THOMAS MASSIANELLC, 
366 
replied, “ Do not laitgb, I swear by God, if I had two or three ofiny 
humour, you should see what I could do. Will you join with me'?”’ 
They answered, “Yes,” “ Plight me then your faith which they having 
done, he departed. A little after, when his tish was taken from him 
by the court, because he had not paid the tax, he resolved to avail him- 
self of the murmurings of the people against the tax on fruit. He went 
among the fruit shops that were in that quarter, advising them that the 
next day they should come all united to market, with a resolution to tell 
the country fruiterers that they would buy no more taxed fruit. 
A number of boys used to assemble in the market place, to pick 
tip such fruit as fell. Massianello got among these, taught them 
some cries and clamours suited to his purpose, and enrolled such a 
number of them between sixteen and seventeen years of age, that they 
came to be 500, and atlast2000. Of this militia he made himself gene- 
ral, giving into the hands of every one of them a little weak cane. The 
shop-keepers observing his instructions, there happened the next day 
a great tumult between them and the fruiterers, which the regent of 
the city set Anaclerio, the prefect of the city, to quell. Among the 
fruiterers was a cousin of Massianello’s, who, according to the instruc- 
tions given him, began more than any to inflame the people. He saw 
that he could sell his fruit but at a low price, which, when the tax was 
paid, would not quit cost. He pretended to fall into a great rage, threw 
two large baskets on the ground, and cried out, “ God gives plenty, 
and the bad government a dearth. I care not a straw for this fruit, let 
every one take of it/’ While the boys eagerly ran to gather and eat 
the fruit, Massianello rushed in among them, crying, “ No tax ! no 
tax !” and when Anaclerio threatened him with whipping and the 
galleys, not only the fruiterers, but all the people, threw figs, apples, 
and other fruits, with great .^ury in his face. Massianello hit him on 
the breast with a stone, and encouraged his militia of boys to do 
th e same, which obliged Anaclerio to save his life by flight. 
Upon this success, the people flocked in great numbers to the mar- 
ket place, exclaiming aloud against the intolerable grievances under 
which they groaned, and protesting their resolution to submit no longer 
to them. The fury still increasing, Massianello leaped upon the high- 
est table that was among the fruiterers, and harangued the crowd ; 
comparing himself to Moses, who delivered the Israelites from the rod 
of Pharoah ; to Peter, who was a fisherman as well as himself, yet 
rescued Rome from the slavery of Satan ; promising them a like deli- 
verance from their oppressions by his means, and protesting his rea- 
diness to lay down his life in such a glorious cause. Massaniello 
repeated these and such like words until he had inflamed the minds 
of the people, who were soon disposed to co-operate with him for 
this purpose. 
To begin the work, fire was put to the house next to the toll-house 
for fruit, both which were burnt to the ground, with all the books and 
accounts, goods and furniture. This done, every one shut up his 
shop, and, the numbers increasing, many thousand people uniting 
themselves, went to other parts of the city, where all the other toll- 
houses were ; them they plundered of all their writings and books, 
great quantities of money, with many rich moveables ; all which they 
