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him they returned at the Reftoration. They advertised this affair in all the public papers, and defired the officer to apply to them, with promife of ample reward for his kindness. But neither of them could ever hear of him, and Titus always fuppofed that Cromwell found or fufpected the officer had deceived him, and therefore had him hung in their ftead.

SINGULAR BEHAVIOUR
OF POPE BENEDICT THE 11th,

[Tranfmitted by L. ]

POP E Benedict the Eleventh was defcended from an obfcure family, and continued the remembrance of his primitive poverty in his most exalted circumftances. At his first admiffion into the convent, his mother fubfifted by being laundrefs to the monks, and continued fo, many years after. When he had been elected pope, he fent for his mother; and being arrived at Rome, the ladies of quality, think ing it below the dignity of his holipefs to receive her in her plain country apparel, tricked her up ac cording to the reigning mode, in a coftly habit. Thus transformed, he was conducted in ftate to his holinefs, who looked afkew upon her, faying to the attending ladies, "You have mistaken my meffage; I fent for my mother! pray bring her to me, that I may pay my duty to her, As for this fine lady, fhe is a ftranger to me; my mother is a washerwoman! and it is her whom I have a great defire to fee." The ladies, understanding his meaning, retired into another apartment, uncafed her, and dressed her up in her country garb, and then prefented her again to his holiness, who embraced her, faying, "In this fort of drefs I left my mother; in this I acknowledge her to be my mother, and receive her with a hearty welcome."

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A fimilar circumftance happened between pope Sixtus Quintus and his fifter.

AFFECTING NARRATIVE OF THE FATE OF STRADELLA, THE CELEBRATED MUSICIAN.

[By Dr. Burney.]

ALESSANDRO Stradella, of Naples, was not only an excellent compofer, but a great performer on the violin; and befides these quali fications, was poffeffed of a fine voice, and an exquifite manner of finging.

This musician, probably at an early period of his life, having acquired great reputation at Venice by his talents, was employed by a noble Venetian to teach a young lady of a noble Roman family, named Hortenfia, to fing. This lady, on whom nature had bestowed a beautiful perfon, and an exquifite voice, notwithstanding her illustrious birth, having been feduced from her friends, had fubmitted to live with this Venetian in a criminal man ner.

Hortenfia's love for mufic, and admiration of the talents of her inftructor, by frequent accefs, soon gave birth to a paffion of a different kind: and, like Heloifa, the found, that though at first

Guiltless fhe gaz'd, and listen'd while he fung,

While fcience flow'd feraphic from his tongue :

From lips like his the precepts too much

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poffible, they arrived at Rome in their way to that city. The Venetian feducer, on difcovering their flight, determined to gratify his revenge, by having them affaflinated in whatever part of the world they could be found; and having engaged two defperate ruffians to purfue them, by a large fum of ready money, and a promife of a ftill greater reward when the work was accomplished, they proceeded directly to Naples, the place of Stradella's nativity, fuppofing that he would naturally return thither for 1helter, preferably to any other part of Italy. But after feeking him in vain for fome time in that city, they were informed that he and the lady were ftill at Rome, where he was regarded as his wife. Of this they communicated intelligence to their employer, affuring him of their determination to go through with the bufinefs they had undertaken, provided he would procure them letters of recommendation to the Venetian ambaffador at Rome, to grant them an afylum as soon as the deed fhould be perpetrated.

After waiting at Naples for the neceffary letters and inftructions, they proceeded to Rome, where, fuch was the celebrity of Stradella, they were not long before they difcovered his refidence. But hearing that he was foon to conduct an oratorio of his own compofition, in the church of St. John Lateran, of which he was not only to play, but to fing the principal part; and as this performance was to begin at five o'clock in the evening, they determined to avail themselves of the darkness of the night, when he and his mistress fhould return home. On their arrival at the church, the oratorio was begun, and the excellence of the mufic and its performance, joined to the rapture that was expreffed by the whole congregation, made an impreffion, and

foftened the rocky hearts even of thete favage beafts, to fuch a degree, as to incline them to relent ; and to think that it would be a pity to take away the life of a man whose genius and abilities were the delight of all Italy. An inftance of the miraculous powers of modern mufic, fuperior perhaps to any that could be well authenticated of the ancient.

