560 
NAP 
of fplendour and (how, which appears in the brilliancy 
ot their equipages, the number of their attendants, the 
richnefs of their drefs, and the grandeur of their titles. 
The fineft carriages are painted, gilt, varnifhed, and lined, 
in a richer and more beautiful manner than has yet be¬ 
come fafhionable either in England or in France. They 
are often drawn b.y fix, and fometimes by eight, horfes. 
Before the carriage, it is the mode to have two running 
footmen, and behind three or four fervants in the rich elf 
liveries. The ladies and gentlemen within the coaches 
glitter in all the brilliancy of lace, embroidery, and jewels. 
This finery is not confined to the perfons within and 
without the coaches ; it is extended to the horfes, whofe 
heads, manes, and tails, are ornamented with the rareft 
plumage, and let off with ribbons and artificial flowers.” 
We fhall mention a circumflance from which an idea may 
be formed of the grandeur of a Neapolitan palace, and the 
number of domeftics which fome of the nobility retain. “ I 
dined (continues our author) at the prince Iacci’s, wdiere 
we, palled through twelve or thirteen large rooms before 
we arrived at the dining-room. There were thirty-fix 
perfons at table ferved by the prince’s domeftics, and each 
gueft had a footman behind his chair, while other do¬ 
meftics belonging to the prince remained in the adjacent 
rooms and in the hall. No eftate in England could fup- 
port fuch a number of fervants, paid and fed as Englifh 
fervants are; but in Naples the wages are very moderate 
indeed, and the greater number of men-fervants, belong¬ 
ing to the firft families, give their attendance through the 
day only, and find beds and provilions for themfelves. It 
muft be remembered alfo, that few of the nobles give any 
entertainments; and thole w'ho do not are faid to live 
very fparingly; lo that the whole of their revenue, what¬ 
ever it may be, is expended on articles of lliow.” 
The hereditary jurifdirtion of the nobles over their 
vaflals, fubfifts, both in the kingdom of Naples and Si¬ 
cily, in the full rigour of the feudal government. The 
peafants therefore are poor; and it depends altogether on 
the perfonal character of the mailers, whether their po¬ 
verty is not the leaft of their grievances. If the land was 
leafed out to free farmers, whofe property was fecure, and 
the leafes of a fufficient length to allow the tenant to 
reap the fruits of his own improvements, the eftates of 
the nobility would, without doubt, produce much more. 
The landlord might have a higher rent paid in money, in- 
ftead of being collerted in kind, which lubjerts him to the 
falaries and impofitions of a numerous train of ftewards; 
and the tenants would be enabled to live much more 
comfortably, and to lay up every year a ftnall pittance 
for their families. But fuch is the love of domineering, 
that many perfons would rather fubmit to be themfelves 
Haves to the caprices of an abfolute prince than become 
perfectly independent, on the condition of giving inde¬ 
pendence to their vaflals. Although the Neapolitan no¬ 
bility ftill retain the ancient feudal authority over the 
peafapts, yet their perfonal importance depends, in a 
great mealure, on the favour of the king; who, under 
pretext of any offence, can confine them to their own 
eftates, orimprifon them at pleafure ; and who, without 
any alleged offence, and without going to fuch extremes, 
can inflidl a punilhment, which they will fenfibly feel, by 
not inviting them to the amufements of the court, or not 
receiving them with fmiles when they attend on any or¬ 
dinary occalion. The government of this kingdom is 
nearly defpotic. The laws of it are contained in the 
“ Codex Carolinus,” publilhed in 1754. The parliament, 
or general affembly of the Hates, is fummoned every two 
years, to meet at the capital, where the feffions are held 
in the Minorite convent, nea'r St. Lawrence’s church. 
There are only two Hates, confifting of nobles and com¬ 
mons, the clergy not making a diftinrt clafs, but being 
intermingled with the other two. The chief bulinefs is 
to deliberate on the cuftomary free-giftto the king, which 
■has often amounted to upwards of 1,500,000 crowns. 
The religion of Naples is the Roman Catholic, but the 
L E S. 
