In this state I could not but be amused at the coolness of my friend, who, thinking my Italian, though not very good, more likely to be understood by them than his own, requested me to ask the banditti for a little key of his, that belonged to a Bramah lock, and could be of no use to them. In my simplicity I did so, and was near getting rough usage for my request-one of the fellows roared at me as if he had been a beast, and handled his carbine in a manner I did not like. Perhaps my bad Italian sounded very like impudence. After this, however, I took courage, and as I felt it very cold, in as much facetiousness as might be, and very politely, I told one of them that as the weather was cold I should be extremely obliged if he would be so kind as to give me my shirt. He did so, and I was putting it on when another, probably the one who owed me a spite for not being suffered to shoot me, tore it out of my hands with the greatest violence, and I never saw it more. At this time there was a great outcry of lamentations not far from me, and I found that two carriages full of Italians had been stopped, and if there was not much wool there was a great cry. These were robbed, but not stripped as we were, and some of them were beaten with the butt-end of the carbines and dragged about. They were all ordered" faccia a terra," the usual proeceding of the banditti. It is thus all immediately prostrate themselves with their faces to the ground, pretty much as I have heard of fowls being sewed with their beaks to a chalked line. I was standing among the robbers, wondering what would come next, and, having nothing that could be taken from me, not very much concerned, pretty much like the penniless viator, who whistled "coram latrone viator"—when turning round I saw a long row of Italians "faccia a terra," as if pinned by their noses to the earth, and my friend, the last of the row, in a less degrading position, and modestly bending more in the attitude of the Venus de Medici, only a little more bending; and if less graceful, in somewhat better comfort, for he had contrived to put on his great-coat, which he in turn had purloined from the robbers, as he found it hanging over the wheel of the carriage. In spite of the possible, nay probable danger, I could not but fancy there was something very whimsical in my position. It

did not verify the old saying, "show me your company and I will tell you what you are;" for nothing can be more opposite than the robber and the robbee. I could now well distinguish the dress of my seeming comrades; their brown cloaks and ornamented vests, well beset with murderous arms, and their peaked hats; and could distinguish and speculate upon their features, and, not seeing any strong marks of fraternity between us, and being in my undress, before such great company, I thought it best not to be too familiar, and declined the honour of their further acquaintance, and very quietly attached myself to the row by my friend's side, without being very particular about falling gracefully; but I must say that I did not shamefully put my face to the ground, and perhaps, Eusebius, did little more than many of my betters, who do not know how to stand upright in the presence of a great man, and I had many very great men to notice my behaviour. The operation of robbing all, and packing up their plunder, took up a very considerable time; perhaps an hour and twenty minutes, or perhaps the time appeared longer than it really was; for, independent of the disagreeable circumstance itself, the morning was cold, and an additional, or rather, a blanket was much desired. I have often wondered how it was that in a situation of so much peril, when it was by no means certain any minute that I might not have a shot through me,-I say, Eusebius, that I have often wondered at the absence of what may be called fear. I reasoned upon the thing at the time, but could not make much of it. As I was stooping during the occupation of the banditti, not knowing indeed if we should be taken to the mountains, or dismissed, I may safely say that the greater part of the time was taken up by speculations as to the manner in which I should treat many of the subjects with which I had furnished my portfolio, and which, by the by, were left behind at Salerno. I studied over and over again, all sorts of effects, and had to my own mind composed and manufactured pictures on a large scale. I have since then, on more occasions than one, been in situations of some danger, and have invariably found the same absence of what may be called fear. You know, my dear Eusebius, though I am a great discerner of things

in the fire, that I am no "fire-eater," nor do I pretend to have more courage than is the common and fair proportion; I do not, therefore, ascribe it to that cause, for when danger was over, I have found myself on one occasion trembling like a leaf, but not till then; and it was owing to my not trembling till it was over that I was enabled, under God's mercy, to save my life. I now think this a wise intention of nature that diverts the thought from the too close contemplation of danger through the imagination, if there is nothing to do; and, if there be need of action, by concentrating the whole mind upon the act of self-protection, which it views even in the minutest circumstances of the act to be done, and with great rapidity of thought, which is thus hurried away as it were from the hideousness of the peril. But I think, Eusebius, we have in all conscience been long enough in this state of humility and uncertainty; it is time, therefore, that I should dismiss the scene. The banditti moved off-and seeing their backs about thirty or forty yards from us, we thought it time to reassume our dignity.

