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For in- stance, I have devoted a considerable portion of the book to a sketch of the Educational institutions of Kome,-a subject respecting which much misconcep- tion existo in these countries. PKEPACE. To one ponJon of this book I icrl it right to direct at- tention, — ^namely, to the Ajppendix. I do so for two reaaons. In the first place, it contains, in the official Report furnished by the Count de Eayneval, the French Envoy at Rome, to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Paris, the most authoritutive and conclusive refutation of the charges urged against the Government of the Pope ; and affords an amount of valuable information, OP. various points, of which it is essential that the pub- lic of these countries should be apprized. This docu- ment first appeared in its English form in the Daily News of the 18th of March, 1847 ; and while adopting this translation, I can vouch for its accuracy, as I have closely compared it with the origi^aal French, subse- quently published in that journal. In no material r3- spect'. does the one differ from the other ; the transla- tion, in every respect, substantially conveying the meaning of the original, and giving all its figures and facts with scrupulous fidelity. I had been in previous popsession of documentary evidence, proving the truth of the statements made in this remarkable State Pa,per, and had even embodied many of them in ray lei^f^s; but, on its appearance in the Daily News, I was at once convinced that I would be more likely to serve the cause which I had at heart, by abandoning what I had v/ritten, and adopting the dispatch of the F* ench PREFACE. id Ambassudor, who wrote, not only nnder a sense ot official responsibility, but from a personal knowledge, denved alike from his long residence in Rome, and the facilities which his position afforded him of arrivinc at the real str.te of things. To this dispatch I would'di- rect the attention of every reader who desires to ascer- tain the truth with respect to the Papal Government. I direct attention to the Aj>j?endix for this second reason, -namely, that the reader may learn, from sources of unquestionable authority, that we oui^elves have very many and very important reforms to effect, both at home and in our government abroad, before we venture to become the self-appointed censor of other nations ;--that, :.. a word, we should cast the beam out of our own eye, before we cast the mote out of our brother's eye. In ihe chaptei-s on the public institntions of Rome I bave been indebted, in some measure, to the able and phUosophio work of the late Cardinal Morichini ; whieh obligation I have acknowledged in more than one place Th.8 valuable work was given to me in Borne, as con- taining the best and fullest information on the anbjects with which I desired to become acquainted; but my letters merely contained descriptions of what /,«„, «, I had no time, wUle in that city, to devote to reading But for a fuller account, such as I now pretend to .iv. #? xu PREFACE. of the institutions which I then described, a reference to a work of the very highest authority became a mat- ter of necessity. I shall only add, in conclusion, the expression of a sincere and heart-felt hope, that this volume may have the effect of removing from the minds of many honest and well-intentioned readers, the dark veil with which ignorance and prejudice have obscured the trutL,— and that these pages may enable the conscientious of every communion to comprehend the character and appre- ciate the virtues of one of the best of Men, one of the most beneficent of Rulers, and one of the most illustri- ous of Popes. ♦ J. F. M. London, July, 185Y. CONTENTS. ■^*^ CHAPTER I. Introductioiu-The PauHne Chapel.-The Cardi„als.-The Pope. Pagel CHAPTER II. Th. Pope : M. BWh «„d Ed„c.ti„„._He .Mle, for th. Mi„l..r,._H,, Ch.my to .„ English Offloer._R,t„„. to K„„,.._I, „«..ed Arch- «opoSp„, .„._!„„.„„„ „, ,, Po.,„„„._Appoi../ct d,™. B,3hop of ta.to.-I„. oh.,.tabIc,„a pio„.W„r-I. oleoted 18 CHAPTER HI. ""!• "It "° ^"rr '"■°°'' °" ^--'^-t™, of ,he A„- fMr„T, t'"':^ Obj.e..-Maz.i„|, Addr.,. to the Wend, of I..h.„ L,berty.-WJBe„,ties of the Pope'. Po.lUo„._Th. Pope a. R fo™r.-I„...„c., of hi. AMtynnd Goodoe..-a. J e .o the EducaUon of You.h._The Pope „„ Kepoti... ' 2 CHAPTER IV. Alar, of Austria at the Acts of the Pope.-Popular Demonstrations rara by the Austnans.-Militery Enthusiasm of the People -Inau guration of the Council of Stato n, n ,- ^ T, . ^ . otate.— Its Creation an Evidence of fh* Pope's des re for Reform TU^v . . ^'"^nce ot the . "'"'•~^'^«P«Pe explains his intentions -Ad tcr/T rrr" '^-^"^-^-^ '■°-'' «— -^ lo xreiand.— His Appeal in her hphaK— «*-f-. -^f ". "^ — ai.. -.,^^,1^ 01 Xiurope. .... 54 XIV CONTENTS. CHAFrER V. The Year of Revolutions.— Great excitement in Rome.— Further Re- forms demanded. — Opening of the Roman Parliament.— Tlie War of Independence. — Its disastrous Result— Count Rossi Prime Minister. — ^His Assassination resolved upon Page 73 CHAPTER VI. Assassination of Count Rossi.— Dispatch of the French Ambassador.- Inhuman Rejoicings.— Assault on the Pope's Palace.— The Pope's personal Liberty at an end.— No Excuse for this Violence. 81 CHAPTER VII. The personal Liberty of the Pope at an end. — He resolves to abandon Rome.— His Flight from the Quirinal.— He reaches Gaeta. — His Re- ception by the King and Queen of Naples 89 CHAPTER Vm. The Flight of the Pope supposed to be the Downfall of the Papacy. Former Popes driven from Rome. — Pius VL and Pius VIL — General Cavaignac's Letter.— Testimony of the " Timea"— Addresses pour in on the Pope. — Offers of Hospitality. 95 CHAPTER IX Confusion in Rome at the Flight of the Pope.— His Protest from Gaeta. The Constituent Assembly convoked.— Arrival of Mazzini. — State of Rome. — Pins appeals to the Catholic Powers. — His Appeal responded *^o 108 CHAPTER X. Profane Rites in St. Peter's.— Atrocities of the Republic— Delusion of the Republicans, — Lord Palmerston's Advice. — Ap{>eals to France and England. — ^Armed Intervention indispensable. lis CONTENTS. !| ^^ CHAPTER XI. The IVench occupy Civita Vecchia. and xnarch on Rome.-F.rst A^ sault unsuccessful— Braverv nf t^.. t» • ^ « Th. P . ^ bravery of the Besieged.— Rome surrenden,— The Pope's Grateful Letter „ Pagel26 CHAPTER XII. The Pope's Edict published in Ron,e.-Another Amnesty.-Rome re- assures ,ts old Appearance-General Reaction.-The Pope's r1 tnrn announced.-HisJourney.-He re-enters his Capital.- Enthu- siasm of the People 138 CHAPTER XIII. Disastrous Effects of the Revolution.-The Pope's Efforts to remedy them His daily Life.-His Audiences.-Petitions.-Tlie Pope^ Chanty.— Hia Munificence. . 141 CHAPTER XIV. Instances of the Pope's Charity.-More Instances.-Curious Applica- tions.-Protestant Opinions of his Character.-He gives Audience to a Negro Slave.-His Affability to Students.-The Holy Father a 1 edestrian.-Pio Nono and Father Mathew.-Public Bakeries and Model Lodging Houses established by the Pope jgj CHAPTER XV. Personal Courage of His Ho]iness.-His Presence of Mind in the Honr of Danger.-His Visits to the Cholera Hospitals.-Not afraid of his Subjects.- Evidence of his Fearlessness ■ 16ft CHAPTER XVL TTie Roman Hospitals.-La Consolazione.-^an Giovanni di Calabit^- San Galicano-San Giacomo.-Santissima Salvatore.-^antissima Trimta di Pellegrini . . 172 CHAPTER XVn. Great Hospital of Santo Spirito.-Its Extent and Import. nce.-Ita Foundhng Hospital.- Foundlings nof nnc-.s."-!]" =M — XVI CONTEJfTS. Reasons why legitimate Children are sent in. — Average Mortality. — State of the Hospital. — ^Treatment and Training of the Foundlings, — Hospital of San Rocoo. — Advantages of these Institutions, espe- cially in preventing Infanticide. — ^Asylum for Lunatics.. . .Page IS*? • CHAPTER XVIII. The Roman Prisons— In a State of Transition — Beneficial Change in their Management>— Religious versus Lay OflSciak— The Termini.— The Prison for Women.— The Solitary Cell.— Influence of the Nuns. — ^Reformatory of Santa Maria della Misericordia. — Reformatory della Vigna Pia. 208 CHAPTER XIX. Prisons of San Michele. — The Cellular and Silent Systems long prac tised in Rome. — The Political Prison very unlike an Italian Dun- geon 224 CHAPTER XX Asylum and Prison of the Good Shepherd.— Singular Influence of the Nuns over the Prisoners. — Model Prison of Fossombrone.— The Pope a Prison Reformer. — His Advice to Bishop Wilson 230 CHAPTER XXL Houses of Refuge. — Charitable Associations for the Defence of the Poor and the Imprisoned. — Society of S. Giovanni DecoUato. — Socie- ty della Morte 241 CHAPTER XXII. Education in Rome.— The Old Calumny against the Catholic Church refuted by the Educational Institutions of Rome. — Its Schools more numerous than its Fountains. — Elementary Education. — Gratuitous Education originated by Ecclesiastics. — Religious Orders devoted to the Gratuitous Education of the Poor. — The Brothers of the Chris- tian Schools. — ^Their admirable System of Education 252 CONTENTS. XVU CHAPTER XXIIL 1*. W Night S«h«,h_The Deaf .„d D«„b.-A,,ta„ of T.U CHAPTER XXIV. .b.. L.b«n»_Ad„M„. gr.t„I.„„._E,e„.„.„y I„tr„ J' 288 CHAPTER XXVI Relief of the Poor.-Poverty not treated as a Crime -Va.«n ^ Imposture sWnly dealt with by the Popes -eZ 7 ^^ " Mendicancy.-Modes of R«H«f^ ^«Pe8.-Efforts to suppress idle jr. ^o^^es of ReheC— Commission of Subsidies —ChftrSf •ble Iiistitution8.-Indu8trial ReUef «''« ^liough despised by the I INTRODUCTION. « «nlightenod, and scoffed at by the philosophers, still appoalod and not m vain, to the passLs of aL" and y,ces of human nat„.e,_that claimed, aa yet the allegmnce of a popnlace so long accustomed t^ t pomp and splendour, and whose ten,p,es and s linl ros on every side, in all tho magniflcence of the" c^Uy material, a.a the „ore inostimahle beaut; o^ «.e r des,gn .nd execufon. He beholds, also, thi i„. fent Church .r the True Faith hiding its .i„ d head beneath the very highly over whfch the scorntW polytheist strode,-cro„ehi„g i„ cell, and crypt .Id dark and tortuous labyrinth-and, when vent l „' wcked and mlamous to the Roman gaze, spite of the courage and fi,rtitude of its apostles and ifs marty™ He beholds this patient, fearless spouse of Christ weep' mg tears of blood, as, '^ "Butohwed to m«k» a R<,„„ holiday,- her children are torn by the jaws of ravening beasts consumed by fire or fell Ka„ »i, ^i "easrs, sword n/ 1 r "* *''^ ""'•o ■""■•cif"! eword. He sees the rej soil of the amphitheatre gradu ally losmg its hue of carnage, and blooming' wS .vst-,ous be„nt., as there steals into the 1.^^' of the Kazarene's faith-which, to the wonder of Z scorner and tl.e scoffer, impax-ts strength to totta- ' age, ortmtde to tender youth, and the couraje 2 hero to the feeble virgin. He beholds how the stl e ROME AND ITS EULER. M and images of the gods, so long the worshipped of the masters of the world, identified with the triumphs and the glory of a miglity race, were, at first, care- lessly regarded, next despised, then detested,— how the crushed and trampled Church of the Catacombs emerged from the darkness to the light of day, no longer loathed and execrated as the foe of humanity, and the teacher of all wickedness ; but hailed with en- thusiasm by a softened people, and protected by the authority, but still more by the devotion, of princes and rulers,— and how, at length, and after long ages of persecution and of obloquy, the Cross rose above the temple and the shrine, to be hailed from thence forward, and through regions unknown to the arms or philosophy of Rome, as the symbol of man's sal- vation. And here grew into maturity a power and a sove- reignty greater than that of the Csesars- the power of the Papacy, and the sovereignty of the Church. Bap- tized in blood, and cradled in adversity, the Papacy grew into strength, tue citadel and the stronghold of the Faith. From the modest throne of the first rulers of the Church to the tribunal of the tyrant, there was, for centuries, but a step ; and from thence to the stake and the scafibld, tlie road was but too well defined by the bloody footprints of their heroic predecessors. Wave after wave broke in fury against the rock on which God placed His Church'. Kow heresy assailed her ; now schism sought to rend her asunder ; now it was the rude and warlike savage from the forests of mTEODUCTION. e o Germany ,h, „,„,„,„ ^^^. ^^^ _^^^ .^ ^^^ Hnd i..„t,e Arab that, bunting with fl.„,„g ,eimitL upoa the countries which, once provinces of Some h^d M. willing allegiance to the spiritual supre; , of tl> Popes, ravaged the verj shrines and altars of the bd,old tiae enem.es of the Church become her friends era^a ants her protccto., her hanght, revi Jt umble andsubm.ssive children; till we see heratrik.ng he. .o„ndat.ons deeper and deeper into the hearts o^ natas and extending her beneficent dominion w dl and w.der over the face of the earth Then the chief events in the history of the Papacy fi-om the days of Charlemagne to those of l^aplo^ f 7 Wore the .ni„d i„ all their brilliant or gloomy eolonnng, as peace presided over the halls of the Vaf lean, or evil men sought the ruin nf ,i Petm- i J .. * "'® successors of Pete. And the.-e stand out from the shadowy back- ' " g~u„d the striking figu..B of such illustrious P^ G.-ego..ytheG..eat, Julius the Second, Leo thelnth ad P „e ,,e Seventh, whose sorrows and s,.irerin<^ but added .ncreased splendour to their virt..es. "^ All k.nds of associations. Pagan and Christian owdcd .n confusion upon my excited memo,;, si All Sa.nts My great desire, paramount to all othe.^- wh tu he gratmcation of curiosity or of tast^l tnat of seeing with mv n^^r. .y.. .i,-_. . , . _ 6 ROME AND ITS RULER. had, and I say it not without shame, imperfect, if not altogether erroneous notions. This is not to be wondered at, when it is considered that the sources of information respecting all matters Roman are tainted at the very source ; and that the great body of the Catholics of these countries gener- ally depend, certainly have hitherto almost sxclusively depended, upon Protestant writers for what little they know of the Pope, and of his venerable capital. For instance, judge the Pope by the prevailing belief of Protestant England, derived from the representations of its press, its platform, or its pulpit ; and one beholds in him a combination of the temporal despot, and the spiritual impostor, at once the scourge of an afflicted people, and the arch-priest of Satan. Protestant credu- lity regards him as one whose mission and policy it is to enslave alike the bodies and the souls of men, by fetter- ing their civil liberty with tyrannous restrictions, and darkening and stunting their intellect by the denial of a liberal education. In their profound ignorance of the truth, many, even fair-minded and in all other respects enlightened people, look upon the Holy Father — even the gentle and merciful Pius — not merely as the stern oppressor of his own hapless subjects, but the cause of every evil which afflicts the various nations into which Italy is divided. In their eyes, it is the Vatican which casts its baleful shadow over the fair face of the Italian Peninsula, and shuts out from that beauteous land and its gifted racies the light and warmth of national free- dom. Nay, why should not this be so, when the great INTRODUCTION. ^ 7 object of the tyrant and impostor, who sitteth on the Seven Hills of the modern Babylon, is, according to the ravmgs of the fanatic enemies of the Church, to trample upon the liberties of all free countries, and make of kmgs and princes his footstools ? The ambition of Rome, say they, never sleeps; it is as dangerous now as m the days when its thunders hurled monarchs from their thrones, and brought the haughtiest warriors as suppliants to its feet. Nor was it a Julius or a Sixtus that was alone to be dreaded; for did not a Barbarossa meekly hold the stirrup of the mule on which an Alex- ander, ihon a weak and infirm old man, rode through the streets of Yenice ? Those who read the history of the dark and middle ages with dalm and unimpassioned J udgment, and are not swayed by bigotry, or bewildered by mere names, must recognize the advantege., to the peace of nations and the progress of civilization, which had been conferred by this very influence. But that power, so often omnipotent for good, in those dark and troublous times, when might was right, and laws were far more often written in blood than ink, is now a thing of the past; being in latter years, when every country has ite own well-ordered system of govern- ment, and when a well-defined compact exists between nations, by which the weak are protected from the ag- gression of the strong, as unnecessary as ite existence is imaginary. It will be my g,.atefBl task to exhibit to tlie reader a por.ra.ture, feeble it may be in its execution, but faith- ful in intention, of a modem Pope-whose 8 ROME AND ITS KULEB. approaches nearer to the Divine model than that of any living man. And this I shall endeavour to do in a sub- sequent place. To behold Pius IX. was my most anxious desire — which I soon took occasion to gratify ; for I was not many houi*s in Eome before I formed one of a consider- able number of persons, mostly strangers from various coimtries of Europe, mixed up with ecclesiastics of dif- ferent nations and orders, and students of the principal Eoman Colleges, that were assembled in the great hall opening into the Pauline Chapel, the Popes private chapel in his palace of the Quii*inal. No sooner were the folding-doors flung open by the officers on duty, than, with an eagerness which nearly degenerated into a rush, the well-dressed crowd possessed themselves of every vacant place. It was curious to note the manner and bearing of th*^ lay portion of the strange congregation thus gathered together from almost every principal nation of the world. Generally speaking, it was respectful, and even pious ; but in not a few instances curiosity was evidently combined with a supercilious contempt " for the whole thing." The French, Spaniards, Austrians, and Italians, were grave and collected, and so were several of the English ; but some of the latter evidently went to the Pope's Chapel as they had gone the previous night to the Opera, to hear the music, or to " do " it, as they would the Coliseum, or the Baths of Caracalla. I have a Kvely remembrance of the remarks of one young and well-dressed Englishman, who combined in an extraor- THE PA0LINE OHAPEL. j' dinary degree, ignorance, irreverence, and comicality and of the singular patience of the intelligent and courteous eccleeiastic from whom he sought informa- t.on, or to whom he freely imparted his own views and opm,one of what he beheld. But none so devout and so collected as the English convert, whose identity one might discern at a glance. While others held, or used an opera-glass, he was engaged in his missal, or ab- sorbed m his devotions. Novelty as well as pictnresqueness were imparted to the groups around me by the variety of the costume and appearance of students of different colleges, monks and tears of different orders, and priests of different conn- tees and races. The greater number of the ecclesiastics had their hair closely cut, and the face and chin scrupu- lously shaven; while othe™ rejoiced in beards of patri- archal grandeur, descending even to the breast. Some were clad in the graceful black and white robes of the Domimcan, some in the black dress of the Jesuit, some in the dark frock and embroidered emblems of the Passionist, and others in the eoai^e brown woollen garb of the Franciscan. Skin of every hue, eyes of eveiy form^and colour, features of every variety, marked, even to the most careless observer, steking distinctions of eonntry, clime, and race, and illustrated the univer- sahty of that Church which has endured for nearly two thousand yea,., and of which Eome is the seat and centre, as ,t was the great nursing mother. Look at these students, and you will behold how the youth of Asia and Africa, as in the earlv a«„ of Om-ti-n-- 10 ROME AND ITS RULER. come to learn the great truths of religion from the teacher of all nations ; and how the Greek, whose ancestors gave to Rome her arts and her philosophy, is now clad in the academic costume of that most celebrated of Roman Colleges, the Propaganda. And though speak- ing the same language, their marked variety of accent betrays the respective countries which have sent these youths of fairer complexion and of larger stature ; and proves that England and Scotland, as well as Ireland, are still indebted to the liberality of Rome for the training of a portion of their Priests. On this day, as on the next morning, and on several subsequent occasions, I had the good fortune to occupy a position which afforded me an opportunity of making myself acquainted with the personal appearance of the Cardinals, who, with the exception of those immediately in attendance on the Pope, took their respective places some time previous to the commencement of the cere- monies. And taking them all, as they sat in dignified composure, the greater number of them absorbed in meditation, or devoutly reading their breviaries, a more imposing and venerable-looking body of men, or a nobler collection of intellectual heads, it would be diffi- cult to imagine. Let me particularize a few of them. That tall white-haired old man, who combines the apostolic sweetness of the late Archbishop Murray with the patriarchal dignity of the late venerable Dr. Egan, Catholic Bishop of Kerry, is Cardinal Tosti, for many years past the accomplished and liberal protector of that noblest of Roman institutions, the Ospizio of San THE CARDINALS. ^ Michele. A single anecdote will best describe the man. men the Pope and Cardinals had left Rome, after «.e assassination of Count Eossi, and the attaek on the Qununal, Cardinal Tosti remained at his post at San M.chele. Several of the revolntionists paid him a visit to congratulate him on his courage and devotion. ' birs, I refuse your praise," was his answer : " I am no more afraid of you than were any of my colleagues who are gone away. It was through love and obedience to the Holy Father that they followed him into exile The same motives prevent :ny leaving this establish: ment ; for he has desired me not to abandon so many unfortunate persons sheltered here. Besides, I am a Eoman, and you are not. I shall remain at Eome W.U.0U fear. J, ,„„ g,,, „, ^ ,,„^ ^^, ^ ^^.,^ - w U only shorten my life two or three yea., for I ara already seventy-two." This was in 18i8 ; since when many additional yea,^ have rolled over that noble head, without dimming the fire of the eye that speaks of the bright intellect wilhin On the same bench sits the Capuchin Cardinal : and only aat the face is not so full of colour, nor ,h eye BO keen, you might fancy that the Cardinal with the sweepmg grey beard and the brown habit, now so absorbed m mental prayer, was Julias the Second who had j^t walked ont of the immortal canvlof' Eap^ael He was the Pope's confessor, is Superior of the Capuchms, and was made Cardinal a year or two ago. When the Pope was at Gaeta,.his venlble 12 ROME AND ITS RULER. old man, not to compromise others, put up the Pope's decrees upon St. Peter's with his own hand. Tlie Dominican, in the white robes of liis illustrious order, is Cardinal Gaudi, of most agreeable countenance and active carriage, and whose graceful and kindly- manners, as I afterwards had a personal opportunity of knowing, harmonized with his attractive appearance. It is not long since that he came to Eome from Pied- mont, where his abilities as professor had given him great distinction. The Pope lately raised him from the rank of simple priest to that of Cardinal. On the same bench, and very near to where I stood, sat Cardinal Barnabo, Prefect of the Propaganda, with whose name the Catholics of the United Kingdom have been familiar of late. With head solid and compact, eye sharp and keen, gesture lively and active, the Pre- fect of the Propaganda looked to be, what he is, in the fullest vigour of his faculties, of body as of mind. That dark, little man, whose face, thoroughly Italian, has an expression of such religious goodness, is Cardinal Altieri. He is a prince by birth, and has held many ofl&ces in the State. Cardinal Picoluomini, the relative of the new queen of the lyric stage, whose high spirit is fully equal to her musical and dramatic genius, is that heavy, feeble man, of large frame, massive head and dark countenance, who limps with difficulty to his seat. Then besides Cardinal Reisach, whose fair and florid complexion denotes his German origin, there are Car- dinals Barberini and Medici ; the latter about the finest I THE CAKDINALS. 13 type of the Italian that conjid well be imagined, and whose marked and striking profile seemed especially suited for a medal or a coin. ; A whisper is circulated— "Here is Antonelli;" and a visible stir may be observed as the celebrated Car- dinal Secretary of State, and Prime Minister of the Government of Pius IX., makes his appearance. That sallow, intensely Italian face ; those great black eyes, never at rest ; those parted lips, that show the glittering teeth ; the jet-black hair; the worn yet de- fiant look, so full of intelligence, power, and pride, can belong to none but Antonelli. His very walk is a kind of stride, that speaks, as it were, of the super- abundant energy of one of the most remarkable men of the day— a man relied on by many as a minister of high courage, and eminent ability, but dreaded and de- tested by the revolutionary party. Cardinal Ferretti, Grand Penitentiary, whose benign expression well accords with Ms gray hairs, is also amongst the remarkable personages of the Papal Court. This distinguished Cardinal is the cousin of the Pope, and was his prime minister previous to the revolution' He IS simple in his habits, saintly in his life, and emi- nent for his apostolic zeal. When Cardinal Bishop of Eieti, It happened that robbers broke into one of the churches of that city, and stole from thence the pyx adding to the guilt of their sacrilege by carrying off its sacred contents. Upon being apprised of this abom- mable outrage, the Cardinal, accompanied by his cler- gy, walked through the streets with feet bare, and 14 ROME AND ITS RULER. ropes round their necke^and thus proceeded in peni- tential procession to tlio market-place, where he de- livered a most moving discourse on the affecting text— ''They say to her: Wmnan, why weepest thou? She saith to them : Became they ham taken away my Lord: a/nd I know not where they have laid him:'— John, xx. 13. The pyx was restored that night, its sacred cqp- tents untouched. Another face, eminently Italian, attracted my atten- tion. It was full of intelligence and animation, and good and kindly in its expression. It was that of the Sub- stitute Secretary of State, Monsignor Berardi, a man of considerable ability and excellent administrative talent, who understands several European languages, and is thoroughly conversant with the social and political con- ditions of most countries. And on thip as on subsequent occasions, I recognized with pleasure the fair and familiar countenance of Mon- signor Talbot, whom the Catholics of London may well remember for the unaffected piety and untiring zeal with which he discharged the laborious duties of one of the most important of its missions ; and who is known to the "English" strangers in Kome as one of the most • obliging and courteous of their countrymen. And his confidential position in the Papal Court, as one of the four principal chamberlains of his Holiness, affords him many opportunities of rendering them valuable and timely service. ^ A hush now suddenly falls on the assembly, awing into silence the whispered comments of the strangers. THE POPE. 15 Who seek for information of the obliging eccleBiastica that surround them ; for the Pope is about to enter. From the door at the left-hand side of the altar— in itself most simple in its decoration— there issues forth a varied and brilliant procession of the Prelates and Princes of the Church, in the midst of whom appears the imposing person and sweet and engaging coun- tenance of Pius the Ninth, who is conducted by at- tendant dignitaries to the throne at the right, or Gospel Bide. To me, as indeed to every stranger present, the Pope was the great object of attraction— his every look and gesture being fraught with interest, even to the unbeliever and the scoffer— but how far deeper to the Catholic worshipper from a distant land, who recognized in the mild and noble figure before him the venerable head of his Church, the spiritual sovereign of the greater portion of the Christian world, whose authority is affectionately acknowledged and willingly obeyed in every country upon which the sun shines. The features of Pius IX. have been for many years familiar to the people of most countries, through por- trait and bust; and are more remarkable for gentle- ness, mildness, benevolence, and a rare sweetness of expression, than for any other quality or character. A face more calculated to win confidence and inspire affection I have never seen. One smile from that tender mouth, one soft beam from those mild blue eyes, and even men would come as children to his knee. Though the very opposite of those stern and haughty Pontiffs which the Protestant imagination may 16 KOME AND ITS RULER. pJcture to itself, as it tliinks of a Ilildebrand or a Ju- lius, I could not conceive a manner or a bearing more full of true dignity than that of tlie Holy Father, as ho sat eathroned amidst the Princes of the Church, or rose to intone the vespers-which he did with a mus'ical and sonorous voice-or to impart the apostolic bene- diction. I have elsewhere seen many pious priests in the performance of their sacred functions ; but never before did I behold a countenance more expressive of profound piety, or so illumined with that heavenly brightness which outwardly manifests the working of the spirit within. It seemed, as it ^^ere, suffused with a light from above. Heart and mind and soul appeared to be absorbed, as they really were, in the ceremonies in which he assisted ; and not for a second's space did his attention wander from his devotions. He com- muned as truly with his God, in the midst of that splendid crowd, and with hundreds of eager eyes riveted upon him, as if he were kneeling in his private chamber, and asking for another day of strength to meet the difficulties of his exalted but perilous position. I do not write this as the result of a single impression, but of one which several other opportunities only tended to confirm the more strongly. For on some seven or eight subsequent occasions I had the good fortune to be present when the Pope assisted in pei-son at various ceremonies of the Church, more or less grand and im- ' pressive ; and on each occasion I was struck by the same rapt piety, the same devout abstraction, the same THE POPE. 17 beautiful expreseion of that holiness which irradiates the human face as with beams of celestial light. The most prejudiced person who beholds the Holy Father engaged in any act of devotion, must give him credit for genuine piety ; but the stranger who is accustomed to regard everything Catholic with dis- trust, if not with avei-sion, compensates himself for his involuntary admiration of the bearing of the Pope, by a belief in his bigotry as a priest, and his despotic' tendencies as a politician and a sovereign. Even Cath- olics of these coimtries, forgetting or overlooking the events which rendered the first years of tlje Pontificate of Pius IX. so full of profound and startling interest, not unfrequently fall into strange errors with respect to his character and career as a temporal ruler. It is well, on this account, that a brief history of those events in which Pius IX. bore so prominent a part, should form a portion of a volume which is chiefly written with the intention of encountering unjust pre- judice, and removing injurious misconception. Let us therefore follow this good and holy man throughout his whole career, in every stage of his life, from the hour when, as a boy, he first quitted the side of his aflfectionate and pious mother, to the moment when, in the ripe maturity of manhood, we at length behold him clothed with the highest earthly authority and offering up to God, as a willing sacrifice, the sor' rows and afflictions of a loving but lacerated human beart. IS ROME AND ITS RULER. CHAPTER II. The Pope : his Birth and Education.-He studies for the Ministry -His Malady cured.-His First Ma89.-Goes to Chili.-Instance of his Charity to an English Officer.-Returns to Rome—Is created Arch- bishop of Spoleto.-Difficu]ties of his Position—Appointed Cardinal Bishop of Imola— His charitable .^nd pious Works— Is elected Pope, GiovASTNi Maria Mastai Fekeetti was born in Sini- gaglia on the 13th of May, 1792, of the Count Jerome and the Countess Catherine Solazzi of the same city. In 1803, being then in his eleventh year, he was placed by his parents in the college of a religious body called Scolopii, at Yolterra, which was then justly cele- brated for its course of studies, and the wise system of instruction pursued by its gifted conductors. The noble aspect of the youth, the sweetness of his dispo- sition combined with the firmness of his character, the vivacity and liveliness of his discoui-se, as well as the talent which he displayed, soon gained for him the love and esteem, not only of his companions, but also of his masters. He was so distinguished in his studies, that, on the occasion of the aunt of the present Em- peror of France, Eloise Baciocchi, then Queen of Etruria, visiting Yolterra, and being received by its students, he was selected to preside at what h termed "an academy in verse," which was given in her honour, and in the name of his fellow-collegians. In 1808, while yet pursuing his collegiate course, STUDIES rOR THE MINISTRY. 19 he was seized with violent fits of epilepsy. -Never- theless, in the following year, and in accordance with the desire of his pious mother, he received the first tonsure at the hands of Consignor Tecontie, the bishop of Yolterra; and in the October of the same year he hastened to Eome to complete his ecclesiastical studies. This was to him the more pleasing, as his mother's wishes were wholly in accordance with his own aspira- tions, which ever tended to the ecclesiastical state ; whilst he was also aware that nowhere as in Rome can those studies and those preparations, which train the mind and heart for the sacred duties of the priesthood, be so well -attended to and completed. In the Capital he lived with his uncle, a canon of the Vatican Basilica ; but the latter being obliged to fly from Rome, in consequence of the sad events which shortly afterwards ensued, the young Mastai also, in 1810, retired from that city. In 1812, on account of his distinguished birth, he was summoned to join the guard of honour in Milan ; but an exemption was ac- corded him because of the distressing disease to which he was then subject. From this simple fact seems to have been derived the report, which has been so currently received, but which is devoid of all reality, that Count Mastai presented himself to Pius VII. in Rome, with the intention of embracing a military life, and solicited admission to the ranks of the NoblJ Guard. In truth, Mastai never adopted the military profession, nor did his disposition prompt him to such a career. 20 ROME AND ITS RULER. He continued in his native city till the return of Pius YII. to his States. When tliat sorrow-stricken Pontiff passed through Sinigaglia, Mastai had the honour of being presented to him, and soon after hastened once more to Rome, where he witnessed, in May, 1814, the enthusiastic reception given by the citizens to the Holy Father in the Piazza del Popolo. The Ecclesiastical Academy having been reopened, Mastai attended its schools, but as a layman, the dis- ease with which he was still affected preventing his aspiring to sacred orders. But God, who intended him for the ministry, inspired him, by inward impulse, not to despair of attaining that ardently desired state ; and, reassuming the ecclesiastical dress, he commenced soon after his theological studies, under the direction of the distinguished Professor Joseph Graziosi. The attacks of his malady becoming less violent, though still of occasional recurrence, he was admitted to minor orders. In 1818, Monsignor Odescalchi, who afterwards laid aside the purple, to become a member of the order of Saint Ignatius, and was then a Prelate of the Court, invited him to take part in a mission which was about being given in his native province of Sinigaglia. Through the anxious solicitude of the Pontiff, after his return to Rome, bands of zealous missionaries were everywhere scattered throughout the provinces, to re- awaken the spirit of religion, which was well-nigh ex- tinct in the breasts of the people, in consequence of the disorder which had so long and so univei'sally prevailed. HIS MALADY CUEED. 21 In this mission to Sinigaglia, together with the above-^ mentioned Prelate, was engaged the Bishop of Maece- rata, Monsignor Strambi, whose cause for beatification 18 now being proceeded with. Mastai, inasmuch as his ecclesiastical orders allowed him, engaged in the mis- sion with singular zeal, and with the most happy results ; and returning to Rome, much improved in health, he asked for and obtained a dispensation to be promoted to the holj orders of sub-deacon and deacon, and was or- dained sub-deacon on the 18th of December, 1818. His aspirations were not jet satisfied ; but looking forward, ever more and more anxiously, to the priesthood, he solicited from the Holy Father a further dispensation, which was also granted, but with the condition that, when offering the Holy Sacrifice, he should be assisted by another clergyman. The Pontiff had shown himself 60 loving and paternal towards him, that he resolved to ask for a special audience, in order, if possible, to have even this condition removed. In this audience the Holy Father, with his usual benignity, taking him affectionately by the hand, said-" Yes, we will grant you even this tavour, as I believe that for the future you will be no longer affected with your disease." And so indeed it has happened ; as from the close of the year 1818, to the present day, a period of nearly forty years, lie has never once been subject to it ! Thus did Divine Providence guide the lips of the Holy Father to whom one might almost imagine was disclosed the future destiny of the youthful Levite, who then knelt before him in earnest supplication. On tlie festiv.nl of ' 22 ROME AND ITS RULER. Easter, 1819, Mastai celebrated Mass for the first time, having chosen the church of St. Anne dei Falignami for that purpose. His special motive for this selection was, that in an adjoining orphanage he had hitherto de- voted himself to the care and maintenance of about 100 poor orphans, whom he personally instructed in their catechism and religious duties, while at the same time they were prepared, by a suitable training, for various branches of useful industry ; so that being thus made good Christians, they might also one day become valu- able membeid of society. In 1823, a Canon of the Cathedral of St. James, in Chili, having come to Eome to solicit from the Pontiff a representative of the Holy See in that remote republic, Mastai was invited by Cardinal della Genga, then Vicar of Eome, and afterwards by Cardinal Gonsalvi, to take part in that mission with Monsignor Muzi, afterwards Bishop of Castello. At that time such distant jour- neys were not viewed without just alarm and well- founded apprehensions of danger; and the Countess his mother wrote to Cardinal Gonsalvi, Secretary of State, entreating him most forcibly not to permit her son to undertake this remote mission. But Mastai, nowise affected by those dangers which a fond mother's fancy so readily conjured up, received the invitation as a .voice from heaven, summoning him to a new and wider field of labour. Wherefore, yet ignorant of the solicitations of his parent, he presented himself to the Holy Father, who said to him,-" The Countess your mother has written to the Secretary of State to prevent EMBASSY TO CHILI. 28 your journey ; but we have written to her, in answer, that you will surely return safe from this mission." This occurred in the month of June, 1823 ; and the prediction of the Pontiff was verified to the letter, as about three years afterwards Mastai revisited his friends in Sinigaglia ; the Apostolic Delegate having, in con- sequence of the breaking out of a revolution in Chili, deemed it more prudent not to delay longer in that country. While on his route to Chili, he was obliged to stop at Monte Video and other places in South America; and wherever he stopped he lost not a moment in exer- cising his ministry, to which he also untiringly devoted himself during the two years that he spent in Santiago. Besides devoting all his time and all his talents to preaching, instructing, and confessing, he gave to the poor, and applied to charitable uses, the means of which he was possessed ; so that, when afterwards made Arch- bishop, he had to sell some property belonging to him in Eome, in order to pay for the Bulls which are ex- pedited on those occasions. A circumstance of which.: lately became aware is too characteristic of the illustrious object of this sketch not to be mentioned in connection with his mission to Chili. As the Apostolic Delegate and his companions and suit were on their way to the capital, they had to put up at a miserable wayside inn, far remote from any other human habitation. In this comfortless abode lay an English officer, tossing and writhing on a bed of sickness, many thousand miles away from home and friends. The sad condition of this unhappy gentleman. 24 BOMB AND ITS BULEE. a Stranger and a "heretic," became known to the Italian ecclesiastics ; one of whom charitably re- mained behind his companions to watch by the sick man,, whom he nursed with all the tenderness of a mother or a sister. Kor did he leave his side till he had the satisfaction of seeing him restored to health and strength. The Italian priest who so stopped I the wayside, to minister to the sick stranger, wa..^ Mastai Ferretti, now Pius IX.* In December, 1825, on his return to Rome, he was appointed, by Leo XH., to the presidency of the vast ospizio of San Michele. The prudence and soU- citude with which he discharged the laborious func- tions of that office are yet gratefully remembered by those who were tlien acquainted with the institution, and formed a prelude to the noble works which he was afterwards to achieve in a wider and more glorious field. After having for twenty months presided over this ospizio, the same Pontiff destined him to the Archiepiscopal See of Spoleto, which was the Pope's native diocese. In this city the new Bishop founded a large orphan- age for poor children intended for the mechanical arts; and in this labour of practical charity we may recognize the same untiring zeal, in ministering to the wants of the helpless and indigent, which had already marked his early priesthood. His work was the more praise- worthy, as being established, not as a mere temporary institution, but as one that in future times and for * The name of the British officer was Miller. I 5, lie was of the and Boli- us func- ered by ititution, Iiich he glorious ed over to the Pope's orphan- al arts; cognize ants of narked praise- porary Qd for DIFFICULTIES OF HIS POSITION. 2& future generations was to relieve the destitute orphan and remain a perpetual monument of his benevolence and charity. Nor was he at this early period of his career without expcnencmg those more public difficulties which, in a ternbly aggravated form, were to cast so sad a gloom over the h,.t years of his Pontificate. In 1831 some disturbances were excited through the States, which, however, w.th the aid of the Austrian troo^, were soon repressed. This was a trying conjuncture L our Archb,shop as about 4.000 insurgents, who, on the approach of the Austrians, had abandoned .Le siege of C.v.ta Castellana, took up their quartet, in SpSleto. No .mmediate succour could be hoped for- but still Mastai did not abandon his fiock, or lose cour get t emergency. ^V, partly by entreaties and efpostula- tmns, and partly by promising some few thousand scudi hem tlT' T' """"•'^'' ''* *- «« '» -duce hem toretum to their allegiance, and yield up theirarms to the constituted authorities. I^ese, including maTy thousand stand of muskets, and five pieces of Innon were transmitted to E„me. This indeed was oZ o^' those sweet and grateful triumphs which, throughout all times, men of his kind have won over passion and even despair. At this same period, the .Uo^:^ U.e Provmces of Perugia and Spoleto having fled Cardmal Bernetti, the then Secreta^ of Stafe en ^ueted to the Archbishop their dole Sclr wh.ch dunng the disturbances, he was af those ng and bad no APPOINTED OABDWAI BISHOP OP IHOLA. 27 Shelter left save what was afforded them by mdely constructed huts. TI,e faithful Pastor suffered in h^ flock, and made their misfortunes his own. We have .n our own times, seen heavier calamities faU „p„„ ^ porbon of a proud empire, whose statesmen and whose nZTT T ''T'""' *^ """ of ecclesiastics; bnt, notwithstendmg the pride and power of that empire we beheld Us mnocent and unoffending subjeets L' forts, clumsy and unsympathizing, were bei;g tardily made for the.r relief. It had been well for Irdand if m the days of her tribulation, a Mastai had presided over the councils of her rulc-or if there had bl ess of the spirit of Political Economy, and more of the spirit of the Gospel. •>''"'<' "ore of It pleased the Sovereign Pontiff Gregory XVl to T^T T 'Tr' "' °" ""'•"»"•' - *eanli;ry of D eember, 1832, from the Archiepiscopal See of Spoleto to the Episcopal See of Imola, L which hrw^ charge. In this see he was decorated with the purple bemg reserved inj>eUo in the Consistory of the 23X December 1839, and proclaimed Cardinal on the lil of December, 1840. insatir'" 'T ^""""'"^ """^ "''^'^ ""'' Pe^anent 2d n . ""' °*''^' " """«Se for ecclesiastical tndente whose means did not aUow them to complete fteir studies in the Episcopal Seminary; and an r! Phanage, or rather a society for the guardianship and mamtenance of about thirty children of the poorest cla^ 28 ROME AlfD ITS RUL£B. destined for the mechanical arts, who were provided with their dailv food, and likewise received two good suits of clothes in the year, one for winter and the other for summer. On festival days these children were assembled by certain ecclesiastics in a small chapel, and there carefully instructed in the doctrines of the Church and in the knowledge of their religious duties. The same ecclesiastics also superintended their daily conduct, when they were sent to the shops of the city, to learn or pursue their diJfferent trades. To the care and management of the Sisters of Charity, the good Bishop entrusted a conservatorio of female orphans; and, in the same establishment, founded two female schools, one for girls of the poorer class, and the other for those of the more wealthy. He also entrusted the public hospital to the same Sisters ; and, adjoining it, he erected an asylum for those who were deprived of the use of their noblest faculty. Having accomplished these and other works, so con- genial to his tender and compassionate nature, Cardinal ■ Mastai crowned them by one of still holier humanity. To found a refuge for female penitents had long been the object of his fondest wishes. To his mind was always present the touching spectacle, to use his own expressive words, of the " lost daughters of the world soliciting admission to the fold of Jesus." For those unhappy beings his heart bled ; and to afford them an asylum from the horrors of a life of misery and a death of despair, he freely sacrificed his every available resource. Out of his own private means he purchased and suitably fitted I HIS CHARITABLE WOBKS. »P . house for the reception of a number of these poor r« w " . f *" ""-■"•"odation of aome nuns of the n,b)e order of the Good Shepherd, who, at his urgent «q«est, were sent from the parent house at Angie™ to take charge of the institution. B.at day was a pro'ud one for Cardmal Maatai that witnessed the arrival of tour S.sters at his palace ; which he placed at thdr d^ posa., until their future abode was fully prepared t the good Szstera, whom he had so anxiously implored to come to his assistance in his work of charfty , »d the ™ple Kuns were filled with gratitude, at first no ent rely d,vested of embarrassment, at the attentions h.v.hed npon them by a Prince of the Church, who himself waited upon tl.em while they sat at his alle a d m s^red to their wants with mor. than the hnma.ty of a servant. The feeling of delight with wh.ch Cardmal Maatai witnessed the accom^iahmelt rfanobjectlong deartohis heart may be undeLood by Ae tollowmg letter, which he addressed to the Superior of the Eouae of Anglers :_ ^ 'nuJ2j;Z:!Z°^Jr «-era.,-Your Eeverenoo detail, of thL h^Hr^taf rrr ^T '^''"'" *« -ame time, that I should expZ w ™ T"^ ""^' "' *■" tion that I eiperien™ ,„ P™"' *" ^"^ »"■» S^i consola- ■ittie troop o^rrrvi^rxTf rf -^ ^* ^"^ the mission for the salvS „f " ^"^^ ^'" "P™ reconduct them to flie fold of the pf-^ % «°J; 'h-y wUl 80 ROME AND ITS RULEB. Christ. May eternal praise be given to this God of Mercieg ; and I beg your Reverence to accept the assurance of my deepfelt gratitude. I have the consolation of having thorn with me in my palace. I have groat reason to thank the Lord, who holds in his hands the hearts of men : but it ap- pears to me that he has placed those of your daughters, not in his hands, but in his own heart. I will not fail to render them every assistance in their wants ; and from that thought I pass to the pleasure of assuring you again that I am, with deep esteem, the affectionate servant of your Maternity, *i* Jkan Marie, Cardinal Mastai, " Archbishop. "Imola, 14th September, 1845." Thus did the wise Prelate seek, by his new institu- tions, to provide for the wants and necessities of his flock ; and it is difficult to know which most to admire, the solicitude of the Pastor, or the generosity and benevolence which prompted such works, embracing all classes, and excluding none from their beneficent operiation. To preserve in the ecclesiastics of his diocese the spirit of their holy vocation, he opened a house for spiritual exercises, where, at stated times, a portion of the clergy devoted themselves for ten days to retreat — an arrangement which, though immediately affecting the clergy, yet exercised a beneficial influence on all his flock, as it more fitly prepared for the duties of the ministry those who were to be their religious guides. He also repaired some churches, restored the episcopal residence, and completed the front of the cathedral church, which had hitherto remained unfinished. Hlfl COURAGE. 