Both thefe affaffins being equally affected by the performance, alike inclined to mercy, and accofting him in the ftreet when he quitted the church, after complimenting him upon his oratorio, confeffed to him the business on which they had been fent by the Venetian nobleman, whofe miftrefs he had ftolen; adding that, charmed by his mufic, they had changed their minds; and then advifing him and the lady to fly to fome place of fafety as foon as poffible, they determined to relinquifh the rest of the reward that was promised them, and tell their employer, that Stradella and his mistress had quitted Rome the night before their arrival in that city.

1

After this wonderful efcape, the lovers did not wait for new counsel to quit Rome, but set out that very night for Turin, as a place most remote from their implacable enemy and his emiffaries. And the af faffins returning to Venice, told the enraged Venetian that they had traced the fugitives to Turin, a place where the laws being not only fevere, but the difficulty of efcaping fo much greater than in any other part of Italy, on account of the garrifon, they fhould decline any further concern in the business. This intelligence did not, however, incline the offended nobleman to relinquifh his purpose, but rather ftimulated him to new attempts; he therefore engaged two other affaffins in his fervice, procuring for them letters of recommendation 3 K 2

from

.

from the abbé d'Eftrade, at that time the French ambalador at Venice, addreffed to the marquis de - Villars, ambaffador from France to Turin. The abbé d'Eftrade requesting, at the defire of the Venetian ambafiador, protection for i two merchants, who intended to refide fome time in that city, which being delivered by the new affaffins, they paid their court regularly to the ambalador, while they waited for a favourable opportunity to accomplish their undertaking with \fafety.

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The duchefs of Savoy, at this time regent, having been informed of the fudden flight of Stradella and Hortentia from Rome, and their arrival at Turin, and knowing the danger they were in from the vindictive fpirit of their enemy, placed the lady in a convent, and retained Stradella in her palace as her maeftro di capella. In a fituation apparently fo fecure, Stradella's fears for : his fafety began to abate; till one day, at fix o'clock in the evening, as he was walking for the air on the ramparts of the city, he was fet upon by two ruffians, who each gave him a itab in the breaft with a dagger, and immediately flew to the houfe of the French ambaffador, as to a fanctuary.

The affault having been feen by numbers of people who were walking in the fame place, occafioned fuch an uproar in the city, that the news foon reached the duchefs, who ordered the gates to be fhut, and the affaffins to be demanded of the French ambaffador; but he infifting on the privileges granted to men of his function by the laws of nations, refufed to give them up.. This tranfaction, however, made a

and was informed by the abbé, that he had been furprifed into a recommendation of thefe affaffins by one of the most powerful of the Venetian nobility. In the mean time, Stradella's wounds, though extremely dangerous, proved not to be mortal; and the marquis de Villars, having been informed by the furgeons that he would recover, in order to prevent any further difpute about the privileges of the corps diplomatique, fuffered the affaffins to escape.

Such was the implacability of the enraged Venetian, that, never relinquishing his purpofe, he continued to have Stradella conftantly watched by fpies, whom he main tained in Turin. A year being elapfed after the cure of his wounds, and no fresh disturbance happening, he thought himself fecure from any further attempts upon his life. The duchefs regent, interefting herself in the happiness of two perfons who had fuffered fo much, and who feemed born for each other, had them married in her palace. After which ceremony, Stradella, having an invitation to Genoa to compofe an opera for that city, went thither with his wife, determining to return to Turin after the carnival; but the Venetian, being informed of this motion, fent affaffins after them, who, watching for a favourable opportunity, rufhed into their chamber early one morning, and stabbed them both to the heart. The murderers having fecured a bark, which lay in the port, by inftantly retreating to it, efcaped from juftice, and were never heard of more.

CHARACTERISTICAL ANECDOTES.

great noife all over Italy; M. de Tranflated from the French, for this

Villars wrote immediately to the abbé d'Eftrade to know the reafon of the attack made upon Stradella by the two men whom he had recommended,

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یر

Work.]

I.

THE women of Madagascar believe that there are fortunate and unfortunate

fortunate days and hours; and it is a duty of their religion, when any of them are delivered in an unfortunate day or hour, either to expofe the infants to be devoured by the wild beasts, to bury them alive, or to ftrangle them.

11.

