmall ex- 
 tent of territory, are more affeded by the 
 good and bad qualities of thofe Princes, 
 than the inhabitants of great and exten- 
 five empires. I had frequent opportuni- 
 ties of making this remark in Germany, 
 where, without having feen the Prince, 
 6 . or 
 
286 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 or heard his character, one may often dif-* 
 cover his difpofitions and turn of mind, 
 from examining into the circumftances and 
 general fituation of the people. When the 
 Prince is vain and luxurious, as he con- 
 fiders himfelf equal in rank, fo he en- 
 deavours to vie in magnificence with more 
 powerful fovereigns, and thofe attempts 
 always terminate in the oppreffion and po- 
 verty of his fubjeds ; but when the Prince* 
 on the other hand, is judicious, adive* 
 and benevolent, as the narrow limits of 
 his territories make it eafy for him to be 
 acquainted with the real fituation and true 
 intereft of his fubjeds, his good qualities 
 operate more diredly and effedually for 
 their benefit, than if his dominions were 
 more extenfive, and he himfelf obliged to 
 govern by the agency of minifters. 
 
 The Duchy of Ferrara was formerly go-* 
 verned by its own Dukes, many of whom 
 happened to be of the charader laft men- 
 tioned, and the Ferrarefe was, for feveral 
 
 gene- 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. *|f 
 
 generations, one of the 15 happiell and moft 
 flouiifhing fpots in Italy. In the year 
 1597 it was annexed to the Ecclefiaftical 
 State, and has ever fince been gradually 
 falling into poverty and decay. < It muft 
 be owing to fome effential error in the 
 Government, when a town like this, fitu- 
 ated in a fertile foil, upon a navigable ri- 
 ver near the Adriatic, remains in poverty. 
 Except the change of its Sovereign, all the 
 other caufes, which I have heard affigned 
 for the poverty of Ferrara, exifted in the 
 days of its profperity. 
 
 Though the citizens of Ferrara have not 
 been able to preferve their trade and in- 
 duftry, yet they flill retain an old privi- 
 lege of wearing fwords by their fides. 
 This privilege extends to the loweft me- 
 chanies, who ftrut about with great dig- 
 nity. Fencing is the only fcience in a 
 flourifhing condition in this town, which 
 furnifhes all the towns in Italy with Ikilful 
 fencing-mafters. Ferrara was famous for- 
 merly 
 
2g8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 merly for a manufactory of fword-blades* 
 The Scotch Highlanders, who had a greater 
 demand for fwords, and were nicer in the 
 choice of their blades than any other peo- 
 ple, ufed to get them from a celebrated 
 maker in this town, of the name of An- 
 drea di Ferrara. The beft kind of broad- 
 fvvords are ftill called by the Highlanders 
 True Andrew Ferraras. 
 
 There are two brafs ftatues oppofite to 
 one of the principal churches. One is of 
 Nicholo Marquis of Efte, and the other of 
 Eorfo of Efte, the firft Duke of Ferrara, 
 whofe memory is ftill held in great venera- 
 tion in this city. I had the curiofity to go to 
 the Benedidine churchy merely to fee the 
 place where Ariofto lies buried. The de- 
 gree of importance in which men are held 
 by their cotemporaries and by pofterity, 
 is very different. This fine fanciful old 
 bard has done more honour to modern 
 Italy, than forty-nine in fifty of the Popes 
 and Princes to which fhe has given birth, 
 
 and, 
 
Manners in italy. 28$ 
 
 and while thofe, who were the gaze of the 
 multitude during their lives, are now en- 
 tirely forgotten, his fame iricreafes with 
 the progrels of time. In his lifetime, 
 perhaps, his importance, in the eyes of 
 his countrymen, arofe from the protection 
 of the family of Efte; now he gives im- 
 portance, in the eyes of all Europe, to the 
 illuftrious names of his patrons, and to 
 the country where he was born* 
 
 The Emperor, and two of his brothers, 
 lodged lately at the inn where we now are* 
 Our landlord is fo vain of this, that he 
 cannot be prevailed on to fpeak on any 
 other fubje£t ; he has ehtertained me with 
 a thoufand particulars about his illuftrious 
 guefts ; it is impoffible he fhould ever for* 
 get thofe anecdotes, for he has been con- 
 ftantly repeating them ever fince the Royal 
 Brothers left his houfe. I afked him what 
 we could have for fupper. He anfwered, 
 That we fhould fup in the very fame room 
 in which his Imperial Majefty had dined. 
 
 Vol. L U I re^ 
 
2 9 o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 I repeated my queftion ; and he replied, he 
 did not believe there were three more af- 
 fable Princes in the world. I faid, I hoped 
 fupper would be foon ready ; and he told 
 me, that the Archduke was fond of fri- 
 caffee, but the Emperor preferred a fowl 
 plain roafted. I faid, with an air of im- 
 patience, that I fhould be much obliged to 
 him if he would fend in fupper. He bow- 
 ed, and walked to the door ; but, before 
 he difappeared, he turned about and af- 
 fured me, that although his Majefty ate 
 no more than an ordinary man, yet he paid 
 like an Emperor. 
 
 To perpetuate the memory of this great 
 event, of the Emperor and his two bro- 
 thers having dined at this houfe, the land- 
 lord got an Ecclefiaftic of his acquaintance 
 to compofe the following pompous infcrip- 
 tion, which is now engraven upon a flone 
 at the door of his inn. 
 
 QUOD 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 291 
 
 QUOD 
 
 TABERNA HyEC DIVERSORIA 
 HOSPITES HABUERIT TRES FRAl'RES 
 fcONSILHS, MORIBUS, ET IN DEUM PIETATE, 
 PRtECLAROS, 
 MARINE THERES. BOHEMIA ET HUNG. 
 REGIN.E, &c. &c. 
 ET TANT^E MATRIS vIrtuti SIMILLIMOS 
 MAXIMILIANUM AUSTRLE ARCHIDUCEM, 
 CENiE ET QUIET ATIS CAUSA, 
 TERTIO CALEND: JUNII M.DCC.LXXV. 
 DIE POSTERO PRANDIUM SUMPTUROS 
 PETRUM LEOP. MAGN, HETRUC. DUCEM, 
 ET JOSEPHUM SECOND. ROM. IMPERATOREM, 
 SECULI NOSTRI ORNAMENTUM ET DECUS, 
 
 NE TEMPORIS LONGITUDO 
 HUJUSCE LOCI FE LICIT ATEM OBLITERET 
 PERENNE HOC MONUMENTUM. 
 
 No three perfons ever acquired immor- 
 tality on eafier terms : it has only coft 
 them one night's lodging at an indifferent 
 inn, when better quarters could not be 
 had. 
 
 U 2 
 
*9* VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XXVIL 
 
 Bologna* 
 
 J HEN we left Ferrara, our landlord 
 
 ^ y infifted on our taking fix horfes to 
 each chaife, on account of the badnefs of the 
 roads, the foil about the town being moift 
 and heavy. I attempted to remonftrate 
 that four would be fufficient ; but he cut 
 me fhort, by protefting, that the roads were 
 fo very deep, that he would not allow the 
 beft friend he had in the world, not even 
 the Emperor himfelf, were he there in 
 perfon, to take fewer than fix. There was 
 no more to be faid after this ; the fame 
 argument would have been irrefiftible, had 
 he infifted on our taking twelve. 
 
 As you draw near to Bologna, the country 
 gradually improves in cultivation ; and, for 
 fome miles before you enter the town, 
 feems one continued garden. The vine- 
 yards are not divided by hedges, but by 
 
 rows 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, 293 
 
 rows of elms and mulberry trees ; the vines 
 hanging in a mofl beautiful pi&urefque 
 manner, in feftoons from one tree to 
 another. This country is not only fertile 
 in vines, but likewife in corn, olives, and 
 pafturage, and has, not without founda- 
 tion, acquired the name of Bologna la 
 Grafla. 
 
 This town is well built, and populous ; 
 the number of inhabitants amounting to 
 feventy, or perhaps eighty thoufand. The 
 houfes in general have lofty porticoes, 
 which would have a better effe£t if the 
 ftreets were not fo narrow ; but in this 
 particular, magnificence is facrificed to con- 
 veniency; for, in Italy, (hade is conlidered 
 as a luxury. 
 
 The Duchy of Bologna had conditions 
 granted to it, upon fubtnitting to the Papal 
 dominion. Thofe conditions have been 
 obferved with a degree of punctuality and 
 good faith, which many zealous Pro- eftants 
 would not exped in the Church of Rome. 
 
 U 3 Bologna 
 
294 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Bologna retains the name of a republic* 
 fends an ambaflador to the Pope's court, 
 and the word Libertas is infcribed on the 
 arms and coin of the State, with the flat- 
 tering capitals S. P. B. The civil 
 government and police of the town is 
 allowed to remain in the hands of the ma- 
 giftrates, who are chofen by the Senate, 
 which formerly confided of forty mem- 
 bers ; but fince this republic came under 
 the protection, as it is called, of the Pope, 
 he thought proper to add ten more, but 
 the whole fifty ftill retain the name of the 
 Quaranta. Mankind, in general 5 are more 
 alarmed by a change of name, in things 
 which they have long regarded with ve- 
 neration, than by a real change in the 
 nature of the things themfelves. The Pope 
 may have had fome good political reafon 
 for augmenting the number of the council 
 to fifty ; but he could have none for calling 
 them the Council of Fifty, if the people 
 chofe rather to call fifty men aflembled 
 together the Council of Forty. One of 
 
 the 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 295 
 
 the Senators prefides in the Senate, and is 
 called the Gonfalonier ; from his carrying 
 the ftandard (Gonfalone) of the republic. 
 He is chief magifixate, is attended by 
 guards, and is conftantly at the palace, or 
 near it, to be ready on any emergency ; 
 but he remains only two months in office, 
 and the Senators take it by turns. 
 
 In the inidft of all this appearance of 
 independency, a Cardinal Legate from 
 Rome governs this republic : he is appoint- 
 ed by the Pope, with a Vice Legate, and 
 other affiftants. The orders which the 
 Legate iffues, are fuppofed to be with the 
 approbation of the Senate ; at leaft, they 
 are never difputed by that prudent body 
 of men. The office, which is of higher 
 dignity than any other now in the gift of 
 the Court of Rome, continues for three 
 years: at the expiration of that time, his 
 Holinefs either appoints a new Legate, or 
 confirms the old one in the office for three 
 years longer. 
 
 U 4 This 
 
296 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 This ecclefiaftical Viceroy lives in great 
 magnificence, and has a numerous fuite of 
 pages, equerries, and halberdiers, who at- 
 tend him in the city. When he goes into 
 the country, he is accompanied by guards 
 on horfeback. 
 
 The Gonfalonier and magiPa*ates regulate 
 all the uiual matters which regard the 
 police, and decide, in common caufes, 
 according to the laws and ancient forms of 
 the republic ; but there is no doubt that, 
 in affairs of great importance, and, indeed, 
 as often as he choofes to interfere, the 
 Cardinal Legate influences decifions. This 
 muftbe mortifying to the Senators and noble 
 families, but is lefs felt by the people in 
 general, who have every appearance of 
 living under a mild and beneficent Govern* 
 xneqt. 
 
 The inhabitants of Bologna carry on a 
 very confiderable trade in filks and velvets, 
 which are manufactured here in great per- 
 fection. The country produces immenfe 
 
 quantities 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 297 
 
 quantities of oil, wine, flax, and hemp; 
 and furniflies all Europe with faufages, 
 Macaroni, liqueurs, and effences. The peo- 
 ple feem to be induftrioiio, and to be al- 
 lowed to enjoy the fruits of their labour; 
 the markets are moft plentifully fupplied 
 with provifions ; fruit is to be had in great 
 variety, and all excellent in its kind ; the 
 common wine of the country is a light 
 white wine of an agreeable tafte, which 
 Grangers prefer to any of the French or 
 German wings to be had here. Thofe 
 who are not pleafed with the entertainment 
 they meet with at the inns in this city, it 
 will be a difficult matter topleafe; they 
 muft be poffefled of a degree of fuch 
 nicety, both in their palates and tempers, 
 as will render them exceedingly troublefome 
 to themfelves and others, not only in their 
 travels through Italy, but in the whole 
 courfe of their journey through life. 
 
 There are a great number of palaces in 
 this city. What is called the Public Palace, 
 7 is, 
 
29S VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 is, by far, the mod fpaclous, but not the 
 mo ft elegant. In this the Cardinal Legate 
 is lodged. There ar£ alfo apartments for 
 the Gonfalonier; and halls, or chambers, 
 for fome of the courts of juftice. This 
 building, though of a gloomy and irregu- 
 lar form without, contains fome very 
 magnificent apartments, and a few good 
 pi&ures : the mod efteemed are, a large 
 one, by Guido, of the Virgin, and the 
 infant Jefus, feated on the rainbow ; a 
 Sampfon, by Guido alfo, refrefhing him- 
 felf with the water which iffues from the 
 jaw-bone with which he has juft defeated 
 the Philiftines ; and a St. John the Baptift, 
 by Raphael, a duplicate of that in the 
 Palais Royal at Paris, but thought, by fome 
 connoiffeurs, greatly inferior. For my part, 
 I think it is to be regretted, that this great 
 painter did not employ the time he fpent 
 on one of them, at leaft, on fome fubjedt 
 more worthy of his talents. A fingle 
 figure, unemployed, can never pleafe fo 
 much as a groupe, occupied in fome in- 
 teresting 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 ferefting a&ion. It is a pity that a painter, 
 capable, even in a moderate degree, of 
 exciting the paffions, fliould confine his ta- 
 lents to folitary figures. How much more 
 unworthy of him who poflefled all the 
 fublimity and pathos of the art ! 
 
 On his arrival at this town, the firft 
 objed: which ftrikes the eye of a ftranger, is 
 a noble marble fountain, in the area before 
 the Palazzo Publico. The principal figure 
 is a ftatue of Neptune, eleven feet in 
 height ; one of his hands is flretched out 
 before him, in the other he holds the 
 Trident. The body and limbs are finely 
 proportioned, the anatomy perfedt, the 
 character of the countenance fevere and 
 xnajeftic. This figure of Neptune, as well 
 as all the others of boys, dolphins, and 
 fyrens, which furround it, are in bronze. 
 The whole is the workmanfhip of Giovan- 
 ni di Bologna, and is highly efteemed ; yet 
 there feems to be an impropriety in making 
 
 water 
 
3 oo VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 water flow in ftreams from the breafts of 
 the fea nymphs, or fyrens. 
 
 Over the entrance of the Legate's palace, 
 is a bronze ftatue of a Pope. The tiara, 
 and other parts of the Papal uniform, are 
 not fo favourable to the fculptor's genius* 
 as the naked fimplicity in which Neptune 
 appears. A female traveller, however, 
 not extravagantly fond of the fine arts, 
 would rather be obferved admiring the 
 fculptor's fkill in imitating the folds of 
 the Sacerdotal robes, than his anatomical 
 accuracy in forming the majeftic propox^ 
 ^ions of the Sea Divinity. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 LETTER XXVIIt. 
 
 Bologna; 
 
 ^|^HE uiliverfity of Bologna is one of 
 the moft ancient and mod cele-* 
 brated feats of literature in Europe; and 
 the academy for the arts and fciences, 
 founded by the Count Marfigli at the be- 
 ginning of the prefent century, is fufficient, 
 of itfelf, to engage ftrangers to vifit this 
 city, if there was nothing elfe worthy of 
 their curiofity. Over the gate of this 
 magnificent edifice is the following liberal 
 infcription : 
 
 BONONIENSE SCIENTIARUM ATQUE ARTIUM 
 INSTITUTUM AD PUBLICUM TOTIUS 
 ORBIS USUM. 
 
 Here is a moft valuable library, in three 
 fpacious rooms, where any perfon may 
 ftudy, and have the ufe of the books, four 
 hours every day ; alfo apartments for the 
 ftudents of fculpture, painting, archite&ure* 
 
 chemiftry, 
 
3 02 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 chemiftry, anatomy, aftronomy, and everf 
 branch of natural philofophy. They are 
 all ornamented with defigns, models, in- 
 ftruments, and every kind of apparatus 
 requifite for illuftrating thofe fciences. 
 There are alfo Profefibrs, who regularly 
 read le&ures, and inftrii£t the ftudents in 
 thofe various parts of knowledge. There is 
 a hall, full of models in architecture and 
 fortification, a valuable colle&ion of medals, 
 and another of natural curiofities, as 
 animals, earths, ores, minerals, and a com- 
 plete collection of fpecimens, to affift the 
 ftudy of the Materia Medica, and every 
 part of Natural Hiftory. A gallery of 
 flatues, confifting of a few originals, and 
 very fine cafts of the beft ftatues in Italy* 
 I went one evening to the academy of 
 painting and fculpture; two men flfood in 
 different attitudes on a table, in the middle 
 of the room ; about fifty fludents fat in 
 the amphitheatre around them, fome draw- 
 ing their figures in chalks, others model- 
 ling them in wax, or clay. As each 
 2 ftudent 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 303 
 
 ftudent viewed the two men from different 
 points, the variety of manner in the differ- 
 ent ftudents, together with the alteration 
 in the Chiaro Seuro under each point of 
 view, gave every drawing the appearance 
 of being done from a different figure. 
 Nothing can be fo advantageous to the 
 young ftudent as this kind of exercife, 
 which is fometimes pra&ifed by day-light, 
 and fometimes by the light of lamps, and 
 muft give a fuller idea of the effed: of 
 light and fhade than any other method. 
 
 Honorary premiums are diftributed every 
 year among the artifts, for the beft defigns 
 in painting, fculpture, and archite&ure. 
 
 The Anatomical Theatre is adorned 
 with ftatues of celebrated phyficians ; and 
 in the Mufeum, which belongs to it, there 
 are abundance of anatomical preparations j 
 alfo a complete fuite of anatomical figures 
 in wax. A man and woman in the 
 natural ftate ; the fame with the {kin and 
 cellular membrane removed, the external 
 
 mufcles 
 
3 o4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 mufcles of the whole body and limbs ap- 
 pearing. In the fubfequent figures the 
 more external mufcles are gradually re-* 
 moved, till nothing but the fimple fkeleton 
 remains. Thefe figures are very well 
 rendered, preferving the natural appear- 
 ance and fituation of the mufcles and blood- 
 veffels, with as much exa&nefs as could 
 be expe&ed in a work of this nature. 
 There are alfo models in wax, of particular 
 parts, and of feveral of the vifcera of the 
 human body feparately ; yet thofe waxen 
 models could not ftand in comparifcn with 
 the preparations of the real parts in Dr. 
 Hunter's mufeum. If brought to that 
 teft, the Bologna waxworks, though ad- 
 mirable in their kind, w r ould appear as 
 their beft cafts of the Vatican Apollo and 
 Laccoon would, if placed befide the origi- 
 nals. Indeed, the real preparations to be feen 
 here, are far inferior to thofe of that great 
 anatomift; who is now pofTefTed of the moft 
 complete, and moft accurate colledion of 
 anatomical preparations, that ever' was 
 
 made 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 305 
 
 made by human (kill and induftry. We 
 have faithfully performed our duty in 
 vifiting all the churches and palaces of this 
 city, which contain feme of the higheft 
 fpecimens of art; yet, as the recital might 
 be lefs amufing than the tour itfelf, I fhall 
 exercife your patience with great modera- 
 tion on that fubjed. 
 
 The church of St. Petronius forms part 
 of that large, irregular fquare* in which 
 the fountain, formerly mentioned, fiands ; 
 it is the largeft in Bologna. In the pave- 
 ment of this church, Caffini drew his me- 
 ridian line ; and within the walls of this 
 fame edifice the Emperor Charles the Fifth 
 was crowned. Thofe circumilances may 
 intereft the aftronorner, and the hiftorian ; 
 but the ftatue of a foldier, which ftands in 
 one of the chapels, engages the attention 
 of the pious Catholic. This man, being 
 at play, and in danger of lofing all his 
 money, offered up a very fervent prayer 
 to the Virgin Mary, for a little better luck; 
 
 Vol. I. X to 
 
3 o$ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 to which fhe, who never (hewed any 
 favour to gamefters, turned a deaf ear. 
 When he found that his bad fortune con- 
 tinued, this furious wretch drew his fword, 
 and wounded both the Virgin, and the 
 Infant in her arms. He inftantly, as you 
 may fuppofe, fell to the ground, deprived 
 of motion ; he was carried to prifon, and 
 condemned to an ignominious and painful 
 death. While he remained under confine- 
 ment, he came to a proper fenfe of his 
 wickednefs; and the bleffed Virgin was fo 
 much foftened by his repentance, that fhe 
 reftored him to the life of his limbs ; and 
 the Judges, taking the hint, gave him a 
 full pardon- As a faiisfattory proof of 
 this memorable event, they fliew the iden- 
 tical fword with which the afTault was 
 made. 
 
 A Dominican convent, fituated oa 
 the top of a hill, about three miles from 
 this city, is in poffeffion of a portrait 
 of the Virgin, by St. Luke. Jt is not 
 4 perfectly 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 367 
 
 perfe&ly known how it came there ; any 
 enquiry of that nature favours of herefy* 
 and might give offence. The people in 
 general are perfuaded of its originality* 
 and happy in the honour of fuch a neigh- 
 bour. This portrait has wrought many 
 miracles in favour of the inhabitants of 
 Bologna. A curious gallery, open to the 
 fouth, and clofed by a wall to the north* 
 is built all the way from this city to the 
 convent. On the open fide it is fupported 
 by a long row of pillars, and was ere&ed 
 by voluntary contribution, in honour of 
 the Virgin, and for the conveniency of 
 pilgrims. This long colonade is about 
 twelve feet in breadth, from the pil- 
 lars to the wall, and of a convenient 
 height ; all the communities of the town 
 walk once a year, in folemn proceffion, 
 to the convent, and bring the holy 
 pi&ure to vifit the city. It is carried 
 through the principal ftreets, attended 
 by every inhabitant who can afford to 
 purchafe a wax taper. During this pro- 
 
 X s cefllon* 
 
3 o8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 ceflion, the bells continue ringing, the 
 cannon are fired ; and the troops under 
 arms obferve the fame ceremonies, when 
 the prdiire paffes, as if it were Commander 
 in Chief of the forces. The common 
 people imagine, the pidure is extremely 
 fond of 4 this annual vifit to the town of 
 Bologna ; they even are convinced, that* 
 if it were not carried, it would defcend 
 from the frame, and walk the whole way 
 on foot ; but they do not define to fee the 
 experiment made, both becaufe it might 
 difoblige the Virgin, and becaufe, if the 
 pidure were once fet a walking, there is 
 no knowing where it would flop. 
 
 Though the nobility of Bologna are 
 not now very rich, many of their palaces 
 are furniftied in a magnificent tafte, and 
 contain paintings of great value. The 
 palaces were built, and ornamented, when 
 the proprietors were richer, and when 
 the fined works of architedure and paint- 
 ing could be procured on eafier terms than 
 3 at 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 309 
 
 at prefent. The galleries, and apartments, 
 are fpacious and magnificent; yet there 
 are circumftances in the mod fplendid, that 
 muft hurt the eye of thofe who are accuf- 
 tomed to that perfect exa&nefs in finifhing 
 which prevails in Englifli houfes. The 
 glafs of the windows of fome palaces is 
 divided into little fquare panes, which are 
 joined together by lead ; and the floors 
 of all are fo very indifferently laid, that 
 you often feel a loofe brick fhaking under 
 your feet as you walk through the finefl: 
 apartments. 
 
 The mo ft precious ornaments of the 
 palaces are the paintings, particularly thofe 
 of the celebrated matters which this city 
 had the honour of producing, Raphael is 
 generally allowed to have excelled all 
 painters in the fublimity of his ideas, the 
 grouping of his figures, the beauty of his 
 heads, the elegance of his forms, and the 
 corrednefs of his outlines; yet, in the 
 opinion of fome, he has oftener imitated 
 
 X 3 thofe 
 
3 io VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 thofe noble ideas of beauty, tranfmitted to 
 us by the Greek fculptors, than what he 
 faw, or could obferve, in nature. Thofe 
 who hold this opinion aflert, that the beft 
 mafiers of the Lombard School ftudied, 
 with equal affiduity, the elegance of the 
 antique ftatues, and the fimplicity of na- 
 ture j and from this combined attention to 
 both, with geniufes lefs fublime, and not 
 fo univerfal, as that of the Roman painter, 
 they have produced w r orks equal, if not 
 fuperior in fome refpe&s, to his. In ail 
 this, I beg you may keep in your remenw 
 brance, that I am not afFe&ing to give any 
 opinion of my own, but merely repeating 
 the fentiments of others. 
 
 Next to Rome itfelf, there is, perhaps, 
 no town in the world fo rich in paintings 
 as Bologna. The churches and palaces, 
 befides many admired pieces by other 
 mafiers, are full of the works of the great 
 maflers who were natives of this city. I 
 xnijft not lead you among thofe mailer- 
 
 pieces ; 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 311 
 
 pieces; it is not for fo poor a judge as I 
 am to point the peculiar excellencies of the 
 Caraccis, Dominichino, Albano, or com- 
 pare the energy of Guercino*s pencil with 
 the grace of Guido's. With regard to the 
 laft, I fhall venture to fay, that the grace- 
 ful air of his young men, the elegant 
 forms, and mild perfuaiive devotion, of his 
 Madonas ; the art with which, to all the 
 inviting lovelinefs of female features, he 
 joins all the gentlenefs and modefty which 
 belong to the female chara&er, are the pe- 
 culiar excellencies of this charming painter* 
 
 It requires no knowledge in the art of 
 painting, no connoiffeurfhip, to difcover 
 thofe beauties in the works of Guido ; 
 all who have eyes, and a heart, muft fee 
 and feel them. But the pidure more ad- 
 mired than all the reft, and confidered, by 
 the judges, as his mafter-piece, owes its 
 eminence to a different kind of merit ; it can, 
 claim none from any of the circumftances 
 above enumerated. The piece I mean is in 
 
 X 4 the 
 
3 i2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 the Sampieri palace, and diftinguifhed by a 
 filk curtain, which hangs before it. The 
 fubje£t is, the Repentance of St. Peter, and 
 confifts of two figures, that of the Saint 
 who weeps, and a young apoftle who en- 
 deavours to comfort him. The only pic- 
 ture at Bologna, which can difpute celebrity 
 with this, is that of St. Cecilia, in the 
 church of St. Georgio in Monte. This 
 pi&ure is greatly praifed by Mr. Addifon, 
 and is reckoned one of Raphael's capital 
 pieces. If I had nothing elfe to convince 
 me that I had no judgment in painting, 
 this would be fuffieient. I have examined 
 it over and over with great attention, and 
 a real defire of difcovering its fuperlative 
 merit ; and I have the mortification to find 2 
 that 1 cannot perceive it. — After this coa- 
 feflion, I prefume you will not defire to 
 hear any thing farther from me on the. 
 fubjedt of painting. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 3 i£ 
 
 LETTER XXIX, 
 
 Ancona,, 
 
 IN our way from Bologna to this place, 
 we palled through Ravenna, a difa- 
 greeable town, though at one period the 
 feat of empire ; for, afcer Attila had left 
 Italy, Valentinian chofe Ravenna, in pre- 
 ference to Rome, for his refidence, that he 
 might always be ready to repel the Huns 
 and other Barbarians, who poured from, 
 the banks of the Danube, and prevent their 
 penetrating into Italy. The fame reafon 
 afterwards induced Theodoric, King of the 
 Oftrogoths, to keep his court at this city 
 of Ravenna, after he had defeated and 
 killed Odoacer, and aflumed the title of 
 King of Rome. The ruins of his palace 
 and his tomb now form part of the anti- 
 quities of Ravenna ; among which I Ihall 
 not detain you a moment, but proceed to 
 the river of Pifatello^ the famous Rubi- 
 con 
 
3H VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 con, which lies between this town and 
 Rimini, and was the ancient boundary 
 between Italy and Cifalpine Gaul. No 
 Roman, returning to Rome, could pafs in 
 arms beyond this, without being deemed 
 an enemy to his country. The fmall town 
 of Cefenate is fituated near this brook, and 
 the inhabitants value themfelves not a lit- 
 tle upon their vicinity to fo celebrated q. 
 neighbour. But the people of Rimini have 
 had the malice to endeavour to deprive 
 them of this fatisfa&ion : they affirm, that 
 the rivulet Lufa, which is farther removed 
 from Cefenate, and nearer to themfelves, 
 is the true Rubicon. I have confidered 
 this controverfy with all the attention it 
 merits ; and I am of opinion, that the pre- 
 tenfions of Pifatello, which is alfo called 
 Rugone, are the beft founded. That you 
 may not fufpedt my being influenced in my 
 judgment by any motives but thofe of 
 juftice, I beg leave to inform you, that it 
 is a matter of no importance to me which 
 of the rivers is the real Rubicon, for we 
 
 had 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 31s 
 
 had the honour of paffing both in our way 
 to Rimini. 
 
 What Suetonius mentions concerning 
 Csefar's hefitation when he arrived at the 
 banks of this river, does not agree with 
 what the hiftorian fays a little before. Qui- 
 dam putant captum Imperii confuetudine, 
 penfitatifque fuis & inimicorum viribus, 
 ufum occafione rapiendse dominationis, 
 quam setate prima concupiffet. And this, 
 he adds, was the opinion of Cicero, who 
 fays, that Caefar had often in his mouth 
 this verfe : 
 
 Nam fi violandum eft jus, regnandi gratia 
 Violandum eft, aliis rebus pietatem colas. 
 
