spirit of internal peace and concord, which no time can restore."

He spoke of Venice, his native state, of its flourishing condition before they seized it—of the rapid destruction to which it has ever since been hastening.

I happened to observe, how fortunate it was, that they had been compelled to restore all they had plundered from Rome, (meaning works of art). "All!" he exclaimed-" What! have they restored the blood they have spilt-the wealth they have squandered the morals they have corrupted? Have they restored the noble families they reduced to beggary-the sons to the mothers they rendered childless-the husband to the widow ?"

When venerable age is roused to the energy and emotion we expect only from youth-when the quenched eye lightens, and the hoary locks are shook with the bitter sense of wrongs and regrets, there is something sacred in its feelings, which commands our respect and awe.

This burst of feeling over, he spoke of the French with that mildness of spirit, which is the governing principle of his truly Christian character. “In sorrow more than anger," he seemed to look on the past; and throughout-that indescribable something far stronger than words-in the tone, eye, mind, and gesture, made us feel that it was abhorrence of injustice, violence, oppression, and impiety, and not the sense of personal injury and insult, that moved the virtuous indignation of this venerable old man; whose meekness, patience, and humility,

have through life been his most characteristic qualities.

We retired with his blessing, and an invitation to return again, which we are told is, as well as the length of our interview, very rare. Accordingly, we are much flattered. The honour of having him all to ourselves-for even the Cardinal retiredwas, however, I believe, purely accidental. In general, he holds a female levee, and receives all at once. Every body is desired to be dressed up to the throat, and to wear a veil, which is, however, almost always thrown back. Some of our very scrupulous countrywomen have declined presentation to the Pope, because it goes against their consciences to call him Vostra Santità. There are certainly some people who strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

I forgot to answer one of your queries. You tell me that you hear the Pope is a bigot. I can only tell you, in proof of his liberality, that he permits the English to have regular public worship, according to the rites and service of our own heretical church; and that during three successive winters, we have had a set of rooms openly hired for the express purpose. I cannot exactly say, that he gave his consent; for when it was asked, he rather signified that it might be as well to do it without it.

If the spirit of Martin Luther could look down, he would surely rejoice to see his own tenets and institutions openly practised in the very city, which would have burnt him for holding them.

This toleration of Lutheranism, is, however, an unprecedented circumstance; and some of the cardinals are extremely scandalised with this unhallowed licence, and even pretend ignorance of it. To those to whom I know it is peculiarly obnoxious, I have a mischievous pleasure in introducing the subject, as if by chance; for instance, at the conversazione on Sunday evenings, complaining of the rooms having been too much crowded in the morning during the English service, or lamenting that we were likely soon to lose one of our best preachers, &c. &c.—or remarking, as if in compliment, the liberal policy of the Court of Rome, in now permitting the exercise of our religion, almost as freely as we allow of theirs.

LETTER LXXII.

PROCESSION TO THE MINERVA.-PALM SUNDAY.

ROME is full of pilgrims, who, with their staffs, their scrips, their cockle-shells, their oil-skin tippets, and their large slouch-hats, remind one more of days of yore and tales of romance, than any thing one could have expected to have seen realized in the nineteenth century.

It is also crowded with much less picturesque objects, carriages full of bewildered Forestieri, driving about and seeking for a place wherein to lay their heads, in vain. Every hotel and lodging is full, even to overflowing, with curious heretics: every church is crowded with devout Romans; and every pulpit resounds with the stentorian voice of some Friar, denouncing, with all the vehemence of Italian energy and gesticulation, the horrors of hell, and demonstrating that his congregation are in the fair way to tumble into that fiery abyss. A preacher has not the smallest chance of popularity here, who does not frighten his auditors out of their senses. Even in the open Piazzas, these zealous Friars raise their crucifix, and hold forth to the gaping multitude.

Frequent processions of penitents, covered with long dark robes, which pass over the head and have holes cut for the eyes, girded round the waist with ropes, preceded by a large black cross, and bearing skulls and bones and begging-boxes for the souls in Purgatory, are to be seen passing in silence along the streets, or gliding through the solitude of the Coliseum, or beneath the Triumphal Arches and Ruins of ancient Rome. A party of these mysterious-looking figures that I saw yesterday emerging from the Arch of Titus, and entering the Coliseum, where they knelt in silence and in deep prayer upon its once blood-stained area before the Altars of the Via Crucis, had a very striking effect. All these are forerunners of the holy week, to which immense multitudes still flock from all parts; though now, I believe, more from curiosity than piety, and for amusement than penitence. A real penance, however, it has proved to me; and if I were to live in Rome for fifty years, I would never go through it again; though I am glad that I have seen it once-now that it is over. Before the Holy Week, our sufferings began: We were disturbed the very morning of our return from Naples, with the information that it was a grand festa-the Festa of the Annunciation, and that a grand funzione was to take place at the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, preceded by a still more superb procession--and that we must get up to see it, which we accordingly did; and drove through streets lined with expecting crowds, and windows hung with crimson and yellow silk draperies and occupied by females in their