‘the favoured lover of his lady. 
440 
Italy. According to the obfervations we 
have had occalion to make on this fubjeét 
at Rome, we will venture to maintain, 
what no impartial Roman will deny, that 
the cavaliere fervente is, if not inall, at 
Jeaft in by far the moft numerous inftances, 
What 
can be more natural? With the recipro- 
eal indifference of hufband and wife, 
which is the infallible confequence of 
marriages of convenience, with the ar- 
ent difpofition and warm paflions of the 
Roman fémales, who are not accuftomed 
to facrifice.a propenfity of the heart, or 
even a caprice of their fancy, to that phan- 
tom, conjugal fidelity ; with the feduc- 
tive examples of univerfal cuftom, which 
fanctions this connection, and allows the 
cavaliere fervente unlimited permiffion 
to fee his lady, without witneffes, at any 
time and hour of the day, and even im- 
pofes on him the duty of amuling her,— 
xt can fearcely be conceived that the fa- 
voured object fighs long in vain for the 
xecompence of love. The lady, conform- 
ably to her prerogative, chufes and 
changes, according to her tafte and hu- 
mour, the perfon who is to occupy this 
pot, while her hufband does not enjoy 
even the privilege of giving his vote ; 
and as he well knows that his veto is ufe- 
Jefs, and would only make the evil worfe, 
he gives his tacit confent to her choice ; 
and, to indemnify himfelf for the pfeju- 
dice to his conjugal rights, becomes the 
cavaliere fervente of fome other lady.— 
The duties of a cawaliere ferveute are : — 
to attend his miftrefs every morning at 
her toilette ; to accompany her during the 
day when and whither fhe pleafes ; to pro- 
vide her with conftant amufement ; to at- 
tend her to the promenade, to the conver- 
faxione, to the theatre, to mafs, &c. 5 in 
a word,. with unremitting affiduity, to 
gratify all ner wifhes and all her caprices. 
Among the Roman nobility, this cuftom 
is fo general, that it would be confidered 
a violation of the oz toz were a lady to 
appear in public in the company of her 
hufband. There are, neverthelefs, fome 
inftances among the higheft ranks of the 
nobility, of a wife having fuch an attach- 
ment for her hufband, and fuch noblenefs 
of fentiments, as to chufe none but him for 
her cavaliere fervente. ‘Thefe, however, 
are but few, and by the reft cf the world 
they are confidered as eccentric charac- 
ters. Either nobles or commoners, mar- 
ried or unmarried men, may be cavalieri 
fervente ; nobles to the wives of com. 
moners, and the latter to the ladies of no- 
blemen. In this order perfonal merit 
Prefent State of Society and Manners at Rome. [June 2; 
is the only recommendation. It is prin- 
cipally young prelates, who are in general 
the younger fons of noble” families, and 
who, on account of their clerical charaéter, 
are held in particular refpect, that occupy * 
thefe pofts near the perfons of jadies of 
the higheft rank. A young prelate or 
Monfignore enjoys, in ecclefiaftical Rome, 
the fame fuperiority over laymen, as, in 
warlike Berlin or Vienna, an officer of the 
corps de gendarmes, or of the noble Hun- 
garian guards, over civilians. The all- 
confounding revolution operated a fudden 
change in this fyftem. The violet ftock- 
ings and ruftling cloaks of the abates 
were difperfed, like chaff before the wind, 
by the tri-coloured cockade. Complete 
anarchy fucceeded in the empire of Cicif- 
beifm. The corps of cavaliere fervente 
was every where driven from the field by 
the victorious French ; and. in a few 
weeks, after the fair Roman ladies had 
_recovered from the fir alarm, all the va-° 
cant places were filled with republicans, 
who, ignorant of the duties and privileges 
of the ftation, in this cafe alfo grounded 
their republican fyftem merely on the 
principles of the rights of nature. The 
fuccefs exceeded expectation. All the 
young and handfome women in Rome be- 
came republicans with foul and body. 
The Roman nobility are more fond of 
pomp and exterior oftentation, than of 
real enjoyment and domeftic convenience 
without fplendour. In the latter they 
therefore go to very little expence, and are 
lavifh only on the former. When a fa- 
mily has the gratification to fee one of its., 
members elected the head of the church, 
its moft important objet, next to that of 
{peedily enriching itfelf, is, the conftruc- 
tion of a large and magnificent palace.— 
No expence is {pared either for the build~ - 
ing or the furniture. ‘The fineft antique 
columns and ftatues, the rareft kinds of 
marble, furnifhed in paft ages by the claf- 
fic ground of Rome in fuch abundance, 
that all its churches and palaces are pro- 
fufely embellifhed with them, together 
with the neweft and moft ceftly inventions 
of the reigning mode, are employed for 
this purpofe; and the edifice, whieh is 
perhaps fome years in building, confumes 
a conliderable portion of the fums which 
pour from the public revenues into the 
coffers of the zpote. . Searcely is the ex- 
penfive ftructure completed, fearcely has 
the newly-ennobled family taken poffefiion 
of the fplendid manfion, when the pope 
dies, and with his life ceafes the fiream 
‘of their wealth, which flowed for too fhort 
a period to enfure the permanent affluence 
i. 
