ell indeed. The latter was in state in the Chiesa
Nuova, previous to his interment.

"Your poetical alarms are groundless; go on and prosper. Here is
Hobhouse just come in, and my horses at the door, so that I must
mount and take the field in the Campus Martius, which, by the way,
is all built over by modern Rome.

"Yours very and ever, &c.

"P.S. Hobhouse presents his remembrances, and is eager, with all
the world, for your new poem."

* * * * *

LETTER 280. TO MR. MURRAY.

"Venice, May 30. 1817.

"I returned from Rome two days ago, and have received your letter;
but no sign nor tidings of the parcel sent through Sir C. Stuart,
which you mention. After an interval of months, a packet of
'Tales,' &c. found me at Rome; but this is all, and may be all that
ever will find me. The post seems to be the only sure conveyance;
and _that only for letters_. From Florence I sent you a poem on
Tasso, and from Rome the new third Act of 'Manfred,' and by Dr.
Polidori two portraits for my sister. I left Rome and made a rapid
journey home. You will continue to direct here as usual. Mr.
Hobhouse is gone to Naples: I should have run down there too for a
week, but for the quantity of English whom I heard of there. I
prefer hating them at a distance; unless an earthquake, or a good
real irruption of Vesuvius, were ensured to reconcile me to their
vicinity.

"The day before I left Rome I saw three robbers guillotined. The
ceremony--including the _masqued_ priests; the half-naked
executioners; the bandaged criminals; the black Christ and his
banner; the scaffold; the soldiery; the slow procession, and the
quick rattle and heavy fall of the axe; the splash of the blood,
and the ghastliness of the exposed heads--is altogether more
impressive than the vulgar and ungentlemanly dirty 'new drop,' and
dog-like agony of infliction upon the sufferers of the English
sentence. Two of these men behaved calmly enough, but the first of
the three died with great terror and reluctance. What was very
horrible, he would not lie down; then his neck was too large for
the aperture, and the priest was obliged to drown his exclamations
by still louder exhortations. The head was off before the eye could
trace the blow; but from an attempt to d