fied little to its Support, did now more confiderably, 
by being Allies, than they could have done, if they 
had not lhaken off their Yoke. Indeed, if Spain had 
been fo happy as to have fuch Viceroys and GovernorSi 
as at this Time in Naples, their Affairs could not have 
declined fo faft as they have done. The Marquefs of 
Carpy, in his Youth, intended to have taken fo fevere a 
Revenge of an Injury that he thoughf the late King of 
Spain did him in an Amour, that he defigned the blowing 
him up by Gunpowder, when he was in the Council-cham- 
ber. But that Crime was difcovered in Time, and 
was not only forgiven him, in Confideration of the 
Greatnefs of his Family, he being the Son of Don 
Lewis de Haro, but after that he was made for feveral 
Years Ambaffador at Rome : He is now Viceroy of Na- 
ples, and is the only Governor of all the Places through 
which I paffed, that is, without Exception, beloved and 
efteeraed by all Sorts of People ; for during the few 
Years of his Miniftry, he hath redrelfed fuch Abufes 
as feemed paft Cure, or that required an Age to cor- 
re£t them. He hath repreffed the Infolence of the 
Spaniards fo much at Naples, that the Natives have no 
Occafion to complain of the Haughtinefs of their Maf- 
ters j for he proceeds againfl; the Spaniards with no lefs 
Severity, when they give Caufe for if, than againft the 
Neapolitans. He hath taken the Pay of the Soldiers fo 
immediately into his own Care, that they, who, before 
his Coming, were half naked, and robbed fuch as paf- 
fed thro’ the Streets of Naples in Day-light, are now ex- 
adly paid, well difciplined, and fo decently clothed, 
that it is a Pleafure to fee them. ■ He examines their 
Mufters fo exablly, that he is fure not to be cheated by 
falfe Lifts. He hath brought the Markets and Weights 
of Naples to a true Exacftnefs ; and whereas the Bread 
Was generally too light, he has fent for Loaves out of 
feveral Places of the Markets, and weighed them 
himfelf ; and by fome fevere Punifhments on thofe that 
fold the Bread too light, he hath brought this Matter to 
a juft Regulation. He hath alfo brought the Courts of 
Judicature, that were thought generally very corrupt, 
into Reputation again ; and ’tis believed he hath Spies 
to watch in Cafe Bribes are ftill going on. He hath 
fortified the Palace, which was before his Time fo 
much expofed, that it would have been no hard Thing 
to have made a Defcent and feized it. 
But the two Things, that raife his Reputation moft are, 
his extirpating the Banditti, and the Regulation of the 
Coin. It is well known, what a Plague the Banditti have 
been to the Kingdom •, for they, in Troops, not only rob- 
bed the Country, but were able to refift an ordinary Body 
of Soldiers. Thefe travelled about feeking for Spoil 
ail the Summer long 5 but in Winter they were har- 
boured by fome of the Neapolitan Barons, who gave 
them Quarters, and did not only thereby protebl their 
own Lands, but had them as fo many Inftruments 
ready to execute their Revenges on their Enemies. 
This was well known at Naples, and there was a 
Council that had the Care of the reducing the Banditti 
committed to them, who, as they catched fome few, 
and hanged them, fo they fined fuch Barons as gave 
them Harbour ; and it was believed, that thofe Fines 
amounted to near a Hundred and Fifty thoufand Crowns 
a Year : And thus the Difeafe went on, only now 
and then there was a little Blood let, which never went 
to the Bottom of the Diftemper. But when the pre- 
fent Viceroy entered upon the Government, he refol- 
ved to extirpate all the Banditti j and he firft let all 
the Barons underftand, that, if they harbour’d them 
any more, a little Fine would not fave them, but that 
he would proceed againft them with the utmoft Seve- 
rity ; and by this Means the Banditti could find no 
Winter Quarters, which drove thena to fome Faft- 
neffes among the Hills, and they refolved to make good 
the Paffes, and to accommodate themfelves the beft 
they could amidft the Mountains. The Viceroy fent 
a great Body againft them, but they defended them- 
felves for fome Time vigoroufly, and in one Sally kil- 
led Five hundred Men : but at laft, feeing that they 
were hard prefs’d, and that the Viceroy intended to 
come againft them in Perfon, they accepted of the 
Terms that he offered, which were, a Pardon for what 
was paft, both as to Life and Gallics, and Sixpence a 
Day for their Subfiftence in Prifon during Life, or the 
Viceroy’s Pleafure % and fb they ftirrender’d themfelves. 
