Do you not share in the happiness of such a company? And are you not rejoiced that they happened to meet near the Ager Falernus, where they could have the best Maffic and Falernian wines?

New Capua, through which the road from Rome to Naples lies, is a small town of no importance. The ancient city of that name was fituated two miles diftant from the new. The ruins of the amphitheatre, which are still to be feen, give some idea of the ancient grandeur of that city. Before the amphitheatre of Vefpafian was built, there was none in Rome of equal fize with this. Old Capua is faid, at one period, to have vied in magnificence with Rome and Carthage :

Altera dicta olim Carthago, atque altera Roma, Nunc proftrata jacet, proprioque fepulta fepulchro*.

How oft did we embrace! our joys how great!

Is there a bleffing, in the power of fate,

To be compared, in fanity of mind,

To friends of fuch companionable kind?

FRANCIS.

Formerly called another Carthage, or another Rome;

it now lies buried in its own ruins.

I 3

The

The army of Hannibal is faid to have been conquered by the luxuries of this place; but the judicious Montefquieu obferves, that the Carthaginian army, enriched by fo many victories, would have found a Capua wherever they had gone. Whether Capua brought on the ruin of Hannibal or not, there can be no doubt that Hannibal occafioned the ruin of Capua,

Having broken their connection with Rome, and formed an alliance with her enemy, the Capuans were, in the course of the war, befieged by the Confuls Fulvius and Appius. Hannibal exerted all his vaft abilities for the relief of his new friends; but was not able to bring the Roman army to a battle, or to raise the fiege. When every other expedient had failed, he marched directly to Rome, in the hopes of drawing the Roman army after him to defend the capital. A number of alarming events confpired, at this time, the fpirit of the Roman Senate.

to deprefs

The Pro

conful

conful Sempronius Gracchus, who commanded an army in Lucania, had fallen into an ambufcade, and was maffacred. The two gallant brothers, the Scipios, who were their generals in Spain, had been defeated and killed; and Hannibal was at their gates. How did the Senate behave at this crifis? Did they spend their time in idle harangues and mutual accufations? Did they throw out reflections against thofe fenators who were againft entering into a treaty with the Carthaginians till their army fhould be withdrawn from Italy? Did they recall their army from Capua? Did they fhew any mark of defpondence? In this ftate of affairs, the Roman Senate fent orders to Appius to continue the fiege of Capua; they ordered a reinforcement to their army in Spain; the troops for that service marching out at one gate of Rome, while Hannibal threatened to enter by ftorm at another. How could fuch a people fail to become the mafters of the world?

The country between Capua and Naples difplays a varied fcene of lavish fertility, and with great propriety might be named Campania Felix, if the richest and most generous foil, with the mildest and most agreeable climate, were fufficient to render the inhabitants of a country happy.

LETTER LIV.

Naples.

'HE day after our arrival at this place,

TH

we waited on Sir William Hamilton, his Majefty's minifter at this court. He had gone early that morning on a hunting party with the King; but the Portuguese ambaffador, at Lady Hamilton's defire, undertook to accompany the Duke on the ufual round of vifits; Sir William was not expected to return for feveral days, and the laws of etiquette do not allow that important tour to be delayed fo long. As we have been continually driving about ever fince our arrival, I am already pretty well acquainted with this town, and the environs,

Naples was founded by the Greeks. The charming fituation they have chofen, is

one