642 
All of a sudden this new Proteus rendered 
himself invisible, and concealed under. 
the habit of a Franciscan Friar, he every 
where re-animated the fury of the people, 
and stirred up all Sicily against the French. 
It was a general revolt, and not a mas- 
sacre, that was meditated by this Sici- 
lian nobleman, against the French. ‘The 
Most judicious historians agree, that the 
butchery which has obtained the name of 
the Sicilian Vespers, was the effect of 
mere chance. 
“ Tt was not the clock of Palermo that 
sounded the massacre of Easter Monday, 
A.D. 1282. The real signal was given by 
a Frenchman, and the cries of modesty 
brutally outraged by him, in the open 
street, and on the person of a young 
female who was going to vespers, became 
the only tocsin, which assembled the 
people, and inspired that murderous rage, 
that took away the lives of 28,000 of his 
countrymen. Asa proof that this mas- 
sacre was not premeditated, let it be re- 
collected that it was not produced by 
one general and simultaneous movement 
in the island. 
‘‘ But if historians disagree, relative to 
the precise cause of the massacre, all are 
of one accord, in devoting the actors to 
the execration of mankind. A great 
number of Provencals, disyuised as Sici- 
lian peasants, endeavoured to quit this 
abode of assassins; but not one of them 
escaped, because the Sicilians, as if in- 
spired by some infernal spirit, tried them 
grammatically, and Cicer: was the term 
which these islanders selected, in order 
to recognise their victims. This fatal 
word, the pronunciation of which is so 
difficult, becquse the sentence of death to 
foreigners, who were unable to enunciate 
it with the same delicacy, and the same 
accent as the natives. The populace of 
Palermo, carried their fury so far, as to 
rip up the bellies of those Sicilian women 
who happened to be with child by 
Frenchmen, in order to destroy the fruit 
of their wombs. _ It would be impossible 
to represent all the horrors of which Si- 
cily became the theatre. It is well 
known that the multitude is often capa- 
ble of the most monstrous excesses, and 
that in all ages, and among all nations, 
it will often perpetuate these bloody tra- 
gedies, if not restrained by a firm and 
vigorous government. 
* Charles was contemplating immense 
projects, no less than ‘the dethroning the 
Greek Emperors; when the intelligence 
of this event surprised, and indeed an- 
nihilated him, ‘as it soon after deprived 
him of the remains of life; and his de- 
Retrospect of French Literature—History. 
scendants, notwithstanding all their 
efforts, found themselves driven both from 
Naples and Sicily, which they were never 
after uble to reconquer. 
* After these bloody scenes, the crown 
of Sicily, detached from the kingdom of 
Naples, became the portion of Pedro, 
King of Arragon,who consented, not with- 
out some dread and hesitation, to reign 
on a theatre of carnage, and over so 
many executioners, 
“Under the government of Charles 
the Lame,and of Robert, the Neapolitans 
at length enjoyed happiness, and blessed 
the paternal mildness of their govern- 
ment. All divisions were extinguished, 
all animosities ceased, and the torch of 
literature began to illuminate rhe minds 
of men, until then blinded by the dark- 
ness of fanaticism and barbarity. Ro- 
bert, picus, charitable, humane, pacific, 
a lover of justice, was denominated the 
Solomon of his aze; a learned man bim- 
celf, he was the protector of all the men 
of learning of bis age ; he encouraged the 
study of true philosophy, of mathemas 
tics, of astronomy, of medicine; he 
caused Aristotle to be‘ translated into 
the Latin tongue, and collected the most 
precious works in’bis library, He was 
indeed too passionately addicted to wo+ 
men, but this was almost the only vice 
‘which tinctured those eminent virtues, 
with which this prince embellished a 
throne. He was brave in the face of 
dangers, and always great, even amidst 
reverses. 
“ Tt was at this epoch, that Flavio Gi- 
Oia, an inhabitant of Amalti, illustrated 
the Neapolitan nation, by inventing, or 
rather by perfecting the mariner’s com- 
pass, that guide which has opened for us 
the barriers of a new world. The word 
perfecting, is used here; and doubtless 
some will be surprised at the air of un- 
certainty, relative to a subject which in 
the opinion of many has long ceased to 
be problematical ; but the learned M, 
Azuni, in a very able dissertation, has 
demonstrated that. this instrument was 
invented in France, and that it had been 
known there by the name of the Mari- 
niére, since the time of the Crusades. 
In a poem written in the Gauhsh style, 
by Guyot de Bovins, who lived during 
the middle of the 12th century, we 
read the following lines : 
«© Une pierre Jaide et bruniére 
Oui le fer volontiers se joinct. 
Quand Ja mers est obscure et bruney 
Quand ne voit estoile ne lune, 
Contre I’ estoile va la pointe.” 
“¢ Brunet 