81! Mercie* ; 30 of my ing them ^Imnk the but it ap- fiters, not to render t thought am, with tiity, [astai, ' institu- 8 of his admire, lity and ibracing neficent ;ese the )ii8e for rtion of B treat — ting the all his of the guides. Discopal ithedral I. An incident that occurred in the February of 1846 evinced the noble courage with which the Prelate was' endowed, and the singular efficacy which Providence communicated to his words. One evening of the Oar- nival, a little before dusk, the Cardinal was making his accustomed visit before the altar of the Holy Sa erament in the Cathedral, when the sacristan rushed towards him, crying out, "to hasten for God's sake, as murder was being perpetrated in the sacristy." Li- voking the Divine aid, the Cardinal at once arose and hastening to the spot, found there, lying upon a form a youth of about twenty yeai^ of age, who hav.ng been dangerously wounded by a bayonet thrust, ^ad JUS ta],en refuge in the sacred building. The Cardinal had scarcely reached the sufferer, when three armed men rushed in, with the wicked intention of eompletmg their deed of blood. But nowise dismay- ed by their naked weapons, and their looks of deadly hate, Masl^i boldly confronted the assassins, and, pre- sentinghis pectoral cross, described to them the enormity of their crime, and commanded them to retire. His words «o full of courage, and uttered as with the ror tr^ r ^'^""^^^^^-^ b^ Heaven, struck ter- . ror into their breasts, and were silently and almost un- consciously obeyed. Maatoi was now about to quit the scene of so many P.0US laWs, and so many works of charity and love for a splendid destiny, the grandest and Iho lofti si which man can be caUed on to fulfil on this earth; but 82 EOME AND ITS RULER. one ever fraught, if not with perils and sorrows, at least with the gravest anxieties and the profonndest cares. In the beginning of June, 1846, being than engaged with a considerable number of his clergy in a spiritual retreat, he received the announcement of the death of Gregory XYI. Immediately on the receipt of the sad intelligence, he hastened to the episcopal residence, and having celebrated the last obsequies of the deceased Pontiff, at once proceeded to Rome, unconscious of the fate which there awaited him. He arrived in the Capital on the evening of the 12th of June ; and in forty -eight hours afterwards he and his Brethren of the Sacred College entered the Conclave. On the 15th, the testing of the votes commenced: the evening of the 16th saw him unanimously chosen ; and on the morning of the 17th, the election of Pius IX. was proclaimed to the Christian world. It was in these words, so truly characteristic of his modest and humble nature, that the newly-elected Pontiff announced his elevation to his brothers at Sini- gaglia:— " Rome, 16th June, at f past 11, p. m. "The blessed God, who humbles and exalts, has been pleased to raise me from insignificance to the most sublime dignity on earth. May His most holy will be ever done. I am sensible to a certain extent of the immense weight of such a charge, and I also feel my utter incapacity, not to say the entire nullity of my powers. Cause prayers to be offered, and you also pray for me. The Conclave has lasted forty-eight hours. If the city should wish to make any ra ELECTED POPE. selves, dear brother., I embrace you w^tl ™t TL"""'" Jesus Christ; aud, far from exuWr Jflif ' „7 ^ "" .her. who pve, you aU his ap„s,„Ii„"bS^47 "" '""' "^ II M ROME AND ITS RULER. CHAPTER III. Pius IX. ascends the Throne. — Grants an Amnesty. — ^Terms of the Am- nesty. — Enthusiasm of the People. — ^Machinations of the Revolution- ists. — ^I'heir Policy and Objects. — Mazzini's Address to the Friends of Italian Liberty. — DiflSculties of the Pope's Position. — ^The Pope as a Reformer. — Instances of his Affability and Goodness. — Hia Interest in the Education of Youth. — ^The Pope no Nepotist. Never did sovereign ascend the throne with a heart more full of love for his people, or with a more fer- vent desire of contributing to their welfare and happi- ness ; and rarely, if ever, did sovereign enter upon a path so abundantly bestrewn with embarrassments and with difficulties. Devoted to the Church, of which he was ohosen to be head and protector, Pio Nono was not the less the friend of rational liberty, and the advocate of enlightened progasss. Thoroughly acquainted with his native country, and conversant with its interests and its wants, he resolved, from the first hour of his Pontificate, to so use the power entrusted to him by Heaven, as to remedy the evils which he knew to exist, and put an end to abuses of which he could not be un- conscious. Convinced that no attempt at reform could be successful so long as pains and penalties for former transgressions were still enforced against a considerable number of his subjects, who had been connected, more or less prominently, with revolutionary disturbances in the reign of his predecessor ; and also feeling the ut- PIUS IX. ASCENDS THE THRONE. 85'' most compassion for those who suffered, whether in mind or body— Pius IX. resolved to signalize his accession to the throne by an act of grace which should shed a light, as if from above, upon many sorrowing homes and de- spairing families. There were those who counselled the . Pope to moderate his generosity within the limits of prudence, and to have a care how he included in a gen- eral pardon many men whose past career was no reliable ^ guarantee for their future loyalty. But these cautious advisers spoke to one whose soul was overflowing with love and compassion, and who yearned to embrace his entire people within the arms of a fond father. And accordingly, on the 16th of July, just one month after his election, Pius IX. published the following decree of amnesty : — "In these days, when our heart is moved to see public jov manifested at our being raised to the Pontificate, we cannot refrain from a feeling of grief in thinking that a certain num- ber of families are unable to participate in the common jov because they bear the pain of some offences committed by one of then- members against society, against the sacred righte ot the legitimate Prince. ^ "We now desire to cast a look of compassion on the inex- perienced youth which has been led away by deceitful hopes m the midst of political discord, where il has been rather t"' seduced than the seducer. It is for that reason that Tj^ , to stretch out the hand, and offer the peace of the heart o «io. misguided children .ho will-evinL sincere repertl! Now that our good people has shown towards us their affec uon, and their constant vfinfiraHnn fr.^ tv,^ tt.i__ c , - II lor cne iiuij oee, and tor 86 ROME AND ITS RULER. our person, we are persuaded that we may pardon without danger. We, therefore, ordain that the commencement of our Pontificate shall be solemnized by the foUowuig act of sovereign grace : — " 1. There is granted to all our subjects who are under- going punishment for political offences a remission of their sentences, provided that they make in writing a solemn de- claration,* on their honour, that they will not in any manner or at any time abuse this grace, and will for the future fulfil the duties of good and faithful subjects. "2. Those of our subjects who have fled to foreign coun- tries in consequence of political crimes, may profit by the present resolutions in making known within the delay of one year to our Apostolic Nuncios or other representatives of the Holy See, their desire to profit by this act of our clemency. "3. We equally pardon those who, for having taken part m any conspiracies against the State, are under political sur- veillance, or may have been declared incapable of holding municipal offices. "4. It is our desire that all criminal prosecutions for political offences which have not yet received definitive judgment should be instantly put a stop to, and that the prisoners be set at liberty, unless any of them may demand the continuation of their trials, in order that their innocence may be proved. "5. There shall not be included in the provisions of the preceding articles the small number of ecclesiastics, of mill- * The following i8 the form of the required declaration :_" 1 the undersigned, acknowledge the receipt of a singular favour in the gen- erous and spontaneous pardon which the indulgence of the Soverei-^n Pontiff, Pope Pius IX., and my lawful sovereign, has accorded me for the part which I may have taken in any manner soever in the attempts which have disturbed public order and attacked the lawfully consti- tuted authority in his temporal dominions; promise, upon my word of honour, not to abuse in any way, nor at any time, this act of his sover- eign clemency, and pledge myself, besides, to fulfil faithfully all the duties of a loyal subject," TEBMS OF THE AMNESTY. 37 tary officers, and employSs of the Government, who have been already condemned, or have fled, or are now uT.der S for poht^cal ofi-ences. With regard to those we reserve our ^:^t^'' ''- ^^-- ^— - as to thl "6. There are also excluded from the present amnestv 2z :?rt:rnar- -^^^ -^ -^ ^^ -^ ^■ wiTr ^"' r^'"' ^^ ^''^ ^ '"'^^^"^^ that those who will to respect their duties and their honour. We hope mZ over, that their minds, softened by our palln wilf 1 mind that, ,f clemency be the sweetest attribute of sovereir ty, justice is its first duty. sovereign- "Given at Borne this 16th day of July 1848 in .1,. <; . year of our Pontificate. ^' ' " "" ''"' (Signed) "PIUS P. P. ls.» Tl™ noble evidence of the great heart of Pi„s was haJed with eestaey by a people already fascinated by the sweet countenance and modest deportaent of the^ new™ er. Yivas rent the air; blessings and prayed lowed his steps; iiowe™ were cast beneath his felt -and almost nstinctivelyformingtheniselvesintoinipl;; P ocessions, one of the most excitable and demonstra^I rf the Italian people proceeded tlirongh tlie streets of paUce of their sovereign an enthusiasm which appeared to know no limit, and which could with diffioXS 38 ROME AND ITS RULER. an appropriate utterance. And tlie solid earth seemed to rock, and the very heavens to tremble, as peal after peal of wild and frenzied cheering burst from mighty masses of the populace, when, yielding re- peatedly to the fond importunity of his subjects, the Pope came forth on the balcony of the Quirinal, and with graceful gesture imparted to them the Apostolic benediction. Gratitude, with pardonable vehemence, sought a natural expression in the language of hyper- bole ; and even the pen, m_ore sober and less impetuous than the tongue, became the vehicle of the most im- passioned exaggerations. Very many of the political prisoners, who soon flocked into Eome, not content with signing the pledge of honour— the only condition imposed by the terms of the amnesty— added, of tlieir free accord, such gratuitous vows as these :— " I swear by my head, and the heads of my children, that I will, to the death, be faithful to Pius IX."— « I swear to shed all blood for Pius IX."— "I renounce my share of Para- dise if ever I betray the oath of honour which binds me to Pius IX." But amidst this frenzy of enthusiasm there were many who were far from being content. The representatives of despotic Powers witnessed with alarm and apprehen- sion these popular ovations, but still more the beneficent acts to which they owed their origin. The cries and cheers that rang so frequently through the streets and squares of the Eternal City, in homage of the illus- trious promoter of reform and exalted friend of rational ENTHtlSIASM OF THE PEOPLE. 39 liberty, sounded harshly in the ears of miniete™ and statesmen grown gray in the service of despotism. And ommously, too, did these wild accents fall npon the startled souls of those who, with a full knowledge of the fickle and impulsive people by whom they were uttered, and a sad experience of events still recent, shuddered as they anticipated the license to which such gathenngs, processions, and demonstrations, wereulti- mately, and not remotely, to lead. To their alarmed fancy, the dagger of the anarchist gleamed darkly be- neath the flowe.-s of the festival. Nor were their fea™ without a cause. For, mixed up with the masses, con- «stmg mamly of the honest and the well-meaning, and ostentatiously parading their enthusiasm and their gratitude, were men who, without feeling the slightest sympathy with the public joy, or the leasf reverence! the sovereign whose reign was inaugurated by a deed of gracious mercy, were even then planning how best to turn all this enthusiasm and all this rejoicing to their own purposes-which aimed, not at the amelioration of existing institutions, but at their overthrow The disciples and foUowem of Joseph Mazzini were even tins early at tiieir work. And never was a morl " subtle and crafty policy mapped out for the guidl of a pohtical confederation. A few extracts from the writings of Mazzini, and one or two of the more active membei. of his party, many of whom the amnest;ter! m ted to ,„te, Rome, will most fittingly display^eir ntentions and the nature of the means through which tiey sought to carry them into execution 40 BOMB AND ITS BULER. li One of the most ardent of those who protested their gratitude to the Pope was Joseph Gailetti, of Bologna, whose sentence of capital punishment, for his participa- tion in the conspiracy of 1845, had been commuted into imprisonment for life, and the door of whose dungeon had just been flung open by the general par- don. This document had been alleged against him on his trial : — " Our enemies are many : first of all the clergy, the nohil- ity, many proprietors, lastly government employes. At the cry of liberty, shall be instity^^^ed in every city revolutionary committees, which shall make sure of the said persons the most suspected, and whose liberty or survival might bring great detriment to the cause. As a rule for the sentences of the committees, t\70 sorts of persons are to be distinguished. 1. Tho je who are indifferent to the cause, but have commit- ted no excess against its partisans, and are attached to gov- ernment through love of quiet. Tor these you must use all zeal to interest them. 2. Those who, employes or not, have openly shown themselves our enemies, upsetting us in every way ; and these chiefly shall be deprived of life. The man- ner of arrest, without violence and by night : put in prison Wid slain. You must use in that the greatest prudence and secrecy, giving out then either that they are hid, or exiled, or imprisoned provisionally. And all that not to excite tumults and awaken horror, as happened in the Septemberings. Their deaths to be speedy, and without torment." Bicciardi announced that — "To acquire independence needs revolution and war: to put aside all considerations originating in the progress of knowledge, civilizatioii, hidustry, increase of riches, and pub- lic prosperity. . , . The fatal plant, born in Judaea, has only reached this high point of growth and vigour because it •> POLICY OF THE REVOLUTIONISTS. 41 was watered with waves of blood. Would you have an error take root among men, put fire and sword to it. TV ould you have it fall, make it the object of your gibes. . . The question is not of a popular assembly, fluctuating, uncertain, s ow to deliberate: but there needs a hand of iron, which alone can rule a people hitherto accustomed to differences of opimon and what is still more, a people corrupted, ener- vated, made vie by slavery. . . . Soonanewerawill'begTn for men, the glorious era of a redemption quite otherwise than that announced by Christ." But the best exponent of the process by which revo- lution was made a science, is Joseph Mazzini. In his address of October, 1846, issued from Paris to the friends of Italy, he says ;— "In great countries it is by the people we must go to re- generation; in yours by the princes. We must absolutely make them of our side. It is easy. The Pope will march P-Jfl"^. I '"f ?""'^P^' ""^ ^^ ""'''''^'y-' the King of Piedmont through the idea ofthe crown of Italy; the aLd f.?. .^'f %'^''"^'^ ^°'^^' ""^ *h« ^''^' princes will have to think of other things besides reform. The people yetm servitude can only sing its wants. Projil L the leas concesston to assemble the masses, were it only to testify gratttude. Fetes, songs, assemblies, numerous relations estab iush 0,77 "".'''" ^P"""^' ^"^^^ *^ «^-ke ideas gush out, to g^ve the people the feeling of its strength and render U exacting. . . . Italy is still what France waf before the Revolution : she wants, then, her Mirabeau, Lafayette, and terests, i«/ he mag be taken by vanity. Leave him the chief go to the end. The essential thing is, that the goal of the great revolut^on be unknown to them : let ns never let them see 42 ROME AND ITS RULER. more than the first step. In Italy, the clergy is rich in the money and faith of the people. You must manage them in both those interests, and as much as possible, make their in- fluence of use. If you could create a Savonarola in every v capital, we should make giant strides. The clergy is not the enemy of liberal institutions. Seek, then, to associate them to this first work, which must be considered as the obligatory vostibule of the temple of Equality. Without the vestibule the sanctuary remains shut. Do not attack the clergy, nei- ther in fortune nor orthodoxy. Promise them liberty, and you will see them march with you In Italy the people is yet to be created : but it is ready to tear the envelope which holds it. Speak often, much, and everywhere of its misery and wants. The people does not understand ; but the active part of society is penetrated by these sentiments of compas- sion for the people, and sooner or later acts. Leanied dis- cussions are neither necessary nor opportune. There are regenerative words which contain all that need be often re- peated to the people. Liberty, rights of man, progress, equality, fraternity, are what the people will understand, ^bove all when opposed to the words, despotism, privileges, tyranny, slavery, &c. The difficulty is not to convince the people : it is to get it together. The day of its assembly will be the day of the new era. . . . Nearly two thousand years ago, a great philosopher, called Christ, preached the fraternity which the world yet seeks. Accept, then, all the help offered to you. Whoever will make one step forward, trust be yours till he quits you. A king gives a more liberal la'.v ; applaud him, and nsk for the one that must follow. A minister shows intention of progress; give him out as a model. A lord affects to pout at his privileges; put yourself under his direction : if he will stop, yon have time to let him go : he will remain isolated and without strength against you, and you will have a thousand ways to make unpopular all who oppose your projects. All personal discontent, all de- ceptions, all bruised ambition, may serve the cause of pro- gress by giving them a new direction The army is the MAZZINI'S ADDKESS. 48 greatest enemy to the progress of socialism. It must be par- alyzed by ihe moral education of the people. When once public opinion has imbibed the idea, that the army, created to defend the country, must in no case meddle with internal politics, and must respect the people, you may march without it, and even against it, without danger. .... The clergy has only half of the social doctrine. It wishes, like us, foi broth- erhood, which it calls charity. But its hierarchy and habits make it the imp of authority, that is to say, despotism. We must take what good there is, and cut the bad. Try to make equality penetrate the Church, mid all will go on. Clerical power is personified in the Jesuits. The odium of that name is already a power for the socialists. Make use of it ... . Associate ! associate ! every thing is in that word. The se- cret societies give irresistible strength to the party that c».n call upon them. Do not fear to see them split : the more th 3 better. All go to the same end by different ways. The se- cret will be often violated : so much the better: the secret is necessary to give security to the members, but a certain trans- parency is needed to inspire fire in the stationary. When a great number of associates, receiving the word of order to spread an idea and make it public opinion, shall be able to concert a movement, they m ill find the old building pierced m every part, and falling, as if by miracle, at the least breath of progress. They will be astonished themselves, to see fly- ing before the single power of opinion, kings, lords, the rich the priests, who formed the carcass of the old social edifice! Courage, then, and perseverance !" The transparency of danger to which Mazzini al- ludes, has been unveiled bj CantaJupo of Naples:— /n* 7^^'°^^^*y ^« f^rnied for the indispensable destruction of all the Governments of the Peninsula, and to form a single fetate of all Italy, in republican form. ... 30. Members who will not obey the orders of the secret society, and those who unveU Its mysteries, shall be poignarded without remission 44 ROME AND ITS RULER. i i rt * 81. The secret tribunal shall pronounce the sentence, pointing out one or two associates for its immediate exQcution. 82. The associate who shall refuse to execute the sentence shall be held perjured, and as such put to death on the spot. 83. If the victim succeed in escaping, he shall be pursued incessantly in every place ; and the guilty shall be struck by an invisible hand, were he sheltered on the bosom of his mother, or in the tabernacle of Christ 54. Each tribunal shall be compe- tent not only to judge guilty adopts, but t( put to death all persons whom it shall devote to death." Tliis was the policy, these were the proposed means of action, of the men who recognized in Mazzini their apostle and leader ; and a policy more ruinous to true liberty and substantial progress, it were impossible to imagine ; or means more crafty, or more treacherous, not dishonesty itself could invent. Here, on the one hand, was the large-hearted, high- Bouled Pontiff, abounding in love for his people, anxious to redress their grievances, to remove every just cause of discontent, and to confer upon them the largest amount of freedom compatible with safety and the preservation of interests— sacred not merely in his own ey<38, but in the estimation of the Christian world;— and, on the other, a band of insane revolutionists, who, gatliered from different parts of the Italian Peninsula, were sworn to subvert and destroy all forms of govern- ment that stood in the path of their reckless ambition, or that stopped short of the realization of their utterly impracticable schemes. These men were the worst, because the most insidious, enemies that a reforming ruler could have combined agamst himj for their fixed DIFFICULTIES OP THB POPE's POSITION. 46 and eettled plan of action was, as may be seen by the instructions of thoir teacher, to flatter and cajole, to seduce and corrupt, every individual or class that could serve their purpose,-to inflame the public mind by exciting the most extravagant hopes of changes which could never be soberly contemplated,-and to turn against the Pope and his government, as instruments of destruction, the very reforms which he voluntarily conceded 1 ^ These were the worst enemies of the Pope, as of true liberty ; but they were not the only enemies with whom he had to contend. Austria, that held in her grasp some of the fairest portions of Italy, experienced even more alarm than indignation, as she beheld the noble attitude of Pius IX., and saw how the spirit emanating from the Vatican was kindling a new and dangerous fire in the breast of a down-trodden people. Wily i„ her councils, powerful in her arms, and mighty m her resources, Austria was, from the very outset, the most formidable enemy of reforms which she had every reason to dread. Naples, too, viewed with jealousy the onward progress of tfie Pope, and subsequently at- tempted to hide from her people the knowledge of meas- ures which he had conceded to his subjects. Smaller Powers also regarded with dismay the march of reform and trembled for their feeble though cherished tyrannies! J^or was France, which was in a short time to be the theatre of one of the most remarkable revolutions re- corded in her history, believed to be altogether sin- cere m her professions of approval and admiration 46 ROME AND ITS RULER. of the benevolent acts and reforming spirit of the Pope. 'Nor is it difficult to heighten the picture of the al- most insurmountable difficulties which surrounded the path and followed the footsteps of Pius IX. The alarm of many of the Cardinals was great, but, taking all circumstances into consideration, by no means un- founded. They remembered the amnesty of 1831, which had only given the opportunity for violent prot- estations and fresh plots ; and they could not believe that the amnesty of 1846 would be productive of more fortunate results. The Pope held his first Consistory on the 27th of July ; when Cardinal Macchi, in reply- ing to the allocution, thus pointed out the apprehended danger : — " We think, at the same time, to what tempests the Church is exposed, and by what license and effrontery of opinions men, unbridled to every mischief, leave nothing untried to deprave manners with wicked bold- ness, to precipitate the ignorant into the abyss of er- ror, to overthrow every power, and even the Catholic Church itself, if that were possible." Yet, notwithstanding the complicated difficulties of his position, Pius boldly persevered in his mission of clemency and reform. He personally inquired into and improved the administration of the public departments ; he rigorously examined into the management of hospi- tals, prisons, and religious institutions, and compelled such changes as he deemed advisable ; he punished fraud and extortion, especially if practised on the poor, THE WPE AS A EEPOEMEE. 47- with the sternest severity; he promoted employment by useful works, and stimulated industry by encourage- ment and reward; he introduced reforms into the collec bon of the public revenue, and the management of the finances; he remitted taxes which pressed upon the necessities of the bulk of the population, and dimin- ished such as interfered with their comforts; he granted concessions" to companies for establishing railwavs and aided the introduction of gas; he opened the' pubho offices to deserving laymen; he permitted the estabhshment of a press, whose freedom was guaran- teed by a mild system of censorship-and, to render more effective, as well as permanent, the reforms which he himself introduced, he announced, by his circular of the 19th of April, 1847, his intention of calling together a Council, chosen by the various provinces to assist him in his administration, and give its opinion and advice on all matters of government connected with the general interests of the country And with all these labou,^ he combined a sweetness and a simplicity that won the hearts of the good, and excited a love and a veneration that would have over- come all but the malice and the machinations of his relentless foes, who were busily occupied with their work of "regeneration." He was to be seen, to the amazement of the sticklers for etiquette, and to the dehghted wonder of the people, walking through the streets, clad in a plain gait, and sparingly attlded. Sori-ow had not then robbed his eheek of its freshness or dimmed the mild lustre of hfs soft hlu» e- ■ and 48 ROME AND ITS RULER. as he passed tlirougli his capital, an almost adoring populace received with ecstacj the benediction of the Pontiff, and the sweet smiles of their ruler and their father. Children ran to him with eagerness, and art- lessly made known to him their wishes ; which were ever sure to be complied with. One day he went on foot from the Qnirinal, to say Mass at the convent of the Visitandines of St. Francis de Sales. On leav- ing the church, a little child went up to him, and said, " Art thou the Pope ?" " Yes, my little friend, I am," replied Ilis Holiness. "I have no father," said the little fellow. " Then I will be a father to you," was the characteristic answer of the Pope, as he embraced the child. The prdmise so given was fully redeemed ; for inquiry having satisfied the Holy Father of the truth of the child's statement, he gave orders to have him carefully educated and provided for, in his name and at his sole charge. Several anecdotes are told of the Pope's gentleness . and familiarity with children. Amongst others, the fol- lowing is not the least characteristic. Oae day a little fellow, all in tears, attempted to make his way through the ranks of the Swiss guards, to present a petition. The Pope, hearing the noise, inquired as to its cause, and sent for the petition. It was in these words:— "Most Holy Father, my mother is old and infirm. I am too young to support her life and mine. Our land- lord, a bad man, will turn us out to-morrow if we don't pay him the four scudi we owe him. Deign to lend them. I will pay you when I am bigger." « What is IlfSTANCES OP HIS GOODNESS. 49 your name, my good child, and how old are you ?" asked the Pope. "I am Paul; and I am ten yea« old^ What trade is your father?" "He's waiting in Parad.se for us the.e ten yea.^," answered the little lellow, with an accent of touching emotion. "And your mother?" inquired the Pope. "She embroider and prays from morning to night." Having aeked the ch,ld where he lived, and been told, the Pope desired h.m to come on the next day, and that he would rive him what his mother wanted. In the mean time in- qmnes were made, which proved that the statement of the child was correct: and when he came again, the Pope gave him ten scudi. "I did not ask you for ten said the little fellow, and he gave back six. lake them again, my good child," said the Pope, futoe" ^"^ ""'*"■ ^ ™" ^°°^ "^"^ ^'' ^°' *« Not content with giving alms in the street, or to «.ose who applied to him pei^onally or by petition, the Pope himself visited many an abode of poverty and ministered to the wants of its occupants with hfa own hand. The same hand smoothed the pillow of 1 ».ck in the public hospitals (which he always visited without the possibility of his intentions being pev^ ' ously made known), and administered U the dying the last consolations of religion. J S "« One night a poi^son, in a lay habit, entered one of the public hospitals, and being atti.cted by the groans of a patient, approached the bed on which he lay Z sufferer was a non,. Tr..«««u „...-_. , ... ^ ^ ^ *-"- -^-"^^ «^tiBL, wno, leeJingtiiatlie 60 ROME AND ITS RULER. mm was dying, was most anxious to have the services of a priest. The almoner was looked for in vain ; but the Pope — ^for it was he — administered the last Sacraments to the poor man, who died in his arms. Next day the almoner was dismissed. Other institutions were visited in the same manner, and their abuses laid bare to the vigilant eye of one who, even in the most wretched of criminals, recognized a brother. Gentle and merciful to every form of suffering, whether the malady were of the soul, the mind, or the body, the Pope was inexorable to those who oppressed or defrauded the helpless or the poor ; and many salutary examples were given, by fine or by dismissal, to officials in charge of the various pubb'c institutions, who were soon made to know that the least offence against cha- rity or justice would not go unpunished. And no class of his subjects excited in his breast a livelier compassion than the poor imprisoned debtors, many of whom, no doubt, were the victims )f their own folly and extrava- gance, but many more of whom were victims of the fraud or the tyranny of others. To these his visits were indeed those of an angel of mercy ; for his hand flung open their prison door, and his generosity sup- plied them with the means of commencing a new career. Ever alive to the great importance of educating the young — a duty to which he had already devoted so many years of his life — the Pope was determined to see with his own eyes how his wishes in that respect were carried out ; and scarcely a week passed in which THE pope's INTEBEST IN EDUCATION. 61 he did not make one of his unannounced and unex- pected visits. These visite were made by night as weU as by day. ; On a day in March, 1847, two prieste, who had come m a hired carriage, asked permission to see the schools m a certain street. The teachers were rather annoyed at being disturbed ; and one of them said, « Certainly tlie Pope would not like strangers to be admitted to the school exercises without an order." "You are mistaken," said the Pope, throwing open his cloak. He then took a seat, inquired into every thing, ex- amined the pupils, and distributed prizes to the de- serving. On another occasion he desired to witness for him- self the operation of the Night Schools, which had been specially established for artisans and others who, being employed during the day, could not attend the' ordin- ary schools ; and leaving the Quirinal at night, in a hired carriage, and attended by one of his chamber- lains, the Pope was enabled to judge for himself of the value of these, the most interesting, if not the most useful, of the Roman schools. As an instance of the manner in which he corrected abuses and administered justice with his own hand may be mentioned the following. ' Shortly after his accession, as he was going into the garden of the Quirinal, a soldier on duty held out a regulation loaf. The Pope took it, and found it to be bad. « Do you always get bread like this 2" asked the 11 Holy Father. "Always, your Holiness," 62 ROME AND ITS RULER. soldier. « Well, we will look to it." Next day he asked for a loaf of the bread, and found it just the same. He sent for the purveyor, and had him at once arrested and sent to prison, to be tried for the fraud. He was one day at the Police Palace, when, on look- ing out of the window, he observed a number of coun- try people, who were kept waiting an hour for their passports, while the person in charge was lunching. The Pope sent for him, and after administering a sharp rebuke, added: — "]^ow you must give these poor people fifty pauls (about a pouud English money) for the time you have robbed them of." " But I have not got fifty pauls," remonstrated the official. "Here they are," said the Pope'; " and they shall be struck off your salary." To love and serve his people, to render them good and happy, was the sole thought of Pius. Fondly attached to his own family, he yet resolved, from the first moment of his election, that the natural weakness of human affection should not in the slightest degree interfere with his duty to his subjects; and, accordingly, it was soon made known to his brothers and nephews, that any hopes of preferment, to which his election to the Pontificate might have given birth, were vain and illusory. It is said that he warned one of his nephews, a young oflicer in the army, that he ;-iUst not expect promotion at the cost of others ; and exhorted another, who was living without an employ- ment, to retire to Sinigaglia, from the ostentation of Rome. And to this policy, so widely different from THE POPE NO NEPOTIST. 5ii' tiiat which we see practised in every court of Europe, Pius IX. hafi adhered to this hour. Kot a single mem- ber of his family holds a public position or office, either in the Papal States, or at any foreign court ; and so far from his election to the throne having served his fami- ly, It has more or less injured them-inasmuch as they have been compelled, in consequence of his elevation to assume a greater state, and at a necessarily increased expense. In this most important respect Pius IX. has only followed the example of Gregory XYI. flow splendidly does such conduct contrast with the policy pui-sued by every other sovereign of whom we know any thing. 64 ROME AND ITS RULEJl. CHAPTER IV. Alarm of Austria at the Acts of the Pope.— Popular J)einoD8tration8 artfully promoted.— Proclamation against them.— Occupation of Ferrara by the Austrians.- Military Enthusiasm of tlie People,— Inauguration of the Council of State.— Its Creation an Evidence of the Pope's Desire for Reforrn.— The Pope explains his Intentions.— Address from the Council—Foreign Sympathy.— The Pope's Gen- erosity to Ire] nd.— His Appoal in her behalf.— State of Europe. The jealousy of Austria became more marked, and her remonstrances more urgent, if not more overbear- ing in their tone, as the liberal intentions of the Pope were fully disclosed. The following passage from the Timed of the 28th of March, 184T, is important, being a just appreciation of the public conduct of Pius IX., and of the diflSculties which foreign cabinets — that of Austria especiaiiy— were determined to throw in bis way:— "The opposition of Austria has been constant and intense from the moment of his election. The spectacle of an Italian Prince, relying for the maintenance of his power on the affec- tionate- regard and the national sympathies of his people— the resolution of the Pope to pursue a course of moderat r reform, to encourage railroads, to emancipate the press, to * admit laymen to offices in the State, and to purify the law, but, above all, the dignified independence of action manifested by the Court of Rome, have filled the Austrians with exas- peration and apprehension. There is not the least doubt that the Cabinet of Vienna is eager to grasp at the slightest pre- text for an armed intervention south of the Po. If such a POPULAR DEMONSTRATIONS PROMOTED, 65 pretext Joes ncc occur, it is but too probable that it may be created; and any disturbances calculated to lead to such a result would at once betray their insidious origin. Mean- while the Pope is menaced in Austrian notes, which have sometimes transgressed the limits of policy and decorum; and the minor Princes of Italy are terrified by extravagant intimations of hostile designs entertained against them by the national party, headed by the Pope and the house of Savoy, in order to persuade them that their only safeguard is the Austrian army. These intrigues may be thought neces- sary to the defence of the tottering power of Austria south of the Alps, for every step made in advance by Italy is a step towards the emancipation of the country." It will be shortlj seen that the apprehensions to which the bearing of Austria gave rise were fully just- ified by her subsequent acts. In the meantime, however, the plan of promoting demonstrations was systematically persevered in ; and thus was cunningly devised a kind of out-door tribunal, to which the daily course of the government was sub- mitted, and by which its particular acts were applaud- ed or condemned. The. advice of Mazzini was fol- lowed to the letter— "Profit by the least concession to assemble the masses, were it only to testify gratitude. Fetes, songs, assemblies, numerous relations established among men of all opinions, suffice to make ideas gush out, to give the people i\^ feeling of its strength, and render it more exacting:' Care was taken to gain over the more prominent of the leaders of the populace, by working on their vanity ; and amongst those was Cicerouachio, who, vain, noisy, and good-natured, was easily pereuaded that he was an orator, and who, fore- ' 56 ROME AND ITS RULEB. most in the expression of liis boisterous homage lo the Pope, soon became distinguished as a leader of each tumultuous ovation, and eventually as t^e blind instru- ment of his crafty flatterers. let it not bo supposed that the Pope was either in- toxicated or deluded by the shouts and cries, the crowds and the processions, the music, the banners, and the flowei-s, that were ready to greet his app.u-- ance on every possible occasion. He could not but be conscious that— even supposing there were no lurking enemies plotting his ruin, and whose policy it was to excite and inflame an ardent and impulsive people- such a state of feeling, as was naturally created by those constant and almost daily provocations to popu- lar excitement, must be unsuited to a due appreciation of that rational freedom and those progressive reforms which it was his object to promote. Besides, placards, of a nature calculated to excite the worst apprehension of what the future might bring, began to make their appearance on the walls of Kome ; and in the prov- inces, the tumultuous gatherings, which, according to ^uiazzini, were to teach the people "its strength," and render it "more exacting," had been attended with serious disturbance. To check an evil which was becoming too formida- ble to be any longe-r endured, and also, if possible, to moderate expectations which were artfully stimulated, a proclamation was published on the 22d of June,' 1847, by Cardinal Gizzi, in the name of the Pope; in which his Holiness, after alluding to the reforms which CARDINAL GIZZI'S PROCLAMATION. 57 he had felt it his duty to introduce, declares that he intends to persevere in the sauio course, but to observe, in doing so, wisdom and prudence. The proclamation went on to say : "His Holiness is firmly resolved to pursue the course of amohoration in every branch of the public administration which may require it, but he is equally resolved to do this only m a prudent and calculated gradation, and within the limits which belong essentially ^> the sovereignty and the temporal government of the head .f the Catholic Church— a government which cannot adopt certain forms which would ruin even the existence of the sovereignty, or at least dimin- ish that external liberty, that independence in the exorcise of the supreme primacy for which God willed that the Holy See should have a temporal principality. The Holy Facher cannot forget the sacred duties which compel him to preserve intact the trust that has been confided to him." The Pope then enumerates some of the reforms and ameliorations that he had introduced, and the pro- clamation adds ; — "The Holy Father has not been able to see without deep regre: that certain restless minds are desirous of profiting by the present state of things to promulgate and endeavour to establish doctrines and ideas totally contrary to his maxims or to impose upon him others entirely opposed to the tranquil and pacific nature, and the sublime character, of the person who is the vicar of Jesus Christ, .10 minister of a God of peace, and the father of all Catholics, to whatever part of the world they may belong; or finally to excite in the minds of the people, by speeches or writings, desires and hopes of reforms beyond the limits which his Holiness has indicated. As these persons are in small number, and the good sense and rectitude which govern the greai ajority people 68 HOME AND ITS RULER. have hitherto rejected these insinuations and counsels, the Holy Father feels assured that they will never find a wel- come anion^ the people. But it is more easy to imagine than to describe the grief felt by his Holiness at some horrible acts which have taken place in various provinces, and which are in open opposition to the peace and concord which he was desirous of establishing among his beloved subjects, when, in the early days of his glorious pontificate, he pronounced the sweet word of pardon. Another subject of grief for his Holiness has aris<>n from certain assemblages of the multitude, which, under a pretext of scarcity of corn or other wants, have taken place in divers parts of the state, to the disturbance of public order, and sometimes with menace against personal security." Cardinal Gizzi thon says that the Pope does not con- found these meetings witli assemblies which have taken place for the manifestation of gratitude for the benefits whicli he has bestowed on the people, and that his Holiness is deeply sensible of such demonstrations, and implores God to bestow the most perfect blessings upon the reforms which he has granted. But he adds :-r- "The paternal heart of his Holiness suffers deeply at seeing entire populations and individuals incessantly put to expense for public demonstrations, artisans abandoning their labour to the injury of their families, and youths, destined to study, losing time which is precious to them. The heart of his Holiness would suffer still more if this state of things were to continue. The first year of his pontificate is over, and in this period of time the Holy Father has been able fully to appreciate the love, gratitude, and devotedness of his well-beloved subjects. He now asks a proof of their praiseworthy sentiments ; and this proof must consist in the THE AUSTRIANS OCCUPY FKUUAHA. 601 cessation of all unusual popular njcctlngs on whatever ocoa- flion, and all extraordinary nianifcHtiitions, except those for which, anterior to the present notification, perniission had been received from the competent authorities." The effect of this procljimation was to check an en- thusiasm that was rather dangerous than serviceable, and to restore, in some measure, sobriety to the public mind, which had become bewildered by a succession of undue stimulants. It, no doubt, for a time chilled the feeling of the people, wlio, on some occasions sub- sequent to its publication, received the Pope with a coldness and silence that presented a remarkable con trast to the absolute frenzy of rejoicing with which they had hailed his appearance a few weeks before. But who, looking at the real state of things, as they are now presented to their consideration, will say that this proclamation was not absolutely indispensable, in order to dispel delusions which it would have been m the highest degree mischievous to encourage, even by silence 2 If the result were to create a sentiment of disappointment and mistrust, its intention was honest, and its necessity imperative. In a short time after (on the ITth of July), the dif- ficulties of the Pope's position were increased by the aggressive conduct of Austria, and the circumstances to which it gave rise. On the miserable pretext of protecting the Sovereign of the Papal States against conspirators, the city of Ferrara was occupied by Aus- trian troops, 1,500 strong, arrayed in order of battle, with artillery and lighted matches. The general in 60 ROME AND ITS KULER. command acted under strict orders from Marshal Ea- detski, then in Milan. This gross violation of the riglits and dignity of an independent sovereign was met by a spirited protest from Cardinal Ciacchi, the Apostolic Legate of the city and province of Ferrara, and an indignant demand on the part of the Pope's Government, throiT^h Cardinal Ferretti, the new Se- cretary of State, for the withdrawal of the invading force. The bold attitude thus assumed by the Govern- ment, as well as the natural irritation created by the insolent and menacing conduct of Austria, in a mo- ment excited the military ardour of the nation, and added to the hatred in which the foreign occupants of the soil of Italy were held by every true Italian. Though neither within the province nor the disposition of Plus IX. to act the part of an ajjgressor, still, as a sovereign, he had rights to -aintain, and, as a patriot, a country to defend ; and, in the spirit of the one and the other, he resolutely prepared, if negotiation should fail, to meet the invader with his own weapons. The people nobly responded to their ruler; and even the cloistered monk was not insensible to the martial ar- dour of the hour, but proclaimed his readiness to don the harness of tlie warrior, and wield the sword of the flesli against the enemy. A little while ago, and the cry was for further reforms— now it was for battle with the Austrians ; and the press, to which liberty had been conceded, did its utmost to stimulate to the highest point the ardour of the nation. All the dis- posable troops were ordered to the frontiers ; and the COUNCIL OP STATE INAUGURATED. 61' t National Guard was organized throughout the States with the utmost activity, and its banners were blessed with all the solemnity which religious cei-emonial could impart. Something like the old spirit of Eome blazed out for the moment. In this critical emergency the bearing of the Pope was worthy of his position and the occasion. Thus writes the gifted contributor to a London Journal,* who witnessed what he described. "Meantime Pius, overwhelmed with the cares of his new position-isolated, so to say, among tlie crowned heads of Europe— has a heart and confidence in the God of justice, which nothing can daunt. He is fully prepared for every emergen-jy." The face of Pius says another eyewitness, "beams with the calm of a good conscience." Even the Jews shared in the enthusiasm of the hour, and offered the homage of their gratitude to the Pope,' who had not only relaxed the severity of the laws which had so long pressed upon that unhappy race, but had recently allowed them to appoint a successor to their late Higli Priest, then twelve years dead. On the occasion of the induction of the new High Piiest, the -.eremony was concluded by a hymn for the Pope,' written in the choicest Hebrew. The difference with Austria was ultimately arranged without the necessity of coming to blows. On the 15th of November, 1847, the Council of State, promised by Pius in his circular of the 19th of April' was solemnly inaugurated, amidst the enthusiasm of * Tlie Daily News. 62 ROME AND ITS RULER. ! the people, the earnest wishes of the moderate, the ap- preliensions of the timid, and the evil expectations of the designing, whose hopes were not in reform, but in revolution — not in gradual development or judicious progress, but in anarchy and confusion. The object of calling together the Council of State, as well as its composition and division, are explained in the following Proprio' Motu promulgated by the Pope on the 16th of October, a month previous to its assembly : — " When, by our circular of the 19th of April last, we an- nounced our intention to choose and call to Rome respectable persons, from each province of the Pontifical dominions, our object was to form a Council of State, and thus endow the Pontifical Government with an institution justly appreciated by the other European Governments, and which, in former times, constituted the glory of the States of the Holy See, a glory due to the gfanis of the Roman Pontiffs. We are pei*- suaded that, when assisted by the talent and experience of persons honoured with the suffrages of entire provinces, it will be easier for us boldly to taice in hand the administration of the country, and import to it a character of utility, which is the object of our solicitude. This result we are certain to at- tain. Our fixed determination, combined with the modera- tion of the public mind, must enable us to reap the fruit of the seed already sown. We will thus show the entire world, through the medium of our voices and the press, and by our attitude, that a population inspired by religion, devoted to its prince, and gifled with good sense, knows how to appreciate a political blessing, and express its gratitude with order and moderation. This is the only price we demand in recompense of our constant solicitude for the public welfare, and we con- fidently hope to obtain it. Trusting in the aid of Divine Providence, and wishing our sovereign resolutions to be exe- THE COUNCIL ORGANIZED. 