and ordure, and defperately attack fuch as chance to fall in their way. In the fummer are feen a number of men and women, called Tarantulati, who, decked out in vine-leaves and red ribbons, are fuffered to dance unmoleited about the streets. "Finally, a difeafe called the monacello, or l'incube, is here very common amongst men and wonn, who are delivered over to exorcism, and other impofitions of the priests. All these maladies are ufoa ly preceded by a profound melancholy, and are caufed not fo n uch by the heat of the climate, as by the mode of life, and the nature of the diet prevalent in this part of the country. The exceffive ufe of falt and rancid pork, the uncleanlinefs in the houses, and in the dark and humid caverns, and the evaporations from the open privies, and hills of filth and ordure that are left in the streets, are the phyfical caufes of thefe melancholy diforders, which generally terminate in the moft dreadful manner. To fill up the meafure of misfortune, there is no tolerable phyfician or furgeon throughout the country; and I advife no one to fuffer a tooth to be drawn there, unlefs he choofes alfo to rifk the fracture of his jaw." P. 244. A very entertaining account of the lake of Celano is given in Section the Eleventh. This is the Lacus Fucinus of the ancients; memorable, at the fame time, for difplaying_the magnificence and cruelty of the Emperor Claudius. The Jake had overflowed the neighbouring country; Claudius directed a vast canal to be cut, to carry off the fuperfluous waters. On the day when it was completed the emperor ordered a Naumachia, in which 19.000 flaves were to exhibit a ferious combat. He granted the conquerors their lives. The evil of the inundation is ftill allowed to exift, though means have been pointed out to the Neapolitan court of removing every obftruction, at a fmall coft, and certain benefit. With the curious defcription of the Pinna Nobilis, (of the manufacture from which there is, perhaps, no fpecimen in this kingdom, except at the British Mufeum) we fhall conclude this article. 179. Pinna Nobilis. Linn. 265. Mart. t. viii. tab. 89. Although every part of the Neapolitan fea produces this fhell-fifh in great abundance, and of an extraordinary fize, the Tarentines alone reap any advantage from it, and even collect it upon the coafts of Sardinia and Corfica; but the tuft of filk, for which they are fought and collected, is not equally good in all places. Where the bottom of the fea is fandy, the hell and its tuft, which takes root in the fand, may easily be drawn out; and when washed, the tuft is of a gicfly gold colour. In ruthy and muddy bottoms, the fhell and tuft not only stick fo faft a to be generally broken when drawn up, but the colour of the filk is black, and without glofs. The fhell is always in an upright pition, open, and half a palm deep in the ground. Many hihermen affured me, that they have frequently taken notice of the thrimp, which is conftantly in the neighbourhood of the pinna, but but does not keep within it, and is known by the name of the pinna's centinel. When an enemy of the mufcle, efpecially the fepia octopedia, here called p-lypo, is in the neighbourhood, the fhrimp makes a motion in the water; upon which the pinna fhuts its fharp fhells fo clofe and forcibly, that if a finger were in the way, it would risk being cut off. They alfo affured me, that the fepia fometimes takes a tone, and lets it fall into the open fhell, fo as to prevent its fhutting; but that when that trick fails, it endeavours forcibly to tear the shell from the bottom, and break it to pieces. Chemnitz, whofe opinion is doubtlefs of great weight, has indeed treated all this as a ridiculous. fable, in the tenth part of his "Natural Hiftorian," and in his admirable continuation of Martini's Cabinet of Shells; but fo many refpectable old fishermen, who have paffed their lives upon the fea, have fo earnestly affured me of the contrary, that the truth is ftill in my mind undecided. Both these combs "This mufcle is fiffed up with an iron, called pernonico, and the operation is thus performed. The inftrument confifts of two femicircular bars of iron, fastened together at each end, but three inches diftant from each other in the centre. From one end to the other, the diameter is nine inches, and the cavity, or half diameter, is from four to five inches. At one end is a hollow handle, in which a pole, of the length required, may be faftened at pleasure; but at the other end is a ring, to which a cord is made faft. See pl. X. fig. 16 and 17. As foon as a pinna is discovered, the iron is flowly let down to the ground over the fhell, which is then twifted round, and drawn out. When the fisherman has got a fufficient number of them, the hell is opened, and the filk, called at Taranto lana penna, is cut off the animal, and after being twice washed in tepid water, once in foap and water, and twice again in tepid water, is fpread upon a table, and