Mr. Lyman on the Political State of Italy. 



£42 



city and kingdom of Naples. The 

 fifteenth chapter on the Lazzaroni is 

 highly valuable. A strangely exag- 

 gerated idea of the singularities of this 

 class of men has been derived from the 

 travellers, which is alluded to and 

 justly contradicted by Mr. Lyman. 



' The Lazzaroni have never worn a 

 particular dress ; they have never in- 

 habited a particular quarter of the city ; 

 have never had the practice of appoint- 

 ing a king from one of their own tribe, 

 who received a pension from the go- 

 vernment, a circumstance which ap- 

 pears to have been first mentioned by 

 De Saint Nou in his Voyage Pit- 

 toresque ; nor do they believe that 

 they are distinguished by a remarkable 

 origin. All these things are fables. In 

 the last century, the populace of Naples 

 was worthy of notice only for being 

 numerous, miserable, and depraved, 

 circumstances that would readily befal 

 a city where the police suffered almost 

 every description of crime against indi- 

 viduals to pass without punishment, 

 and every description of ruffian or vaga- 

 bond, whether from the Neapolitan or 

 ecclesiastical states, to find shelter and 

 support ; in a climate, too, where a 

 thin shirt and tiowsers, the porch of a 

 church, or the staircase of a palace and 

 a few raw turnips, with a little fish, 

 fruit, and iced water, satisfied every 

 want. 



' It is also a matter of romance, that 

 the Lazzaroni have ever exhibited 

 higher or different virtues, than have 

 been observed in all people under vehe- 

 ment excitement. In the celebrated 

 rebellion against the Duke of Arcos, in 

 1647, on account of an exercise on fruit 

 and fish, they were far from being filled 

 with indignation at the sight of the 

 head of their leader, Masaniello, stuck 

 upon a stake ; but having heard the 

 next day, that the weight of bread had 

 been diminished, they assembled in 

 great fury and carried the body in pre- 

 cession to the church of Del Carmine, 

 where it was deposited with miich so- 

 lemnity. On this occasion the popu- 

 lace of Naples first made itself conspi- 

 cuous. The second principal occasion 

 was in January, 1799, resisting for 

 sixty-seven hours the entrance of the 

 French troops under General Champi- 

 onuet into Naples. But, a few hours, 

 before the final conquest of the city, 

 Michel, called the " pazzo," one of their 

 leaders, on being matle prisoner, ac- 

 cepted the rank of captain in the French 

 army, and instantly marched with all 



[July I, 



the Lazzaroni under his command, to 

 burn and plunder. The detachments 

 of Lazzaroni, in other parts of the city, 

 did not deliiy to take part in this pro- 

 ceeding. The populace of all gi-eatand 

 corrupt cities have shewn, in all ages, 

 passions as violent as inconsistent.' 



The following account of the burials 

 in Italy, is from the seventeenth chap- 

 ter, and describes one cf tlie most , 

 striking scenes presented to the stran- 

 ger in an Italian city. 



' The corpse is dressed acconling to 

 the wealth of the family, and one would 

 think that thedayanun enters a convent 

 and the day a relative is buried, were 

 distinguished by the most marke<l gaiety 

 of dress. It is not uncommon to see a 

 grown woman, and the age makes no 

 diftereuce in the costume, dressed in 

 yellow shoes, white silk stockings, 

 purjde silk robe, lace cap, white kid 

 gloves, besides ribbons and jewels, and 

 placed upon a hearse ornamented with 

 the gayest colours ; the face uncovered, 

 and generally rouged, at and eveiy un- 

 equal step of the bearers the head turn- 

 ing slowly and heavily from one side of 

 the pillow to the other. — The funeral 

 usually takes place an hour after sou- 

 set ; later tlian that is a privilege 

 granted by the police only to persons 

 of consideration. First come long files 

 of those fraternities, of which thei-e are 

 so many in Italy, associated to buiy 

 each other, dressed in white, red, or 

 grey dresses, the face masked, and each 

 bearing a 1 ighted torch, fol lowed by rows 

 of Franciscan and Capauchin monks, 

 shrouded in their black and dark co- 

 loured mantles, the head uncovered, 

 the cowl hanging down upon the shoul- 

 ders, and the naked foot simply bound 

 by a thick sole of leather. As the pro- 

 cession, made so brilliant and striking 

 by the variety of dresses and numbers 

 of lights, slowly and heavily moves 

 along the mournful chaunt for the dead, 

 " requiem aeternam dona eis, domine, 

 et lux perpetua luceat eis," faintly and 

 irregularly passes through its long files. 

 — The corpse lies exposed twenty-four 

 hours with the feet towards the altar, 

 and all wlio enter the church during 

 that time are expected to pi"ay for tlie 

 repose of the soul. The body is then 

 placed in a coai-se coffin and lowered 

 into the tomb, which is, however, not 

 allowed to lie near the principal altar.' 



The two succeeding chapters are de- 

 voted to the hospitals and poor-houses, 

 and to prisons and crimes in Naples ;. 

 and appear to be compiled with much 

 accuracy ; 



