1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

Nathaniel
Cárter.
i
T H E
AUDS
O
Romiíli
F
MOKKS ,
A N D
A
|
Í E S TS^
In Emht L E T T E
The Fuji LETTER,'
Y
R S.
Of Relie
ks^:'
O U have noc forgót,Sir,that in the laít
Converíatíon
had together in France
upon che account of Religión, I m a d e
you acknowledge, T h a c the Vrotefiant
Religión
v/as more ílittable to Reaíbn, than the R'omijh,
which you profeís. ícis true^that by a n E v a l i o a
more íhbtil than folid,you was pleas'd- to cali that
ReaibúJ-Juman
&e<í/¿s,íüpported by Seníe, which
you faidj was the Rock on which the purity of
Faith commonly íplks and íuffers Shipvvreck;
B
and
z
Tbe Firfi
LETTEB,
a n a that yon deílrcd Faiüh t o be the Foundation
o í v o u r R é l l g b n , with exclufion of every t h i n g
elíe;ar¿d as y cu (with your Divines) freely o w n ' d
an.hiu~.dred íéveral Miraclcs in Tranfubftantiation, you werc pleaícd to tellme, T h a t that was
a - M y ñ s r y c í F a i t h , vvhich oaght r a t h e r t o b e
humbly adorad, t h a n r a í h l y pry'd ínto. W h e r e upon,wheií I took the libsrcy to cell y o u . T h a c m
the mean r i m e , foraftnuch as my Reaíbn was
given me by God,to make ufe of k in the íearching out the T r u t h , ! could not but think it hard,
t o reje¿t the L i g h t i t oífers, ieeingthac w.ithout
i r I was like one, who being fallen into a deep
W a t e r , and finding no bottom to íbot upon, is
d r o w a ' d andloft.Yüu reply'd,That i í l i n c l i n ' d
t o follow Rcaíon ," yon wouid foon funiiíh me
w i t h Guidos ablc to íátisñs an honeft Mind;and
that í needcd only to caft my Eye on ib m a n y
Learned m e n , botín M o n k s a n d Priefts,who are
the Light of the W o r l d , the maín props a n d
pilláis of the Church , w h o by the íntegrity of
thcir Life, and the Paricy of their D o á t n a , uphold the T e m p l e of God here upon Earth: T h a t
it was morally impofiibíe,that ib many Learned
. m e n íhould all of diera be involved in E r r o r ;
and that che agreeing C o a i e n t of ib m a n y excellent Spirks, appear'd to you a fufficiently
ñ r m Foundation to eñabliíli and fis a reaíbnable M i n d . Yon procesd to ípeak to me with
carnáftneís, of the Mccleíly that becomes thoíe
w h o have only a mean C a p a c i t y ; which you
k n o w , i was ib far from being oifended ar
that on the concrary, as being better than ariy
one
3
j
Of Relicksj&c.
c-iie elle acqnainred with m y own Mediocricy,
I thank'd you for your Advice ; adding, T h á t
how uíeful othervviíc it might be, yet ougbt it
not to ftop me i n r a y íearch a f t e r T r u t h . A n d
foraímuch as íbme time after, partly out of D e votion,and partly out of Curiofity, I hapned to
undertake a V o y a g e í n t o / r ^ ; and upon thac
occaiion calling to raind, how in my Scruples
about Religión yon had referred me t o your
Priefts and Monks, I made it my bufineís, m o r e •
thanotherwiíe. I vvoald nave done, to examin
theirLife and Conducir, to try whether I could
find them a íiifficient and rational Foundation,
as you pretend, to aífure and confirm a períbn,
who already begaa to doubt of the T r u t h of
your Principies. And it Jeeras indeed, t h a t G o d
took a particular care, ío diípoíe all things toward m y ftill and íitisfaclory Information here.?n, during che whole courie of my Traveis.
A t m y íecting forth írom Varis,! aflbciaredmy
íelf with a BenethcHn Monk of a ileformed Congregación, a m a n cf íüfficient Learning, and
whoíe Vv'it and other gcod Qualicics, had ib far
recommendc.I h;m coche Religions ofhis O r d e r
as to íend him a íecond tiaiein qu'alícy of th-sir
Frocurator and Solicito! General,co the Courtof
RomcHis períbn and port were very advantagious, and he had a íhbtil Wit, very proper to humor the Cardinals^and to iníinuate himfelf with
the P o p e ; and on chisdeíign it was that he n o w
undertook this j o u r n y . VVe took our W á y
through th'e C o u n t r y of Brie, and ib throligh
Burgu?¡(¡f,a,nd upon. the Road we called at ieverai
B %
Mona- .
é
-
4
The Firfl LB7T
E R,
Monafteries of bis Order,where w e were rece!ved and treated very civilly; a n d where I had
a n opportunity of making íbme Obíervations,
which I thought not unworthy of yourfcuowledge; and .therefore have made them the Subjc£t of this L E T T E R ; a f t e r which,I mtend with
. t h e firft occafion, in cafe I find, Sir, that theíe
prove welcom t o y o u , t o impartióme o t h e r M a t ters I have obíerved fince my entring into Italy.
W e arrived the T h i r t e e n t h of July^sx a little
T o w n on the Confines of the Country of
Auxerre, cálled Flwvigny.
It is a place of little
confideration at p r e í e n t , t h o ' very famous by
_reaíbn of a Pilgrimage 'which has been continuad the re a long time unce , in honour of a
certain Sainteís called Reine, and very infamous
- for the Contefts and Impoftures which were in
their vigor when we pafled that way. T h e
Hiftory in íhort is this: A n Holy W o m a n ,
named Reine, fuif^red M a r t y r d o m about Alpfe,
a little Village a League diftant from
Flavigny,
and the Ground of that C o u n t r y generally abounding with Mineral Watersdbmeconfiderable,timc after the Monks of Fluvigny made a
íearch for the Body of this Saint, and informed
• t h é P e o p l e , That when (lie ivas Beheaded,
at the
<pery place ivhere her Head hghted on the Ground-¡
a Sprint? (known by Experience to be much conducing to the Healing of the Sick) bubbled up at that
very inftant , for a perpetual Miracle , in VJttr.ejs
of Gods approbation of the ConfeJJion of Faith made
byhis Handmaid.
T h i s Error being afterwarc's
c a m a l on for many Ages in the.minds of the
People
Of
Re/kks&c.
5
-People, and become the more incurable for its
long ítanding, it hapned íbme years fince, thac
the Fathers, Cordeliers, w h o areReligious of the
O r d e r o f S.Francis, a íort of people íúbtil and
and very craft.y,obtained Ieave of the Bifhop of
the place, to buiíd a little Cha peí about the íaid
Spring, whereof they took poíTeíSon,to the great
regret of the Monks of the O r d e r of S.Bcrinet,
w h o had been all alo'ng the ancíent and peaceable poffeflbrs of all the Relicks of $. Reine iyvhd
Ibón íhund how dangerousit was, to havc fuch
íly Feilovvs for their Neighbours; and the falle
Step they had made , irr negle&ing to make
themfelves Mafters of a Spring of Water , ío
fruitful i n Bleffings, and which was not above
a League diftant from their Monaílery. Indeed
the Cordeliers knew much better to improve this
Advantage , than the Benedi'dins had d o n e ,
iníbmuch that the Devoción very íenhbly increaíed in a í h o r c t i m e , to the confiderable
proíit of theíe gooci Feílows, who not con ten ting themfelves with being the Mafters of the
Miraculous S p r i n g , but reíblving to d r a w to
themfelves the entire Dev.ótion of than pilgrimage,they pretended t o h a v e a confiderable pare
of the Body of that Saint; and accordingly they
expoíéd to pablick View, as they pretended, a
whole A r m of her ; by which m e a n s , within
lels than a Leagues ípace, the monftrous Sighí
was tobe íeen of a*Saint with three Arms,to t h e
great aftoniíhment and fcandal oí' the People
theroabouts, and of an infinite numbsi of T r a vellers ¿md. Pilgrims, v/ho reíbre tlmhcr from all
B 2
Parts,
6
the Firft
LETTER,
Parts. W o u í d to God that thís Impofture, as wel!
as many others every whic as ítrange, had the
power to opea the Eyes of thoíe poor People,
t o difcover once for alí , h o w theíe wretched
-Monks do abuíe t h e m ; h o w eafily then would
they perceive,thatnot only theBonesthey adore
a r e very uncértain, as refting only on the Faith
of períons,who indeed have none at all; but beíidesjthat t h a t S p r i n g never was miraculous,buc
only an excellent Mineral Water, as m a y be gather'd from the nature of the Soil, and by the
coníent of many famous Naturaliíís and Phyíicians,whohave learnedly treated on thís Subject.
I could, Sii'j have heartily wiflfd you preíent,
w h e n t h e F a t h e r ( G u a r d i a n of that Convent)who
took the pains hirníelf to íliew us the fair Buildings and Gardens,whicli were the p'rodu¿tof the
.Monies brought in by that Devotión, entred upo n the difcouríe of his pretended Relick, which
h e had theimpudence to íhew usjfor I aflure my
íelfí you would have foon, recovei'd of the too
favourable Opinión you have conceiv'd for this
k i n d o f M e n . H e proteíled,not without a n h o r r i d
Blaíphemy, T h a t for his parr, he did not m o r e
firmly believe the rhyftery of the Floly Trinity,,
t h a n he wasconvinc d of the truth of his Relick;
n o t w i t h ñ a n d i n g that the Biíhop of the p l a c ;
h a d abíbluteíy forbid them,to expoíe it any m o r e
t o publick View. I t -would be tooridiculous to
give you a relation ox the way and m a n n e r by
w h i c h he aííur'd. us this Arm had been found by^
t h e m , ib far as to mingle with it the Revelations
of his Brethren the Cordelkrs, and the miniftiy
Of ¿xefids.&c.
7
of Angels, which is the ordinary way made ufé
of by the Church of Reme, for introducing and
authorizing their Superítitious Woríhip. T h e
only Refleéfcion I delire you to make on this occaíion,is,That certainly it is a pitiful and lamentable thing,to lee that the
RúmanCatholicks,\fiho
d o not want M e n of W i t and Parts amongft
t h e m , a r e yet ío obftinate,that they will n o t be
íliíabus'd , notvvithítanding they íee every d a y
many things ítifficient to withdraw them from
their E r r o r : So that vve have reaíbn to believe,
T h a t by a juft Judgnient of God, becauíe they
render to Saints and SainteiTes a Woríhip that
is only due to G o d , they are íuifer'd t o give che
lame to thoíe things, which in their own Coniciencesdo not deíérve it.The moíí part of their
Divines maintain,That when aDevotion is once
fet on foot, notwithftanding that the Subjed: in
which it terminares íhould be afterwards fóund
to be falle and íiiperftitious,and ío unworthy of
íuch Woríhip; yet that in Conícience the couríe
of it ought not to be ftopt.- Becauíe (lay they,)
the Scandal which by this means muít needs be
occafion'd, would be a much greaterEvii, than
that which we deíign to t a k e a w a y ; and becauíe
the Simplicity of a deluded People,whoíe intention is álways right and puré, is much m o r e
pleafing to God, than a too great caute'loulheíi
andfear of being deceived, which might in the
end engage them to cali in queftion all manner
of Relicks and Miracles, which they look upon
as a very great Evil. Btit the naked T r u t h is,
TJris would giyv a great ftroak towards' the
-&
13 4
climi-
8
The Firft
LETTER,
diminifhingof their T e m p o r a l profits,there being n e v e r a Pilgrimage which does not aíFord
t h e m very coníiderable ones by t h e infinite number of Prayers and Malíes, which are there procured, and are all rated at a very high price.
I can give you on this Subje¿t a relult of a
Coníerence,at which I was preíént my íelf,fome
time a g o , at Blois in France, lipón occafion of
íeveral Relicks kept in the Pariíh of S. Fitlor,
• t w o Leagues diftant from that City. Thefe Relicks were much out of order, in oíd W o o d e n
Cafes, all Worm-eaten and rotten with A g e ,
which hindred them from being carried i n P r o ceffion,and expoíed to publick View. T h e concern therefore was to nave them more modiíhly
áccommodated,and tranfported into N e w Cales.
T o thisend the Biíhop of Chartres was Petition'd
t o perform the Tranílation, who preíently fent
his O r d e r to the Archdeacon of Blois for that
purpoíe; who afiembled íeveral of the Clergy,
\ t o coníult with the Cúrate and Prieils of S. Vi\ctor, about the Precautions to be obíeryed in
\ h a t Tranflation. T h e Refolution was, T h a t to
á^oid the Scandal that might happen,if nothing
íhould chance to be found in the O í d Caíes,and
to pte^ent the declining of the good O p i n i ó n
a n d Dafeotion of the people, in cafe only lome
few Bonés íhould be found i n ' t h e m , the traníportation of them into the N e w ones íhould
not be d o n e in publick,but as prívate as poffibly
might be, in the preíence only cf íbme prudent
Períbns, w h o might be ready to remedy all ibrts
o f Accidents upon occafion : I was defired by
'
fome
Of Relicks&c.
9
íbme Friends of the A r c h d e a c o n , t o be preíént
with them ; and I can alTure you, Sir, that t h e
Refoiuticn w a s t a k e n , if it íhould chance that
nothing w e r e found in the C a l e s , to maintain
peremptorily, That the Bodies of the Saints were
there whole and entire.
A n d t o allay íbmewhat
the Scruples that might ftart by occafion of this
proceedingj a C a n o n of S^Sa-viourh Church of
Bloü, a Man reíblute and of a fmall Confcience,
maintain'd i n t h e Face of the AíTembly,Thatno
difficulty ought to be made of alTerting íuch a
thing,tho'altogetherfalíe; T h a t i n a cale where
the lntereft of the Church was concerned , all
m a n n e r of Refpefe and Sentiments whatlbever,
were to be íacrificed and giren up ; T h a t the
Myfteries of the Catholicks wcrc not to be expoled to the Raillery of the Hereticks (ib t h e /
cali the Protefiants) w h o would not fail to mock.
at them, as ibón as they íhould underítand,that
nothing had been found in the Cales of S. Vi¿?c-?-,w4iich for fo long a time had been the O b jeót of the peoplesAdoration; befides, T h a t the /
Devotion of Laicks, in affifting theClergy, w a s /
already ib far cooled,that ícarce a r y thing noW
was to be got from them , but by íbme piotis
Fraud, or hply Artifice. T h e Archdeacon héard
all his Diícouríe without contradióting him in
the leaft; and the Cúrate of the PatiPn, as
being the períbn moft concern'd in the Cale, ,
very officiouíly return'd him his moft hearty
thanks.This done,they proceeded to the opening
of the Cafés j and the truth is, Bones either of
Saints, or n o Saints,were found in them. In.the
mean
io
The Firfl
LETTER,
mean t i m e , a M o n k of the Abby of S.Lomer m
JS/í¿j,whowas preíent, críed out at the very inífant, T h a t he ímelt a very fweet Odour which
proceeded from them , wherewith he wasfb
ftrongly íeized,that it was like to overeóme him.
A young Religious (his Companion) íeconded
h i m immediately, and íbme Couñtry Peoplc of
the Pariíh protefted the very íame thing. T h e
Archdeacon,and the reír of the Company freely
declared , that they ímelt n o t h i n g : Yet foraí-.
much as it might be, that thoíe períbns.having
íbme more particular Merit befo re G o d , he
m i g h t think them w o r t h y of receiving the like
F a v o u r s ; it was order'd, that their Atteitations
íliouid be received,and íet in the M a r g e n t of the
Verbal Pro.ceís, which was then making of that
T r a n í l a t i o n , the Original whereof was to be
íliut up with the Relicks in the new Cafés. I had,
t h e Curiofity fome weeksafter, in the time of
Vintage,to examin íbme of thefé perfons about
the Odour they pretended to have íinelt,of what
kind it was ¿whereupon íbme of them íaid it was
t h e fcent of a Roíe,othersof JclTamin,and others
of a Violet:Butfinding that they faultred in their
Expreffions,andíiniledwithal I took occafion to
prels them more íerioufly, ib that at the upíhot
they confeífed,that the goodOpinion they had of
the two Monks, which firft ftarted the matter,
h a d d r a w n t h e m in and in a manner forced their
Imagination to make them believe , that they
ímelt that, which they never had fmelt indeed.
This ingenuous Confeííion of theirs,made me to
íeek an oppoitunity to diícourfctheletwoMonks:
3
3
Of Relkks&c.
it
I vvent to fee the youngeft of t h e m , andafter I
had given him two or three Vifitsof Civüity,to
increaíeour familíarity, I obtained lcave of his
Superiorforhim,toaccompany me co a C o ü n t r y
H o u í e , w h e r e afcer friendtyEntertainment given
h i m , I pac him upon t h e m a t t e r of the Relicks of
S.Fíciroj'.-Theyoung Monk overeóme b y m y K i n d nefi, aifured me he wonld open his heart ro m e ,
as to h i s o w n Brotherjthatthe T r u t h was,hehad
not íinelc any íiich miraculous Odour,which h e
then attetted, b u t t h a t partly, that he might n o t
c o n t r a d i ^ hisCompanion,and partly by a f.iddcn
íhamethat íurprized himdeft he íhould notíeeni
to be as much graced with Heavenly favours as
his Brother, had made him to depoíe agamíl his
Conícience, for which afterwards he was íbmewhat troubled. But Father (íaid X) h o w can you
be at peace, without uníaying again, what you
lo openly a v e r d and depoied,and this in honor
to T r u t h ? The De-vil is the Father of Lies^ná
yon
cannot pretend to the quality of a Child of G o d ,
without deftroying the work of the £>e<E/¿/,whereof your felf have been the I n ñ r u m e n t : H e aníwer'djThat he had coníulted with his Superiors.
about the matter,and that the general Rule they
had given him,to país overScrnples of that nature
was, to conüder whether the thing undertaken,
or exerted into a<5t,were oppofite to theGlory of
G o d , or the good and advantage of his Order :
T h a t i t was n o t a g a i n í í the Glory of G o d , t o a d vance the H o n o r of one of his Saints; efpecially
when íbmeCircumftances, that were both gloríous and proñtable to that O r d e r , engaged the
'
doing
1
the Fkfi
LETTER,
doing of i t ; and that all the evil that could be
íiippofed in the cale carne but to this,to Íay/That
G o d had done what he might ha ve done , and
which he "hath done on many other occafions,
which at the higheft could be n o more than a
ímall Venial Sin; as (they fay)all Lies are, that
d o n o t infringe Juftice; thát is to iay, that do
n o Body any harrn. Having thus got this T r u t h
ouc of h i m ; I had no more to d o n o w , but to
convince the oíd M o n k , which it was not poffible for me to do, for he continually perfifted in
aíferting the truth of what he had depofed, ay
and much more ; for he added, that the Odour
had followed him every where , as long as the
leaft duft of thole facred Relicks was left upon
his Cloaths. I n the mean timethisdid not hinder
m e f r o m coníidering, that all the Credibility of
this Miracle was now. reduc'd to the Confcience
of one Tingle períbn; upon whom the affirmations of all the other Deponents refted, and that
' whenever theíe Cales íhould chance again to be
opened,in which the Verbal Procefs was íhut up
(as Superftition is uíedto get ftrength by length
of time)this Miracle would come to bebeliev'd
with as much affurance, as a great many other
moftfalfe a n d ridiculous onesare in t h i Church
of Rome, I was the more willing, Sir,to repreíent
this toyourConfideration,asbeingathing which
hapned in yourNeighborhood,and whereof you
may fully inform your íelf,whenfoever you pleafe;
that fo finding the Faithfulneís of m y Relation in
this particular,you may be the more difpoíed to
give credit to what I íhall write to you concern»
ing
Of
Relicksfrc.
ÍngFóreín Couñtries.Ireturn n o w to myVoyage»
Frora Flavigny we went to Dijon, the M e t r o polis of the Dutchy of Burgundy , where I was
Eye-witheís of a horrid Cheat, pra&iíed by the
M e n o f the Church : I do not relate thisPaííage
to you fo much for its own ü k e , but to the end
you may make the refleéfciori upon it, of great
importance to our preíent Subjeét. W e toqk a
w a l k t o the H o l y Chape!, where they ííiewed us
many Relicks,that were indeedvery ridiculous j
and amongft the reít,that which the cali the holy
Hoftor Water, from whence they tellus, Blood
jlíued in great abundance,afterthat a Proteftant
had in Íeveral places ífabbed it with a Knife ;
that upon his ib doing the Wafer was chang'd
into an Infant, and from an Infant to a Water
again,as it was before. Whereupon eritring into
difcourle, we at l a ñ were iníenfibly led to this
Queftion , How it carne to pafs , that at prefent
there were not jo many Miracles to be feen , ai in
former times ? I n anlwer to which , the C a n o n ,
who fhew'd us the Relicks, told us, T h a t in the
Abby of S.Benigm/s, in t h e í a m e City there were
almoft every day Miracles wrought at añ Altar
of theBlelíed Virgin, where Stil-bornChildren
were reftored to lite for-íbme momcnts,till they
coukl be m a d e partakers of the Sacrament of
Baptiítn; which was íook'd upon as a very great
happinéísforthem,fbraímuch asaccording to the
Opinión of the Church of ivo«2e Infants dying in
that manner,cannot beíav'd by the Faith of their
Parents, but go d o w n to a dark place they cali
Limbíft, which is made expreis for t h e m , and
where
3
i
4
,
the Firfl
LETTER,
w h e r e they are to continué for e v e r , withouí
fuffering the puniíhment of Seníe, becauíe they
fcave never finnecl by the induceraent of the Seníes; but where notwithftandiñg they muft underg o Vmnam Damni,_ or the puniíhment of Lofs,
w h i c h confifts in the privation of the Beatifick
Vifion,that being a puniíhment due to Original
Sin. W e cannot imagin,thatany Fathers or M o thers íhould be ib pitileis and unnatural,. as rather todeíiretofpare their M o n y , t h a n to reícue
their Children from fo deplorable a condición,
by having P r a y e r s a n d Malíes íaid for them at
t h e í á i d A l t a n S o t h a t this was t h e T r a d e driven
by the Reiigious of that Abby. W e went therefore abouc 1 0 of the Clock i n t h e M o r n i n g t o
thatChurch,where we íaw the miraculous I m a g e
of the Virgin, commonly called the Littk,
our
Lady of S.Ber¡ígnus-,md t w o Stü-born Children,
w h o had already lain there twodays,bei.ngblack
and livid, and veiy noiíbm. T h e Parcnts, w h o
were of the beft Families of Dijon, had (during
theíe t w o days) procured above zoo Maffes to
be íaid in that C h u r c h , at a C r o w n apiece, in
order to obtain fromGod,by interceffion of the
íaid Iinage, and by the Prayers of the Reiigious
of that A b b y í b rauch lifefor théíe poor Infants,
as might be íüfficient for t h e m , only to receive
the Sacrament of Baptiím. T h e Monks would
very gladly have deferr'd their Reíürreélion for
a day longer,hut the Bodies.were already ib far
corruptedjthát it was almoft impoffible to abide
in the Church, by reaíbn of the oífenfiveneís of
the ftench that carne from t h e m ; So that as it
hapned
;
Of Mkks,&c.
iy-
liapned we carne ¡n the very nick of t i m e , t o fee
the performance of it.TowardsNoon,which was
the time of thelaií Maís\a young Fryer,who ferved at theÁltar,going to carry the Maís-Book to
that fíele where the Goípel is read , hit with his
Arm,either witdngly or by chance,the T a b i e of
the Altar, upon which the Stil-bomlnfants were
laic!,which rnade them move.The Prieft who was
íaying Maís¿ and who probably was acquainted
with the hour and nioment of this interltide,immediately breaking off hisíácredMyfterie(as t h e
Papiíts pleafe to expreís it)pronounc'd with a loud
voice the Sacramental Words over the Infants,
Bapti&o,&c.Gift'mg
in the mean time on theirBodies cheWater,wherewith he had wafhthis hands.
A t the íamc time a great noife was raifed in the
Church,the People crying
oi\t,aM¿?ac!e,aMiraclel
MyEyes could not deceive me in a cafe I had ib
plainly difcern'd.and I could with all m y h e a r t
ha ve undertaken to undeceivethePeoplejbutthat
I knew h o w dangerous it is, to oppoíe the blind
Rabble, kept and entertaind in E r r o r by Priefts
andMonkSjWhoknowing no other God,but their
own Intereft, would íoon have ftirr'd them up,
under the pretence of Herefie or Incredulity, to
have torn me to pieces. However, I could n o t
refrain from hinting a w o r d of it in particular
to íbme períbns, w h o were prefent at that
A d i o n , and who o w n ' d they had obferved the
lame thing. Burgundy was alvyays a C o u n t r v
fruitfulin Superftition,and we may íee the figns
of it every w h e r e ; and confequently alio, therebe very fcw Couatries where the Priefts a n d
Monks
i6
the Firft LETTER,
.
'
M o n k s t h r i v e better,or m o r e a b o u n d i n Riches.I
beg of you now,Sir,only t o make this ObfervatiOWíThat theFathers of the Abby¡ are the Reformed
JReligioUS of the Order of S.Bennetj^Wcohfequently
of a Cengregation , whi¿h you in France have the
greaieft Verteration forjas well upen the account of
their Learning, as Duty; botb which, as yon have
told m e , render them equally recommendable.
If
then,{ky í,the/eMen,who are fo holy and fo vertuous
in'your Opinión^ are fo able and cunningto
deceive¿
and fuch proflígate lovers of butward Gain;
what
may we not expecl from fo maHy Non-reformed
Religious , who livifo licentioufly and loofly to the
very Eye, as to make cpen profejjion of Trapanning
Laymenby a Thcufand kind of Artífices, to have
wherewith
to maintain their flagitious and fcandahus Debaucheries ?
"
W e ítaid íbme days at Dijoh ; where I was
Eye-witneís to an abundance of ridiculous Devotions, that are in Vogue there, and which would
be too tedious to relate t o y o u ; as that of our
L a d y olÜEftan,
that of S. Bernard, and of t h e
I m a g e of t h e Virgin kept at
Talent,a.ná^pretended to have been painted by S. Luke , a n d to be
very Miraculous. But foraímuch as t h e Devotion paid tothefe íbrtsof Images, is tiíed to increafe or decreaíe , according as the Priefts o r
M o n k s do moreorleís dexterouíly m a n a g e t h e m ;
this laíf-mention'd hasíuffer'd very m u c h , being
well nigh fallen into contempt, iníomuch as the
C ú r a t e of that Pariíh, deípaired almoft of éver
bringing it into requeft again. T o bring this about,he t o l d u s , h e knew but one v/ay, which was
to
OfRelkks,
&c.
27
ío publiíh a Miracle which lately h a p n ' d a b o u t .
that I m a g e , which was a more remarkable 0113
than all the Cures it daily perform'd. T h e cafe is
thisdaid he ,having perceiv'd about ten years ago,
that rhe Devotion to the Image daily decreas'd ;
I began to enquire into the cauíe of ic,and finding
the Piólure to be in a very rueful condición, by
reaíon of the moiftnefi of che place, which had
well nigh rotted the C'.oth, and the Rats alio
havingmade boldwith lome p a r t o f it, and ex-'
treamly disngur'd the Face efpecially; I con-'
ceiv'd that this might be the reaíon of the abatement of the Peoples Devotion. Whérefore to re-;
medy this, 1 m a d e the oíd Cloth to be paífed upon a ne w one, and íent for one of the beít Painíers of Dijo» to draw o ver the defeítive places of
it,which was accordingly done w i t h a great deal
of care and exaófcneís; and on a ñrft Sunday óf '
the Month, the Image thus drawn over and imbelliíh'd, was lee up in its former place with a
great dea! of SoIemnity,and a great concouríe of
people. Since which time, proceeded he, I have
been contimully croubi'd with the Gout ; and
tnoreover,the Blelfed Virgínto íh'ew her íelfdiípieas'd, that any Paincer íhould be ib bold as t o
put his hand to a piece of Work which her Serva.ntS.Luke hadlefe to Pofterity, in order to the
reftoring of it to its firil luftrc; íhe has íbmedays
lince made the Colours that had been íuperádded
to it, to ícale away and fall d o w n , and thereby
reduc'd the I m a g e to the pitiful eftate it was in
heíbre ; which however flie is much more pleajíed with, than to íee her Pourtraiture profan'd
C
wjth
sS
The Firfi
LETTER,
witjiftrange colours. H e added, t h a t he had already caufed the Relation of t h e Miracle to be
printed, and that he did intend to íend Copies
of it to all Neighbouring, yea even i n t o Foreign
Countries; and that he lookt upon this as a probable w a y , to recaí the Devotion of people t o
his Church. J had occafion, Sir, t o rcmind my
íelf of this paíTage, during m y hallan Voyage ;
for being at Bononia-, they íhewed m e an excellent piece of Caratche in Frefce, upon the
Walls of the Cloyíter of the Abby of S.Michae!
in Bofco; which being extreamly injur'd by Alldevouriríg T i m e , had moved the compaffion of
Guido Rhin, another famous It alian Painter, w h o
ío dexteroufly mended the defe¿ts thereof, as in
á m a n n e r to reftore it to its former Beauty; But
y e t w e find that the n e w p a i n t , Íaid upon the firít
colours, fallsdownin (cales, and that without a
M i r a c l e t o o ; there being nothing more natuai
and obvious, t h a n that n e w colours, cannot ib
well incorpórate with oíd paint, as freíh colours
d o with one another. But notwithftandiñg the
Obviouíheíshereof, w h e n Superftition has once
gained the afcendent of a Man'sSpirit, íhe doth
l o ítrangely prepoífeís the lame, that there is nothing fb c o m m o n and ordinary, but appears to
them miraculous. I have leen íeveral otherlmagesof the BleíTed Virgin in Italy, which they iay¡
were all painted by the fame S.L«£e,and are con-j
íequently reputed miraculous, particularly thar, of S.Marj
the greater in Rome;
but in trüth thejf
are fb. very diíferent from one another that it is*
imponible they íhouldhave been painted by tb'.
Of Relkks, & c .
29
íarne batid, or that all of them íhotfd be the Pí¿tures of the Blcffed Virgin, the Lineaments, Figure and Proportions of the Face and Body,vaítly varying from one another. I fhall give you a
m o r e particularaccount of them,in my obíervations of Italy. F o r the preíent, becaufe we have
not yetCjUÍt Dijon, I v/ill only relate to y o u w h a t
1 wasEye-witnefsof my felf, i n t h e fame Abby of
S.Be»¿g?20í,belongingto the Reformed Benediílin
Monks,where is keptthe miraculous Image ofthe
BlelTed Virgin, that brings Still-born Children
to Life again, as we have already mentioned. I
went to vifit one of my Brothers,who is a Rcligious of that A b b y , and as I was walking with him
in the Garden after D i n n e r , another Religious
carne running towards us in great hafte,and told
my Brotherin his E a r , t h a t h e íhould immediately repair to the C h u r c h , t o fee íómething wel!
worth his Curiofity; and forafmuch as I was t h é n
in my Brothers Company, and well enough
k n o w n to the Fathers, I followed them to the
Church. T h e bufmeís was this,The Prior,accorapanied with feven or eight of his Monks, was about to uncover an oíd Cruciñx, which was kept
in a very fair Chapel, which thence was caíl'd the
Chapel of the ¡niraculousCrucifíx,and had for forty y ears been cover'd with a Vail of black Velvet;
T h e Story tells us,that a Religious of that Abby
íaying his Prayer one Evening befo re that Crucifix,the Image of Jefus Chrift, which was faftned
to it fpake to him,and íaid; My dear Brother, Cos
s
cerme that Imayne
more fee the InitjUities ofmy
acople, avd let ne man from henceforwardí be fo bold
C X
ti
xo
The Fifjl
to ancover me,jo
-LÉTTER,
behold my face.
T h i s M o n k pre-
fently perform'd the Charge la id upon h i m , b y
adviling his Abbot and Brethren thereof, w h o
w e r e not wanting immediately t o carry the
News throughout the whole C i t y , which occaíion'd that great Devotion which continúes ítill
t o this day. T h e r e is a van Concouríe of People
ío thisCruciñx, eípecially on Fridays, but m o r e
particular]y on Good Friday, when the whole City goes inProceífion to the Image toworíhip it,
and pay to ie the í a m e H o n o u r as they would to
Jeíiis Clírift himíelf. N o w the Prior of this Monaílery,who was an oíd Stander,and well vers'd
in Monaíiick Intriegues,was n o t much ícar'd ac
this threatningof theCruciíix,being reíolv'd, coíi
vvhat it would, to iatisfie his Curioíity about it ;
as he alfo did,and in thisRelblution he was fain
t o put hishand t o t h e Work himíelf,íbme of hio
Monks havingabíbiutely refus'd to do it,expreí
fing themíelves extreamly frighted at hisundertaking, íayingy T h a t íhould they ofíer to touch
it,they could expect n o lefs than t o b e coníiim'd
with fire from Heaven. But the Prior not concern'd at their ApprehenfionSjWith a wonderful
Courage uncovers the myfterious and dreadful
Machín. I could not but laugh to my íelf,to íée
the pofture of the Monks that w e r e preíent:
Some of them betook themíelves to their Heels,
declaring they would ncrby their preícnce make
¡themíelves partakers of ío horrid an attempt
a n d íacriiedge ; others fhut their Eyes, that they
might not be dazPd and ftruck blind with the
Majefíy of the Cruciñx, Ne ofpimmntur
a glo:
Of Relias,
&c
-
%i
ña, Scrv.tator.es Majeftatis ; and ochers p r o ñ r a t e d
themfelves with their Faces o n t h e G r o u n d , that
they might be íeeu by their Divine Maíter, as
they faid themíelves, in that moft profound a£t
of Adoration and Self-abaíement. T h e r e were
fcarce a n y t h a t kepc ftanding, befides my Brother and I ; w e were very near to the Prior of
the Monaftery, w h o was very húfie with uncovering the Crucifix, and w h o beginning himíelf to be frighted, or at leaíl pretending to be
ib, began to repeat the 5
Tfalm, Mi/erere mti
Beiis. But as it hapned, neither the one ñor t h e
other had a n y great cauíe t o fear ; for w h e n
•the Velvet Covering was taken orf, they found
rjothingbut a L i n n e n Bag,with fome bits ofrotten W o o d in it, which were the Remainsof that
dreaded and adored Crucifix. Amongft theíe
mouldred Fragments we had much ado t o diftinguiíh the Head, where was the miraculous
M o u t h that had fpoke tp the Monk. I n a word,
it was in a piciful ftate, being all rotten a n d
Worm-eaten, wkhout either Forra or Figure,
full o f d e a d Flies and Spiders: Inípmuch that
the good Monks that were preíent being íbmewhat recover'd from their' Fright, and perceiving ñ o íüch Glory as they had prefigur'd to
themfelves, began to difcouríe amongít t h e m felves,how to reconcile their Story with the preíent difcovery ; that is, the condition wherein
they found the Crucifix, with their T r a d i t i o n ,
concerning the Revelation and Diícoufe of t h e
Crucife with the Reiigious: For if it were true,
that it had nsysr been u n c o v e r ' d fince t h e
v
C 3
time
•1%
'The Fir(í
LETfER,
time of itsípeaking, w h e n it was yet fixr to the
Croís,how could it be that at prcíent they found
it in a T h o u í a n d piceos, and in a Bag í T h e Su»
periour concluded very wifely, that it was probable that this Crucifix had of oíd been had in
great Veneration,and thereby been of great advantage to the Monaftcry, and that this M o n k
by inadverteney or otherwiíe, had let it fall,and
broke it to pieces, and fearing to be íeverely puniíh'd by his Abbot therefore,had gather'd up the
pieces into a Bag,and having faftned them again
to the Croís, and cover'd them with that piece
of black Velvet, had afterwards f o r g ' d a n d publiíh'd that his pretended Revelation. However,
foraímuch as he knew nothing of certainty concerning the matter, he chofe rather to íuípend
his Judgmcntjthan to país a raíh one concerning
i t : and beíides that, according to their general
Principies, the Devotion being alreadyfix'd, he
would by n o m e a n s b e a hinderance to lo m a n y
good works as were perform'don tliatoccafion,
ñ o r put a ftop to the couríe of ib many Malíes
a n d Prayers as were daily procur'd to be íáid in
the C h a p e l of the Miraculons Crucifix. So he
pack'd up all again, and put it in the lame order as he had found it, which may flill be feen,
in cafe they will permit the viewing of it, iri
the íaid C h a p e l , where the Devotion continúes
as great as ever. If the R o m á n Catholick Biíhops
were a Üttle better ftock'd with true Zeal for the
Glory of God, or at leaft for the honour of
íheir o w n party,they would without doubt more
fsrioufíy apply thémíelves to the examining of
3
Of Relíeles, & c .
the díiferent Devotions that are in vogue in
their Dioceís. I a m well aíiür'd they would find
a great deal of downright impiety, cover'd under the Mask of Devoción. But ib far are t h e y
from this, that they are the firfi: to authoiíze a n d
encourage them by the Indulgenc.es they give
from time t o time, to the Chinches and Chapéis
where thefe Devotions are encercain'd; a n d accordingly w e find that great abundance of t h e m
have been granted by t h e Bifhops of Langres -to
íhoíe w h o íliall íay five Pater Nofiers, and as many A-ve Martes in this Chapel of the Miraculous
Crucifix, in the Abby oíS.Bemgnm
of Dijcn. Belore I have done with this City, Sir, I muft not
forget to entertain you a while with a famous
Nelt of Monks four Leagucs diftant from it, I
mean the great and famous of Abby of Cüenax,
the Abbot of which, as you know, is the Chief
and General of the whole O r d e r , which is without doubt one of the vafteft Bodies of Reiigious,
the Church of Rome can boaft of; Trance,
Italy
3
Spa'm, Rolancl and Portugal being t h r o n g ' d with
the Monafteries of that O r d e r , w h o all of t h e m
own this Abby pf the Citeattx for their M o t h e r .
I had very particular acquaintance with the Prior of the Monaftery, w h o was a ypung m a n of
the City of Orleans, w h o invited me to come a n d
lee him. T h e Abbot lent t w o of his Coaches,
with fix Horíes, t o fetch íbme of his Relations,
w h o m he had invited to diñe with him,and witli
w h o m 1 had the honour t o joyn m y íelf. All
the diicourfc w e h a d on the way from Pi-jen
thither^ was about the T r á g i c a ! e n d o f M o n ü e w r
a-4
The Finí
LETfER,
Bourréfi G e n t l e m a n b o r n of one of the moft N o ble Families of Z)//<?w,and a Religious of that O r den, w h o a lítele before had been publickly executecl at Dijon for poiíbning his Abbot, becaufe
h e went about to make an. enqairy into his
C r i m e s ; the Fa£l being evident that he had debauch'd fome of the N u n s o f a Monaftery, whit h e r the Abbot had fent him in quality of their
Director or ConfeíTor. As loon as v/e were come
near to the Citeaux, I could not but admire the
ftately Avenuesof that magníficent A b b y . T h i s
place which formerly was nothing but a horrid
Wilderneís,whenS.íve¿'erí the firft Abbot of that
O r d e r , didinflitute k , is n o w at preíent by the
Voluptuouíheís and Luxury of the Monks, become an Earthly Paradiíe, abounding with all
tnanner of delights. T h e Híftory tellsus that that
Abbot, being a lover of Silence and Solitude, retirM himíelfjwith íbme of his Diíciples into theíe
parts, which at that time was nothing elfe, but a
thick W c o d , a n d l y i n g o u t pf the way of almofi:
all h u m a n Converle. H e t e it was they began to
build themíelves Ceils, with the Branches of
T r e e s ; and fome amohgft them digg'd themfelves Caves imdergrountfwithout either A r t or
Form,like to the Dens of Ravenous Beafts. T h e
Herbsand R o o ts that grew in the W o o d , ferv'd
t h e m indilferently, without diftinguiíhing the
good from the bad,for N o u r i í h m e n t ; and all the
precaution they uled was this,thatafter they had
boil'd them, they firft gave lome of them to a
D o g , or other domeftick Animal, which if it
did notimmediately d y e or appear'd diftem
3
Of
Relkksfac.
'd,they took it for granted,that there w e r e n o
(bnous Herbs in their.Cóokery, whoíe dangeseffeóts they had reaíon toapprehend.Buthow
idigious a change appear'd in that place not
ig after ! T h e People round about being infurtí of the aftoniíhing Severities., and ftrange
y of livingof theíe Jncborites,
carne ñocking
m all parts to admire them, and returning t o
:ir homes, publiíh'd every where that in the
Dodií Citeaux,thQy had in their days fceníbmelat more and greater than either Elias or S.
hn the Baptift.hná
as in that Age of the World
5ple were much more compaflionate and tenr than they are at prefent to wards períbns w h o
: thelove of God,as they exprefí it, had left all,
;y made it their bufinels,from all parts to carry
2m not only Food, but other Conveniences of
fe. T h e í e good Hermits contented themfelves
: lome t i m e , to accept of íbme of the couríéíl
d meaneft of their Supplies; and afterwards by
:le and little the moíi exquifite and delicate,
:eiving them as by an expreísOrder from G o d ,
attributing to themíelves the promiíe of Jeíus.
rift made to his Apoftles, that having forfai all for his fake, they íhould receive in this
Drld an hundred fold, and in the World to
ne Eternal Life. T h u s within a fhort t i m e ,
m a Life of extraordinary rigour and abitiice, and raoft lignal and remarkable Piety,
y chopt about, to a Life asfcandalousand diííte; and whereof S.Bcmard in his time began
sady highly to complain,but at preíent is adic'd to a far m o r e tranícendenc degree of exceís.
i6
The Firjl
LETTER,
ceís. Inftead of a Deíért and Sólitude, as it was
before in the higheft degree, they have n o w
m a d e it a kind of a City; which withinits compaís entertaíns all m a n n e r of Handicrafrs-men,
w h o li ve there with their Wives and all their Families : Inftea.d of that mean a n d fpareDiet, tq
which they were oblig'd by a Solemn Vpw,made
at the foot of their Altars, a n d in particular of
abftainmg from Fleíh all the clays of their Life,
they have at prefent, dire£tly cpntrary to their
Vows, introduc'd the uíe of it t o the higheft degree of Delicacy, as being always accompanied
with the agreeable Variety of Herís and Fifi.
A n d , for m y part, I can truly a ver,' that for the
t w o d a y s that I ftaid there, their T a b l e (beíides
their common Viands) were cover'd with feveral Difhes of Veniíbn, follow'd by a Service of
Fifh, the fides of the Diíbes being garniíh'd with
t h e Tongues and Roes of Carps, and the Tailsof
Crabs. Yea, the Abbot had íent to Diep, which
is above a n Hundred and twenty Leagues diftant, at an exceffive Charge, and by a Poft íent
Expreís, w h o ran'day and night for Soles, which
w e r e frefhenough, and íócoftly a Raricy, that
t h e Intendants and Preíidents of the Parliament
©f Dijon, durft n o t venture upon them in their
moft íümptuousEntertainments. T h e Monks of
thisAbby,in the mean time,glorying in thisexceís,
w h i c h ought rather to have confounded them, •
vaunted with an unparallel'd Impudence, T h a t
in all that Province there was not a m a n beñdes
t h e Abbot of Citeaux,who could bear íuch an Expence and continué icevery day. AfterDinner,
3
Of Relicks &.c.
i
the Abbocfíollow'd by many of hís Officers,and
a great number of Lacqueys in Livery) w e n t
himíelf to íhew us the New Buildings he was t h e n
makinginhis Abby, and which coníifted infour
great PiIesofBuilding ofamagnificentStrudure,
all of hewn Stone of a Diamond-Cut, defign'd
for the íeparate Lodging of the four principal
Abbots of the Order,wíth all their T r a í n , a t the
time of their general Chapters. A fifrh Building»
which he intended for his own períon, was a íof~
ty Palace, lifting'up its p r o u d H e a d a b o v e the©»
ther four Buildings, as it were to overlook añd.
command them, to repreíent the Authority he
had overthe other Abbots,in quality of their G e neral. After we had taken a view of theíe magniñcent Stru¿tures,we were led into the oíd Buildings. Here it was that a fair Opportunity was
given me,to take notice of the Subtilty and Artífices of the M o n k s ^ i l l to continué Laicks,if poííible, in the high efteem of their Monaílery a n d
Perfons. In order whereunto they íhew to thoíe
who vifitthem, a great quantity of Relicks, and
places of Devodon,as they cali t h e m ; upon their
entring into which they uíe frequent bowings of
their Bodies,and kneelings, repeating í b m e P r a y
cis.,befides íome geftsand cutting of Faces,where in they oblige the C o m p a n y to imítate themThis done,they fillyourEars with the recital of,
OldStories and Miracles of the days of Y o r e
wrought in favour of their Order. A m o n g í í
which,they never forget to incúlcate the T r a g e dy of IbmeUfurper of the Revenues of their M o naftery,of of íome other that ípoke i II ofchefame,
s
5
aS
The Firfi
LETTER,
w h o at the upfhot o f the Story cíoch never
fa.il of being íiruck from G o d with fudden
D e a t h by a T h u h d e r b o l t , o r of having his Neck
broke by fome Bevil or other. I have iince-obíerved the fame inveigíing Tricks in almofi all the j
Monafteries and Convenís of Italy, and in all o-:
t h e r places frequented upon. the ícore of Devo-íion.They fhe w'd us a large Refeótory of the fi rft
Reiigious of their O r d e r , which i s a v a u l t e d
R.oom,and very long,more refembling a hideous
C a v e , t h a n a p l a c e t o eat in.'And yet (íaid oneof.
t h e Reiigious) thís isthat holy Grouo where our
Ancient Fathers,the bleíled Founders of our Order,me.t together everyday afterSun-fer,weariecf
with their Handy-labour, after having ííing the
Praiíes of G o d , t o partake together of a piece oí
black courfe Bread,with í b m e boifd Pulíe orí
RootSjWithout either Salt or Butter,or any othcr
Sawce ,or DreíBngs,and i n ib final 1 a quandty,as
defigaing rathet to keep themíelves from fiar-,
ving than to make them ftrong and lively ; ara••
continually praclifíng thoíe íevere Mortificad'
ons, which we can íooner admire than imitare
T h e í e great and heroick Saints are now in He.v
ven,and have chang'd their aftoniíhing ieverities,;
with the Eternal delights of the,Wedding Supper
o f t h e L a m b ; and 'tis from that high Station.
they with a favourableEyelook clown upon thoíe
w h o Live,or have livM íbr íbme t i m e in this Mci
naílery, as likewiíe upon thoíe w h o are or haví
been Benefaétors to i t ; and we are
Revelation,that none of them,nay,tho'they ínaf
have IivM a raoft abominable life, íhall everdf|
:
:
!n mortal fin*. A Counfellor of Dmn, who was
diere prefent with us,íaid fmiling,Thathe want*
ed but very littie of being perfuaded to leáve all
he had t o t h e Monaftery, and gently p u í h í n g m y
Arm,ask d m e , W h e t h e r l was not well pleas'd to
hear a fat and burly M o n k , after havi'ngfo weli
din'd, difcourfing of the Abítinehce and Penance of thoíe Ancient Fathers^and of the BleC
fings God hath in flore for his Abby too uporj
their account. with fo much e n e r g y ! Butafter
all,the plain truth is, T h a t it is nothing but an
Artífice they make ufe of, to ítrike the Spirits of
men with íbme kind of Veneration for theif O r ders and Períbns. From this place they Ied usto
another, which they cali the Oíd Chafter-Houfe,
which is a Building after the Gothic way, with
many Rows of Pilláis like a Church, yetíiately
enough, T h e Stones of the Pavement are cut
into Letters, which make up all the Pfalms of
David; and near the midft of this place t h e y
íhewed us a Urge Stone, on which of oíd they
were uíed to lay the Religious of the Monaííery lome hours before their D e p a r t u r e ,
where they were expoíed all naked upon Aíhes
and an Hair-Cloth, until they breath'd their
laii. But this Cuflom (Taid the Fatherj has
íince been aboliíhed, becaufe it was found b y
Experience , that íbme of thoíe w h o were ib
expoíed, having more ítrength lefc t h a n was
imagined, .continued íbme times in that condition, expoíed to the violence of Cold for
T w e n t y four hours, or more, before they died j
fo as thoíe w h o thus eiípos'd them, queítion'd,
whether
5
3o
he Firíl
LÉTTER,
w h e t h e r in ib doing they h a d n o t been their
Murtherers. At the prefent (íaid heímiling) the
cafe is alter'd,and we die íbftly on t h e Feathers,
after having eífay'd whatíbever the A r t of M e dicine can aíford for our Recoyery,and which is
every whit asmeritoriousto us, as that pitileís rig o ü r o u r Predeceílbrs were oblig'd to,foraírnuch
as herein wefubmit our Wills tothofe w h o comrnand us,artd w h o m we are oblig'd to o b e y ; Obedience evemin pleafing and agreeablethings,being more acceptable to G o d t h a n all Sacrifices,
Thusgallantly the Father excufed the D e c a y of
their Obfervance, endeavouring to make that
i e e m a Vertue, which indeed is nothing elfe but
a n effeéfc of their Softneís and Effeminacy. Or
rather, we may í a y , T h a t by a juft Judgment of
Godj thefe kind of raen having ralhly vowed,
w h a t was not in their power to perform,arefallen
b y ib much lower,by h o w much they afpir'd to
flie higher. 'Tis uponthis account that w e fee fo
m a n y Reformations of thefe Religious Orders,
a n d íoon after other Reformations of them again,who in a íhort time will ftand in need ífili
of another Reformation. But that which is the
ítrangeftthing of all is, T h a t they fall intb prodigious Corruptions,and into thofe habitsof finning,which ílrike themoít worldly men that are,
withhorror,as may be íeen from t h e hint Igive
o f Monfieur Bourré, M o n k of that O r d e r , and
m a n y other Examples, that filTthe W o r l d with
their R e p o r t
T h e r e is but one only Religious O r d e r i n the
Church oí'Reme, that can boaftof itsAntiquity;
and
'31
Of Relkks, & c .
and of having never been ReformM, which is
that of the Chartreux.
Having ftay'd t w o days
at Citeaux,\vQ took our way through
Lim»oü and
I)anpbiné,a.ná findingour felvesnot farfrom t h e
Monaftery call'd t h e Great Chartreux, our Curiofity invitad us to take a view of i c This M o n a ftery is the chief Head of all thoíe of the O r d e r
of Chartreux, and in it their General Chapters
areheld. S. Bruno, w h o was the F o u n d e r o f this
Order,retir d hither with his Companions i n t h e
Yearo'f our Lord 1 0 8 0 . W h a t is commonly related as the Reafon of his Retirement, is rather
a Fable than a n Hiítory ; which notwithftand»
ing is maintain'd by a great deal of heat, as a
great T r u t h by the Fathers of this O r d e r , w h o
nave caus'd the Story t o b e paintedatlarge,and
hung up in their Cloiíters; but on the other hancl,
it is deni'd by the Doclors of the famous Univerfity of París. This Fable tells us,That Bruno ¡who
had a long time frequented that Univerfity, being preíent at the Interment of a Doétor who had
been a M e m b e r of the íame, a períbn of an irreproachable Life, t o o u t w a r d view,and w h o díed
with the odourof Sand-ity ; when the Office for
che D e a d was reciting in the Church for him,,
and that they were come to thoíe Words of the
y
s
Leflons, Rejfonde ?mhi,^uantas babeo
imquitates
Anfiverme,
How many Sms Ihaw ; t h e D e a d Bo-
dy raiíedhimíelf on theBier,and íittingupright,
with a terrible Voice pronounc'd theíe Words,
Accufatm fum ; í amAccufed: A t which aítoniflv
ing Accident, when all that were preíent were.
extreamly araaz'd, it was thovight fie to put olí
*¿
TheFirfl
LETfERi
t h e Obféquies till the next day.; at which time
they began again the OffidS for the Dead, and
w h e n t h e y were come to the fame Words, Rejfanáe mihi, &c. the Dead anfwered with a
T o n e much more terrible t h a n at fifft, theíe
t w o Words more, Judkatm
¡um; I am judged
w h i c h increafing the horrour and amazement
o f all thofe that were prelent, m a d e them reíolve to delay t h e Burial one day l o n g e r ; at
which time a vaít C r o w d of People being af
íembled, the Office was begun again, and at
t h e fame Words the D e a d raifing himfelf the
third and laít time, faid with a pitiful and
jnournful Accent, Condemnatús fuñí; that he was
C o n d e m n e d to Hell without Reeovery. This
í b ítrange and terrible a Spe&acle (faith the Fable) had that eífeít ón the Spirit of Bruno^
t h a t from that inftant he refolved to qüit the
W o r l d , and tb retire into íbme Solitary place*
• for to live there wholly to God, folitary ánd fep a r a t e from the view of the W o r l d ; . and by his
períüafion,engag'd leven Stucíentsof the U n i veríity of Varis, his Companions, with him in the
íame Reíblution; w h o being all o f o n e m i n d ,
w e n t and caft themfelves at the Feet of the Biíhop
<oiGrenoble, to beg of him the Defert call'dChartreufe, which belong'd to h i m ; and having obtain'd their Requeíty they retir'd thé're.and built
-themfelves Cells.The T r u t h of t h e m a t t e r is,that
this Saint did indeed retire with his Companions
i n t o this place ; but all the Story oí t h e Docto;
is evidently falíe, as has been inconteftably proved by the Doctora of the Univerfity óf Tara •
'
"there
OfRelkks> & c .
33
'there being none ofthe Contemporary Writers
or any that were t w o hundred years after, that
make theleaít mention of i t ; and is indeed nothingelíe btitan Inventionof the Papifts, very fit
to be joyn'd with the reft of their Stories, concerning the Apparitions of Spuls in Purgatory.
Probably, Sir, your Curioíity will incline you to
defire,! íhould give you a deferí ptionof this Place»
and its Situation, which withoutdoubt is the raoft
Dcíert place Nature could form: and yet not•withftanding is at this day becoiiie a very pleaíant Seat, by mcans of tne immenfe Expences
which theíe Fathers, who are extreamly rich,
have been at,to make it more pleafing to Seníe.
Wherefore,Sir,I íhall endeavour,in order to your
Satisfa¿tion,to íct down what comes to my mind
•concerning it. This Deíert, call'd
Cbartreufe,
which has given the Ñ a m e to the O r d e r thatis
thence denominated,is a place íituate in the Boíbm of anexceeding high Mountain,the T o p of
which parts it íelf into four others, leaving i»,
the midft of them a place of a Mile in length,
and above a Quarter-of a Mile in breadth, in
which ípace the Cells of thefe Fathers are built.
T h e Waters guíhing forch from theíe M o u n tains, make a molí: impetuous T o r r e n t , whicfy
bears the Ñ a m e oíS.Lawrence.
This was a place
altogéther unfrequented, and almoíi inacceffi*
ble„ when S. Bruno ñrít retired thither, t h o ' a t
prefent, by a vaft profuíion of M o n y , the Religión s.of the place have made the accels to ic
liot only eaíie,but pleaíant, having cut out larga
>teps in the Rock, and by that means made (as
s
X>
k
34
The Firfi
LETTER,
it were) m a n y Stairs to get up to it. However,
íüch is the íituation of the place, that neither
Coaches ñor Carts, no ñor Horfes neither, can
c o m e up to it ; but they make ufe of Mules, accuftomed from their Youth to go up a n d dowii
thoíe Sreps, to convey their Provifions to them,
W e got up to the place by means of the íame
Conveniences, and found the Snow in feveral
places lying flili on the Eminences of the Rocks,
notwithftandiñg that it was in the midft of An-.
guít ; a n d that at the Foot of the Mountain, thí •
Heat wasalmoft iníupportable. T h e Building oí
the Monaftery was not yet quite finiíh'd whet
w e arriv'd there, having been rednc'd to Afhe
íbme íhort time before. T h e r e was a Suípicioi
that the Reiigious themíelves had been the Ir
cendiaries, becauíe their Cells diípleasM them ;
being t o o mean and Old-faíhion'd; and befide
too much pinch'd of roomdb that they could nc
enjoy themíelves in them with that eafé andco¡
venience they deíir'd. It hapned at a time w h
the Windextrcamly favour'd their defign, ai.
the Pire began in a Quarter where io muíCombuftible matter waslode'd. and ib far fre;'
O
í
the places where any Pires were madc,thatit v .
eafie to judge,That it was not a thing hapned:
accident, but contriv'd on purpofe. Beíides, \
delays and indiífereney íliew'd in quenchingj
it,gavea fufficient Teftimony, T h a t the Frvj
defii 'd nothing more,than to ice it (with all
pedition) burnt down t o t h e g r o u n d . Yea, Sé
have averr'd it for a certain T r u t h , T h a t
News of it was knov/n m a n y days beforef'
1
5
Of Relkks, &c.
3f
§Forein Countries, which was related to us by
fone of the Fathers of that Society for a Miracle ;
álaying, T h a t without dbubt the Tutelary AnIgel of the place, foreíeeing what was t o h a p p e n
•to it, had communicated the knowledge of it to
| b . far diífant Countries. But not toinfift o n t h i s
a n y longer, certain it is, that the whole Building
was reduc'd to Afhes,and in leís than fix M o n t h s ,
;;in a manner quite Rebuilt a g a i n ; a good part of
the Materials having been prepar'd before-hand
•and as it were by a divine Providence,as the Íaid
.Father expreft himfelf, in places adjacent t o t h e
Mo.-.ntain. I t is to be noted, T h a t their Genej a ! Chapter having íbme Veneration for thoíe
;|A.ncient Buildings of their Firft- Fathers, and t o
prcvent Lay-menfrom T a x i n g them with Nicehefs and Luxury,had refufed them their permiífion to Build. But what is capable to reftrain the
JLonging of MonkSjWhen as by direcl: or indireéfc
|neans,by H o ó k o r by Crook, they are in a con;didon to effeétuate it? I h a word, T h e í e N e w Buildings.were brought to perfection, with a
¡Magnificence very unbefeeming the Modefty of
jríermits, and more becoming the Palaee of a
píing, than theCellsof íiich w h o pretend to have
foríaken the World. T h e r e remain'd only one
pudding at the Foot of the Moimtain yet unfiSiiíh'd,being delign'd for the Officersof the Cbarfra</¿,and which was already far advanc'd. As
for their manner ofLiving, i muftacknowledge
fhey ftill retain íbmething o f their firft ínftituti| n , as in particular their abftinencc from Flejh;
out the diverfity and abundánce of Fifi,
Herís,
5
D
%
Eggs,
g6
The Firft
LETTER,
Eggs, and other íúch like things wherewith the
a r e í e r v ' d , isfar rriore pleafing a n d agreeable c
Senfe, than any íbrt of Flefh-meat, and muc
m o r e coftly.
T h e Father-Purveyor of th
Houfe aífured us,that the Expence of every Rt
ligious amounted at the leaft to Five h u n d r e
Crowns a year. T h e y have a way of extra¿tin
the Subftance, and as it were the QuintelTenc
from íeveral great Fiíhes, whereof they mak
Jelly-Broths, that are extreamly nouriíhinj
T h e i r Bread is of an extraordinary Whiteneí
and the beft W i n e that can be got for Love c
Mony," is afforded them without meafure. Bf
fides this, every Religious has in his own Apar
ment a Refervatóry, ftor'd with Fruit and othí
Neceífaries, fo that they may eat and drin
whenever they pleafe,and entertain their Frieñi
that come to Vifit t h e m , t o c h a r m t h e i r k í b m n e
of their Solitude. Some amongft them,who ai
of a melancholy T e m p e r a m e n t , a r e ib immers
in their Solitude, that they abhor all m a n n e r <
Converfation, and will not ib much as fpeak t
their Superiours: T h i s i s no Vertue,but rather
Savage-humour,that has got the Afcendent ovi
them, and makes them alnioft iníupportable i
themíelvesj and like Timón the Atientan,
th<
conceive an hatred againft all M a n k i n d . TI
greateft part of theíe,in proceís of time,becon
d i í l r a d e d , lofing the ufe of their Underftandií
and Reafon; and accordíngly they have bu
for theíe a very fair A p a r t m e n t . Every Ch
treux has his íeparate Apartrnent,which confii
of five or íix fair Rooms, very neatly furnia
Of Relkks,
8tc.
37
and adorn'd, with a neat Garden,which aparates one Apartment from another ; all which
Gardens have a D o o r that opens- into t h e Cloiíter,whichisof a prodigious length,andof a raoft
íumptuous and magnificent Stru¿ture,iníbmuch
as it doth n o t feem ib much contriv'd for the
Convenience of the Íeveral Cells, as for the imbelliíhment and ornament of the Place. T h e
great company of Strangers, w h o come thither
from all parts, either out of Curiofity orDevotion,íbrae about bufineís, others to Vifit íbme of
their Friends or K i n d r e d , has chang'd this Solitude into a place of great Concourfe, and coníequently made ¡t appear leís hideous to N a t u r e ;
and particularly in Summer-time m a n y Períbns
of Quality retire thither,there to enjoy the delicioüíhels of the place,and the cool A i r of the
M o u n t a i n T h e í e Fathers^to engage the frequenc
Viíitsof others, and to draw thither their Kindred a n d Friends, haveeftabliíhed Hofpitality
in this their Monaftery,and entertain every one
that comes, accordingto his Quality, both Per-*
fon and Attendantsywithoutcoftingthem a Fatv
thing- and a m a n ' m a y ft.ay there m a n y days,
according as they find his C o m p a n y either pleafrng or piofitablé. A t the firft they had alfo íbme
refpeét for t h e P o o r ; butatpreíént,if thoíe w h o
come there be n o r m e n qf Faíhion and in good
order,tliey are negleéted aríd'cbntemn'd. T h a t
part where they entertain Strangers, is a m o í t
ftately and íumptuous Building, containing Apartments for períbns of Quality of all Ranks
and. Degrses. The Chief Ofíicer of the Katchin
3
D 3
knows
38
The Firft
LETTBR,
knows w h a t kind of Entertainment is fuitabl
t o each Charaber,which is very exaítly obferv'c
By this we m a y gueís at the immeníe Riches c
theíe Fathers. You would beaftoniíh d, Sir, t
íee theíe Jnchorets, whoíe firft Inñitutor,S.5>'»»
fhew'd himfelf to befo great a lo ver of Poven
,
Rcürem.ent,
and Silence, are n o w by íucceffioric
Times, mounted to í b h i g h a degree of Ricln
a n d G r a n d e u r , a n d í b a r d e n t l y defjrousto chans
their Deíert,of it íélf ib íblitary and inacceffiblí
into a well inhabited C o u n t r y , and more fn
quented,than the great Roads that lead to gre;
a n d Capital Cities. T h e y boaft, that they f m
never been Reform'd fince their firft Infticutioi
but in góod earneft, Sir, think y o u not afrer a
this, that they ítand i n n e e d of a Sound Refo
mation? W e may conclude from henee, T b .
all thoíe great Eítbrts which are m a d e t o iii
mount Nature, which cannot fubfifí without
moft particular Grace andaffiftance from Go
which he vouchíafes to w h o m it pleaíeth hir
w h e n we will unadviíedly appropí iate the iam
a n d rafbly make profeííion of them,and tye o
áelves up t o them by Vows, d o com'monly ei
i n íhameful Weakneffes; which diícovers, tb
they were rather Artífices of the Devil,to lite i
the H e a r t of M a n , in order to his greater ta
. thán'the Motions of G r a c e , which are wont
huimble a n d abaíe the Sotil, in order to give
the Vi&ory over the W o r l d , the Flefh, a n d t
Devil. After thfo-ás it w e r e to caft Dwft in c
Eyes, and to divert us from making ány Reí
ékion upon fuch extravagant Diforders,they 1
N
Of Relkks, &c.
39
lis to the Chapel of S.Bruno, which is not above
a Quarter of a Mile diftant from the Monaftery,
upon the top of a Rock, furrounded with m a n y
Fir-Trees. T h e y told us,that this formerly had
been hisCell, and that a Spring of moftCIearW a t e r w e íaw t h e r e h a d been miraculoufly obtain'd by his Prayers, which reftor'd m a n y fick
perfons to their health, and though drunk to exceís,was never known to hurt any. T h e Bene*
diilin Fryer, w h o was my C o m p a n i o n in the
Voyage, drunk a great quantity of i t b y w a y o f
Devotion, but was much incommoded thereby
in coming dovrn from the M o u n t a i n ; which,
that he might derógate nothing from the M i racle,he attrjbuted to the cold and pent-in Air
of the Rocks. This Father alfur'd m e often,
whilft we were there,That he felt his Soul pierc'd
with an Extraordinary Devotion, and a great
Seníe of the Preíence of God ; and demandecl
of me, Whether I was not íenfible of the fame
thing ? I anfver'd, T h a t I w a s ; but withal,that
in all this I did not believe any thing t o be more
than what was very C o m r a o n ; it being very natural for Grottos, D a r k places, cloíe and íhady
Foreñs, vaft Caverns, and the Sources of Fountains and Rivers, to produce the fame efíeót in
us •, and íiot only íb,but that we oftenexperience,
w h e n we are alone by Night in great Buildings,
Chapéis, or Churches,that our Souls are mov'd
with a kind of H o r r o u r , which calis God to our
Remembrance,as I have often found by Experience in my Travels. A n d íbme few days after,
as I pafs'd t h e Mpes3wh\ch are very high MounP 4
tainSj
5
4
o
The Firíl
LEfTBR,
tains, in Gompany of this BenediStin , w h e n we
were come to a place which was very Solitary,
I oblig'd him to take notice, W h e t h e r it were
n o t indeed ib as I had faid ? Whereupon he in^
genuouíly acknowledged,That he found himíelf
h o leís mov'd, t h a n he had been at the great
Chartreufe. Nevertheleís,theíe Fathers make all
Strangers, that frequent this place,to take notice
of it as a ípecial Bleíling of G o d , vouchfafed to
this place by the Interceííion and Merits of S.
Bruno. Ic is an aftoniíhing thing to fee,That thoíe
Effeéts, which God as the Author of Nature
Works in us, are for the moft Pare by thoíe of
t h e Communion of Rome aícrib'dto God, as the
A u t h o r of Grace, and Worker of Miracles in
their behalf. So true it is, T h a t i t i s a very pleafing thing,and extreamly flattering the Pride of
M a n , to believe, T h a t God thinks us worthy to
be exempted from the,C°mmon-way, that he
m a y favour us in a more peculiar m a n n e r , not
ílicking every m o m e n t (for our fakes) to count e r m a n d the Natural Couríe of things here be!ow, by Prodigies and miraculous Operations.
W e carne d o w n from this Monaftery, by a very
N a r r o w - w a y between Rocks, for the fpace of
•near t w o Leagues, having on our left H a n d the
T o r r e n t of S.Lawrence, which precipitatesipíelf
w i t h a horrid Nolíe from the T o p of theMóunt a i n to the Bottom of it,where is íituatethe T o w n
of S.Lawrencefcom
whence it borrows jtsÑame.
AU the Neighbouring Country many Leagues about,belongs to the Religious of this Monaftery,
an,d every where are íeenftately' Piles of Build'•
ing
3
Of'Belicksy&c.
41
ng,andHou(es of Pleaíure,which they havecau •
(ed to be builc, with Pools and Ponds full of all
forts of rare Fiíh,to pleaíe their Palats. W e afterwards continu'd our W a y towards Savoy-t a n d
paffed the Alpes by the Way of Montfenú ; frora
whencewe carne d o w n into Fiedment, t o a l i t t l e
T o w n call'd Suja. Here,Sir,I intend to ftop,and
íhall conclude this Letter with this laft Refleítion, which I would defire you to make ; which
is, T h a t the Church of Rome is fo far from having any Cauíe,to pride her felf in her Religious
Orders, and of which íheboaíts ío much, as far
excelling the Froteñant G&«ra&,which has wholly
excluded t h e m , o u g h t r a t h e r u p o n t h a t a c c o u n t
to behumbVd; yea, to bluíh for í h a m e ; íeeing it
is evident, T h a t this fort of Men,under the ípecious pretexts of Devotion, Silence, and Retireraent, endeavour nothing elíe, but to acquire
theraíelves a great Efteem in the mindsof peopie, that by this means, t h e y may turn them
which way they pleaíe; and Experience makes it
appear, T h a t all this is done for their T e m p o r a l
Advantage. T h e y begin with the Spirit in appearance,butalways palpably end in the Fleíh. I
háve made íbme other more curious Dífcoveries
during my V o y a g e i n Italy,which I íhall be very
willing to communicate to you,incaíe 1 find you
are not offended with this m y firft L E T T E R ;
but that you have receiv'd it with the íame Spirit
of Charity and Z e a l , which I íhall always preferve for the Spiritual G o o d of fo dear a períbn
as being, Sir,
Th
The Second
The
LETTER,
SecondX,ETTER,
Of the Spirit of Revenge in tbe Ro*
tnifh Clergy, (ye.
SIR,
F
Oraímuch as there is nothing,the Church of
Rome more ífriclrly forbids her Children,
next to the Reading of the Scriptures, than the
perafing of thoíe Writings, which diícover the
Lives and Doétrin of her Paftors, whom it is her
wiíl they íhould follow Blind-fold, withoutexamining either what they íay or d o ; I had íbme
fear for m y firft Letter, left it m i g h t h a v e given
offence,becauíe it made íprnedifcoveries toyou
of their Conduéh But feeing the kind Welcome
you afforded it, I hope that the Refleétion you
have made upon it, and the good inclination
y o u exprefs, in declaring yourwillingneís to be
íbrther inform'd by me on this Subje¿t, may at|
length conduce to the opening of your Eyes, to
lee the dangerous condition you are in. And
feeing Idefire nothing more,than tp ferve asan
inftrurnent to produce ib good an effeét.; I íhal!
" gladly continué, Sir, to communicate the Qbfervationsl have made, during m y Travels, about matters of Religión.
Being arriv'd at Sufa, a ímall T o w n of Vid
mont in Italjv and íiibjeót to the D u k e of Savofi
Of the Spirit of Revevge 8i&.
t
43
i?e were told that the Body of S. Maurus Abbot
.nd firft Difcíple of S.Bennet,
repos'd i n o n e o f
h e Churches of this place. A n d foraímuch as
he Father,that was m y Companion in m y T r a rels,was a Reform'd Benediótin, of the Congrejation of S.Maurus in Frunce; I ask'd h i m w h e :her he would n o t go t o pay his duty t o t h a t R e ique of his BleíTed Founder. ? But he very frec,y told me,that he would takeheed of doing ib,
idding that the Italians were great Cheats, w h o
pretended to have ali the Saints of Paradife i n
their Country,whereas indeed there was nothing
more falíe; foras much as the Body of S.Maurm,
was preíerv'd whole and entire, i n one of their
Abbies in Franco. And moreover affur'd me that
the Bodies of S-Bennet, and S.Scholafiica
were
there likewiíe, the one in the ímall T o w n o f S .
Bennet on the River Loire near Orleans,a.nd the o-
ther at Mam; notwithítanding the I¡aliara contefted with them about alltheíé Reliques, and a
vaft number of others,of moft authentick Authority; and that upon n o other ground, but that of
the Popes Bulls, which they have procur'd, íaid
he,by íbme artifice or other,for this purpoíe,and
which declare them t o be truc and lawful poífeííbrs of theíe Reliques, tho' clear contrary to all
Evidence d r á w n from Hiftory and Tradition,
But Father,íaid I,do you remember thediícourie
you held two days ago, as we pafied the Jipes, to
prove the Pope's Infallibility,which you extended with ío much heat and earneftneís, n o t only
to mattersof Right, but alio to matters of Faét ?
T h e qiiefíion then put was this, h o w the Popes
could
44
The Second
LETTER,
could grane íuch thundring Bulls, fraugh
Excommunications and Ánathemas ;
thoíe who d o n o t believe, that the Hp
Loretto, was Tranfported from the Holy
b y Angels, to that part of Italy, when
íuppoíed to íiand at preíent; as likewiíe i
thoíe w h o íhould deny, that a great Moi
neaf to the City of Cajeta in the Kingdi
Naples, which is open at the T o p , and
w e r e íplit in-two, was one of thoíe Rock
w e r e R e n t at the Paífion of our Saviour
Chrift ? You then affirmed that the Pope
íuch occafions, wasaífiífed with aq Inf
Dirección, from the H o l y G h o f t ; and
quently, that it was imponible for him
deceived himfelf, or to deceive others
m o r e than in matters of Faith it íelf; and
eípecially yet, in a café of giving Rei
. W o i í h i p to fome objetSfc of Devotion, a
is, which is given to the Houíe of Lorettt
to the H o l y M o u n t a i n ; and h o w then ca
n o w fay, Father, with reípeft to your S.A
and S. Bennet, or any other whatíbever
thoíe Popes, who declar'd againft you in í
of the Italiam, have been miftaken ? Is.not
cafe of Woríhip, as well as that of Lorettoi
Party was but vifible, and the good Fathei
needs have entangl'd himíelf in a moit t r
íbme contradiétion: Wherefore to avoi
íhame and confufion that thence would ha
low'd, he choíe rather to turn his ahíwer
piece of Raillery, iaying,he confeís'd that 1
indeed a very bad politician, becauíe v/hen
Of the Spirit of Revengefác.