fuffered to half dry in fome cool and fhady place. Whilft it is yet moist, it is foftly rubbed and feparated with the hand, and again spread upon the table to dry; and when thoroughly dry, it is drawn through a wide comb, and afterwards through a narrow one. are of bone, and, except in fize, are like hair combs. combed belongs to the common fort, and is called extra dente; but that which is deftined for finer works, is again drawn through iron combs, or cards, there called fcarde. It is then fpun with a diftaff and fpindle, two or three threads of it being mixed with one of real filk; after which they knit not only gloves, ftockings, and waiftcoats, but even whole garments of it. When the piece is finished, it is washed in clean water, mixed with lemon juice; after which it is gently beaten between the hands, and finally fmoothed with a warm iron. The most beautiful are of a brown cinnamon and gloffy gold colour, producing a very rich and pleafing effect. As every thing made of this fort of filk is very fubject to be moth-eaten, care must be taken to keep it from all eatables and fweetmeats, and to wrap it in clean linen. A pair of women's gloves colts upon the fpot fixteen carlini (fix fhillings) and a pair of flockings coft from three to four ducats (from 115. 3d. to 15s.) and fo in proportion; but the fale of this manufacture is not very extenfive. For my part I greatly doubt if E e BRET. CRIT. VOL. VIII. OCT. 1796. the the byffus of the ancients were made of this fort of filk; it may indeed be true, as is fuppofed by the commentator upon the Delicia Tarenting, that the glofly light garments worn by the dancing women, as they are reprefented in the paintings at the Museum at Por tici, and which were called Tarantinidie, were made of this filk. The pinna is found most abundantly at Cape San Vito, to the east of Taranta; and the fishermen often brig from thence not only filk but beautiful pearls, and very ufetul mother of pearl."- P. 505. That we may not appear to have cenfured the inaccuracies of this work, without adequate caufe, we tranfcribe the following from a multitude:-1 hencis for Themis, p. 30-obftruction for obfervation, p. 67-we for were, p. 78-both for loth, p. 9c-the falt-pits confifts, p. 8-the latter gives themselves up, p. 108-iqualib for fqualid, p. 131-fome in Sicily difcovers, p. 22. The faults, of the kind above fpecified, are numerous in the extreme, and the more inexcufeable, as they deform a really entertaining and important work, and might have been avoided with very little trouble. ART. VIII. The Foreflers. A Novel. Altered from the 12mo, 12s. THERE is, in this novel, an agreeable mixture of interefting and inftructive matter. Though confiderably short of a finished work, the parts are managed with much address. Great attention appears to have been paid, in the structure of the fable, to that variety and thofe tranfitions, which difpofe the mind to receive, and enable it to retain, the leading morals intended to be conveyed. How much of this praife belongs to the author, and how much to the fair reformer of the story, we have not at hand the means of determining; but the general features of the narrative, to our apprehenfion, all betray a French original. The hero of the novel is ufhered into the reader's acquaintance with an artful obfcurity refpecting his birth, which is neither unusual nor unfuccessful in tales profeffedly fictitious. An unknown perfonage, difguifed in a mafk, vifits him with great affiduity; who is detected by the inquifitive youth, as being his father. The clandeftine parent prefents his fon with an ominous watch; and leaves him with this extraordinary adieu : "Take this trifle to remind you of our fift interview, and when it strikes ten, think of your father." The attempt of a conjurer conjurer to clear up this mystery, is defcribed in language fufficiently characteristic of thofe accomplished fages. The adventures of this youth are divertingly purfued through four volumes; which, by the affiftance of various rencontres and characters, neither awkwardly introduced, nor inaccurately drawn, are capable of being read without difguft or fatigue. Mifs Gunning has departed in fome inftances from the idiom of our language; and occafionally introduced expreffions, which neither do, nor ought to, exift. The French and Italian terms are alfo written with much carelessness; and the grofsnefs of their inaccuracy would incline us (if their number did not render it improbable) to impute these errors to the incorrectnefs of the prefs. The novel is, upon the whole, fufficiently engaging. The fentiments with which it is interfperfed, though fometimes expreffed in a language fantastic and inflated, difcover much knowledge of the world. An extract from one of the most humourous parts of the work, will enable our readers to decide, better than any remarks which we could deliver, upon the general merits of this publication. "Tell me," cried