63 cuted, we have decreed the following of our own accord, hav- ing duly considered the matter, and in virtue of our supreme authority : — "organization op the council of state. "The Council of State is to be composed of a cardinal-pres- ident, a prelate, vice-president, and 24 councillors, named by the provinces, and who are to have rixed salaries. Each pro- vince will return a councillor, Bologna 2, and Rome and its vicinity 4. " The second paragraph relates to the mode of election and nomination of the councillors. " They are to be divided into four sections : — first, of legis- lation ; second, of finance ; third, of internal administration, commerce, and manufactures; fourth, of the army, public works, prisons, &c. " The Council is instituted to assist the Pope in the admin- istration ; to give its opinion on matters of government, con- nected with the general interests of the state and those of the provinces ; on the preparation of laws, their modification, and all administrative regulations ; on the creation and redemp- tion of public debts ; the imposition or reduction of taxes ; the alienation of the property and estates belonging to the Government ; on the cession of contracts ; on the customs' tariff", and the conclusion of treaties of commerce ; on the budget of the State, the verification of the accounts, ■end gen- eral expenditure of the administration of the State and prov- inces ; on the revision and reform of the present organization of district and provincial councils," &c. Let lis not try this new concession, which was but the forerunner of one still more ample, by a false stand- ard ; for any such mode of judging of its value or its importance would be manifestly as fallacious as unjust. "We cannot attempt to test it by a comparison with the free constitution of these countries, or of any country 64 ROME AND ITS RULEB. If in which popular institutions have long been estab- lished. Let us, instead of forming any comparison between it and our thoroughly defined representative system, which has been the growth of ages, and the splendid result of an unwearied and persistent struggle of the popular element against the claims and encroach- ments of the kingly power and the aristocratic influence, regard it in its true light— as a bold innovation on the established system of Papal government, and as an em- inently venturous step in the path of political change. Surely there was enough of power in this Council of State, if wisely and honestly directed, to bring about the most beneficial results, by effecting improvements in the laws and in their administration, and by a reso- lute attention to the development of the material re- sources of a land teeming with natural wealth, and a people abounding in energies of which they were al- most unconscious. A great reform in itself, it was in- tended to be the basis of reforms far more comprehen- sive. It was a mighty instrument, fashioned by the hand of a benevolent monarch— one with which the true patriot might have effected miracles in the way of substantial and enduring, not vain or shadowy, im- provements in all the social and national interests of the Papal States. But, alas ! this instrument, intended for good, was turned against the breast of its author. That was a day of carnival in Eome which witnessed the arrival at the Quirinal of the members of the Con- sulta-consisting of the President, Cardinal Antonelli ; the Vice-President, Monsignor Amici; and the twenty- THE POPE EXPLAINS HIS INTENTIONS. 65 !l four Provincial Deputies— and beheld tliem take their places in the Hall of tlie Throne, where they first as- sembled to oflfer their homage to the Sovereign ; who, in reply to an address from the President, spoke these words, which were perfectly in accordance with the in- tentions he had from the first expressed : — " I thank you for your good intentions, and as regards the pubhc welfare, I esteem them of value. It was for the pub- lic good that since my elevation to the Pontifical throne I have, in accordance with the counsels inspired by God, ac- complished all that I could ; and I am still ready, with the assistance of God, to do all for the future, without, however, retrenching in any degree the sovereignty of the Pontificate; and, inasmuch as I received it full and entire from my prede- cessors, so shall I transmit this sacred deposit to my success- ors. I have three millions of subjects as witnesses, tha<-, I have hitherto accomplished much to unite my subjects va^h me, and to ascertain and provide for their necessities. It was particularly to ascertain those wants, and to provide better for the -exigencies of the public service, that I have assembled you in a permanent council. It was to hear your opinion when necessary, to aid me in my sovereign resolutions, in which I shall consult my conscience, and confer on them with my Ministers and the Sacred College. Anybody who would take any other view of the functions you are called to fulfil would mistake materially, as well as he that would see in the Council of State I have created the realization of their own Utopias, and the germ of an institution incompatible with the Pontifical sovereignty." His Holiness, having pronounced those last words with some vivacity and not a little her.t, stopped a mo- ment, and then, resuming his usual juild manner, con- tinued in the following terms : — 66 ROME AND ITS RULER. "This warmth and those words are not addressed to any of .you, whose social education, Christian and civil probity as welas the loyalty of your sentiments and the rectitudfof iZZTr' ''?''" '^"'^^'" *" "^^ '^'^ ^he moment I proceeded to your election. Neither do those words apply to the majority of my subjects, for I am sure of their fidehty and their obedience. I know that the hearts of my subjects urn e ,,h mine in the love of order and o" concord ^Bu ' 1 tr^ -frt-ately some persons (and though few, they still exist) who, having nothing to lose, love disturbance and revolt, and even abuse the concessions made to them. It is to those that my words are addressed, and let them well un- dorstand their signiiication. In the co-operat:on of the depu- ties 1 see only the firm support of persons v.},o, devoid of every personal interest, will labot.r with me, by their advice, for the public good, and who will not be arrested by the vain language of restless men devoid of judgn.ent. You will aid me with your wisdom to discover that winch is most useful sub W '""^^ ""^ *^^ ^^'"""^ """"^ ^^' ''^^ happiness of my The Pope took leave of the Deputies in these words- "Proceed, with the blessing of Heaven, to commence your labours. May they prove faithful in beneficial results, and conformable to the desires of my heart." Amidst the heartfelt rejoicings of the population, and surrounded or accompanied by all that could grat- ify the eye or excite the imagination, the procession wound Its imposing splendour through the stre ^ts which lay between the Quirinal and the Vatican. Brilliant tapestries; fluttering banners, emblematic and distinctive; gorgeous equipages; glittering uni- forms of infantry and cavalry; costumes of all kinds, many of them in the highest degree picturesque-' ADDRESS FEOM THE COUNCIL. 87 these, added to a dense mass of ardent and enthusiastic people, formed one of those magnificent pageants of which Eome, above all other cities, has ever been pro- lific. Religion lent its sacred aid, in the greatest of its earthly temples, to render solemn and memorable the inauguration of the National Council From be- neath the dome of St. Peter's, the Deputies proceeded to the chamber allotted to them in the Vatican, and there formally commenced their labours. Of the address drawn up, in answer to the speech of the Pope, the following passages, with which it con- cludes, exhibit, at least, a clear perception of the mo- tives of the sovereign, the magnitude of the work to be accomplished, and the means by which it could alone be successful : — " But the accomplishment of an undertaking so great and so difficult will require much study, time, and calmness. We confide in the continuance of the noble tranquillity of which your subjects have given so many proofs. They will pa- tiently await the salutary fruits of the seeds which you have sown with a generous hand. " Your work, Holy Father, has not been undertaken to fo- vour exclusively one order of citizens ; it embraces all your subjects in a common bond of love, and that love is such that your example is admired and followed by the other sov- ereigns of Italy, united with their subjects in the alliance of principles, passions, and interests. " Wa have often seen reforms, imposed by popular exigen- cies, developing themselves amidst tumults and collisions. Their conquest costs tears and blood. But, ar.iongst us, it is the first and most venerable authority of all which wishes to initiate us in the progress of civilization. That authority itself directs the minds in a peaceable and moderate move- 68 ROME AND ITS RULER. meni. and guides us towards the supreme end, which is the roign Oi jui,cico and truth on earth." Wlnle these events were passing in Eome, the sym- pathies of eveiy generous nation were drawn towards the occupant of the Chair of Peter. And on the op- posite sliores of the Atlantic, in the chief cities of tha United States, masses of men met to express their admiration of the acts of the illustrious reformer Amongst the most remarkable of the meetings which took place, was that held in the month of December 1847, in the "Tabernacle," Kew York, at which many of the leading statesmen of America gave the warmest expression to their sympathy and admiration. The ad- dress and resolutions were proposed by Puritans, and the descendants of Puritans; and though Catholics attended the meeting in numbers, they refrained from taking any prominent part in the demonstration, with ti^e w^e intention of rendar.' ^g it the more striking and effective. The fourth resolution exhibits a thoi^ ough consciousness of the obstacles with which Pius had to contend, and the dangers by which he was men- aced : — " EesoIyed,_That we present our most hearty and respeet ful salutot,ons to the Sovereign Pontiff for the noble part ht has taken n, behalf of his people ; that, knowing the dffieul s w,th which he is surrounded at home, and the attaeks w,th wh,ch he .s menaeed from abroad, we honour him the more for the mild firmness with whieh he has overeome the one, and the true spirit with which he has repelled the The* ' Nor was Ireland, even in the midst of her sorrows GENEROSITY OF THE POPE TO HIELAND. 69 » and her tribulations, insensible to the claims which tlio Holy Father had upon her sympathies; for fresh in her gratitude was the recollection of the generous hand that had been extended towards her from the Vatican, and of those urgent appeals which were made, in her behalf, to the compassion of Christendom. No sooner had the cry of a distressed nation reached the ear of Pius IX., than it found a ready echo in his benevolent breast ; and not only did he at once send, out of his small means, a munificent contribution towards the fund for its relief, but caused the churches of Rome to resound to the earnest solicitations of his clergy in the same cause of suffering humanity. The Pope's feel- ings in behalf of Ireland are best conveyed in his own expressive words. On the 8th of February, 1847, a number of English, Scotch, and Irish gentlemen, then residing in Rome, and who had formed themselves into a Committee for the collection of subscriptions, waited on his Holiness for the purpose of expressing their thanks for his liberality. « We desire," said the Chair- man of the Committee (Mr. Harford),— " to express to your Holiness our lively acknowledgment for the benevolent and spontaneous manner in which you have signified to us, through Dr. Cullen, your charitable and gen- erous intention of contributing a thousand scudi to the same object. We also beg your Holiness to permit us to express our conviction, that the sentiment which at this moment ani- mates our hearts will be deeply felt, not only by the English now in Rome, hut in every portion of the British empire." To which, with every appearance of the most genu- ine emotion, the Pope replied : — 70 KOSrE AND ITS BULEIU " It affords mo groat consolation to seo so many benevolent gentlemen from every purt of the Unifd Kingdom engaged in 80 excellent a work of charity, exerting themselves to arrest the progress of fainini-, and striving to alleviate the dreadful distress of their brethren in Ireland. Were the means at my command more extensive, I should not limit myself to the little 1 have done in a cause in which I fee' the warmest sympathy. To supply the want of a larger contri- bution, I shall pray with fervour to the Almighty, beseech- ing him to look with mercy on his people, to remove the scourge that afflicts them, and to give peace, happiness, and abundance to the country." Eut the Pope, in hia Encyclical Letter of the 18th of Marcli, so fullj expressed the compassion with which he witnessed the increasing distress of Ireland, and liis knowledge and appreciation of the religious fidelity of its people, as well as of their attachment to the Holy See, that a passage from that document be- comes most appropriate in this place. It is as fol- lows : — " Being moved by this example of our predecessors, and at the same time, by the inclination of our own will, when first We learned that the kingdom of Ireland was involved in a great dearth of corn, and a scarcity of other provisions, and that that nation was suffering from a most dreadful complica- tion of diseases brought on by want of food. We instantly applied every means, as far as in us lay, to succour that afflicted people. Therefore, We proclaimed that, in this our City, prayers should be poured forth ; and We encouraged the cler-y, the Roman people, and those who were sojourn- mg in the city, to send assistance to Ireland. By which means it was arranged, that partly by money cheerfully sent by ourselves, and partly by that which was collected in Rome assistance, as far as the necessities of the time permitted' HIS APPEAL IN HKR BEHALF. 71 coul(] bo forwarded to our vcn.niblc brethren the Archbishops of Ireland, which they may distribute according to the con- ditions of the r .spectivo localities and of their suffering pco- pl(^ But lettirs are still brought to us from Ireland, and accounts are 'laiiy related to us respecting the calamities mentioned abo^o still continuing in this island— nay, even in- creasing—which afllict our mind with incredible ^rief, and ur- gently impel us again to afford assistance to the Irish nation. And what effort ought We not to . ,ako to raise up that nation now suffering under such a disaster, when We know how great the hdelity of the clergy and people of Ireland is, and always has been, towards the Apostolic Soe_how, in the most dan- gerous times, their firmness In the profession of the Catholic religion has been conspicuous— by what labour the clergy of Ireland have toiled for the propagation of the Catholic relicrion in the remotest regions of the world; and, finally, with what zeal for piety and religion the Divine Peter, whose dignity (to use the words of Leo the Great) is not the less in an unwor- thy heir, is among the Irish nation honoured and distinguished in our humble person !" By the Pope's personal contribution, as well as through liis instrumentality, a sum of about 12,000 scudi was collected, and sent to the suffering poor of Ireland. With such an evidence of liis compassion and good- ness before their eyes, it is no exaggeration to say, that by no people were the steps of Pius in the path of social and political amelioration watched with a more intense and eager gaze than by tlie Irish, especi- ally those of them whose religious sympathies harmo- nized with their love of rational liberty. The Pope had also testified his marked respect for the memory of O'Connell, that renowned champion of the Church IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) .^^.v^. 1.0 I.I 1^12^ 12.5 ■^ 1^ 12.2 ^ "^ IIIIIM KlUb. 1.8 1 1.25 jl.4.|,.6 <, 6" ► / y] w /> Fhotogr^hic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MA!N STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 i716) S72-4503 72 BOMB AND ITS BULER. Whose heart, according to his dying wish and desire, had been brought to Eome, as a last attestation of his attachment to the Holy See. The vestments used on the occasion of the solemn obsequies had been sent from the Papal Chapel, by the special orders of his Holiness. Catholic Ireland felt towards the Pope as a child to- wards a father. Towards the close of 1847, disturbances were com- mencing to break out in Messina ; insurrection was rife in Palermo ; and disaffection was hourly making itself manifest in Milan. These were the first heavings of that universal earthquake which was, ere long, to burst forth in the princapal capitals of Europe. Accounts from all parts of the Italian Peninsula heralded a year of storm and convulsion. THJ8 YBAB OT REVOLUTIONS. 7ft CHAPTER V. Ite. year 1848 opened gloomily „p„„ tb. political world, almost every comity, in Europe being rife with d.scon.en^ and ready for revolntion. In Role evente we^ fast hastenmg to a crisis; and each newacconn of nsmgs hronghont the Italian States or elsewhere but added to the daring of the extreme party, now actively represented by the press, chiefly in the hands of refu^ gees, and by the clubs, which had lately sprung into ex>stenee, and had already become the focus ot in- trigue, and the organs as weU as the p«>mote« of violence By both, the crafty policy of Mazzini was pe«.stent!y inculcated, and every opportunity availed of to encourage tl.e fm, songs, processions, and gath- enngs oi^ the masses, so cunningly relied on as a means of ehmnlatmg popular excitement, keeping the public mmd m a state of feverish impatience! teachmg 1 people .ts strength, and rendering them "mo.. Lc. ing. None but utterly revolationaiy measm^es conid fostered by the enemies of rational reform. The deUb erauons of the Consulta were rudely intruded upon by ^ 74 BOMB AND ITS RULEB. the mob-leaders, and changes demanded with a manner not always free from menace. To add to the perils of the hour, the divereion of large numbers of the people from their customary pursuits led to the very conse- quences against which the Pope, in his proclamation of the 22d of June of the previous year, had so pro- phetically warned his subjects. With the abandon- ment of industry, idleness became general, and poverty and distress followed as a matter of necessity; nor were frequent acts of violence and bloodshed wanting, to im- part a darker aspect to the position of affairs. - It was, then, upon a population so inflamed, that the news of the terrible insurrection which had broken out at Palermo, burst with electric influence. These tidings were quickly followed by still more startling intelli- gence—that a free constitution had been granted, os- tensibly of his own accord, but in reality through fear, by the King of Naples; that movements of a revolu- tionary character were apprehended in Austria and Prussia ; that barricades had been erected in the streets of Paris, and that a Kepublic was established on the ruins of the Orleans dynasty. From this moment the audacity of the press, the clubs, and the mob-leaders, knew no bounds ; and even the most upright and well- intentioned ministers, who were constantly appearing upon and disappearing from the political stage, were reluctantly compelled to flatter where they could not hope to control. The accojmts from Paris produced the most intense excitement; and, in a short time after they were circu- ■ J, "! t,»j f "WT^mip" THE ROMAN PABLIAMENT. * ' 75 lated through Some, the people proceeded i„ « • interests of the Cbnrch-^U,rZ pt.^ ^^' incessantly eng^Jto^i!2'^' '"°™ '^' ' ^-^ ^ by those LSe^irreTuXr^^rT:'""-^ body must understanrl fh^ A'4k i. ^ people. But every- "ight inaseeuL State .l^rbe^pS.^tr' " °"'' lamination in Borne m ^^ """"""Pl'^^d without mature line of separation r;;L"rr" """^ "^"^ '» «- » hope that in a few Hir« ''°''°"- Nevertheless, I ««' I shaiurat r.r^^T^T ^^"^ '^^- -" ealonlated to satisfy theTeo^ T °™ »' government, Senate and the CouncU wK^ ^ ""^ Partieularly the «d the situation of ieJ:„^°"^«*';^^'» "^ -^ ".y desires and laboj; - Tr^inof 7 " '^'""«'"y "»» therefrom, I wiU throw mys^Tl'^VT T^ '^™'»«» Jesus, to thank hfan fZ ^. f ' *" "'^ **« »™»iiied »^ I Win U n.o^^^^*rS,'72u'^ ^'? "'"• SOME AND ITS BULEB. the Pope; in which, after expressing his satisfaction at having succeeded in introducing into his states the political reforms demanded bj the times, his Holiness directed the attention of the Chambers to matters of pressing interest and growing emergency. The sittings were then declared to be opened. And thus was a new field offered to the acti^'itv of the party who looked upon all reforms with ccu.empt, and regarded the most generous concessions but as a means to an end. The two Chambers contained many sincere pat- riots, earnestly devoted to their country, their sov- ereign, and their church; but their prudence and their good sense were soon overborne by the violence of those whose vanity or whose reckless ambition car- ried them on to every excess. In the meanwhile the flame of insurrection had burst out in other capitals, to which the startling events at Paris had given a wild impulse. The revolution at Yienna gave new confidence to the patriots of Italy ; and, after a noble struggle, the Milanese compelled the Austrians to evacuate their beautiful city. A re- public was also once more proclaimed in Yenice. The Pope was not insensible to the generous in- fluence of the hour, and no one could more sincerely desire to witness the triumph of Italian independence than he did. To accomplish this great object he made several efforts, unfortunately in vain, with a view of combining the different states into a common national league ; but while he met with a cordial concurrence in some instances, his proposal was received with cold- ™« VriM OT Dn.BM,Ta)ENOE. '77 BM8 and je»loMy in othera. Napic, TnManv .„d but the Sarduuan Government refosed to send dele- ^ to Eorae, and suggested a Cong««, fa «,« ^J of Italy-, proposition not calculated to overcomete H.^1 °'"''"''"" "^''^ "f Charles Albert den y „f the Pope, been carried into effect, it JZ M Ztaly and while saving Eome from the machi »«t.ons of anarchiste, have consolidated &e ^ ''ZolT''-'''''- Bntsnchltrr Tf „ f ' ^""■P*^ of *« volume, were I to oUo «^„g^ ,^ ^.^.^.^^^ ^^ short C of Independence, that, commencing with an .r,Z to which no class, and Bca«=eIy\Ty in"i"'"" .nsensible, ended in defeat and disappolwl' . , uu tne Jitli of March, witnPHHAil *\.^ ^ parture of General Durando from J^'""^ *^^ ^«- at the head of a brave It nT. '°''''^* ^"*^^' -., aod .ho thoS or; Ta r '"^^^'"^^ "^nsic and banners, their youth V .r'' ""' ^'^ foes of their coiintrr T ""^^^ ^ ^«^*«* ^^^ X meir country, ere long received th^ ♦•^- 78 HOME AKD ITS RULER. first instance, exceeded his instructions, which were, to proceed to the frontiers, and act on the defensive ; and in an address, whose exaggeration the circwm- Btances of the moment may explain rather than just- ify, pledged the Pope to a crusade of exterminations against the Austrians, as the enemies of "the Cross of Christ." The Pope's repudiation of this unwise address excited intense agitation in Rome ; but Pius resolutely adhered to his proclamation, in which, while professing his devotion to the cause of Italian inde- pendence, he at the same time declared that he could not, as Pontifi', proclaim war against a Christian power. However, Durando was ordered to co-operate with Charles Albert ; and the unhappy result of the brief Roman campaign gave rise to a stormy debate in the Roman Commons, in which the most opposite opin- ions were expressed as to the conduct of the war and the courage of the officers in command. But the armies of Rome and Piedmont had other enemies to contend with besides the Austrians ; for in the camps both of Durando and Charles Albert, the emissaries of the republicans were ever actively engaged in sow- ing the seeds of suspicion and distrust, and amongst the very troops which, if these men were sincere in their devotion to the cause of Italian liberty, they should rather have stimulated and encouraged. The defeat of Charles Albert under the walls of Milan put a termination to the war, the gallant mon- arch being compelled to retire within the boundaries of his own dominions. And although the King had COUNT EOSSI PBIltE MINISTBB. ' '79 done «,, that ™an conid have done, „„dor the circum- B anoes .n w h.ch he wa. placed ; and though the terms of the eap.tulaUo„ were honourable to him and favou. ab to the people of Milan, whose pe^ons and pr^ perty at protected, the treatment which he received from the rabble, urged on b, the false and co"^' anarchzsts, was disgraeef-fl in the extreme. But thesi -en wher^ve. the, appea..d, proved themselves te worst foes of Italian freedom Home had become more violent; while a new and more dangero™ element was added to the alreaTv suf fiozently excitable populace, by the return of uumbe™ 1Z::^J'''T'" '°""^'^' " ^-'-able^h- Ea?h\ {^^'" "P"""''' ^"^ ™' ""-^ disturbance conscilTo '77'^i" '""'^ '"^ "«"'^-- -- conse, „i ,j3 ^^^^^^^^^ ^_^^ consequently "more ex- aet.ng» m its demands. In such a L state oTIiu ' here was only one chance for the cause of constituS to violence of an mfuriated populace; and that was in te ZVn :r cl'T! V '" '" "^-'^ t„- J 7 ' •^°^'' ^"loee abilities as a ramed and practised statesman, were only excellU bv ': ~ ''-- 'o - Italy restored i p e and -atwhichthin;^:di-:r:j~;; 80 BOMS AND ITS BULEB. \ V .■•i^.i:£M- his stamp would lightly assume a position so abound- ing in difficulties, and undertake a task so fraught with hourly peril. A solemn consciousness of duty, and a chivalrous anxiety to be of assistance to a noble but ill- used sovereign, alone induced Count Kossi to under- take the conduct of the government. To the anarch- ists — those who looked for Ae overthrow of the Pope's authority, and the erection of a Red Republic upon its ruins — ^no minister could be more hateful than Rossi ; and, accordingly, his first vigorous efforts to restore order, and put a stop to a condition of things which no government could permit without a virtual abdication of its functions, were answered by a yell of rage from the revolutionary press, and by the ferocious denuncia- tions of the clubs. Nowise daunted, Rossi pereevered in his good work; which was so happy in its results, that in the course of some three weeks — ^for he had as- sumed *the direction of affairs on the 16th of August — he succeeded in the now difficult task of inspiring con- fidence in the breast of a bewildered public, and re- newing hopes of ultimate success in the minds of those who had long since surrendered themselves to despair. With such a man there was therefore left but one mode of dealing, and that mode was speedily resolved upon. The dagger of the assassin was now to do its bloody work, not in the darkness of night, when Na- ture, as it were, flings a cloak over the murderer, but in the blaze of the noon-day sun, and in the presence of hundreds of spectators. ASSASSINATION OF COUNT ROSSI. SI CHAPTER VI. pen«„.. liberty ., .„ E-A-No to„., iTmy^l^ '^' Ae if to prove to the world how unfitted for rep- resentatave mshtutione were . people whom crafty o^ dee-gnrng men had systematicaUy t«uned into liL tmuenes, the day selected for the abominable deed of blood, wh.ch was to put an end to aU hopes of consti- tnuonal hberty, was that appointed for the reopening for the brutal murder was the very entrance to the Cancel aria, m which the Parliament held ite sitting,, let to pen of the horrified and indignant Ambas- »dor of France (the Due d'Harcourt) describe an act which evoked one universal shout of execration in whatever county it was heard of. The following d-epatch was laid before the National Assembly of France preparatory to the debate on the proposed expedition to Civita Tecchia:- ^ „ „ " EoMi, November 16. ler of the Interior, was assassinated yesterday at onT'oS m.diately. The murderer w«, not arrested, nor was even 82 ROME AND ITS BULEU. tiny attempt made to seize him. Some gendarmes and Na- tional Guards, wijo were on the spot, did not interfere. The populace remained mute and cold. It was with difficulty that the Minister's servant could find any one to help him in oairying the body of his master into a neighbouring room. The Assembly, on the bteps of which the murder was committed, continued undisturbedly to road its minutes, and not a word was mentioned of the incident during the whole sitting. In the evening, the murderers and their ad- herents, to the umount of several hundreds, with flags at their Inad, fraternized with the soldiers at their barracks, and none of the magistrates came forward to act. The Director of Police, although urged to take some energetic measures, re- fused to interfere, and withdrew. — ^This morning the whole of the ministry resigned. It is difficult to conceive any new combination possible, or any chance of re-establishing order, after what has passed. Such is the position of the successors of the ancient Romans ! Having no packet immediately at my disposal, I have resolved to send this dispatch overland. Accept, &o., . " Haroourt." The Ambassador did not add the revolting fact, that the assassins, their accomplices, and their abettors, travestied those fetes which it was the policy of the advocates of revolution to encourage ; and, gathering together all that was foul or frenzied of the population, passed in procession through the streets, till they ar- rived beneath the windows of the house in which lay the ghastly form of its murdered owner, and there in- sulted, with inhuman shouts and songs of hellish tri- umph, the agony of the living, and the solemn repose of the dead. "Long live the hand which poignarded Kossil" was the benediction pronounced upon the assassin. ! J ASSAULT ON THE POPE's PALAOifl. 83 That night of tho fatal 16th closed in blood ; but the morning of tho 16th dawned on a day of horror and sacrilege, in which the guilt, of the previous day was far exceeded in atrocity. Tlie ministry of Count Eossi having been destroyed in his person, it was now deter- mined, by those who instigated, or were resolved to profit by, his assassination, to force *a ministry of their own selection upon the oc»vereign. The second dis- patch from the Duke d'Harcourt, an eye-witness to the infamous outrage, thus describes the manner in which the well-instructed rabble exhibited their "strength :"- Rome, Nov. 17. "Monsieur le Mikibtbe,-! have had tho honour to «ive you the account of the murder of M. Rossi. Yesterda/w! had a continuation of these excesses, which will mak^vlu support to the Soverejgn Pontiff. It would be difficult to w^ness a more sad spectacle for the nation, than that of which we have been ocular witnesses. Towards two o'c ock a rather large crowd of the people went to the Quirinal with a programme known beforehand, and which issued from the presses of the Pooular HnK Ti.- ***® the dismissal of Zm- 1 J programme demanded we dismissal of the Ministry, the formation of another the ^rr'Th"^"' Assembly, a solemn del::;tLn or war,.&c.-There are m the interior of the Quirinal 100 Swiss, who are alone charged with the personal gu Zof the Pope with a fey. gardes du corps. When tho Swiss saw this 84 BOMB AND IT& KULER. burn down the principal door. A few musket shots from the Swiss, and their decided attitude, soon forced the aggressors to retire to a distance. Up to this time only the populace had interposed ; the attttck,- therefore, did not last long, and the populace were beginning to disperse when we witnessed, to our great surprise, an unexpected spectacle. The civic guard, the gendarmerie, the line, and the Roman legion, to the number of som^ thousands in uniform, with music and drums, came and ranged themselves in order of battle on the square of the Quirinal, and were there joined by a few of the people who had remained, and began to fire at the windows of the Palace. Some balls penetrated into the apartments, and one killed a prelate who was in his chamber. As the Swiss continued to display a bold attitude, and it was thought that a determined resistance would be offered, cannon was brought to batter down the doors of the Palace of the Pope, who is mildness itself, and who had only a hundred Swiss to defend him. It is generally thought that there were only a few hundred plotters, who had laid the plan of this conspiracy. There were near the Pope, during the whole of the day, only the diplomatic corps. The Pc^e, ail this time, showed much sang froid and firmness ; but as it was impossible to oppose resistance, — and, besides, as he was less able and disposed thon anybody to shed blood — it was r jcssary to do what- ever was demanded by bis own troops, who besieged him in his palace. Negotiations weve entered into, and a list of ministers was proposed to him, at the head of which figure MM. Mamiani, Sterbini, Galleti, &c. This he accepted, pro- testing, however, aga\nst the violence which was practised, and declaring that he would refer to the Chambers the o. 3r measures which were demanded of him. The authority of the Pope is now absolutely null. It exists only in name, and none of his acts will be free and voluntary. " Harcourt." Tlie statement of the French Ambassador omits the fact, of which pai'haps be was not aware at the time he MRMNESS OF HIS H0HNi38. 85 wrote his dispatch, that the aotley rabble amongst whom, to their shame, men who called themsel ve,"d c..ers were mixed „p, had proceeded i„ Z^, evcral members of that body accompanying them ^ «-r organ and mouthpiece, to the Palace o/the Po^r To h,s eternal honour be it recorded, the insulted sTv 7f 'T-'""'^' - «P"« of the h;a«e and saval' shouts which reached his ea™, that "he won dZ grant any thing to violence." Ihis was his replj to Z se oud demand made by the dishonoured Dcfutit 7n *d ild :StT" '''"""'"^' *-«•' ""-J- protest folio '^"' ""■'" ^""J^ nnderstood from the foUowmg passages of a letter which appeared n 1 ^-^y M.S, written by a gentlemen wC « Jmui' ^t.ons t^hationma. e.cited the greatest .Z2Z aloft long laddtZhfr r rr,r rtr, "-"-^ carts and wagons wpr^ ^m 4 ^® pontifical abode : mined attack on the p„7at \t "'"' " *'"• '^«««-- arms!' and m«sketry bCTo'hH«> -"^ T' '*" »™^' «» every direction ; ftggotXere n^H '." *'. ^''''""'"'^ fro- one of .he condemned glrrthet T^""'^ "'"«'""" mob was in the act of J?°iZ fi I ^^"'"8' '" '''^e'' «!•« r.re.ocks ..ttered .1^:^;^!.*': ^^ '^^^r,. „f -a^tte™r;ernr:o'zrir'--a werfl Pnnfi^,.»,* *!--. ., ^ . . '^"^'^ further operation K.,* - -fidcn. „.., .„, ^„,j„,,_ i, ^^^ ^^^ by-storm;™;;. 86 ROME AND ITS BULEB. yield to progressive inroad. The drums were now beating throughout the city, and the disbanded groups of regular troops and carabineers reinforcing the hostile display of assailants, and rendering it truly formidable. Random shots were aimed at the windows, and duly responded to ; the out- posts, one after another, taken by the people, the garrison within being too scanty to man the outworks. The belfry of St. Carlino, which commands the structure, was occupied. From behind the equestriu^i statues of Castor and Pollux a group of sharp-shootera plied their rifles, and about four o'clock Monsignor Palma, private secretary to his Holiness, was killed by a bullet penetrating his forehead. " As if upwards of 6,000 troops of all ranks were not considered enough to reduce the little garrison of a couple of dozen Swiss, two sjix-pounders now appeared on the scene, and were drawn up and duly pointed against the main gate, and, a truce having been proclaimed, another deputation claimed entrance and audience of the Pope, which the mon- arch ordered to be allowed. The deputation were bearers of the people's ultimatum, which was a reproduction of the five points before stated, and they now declared that they would allow his Holiness one hour to consider ; after which, if not adopted, they announced their firm purpose to break into the Quirinal, and put to death every inmate thereof, with the sole and single exception of his Holiness himself." Who will attempt, on rational grounds, to account for this abominable outrage? If, indeed, the palace assailed r-ith such savage fury had been the dwelling- place of some foul tyrant, stained w\th the blood of his people — of some hardened monster, to whose ears the cries and groans of his subjects were as sweet music — of some wretch, dead to every good and generous emotion, and whose greatest delight it was to oppress and tramT>le upon those unhappily subject to his sway. NO EXCCSE FOB THIS VIOLENCE. 87 tT'frrJ^''* *■" "'"■''' ""•"P'^hend and accost for ^e dark domgs of this day of .hame and terror. Bn well as the most exalted of living men,_in whose «.m„, whose eve^ thonght, fron, the mLent that he rose m the morning, til! he last knelt to his God at mght, was of doing good-how he could improve empo,^ and eternal interests-how he could rZ effectually minister to the necessities of the poorTe ™ffe„ng, and the sick-how he could most securely H.s ty\ T'"™ ""^ ^'""« "• '^^ "gtt path as was a brow that never cont„.cted in reseftment- h.s an eye that never flashed with anger-his a moutii that never uttered words of scorn or contempt; buT ever gentle, ever merciful, ever good, Rus IX. seemed born to attract towards him the hearts and win t^e conhdence of mankind. But the base and bad totk advanta^ of those qualities which command the ^ Bpect of the good, and despised tbe gentle and beni^ wh.ch they could alone appreciate, but which formed all!!' fT"/1 ^'"^ ^""^"'"^ *»» effectually to allow of hope for their return to reason. The moderate were shocked at the excesses penetrated in the ^ ™^v , ""«- cuej were powerless in 88 BOME AND ITS RULEB. this hour of frenzy, nor could their voice be heard in the wild storm of popular commotion. The power of the Pope was utterly paralyzed, and his personal safety in danger. To repeat the words of the Duke d'Harcourt, "The authority of the Pope is now ab- solutely null. It exists only in name, and none of hia acta vnU he free and voluntary.'^ • I HIS HOLINESS MBDITATBS FLIGHT. I I 89 CHAPTER VII. The personal Liberty of the Pope at an End—He resolves to abandon Kome.~Hi9 Flight from the Quirinal.— He reaches Gaeto.— His Re- ception by the King and Queen of Naples. Such being the case— all power and authority being centred in the very men who had been all along plotting his overthrow, and who now gloried in their achievement— there was but one coui-se left to the outraged sovereign-namely, /«>Aj5 / and this he was soon induced to adopt. One consideration more than another was powerful with the Pope-that the direc- tion of those affairs which related to the Church was not only interfered with, but was rendered wholly impossible. At first, he was doubtful as to the course which he should take, or the resolution to which he should come ; and in this state of suspense he remained for two or three days, when he received a letter from France, from the Bishop of Yalence. In this letter the Bishop acquainted His Holiness that a little silver case having come into his possession, which had served Pius VH., of blessed memory, to keep therein a consecrated pai^' tide, in order that he mi>Ut have the most Holy Sac- rament as a solace durm^ the sad exile to which tyranny and infidelity had condemned him ; he was -^™™_.._JL.„_. 90 ROME AND ITS RULEE. happy to have it conveyed to Pope Pius IX., as a memorial of one of his holy predecessors, and as an object perhaps not useless during the events that wel-e taking place in those days. On the receipt of this precious memorial, the Pope no longer delayed, or hesitated as to the course which he should take ; and he accordingly resolved upon abandoning Rome. At first, he deliberated upon what place to select for his stay ; but as the Spanibh Court had offered him their hospitality, and as the Ambassador, Signor Martinez della Rosa, assured him of the immediate arrival of a steamer belonging to that nation in the harbour of Civita Yecchia, the Pope thought that this would be an opportune means whereby to effect his escape. But the Spanish steamer being retarded from day to day, and the state of affairs in Rome becoming more and more alarming, the Pope intimated to the Spanish Ambassador that he purposed setting out at once, and that orders might be given to the captain of the steamer, when he should arrive at Civita Vecchia, to sail to the port of Gaeta, whither he had determined to proceed. Tlie intended flight had been already communicated to upwards of fifty persons, ecclesiastics and seculars, and everything was in readiness for its accomplishment. It took place in :liG following man- ner : — Count Spaur, Minister of His Majesty the King of Bavaria, wished to take upon himself the duty of ac- companying the Pope on his secret journey. Mean- while, the Palace of the Qnirinal, which had witnessed M HIS FLIGHT PROM THE QUIRINAL. 01 the savage assault of the 16th, was surrounded on all sides by armed men, and guarded by a great number of sentinels ; so that the escape of the Pope seemed to be a matter of impossibility— at least, beyond his power, or that of his faithful friends, to accomplish. But Providence was on the side of the good, and against the wicked. It was about the dusk, of the' evening when, in pursuance of the plan that had been adopted, the D.uko of Harcourt, whose dispatches have been quoted, came to visit the Pope, leaving his car- riage at the foot of the stairs by which all those who are about to have an audience with the Holy Father must ascend. After a short communication with the Duke, the Pope asked him to remain in his cabinet, in order that he himself might retire to another apart- ment, and, laying aside his white robes, assume the dress of an ordinary priest. This humble toilet was completed in a few minutes ; and the Holy Father who throughout preserved the greatest calmness and tranquillity of mind, took his leave of the Duke, who was deeply affected, but who was compelled to remain awhile in the cabinet, in order to give the fugitives time to pass through the secret apartments, and de- scend into the Cortile by another staircase. The Cavalier Filippani a Roman, who had a carriage in readmess in the Cortile, accompanied the Pope through the spacious halls along which they had to pass, their footsteps lighted only by a single taper, which was borne by the Cavalier. As they passed through one of the apartments, the taper was suddenly extinguished '^sj 92 ROME AND ITS RULER. and both the Pope and hig attendant were left in total darkness. To proceed further without light was im- possible ; so Filippani was obliged, in order to re-light the taper, to return to the same cabinet in which the French Ambassador had been purposely left waiting. On seeing Filippani return, the Duke was seized with astonishment and terror, believing that some untoward occurrence had occasioned the extinction of the taper, and deranged the entire plan of escape ; but his mind was immediately relieved, and his apprehensions of danger removed, by the assurance that it had occurred through mere accident. All cause of apprehension was not yet over ; for just as the Pope was about stepping into the carriage prepared for him, a do- mestic, accustomed to show respect to his illustrious master, and totally forgetful of impending danger, cast himself upon his knees to receive the blessing. For- tunately, however, he instantly arose upon a sign to that effect being rapidly made to him. The Cavalier Filippani got into the carriage along with the Pope, and the carriage crossed the Piazza and Cortile of the Quirinal, which was full of guards, whose attention was so engaged at that very moment— one might almost say miraculously so— that they did not perceive who it was that passed ; and Pius thus escaped, through the midst of armed men, from the palace in which he had been held and treated as an actual prisoner. Having passed the Piazza del Quirinale, the carriage descended by the Yia delle tre Canelle into the Piazza degli SS. Apostili, and having traversed HE BEACHES GAETA. 9i a portion of the Corso, proceeded through different streets to the Coliseum, and thence by the Via or Strada Labicana, from whence the Pope arrived on foot at the monastery of SS. Marcellino e Pietro, where Count Spaur, with another conveyance, was awaiting him. Having passed through the adjoining gate of S. Giovanni, he arrived without any mishap at the gate of Albano, and, in accordance with the plan previously arranged, went somewhat out of his way by the so-called Gallerie di Castel Gondolfo, where he was to meet the post-chaise which was to carry him to Gaeta, and which fortunately was there in readiness to receive him. The Pope descended from the con- veyance in which he had arrived, and rested against a paling during the short space of time in which they were adjusting his trifling baggage; and at this very moment three gendarmes on patrole happened to pass by, and halted between the carriage and the Pope. But he calmly saluted them, by wishing them « a good night." His dress, that of an ordinary priest, saved him from their recognition. Count Spaur now mount- ed to the box seat ; and the Holy Father, with the Countess and her son Maximilian, then about the age of eighteen, and a Bavarian priest, D. Sebastian Liebel, entered the carriage. At dawn, on the 25th, they arrived safely at Fondi, and continued their route to Mola di Gaeta, where they met Cardinal Antonelli and Count Aman, Secretary to the Spanish Embassy; whose exertions and zeal, in conjunction with those of the Ambassador Martinez della Eosa, cannot be 94 BOME AND 17s RULEB. too highly praised, directed as they were to assist the Supreme Pontiff in this aiflicting emergency. Here the Pope rested for some hours, and then, accompanied by the same retinue, proceeded to the neighbouring Gaeta, expecting that he should there find the diocesan Bishop. Before parting, however, ho wrote a letter to the King of Naples, and Count Spaur offered him- self to be its bearer. In this letter the Pope informed King Ferdinand, that, having been compelled to aban- don Kome, he felt himself bound to announce to him that he had entered his kingdom ; but that he did not wish, by his presence, to cause him the least trouble during the stay which he would be obliged to make, whilst waiting for the vessel which should carry him to Spain. The nuncio of the Pope, who had left the King a little time before, returned again to the Eoyal Palace with the Bavarian Minister, who about mid- night presented to his Majesty the letter of which he was the bearer. Scarcely had the King read it, when, with a promptitude and alacrity that displayed alike his generosity and aUachment to the Yicar of Christ, he gave orders that a vessel should on the instant be got in readiness, and such mattera placed in it as his own mind suggested would be most necessary to sup- ply the wants of the Pope and the companions of his exile. Then he himself, with tlie Queen and the entire Eoyal family, going on board, sailed immediately for Gaeta, where the vessel arrived about mid-day. In the meantime, the Pope, not having found the Bishop at his residence, betook himself to an humble inn. HIS RECEPTION BY THE KINO OP NAPLES. 95 without having been recognized; and there he passed the night. On the King's arrival at Gaeta, he caused the Queen to be conveyed to one of the pahtces, and then taking another route, in order to escape the ob- servation of the curious crowd, prevailed upon the Pope to leave his humble dwelling unobserved, and come to the Rojal palace ; which invitation, warmly and affectionately urged, was accepted by the Holy Father. On the Pope's arrival at the palace, he was met by the Queen, who received him, on bended knees, at the foot of the staircase. Much affected at this re^ ception, the Pope gave his blessing to the good Queen, and, raising her up, he ascended the stairs in company with her, and conversed with her Majesty until the ar- rival of the King, who could not speak through emo- tion, as he beheld the illustrious fugitive beneath his roof, and thought of the indignities and outrages which he had endured. And it must be said, in justice to the King of Naples, that he maintained throughout the entire of the Pope's long stay in his dominions- a period of nearly seventeen months—the same gener- ous solicitude for his comfort, and the same veneration and affection which he displayed from the very first moment, when he found the loftiest Majesty of the Christian world sheltered in a lowly inn, a fugitive from the rage of enemies who had turned his capital into a Pandemonium. Before referring to subsequent events, it may be weU to say something of the feeling which the flight of the Pope excited, wherever the sad story was heard. H BOME AND ITS BULER. CHAPTER VIII. The Flight of the Pope euppoied to be the Downfall of the Papacy.— Former Popes driven from Rome— Piim VI. and Piua VII.— General Cavaignac's Letter.— Teetimony of the " Timen."- Addresees pour in on the Pope. — Offers of IIoBpltality. "The Pope has fled— the Papacy is at an endl" Tliis was the cry which, uttered by the vainglorious revolutionists of Korae, was repeated, with more or less of exaggeration, by every thoughtless enemy of the Church. From press, and platform, and pulpit, the ominous announcement rang forth—" Tlie Papacy is at an end I" Bigots piously congratulated each other as they met, on the happy overthrow of the too long-en- dured abominations of the Vatican. Never more was the Scarlet Lady to sit upon the Seven Hills of the modern Babylon I The reign of Antichrist was at an end ! The miserable fabric of pasteboard and paint had been swept to everlasting ruin by the strong breath of Public Opinion 1 Let " alleluias" ascend to heaven, for man was once more free! Such were the udingn of gladness which thrilled the soul of the fanat.c, .'.iid led astray the judgment of the shallow. People who thus rejoiced in what seemed to be the fulfillment of their own prophecies, knew little of the Church, little of her hi;,tc.'^ i and much less of the political agencies by rOKMKIt roPIS DKIVEN TROii ROME. '07 "Whicli, for a longer time than any existing monarchy has endured, Providence haa protected the Papacy, and guarded from spoliation its temporal possessions! Pius IX. was not the first Pope who was compelled to leave Rome, whether through the ingratitude of a deluded people, or the hostility of a foreign foe; nor, in ail human probability, will he be the last. Of the • past, let a few instances suflSce to show, that, although Popes have been driven from their Capital, not only was the Papacy untouched, and its temporal possessions secure, but that persecution gave new life and imparted greater energy to the Church. Gelasius the Second was forced to leave Rome by the Emperor Henry the Fifth, and to fly for refuge to France^a country even at that period (a. d. 1118) of- fering a ready asylum to the Sovereign Pontiffs On hk journey, all the nobility and clergy of Provence came to meet him; and the King of France fell pros- trate at his feet. Eugenius the Third, like our Pius, was compelled to leave Rome through the conduct of his people, insti- gated to rebellion by Arnold da Brescia; and in his flight this Pontiff was met by deputations representing the majority of the bishops and people of Armenia,, who! shaking off the ^storian heresy, became reconciled to the Church. Alexander the Third was exposed to the outrages of the faction of the Emperor Frederick (Barbarossa)~to escape whose fury the venerable Pontiff wandered a fugitive through Italy, France, and Germany. But hia 98 ROME AND ITS RULER. long exile was one coixtinued ovation. The princes and people of all Christian nations rivalled each other to do him honour. Messages and gifts flowed in from the King of Jerusalem, and even from Emanuel Gomnenus, Emperor of Constantinople, who was a supporter of the Greek heresy; and the Kings of France and England esteemed it an honour to wait upon the illustrious exile. The Catholic Bishops of all countries, including St. Tliomas of Canterbury, tendered him their homage, and addressed him letters of affectionate sympathy. And, finally, a league was formed, by the Venetians and the different cities of Lombardy, to protect him against Frederick ; who, at last, was forced to throw himself as a suppliant before the outraged Pontiff, and, upon his knees, to beg for mercy and pardon. This struggle, one of the ^ost protracted and perilous which the Pa- pacy ever had to encounter, terminated in the estab- lishment of the See of Rome on a much firmer basis than before. Coming down to late times, we behold Pius YI. ex- posed to danger and persecution, and eventually dyin«y in exile. He is compelled to deliver up, by extorted treaty, important portions of his possessions, and to sub- mit to see the priceless treasures of art with which he had enriched his galleries, made the spoil of the con- queror. His capital is occupied by a French army — his authority is superseded — a Republic, on the model of that of France, is established in its stead ; and be- cause he will not acknowledge the usurpation, he is compelled to leave the Vatican, and seek shelter in a PIUS VI. AND PIUS VII. 99 convent near Florence, in which he is allowed to remain but a short time. Treated like a criminal, and trans- mitted from fortress to fortress, Pius VI. at last yields up a life of suffering, most heroically endured. Still the Papacy was not destroyed, nor was its temporal sovereignty at an end. In Venice, not in- Rome, was his successor, Pius VH., elected. Alike in name, he was also similar to him in his sufferiDgs. Ihere are many yet living who remem- ber the persecutions to which this saintly Pope was subjected. The policy of the Directory was to uproot the Papacy-that of JSTapoleon wps to maintain it, but in complete subjection to his authority. "All Italy '» said Napoleon, writing to Pius, in the year 1805, "must be subject to my laws. Yom- situation requires that you should pay me the same respect in temporal, which I do you in spiritual matters. You are sovereign of Rome, but I am its emperor. All my enemies must be Its enemies. No Sardinian, English, Russian, or Swedish envoy may be permitted to reside at your capital." The reply of Pius to that extraordinary bemg who already aimed at universal dominion, and whose star of destiny then rose high in the asCendant, was dignified and firm; the more so, that his position placed him at the mercy of the conqueror. Pius thus writes ; — " Your Majesty lays it down as a fundamental prin- ciple that you are Sovereign of Rome. The supreme Pontiff admits no such authority, nor any power su- P print* IT* +«»>^»>^,._i Ai . 