IN one of the temples of the empire of Pegu, they educate their virgins. Every year at the festival of the idol, they facri*fice one of thefe unhappy creatures. The priest, in his facerdotal habit, ftrips her naked, ftrangles her, plucks out her heart, and throws it in the idol's face. The facrifice being ended, the priest dines, then dreffes himself in a habit of a horrible form, and dances before the people. In other temples, in the fame country, men only are facrificed. For this purpofe they buy a handfome well-made flave, whom they drefs in a white robe, and, after wathing him three fucceffive mornings, fhew him to the people. The fourth day the priest opens his breaft, plucks out his heart, fprinkles the idol with his blood, and eats his fiefh as facred

food.

III.

In the kingdom of Lao, the Talapoins, who are the priests of the country, can only be judged by the king himself. They go to confeffion every month; and, being faithful obfervers of that cuttom, may

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WHEN the warriors of Congo advance towards an enemy, 'if they meet in their way a hare, a crow, or fome other timid animal, they fay it is the genius of the enemy come to inform them of their fear; and then fight with intrepidity. But if they hear the crowing of a cock at any other than the ufual hour, they deem it a certain prefage of a defeat, and therefore refolve not to expofe themfelves to it. If the crowing of a cock be at the fame time heard by both armies, no courage can detain them, for being equally frighted at the fatal omen, they inftantly difband themfelves, and both armies retire. When the favage of New Orleans marches against the enemy with most intrepidity, a dream or the barking of a dog is fufficient to make him return home.

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for prayer occur in every twentyfour hours;-in the morning; at noon; in the afternoon, (i. e. when the gnomon of the fun-dial makes a fhadow of double its own length); at fun-fet; and at night. For each of these, their law adduces a distinct authority. The first they reverence as an inftitution of Adam, who offered up his thankfgivings for the returning light after his expulfion from paradife :-the fecond as an inftitution of Abraham, who prayed about this time, after being delivered from offering up his fon the third, of Jonah, who prayed after coming from the fish, (they do not fay it was a whale, and most probably it was not; it must have been a fifh of a larger fpecies) that fwallowed him the fourth, of Jefus, Chrift, who prayed in confequence of a celeftial voice, which addreffed him about this hour;-and the fifth, of Mofes, who prayed, having loft his way after the approach of dark

nefs.

:

That thefe canonical hours may be punctually observed, a cryer, (Muezzinn,) the ufe of bells being prohibited, is appointed; who, from the little gallery that furrounds the minarets, or flender fpires, which decorate the mofques, chants aloud at each of these periods, the ezann*, or call to prayer. No fooner is he heard, than all the followers of the prophet, of every rank and defcription, relinquish their occupations; and proftrating themselves toward the keabé of Mecca, repeat the prayer Namaz. Tables, almanacks, or calendars, are conftructed to afcertain thefe periods with the greateft accuracy; which is the more ne ceffary, as they have three periods in each day, during which they are

These are the words of the ezann: "Moft high God! moft high God! moft high God! moft high God! I acknowledge that there is no other God except God: I acknowledge that there is no other God exsept God: I acknowledge that Mohammed

forbidden by their law to perform any religious act.

Without having feen this nation, an imperfect idea must be formed of that uniform and fcrupulous attention which is paid both by the men and women, the great and fmall, the rich and poor, the ecclefiaftics and the laity, to fulfil the duty of thefe daily prayers. This numerous people appear to form only one religious fociety.

Minifters and ftatesmen throw afide their pens, and fufpend the most important occupations, till they have faid the Namaz on their carpet, Sedjéadé, in the apartment where they are engaged with business, and often before a crowd of officers. When the mafter of the house has finifhed his Namaz, he commonly refigns his place to the most diftinguiflred among thofe who are prefent, who difcharge fucceffively this duty. Perfons of an inferior rank retire to another apartment.

This practice is fo univerfal, that no one dare omit it, for fear of being accufed of irreligion. However vicious or incredulous any one may be, he is always attentive to the external duties of religion, efpecially if he be employed in the public fervice. In the eye of the nation, this, rather than his merit and talents, decides his character. The eulogy of a man in a high fituation is ufually thus expreffed, "He is a good Muffulman, he never omits any of the five daily Namazs." When any little irregularity is obferved in the conduct of any one, they exclaim, "He is infidel, a falfe Muffulman, who neglects the duties of religion." It is eafy to imagine what must be the force of this opinion, even on minds the is the Prophet of God! Come to prayer; come to prayer! Come to the temple of falvation; come to the temple of falvation! Great God! Great God! there is no God except God.”

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