Naples.
As I was walking a few days since in the street with two of our
countrymen, T—— and N——, we met some people carrying the corpse of a
man on an open bier, and others following in a kind of procession. The
deceased was a tradesman, whose widow had bestowed the utmost attention
in dressing him to the greatest advantage on this solemn occasion; he
had a perfectly new suit of clothes, a laced hat upon his head, ruffles,
his hair finely powdered, and a large blooming nosegay in his left hand,
while the right was very gracefully stuck in his side. It is the custom
at Naples to carry every body to church in full dress soon after their
death, and the nearest relations display the magnitude of their grief
by the magnificent manner in which they decorate the corpse. This poor
woman, it seems, was quite inconsolable, and had ornamented the body of
her late husband with a profusion she could ill afford. When the corpse
arrives in church, the service is read over it. That ceremony being
performed, and the body carried home, it is considered as having no
farther occasion for fine clothes, but is generally stript to the shirt,
and buried privately.
“Can any thing be more ridiculous,” says N——, “than to trick a man out in
his bed clothes after his death?” “Nothing,” replied T——; “unless it be
to order a fantastical dress at a greater expence on purpose, as if the
dead would not be satisfied with the clothes they wore when alive, but
delighted in long flowing robes in a particular style of their own.”
T—— has long resided abroad, and now prefers many foreign customs to
those of his own country, which frequently involves him in disputes with
his countrymen.
The Princess of —— drove past. “There she goes,” says N——, “with her
cavalieros, her volantis, and all the splendour of a sovereign; yet the
wife of a plain English gentleman is in a far more enviable situation.
With all her titles and her high rank, she is a meer servant of the
Queen’s, a dependant on the caprice of another; a frown from her Majesty
would annihilate her.” “Those who are _nothing_, exclusive of court
favour,” replied T——, “ought not be censured for devoting their time to
court attendance. But did you never hear of any who are dazzled with the
glitter of court shackels in the boasted land of liberty; people whom
riches, rank, and the most flattering favours of fortune cannot make
independent; whose minds seem the more abject, as their situation lays
them under the less necessity of remaining in servitude; who, withered
with age, and repining with envy, sacrifice every domestic duty, and
stalk around the mansions of royalty, as ghosts are said to haunt those
abodes in which they most delighted when they enjoyed life and vigour?”
“Well, well,” says N——, “let us say no more about them, since we are
agreed, that, of all the old tapestry of courts, those grotesque figures,
who, without the confidence of those they serve, continue to the last
exhibiting their antique countenances at birthday balls, and in the
assemblies of youth and beauty, are the most ridiculous.” At that instant
the Queen passed in her coach with the royal children, and N—— made some
comparative remarks in his usual style; to which T—— replied, “In this
particular I acknowledge the happiness of Great Britain. I presume not to
make comparisons; the great character you have mentioned defies censure,
and is far superior to my praise. But I must observe, it appears singular
that you, who affect to despise all other countries, and seem of opinion,
that what is most valuable in nature is always the product of _England_,
should bring your brightest illustration of that opinion from _Germany_.”
T——, perceiving the advantage he had gained over his antagonist,
proceeded vigorously to censure, what he called, the absurd partiality
of the English in their own favour; and observed, that it would be
fortunate for them, if the other nations of Europe would allow them but
a few of the numerous good qualities which they so lavishly attribute
to themselves. He severely attacked the common people, and denied them
even the character of good-nature, which they have been thought to
possess in an eminent degree. He declared them to be rough and insolent
in their manners (for the truth of this he appealed to the opinion
of all their neighbours), cruel in their dispositions (as a proof of
which he instanced some of their favourite diversions), and absurd in
their prejudices, which appears by their hatred and contempt of other
nations; by all of whom, he asserted, they were in return most cordially
abhorred. “How, indeed, can it be otherwise,” continued he, “considering
the rough, boisterous nature of their weather?” He then expatiated on
the fertility of Italy, and the mild serenity of the climate; to which
he partly attributed the fertile genius and mild character of the
Italians. “No doubt,” he said, “moral causes might contribute to the
same effect; for more pains were taken to cultivate and encourage good
and quiet dispositions in the common people here than in England. They
were accustomed to perform their religious duties more regularly; they
had frequent opportunities of hearing the most excellent music in the
churches; they were instructed in history by orators in the street, and
were made acquainted with the beauties of their best poets in the same
manner. All these causes united must necessarily enlarge their minds, and
make them the most gentle, humane, and ingenious people in the world.”