1 . * '^^ t^--F-^^«i mauers to iiis own. There is no 100 ROME AND ITS RULER. , Emperor of Kome. It is not tlius that Charlemagne treated our predecessore. The demand to dismiss the envoys of Eussia, England, and Sweden, is positively refused : the father of tlie faithful is bound to remain at peace with all, without distinction of Catholics or heretics." Every one acquainted with the events of those times knows how Buonaparte gradually stripped the Pope of his dominions — ^how the excommunication boldly launched at him by Pius, was resented by the armed invasion of his palace, and the seizure of his person — how for years he was kept as a prisoner in the fortress of Fenestrelles, and, when ultimately brought to Fon- tainebleau, compelled to submit to terms which seemed to place the independence of the Church beneath the armed heel of the conqueror, and render the Vicar of Christ the subject, if not the slave, of an earthly mon- arch. Still the Papacy was not at an end ; and Kome once again hailed with gi'atei'ul affection its long-suffer- ing and saintly sovereign, Pius YII. And, as in pre- vious instances, the trials and humiliations to which the august Head of the Church was subjected, only drew more strongly towards the Chair of Peter the sympathy and allegiance of the faithful throughout the Christian world. Look now to the last instance in which foolish men beheld the downfall of the Papacy. " Pius IX. has seen the last of Kome," said one eye- witness of the events of 1848. " "We have beheld the end of the roiffn of the Popes," said another. And GENERAL OAVAiaNAo's LETTER. lOl thus writes one of the inspired madmen of the hour- " Tlie Republic is erected on the ruins of the throne of the Popes, which the shout of all Europe, the maledic- tions of all people, and the spirit of the Gospel, have trampled in the dust." The wretch who wrote this lied and raved at the same time. Every generous nation of the earth sympathized with the illustrious victim of human fickleness and in- gratitude; and from the midst of every CathoHc people came the most ardent expressions of homage and devo- tion. The sovereigns and princes of Europe wrote to Pius in terms of the greatest respect and affection • and the chief Catholic Powers vied with each other for the honour of receiving him within their dominions. The most eloquent orators in the French Assembly and the Spanish Cortez, while eulogizing his virtues and enumerating his many acts of liberality, enforced the necessity of the Pope having absolute independence in the government of his territories. It was in the following language, so earnest and so full of warmth, that the heroic Cavaignac, then at the head of the French Republic, wrote to his Holiness, in the very hour which was declared by false prophets to be that of his " downfall :"— " Paris, Dec. 3. " ^=«^ HoLv Father-I aidress this dispateh and another from the Archbishop of Nicea, your Nuncio to the govern- "The Frencli nnfmti AaanW ^m:~4.^:i .^ ., . .„.,.^.,^ ajiiiutcu U6 xne troubles with 102 ROME AND ITS RULER. which your Holiness has been assailed within a short period, has been moreover profoundly affected at the sentiment of paternal confidence which induced your Holiness to demand, temporarily, hospitality in France; which it will be happy and proud to secure to you, and which it will render worthy of itself and of your Holiness. I write to you therefore in order that no feeling of uneasiness or unfounded apprehension may divert your Holiness from your first resolution. The Republic, the existence of which is already consecrated by the mature, persevering, and sovereign will of the French na- tion, will see with pride your Holiness give to the world the spectacle of that exclusively religious consecration which your presence in the midst of it announces, and it will receive you with the dignity and the religious respect which becomes this great and generous nation. I have felt the necessity of giving your Holmess this assurance, and I heartily desire that your arrival may take place without much delay. "It is with those sentiments. Very Holy Father, that I am your respectful son, •' "General Cavaignao." • And on the following Christmas Day the diplomatic body, then assembled at Gaeta— and including the Kussian Ambassador at Naples— waited on the Pope, and thus addressed His Holiness through the Ambas- sador of Spain : — " Holy Father, on this solemn day, consecrated by religion, the diplomatic body performs a duty in laying at the feet of your Holiness its most respectful and sincere homage. Hav* ing witnessed the virtues which your Holiness displayed in circumstances too striking ever to be forgotten, we are happy to express on this occasion the same sentiments of admiration and devotedness, as unalterable as the virtues they inspire. In wishing your Holiness the peace and happiness of which you are so worthy, we are only faithful interpreters of the TESTIMONY OF THE "TIMES." 103 wishes of our Governments, who all take a lively interest in the fate of the Sovereign Pontiff, whose cause is too just, too holy, not to be protected by Him, who holds in His powerful hand the destmies of nations and kings." While that section of the public press of these coun- tries, which represents the extreme anti-Catholic por- tion of the population, laboured to prove that the flight of the Pope was not only the destruction of his tem- poral sovereignty, but the ruin of his spiritual influ- ence, there were some writers who, either fairer or more far-seeing, took quite a different view of the real position of Catholic affairs. Amongst those who did not suffer their judgment to be blinded by their preju- dices, was a writer in the Times of December 4th ; a passage from whose able and generally well-toned article on the great event of the hour, is a striking tes- timony against the ravings of bigotry : "It is a matter of history, however singular and unwel- come such an assertion might sound, that in the very hour of his flight and his fall, Pius IX. was and is more entirely and essentially pope and head of the Latin Church than many hundreds of his predecessors have been amidst all the splen- dour of the Lateran. Personally the deposed Pontiff has exhibited to the world no common share of evangelical vir tues; and though his political abilities proved inadequate to execute the moderate reforms he had entered upon, from the unworthiness of his subjects and the infelicities of these times, yet the apparition of so benignant and conscientious a man on the Papal throne, in the midst of the turmoil of il^urope, has forcibly struck the imagination and won the affection of the whole Roman Catholic population of Eu- rope. Accordingly, at a crisis when every other constituted 104 ROME AND ITS RULER. authority has been more or less shaken, and every other institution tried, the Romish hierarchy has, in all countries where it exists, extended its influence, and more displayed its power." At no period of his Pontificate did Pius IX. com- mand a greater degree of influence throughout the Catholic world tlian during his stay at Gaeta. With a lowlier reverence, and a more profound devotion, Cath- olic nations bowed before the venerable Father of the Church ; no longer enthroned amidst the splendours of the Vatican, but an exile, driven from his capital by violence and treason. Declarations of attachment, pro- fessions of admiration and sympathy, offers of assist- ance, and presents of money, poured in upon the Pope. And it may be here properly remarked, that of the vast sums which he has since expended in works of utility and charity in Eome, the larger portion was then de- rived from the generous and spontaneous offerings of the faithful. In every living language did sympathy convey its sweet consolation to the wounded heart of Pius. And perhaps one of the most touching letters received by the Holy Father was one sent to him by a Lutheran Protestant, named Christian Freytag, of Lu- bec, enclosing thirty ducats, and concluding in these words : — " Permit me, Holy Father, who am penetrated witli the most profound respect for your holy person, to con- tinue my prayers for you to our Saviour, Christ Jesus. Deign, in return, to bless my family, who, although Protestant Lutherans, implore for you the choicest ADDRESSES TO THE POPE. i 05 blessings from the hands of our Father in Heaven, who Himself is Love and Holiness." Addresses poured in upon the Royal Exile from the Archbishops and Bishops of Martinique, Oregon, Agra, the Mexican Confederation, Auckland, Bosnia, (in the Ottoman Empire), Japan, Lima, Melbourne, Pondi- cherry, Sydney, Santiago ; and, without enumerating the places or dioceses throughout the world from which there flowed one great tide of sympathy, it is enough to say, that on whatever spot of the earth a Catholic altar was raised, or in which a Catholic community existed, there was experienced a filial sense of horror at the outrages perpetrated on the Holy Father— and that the entire Church felt aggrieved in the sacred person of the Supreme Pontiff. But in no country did the events which terminated in the flight of the Pope excite a more profound feel- ing of regret, or a keener sense of indignation, than in Ireland ; and by no people was attachment to the per- son of the Pope, and devotion to the Holy See, more ardently and emphatically expressed, than by the Catholic population of that country. Loving liberty with passionate ardour, and sympathizing with every generous effort made by the oppressed nations of Eu- rope to shake off the yoke of the stranger, they looked with horror upon the brutal and sacrilegious outrages with which the most illustrious, as well as the most en- lightened and well-intentioned reformer of the age, had been rewarded for his large and liberal concessions. Thev had followed Avpr-o- ofor. /%0 to 60 PETITIONS.— THE POPE's CHARITY. ' 147 pardons are granted by the Pope every month of the year,— and therefore, that from 600 to 700 persons, who have been condemned for various offences, are annually restored to freedom by the exercise of that noblest pre- rogative of Princes, mercy. The charity of the Holy Father is also hourly ap- pealed to, and scarcely ever in vain. If he Walk through the streets, hands may be seen stretched forth, holding letters of supplication— perhaps com- plaints of injustice, or of wrong inflicted, but more generally appeals for alms; and these are taken by one of the mble Guard (a few of whom accompany His Holiness), and are afterward^j handed to himself personally. Then the post-office is a constant means of communicating directly, and without any interme- diate agency, with the Pope ; and there is no letter or petition which he receives, be it from f,he humblest, the meanest, or the most guilty, that he does not read, and into the subject-matter of which he does not in- quire. The official channels of communication are the following. The Cardinal Prefect of Subsidies receives communications on matters immediately connected with his office, as well as upon others; and he has a fixed day in every week for an audience of the Pope, to whom he refers them. The Cardinal Secretary of Memorials also receives petitions, as well as com- plaints, on almost every subject respecting which ap- peal or remonstrance could be made. Every petition is examined by his Secretaries, then referred to him, and by him submitted to the Pope, of whom he has an 148 HOME AND ITS RULER. audience every Tuesday and Friday. Then there is Monsignor the Almoner of the Pope, who has crowds of petitioners at his door, and who has appointed days for hearing and receiving appeals, which are similarly transmitted as all the rest. Monsignor the Almoner accompanies the Pope when he goes abroad, and inva- riably brings with him a bag of money, for distribu- tion among the poor who may be met with on the way. The Minister of the Interior di8<^harges the functions of the Minister of Grace and Justice, which latter office is merged in the former ; and this officer is likewise made the medium of appeals for mercy. Then there are the Secretary of State, and the Under Secretary, whose duty it is to receive, inquire into, and submit petitions to His Holiness. The Cardinal Yicar is also an important channel of communication ; so is every Cardinal, each of whom, according to his particular position, has constant claims made upon his influence ; so are all who hold offices about the per- son, and may be said to have the ear, of His Holiness, — BO also are the Parish Priests, to whom vast num- bers, especially of the poor, first address their com- plaints, or make their necessities known. Through these and other channels the peop^o communicate with their Sovereign, the poor and the needy with a com- passionate and bountiful benefactor. I stated an im- portant fact, which strikingly illustrated the value of the privilege of petition to the prisoner, and the merci- ful and clement disposition of the Pope ; and I shall H HIS MUNIFICENCE. 149 now mention one which as conclusively displays his benevolent and charitable nature. Since his accession to the Pontificate, in 1846, Pius the Ninth has spent, in charitable and pious works, no less a sum than 1,500,000 scudi— a sum fabulous in amount, when taking into consideration the extent of his private re- sources. Tliese consist of 355 scudi a month, or about 4,200 scudi in the year ; which would be about equal to £1,000 a year of English money. What a revenue for a Sovereign Prince I How, then, it may be asked, were the 1,500,000 scudi obtained ?— from what source was this enormous fund derived ? The answer, which I have elsewhere anticipated, is significant, and affords a lesson to those who foolishly imagine that the Papacy would be destroyed the moment that, by revolution or plunder, the Pope should be deprived of his temporal power; that is, of his sovereignty over the Papal States. The greater portion of this wealth, which the Pope so generously devoted to works of piety and charity, poured in upon him at Gaeta, while he was an exile from his country and his throne— poured in upon the Father of the Christian Church from all quarters of Christendom, at the very moment when thoughtless persons were frantically shouting out— "The Papacy is at an end !" There are those in Eome and through- out the States who long for a change of government for any change, by which they might hope to realize their dreams, or accomplish their personal objects— and who, therefore, are hostile to the existing state of 150 HOME AND ITS RULER. things; but in the great breast of the people— the mass of the people — there exists a sincere loyalty to the throne and p. ^^ .n rf the Pope, and a profound conviction of those virtues which adorn hia character as a Man, a Ituler, and a Priest. the to nd ter INSTANCES OF HIS OIIAKITY. 161 CHAPTER XIV. Inatances of the Pope's Charity. — More Instances.— Curious Applica- tions. — Protestant Opinions of his Character. — He gives Audicr < o to a No^^ro Slave.— Ilia Affability to Students.— Tlie Holy Father on foot. As a proof of the benevolent and merciful character of His Holiness, I stated that he distributed, during his reign, no less than 1,500,000 scudi in pious and charitable works, at the same time mentioning that his own private income did not exceed 4,200 scudi, or about lOOOZ. a year. Perhaps I might illustrate, by an interesting fact, that intense love of the poor, and sym- pathy for the suffering, which the Holy Father has invariably displayed. Shortly after his return to Eome, from his temporary exile at Gaeta, the Queen of Spain sent him, as a mark of her respect, a splendid tiara, which was valued at 50,000 scudi — a very large sura, even when represented by English money. The Pope accepted the princely gift, bu< gave immediate orders that its value, to the full amount, should be distributed to " the poor, to the aged, and the sick, and in such a manner and tlirough such channels as would be certain to produce the most beneficial results. I have heard of numbers of instances of the impul- 162 ROME AND ITS RULER. 8ivo generosity witli wliich lio responds to appeals to his coFnpassion, all equally indlcativo of the charity of his disposition. In the month of October last, a poor family fell into distress, in consequence of the illness of one of its priu- cipal members, and were unable to bear up against the expenses in which they necessarily became involved. In their affliction they appealed to the Pope— ai)plied by petition; and the answer, after inquiry made into the facts of the case, was a prompt gift of 50 scudi. Similar appeals, daily and hourly nuide, produce simi- lar or even greater results. A little time before that, a certain person applied to the Holy Father for an office of some importance, that would have been of the greater consequence to him, from the reduced circumstances into which he and his family had fallen. Unfortunately, the office which was in the gift of the Holy Father, had been previously promised to another; but so keenly did the Pope feel for the disappointment which a refusal must inevitably inflict on his suitor, that he sent him 1000 scudi as a compensation for his loss, and as a means of relieving his necessities. Kot more than a few days previous to my arrival in Rome, a venerable pensioner, who had once held some small office, not being able to provide himself with cer- tain comforts suited to his extreme age and ailing con- dition, without involving liimself inextricably in debt, applied to the Pope for assistance, and to his surprise' at once received eight years' amount of his pension in s f.' MORE INSTANCES OF HIS CHARITY. ibs advance; although no insurance coini)any in tho world would have valued his litb at more than a year's pur- chase. I had an opportunity of witnessing the manner in which the alms given from the private purse of tho Holy Father are distributed, and the gratitude with which they are received. Speaking on one occasion to a kind friend, to whose courtesy and whose intelligent mode of communicating information I had been equally indebted, on a subject interesting to us both— namely, the character of tho Pope, and especially his charity and benevolence— he suddenly said,—" Perhaps you would have no objection to discharge for me a little commission with which I have been intrusted. It is to give a small sum from His Holiness to a poor family. Tlie father, an old man, sent a petition some time since to the Quirinal, imploring assistance ; and, on inquiry being made, the case was found to be a deserving one." "We— for I was accompanied by a young Irish clergy- man—immediately expressed our willingness to act as temporary almoners of the Papal bounty; and the sum of 15 scudi- more than 3^.— was handed to us. At our earliest convenience, we proceeded to the house, wliich was in one of the narrowest streets of the city— the very description of street that Tacitus tells us was considered the most agreeable to the Eomans of his day, with lofty houses on each side, affording ample protection against the raging heat of the noonday sun. Ascending massive stone steps, which seemed to go to the top floor of the building, we came to the landing 7* — 154 ROME AND ITS RULEB. indicated in our instructions. The door was freely opened to our summons ; and on entering, we were at once convinced that the necessity was as pressing as the aid was timely. There was nothing of that squalid poverty which as often exhibits the absence of all self- respect as the presence of intense destitution ; on the contrary, tlie apartments, while most scantily furnished, were scrupulously clean. But the head of the family, a fine venerable old man, who might have sat to a painter as a model for one of the Apostles, was past the years of labour ; and a daughter seemed, from the Bupernatural brightness of her eye, the peculiar lioUow- ness of her cheek, and her wasted mouth, to be far on the road to a happier world. We explained the object of our visit, and produced the little roll of gold pieces with which we had been intr listed. The glitter of the gold brought happiness to the heart of that poor family, for it spoke of unaccustomed comforts and momentary abundance ; and food and clothing are positive happi- ness to the poor. In an ecstacy of gratitude, the mother and her children flung aside the needle-work with which they had been employed, rushed to us, seized our hands, and kissed them with graceful ges- tures ; at the. same time murmuring blessings on the head of their good and merciful Father and Pope, "We felt convinced that the family, thus temporarily relieved, would be cared for by one of those noble charitable confraternities which abound in Eome, and are the glory of the Church. I was told of a somewhat curious application made CURIOUS APPLICATIONS TO HIS HOLINESS. .155 to the Pope by a poor countryman of my own. Writ- ing to His Holiness from England, he informed him that he had lost the use of his limbs, and that he wished him, as the successor of St. Peter^to bid him " Stand up and walk," as St Peter did to the lame man, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. IIur singular letter M^as referred to the Pope, who imme- diately sent ten dollars to the writer, at the same time informing him that he had not the miraculous powers of Saint Peter. And in an audience with which I was honoured by the Holy Father, I had a good opportunity of under- standing the strange and varied character of the peti- tions poured in upon him daily, to the very necessary exercise of his exhaustless patience. In the course of the audience, the Pope took up a large package or bundle of papers from the desk-table by which he stood for the whole time, and, with a smile full of singular sweetnjss, not however unminglcd with hu- mour, he said,— "These are all I have got this morn- ing." And surely they were sufficient, and rather more than a first-rate London barrister could conve- niently "read up" before going to court. Two or three of the documents wore, in fact,. as bulky and voluminous as chancery briefs. And the most volu- minous of these was the contribution of a lady, who evidently desired to take the Holy Father into her confidence upon the most delicate of all questions to her sex— marriage. Her inclinations tended decidedly in that direction j but there were " difiiculties" in the 156 nOMIe a type and model of the noblest of Cliristian virtues. Let it not bo imagined tliat my information is by any means ex- clusively derived from those whose personal venera- tion for the Holy Father might bo considered to in- fluence their judgment. Such is not the fact; for I have heard English Protestants, who have not a single feeling in common with the religion of which he is the head, and whose prejudices are strongly opposed to the form of government now existing in Kome, speak of the Pope with the ntmost respect and veneration. A most intelligent Englishman, of the class I indicate, was speaking to njc with respect to certain reforms which he deemed absolutely necessary — not great or- ganic changes, but reforms in administration — and he wound up by saying : " But as lor the Pope, I verily believe tiiere is not a kinder, or better, or purer man living on the earth — there can be only one opinion about him." Then as to his personal bearing, even to the hum- blest, no other Sovereign approaches him in this re- spect. No matter what may bo the object for which an audience is sought of the Pope, whether of business or clijiriry — to prefer a charge, or obtain a favour — no matter for what it may be, the same kindness and cour- tesy are exhibited to all persons, and on all occasions. A most remarkable case in point occurred in the coui'se of the last year, wJiich, in its simple and unaf- 168 ROME AND ITS EULER. fected goodness, puts to shame those exliibitions of mock sympathy for the poor African Slave in whicli it is the fashion now-a-days to indulge. A ftimily of French extraction brought with them from New Orleans a fe- • male slave of pure African blood. Had this poor wo- man desired to do so, she might have made herself free • for long before the cry for the emancipation of the Negro was heard in England, a Pope had declared that m the Eoman States " no slaves could be." Having been brought up a Catholic, she wished to be confirmed • which she eventually was, in the chapel of the French Kuns of the Sacred Heart, by Archbishop Bedini It afterwards occurred to her mistress that it would be a great comfort to the good creature if she were allowed to stand somewhere so as to get the Pope's blessing as he passed. His Holiness was informed of the matter • to which he replied,-"! will think about it." The' next day, a papal dragoon was seen riding up and down the Yia Condotti, making inquiries at various places for " Mademoiselle Marguerite," for whom he had a letter of audience with the fii-st Sovereign of the world ! Not finding Mademoiselle Marguerite in the Yia Con- dotti, tho dragoon became somewhat perplexed haw to execute his commission. At last he said to himself,- " Oh, this is one of those French or English devotees and they will know something of her at the convent of Trinity di Marti." To that convent he accordingly pro- ceeded, and was there told that his letter would be safely delivered to the right person. At the appointed hour the sable-visaged Marguerite found herself in the midst HE GIVES AUDIENCE TO A NEGKO SLAVE. 159 of a company of the high-born, the r?eh, and the beau- tiful, who were waiting to pay their Easter homage. The Pope was long and privately engaged. But when he was at length free, the first iiame called was that of " Mademoiselle Marguerite." One may imagine the feelings of awe and reverence with which the poor de- spised child c ^ Africa prostrated herself at the feet of the successor of Peter. A voice of touching sweetness and gentleness soon inspired her with confidence. "My child," said the Pope, "there are many great people waiting, but I wish to speak to you the first. Though you are the least upon earth, you may be the greatest in the sight of God." He then conversed- with her for twenty minutes. He asked her about her condition, her tbllow-slaves, her hardships. " I have many hard- ships," she replied ; " but since I was confirmed^ I have learned to accept them as the will of God." He ex- horted her to persevere, and to do good in the condi- tion in which she was placed ; and he then gave her his blessing. He blessed her, and blessed " all those about her ;" so that this poor despised slave carried with her from that memorable interview, greater courage and stronger fortitude to bear up against her yoke of sufier- ing and humiliation. A beautiful feature in the character of Pius IX. is his benignity. From it springs that thoughtful con- sideration for the feelings of others which ever distin- guishes hiui. und of which an instance has been given in the case of one whom prejudice— aye, and prejudice deep-rooted in the breasts of those who boast of ^their 160 ROME AND ITS RULER. Christianity-accounts, if not actually infamous, at east destined by nature for persecution and degrada- tion. ° To cliildren especially he is gentleness itself. He del.gl.ts to engage them i„ eonvc^ation, as he meets Ue,n .n his walks outside the eity, or in its more re- tnod d,st,-iets. But he never fails to inquire as to their knowledge of the eateehism, and their progress in edueation; and if he finds that the objeet of his seru- fny IS Ignorant, or i,.. daiiger of falling into an evil course, either through having bad or negligent parents, or from bempr unproteeted, he at oneo gives orde.^ to one of his atte,.hmts,-which orde.-s ensure to the ch.ld the benefit of a good education, or the protection 01 a sate asylum. _ To students he is as affable and familiar as he was m Ins bishopric of Imola, or while yet a si.nple priest. In the early part of last Autumn he had a number of the studc,.ts of every ecclesiastical college in Rome to d.ne w.ih h„„. This was an act of condescension alto- gether unusual, as the Pope almost invariably dines alo..e; but such is the special kindness which ho feels towards the students of the Irish-College, that more of the.r body enjoyed the distinction than of any other coUege, that is, in proportion to their relative number One afternoon, I was retur,>i„g from a ramble ovei- he chan„„.g Pincian Hill, from whose various eleva- tions exqn,site views of Eome and the country beyond It may be enjoyed, when the friend who accompanied me cned out,-" See! there is the Pope!" I accord- THE POPE A PEDESTRIAN. 1^1 ingly looked in the direction to which he pointed my atLention, and I saw u iigure clad in a white ciotli Bu- tane, Willi a cape and belt of tlie Banie colour, and wearing a wide-brimmed crimson hat, adorned with a gold cord, which encircled it, and which terminated in hu-ge tassels of the same costly material At each side walked two persons, dressed as the students of the Apolonari College ; and behind came three or four officers of the household, one of whom acted as Al- moner, as is the custom when the Pope goes abroad. These were followed, at some distance, by a few of the Noble Guard ; and then two carriages of a plain de- scription, the one for His Holiness, the other for his at- tendants. My friend and I did not hesitate long about forming part of the coti<>(/e that accompanied the illus- trious pedestrian from the foot of the Pincian Hill, across the Pia^a del Popolo, through the gate of the same name, and for nearly two miles along the Flarain- ian Way, which the prevalence of a strong wind had rendered more than usually dusiy. Divested of the splendid robes in which I last boiield the Pope, and clad in the simple dress which I have described, his figure appeared stout and robust, but by no means un- duly full for a man of sixty-three— which is about his age at present. He walked vigorously and well, freely using his arms as those do who desire to give the bene- fit of the healthful exercise to all their limbs. As he was descending the hill, he met a group of students of the Propaganda, amongst whom I instantly recognized one of the dark faces which I had previously seen in 162 ROME AND ITS RULEB. tlie lauhno Chapol. Tho Popo at onco stopped, and convorBcd with the.n for a few nunnentH. In the same way he spoke to so,ne children wlio had been enjoying then.8elve8 in innocent sport, but who, on bein^ ad- dressed by the Holy Fatlier, evinced towards him re- Bpect, not bashfulnoss. For two miles, or even more, he stoutly pui^ued his way along the road, walking in the very centre of it, and little regarding the dust which rose before a breeze that was robbing many a tree on each side of its russet leaves. Every human being whom he met on liis way knelt to receive his blessing. There was no exception whatever-old as well as young, rich as well as poor, the rude driver of the quaint-looking market-cart, as well as the noble equestrian-all knelt as he approaci^cd, and with an utter disregard of the mode or place in which they knelt. I particularly remarked that a group of gentle- men, some of whom were named to me as members of well-known noble families, at onco dismounted, and knelt with just the same alacrity as the very poorest. The latter had more than one motive for their act of homage ; for they knew that the Almoner, or his sub- stitute, was among the attendants of the Holy Father, and that he bore with him a purse, which had been re- plenished specially tor them, and wJiose contents were in rapid process of distribution. The dress of the Holy Father was different indeed from that in which I beheld him on several previous occasions ; but there could be no change in the unalterable mildness and benevolence which nature and character had impressed PIO NONO AND FATHER MATHEW. 163 upon his features. There was nothing in that face to awe or repel, but overytliing to attract. In its general cliaracter — I do not mean its lines and curves, but its spirit— there is in the face of Pius IX. much that would recall to the memory the sweet countenance of another most benevolent Priest, the illustrious and lamented Father Mathew. Nor is the resemblance merely external ; for, in considerateness and kindness of manner to all persons, without distinction of rank ; in compassion and tenderness for the poor and the suf- fering, and in unfailing gentleness to youth, there is much similarity of character and disposition between these two great and good men. In their boundless charity— the desire to convert their every possession into the means of relieving others— I can see a still stronger and more touching resemblance. The Pope, as might be supposed, receives many beautiful and costly presents, not alone from the faith- ful, but even from those who, while they regard his church with aversion, admire his character, and do honour to his virtues. Amongst other presents re- ceived, not long since by the Holy Father, was a sump- tuous saddle, studded with precious stones, and enriched with all the barbaric magnificence of the East. Tliis costlygift was the offering of the present Sultan, who has frequently, and in many ways, manifested his per- sonal respect for the Pope. By the sale of its gems he was enabled to carry out a favoui-ite work of charity. With their produce he fed and clad and consoled the poor. The Queen of Spain also sent him a gorgeous 164 ROME AND ITS RULEB. golden chalice, which Mazed with jewels; Lat the Pope had it divested of its precious stones, broken up, and sold— and with the proceeds he was enabled to estab- lish in Home additional public bakeries, in which bread is sold to the poorer classes at a low price. There were, last year, six of such valuable institutions estab- lished in the most convenient districts of the city ; and not only do they confer an immediate benefit on those for whose especial use they are intended, but they also confer great good on the community generally, by helping to keep down the price of this most important article of daily food. From many causes, the past year has been one of serious privation in most parts of Italy, as well as in Eome and throughout the Papal States. The vintage has been generally unfavourable, owing to the continual prevalence of that mysterious blight which has for years ravaged the wine-producing countries of Europe ; the grain crops have also sufiered materially ; and oil, which is an article of primary ne- cessity to the Italians, has increased immensely in value, in consequence of the more than partial failure of the olive. In connection with the public bakeries, there may be mentioned another work of benevolence commenced by the Pope, out of compassion to the poorer classes. He has lately caused to be constructed a number of small houses, in which the working man, or the poor ftimily, can have a good accommodation, and even con- siderable comfort, at small expense. This attempt is, in Kome as in most other places in which it has been PUBLIC BAKERIES AND VfODEL HOUSES. 16o made, only in its infancy ; but it is to bo made on a larger scale, according as circumstances render it con- venient or possiHe. These houses have been erected at the sole cost of the Holy Father, and out of his pri- vate purse. ^>. .»^/#- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.*^ I- ^ IIIJ£ 1-25 1 1.4 1.6 4 6" ► V, ■^ >> i^:> ^^^^ '^/ Photographic Sdences Corporation m? \^^ ""^V <^.<^ «s» 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTPR, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 f 1^ 166 ROME AND ITS RULEB, CHAPTER XV. Pci'sonal Courage of His Holiness. — ^His Presence of Mind in the Hour , of Danger. — His Visits to the Cholera Hospitals. — Not afraid of his Subjects. — Evidence of his Fearlessness. I SHALL have ample occasion to exhibit still further the merciful disposition, as well as the enlightened character, of Pius IX. ; but it may not be out of place to refer to one tr^it in his character, for which, owing to misrepresentations of its real nature, many people may not give him credit — namely, courage. In mo- ments of the greatest danger, he has displayed a calm- ness and a presence of mind that are not always asso- ciated with the more vulgar quality of mere physical bravery. Mild and gentle as he is by nature, there is no danger which he would not face, when called upon by a consciousness of duty to do bo. Remember how boldly he braved, and how effectually he awed, the furio\i8 assassins in the sacristy of the Cathedral of Imola. Also, how, amidst the horrors of the fearful 16th of November, 1848, he maintained his position with unshrinking courage, declaring that " he would yield nothing to violence." If, at length, he did affect to yield, it was to save his faithful guards and personal attendants from being butchered, and the streets of his capital from being deluged with innocent blood. INSTANCES OP THE POPE'S COURAGE. 167 Again, during his flight, he exhibited a coolness and a courage which those interested in his safety could with difficulty emulate. And bravely, too, on another criti- cal occasion, but one of a far different kind, did his nerves withstand a shock that made many a stout heart tremble at the lime. This was on the 12th of April, 1855, when the flooring of a hall in the Monastery of St. Agnes gave way beneath the unaccustomed weight of some hundred and fifty pereons ; and Pope, cardi- nals, prelates, generals, soldiers, monks, and students, were whirled through the yawning ruin, amidst falling beams, fragments of masonry, and clouds of dust. Kot • a few were hurt, some more or less seriously, by the fall and the consequent crush ; but the Pope was un- touched—his escape, under tlie circumstances, appear- ing to be something miraculous. Kot the least miracle was the wonderful presence of mind which he displayed at such a fearful moment. By cheerful words he dis- pelled the panic with which nearly all were seized. And, in gratitude to God for such an escape, he invited those who were unhurt to follow him to the church • where, in a full and firm voice, he intoned a thanks- giving to the Almighty for His great mercy. I shall not dwell upon his courage in braving the perils of the Cholera Hospital ; for there is not to be found a Roman Catholic Priest who, however natu- rally timid or apprehensive he may be, is not at any moment ready to incur the danger of visiting and ad- ministering to the sick, no matter by what malignant disease they might be Strieker, down, and whether in 168 ROME AND ITS RULEB. the wards of an hospital, or in the fetid atmosphere of s garret or a cellar. But the difference between the two cases is this — t eo"— « Brethren, do good for the love of God." Seven of the brothers were in the hospital as I entered, and were engaged in attend- ance on the sick. The principal hall is about 200 feet in length, and contained fifty beds in a state of imme- diate preparation; ^ut of this number not more than 8* 178 HOME AND ITS RULER. sixteen were occupied at that time. One of the pa- tients, a singularly interesting young man, a native of Switzerland, whose malady was an uflection of the chest, was surrounded by the female members of his family, whose holiday attire imparted a cheerful aspect to the place. He was evidently of a somewhat better class, and, in conversation with a friend by whom I was accompanied, he expresbcd himself most grateful for the attention which he had received. The capa- bility of expansion, according to circumstances, was as manifest in this as in the other hospitals. I found the beds to be neat, comfortable, and well ordered. An adjoining hospital, for women, was in the care of a number of Italian nuns. Xot more than eighteen of the beds were then occupied, thougli the great hall in which they were placed might be easily made to ac- commodate five times that number ot patients. Yet another hall, or ward, had been recently added to it by the present Pope. f f i\ San Galicano. The Hospital of Sun Galicano is interesting in many respects, but in this respect more than in any other — that it exhibits in a very striking manner, the admi- rable solicitude which the Clmrch evinces towards the young. This hospital waa established for, or is de- voted to, the treatment of cutaneous diseases of all kinds. Originally, it was an hospital for leprosy — a digease of which. liaDpiiv, little is now known in Home. SAN GALICANO. 179 It was foanded in 1722 by a pious priest, v:milio Lam;; was enlarged in 1754 by Benedict XIY.; and owes manv of its improvenients to the benevolence and vigilance of Pius IX. Its present accommodation is for 60 men, 54 women, and 30 boys— in all 144 ; but the number of patients at the time of my visit did not exceed 104, of which number the boys constituted more than one third. The latter were then engaged in play, in a spacious yard; and if I were to judge of their condition by their vivacity, I might safely pre- dict for them a speedy restoration to health. The dis- • ease seemed principally to have assumed, with them, the character of " scald," as they all wore on the head a close-fitting linen cap. Their dress was dark and serviceable, and decidedly comfortable. Some persons may deem it a great calamity, that the treatment of the disease with which these children are afflicted gen- erally extends to the term of a year, or even a year and a half; but their ideas might undergo a change, if they learned that the education of the young patients was as strictly looked to as if they were attending a seminary, instead of being the inmates of an hospital. The boys are placed under the care of the Brothers of St. John of God, by whom they are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, and are thoroughly grounded in catechism and Christian doctrine. In fact, they undergo a course of education and a course of physic at one and the same time; and when they leave the hospital cured, they also leave it educated. The same may be said of the girls; with this difference, that, in 180 ROME AND ITS RULER. i addition to the literary and religious instruction which they receive, they are also taught useful work of vari- ous kinds. At the time I visited the institution, I saw about thirty girls, whose ages varied from three to fourteen years, receiving instruction in catechism from one of the Sisters of Charity, to whose management they are happily entrusted. Some of the children had been sent in from the country, foi- the advantage of the better treatment which the hospital afforded, and, being the offspring of poor parents, living in remote and sequestered districts, were generally ignorant at the time of their admission ; but, thanks to the care taken of them, by their excellent teachere, they were then progressing in intelligence as in health. Old and young hear Mass every morning, and attend the rosary and other devotions during the day. The two estab- lishments — male and female — ^presented a pleasing ap- pearance of neatness and cleanliness, valuable as a remedial adjunct, but perhaps still more valuable in its influence on the tastes and habits of its youthful in- mates. I was shown the separate bath-rooms for the children of both sexes. In the boys' department there were six baths of white marble, over one of which was carved the ominous word ''^ Leproaia f but as there had been no case oi that frightful malady in the hospi- tal for two years before, that bath enjoyed a state of fortunate exemption from use. - SAN GIACOMO. !i 181 I San Giacomo. The most beautiful of the Roman hospitals, though not the largest in its accommodation, or the vdstest in its extent, is that of San Giacomo, in Augusta. It is likewise one of the noblest monuments of the munifi- cence and humanity of Pius IX. Originally founded in 1339, by the executors of Cardinal Pietro Colonn^, in compliance with his testamentary wishes, it was im' proved and enlarged in the present century by Pius Vn. and Leo XII. It was insti^tuted for the poor who were afflicted with ulcers, or other loathsome diseases that rendered them objects of aversion ; and in 1515 Leo X. specially destined it for the treatment of lep- rosy and syphilitic diseases. But the whole building was splendidly restored by Pius IX.-in fact, was re- erected. Completed in August, 1856, it was in full operation when I visited it in the following November an^, from the perfection of all its arrangements, as' well as from the care taken to provide for the cure and comfort of the patients, it may be termed a model hospital. The length of the great hall is 340 feet; and as I entered it at an hour when the day was drawing to a close, It seemed to me something wonderful in its ex- tent. But viewed at any time, or under any circum- stances. It would be impossible to behold a more impos- mg, or a nobler hall. Its width as well as its loftiness are m proportion to its length; so that there may at any time be two rows of beds at each «idp oj.a o.,-n „. 182 BOME AND ITS RULER. < ample space preserved between the outer rows. In the centre there is laid down, for the entire length of 340 feet, a pavement of pure white marble, fully six feet in width, and of fine quality. A light gallery divides the height of the walls on each side ; its object being to afford greater facility in the management of the windows. This hospital had been opened with 108 beds, but it then contained 130, and at any moment might be made to accommodate 200. In case of an emergency, the^ lower hall, over which the one I de- scribe has been erected, could be at once restored to usefulness ; whereas now it is abandoned for the new and beautiful building. There is a large staff of expe- rienced physicians and surgeons, besides twelve or four- teen attendants, also professional men, but some of them with a reputation yet to achieve. Three visits daily are regularly paid to all the patients in the hospital — the first in the morning, the second at noon, and the third in the afternoon. As the surgeons went their rounds on the occasion of my visit, many a wound or ulcer was bared, and many a moan was uttered, as the attendant dressed it under the direction of the head surgeon, or he himself, rapidly and with practised hand, used the knife, or applied the caustic. This institution is called the Hospital oiincurables ; but while, unhap- pily, a large proportion of its inmates may come within that miserable category, the term incurable would not apply to others, the former rules of admission having been relaxed, for purposes of greater utility. Its spir- itual care is entrusted to the Brothers of St. John of THE DriNG BOY. 188 God, who are likewise assisted by members of other religious orders. A short time previous to my visit, the Pope had carefully gone through this hospital, and personally examined into all its details. He went to the bed-side of the patients, inquired into their condition and the nature of their malady, and blessed, consoled, or ad- monished them. I was shown a most interesting-look- ing boy, who was at the moment engaged in reading his prayer-book, by the light of a lamp ; and as the light fell upon his youthful features, wasted by sickness, and spiritualized by an expression of intense piety, a painter might have borrowed from his countenance and attitude an idea of angelic purity and sanctity. He was suffering from an aggravated spine disease, and no hope was entertained of his recovery. Tlie compassion of the Pope had been greatly excited by the sweet and gentle resignation with which the little fellow bore his sufferings; and tears of tender pity fell from the eyes of the Holy Father upon the pale cheek of the child, as he kissed him and pressed him in his paternal arms, after he had confessed and absolved him. There seemed, as it were, a radiance of holiness around the sweet head of that dying boy. In another part of the building, there is a depart- ment for women, but, though of neariy equal accom- modation, not at all similar in its construction and arrangement. And here, as in O? hospital which I have described, surgical cases are relieved irrespective of the age, country, or religion of the patient, Several 184 ROME AND ITS RULER. chai'itable congregations of both sexes minister to the religious wants of the suffering. This hospital was a favourite resort of St. Philip Neri. And very fre- quently, at the present day, many of the unhappy females who are driven, by their vicious lives, to seek relief within its walls, owe their thorough reclamation to the exertions of pious ladies — many of them of the noblest families of Eome — who constantly attend it. Besides this hospital for women, there is the impor- tant one of Santissemo Salvatoeb. This great hospital, which consists of two piles of buildings, separated by the street leading from the Lateral to the Coliseum, was founded in 1216 by Car- dinal Giovanni Colonna, and was at first called after St. Andrew, but soon after by its present name, from the confraternity to whose care it was committed. This confraternity was composed of twelve noble Eomans, who had charge of the Chapel called San eta Sancto- rum, near the Lateran Palace. The hospital is chiefly intended for women requiring medical treatment, and receives patients of any country, age, rank, or religion. It has also a male department, principally for those who have suffered from violent accidents; and the average number of beds in both is over 500. Great care has been taken of late years in the management of this hospital, which is now remarkable for its clean- liness and neatness. Its ordinary or smallest staff con- sists of two principal physicians, and one principal HOSPITAL rOR PILGRIMS. 