SAN CARLO. 483 



times a week beforehand ; the chairs in the pit were all bought up; 

 even the " Posti in PiedF were scrambled for ; and for some hours 

 previous to the commencement of the performance, any single place 

 in the house, could have been disposed of at a high premium. 



Naples, however was not the only scene of her triumphs. At 

 Lucca where she was almost compelled to halt for a while, and give 

 two or three representations, the excitement of the whole district 

 amounted almost to phrensy. Possidenti, who had never before quitted 

 their villas, now rushed in crowds to the little capital ; sleeping-rooms 

 were let for something like a dollar per square inch ; the theatre 

 was crammed nearly to bursting ; and two or three months after 

 Malibran's departure, the town had scarcely subsided to its former 

 state of quiet and repose. 



It was said that, during the latter part of Malibran's reign for 

 such it may fairly be called, at Naples, the king was becoming 

 jealous of her unbounded favour among his subjects. Conceive a 

 young, good-natured, amiable king, scarcely turned of thirty, jealous 

 of the influence of a beautiful and accomplished songstress, three or 

 four years his junior ! In any other country, the very word 'jealous' 

 would sound ridiculous : here it is not only not so, but the fact is ex- 

 tremely probable. In a government purely despotic, whatever tends 

 to divert the attention of the populace from the preeminence of the 

 monarch, is sure to be regarded with suspicion. At Naples, next to 

 the sovereign and his family, first-rate singers and actors are the per- 

 sonages who receive the greatest share of public consideration ; and 

 it is not unnatural that an absolute king should sometimes feel an- 

 noyed, at finding his inferiors treading on his heels, as it were, and 

 rivalling, and almost supplanting him, in the hearts of the multitude. 



But death puts an end to all jealousies ; and His Majesty of the 

 Two Sicilies need now have no further cause for uneasiness or dis- 

 pleasure, at the increasing popularity of the inimitable songstress. 

 But alas for the Neapolitans themselves! for great will be their 

 sorrow at the astounding intelligence of her sudden decease. They 

 have a king whom they love and respect, and, it seems, deservedly. 

 But had he died, it had been nothing in comparison. Fum the first 

 begets Fum the second, and the race goes on, in uninterruptible con- 

 tinuity. But Malibran ! When shall we see another Malibran ? 

 Never can we hope, for generations to come, that so much perfection 

 shall reappear in the midst of our countless hordes of insipid medio- 

 crity. 



What will they say, what will they do, when they hear that their 

 idol has been laid low, in the midst of her deserved honours ? One 

 thing is certain ; they will not pay to her departed spirit that tribute 

 of manly regret and respectful sorrow, which has been so universally 

 offered to her memory by her English admirers. The couriers may 

 bring us the general sketch of what takes place, but we must guess 

 at the minor details of their conduct. At first they will not believe 

 the awful news : but when the sad truth has at length brought con- 

 viction to their minds, they will communicate it to each other, by 

 means of innumerable and uninterpretable gestures. They will print 

 whole clouds of sonnets on the subject of her death, and will write 



