$805.)  Prefent State of Society and Manners in Rome. eel 
are confequently banifhed from a court 
compofed of decrepid and unmarried 
priefts and monks, whofe feftivals are a 
uniform repetition of the fame empty 
pageantry and religious ceremonies, at the 
fight of which ail the charms of novelty 
and pomp are unable to prevent the op- 
preflive fenfation of languor by which they 
are accompanied, The mode of life of 
the Roman nobility is equally illcalculated 
to give a zeft to exiltence. Of the many 
ftriking phenomena which the continual 
clafhing of oppofite interefts and paffions 
produces in large populous cities, enliven- 
ed by indufiry and wealth, Rome mani- 
fefis fcarcely any traces. In proportion 
to the magnitude of Rome, the population 
is very fmall. More than two-thirds of 
the {pace inclofed by the walls of the city 
is uninhabited: and full one-third of in- 
habited Rome is occupied by churches, 
extenfive convents, and half-ruined pa. 
laces. ~The averfion to labour, and indo- 
jence, of the lower claffes of its inhabi- 
tants, who pals their Jives in pious iner- 
tion, confine their earnings to the fcanty 
pittance which is juft neceflary for the 
fupply of their daily neceffities. For this 
reafon the populace of this city is neither 
fo turbulent, nor fo eafily led into ex- 
cefles, as that of other large capitals,— 
The Roman populace, though equally 
rude and indecorous, is lefs brutal ; and 
if, in confequence of the great relaxation 
and corruption of morals, the wretched 
adminittration of juftice, the neglect of 
the police, and the inexpreffible midfery in 
which a great portion of the lower claffes 
of the people are involved, robberies and 
murders are frequent here, yet at Rome 
there are no fuch haunts of the moft infa- 
mous vices, fuch finks of the deepeit de- 
pravity, into which flow the fcum and 
dregs of fociety from every country, as at 
London and Paris. The general {tate of 
degradation, licentioufnefs, and indolence, 
which prevails, is the reafon that Rome is 
neither the theatre of brilliant virtues nor 
ef flriking follies ; that even vice and 
crime are not diftinguifhed by any thing 
great or remarkable; for they are only 
direted to the attainment of ordinary 
purpofes, to the gratification of low paf- 
fions; and, therefore, even when they 
break forth with the greateft fury, they 
bear the ftamp of no more than ordinary 
eruelty and guilt. 
Thefe few rapid fketches will explain 
to the reader the reafons why the piefent 
picture of modern Rome, ftripped of the 
magic veil of antiquity, prefents none of 
hoie glaring colours, thofe prominent 
traits, thofe brilliant portions, and thofe 
original caricatures, which may fo eafily 
besexhibited in fimilarde‘cripticns of other 
large cities, where you meet with a more 
refined cultivation, greater indutiry, opu- 
lence, and luxury, but, at the fame time, 
higher virtues, more eccentric follies, and 
more extravagant vices. But there is no 
vrant of original and interefting traits in 
the peculiar charafler of the people of 
Rome, and in their manners, influenced 
by their climate, religion, and form of 
government. The objection generally 
made to.Italian paintings, that they want 
colouring, and exhibit more fhade than 
light, will perhaps apply to our picture ; 
but we hope that the candid fpegtator 
will not impute as a fault to the painter, 
what is nothing more than the peculiar 
quality of his fubject. : 
Situation and local pecuharities of Rome. 
No city has been more frequently and 
circumftantially defcribed by natives and 
foreigners, than Rome. Herancient mo- 
numents, her modern edifices, and her 
mot celebrated works of art, have been 
multiplied to infinity, and diffufed through 
every country ; and the magic power of 
the mere name of Rome caules every thing 
connected with it to be received with the 
moft lively intereft. We fhall therefore 
begin with giving the reader an idea of 
the moft remarkable objeéts which this 
clty contains, a particular defcrip'ion of 
which would not otherwile be included in 
our plan. 
The fituation of Rome, in an extenfive 
plain, on a group of feveral hills, between 
which the yellew current of the Tiber 
winds in gentle meanders, affords a great 
number of charming views both of the 
city and the adjacent country ; bounded 
towards the north by the diftant heights 
of the woody Cyminus and Soraéte; to 
the we{t by a plain which extends ro the 
fea ; to the eait by the majeltic chain of 
the Apennines, and to the fouth by the 
mountains of Albano, crowned with pleat- 
ing villagxs and enchanting villas. No 
other laige city, excep'ing Naples, pre- 
fents (uch a rich variety of picture!que 
views as Rome from her different hilis.— 
Thofe who have vifited Rome, necd only 
to. be reminded, among many others, 
of the profpeéts from tie tower of the 
Capitol, from San Pietro in Monstorio, 
from the Villa Corfini, from the cupola of 
St. Peter’s, from the Villa Medici, from 
the ruins of the in:perial palace on Mounz 
Palatine, and Monte Mario. With its 
prefent beauties is combined the interelt 
of claffic antiquity and of hiftory, which 
Pez at 