186 surgeon, with two assistant physicians, and two assist- ant surgeons ; besides its attendants and dressers. The regular visits are made twice a day ; but professional assistance is to be had at any moment of tlie day or night. A reh'gious order called Cruciferi, from the red cross borne on its habit, attends to tlie spiritual wants of the patients. In 1821 Pius VII. transferred to this hospital a com-" munity of Sisters of Charity who had dedicated them- selves to visiting the sick in another district. Leo XII. and Gregory XVI. were both conscious of the value of this noble order, and conceded important privileges to it. The vows (those of poverty, chastity, obedience; and hospitality), last only for a year, and are renewed at the end of that time ; but when the Sisters attain the age of forty, they can make the vows perpetual. The cost of a patient in this hospital averages a shil- ling a day of our money. Saotissima Tkinita di Pellegrini. This hospital was founded by St. Philip Keri in 1550. It is destined for the relief of pilgrims, and is used for convalescents from the other great institutions. It contains about 500 beds, and affords relief to more than 11,000 persons in the year. The institution of the Jubilee, which has been the great source of pilgrimage to Rome, originated, in the year 1300, with Boniface Vm., and serves to bind Catholics of all nations by the closest ties to the See of Rome. At first, it was to 186 ROME AND ITS RULER. i / haye taken place every hundred years; but Clement VI., whose seat of government was at Avignon, short- ened the period, and ordained its celebration in the year 1350 ; and it was further shortened to a quarter of a century in 1475, by Paul 11. St. Philip Neri, in 1550, founded the Confraternity of the Holy Trinity, to succour and relieve pilgrims, and also to receive convalescents from the other hospitals. Paul lY. granted the confraternity a convenient building for an hospital, and Clement XII. added refectories in which about 1000 persons can receive their meals at the same time. In Jubilee years the number of pilgrims is im- mense; and even in ordinary years, especially at Easter, it is considerable. To be received, they must have come from a distance of at least sixty miles, and have brought with them certificates from their bishop and parish priest to the effect that their journey was for visiting the Holy Places. Italians are entertained for one day, Ultramontanes two, Portuguese five, and so on. In the Jubilee of 1825 the number of pilgrims who received hospitality was 263,592: and the ex- penses of that year, under this head, amounted to 64,644 scudi. Passing over a number of smaller hospitals, and all those which may be described as private, I come to the most important, if not the most interesting, of all. ill HOSPITAL OF SANTO SPIRITO. II 187 CHAPTER XVII. Great Hospital of Santo Spirito.— Its Extent and Importance.— Its Foundling Hospital— Foundlings not necessarily illegitimate.— Rea- sons why legitimate Children are sent in. Santo Spirito. To go through this magnificent hospital, which is not only the greatest but the most ancient of the existing Koman hospitals, was the work of several hours. It is said that it owes its orgin to the patriotic charity of a Saxon King, who, having abdicated his throne and be- come a convert, took up his abode in Eome in Y28, and there founded an hospital for the relief of his countrymen. It was restored by Innocent III., who confided it to the Brothers of the order of S. Spirito, from which it derived its name. To enlarge and en- rich it, was the grateful task of many successive Popes. Benedict XIY., in 1751, added a museum and ana- tomical theatre: Pius YI. endowed the museum liber- ally with the choicest specimens ; and Pius YII. added dissecting rooms, baths, and many other requisites. The present Pope has made this noble institution the object of his special solicitude, and effected the most important reforms in its management and administra- tion. Amongst the most valuable *of the reforms effected by Pius IX., was the appointment of twenty • Capuchin Priests to its spiritual assistance. To render their connection with the hospital complete, he had a 188 BOMB AND ITS RULER. house built for them within the enclosure ; bo that at all houre, of the night as well as of the day, some members of the body might be in the wards, and in attendance on the sick. A community of Sisters of Charity also aid in the pious work, as well as. manage the working details of the vast institution — which, be- sides the hospital for the sick, also contains an hospital for the reception of deserted children, and a conserva- torio for children of the same class, who, after being nureed outside, are restored to its care. The magni- tude of the hospital, properly so called, may be best understood when I state that there were 780 patients in its extensive- wards on the day that I passed through them ; that there is accommodation for twice that number ; and that in case of an emergency — such as might arise from the sudden outbreak of disease — ^it could be made to receive 2000 patients! I took the number then in the hospital from the register, which was courteously exhibited to me by the Sister in whose charge it was, and by whom it was kept in a manner to excite admiration even in a London banker. Two of the Sisters were at the same desk ; and both kept an account of every article given out of the store- rooms, or supplied from the kitchen — itself a curiosity — and, in fact, of every detail connected with the daily management of the vast establishment. In another part of the building, the Prelate in charge has his apartments, and to him the officers in charge commu- nicate all necessary particulars, as well as receive orders and instructions at his hands. My application, HOSPITAL OF SANTO SPII^TO. 189 to be permitted to go through the different depart- ments, found him in the midst of his affairs, giving audiences and dispatching business-business involv- ing.the welfare of not less than 2000 human beings. No sooner was the request made than it was granted,' and orders wore at once given that every part of the immense establishment should be thrown open to my in- spection—a permission of which I fully availed myself. The halls in this hospital are of enormous size, and afford space to two rows of beds on each side, leaving from fifteen to eighteen feet in the centre. Here, as in other hospitals which I had seen, the beds were clean and comfortable ; and such was the e.Tect of good ven- tilation, that I failed to perceive the least unpleasant- ness of odour, such as is a matter of common occur- rence even in hospitals of great pretension. The same remark I can safely make of the other Roman hospi- tals which I visited ; and in a quick perception of offence to the sense of smell, I am too painfully *acute for my own comfort. I did not consider the mortality by any means in excess, but rather the contrary; for in an hospital of 800 patients, many of whom, both medical and surgical, had been received in a bad state, the deaths for the last three days were but eleven— that is, four on the first day, four on the- second, and three on the day of my visit. The medical and sur- gical staff is fully in proportion to its requirements, care being specially taken that professional aid may be had at a moment's notice, during every hour of the four-and-twenty. It would be quite unnecessary to 100 BOME AND ITS RULER. •1 represent in detail the several features of this hospital; and it will therefore be sufficient to say, that they are adapted to the great ends proposed — the comfort, the consolation, and the cure of the patient. I must not, however, omit referring to its really fine museum, abounding with the most beautiful prepara- tions, natural as well as in wax, of all parts of the human frame, and exemplifying the elFects of various kinds of disease on its principal organs. I was parti- cularly struck with some preparations which* displayed in the most startling manner the virulence of what I may unprofessionally term the ^ison of cholera. Two or three of the great organs of the human body were, in one place^ represented in their normal or health- ful condition; and similar organs, which, having dis- charged their separate functions regularly and health- fully before they were blasted by this fell disease, were shown dried, like leather, and shrivelled up to a tenth of their original size. But a further and still more striking illustration of the terrific power of the dis- ease was exhibited in the skull and great bones of a patient who had fallen a victim to it in 1853 — which were as blue as if they had been pui-posely dyed of that colour. Tlie poison had not only withered up car- tilage and muscle, but had penetrated to the very bone. Curiously enough, these preparations, as well as the other interesting objects that enriched the museum, were pointed out to me by one who had covered him- self with distincd*. ). by the skill, humanity, and un- tiring 2eal w^iuh e displayed in his treatment of THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL. II 191 cholera patients in the year to which I refer At that time Dr. Ceccarelli was a young man in his pro- fesBion ; but such was his skilful treatment of the dis- ease, that lie effected many cures which at the moment appeared wonderful. At length, he himself yielded to Its force, and the effects of almost matchless exertion; but to the bedside of the now illustrious patient rushed nun:bers of his brethren, to watch over a life emin- imtly precious to humanity and science ; and ere long the Holy Father had the satisfaction of rewarding with his own hand, merit and worth to which he was keenly and gi^atefully sensible. The particular pre- parations of which I have spoken bore upon them the name "Ceccarelli;" but it was not until I had parted from my courteous guide, that I learned b^ whom I had been accompanied. In another part of the building is a gi-eat military hospital, the hall or corridor of which seemed of pnor- mous magnitude. It was much occupied, but entirely by Italian soldiers. ' I was most anxious to judge for myself of the condi- tion of the Foundling Hospital, which, as I have stated, forms an important branch of this vast institution for I had hoard different opinions as to its management. A kindly, cheerful-looking Sister was directed to act as our guide ; and she at once led the way, through many courts and corridors, to that part of the building. The average number of children received during the year is about 900 , but of these, not more than 600, or two-tJiirds, are iUegitimate-the remaining 300 are the 192 ROME AND ITS RULER. St ; oftHp»'ing of poor and needy, poiliaps in some instances, of hcurtlesB parents, wlio, from various causes and mo- tives, adopt this ready mode of providing for them, or getting rid of them. If it Imppen, as it very often does with people in the liumblest condition of life, tliat their family exceeds their means of supporting tliem, one of the children is committed to the wheel of the Foundling Hospital of Santo tSjnrito — it miglit be, with some mark on its dress, by which it could be registered in the hospital, and its identity, after wards proved ; in case, for instance, of its being claimed by the parents, whicli in by no means of uncommon oyeurrence. Another frequent cause of hav- ing recourse to this institution, for the maintenance of legitinuite offspring, is, either the delicacy of the moth- er, or the delicacy of the child. The mother has no nourishment to give the infant, and she is too poor to provide a nurse for it ; therefore she sends it, or bears it, to an asylum wdiere that aliment, which nature has refused lo her, will bo provided for it. Or it is a ricic- ety, miserable little thing from its birth, stunted, mal- formed, or 80 delicate that, in the rude hut of its parents, it has no chance of ever doing well; then, too, in its- case, the wheel of the hospital is a safe resource, and with parents of hard hearts takes the place of many an evil suggestion, such as is too often present in the homes and the breasts of the destitute. Frequently, the parent is known to ararue that the infirm or malformed child, •who is thus got rid of, has the best chance of recovery, and certainly of being provided for, where eminent , WHY PAliEOTS ABANDON TnEIH OFFSPRINO. 198 medical attondanco is always to bo had, and where the greatest care is faltcn of the training and future inter- ests of the foundling. It mdy be said, that this facility of getting rid of legitimate oflspring leads to a disregard for the nmnifest obligations of a parent's duty ; but to this fair objection I can only offer a preponderating ad- vantngo,-that it does away with that awful proneness to intanticide which distinguishes other countries, but pro-enunently England. In England, a mother-a mother by lawful wedlock, too-is starving, or her poverty has assu.ned a degree which rendem her despe- rate ; and she makes away with her childre-. secretly or slays them more openly, and consummates her fran- tic guilt by destroying her own life. No eases of this nature occur in the Papal States; not because intense poverty ,s not experienced there by classes ae well as individuals, but that the State has afforded a means of prov,s,on which leaves no room for fierce .nggestion and terrible temptation. It may also happen that a man s w,fe dies in giving birth to a child, or from some other cause; and that the poor bewildered father, not known,g what to do with the helpless little creature eons,gns :t to the shelter of the Foundling Hospital,' winch, ho well knows, is nnder the protection of the State, and managed by a body of religious women whose hves are devoted to its duties. These are some of the causes wh.eh induce the parents of legitimate offspring to adopt this mode of providing for them. As to the causes which influence the parents of illegitimate off- Bpnng to rid themselves of the living evidences of 194 ROME AND ITS RULEB. their shame, they are too obvious to be particularized. The number of 900 may seem very great, as repre- senting the annual average received ; but it should be stated tiiat the hospital of Santo Spirito affords an asy- lum not only to the foundlings of Rome, but to those of the provinces of Sabina, Frotlnone, Yelletri, and the Comarca, and also districts on the borders of the king- dom of Naples. Not more than fifty of the children recently sent in were in the house when I went through it ; the remain- der had been sent off to the country, for the benefit of better nursing, and a more healthful atmosphere, than the city could furnish. Several of the wretched little beings were known to be the children of wedlock, from certain precautions taken by those who had sent them in ; and, from the state in which I saw but too many of them, I could well understand the pressure under which their parents had acted. Some of them were evidently suffering from transmitted disease ; others were shrouded from the light, their sight being grievously affected ; more were evidently passing away to a happier world, and lay still and cold in the cot, or feebly moaned in the arms of a nurse ; while not a few were exhibited with pride by their nurses, and crowed and bawled as merrily and lustily as if they had been bora heirs to princes, and were cradled in royal luxury. One special " lamhind*^ was really a noble fellow, and, were it not that he was swathed and strapped and bandaged, so that he resembled a juvenile mummy, he might have fairly rivalled any authentic feat of the Infant Hercules. AVEBAGE MOHTALITT. IQK I had heard a great deal of the mortaUty of this in- stitufon, and was qaite prepared to hare 8uch state- ments confirmed; bn.^ taking all citcumetances into cons.deration, especially the condition in which the children are sent in, the actnal percentage of deaths was far le^ than I had been led to anticipate, and, m fact, had been informed it was. I made particular inqmry on this head, and was informed, on the best possible authority, that, of late years-during which much has been done by the present Pope for the better management and administration of the hospital -the mortality did not exceed tm per cent. Had it been much more, it could not have been a matter of reasonable surprise. For only imagine a poor little bemg brought, in a basket, a distance of sixty miles or more, under the rays of a burning sun, or in the depth of winter, perhaps in the midst of rain and snow; and then judge in what condition it must be ere it reaches the wheel of the hospital I The nurses are kept with great care, and never leave their young charge. They are well fed, and well paid and every inducement is held out to them to discharge their duty honestly and faithfully. The constant pres- ence of one of the Sisters is a guarantee for as much care and attention as can be expected from snch a class to such a class-from the mercenary hirehng to the miserable fonndUng, tiie offspring of shame, or! at best, the child of poverty. I should not report truly however, if I did not state, as the result of mj visit' and a by no means careless inspection, that the nurse-' ll 196 HOME AND ITS BULEB. i / ries were in good order, that the cots of the children were clean, and that all the other requisites for such an establishment were ample and comfortable. The beds of the nurses were also neatly made up ; and the women themselves looked to be healthy, and compe- tent for their task. Still I would defy any one, who had not a heart of iron, to pass unmoved through the rows of cots, in which many a pale and sickly little face unconsciously appealed to his compassion, and from which there came low, feeble moans, that were but too eloquent of pain. For my part, I felt more acutely when passing through those dormitories, occu- pied by their miserable little tenants, than I did when witnessing the grown man shudder as the surgeon's knife touched his shrinking flesh, or as the sharp shriek of agony gave evidence of torture too great for human nature to endure in silence. Some particulars with respect to the reception and care of the foundlings may be added. But, first, as to the origin of the .lystem. Tlie protection of exposed or abandoned children, whether the offspring of lawful wedlock or the fruit of illicit connection, has occupied the attention of the Church from its earliest ages, and was made the sub- ject of discussion in various councils so far back as the fourth century. In this aspect, as in many others, Christianity offered a striking contrast to Paganism ; the one so full of tenderness and compassion, the other selfish, stern, and remorseless. Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, evidently with a view of prevent- TEEATMENT OF THE FOUNDLINGS. 197 ing the system of child-murder, which was common at the time, and which had Ion- existed in more polished Greece, made known his desire to assist those who, from their poverty, or other cause, could not support their children. The first regular asylum for exposed mfants was established in Milan, in the year 795, in the house of an archbishop, who left his wealth 'for Its support, with the direction that the children should be maintained till the age of seven, and then taught a trade. Innocent HI., in the twelfth century, col- lected all abandoned children, either legitimate or of poor or unnatural parents, in the place where he opened an hospital for the sick. A similar institu- tion was established in Paris, in 1638, by that Prince of Humanity, St. Yincent de Paul ; and in the follow- mg century London followed the merciful example. Particular care is taken in noting down every thing connected with the reception of the child. Of course, the day of the year and month are noted, as well as the very hour; and, if the person bringing the child have no difficulty in telling them, also the name and origm. The official in charge makes a slight incision m the shape of the cross of Santo Spirito, on the right foot, and introduces into it a dark dye, in order to ren- der the mark indelible. The child is then carried to the nursery, where it is taken charge of by the Supe- rior, who examines the clothes, to ascertain if there be any mark, writing, coin, medal, or ribbon : and if there be any such, she .nakes a note of it, which she fastens to the clothes. In fine, every particular by 198 ROME AND ITS RULfilt. \ i which the identity of the child can be described, is carefully put aside and registered. If there be no cer- tificate of baptism, the little one is carried to the church, and there baptized conditionally. The nurser- ies consist of three rooms, capable of containing fifty beds for the nurses ; and each bed has two cradles near it. Two of the rooms are for the healthy children, and one for the sick. The children are not long retained in the hospital, the rule being to send them to the country as quickly as possible. In fact, on certain days nurses apply for the children, bringing testimonies from the Parish Priest and Deputy, as to age, health, and capability, and also as to the birth and death of their own chil- dren ; in order that they should not ask for their own ofispring, and support them at the expense of the insti- tution. The nurse receives a present of clothes, marked with the cross of S. Spirito, and is paid at the rate of one scudo a month for fourteen months. Tlien com- mences the nursing a pane, which lasts till twelve years for boys, and ten for girls. For the first six months of the dry-nursing, the pay is sixty bajocchi a month, and after that forty bajocchi till the end. Morichini, from whom I take these particulars, states that it is remarked in Rome that nurses entertain a greater afi'ection for boys; which is principally accounted for because of the advantage to be gained from the boy when he grows up, in case of the family adopting him. It even frequently happens that the foundling is the most cherished member of the poor family into which he is 1 1 TEAINING AND EDUCATION OF THE GIRLS. 199 received. The boys, when they return from their nur- ses, are sent to the orplianage of the City of Yiterbo, called S. Maria della Providenza, where, for a certain monthly pension, they are maintained, clothed, educa- ted, and instructed in some trade or art, until the age of twenty-one, when they are dismissed with a present of ten scudi. If the boy be taken by any person, he must be educated and trained in the same manner, and until the same age, when, having received the allotted sum, he may remain in the family, or go where he pleases. The girl who is kept by a family must be maintained decently till she is married, or enters a convent ; and in case of her marriage, which is her usual destiny, she receives a certain sum of twenty scudi ; but as there are various dowries established for illegitimate girls, she may receive even one hundred scudi— a small for- tune in Italy. Tlie girls are restored to the institution after being nui-sed, and form a great establishment, amounting to somewhat about 600 in number. Their dowry, on leaving the conservatorio for the home of a husband, is one hundred scudi. The manufacture of wool and hemp was introduced at a very early period into this institution ; and since then all kinds of feminine work, including sewing, em- broidery, lace, &c. If my visit to the infant dormitories occasioned a feelmg of sadness, a w^lk through the department for the grown female foundlings replaced it by one of real satisfaction. The entire establishment was a model of neatness and good order, and its numerous inmat<3s 200 JIOME AND ITS RULEB. seemed to be cheerful and happy. In one large and airy room, a number of girls were prosecuting their daily studies ; in another, they were employed at work of diflerent kinds; and in a third, they were receiving religious instruction from one of the nuns, between whom and their pupils the strongest affection subsists. Carefully watched over, well instructed, usefully trained, and provided with a suitable dowry on their quitting the asylum, it cannot be said but that the hand of char- ity has done what it could to compensate the foundling for the want of a parent's love, if not to efface the igno- miny of an origin of shame. Formed and trained by such holy and gentle teachers, and brought up in the practice of every virtue, it certainly is not the fault of the institution, or of its system of management, should the foundling of Santo Spirito, in her married life, not be a good wife and a good mother — the virtuous com- panion of her husband, and the watchful guardian of her children. Hospital of San Eocco. In connection with the Foundling Hospital, which has been alluded to at such length, may be noticed the remarkable hospital of San Rocco. It was originally established in the year 1500, with 60 beds, partly for medical and partly for surgical cases ; but, in the year 1Y70, Clement XIY. devoted it exclusively to its present purpose — a lying-in hospital, in which female frailty is hidden from the scorn of the world, and by which the honour of families is protected. HOSPITAL OF SAN ROCCO. 201 It has one great hall and several chambers, one of which ia for births. The average number of beds is about 20, but these may be increased if necessary. Each bed has its curtains and a screen, by which it is effectually separated from the other beds, and, of course, from their occupants. Those who present themselves for admission are received without any question being made ; and should they wish to cover their faces with a veil, so as to preclude the possibility of recognition, this measure of precaution is permitted them. In the register of the hospital the patient is alone distinguished by a number. To insure the se- crecy so desirable in an institution of the kind, no one is allowed to enter its walls save the physicians, mid- wives, nurses, and attendants. When recovered, the patient can leave the hospital without any apprehen- sion of danger, as the door does not open on a public road, but near an unfrequented way. Those who dare not admit their condition, without ruin to their charac- ter, are received a considerable time before the period of delivery ; and, if not poor, they pay a small pension, which is increased if they desire better accommodation. The children are sent to Santo S^irito; but those mothers who desire to reclaim their offspring at a future time, put some distinguishing mark upon them, by which they could be afterwards recognized. Mori- chini, who wrote in 1841, states that the average num- ber of annual admissions, from 1831 to 1840, was 165. Generally, the applicants are received from seven to eight days before the time of delivery, and are kept 9* 202 ROME AND ITS RULER. until as long after as may be necessary ; but some have been known to have remained but a few hours I The average time, however, is from four to five days in all. This, like the other charitable institutions of Rome, is partly supported by Il» own revenues, and partly by the State. I was informed that, in nearly all respects, its condition at present is similar to what it was ten or twenty years since. I know it will bo said, by people who look at only one side of the question, that such institutions as those last described necessarily lead to immorality, inasmuch as they afford a ready asylum to shame, and a conve- nient oblivion of its consequences. Ko doubt, there would be much force in this objection, if it could be viewed by itself only. But, on the other hand, is there not a road thus left open to moral and social redemp- tion, which is closed against the frail one in other countries ? — and are not greater and more terrible evils obviated, not by the toleration, but by the prudent re- cognition, of the one evil ? The State, by its support of S. Spirito or S. Rocco, does not proclaim its tolera- tion of immorality, and its consequences ; but it wisely admits their existence, and the utter impossibility of their total prevention ; and it meets them in a manner equally consistent with wisdom and humanity. If, in- deed, the State did no more than merely establish a foundling hospital, or a secret lying-in hospital, the soundness of its policy might be questioned. But it does more — it openly discourages and denounces vice — it banishes it from the streets and highways — ^it preaches ADVANTAGES OF THOSE TWO IxVSTITUTIONS. 203 against it-it educates against it-it takes numberless precautions against it. Still, in spite of every effort which religion can inspire, or human wisdom adopt, it is impos- sible to guard against the commission of certain offences • and, acting on this admitted fact, it is even commonly prudent to render them as little hurtful to society gener- ally as possible. The great object of human laws should be rather the reformation than the punishment of the offender; and, applying this principle to the particular evil with which we now deal, let us ask, whether is the open acknowledgment of unchastity more calculated to deprave the woman who makes it, or the hiding of her Bhame, through such means as these institutions offer to her m her hour of misery ? Is it nothing that the hon- our ot a family, hitherto without stain, should be saved? --18 itaiothing that the unhappy woman, oftentimes the victim of another's treachery, or of her own unsuspect- mg innocence, should have the means of redeeming her charac.er, if not of recovering, by a future of penitence and virtue, her self-respect ? Is it nothing that the in- nocent offspring should be rescued from the desperation of Its mother's frenzy, and the mother from the dam- ning guilt of its murder ? Shame and despair are fear- ful prompters to a weak woman, who hears, in her anguish, the fiery hiss of the world's scorn, and beholds Its mocking finger pointing her out as a lost one. And many a tender and gentle, woman, whose soft white band never before inflicted injury on a living thing has, in a moment of mental agony and moral bewilder- ment, clutched, with a grasp of frenzy, the neck of her 204 ROME AND ITS RULER. infant, and crushod out its little life in the mad hope of hiding one crime by the commission of a greater. No, no; the austere virtue which turns away its of- fended eyes from the infant dormitories of S. Spirito, and the closely-curtained beds of S. Rocco, is a mere prude, wanting alike in wisdom and in charity. llospiTAL FOR Lunatics. Adjoining the great hospital of San. Spirito, is situ- ate an extensive hospital, or asylum, for lunatics, di- vided into two branches, one for male and the other for female patients. It is subject to the authority of the prelate in charge of San. Spirito, but it enjoys a separate administration. To Father Lanez, the second General of the Jesuits, it principally owes its origin, in 1548 ; and amongst those holy men who assisted in the good work, was the illustrious Boromeo, upon whom every institution of a charitable nature pos- sessed an irresistible claim. At an early period it was placed under the charge of a religious confraternity, with the sanction and approbation of Pius IV. The present hospital may be yet improved in the extent of its accommodation, or its patients may be fittingly trans- ferred to a building which would have the advantage of a rural position, and of extensive grounds. But, so far as the treatment of the inmates is concerned, there is nothing at present to be desired. For many years past, the mode of treatment has been that which hu- manity suggests, and of which reason approves. Gen- tleness and persuasion have long taken the place of HOSPITAL FOR lUNATicS. ' 205 tfiat barbarone coercion, and that cruel sj-stom of ro- Btramt, wluch wore at ouo time univoreal, more throuKl. .g..or«„ce of tl,e real nature of tUf, malady, than from «ny want of compassion for the condition of its un- 'i'ippy victims. In Rome, restraint, which is most Bpnnngly applied, is used only in particular and ex- trome cases, and then only when paroxyams of fury «re apprehended, which might bo dangerouB to the pa- t.ent as well as to others; and then, instead of irons, and ehan.«, and handcufls, a strap or a waistcoat i « one employed The beds are of a good description, . «'»■■• eovenng being specially attended to in the colde months ot the year. The dress of tt,o patients is in ejj way sufficient, and their diet is generous in its quality and its quantity. They are carefully visited every day by the medical staif of the hospital, which consists 0. men of the highest reputation for their skill n the treatment of the disease. Eeligion is also em- ployed with great success, as a means of tra„q„ili.i„g the mmd, and assisting the progress of the cure. The patients attend mass daily, and join in other religious exercises; and during lucid intervals, they are in- structed m spiritual matte,^ by a number of clergymen who constantly visit the institution. To a community' of Sisters ot Charity is intrusted the management of th hospital; and these nuns attend both departments - liat tor men, as well as that for women. Morichini states that the institution was visited in 1835 by the ate celebrated Dr. Esquirol, who had applied aU his Lie to the study of the disease, and the best mode of 206 ROME AND ITS BULER. N I \ t i its treatment; and that this distinguished authority spoke highly in praise of the system then adopted, and of the general management of the hospital. However, since then there have been considerable improvements attempted and carried out : and vchat- ever might be said of the Koman Lunatic Asylum some years since, it may now be spoken of in terms of just approval. The present Pope has carried out very important reforms in its management, through the aid and assistance of the gentleman now at the head of the institution. Dr. Qualandi, of Bologna, specially visited the hospitals of France and England, some years since, with the view of inquiring into their management, and studying such improvements in the treatment of the disease as modern science had invented, or experience had proved to be those most successful. He returned to Rome, after a prolonged tour and careful inspection of the principal hospitals of the two great countries mentioned ; and, on his arrival, he presented himself to the Pope, and laid before the Holy Father his plan for the management of the Roman hospital. This plan was at once adopted by the Pope, who placed its author at the head of the institution, with full authority to carr}^ it into immediate operation. Dr. Gualandi avail- ed himself of tl^e permission thus given to him, and at once effected some very important changes. He dis- missed several of the officials, and replaced them by persons of approved humanity and intelligence; and in many other ways he carried into execution his own designs and the benevolent wishes of Pius IX. 1 i HOSPITAL FOB LUNATICS. 207 It may be mentioned, that throughout the Papal States there are some of the best asylums for.insane persons which are to be found in Europe. For in- stance that of Perugia is spoken of in the highest erms by aU who visit it : and in Ferrara the treatment .s the mUdest that can be imagined-iu fact, there appears to be no restraint whatever, save that which the gentlest authority imposes. In Bologna, Ancona, Faenza, Pesaro, and Macerate, the treatment of Inna' t.cs IS equally humane and intelligent. At any rate, it may be safely said, that there is no suggestion which may be made to the Pope, having for its object the improvement of these institutions, and the amelioration of the condition of their inmates, that will not com- mand his sympathy and insure his co-operation. The BrotherB of St. John of God, amongst their other good worts, devote themselves to the care of the msane, and are very successful in their management of them. I have referred only to the Pyhli<, H.^pitals of Kome in the foregoing chapter; but, besides those, there are several private institutions, also affording a laige amount of relief. Tlie total accommodation which the entire of the Roman hospitals is capable of affording, under ordinary circumstances, is not far from 5,000 beds. The average number of beds daily occupied may be set down at 2,000. But this average number either diminishes or increases, according to the tune ol the year, and the state of the. public health 208 EOME AND ITS RULER. CHAPTER XVIII. The Roman Prisons— In a State of Transition— Beneficial Change in their Management — Religious versus Lay Officials. I MTJ8T premise that it is not my intention to attempt an elaborate account of the Eoman Prisons ; I dtsire rather, by a description of a few of those institutions, to exhibit the value of an important change recently made in the character of their management, and the practical and successful efforts of Pius IX. towards a steady reform in the system of their government. Some of the prisons are old, and not well adapted to an improved system of classification, or to the carrying on of such works as are regarded as a useful aid to the reformation of the prisoner. But the spirit of progress is manifested in various ways; for instance, in the alteration of an inconveniently constructed building in the enlargement of one found to be too small for a judicious separation of certain classes of offenders — or in the erection of new and really splendid insti- tutions, in which all the modern improvements are adopted, or about to be so. In more than one instance I witnessed the alterations actually being carried out ; and I visited and went through the different depart- ments of prisons which had been completed but a SOMAN PRISONS IN A STATE OP THASSITION. 209 Short time before. I„ a word, it may be said, with the most perfect trutb, that the prisons of Eome are in « stofe of ti-amition; and that, in a very short time every sueh institution will experience the advantage of that w,se and humane policy which characterizes ^e rule of P™ IX If the stranger who visits Bome do not find all >ts prisons in the same condition in Jh,ch te might wish to see them, he must, in the hrst place, recollect, that the resources at the dispo- sal of tlie state are but small, and that the income of the sovereign is less than that of a third-rate country gentleman in England; and he must remember, in the second place, the confusion and trouble caused by the Revolution of 1848, and its subsequent events -by which many useful public Undertakings were entirely suspended, and many valuable reforms ren- dered for a time impossible. Indeed, with snch causes for discouragement, the wonder is, not that so much remains to be done, but that so much has been accom- phshed. Besides, it should be borne in mind, that the most important changes effected In the prisons of the Uni ed Kingdom are of recent date; and that their condition, not very long since, was a cause of scandal and reproach to a people calling themselves Christian * Even at this day, in spite of the enormous wealth of lingland, and her unlimited facility of applying public money to the erection of snch institutions, the Jrison system of England will not for a moment stand compari- • son with that of Belgium. Nor must it be forgotten * See Appendix. 210 ROME AND ITS RULER. that England, as well as other countries, is indebted to Rome for the improvement of the separate system^ which dates so far back as the pontificate of Clem- ent XI., fully a century and a half since. And those Reformatories, too, which are so recent in this country, are of old date in Rome; in which city, under various denominations, many such now exist, and have existed for a considerable period. In many of the schools and orphanages of Rome are to be seen the best possible models of the modern " Reformatory ;» for in them the youthful vagrant, or incipient criminal, is rescued from Ignorance, idleness, and vice, and trained to knowl- edge, industry, and virtue. The important change in the Roman prisons, which I propose as the principal object of the present notice, 18 the gradual substitution of membei-s of religious orders for the ordinary staff of jailors, turnkeys, and guards-which change also fitly typifies the substitu- tion of persuasion for force. In all humane systems, the thorough reformation of the criminal ought to be the great object aimed at. Punishment, no doubt, is essential, as a means of de- terring others from the commission of similar ofi^ences, as well as arresting the offender in his career of guilt; but unless the improvement of the prisoner be insisted upon as an object of primary importance, it were better, perhaps, for society that he was got rid of alto- gether—for he is restored to it hardened, corrupted, and desperate, and thus unfitted for any useful or creditable employment. To effect the reformation of I 1 SUBSTITUTION OF RELIGIOUS MANAGEMENT. 211 the unfortunate criminal is certainly the first wish of the paternal heart of Pius IX.; and, with this object m view, he has of late entrusted several of the prisons of Rome to the sole and unrestricted management of religious orders. Jailors and turnkeys, however excel- lent many of them personally may be, are not usually inspired by very pure or lofty motives in the discharge of their functions. To suppose they were, would be to expect too much from human nature. So the prisoner 18 docile, and does not give much trouble, they are satisfied. Besides, their first duty is to retain in safe custody those committed to tlieir charge; their next is to compel a rigid compliance with the prison rules • and, satisfied in these respects, they generally think of httle else. The mere stipendiary-.ave in rare and noble instances-serves mechanically, and from the hope of pecuniary reward, or personal advancement • or It he display unusual and remarkable activity and zeal, it is mostly from the same impelling motive. But the religious se. .es out of pure charity, and from the love of God. Thus, while the one is a jailor, and nothing but a jailor, the other is a friend and a bene- factor. The whole and only object of persons devoted to a religious life is to serve God, by doing the great- est possible good to their fellow-creatures, no matter how degraded they may be, no matter into what depths of physical misery or moral depravity they may have tallen. It does not require much penetration to deter- mine which of those two classes of persons is the more cakjulated to inspire the prisoner with confidence, and 212 ROME AND ITS RULER. thus achieve the very first step towards real, net mock, reformation. In the first prison which I visited, I had the opportu- nity of understanding the value of the substitution of the new system for the old. This was a prison for women, called The Teemint. The door was opened by a Lay Sister of the order, to which the control of the establishment has been entirely confided. The order is that of the Smurs de Providence, one of those noble institutions of which Catholic Belgium has been so gloriously fruitful. It is specially devoted to the care of jails, hospitals, and schools ; its mission being to reclaim the erring, to suc- cour and console the sick, and to enlighten the ignorant. I had the advantage of an introduction to the Eev. Mother, whose honest, kindly, and most intelligent countenance was a passport to immediate confidence. Under her guidance, we— for I was accompanied by friends, some of whom were deeply interested in the object of the visit— were conducted through the build- ing. We first passed into a great open space, in which the prisoners are allowed to take exercise and recre- ation at regulated houi-s. And if those who have formed to themselves fearful notions of Italian prisons and Italian "dungeons," had only stood within that vast enclosure— certainly two English acres in extents and beheld it so warm and cheerful as I saw it, over- hung by a cloudless sky, and lit up by a bright sun, IHE PEISON FOB WOMEH. 213 a.eir preconceived notions would have received some what of a shock; for a place more ^nprison-Iike I never beheld. A few of the prisoners were at that moment sauntering about this open space; others were in the chapel; more were confined in the infirmary; but the great body of them were assembled in a va^ apartment arranged in the manner of an ordinary school, and were engaged in various descriptions of female work, and the making and repair of the clothes of the inmates, to tl.e fabrication of the most beautiful and costly varieties of lace. Tliree or four Sisters su- penntended the employment of the prisoners, and com- pie ely controlled them by their presence. When I fcst visited the prison, no regular uniform had been attempted, although it was in immediate contempla- tion, and was to have been adopted in a few days; and, therefore, had I been suddenly introduced, with- out having previously known the nature of the estab- lishment, I should have at once pronounced it to be an industrial school for adults, under tlie superintendence of a religious community-so littl did there am>mr of any system of punishment, or even of restraint But hei-e and there, among those silent rows of qniet-look- ing women, there were some whose hands had once been red with blood, and who, in their forced seclu- sion from the world, were then expiating the gravest offences against the laws; offences prompted, in most instances, by fierce and sudden passion. I was pointed out two in particular, who had been guilty of "assas sination ;" and their dark and sullen features were in 214 ROME AND ITS RULER. terrible harmony with their crime. For three years the Sisters have had tlie management of tliis instilu- tion, with its average of more than two hundred in- mates ; and beyond their own unaided influence, and the protection of a solitary sentinal, who keeps guard over the gate, there is no means of controlling this large body of women, who in L-eland would certainly, and with propriety, be classed as " able-bodied." There was some difficulty experienced at first, and not a little serious danger either. In fact, there was a regular re- bellion on the occasion of the Nuns undertaking the management, as the prisoners fiercely resisted their authority. To such lengths did the prisoners proceed, that one of the Sisters was thrown down by them, and another was struck violently on the face. Fortunately for the cause of order, and the future peace of the prison, the presence of mind displayed by the Sister who had been struck, speedily put an end to the tumult. She quietly said to the excited woman by whose blow her cheek had been reddened— "You have slapped me on the one cheek; now slap me on the other," at the same time deliberately turning her cheek to her furious assailant. In an instant, there were two parties in the prison, whereas there was but one a moment before. The gentleness and courage of the Sister were irresistible in the^'r appeal to the better part of their rude nature, ^nd a majority at once ranged themselves on the side of order ; and from that moment to the present, the authority and influence of the Kuns have been complete and undisturbed. THE BOLITABT CELL. 215 At the time of my visit, there was but one of the pmoners in aolilaiy confinement. Her immediate offence was that of striking another prisoner. On our expressing a wish to see the cell and its inmate, it was cheerfully complied with. The bolt of the e.terior door was withdrawn, though not without some diffl- oulty, by the small hand of the Sister who accom- pamedthe Superior; and, as we entered the cell wh.eh was well lighted, we saw a young woman sit: t.i>g on a low bed, working, with a cushion and bobbms, at a fine description of lace. She at once respectfully stood up, and smiled brightly at the Eer- erend Mother, who addressed some words of remon- strance to her in a frank and kindly manner. Her features were regular and her eyes peculiarly bright "npartmg to the face the appearance of one liabl^ to strong and violent excitement. One of the party mterceded for her with the Superior; and upon his intercession having been favourably received, his hand was eagerly and respectfully seized by the liberated oapfve and kissed after the fashion so common in Italy when acknowledging an obligation. In answer to an mquiry as to the nature of her offence, we were informed that slie had assassinated some person in a moment of tei-rible excitement. But I afterwards learned that she was a married woman, and that, havmg discovered, under peculiar and aggravating cir^ cumstances, that her husband was unfaithful, she sud- denly caught up a knife that lay within her reach, and stabbed his paramour to the heait. We did not per- 216 ROME AND ITS RULER. haps expect such a revelation ; but the impulsive manner and ca8ilj-lighted-up countenance of the wo- man made one readily comprehend with what rapidity the mind might have prompted and the hand executed even a deed of blood. Indeed she afterwards thanked the Superior for having placed her in solitary confine- ment, and thus afforded her time for reflection; for such was the frenzy roused in her by her quarrel with the fellow-prisoner whom she struck, that she sai(J she could no longer control her passions, and that, had she not been forced away, she would certainly have done her a mortal injury. We were shown through the various dormitories; which were of immense size, lofty, airy, and well- lighted. In one room, which was over 40 feet square, there were but 18 beds, neatly arranged, and cleanly in their appearance, as well aa comfortable in their materials ; and in another, which was 60 feet in length by 40 in width, there were not more than 25 beds. The infirmary, chapel, and refectory, were large in proportion, and kept in a condition of perfect cleanli- ness, — the necessary' result of such superintendence, and such control as the wisdom and humanity of His Holiness had provided for this important institution. When it was first handed over to the Nuns, a few of the prisoners were in a state of great ignorance, some of them being unable to read. But since then their proficiency in reading and writing, as well as in useful and ornamental needlework, has been most remark- able ; and their conduct has also been almost uniform- lOTLUENCE OF THE NUNS. II 217 lygood Tl,e Superior stated tl.at nothing could be »«ro od„,,ng than the piet^ of their demeanourwhen r "^ at ".e death-bed of a fellow prisoner, ortZ e gcnesa ,n sharing in the religious eeremnies; 10 ble women, aeting under a sense of religious oM ae ri.. T ""' '"""*■'■' *"™' '■-« — ded in aeq„, , g .he most salutary eontrol over ™„re than 200 of he,r ruder fellow-ereatures, not a few of whom iirtZeTuir 7t • r *-' °^ *- fli»t ^.7- • • , ""'"OS. It 18 imneeessary to say that .*^,<^ ., the potent agent by which gentlene^ a.d ochty are insured, and amendment^is te „! steadily accomplished. ° The influence of the Kuns was submitted to a severe test in carrying out, on a subsequent dav the 2 of dress which had been in contLplt the ^ of my fi.t visit. Then, as I have stated, their dl might have led a stranger to suppose tlia the inst^ t.on was a school, or a factory, rather than a pnW and not onlv were mo,,^ „o .i, . pnson , clothes W T , ^ " I'™'"'<"^ Po^^^sod of clothes, bnt also of various other articles. Indeed I had particularly remarked the number of boxe or trunks in some of the dormitories Tho t T- come for the meditated ehanT^tl, ''""^ atcu cnange, it was announced thaf from a certain day-then namcd-the prisoners should cease to wear their ordinary clothes, and Te to 1 -me a regular costume instead; and' that they s Iw 218 KOME AND ITS RULER. likewise suiTcndor every thing which tliey posecssed. To prepare for the new state of things, tlio Sunday — tlie day previous to that of the intended change — was to be celebrated as a festival, in a religious as well as in a more mundane sense ; and such was tl\e influ- ence which the devotions of the day produced upon their minds, that, although Bome of the unhappy wo- men wept bitterly as they parted with their clothes, or surrendered their little etfects, the most complete and perfect obedience was manifested by all, without an exception. The costume was universally assumed, and boxes and money were quietly yielded up. One of the prisoners surrendered eighty-three dollars, which she had kept in a belt, till then concealed about her per- son. The Isuns looked forward to the enforcement of the new rule with considerable apprehension, not knowing how the prisoners would receive it; but, happily, the result has afforded another and striking instance of the power and influence of an authority which, while commanding respect, also inspires aflec- tion. Even this prison is still only in a state of pro- grcbs ; and many other reforms — especially a separate system of cells for sleeping— are in contemplation, and will be adopted with as little delay as possible. The Brothers of Mercy have got the control of a j)rison for men in the adjoining building, but only for the last twelve months ; and though some of the offi- cers of the former staff are still retained, the three brothers to whom its care has been entrusted, would not, as they stated, be in the least degree afraid of HEFOKlUTOBr OF SAKTA BALBIXA. ' 219 matenal altorafons, mainly undertaken for ,ho Zl T ''"''' •^'''''''"' "' " better syll Id l; :'"" "'"•"^" ^"-•^ ''.