THE PIAZZALEANING TOWER.

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not an idea, in common with us, of what decency and propriety require. A duchess or a countess goes herself to shew her house and to bargain with a tenant. We can never learn to hold out our hands gracefully to be kissed, or to divest ourselves of a natural repugnance to that operation being performed. If you give a trifle to the dirtiest-looking beggar in the street, he will seize your hand before you are aware, and kiss it in token of gratitude.

Our favourite walk is to the Piazza, which contains, in one interesting group, the Baptistery, Campo Santo, Duomo and Campanile or leaning Tower, which last excites fresh wonder every time we see it. It does not give the idea that it will fall, but that it is actually falling. Yet it has remained in this position six hundred years. If you recollect that it is fifteen feet out of the perpendicular, and nearly one hundred and ninety in height, you can imagine the stupendous effect of this tower. The Campo Santo presents objects ever interesting. It has been newly arranged; and the collection of ancient and modern tombs, and of cinerary urns, has been vastly increased. It now forms a complete series from the earliest rise of sculpture, down to the present day; for there are a few very beautiful modern tombs by living artists. The Etruscan monuments, many of them three thousand years old, have no intrinsic beauty, but are extremely curious. Next follow the Greek and

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CAMPO SANTO-THE DUOMO.

Roman sarcophagi, which formerly contained the bodies of celebrated men of antiquity. They were brought to Pisa when this was a victorious republic; they are now all collected from the different churches and monasteries, and line the walls of the Campo Santo. Here are also deposited the remains of six hundred noble Pisan families, all except ten now extinct. The earth in the interior of the Campo Santo was brought as ballast in ships from the Holy Land, at the time that Pisa was a maritime republic.

The Duomo is a Gothic structure, ornamented in front with a number of columns, some of which are of Grecian marble, others of Oriental granite ; one of them is of porphyry. The most magnificent are those, six in number, which adorn the three celebrated bronze doors which are covered with bass relief; the central one represents the life of the Madonna; those on each side, the life of our Saviour from his birth to his crucifixion.

LETTER LXV.

Pisa, March 30, 1822.

I EXPECTED much more beauty than I have seen amongst the women of Italy. Many of them, however, are interesting in their appearance; fine dark eyes and eye-lashes, and an intelligent countenance, prevent their being deemed ugly; but, in general, there is a want of feminine softness; they scream in a guttural discordant voice when speaking; their clothes, particularly in the morning, seem hung on them; and their great gold ornaments render their dirty untidy appearance more conspicuous. Their motions are all hurried; exactly the opposite of that beautiful description which you and I have read together, and have so much admired, of what women ought to be. I asked our Italian master why the females here screamed so loud while the men spoke in a moderate and not unpleasing accent? he said, because the women are" si orgogliose," and "si piene di rabbia." You would have laughed had you seen the action which accompanied his words. He shook his head, and made a grimace, to intimate the angry spirits which the women manifest.

In the ground-floor of all the houses are the shops, for the Italians never think of inhabiting

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BATHS OF LUCCA.

that part of their dwellings. Under us is our shoemaker and grocer, who is also an apothecary, and sells, indeed, almost every needful article.

The baths of Lucca was the favourite summer abode of the family of Buonaparte; his sister was, for ten years, sovereign of this whole district. Her palace stands in a beautiful and commanding situation. It is not large, but the stables are magnificent, containing stalls for sixty horses. The people there do not love her memory; they had before paid no taxes, being, like Switzerland, a free state, until she levied eighteen per cent. on all the property; and the Emperor of Austria, their present sovereign, takes advantage of all her impositions.

Nature has done much for Italy; and Eustace's observation is true, that no one can be disappointed let expectation be raised ever so high. The people here, however, are very much our inferiors in many of the common arts of life. It seems strange, that as they appear to be guided by the very hand of taste in statuary, painting, poetry, and every thing belonging to the fine arts, they yet cannot make tolerably a common knife, a pair of tongs, or snuffers, a needle, or even a pin; the implements, with which we are supplied in their place, are quite laughable.

One evening we directed our steps towards the top of a mountain, which we had not hitherto traversed, and were nearly three miles from our dwelling, when a wild-looking woman ran after us

MODE OF MAKING BUTTER-THEATRE. 325

with the greatest expressions of joy at seeing us. She said that she was our butter woman, and that we must go into her house. I asked her to let us see how she made her butter. An old woman sat with a small earthen bowl in her lap, which contained some thick cream; this she beat with a wooden spoon, as our cooks beat eggs. When the butter "came," she squeezed out the whey with the back of the same spoon. It is then formed into a shape for the market, where it is sold, some very bad, some as good as we have it at home. When the milk is skimmed, they make, every day, little fresh cheeses; and boil the whey, in order to collect the curds, which was a favourite dish at our table.

The rents are all paid in kind; the half of every thing belonging to the landlord. A woman said to me, that if heaven had not given them the springs of warm water, which brought such a concourse of strangers in summer, the people would die of hunger.

There is a very good theatre, to which comedians come from Florence in the season; but in the winter the peasants act themselves, and we were told, have very handsome dresses for the purpose. It is the custom for every body to visit every body; consequently, you may be very gay if you wish.

The week before Easter, our house was blessed by the rector of the parish, who first asked us