4^
on the Alpes h e í p a k e like an It alian, but that aC
preíent heípoke as a Frenchman. Becauíe it is true,
that the People of Italy, efpecially thofe of t h e
Popes Territories, do o w n the Popes Infallibility
in rhattersof Fa¿t, which the greateft p a r t o f the
R o m á n Catholicks of France d o deny. T h i s diftin£tion of ípeaking as an Italian, or as a Frenchman
was indeed very frivolous; and intruth if it w e r e
permitted to utter ones opinion fometimesaccording to the humour of one Cotintry, and ibmetimes of another,if our Benediblinh&d ípoken like
a Germán or an Hu?igarian,he would have reduc'd
the Papal Authority to a very low E b b : For I
have obíerv'd in my Travels, that theíe People,
tho' for the moír part they profeís the Romiíh
Religión, yet have this advantage, that they believe little of it.Without doubt,Sir,it would much
better have becomeJiim,to have ípoken as a Chriftiaü ought to do, -viz,. Like a good and honefi:
man,with a íincere and unbyafs'd'Spirit,ft rengthened by Grace,íupported by Reaíon,and grounded upoiithe Holy Scripture •, for then would h e
never have attributed the Title of Jnfaílible to a
mortal man upon Earth,which belongs toGod alone. I was ready to givehimmy thoughts to this
purpofe,but I calfd to mind that I wasgot into Ita/y,where one only word might drag me before the
cruel and mercilefs Tribunal of the Inquifition,
and therefore thought it more wiíüom to hold m y
Peace.HoweverI c o u l d n o t but make this reflexión on theíe proceedings of the Religious, that in
cafes wherein the P n e í r s o r Monks find their advantage, or in things altogether indiíferent to
5
them
46
The Second L E
TTER^
«hería, they a r e n ó t w a n t i n g w i t h open M o u t h ttí
publiíh the Popes Infallibility ; but w h e n his I n íállibility íeems in the leaft to claíh with their
interefts, he is n o more than an ignorant and
miftaken m a n , w h o may be bubbled as well as an y other. F r o m Safa we camero T « r á , w h i c h is
a very fine C i t y , fituate upon the Banks of the
River To, and the Court of the Dukes of Savoy,
H e r e it was that á dawning of the Beauty of the
Churches of Italy, prelented it íelf to our E y e s ;
T h e greateft part of the Pariíh Churches, M o nafteries a n d Convents are very Sumptuouíly
built, and moft Richly adorned within. N o t h i n g is feen in them, but Marble, Porphyry,
Jafper Stones, and moft exquiíite Guilding and
Painting. T h e Crofles, the Candlefticks,Lamps,
Statues,and Cales of the Relicks are all of Gold
a n d Silver, and almoft infinite in number and
valué. Some good French Priefts,who had joyn'd
themfelves with us,to take a view of the Churches
were in a ftrange rapture at ib dazling a fight,
and being inwardly mov'd to fee ib many T e m ples of the Lordjíb gloriouíly adorn'd, wept for
j o y : For as in their j o u r n y from France, they
h a d taken their way rhrough Gene-va, and the
Sivifs Cantens, where they had feen the Proteítanc Churches, devoid almoft of all material
Embelliíhments, they from thence concluded,
( h o w truly I lea ve you to judge ) that there was
n o other true Religión, befides that of the
Church of Rome, whofc zeal for the Houíe of
G o d , was an evident Witneís of the truth of her
Faith. I told them that this their conclufion
s
feem'd
Of the Sfirit of Revengefác.
47
feem'd to me to be built upon very weak Princí
ples,and that where we h a d a mind to p r o v e t h e
truth of any Religion,the G r a n d e u r and Riches
of the W o r l d were too weak premiíes to íiipport
a concluñon; and that for my part, if I were t o
fórm a prefumptive Argument in favour of a n y
Religión, I íhould fooner take it from the good
life and manners of thoíe that profefs it,
than from the íumptuous O r n a m e n t s of their
Churches. T h e y íhew'd us the C h u r c h T r e a í u ry,where is preíerv'd the holy Shrowd or Sheet,
andíbon after the Canons and Priefts entred the
Quire,to Sing their Vefpers and Complins which
are the Evening'Prayersof the Church of Rome.
T h e y eñtr'd without any order and very uncíecently, talking and laughing together,and puíhing one anothers Elbows. T h e firft come, without expectingtillthe reft wereíeatedin their places,began to fing the Office: and that which
might well have lafted an hour and half, in c'aíe
it had been faid with the required Paules devoutly and modeftly,as it ispraétiíed in the Comraon
Prayer of the Church oíEngland;
was diípatch'd
in leís th'ana quarter of an hour, with a ftrange
kind of precipitation, ib that it wasfcarcely pcfíible to diftinguifli between one word and another, or between the end and beginning of the
Verles. I n truth,Sir,wére it lawful to judge of the
Conícienees of men, from any thing that is outward, I might have had good reaíbn to infer
from their behaviour, that their Hearts were
much ftranged from the words of their Lips, and
their Lips and their Hearts y e t f u n h e r from God*
They
4§
The Second
LETTER,
T h e y did not much weary our Patience with
hearing t h e m ; and the Service being thus roundly diípatch'd, they rather fled, than went out of
Church,every one hisown way. T h e Father that
was with me,perceivingthatIwa*Scandaliz'd at
it,told me,as having had íbme former experiencs
of Italy,by ajóurny he had before made through
i t ; that it was not yet time for me to be oífended,
and that the nearer I íhould appear to Rome, the
more cauíe I íhould find for it. I had been told
indeed, that the furtherl went, the more ífately
C h u r c h e s I íhould find,andthe morerichlyadorn e d : So that joyning theíe t w o together, I concluded, that all this outward Bravery and Ornament, did not proceed from the piety orzeal of
the Clergy of Italy for the Houíe of G o d ; becauíe
they negleéted the chief Glory and Embelifhment of it,?/¿z,.the inward,and that íbmething elle
muft be the motive to it,as I diícover'd afterwards,
a n d of which 1 íhall give you a more particular
account upon another occafion. After we had
viíited the Cíiurches, towards Evening, we went
to vie w the great Piaz,z,a of Turin, facing the Pálace of his Roy al Highnefs. Here w e faw many
TheatersorStages of Rope-Dancers and Mountebanks, wherewith the Market-Placesof the Cities in Italy ¡uro always well provided, for the Satisfaétion of the Publick.But that which furpriz'd
me moft was, that the greateft part of thoíe that
affifted as Auditors and Spedators about thoíe
TheaterSjWereeither Prieíts or Monks,who claped their h a n d s i n Applauíeofthe moftRidiculous
a n d Scandalous ftuff they produc'd, and laugh'd
Of the Spirit of Re%>engejkc.
49
vñih all their might. Wefaw thereof all íórtsof
Oalers,íbmeFatker-jeluks,that feemed the moft
concern'd for theíe Fopperies.íaluted the Father
Benedectm thac was with us; and having uhderftood that he was Procurator General of the Order,they oífer'd him an eminenc place,near unto
themlelve?,which he accepted of, For my part,!
was unwilling to engage my felf in the concern,
and retir'd with the two French Priefts to our Inn.
We had opportunity the íame Evening of difc
courfing of Count Zamberti, an Officer of his
Roy al Highneís, whom formerly I had íeen in
Frtmce, and we could not keep our íelvés from
acquaintin? him , hbw írrangely we hád been,
furp rized,to ice íó many Religious at the public
Shews, and ío attentiva to the íewd Fooieries of
Butfoons, becauíe we look'd upon it as' very un.-worthy and ícandalous, ánd that no íuch thing
was to be íeen in France.He told us,that this was
not that which ought molí to íurprize us, for
that in Italy, thoíe of the Clergy who did corámonly frequenc the Piazz.a in the Evening,were
the moft eíteemcd ofas being ordinarily the beft
ámongft them ; becauíe the reft atthe íame tinie
were for the moft part either irí Whore-Houíes,
or at T a v e r n s , in compañy of their Wenches..
Here I turn'd my íelf toour French Priefts, and
faid,Well Gentlemen, what ía? you now ? D o
you think you concluded welt from the Magnjficence of the Churelies of this Country , that
their Religión and Piety rnuft needs be the beft,
becauíe their Churches were the moft ítately and
íámptuous?whereas you lee that theíe who ought
E
in'
5
o
The Second LETT
ER,
in a more efpecial m a n n e r , t o be the líving
T e m p l e s of thejHoly Ghoft, abandon themíelves
í o íuch execrable Profaneneís and Debaachery?
As tú that which w e alledged,that n o fuch lewd
deportments were to be found amongft our Ecclefiafticks in France, the C o u n t very wiíely Rep l y ' d , That for that we might thank the Proteffiants) for that it was only their Prefence that
•maintained the Learning , Modefiy,
and referved€arriage of the Clergy of the Gallícan Church, ani
if they once Jhould be forced to quh the Countryf^for,
the Kings Defgn was already known her¿)we Jhouli
foon fee all Sciences and Vertues exiíd with them:
T h i s , Sir, agrees incomparably well with what
íbme Períbns of Quality of t h e Román Cotnmu-:
nion have of late freely owned to me,Thatthey
begin already in France to perceive , that lince!
t h e Proteftants have been baniíhed thence, andí
t h a t they believed t h e m far enough from t h e m
t h e burning Z e a l of the Eccleíiafticks is turríd
t o Lukewarmneís, their Devotion g r o w n cold,
a n d their application to their Studies beconif
very fíat and languiíhing. So that at preíenf
t h e y are íeldom found at their B o o k s , but fe'
t h e moít part Ranging from one Houíe to ano
ther, upon pretence of encouraging and con
firming their n e w Perverts, and boaíting therf
íelves for great D o ¿ t o r s , with what they havn
iearnt,at a time w h e n they were forced upon bí
£he learnedWritings, and clofé Arguings of tlij;
Proteftant Minifters. I return n o w to my Voé
agejfeut before I leave7»r¿»,beeauíel have alre|i
d y made mention of theChurch,whereiniske[|
:
:
Of theSpírit of Reve»ge,&cc.
51
£he Holy Shrowd or Linnen-íheet, wherein íhey
pretend our Saviours dead Body was w r a p t ; I
íúppoíe you will not take it amiís, if I tell y o u
in íhort w h a t I think of it. T h e y of y o u r R e l i gioníuppoféitto be the fame Shrowd o r L i n n e n
Sheet,in which Jofepb oíAñmathea
wrapt up and
buried the preciousBody of ourLord Jeíus Chriíf,
after that it wastaken d o w n from the. Croís,and
that the Figure of that.adorable Body remains
Miraculouíly imprinted upon it,for the comfort
of Believers. I intend not to enter the Liíts about the truth of that Hiítory , which I never
iearched into ; but I íhall only tell you, Sir, that
there is another of them to be feen in the C a .thedral of Befan$on in Burgundy,
which they
maintain to be the fame in which Jofepb wrapt
¿the Body of our Saviour: Se ve ral Popes,accordj n g t o their diftin¿t fancies and h u m o r s , have
¿ranted íeveral Bulls and Indulgences, fome to
.that of 7m»,others to that of Befan con,unrí\ thac
íheíe Conteftations raifed fuch extream Feuds
letween theArchbiíhopsof theíe two Cities thac
| t laft they fell to Libelling one a n o t h e r ; where| p o n , t o ftifle the fíame from ípreading further,a
fvay was found out at Rome, to recoñcile them,
by deteimining (contrary to the exprefs words
©f the Vulgar TranÜanon, Matt.zj.
&
involvü
5
IjW Smdoneinunda,
andivrapt
it m a. clean
Linnen-
#tó;where the word Sindone is in the Singular
|íumber)that there were two, and confcquently
§iat both the one and t'other of them were t r u c
cannot indeed be denied, but that there was
eh á Shrowd or Liunen-cloth,and it ispoffible
E i
ib?.
The Second L BÍ7
BR,
that with great care it m i g h t h a v e been preíen
till now;but to fee theChurchofRczw,for the
conciling of t w o Biíhops,with ib much eafme
boldly to determin that there were t w o , w h
t h e Scripture íeems but to lpeak of one ; this
t h a t which will n o t go d o w n with M e n of U
derftanding : A n d moreoverto o r d a i n , t h a t t
lame Worfhip and Adoration be given to the
b o t h onEí5r/?er-^,which is given to the Croís
Good-Friday, which does not differ at all fre
what is given to Jeílis Chrilt himfelf: T h i s is
lels t h a n downright Impiety and Idolatry.
After lome days ftay at Turin , finding i
íelf within two da} s Journy of Genoua,t\\Q ct
ofity of íeeing that Lofty C i t y , made me refo
t o go thither. However, I found íbme ftrife
m y íelf about it, becaufe of the Satisfa¿tioi
h a d enjoyM in the C o m p a n y of my Benedií
whoíe Converíation was indeed very pleaí
a n d agreeable; as finding, that if I contini
m y Reíblution , it would be neceffary for u<
p a r t ; for the Letter of Obedience,which he 1
íhewed me of his G e n e r a l , espreífed, that
was without ítop or ffay to go dire¿tly to Re
I communicated to h i m m y Reíblution of
ing to Genoua, whereupon he immediately i
me, T h a t he was reíblved to go along with :
and that he would order the matter ib , as
Superiours íhould know nothing of it^ and
cordingly in the Letter he wrote to them fi
Turin , acquainting them , that being not
wholly recovered from fome Fits of á n Aguí
had, had, he íhould be obliged to remain ti
53
Of ths Spirit of Revengejkc,
ftill for íome days, which was juítthe very time
he took,to go this J p u r n y with me. I found by
íhis, that the moíl Reformed Monks make n o
great ícruple of violating the Obedience they
have Vowed to obferve, and to tranígreís t h e
Rules they profeís, upon the leaíf. occafion that
preíents it felf to them, of any particular íatiC
fa&ion. T h e ufe of Meat was alio forbid him by
his Rule,and yet he no lboner found himíelf at
a diltance from the Monaíteries of his Order,
but he made bold with it;and as íbon as he mee
with another, he took up his Obfervance again-,
asbefore, defiring me not to divulge that ever
he had tranígreífed ir. A n d in the mean time, I
can fay with truth , that I never ü w a m o r e
Rigorous Ceníór of another mans actions than
he was,when he was in the company of M o n k s ,
who were not Reformed , or who took more liberty than thofe of their Congregation;he would
undertake them in a high manner, yea,with Iníolence it felf: H e faid , He could not look upon
them any hetter than damr?d Souls, andivorfe
than
Devils.
Neither had he any more charitable
Opinión for the People, whom the Monks, by
way of difr.in¿tion,term the People of the World
and Worldlings,with which Words they denote
all Laymen in general. It íeem'd to h i m impoffible for a man that liv'd at large in the W o r l d ,
to be íaved,except he took up and confin'd himíelf to a C o n v e n t ; yea,and it muft be in a Convent of his Order too. If by chance he íaw in
the Streets a W o m a n well dreis'd , without ex.=;
amining whsíhw her Condición, or íoine other
E 3
''
jeafojR(
:
| f
The Second
LETTER,
xeaíbn might oblige her to it, h e immediate
pronouñced a Sentence of Eternal Condemn
tion againft h e r ; faying, That ¡be was aVicli
deftiti'dto
the Tlames of Hell;a.nd if he heard ípe;
of any períbns newly married , or that h.
obtained íbme good Fortune, Alasifúd
he)tb<
ferfons make their. Paradice of this World^ but ti
¡hall burn for ever in the other for it. A n d th
without excepting any whatíbever,and puttin^
, wrongcoriítru¿tion"upon the moft i n n o c e n t ,
étions, hejudged with an inveteracy of hea
w h a t belongs alone to God to judge of. Whai
now íay,is not only to be underftood of this E
- ligíous alone,but generally almoft óf all forts
Reformed Religious,or thoíe whoprofeís a me
ítriét Life than others;and of Secular Priefts al
•who by their little Superítitious ways,pretend
be quite diñinguiíh'd from the C o m m o n íbrt
P e o p l e : 1 have obferved, that they judge M
without Mercy. Some have own'd to m e , ti
from their youth up they have been aecuñon
t o theíe Idea's, the W o r l d having been alw
repreíented to them as a tempeítuous andrag:
Sea,whence it isvery rare for any one toeíca
without being Shipwreck'd, and that their JV
nafteries are the very Ports oí Salvation and
Havens of G i a c e , where it is impoffible to
?iíh. W h e r e a s k were much better, to educ
t h e m in a Spirit of Humility ,and to inípire th
-with charitable T h o u g h t s towards their Nei
•bour, whether they be joyned with t h e m in
í a m e profeffion of Life ¿ o r e n g a g e d inanot
jsray, to which we oughtChriítian-liketobeli
Of the Spirit of Revenge.&q.
t h a t G o d h a t h called them.This indeed w e muíl
o w n , that it feems to be the unhappy L e t of all
Períbns whatíoever^thatengage themfelves in a
party ,not to have any confideration,but for thoíe
of their o w n c o m p a n y , deípifing a n d condemning all the reft. I t was this confideration without doubt, that m a d e our Fathers, t h e firft Reformers of Religión, to diíapprove, and afterwards to rejeét all theíe kind of Inequalities
which by dividing men into íeveral different
States,do ordinarily divide their Hearts alíb,and
by this raeans íeparate t h e m from the Charity
of Jeíus Chrift.But to return to ourBe»e<fi#*»,who
as he was extreamly rigorous toothers,fo was he as
indulgent to himfelf. H e was naturally very Comical and inclin'd to Raillery,and did not affe¿t
thatMonkiíh gravity,but uponcertainoccafions.
We arrived atGenoua the l(t of September.
Being informed that there was a very fair A b b y
of his O r d e r in the City, called S. Catherine of
GenouaJríQ would needs go and lodge there , i h
hopes of being as well Entertain'd , as he had.
been h k h e r t o i n the the íeveral Monafteries he
had called at. H e w e n t and prelented his Letter
of Obedience to the Abbot, w h o having read it,
took a view of h i m from T o p t o T o e : H e ask'd
him,of w h a t Order h e was? H e a n í w e r ' d , T h a t
his Letter íhewed t h a t , and t h a t h e was a R e form'd BenedicTm : T h e other reply'd, T h a t h e
believ'd nothing of w h a t hefaid,becaufe he was
not in the Hable of S. Bennet, which was t h e
chief Mark which diftinguiílfd their Order»
5
s
Nowit is to berioted>thatthefe Monte iní™»**
JÓ
The Second LETTE
R,
wear G o w n s of couríe-Cloth, w i t h a C o w l cut
very ftrait; whereas the halians have extreamly
amplified theirs, and wear Stuffs very fine and
luftrous; they are very neatly íhod , wear SilkStockins,fine grey Hats,and aré n o t a whit inferior to the Bravery of Lay-men. Moreover, a
fmall diíference in the Habits in Italy,make$ alio
a diíference of O r d e r . T h e r e are a b o u t T e n íbrts
of theReligiousof the O r d e r of
S.Francis,which
are only diftinguifh'd from one another ,becauíe
íbme of them have their SIeeves, or their Cowls,
t w o or three Fingers-breadth larger than the
others. A n d yet this makes ib great a divilion
between t h e m , that they cannot endure the
fight of one anúther,and hate one another mqrtally. T h e M o n k oí w h o m I ara ípeakíng,was
n o t fprucely enough accommodated, according
t o their M o d e to pleaíe this nice and curious
Abbot; and the conclufion was, T h a t he very
baíely deny'd him entrance into his Monaftery.
T h e poor BenediÜtn was put into fuch a rage by
this Aífront put upon him,that he could not forb e a r d o w n r i g h t R a i l i n g a t the A b b o t i n his own
Monaftery; telling him , That he was an "Abbot
accurs'd of God; that Damnation would be his portíon,and that aü thoje who lived underhis
ConiuB^
might malte fiate to go to Hell with him.; that it was
they that had changed the Venerable Habit of thé
Order, and' altePd it to that de'gree , that it feemd
at prefent rather contris d to fleafe and enticeyoung
Ladies , than 1o diflinguijh them from the People of
ihe World; and that they would fee one day, but
alet too late, i what a Receptiva their
gbriom Satñ:
•
.
arch
Of the Spirit of Revengejkc.
t¡y
afch would afford them in Heaven,to that poor Habit
which he had upon his Body,and ivhich they vilified
fo much here on Earth. T h e Abbot found himfelf
ío extreamly neded at this I n v e d i v e , that h e
threamed our Reformed M o n k , T h a t in caíe he
did not that very Evening depart the C i t y , he
would tajee care to ítop his Pipes for him.
T h e poor Monk frighted and trembling at his
Threat,returns to the I n n where I was,and gave
me an accounc of his difafter.This was the reaíon,
that I ftaid only three days at Genoua , becauíe
my C o m p a n i o n , for fearof being íacrificed to
the Italick Revenge,duríf not ftir abroad,but was
fain to keep himíelf íhut up in a Chamber, all
- the while I ftaid there to take a view of the
City.
Revenge is an abominable Vice, and which at
preíent is not wiíhout great Reaíon particularly appropriated t o t h e Italians; but certainiy
amongft them all, there are none who exerciíe
and a d it with greater Rage and F u r y than the
C l e r g y , w h o , as they have no Famiiies to care
for, their Attention is leís divided, and coníequently more united and concentred, to reíenc
Injuries done unto them , and have alio more
leiíiire time to deícant upon them ; and befides
all t h i s , in caíe of any A c c i d e n t , they have
none but their o w n períbns to.íáve. Neither d o
they fear íó much as others the Conñfcation of
their Goods, as being aífured, T h a t whatíbever
C o u n t r y their Lot may caft them upon,íb it be
theRomijh Communion,they cannot mifsof getting a livelyhood by their Mafíés, and of being
furniíh'd
5S
fbé Second
LETTER,
furnifh'd with a full ííippíy of their Neceffiti
T h i s is a Patrimony that follows them whith<
íoever they go, and c a n n o t be taken away frc
them,but-with their Life. O n e thing which e
treamly facilitates the takingof Revenge in Ita
is,the great number of petty Principalities, in
which it is divided; and whereof the Princ
are all of them independent one of another,ai
extreamly jeaíous of preferving their Righ
eípecially of TrotebJion and Refuge, to thoíe vvl
having dome íbme ill T'urn, retire themíelves
theirTerritories.TheK.ing oi'France would íboi:
a n d w i t h m o r e eaíe obtain a Fugitive perf<
from t h e E m p e r o r , than from the'üuke of A
randida, whofe Territories do not extend thei
felves to three It alian Miles; becauíe always x.
m o r e inconüderable any Power is, the m o r e
írrives to appear great. T h e (ppmmoñwealth
S.Marh,is but an inconfideraBíéHamlet ofabo
l o m e Fifty Houíes of poor Peaíants who are g
vern'd by themíelves: A n d t h o ' they be íhut
on every fide by the P^eYTerritones,which th
cali the Domaine of $.¥eter,yQt they do giveíí}
a refblute Prote¿tiontoPriefts guilty of M u r t h
or Manílaughter, that it is n o t poííible for t
Pope to perfuade t h e m , to deliver up any pne
them.Ncither are the'Sovereign Princes óf It,
only thus jealous of the Franchiíes of their
irates, but alfb a l l períbns of Quality in gener
w h o will not permit a Malefaétor to be ieiz'd
their Houíes. I íhall here tell y o u b y the by, S
t h a t it is this pretended Liberty,.which was.t
Rife of theFranchife or Liberty of the Arab
3
Of the Spiritof
Revenge&c.
adors of Crowned-Heads at Rome, and which
:aus'd'the great Difpute betweenPope InnocentSl.
ind the French King:For íeeing the AmbaíTadors
to diítinguiíh themfelves, were willing to have
fome priviledge above the ordinary Nobility
they did not only pretend to have a n I m m u n i t y
for their Palaces, but over aiidí above, a n entirc
Franchife throughout all thé Qtiarters w h e r e
their abode was. N o w Pope lnnocent t h e X I . c o n ceiv'd it an Enterprize becoming his Glory a n d
Courage, efficacioufly to endeavour the final deítrucHon of theíe Retreats for Robbers and MurtherersinRo?we,obliging the AmbaíTadors for ever
to renounce the Franchiíes of the Quarters, a n d
to contentthemfelves,forthereípe£fc born to their
Maftersjwith the Immunity of their Houíés.Bur.
to fpeak truth, T o w h a t p u r p o í e w a s i t for t h e
Pope to be fo zealouíly bent,to aboliíh theíe places of Refuge ? D i d not he k n o w , that all t h e
ChurcheSjMonañeries, Convente, and Colleges
ofi?o»2í,are ib many open places,which one meets
with at every turn,where Injuítice, Inceíf, R o b bery and M u r t h e r are protefted andfecured ? I
confefs,it feems not unreafonable,that theChurches of G o d íhould be efteem'd íbHoly and Sacred,
as to make it a kind of Profanation to enter t h e m
Armed, in order to íeize a C r i m i n a l ; but w h a t
reaíbn is there to allow the fame Priviledge t o
all Cloifters andHouíés of thoíe wretchedMonks,
that are the very woríf of Crimináis? A n d the
compaís of whofe Walls take up fo much ground,
that if they were all joyn'd together,they woulti
without doubt make more than a third part of
Rome;
}
6o
The Second
LÉTTER,
Rome^má whatis the Sacrednefs and Holineísof
theíe profanePeríbnSjfor which they are to enjoy
this Exemption i F o r m y part,I cannot imagin
any'Other reaíon for it, but that the Pope, with
the reí! of the Eccleliaftical Princes of that Commünion, endeavouring n o leís to eftabliíh their
T e m p o r a l Power., than their Uíürped T y r a n n y
over the Souls of Men,will be very baükward of
diminiíhing the Priviledges belonging" to the
Monaíteries that are amongftthem; leíÍForeign
Princes following their Example, íhould undertake the famein their Countries;and íeeingjthat
t h e M o n k s always fide with the Pope,the taking
of this ccuríc would be a manifeft weakning of
their o w n Party. Moreover,theíe Monks are of
iüch mean and interefledSpirits,that if the Pope
or a Cardinal fend to them , to deliver up any
t h a t have taken Refuge with them,they i'mme"diately coniply with the Demand,as being well
pleaíed to'have this occaíion., to procure their
.Favour at fo cheáp, a r a t e : But if any other Secular Lord comes to requeft any iüch thing of
theñijtheñ they ifand ftiffly in defence of their
Priviledges,and without a good piece of Mony
i n h a n d will nevér grant their Requeft. Eípecially if tríe Criminal be a Monk,br a Clergy-man;
'and indeed(as was mention'd before) that'.w.liich
makes them ío bold in revenging themíélyes, is
the aífurance they have of being always feconded and affifted by íbme of their Brotherho'od:
F o r upon any íuch occafions,they are very ready
to take one anothers part;íb that it is impoffible
to offend any one of t h e m , without éngaging
3
Óf
the Sfirtt
of Revengefkc.
6i
with a whoíe Party.For either they are Monks ó r
Fryers,ánd ib areFellow-raembers with all thoíe
of the íame Order,Convent, or Monaftery ; or
they are Secular Priefts,and ib make up one Body with all the other Prieffs of their Dioceís,
Cathedral,or Pariíh, there being nevera Church
ib inconfiderable,that has not at leaft fifteen or
twenty Prieftsbelongingtoit: So t h a t w h e n a n y
one Member of the fame Body is offended, all
the reír are affeéted by fympathy,and endeavóur
to revengeit,as done to themíelves.'Tisevident,
that a Spirit of Charity does not engage t h e m
to thefe couríes; for Charity avengeth n o t it
íelf: But'tis a k i n d o f Natural pleaíur'e they take,
to make óthers feel the effecls of their Rage and
Fury, that have either offended them, or thoíe
they have any Relation to ; and which makes
them iay with one of their Poets,
Dolciffima, Mortali, e la Vendetta ;
Revenge is the jweettft
thing in-the World.
. .
M y íelf, when I was at Bononia, counted no Ieís
than Seventeen in oneWeek,that had been íacrificedto this Infernal Fury,andwho(for the mofe
part of t h e m ) had been murthered by either
Monks or Prieíls. T h e great Provoíí,who there
is called the Bargello , having by O r d e r of the
Cardinal- A.rchbiíhop made íearch for a Monk,
w h o very ícandaloufly kept a publick Stews,was
one of the number of theíe nnhappy Vicxims,
being milerablyMaífacredonE«y?-fr-í-/^',as he was
coming out of a Church.One of themoft dreadful means theClergy have to glut their Vengeance,
is
6T.
The
SecondLETTER,
is the hqu'íjítion, w h i c h they have introducid under t h e pretext of Religión; úio' indeed it be the
moft Diabolical Invention that was ever forg'd
inHell,and which they d o as dexterouíly manage
for theíerving of their particular felf-ends.They
have made it an Inquifition-matter for any to
ftrike aífroüt,
or vilifie any perlón belonging t o
theClergy, w h e t h e r Secular or Regulan I will.
give you a n Inftance h o w they proceeded at
Bonoma,a.gsánñ
an h o n e f t M a n of m y Acquaintance,who in the heat of his Paffion had calfd a
Dominican Fryer,Oíd Fool of a Monk. T h e F r y e r
ímmediately w e n t and made his Complaint to
t h e Inquintor,who forthwith caus'd the Youngm a n to be leiz'd, and cali: into the InquifitionPriíon,where he continu'd tenMonths before ever
a n y enquiry was made about the Cauíe of his
C o m m l t m e n t . A t laít he wás brought before the
Sacred T r i b u n a l ; and foraímuch as he could not
deiiy,but that h e had calledthe Fryer, Oíd Fool of
a Monk; his Indiftment was d r a w n up to this
3
p u r p o í e : He who doth not rejfecl
Chur'ch~men
doth not belietie the Ecclefiafiick Eftate Tvorthy of
Honour, and confequently is an Heretick: Noiv it is
a-pfarenti that you have had no reffecT: for Brother
Nicholas,w¿o is an Ecclefafiick;
and confeejuently,
neither do you think the Ecclefafiick State ivorthy
of Honour, and therefore are an Heretick.
The
t
Defendant pleaded for himíelf,That it was true
h e called the Plaintiíf, Oíd Fool, but only with
reípeót to his períbn,without intending the leaft
refleétion upon his Profeífion. But the Plaintiíf
infifted T h a t he called him Fool$ with reípecí
tes
Of the Sfirit ofReQengefkc.
6$
ro hisProfeffion,by joyning the wordMonk. w i t h
that reproachful word,and without adding theíe
words, S aving y our CharacJer. F o r true it is,That
if in Italy a man chance t o affront a Prieít or a
Monk, by calling them, Knaves, Rafeáis, or the
like, ib he d o but remember immediately t o
íubjoyn, Saving your Characler , or Saving your
fíabit, they cannot make an Inquifition matter
of i t ; but if by miíchance this be forgot, he is
undone. T h u s this poor Gentlemán was found
guilty. As for Striking any one of the Clergy,in
what manner íbever it be , whether íbrely or
ílightly,it is always a mátter the Inquifition takes
cognizanceof.And this is that which makes the
Men of the Church ib peremptory and infblent:
throughout all Italy. 1 hapned at Rome to fee a
Prieft,who fell out with an Ofñcer in the Piaz,z,a
Navona:Thc Qfficer very dexteroufly and freely
ftain'd the Prieít with his Tongue,never forgeting at the end of each Injury , to compliment
him with a Saving his Characler; which ib confounded the poor Prieít,that quite foamingwith
Rage, he began to íay to the People that ftood
about; Gentlemen, I mufi fut this man into the Inquifition, for if I be not mifiakenjoe firuck me: Did
not you fee him to give me a flight firoak ? I n d e e d ,
he could have wiíh'd he had with all his heart,
that ib he might have had an opportunity to have
profecuted hisRevenge; b u t n o n e o f thoíe that
were preíent having feen any fuch thing , they
could not witneís againft him.TheItalianshave
a Proverb , That he who would Uve peaceably atRomCj mufi take heed of offendwg any Female , or
Priejt
6'4
The
SécwiLEtTER
s
Triefi. ; hecaufe the Women procure their Lovers to
ivorh. their Revenge, andtheClergy make.ufe of the
Inquifitimjo avenge themfehies. Tis true indeed,
that Períbns.ofRankarnongít thern, as Abbots,
Biíhops, and Cardinals, do not ordinarily make
ufe of this means, as appcaring to them a little
t o o troubleíbm.They have Servants and Dspendents, w h o for Mony,or to obtain íbme Favour.,
d o voluntarily offer themíelves to be the Exé~
cutioners of their Revengo ; and íf at any time
they chance to be íéized in the A£t,they are but
very little concern'd at it,fully relying upon their
Maíiers Power and Authoríty , w h o are neve-r
wanting,by all manner of meáns,to procure their
diícharge and liberty.As for the Popes,who are
n o m o r e exempt from this weakneís chalí other
m e n , neithcr d o they forget, upon occalion., to
m a k e uíeof the Power they have in their bands;
but Hke other M o n a r c h s , whenever they are
oífended, íhew themíelves to have long Hands,
T h e r e is n o fpeaking to thefe Holy Fathersj of
Hum.ility,orPatience iníliífering of Injuries, :in
imitation of our Lord Jefas Chrift,whoíe períon
they will needs repreíent upon Earth.They have
in a manner rejeéted all his Vermes, and their
ftudy at preíent is, to repreíent here below hís
Heavenly Glory, viz. his Power and Judicatura
T h e T i t l e of Ho/¿»e/?,which is given them,is only
a íwelling t e r m t h e y make uíe of toexpreís their
P r i d e . W e h a v e a fignal Example of Revenge in
the Life of Pope Sixtus the Fifth, H e was of a
very mean Extra¿tion, his Father being a poor
Vine-dreífer,and his M o t h e r a Serving-maid,and
3
Of the Sfirit of Revefigejkc.
6§
he himíelf inhis Youth was reduc'd to bea Hog«
herd; and yet by the, fubtilty of his Spitít, ¿ra
conjunción with an éxtraórcHhary Fortune, h e
ítept over all theíe Difficulties,and m o u n t e d t h e
Pontifical T h r o n e . But ib far was this meannefs
of hisBirth from inípiring him with anánfwerabiedegreeof Humiiity , in the midfí of that
Greatneis to which he was rais'd, that he could
not endure to hear the lean hint of i t ; but by a
revengfíil IncÍinacion,which was natural to him,
he íet í'cole his cruel and unrelenting iNfature
againfrall thoíe.who either imprudcntly, or of
fec-purpofe let d r o p t h e leaft word of Contempt
ref!c¿f.jng that w a y ; of which the following
Stcry may be a pregnant ínfi'ance: T h e Status
of fajcjum in llor/ie appeared one Morning with
a vorynafryShirt pull'd o v e r i t 5 and Morfcrhts
dernanding the Reaíbn, Wh'y for ¡líame he did not
jhift bimjeíf and put en a deán one? Bicaufe (aníwer'd Pajqutn) my Wafaer-vnmar, is become a,
Prmcefs. T h i s Aníwer ílung the Popéis SifterC*milla¿v\\o of a poor Waíher-woman, which íhe
was befo re, was by her Brother rais'd to a Principality. T h e Pope being enrag'd at this cutting
Satyr, made ule of all the wa)'s imaginable to
find out the Author ; but miííing the defir'd
fucceís in this his Refearch,he be took himíelf to
craltandcircumvention,but that too one ib baíe
and unworthy,that the whole recital of it is fuf;ficienc ro ftrike a man with horrour.Hecaus'd
t(3 be publiíhed cvery where, That be ivas fo'e<k~~
treamly pleasd With the delicate Poignancy of ibis
fhce of Wtty that if the, Aathof of it %>oiild cerne anci
F
difcwer
• 66
The Second LETT
BR,
difcover himfelf to himjoe would be fofar from puni(h'
ing him with Deathjhat he would beHow apon him
Two thoufand Croquis for% Reward.
Thepoor
unhappy W r e t c h , t r e p a n ' d b y this advantagious
Promiíe, makes himíelf known. T h e PopejUpon
owning himfelf to be the A u t h o r of it, caus'd
the T w o thouíand Crowns to be counted out to
h i m , aífuring him withal, T h a t he would be as
good as his w o r d , and that he íhould not be
hang'd. At which words the W r e t c h overjoy'd,
pour'd forth his moft humble Acknowiedgments
tohisHolineísjforíbunparallel'd a piece ofGrace,
Ay,ay,(anfwer'd the Pope)I will be as good as m¡
word in all this; but take notice,Sirrahjhat Inevcr
promis''d you not to canje your Hands tobe cut off, ani
jourTongue to be fluckt out of your Heád. A n d imraediately c o m m a n d e d t h e cruel Sentence to be
executed in his preíence, as a pléaíing Sacrihce
t o his implacable Revenge.I have íbmetimes íei
my íelf to enquire, • what might be the cauíe o¡
this Spiritof Vengeance, which nowadays is become ib natural to the Italians, w h e t h e r it proeeed from the Climate,orNatureof the Countryi
or from íbme other neceffary and inevitable
Gauíe.But having call'd to m'yreraembrance the
Generofity,Courage,and Greatneís of Soul,th.3t
íhone forth ib illuftrioufly in the Lives of the
Ancient.Romansjwho inhabited the íámcCoiw
try,and who rendred themíelves every where ai
amiable by their Clemency , asforraidable fot
their Vaiour, I Ibón found that I was rather to
íeek for a Moral Cauíe of ít,than a Naturaljand
as far as I can reach it is this, T h a t the greatell
par:
Of the Sfirit of Revengefkc.
6j
part of Italy jm. proceísof time,being fallen under the Dominación of the Biíhops of i?0wze,they,
íent Priefts to be their Lieutenants in the íevera!
Provinces of their D o m i n i o n s ; a fort of People
equally ignorant in matters of C o m m e r c e a n d
War,which are the twoSinews of StatCjand without which the G o v e r n m e n t is like a Body affiiéted with the Palíy,without either a£tion or m o tion. T h i s Idleneís, joyn'd to the great H e a t of
the Country,and to the corrupt Examples of the
íaid Gove.rnors, as being men that only minded
their Pleafures,at laft' introducid an entire diífo,lutionandeífeminacy. I n Roine of old,the Sworí
•íbmtime gave way to ÚizRobe^ná.Arms
toLetters,
Gedant Arma toga. But at preíent all veiís to the
Love of Women. T h i s Love being exceffive a n d
,.unbounded,is the iníepa rabie Coro panion of Jeafoufie , and the fruit of Jealoufie,inexorable R e fenge, which are the tv/ogreat Vices which d o
ftaintheReputation
ofthe¡r<j/¿<?»í.Froín this great:
feaíinefsofRevenging themfelves when affronted
in their A m o u r s , they are n o w arriv'd to that
>oint as not to fuffer the leaft word, or the leaft.
njury to fallto the ground,without taking(íb it
>e in. their povver) a moft picileís Revenge.This
l^icCjWhich had'its birth in the Pope's D o m i n i ons,has iníenfibly diipers'dit íelf into thoíe of the
Keighbouring Princes, and at preíent miíerably
ifecled all Italy.lt has beenobíerved,that Bonoma
|nd Ferrara,who were the laíi that have íhbrnir<• their Necks to t.he£í>«íM»Yoke,have lince that
jime doubled their revengful Spirit. Butthac
'hich is moft of all to be condemn'd in their way
F %
of
3
I
J
3
6S
The Second LETT
ÉR,
of Revenge is,that they d o commonly csecute ie
i n the baíeft and moft cowardly manner imaginable ; that is, either by poilbn, or treacheroully
ftabbing their Enemy in the back. T h e y deride
our Duels, and fay, I t is the greateft folly in the
W o r l d , t o put theSword in ourEnemies hand,and
b y this means ftate him in as fair a condition of
being reveng'd of us,as we ourfelvesareof being
aveng'd of him. W h e n w e have a n E n e m y (fay
they) w e are not fuch Fools to cry to him at a
úiña.ncCyStanduponyour Guard;but endeavour to
kill him with the firft occafion, without putting
our íelves to the hazard of being kill'd by him.
However^Sir, t h o ' the Italiam have their Faults,
yet on the other h a n d I muft own,that they alió
nave their good qualities; they are very prudent
i n the conduát of their Atfairs, very difcreet in
their Diícouríe,civil and handfom in their Carriage amongft themfelves, or towards Strangers;
they are good Counfellors , and very ready ta
render Service ; conftantin their Friendíhip and
of a very obliging Humor,provided itcoft them
n ó t h i n g i T h e y a r e very witty,and I dareíay,that
if theirPriefts andMonks had not corrupted them
in their Moráis, and had not fo ftrangely fpoil'd
a n d chang'd their R.eligious Woríhip, (as well as
the beft Country in Europe) they would be íbrne
of the beft M e n in the World. índeed, Vopery is
g r o w n to that prodigious exceís of Idolatry,Superftition, and Folly, that I am aftonifh'd they
are fo backward in cafting off that Yoke.I knovv
there are a great m a n y amongft them,that begin
t o open their Eyes, an4 fee their Errours j but
?
they
Of the Spirit of Reve^ge,&c.
69
they daré not .declare their minds to any one
whatíbever , for fear of falling Viétims to the
barbarous and inexorable Cruelty of the Inquifition. This T r i b u n a l was lee up more particularly .
for a Curb to the Italians-, amongft w h o m m a n y
began to waver, than to debate the Doótrin of
Rome. And in order to make it the more fierce and
terrible,thé Popes thought they could n o t truft
it in better hands than thoíe of the Domnicans,
a cruel and pitileís fortof Fellows,and more t h a n
any other Order,engag'd t o m a i n t a i n the Pope's
Intereft. A n d to encourage them to a rigorous
difeharge of that barbarous and butcherly Funétion, they have found it convenient from time
to timejto confer the Epiícopal Dignity upon the
moft zealous Inquifitors,and even to raiíe many
of t h e m t o the Eminence of Cardinals.Throughout all the Dominions of the G r e a t Duke of Fio-'
renc% this Employ has always been attributed to
the Francffcansfmany of w h o m likewiíe have bin
elevated to Bijhepricks and Cardinal* Caps.Ths. end
in dividingthe Inquifition thus between t w o différent O r d e r s , was only in order tó- the m o r e
yigorous maintaining of the fame by the Emulationof both the Pretenders. T h e main defign at
firft intended for the erecíting of the IncjuifitionJ
was by ways of Blood andViolence,to put a ftop
t o t h e progreís of Here{ie,or to ípeakin their o w n
tQvtasfiontrdHiereticam
pravitatem,¿4gainflHereticalPravity.But theClergy having fmce coníider'd
the great advantage the inquifition gave them above the Laity,have learnt lo dexterouíly to ferve
themíelyes of it, t h a t at prefent there is fcarce
t
The Second LETTE
i?,
any thing, which they have n o t brought within
t h e Verge of that Court,in order to bring about
their prívate Self-ends.lf you fail of p a y i n g y o u r
Tifhes;without tróubling them to examin,Whether you be able or not;, they Argüe, That the
reafon ivby ycu do not fay them, is becaufe you dont
believe they ought tobe faid,and confequently,that you
are an Heretick. If the leaft word chance t o d r o p
from you, reflecling upon thelicentious Lives of
the Biíhops and Clergy, whether Regular or Secular, they accuíe you as one whoíe delign is to
vilifie theEpifcopal Dignity, andconfequently.
t h e C h u r c h it íelf,in theeyesof the People;that
in ib doing you have done the Hereticks work
for them,and íerved their Intereít,and therefore
muít be look'd upon as being one your íelf. If a
m a n be k n o w n to have an Eftate , and in the
m e a n rime íhews himfelí cold and indiíferent in
contributing to the Colle&ions that are made for
the íaying of MaíTes,and other Prayers, for the
repoíe bf the Souls of the D e a d ; tho it be well
known,that there is never a Prieft or M o n k that
will Ib much, as íay one withoucMony,he is preíently accufed,as one w h o doth not believe furgatory,and confequently a downright Heretick.
N a y moreoverdf any one be frequently obíerv'd
t o refuíe putting íbmething into thoíe Boxes that
continually run up and down the Streets,to help
t o celébrate the Feftivals of fuch an Fíe or She
Saint,towards fuch a Proceffionin facha Church,
towards the Chapel of the Rofarj , towards the
Scapulary of the. Blejjed Ftrgin,- or for the Cord
ofS.Franeis; thefe Fellows have the ímpudence
'
"
to
J
r
Of the Spirít of Revsngefec.
yi
to tell y~ou,That they fee ivell enough , yon have ño
Devotion for Holy Things, and conjequently believe
titüe ofthem; which is a kind of Advertifement,
That in cafe you jhould be guilty again of the fame
neglecl, occajion ivould be taken to recommsndyou to
the Inquifition, there to learn better Manners. It is
not lawful for any to excuíe, or to intercede
(eitherin períbn,or b y o n e s friends) directly or
indirectly, for thoíe w h o have had the Mi/hap
to fall into the Priíons of the Inquifition, except
you have a mind to involve your felf in the
guilt of the íame Crimes, whereof they are attainted. O n e cannot ib much as come to fpeak
with them without an exprefs permiffion given
in w r k i n g by the Ihquifitor himíelf, which h e
never grants, but with a great deal of difficulty
and very íéldom. A n Abbot of Calabria, one of
my Acquaintance, was put into the Inquifiáoii
at Venicefov ímiling at the Story a certain Monk
told,about theApparjtion of a Soul inPurgatory.
After that he had been a whole year in Priíbn,I
underftood that Sentence of Death was not yet
pronounc'd againft himjtho'he had been feveral
times put upon the Rack;and having occafion to
go to the Inquiíitor, to obtain his Licence for
printing of a Book ; I took this opportunity t o
beg leave of him , that I might go and fee this <
poor P r i í b n e r ; w h o having heard the Requeíl
I macíe him, íook'díternly upon m e , a n d d e manded, w h a t bufineís I had to concern m y felf
with him? I told him, That nothing made me to
defire this Favour , fave only a motive of Charity>
to beftow fome words of Comfort upon him. . But
F 4
ths
7i
The SecoM
LEfTER,
h e M o n k anfwer'd me in a moft rude and difobliging w a y , or rather like himíelf, T h a t the
Priíbner was in very good hands,and did not at
ailftand in need of any of my c o m f o r t ; fo that
it was not poffible for me to get to fpeak with
him. However, I had the iatisfa&ion of íeeing
h i m íet at Liberty about fix Months after,thro'
t h e charitable Care,and powerful Interceflion of
Cornelia Epifcopia, a Noble Venetian young Lady,
of extraordinary Learning and Merit,to w h o m
my Frienddedicated his LearnedPoems. which
h e had compoíed during the time of his Confinement. I have before-mentioned, that it was
n o t lawful to intercede for any,that are committed by the Inquijition-Jont you rnuft know,Sir,that
thslnquifoion is much more fatourable in Venke,
t h a n i t is in other parts of ItaljilThzt wiíe Senate
abhorring the Inhumanity of thoíe Monks that
m a n a g e it, have ereéted a particular Chamber,
w h e r e lome Venetian Nobles prefide , and take
cognizance of all Matters that are brought before the Inquijition,míbmuch that the Dominicans
are not altogether the Mafters of it.This Friend
of rnine having had the goodFoi tune to efcape ib
great a danger, was ío íenfibly touched with the
Cruelties they had made him íuffer during his
I'mpriíbnment, that he readily concluded from
thence, that the Church of Rome being poífeft
w i t h í u c h a Spiritof Cruelty and Barbarity,asis
never to be parallel'd eyen amongft the worft
of H e a t h e n s , could never be the true Spouíe
of Jeíüs Chrifiv She might indeed be allowed
t h e prudence of Serpents, for her o w n preíer-
t
vation
Of the Spirit of Revenge fkc.
vatíon, provided it were always in C o n j u n c i ó n
with the mild N a t u r e of the Dove, that fo íhe
mightnot render her felf unworthy of, and unlike to him,who willsus tó learn of him tobemeek
and Icnvlj of heart. M y Friend confeft to me,that
indeed, before he was caft into Prifon , he had
fome doubts about Turgatory and Tranfubftantiation ; but that linee that they had goñe about t o
make him believe them perforce,he believed n o thing at all of them,andthat he was reíolved to
retire into Swifferland or Geneva ; there to enjoy
that Liberty of Confcience,which would not be allow'd him in his o w n C o u n t r y . H e told m e , T h a t
nevera Nightpaít over his head,in which he was
not diíquieted in his fleep,with the frightful/ifds
and repreíentations of the T o r m e n t s he had in
their D u n g e o n s , where they had rackt all his
Members o u t o f Joynt,oneafter another,bruifed
all his Fingers,and appiied Plates of red-hot í r o n
tothe Soles of his Feet.And after all this,to make
him the more íenfible of his pains, they in this
condition íhut him upagain for lome days in his
Dungeon, allowing him nothing but a poor
moríel of brownBread, and a fmall meafure of
Water,and then again put him into the Hands of
the Executioners of the Inquiftidn,to go through
a newcouríe of Torments.They tied him by one
A r m , and by means of a Pully, hoifted him up
into the Air, and there lcft him hangiiíg for
feveral hours, which time being over , they let
him d o w n a g a i n , rather dead than alive ; and
to bring him to himíelf a g a i n , they moft
cruelly and inhumanly Scóurg d him with a?
kind
The Second
LETTER,
a kind of a W h i p made of ílenderlron-Chainsfull
of Points as íharp as Needles,and thistill he was
all of a gore-blood. A n d all this (O ftrange and
unparallel'd Barbarity!)todiícover the Secrets of
a poor Confcience,and to<íearch the bottom of
a Hearr which God has reíerved to himíelf as his
o w n Divine Prerogative. T h e Father Inquifitor
w h o was all the while preíent to encourage the
Executioners,and to obíerve whether they were
n o t wanting in theirDuty,íometimes would draw
near to the Patient, and with aíevere T o n e de-,
m a n d of him,Whether he did not believe Vurgaiory yet,wiíhing h i m t o thinkferiouíly of it, for
that all that he íuifered t h e r e , was but a ílight
draught of the Tormenes of that place,and that
it was much more terrible tofall into the hands of
the Living God. This poor Gentleman aníwer'd
nothing to áll this,faveonly by Sighs a n d T e a r s .
B n t he confeífed. to me,that lince he had made a
very íerious refleótion upon thismatter,and that
h e was come to this reíült,That it wasutterly inconliftent with the infinite goodneís of God, to
treat thoíe Soials w h o m he had deftin d to his
heavenly Glory , and theenjoyment of himíelf
for ever, to fuch extremities of Pains and Tofments:That áll the Works of God being perfeét,
he fhewed Mercy to whom he jhew,ed Mercy, that is
to íáy, perfectand compleat M e r c y ; and that it
was infinitely more glorious for h i m , wholly to
p a r d o n b o t h Guilt and Puniíhment, than to reierve himíelf a miíerable Vengeance from the
Fire and Flames of their feigned Purgatory, and
that for this very reaíbn he did not believe any
5
3
thing
Of the Spirit of Revengefkc.
75
íhing of it all.The c o m m o n puniíbment inflided
at Venke on thoíe w h o are conviéfc of Hereíie, is
either to fírangle them i n Priíbn,or to tie a great
ftoneto their Necks,and fo caítthem into the Sea.
A n d herein alfo the Inquiíicion of Venke is much
more favourable than it is in other parts of Italy
where they either burn them alive with á flow
Fire,or elfe cut off their Members, one by o n e ,
w h i c h are caft into the T i r e before their Eyes,
after having firít of all plucktout their T o n g u e s ,
and m a d e them fuífer unexpreffible T o r m e n t s .
Can you ever believe ingood earneft,Sir,that this
is the Spirit of the Gofpel ? Is this the way our
Saviour m a d e ufe of to convert Sinners ? D i d he
ever threaten the Difobedient or Unbelievers
with PriíbnSjRacks andTorturesrHas he ever lefe
us ib much as oneExample or C o m m a n d to A u thorize this Sacred Inquifitional MethodPI t r o w
no,and coníequently this cannot be the Spirit of
Chriftianity. T h u s theíe very means the Popes
take tomaintain their T y r a n n y over the Coníciences of men,might ferve(and without doubt will
fo in time)for juíx Motives to pulí it down,if the
people would once open their eyes,and vigoroufly oppoíe themíelves to the eífeets of a moft unjuft
and inhuman Violence. ' T i s Vertue alone that
ftands in need of no fupportjbutSin and Iniquiy
are always in the íéarch of props and contrivancestouphold their tottering and crazy conftitution,and what they cannot carry by the ftrength
of theLion,they endeavour to bring about by the
Foxes craft.Thus what the Popes and their Adherents cannot obtain by theInquiíition,they ftrive
to
3
The Second LETT
ER,
í o compafs by Artífice and Lies. One of the chief
Fetches they have to keep the People iri their
Obedience, is to íccure them in the Chains of
profound Ignorance; firft of the Truths of the
Gofpel,very expreíly forbidding them to,read the
Holy Scriptures, as a Book very dangerous a n d
pernicious to their Souls. T h e i r next care is to
prevent any Books of Controveríie, written by
Proteftants, from coming into their hands. ' T i s
znlnquijltio-aal matter to have or read any of
them,or to be privy to any others ha ving of them.
Moreover, they take ípecial care to charge the
Preachersin their Sermons, that in ípeakingof
t h e Proteftants, w h o being very well grounded
i n their Principies, muft coqie.quently be look'd
upon, as the moft formidableEnemies the Church
of Reme has, they be íure to repreíent them to
their Auditors, as men that have abíblutely Renounc'd the Faith of Jefus Chrift, and who do
n o m o r e believe in him,than Heathens and Infidels.Wherefore alíb,they indiíferently cali them
Hereticks and Infidelsjor to make ufe of the líalian word,QueJii non Chriftiani. So that indeed all
the C o r a m o n People, y e a , and thegreateft part
of thoíe that are learned too,are of the Opinión,
That Protefiants do not at all believe in Jefm Chrifi,
no more than the Turks do. A Canon once demandad of me in Romejoy way of CnúohtyJVhat
the
Jnfidels did in France , and tvhy they were fufferd
there ? I deíired him to tell me what he meant
by that word,which I did not underftand; and
findingthat h e í p o k e o f Proteftants, I t o l d him»
that they were n o lufidels, but believed in Jefus
•
Chrift
Of the Spirit of Reve%ge,&c.
77
Girif$ as well as the Reman Catholtcks, only t h a t
they feje¿ted Tranfubftantiation , the Mafs, Turgatory, &c. and in particular the Power and I»-faliibility of the Pope. A n d having heard m e
. Difcouríe at this rate a good while : In trüth,Sir,
(faid he) if the Cafe be as you fay, I perceive that
thofe People are not fucb great Devils as they are re•prefenteíl to us heve. I have often heard it declared
from the Pulpit, That they were as unbelieving as
the Jews themfelves ; and you are the very firfl I
ever heard jayfThat the Protefants believed in Jefas
Chrifi. ButjSir'jíaid I,it is impoffible,but that you
w h o have ftudied Divinity, muir needs have
heard of the Opinions ofLutber,Calvin,a.nd Zúingliusjin the Treatife of the Sacraments in general,and in particular of thofe of the Eucharifi;
Penance,Ú\QSacrifice of the Mafsj&c. I know(faid
he)that thofe Ring-leaders of Hereíie pretended
not to deftroy but toreform the Church; and as
to fomePoints,they have very
ftrongArguments,
which éven to this day we are hard put to, to
anfwer. But nevertheleíi,God,who hath a particular care of his C h u r c h , that he might make
known toBeiievers,that thefe t h e n w e r e i n a bad
way,hasfo order'dit,that their wholeParty carne
to nothing. For as one Error draws on another,
they have ítill rowled from one Precipite to another, tiliat laft they are fallen into the Abyís of
Infidelity.Theyat firft feparated tlíemlelveá from
the Church of Rome, upon the pretence of R e forming it, but lome time after their Followers
reduc'd all to the particular Spirit,vv\úch isto believe what they pleaíe^and that,providedon!ythey
:
3
7
8
The Second L E T TEM,
do woríhip one G o d , whoíbever he be, and lcad
amorally good Life,that this is enough for them
to be faved.I peroeived by this Diícouríe,Sir,that
this Canon had been iil inforafd(as indeed raoft
part of the Italims are) of the prefent fíate of
Proteftants and of their Do<5r.rin,and that sxRome
all manner of flights andtricksare made uíe of
againft thofe who refale to bow their Knees to
Baal.To tell a Lye with them is aVertue,as long
as it is but employ'd,as they think,for a good end.
I remember that a Jeíüit, who was lately come
from E«g/<W,boldly preached in the Church of
Lateratii that all Religión there was reduced to
the particular Spirit. And having made an ampie
deícription of the Meetings of the Anabapiñs
and ¿htakerSiUndw the Ñame of the Church of
England,whcn he carne to fpeak of their fighing
and groaníng, and their Women preaching, he
made all his Auditory break forth into a loud
Laughterjand by this means,without doubt,eho
with a great deal of Injuftice, he made many
there prefent conceive very conteraptucuíly of
that auguft and venerable Body of Proteftants,
the Church ofEngland, ib zealous for the Glory
of God,and of Jeí'üs Chrifthis only Son;lb exa<?c
and decent in the Woríliip and Obedience fnc
renders to his Divine Majeíty,and ib reaíbnable
in her Orders andCeremonies. As long as thofe
vigilant Paftorsj the Biíhops of the Church of
England,ax\& the learnedMinifters that are under
them,keep their watchfulEyes fixed on theFlocks
committed to their Charge, there is no cauíe to
fear,chat ever the Romijh Woif will be in a condición
3
Of the Spirit of Revevgefác.
79
ditíon to fnatch fo much as any fmgle one of
them out of their h a n d s ; ñor wili any of her
Emiffaries, as fubtii Thieves as they be, ever be
able by n i g h t t o fteal into che Sheffnld to devour
or maífacre them, as they have already ib often
endeavour'd todo.I have íince made thisObíervatibn on this Sermón o í thejefuit, which I heard
from the b e g i n i n g t o t h e end,andl could wiíhall
Proteftants might íeriouíly take it to heart,wz..
T h a t to pulí down t h e C h u r c h of Rome$\Q great
Secretis not abíblutely to rejeéc, as fome do, all
that íhe pra£tiíeth,but that the beft way to compaís her downfal is, to rerain ali that is good in
her,only rejeáting the evü.íf we abíblutely rejecl:
all Fafts,becaufe they of the Church of Rome obferve íbme of them, as they delire nothing m o r e
than to blacken theProteftants,repreíenting their
Aétions in the worft Light they can, and always.
concealing the good that is amongft them, they
preíently cry with open T h r o a t . T h a t the Proteftants are a íbrt of people that love nothing but
their Bellies, abhorring and abominating whatever íervesto mortifiethe Fleíh. If we reje¿t Epiícdpacy,they hate(cry thcyjall manner of Subje¿Hon, and love nothing but Independency : I f
we re fu le the uíeof Common Prayer , we are n o t
' joyríd in theBand of Charity.mkhcv is there any
U n i o n amongft us: If we not from time to time
confult the Minifters in Cafes of Obnícience, w e
reduce all to the prívate Spirit. I n a worcl, if we
celébrate Marriages and Futierais, without a a y '
Prayers or Ceremonies,they íay that Proteftants
go together like Beafts, and are buried like
Dogs.
8o
The Secottd
LETTER,
Dpgs. Ác this rate did this cálumniating Jofuít;
with a renowned Malice, from the beginningof
his Sermón to the end.endeavour to make them
odious and execrable.Meither was it a hard matter for him toobtain hisend,ina Country w h e r e
they are fb little known,and where they are never mention'd but under the n o t i o n of Devits,
Hereticki,New Cbriftians,and Infidels. But the cafe
would b e m ü c h alter'djif retaining what is good
a n d lawfuhpr only. indifferent amongft them, as
far as may be,the Proteftants would lingly apply
themíelves to oppofe thofe Points of D o í t r i n or
Praótice amongft them,which firft occafion'd the
Reformatiori ; for fo they would not be able to'
c o n d e m n them in any thing, but by producing
the points ofDo¿trÍn andPraótice inControverfy,
w i t h the oppoíitionsmade againft them; which is
a thing they are very loath to do, forfear of difcovering their o w n Nákednefs.Anevident proof.
o f w h a t I here alledgejisthe great carethey take,
t o hinder anyBooks of Controverfie from coming
i n t o Italy, not ío much as thoíe which have been
pen'd by the moft famousMenof their own party.
I was extreamly put to it,when í wasat Rome to
m e e t w i t h the Works of Monfieur^rw^i,which
h e haddedicated to the Pope,and which I don't
believe were everyet tranílated into Italianjúiciv
defign h e r e i a being to prevent,by all means imaginable,the true ftate of* the QLieftion from being
known;for their Objeétions are ib weak,and the.
Anfwers they make to thofe' of the Proteftants,
ib pitiful , that any unprejudiced M i n d may
eafily from their o w n Books perceive o n what
Of the Sfiñt of
•ge,&c.
8s
íkte the Tnith lies.If ever there was any Author
thát ftráin'd his Wits to calumníate and blacken
the Proteftants, it was without doubt Father
Maimbourv the Jeítiit,in his Books oí Liuheranifm
and Calvimfm: When I wasat Pernee, I undertook the Tranílatioií of all his Works; and had
already tranílated íeveral of his Volumes, when
I took in hand thoíe of Luthsranijm and Calvinifm; but í was not a little íurpriz'd, when the
Inquiíitorof Ventee would not give me leave to
continué the Traducción; and ibmetime after I
receiv'd an Order from the Pope/orbidding me
to print thoíe two Books, with another of the
fame AuthorSjtreating about the growth of the
Power of the Biíhops of Rome. The fíngleTitle of
Bi(l)op, which wasgiven him in thislaftTreatiíe,
inftead of the magnificentTitles ó[Pepea.ndSovereign Pr¿í/?,together with íome curiousEnquiries
concerning the rile and progreís of that prodigious grandure to which the Biíhops oí Rome are
mounted at preíent, were a powerful motive to
the Pope to condemn ir.Btit I could not penétrate
whatreaíbn he had to pronounce the fame Sen;tence againlt the other two, exceptitwere, a s i
hinted before, to prevent the occafion of renew.ingin the mindsof the Italians, the fíate cf the
queftion between theCatbolicks and the Protefiants.
for notwithftanding both theíe Books be fraught
with Scoffs,injuriousReproaches and Calumnies•-coyn'd on purpoíe to reader a party contemptible, whoní they had relbíved by all manner of
Jmeans to run down in the conceic of the Peoíle, yet for all this Innocent the Xlr.é did not
G
believe
8z
The Second LETT
ER
t
believe that this beatíng t h e m d o w n would prove
of as great advantage to the Church of Rome, as
the publication offomePoints of Dodtrin that are
there neceífarily inferted,might prove dangerous
arid mílchievous to it. You can n o way imagin,
Sir,thc extream precautions the Popes make ule
t o prevent a n y Proteftant B o o k s , from being
brought into Italy. As there is n o other w a y to
enter that C o n n t r y by Land,without pafling the
Apipes, they keep M e n expreís at all the Paflages
thereof,to examin the Travellers that come that
w a y , and íeareh them whether they have any
forbidden Books about t h e m ; amongft which
n u m b e r are accounted all thoíe that treat of
C o n t r o ver fies. I n a Journy I made írom'Venice
t o Lyons, I took m y way, in my return to Italy,
t h r o u g h t h e L a n d of Valois; a t t h e entry of this
Country,which is a kind of aftreight or narrow
paífageof theMountain,thereisafamousAbby of
t h e Canons Regular of S..¿«/?¿»,caHed S.Maurice.
T h e River Rhójhe,which is extreamly impetuous
. a n d violent in this place,and which a littlelower
difembogues it íelfinto t h e L a k e o f Gewei^deaves
only a very narrow way,by which one muft neceííárily país to enter Italy. T h e AbbotofS.Afe• r¿ce,had buik a G a t e at this País, and foraímuch
as he is the Mafter of it,the Popes w h o know it
to be one of the Keys of the Alpes, which opens
a way to Italy.,have charged him to have a carefu!
Eye upon all Paffengers coming that way, that
they d o not bring with t h e m any forbidden
Books,becauíe Ge»ew,which they ftand in grea¡
fear of,is n o farther from ic than the length o:
• •
•
jf
OftheSpirit
of Revengej&c.
íts L a k e . T h e promiíe the Pope had m a d e to t h e
Abbot,of making him a Biíhopdn cafe he were
found faithful in the diícharge of hisCommiílion,
had made him very exa¿t w h e n I paft by that
way.He caufed all Paífengers to be ftopt without
Exceptionjthoíe that w e r e o n F o o t were íeareh'd
at t h e G a t e by theGuards, and thoíe on-Horíeback that had any appearance, were conduéted
into the Abby,where the Abbot entertaind t h e m
very civilly,and made them eat with him,whilíí:
they were íearching their Portmantels. T h e Abbot, with w h o m I diícours'd after D i n n e r for a
good while,told m e , T h a t the Pope allow'd him
M o n y towards the Entertainment of Paífengers,
becauíe without that the whole Revenue of his
Abby would not have been fufficient for it:And
that he had íent him mpft preffing Letters, t o
recommend to h i m an extraordinary care of
that Poít,whence he eafily conceiv'd,how much
they apprehended the Books of Proteftants a t '
Rome. A n d being himíell well acquainted witli
the temper of/í<«/7,he told m e , T h a t if theltalians¿ .
ánd more particularly the Pope'sSubje¿ts,mighd
but have the leaft Communication with Genevat
it might be greatly feared, they would utterly
caft orf their Obedience to the Pope. Indeed'
there are none that have more reaíbn to know
the weakneísof that God on Earth of the íacred
College of Cardináls»and of o'therEcclefiafticks,
than they w h o are the Eye-witneífes of i t ; nciíher are there any m o r e concern'd t h a n t h e y ,
to caft olf a Yoke which upon other accountsis
fo iníuppoitableto them. O n c e a n fcarcely cali
. G %
to
5
3
84
s
fhe Second LEÍ
f
BR,
to mind the flourifhing condition of thofe fair
*"provinces,that conííitute t h e P a t r i m o n y of S.Peter, without fhedding of T e a r s , to íee thern miferably groaning and languifliing at prefent, under the oppreffive domineering of Priefts,wholly
waftcanddeíblate,and deprived of their former
Beauty and Ornament.Thoíe famous and ancient
Citíes of Ravenna, Benevento, Spoleto^Perufafirvietta, and lo many more, which heretofore were
the Glory of Italy, are hardly any thing elíe at
prefent,but heaps of Rubbiíh, occafion'd by the
infatiable avarice and rapaciouíiieís of Popes.
T r u e it isjthatnaturally t h i s C o u n t r y is the moft
pleafant and fruitful T e r r i t o r y in the W o d d ; b u t
withal there is none more bare of' M o n y . T h e
immeníe Impofitions the Pope lays o n i t , have
exhaufted a great part of i t ; ánd the Legates
he fends thither every three Years, ftri've by all
m a n n e r of E x t o r t i o n s , during their Triennial
G o v e r n m e n t , to íqueez out the reí!, and then
return to Reme loaden with the Spoils of that
miíerable People ; where they are n o fboner arriv'd, but they confume it with as much Prodígality, as they had hookt it in by Avarice and
Extortion.
I will not here entertain you with the Grand u r e and Luxury of the Román Court ; I may
have an occafion tó give you íbme account of
• that more at large hereafter. I íhall only defire
you to teil me, Wbether indeed you do not believe, that the Italians have great realbn to endeavour to deliver themíelves from ib oppj'effiye aja Ufurpation and T y r a n n y , by withdrawing
Of the Bpirit of Revenge&c.
85
drawing at the íame time their Confciences
from ío intolerable a Slavery, ancrtheir Eftates .
from the hands of íuch mercileís Evtortioners.
F o r my parf, Sir, I cannot queftion, but that if
the Learned Writings of the Proteftants of the
C h u r c h of England, could one day make their
way into this Country, and that they would only lo far honour them,as to give them the Readi n g ; I íay, I doubt not but that Popery, whole"
Foundations they fo evidently overturn, wonld
find it felf at an end. O r rather let us íay, that
it íhall be t h u s , w h e n it íhall pleafe our great
God the Father ofLights,to errlighten their minds
towards an acknowledgmentof their Blindneís,
and to w a r n their hearts by his holy Grace, to
embrace t h e T r u t h ; that then,I fay,we íhall fee
all Itdy turn'd Proteftants againft their o w n Errors, and compofing one Sheepfold with thofe,
w h o ib many years ago courageoufiy protefted
againft t h e m , under the O n e and only Shepherd
of our Souls the Lord Jefus Chrift. I íhall n o t
trouble you, Sir, with the relation of other Particulars and Curiofities, I obferved at Genoua;
foraíinuch as my deíign is not, as I have hinted
to you before, to give you a n entire relation of
my Travels, but only to fingle.out thoíe matters
that more particularly have fome reference to
Religión. T h i s is that I intend to do from time
to time in thefe my L E T T E RS, if I find you
continuing to give them the íame reception
wherewith you have favoured m y firft. I t being
m y great wiíh to evidence to you with what
Zeal I ara, Sir,
Tour &o,
G 3
' •
The
}
%6
The Third
The Third
Of the Hojpitah
LETTER,
LETTER.
and Pilgrims of
Italy, &c.
T
O continué the Account I haveundertaken
to give you,of the Obíervations I made in
m y Voyage of italy, relating to Matters of Relig i ó n ; I.íhall tell you, Sir,That from Genoua w e
took our w a y along the Sea-coaít,and in T h r e e
days arrived at Sefire,an Epifcopal See,fituate o n
t h e Sea of Liguria. T h e Biíhop of the place receiv'd us with a great deal óf Civility. W e h a d
w a v e d g o i n g by Sea to Legóme, becauíe the Father,my Companion,could n o t b e a r that kind of
Pafíage, and was befides very fearfi.il of falling
into t h e hands of Pirates. N o n e can be imagin'd
m o r e Stoical in theirDifcourfes of Üeáih than the
M o n k s are,neither are a n y m o r e cowardly and
frightful than they, w h e n they are in any likelyh o o d of facing it. T h i s made us reíblve to país
the' Afennine to Luca, and from thence continué
our Journy through Tufcany.Tho Biíhop advifed
us t o take Guiues along with us in paffing the
Mountain,foraírnuch as o i h e r w i í e h e aífur'dus,
w e íhould r u n great hazaid of being robb'd 5
T h a t we had a T h r e e days Journy to país t h r o
very defert and íblitary Ways>where we íhould
meet with neither Houfes ñor Villages, excepc
only t w o or three íbrry lnns at twelve Leagues
diítancé
5
5
Of Hofpitals and Pilgrlmsfec,
%y
difíance from each other. T h e r e are always
plenty of theíe Cuides at Sefire , in a readinefs
to accompany Travellers, being provided with
Garbines, Blunderbuífes, Piítols, and Bayoneta.
T h e cuitara is to take two or three of them, oías many as one pleafeth, to país the Mountaín,
paying them two Crowns apiece. T w o Genoua
Merchants intending the fame way,joyn'd Company with us, which made us only take t w o
Quides with us, at the charge of four Crowns.
O u r Benedictin, w h o m one wculd have thought
a former Journy he had made to Italy, íhould
have made more circumípe¿fc, had a mind to
make ufe of his Wits,and to í pare the C r o w n he
was to pay for his íhare to the Cuides we had
t a k e n ; laying,That he would ípare that Mony,
ío make much of himíelf at the next I n n he
íhould come a t ; T h a t there was n o danger at
all in paffing the Mountain , and that all thoíe
Cuides were a company of Knaves, w h o made
it their bufineís to fright Paífengers , to get a
piece of Mony out of t h e m ; but that he,for his
part, was reíblved they íhould have none. o í his.
Thus having takén direítions of the W a y in
writing,. he went his way t w o hours before us»
For m y pait J r e m e m b r e d the Couníel the Biíhop
had given us, w h o was a venerable oíd M a n :
andconíider d that if it were only for t h e r e í p e í t
t h a t i s d u e to oíd A g e , w e o u g h t never(where if:
m a y be donejrejeít the Advice of fiich períbns,
For this r e a í o n , 1 joyn'd m y felf with the Genouefe Aíerchants, relblving ' to go with them,
attgn,ded by our Guides. T h e Bensdittin parted
:
5
G Ay
frora
38
The 7th-J
LETTER,
írora us at Six of the Clock, tho' with an iutent
not to make ib much hafie , but that we might
overtake him, that ío he might have an opportunity of falling again (as it'were by chance)
into our Company,without being oblig'd to pay
any thing towards the Guidcs we had takenon
our own accounts. But ib it hapned, that very
unluckiiy for him , we ítaid three Hours longer
than was intended;for we did not leave tlie City
till-Eleven of the Clock. W e were extreamly iürpriz'd, when at the end of leven Leagues, upon
the Mountain, we found this poor Monk íitting
on a Stone, in his Boots, lamenting, and all in
Tears,for the Mifhap that had befallen him. He
had been íet upon in the lame place by ñve Rob• bers, who having diímounted h i m , had taken
away all his Mony , and all they found in his
Portmante!, cxcept his Brcviary, which they had
. reítor'd to him ; which íeem'd to vex him more
than all the reít: For (faid he) had they but taken
this with the refi, Ipcuid at ¡eafi have been excufed
from faying my Breviary tiü I carne íoRorne. We
made a íhift to get him on Horsback again,perfuading one of the Quides to lend him his; in
conñderation of which , the Monk promis'd to
give him his Boots, and we defray'd his Charges
between us til! we carne to Luca. He aífured us.
"That the Men that had KobPd him,were arnid and
cloatPd in the fame manner as the Cuides; and that
if he were not ewtreamly miftalien , he had feen the
very fame perfons in the Market-place of Seftre.
W e were told ünce,That thefe Robbers are the very
Gmdes themfelves) who accompanywg Trawllers out
' .i
Of Hofpitals and Tilgrimsfkc.
§p
if Town, do afterwards by a fhorter way get before
themtflacing themfelves in Ambufh near the Road by
which they are fure they muft pajs,and never fail of
Robbing thofe who have refttiá to make ufe of them,
or any of their Companions.By ill-luckforourFathór
Benediclin¿\Q had but lately receiv'd a Bill of E x change at Turin, and was not to receive another
till he carne í o Rome. T h i s forced us to part Company,becauíe I was not i n a condition to bear his
Expence,and m y o w n too.Hereíblvedtherefore
to take his Journy the beft way he could to Rome,
through the Monafteries of all íbrís of O r d e r s
and Hofpitals alíb Neceífity forcinghim thereto.
