ner, they lleep in, between two goat hair blankets, without
iheets, or any other bedding. The greateftpart o f theinhabitants,
content themielves with the bare ground, wrapt in the ufual
blanket, and only fometimes a little ftraw under it. But in
fummer they chufe to ileep in the open air, perhaps to be delivered
from the domeftick infefts. Their houihold furniture
confifts o f few, and fimple articles, fuch as Ihepherds, and
peafants, little advanced in arts, require. Their houfes are not
often covered with tiles, or flates j and when they have any
beams intended to fupport a fecond floor, the family’s wardrobe
is placed on them, and may be imagined well provided where
there is fo much magnificence j yet the ladies fleep on the
floor, even in fuch noble houfes. I have been lodged in one of
them, where feveral o f thefe women were grinding corn till
pail midnight, fcreaming certain diabolical fongs, in the
fame place where I was laid to fleep, and where ten others
were ftretched on the ground, and actually faft afleep, not-
withftanding their frightful vociferation. The Morlacchi,
who have little or no correfpondence with the fea towns,
and are at a great diftance from them, have feldom any other
houfes but cottages covered with ftraw, or zimble; fo they call
a kind o f laths, ufed inftead of tiles. The animals inhabit the
fame cottage, divided from the mailers, by a flight partition
made o f twigs, and plaiftered with clay, and the dung o f cattle j
the walls of the cottage are either o f the fame materials,' or o f
large ftones laid one upon another, without cement.
The fire place Hands in the middle o f the cottage, and the
fmoke finds its way out at the door, there being rarely any
other aperture. Hence every thing within thefe wretched habitations
is varnifhed with black, and loathfome with fmoke •
not excepting the milk, which forms a great part of their fuftenance,
nance, and o f which they are very liberal to ftrangers. Their
cloaths, perfons, and every- thing, in ftiorf, contradi the fame
fmokeyfmell. The whole family fits round this fire place, in the
cold feafon ; and, when they have fupped, lay themfélves down
to fleep in the fame place where they fat at fupper j for, in
every cottage, they have not even benches to fit, and to lie upon.
They burn butter inftead o f oil, in their lamps ; but for the
moft part they ufe pieceY o f cleft fir, in lieu o f 'candles, the
fmoke 'of which fometimes ’tinges their muftaches cur-ioufly.
A very few rich Morlacchi have houfes in the Turkifh fafhion,
with ftools, and fome few o f our moveables; but in general,
the richeft o f them live'but a favage kind o f life. Although
they have no idea o f cleanlinefs in their habitations,' yet, in
one iefpeft, they are nicer than we are ; nor do they fail to reproach
us on that account, and call us barbarous, and beaftlyj
and it is a real fadl, that no man, nor woman o f that nation,
let the diforder be ever fo fevère, or painful, was ever known
to eafe nature within the cottage evèn dying perfons are carried
out to perform that operation in the open air ; and i f a ftranger
Ihould, through ignorance, or contempt, pollute their houfe in
that manner, he would fcarcely efcape with his life, and certainly
not without very ill treatment.
A Morlacco cloaths himfelf with great plainnefs, and cecono-
my. The Opanke ferve for Ihoes, both to men and women, and
under them they wear a kind o f ihort woolen ftocking, called
Navlakaza, which reaches above the ankle, and joins to the
breeches, whereby all the leg is covered. The breeches are o f
coarfe white ferge, and they draw them tight about their waift,
like a purfe, by means o f .a woollen firing. Their ihirt is very
ihort, and over it they wear a ihort doublet, which they call
Jacerma, and in . winter they add a kind o f ihort cloak, made
M 0f