The Project Gutenberg EBook of Observations and Reflections Made in the
Course of a Journey through France, Italy, and Germany, Vol. I, by Hester Lynch Piozzi

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Title: Observations and Reflections Made in the Course of a Journey through France, Italy, and Germany, Vol. I

Author: Hester Lynch Piozzi

Release Date: August 5, 2005 [EBook #16445]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS

MADE IN THE COURSE OF A

JOURNEY

THROUGH

_FRANCE, ITALY, AND GERMANY_.

By HESTER LYNCH PIOZZI.

IN TWO VOLUMES

Vol. I.

LONDON:

Printed for A. STRAHAN; and T. CADELL in the Strand,

MDCCLXXXIX.

PREFACE.

I was made to observe at Rome some vestiges of an ancient custom very
proper in those days--it was the parading of the streets by a set of
people called _Preciae_, who went some minutes before the _Flamen Dialis_
to bid the inhabitants leave work or play, and attend wholly to the
procession; but if ill omens prevented the pageants from passing, or if
the occasion of the show was deemed scarcely worthy its celebration,
these _Preciae_ stood a chance of being ill-treated by the spectators. A
Prefatory introduction to a work like this, can hope little better usage
from the Public than they had; it proclaims the approach of what has
often passed by before, adorned most certainly with greater splendour,
perhaps conducted too with greater regularity and skill: Yet will I not
despair of giving at least a momentary amusement to my countrymen in
general, while their entertainment shall serve as a vehicle for
conveying expressions of particular kindness to those foreign
individuals, whose tenderness softened the sorrows of absence, and who
eagerly endeavoured by unmerited attentions to supply the loss of their
company on whom nature and habit had given me stronger claims.

That I should make som