-» industrial «na. iteiaiy training wa8 sedulously promoted Ti nel t^d 'tI: V\r^' ""'^^ ""^ circumstates neglected. The broUiers under whose care this nrison by a dist nguished ecclesiastic, Canon Schenpers of Ma> ns, who has been recently appointed onToTth Chamberlains of His Holiness; though his senTe of duty may to a certain extent render L appZZl an honorary distinction. Ppomtment Santa Balbina. ort rlr' t*' ""' ^'"""'^ "^""'^-''-^ P-ide orer an interesting institution, intended for ihe re tr :r^r""^ "^^'"^«"' -<• ™^"'' i t^ after the hours appointed for labour or studv I saw several of the boys in the play-ground TZ' ndulged m harmless sport; but under the watchful 220 ROME AND ITS RULER. eye of a brother, whose manner towards them was of that paternal kind which, while exciting confidence, also commands respect and ensures obedience. The entire number of young prisoners was 97 on the day I went through the institution. But, really, the term "prisoner" does not exactly describe their condition, save so far as they are under a certain restraint, and cannot leave until permitted to do so. They are all taught to read and write ; many of them are employed in a vineyard and garden belonging to the establish- ment ; and the rest are occupied in various industrial pursuits, suited to their state in life. The rule by which they are governed, and which they cheerfully obey, is that of all others best calculated to effect their reformation. The separate cell system is in a great measure carried out in this prison ; the extensive dor- mitories being divided by rows of small apartments, perhaps about 6 feet by 5, wired in at the top, and in front. By this arrangement ventilation and thor- ough separation are obtained at the same time. This plan has been also adopted in the Catholic Keforma- tory now in operation at Hammersmith. The boys much prefer this separate system to that of open dor- mitories, the idea of the little room being their own, as well as the duty of keeping it in order, in some degree exciting a feeling of self-respect. The Brothers say " they can do any thing" with the boys ; such is the influence which they possess, and, above all, the confidence which their motives inspire, even in the breasts of the most corrunted. The severest ttunish- ANOTHER EEPORMATORY. 221 ment, unless for an attempt at escape, is confinement for a short period ; and it may be mentioned that there IS but one "guardian" attached to the prison, and that he IS stationed at the outer door. .The Brothers have been connected with this asylum for three years. Another of the many reformatories existing in Rome may be here fittingly introduced. It is that of Santa Maeia della Miseeicoedia. This institution owes its origin to the humanity of a private individual, Paola Campa, who established It m the year 1841, It combines in it many interest- ing features; being at once an orphan asylum, a re- formatory, and a school for agriculture. It's worthy founder, nowise dismayed by the smallness of his means-which had been saved from his income in a public office-or by the failure of other attempts, determined to gather together a number of poor aban- doned orphan children -in fact, vagrants -and to educate them in religion and virtue, and in a knowl- edge of agriculture; for the general complaint was, tiiat too many poor boys had been reared to trades. He selected a salubrious part of the suburbs, in which he procured a vineyard of three rulUa, to which he added seventeen more-in all, twenty. Complete suc- cess crowned his charitable efforts; for in a very short time there were 147 boys of various ages, from five to eighteen yeai-s, in the institution; 103 of whom had been sent by the Police authorities, 33 by the Com- missioa of Subsidies, and the rest by private indivi- 222 ROME AND ITS RULER. duals. The first were paid for by the police, at the rate of 20 scudi a year each ; private persons paid at the rate of 24 scudi for those -whom they sent in ; and some of them were at the entire charge of the gener- ous founder himself. The number of boys was limited to 200, as a single rubbia of land only gives work to 10 pupils. The boys are divided into small com- J)anies, each of which has for its head an agriculturist of experience and good conduct, who never leaves his pupils, but sleeps with them in their dormitory, eats with them at the same table, and instructs them in the field. The other ofiScers have separate duties, and all are presided over by an ecclesiastic, as Superior. . The pupils are taught catechism, reading, writing, arith- metic, and the principles of agriculture ; and their practical training includes the cultivation and man- agement of vines, olives, corn and vegetables, mead- ows, and grass fields. They likewise have bees, silk- worms, and also a few cattle for their instruction in pastoral occupations. And, in order to stimulate their zeal, a portion of the profits is reserved for them, and placed in the savings bank, there to increase by in- terest. They rise early, arrange their dormitories, as- sist at Mass, and then eat their first meal ; and after singing pious hymns, they go in companies to their work, under the escort of their respective chiefs. The principal meals are taken in common in the refectory, and are eaten in silence, a good book being read during the time. Bread is freely given them while at work, little time beinff allowed for idlinar : but on festival n REFOKMATORY DELLA VIGNA PIA. 223 days, after the performance of their rehgious duties they are suffered to indulge in harmless sports in the beautiful and varied grounds of the institution, which IS near the Villa Albano, whose trees shelter it from the hot wind. Watched over day and night (the dor- mitories being well lighted) ; controlled by a discipline at once mild and firm; and constantly occupied in rural labour, in study, in pious practices of religion, and m healthful recreation-it may be easily under- stood that punishment is rarely necessary, and that refomation is the Certain result of a system which developes the finest qualities of the mind and heart and finds a free scope for the energies of the body' MoRicHiKi gives a touching instance of the" affection entertained by the boys for their benefactor. On the Dccasion of Campa returning to the institution, after his recovery from a severe fit of sickness, the boys by a spontaneous impulse, formed a circle round him, and on their knees offered an Ave to the Yirgin Mother, the Protectress of the Institution, in thanksgiving for his safety. " " Kns IX. has established more than one of this class of n,st,tut.ons; and amongst otI:e.-s, a valuable and flounshmg one for vagrant children of more tender yea., who receive in it a religions, . literary, and an agricultural training. To found and maintain this rc- ormatory which is known as that detta Vi^n^ Pi^, the Pope devoted to it three vineyards, his own private p-operty. This single fact is indicative of his ll for the instruction and reformation of the young. 224 ROME AND ITS RULER. CHAPTER XIX. Prisons of San Michele.— The Cellular and Silent Systems long practiced in Rome. — ^The Political Prison very unlike an Italian Dungeon, At San Michele, one of the greatest establishments in Rome, embracing within its vast extent a grand college, an hospital, more than one asylum for the poor, and three prisons — there is a prison for males, in which the separate system has been strictly carried out for 150 years, or since the time of Clement XI. In some respects it is very similar to the modern military pris- ons of Ireland, one of the most perfect, if not best man- aged, of which is that of Cork. In all cases that it can be enforced, the silent system is maintained ; but there are times when speaking is allowed, and occupations, — for instance, particular descriptions of work, — during which it cannot be judiciously prevented. The cells, as in the military prison to which I have referred, rise tier over tier, or story above story — all looking into, and lighted by, a vast hall, in wliich various kinds of industrial employment are carried on. The prisoners eat their food in their'cells ; and as I entered the great hall of tlie prison, I beneld them walk quietly and silently from their cells to where an officer was serving out to each a fair allowance of a soup that looked well to the eye, and that a curious friend assured me was not at all unpalatable to the taste. On Sundays they are al- THE OELLULAB AHD SILENT SYSTEMS. 225 lowed to talk to each other for half an her. They rise every ^ormng at half-past five o'clock, drees, and ar- rangethercelIs;athalf-pastBix,theyattendMass; they then breakfast; at half-past seven, they proceed to their vanous occupations, always of an industrial kind, at which they continue till half-past eleven ; they then get the,r dmuer, and remain in their cells till half-past one ; when they resume their work, which lasts till five. At five they sup; after which they immediately attend chool wlueh lasts till half-past seven ; when instrnc- rsaM "'« '""r'"^*' ■» S--' »d the night praye™ are srnd. They then return to their cells, into which aey are shut up till the next morning commences an- other day of melancholy drudgoy, irksome, no doubt, but by no means unimproving. Several of the prison- era had been sentenced to various terms of imprison- ment some even for life; but the greater number, if not a^l, of th,s class had their sentences commuted to twenty years on the occasion of the last anniversary of the fope s accession to the throne. This prison was designed and constructed by the celebrated architect Carlo Fontana, at the command of Clement XI by whom it was originally intended for rtie refoi-mafon of a more youthful class of ofi'ende,.. Each ceU,s twelve palms in length and ten in width, and IS lofty m proportion. An iron balcony runs be^ ore each row of cells, the upper rows being reached i>y a circular or winding, staii-s. It will be perceived that the separate and the silent . .-_.ii^,^^,ii,cn are auw regaraea in these countries as 226 ROME AND ITS RULER. 1 1 modern inventions in prison discipline, are carried out in a Roman prison whose origin dates back a century and a half; and that both those systems are applied within rational and humane limits — neither being maintained as a matter of inflexible rule, but both be- ing judiciously modified and departed from, equally to the advantage of the prisoner and the institution.* Four Brothers have the sole charge of this prison. By one of them, a young man of gentle manner and prepossessing appearance, I was conducted through its various departments, the details of which he explained with equal courtesy and intelligence. The Political Pkison. Passing over the prison for women, which forms part of the vast collection of buildings, I may refer to that in which persons convicted or accused of political offences were then confined. To this department of the building I turned with considerable anxiety, being desirous of judging, by what I should myself see, how far the statements of certain of the English journals, with respect to the treatment of political prisoners, were true or false. I expected, at the least, to behold gloomy and noisome cells ; to see the victims of Papal tyranny lying on scanty bundles of straw flung on stone couches, and to hear the clanking of the galling fetter and the ponderous chain. In fact, to realize the * The illustrious Howard specially procured a plan of this prison for his great work ; it being, aa he says, " diflferent from any I had before seen." THE POLITICAL PEISON. 227 picture of a « Eoman dungeon" which English writers have made familiar to my mind, the prison into wliich I was about being admitted should, as nearly as possi- ble, resemble those fearful dungeons that are shown to the stranger in Venice, and which, in their horrid gloom and tomb-like aspect, speak with terrible elo- quence of the mysterious tyranny of its departed Ee- pubhc. But as the guardian turned the key, and fluno- open the door of the great hall of the prison, my thick^ coming fancies and dark associations were at once dis- pelled. For, instead of gloom, and horror, and noisome dungeons, I belield a large, well-lighted, well-ventilated, and-could such a word be properly applied to any place of confinement — cheerful-looking hall. The bright sun streamed in through several windows, placed rather high from the ground, on one side of this vast hall ; and on the other side, and facing the light, the cells were constructed, row above row, their doors ind windows opening into this large enclosure. There was no clanking of chains to be heard, but, instead, the hum of conversation, as some twenty or twenty- five men were, at the moment, either walking up and down, or engaged in a game of dominoes. They all wore their ordinary clothes, and might have passed for a number of persons who had been confined for debt. A glance into the interior of the cells of this Eoman dungeon was quite sufficient to show that, not only had they ample air and light, but that they diff-ered from ordinary cells in the great superiority of their size and arrangement. In size alone, they were considerabl- 228 HOME AND ITS BULER. larger than the cells of an ordinary prison. They also differed from the ordinary cell in a much more remark- able manner ; for in those into which I looked, there were drinking-glasses of different kinds, some orna- ments, and other articles not to be expected in such places. So far as a sense of delicacy would permit of my doing so, I saw enough to discredit the statements . which I had been accustomed to read ; and to convince me, that, at least in this prison — the only prison in Eome in which political prisoners were then detained — there was no feature, whether of degradation or of cruelty, which could in any way justify those descrip- tions of " Kalian dungeons" so familiar to the public of the United Kingdom. I passed through a room, or ward, of considerable size, in which there were several men, th.e greater number of whom were sitting on their beds ; which beds appeared to be of the descrip- tion usually found in a public hospital. Light and air 'were fully supplied to this as to the other compartment which I have described. This prison is entirely in the hands, and under the management, of the police. At tlie time of my visit, somewhere about the middle of last November, the number of prisoners within its walls was under fifty ; and of this number but a small proportion was under- going punishment for what are, in Kome, classed under the head of purely political offences. At first, I was unable to understand the distinction between offences ''■ purely poliUcal,'^ and offences " arising out of party- spirity It was, however, a distinction easily explain- THE POLITICAL PRISON. 229 ed. The former class of offence is defined by its own term, and comprehends conspiracies and other attempts agamst the sovereign authority of the state. But the other class of offences has its origin in the vehemence of party-feeling, and the quarrels and violence to which it leads. Perhaps I could not better indicate the character of those offences, as a means of distin- guishing them from such as are purely political, than by a reference to those outrages to which party-spirit annually leads in the North of Ireland, and which though arising out of party-spirit, are not purely pj htical m their character, and in no way imply an at- tempt against the government. Where such offences involve injury to property, and even to life, as they very frequently do in the Eoman States, they must be punished, or society would at once become disorgan- ized. And this class of offenders formed more than two-thirds of the entire number suffering punishment, or under arrest, for offences in any way arising out of politics. In fact, at the time of my visit to Rome • there were not more than TO « purely political" offend! ers in all the prisons of the States; while of the other class, who had committed offences "arising out of party-spirit," the gross number was about 200— which figures exhibited a very different state of things from what, in common with the general public of these countries, I had been led to believe.* * See Appendix. 280 W m i ROME AND ITS RULER. 1 1 CHAPTER XX. Asylum and Prison of the Good Shepherd. — Singular Influence oi" the Nuns over the Prisonerfl. — Model Prison of Fossombrone. — ^Tlie Pope a Prison Reformer. — Ilia Advice to Bishop Wilson. I WOULD desire to notice somewhat in detail one of the most interesting of the Eoman reformatory insti- tutions — the Asyhim and Prison of the Good Shep- herd. It is a splendid establishment, of immense size, quite modern in its construction, being one of the many grand monuments which the Pope has erected during his reign. There formerly existed here an in- stitution for female penitents, who had voluntarily sought an asylum from the misery and liorror of a profligate life, which was under the direction of a community of Augustinian Kuns ; but within the last *" three years the vast building erected by Pius IX. has been completed, and handed over to the Nuns of the order of the Good Shepherd, twenty of whom entirely govern and control its three distinct and separate de- partments, — one called the Preservation Class — the other, the Voluntary Penitents — the third, the Prison for those condemned to various terms of confinement. At the time I visited tlje institution, there were sixty of the first class, fifty-five of the second, and sixty- VOLUNTARY PENITENTS. 231 five of tlie third-in all 180. Tliere was not even a sentinel stationed at the gate, as is almost universally the case with establishments in which condemned per- sons are detained; and not a single man, or indeed guard of any kind, was to be seen within the walls. The exterior door was opened by one of the Nuns, who summoned the Superioress ; by whom, personally,' every portion of the vast building was readily and courteously exJiibited, and fully explained. In the fii-st large apartment which we entered, there were assembled between thirty and forty of the young persons comprehended in the Preservation Class, and whose ages ranged from four to upwards of twenty years. Several of them were orphans ; others were children of parents then in prison for offences of various kinds ; and a few were the children of depraved parents, from whom they were rescued by being placed in this asylum. Special care is taken that no really bad char- acters are admitted into this part of the establishment, lest they should have an opportunity of corrupting those old enough to receive the moral contagion ; and, indeed, the appearance and manners of the giris, as they stood silently and respectfully before one of the Sisters, from whom they were then receiving religious instruc' tion, was calculated to impress even the casual visitor - with an idea of their innocence. They were neariy all pleasing-looking, and not a few had faces full of actual beauty, and that of the true Roman type. Tliese chil- dren and young giris are taught to read and write, to make up accounts, to be expert in plain and other work ; 282 HOME AND ITS RULER. and it is scarcely necessary to add, tliat their moral and religious training is the first care of their gentle and affectionate guardians. Many of the girls wore collars of merit suspended round their necks, and to some of thorn was delegated the authority of Monitresses. Their dormitories, through which I passed, were large, lofty, cheerful, admirably ventilated, and kept in a state of the most perfect neatness. A well-kept and sufficiently spacious garden is attached to this branch of the estab- lishment, for the exclusive use of this class — a liigh wall separating the garden appropriated to the second class, or Voluntary Penitents. Perhaps the term Voluntary Penitent does not strictly apply to the entire of this second class; for a consider- able number of them had been brought in by their parents, in the hope of checking them in a coui-se of folly or of guilt. The rest had, of their own choice, sought a refuge in the asylum ; and a number of both were then in the infirmary ward. Should a parent de- sire to place an erring daughter in this asylum, appli- cation is made to the Cardinal Vicar, within whose jurisdiction it is, and, upon his consent being given, compulsion might be had recoui-se to, in case resistance were attempted. A description of the daily existence of this class of inmates may be interesting, as illustrative of the system adopted for their reformation.*— They rise in summer at five, and in winter at half-past five. After a short time * A similar system is adopted, perhaps with some modifications, in most of the Houses of Refuge in Rome. THE PIIISON. 28S spent in mental prayer, thoy hear Mass, and then com- mence work— always of a useful and profitable char- acter. During their work they frequently sing pious hymns, which lighten their labour, and keep the mind away from thoughts which it would not be well to en- courage. Before breakfast— whicli is invariably eaten in silence— they make an examination of conscience; and, during the repast, a chapter of a good work is read. One of the Sisters overlooks this as well as the other mealB, which always commence and terminate with prayer. After dinner, the Penitents enjoy an hour of innocent recreation, a Sister being present. They are not allowed to speak in whispers, nor are they permitted to indulge in va'u or idle discourse, nmch less to allude to improper or dangerous subjects. After recreation, prayers, reading, and study, follow. They then resume work, at wliich they continue till the time arrives for saying the rosary, which is said in common. At half-past six or seven, they sup, equally in silence, and during the reading of a pious book. Another hour of recreation follows ; and at nine o'clock they say their night-prayers, and retire to rest. Silence is observed in the dormitories, and indeed always, except during the hours of recreation. The Penitents do not speak to any visitor, other than a father, mother, guardian, or person who has placed them in the institution, except in the presence of a Sister. They practice humility, obedi- ence, and mortification ; they have the use of good books; they confess weekly, and communicate month- ly; they control even their gestm-es, and comport them- 234 ROME AND ITS RULER. selves with grave and modest demeanour. When going from one place to another, they walk two and two ; they call each other « sister," and they each serve in their turn. The profit of their work is all their own. In each dormitory, as in all the dormitories of the establishment, one of the sisters has her bed placed ; so that, as a lamp is kept burning throughout the night, her watchfulness over her charge may be said never to cease. Tlie third compartment is the Prison, which has its chapel, its refectory, its work-rooms, its hospital, its dormitories, its schools, and, of course, its kitchen. In the hospital, there were several wretched women, of different ages, expiating, in various stages of physical suffering, their career of vice. The women in this side of the building were all prisoners, having been con- demned by the tribunal of the Cardinal Yicar to vari- ous terms of imprisonment, from six months even to twenty years. The only woman then condemned for this latter period was remarkable for her tall stature, and a certain wildness of the eye. Her offence was that of infanticide — a very rare and exceptional crime in the Papal States, and one which excites peculiar horror when it does happen. It may also be said that it is one to which the precautionary policy of the government allows no kind of excuse; for the estab- lishment of a great Foundling Hospital affords an easy opportunity of disposing of illegitimate offspring, otherwise than by assassination, as 'is too commonly the case in England. Upon this important question M INFLUENCE AND AUTHORITY OP THE NUNS. 235 the most opposite opinions are entertained— some hold- ing that the facility of getting rid of the shame and the burden of maintaining the offspring of illicit connec- tion is an incentive and a boon to immorality ; while, on the other hand, the singular infrequency of the crime of child murder is triumphantly appealed to as the result of a policy as merciful as it is indispensable. Several of the women, then in the prison, had been condemned for periods of five, and even ten years. In the infirmary ward were some elderly women, ho had been detected keeping houses of bad character, and ensnaring young girls to their destruction ; and these venerable sinners had been each condemned to impris- onment for a period of five years. One old and rather repulsive-looking woman, who had been convicted of selling her own daughter to infamy, was undergoing a sentence of imprisonment for ten years. I mention the offence and the punishment, as indicating the vigilance and rigour of the tribunal presided over by the Cardi- nal Yicar, who, as the Guardian of Morals, takes cog- nizance of all glaring instances of their infraction. Among the other prisoners, were wives against whom charges of incontinence had been made and proved by their husbands. Considering, then, the character of many of the prisoners, it was a matter of amazement to learn with what facility they were controlled, and to see the flimsy nature of the locks by which alone tlie doors of the work-rooms and dormitories were fastened. I examined several of them with curiosity; and, on drawing the key from tJie lock of one of the princ'ipai 236 ROME AND ITS RULER. wards, I found it was just about the size of that used for an ordinary bed-room of a private house in Eng- land or Ireland I In each dormitory was placed, the bed of the Ifun, little more than its curtains distin- guishing" it from the beds of the prisoners. In one dormitory I counted as many as twenty-eight beds. And to maintain authority over, and ensure the obedi- ence of, their twenty-eight occupants, there was but that one Sister; unless the aid of a " guardian"— one of the prisoners, raised to that rank for good con- ductr-might be relied on in case of necessity. But though some difficulty had been experienced in the commencement, when the institution was first handed over to the Sisters, none whatever is felt at present; for the rudeness and even violence of the past has altogether disappeared, and the entire of the prisoners are remarkable for their docility and ready obedience to the orders of the ^ms. The Superioress stated that there never was an attempt made to escape; and, on being asked what she could in case a number of the prisoners determined to set themselves free, she answered, with a quiet little shrug,— " There would still be no fear, for the majority, being well disposed, would at once take part with the Sisters." In this prison it is deemed unnecessary to adopt the separate or cellular system, from the fact that one of the Nuns is always on the watch, and may at a moment obviate any inconvenience which could arise from a number of the prisoners sleeping in the same apartment. In conclusion, I may safely assert that, in THE POPE A PRISON REFORMER. 237 all respects, this prison—in which the same industrial, literary, moral, and religious training is carried out as in the other two departments of the establishment- will stand comparison with the very best in the United Kingdom. Of itself, it is an admirable illustration of that reformatory spirit of which Pius IX. is the origin and the inspiration. The grand new prison near Fossombrone may be also incidentally referred to. It is now ready for 260 inmates, and is to be rendered capable of containing 500. This will be the Model Prison of the States, in which every improvement that experience has proved to be useful, or that humanity can suggest, will have a fail- trial. In the other prisons there is change as well as progress; but in this there will be the most perfect adaptation of the means employed to the object to be accomplished. The penitentiary system, which com- bines cellular separation at night, and silent work un- der inspectors by day— and which has been in opera- tion in the prison of San Michele since the year 1704 —will be applied to adults in the new institution of Fossombrone. The construction of this prison is an additional evidence of the humanity and reformatory zeal of Pius IX. It would be only tedious if I were to refer to the other prisons in Kome, especially as I have given suffi- cient to justify iriy assertion, that they are in a state of transition, and the expression of a confident hope that, in the course of a very short time, they will be inferior in no respects, save in the expense of their construe- 238 EOMK AND ITS RULER. li tion, maintenance, and management, to the boasted prisons of England. I do believe that in 8om6 respects they will be vastly superior in their results ; above all, in the great work of reformation— in the real improve- ment of their unhappy inmates, whose guilt is, in the Roman States, as in other countries, most frequently caused either by poverty and ignorance, or by tempta- tions against which poverty and ignorance are but a poor protection. To no subject has the Pope devoted more attention than to this most important one of the treatment of criminals; and the gradual changes which are being effected, or which are already planned, have been entirely inspired by the zeal and humanity of His Holiness, whose chief, as well as most enthusiastic, agent in the good work is his principal Chamberlain, Monsignor de Merode,* the brother-in-law of the Count de Montalenibert. Monsignor Talbot, who also holds the offic(i of Chamberlain to His Holiness, is equally most zealous and earnest in the great work of prison reform. So that the Pope has the advantage of the assistance and sympathy of two men who are singu- larly suited to the promotion of this great and humane object; for while Monsignor de Merode has had ex- tensive experience of the prison-system of Belgium, which is perhaps superior to that of any in the world, Monsignor Talbot jg thoroughly acquainted with all those improvements which have been recently adopted The former distinguished person has the in England * See Appendix, i J THE pope's visits TO THE PRISONS. 239 official charge of the Koman prisons ; while the latter visits them several times in the week, but in a capacity more immediately spiritual. The Pope was not satis- £ed with hearing of the state of those institutions, and he resolved to see with his own eyes into their actual condition. Accordingly, in October, 1855, he made several visits to the Roman prisons, going through their different departments, the dormitories, the cells, the workshops, the infirmaries, and the kitchens, in which he carefully examined into the quantity and quality of the food distributed to the prisoners. And of these he asked various questions— as to the offence which they had committed— the length of their impri- sonment—and the manner in which they were treated. This visit was one of entire surprise to the authorities, and at the time excited the greatest interest through' out Rome, as no such visits had been made since the year 1824, when Leo XII. personally inspected the pri- sons in the same manner. Many of the reforms which are being carried out, as well as those which are now in contemplation, are in a great measure the fruit of that memorable inspection. In concluding my notice of the Roman Prisons, I may repeat, that, while the greater number of those institutions would bear no comparison to the magnifi- cent and costly establishments of England, they are, in general, in a state of hopeful transition, not to costli- ness and magnificence, but to more practical efficiency, and more certain success. It would be strange, in- deed, if the condition and treatment of the prisoner 240 EOME AND ITS BULEB. did not command the attention of one of the most benevolent of men, wliose feelings with reference to this unhappy class were touchingly expressed on the occasion of his giving a final audience to Bishop Wil- son, when that prelate was about to return to his dis- tant diocese.— "Be kind, my son," said the Pope, "to all your flock at Hobart Town, but la kindest to the condemned /" 1 1 HOUSES OF EEFUGE. 241 CHAPTER XXI. Houses of Refuge.-Charitable Associations for the Defence of the Poor and the Imprisoned—Society of S. Giovanni DecoUato.-Society della Morte. •' Rome also possesses several Houses of Eefuge for women, who have left the prison or the hospital, and who anxiously desire to atone, by a future of virtue, for the crime and scandal of the past. Some of these date so far back as the time of Leo X., in 1520 ; and others have associated with them the illustrious names of St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Charles Borromeo, and St. Philip ]>^eri, who have either been their founders or their patrons. Similar institutions, of a recent date, have had their origin in the charity of a Pope, a car- dmal, a simple priest, or even a lay person of either sex. And as a founder, promoter, or patron of such chanties. Pins IX. has, to say the least, equalled even the most munificent of his predecessors. In connection with the Eoman Prisons maybe noted some few of the more remarkable charitable associa- tions which have been founded for the comfort and re- het of their unliappy inmates. The fii-st of those to which I refer is that for the— 11 242 ROME AND ITS RULER. Defence of the Poor and Imprisoned. To protect the poor, and defend the weak against tlie aggressions of the strong, has been at all times a leading principle of the Church; which has given birth, in Rome as elsewhere, to many institutions ani- mated by her spirit, and devoted to her cherished ob- . jects. The Arch Confraternity of St. Ivo is one of these. But so early as the year 663, Gregory the Great instituted seven difensori in different portions of the city ; and in 1340 the College of the Procura- tori assumed the title of " diritti de' pc/verV Urban Yin. instituted the office of Advocate of the Poor in civil cases, to which a noble citizen was nominated. The Congregation of St. Ivo, which was established in the beginning of the 16th century, was thus called after its founder, a saint of that name, who, a lawyer by profession, had consecrated his life to the gratuitous advocacy of the poor, especially orphans and M^idows. The society consisted of advocates and prelates of the Sacra Rota, who met on Sundays in the Church of S. Paolo Decollato; and who, after having performed their religious duties, assembled at an appointed place, and listened to the questions which the poor submitted to their consideration. "When convinced of the justice of a case, they at once undertook its defence. The so- ciety was created into an arch confraternity by Paul v., in 1616. It has a Cardinal Protector, and a Pre- fect, who is a prelate of the Cui-ia Romana. The DEFENCE OF THE POOB ANT) IMPRISONED. 248 members of the confraternity are all lawyers. The defence of each case is intrusted to a brother, after it has been inquired into, and the poverty of the client clearly established. The society pays all its expenses ; for, besides having small but sufficient revenues at its disposal, it commands the gratuitous services of the procurators and advocates who are members of its own body. It defends the causes of poor strangere as well as others. Many great and illustrious names have been enrolled in this noble association, which has received special honours and privileges from various Popes. The Arch Confraternity of S. Girolamo della Cwrita also undertakes the defence of prisoners and poor per- sons, especially widows. It has the administration of a legacy left by Felice Amadori, a noble Florentine, who died in the year 1639. This confraternity owes its origin to Clement VIL, while he was still Cardinal Giulio de' Medici. It was raised to the dignity of an arch confraternity by Leo X., who conceded to it the Church of St. Girolamo, in 1524. It has been, since then, an object of peculiar interest to successive Pon- tiffs, from whom it has received important privileges, all tending to increase its usefulness to the poor and the distressed. The principal objects of their solici- tude are persons confined in prison ; and these they visit, comfort, clothe, and frequently liberate, either by paying the fine imposed on them as a penalty for their offence, or by arranging matters with their creditors. They have access to all the criminal offices in Rome, 244 BOME AND ITS RULEB. and thus ascertain tlie number and amount of penalties imposed. With a wise c]\avity, the.y endeavour to sim- plify and shorten cansa^; an^' I hey employ a solicitorj who assists in arran^nng disputes, and thus putting an end to litigation. 8ome of the most important prisons, including the ]S"ew Prisons, have been confided to their superintendence; and, besides exan^hiiug the food of the prisoners daily, they defend their interests and maintain their rights with the zeal of humanity and religion. This confraternity embraces the flower of the Komau Prelacy, of the Patrician order, and of the Priesthood. Like most of the other charitable boclies, it possesses revenues of its own, and is further assisted in its pious work by assistance from the State. A kindred confraternity is that of Pieta de Car- cerata^ which was founded in 1575 by a French Jesuit, who, on going to confess prisoners, ascertained their great want of charitable assistance. It was raised to an arch confraternity by Gregory XIII. ; and Sixtus V. endowed it with peculiar privileges. The Church of St. John, in the district of Pigna, was conceded to it by the former Pontifi". The members visit, comfort, exhort, and give alms to the prisoners ; they also give food and clothing, pay debts, and endeavor to recon- cile creditors. This confraternity consists of persons of rank, both lay and clerical, to whom is freely per- mitted the privilege of visiting the prisons. The Capi- toline Prison is specially intrusted to their pious minis- trations; and those condemned to the "galleys" are objects of their merciful compassion. MORlCHINl'g ACCOUNT. 245 Abch Confeaternitt of S. Giovanni Decou^ato. Morichini gives an interesting account of this confra- ternity, whose mission is one of singular charity,-to bring comfort and consolation to the last moments of the condemned. It appears that on the 8th of May 1488, some good Florentines, then in Rome, consider' mg that those ^vho died by the hand of justice had no one to visit and < omfort them in their last hours, insti- tuted a confraternity which was at first called J?eUa Msericordia, and afterwards by its present name, from the churcli of their patron. Pope Innocent VHI granted the society a place under the Campidolio, in which they erected a church to St. John the Baptist- and here they were allowed to bury the remains of those who had been executed. Their objects were sympathized with, and their efforts assisted, by succes- sive Pontiffs. Tuscans only, or their descendants to the third generation, are received into the society. On the day previous to the execution of a criminal they invite, by public placard, prayers for his happy paboage to the other life. In the night of that day, the brothers, some half dozen in number, including priests assemble in the church of S. Giovanni di Fiorentini' not far from the New Prisons. Here they recite prayers, imploring the Divine assistance in the melan- eholy office which they are about to perform. They then proceed to the prisons, walking, two by two in silence, some of the brothers bearing lanterns in their 246 KOME AND ITS BULKR. hands. On entering the chamber called conforteriay they assume the sack and cord, in wliich they appear to tlie prisoner as well as to the public. They divide between them the pious labours. Two perform the office of consolers; one acts as the aagredano ; and an- other makes a record of all that happens from the mo- ment of the intimation of the sentence to that of the execution. These dismal annuls are carefully preserved. At midnight the guardians of the prison go to the cell of the condemned, and lead him, by a staircase, to the chapel of the conforteria. At the foot of the stairs, the condemned is met by the notary, who formally inti- mates to him the sentence of death. The unhappy man is then delivered up to the two " comforters," who em- brace him, and, with the crucifix and the image of the Sorrowful Mother presented to him, offer all the conso- lation which religion and charity can suggest in that terrible moment. The others assist in alleviating his misery, and, without being importunate, endeavour to dispose him to confess, and receive the Holy Commu- nion. Should he be ignorant of the truths of Christian- ity, they instruct him in them in a simple manner. If the condemned manifest a disposition to impenitence, they not only themselves use every eftort which the circumstances of his case render necessary, but call in the aid of other clergymen. The other members of the confraternity employ the hours preceding the execution in the recital of appropriate prayers, and confess and communicate at a mass celebrated two hours before dawn. Clad in the sacco^ they proceed, two by two, to BURIAL OF THE POOR. 247 the prison, the procession being lietuled by u cross- beuror with a great cross, and a torch-bearer at each side, carrying a torcli of jeliovv wax. The procession having arrived at the prison, tiie condemned descends the steps ; the first object which meets liis gaze bein- an imago of the Blessed Virgin, before whicli lio kneels', and, proceeding on, does the same before the crucifix, which is near the gate that lie now leaves for ever. Here he ascends the ear which awaits him, accompa- nied by the " comforters," who console and assist him to the last; and the procession moves on to the place of execution, the members of the confraternity going in advance. Arrived at the fatal spot, the condemned de- scends from tlie car, and is led into a chamber of an adjoining building, which is hung with black, where the last acts of devotion are performed, or, if he be im- penitent, where the last efibrts are made to move him to a better spirit. The hour being come, the execu- tioner bandages his eyes, and places him upon the block ; and thus, while supported by his confortori, and repeating the sacred name and invoking the mercy of Jesus, the axe descends upon the criminal, and human justice is satisfied. The brothers then take charge of the body, lay it on a bier, and, carrying it to their church, decently inter it. Finally, they conclude their pious work by prayer. The CoNFEATEBNrrr " della Mobte." Freciuently, towards night, does the stranger in Komo 248 EOME AND ITS P.ULEB. hear in the streets the sad chauiit of the Mistyrere ; and on approaching the place whence the solemn sounds proceed, he beJiolds a long procession of figures clad entirely in black, and headed by a cross-bearer ; many of the figures bearing large waxen torches, which fling a wild glare upon the bier, on which is borne the body of the deceased. It is the Confraternity della Morte, dedicated to the pious offio? of providing burial for the P'-cv. It was first instituted in 1551, and finally estab- lished by Pius lY. in 1560. It is composed mostly of citizens of good position, some of whom are of high rank. The members are distinguished by a habit of black, and a hood of the same colour, with apertures for the eyes. When they hear of a death, they meet, and having put on their habits, go out in pairs ; and when they arrive at the house where the body lies, they place it on a bier, and take it to a church, singing tlie Miserere as the mournful procession winds through the streets. Even should they be apprised of a death which had occurred twenty, or even thirty, miles distant from Eome, no matter what may be the time or the season, the burial of their poor fellow-creature is at once at- tended by this excellent society. In the Pontificate of Clement YIII., a terrible inundation was caused by the rise of the Tiber— a calamity ever to be dreaded, and ever attended with tlie greatest misery and danger to the poor ; and the brethren were seen employed, as far as Ostia and Fiumicino, in extricating dead bodies from the water. CHARITY TO AN IRISH PRIEST. 249 Another confraternity—della Perseveramt^yvhich. 18 composed of pious men, visit and relieve poor stran- gers who are domiciled in inns and lodging-houses, and mmister to their different wants. This confraternity was established under Alexander Vn., in 1663; and besides its duty of ministering to the necessities of the living, it also provides decent sepulture for the dead- poor strangers being in both cases the objects of their special care. A fatal accident, which occurred near Tivoli, in Sep- tember, 1856, afforded a melancholy occasion for the exercise of the charity of one of those institutions, and severely tested the humanity and courage of its broth- erhood. An Irish clergyman, whose name it is not necessary to mention, was unfortunately drowned while bathing in the sulphur lake below Tivoli. After three days, the body was recovered ; but it was found to be in an advanced state of decomposition, in a great meas- ure owing to the highly impregnated character of the water. The members of the confraternity della Mbrte, established in the Church of the Caiita, in livoli, laid the body in a coffin, whicli they had provided for the purpose ; and though the day was intensely hot, and the odour from the body was in the highest degree offensive, they bore it, for a distance of five miles, to the Cathedral, where, after the last offices of religion being paid to it, it was buried in the grave set apart for the deceased canons of the church. Here were a number of men, the majority of them artisans, encoun- 11* 250 ROME AND ITS RULER. tering this fearful danger, and undergoing this perilous toil, beneath tJie raging heat of an Italian sun ; not only without hope of fee or reward, but freelj sacrificing their day's employment to the performance of a pious work. Tlie number of the brethren to whom this duty was allotted was twenty-four : and they relieved each other by turns — those not engaged in bearing the body chanting sacred hymns, the dirge-like tones of which fall upon the ear of the stranger with such solemn effect. EDUCATION IN HOME. 251 CHAPTER XXII. Education in Rome.-The Old Calumny against the Catholic Church refuted by the Educational Institutions of Rome.-its Schools more numerous than its Fountnins.-Elen.entary Education.-C-atuitous Education originated by Ecclesiastics.-Religious Order, devoted to tiie Gratuitous Education of the Poor.— The Brothers of the Christian Schools.— Their admirable System of Education. The old and long-standing calumny against the Cath- olic Church is, that she hates, because she dreads, the light ; and that darkness being her congenial element, and indeed essential to her safety, it hap been, as it ever will be, her policy to discourage the policy of educa- tion, and thus retain the human mind in a convenient state of intellectual twilight. This is no worn-out and obsolete accusation, which one has to search for in some musty volume, or dig out of some rust-eaten record of a past age. On the contrary, it is the one most fre- quently made at this very day, by those who desire to misrepresent the Church ; and it is the one. of all others, most readily credited by the Protestant public of these countries. Now, if this accusation— that the Church is the friend of ignorance, and the enemy of education— be at all true, to no better place within the wide circle of Christendom could we look for the exem- plification of this barbarous and benighting policy, than It;. 252 ROME AND ITS RULER. to Kome ; for there, not only has the Pope to maintain his spiritual supremacy by the force and power of ig- norance, but his temporal power has also to be upheld by the same potent agency. Therefore, schools ought to be very rare in Eome, and systematically discour- aged by its ruler and his government. Or, if they exist in any number, they should be such only as were in- tended for the training of ecclesiastics, whose chief ob- ject would be the perpetuation of the same state of pop- ular debasement, which, according to the caknnny, is the very foundation and stronghold of the influence and authority of the Cliurch,— its influence and authority over the darkened mind of man. If London, Liverpool, and Manchester swarmed with schools and seminaries of every kind, and suited to every want and necessity of the population ; and if these schools were flung open gratuitously to the children of the poor, so that there ought not to be an ignorant child left in either of those great communities, it might be said, with justice, that London, Liverpool, and Manchester were marching on the high-road of civilization, and were entitled to the respect and admiraaon of all other communities. If the same can be said of Kome, is not Eome equally entitled to the same admiration and the same respect ? Let us see if Eome really merit praise on this account. It may be said of Eome, that she possesses, even at this day, and notwithstanding the ruin of many of the magnificent aqueducts of the olden time, a greater number of public fountains, from which her population may draw an abundant and unceasing supply of the ELEMENTAIIY EDUCATION. 253 purest water, than any other city in tlie world. And yet her schools ai-e more numerous than her fountains, and quite as accessible to all classes, from the youth of iier nobility to the olispring of the porter and the wood- cutter; and not more pure and unpolluted is the spring from which the young intellect draws its tirst nourish- ment in the seminaries of the " modern Babylon," thau are those streams which bring health and daily comfort to the poorest of her people. Pass through its streets, and at every turn you hear the plash, plash, of water,' falling gratefully on the ear ; and so may be heard the unmistakeable hum and buzz of the regional and the parish schools. But these, great in number as I shall show them to be, form but a small portion of the edu- cational institutions of calumniated Rome. First, of Elementary Education. [Jntil the year 1597, when the illustrious Saint, Giuseppe Calasanzio, opened the first gratuitous school for the poor, which he did in the neglected district of Trastevere, elementary education in Eome was entirely in the hands of the masters of the regionary, or dis- trict, schools, who were then partly paid by the State, and partly by a small weekly stipend from their pupils.' Miserable, however, as the payment of the regionary teachers was, they stoutly resisted the benevolent exer- tions of the Saint in favonr of gratuitous education ; nor could he have overcome the many difficulties which were placed in his p«ih, and which were attributable to various causes, if he vi^ere animated by a less ardent zeal, or were endowed with a less energetic spirit. lu 254 KOME AND ITS RULER. the coui-se of his charitable ministrations to the poor, he saw that which we all see at this present day — namely, that ignorance was the fruitful source of misery and vice; and, Catholic Priest as he was, h'^ resolutely girded his loins to encounter that very evil of intel- lectual darkness which he believed to be the worst enemy of the Church. His efforts were attended with .the success which they merited ; and to those efforts, followed, as they have been, to this hour, by the exer- tions and sacrifices of numberless successive benefac^^ors of youth, are due that noble system of gratuitous in- st/ructdon which forms one of the most striking and hopeful features of mof'.ern Koman civilization. Leo XII. placed the elementary schools under the control and jurisdiction of the Cardinal Yicar; and, by his bull of 1825, the private schools, otherwise the regionary schools, were subjected to a strict system of supervision. These latter are held in the private houses of the masters, who, if the number of their pu- pils happen to be sixty — beyond which number no one school can contain — must employ the services of an as- sistant ; the calculation being, that one teacher cannot properly attend to more than thirty scholars. The course or education varies in different schools, according to the age, condition, or necessities of the pupils. In general, besides the usual system of reading, writino-, arithmetic, and catechism, are included the elements of the Italian and French languages, Latin grammar, geography, sacred and profane history, &c. The reli- gious education of the child is never overlooked in these REGIONARY SCHOOLS. 