 It is moft probable, that Caefar took his 
 refolution to crofs the Rubicon as foon as 
 Antony and Curio arrived in his camp, 
 and afforded him a plaufible pretext, by 
 informing him and the army of the vio- 
 lent manner in which they had been driven 
 from Rome by the Conful Lentulus and 
 the adherents of Pompey. As for the 
 
 phantom, 
 
3 i6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 phantom, which Suetonius informs us de- 
 termined the Di&ator while he was yet iq, 
 hefitation, we may either confider it in- 
 tirely as a fiction, or as a fcene previoufly 
 arranged by himfelf to encourage his army, 
 who may be fuppofed to have had fcruples 
 in difobeying a decree of the Senate; which 
 declared thofe perfons facrilegious and par- 
 ricides, devoting them at the fame time to 
 the infernal gods, who fhould pafs over 
 this river in arms. Cqefar was not of a 
 character to be difturbed with religious 
 fcruples ; he never delayed an enterprife* 
 we are told, on account of unfavourable 
 omens. Ne religione quidem ulla a quo- 
 quam incepto abfterritus unquam vel re- 
 tardatus eft. Qaum immolanti aufugiffet 
 hoftia, profe&ionem adverfus Scipionem 
 & jubam non diftulit, &c. &c. 
 
 This hefitation, therefore, which is men- 
 tioned both by Suetonius and Plutarch, 
 has no refemblance with the ambitious 
 and decifive character of Julius Ctefar; the 
 
 picture 
 
manners in italy. 31/ 
 
 pi&ure which Lucan has drawn of him has 
 much more fpirit, and in all probability 
 more likenefs. 
 
 Cssfar ut adverfam fuperato gurgite ripatf^ 
 Attigit, Hefperiae vends & conftitit arvis, 
 Hie, ait, hie pacem, temerataque jura relinquo* 
 Te, Fortuna, fequor ; procul hinc jam foeder^ 
 funto. 
 
 Credidimus fatis, utendum eft judice bello. 
 Sicfatus, no£lis tenebris rapit agmina ducto$ 
 Impiger, & torto Ballaris verbere fundse 
 Ocyor, & miflfa Parthi poll terga fagitta - 3 
 Vicinumque minax invadit Ariminum— 
 
 Though Rimini is in a ftate of greaS 
 decay, there are fome monuments of an- 
 tiquity worthy the attention of the curious 
 traveller. It is the ancient Ariminum, the 
 fir ft town of which Csefar took pofleffion 
 after paffing the Rubicon. In the market- 
 place there is a kind of ftone pedeftal, with 
 an infeription, declaring, that on it Caefar 
 had ftood and harangued his army ; but 
 the authenticity of this is not afcertained 
 to the fatisfa&ioa of antiquarians. 
 
 We 
 
3 i8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 We next pafled through Pefaro, a very 
 agreeable town, better built and paved than 
 the other towns we have feen on the Adri- 
 atic fhore. In the market-place there is a 
 handfome fountain, and a ftatue of Pope 
 Urban the Eighth, in a fitting pofture. 
 In the churches of this town there are fome 
 pictures by Baroccio, a painter, whofe 
 works fome people efteem very highly* 
 and who is thought to have imitated the 
 manner of Raphael and the tints of Cor- 
 reggio, not without fuccefs. He lived 
 about the middle of the fixteenth century, 
 and his colours feem to have improved by 
 time. I fay, feem; for, in reality, all co- 
 lours iofe by time : but the operation of 
 fan and air on pictures bringing all the 
 colours to a kind of unifon, occafions what 
 is called Harmony, and is thought an im- 
 provement on fome pictures. This road, 
 along the Adriatic coaft, is extremely plea- 
 fant. From Pefaro we proceeded to Fano* 
 a little town, of nearly the fame fize, but 
 more populous. It derives its name from 
 
 a Temple 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 319 
 
 a Temple of Fortune [Fanum Fortunse], 
 which flood here in the time of the Ro- 
 mans. All the towns of Italy, however 
 religious they may be, are proud of their 
 connections with thofe celebrated heathens. 
 An image of the Goddefs Fortune is 
 ere&ed on the fountain in the market-place, 
 and the inhabitants fhow fome ruins, which 
 they pretend belong to the ancient Temple 
 of Fortune ; but what cannot be difputed, 
 are the ruins of a triumphal arch in white 
 marble, ere&ed in honour of Auguftus, 
 and which was greatly damaged by the 
 artillery of Pope Paul the Second, when 
 he befieged this town in the year 1463. 
 The churches of this town are adorned 
 with fome excellent pidures ; there is one 
 particularly in the cathedral church, by 
 Guercino, which is much admired. The 
 fubjeft is the marriage of Jofeph: it con- 
 fifts of three principal figures j the High 
 Prieft, Jofeph, and the Virgin. 
 
 A few 
 
po VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 A few miles beyond Fano, we croffed the 
 river Metro, where Claudius Nero, the 
 Roman Conful, defeated Afdrubal, the 
 brother of Hannibal. This was, perhaps, 
 the mod important victory that ever was 
 gained by a Roman General ; for, had 
 Afdrubal been victorious, or been able to 
 effect a jun&ion with his brother, the 
 troops he brought from Spain would have 
 become of triple value as foon as they were 
 under the direction of Hannibal ; and it is 
 not improbable that, with fuch a reinforce-* 
 ment, that mod conftimmate General 
 would have put an end to the Roman 
 State ; the glory of Carthage would have 
 begun where that of Rome ended ; and the 
 hiftory of the world would have beeri 
 quite different from what it is. Horace 
 feems fenfible of the infinite importance 
 of this vi&ory, and proclaims with a fine 
 poetic enthufiafm, the obligations which 
 Rome owed to the family of the hero who 
 obtained it, and the terror which, before 
 
 that 
 
MANNERS iN ITALY. 321 
 
 that time, Hannibal had fpread over all 
 Italy. 
 
 Quid debeas, O Roma, Neronibus, 
 Teitis Metaurum flumen, et Afdrubal 
 Devious, et puicher fugatis 
 Ule dies Latio tenebris, 
 Qui primus alma rifit adorea ; 
 Dims per urbcs Afer ut Italas, 
 Ceu flamma per tedas, vel Eurus 
 Per Siculas equitavic undas. 
 
 We came next to Senegallia, another 
 fea-port town upon this coaft. There is 
 nothing remarkable in this town, except 
 during the time of the fair, which is held 
 there once a year, to which a great con- 
 courfe of merchants refort, from Venice, 
 and all the towns on both fides of the 
 Adriatic; alfo from Sicily, and the Archi- 
 pelago. England carries on a very profit- 
 able trade with all the towns in Romagnia, 
 from which our merchants purchafe great 
 quantities of raw filk, and afterwards fell 
 it, when manufactured, to the inhabitants. 
 
 Vol. t Y They 
 
3 22 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 They provide them alfo in Englifh cottoxi 
 and linen cloths, of every kind. 
 
 The diftance between Senegallia and 
 Ancona, is about fifteen miles. We tra- 
 velled moft of this road after it was dark* 
 much againft the inclination of the Italian 
 fervants, who aflured us, that it is often 
 infefted with robbers. Thofe fellows, they 
 told us, come fometimes from the coaft of 
 Dalmatia, attack travellers on this road* 
 carry what booty can be got, on board their 
 boats, which are never at a great diftance, 
 and then fail to the oppofite fhore 5 or to 
 fome other part of the coaft. As we tra- 
 velled flowly over the fandy road, fome 
 jnen, in failors drefTes, overtook us. Our 
 Italians were convinced they belonged to 
 the gang of pirates, or robbers, they had 
 fpoken of. Our company was too nu- 
 merous to be attacked ; but they attempted, 
 fecretly, to cut off the trunks from the 
 chaifes, without fucceeding. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 323 
 
 LETTER XXX. 
 
 Ancona. 
 
 A NCONA is faid to have been founded 
 & by Syracufans who had fled from 
 the tyranny of Dionyfius. The town ori- 
 ginally was built upon a hill, but the houfes 
 have been gradually extended down the 
 face of the eminence, towards the fea* The 
 cathedral ftands on the highell part ; from 
 whence there is a moll advantageous view 
 of the town, the country, and the fea. 
 This church is fuppofed to be placed on the 
 fpot where a temple, dedicated to Venus, 
 formerly flood ; the fame mentioned by 
 Juvenal, when he fpeaks of a large turbot 
 caught on this coaft, and prefented to the 
 Emperor Domitian. 
 
 Incidit Adriaci fpatium admirabile rhombi, 
 Ante domum Veneris, quam Dorica fuftinet 
 Ancon. 
 
 Y 2 The 
 
3?4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AN0 
 
 The afcents and defcents, and great in- 
 equality of the ground, will prevent this 
 from being a beautiful town, but it has 
 much the appearance of becoming a rich 
 one. Some of the nobility have the firm- 
 nefs and good fenfe to defpife an ancient 
 prejudice, and avowedly profecute com- 
 merce. New houles are daily building, 
 and the ftreets are animated with the buftle 
 of trade. I met with feveral Englifh tra- 
 ders on the Change, which feemed crowded 
 with fe a -faring men, and merchants, from 
 Dalmatia, Greece, and many parts of Eu- 
 rope. There are great numbers of Jews 
 eftablifhed in this city. I know not whe- 
 ther this race of men contribute greatly to 
 the prosperity of a country ; but it is gene- 
 rally remarked, that thofe places are in a 
 thriving condition to which they refort. 
 They have a fynagogue here, and although 
 all religions are tolerated, theirs is the 
 only foreign worfhip allowed to be publicly 
 extrcifcd. The commerce of Ancona has 
 increafed very rapidly of late years j and 
 7 it 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 325 
 
 it is evident, that the Popes who firft 
 thought of making it a free port, of en- 
 couraging manufactures, and of building a 
 mole, to render the harbour more fafe, 
 have injured Venice in a more fenfible 
 manner, than thofe who thundered bulls 
 againft that republic ; but it is much to be 
 queftioned, whether the former, by their 
 encouragements to commerce, have aug- 
 mented their own fpirituai importance in 
 the fame proportion they have the tem- 
 poral riches of their fubje£ts. 
 
 Men who have received a liberal educa- 
 tion, and have adopted liberal fentiments 
 previous to their engaging in any particu- 
 lar profeffion, will carry thefe fentiments 
 along with them through life: and, per- 
 haps, there is no profeffion in which they 
 can be exercifed with more advantage and 
 utility, than in that of a merchant. In 
 this profeffion, a man of the chara&er 
 above defcribed, while he is augmenting 
 his own private fortune, will enjoy the 
 Y 3 agreeable 
 
326 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 agreeable reflection, that he is likewife ln4 
 creafing the riches and power of his country, 
 and giving bread to thoufands of his induf- 
 trious countrymen. Of all profeflions, his is 
 in its nature the rnoft independent: the mer- 
 chant does not^like the foldier 3 receive wages 
 from his fovereign ; nor, like the lawyer 
 and phyfician, from his fellow-fubje&s. 
 His wealth often flows from foreign four- 
 ces, and he is under no obligation to thofe 
 from whom \t is derived. The habit which 
 he is in, Gf circulating millions, m^keshira 
 lay lefs ftrefs on a few guineas, than the 
 proprietors of the largeft eftates ; and we 
 daily fee, particularly in countries where 
 this profeflion is not confidered as de- 
 grading, the commercial part of the in- 
 habitants giving the mod exalted proofs of 
 generofity and public fpirit. But in coun- 
 tries w 7 here nobody, who has the fmalleft 
 claim to the title of a gentleman, can en- 
 gage in commerce without being thought 
 to have demeaned himfelf, fewer examples 
 of this nature will be found : and in every 
 country, it muft be acknowledged, that 
 
 thefe 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 327 
 
 thofe who have not had the advantage of a 
 liberal education ; who have been bred 
 from their infancy to trade ; who have 
 been taught to confider money as the moft 
 valuable of all things, and to value them- 
 felves, and others, in proportion to the 
 quantity they poflefs ; who are continually 
 revolving in their minds, to the exclufion 
 of all other ideas, the various means of in- 
 crealing their flock ; to fuch people, money 
 becomes a more immediate and dire£t ob- 
 ject of attention, than to any other clafs of 
 men ; it fwells in their imagination, is 
 rated beyond its real worth, and, at lengthy 
 by an inverfion of the Chriftian precept, 
 it is confidered as the one thing needful, 
 to be fought with the moft unremitting 
 ardour, that all other things may be added 
 thereunto. 
 
 In commercial towns, where every body 
 finds employment, and is agitated by the 
 buftle of bufinefs, the minds of the inha- 
 bitants are apt to be fo much engrofTed 
 
 Y 4 with 
 
328 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 with the affairs of this world, as almoft tq 
 forget that there is another; and neither 
 the true religion nor falfe ones, have fuch 
 hold of their minds, as in places where 
 there is more poverty, and lefs worldly 
 occupation. In the firft, they confider the* 
 remonflrances of priefts and confeffors as 
 interruptions to bufinefs ; and, without 
 daring todefpifethe ceremonies of religion, 
 like the fpeculative Sceptic or Infidel, the 
 hurried trader huddles them over as faft as 
 poffible, that he may return to occupations 
 more congenial with the habit of his mind. 
 The preachers may cry aloud, and fpare 
 not ; they may lift up their voices like 
 trumpets, proclaiming the nothingnefs of 
 this world, and all which it contains ; it i§ 
 in vain. IVIen who have been trained to 
 the purfuit of money from their childhood, 
 who have beflowed infinite pains to acquire 
 it, and who derive all their importance 
 from it, muft naturally have a partiality 
 for this world, where riches procure fq 
 mapy flattering diftin&ions; and a prejudice 
 
 againft 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY* 3^ 
 
 againft that in which they procure none? 
 but in towns where there is little trade, 
 and great numbers of poor people, where 
 they have much fpare time, and fmall 
 comfort in this world, the clergy have an 
 eafier talk, if they are tolerably affiduous> 
 in turning the attention of the inhabitants 
 to the other. In Roman Catholic towns 
 of this defcription, we fee the people con- 
 tinually pacing up and down the ftreets*, 
 with wax tapers in their hands. They 
 liften, with fond attention, to all the prieft 
 relates concerning that invifible country, 
 that Land of Promife, where their hopes 
 are placed ; they ruminate, with compla- 
 cency, on the happy period when they alfo 
 fhall have their good things; they bear 
 their prefent rags with patience, in expec- 
 tation of the white raiment and crowns of 
 gold, which, they are told, await themj 
 they languifh for the happinefs of being 
 promoted to that lofty fituation, from 
 whence they may look down, with fcorn, 
 on thofe to whom they now look up with 
 
 envy, 
 
j 3 o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 envy, and where they fliall retaliate on 
 their wealthy neighbours, whofe riches, 
 prefent, they imagine, infult their own 
 poverty. 
 
 This town being expofed, by the nature 
 of its commerce with Turkey, to the con- 
 tagious difeafes which prevail in that coun- 
 try, Clement XIL, as foon as he determined 
 to make it a free port, ere&ed a lazzaretto* 
 It advances a little way into the fea, is in 
 the form of a pentagon, and is a very noble, 
 as well as ufeful, edifice. He afterwards 
 began a work, as neceflary, and ftill more 
 fcxpenfive; I mean the Mole built in the 
 fea, to fkreen the veflels in the harbour 
 from the winds, which frequently blow 
 from the oppofite fhore of the Adriatic 
 with great violence. This was carried on 
 with redoubled fpirit by Benedid XIV. 
 after his quarrel with Venice, has been 
 continued by the fucceeding Popes, and is 
 now almoft finiihed. This building was 
 founded in the ruins of the ancient Mole, 
 
 raifed 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 331 
 
 raifed by the Emperor Trajan. The flone 
 of Iftria was ufed at firft, till the exportation 
 of it was prohibited by the republic of 
 Venice, who had no reafon to wifh well 
 to this work. But a quarry of excellent 
 flone was afterwards found near Ancona, 
 as fit for the purpofe j and a kind of fand, 
 which, when mixed with lime, forms a 
 compofition as hard as any (lone, is brought 
 from the neighbourhood of Rome ; and no 
 other is ufed for this building, which is 
 above two thoufand feet in length, one 
 hundred in breadth, and about fixty in 
 depth, from the furface of the fea. A 
 ftupendous work, more analogous to the 
 power and revenues of ancient, than of 
 modern, Rome. 
 
 Near to this ftands the Triumphal Arch, 
 as it is called, of Trajan. This is an ho- 
 norary monument, ere&ed in gratitude to 
 that Emperor, for the improvements he 
 made in this harbour at his own expence. 
 Next to the Maifon Quarrec at Nimes, it is 
 $ the 
 
332 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 the moft beautiful and the moll entire 
 monument of Roman tafte and magnificence 
 I have yet feen. The fluted Corinthian 
 pillars on the two fides are of the fineft 
 proportions ; and the Parian marble of 
 which they are compofed, inftead of hav- 
 ing acquired a black colour, like the Du- 
 cal palace of Venice, and other buildings 
 of marble, is preferved, by the fea vapour, 
 as white and fhiningas if it were frefh po- 
 lished from the rock. I viewed this charm- 
 ing piece of antiquity with fentiments of 
 pleafure and admiration, which fprang 
 from a recolledion of the elegant tafte of 
 the artift who planned this work, the hu- 
 mane amiable virtues of the great man to, 
 whofe honour it was raifed, and the' gran- 
 deur and policy of the people who, by fuch 
 rewards, prompted their Princes to wife 
 and beneficent undertakings. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 333 
 
 LETTER XXXI. 
 
 Loretto* 
 
 t~~n ^ H E road from Ancona to this place 
 runs through a fine country, com- 
 pofed of a number of beautiful hills and 
 intervening vallies. Loretto itfelf is a fmall 
 town, fituated on an eminence, about three 
 miles from the fea. I expe&ed to have 
 found it a more magnificent, at leaft a 
 more commodious, town for the entertain- 
 ment of ftrangers. The inn-keepers do 
 not difturb the devotion of the pilgrims by 
 the luxuries of either bed or board. I have 
 not feeri worfe accommodations fince I en- 
 tered Italy, than at the inn here. This 
 feems furprifing, confidering the great re- 
 fort of ftrangers. If any town in England 
 were as much frequented, every third cr 
 fourth houfe would be a neat inn. 
 
 The 
 
334- VIEW OF SOCIETt AK T t> 
 
 The Holy Chapel of Loretto, all the 
 world knows, was originally a fmall houfe 
 in Nazareth, inhabited by the Virgin Ma- 
 ry, in which fhe was faluted by the Angel* 
 and where fhe bred our Saviour. After 
 their deaths, it was held in great venera- 
 tion by all believers in Jefus, and at length 
 confecrated into a chapel, and dedicated to 
 the Virgin j upon which occafion St. Luke 
 made that identical image, which is fiill 
 preferved here, and dignified with the 
 name of our Lady of Loretto. This fane- 
 tified edifice was allowed to fojourn in Ga- 
 lilee as long as that diftrid was inhabited 
 by Chriftians ; but when infidels got 
 pofTeffion of the country, a band of angels, 
 to fave it from pollution, took it in their 
 arms, and conveyed it from Nazareth to a 
 caftle in Dalmatia. This fad might have 
 been called in queftion by* incredulous peo- 
 ple, had it been performed in a fecret man- 
 ner ; but, that it might be manifeft to the 
 moft fliort-fighted fpe&ator, and evident to 
 s\H who were not perfectly deaf as well as 
 
 blind* 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 333 
 
 blind, a blaze of celeftial light, and a con- 
 cert of divine mufic, accompanied it during 
 the whole journey ; befides, when the an- 
 gels, to reft themfelves, fet it down in a 
 little wood near the road, all the trees of 
 the foreft bowed their heads to tke ground, 
 and continued in that refpe&fu! pofture as 
 long as the Sacred Chapel remained among 
 them. But, not having been entertained 
 with fuitable refped at the caftle above 
 mentioned, the fame indefatigable angela 
 carried it over the fea> and placed it in a 
 field belonging to a noble lady, called Lau- 
 retta, from whom the Chapel takes its 
 name. This field happened unfortunately 
 to be frequented at that time by highway- 
 men and murderers : a circuniftance with 
 which the angels undoubtedly were not 
 acquainted when they placed it there. Af- 
 ter they were better informed, they re^ 
 moved it to the top of a hill belonging to 
 two brothers, where they imagined it would 
 be perfedly fecure from the dangers of 
 robbery or affaljSnajioA; but the two bro<* 
 
 thers, 
 
33^ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 thers, the proprietors of the ground, being 
 equally enamoured of their new vifitor* 
 became jealous of each other, quarrelled, 
 fought, and fell by mutual wounds. After 
 this fatal cataftrophe, the angels in wait- 
 ing finally moved the Holy Chapel to the 
 eminence where it now ftands, and has 
 flood thefe four hundred years, having loft 
 all relifh for travellingi 
 
 To filence the captious objections of ca- 
 villers, and give full fatisfadtion to the 
 candid inquirer, a deputation of refp en- 
 able perfons was fent from Loretto to the 
 city of Nazareth, who, previous to their 
 fetting out, took the dimenfions of the 
 Holy Houfe with the mod fcrupulous ex* 
 adnefs. On their arrival at Nazareth, 
 they found the citizens fcarcely recovered 
 from their aftonifhment j for it may be 
 eafily fuppofed, that the fudden difappear- 
 ance of a houfe from the middle of a town, 
 would naturally occafion a confiderable de- 
 gree of furprife, even in the moll philo- 
 
 fophic 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 337 
 
 Fophic minds. The landlords had been 
 alarmed in a particular manner, and had 
 made enquiries, and offered rewards, all 
 over Galilee, without having been able to 
 get any fatisfa&ory account of the fugi- 
 tive. They felt their intereft much affect- 
 ed by this incident ; for, as houfes had 
 never before been confidered as moveables^ 
 their value fell immediately. This in- 
 deed might be partly owing to certain evil- 
 minded perfons, who, taking advantage of 
 the public alarm, for felfiOi purpofes, cir- 
 culated a report, that feveral other houfes 
 were on the wing, and would moft pro- 
 bably difappear in a few days. This af- 
 fair being fo much the object of attention 
 at Nazareth, and the builders of that city 
 declaring, they would as foon build upon 
 ijuick-fand as on the vacant fpace which 
 the Chapel had left at its departure, the 
 deputies from Loretto had no difficulty in 
 difcovering the foundation of that edifice, 
 which they carefully compared with the 
 dimenfions they had brought from Loretto* 
 Vol. I. ' Z and 
 
3 3§ VIEW OF SOCIETY AfW 
 
 and found that they tallied exadtly. 0£ 
 this they made oath at their return ; and 
 in the mind of every rational perfon, it re- 
 mains no longer a queftion, whether this 
 is the real houfe which the Virgin Mary 
 Inhabited, or not. Many of thofe parti- 
 culars are narrated with other circumftance& 
 in books which are fold here j but I have 
 been informed of one circumftance, which 
 has not hitherto been publifhed in any 
 book, and which, I dare fwear, you will 
 think ought to be made known for the be- 
 fit of future travellers. This morning, 
 immediately before we left the inn, to 
 vifit the Holy Chapel, an Italian fervant, 
 whom the D — of H engaged at Ve- 
 nice, took me afide, and told me, in a very 
 ferious manner, that ftrangers were apt 
 fecretly to break off little pieces of the 
 ftone belonging to the Santa Cafa, in the 
 hopes that fuch precious relics might 
 bring them good fortune ; but he earneftly 
 entreated me not to do any fuch thing : 
 for he knew a man at Venice, who had 
 
 ^ brokers 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 539 
 
 broken off a fmall corner of one of the 
 ftones, and flipt it into his breeches pocket 
 unperceived ; but, fo far from bringing 
 him good fortune, it had burnt its way 
 out, like aqua fortis, before he left the 
 Chapel, and fcorched his thighs in fuch a 
 miferable manner, that he was not able to 
 fit on horfeback for a month. I thanked 
 Giovanni for his obliging hint, and affured 
 him I fliould not attempt any theft of that 
 nature. 
 
340 VIEW OF SOCIETY ANB 
 
 HE Sacred Chapel ftands due eaft 
 
 and weft, at the farther end of a 
 large church of the moft durable ftone of 
 Iftria, which has been built around it« 
 This may be confidered as the external 
 covering, or as a kind of great coat to the 
 Cafa Santa, which has a fmaller coat of 
 more precious materials and workmanfhip 
 nearer its body. This internal covering, 
 or cafe, is of the choiceft marble, after a 
 plan of San Savino's, and ornamented with 
 baflb relievos, the workmanfhip of the beft 
 fculptors which Italy could furnifh in the 
 reign of Leo the Tenth. The fubjed of 
 thofe baflb relievos are, the hiftory of the 
 Blefled Virgin, and other parts of the Bible. 
 The whole cafe is about fifty feet long, 
 thirty in breadth, and the fame in height j 
 but the real houfe itfelf is no more than 
 
 LETTER XXXIL 
 
 Loretto* 
 
 thirty- 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 341 
 
 thirty-two feet in length, fourteen in 
 breadth, and at the fides, about eighteen feet 
 in height ; the centre of the roof is four or 
 five feet higher. The walls of this little Holy- 
 Chapel are com po fed of pieces of a reddifh 
 fubftance, of an oblong fquare fhape, laid 
 one upon another, in the manner of brick. 
 At fir ft fight, on a fuperficial view, thefe 
 red-coloured oblong fubftances appear to 
 be nothing elfe than common Italian bricks; 
 and, which is ftill more extraordinary, on 
 a fecond and third view, with all poffible 
 attention, they ftill have the fame appear- 
 ance. There is not, however, as w r e were 
 a (Tared, a fingle particle of brick in their 
 whole composition, being entirely of a 
 ftone, which, though it cannot now be 
 found in Paleftine, was formerly very 
 common, particularly in the neighbour- 
 hood of Nazareth. There is a fmall in- 
 terval between the walls of the ancient 
 houfe, and the marble cafe. The 
 workmen, at firfr, intended them to be in 
 Z 3 conta£t ? 
 
34* VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 contact, from an opinion, founded either 
 upon grofs ignorance or infidelity, that 
 the former flood in need of fupport from 
 the latter ; but the marble either ftarted 
 back of itfelf, from fuch impious fami- 
 liarity, being confcious of its unworthi« 
 nefs ; or elfe was thruft back by the coy- 
 nefs of the Virgin brick, it is not faid 
 which. But it has certainly kept at a 
 proper diftance ever fince. While we 
 examined the baflb relievos of the marble 
 cafe, we were not a little incommoded by 
 the numbers of pilgrims who were con-* 
 fiantly crawling around it on their knees, 
 kifTing the ground, and faying their prayers 
 with great fervour. As they crept along, 
 they difcovered fome degree of eagernefs 
 to be neareft the wall ; not, I am perfuaded, 
 with a view of faving their own labour, 
 by contra&ing the circumference of their 
 circuit; but from an idea that the evolutions 
 they were performing, would be the more 
 beneficial to their fouls, the nearer they 
 
 were 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 343 
 
 were to the Sacred Houfe. This exercife is 
 continued in proportion to the zeal and 
 ftrength of the patient. 
 
 Above the door there is an infcription ; 
 by which it appears, that any perfon who 
 enters with arms is, ipfo fa&o, excom- 
 municated. 
 
 JNGREDIENTES CUM ARMIS SUNT 
 EXCOMMUNICATO 
 
 There are alfo the fevereft denunciations 
 againft thofe who carry away the fmalleft 
 particle of the ftone and mortar belonging 
 to this Chapel. The adventure of the 
 burnt breeches, aud others of a fimilar 
 nature, which are induftrioufly circulated, 
 have contributed as much as any denun- 
 ciation, to prevent fuch attempts. Had it 
 not been for the impreffions they make, jfo 
 great was the eargernefs of the multitude 
 to be pofleffed of any portion of this little 
 edifice, that the whole was in danger of 
 being carried away; not by angels, but 
 piecemeal in the pockets of the pilgrims. 
 
