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[258] 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[259] 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[260] 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[261] 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[262] 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[263] 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,”[264] 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[265] 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[266] 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[267] 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.”
[268]
“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.”
[269]
“pray,” said n——, addressing himself to me, “did you ever see a cocagna?”
i acknowledged i never had.
“then,” continued he, “i beg leave to give you an idea of it. it is a neapolitan entertainment, relished by people of the first rank in this polished country; where the very vagrants in the street are instructed in history, and the human mind is refined by poetry, softened by music, and elevated by religion. the cocagna—pray mark me—the cocagna is an entertainment given to the people four succeeding sundays during the carnival. opposite to the palace, a kind of wooden amphitheatre is erected. this being covered with branches of trees, bushes, and various plants, real and artificial, has the appearance of a green hill. on this hill are little buildings, ornamented with pillars of loaves of bread, with joints of meat, and dried[270] fish, varnished, and curiously arranged by way of capitals. among the trees and bushes are some oxen, a considerable number of calves, sheep, hogs, and lambs, all alive, and tied to posts. there are, besides, a great number of living turkies, geese, hens, pigeons, and other fowls, nailed by the wings to the scaffolding. certain heathen deities appear also occasionally upon this hill, but not with a design to protect it, as you shall see immediately. the guards are drawn up in three ranks, to keep off the populace. the royal family, with all the nobility of the court, crowd the windows and balconies of the palace, to enjoy this magnificent sight. when his majesty waves his handkerchief, the guards open to the right and left; the rabble pour in from all quarters, and the entertainment commences. you may easily conceive what a delightful sight it must be, to see several thousand hungry, half-naked lazzaroni rush in like a torrent, destroy[271] the whole fabric of loaves, fishes, and joints of meat; overturn the heathen deities, for the honour of christianity; pluck the fowls, at the expence of their wings, from the posts to which they were nailed; and, in the fury of their struggling and fighting for their prey, often tearing the miserable animals to pieces, and sometimes stabbing each other.”
“you ought, in candour, to add,” interrupted mr. t——, “that, though formerly they were fixed to the posts alive, yet of late the larger cattle have been previously killed.”—“and pray, my good sir,” said n——, “will you be so obliging as to inform me, what crime the poor lambs and fowls have committed, that they should be torn in pieces alive?” “this piece of humanity,” continued he, “recalls to my memory a similar instance, in a certain[272] ingenious gentleman, who proposed, as the best and most effectual method of sweeping chimnies, to place a large goose at the top; and then, by a string tied around her feet, to pull the animal gently down to the hearth. the sagacious projector asserted, that the goose, being extremely averse to this method of entering a house, would struggle against it with all her might; and, during this resistance, would move her wings with such force and rapidity, as could not fail to sweep the chimney completely.” “good god, sir,” cried a lady, who was present when this new method was proposed, “how cruel would that be to the poor goose!” “why, madam,” replied the gentleman, “if you think my method cruel to the goose, a couple of ducks will do.”