255 schools, thougli under the management cf laymen ; for not only do the pupils attend mass every morning,' but there are various religions practices observed during the day. Punishment, which is strictly limited to beating on the hand with a small rod, is rarely administered*^ and is in many schools absolutely dispensed with. The masters must submit themselves to an examination, in order to test their competency; and the d'lty of mak- ing this examination is entrusted to a Committee of Ecclesiastics, delegated by the Cardinal Yicar.* The same Committee likewise exercise a general superin- tendence over the schools, their discipline, and their system of education. In case of the illness of a master, a substitute, paid by the State, attends in his place,' and the State also contributes an annual sum to pro- vide rewards for deserving pupils. The number of the regionary schools is rather on the decrease than other- wise; but this decrease is owing to a cause in the high- est degree favourable to a more widely-diffused sys- tem of education— namely, the irocreas^. of gratuitous schools. The average, for some time past, has been somewhere .about 50 schools for boys of the private * It would be advisable if the example of Rome had been followed in England ; for it appears, by the last Census Report, that such an exam- ination of teachers as I have above referred to, is much required in the private schools of the latter country. Mr. Horace Mann saye— "In the case of 708 out of 13,879 schools, the returns were respec- tively signed by the master or mistress with a mark. The same is noticeable with respect to 35 public schools, most of which had small endowments." Mr. Mann truly remarks, that " the efficiency ef a school depends unquestionably more upon the efficiency of the teacher than upon any otlier circumstance." i 256 ROME AND IT3 RULER. and paying class, with 80 masters and assistants, and less than 2,000 scholars. The exact number of region- ary schools at present is 49. The saintly founder of the gratuitous schools was ac- tively assisted by other ecclesiastics — who were equally determined foes to ignorance; and before God called him to his reward, in the ripeness of a glorious old ago, he had the happiness of beholding many free scliools crowded witli the children of the poor, and the organi- zation of a number of religious and charitable associa- tions devoted to their care. From those "Pious Schools" many others sprang; and n(fw, in every part of Eome, there are gratuitous elementary scliools suited to the wants and necessities of the population, with systems of education adapted to various occupations and different branches of industry. Among the n est prominent and successful conductors of elementary education, are the Fathers Scolopi, the Fathei-s Somaschi, the Fathers of the Christian Doc- trine, and the Christian Brothers — all of whom have a number of flourishing schools under their charge. There are then the Parish Schools, one of which, at least, is to be found in every parish of Eome. These schools are under the immediate control and direction of the Eector, or Parish Priest, who uses his bcft in- fluence to induce the attendance of pupils. These schools alone afford a vast educational provision for the children of the poorer class. Besides these, there are several schools in the care of societies of various kinds, but whose chief object is THE CUIUSTIAN SCHOOLS. 267 the education of youtli. Of these, may be mentioned the Society dajU AsUi cP Iiifamia, which lias two asylums, or educational establishments, for boys; one in Trastevere, and the otlier in Regola. Also, the So- ciety of Private Benefactors, amongst the principal of whom is Prince Doria ; and they have an admirable institution entirely maintained at their own charge. The Roman Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has lately opened a flourishing school for the education of boys ; and it is certain to use every exer- tion to extend the sphere of its operations. The Christian Bi-others, or Brothers of the Christian Schools, have taken strong root in Rome, and are there, as in all other countries where they have been estab- lished, amongst the most zealous and successful of the teachers of youth. To the Catholic reader of these coun- tries, more especially of Ireland, their wonderful suc- cess, in elevating the tone and character of the working classes, is well known ; and in Rome, their reputation, for the possession of all those attributes which can cDn- stitute zealous and conscientious teachers, is fully as high as it is elsewhere. These men are the very chivalry of the intellectual army of modern times ; and yet their order is one of the many educational institutions which have sprung from the bosom of the Catholic Church— the reputed friend of darkness, and champion of igno- rance! Some notice of the origin of this order may fitly introduce an allusion to their success in Rome. The Christian Schools of France owe their origin to the zeal and piety of the Abbe de la Salle. This distin- / 258 HOME AND ITS HULEH. guished ecclesiastic was born at Rhoims on the 30th of April, 1661, of parents of the highest respectability. Resolving to devote himself to the service of religion, he accepted a canonry in the Cathedral of Rheiins, and at a suitable age, was raised to the priesthood. Seeing the sf)! ritual destitution of the children of the poor, and the very inefficient mean;, for their instruction which the existing schools afforded, he determined on d( voting to their reformation all the time which his other duties left at his disposal. He assembled a small number of teachers, induced them to adopt a kind of community life, presided at their studies, and used every effort to qualify them for the discharge of their important and onerous obligations. He soon found, however, that his new undertaking would demand all his time and atten- tion. He therefore resigned his canonry, sold his pat- rimony, and distributed its proceeds to the poor; brought the teachers to reside with him in his own house, and laboured with them in the conducting of the schools. The fruits of his teaching soon became manifest ; the schools attained a high reputation, and numerous applications poured in on the good Abbe for communities of such efficient teachers. A noviciate, or House of Probation, was established, in which the ju- nior members of the society were educated and trained to their respective duties ; and in a very short period the Institute spread itself throughout the principal parts of the kingdom. Rules and constitutions for its permanent govern- ment were now drawn up ; religious engagements for a THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS. 259 lim ted time entered into ; and the title of " Brothers of the Christian Schools" adopted. In 1702 the saintly founder sent two of his brothers to Rome, in order to form an establishment in the Holy City. His object in doing so was (according to his own declaration) to place his Institute und( the auspices of the Holy See; to have more ready access to the feet of Christ's Yicar, for the approbation of its rules and constitutions ; to attach it for ever to the imperishable and infallible Church ; and to give testimony of his inviolable attach- ment to the Centre of Unity, at a time when so many were found ready to limit its prerogatives, and question its authority. The undertaking was, after some time, successful. An establishment was formed. Another was given by Pope Benedict XIIL, by whom the soci- ety was approved and confirmed in 1715. From that time it continued to flourish until the disastrous period of the Eevolution, when the decrees of the National Assembly, which proscribed religious societies, com- pelled the brothers to disperse, and scatter themselves throughout the kingdom. Some took refuge in Italy, and were received into the houses existing in that coun- try ; but the success of the French arms in that penin- sula deprived them of even this protection. Of the numerous establisliments which had been possessed by the society, two only, those of Ferrara and of Orvietto, now remained ; and to their existence was owing the re- vival of the body, when the decree of the French Consul permitted the brothers again to assemble m community. In 1801 they opened an establishment in Lyons. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) I %" 1.0 I4£|2^ 12.5 |jo "^^ MIIH Ui 1^ III 2.2 u Hi I.I l."^ IS 2.0 J& • \M M.i 1.6 ^ 6" — ► vl /: Oi^ ' v» ^w # Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (7K') 872-4503 ' S^V ♦*,.,' - •>-* ^ , , -•-- J ' ^r f 260 KOME AND IIS RULEB. Other establishments followed. In 1815 they reas- sumed the religious dress ; and from that period to the present, they have been increasing in numbers and efficiency, diffusing blessings around them in every locality which has been favoured with their pious and editying labours.* Actively patronized by successive Popes, including Leo XII. and Pius IX., the brotherhood, having been reinforced from France, greatly extended the sphere of their labours. They now, in 1857, possess five houses in Eome ; in each of which there are 500 pupils, or, in all, 2,600. They have, besides, a school for the sons of the French soldiers ; and also a boarding-house for boys who are inten<^ed to fill situations in shops and other places of business. Morichini bears the highest testimony to the value of these schools, and commends the zeal and ability of the mastei-s, and the docility and affection exhibited by the scholars. Indeed, he goes so far, in his praise of the schools of the Christian Brothers, and of the manner in which they are conducted, as to assert that the boys have been known to go home grieving when the follow- ing day happened to be a holiday ! If this be so, never was there a more eloquent tribute offered by pupils * By the latest returns we find that in France they have 1,235 schools- in Belgium. 28; in Savoy, 37; Piedmont, 33; Pontifical State?, 29 J United States of America, 30; Levant, 10; Prussia, 4; Malaysia, 2; Switzerland, 1 ; England, 2. Number of Brothers, 7,000; number' of pupils, 800,315. The schools of the Christian Brothers in the United Kingdom (not included in the above) afford education to somewhere about 80,000 boys. THEIR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. m to tfieir teachers. The Brothers do not confine dieir labours exclusively to their own schools, but attend to some others which have been lately established, either by the act of the Pope, or by the assistance of private individuals. Kay (the Travelling Bachelor of Cambridge), in his Mucation of the Poor in England and Furope, pub- lished in 1846, says of the educational system of the Brothers of the Christian Schools :— me education given in their schpols is very liberal, and their books very good. The Brothers consider that if they neglect to develop the intellect of their pupils, they cannot advance thetr religious education satisfactorily; they con- sequently spare no pains to attain the former development in order that the latter, which is the great end of their teach! 2ng, and of aU instruction whatsoever, may not be retarded."* To many of the Roman monasteries there are col- leges or schools attached, in which the students, during their course of study, assume the dress of the order, without, however, becoming members of it. TIius the Benedictines, at S. Calisto; the Regular Canons, at S. Pietro in Vinculi; and the Greek Basilians, at Grotto Ferrata, in the neighbourhood of Rome, whose schools are frequented by many children from Rome. Adjoining the Mamertine Prison, there is a School of Design for those who are preparing for any brancli of the carpenter trade. This school is of very ancient date, and was founded by the Arch Confraternity of St. Joseph. penic"' * *'"''*'"*^ iUustration of their Bystem of education, see Ap- 262 ROME AND ITS RULER. CHAPTER XXIII. The Roman Night Schools.— The Deaf and Dumb — Asylum of Tata Giovanni. — San Michele, a School of Industry and Art Passing over a number of other day-schools, to which allusion might be profitably made, we come to a class of schools which, owing their origin to the charity of a humane and religious mechanic, are increasing yearly in number and in usefultiess. These are the Night- Schools, which are specially intended for and devoted to the education of young artisans, and others engaged in various laborious pursuits, and who, from their con- stant employment during the day, are deprived of the ordinary means of intellectual and moral instruction. In fact, no other class of pupils can obtain admission to them save those so circumstanced as I describe. Tliese schools are thirteen in number; eleven being under one institution, and two under separate institutions. Each school consists of four classes, the number of pupils attending each school being, at the lowest es- timate, about 120 ; which would give a total attend- ance of pupils at not less than 1,600. These schools are sustained by various means and resources — ^by pri- vate contributions, by grants through the Commission THE NIGHT SCHOOLS. US of Supplies, and by certain ecclesiastical funds teu- porurily conceded to them by the present Pope ; taken from the treasury of the Dataria Apostolica, and from the Office of Briefs and Memorials. Amongst the benefactors of those valuable institutions, His Holi- ness is the principal ; he gives to them 120 scudi an- nually, out of his private puree. The example of the Pope is imitated by the cardinals, the nobility, the clergy, and other classes of the community. The ordinary teaching comprises reading, writing, and arithmetic; with a knowledge of the principles of design and practical geometry, both of which latter are applied to the ornamental, useful, and mechanical arts. Eight years of age is the earliest period at which a boy can enter the school, but he may attend it until he is establishBd in life. In their mere educational charac- ter and results, these schools will stand a fair compari- son with schools of a somewhat similar but more ambi- tious character in France and Belgium; but in one respecl>-the moral and religious training of the young workman— the Eoman Night School stands by itself. In most of the schools elsewhere, religion is not even thought of; but in Rome it is made a primary consid- eration; and the most efficacious means are adopted, especially through religious societies, or congregations^ under the guidance of clergymen, not only to ensure to the Night Scholar a thorough knowledge of the principles of his religion, but to induce him to the fulfilment of its obligations. The cost of each school is about twenty scudi per 264 ROME AND ITS RULER. month, or 240 scudi a year. Tliis sum serves to pro- cure oil for the lamps, paper, ink, and books — all of which are given gratuitously to the scholars. The principal items of expense are the rent, the furniture, and the salary of the ''guardian." Tlie first of those schools wes established in the year 1819, by a poor artisan, v""" omo Casoglio, a carver in wood, who gathered together a few idle boys who were playing on the banks of the Tiber, and whom he induced, by kind words and little presents, to fol- low him to his home. There he communicated to them what little he himself knew of the rudiments of secular knowledge, and also instructed them in the truths of religion. He was aided in his pious efforts by some good ecclesiastics, who threw themselves with ardour into the work ; and, ere long, the humble ar- tisan had many imitators, who excelled him in knowl- edge and influence, though they could not in charity. In 1841, the number of schools was eight, and of scholars 1,000 ; but, in 1856, the schools had increased to thirteen, and the scholars to 1,600. Pius IX., from the first year of his pontificate to the present time, has ever evinced the greatest anxiety for the spread and progress of those schools, the number of which he has personally assisted to extend. And not only does he contribute liberally to their support, but he has on several occasions visited them, without having given any previous notice of his intention ; and minutely in- quired into their system of education, their discipline, and their operation, and also examined several of DEAP AND DUMB. 1^85 the pnpils, the best of whom he distiflguished by re- wards given with his own hand. It may be added, that the utmost care is taken by the mastei-s that the pupils do not ramble about the streets at the conclusion of their studies. In general, they arc accompanied to their homes by the masters, as is the custom in the Pious Schools. Examinations are lield every year, with a public distribution of prizes by the hands of eminent persons ; and the prizes are always of a useful character, so as to assist the hum- ble parents of the pupils. The elder boys are con- ducted to the public hospitals, »nd there encouraged to the pious duty of ministering to and comforting the eick. In fine, every effort is made by those who are entrusted with the management of these schools, as teachers, directors, or superintendents, to fit the pupil for a life of industry, honesty, piety, and active benev- olence. ('■ Deaf and Dumb. Eome, among its other educational institutions, pos- sesses an admirable one for that most afflicted class, the deaf and dumb. It owes its origin to the benevolence of an advocate, Don Pasquale di Pietro, who estab- lished it in the year 1794, on the system so successfully adopted in Paris. It has since, with the consent of the family of the founder, been taken in charge by the Congregation of Studies, and is now under the protec- tion of the Cardinal President of the Commission of 12 266 ROME AND ITS RULEB. Subsidies, and of a deputy, and is managed by a com- petent staff. Every improvement which science and humanity have invented or devised for the benefit of these sufferers, has been adopted by the conductors of the Koraan institution ; and with such success, that the utmost admiration is excited by its public examina- tions, in which the pupils display the greatest intel- ligence, and a thorough knowledge of the many sub- jects embraced in a system of education in the highest degree liberal and comprehensive. They are even in- structed in various branches of the sciences. Persua- sion is the only means. used to obtain obedience, there being no punishment or disgrace other than that in- volved in the loss of a reward. This institution was lately visited by the Holy Father, to the intense. de- light of its inmates. There are three colleges or seminaries for artisans — namely, those of the Termini, Tata Giovanni, and San Michele. The two latter deserve special notice. First, the Asylum of Tata Giovanni. Princes and prelates, great merchants and successful professional men, have not been, as we have already shown, the only founders of institutions for the relief of suffering humanity, the shelter of the widow and pro- tection of the orphan, or the education of the ignorant; for, in all ages of the Church, and in all Catholic coun- tries, we find the Divine spirit of benevolence animat- ASYLUM OP TATA GIOVANNI. 267 ing some poor, unknown, and perhaps despised pereon, to undertake and successfullj accomplish a great work of charity. And it would be difficult, indeed, to find a more signal instance of energy and humanity than was displayed by an illiterate journeyman-mason, by whose more familiar name one of the most useful of the Ro- man educational institutions of Rome has been long known. The history of its foundation is this :— Towards the close of the last century, there worked at the sacristy of the Vatican Basilica, as a mason, an humble and illiterate, but religious man, Giovanni Borgi, who, after his day's toil, was in the constant habit of attending the sick in the hospital of Scmto SjfnHto, which lies in the same direction. Indeed, such was the zeal with which he performed this office of charity, that he spent entire nights by the bedside of the sick, and frequently fell asleep over his work in the day. On one evening, as he accompanied a procession of a religious confraternity through the city, his atten- tion was attracted to a number of wretched boys whom he saw lying on the steps of the Pantheon, and crouch- ing under the benches of the fowl market near that building, after having wandered about all day, bare- footed and in rags. These were partly vagrant children, who had run away from their parents ; children whom their parents had abandoned; or poor oi-phans, who were utterly destitute. Commiserating their unhappy state, Borgi took some of them to the ground floor of the house in which he himself resided ; and having clad 268 ROME AND ITS RULKB. them, with the aid of alms which he collected, he ap- prenticed them to useful trades. Two good ecclesias- tics having observed his conduct with admiration, as- sisted him, as well by counsel as by money. Tlie little asylum soon afforded shelter to forty boys, when it was removed to a convenient house, one of the friendly priests paying the rent. It was now assisted by a soci- ety, which was formed to aid it, and which, by volun- tary subscription, contributed more than one hundred ' scudi a month for its support. Thus aided, its organi- zation was further developed in 1784. Giovanni called the boys "sons," and they called him "Tata," which is a vulgar word for father ; and hence the name of " Tata Giovanni,^^ given to the institution. Pius VI. highly approved of the good work, and having purchased for the institution the Palazzo Euggia, became its princi- pal protector, and was most kind to Giovanni — who now frequently took up idle and dissolute youths by force ; which so alarmed the beggars, that one had only to say to the importunate—" Fly, fly I here is Tata Gi- ovanni !" in order to scatter them at once. The insti- tution was now increased to 100 boys. They rose at an early hour, heard mass, and then received a loaf of bread, after which they went to their respective shops ; to which Tata frequently went round himself, in order to inquiro how his " sons" were going on. At the Ave Maria he stood at the entrance door, with a bag in his hand, into which the boys dropped what they had earned during the day. Though ignorant himself, Tata knew the value of learning ; and he induced a ASYLUM or TATA GIOVANNI. 269 number of benevolent pereonB, lay and clerical, to teach the bovs in the evening. Tlie school lessons were fol- lowed by the rosary; and then came the frugal supper at which, through humility. Princes of the Church fre- quently served as the attendants of these poor children. The rule of Tata was strict; nor had the proverb, "Spare the rod and spoU the child," a more firm be- liever than himself. His care of the boys was unceas- ing. Tie walked through their dormitories all night, and did not seek repose till the morning. During this time he did not by any means neglect the sick at Santo Spirito; and if he could not contrive to go himself to the hospital, he was sure to send some of the older pu- pils to perform that office of charity. Tata, though strict, was also considerate; and frequently, especially on festival days, accompanied his "sons" to the coun- try, where— though old, short, and thick-set, blind of one eye, and his quaint head covered by a scratch wig —he was not ashamed lo join in their sports. After fifteen years of sublime perseverance, this good man died; but not until he saw his labour crowned with success, and his cherished institution established on a firm and lasting basis. The work, so nobly begun, was well followed up by patrons of rank and influence; and though the place was changed, and another institution amalgamated with it, it preserves to this day the famil- iar name of its founder, Tata Giovanni. The plan of sending the boys out to work having been found incon- venient, worksliops were formed in the establishment ; but the old system was again restored. Tata, rude and 270 ROME AND ITS RULER. illiterate as he was, was endowed with groat good oense ; and in no respect did ho more strikingly mani- fest this fine quality than in the wisdom with which ho allowed the boys to select the trade to which they had the greatest inclination, for which they evinced the greatest aptitude, and that best suited their capac- ity and strength. The soundness of this principle is practically recognized by its continued adoption. At twenty years of ago, the inmates of the asylum are dis- missed ; and not only are they well educated, carefully trahied, and thoroughly practiced in their respective trades ; but they have, in their savings — being the sur- plus over a certain daily charge for their support — the means not only of providing tools and instruments nec- essary for their calling, but for the purchase of clothes, a bed, and other necessary articles. Besides the ele- mentary studies, in which the boys are thoroughly grounded, they are also taught geometry and the prin- ciples of design. Well may the orphan boy bless the memory of that poor ignorant mason, who, under a rough exterior and even repulsive manner, concealed a heart of the tenderest compassion and the loftiest char- ity. May the name of Tata Giovanni be long honoured on this earth. Pius IX., while yet a simple priest, presided over this admirable school, from motives of the purest char- ity, and in order to do good to a class for whom he ever felt the profoundest sjanpathy. It was his ordi- nary custom to dine off the humble fare provided for the boys, as he sat at the head of their table. SAN HICHELB. 271 San Michelk. San Michele, now a Consorvatorio di Belle Arti, is one of the most iutercBting institutions in Eonie, and will amply repay the trouble of a visit. Besides train- ing a number of boys to different branches of the pure- ly mechanical arts, it frequently contributes to the great world of art some of its most distinguished orna- ments. For instance, it was a former pupil of San Michele who lately completed the beautiful monument to Gregory XVL, now in its place in St. Peter's, and which no one can regard without a feeling of genuine admiration, for the exquisite grace of the figures that adorn it. In the vast and comprehensive seminary the visitor may observe its pupils engaged in the most va- ried and opposite pursuits. Here, they are learning some simple handicraft— there, the highest branches of art. In one hall, a number of boys are weaving car- pets, of the most costly texture and elaborate design ; in another department, other classes are cutting cameos, engraving on steel and copper, or engaged in model- ling a bust or a group, or chiselling it into its enduring form out of the pure marble of Carrara. You leave the hall where some incipient Canova is learning the first principles of his immortal art, and, passing -to an- other part of the building, you hear the quick stroke of the carpenter's hammer, or see, drying in the open air, a piece of cloth that has lately received its colour in the dye-vat. Tlie wise principle of this noble insti- tution is to allow the boy to adopt the pursuit most 272 ROME AND ITS RULER. congenial to his tastes, or best suited to his ca^^acitj not compelling the youtli who feels within him an in- stinctive longing for the beautiful in art, to toil and drudge at some mere njechanical pursuit ; nor training anotlier to the profession of an artist, instead of confer- ruig on Iiim a purely mechanical trade. The illuetrious Howard, who speaks of " this large and noble edifice" >vith admiration, remarks that when he visited San Michele, there were in it about 200 boys—" all learn- ing different trades according to their different abilities and genius." To secure admission to this institution, a boy must be an orphan, a native of the Roman "^lates, and not over twelve years of age. Occasionally, boys are admitted for a small pe:asiou, not exceeding sixteen or seventeen shillings a month ; and for thip small sum they are fed, clothed, and given a sound literary education, a trade, or perhaps a profession. Intercourse is freely allowed with their relatives, so that family ties, where they ex- ist, should be kept up. The education given to the boys is that which best adapts them to the situation in life which they are destined to fill. Besides other branches, music is carefully taught ; and perhaps the stranger, who visits Rome, coald enjoy no greater troat than that afforded on the occasion of tlie great festival in honour of the Patron Saint of the institutior., when the clioir, entirely composed of tlie pupils, performs the splendid music selected for the day, which is cele- brated with unusual pomp. The boys seemed to be happy and contented, as, in- I SAN MICHELE. !l 273 deed they well might be ; for the t-eatment which they receive from their superiors is kind und affectionate in the extreme. Persuasion, not force, is the rule of the institution. That they were fine healthy-looking little fellows, I can say with certainty; and the manner with whidi they replied to such observations as were ad- dressed to them by the ecclesiastic who kindly con- ducted me through the greater portion of the vast building, was frank, self-possessed, and most respectful —which manner was in itself a good test of the train- ing of the pupil, and the conduct of the master. To understand the value, or the result, of that artistic training which the higher classes of the pupils receive, one had but to pass through the stately apartments of the Cardinal Protector, the learned and venerable Tosti. These apartments principally consist of a number of halls and galleries, enriched by a splendid collection of works of art and articles of vertu— a great number of the former having been executed by the pupils of the institution. Besides paintings and engravings, many of evident merit, were some beautiful busts, groups, and bas-reliefs. A lovely little chapel, all of the purest marble, was also the work of their hands. Amongst the most exquisite of the works of art, not of modem execution, was a group in silver, representing the scourging of the Eedeemer in the hall of Pilate. It stood about nine inches high, and one glance was suflS- cient to tell that it came from the hands of a master • for genius was stamped upon it most unmistakably. ^•_ rixiiDu vina tiic iiiiuuua iienvenuio iueium. 12* 274 EOME AND ITS KULEK. ■Writing of this noble institution, Morichini justly says : — " The hospital is a perfect polytechnic school, a perfect conservatory for arts and trades, and which the genius of the Popes liad established a century in ad- vance of the most cultivated nations of Europe." In another branch of the same establishment, there is an extensive conservatory for girls, who are gratui- tously maintained, and aught every thing necessary to their future condition. They are carefully traiiied in a knowledge of the more domestic duties. fitly )1, a the ad- PEHALE EDITOATION. 276 lere itui- Y to in a CHAPTER XXIV. Female Education.— Ample Providon for it.— Colleges and Seminaries. —English and Irish Colleges.— The Propaganda.— The Roman Col- lege.— Educational Statistics of Koroe.— Its high Standard. It is not necessary to refer again to the system of education carried on in prisons, reformatories, and even hospitals for the treatment of disease; sufficient has been shown, in the Prison of S. Michele, the Reform- atory of Santa Balbina, and the Hospital of San Ga- licano, t6 prove that^he education of the young is con- sidered in Rome as a matter, not of secondary, but of primary importance. Kor is it advisable to go through a list of the schools for female children, which are intended for those of every class and condition in life, from the daughter of the prince, to the poor deserted child of the street. The conservatories alone would make a long list, to say nothing of the public schools under the care of the Maestre Pie, one of which, at least, is to be found in every parish. There are several other religious orders specially devoted to the instruction of youth, including the following:— the Ursuline, the Presentation, the Sacred Heart, the Divine Love, the Providence, the S. Giuseppe, and the Holv Name of .Tpana Tn ft.«f 276 ROME AND ITS KULER. it \xiny bo said, that wherever there is a convent of nuns, there is also attached to it a school for some one class or other of female children. Not a few of the in- stitutions for girls were originally intended as reforma- tories, or asylums for the protection of young persons in danger of growing up in ignorance or vice. For in- stance, that known as II Barromeo was founded by Cardinal Borromeo, who purchased e house on the Esquiline, and placed in it many poor abandoned girls who were so utterly destitute, that they were common- ly called "censiose," or ragged. So that the "ragged school" is by no means of that recent origin which, in England, many pei-sons suppose it to be. The children maintained in this institution, as in all the conserva- tories, are trained up in industry, as well as instructed in the usual course of knowledge suited to their posi- tion. Indeed, industrial training is a necessary element in the education which girls receive in all such institu- tions ; as the profits of their work go in some degree to meet the charge of maintaining the establishment ; the rest being generally supplied either from revenues at- tached to the original foundation, or by a contribution from the State, administered by a particular commis- sion, or controlling body. A favourite form of Koraan charity is that of establishing asylums for children " in danger," no matter whether the danger arise from their orphan condition, or from the neglect of careless or the example of bad parents ; and at the present day, there are to be found zealous clergymen, benevolent laymen, and charitable women, ready to imitate the holy ex- COILEGES AND SEMINARIES. 277 ample of a Borromeo or a Neri. Wlien I cowe to give the total of scholars of all ages and both sexes, it will be seen that the education of the female child is as carefully provided for as that of the boy. I now proceed to notice, or rather enumerate, the educational institutions of a higher class. The colleges or seminaries for the higher studies are the Orfani, the Panfili— for ecclesiastics from the estates of the house of Doria— the Capranica, for Eo- mans or the natives of some dioceses of the Marche ; the Seminary of St. Peter, the Eoman Seminary, the' Seminario Pio ; the secular Colleges of Ghislieri, Cle- mentino, Kazareno, and Borromeo, specially for the Bons of the nobility. The Seminario Pio was founded and endowed by Pius IX., out of his private purse, and may be men- tioned as another proof of his zeal for education. The students of this ecclesiastical seminary are chosen, by examination, from the dioceses of the Papal States. The result is, that the best student of each diocese is enabled to perfect his education in Kome, and thus carry back to his native place somewhat of the apos- tolic spirit of the Holy City. Besides these, there are the colleges of the Benedic- tines in S. Calisto, and of Kegular Canons Lateran, in S. Pietro in Vinculi. The following are collc^ges for foreign ecclesiastical students : — The Propaganda; and die colleges of tie English, 278 ROME AND ITS RULER. Irish, Scotch, Greek, Belgian, French, German, and Hungarian nations. Tlie English College was founded and endowed by Gregory XLLI. ; but the funds are not equal to the support of more than 20 or 25 students. However, Pius IX. has recently joined to this institution a new college founded by himself, and bearing his own name. The Collegio Pio must not be confounded with the Semi- nario Pio, mentioned above. The Collegio Pio has been established by the Pope, not alone to meet the growing wants of the Catholic Church in England, but to provide a place of study for the numerous converts that of late years have quitted the Protestant Church, and returned to the venerable Church of their fathers. A new French college has also been established by the present Pope ; and it is probable that, before long, an American college will be also opened in Eome. By such acts as these does Pius IX. exhibit, as Supreme Pontiff, " his care for all the churches." The number of pupils in the Scotch College is not very great at present ; but it is progressing. The students of the Irish College are steadily increas- ing in number. Of this fact I wa& myself a witness. On my first visit to the ecclesiastical college of my own nation, the number of students was forty-six ; but before I left Eome it was increased to fifty-four, by ac- cessions from various dioceses in Ireland. Indeed, I had travelled to Rome with two students whom I ac- cidentally met on the platform of the railway in Paris ; THE IRISH COLLEGE. tl 279 and they were from the diocese of Cloyne, in the county of Cork. My first visit to the college found the students just terminating a " retreat," which was conducted by a priest of the order of the Passionists, whose picturesque convent forms so prominent a feature on the Celian Hill. I was introduced into a long narrow chamber, from which the bright sun was excluded by dark blinds, and which, indeed, received its only light from the candles burning on the altar. The students, who were clad in the usual academic costume, were seated in silent rows, listening with the most profound atten- tion to the eloquent exhortations of the Passionist, who appeared to put forth all his fervour and all his impres- siveness in his concluding appeal. His voice was rich and melodious, and adapted itself to every style; and his action was eminently natural— that is, it corre- sponded with the words which he uttered, and the emotion which he felt. In fact, he was an orator, appealing, too, to the most favourable audience— to young, pure hearts, glowing with piety, and full of enthusiasm for the sacred profession to which they aspired. The devotions of the day were concluded by the students approaching the altar, and, kneeling before a large cross, which lays at its steps, kissing the feet of the image of the crucified Kedeemer,— an act of pious homage, not to the insensible ivory, but to the Divine Being, whose sublime charity and compassion for fallen man it visibly and strikingly represented. The more I saw of this college— and I waa a frpnnnnf 280 ROME AND ITS RULEB. visitor — ^the more I was impressed witli its discipline, its management, and its system of education. Certain portions of the necessary course are taught within its walls ; but the students also attend the lectures of the Eoman College, and the Propaganda. In a short time they become thoroughly acquainted with the Italian language, which is indispensable to them as a medium of instruction. The gravity and decorum of the stu- dents, as they walk, in groups of ten or twelve, through th^ streets of Rome, is ohly exceeded by their piety and collectedness in their devotions, whether performed in the adjoining church of St. Agata, or in whatever church tliey "happen to visit. Indeed, they are fortu- nate in their superiors, the Rector and Vice-Rector ;* than whom it would be difficult to find two men of gentler nature, of a solicitude more truly paternal, or who are more profoundly impressed with a sense of their great responsibility. The natural consequence is, that the students honour and love their superiors. For certain months in the summer they reside altogether at the establishment in the country ; and, at other times, a visit to the vineyard which the college pos- sesses outside the city affords them the opportunity of healthful exercise. The church attached to the Irish College was that appropriately selected as the resting-place of the heart of Daniel O'Connell ; and a very graceful mural monu- * Monsignor Kirby and the Rev. Dr. Moran. The latter, a scholar of distinguished merit, is nephew to the Most Rev. Dr. Cullen, the pre- deosBBOT of Dr. £irby, and now the Catholic Archbishop of Dablin. THE PROPAGANDA. '281 ment— erected at the sole cost of Charles Bianconi, to the memory of his illustrious friend— marks out the spot, and commemorates the fame of the great cham- pion of Catholic liberty. This monument was one of the first works which brought the artist Benzoni into notfce, and assisted him to attain the deeervodly high position which he now enjoys. There are several Irish students in the famous Prop- aganda ; and the Irish branches of the Dominican, Au- gustinian, and Franciscan orders, have each a house in Rome. The Propaganda, as is well known, is the celebrated college in whicii students intended for foreign missions are educated. Here meet all nations, and are spoken all tongues ; and from this great institution annually go forth brave and devoted soldiers of the Cross, not a few of whom seal with their blood their fidelity to the faith of the Gospel. This college has its own staff of pro- fessors, who deliver lectures of the highest character, which are attended by students of many other colleges. At the annual Polyglot Academy held this year, the pupils recited compositions in no less than farty-f&ur different languages. Fourteen of these were Asiatic, four African, twenty-four European, and two Oceanic. The last were spoken by natives of Uvea and Tonga. All nations and all races of the human family are rep- resented in the pious and heroic youth of this great Catholic University, which strictly fulfils the sublime mission of the Church, to "go and teach all nations." The public schools are the Roman Colleffe. thfl An- 282 ROME AND ITS RULER. polinare, and, so far as rhetoric, the College of St. Maria in Montecelli. Of one only of these — the Eo- man College — a brief notice is required. ^ To give anything like a complete account of the Boman College would require a separate treatise in itself. A sketch of a single Faculty will, however, give some idea of the extent of its curriculum, and of the method of instruction. As it is upon the Faculty of Philosophy that the character of a university will be generally found to depehd, it will be convenient to take it in this case as an example. This Faculty is conducted by nine professors. The course of instruc- tion extends over a period of three years, and includes the following subjects : — Looio AND Mathematics, Moral Philosopht, Elementary Mathematics, Physico-Chemistrt, Mathematical Physics, Analytical Geometry, Philosophy of Religion, Astronomy, Differential and Integral Calculus. In the first year of this course of Philosophy, the student has to attend lectures on two subjects; Logic and Metaphysics, and Elementary Mathematics. There are three lectures, of an hour each, every day ; two being devoted to the Logic and Metaphysics, and one to the Mathematics. In the second year of Phi- losophy, the student attends four courses of lectures ; Moral Philosophy, Physico-Chemistry, and Mathemati- cal Physics for an hour each every day, and Analytical Geometry for half-an-hour every second day. In the third year, the student attends three courses, — the Phi- THE ROMAN COLLEGE. 288 losophy of Eeligion, Astronomy, and the Calculus; lectures being delivered . on each of these subjects every day. From this statement it will be seen that, as far as the machinery of professorial instruction is concerned, the faculty of philosophy in the Roman College is su- perior to that of any university or college in Great Britain or Ireland, not excepting Oxford or Cambridge. In some of the universities lately established in this country, great stress is laid upon the importance of mathematical studies. Yet we iind that even in these institutions, such, for instance, as the Queen's Universi- ty in L-eland, a single professor is expected to teach every branch of mathematics ; whilst in the Eoman College there are in general four distinct chairs appro- priated to mathematical subjects. It is worthy of re- mark that many of the text books are written by the Jesuits themselves. Some of these are weli known in England ; such as the Princijna Cahuli Bifferentialia et Integralis, itemque, Calculi Differentiarum Jtrnta- rum, : auctore Andred Caraffa. S. J. The metaphysical course is very extensive. It is principally devoted to a critical examination of the va- rious theories of Psychology. The British writers who attract most notice are Locke andEeid ; but the greater part of the Psychological course appears to be devoted to combating the fallacies of the German metaphy- sicians. The course of Astronomy possesses many points of interest. In the first place, it is based, to a great ex- 284 HOME AND ITS HULEH. tent, on tlie lithographed treatise which the lato cele- brated Father Do Vico prepared for his class. This gives it a marked character of originality. In the sec- ond place, many brilliant discoveries have of late years, as well as centuries ago, been associated with tlie name of the Collegio llomano; and its observatory has long been acknowledged to be one of the best in Europe. In studying that important part of Astronomy which treats of the measurement of time, the student remem- bers with pride that it was to the founder of the Col- lege, to Gregory XIII., we owe the correction of the Calendar. The extent of the astronomical course may be judged from the fact, that it entere fully into such questions as the Lunar Theory, the stability of the Solar System, the Secular and Periodic Yariations, the effect of a resisting medium, and the figures of the planets ; all these questions, as a matter of course, requiring a familiarity with the highest branches of mathematics. In the course of Physico-Chemistry, after going through Chemistry proper, and the theories of Liglit and Heat, the class is occupied with experiments in Electricity, Magnetism, and Galvanism. These experi- ments are, however, but of secondary importance ; the main part of the lectures in these latter subjccvs being devoted to discussing the investigations "f ADipeitj, Arago, Faraday, &c., and developing the several for- mulae which bring magnetism and electricity into the doinain of mathematics. Thn i.:.oman College is entirely under the manage- J (=i».t iiiid in the hands of the Jesuit Fathers, who fill EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS. 1^85 the diflferent chairs in such a manner as to maintain the high reputation of that illustrious order. In the Ap- pendix of this volume is given one more proof of the services which members of this body have conferred on the cause of science. I allude to the measurement of the base line, for a trigonometrical survey, by Father Anofelo Secchi.* Tlie great University, the Sapienza, closes my list of institutions for public instruction in Rome. This col- lege was founded in the year 1244, by Innocent IV., and has been entirely remodelled in the course of the present century by Leo XII. The present Pope has added to the number of its chairs. Cardinal Morichini states that, in 1841, there were in Rome 27 institutions and 387 schools for the instruc- tion of the children of the poorer portion of the public. Of these, 180 were for children, or infants, of both sexes ; and, of the remainder, 94 were exclusively de- voted to males, and 113 to females. The total number of scholars in elementary schools amounted, at that time, to 14,157. Of these, 3,790 were of the infant class ; and of those of more advanced yeare, 5,544 were males, and 4,823 were females. In gratuitous elementary schools, 7,579 received their education ; namely, 3,952 boys, and 3,627 girls. In schools paying a small j}en- sion, there were 1,592 males, and 1,196 females— mak- ing a total in such schools of 2,788. Of the 387 schools referred to, 26 belonged to religious communities of * See Appendix. 286 ROME AND ITS RULEE. men, and 23 to religious communities of women. The rest belonged to, oj* were conducted by, seculars. In a'^dition, 2,213 children, of both sexes, learned the rudiments of education in special conservatories and hosipitals. The figures which are given exclude students in the universities and higher colleges. Including these, liow- ever, with the tjlasses already mentioned, the student population of Rome, as compared with the total popu- lation of the city, was, in the year 1842, as one in eight. But since then, as I have shown, the schools and the scholars have considerably increased. For instance, not to go beyond the Niglit Schools and the schools of the Christian Brothers, the increase is very marked since the time when Morichini wrote. The schools of the former description have increased from eight to thirteen, and their scholars from 1,000 to 1,600. Be- sides, the present Pope has himself established a num- ber of schools for children of both sexes, and does all in his power, by pecuniary aid as well as by other modes of encouragement, to promote new schools throughout the Papal States, and to enlarge, or otherwise improve, those already in existence. He also impresses on his clergy a duty which they zealously perform — that of urging parents to send their children to school, and thus take advantage of that great humanizing agent which is brought to the very doors of the humblest and poor- est. So that, it may be fairly asserted, if a single Eo- man child grow up in ignorance, or without the benefit of a sound and useful education, the fault lies with the EDUCATIONAL STANDARD VERY HIGH. ,387 parents of the child, and not with the government of Pius IX., or with those institutions which redound so much to the honour of the Eternal City. If, then, the educational standard were one in eight when Morichini wrote, it must now closely approximate to one in six, which is, perhaps, the highest standard at which any- State can reasonably hope to attain.* * Mr. Horace Mann, in his celebrated Report attached to the Census Tables of 1851,— whi h Report wa.^ published in March, 1854,— says, at page 21 :— " Most competent writeis are now inclined to assume that one in eight would be a eatisfactorj' proportion, after making due al- lowance for practical impediments." At the same time, Mr. Mann ad- verts to the opinion of Mr. Edward Baiues— the acknowledged leader and organ of the voluntary party— who, aft/?r a careful course of rea- soning, says that one in nine would be a proportion quite as high as the condition of society in England would permit One in eight is, therefore, the highest educational standard at which any party, even those holding the most advanced views, aspire. In 1861, one in eight and a third was the nominal educational position of England. For conclusive information as to the real or nominal character of elementary education in Great Britain, the reader is referred to the Appendix. 288 ROME AND ITS RULER. CHAPTER XXV. Uuivcrsities in the Papal States. — Their Coursea and Museums. — ^Valu- able Libraries. — Admission gratuitous. — Elementary Instruction.