hat they made conceffions. Yet these conceflions are infinite by his account.'

To read this account, one would imagine, that Mr. Sharp, upon the flight view he had of Ancona, had fat down to write a geographical, commercial, and political account of the place; whereas he really fays no more than what any inquifitive perfon might learn, fuppofing him to have travelled with the rapidity described by Mr. Baretti. Ancona (says Mr. Sharp) is one of the most striking prospects in Italy; it ftands both on the fummit and the brow of a hill. It has a mole, a fine citadel, and, in fhort, is a flourishing town, when confidered under the disadvantages that every place labours here, from the infinite conceffions that are made to the church, both by the commercial and the military parts of the nation. It is hardly to be expreffed how beautiful the environs of Ancona are.' What information is there in this paffage, which man upon the spur might not have collected? There is nothing here defcriptive either of the manners or customs of the inhabitants. Befides, how does Mr. Baretti know in what manner Mr. Sharp passed his time before he entered the posthouse. We believe that every gentleman who travels for improvement, or out of curiofity, fpends as much time as he can either in the environs of a place he vifits, or getting the neceffary information concerning it, before he enters his inn to go to reft. Our author's fneer concerning the commercial and military parts of the nation characterizes an abject Italian, who dares not reflect that even sovereign power is a conceffion from the people: and that the greater the conceffions made to the church by the commercial and military parts of a nation are, they prove them to be the greater flaves and bigots. As to the phrafe Anconitan nation, which is particularized as a note of ridicule, it is no expreffion of Mr. Sharp, but of Bareti himself, who either does not understand plain English, or has not candour enough to represent Mr. Sharp's meaning fairly.

As we do not, for an obvious reafon which the reader will find in the next article, intend to make a thorough review of the performance before us, we fhall confine ourselves to a few paffages which Mr. Sharp, in his late pamphlet, feems to have overlooked.

Among other very quibbling particulars concerning the A prefent ftate of Sinigaglia, and the entries of merchant-hips into Ancona, and after fome ironical praises of Mr. Sharp, Where (fays Mr. Baretti) was his good nature, when he betrayed somewhat like a wifh in favour of the Barbary pirates, and even gave them a broad hint about the facility of plundering the treafures at Loretto? Had he forgot that those

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pirates

pirates are a gang of Mahometans and Jews, of the very wort kind, to say nothing of renegadoes ? One would think, that a good-natured man, and one of the best kind of Chriftians, could never be pleased to hear of any goods, whether wifely or fuperftiticufly employed, belonging to Chriftians of any denomination, carried away to Algiers or Tripoli, to promote the happiness of infidelity and the triumph of unbelievers. But good natured Chriftians, whether papifts or proteftants, when influenced by a religious zeal, are often keener in their averfion and hatred than they are themfelves aware of: and so the goodnatured Mr. Sharp has unwarily fhewn, that he would not be forry if thofe pirates could run away with the Loretto treasure, and the miraculous madona into the bargain. Nor did he confider that, if his hints, were taken, the Loretto gold and jewels might enable thofe plunderers to break the peace with Old England, and put her at the expence of fill larger prefents to keep them quiet.'

We cannot answer for Mr. Sharp's way of thinking, but we are not afraid to say that, as Chriftians, we should not be forry if fuch an event was to take place as that of infidels plundering Loretto. We know very little difference between infidels and Italian idolators, as defcribed by Mr. Baretti himself. In a political fenfe, we cannot clearly make out the title of his Holiness to the treasures of Loretto, which we confider as the daw in the fable ftuffed or ftuck with foreign feathers; and were every nation to claim its own, we believe the old gentleman at Rome muft even be contented with the bare walls of the Santa Casa. Our author's abufe of the English government is a fresh proof of the gratitude which foreigners, bigotted to the Romish religion, repay for the protection and encouragement they meet with in this country.