I íaw him afterwards at £owíe,where I found him
not wholly recovered yet from the Miíéries he
had íuifered fince our parting.He gave me a particular and fullaccount of the Holpitals at which
he call'd in his J o u r n y , what they were, and t h e
, Entertainment he had mee with in thern.I have
h&a.váRomanCatholicks ofteareproachfully objeót
to Proteftants, That they have no Hofpitals amongft
them to entertain Strangers-, and confounding this
kind of pubíick Hofpitality withCharity,boldly
conclude, That they are not Charitable, and confe(¡uently no true Children of the Church. ' T i s a M a r k
of a weak Cauíe , to lay hold of every ching it
meets with to íupport it felf, which n o t w i t h ftanding commonly contributes moft to its overthrow. T o defeat this pretended Charity of C a tholickSjit will be fufficientto relate to you what
this Father told m e , a n d what I have learnt of
fome other T r a v e l l e r s , which I intend in part,
to make the Subjeétof this m y T h i r d L E T T E R .
3
9o
The Third
LETTER,
I íhall tell you ñrír of all in general, Sir, tíiac
all the a n d e n t Hofpitals of Jtdy ovve their Foundation to the H o l y places or Rome and Loretxo.
T h e Pik riniages to chele íbme Agesa¡?o,by reaJen of a more univeríal deíuge of
Sufc-ílkion,
were much more in Vogue than they áreas: pre¿ent; che' it were to be wiíh'd they -veré much
IcS than they are. A man was ícarcely reputed
a good Chriftian, except he had been at Rome.
A n d the Popes perceiving h o w much ÚV.H vaii
Concoaríe did augmenc their Reven-¡es, and
rendred their Capital City rich and wealthy,
found a way to oblig'-Confcííbi's to enjoy.- aieir
Penitents, for the expiación of the greatelí Sins,
íuch as RapeJnce.fi¡ana Aiursbcy.¿)úürny timbe; ;
ib that there was no remiíEon for chele kind of
Sins vvithout going to Rome. T h e y afterwards
m a d e reíerv'd Caícs of moít of theíe kind ©f Sins,
wherecf we find íHil at rhis day a great number
i n the Bul!, cntituled,/w Ccena Domini, reiervmg
ío themíelves alone the power ofAbíblving them;
íb that in theíe caíes,the parcies c o n c e r a ' d muft
either go to Reme, or el ib reíbive never to enter
into Paradice. I t is true,íhat at preíent they have
bethought themíelves of a way to ípare men this
troublc,which is>of íending thither a good ííim
of M o n y : With this they centent themíelves
n o w ; for I am fure , it is n o t the perfon they
deíire,but his purie,which at any time will abundantly fupply his Abfence. A n d foraírnuch as
amongft the great number of Pilgrims that
flock'd thither out of Devotion,or of Neceffity,
for the expiation of their Sins,there were many
-
-
Of Ho]pitáis and Pilgrims&c.
9 Í
poor People that had not wherewith to defray
their Charges in publick I n n s ; many rich perfons,moved with compaflion towards theíe poor
Wretches,founded Hoípitalsfor their Entertainment, where they received both Lodging a n d
Diet; or at whatíoever hour of the D a y t h e y
call'd there,had a n Almsgiven them,which t h e y
cali La Paffdde; according as the Foundation was
more or leís Endow'd,íuch was theAlmsdn í b m e
places more,in others leís. W e met with m a n y
Hofpitals in Italy tha.t were founded towards the
end of the i o t h , or the beginning of the n t h
Century;the cauíe of which was a falle Opinión
that was uppermoftthen, viz,. T h a t the D a y of
Judgment was n e a r , grounded upon a forged
Tradition,which is preíérved ftill to this day in
the Church of Rome; That Chrifí being asltd by
his Apofiles , Hoiv long this outward World fhould
lafi? He anfiverd them-, A Thoufand years and up•ward.So that the moft part of Chriftian Princes,
and great Lords-, about this time took a J o u r n y
to Re«ze,founded Hofpitals for the poorPilgrims,
and íeveral Abbies, into which m a n y of t h e m
retired themfelves, in expe¿tation of the dreadful D a y of Judgment. As for the Hofpitals they
Founded, the care and adminiftration of them
was committed to Priefts,as being the men w h o
think themfelves concern'd in all piousLegacies,
and w h o very readily take upon them the care
of thoíe places,where they find a plentiful curfent of Devotional-Mony.ít was too much their
Intereíf,. not to encourage ib favourable Begintóngs, and therefore were n o t waating any
more
}
9
i
ThsThird
LETTER,
m o r e t h a n at this day,canílantly to frequent the
Houíes of Widovvs a n d Rich perfons, to induce
t h e m by their laít Wills,to enlarge the Revenues
of their Hoípitals, of which they were conftituted theStewards and Overíeers'; iníbmuch, that
in a little time theíe Hofpitals became prodigiouíly Rich. It remains n o w only, that we take a
y i e w of the uíe vyhich is made of them at pref e n t , that t h e n c e w e may judge, whether from
them a good Argument can be d rawn in favour
of thofe of the R o m á n C o m m u n i o n ; to prpve,
that their Charity ib far exceeds that of the Protefants,a.s they would fain make Peoplé believe;
or, whether indeed we have not much more
reaíbn to infer the contrary ? Our Benediüin,by
íad Experience,was in a cpndition of giving rae
íbme Information concerning this matter : He
told m e , T h a t after he had parted with m e at
Luca, which is a ímall Republick, he took his
Journy on foot by Alto Pajfo , which is a very
ancient and famousHoípital,founded by aQueen
of Trance, eight Miles diífant from Luca. He
eould not exaítly tell me what were the Revenues of that Holpital; but that this was the Law
of it, That all Strangers, of what Kank or Quality
foever, Rich or Poor, were to be recetó d and entertaind there "three Days together , according to their
Quality.Rut that at preíent it admits of none bcfides the Priefts and Monks that país by that
way,and to otherTravellers they give a Loaf of
Iialf a pound weight, and a pint of W i n e at the
Gate ; and before they can be admitred to this
F a v o u r , they muft produce íeveral Paíspoits
s
Of Hojfitals and Pilgrlms,&c. .
and Letters, to prove themfelves P i l g r i m s , for
want of which our Father was in a great danger
of being íhut out and rejeáted ; but inftead thereof h e b o l d l y produc'd his Letter of Obedience.
T h e goodPrieft' whoexamin'd thern,íeeing that
the Letter was writ in Latinan which probably
he was not over skilful,according to the Cuítoni
of the Priefts of Italjr ¡ht it país,íaying,That he
perceived it was a Travelling Letter of the ApoBolical Nuncio at Tur'm \ ib that by this íhift he
was at laft admitted. Fíe told me, T h a t his E n tertainment there was very tolerable, and t h a t
upon his Enquiry into the manner of the G o vernment of that Flofpital, an oíd Servant of
the Houfe told him , T h e r e were T w e n t y five
Officers that were Intendants over it, fome of
them with the Titles o£Guardians,Admimftrators
. and Receivers; and others with the Ñames of the
Firft, Se'cond, and T h i r d Officers of the P a n t r y
and Butlery, which were all rich Clergy-mén,
whodivided amongíf. themfelves almoft all the
Revenues of that H o í p i í a l , there being but a
Very inconfiderable part of it reíerved for thoíe
few Charitable Deeds that are exerciíéd there.
From thence he Carne to Pefcbe, which is a very
íiaeCity,a ímalldaysJourny from thence,where
there is a vaft number of Convents and M o n a fteries. Fie went and preíented himíelf to íeveral of them, to procure himíelf a-Lodging; but
every where they íhut the D o o r upon h i m ; for
the It alian Monks are very pitileís, and never
give any Alms to Strangers. T h e y have an Artífice amongft 'them they make ufe of to refuíe
poor
The Third
LETTER,
poor Paflengers,which is this; All the Monks a n d
Brothers have order to tell t h e m , that their At>
bot,Guardian,or Prior is n o t in the M o n a f t e r y ;
a h d if you happen by chance t o meet with the
M e n themfelves,they tell you, that the Steward,
Butler,or íbme other Officer that has the Puríe,
is gone abroad. By this means they make t h e
p o o r Travellers loíé all patience, forcing them
t o depart without the leaft Relief. O u r M o n k
being thus refuféd Admittance every where,was
fain t o íeek- out a n H o í p i t a l , which h e found
very different from that of ÁltoTafj'o ; for the
b a d Entertainment he there m e t with , tho' it
was with much more difficulty that he was admitted, becauíe his Letter mention'd, that he
w a s í e n t to Rome about Buíinels, a n d not upon
t h e a c c o u n t o f Devotion. For tho',fbr the moft
pait,they underftand but littleLatin;yet they are
fo wiíe as to put Travellers upon íhewing them
thefe t w o words in their Letters, Ex Devotione*
T w o Hermits of thoíe Italia» Vagabonds, w h o
fpent their Life in running frórri one Hofpital
t o another, having perceived that our Monk had
been fomewhát rudely uíed by reaíon of his
Letter,came to him after Supper,offering to rem e d y t h e matter,and to fupply the defed: of his
Letter, ib that he íhould never run the hazard
of expoíing himfelf to the like Affront for the
time tó come. T h e way was this,They promis'd
to dfaw up for him a Letter of Pilgrimage, and
t o affix to it the Seal of the Archbiíhop of Lions,
which they had counterfeited. So that the Queftion n o w only was about a piece of Mony they
de-
Of Hofpitáis and Pilgrims&c.
fzy^
d e m á n d e d of our BenediBin for this íeaíbnabie
Service; w h o having none to give,offerd'd t h e m
his Breviary. T h e one of them abíblutely refuíed
it,faying, T h a t that was a bad Implemént t o
carry with. one to Hofpitalsjthat it was longfince
they had been háppily robb d of theirs, and b y
this mcans were excus'd from atediousrepeating
of them, according to the Decree of the Sacred
Congregation at Rome to that p u r p o í e ; AmiJJ'e
vel ablato Breviario , non tenetur Presbyter Qfficio ;
A Trien is not bound to the duty of faying his Bre~
viarypi cafe he haih loft, or is robb'd of it. T h e y
a d d e d , T h a t not longfince they had íeen a Prieít
expell'd an Hofpital, becauíe having a Breviaiy
aboút him,he had forgot or negle&ed to íay the
Office before Supper.But his Companion accepted of theBargain,íaying,He would make it his bufinef to rid him felf of it,the firft Boohfellers Shop he
carne at. T h u s the Benedeclin at the íame time
procur'd two Ádvantages, the one of being rid
of the troubie of faying his P r a y e r s ; the other,
of having got a íüre K e y to give him Entrance
into all Hoípitals. and this by means of a Cou.n-.
terfeit Letter of Pilgrmage;which theíe twoHermits were ready,for their M o n y , to give to a n y
that did defire it. T h e Father being thus provided,boldly proíecutedhis Journy through all the
Cities oí'Italy,ú\\ he carne to Rome, having been
every where received ifíco the Hoípitals without
any difficuky. But he |Jroteííed to m e , T h a t if it
were in his power to iií-fliót a íeverePuniíhment:
upon all xh&Guard'tans atí&Admimjk-atcrs oí them,
he thought that in ib doing he íhould render a
moít
9
6
The ThlrdL
ETTER,
moft acceptable Service to God, as well as to all
p o o r P i l g r i m s : Becatiíe (íaid he) it is a m o f t lamentable thing to fee h o w they treat them;\vhat
they give them to eat does not amouiit to T w o pence charges for each períbn; and this too in
fuch a nafty and ílovenly manner that i t t u r n s
ones ftomach ; whilíl in the mean time ¡¡ thofe
wretched Priefts engroísand fweepall the M o n y
i n t o their o w n Coífers, to maintain their C o a c h
andHorfes,with the magnificentTitles they take
t o themfelves of High Almoners, Granel Adminiftrators,a.lid Grand Friors of the Hofpital. Tis a n
infamous thing to fee h o w they lodge poor
S'trangers:There are about twenty or thirty Beds
in a great Room, where they lye t w o and t w o ,
or three and three in aBed,according as they are
ifockt withCompany.Before they are íuffer'd t o
enter into this Room,they areftript ftark naked.
i n another,without íüffering them fo much as to
. keep 011 their Shifts: T h i s d o n e , they are all of
t h e m íhut up together till next Morning. T h e
Beds are allrotten and fpoil'd,and crawlingwith
Vermin, and moft of them without any Sheets.
T h e Holpitáis indeed are well £ndow'd;but it is
the malicious Contrivance of thofe who havethe
C a r e and Adminiftration of t h e m , to give their
Vifitants the worft Entertainment they can deviíe, to turn their ftomachs from ever coming
there again ; and indeed,a man muft be redued
t o extream Necefíity before he caai refblve on a
íecond Vifit.
3
5
T h e Benediblin gave m e a more particular account of an Hofpital, which is in the hands of
the
Of Hofpitals and Pilgrims
file.
$y
Dóminicans of Viterbo : T h e í e Fathers erriy'd their utmoft Endeavours with the M-agiites of the City,to procure the Dire&ion of it,'
mifing,That they would make it their bufid o take a particular C a r e for Pilgrims , by
hfully employing the Revenues' thereof for
ir ule and relief, whereupon at laft their Retó was granted them. But unce this foraímuch.hey never had the leaft thought'of performtheir Promiíe;but to make ule of it-for their
n advantage, they have taken'up all the beft
c of the Building for themfelves, ánd Lodge
Pilgrims thatVifitthem in one bf the Cellars
t belong to the Houíe.Our Beneditlin arriving
e, met with a'Company of Severi or E i g h t
grims befides himíelf, w h o were áll together
:k'd up in that Cellar without giving t h e m
íer M e a t or Drfnk or Beds to lye u p o n ; and
them thus íhut up till T e n of the Clock t h e
í M o r n i n g , at which time the Doox was od for them. T h e Fathers Dóminicans íeeing
n in great confufion coming forth from their
:rableEodging,Seoffed at thern,asking t h e m
sther they liad lin'd their Infides w e l i , and
i Lodged at their eaíePDefiring them attheir
irn from Rome to cali that way, for that all
gs íhould be iri a readinefsto give them a
goodlyEnterrainrnent.All the W o r l d knows¿
t there is nothing of more dangerous C o n enee in Italy, t h a n to offend a D o m i n i c a n ;
uíe,having theInc¡uifition\n their hands,they
monly make excellent uís of it, to avenge
saft Affront is oífer'd them:Wherefore theíe
H
poor
5
1
e
5
r
s
}
;
9
8
The third LETT
ER,
poorWretches were fain to ílink away in filence,
without as much as daring t o reply one w o r d to
this their Villainous Scoffing at them, after having treated them ib outragiouíly. T h e famous
a n d rich Hofpitalof Loretto, to which vaft and
immeníe Donations have been given in favour
of Pilgrims, is for all that but little better ierv'd
t h a n w h a t w e juft now mention'd.
T o this purpoíe I íhall relate to you a Paflage,
whereof m y íelf was witneís, when I was at Loretto. I was walking in the G r e a t place which is
between the Church a n d that Hofpital,with two
F r e n c h PrieftSjWho h a d Lodged there the night
before. T h e Guardians it íeems are obliged to
R i n g a Bell, tq gather the Pilgrims together before Supper, that none of them may be abíent:
But thefe Wretches,that have n o more Religión
in them t h a n Dogs, and whofe only defire is to
defraud and pinch the poor Pilgrims, had on
purpoíe omitted Ringing of the Bell , as they
o f t e n d o . T h e French Priefts a b o u t S i x o f ths
Clock retir'd to the H o í p i t a l ; where théy demanded of them,why they did not come fooner,
a n d that Supper-time was p a n ? T h e y excus'd
themíelves by alledging, that they had not Rung
t h e Bell for t h e m : But they falíly and impudently maintain'd, that the Bell had been rung;
ib that it was not poffiblefor them to obtainfo
m u c h as a piece of Bread for themfelves that
N i g h t T h e n e x t M o r n i n g j t h e í e poor Priefts were
ib íearful of being íerv'd the íame Trick,(for in
that Hoípital they are obliged t o give their Viíitanís Supper a n d Lodging for three Nights
5
fnErethet
OfHofpitals
andfilgrimtjkz.
ther) that they continued from Three o f
"lock inthe Afternoon, until Evening^under
Belfry. T h e Guardians feeing, that it was
odible to put them by their Suppers, called
i fbftly(about Sixof the Clock)to come into
FJall to Supper; which they very honeftly
(ed to do till they hadRungthe Bell,to give
ning to the relt of the Pilgrims: T h e Guari d l o ' enrag'd at thisyet durft not but do it;
avenged themíelves another way, by giving
n very bad Wine.In other parts of Italy,they
;e ufe o f other Devices in their Hoípitals,tc>
ght Pilgrims from coming at them. A t PartndTwnw, they oblige them (all Wearied as
• are)to go inProceffion throughout the whole
in the fight of all Men, and to íing long
nies;which makes períbns that have the leaít
k of Generoíity, or thoíe who are naturally
e íhamefac'd than others, rather expoíe
ííélves to lie intheStreets, yea,or periíh for
ger, than to Viíie fuch kind of HoípitaIs¿
•e they muít fubjeét themíelves to fuch odi..aws. Others make it their bufineís to ípoil
leface all the Paífports of Strangers with
: ugly black Marks they make upon them,as
i they have been entertain'd in fuch and
Hofpitals. ' N o w períbns that are any thing
al of preíerving their Hbnour in their owri
try, and to keep their Paífports neát and
,willtake care hdwtheypreíent themíelves
;h places ás thofe, whofe Charity is fb infaíy ánd igríominiouíly adminiftred. In the
drae* by theíe ícandalouí Fetenes, they
H i
¿tíak¿
IOO
The Third
LETTER,
make a íhiftto reduce their Gueíls to a very ímalf
N u m b e r ; for the fewer Viíitants they have in a
Year, the greateris their Dividend at theyears
end. Others have the impudence, to make them
gain that by their own L a b o u r which was deííinM for them out of C h a r í t y : A n d indeed,
generally every where, if they be not there preciíely at the fet-time, which ordinarily isan hour
before Night,they a-re irrecoverably íhut out of
t h e Holpital;and it- is impoffible,either by Prayers or Tears, t o procure any Entrance. Others
again treat their Guefts very rudely in their Difcourfe, and with the greateíf difdain and contempt imaginable. I n a word, C h a r i t y is every
w h e r e adminiftred in ib Uncharitable and Mifbecoming a m a n n e r , that if the Bshefa¿tors of
thoíe Hoípitals could once return to Life , and
have the poffefFion of their Goods they formerly
bequeath'd to theíe places, I do perítiade my
felf, that feeing the horrid Abufes that are there
pra£tis'd, they would take heed of Uridertaking
t h e l i k e Foundations for time t o c ó m e .
}
T h e Father told m e , T h a t he had been in no
place better T r e a t e d , than at a N e w Hoípital
t h a t was a Building at Montefiafcone, T h r e e days
Journy from Rome. It was about fiye or fix years
ago, that the Priefts of that place had been períiíadingtheNobiíity and Citizens pf that fmall
City,to contribute to this Foundation. T h e y had
already procur'd a confiderable Revenue, by the
pious Legacies of í b m e L a d i e s p f Quality , and
íbmeAnnualRentsthe City h a d g r a n t e d towards
i t . T h e Bemdiítin feeing the good Entertainment
Of Hofpkals and Pilgrims,&c. ,
iox
they had given him,faid Smilingly to the Priefts,
w h o had theDiredtion of t h e H o u í e , T h a t he
was very well íatisfied with the good Entertaínm e n t he had received, that he prayed God to
preíerve in them this Spirit of Charity for the
P o o r ; and that he heartily wiíhed for the good
of their Souls, that they -might not one day become like others,by íharing the Revenues of the
Hoípital amongft chemfelves,andnegle¿tingand.
abufing the-Members of Jefus Chrift,as they do.
Many Pilgrims have aífured me , that it is the
greateft miíery in the W o r l d , t o take up ones •
Lodging in any one of the oíd Hofpicals, not-',
withllanding tliat they are the moít richly En' dowed^and that in the N e w Hofpitals,they were
well enough Entertain'd,becaufe the Prielís had
n o t y e t divided theRevenue amongft themíelves.
T h e y do like the Gardiners,wholuffer the Fruit
to hang on the T r e e , till it be come to its full
growth and maturity , and then gather it, and
make their profit of it; or like Merchants thatTraffick in Company , w h o do not divide the
Puríe till it be full. All theíe External praóf ices
andíhews of Piety and Devoción vifibly terminating in íelf-Intereft, make it evident beyond
dilpute,that they proceeded from no other Principies than Avarice and Hypócníie. You may
probably obje<5t to me here,Sir,that theU'alians
whom I have elíewhere repreíented to you as
mea of Wit and Underftanding, muft needs be
very limpie in ííiífering themíelves to be^perfuaded, to beftow their Goods upon fuch Fouñdations as thefe,coníidering the great abuíeof them.
)
"IQZ
The Jhird
LETTER,
T o this,Sir, I íhall aníwer, that the Priefts in all
CountrieSjhave a very powerful Aícendent over
the Spirits of the people, and that this joyn'd
with the Dodrin of the Church of Rome whích
is,that the Prayers of Pilgrims are of a particular
efficacy with God to deliver Soulsout of Purgat o r y ; and with the practice obferved in thefe
Hofpitals, of obliging the Pilgrims at^night to
make longPrayers for the Soulsof their'cleceafed
Benefa£tors,and caufing Maís to be íaid for them
in the Chapéis belonging to the íaid Hofpitals,is
a powerful Motive , confidering the falíe belief
wherein they are engaged, to perfuade them to
i t Mofeover thefe Priefts are very dextrous in
divulging every where,that they are very faithful in theAdminiftration of theirAlms,that they
are very careful in giving goodEntertainment to
theirPilgrims,even ib far as to contribute of their
ó w n M o n y , t o defray the charges they are at for
Pf ovifions. But it is evident enough, that by a
mental reftri¿tion they muft underftand this of
Provifions for themfelves, tho' before God they
cannot by this means excufe themfelves from
Lying. There was formerly many more Hofpitals in Italy than thefe be at prefent, every Moíiafteiy had its Hófpital.' S.OJowAbbot oíclugnj,
feeing that thefe Hofpitals were all in vogue,and
that it was a kind of Devotion that made a
great noiíe in theWorld,would not in this point
come behindanySéculars. Hedivided the vaft
Revenues of his Abby into threé parts: Thefirft
was for the A b b o t , and the Entertainment of
Strangers of note, that carne to the Monaftery *
•
.
The
t
OfHofpitals and Tilgrimsf&c.
103.
T h e íecond, for the maintenance of t h e Monks.
which was called the Conventual portion ; and
the third part for the relief of the Poor,and the
entertainmentof Pilgrims,whofe Feet the Abbot
himfelf, as aneífe¿t of his humility,was pleaíed
to waíh. Almoft all the Abbots of Francs, Germany and ltaly follow'd this E x a m p l e ; and in
like manner m a d e a Tripartition of the Revénúes of their Abbies. But this their abundanc
Charity,was not of any long continuance ; for
íbon after, that w h i c h had beengiven with one
hand,was taken away with the other.The íhare,
of the P o o r was loft,or rather confounded,with
thoíe of the Abbot and the Monks: A t preíent
there are n o m o r e o f theíe Hoípitals to be found
in üte/^excepting o n e a t Mont-Caffin,aaá another
at the G r e a t Camaldule , where they entertain
Pilgrims.The Chartreux Monks have alfo another
in the D u t c h y of Milán , at the M o n a í t e r y of
Tama. But it is not to their C h a r i t y Strangers
are beholden for this C o n v e n i e n c e , but to that
of Gakaátts Viícount,Dukeof Milan ú\áx Foün*
der,who would have this M o n a í t e r y , which h e
had Endowed with a vaítRevenue,tobe a place
of publick reception and entertainment for al!,
whether Rich or Poor.TheFathers of this Foundation have fince done their utmoft endeavour,
to rid themfelves of this Hoípirality, under the
ípecious pretext, that it was a great diíhubance
to their Solitude. But the Lords and great M e n
of that Dutchy , w h o by t h e i C h a r t e r of that
Foundation,are to be íplendidly entertain'd there
with all their T r a i n and Equipage .v;as «frsn as
fí 4
they
y
I.04
TheThird
LETTER,
they país that way, found themíeíves too much
intereííed in this their Petition , and therefore
have always oppoíed it with all the Vigor imaginable ; ío that they are ftill forced to continué
the íáme,tho' íbre againft their Wills. ' T i s a thing
but too well k n o w n in Italy, and avowed by all,
t h a t their Clergy are extreamly wanting inthis
great D u t y and diftinguiíhing Chrifíian Badge
of Charity. ' T i s an Obíervat-ion I made m y
íelf,That the P o o r , w h o a r e over and aboveperííiaded of this T r u t h by their o w n Experience,
d o íeldom or never beg any Alms of them. As
for the Regular Clergy , the Benediclm told m e ,
T h a t from the time of our parting,he had preíented himíelf to all the Monafteries of his Ord e r h e met with,to obtain a Lodging with them,
but that fcarce ever they had been willing to
receive h i m : T h e commonAnfwer he had from
t h e m was,That there was an Hoípital in the City,
t o which he liad beft addreís himíelf for Entert a i n m e n t ; and that w h e n he carne thither,they
abíblutely refuíed him Entrance , telling him
There ivas a Monaftery of his Order in the City,and
that it ivas more prcper for him to feek a Lodging
there.Thm this poor Monk-,(eeing himíelf íbmetimes rejeifted on all fides,lamented his fad condition, occafioned by the ícandalous uncharitableneís of the C l e r g y , and his o w n B r e t h r e n of
t h e í á m e O r d e r .He addcd,That if it were in his
power,he w o u l d aboliíh all theíe Hofpitals, as
well as all Pilgrimaging. For (faid he) as theíe
Hoípitals are moíf. ícandaloufly Ádminiftredj fo
neither ^ a n any thing be imagiued m o r e a b o '•' ';""
-. "
minable
Of Hofpitals and Pilgrims,&c.
~io$
mi.nable , than the Períbns that take up their
Lodging in t h e m ; amongft a Score of them,'tis
hard to find one , that is come from his o w n
Country with a defign to Vifie the Hbly places;
being for the moft part of them a company of
Vagabonds, w h o m a k e á t their bufinefs, every
year to go the R o u n d of JtalylThey c o m m o n l y
país the Summer in the Alpes, and then begin
their Journy in Autumn, fpend their W i n t e r a t
Reme, Naples, or in Calabria ; and in the Spring
begin their Round anew, in order to réturn t o
their Summer Quarters in the Mountains. T h e
way they take' to Live is t h i s , T h e y beg in the
Day-time, g o f r o m one F a r m to another, leap
Hedges, rob Orchards, and fteal Fowl they meet
with on the High-way,or in the back Courts of
Country H o u í é s , or whatever elfe they meet
with. After this good days work,they retire towards the Evening to lome Neighbouring Village,where they know there is an Hofpital. Many of themTravel u p a n d down thus with their
whole Families, trailing their VVives and Children along with them. T h e í e generally profeís
themfelves to be New Converts; that formerly
they were eitherJewsorProteftants;but having
abjured their Errors,they have thereby reduc'd
themíelves inío ío miíerable a condition.for the
Love of jefus Chrift. T o this purpoíe they fhew
you very. f^ir and plaufible Letters of C r e d e n c e ,
with fair great Seáis annexed to them. I have
íbmetimes diverted my felf with queftioning this
kind of People,about the Principies of Judaifm,
or the Faith of Proteftants: but they were never
able
xoó
The Third
LETTER,
able to anfwer any thing to the purpoíe. Perceiving this,I carne nearer to them, and demanded
of them,howthey carne by theíe fair Commendatory Letters; whereupon íbme of them freely
owned to m e , that they had bought them for
their Mony of an Abbot living at Turin , who
made a Trade and Livelyhood of it.That to this
purpofe , he was furniíhed with all manner of
Seáis, and could Counterfeit all Wríting-hands.
And as for themíelves, they ingenuouíly confef
fed they had never been éitber Jews or Proteñants, but that they made ufe of this Artifice to
induce people to a greater degree of Charity
towards them: Befides theíe we find many other
íbrts of Hoípital-Haunters, that are never a jot
better than thoíe 1 have now mention'd;fome of
theíe drag great Chains after t h e m , and IronManacles, declaring themíelves to have been
Slaves in Turky fcom. whence they were miracuculoníly delivered,by fome Vows they made to
Rome,or to our Lady of Loretto: But if any one
mke them totask about thofe remote Countries,
they can anfwer nothing that is pertinent; and
befides it is notorious,that they buy their Chains
o f the Blackímiths,which many Italians have af
lured me,to havebeen Eye.witneífes of Moreover
Yhey are a íbrt of People fo diflblute in their
Manners,and ib debauched,that were it true indeed, that'the Bleifed Virgin had wrought a Miracle to deliver them from their Bondage , íhe
ought by another to return them thither again.
Another fort of Pilgrims well. known in thefe
Holpitals,area kind of Hermits of the nature of
'
thofe.
Of Hofpitals and Pilgrimsfkc.
107
thofe t w o I mentioned before, w h o ípend their
time in trouling from one place of Devotion to
anotherdrom Rometo
Loretto a.ná
}
from Loretto t o
Rome, leading a moft fcandalousLife. Theíe are
the men, w h o without any permi ilion obtained
from theirBiíhops to lead anHermetick Life,have
taken up the Habit of themíelves. I rememher
that at Lions, the Vicar General cauíed one o f
theíe Hermits to be íeiz'd,whoin Priíbn confeft
that he himíelf had given the Habit to Seventeen
VagabondRogueslike himíelfdbr threeCrowns
apiecedn confideration of which he had alio furniíh'd them withCloth cut out,and lbwed their
Gownsaiid Cowls himíelf,and given them counterfeitLetters towander throughoutGefw<i«y and
Italy. N o w it is obíervable,that the Guardians o f
Hoípitals do commonly give a better reception
to thoíe íbrt of Cattle,than to Paífengers and Pilgrims,becauíe they know their Company is very
apt toturn other peoples Stomacks from coming
at them.Theíe are the íeveral forts and divifions
of Hoípital-Mongers,which Houíes being beíides
ordered after the manner I have inform'd you ;
judge, I pray you, Sir, Whether the Church of
Rome has reaíon to be Ib huífy and proud of her
Pilgrims and Hoípitals,or to reproach the Proteftants for wanting fuch goodly Ornaments, and
teftimonies of their Charity ? For my part,I am
íirm in theOpinion,that the Proteltants Method
in this point is by far the better: T h e y have very
wiíelYretrenchedthefefortsof Pilgrimages,being
convinc'd that itis much better for a mantoíhut
himíelf up in his Cloíet, there to pray in íecret
•
.
•
. to
s
J¡
;
iD.8
TheThird
LETTER,
to his Heavenly Father,than to run up and dowíj
to pray to God and the Saints in publick píaces
as the Romanifis d o . T h e y k n o w that G o d has
n o t ty'd up Holinefs neither to time or place;
and that it is a great piece of folly to found pla
ees of Entertainmentfor Vagabonds, which are
for the moft part either lazy Drones, or wicked
Villains, which ought rather to be íhut up in
an Houíes of Corrección, an4 made to work for
their Living, than to leave them at their liberty,
which they make Iüch ill ufe of. Ás for what
concerns StrangersandTravellersdf they happen
to fall into fome neceffity,they are not waftting
in Proteftant Countries,charitably to aflift them
in their needs, eípecially if they are k n o w n t o
be honeft People.And as for the poor and neceffitous that dwell in Cities,the Pariíhes to which
they belong takenotice of what their wants are,
and take care to íupply them. This,Sir,as far as
I canjudgeds a far betterregulated Charity,and
confequently alio more pleafing to God,and íuch
as was praérifed in the Primitive times of the
C h u r c h . It may be you'l tell me,Sir,that the Pilgrims of the Church oF Rome,aro not all of them
fuch pitifulWretches as I have n o w defcrib'd,but
that there are a vaft number of Períbns of Quality^fdifferentRanksandConditions.whoTravel
t p Rome and Loretto upon the account of Devotion,in imitation of S.Paul.S.Peiajria&nd Eufiochi«wí,Noble Román Ladies,who undertook a Jerufalem Voyage, to viíit the H o l y places there, according to the Teftimony of S.Jerom, ahd that
íuch as theíe are the períbns whoíe Zeal y our
5
r
Church
óf Hofpitals and Pilgrims,&c.
109'
Church extreamly boaíts it íelf of. I will noc
deny,Sir,but that indeed I have íeen m a n y Períbns of Quality going in Pilgrimage to Rome,a.ná
other places of Devotion that are moft in Vogüa
in I r ^ n e i t h e r would I altogethsr diíapprove o f
their deíign,could I find that theObjeáts to wTfich
they pay their Devotions, were in a n y degree
w o r t h y of them,and that they did it in a decenn
and edifying manner. But fincerely, to tell you
my Opinión , I could never fee any thing in alL
Italy,thít deíerv'd a m a n s p u t i n g o f himíelf to fo
great charges, except only to íee its fair Cities,
a n ¿ the Maíferpiéces of Art and Nature it contains: But in this cafe it is Curioíity, and not Devotion,thatputs menupon undertaking that Journy. Befides,Sir, the manner of your rich People
going a Pilgrimagihg is ib extravagant, and fo
íraught with
ftaringLibertiniíinand
Licentioufnefs,that in truth they had much better keep at
hóme,and H o n o r G o d in their Families,than t o
quit them as they do; to latisfie their Lufts under
a C l o a k o f Devotion, to the great fcandal ofalí
good and íober People. 1 qneítion n o t , but you
will b e o f my m i n d , as íbon ás you íhall have
read the accóunt I intend to'give you in m y
next LETTERjWherein I íháll treat of my Journy to Loretto.For the preíerit,becauíe I have noc
quitted Luca,whevQ I parted with my BtnecltBln,
w h o has given me an occafionto Write what I
have done of Hofpitals; I íhall only tell you,
before I part wich chis City,without giving you
the deícription of it, that being n o part of my
defignjthat as I was one day coming forth from
my
5
n o
The
ThirdLETTER,
rny Inn» I was extreamly ííirprizM, to hear ths
People ín the Street fwéáring ,and blalpheming
the H o l y N a m e o f Jeííis Chrift.There was a great
Throng óf People gáther'd together,who look'd
upon thoíe that did i b , without witneffing the
leaft horror,for hearing fuch execrable Blaíphemies. I demanded of them with lome Indignad o n , why they fuffer'd them to taík at fuch a
rate? T h e y mildly anfwer'd m e , That I was
miftaken, and that they did neither Swear nof
Blaípheme, but that it was only a particular
Quarrel, about a piece of M o n y of the valué o f
a Shilling,or thereabouts,which at Lucaíhsy ca|l
ajéfw Chrift,.The Magiftrates of this City caus'd
this M o n y to be coyn'd in honour of a Miraculous Crucifix, which is kept in their Cathedral,
which (they íay) did either Weep, or Speak, or
Bleed,theíe being the ordinary Miracles of éh'eíe.
Crucifixes. T h e Figure of Jefas Chrift hanging
on theCroís, is ftamp'd upon this C o i n , which
therefore they cali a Chrift. By which means,
when they are at Play,or upon Quarrels arifing
about payments, the adorable Ñ a m e pf our
Blefled Lord and Saviour Jefas Chrift, Is not
only very frequently taken in Vain,but alíooutfag'd and blaíphem d, as thoíe Wretches, whom
I have juft now mention'd, did for one of theíe
pieces, which the one of them reftor'd to the
other with theíe Horrid words, Take there yout
R—-of a Chriít. I have leen another íort of Mony at Bowo»i«,calledaiW(í¿í)«wí»,thatistofay,ári
Our Ladypt a Virgin Mar y, which is of the valué
of Sixpenceat Bomma upon oseafion of which
3
Of Hofpitals andPilgrims,Scc.
ni
the fame inconveniencesdo propprtionably happen in the like Difputes. T h u s w e f e e , that a n
imprudent Devotion ordinarily terminates in a
great Impiety. T h e Q u e e n of Swedeu having
leen one of theíe pieces of Mony,faid Smilingly
t o the Cardinal of Luca, That the Italians would
have done much bettertfo have Hampt a Coin , and
befiowedthe Ñame of God upon it; intimating,that
Gold and Silver were the G o d of Italy, there being n o People in t h e World that woríhip it w i t h
more Idoíatry, and yet that are m o r e lazy anci
carelefs in the gaining of it. From Luca I carne
to Tifa, an ancient City of Tufcanj, fituate upon
theRiver^rao.Amongft other remarkable things
here is to be feen a fair C h u r c h - y a r d , cali'd i n
Italian,Campo Santo; it is exceeding large, and of
a íquare Figure. T h e Walls and T o m b s of it are
all of M a r b l j a f p e r and Porphyry,very artificialiy wrought. T h e y of Tifa had fill'd this place
with the Earth , which in a great n u m b e r of
Veífels they brought fromferufalem,a.ná in which
the Dead-Bodies are coníumed in 24, Hours. In
a word,they tell us,that this Holy Earth is nothing
but a continual Miracle: But for m y part,I find
no more of Miracle in the caíe than there is in
the Church-yard of S. Innocents at Taris, where
Bodies are coníumed within the íame compaís
of Tíme,without any Miracle at alLIn all their
Churches they íliew us a prodigious number of
Relicks of Saints and Saintefies, asin all the reít
oí Italy, the moft of which are extreamly ricliculous. I will not ftop at preíent to give you a
Catalogue of t h e m , but will pafs on.to Florence,
where
3
'ni
Thé Thlrd
LETTER,
where I íhall have occafion to entertain yoü
with the Great Devotion ,« that is ib much in
Vogue and Credit at a Church called the Anonciade, ovAnnunciation. T h e Original of the Devotion take as follows: A Paínter having been
employ'd to make a Pi6ture of the Bleffed Virgin, in the pofture wherein the Romiíh T r a d i tion tells us íhe was,when the Ángel Gabriel was
íent to her , to acquaint her with the Incarnat í o n o f úxzWord; thatis,in her Chamber o n h e r
. Khees, reading the Prophecy of IJdiah: T h e
Painter had finiíh'd all other partsof the Pi¿ture»
except one,to wit,theVirginsFace,whichhehad
reíerved for his laft Task ; but being at a loís
w h a t i d e a tofollow,in reprefenting to the Life
ib excellent a Creature ; and defpairing ever to
find any'thing in hisArt of íiríficient perfe<5tion
t o reachthis h e i g h t , he in this trouble and dif
compoíirreofThoughts fell aílccpin theChurchj
w h e r e he was at W o r k ; and awaking three or
four hours after, ( O ftrange Prodigy, and well
' déíerving the W o n J e r of all men 0 he found the
thing that had ib much perplexed him, happily
fihiíhed, and much better than ever he could
hope to. have done it himíelf; whereupon he
began to cry out amain, A A-liracle, a Miracle!
highly averring,that anÁngel fent from Heaven
h a d done the work whilft he was aíleep- T h e
Fryers of t h e Conyent where he Wrought,finding their Interefb in the thing,rang'd themíelves
of his Side,íb fhat in a m o m e n t the Devotion took
fire,and the Concourfeof People to their Church
was ib great, and has ,ever fince continiv'd with
fuch
Of
táofpitaisandPitgrmt/kc.
lij
ich extraórdinary Succeís, as hath made it at
his day one of the richeft of all Italy; and thd
üonvent of Fryers, one of the beft Endow'd.
rhe Reflec-Hons I have made on this Pi&ure, is,
That on many Accounts all this might be n o
"íore than a meer Cheat or Miftake. ^For firft
f alljíbme unknown períbn,or rather Fryer of
dll in that A r t , entring by chance into the
ihapel where the Painter.was at work^andfindrg him aíle©p, might make ufé of that oppor.mity,and having finiíh'd,the Work,retire him;lf before t h e P a i n t e r awoke.Secondly,We may
ippoíe that the Painter,to make himíelf talk'd
f,and to gain himíelf thecredit and reputatióri'
f a Good M a n , might have invented this Lie
imíelf. O r laftly, W e may conceive that the
ryers of the Convent,upon confideratioñ of a
ood pieceof M o n y , m i g h t have iriduc'd h i m t o
ave publiíh'd this Lie, to make their advantage
: it. W h a t I alledge here,that might have been,
not done with thisintent, asif I had a m i n d
'all manner of ways to diígrace and diícredit
is pretended Miracle,by íiippofing it a pieceof
)rgery. I know it is the Charalter o f a diígenuousand malicious Spirit,to put a bad Con'uftion upon a Matterthat admits afavourablé
e, and.verily, I would not for all the W o r l d
poíe m y ícif to that Reproach. But the reaíbii
what X have íaid concerning this matter is,
íat I am otherwiíe íatisfied on good grounds¡¡.
tt the Point in queftion is a manifeft and pal)leFalíhood. For firft of all,Ifit were an A n -, as is pretended, that had painted rizis Face'
I
of
114
The
thirdLE7TER,
of the Virginias, the work of an Ángel isfar me
perfeét than that of a M a n , i t will follow Tl
this Pi£ture,at leaft as to the mixture and layi
o n of the Colours,muft have far excelPd all t
Pieces of Caratche,Guido,Rbin,or any other of I
moft famous Painters of Italy ; and in the me
time we fee the contrary,and that it does not
all exceed the reft of the Pi¿tures,finiíhed by i
Painter himíelf, which made a Traveller, vs
ey'd it very well, to íay, That the^Angel-Lim
muft have been but a Blockhcad and Bung-ler at
Artjo draw fuch rude and incuriout ftroaks. ]
befides this,we have another A r g u m e n t to a
vince ÚiQRomanifts,tha.t this isa falle Suppofiti
v/hich is,That this Portraiéture of the Bleffed l
¿•¿Hjbears n o reíemblance atall w i t h thoíe ot]
Piftures of the V i r g i n , which they pretend
have been d r a w n by the H a n d of S-Luke himl
T h e Face here is round , fairand r u d d y , \a
lively and brisk Eyes,and a low ímooth Forehe
whereas that painted by S.Luke is long and íw
thy, Egyptian-like, with an humble a n d moi
íook,and an high and prominent Forehead,
which has nothing of that ib charming Bea
of the Blejjéd Virgin, they ib highly magí
w h e n they ípeak of her, being more prope
excite Seníiial Luft,than any Sentiments of
vption. Wherefore we muft conclude,Tha
ther chis Ángel was miftaken,or that S.Luke
a greac Jgnoramus in the Art of Painthg ; wl
notwithftanding they tell us he was skilful i
p e r f e d i o n ; for,without doubt,the one or th
ther muft h a r é been ibuly miftaken.To attril
}
Of Hofpitak and Pilgrimsfkc.
xs§
is miftaké to the Ángel, would be to derógate
;treamly,and againít all Reáfon,íf b m the tranendent Excellence of thoíe Bleífed Spirits; a n d
accuíe S.Luke, would deftroy their own T r a tion;which they ought not Ib far to vilifie and
¡bale, as to make it give way to the particular
eítimony of a filly Painter,who m a y be a Liar,
well as Ib many o t h e r s ; I ípeak of h i m w h o
•ew this Pi¿hire of the Annunciation. Laftly,Ic
ight alio as well be alledg'd, T h a t the Devil,
r the incouragement and increaíeof SuperftiDn,might have had a Finger in the Intriegue,
ib peremptorily t o aífert,Thatit was an Ángel
L i g h t ; t h o ' to fpeak thetruth,thisis not very
.tional neither,for the D e v i l is too cunning to
ive done his work ib mu c h at random , a n d
ould without doubt rather have borrow'd his
ea from the Pióture of Santla Marta Magiore
Rome.HowvQVQv the Popes have declared it to
a T r u t h , t h e y haveapprov'd t h e M a t t e r , a n d
ve iífued their Bullsfor the Authorizing oí it,
d thunder'd out their Excommunications ainft thoíe v^ho íhould be ib fool-hardy to doubt
it, being the íame t h a t o t h e r Popes have d o n e
favour of thePicTrure of S.Luke.This
Devotion
5 procur'd vafl: Treafures to the Fathers of
s Convent,called Serviti. T h e Great Duke of
Ccany repair'd thither every Evening t o í a y h i s
lyers, whilfí I was at Florence, and it is t h e
n m o n Rendezvous of Strangers, that have a
nd to íee this Court. H e every day gave great
cns to the P o o r at the D o o r of the C h u r c h ,
ÍO all of them(as I was told)were perfons very
l %
weÜ
?
lió
The thlrd
LETTER,
well to live,tho'(to induce people m o r e to compaflion) they keep themíelves cover'd with nothing but Rags. T h e y have taken ííich firm pofíeflion of this Poft, that they will notfuffer any
ítrange Beggar to mingle with them. By occafio n of mentioning theíe Beggars, and that you
rnay íbmewhat the better apprehend the powerful virtue of the Holy Image, and the Miracles
t h e Virgin cpntinually works in favour of thoíe,
w h o repaír thither to pay her their Adorations,
Il'e here relate to you a Miracle which they
C r y ' d along the Streets of Florence, as a thing
that had lately hapned,which Print m y Curiofit y prompted me to buy.The Story íeem'd to me
very Gallant, and t h o ' it be íbmething long, yet
í h o p e t h e Recital will not íeem tedious t o yon,
A Gentleman of one of the beft Families oí
Florence,was fallen from a
flouriíhingCondition,
b y means of íbme crofs Blafts of Fortune,to extream P o v e r t y . T h a t which greatly added to his
affli¿tion was,That he had t w o grownDaughters
that were not yet provided for;his only recourfe
i n this miíerable condition,was to the Mother oí
God. A n d t o e n t e r himfelf the better into her
Favour, he made a Vow to continué all his Life
long very devout to her Miraculoús Image of
t h e Annunciade: T o this purpoíe he rofe verj
early everyMorning,and went to fay his Prayefi
in the C h u r c h - P o r c h , before the Doors were
open'd. After he h a d continu'd his Devotion
thus for a long t i m é , ths-Bleffed Virgin thoughi
good at laft to hear his Prayers,and to íend him
* l o m e Relief. Accordingly íhe infpir'd two Blind
Of Hofpitals and P¿¿gr/ms,&c.
117
men,of the number of thoíe w h o always kept
aboutthe Door of the Church.to rifó fooner than
ordinary, to take their Stations in the ChurchP o r c h : Being arriv'd there, one of t h e m b e g a n
to tellhis Companion,how much he was beholden to the Miraculous Virgin, for that from extream Poverty,he had in a íhort time attairíd to.
competent Riches, by the Alms he had receiv'd
t h e r e ; and that befides the M o n y in Silver he
had left at his Lodging, he had t w o hundred P i ítols in Gold quilted in the Crown of his Hat.His
blind C o m r a d e having heard this hisDiícouríe,
told h i m , That for his part, he did- not in the leaft
envy his good Luck, as being much more obliged
to the Miraculous Image, and that he had quilted in
his Hat no lefs than Five hundred Pifiols in Gold.
T h e G e n t l e m a n , who was near to them at his
Prayers, without making the leaft noiíe, that
might diícover him to be t h e r e , having heard
them diícouríing at this r a t e , and íeeing lo
fair a n opportunity oífer'd him of enriching
himíelf, very íbftly drew near to the t w o Blindm e n , and very dexteroully took off both their
Hats at once,retiring íbme Paces backward. T h e
Blind-men being extreamly íurpriz'd hereat,and
each of them believing hisCompanion had done
the Feat, demanded their Hats of one another,
and proceeded to íuch a R a g e , that handling
their Crutches, they diícharg'd íeveral hearty
ftroaks upon one anothers H e a d s ; and without
doubt had kill'd one another, if People had n o t
come in to part them. Whilft they were thus
hotly engag'djthe G e n t l e m a n went oíf,and findI 3
'
í»g
iiS
The 7Mrd
LETTER,
ing íbme fcruple in himíeíf for what he had
done.he goes the íanie day t o t h e C a r d i n a l - A r c h biílíóp ol Flore»ce,to w h o m he told all that had
p a í t : Th'eAfchbifhop having heard the relation,
did fully approve of w h a t he had done;and told
h i m , T h a t he was not at all obliged t o make any
Reftitution , foraífnuch as it was apparent, that
t h e Virgin had vifibly affifted him in the whole
courfe of that Affairjn confideration of the D e votion he bore to her Miraculous Portraióture;
a n d ordered.that for the comfort of the Faithfuldt íhould be printed and publiíhM throughout
t h e C i t y of Florence. T h i s íame Story has íince
been printed a n e w d n a Book which is very curr a n t in Italy,ané has for its Title,L'í7¡r¿/e coi-bolci
ov,Trofit with Tleafure. You lee h e r e , Sir, a very
pleafant Miracle,wherein the Virgin, topleaíure
bhe of her Servants, makes a Robber of h i m ,
a n d who,as fuch,ought to be puniíh'd according
t o the Laws. For by what means foever theíe
poor Blind-men might have pick'd up this M o n y ,
however theirsit was, and had been given them
for Alms. But if we íuppoíe this to be a Story
ihvented at pleaíure,! am aftoniíh'd that a Cardinal-Archbifhop íhould ever caufe it to be
p j i ñ t e d ; and that the Iñquifition, which in all
other matters appear lo exacl; and ícrupulous,
íhould Licence the Impreflionof it in the Book
before-mention'd. People a r e ib cloy'd with
Miracles in Italy, that exceptthey contain íbme
thing Romantick a n d Fabulous,they are fcarcely
takeñ notice of, T h i s is that which makes the
Jtalians, w h o not without great Reaíon are
accuíed
t
aocuíéd of C o y n i n g new ones every day,to have
a great care to íet t h e m out with fuch ráre a n d
furprizing,or fuch merry and pleafing Circumífances, that it is very divertizing to read t h e m ,
or hear t h e m related. I may have an occafion to
give you a more particular account hereof in
one of my L E T T E RS, and therefore íhall at
preíent país over in Menee the many Miracles
of this famous C h u r c h of the Annunciade,x.o give
y o u a n account of íbmePlacesof Devotion,which
are n o t far diftant from the C i t y of Florence^má.
w h i c h I had the curiofity to go and vifit.
' T i s amongft the high Mountains of theApen#¿«<r,that we meet with three famous Deferts, ac
a days J o u r n y diftance from each other, where
as m a n y H e a d s of diíferent Orders had their beginning. T h e firft of theíe is Camaldule, the íecond Valombrofa,a.Tv\. the third Mont-Alverné. O f
the&jCamalduk has by way of preheminence
been called the Holy Deferí, and is certainly one
of t h e moft Defert places Nature can produce.
S.Komualdus obtain'd this place of anEarl,called
Maldule,írom whence it took i t s N a m e of Camaldule, as being a kind of abbreviation oí Ca?npmaldule, o r t h e F i e l d of Malduje. Hither it was
then,that he retir'd to lead a Penitent Life; a n d
having by hisExample engaged íbme Diíciples to
joyn with h i m , he built there a Monaftery upon
a very high M o u n t a i n , in an Interval lying between t w o T o p s or Prominences thereof; and
afterwards being deíirous of. a greater Solitude,
he r e t i r e d t o one of thofe T o p s , which is a place
almoft inacceffible; where he inftituted a ksnd
í 4
of
%%o
The Thirá
LETTER,
of Double O r d e r , one of Monks, a n d the other
ofSolitaries or• Hermits; but under the íame
H a b i t and Rule, excepting only fome particular
Conftitutions to the o n e , with reference to the
Hermetick Life ; and to the others, for the M o naftick. T h e Monks dwelt in the Monaftery h e
h a d built below, and the Solitaries retir'd with .
h i m to the T o p , which at prefent is called the
Holy Dejert. I arrived at this Monaftery in the
beginning of QEi.ober. F r o m Florence it is in a
m a n n e r a continual Up-hill t h i t h e r , and from
thence one may diícover that great and lofty
C i t y , w i t h the Country all about it,which aífords
a moft pleafing profpeót.Theíe Fathers have alwáys preíerved Hofpitality amongft them, a n d
t o this d a y entertain all Strangers that come
thither, and T r e a t them accordihg to their Quality forthree days together. Foraímuch as there
is neither I n n m o r any Houfes near it,I went and
preíented my felf t o t h e Abby,where I was very
civilly received. I found here three Florentine
Gentlemen,to whoíe company I joyn'd m y felf,
and at N i g h t we were ferved at T a b l e with
Eggs and Fiíh,without any Superfluity; but with
a m e d i o c r i t j well-becqming the Reiigious ftate
pf theíe Fathers, with which I was much m o r e
edified than I had been at the Citeaux in France
w h e r e the Abbpt treated us with ib much profhfion and Exceís. W e acquainted them over
night, that w q defigned the next day to go to
t h e Sacred Defert j and accordingly they called
us up at Five o f ' t h e Clock the next M o r n i n g ,
and made us fít d o w n t o sat at Six. í was
extreamly
y
Of Hoffitals and Pilgrims ¿kz.
izi
extreamly íiirpriz'd t o lee they had prepared
B i n n e r i b early, when none of us had the Ieaft
Appetite to M e a t : But they told us, T h a t w e
muít forcé our íelves to eat as well as we could,
becauíe the Air was fo piercing a n d cold iri
climbing up to the top of t h e M o u n t a i n , t h a t w e
íhould never be able to bear it, if w e attempted
it with empty Stomachs : Moreover, T h a t w e
were t o prepare our íelves to clamber o n foot
for fix Miles together on theRocks,and to march
through the Snow,before we could come to the
T o p of theHoly Defert,and that there they neverga ve any M e a t to any perfbn,to avoid difturbing
of their Solitude; ib that we íhoul be torced t o
come d o w n from thence by the íame way to the
Monaftery, there to take a iecond Refreíhment,
We íuífer'd.our íelves therefore to be perííiaded,
and after w e had eaten,we parted from the Monaftery about Seven of the C l o c k , and walked
on towards thetop,always compaífingtheMountainjn a continued Foreft of tall Fir-Trees. All
theíeRocks are full of little Springs,from whence
ilfueth a very clearWater,whoíeRivulets diíperíe
themíelves all over the way by which w e went-ib that one cannot climb very ífígh without
jmarching in the Water, which is very tioubie¡íóm. T h e í e Waters meeting together form a
coníiderable T o r r e n t , which we país'd and repaís'd upon great Fir-Trees Íaid over in the form
3f Bridges. W e arrived about N o o n at the top,
ífter having marched two Miles through the
bow. T h i s w a s i n the M o n t h of Oüober; but
he T o p of the Mountain is ib cold, that w h e a
it
i%%
The Third
LETTER,
it Rains below, it almoft continually fíiows
o n high. W e found the Snow very high t!
a n d had been fo for eight d a y s ; fo that at ¡
flanee we cóuld íee nothing but the upper
of the Church,and the Tiles o r C o v e r i n g o
C e l l s ; we counted about fixty of them , w
are about twentyPacesdiftant from one ano
and taken all together from a little T o w n : E
Cell hath íeveral Rooms, and a Garden. 1
íhew'd us that of SlRomuald, which one oí
Hermits dwelt in.We asked them w h y they
n o greater reípeét to the Cell of their h<
Founder, but left it to one of their Religio
live in? T h e y told us,that.this was the only
t h e y had to preíerve ic againft the moiíf u n
place was obnoxious t o ; and that o t h e r w i í
W o o d would rot, and the Cell be in dang
falling down. T h e y íhew'd us the Cell of s
nerable Hermit, w h o (they aífur'd us) hac
ftiri'd thence for Forty years together,and
ftill liv'd there in perpetual filence, not'íb r
asfpeaking-a w o r d to any one. T h e y put i
M e a t to him through a little Window,wiii<
took with great íbbriety a n d inoderatiofí,']
Solitaries efteem'd him a Saint, fér they
Silence above all other V e r t u e s : W h i c h
m e occafion to demarid of thoíe who wei
dered t o accompany us, -umat kind of thin
great Vertue of Silence w a s , and h o w che
find it? T h e y anfwer'd,That it was to be
w i t h Men,in order t o fpeale to God. Where
I reply'd, T h a t it íeem'd to me to be bettí
íin'd t h u s : To be JiknP,or te fpeak when one o
Qf Hofpitals and Tilgrims&c.
12,3
and that I could not approve of the Ufe they had
introducd ammgfi them of fpeak'tng to one another
by figns. W e our íelves indeed had but n e w l y
experienc'd the Inconyeniences óf. it, at our firft
Entrance into the Holy Defert; for having found
the Court-Gate open,we went in to r i g h t s ; b u t
when we were entred,not knowing which w a y
t o betake our íelves , we d r e w near to fome o f
thefe Solitaries, w h o were buhe i n r e m o v i n g of
the Snow to make a paííage. W e defired them.
to be fo kind, as t o t e l l u s , t o w h o m w e m i g h t
addreísour felves for t o t a k e a view of the place;
but n o t Ib m u c h a s one of them^opened their
Mouths to give us a w o r d in a n í w e r . Some o f
them m a d e Signs to us with their H a n d s a n d
Feet,and others with their Brooms and Shovels.
W e believed at firft that they were F o o l s , or
that they had a mind to d r i v e u s outagain,but ac
laft w e apprehended that they m a d e Signs to us
to return t o the Gate, and there ípeák with t h e
Porters; with w h o m we happily met. I immediately told'thele P o r t e r s , T h a t i t appear'd to me
very ftrange, that God having given t o m e n a
Tongue and a Mouth,wherewith t o exprefs their
Thoughts,lbme perfons ínftead of acknowledging this Advantage G o d had given them above
Brute-beaíh-, by a good and díicreetuíethereofy
íhould undertake to make ule of their Hands a n d
Feet to expreís themlelves, like thoíe that are
Dumb-born,or that have their T o n g u e s cut cuto
T h a t a t t h e beft this íeemM to me very improper, a n d very far from appearing t o be a Vertue, fit to make m e n G o o d and H c i > . _They
?
iz4
The Third
LETTER,
Aníwer'd rae, That thefe were My frenes hid and
unhnown to Seculars, and only revealed by God to
Solitaries and Perfecí Souls , who knew the Excel?
lence of it. The Sins (proceeded he) of the Mer,
of the World, are grofr Sins, fuch as Covetouíheís,
E n v y , L u x u r y , B l a í p h e m y , & c . but as for us, our
greatefr Sins are, when fometimes by frailty we do
break our Obfervance of Silence ; to walh with too
much bafre and- precipitation ; to cafr fome curious
(tho Innocent) Looks; to be flovenly in our Habits;
to have •preferid fometime Vccal,to Mental' Prayer;
to have been too much pleaféd with t,he tafte of Heavenly Comfort, or too heavy and cafr down under
Sufferings. I íeem'd to perceive in theíe his Anfwers, lbraething of pride and haughtineís, and
that imelt ítrong of a Phariíaical Non fum frcut
£¿eteri hominum;! am not hke other men;a.ná which
m a d e me fear,that Pride (having been the Sin of
the Angels in Heaven ) might probably alio be
the Sin of theíe Solitaries here on the top of
the M o u n t a i n . A n d indeed,íb far were all theíe
dazling íhews of Piety from making me conceive
a n y Inclinación for theíe material Solitudes,
which íeem'd ib much to facilítate the pra&ice
thereof, that o n the contrary, it made m e conceive a greater love for an ordinary and humble
Life in the W o r l d , accompanied with all thoíe
pious praótices which in luch a Life we have
continual Opportunities to exert. It appear'd to
rne,that theíe Solitaries plac'd the whole and
main of Godlineís in fometrifling Obíervances,which yet are powerful enough to make them
wander from the paths of that C h a r i t y they
Of HoJpitáis
and Pilgrims,&c.
t%$
ought to have for thoíe w h o are engaged irá.
the C o m m e r c e of the W o r l d , as looking upon
t h e m n o otherwife than as men that are in t h e
high- way to utter Perdition,and fox whom there
is almorí n o h o p e of Salvation. Surely íüch
T h o u g h t s as theíe cannot be faid to comply with
Charity ; for without doubt, lome Seculars living
in -the World, are as acceptable in the Eyes of
God,as theíe Hermits on the Mountains. T h e
Porters told u s , That three times a Week they of
the Monaftery below brought up Viands, and other
neceffary Provifions, for the fuftenance of thofe wh&
lived in the Sacred Defert. At laft they condu&ed
us to the C h u r c h , which is very little and narrow,all lin'd and wainfcotted withWood,againft
the moifture and great coldneís of the place.
T h e y affured us,That fome certain Winters,theCeUs>
Church and all, were wholly buried in the Snof/,
and that they were fain to hollow themfelves out
Paffages below throAgh the Snow, making fome boles
to the top to let in the Lightfor to paffom one Cell
to another, which th en appe are d like fo many great
white Vaults. T h e y told us,Tbat all the wbile they
, Uve under ihe^Snow, they are very little fenfible of
the Cold; but to preferve themfelves from the ill
effeíls of the moifure,they keep good fVood-fires, that
bnrn day and night, as having very near tbem vaf
Forefls of Pine, Cheíhut and Fir-Trees, which do
furni(h them with Wood in great abundancé. After
we had vifited the Church, we returned by the
íame way we carne , and arrived at the Abby
about five of the Clock in the Evening , where
we werecivilly Entertain'd as before. 'Tis only
this
iz6
the
Th'irdLETTER,
this Monaftery that is ftill maintained in good
Obfervance,all other Monks of the íame Order,
w h o have any Monafteries in Italy, lead a very
lcandalous Life. W e parted thence the next d a y ,
after that we had returnM o u r T h a n k s to thefe
Fathers, and knowing that the Abby of Valomhrofa,which is chief of a n o t h e r O r d e r of Monks
very famous ín Italy,was not above a days Journ y from thence, we all of us Travell'd thithen.
W e went down-Hill for íbme miles, and afterw a r d s coafted about the Apetmin by a very pleaíant W a y . W e Travell'd a great w a y through
Woods of Olive-Trees, all loaden with Olives,
a n d ever and anón met with fmall Hills full of
Orange and Citron-Trees , full hung with Citrom
a n d Oranges. Some of them are fo high, that a
M a n on Horfeback m a y país under them,witho u t touching the Branches.After they have been
once p l a n t e d , they grow without ftanding in
need of any Art or Husbandry.All thefe lides of
theMountains are exceeding rich,asabounding
with all íbrts of Fruit-Trees,and at the b o t t o m o f
, every one of thefe T r e e s , there is a Stock of a
Vine that embraceth i t , a n d enterlacing its
Branches with thofe of the T r e e , does at the
' Seaíbn make a very pleafanr mixture of its
Grapes with theFruit, After haíf a days Journy,
we w e r e oblig'd tomountthe^/;e»»¿w, for four
miles together, through very ftony and rugged
ways, until we carne to Valombrofa , in Latín
Vaüis Umbrofa. T h i s place is indeed a Vally with
relpe£t to the T o p s of the M o u n t a i n s , that
raiíe themfelves a great height above i t ; but if
we
s
Of Hofpitals
and Pilgrims ¿kc.
ny
we compare it with the level of the C o u n t r y
that lies beneath, it is a very high Mountain,
and very c o l d ; for there are n o Fruit-Trees to
be feen h e r e , except only fame Chefnut-Trees
and a few Apple-Trees. T h e great Foreíls of Fine
and Fir-Trees that encompaís it, i n f o r m e r times
rendred the place very dark and íhady, which
was the occafion of giving it the ñ a m e of Valombrofa. S.John Gualbert made choice of this place
for his retirement. H e naturally was a lover of.
theíe kind of places,and in alf his Travels,whenfoever he met with any dark Wood,or very Solitary place, he caft in his m i n d , íbme time o r
other to come and fix his abode there , and to
be the Founder of a Monaftery. I ara frequ'ently
oblig'd in m y L E T T E RS, in compliance w i t h
the exigencyof m y M a t t e r , to relate to you íeveral vicious and wicked A&ions of the Italian
Priefts and M o n k s ; a thing very contrary to m y
Natural inclinatibn, which prompts me to conceal the ill,and to publiíh only the good.Wherefore a little to fefreíh m y wearied Pen, and t o
comply with the delire I have to honour the
M e m o r y of great Men, you'l give me leave,Sir,,
I hope,to give my felf the íatisfaítiou of relating
• to you an Aétion truly Vertuous and Aiemora»
ble of S.John Gttalbert. T h i s young Lord had a
Brother, whora he moft tenderly l o v e d , w h o
being. engaged in a Duel, was unhappily killed
by his Rival. Gualbert fuppofed it would be a n
Acfion w o r t h y of his Honour and great COKrage, to endeavour to avenge the D e a t h of his
Brother. T o ' this purpoíe he engaged himíelf
t
ni
KZS
The Tlnrd
L E TTE
R,
inpurfuit of this Homicide, w h o being fled, he
w e n t in queft of him throughout all the Provinces of ltaly. ít hapned at length that he met
w i t h him diíarmed in a w a y where he could
not efcape h i m . T h e unhappy W retch íeeing him
c o m e towards him with his drawn Sword in his
h a n d ; can himfelf proíf rate ón the ground.cryi n g for Mercy ; but perceiving by his t h u n d n n g
Voice, and his inflamed looks,that there was n o
quarcer to be hoped for, laid his Arms acroís his
Breaft , in expe&ation of the mortal Thruft.
Gualbert íeeing him in this pofture , calíed to
m i n d o u r L o r d Jefus Chrift hanging on theCroís,
w h o was fo far from avenging himíelf, that he
n o t only pray'd for hisPeriécutors, but died for
t h e m . T h i s T h o u g h t having quite fpoil'd his
fqrmer defign, he alights from his H o r l e , and
inftead of running his Enemy through,he freely
forgave him,kilfed him and embraced him,and
tendred him ever after as his own Brother. If
thé Italians and other Papifts,inftead of amuíing
themíelves about the Supcrftitious Woríbip of
their S a i n t s , would once apply themfelves to
imítate thefe lovely Examples of their Vermes,
t h e y would without doubt render themfelves
inore acceptable to God, neither would they be
found ib baíely and abominablyAvengingthemfelves as they dovl return n o w t o m y Solitude of
Valombrofa: W e arrived at this famous Abby,
w h e r e are íbme of the moft magnificent and
íumptuous Buildings that can be. One of the Fiorentine Gen'tlemen that was with me had a Brother there, w h o was the chicf Períbn there,next
to
Of Hofpitals and'Pilgrims,&c.
i ta
tu the Abbot, for whoíe fake we were veiy civilly received. T h e Monks here lead a very
commodious and pleafánt life ; when they ara
weary of living in this D e f e r t , they make an
Enterchange with the M o n k s of Floretee , and
thereby enjoy the pleafing variety of livirig one
part of the year in the C o u n t r y , and the other
in the City. T h e y have cut d o w n for a quarter
of a League round their Monaftery,all the great
Fir-Trecs that íhadow'd it, to give themfelves
more Air, and tomake the place more healthy.
T h e n e x t M o r n i n g w e were led t a the Herm'i'tage of S.fohn Gualbert, which is about half a
League diftance, upon the pointof a littleRock
which lifts up it felf in the midft of the Vally
being very craggy orí every íide. In getting up
to it, we went round the Rock, asbya vvindingStairs, for the f pace of one quarter of an ho'ur,
at the end of which, we found our íelves at the
top of the Rock,where the Hermitage is;which
coníifts of a very neat Chapel, curioufly gilt and
painted all o v e r , and a very handíbm Set of
Lodgings, well wainícoted and painted all within,with a G a r d e n o f a modérate fize,íó that the
whole is a meer JeweL T h e r e is n o Monumeht
left here of the ancient Cell of this S a i n t , all
the Buildings being new and m o d e r n : there is
always a Father Hermit that dwélls here , with
| Converle Brother to íerve him.Whenever the
ffcrmit dies,theAbbots of the Congregation of
¥elomhr.ofa,at their general.Chapter,make choice
Pl a Monk of Exemplary L i f e , and a lover of
lolknde,to reíide there. T h e great Abby is to
s
s
&
ímw.íh
i]Q
The third
LEÍTER,
fui niíh hirn with all neceíTaries of Life: H e . has
a very fine Library full of choice Books, when
he has a raind to Study; andindeed the Hermit
that was then in poffeííion of the place, was a
m a n of c o m p e t e n t L e a r n i n g , and appeared to
m e a^very honeft m a n . He m a d e us a very fine
Difcouríe about the Contempt of the World, and
t h e Advantages of Retirement and Solitude : T h o '
indeed there was n o great need of i t , for we
w e r e already,without all that,íb charmed with
t h e Beauty of this Hermitage,that in cafe there
h a d been more of the íame cut, N a t u r e , rather
• t h a n G r a c e , would eaíily have perííiaded us to
become Hermits, in order to enjoy a n eafie and
pleafant Life,without either care or trouble.The
Monks of Valombrofa have extreamly relaxed
the ft ri£tneís of their firft Inftitution. T h e y are
cloathed in Black,and profeís the Rule of S.Benweí,tho' indeed they obferve but little of it. The
next day w e í e t o u t very betimes in the Morning
towards Mount Alverne. T h i s is the place where
the Seraphick Father S. Franca, Founder of all
the Religious Orders that live under his Rule,
retir'd himíelf to ípend his life in Contemplation, and where (as they tell us) he received the
Impreflion of the Sacred Wounds. T h i s days
J o u r n y was exceeding troubleíbm to USÍ We
went up from Valombrofa, by the dirección of i
Guide w e took along with us,to the very top oí
the Appennin, and continued our way upon the
í a m e , tillwe carne t o t h e f o o t oí Alverne. This
Mountain is diícovered at a great diftance, and
í b m e maintain it tú be tbe higheft of all the
Of Hofpkals and Pilgrmsj&c.
st s
ápenmK. ItTiath nothing that is plealuig or de~
iightfui abone ic, neither is any thing to be íeen
here befides bare Rocks, without either T r e e s or
verdure.lt is fb high,that i t í e l d o m o r neverRains
there, which was the reaíbn we found n o Snow
here. We got up to ic with a great dea!, c-f trou^'
ble and difficulty,bya very narrow way becween
excream high Precipices.and we could n o t g a i n
the top of itjtill it was in a manner quite night.
Here we found a large C o n v e n t o f Reiigious,of
the Order of S.Francis, called by the It&lians, Soc~
cdanti, becaufe of the wooden Socks they were
inítead of Shoes. T h e firfi thing we did was,to
enquire where we might Lodge for that N i g h t :
The Fathers told us,There was an I n n cloíe by
for the Entertainment of Strangers. F o r m e r l y
theíe Reiigious exercifed Hoípitality towards allí
forts o í Períbns, that out of Devoción carne to
Alverne, as the Fathers of' Camal¿ule d o to chis
day, co thoíe w h o come to vific the fío/y Defert*,
whereof I have ípoken before; but at prefent
they are weary of this piece of Service, and d o
jeinploy the Fund deftinated to that purpoíe to
¡their o w n advantage. By bad hap for us, there
¡was n o Body in the Inn , the Inn-keeper with
Mi his Family being gone to a W e d d i n g , a days
Bourny'from the place; Ib that we were obliged
po return to the Convenr,and entreat the Fathers
>o arford us íbme íhelter amongft them for that
light, íince there was n o other place for us to
lelfow our felves. T h e Fathers íeeing n o renedy granted our Requeft, but with ib much•veríheís and iii-will , that we could not but
2 3%
The Xlmd
LETTER,
wonder ío fee that períbns» w h o for t h e moíl
part Uve upon the Airas that are abundantly
contributed to them by Seculars, íhould refule,
to aflíft them upon occafion. T h e y íhewed usa
C h a m b e r where we might lye,but as for aíibrd
ing us any thing to eat,they defired our excuíe,
telling us, T h a t they had none for themfelves
being thus reíblved to leave us without eithei
M e a t or Fíre, t h o ' the Nights be exceeding cold
there, upon the pretenceof the trouble they hac
i n getting their Wood,as being o b l i g M t o fetcl
it froin the foot of the Mountain. W e deíirec
t h e m at leaít to be ib k i n d , to give us leave to
enter their K i t c h i n , for to warm our felves;
little at their c o m m o n F i r e ; but they being ven
loath that w e íhould íee the good Proviíion
they had there prepared for themíelves, told u;
T h a t they could not grant our requeft, becaul;
they had fome of their Fathers that were fie!
about the Fire , íaying of their Office. Onec
the Florentine Gentlemen that was in our Con
pany, knowing that the Convent was never di
ífitute of Provifions, broke out into a Paffio
againft the Guardian,and reproaching himvvit
his baíé Incivility , told him, That he confianí
three times a weck /ent a good quantity of Brc¡¡
and Wine to their great Convent at Florence ; h
that he ivas refolvd to fiop his Hand for time i
come, and give them the bag, and that moreover ¿
himjelf would acquaint them with the Reafon »
v'mg him [o to do. T h i s Advertiíement mai!
t h e Guardián preíently change his Note , an
having excuíed himíelf for w h a t was paft , i
1
coi
Of Hofpitals
a#d Pilgrims j&c.
.
133
confideration of the Benefador of his O r d e r ,
he himfelf c o n d u d e d u s i n t o the Kitchin,where
inftead of theíe íick Fathers, and mumblers of
their Offices,we found there four or five far a n d
b o n n y Fryers playing at Dice, a great Pot boiling over the Fire, befides leveral Joynts of M e a t
a roaíting. One of thefe Fryers íeeíng us come
in, verynimbly fmtcti'd up the Dice and Boxes
into his G o w n ; but a while after forgetting
himfelf, roíe up, andletall tumble down on the
ground. T h e Father Guardian perceiving t h e
Miíchance had hapned, excuíed them the beft
he could, telling us, T h a t having been that day
a great way off a Preaching,to refreíh themfelves
they had made bold with a líttle Recreación.