 Z 4 The 
 
344 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 The Holy Houfe is divided, within, intq 
 two unequal portions, by a kind of grate- 
 work of filver. The divifion towards the 
 weft is about three-fourths of the whole ; 
 that to the eaft is called the Sandhiary. In 
 the larger divifion, which may be con- 
 fidered as the main body of the houfe, the 
 walls are left bare, to {hew the true origi- 
 nal fabric of Nazareth ftone. Thefe ftones, 
 which bear fuch a ftrong refemblance to 
 bricks, are loofe in many places, I took 
 notice of this to a pilgrim, who entered 
 with us: he fmiled, faying, "Chelanon 
 habbia paura, Padron mio, quefti muri 
 fono piu folidi degli Appenini." At the 
 lower, or weftern wall, there is a window, 
 the fame through which the angel Gabriel 
 entered at the Annunciation. The archie 
 traves of this window are covered with 
 filver. There are a great number of golden 
 and filver lamps in this Chapel; I did not 
 count them, but I was told there were above 
 fixty ; one of them is a prefent from the 
 republic of Venice : it is of gold, and 
 
 weighs 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 34$ 
 
 weighs thirty-feven pounds: fome of the 
 filver lamps weigh from one hundred and 
 twenty, to one hundred and thirty pounds. 
 At the upper end of the largeft room is 
 an altar, but fo low, that from it you 
 may fee the famous image which ftands 
 over the chimney, in the fmall room, or 
 Sanduary. Golden and filver angels, 
 of confiderable fize, kneel around her, 
 fome offering hearts of gold, enriched 
 with diamonds, and one an infant of pure 
 gold. The wall of the Sanduary is plated 
 with filver, and adorned with crucifixes, 
 precious ftones, and votive gifts of various 
 kinds. The figure of the Virgin herfelf 
 by no means correfponds with the fine 
 furniture of her houfe : fhe is a little wo- 
 man, about four feet in height, with the 
 features and complexion of a negro. Of 
 all the fculptors that ever exifted, afluredly 
 St. Luke, by whom this figure is faid to 
 have been made, is the leaft of a flatterer ; 
 and nothing can be a ftronger proof of the 
 blefled Virgin's contempt for external 
 
 beauty, 
 
346 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 beauty, than her being fatisfied with this 
 reprefentation of her; efpecially if, as I am 
 inclined to believe, her face and perfon 
 really refembled thofe beautiful ideas of 
 her, conveyed by the pencils of Raphael, 
 Corregio, and Guido. The figure of the 
 infant Jefus, by St. Luke, is of a piece 
 with that of the Virgin : he holds a large 
 golden globe in one hand, and the other is 
 extended in the a£t of bleffing. Both figures 
 have crowns on their heads, enriched with 
 diamonds : thefe were prefents from Ann 
 of Auftria, Queen of France. Both arms 
 of the Virgin are inclofed within her robes, 
 and no part but her face is to be feen ; 
 her drefs is molt magnificent, but in a 
 wretched bad tafie : this is not furprifing, 
 for fhe has no female attendant. She has 
 particular clothes for the different feafts 
 held in honour of her, and, which is not 
 quite fo decent, is always drefTed and undrefT- 
 ed by the priefts belonging to the Chapel ; 
 her robes are ornamented with all kinds of 
 precious ftones, down to the hem of her 
 garment. There 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 347 
 
 There is a (mall place behind the Sanc- 
 tuary, into which we were alfo admitted. 
 This is a favour feldom refufed to ftrangers 
 of a decent appearance. In this they fhew 
 the chimney, and fome other furniture, 
 which, they pretend, belonged to theVirgin 
 when fhe lived at Nazareth; particularly a 
 little earthen porringer, out of which the 
 infant ufed to eat. The pilgrims bring ro- 
 faries, little crucifixes, and Agnus Dei's, 
 which the obliging prieft fhakes for half a 
 minute in this difh j after which, it is be- 
 lieved, they acquire the virtue of curing 
 various difeafes, and prove an excellent pre- 
 ventative of all temptations of Satan. The 
 gown which the image had on when the 
 chapel arrived from Nazareth, is of red 
 camblet, and carefully kept in a glafs 
 fihrine. 
 
 Above a hundred mafles are daily faid 
 in this Chapel, and in the church in which 
 it ftands. The mufic we heard in the 
 
 Chapel 
 
348 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Chapel was remarkably fine. A certain 
 number of the chaplains are eunuchs, who 
 perform the double duty of finging the 
 offices in the choir, and faying mafies at the 
 altar. The canonical law, which excludes 
 perfons in their fituation from the prieft- 
 hood, is eluded by a very extraordinary ex- 
 pedient, which I £hall leave you to guefs. 
 
 The jewels and riches to be feen at any 
 one time in the Holy Chapel, are of fmali 
 value in companion of thofe in the treafui y, 
 which is a large room adjoining to the 
 veftry of the great church. In the prefTes 
 of this room are kept thofe prefents which 
 royal, noble, and rich bigots of all ranks 
 have, by oppreffing their fubjeds, and in- 
 juring their families, fent to this place. To 
 enumerate every particular, would fill vo- 
 lumes. They confift of various utenfils, 
 and other things in filver and gold; as 
 lamps, candlefticks, goblets, crowns, and 
 crucifixes; lambs, eagles, faints, apoftles, 
 
 angels, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 34$ 
 
 angels, virgins, and infants : then there are 
 cameos, pearls, gems, and precious (tones 
 of all kinds, and in great numbers. What 
 is valued above all the other jewels is, the ' 
 miraculous pearl, wherein they affert, that 
 Nature has given a faithful delineation of 
 the Virgin, fitting on a cloud, with the 
 infant Jefus in her arms. I freely acknow- 
 ledge, that I did fee fomething like a wo- 
 man with a child in her arms ; but whether 
 Nature intended this as a portrait of the 
 Virgin Mary, or not, I will not take upon 
 me to fay ; yet I will candidly confefs 
 (though, perhaps, fome of my friends in 
 the north, may think it is faying too 
 much in fupport of the Popifh opinion) 
 that the figure in this pearl bore as great 
 a likenefs to fome pictures I have feen of 
 the Virgin, as to any female of my ac- 
 quaintance. 
 
 There was not room in the prefles of 
 the treafury, to hold all the filver pieces 
 which have been prefented to the Virgin. 
 
 2 Several 
 
350 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Several other preffes in the veftry, they 
 told us, were completely full, and they 
 made offer to fhew them ; but our curiofity 
 was already fatiated. 
 
 It is faid, that thofe pieces are occafion- 
 ally melted down, by his Holinefs, for the 
 ufe of the State ; and alfo, that the moil: 
 precious of the jewels are picked out, and 
 fold for the fame purpofe, falfe Hones being 
 fubfiituted in their room. This is an affair 
 entirely between the Virgin and the Pope : 
 if (he does not, I know no other perfon who 
 has a right to complain. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 351 
 
 LETTER XXXIII. 
 
 LorettQr 
 
 TQILGRI MAGES to Loretto are not 
 JL fo frequent with foreigners, or with 
 Italians of fortune and diftindion, as for- 
 merly, nineteen out of twenty of thofe, 
 who make this journey now, are poor 
 people, who depend for their maintenance 
 on the charity they receive on the road. 
 To thofe who are of fuch a rank in life as 
 precludes them from availing themfelves 
 of the charitable inflitutions for the main- 
 tenance of pilgrims, fuch journies are at- 
 tended with expence and inconveniency j 
 and I am informed, that fathers and huf- 
 bands, in moderate or confined circum- 
 fiances, are frequently brought to dif- 
 agreeable dilemmas, by the rafh vows of 
 going to Loretto, which their wives or 
 daughters are apt to make on any fuppofed 
 deliverance from danger. To refufe, is 
 
 con- 
 
352 VIEW OF SOCIETY AN$ 
 
 considered, by the whole neighbourhoods; 
 as cruel, and even impious j and to grant, 
 is often highly diftreffing, particularly to 
 fuch hufbands as, from affedion, or any 
 other motive, do not choofe that their wives 
 fhould be long out of their fight. But the 
 poor, who are maintained during their 
 whole journey, and have nothing more 
 than a bare maintenance to expe£t from 
 their labour at home, to them a journey to 
 Loretto is a party of pleafure, as well as 
 devotion, and by much the mod agree- 
 able road they can take to heaven. This 
 being a year of jubilee, there is a far 
 greater concourfe of pilgrims of all ranks 
 here, at prefent, than is ufual. We have 
 feen a few in their carriages, a greater 
 number on horfeback, or on mules; or, 
 What is Hill more common, on affes. Great 
 numbers of females come in this manner, 
 with a male friend walking by them, as 
 their guide and protestor ; but the greateft 
 number, of both fexes, are on foot. When 
 we approached near Loretto, the road was 
 
 crowded 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 crowded with them : they generally fet 
 out before fun- rife ; and, having repofed 
 themfelves during the heat of the day, con- 
 tinue their journey again in the evening* 
 They fing their matins, and their even- 
 ing hymns, aloud. As many have fine 
 voices and delicate ears, thofe vocal con- 
 certs have a charming efted at a little 
 diftance. During the ftillnefs of the morn- 
 ing and the evening, we were ferenaded 
 with this folemn religious mufic for a 
 confiderable part of the road. The pil- 
 grims on foot, as foon as they enter the 
 fuburbs, begin a hymn in honour of the 
 Virgin, which they continue till they reach 
 the church. The poorer fort are received 
 into an hofpital, where they have bed and 
 board for three days. 
 
 The only trade of Loretto confifts of 
 rofaries, crucifixes, little Madonnas, Agnus 
 Dei's, and medals, which are manufac- 
 tured here, and fold to pilgrims. There 
 are great numbers of fhops full of thefe 
 
 Vol. I. A a commodities, 
 
354~ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 commodities, fome of them of a high 
 price; but infinitely the greater part are 
 adapted to the purfes of the buyers, and 
 fold for a mere trifle. The evident poverty 
 of thofe manufacturers and traders, and of 
 the inhabitants of this town in general, 
 is a fufficient proof that the reputation of 
 our Lady of Loretto is greatly on the 
 decline* 
 
 In the great church, which contains the 
 Holy Chapel, are confeflionals, where the 
 penitents from every country of Europe 
 may be confefled in their own language, 
 priefts being always in waiting for that 
 purpofe : each of them has a long white 
 red in his hand, with which he touches 
 the heads of thofe to whom he thinks 
 it proper to give abfolution. They place 
 themfelves on their knees, in groupes, 
 around the confeffional chair ; and when 
 the Holy Father has touched their heads 
 with the expiatory rod, they retire, freed 
 from the burden of their fins, and with 
 4 renewed 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 355 
 
 renewed courage to begin a frefh ac- 
 count. 
 
 In the fpacious area before this church, 
 there is an elegant marble fountain, fup- 
 plied with water from an adjoining hill, by 
 an aquedudt. Few even of the moft in- 
 confiderable towns of Italy are without the 
 ufeful ornament of a public fountain. 
 The embellishments of fculpture and archi- 
 tecture are employed, with great propriety, 
 on fuch w r orks, which are continually 
 in the people's view ; the air is refrelhed, 
 and the eye delighted, by the ftreams of 
 water they pour forth ; a fight peculiarly 
 agreeable in a warm climate. In this area 
 there is alfo a ftatue of Sixtus V., in 
 bronze. Over the portal of the church 
 itfelf, is a ftatue of the Virgin j and above 
 the middle gate, is a Latin infcription, im- 
 porting, that within is the Houfe of the 
 Mother of God, in which the Word was 
 made flefh. The gates of the church are 
 like wife of bronze, embelliflied with baffb 
 A a 2 relievos, 
 
356 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND ' 
 
 relievos, of admirable workmanfhip ; the 
 fubjects taken partly from the Old, and 
 partly from the New, Teftament, and divi- 
 ded into different compartments. As the 
 gates of this church are fhut at noon, the 
 pilgrims who arrive after that time can 
 get no nearer the Santa Cafa than thefe 
 gates, which are, by this means, fometimes 
 expofed to the firft violence of that holy ar- 
 dour which was defigned for theChapel itfelf. 
 All the fculpture upon the gates, which is 
 within reach of the mouths of thofe zealots, 
 is, in fome degree, effaced by their kiffes. 
 The murder of Abel, by his brother, is 
 upon a level with the lips of a perfon of 
 an ordinary fize, when kneeling. Poor 
 Abel has been always unfortunate ; had he 
 been placed a foot higher, or lower, on the 
 gate, he might have remained there, in 
 fecurity, for ages ; but, in the unlucky 
 place that the fculptor has put him, his 
 whole body has been almoft entirely kifled 
 away by the pilgrims $ whilft Cain (lands, 
 
 untouched, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 35; 
 
 untouched, in his original altitude, frown- 
 ing and fierce as ever. 
 
 I have faid nothing of the paintings to 
 be feen here, though fome are highly 
 efteemed, particularly two in the Treafury. 
 The fubjedt of one of thefe is, the Virgin's 
 Nativity, by Annibale Carracci ; and of 
 the other, a Holy Family, by Raphael* 
 There are fome others of considerable 
 merit, which ornament the altars of the 
 great church. Thefe altars, or little cha- 
 pels, of which this fabric contains a great 
 number, are lined with marble., and em- 
 bellished by fculpture; but nothing within 
 this church interefted me fo much as the 
 iron grates before thofe chapels, after I was 
 informed that they were made of the fetters 
 and chains of the Chriftian flaves 3 who 
 were freed from bondage by the glorious 
 victory of Lepanto. From that moment 
 thefe iron grates commanded my attention 
 more than all the golden lamps and candle- 
 A a 3 flicks, 
 
358. VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 flicks, and angels and jewels, of the Holy 
 Chapel. 
 
 The ideas that rufh into one's mind on 
 hearing a circumftance of this kind, are 
 affe&ing beyond expreffion. To think of 
 four thoufand of our fellow-creatures, torn 
 from the fervice of their country and the 
 arms of friendfhip, chained to oars, fub- 
 jeded continually to the revilings of ene- 
 mies, and every kind of ignominious 
 treatment, at once, when their fouls were 
 finking under the weight of fuch accumu- 
 lated calamity, and brought to the very 
 verge of defpair ; at once, in one bleffed 
 moment, freed from flavery, reitored to 
 the embraces of their friends, and enjoying, 
 with them, all the rapture of vidtory. 
 Good God, what a fcene ! what a number 
 of fcencs! for the imagination, after glanc- 
 ing at the whole, diftinguilhes and feparates 
 obje&s, and forms a thoufand groupes of 
 the raoft pathetic kind; the fond recog- 
 nition 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 359 
 
 nition of old companions, brothers flying 
 into each other's arms, and the ecftacy of 
 fathers on the recovery of their loft fons. 
 Many fuch pi&ures did my fancy form, 
 while I flood contemplating thofe grates 
 fo truly ornamental of a Chriftian church, 
 and fo perfedly congenial with a religion 
 which requires men to relieve the opprejfed^ 
 and Jet the captive free. 
 
 Happy if the followers of that religion 
 had always obferved this divine admoni- 
 tion. I fpeak not of thofe men who aflume 
 the name of Chriftians for the purpofes of 
 intereft or ambition, but of a more abfurd 
 clafs of mankind ; thofe who, believing in 
 Chriftianity, endeavour to reconcile it to 
 a conduct, and doctrines, entirely repugnant 
 to its nature. This abfurdity has appeared 
 in the human character from the earlieft 
 ages of Chriftianity. Men have difplayed 
 unaffected zeal, and endeavoured to fup- 
 port and propagate the moft benevolent 
 and rational of all religions, by a&ions 
 A a 4 worthy 
 
360 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 worthy of demons, and arguments which 
 ihock common fenfe. 
 
 The fame perfons who praifed and ad- 
 mired the heavenly benevolence of this 
 fentiment, Blefled are the merciful, for 
 they fhall obtain mercy ; have thought it a 
 duty to condemn their fellow-creatures to 
 cruel deaths for fpeculative opinions. The 
 fame men who admired the founder of 
 Chriftianity for going about, continually, 
 doing good, have thought it a duty to 
 fpend their whole lives in cells, doing 
 nothing. 
 
 And can any thing be more oppofite to 
 thofe dark and inexplicable do&rines, on 
 the belief of which, according to the con- 
 viction of many, our falvation depends, 
 than this plain rule, Whatfoever ye would 
 that men fhould do to you, do ye even fo 
 to them ? a rule fo plain, as to be under- 
 stood by the moft fimple and ignorant ; and 
 fo juft, complete, and comprehenfive, as to 
 \>c admired by the wifeft and moil: learned. 
 
 9 If 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 3 6 r 
 
 If this equitable maxim is the law and 
 the prophets, and we learn from the higheft 
 authority that it is, what becomes of all 
 thofe myfterious webs, of various texture, 
 which, fince the beginning of theChriftian 
 sera, Popes/Priefts, and many of the leaders 
 pf fe&aries, have wove around it ? 
 
362 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XXXIV. 
 
 Spoletto. 
 
 E left Loretto after dinner, and 
 
 * * proceeded through a beautiful 
 country to Macerata, a fmall town, fituated 
 on a hill, as the towns in Italy generally are. 
 We only flayed to change horfes, and con- 
 tinued our journey to Tolentino ; where, 
 not thinking it expedient to begin to afcend 
 the Apennines in the dark, we took up our 
 quarters at an inn, the beft in the 
 place, but, by many degrees, the pooreft 
 we had feen in Italy. However, as it was 
 not for good eating or convenient bed- 
 chambers we came to this country, that 
 circumftance affe&ed us very little. In- 
 deed, the quantity of vi&uals prefented us 
 at fupper, would have been as difpleafing 
 to a perfon of Sancho Pancho's way of 
 thinking, on the fubjed of eating, as the 
 manner they were dreiTed would have been 
 
 to 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 363 
 
 to a nicer fenfualift in that refined fcienee. 
 The latter circumftance prevented our re- 
 gretting the former ; and although we had 
 felt fome uneafinefs when we were told 
 how little provifions there were in the houfe, 
 the moment they appeared on the table we 
 were all convinced there was more than 
 enough. 
 
 The poor people of this inn, however, 
 fhewed the utmoft defire to pleafe. They 
 muft have unfortunate tempers indeed, 
 who, obferving this, could have fhocked 
 them by fretfulnefs, or an air of diffatis- 
 fa&ion. Befides, if the entertainment had 
 been ftill more homely, even thofe travel- 
 lers who are accuftomed to the greateft 
 delicacies, might be induced to bear it 
 with patience for one night, from this 
 confideration, That the people of the 
 place, who have juft as good a natural 
 right to the luxuries of life as them- 
 felves, are obliged to bear it always. No- 
 thing is more apt to raife indignation, 
 than to behold men Repining and fretting, 
 
 on 
 
364 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 on account of little inconveniencies, in the 
 hearing of thofe who are bearing much 
 greater every day with cheerfulnefs. There 
 is a want of fenfe, as well as a want of 
 temper, in fuch behaviour. The only ufe of 
 complaining of hardfhips to thofe who 
 cannot relieve them, muft be to obtain 
 fympathy ; but if thofe to whom they com- 
 plain, are fuffering the fame hardships in 
 a greater degree, what fympathy can thofe 
 repiners expe£t ? They certainly find none* 
 
 Next morning we encountered the Apen- 
 nines. The fatigue of this day's journey 
 was compenfated by the beauty and variety 
 of the views among thofe mountains. On 
 the face of one of the higheft, I remarked 
 a fmall hut, with a garden near it. I was 
 told this was inhabited by an old infirm 
 Hermit. I could not underftand how a 
 perfon in that condition could fcramble up 
 and down fuch a mountain to procure for 
 himfelf the neceflaries of life. I was in- 
 formed, he had not quitted his hermitage 
 
 for 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 355 
 
 for feveral years, the neighbouring peafants 
 fupplying him plentifully with all he re- 
 quires. This man's reputation for fandity 
 is very great, and thofe who take the trou- 
 ble of carrying him provifions, think them- 
 felves well repaid by his prayers. 
 
 I imagine I am acquainted with a 
 country where provifions are in greater 
 plenty than in the Apeninnes ; and yet the 
 greateft faint in the nation, who fhould 
 take up his refidence on one of its moun- 
 tains, would be in great danger of ftarving, 
 if he depended for his fuftenance upon the 
 provifions that (hould be carried up to him 
 in exchange for his prayers. 
 
 There are mountains and precipices 
 among the Apennines, which do not ap- 
 pear contemptible in the eyes even of thofe 
 who have travelled among the Alps; while 
 on the other hand, thofe delightful plains, 
 contained within the bofom of the former, 
 are infinitely fuperior, in beauty and ferti- 
 lity, to the vallies among the latter. We 
 
 now 
 
3 66 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 now entered the rich province of Umbria, 
 and foon after arrived at Foligno, a thriv- 
 ing town, in which there is more appear- 
 ance of induftry than in any of the towns 
 we have feen, fince we left Ancona ; there 
 are coniiderable manufactures of paper* 
 cloth, and filk. In a convent of Nuns, 
 is a famous pidure by Raphael, generally 
 vifited by travellers, and much admired by 
 connoiffeurs. 
 
 The fituation of this town is peculiarly 
 happy. It ftands in a charming valley, laid 
 out in corn-fields and vineyards, interfered 
 by mulberry and almond trees, and water- 
 ed by the river Clitumnus ; the view ter- 
 minating on one fide by hills crowned with 
 cities, and on the other by the loftieft 
 mountains of the Apennines. I never ex- 
 perienced fuch a fudden and agreeable 
 change of climate, as on defcending from 
 thofe mountains, in many places, at pre- 
 fent, covered with fnow a to this pleafant 
 
 valley of Umbria, 
 
 * Where 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 367 
 
 Where weftern gales eternally refide, 
 And all the fealbns lavilh all their pride* 
 
 From Foligno to Vene, the road lies 
 through this fine plain. A little before you 
 come to the poft-houfe at Vene, on the 
 right hand, there is a little building; the 
 front which looks to the valley, is adorned 
 with fix Corinthian pillars ; the two in the 
 middle enriched by a laurel foliage : on 
 one fide, is a crucifix in bafib relievo, with 
 vine branches curling around it. On this 
 building, there are fome infcriptions which 
 mention the refurreciion. Some, who 
 think the architecture too fine for the firft 
 ages of Chriftianity, and the Temple too 
 old to have been built fince the revival of 
 that art, have conje&ured, that this little 
 edifice is antique, and originally ere&ed by 
 the ancient inhabitants of Umbria, as a 
 temple, in honour of the river God Cli- 
 tumnus ; but, at fome fubfequent period, 
 converted into a Chriftian chapel, and the 
 crucifix and infcriptions added after its 
 confecration. Other very refpe£table judges 
 
 think, 
 
3 68 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 think, the ftyle of architecture is by no 
 means pure, but adulterated by meretrici- 
 ous ornament, and worthy enough of the 
 firft ages of Chriftianity. 
 
 Mr. Addifon has given many quotations 
 from the Latin poets, in honour of this 
 river, all of which countenance the po- 
 pular opinion with regard to the quality of 
 the water. The breed of white cattle, 
 which gave fuch a reputation to the river, 
 ftill remains in this country. We faw 
 many of them as we patted, fome milk 
 white, but the greateft numbers of a whitifh 
 grey. The common people ftill retain the 
 ancient opinion, with refpedt to the effect 
 of the water. Spoletto, the capital of 
 Umbria, is fituated on a high rock, the 
 afcent to which is very fteep on all fides. 
 This town retains little appearance of its 
 ancient importance. Keyfler fays, that, 
 like other paltry towns in Italy, it exhibits 
 bombaftic infcriptions concerning its an- 
 tiquity, and many trivial occurrences 
 which have happened there ; the only in- 
 
 fcription^ 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 369 
 
 fcription, however, which he quotes, and 
 the only one which I faw, is that over the 
 Porta di Fuga, from which the Cartha- 
 ginian army is fuppofed to have been re- 
 paired. 
 
 ANNIBAL 
 
 C^ESIS AD THRASYMENUM ROMANIS 
 URBEM ROMAM INFENSO AGMINE PETENS, 
 SPOLETO MAGNA SUORUM CLADE REPULSUS, 
 
 INSIGNI FUGA PORT^E NOMEN FECIT. 
 
 I cannot perceive any thing bombaftic in 
 this ; Livy mentions the fa£t in his twenty* 
 fecond book, in the following terms : 
 
 Annibal refto itinere per Umbriam ufque ad 
 Spoletum venit, inde quum perpopulato agro 
 urbem oppugnare adortus effet, cum magna 
 csde fuorum repulfus, conjedlans ex unius 
 colonise baud nimis profpere tentatse viribus 
 quanta moles Romans urbis effet. 
 
 If the inhabitants of the greateft capital 
 in the world had equal authority for their 
 anceftors having repulfed fuch a general as 
 Hannibal, would they not be inclined to 
 
 Vol, I. B b receive 
 
37 o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 receive it as truth, and to tranfmit it to 
 the lateft pofterity ? 
 
 This town is ftill fupplied with water, by 
 means of an antique aquedudt, one of the 
 moft entire, and the higheft; in Europe. 
 In the centre, where the height is greateft, 
 there is a double arcade ; the other arches 
 diminifli in height, as they recede from it, 
 towards the Hoping fides of the two moun- 
 tains which this magnificent work unites. 
 
 In the cathedral, there is a pi&ure of the 
 Virgin by St- Luke s but we had already 
 feen fufficient fpecimens of this faint's abi- 
 lities, as a fculptor and a painter, and we 
 had not the leaftcuriofity to fee anymore. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, 371 
 
 LETTER XXXV. 
 
 Psoitis* 
 
 "T EAVING Spoletto, we pafled over the 
 «*— ^ higheft of the Apennines, and then 
 defcended through a foreft of olive trees, 
 to the fruitful valley in which Terni is 
 fituated, on the river Nera. It was former- 
 ly called Interamna, on account of its 
 Handing between two branches of that river. 
 The valley which ftretches from, this town 
 to Terni, is exuberantly fertile, being fine- 
 ly expofed to the fouth fun, and watered 
 by the Nera, which, by its beauteous 
 windings, divides the plain into peninfulas 
 of various fhapes. The Emperor Tacitus, 
 and his brother Florianus, were natives of 
 Terni ; but the greateft pride of that city 
 is, its having given birth to Tacitus the 
 Hiftorian. 
 
 I am aim oft adiamed to tell you, that we 
 did not go to fee the famous cataract, near 
 B b 3 this 
 
372 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 this town, which is ufually vifited by tra- 
 vellers, and which, by all accounts, is fa 
 worthy of their curiofity. Innumerable 
 flreams from the higheft Apennines* meet- 
 ing in one channel, form the river- Velino, 
 which flows placidly, for fome time, 
 through a plain almoft horizontal, and 
 afterwards, when the river becomes more 
 rapid by the contra&ing and floping of 
 the channel, the plain terminates of a fud- 
 den in a precipice three hundred feet high, 
 over which, the river rufhing, dafhes 
 with fuch violence againft the rocky bot- 
 tom, that a vaft cloud of w r atery fmoke is 
 raifed all around. The river Velino does 
 not long furvive the fall, but broken, 
 groaning, and foaming, foon finiflies his 
 courfe in the Nera. Mr. Addifon is of 
 opinion, that Virgil had this gulph in his 
 eye when he defcribed the place in the 
 middle of Italy, through which the Fury 
 Ale&o defcended into Tartarus. 
 
 A very heavy rain which fell while we 
 w r ere at Terni, the fatigue and difficulty of 
 4 climbing 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 37; 
 
 climbing up the Monte di Marmore, from 
 whence this fall appears to the greateft ad- 
 vantage, and our impatience to be at Rome, 
 prevented us from feeing that celebrated 
 catara£t, which we regretted the lefs, as 
 we had frequently feen one of the fame 
 kind in Scotland, about twelve miles above 
 Hamilton, at a place called Corace, where 
 the river Clyde, falling perpendicular from 
 a vaft height, produces the fame efFecfls, 
 in every refped, unlefs, that he outlives 
 the accident, and continues his courfe for 
 near fifty miles before he joins the Atlantic 
 ocean* 
 
 The diftance from Terni to Narni is 
 about feven miles; the road is uncommon- 
 ly good, and the country on each fide 
 delightful. When we came near Narni, 
 while the chaifes proceeded to the town, I 
 walked to take a view of the bridge of 
 Auguftus. This (lately fabric is wholly of 
 marble, and without cement, as many other 
 antique buildings are* Only one of the 
 B b 3 arches 
 
374 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 arches remains intire, which is the firft on 
 the fide of the river where I was; under it 
 there was no water; it is one hundred and 
 fifty feet wide. The next arch, below 
 which the river flows, is twenty feet wider, 
 and has a confiderable flope, being higher 
 on the fide next the firft arch, than on that 
 next the third. The remaining two arches 
 are, in every refpedt, fmaller than the two 
 firft. What could be the reafon of fuch 
 ungraceful irregularity in a work, in other 
 refpe&s fo magnificent, and upon which 
 fo much labour and expence mull have been 
 'beflowed, I cannot imagine. It is doubt- 
 ful, whether there were originally four 
 arches, or only three ; for that which is 
 fuppofed by fome to be the bafis from 
 which the two lefler arches fprung ; is 
 thought by others, to be the remains of a 
 fquare pillar, raifed fome time after the 
 bridge was built, to fupport the middle of 
 the third arch; which, on the fuppofition 
 that there were but three, muft have been 
 of a very extraordinary width. 
 
 0 This 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 375 
 
 This fabric is ufually called Auguftus's 
 Bridge, and Mr. Addifon thinks that with- 
 out doubt Martial alludes to it, in the 
 ninety-fecond Epigram of the feventh 
 book; but fome oilier very judicious tra- 
 vellers imagine, it is the remains of an 
 aquedud, becaufe thofe arches joined two 
 mountains, and are infinitely higher than 
 was necefiary for a bridge over the ( little 
 river which flows under them. It has alfo 
 been fuppofed, not without great appear- 
 ance of probability, that this fabric was 
 originally intended to ferve the purpofes of 
 both. 
 
 As the rain ftill continued, my curiofity 
 to fee this fine ruin procured me a fevere 
 drenching : this I received with due refig- 
 nation, as a punifliment for having been 
 intimidated by rain, from vifiting the fine 
 cafcade at Terni. It was with great diffi- 
 culty I got up the hill, by a path which I 
 thought was fhorter and eafier than the 
 high road ; this unfortunately led to no 
 B b 4 gate. 
 
376 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 gate* At laft, hqwever, I obferved a bro- 
 ken part of the wall, over which I imme- 
 diately clambered into the town* Martial 
 takes notice of the difficulty of accefs to 
 this town, 
 
 Narnia, fulphureo quam gurgite candidusamnis 
 Circuit, ancipiti vix adeunda Jugo. 
 
 The town itfelf is very poor 2 and thinly 
 inhabited. It boafts, however, of being 
 the native city of the Emperor Nerva, antf 
 fome other celebrated men. 
 
 The road from Narni to the poft-houfe 
 at Otricoli, is exceeding rough and moun- 
 tainous. This is a very poor village, but 
 advantageoufly fituated on a rifing ground. 
 Between this and the Tiber, at fome little 
 diftance from the road, there is a confider- 
 able traft of ground, covered with many 
 loofe antique fragments and vaults : thefe 
 are generally confidered as the ruins of the 
 ancient Ocriculum. We pafTed along this 
 road early in the morning, and were enter- 
 tained, great part of the way, with vocal 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 377 
 
 mufic from the pilgrims, feveral hordes 
 of whom we met near this place, on their 
 return from Rome, where they had been 
 on account of the jubilee. 
 