Mr. Baretti then affects to ridicule Mr. Addifon and Mr. Sharp for thinking it practicable for a handful of refolute men to furprize Loretto, and run away with its treafures. His wit upon this occafion is as ftupid, as his reafoning is inconclufive. Mr. Baretti's ideas, perhaps, never carried him beyond the danger of fcaling the walls of a nunnery, or that of a midnight ferenade; nor do we imagine that he had ever fo much courage as even to read the exploits of English failors and foldiers during the laft war. Is the ftrength of the pitiful environs of Loretto, and the courage of their effeminate inhabitants, to be compared with thofe of the Havannah, Guadaloupe, and Martinico; nay, of places and countries which, in the last war, even fmall parties of the English furprized, took, or demolifhed But the ignorance with which our author writes on fuch a fubject is pardonable in an Italian.

Mr.

⚫ Mr. Baretti fhews a specimen of his criticism in the English language by his remarks on the following words of Mr. Sharp: ⚫ Our late refident in Venice, upon his first arrival there, loudly proclaimed, that, should any Englishman be affaffinated during his residentship, no expence, no interceffion fhould prevent his bringing the criminal to condign punishment.' In reading the above paffage, we will venture to affert, that no Englishman, who understands his mother-tongue, can have any other idea of the words loudly proclaimed, than that the refident took an opportunity, in every public company he mixed with, loudly to declare his refolution. But let us now see our author's curious criticism.

睾

A proclamation, if I understand it right, is a public notice given by means of a crier. But did the English refident give notice by means of a crier, that he would bring to punish. ment any Venetian who should affaffinate an Englishman? No certainly; because foreign ministers have no fuch right in the countries where they are fent to refide, and are, under no pretence, allowed to threaten the subjects of other fovereigns. Did he go himself about the streets and canals of Venice, pubthing his intention with a loud voice? No certainly; be caufe this had been even more ridiculous than the abfurdity we combat.'

Had we not quoted Mr. Baretti's words, our readers might have found it difficult to believe that fo much nonsense could be crowded into fo few lines.

The fifth chapter of Mr. Baretti's work contains a general pa negyric upon his happy, virtuous countrymen. He raves against Mr. Sharp in the three fucceeding ones; and the fame strain of panegyric and abufe of that gentleman is carried to the end of the first volume. In the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth chapters, which fall into the fecond volume, Mr. Baretti very modeftly undertakes a defence of the Italian convents, nuns, friars, and idolatry, against Dr. Middleton and other proteftant writers; and, after a few digreffions upon the manners and customs of different nations in Italy, (all along abufing protestant writers with a matchlefs effrontery), he concludes his fecond volume with giving the lie to every dictate of common fense, and every principle of experience, philosophy, or learning.

To conclude: we confider this performance as a most audacious infult upon the conftitution and church of England; becaufe the avowed intention of the author is to defend his own countrymen, and to recommend their manners, practices, and religion, at the expence of every thing which ought to be dear not only to a lover of liberty, but a rational being. We have, in perufing these volumes, carefully diftinguished between Mr. Baretti's

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Baretti's facts and opinions; and, admitting the former to be true, and the latter to be candid, we think the very apology' he makes for his countrymen proves them to be flaves and barbarians; because they have no bond of fociety, except the most abject fear, indolence, fuperftition, and idolatry.

III. A View of the Cuftoms, Manners, Drama, &c. of Italy, as they are defcribed in the Frufta Letteraria; and in the Account of Italy in English, written by Mr. Baretti compared with the Letters from Italy, written by Mr. Sharp. By Samuel Sharp, Esq. 8vo. Pr. 1s. 6d. Nicoll.

