644 
ment, for the devils who inhabit the pa- 
radise of Italy, became angels. The two 
Sicilies, after being shaken by so many 
revolutions, remained in peace, under the 
domination of the viceroys of Spain, one 
of whom, the famous Duke d’Ossuna, 
made himself feared, resvected, and be- 
joved, at the same time by the people. 
“ During the reign of Philip 1V. in 1665, 
a single spark produced an explosion in 
Naples, the inhabitants of which were 
discontented at the tax which the Duke 
D’Arcos had imposed op garden herbs 
and fruit, A man of the lowest condition, 
starting from amidst the crowd, on this 
became, as if by instinct, at once chief 
and general of the popular party; and 
Mazaniello, from that moment, directed 
the movements of fifty thousand men, 
who flew to arms in consequence of a 
basket full of figs being insolently over- 
turned by the hand of an exciseman. 
“Tn a single instant, assassination be- 
came organized in the city; and it would 
be extremely difiicult to conceive an idea 
of the ridiculous, puerile, indecent, and 
sanguinary vengeance, to which the irri- 
tated populace delivered themselves up. 
The whole ef the nobility and the trades- 
eople trembled alike before the re- 
doubtable fisherman, who had become 
giddy in consequence of bis popularity, 
and who flattered bimself with the most 
deceitful illusions. But the mob, during 
a moment of caprice, first overturned, 
and then broke this living idol, whom 
they dragged through the streets, aud 
threw into the common sewer. On the 
very next day, after shedding a torrent of 
{ 
Retrospect of French Literature—History. 
fantastical than terrible, was followed by 
a perfect calm, Many years of happiness 
and prosperity were still reserved tor this 
fine country, and the Neapolitans distin- 
guished themselves, during that period, 
by manners to the full as polished, and as 
aiwiable, as any other civilized nation in 
Europe. ‘The arts and sciences also 
flourished among a people, who, digging 
the remains of antiquity from the entrails 
of the earth, at length exhibited the 
spoils of the cities of Poimpeia, and Her- 
culancum, to astonished Europe, and eu- 
riched themselves by a new species of in- 
tercourse—that of the living with the dead. 
“¢ Atter braving passed in succession un- 
der the domination of Charles IL. son of 
Leopold, and the Emperor Charles VI, 
the Two Sicilies were conquered in 1754, 
by Don Carlos, who governed them with 
sagacity, and adegree of goodness, truly 
paternal. He resigned tie sceptre to 
Ferdinand LV. hisson, 11 1759, in order to 
reign over Spain. Such is the rapid sketch 
of the most signal events that have oc- 
curred in these two states, and they have 
been regularly traced without the omis- 
sion of a single epoch, with an exception 
to the present alone.” 
The reign of his present Majesty, in 
some respects, perhaps, may be cunsi- 
dered as one of the must remarkable. 
The education of this Prince was en- 
tirely neglected; and imstead of being 
brought up, so as to have a taste for 
state affairs, he soon distinguished him- 
self vy a passion for the sports of the 
field. Hunting, shooting, and fishing, 
ybecame his sole delight, while his queen 
tears over their own victim, and reproach. governed the nation; and was, in her 
ing themselves for the excess of their 
cruelty, they conferred a magnificent fu- 
neral on Mazaniello, the pomp of which 
was heightened by the presence of all the 
clergy, who were forced to attend in their 
robes. 
“ At length, weary of their short-lived 
sovereignty, fatigued with the miseries 
of a revolution, cured of that ardent fe- 
ver which had exhausted their strength, 
the whole of this tumultuous populace re- 
turned to their allegiance, notwithstand- 
ing the chivalrous prowess of the Duc dé 
Guise, who bad thrown himself into Na- 
ples, and endeavoured to keep alive the 
fire of civil discord, in the hope of being 
able to procure acrown. He was unable 
even to manage Annéze, the new idol of 
the populace, who happened to be, to 
the full, as haughty, and as jealous of 
power, as his predecessor. 
“This revolution, which proved rather 
turn, supposed to be governed hy her fa- 
vourites. The consequence is what might 
have been easily anticipated. His Ma- 
jesty has been twice driven from Naples ; 
once by his own subjects, and another 
time by the French. He now reigns in 
Sicily alone, where he is supported by 
the generosity of the British nation, 
whose squadrons protect his coasts, and 
whose troups defend his person, Car- 
dinal Ruffo, who at a critical period 
reconquered his kingdom, aud, with the 
aid of an Englisn aduwniral, replaced him 
on his throne, did not long remain in fa- 
vour; and the infraction of the solemn 
capitulation with his own subjects, asto- 
nished all Europe. It is evidently the 
interest of Great Britain, however, to 
protect the residue of his dominions, from 
becoming a prey to: Bonaparte, who had 
long fixed his ambitious eye on the island 
of Sicily, and wished to re-unite it and 
Naples 
