Sicilians.
Serenades.
It has been wittily said of the Sicilians, that no person could pass for a man of gallantry who had not got a cold, and was sure never to succeed with his mistress unless he made love in a hoarse voice. This arose from the custom of serenading the object of preference during the hours of the night, by the execution of vocal and instrumental music under their balconies. The Sicilians are a nation of poets; and the lover who cannot celebrate his mistress’s charms in verse, would be thought unworthy of her attention.