There’s a Sort of People here who carry their Pretensions very high. These are the Roman Princes, who for most part are only beholden for this princely Dignity to the Happiness of their Families, in having one of them a Pope; for many of them are scarce so much as Gentlemen. They are complimented with the Style of Excellency, but this Title extends only to the First-born of the Family. They require a vast deal of Homage from their Domestics, and all affect to have Canopies and Chambers of Audience in their Palaces. They expect that a Gentleman should come to their Houses without sending Word beforehand, and wait in their Antichamber till they are pleas’d to see him. You will think that they must be very necessitous Gentlemen,
who will submit to this Rule, and that their Excellencies Antichambers are only frequented by their own Domestics. When they receive Visits from one another in Ceremony, they seat themselves under a Canopy like the Cardinals; then they go abroad in State, and have two Coaches to follow their Body-Coach, in which his Excellency sits forward by himself, and his Gentlemen ride backward, and at the Boots of the Coach: A Footman carries an Umbrella before them, as is done before the Cardinals, which is a Signal of Respect that requires all Coaches, except those of the Cardinals or Priests, to give them the Way, and even to stop while they pass by.
The Princesses formerly did not use to give the Right Hand to the Ladies of Quality at their own Houses; but since the Honours annex’d to Nepotism have been abolish’d, they have been oblig’d to humble themselves, and to treat the Ladies as their Equals; yet for all this they correspond together very little. Heretofore too the Pope’s Nieces did not give Precedence to any body, not even to the Princesses; and all Ladies in general were oblig’d to be in a full Dress, when they paid them a Visit; nor did the Nieces go to any body’s House, but enjoy’d all the Honours of Sovereigns. But all this is over now; for the Nieces of the present Pope not only give the Right Hand to Ladies of the lowest Rank, but also return their Visits. Indeed the Princesses Corsini are extraordinary civil and complaisant to every body; and even at this Day, tho’ the Pope has declar’d their Husbands Princes and Dukes, they are content to pass with the Title of Marchionesses, and have set up no Canopies. The Nobility are vastly pleas’d with their Carriage, but the Princes are much disgusted at it, and think that by such Behaviour they disparage their Dignity.
Some Days ago an Englishman, one Thirems, who has been a long time in the Service of the Great Duke of Tuscany, and is very much attach’d to the Corsini Family, said to the Pope, with whom he is very free, that the Behaviour of the Corsini Ladies was very much applauded by the Nobility, but as much dislik’d by the Princes. ‘What! said the Pope, Do the Princes think that my Nephews and Nieces were not of as good Blood, when they had only the Title of Marquises and Marchionesses, as they are now they have the Title of Prince? I would have them know, that tho’ I have declar’d my Nephews Princes and Dukes, it was rather to conform to an old Custom, than with any Design to ennoble them.’
I would pardon the Roman Princes all their Vanity, if they enjoy’d any solid Prerogatives; but at their Estates they are no more than plain Gentlemen, and whenever the Pope pleases, he sends the Sbirri to arrest them, as well as the meanest of his Subjects. The Thing which puffs up this Gentry to such a Degree, is, that Gentlemen of good Families make no Scruple to wait on them, the Poverty among the Nobility being very great, and there being but a very indifferent Chance for Gentlemen of the Sword, because the greatest Part of the Roman Gentry are so much degenerated from their Ancestors, that they have no Taste for Arms; while their Fondness for Rome, and the Notion they have, that there is not such a delightful Place in the World, hinders them from going abroad, and puts them under a Necessity of being Slaves to People, who are very often their Inferiors in Birth.
Nor do the Roman Princes distinguish themselves either by their Air, or their Manner of Living. They have a great Number of Footmen indeed, some no less than two dozen; but they live very
meanly, so that not one of them keeps an open Table, or has any thing to treat with but Ice, and at most a Dish of Chocolate. The Evening is the Time to converse with them; for as soon as the Angelus has sounded, all Ceremonies at Rome are over, the Abbats and Priests go in the Lay Habit to the Cardinals, and all Compliments at meeting are set aside.
The Princes and the Cardinals give their Domestics such sorry Wages, that their Livery Servants are continually mumping. The first Time one comes to a House, the Domestics accost you for something to drink, which is what they call Lucky Handsel; they mump again at New-Years Tide, and in the Month of August, which is what they call la Ferra Gusta, and again when the Mistress of the House is brought to bed of a Son; in short, they find out so many Pretences, that they are perpetually teizing People for Money.
The Princesses have the Privilege of being lighted to the public Spectacles by eight Flambeaux of white Wax; but I have known some of them, who, for saving their Wax, never burnt any till they came within four or five hundred Paces of the Theatre, when they stopp’d to give their Lacqueys Time to light their Flambeaux, in order that they might arrive at the Opera in Pomp. And when they went out, they stopp’d at the very same Place for the Lacqueys to put out their Flambeaux, from which Place all the Light the Princesses had to go home by was no more than a couple of little dark Lanthorns, which are here made use of commonly. This way of going with eight Flambeaux puts me in mind of a certain English Dutchess, who having travell’d in that manner at Rome, would fain have introduced the Fashion at Paris too; but she was forbid to make that Parade there, because the first two or three times that she went abroad