In fine, they made us Sup with t h e m , and we
were very well treated. After Supper they cond u d e d us t o our Chamber , where we found a
very good Fire. T h e next day one of theíe Fathers accompanied us to fhew us the Holy places
of M o u n t ¿ílveme.We were extreamly íürprized
to lee the íürface of this M o u n t a i n , which we
had not had the time the Night before to take
notice of, becauíe it was very late w h e n we arrived. T h e whole Mountain is nothing elfe but
a company of Rocks heaped one upon another,
and all cleft aíunder, forming as many hideous
Precipices, which cannot be viewed without
horrour. Some believe that thefe Rocks were
rent aliinder at the D e a t h of our Lord : S.Francis was of this m i n d w h e n he pitched upon this
place for his Retirement, to meditate upon the
facredMyfteiies of thePaflion. T h e y fhewed
5
The Third
LETTER,
.us the place where the Hiftory of his Life tells
iis,that Jefus Chrift appear'd to him i n the forra
of á Seraphim on the C r o f s , and imprinted in
his Handsjhis Feet, and his Side,the fiveWounds
w e r e given him on the Crofs,to the end it m i g h t
be íaid, that S.Francis had íuífered as much as
lie. But i n d e e d , according to this a c c o u n t , he
would have fuífered much more ; for the fame
Legend adds, that he íuífered even till his Death,
the Pains of Jefus Chrift as íenfibly,as Jeíüs Chrift
felt them,when he received them on the Croís;
a n d that from that time forward , the Life he
livéd was continued by a perpetual Miracle,
which preíerved his Life in the midft of a continual Death. For m y p a r t , I find this pretended
Apparition of Jeíüs Chrift like a Seraphim with
Wings,extreamly improper,not to fay ridiculous;
w h y not rather in his H u m a n form í He that
would not take upon him the Nature of Angels,
íhall we believe that he would ever take their
Figure ? And would not this highly favour the
O í nion of thoíe ancient Hereticks, w h o maíntaíii'd, T h a t the Son of God had onlytaken upon'
him an diery and Thantañical Body? A n d to fpeak
m y mind,I believe that this Impreffion of the
W o u n d s , W d 3 only perform'd in the ftrong ImaginationofS.ír^wíw^iuch like íbme others have
ímagin'd,th'at they had Feetof Wax,and aHead
of Glaíf. T h e place where it is faid that this
miraculous Operation was celebrated,isundei"a
great Stone,whereof the one end only iswedg'd
into the Rocks, yet ib as according to my Ú n derftancling is ííimcient for its Su-pport, Neverthelefs
Of Hofpitals
and
Pilgrims,&c.
thelefs thefe Fathers every w h e r e proclaim t h i
for a great Miracle, and that it cannot be c o n
ceived but that naturally the Stone muft needs
fall. N e a r to this they íhew us a Httle Path-ways
very narrow,upon the brink of a vaft Precipice,
which was the way by which S. Francis went to
p r a y under that Rock. T h e Devil envying his
great Devotion, atcempted upon a time to caft
him d o w n h e a d l o n g ; but he íeeing the E n e m y
of Mankind coming t o w a r d s h i m , I e a n ' d h i m íelf againft the Rock, which made way for his
Body, fbftning like W a x to réceive him. T h e y
ílill íhew this Impreflion of his Body left in the
R o c k , but which may as well have been done
with a C h i z z e l , as the way they tell us. As for
the D e v i l , ííire it is that the Román CathoUcks
make m a n y pretty Stories of him, that are n o t
always very Authentick. I remember to have
íeen in France, in the Church of S.Columb near
Scns,z very pleafánt Hiftory, repreíented En relief u p o n a n Holy-Water Baíinof Marble, near
the Door of the Church , concerning an holy
H e r m i t called Beat. s T h e Devil being c o m e o n
a certain time to diftraófc his T h o u g h t s , whilft
he was íaying of his Office, the Saint laying
h o l d o f him, lifthim up by the E a r s , and put
him into theBafin, and having Íaid his Breviary
u p o n i t , kept him a Priíoner there for ten days
together. Nothing can be imagin'd more C o m i cal, than to lee the repreíentation of this Devil,
w h o (as far as he is able) lifts up his great Alfes
Ears above the Holy-Water, with the madés of
an, éxtream Rage i%his C o u n t e n a ñ c e : Fon ( í i y
V K. 4
they)
s
-
'i$6
TheThircl
LETTER,
t h e y ) he fears the Holy-Water, many degrees beyond
the Fire ofHeH.Th.e Monks of this Abby thought
good to be at the charge of this work, ad perpetua»/ rei memoriam. But I return n o w to M o u n t
Alverne.The Fathers afterwards íhewed us m a n y
other places in the Rocks where S. Francis performed his Reiigious Exerciíes, and amongft
others,that where he w r o u g h t the Conftitutions
of his order, whereof I have leen the Original
writ with his o w n H a n d , at our L a d y of Portivincule, which is a little Chapel mUmbria, about
five miles from Affife. Here it was, as they tell
us, that he had m a n y Revelations and Apparitions: Amongft the reft they tell us of an A p parition of our L o r d Jeíus Chrift, w h o in confideration of the greát Z e a l of this Saint for the
Salvation of Sinners, granted to him as plenary
an índuígence as he could give,that is to lay,an
entire Remiffion of Guilt and Puniíhment for
all thofe , w h o the firft day of AuguB íhould
vifit this Little Chapel': So that the grand Univerfai jubilee of the Holy Year , is net more
faving to Sinners than this of S.Francis. A n y
perfon who on this day goes to vifit that Chape!,
with Intention to enjoy the Advantage oí' this
Jubilee, with íaying five Pater Nofiers , and as
m a n y Ave Manes, be he the moft abominable
Sinner that lives on Earth, becomes as puré and
innoaent-, as he was when newly Baptized; and
.íhould:-.'he die in that condition, there is neither
Hell n o r Purgatory for him , but would go direetly. to Paradiíe. Ancl conformable to this BeHdf 1 of .the R o m á n Cathollfiks, a n d m o r e particularlj
5
Of Hoffitais
and TilgriW&c.
13 7
culary of the Italians, there is íiich a prodígious
Concourfe of People o n t h i s d a y from all parts,
that it cauíes a Famin in all the Gountry thereabouts, and m a n y are killed in the T h r o n g that
is at t h e D o o r of the Church, who then go to
enjoy the priviledge of their Indulgence in the
other World. N o w íeeing all this, muir not w e
avow, that either the R o m á n Catbolicks are
very blind, o r e l í e very'negligent of their Salv a t i o n , w h e n in the moft importúnate Affair
imaginable, and the greateft concern of their
immortal Souls,the Remiííions of their Sins,rely
upon the word of a mortal M a n ? T h e i r S.Franas has told t h e m , T h a t by going to fuch a place
on fuch a d a y , and there íáying fuch and fuch
Prayers,their Sins,with all theCnaftiíements due
to them for the íame,íhall be entirely forgiven
them, and that he has received the aífurance of
this from the Mouth of Jefus Chrift himíelf,
who (he íaith) appeared in particular to him for
this purpoíe; and without examining the matter
any further, they believe it, they rely upon his
Word, and caft behind their backs ( O ftupendous occacation!) the íacred Oracles of the G o £
pel,which d o íerioufly w a r n them, that the only
way to have their Sins pardon'd, is true RepentanCe. T h e Fathers Soccolanti of the Order of
S.Francis,who are extreamly enriched by means
of this Devotion, have built themíelves in this
place a very fair Convent; and foraímuch as the
Chapel was too little for their ule , they have
built a great and magnincent C h u r c h round
about it, fo as the little Church ftands now encloíed
13%
The Third
LETTER,
cloíed in the greater. I never yet faw any place
o f Devotion in Italy, which had not íbme fair
Palace, and a good Kitchin for the ufe and accommodation of thoíe w h o make the beft of it,
which I confeís makes them ftill the m o r e fufp e & t o . m e . Five miles diftant from henee we
raet with Affife, which is a pretty T o w n , íituate
p n a H i l l : T h i s is the place where S.Francis was
born, and where they íay his Body r e p o í e t h a t
the G r e a t Convent of the Francifcans, i n a Subterranean C h a p e l , under the H i g h Altar. 'Tis
íaid that his Body, and that of S. Dominick continué there without the íeaft í y m p t o m of Corruption, and that they ítand both upright on
their Feet,Hand in H a n d , without any thing to
uphold t h e m ; and that it hath pleafed G o d thus
t o permit, that theíe two Saints, that had been
i b great Friends during their Lives, íhould not
b e íeparated after Death. This is a M y í t e r y that
i s n o t íuífered to be feen at preíent; the Pope
himíelf, for all his pretended P o w e r in Heaven
a n d o n E a r t h , i s n o t a d m i t t e d to this Priviledge,
íince one of his Predeceífors miícarried in the
Á t t e m p t , w h o being reíblv'd to take a view of
this rare Wonder died í ü d d e n l y : A n d foon after
b o t h theíe Saints appeared to an honeft Francifcan F r y e r , a n d told him , T h a t the like íhould
h a p p e n t o all thoíe who íhould befo Fool-hardy
t o attempt the íame thing.But yetnotwithftanding all this T r a d i t i o n , t h e F a t h e r s Soccolanti,who
conftitute a diftin¿tBody from t h a t o f the Francifcans, aífure us, T h a t they have the Body of S.
Franás at Vortiuncuk, which (as I have already
íaid)
3
uj tiojpitáis
and fiigrims/Xc.
139
faid) is not above five miles diítant from t h e n c e ;
as well as the Dóminicans m a i n t a i n , that they
have the Body of their Patriarch in their great
Convent of Bononia. Indeed,the Reaíon why the
Popes do'nt vifit thisPlaceas not becauíe they are
afraid of meeting D e a t h there,but becauíe they
are afraid of diíobliging of one of thefe potent
Parties, I mean the Francifcans,ot the Dóminicans;
Cnce it is evident,they could not make the Difcovery without ruining one or other of theíe
Devocions, which would be a vaft prejudice t o
thefe Religious O r d e r s ; wherefore they like
better to leave the People in Superftition a n d
E r r o r , t h a n to open their Eyes at their o w n
coft. T h e Pope is oblig'd to cultivate and imp r o v e t h e Intereft of the Monks, foraímuch as
they ííipport his Intereft.
T h e T h i r d thing wherewith I defign'd to
entertain you, before m y cloíing of this L E T T E R concerning S.Francis , is, T h a t amongft
other things, I law a ímall Convent which he
built himfelf,with the affiftance of his Brethren,
in a Deícent from the Jpennin, leading to a
T o w n of Italy, called, The Borough of the Holy
Sepulchre. H e lived in this C o n v e n t feveral
years,and defign'd it for a M o d e l to thoíe Convenís of his O r d e r , that íhould be built for time
to come. T o ípeak the truth, I never in my life
faw fo wretched a Dwelling. T h e whole Convent is nothing elíe but a company of Holes or
Caves, m o r e proper to lodge B e a r s , than for
Men to retire in. N o w I could wiíh, t h a t M e n
would a little compare this poor Hovel with
thoíe
1
140
The Third
LETTER,
thoíe magnificent Convenís which his Children,
I mean thoíe whoprofeís to live under his R u l e ,
have built throughout all italy; to vvit, thoíe
grand Convenís of Rome, Ñafies, Ventee, and in
a w o r d , of all the other Cities. H a v e not the
moft famous Archite£ts exhaufted their A r t ,
and rack'd their Brains, to form the model of
t h e m r T h e moft renowned Painters employ'd
their utinoft Skill and choiceft Colours to make
all their Walls a pleafing and lively Story ? T h e
moft curious Gilders their fineft Gold , to make
thereof Ceilings bright and luminous?And laftly,
have not the Bowels of the Apennin been ravag'd
for the fineft Marbles, the choiceft Jaípers, and
rareft Porphyries, to form the Pillan fhat íupport them, to pave their Cloifters, their Reíeclofies,and their D o r m i t o r i e s ; and t o compole all
theDoGrsjWindows andChimneys of iheir Cells?
T h e Capucm Fathers are the only men that have
witnefled forae horrour for ib extravagant a
P o m p , fo diametrically oproíite to t h e Laws of
Humility and Poverty,which they received from
their Legiílator S. Franás, T h e y engag'd themfelves at the beginning of their Reformation,to
a certain Standard of Building their Convents
which was both very modeft and regular ; only
they have always had a great ca;-e to provide
themíelves fair Gardens,with fine Parterres,pleaíant Fountains, and great Walks of Trees,which
are commonly frequented by the Gentlemen of
Cities that are near t h e m , tp take the Air i a
T h e Capuáns are at this d a y the beftGardiners
in Europe. In Italythey
furniíh all the Ladies
s
" with
Of
tíofpitáis
and Pilgritnsjkc.
141
withFlowers,and Big-belliedWomen withFruits.
But we find, that of late they have loft much of
their modefty in Building t o o : T h e n e w Buildíngs they make at prefent are very lofty, m o r e
large, their Cells g r e a t e r , their Churches m o r e
a d o r n e d , and their other Regular-places more
comporting with the m o d e r n w a y . o f Building.
T h e y have very fair Convenís at VenicefFlorence,
Tifa, and Milán.
W h e n I paffed through t h e
D u t c h y of Burgundy in Francefí faw at Dijon thé
fine Pile of Building theíe Fathers caus'd to b e
rais'd for their Sick, which was not in the leaft
inferiour to the fair Palaces of the Prefidents
and Couníellors of Parliament of that City.And
w h e n I país'd through Germany, i n m y W a y for
England, I íaw upon the Rh;ne, about half a
days Journy above Coblsntz,, a ítately Building,
w h i c h I took for one of the Palaces of the Eleclor of Treves, but was indeed a Convent of
Capacins, which his Electoral Highneís caufed to
be builc for them. Before the Foundations of it
were Íaid * he demanded of t h e m a Model of
their Convents, to have it built by ; but the Fathers anfwered him , That if S.Francis were to
give the Flan, it would be <very flain and fcanty ;
. but that forafmuch as bis Electoral Highnefs had
the Goodnefs to concern bimfélf therewitb , it could
not well be blamd, if the Building did in fome degree fuitwith his Greatnefsi
T h e Conclufion of all is this, Sir, T h a t whatevsr thefe Men may pretend to, as long as they
íhall make the Chriftian Perfección t o c o n G í t i n
certain Phantafíick, Stoical, and extraordinary
ways
Í4¿
The Third
L E TTE
R,&c.
ways of Living, a íhort times Experíenee wilt
make it appear, they have deceiv'd themíelves all their fine Defigns will vaniíh in their owri
view. And as the Principies on which they build
are falfé, they will alway find themíelves reduc'd
to the impoííibilityof pra&ifing what they have
vowed ; and will be forc'd at laft to acknowledge, That the great Axioms of Chriftian Morality, which are of an infallible Truth, and to
which only we ought to tye our íelves; are to
7
avotd Evil^and to do Good, to love God with all
cur'Heart, and our Neighbour as our felves. I con-
clude with theíeexcellent Words,,and ara with
all my Heart,
Sir,
Tour, ércl
Ths
The íourth L E % T É R.
Of a Joumy< to,Loretto,&c.
s
i
R;
H
Aving promil'd in m y laft L E T T E R to
give you an account of m y Journy t o
Lóretto, I doubt not but your Curiofity (to be
informed about that place of Devotion, w h i c h
makes ib great a Noiíe in the W o r l d ) will incline you t o wiíh • for the performance of m y
Promiíe. T o the énd therefore tháí I may acquit m y íelf thereof, I íhall begin w h e r e m y
laft L E T T B R left m e . After the view I h a d
taken: of Mount Álverne , I parted with m y
C o m p a n y , who went n o further, and all alone
carne d o w n the otherfide of the Apennin; a n d
taking iny way through the T o w n s of Fojjombroné a n d Urbam,l carne to Fane^which is a pretty City,íituate o n the AdriatickSea. Whilft I was
here, going abroad in the M o r n i n g to look out
for íbme Convenience t o g o to Loretto, I íáw a
great C o m p a n y of Períbns very comically
mounted and dreís'd, coming into T o w n . T h e y
were Pilgrims that carne from Bononia being
about T h r e e í c o r e in number, and all of t h e m
mounted o n Aífes,which is a very eafie and commodious w a y o f Travelling,and more in requeft
in the Marquiíáte of Jncone
than the uíe of
Horíes. •
7
}
14\ \
The Póurth L É TTÉ
R,
Horíes. T h e fir.ft place where w e meet with this
convenience of Travelling, is at Imla , half a
days Journy from Bononia. Formerly Travellers
were^ woijt to' hire their AíTes at Bononia; but
foraímuch as íbme Wits took occafion from
henee to uíe an Allufion, which did not overpleaíe theScholárs arid l^pcfbrs of the Univerfity of that City ; for it was a c o m m o n Saying,
We iviügo íoLoretto,««<¿ takeanAfs at Bononiat h e Magiftrates íor éheir fakes, aboliíh'd t h a t
Cuftom , Ib that now theíe Beaíts m u ñ be hi'r'd
a t ímola, a n d for the valué o f about a Shiliirig a
M a n may Travel fix miles, which is the Stage
thoíe Aífes are' Worít to pérform. T h e y are furniíh d w i t h little Saddles a n d Stirrups,, in the
m a n n e r as H o r f e s ; but there is n o need either
of a W h i p o r Spurs, for as íbon as one is got
u p o n their Backs, they ruñ continually with all
their might, until they be come to their Jpurnies
e n d ; where being arriv'd, it js impoffible by all
the Stroaks that can be given them to make them
advánce one Step further ; but one is forc'd to
leave t h e m there, and take others. T h u s theíe
Alies are changed at every fix Milesend,till one
comes to the Moíintainof Ancona which is not
very far from Loretto,
But to r e t u r n t o our Pilgrims,and t o g i v e you
a further defeription of t h e m ; they were all oi
t h e m accoutred in their Pilgrimage-Habits.
w h i c h confifted of a large Linnen Veft, of ar
Aíh-grey colour, reaching to the middle of tht
L e g , w i t h very wideSleeves, c o m i n g d o w n te
the W r i í t ; o n the Backfide of theíe Vefts, a
4
3
t
Of ajourny
to Loretto, &c.
i'4j
the Collar, they have a kind of a large C o w l ,
which they put over their Heads and being pull'd
d o w n reacheth to the Pit of the Stomach,íb thac
their Faces are wholly cover'd with them. A n d
to the end, that inthispofture they might have
their free Sightand Breathing,theíeCowlshave
openings in" them, aníwering to the Eyes a n d
Mouth,like M a s k s T h e y neverdraw theíe Cowls
over their Heads, but when they come to places
where they have n o mind to be known ; íor otherwife, theydet them hang backwards upon
their Shoulders. T h e y gird this Veft about them
with a Girdle, and íbmewhat above the Girdle
upon their Breaít, they have a Scutcheon,reprefentingthe A r m s of their Society, Confriery,or
Company,which they cali in
Italiana'««/¿.There
be fcarcelyany Italians that are not of one or other of theíe Societies. Thefe ?ilgrims moreover
have a large.Row of"Pater-nojter-Beads hanging
at their Girdles, and a Filgrims-Staff' in their
Hands, which is the chief mark of their Pilgrimaging. T h e í e Staves are about an half-Pikes
length,with Knots or Protuberances at the T o p
and middle of them. T h e y carry them to the
Church, t ó g e t them bleft by their Curates, before their Setting-forth,whieh Ceremóny is perform»d with many Prayers, and the aífiífance of
Holy-Wáter: As Ibón as they havereceiv'd t h e m
it is not láwful for them to ítay any longef than
Three days at the place of cheir Reíidence, and
?annot be admitted to the Communion tilithey
have performM their Pilgiimage^ except t h e y
bepleas'd to change the Vow they have made
5
l,
inro
14$
The Fourtk
LETTER,
into a Pecuniary Mul¿fc; for in that cafe the'
are very readily difcharg'd by the Priefts. T h
Pilgrims which [ íaw, upon their arrival at Fant
w e r e all of them dreft in Vefts of the íame Ce
j p u r , and had already run o n e Stage o n thei
•Affts. T h e i r Veíts were all N e w , a n d óf ver
fine Linnen ; and foraímuch as in all appea
rance,they were n o t mov'd to put on that G a r
í r o m a Penitent Spirir, they had taken care t
tuck them up higli enough in íeveral places, t
m a k e their fine Cloaths of Gold and Silk, the
h a d under them, to be feen; which m a d e m
alio believe, that probably they muft be Períbn
of Quality. T h e i r Girdles were of Silk, ofth
jame colour with their Vefts,and extreamly we
w r o u g h t . U p o n m y Enquíry, W h o they were
it was told me, T h e y were the Company o r Se
ciety of our Lady of Life of Bononia^h\ch is th
Ñ a m e of a very riehly Endow'd Hoípital, fo
t h e Relief of poor. Sick-People, and where th
Priefts haveEre¿ted á Gongregation or Societ
of Noble Períbns, who have théir daily Malfe
and Prayers there. U p o n their entring into th.
Society,they oblige themfelves to affift the Poo
of that place, with théir Eftates and beft Endea
vours. T h e greateft part of the Gentlemen c
Bononia are of this Society ; they go every yea
b y w a y of ProceffiontoLcmíí',towards the em
of Áutumn,when Vintage is paft; which is like
wiiíe pbíerv'd by m o f t o t h e r C o m p a n i e s . Asíbo;
as they were come near to the G r e a t Churcfi
Of a Journy to'LoiQím,
&c.
147
ding of them welcom, and m a d e a í h o r t Speech
t o t h e m ; tó which the Prior of the C o m p a n y ,
being a Bononian EarLreturn'd an Anfwer in few
words. After this,they entred into the ó h u r c h , . ,
w h e r e they made íbme íhort Prayers, and then
diípers'd themfelves throughoat the beft Inns of
the City, whither Orders had been lent overNight,to provide a good Dinner. I t was abouG
T e n of the Clock in the M o r n i n g when theíe
P¿/grzmarriv'd,andnear half an H o u r after ,they
were follow'd by about íbme T w e n t y Caleehes^
full of Ladies. T h e í e were Sbe-Pilgrims,who h a d
íeft Bononiaupon the íame defign; and who were
all of them, either Kinfwomen or Miftreífes of
the forelaid Pil¡
Gentlemen. T h e y were all
of t h e m moft íumptuouíly A t t i r ' d , and with a n
A i r o f WantonneísandGaiety, that very ill became Períbns w h o went a Pilgrimaging out of
Devotion. T h e y had lítele Pilgrims-Staves, faftned to the Bodies of their G o w n s ; íbme of t h e m
were of Gcldfithers of Mory all beíet with coftly
Psarls and Diamonds; íbme had t h e m made up
of Orange-fiowers, or of thoíe Artificial-fíowers
which are in ib great efteem at Bonopia, and
which ma.ke the greateft part of the Traffick of
the Nuns, of that City. Orhers again had, them
all wrought ó'f NeedIe-work,to'thatheight of Curiofity, that one of t h e m might probably have
been the Work ofmany Y e a r s ; Andlaftly, O thers had them of other precious. and coftly
Matter. T h e Pilgrims had n o fooner takeh pofc
feflion of their Inus,and given O r d e r to have all
things in, a readineís,but they went f o r t h t o meet-
íheir
The Pourth
LETTER,
t h e i r Laches; and having bid them welcom, they
Condu&ed them with a great dea! o f H o n o u r and
C e r e m o n y into the Apartment preparM for
them. M y Curioíity to obíerve theíe Proceedings,prompt'd me to r e t u r n t o mine I n n ; where
I had already taken notice of the great Prepara-i
tionsthat were making for them : A n d finding
that the Gentlemen wanted a Chamber more to
accommodate them, I oífer'd then.. m i n e , ; and
in Recompencethereof they very civilíy entreated me to Diñe with them. T h e Table was cc~
ver'd with many Difhes, and all Dinner-time
their Diícouríe was nothing but a continual Raillery upon their Ladies Pilgrim-Staves:
Itwas
not any hitting or pinching Raillery,but fuch as
confifted only of fome pat Allufions, full of Wít,
and certain ambiguous W o r d s , which theíe ¡taimas knew to be for the T o o t h of their Ladies
As íbon as D i n n e r was done,every one of then
put themíelves in order to proíecute their Jour
ny. T h e Pilgrims mounted on their Affes, an<
the Ladies into their Cakches. As for my part,
j o y n ' d my íelf with a very honeft M a n , born a
•Parma-yWho did not go on Pilgrimage, but Tra
vcll'd out of Curiofity. W e follow'd this Trooj
of Pilgrims at a ímall diftance,being Mounted ii
the íame manner as they,tho' we could not joyi
our íelves in company with them, becauíe wi
had no Pilgrims Habits. I demanded of the ha
/¿.v», Why thoíe Gentlemen, w h o were all peí
íbns of Qpalicy, and who probably had theii
C o a c h and Horíbs at Boncnia, did make ufe o
theíe Aífesin their J o u m y . H e told m e , Ths
íonai
Of a Journy to Loretto, &c.
i 49
íome m a d e ule of t h e m out of a Frolick, and to
make themfelves Mirth on t h e R o a d ; others, by
way of Humility, and to obtain more Merit :
A n d moreover, that thefe Ajjes by earrying ib
many Devout períbns to Loretto, had by that
means obtain'd a very particular kind of Blefí i n g ; which was, T h a t never any Mifchance
hapned to thofe that rid on t h e m ; for if by
chance any did fall from them, or were caft by
them into any Slough, they always efcap'd very
happily,withoutreceivingany hurt. By thisDifcourfe I began toperceive, that this honeft Gentleman believ'd theíe Ajjes alio to be Miraculous.
He told me, T h a t íome Algier-?lva.tQs having
lately made a deícent in the Marquiíáte of Anco»«,could not with all their Endeavours pyertake
a Company of Travellers, that were Mounted
o n theíe Holy Ajfes, tho' they purfu'd them very clofe,and that havingfir'd very thick at them,
they neither kill'd ñor wounded any one of the
Company. As w e R i d on thus Difcouríing together,we ever anón caft an Eye towards our Piígrims that were before us, and found, they m a d e
it their only bu finéis on the R o a d , to divert the
Ladies that Rid in the Caleches \ Some pf them
Croffing the W a y before them, ftrove to put
themíelves into Comical and Ridiculous poicares,
to make them Laugh ; others fell from their
Ajfes. o n purpoíe •, and in a word, as the Ualians
have a very pleaíant and ready Wit, their Behaviour all along t h e R o a d was nothing but M i r t h
and Comedies. T h e Ladies without doubt,were
n o t wanting to beftow a Thouíand Blcífings- on
L 3
the
ijp
The
Fourth
L'ETTÉR,
the Day and Moment,wherein they were ib happ y t o make a Vow to go t o Loretto, foraímuch
as probably they had never in all their Lives
been better diverted. ', Every Body knows the
H u m o u r of the Italians, T h a t n o íboner have
they Married a Wife, but they make heraSlave.
However,their Jealouíiehath never yet been able
t o hinder t h e m from going t o the C h u r c h o n
Sundays and Holy-days, or t o t h e places of Pilg r i m a g e , w h e n they have made a V p w to t h a t .
purpoíe. T h e Church of Rome havedeclar'dit a
M o r t a l Sin,not to go to Maís on thoíe days, or
n o t to accomplifli the Pilgrimage one has V o w ' d ,
a n d hath depriv'd Husbands of t h e p o w e r t o
hinder their Wives from performing theíe neceífary Duties. I f any Husband íhould go about
t o oppole his Wife in theíe particulars,the Ine¡uifítisn would take notice of it,and proceed againft
h i m , as againft a períbn w h o does not approve
o f going to Maís orPilgrimages and coníequently is an Heretick. T h e Ladies, you m a y affure
you, are n o t wanting to make good uíe of this
their Priviledge ; or t o have recouríé, whenever
t h e y think fit, t o this iaft Plank of their Shipwreck L i b e r t y ; Ultima Naufraga Libertaiis Tatula. Scarcely ever íhall you lee a Lady going
t o theíe kind of Devotions,but íhe has fome very
Devout Lover following her ; and one might
judge with half anEye,from the Air of theíe H e
a n d She Pilgrims, I am n o w upon, what was the
principal Motive that fway'd them to undertake
t h e Journy. About four of the Clock in the Afternoon they ftopt at a Viilage to refreíh them*
• ¡ •
• felves,3
Of
a Journy to Loretto, &c.
i$i
felves; which done, the Gentlemen Rid on before to t h e next T o w n , t o Gomplement t h e
next C h u r c h before the Ladies coming, as they
had d o n e in the M o r n i n g at Fane.. Aftér
w h i c h , they retir'd with their Ladies to.the.
beft Inns of the T o w n , where they were n o t
w a n t i n g t o m a k e good G h e e r , a n d divert
themíelves; a n d in the foreíaid' m a n n e r corv
tinued the reír óf their Journy, till they carne
to Loretto. FU be judg'd by you, Sir^ whether
this be not a very Devout way of Pilgrimaging, íufficíent tp eonfound a n d abaíh the Trotefiantsy w h o reje£t them, and contení t h e m íelves to cali upon their Father that is in Heaven, without putting themíelves to the trouble
pf going to íeek him either at Rome o r Loretto.
W e met with, befides theíe filgrims already
mention d, w h o m we follow'd very cloíe,íeveraí
o t h e r Bands of t h e m confifting of Merchants
a n d Tradeíinen,fome of them going to Loretto,
a n d others returning thence,all of them making
themíelyes Sport with their Pilgrim-Staves, and
extravagant Habits upon the R o a d ; and in all
the Inns they carne to»treating themfelves with
the beft that could be had I have fince u n d e r
ftóod, tha't all T r a d e í m e n in Itaíj do each of
them keep a Saving-Box, into which they put
w h a t M o n y they can ípare during the whole
Year, in order to their going in Pilgrimage,
either to Loretto^ or to S.Anthony oíPadua, or to
íbme other place,at a further or nearer diftance,
according as they guefs that the M o n y they
have gathei'd will hpld out, to defray their
t 4
Charges
?
s
r
1
ijst
The
Fcurth
LETTER,
Charges going and coming, and every where
making much of themfelves, And, to ípeak the
T r u t h , there is nothing more agreeable in Italy,
than theíe kind ofjournies in the begmning of
t h e Spring, or towards the end of A u t u m n , aft e r the great H e a t is paft; efpecially w h e n one
is in good C o m p a n y , w h e r e there is never wanting íbme or other, that hath the Gift of making
others Laugh. T h e Italian Females efpecially,
make ufe of a Thoufand Intrigues and Inventions, to oblige their Parents or their Husbands,
to let them go a Pilgrimaging : T h e r e is no V o w
they make more readily. Above all things,they
make great ufe of the Authority of their Confeífors, to acquaint them, T h a t it ís the Will of
God that they íhould go thither, according to
their Vow. I n the mean time, the whole Journ y is fpent in Fooleries, as I have n o w hinted ;
a n d the merry Adventures they meet with in
them, furnifli them all the Winter at the Firesfide,with pleafant Stories todivert the C o m p a n y .
T h u s I have given you fome account of the
Italian H e and She Pilgrims, according to my
Promiíe, which I joyn'd with thoíe that frequent the Hofpitals, whoíe Defcription you
have leen in m y laft L E T T E R , comprehends
the whole Set of Pilgrims, from the Richeft to
t h e Pooreft. ' T i s to n o purpoíe here for the Pafifis to tell us, T h a t "thefe are only particular
inftances, which cannot be of any forcé againft
the Foundation of their Docftrin; for this Holinefs of Pilgrimages in general, is n o more to be
m e t with, than an Univp'íal á parte rei. A man
Of a Journy to Loretto, & c
153
leed may imagine to himíelf an Universal
man N a t u r e , yet will h e never be able to 'find
m a n N a t u r e , but in Particulars, or Individu. Befides, if Pilgrimages were endu'd w i t h
icacy, to make men H o l y , without doubt we
3uld find many Pilgrims ib qualifi'd; and the
knowledg'd T r u t h of the p l d Proverb would
overthrown, which faith; That never did a
od Horfe; or Wicked Man, become better by going
Rome. If S.Jerom, S.Paula, a n d many others,
snt to Vifit the H o l y places of Palefiine, y e t i t
as not this that San&ifi'd them, o r m a d e t h e m
lints; and without doubt, they might have
)ne as well to have ftaid at home. I ípeak n o t
iis, as if I had a mind to blamethem for í b d o g, n o more t h a n I would reprove an honeft
[an, who out of Curioíity, (yetib asnot to negót his Bufinefs, and without injaring any one)
ould take a Journy to Conílantinople, or to
orne. I t is even Natural for M e n to have íbme
ípect and veneration for Great Travellers;
id I cannot but own it, to be a worthy Curioy to go to Jerufalem, and fee all the H o l y
aces where Jefus Chrift has wrought our Reimption ; but with Reference to our Eterna!
Ivation, I look upon it as a very unprofitable
ing, and I íhall never believe that any one is
e, greater Saint for having been there : Jeíüs
hrift has not fix'd our Salvation to any par:ular places of the W o r l d , more than to others;
id will never íiiffer, that thoíe Novel Additlis men have been ib bold as to joyn to the
DÍpel, to accompliíh their C o n upt Ends, íhould
154
The
Fourth
LETTER,
ferve as emcacious Means for their San&ifkatíbn= I have convers'd with a vaíí n u m b e r o f períbns that have gon a Pilgrimaging , but never
could diícern a n y the leaft A m e n d m e n t in their
O v e s ; but on the eontrary, í have feen many
who have íeeni d to ¡ve, to be much worfe t h a n
they were before, They couníell'd me in Italy\
to do as a certain Gencuefe did, w h o was wont
frequent! - to askhis Butcher W h e n he would
go to Lomto ? T h e Butcher wondring at this
his oft repeated Queftion, demanded of h i m
one Day W h a t might be the Reaíbn, why he
i b often ark'd him the íame Queition ; Beoattjc
(íaid the Gcnouefe) I have of a long time obferv'd,
that upon your Retum from your Pilgrimage. you ne•ver give me my fullWeight j and for this Reafon,
J atn refolvd, at your next Return, not to make ufe
ef you for five or fix Mor.ths. Á n d indeed, he had
Reaibn to make ufe of this Caución ; for
c o m m o n l y in theíe Journies they ípend at a
inoft Extravagant rate, and afcerwards,Co reimburíe themfelves, they make n o ícruple, to make
ufe of Thievifn and Indireci Means. Moreovet.
as I have already intimated in my T h i r d L E T T E R , there be very few that undertake theíe
kínd of journies from a true Spiritof Devotion;.
but either out of Curioíity, o r for their own
¡Recreación; o r other líich like Reaíbns.
}
s
But, foraímuch as í d o not pretend to judge
of the inward Intención of any one by any thing
t h a t is outward, I will at prefent be ib favourable
as to fuppoíe, T h a t all thefe Pilgrims goto their
FEVERAL places withe higheft Senriments of Devoción;
Of a fyitrny to Loretto, &c.
155
votion •, but yet for all this, I fay, they are n o t
excuíable before G o d , notwithítanding their
good Intentionj, t h o we may pity t h e m for being fo fouly miftaken, as t o give t h e W o r í h i p
which is due to G o d alone, to 3 Creature. O
cjuarit bonÁ volúntate miferi fmt.' This is all the
Favour w e can d o t h e m : For w e can by n o
means juftifie thoíe Adorations they render t o
the Blejj'ed Virgin and Saints; yea, to the Houíes
where they háveLiv'd, a n d the Inftruments o f
their M a r t y r d o m . But foraímuch as this point
relates to Divinity, and my defign is not to write
to y o u as a Divine, but only as a Traveller, I
íhall leave it at preíent, and continué m y Diícouríe about m y J o u r n y to Loretto. I arriv'd
there t o w a r d s t h e e n d o f OEtober. T h i s T o w n i s .
fituate in themidftof a very fertile and pleaíant
Plain, t w o or three Miles from the Adriatick
Sea. I n former T i m e s there were n o Buildings
here, befides the C h a p e l ; but in proceís of T i m e
they built m a n y Houíes about i t ; and the Popes,
t o w h o m all this Country belongs, have order'd
a Wall with Baftions to be built round i t : So
that at prelént it is a confiderable Fortreís to
fecure the Ecclefiaftical State o n that fide,' and
more particularly againft the Landing of Turks
and other Corfairs, w h o formerly did uíe very
íiequently t o c ó m e and Ravage that p a r t o f the
Country. T h i s Chapel is by the It alian s call'd,
LA SANTA CASA, that is to fay, The Holf
Houfe. T h e R o m á n Catholicks believe this to
be the very fame Houíe, wherein Jeftis Chrift
dweltat Na&areth with the Bleífed Virgin his
Mother
7
2
i 6
5
The
Fourth
LETTER,
M o t h e r , and bis reputed Father S. Jo/cpb, for
t h e ípace of T h i r t y y ears, until the time that he
began to Preach his Holy Doétrin, and to confirm it by his Divine Vertue and M i ráeles. T h e y
preterid it was Tranfported by Angels from
Nazareth, where it ltood at firft, to the place
where it is at preíent. T h e Hiítory they give
us of it runs i"hus; T h e Saracens having made
themfelves Malters of Falefiina,- and the Holy
places, the Bleiíed Virgin unwilling to leave íc
great a Treafure, (as was the H o u l e wherein
íhe had dwelt with her Son Jefüs Chrift upon
che E a r t h , ) in the Flands of Infidels, Comm a n d e d the Angels to T r a n í p o r t it into the
C h r i í t i a n Territories : T h e Angels in Obedionce to her Command took it up, Foundations
and al!, and carri'd it by Night into Dalmatia;
but afterwards taking notice of their miftake,
a n d perceiving that the people there, were nothing nigh ib good as the Italians, they took it
u p again, and another Night carri'd it near to
íhe City Recanati in Italy, placing it in a Field,
that belong'd to two Brothers ; where it continu'd many y ears, until the Brothers began te
quarrel about dividing the Alms that were given there ; wherefore the V i r g i n i o puniíh them
Commands the Angels to take it up a thircl
time, and to carry it to the Field of a poor
W i d o w - W o m a n call'd Leretto, w h o was a very
devout Woríhipper of her. T h i s good Woman
riíingin the Morning, and finding a little Houlé,
where there was not the leaft íign of any the
N i g h t before,was as much íürpriz'd as the Bro:
Of a Journy to Lorettó, &c.
157
thers w e r e , to fee it fled from their Field. Ira
this furprize, She writes t o the P o p e w h a t h a d
hapned, w h o already was by Revelatioii made
acquainted w i t h the whole Matter, and immediately beftow'd vaft Indulgences upon all thofe
w h o íhould go to pay their bounden D u t y t o
that Holy Houfe. Th@ fucceediog Popes have
fince confirm'd all this, a n d have granted a n infinite number of other Pardons: This place in
proceísof time, by great good luck for them,
is become an inexhauftibleFountainof Riches,
and íiill to this day brings them in Prodigious
S u r a s o f M o n y every year. W h a t think you, Is
not this a very pleaíánt Story, and isnot the bare
Relation fufficient to render it contemptible?
T h e good Angels that .carri'd this Holy Houfe
the firft time into Dalmatia, fure were very ftupid, and did not mind what they did. Moreover
if the Bleífed Virgin was pleas'd t o take it a w a y
from the t w o Brothers of Becanatt, becauíe they
w e r e at variance about i t ; l w o n d e r how íhe
has the Patience to leave it at preíent, amongft
a company of Rafeáis and Robbers, that have
Nefted themíelves there, and who for the moft
part o f them are all Sellers of Faternofter-Be&ds
and Medals; for all that ever were at Loretto
k n o w , and are warn'd before they enter the
T o w n , that in cafe they defire toperform their
Devotions there without having their Purfes
pickt, they muft hold their Beads in one H a n d ,
and their P u d e in the other. I proceed n o w to
t h e D e í c r i p t i o n of this Chapel, or the Santa Cafa, T h e whole Building isof Brick, about T w e n -
15 8
the
Fourth
L E TTÉ
/?,
ty five Foot long, the lerigth being not porportionable to t h é b r e á d t h of i t : T h e wood with
which it was Cieled, being Coníüm'd and Roteen by Age, it has fince been Vauíted with Bri.ck.
I t hath t w o Windows, and t w o Doors orij¿he
í w o lides of it, and another Window beneath,
b y which they fay the, Ángel Grabrid entred,
' t o Ánnunciate to the Bleífed Virgin the Myftej y of the Incarnation. T h e y have ereóled a n
Altar, in the very place where they íay the
Virgin was upon her Knees, when the Á n g e l
e n t r ' d ; and upon the Altar is an Irhage of the
Virgin, of W o o d , about four Foot and an half
Ifoigh, which is the Miraculous Statue on which
t h e y beftow their Adorations. She has Changes
<of Cloaths for all Worky-days,and for all H o l y .
days and S u n d a y s ; íhe'hasthem of all forts of
Colours, and M o u r n i n g Clpaths,for the Paflionweek. T h e y íhift o r c h a n g e her Cloaths with
abundance of Ceremonies. I wás there one 8at u r d a y in the Evening, when the Priefts und r e í f e d h e r , they took away from her the Suit
o f Purple íhe had on, in order to dreís her in a
G r e e n G o w n , which they perforsn'd in the following m a n n e r ; T h e y firft of all took oíf her
Veil, then her great R o b e or M a n t í e R o y a l ; afterwards her G o w n , and.her U p p e r and U n d e r
Petticoatsy and laft of all, with a great deal of
Reverence they pull'd oíf her Smock, tp put her
o n a clean one. I leave youí Sir, to gueÉ w h a t
thou'ghts this may probably imprefs oh the ímagination, as well of thoíe w h o perform the Cer e m o n y , as of thoíe w h o are the Áffiftants and
Speéta-
Of a Journy to Loretto, & a
'i'j'g
Spe&ators. T r u e it is that the Statue is n o t
made Naked ; the W o r k m a n it íeems t h a t
wrought i t , having been more modeít than i b ,
a n d reprefented her asCloth'd : But this acción
o f clothing and nnclothing the Figure of a W o m a n , is a thing that oífends the mínds of thoíe
that are never ib little Chaíte or Modefr. I acknowledgeindeed that they perform this C e r e mony with a great deal of outward Reípeét, if
i t may not more properly be call'd I d o l a t r y ;
for they kiís every p a r t o f the A p p a r e l t h e y take
•off from her, bending their Knees to the Grounci
before the Statue, and Adoring it. T h e People
that are preíént upon their Knees, all the time
t h e C e r e m o n y is performing, beattheir Breaíts,
and nothing is heard throüghout the Chapel,
b u t Sighings and Groans with interrupted
W o r d s and Ejaculations; Holy Virgin of Loretto
helpme! Mother of God, bear me ! and other íiich
like. As ibón as the Image is quite Naked o r
U n d r e í t , theíe Sighs and Groans are doubled,
but decreaie again by degrees as they dreís it.
I cannot imagine what íhould be the cauíe of
this change of their T o n e except it íhould be
this, t h a t when the Statue is quite undreít, ie
more ftrongly aífeíts their Imagination, and
makes t h e m believe they íee the very Virgin i a
Períbri ; and fhat this therefore is the nick of
time, for t h e m t o Pray with thegreateítfervour
©f Devoción. T h e y drefs'd h e r i n a G r e e n Suit
of Apparel, extreamly E.ich, béiñg a Floweiy
work upon a ground of Gold. T h e Veil they
put upon her H e a d was yet more cpftly; for .be3
á
3
• ,
."
ñÚQS
•i<Sb"
The Fdürth
LETTER,
fidesthatit was of the íame Cloth óf Gold, k
was ali Powder'd with great fine Péarls: After
this they put upon her Head a C r o w n of Gold,
thick beíet with preciousStonesof anineftimable
price : Next they put on her Neck-Jewel, h e r
Pendants and her Bracelets of Diamonds, and
m a n y great Chains of Gold about her Neck, to
which were faftn'd abundance of Hearts and
Medals of Gold, which are the Preíents thát
Queens and Catholick PrinceíTes have beftow'd
on the Image out of Devotion, in Teftimbny
that they were refolv'd to be its Slaves. T h e
whole Adorning and Furniture of the Altar was
equally Sumptuous and Magnificent, nothing
being to be leen but great Pots or Veffels, Bafins,
Lamps and Candlefticks, all of Gold and Silver,
and beíet with precious Stones; all which by the
light of a vaft quantity of W a x Candles that
burn there Day and Night, afforded a luítre
whofe Beauty Raviíh'd the Soul through the
Eyes. It is n o wonder to me that many do aver themíelves to be íenfibleof anextraordinary
Devotion in this place.- For befides that o n e ,
cannót enter there without thinking of G o d ,
becatiíe one's Imagination is already foreftall'd
with the thought, T h a t i t is the Chamber where
the Eternal W o r d became Incarnate ; it is ceríain'that it is the property of all Bright a n d L u ítrous Creatures, t o raiíe our Hearts t o t h e C r e a t o r , more than dark and comráon ones uíeto
d o ; and eípecially when their Splendorís íeconded with Novelty. W h e n w e lite up our Eyes to
t h e Firmament in a clear night when the Sky
Of a Journy roLorettO,
&c.
.
l6t
is full of Stars, this fight powerfully raifes our
Souls to G o d , and makes us íay, Quam Augafia
eff Domits Dei! How glorious is the Houfe of God\
In like'manner thoíe períons, w h o are not wonc
toíée ib many Lights, ib much Gold, Silver and
precious Stones, whch mutually exalt each others Glory, as ibón as they enter this Chapel
of ¿creta»,, where they meet with all theíe things
together, cannot but naturally be mov'd w i t h
thoughts of Devotion. Naturalifts obíerve that
precious Stones are for the moft part extreamly
friendly and íympathifing with the heart of
m a n , and that they Recréate a n d make it light
and merry by a fecret íympathy they have with
the Vital Spirits; n o w there being an alaioft infinite number of all íbrtsof thefe precious Stones
in this Chapel, who can doubt but that they
muft make a correíponding great impreffion. o n
the hearts of the raviíhtSpeótators? ' T h i s natural effed being by íbme limpie and ignorant
people fuppos'd to be a particular Grace of G o d
appropfiated to that place, makes them take it
for no leís than a continual Miracle : But the Extravagancies continually committed here are a
íiifficient Argument againft this weak and ungrounded O p i n i ó n . T h e y kifs the Walls all round
about theChapel, they lick the Bricks with their
Tongues, they rub their Beads againft t h e m ,
they take T h r e a d , and having compaífed the
Chapel with it, as if they pretended to take t h e '
Meafure or Compafs of it, they aftsrwards make
a Girdle of it, which they íay is very efficácious
againft Witcheraft, and all manner of Ills. T h e
M
Priefts
-
16^
The Fourth
LETTER,
Priefts in the mean time are not unmindful o f
their Gain ; they have períons placed every
where i n t h e C h a p e l a n d great C h u r c h , w h o prefs
the people to give Alms, and to have Malíes faid
for them to our Lady. T h e y pay a C r o w n apiece
for every Mafs, and the Priefts promife to íay
them a l l a t o u r L a d i e s A l t a r , t h a t i s i n t h e Chapel.
' T i s certain that t he Priefts receive mony for the
iaying of above 5 0 0 0 0 Maífes every y e a r ; and
yet it is as fure t h a t it is imponible for them to
íay above 1 0 0 0 0 in a year a t t h a t A l t a r ; ib that
all the reft w h o have given their m o n y for that
purpoíe, muft needs be fruftrated of their intentions, and chouíéd of their m o n y . T h o í e that
are rich and wealthy beftow great Preíents upon
the wooden Statue of the Virgin that is in the
C h a p e l , which without any addition or modification, they cali The Holy Virgin of Loretto :
T h e y preíent her with Necklaces,and Bracelets
ofPearlsand Diamonds, Hearts of Gold,Medals,
Candlefticks, Lamps Emboft, Piftures of Gold
and Silver of a prodigious weight, and- bigneís.
M a n y preíent her with Rings, and moft preciólas Jewels, as a token of their efpouling of her.
She hath above fifty Gowns, all of them of an
ineftimable price ; iníomuch as fhe is at this day
thericheft Puppet that is in the U n i v e r í é , and
the pieceof W o o d the moft íúmptuouíly dreít
that is to be found in the whole World. Tis to
this I m a g e that thofe famous Litanies, which are
íb much in vogue with the C h u r c h of Rozwe,have
beenaddreíTed, which are c o m m o n l y call'd Iht
Litanks of the Virgin ¡ ov "The Litanies of mr Lad]
3
}
Of a Journy to L o r e t t o , & c .
i6j
o/" Loretto, wherein íhe is termed The Queen of
Angels ; Mother of Divine Grace ;.t%e Gate cfHea•uen.; the helf ofCrifiians; the Refuge of Sinners,
&c. H o w e v e r , neither all theíe coftly O r n a ments, or glorious Titles have been powerful
enough todivert the Worms from exerting their
Activity upon this ib highly adorn'd and ador'd
Statue; for I obíerv'd as they were a c h a n g i n g
its Cloaths, t h a t the W.ood was rotten and full
of Wormholes. T h u s we íee that this piece of
W o o d , which isfuppos'd to hear the' Prayers of
ib m a n y Idolaters, carriesits own Condemnation with it, in that it is not able to reícue it íelf
from Corruption. T h e Popes, w h o d r a w m o r e
Gold and Silver from thisplace, than from a n y
other in the Wotld, have accordingly favour'd
it with the greatelf ftock of Indulgences. T h e y
have granted to this Chapel all the Priviledges
appertaining to theirS.Peter oilLome. T h e g r a n d
Penitentiaries and Ccnfeíforsj which are all J e íuits, do here abíblve all iorts of Cales, even
of thoíe the Popes have reíerv'd for themfelves:
For íbeing it is a place in the Popes o w n T e r r i t o ries, 'tis very indifferent to them, whether they
be abfolv'd there or at Rome, becauíe their proht i s the íame: But I queftion not, íhould the A n gels think fit once more to take che pains to
T r a n í p o r t this Chapel into the Eftate of íbme
ítrange Prince, they would Ibón vevoke and
cancelall their Paraons, forafmuch as then the
caíe would be alter'd. T h e y are very careful to
preíerve this Chape) whole and entire ; to this
Bndthey have darty^. all the Thunderbolts of -.
M %
the
164
The Fourth
LETTER,
the Vatican againñ thoíe w h o fhall undertake>
to loofen the leaft Stone of it, or ib much as to
fcrape the Walls ; it is lawful tolick t h e m , but
not to bite the leaft particle off from them. T h e
reafon of this is, becauíe according to the Principies of Rome, a part is taken for the whole :
T h u s if they have but a finger, or íbme other
final! part of a SaintsBody, 'tis the íame thing as
if they had it all e n t i r e : W h e n c e it follows, that
if any one could get but a little piece of Brick
of the Santa Cafa, he might go and build a Chap e l i n a ftrange Country, and having encloíed
the bit of Brick, make the place as conliderable
as this of / oretto, and by this means ípare lo
m a n y people the labour of going fo far in Pilgrimage. By this you may conceive how great a
damage this would be to the Popes, and how
m u c h it is their intereft to affix, as they do in
al! places within and without the Chapel, and the
greatXThurch which compalfeth it about, the
Jnathema's and Excommunications they have
pronounced againft thoíe, who íhould b e í b u n adviíedas to cake away the leaft particle thereof. However, being miftruftful of the Efficacy
of their Thunderbolts in this cafe, and not believing them fufficient to íecure this their vaft
T r e a l ü r e ; they have had recouríe to fubtilty
and cunning, and have falíely publiíh'd that God
hath puniíh'd many perfons with fudden Death,
who had been ío bold to take away fome o f the
Bricks thereof; that others have been depriv'd
of M o t i o n , u n t i l t h e y h a d v o w d to reftorewhat
they had fo facrilegiouíly ftolen; andlaiily, that
3
Angelí
Of a Journy to Loretto, &c.
i6f
Angels had c o m e a n d íhatch'd the Bricks out of
the hands of thoíe that had ítolenthem, m o r d e r
to fix them where they were before. A m o n g í t
the reít they íhew us t w o Bricks, which are
faífned to one of the Walls of the Chapel with
t w o pieces of Iron, to diftinguiíh them from t h e
r e í t ; the one of which a Polifh Gentleman h a d
carri'd a w a y with the deíign of having a like
Chapel tp that of Loretto built in his o w n Country. T h e y tell us that by an inviíible forcé he
w a s í t o p t in his Journy, and depriv'd of all m a rión, and by this means was forc'd to fend back
the Brick h e robb'd, to Loretto, which h e had n o
íboner done, but his immobility being taken away, h e wasin a condition t o continué his Journy. T h e o c h e r was taken by aSpaniíh Lord,with
the fame intent, who being on his J o u r n y homeward, the Angels purfifd him, and after having
bang'd him handíomly, took away the Brick
from h i m , and carri'd it to Loretto.
T h e í e Miracles (and many others of the íame
ítamp, that is t o íay, every whit as ridiculous)
are printed and affix'd in íeveral places of the
Church, that Strangers may read them, and be-'
ware. For m y part, Sir, I can aífure you, that
all theíe are n o better than great ítaring Lies,
forg'd and invented by the Popes, whereby they
craftily.endeavour to períliade their Román Catholicks, T h a t they have the Santa Cafa whole
and entire, and that there is not the leaít Scrap
of it in any other pare "of the habitable World.
T h a t which makes m e aífert this with ío
much confidence , i s , T h a t I my íelf, w h o
M 3
write
1
'i66
The
Fourth
LETTER,
write t o you, did looíen a coníiderable piece o f
this Wall of Loretto, and carri'd it a w a y with
m e , without being bang'd by the Angels, or
m a d e immoveable by íome invifible P o w e r :
A n d if the Guardians of the Chapel have n o t
taken care to ftop up the hole again, I árh fiare
it m a y be there feen ftill to this day.
T h e y begin to fay their Maífes every day at
t h e Virgins -Altar by T w o of the Clock in the
M o r n i n g , a n d I repair'd thither about T h r e e ,
a n d finding but a very few períbns in thé Chapel, I kept iñ the Efltry, where I could n o t be
taken notice of by any, the people being all b e fore me, and none on either fide of m e , or behind m e ; at which time, with an I r o n Inftrum e n t I had, I broke oíf a piece of the Wall, and
carriVi it awáy with m e ; íince which I have
Traveil'd throughout all Italy I have been in
France and in Germa»y,nekher hath any the leaft
ill Accident befallen me ; until at laft, being
w e a r y of carrying this Stone ib lon^ in m y
Pocket, a n d looking upon it as an unprofitable
Burthen, I caft it away in the Fields by w a y of
C o n t e m p t , and out of a kind of Indignation, in
t h a t it had receiv'd fuch Adorations as are ¿ue
t o G o d alone. I muft own, that about T w o
days J o u r n y from Loretto, near Tolentin, in m y
w a y t o Rome, there hapned to fall a very great
R a i n for two days together, whefeby theBrooks
íwell'd to that degree, that they d r o w n ' d a great
p a r t of the Country ; and paffing over an oíd
Bridge, one of the Arches fhaken with the tread
of m y H o r í e , fell d o v / n with an horrid Noiíe
Of a Journy to Loretto, & c . ,
16*7
into the W a t e r at two fteps from m e , upon
which fwiftly turning my H o r í e , I goc over the
other half of the Bridge behind me as faít as I
could, and at the íame moment the Brick I h a d
taken at Loretto carne to my mind : I deliberated with my íelf, Whethet I ought to go back
and return it to the place again; but taking Rea- fon rather than the prefent Accident t o be m y
Couníellor, I m a d e theíe foliowing Refleftions.
Firft Iconíider'd, T h a t if indeed G o d were
fo Jealous of preíerving that Chapel whole and
entire in every pare of it, he would never have
luífer'd the Ceiling thereof, which was a coníiderable part thereof, to rot and fall d o w n ; to repair which D e f e d , ( a s i hinted before) they
have Arch'd itovet. I n the íecond place, I confider'd with my íelf, T h a t the Manger at Bethlehem, and ihcHolj Sepulcbre, were not inferiour
indignity to this LittieHouíe of Naz,aretb, and
that nevertheleís God had been pleas'd to leave
them i n t h e Hands of Infidels; and that confequently the ftory told concerning the Tranfportation ofths Santa Cafa, and the motives of
it, could be n o better than aFable. Andlaftly,
as I my íelf had been an Eye-wknefi of ib many
Cheats and Lies , which the RomiJIj Pviei'fs invent to increaíe their Gains, this íerv'd for a
convincing A r g u m e n t to me, Not to give the
leaft Creclit to all theíe pretended Miracles,
which are only invented either to preíérvq the
Chapel of Loretto in the Popes T e r r i t o r i o s ; or
at leaft to diípoíe- the minds of the people, that
incale upon occafion o f W a r , any
ftrangePrince
M 4
íhould
i68
The
Fcurtb
LETTER,
íhould cauíe the íame to be carri'd to his o w n
Country, they might notwithítanding believe
that the Angels had brought it back again to its
former place ; and confequently might boldly
deny that this íuppoíed Frince had the true
Santa Cafa.
All this made me conclude there was nothing
extraordinary in the fall of this Bridge, as hapning by reaíbn of the age and weaknefs of the
Bridge, or becaufethe violent T o r r e n t o f t h e
Waters had undermin'd its Foundation. Being
thusíatisfi'd, I w e n t t o léek another place for t o
país the W a t e r , and fo continu'd m y Voy age,
thanks be to God, very happily. H a d 1 gone
back to reítore the Stone, the Triens to be íure
would n o t have been wanting to cry out, A
•miracle, a miracle \ and to publiíh the lame ever y where, a Pi¿ture would preíently have been
d r a w n of this Accident, which they would
have added to the great number of that kind,
which are faífned to the Walls of the Church,
a n d the pieceof Brick would have been diftinguiíh'd with a piece of Iron, to be taken notice
of by Pilgrims and Strangers, as an evidence of
the íaid Miracle; whereas Experience and T i m e
have fance fully convinc'd me, T h a t G o d never
concern'd himíelf in the caíe, and that the fall
of the Bridge was meerly cafual. Before I take
m y leave of Loretto, í will tellyou in general,
t h a t the Treafure preíerv'd there is altogether
ineftimable. A P o p e being inform'd that íbme
h a d acquainteüthe Turks thereof,"and that t h e y
were projeding to make a Deícent there, caus'd
Of a Journy to L o r e t t o , &e.
169
the T o w n to be fortifi'd wich ftrong Walls and
Baítions, where he planted ab'undance of great
Guns; H e apprehended, it feems, that the.^í»geh would not be ib zealousto preferve the T r e a fiire that is there kept, as they had beerí to íecure
theBricks of the Santa Cafa. A n d to fpeak the
truth, the Cafe is very different; for it isan eafie
matter to reftore the Bricks, where any are
wanting, and then declare that the Ángels have
return 'd t h e m to their places; but íhould t h e
Turks come once to take away the precious
Stonesof that ineftimable T r e a í ü r y , 'tis to b e
fear'd they would be to feek for a Miracle, to reftore them. T h e Jefuits, w h o are very vigilant
of getting into poífeffipn of the beft and moft
advantageous Pofts, have obtain'd all the Confeííbrs places of this Church, and at certain Hours
of the day they repair thither for to hear Confeflions in all forts of Languages. T h e y have a
very peculiar and wonderful dexterouíheís t o
fqueez mony from Strangers; they beg lome of
all thoíe that come to Confeís to them, o n pretence of affiftingpoor Pilgrims therewith; but indeed keep all they get for themíelves, exceptonly
fome few Pence they give t h e m now and t h e n ,
making uíe to this purpoíe of their mental R e ftridion, as a Jefnit (who had quitted their Society) told m e : for íeeing they have made a
Vow of Peribnal Poverty, that is, of never Voífeífingany thing in particular, but all in common ; they pretend themfelves to be the firft
and chiefeft Poor, and Pilgrims too, foraímuch
as every M a n is a Pilgrim upon Earth. T h u s
jyo
The
Fourth
LETTER,
they beftow the Alms given them upon themíelves, and believe that by this means they abundantly anfwer the intention of thoíe who
havetrufted them with theDiftribution of them.
A poor Prieft of £¿OTj,who was reduc'd to a ver y pitiful Condition, coming to m e to beg an
Airas, Ifent him to the Jefuits, w h o í k n e w h a d
that rnorning receiv'd T h r e e í c o r e Croivns of a
rich man, with w h o m I had ípoke m y íelf. T h e
Jefuit told him, he was very lórry he was noc in
a condition to affift him, for that of a l o n g time
h e had not been entrufted with any Charities;
a n d ib lent him away without giving him any
thing. W h i c h way íbever a m a n turns himfelf
in this Holy City of Loretto, he meets with per»
íbns that beg mony of him. T h e Priefts ask it,
t o íay Malíes for y o u ; the Jefuits, to give Alms
to the Poor, as I have told y o u : A n infinite number of Box-Carriers, that gatherin mony for the
ufe of the Chapel, arecontinually D u n n i n g you,
as well in the Streets as the Church, to put íbmething into them. T h e Shop-keepers of the
T o w n , w h o are all of them Sellers of BeadR o w s and M e d a l s , deafen your Ears on every
fide, to come and buy their T r u m p e r i e s . Avaft
n u m b e r of Vagabonds, in the H a b i t o f Pilgrims,
ílock about you to beg the Tufada, and cut your
Puríe if they can. A n d laftly, the Vintnersand
Inn-keepers Sell their Proviíi'ons at a moft exorb i c a n t p r i c e ; alledging for their Excufe, T h a t
t h e Pope lays fuch vaft Impofts upon every thing
thatentersioreíío, that it is imponible any otherwiíe t o lave themfelves harmleís; infomuchas
(
Of a Joumy
to Loretto, &c.
i7
x
all being well weighecl, the Pope proves to be
the greateft Exaétor of all. A n d is not this n o w ,
think you, a place íiirBciently qualifi'd with H o linefs, to make it the Darling City of the Bleffed
Virgin ? And are not theíe well choíen People,
for whom G o d íhould work ib many M i ráeles
to keep them in the íecure poffeffion of this
Houíe, which the Papifts pretend to be the very íame wherein the Eternal Word became Incarnate? All the Walls of the Great Church
are full hun'g with a vaft number of little Pi¿tures, in which are repreíented the Miracles
ÜIQHOIJ Virgin hath w r o u g h t in favour of thoíe
who have vow'd to go thither ín Pilgrimage.
I íhall take occafion here to acquaint you in
what manner Miracles are ftill wrought every
day in Italy, and what they are. I have obferv'd
three chief Cauíes of them ; T h e firítis, The Covetoufnefs ofthe Clergy; the íecond is, TheCunningof fome Beggars; and the third is, Popular Error, joyn'd with a C u í t o m the Priefts have introduc'd of íending Piííures to the Cburches, reprefenting t h e D a n g e r s t h a t a n y haveefcap'd.
As for the firft of theíe, which is the A-varice
of the Priefts a n d Religión, which are the t w o
Orders that divide the whole Clergy, there can
be n o better Invention to íátisfie the íame (next
to Purgatory)
than this of publifhing from
time to time íbme Miracles, they pretend to
have been wrought in their Churches. I íay,
next to Purgatory, which indeed is to them an
overflowing Source of Riches, becauíe the thing
is more general. All M e n m u f t die, a n d all the
Elect
ijz
The
Fourth
LETTER,
EÍe&(according to their D o d r i n ) muft atleaíi
país through the Fhmes o?Purgatory, for íbme
H o u r s or fome D a y s ; Neither was there ever
a n y (fay they) except the BlejJ'ed Virgin, w h o by
a peculiar Priviledge has been exempted from it.
T h i s is the Reaíbn w h y there is not a Román
Catholick to be found w h o doth not give mony
for Maífes, and Prayers to be íaid for hisdeceafed Friends and K i n d r e d ; or, who doth not make
Legacies or Foundatibns, for to have the fame
íaid for himíelf, after his D e a t h . But as for Miracks, theíe only happen in particular Caíes. N e
vertheleís, foraímuch as the Life of Man is íubje¿fc to many íad Accidents or Diíáfters, M e n
would be very glad to be íure of a Miracle to
relieve t h e m in time of need or danger. This
is that which makes thofe of the Romi(h Ccmmunion, to w h o m their PrieHs promiíe n o leís at
every moment, upon Condition they will íignaJize their Devotion at the Chapel of íiich a miraculous Saint, which they pretend to have in
their Church, o r joyn themfelves to íbme of
their Confraternitíes, fuffer themfelves eafily to
be perfuaded to give them what mony they ask
of them. In the mean time, they find it necefíary from time to time to awaken and excite
the peopl.es attentions by the ítarting of íbme
N e w Miraele, which they k n o w h o w t o d o with
a great deal of Addreís and Cunning. T h e moft
c o m m o n way they make uíe of is t h i s ; When
they go t o vifit the Sick, they carry along with
them either W i n e or W a t e r , or íbme Rag of
L i n n e n , whieh they have bleft in the N a m e o f
?
Of a Journy
to Loretto, &c.
173
fuch an h e o r i h e Saint: If the fick pcríbn, w h o
has m a d e u l e o f any of theíe, chance to Recoven,
which very naturally m a y l i a p p e n fo, becauíe
we have Inftances every day of Períbns that recover, after that they have been given over by
Phyficians, then the Priefts are fure to attribute
the Recovery of their Health to the Saint of
their Church.: T h e y demand an Atteftation of
it from him w h o was fick ; they make a great
Noiíe with it through the City ; and the nexc
Sunday they publickly proclaim the Miracle
from the Pulpit. I n like manner, if any Perlón
be ready to undertake a Journy or Voyage, they
go to him, and perluade him to make a Vow to
fome Saint of their Church ; and if afterwards
ithappens that this Perfon meet with í b m e b a d
A c c i d e n t ; as a dangerous ftorm at Sea, a fail
from hisHoríe, or the overturningof hisCoach,
and that he efcapes with his Life and Health, as
it often happens to the worft of m e n ; in this
cale he never fails afcribing it to the he or íhe
Saint of fuch a C h u r c h : Immediately upon his
Return he acquaínts the Priefts or Monks therewith, who begin a new to tofs it about, crying,
A Miracle, a Miracle! And that nothing can be
of greater forcé againft Storms and Tempefts at
Sea, or Miíchances by Land, than to apply
ones felf to the Saint of their C h u r c h , and to
procure Prayers and Maífes to be íaid for t h e m
there,asthePeríbn whoislately return'd from his
Voyage, and t o w h o m this Miracle has hapned,
did upon his Setting out. Others, who are endow'd w i t h a larger Confcience, and who believe
174
The Fourth
LETTER,
Heve it is lawful for t h e m to lie, to enhance the
H o n p u r o f their Saints, take the boldnefsto íiippoíe and invent Mi ra cíes, and to produce themfelves for Examples; declaring, T h a t they have
had Revelations, or that the Saints themfelves
have appear'd to them, or have heal'd them of
their Infirmities. T h e People, whoíiiffer themfelves to be gull'd by the outward appearanees
of Godlineís of thoíe íbrts of men, do not trouble themfelves to íearch any further into the
matter, but rely upon their word, T h e r e are
íome men, w h o from natural Intimations, know
t w o or three days before what kindof Weather
it will be. T h u s there are íbme, w h o by the
pains they feel in their Corns, will tell you whet h e r we íhall have fair or foul Weather. A certain Father of the O r d e r of theScrvits at Ficenx,a,a. m a n o f a w i c k e d a n d debauch'dLife, who
entertain'd three lewd W o m e n at Venke, by
w h o m he had had feveral Chikiren, beingfeiz'd
with a Difeaíe not fitting to be natn'd, never
fail'd of feeling exceflive pains two or three days
before Rain. N o w there hapned an extraordinary D r o u g h t for three Months together,
which caus'd extream Damage to all the Fruits
of the E a r t h : but at laft, the Seaíbn being about
ío change, t h s Father was not wanting to have
the íad Advertiíements of it. H e was the Saerifian, OÍ (as we corruptly ípeak it) Sextonoía.
C h u r c h call'd Madonna del Monte, or My Lady
of the FItll, which is about half a League diítant
from the City of Vicenta, íituate upon a pleaía-nt HUÍ» whsre is kept a miraculous Image oí"
Of ajournyto
Loretto, &c.
175
the Virgin. A'nd forafmuchasheperceiv'd, T h a t
the Devotion of People was already much abated, which he was very íenfible of by theílackneís of his Puríe, h e t h o u g h t of kindling itagain.
T o this purpoíe, making ufe óf the prefent C o n juníture, he íent to the Pedefia, or Governour
of the City of Vicenta; acquainting him, T h a t
being at Prayer in the Night time before the
Image of the Virgin, whoíe Sacriftan he had the
honour to b e ; fhe had told him, with an intelligible Voice, and a pleafint fmile, That ¡he had
a great deal of Compajfion on the ¿tffliBions of her
People, by rsafan of the great Drought which Jfoil'd
all the Ccuntry; and that in cafe the Inhabitants of
Vicenza ivculd within three days make a general
P'rccef/icn to bis Church, ¡he would open the Floodgatcs of He/yoen, fo that there¡Iwuld be Rainin akundance. T h e Governour hereupon immediate!y caus'd an O r d e r to be Publiíh'd for a Procesión againft the time the good Fryer had íignifie d ; at which time the Weather did not fai! to
change and favour his wiíhes; For ícarcely was
the Proceffion advanc'd half-way, but there felí
íb furious a íhower, that all thoíe who aílifted
atit, were almoft overthrown, and had much
ado t o get t o the C h u r c h , . where they fung
Fíymns of T h a n k s to the Virgin for that high
favour. This Miracle being rumour'd abroad
throughout the Country, for two Months together, d r e w a great numbe'r of People to this miracnlous Image. T h e de'vout SacriHan finding
his Puríe well íin'd, repair'd the next Carnaval
ío Venteeto di vertize himíelf there, and to make
his
iy6
The Fourth
LETTER,
his Miftreífes partakersofhis good F o r t u n e ; and
frankly acquainted them with the Succeís he
h a d , and how cleverly he had gull'd the unthinking People: But íbme time after, one of them
falling out with him, like another Delilah betray'd h i m , and difcover'd his Impoílure. H a d
it b e e n i n any other Country, he would hardly
have eícap'd without bearing the Marks of i t ;
but in Italy theíe things are eafily excufable,
with faying, That nothing ivasintended in allthts,
fave only the Advancement of the BleJJed Virgins
Honmr.
Another fetch of the Priefts is íbmething of
m y b w n Difcovery, and which I do not know
t h a t ever ány one before me has taken notice bf;. and it is this, T h e y are us'd to entertain Childreri with an infinite number of falíe
Tales and Stories, invented at random, concerning Apparitio'ns and Miracles that never were.
T o e x p l a i n thisfurther to you, you may take
notice, T h á t in Italy the Children areCatechiz*
ed every Sunday and Holy-day throughout the
year in all their Churches, at O n e of the Clock
in the Afternoon. T o make them the more read y and willing to come to be Catechiz'd, the
Priefts, after that they have explain'd íome one
Point of Doéfcrin, they tell them for a Conclufio n íbme pleafant Story before they íend them
home. T h e little Italians liften to it with the
greateít Attention imaginable, and as foon as
they are come home, tell it to their Mothers. I
have obíery'd, T h a t theíe Priefts d o commonly
take for the Subjeít of their Story, fome Miracle
or
Of
a Journy to Lóretto, &c.
*77
or other, which they preterid to have been
wroughc in their C h u r c h . I entred once'into a
Chapel, where one of theíe young Catechizers
was informihg his young Schoiars; the Chapel
was Dedicated to S.Martin. T h e y ordinarily
Paint this Saint on Horíéback, and with his
Sword cuttingoff the half of his Cloak, t a give
it for an Airas to a Poor Beggar. ' T w a s i n
this Pofture his Statue, which was of a very puré
White Marble, repreíented him on the Altar
of that Chapel. W h e n the Catechizing was over, the Prieít began to tell theíe Children a
very pleafant.Story concerning this Statue : H e
told them, That a Good Cúrate cfthat Parijh, had
often feen him very fair ly come down from the Al'
tar, and Runrimg a full Gallop out of the Church j
that one day having taken the liberty to ask him,
Whither he ivas agoing ? ¿'.Martin told him, That
he ivas hasling to the AJfifiance of a very honeft
Man, who had procurd many Maffes to be faid at
his Altar, and being at prefent fallen into the hands
'ff Robbers, in the midsi of' a Wood, was in great
ianger of his'Life ; but that he hofd to come ttmely
•enotigh'for his Relief'; and that at his Return, he
ivould give him an Account ofthe Succefi of his Entirprize. T h e CatechízerflouriúYd his Diícou'ríe
P'iúi Circumftances ib extravagant aüd ridicuIpus, that it was imponible toforbear Laughing,
¡por he gave a very particular defcription o f S .
Marún's whole J o u r n y , upon his Horfe of Marhow he Rid a full Gallop over Trees, 'Ri^ i s , Cities, and all. T h e poor Children all this
¡ÜFhile Liftned to hitó withproíbundfilence a n d
N
Atten:
178
The Fourth
LETTER,
Attentíon. But the conclufion óf all, and the
Cream of the Jeft was, That every one that bore
a great E>evction to that Chapel^ and procurad Maffes to be faid there, in honcur of S.Martin,
might
afjure themfelves never to perijh en the High-ways,
by the hands of Robbers. T h e next day I hadoot
cafion to fpeak to m y young Clergy-man, and
put h i m i n m i n d of his Marble S.Martm, whomf
he made to Ride Poíl, for a Diveríion to hi¡;
Scholars. H e a n f w e r ' d me Smiling, Whatwouü
you have ene do, Sir ? *Tis the Cuftom of this Country, to entertain the Cbildren that come to be Catechiz,ed n>itb fuch Stories as thefe ; becaufe withoü
thts ive fiould have none of their Company. It i¡. im\
ipoffible to tell them ahvays Truc ones; and therefori
7ve are fometimes fain to be beholding to our Inventions for them. Things are only fofar Evil, as the¡
produce ill Effecls ; but theje forts of Stories cannot but in time bringforth very good Fruits, as tbal,
ofinffiring them with great Confidence inthe Saintt¡
and oblíging them to Fray, and eaufe Majfes to k
faid in Honour of them. W h a t think you ? Is not]
this an excellent pieceofíbundMorality r Añil;
are not theíe Children, think you, wellTaught'
T h e y are calPd to t h e School of T r u t h , arel
yet they teach them nothing but Lies. I n the
mean time, there is nothing capable of makin;;
a greater impreííion on our Spirits, or of fixinj
a thing more laftingly in our Memory, thaij.