 The only place of note between Otricoli 
 and Rome, is Civita Caftellana, Terni is 
 the laft town of the province of Umbria, 
 and Caftellana the firft of ancient Latium, 
 coming to Rome by the Flaminian way, 
 Caftellana is confidered, by many antiqua- 
 rians, as the Fefcennium of the ancients; a 
 fchoolmafter of which, as we are informed 
 by Livy, by an unexampled inftance of 
 wickednefs, betrayed a number of the fons 
 of the principal citizens into the power of 
 the Didator Camillas, at that time be- 
 fieging the place. The generous Roman, 
 equally abhorring the treachery and the 
 traitor, ordered this bafe man to be ftrip- 
 ped, to have his hands tied behind, and to 
 be delivered over to the boys, who, armed 
 with rods, beat him back to Fefcennium, 
 and delivered him up to their parents, to 
 be ufed as they fhould think he deferved. 
 
 Civita 
 
373 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 CivitaCaftellana ftands upon a high lock? 
 and muft formerly have been a place of 
 great ftrength, but is now in no very flou- 
 rifhing condition. Many of the towns I 
 have mentioned, lying on the road to 
 Rome, by the Flaminian way, have fuf- 
 fered, at different periods, more than thofe 
 of any other part of Italy ; by the inroads 
 ef Vihgoths and Huns, as well as by fome 
 incurfions of a later date. 
 
 This, I am convinced, is the only coun- 
 try in the world, where the fields become 
 more defolate as you approach the capital. 
 After having traverfed the cultivated and 
 fertile vallies of Umbria, one is affe&ed 
 with double emotion at beholding the 
 deplorable flate of poor negle&ed Latium. 
 For feveral pofls -before you arrive at Rome, 
 few villages, little cultivation, and fcarcely 
 any inhabitants, are to be feen. In the 
 Campania of Rome, formerly the bed 
 cultivated and beft peopled fpot in the 
 world, no houfes, no trees, no inclolures ; 
 
 nothing 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 375 
 
 nothing but the fcattered ruins of temples 
 and tombs, prefenting the idea of a country 
 depopulated by a peftilence. All is motion- 
 lefs, filent, and forlorn. 
 
 In the mid ft of thefe deferted fields the 
 ancient Miftrefs of the World rears her 
 head, in melancholy majefty. 
 
380 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XXXVI. 
 
 Rome. 
 
 " 1 C7 r OU will not be furprifed at my filence 
 for fome weeks paft. On arriving at 
 a place where there are fo many interefting 
 objects as at Rome, we are generally felfiih 
 enough to indulge our own curiofity very 
 amply, before we gratify that of our 
 friends in any degree. My firft care was 
 to wait on the Prince Guiftiniani, for 
 whom we had letters from Count Mahoni, 
 the Spanifh ambaflador at Vienna, to whofe 
 niece that Prince is married. Nothing 
 can exceed the politenefs and attention the 
 Prince and Princefs have fhewn. He 
 
 waited immediately on the D — of H , 
 
 and infifted on taking us* in his own 
 carriage, to every houfe of diftindion. 
 Two or three hours a day were fpent in 
 this ceremony. After being once prefented, 
 
 no 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 3 8t 
 
 no farther introdu&ion or invitation is 
 neceffary. 
 
 Our mornings are generally fpent in 
 vifiting the antiquities, and the paintings 
 in the palaces. On thofe occafions we are 
 accompanied by Mr. Byres, a gentleman of 
 probity, knowledge, and real tafte. We 
 generally pafs two or three hours every 
 evening at the converfazionis ; I fpeak in 
 the plural number, for we are fometimes 
 at feveral in the fame evening. It fre- 
 quently happens, that three or four, or 
 more, of the nobility, have thefe aflemblies 
 at the fame time ; and almoft all the com- 
 pany of a certain rank in Rome make it a 
 point, if they go to any, to go to all ; fo 
 that, although there is a great deal of 
 buftle, and a continual change of place, 
 there is fcarcely any change of company, 
 or any variation in the amufement, except 
 what the change of place occafions : but 
 this circumftance alone is often found an 
 ufeful accomplice in the murder of a tedious 
 
 evening ; 
 
382 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 evening; for when the company find no 
 great amufement in one place, they fly to 
 another, in hopes they may be better en- 
 tertained. Thefe hopes are generally dis- 
 appointed > but that does not prevent them 
 from trying a third, and a fourth ; and 
 although to whatever length the experi- 
 ment is pufhed, it always terminates in 
 new difappointments* yet, at laft, the 
 evening is difpatched ; and, without this 
 locomotive refource, I have feen people in 
 danger of dispatching themfelves. This 
 buftle, and running about after objeds 
 which give no permanent Satisfaction, and 
 without fully knowing whence we came, 
 or whither we are going, you'll fay, is a 
 mighty filly bufinefs. It is fo ; — and, after 
 all the Swelling importance that fome people 
 affume, Pray what is human life ? 
 
 Having told you what five or fix con- 
 ver£azionis are, I fhall endeavour to give 
 you fome idea what one is. Thefe aflem- 
 blies are always in the principal apartment 
 
 of 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 383 
 
 of the palace, which is generally on the 
 fecond, but Sometimes on the third floor* 
 It is not always perfedly eafy to find this 
 apartment, becaufe it fometimes happens 
 that the ftairc&fe is very ill lighted. On 
 entering the hall, where the footmen of 
 the company are aflembled, your name is 
 pronounced aloud, by fome fervants of the 
 family, and repeated by others, as you 
 walk through feveral rooms. Thofe whofe 
 names are not known, are announced by 
 the general denomination of i Cavalieri 
 Foreftieri, or Xnglefi, as you pafs through 
 the different rooms, till you come to that 
 in which the company are aflembled, where 
 you are received by the mafter or miftrefs 
 of the houfe, who fits exa&ly within the 
 door for that purpofe. Having made a 
 fhort compliment there, you mix with the 
 company, which is fometimes fo large, that 
 none but the ladies can have the conve- 
 niency of fitting. NotwithAanding the 
 great fize and number of the rooms in 
 the Italian palaces, it frequently happens 
 
 that 
 
3 34 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 that the company are fo prefled together, 
 that you can with difficulty move from one 
 room to another. There always is a 
 greater number of men than women ; no 
 lady comes without a gentleman to hand 
 her. This gentleman, who ads the part 
 of Cavaliero Servente, may be her relation 
 in any degree, or her lover, or both. It is 
 allowed him to be conneded with her in 
 any way but one — he muft not be her 
 hufband. Familiarities between man and 
 wife are ftill connived at in this country 
 however, provided they are carried on in 
 private ; but for a man to be feen hand in 
 hand with his wife, in public, would not 
 be tolerated. 
 
 At Cardinal Berni's aflembly, which is 
 ufually more crowded than any in Rome, the 
 company are ferved with coffee, lemonade, 
 and iced confedions of various kinds ; but 
 this cuftom is not univerfal. In fhort, at a con- 
 verfatione, you have an opportunity of feeing 
 a number of well-dreffed people, you fpeak 
 
 a few 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 385 
 
 * few words to thofe you are acquainted 
 with, you bow, to the reft, and enjoy the 
 happinefs of being fqueezed and prefled 
 among the beft company in Rome. I do 
 not know what more can be faid of thefe 
 aflemblies ; only it may be neceflary, to 
 prevent miftakes, to add, that a conver- 
 fazione is a place where there is no con- 
 verfation. They break up about nine 
 o'clock, all but a fmall fele£t company, 
 who are invited to fupper. But the prefent 
 race of Romans are by no means fo fond of 
 convivial entertainments, as their prede- 
 ceflbrs. The magnificence of the Roman 
 nobility difplays itfelf now in other articles 
 than the luxuries of the table : they gene- 
 rally dine at home, in a very private man- 
 ner. Strangers are feldom invited to 
 dinner, except by the foreign ambafladors. 
 The hofpitality of Cardinal Bernis alone 
 makes up for every deficiency of that 
 nature. There is no ambaffador from the 
 Court of Great Britain at Rome, but the 
 Englifli feel no want of one. If the 
 Vol. I. C c French 
 
3$6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 French Cardinal had been inftru&ed by 
 his court to be peculiarly attentive to them, 
 he could not be more fo than he is. No- 
 thing can exceed the elegant magnificence 
 of his table, nor the fplendid hofpitality 
 in which he lives. Years have not impair- 
 ed the wit and vivacity for which he was 
 diftinguiihed in his youth $ and no man 
 could fupport the pretenfions of the French 
 nation to fuperior politenefs, better than 
 their ambaflador at Rome. 
 
 There are no lamps lighted in the ftreets 
 at night ; and all Rome would be in utter 
 darknefs, were it not for the candles, which 
 the devotion of individuals fometimes place 
 before certain flatues of the Virgin. Thofe 
 appear faintly glimmering at vaft intervals, 
 like ftars in a cloudy night. The lackeys 
 carry dark lanthorns behind the carriages 
 of people of the firft diftin&ion. The 
 Cardinals, and other Ecclefiaflics, do not 
 choofe to have their coaches feen before 
 the- 'door of every houfe they vifit. In the 
 
 midft 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 387 
 
 midft of this darknefs, you will naturally 
 conclude, that amorous affignations in the 
 ftreets are not unfrequent among the in- 
 ferior people. When a carriage, with a 
 lanthorn behind it, accidentally comes near 
 a couple who do not wifli to be known, 
 one of them calls out, €i Volti la lanterna," 
 and is obeyed ; the carriage pafling with- 
 out farther notice being taken. Venus, as 
 you know, has always been particularly 
 refpe&ed at Rome, on account of her amour 
 with Anchifes. 
 
 ■ Genus unde Latinum 
 
 Albanique patres, atque alta mcenia Romas. 
 
 The Italians, in general, have a remark- 
 able air of gravity, which they preferve 
 even when the fubjedt of their converfation 
 is gay. I obferved fomething of this at 
 Venice, but I think it is much ftronger at 
 Rome. The Roman ladies have a languor 
 in their countenances, which promifes as 
 much fenfibility as the brilk look of the 
 French ; and, without the volubility of 
 C c 2 the 
 
^88 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 the latter, or the franknefs of the Venetian 
 women, they feem no way averfe to form 
 conne&ions with ftrangers. The D— of 
 H ' was prefented to a beautiful young 
 Lady at one of the aflemblies. In the 
 courfe of converfation he happened to fay, 
 That he had heard (he had been married 
 very lately. She anfwered, with precipi- 
 tation, u Signor fi — ma miomarito e uno 
 " Vecchio." She then added, fliaking her 
 head, and in a moft afFe&ing tone of voice, 
 " O fantiffima Virgine quanto e Vecchio!" 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 389 
 
 LETTER XXXVII. 
 
 Rome. 
 
 AUTHORS differ very much in 
 opinion with refped to the number 
 of inhabitants which Rome contained at the 
 period when it was raoft populous. Some 
 accounts make them feven millions, and 
 others a ftill greater number. Thefe feem 
 all to be incredible exaggerations. It is 
 not probable, that what is properly called 
 the city of Rome, ever extended beyond 
 the wall built by Belifarius, after he had 
 defeated the Goths. This wall has been 
 frequently repaired fince, and is ftill (land- 
 ing ; it is about thirteen or fourteen miles 
 in circuit, which is nearly the fize that 
 Rome was of, according to Pliny, in the 
 days of Vefpafian. Thofe who affert, that 
 the number of inhabitants in ancient Rom£, 
 when it was moft populous, could not 
 exceed a million, exclufive of flaves, are 
 Cc 3 thought 
 
VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 thought moderate in their calculation; but 
 when we confider that the circumference of 
 thirteen or fourteen miles is not equal to 
 that of either Paris or London ; that the 
 Campus Martius, which is the beft built 
 part of modern Rome, was a field, without 
 a houfe upon it, anciently ; and that the 
 rifing ground, where St. Peter's church and 
 theVatican (land, was no part of old Rome ; 
 it will be difficult to conceive that ever 
 Rome could boaft a million of inhabitants. 
 For my own part, if the wall of Belifarius 
 is admitted as the boundary of the ancient 
 city, I cannot imagine it to have, at any 
 time, contained above five or fix hundred 
 thoufand, without fuppofing the mafters 
 of the world to have been the word lodged 
 people in it. 
 
 But if, in the computations above men- 
 tioned, the fuburbs are included ; if thofe 
 who lived without the walls are confidered 
 as inhabitants; in that cafe there will be 
 room enough for any number, the limits 
 of the fuburbs not being afcertained. 
 
 The 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 391 
 
 The buildings immediately without the 
 wajls of Rome, which were conne&edly 
 continued fo as to merit the name of 
 fuburbs, were certainly of vafl: extent ; 
 and with thofe of the town itfelf, moft 
 have contained a prodigious number of 
 people. By a calculation made by Mr. Byres, 
 the Circus Maximus was of fufficient fize to 
 accommodate three hundred and eighty 
 thoufand fpedtators; and we are told by 
 the Latin poets, that it was ufually full. 
 Now if allowance is made for the fuper- 
 annuated, the fick, and infirm ; alfo for 
 children, and thofe employed in their pri- 
 vate bufinefs, and for flaves, who were 
 not permitted to remain in the Circus 
 during the games; Mr. Byres imagines that 
 fuch a number as three hundred and eighty 
 thoufand fpe&ators could not be fupplied 
 by a city and fuburt s the number of 
 whofe inhabitants were much under three 
 millions. 
 
 C c 4 Whatever 
 
392 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Whatever may have been the extent of 
 the fuburbs of Rome, it is probable they 
 were only formed of ordinary houfes, and 
 inhabited by people of inferior rank* 
 There are no remains of palaces, or mag- 
 nificent buildings of any kind, to be now 
 feen near the walls, or indeed over the 
 whole Campania ; yet it is afferted by fome 
 authors, that this wide furface was peo- 
 pled, at one period, like a continued vil- 
 lage ; and we are told of ftrangers, who, 
 viewing this immenfe plain covered with 
 houfes, imagined they had already entered 
 Rome, when they were thirty miles from 
 the walls of that city. 
 
 Some of the feven hills on which Rome 
 was built, appear now but gentle fwellings, 
 owing to the intervals between them being 
 greatly raifed by the rubbifh of ruined 
 houfes. Some have hardly houfes of any 
 kind upon them, being entirely laid out 
 in gardens and vineyards. It is generally 
 
 thought, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 393 
 
 thought, that two-thirds of the furface 
 within the walls are in this iituation, or 
 covered with ruins ; and, by the informa- 
 tion I have the greateft reliance on, the 
 number of the inhabitants at prefent is 
 about one hundred and feventy thoufand, 
 which, though greatly inferior to what 
 Rome contained in the days of its ancient 
 power, is more than it has been, for the 
 moll part, able to boaft fince the fall of 
 the Empire. There is good authority 
 for believing that this city, at particular 
 periods fince that time, fome of them not 
 very remote, has been reduced to between 
 thirty and forty thoufand inhabitants. The 
 numbers have gradually increafed during 
 the whole of this century. As it was 
 much lefs expenfive to purchafe new ground 
 for building upon, than to clear any ruins 
 which, by time, had acquired the confid- 
 ence of rock, great part of the modern 
 city is built on what was the ancient 
 Campus Martius. 
 
 Some 
 
394 VIEW OF SOCIETY. AND 
 
 Some of the principal ftreets are of con- 
 liderable length, and perfectly ftraight. 
 That called the Corfo, is the molt fre- 
 quented. It runs from the Porto del Po- 
 polo, along the fide of the Campus Mar- 
 tius, next to the ancient city* Here the 
 nobility difplay their equipages during the 
 carnival, and take the air iq the evenings 
 in fine weather. It is indeed the great 
 fcene of Roman magnificence and amufe- 
 ment. 
 
 The fhops on each fide, are three or four 
 feet higher than the ftreet ; and there is a 
 path for the conveniency of foot pafTengers, 
 on a level with the fhops. The palaces, 
 of which there are feveral in this ftreet, 
 range in a line with the houfes, having no 
 court before them, as the hotels in Paris 
 have ; and not being fhut up from the 
 fight of the citizens by high gloomy walls, 
 as Devonshire and Burlington houfes in 
 London are. Such difmal barricade? are 
 mere fuitable to the unfoclal chara&er of a 
 
 proud 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 39s 
 
 proud Baron, in the days of ariftocratic 
 tyranny, than to the hofpitable benevolent 
 difpofition of their prefent proprietor. 
 
 The Corfo, I have faid, commences at 
 the fine area immediately within the Porto 
 del Popolo. This is the gate by which we 
 entered Rome ; it is built in a noble flyle 
 of elegant fimplicity, from the defign of 
 Michael Angelo, executed by Bernini. 
 
 The Strada Felice, in the higher part of 
 the city, is about a mile and a half in. 
 length from the Trinita del Monte, to the 
 church of St. John Lateran, on the Pincean 
 hill. This ftreet runs in a flraight line, 
 but the view is interrupted by a fine church 
 called St. Maria Maggiore. The Strada 
 Felice is crofled by another ftraight ftreet, 
 called the Strada di Porta Pia, terminated 
 £t one end by that gate ; and at the other 
 by four coloflal ftatues in white marble, of 
 two horfes led by two men ; fuppokd by 
 feme, to be reprefentations of Alexander 
 taming Bucephalus; and according toothers, 
 
 of 
 
396 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 of Caftor and Pollux. They are placed 
 before the Pope's palace, on the Quirinal 
 Hill, and have a noble ^{Fe£t 
 
 It would be more difficult to convey an 
 idea of the fmaller and lefs regular ftreets. 
 I fhall therefore only obferve, in general, 
 that Rome at prefent exhibits a ftrange 
 mixture of magnificent aftd interefting, 
 common and beggarly obje&s j the former 
 eonfifts of palaces, churches, fountains, 
 and above all, the remains of antiquity. 
 The latter comprehend all the reft of the 
 city. The church of St. Peter's, in the 
 opinion of many, furpaJTes, in fize and 
 magnificence, the fineft monuments of an- 
 cient architecture. The Grecian and Ro- 
 man temples were more diftinguifhed for 
 the elegance of their form, than their 
 magnitude. The Pantheon, which was 
 ere&ed to all the Gods, is the moft entire 
 antique temple in Rome. It is faid, that 
 Michael Angelo, to confirm the triumph 
 of modern over ancient architecture, made 
 
 the 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 397 
 
 the dome of St. Peter's of the fame diame- 
 ter with the Pantheon; railing the im^ 
 menfe fabric upon four pilafters ; whereas 
 the whole circle of the rotunda refts upon 
 the ground. This great artift, perhaps^ 
 was delighted with the idea of being 
 thought as fuperior to the ancient archi- 
 tedts, as he was confcious of being inferior 
 to fome of the fculptors of antiquity. 
 
 All who have feen St. Paul's in London 
 may, by an enlargement of its dimenfions, 
 form fome idea of the external appearance 
 of St. Peter's. But the reiemblance fails en- 
 tirely on comparing them within ; St. Peter's 
 being lined, in many parts, with the moft 
 precious and beautiful marble, adorned with 
 valuable pictures, and all the powers of 
 fculpture. 
 
 The approach to St. Peter's church ex- 
 cells that to St. Paul's in a ftill greater pro- 
 portion, than the former furpafTes the lat- 
 ter either in fize, or in the richnefs and 
 beauty of the internal ornaments, A mag- 
 9 nificent 
 
398 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 nificent portico advances on each fide from 
 the front, by which means a fquare court is 
 formed immediately before the fteps which 
 lead into the church. The two porticoes 
 form two fides of the fquare, the third is 
 clofed by the front of the church, and the 
 fourth is open. A colonnade, four columns 
 deep, commences at the extremities of the 
 porticoes ; and embracing, in an oval di- 
 rection, a fpace far wider than the fquarq 3 
 forms the mod magnificent area that per- 
 haps ever was feen before any building. 
 This oval colonnade is crowned with a 
 baluftrade, ornamented by a great number 
 of flatues ; and confifts of above three 
 hundred large pillars, forming three fe- 
 parate walks, which lead to the advanced 
 portico, and from that into the church. In 
 the middle of the immenfe area, ftands an 
 Egyptian obelifk of granite ; and to the 
 right and left of this, two very beautiful 
 fountains refrcfh the atmofphere with 
 flreams of clear water. The delighted eye 
 glancing over thefe fplcndid objed/ts, would 
 
 reft 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 399 
 
 reft with complete fatisfa&ion on the ftu- 
 pendous fabric to which they ferve as em- 
 bellilhments, if the facade of this celebrated 
 church had been equal in beauty and ele- 
 gance to the reft of the building. But this 
 is by no means the cafe, and every im- 
 partial judge muft acknowledge, that the 
 front of St. Peter's is, in thofe particulars, 
 inferior to that of our St. Paul's. 
 
 The length of St. Peter's, taken on the 
 outfide, is exa&ly feven hundred and thirty 
 feet ; the breadth five hundred and twenty ; 
 and the height, from the pavement to the 
 top of the crofs, which crowns the cupola, 
 four hundred and fifty. The grand portico 
 before the entrance, is two hundred and 
 fixteen feet in length, and forty in breadth. 
 
 It is ufual to defire ftrangers, on their 
 firft entering this church, to guefs at the 
 fize of the objedts, which, on account of 
 the diftance, always feem lefs than they are 
 in reality. The ftatues of the Angels, in 
 particular, which fupport the founts of holy 
 
 water, 
 
4 oo VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 water, when viewed from the door, feem 
 no bigger than children ; but when you 
 approach nearer, you perceive they are fix 
 feet high- We make no fuch miftake on 
 feeing a living man at the fame, or a greater 
 diftance ; becaufe the knowledge we have 
 of a man's real fize precludes the poffibili- 
 ty of our being miftaken, and we make al- 
 lowance for the diminution which diftance 
 occalions; but Angels, and other figures 
 in fculpture, having no determined ftandard, 
 but being under the arbitrary will of the 
 ftatuary, who gives them the bulk of giants 
 or dwarfs as beft fuits his purpofe, we 
 do not know what allowance to make; and 
 the eye, unufed to fuch large mafles, is con- 
 founded, and incapacitated from forming 
 a right judgment of an objedt fix feet high, 
 or of any other dimenfions, which it was 
 not previoufly acquainted with. 
 
 It is not my defign to attempt a defcription 
 of the ftatues, baflb relievos, columns, pic- 
 tures, and various ornaments of this church ; 
 
 fuch 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 401 
 
 Such an account, faithfully executed, would 
 fill volumes. The fineft of all the orna- 
 ments have a probability of being longer 
 preferved than would once have been ima- 
 gined, by the aftonifhing improvements 
 which have of late been made in the art of 
 copying pictures in Mofaic. Some of the 
 artifts here, have already made copies 
 with a degree of accuracy, which nobody 
 could believe who had not feen the pe: >* 
 formances. By this means, the works oi 
 Raphael, and other great painters, will be 
 tranfmitted to a later pofterity than they 
 themfelves expe&ed ; and although all the 
 beauty of the originals cannot be retained 
 in the copy, it would be grofs affectation 
 to deny that a great part of it is. How 
 happy would it make the real lovers of the 
 art in this age, to have fuch fpecimens of 
 the genius of Zeuxis, Apelles, and other 
 ancient painters ! 
 
 It has been frequently remarked, that 
 the proportions of this church are fo fine, 
 Vol, I. D d and 
 
4 02 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 and the fymmetry of its different parts fa 
 exquifite, that the whole feems confider- 
 ably fmaller than it really is. It was, how- 
 ever, certainly intended to appear a great 
 and fublime objed, and to produce admira- 
 tion by the vaftnefs of its dimenfions. I 
 cannot, therefore, be of opinion* that any- 
 thing which has a tendency to defeat this 
 effed, can with propriety be called an excel- 
 lence. I fhould on the contrary imagine, 
 that if the archited could have made the 
 church appear larger than it is in reality* 
 this would have been a more deferable ef- 
 fed; provided it could have been pro- 
 duced without diminifhing our admiration 
 in fome more material point. If this could 
 not be accomplifhed ; if it is abfolutely cer- 
 tain, that thofe proportions in architedure, 
 which produce the mod beautiful effed on 
 the whole, always make a building feem 
 fmaller than it is ; this ought rather to 
 be mentioned as an unfortunate than as a 
 fortunate circumftance. The more I refled 
 on this, it appears to me the more certain, 
 
 that 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 403 
 
 that no fyftem of proportions, which has 
 the effect of making a large building ap- 
 pear fmall, is therefore excellent. If the 
 property of reducing great things to little 
 ones is inherent in all harmonious propor- 
 tions ; it is, in my opinion, an imperfe&ion, 
 and much to be lamented. In fmall build- 
 ings, where we expert to derive our plea- 
 fur e from grace and elegance, the evil may 
 be borne; but in edifices of vaft dimen- 
 fions, capable of fublimity from their bulk, 
 the vice of diminifhing is not to be com- 
 penfated by harmony. The fublime has 
 no equivalent. 
 
 D d 2 
 
404 
 
 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XXXVIII. 
 
 Rome. 
 
 f I ^ HE grand proceffion of the Poffeffo 
 A took place a few days ago. This 
 is a ceremony performed by every Pope, 
 as foon as conveniency will permit, after 
 the Conclave has declared in his favour. It 
 is equivalent to the coronation in England, 
 or the confecration at Rheims. On this 
 occafion, the Pope goes to the Bafilica of 
 St. John Lateran, and, as the phrafe is* 
 takes poffeffion of it. This church, they 
 tell you, is the moft ancient of all the 
 churches in Rome, and the mother of all 
 the churches in chriftendom. When he has 
 got poffeffion of this, therefore, he mufi be 
 the real head of the Chriftian church, and 
 Chrift's vicegerent upon earth. From St. 
 John Lateran's, he proceeds to the Capitol, 
 and receives the keys of that fortrefs ; after 
 which, it is equally clear, that as an earth- 
 6 ly 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 403 
 
 Jy prince, he ought, like the ancient pof- 
 feflbrs of the Capitol, to have a fupremacy 
 over all kings. 
 
 The Prince Guiftiniani procured a place 
 for us, at the Senator's houfe in the Capi- 
 tol, from whence we might fee the procef- 
 iion to the greateft advantage. On arriv- 
 ing, we w r ere furprifed to find the main 
 body of the Palace, as well as the Palazzo 
 de Confervatori, and the Mufeum, which 
 form the two wings, all hung with crimfon 
 filk, laced with gold. The bafes and ca- 
 pitals of the pillars and pilafters, where the 
 filk could not be accurately applied, were 
 gilt. Only imagine, what a figure the 
 Farnefian Hercules would make, drefied in 
 a filk fuit, like a French petit-maitre. To co- 
 ver the noble fimplicity of Michael Angelo's 
 architedure with fuch frippery by way of 
 ornament, is, in my mind, a piece of refine- 
 ment equally laudable. 
 
 Throwing an eye on the Pantheon, and 
 comparing it w r ith the Campidoglio in its 
 D d 3 pre lent 
 
4 o6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 prefent drefs, the beauty and juftnefs of the 
 following lines feemed more ftriking than 
 ever. 
 
 Mark, how the dread Pantheon Hands, 
 Amid the domes of modern hands, 
 Amid the toys of idle ftate, 
 How fimply, how feverely great ! 
 
 We were led to a balcony, where a num- 
 ber of ladies of the firft diftin&ion in Rome 
 were aflembled. There were no men ex- 
 cepting a very few ftrangers ; moft part of 
 the Roman noblemen have fome fundion 
 in the proceffion. The inltant of his 
 Holinefs's departure from the Vatican, 
 was announced by a difcharge of cannon 
 from the caftle of St. Angelo ; on the 
 top of which, the ftandard of the church 
 had been flying ever fince morning. We 
 had a full view of the cavalcade, on its 
 return from the church, as it afcended 
 to the Capitol. The officers of the Pope a s 
 foorfe guards were drefled in a ftyle equally 
 rich and becoming. It was fomething 
 
 betw r eeu 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 407 
 
 between the Hungarian and Spanifh drefs. 
 I do not know whether the King of 
 Pruffia would approve of the great pro- 
 fufion of plumage they wore in their hats ; 
 but it is pi&urefque, and fhowy qualities are 
 the moft eflfential to the guards of his Holi- 
 nefs. The Swifs guards were, on this oc- 
 cafion, dreffed with lefs propriety; their 
 uniforms were real coats of mail, with iron 
 helmets on their heads, as if they had been 
 to take the Capitol by ftorm, and expe&ed a 
 vigorous refiftance. Their appearance was 
 flrongly contrafted with that of the Roman 
 Barons, who were on horfeback, without 
 boots, and in full drefs; each of them 
 was preceded by four pages, their hair 
 hanging in regular ringlets to the middle 
 of their backs : they were followed by a 
 number of fervants in rich liveries. Bi- 
 Ihops and other ecclefiaftics fucceeded the 
 Barons ; and then came the Cardinals on 
 liorfeback, in their purple robes, which 
 covered every part of the holies, except 
 P d 4 the 
 
4 o8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 the head- You may be fure that the horfes 
 employed at fuch ceremonies are the 
 gentlelt that can be found ; for if they were 
 at all unruly, they might not only injure 
 the furrounding crowd, but throw their 
 Eminencies, who are not celebrated for 
 their {kill in horfemanfhip. Laft of all 
 comes the Pope himfelf, mounted on a 
 milk white mule, diftributing bleffings 
 with an unfparing hand among the mul- 
 titude, who follow him with acclamations 
 of Viva il Santo Padre, and, proftrating 
 themfelves on the ground before his mule, 
 Benedizione Santo Padre. The Holy 
 Father took particular care to wave his 
 hand in the form of the crofs, that the bleff- 
 ings he pronounced at the fame inftant 
 might have the greater efficacy. As his 
 Holinefs is employed in this manner during 
 the whole proceffion, he cannot be fup- 
 poled to give the leaft attention to his 
 mule, the bridle of which is held by two 
 perfons who walk by his fide, with fome 
 
 others, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, 409 
 
 others, to catch the infallible Father of the 
 Church, and prevent his being thrown 
 to the ground, in cafe the mule fhould 
 (tumble. 
 
