MAGAZINE:

A REPOSITORY OF ORIGINAL PAPERS, & SELECTIONS FROM

ENGLISH MAGAZINES.

Published every Saturday Morning, at Robinson's Circulating Library, No. 94, Baltimore-street.

VOL. I.] BALTIMORE, SATURDAY, August 15, 1818. [No. 5,

LETTERS FROM ITALY.

From the Edinburgh Magazine, for April, 1818.

Florence, 5th January, 1818. in the chimney, in order that the AM at present (9 o'clock evening) Befana or Spectre may fill them almost deafened with the diaboli with good or bad things, according cal noise that fills the city of Flo- as the owners of the shoes behaved rence, on account of the Befana, well or ill. First came a number of which is a remnant of the ancient people running about distractedly Bacchanalian festivals. We have with torches in their hands, which read of the tumultuary nature of the they waved about and tossed into festivals of Bacchus, and I assure the air from time to time, while a you that the Florentines keep up hideous din was made by others the uproarious reputation of these with their glass trumpets; then orgies. The people seem to be all came a car drawn by horses or mad. I went out to see the proces- mules, I cannot tell which, for the sions of these bedlamites about eight animals were oddly dressed like o'clock this evening. The men and their masters, and filled with musiboys in the streets were armed with cians, who sung before the great glass trumpets, in blowing which car, which contained a sort of pyra they exerted the whole energy of mid of people in fantastick dresses, their lungs with a most surprising surmounted by a winged horse, indegree of constancy; blazing tor- tended for Pegasus no doubt, made ches were moving about the streets, of heaven knows what.

Beside

or tossing in the air. I stood in the which stood a man dressed in the piazza del Deomo, to see the great ancient costume, with a lyre in his procession, and by and by the blaze hand. This gentleman was intendof torch-light, and the clattering of ed to represent Dan Apollo, as the horses feet, and the shouts of the old English Poets used familiarly people issuing from the via dei Ban- to call that celebrated personage. chi, announced the approach of the Then came another car filled with Besides Befana. Befana is applied to those instrumental musicians. puppets that women and children the people in the cars, there were put into the windows on the day of many others on horse-back, or muleEpiphany, (or Befana) and also sig- back. All were very showily and nifies the spectre either good or bad, singularly dressed, and seemed to which, according to childish people have laid aside their senses for the comes into the houses by the chim- evening. I saw this Befana pass neys the night before Epiphany; again through the piazza Della San. thence the children hang their shoes ta Maria Novella; and while com. MAG. 5.-VOL. 1.

ing along the Lung'arno homewards, he can, without ever thinking of sitanother Befana of a more humorous ting down to ruminate upon his minature passed by me. This second fortunes, or of considering the best Befana was carried on the top of a means of putting an end to his existlong pole, by a number of people ence. The uncommon vivacity and with torches and trumpets, and re- cheerfulness of the Italians, is the presented the figure of a fat dame, result of climate and temperament, as large as life, with a jolly visage and we all know how much these and staring black eyes, dressed all two circumstances influence men's Italiana. There were no masks, be- minds and manners. In Italy the cause il carnovale does not begin sun, the earth, the air, are full of until the day after to-morrow, and poetical inspiration, not only from people are not permitted to run classical associations, but also, and about with masks on, excepting chiefly, from their natural effect upduring that period of madness and on the animal and intellectual strucconfusion. These processions move ture. Buonaparte urged the celethrough the city the whole night, brated sculptor Canova to come and or at least until the volatile spirits live at Paris. "No," said Canova, of the Italians that compose them "I have learned my profession in are quite exhausted. Then they go Rome, and I shall exercise it in to refresh themselves by eating and Rome until my death, since I feel drinking, and generally get all in- that my talent deserts me when I toxicated. How truly has it been quit the objects and the country that said that men are but children of a have given me inspiration." I can larger growth; and yet perhaps assure you, from my own expeone half of the true savoir vivre rience, that a man without genius consists in being easily amused and coming from the horrours of an easily pleased. The other day I re- Edinburgh winter to the delights of marked to an Italian the want of an Italian one, feels himself changed serious reflection in the generality into a different being. A fortiori of mankind. He shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Eh! che volete, vorreste voi amareggiare la vita coi pensieri inutili ? Benchè non possiamo prevenire ni la sorte ni la morte, dovremmo godere allegramente tutte le vaghezze del mondo;" so think the Italians and the French. Among them you find none of those long dismal faces so common in northern climates, where people think too much, not on what has happened, but about what may happen. A Frenchman, and more especially an Italian, bears the loss of his friends or his fortune with the best grace imaginable, and endeavours to supply the loss as fast as

must the delicate temperament of a man of true genius be affected by such a transition. And yet Dr. Johnson has rashly ridiculed Milton for having declared that his poetical talent was affected by the autumnal and vernal equinoxes.