. what we learn in our firft and tender Youthj
All theíe Fooliíh Diícourfes d o not fail of pi*
ducing very great eíreets, and of paífing atlaíí
for current T r u t h i n the Minds of the Fafift\
who/
}
Of a Joumy
íó Loretto, &e.
17 $
who, befides this, are accuítom'd very glibly t o
íwallow :a great -number of Abíurdities a n d
Contradi étions in the point of TranfubflantiatiOÍÍ, which they ib ftiffiy maintain , a n d this is
it probably, that has ib over-run Italy with Fables, a n d . impertinent and ridiculous Stories.
Yec thefe People are fo infatuated therewithj
that in cafe any Honeft M a n and Lover of
Truth, íhould íeem too cufiouíly to enquire after theíe raatters, or in the leaft t o diíapprove
them, he would país for no better than an H e retick. T h u s a certain Períon was caft into the
Intjuifition, for faying, T h a t He did not believe
what ivas told of the Jfi of S. Anthony o / P a d u a ,
that kneeled doivn to worflñp the Hoft, to confouñd
the Proteftants,
From this firft Cauíe of Miracles, which is
the Covetoufnefs oftbe Ckrgy, I proceed t o the
Second , which is the Slight and Cunning of certain Beggars.
Poverty is a Well-fpring of Great Blefíings to
thoíe who d o bear it patiently, rakingit asfrom
the Hand of G o d , and making good' uíe of i t ;
but withal, itis nolefs a Gulph of all Mifery and
Unhappineís, to thoíe who receive it with a
contrary Spirit; and I don't believe there is any Wickednefs comparable to that of a Wicked
Beggar. A Wicked Beggar hath no Conícíence j
he is diípos'd to undertake any thing in order
to rid himíelf from the wretched Circumftanees of his deftitute condition. T h e r e be m a n y
oi this íbrt in Italy, w h o Live by their Wits a n d
invención: T h e r e are íbme that have the Pa~
N i .
eienee¿
i8o
The Fourth
LETTER,
tience, tocounterfei't themfelves Cripples, Blind,
o r ítruck with the Palfie for five or íix years together, to make the World at leaft believe, that
a Miracle has been wrought upon them, attributing their Recovery to fome Image of the
Virgin, or t o í b m e Saint; T h e Profit which accrues to them by this is, T h a t the People being
inform'd of the Miracle that hath been wrought
for them,, preíently -believe them to be very
Good M e n , and Great Friends of G o d , as having receiv'd iüch fignal Favours from h i m :
T h i s makes them to beftow Liberal Alms upon
t h e m , to have a íhare in their Prayers : Yea, it
oft happens, T h a t fome Rich and Devout Períbns take care of, and make íuch Provifion fot
t h e m , that they never want all the Remainder
of their Lives. T h e Priefts and Monks alio afford them an Aílowance, w h e n at any times by
this méans they bring any of their Chapéis in
Vogue and Requeft, ío as they receive coníiderabie Profit thereby. I havé been íhewn many
of thefe Beggars in Convents and Moñafteries;
w h o Live there amongft the Domefticksin great
Eafe, and without dbing any thing
:
T h e T h i r d ípring from whence Miracles iífue
in Italy, is a Popular Error \ which is crept in amongft them, and at preíent has takcn iüch
deep root, that it is in a manner impoffible to
pluck it up. 'Tis this, U p o n the leaft Accident,
that happens to the It alian s, and the leaft Sickneís or Indiípofition that feizeth them, they
make a Vow to fome Statue or I m a g e of the
Virgin, or of lome Saint, to be deliver'd from it.
Of a Journy to Loretto, ¿Vcv
181
Mow it is evident, that all Miíhhaps do not prove
Fatal to Life, neither do all Diíeafes termínate
in D e a t h , fo that many times they efcape and
are reftor'd to Health again-; which by a ftrange
Superftition, inftead of attributing the Glory
thereof to God alone, w h o is the íble L O R D
of Life and Death, they attribute the Recovery
of their Health, or their Deliverance from Danger, to the Statues or Images to whom they have
made their V o w s : T o make their acknowledgment of the Favour they have receiv'd the more
Authehtick, in compliance with the ill Cuftom
introduc'd amongft them, they cauíe a Piéture
to b e D r a w n , whereinis íét f o r t h w h a t hapned
to them, and themfelves, in the A ¿ t of imploring the Aid of the íaid Statue or Image, which
to that purpofe is repreíented in one of the Corners of the Pidrure, and towards which they
ftretch forth their Arms or Folded-Hands with
theíe T h r e e Letters underneath P. G. R. which
íignifie in It alian Tro Gratia Ricevuta; For a Favour or Grace Received.
T h e í e V o w ' d Piítures we generally íind in
all the Churches of Italy ; neither is there a n y
of them without íbme Miraculous Image, which
receivesthe H o n o u r of all thofe Deliverances
and Favours, and to whoíe G l o r y thofe Shipwreck-Tables are hung up. T h e r e is no need
of any Tapiftry or Hangings in theíe forts of
Chapéis; for theíe ímall Pi¿tures are fo thick
hung, that they coVer all the Walls. T h e r e are
of them of all íbrts: Some of them reprefenj:
Períons períú'd by M u r t h e r e r s ; others, that
N 3
have
i8x
The
Fourih
LETTER,
have been W o u n d e d ; and others, Beaceh at
Sea by Furious Tempefts. Yea, there are n o t
wanting í b m e o f them t h a t a r e very Scandalous;
for we find amongft t h e m Coaches full of G e n tlcmen and Ladies overthrown, and they t u m b ling over one a n o t h e r ; Young W o m e n t h a t are
forc'd by their Lovers, and W o m e n in ChildBed, repreíented in their Beds in a very w a n t o n ,
a n d i n d e c e n t manner. An Italian L o r d told me
That he very willingly went to hear Mafs at thofe
Altars, that were beft hung with fuch Piclures as
thefe; becaufe meeting in them with femething for his
Imaginationstofeedufon, theService efihe Ma¡s did
feem lefs tedious to him, T h e í e Piclures, which
a r e n o more than fimple Vows, have acqnir'd
íb great Credit in the Minds of the People, that
fhey país at preíent for Real • Miracles : A n d
the Priefts and Monks, w h o write the Hiftories
of die Places of Devoción, which belong to
t h e m , make n o difEculty to alledge them as
íuch. So that n o w i n Italy, they count thé M i racles by theíe P i d u r e s ; a n d the more of thefe
any Statue or I m a g e h a t h about it, the more
Miraculous it is»
I will take this occafion to tell you of a PiHure, which íbme young Monks of the Abby of
S. Viclor in Milán caus'd to be made whilft I was
there. T h e Accideht which hapned to them
was t h i s : T h e y w e r e Gilding the Roof of one
of the Lower-Ifles of the C h u r c h . Thefe Monks,
out of Curiofity,whilft the W o r k - m e n were gone
t o get their D i n n e r , did climb up the Scaífold
t o the n u m b e r o f Sev-en or Eight of them, to
View
Of 4 Journy to Loretto, &c.
1&3
View their W o r k ; where one of them leís heed ful t h a n the reft, T r e a d i n g upon a Board that
was not well faftned, fell d o w n upon the Floor
of the Church. All the reft being affrightedat
this Accident,and fuppofingthat the whole Scaffold was coming d o w n , betook themíelves t o
' Ladders, ánd let themíelves ílide-dowrtby them,
without receiving any hurt, except only the
poor M o n k , who fell d o w n with the íoofeBoard, w h o was much bruifed. T h e y took h i m
up in this pitiful condition, ánd was oblig'd t o
keep his Bed T w o or T h r e e Months before h e
was fully Recover'd.
I was prefent w h e n the Accident hapned,
and could íee nothing in all this, but what was
very Natural. H e w h o fell, hurt himíelf proportionably to the height from whence he carne
d o w n , a n d the reft receiv'd n o hurt at all, becauíe they ílid down by the Ladders : In all this
there appears nothing of a M i r a c l e ; however,
becauíe the Scaffold was ereéted before the Chapel of S. Bernard of Sienna, the Monks concluded, T h a t without doubt this Saint had helped
them. Accordingly they got a PicJure drawn,reprelenting their Fall, in one Córner whereof the
Saint was Painted, ftretching forth his hands
for their fafety. T h e y Publiíh'd every w h e r e
throughout the C i t y , T h a t this Saint had upheld them in their Fall from receiving a n y harm.
T h e 'Cardinal-Archbiíliop was immediately
acquainted therewith, and every one did Congratúlate thern^ for being fo much in Favour
with that Saint.
N 4
From
184
The
Fourth
LETTER,
F r o m this Example, and w h a t before I have
told you upon this Head oí Miracles, y o u r n a y
eafily conceive, how far we are to give c r e d k
to thoíe fine Legends, of the Lives of the Neyv
Saints of the Rcmifh Church ; and of what weight
that Great Liftof Miracles ought to be with us,
which are the chief ftufhng and gamitare of
them. T h e r e is not one of them that has not reftor'd Sight to the Blind, Hearing to the Deaf,
S p e e c h t o the D u m b , and a el ever ufe o f their
Limbs toCripples; and in a word, T h e y have
preferv'd from all ill Accidents, and C u r ' d all
m a n n e r ofDifeafes. But w h e n one comes to an
E n q u i r y into Particulars, all this vanifheth in.
Smoak, a n d the whole of the Matter is reduc'd
t o í o m e Fitlures, which íbmeSuperftitious Ones
( w h o without Reafon have imagin'd themíelves,
t o have receiv'd Favoursfrom them) havecaus'd
t o be made. However, when thefe Legends are
íent to ftrange Countries, that are of the Romijli
Communion, they make a great Noife, and are
all looktupón as Miracles,íufficiently confirmad
b y Authentick Proof and Evidence. 'Tis a comrñon Reproach caft upon Proteftants, That no
Miracles a?e done amongft them ; and they will
needs have this to be an invincible Argument,
to prove they are in an Error. A Jejuit in a
Latín O r a t i o n , pronounc'd in the Cathedral of
Strasbourgb, foon after that the Frencb had tak e n Pofleíhon of it, e x c k i m ' d in thefe words,
Quid dubiiamm defaljitate Religionis eorum, apud
quos ceffavit Propheta & Sacerdos, ejr Miracula penen ? What dowe doubt any longer of the Falfenef
Of a Journy to L o r e t t o , 6?c.
.185"
of their Religión, •with whom both Vriefi and Pr¿fhet are ceafed, and Miracles are loff r* T h e P r o teftants might very well have Anfwer'd him with
Truth, That there can be no reafon of doubting, but
that a Religión jo fraught with Superfiition and
Counterfeit Miracles, as the T'apifts Religión is, muft
needs be Falfe. T h e Profeflion of a Good Chriftian is, to Uve according to the GofpeF, but
not to confirm it by M i r a c l e s ; this is the W o r k
of God alone, and thereforewe ought not to
reproach one another upon that fcore. W e lee
every d a y , that Juglers ( t h o ' we know they deceive us, and tho' we E y e t h e m with all the Attention imaginable, for to diícover their A r t í fice, ) are notwithftanding ib dextrous at their
Tricks, that they gull us before our Face ; a n d
íhall we blindly believe all the Italian Priefts a n d
Monks tell us, who have the Gift of Cheat a n d
Invention ? Sic notus Ulyífes ? For m y part, confidering the T i m e s in which we live, I will never believe any Miracle-as long as my Reaíon
tells me, T h e thing was feaíible by Men.
'Tis commonly held, T h a t the Body of S.Mcholas of Bar, in the Pouille, is Miraculous; and
that from his T o m b there continually diftils an
Oil very Salutiferous, and proper to reftore the
fick to Health ; but it is enough for me to d i í
believe this M i r a c l e ; becauíe I know, that
Men may eafily convey the Oil thither, and ingeniouíly make it to diftill down, I have fometimes íeen íbme poor Pilgrims, w h o r e t u n f d
from that Pilgrimage, ahd w h o had little Bottjes full pf this Oil, which had coít them M o n y
enough,
1
i86
The Fourih
LETTER,
enough, w h o would aftervvards fain have given
it for a picce of Bread ; but could find n o Cuítomers to take it ofFtheir Hands. W h i c h makes
it evidenr, T h a t the Italians, for all their Bigotr y , had n o Belief i n i t themíelves. I n like mann e r azNaplgí, the Priefts make íhew of a Borde,
which they aver to be mil of the Blood of S.Januarim, Archbiíhop of that City : W h e n a t f i r í i
they bring forth this Blood to be íeen, it appears
all Congeal'd ; but as they approach it to the
Body of chis Saint, it diílblves bydegrees., A s t o
this alfo, it isíiifficient ground for me not to believe it, becauíé I k n o w that this L i q u o r may
be congeal'd, in the manner as they make Sorbets, and aftervvards diífolve by the H e a t o f t h e
place where they íhew it, o r b y t h e h e a t of the
H a n d s of thoíe w h o handle it. A t Padua is to
be íeen the T o m b of S.Anthony of Padua, which
íends forth a very fweet Scent between that of
Amhergris and Musk. T h e Fryers of that Convent tell us, T h a t this O d o u r proceeds from the
Bones of that Saint, which are íhut up there:
But the Teftimony of theíe Fellows, w h o are
i b byaís'd by their Intereft, d o e s n o t give m e sn y íatisfadion, as long as I know that they may
eafily anoint it with Odoriferous Quinteífences,
as it is certain they do ; becaufe that this Odour
is the very íame with that of the perfum'd Patertíofícrs, that are Sold in the Shops at Padua. In
the fame place they íhew us, in a very fair;
Chryftalj íüpported by a ftately Pedeftal ofGolcl,
extreamly wellwrought, thz Tongue of the faid
Saint, which they íay was found in his Tomb,
187
Of a Journy fo L o r e t t o , & c
being endu'd with the Priviledge of Ineorruption,
all the reft of his Flefli being confum'd. T h e y
have the Impudence to aver, T h a t this T o n g u e ,
for having been a Laíh to the Sacramentarians
of his T i m e , has been preíerv'd thus found and
whole, without the leaft T a i n t of Corruption,
that as a perpetual Miracle, it might bear witneís to the T r u t h of the Doótún ox Tranfubfian• úaticn. T h e greateft part of the Romifa Legends
tell us, it is as freíh and lively as when the Saint
was alive ; but that is very falíe, for ! have leen
it, and it is dry. T h o í e w h o have the Avt of
Embalming Bodies, may preíerve a T o n g u e in
this manner for many Years, yea, many Ages,
without any thing extra ordinary, or ío much
as bordering upon a Miracle.
Thus I have given you a View, Sir, of the
moft Famous and A v o w ' d Miracles of Italy,which the Román Catholkks prerend to befo palpable and. feníible, that they cannot be deny'd,
without giving the Lie to Senfe and Reafon. I
, will add t o theíe, T h r e e Bodies of Saints, which
have been preíerv'd without any T a i n t of Corruption, and which I have íeen all T h r e e : T h e
one is, the Body of S.P-ofe of Viterbo - the other
of S.Clara of Mohfaucon ; and the third of S.Katharine of Bononia. T h e í e Bodies have been preíerv'd whole and uncorrupted ; but without any the leaft Beauty, being altogether dry'd u p
. and as hard as Paftboard, and very black; they
are very frightful to behold , notwithftanding
they have dreft them in very rich Habits, and
adorn'd them with more Jeweis, than Qtieens
?
f
are
i88
The
Fourth
LETTER,
a r e embeliíh'd with on their Coronation-da)'s,
Some have a great Efteem for theíe incorrupted Bodies, and ib íhould I too, in caíe they enj'oy'd their former lively T i n é t u r e and Natural
C o l o u r ; but to be ib dry, ib black, and ib ghaftly, it were more eligiblein m y mind, toreturn
t o the Univerfal way o í all Fleíh, than to be
m a d e partakers of fuch a kind of Incorruption ;
neither can í fee that God herein hath conferred any great Favour upon thefe Bleífed Saints,
by preíerving them in a condition proper to terrífieNature, andaffrightMankind. T h e Works
of God are all perfeft, he never beftows a Favour by halves; and if he were pleas'd to grant
incorruption to Bodies, he would alfo probab l y preíerve t h e m , with all the Natural qualities belonging to them. Wherefore I don't believe, T h a t the defeótíve Incorruptions of the
Bodies of theíe Saints can truly be aícríb'd to
any thing elfe, but the dexterity of thoíe who
have dri'd or embalm'd them.
W e faw at the Chartreufe of Ventee the Body
of a Noble Venenan, which being Embalm'd,
has been preíerv'd whole and entire for above
an Hundred years. This Períbn was never accounted a Saint, and yet I found his Body much
fairer to the Eye, than were thoíe of the Three
Saints now mention'd, t h o ' i t be much more
difregarded and negleíted than they are ; for
they have left the Body in an oíd Wooden-Coffin, which does not íhut cloíe, and where all
thoíe that go to the Chartreufe d o view it and
touch i t ; whereas the Bodies of thefe Saints are
Of a Journy to Loretto, &c.
Í8O
kept in very d r y Chapéis, where the great W a x Tapers, that burn D a y and Night, purifie the
Air, and clear it of all moiílures ánd impurity.
1 have alio feen in France, at Fandofme, in the
Collegiate C h u r c h of the Caftle, the Body of
Jane d' Albret, w h o died a very zéalous Proteítant, above an Hundred years finee; her
Body. hath -been very well Embalm'd ; and if
at preíent one would take it up from the place
where it lies, and dreís it, and keep i t i n a very
dry place, it would undoubtedly appear much
fairer, than that of theíe Reiigious: A n d yec I
am very well affured, the Romm Cathoücks will
never iay, íhe was a SaintA n d foraímuch as I am now upon the Chapter of theíe Saints, I íhall acquaint you, T h a c
1 have often read the Hiftory of their Lives,
and of many othersin the Legendsoíthe C h u r c h
oí Rome; but never in all my Life did I meet
with any thing more Ridiculous: A n d I have
obíerv'd, that theíe are thoie Prophctefles of
which the Jejutt fpoke at Strasbourgb , and
which the Proteftants are depriv'd of, Apud o¡ms
ceffavit Profbeta ; wbo have no Prophets among
them. I n a manner, all their Reiigious, (after
that they are arriv'd t o the fíate of Perfeclion,
as they cali it) take upon them to Prophefie.
For the better undeiftanding of this, you may
take notice, T h a t at Rome they have diltinguiíh'd or divided the Spiritual Life, into feveral States; as an Houíe hath many.Stories, theLowermoft, the M i d d l e , and the Higheft or
Uppermoít, T h e r e is one State they cali AFtive íhis¡
y
190
The Fourth
L
ETTER,
this is the Loweft, and confifts only in • Action,
a n d an orderly regulation of the Senfes, according to the L a w of G o d : T h e íecond is the Contemplative State, which confifts in the Meditación of thoíe things which have n o Communication with the Seníes: T h e t h i r d is a State Extática!, abftracted and purely Pajftve ; in which.
t h e Soul does nothing but by a limpie Application, Adhseíion and U n i o n with the Divine
Eflence; receives (without any Aótion, Affedion, or Contemplation on her part) Impreffions
from God. T h e r e are but few that arrive to
this Uppermoft Story; but when any are once
got thither, whatever W ó r d they utter, or Aétio n they d o , 'tis n o moré they themíelves who
A<5t or.Speák, but G o d that Speaks and A¿ts in
t h e m ; for as for them, they never depart from
this their intímate. U n i ó n with God. Whatíbever they íay or ípeak in this State, is very carefully heeded, as being all Divine : íf they ípeak
of Things páft, they are Revelations ; if of
T h i n g s to come, they are all Propbeciei. ' T i s b y
th'js D o o r ib many N e w Notions are entred int o the Church of Rome, which they believe as
firmly as the Gofpel, t h o ' they have n o o t h e r
Foundation, but the over-heated Bráins of theíe
Saints. M a n y of thefe have themíelves Pen'd
their o w n Revelations, as S. Brigii, S. Melchilda,
S.Catherine of Sienna, S.Gertrude, and fnany others. By means of theíe Sainteífes,the Church of
Rome hath actain'd the knowledge of all the Particularities of our Saviours Paffion; h o w many
ftroaks he receiv'd at his Whipping ; h o w often
he
Of a Journy to Loretto, &c.
191
he fell to the G r o u n d , under the heavy burthen
of his Croís; h o w many T h o r n s pierc'd his Sacred H e a d ; and h o w many times they Spat in
his Holy F a c e . By the fame way they have d i f
cover'd whatíbever hapned in the M a n g e r a t
Bethkhem ; h o w the BleJJedVirgin took the Veil
from her H e a d , a n d made Clouts of it for her
Little Jefus; what íhe faid and did, before íhe
was Deliver'd of him ; and a vaft ISlumber of
other Particulars,. which are not to be met with
in the Gofpel. By this means they were inform d
of the Great Myftery of the Affumpion of the
BlejJ'ed Virgin; when íhe afcended up t o H e a v e n
in Soul and Body, t h e Difcourfe íhe had with
the Apoitles, h o w íhe by degrees mounted up
into the A i r , beftowing her Bleffings all the w a y
íhe went. In a word almoft all the n e w Doítrin
of Popery , is deriv'd from this over-ñowing
Spring, which is not yet dry'd up, ñ o r ever will
as long as there are any of .theíe Propheteífes
left in their Church. T o give more weight to
thefe new Imaginations, theíe Saints, aifur'd,
that jefus Chriít appear'd to tlíem very often,
and was becorne very Familiar with them, that
he talk'd with them as a Bridegroom does with
his Bride, and that they took occafion in thefe
Farniliarities, t o ask him whatíbever they deíir'd
to know. Jefes Chrift himíelf taught S.Catherine
of Sienna to read, he carne and did blow the
Fire for her, he fvvept her Chamber, as may be
íeen in the Hiftory of her Life, by which means
íhe had an occafion of Diícourfing him often.
Others of thenu'eceiv'd Yifus from Jefus Chrift,
who
s
igz
The Fourth
LETTER,
w h o carne and Vifited them,' accompani'd with
his Mother and his A p o f t l e s w h e r e they had
great Conferences together, and theíe SainteíTes
t h a t heard them, d i í c o v e r ' d m a n y Secrets and
.JMyfíeries in their Difcouríe, which they afterwards Communicated to the Popes and the
C h u r c h ; and this is that which at this day, in
a.great Meaíiire, makes the difference that is between the Do£trin of the Papiíis, and that of
the Proteftants, Apud quos cejj'apit Propheta w h o
have n o Prophets to boaft of. T h e r e is never a
C o n v e n t of Nuns in Italy, that has not íbme
PropheteíTes, which is alwaysíbme oíd M o t h e r ,
t h a t hath been twice or thrice Superior of the
C o n v e n t , and w h o not being in a condition of
doing any thing elfe applies her íelf to the Ü nitive Life.
D u r i n g the long ftay I made at Vicenta, I often went to Vifit the Abbefs of the Nuns of S.T&omas: I upon a time enquir'd of her concerning
the State of her Nuns, who told m e t h a t í h e had
Forty four that were in the A¿tive Lile, three
in the Contemplative, and one only in the M y ítical or Unitive. A young Countefs,who was in
t h e fame Convent, and who was vifited by four
or five Galants, who carne to fee her at the G r a t e ,
was got n o further yet than the A£bive Life. í
will engage m y íelf no further at prefent in entertaining you, about the Nuns of Italy becauíé
probably I may have an occafion to do it'more
át Leifure.
; ;
I r e t u r n n o w t o m y íhe Saints¿- whoíe Bodies
remain Uncorrupt. T h e y were all three of them
arriv'd
s
3
}
Of a Journy to JLoretro, & c
103
airiv'd at the U n i ti ve State, a n d have all o f
them left Prophecies behind them : S.RofeofFikrbo, did for a long time importune the Dominica?! Nuñs of that City to receive h e r amongft
them, and togive her the H a b i t o f their O r d e r ¿
but the Nuns knowing flie was extreamly poor,
and that íhe could not, as the reft did, bring
mony to the Convent, refus'd her Cornpany,.
and would not ib much as receive her into the
nu mber of their Convert Siftei s. T h e Saint underftanding this their rejeáting of her, told them¿
That tho' they would have none of her now íhe
was alive, yet they íhould be very glad to have
her when íhe was dead. T h i s Prophecy prov'd
true; for Rofe being deceas'd with the O d o u r
of Sanétity, and many Miracles, after the Italian manner, being wrought at her T o m b , theíe
íame Nuns deuYd her Body, which was granted them. T h e great number of M a fies which
are pfocur'd to be íaid to her, and the abundance of Alms that Travellers and Pilgrims d o
leave there, makes t h e m confider this BotLy a t
.preíent as their greateft Treaííire. T h i s Prophecy of S.Rofe was very eafie to be made ; íhe
knew íhe was already far enough advaiic'd in
the good Opinión of the People, for to make
them efteem her a Saint after her Death. She
:knew moreover, that the Bodies of íuch are al¡Ways very gaintül, that the Nuns of that. C o n pnt, as well as others in Italy, were very covepus; and that by Virtue of a Vbw íhe had made
ío S.Dommicats, they would not fail to demand
P Relícks, as of right belonging t o t h e m , a u d
Sr
O
-fo
194
The Fourth
LETTER,
fo was in a Condition to Prophecy on a ííire
ground. T h e Saint whoíe Body is to be feen at
Monte Faucon, is accompanied with íbmething
that is very remarkable; they íhew you all the
InftrumentsofthePafíionofourSavi'our, which,
they fay, were found in h e r H e a r t after herDeceaíe ; they are all of d r y ' d Fleíh, like as her
H e a r t is; T h e y ate very confusM,neither are all
of them íufficiently diftinguiíhable or diícernable. T h e y íhew you likewiíe three little round
Pellets of Fleíh, which, they fay, were likewiíe
taken out of her Heart. O n e of theíe Pellets
being Íaid in a pair of Scales, weighs as much
as all the three together, and all the three weigh
n o more than one alone. T h i s raakes them fay,
T h a t G o d was willing to imprint in the Heart
of this Saint, a Reíemblance of the moft Holy
T r i n i t y : For in like manner, as theíe three Pellets, t h o ' differentin number, yet make but one
weight, and that the weight of one alone, is no
leís than that of all the three together ; ío likewiíe tho' there be three Períbns in the Holy
T r i n i t y , yet there is but one Eífence ; a n d one
of theíe Períbns i s n o lefs in Divine Perfeátions,
t h a n the other two. I have leen theíe three Pellets, but ib far are they from íüíferiñg one to
t r y íheÉxperiment, that they will not íüffer you
t o touch it with y our ñnger,to feel whether it be
Fleíh or no. Every one knows that a ftrong
Imagination is: capable of producing ftrange
effects in the Body. We fee every day Children
t h a t come into the W o r l d bearing the Marks oí
Of a fourny to Loretto, & c .
¿9 5
their Mothers Longings, which are the effe¿ts
bf their Imagination. It may be that this Saint
did foftrongly imagin the Inftruments of t h e
Paffion, as t o l e a v e t h e m e n g r a v ' d in her H e a r t ;
but it íeems to me, that this is a violence done
to Nature, which can no way be pleafingto G o d ,
who is the Author of it. As for S. Catherine of
Bononia, fhe more particularly render'd her felf
famous by her abftraífced Life. T h e Hiftory of
her Life tells us, that íhe was in a continual U n i on with God. Doctor Malinas was n o ftranger
to this Unitive Life, for this is that he calis his
Prayer of Reft : I doubt not at all, but that one
day he would have been one of the Saints of
Rome, had not Obedience to Superiours, and
particularly to the Pope, been concern'd in the
Cale. T h e Pope will fuffer yon to imite with
God, as much as you pleafe, provided always
that this U n i o n do not hinder you from obeying him, more than God himíelf. I doubt not
indeed, but that there may be even to this day
perfeét Souls amongft them that are raviíh'd even into the third Heaven j but thefe are extraordinary Graces, which do not depend on a n y
natural endeavour we can exert to obtain them.
But when í conlider that the Román Catbolickí
have made a fix'd ftáte of this U n i o n , that they
prefcribe Rules to attain it, and it is íiifficient,
according to t h e m , to put themíelves into the
hands of one of theíe Myftical or Unitive Doftors, and follow their Direótions, in order to
arrive at this ítate. W h e n I confider this, I íay,
I cannot but condemn their Error. 'Tis a piecf,
O %
of'"
ío6
The Fourlh
LETTER,
of Irapiety to make the Divine Operations depende nt on the Humours of M e n ; to give Rules
for the obtaining of that by way of Merit,
which is the meer Gift.of Grace, and to make
ones felf the Difpenfer and Difpoíer of the Giles
of Heaven, as theíe íbrts of Doílors pretend to
do. Moreover, the ill Coníeqnences that follow
from henee are very pernicious to Souls. Firíí
of all, this Añurance only, receiv'd from thefe
Myftical Maflers, of once being advanc'd tothe
Unitive Life, whilft fo many others are left behind in the Contemplative and Aétivc Lives,
which are íbfar below it, is very proper to infpire the Parties concern'd with Pride and vain
Glory. Secondly, This may prove a very great
Diícouragement to thoíe who are neceffarily engag'd in an Aólive Life, to confider that there
are íiich perfeét States beyond them, which it
is impcííible for them ever to attain to, becaufe
theíe Doctors do not think them fit tobeadmitted thereto. Thírdly, Thisopens a D o o r tornanifold Supeüntions and Errors.; for they who
are en?ac?'d in the A£tive Life, never take the
p-ains to examm what the Contemplative iay;
ñor theíe, what the Unitive or Myftical do alk d g e for Truth : So that the two firft do both
o f them reí y upon theíe laír, who for the molí
pan are Períbns oí weak Brains, and moft extravagant Tlioughts, who believe, that whatíbever they íueak or aót is from God. Itisevident
that the Opinión of T i aníübftantiation is only
an eífeci of their Whimleys, by the Improprie•ry, Abufe and Confufion of the Terms they
Of a Journy to Loretto, &c.
197
make ufe of to explain themfelves. F o r in .like
manner, as they cali their Myítical Life íbmetimes Union, U n i t y , Identity, Gonfufion or
mingling of the Soul with G o d ; íbmetimes the
Loís of the Soul in God ; the puré íight of G o d ;
Peaceable poffeílion of G o d ; and many more
which may be in the Books that treat of the
Myítical Life, whereof fome are very falfe and
impious, as thoíe of U n i t y , Identity, Gonfuíion
and Lofing of ones íelf in God, and all the others
do only belong to the Future Life ; N o w inlike
manner, íay I , as they make ufe of theíe T e r m s
to fignifie a firnple adherence, complyance and
acquiefcence of our Souls in the good pleaíiire
of God, which cannot produce Identification;
ío of oíd Times they call'd the Holy Supper,
T h e real U n i o n of Jefus Chrift with our Souls,
and the Bread we partake therein, the T r u t h ,
Reality, and Subftance of the Body of jefus
Chriít, which notwithítanding is only there in
a F i g u r e : A n d afterwards, when this Errour
had taken good rooting, it bronght forth this
big word of TranfubFtanñation, which at this
day makes the chief difference between Papilts,
who maintain it T o o t h and Nail, and the Proteftants w h o oppoíe it.. Neither is it any great
matter of wonder, that an Errour of fuch Coníequence is crept into the Church oí Rome, without making any great Noiíe; for in the firft place,
there was nothing in it contradicho ry to the
Popes Authority : A n d again, it was not lawful for the People to examin w h a t the myítical
Tribe aíferted; infomuch that eveu to this ó.ty
0.3
"
5n
SQ8
The
Fourth
LETTEF,
i n Italy, if you chance in diícouríe with a Contemplative or U n i t i v e Períbn to contradice them
in a n y thing, they tell you very freely, T h a t
theíe are matters too high for your Capacity,
and that you are to believe them. in the things
they afferr, as being better acquainted than you
w i t h the ways of G o d , a n d a s having already
ípent a confiderabletime in tracing the myftical
P a t h s o f a Spiritual Life. I have ícarce ever
íeen any of theíe myftical Perfons, but were
very proud : T h e y look upon themíelves as Eagles w h o take their fiights in the higheft part of
t h e Air, and ,upon other M e n , as Beafts creepáng upon the Earth. A c o m m o n and humble
Life, full of Affability, Benignity and Sweetneís
towards enes Neighbour, íhall always be more
deíirableto me t h a n all theíe great Sublimatiéns of Spirit, which are apt to infpire men with
í b much pride : A n d if ever it íhall pleaíe God
to raiíe me to the h i g h d e g r e e of Contemplatio n or U n i o n , it íhall be his W o r k , and not the
effeít of any Rule or £ ireátion which men can
afford me. I n Italy they make a kind of T r a d e
of ic, a n d i f a m a n doth not put himíelf into the
fiands of fome of thefe myftical Doótors, who
pretend to be oíd Travellers and throughly well
acquainted with the w a y co Heayen, and who
profeís the Are of Guiding Souls thither, he can
never hope of arriving there. T h e í e -Profeífors
a r e ordinarily oíd Jefuits, oíd Capucins, or oíd
Fathers Miffionaries, w h o being n o more able
t o ícout it up and d o w n in ítrange Countries,
!¡i Hoümd and in England topervert Proteftants,
apply
Of a Journy to Loretto, &c.
iog
apply themíelves in their Convenís to play the
Seraphick Fathers, to the end they may be folio w'd by a C o m p a n y of he and íhe Votarles,
w h o m they diícouríe to Morning and Evening
in their Churches. W h e n they are met together
in their AíTemblies, you hear nothing butíighs,
groans, and íbme brokenworks, at anothergueís
rate than the Quakers in England; and certainly
in this reípeét they have nothing to caft t h e m i n
the teeth with. T h e Director is feated in his
Confeffional Chair, in the rnidítof all theíe P e o ple, w h o m he calis his Sons and Daughters; and
there, as from a T r i b u n a l or T h r o n e , he determines, without Appeal of their fighs, and of
their Poíiures, whether they proceedfrom G o d ,
theDevil, orSelf-love: Young W ornen or m ard e d are íeldom found at theíe íbrts of Aífemblies,becauíe commonly they are kept in 011 working-days, on which days the Italiam keep them
íhut up uncler L o c k a n d K e y ; but they are comj n o n l y Widows and oíd Maids, w h o have n o
Períons to c o m m a n d them. T h e y cali them in
Italy Beaii, or Bleífed Ones, Good Sifters, D e vout W o m e n , and fometimesby way of derifion,
Bigots. T h e Father Dire&ors are veiy zealous
of their Advancement in the myftieal Life, and
never leavc them, till they have ib wholly divefted them of all Love for the good Tbings and
Riches of this World, that to be deliver'd from
the Burthen of t h e m , they fettle them on their
C o n v e n t : T h e n it is they are arriv'd at perfeétion. T h e y cali them Sifters, and tell them that
having made a Gift of their Goods to their M o O 4
'
nafteries,
zoo
••the
FcutíMLETTER,
íjafteries, 'tis the fame thing, as if they had p r o
fefs'd amongft them. T h e y beftow upon t h e m
pieces of .their Habits, they cali them Little Scapularies, which they wear under their B o d i e s :
By Virtue of which bitsof Cloth, they are made
partakers of all the good Works they do; and of
all the Graces, Privilédges, Bleffings and Indulgences granted to their O r d e r : When they are
dead they bury them in their Churches, and
they endeavour, if they can, to make t h e m país
for Saints, for an Encouragement to others.
A n d J n d e e d , it is very eafiefor them to do i t ; to
this purpoíe they have but this courfe to take ;
the firft fick perfon they go to viíit they amply
difcouríe ábout the high ftate of Perfeéfcion to
which M a d a m fuch an one was arriv'd, w h o
was lateíy buri'd in their Church ; T h a t they
d o not doubt in the leaft, but fhe isa great Saint,
and that if the fick períbn can reíolve to pray to
and cali upon her with full aífurance, they queílion not but íhe will work a Miracle in favour
of h i m : Yea, they many times offer to bleís
jome Wine, Syrup, or íbme other Liquor in the
ñ a m e of this Saint, or to dip it in íbmething or
other that in her Life-time íhe ufed to wear, as
her Dilcipline, or Pater Nofter: A n d having
done this, they offer this Liquor to the fick party
t o d r i n k , w h o if they chance to recover,the Saint
h a t h wrought a Miracle ; they caufe a Piéture
t o be d r a w n of w h a t has hapn'd, which they
carry to the Saints T o m b . But if it happen that
t h e Patient die or that the Sickneís continué
very long, there is not a word made of it, but
?
Of
a Journy to
LoíeHo^&c.
ap i
all hufliM in hopes of a better opportunity for
the fu ture. T h o í e whoíé are any thing acquainted with the ítate of Aífáirs in italy, know that
in all this I advance nothing but what is very
true. Henee it is eaíie to conceive by what means
ib m a n y new Saints are entred into the Church
of Rome, to w h o m at preíent Altars are ereéted.
It is to n o purpole to alledge here, the great
Precautions they take at Rome, in examining
matters of Fa£t in the verbal Proceífes they make
of their Canonization ; fo that it is impoffible
for any thing to eícape the cognizance of thoíe
who have the charge of it. Alas, it is but too
well known, how great a power Silver and G o l d
have at Rome ; and it is certain, they never Canonize any Saint, butit brings them in immeníe
íüms of mony. In cafe any difficulties be ftarted,
'tis only to get the m o n y doubled.
M y defign at firft, was only to give you í b m e
account of the Italick Pilgri'mages; but the occafion ofmentioning theíe three Saints, whoíe
Bodies are preíerv'd in Incorruption, have put
me upon this Digreffion. Wherefore to m a k e
an end in'few words of v/hat I have yet to íay
of rny firft Subjeót, you may take notice, that
all other Pilgrimages of Italy, befides thofe of
Loretto, Rome, and S.Anthony of Padua, are very
inconíiderable. Some Pilgrims go to S.Mic,hael,
which is at Mount Gargan in the Peuille, othefs.
to S. Nicholas of Bar; but the moft that go to
theíe places are Beggars becauíe the way thither,
is very" troubleíbm from the City oí Ñafies; íy.f)
ing all over high Mountains, and the Inhabitants
The
Fourth
LETTER,
of that Country are al moft •all R o b b e r s : T h e
Italian Lords are very backward to lead their Ladies a walk thither, w i t h their Pilgrim-Staves
all fet with Diamonds. T h e delicious m a r c h of
' Ancena, is much more proper and íecure for this
lort of Pilgrims : T h e Pilgrimage of S. Anthony
of Padua in the pleaíánt Vmetian Country, is for
t h e íame reafon much more íuitable to them.
T h e r e be very few Italtans, w h o d o n o t take this
J o u r n y every T h r e e y e a r s ; and íbme of them
g o regularly every year. This Saint has gajn'd
í b great Credít i n Italy, that heisofequal efteem
w i t h the Virgin, yea, with God himíelf: Some
w i t h a great deal of reaíbn have calfd him the
G o d of Italy, Italia Beta. W h e n an Italian has
fworn by S.Antonio, 'tis the greateft O a t h he can
fwear. A n d whereasin other Countries they are
w o n t t o fay, I intend to go to fuch or.fuch a place,
at fuch a time, if Godpreferve my Life; or, íle do
this or that, if it pleafe God ; 'tis their cuftom
t o íay, Pie go thither,, or do this, if it pleafe the
Virgin and S.Anthony. T h e i r moft c o m m o n Interjección, w h e n ever they are in a n y danger,
ílirprize or admiración, isto c r y , Madonna Santiffima \ or S.Antonio ! A n d by a ftrange kind
of Blaíphemy, tho' they make it a great Point
of Devotion, they have the Impiety to fay, I
bopein S.Anthony, that Ifiall never perifi. They
cali him T h e Saint, by way of Emphaíis, //
Santo, which is a great H o n o u r , but of right due
t o G o d only, to w h o m the Angels cry continually, Holy, Holy, Holy! T h e r e is never a Church
i n Italy where there is not a n Altar dedicated
•
to.
7
Of a Journy to L o r e t t o , &c.
xo$
to S.Anthony of Padua. T h e y make their A d dreífes in particular to this Saint for all things
that are loft, to which purpoíe they tell you
this following ftory.
A rich Venenan Merchant being at Sea, b y
miíchance let a Diamond of a very great price
faílinto theSea, w h o i m m e d i a t e l y upon his return to Ventee went to Padua, and betook h i m al Santo; he defir'd the Fryars pf that Convent to íay Nine Malíes for h i m , and to j q y n
their Prayers with his, for the recovery of his
Diamond. T h e ninth day, after his Nine Maífes
were ended, t h e Merchant defigningtotreat all
the Monks of the Convent with a Dinner, h e
brought amongft other things a very large Fiíh
and ient it to them ; the Fryar Coók having opened and gutted this Fiíh, íbund the Diamond
in the Intrals of it, which the M e r c h a n t had
dropt into the Sea ; which wasimmediately reftor'd to him, and T h a n k s return'd to theSairitj
who had heard their Prayers.
T h i s ftory is related at large in the Legend
of his Life : But does it not íéem to y o u , Sir,
to be contriv'd o r i n v e n t e d o f thefe good Monks,
to perfuade m e n to íend them in good Dinners,
and to get them to íay Maífes for them ?
T h e y tell another pleaíant ftory, which however they were very cautious of inferting in
their Legend. T h e Fryars del Santo go without
contradicción for the moft debatí c h a that are
m all Padua, and w h o in this quality out-vie.the
ácholars themfelves of the Univeríity. O n e of
thefe Monks having for íbme M o n t h s follicited
•
a
104
The
Pmrth
LETTER,
a y o u n g W o m a n to comply with.his L u í i , ' íhe
a t laft fell under the T e m p t a t i o n ; but
after was ib extreamly griev d for the fin íhe had
that íhe was ready to Deípair. T h e
F r y a r perceiving it, notwithftanding w h a t was
paft, made a íhift to períuade her, that in caíé
íhe would give him íbme confiderable íum of
m o n y , for Maífes to be faid to S. Anthony, that
Saint íhould reftore her the Virginity íhe had
loft. T h u s befides the fatisfying of his Luít, he
got m o n y of her wherewith to glut his Luxury
elíewhere. I will not oblige you to believe this
ftory, having n o fufficient W a r r a n t to believe k
m y felf: However, íure I a m , that theíe Jolly
Monks, under the Cloak of their S.Anthony,
play m a n y T r i c k s n o t a whitinferiour tothis.
I may poffibly have occafion to entertain
you with
of t h e m in one of m y L E T T E R S ; and in the mean time conclude this,
aífuring you that I íhall be all my Life,
íbon
Gommitted,
fome
Sir,
Tour.&c
9
• a
The
The Fifth L E T T E R ,
0£ Feftivah and Confraternities^ &c.
RIR,
M e t with nothing coníiderable in my Journy frdm Loretto t o Rome, lave the Accidene
that hapned t o m e i n p a f l i n g o f a B r i d g e , whereof I gave you an Account in m y laft L E T T E R .
I arriv'd there about Chriftmafs, and continu'd
in that City all the Holidays, and the Lent following, until Eafier. M y principalEmploymentduring my ílay here, w a s t ó frequent their Feífivals, to hear their Sermons, and to be prefent at
their Confraternices; which accordingly I d o
intend íhall be the Subject of this preíent L E T TER.
T h i s woi'd Fea ft, or Fejlival, i n t h e Church of
Rome, properly fignifies thoíe Days of the Year
which are more religiouíly obíerv'd than the reíf
in honour either of the F¿rg7«,orofíbme myírery
of the Goípel, or of íbme Saint, which we in
England cali Holidays. Some of theíe Feafts are
Univeríál, others only Particular. T h e Univerfal Feafts are thoíe, that are generally obíerv'd
in all Countries that profeís the Rcmifh Religión;
and on theíe days they are bound (under p a i n
of mortal fin) to go to Mafs. T h e Particular
Feafts are íuch as are only kept in cerfain Provinces, Cities, Pariíhes, or Chapéis. T h u s , for-
I
5
afmuch
2.0&
me
tijth JLHI
i
un,
áímuch as at Rome there is a prodígious number
of Chinches and Chapéis, it ís every day Heliday in divers pares of that City.
But they have another íbrt of Feafts in Italy,
which for diftinítion íake I may cali • Feañs of
Gallantry. T h e í e are w h e n íbme noble or wealt h y Períbns, d o at their ownCofts a n d C h a r g e s
nndertake to have the firft and íecond Fejfers,
together with the Mafs, fung in Mufick, in hoh p u r of fome he or íhe S a i n t : I give them the
Ñ a m e of Gallant Feafts ; not ib much for the
Muficks falce, ("that is to íay, for the admirable
í y m p h o n y of Voices and Concerts of Inftruments, which are ib great a part of t h e m ;) but
w i t h refpeót to the Ladies w h o are invited ta
t h e m , or w h o do commonly frequent them.
After that I had for í b m e d a y s refted my íelf
á t Rome, I went abroad to takea view of the Curioíities and Antiquities of that great City. As I
was walking oneEvening on thePiaz,z,a Navonna I pafs'd by a very fine C h u r c h , call'd De la
Pace: T h e Porch, which of it felf was a moft
exquifite piece of A r c h i t e d u r e , of the faireft
white Marbie, was over andabove magnificent»
!y embelliih'd and adorn'd with moft curious
Piétures, and a multitude of Figures made of
ímall íheets of Silk ofdifferent coíours, of the
Bononia faíhion. This gave me the curiofity of
•entfing into the Church* where I faw a very fine
C o m p a n y of G e n d e m e n , w h o had caus'd a kind
of a T h r o n e t o be made for them in a part of
t h e Church, from whence they could very commpdiouíly" view thoíe w h o either carne in or
went
}
Of Feflivais and Confraíerniiks,&c.
207
went out. It was one of theíe Gentlemen, as I underítood afterwards, at whofe Appoíntmenc
and Charges this Feaft v/as Celebrated in •honour of i.Agries ; tho' it was not the day of the
year which is Coníeceated to her, viz,. the xijí
of January ; But there was another myftery in
íhe cafe, which we {hall prefently diícover.
Theíe young Lords hadeach ofthémin their
turns appointed theCelebration of their MifíreííesFeftivals; They were eight of them in all,
whereof the Four firft had already kept theirs
ín other Churches, and this was the Feaft appointed by the fifth of them. He was of the Family of Carpegna, and his Miftreífes Ñame was
Jgnes Viñonni, T h e Church de la face, that is,
of Peace, is extreamly well adorn'd ; it is Gilí*
and Painted all within iníike manner, as almoft
all the Churches of Rome be; however the more
to exaltits Beauty, and to add íbmething peculiar with Relation to the Feaft now to be folemniz'd there, there were íeveral Triumphal
Arches ere&ed in the middle of the Church,
which aíforded a lively R.epreíentation of the
liiftory of S.Agnes, who by her Conftancy triumphed over all the Torments which Tyrants
could inflicl: upon her.
This whole Hiftory was repreíented to the
Life, withlittle Scrowls of Silk: Theíe are of
different fizes, and of all íbrtsof colours. T h e y
know the íet pricethey aretopay for an Hundred Ells thereof ready wrought, and every one
chufeth what pleaíeth them beft. There are a
íbrt of men at Rome, and throughout all Italy
who
ao8
. The Fifih
LETTER,
w h o are call'd .Addobbatort, 01• Adorners ofChur*
ches,, theíe furniíh the Silk themfelves, a n d a r é
extreamly Ingeníous and Artificial to fold and
form them in all manner of íhapes and figures.
T h e y h a d been three Weeks a preparing theíe
. O r n a m e n t s I am lpeakirig of: T h e r e were t w o
T h e a t r e s ere&ed on ea'ch fide of the Quire,
which were embelliíh'd all over with Hiitories
reprefented in the foreíaid filken Figures ; the
o n e being deíign'd for the Vocal Mufick, the other for the Inftrumental, each confiftingoffifty
Muficians: Befides theíe there were in a little
Box near the Altar, four Muficians, call'd Singalenes, which were íaid to be four of the beft
Muficians that were in Rome; w h o were to fing
b y themíelves, the one after the other. T h e y
never g o a n y where to fing but they are paid
forty Crowns for each Motet.
The-Iíalians, more than any other Nation of
the W o r l d , love Conforts of Mufick, and thoíe
amongft them that have good Ears, follow theíe
excellent Muficians to all places, lo that there
was a vaft concouríe to this Church. W h e n I
entred, the Mufick was not yet begun, and I
took my placa near to the T h r o n e , where theíe
G e n t l e m e n were íeated. T h e y íeem'd to be
íbmewhat reftleís to have Feffers or Even-fcng
b e g i n , f o r it was already near fix a Clock, and
all the Wax-Candles had already been lightedabove a quarter of an hour, and the Muficians
were all at their Pofts. Some Boys that had counted the W a x - T a p e r s , faid there were four Fíundred and forty of them, of an extraorclinary
whice
Of Feftivah
andConfraternities,
&c.
2,09
white Wax. However the Gentlemen, all i m patientas they were, durft noc order the begirining of the Ceremony, becauíe the Fair Agnes,
for whofe dear fake all theíe Preparations were
made, was not yet come : A n d foraífnuch as
they were w i l l i n g n o t t o beunderftood,theymade
ufe of the little French they had learnt, to talk
to one another. T h e Principal (who was at the
Coftofthis Feftival, fomewhat co quiec the m i n d
of his Companions) told them, he was aífur'd his
Agnes would quickly be there ; that he had íenc
one of his Lackeys, to come and give him N o
tice, as íbon as he íhould fee her íec forth froni;
home; that íheprecifely knew t h e h o u r , a n d having promis'd to be there, íhe would ceitainly
be as good as her word. Scme of them &n[weri
him, T h a t they fear'd lefther M o t h e r , who was
very Difficult and H u m o r í b m , might keep her
athome ; and advis'd him t o í e n d another Lackey to acquaint her ivíother, T h a t if íhe would
not íuffer her D a n g h t e r to come, ¡he ¡liouldrepenp
it Butjuft as they w e r e i n Conlultation about
this Point, in comes the firft Lackey, and tells his
Mafter chac the long look'd for Agnes was coraing, and already very near the Church. W h e r e upon, immediately a Signal was given to the
Muficians to bein a readineís, and at the very
Moment íhe í e t h e r F o o t in the C h u r c h , upon
another Signal given them,they T h u n d r e d away
the firft Anthem of the common Even-Song for
the Feaft of Virgins, beginning thus, Hac efi
Virgo fapiens & una de numero prudentium. This ¿í
«ivifVirgin
and one of the nvtmber of the prudent
¿
P
tne.u
aió
the
Fifth
LEÍTER,
enes. W h e r e u p o n our Gentlemen in a trice
cháng'd their reftleíhefs into an excels of Joy and
Satisfactlon, which might eafily be read intheii
faces. I heard them fay, T h a t Ladies of ten too!
pleaíure to make their Lovers wait for them, te
make their Preíence, after a long Attendance
the more acceptable and welcom. I íhould never have k n o w n this fair Idol, amongft thofe
throngs of Ladies, that entred every moment, il
the young Gentleman, w h o had prepair'd all
this Incenfe for her, had not gone to meet her,
and led her to her place. Sheíeem'd to me very
modeftly dreft, having her Head cover'd with
a large black Scarf, which almoft reach'd dówn
to her f e e t : Her face was wholly cover'd, according to the cuftom of the Romiíh Ladies,
whenever they go abroad; H e r Mother follow'd
her, • the cuftom of the Country being for the
Daughters to go before, and the Mothers after.
Near to the T h r o n e where theíe Gentlemen
were íeated, there was prepar'd for hér a Reading-Desk, cover'd with a very fair Carpet of
blew Velvet íet round with a deepgolden Fringe,
and great Cuíhions of the íame richly Embroi
d e r ' d , whereon íhe and her M o t h e r kneel'd
down. I was very near her, and obíerv'd thai
as long as the Mufick lafted, íhe did her utmoll
endeavour, under pretext of fticking íbme Pin¡
about her Head, to diícover íbme part of hei
face, in favour of thoíe Gentlemen, who had
their Eyes almoft continually fix'd upon h e r ; íh¡
m a d e a íhift to íend them íbme Smiles, and te
inake fígns tó them with her E y e s : H e r Breaft
.wen
Of Feflivals
andConfraterniúesfko..
lii
were ícandalouíly expos'd t o v i e w , for there being nothing to cover them, faveonly t h a t p a r t o f
her Ve.il, which hung down over t h e m , íhe k n e w
ib dexterouíly to play with i t, that every o n e
who was not depriv'd of his Eye-fight, m i g h t a t
times have a full view of them. I n the mean time
the Muílck was incomparable and raviíhing, a n d
all the Anthems that were íiing, tho for the moíl
part they were taken out of the Canticios, were
'more applicable to this young Lady, than to S.
Jgnes, whofe Feaft they pretended-to celébrate.
Whilft I was here, I chanc'd to caft a-nEye upon a Pi&ure of this Saint, which was plac'd upon the A l t a r , at which the Maífes were t o b e
íaid the next Morning, and I eaOly perceiv'd ic
to be the very Face of Jgnes Viclorini, except only, that it was furrounded with Rayes, as the
Saints are us'd to be, and that they had painted
a lítele L a m b by her, as is cuftomary in all the
Repreíentations of S. Agites. í fáw by this, that
the young Gentleman had forgot .nothing that
might manifeft his :Devotion to his Lady¡¡ having taken care to place her upon the very Al•tars, there to be ador'd by every one. About t h e
middle of the Even-Song, t w o of theíe Gentlernen toók a great Charger, full of Flowers, with
an intent to preíent all theLadies therepreíehr¡¡
.with Nofejgaies m a d e of Carnatians, Knops of
Rofes.i ÁÚáOrange Flowers mix'd together, (for
at Reme you may have any fort of Flowers at a n y
Seaíbn-of the Yeáiy) they were ti'd together
with a golden Twift, to which wasfaftrfd a fair
&not of about three or four Yards of R'iband ;
P %
fo
3
a 12
The
Fifth
LETTER,
fo that each Nofegay could n o t be worth lefi
than two Crowns, or thereabouts. T h e firft of
theíe was preíented to the fair Agnes; and I took
notice, that there was a little N o t e convey'd between the Flowers, which íhe immediately took
thence and put into her Hours, or Book of Devotion, to peruíe it. It was not poftible for me to
diícern the Contents, and t h o ' I was very nigh
t o h e r , I could not diícover any more than theíe
t w o words, Mía Diva, My Goddefí. N o íboner
were theíe Nofegays diftributed, but there carne
fiying from the upper Galleriesof the Church a
vaft quantity of printed Papers, which the people ftrove to catch. T h e í e Prints contain d Sonn e t s i n t h e praife of S.Agms, but which really
and indeed reach'd the Lady, much more than
the Saint, for the Poem was al moft a continual
allufion toVi¿tories; being a íiifficient hint they
were calculated for her, w h o í e N a m e was Viclorini. This Concert of Mufick lafted almoft four
Hours, and it was very late before all was over;
however, ío exceeding charming and delightfui
was the Muíick, that it íeem'd to m e 1 had not
been above half an hour in the C h u r c h .
T h e next day I return'd thither again, and
was p r e í e n t a t t h e whole Service; which was celebra ted with all the Pomp and Solemnity imaginable. All the M o r n i n g they celebrated a
great n u m b e r of Maííes, and many Abbots (to
honour, the young Carfagna and his Miítrefs)
carne and íaid Maís at the Altar, but now mention'd, before the fair Image. A t the beginning
of H i g h Maís, they threvvdown from the upper
nal-
Uf teitivaís
and Lonfraternities,iXc.
213
Galleríes o t h e r Sonnets; íbme qf them in praife
of S. Agnes, and others incommendation of the
young Gentleman, who was the M a í t e r of the
Feftival: For the Priefts of this C h u r c h finding
themíelves much oblig'd to him, for that he had
been pleas d to make cholee of their Church for
thisSolemnity (whence they always reap a confiderable Profit) had caus'd this Poem to be made
in praiíe of his great Devotion and extraordinary worth. T h e r e are a íort oí M e n in Italy,
w h o m they cali Virtuofi, or Poets, w h o make a
livelyhood ofpraifing.others; t h a t i s , o í m a k i n g
Encomiaftical Songs or Poems. Neither is it
expencefhl to mak ule of their W i t ; for if you
do but give them the Subjeét, they furniíh
you with a good one for a fingle C r o w n ; ib
that you are at n o further Charges, fave only
that of printing it.
I t was one of the Clock in the Afternoon by
that time the Morning-Ser vice was ended, when
the Ladies retir'd to their o w n H o m e s , and the
Gentlemen with the Priefts to an Apartment
near the Church of Peace, whither they had taken
c a r e t o í e n d abundance of Provifions, to make a
iümptuous Dinner. T h e Muficians retu'd into
the Sextry, whither lome Hours afterthey fent
in to them ieveral large Diíhes of meat, abundance of all forts of Wine,wich íügar'd and cooU
ing Waters. T h e Notes, diftributed to that purpoíe, fpeciful, T h a t the íecond Even-long was
to begin about T h r e e i n t h e Afternoon ; wherefore I m a d e i t m y bufineís to be there about that
time; but I found I was come too íbon, for the
P 3
Mufi?
fti4
'
The-Fiftb
LETTER,
'
Muficians had not din'd yet, m o r e Diíhes of
M e a t being ftill fent i n t o t h e m , neither did Service begin till about Fiveof the Clock ; and the
íame O r d e r was obíerv'd as at the former EvenIbng, except only that the Verles and Anthems
werechang'd and that the Ladies (before t h e y d e parted) were not only preíented with Noíegays,
as before, but with great Chargers of Sweetmeats, with which they filfd their Hándkerchiefs, and ib return'd h o m e laden with Flowers
and Fruits. T h e young Carpagna n o t a little
proud and pleas'd, for having io magnificently
diícharg'd all the parts of that Solemnity, receiv'd the Congratulatory Applaufes of all his
Gompanions; and another of them (whoíe turn
was next) appointed the next Sunday for a like
Feftival to be celebrated at the C h u r c h of S.Jndrew of the Vaíley, where he had orderM all
things to be prepar'd for the íblemnizing of the
Feaft of S.Catherine.
I was willing, Sir, fomewhat to enlarge my
íelf in the defcription of the particulars of this
Feaft; not as if it were a thing rare and extraordinary, (for indeed, what I have here related is
but as O n e of a T h o u í a n d that I have leen, and
which it would be very fuperfluous to repeat to
you, there being indeed nothing m o r e commoii
in Italy ;) but my defign was only to give you a
m o r e diftincl Idea of this thing, w h e n you íhall
chance to hear any diícouííé- Concerníng theíe
Italia» Feafts. I have li'v'd Seven years in that
C o u n t r y , and in all that time, never did a Week
país ever m y Head, in w h i c h I was not preíént
, . at
5
Of Feílivals
andConfratemh'ies,&c.
at íorae or other of t h e m ; wherefore I havereafon to be able, to fpeak with good ground ebncerning them. I íhall only add one thing, which
m a y well make the Román Catholicks bluíh; viz.
T h a t it is at thefe íbrts of í e a í t s , that young
W o m e n are debauch'd and corrupted.
T h e r e are Bawds, w h o (by their Emiífaries)
acquaint them w i t h ' t h e places where any of
theíe Feaíts are to be kept, whereupon they never fail to reíbrt thither in Tróops, very laciviouíly dreíf.: A n d as for other W o m e n and Maidens, as the only pretextthey can have tooblige
their Parents or Husbands to letthemgo abroad,
is that of going to C h u r c h ; they contmúally íigh
and long for theíe íbrts of Feaíts, to have ib fair
an opportunity to go abroad and divert themfelves. Tis at theíe Feafts, I íay, that Meetings
are appointed, and Notes íecretly convey'd ;
here it is they learn to rhake love with their
Eyes, and to diícouríe one another by Geíf s and
Signs; and in a word, here it is, O íTiame! that
their lewd and infamous Bargains are made.
Neither do Iaífert ought in all this, but what is
fully confirm'd by their own P r o ver b ; which
tells us, Chimando, la fuá figliuola ad ogni F,:sía, in
puoco Temfo ne fa una Tul tana ; That he who fin h
his Daughter to every Feaft, .will make her a Whpre
in a fhort time, T h e young and marri'd W o m e n
íet themíelves on each fide of the C h u r c h , and
the Gentlemenwalkin the mid.ff, whereby they
have an opportunity to look them in the Face.
T h e y puíh one another, they iaugh, they talk
aloud, and entertain one another v, i.hDiícour'
P 4
, íes,
1
?
2.16
Tbé
Fifth
LEffER,
fes, very'unbecoming the Sacredneísof the place
where they are. T h e Holy Sacrament, which
they believe to be the true living Body of our
Saviour Jefus Chrift, is for the moft part expos'd
upon the High Altar, o r i n l o m e particular C h a pel, t o m a k e the Solemnity t h e g r e a t e r ; but they
have ib little reípe¿t for it, that they turn their
backs upon it, to face the Ladies and Muficians.
W h e n c e it is evident, that they do but very
ílightly, if at all, believe that mainPoint of their
Doótrin, or at leaft, that their Pra&ice gives
their Faith the L y e . T h e Priefts reap a coníiderable advantage from thefe Feafts; for all the
Ceremonies they officiate, and the Malíes they
íay are very deaily paid them, and are highly
feafted into'the bargain. •
' ~
But more particularly, we meet with theíe
kind of Feafts very írequent in Convenís or Monafteries ; the Religious whereof may be diftinguiíh'd into threelbrts, either fuch are endow'd
with means for their Subíiftence, asgenerally all
thofe call'd Monks a r e ; or elíe they live partly
of their Incoms, and partly o f A l m s , asare all
thoíe who are call'd Frati, or Frjers; or laftly,
they are iüch who live wholly upon Alms, as
t h e Cafucins, and other Mendkant Orders. Now
each of theíe are very ambitious, and do their
utmoft endeavours to have of theíe Feafts made
in their Churches. T h e Monks defire it,to make
a íhew of their Riches aiid G r a n d e u r ; the whole
C e r e m o n y is carri'd on at their o w n Charges,
Of Feftivah
and Confraternities
t
&c.
zij
I will endeayour to give you here the moft
exa£t Deícriptión of it that poílibly I can. T o
this purpoíe I will take for my Subje¿t one of
thoíe I íáw in the famous Abby oíS.Michatl in
Bofcooí Bononia, where I T a u g h t for T w o y e a r s
together, the Monks whereof are of the O r d e r
of M o u n t Olivet. T h e Abbot is not C o m m e n datory, but Regular, and has the p o w e r o f officiating Pontifically. H e caus'd his Pontifical to
be publiíh'd in Bononia, three Weeks before the
Feaft of S, Bemard, Founder of their O r d e r ,
which hapned fo be on a Thurfday ; and accordingly the firft Even-Song began on Wednefday
in the Evening. T h e Church of this Abby is a
meer Jewel of a thing, for the extraordinary
Curioíity of the Marble, Jajfer, and Porfhyrie
Stones, that do in part compofe and embellifh
i t ; the Guilding and Painting that adorn it,
are of an ineftimable p r i c e ; the R o o f and all
the Walls of the Church are Guilt; the HighAltar, as well as the other leffer onesof the C h a péis, are all of precious Stones. All the Seats of
the Quire are of In-laid Work, wherein t h e
whole Life of S. Bennet-, and many Hiftories of
the Bible are repreíented ; the Balliftcrsof Iron,
that íhut the Quire and Chapéis, are all Guilt,
and very delicátely w r o u g h t ; the Pavement is
of black and white Marble; iníbmuch thatthere
is not the leaft part in the whole Church, that
ftands in need of any íuperadded O r n a m e n t .
Yet notwithftanding all this, the Abbot fent for
the moft dexterous Adorners of Churches to
fet it forth, with the filken Machins of Bononia,
with
zi8
s
The
Fifth
LETTER,
w i t h which all the Windows and Wafls of the
C h u r c h were ñU'd, aftording various Hiiioric.il
Reprelentations; tho' to ípeak the truth, this
was a very needlefs Coft, becauíe w h a t was hid
b y "theíe filkcn Figures was more curious and
coftly, than the Figures themfelves. H e order'd
Árrns of Siíver to be fix'd round the Church,
and Candiefticks of the fame, t o be plac'd on all
the Comunes and Pillars of the Church, to íupport a prouigious number of white Wax-Canilles, which wsre to burn all the time of the Service. T h e High-Áltar was íét as thick as.it could
hold with Píate, brought out of the Treafury ol
t h a t A b b y , to make a íhew of it to all M e n . About T h r e e of the Clock in the Afternoon, the
Abbot (accompanPd with all his Monks) and
m a n y Gentiemen of his Reiations and Fricnds
following him, march'd forwards towards the
C h u r c h . H e was apparel'd in the Habit of his
O r d e r , being diíiinguiíh'd from the r e f t o f the
M o n k s by his Ring, his Hood, and his four corn e r ' d C a p . T h e Monks of this Abby are wont
l o enter into the Church by t h e ' G a t e of the
Cloiíter which isnear the C h o i r ; but for the
m o r e State, and to make agreater íhew of their
Abbot in all his P o m p a n d Majeíiy, they choíe
this time t o c ó m e out of the Monaftery, and to
make a Round, in order to their Entring the
C h u r c h by the great G a t e , at the Weft-end oi
i t . As foon as they entred, the Bells, Organs,
and other Muíical Inftruments íbunded a Marck
a n d as for the M o n k s , t h e y gaveforth fuch an
A i r in their going, as difcover'd rather the V*
Of Feftivah
and Confraternities^
&c.
219
üty of their Hearts, than t h a t M a j e í t y w h i c h
«comes the Minifters at the Altar.
W h e n they were come into the Church, the
Ibbot made a halt before the Chapel of S. Bermrd, which is at the lower ,end of the C h u r c h ,
md kneel'd down upon Cuíhions of Violet- coour'd Velvet, very richly Embroider'd, which
¿veré Íaid upon a Desk, cover'd with a Carpet
DÍ the lame, garniíh'd with a rich golden Fringe.
Amdat the íame time the Muficians íiing an
Anthem in praifeof that Saint. After this the
Abbot was c o n d u d e d to his T h r o n e , which .
:hey had ere¿ted at the right íide of the Altar,
ít was cover'd on high with a magnificent C a nopy of State, and íiirrounded with feveral Seats,
very richly adorn'd, for all the Officers that
iwere to officiate at the Pontifical. Being arriv'd
here, he íeated himfelf, having two Abbots of his Friends on each fide of h i m ; and immediately fourteen of his Monks, in their Surplices,
went and took the Ornaments that were Íaid
on Tables plac'd near the Fligh Altar, wherewith he was to be inveíted; and having each
ofthem taken w h a t belong'd to their place,
they rang'd themfelves one behind another, making a long Row. T h e nrft of them carri'd in a
large Silver gilt-Charger the Abhatical Buskins ;'
thefecond, in another like Charger, the Abbatical Shoes of Violet cólóur'd Velvet richly E m broider'd a third carri'd the Coif; a fourth the
Rochet; which, as alio the Coif, was of moft fine
Linnen, lac'-d round about, and at the H a n d s
with a very curious íoint' de Vanee of a Foot
deep:
v
2ZO
The Fifth
LETTER,
deep ; the ñfth follow'd with a very coftly Gir
dleol whiteSilk woven and wrought to admi
ration ; the fixth carri'd the Stde;
the íeventl:
and eighth, each of them a Tunide of white
Taffety ; the ninth had the Cap, which like thf
Stde was of Cloth of Gold, the Edges of it being rais'd by Embroidery into íeveral curiotü
Figures, compós'd of Seed-Pcarl, and furniíli'd
with golden Claíps; the tenth carri'd the Lita
Crofs ofE>iamonds,\ú\ié at two thouíand Crowns
the eleventh, in a great Charger guilt and ena
mel'd, carri'd the Abbattcal G leves; and th;
twelfth the Abbatical Ring, being an Ameth'ú
of anextraordinary fize; thethirteenthfollow't
with the Mitre, thick íct with Pearls and preci
ous Stones; and the fourteenth and laft carri'd
íhe Crojier or Pafioral Staff. Every one of thefe
in order, as they drew near to the Abbot (íeated on bis T h roñe) bow'd the Knee before him:
and after they had d'eliver'd. their íeveral Charges into the hand of the Affiífant Abbots, who
were to Attire their Freíate, having firít worfhip'd him with another Genuflexión, retiñí
again in good order. At every Ornament that
was put upon him, there were particular Prayers which the Affifting Abbots repeated, and
the officiating Prelate read himíelf in the Pontifical Book, which was íupported by two Monks;
and two others in their Surplices and Tunicles,
held Wax-Candles to light him, whilft the Mafter of Ceremonies turn'd the Leavesfor him.
T h e Abbot being Accoutred with all thS
.Grnaments, and having the Mitre on hisHead,
íeaKtl
Of Feftivals
and Confraternlties,&c.
221
featedhimfelf on his T h r o n e in the midft of the
T w o Abbots, Affiftants; and immediately all
the Officers, who were to Officiate at the Ceremony, rang'd themíelves near to him. T h e í e
Officers were four Chaunters in their Rochets a n d
Hoods, four Sub Chaunters in their Surplices, t w o
Deacons in their Stoles and Tumcles, two SubDeacons in their Twskles, t w o Taper-Bearers
to hold the Candleñicks, and two Incenfe-Bearers, dreít in Surplices and their fiher Cenfers in
their H a n d s ; befides another Officer to hold the
Crofer-Staff, and the Mafter of Ceremonies with
his Rod or Wand. All theíe were only to Officiate till about the middleof Even-íbng; at which
time, as if they had been extreamly tir'd with
the Attendance they had given, they were reliev'd by others yet more gorgeouíly Apparel'd,
who were to Officiate till the Service wasended.
Their Mufick was very numerous and choice:
T h e Abbot fung the firft Veríe of Even-íbng,
which was continu'd by the Mufick and Singing-men with abundance of Ceremonies,which
I fhall not infift upon at preíent, that which I
have already deliver'd being íiifficient to give
you an Idea of that extraordinary Majefty and
External Pomp,wherewith Feaftsare folemniz'd
in the Churches of Italy. For in cafe it be a Biíhop, or Archbiíhop that Ofíiciates, the M a g n i ficence is much greater ; and if it be a Cardinal
or Pope that celebrates the Feaft, theíe Ceremonies are carri'd to the higheft point o f Elevation and Grandeur imaginable.
i remember to have read íbmewhere i n a n
Englifr
2,2,2
The Fifth
LETTER,
Englifh Proteítant Author, the Commendation
a n d Elogies he beífows upon thoíe of the l i o
m a n Comraunion, inthis Point of Ceremonies,
laying, That in this only they are Traife-ivorth)
and to he commended, that they jftare nothing that
may contrihute'to theCoftlinef! and Solemnity efthcn
-Feafts, For m y part, I have very induítriouíty
apply'd my íelf tofearch out the Principal form
whence ib much falíe Luftre doth proceed,
which they make ufe of in the Church of Rome
to dazle the Eys of the Inconíiderate and Unthinkfng People; and I have found that it is not
their great Zeal for the Houíe of God that is the
Motive of it, but only Intereít, Vain-glory and
Self-love, as I abundantly difcover'd upon this
Occafion.
T h e Even-íbng ended about fix of the Clock
i n the Evening; after which the Abbot and his
Oíücers, having put oíf their Ornaments, went
i n t o the Sextry, where they found great Tables
cover'd and thick íet with dry and wet Confe¿ts, Neats-Tongues, Bonoma Saufages, and fine
Paftry-meat. All the Ladies and Gentlemen of
Quality that were in the C h u r c h , were defif'd
t o e n t e r ; and as for my íelf, having a free acceís to that Abby, as being in a manner one of
the Family, becauíe I publickly taught there
the Liberal Arts, and had a good Allowance,
befides the Abbots T a b l e ; I entred.into the Sextry with them, and hadmoreover thePriviledge
of bringing íbme Frenchmen of m y Acquaintance in with me, which are now in Londom
T h e Gentlemen and Ladies were not w&nting
to'
Of Fefli'vals
and
ConfratemitiesjSkc.
to belfow great Enccmiums on the Abbot;, each
declaring how admirable well his Pontifical Habit did become h i m , and h o w gracefully he did
Officiate. In the mean timé the Monks apply'cl
themfelves to the Ladies of their Acquaintance,
and entr'd into clofe Diícouríe with them, but
what it was, I could not be witneís to j only
thu's much I can aver, T h a t their Beauty h a d
fo far. c h a r m ' d them, that for a whole M o n t h
after it was the great Subje¿t of their Difcouríe.
It feems they had ib well ñudied them, during
the Converíe they had with t h e m , that they
could give an exact account of the Cloaths, Ribands, and Laces they had on.
T h e Abbot (during the Entertainment) addrcíl himfelf to two Ladies of Qiiality, the one
a Lady Marquéis, and the other a Counteís;
and demanded of them, Whether they had not
found a delire ftirring in t h e m , to períüade
fome of their Children to become Religious of
his Order ? T h e Lady Marquéis anfvver'd, She
Wouldconfder ofit. But the Counteís very frankly aifur'd him, That fie had been fo extreamly fátisfid. with the P-ontifical, which had been 'celebrated
with fo rmch Pomp and Majefly, that ü hadevin
ravijIPd her; and that fije was abfclutely refclvd,
her Son fimtld take the Habit of the Order. She
told the Abbot, That the Jeíuits did their utmofi
Endeavours, to draw him o<ver to them ; but that
fie would be fure to break all their Meafure¡ and
hofd that her• S'on would behave himfelf fo well ín
the Monafiery, that one day fie might havelbejoy andCcmfort to fee him made Abbot of the Order, and
£'ontifically Officiating.
