The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-30 00:00:00

ANTONIO LIONELLI.

(From the Mirror.)
Whoever has visited Naples, must have remarked a
class of people (if he condescend to pay attention to
anything so much beneath the notice of a fashionable
traveller as the people), entirely unknown in this, and
other countries, which occupy the van in the " march
of intellect"—l mean the scrivani or public letter-
writers. They are to be met with in all parts of the
city, but more particularly in a narrow lane by the
side of the Post-office. This spot is selected for the con-
venience of their customers,wbether they require their aid
in reducing the intelligence drawn from that receptacle
of hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows, to the capacity of the
only organ—viz., the ear, through which it can be con-
veyed to their understanding ; or, in putting their
thoughts into a visible shape, to be transmitted through
the same channel, and to be afterwards resolved into
their origin-al element by some learned brother of the
quill. •,,,
hp stoeicrirt-track of the letter-Writers'cOnsists of .an
al
old table, a ai's-, , and'. a' 'stool •Yor "the 'use of their
employers, besides the -requisite writing materials.
Thus equipped, they Meet an el,gible situation, and
lucky is the poor scrivaao considered, who acquires a
sort of "de facto" claim, through the forbearance or
. .

benevolencupf some wealthier fellow-citizen, to some
sheltered nook, where he is protected from the scorch-
ing sun of summer, or the chilling rain of winter ; for
the sky of Italy is not always blue, nor its climate
warm always and sunny.
The letter writers are employed on an infinite
variety of subjects—on all matters, indeed, that concern
the lower order of the people--and,consequently,become

if
cognizant of secrets which, divulged, would some-
times involve the ruin of their employers. But,
to the credit of the scrivani be it told, this
professional confidence is rarely abused ; for be-
sides the high sense of honour which they de-
rive from their comparative superiority over their
less educated fellow-countrymen, their success in

the profession depends greatly on their character for se-
crecy. It is only, therefore, when some violent passion,
which had perhaps slumbered for years, bursts forth
afresh—when some chord, which had long ceased to
vibrate, is suddenly and rudely touched, that the scri-
vano's sense of honour and prudence forsakes him.
It was after a day of unusual literary toil that An-
tonio Lionelli, a venerable scribe, who enjoyed no
inconsiderable share of public patronage, was pre-
paring to remove himself and his establishment
from the noise and bustle of the Strada To-
ledo, to the quiet retirement of his own home
in the Napoli Senzu Sole. He had already counted
the :produce of his labour, and determined in his
own mind how much of it should be laid out lin macca-
roni for his evening repast, and how much should be laid
aside to buy a new dress for his daughter Berta, in ho-
nour of the approaching carnival. "I am almost too
late, Antonio, and yet I would not have had any other
scrivano read this for the world."—" Ah ! Bianca, is it
you ?" said Antonio, turning round,—" some love af-
fair, I suppose."—" Read ! read, for the Virgin's sake!
good Antonio !" said Bianca, without answering his
questions, "and take heed no one hears you."
The speaker was a young and beautiful contadina ;
and as she bent over Antonio, watching the first move-
ment of his lips, with that intense and painful anxiety
which fixes ever), muscle of the human frame ns if sud-
denly petrified, a beholder would cease to wonder, that
the artists of a country, which produces such models of
perfection in the persons of its very peasants, should
excel in representing the human figure.
Antonio read :