The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-20

The poor did not try 10 appear rich. nor d.
the rich apo the Airs OF nobility II they were no
noble; money was not worshlpped. nor was tn
, want OF It ridlculed: 10 conversation. more
over there was no straininR after OBJECT or pre-
, tence to scholarship or cleverness not reAll
, possessed. Politeness sprang from the wisl
to 10 helpful. or to give pleasure. not from TIN
wish to shine ..-- .-
At Venice tho sweetness OF manners. dialect
and address won the English travellers hoart
She had doubted tho truth OF the assertion
TINT the eondollers sang stanzas from Tasst
| and Ariosto but her incredulity was dfspellet
at the worry moment that she committed It Il
writing. for the gondoller under her window
began singing to an odd sort OF tune the flight
OF Erminla. in tho "Gerusalemme." 30. ac.
cording to the Countess Cesaresco. they SANG
on till the independence OF Venice was bar.
tered away at Campo Formio. when they
hushed their cong Byron's evidence on this
point will be rom embered-"I Venice Tas-
sos echoes arc no more" Still. al
though In the long time OF servitude
Tasso was we'll nigh forgotten, we are assured
that Ariosto. IL not sung. is still read aloud In
the evenings at Chiosgia to an admlriug
crowd OF flsherfolk. 1t is customary to regard
Venice in the later part Of the eighteenth
century as being in the last stage OF decadent
senility. No such impression was made on
Mrs. Piozzi. and what she records can scarcely
be described as degsneracy She observed
that the Senators. although they might amuse
themselves oil night. wore at their posts to tho
minute in the morning. and their attention to
| the affairs Of State was unremittlng. The
prevailing gayoty and love OF pleasure were
| combined with the most serious concern for
tho commonwealth. whi,h was shared
by all classes, from the highest to the
lowest 1t is pointed out that the We
netlans were less prejudced and moro
tolerant than other Italians. and the Eng
lish observer has the penetration to explain
this by tho fact that they were happier. Patri-
otism she declared. was inherent In the breast
OF every citizen Of Venice: "Dulcs ct decoran,
est pro patria mort seems sentence grown
obsolete In other italian States but It is still
in full force here: and doubt n OF but the high
born and high. souled ladies OF this day would
willingly. as did their generous ancestors in
1900 part with their rings. bracelets. every
ornament, to make ropes for those ships which
defend their dearer country" The Countess
Cesnresco reminds US that Mrs. Piozzi was not
mistaken: that in 1S49 the Venetian ladies did
sacrifice their jewels and all their treasures to
prolong the defence Of Venetian liberty
On the other hand. Mrs. Plozzi is far from
sharing the sympathy expressed later by
Byron with the discomfort felt In Lombardy
and Tuscany at the Austrian domination. It
is. however. acknowledged by tho compiler OF
this volume that the rule Of the house
Of Hapsburg in Italy in the eighteenth
century was not what 1t was in the
nineteenth. II there was petty inter-
ference In Tuscany. and in Lombardy the
arrogance OF power which thought itself in
Vulnerable there was OF despotism In the worst
sense little or none. Austria in Italy in the
eighteenth century. performed many glar-
ing abuses. and at the time Of Mrs.
Pioz.s visit was on the eve OF abolish
ing the lnQuisition both in the north
ern and central provinces. Still. she was an
alien mistress. and o feeling was already
growing that OF such Italy had seen enough
One Of the subjects discussed Interestingly.
though no doubt specifically. by Mrs. Piozzi
is the differences OF dialect which she observed
in the various italian States through which
she passed. She does not fail to assign the
palm to pure Tuscan ESPECIALLY as spoken
at SienA, yet she seems at the same time to
seize the force. raciness. and nice shading |
shown In the patois used by other peoples. She |
attributes the diversity Of speech to the DO, |
ltical divisions Of the country but the Coun- |
tess Cesaresco says that although there is at |
presenta greatly .widened knowledge Of Ital- |
ian. yet the provincials. whatever be their !
class. still speak their own. vernaeular when J
they are talking with each other. Not only do |
there exist broad distinctions such as that |
between the Dorio OF Naples and the sweet |
lisp Of Venice. but within the space Of a
few square miles three or four ham
lets may each have a peculiar idiom. whose
charact sristios. though not to re detected by
strangers. are sufficient to indicate the birth
place Of any ono speaking II to Q practised ear.
The Countess thinks that no one ought to
wish to oblitsrata entirely these articulate
OF the local history Of each little
community. As long as people speak their
native dialect, they speak q language which
they have invented and understand. On the
other hand. when they try to use the last
literary or journalistic recast Of the standard
bongue, the poor. and not the poor only. have
to struggle to frame their ideas In terms that
convey no vivid meaning to their minds.