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LETTER XXII.

E have not yet quitted Parma, owing to a moft agreeable accident, I affure you. Fortune has thrown in our way a few excellent pictures. Mhas not let flip this opportunity to make the purchase, though most unexpected, as well as the manner we came by them. Here are the fubjects and the painters names ****

The genteel and honourable conduct of the gentle. man from whom he has bought them, will appear ftrongly in the following anecdotes of him and his family, and the reafons for his difpofing of them.

Sincerity, franknefs, and honourability are not confined to any country; and I think one very confiderable benefit arifing from seeing other countries besides our own, is the eradication (by the teftimony of one's own fenfes) of many prejudices and littleneffes of thinking, which infenfibly have taken fo deep a root in our minds, as to render it almoft impoffible to judge in an impartial and liberal manner of our fellow-creatures, who happen to live at a great distance from us, and whom we imagine muft differ from us in every respect, in proportion to the number of leagues that separate us from them.

We have ourselves been affifting, as you may fuppofe, at the packing our pictures. They are to fet out with all poffible expedition, and by the beft means of conveyance, from hence to Bologna, thence to Florence and to Leghorn, from whence they will fail by the first opportunity for London. The little delay the pictures have caufed, I determined to employ in writing to you again from. this place, left you should be uneafy at not hearing from us from Modena as foon as you might have expected. In my laft I mentioned to you with some surprise the downfal of the Inquifition. I now wonder the Parmefans could bear priestly oppreffion fo long as they have done; for this town, no longer fince than the year 1744, was a Disturbscene of fuch riot and affaffination as nothing but priefts could have promoted. The commence- Pope. ment of this disturbance was the late Pope's impolitically, as well as vainly, contending with Don Philip for the poffeffion of Parma, which haftened the deftruction of feveral orders of Monks, and the abolition of their convents. At that period the Priests carried about with them pocket-piftols; the Bourgeoife went always armed, and the populace were never without ftillettos: not a week paffed unmarked by one, and sometimes more affaffinations. The ftilletto and piftols made their appearance upon the most trifling difputes; it was dangerous to walk the streets at night; robberies were frequent; Holy Church opened her kind protecting bofom to all ranks of

villains;

the late

Police.

villains; the church-porches were their fure afylum. The devots charitably esteemed it one of their firft duties to fupply the refuged robbers and murderers with provifions; they even frequently aided their efcape, or procured their pardon. The ftreets were infefted with diforderly women, and every fort of crime was practifed in the most licentious manner. At prefent the churches afford no longer an afylum, more than thofe of Turin. Affaffinations and robberies are now very rare; not above three or four have been committed in the courfe of the last year. They are not always punished with death, unless it can be proved the provocation had been of a confiderable standing; in that cafe pardon feldom follows: but if a man is killed through an act of fudden paflion, the galleys or a long imprisonment is generally the punishment. They difcourage as much as poffible, both here and at Placentia, all women of the profeffion of ftreet-walkers; an Inn-keeper being punishable for fuffering them to lodge in his houfe. The governor of Placentia is extremely vigilant in regard to them, and as foon as they are difcovered, has them driven out of the town.

The Police here and at Placentia (and we are told at Reggio and Modena also) strictly examine all who enter or go out of these towns: they not only take your name in writing, but alfo whence you come and where you are going; make a fhort defcription of your perfon, and in fo accurate a manner, that you are knowable from it. They

are fo clever at this, that the shortest time is fufficient for their purpose. When you arrive at the gates, a Commis thrufts his head in at the window of the carriage, and looking in the faces of the travellers, with the greateft eagerness and penetration, makes immediate entries of them, in his pocket-book. Each perfon pays a toll of half a Paul; not excepting poor ftrangers who travel on foot. The Commis of the gates having taken the names, defcriptions and number of perfons, not excepting the fervants, enter them at a bureau or office for that purpose. The inn-keeper alfo takes the names down, and fends them to the fame bureau, where if the entry made at the gate does not tally with that fent from the inn, a buftle immediately enfues, and an examination into the miftake. These precautions are alfo repeated upon leaving the town, and the entries immediately fent to the governor for his infpection, &c.

We are told that an English gentleman, by way of fun, tired of repeating his own name fo often, chose to vary it, by faying he was called Punchinello; this gave such an alarm to the Police, that he was pursued, taken, and imprisoned (I think) at St. Marino, where he remained till one of our English refidents, being apprised of his mauvaise plaifanterie, cleared up the matter, and procured his enlargement. I recollect an odd adventure which happened at Piacenza, not long ago; a Venetian Count, of the name of Carera, carried

off

off the daughter of an inn-keeper, of what place I cannot inform you; fuffice it, that he gave in his true name at one of the gates of Piacenza, and lodged at St. Mark's, which was really the cafe. The chief waiter, or Cameriere, being his countryman, for a small bounty, omitted (purposely) the fending his name to the bureau at night; a rigid inquiry was immediately fet on foot by the officers of the Police. The next day by eleven o'clock it was discovered at what inn this ftranger lodged; the inn-keeper had fentence paffed upon him (agreeable to the law in fuch cafes) to fuffer the punishment called the cord, and three months imprisonment, although they had no fufpicion of the elopement of the girl with the Count; confequently there was no fearch as yet made for them. The waiter, to fcreen his master, confeffed it was entirely his fault, and that the not fending the ftranger's name to the bureau was owing to mere accident, he having been in fo great a hurry the whole of the preceding day, that he had quite forgot it. They accepted his excuse upon this condition, that if within the next three years the smallest omiffion or neglect should happen of this nature, he should be sent to the gallies for life; and even upon the flighteft complaint lodged against him by the Police, no further indulgence was to be shewn him. He fpoke fo well in his own behalf, that they did not even give him the cord; and was fentenced only to a three months imprison.