’ COLONEL BLOOD. 
355 
Blood enjoyed his pension about ten years, till, being charged with 
fixing an imputation of a scandalous nature on the duke of Bucking- 
ham, he was thrown into prison ; yet though the damages were laid at 
ten thousand pounds. Blood found bail. He died, however, soon 
after, on the 24th of August, 1680. But the public had now got such 
a notion of the restless spirit of Blood, than they did not believe he 
could rest even in his grave. Nor did they indeed permit him to do 
so ; for a story being circulated that his death and burial were only 
a trick preparatory to some extravagant exploit, it gained credit to 
such a degree, that the body was obliged to be taken up, and the 
coroner’s inquest to sit upon it, and to call witnesses to prove the 
identity of the colonel’s corpse, before the public could be fully per- 
suaded that so extraordinary a genius was actually dead. 
Thomas Massianello. 
This person was the son of a fisherman of Naples, and is remark- 
able for being the author of a temporary revolution in that state. In 
1623, when this man was born, Naples was subject to the house of 
Austria, and governed by a viceroy. The Neapolitans had supported 
the government in this house with great loyalty and liherality, and 
submitted themselves to many voluntary impositions and burdensome 
taxes in support of it.' But in 1646, the necessities of the king requir- 
ing it, a new donation was projected, and a design was formed to lay 
a fresh tax upon fruits, comprehending all sorts, dry or green, as far 
as mulberries, grapes, figs, apples, pears, &c. The people, being 
thus deprived of their ordinary subsistence, took a resolution to dis- 
burden themselves, not only of this, but of all other insupportable 
exactions formerly imposed. They made their grievances knowm to 
the viceroy by the public cries and lamentations of women and children 
as he passed through the market-place, and petitioned him, by means 
of the cardinal Feilomarino, the archbishop, and others, to take off 
the said tax. He promised to redress the grievance, and convened 
proper persons to find out some method to take off the tax on fruits. 
But the farmers, because it was prejudicial to their interest, found 
some secret means to frustrate his endeavours, and dissuaded him 
from performing his promise to the people ; representing to him, that 
all the clamour was made only by a wretched rabble, not worth 
regarding. 
Thomas Anello, or Massianello, now in his 24th year, dwelt in a 
corner of the great market-place at Naples. He was stout, of a good 
countenance, and a middle stature. He wore linen slops, a blue 
waistcoat, and went barefoot with a mariner’s cap. His profession 
was to angle for little fish with a cane, hook, and line, as also to buy 
fish, and to retail them. This man, having observed the murmurings 
up and down the city, went one day very angry towards his house, and 
met with the famous banditto Perrone and his companion, as he passed 
by a church where they had fled for refuge. They asked him what 
ailed him ? He answered in great wrath, “ I will be bound to be 
hanged, but I will right this city.” They laughed at his words, saying, 
‘‘ A proper squire to right the city of Naples !” Massianello replied. 