All
}
2*4
The Fifth
L E
TTER,
All our good natur'd Monks, in the" mean
time, notwithftandingallthe pains they had taken in affiftingat the Church-Ceremonies,were
very ready to w a k upon the fair Ladies at T a ble, a n d t o k e e p them Company, as being in this
regard a Thouíand-fold more happy than other
Italian Laymen, w h o have not the priviledge of
making Feafts to get a fight of their Ladies, and
w h o can ícarcely ever meet with an opportunity
of rendring them the like Services. I cannot den y , but that íbme of theíe Ladies were of Kin
t o them ; but however, it muft needs be a great
iatisfaétion to have an occafion of Treating
t h e m ib íplendidly out of the publick Stock of
the A b b y , which cannot be done, but in thoíe
' íbrts of Ceremonies: For at any time, if tlie)'
delire to d o it, it muft coft them a round íum of
m o n y . T h e Ladies, in the mean while, w e r e i n
ib good H u m o r , and ib extraordinarily well
pleas'd, as well with their Entertainment in the
Church, as in the Sextvy, that they very freely
ask'd the Abbot, W h e n they might expeót to
c o m e to another Pontifical ? W h o promis'd them
t o celébrate another on the Day of S. Francis
of Rome.
i t is impoífible, Sir, you íhould not take notice in all this 1 have related to you concerning the Solemnity of this Feaft, what indeed
were the true motives of it. T h e Abbot hereby
\pleas'd his Vain-glorious humor, by appearing
i n a Pontifical Drefs, with ib many pompous
O r n a m e n t s , amidft ib many Adorations a n d fo
m a n y Incenfingsas were prefented to him. Be-
Of
Fe$ivalsandConfratermtksfkc.
fides this, he made alio his advantage of it; for
from henee he took occafion tó íbllicit Períbns
of Quality, after he had dazled their Eyes with
the magnihcent fplendor o f his Pontifical, t o
perfuade their Children to take the Habit of the
Order. I know very well hdw gainfül it is t o
¡the Abbot and other principal Officers of the
¡Abby, w h e n the Children of Perfons of Quali!ty take upon theirí the Habit. T h e y never adirnit them to the Profeffion, till their Parents
pave preíented them very liberally, befides t h e
[Animal Penfion they are bound to allow their
|Son; and the more honourable the períbns are,
the more confiderable ftill are the Preíents that
are made them. T h e reft of the Reiigious find
íheir pleafure and fatisfaétion in thefe Fefti vals $
iheir Eyes are feaftecl with the íumptuousadornpng of their Churches, and their Ears with the
jíweetnefs of the moft choice and exquifit M u fick ; neither is the Feaft that concludes the Sojemnity, and the Ladies company, the leaft
pharm to make them defirable : So that, in a
vord, the Glory of God, and the Z e a l of his
3oly Temple, are at the beft, and to ípeak moft
avourably, but the more remote Obje¿t of thefe
>ompous Solemnities.
I have already told you in one of my L E T Í E R S , that I fear'd to pafs for a fevere Cenfbr
|n your Judgment, w h o takes pleaíure to put a
pgorous Senfe upon A¿tions, otherwife capable
a favourable Interpretation; and fór this
Reafon I always back what I íay with the Reáfons that induce me to país theíe íbrts of Judgments¡>
%%6
The Fifth
LETTER,
m e n t s ; and 1 queftion n o t í n the leaft, but rhat
if you will be pleas'd well to weigh them, you'S
find that I have us'd abundan ce of Moderación
in my Expreífions. T o apply this therefore to
the preíent Subjeít, 1 íhall proceed to tell you.
that the Fcftival of S. Francis of Rome approaching, on which D a y the Abbot had promis'd the
Ladies another Pontifical, preparations were
made for greater pomp and fplendor, than before had been at the Feaft of S.Bernard. They
h a d íent for Muficians from Florence a n d Venia,
w h o two days before the Feaft were arriv'd at
the Abby, where they were very fplendidly entertain'd. T h e Evening before the Abbot and
the Monks pray'd heartily for fair Weather;
and the Air being at that time very clear and fer e n e , there was all the appearance imaginable
that it would continué i b , which Flopes fill'd
them with unutterable Joys. T h e r e was only
one good oíd Convert Fryer amongft them,
w h o being better inforrn'd than all this, by the
T w i t c h e s his Corns gave him, very peremptoñiy aver'd, I t would rain the next day. Upon
this erninous Intimación, the Abbot himfelí¡
went out after Supper, to Star-gaze what Wea
ther they were like to have the next day ; ant
íeeing the Sky fo very clear and full of Star»
declar'd there was n o need to fear, but the)
íhould have a fair day on't, a n d that the oíd
Fryer was a Turba Fe fia, a meer Trouble-Fed
t o talk fo at random. U p o n this aífurance the
Monks retir'd to their Apartments that Evenins
with a great deal of Joy. But forafinuch as it fe
not
Of Feftivah andtonfraternitiesj&c. %%7
hot for men to know the T i m e s and Seaíons
which G o d has referv'd in his o w n power, about
mid night the Weather chang'd, a n d the n e x t
raorning there fell ío furious a íhower, that it
was impoflible to ftir abroad without being wet
to the Skin. This Tempeftous W e a t h e r continu'd till Night* which feiz'd the Spiritsofthe
poor Monks with a ftrange Confternation. T h e
next morning they appear'd all Pail-fac'd, a n d
gave evident proof, how great a change croft
Delires are able to produce in the Body of m a n .
Some of them openly murmur'd againft Heaven, becauíe that almoft every Year it difturb'd
br difappointed their Feaft of S. Vrancis; others
of them retain'dftill íbme hope that the R a i n
might hold up within few H o u r s ; but alas!
their Hopes were all in vain ; the Heavens w e r e
too refolv'd, and the Storm was ib far from ceaíing or diminiíhing, that it increas'd more a n d
more. T h e Abbot perceiving there was n o R e medy, lent word to the Sexton to íhut up the
Ornaments bf the Pontifical; however, he order'd the Mufiek íhould play, becauíe the Muficians were preíent, and that nioftof them were
paid before-hand ; but he forbad the great
Hows of Wax-Candles to be lighted, which had
been diípos'd of found the Church, or to burn
he incenfe that had been prepar'd for the Alars : So that, excepting only the Mufiek, t h e
^ffice was very fimply and plainly celebrated
gfter the ordinary manner. T h e Abbot did n o t
Pppear at ir. himfelf, a n d a l l t h i s g r e a t p o m p a n d
Memnity vanifh'd in ífnoak.
s
I
Now
zzS
The Fifth
LETTER,
N o w I defire you, Sir, only to draw a ratio
nal and obvious Confequence from all theíe proceedings. Can you períúade your íelf, that God
or the Saint were the Objeá: or Motive of all
this ado ? G o d is ImmeníVand Infinite, every
where preíent, whether it be fair or foul; and
t h e Saint alio is íiippos'd to be always the íame
i n H e a v e n : H o w carne i t t o país then, that the
Solemnity was chang'd, and put oíf; but beeauíe the Gentlemen and Ladies that had been
invited, and for whole íake the Feaft was intended, could not come ? Sublata caufd tottitm
effeftus; Take away the Caufe, and the EffeSt ceajeth. Or can we draw a more juft Coníequence,
or more proper to ftop the mouths of our Adveríaries of the Romifli Commjmion, w h o objed
t o us their Divine Service, as celebrated witl
ib much pomp and magnificence, ánd who find
ib much faült with the fimplicity and modeíty
of ours? When they celébrate their Mattins,-o¡
Morning Service, of their greateft Holidays before Day-light, they ícarcely Light T w o WaxCandles on the Altar, (Becaufe fay they, no bol]
frequents themf) whereas in the day time, when
there is abundance of C o m p a n y , they light a
matter of T h r e e or four hundred. May we
n o t therefore with great Reaíbn reproach them,
T h a t all their pompous Feafts and Solemnitíe;
are only to fatisfie their o w n Pleafure, Vain-glo
r y and Avarice ? A n d that therefore God at
hors and abominares theíe their Services; ío far
are they from being any proof of the T r u t h oí
their Religión. I n the mean time I m u f t needi
aClrnoW'
Of Feftivals
and Confraternitksj&c.
zia
acknowledge, T h a t this is that which deludes
many, and is a Stone of Oífence to all thoíe,
who in Matters of Religious Woríhip confider
only that which ltrikes the Seníes. I knew a Papiíf in England, that was turn'd
Proteftant many years before, who told me he
was returning again to Italy, in order to j o y n
himíelf again to the Romijh Communion ; and his
Reaíbn was, Becaufe forfooth the Divine Service
was notfolemniíCd here with that folemnity as it
was in his Country. I wonder, w h y by the dint
of the fame Argument he was not períuaded to
turn Jew, w h o ufe yet more Cereraonies than
the Church oí'Rome-; or rather, I am aftoniíh'd
he did not confider with himíelf, T h a t all thefe
Ceremonies and pompous Vanities being only
arbitrary things, which depend only o n t h e Will
of M e n , if the Proteftants were inclin'd that
way, might contrive and inftituteíüch as íhould
be more magnificent than thofe of Rome and
might make their Biíhops to appear every day
in as pompous Ornaments as the Pope does on
S. Peter's day : A n d if they don't do it, the R e a
í b n i s , Becaufe they are well perfuaded, that what
is moñ pleafing in the Eyes of Men, is not always
mojí acceptable to God, who requires puré and holy
Hearts, and not rich and pompnm Apparel, and to
whom the fervenCy of our prayers is far more acceptable than cleuds of the fweetefi Incenfe. Befides,
the Service and Woríhip of G o d , as it is celebrated in their Churches, isnot altogether deftitute of decent O r n a m e n t s n e i t h e r : The M i nifters Habit is íüch as diftinguiíheth them from
0.2
all
}
:
2,30
The
Fifth.
LETTER,
all others in their Miniftry, but yet Ib, as without any thing of Superftition: T h e r e is no Divine Virtue attributed to them, that renders the •
Wearers thereof more holy t h a n others ;,whereas, in the Church of Rome, íhould a Prieft celébrate Maís without his Hood, or /¡miel, and
t h a t wilfully, they hold it tobe a mortal fin.
I return now to our Feaftsagain, and having
given you an account h o w the íame are. celebrated by thoíe M o n k s who live upon t h e i r í n c o m s ; I íhall proceed n o w to thofe of other Reiigious, who partly live of Incoms and partly of
A l m s , w h o are as of thoíe w h o live alrogether
of Alms, as well known in Italy by the Ñ a m e of
Frati. D u r í n g my ftay at Rome, 1 went to the
¿Minerva, which is a famous Convent of the Dominicans; it was on a Saturday, at which time
t h e y were celebrating a Feftival in H o n o u r of
t h e Rofary of the BleJJ'ed Virgin. I learnt, T h a t
¿ h e Heads of that Confraternity met every Sa'turday, and did every one of them by turns celébrate the Feaft of the Rofary at their own
Charges. T i s the H u m o r of the Ifalians, in fuch
like Cafes, to ítrive for the H o n o u r of íürpaííing
pne another, a n d ípare n o Coft, to the end they
m a y i n magnificence outvy o t h e r s ; T h i s is an
Emulation that is natural to them, and which
I believe cannot with good ground be attributed to their Virtue, becauíe herein they feed
their Vanity as much as in thofe íumptuous
Cavalcades they make, and in which (after the
í a m e manner) their great aim is to outdo one
another.
Theíe
!
Of Feltivals
and Confraternitiesj2x.c.
231
T h e í e Religious, or Frati, have contriy'd a
Form of Feafts for their own, T o o t h : T h e
Monks (as was íaid before) make them at their
o w n Charges, and to íet forth their Riches and
Glory ; but thefe always clebrate them upon other mens Puríés, and with fuch Caution, as
withal to fill their own into the bargain. T h e
Laws they have eftablifiYd to this purpoíe, are,
T h a t whoíbever cauíeth a Feaft to be íblemniz'd,
muft íend before-hand a fufficient Sum of M o ny, to defray all the Malíes that the Religious
oí" the Convent do celébrate that d a y : In the
íecond place, he muft be at all the Charge of
Adorning the Chapel, or C h u r c h , where the
Feaft is to be k e p t ; and in the third place, h e
is oblig'd to íend in a fplendid Dinner for all
the good Fryers of the Convent. Some amongífr
them, for this very Reafon, do very aptly cali
thefe Feafts, The Fryers Milch-Cows. As for thoíe Fryers which are call'd Mendkants, fuch as the
Capucins, and íbme other, w h o live wholly of
A l m s ; foraímuch as they cannot, by reaíon of
their V o w of Foverty in common, receive any
M o n y for their Maffes, there is this dilference,
íhat inftead of delivering the M o n y for that
purpoíe into their o w n Hands, it is to be paid
to him w h o m they cali their T e m p o r a l Father,
that is a L a y m a n , who has the difpoíal of their
mony for their ufe, and w h o m they cali every
Month to an account, even to the utimoft farthing. T h e i r Patriarch S. Francis, never dreamt
of this piece of fubtilty, and coníequently alfo
he has not made the leaft mention of it in his
4
Rule,
%1%
The
Fifth
LETTER,
.
Rule, or Direétqry ; but as for theíe good Fathers, they have quite putdone him in refined
"Wit and Invention. T h e y do not think it convenient, fo wholly to rely upon the Divine Providence, as not to think their own the more íafe
and fure way. What would you have m do l (fay
t h e y ) alas l íhe Times are changad, and Laymen
are not fo charitable now, as they were in the time
ef S.Francis! For my part, I durít undertake
t o prove to their Faces, T h a t in caíe they liv d
w i t h as'much frugality as their Ancient Fathers
( w h o , tofpeak truth, are o r n o great Antiquity
neither) they would find Superítitioüs People
enough, to furniíh them with a fuííiciency, for
a íbber and penitential Diet, But w h o would
take delight to incommodate themíelves, to
c r a m a company of lazy Lubbards, who d o
nothing but go about from Houíb to Houíe to
íill their Bellies, eípecially leading fo ícandalous
a Life as they do ? T r u e it is, that by their
cunning they have fo order'd the matter, that
they want for nothing ; and one of the beft Inventions they have ever yet found out, to be
íumptuouíly and delicately treafed, is their
Feaíts.
?
And foraímuch as a Regular Feaft, I mean
thoíe that are mark'd in the Almanack, are only to be found once in the Year, they have invented the uíeful Contrivance of Confratemitios,
as being moft fruitfhl Nurferies of Feafts or Holidays for them, ío as even to produce m a n y for
íhem in one and the fame Week. A Confraternity, according to the deíinition they give us of
' • . ~ '
it,
:
Of Feflívals
and Confraternities,
&c.
¿33
it, is an Afíbciation of many períbns, w h o unite
themíelves and agree together, at certain Times,
to render fome Reiigious Woríhip to God, t o
the Virgin, or to íbme other Saint, in fueh-a
manner as is n o t common to a l l : But at the
bottom, it is indeed nothing elfe, but the moft
fure and refined Art the C h u r c h of Reme has to
catch mony ; and they have always íbme good
crafty Father or other, that has the T r a d e of
drawing in people at his finge r s e n d , who is the
Direítor of i t : ' F i s t o him all thofe that delire
to be admitted to the Ccnfratermty rnuft addreís
themfelves, where (for writing down his Ñ a m a
in the Book, and for Entran ce- m o n y ) it colts
him a Crown at leaft; and every Year at the
íame d a y , he muft come to have his Ñ a m e renew'd, and pay oyer the íame Entrance-mony,
as at his firft Admittance, otherwiíe you are
without Mercy moft ignominiouíly expell'd the •
Confraternity, and from that time forwards are
excluded from having any íhare in their Prayers,
or partaking of their Indulgences. O v e r and above
all this, there is íbme m o n y to be paid every
Month, towards the Lights of the Chapel where
the Confraternity is ere£ted; which, confidering
the vaft Number of thoíe who are inroll'd i n i t ,
produceth a prodigious Sum of mony.
T h e leaft Confraternities that are, coníift of
Three or four hundred períbns; there are íbme
have a thouland, yea, T w o or three thouíand
belonging to them. I have m y íelf feen a b o v e
Twenty thouíand Ñames enroll'd in the Book
of the Confraternity of thsScapulary. of the Carpielúei
2,34
T
h
e
Fifth
LETTER,
rx élites of Milán % and in that of the great Confraternity of the Rofary of S.Jehn, and S. Raid
of Ven ice, I have been certainíy inform'd there
are above Forty thouíand Brothers : SuppoÉ
every one of the Brethren íhould only give a
P e n y every M o n t h towards the Chapel-Lights,
it would be impoffible to burn all the WaxCandles that mony would buy ; which by coníequence t u r n s t o the profit of theíe good Fryers. T h e y are continually hankering abone
the richeft períbns of their Confraternity, endeavouring to perfuade them to make Feafts in
H o n o u r of the he or íhe Saint, in whoíe Ñame
their Confraternity is ereóted.
I hapned once to be in Company of an Italia» Count, w h o was of the Confraternity of the
Little Scapulary of the Yirgin, ere¿ted in the
G r e a t Convent of the Carmelites at Reme, at the
time when the Father D i r e d o r of the Confraternity carne in to him, and told him. with a
fmiling Countenance, Conté Giovanni, I have a
great Complaint againít you, from one of your very
good ¡he Friends. T h e Count fuppoíing it to be
from one of his Miftreffes, ask'd him, W h o it
was ? T h e Director anfwer'd, That it was from
the Bleffed. Virgin, and that he had no reafon io
doubt, but that ¡he was very angry with him, for
having for fo long a time neglecled^ to caufe th
Feaft of the Holy Scapulary to be celebrated, The
Count excus'd himíelf upon the account of íbme
extraordinary Bufinels, that had put him by his'
T h o u g h t s that w a y ; and defir'd the Di redor
to íénd him in next Week the Liít of their ReF«
Of Feftivals
and Confraternities^
&c. 1 3 £
gious. W h e n he was departed, the Count told
me, T h a t w h a t he had told him impli'das m u c h ,
as that he would make the Feaft of the Scapulary
the next W e e k ; becaufe on the like occafion
itis cuftomary t o fend in as many couples of
Capons and Bóteles of Wine, as there be Religious in the Convent, befides m o n y to pay ios
the Maífes that are to be faid that day ; ío that
his demanding a Lift pf the Director, was a full
Intimation that he had granted his Suit j and
accordingly he took his leave very well fatisfi'd,
faying, He •would take care to pacifie hispe Fnend.
T h e Count told me afterwards, T h a t this Feaft
would coft him a round Sum, becauíe commonly the Note of the Director of the Confraterna
ty moiinted very high, as well for the Lights, as
for the Muíicians and Adorners of the Church.
A n d in order to the multiplicador! of thefe
Feafts, they have pitch'd upon one day of the
Week, for the aífembling or meeting together
of their Confraternities; that of the Rofary meets,
every Saturday ; of the Little Scapulary on Thurfdays, as likewife that of the Holy Sacrament; the
Confraternity of S. Francis his Cord o n Fridays ;
that of the Annunciation on Wednefdays ; that of
S. Antonio o n the Tuefdays •, and laftly, the Mundays are peculiarly. appropriated to the Confraternities of the Souls in Purgatory. So that you
íee, they are fairly provided with Feafts for every day of the Week, and that without counting
íeveral other particular Confraternities, the N u m ber whereof is unknown to me, thefe which I
have mention d being only the more general.
2,36
_
.
The
Fifth
LETTER,
T h e y are not indeed all of them to be met with
in one Church, ñor in one and the fame Order
of Religious; for the Rofary belongs to the Dominicans ; the Little Scapulary to the Car me lites;
the Cord of S, Francis to the Francifcans ; the
Annunciation to the Soccolanti; S. Anthony of Padua appertains in general to all the Religious
that live under the Rule of S. Francis; and the
Souls in Purgatory do not only belong to all
the Religious O r d e r s , but alfo to all Pariíhes
and Churches under the inípeítion of Secular
Priefts.
After all this, it cannot be dény'd but that
thoíe of the Román Communion are certainly
fallen in love with their o w n Blindneís, in that
they will not ib much as take the pains tb open
their Eyes, to íee how miíerably theíe Fellows
gull and cheat them For what can be imagin'd
m o r e ridiculous, than .all theíe forts of Confraternities ? Becauíe S. Francis foríboth, wore a
Cord or Rope inftead of a Girdle, they have
ereéted a Confraterríity in H o n o u r of i t ; accordingly every Brother of the Society muft wear
a íhiall C o r d : Thefe fmall Cords or Bands, do
n o t in the leaft reíemble that which S. Francis
wore,' which I have íeen at AJJize, and is as
thick as íome of the greateft Ropes that wind
u p Buckets in a W e l l ; but theíe are very deli*
cately wrought, a n d very artificially knottedin
íeveral places. T h e Guftom is, to bleís them
publickly, with many Ceremonies and Prayers;
which being perform'd, they tell us, They have
tke virtue to blot o»t a.ü Venid ftns; to drive away
VJ tejtívals
and Confratermtiesgzc.
237
theDevil, arid troublefom Témptations of the Flejh.
Moft of the Ladies of i W / w e a r this Cord of
S. Francis; they tye them round about their
Bodies, and the ends of t h e m reach to the bottom of their Petty-coats; they are fullof pretty
little Knots, and they íerve them to play withal,
as the Englijli Ladies do with their Fans or Masks,
W e r e it true indeed, T h a t thele Cords had the
power of repreffing Carnal T é m p t a t i o n s ,
the Ladies of Italy, w h o wear íüch lovely ones,
could not fail of being the chafteft W o m e n i n
the World ; and yet I am fure, this is not the
Commendation that is given them. But be it
as it will, this Cord is a thing fo extraordinary
Holy, that great Feafts are celebrated in H o nour of it every Week in all the Churches belonging to the Franáfcans; and the Popes have
been pleas'd to beftow great Indulgences to all
thofe, who íhall Enroll themíelves in this Society of the Cord. T h e y are only the poor Proteftants that do not enjoy all theíe fair Advantáges, becauíe they look upon them as no better than meer folly ; and for my part, I believe
they have very good reaíon for being of this
O p i n i ó n ; and that the íureft and fafeft way is, to believe with them, T h a t the only thing that
can make us of proof againft all Témptations,
and endue us with the power to overeóme fin,
is the Grace ofGod, and that by means of it alone, we íhall become Conquerors over t h e D e the Flejh, and the World, without the affiftance of either Rope or Cord.
T h e Confraternity of the Rofary is no leís
fuper*
a S
3
the
Fifth
LÉTTER,
íuperfticioufly founded than the foregoing.
Since the Saiutation of the Ángel Grabrkl to the
Virgin, has paft iñ the Church of Rome for the
moft Holy Prayer that can be made to her,
the Father Dóminicans, w h o pretend to be the
greateft Favouritesof the Holy Virgin, to the end
they might have íbme particular Devotion t o
diftínguiíh them from the C o m m o n , have invented that which is n o w calPd The Rofary,
w h i c h is nothing elíe but an aggregation of leveral Ave Maries ; there are Tentimes ten o f
t h e m in the Rofary, and at the end of each T e n
they add the Lord's Prayer. A n d t o the end they
m a y not fail of íaying the juft N u m b e r (for in
caíe one only Ave-Mary íhould chance to be
omitted, it would be the loís of the whole Indulgence) they have brought into ufe their Paternofters, or Beads, by which they count the Prayers as they íay them, that there may be n o
miftake. A n d as it is the Belief of the Church
oí Rome, T h a t the Elements and material Subje¿ts of the Sacraments, are not only Signs, but
Phyfical Inftrumental Cáules, producing Grace
i n the Soul: For they íay, T h a t the Water in
Baptiím, the Oyl in the Extream Unclrion, and
t h e M a t t e r prefented i n t h e Collation of Orders,
d o phyfically produce Grace in the S o u l ; ib in
liké manner the Popes have affix'd to thefe Beads
of W o o d , Glaís, or any other m a t t e r , the Graces and Priviledges that belong to the Rofary :
So that if a períbn íhould Repeat all the Prayers
order'd and eftabliíh'd for the Rofary, without
having one of thefe Fater-nofters; yea, tho' (to
Of Feftivals
and ConfraternitJesj&tc.
239
be QX&SÍ in his T a l e ) he íhould count them o n
his Buttons or Fingen, yet would he not thereby
obcainthelndulgence : N o , by no means, there
muft be Pater-nojlers in the caíe, as being t h e
Inftrumental Cauíes of producing Grace in the
Soul. T h e r e are fcarcely any Italians but have
thefe Pater-nofiers about t h e m , either in their
Pockets, or hanging about their Necks, between
their Shirts and their Doublets. T h e Ladies carry them o n their Arms, and they have nowadays made an O r n a m e n t a l Bravery of it, n o t
inferiour to their Necklaces and Bracelets of
Pearls and Diamonds. T h e y íbmetimes go abroad without either Fan or Mask, but never
without their Beads. T h e moft c o m m o n , for
W o m e n of a mean Condition, are of Coral or
Amber ; but the Ladies of Quality have t h e m
of Precious Stones, or of Odortferous PaBs, adorned with the moft curious Ribands, and garniíh'd
with abundance of Gold and Silver Medah. T h e
greateft Proftitutes would be aíham'd to go abroad without their Great Pater-nofters o n their
Arms, which hang d o w n to their F e e t ; n o t
that their Devotion is ib great in R u n n i n g of
them over, but meerly becauíe it is cuftomary,
and a kind of neceífary Implement for t h e m t o
trifle with, which they cannot well be without:
Neither do they make any difficulty to ask of
their Lovers a Patemoñer for the price of their
infamous Commerce.
T h e Little Scafttlary, or Habit of the Virgin, is
a piece of the íame worth and valué, and belongs t o the Carmdites; for it is their o w n H a b i t
to
240
.
the
Fifth
LETTER,
t o which they make people pay ib great Refpe¿r¡j
and ib m a n y Adorations. T h e í e Fathers were
originally Hermip, who had their place of Retirement on Carmel. T h e y pretend, T h a t the
Blejfed Virgin appear'd to them there, and gave
t h e m the Form of the Habit they were tb wear,
which is a Ven and a Scapulary of a brown C o lorir, and a great white Hood; and that íhe told
them at the lame time, That all thofe who fhould
wear that Habit ftculd be bleffed by Her, and Her
Son Jeíus Chrift, and (hould never die in any Mortal Sin. N o w foraífnuch as it is n o t poffibíe to
períuade all the World to become Carmelites,
that fo they might enjoy the priviledges of this
miraculous Habit, they have found out a way
to cut their oíd Habits into little íquare pieces
of the bigneís of four or five íingers breadth,
which they (for their mony) beftow upon Laym e n , to wear about them. T h e y have períbns
on purpoíe ftanding at the doors of their Churches, who íell them for Four-pence or üve-pence
apiece. Certainly, this is the beft improvement
of oíd Cloaths that ever was thought of; and
t h e moft excellent Invention never t o w a n t n e w
ones, and to be always well ciad, that could
pofllbly be imagin'd. A n d indeed, I ícarcely
r e m e m b e r e v e r to have feen any Carmelites,
that were not very well Accouter'd, and that
w i t h new Cloaths too. T r u é it is, there are
íbme of thoíe to be íbld, that are very curiouíly
wrought bver with filk, for thofe, w h o not contenting themfelves with theíe fooliíh Devotions, muft needs have them fet forth with aban*
dañe?
Of Feftívais
and Confratermtiesfkc.
2,41
«.lance o f V a n i t y •, but however, the Ground of"
them rauft always be a íhred of a Carmelites oíd.
Frock. T h e y have Inftituted íeveral Confreter*
ntúes in Honour of this Holy Habit; they celébrate great Feafts every Week, with moft ex»
fliufit Mufick, and have particular Mafics íaid
in Reverence and Refpecl to this Habit. As for
this Litüs Scapulary, as well as the Rofary,S.Fran*
ciri Cord, the blsít PaBs and Metíais of our
fady.of Loretto, 'tis ítill one and ths fameSong;
it, as-.-all the reíi, forgtves Venial fns, prevencs
enes dying ia Mortal fn, and procures a ípeedy
Deliverance from the Flamcs of Purgatory, I dehic you, Sir, to repreíent to your felfa poor Román Catholick with all this Gear and Harneís a-
bout him, one of the Little Scap_zjl'aries on his
Back, S. Francis his Rope about his.Wafte, a Roi«ry, of great PaiernoBer in his Handv-abun(lance of Mecíais and Bleft PaBs, Images, Written
Prayers, and Saint$ Roñes, about bis Neck, upon.
his B rea.it, o r i n h i s Pockets, who is'Cock-íure,
that by means of theíe he íhall not only efeaps
Hell, but alio che ícorching Fiamos of Purgatory,
V/hat think you ? Have we noc all the reafon,
of the World, 'to write above his.Head in great
tharafters,- Error & SuperBitio ? O n the other
ha;id, íec before your Eyes a Good Prcteftaxt,
who negleíting all theíe things, wholly appües
himíelf to Live well, placing all his Hopa and
Conadenge in God alono, and the Me.ri.cs of his
«••avtourjeíus Chrift; and then tell me íiucerely,
and without b'yaís, which ofboth has more Rea¡0:1 of his M e , and better ground for whac he
242-
The Flfth
LETTER,
o oes. And yet this Error and Supciftition ís ía
deeply rooted in the minds of the Tapifis, that
there is ícarcely any way left to diíábuíe and
unhoodwink them, ib fatally have their TrkHs
and Monks enchanted them.
I knew in Germany, a Germán Captain, who
had no great Faith in all theíe Confratermtm
and Centri'vd De-votions ; I tabled at his Houfe
in the City of Mentz,; whenever there hapn'd
to be any Difcouríe concerning them, he always
diiccver'd his Averíion to them, and declar'd
with abundance of reaíbn, T h a t they were only the effeds of Prieít and Monk-Crafí to get
Mony ; and that he believ'd, God would molí
íeverely piuiiíli them for it in the other World,
as well as thbíe who íuffer'd themíelves to be abus'd by íüch Follies. This Captain íome timí
after fell into a Coníümption, and. about three
orfour hours.before his Death, I was with him
in his Chamber, and foraíinuch as he had ílilí
the free ufe of his Senfes and Speech, he diícours'd concerning the Things ofEtenial Life;
and (as a good Father) exhorted his Children,
which ítood about his Bed, to an honefc and¡
íruly Chriftian Life. Whilft he was thus ernploy'd, in comes a Father Dominican, who had
been íent for by the Miííreís of the Houfe : He
was the Director of the Confraternity of the
Rofary, with a great Tater-Nofter in his FíaM
and drawing near to the Dying-man, he exhorted him to Enroll himíelf in the Confraternit)
before his Death. T h e fick man defir'd him no:
to iaterrupt the Exhortación he was giving ?
r
1
Of Fefiivals
and Confraternities
fkc.
2,43
his Children, which might be of far more proñt to them than his Rofary , the words of a dying Father to his Children remaining c ó m m o n ly impreft o n their Minds as long as they live.
T h e Dominkan giving little heed t o all this, obíiinately proíecuted his Defign, f epéating, continually t o him, That ftjoutd he come to die without Enroüing his Ñame in the Confraternity, be
would lie a tedioas while in Purgatory, and that
there he would have time enough, and to (pare, to
repent him at leifure. T h e fick man told him, If
pu believe it to be fo good and faving a thing for
my Soül, why dont you then fet down my Ñame of
your own accord? But the Father not findinghis
Account in this, Continu'd to frighc and terrifie
the Patient ; w h o at laíi being fcar'd, by the
IiorridRepreíentationshehad made him, C r y ' d
out to his Wife, Pray give him a Crown, and let
him wriie down my Ñame. Whereupon the Father, after h.6 had given him a Paternofter, went
his way, and as he was going out of Doors, told
his Wife, That in cafe he had not happily come to
her Husband, he would have died like a Dog. T h e
good Father having obtaín'd his end, carne n o
more to look after him ; and this poor Gentleman died about three or four hours after, w i t h
his great Bead-row about his Neck. I confeís, I
íhould have been extreamly furpriz'd to íee.¡
that a M a n , who had all his life time witneífed
fo great an averfion for theíe foppifh Superítitidns, íhould himíelf at laít fall under them a little before his D e a t h ; I íay, I íhould háve been
very much aftoniíh'd at it, had I not my felf
R %
heard
a 4
4
The Fifth
LETTER,
heard the frightful Difcouríe wherewith the Domkncem entertaiífd him, taking occaíion from
bis weak and dying condition, toimpreísin his
ívíind all the pannick Terrours o f Hell and Turgntory; f o r he talk'd at ííich a dreadful rate to
him, as ifit were poílible for him (without giviíig his coníent to be admittedof the Confratervhy, with a Crown at the T a i l of it) to be ever
íaved, but would be f u t e to be damird with all
the Devils in Hell to all Eternity.'
See here, Sir, the goodly uféis made of thefe
Confraternices., and what all theíe aífected and
" contri v'd Devotions of the Papifts do end in.
I am now cnter'd into ib large a Field, and I
have ib many true Stories to produce on this
Sübjeót, that Iíhould never make an end, íhonkl
i once begin with them ; and am therefore obl i g a , to the end this L E T T E R may not íwelí
too big, to país them by in íilence. Nevertheleís, I think I cannot in reaíon excmpt my íelf
íroni giving you a word of Information more,
concerning the Society of the Souls in Turgatorj.
This isthe moft general of them all, asbelonging to all Churches, and to all Priefts, as well
Secular as Regular : This is their true Nuiíing
Mother ¿ for in Italy the Dead (which is ftrange)
maintain the Living, and the Priefts and the
Monks are the Ravens and Crows, that fatten
and cram themfelves with the Karkaífes of the
Dead. This is that probably which infpires
diera with that inhuman Cruelty and Barbadty, that makes them delire the Death ofallMen.
i- íhall not Ipenü any time here to oppoíe the
Of Fefiivals'and
Confraternities,&c.
245:
íalíe Opinión o? Purgatory, becauíe being a P o i n t
óf D o f t r i n , it is n o part of the Task I h a v e n n 'dertaken ; but íhall only acquaint you with the
uíe is made. of it in the Church of Rome; and
how dexterouíly tlíe Priefts and. Monks have
turn'd it to their great Gain and Advantage. I
cannot but o w n , that a períbn who is períuaded
of the Exiftence of a Purgatory, and that fo
dreadful an one as the Román Catholicks repreíent to us, cannot but apprehend it is his Intereft
to think íerioufly of i t ; and according to
this Perfuaíion, 1 do not think it ftrange, if a
Papift in his laft Will appropriates íbme confiderable part of his EftateforPrayersand Maífes
to be faid for the Relief of his Soul after D e a t h ,
or even his beftowing fomething by way of Charity, to have them faid for others al ib ; but
when this is done with Indiicretion and Exceíi,
and to the great prejudice of ones Neighbour,
this is a thing I can in no wiíe approve of. í
know well, that in this Point í íhall have all the
Clergy of the R o m á n Communion againft m e ;
for they maintain, T h a t in this cafe there canbe n o Indiicretion or Exceís committed, ñor
any prejudice or hurt done to any whatíbever,
grouhding themíelves onthis Principie Cwhich
they extreamly miiconftrue,) That a well order d
Charity begins from a mam J'tlf; Chantas bene adinata incipit a feipfo. So that conform fe their
Hypotheíís, a man that íhould Difmherit all his
Children without any other Cauíe, but che defire he has to beftow all his Eftate upon the
Priefts, that they may pray to God, and íay
The
a.4 6
Fifth
LETTER,
I Manes for his Soul after his Death, does t h e m
n o injury at all; a n d that they would be ready
t o reprefent him as a m a n w h o did not confuk
w i t h Flefli and Blood, in a Caíe w h e r e the good
of his o w n Soul Íay at ftake,and was concenfd.
, I íhall to this pürpofe relate to you a Matter
of Fa£t, the remembrance only whereof d o t h
jtill afhi£t and grieve me, becauíe it prov'd the
r u i n of fome períbns, w h o m I was particularly
acquainted with. I n a íecond j o u r n y I took to
Rome, I took a Lodging in the Houfe of a ver y honeít W i d o w , w h o was plentifully provided
for, her Husband having left her a good Eftate;
a n d forafmuch as íhe had n o Children, íhe took
t w o of her Sifters to Uve with her, and Entertain'd t h e m very Charitably. T h e Father Jefuits, w h o are far better acquainted with how
m a n y W i d o w s there are in Rome, than how
m a n y Chapters there be in the Bible, had not
forgot to fet this good W o m a n on their L i f t ;
neither were they wanting in their diligence
and application to C o u r t her, in hopes to geí
her Eífate. H e r Confeífor, w h o probably wanted to h-:.vt her in the other W o r l d , order'd her
(during che greateft Heats of the Summer) to '
take a Journy to J/nno ; which íhe fail'd not
t o per f o r m ; biK retuni'd very íick to Rome,
where the Pirvüeians íoon deípaii-'d of her Recove; y ; whureupon íhe made her laít Will,
vyhqreby íhe left al! he; Efrate ro her two Sifters,
.- except only T w o Iiundred Livers, which íhe
affign'd for 'Mafíes to be íaid for her after her
deceaíéc , he Fatht jijmts h a d í b o n hoticeof
this,
n
Of Fedivals
and Confraternities
fkc.
247
this, and without delay prefentéd themfelves
before the Bed of their dying V o t a r y ; they
forgot nothing which they conceiv'd might prevail with her to change her Teftament. T h e y
repreíented to her, T h a t it was the'greateítfolly imaginable to beftow ones Goods upon Reíations, who commonly were very untbankful;
T h a t her chifeft Care ought t o be, to procure
her o w n Reft and Happinefs in the other W o r l d ;
T h a t íhe might be íure her Sifters would never
be at a Farthing charge, to procure Prayers for
h e r ; yea, ib far was it from that, that they had
diícover'd, T h a t her Sifters foftefd a íecret and
mortal hatred againft her, and that confequently (by a Trick of an It alian Revenge.) they
íhould be glad tp leave her to íwelter a good
while in Purgatory. Laft of all, they told her,
T h a t her Sifters were too far engag a in a worldly Spirit, and would probably make a very ill
ule of the Eftate íhe íhould leave them ; a n d
that to leave them any M o n y would be n o better than to t r u l l a Knífe in the hand of a Child,
or Fool, who might hurt themíelves t h e r e w i t h :
And by this means, íaid they, íhe would give
an occafion to her Sifters of oifending God, a n d
damning their o w n Souls, a n d coníequcntly
would becomereiponfible therefore before G o d :
T h a t her Sifters could work, and ib might ho~
neftly gain their Livelyhood with the Labour
of their Hands, which at the íame time would
íecure them from Idleneís, which is the M o t h e r
of all Vices. All theíe fair Realbns being utter'd
With all the Artífice and Rhetorick imaginable,"
R 4
pre-
a 8.
4
The
Fifth
LETTER,
prevail'd with this poor W i d o w , w h o m a violen t Fever, and the Pangs of approáching D e a t h ,
m a d e yet more apprehenfive of the Pains of Ruigatory; ib that without a n y more ado íhe re•vok'd her Teftament, and made but one Arricie
of it, difpoíing all íhe had to the Houíe of the
Father jefuits of Rome, that they might cauíe
Prayers and Malíes to be íaid for her, T h u s íhe
died in the midít of four Jefuits ; and fcarcely
h a d they íhut her Eyes, but they turn'd her Sifters out of Doors, and poífeñ themfelves of all
t h a t íhe had. T h e í e poor Gentlewomen, with
tears in their Eyes, deíir'd only that they would
be pleas!d to give them íbme of their Sifters
C l o a t h s ; but the Jefuits utterly refus'd it, fayi n g , That they could not dtffofe of the leaft thing
that helong'd to their Sifter, fer that all was to be
turn d into Mony to fray to God for her Soul, who
•was now aBually burning in the Flames e/Purgat o r y ; fo that they could not in Confcience deprive
•her ofthe lean Refrefhment or Comfort, fie had fo
•¡vifeiy provided for her felf. T h u s theíe poor affliéted young W o m e n were fainto leave the Houfe
in a moftdeíblate C o n d i t i o n ; andllearntfince,
t h a t one of t h e m died in an Hofpital; and that
the other (preft by w a n t ) had íuffer'd her felf
t o be debauch'd, and at preíent led a lewd and
fcandaious Life in Rome.
' W h a t think you, Sir ? Is not this an excellent
ufe that is made o f t h e Do£trin oíPurgatory by
theíe wretched and accuríed Jefuits ? ll'eípend
n o more time i n repreíenting to you the defor"ínity and abominableneís of the E a d , finos
Of Feflivals and Confraternities^ & c . 2.49
the fole recital of it evidenceth it as clear as
the Sim.
NovV, to bring this falle Devotion the m o r e
in Requeftj, and to procure ways and means of
multiplying it, they teach in Italy, T h a t the
Souls in Purgatory are not only íuccour'd and reliev'd by the Prayers and Maífes of the Priefts,
but that by the lame means they become heíps
and aífiftancs to others. If we will believe them,
they affift perfons upon Earth in all their Concerns and Occafions; íf any one has a Suic at
Law, or is engag'd in íbme troubleíbm Bufiheís;
or if a m a n be defirous to obtain a Place, Com»
mand or Dignity, the fureft way (íay they) in
theíe cales, is to have recouríe to theíe íuífering
Souls, and to get a number of Maífes íaid for
t h e m ; for then by way of gratitude and acknowledgment, they take all Rubs out of ones
way; they influence the Spirits of the Judges,
and procure the Favour of Great M e n . If a man
be to go a Journy, there is nothing more common in Italy, than to íend him away with this
good Prayer or w i í h ; Go, and may the Bleffed
Virgin, S. Anthony of Padua, and the Souls of
Purgatory accompanyyou every where, and deliver
you from all Bangers. T h i s is ío univeríal that
even the Boys that go to the Jefuits School
are taught, T h a t if they would rile at the Sethour in the Morning, they muíf i e e o m m e n d
themfelves to the Souls in Purgatory over-night,
before they go to íleep. But p r a y , W h a t appearance is there that thofe poor Souls w h o c a n n o t
helo themíelves, íhould be i n a condición to concern
;
The
Fifth
LETTER,
cern themíelves.about, and help others? I have
icen levvd W o m e n impudently come into the
Sextry, and to order a company of Maííes to be
faid for the Souls in Purgatory, to recover the
good will of íbme of their Lovers, and to get
m o r e P r a & i c e ;- neither indeed are they fomuch
to be blam'd, for they are no better taught.
T h e power of the Souls in Purgatory is conceiv'd to b e o f that extent, and fo general, asto
believe that by this means they can obtain even
unlawful things at the H a n d of God. I f it be
demanded, W h o they are that entertain the
people in this groís Ignorance ? I t is evident
that they are n o Gther but the Priefts and Monks;
a n d the Motive for which they do it, is purely
their o w n Intereft. T h e y agree admirably well
i n the D o é t r i n of Purgatory ; but in'íharing the
M o n y that is affign'd for the Prayers, they are
all of them together by the Ears, and it is neither better ñor worfe, than C a t c h that catch can.
A Noble Venetian, in a Company w h e r e I hapned to be preíent, gave a very pleafant Relatio n of the fport he had o n thisoccaíion: H e was
left Executor of a Teftament, and made the
G u a r d i a n of a Pupil: T h e L a d y w h o was dead,
h a d bequeath'd a Sum of M o n y for T w o thouíand Maífes, to be faid for her. T h e Monksand
Priefts are very diligent to inform themíelves,
b y means of their Emiífaries, w h e n any Perfon
of Quality dies, to the end they m a y prevent
one another if they can, and get the Malíes for
themíelves. T h e Jefuits, as being the moft crafty of all had firft got the ícent of it, and before
.
any
3
Of Fefiívals
and Confraternities,
&c.
i$i
any others, addreft themfelves to the Noble Ve-,
miar,; and as their Cuftom is, they began t o
enlarge o n the Subje¿fc of their o w n Praiíes, and
averr'd, T h a t there were n o Religious in the
Church.of God, w h o did celébrate Manes with
more Modefty and Devotion t h a n themfelves;
and that the great Z e a l they had for the ípeedy
Deliverance of the deceas'd Party, had induc'd
them to come and delire the difcharging of
the T w o thouíand Malíes left by her laft WilL
They faid, it was an open íhame to fee in w h a t
manner the other Religious and Secular Priefts
did difpatch their Malíes with fo much h u r r y
and precipitation, that a Maís did not laft above
half a quarter of an h o u r , and that without
doubt G o d was rather diíhonour'd, than h o nour'd by íuch Services. T h e Noble Venenan
having heard this fair Speech, told t h e m , He
was glad to fee the great Zeal they had for the foul
of his Kinfwoman, tho he ovas not fo fully ferfwaded of the In devotion of all other Ecclefaficks,
as
they feemd witting to reprefent them; that they
might fayMaffes for the Dead as well as others;
and that tho' he knew well, that it was not lawfid
for the Jefuits, according to their Con(titution to re'
ceive the leaft Mony for the Maffes they faid;- yet
becaufe he would not j.eem altogether to rejetJ them,
he wouldgive them Mony for Fifty of them. T h e
Jefuits being íbrely vex'd, thus to be put by the
T w o thouíand Maifes they had aíready devour'd,
retir'd themfelves.
Soon after t h e m the S acrtfan s or S extons oíthe
Father Dóminicans, w e r e introduc'd ; w h o rcpre11
1
3
%
%5
The
Fiftb
LETTER,
prefented, T h a t they had in their Churches oi
Cafidlo, and of S. Giova?tni and Taolo, many
Priviledg'd Altars (theíe are Altars to which the
Popes have affix'd ib many Indulgences, that if
one only Maíü be íaid at them for any óoul in
Turgatory, they are infallibly deliver'd thence)
they alledg'd befides, T h a t all the other Religious made n o Bones_ofir, to fing one High
M a í s inítead of m a n y , and which they made
t o p á i s for an H u n d r e d c o m m o n Maífes; but
that, as for them, they ícorn'd any íüch finiíier
ways, and premis'd fairly to fay t h e m all without the leaft abatement of the T a l e ; and that
moreover, to teftifie their fuperabundant Kindneís to the deceas'd P a r t y , they would over and
above the N u m b e r cauíe íeveral Maífes to be
íiing for her on the grand Priviledg'd Altar in
their Chapel of the H o l y Rofary. T h e Noble
Vehetian, without taking any great notice of
their Diícouríe, treated them no better than the
Jefuits;
and having granted them only fome
few Maíles, íent them packing.
After them follow'd a great number of Sextons of other Religious Houfés, and all for the
Love of theíe - T w o thouíand Maífes. If a man
might believe them, they were every one of
t h e m more Holy than their Brethren of other
O r d e r s ; all others, according to them, were
períbns without Confcience, w h o devour'd the
M o n y aílign'd to Maífes, without performing
the Obíigations they took upon them. T h e Venetian however gave to every of them a pretty
competent number of Maífes, fo that o f t h e T w o
thouíand he had only five hundred left,
fíe
Of Fefl i-vals and Confraternities,&c.
z^j
He íent in the Evening one of his Servants to
the place of S. Mark, to inform the Secular Priefts
( w h o commonly have their Walks there, to acquaint themíelves where they m a y meet w i t h
Mony for their Maffes) T h a t the next M o r n i n g
his Mafter would be there, in order to diftribute
a number of Maffes. According to his promiíe,
the Venenan Nobleman repair'd thither with
Five hundred Notes (this being the way of giving Maffes in Italy, they give a N o t e , whereupon he that hath receiv'd, goes and íays Maís,
and enters it into the Sextana Book, and then
returns it to him who hath given it him, to receive his M o n y ) and went up to the Procurasics
of S. Mark, which are the Buildings which ííirround the Place of S. Mark, and there pleas'd
himíelf, throwing down theíe Notes amongft
them from íbme of the Upper- windows. T h e r e
were about T h r e e br four hundred Priefrs be-low greedily waiting for them ; who, as íbon
as they íaw the Papers fly about, püt themíelves
in a pofture, to- catch each of them the moft
they could ; they puíh'd o n e another, they
flung one another in the D i r t , they Beat one anocher, they pluck'd one another by the Hair,
and tore one anothers Bands añd Caífocks,
whilft a great number of people look'd on, and
laugh'd at them. T h e r e can be no better w a y
of repreíenting this A¿ti'on, than by fancying
to our felves a crowd of C o m m o n people, or
rather of the Scum or Filth of the people, to
whom íbme pieces of Mony are thrown out of
the Windows, as I fáw íbme Perfóne, of Quality
did
dS4
.
" Ths Fifth
LETTER,
did on the D a y of the Coronation of their M á jeñies K i n g W'úliam and Queen Mary; for this
was a perfect Reprefentation of the Behaviour
of t h e good Priefts of the Román C h u r c h on
this Occafion, A n d íeeing m a n y in the Scuffie
h a d dropt their Cloaks and H a t s , íbme of their
Companions, more dexterous than they, who
chofe rather to get a Cloak, or a H a t , than a
N o t e , took them up, and having ílighly convey'd them under their own, skulk'daway with
t w o Cloaks inftead of one. T h e Notes being
thus diftributed, or rather C h a n c e and Forcé
having thus dilpos'd of them, theíe good Priefts
departed each of them to their íeveral Pofts,
to fay their Maífes.
Probably, Sir, you'l think very
ftrangeofthis
Reía tion o f t h e Noble Venenan ; yet I daré af
íüre you,. you need not queftion the belief of
every part of it- T h e Priefts and Monks do agree the beft in the W o r l d , and are but as one,
as long as their c o m m o n Intereft cements and
keeps them together; but they are all at Dag^
gers-drawing when the leaft particular Intereft
divides t h e m : A n d as for thofe Priefts who
thrub'd one another in the Place of S. Mark, for
t o catch the Aflignations to fay Maífes, that is
noftrange thing in Italy, I m y felf have feen it
with mine o w n Eyes above an hundred times :
A l a s ! they d o fár woríe t h a n this, for even
whilft they are mthaSextry,
inveftedwiththeif
Sacerdotal O r n a m e n t s , they íbmetimes fight together for the Priority or Precedency iníaying
their Maífes, and cali one another t h e moft infamóus'
O f Fefiivals
and Confraternities,&c.
25-5-
famous Ñames imaginable. T h e Italians in this
alio excuíe them with a great deal of favourablenefs, or rather with too much Indulgence.
What would you have them do ? (íay they) they
are a Company of poor Priefts, that live of their
Maffes, and have nothing el/e to help themfelves
with; when that fails them, all fails them: And
therefore they have great Reafon to exert their utmoft Ablivity for the obtaining ofthem. However,
I a m not a little amaz'd, that the Biíhops take
n o couríe to prevent theíe ícandalous Diíorders,
and that they ordain ío m a n y Priefts without
providing them "íbme Benefices. T h e r e is n o thing more fcandalous in a C l e r g y , than to lee
thoíe w h o are the Members of it, to be reduc'd
by a neceííity of Subfiftence, to baíe and mean
Aétions, a n d altogether unworthy of their Chara¿ter. T h i s Difgrace cannot but with a greac
deal of Reafon refleér upon their H e a d s ; . a n d
it is an evident dernonftración either of their
Negligenee to remedy it, or their want of Cha-ricy to procure the means of it.' T h e moft part
of theíe poor Priefts in Italy live of their Maíí¿s>
or elíe by Filching, when Maífes fail them .T h e y take all they can get, even in the Churches themíelves; the Cálices, the Linnen Covering of che A l t a r , the Wax- Candi e s , the
Books, a n d i n a word, all t h a t comes to handWherefore. we need make n o difficulty t o believe w h a t '.this Noble Venetian averr'd, T h a t
lome in t h e Scuftie had ftoíen the Cloaks of
their Companions.
A n o t h e r thing mendon'd in. his Diícouríe-r
and
a 56
The Fifth
L E
TTER,
and whereon 1 deíire you to make íbme Refie¿tion, is the great Divifion a n d E n m i t y of thoíe
. Reiigious w h o went to demand the Maftés:
T h e y accusYi one another as perfons without
Confcience, and falle and faithleís in diícharging the Truft they took upon them, and for
which they were paid. W h a t the Jacobite faid
of the Cordelier, the very fame the Cordelier íaid
of the Jacobite, and ib of the reft ; and indeed
herein they all ípoke T r u t h . 'Tis a matter of
comaion prattice in Italy, T h a t when a n y one
íends M o n y to a Convent for an Hundred Mafíés, they content themíelves with finging one,
w i t h the affiftance of a D e acón and Sub-Deacon. 'Tis the Prior, or Guardian cf the Colledge that ñngs it; T h e y cali this a Maft Sung,
an Higb Maft, a Solemn Maf; and they mainfain that one of theíe MaJJes js an equivalent to
m a n y coraraoa ones: T h e y cali this mahng a
ReducJion.
But, pray Sir, W h a t can this Singing, or thefe
Ceremonies contribute towards the rendring
O n e Maf as efficacious as an H u n d r e d ? I know
a Prétefiant may eafily íblve this difnculty, by
íaying, T h a t one Maís is as good as an hundred, and that an hundred are of n o more Valué than o n e , becauíe.they are good for nought,
w h e t h e r fingly or aggregately confider'd. But
you w h o are a Román Catbolick, h o w can you
anfwer this ? If you have never ib little fincerit y , you cannot but o w n that your Priefts and
Monks, are not only content f o r ' t o latine their
Covetoufnefs, to make uíe of the Doótrin of Purgatory
Of Feftivah andConfraternitiesfkc.
£$7
gatory to induce Lay-men to Iaviíh their Mony
for the celebrating of Maffes; but that after aíi
this, they would by this Artífice of Reduclion, exempt themfelves from the trouble of íáying them.
T h e deceas'd Pope Innccent the Eleventh, was
no way favouring this Trick of Reduclion ; for
being inform'd, that the Carmelites of Naples had
celebrated a Maís in Mufiek, to acquit .themfelves of all the Maffes they were oblig'd to íay,
he fent dovvn a Comm;íí¡o; ¡, to examine the R e gifters and Books of the Sextry ; and upon Examination there were found no leís than Four and
forty thouíand Maffes,which were not difcharg'd.
Innocent being acquainted herewith, did not beHeve that ib vaft a number of Malíes could ever
befatisfi'd by one Maís only,howfolemníbever
it might be. He let them knóvv,Thatíeeing they
liad receiv'd the Mony, theyought to íay them
with the firft ; and becauíe they had not
Priefts enough in their Convent to celebrare
them, they muft take in fome Secular Priefts to
their affiftance. T h e thing taking wind, and being divulg'd through Naples, many ílrangerPj'ivíls wenc and preíen:ed themfelves to celébrate íbme of them, and for Fifteen days they
admkted them; vvithin which time they íaid
about Four thouíand Maffes at feveral Altars;
and the Fathers paid them at theRate of the one
halfof what they had receiv'd for them, A t the
end of Three Weeks, fome Priefts that I was acquainted with, carne and told me, That having
been to offer themfelves, to íay more Maffes íor
'bem, they wererefusV!, and told, That all the
aj8.
The Fifth
LETTER,
Majfes were already ceJebrated; tho" indeed ít were
a thing abíblutely impoOible for íó many Malíes to be íaid in that compaís of T i m e : But the
truth of t h e m a t t e r was, T h a t they were griev'd
at the heart to fquander their M o n y thus abroad,
and therefore were reíblv'd rather to tell a groís
L y e , than to part with any more. T h e y alledg'd
fbr their Excufe, That they had celébrated [everal
Mafi'es at their Priviledg'd Altar. Thisis another
ftratagem of tholé Priefts, which is never a whit
inferiour to that of KeduBim, and agamí!
which the Popes have nothing to alledge ; for
otherwife they would contradice themíelves,
as to the power they pretend to have over the
Aífairs of Purgatory.
Thefe Priviledg'd Altars (as washinted before)
are íüch as be E n d o w ' d with .great Indulgences,^
T o obtain one of theíe Altars, great Sums of
M o n y muft be given ; but w h a t care they, as
long as the bubled Multitude refund it an Hurídred-fold. A Maís celebratedat thisfort of Altars, on íuch a D a y of the Week, which commonly is Monday, doth infallibly deliver a Soul
ovvtoi Purgatory; and a man w h o íhould daré to
queííion this, would be look'd upon as an Píeretick, and committed to the Inquifition, as íf he
had deny'd one o f t h e Fundamentáis ofChriílianity. According now to this Principie they
argüe thus; (and indeed, g r a n t i n g t h e i r SuppO'
fition, I find their Argument ftrong enoughj
The Pope (fay they) grants a Priviledge to one o\
sur Altars, and declares, That when any fliaü ficure a Mafito befiaid there for any Swl in Pw'g '
2
torji
Of teftivals
and Confraternitks&z.
a £9
gatory, tho the moft obnoxiotts that is there, it ¡hall
in the [ame moment he deliver'd thence. Now, the
Pope ü Infallible in all he declares, ejfecially about
the Concerns of the other World; wherefore todraw
a Conclufion, We have Mony fent us to celébrate fo
•many Hundred or Theufand Maffes, to fay for fuch
a Man or Woman; What ü to be done in this Cafel
Fruftra fit per plura, quod fieri poteft per pauc i o r a ; Tis a folly to go about, w h e n there lies
a fhort Cut before u s ; Well therefore caufe one
Mafs to befaidat our Priviledgd Altar, which will
infallibly deliver the Party concernid, out c / P u r g a tory, and will trouble our felves no farther about
faying the reft; forafmuch as they, being only in order to procure the fame end, would be altogether fuperflnom and unprofitable ; fo that by this fair way
tve have (without the leaft Pains-taking) gaind a
good Lump of Mony, as well as without the leaft
difcompofure to our Peace of Confcience. T h i s Argument was once molí vigorouíly enforc'd againft the Jefuits oí Rome upon thisoccaíion.
3
A rich M e r c h a n t by his laft Will had left
them all his Eftate, to have ib many Millions
of Maífes íaid for the Deliverance of his Soul
from Purgatoryafter his D e a t h : His near Kinfnian, w h o of right was to have been his H e i r ,
being made acquainted with his Will, loíl n o
time; but as íbon as he was dead, went to the
Jefuits, and gave them M o n y to íay a Maís at
their priviledg'd Altar, for the Soul of the deceaíed ; he himíelf was preíent at it, and took
an Atteftation in writing of t h e m , that they had
íaid it. Having done this, he order'd all t h e
S %
Goods
%6o
The
Frftlr'LBÍTER,
Goods of his K i n í m a n t o be Arreíted ; alledg*
ing, T h a t the end of the Teftament being obtain'd, the Goods ought to return to their Natural C h a n n e l ; thatis to íay, t o the Heir at L a w ;
that he could prove, T h a t his Relation was either in Paradiíé, or in Hell, and that in either
e f thoíe places h e ftood i n n o need of MaíTes.
T h e Cafe was brought t o the Bar, and pleaded
with great heat o n both lides; the Jefuits being
Plaintiífs, and the M e r c h a n t the Defendant. But
alas! the Cafe was to be determin'd by an Ecclefiaftical Court, where all the Judges were Parties, w h o ( n a d t h e y done right) would havecondemn'd what themíelves do every d a y : So the
Suit was carri'd in Favour of the Jefuits, under
pretenceforíooth, T h a t the Church muftalways
be favour'd. However, it is evident that Right
and Reaíon were on the Merchant's íide, and
that he could not be condemn'd without Injuítice. But i return to our Confi-aternities.
T h e r e is never a Village in Italy, h o w ímall
and inconfiderableíbever, which has not a Confraterráty for the Souls of Purgatory, and at the
leaft a Score of Priefts, w h o live upon it very
pléntifully. Beíides the M o n y they receive for
their Maffes, which never fails them, they have
a íbrt of people w h o carry Boxes through the
Streets, from Houfe t o Houíé, begging of all
thoíe they meet with, with a great deal of Inv
portunity, íome M o n y for the Souls in Purgatory ; which M o n y the Priefts afterWards íhareamongíf themíelves. Jn m a n y places oí Italy, e*
fbecially in the great Cides, i n order t o their
having
s
Of teítivais
and Confraternitksjíkc.
z6i
having a fix'd and fetléd I n c o m e , they Let to
F a r m this Purgatory-Mony to fome Lay-man or
other, as I have íeen at Milán, in that famous
Confraternity of the Souls in Purgatory, eftabliíh'd in the Church of S. John de Cafa Rotta,
T h e F a r m e r here pays Four thouíand Crowns
every Year to the Priefts of that C h u r c h , and
makes his proñt of the reft: He maintains for
this end Forty Box-Carriers, w h o are cloath'd
in w h i t e , and wear upon their fhort WhiteCloaks the Arms of the Confraternity, to diftinguifh them. T h e y . have each of them a Shilling
a Day allow'd them, and their Bufineís is to run
through all the Streets of the City, and beg Mony for the Souls in Purgatory. T h e í e Box-Carriers are pickt M e n , very cunning and skilful
at their T r a d e of Begging. Sometimes they are
ib importúnate and impertinent, that they follow a m a n the length of two or three Streets,
without quitting h i m , to forcé hiniby their Iraportunity to give themfomething. Neither isic
without danger to give them any rude or churliíh Anfwer; for in that cafe, they have the
Malice to tell you to your Face, That they fee
Weü enough by you, you have no confiderationfor the
Souls in Purgatory: A n d íhould you continué
to Revile t h e m , might probably get you recommended to the In^uifition, to learn more manners. T h e Farmer of the Souls in Purgatory, has.
the Keys of all thefe Boxes, and they are bound
once or twice a Week to bring them in to him.
When at any time they bring tliem full and well
lin'd, he gives them fomething over and above
S 3
their
z6z
The
Fifth
LETTER;
their ordinary p a y , to encourage them to per>
form the Queft with ib much the more application and dexterity. H e takes care t o place
fome of his Boxes in all Inns, Ordinaries, T a verns, Viétualling-Houfes, and other publick
Places. T h o í e who have travell'd Italy know,
T h a t the H o ñ doth commonly at the end of
every Meal, bring in his Box for the Souls in
Purgatory, and delire his Guefts to put in their
Charity. At the time of Harveít and Vintage,
the F a r m e r íends íbme of his Emiffáries into the
Fields, to carry on the Queft there for the faid
Souls; they have great Wagons with them,
a n d beg íbme Portion of what is gather'd, in
C o r n , W i n e , Wood, Rice, H e m p , even to the
very Eggs and Hens. Which done, they either
fpend what they have got themfelves, or elle
iell it and turn it to M o n y .
N o w the poor Country People being extreamly limpie and ignorant, and the períbns
employ'd to receive their Charity being very
fubtil and crafty, make them believe what they
pleaíe themíelves, and ib abuíethem extreamly.
I over-heard once a poor Country-woman, who
gave fome H e m p to íbme of theíe crafty Colle¿tors ; íay ing, She ovas very forry (he could notgive
them enough, to make a great fiift of: But one of
the Queft-men told her, That they oveuld take
care io make a little fiift ofit, for fome fmall Soul
in Turgatory. T h e y turn'd their heads, and
laugh'd at the íimplicity of this poor W o m a n ;
but not one oí them had the Charity to inform
her bsn f.
•
ígnov
Of Fedivals
and Confraternhiesfkc.
263
Ignorance in the Church of Rome paífeth for
Simplicity; and 'tis to this Ignorant Simplicity,,
or Simple I g n o r a n c e , tbat they attribute that
Bleífing of the Goípel, BleJJéd are the poor in Spirit. Whereasit feems to me, that this Poverty of
Spirit is to be underílood of a Simplicity equally devoid of Malice and Ignorance, and of a
Candid and O p e n Spirit, without any foldings
or deceit; or elíe of thofe, w h o having their
Heartsíet looíe from the defire of the Riches
of this W o r l d , are the true Lovers of Evangelical Poverty. But to fpeak truth, the Reaíon
hereof is, Becauíe this I g n o r a n t Simplicity, is a
thing of íiich exceeding Profit and Advantage
to the Priefts and Religious oí Rome. T h e more
Ideots the People are, the more eafie it is to
chowíe them, and to pick their Pockets.
T h i s i s , Sir, fome part of what I have obíerv'd concerning the Ufe that is made of the
Do¿trin of Purgatory in Italy. I might produce
many Inftances of every different Point I have
treated o f i n m y L E T T E R S : but commonly I
alledge one only,'and very rarely t w o ; and indeed never, but when íbme particular Circumftance, which deferves ojies Notice, does oblige
3ne to it. I íhall only add a word or two concerning their Piclures oí Purgatory, before I c o n cludethis L E T T E R .
T h e r e is never a C h u r c h or Chapel in Italy
which has not íbme large Picture in it, reprelenting Purgatory. T h e Souls that are there are
painted in the reíemblance of naked young
M e n and W o m e n , with fome Flames furroundS 4
ing
i
2,64
The
Fifth
LETTER,
ing them ; theíe Flames indeed are harmleís enough, becauje they burn n o t ; but I fear thoíe
infamous naked Figures, kindíe very dangerous
flames in the hearts of many Speétators. A n
Italian having caus'd his Miftreís to be painted
in the Flames of Purgatory, becauíe íhe had refus'd him íbme Favours, had theíe two Lines
writ at the bottom of the Pi£ture :
S' e cosí piacevcle divederla in Purgatorio,
Che coja farebbe- divederla nel Cielo.
His Fancy was this: Ifit be fo pleaftng a thing to
fee her in Purgatory, where the Flames hide Jome
fart of her naked Body ; hcw great would the pleafure be, to fee her painted in Heaven ftark naked,
where no.part ofher Body would be hid ? For after
this manner do they of the Church of Rome repreíent the laít Judgment, and the Bleíied Souls
in Heaven. T h e y publickly expoíe thefe P i c ures on their Altars, and the people have them
before their Eyes, whilít they hear Maís. I know
w h a t they all'edge, That this is done, to impreft
thefe great Truth s bf Chriííianity the more ftrongly
upon the Imagination ; as if Chriftians were only
t o be led by their lT¡aginations,and not by their
Reafon. T h e y will have a m a n to íubmit his
Reaíbn in all things, and at the íame time fpare
nothing for to fortifie his Imaginación. Whereas the Proteftants do quite the contrary, they difregard and neglett material things that ib vigorouíly aífeéb the Seníes, that they may worjhip
God inffirit and in truth, and render to him a
reafonable Service,
They
Of Feftivah
and Confratemitiesféc.
z6$
T h e y pra*£tife one thing in Italy, which in»
deed is very horrible. W h e n a pooixCriminal is
led to puniíhment, he has always t w o Priefts by
his fide, w h o hold a Pi¿ture of Purgatory before
his Eyes; yea, they go up the Ladder or Scaffold with him, ítiíl holding the Piéture before
him till Execution be done, and taik to him of
nothing elfe. Is not this indeed to double the
Fright and T e r r o r of thefe» poor Wretches, who
are but too much teirifi'd already with the
Death they íee prepar'd for them ? T h e fame
thing they praítile towards thoíe that lie a Dying; T h e y place a Pi¿ture of Purgatory at the
Feet of their Bed, between two lighted WaxCandles, to make it appear with moreiuftie,
and the Patient is exhorted to keep his Eyes u p on it. Some are fain to beíeech them, to'ípeak
to them of the Goodnefs and Mercy of G o d ,
becauíe they are already fufficientíy terrified
with his Juftice: But for the moft part, they do
but knock at a Dead-man's d o o r ; for the Priefts
are ío wedded to their Songs oí Purgatory, that
if they chance to make a ímall digreflton, they
preíently fall again into their oíd T r a c k For
my part, I am of opinión, T h a t after we have
fpoke to a íick perfon concerning the Juftice of
God, of puniíhing of fin in the other World,
by the eternal pains of Hell, to the end to make
him feriouíly examine his o w n Conícience ; it
is very fitting afterwards to Íay before him the
great M e r c y of God, to raiíe his Hope and eníl ame his Charity. W e fear G o d , becauíe he is
j uft to puniíh; but we love him, becauíe he is
a 6<5
Tba - Fifth L E TTB
R,
kindto pardon; andíürely, 'ds better the íaí
moments or 3. Chriftians Life íhould beípent ii:
loving G o d , than in the fears and terrors of hi¡
judgments. This ís that which hath caft many
i neo thoíe T e r r o r s , which wanted little ot
downnghí Deípair. But alas.' it is but too evident, That the Doctrin oí Purgatory was never
contrivVi ib much for the Comfort of clying
períbns, as íor the Profit of the Living, I
mean of thofe lazy Priefts, who chink of nothing, but of pleafing themíelves, and to enjoy
Eaíe and Plenty in this World.
I fhouíd now come to fpeak íbmething of the
principal means they make ufe of, to confirm
and maintain their Doétrin oí Purgatory, whidí
is to preach it up with an incomparable Zea!
and Earneftneís. I cali to mínd alio, that I promh'd you at ths beginning of this L E T T E R ,
to give you íbme account of their manner oí
Preaching in Italy: But foraímuch as I perceiví
my L E T T E R . to be long enough already, and
that this Subjeéi cannot be diípatch'd in fjw
words, I Íhall rcíerve it for the next occafíon 1
íhall have of writíng to you ; and in the mean
time, Sir, I beíeech you to believe, that I íhal!
continué all my Liie,
Tour,&¡
TU
The Sixth L E T T E R ,
Of the deplorahk Abufe of Preaching
in Italy, &c.
I C T T J U k n o w , Sir, T h a t that which fupports
jL the C h u r c h of G o d , and is (as it were) t h e
Lite and Soul of it, are the Sacraments and the
Word of G o d ; wherefore it is o f t h e higheft
Coníequence, that both theíe be faithfully a n d
decently adminiítred; and I íhall always take
the due and Faithful Difpeníation thereof for a
íiire Mark of the true Church. This motive engag'd me, whilft I was at Rome, particularly t o
inípeét the Praftices of the C h u r c h of Rome; in
reference to both theíe, I fuppos'd I could not
meet with any place more favourable to this m y
deíign than this great City, which boafts her felf
(ifwe will believe her) not only r o c o n t a i n w i t h in her PrecincLthe principal and M o t h e r Church
of the whole World j but over and above, doth
attribute to Her íelf (tho' it be hard to fay upon
what good ground) the Ñ a m e of H O L Y , Roma
Sánela. As for what concerns the Adminiftration
of the Sacraments, I cannot deny, but the íame
is perform'd there both very orderly and íblemnly, and indeed with an over plus of Ceremonies,
even to Superítition. H e r e I íhould give you a n
account of thofe Ceremonies which are obferv'd
at
2,68
The
Sixth
LETTER,
at the Confecration of Priefts, the Celebratin
o f t h e Eucharift, and of the pompous Preparad
ons that are made againft Easler,ú\e week before
calPd The Holy Week; which by their fplendo:
and magnificence, d r a w a n infinite number o;
Strangers to Rome, towards the end of Lent, te
be Spectators thereof I t is a common íaying,
That he who would fafs -his time moft agreeably a
Italy, mufi be at Venice at Shrovetide and Aícen
fion-day 5 the Octave ofthe Holy Sacrament at Bo
nonia, andtheYícAy Weekrff R o m e .
H e r e alio I íhould have occafion to Relate to
you an infinite Number of Fopperies, that are
practis'd here o n certain Feafts in the Year; as al
Chrifimafs, Afcenfion, and Pentecofi ; but becaufí
this would takeup a great dealof time, I íhall paí
them by in íilence at preíent, to enlarge my íel
o n a more confiderableSubjecT:, wherewith mj
intent istoEntertain you particularly at this time,
which is, their way and manner of Preaching
A í m u c h as there is of Superftitioh and Excel
i n the pompous Adminiftration of the Sacra
m e n t s ; ib great a Deficiency, Negligence, ana
Unfaithfulneís do w e meet with in the Dilpeníing of the W o r d . During the fpace of íevenyeari
that I was in Italy, in all the Cities where I have
been at the Times of Advent and Shrovetide, 1
have heard a vaft number of Sermorís; but I have
never feen or known any Cúrate, or Seculai
Prieít, to Preach, except once a Canon at S.Job
of Latera», and a Cardinal o n Eafier-day, in the
Cathedral C h u r c h of Milán. So that in cale the
yYord of G o d be corrupted and abus'd, as indeed
Of the Alufe
of Treachíngfac.
269
it is very coníiderably every d a y , we cannot
charge the Secular Priefts of Á ^ t h e r e w i t h j w h o
do not Preach at all, or w h o indeed are (for the
moft part) fo Ignorant,-that they cannot, ifthey
w o u l d ; but the Fault is wholly to be Íaid at the
'Dóor of the Monks, and other Religious, who
have in a manner wholly engroís'd the performance thereof. Methinks it is enough íaid, when
I tell you, T h a t the ti ue Paítors, who are the Catates, take n o pains to feed their own Flock, but
recommend that Care to Strangers, I mean to
Monks, w h o are more íbllicitous to íatisfie their
own Intereft and Vain-glory, than to procure
the fdvation of Souls. líea, the Monks have ib
abfblutely poífefs'd themfelves of this Miniítry,
that they will not fuffer a Secular Prieít to preach
in his own Church ; and if any of them íhould
undertake fo to do,and they íhould find that they
could not íupplant him, they would maliciouíly
employ all manner of means to blacken and
mifrepreíent l i m \ i n the eyes of the people, and
rob him of his Credit and Reputatibn.
T r u e it is, thaton.the other hand, the Carates
being generally Lovers cf Eaíe and ídleneís,
make no great endeavours to reclaim their Right
to t h e P u l p i t : T h e y declare openly, T h a t it is
the bufineís of the Monks to preach, foraímuch
as not being engag'd in the Bufineís and T r o u ble of the World, they have leifure enough in
their Monaíteries to ítudy and con their Sermons ; but that as for them, being wholly employ'd in the Adminiítrationof the Sacra men ts,
inhearing of Confeffions, and affiíting a.tFune»
rals,
%ú
7
The Sixth
LETTER,
rals, they have n o ípare time to turn their
T h o u g h t s that way. So that we íeldom meet
with any Quarrels on this Occafion between
t h e m and the Monks.
