e Madonna and the saints, but the _Ora pro nobis_ was overpowered
by the fury of the crowd. Although the first forced their way down the
Toledo to the palace, and the others penetrated to the great
market-place, they were obliged nevertheless to withdraw without having
accomplished their object. All the highwaymen and murderers, of which
Naples was full, left their hiding-places.

The first thing done was to break open the prisons and set the prisoners
at liberty--all, excepting those confined in the prisons of the vicarial
court, for the castle of Capuano inspired the rebels with respect,
whether because of a very large imperial eagle of Charles V fixed over
the portal, or because the garrison of the old fortress, together with
the sbirri, stood with lighted matches behind the crossbars, and
threatened the assailants with a bloody welcome.

The prisoners in the vicarial court now sought to set themselves free,
and began by destroying the crossbars with heavy beams; but some shots,
which laid two of them dead on the ground, warned them to desist from
their attempt. All the other prisons were cleared, and the archives and
everything that could be found in them was burned; the toll-booths
throughout the town were demolished. The mob went from one gate to
another. Everywhere the toll-gatherers had escaped--nobody thought of
making any resistance, and as there were no more prisons to be broken
open, no more custom-houses to be destroyed, the populace began to
attack the houses of those who they knew had, by farming tolls or in any
other way, become rich at the expense of the people. There was no
mention of defence--the proprietors were glad to save their bare lives.
Many rewarded with gold the services of the rowers who conveyed them to
a villa at Posilipo or to any other place beyond the town.

But the houses were emptied; first that of the cashier of taxes,
Alphonso Vagliano. Beautiful household furniture, plate, pictures,
everything that could be found was dragged into the streets, thrown
together in a heap and burned; and when one of the people wanted to
conceal a jewel, he was violently upbraided by the rest.

Hitherto but few, comparatively, of the rebels had been armed; they felt
this deficiency and wanted to procure themselves arms and artillery.
With this view they attacked the convent and belfry of San Lorenzo, but
the small Spanish garrison received them with sharp firing, and they
were obliged to retire; they