Naples.
The greatest part of kings, whatever may be thought of them after their
death, have the good fortune to be represented, at some period of their
lives, generally at the beginning of their reigns, as the greatest
and most virtuous of mankind. They are never compared to characters
of less dignity than Solomon, Alexander, Cæsar, or Titus; and the
comparison usually concludes to the advantage of the living monarch. They
differ in this, as in many other particulars, from those of the most
distinguished genius and exalted merit among their subjects, That the
fame of the latter, if any awaits them, seldom arrives at its meridian
till many years after their death; whereas the glory of the former is
at its fullest splendour during their lives; and most of them have the
satisfaction of hearing all their praises with their own ears. Each
particular monarch, taken separately, is, or has been, considered as a
star of great lustre; yet any number of them, taken without selection,
and placed in the historical galaxy, add little to its brightness, and
are often contemplated with disgust. When we have occasion to mention
kings in general, the expression certainly does not awaken a recollection
of the most amiable or most deserving part of the human species; and
tyranny in no country is pushed so far, as to constrain men to speak of
them, when we speak in general terms, as if they were. It would revolt
the feelings, and rouse the indignation, even of slaves. Full freedom
is allowed therefore on this topic; and, under the most arbitrary
government, if you chuse to declaim on the imbecility, profligacy, or
corruption of human nature, you may draw your illustrations from the
kings of any country, provided you take them in groupes, and hint
nothing to the detriment of the reigning monarch. But, when we talk
of any one living sovereign, we should never allow it to escape from
our memory, that he is wise, valiant, generous, and good; and we ought
always to have Solomon, Alexander, Cæsar, and Titus, at our elbow, to
introduce them apropos when occasion offers. We may have what opinion
we please of the whole race of Bourbon; but it would be highly indecent
to deny, that the reigning kings of Spain and Naples are very great
princes. As I never had the happiness of seeing the father, I can only
speak of the son. His Neapolitan Majesty seems to be about the age of
six or seven-and-twenty. He is a prince of great activity of body, and a
good constitution; he indulges in frequent relaxations from the cares of
government and the fatigue of thinking, by hunting and other exercises;
and (which ought to give a high idea of his natural talents) he never
fails to acquire a very considerable degree of perfection in those
things to which he applies. He is very fond, like the King of Prussia, of
reviewing his troops, and is perfectly master of the whole mystery of the
manual exercise. I have had the honour, oftener than once, of seeing him
exercise the different regiments which form the garrison here: he always
gave the word of command with his own royal mouth, and with a precision
which seemed to astonish the whole Court. This monarch is also a very
excellent shot; his uncommon success at this diversion is thought to have
roused the jealousy of his Most Catholic Majesty, who also values himself
on his skill as a marksman. The correspondence between those two great
personages often relates to their favourite amusement.—A gentleman, who
came lately from Madrid, told me, that the King, on some occasion, had
read a letter which he had just received from his son at Naples, wherein
he complained of his bad success on a shooting party, having killed no
more than eighty birds in a day: and the Spanish monarch, turning to
his courtiers, said, in a plaintive tone of voice, “Mio filio piange
di non aver’ fatto piu di ottante beccacie in uno giorno, quando mi
crederei l’uomo il piu felice del mondo se potesse fare quaranta.” All
who take a becoming share in the afflictions of a royal bosom, will no
doubt join with me, in wishing better success to this good monarch, for
the future. Fortunate would it be for mankind, if the happiness of their
princes could be purchased at so easy a rate! and thrice fortunate for
the generous people of Spain, if the family connexions of their monarch,
often at variance with the real interest of that country, should never
seduce him into a more ruinous war, than that which he now wages against
the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. His Neapolitan Majesty,
as I am informed, possesses many other accomplishments; I particularise
those only to which I have myself been a witness. No king in Europe is
supposed to understand the game of billiards better. I had the pleasure
of seeing him strike the most brilliant stroke that perhaps ever was
struck by a crowned head. The ball of his antagonist was near one of the
middle pockets, and his own in such a situation, that it was absolutely
necessary to make it rebound from two different parts of the cushion,
before it could pocket the other. A person of less enterprise would have
been contented with placing himself in a safe situation, at a small loss,
and never have risqued any offensive attempt against the enemy; but the
difficulty and danger, instead of intimidating, seemed rather to animate
the ambition of this Prince. He summoned all his address; he estimated,
with a mathematical eye, the angles at which the ball must fly off; and
he struck it with an undaunted mind and a steady hand. It rebounded
obliquely, from the opposite side-cushion, to that at the end; from which
it moved in a direct line towards the middle pocket, which seemed to
stand in gaping expectation to receive it. The hearts of the spectators
beat thick as it rolled along; and they shewed, by the contortions of
their faces and persons, how much they feared that it should move one
hair-breadth in a wrong direction.—I must here interrupt this important
narrative, to observe, that, when I talk of contortions, if you form
your idea from any thing of that kind which you may have seen around an
English billiard-table or bowling-green, you can have no just notion of
those which were exhibited on this occasion: your imagination must triple
the force and energy of every English grimace, before it can do justice
to the nervous twist of an Italian countenance.—At length the royal
ball reached that of the enemy, and with a single blow drove it off the
plain. An universal shout of joy, triumph, and applause burst from the
beholders; but,
O thoughtless mortals, ever blind to fate,
Too soon dejected, and too soon elate!
the victorious ball, pursuing the enemy too far, shared the same fate,
and was buried in the same grave, with the vanquished. This fatal and
unforeseen event seemed to make a deep impression on the minds of all who
were witnesses to it; and will no doubt be recorded in the annals of the
present reign, and quoted by future poets and historians, as a striking
instance of the instability of sublunary felicity.
It is imagined that the cabinet of this Court is entirely guided by
that of Spain; which, on its part, is thought to be greatly under the
influence of French counsels. The manners, as well as the politics, of
France, are said to prevail at present at the Court of Madrid. I do not
presume to say of what nature the politics of his Neapolitan Majesty
are, or whether he is fond of French counsels or not; but no true-born
Englishman existing can shew a more perfect contempt of their manners
than he does. In domestic life, this Prince is generally allowed to be
an easy master, a good-natured husband, a dutiful son, and an indulgent
father.
The Queen of Naples is a beautiful woman, and seems to possess the
affability, good-humour, and benevolence, which distinguish, in such an
amiable manner, the Austrian family.