Whilft I was at Rome, I often went to the Minerva to hear Sermons: T h e y are the Father
Domimcans th.it Preach h e r e , w h o are alio call'd
The Preaching Brothers ; becaufe in the íharing
and divifion of the G i l ts and Graces of G o d , the
M o n k s have made amongft themfelves, thefe
have boldly appropriated to themíelves the Gift
of Preaching. But we find that this is nothing
but an arrogant Uíúrpatíon of theirs, without
the C o n í c n t of the Holy Spi rit; for I have fea ice
ly found any Monks more unfucceísful in this
Miniftery than themíelves. G o d will never perm i t the pride of men to difpoíe of thoíe Gifts
w h i c h belong to him alone. T h e Jefuits have
arrogated to themíelves the Gifts of Tongues,
and of informing Youth ; and yet Experience
íhews, that they are indeed very ignorant and
unskilful in both thefe; and that the Scholars
w h o have ftudied in the Univerfities under other
Mafters, are incomparably better grounded in
Learning, than theirs are. T h e Monks ofS.Bennet have appropriated to themíelves the Chara£ter of Retir ement and Silence, and yet we find
n o people m o r e g a d d i n g u p and d o w n i n Cides
and C o u n t r y , than they.
But to return to m y D i í c o u r í e ; I t w a s one of
thefe O í d Dommkan, or Preaching Brothers,
that Preach'd at the Minerva; but he did it in
fo imworthy and indecent a manner, that I
wonder
Of the Aluje
of' Preaching,(kc.
271
w o n d e r how I could reíblve to g d a n d h e a r h i m
more than once. All that was attraétive in h i m
was, T h a t notwithfíandinghe was very Oíd, yet
he was extreamly Comical, and an egregious
Buffoon; ib that he made his Auditors laugh
withopen. T h r o a t s ; H e w a l k ' d i n his Pulpit (for
in Italy they have them very long and w i d e ; )
he thump'd the Pulpit with his Hands and F e e t ;
he roll'd his Eyes in his Head, and put himíelf
into an hundred ridiculousPoftures.
I íhall give you here a fmall ícantling of one
of his Sermons, which I ítill remember, that by
the Pattern ye may judge of the whole Piece.
H e had a mind it féems, to make a moral A p plication of the Hiíiory fet d o w n in the X X I
Chapter of the Book of Genefis, where Abraham
turnM his Maid llagar out of doors. He begins
t h u s ; Sirs, faid he, come foüowme, and take a walk
with me in the Holy Scripture; ¡Then fetching
three fteps in the Pulpit, having one of his A r m s
a 'kimbow, he ftopt íhort at the fourth, and as a
m a n w h o in a n horrid Deíert íaw íbme Body
at a great diftance, he ítocd flill a good while
without fpeaking a word, and very attentively
lixing his Eyes till the near approach of the O b jeót; he began to íay, What is that I fee there ?
fute it is a Woman; and keeping filence again a
good while, he íaid, O Godl if Ibeent much miftaken, '¿¿rHagar, A b r a h a m ' í fervant:
Ah, jure
enough 'tis the very (ame. God fave ycu Hagar.'
Prethee tell me what is thy Bufnefs here in this loanfom Deferí, which is fo difmal and frightful to Nature ? T h e n making as if he view'd her frorn
head
272.
The Sixth
L E
TTER,
head to foot , I perceive one thing alreadjl
. (faid he) that fie has not rebb'd her Mafter,
as many fervants do now a-days ; for fie is in
a very fitiful Equipage. Tell me Plagar, Why
is • ii tehn you have left your Mafter ? H e r e
making Bagar fpeak in a moft afRiéted and
íbrrowful manner , and as it were all in
T e a r s , That it was becaufe of her Miñreffes
Jealoufte ; He anfwer'd laughing , A very
fine Reafon believe me ; What, ivas this all ? Hum '.
this is very pleafant; Madam Sarah turns away
her fervant,
becaufe fhe is jealous of her. Come
H a g a r , come thou along with me ; Fie at this inftant go and ffeak to thy Mafter about it. A n d
then taking íeven or eight T u r n s in the Pulpit , muttering all the while to himfelf;
Sarah turns away her fervant,
becaufe fhe is
jealous of her ; a ftanch Reafon indeed; and
then ftopt, ftriking two great T h u m p s againft the Pul p i e , he iáid , Who is there ?
Fray tell Abraharn I would fpeak with
him;
a n d íoon after making a very low Bow,
as if he had leen Abraharn , he faid to
him", Abraharn , pray tell me for what Reafon
you have turned away your fervant H a g a r ?
fhe tells me it is, becaufe your Wife is jealous of
her : T h e n perlbnating Abraharn,
Abraharn
aníwers him , If I have turned away my fervant , í have had an Order from God for it,
and therefore do not think my felf bound to
give you any further Reafon of it.
Though indeed Hagar has not told you all; It was not oñly upen the account of Jealoufte ¡he was turnd-out of
Docrs 3
:
Of the Ahafe of Preachingfkc.
zjj
Boors, but becaufe fie' has a little Boy of her own?
that is very naughty, fie beats him that I had by
my Wife ; they are continually ivrangling together •;
they pulí oris another by the Hair\ they cry, and
make an intolerable Noife tn the Houfe. My Wife
has feveral times ffoke fi'iendly to her Servant about
it, hut Hagar is become too bold and impertinente
fie gives fawcy Anfwer s-¡and has too much Tongue :
For thefe Reafons therefore , and to have Quiet in
•mine Houfe, 1 have been fain-to tura her out of
Doors. H e t e the oíd Father Dominican, rolling
his Eyes in his H e a d , and wrinkling his Brow,
as on¿" that was very angry with Hagar : Hagar
( í a i d n e ) I find now, that thou didft not tell me
the Creamof the Jefi: Thou art juft like the Servants of R o m e , when they are turnad out of Service, 'tis never any of their Fault, ''tis becaufe their
Miftreffes are of an intollerable difficult Temper 5
they. are exceeding Humorfom; they are very jealous, and ''tis impoffible to Uve with them : But by
vjhat I can perceive,it was becaufe you began toplay
the Miftrefs, and becaufe -there was a continuad diHurbance in the Houfe upon y our account. I know
Well enough, that Jealoufie could not be a fufficient
Reafon for jending a good Servant packing ; for
otberwije our R o m á n Danies , who are extreamly
Jealous, would never be able to keep any: But there
muft be this befides in tfáe cafe, That this Jealoufie caufcth Difturbance and Noife in the Houfe be~
twetn the Husband and his Wife, or between the
Children % and ihen I am clearly of Á b r a h a m ' í Opinión , the Servant muft turn o u t , Ej'ice Anallam
&filmr» ejm.Ths Father,after he had very dexT
- teronfl
2,74
fhe
Sixth
LETTER,
teroufly plaid the Buffoon on thisHiftory of the
Bible, paft on t o another, which he handled in
t h e f a m e Comical m a n n e r , m a k i n g all his Hearers t o burft out into a loud L a u g h t e r : And after
all, fell upon the Devotion c o m m o n to their
O r d e r , which is the Rofary; for they bring this
i n by the head and íhoulders upon all occafions,
let their Subjeds be what t h e y pleaíe. This
was his conftant m o d e of preaching , a n d the
C h u r c h was always full of people.
T h e Italians are extreamly in love with Sermons that make them laugh,which is the reafon
that the moft part of their Preachers apply
themíelves to a Comical and D r o l l i n g ítyle.
T h e Jefuits have another w a y of Preaching,
w h i c h I may cali a Poetical fiyle: F o r they being
períbns who have ípent their young years in
teaching H u m a n Learning in their Colledges,
t h e y have their H e a d and Fancies fill'd with
OvicTi Metámorfhojis and *Aifofs Fables, and accordihgly all their Sermons are ñufft with them.
If they fpeak concerning the Incarnation of th
Word, they would think they had not exprell
themfelves well without í a y i n g , T h a t the Divine Proweí^e^broughtdown Firefrom Heaven
t o the Earth ; that is to íay, Has ferfonaüy unitei
the Divine with the Human Nature.
T h e y Cotnm o n l y quote a vaft n u m b e r of Paífages drawii
from profane Authors and P o e t s ; as from Ciceri
Virgtl, Horace, Mdrtial, &c. yea, I have hean
í b m e of them that have quoted Terences Comí
dies , and Ovid de Arte Amandi ; but the]
very íeldom are heard cíting the F a t h e r s , a»
Of the Ahufe of Preachwgjkc.
zy§
y e t m o r e feldom the Holy Scfipture. T h e great
Converfe they have with períbns of Qualiey
makes theirWords and Expreffions to be choice;
their D i í i o u r í e neat and refin'd , tho' íiibftance
a n d íblidity be for the moft part v/anting in
t h e m ; their Gefture is very proper and their
Declamation orElocution not amiís.For to gain
t h e more credit t o their Order,which is of late
.ftandíng, and yet fo powerful, they very frequenly quote the Book of the Exerciíes of their
Fomidar S.Ignatiiíf; which after all,is but a very
poor Bcok , and ("as 'tis faid) none of his own
n e i t h e r , having ftoln it when he was Converc
Brother in the Abby of the Benediclíns of Monis
s
ferra.
T h e Capucins have another w a y of Preaching,
and their ftyle is Stoical Emphatical,and T h u n d e r i n g : T h e y commonly make choice of very
terrible Subjeífs, as Death, the Laft Judgment^
Purgatory, and HeU: T h e y fill the Air with Exclamátions, thump the Pulpit with their hands
and F e e t ; they Íay hold of their great Beards,
a n d roar with fuch a T o n e as terrifies all M e n ,
yea, and che. Dogs t o o ; for I have obíerv'd, thac
w h e n a •Capucin P r e a c h e s , all the Dogs run out
of the Church. I n a word, almoft all the Religious have a different w a y of P r e a c h i n g , a n d
diíferent Divines too, w h o m they follow, w h o í e
Opinions are frequenrly o'ppoíite to one another,
T h e Cordeliers have their Scotm and S-Bonaventura; the Dommicans,SThoma¡; the Jefuits th.QÍV
Süare%\ and foof the reft.
3
}
%y6
TkeSixthLETTER,
As for the O r d e r obíerv'd as to P a r t i t i o n o f
their Sermon,'tis the fame throughout all Italy.
T h e y all begin their Sermons with the Angelical
Salutation, or Ave María; and not with the Invocation of our Heavenly F a t h e r , in praying,
Our Father, &c. or by calling upon the Holy
G/&o/?,which yet are tbe moft proper, or rather
the onlyNeceífary for this purpoíe. But indeed,
the D o á r i n they preach is Ib extreamly corrupt
and wrefted, that it is n o wonder to find their
Introdudfcions tainted with the fame Inféétion.
G o d by this very thing manifefting to us, T h a t
w h á í they preach is n o t the puré W o r d of G o d ,
b y permitting them to Preface their H u m a n Inventions with the Invocation of a Creature.
After. their Addrefs to the ^rg-m,they pronounce
their T e x t , w h i c h commonly isa place of Scripture, or fometimes a part of a Prayer of their
C h u r c h , or fome entrance of the Maís. T h e y
cite the Texts of Scripture only by halves, and
i n an abftraét and interrupted, feníé,without declaring what goes before,or follows after; which
yet they ought to d o , to render the Senle perfedt. After this they proceed to their Propofition,
a n d then continué their Diícourfe all of apiece,
without any Divifions or Subdivifions at all.They
divide their Sermón indeed into T w o P a r t s ;
but the íecond is nothing elfe but an heap of
ExampleSjHiítories, and Tales made at plealüre,
to divert their Auditors. I n the Interval between
the fiídl and fecond Part, they gather the Alms
, i n t h á G h u r c h for the Poor. T h e r e are Men appointSd for this purpoíe, who have Bags faftned
'
to
1
Of'the Ahufeoj~
Preachingf&c.
to the end of long Staves, .with little Bells at the
bottom of them, and they país by all the Ranks
a n d S e a t s o f t h e H e a r e r s , to receive their C h a r i t y . T h e Preacher in the m e a n time , whilít
theíe Bagsor Puríesare marching a b o u t , d o t h
w i t h an incomparable Zeal e x h o r t t h e m to give
freely. I never in my íife faw people more enflam'd with Charity for their N e i g h b o u r , than
they are in the Pulpit; you would fky,They are
the very Fathers of the Poor. Herein I cannot but
d o t h e m the Juítice t o o w n , T h a t our Proteflant
Minifters are n o t ib good Advocates for the neceffitous.Membersof Jeíüs Chrift , and do not
take the Cauíe of the Poor to heart with ib
much heat and zeal, as theíe Men do. However,
Sir,I would have you know, that when I praife
your Italian Monks,'tis not their Períbn I praiíe,
but their A £ t i o n , o r r a t h e r the external Appearance of their Aétion: For if we' cut this fair
Apple in t w o , we íhall find the W o r m t h e r e ,
which makes it all rottsn and corrupt within.
T o make íhort, my meaning is, that the motivé
that prompts'them ib íerioufly and zealouíly to
recommend the Poor to their Auditors,isapiece
of Self-intereft: For the o n e h a l f of the Alms
that are gathered in the Church.as well as at the
Church-doorjduring the Sermón, belongs to the
Father-Preacher: Otherwiíe, it were impoílible
to induce thoíe hard-hearted and pitilefs Monks,
thoíe Hearts of Braís and M a r b l e , who are lo
íignally qualified with Iníeníibieneís and Cruelty ; 1 íay,it would be impoílible to induce t h e m
to any fentiments of Mercy and Compallíon for
%j 8
The Sisth
L E Í TE
R,
the Miferies of their Neighbour,if L a y - m e n h a d
n o t found out a way t o joyn the Intereít of the
Préachers with that of the Poor , and to make *
but one of them.This,this Sirds the great Spring
that moves the whole Engin , and makes the
M o n k s to ftudy iuch importúnate Motives a n d
R e a í b n s , to d r a w Mony from their H e a r e r s
P u r í e s : Yea,there be fome of them,who are ib
extreamly Malepert and Iníblent , that I ara
aftoniíh'd they do not pulí them out of thePulpit.
I went one day in Lent to hear one of the
Sermons at the C h u r c h of SAndrew of the Valley at Reme; it was a Father Francifcan that then
Preach'd there ; his Sermón was concerning
Tredefrination,md after he had declar'd,That the
iiumber of thoíe that were predeftinate,was n o t
i b fmall as íbme did imagin ; I Jfeak now (íaid
he) of C a t h o l i c k s ; for as for all Infidels, who do
not believe in Jefus Chrift^ as well as all Heretickj,
as the Lutherans, Calvinifís, Züinglians, &c. our
Mother (the Holy Church Catholick, Apofiolick, and
Román) teacheth us, That they are all undoubtedly
damn'd, and we ought to believe accordingly. Afterwards,making a l o n g enumeración of all thoíe
h e firmly believ'd would certainly be íaved, he
amongít che reít mention'd alí thofe w h o were
enroll'd in the Confraternity of S. Francis his
Rope, which peculiarly belongs t o thoíe of his
O r d e r ; Becaufe (íaid he) it is impoJJíble,according
to the Bulls we have concerning • it from the Popes¿
that any fuch (hould die in any Mortal Sin.ÜQ very
frankly allow'd the íame Grace alio to all thoíe
w h o w o r e the Habit of his O r d e r , and fo very
hand-
Of the Aíufeof
Preacbing Scc,
t
279
handíbmly juftled in himfelf into the nutnber of
theEle£t. Finally,putting a Queftion to himíelf,
W h e t h e r there were not íome vilible M a r k upo n E a r t h , by which one might diftinguiíh the
£le¿t from the Repróbate ? he anfwer'd himíelf,
Tes, that certainly there were fuch Signs. Amongft
other Signs he r e c k o n ' d u p , I remember this was
one, To love Mufick,and the found ef Injíruments *,
but that the principal Sign of all was,togive Alms.
T h i s indeed was the Point he would be a t , a n d
very dexterouíly he took occaíion from henee,
t o Exhort all his A u d i t o r y , T o e x p o í e that D a y
to the Eyes of all Men, the undoubted Tokens of
their Predeftination, by their liberal putting into
the Purfes; and that for his part, he would take
exaót Notice from his ftation o n h i g h , of all
thoíe w h o gave this Evidence of their Ele£tion,
that ib he might know w h o were Repróbate,
a n d w h o were Predeftinate amongft them. Accordingly he íets himfelf d o w n inhis Pulpit,and
was filent; a n d ftaring with his great Eyes that
w a y they carried the Bags, having perceived all
the firft Rank had íhewed themfelves very Liberal : This is well (íaid he) Tfind that here is one
Rank already of my Auditors that are Tredcftinate.
And the íecond and third having follow'd the
íameExample ; In very truth (faid he) I believe,
that my whole Auditory will prove to be of the
Number of the Eletl. This is an extraordinary Comfort for me, that I have preactí'd here this L.ent,and
I tender Thanks to God for it; bec^anfe it is a fign
that Sinners are Converted. By this means t h e
Father procur'd a very liberal Colle&ion.
T 4
I
'¿So
The Sixth
LETTER,
,
í obíerv'd all this w h i l e , that he put m a n y ' o f
his Auditors into great trouble and confufion,
eípecially íbme W o m e n , who probably had n o
M o n y about t h e m ; they bluíh'd exceedingly,
a n d to avoid the confufion of being accounted
Reprobates,they reach'd forth their hands to the
Bags,as if they had put in fome thing. I m y í e l f ,
h e a r d a n Handycrafts-man faying to one of his
Acquaintance, That Monk there (with his Jigns of
Tredefiination) made me, ¡ore againfi my wtll,. put
a Crown into the Eag, becaufe 1 had no other fmaü
Mony about me ; forif Ihadgi uen nothing,it
would
have ¡foiVd my Reputation; they would have taken
me for a damnd Wretch, which would have been
emugh to have frightned all Cufiomers from my
§hop.
T h e M o n k raviíh'd to have feen ib many Ele¿t in hisAuditory, very joyfully fell to the Second part of his Diícouríe,and being put into an
extream good H u m o r by their Liberality , he
playfd the Buffoon to admiration. After he had
told t h e m m a n y little pleaíant Stories,he began
his íecond Queftfor the Souls inPurgatory.
He
m a d e ufe of the fame M o t i v e , with which he
h a d fpeeded ib well before. H e repreíented to
t h e m , That it was not enough to have Jhew'd their
Charity to the Living, but that it was neceffary for
the compleating of the Evidence of their Tredefiination, to extend'it alfo to thofe that are dead; that is,
To the Members of the Suffering Church ; for that
ís the T i t l e they give. to Purgatory. T h e Mony
of this Queft goes-to the Priefts or Monks to
w h o m the Church belongs where the Sermón
r
j
Of the Abufe of Preaching&c.
ag i
is preached; and t o encourage the Preacher t o
do it more effeátually, they aílow him the fourth
part of the Colleétion. T h i s is that which maltes
them fo zealous to exhort the People from their
Pulpits, to a liberal Contribution. T h e r e are
íbme w h o are ib far tranfported with Z e a l for
theíe fuífering Souls, that not content to have
made one Qtieft in general on thisSubject, t h e y
back the fame with t w o others. T h e íecond is
with an irttention to relieve fome Relation or
Friend, that a n y of the Auditors are more particularly obliged t o affift; and the third,for that
Soul in Purgatory, whicli is the moft negle¿ted
as to matter of Suffrages, and w h o hath neither
Relatibns ñor Friends to pray G o d for her. T h u s
it ís, that"theíe fooliíh and rafh M e n , imprudenlty exalt their own M e r c y and Compaflion
above that of God himíelf; implying, T h a t if
their C h a r i t y did not extend it íelf to theíe
wretched Souls, deftitute of all help a n d
aífiftancé , as they f a y G o d would be pitileís
and cruel e n o u g h , to let them fuffer a vaft
number of Y e a r s , y e a , even to the D a y of
J u d g m e n t , without íhewing a n y Mercy t o
them.
I have been told a Story of a Country-man, •
who perceiving that the Preacher of his Pariíh,
after having made three Quefts one after another , was about to make the Fourth , for the
Soul that'fuffer d moft, call'd out to him aloud,
Father,! wouldadvifeyou¡to jhut upyour Turgatory
atprefent; for if you let one Soul more out , flw
"ivillbe in demger to reittrn from whevce fie carne,
wat out
}
2.82,
The Sixth
L E TTE
R,
without any thing: For my fart (íaid he) I tell yon
flainly, I have no more Mony to give. Whether
this be a trueStory, or n o , I cannot aver ; only
this I know, that very often they give a fair
occafion for their Auditors to íay as much. •'Tis
i n the Interval o f their gathering this Collecl:,
t h a t the good Father Preachers d o utter whatíbever comes into their Crowns,to períuade their
Auditors to ib charitable a Work. H e r e it is,that
with a great deal of heat they ¡vent all their
Fables and Tales of Purgatory.
I heard a Father Carr&elite , in the Pariíh of
S*Sophia inFenice, w h o having made a íign'with
his H a n d , to oblige his Auditory t o be filent,and
liftning attentively with his E a r , as if he had
h e a r d íbmething, he at length asked t h e m , W h e t h e r they did not hear a kind of indiftinótnoiíe,
as of ni any Voices at a diítance ? After wards,
lending his Ear a íecond time , he told t h e m
T h a t h e heard the Souls of Purgatory calhng
upon them, Not to fpare their Charities, but to Relieve them.with a Liberal Contribution; corrupting
t o this purpofe ¡that Paífage of the RevelationSf
Audivi fub Altare Animas interfeSlorum clamantium, vindica fanguinem noftrum , Dem nofter : I
heard under the Altar the Souls of thofe that were
flain; Crying, Avenge our Blood, O God. F o r he
m a d e bold to change moíl of the words, t o aec o m m o d a t e them to his purpofe ; íaying, Audio
fub Altare Animas defunilorum clamantium, Refrigérate Sanguinem mjlrum Fratres noftri: I heard
under the Altar the Souls in Purgatory , that cry,
Refrefh and eool our Blooi mr dear Brethren. I
s
Of theAbuJeof
Preaching,8íc.
a8$
íook this Action of the Preaeher for an excellent Figure o f R h e t o r i c k , which is called Ficlio^
but I am fure, that many there did not take ít in
m y feníe,but did really believe,that the Preaeher
had indeed heard the Souls in Purgatory crying
under the H i g h Altar; a fure fign or which w a s
that m a n y roíe up from their Seats to look that
way. T h e Sermón being ended , the Preaeher
comes down out of the Pulpit, and is led into
the Sextry ; whither the Puríes are brought,and
there they are open'd in his preíence , and his
íhare or dividend counted out to h i m ; the
Préachers herein reíembling Fowls of P r e y , o r
Hunting-Dogs, to whom always a portion is
given of" the Prey they have taken.
I n thoíe Parts of Italy that border upon Germany and France , the people don't. fuffer t h e
Priefts and Monks to lead them by the Nofe, ib
much as the Inhabitants of che Provinces that
are n e a r e r t o Rome. T r u e it is,the Priefts are not
Wanting to ufe their utmoft endeavours to bring
their Purgatory into requeft ; but the Lay-men
look upon them n o better than Mountebanks
for their pains,who fpare n o Lies to perfuade the
People to buy theirDru'gs.
I w a s ' o n c e defiréd by the Cúrate of Campo
DOICÍM'VLÍ
the Alfes,xo take the pains t o c l a m b e r
up to Mount Splugjo go and preach the D a y of
the AJJümption of t h e BleJJ'ed Virgin , in a ímall
Village. 1 went thither, and did my utmoft E n deavour to ftir up their Devotion, and make i*
beneficial to their Cúrate ; but i t w a s impofltble"
f o r m é to exalt their Benehcence beyond a few
Pounds
s
al4
The Sixth
LETTER,
Pounds of Butter, notwithftandiñg the Curato
liad earneftiy entreaced me, to be importúnate
with them tbr íbme Mony, Mony it íeems is very
ícarce in thoíe M o u n t a i n s , they affording noíhbig beíldes Butter,Cheeíe, Cheíhucs, and SaltM e a t ; and the poor Cou^.íry People carry to
the Church íuch as they have, to beftow upon
their Cúrate. At the place where I went to
Preach, the i'nhabkants cannot continué , but
about T w o Months in the very midft of the
Surnmer; after wnich the extream Cold drives
them from t h e n c e andobliges them to r e m o ve
lower, where they continué about t w o Months
longer with their Cartel ; thus deícending by
degrees,. till they come down to the Vallies
w h e r e they continué all the Winter. But to ret u m to ou.c Preachers,
5
s
T h e Second pare of their Sermón., as is already mention'dds made up of nothing but idle
Tales and Brolle r y ; which is the reafon w h y
many períbns, w h o take n o deiight in thefe
Jeíis and Fooleries, and probabíy. alfo, for fear
they íhould be forced againft their wills, by the
Impudence of the P r e a c h e r , to put M o n y into
t h e P u r í e s g o out of the Church towards the
end of the firft part. This firft part contains
the Body and Subílance of their Diícourfe ; and
they w h o print their Quadragefimds and their
Advent Sermons, that they may not diíparage
themfeíves,never print-the íecond part of them ;
but make a íhift to- divide their firft p a r t , and
make t w o of it.
The
Of the Abufé of' Treachlngjkc.
2,85*
T h e Buffoon,ov Comical Preachers, are the morí
follow'd by the C o m m o n T e o p l e ; but thoíe
that preach by curious Thoughts,. are the moft
efteem'd; and thoíe w h o are calfd Dotti, or Virtuofí, d o generally frequent them. T h i s way of
preach ing by curiousThoughts,confifts chiefly in
never repreíenting things in their Natural íeníe.
If they alledge a T e x t of Scripture, it is a íeníe
that is fórc'djUibtiljCiirious and faf-fetch'd,which
is not the meaning of the Scripture.; and a
Preacher w h o íhould ftop at the Literal a n d
Natural feníe, would be look'd upon n o better
than a Simpleton, Ignoramus and I d e o t ; a n d
except he had íomething of a Comical Áir
with h i m , would be very ílenderly provided
with Auditors. I have made it my Obíervation,
T h a t they commonly take n o place of Scripture
in the Literal íeníe , befides the Sacramental
words,fiW eít Corpus mettm ; This is myRody ; for
here they obftinately keep to the Letter. A n d
yet I once heard a Father Minim,
mTrintty
Church on the Hill, at Rome,who interpreted the
whole Hiftory of the Inftitution of the Lord's
Supperin another íenfe, applying it wholly t o
the Do¿trin of Alms. Our Lord Jefas Chrifi (íaid
' hefthe more engagingly to recommend to us the care
of the Poor,would have the laB Aclion he ever did
here on Earth, (hottld be an A£t of Charity ; to this
purpofe,when he had nothing more to difpofe of, fave
one poor Morfel of Bread he had in his hands , He
brake it,and gave it to his Dtf úples.This T h o u g h t
of his was íbund very quaint and curious; t h o '
in the mean time - ít isvery e v i d e n t , that this
is
l85
fhe
Sixth
L É TTE
R,
is n o t the true a n d N a t u r a l íenfe of the Holy
Hiftory ; for Jefus Chrift in this Aélion,did noc
i n the leaft pretend to give an A l m s , but to inftitute a S a c r a m e n t , that might ler ve for the
Suftenance and Spiritual nouriíhment of our
Souls. However, the M o n k was extraordinarily
applauded for this his c u r i o u s T h o u g h t , and he
was not wanting to máke good ule of it at his
Queft. And to' the end they may be t h e more
fruitful and copious in theíe fine T h o u g h t s , the
M o n k s ordinarily r e t i r e , and take their Walks
i n pleafant places, as in Gardens and Woods,
t h e r e to medítate their S e r m o n s : Others again,
betake themfelves to dark and fubterranean places, there to Contémplate without difturbance.
Some of them drink good Wine^, and that in
great quantity t o o , becaufe (according to the
c o m m o n Proverb) Vlnum acuit ingenium ; Wim
excites Invention: A n d laftly, others folio w their
particular Huraors.
T h e Superiors of Reiigious Houíes,fuffer their
Preaching Monks to d o what they pleafe,and gó
whither they will, to favour their Invention, or
(as they term it) their curious Thoughts. They
deal with t h e m as charily, as we us'd to do with
Big-bellied W o m e n , w h o m nothing muft be
reftifed, for fear of fpoiling their Fruit, which
are their fine Thoughts. 'Tis this great Liberty
a n d Indulgence that makes ib many Monks in
Italy apply themíelves to Preaching, becaufe being once engaged in this w a y , they are exempted from all the Obíervances their Rule obligeth
t h e m t©.
Of the Alufe
of Preachitig&c.
2.87
T h e w a y of fettirjg forth theíe their fine
T h o u g h t s in the Pulpit, is t h i s : As íóon as t h e y
have utter'd any thing that is neat and curious,
t o make appear that it doth not w a n t íblidity,
they (in order t o back it) endeavour to find out
l o m e T e x t s of Scripture that íeem to favour it,
a n d to which, for the moft part, they give as
forc'd a turn, as to that which is the Bafis a n d
ground of their neat T h o u g h t . T h e y commonly
quote nothing but ends and ícraps of Verles,
without telling w h a t goes before, or w h a t follows, ahd íéldom or never cite the Books from
w h e n c e they are t a k e n . T h e y content themíelves
w i t h laying, As it is Written; or,Acccrding tothe
Oracle of the Holy Sfirit; or, As it is fet down in
the Sacred Text; and then quote the place they
i n t e n d : But it is imponible to know , whether
w h a t they alledge , be faithfully Reported by
t h e m o r n o . T h u s it is an ea fie thing for chele
Corruptersof the Holy W r i t , (that they m a y
authorize their neat T h o u g h t s and high Sublimations of Wit) to feduce poor People w h i c h
never read the Scripture , and to w h o m t h e
réading of it isnot fo much as permitted. After
they have thus endeavour'd to báck their curious T h o u g h t with .Scripture , they endeavour
further to ftrengchen it by the Aothority of the
Fathers. T h e y réckóh amongftthe Fathers, nbc
only the ancientDoítors of the Church,as S.Chryfofiom^S. Ambrofe,S.jeróme, and S.Auftmj&c.
but
alio their moft moderh Doótors, a.s S.Thomas Aquinas, Cardinal Bellarmin, &c. l'níbmuch as ac
this rate they have a very large a h d wide Field
to
% 88
fhe
Sixth
LETTE
R>
to g o a pickeering i n ; and foraímuch as it is a n
ordinary Saying, that Good Wits jump, this egregiouíly flatters their Pride, to make out to the
people,That thoíe great Underftandings of A n cient times do áccórd ib well with theirs. Some
have the íottiíh Vanity t o íay in the Pulpit,6".Auílin, or S.Ambi'oíb,bad tbe fame
Tboughtwithme,
when he faid, &c. T h e y very íeldom quote the
Books and Chapters from whence they have their
Authorities, and they content themíelves with
íaying in general, As faith S.Auítin ; as S.Ambroíe affirms. But Experiertce does evidence it
foeyond diípute,that they cite a vaft number óf
Authorities falíly,or elíe d o ib extreamly mangle
a n d c o r r u p t t h e m , that if we íhould go to look
for them in the O r i g i n a l , from whence they
pretend to have drawn them , it would be a
very hard m a t t e r t o know them.
I once heard a Benediclin Monk in the C h u r c h
of S.Praxed ¿tRome, w h o having made an O b j e c i ó n t o himíelf, W h y amonglt ib m a n y períbns, w h o have.recouríe to the BleJJ'ed Virgin in
their needs, lo few are relieved by H e r l A n E vent indeed which feems direétly oppós'd to the
Belief of the C h u r c h of Rome,viz,.Th¿t all thoíe
w h o Addrefs themíelves with confidence to the
Blejfed Virgin, are infallibly affiíted by her. He
anfwer'd this Objedion by ía.ymg,That thofe who
faWd of her Aid,were fuch ai did not Lift up their
Hearts to her. They indeed (faid he) do often enough
Lift up their Eyes, their Hands, and their Voice to
M a r y ; but. their Hearts all the while aregroveling
an the Earth, and they never lift them up towards
Of the Áhufe of Preachingjkc.
,. a8p
her. T o this purpoíe h e quoted S.Jerom, Si volu•mus exaudiri A M a r i a , erigamus corda noHra ad
M a r i a m ; Ifwe would have M a r y hear us,we wufe
lift up our hearts to M a r y . I have read S.Jerom
before, and I have read him over fmce, having
always this Paífage of the Benediclin well impreít
in m y m e m o r y / b u t I could never find it t h e r e ;
and I am well aííur'd, that no body will be able
to find it there after merjBut the Myftery of it
was» T h a t this paífage was very proper to back
and confirm the^fine T h o u g h t of the M o n k .
W e need not wonder to find the Román Caiholicksboañ of having the Fathers on their íide;
for if at any time they are not íb,they íbon make
them come over to them by f o r c é , and d r a w
them in (as we fay) by Head and Shoulders. In
this cale they d o imítate another Italian M o n k ,
who n o t being able to make a Paífage of S.Chryfofiom favour a fine T h o u g h t was come into his
Head, he began to be in a paflion, and having
chang'd two or three words in the T e x t , which
did in a m a n n e r fpoil the whole íeníe of it, h e
faid in bad L a t i n , but very expreífive óf w h a t
he would be at, Faciam te lene venire , and thus
forc'd the T e x t to comply with his fooliíh I m a i;inations. By this means it is theíe miíe rabie
Monks make thoíe Venerable ancient Fathers
:o affert that which they never thought of, a n d
:an never be found in their Writings; and all
his is only to feed their Vain-glorious H u m o r ,
ind to obtrude their o w n D r e a m s forAuthentick
Fruths, o w n ' d and believ'd by the pureft T i m e s
>f Chriftendomó
¥
More-
•zcjo
?he Sixth
LETTER,
Moreover , t o fet forth thefe their curious
T h o u g h t s with the greater luftre,they d o adoro
t h e m with m a n y quaint Figures of Rhetorick;
all their Difcouríe being made up of Metaphors
AllufionSjand holy Allegories, with a taking Eloen don, and curious íelecl W o r d s ; and all of
ibem Antithetapr oppos'd to one another^wherein the Italian Language is happy beyond others,
See here the fair and glittering C u p of Gold,
wherein the W h o r e mingles her Poyíbn Lies
and Errors, to intoxícate the Souls of Men. This
is the wide Gate by which ib many extravagant
and dangerous Opinions are entred into the
Church of Rome. You may eafily judge by the
Maniré of the Paflure,of the condition the Flock
is i n ; and by the Qualiftcatíons of their new Paftors, I mean the Monks, the wretched eftate of
the Sheepfoldj committed to their charge.Thefe
are thofe Paftors who íhare the Wool, and feetl
o n the fatteft of the Flock ; but have little orno
concern for the Salvation of their Souls, ib they
may but g l u t a n d fatisíie their Covetouíhefs and
Ambition.
s
3
3
Loredano, a Noble Venenan, ib famous in ¡tal]
for his witty and curious Compofttions, writing
t o Almorí) Grimam at Verana , to recommend to
h i m a Preacher of his Acquaintance , expreft
himfelf in his Letter to him in theíe words;
Sene viene in cotefia Citia il Padre Fra.Girolarao
Olivi, d far pompa d'Elequen&a nel corfo QuairAgefimale: The Father Jerom Olivi goes to Veron<t
to malte a pompous ¡hew ofhis Eloquence duringlA^
Hsíaich not,Tha£ this M o n k goes to Preach che
GofpeJj
Of the Aífufe of Treachingfkz.
icjj
Goípel, or to ftrive to gain Souls to Jeíüs C h r i f t ;
but íaith j That he goes to make a fliew of his
Eloquence; in which words he very fully exprefleth the Motive that puts thefe Monks upon
Preaching.
I have n o words , Sir, to expreís to you the
Cabals,Intriegues, Sollicitations and Interceffions
that are made to get into the beft Pulpits; that is
t o íay, thoíe where the moft M o n y or H o n o u r
is to be got. T h e y interpole the Favour óf G r a n dees and Princes, to aífure themíelves of them,
a n d that four or five years before they become
vacant. T h e r e are íbme of thefe Pulpits,that are
worth to the Preacher, for an Advent and Lent^
four hundred, five h u n d r e d , and fix hundred
C r o w n s ; y e a , íbme of them a thouíand and
more,without reckoning the í h a r e o f the Alms
given to the Poor. As for thoíe, from w h e n c e
there is n o great profit to be expected, the preís
is not ib great; a n d a s for the poor Pariíhes i n
the Country, where nothing at all is to be h a d ,
there is not a Monk to be found, that will beftow ib much as one Sermón upon them.
T h e y have ordinarily n o Preaching in Italy,
fave only during Advent and Lent: O n all other
Feafts and Sundays of the Year they have n o
Sermons at the Pariíhes; and inftead thereof
they only fing an H i g h Maís in Mufick; but
the W o r d of G o d is not preached atall in them.
Yet in íbme Convents of Monks t h e y have Sermons i n t h e Afternoon; but thefe are Sermons
peculiar to the O r d e r of w h i c h the Monks are,
aud alwáys on the fame Subje¿t T h e Domi-
V 7
msani
2,9*
The Sixth
LETTER,
mcans preach eternally o n the Rofary;
the
Carmelites on the Scapulary ; the Francifcans on
t h e Rope of S.Francis; and the' Soccolanti have
for their Subjeót %. Anthony of Fadua. T r a e it is,
theíe Matters are of themíelves very d r y and
barren, and I am aftonifJhed h o w they can continually make them yield íbmething to talk of.
O n e great help indeed they have, which is, that
t h e greateft part of their Sermons is made up
of a Relation of Miracles, which a Preacher of
good Invention may almoft with as much eaie
coin, as utter.
T h e Jefuits alio haveereéted in their Houíes
Congregations,which they denomínate from the
BÍeJJéd FirgipywhQre they preach all Sundaysand
Hoíy-days: A n d to the end they may Have at
all, a n d draw to them all íbrtsof People, they
make a diftinelion of períbns; they have one
Congregation for Artizans and, Handycraftmen,anothér for Scholars,a third for Merchants,
and a fourth for G e n t l e m e n a n d Noblemen.
T h e y alio have Set-days o n which they preach
ín their C h u r c h e s , to prepare People to Die
well: T h e y have very happily poífeft themfelves
of this Poft; for it is exceeding gainful and profitable to them. U p o n this fcore it is, that they
are íent for to E x h o r t the Sick,and fuch as lye
at the point of D e a t h ; which is the moft proper
t i m e , a n d faireft occafion for them to get themíelves put into theirlaft Wills.
T h e r e is yet another íbrt of Preachers in
Italy, w h i c h I never íaw in any other parts,
w h e r e the Popiíh Religión is profeft: Thefe
Preachers
OftheAhufeoffreachingfec.
Préachers are call'd, Préachers of the Place. T o
give you a morediftinót Idea hereof, youmuft
know, Sir, that in the great Cities of Italy , ta?
wards Evening, w h e n the great heat of the d a y
is paft, the Italians (of what Rank or Quality
íbever they be ) g o and take a walk in the Piaz,z,a: H e r e it is they give Audience , a n d difcouríe aboüt their bufineís. If any has a mind t o
meet with any perfon about that T i m e , the firffc
thing he does, is to go a n d look for him at the
place. H e r e you are íiire always to meet with a
great number of Ballad-fmgers, Juglers,Mountebanks,Fortune-Tellers,and other fuch like; w h o
find their greateft profit amongft the greateít
Crowds:And the People do not fail to get abóut
therrij for their Diveríion a n d Recreation ; a n d
amongft theíe, you meet with more Priefts a n d
M o n k s , t h a n L a y - m e n ; for after they have d i f
charg'd themfelves of their Malíes in the M o r n ing, there are none more idle t h a n they all the
reít of the day. N o íboner are the Mountebanks
g o t u p to their Stage, but at the fame time (by
what motive or zeal I know not) a M o n k , w i t h
a great Cruciíix carried before h i m , with a
little Bell they ring, to give Notice of his coming,mounts a portative Pulpit, prepared for him
i n o n e o f t h e C o r n e r s o f the Place , oppofice to
the T h e a t r e of the Rope-Dancers , and there
begins to preach ; a multitude of People runhing from all pares to hear him.
W h e n I firft faw this,i was extreamly edified
to lee íüch crowds of People leave theíe A¿tors
and Rope-Dancers, to hear a Sermón ; but
V 3
drawing
v
zp4
The Sixth
LETTER,
drawing near m y felf to hear the Diícourfe, I
found that theíe Preachers were better qualified _
f o make the People laugh by their pleaíant Difcouríe and Mimical Gefture, t h a n the MerryAndrews of the Stage. T h e Mountebanks play
the Fool o n their Stages; and they,the Buffóons
a n d Drolls in their Pulpits.Whilft thoíe ule their
utmoft Effort to fell their D r u g s ; thefe make a
Queft in the place, which goes in the Ñ a m e of
Being for the Poor, whom they recommend with
a great deal of zeal and earneftneís to their
Heárers ; t h o ' indeed all the M o n y they gather
comes into their o w n Pockets. I chanced once
t o be in the C o m p a n y of íome Monks, who impudently did aver, T h a t theíe Sermons in the
Tiaz,ka's, were a mahifeft proof of the T r u t h
of the Religión at Rome againft the Hereticks,
becauíe in them there was a vifible Accompliíhment of that Oracle of the Holy Ghoft, which
w e find in the firft Chapter of the Proverbs,
w h e r e it is íaid , that Wifdom cries in the fublick
Tlaces; ahd that this was only to be found a»
mongft the Román Catholicks,whzre
Wifdomjhat
is, The Word of God, made it íelf t o be heard in
Publick , by means of thefe Preachers of the
places.
T o tell you my thoughts, Sir, I am fully períúaded, tnat if Wifdom d o indeed cry there, it is
for Vengeance upon the horríd abule and affront
done to his Gofpe!, which is there ridicul'd and
m a d e the fubjeót of their DrcHéry ,' to make
People laugh. Neither can it be íaid, T h a t Wifdom cattfethher Voice to be ,heardthere,with reípeci
_
to
H
Of theAlufcof
Preacbing,?zc.
295
to the perfons of the Preachers,the moftof them
being Monks of the moft debauch'd and proflígate Lives, I knew one of them at Venice thac
was a moft wicked Wretch, w h o n o íooner got
out of the Pulpit, but went and ípent.the M o n y
he had got at his Queft,in infamous places,upon
Whores.
T h e R o m á n Catholicks are at a lofs, whither
to betake themielves for vifible Signs.of the
T r u t h of their C h u r c h . T h e y produce fome
others every whit as pitiful as t h a t now mention'd, amongft which they reckon a certain Cuftom introduc'd in Italy,to make lítele Children
preach publickly in their Churches,fromC6r¿yfmafs till Twelf-tide. T h e y take pretty Children
of about three o r four years of A g e , and they
make them get by heart íbme íhort Sermons
upon the Birth of our Saviour, which may laft
about a quarter .,of an hour; they fpend much
time to exercife them in the utterance of them
with a good G r a c e ; and on Chriñmaf-day they
preach t h e m , before the Mangers that are prepared in all Churches at that time. T h e í e little
Children obferve all the Ceremonies of Preach-ers: T h e y begin with their Ave Maña, .then
proceed to a íhort Introdu£fcion,and aherwards
to a Diviíion. Asfoon as they have madea.n end
of their firft part, they make a Qneft , and all
their Auditorsgive them fomething. T h i s done,
they preach for the Souls in PurgatoryNo íooner
has one of them made an end of his Sermón,
but another takes his place, and begins: A n d
íhus they continué till Twelf-ttde,
T h e y begin
Y 4
early
%96
.The-Sixth
LETTER,
•;.
early in t h V M o r n i n g , and don't make an end
till far ih the JSüght.The Mony they get at their
Queífo, íerves them afterwards to make a Collation with, and to buy them Sweet-meats , or
other Jiinkets. T h u s it is they edúcate and accuftora, theíslyoung Lions betimes to the p r e y , to
t h e end ( w h e n they are g r o w n up to be great
Preachers)rthey m a y be expert at devouring the
Alms, which are g i v e n t o the Poor only.
N d w a l l this petty Intriegue is produc'd by
t h e Jtalians,a.s a mark foríboth of the T r u t h of
their Religión, applying it t o t h a t V e r í e of the
Píalmift,Ex ore Infantium & Laflentium perfecifii
Laudem; Thou han (according to their Explication of it) ferfecled the ivork of Preaching out of
themouth ef Infants. T h e y íay, that this is n o
w h e r e to be found, fave only in their Church..
T h i s gives me an occafion to fpeak to you of
t h a t fignal M a r k of their Church,of which they.
. boaíi i b much, and which with ib much vehe*
menee they objeót to the Proteftants, « á . the
Miffion of their Evangeiical Preachers, which
they fend into Foreign Countries,and of which
n u m b e r are all thoíe"wretched Jefuits that come
íoi'Er.gland;
and o f . w h o m í doubt not but
there be great numbers ífill in that KLingdom.
T h i s I can aífure you, T h a t íhould tho. Jefuits
oí Italy, and other Countries of the Román Comm u n i o n fend thither their Miffionaries, proportionably to the M o n y that is given them for
this purpoíe all the Fathersof that Order would
n o t be fufficient t o íüpply the places. Itis. imponible to iraagin- the immeníe Sums are given
•
them
5
Ofíhe
Ahufe of?reaching$ic,
icjj
üiem upon this account: This is their great
pretence in the frequent Viíits they make to the
Paiaces of the great Ones,as well as to the Houíes of Wiclows and rich Men, to induce them to
contribute to fo holy a Work. And after allthcy
content themfelves with íending only a certain
number of their Jejuits,wh.om they provide for,
employing the reíl of the Mony in Building
mofe ftateiy Houíes, or rather thoíe íumptuous
Falaces for themíeíve.s, as they d o ; (for they will
not have them caü'd Monajhries, or Convenís)
and witli the íame Mony they proportionably
increaíe the Rents and Incoms thereof A poor
Capucmjwho goes about beggingan Alms,is very
well content,if he gees but wherewith to fill his
h.ungry Beíly ; but the pretext of the Jefuits is
lar more ípecious, 'tis for the Converfion of Souls,
and one muir operi wide one's Puríe-íirings to
úiew ad majoremDeigloriamfcribegreaterGlory
of
íjod; elíe they are not well iatisfied.In the mean
time we fee with our Eyes the work they make
íixEngland, infomuch as their Ñame is become
execrable and abominablemot fo much for their
earneft application to convert, or rather to pervert Souls, as for the íntrieguesthey carry on to
troubíe the publick Peace: For finding it imponible to períuade people by the weakneís of
their pitiful Arguments, they endeavour to put
a whole Kingdom into Combuíticn, and to íet
'Proteftants together by the Ears, ro che end,thae
having by their mutual Animoíitíes and Quarrels, plentifully drawn Blood from each other,
íbme Cetholick Frince may aírerw&rcis íubdue
t.icm
3
}
%%
9
The Sixth
L E TTE
R,
t h e m the more eafily; and ib bring about that
by the Sword, which it was imponible for them
t o do by their Reaíbns.
T h i s is that I was told by a Jeíuit of Milán,
about four years lince: Our Reverend Fathers, the
Jeíilits in England (faid he) write u us; That the
Engliíh are exceeding obñinate in perfifting in their
Herefie ; and that the only way of Converting themí,
ü totally to exterminate and root them out. This if
that therefore (continued he) for which our Fathers ¿o inceffantly labour ; and we hope within a
fhort time to fee,that God has bleíl their Endeavours
with aa anfwerable fuccefs. Indeed when I arriy'd
a t London, about t w o years and half a g o , the
Jefuits were become excefíively Iníblent. Being
once occafionally goc into Diípute with them,
and finding themfelves pinch'd, without being
able to anfwer, they began to put itoíf with
R a i l e r y ; and telling me, That all my fine Reafonings would not hinder me from being damnd at laft.
Another of them more cunning, and very probably more malicious too, told m e , That he had
at his Lodging'fome invincible Arguments fet down
in Writing, and if I would take the pains to come
thither, he would eafily anfwer all the ObjeBions 1
had made againfi himJSut I had a care of trufting
ib honeít a M a n , and I contented my íelf with
telling him, That he would do well togo and fetcb
his Papers, or to appoint another place for me to meet
him, than at bis own Lodging. But I found him
D e a f of that E a r . Soon after, I perceiv'd the
Jefuits had form'd aDefign, to make me leave
London; and to this purpoíe,becauíe they could
9
Of the Aluje of Preacbmg,6cc.
2,99
not d o it openly by F o r c é , a n d for that t h e y
found me always upon m y G u a r d , they lene
out a great number of Rogues and Cuutbroats t o
dog me, w h o follow'd m e every where, to have
an occafion to d o me íbme Miíchief; but forafc
much as I never went abroad at N i g h t , theíe
good Miííionaries fail'd of executing their D e iign ; and the happy Revolution , that hapned
foonafter, obligM them to caft their Thoughts
another way.
O n e thing here is remarkable, which is,That
we do not find the Jefuits lo zealous to go to
other Proteftant Countries, as they are t o come
fov England; for we meet but with very few of
them in SwiJJ'erland or Gsrmany ; the Reafon is,
Becaule England is furniíh'd with a C h a r m that
is irrefiftible for them ; 'tis a Count ry well ftor'd
with M o n y , and could they but once wriggle in
themfelves to be the Confeífors and Directors of
all the Engliíh Ladies, it would be a very pleafc
ing Employment for them. Beíides, it is well
known w h a t kind of Life they lead here, a n d
that it is nothing lefs than a Penitential ivay of
Uving^.% they would make others believe.Wherefore I cannot íee h o w t h e i r Miffion can be a n
infallible M a r k o f the T r u t h of the R o m á n Religión, asthePapifts pretend: But fure I a m ,
that this Mark ( i f there rauft be any at this
time) may with greater Juftice be a t t r i b u t e d t o
thofe zealous Proteftant Minifters, w h o having
already íufféred Impriíbnment and Baniíhment
for the Defence of the Goípel , are privately
return'd to Frasee, in the greateft heat of the
300
The Sixth
LETTER,
Ferfecution, and betaken themfelves to thofe Provinces where they were altogether unknown,
for to ftrengthen and encourage their Brethren,
to períeverein the profeííionof theTruth,and to
endeavour t o raiíe up thoíe again, w h o b y their
Frailty b a d r e n o u n c e d it. Here, to be íiire,were
n o T e m p o r a l Advantages for them to hope for ;
and they could eaíily be aifur'd, T h a t in cafe
they were taken in the Faér, they would be fent
to í h e G a i ü e s , or condemn'd to death > as hath
hapned to many of them.
But as for ÚIQ Jefuits, they are ib well perííia»
ded, that they are never like to íuffer any thing
here in England, upon the account of their Religión, that notwithftanding all the-AsSts of Parliament, which are only levefd to prevent their
wicked Deíigns,- they ftíll continué here very
freely and openly : And yet w h e n t h e y are got
home,they will not be wanting to publiíh every
where, as it is their cuftom to d o , T h a t they
have been perfecuted , clapt up in P r i í o n , tormented, and had certainly been put to death,
h a d not the Intercefhon of the Bhffed Virgin, or
of íbme Saint to w h o m t h e y have devóted themfelves, moft miraculoufUy delivered them.
s
But 'tis time I return again to Italy,where I
ñnd yet another íbrt of Miffionaries, which are
n o t to be employ'd in Foreign Countries, but in
Italy it felf: Thefe are all M o n k s , fome ti mes of
o n e , a n d íbnietimes of another Order¿but moftly Capucins, and yet more ordinarily a certain
i o r t o f F r y e r s , which are called, The Fathers of
the Mijfion: T h e f e , after they have furnilhed
them
Of tke Ahufe ofPreachingJkc.
30i
themfelves with a good ftoek of Sermons upon
diíferent Subje£ts,they fend to í?owe,anddemand
a Miífíon from the Pope ; that is,.leave to go
and preach their Sermons in certain T o w n s a n d
Provinces, with all the Indulgences and power
to Abíblve in, referved ; as is cuftomarily grante d o n like occafions.
T h e firft I ever faw of this fort wat at Montefiafcon, t w o days Journy and an half from Rome.
Theíe were Capucins , w h o befides their Habit,
which was very odd and antick,with their greac
lieards, they had on their Heads great red Calón, or clofe Caps, to fignifie their Z e a l , a n d t h e
Red-hot ardour of their C h a r i t y for the Converjan of Souls: For this (if w e will believe them)
is yet another M a r k of the T r u e C h u r c h ; for
even as the Holy Ghoft did vifibly deícend 011
the Heads of the Apoftles in the form of Fiery
Tongues, ío there are to this day found thoíe
Heads in the Church of Rome,vjhom the Fire of
Scarletdiftinguiíheth
from others; and that this
alio is the Reafon why the Cardinals, w h o are
all Divine Love, (or to ípeak more truly, w h o
ought to be ib) wear red Hats, and the Pope, a
Cap of the íame colour. Well, to return to m y
red Caps,l had thecuriofity t o g o and hear them
preach; I entred the Church where í íaw_one
of them in the P u l p i t , with a great Rope o r
Cord about his Neck,and a great Crucifix i n h i s
Arms, w h o did his utmdft endeavour^to excita::
fenfible Affeéfcions in the hearts of his AuditorrV
T h e chief A i m of theíe Preachers, xsft^waKe
the Feople weep; if they'can once effe&this,they
fhe
Sixth
LETTER,
are happy , and this is all they delire; for this
procures them the reputation of being great
Miffionaries, and M e n of a true Apoftolick Spirit. T o this end they make ufeof the moft tender, melting, and aífecTrionate Expreflions they
c a n t h i n k o f , to d r a w T e a r s from their Hearers.
. T h e Preacher I heard at this time, was.paraphráíing the Hiftory of the Paflion of our Saviour;and after he hademploy'dhis utmoft skill,
i n íetting forth our Saviour as the moft lovely
a n d beautiful of all M e n : H e on the other hand
repreíented thoíe pitileís Tormentors, who with
great Cords tied his fair Hands,white as the driven S n o w , ahd beat his lovely Gountenance,
where the Lilly and the Roíe did urge for Maítery. He ádded to all thefe Expreflions a moft
lamentable and affe¿ting T o n e , with Geftures
very properj and aecording to the Subjed;
I perceiv'd that this Father was an excellerit
Declaimer. W h e n o n á íudden íbme good Womenj wholly melted into Tenderneís and Compaffion(as were thoíe W o m e n of Jerufak?>},whú
wept leeing Jeíiis Chrift carrying his Croís up
t o M o u n t Cahary, and whom our Saviour bade
n o t to weep for h i m , but for therrtfelves) caus'd
their fighs to be heard aloud; and a few minutes
a f t e r , all that Quarter where the W o m e n fat
being all in T e a r s , the Emotion Ibón caught
amongft the Men alíb;íb that the whole Church
was fill'd with groans, fighs, and íbbs. Whereupon the Capucm reíblv'd to proíecute his Conqueft, caft himíelf d o w n upon his R.rises, and
fixing
•Of the Ábufe of Preachingféc.
303
ííxing his great Crucifix upon the Pulpit , he
iiftecl up both his Hands to Heaven ; and w i t h
a mournful and terrible Voice,twiftingthe Cord
about his N e c k , as if he had a mind to íirangle
himíelf, he c r y ' d o u t , Mercy,Mercy ; and continued in the fame m a n n e r , to repeat the fame
word about forty or fifty times, till he made all
his Auditory cry fo after him. T h e n there was
a moft dreadful Noife heard in the C h u r c h ,
which continu'd for a good quarter of an hourj
till their Breaths being ípent, the Noiíe began
to leífen by degrees and at laft ended in a great
íilence ; which gave occafidn to the Father t o
reíume his Difcouríe, which he coñtinued with
the íame tender Aífeclions to the end.
I d o n ' t pretend in the leaft to blame here
the fenfibleneís and tendeareis of mens Hearts,
with reípect to our Saviour's Paffion ; I am fo
far frorri t h a t , that I wiíh it w e r e i n m y power
to make a moft deep imprefíion thereof in the
heartsof all M e n : But withai, this íhall never
hinder me from averring, T h a t thefe Arfedtions
do ordinarily país away like L i g h t n i n g ; and
t h a t g o o d íblid Motives Íaid down in a Sermón,
to engage People to a t r u l y ChriítianLife,make
a longer ftay in a mans Mind , and are there
ready upon occafions to move the W i l l ; and
this is that which thefe Miffionaries wholly negÍe6t, Accordingly we dont find, that the lt¿¡lians (after all theíe Miffions) are ever a wh'it
the better Men. At the end of three Weeks or
a M o n t h , which commonly is the t e r m of thefa
¿MHfons, they go with a great deal of Solera3
3 04
The Sixth
L E TTE
i?,
iiity, and plant a great Croís of W o o d ( o f about thirty or forty foot h i g h ) o n íome eminene
place near the Cities where the Miffion has been
diícharg'd, ad perpetüam rei memoriam. T h i s A ction is perform'd with a great deal of Ceremon y andSuperftition \ thither they repair all,and
woríhip bare-footed , with Cords about their
N e c k s ; and here it is the Preaeher concludes
a n d íeals his M i í í i o n , in giving the people a
grand5e«e¿7¿£í/0«,and all the Indulgences the Pope
has aíforded him.
I t was once m y háp to meet with fome Miffonaries o n M o u n t Apennin , w h o carne from
preaching in a City belonging to the County of
XJrbain. A luíly Young m a n , w h o had been their
Guide for íeven or eight Miles t o g e t h e r , and
w h o had carried them on his íhoulders over a
Brook, declar'd, T h á t he had never found any
. t h i n g more light than they w e r e , and that he
thought that they weighed n o more than a Feather. T h e Hofteís, at whoíe Hóufe they had
!odg*d, aníwer'd ímiíing, That this Miracle did
furpriz.e her the more, becaufe fie had given them a
good Dinner jufi before their going away ; and if
there were nothing but what they had eaten , they
muft needs tveigh fomething. T h e place where I
m e t them was at anotherTnn, w h e r e they notwithítandingcaus'd a íecond D i n n e r to be preparad for them.By this I perceiv'd,that all theíe
zealous~ Mtjfionaries;v¡r\th their Ropes about their
Necks, are not always the greateft Lovers of
Penance, herein reíembling the Pharifees, w h o
tho' they carried the C o m m a n d m e n t s of the
Of the Atufe
of Preachitig&c.
3 0 7
loáw.written o n their Foreheads, yet were noc
the ftri&eítObíervators o f it. A n d yet it is t o
theíe kind of Miífionaries, t h e R o m á n Cacholicks affure u s , That the Gift of Preaching is particularly communicated by the. Holy Ghofi , in the
particular dijpenfation aftd di-vifion of his Graces and
Gifts. F o r my part, I íhould rather believe,That
this excellent Priviledge does in the firlt place
belong to the Biíhops and Miniílers of the?
Churches •, theíe are the true Paítors,whom the
Sheep are t o heai'. Indeed w e may lay in o n e
íeníe, T h a t the Miniftry of Preaching is quite
ceaíed in i7«/y,where they hear in a manner n o thing elle but the Voice of Strangers; I mean,
of a vaii number of miferable Monks, w h o a r e
not Curates of Churches.
I have already mention'd in one of m y L E T TE RS, T h a t during t h e fpace of íeven years
that I lived there,I never heard any m a n preach
that had Eccleíialíick A u t h o r i t y ; that is to íay,
who was either Cúrate or Biíhop, e x c e p t o n l y
Cardinal Vifconti, Archbiíhop of Milán, w h o í e
cuftom was t o preach o n the four principal
Feafts o r Holydays of the year, iii his o w n Cat e d r a l . A n d yet herein alfo I found a great
inconvenience; for this Cardinal Archbiínop,
that he might preach with the greater magnificence, and probably alio by a motive of Vainglory, would not permit any Sermón to be
preach'd that day, neither in che Morning ñ o r
Afternoon; and this in Milan which is a very
great Cicy, and fullof people. T h e Church indeed is very fpacious, buc yet I d o n ' t believe k
y
X
caá
306"
the
Sixth
L E t t E R ,
can contain the fiftieth part of the Inhabitants,
at fuch a diftance that they may underftand the
P r e a c h e r : So that excepting only a certain number of períbns, all the reft are depriv'd of Hearing the W o r d of G o d .
I w e n t once to hear him preach on an EafterDay; I could íay indeed that I íaw him preachj
but I could not hear him,the íbund of his Voice
not reachingíbfar as where I was; a n d becaufe
of the great crowd, it was n o t poffible for me to
g e t n e a r e r . H e was magnificently apparel'din
his Pontifical Habiliments,with the Mitre onhis
H e a d ; and the Pulpit of that Cathedral being
very fpacious,he had íeveral Canons that affifted
o n each fide of h i m , likewiíe dreft in all their
moft pompous Ornaments. Having therefore
leen him for a good while,lhaking his Head,and
cafting abroad of his Hands, I went out of the
C h u r c h , without having underftood one word
t h a t he faid. A n d forafmuch as I have now
m a d e mention of an Eafter-Day , I cannot refrain, Sir, from giving you íome account of á
pleafant, but yet truly deteftable and abominable C u f t o m , which takes place on Eafter-Da]
through out all Italy, in reference to Preaching.
T h e y tell us, T h a t Eafter-Day is a D a y of Merriment and Rejocing for Chriftians,applyingto
this purpofe that T e x t of the Pfalmift; Hac 4
diesvquam fecit Dominm, exultemus & l¿etemttr i"
ea; This is the Day which the Lord hath made, U
us he glad and rejoyce therein. And indeed it is at
fuch a D a y ; but in another íeníe than they
take it, Wherefors, to make t h e people merrV'
Of the Ahufe of Preaching,
&c.
307
all the Preachers o n that Day ( h o w grave o r
íerioas íbever they be) miiíl píay the MerryAndrews in their Pulpits, and a¿t a kind of G o m e d y , that the people m a y hear the Preacher
with the greater pleaííire and fatisfaétion. T h e
Sermón that is us'd to be preach'd, durirtg'Z.e»í
time, in t h e M o r n i n g , ir on Eafíer-Day made in
the Afternoon ; becaufe (as the Latin P r o v e r b
hathit.) Venter jejunus non deletlatur Mufica: An
hungry Belly takes no pleafure in Müjíck.'ThQ w o r d
Hallelujah is a c o i n m o n T e x t to all the Preachers
on that D a y , which W o r d in its p.roper íignification is as much as to íay, Praife the Lord: But
on Eafier-Day, in Italy it fignifies, Gentlemen and
Ladies, prepare your feli/es for a loud Laughter.
After they have nam'd their T e x t , they enter
upon Matter¿ and vent all the moft ridiculous
ítuff they can think of. T h e í e Sermons afterwards íé.rye all the EaBer-úmz for M i r t h a n d
Paftime in Companies, where every one takes
delight in relating to others what he h a t h
heard... •,
Being once on an Eafier-Day láBononia,
I
went to hear the Sermón at S. Peters .Church,
being the Cat.hedral.of that C i t y , the Archbifhop himíelf being then prefent.The Preacher
was one of the Fathers Soccolanti. After, that he
had turn'd íeveral Texts qf Scripture into Rídiculeiiequbted the%d..Verle oftlie íóíÁChapterof S.Mark, w h e r it is íaid, T h a t the ..Martes
same-ts-the .Sepulchre, Orto jam Solé,- after Sunñfíng, as it is in the Vulgar L a t i n ; a n d o p p o s ' d
ibis to the ifi Verfe of the %oth Chapter of the
X í
Gofpd
3
o8
TIe Sixth
LETT
ER,
Gofpel of S.John, where it is faid, T h a t they
arriv'd very early, before it ivasyet day-light; and
t h e n put the CHieftion, h o w it were poílible to
reconcile thefe two places, which íeem'd to cont r a d i í t one another. For hispan ( h e í a i d )
he believed, That the Maries did not Rife till long
after the Sun ivas rifen, and indeed till it was ntar
Ñoon :• For we fee (faid he) that this goesfor very
Early Rifing with our Italian Ladies , who dont
come to Mafs on Sundays till it be half an hour
after Eleven or Twelve. A n d hereupon he began
in a Cómical manner, to repreíent a Womans
a w a k i n g o u t o f her íleep; the time fhetakesto
rub her E y e s , to ftretch her Arms, and an hundred other impertinent Follies,which put all the
Church into a loud Laughter.Afterwards(for this
F a t h e r was very fértil of his curious Thoughts)
herecall'd himfelf,and£iid,7lbíz«<&e¿f¿eMaries
were Rifen very early in the Morning, but that they
needed ¡o much time to DrefS and Trick up themfelves-, that it was very late before they ceuldget
sut of Doors , which was the Keafon they could not
reach the ' Sepulchre till after the Sun was rifen;
Orto fam Solé. H é r e he repreíented W b m e n dreífing of themíelves; h o w much time they fpend
in dreffirig their Heád, in laying on of Paint,
íixing their P a t c h e s , and making a n hundred
Faces before theirLooking-glaífes;andexpreíiall
theíe párticulars admirably well, with his Mimical Geítures. This curious T h o u g h t he ímmecliately back'd with another: I cryMercy! (faidhe)
the Maries were not fuch vain Women, asi have
been juft now adefcribing : But they were Gojfiping-
Of the Ahufe of Treachhgf¡%z.
309
ffoufwives, they rofe, and went abroad indeed betimes in the Morning, but before they could take
their Leaves of their Neighbours , much time was
ffient; fo that they did not come to the Sepulchre
till it was late ; Orto jam.Sole. Here he enlarg'd
himíelf o n the T a d i n g and Goífiping Diícourle
of W o m e n , a n d mention'd fuch ridiculous ítuff
amongft it, that the Cardinal-Archbiíhop, w h o
was there, burft out into a loud Laughter. H e
continued his Eaííer-Sermon at the íame rate,to
the end of it, profaning (after a moft heinous
and unworthy manner) ib holy a D a y , and the
Venerable Hiftory of theíe holy W o m e n , who
were judg'd worthy to b é the firft Witneífes of
the greateft Myftery of our Faith, t r ó - T h e Reíurre&ion of our L o r d Jefus Chrift.
A n o t h e r y e a r , being at Ventee on Eafter-Day,
I heard a..BenedicJin,tha.t was a Gemusfe by Birth,
who (amongft a great many fooliíh and impertinent Stories) told this that follows, by which
you may judge of the reft: AyoungLadylfúá
he)
being newly Married, did extreamly ajfliB her felf
becaufe her Husband often told her , That he 'could
not Love her fo well as otherwife he would, becauje
¡loe had not black Eyes. Whereupon fie went and
communicated hsr Grief to her Confeffor; the Good
Father, whom fie had chofen tobe the Direílor of
her Confcience^ hade her not to aJJliB her felf, and
thatif fie would but bring him all the fewels
and Great Pieces of Gold, which her Husband keft
very charily in his Clofet, he would by his Prayérs
étain for her of God the favour of having Black
&Jth Ths Lady in the earnefi defre pie had by
X 3
becoming
3io
The Sixth
LET
TE
R
t
hecoming more beautiful ánd pleafing to her Hufband, follow'd her ConfeJJors DireBion, and brought
him the Jewels and Gold , according to his defire :.
But her Htttband miffing them foon afeer and per~
ceiving by the ambiguom and nncertain
Anfivers
of his Wife , that fije mufi be guilty of the Theft,
Beat her mofi outragicufiy; and. to make her Confeti, how fie had difposd of them , made her Black
and Blew all ever with the Stroaks he had given
her. The poor Lady in this pitiful Condition , with
Tears in her Eyes, returned to her Confeffor, to acejuaint hi?n how ill fie had fped with his Advice,
and to Redemand her Jewels ; but the Confeffor
abfolutely refmd to refiore them to her, maintaining,
That now they were his own, according to the Bargain and ConraB ?nade between them; forafmuchas
fine could not deny, but [he hadobtain'dher defire,and
¡rot Black Eyes with a Vengeance, as indeed they
•were with the Stroaks and Bruifes her Husbandhad
given her.
W h a t think yon, S i r ; was n o t this a pretty
Story, to be told from a Pulpit on Ea/ler-Day ?3t being moreover very probable, ¿hat this was
only an i n v e n t e d ' T a l e . T h u s theíe wretched
Monks,inítead of diípenfmg theW o r d of Truth
to the people,ordinarily féed t h e m with nothing
but Lies.
I í u p p o í e , Sir, you will not take it i l l , if I
venture upon another íhort Digreííion,réferring
t o another pleaíant Cuítom obíerv'd in Italy,
•VÍÍC. that of Bleffing Eggs at Eafier,, which are
of great virtue to íánclifie both Soul and Body.
.On Eafier-Eve and Eafter-Pay, all the Heads oí
Fami}
311
Of the Ahufe of Preachingf&Q,
Families fend great Chargers full of hard Eggs
to the C h u r c h , to get thern Bleft, which the
Prielts perform by faying feveral appointed
Prayers, and making great ligas of the Croís
o ver them , and íprinkling them with Holywater.The Prieft having finiíh'd the Ceremony,
demands, h o w m a n y dozen Eggs there be in
every Balón? to the end he may k n o w , h o w m a ny of them carne to his (haré; and íbmetimes
are ib honeft, as t o take three or four out of
every Dozen , eípecially w h e n they know the
perfons that fend them to be wealthy. T h e r e
bo fome of the poorer íbrt, w h o are apt to cry,
when they fee the Prieft take more than his due,
or pick out the faireft or greateft of t h e m .
Theíe bleft Eggs have the virtue of fancüfying
the Entrails of the Body, and are to be the firft
fat or fleíhy Nouriíhaient they take after the
Abñinence of Lent. T h e Italians d a not only
ablíain from Fleíh during Lent, but alio from
Eggs, Cheefe, Butter, and all w h i t e Meats. As
ibón as the Eggs are Bleft, every one carries his
portion home, and cauíeth a large T a b l e to be
íet in the beft R o o m they have in the Houíe,
which they cover with their beft Linnen , all
beftrew'd with Flowers; and place round about
it a dozen Diíhes of Meat, and the great Charger of Eggs i n the midft. 'Tís a very pleafant
fight t o í e e thefe Tables íet forth in the Houíe5
of G r e a t Perfons, where they expofe o n Sideboard Tables (round about the Chamber)all the
Píate they have in che H o u í e , and whatfoever
elfe they have thát is rich and curious,in honour
X 4
to
:
31%
The Sixth
LETTER,
t o their Eañer Eggs, which of themfelves yield
a. very fair í h e w ; for the Shells of them are all
painted with divers Coloursand gilt. Sometimes
there are n o leís than twentyDozen in the fame
C h a r g e r , rieatly íaid together in form of a Pyramid. T h e T a b l e continúes in the íame poíiure cover'd all the Eaííer Week , and all that
come t o V i í i t t h e m w i t h i n t h a t time, are invited
t o e a t a n Eafier Egg withthem,which they muft
ñ o t refuíé.
I return n o w again to my S e r m o n s , upon
w h i c h Subject 1 have this only further to add,
t h a t there is yet another íbrt of Preachers, who
only preach before the Nuns Grates. Thefe are
áinical Preachers, of a fweet Countenance, and
commonly all of them handfom ybung Monks:
F o r except Beauty and Sweetneís d o meet in a
Preacher , the Nuns who have the choice of
t h e m , will have none of him. All the ftudy oí
thefe menis,to íind out pretty Words, and the
moft tender and aífeétionate Expreffions, and
frequently to enlarge themfelves in praife of the
Nuns,to whom they preach. I have heard many
of theíe forts of Preachers, and amongft the
reft a young Monk at Milán , Preacher to the
Benedictin Nuns of the Monaftery call'd the
Magiore. Scarcely could this M o n k fpeak threé
words together witheut fome expreflion of the
high valué and love he had for t h e m : Mywofi
dear and Icuely SiBers,whcm I leve from the deepefi
bottom of my heart,íúá he, which was almoft the
conftant Appendix of every Senrence he utteuh
So that having recollecf ed all his Sermón with.
my
Of the Ahufe of Preachittg,&c.
315
my felf, I found that the upíhot (in a m a n n e r )
of all that he had íaid, was, That he loved them
the moft tenderly and affecljonately that could he.
W h e n once #:Monk has the good hap to becom
a Preaeher to the Nuns, and that he is lik'd of
by t h e m , h e m a y promife himíelf a n h a p p y time
of &$&er' after, and that he íhall ípend the reír
of his days in a yoluptuous delicacy ánd tenderneis : F o r the Nuns have nothing fo much upon
their hearts,as to procure all manner of eaíe t ó
their Direétors and Préachers, t o the end, to
make them the more indulgent towards them.
T h e y allpw them great Penfions every y e a r ;
fhey provide them with Linnen , and furnifh
them with dry and wet Sweet-meats, a n d í e n d
them every dáy a Diíh of what they judge moft
pleafinganddfilicatejwhich they cali the Préachers Dijh. So; that i n d e e d , it is n o diíficult thing
for thefó handlbm Monks to declare from their
Pulpits the extraordinary Love they have for
their tender Nuríes, and to be fo laviíh in their
praiíing of them.
