86

LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.

people, surpassed almost the measure of belief. Therewere thirty-thousand men calling themselves lawyers inthe city of Naples alone!

The finances (a most important political point!) were stillworse understood and managed. Farmers and jobbers directedby the blind will of force, collected the imposts, withoutorder, justice, or theory ; ruinous to the people; withoutadequate result to the imposers. Although accordingto the ancient usage, established by the constitution ofFrederick II. , each municipality had the right of self-taxation, through the election by the “universal suffrage ” ofall, save women and children, of a “ Syndic, " and two“Sleet” from out their body. But this most perfectfeature of civil liberty being far above the standard of theother institutions of that society, became discordant, andfell into turbulence and confusion, as its awards were dis-regarded by despotic and feudal power. Tanucci found thePope and the church all powerful at Naples ; the kingspaid yearly tribute to the former, in acknowledgment ofhis supremacy in temporal matters! In the kingdom ofNaples alone there were 112,000 ecclesiastics, that is, 22archbishops ; 116 bishops ; 56,000 priests; 31,000 monks ;and 23,600 nuns. This to a population of (at that time)four millions of inhabitants! Two thirds of the lands andimmovable property of the kingdom were enjoyed by thechurch! Feudalism, although now beginning to beabhorred and despised, still spread its baneful influenceover the land. The army null in moral worth ; its ranksbeing filled with all the scum of society, pardoned felons,or men torn by force from their employments, without ruleor law, as by the odious “ Press-gang ” system of Eng-land.

Maugre the hosts of priests, and monks, and “ mum-mers,” crime flourished in horrible luxuriancv. Every