To-day, the 6th, the sirocco, blows, but not with the debilitating and distressing breath of the Neapolitan sirocco. The mountains that surround Florence defend it from this horrid enemy of the more southern and less sheltered regions of Italy. The air is certainly warm and heavy to-day, but it is not disagreeable. It is what a Scotchman would call a still close spring day. The climate of Florence is extreme* Eh! what would you have? Would ly variable, and does not agree with you embitter life by useless reflections? some people. I find nothing disaSince we cannot prevent misfortune or greeable here excepting the water, death, we ought to enjoy cheerfully all which is, in general, very unwhole

the pleasures of the world.

some. In England, France, and of Italy, and they were not permitItaly, I have, as yet, found no water ted to speak a single word of Italian, equal to that of Edinburgh in light--nothing but French. The corrupness and purity; the water of Paris tion of the Italian language, by is quite detestable. means of the French, has given rise to some desperate literary conflicts Some very celebrated modern among some of the most learned travellers have spoken very raptur- men in Italy. The one party conously of the purity, gracefulness, sists of a kind of literary renegaand poetical spirit of the Italian does, who fight enthusiastically language in the mouths of the lower against their own language; the Florentines. What it may have been other party is composed of the true in their days I know not, but cer- patriots in literature, who, with tainly, at present, the Florentines equal ardour, defend the battered are not particularly remarkable for citadel in which the last remains of these accomplishments. The dia- Italian purity have taken refuge. lect and the pronunciation of the I am heartily on the side of the lower class in Florence are by no patriots, although I have neither means remarkably good. Their sword, shield, nor buckler. pronunciation, especially, is in general vicious, and it is not easy to conceive how Alfieri, when he came to Florence, used to frequent its publick squares and market places in order to learn the best Italian. At least, it is not easy to conceive The blind poor only are allowed this, unless we suppose a great revo- to beg in the streets, under the form lution to have happened since in the of improvisatori or musicians; all language of the Florentines. There others are prohibited, yet there are is no doubt that the Italian language some always prowling about the has throughout Italy lost much of Cascine and the walks round the its purity by the introduction of city.

I sometimes pass by some of the blind Improvisatori, who sit on stones in the streets, chaunting forth a couplet now and tnen in a strange uncouth kind of recitation or rather song.

French terms and French termina- Yesterday I visited the Pia Casa tions. Indeed, the French lan- di Lavoro, established in Florence guage, and the French manners, are by the French. It is a very extenbecome fashionable all over Italy. sive institution, occupying two large Here the higher classes speak cidevant convents, which were French almost perpetually, and that joined into one for this good work. not only to strangers, but to each It contains men, women, and chilother. This is at least one proof of dren, who are admitted there on the want of vanity in the Italians. account of poverty, and are employThe French are so perfectly satis- ed in different branches of manufied of the infinite superiority of facture. The one convent contains their own language, that they would the famales, the other the males. not injure the glory of their country,

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by exchanging their own tongue for To add to the attraction of Floany other under heaven. I may rence, the people have conjured up a mention a striking instance of their most terrifick skeleton which has bigoted partiality to their own lan- walked about the streets for a fortguage. The French General Vig- night with amazing effect upon the nolle's children were brought up in nerves of the superstitious FlorenMilan for four years, besides having tines. It was dressed in white, and been for several years in other parts when any body came near it, it threw

open its garment, and discovered a skeleton with a flame in its breast; and while the spectator stood horrour struck, the skeleton whistled, and was instantly surrounded by 30 or 40 of its brethern skeletons in white dresses, with whom it melted into thin air. I assure you this strange phenomenon has made a great noise in Florence, and is most firmly believed by many pious and excellent persons. It is quite the town talk, but has now left the city.

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tually never seen or heard of loafsugar till that day.

This poor old man suffers terribly from the gout. In one of his excruciating moments he cried out, "Credo che la morte non mi trovera vivo!" I was very much amused with the oddity of the idea.

