the former very smartly on the left temple, diverted the blow, and, gave the chriftian knight time to recover himself. The fight then recommenced with fresh fury; but, after the Virgin Mary had taken fuch a decided part, you may believe it was no match. The infidel foon fell dead at the feet of the believer. But who do you think this beauteous maiden was, on whofe account the combat had begun? Why no other than the fifter of the Venetian hero. -This young lady had been ftolen from her father's houfe, while fhe was yet a child, by an Armenian merchant, who dealt in no other goods than women. He concealed the child till he found means to carry her to Egypt; where he kept her in bondage, with other young girls, till the age of fifteen, and then fold her to the Saracen. I do not exactly remember whether the recognition between the brother and fifter was made out by means of a mole on the young lady's neck, or by a bracelet on her arm, which, with fome other of her mother's jewels, happened to be in her pocket when he was stolen; but, in whatever manner this came about, there was the greatest joy on the happy occafion; and the lady joined the army with her brother, and one of the chriftian commanders fell in love with her, and their nuptials were folemnized at Jerufalem; and they returned to Venice, and had a very numerous family of the finest children you ever beheld.

true account how the bloody heathen emperor Nero fet fire to the city of Rome, and fat at a window of his golden palace, playing on a harp, while the town was in flames. After which the hiftorian proceeded to relate, how this unnatural emperor murdered his own mother; and he concluded by giving the audience the fatisfaction of hearing a particular detail of all the ignominious circumftances attending the murderer's own death.

At Rome, thofe ftreet-orators fometimes entertain their audience with interefting paffages of real hiftory. I remember having heard one, in particular, give a full and

This bufinefs of street oratory, while it amufes the populace, and keeps them from lefs innocent and more expenfive paftimes, gives them at the fame time fome general ideas of hiftory. Street-orators, therefore, are a more useful fet of men than another clafs, of which there are numbers at Rome, who entertain companies with extempo. raneous verfes on any given fubject. The laft are called Improuvifatoris; and fome people admire these performances greatly. For my own part, I am too poor a judge of the Italian language either to admire or condemn them; but, from the nature of the thing, I fhould imagine they are but indifferent. It is faid, that the Italian is peculiarly calculated for poetry, and that verfes may be made with more facility in this than in any other language. It may be more easy to find smooth lines, and make them terminate in rhime in Italian, than in any language; but to compofe verfes with all the qualities effential to good poetry, I imagine leifure and long reflection are requifite, Indeed I understand, from those who are judges, that thofe extempore compofitions of the Improuvifatori are in general but mean productions, confifting of a few

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fulfome compliments to the company, and foine common place ob. fervations, put into rhime, on the fubject propofed. There is, how. ever, a lady of an amiable character, Signora Corilla, whofe extempore productions, which the repeats in the moft graceful manner, are admired by people of real tafte. While we were at Rome, this lady made an appearance one evening, at the affembly of the Arcadi, which charmed a very numerous company; and of which our friend Mr. Ry has given me fuch an account, as makes me regret that I was not prefent. After much entreaty, a fubject being given, fhe began, accompanied by two violins, and fung her unpremeditated firains with great variety of thought and elegance of language. The whole of her performance lafted above an hour, with three or four paufes, of about five minutes each, which feemed neceffary, more that fhe might recover her ftrength and voice, than for recollection; for that gentleman faid, that nothing could have more the air of infpiration, or what we are told of the Pythian Prophetefs. At her first fetting out, her manner was fedate, or rather cold; but gradually becoming animated, her voice role, her eyes fparkled, and the rapidity and beauty of her expreflions and ideas feemed fupernatural. She at laft called on another member of the fociety to fing alternately with her, which he complied with; but Mr. R-y thought, though they were Arcades ambo, they were by no means cantare pares.

Naples is celebrated for the finest opera in Europe. This however happens not to be the feafon of

performing: but the common people enjoy their operas at all feafons, Little concerts of vocal and inftrumental mufic are heard every evening in the Strada Nuova, the Chiaca, the Strada di Toledo, and other ftreets; and young men and women are seen dancing to the mufic of ambulatory performers all along this delightful bay. To a mere fpectator, the amufements of the common people afford more delight, than thofe of the great; because they feem to be more enjoyed by the one clafs, than by the other. This is the cafe every where, except in France; where the high appear as happy as those of middle rank, and the rich are very near as merry as the poor. But, in moft other countries, the people of great rank and fortune, though they flock to every kind of entertainment, from not knowing what to do with themselves, yet feem to enjoy them lefs than those of inferior rank and fortune.

I know not what may be the cafe at the opera; but I can affure you there are none of those burfts among the auditories which the streetperformers at Naples gather around them, I faw very lately a large cluster of men, women, and children, entertained to the highest degree, and to all appearance made exceedingly happy, by a poor fellow with a matk on his face, and a guitar in his hands. He affembled his audience by the fongs he fung to the mufic of his inftrument, and by a thousand merry ftories he told them with infinite drollery. This affembly was in an open place, facing the bay, and near the palace. The old women fat liftening, with their diftans, fpinning a kind of coarse

floor, for offices, with an appendage of ftables, granaries, outhoufes, courts, cellars, and gardens; with orchards, meadows, and often corn-fields, contiguous to the building, with chefnut groves, and other improvements to the very foot of the mountains. Nothing can be more pleasant to the traveller, than to fee houfes and gardens during the whole course of his progrefs, particularly from Orduna to Bilbao, an extent of fix leagues, which feems like one continued village. The upper part of the houfes were formerly of wood, but the new ones are of ftone, and one feldom fees an empty house, or any fallen in ruins; on the contrary, many new ones, both large and convenient, are conftantly building; from whence it appears, that though, population cannot well be confiderably encreafed, while new branches of indeftry are not introduced, (all the land being oc cupied) it feems rather to augment, notwithstanding the many emigrations; and though fome women emigrate likewife, few remain at home without husbands. These difperfed families may be held as the most antient in Spain, and the country is indebted to them for population and culture. In the Bifcay language they are called Echejaunas; that is, lords of tenements, whofe ancestors have poffeffed them time immemorial, aud will probably continue fo for future ages, as felling or mortgaging is held in great difrepute. Such lands as belong to rich families, are let out to others, and as they lie under their eye and infpection, the whole is attended to, with ̧the utmost activity; the parochial

church ftands in the centre of the parish, which, if too extensive, has a chapel of eafe, for the conveniency of the parishioners; many of whom repair to thefe churches from very great distances, in the fevereft weather. Their antiquity may be traced from their dedications, which are generally to the Bleffed Virgin, to St. John, or the apoftles and faints of the primitive church; and their livings must be comfortable, from the decent appearance of their pastors.

Not only Bifcay, Guypufcoa, and Alaba, but alfo the mountains of Burgos, are full of gentlemen's feats, known by the name of Solares, or Cafas Solariegas, worthy of much veneration from their antiquity; the owners of these are diftinguished by the title of Hidalgos de Cafa Solar, or de Solar. Conocido-" Gentlemen of known property;" the most honourable appellation in Spain. They are generally ftrong, plain ftru&tures, with fquare towers; but many of the towers have been destroyed; and in the modern repairs, they have followed the fashion of the times.

The head of the family is called Pariente Mayor, and is greatly refpected by all the collateral branches; fome of these are of fuch high antiquity, as to be thought to have dwelled there before the eftablishment of chriftianity in that country, fince their ancestors were the founders of the churches, had the patronage of them, and were known, fo far back as four centuries ago, to have, even then, been time immemorial, in receipt of the tythes; others, without any patronage, are deemed equally antient; many are