Neapolitans have always refolutely oppofed the introduc¬ 
tion of the inquilition ; and, independently of this, no 
papal bulls or mandates can be made public without the 
king’s exequatur. The number of monafteries and con¬ 
vents is very great; and the clergy, who are very nume¬ 
rous, are wealthy, whillt the laity are poor. The num¬ 
ber of archbilhoprics in the kingdom is no lefs than 21, 
and that of bilhoprics 125 ; but here is no univerfity of 
any reputation. The ecclefiaftics are computed at 200,000 ; 
and it is fuppofed that about one-half of the lands is in 
their poffeffion. 
The Jews came into this kingdom about the year 1200, 
but in 1540 were expelled ; however, in 1740, they were 
allowed to fettle in the kingdom during the term of fifty 
years, and feveral privileges were granted them during 
that period ; at the expiration of which, the grant was 
fuppofed to be renewed, unlefs they were exprefsly or¬ 
dered to quit the country. 
The revenue of the kingdom is generally computed at 
3,000,000 of crowns; but, as Mr. Addifon obferves, 
there is no country in Europe which pays greater taxes, 
and where, at the fame time, the public is lefs the better 
for them, moft of them going to the enriching of the pri¬ 
vate perfons to whom they are mortgaged. The military 
force of this kingdom is faid to confift of about 30,000 
men, of which the Swifs regiments are the belt. As to 
the marine, it confifts only of a few galleys. 
The inhabitants of this country have at all times 
borne but an indifferent chararter 'among other nations. 
From the few hints dropped by claflic authors, we col- 
lert, that the ancient Neapolitans were a race of epi¬ 
cures, of a foft indolent turn, averfe from martial exer- 
cifes, paflionately fond of theatrical amufements and mu- 
fic, expert in all the refined arts that adminifter to the 
caprices of luxury, extravagant in their expreflions and 
geftures, and dupes to various forts of fuperftition. If we 
make allowance for a quantity of northern blood which has 
joined the original Grecian ftream, and imparted a rough- 
nefs not yet worn off by the mildnefs of the climate, we 
fhall find the modern Neapolitans very like the ancient. 
Provifions being here plentiful and cheap, the lower clafs 
of people work but little. Their delight is to balk in. the 
fun, and do nothing. Perfons of a middle rank frequent 
places of public relort; and very few of any rank attend 
to their proper bufinefs with the zeal and artivity we are 
wont to meet with in the profefiional men of colder coun¬ 
tries. Gluttony is a predominant vice, while inftances 
of ebriety are comparatively rare. In the female fex, the 
paflion for finery is almolt luperior to every other; and, 
though chaftity is not the chararteriftic virtue of the 
country, Mr. Swinburne doubts whether a Neapolitan 
woman would not nine times out of ten prefer a prefent 
to a lover. That furious jealoufy for which the nation 
was once fo remarkable, is now greatly abated. The 
breach of the conjugal vow fometimes occafions quarrels 
and affaflinations among people of an inferior ftation ; and, 
in the metropolis, affaflinations are often perpetrated from 
much lefs cogent motives. Of thefe vices, many are 
doubtlefs owing to that flavery and oppreflion under 
which they groan, and to a radical defert in the adminil- 
tration of juftice. 
Climate and Produce. —A confiderable degree of heat 
prevails throughout thefe kingdoms, which diforders fo¬ 
reigners, unlefs they take great care of themfelves. In 
the lower part of the kingdom, little of winter is felt; 
and in the plains it is very extraordinary to fee ice, or 
even fnow. The fnow that fometimes falls in the moun¬ 
tainous parts, is gathered and kept for cooling liquors in 
fummer-time, ir.llead of ice. Even fo early as April, the 
fun darts a very great heat; but the nights are cold. The 
fertility of the foil of this country is fo extraordinary, that 
it is juftly termed an earthly paradife ; for it abounds with 
all forts of grain, the fineft fruit and garden-produrtions 
of every kind, with rice, flax, oil, and wine, in the greateft: 
plenty and perfertion. It affords alfo faffron, manna, 
alum. 
