extraordinary manner, attended with as extraordinary comments, by the paftor, as prefident of the affembly.

Mr. Prefident, indeed, went fo far as to affume two votes, in a method altogether arbitrary and unexampled, in order to carry his point in the confiftory; four members of which protefted against fuch violent proceedings, and appealed to the Council of State. In confequence of this appeal, the government took Mr. Rouffeau under its immediate protection, and ordered an enquiry into the legality of the proceedings against him. This perfecuted Writer, however, perfevered in his intentions of leaving a country where he had met with fuch unchristianly

treatment.

Defcription Hiftorique et Critique de l'Italie, &c.

K.

An hiftorical and critical Defcription of Italy: Containing a new and accurate Account of the prefent State of the Government, Manners, Commerce, Arts and Sciences, Population and natural History of that Country. By Mr. L'Abbé Richard. 6 Vols. 12mo. Dijon and Paris, 1766.

THE Author of this work, who declares himself to have

feen all, or by much the greater part, of what he defcribes, fets out, in his preliminary discourse, with assuring us that the defcriptions hitherto given of Italy are extremely fuperficial and imperfect. They feem to have been written, fays he, by Authors who have either never feen, or have but very flightly examined, the objects defcribed; or by fuch as have penned their defcriptions long after they had loft fight of those objects; and retained only confufed and defective ideas of them. Hence it is that their books are of fo little ufe, when we confult them for directions; and that we find in them such a multiplicity of errors, when we compare them with the objects themselves. Our Abbé doth not except Miffon from this cenfure; whofe work he tells us hath nevertheless supported its reputation for above fixty years, as the moft exact and curious defcription of Italy that hath yet appeared. Miffon, however, took but a very curfory view of fome of the principal cities; of which he hath given a very fhort and trivial account. hath faid little, or nothing, alfo, on the government, population, commerce and produce of the feveral parts of Italy; and hath betrayed great want of knowlege and taste in the polite arts. Add to all this, that the very face of things is almoft entirely, changed within the space of fourfcore years. The out· APP. Vol. xxxiii.

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lines indeed and fome of the principal features remain: but the minuter conftituent parts of the likeness are vanished. Naples, Turin, Parma, Milan and many other cities are hardly known for the fame. Nor are thefe defects fupplied, fays Mr. Richard, by the occafional additions that have been made to his work; most of which serve only to render it more imperfect. And yet, he obferves, this performance is ftill held in established reputation; it is to be met with in every library, and is quoted as authentic in our dictionaries: a remarkable proof, fays he, of our propensity to take things upon truft, to fave ourselves the pains and trouble of enquiring into the truth. It was an obfervation of Montagne that ignorance and want of curiosity are cafy pillows for the head to fleep on, and vegetate in tranquillity.

As to the travellers and hiftorians of the prefent century, who have treated this subject, our Author observes that most of them have contented themfelves with general reflections only, or have confined their remarks and obfervations to particular parts of hiftorical defcription: fuch is the journal of Montfaucon, refpecting literature and the fciences; the defcriptions of busts, ftatues and pictures by the Richardsons, and the remarks on painting and sculpture by Cochin. He mentions others, but conceives them all to be defective and exceptionable, either in point of veracity or univerfality; concluding that we have no general defcription of Italy, wherein the feveral objects, of which it ought to confift, are duly collected and placed in a proper point of view. Our Author's defign, therefore, is to remedy this defect, and to improve on the relations of those travellers, who have paffed through this fine country, without having written any thing, that may give one a juft idea of what they have feen, or ferve to direct thofe who may be inclined to take the fame route.

It is impoffible for us to give any regular abftract of so various and voluminous a work; we fhall therefore content ourfelves with felecting fome few paffages, that may serve to give the Reader an idea of the Abbé Richard's attention and abilitics, with regard to different objects of his undertaking. To begin with the most popular, that of Manners; and with those of the capital city, Rome.

"Whatever may have been written, or reported, concerning the public esteem in which purity of morals is held by the modern Romans, I never faw a greater refpect paid to any perfon on this account. It is rank, protection, addrefs, and very often money that entitles one to favours, emoluments, and diftinctions here, as in other places. I have even heard talk of the times, in which Roman ladies of the firft rank, played over

again the fcandalous fcenes reprefented by the Fauftinas and Meffalinas of antiquity; reproaching each other publickly, and in the groffeft terms, with their diffolute and abandoned lives. At prefent, whatever be their actions in private, their reproaches are not fo public; every thing being conducted with apparent decency: the purity of manners in his holiness and the Cardinal his nephew, fetting a powerful example and laying a reftraint on the exterior behaviour of perfons in high life. It is to be lamented, fays this Writer, that the nobility of Rome pique themselves fo much on the diftinction of birth; as it makes them fo greatly neglect the education and improvement of their youth. For, while they are exalted with reflections on the ancient greatnefs and fplendour of their Cæfars and their Antonines, they conceit themselves, as it were, in the rank of demi-gods, and are above troubling themfelves with application or ftudy; exifting only to waste their lives in ignorance and idleness.

