steps farther, and we encounter the tent of
the inspector of the police flaunting with pink
drapery; and then we enter the principal
street. What a display of finery in the
shops! Barbers' brass basins, as they hang
upon his door, are as bright as mirrors; and
festoons of teeth declare the skill of the great
practitioner of Nola. But brighter still are
the eyes, and far whiter the teeth, of the
pretty damsels who crowd the windows above.

I scarcely know why it is, but a crowd is
always in motion, without any definite object;
it pushes on because it can go farther, and so
I moved on, thinking that I must be right as
long as the crowd kept moving. At length I
exclaimed, "How that steeple shines like
burnished gold! and it is covered, too, with
flowers, and flags, and evergreens! Mercy!
it moves! " " Steeple? " said my friend.
"Why, that is one of the Giglios." At length,
I had attained the object of my visit; I had
seen a Giglio.

But what is this Giglio ? asks the reader.
I shall describe it first architecturally. The
frame-work is made of wood interlaced with
canes, and consists of a series of towers one
upon the other, tapering gradually away.
In this one there are forty-one towers,
all tastefully decorated with architectural
ornaments, with flowers and evergreens,
with drapery, paintings, and even statuary;
whilst at each corner of each tower there
floats a flag. Anything more original,
dazzling, or pretty, cannot well be conceived.
The summit of this fabric is surmounted by
the statue of a saint of the brotherhood who
constructed it; and, as its height is upwards
of a hundred feet, his saintship commands
a very fine view. Of these Giglios there are
nine, and this is the history of their
construction: — The different trades associate
together to defray the expenses. Thus, this year
amongst others, there were the gardeners,
the shoemakers, the butchers, the bakers, the
confectioners, the tailors, and others ; and
each trade vies with the other who shall
make the most beautiful Giglio. I am
compelled to confess that the gardeners bear the
bell, as might have been expected in a country
strictly agricultural. That there may be no
mistake either, as to the proprietorship of the
Giglio, each trade hangs its emblems on some
conspicuous part of the structure. Thus, the
shoemakers display shoes; the tailors, some
waistcoats; the butchers, some joints of
mutton; the bakers, biscuits; and the
gardeners, festoons of flowers and gardening
implements. Around the basement of the
lowest tower is seated a full brass band;
and, on the upper towers stand, at rather a
perilous height, both men and boys. The
Giglio derives its title, I believe, from some
fancied resemblance to the flower of that
name, the lily. Its height, and its swaying
backward and forward when in motion, give
it some resemblance to a Brobdignag lily.

Of course the Giglios are the centre of
attraction; and, pressing forward, we find
ourselves in the piazza before the Sottintendente's
house. This is evidently the west end of
Nola; and, before starting in procession, the
Giglios assemble there to dance before his
excellency. Nine mighty steeples, one
hundred feet high, dancing! How could it be?
Each Giglio is borne on the shoulders of fifty
men, with relays, and the exertion appears
to be tremendous, even to raise the structure
from the ground. Yet a species of
devotion as ardent as that which inspires the
followers of Juggernaut, tempts the best
men from Naples to bear these Christian
idols. From four hundred to five hundred
or more of the strongest porters of the
capital throng Nola, filled with religious
fervour — which is not in the slightest degree
diminished by the fact of their receiving a
piastre each, and as much as they can eat and
drink.

The procession is at length in movement;
hundreds of priests and singing boys are at
the head of it; the windows, and the tented
roofs of every house in the city, are crowded
with the curious and the devout. Look at
the poor bearers! I never saw muscle so
strained. It seems as if they must sink
beneath the enormous weight of the car.
Each with a pole on his shoulder, and with
the other arm resting on his neighbour, they
bend and struggle on for a few steps, and
then reposing, again resume their labour. In
this way, for three mortal hours, they parade
every street in the town; returning at last
to the west end in front of the great man's
house. It had been my good fortune to
make the acquaintance of the great man;
so I find myself in his canopied drawing-room
on the roof, with all the notables of the
neighbourhood. There are princes and dukes
enough to send an American traveller into
fits of ecstacy; and as to marquises and
counts, their number is positively astonishing.

"From what time does this curious custom
date ? " I ask of one of the dignitaries.

"From the time," he replies, " when Saint
Paolino wrought the miracle on our bell. O!
it was a great miracle: the saint ran his
finger through the bell, and the hole still
remains; but whether the bell was in a
state of fusion or not I cannot say."

"Whether cold or fused," I observe, with
a grave face, " the miracle would be equally
remarkable." The subject, however, is too
delicate to pursue.

"The festa began," continues the same
person, " last night. Some thousands must
have entered town during the evening,
and it is little sleep we have had, I can
assure you. You know, signor, the custom
which persons or parties have of sending one
another defiances, challenges to sing ? They
place themselves at considerable intervals
from one another, and the challenger begins
to improvise some words in a singular chaunt.
The others take it up; then the challenger