304 Marcus Tullius Cicero in the [MARCH, 



resting scenes, and greater variety of masks, than the long and weari- 

 some Carnivals of Naples, Milan, and Venice. It may be said, that at 

 that epoch the poorest of the inhabitants will sacrifice any thing to dis- 

 play themselves and their finery in the renowned Strada del Corso, It 

 has been proved that, during that period, the pawnbrokers of Rome 

 lend more money than for the rest of the year. It was at this season of 

 merriment and rejoicing that the anecdote I am about to relate hap- 

 pened to me. 



Amongst my many weaknesses, I am not ashamed to acknowledge 

 my confirmed inability to withstand the entreaties of the fair. Being, 

 therefore, solicited by a charming and beautiful lady to perform in 

 mask, and assume the character of Cicero, with the promise that she 

 would accompany me in the character and dress of Tulliola, I con- 

 sented ; and having had a mask taken from the bust of the Roman 

 orator, which is preserved in the capitol, and dressed in the style of a 

 Roman consul, I entered into the Corso, accompanied by my supposed 

 daughter. At first, I placed myself under the gate of the Palace Bolo- 

 gnetti, where a great crowd soon collected around me. Clever men were 

 not backward in questioning me about many ancient historical and politi- 

 cal events, and I answered in Latin to all their questions. The facility 

 with which I conversed in the language of the great Roman a facility, 

 indeed, which it had been my early ambition to acquire excited public 

 attention, and, in a short time, all the Corso spoke of nothing but of the 

 wonderful Cicero of the Palace Bolognetti, and I was almost besieged 

 by the multitude. 



After having remained more than an hour in that situation, I went to 

 pay a visit to Prince Ghigi, in whose drawing-room a great number of 

 the Roman nobility, and many literary men, had assembled to witness 

 the races of the Barbari. Cicero, of course, was soon attacked on all 

 sides. Prince Ghigi accused me of having flattered Caesar, and changed 

 my principles on several occasions. These accusations I combated with 

 many historical arguments, and proved that Cicero's integrity and 

 patriotism had remained unstained during that dreadful period of Rome. 

 Every person present tried to guess who was the representative of the 

 Roman orator. Some said, and felt assured, that I was a Professor of 

 the Sapienza ; others, that I was one of the Scriptores of the Vatican ; 

 but the Cavalier Odescalchi said before the company, that he knew but 

 one man who could perform Cicero in a like manner, and that was the 

 Hungarian gentleman who had often delivered extemporaneous Latin 

 poetry before the Accademia Latina. Seeing that I was so nearly dis- 

 covered, I left the Palace Ghigi, but promised that, at night, I would go 

 to the Festino of the theatre Alibert. 



From thence I walked up and down the Corso, and often spoke in 

 Latin to the numerous English who were seated before the Palace Rus- 

 poli, particularly to a lady who, in my opinion, was one of the finest 

 women I ever beheld. She could not understand me ; and as I would 

 not speak in any living language, her husband, a captain in the British 

 navy, was my interpreter ; I obtained their address, and had after- 

 wards the pleasure of becoming intimately acquainted with them. 



According to my promise, I went to the Festino. There all that 

 Rome contained of talent and genius had assembled to attack, embarrass, 

 and overcome, if possible, the living Cicero. For four hours all the 

 most difficult parts of the works of the Roman orator were proposed for 



