84 MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITER ATUItE. 



fingers and in their ears, that I am sure it was impossible not to take 'em for 

 royal princes : may their souls be uncomfortable!' 



"When money was not abundant, his royal highness Corbara readily ac- 

 cepted watches, rings, plate, and jewels, of all of which, as well as of the cash, 

 he made the grand -constable keep a register in a book that was docketed 

 ' Prestite Volantarie,' or Volontary Loans, the use of which the real King 

 Ferdinand had actually introduced at Naples, where he forced the nobility to 

 lend him their plate, and whence, a few months before, he ran away with all 

 the money in the national bank. In the hands of the Corsicans a little red 

 ribbon was of more value than banker's drafts. They made it up into red 

 cockades the distinctive mark of the royalists and they "gave it to fellows 

 to hang to their button-holes as orders of knighthood. Some of these scenes 

 and exchanges were very pathetic. * mieifideli, you behold before you the 

 son of 'your beloved King Don Ferdinando, the descendant of many kings, 

 the prince appointed by Providence to reign over you all some day, but who 

 now, save for your generous succour, would not have the means of asserting 

 his rights nay, would not know where to lay his head !' And then Cor- 

 bara gave away a pennyworth of ribbon with one hand, held out his other 

 palm for rings and watches, and turned aside his head to conceal his royal 

 tears. At the same time, to keep up the courage and hopes of the faithful, 

 Boccheciampe, as brother of the king of Spain, would say ' Verra il bel 

 Tempo ! his most catholic majesty is arming for his beloved brother the king 

 of Naples ;' and De Cesare, as duke of Saxony, would say, ' and the empe- 

 ror and all Germany are arming, and the English are coming with their fleets 

 and a hundred thousand Russians ;' and Colonna, as grand-constable, would 

 add, 'and his holiness the Fope has excommunicated all these dogs of 

 Frenchman and republicans, and the Grand Signior is going to send an army 

 to impale them all;' and then there would be a general chorus of ' Si, si, 

 vera il bel tempo ; Ferdinando nostro avra il suo ; viva il Re e la santa Fede !' 

 (Yes ! yes, the good time will come ; our Ferdinand will have his own again ; 

 long live the king,, and the holy faith!) 



" ' In due course of time,' says General Colletta, ' these successful im- 

 postors took the road to the city of Taranto, where they had scarcely arrived 

 when a ship of war, with the Bourbon flag, cast anchor in the roadstead. 

 On board of this ship were the old princesses of the French branch of the 

 Bourbons, who, after being driven out of their own country by one revolution, 

 were now fugitives from Naples on account of another. This unexpected ar- 

 rival was awkward. It was scarcely possible they should deceive these old 

 women. What was to be done? The audacious Corsicans did not lose their 

 presence of mind, and, preceded by a formal deputation, which revealed to 

 those women the marvellous fact of the popular credulity, Corbara went 

 with royal pomp and the confidence of near relation to visit the princesses ; 

 and they, on their side, though haughty and proud of their royal Bourbon 

 blood, in order to be of service to the cause of King Ferdinand, received as 

 their nephew this abject, vile man, giving him the title of highness, and prodi- 

 galizing their demonstrations of reverence and affection. 



" 'Thus, more thanever'confirmed in their delusion and devotion, the people 

 everywhere took up arms ; bands of royalists assembled ; and, as even the 

 incredulous and those convinced of the imposture availed themselves of the 

 circumstance and joii.ed the insurgents, the three provinces of Apulia were 

 soon in open rebellion against the republic. 



" ' Having affected all this, his highness'Corbara naturally became desirous 

 of putting the riches he had acquired in a place of safety ; and, accordingly, 

 he issued a royal proclamation, stating that he was going over to Corfu, to 

 bring back a powerful reinforcement of Russian troops ; that he should take 

 the grand-constable, Colonna, with him, but leave behind him, as his lord- 

 lieutenants and generals of the kingdom, their highnesses the brother of the 

 king of Spain and the duke of Saxony. The two friends, chuckling at their 



