126 
piece they have feen reprefented. The 
reafon of this indifference, unparalleled 
among civilized nations, is, that the Sici- 
lians have not yet, properly {peaking, 
either a national theatre or national plays. 
The performances are Venetian pieces, in 
the Venetian dialect; confequently both 
the language and the national character, 
fo very different from thofe of Venice, 
oppofe the progrefs of this art in Sicily. 
It may be even generally afferied that the 
taflg for the fine arts is not yet expanded 
among the nativesof thatifland. Though 
they peffefs a Pietro Novelli, an Antonio 
Gaggino, though their churches abound 
in valuable pictures of more than one 
kind, the Sicilian is not an artift; they 
have not yet preduced either pain’er or 
ftatuary whote name is worthy of being 
handed down to patierity. Thole among 
them who are gifted by nature with any 
particular talent are obliged to flee their 
country to obtain the reward due to their 
merit, unlefs they chufe rather to profane 
their ait and to vegetate all their lives.. 
Velasquez, the painter of Palermo, affords 
a firiking demonttration of this melan- 
choly truth: having refolved not to quit 
his ifland, bis talents and his fortune hzve 
not rifen’ above mediccrity.. Mariano 
Roffi was more’ ‘wife or more fortunate. 
He obtained at an early age confiderable 
reputation by various performances at the 
Vilia Borghefe. He returned’ to his na- 
tive land only for a time, fer the purpofe 
of painting the dome of the cathedral of 
Palermo. This is the greateft of his 
wotks. Though his figures are often 
defe&tive in the preportions, though his 
colouring, which is teo yellow, fatigues 
the eye, ftill the compofition and the whole 
dencte a man of genius. Among the 
ftatuaries we fhall mention but one, Ma- 
rabitti, and he fcarcely deferves the name.” 
One of the moft beautiful monuments 
of modern architecture, the church of St, 
Laurence the Martyr, at Trapani, has 
recently been finifhed. Don Diego .de 
Luca, an eeciefiaftic, was the architeét 
who fuperintended i's erection. Italy has 
not, perhaps, a monument of its kind in 
a fiyle more fimple:and more majeftic. 
— eee 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ACCOUNT of the ENVIRONS of NAPLES, 
Srom a recent TRAVELLER. Tran/flated 
from L’ Archives Litterature. 
‘HE city of Naples has lefs claim te 
diftinétion on account of its intrinfic 
beauties, than for the vaft and magnificent 
{cenery by which it is furrounded, The 
Account of the Environs of Naples. 
‘Thebas, ego domum.” 
[ March 1, 
following fragment conveys a juft idea of 
the profpe& enjoyed from the fummit of 
Mount St. Elmo, which commanés that 
ancient metropolis. The variety and hap- 
py contra% of the objects prefented in this 
narrative, together with the notices which 
accompany it, will, it is hoped, revive 
agreeable recolleétiins in thofe who have 
beheld that highly favoured country, and 
will not be uninterefting to fuch as are 
only acquainted with it frem fhort defcrip- 
tions. 
 Welef: the ftreet of Toledo, to proceed 
to the {quare of St. Anna del Palazzo. 
The little fireet which conduéts to it ex- 
hibits a monument of the tafte of thefe 
people for mufic. It is a houfe which a 
celebrated finger erected with the produce 
of hiseconomy. This artift, defirous of 
perpetuating the remembrance of his ta- 
lent, and of publifhing the caufe of his 
‘goed fortune, had this infcription, at the 
fame time modeft and oftentatious, en- 
graved on a marble tablet : ‘© Amsphion 
This motto, fo 
fimple, fo graceful, and fo cheering to ar- 
tiffs, mui undoubtedly have diffufed the 
celebrity of the finger even among the 
very lowet claffes of the people. But 
alas ! how liable to error are the calcula- 
tions of felf-love! Not a creature in the 
whole ftreet could tell the name of this 
modern Amphicn. Thus, thought I, 
will our pofterity perhaps find ona marble 
monument the eulogy of a conqueror, tine 
lift of the towns he deftroyed. and of the 
nations he reduced to flavery ; but the 
name of the hero fhall no longer exift ; and 
the antiquaries of that age will torture 
themfelves to difcover whether it is Peter 
or James to whom their admiration is due. 
Palingenius obferved with great juftice, 
Quid populos magnafque urbes ditione tenere 
Marmoreofque habitare lares, vultuque fu- 
perbo 
Omnes defpicere, atque parem fe credere di- 
vis : 
Si mors cunéta rapit, fi tanquam pulvis et 
umbra, 
Deficimus miferi, fi tam cito faftus et omnis 
Gloria noftra perit, nullum reditura per 
zevum ? 
I have introduced, I acknowledge, far 
too much philofophy on the infcription of 
a finger, but I could not refit the temp-. 
tation. Let us purfue our route. We 
left Naples on its mountainous fide, by 
ftreets which have a rapid declivity, amd 
arrived at a road denominated the Petrare, 
If this name is intended to denote a rugs 
ged road, full of rocks, and painful to the 
i pedeftrian, 