They are kept in a large Prifon, and how and then, as 
he fees Caufe for it, he fends fome few of them up ^nd 
down to ferve in Garrifons. And thus, beyond all 
Mens Expecftations, he finifhed this Matter in a very 
few Months ; and the Kingdom of Naples, that had 
been fo long a Scene of Pillage and Robbery, is now 
fo much changed, that no Place in Europe enjoys a 
more entire Security. As for the Coin, it, as all the 
other Spanijh Money, is fo fubjed to Clipping, that the 
whole Money of Naples became light, and far below 
the true Value ; fo the Viceroy refolved to red refs this. 
He confiders, that the Crying-down of Money, that 
paffeth upon the publick Credit, is a robbing thofe in 
whofe Hands the Money happens to be, when fuch 
Proclamations are iffued; and therefore he takes a 
Method that is more general, in which every one bears 
his Share, fo that none will be crufhed by it. He laid 
Taxes on the whole Kingdom, and got a great many 
to bring in Plate to be coined : and when he hath 
thus obtained fuch a Quantity, as may ferve for the 
Circulation that is neceffary, he intends to call in all 
the old Money, and to give new for it. Thus 
this Viceroy fets fuch a Pattern to the Other MinifterS 
of the Crown of Spain, that, if many would follow, 
the State of their Affairs would be foon altered. 
'I'he Kingdom of Naples is the richeft Part oi Italy ; for 
the very Mountains, that make near half the Soil, are 
fruitful, and produce either Wine or Oil in great Abun- 
dance. Apulia is a great Corn Country, but it is ex- 
ceffive hot, and in fome Years is all burnt up. The 
Jefuits are the Proprietors of near half Apulia, and they 
treat their Tenants with the fame Rigour that the Ba- 
rons of this Kingdom generally ufe towards their Far- 
mers : For the Commons here are fo miferably oppref- 
fed, that in many Places they die of Hunger, even a- 
midft the great Plenty of their beft Years: For the 
Corn is exported to Spain, but neither Spaniards nor 
Neapolitans underftand Trade fo well, as to be their own 
Merchants or Carriers ; fo that the Englijh generally 
carry the Profit of this Trade. The Oil of this King- 
dom is ftill a vaft Trade, and the Manufactures 
of Wool and Soap in England confumes yearly Ibme 
Thoufands of Tuns. The Silk Trade is fo low, that 
it only ferves themfelves, but the Exportation is incon- 
fiderable. The Sloth and Lazinefs of this Nation ren- 
der them incapable of making thofe Advantages of fo 
rich a Soil, that more induftrious People would find 
out. For it amazes a Stranger to fee in their little 
Towns, the Men walking in the Market-places in their 
torn Cloaks, and doing nothing. And though in fome 
large Towns, fuch 2,% Capua, there is but one Inn, yet 
even that is fo miferable, that the beft Room and 
Bed is fo bad, that our Footmen in England would make 
a grievous Outcry, if they were no better lodged. Nor 
is there any thing to be had in them ; the Wine is in- 
tolerable, the Bread ill baked, no ViCfuals, except Pi- 
geons, and the Oil ftinking. In ftiort, except one 
carries his whole Provifion from Rome or Naples, he 
muft refolve to endure a good deal of Mifery in the 
four Days Journey that is between thofe two Places. 
And this is what a Traveller, that fees the Soil, can- 
not comprehend. But as they have not Hands enough, 
fo thofe they have are generally fo little employed, that 
it is no Wonder to fee their Soil produce fo little, 
that in the Midft of all that Abundance, Nature hath fet 
before them, they are one of the pooreft Nations in 
Europe. But befide this which I have named, the vaft 
dead Wealth, that is in the Hands of_ the Churchmen, 
is another evident Caufe of their Mifery. One that 
knew the State of this Kingdom well, affured me, 
that if it were divided into Five Parts, upon a ftriCt 
Survey, it would be found, that the Churchmen had 
four Parts of the Five ; which he made thus out. They 
have in Soil above the half of the whole f which 
is Two and a half; and in Tithes, and Gifts, 
and Legacies, they have one and a half more : For no 
Man 
/ 