 At the entrance of the Capitol he was 
 met by the Senator of Rome, who, falling 
 on his knees, delivered the keys into the 
 hands of his Holinefs, who pronounced a 
 bleffing over him, and reftored him the 
 keys. Proceeding from the Capitol, the 
 Pope was met by a deputation of Jews, 
 foon after he had paffed through the Arch 
 of Titus. They were headed by the chief 
 Rabbi, who prefented him with a long 
 fcroll of parchment, on which is written 
 the whole law of Mofes in Hebrew, His 
 Holinefs received the parchment in a very 
 gracious manner, telling the Rabbi at the 
 fame time, that he accepted his prefent 
 out of refped to the law itfelf, but entirely 
 rejeded his interpretation ; for the ancient 
 law, having been fulfilled by the coming of 
 
 the 
 
4 io VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 the Meffiah, was no longer in force. As 
 this was not a convenient time or place 
 for the Rabbi to enter into a controverfy 
 upon the fubjed, he bowed his head in 
 filence, and retired with his countrymen, 
 in the full convidion*. that the falfehood of 
 the Pope's affertion would be made mani- 
 fell to the whole univerfe in due time* 
 His Holinefs, mean while, proceeded im 
 triumph, through the principal ftreets, to 
 the Vatican* 
 
 This proceffion, I am told, is one of the 
 mod fhowy and magnificent which takes 
 place, on any occafion, in this city ; where 
 there are certainly more folemn exhibitions 
 of the fame kind than in any other coun- 
 try; yet, on the whole, I own it did not 
 afford me much fatisfadion ; nor could all 
 their pomp and finery prevent an uneafy 
 recolledion, not unmixed with fentiments 
 of indignation, from obtruding on my 
 mind. To feel unmixed admiration in be- 
 holding 
 
 4 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 411 
 
 holding the Pope and his Cardinals march- 
 ing in triumph to the Capitol, one muft 
 forget thofe who walked in triumph for- 
 merly to the fame place ; forget entirely 
 that fuch men as Camillus, Scipio, Paulus 
 iEmilius, and Pompey, ever exifted ; they 
 muft forget Cato, whofe campaign in 
 Africa was fo much admired by Lucan, 
 that he declares, he would rather have had 
 the glory of that fingle campaign than 
 Pompey's three triumphs, and all the honour 
 he obtained by finifhing the Jugurthan war. 
 
 Hunc ego per Syrtes, Libyaeque extrema 
 
 triumphum 
 Ducere maluerim, quam ter Capitolia curry 
 Scandere Pompeii, quam frangere colla Ju- 
 
 gurthse. 
 
 We muft forget Caius Caflius, Marcus 
 Brutus, and all the great and virtuous men 
 of ancient Rome, whom we have admired 
 from our childhood, and of whofe great 
 qualities our admiration increafes with our 
 experience and knowledge of the prefent 
 
 race 
 
4 i2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 race of mankind. To be in the Capitol, 
 and not think and fpeak of the worthies 
 of the ancient Republic, is almoft im- 
 poffible. 
 
 Quis te magne Cato taciturn \ aut te Cofle 
 rclinquat ? 
 
 Quis Gracchi genus ? aut geminos, duofulmina 
 
 belli, 
 Scipiadas, &c. &c. 
 
 I 
 
MANNERS 
 
 IN ITALY: 
 
 4 T 3 
 
 LETTER XXXIX. 
 
 Rome* 
 
 AVING faid fo much of St. Peters, 
 
 modern architecture in Rome, allow 
 me to mention fome of the heft fpeci- 
 mens of the ancient. I fhall begin with 
 the Pantheon, which, though not the 
 largeft of the Roman temples, is the 
 moft perfect ^ which now remains. The 
 Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, and the 
 Temple of Peace, if we may truft to the 
 accounts we have of the firft, and to the 
 ruins of the fecond, in the Campo Vaccino, 
 were both much larger than the Pantheon. 
 In fpite of the depredations which this laft 
 has fuftained from Goths, Vandals, and 
 Popes, it ftill remains a beauteous monu- 
 ment of Roman tafte. The pavilion of 
 the great altar, which (lands under the 
 cupola in St. Peter's, and the four wreathed 
 
 unquefiionably the fineft piece of 
 
 pillars 
 
4 J4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 pillars of Corinthian brafs which fupport it, 
 were formed out of the fpoils of the Pan- 
 theon, whichj after all, and with the 
 weight of eighteen hundred years upon its 
 head, has ftill a probability of outliving its 
 proud rapacious rival. From the round 
 form of this temple, it has obtained the 
 name of Rotunda. Its height is a hundred 
 and fifty feet, and its diameter nearly the 
 fame. Within, it is divided into eight 
 parts ; the gate at which you enter form- 
 ing one : the other feven compartments, 
 if they may be fo called, are each of them 
 diftinguiihed by two fluted Corinthian 
 pillars, and as many pilafters of Giallo 
 Antico. The capitals and bafes are of 
 white marble ; thefe fupport a circular 
 entablature. The wall is perpendicular for 
 half the height of the temple; it then 
 flopes forward as it afcends, the circum- 
 ference gradually diminifhing, till it termi- 
 nates in an opening of about twenty-five 
 feet diameter. There are no windows; the 
 central opening in the vault admitting a 
 
 fufficiency 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 415 
 
 fufficiency of light, has a much finer effect 
 than windows could have had. No great 
 inconveniency can happen from this open- 
 ing. The conical form of the temple 
 prevents the rain from falling near the 
 walls where the altars now are, and where 
 the ftatues of the Gods were formerly 
 placed. The rain w r hich falls in the middle 
 immediately drills through holes which 
 perforate a large piece of porphyry that 
 forms the centre of the pavement, the 
 whole of which confifts of various pieces of 
 marble, agate, and other materials, which 
 have been picked up from the ruins, and 
 now compcfe a Angular kind of Mofaic 
 work. 
 
 The portico was added by Marcus 
 Agrippa, the fon-in-law of Auguftus. It 
 is fupported by fixteen pillars of granite, 
 five feet in diameter, and of a fingle piece 
 each. Upon the frieze, in the front, 
 is the following infcription in large 
 capitals : 
 
 M, AGRIPPA L, F* CONSUL TERTIUM FECIT. 
 
 Some 
 
4 i6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Some are of opinion, that the Pantheon is 
 much more ancient than the Auguftan age, 
 and that the portico, which is the only part 
 thofe antiquarians admit to be the work 
 of Agrippa, though beautiful in itfelf, 
 does not correfpond w T ith the (implicity of 
 the temple. 
 
 As the Pantheon is the moft entire, 
 the Amphitheatre of Vefpafian is the 
 mod ftupendous, monument of antiquity 
 in Rome. It was finifhed by his fon 
 Titus, and obtained the name of Colof- 
 feum, afterwards corrupted into Colifeum, 
 from a coloffal ftatue of Apollo which 
 was placed before it. This vaft ftru&ure 
 was built of Tiburtine ftone, w r hich is 
 remarkably durable. If the public build- 
 ings of the ancient Romans had met with 
 no more inveterate enemy than Time, we 
 might, at this day, contemplate the greater 
 number in all their original perfedion ; 
 they were formed for the admiration of 
 much remoter ages than the prefent. This 
 
 Amphitheatre in particular might have 
 
 ftood 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 417 
 
 flood entire for two thoufand years to come; 
 For what are the flow corrofions of time, 
 in companion of the rapid deftru&ion from 
 the fury of Barbarians, the zeal of Bigots, 
 and the avarice of Popes and Cardinals ? 
 The firft depredation made on this ftupen- 
 dous building, was by the inhabitants of 
 Rome themfelves, at that time greater 
 Goths than their conqueror. We are told, 
 they applied to Theodoric, whofe court 
 was then at Ravenna, for liberty to take 
 the Hones of this Amphitheatre for fome 
 public work they were carrying on. The 
 marble cornices, the friezes, and other or- 
 naments of this building, have been carried 
 away, at various times, to adorn palaces ; 
 and the Hones have been taken to build 
 churches, and foihetimes to repair the walls 
 of Rortte, trie mod ufelefs work of all. For 
 of what importance are walls to a city, 
 without a garrifon, and whofe mod power- 
 ful artillery affedts not the bodies, but only 
 ihe mincisj of men ? About one-half of the 
 external circuit ftill remains, from which, 
 Vol. I. E e and 
 
418 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 and the ruins of the other parts, a pretty 
 exa£t idea may be formed of the original 
 ftru&ure. By a computation made by Mr. 
 Byres, it could contain eighty-five thou- 
 fand fpe&ators, making a convenient allow- 
 ance for each. Fourteen chapels are now 
 ere&ed within fide, reprefenting the ftages 
 of our Saviour's paffion. This expedient 
 of confecrating them into Chriftian chapels 
 and churches, has faved fome of the finefi: 
 remains of Heathen magnificence from 
 utter deftru&ion. 
 
 Our admiration of the Romans is tem- 
 pered with horror, when we refledt on the 
 ufe formerly made of this immenfe build- 
 ing, and the dreadful fcenes which were 
 adled on the Arena ; where not only crimi- 
 nals condemned to death, but alfo pri- 
 foners taken in war, were obliged to butcher 
 each other, for the entertainment of an 
 inhuman populace. The combats of Gla- 
 diators were at firft ufed in Rome at 
 funerals only, where prifoners were obliged 
 
 to 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 41^ 
 
 to aflume that profeffion, and fight before 
 the tombs of deceafed Generals or Magis- 
 trates, in imitation of the barbarous cuftom 
 of the Greeks, of Sacrificing captives at the 
 tombs of their heroes. 
 
 This horrid piece of magnificence, 
 which, at firft, was exhibited only on the 
 death of Confuls, and men of the higheft 
 diftin&ion, came gradually to be claimed 
 by every citizen who was Sufficiently rich 
 to defray the expence ; and as the people's 
 fondnefs for thefe combats increaSed every 
 day, they were no longer confined to fu- 
 neral Solemnities, but became cuftomary on 
 days of public rejoicing, and were exhibit- 
 ed, at amazing expence, by Some Generals 
 after victories. In the progrefs of riches, 
 luxury, and vice, it became a profeffion in 
 Rome to deal in gladiators. Men called 
 Laniftse made it their bufinefs to purchaSe 
 priSoners and flaves, to have them inftrudt- 
 ed in the uSe of the various weapons ; and 
 wlien any Roman chofe to amufe the 
 E e 2 people 
 
420 VIEW OF SOCIETY AtfD 
 
 people with their favourite fliow, or fa 
 entertain a feled: company of his own 
 friends upon any particular occafion, he ap- 
 plied to the Lanifias; who, for a fixed price, 
 furnifhed him with as many pairs of thofe 
 unhappy combatants as he required. They 
 had various names given to them, accord- 
 ing to the different manner in which they 
 were armed. Towards the end of the 
 repuhlic ; feme of the rich and powerful 
 citizens had great numbers of gladiators of 
 their own, who were daily exercifed by the 
 Lanifise, and always kept ready for fight- 
 ing when ordered by their proprietor. 
 Thofe who were often vi&orious, or had 
 the good fortune to pleafe their matters, 
 had their liberty granted them, on which 
 they generally quitted their profelfion ; 
 though it fometimes happened, that thofe 
 who were remarkably fkilful, continued it, 
 either from vanity or poverty, even after 
 they had obtained their freedom ; and the 
 applaufe beftowed on thofe gladiators, had 
 the effe£t of inducing men born free, to 
 i choofe 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 421. 
 
 choofe this for a profeffion, which they 
 exercifed for money, till age impaired their 
 ■ftrength and addrefs, They then hung up 
 their arms in the temple of Hercules, and 
 appeared no more on the Arena. 
 
 . Veiariius armis 
 
 Herculis ad poftem fixis beet abdkus agro, 
 Ne populum extrerna totics exoret Arena. 
 
 There were many Amphitheatres at 
 Rome, in other towns of Italy, and in 
 many provinces of the empire ; but this of 
 Vefpafian was the largeft that ever was 
 built. That at Verona is the next in fize 
 in Italy, and the remains of the Amphi- 
 theatre at Nimes, in the fouth of France, 
 prove, that it was the moft magnificent 
 jftru&ure of this kind in any of the Roman, 
 provinces. The Romans w T ere fo ex ce {lively 
 fond of thefe exhibitions, that wherever 
 colonies were eftabliilied, it was found re- 
 quisite to give public fl)ews of this kind, 
 to induce the emigrants to remain in their 
 pew country : and in the provinces where 
 E e 3 it 
 
422 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 it was thought neceflary that a confiderable 
 body of troops fliould remain conftantly, 
 ftrudhires of this kind were ere&ed, at vaft 
 labour and expence, and were found the 
 beft means of inducing the young officers 
 to fubmit cheerfully to a long abfence from 
 the capital, and of preventing the common 
 foldiers from defertion. The profufion of 
 human blood, which was fhed in the 
 Arena, by the cruel prodigality of the Em- 
 perors, and the refinements which were 
 invented to augment the barbarous pleafure 
 of the fpe&ators, are proofs of the dreadful 
 degree of corruption and depravity to 
 which human nature is capable of attain- 
 ing, even among a learned and enlightened 
 people, when unreftrained by the mild 
 precepts of a benevolent religion. We are 
 told, that the gladiators bred for the ufe 
 of particular patricians, as well as thofe 
 kept for hire by the Lanifte, were, for 
 fome weeks before they appeared in the 
 Arena, fed upon fuch fucculent diet, as 
 would fooneft fill their veins, that they 
 
 might 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 423 
 
 might bleed freely at every wound. They 
 were inftru&ed by the Lanifbe, not only in 
 the art of fighting, but alfo in the moft 
 graceful manner of dying ; and when thofe 
 wretched men felt themfelves mortally 
 wounded, they afTumed fuch attitudes as 
 they knew pleafed the beholders ; and they 
 feemed to receive pleafure themfelves from 
 the applaufe bellowed upon them in their 
 laft moments. 
 
 When a gladiator was thrown by his 
 antagonift to the ground, and diredly laid 
 down his arms, it was a fign that he could 
 refift no longer, and declared himfelf 
 vanquifhed ; but ftill his life depend- 
 ed on the fpe&ators. If they were 
 pleafed with his performance, or, in a 
 merciful difpofition, they held up their 
 hands, with the thumb folded down, and 
 the life of the man was fpared ; but if they 
 were in the humour to fee hirn die, they 
 held up the hand clenched, with the thumb 
 ©nly ere&. As foon as the proftrate vi&itn 
 £ e 4 beheld 
 
424 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 beheld that fatal fignal, he knew all hopes 
 of life were vain, and immediately pre- 
 fented his breaft to the fword of his adver- 
 faiy, who, whatever his own inclinations 
 might be, was obliged to put him to death 
 JrMantty. 
 
 As thefe combats formed the fupreme 
 pleafure of the inhabitants of Rome, the 
 mod cruel of their Emperors were fome? 
 times the rnoft popular; merely becaufe 
 they gratified the people, without reftraint, 
 in their favourite amufement. When Mar- 
 cus Aurelius thought it neceffary, for the 
 public fervice, to recruit his army from the 
 gladiators of Rome ; it raifed more difcon- 
 tent among the populace, than many of the 
 wildeft pranks of Caligula. In the times 
 of fome of the Emperors, the lower clafs of 
 Roman citizens were certainly as worthlefs a 
 fet of men as ever exifted ; ftained with all the 
 vices which arife from idlenefs and depend- 
 ence; living upon the largefles of the great; 
 pafilng their whole time in the Circus and 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 425 
 
 Amphitheatres, where every fentiment of 
 humanity was annihilated within their 
 breads, and where the agonies and torment^ 
 of their fellow-creatures were their chief 
 paftime. That no occafion might be loft 
 of indulging this favage tafte of the popu- 
 lace, criminals were condemned to light 
 with wild beads in the Arena, or were ex- 
 pofed, unarmed, to be torn in pieces by 
 them; at other times, they w r ere blind- 
 folded, and in that condition obliged to cut 
 and daughter each other. So that, initead 
 of victims folemnly facrificed to public 
 juftice, they feemed to be brought in as 
 buffoons to raife the mirth of the fpe&ators. 
 
 The pra&ice of domeftic flavery had alfo 
 a great influence in rendering the Romans 
 of a cruel and haughty character. Mailers 
 could punifh their flaves in what manner, 
 $nd to what degree, they thought proper. 
 It was as late as the Emperor Adrian's 
 time, before any law was made, ordaining 
 that a maft^r who fhould put his Have to 
 
 death 
 
426 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 death without fufficient caufe, fhould be 
 tried for his life. The ufual porter at the 
 gate of a great man's houfe in ancient 
 Rome, was a chained flave. The noife of 
 whips and lafhes refounded from one 
 houfe to another, at the time when it 
 was cuftomary for the matters of families 
 to take an account of the conduit of their 
 fervants. This cruel difpofition, as is the 
 cafe wherever domeftic flavery prevails, ex- 
 tended to the gentle fex, and hardened the 
 mild tempers of the women. What a pic- 
 ture has Juvenal drawn of the toilet of a 
 Roman lady ! 
 
 Nam fi conftituit, folitoque decentius optat 
 Ornari » 
 
 Componit crinem laceratis ipfa capillis, 
 Nuda humerosPfecas infelix, nudifqne mamillis, 
 Altior hie quare cincinnus? Taurea punit. 
 Continuo flexi crimen facinufque capilli. 
 
 It was cuftomary for avaricious matters* 
 to fend their infirm and fick flaves, to an 
 ifland in the Tiber, where there was a 
 Temple of iEftuIapius ; if the God pleafed 
 
 5 t0 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 427 
 
 to recover them, the mafter took them back 
 to his family ; if they died, no farther in- 
 quiry was made about them. The Em- 
 peror Claudius put a check to this piece of 
 inhumanity, by ordaining, that every lick 
 fiave, thus abandoned by his mafter, fhould 
 be declared free when he recovered his 
 health. 
 
 From thefe obfervations, are we to in- 
 fer, that the ancient Romans were natural' 
 ly of a more cruel turn of mind, than the 
 prefent inhabitants of Europe ? Or is there 
 not reafon to believe that, in the fame cir- 
 cumftances, modern nations would a£t in 
 the fame manner ? Do we not perceive, 
 that the practice of domeftic flavery has, at 
 this day, a ftrong tendency to render men 
 haughty, capricious, and cruel. Such, X' 
 am afraid, is the nature of man, that if he 
 has power without controul, he will ufe it 
 without juftice ; abfolute power haa a 
 ftrong tendency to make good men bad, 
 and never fails to make bad men worfe. 
 
 It 
 
4 23 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 It was an obfervation of the late Marefchal 
 Saxe, that in all the contefts between the 
 army waggoners and their horfes, the wag- 
 goners were in the wrong ; which he im- 
 puted to their having abfolute authority 
 over the horfes. In the qualities of the 
 head and heart, and in mo ft other refpedls* 
 he thought the men and horfes on an bqaai 
 lity. Caprke is a vice of the temper, 
 which increafes fafter than any other by in- 
 dulgence ; it often fpoils the beft qualities 
 of the heart, and, in particular fituations, 
 degenerates into the moft unfufferable 
 tyranny. The firft appearance of it in 
 young minds ought to be oppofed with 
 firmnefs, and prevented from farther pro- 
 grefs, otherwife our future attempts to arreft 
 it may be fruitlefs ; for 
 
 Mobilitate viget, virefque acquirit enndo; 
 
 The combats in the Amphitheatres were, 
 as I have already faid, introduced by de- 
 grees at Rome. The ctiftom of making 
 prifoners fight around the funeral piles of 
 
 deceafed 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 429 
 
 dsceafed heroes, was a refinement on a more 
 barbarous pra&ice ; and the Romans, no 
 doubt, valued themfelves on their humani- 
 ty, in not butchering their prifoners in 
 cold blood, as was the cuftom in the earlieft 
 ages of Greece, The inftitution of oblig- 
 ing criminals to fight in the Arena, and 
 thus giving them a chance for their lives, 
 would alio appear to them a very merciful 
 improvement on the common manner of 
 execution. The groffeft fophiftry will 
 pafs on men's underftandings, when it is 
 ufed in fupport of meafures to which they 
 are already inclined. And when we con- 
 fider the eager nefs with which the popu- 
 lace of every country behold the acci- 
 dental combats which occur in the ftreets, 
 we need not be furprifed to find 5 that when 
 once the combats of .gladiators were per- 
 mitted among the Roman populace, on 
 whatever pretext, the tafte for them would 
 daily increafe, till it erafed every idea of 
 compunction from their breafts, and be- 
 came their ruling paffion. The Patricians, 
 
 enriched 
 
430 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 enriched by the pillage of kingdoms, and 
 knowing that their power at Rome, and con- 
 fequently all over the world, depended on 
 the favour and fuffrages of the people, 
 naturally fought popularity by gratifying 
 their favourite tafte. Afterwards the Em- 
 perors might imagine, that fuch fhows 
 would keep the citizens from refleding on 
 their loft liberties, or the enormities of the 
 new form of government; and, exclufive 
 of every political reafon, many of them, 
 from the barbarous difpofition of their own 
 minds, would take as much pleafure in the 
 fcenes afted on the Arena, as the mod fa- 
 vage of the vulgar. 
 
 While we exprefs horror and indignation 
 at the fondnefs which the Romans difplay- 
 ed for the bloody combats of the Amphi- 
 theatre, let us reflect, whether this pro- 
 ceeded from any peculiar cruelty of difpofi- 
 tion inherent in that people, or belongs to 
 mankind in general ; let us refled, whether 
 it is probable, that the people of any other 
 
 nation 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 4jt 
 
 nation would not be gradually led, by the 
 fame degrees, to an equal paffion for fuch 
 horrid entertainments. Let us confider, 
 whether there is reafon to fufpedt that thofe 
 who arm cocks with fteel, and take pleafure 
 in beholding the fpirited little animals cut 
 one another to death, would not take the 
 fame, or fuperior delight, in obliging men 
 to flaughter each other if they had the 
 power.— And what reftrains them ? Is there 
 no reafon to believe, that the influence of 
 a purer religion, and brighter example, 
 than were known to the Heathen world, 
 prevents mankind from thofe enormities 
 no'Wy which were permitted and counte- 
 nanced formerly ? As foon as the benevo- 
 lent precepts of Chriftianity were received 
 by the Romans as the laws of the Deity, 
 the prifoners and the flaves were treated 
 with humanity, and the bloody exhibitions 
 in the Amphitheatres were abolifhed. 
 
432 VIEW OF SOCIETY A'ND" 
 
 LETTER XL. 
 
 Rome, 
 
 r \7 r OU are furprifed that I have hitherto 
 A faid nothing of the Capitol, and the 
 Forum Romanum, which is by far the 
 moft interefting fcene of antiquities iri 
 Rome. The objeds worthy of attention 
 are fo numerous, and appear fo confufed, 
 that it was a confiderable time before I 
 could form a tolerable diftind; idea of their 
 fituation with refpeft to each other, though 
 I have paid many more vifits to this than 
 any other fpot fmce I have been in this 
 city. Before we entered a church or pa- 
 lace, we ran thither with as much impa- 
 tience as if the Capitol had been in danger 
 of falling before our arrival. The ap- 
 proach to the modern Campidoglio is very 
 noble, and worthy of the genius of Michael 
 Angelo. The building itfelf is alfo the 
 work of that great artiftj it is raifed on 
 
 p&ff 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 433 
 
 part of the ruins of the ancient Capitol, 
 and fronts St. Peter's church, with its back 
 to the Forum and old Rome. Afcending 
 this celebrated hill, the' heart beats quick, 
 and the mind warms with a thoufand in- 
 terefting ideas. You are carried back, at 
 once, to the famous robber who firft 
 founded it. Without thinking of the wafle 
 of time which mud have effaced what you 
 are looking for, you caft about your eyes 
 in fearch of the path by which the Gauls 
 climbed up, and where they were oppofed 
 and overthrown by Manlius. You with- 
 draw your eyes, with difdain, from every 
 modern objeft, and are even difpleafed 
 with the elegant ftrudhrre you fee before 
 you* and contemplate, with more refped, 
 the ruins on which it is founded; becaufe 
 they are more truly Roman. 
 
 The two Sphynxes of bafalte, at the 
 bottom of the afcent, though excellent 
 fpecimens of Egyptian fculpture, engage 
 little of your attention. Warm with the 
 
 Vol, I. F f glory 
 
434 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 glory of Rome, you cannot beftow a 
 thought on the hieroglyphics of Egypt. 
 At fight of the trophies ere&ed in honour 
 of C. Marius, all thofe bloody fcenes a&ed 
 by the fury of party and demon of revenge, 
 during the mod calamitous period of the 
 republic, rufh upon the memory; and you 
 regret that Time, who has fpared the 
 monuments of this fierce foldier, has de- 
 ftroyed the numerous trophies raifed to the 
 Fabii, the Scipio's, and other heroes, dis- 
 tinguished for the virtues of humanity, as 
 well as the talents of Generals. You are 
 ftruck with the coloflal ftatues of Caftor 
 and Pollux, and, in the heat of enthufiafm, 
 confounding the fidions of poetry with 
 hiftorical truth, your heart applauds their 
 fraternal affe&ion, and thanks them for the 
 timely afTiftance they afforded the Romans 
 in a battle with the Volfci. You rejoice at 
 their good fortune, which, on earth, has 
 procured them a place in the Capitol, and, 
 m heaven, a feat by Hercules. Horace 
 informs us, that Auguftus drinks his 
 
 ne£tar 3 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 435 
 
 nedfor, reclined between them and that 
 demigod— 
 
 Quos inter Auguftus recumbenS 
 Purpureo bibit ore ne&ar. 
 
 From them you move forward, and your 
 admiration is fixed by the animated equef- 
 trian ftatue of Marcus Aurelius, which 
 naturally brings to your memory that 
 happy period, when the Roman empire was 
 governed by a Prince who, during a long 
 reign, made the good of his fubje£ts the 
 chief objedt of his government. You pro- 
 ceed to the upper end of the area ; your 
 eye is caught by a majeftic female figure, 
 in a fitting attitude ; you are told it is a 
 Roma Triumphans ; you view her with all 
 the warmth of fond enthufiafm, but you 
 recoiled that fhe is no longer Triumphans; 
 you caft an indignant eye on St. Peter's 
 church, to which fhe alfo feems to look 
 with indignation. Is there fuch another 
 inftance of the vicifiitude of human things ; 
 the proud Miftrefs of the World under the 
 F f 2 dominion 
 
43 6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 dominion of a prieft ? Horace was pro- 
 bably accufed of vanity when he wrote 
 thefe lines : 
 
 ~~ — Ufque ego poftera 
 
 Crefcam lauderecens, dum Capkolium 
 Scandet cum tacita virgine Pontifex. 
 
 Yet the poet's works have already out- 
 lived this period fourteen hundred years ; 
 and Virgil has tranfmitted the memory of 
 the friendfhip and fame of Nifus and 
 Euryalus, the fame fpaee of time beyond 
 the period which he himfelf, in the ardour 
 of poetic hope> had fixed for its limits. 
 
 Fortunati ambo (i quid mea carmina poffunt, 
 Nulla dies unquam memori vos eximet asvo : 
 Dum domus JEnezz Capitoli immobile faxum 
 Accolet, imperiumque Pater Romanus habebiu 
 
 In the two wings of the modern palace, 
 called the Campidoglio, the Confervators of 
 the city have apartments ; their office is 
 analogous to that of the ancient iEdiles. 
 In the main body an Italian nobleman,, 
 appointed by the Pope, has his refidence, 
 I with 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 437 
 
 V?ith the title of Senator of Rome; the 
 miferable representation of that Senate 
 which gave laws to the world. The mod 
 defaced ruin, the moft fliapelefs heap of 
 antique rubbifh in all Rome, cannot convey 
 a feebler image of the building to which 
 they belonged, than this deputy of the 
 Pope does of that auguft aflembly. The 
 beautiful approach to this palace, and ail 
 the ornaments which decorate the area 
 before it, cannot detain you long from the 
 back view to which the ancient Capitol 
 fronted. Here you behold the Forum 
 Romanum, now exhibiting a melancholy 
 but interefting view of % the devaftation 
 wrought by the united force of time, 
 avarice, and bigotry* The firft objedts 
 which meet your eye, on looking from 
 this fide of the hill, are three fine pillars, 
 two-thirds of them buried in the ruins of 
 the old Capitol. They are faid to be the 
 remains of the temple of Jupiter Tonans, 
 built by Auguftus, in gratitude for having 
 narrowly efcaped death from a ftroke of 
 lightning. Near thefe are the remains 
 F f 3 of 
 
438 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 of Jupiter Stator, confifting of three very 
 elegant fmall Corinthian pillars, with their 
 entablature; the Temple of Concord, 
 where Cicero aflembled the Senate, on the 
 difcovery of Catiline's confpiracy ; the 
 Temple of Romulus and Remus, and that 
 of Antoninus and Fauftina, juft by it, both 
 converted into modern churches ; the ruins 
 of the magnificent Temple of Peace, built 
 immediately after the taking of Jerufalem, 
 the Roman empire being then in profound 
 peace. This is faid to have been the fineft 
 temple in old Rome; part of the materials 
 of Nero's Gclden Houfe, which Vefpafian 
 pulled down, were ufed in ereding this 
 grand edifice. The only entire pillar re- 
 maining of this temple, was placed by 
 Paul V. before the church of Santa Maria 
 Maggiore. It is a in oft beautiful fluted 
 Corinthian column, and gives a very high 
 idea of the temple to which it originally 
 belonged. His Kolinefs has crowned it 
 with an image of the Virgin Mary ; and, 
 la the infeription on the pedeftal, he gives 
 
 his 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 439 
 
 his reafon for choofing a column belonging 
 to the Temple of Peace, as an ornament to 
 a church dedicated to the Virgin. 
 