-— Communal Schools. — Number of Students in the Universities!. — ^The Church not afraid of the DifFusion of Education. — Mr. Macaulay quoted. Having given a general idea of the educational re- sources of Borne, it may be well to add some few par- ticulars with respect to the provision made for the in- struction of youth throughout the Pontifical Staites ; inasmuch as it must tend to show, to those who are believere in that imaginary policy of intellectual dark- ness attributed to the Church, that in the very domin- ions of the Church, where the Church may be said to possess more direct influence and authority over tem- poral matters than in any other part of Christendom, it preserves its influence and maintains its authority in spite of the intelligence it persistently awakens, and the knowledge it so anxiously and laboriously promotes. There are seven Universities in the Papal States — ■ namely, those of Ferrara, Bologna, XJrbino, Macerata, Camerino, Perugia, and Rome. In each there is taught a complete course of Theology, Jurisprudence, Philos- ophy, Medicine and Surgery, besides other branches. The Universities of Rome and Bologna are of the first THE PAPAL UNIVERSITIES. 289 class, and in these is taught, in addition, a complete course of mathematics. They are also supplied with a number of other chairs which do not exist in the uni- versities of the second class. It is the rule, I believe, that in the first-class universities there must be thirty- eight chairs ; but in Eome there are forty-five, and two additional chairs were recently instituted. The secondary as well as the first-class universities are supplied with museums of a comprehensive charac- ter, illustrating the various sciences, such as zoology, mineralogy, anatomy, chemistry, mechanics, &c. ; and, as for the museums of the first class universities, it may be said, with justice, that they rival those of any Euro- pean capital, in the variety and value of their collec- tions. Tims, for instance, the museum of mineralogy in the Eoman University, as well as its collection of birds, excel, in their completeness and extent, those of any other Italian city. The same may be said of the museum of Bologna, some idea of the magnitude and value of which may be afforded by the fact, that its anatomical collection contains 60,000 preparations ! Each university is also supplied with an ample library, in some of which may be found works of great antiqaity and of rare value. In the two great univer- sities there is an excellent observatory, well provided with the best, the newest, and most costly instruments. Eour of the universities— those of Kome, Perugia, Bologna, and Ferrara — possess each a chair of Agri- culture ; and in order that experiment and practice might be combined with theory, certain grounds are 13 290 ROME AND ITS RULER. attached to each of these universities, for the practical study of this most valuable and ancient of all the sciences. ^ Tlie admission of the student to the University is gratidtous^ the salary of the professors being either at the expense of the State, or, as in some of the second- ary institutions, at that of the Province, or provided for out of special funds destined to the purpose. At one period only is there any charge made to the university student, though by no means in the majority of cases ; and that is, on his attaining to and taking out his academical degrees — namely, of Bachelor, Licentiate, and Doctor ; and the entire cost for all the degrees does not exceed 60 scudi, or about 13^. And in many in- stances, especially where the student is in a humble position of life, and cannot afford this very moderate charge, it is either partly or wholly remitted. It is also remitted in cases of signal merit, as where the stu- dent reaches to the honours of the Laureate. Tlien, with respect to elementary instruction, the am- plest provision is made for it ; for not only in the first- class cities, but in general in all cities — in L-eland we should call them towns — containing from 2,000 to 5,000 inhabitants, there is a Gymnasium, or a Lyceum, for the instruction of youth. In the gymnasium are taught, besides other matters, reading, writing, arithmetic, ele- mentary philosophy, and the principles of jurispru- dence ; and, as an invariable rule, the boys are well grounded in a knowledge of their religion. Some of these institutions are under the care of religious bodies, GENERAL PROVISION FOR EDUCATION. ' 291 specially devoted to the instruction of youth; othera are conducted by secular priests ; and more are con- fided to laymen. The appointment of teachers belongs generally to the local municipality, and is made with the approbation of the bishop of the diocese, and the sanction of the Congregation of Studies, to which de- partment belongs the superintendence of all the educa- tional institutions of the Pontifical States. The Eoman College may be termed the Gymnasium of Rome ; but besides the arts or sciences above mentioned, there is also taught in it a complete coui-se of theology. To those institutions, as to the universities, the stu- dents are admitted without any charge whaUver, and they can enter them with the utmost facility. They attend Mass every morning, and are instructed in catechism, either every day, or on certain fixed days, according to their class. On festivals, they assemble in their societies, or congregations, when they approach the sacraments, and receive religious instruction from their spiritual director ; and every year, towards Eas- ter, they make a spiritual "retreat" for some days. Where the gymnasium, or lyceum, does not exist, there is to be found a Communal School, for boys— which Communal School may be seen, not merely in every small town, but even in every village. Similar schools are established for girls, conducted by the Maestre Pie, and other religious orders devoted to the promotion of education. It may be again repeat^ ed, that all these schools are wholly gratuitous; the State, or the respective municipality, defraying the 292 ROME AND ITS RULER. charge, where it is not otherwise provided for by old foundations, or by special funds. Even from the incomplete list of educational institu- tions which I have given, it may be supposed that the number of students receiving a first-class education in the great Universities and in the principal Seminaries is considerable. By the latest returns, I find that the number of this class of students amounts to 28,899 — a vast number indeed, especially when contrasted with the smallness of the aggregate population of the Papal States. Attending the Koman University, the number is 1,051— that of Bologna, 1,050— Macerata, 1,313— Perugia, 1,137 — ^Pesaro and Urbino, 5,178 — ^Ferrara, 3,706. Then Ancona has 2,515 scholars of the higher grade, and Ascoli, 2,253 — and so on, until the gross number of 28,899 is made up. These details, imperfect as they are, render utterly ridiculous the accusation levelled, by malice or by pre- judice, against the Catholic Church, which is said to owe the preservation of its authority to the ignorance, and therefore to the mental debasement, of its followers. If the Church be really afraid of the general diffusion of education, she must be said to adopt an extraordi- nary mode of evincing her alarm. You apprehend that a certain enemy has a design on your life — that he meditates your destruction with a deadly weapon. Prudence tells you to avoid him, or to deprive him of the means of effecting his pifrpose. At any rate, whether you fly or resist, there is one thing which, unless you be an idiot, yon do not do, — ^you do not ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE CHURCH. ' 293 yourself Pelect the weapon, and place it in his hand, with an invitation to its murderous use. If the Church dreaded the light, how comes it that it is she who draws back the veil which shrouds the intellect, and reveals to the inquiring spirit of youth the choicest treasures of knowledge, human and divine ? Trace her history throughout all ages in which she has exercised influence over man, and you ever find her the most zealous as the most successful promoter of education, and, above all, dispensing it with unstinting liberality to those classes of the community who have been con- sidered even of late years, and in many states, and by many statesmen, as not entitled to its advantages. One proposition, however, is clear beyond question— if the progress of enlightenment be so certain to ensure the downfall of the Church, and necessarily of the Papacy, as we are confidently told it is, then Eome is deliber- ately, and with great trouble, devoting both herself and the Pope to destruction. But to those who look to the progress of human en- lightenment as the means of insuring the destruction of the Church, may be commended the following de- liberate statement, written by Mr. Macaulay, who cer- tainly is not open to the charge of partiality on the side of the Catholics :— " We often hear it said, that the world is constantly be- coming more and more* enlightened, and that this enlighten- ment must b^ favourable to Protestantism, and unfavourable to Catholicism. Wo wish that we could think so. But we see great reason to doubt whether this is a well-founded ex- 294 ROME AND ITS BULEB. pectation. We see that during the last two hundred and fifty years the human mind has been in the highest degree active ; that it has made great advances in every branch of natural philosophy; that it has produced innumerable inventions tending to promote the convenience of life; that medicine, surgery, chemistry, engineering, have been very greatly im- proved ; that government, police, and law, have been im- proved, though not to so great an extent as the physical scU enccs. Yet we see that, during these two hundred and fifty years, Protestantism has made no conquests worth speaking of. Nay, wo believe that, as far as there has been change, that change has, on the whole, been in favour of the Church of Home. We cannot, therefore, feel confident that the progress of knowledge will necessarily be fatal to a system, which has, to say the least, ijtood its ground in spite of the immense pro- gress made by the human race in knowledge since the days of Queen Elizabeth" BELIEF OF THE POOK. 296 CHAPTER XXVI. Relief of the Poor.-Poverty not treated as a Crime.-Vagrancy and Imposture sternly dealt with l.y the Popes.-EffortB to suppres, idle Mendicancy.-Modes of Relief—Commission of Subsidies—Charita- ble Institutions. — Industrial Relief. It is no exaggeration to assert, that the wants of the poor are nowhere more effectually relieved than in Rome. Charity, springing from the very bosom of the Church, where it has ever existed pure and undefiled, flows through numberless channels upon those whose' wants, whose necessities, and whose sufferings, render them objects deserving of sympatby and compassion. And though its seeming superabundance may, and not unreasonably, be supposed to inflict a certain amount of injury on the community, by rendering the humbler classes less self-reliant than they would be under a dif- ferent state of things ; still, no one can deny that relief —food, clothing, and shelter— is successfully applied to all who stand in need of such assistance. Indeed, one often hears it made a matter of creditable pride, that BO great a calamity as a "death from starvation" is one of those things never heard of in Rome, or in the Papal States. Morichini only follows the example of other writers, when he says, at the conclusion of one of his chapters-" Thanks be to God! we did not know that 296 ROME AND ITS RULER. any one died of hunger in Rome, oven in the worst times." And the sumo grateful boast is commonly made use of by those who defend the government and institutions of the States of the Church from tlio accu- sations of prejudice or of ignorance. It would bo well if the same could be said of more i^rosperous countries, and more powerful nations.* It certainly does appear to be a matter next to an impossibility that any one should die of starvation in Rome ; for not only are the most ample resources ap- plicable to every human want, and to which the poor may have immediate access ; but there exist all kinds of charitable associations, devoted to the sacred duty of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and comforting the afflicted. Then there are many Avell-known public institutions, always open to the poor person in distress, and from whose doors want and destitution are never driven by surly porters, rep- resenting rather the selfishness of the rate-payer than the charity of the Christian. Besides, as a general rule, one, of course, admitting of exceptions, the Italian Catholic does not feel any hesitation in making known his wants to his neighbour — to his fellow-man — or in asking for his assistance. In these countries, and espe- cially in England, poverty is certainly not regarded * I could noft avoid regarding, as rather a curious coincidence, the fact, that, just after I looked over iny note-boolv, in wliich I liad spe- cially recorded this boast, which is so frequently made to the stranger visiting Rome, I glanced through the " Times'' of the same day (Feb. 21st, 1857), in which I saw it stated that three persons had died of starvation, on the previous day, in one district of London! rOVEHTY NOT liEQAUDi!;!) AS A ClilME. 297 with a sentiment of rovcrcnce, as it is in Rome. T ore, voluntary poverty is held a virtue; and tliorelbrc, nat- ural or accidental i)overty cannot bo treated as a vice. The Church that has canonized beggars will not ini- prison the poor in a workhouse, merely to spare the sensitive nerves of the fastidious. But though poverty is not regarded as a crime in Home, as I have heard it stated, on com])etent author- ity, it is elsewhere,* still there is no sanction whatever given to mere vagrants and impostors— those who sim- ulate woes with a view to extort alms from the benevo- lent. No doubt, the giving of alms in the streets, and at the doors of churches, does something to encourage * In the Ihnes of Friduy, Juno 2Ctli, Mr. Aldonnnn Copeknd is re- ported to have said, in liis place in the House of Commons, on the previous night— "That his experience, as a citizen of London and a magistrate, liad long convinced him that here (ir. London) povcrli/ wm regarded as a crime, and treated as a crime." The question before the House was on a motion, by Viscount llaynhani, in reference to the ad- ministration of the Poor-law in certain metropolitan workhouses. This statement, so deliberately made by Mr. Alderman Copeland, and \vhich Sir John Pakington hoped was " rather the expression of warm feeling than of deliberate conviction," is tlioroughly confirmed by the Editor of the London Standard, in an article of that paper of the 2d of July. The writer says : — "That the large amount of the prison element in the discipline and management of workhouses has been fruitful of evil ; it has produced the impression that poverty itself is a crime. Wark/ioiise authorities regard every application for relief as an attempt to swindle; even/ work- house inmate as a rogue and a vagabond. No Avonder is it that the only principle of management, if principle it can be called, is to render the workhouse as forbidding as possible, as much like a prison as is com- patible with a workhouse. On this principle they allow the inmates to grow up idle and disorderly, because labour is of itself a relief. * * * Unlike the true Christian principle of sound legislation, workhouse management is not ' a terror to evil doers,' but a terror to tliose who do well. The l)old, the unscrupulous, and the incorrigible find their ac- count in it; and the Devil finds his, too." See Appendix for a proof that poverty is treated worse than crime. 13* 298 HOME AND ITS 11 U LEU. tho lazy and tho iiulolont to prefer a Htb of mendicancy to a lit'o of honest labour. But, to obviate tiiia evil, tbo most rigorous measures have been adopted by suc- cessive Popes, from tbo time of Pius V., in tbo sixteenth century, to Pius IX., in the nineteenth, to suppress vag- rancy, and defeat and punish imposture. Even the mildest pontiffs and tho holiest saints have sternly set their faces against loose and disorderly beggars, while their hearts overflowed with compassion for real suffer- ing. St. Charles Borromeo issued a severe edict, pro- hibiting mendicancy in the churches of his arch-diocese of Milan ; for in his time tho importunities and au- dacity of the beggars, who swarmed in the churches, was such, in Milan as well as in Rome, that great scan- dal was thereby caused to religion. Gregory XIII., Sixtus v., and subsequent pontiffs, vigorously struggled with this evil ; and to their efforts, as well as to those of private individuals, inspired by their example, are owing many of the public asylums and orphanages that flom'ish in the present day, and which, at the time of their original foundation, were intended for the suc- cour of the aged and infirm, or for the protection of destitute and abandoned children, who would other- wise have grown up in ignorance and vice. Gregory XIII. provided the monastery of St. Sixtus for tho re- ception of the destitute ; and Sixtus V. assigned some houses near the Ponte Sisto to form an asylum for the relief and seclusion of mendicants. Innocent XII. issued bulls for the suppression of that mendicancy which fostered idleness and led to disorder ; while at IMPOSTURE STER^TLY PF4LT WITH. 299 tlie same time ho extended iho incuiiH oi' jitibrdiriir re- lief to tlio really deBerving, by found calli ing one general it, Ospizio Generah Ui I'ovcri Inva- lidl. The pontifical palace of the Lateran was assigned to some as an asylum ; while othei-s— those wJio were married and had families— were relieved in their own houses. The uiagnilieent institution of S. Michele— whicli, as I have before stated, now combines within its walls a school of art and trade for boys, a conserva- tory for girls, two asylums for men and women, and three prisons, including that for the reformation of the young— mainly owes its origin to the determination of Clement XL to imitate the example of his energetic predecessors, and free Rome from the evils of importu- nate and turbulent mendicants. Pius VII., Leo XIL, and Pius IX. have followed in the same path— each founding one or more institutions for the reception of the really destitute; and also either increasing the number, or adding to the accommodation, of the exist- ing orphan asylums, industrial schools, and reformato- ries. It has been the constant practice of the Popes, from the time of Sixtus V. to the present, to send for- eign vagrants to their own country, and, by stringent measures, to compel those capable of work to do so. The same has been done by the present Pope, who, while full of compassion for undoubted distress, is as much opposed as any of his predecessors to that sturdy idle mendicancy which is so demoralizing wherever it is tolerated. To render the relief of the meritorious poor more sys- 800 EOME AND ITS RULER. tematic and effectual, Leo XII. established, in 1826, the Commission of Subsidies ; and to this body is en- trusted the management of the jreater number of the public charities, and the administration of revenues which had previously been distributed through a num- ber of channels. This important body is composed of a Cardinal President, and fifteen other members— in- cluding the Treasurer General of the Camera, and the Almoner of the Pope. Twelve, of the " deputies" pre- side over the distribution of alms in the city. These deputies are nominated by the Pope, and chosen partly from the prelacy, and partly from the nobility, and hold office for six years. The city is divided into twelve districts, or regions, and each region is still further subdivided into parishes; each parish having its own organization, consisting of the parish priest and two parochial deputies (a citizen and a dawM di carita\ who are nominated by the Cardinal President, and hold oflice for three years. These parochial congrega- tions, with a physician and a surgeon, form the congre- gazione regionaria^ at whose meetings one of the depu- ties of the Commission presides. All these give their services gratuitously^ but each of the district associa- tions has a secretary and a bailiff or steward, both of whom are paid. The Commission also has its neces- sary staff, who are likewise paid for their services. The alms are given personally, and by domiciliary visits — by which means the really poor are known. The motujproprio of Leo XIL divided these alms under different heads — ordinary, extraordinarv. and ura-ent: COMMISSION OF SUBSIDIES, ! 301 and not only do tliey include money, granted for riods of six and even of twel pe- ve months, but also cloth- ing, beds, and woi-king tools. All these articles are manufactured in the asylum of Santa Maria degli An- geli, which is a house of ind^isti-y, in the best sense of the word, and one of those many institutions which owe their origin to the wise efforts of late Popes to substi- tute useful labour for idle mendicancy. Tliese articles are stamped, and cannot be sold or bought, under a penalty of ten days' imprisonment, and the forfeiture of the article. Applications for relief are sent in to the parochial deputies, and addressed to the Cardinal Pre- sident. The case is at once visited, in order to test the truth of the statement ; and a report upon its merits is made to the parociiial congregation, or to the district prefect. The granting of " urgent" aid, or aid in cloth- ing, and like matters, is in the power of the latter; but applications for other descriptions of relief are discussed by the parochial congregation, who transmit them to the district congregation, with a recommendation as to the quality and amount of the aid to be given. These are again examined by the district congregation ; and the prefect presents the deserving cases to the Commission, by whom finally the proposed aid is approved. Assist- ance is also given by the Cardinal President directly, or through the Parish Priests. The reports presented by the Commission to the Pope are documents of much importance, as they not only contain an audit of their expenditure, but supply information respecting the moral and material condi- 302 ROME AND ITS RULER. tion of the poor, and offer valuable suggestions as to the best mode of their improvement. But there are those in liome, as in other cities, who are " ashamed to beg," and who would rather endure the greatest extremity of want than make their distress known to others. With some, especially those who have seen better days, pride is the influencing motive of this reserve; with others, that bashfulness and timid- ity which so frequently accompany decent poverty. The sympathizing spirit of charity overlooks not, but specially considers, this class of sufferers; and the Church has, from time to time, given birtli to associa- tions whose object it is to seek out the poor who blush to make their wants known, and who hide their misery from the gaze of the world. Eoine boasts of many such institutions. Amongst them, may be mentioned the Arch-Confraternity of the Twelve Apostles ; the Congregation called " Urban a," from Pope Urban yill. ; and the Congregation of Divine Piety. The first-mentioned association employs a number of physicians, who visit the sick whom the members have found to stand in need of such succour. They also pro- vide professional assistance for the defence of the poor ; and they specially protect orphanc and widows, and procure a safe shelter for girls "in danger." They likewise arrange disputes and reconcile enemies. Tlie brothers, who are called " deputies," are all of noble or wealthy families, and include some lawyers. The second, besides performing many works of piety, devote themselves to the assistance of poor nobles who CHARITABLE ASSOCIATIONS FOB THE POOB. 803 have fallen into distress, and to whom they allow a monthly stipend. The Congregation of Divine Piety was founded by Giovanni Stanchi, Priest of Castel Nuovo, in 1679. This noble society seeks for objects deserving of its charity ; and when convinced, by visit and inquiry, of the existence of real distress, it relieves the individual, or the family, by the most timely succour— sometimes by food ; sometimes by money and food ; sometimes by apresent of beds and clothing; and sometimes by the payment of an arrear of rent, or by the redemption of articles pawned through the pressure of want. Its largest aid is given when it is apprised of the urgent ne- cessity of a poor and respectable family. These special alms are administered through four members, who are not required to give an account of the sums confided to them, so that the names of the persons assisted might not appear on the register. In many instances, succour comes unexpectedly to a reduced family, who never know their benefactor ; so that they have only to thank Divine Providence for their timely relief. An un- known person presents himself at the house of a family in distress, makes the ofi'ering, and disappears. Well might the society be called by the beautiful and ex- pressive title of "Divine Mercy." Morichini says truly, there is not a religious associa- tion or institution that does not dispense relief— not a convent or monastery that does not give some kind of food— not a noble or wealthy house that has not its fixed assignment for the poor. 804 ROME AND ITS RULER. But one of tlig most important branches of the charity administered to the poor of Eome, is the em- ployment afforded by certain "public works," which are principally undertaken with a view to the indus- trial relief of those who would otherwise be idle, if not utterly destitute. Tliese works are undertaken even more for this charitable object, than for the pur- pose of beautifying the city, or maintaining in pres- ervation the remains of the ancient monuments ; though, as I shall show in a subsequent chapter, the Pope devotes the greatest attention to the safety of objects so dear to the scholar and the man of taste. Tlie stranger may behold a number of men, cer- tainly not of the able-bodied class, languidly wield- ing the pickaxe, or slowly trundling the wheelbarrow, at the base of some ancient monument ; removing ob- structions, directing dangerous streamlets into a safe channel, and carting away rubbish which centuries had accumulated, — thereby frequently revealing to modern curiosity a choice bas-relief, or more valuable inscription. These workmen form a considerable por- tion of the number to whom employment, of various kinds, but generally with the same object in view, is thus mercifully afforded. This system of industrial relief is by no means of modern invention, having been originally established and adopted by Sixtus V. and Innocent XII. The French Administration niade use of it with considerable advantage, as well as a means of employment as of restor- ing to view many half-buried monuments of ancient art. INDUSTRIAL RELIEF. h 806 Leo XIL also employed the same means towards the same ends; and Gregory XVI. greatly increased the annnal snm devoted to this creditable purpoee. But Pins IX. has still further improved on the liberality of his predecessors, as witness the many important works which he has of late years undertaken and carried out. In the winter the pressure is greater than in summer ; employment, through private enterprise, being more general in the latter j^eriod of the year, when the wants of Italian life are fewer, and the poor are enabled to eke out a subsistence by selling fruit and other small merchandise. Healthy and able-bodied men are not employed on these works, unless they are proved to be in absolute want ; such employment being reserved for those whom private pei-sons would not be likely to se- lect, and who, in fact are really fitting objects for assist- ance. Masons and bricklayers are found to be the most frequent applicants for this species of relief; while car- penters, smiths, hatters, and shoemakers, are very rarely Br A period of severe pressure, which diminishes the means of employment afibrded through private enter- prise, necessarily advances the value of this resource to the really industrious; and according to the necessity of the moment, so is the amount of employment increased. A certain proportion of this means of employment is reserved for those who have come out of prison, and have not been able to find work in the ordinary way. These are under the surveillance of the police, and are, at first, paid a smaller sum for their labour than is given ;o all others ; but if it be found that they conduct them- 806 ROME AND ITS RULER. selves properly, and do their work diligently, they are then put upon a level with the rest, and receive the usual pay, which is fifteen bajocchi a day. This would be a miserable rate of compensation in these countries, but it is not so in countries where the wants of life are few, and where they are cht i vovided for. Besides the numerous asylu in which old age and infirmity are sheltered, tliere are liospitals provided for temporary relief; such as those of S. Galla and S. Luigi, which receive all those who liave no other place of shelter during the night. I had an opportunity of seeing a number of old men sitting down to a comfortable repast in the refectory of the noble asylum of S. Michele. The hall was of con- siderable size, with tables ranged on each side. The tables were decently furnished with linen and other requisites ; and before each old gentleman was placed a most excellent dinner, consisting of soup, meat, vege- tables, and bread, with a fair proportion of wine. And composedly and respectably sat those old gentlemen before their meal — not one which was grudged to them by selfish ratepayers and pinching " guardians of the poor," but to which they felt, because they had been so taught, that age and infirmity gave them an indefeasible right. There was no badge of degradation — nothing to denote that they were outcasts from " respectable" society ; — on the contrary, such was the grave compo- sure and dignity of those " ancient Romans," that a stranger who beheld them might have readily supposed that he was in the dining-hall of a hotel, and not in the LICENSED MENDICANTS. 807 refectory of a poor-house. From what I saw of tlieir manner to my guide— one of tlie clergymen having the care of the establishment— I could well understand Iiow different, in its influence on the mind and heart of the recipient, is that charity which springs from the love of God, and that which is the offspring of mere State expediency. The one cherishes the best feelings of tlie heart; the other chills and deadens, if it do not kill, them.* My gradually diminishing space will not admit of any further reference to this subject. I shall only add, that the severity of the laws against street mendicants has been relaxed, since the year 1837, in favour of cer- tain invalids and iniirm persons, who procure a license and a badge. They are to be met with in most places in Rome, as, indeed, others who have not obtained this legal status; but I cannot say that I have found them unduly importunate. At any rate, if a stranger hap- pen to express a feeling of annoyance at the prevalence of the practice of soliciting alms, he is very likely to be reminded of th words of the Eedeemer, who said, in reply to the hypocritical remonstrance of Judas,' when Mary anointed the feet of Christ, ''For the pom^ you have always with ' you ; hut rne you have not always'' (John xxii. 8). » I find by referring to the great work of John Howard, the philan- thropist who visited Rome towards the close of the last century that he was favourably impressed by this institution. He thus writes:'- _ "Adjoining to another court are apartments for the a<^ed and infirm in which were 260 men and 226 women. Here they fi" d a TomfmabU -, — J a^i^ — !,_,!.! r,ujj^}f unu ifianKful," BOS ROME AND ITS RULER. CHAPTER XXVII. Dowries. — Monte di Pieta. — The Roman Savings Bant— Its Origin, its Operations, and its Success. Among the other charities of Rome, those which have been established, whether by associations or individuals, for giving dowries to young girls^ especially orphans, are peculiarly interesting. This has at all times been deemed a work of great merit; and hence we find Popes, cardinals, princes, nobles, merchants, lawyers, and others, bequeathing funds, with the object of mak- ing an honourable provision for those who, without such provision being made for them, might be exposed to danger, if not to destruction. The number of dow- ries now given in Rome, of which there can be any public record, is about 1200 annually; and this has been the average for the last fifteen or twenty years. In the yen" 1789 there was published a little volume on this subject, in which it was stated that the sum which was then annually distributed was 60,000 scudi ; which gross sum,, at an average of 40 scudi each dow- ry, would provide 1500 portions — then, as now, given to young girls on their marriage, or on their-entering a convent. To this pious work several confraternities, or rplio-Inng nRR'^^'iatif^D^ ^^(^ *^ntirel^ df voted- Of thfiSA- i DOWRIES. 809 i the Arch-Confraternity of the Holy Annunciation iniglit be mentioned. In the year 1460 a society, consisting of 200 Eoman gentlemen, was formed; the first motive of this association being, by the practice of piety and good works, to do honour to the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin. It was then united to the Church of S. Maria, now commonly known as the Minerva, from its having been built on the site of an ancient temple erected to the worship of the Daughter of Jove. In 1486 the society was dedicated to the gathering of alms, with a view to the portioning of poor girls, so as to save them from danger of seduction. It was constituted an arch-confraternity by Gregory Xm. in 1581 ; and Pope Urban left it heir to his wealth. As early as the year 1600, it portioned 200 girls annually, the greater por- tion of whom received 50, and some 100, scudi. In 1700 it gave about 400 portions ; and at this day the average is about the same, at a gross disbursement of 16,000 scudi. It still consists of Eoman gentlemen, a certain number of whom are ecclesiastics, the Cardinal Yicar being its Protector. The objects of its bounty must be of good character, and born in wedlock; but this latter condition is overlooked in special cases. And in order that its charity should not be given to an un- deserving person, a probation of three years is insisted upon, during which time the girl is watched over by the society; nor is the dowry given until the moment when she becomes a wife or a religious. This period of probation is of great advantage to the girl herself as well as to the community generally. 810 ROMK AND ITS UULEU. Tlie arch-confratornity jnst described is not of so an- cient a date as tlie arch-contVaternity of Gonfalone^ from which sprang several others, also dedicated to tlie same objects — the protection of poor girls, whom tliey assisted to establish in life. Morichini states that there were, when he wrote, no less than thirteen institutions or associations in Eonio by which dowries were provided. And in his work he alludes to no fewer than sixty-two, by whicli relief, of one kind or other, was administered. Pius IX. has at all times esteemed this giving of dowries to young girls a great charity ; and has ac- cordingly expended, and continues to expend, a consid- erable portion of his private means in the good work. This description of charity is very common through- out Italy, and is practised to a considerable extent by noble and wealthy families and by pious individuals. Sums of money are commonly bequeathed for this purpose; and the bridal festivities of the rich are gracefully availed of as a fitting occasion of conferring happiness on the poor. A brief notice of what was intended as a useful charity may be here added : the — Monte di Pieta. Tliis institution, which was originally established so early as the year 1539, when it received the sanction of Paul IIL, was intended as a remedy against the prevailing evil of usury. Extinguished in the troubles which mai'ked the close of the last century, it was re- MONTE DI PIKTA. 811 smcitiitcd in 1803, by Pine YII. Tl.o loan was then lunited to one scudo, or crown ; in 1814 it waH increased to tliree; but from tliut time it was extended to fifty, and ultimately it luis Imd no fixed limit. Tlie otfico is opened at an early hour, and is not closed till all the business is done. The loan is always one third less than the value of the article pledged; and articles of gold and silver are estir>;atcd at their intrinsic value, the work of the artist not being taken into considera' tion. Each loan or i,ledge is carefully registered, and the goods are laid aside in largo halls specially adapted to the purpose, and arranged with the utmost care for their safety and preservation. The goods are retained from six to seven months; after which time, if the inter- est (which is limited to 5 per cent.) be not paid, they are sold in canto; and if there be any surplus after the loan and interest, it is kept for the persons who have pledged the articles. Pledges to the value of a ei'own are received and renewed gratuitoudy, and without interest; which is, of course, intended for the accommodation of the poor, who avail themselves of it very fi-oely. Tliese free pledges frequently amount to a considerable n -Ti- ber daily. They increase in October and in the time of the Carnival, and diminish at Christmas and in August. The daily loans amount to nearly 4,000 crowns, and the capital in cii-culation amounts to more than half a million of crowns. The number of pledges at the time when MomcHiNi wrote, was more than 100,000; and the annual revenue derived from the transactions of the institution was then about 40,000 scudi. All kinds of 812 ROMK AND ITS KULER. articles, with the excoi)tion of tljoHo belonging to pub lie institutions, uiul wliieh are nuirked, are received; and it frequently happens that ol.jeetH of the grcalerit vahie are de])osiled as i)k((IgeH, more for the sake of se- curing their protection, than with a view to pecuniary convenience, in all re8})ecl8 the arrangements are ad- mirable, and excite the interest of those who witness the operations of the institution ; which is administered by a prelate, a treasurer-general, and a eonfraternily. In natural connection with the Monte di IHeta^ may be noticed the Cassa dl Iiifipa7'mio, or Savings Bank. Savings J3anks are of comparatively recent origin; the earliest— that established in Hamburg— dating no further back than the year 1778. Before the close of the ccntuiy, the example of Hamburg was followed in several European countries, England included. The first iu Italy was established in Milan in 1823; but it was not until the year 183G, when the experiment had been sat- isfactorily tested in many other places, that it was at- tempted in Eome. In that year, four Roman gentlemen of rank met together to discuss the subject in all its bearings — the advantages and dangers of such an insti- tution, and its adaptation to the genius and character of the people. Satisfied of its usefulness as a promoter of industiy and frugality, they resolved on the attempt to establish it in Eome, and drew up rules for its manage- ment. They secured the Prince Francesco Borghese as its President, and obtained the sanction and assistance THE ROMAN SAVINGS BANK. 818 Of Grogory XVI., m-I.o lilghly npproved of its princi pies. No sooner was tlio public announcomont niado •of tl.o intention to establish the banic, than one hundred associates were enrolhMl, including the first na.noa of lionw. A Council of twelve persons, was next fornie.l, ...eluding the President, Vice Pvemhut, the Secretary, five C.unciUors, a Director, an Auditor, a Casliier, &c' A popular explanalion of the object of the bank, its ad^ vantages, and its usefulness, was drawn up by tlio Sec- retary, Monsignor Morichiui, one of its four originators and was generally distributed. The President (Prince Borghese) gave rootns in his own palace; by whicli act he increased the confid(Mice already createn that He Forsook his former city, what could be, Of earthly structures, in his honour piled. . ' ST. Peter's. ' ' 331 Of a sublimer aspect ? Majesty, Power, glory, strengtli, and beauty— all are aisled In this eternal ark of worship undefiled. Enter : its grandeur overwhelms thee not; And why ? It is not lessened ; but thy'mind, Expanded by the glories of the spot, Has grown colossal, and can only find A fit abode wherein appear enshrined Thy hopes of imrnortality ; and thou Shalt one day, if found worthy, so defined. See thy God face to face, as thou dost now His Holy of Holies, nor be blasted by His brow." An extract from a diary which I kept while in Kome, and in which I hurriedly jotted down the impressions of each day, will best convey the feelings with which I for the fii-st time approached and quitted St. Peter's :— "The Church of Churches, the great Christian Tem- ple, was first to be seen— seen before the eye rested on any other object, whose interest was of the present or of the past. St. Peter's— the true type of Christian Rome— of its greatest glory and widest sovereignty of its piety and its splendour, its religion and art— St. Peter's, to which the longing of the Catholic heart is instinctively directed. " As I approached this glorious fabric— across the wide area half-enclosed within the outstretching arms of the magnificent double colonnade, which adds to its external splendour, and which of itself is unrivalled by any similar construction— my eye grasped it in too eagerly, with too great a desire to be astonished— to feel amazed at its stupendous proportions ; and, I must confess it, I at first felt disappointed. In vain I was ill 332 ROME AND ITS RULER. told that the figures which surmount the attic of the front were nearly twenty feet high, and that they stood 150 feet from the ground. Still I experienced a sense of disappointment, because, as I approached the build- ing, the dome gradually sank from my view, and the fajjade, though vast in extent, being 368 feet wide, is more heavy and monotonous than striking. But as I crossed the thre..hold, and stood within a vast hall, stretching nearly 200 feet on either side, and saw that this was only the vestibule of the temple— and yet larger than many great churches— the true idea of St. Peter's began first to break upon me. With a slower step and a deeper reverence, I entered the church itself. Again, though but for a moment, a sense of disappoint- ment came across my mind. My eye glanced so rap- idly to the tribune, which bounds the view, that I lost all idea of distance, although the bronze figures which support the chair of Peter were about 600 feet from the place where I then stood. I was involuntarily thinking of the limited nature of the works of man, however vast his conceptions or mighty his means of realizing them; but man himself assisted in dispelling a thought injuri- ous to the sublime genius c: Michael Angelo. A few French soldiers were scattered over the church, and the vastness of the majestic structure dwarfed them into mere atoms. The fact is, the very perfection of its proportions, the harmony of all its parts, the freshness and beauty of its colouring, and the bright clear atmos- phere, so different from the religious gloom which S» ST. Peter's. 833 forms one of the leading characteristics of Gothic tem- ples-prevent St. Peter's from producing on the mind that immediate impression of its vastness, which its enormous length and its noble height might be sup- posed to do. Gigantic as it is, it is too beautiful to as- tound, and too bright to awe, the mind of the beholder. But as you walk up the glorious nave, spanned over by its lofty arched roof, rich in carving and blazing with gold, and approacli the wide circle of the uplifted dome, and your eye springs giddily into its sublime elevation, —then do you really comprehend the glory of St. Pe- ter's, and then do you bow in homage before the grand- eur of human genius. With a sense of relief, I dropped my gaze upon the marble pavement beneath my feet ; but a glance at the wide-spreading transepts did not do much to weaken the impression which the unrivalled splendour of the dome had produced. I quitted the temple with even greater reverence than I entered it." That iii-st visit, which I thus faintly attempted to de- scribe, I followed up by at least ten more ; and each time that I walked through the building, the more was my admiration increased— more by the grandeur of its dimensions and the harmony of its proportions, than by its beauty of detail. It would require a volume to do justice to the works of art that enrich this temple ; the monuments, the bas-reliefs, the groups of statuary' and the mosaics— from the striking figures which adorn the dome, to the copies of some of the finest works of the great mastera, which overhang the various altars. 884 ROME AND ITS RULER. Raphael's Transfiguration glows in the enduring bril- liancy and vivid colouring which the finest mosaic could impart to the greatest and last work of that most illustrious of Italian painters. Few have ever stood beneath the dome of St. Peter's without having felt the enthusiasm which the place in- spires. Eustace visited Rome more than half a C3ntury since, and, in his Classical Tour, he thus describes the impression which it made upon his mind : — " As you enter you behold the most extensive hall ever constructed by human art, expanded in magnificent perspec- tive b: fore you ; advancing up the nave, you are delighted with the beauty of the variegated marble under your feet, and with the splendour of the golden vault over your head. The lofty Corinthian pilasters with their bold entablature, the in- termediate niches with their statues, the arcades with the graceful figures that recline on the curves of their arches, charm your eye in succession as you pass along. But how great your astonishment when you reach the foot of the altar, and, standing in the centre of the church, contemplate the four superb vistas that open around you ; and then raise your eyes to the dome, at the prodigious elevation of 400 feet, extend- ing like a firmament over your head, and presenting, in glow- ing mosaic, the companies of the just, the choirs of celestial spirits, and the whole hierarchy of heaven arrayed in the pres- ence of the Eternal, whose ' throne, raised above all height,' crowns the awful scene." A far severer critic, the accomplished but cynical Forsyth, who made his Italian tour somewhat about the same time, indulges in a burst of enthusiasm, as rare as. in this instance, it was fullj justified by its object: — THE DOME OF ST. PETER's. 336 " The cupola is glorious. Viewed in its design, its altitude, or even its decorations; viewed either as a whole or as a part, it enchants the eye, it satisfies the taste, it exhausts the soul. The very air seems to eat up all that is harsh or colos- sal, and leaves us nothing but the sublime to feast on :— a sublime peculiar as the genius of the immortal architect, and comprehensible only on the spot. The four surrounding cu- polas, though but satellites to the majesty of this, might have crowned four elegant churches." And Hilliai-d, whose Six Months in Italy* I regretted not having seen till after ray return from Eome, writes with no less enthusiasm than his predecessor Forsyth, whom he fully equals in his appreciation of art and liis grace of description, without being in any way marred by the repelling liarshness of his unsparing censure. The elegant and fair-minded American writer tlms treats of this matchless work of ht man art : » The pilgrim is now beneath the dome. The spirit of criticism, which has hitherto attended him with whispers of doubt, goes no further. Astonishment and admiration break upon the mind and carry it away. To say that the dome of St. Peter's is sublime, is a cold commonplace. In sublimity it is so much beyond all other architectural creations, that it demands epithets of its own. There is no work of man's hand that is similar or second to it. Vast as it is, it rests upon its supporting piers in such serene tranquillity, that it seems to have been lifted and expanded by the' elas- tic force of the air which it clasps. Under its majestic vault the soul dilates. To act like the hero— to endure like the martyr— seems no more than the natural state of man." * John Murray, London. 886 ROME AND ITS RULER. So majestic, so holy, did, St. Peter's appear to Ma- dame de Staiil, that slie represents Corinne and Oswald hushed into silence as they enter the temple, and fii-st comprehend its sublimity.* I had an excellent opportunity of appreciating the vastness of St. Peter's, on the 18th of November, when the Pope attended at High Mass in the Canon's Chapel. The knowledge of the intended presence of the Holy Father had drawn together a considerable number of pei-sons — many of them mere spectators, but more of them devout and earnest worshippers — sufficient in all to form an average congregation for an ordinary church. And yet they seemed a mere handful in that enormous structure, aq, at the conclusion of the Holy Sacrifice, they divided at each side of the nave, to make way for his Holiness, who, heading a long and splendid proces- sion of ecclesiastics, proceeded to ofier up his prayers before the tomb of the Apostles. In fact, the many hundreds of persons then present only fringed the mar- ble pavement of the mighty nave. How beautiful the piety of the Pope ! What an expression of devotion — of sublime, prayerful devotion — ^lit up his whole face, as he thus knelt before the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, in "the mc : glorious church that has ever been applied to the use of religion !" Not the marble figure of his saintly predecessor, Pius YI., which the * " Li tout commande le silence : le moindre bruit retentit si loin, qu'aucune parole ne semble digne d'etre ainsi r^p^tSe dans une de- meure presque 6ternelle." — Corinne, ou L'Jtalie. ASCENT OF THE DOME. 887 chisel of Canova has represented in a kneeling posture before the entrance to the tomb, was more replete with the sentiment of holiness, than were the unconscious attitude and absorbed air of the living Pope. In company with seven other visitors, I made the as- cent of the dome, even to the ball of the cross which surmounts it. I thought the view down into the church fi-om the lower gallery, by which the interior of the dome is encircled, sufficiently trying to the nerves; but that from the upper gallery, into which a little door opened from the winding stair, was literally enough to take away the breath. The eye dived down into a fear- ful depth, comprehending with difficulty that the mite- like things tiiat crept over the floor were full-grown men and women ; and that the toy-like decoration, be- neath the centre of the dome, was the baldachino which rose above the high altar to the height of 100 feet I No building in the world could convey an idea of such gigantic altitude as St. Peter's, when seen from ibo upper gallery in the interior of the dome. I cont^ss I was happy to exchange this position for the still loftier but far more agreeable one afforded by the balcony at the base of the tower from which the cross springs into the air. And, save from the summit of a mountain, where can one behold so glorious a prospect as is here spread out on every side? Rome, living and dead, lies beneath, expanded like a map, with every line, marked by nature or by man upon its seven hills, distinct and legible to the eye-its Christian temples and its Pagan 15 \ 1 I I I 338 ROME AND ITS RULER. ruins — its venerable walls, traceable for many miles over tho \uryii\