The state of society here (such as it is) appears to me, from what I have seen, to be exceedingly insipid, trifling, and uncomfortable. There is no such term as domestick happiness in the vocabulary of the upper The Florentines are a strange set classes of Florentines. The wives of people. The lower classes are are mere breeders of children; this amazingly ignorant and supersti- seems to be all that is expected tious, and this last, I believe, helps from them; the nobility are in to make the low Tuscans very general very poor, and very proud, honest in general. The old man and very ignorant. They seem to at the Poggio Imperiale, from whom think that the title of Marchèse or I get my wine, was terribly distress- Cavaliere is quite sufficient to make ed by my servant's joking with him up for the want of every thing else about mixing water with his wine, that a wise man would desire. to make it go farther, and bring Husband and wife are hardly ever more money. The poor simple old seen together in company-it is not animal gazed with horrour at Vin- the fashion,--the husband runs about centi's grinning face, and replied, in the evening through one round of "Eh! diavolo! sono povero è vero parties or amusements, while the -non sono un Angelo-ma nemme- wife ruus about to another; and the no non sono una bestia." The chief business of both is gambling other day Vincent was breaking and intrigue. The consequence of loaf-sugar for my coffee beside the all this, with regard to the children old man Cherubini, who is my land- of the gentry and nobility, is, that lord. Checosa e quella ?" said their conduct is not attended to, Cherubini," dove cresce ?" To and they are left by their parents to which Vincent waggishly respond- act as they please. Amusements ed, E une specie di zucchero, che and dissipation,-in short, killing of cresce sopra gli alberi." So the old time-is here the chief employment man believes firmly, at this moment, of those who are not obliged to earn that sugar-loaves grow upon trees, their bread by the sweat of their like apples or pears. He had ac- brow. [To be continued.]

EXTRACTS FROM A LAWYER'S PORT-FOLIO.

From the European Magazine, for Feb. 1818.
THE WILL.

AT an early period of my life, I ney brought us at the close of day to was requested by a respectable a ruined farm-yard and forsaken attorney to accompany him on his church, which formed, to my great professional visit to a lady in very suprise, the entrance of an extenpeculiar circumstances. Our jour- sive park. A grove of limes and

ed another cheerless prospect over the neglected park, from a balcony filled with lichens and coarse wallflowers, creeping among a few roses, now almost as wild.

overgrown hawthorns brushed the arena of a vast kitchen, where only sides of my postchaise, till a broad a few white cows were now feeding. pond fed by a leaden Hercules com- The gallery where we stood affordpelled our postillion to make a detour over unshorn grass, which brought us circuitously to the wide and rudely-sculptured front of the mansion. Instead of ascending an enormous flight of steps to the hall, Only some mildewed volumes of we passed underneath them to what Froissart's Chronicle, and an anci might be called the sub-house or ent folio of heraldry, occupied the basement, where a grey porter re- library-shelves; but a long series of ceived us sitting in his antique chair family portraits, from the date of with two lean mastiffs chained near Magna Charta, remained in decayed him, and a prim dame busied in po- frames on the walls. Some traces lishing the vast brass dogs and bra of gaudy splendor and aristocratick zen hearth, where a pile of yule-logs pomp still appeared in these portraits was hoarded. She led us through a which rendered the next scene more saloon decorated with immense mir- touching. Our attendant, making rors, tables inlaid with ivory, and us a sign of silence, opened a pair gilded window-shutters, while the of folding-doors, and discovered a plaster hung crumbling from the room profoundly dark, except where walls, and a few bats and swallows a single candle in a massy silver canfluttered in the corners, where rich delabra stood on a table before the Indian jars and cabinets stood un- mistress of the mansion. She was covered. Among six or seven need- wrapped in black velvet, with a less doors, she found one which open- mourning hood drawn over a face of ed into a long suite of rooms, whose singular length and ghastliness, renpannels were of ebony carved in su- dered more fearful by the dim glare perb compartments, which the bar- of eyes whose glassy fixture indicatbarous taste of former owners had ed their unconsciousness. Almost painted white. Through the vista wholly deprived of sight, she was formed by these dreary chambers, capable of no enjoyment, except the we saw the naked arches and broken feeble light of one candle, and of windows of a gothic ball-room, which, feeling continually the splendid canas our guide informed us, would be dlestick which supported it. At this soon converted into a garden. A few sad spectacle of helpless misery, shrubs and creeping flowers were al- clinging to the relicks of unavailing ready clustered among the pillars grandeur, it was impossible to rewith picturesque and touching effect. main unmoved. A sigh or a sudden At the farther end of this ruin we motion reached her ear, which blinddiscerned the remains of a deserted ness made peculiarly watchful; and chapel, contrasting the light archi- her tremulous shriek, her faint effort tecture of the ball-room as mournful- to grasp the silver candlestick, and ly as the dim desolation of the other the palsied motion of her shrivelled apartments opposed their relicks of lips, expressed the agony of impotent splendor. But our walk did not end avarice and suspicion too piteously. here; an unexpected staircaise led to be borne. I was turning to leave us to a gallery in which several the room, when the lean old man we doors opened, not into other cham- had noticed in the hall emerged fron bers, but among the groined arches a dark corner near his mistress, and which sustained a vaulted roof, from uttering some sounds which she apwhence we looked down into the peared to understand, beckoned the