"Pray," said N-, addressing himfelf to me," did you ever fee a cocagna ?"

I acknowledged I never had.

"Then," continued he, "I beg leave "to give you an idea of it. It is a Neapolitan entertainment, relished by people "of the first rank in this polished country; "where the very vagrants in the ftreet are "inftructed in hiftory, and the human "mind is refined by poetry, foftened by "mufic, and elevated by religion. The

cocagna-Pray mark me-the cocagna " is an entertainment given to the people "four fucceeding Sundays during the car

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nival., Opposite to the palace, a kind of "wooden amphitheatre is erected. This being covered with branches of trees, "bushes, and various plants, real and artificial, has the appearance of a green "hill. On this hill are little buildings, "ornamented with pillars of loaves of "bread, with joints of meat, and dried

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"fish, varnished, and curioufly arranged "by way of capitals. Among the trees "and bushes are fome oxen, a confiderable "number of calves, fheep, hogs, and "lambs, all alive, and tied to pofts. There

are, befides, a great number of living tur"kies, geefe, hens, pigeons, and other "fowls, nailed by the wings to the fcaffold"ing. Certain Heathen Deities appear "alfo occafionally upon this hill, but not "with a defign to protect it, as you shall "fee immediately. The guards are drawn

up in three ranks, to keep off the po"pulace. The Royal Family, with all "the nobility of the court, crowd the win"dows and balconies of the palace, to en"joy this magnificent fight. When his Ma"jefty waves his handkerchief, the guards

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open to the right and left; the rabble

pour in from all quarters, and the en"tertainment commences. You may eafily "conceive what a delightful fight it must "be, to fee several thousand hungry, half"naked lazzaroni rush in like a torrent, de

"stroy

"ftroy the whole fabric of loaves, fishes, and joints of meat; overturn the Hea"then Deities, for the honour of Chrif

tianity; pluck the fowls, at the expence "of their wings, from the posts to which "they were nailed; and, in the fury of their

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ftruggling and fighting for their prey, "often tearing the miferable animals to "pieces, and fometimes ftabbing each "other."

"You ought, in candour, to add," interrupted Mr. T," that, though for"merly they were fixed to the posts "alive, yet of late the larger cattle have "been previously killed.".

my good Sir," said N

"And pray,

" will you

"be fo obliging as to inform me, what "crime the poor lambs and fowls have

committed, that they fhould be torn in "pieces alive?" "This piece of humanity," continued he, "recalls to my

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memory a fimilar inftance, in a certain

ingenious

"ingenious gentleman, who propofed, as "the beft and most effectual method of "fweeping chimnies, to place a large

goofe at the top; and then, by a string "tied around her feet, to pull the animal "gently down to the hearth. The faga"cious projector afferted, that the goose, "being extremely averfe to this method "of entering a houfe, would struggle "against it with all her might ; and, during "this refiftance, would move her wings "with fuch force and rapidity, as could "not fail to fweep the chimney com"pletely." "Good God, Sir," cried a lady, who was prefent when this new method was propofed, "How cruel would that "be to the poor goofe !" "Why, Madam," replied the gentleman, "if you think my "method cruel to the goofe, a couple of

ducks will do."

LETTER LXIV.

Naples.

N the first Sunday of May, we had an opportunity of seeing the famous Neapolitan miracle, of the liquefaction of Saint Januarius's blood, performed. This Saint, you know, is the patron of Naples ; which circumftance alone forms a strong prefumption of his being a Saint of very confiderable power and efficacy; for it is not to be imagined that the care of a city, like Naples, which is threatened, every moment with deftruction from Mount Vefuvius, would be entrusted to an understrapper. Indeed there has, on fome occafions, been reafon to fear, that, great and powerful as this Saint is, the Demo of the mountain would have got the better of him; however, as Saint Januarius has been able to protect them hitherto, and is fupVOL. II. pofed

T