"Cælumque tueri,

Et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus."

We left our Italian copartners in robbery to scramble off after their own fashion, without offering or receiving consolation. We had not been robbed to any great amount, only a few pounds, and our watches, &c. They took a camera lucida, thinking it was gold, I suppose, for they left the case in the carriage; and I make no doubt that they took our clothes under the impression that English travellers conceal their money in them. It was said at that time that they were very shy of ill-using Englishmen, and that the robbers on this coast had received much English money, and had styled themselves King Ferdinand's men. How that may have been I know not, and only report the common talk of the time. We again mounted our caleche; our driver had a coat which he lent me, and my friend his own great coat, so we returned to Salerno without the desire of having the windows of the town closed, as at the entry of Coventry by the Lady Godiva. Safely lodged in our inn, we had nothing to do but to go to bed and send

for a tailor; and here I cannot but characterize the low tradesmen of that country,-when we came to pay, and, indeed, had paid for our clothes, the man fairly acknowledged he had charged us more than he should have done, but he did so, because we must have them. But, to the very great credit of Salerno, I must not omit to say that several persons came to us offering any money we might want. We were at a large inn, I forget its name; but, like all of the country, it was very dirty. I recollect having been shown into a large room; we ordered dinner and went out; on our return we were shown into the same at one end of which was our table and dinner on it; but on entering the room, to our surprise we saw some eight or ten beds on the floor on each side of the room, and nightcapped heads popping up to look at us as we passed up the room: it was their siesta. This did not increase our appetite, but when we reached our table we found the chairs occupied by fowls, who were perched upon the backs and in the seats, and bars of the legs; and fowls they might well be termed, for they were very offensive, and defensive too, for they were at their siesta, and would not very easily be disturbed, for, knocked off one perch, they soon found another equally inconvenient for us. It made very little difference, for to eat was impossible; but it was a strange and ominous instinct in the poor creatures to crowd upon a table upon which ere long they would all be served up, and their heads under their wings; with them it is but the change of a letter, an a for an o, from the roost to the roast. But I have graver matters than puns to tell of, Eusebius; and now I must tell you I would not for the world have had you with us; you would have tossed about your indignant ire after a pretty fashion, at the next scene I must tell you of. You would have done your best to take the very head of the police by the throat, and have tossed him, strangled first, out of his windowand we should have been all murdered for the act of justice. It was necessary that we should make a report of our robbery to the police-so to the police we went. Imagine us now in a tolerably large and light room, with a chair or two for furniture, and desks railed off from the other part of the room. Imagine an ill-tempered, sour-looking

big rascal, about fifty years of age, scowling, when not at us, at the walls, at his clerk, at his own fingers, at every thing. There were this man, his clerk, and ourselves. Our reception was not courteous. The absurdity of the whole proceedings might scarcely be credited, but I will tell them fairly. I, as spokesman, began to give an account of our robbery; he stopped me ere I had advanced many words, and himself began to question-I was only to

answer.

"What are your names?" I told them-stopped again. "No-first your Christian names ?"

Given.

"The Christian name of your father?" Well, that is done.

"The Christian name of your mother?"

Here was a grand hitch, for I gave it, and he declared there was no such name; I persisted, and told him it was in Goldoni's Comedies. This made him angry—he looked at me as if I wished to pass off myself and all my family under aliases. He then pretended that he did not understand me, and must have an interpreter. He understood me very well, and the name too, but what the Christian name of a man's mother has to do with throwing light on the fact of his having been robbed an hour or two before, who can tell? I can, Eusebius. The scoundrel knew we had acquaintance with Mr. B. the Frenchman, and was determined to have him there; firstly, out of tyranny, to insult and get something from him; secondly, it would make a great delay, and thus, before he should make his report to other authorities, the banditti would be safe from pursuit; and I have no doubt whatever that the fellow received their pay, and helped them on all occasions. Now, you may charge me with slander, ascribing false motives to what might have been mere stupidity and official form. Stay a moment, and you will not say so. Read on. The Frenchman was sent for, the distance there and back, perhaps, from two to three miles, but I do not recollect exactly; however it took some considerable time before he came, and whilst waiting for his arrival (for nothing was done with us in the interim, nor were we asked to sit down), in staggered a countryman, deadly pale, all bloody,