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'Ask where's the North?-at York, 'tis on the Tweed, In Scotland at the Orcades, and there

At Nova Zembla, or the Lord knows where.'

No two nations,-perhaps no two men, have affixed precisely the same characteristics; and every one exalts his idea of it, according to the beauty of the women he is accustomed to see; so that even the same person may sometimes appear beautiful, sometimes ugly, just in proportion as we have seen others that are more or less so. I remember, after making the tour of Savoy and the Lower Valais, every woman we met in Switzerland appeared an angel. The same thing happens in travelling through some parts of Germany; and you will easily recollect the surprising difference betwixt a beauty at Milan and one at Turin, although these places lie adjacent to each other. It is a pity that the Juno of Zeuxis has been lost, if it were no more than to have shown us the notion the ancients had of a perfect beauty.Indeed, the Venus of Medicis has been considered as a model of perfection,-but it is surely absurd;-for who ever heard of a perfect beauty of five feet high!-the very idea is ridiculous; and whatever figure her goddesship might make amongst the ancient divinities, in the Panthe on at Rome, I am afraid she would cut but a

sorry one amongst the modern ones, in that of London. In short, I believe we may safely conclude, that beauty is a relative quality, and the To kalon is no longer the same, no more in a physical than a moral sense, in any two places on the globe.

The ladies here have remarkably fine hair, and they understand how to dress and adorn it to the greatest advantage. It is now only used as an embellishment; but in former times, we are told, that, like that of Sampson, it was found to be the strength and protection of their country. There is a paradox for you, that all the wise men of the East could hardly solve.Their historians relate, (in whose reign I believe is rather dubious), that this city had suffered a long siege from the Saracens, and was greatly reduced by famine; but, what distressed them still more, there were no materials to be found for making bowstrings, and they were on the point of surrendering.-In this dilemma, a patriotic dame stepped forth, and proposed to the women, that the whole of them should cut off their hair, and twist it into bowstrings: this was immediately complied with. The heroism of the women, you know, must ever excite that of the men.-The besieged, animated by this gallant sacrifice of the fair, renewed

their defence with such vigour, that the assailants were beat off; and a reinforcement soon after arriving, the city was saved. The ladies still value themselves on this story, which you may believe has not been forgotten by their bards." The hair of our ladies (says one of their quaint poets) is still employed in the same office; but now it discharges no other shafts but those of Cupid; and the only cords it forms are the cords of love."

The Sicilians are much fonder of study than their neighbours on the continent: and their education is much more attended to. We were a good deal surprised to find, that instead of that frivolity and nothingness, which so often constitute the conversation of the Italian no. bility, here their delight was to talk on subjects of literature, of history, of politics, but chiefly of poetry; for the other branches of knowledge and science are only general: this is the only one that may be said to be universal. Every person, in some period of his life, is sure to be inspired; and a lover is never believed so long as he can speak of his passion in prose; and, contrary to our way of reasoning, is only reckoned true in proportion as he is poetical. Thus, inspiration, you see, has here become the test of truth.

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We were astonished on our first arrival at Palermo, to hear ourselves addressed in English by some of the young nobility; but still more so, to find them intimately acquainted with many of our celebrated poets and philosophers,-Milton, Shakspeare, Dryden, Pope, Bacon. Bolingbroke we found in several libraries, not in the translation, but generally in the best editions of the original.

Our language, indeed, has become so much in vogue, that it is now looked upon as no immaterial part of a polite education: the viceroy, the marquis Fogliano, a man of great merit and humanity, has made some of our authors his favourite study, and greatly encourages the progress it is making in his kingdom. Many of the nobility speak it a little; and some of them even with ease and fluency, although they have never been out of their island; the Marquis Natali, the Counts Statela and Buschemi, the Duke of St. Micheli, &c. in whose company we have enjoyed a great deal of pleasure, and whose knowledge and erudition is the least part of their praise. Adieu.

Yours, &c.

LETTER XXXVI.

Palermo, July 28.

I HAD almost forgot to say any thing of the opera: It would have been very ungrateful, for we have been much delighted with it. The first and second man are both admirable singers, and I make no doubt you will have them in London in a few years; neither of them are as yet known, and I dare say at present they might be engaged for a very moderate price; but in Italy they will soon be taught to estimate their value.-The name of the first is Pacherotti; he is very young, and an entire stranger in the musical world: yet I am persuaded, that after he has been heard on the different theatres in Italy, he will be esteemed one of their capital performers. His excellence is the pathetic, at present too much neglected on most theatres; and indeed, I think, he gives more expression to his cantabile airs, and makes his hearers feel more, because he feels more himself than any that I have seen in Italy. He indeed addresses himself to the

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