OSTIA.

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been thus tormented had been provided for him by the veryparty who were then on their way with the complimentaryoffering. Pending the whole of the night, these poor fellowshad shared with the gnats the hearty curses of the stewardfor their neglect of furnishing his bed with the usual safe-guard. Upon the entry of the simple party, the leader,while making a speech of congratulation, commenced hisoffering by placing the basket of figs on a chair by the sideof the blind and foaming victim of his oversight. Mad-dened to the quick, the otherwise courteous factor seizedthe basket of figs, and in his Polypliemus-like condition,like Polyphemus , he hurled the contents directed by thevoices of the fugitive donors, who did not at that momentwait for any further proofs of what they took to be thesudden madness of their guest. I must leave my readers toconceive the triumph and exultation of the village partywhich had so strenuously opposed the offering of the heavy,hard, rock-like pine cones, and so judiciously carried thepoint of the figs. Their opponents never heard an end tothe taunt of “fossero state pignoli!” that is,—“ only think,had they been pine cones!”—what would have become ofour skulls! Here ends my little Ostia story; but theremark, “fossero pignoli!” will never end in being a“ saying” in Italy , so long as in the occurrences of humanlife, occasions more or less befitting, continually offer for itsapplication.

It is treading too closely in the path of other travellers,and, therefore, almost superfluous for me to remind myreaders, that in ancient times Ostia was a celebrated port,being unto the city of Rome what the Pireus was to Athens,or Leith is now to Edinburgh . I doubt, however, whetherit was ever any thing more than a roadstead, like ourDowns, with, probably, the addition of a small excavated

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