 Ex cujus vifceribus Princeps verse Pacis geni- 
 tus eft. 
 
 Of many triumphal arches which ftood 
 formerly in Rome, there are only three now 
 remaining, all of them near the Capitol, 
 and forming entries to the Forum ; thofe 
 of Titus, Septimius Severus, and Conftan- 
 tine. Thelaft is by much the fined of the 
 three; but its chief beauties are not genuine, 
 nor, properly fpeaking, its own; they confift 
 pf fome admirable baffo relievos, ftolen from 
 the Forum of Trajan, and reprefenting 
 that Emperor's victories over the Dacians. 
 This theft might, perhaps, not have been 
 fo notorious to pofterity, if the artifls of 
 Conftantine's time had not added fome 
 figures, which make the fraud apparent, 
 and, by their great inferiority, evince the 
 degeneracy of the arts in the interval be- 
 tween the reigns of thefe two Emperors. 
 
 F f 4 The 
 
44^ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 The relievos of the arch of Titus repre-* 
 fent the table of fhew-bread, the trumpets, 
 the golden candlefticks with feven branches, 
 and other utenfils, brought from the 
 Temple of Jerufalem. The quarter which 
 is allotted for the Jews is not at a great 
 diftance from this arch. There are about 
 nine thoufand of that unfortunate nation 
 at prefent in Rome ; the lineal defendants 
 of thofe brought captive, by Titus, from 
 Jerufalem. I have been allured that they 
 always cautiouily avoid paffing through 
 this arch, though it lies diredtly in their 
 way to the Campo Vaccino, chooling rather 
 to make a circuit, and enter the Forum at 
 another place. 1 was affe&ed at hearing 
 this inftanceof fenfibility in a people who, 
 whatever other faults they may have, are 
 certainly not deficient in patriotifm, and 
 attachment to the religion and cufloms of 
 their forefathers. The fame delicacy of 
 fentiment is difplayed by a poet of their 
 own country, in the 137th pfalm, as it is 
 finely translated by Buchanan : 
 
 Dum 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 441 
 
 Dum procul a Patria mcefti Babylonis in oris. 
 
 Fluminis ad liquidas forte fedemus aquas \ 
 
 Ilia animum fubiit ipecies mifcranda Sionis, 
 
 Et numquam Fatrii te&a videnda foli. 
 ******* 
 
 O Solynjse, O adyta, et facri penetralia templi 
 Ullane vos animo ddcat hora meo ? &c. 
 
 You may read the whole ; you wall per- 
 haps find fome poetical beauties which 
 efcaped your obfervation when you heard 
 it fung in churches ; but the poet's ardour 
 feems to glow too violently towards the end 
 pf the pfalm. 
 
442 VIEW OF SOCIETY ANQ 
 
 LETTER XLI. 
 
 Rome, 
 
 HERE are many other interefting 
 
 * ruins in and about th$ Campo Vac- 
 cine, befides thofe I have mentioned ; but of 
 fome ftru&ures which we know formerly 
 flood here, no veftige is now to be feen« 
 This is the cafe with the ^rch which was 
 ere£ted in honour of the Fabian family. 
 There is the ftrongeft reafon to believe, 
 that the ancient Forum was entirely fur- 
 rounded with temples, bafilicse, and public 
 buildings of various kinds, and adorned 
 with porticoes and colonades. In the 
 lime of the Republic, affemblies of the 
 people were held there, laws were pro- 
 pofed, and juftice adminiftered. In it was 
 the Roftrum, from whence the orators ha- 
 rangued the people. All w r ho afpired at 
 dignities came hither to canvafs fufFrages* 
 The Bankers had their offices near the 
 
 Forum* 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 443 
 
 Forum, as well as thofe who received the 
 revenues of the Commonwealth ; and all 
 kind of bufinefs was tranfa&ed in this place. 
 In my vifits to the Campo Vaccino, I ar- 
 range the ancient Forum in the beft man- 
 ner I can, and fix on the particular fpot 
 where each edifice Hood. In this I am 
 fometimes a little cramped in room; for the 
 fpace between the Palatine Hill and the 
 Capitol is fo fmall, and I am fo circum- 
 fcribed by arches and temples, whofe ruins 
 ftill remain, that I find it impoffible to 
 ipake the Forum Rpmanuiji larger than 
 Covent Garden. I looked about for the 
 Via Sacra, where Horace met with his 
 troublefome companion. Some people 
 imagine, this was no other than the Forum 
 itfelf ; but I am clearly of opinion, that 
 the Via Sacra was a ftreet leading to the 
 Forum, and loft in it, as a ftreet in London 
 terminates at a fquare. I have, at laft, 
 fixed on the exadt point where it joins the 
 ]Forum, which is very near the Meta Su- 
 sans. If we ih'ould ever meet here, I fhall 
 
 convince 
 
444 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 convince you by local arguments, that I am 
 ia the right ; but I fear it would be very 
 tedious, and not at all convincing, to tranf- 
 jnit them to you in writing* 
 
 As Rome increafed in fize and number 
 ,of inhabitants, one Forum was found too 
 fhiall, and many others were ere&ed in 
 procefs of time ; but when we fpeak of the 
 Forum, without any diftinguifhing epithet, 
 the ancient one is underftood. 
 
 The Tarpeian Rock is a continuation of 
 that on which the Capitol was built ; I 
 went to that part from wh'ch criminals 
 condemned to death were thrown. Mr* 
 Byres has meafured the height; it is exact- 
 ly fifty-eight feet perpendicular; and he 
 thinks the ground at the bottom, from evi- 
 dent marks, is twenty feet higher than it 
 was originally ; fo that, before this accumu- 
 lation of rubbifh, the precipice muft have 
 been about eighty feet perpendicular. In 
 reading the hiftory of the Romans, the vaft 
 idea we form of thsjt people, naturally ex- 
 tends 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 445 
 
 tends to the city of Rome, the hills on 
 which it was built, and every thing be- 
 longing to it. We image to ourfelves the 
 Tarpeian Rock as a tremendous preci- 
 pice ; and, if afterwards we ever have an 
 opportunity of actually feeing it, the height 
 falls fo fhort of our expe&ations, that we 
 are apt to think it a great deal lefs than It 
 is in reality. A miftake of this kind, 
 joined toacarelefs view of the place, which 
 is not in itfelf very interefting, has led 
 Bifhop Burnet into the ftrange affertion, 
 that the Tarpeian Rock is fo very low, that 
 a man would think it no great matter to 
 leap down it for his diverfion. Criminals 
 thrown from this precipice, were literally 
 thrown out of the city of old Rome into the 
 Campus Martius, which was a large plain, 
 of a triangular (hape ; two fides of the tri- 
 angle being formed by the Tiber, and the 
 bafe by the Capitol, and buildings extend- 
 ing three miles nearly in a parallel line with 
 it. The Campus Martius had its name 
 from a fmall temple built in it, at a very 
 
 early 
 
446 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 early period, and dedicated to Mars ; or it 
 might have this name from the military 
 exercifes performed there. In this field* 
 the great aflemblies of the people, called 
 Cenfus or Luftrum, were held every fifth 
 year ; the Confuls, Cenfors, and Tribunes, 
 were elected; the levies of troops were 
 made; and there the Roman youth exercifed 
 themfelves in riding, driving the chariot, 
 fhooting with the bow, ufing the fling, 
 darting the javelin, throwing the difcus or 
 quoit, in wreftling, running ; and when 
 covered with fweat and duft, in confequence 
 of thefe exercifes, they wafhed their bodies 
 clean by fwimming in the Tiber. Horace 
 accufes Lydia of ruining a young man, 
 by keeping him from thofe manly exercifes 
 in which he formerly excelled. 
 
 Cur apricum 
 
 Oderit campum, patiens pulveris atquc folis : 
 Cur neque militaris 
 
 Inter equales equitet, Gallica nec lupatis 
 Tempcret ora fr^nis ? 
 
 Cur timet flavum Tiberim tangere ? 
 
 The 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 447 
 
 The dead bodies of the moft illuftnous 
 citizens were alfo burnt in this field, which 
 was adorned gradually by ftatues and tro- 
 phies, erected to the memory of diftinguifti- 
 ed men. But every feature of its ancient 
 appearance, is now hid by the ftreets and 
 buildings of modern Rome. 
 
 The inhabitants of Rome may be excufed 
 for chufing this fituation for their houfes, 
 though by fo doing, they have deprived us of 
 a view of the Campus Martius. But furely 
 they, or their Governors, ought to fhow 
 more folicitude for preferring the antiqui- 
 ties than they do ; and they might, without 
 inconveniency, find fome place for a Cow 
 Market, of lefs importance than the ancient 
 Forum. It is not in their power to reftore it 
 to its former fplendor, but they might, at 
 leaft, have prevented its falling back to the 
 ftate in which iEneas found it, when he came 
 to vifit the poor Evander. 
 
 Talibus inter fe didtis ad tedla fubibant 
 Pauperis Evandri : paffimque armenta videbant 
 Romanoquc Foro et lautis mugire carinis. 
 
 2 I have 
 
4 4 8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 I have already faid, that befides this, 
 there were feveral Forums in Rome, where 
 Bafilicse were built, juftice adminiftered, 
 and bufinefs tranfa&ed. The Emperors 
 were fond of having fuch public places 
 named after them. The accounts we have 
 of the Forums of Nerva, and that of Tra- 
 jan, give the higheft idea of their grandeur 
 and elegance} three Corinthian pillars, with 
 their entablature, are all that remain of 
 the former; of the latter, the noble 
 column placed in the middle, ftill preferves 
 all its original beauty. It confifts of twenty- 
 three circular pieces of white marble, hori-* 
 zontally placed one above the other; it is 
 about twelve feet diameter at the bottom, 
 and ten at the top. The plinth of the bafe 
 is a piece of marble twenty-one feet 
 fquare. A ftaircafe, confifting of one 
 hundred and eighty-three fteps, and fuffi- 
 ciently wide to admit a man to afcend, is 
 cut out of the folid marble, leaving a fmali 
 pillar in the middle, round which the flair 
 winds from the bottom to the top. I ob- 
 
 ferved 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 449 
 
 ftTved a piece broken, as I went up, which 
 ihewed, that thofe large mafles of marble 
 have been exquifitely polifhed on the flat 
 fides, where they are in contad with each 
 other, that the adhefion and ftrength of the 
 pillar might be the greater. The ftairs are 
 lighted by forty-one windows, exceedingly 
 narrow on the outfide, that they might 
 not interrupt the conne&ion of the baflb 
 relievos* but which gradually widen with- 
 in, and by that means give fufficient light. 
 The bafe of the column is ornamented 
 with baffo relievos, reprefenting trophies 
 of Dacian armour. The moft memorable 
 events of Trajan's expedition againft the 
 Dacians, are admirably wrought in a con- 
 tinued fpiral line from the bottom of the 
 column to the top. The figures towards 
 the top, are too far removed from the eye 
 to befeen perfectly. To have rendered them 
 equally vifible with thofe below, it would 
 have been necefTary to have made them 
 larger proportionably as they afcended* 
 Vol. L G g Viewed, 
 
4 $o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Viewed from any confiderable diftance, all 
 the fculpture is loft, and a plain fluted pil- 
 lar, of the fame proportions, would have 
 had as fine an efFe£t. But fuch a frugal 
 plan would not have been fo glorious to 
 the Prince, whofe victories are engraven, or 
 fo interefting to the legionary foldiers, 
 many of whom, no doubt, are here perfon- 
 ally reprefented. Befides, it would not now 
 be near fo valuable a monument, in the 
 eyes of antiquarians, or fo ufeful a ftudy 
 to fculptors and painters, who have occa- 
 fion to reprefent the military drefs of the 
 Romans, or the coftume of the Eafi in that 
 age. Exclufive of the ftatue, this beau- 
 tiful pillar is a hundred and twenty 
 feet high. The afhes of Trajan were de- 
 pofited in an urn at the bottom, and his 
 ftatue at the top. Pope Sixtus the Fifth, 
 in the room of the Emperor's, has placed 
 a ftatue of St. Peter upon this column. I 
 obferved to a gentleman, with whom I 
 vifited this pillar, that I thought there was 
 
 not 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 451 
 
 not much propriety in placing the figure 
 of St. Peter upon a monument, reprefent- 
 ing the victories, and ere&ed in honour 
 of the Emperor Trajan. " There is 
 " fome propriety, however," replied he 
 coldly, <c in having made the ftatue of 
 " brafs." 
 
 G g 2 
 
452 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XLIL 
 
 Rome. 
 
 If Have been witnefs to the beatification 
 A of a Saint ; he was of the order of St. 
 Francis, and a great many brethren of that 
 order were prefent, and in very high fpi- 
 rits on the occafion. There are a greater 
 number of ecclefiaftrcs beatified, and ca- 
 nonized, than any other order of men. In 
 the firft place, becaufe, no doubt, they de- 
 ferve it better ; and alfo, becaufe they are 
 more felicitous to have Saints taken from 
 among men of their own profeffion, and 
 particular order, than people in other fitua- 
 tions in life are. Every monk imagines, 
 it refle&s perfonal honour on himfelf y 
 when one of his order is canonifed. Soldiers, 
 lawyers, and phyficians, would probably 
 be happy to fee fome of their brethren 
 diftinguifhed in the fame manner; that 
 they have not had this gratification of late 
 
 years* 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 453 
 
 years, may be imputed to the difficulty of 
 finding fuitable characters among them. 
 Ancient hiftory, indeed, makes mention of 
 fome commanders of armies who were 
 very great faints; but I have heard of no 
 phyfician who acquired that title fince the 
 days of St. Luke; or of a Angle lawyer* 
 of any age or country. 
 
 A picture of the prcfent Expectant, a 
 great deal larger than life, had been hung 
 up on the front of St. Peter's church, 
 feveral days before the beatification took 
 place. This ceremony was alfo announced 
 by printed papers, diftributed by the happy 
 brethren of St. Francis. On the day of 
 the folemnity, his Holinefs, a confiderable 
 number of Cardinals, many other ecclefi- 
 aflics, all the Capucin Friars in Rome, and 
 a great concourfe of fpe&ators attended. 
 The ceremony was performed in St. Peter's 
 church. An ecclefiaftic of my acquaintance 
 procured usa veryconvenientplacefor feeing 
 the whole. The ceremony of beatification 
 ° g 3 is 
 
454 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 is a previous ftep to that of canonization. 
 The Saint, after he is beatified, is entitled to 
 more diftin&ion in Heaven than before ; 
 but he has not the power of freeing fouls 
 from purgatory till he has been canonized ; 
 and therefore is not addrefled in prayer till 
 he has obtained the fecond honour. On the 
 prefent occafion, a long difcourfe was pro- 
 nounced by a Francifcan Friar, fetting forth 
 the holy life which this Expedant had led 
 upon earth, his devotions, his voluntary 
 penances, and his charitable a&ions j and 
 a particular enumeration was made, of cer- 
 tain miracles he had performed when alive, 
 and others which had been performed after 
 his death by his bones. ( The moft re- 
 markable miracle, by himfelf in perfon,was, 
 his replenifhing a lady's cupboard with 
 bread, after her houfekeeper, at the Saint's 
 inftigation, had given all the bread of the 
 family to the poor. 
 
 This bufinefs is carried on in the man- 
 ner of a law-fuit. The Devil is fuppofed 
 
 to 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 455 
 
 to have an intereft in preventing men from 
 being made Saints. That all juftice may be 
 done, and that Satan may have his due, an 
 advocate is employed to plead againft the 
 pretenfions of the Saint Expe&ant, and the 
 perfon thus employed is denominated by the 
 people, the Devil's Advocate. He calls in 
 queftion the miracles faid to have been 
 wrought by the Saint and his bones, and 
 raifes as many obje&ions to the proofs 
 brought of the purity of his life and con- 
 verfation as he can. It is the bufinefs of 
 the Advocate on the other fide, to obviate 
 and refute thefe cavils. The controverfy 
 was carried on in Latin. It drew out to a 
 great length, and was by no means amu- 
 
 fing. Your friend Mr. R y, who fat 
 
 near me, lofing patience, from the length 
 of the ceremony, and fome twitches of 
 the gout, which he felt at that moment, 
 whifpered me, 44 I wifh, from my heart, 
 " the Devil's Advocate were with his 
 f< client, and this everlafting Saint fairly in 
 u Heaven, that we might get away." The 
 Q g 4 whole 
 
45 6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 whole party, of which I made one, were 
 feized with frequent and long continued 
 yawnings, which I imagine was obferved 
 by fome of the Cardinals, who fat oppofite 
 to us. They caught the infe&iop, and 
 although they endeavoured to conceal their 
 gaping under their purple robes, yet it 
 feemed to fpread and communicate itfelf 
 gradually oyer the whole affembly, the 
 Francifcan Friars excepted ; they were too 
 deeply interefted in the ifTue of the difpute, 
 to think it tedious. As often as the Devil's 
 Advocate ftated an objedion, evident figns 
 of impatience, contempt, furprife, indig- 
 nation, and refentment, appeared in the 
 countenances of the venerable brotherhood, 
 according to their different characters and 
 tempers. One (hook his head, and whifpered 
 his neighbour ; another raifed his chin, 
 and pufhed up his under-lip with a difdain- 
 ful fmile; a third ftarted, opened his eye- 
 lids as wide as he could, and held up both 
 fyis hands, with his fingers extended; a 
 fourth raifed his thumb to his mouth, bit 
 
 the 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 457 
 
 the nail with a grin, and jerked the thumb 
 from his teeth towards the adverfary ; a 
 fifth flared, in a moft expreffive manner, 
 at the Pope, and then fixed his eyes, 
 frowning, on the Advocate. All were in 
 agitation, till the Saint's Counfel began to 
 fpeak, when a profound filence took place, 
 and the moment he had made his anfwer, 
 their countenances brightened; a fmile of 
 fatisfa&ion fpread around, and they nodded 
 and fhook their beards at each other with 
 mutual congratulations. In the mean 
 time, the Cardinals, and the other auditors, 
 who were not afleep, continued yawning ; 
 for my own part, I was kept awake only 
 by the interlude of grimaces, played off by 
 the Capucins between the arguments. Ex- 
 clusive of thefe, the making a Saint of a 
 Capucin, is the dulleft bufinefs I ever was 
 witnefs to. I hope the man himfelf enjoys 
 much felicity fince the ceremony, in which 
 cafe no good-natured perfon will grudge 
 the tedium and fatigue which he fuffered 
 on the occafion. I ought to have told you, 
 
 that 
 
458 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 that the Advocate's reafoning was all in 
 vain ; the Devil loft his caufe, without the 
 poflibility of appeal. The Saint's claim 
 being confirmed, he was admitted into all 
 the privileges of beatification ; the Convent 
 defraying the expence of the procefs. 
 
 As we returned, Mr. R y alked, if 
 
 I recolle&ed the Saint's name. I faid, I 
 did not. u We muft inform ourfelves," 
 faid he; " for when I meet him above, I 
 " fhall certainly claim fome merit with him, 
 * c from having done penance at his beatifi- 
 if cation *." 
 
 * I have been fince informed, this new Saint is called Su 
 Buonayantura; he was by birth a Neapolitan. 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 459 
 
 LETTER XLIIL 
 
 Rome. 
 
 Ravellers are too apt to form hafty, 
 
 and, for the mod part, unfavourable 
 opinions of national chara&ers* Finding 
 the cuftoms and fentiments of the inhabi- 
 tants of the foreign countries through which 
 they pafs, very different from their own, 
 they are ready to confider them as erro- 
 neous, and conclude, that thofe w r ho ad 
 and think in a manner fo oppofite to them- 
 felves,muftbe either knaves, fools, or both. 
 In fuch hafty decifions they are often con- 
 firmed by the partial reprefentations of a 
 few of their own countrymen, or of other 
 foreigners who are eftablifhed in fome 
 profeflion in thofe countries, and who 
 have an intereft in giving bad impref- 
 fions of the people among whom they 
 refide. 
 
 That 
 
4&) VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 That the Italians have an uncommon 
 {hare of natural fagacity and acutenefs, is 
 pretty generally allowed ; but they are 
 accufed of being deceitful, perfidious, and 
 revengeful ; and the frequent afiaffinations 
 and murders which happen in the ftreets 
 of the great towns ia Italy, are brought as 
 proofs of this charge. I have not remain- 
 ed a fufficient length of time in Italy, 
 fuppofing I were, in all other refpe&s, 
 qualified to decide on the chara&er of the 
 inhabitants ; but from the opportunities I 
 have had, my idea of the Italians is, that 
 they are an ingenious foberpeople,with quick 
 feelings, and therefore irritable ; but when 
 unprovoked, of a mild and obliging dif- 
 pofition, and lefs fubjeft to avarice, envy, 
 or repining at the narrownefs of their own 
 circumflances, and the comparative wealth 
 of others, than mod other nations. The 
 murders which cccafionally happen, pro- 
 ceed from a deplorable w r ant of police, and 
 fome very impolitic cuftoms, which have, 
 from various caufes, crept among them, 
 
 and 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 46 j 
 
 and would produce more frequent examples 
 of the fame kind, if they prevailed to the 
 fame degree, in feme other countries. I 
 beg you will keep in your mind, that the 
 aflaffinations which difgrace Italy, whatever 
 may have been the cafe formerly, are now* 
 entirely confined to the accidental fquabbles 
 which occur among the rabble. No fuch 
 thing has been known for many years 
 paft among people of condition, or the 
 middle rank of citizens j and with regard 
 to the ftabbings which happen among the 
 vulgar, they almoft always proceed from 
 an immediate impulfe of wrath, and are 
 feldom the effect of previous malice, or a 
 premeditated plan of revenge. I do not 
 know whether the (lories we have of mer- 
 cenary bravos, men who formerly are fup- 
 pofed to have made it their profeflion to 
 affaffinate, and live by the murders they 
 committed* are founded in truth ; but I 
 am certain, that at prefent there is no fuch 
 trade in this country. That the horrid 
 pradice of drawing the knife and ftabbing 
 
 each 
 
462 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 each other, ftill fubfifts among the Italian 
 vulgar, I am perfuaded, is owing to the 
 fcandalous impunity with which it is 
 treated. The afylum which churches and 
 convents offer to criminals, operates again ft 
 the peace of fociety, and tends to the en- 
 couragement of this fhocking cuftom in 
 two different manners: Firft, it increafes 
 the criminals hopes of efcaping ; fecondly, 
 it diminifhes, in vulgar minds, the idea of 
 the atrocity of the crime. When the popu- 
 lace fee a murderer lodged within the 
 facred walls of a church, protected and 
 fed by men who are revered on account 
 of their profeffion, and the fuppofed fanc- 
 tity of their lives ; muft not this weaken 
 the horror which mankind naturally have 
 for fuch a crime, and which it ought to 
 be the aim of every government to aug- 
 ment ? 
 
 Thofe who are willing to admit that 
 this laft confideration may have the effect I 
 have afcribed to it, on the minds of the 
 
 vulgar, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 463 
 
 vulgar, ftill contend, that the hopes of im- 
 punity can have little influence in keeping 
 up the pradice of dabbing ; becaufe, as has 
 been already obferved, thefe ftabbings are 
 always in confequence of accidental quar- 
 rels and fudden burfts of paflion, in which 
 men have no consideration about their 
 future fafety. All I have to fay in anfwer 
 is, that if the obfervations I have been able 
 to make on the human chara&er are well 
 founded, there are certain confutations 
 which never entirely lofe their influence on 
 the minds of men, even when they are in 
 the height of paflion. I do not mean that 
 there are not inftances of men being thrown 
 into fuch paroxyfms of fury, as totally 
 deprive them of refle&ion, and make 
 them adl like madmen, without any regard 
 to confequences ; but extraordinary in- 
 ftances, which depend on peculiarities of 
 conftitution, and very Angular circum- 
 ftances, cannot deftroy the force of an ob- 
 fervation which, generally fpeaking, is 
 found juft. We every day fee men, who 
 
 have 
 
464 VIEW OF SOCIETY ANE* 
 
 have the chara&er of being of the raofif 
 ungovernable tempers, who are apt to fly 
 into violent fits of paffion upon the moft 
 trivial occafions, yet, in the midft of all 
 their rage, and when they feem to be en- 
 tirely blinded by fury, are ftill capable of 
 making diftin&ions ; which plainly evince, 
 that they are not fo very much blinded by 
 anger, as they would feeiri to be. When 
 people are fubjedt to violent fits of choler, 
 and to an unreftrained licence of words and 
 a&ions, only in the company of thofe who, 
 from their unfortunate fituation in life, 
 are obliged to bear fuch abufe, it is a plain 
 proof that confiderations which regard their 
 own perfonal fafety, have fome influence on 
 their minds in the midft of their fury, and 
 inftru£t them to be mad certo ratione mo- 
 deque. This is frequently unknown to thofe 
 choleric people themfelves, while it is fully 
 evident to every perfon of obfervation around 
 them. What violent fits of paflion do 
 fome men indulge themfelves in againft 
 their Haves and fervants, which they 
 2 always 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 4&S 
 
 always impute to the ungovernable nature 
 of their own tempers, of which, however, 
 they difplay the moft perfect command 
 upon much greater provocations given by 
 their fuperiors, equals, or by any fet of 
 people who are not obliged to bear their 
 ill humour. How often do we fee men 
 who are agreeable, cheerful, polite, and 
 good-tempered to the world in general, 
 gloomy, peevifh, and paffionate, to their 
 wives and children ? When you happen to 
 be a witnefs to any inftance of unprovoked 
 domeftic rage, into which they have allow- 
 ed themfelves to be tranfported, they 
 will very probably lament their misfor- 
 tune, in having more ungovernable tem- 
 pers than the reft of mankind. But if a 
 man does not fpeak and adt with the fame 
 degree of violence on an equal provocation, 
 without confidering whether it comes from 
 fuperior> equal, or dependant, he plainly 
 fhews that he can govern his temper, and 
 that his not doing it on particular occafions, 
 Vol. I. H h proceeds 
 
466 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 proceeds from the bafeft and moft defpi- 
 cable of all motives. 
 
 I remember, when I was on the conti- 
 nent with the Englilh army, having feen 
 an officer beat a foldier very unmercifully 
 with his cane : I was then ftanding with 
 fome officers, all of whom feemed to be 
 filled with indignation at this mean exercife 
 of power. When the perfon who had 
 performed the intrepid exploit came to join 
 the circle, he plainly perceived marks of 
 difapprobation in every countenance; for 
 which reafon he thought it neceffary to 
 apologize for what he had done. " No- 
 * 4 thing, 55 fays he, " provokes me fo much 
 " as a fellow's looking faucily when I 
 ** fpeak to him. I have told that man fo 
 <<r fifty times ; and yet, on my reprimand- 
 " ing him juft now, for having one of the 
 " buttons of his waiftcoat broken, he 
 4< looked faucily full in my face ; which 
 " threw me into fuch a paffion, that I 
 " could not help threfhing him. — How- 
 8 " ever 5 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 467 
 
 u ever, 1 am forry for it, becaufe he has 
 u the character of being an honeft man, 
 *? and has always done his duty, as a fol- 
 u dier, very well. How much," con- 
 tinued he, " are thofe people to be envied, 
 " who have a full command of their 
 u tempers !" 
 
 " No man can command it more per- 
 ft feQly than yourfelf," faid a gentlemaa 
 who was then in the foot* guards, and has 
 fince been a general officer. 
 
 " I often endeavour to do it." replied 
 the choleric man, <4 but always find it out 
 " of my power. I have not philofophy 
 " enough to check the violence of my 
 €i temper when once I am provoked." 
 
 " You certainly do yourfelf injuftice, 
 <c Sir,'' faid the officer; " no perfon feems 
 " to have their paffions under better difci- 
 u pline. With your brother officers, I 
 ** never faw you, in a fingle inflance, 
 " break through the rules of decorum, or 
 H h 2 " allow 
 
468 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 " allow your anger to overcome your po- 
 " litenefs to them." 
 
 c< They never provoked me," faid the 
 pafiionate man. 
 
 " Provoked you !" rejoined the other; 
 46 yes, Sir, often, and in a much greater 
 Ci degree than the poor foldier. Do not I, 
 " at this moment, give you ten thoufand 
 <c times more provocation than he, or any 
 4C of the unfortunate men under your 
 <c command, whom you are fo apt to beat 
 4t and abufe, ever did ? — and yet you feem 
 ft perfectly mafter of your temper." 
 
 There was no way left by whieh the 
 choleric man could prove the contrary, ex- 
 cept by knocking the other down ; but that 
 was a method of convincing his antagonift 
 which he did not think proper to ufe. A 
 more intrepid man, in the fame predica- 
 ment, would very probably have had re- 
 courfe to that expedient ; but in general 
 mankind are able, even in the violence of 
 
 paffion, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 469 
 
 paffion, to eftimate, in fome meafure, the 
 rifk they run ; and the populace of every 
 country are more readily kindled to that 
 inferior degree of rage, which makes them 
 lofe their horror for the crime of murder, 
 and difregard the life of a fellow-creature, 
 than to that higher pitch, which deprives 
 them of all confideration for their own 
 perfoajtl fafety. 
 
