cviii 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



disastrous shipwreck he burst into tears, and 

 fell upon his knees to thank Heaven for its 

 mercy in having spared our lives. 



There are many things in Rome which offend 

 our English feelings, although the natives do 

 not seem to be at all affected by them. Thus 

 all the spouts send down torrents of water 

 from the eaves of the houses into the streets 

 below, inflicting a deluge on those who have 

 not learned the art of threading their way suc- 

 cessfully through the spaces which intervene 

 betwixt the descending torrents. Many a time 

 have I received on my shoulders this annoying 

 fall of water. The streets, too, are abominably 

 filthy with offensive matter, causing a nuisance 

 which would not be tolerated for a single day 

 in an English town ; and within the entrance 

 door of many of their dwellings there may be 

 seen a pool which loudly calls for the mop, if 

 the purity of ladies' flounces be an object worthy 

 of attention. Again ; the kitchens of these 

 Italians appear as though they had never once 

 been white-washed since the days of Ancient 

 Rome; whilst their cooking utensils are, at 

 times, none of the most cleanly. A friend of 

 mine had ordered an omelet for supper. His 



