an ox.

water, with a duck in it. As foon as the bear came to the edge of the pool, the duck laid itself flat and motionlefs on the furface of the water; the bear leaped in, the duck dived, and the bear dived after it; but the duck efcaped, through its fuperior diving. The next piece was a bold attempt of one of the keepers to wrestle with As foon as the keeper came upon the arena, the ox ran at hiin. The man, who was not above the middle fize, feized his antagonist by the horns, who pushed him indeed from one fide of the arena to the other, but could not tofs him. After the battle had lafted fome time, and the ox had got the keeper near the fide of the arena, and might have hurt him, fome affiftants came out, difengaged him from the wall, and gave him his dagger, which he immediately ftruck between the cervical vertebræ of his antagonist, which inftantly fell lifelefs to the ground; but small convulfive motions continued for a minute or two. In this manner the oxen are killed by the butchers at Gibraltar, who, I am told, have learned it from their African neighbours. Might not the magiftrates of towns recommend this method to their butchers, and, if found better than the ufual manner of knocking them down, even compel them to adopt it? Every means of diminishing the fufferings of the brute creation fhould be recommended, not only from humanity towards them, but for the fake of our own fociety. Men accustomed to be cruel towards animals, will require but a small inducement to be fo to their own Ipecies. A lion came next upon the stage, and one with all his native majefty; confcious of his ftrength, he looked undauntedly about, to fee if he had any oppo1797.

nent; but he was brought out only for fhow. From the hole in the upper part of the gate of the arena, a handkerchief was put out, and inftantly drawn back: he flew at this in an inftant. Some other animals were turned out, and were glad to get into their dens again. One of the keepers fhewed his addrefs in fpearing a wild boar, which ran at him as foon as he came on the arena. I found few other public amusements. Being fummer, most of the grand monde was out of town; for the Hungarians are like the English, they live a great deal upon their eftates. In winter no doubt I fhould have found the ufual amufements, as concerts, balls, card parties, converfaziones, &c. The citizens have a ball fometimes on the Sunday evenings, and in the neighbourhood there are feveral inns pleafantly fituated in retired fituations, where the great and small often go for recreation. Coffee-houses are little known in the northern pare of the continent; but in the southern they are places of refort, timekilling places at least, if not places of amufement. This town has feveral good ones; but that facing the bridge is, I think, not to be equalled in Europe. Befides a very large handfome room elegantly fit ted up, and with two or three billiard-tables, there is a private billiard room for those who do not fmoke; and two or three other rooms for giving entertainments in; and very comfortable dinners may be had. And here, according to the continental cuftom, all ranks and both fexes may come : and hair-dreffers in their powdered coats, and old market women, come here and take their coffee or drink their rofolio as well as counts and barons."

O-day and yefterday, I have been in company with modern Romans. This morning, I was prefented to the pope. This old man, who exercifes his office with fo much folemn dignity, is exceedingly pleafant, and familiar, in perfonal intercourfe. I found him fitting at his writing defk: he defired me to fit by him, and converfed with me, with animation and intelligence, on different fubjects.

Pius the fixth occupies himself in the cabinet, gets up in winter before day-light, and performs the weighty duties of the papal chair with a knowledge of prefent circumftances, and with a firm mind. "The difputes between himself and the king of Naples, have been adjusted by him with great prudence; he having preferved, inftead of renouncing the leaft of, his rights. He has conducted himfelf in the affairs of France with equal wifdom and dignity; and has efcaped all the fnares that have been laid for him, openly and in fecret, by the national affembly, which might have led him to take steps that would have given an appearance of juftice to their rapacious views.

"The fecretary of ftate, cardinal Zelada, is properly the prime minifter. He is a man of much understanding, and uncommon affiduity. He rifes, at this feafon of the year, at four in the morning; and he feldom leaves the walls of the Vatican.

"Cardinal Borgia is a man of great ardour, intelligence, and knowledge. He loves the learned; and is glad to see them affemble round him, at his table.

"A translation of the poem of the Argonauts, by Apollonius Rhodius, is now preparing, by cardinal Frangini. His knowledge of the modern Greek, which he speaks with facility, was ferviceable to him, by rendering the ancient Greek more familiar.

"The fenator, prince Rezonico, and a count of the fame family, understand and love German literature. I have made an acquaintance with the Marchefe Rangone, formerly the first minifter of the duke of Modena. He likewife reads the German authors with delight; and, to a noble character, adds extenfive learning and real genius.

"You perceive that interefting men are still to be found, among the great. I grant indeed they are rari nantes in gurgite vafto. Moft of the Principi Marchefi, and titled nobility, here, are ignorant; and have that arrogance which fleeps in barren ignorance, like earth unbroken by the plough. But are there no fuch men among us?

"I am well aware that, in Germany, there is a certain degree of information greater than in Italy; but would it not be increased, were we, who perhaps are more inclined to do juftice to foreigners than any other nation, to overcome our pre

judices

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

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

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

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

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

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

"All the affiduity of the prefent pope is not fufficient to reform the police; the faults of which originate in the constitution of Rome, Many churches atford a

2

fanctuary

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

"Do not from this accufe the

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

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

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

CHARAC

A

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

yer.

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

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

"Thefe people have wives and children. At prefent, there is one among them whofe influence is fo great that they call him Capo de gli Lazaroni: the chief of the Lazaroni. He goes barefoot, and in tatters, like the reft. He is the orator for the whole body, when they have any thing to demand of the government. He then generally applies to the Eletto del Popolo: the G 3

reper