 In England, Germany, or France, a maa 
 knows, that if he commits a murder, every 
 perfon around him will, from that inftant, 
 become his enemy, and ufe every means to 
 feize him, and bring him to juftice. He 
 knows that he will be immediately carried 
 to prifon, and put to an ignominious death, 
 amidft the execrations of his countrymen. 
 Imprefled with thefe fentiments, and with 
 the natural horror for murder which fuch 
 fentiments augment, the populace of thofe 
 countries hardly ever have recourfe to dab- 
 bing in their accidental quarrels, however 
 they may be inflamed with anger and rage. 
 
 H h 3 The 
 
4 ;o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 The loweft blackguard in the ftreets of 
 London will not draw a knife againft an 
 amagonift far fuperior to himfelf in 
 ftrength. He will fight him fairly with 
 his fifts as long as he can, and bear the 
 fevered drubbing, rather than ufe a means 
 of defence which is held in deteftatrion by 
 his countrymen, and which would bring 
 himfelf to the gallows. 
 
 The murders committed in Germany, 
 France, or England, are therefore com- 
 paratively few in number, and happen 
 generally in confequence of a pre-concerted 
 plan, in which the murderers have taken 
 meafures for their efcape or concealment, 
 without which they know that inevitable 
 death awaits them. In Italy the cafe is 
 different ; an Italian is not under the influ- 
 ence of fo ftrong an impreffion, that certain 
 execution muft be the confequence of his 
 committing a murder ; he is at lefs pains 
 to reftrain the wrath which he feels kin- 
 dling within his bread ; he allows his rage 
 
 full 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 471 
 
 full fcopej and, if hard prefled by the fupe- 
 rior ftrength of an enemy, he does not 
 fcruple to extricate himfelf by a thruft of his 
 knife ; he knows, that if fome of the Sbirri 
 are not prefent, no other perfoa will feize 
 him ; for that office is held in fuch deteft-* 
 ation by the Italian populace, that none of 
 them will perform any part of its functions. 
 The murderer is therefore pretty certain 
 of gaining ipme church or convent, where 
 he will be pr >teded, till he can compound 
 the matter with the relations of the de- 
 ceafed, or efcape to fome of the other 
 Italian States; which is no very difficult 
 matter, as the dominions of none are very 
 extenfive. 
 
 Befides, when any of thefe affiiffins has 
 not had the good fortune to get within the 
 portico of a church before he is feized by 
 the Sbirri, and when he is adlually carried 
 to prifon, it is not a very difficult matter 
 for his friends or relations to prevail, by 
 their entreaties and tears, on fome of the 
 Hh 4 Cardinal? 
 
47 2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 Cardinals or Princes;, to interfere in hi9 
 favour, and endeavour to obtain his pardon. 
 If this is the cafe, and I am affured from 
 authority which fully con vinces me, that it is, 
 we need be no longer furprifed that murder 
 is more common among the Italian popu- 
 lace than among the common people of 
 any other country. As foon as afylums 
 for fuch criminals are abolifhed, and juftice 
 is allowed to take its natural courfe, that foui 
 ftain will be entirely effaced from the 
 national character of the modern Italians. 
 This is already verified in the Grand Duke 
 of Tufcany's dominions. The fame edi£fc 
 which declared that churches and convents 
 fhould no longer be places of refuge for 
 murderers, has totally put a flop to the \ife 
 of the ftiletto ; and the Florentine populace 
 now fight with the fame blunt weapons 
 that are ufed by the common people of 
 other nations. 
 
 I am afraid you will think I have been a 
 little prolix on this occafion ; but I had 
 
 two 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 47^ 
 
 two objects in view, and was folicitous 
 about both. The firfl; was to fhew, that the 
 treacherous and perfidious difpofition im- 
 puted to the Italians, is, like mod other 
 national refledions, ill founded ; and that 
 the fads brought in proof of the accufation, 
 proceed from other caufes : the fecond was* 
 to demonftrate to certain choleric gentle- 
 men, who pretend to have ungovernable 
 tempers, as an excufe for rendering every 
 creature d^peqdent on them miferable, that 
 in their furious fits they not only behave 
 ridiculoufly, but bafely. In civil fife, la 
 England, they have the power of only 
 making themfelves contemptible ; but in 
 the army or navy, or in our iflands, they 
 often render themfelves tii^ objeds ©f 
 fiorror. 
 
474 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 LETTER XLtV. 
 
 Rome, 
 
 ^l"" 5 HEFTS and crimes which are not 
 A capital are puniflied at Rome, and 
 fome other towns of Italy, by imprifon- 
 ment, or by what is called the Cord. This 
 lafl is performed in the ftreet. The euW 
 prit's hands are bound behind by a cord, 
 which runs on a pully ; he is then drawn, 
 up tw r enty or thirty feet from the ground, 
 and, if lenity is intended, he is let down 
 fmoothly in the fame manner he was drawn 
 up. In this operation the w 7 hole weight 
 of the criminal's body is fuftained by his 
 liands, and a ftrong man can bear the 
 punifhment infli&ed in this manner with- 
 out future inconveniency; for the ftrength 
 cf the mufcles of his arms enables him to 
 keep his hands preffed on the middle of 
 his back, and his body hangs in a kind of 
 horizontal pofition. But when they intend 
 
 to 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 475 
 
 to be fevere, the criminal is allowed to fall 
 from the greateft height to which he had 
 been raifed, and the fall is abruptly checked 
 in the middle ; by which means the hands 
 and arms are immediately pulled above the 
 head, both fhoulders are diflocated, and the 
 body fwings, powerlefs, in a perpendicular 
 line. It is a cruel and injudicious punifh- 
 ment, and left too much in the power of 
 thofe who fuperintend the execution, to 
 make it fevere or not, as they are inclined. 
 
 Breaking on the wheel is never ufed ii> 
 Rome for any crime ; but they fometimes 
 put in practice another mode of execution, 
 which is much more fhocking in appear- 
 ance than cruel in reality. The criminal 
 being feated on a fcafFold, the executioner, 
 who ftands behind, ftrikeshim on the head 
 with a hammer of a particular conftruftion, 
 which deprives him, at once, of all fen- 
 fation. When it is certain that he is com- 
 pletely dead, the executioner, with a large 
 Jfnife, cuts his throat from ear to ear. This 
 
 laft 
 
 1 
 
47 6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 laft part of the ceremony is thought to 
 make a ftronger impreffion on the minds of 
 the fpe&ators, than the bloodlefs blow 
 •which deprives the criminal of life. Whe- 
 ther the advantages refulting from this are 
 fufficient to compenfate for fhocking the 
 public eye with fuch abominable fights* I 
 very much queftion. 
 
 Executions are not frequent at Rome, for 
 the reafons already given : there has been 
 only one fince our arrival ; and thofe who 
 are of the moft forgiving difpofition will 
 acknowledge, that this criminal was not 
 put to death till the meafure of his iniquity 
 was fufficiently full; he was condemned to 
 be hanged for his fifth murder. I fhall 
 give you fome account of his execution, 
 and the ceremonies which accompanied it, 
 becaufe they throw fome light on the fenti- 
 meats and charader of the people. 
 
 Firft of all, there was a proceffion of 
 priefts, one of whom carried a crucifix pa 
 a pote hung with black; they were follow- 
 ed 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 477 
 
 ed by a number of people in long gowns 
 which covered them from head to foot, 
 with holes immediately before the face, 
 through which thofe in this difguife could 
 fee every thing perfe&ly, while they could 
 not be recognized by the fpe&ators. They 
 are of the Company della Mifericordia, 
 which is a fociety of perfons who, from 
 motives of piety, think it a duty to vifit 
 criminals under fentence of death, endea- 
 vour to bring them to a proper fenfe of 
 their guilt, affift them in making the beft 
 life of the fhort time they have to live, and 
 who never fprfake them till the moment 
 of their execution. People of the firft rank 
 are of this fociety, and devoutly perform 
 the moft laborious fundions of it. All of 
 them carried lighted torches, and a few 
 {hook tin boxes, into which the multitude 
 put money to defray the expence of mafles 
 for the foul of the criminal. This is con- 
 fidered by many as the moft meritorious 
 kind of charity ; and fome, whofe circum- 
 fiances do not permit them to beftow much, 
 
 r confine 
 
478 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 confine all the expence they can afford in 
 charity, to the. fingle article of purchafing 
 maffes to be faid in behalf of thofe who 
 have died without leaving a farthing to 
 five their fouls. The rich, fay they, who 
 have much fuperfiuous wealth, may throw 
 away part of it in ads of temporal charity ; 
 but it is, in a more particular manner, the 
 duty of thofe who have little to give, to 
 take care that this little {hall be applied to 
 the mod beneficial purpofes. What is the re- 
 lieving a few poor families from the frivo- 
 lous diflreffes of cold and hunger, in com- 
 parifon of freeing them from many years 
 burning in fire and brimftone ? People are 
 reminded of this effential kind of charity, 
 not only by the preachers, but alfo by in- 
 fcriptions upon the walls of particular 
 churches and convents ; and fometimes the 
 aid of the pencil is called in to awaken the 
 compundion of the unfeeling and hard- 
 hearted. On the external walls of fome 
 convents, immediately above the box into 
 which you are direded to put your money, 
 
 views 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 479 
 
 views of purgatory are painted in the moft 
 flaming colours, where people are feen in 
 all the agonies of burning, raifing their in- 
 dignant eyes to thofe unmindful relations 
 and acquaintances, who, rather than part 
 with a little money, allow them to remain 
 in thofe abodes of torment. One can 
 hardly conceive how any mortal can pafs 
 fuch a picture without emptying his purfe 
 into the box, if, by fo doing, he believed 
 he could redeem, I will not fay a human 
 creature, but even a poor incorrigible dog, 
 or vicious horfe, from fuch a dreadful 
 fituation. As the Italians in general feem 
 to have more fenfibility than any people I 
 am acquainted with, and as I fee fome, who 
 cannot be fuppofed totally in want of 
 money, pafs by thofe pictures every day 
 without putting a farthing into the box, I 
 muft impute this ftinginefs to a lack of 
 faith rather than off fenfibility. Such un- 
 mindful paflengers are probably of the 
 number of thofe who begin* to fufped that 
 the money of the living can be of little ufe 
 
 to 
 
4$o VIEW C)£ SOCIETY AND 
 
 to the dead. Being abfolutely certain that 
 it gives themfelves much pain to part with 
 it in this world, and doubtful whether it 
 will have any efficacy in abridging the 
 pains of their friends in the other, they 
 hefitate for fome time between the two 
 rifks, that of lofing their own money, and 
 that of allowing their neighbour's foul to 
 continue in torture ; and it would appear 
 that thofe fceptics generally decide the dis- 
 pute in favour of the money. 
 
 But in fuch a cafe as that which I have 
 been defcribing, where a poor wretch is juft 
 going to be thruft by violence out of one 
 world, and folicits a little money to fecure 
 him a tolerable reception in another, the paf- 
 fions of the fpedators are too much agitated 
 for cold reafoning, and the molt niggardly 
 fceptic throws his mite into the boxes of 
 the Compagnia della Mifericordia. Imme- 
 diately after them came the malefa&or 
 himfelf, feated in a cart, with a Capucin 
 Friar on each fide of him, The hangman, 
 
 with 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 481 
 
 with two afliftants, dreffed in fcarlet jackets, 
 walked by the cart. This proceffion hav- 
 ing moved flowly round the gallows, which 
 was ereded in the Piazza del Populo, the 
 culprit defcended from the cart, and was 
 led to a houfe in the neighbourhood, attend- 
 ed by the two Capucins« He remained there 
 about half an hour, was confefled, and re- 
 ceived absolution ; after which he came 
 out, exclaiming to the populace -to join in 
 prayers for his foul, and walked with a 
 hurried pace to the gallows; the hangman 
 and his afMants having hold of his arms* 
 they fupported him up the ladder, the 
 unhappy man repeating prayers as fad as 
 he could utter till he was turned off. He 
 was not left a moment to himfelf. The 
 executioner Hepped from the ladder, and 
 Hood with afoot oh each of his £houlders> 
 fupporting himielf in that fituation with 
 his hands on the top of the gallows, the 
 afMants at the fame time pulling down the 
 malefactor's legs, fo that he muft have 
 died in an inftant. The executioner, in a 
 Vol, L 1 i Ihort 
 
482 VIEW OF SOCIETY A&D 
 
 fiiort time, Aid to the ground alohg the 
 dead body, as a failor Aides on a rope. 
 They then removed the cloth which cover- 
 ed his face, and twirled the body round 
 with great rapidity, as if their intention 
 had been to divert the mob ; who, however* 
 did not fhew any difpolition to be amufed 
 in that manner. The multitude beheld 
 the fcene with filent awe and compaffion. 
 During the time appointed by law for the 
 body to hang, all the members of the pro- 
 ceffion, with the whole apparatus of torches, 
 crucifixes, and Capucins, w r ent into a 
 neighbouring church, at the corner of the 
 Strada del Babbuino, and remained there 
 till a mafs was faid for the foul of the de- 
 ceafed : and when that was concluded, they 
 returned in proceffion to the gallows, with 
 a coffin covered with black cloth. On 
 their approach, the executioner, with his 
 affiftants, haftily retired among the crowd, 
 and were no more allowed to come near 
 the body. The condemned perfon having 
 now paid the forfeit due to his crimes, was 
 
 no 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 483 
 
 no longer confidered as an obje£t of hatred ; 
 his dead body was therefore refcued from 
 the contaminating touch of thofe who 
 are held by the populace in the greateft 
 abhorrence. Two perfons in mafks, and 
 with black gowns, mounted the ladder and 
 cut the rope, while others below, of the 
 fame fociety, received the body, and put it 
 carefully into the coffin. An old woman 
 then faid, with an exalted voice, <c Adeffo 
 " fpero che Panima fua fia in paradifo;" 
 ic Now I hope his foul is in heaven and 
 the multitude around feemed all inclined to 
 hope the fame. 
 
 The ferious and companionate manner 
 in which the Roman populace beheld this 
 execution, forms a preemption of the 
 gentlenefs of their difpofitions. The crimes 
 of which this man had been guilty mufl 
 naturally have raifed their indignation, and 
 Jbis profeffion had a tendency to increafe 
 and keep it up ; for he was one of the 
 Sbirri, all of whom are held in the moft 
 I i 2 perfect; 
 
4 S4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 perfed deteftation by the common people J 
 yet the moment they faw this object of 
 their hatred in the character of a poor con- 
 demned man, about to fuffer for his crimes* 
 all their animofity ceafed ; no rancour was 
 difplayed, nor theleaft infult offered, which 
 could diflurb him in his laft moments* 
 They viewed him with the eyes of pity 
 and forgivenefs, and joined, with earneft- 
 &efs, in prayers for his future welfare. 
 
 The manner in which this man was put 
 fo death was, no doubt, uncommonly mild, 
 when compared with the atrocity of his 
 guilt ; yet I am convinced, that the folemn 
 circumftancea which accompanied his exe- 
 cution, made a greater impreifion on the 
 minds of the populace, and would as effec- 
 tually deter them from the crimes for 
 which he was condemned, as if he had been 
 broken alive on the wheel, and the execu- 
 tion performed in a lefs folemn manner* 
 
 Convinced as I am that all horrid and 
 refined cruelty in the execution of crimi- 
 nals 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 485 
 
 nals is, at beft, unneceflary, I never heard 
 of anything of that nature without horror 
 and indignation. Other methods, no way 
 conneded with the fufferings of the 
 prifoner, equally deter from the crime, and$ 
 in all other refpeds, have a better influ- 
 ence on the minds of the multitude. The 
 proceffion defcribed above, I plainly per- 
 ceived, made a very deep impreffion. I 
 thought I faw more people affeded by 
 it than I have formerly obferved' among 
 a much greater crowd, who were gathered 
 to fee a dozen or fourteen of their fellow- 
 creatures dragged to the fame death for 
 houfe breaking and highway robbery, mere 
 venial offences, in companion of what this 
 Italian had perpetrated. The attendance 
 of the Capucins, the crucifixes, the So- 
 ciety of Mifericordia, the ceremony of con^ 
 feffion, all have a tendency to flrike the 
 mind with awe, and keep up the belief of a 
 future ftate ; and when the multitude 
 behold fo many people employed, and fo 
 much pains taken, to fave the foul of one 
 
 n $ of 
 
486 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 of the moft worthlefs of mankind, they 
 muft think, that the faving of a foul is a 
 matter of great importance, and therefore 
 naturally infer, that thefooner they begin to 
 take care of their own, the better. But when 
 criminals are carried to execution with 
 little or no folemnity, amidft the fhouts 
 of an unconcerned rabble, who applaud 
 them in proportion to the degree of in- 
 difference and impenitence they difplay, 
 and confider the whole fcene as a fource 
 of amufement ; how can fuch exhibi- 
 tions make any ufeful impreffion, or ter- 
 rify the thoughtlefs and defperate from 
 any wicked propenfity ? If there is a 
 country in which great numbers of young 
 inconfiderate creatures are, fix or eight 
 times every year, carried to execution in this 
 tumultuous, unaffe&ing manner, might 
 not a ftranger conclude, that the view 
 of the legiflature was to cut off guilty in- 
 dividuals in the leaft alarming way poffible, 
 that others might not be deterred from 
 following their example? 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 487 
 
 LETTER XLV. 
 
 Rome* 
 
 THOSE who have a real pleafure in, 
 contemplating the remains of an* 
 tique, and the nobleft fpecimens of modern 
 architecture, who are ftruck with the ini- 
 mitable delicacy and expreffiori of Greek 
 fculpture, and wifh to compare it with the 
 moll fuccefsful efforts of the moderns, and 
 who have an unwearied admiration of the 
 charms of painting, may, provided they 
 have not more important avocations elfe- 
 where, employ a full year with fatisfadtion 
 in this city. 
 
 What is called a regular courfe with an 
 Antiquarian, generally takes up about fix 
 weeks ; employing three hours a-day, you 
 may, in that time, vifit all the churches, 
 palaces, villas, and ruins, worth feeing, is 
 or near Rome. But after having made this 
 I i 4 courf? 
 
488 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 courfe, however diftindtly every thing may 
 have been explained by the Antiquarian, 
 if you do not vilit the mod interefting again, 
 and again, and refledt on them at more 
 jeifure, your labour will be of little ufe; 
 for the obje&s are fo various, and thofe 
 you fee on one day, fo apt to be effaced 
 by, or confounded with, thofe you behold 
 on another, that you muft carry away a 
 very faint and indiftindl recollection of any. 
 Many travellers have experienced the truth 
 of this obfervation. 
 
 One young Englifh gentleman, who 
 happens not to be violently fmitten with 
 the charms of yirtu, and fcorns to affedt 
 what he does not feel, thought that two or 
 three hours a-day, for a month or fix weeks 
 together, was rather too much time to be- 
 flow on a purfuit in which he felt no plea- 
 fure, and faw very little utility. The only 
 advantage which, in his opinion, the 
 greater part of us reaped from our fix 
 weeks tour, was, that we 'could fay^ we had 
 % feea 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 489 
 
 feen a great many fine things which he had 
 not feen. This was a fuperiority which 
 he could not brook, and which he refolved 
 we fhould not long enjoy. Being fully 
 convinced, that the bufinefs might be, 
 with a little exertion, difpatched in a very 
 fhort fpace of time, he prevailed on a 
 proper perfon to attend him ; ordered a 
 poft-chaife and four horfes to be ready 
 early in the morning, and driving through 
 churches, palaces, villas, and ruins, %vith 
 all poffible expedition, he fairly faw, in 
 two days, all that we had beheld during 
 our crawling courfe of fix weeks. I found 
 afterwards, by the lift he kept of what he 
 had feen, that we had not the advantage 
 of him in a fingle picture, or the mod 
 mutilated remnant of a ftatue. 
 
 I do not propofe this young gentleman's 
 plan, as the very beft poffible ; but of thi$ 
 I am certain, that he can give as fatisfac- 
 tory an account of the curiofities of Rome, 
 as fome people of my acquaintance who 
 
 viewed 
 
490 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 viewed them with equal ienfibility, and at 
 a great deal more leifure. 
 
 Thofe travellers who cannot remain 3. 
 confiderable time at Rome, would do well 
 to get a judicious lift of the moft intereft- 
 ing objects in archite&ure, feulpture, and 
 painting, that are to be feen here; they 
 ought to vifit theie frequently, and thefe 
 only, by which means they will acquire a 
 ftrong and diftind impreffion of what they 
 fee 3 inftead of that traniient and confufed 
 idea which a vaft number of things, viewed 
 fuperficially, and in a hurry, leave in the 
 mind. After they have examined, with 
 due attention, the moft magnificent and 
 beft preferved remains of ancient architec- 
 ture, very few have fatisfa£tion in view- 
 ing a parcel of old bricks, which, they are 
 told, formed the foundation of the baths of 
 fome of the Emperors. And there are no? 
 many who would regret their not having 
 feen great numbers of ftatues and pi&ures 
 pf inferior merit, when they had beheld all 
 
 tha| 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 491 
 
 that are univerfally efteemed the beft. 
 Would it not be highly judicious, there- 
 fore, in the greateft number of travellers, 
 without abridging the ufual time of the 
 courfe,to make it much lefs ccmprehenfive? 
 
 Befides churches, there are about thirty 
 palaces in Rome, as full of pictures as the 
 walls can bear. The Borghefe Palace 
 alone is faid to contain above fixteen 
 hundred, all original. There are alfo ten 
 or twelve villas in the neighbourhood of 
 this city, which are ufually vifited by 
 ftrangers. You may judge from this, what 
 a tafk they undertake, who refplve to go 
 through the whole; and what kind of an 
 idea they are likely to carry away, who 
 perform this tafk during a ftay of a few 
 jnonths. Of the villas, the Pineiana, which 
 belongs to the Borghefe family, is the moft 
 remarkable. I fhall confine myfelf tp 4 
 few curfory remarks oa fome of the moft 
 efteemed cur iofi ties it contains. The Her- 
 
 maphrodite 
 
4Q2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 maphrodlte, of which you have feen fo 
 many prints and models, is accounted by 
 many, one of the fineft pieces of fculpture 
 in the world. The mattrefs, upon which 
 this fine figure reclines, is the work of 
 the Cavalier Bernini, and nothing can 
 be more admirably executed. Some critics 
 fay, he has performed his tafk too -well, be- 
 caufe the admiration of the fpe&ator is 
 divided between the ftatue and the mattrefs. 
 This, however, ought not to be imputed as 
 a fault to that great artift ; fmce he con- 
 defcended to make it all, it was his bufi- 
 nefs to make it as perfed as poffible. I have 
 heard of an artift at Verfailles, in a dif- 
 ferent line, who attempted fomething of 
 the fame nature; he had exerted all his 
 abilities in making a periwig for a cele- 
 brated preacher, who was to preach on a 
 particular occafion bercre the court ; and 
 he imagined he had fucceeded to a miracle. 
 « c Til be hanged," faid he to one of his 
 companions, " if his Majefty, or any man 
 
 »« of 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 493 
 
 % * of tafte, will pay much attention to the 
 u J erm on to-day." 
 
 Among the antiques, there is a Centaur 
 in marble, with a Cupid mounted on his 
 back. The latter has the ceftus of Venus, 
 and the ivy crown of Bachus, in allufion 
 to beauty and wine ; he beats the Centaur 
 with hisfift, and feems to kick with violence 
 to drive him along. The Centaur throws 
 back his head and eyes w r ith a look of re- 
 morfe, as if he were unwilling, though 
 forced, to proceed. The execution of this 
 group, is admired by thofe who look upon 
 it merely as a jeu d'efprit ; but it acquires 
 additional merit, when confidered as alle- 
 gorical of men who are hurried on by the 
 violence of their paffions, and lament their 
 own weaknefs, while they find themfeives 
 unable to refift. 
 
 There is another figure which claims at- 
 tention, more on account of the allegory 
 than thefculpture. This is a fmall ftatue of 
 Venus Cloacina, trampling on an impreg- 
 nated 
 
49* VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 nated Uterus, and tearing the wings of 
 Cupid. The allegory indicates, that profti- 
 tution is equally deftrudtive of generation 
 and love. Keyfler mentioning this, calls 
 it a ftatue of Venus, lamenting her rafhnefs 
 in clipping Cupid's wings. 
 
 The ftatue called Zingara, or the For-* 
 tune- teller, is antique, all but the head, 
 which is Bernini's ; the face has a ftrong 
 expreffion of that fly ; flirewdnefs, which 
 belongs to thofe whofe trade it is to impofe 
 on the credulity of the vulgar ; with a 
 great look of fome modern gy piles I have 
 feen, who have impofed moft egregioufly 
 on the felf-love and credulity of the great* 
 
 Seneca dying in the Bath, in touchflone ; 
 round his middle is a girdle of yellow 
 marble; he ftands in a bafon of blueifh 
 marble lined with porphyry; his knees 
 feem to bend under him, from weaknefs ; 
 his features denote faintnefs, languor, and 
 the approach of death; the eyes are en- 
 amelled, which gives the countenance a 
 
 fierce 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 495 
 
 fierce and difagreeable look. Colouring 
 the eyes always has a bad effedl in fculp- 
 ture ; they form too violent a contraR with 
 the other features, which remain of the 
 natural colour of the marble* When the 
 eyes are enamelled, it is requifite that all 
 the face fhould be painted, to produce the 
 agreeable harmony of life. 
 
 The Faun dandling an infant Bacchus, 
 is one of the gayeft figures that can be 
 imagined. 
 
 In this Villa, there are alfo fome highly 
 e (teemed pieces by Bernini. ./Eneas carry- 
 ing his father; David flinging the ftone at 
 Goliah ; and Apollo purfuing Daphne : the 
 laft is generally reckoned Bernini's mafter- 
 piece ; for my part, I have fo bad a tafte 
 as to prefer the fecond. The figure of 
 David is nervous, with great anatomical 
 juftnefs, and a ftrong expreflion of keennefs 
 and exertion to hit his mark, and kill his 
 enemy ; but the countenance of David 
 wants dignity. An antique artift, perhaps, 
 
 could 
 
40 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 could not have given more ardour, but he 
 would have given more noblenefs to the 
 features of David. Some may fay, that as 
 he was but a fhepherd, it was proper 
 he fhould have the look of a clown ; but it 
 ought to be remembered, that David was a 
 very extraordinary man ; and if the artift 
 who formed the Belvedere Apollo, or if 
 Agafias the Ephefian, had treated the fame 
 fubjeft, I imagine they would have render- 
 ed their work more interefting, by blend- 
 ing the noble air of an hero with the fimple 
 appearance of a fhepherd. The figures of 
 Apollo and Daphne err in a different man- 
 ner* The face and figure of Apollo are 
 deficient in fimplicity ; the noble fimplicity 
 of the beft antique ftatues : he runs with 
 affe&ed graces, and his aftonifhment at the 
 beginning transformation of his miftrefs 
 is not, in my opinion, naturally expreffed, 
 but feems rather the exaggerated aftonifh- 
 ment of an actor. The form and fhape of 
 Daphne are delicately executed ; but in her 
 face* beauty is, in fome degree, facrificed 
 
 to 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 497 
 
 to the expreffion of terror ; her features 
 are too much diftorted by fear. An an- 
 tique artift would have made her lefs afraid, 
 that fhe might have been more beautiful. 
 In expreffing terror, pain, and other im- 
 preffions, there is a point where the beauty 
 of the finefl: countenance ends, and deformi- 
 ty begins. I am indebted to Mr. Lock for 
 this obfervation. In fome converfations I 
 had with him at Cologny, on the fubjedfc 
 of Sculpture, that gentleman remarked, 
 that it was in the fkilful and temperate 
 exertion of her powers, in this nobleft pro- 
 vince of the art, expreffion^ that ancient 
 fculpture fo much excelled the modern. 
 She knew its limits, and had afcertained 
 them with precifion. As far as expreffion 
 would go hand in hand with grace and 
 beauty, in fubje&s intended to excite fym- 
 pathy, fhe indulged her chifel but where 
 agony threatened to induce diftortion, and 
 obliterate beauty, (he wifely fet bounds to 
 imitation, remembering, that though it 
 may be moral to pity uglinefs in diftrefs, 
 Vql, L K k it 
 
49* VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 it is more natural to pity beauty in the fame 
 fituation j and that her bufinefs was not io 
 give the ftrongeft reprefentation of nature* 
 but the reprefentation which would intereft 
 us moft. That ingenious gentleman, I re-* 
 member, obferved at the fame time, that 
 the Greek artifts have been accufed of 
 having facrificed chara&er too much to tech- 
 nical proportion. He continued to obferve, 
 that what is ufually called character in a 
 face, is probably excefs in fome of its parts, 
 and particularly of thofe which are under 
 the influence of the mind, the leading 
 paflion of which marks fome feature for its 
 own. A perfectly fymmetrical face bears 
 no mark of the influence of either the paf- 
 fions or the underftanding, and reminds 
 you of Prometheus's clay without his fire. 
 On the other hand, the moderns, by facri- 
 ficing too liberally thofe technical propor- 
 tions, which, when religioufly obferved, 
 produce beauty, to expreffion, have gene- 
 rally loft the very point which they con- 
 tended for. They feemed to think, that 
 
 when 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 49 g 
 
 when a paflion was to be exprefled, it could 
 not be exprefled too ftrongly ; and that 
 fympathy always followed in an exa£t pro- 
 portion with the ftrength of the paflion, 
 and the force of its expreffion. But paf- 
 fions, in their extreme, inftead of produ- 
 cing fympathy, generally excite feelings 
 diametrically oppofite. A vehement and 
 clamorous demand of pity is received with 
 hegled, and fometimes with difguft ; whilfl 
 a patient and filent acquiefcence under the 
 preflure of mental affliction, or fevere bodily 
 pain, finds every heart upon an unifoa 
 with its fufferings. The ancients knew to 
 what extent expreffion may be carried, with 
 good effedl. The author of the famous 
 Laocoon, in the Vatican, knew where to 
 flop, arid if the figure had been alone, it 
 would have been perfed; there is exquifite 
 anguifli in the countenance, but it is borne 
 in filence, and without diftortion of fea- 
 tures. Puget thought he could go beyond 
 the author of Laocoon ; he gave voice to 
 his Milo; he made him roaring with pain, 
 Kk 2 and 
 
5 oo VIEW OF SOCIETY AND" 
 
 and loft the fympathy of the fpe£bttor. la 
 confirmation of this doftrine, Mr. Lock 
 defired, that when I fhould arrive at Rome, 
 I would examine, with attention, the cele- 
 brated ftatue of Niobe, in the Villa de 
 Medici. I have done fo again and again, 
 and find his remarks moft ftrikingly juft. 
 The author of the Niobe has had the judg- 
 ment not to exhibit all the diftrefs which 
 he might have placed in her countenance. 
 This confummate artift was afraid of 
 difturbing her features too much, knowing 
 full well, that the point where he was to 
 expert the moft fympathy was there, where 
 diftrefs co-operated with beauty, and where 
 our pity met our love. Had he fought it 
 one ftep farther, in exprejfton, he had loft 
 it. It is unjuft, you will fay, that men 
 fhould not fympathife with homely women 
 in diftrefs, in the fame degree as they do 
 with the beautiful. That is very true ; but 
 it is the bufinefs of the fculptor to apply 
 his art to men as he finds them, not as 
 they ought to be. Befide, this principle 
 
 has 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 501 
 
 has full force, and is ftri&ly true, only in 
 fculpture and painting. For, in real life, 
 a woman may engage a man's efteem and 
 affections by a thoufand fine qualities, and 
 a thoufand endearing ties, though fhe is 
 entirely deficient in beauty. 
 