WE

E fhould have inferted the preceding article two months ago, had we not been informed that Mr. Sharp was preparing this publication for the prefs. The defence he makes againft Mr. Baretti's attacks may be literally termed argumenta ad hominem; for they are chiefly drawn from the Frufta Letteraria (or Literary Scourge) a work not un-like the Critical Review, which that gentleman published in the years 1763, 64, and 65, and which Mr. Sharp, to the amazement as well as conviction of mankind, has proved abfolutely to contradict the most material facts advanced by Mr. Baretti in his account of Italy. Though Mr. Sharp has made thofe contradictions the ground-work of the pamphlet before us, yet he avails himself of the mifreprefentations of his antagonist's falle and unfair quotations from his Letters.

Mr. Baretti (fays Mr. Sharp) in his eulogium on the learned men of Italy, laments, however, the difcouragements under which learning lies, and afcribes its prefent vigour to the ambition and curiofity of its admirers. He fays, that learning cannot procure in our days that veneration to its profeffors from all claffes of people, and especially from princes and great lords, which it procured to them foon after its reforation; that a cardinal's hat is not now to be grafped at by climbing up the ladders of Greek and Latin; that they have no king of Pruffia for a patron and panegyrift, who will deign to take the trouble of gilding all Voltaire's filver, and all Algarotti's copper; that the trade of writing books is by no means a profit-able trade; that not one writer in a hundred, ever got with his quill as much in a twelvemonth, as the worst hackney fcribler in London can get in a week; that the impoffibility of making" money by their literary labours, is not the only disadvantage that attends the learned of Italy; they are likewife to encounter many difficulties in the publication of their works. Nothing is printed in Italy without being firft licenfed by two, andsometimes more revifers, appointed by the civil and ecclefiaf tical government. Thefe are to 'perafe every manufcript

intended for the prefs; and fometimes their fcrupuloufnefs and timidity, fometimes their vanity or ill temper, and fometimes their ignorance and infufficiency, raife fo many objec-. tions, that a poor author is often made quite fick with his own productions. Yet he fays, that long ufe has reconciled the Italians to this cuftom; and that, in the present state of things, flavery is preferable to liberty. Had Mr. Sharp drawn the Italians in the black colours here exhibited by Mr. Baretti, he might reasonably have incurred the indignation not only of Italians, but of every man who has any fenfe of the bleflings of liberty. Were our prefs to be fet free, fays Mr. Baretti, fedition, defamation, profaneness, ribaldry, and other fuch benefits, would then quickly circulate through all our towns, villages, and hamlets. Irreligion would be fubftituted in at great measure to bigotry and fuperftition; the pope would be called antichrift, and mother church a whore; fuch would be," amongst others, the bleffed effects of a free press in Italy, could we ever be indulged with it. But heaven avert we should! It is faid that no body knows the pleasures of madness but madmen. The same may be justly faid of the peculiar advantages of flavery; they are not to be conceived but by flaves. And if it be true, that learning cannot flourish, but in the fun-fhine of liberty; and if it be impoffible, without a freedom of the prefs, ever to have in Italy fuch writers as the Johnsons and Warburtons of England, let Italy never have any, as long as their Alps and Appenines will stand; provided that on the other hand fhe never be ornamented by-Cætera defunt.

I fhall not defcant on this account of the general state of learning in Italy, which feems on the one hand to be reprefented as in the most flourishing situation; and on the other as labouring under almost infurmountable difficulties; but fhall proceed to the positive judgment that Mr. Baretti has paffed on this fubject in his Frufta Letteraria.

FRUSTA LETTERARIA.

Page 290. Mr. Baretti afferts, that in point of learning the Italians are as far below the French, as the people of Morocco are below the Italians.

P. 191. That amongst the modern Tufcans, Cocchi alone writes a perfectly good profe-all the others are totally igno.. rant of a good ftile, Count Gafparo Gozzi of Venice, how ever, approaches towards his manner, as does alfo a young profeffor at Padua, whose name I do not mention, because he has never printed any book.-All the Romans and Neapolitans write badly; I mean with regard to ftile. In Piedmont and in Lombardy, I do not know any author who writes diftingu fh

ably