The Bourgeofie, or citizens of Rome, compose an order of people, entirely diftinguished from the nobility; having their particular cuftoms, affemblies and manners to themselves; moving in a sphere equally fituated above the populace, as beneath the nobility. This rank is very numerous and respectable; and, notwithstanding many of them tread clofe on the heels of the nobles, in their houfes, furniture and equipages; they live in general with greater decency, and display much more intelligence and activity. I fpeak from experience in affirming that the fociety of this order of people is infinitely more agreeable, and their manners much more ingenuous and fincere, than those of their nominal fuperiors: to which, however, the latter pay the most profound refpect; efteeming a vifit from any of the nobles, as one of the highest honours that can be done them. It is, indeed, among this rank of people only that any thing truly estimable in the manners of the modern Romans is to be found: for, as to the common-people of Rome, they are a strange heterogeneous body, compofed of individuals of all nations; and bearing no other refemblance to each other than in a general ftupidity which indifcriminately prevails through the whole. Among the people of Rome, however, here are not reckoned that multitude of beggars and pilgrims, which go thither from the feveral parts of Europe, and would fwarm there to an inconvenient and dangerous degree, did not the frequent difturbances they occafion, induce the Police to banish them the city. The charitable distributions, which are daily made in Rome, and are fufficient for their maintenance, tend naturally to increase the number of this idle and useless race of people. A fpirit of charity is, indeed, fo general among the Romans, and their inftitutions of this kind fo numerous, that it might well

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well be mistaken for the general and native spirit of the people, did we not fee it have little or no effect on individuals, efpecially thofe of the lower rank. Thefe are attached to each other folely by the ties of pleasure or intereft. They know not what it is, to have either love or efteem for each other, or to afford reciprocal affiftance in cafes of neceffity. It is not uncommon to fee unhappy wretches, taken fuddenly ill, perifh for want of help; without any one's being moved to compaffionate them, or even to convey them to an hospital, where they would be received and tenderly treated. They fo little refemble the good Samaritan, that even a neighbour will look calmly and unconcerned on the greatest misfortune of a neigh-. bour, nor think himself in any degree obliged to relieve him. It is indeed this want of compaffion and benevolence among the populace, that hath, in fome measure, increased the number of hofpitals and other charitable inftitutions; where the distressed meet with that temporal as well as spiritual confolation, which they would be deprived of at home."

The inhabitants of Rome, as of all the ecclefiaftical states in general, have a natural averfion to labour; nothing less than abfolute neceffity prevailing on them even to cultivate their lands. There are indeed a few peafants, in the neighbourhood of Rome, who for a while will labour hard; when, tired of their miferable fituation, they are defirous of speedily feraping together a fum, in order to enable them to come and fettle in town. This they never fail to do, as foon as they are able; beginning their establishment with dealing in fome kind of frippery; in which if they fucceed fo far as to acquire a very middling fubfiftence, they foon conceit themselves refpectable defcendants of the ancient Romans, and affect all their ftate and dignity. In confequence of this affectation, they will refufe to fell their commodities but juft when they pleafe, and particularly at meal-times, will turn away their customers from their fhops, and order them to come at a more convenient hour. It is no wonder if fuch kind of traders foon shut up fhop, and turn thieves and begears; for they never return to work. And hence it is that the streets and churches fwarm with vagabonds; while the prifons are full of criminals, and the ports of the ecclefiaftical state are too few, to afford room or employment for the multitude of delinquents that are conftantly condemned to the Gallies."

Our Author obferves, it hath been afferted by fome modern Writers that Courtezans, or common women, are publicly authorized in Rome; it having been faid that young women inclined to give themfelves up licentiously to the public, made a kind of profeffion to the Cardinal Vicar, by faying they were defirous far lavorare il terreno. This ftory our Abbé denies

to

to be true; affuring us that courtezans are fo far from being authorized at Rome, they are not permitted to refide within the walls. "On the contrary, fays he, the magiftracy are no fooner informed of a young woman's living an irregular and licentious life, than fhe is either banifhed the city, or committed to a houfe of correction. This rule is ftrictly observed; I myself having been witnefs of the application of the magiftrate to a foreign Minifter, for permiflion to apprehend a number of loofe women, who had taken refuge within the diftricts of his palace, in order to follow their infamous profeffion with impunity." Not, fays Mr. Richard, that the Romans are more ftrict in their morals than the inhabitants of the other cities of Italy; but, as before obferved, more folicitous to preferve external appearances.

"This people are in general extremely impetuous in their paffions; jealoufy or reftraint working them up to the most ex. travagant excefs. It is even common for thofe, of the lower rank, to ftab one another in the streets with the most determined refolution. He that ftrikes firft is ufually the conqueror; and, if he be not himself wounded, walks off with great ferenity, while the spectators take the other to. fome hofpital. Thefe barbarous fcenes are fo frequent we are told in Rome, that no less than twenty of thefe bloody rencounters happened between December 1761, and May 1762. I myself paffing, during this interval of time, near the Rotondo, heard two peafants at high words with each other, and in a moment faw one of them aflaffinated. A prodigious number of people were gathered round; but they feemed to take little notice of the matter; the aflaffin marching off unmolested *."

Our Author goes on to relate feveral other facts and circumftances, ferving to prove the fanguinary and barbarous difpofitions of these people; and that even of the fair sex, and those of the first rank.

Notwithstanding all which, we are told that there is no city in the world where foreigners live at greater eafe and fecurity than in Rome. The natives have a kind of refpect for frangers, founded on the notion of their fuperior ftrength; and

As our Author fpeaks fo pofitively of the iteration of these aflaffinations, we do not refufe him credit; otherwife fuch an acc dent as is here related might have happened, without our inferring fuch atros, cious actions to pafs off in general with impunity. We even remember ourfelves to have feen not many years ago, a man flabbed by another, at noon day, before the Eaft-India houfe at Amfterdam, in the preferce of hundreds of people; when the affaffin was fuffered to put up his knife, and walk off in like manner unmolested. This did not hi der the officers of juftice however, from making proper earch after him, and bringing him to condign punishment

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