o f apaifcngerj at leaft, I never met with one example o f it.
I indeed, have often been forced to aik fomething from poor
fhepherds, but I always found them liberal and. many times»
in travelling through the fields in. the heat o f fummer, I have-
met poor reapers,, who, o f their own accord, prefented me witfi
their flalks to drink, and offered me a part o f their rufiick pro—
viljons, with an affedling cordiality.
The Morlacchi, in general, have little notion o f domeftick.
«economy, and readily confume in a week, as much as would:
be fufficient for feveral months, whenever any occafion o f merry-
ment preients itfelf. A marriage, the holiday o f the Saint,, protector
o f the family, the arrival o f relations or friends, or any-
other joyful incident, confumes»of courfe, all that there is to eat
and, to drink in the houfe. Yet the Morlack is a great cecono-
mift in the ufe o f his- wearing apparelJ: for, rather than fpoil
his new cape, he .takes it- off, let it rain ever fo hard, and goes;
bareheaded in the fform. In the fame manner he treats his
ihoes, i f the road is dirty, and they are not very old. Nothing
but an abfolute impoffibility hinders a Morlack from being-
punCtual | and i f he cannot repay the money, he borrowed, at"
*hc appointed time, he carries' a. final! prefent. to his creditor
and requefts,a longer term. Thus it happens fometimes, that!'
from term to term, and prefent to prefent, he.pays double what
iie ow.ed, without refle&ing on it.,
O f their Priendjhips ,and ^larrelk
Friendlhip, that among us is fo fubjeCt to'change on the:-
fhghteft motives, is kiting among the Morlacchi, They have-
even made i t a kind ofreligious point,, and tie the facred hond at
the
the foot o f the altar. The Sclavonian ritual contains a particular
benediction for the folemn union o f two male or two female
friends in the prefence o f the congregation. I was prefent at
the union o f two young women, who were msAtPofeJlre, in the
church o f PeruJJich, The fatisfaclion that fparkled in their
eyes, when the ceremony was performed, gave a convincing
proof, that delicacy o f fentiments can lodge in minds not formed,
or rather not corrupted by fociety, which we call civilized.
The male friends thus united, are called Pobratimi, and the females
Pofejireme, which mean half-brothers, and half-lifters.
Friendihips between thofe o f different fexes, are not at this, day
bound with fo much folemnity, though perhaps in more ancient
and innocent ages it was alfo the cuftom. .
Fromthefeconfecrated friendihips among the Morlacchi and other
nations o f the fame origin, it ihould feem, that the jworn brothers
arofe a denomination frequent enough among our common people,
andinmany parts o f Europe, Thedifference between thefe and the
Pobratimi o f Morlacchia, conlifts, notonlyin the want o f the ritual
ceremony, but in the deliga o f the union itfelf. For, among the
Morlacchi, the foie view is reciprocal fervice and advantage;
but fuch a brotherhood among us, is generally commenced by
bad men, to enable them the more to hurt and difturb fociety.
The duties of the Pobratimi are, to affift each other in every
cafe o f need or danger, to revenge mutual wrongs, and fuch
like. The enthufiafm is often carried lo far as to rilk, and even
to lofe their life for the Pobratimi, although thefe favage friends
are not celebrated like a P i lades. I f difcord happens to arife between
two friends, it is talked o f over all the country as a fcan-
dalous novelty j and there have been ibme examples o f it o f
late years, to the great affliction o f the old Morlacchi, who attribute
the depravation of their countrymen to their intercourfe
I ' with