William, nation ?" "what is it that you call predefti. "Si Signor, Si Signor, what I mean by that word the end of my ftory will explain-Oh, I am a philofopher-a very great philofopher." Long before our fagacious hero had fuggefted that this Signor Carlo Sciocco was an original, and had fome difficulty to keep himself from laughing; but willing to draw out his whole ftock of knowledge, he invited him, with a very grave air, not to defer the pleafure he fhould take on hearing his opinion upon that word in philofophy upon which they had been difcourfing. "Prefently, prefently, Signor," replied the philofopher, but let me first relieve my heart of the fad tale with which it is burfting; for you must know, Signor, that having joined the lovers at an appointed fpot, where they waited for me, and taken my feat between them in the poft chaife, we fcouted away, as if we had been travelling with the winds for a wager-with fuch fwift driving we foon found ourfelves near to Véroli, fituated on the enchanting banks of the Coja; by this time we were all come to our fenfes, and I was receiving the lovers compliments for having ferved them fo adroitly, when our carriage was stopped by the forfaken lord, who was to have been the hufband of Laurette; a bloody combat enfued between my friend and his rival, whilft four of his attendants, feizing on the lady, would have carried her off, if I had not put myself at the head of our fervants, and refcued her from their grafp. "The Lord Aforo had already fallen by the hand of my Chevalier, when the poor Laurette, running for protection to the arms of her true lover, the treacherous villain, who lay wounded, raised himself from the ground, and, before he expired, made the blood of Laurette mingle with his own, by a stroke fo well aimed as to give her E e 2 inftant inftant death. O Santa Maria! what became of poor me at this frightful spectacl*! Divino Giefu! I fee them now before me—alas! poor me!--alas! poor Chevalier! "We forced him into the carriage, for he had loft the use of his reafon, and hurried him far from the fatal fpot with all poffible expedition, faving him from thofe cruel tortures to which his body would have been expofed, had he been taken by the enemy; for a long time he did not seem fenfible to this kindness; however, before we reached Paris, he feemed to recover his ferenity, infomuch that I no longer fuppofed he would attempt any thing against his own life. Having fettled his affairs at Paris, he proposed to me that we should fhut ourselves up for the reft of our days in his château, fituated in the environs of Lyons. "What a fcene of felicity did this plan difclofe to a man of my deep philofophy. Oh, to what a delicious retreat did he convey me!--it was here that we ftudied together the very moral of philofophy-but, Signor Chevalier, before I entertain you with the moral, I fhall account for the manner in which you found me; and still better, to merit your confidence, Mi Guadagnare, you must know, that the Chevalier Mandeville, mio tenero amico, died fome years afterwards confumed by his grief, and a little by his own fault: like myself, he believed that all the events of life are predefined; a mighty wife maxim, if he had not followed it a little too clofely. One day he walked alone in his garden, reflecting on his paffed misfortunesby chance he found a piftol in his pocket, put there by an imprudent valet de chambre, who believed he heard his mafter order him to do fo. Very well, the Chevalier fays to himself, my troubles are more heavy than I can bear-here is a piftol in my hand-it is the gift of my destiny-where will be the harm of my ufing it. "The Chevalier recollected he had not made his will; he put the piftol again into his pocket, entered his cabinet, difpofed of his fortune in my favour, then used the heaven-directed inftrument to his own deftruction. When I heard this dreadful news it coft me a derangement of intellects, from which I did not recover for many weeks nay, perhaps I was a little mad-when poffeffed of a good fortune I determined on going to Paris, and diffipating it in the tile of a gentleman: this was done in a fhort time, not in balls or feafts; but I had foon a great number of nominal friends, and, when I had affifted them, they all turned out ungrateful-perche-apparently that could not be-llent, I gave on every fide, until I had nothing left to lend or to give--I did not repine at my poverty-I faid all men have wants; I have that which will filence them-experience taught me not to count with too much facility on the fenfibility of men." It is the worfe for themfelves," faid I, "if they will not oblige their brother, they caft from them the best treasure they poffefs-a benevolent heart.” At length, Signor tropo Amabilé, being unable to help others, I tried to ferve myself—I fung, I guadagnai money, and refolved to * We have printed the Italian words as they stand, to exemplify the inaccuracy we have mentioned. |