 This Villa is alfo enriched by one of the 
 moft animated ftatues in the world, and 
 which, in the opinion of many men of 
 tafte ? comes neareft, and in the judgment 
 of fome, equals the Apollo of the Vatican. 
 I mean the ftatue of the fighting Gladia- 
 tor. It is difficult, however, to compare 
 two pieces v/hofe merits are fo different. 
 The Apollo is full of grace, majefty, and 
 confcious fuperiority ; he has fhot his ar- 
 row, and knows its fuccefs. There is, in- 
 deed, a flrong expreffion of indignation, 
 which opens his lips, diftends his noftrils, 
 and contra&s his brows ; but it is the in- 
 dignation of a fuperior being, who punifhes 
 while he fcorns the efforts of his enemy. 
 The Gladiator, on the contrary, full of fire 
 K k 3 and 
 
5 02 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 and youthful courage, oppofes an enemy 
 that he does not fear ; but whom, it is 
 evident, he thinks worthy of his utmoft 
 exertion ; every limb, nerve, and finew, 
 is in adion ; his ardent features indicate 
 the ftrongeft defire, the highefl expec- 
 tation, but not a perfed fecurity of 
 vidory. His fhape is elegant as well 
 as nervous, exprefiive of agility as well 
 as lirength, and equally diftant from the 
 brawny ftrength of the Farnefian Her- 
 cules, and the effeminate foftnefs of the 
 Belvedere Antinou?, The adion is tranfi-* 
 tive (if the term may be fo ufed), and pre-* 
 paratory only to another difpofition of body 
 and limbs, which are to enable him to 
 ilrike, and which he cannot do in his pre- 
 fent pofition ; for the moment his right 
 arm croffed the perpendicular line of his 
 right leg, the whole figure would be out 
 of its centre. His action feems a combi- 
 nation of the defenfive and offenfive ; de- 
 fenfive in meprefent moment, the left arm 
 being advanced to fecure the adverfary's 
 
 7 blow ; 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY; 503 
 
 blow ; and preparing for offence in the 
 next, the left leg already taking its fpring 
 to advance in order to give the figure a 
 centre, which may enable it to ftrike, with- 
 out rifk of falling, if the blow fhould not 
 take place. The action of the right arm, 
 however, will always remain in fome de- 
 gree problematical, the ancient being loft ; 
 by whom the modern arm is reftored, I 
 never heard. 
 
 Though this fine figure generally goes 
 by the name of the fighting Gladiator, 
 fome antiquarians cannot allow, that ever 
 it was intended to reprefent a perfon of 
 that profelfion, but a Victor at the Olympic 
 games ; and allege, that Agafias of Ephe- 
 fus, the fculptor's name, being infcribed 
 upon the pedeftal, fupports their opinion, 
 becaufe the Greeks never ufed gladiators. 
 But I fear this argument has little weight ; 
 for the Greek flaves at Rome put their 
 name to their work ; and the free Greek 
 irtifts, working in Greece, in public works, 
 K k 4 found 
 
5 04 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 found difficulty in obtaining the fame in- 
 dulgence. Thofe who wifh to refcue this 
 ftatue from the ignoble condition of a com- 
 mon Gladiator, fay further, that he looks 
 up as if his adverfary were on horfeback, 
 adding, that gladiators never fought on 
 foot again!! horfemen on the Arena. Here 
 again, I am afraid, they are miftaken. He 
 looks no higher than the eye of an enemy 
 on foot ; the head muft have a much 
 greater degree of elevation to look up to 
 the eye of an horfeman, which is the part 
 of your adverfary which you always fix. 
 
 Some learned gentlemen, not fatisfied 
 that this ftatue fhould be thrown indifcri- 
 minately among Gladiators and Vigors of 
 the Olympic games, have given it a parti- 
 cular and lading character ; they roundly 
 affert, that it is the identical ftatue, made 
 by order of the Athenian State, in honour 
 of their countryman Chabrias ; and that it 
 is precifely in the attitude which, accord- 
 ing to Cornelius Nepos, that hero aflumed, 
 
 when 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 5 © s 
 
 when he repulfed the army of Agefilaus. 
 This idea is in the true fpirit of an anti- 
 quary. 
 
 If, upon turning to that author, you 
 remain unconvinced, and are interefted 
 in the honour of the ftatue, I can furnifh 
 you with no prefumptive proof of its ori- 
 ginal dignity, except, that the chara&er of 
 the face is noble and haughty, unlike that 
 of a flave and mercenary Gladiator. And 
 there is no rope around the neck, as the 
 Gladiator Moriens has, whom that circum- 
 fiance fufficiently indicates to have been in 
 iihat unfortunate fituation. 
 
50 6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND* 
 
 LETTER XLVI. 
 
 Rome<, 
 
 Few days fince I went to call on aa 
 £ artift of my acquaintance* I met, 
 coming out of his door, an old woman, and a 
 very handfome girl, remarkably well fhaped* 
 I rallied him a little on the fubject of his 
 vifitors, and his good fortune in being 
 attended in a morning by the prettieft girl 
 I had feen fmce I came to Rome. H I think 
 *' myfelf fortunate, 5 ' faid he, 0 in having 
 * 4 found a girl fo perfe&ly well made, who 
 ct allows me to ftudy her charms without 
 <c reftraint, and at a reafonable price j but 
 " I affure you, I can boaft of no other kind; 
 " of good fortune with her/' u I am con- 
 cc vinced," rejoined I, " that you take great 
 cc pleafure in your ftudies, and there can be 
 <; no doubt that you have made a very de- 
 " firable progrefs.' 5 u Of that you fhall be 
 €i the judge, 5 * replied he, leading me into 
 
 another 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY, 507 
 
 another room, where I faw a full length 
 painting of the girl, in the charader of 
 Venus, and in the ufual drefs of that god-« 
 defs. " There, 5 ' &id he, " is the only 
 " effed my ftudies have had hitherto, and 
 " I begin to fufped that they will never 
 " produce any thing more nearly conned- 
 " ed with the original." He then informed 
 me, that the old woman I had feen was 
 the girl's mother, who never failed to 
 accompany her daughter, when (he came as 
 a model to him ; that the father was a 
 tradefman, with a numerous family, who 
 thought this the moft innocent ufe that his 
 daughter's beauty could be put to> till fhe 
 fhould get a hufband ; and to prevent its 
 being put to any other, his wife always ac- 
 companied her. " I have drawn her as 
 " Venus, 5 ' added he ; " but, for any thing 
 I know to the contrary, 1 fhould have ap- 
 proached nearer to her real charader if I 
 ct bad painted her as Diana. Sbe comes 
 c< here merely in obedience to her parents, 
 u and gains her bread as innocently as if 
 
 u fhe 
 
5 o8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 €Q ihe were knitting purfes in a convent 
 <c from morning to night, without feeing 
 " the face of a man." 
 
 " However innocent all this may be," 
 faid I, " there is fomething at which the 
 u mind revolts, in a mother's being prefent 
 €t when her daughter ads a part which, if 
 " not criminal, is, at leaft, highly in- 
 ** delicate." 
 
 " To be fure," replied the painter, cc the 
 cC woman has not quite fo much delicacy as 
 «' to ftarve, rather than let her daughter 
 " (land as a model ; yet fhe feems to have 
 c< attention to the girl's chaftity, too." 
 
 " Chaftity !'* anfwered I, u why this 
 " would fhock an Englijh woman more 
 c * than any thing which could be propofed 
 * fi to her. Every other kind of liberty muft 
 €( have been previoufly taken with her. She 
 " muft be a complete proftitute in every 
 " fenfe of the word, before fhe could be 
 <s brought to fubmit to appear in this 
 * 6 manner. 55 
 
 " Your 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 509 
 
 H Your obfervation is true," replied he ; 
 Cl but it does not prove that thofe who fub- 
 cc mit to this, to prevent their becoming 
 *' proftitutes, do not judge better than thofe 
 " who become proftitutes, and then fubmit 
 u to this. In different countries," conti- 
 nued he, a people think very differently on 
 " fubjedts of this kind. The parents of 
 " this girl, to my knowledge, have refufed 
 " confiderable offers from men of fortune, 
 " to be allowed the privilege of vifiting her. 
 u They are fo very careful of preventing 
 H every thing of that nature, that fhe a&u- 
 " ally lies in the fame bed with them 
 <c both, which is another piece of indelicacy 
 iC not uncommon among the lower people 
 " in Italy. Thefe parents have the more 
 c< merit in refufing fuch offers, as their ad- 
 11 ing otherwife would by no means be 
 Cl thought extraordinary; nor would it raife 
 " the fame degree of indignation here as in 
 <c fome other countries of Europe. Breach 
 u of chaftity, in females of low rank, is not 
 f f confidered here in the fame heinous light 
 6 , " that 
 
5 io VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 * c that it is in fome parts of Germany and 
 « c Great Britain; where it is deemed a crime 
 u of fuch magnitude, as to require expia- 
 c< tion, by a public rebuke from the parfori 
 " in the middle of the church. I have 
 " heard of a clergyman in the North, who 
 €C had occafion to rebuke a young woman 
 <c for having borne a child before marriage. 
 " The accomplice in her guilt had married 
 u her immediately after her recovery ; but 
 u this did not abate the parfon's indigna- 
 16 tion againft the wickednefs they had pre- 
 <c vioufly committed. Magdalen,'* faid 
 he, with an aweful tone of voice, to the wo- 
 man, " you ftand before this congregation 
 <c to be rebuked for the barbarous and un- 
 H natural crime of fornication, ,f 
 
 <fi The reverend clergyman, faid I, in all 
 <c probability intended to terrify his pa- 
 u riftiioners from fuch irregularities ; and 
 11 for this purpofe imagined there would be 
 " no harm in putting them in the mod 
 11 odious point of view." " This is attend- 
 
 «' ed, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 5 it 
 
 u ed, however, by one dreadful confe- 
 l% quence," replied the artift, a that thefe 
 ** unhappy creatures, to conceal a fault of 
 u which fuch a horrible idea is given, and 
 <c to prevent the fhame of a public expo* 
 €i fition in the church, are fometimes tempt- 
 " ed to commit a crime which is in reality 
 u barbarous, and unnatural in the higheft 
 u degree." 
 
 " There is nothing," continued he, 
 €c which has a greater tendency to ren«* 
 " der any fet of people worthlefs, than the 
 €s idea that they are already confidered as 
 " fuch. The women all over Great Bri- 
 " tain, who live in an open and avowed 
 " breach of chaftity, are generally more 
 " daringly wicked, and devoid of principle, 
 <c than the Italian women who take the 
 " fame liberties/' 
 
 " Would you then/' faid I 5 " have wo- 
 *• men of that kind more refpedted in 
 " Great Britain, in hopes that it might, 
 " in time, make them more refpeSable ?" 
 
 *' I exprefs 
 
5 i2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AMJ3 
 
 < c I exprefs no defire on the fubjed^ 
 replied he. " I was only going to remark, 
 il that, in avoiding one inconveniency, 
 
 mankind often fall into another ; and that 
 " we are too apt to cenfure and ridicule cuf- 
 u toms and opinions different from thofe 
 ce which prevail in our own country, with- 
 " out having fufficiently confidered all their 
 " immediate and remote effe&s. I did not 
 cc intend to decide, whether the indulgence 
 " with which women of a certain clafs are 
 ** viewed in Italy, or the ignominy with 
 " which they are treated in Great Britain, 
 " has, upon the whole, the beft effe£l in 
 11 fociety. But I have obferved, that the 
 <c public courtezans in England often be- 
 u come quite abandoned, and forget all fenfe 
 " of gratitude or afFe&ion, even to their pa- 
 11 rents. But in Italy, women who never 
 <c put any value on the virtue of chaftity, 
 " thofe who fell their favours for money, 
 * c difplay a goodnefs of character in other 
 " refpe&s, and continue their duty and at- 
 €i tachment to their parents as long as they 
 
 «' live, 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 513 
 
 €C Jive. Foreigners who form a conne&ion 
 tft with a girl in this country, find them- 
 <c felves very often obliged to maintain the 
 " father, mother, and whole family to 
 " which fhe belongs. The lover generally 
 " confiders this as a very troublefome cir- 
 * c cumftance, and endeavours to infpire his 
 €i Italian -miftrefs with that total negle£t of 
 <c her family which prevails among women 
 " of her ftamp in other countries ; but he 
 " very feldom fucceeds. An Italian woman 
 " is unwilling to quit her native city and 
 " her family, even for a man fhe loves ; 
 " and feldom does, till he makes fome pro- 
 " vifion for her neareft relations." 
 
 <c You feem to have a very great affec- 
 " tion for the Italian ladies ; and, as far as 
 " I can perceive, 55 faid I, " your paffion is 
 u univerfal to the whole qlafs in queftion; 
 " but you have faid nothing to the effential 
 <c article of religion. It is to be hoped, 
 " they do not allow the duties of their pro- 
 < c fefhon to make them negleft their fouls." 
 
 Vol, i hi ** I fee/* 
 
5i4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 " I fee," replied the painter, " you are 
 C£ difpofed to laugh at all I have faid in 
 " their favour ; but in aniwer to your 
 " queftion, I will fairly own, that their re- 
 u ligious, or, if you pleafe, we {hall rather 
 €t call them their fuperflitious, fentiments, 
 €( feem to be no way influenced by their 
 44 profeffion ; nor are the duties of their 
 Cl profeffion in any degree affe&ed by thefe 
 44 fentiments. They attend mafs, and the 
 <c ceremonies of devotion, with as much 
 <c pun&uality as if their lives were regular 
 " in all other refpe£ts ; and they pafs their 
 cc lives, in other refpe&s, as if they had 
 " never heard of any religious fyftem but 
 " that of Epicurus. In fome countries of 
 f 4 Europe, women of their ftamp often de«? 
 < c fpife every appearance of decency, aflume 
 c< the difgufting depravity of male debau- 
 44 chees, with all the airs of afFe&ed in- 
 44 fidelity, and real profligacy ; but here 
 44 they always remember they are women; 
 " and, after they have loft the mod valued 
 « and brighteft ornament of their fex, 
 
 o « mil 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 
 
 11 ftill endeavour to retain fome 
 <c others." 
 
 f< After all you have faid in their fa- 
 <c vour, 3 ' faid I, u their condition is cer- 
 f< tainly not to be envied- If, therefore, 
 " you have any regard for your young 
 " Venus, you will do well to leave her under 
 " the care of her mother, and never en- 
 " deavour to introduce heir into the com- 
 €i munity whofe eulogium you have been 
 11 making*" 
 
 When I returned from the houfe of this 
 
 artift, I found Mr. waiting for me at 
 
 our lodgings. He has of late paid his court 
 very alTiduoufly to a lady of high rank in 
 this place : fhe is diftinguifhed, even here, 
 for a pun&ilious cbfervance of all the cere- 
 monies appointed by the church, and could 
 not eat meat on a meagre-day, or deviate 
 from the canonical regulations in any point 
 of equal importance, without remorfe ; but 
 in matters of gallantry, fhe has the repu- 
 tation of being infinitely more liberal, both 
 L 1 z i in 
 
 515 
 of the 
 
5*6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND 
 
 in her fentiments and practice. She has 
 been for fome time provided with a very 
 able and refpe&able lover, of her own 
 country. This did not make her blind to 
 the good qualities of Mr. <— ,with whom 
 fhe formed a very intimate connection, 
 loon after his arrival here ; not that fhe 
 prefers him to her other lover, but merely 
 from a ftrong fenfe of the truth and beauty 
 of his arithmetical axiom — one and one 
 make two. The new arrangement with our 
 countryman, however pleafing,,^ the lady, 
 gave offence to her Father ConfefTor. The 
 fcrupulous ecclefiaftic was of opinion, that 
 a connexion of this nature with a heretic 
 was more criminal than with a man of her 
 
 own communion. Mr. was juft come 
 
 from the lady to our lodgings ; he had 
 found her in worfe humour than he had 
 ever obferved before, though her temper is 
 not the mildeft in the world. Mr. ■ 
 entered as the Confeffor went out ; {he £hut 
 the door after him with a violence which 
 {hook the whole houfe, muttering, as fhe 
 
 returned 
 
MANNERS IN ITALY. 517 
 
 returned to her feat, Che ti pqffino Cafcar le 
 
 braccia Vecchio Dondolone. Mr. ■ ex- 
 
 prefled his concern on feeing her fo much 
 agitated. Ct No wonder,*' faid (he, <c that 
 tc ftubborn Animalaccio who is juft gone 
 M out, has had the infolence to refufe 
 f " me abfolution. As I expe&ed you this 
 " morning, I fent for him betimes, that 
 " the matter might have been expedited 
 " before you fhould come ; but here I have 
 " been above an hour endeavouring to per- 
 " fuade him, but all to no purpofe ; nothing 
 " I could fay was able to mollify the ob- 
 
 u ftinate old greafy rafcal." Mr. 
 
 joined in abufing the ConfefTor's perverfe- 
 nefs, hinting, at the fame time, that fhe 
 ought to defpife it as a matter of little im- 
 portance; that fhe was fure of receiving 
 abfolution fooner or later; and, whenever 
 it happened, all the tranfa&ions of the in- 
 terval would be comprehended within that 
 a£t of grace. Upon the flrength of this 
 reafoning, Mr. — — was proceeding to 
 fulfil the purpofe of his vifit with as much 
 
 4 alacrity 
 
5 i9- VIEW OF SOCIETY, &c, 
 
 alacrity as if the moft complete difcharge 
 had been granted for all proceedings— 
 cc Pian Piano Idol mio" cried the lady, 
 u bifogna rimetterji alia volunta di Dio" 
 She then told her lover, that although fhe 
 defpifed the Confeflbr as much as he could 
 do, yet fhe muft take care of her own foul j 
 that not having fettled her accounts with 
 heaven for a confiderable time, fhe was de- 
 termined not to begin a new fcore till the 
 old fhould be cleared ; adding, for her prin- 
 cipal reafon, Pat to chiaro^ amico caro. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME, 
 
TRANSLATIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LATIN AND ITALIAN QUOTATIONS 
 I N T H E 
 
 FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 Page 
 
 Hundred hours of vexation will not 
 pay one farthing of debt. 
 
 19. Thro' various hazards, and many crofs 
 events, 
 
 62, What we hear. 
 
 With flower paffion to the heart proceeds^ 
 Than when an audience views the very 
 deeds. Francis. 
 
 Ibid. The bufinefs of the drama mult appear 
 in adtion or defcription. Francis. 
 
 75. Like a youthful tree, of growth 
 
 Infenfible 3 high (hoots his fpreading fame. 
 
 Francis, 
 
 151. The place intended for the portrait of 
 
 Marinus Fallierus, who was beheaded. 
 Vet, I. Mm 
 
TRANSLATIONS OF THE 
 
 Page 
 
 244. to the woods the wanton hies, 
 
 And wilhes to be feen before (he flies. 
 
 Dryden» 
 
 2,75. At length he founded Padua's happy feat, 
 
 Dryden. 
 
 Ibid. Where Aponus firft fprings in fmoky 
 ft earn, 
 
 And full Timavus rolls his nobler 
 
 ftream ; 
 
 Upon a hill that day, if fame be true, 
 A learned Augur fat the fkies to view : 
 'Tis come, the great event is come (he 
 cry'd) ! 
 
 Our impious chiefs their wicked war 
 decide. Rowe. 
 
 281, Whence bull-faced Po adorned with gilded 
 horns, 
 
 Than whom no river, thro 3 fuch level 
 meads, 
 
 Down to the fea with fwifter torrents 
 fpeeds. Wartont. 
 
 291. Three brothers, the fons of Maria Therei'a, 
 Queen of Bohemia and Hungary, all 
 of them diftinguifhed by their vimies* 
 and worthy of fo illuftrious a mother, 
 
 were 
 
LATIN AND ITALIAN QUOTATIONS. 
 
 Page 
 
 were entertained at this inn, viz. Maxi- 
 milian Arch Duke of Auftria, who 
 actually fupped and palled the night 
 here, on the 30th of May, 1775. 
 
 Peter Leopold Grand Duke of Tufcany, 
 and the Emperor Jofeph the Second, the 
 ornament and glory of the age, who 
 dined here the following day. 
 
 Thatfuch important events may not be loft 
 in the flight of time, let this durable 
 monument inform the lateft pofterity 
 of the happinefs which this inn en- 
 joyed. 
 
 301. The Bononian Academy of arts and fci- 
 ences, for the general ufe of the whole 
 world. 
 
 315. Some are of opinion^ that* captivated by 
 the love of power, and having carefully 
 weighed his own ftrength and that of 
 his enemies, he had availed himfelf 
 of this opportunity of feizing the fu- 
 preme authority, which had been his 
 paffion from his early youth. 
 
 Hid. For if a violation of equity is ever excuf- 
 abtej it is when a crown is our objecl— 
 M m 2 Om 
 
TRANSLATIONS OF THE 
 
 Page 
 
 On all other occafions we ought to cul- 
 tivate juftice, 
 
 316. He never was deterred from any undertak- 
 
 ing by religious fcruples. — When the 
 animal, deftined for facrifice, fled from 
 the altar, this bad omen did not pre- 
 vent Csefar from marching againft 
 Scipio and Juba. 
 
 317. The leader now had paffed the torrent 
 
 o'er, 
 
 And reached fair Italy's forbidden fliore : 
 Then rearing on the hoftile bank his 
 head, 
 
 Here, farewell peace and injured laws (he 
 
 faid) ! 
 
 Since faith is broke, and leagues are fet 
 afide, 
 
 Henceforth thou, goddefs Fortune, art 
 
 my guide. 
 Let fate and war the great event decide. 
 He fpoke; and, on the dreadful talk 
 
 intent, 
 
 Speedy to near Ariminum he bent; 
 To him the Balearic fling is flow, 
 And the fhaft loiters from the Parthian 
 bow. Rowe. 
 
LATIN AND ITALIAN QUOTATIONS. 
 Page 
 
 321. How much the grandeur of thy rifing 
 ftate 
 
 Owes to the Neros, Rome imperial ! fay, 
 Witnefs Metaurus, and the difmal fate 
 Of vanquiihed Afdrubal, and that glad 
 day 
 
 Which firft, aufpicious, as the darknefs fled, 
 O'er Latium's face a tide of glory fhed. 
 
 Through wide Hefperia's tow'ring cities, 
 crufh'd 
 
 With hideous fall and defolation dire, 
 Impetuous, wild the Carthaginian rufh'd ; 
 As through the pitchy pines deftru&ive 
 fire 
 
 Devours its courfe, or howling Eurus raves, 
 And porting fweeps the mad Sicilian waves. 
 
 Francis. 
 
 323, An Adriatic turbot, of a wonderful 
 fize, was caught before the temple of 
 Venus, at Ancona, a city built by the 
 Greeks. 
 
 344. Be not afraid, my good Sir, thefe walls 
 are more firm than the Apennines. 
 
 369. Hannibal, having defeated the Romans 
 at Thrafymene, and marching his army 
 3 tQ 
 
TRANSLATIONS OF THE 
 
 Page 
 
 to Rome, was repulfed from Spoletto 
 with great (laughter. The memorable 
 flight of the Carthaginians gave name 
 to this gate. 
 
 369. Hannibal marched ftraight through Uith 
 bria to Spoletto, and after having laid 
 the country wade, when he began to 
 attack the town, he was beat off, with 
 great (laughter of his foldiers. Such 
 a check from an inconfiderable 
 colony, would naturally lead him to 
 refleft on the difficulties he muft 
 encounter in fubduing the Roman re* 
 public. 
 
 376. Narnia, furrounded by a fulphureous 
 ftream and dangerous cliffs, which 
 render it almoft inacceffible. 
 
 387. Hence the fam'd Latian line, and fenates 
 
 come, 
 
 And the proud triumphs, and the tow'rs 
 of Rome. Pitt* 
 
 388. Yes, my Lord — but my hulband is an 
 
 old man. 
 
LATIN AND ITALIAN QUOTATIONS, 
 Page 
 
 388. O holy Virgin, how exceeding old he is! 
 408. Long live the Holy Father! 
 Hid. Your blefiing, Holy Father. 
 
 411. This triumph, this, on Libya's utmoft 
 
 bound, 
 
 With death and defolation compafled 
 round, 
 
 To all thy glories, Pompey, I prefer, 
 Thy trophies,and thy third triumphal car 
 To Marius' mighty name, and great Ju- 
 gurthine war. Rowe. 
 
 412. What tongue, juft Cato, can thy praife* 
 
 forbear ! 
 
 Or each brave Scipio's noble deeds de- 
 clare ? 
 
 Afric's dread foes \ two thunderbolts of 
 war ! Pitt. 
 
 415. Founded by Marcus Agrippa, the fon 
 of Lucius, during his third Conful- 
 {hip. 
 
 421. Secure in his retreat Vejanius lies ; 
 
 Hangs up his arms, nor courts the doubt- 
 ful prize-, 
 
 Wifely 
 
TRANSLATIONS OF THE 
 
 Page 
 
 Wifely refolved to tempt his fate no 
 more, 
 
 Or the light croud for his difcharge implore. 
 
 Francis. 
 
 426. But if fhe has made an affignation, and 
 wifhes to be dreft with more nicety 
 than ufual — Poor Pfecus (her female 
 Have), with her hair torn about her 
 ears, and ftripped to the waift, ad- 
 jufts the locks of her miftrefs. Why is 
 this curl fo high ? Preiently the whip 
 punilhes the diforder of ■ the leaft 
 hair, 
 
 428. — — -every moment grows. 
 
 And gains new ftrength and vigour as it 
 goes. Pitt, 
 
 435. Between whom Auguftus reclining, 
 
 quaffs nedlar with purple lips. 
 
 436. My fame — (hall bloom, 
 
 And with unfading youth improve, 
 While to th* immortal fane of Jove 
 The veftal maids, in filent flate 
 Afcending, on the Pontiff wait. 
 
 Francis, 
 
LATIN AND ITALIAN QUOTATIONS, 
 Page 
 
 436. Hail, happy pair! if fame our verfe can 
 give, 
 
 From age to age your memory fliall 
 live ; 
 
 Long as th' imperial Capitol {hall (land, 
 Or Rome's majeftic Lord the conquer'd 
 world command ! Pitt, 
 
 439, From whofe bowels the Prince of Peace 
 fprung. 
 
 446, Why Sees he hate the funny plain, 
 While he can fun or duft fuftain ? 
 Or why no more, with martial pride, 
 Amidft the youthful battle ride, 
 And the fierce Gallic fixed command, 
 With bitted curb, and forming hand? 
 Why does he fear the yellow flood ? 
 
 Francis, 
 
 447. Thus they conversed on works of ancient: 
 
 fame, 
 
 Till to the monarch's humble courts they 
 came ; 
 
 There oxen ftaik'd, where palaces are 
 rais'd, 
 
 And bellowing herds in the proud Forum 
 graz'd, Pitt* 
 Vol. h N n 
 
TRANSLATION OF THE LATIN, See. 
 
 Page 
 
 517. The Devil go along with you for an old 
 
 goofe. 
 
 518. Softly, foftly, my love. We muft fub- 
 
 rnit to the will of Heaven. 
 
 JUL Short accounts make long friends. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Page 67. line 4. for eloquence read elegance. 
 
 91. — • ig.fo'r as well as them read as well as they> 
 
 464. 18. for certo read certa. 
 
 492. — — 13. for make it all read make it at all. 
 
 49$. ]ali,fcr an antique artifl an ancient artift. 
 
 497. 3«/- r an antique artiil r***/ an ancient artift. 
 
 516, jo. for his arithmetical read this arithmetical. 
 
4