Asmodeus and the Incognito. 521 



I must pay a small bill, and" "And," interrupted the devil, 

 making a sneering grimace, " you are of course afraid to dishonour 

 it. Bravo! that is exactly as it ought to be. Faith, I will let you 

 have a patent for punctuality, as at present it is out of fashion to pay 

 debts." " It is nearly so,'* quoth I," with regard to greatfolks, noble lords, 

 and M.P.'s, but it is quite the reverse with little debtors, especially if 

 they fall into the hands of some merciless lawyer. Nay, I know that not 

 long ago a brutal and heartless Anglo-German attorney, by his writs, 

 declarations, summonses, and tricks, very soon transformed 10/. 1 \s. 6d. 

 into a sum sufficient to empower him to arrest and plunge a man into 

 a degrading prison, and thus dishonour him for life. Therefore I 

 beg of you, let us go.'' "Well, well," replied Asmodeus, " don't fear 

 of being arrested, if even your bill were in the possession of that legal 

 Anglo-German beast, because we shall be in London before twelve 

 o'clock to-night, although we will pay a short visit to Rome during 

 our passage." 



Highly pleased with the extreme kindness of my good devil, I ac- 

 companied him to the Meridian Coffee-house, at the corner of Toledo, 

 between Piazza Reale and Piazza. San Ferdinando, and after having 

 taken some refreshments we resumed our voyage. In passing over 

 the Pontine Marshes Asmodeus showed me a troop of banditti, who 

 from the neighbourhood of Cisterna and Tretorri were transport- 

 ing into the interior of the wood a great booty, which, during that 

 day, they had taken from rich travellers. A little further, between 

 Nepi and Genzano, he made me remark another band that conducted 

 two Jesuits, and a lady and gentleman, all blind-folded. " Look 

 there," observed Asmodeus, "They will be brought into the cavern 

 of the banditti, there to remain until their friends shall have paid the 

 ransom imposed upon them ; and if what they demand is not paid 

 within a fixed time, they must pay with their lives.' 5 " But what can 

 they expect from the Jesuits ?" inquired I. " What !" said Asmodeus, 

 surprised at my question ; " Those two Jesuits are the best hostages 

 that the banditti could get, as they will produce to the band a greater 

 and surer benefit than twenty secular prisoners would, because their 

 convent will certainly pay any ransom ; and, in order that the world 

 should not know that they possess immense wealth and riches, no- 

 body will be informed of it ; on the other hand, when secular travel- 

 lers pay a ransom for their liberty they almost always report it to the 

 government, and thus expose the band to greater persecution." " And 

 how do the banditti know, when rich travellers are to pass through the 

 Marshes or are sporting in the environs of Rome ?" " How, you ask?" 

 answered Asmodeus ; " Why, the very persons employed by the Ro- 

 man and Neapolitan governments against them are their informants, 

 and receive in exchange great sums of money for their services. Nay, 

 I must also tell you, that some of the clerks of the principal bankers 

 both of Rome and Naples are their correspondents, and furnish them 

 with the names and wealth of those foreigners who travel between 

 those capitals, in order that, if what they carry with them is not 

 thought a sufficient booty, they may be ransomed accordingly/' "Oh , 

 what is this world !" muttered I. Asmodeus laughed at my excla- 

 mation, saying, u Look there, that is the once majestic City of the Se- 



