1829.] The Man of Ill-Omen. 303 



never started from my bed with more delight than one morning, on 

 hearing an uproar of true Neapolitan throats in the convent hall. I sprang 

 down stairs half dressed, and was received with shouts of laughter. I 

 had sprung into the midst of old acquaintances ; or the convent had the 

 honour to be made the head-quarters of his IMajesty, marcliing to take 

 possession of the Pope's estates, on his way to take possession of Italy. I 

 protested my astonishment at the general error in my person. But all my 

 eloquence was in vain. ]\Iy comrades swore that they were inconsolable 

 for my loss ; that half the IMarchesas in Naples had put on mourning, and 

 that now I had nothing to do but to put on my harness and go along with 

 them to beat the Austrians. I appealed to his Holiness, the carchnals, 

 and the saints, for their protection to a pious brother, who ' desired nothing 

 but to say matins and vespers until he was removed from this mortal 

 scene.' — ' His Majesty is coming to breakfast here,' was my quondam 

 colonel's answer, ' and unless you choose to follow us in chains, you will 

 take your musket, and hold your tongue.' — ' Well,' said I, ' so much the 

 worse for his IMajesty ; if ill-luck comes on him after this warning, it is 

 no fault of mine.' A roar of laughter followed my prediction, which, 

 however, was carried to Murat, and was, I fully believe, the only word of 

 truth that was ever suffered to reach his royal ear. 



'' He sent for me. Murat was a jovial feUow, and never forgot that 

 he had been a trooper. ' So, Birbone,' said he, 'per Bacco, to judge by 

 the swelhng of your shape, you have made a capital choice of your 

 quarters. I hear that you are a philosopher, and threaten me with the 

 vengeance of the stars. Now, I like philosophers well enough, though I 

 like grenadiers better, and as you luckily combine both, you see we 

 cannot do without you.' 



" As I found that refusal was of no use, I exhibited the greatest promp- 

 titude, ' in thus being honoured with the command of the most gracious 

 and gallant sovereign in Christendom,' and forthwith proceeded with 

 my corps. 



" We went on magnificently for a week ; singing, ' Italia, Italia ! 

 Bella, bellissima !' and so forth, for eight or ten days, during which we 

 lived on the oil and wine of the land, plundered ad libitum, frightened 

 the conclave out of their pious senses, and voted ourselves the most 

 heroic host that ever gave liberty to a fettered land. ]\Iy prediction 

 had gone abroad through the ranks, and in return I got the soubriquet 

 of ' the ]\Ian of Ill-Omen,' and was ridiculed from right to left of a 

 line of forty battalions, and twenty-four squadrons. But at the close 

 of one of those days of pleasantry, while his Majesty's body-guard 

 were dining in the chateau of a Lombard duke, and in the very act of 

 drinking, ' Confusion to Austria and success to Naples,' a volley came 

 in from the garden, which sent the glass of every window flying about 

 our heads. This was the experiment of a platoon of Tyrolese yagers, 

 who had slipped through our position. The camp was roused instantly, 

 and for that niglit we lay on our arms. The day broke, and showed 

 us the horrible apparition of the whole Austrian army drawn up in 

 line, within half a mile of our front. Of what followed for some 

 hours, I can tell nothing more than blindness and deafness can tell. 

 The whole was a business of roaring, galloping, the fire of artillery, 

 and whole volcanoes of smoke. But the Austrians had by no means 

 the best of it; and towards evening Murat, covered with dust, rode uj) 

 to U8, at tlie head of an immense crowd of aides-de-camj), applauding 



