39* PIETRO GIANNONE. 



la order to elude the cenfures of the clergy, which 

 would have ftifled the book in its birth, he had it pri- 

 vately printed in the printing-office of the advocate 

 Ottavio Ignazio Vitagliani, which the latter had let up 

 at his eftate of Dueporte, not far from Naples. It 

 appeared at the beginning of the year 1723, under 

 the title of Iltoria civile del regno di Napo)i, in four 

 quart o volumes, with permiffion of the collateral-coun- 

 cil, who had entrufted the cenfure of it to a judicious 

 penTon of the name of Niccolo Capalfo. This pre- 

 c aution, however, did not fecure him from the perfe- 

 ctions of the clergy ; whofe pretended rights were 

 attacked in the work. They perfecuted him to the 

 grave. The monks preached publicly againfr. him ; 

 and fought, by every means they could devife, to 

 blacken him with the people as the greater! profligate 

 alive. In vain did the viceroy and cardinal of Althan 

 employ all his authority to pacify the monks ; and in 

 vain did the town-council of Naples appoint him ad- 

 vocate of the city, with a prefent of 135 ducats, as a 

 token of their approbation of his hiftory. The popu- 

 lace, fpurred on by the monks, infulted him in the 

 public ftreets ; the archbifhop banifhed him from the 

 chi ch, and at Rome his book was folemnly burnt* 

 To^ provide for his perfonal fafety, he was forced, 

 in the fame year that his work came out, to leave 

 Naples, and take refuge at Vienna. The emperor, 

 Charles VI, looked on him at firft with a fullen afpecl, 

 but fhewed him more complacency afterwards, on hav- 

 ing perufed the hiilory during his relidence at Prague, 

 at the recommendation of prince Eugene, the grand 

 "chancellor von Zinzendorf, the famous count de Bon- 

 ne val, 