N—— shook his head, as if he laid little stress on the others reasoning.
For my own part, I remained silent, being desirous that the dispute
should go on between the two who had begun it.
Continuing our walk a little without the town, we saw a crowd of people
looking over a wall, which formed one side of a square, expressly built
for the purpose of bating cattle with bull dogs. It is imagined that this
renders their flesh more tender and agreeable to the taste; and this is
considered as a sufficient reason for torturing great numbers of bulls,
oxen, and cows, before they are slaughtered for the markets; we found a
multitude of spectators enjoying this amusement. “Pray,” says Mr. N——,
addressing himself to T——, “do you imagine this humane practice, and the
complacency which these refined spectators seem to take in beholding
it, proceed from the mildness of the climate, the pains bestowed in
teaching the people the duties of christianity, the enlargement of their
minds by history and poetry, or from the gentle influence of music upon
their dispositions?” Then turning from Mr. T—— to me, he continued, “Not
satisfied with knocking the poor animals on the head, those unfeeling
epicures put them to an hour’s additional torture, merely to gratify a
caprice of their corrupted palates.”
“Of all subjects,” replied T——, recovering himself from the confusion
into which N——’s questions had thrown him, “those who take upon them to
be the panegyrists of the English nation, ought to avoid mentioning that
species of epicurism which depends on eating, lest they be put in mind
of whipping pigs to death, their manner of collaring brawn, crimping
fish, and other refinements peculiar to that humane good-natured people.”
N—— was just going to reply, when a large bull, rendered outrageous
by the stones which the populace were throwing at him, ran suddenly
towards the gate at the instant the keepers were opening it on some other
account; which threw them into such confusion, that they had not time
to shut it before the bull burst out on the multitude. He now became an
object of terror to those who the moment before had looked on him as an
object of mirth. The mighty lords of the creation, who consider other
animals as formed entirely for _their pastime_, _their attire_, _their
food_, fled in crowds from one quadruped, and would gladly have fallen
on their knees and worshipped him, like so many Egyptians adoring Apis,
if by so doing they could have hoped to deprecate the just wrath of the
incensed animal.—They found safety at length, not in their own courage
or address, but in the superior boldness and agility of other animals,
who were leagued with man against him. He was surrounded by dogs, who
attacked him on all sides—he killed some outright, tossed and wounded
many more; but perceiving his own strength diminishing, and the number of
his enemies increasing every moment, he threw himself into the sea, and
there found a temporary protection from the fury of his persecutors.—But
the dogs were instigated to follow; they at length drove him from
this last asylum; and the poor, torn, bleeding, exhausted animal was
forced ashore, three or four of the most furious of the dogs hanging at
different parts of his head and neck. When they were removed, he raised
his honest countenance, and threw an indignant look upon the rabble, as
if to upbraid them for such a return for his own labours, and all the
essential services which his whole species render to mankind. Upon my
soul I felt the reproach. We could not bear his looks, but sneaked away
without feeling much pride on account of our near connection with those
lords of the creation, whom we had just beheld exerting their prerogative.
We walked along a considerable time without speaking. N—— broke silence
at last: “Well,” said he, “those amiable creatures whom we have quitted,
are what they call human beings;—they are more, they are Neapolitans, men
who are moved with the concord of sweet sounds; from which I conclude
(Shakespear may say what he pleases), that such men are as fit for
treasons, stratagems, and spoils, as those who never heard softer melody
than that of marrow-bones and cleavers.”
“This fondness for barbarous amusements,” said I, “cannot be stated
exclusively to the account of Neapolitans, of English, or of any
other particular people. I am afraid the charge lies against mankind
in general; from whatever motive it arises, a large proportion of
the individuals in all countries have displayed a decided taste for
diversions which may be ranged in this class.”
“It ought to be remembered, however,” says T——, “that those fellows with
their dogs, who have been tormenting the bull, are butchers, and the
lowest of the vulgar of this country; whereas, among those who order
fish to be crimped, and pigs to be whipped to death, as well as among
those who formerly attended Broughton’s amphitheatre, and still attend
cockpits, will be found people of the first rank in England.”
“Pray,” said N——, addressing himself to me, “did you ever see a cocagna?”