the no fmall entertainment of these wags) before we difcovered the trick. They now insist upon it, that we are good Catholics, for all this morning we have been bowing to faints and angels.

A great filver box, containing the bones of St. Rofolia, closed the proceffion. It was carried by thirty-fix of the most respectable burgesses of the city, who look upon this as the greatest honour. The archbishop walked behind it,. giving his benediction to the people as he paffed..

No fooner had the proceffion finished the tour of the great square before the prætor's palace, than the fountain in the center, one of the largest and fineft in Europe, was converted into a fountain of fire; throwing it up on all fides, and making a beautiful appearance. It only lafted for a few minutes, and was extinguished by a vast explosion, which concluded the whole. As this was altogether unexpected, it produced a fine effect, and furprised the, fpectators more than any of the great fire works had done.

There was a mutual and friendly congratulation ran through the whole affembly, which foon after parted; and this morning every thing has once more reaffumed its natural form and order; and I affure you, we were not more happy at

A

the opening of the festival, than we are now at its conclufion. Every body was fatigued and exhausted by the perpetual feasting, watching, and diffipation of these five days. However, upon the whole, we have been much delighted with it, and may with truth pronounce, that the entertainments of the feast of St. Rofolia are much beyond thofe of the holy week at Rome; of the Afcenfion, at Venice; or, indeed, any other feftival we have ever been witness of.

I believe I did not tell you, that about ten or twelve days ago, as the time we had appointed for our return to Naples was elapsed, we had hired a small veffel, and provided every thing for our departure: we had even taken leave of the viceroy, and received our paffports. Our baggage and fea-store was already on board, when we were fet upon by our friends, and folicited with fo much earnestness and cordiality, to give them another fortnight, that we found it impoffible to refuse it; and in confequence difcharged our veffel, and fent for our trunks. I should not have mentioned this, were it not to fhew you how much more attention is paid to strangers here than in most places on the continent.

We reckon ourselves much indebted to them for having obliged us to prolong our stay; as, independent of the amufements of the feftival,

we have met with fo much hofpitality and urbanity, that it is now with the most fincere regret we find ourselves obliged to leave them. Indeed, had we brought our clothes and books from Naples, it is hard to say how long we might have stayed.

We have sent to engage a veffel, but probably shall not fail for five or fix days. Adieu.

LETTER XXXI.

Palermo, July 19th.

W

E have now had time to enquire a little into some of the antiquities of this island, and have found feveral people, particularly the prince of Torremuzzo, who have made this the great object of their study. However, I find we must wade through oceans of fiction, before we can arrive at any thing certain or fatisfactory.

Most of the Sicilian authors agree in deriving their origin from Ham, or, as they called him, Cham, the fon of Noah, who, they pretend, is the fame with Saturn. They tell you that he built a great city, which from him was named Camefena. There have been violent disputes about the fituation of this city: Berofo fuppofes it to have flood, where Camarina was afterwards founded, and that this was only a corruption of its primitive name. But Guarneri, Carrera, and others, combat this opinion, and affirm, that Camesena flood near the foot of Etna, between Aci and Cattania, almoft opposite to these three rocks that ftill bear the name of the Cyclops. Indeed Carrera

mentions an infcription that he had seen in a ruin near Aci, fupposed to have been the fepulchre of Acis, which he thinks puts this matter out of doubt. These are his words: "Hæc eft infcriptio vetuftæ cujufdam tabellæ repertæ in pyramide fepulchri Acis, ex fragmentis vetuftiffimæ Chamesenæ, urbis hodie Acis,condita a Cham, gigantum principe, etiam nuncupato Saturno, Chamefeno, in promontorio Xiphonio, ubi adhuc hodie vifuntur folo æquata antiqua vestigia, et ruinæ di&tæ urbis et arcis in infula prope Scopulos Cyclopum, et retinet adhuc fincopatum nomen La Gazzena.'

This fame Cham they tell you was a very great scoundrel, and that esenus, which fignified infamous, was added to his name, only to denote his character. Fazzello fays, he married his own fifter, who was called Rhea; that Ceres was the fruit of this marriage; that he did not inherit the vices of her father, but reigned over Sicily with great wisdom and moderation. That the taught her fubjects the method of making bread and wine, the materials for which their island produced spontaneously in great abundance. That her daughter Proferpine was of equal beauty and virtue with herself. That Orius king of Epirus had demanded her in marriage, and on a refusal, carried her off by force; which gave occafion to the wild imagination of Greece to invent the fable of the rape of Proferpine by Pluto king of