The Continental Monthly, Vol. 1, No. 5, May, 1862: Devoted To Literature And National PolicyVarious
History
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 1, No. 5, May, 1862: Devoted To Literature And National Policy
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; United States -- Politics and government -- 19th century -- Periodicals
On his first arrival in Rome, he had purchased one of those sprightly
little _vetturo_ dogs, all wool and tail, that the traveler remarks
mounted on top of the traveling carriages that enter and leave Rome.
With a firm foothold, they stand on the very top of all the baggage that
may be piled on the roof of the coach; and there, standing guard and
barking fiercely, seem to thoroughly enjoy the confusion attendant on
starting the horses or unloading the baggage. They are seen around the
carriage-stands where public hacks are hired, and as soon as one moves
off, up jumps the _vetturo_ dog alongside the driver, and never leaves
the vehicle until it stops; then, if he sees another hack returning to
the city, he will jump into that, and be carried back triumphant. This
sounds like fiction; but its truth will be confirmed by any one who has
ever noticed the peculiarities of this breed of dogs, which love to
ride.
Caper kept this dog in his studio, and had already made several very
life-like studies of him. One morning, leaving his lodgings earlier than
usual, he met on the stairway of his house a countryman driving a goat
up-stairs to be milked; the Romans thus having good evidence that when
they buy goat's milk, they don't purchase water from the fountains. As
Caper was going out of the door that led into the street, he saw among
the flock of goats assembled there, a patriarchal old Billy, whose beard
struck him with delight. He was looking at him in silent veneration,
when the goats'-milk man came down-stairs, driving the ewe before him.
He asked the man if he would sell the patriarch; but found that he would
not. He promised, however, to lend him to Caper until the next day, for
a good round sum, to be paid when the goat was delivered at the studio,
which the man said would be in the course of an hour.
Our artist then went down to the Greco, where he breakfasted; and there
met Rocjean, who proposed to him to go that morning to the Piazza
Navona, as it was market-day, and they would have a fine chance to take
notes of the country-people, their costumes, etc. They first went around
to Caper's studio, where they had only to wait a short time before the
milk-man came, driving the old Billy-goat up-stairs before him. Caper
made him fast with a cord to a heavy table, the top of which was a vast
receptacle of sketch-books, oil-colors, books, and all kinds of odds and
ends.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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