T h i s way of praifing others from the Pulpit,
p u t s m e i n m i n d of another Cuílom the Monks
have incroducdjto praííe one another publick'.y
on certain days of the year,which is comrnoniy
the Feaft of their Eleífed Founders. Thus, for
E x a m p l e , on the Feaft of S.Ignatlus de hoyóla,
Founder of the Order of the Jefmts,thty
make
the Panegyrick of that Saint in all their Chinches ; and after having enlarg'd themíelves in the
praiíe of their Patriarchs, they proceed to that
oí his Children and Diíciplcs, t h a t i s , all thoíe
j 14
The Szxth
L E TTE
R,
t h a t follow his Rule , a n d more particularly of
the Fathers of that Convenr. where the Sermón
is preach'd. But foraímuch as according to the
c o m m o n Provcrb,Prí>/>rá Laus fordet in cre;Thát
it is a bafe thing to praife ones felf; they employ
•a Reiigious of fome other Order to preach in
t h e i r C h u r c h e s o n t h a t D a y . l t is a thing but too
notorious, ' T h a t the Monks do mortally hate
one another;however,the delire of being prais'd
themíelves in their turn,prevailing beyond their
f u t r e d , makes them to undertake theíe otherwiíe unpleafing Panegyricks. T h e Dominicans do
publickly praiíe the Jefuits, and the jefuits the
Dominicans ; and ib for the reít. T h e y all agree,
that theíe are the moft difficult Sermons of all
others, and that rarely one comes off with Credit and Applauíe,partly by reafon of the too infatiable defire of the O n e p a r t y , to be prais'd
beyond meaíüre; and partly becauíe it goes againft the. grain with the Other, to praiíe them
w h i c h makes one in the midft of their Encomiums to diícover í b m e t h i n g o f forcé a n d conftraint, that evidenceth the falíeneís of them.
Indeed , how is it poífible to praiíe thoíe heartily, whoíe Hearts one Vi?ifheth out of their Bo«
dies í
A Cordelier preaching the day of S. Francis
Xavier, in the Church of S.Lucia, belonging to
t h e Father Jefuits of Bononia, praiíed them very
pleafantly, attributing Elogies to t h e m , diametrically oppofite fo their known qualities and
pracFice. Do you fee (faid he) the Keverend Fathers
?¿ejeíüks of this Houfe, they are the bejlmen that
s
Of.the Aluje of ?reaehing,&c.
315"
Uve on the Earth: They are as modeíí as Angels.
They never open their.Eyes, to cafia Look upon the
Ladies at Church: They are fuch extraordinary
Lovers of Retirementthat
one never fees them in
the Streets: They are fo in love with Foverty, • that
they defpife and trample on all the Riches of the
World: They never come near Dying-perfons or
Widows, to importune them to be remembred in their
Lajt Wills:They never concern themfelves in making
up of Marriages : They never go to Complement the
Cardinal-Legat, or the Cardinal-Archhijhop. A n d
in this manner he ran over every particular of
their Beháviour and Conduce. All that were in
the Church laugh'd at this pretty way of C o m mending t h e m the Cordelier had lighted o n ; but
the Jefuits were gall'd to the h e a r t , and put to
the utmoíf confufion.The Cordelier having ended
his Sermón, carne down from the P u l p i t ; a n d
inftead of going to the Jefuits Convent, there to
be Entertain'd , (according to the Cuftom of
Preachers in the like cafe) he went direftly t o
the Gate; it leems,he feared their giving of hirn
the L a í h , and (I íuppofe) that to avoid their
Revenge, he never afterwards would a p p e a r i n
the C i t y Bononia.
This,Sir,is the fubílanceof w h a t l h a d t o w r i t e
to y o u , concerning the manner of Preaching,
and Beháviour of the Preachers in Italy -. I t remanís n o w , that I íhould oppofe t o t h e m t h e
Way of Preaching us'd by our írotejtant Minifiers, and their prófound and íblid S e r m o n s ; but
left you íhould accufe me of being too laviíh in
praiíing m y o w n P a r t y , I íhall at prefent cont ent
316
Tfo
SixthLETTER,&c.'
t e n t m y íelf with tell ing y o u , That they declare
to the People the Word of God, with a great deal of
modefíy and reverence ; and what is the chiefeft of
all, they always keep clofe to the Truth and Purity of
the Gofpel, in the which I delire to live and die.
I wiíh you the fame Grace, and a m , Sir,with all
myheart.
Tour moft humhk
ServantfSc
3*7-
The Seventh L E T T E R .
Of the Froceffions o] Xlaly, & c
s I R,
H
Aving pafled the Lent time at Rome, í depaited thence íbme Wesks after Eafier,
with an intent of returning to France. I took
my J o u r n y through that part of the Great D u k e
of Tufcanfs C o u n t r y , which borders upon the
Patrimony of S.Peter, or the Popes Dominions.
T h e Entrance into the Dukes Territories , is by
11 re de Caphani, which is a very high Mountain,
íürrounded with many great W o o d s , and is a
very proper place for H u n t i n g ; w h e r e I í a w
feveral Cardinals, w h o diverted themíelves at
that Sport. F r o m henee 'tis t w o days J o u r n y to
Sienna ; In my way thither I met with n o t h i n g
but Proceffions all along the Road. 'Tis an ancient Cuftom eíf abliíhed in the Román Church, t o
celébrate frequent Proceííionsafter£<j/?er,which
they cali Rogations,'m order to implore the BleP
fingof G o d upon the Fruits of t h e E a r t h . T h e
Yearwherein I took this Journy, there was a
more preííing need of it t h a n ordihary, becauíc
of the great D r o u g h t which threatned a Scarcity.
A Proceffiot3,a.ccoráing t o t h e definitionof the
Papiíts, is, A walking, or maxch'mg of People from
om
;
The Seventh
L E TTE
R
P
one Church to another,under the conduct of thePrieflsl
affifting with the Crofs and Banner, there to inz>oke .
by the interceffion of fome he or ¡he Saint, the extraordinary afifiance of God. T h e í e ' Proceffións are
íbmetimes t w o or three days a marching before
they c o m e t o the place defign'd; and when they
have once diípatch'd the fmging of their Lita.
#¿«,they play the Fools as much as the Pilgrims
in their PUgrimaging do,according to the account
I have alreadygiven you in a forme r L E T T E R :
So that I wanted n o Divertifement all the way
from the Rede Copbani, till I carne to Sienna,
whither all thefe Proceffións were going. O n l y
I found great inconvenience when I carne to
m y I n h ; becaufe that wherever theíe Proceffións
país,they cátlfe great Scarci'ty, b y reaíbn ofthe
great Numbers that compoíe them. Being come
t o Sienna, I enquir'd w h a t C h u r c h it was to
w h i c h all theíe Devotions were defign'd ; and
was told, T h a t they all went to a Church of our
L a d y , where they had lately uncover'd a miraculous Image of the Virgin ; which was only
d o n e at the end of every Forty years. My Cufioíity invited me to take a view of i t ; but the
T h r o n g o f the People was fo g r e a t , that I had
m u c h a d o t o crowd into the C h u r c h . They
told me, That this thronging Cencourfe hdd alreadf
continued for eight^ days, (for fo long the Image
liad been U n v e i l e d ) and that after eight days
more, it was to be Veiled again with a great deal
of folemnity. I took a n exaét view of this Image,
which was about a Foot broad, and a Foot and
aii half high , the Countenance of it repres
íénting
Of Vtbceffionsj&c.
• 319
fénting that of a very y o u n g G i r l ; neither
could I find any thing extraordinary in i t , for
which it m i g h t feem to deíerve the Adorations
they gave it. I enquir'd of the Priefts that íerv'd
this Church , W h a t might be the Reafon that
this Image was only Unveil'd once in F o r t y
years ? But they could give me n o better than
this, That it had been a Cuftom obferv'd time out
of mind ; and that they believd the firfi Rife of
it -¡vas an Order given by the Virgin her felf for fo
doing.
I have in Italy íeen a van number of theíe
forts of veiled Images; not only of the Virgin,
but alio of the Crucifix,and all other Saints; a n d
I can íay with truth , T h a t there is fcarcely a
C h u r c h to be met with, which hath not two or
three of them. Sometimes w e meet with greaí
Piítures in their Churches, where íeveral Saints
are reprefented, and amongft them one only
having his or her Face veiled, that being the m y fterious Saint. T h e íecret of which Intriegue,as
far a s í could pierce into, by the ule the Priefts
and Monks make of it, is plainly this: T h e y
find this w a y adrairably well íuited to advanee
their T e m p o r a l profit. T h e things we íee every
day, become too c o m m o n with us, and m a k e
little or. no impreffion, by reaíbn of the C u ñ o marinefs of t h e m o n our Imagination. T h e r e
b e í b m e p a r t s of the W o r l d , where they have
fix Months of Night, and fix M o n t h s of D a y ;
fo that their whole Years confifts but of a D a y
and a Night. N o w , we are told, T h a t the ínhabitants of theís Countries,aííemb!e themíelves
m
3¿o
the
Seventh L E ftE
R,
i h crowds, to fee the Sun r i f e ; wheréas in theíe
L a n d s where the Sun riíeth every day,we don't
find People concern themfelves to be preíent at
hisriíing ; and by a parity of Reaíon we m a y
cónclude, T h a t the Images and Statuesof t h e
Church of Rome,
would make n o great imprefíion o n the Minds of the people, o r b e powerful
enough to induce the opening of their Purfeftrings, if the Priefts had not found out this
íngenious invention of making them more r a r e ,
a n d therefore the more defired. Y e a , it feems
alfo, that the long time p f their Veiling, begets
íbmething of a greater veneration for t h e m ,
a n d that »the R o m á n Catholicks i m a g i n , T h a t
w h e n after fo long a time they are uncovered,
they meet with in thoíe Pi£tures,Images,and Statues, fomething more Auguft and Divine than
©rdinary.
,
\ In a w o r d , T h e y do all believe a n d take íc
fór granted, that w h e n theíe are Unveiléd h e r e
o n Earth, the Saints whom they r e p r e í e n t , be- come more liberal i n Heaven, and more favourably inclin'd t o gránt their Vows and Prayers. T h u s you íee whither Superftítion, or rat h e r F o l l y will run, w h e n thoíe w h o o u g h t to
b e the moft Zealous t o overthrow it I mean
t h e C l e r g y , are the chief Contrivers of ways
a n d methods to fofter and encourage it. T h e
profit which from henee accrues to the Priefts
is very g r e a t , as you wiíl be able t o conceive
from what I íhall tell y o u of this our Lady of
Sisma.
7
"
t
Of
ProceJ/tousjfcc.
I ípent nine or ten days in this Gity , and ib
had the leiíüre frequently to viíit this Church of
the Virgin: I confeís,! cannot give you a n exacfc
account of the Preíents I íáw there oífer'd ; a n d
therefore íhall content my íelf to tell you,that I
do not believe any fingle períbn entred theChurch
without giving fomething very considerable.And
to encourage the People the more in their Liberali ty, t o e x c e e d and outftripone another, the
Priefts had the cunning to prepare a placeRail'din with Balifters,near to the Altar of the Virgin;
where they expos'd to view part of the Preíents
the people had oífer'd. Here were to be íeen a
vaft quantity of whole pieces of Cloth and fine
Linnen,Handkerchiefs,Shifts, m a n y rich Jewels,
and in particular, a prodigious number of great
Tapers of white Virgin-Wax, whereof íbme of
them could weigh noleís than ^opoundsapiece,
the leaft of them being about four or five pound
each,with the Ñames of the Donors upon them,
As for the M o n y that was given, I fuppoíe the
Priefts put that into their pockets, parting ic
among themíelves; for tho' the people were coníinually pouring in M o n y into the Baíbns, yet
fome Hours after they were íeen allempty.Some
Spanijh Priefts,that were travelling homewards,
having preíented themíelves to íay Mafs in the
faid ChurchjWhilft they were in theSextry,had
Rings preíented to them by íome of the Country
Gentry,who fuppoíed them to be Priefts belonging to that C h u r c h ; and had defired them,to get
them faftned to íbme particular P i é t u r e ; but
hov conceiv'dit more conveniente to put t h e m
c
Y
htto
3X2.
The Sevenih LETTE
R,
into their o w n pockets,and being got out óf the
C h u r c h , proíecuted their j o u r n y with a great
deal of Chearfulneís for the Booty they h a d fo
happily light o n : One of them íaid merrily,
That he found no J"crupié in himfelf at all, for having committed this lawful piece of Robbery , as
being in much more want than the Image of the
Virgin , who had no need either to eat or drink , as
• he had.
T h e following Sunday, all thelnhabitants of
Sienna and Neighbouring places met together in
different Bodies, according as they were diítinguiíh'd by their T r a d e s a n d Callings-, and all of
t h e m together made a great Proceffion to the
C h u r c h of Our Lady,Qvery Company marching
u n d e r its o w n Croís and Banner, different from
the reít, as under their proper Standard. T h e
Coblers, as being inferior to all the reít,went firft
of a l l ; the Arms pourtray'd on their Banner,
were t w o Awls plac'd Salter-wife: Thefe were
follow'd by the Shoe-makers; and ib all the reít
in their Order. After every Bannerfollowed a
-Man, carrying a great W a x - T a p e r , which was
that of the Company,being all gilt,and adorn'd
with Ribands and Flowers, with a great Scutcheon upon it. Befides which, every Member of
each Society or C o m p a n y (which the.Italian!
cali Scuole) had their o w n T a p e r s of about
three or four pounds apiece. After the Crofs,
Banner, a n d T a p e r , carne a Man in a Surplicc,
carrying a great Purfe, faftned to the E n d o f a
fine great Staíf,curiouíÍy giltand painted,which
eontaind' the Surn of Mony that each Company
wer«
Of Proce£¡éns,6>cc.
313
Were t o preíent to the Image of the Virgin '
Some of thefe had ábout ten Crown apiece i ti
them, and others t w e n t y , moré orléis, a c c o r d ing to the Ability of each Profeffion. In t h e
Purfe belonging to the c o m p a n y of Merchants,
there were at leáft two H u n d r e d Crowns , as I
was informed by one of the Merchants t h e m íelves.
All theíe Companies do n o t affift at theíe Trocefjions only in their ordinary Cloaths, as having
over them greát Vefts of Fine Linnen, dy'd of
diiferent C o l o u r s , to diftinguiíh the Companies
one from a n o t h e r ; theíe they have girt about
them with curious Girdles, and upon the Breaft
or Antis, the Device or Scutcheon df their Soc i e t y ; and have befides a great Cowl, hanging
down on their Backs. After tile Company of
Merchants, follow'd all the Religious Orders that
are in that City or Neiglibouring places, "which
are very numerous: T h e y marched according
to their Antiquity or Standing in the City.
'Tis on fuch oecáfions as theíe one may be
üiverted with the moft pleaíant variery of extravagartt Drelfes, that can be imagin'd : Some
are dreft in Grey, others in Brown, and others
again in Black, & c and all with their Frocks
and Cow'ls lhap'd indifferent faíhions,the pattern of moft of which they pretend to have
teceiv'd from no meaner a hand than that of
the Virgin, dr even G o d himíelf. Every one of
theíe Religious Orders went under their own
Croíü and Banner, the difference only wás, that
íheir Banners w'éré not follow'd by either T a p e r
y %
of
314
7 7 <? Seventb LE1T
E R,
or Purléjthey leaving that Ceremony to theSeculars;as being very well pleas'd tofee thern bring
plentifully to their Churches,and are not wanting to encourage them thereto,by all the devices
a n d ways imaginable; but asforthem,they take
fpecial care the Seculars íhall never be a Farthing the better for them.
I t would be an eaíie matter one would think,
for theííalian s to reflecf alittleontheíe praótices,
if once they were willing ; but that is it which
puts out their E y e s , that they are unwilling to
diícover the Cheat. For to fpeak the truth, Sir,
w h a t does hinder thefe Monks, that are ib rich,
and moft of which have greatRevenues belonging tó them, which they fo prodigally fpend at
T a v e r n s and Bawdy~Houfes:What hindersthem
(íay I ) from making up a Puríe amongft themíelves, as well as the Seculars, and to be at the
charge of a great T a p e r to preíent tp the Virgin,
ars well as t h e y ; but that they d o not find them. feives in the humor,tofurniíh other Priefts with
Mony,as knowing but too well,hów they ufe to
ípend it ? A n d yet, if the poor Seculars íhould
entertain the fame thoughts of them,they would
at the T r i b u n a l of their Confeflion , condemu
íiich Refiecl;ions of great Impiety ánd Sacriledge.
After the Monks,or Regular Clergy,follow'd
the Secular Clergy, viz,. the Priefts,Curates,and
C a n o n s , w h o all appecr'd likewiíe with empty
H a n d s . T h e Cardinal-Archbiíhop was íbmewhat
indiípoíed, w h o ( i f he had been there)I am fure
h e wouldiikeall the reft,have affifted at the Ceremony without either Purfe o r T a p e r B o t h thefe
Orders
t
Of Proceffionsfkc.
32 j
Ordcrs of the Clergy were followed by the Magiftrates of the C i t y , and the Officers of Juftice,
all iñ their Robes of Ceremony, with their T a pers and Puríes. A n d laít of all, the whole P r o ceífion wasconcluded with a company of young
Gentlemen and Sword-men.
T h i s Proeeflion marehed on towards the
Church of our Lady in very good order, at the
íbund of T r u m p e t s and Drums, and the Air refounding with with continual Ora pro nobps. All
their Wax-Tapers and Puríes were left in the
C h u r c h in the hands of the Priefts, by which
you may gueís the great Advantage they m a k e
of theíe Pageantries. For (as the Spaniard faid
very well) the Image docs not fiand in need either
of Meat or Drink, and none'hut Men can make ufe
of the Mony, and other Prefents offerd to it.
T w o or three days after, as Children pleaíe
themfelves in imitating the praétices of their
Elders, the Boys and Girls of the T o w n aífembled themíelves in Companies.TheSchool-Boys
and y o u n g Girls got their Maíters and Miítreffes
tocondü(3; them toOurLadies Church.ThQy made
Puríes of about t w o or three Crowns apiece ;
ib that about two days after the Great Proceffion,one could ícarcely walk through the Streets
of Sienna ; for the Bóys had got great Coi ds,
which they held at both ends, ítretch'd out,. to
make a l l t h o l e that had a mind to pafs, to give
lbmewhat to make up their Puríes. Afrerwards
they provided themfelves with W a x - T a p e r s ,
little Croífes and Banners, and ib went by way
ofProceíEon to the C h u r c h ; where thePrieíts
Y
gas-e
3
32,6"
The Seventh LETTE
R,
gave t h e m a very kind recepción, weeping for
very J o y , to íee ib good Beginnings in íuch
tender and young years.
T h e Sixth Day they covered the I m a g e with
a p o m p and magnificence altogether extraordinary;at which time there was a great Concouríe
of rthe Nobility and Gentry of the City and
Ciountry. T h e Conñuence was íbextraordiñary,
t h a t they were forced to fet a G u a r d at the
Doors of the Church, w h o íüffer'd none to enter,
but períbns of A p p e a r a n c e a n d Quality. I heard
a n Oíd Geritleman , w h o with a great íeníe of
Devotion bleífed G o d with a loud Voice , That
he had vouchfafed him the happinefs of having feen
the fame Miraculous Image two and Twenty times
unwver*-d during his Life time. I was fomewhat
íurpriz'd at this Expreflion of his; for had it
been true, that the Image (as was íaid) had not
bepn uncover'd more than once in Forty years,
it muft have follow'd, that at that rate this
Gentlemanmuft.be mqreAged than Methufalem.
But I was inform'd afterwards, T h a t there feldo,m pafled a Year, wherein (upon fome emergency or other of publick need requiring it) the
íaid Image was n o t uncover'd. T h i s gave me a
full N o t i o n of the Cunning of theíe Priefts,who
fo procure the Vogue and Devotion of the
People for í b m e of their Images, d o Veil them
w i t h a l , declaring t h e m t o be Miraculous,
a n d íb tranícendently Holy, that itis not lawful
t o expoíe them to publick and c o m m o n View,
m o r e t h a n once in feveral Years time, except
ít be upon í b m e extraordinary emergent Necef-
Of Proceffi&nsfkc
%%y
fity: A n d 5 et,as íbon as they fee that their D e vice has taken, that the Devotion of the People
is kindled, and that their Profits are fure, they
have not the patience themíelves to ftay out the
time of their o w n prefixing,before they diícover
theíe their Lucriferous Myfteries; but they Íay
holdof the opportunity of the firft D r o u g h t , o r
W e t Seaíbn; and declare,That Neceffity having
n o L a w ; the Fruits of the Earth being in great
danger, they are forc'd to uncover the I m a g e
íboner than they had defign'd.
A n d thus an Iraage,or Statue,which according
to the firft Inftitution was n o t to be expos'd
more than once inForty years,is íet forth almoft
every Year. W h i c h proceeding of theirs is fo
far from being íiiípe&ed by the deluded Laity,
that it gains them a great deal of Reputation,
and the Efteem of very good and honeft M e n ,
full of Compaffion, and extreamly defirous to
obviate and prevent • (as far as in them lies) all
publidk Calamities. T h e Monks -and Priefts d o
bothof t h e m perfeéHy well agreeand harmoniz®
in this p o i n t ; for they have all of them íbme
hidden Idol or other in their Chinches, which
they uncover at certainlntcrvalsof T i m e , e a c h
in their due'order,without interferino; or claíhing
one with another,playlng Hodie mibi, eras ubi.
I n thoíe Monafterieswhere theAbbots,Priors,
and Guardians are Triennial,they have, taken up
the Cuftom of vouchlañng this Favour to the
Publick, at their firft A r r i v a l i n the Monaítery,
and this commonly either by expofingthe Holy
Sacrament for three days together, or by unY 4
covering
3x8
The Seventh
LETTER,
covering íbme miraculous Image or other. Neither doth the Idol lóíe a whit of credit or repute
for all this,becauíe it is look'd upon as a n extraordinary Occafion , and ceafeth not to país in
t h e Minds of the people for a Myftery not to be
expos'd, but once in íuch an interval of years.
T h i s was the rare Shew I was entertain'd with
at Sienna , which at preíent is one of the moft
Superítitious Cities that is in all Italj,a.ná is comm o n l y called by way of Prerogative and Excellence, Sienna the Devout. T h i s City alfo is very
famous for the Purity of her Language,the beít
Italian without c o n t r a d i d i o n being fpoken here.
After that I had vifited all the places of Devotion t h a t are in i t , I proíecuted my Journy,
a n d pafíing a fecond time through Tufcany and
Florence, after t w o great days Journy I carne to
Bononia, which is a very fine C i t y . Formerly
this place was a C o m m o n w e a l t h ; but at preíent
the Popes have reduc'd it to their Qbedience,
a n d have a Legatthere,who cpmmands in their
Ñ a m e . O n the great Gate of the Legate's Palace , which is a very ancient S t r u í t u r e , is a
Statue of Stone, repreíenting a W o m a n with a
Tiara, or Triple Papal C r o w n upon her Head.
T h e y of Bononia fay,This Figure repreíents Religión ; but it íeenis with more probability to be a
Statue of Pope Joan: For that it is not the form e r appears from henee, becauíe the principal
M a r k s with which the Papifts íet forth Religión
are wanting in this Statue, viz,.& Crofs'm the one
hand, and a Chchce with the Hofi in the other.
T w o days after my arrival at Bononia , I went
'
'
"
to
1
Of ProceJfíóxs,&c.
32,9
to take a view of the fair and renowned A b b y
of S.Michael in Bojeo, fituate on a pleaíant Hill,
about t w o Mufquet-fhot from the City. I t feems
to have been plac'd on that Eminence , to be
feen and admir'd by all Italy. Above all other
places, this is peculiarly famous for the curious
Paintings that embeliíh it, Carache,Guido Rhenm,
and m a n y other famous Painters íeeming t o
have depofited in this Building íhe whole curio-,,
fity and perfección of their A r t , to make it the
more recommendable toPofterity.TheReligious
that dwell here are Olivetan-Monks; they profefs
the Rule of S.Bennet, and are habited in White,
As I was táking a view of the painting of the
Grotto's, or of the firft Cloifter, which is buik
with right Angles,the Abbot t a k i n g a walk after
Dinner with fbme of his Religious,by a n e x t r a prdinary piece of Civility drew near to me,and
took the pains himíelf to explain t o m e the Pí¿tures, which repreíent íbme very conliderablc
particülarities o f t h e Life of their Legiflator
S.Bennet. After which he conduéted me to their
Library, which is all curiouíly painted, and furniíhed with very good and fairly boundBooks,
and cerrainly is one of the neateft I have feen
in Italy.Wheve being entred into Diícouríe concerning íbme of thoíe Books, the Abbot made
a proíier to me of ftaying in the faid Abby, and
teaching Humanity and Rketorick to his Religious;
telling me, That if I thought good to accept of it,
I fliould be Entertaind at his own Table, and enfiy
a very cempetent Allowance. T h o ' at this time I
had n o defignof ítaying in / r ^ a n d . t h a t í was
now
33©
The Seventh LETTE
R,
now aófually engag'd in m y Journy for France;
y e t this occafion íbfavourably preiéntingit íelf,
and meeting with a ftrong Inclination in me,to
acquire a further perfe&ion in the ItalianTongue,
after t w o or three Days reípit I had defir'd of
the Abbot, to confider of it, I accepted of his
Oífers.He appointed me a very good Salary,and
aílign'd me twelve of his young Mohks for my
P u p i k T h e y were almpfl all of them either Earls
or Marquelíes; for theíe Fathers receive nohe
into their Society, but perfons of the higheft
Quality. I continued t w o whole years in this
E m p l o y m e n t ; during which time I receiv'd a
T h o u í a n d marks of Kindneís and Civility from
m y young Reiigious Scholars, bebdes the continual Experience I had of the bounty and generoíity of the Noble Prelat.
Y o u cannot doubt, Sir,but that by this means
I had the faireít Opportunity I could wiíh for,
t o penétrate all the Secretsof Monkery, for they
kept nothing from m e ; a n d t h o ' I was not one
of them, yet I iiv'd and continually Convers'd
with them,neither was a n y thing hid from me.
Wherefore I m a y íay, without boafling, That
I can fpeak of t h e Monaftick-way of Living
upon good g r o u n d s , which I intend to do in
m y next L E T T E R to you. As for this I have
n o w i n h a n d , as I have already b e g u n i t , with
giving you íbmeaccount of the M a n n e r of their
''jProcefwns , fo I intend to proíecute the íame
SubjecT:; and the rather, becauíe I find here in
thís City Matter efiough to ftuff it out, and fuch
as is very curious too ; and therefore hope, that
Of ?rocetftotts,!kc.
331
the Recital I íhall make of it, will not p r o v
unacceptable or tedious to youd íhall begin with
the Frocefwns which are celebrated during the
Oblai/ei or Week of the Holy Sacrament in the
City of Boncnia : T h e Feaft of the Holy Sacrament having been inftituted on purpoíe, to make
the HoB to Triumpb , as the Papifts fay , they
omir nothing that may render that Day,and the
Week followingjthe moft pompous and íblemn
that may be. T h e y make m a n y fine Vrocejfíons,
and carry the Confecrated fíúf?(which,they íay,
is t h e L i v i n g Body of our Saviour Jefus Chrift)
through their Streets, w i t h very magnificent
Shews and Ceremonies.
I n France, it is the Cuftom on this occaíion,to
adorn the Fronts of Houfes with curious T a p e ítries,and to ftrew the Streets with Flowers and
fveet fmelling Herbs; T h e y ereét Oratories, or.
Repofitories*(as they cali t h e m ) at certain diífances, there to repofe the Holy Sacrament, asif
it were very weary with the M a r c h it had taken.
They drefs up abundarice of Little Children
like Angelsj to ftrew Flowers in the W a y before
it,and to Inceiife it: A n d in a word,they make
a Thoufand Idolatrous Proftrations and Adorations to it. I n Germany they adorn all their
Streets with the Branches of T r e e s on both
fides of them,by this means turning their Cities
into Parks, or Forefts, or rather into fine G a r dens, whereof every Street repreíents. a loíig
VValk, as far as one could íee, all fet with T r e e s
and Verdure. But Italy being the moft ingenious
pf them all, as well as the moft Superftitious,
does
e
33^
The Sev-enth LETTE
R&c,
does by many degrees excel all other Nations
that profeís the Román Catholick Religión ; and
the C i t y Bononia exceeds the reír of Italy, in
h e r famous celebration of the Ocjave of the Holy
Sacrament.
Beíides the great General ProceJJioa which is
m a d e throughout that City , the Thurfday after
Trinity Sunday (which is the D a y appointed for
their Feaft) at which all the Clergy,both Regular and Secular, with all the Magiftrates of the
C i t y do aífift; there are every year three Pariíhes appointed to furniíh and make the preparatives for the Oclave ; and having diícharged
their T u r n , they are quit of that Expence for
twelve or fourteen years after, until all the reír
have had theirs; this baing a very chargeable
Office. About a f o r t n i g h t o r three weeks before
t h e Feaft, they barricado all the Entries of the
'Streets of thoíe Pariíhes, to hinder Fforfes and
Carts from paífing that way, that the Workmen
m a y apply themielves to their work without
difturbance. T h e chief W o r k , and that which
is moft.painful, and takes up moft time, \s, to cover all the Streets and Walls with Veils of Silk,
which are the Maniüa¿tory of that City,and to
form them into Figures and Hiftories.The feveral Pariíhes, when their turn comes-, ftrive to
outvy one another in fome n e w Invention or
other. Some with theíe little Veils re preíent all
manner of Birds, others all Four-footed Beaíís,
infomuch that a m a n cannot fo much as imagine any whole Figure is not to be found there.
Others endeavour to repreíent in the íaid iilken
-
Figures,
Of Procefftonsjkci
335
Figures, Húntings, Battels, Triumphs, and in a
w o r d , an infinite V.ariety of things extreamly
pleafing to the Eye. Moreover, they expofe to
publick view in the Streets, all the moft curious
Pi£tures which the Inhabitants of thoíe Pariíhes
are Mafters of, not excepting the^rofane ones
themíelves; amongft which are to be íeen m a n y
infamous naked PicFuresandGroteíques,to cauíe
Laughter.
T h e Bononians are extreamly curious in Piétures; all their Cloféts.,Haíls,and Chambersare
full hung with t h e m ; and foraímuch as they
expofe them to publick view at this time, T r a vellersmeet with the facisfa&ionof feeing very
ra re and Curious Pieces of Art. O v e r and above
all this,Altars are ere¿tedalmoft in every córner
of the Streets,fet forth and adorn'd with Statues,
Images,and Veffelsof Gold and Silver;and upon
every Altar there is always a repreíentation to
the Life of fome Myftery of our Religión, o r
of lome Saint. T h e Houfes of the great Lords
of "thoíe Pariíhes that furniíh the O r n a m e n t o f
the Feaft, are open t o a l l : As long as this Feaft
laitsjthey take care to adorn their Chambers the
moft íiimptuóuíly they c a n , and to expofe all
•their Riches to v i e w : T h e r e be lome of t h e m
fo fplendid and l i b e r a l , to beftow cooling Liquors, called 5or¿fíí;",upon.all comers,or at leaft
upon all períbns w h o a p p e a m e v e r ib little confiderable; a n d in their Courts or Gardens,they
have Fountains R u n n i n g with VVine in great
abundance for the Common People.
AJÍ
334
Seventh L E TTE
i?,
All things being thns prepared, the Proceffioñ
begins : T h i s i s a W o r k o n which the Priefts exhauft their Jnvention, and rack their Brain, to
bringforth fomethingnew and unlook'd for,that
m a y pleaíe the Spe¿tators.They dreíi up a great
many Little Children like Angels, with Wings at
their B a c k s ; they make verylively Repreíentations of all the Figures a n d T y p e s mention'diri
the Oíd T e i t a m e n t , which they conceive did
prefigure their HolySacrament; as Abraharris Sacrificing his Son Ifaac, the Offering of Melchifedeck, the Shew-Bread, the Pajchal Lamb,&c.They
reprefent all the Prophets and Sibyls, that have
Prophecied of our Savíour: A n d laft of all,they
m a k e a Íhew of the BleJJ'ed Virgin, the Twelvé
Apoftles, and our Saviour.who follows them with
a Loaf in his.Hand, asif he were about to break
it, as he did at t h e Celebration of his Holy Supper. Befides thefe,they alfo give us the Repreíentatíons of m a n y of their H e and Shee Saints,
which were moft devoted to the H o l y Sacram e n t ; as S. Thomas Aquinas, $• Anthony of Padua,
S.Rofe oíViterbo,&t. All theíe "they reprefent not
' i n Figures to the Life,but Living Figures,that is,
y o u n g B o y s a n d Girls, chufing the prettieft and
handíbmeft they can meet with. Above all, I
took notice of m a n y Liftle S. John Baptifís amongft t h e m . T o reprefent theíe S.John Baptifis,
they take Little Children of four or five Years
of Áge,ftrip t h e m ftark Naked, and put nothing
upon t h e m befidesa Colour'dRiband,which like
a Belt reacheth from their Right Shoulder to
their Left Thigb,' fo as it doth not hinder their
Nakecf
Of ProceJJionsj&ct.
335-
Nakednefs from being expos'd to publick V i e w
Itis not now only,that the Italians are accus'd of
equally loving both Sexes;fo that n o Body needs
to be íürpriz'd at their having ib great Devotion to thefe Little S.Johns:,oí whom I very well
remember, I counted n o lefs than T w e n t y in
one Procejfwn following one another. I n o n e
Hand they hold a great C r o í s , m a d e of Reed,
and very l i g h t ; a n d with the other,they lead a
little L a m b in a String. After all this Pageantry,
follow the Priefts in magnificent H a b i t s , and
next to them follows the Holy Sacrament, which
is carried under a rich Canopy,íiirrounded with
an infinite number of young Eoys and Girls, attir'd like Angels,who all the W a y ftrew Flowers
before it. N e a r to the Ganopy there is always
an excellent Company of Muficians, who fing
H y m n s a n d S o n g s o f the Holy Sacrament, being
thoíe the Church of Rome has compos'd fince
the Council of Trent, in honour of it. T h e Canopy is follow'd by the Principal. M e n of the
Parilh; a n d after them , to íhut up a l l , a valí:
crowdof People of all íbrts, I n this m a n n e r t h e y
Walk our Lord (to ufe their o w n Expreffion)
throughout all the Streets of the Pariíh ; but
yet ib, asto give him leave t o repoíe himíelf a t
the E n d of every S t r e e t , o n the Altars erecied
for that purpoíe.
W h e n the Proceflion isended, they d o not for
all that take away the A d o r n i n g of their Streets,
but leave them w h o l e a n d e n t i r e for many d a y s ;
to give the Citizens leave to view t h e m at their
Heíiire, and to walk the fame Round the P r o ce ffion
?
3 36
The Seventh
LETTER,
ceffion took; for in ib doing they believe they
íhall merit much , añd o'btain great Indulgences. Aíl the Sb'trries of the Legat and Archbiíhop, d o guard all theíe Pageantsall Night, to
preventtheftealing of them. And it is chiefly
at Night, that the Gentlemen and Ladies of the
T o w n walk abroad to take a view of them, becauíe then they make the hneít S h e w ; all the
Streets being illuminated with a van number of
white W a x - T a p e r s , fet thick in every córner,
which very much exalt the fplendo'r of thoíe
rich á n d pompous Ornaments, H e r e it is they
court their Miltreífes, make Áffignations, and
diípatch Notes to one another, a n d i n the end,
always íbme miíerabíe W r e t c h or other is left a
cold Viátim on the ground to the Revenge of
his Enemies,ortheJealouíie of his Rivals. All the
Ladies of pleafure, i n a parncular manner,never
failof coming thither towards Evening , where
they continué till they have got their prey. In a
word,it appears that the moft innocent are thoíe,
•who repair thither only to fatisfie theirEyes,or
pleaíe their Curiofity ; for as for Devocion,there
is not fo much as the leaft íhadow óf it to be
difcern'd amongft them. T h u s are thefe fine
g a w d y Feaftsjinftítuted p n purpoíe t o confound
t h e Proteftants, within a íhort time, by a juft
J u d g m e n t of G o d , become the íhame and confuíion of Papifts themíelves; and I have reafon
t o fear,that our Lord Jefus will tell t h e m t o their
faces, at that Great Day in which he will come
to judge both the Qtúck and the D e a d , that his
Soul has abhorr'd their Feafts,and that their Jnceníe
Of
Pr/cejfionsfkc.
3)7
cenfe has beem an Abominación unto him ; be"
cauíe inftead of advancing his Glory by them,
as they íeem to pretend, they have only endeavour'd to fatisfie their own Curiofity , Vanity,
and infamous Luífs.
I have been a Speítator of many other Proafwns, m a d e in honour of the H o l y Sacrament
at Venke,Milan-¡ and other parts of Italy;. but I
will not take up time to give you the particulars
of them , becauíe they generally are the fame
thing over again; except only,that their Adorn•ings of the Streets are not ib c u r i o u s , neither
continué ib long a time as thoíe at Bononia.1 cannot find that the Priefts reap any great Benefit
-from theíe Broceffionsfxx on the contrary are at
the Charges of Adorning their Churches and
Altars: But howevcr, they hereby gain much
credit and repute to their Priefthood and MaJJés;
and they a p p e a r a t t h e m with fomuch Majefty,
and dreft with fuch pompous O r n a m e n t s and
Habiliments, that it makes the People conceive
a greater Veneration for their Perfons.However,
they know very well how to repay themfelves
this Charge they are at, upon other Occafions:
'Tis but Unveiling one of their Miraculous Images, when tjiey have a mind to Reimburíe themíelves, double and treble. And probably 'tis for
,this very reafon,that at BononiaQa. íh.ort time after
iliQOÜa'ue of theHoly Sacrament)they malee thát
great Ceremony and Proceffion of our Lady of
§-Lttke. T o give you fome Idea of it, I íhall tell
you,that about five Miles from Bononia, upon a n
high Hill called the Mount de la Guardias, ftands
•Z
*
358
íhe Seventh
LÉÍTER,
a Church ,whereinis k e p t a n Image of the Virgin,
which the Papifts tell us was painted by S.Luke
himfelf.The Priefts have ib beftirrM themíelves,
as to perfúade the Magiftrates to put the City
under her protección , givihg her the Title of
Their Patronefs and Confervatrix ; Patraña & Confervatrix Bononia. T h e y have cauíed a C o i n to
be ftamptin honour of h e r , which o n t h e one
fide bears the Repreíentation of the I m a g e pretendedly painted by S.Luke; and on the Reverle
t h e A r m s o f theCity,which piece of M o n y they
cali uMadonnin. T h e Magiftrates have made a
V o w , t o go and fetch this I m a g e every year,and
carry it in Proceffion : T h e y bring it from Mount
de la Guardia to their T o w n , t o the end íhe may
blefs its Inhabitants.
M a n y days before this Solemnity great Preparations are m a d e t o fetch her off in triumpli.
Having got her into the C i t y , they make her
ftay their 8 D a y s , during which time they remove her t o t w o or three Churches, w h e r e the
People flock in throngs to vifit her , and offer
preat Preíents, all which accrueto the profitof
t h e Priefts of thoíe Churches. After that they
have íufficiently idoliz'd this I m a g e , or Piéture,
they oblige her to give her Bleffing to all the
People. T o this purpoíe they faften the Piócure
t o great Staves or Poles,fupported by M e n ; and
lifting it up o n high, they make it b o w and incline towards the People, as if íhe faluted them;
T h i s done, they lift her up a little h i g h e r , ana
incline her downwards again;and then ftoop her
d o w n towards the Right and Left that ib íte
3
3
Of ProceJ¡o%s,{kcl
J39
m a y make the fign of the Croís over áll the People that are prefent; and this, fórfodth , is her
Bleffing of t h e P e o p l e . T o receive thisBenedi¿tión with the greater Reverence,all thePeople are
d o w n upon their Knees,with their Faces bow'd
d o w n t ó the ground. All this while t h e T r u m p e t s
and D r u m s d o wonders. A n d after this C e r e mony is over,íhe is conduéted back again,in the
fame Proceffional w a y , to the place of her a»
bode, where fhe continúes all the year after, excepting fome publick Calamity oblige t h e M a g i ftrates to permit the bringing of her extraordinarily to the City in Proceffion; for in that cale,
they believe fhe will not fail of redreííing all the
Evils they can lye under. Every Saturday there is
a vaft concourfe of People comes to this I m a g e
from the C i t y of Bononia^and adjoyning places.
T o make the W a y more commodious for thoíe
devout Pilgrims, the Bor.onians have undertaken
to make a cóvered-way , which begins at t h e
Gate of the City, and is intended to be carried
on to that of the Church, where the I m a g e reíides.Above half of thisWay was already finiíht^
when I was there. T h e whole is compos'd of
great Portico's of Brick, "very large and high
Rooft, the Roofs being all eurioufly painted;and
the bottom is paved very neatly with great
íquare Bricks. W h e n this Portal is once finifh'd^
it will be one of the moft curious pieces of
Workmanfhip that isinall Italy Many particular
gobiernen have fignaliz'd their Zeal for carrying on of this Work,having each of them m a d e
feveral Arehes of it at their own C h a r g e s , o n
% %
'
which
340
TIe Seventh LÉíT
BR,
w h i c h they have cauíed thei r Arras to bepainted¿
But in the mean time, t h o ' this W o r k be already
fo far advánced , yet íbme are afraid they íhall
never fee it brought to perfection ; becauíe the
remaining part is-the moft difficult tó compaís,
a n d will coft much.more than w h a t is already
d o n e ; for this Portal is now to be cárried on up
the Mountain , till it reach the Church of Our
Lady, on the T o p of i t ; and to this end they
muft be oblig'd to dig very deep , to find firm
G r o u n d whereon to lay a folid Foundation. A
good Cúrate perceiving , that the Devotion of
contributing to this vaftExpence began to grow
cold, found out a very ingenious way t o excite
the drowzy and lethargicCharities of the Peo' ple,making ule of the following Device:
P
H e acquainted his Pariíhioners , That hefeh
himfelf. infpir'd by the Virgin, to make a TroceJJion
to the Miraculous Image -with Twel<ve Wagons
haden with Materials for carrying on tbisSírucfure;
he defired them tofiew their 'Zeal in contributing to
fo good a Work 5 and that for his part ¡he would take
care to range the TroceJJion in order, aczording to the
Model the Virgin had been pleafed to give him of' it
in a Dream.Vús Pariíhioners very pun<5tually executed the Orders he had given thémdading four
Wagons withBricks, four with Lime, and four
with Sand. T h e Cúrateíeeing their forwardneís,
íent every where for Flowers and fweet Herbá
t o cover the Wagons, and to make Garlands for
the Oxen that drew t h e m ; he got their Floras
and Hoofs t o b e gilt, and fet himíelf at the Head
of this Convoyswith a Croís and Banner,having
pro»
Of Proceffións &c.
}
341
procur'd íeveral young Girls with Timbréis in
their Hands to play upon t h e m , and D a n c e a»,
bout the Wagons, as David did before the Ark.
In this Equipage he pafs'd through all the Street?
of the City. H e had the Approbation of the
Italians, w h o are much delighted with n e w a n d
well-contriv'd Inventions,and eípecially whereia
Wornen or Girls come to play their parts. T h e
good fuccefs this Cúrate met w i t h j befides t h e
general Approbation, put all his Brethren upon
doing'fomething in i m i t a t i o n o f h i m , a n d , í f
pbffible,to go beyond him. So that about a Fortnight after there was to be feen a general Procelíion of all the Pariíhes, with above z o o Wa*
gonsloaden with Bricks, Lime,and Sand,drawn
by O x e n with gilded Horns.I never faw a more
extravagant Proceffion than this was,nor a more
pleafant one.The march advanced in very good
order,with Crolfes,Banners,Prieíts,and the Girls
that D a n c e d , towards our Lady of SrLiíke, and
help'd to build a great part of that Portal. As
foon as it is finiíhed, they will be able to go ( a t
all Seaíbns, and in all Weathers ) from Bononia
to the place of D e v o t i o n , without wetting or
dirting themíelves, any more than if they were
in their own Houfes.
#•
But that I may not wander too far from my
,Subje¿t oíProceJjions,! íhall further acquaint you,
That the Monks do far excel the Priefts in their
ínvention o n theíe Occafions. T h e r e is ícarely
an H o l i d a y o r Sunday paíleth over their heads,
without íbme Proceffion or other made in their
Monafteries. T h e Domimcans make a Proceffion
ZLof
3
The Seventh L E TT E R,
of the Rofary every firft Sunday of the Month ,
and the íecond Sundays the Carntelites make one
ín h o n o u r of t h e Scapulary; the third Sundays,'
t h e Soccolanti celébrate a Proceffion in honour of
S.Anthony of Padua. ' T i s in thefe Monkiíh P r o ceflions that all is put in pra&ice, wherewith
Lewdneís and Vanity are capable of infpiring
t h e moft looíe and eífeminate Souls; ib far are
t h e y from being Religious, and fitted for Devotion, as they pretend them t o be. By the fmall,
tafte I íhall here give you of them , you may
be able to judgeof all the reft. I íhall begin with
a Proceffion of the Rofary, which I íaw ntVenke,
m a d e by the Dominicans of Can ello, which was
prder'd in this m a n n e r :
N e x t after the Croís and Banner, went about
á o r 3 H u n d r e d little Children,dreft likeAngels„
and others like little he or íhe Saints amongft
w h i c h they did not forget to place a good number of little S.John Baptifis:Tb.QÍQ were follow'd
b y thirty or forty young W o m e n , repreíenting
i b many Saints of their Sex.One of them reprelented S.Apollina;md to diftinguiíh her from the
reft, íhe carried in her hand a Bafon gilt and
enamel'd,in v^hich there were T e e t h ; another
repreíented S X » « ^ , a n d carried in a Baíontwo
E y e s ; a third S.Agr,es,who carried in her Arms
a living L a m b ; and fo of the reft, every one of
t h e m being Characf erized by their Marks of
diftin£tion.There were íbme of them t h a t were
prepar'd o n purpoíe to make people l a u g h , and
above all the reft, a Saint Gewvieve, w h o had a
üghted W a x - T a p e r in one h a n d and in the
other
5
3
Of Ifrocefiansfiic
343
other a Book wherein íhe read,or at leaft ¡nada
íhew of doing fo; and round about her there
were íeven or eight young Boys dreft like Devils,
all over black as a C o a l , with great long Tails,
and very extravagant and ridiculous Countenances, and great Horns on their H e a d s ; theíe
skipped about the Saint, and made a thouíand
ridiculous poftures, Apiíh tricksand faces, to endeavour to diftra¿t and divert her from reading
of hQrBwüiaryAyy making of her laugh.The M a i - .
den w h o a¿ted the períbnage of this Saint, had
been choíen by them on purpofe of a Melanchcc
ly temperament,who accordingly a¿ted her part
very w e l l ; (he always kept her Eyes fix'd on her
üíí«r/,without giving the leaft íhew of a Smile;
tho' all the Spe¿fcators thac were preíent could
not contain themíelves from burfting out into
taud Laughter,tolee the ridiculous poftures thoíe
little Devils put themfelves into, and who were
certainly moft impudent and pickel'd Y o u t h s ;
foraímuch as m a n y times they m a d e a íhew óf
taking up her Coats.This Saint was followed by
another, as fie to make the people laugh as the
former ; this was a S.Catherine oYSienna,who had
by her íide a pretty little Boy, with a Broom irst
one hand, and a pair of Bellows in the other ;
for they hold, that this Saint ( w h o was a Reiigious of the Dominica?) Order)had fo great a Familiarity with the Child Jefes, that that Divine
Infantjtoealeher when íhe was weary,frequently
carne and fwept her Chamber, and kindled her
Fire. After thefe good íhe Saints carne all thoíe
whom they cali F/£&w,comprehending all thofe
.
Z
Holy
4
3
44
Me Seventh
LETTER,
Holy W o m e n , w h o accordlng t o t h e m did reprefent the Bleffed Virgin in the O í d T e í t a m e n t ;
t h e y were carried upon Frames on M e n s íhoulders.Amongft the reft there was Jael to be íeen
i n her T e n t , with Si/era lying at her Feet, w h o
was a beaLcIfh! young Youth,dreft in the Garb
of a Warrior, and íhe with a great Nail and
H a m m e r , making íhew as if íhe had been ready
t o piercehis T e m p l e s : After this Figure carne a
Delilah, íittingin an Elbow-Chair with a comly
Y o u t h between h e r k n e e s ; íhe had a pair of
Sciífors in her Hand,as if íhe had been about to
cutoff hisLocks. After thefe appeareth Judith :
T h i s was a fine Figure indeed;for on the Frame
w h e r e íhe was,there were above twenty perfons,
it being the Repreíentation oíjudiths
returnto
Bethultah in triumph with Holofernes his Head,
w h e n the Prieíts and People carne out to meet,
a n d fung a S o n g i n praiíeof her. T h i s Judith
was one of the moft beautiful young W o m e n
of Italy,3.ná verylafciviouíly dreft; round about
h e r (upon the íame F r a m e or Pageant)they had
placed íeveral excellent Muficians, w h o fung
. moft raviftiing Stanza's in honour of her. T h e
folíowing Pageant, as if they had a mind to
oppoíe Defcrmity to Beauty, íupported a good
Oíd Woinan , without a n y T e e t h in her Head,
á n d very deformed; w h o mutter'd íbmething
within her Gums, and repreíented Hannah the
Mother of Samuel. I was aítoniíh'd to íee a Wom a n of her A g e would truft her felf on a Pageant. She was followed by 'many m o r e Pageants,which were in all Eighteeninnumber,with
their
Of Procefffionsjkc.
34^
their different Figures:But I íhall not infift upon
a particular deícription of any more of fhem
that I may not tire you o u t ; and íhall only tell
you, that the laft of them all was the T r u t h of
all thefe Figures,and the Períbn typified,<w&.the
Bleffed Virgin, w h o was repreíented by a very
comly and beautiful M a i d , very richly dreíf,
with a great Royal R o b e ; íheheld a great Rofary or Beadrow i n h e r left Ffand,and i n h e r r i g h t
H a n d a Scepter. She had a rich Crown upon her
Head, fet thick with Pearls and Diamonds.
People ofQuality in Italy take it to be a M e ritorious piece of Service to accommodate the
Saints of both fexes with their richeíf. Jewels,
at theíe Proceífions; which is the r e a í b n , that
very frequently on theíe.Occaíions great Riches
are expos'd to view.
I obíerved, that w h e n this young W q m a n ,
who repreíented the Bleffed Virgin paft by, carr i e d o n a Pageant, n o Body ftírr'd their Hats,no
Body bow'd themíelves or fell d o w n to woríhip
her, or cali upon her; but a little while after,
When the Wooden Image of the Virgin carne
to país by them, (which is the íame that ílands
on the Altar of the Chappel of the Rofary of the
Dominicans of Cafielio) all the People fell d o w n
on their Knees, and beating 'their Breaíts, called
her the Mother of God, and prayed to her. T h e y
made her,at certain diftances, to beítow her'Salutations and Benediítions upon the People, in
the fame manner 1 related toyou, ípeaking of
ó u r L a d y of S^La^eof Bommia a.uú which were
rece!ved by them with a great dea! of Aoknovv?
3
s
34<S
The Seventh L E TTE
R,
l e d g m e n t , as a very great Favour. Having apply'd m y mind to find out the Reaíbn,wby the
Papifts do n o t pay their Adorations to living
Figures , tho' they indeed reprefent the Virgin
m o r e naturally, than a piece of Stone or Wood
can do ; and yet are ib exaít in beftowing them
on their Inanimate Statues: After having fpent
íbme Thoughts upon it, I could not light upon
any other Reaíbn but t h i s , That Human Nature
having a kind of Horrour impreft upon it, of ren*
dring to the Creature a Wor[hip, that is due to G o d
only, all Living Figures, and efpeciaUy thofe of Men
and Women, do morefuüy difcover to the Senfe their
weak dependent Creatural Being, than Inanimate
things do, in which they fuppofe there is fome fecret
adherent Divine virtue. Tho to fpeak the Truth,
this is no other'than the higheft pitch of Folly, and
íhe root and rife of all Idolatry. But I return to
our Proceffion.
T h i s J m a g e of W o o d was carried in the midít
of the Father Dominicans,who were to the number of about an H u n d r e d ; for they having many Convents in Venke, they are ready to affift
one another upon the like Occafions. Nothing
can be imagin'd more looíe and laícivious than
they appear'd in all their D e p o r t m e n t ; they
h a d great Kofaries on their Arms, but there was
n o n e of them that troubled himfelf to íay them
except it were íbme oíd Father amongít them,
that was going out of the W o r l d , and was no
m o r e fit to maka a n y Figure in i t , but all the
reft of them, ftrutted and march'd in the mofi
w a n t o n manner in their fine white Habits. All
2
Of
Troceftoris,&c.
347
the w a y they went they talk'd and laugh'd toge-,
ther, cafting their Eyes this way and that way
on the Ladies that look'd out at the W i n d o w s ,
or ítood in the Streets , to fee the Proceffion
march along.
I d o not think,Sir,it will be neceífary for m e
ío defire you to make íbme Refieótion on theíe
kind of proceedings; becauíe you cannot but
take notice from the Recital I give y o u , w h a t
all thefe Rroceffions aim at. Certainly, they are
at the beft n o better than Entertainments for
Children, or rather ridiculous Farces to pleaíe
Fools;- but which at the íame timeexpofe the
Chriftian Religión t o the reproach and derifion
pf Atheifts and Infidels. Some perfons reported
to me of a truth,that they had overheard íbme
Turkiíh Merchants, w h o were Spe¿bators at this
Proceffion, íaying to one another, Have you ever
fee» the like extravagant Fooleries? And, mufi nst
a man be bereft of hts Senfes , before he can ever be
perfuaded to embrace fuch a Religión ? T h e Papifts
boaft themíelves in t h i s , as an infallible Mark
of the T r u t h of their Religión, That there is no
one Chriftian Society in the World, that take more
pains for the Converfion of .Infidels, and ivho are
bleft with greater fuccefi in that Undertaking, than
themfelves. But íuppoíing all they fay be true,yec
I am íure it may be í a i d , with much m o r e
T r u t h , That there is no Chriñian Church in the
World-, is a greater obftacle to the Converfion of
Infidels, than theirs is; and that for one whom they,
Convert,they hinder a Million from being Converted,
who probably might come to the Light of the Gofpel,
348
The Seventh L E TTE
R,&c.
had they not been Eye-witneffes of the grofs Folly
and Idolatry of their pretended Religious Pratlices:
Tea, they are even found in the ufe of thofe things
which make their own Román Catholicks of Foreign'Countries to Blujh for them,when they are told
of it. T h e Englijh Papifts look upon fuch Relations barely , as Exaggerations and Calumnies
devifed By their Enemies, to blacken them. All
that I can fay to this íbrt of People is, T h a t if
they pleaíe to go to Italy, their o w ñ Eyes will
be able te convince them of more and greater
Extravagances, than thofe I have related to you
in any of my L E T T E R S : T h e very fame Folfies were formerly in Vogue and Pra¿fcice in
Trance; but the light only of the Protefiants that
were mingled amongft them , have made them
drop a good number of them. T h u s by a ípecial
eífeóiof the Goodneís of G o d , the Preíence
only of Proteftants carries a kind of Bleííing
with it, which fecretly reproves and correcls
Vice, confounds Error,, and infpires T r u t h .
I will add to this Proceffion I faw at Venice,
another I have feen at Milán
This was celebrated by"the Carmelites, in honour of tho Little
Scapulary, wherewith I have entertain'd you in
a forrner L E T T E R ; and that I may not trouble
you with Repetitions of the Andéis and Figures,
w h i c h were of the fame kind , as thoíe 1 have
already given you a deícription of; I íhall only
take notice to you of fuch Particulars as were
fingular,
and different in this "Proceffion from
thoíe before related. O n e thing very remarkable in this Proceffion w a s , T h a moft of the
young
Of Troceffiomf&t.
349
young Gentlewomen of the T o w n affifted at it
in their richeft C l o a t h s , and a d o r n ' d with all
their Jewels.They marched four i n a R a n k , w i t h
great white Wax-Tapers in their Hands, and all
the way they went, fung thePíalms a n d H y m n s
to the BleffedVirgin , that are uléd in the Román
Church. T h e W o m e n m Italy are not wont to
Sing in their Churchesdt being forbidden t h e m ,
except thoíe only w h o are of fome Religious
Order. However, the Carmelites made bold to
introduce this piece of N o v e l t y , either to give
themíelves the íátisfaction of being charm'd
with fo many fweet Voices, or at leaft to ñatter
and pleafe the H u m o r of the Milán Gentlemen,
who were extreamly pleas'd with the Device.
T h e y were rang'd on both fides of the Street,
to íee the young Ladies país by, w h o went with
Naked Breafts, and with an Air of Wantonneís,
proper to inípire their Lovers with a Deyorion
indeed, but very different .from what was pretended.
It was about an hour an half in the Night
when the Proceffion began to íet forth, and the
Light of the Wax-Candles and Torches, much
advanced the luftre of the Beauty and Ornaments of this Choice Band. All the Way they
paft, the Streets rung with nothing but, Ay, this
is a fine Sheiv indeed! 0,the lovely Proceffion'.See^
how gracefully the Lady of N- carries her Taper !
What a majefiick and becoming Gate that Lady has ?
O, the charming Voice of this fweet One here.!
Others again moreimpertinent than the former,
eaft out words to them (as they pafs'd by) of a
double
35-o
The Seventh L É TTB
R,
double meaning, which i n t h e midft of fohoíy
a n Exerciíe, as (forfooth) they will needs have
jt to. be, were pregnant ínftances of the profanéis and filth of théir Hearts. After the Ladies,
came the Fathers Carmelites, two and t w o together ; fb that this whole Proceffion was only
compos'd of W o m e n and Monks,with a woode n Image repreíenting the Virgin,which brought
up the Rear , and t o which all the Spe¿tators
paid their Adorations , kneeling d o w n in the
Streets when it paffed b y , to receive its Salutations and Benediétions, which the good Fathers
Carmelites, that bore the Staeue, made her be»
ftow upon the people.
T h e Monks and Priefts pleaíe themíelves extreamly in making ííich like Proceífions in their
íeveral Churches ; becaufe it is upon theíe O c cafions,that they appear w i t h a pomp and luftre,
that dazles the eyes of the people, a n d makes
the limpie imagin they diícern íbmething in
their perfons that is more than H u m a n ; tho'
indeed all this be at the bottom n o more than a
fóoliíh V a n i t y , and a p u r e Illufionof the Spirit
of this World. W e d o n e find them ib zealous
for, and ready to afliftat thoíe Proceífions, that
have ány thing that is painfulannexed to them :'
and at which the L « & í c a n n o t c o n v e n i e n t l y aííift. T h i s is what I obíerv'd at Mtlan,zt the time
of the Rogations that are kept in Afeenfon Weeh
'Tis a Cuftom obíerv'd in all Countries that are
of the Romiíh C o m m u n i o n , to make Proceífions the three D a y s before Holy Thurfclay; that
is to í a y , t o go with Croís and Banner from
3ji
Of Procejjionsjkc.
one C h u r c h to another, t o íay their Prayers.
N o w at Milán this Proceffion begins not tili
a n hour after M i d n i g h t , and doth n o t end till
the next day a t T w o of the Clock in the Afternoon. All the Priefts of the City,and adjoyning
places are bound toaffiftat themmotexcepting
the Stranger Priefts that are in the City. T h e y
muft preciíely meet at the Hour appointed a t
the found of the great Bell of the Cathedral,in
order to Tange themfelves under the Crofs a n d
Banner. But becauíe the great AUurement is
wánting in thefe kindof Proceflions, the Priefts
had rather íleep far in the Day, than to take the
pains to affift at them : But the Cardinal-Archbiíhop, t h o ' he does n o t care for going himíelf,
has at laft found out a way to make them g o ,
tho' fore againft their wills; for by his Order all
the Sbirries of t h e Archbifhoprick being joyn'd
with thoíe of the T o w n , to the number of an
H u n d r e d and fifty, armed with Blunderbuífes,
Piftols, and B a y o n e t s , divide themfelves into
feveral fmall parties of five or fix together, a n d
go the Round through all the Streets of the C i ty, to look for the Priefts that are abíent from
the Proceffion ; they go and fearch for them in'
their very Houíes,and in cafe they find any,they
tye their Hands together o n their Backs, and
in this Infamous manner drag them to the Archbiíhops Prifons. W h e n they are come to the Prifon Gates, then the Sbirries fearch their Cloaths
and P o c k e t s , and after having very AbuGvely
treated them,they take from them all they find
about thern,and thruft them d o w n into a D u n geon ¡
3
'3 $i
The Seventh L E
TTER,
geon; where they remain,till they be Summoned
t o appear in the Archbiíhops Court; where at
laft they are ácquitted , after a fmali Reproof,
and a Mulét of twenty C r o w n s tO the Árchbiíhop. T h e Priefts Íeeing that there was n o
w a y of exempting themíelves fróm affifting at
the Proceffion,rbund out the íecret however, o£
maidng it fórhewhát more fweet and eafie to
them.
T h e Proceffion goés in dne M o r n i n g only t o
t e n or twelve Churches, where they enter, and
ífay for forrie conííderable time , to íing their
Litames; but foráímuch ás the Priefts, by realbn
of their greatNurabers,cannot all enter into the
íame Church , the far greater part of them bei n g oblig'd to.ftand abroad in the Streets, about
t h e Church ; but they not iiking this Waiting
ábroádjfound a means to take up all the adjoyriing Taverrts and Vidualing-Houíes, and there
m a d e much of themfelves, whilii their Brethren
w e r e Singing in the C h u r c h ; and after they
. h a d well folac'd themíelves, Went and reliev'd
their B r e t h r e n , giving them an occafion to do
as they had d o n e ; and by this means the.Office
was diípatch'd with much m o r e Courage and
Vigour. But the thing in it íelf being fo bafe
a n d fcandalóus in t h e E y e s ó f theSecnlars, and
íbme Complaints having been made of their diíórderly Carriage to the Archbiíhop, he order'd
fome thirty of his Sbirries íhould always Coaít
about the Proceííion, and íearch áll the Taverns
for Priefts, and if they find any, to drive them
thenee 5 ib t h a t the poor Priefts being fo nearly
watch'd,
Of Prccefftons,8cc.
3$$
tvatch'd , are debarr'd of the opportunity o í
refrething themíeíves with, a Glaís of good
Wine. However this doth not hiíider. but that
fome of them take cate to have a Bottle of
Wine in their P o c k e t s , or fome other C o n v e nience under their Surplices; and w h e n they
have a mind to take a Sup, they pray íbme of
their Brethren to ffand round them, a n d í l o o p ing a little, that they may not be pereeived by
the Sberries,they very dexteroufly refreíh themíelves, in fpight of the Machinations of their
Enemies.
W h e n the Procejfion enters into any Churches
belonging to Monks, the Priefts get themfelves
into the Convent which joyns to it, where the
Monks (.that any of them are acquainted with)
treat them with M e a t and D r i n k , as much as
they delire; and here they are íecnred from
the Searchof ths Sbirries , who have power to
look for them there; and íhould they attempt
fuch a t h i n g , would find but a very bad Welcom. As íqon as the Proceffion is arriv'd to a
certain Churchdpecified by the Archbiíhop,the
Twelve EccleíiafHcal Prafecls of the Twclve
Gates of Milán, which are all Arch-Priefts, and
who have the inípeótion of all the Clergy divided amongft t h e m , aífemble themíelves in
fome great place^and every one of them having
a Lift of all the Priefts that are under his Juril"
diétion, they read their Ñames aloud one after
another, being all of them obliged to anfwer t o
their Names,and prefent themíelves. If any one
he found wanting, the íame day a N o t e is íent
A a
to
354
?
k e
Seveuth
LÉTTER*
to his Houíe, t o pay the T w e n t y Crowns muía
for bis Ablence. T h e whole Ceremony being
finiíh'd , the Trocejfton returns t o the Cathedral.
I t is commonly three of t h e C l o c k in the Afternoon before the Proceffion enters the Cathedral ; and then upon the ringing of the Great
B e l l , every one of t h e m has leave to return
h o m e , the Sbirries having n o further power to
nieddle with t h e m ; but they ícuflie home with
that precipitation,as makes the Speótators laugh
h e a r t i l y , to fee H u n g r y Priefts pofí away to
their long-look'd-for Dinners.
N o w it is apparent that thefe Rogation Procef
jions are ib very difpleafing to them ; becauíe,
firft of alljthere is nothing to be gain'd by them.
I n the íecond place, there are n o Ladies toaííift
at them. A n d t h i r d l y , there are neither Angeh
ñor Figures, to give them the leaft Sport or Diverfion. In the fourth place , they are n o t permitted to folemnize thefe Proceflions in theif
pompous Habits, but fimply with their Surplices
a n d fquare Bonnets, which is the caufe why the
Seculars will n o t fo much as ftep out of theii
way to fee t h e m país. Fifthly,the Proceffion being enjoyn'd them, under rigorous Muléts and
P u n i í h m e n t s , this is that which makes it go
moft of áll againft their Stomach to affift at it;
for as much pleaíure as they take in imperiouílj
C o m m a n d i n g others, fo much regret they have
to obey and be fubje£t to the C o m m a n d of theif
Superiours. And laft of all,in thefe kind of Pro
ceífions, there are íbme Inconveniences to
eucjurd; they muft leave their Beds long before
1
Of Trccejfions, & c .
%S'S
D a y ; they muft take many large T u r a s a n d
wearifom Steps, and Sing long without either
Eating or Drinking ; which does not very well
fort with their H u m o r . '
. T h e Jolly Proceffións of the Holy Sacrament
have much more C h a r m s for t h e m ; or the UnV
veiling of íbme Miraculom Image; or the pom pous Proceffion of the Holy Nail, which is celebrated every Summer in Milán , and to which
not only the ínhabitants of that C i t y , but all
the Nobility and Gentry of the Neighbouring
T o w n s and Provinces d o flock in crowds, t o be
the Spe¿tators of that Ambulatory Pomp and
Magnificence. I n this cafe there is no need of
the Sbirries, to oblige the EccieGafticks to aííift
at i t : T h e Cardinal-Archbiíhop himíelf affifts
in perfbn at i t , and carries the Relick of the
HolyNail. A n d according to their Tradition-j
this is one of thoíe Nails that pierced the adorable Body of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift,
when he was Nailed to the Croís; which Conftantine the G r e a t having met with, in Honour
to i t , made it part of his Horíes Bridle. I t is
now expos'd to view , enclos'd in a very fair
Chryltal, fix'd upon a large Pedeílal of puré
Gold, of incomparable Workmaníhip, and embeliíh'd with Precious Stones; and is certainly
one bf the richeft and fineft Pieces that can be
í e e n , a n d í b heávy, that the Cardinal had much
ado t o c a r r y it. T h e Nail iscrooked, as having
been made a part of a Bridle.
T h e Reflecíion í have made upon this Nailh>
that according to the Hiftory it íelf, which the
Aa %
fapp
3 §6%.
The Seventh LEJT
E R,
Tapifts give us of it,itappears,Thaí the Relicks,
and fpecially the Inftruments of the Paffion of
our Saviour, to which they at prefent preterid
w e are oblig'd to render Latría, that is,Divine
fPorjhipj did not in Ancient times receive any
fuch H o n o u r , fince Conjtantine (as they o w n
themfelves)made that Nail a part of his Horíes
Bridle , which n o Body will be fo impertinent
as to own for a piece of Divine Honour. H e did
n o t caufe it to be fet upon the Altai-, as it is at
prefent; neither did M e n kneel before it,as the
praótíce of the Papifts is at this Day ; for otherwiíe it would have follow'd, T h a t whereas
Conñantines Horíe país'd, all períbns-muft have
proftrated themfelves before i t ; which is very
abfurd , and befides is not hinted to us in any
part of the Hiftory of that Great Emperor.
And lince I ara iníenfibly fallen, upon the
Troceffwns that are in Vogue at Milán , I think
m y íelf bound to give you the deícription of
one of the moít Famous that City can boaíl of,
being the íame which is put in pra&ice the Eve
of Holy-Friday, T h i s Proceffion is celebrated by
T o r c h - L i g h t , and proceedsin Order,asfollows:
Immediately after the Croís and Banner, follow the Croís Bearers; thefe are M e n that carry
great CroJJes on their Shouldersjfifteen or twenty
Foot l o n g , they are very great and heavy in
appearance, buehollow within, and indeed are
nothing but four thin Boards glu'd together:
Y e t I am apt to believe, that by reaíbn of their
great Buík, they are a reaíbnable good Burthen
for a fingle ÍVlan, and troubleíbm enough to
Of Proceffionsf&t.
257
thoíe that bear them ; and accordingly they
tell USÍ T h a t thefe Crofs-Bearers perform this
piece of Devotion from a Spirit of Repentance
and Penance , and to imítate our Saviour Jefus
Chrift, w h e n he earried his Crofs up to Mount
Cahary. T h e r e are n o leís commonly than t w o
or three hundred of them , and the moft of
t h e m have Ropes about their Necks, and great
Chains on their Legs, which trail on the ground
after them, and make a hideous Noiíe. T h e i r
Faces are cover'd with great Cowls.
T h e í e Crofs-Bearers put m e in mind of certain Hereticks , mention'd by Baronim in his
Eccleíiafti.cal Annals, who were caffd Cruciferu
I t feems they took that place of theGofpeí according to the Letter, He that doth not take up
his Crfifi andfollow me^ cannot be my Difciple: A n d
accordingly they had got great Croffes, w h i c h
they bore on their Shoulders, and running like
Mad-men over Mountainsand through Deíérts,
they never quitted them, till hunger,thirft, and
wearineís, thruft their Souls out of their Bodies.
I muft confeís, T h a t thofe who aífift at theíe
Procejfíons, do not ftraín their Devotion to this
pitch; but ftill there is foínewhac of reíemblance
in their Aciions.
I n the midft of thefe Crofs-Bearers was earried
on a Pageant, a Figure of our Saviour going up
to M o u n t Calvary. After thefe Crofs-Bearers followed the Difcipliners, as they cali them ; theíe
alio had their Faces cover'd with great Cowls
and having their Backs ftark naked, with great
Difciflines they had in their Flands they cruelly
A a 3
'
beat
358
The Seventk.L
ETTER,
bea* themíelyes,making the Blood to run d o w n
their Shoulders in a m a n n e r , that caus'd horror
t o Nature. I n the midft of theíe Flagellators,
was carried a Repreíentation of the Scourging
of our Saviour, ty'd to a Pillar. After theíe followed íeveralCom pañíes of Souldiers,wich their
Musquets and Pikes, the Points downwa'rd, a n d
their Colours in like manner. All the D r u m s
w e r e cover'd with black Cloth,and beating upo n it, made the Sound very doleful. After the
Souldiers follow'd a living Figure of our Saviour,
which was a young M a n dreft in a large Purple
R o b e , with a Crown of T h o r n s on his Head,
and bearing a great Crofs on his Shoulders:
H e had round about him near a Score of Youths
habited like Jews, w h o put themfelves into an
h u n d r e d ridiculous poftures, and made Faces at
him after ííich a m a n n e r , as forc'd the Spe¿tators to Laugh, at a Sight, which ought to have
melted their Hearts into íbrrow and compunc i ó n ; neither was this a ftrange thing amongft
t h e m their holy Reprefentations being very
íiirely exemptfrom íbme notorious Profanation:
T h e r e was n o kneeling to this Figure , becaufe
it was a Live one. This Figure was foilow'd by
all the Confraternities of the C i t y o f Sotóle,
which are very numerous. T h e y marched T w o
and T w o , with Wax-Tapers lighted in ttieií
H a n d s ; and after t h e m foilow'd another Figure
* of our Saviour Íaid in his Sepulchre. As íbon as
this carne by, tho' it were only m a d e of W o o d ,
all that ftcod in the Streets, fell d o w n on their
K n e e s a n d woríhip'd it. About thisFigure,there
}
marched
Of Proceffions fk.c
35-9
marched a Company of W o m e n all in M o u r n ing, w h o held their Hand kerchiefs before their
Eyes,as if they had wept.Next to thefe W o m e n
follow'd the Priefts, and after t h e m a Statue of
the Blejfed FíVg-z»,having her H e a r t pierc'd with
feven great Swords, that ftuck faftin it: T h e y
commonly callthis,0«r Lady of Pity;and whereever it pafíed, they paid to it the íame Proftrations and A d o r a t i o n s , as to the Statue of our
Saviour. A g r e a t T h r o n g of People, laft of all,
concluded the Proceffion.
I know well enough,that the Papifts will not
only excufe theíe kinds of Proceffions, but will
alio exalt them far above their plain O n e s ; alledging,That theíe are all of them Holy Repreíentations, which renew in our Minds the Idea
of what paft long ago on M o u n t Calvary: But
for m y part, I believe that the time they take to
diípoíe and regúlate theíe kind of Proceffions,
and which the Spe£tators ípend in íeeing them
país by , would be m u c h better employ'd in
Reading and Meditating of the Hiftory of our
Saviour's Paffionin prívate, in order to the enkindling of holy Affedions,fuitable to that great
Occafion. This, I fay, would in all probabitity
be a far more efficacious means to obtain this
Holy End, than to dreís up a M a n like our Saviour, and turn all to a Farce, to make the People Laugh a t í ó tremendous a Myfteiy ; for this
indeed, however they may otherwile diíguiíe it>
is the end of all.
T h u s likewiíé it i s , w h e n fíve Weeks after
Easler t h e y ' repreíent the Aíceníionof our SaAa 4
viou%
360
The Seventh
LETTER,
viour Jeíus Chrift into H e a v e n ; . t h e y have a
great Statue of W o o d to repreíent him, which
they tye with great Cords about the Head, and
juft at Noon-tide of Afcenfon-Day, a t t h e R i n g ing of all the Bells in T o w n , and in the prefence of all the People , certain Períbns placed
o n t h e R o o f o f the Church,draw it up by Cords
into the Air ; the Priefts in the mean time finging the Anthem , Viri Galibei e^uid admiramim
eficientes in Cmlum ? érc. W h e n the Statue is
ready to enter into the Hole , which they have
made o n purpoíe in the Roof of it, there are
M e n pofted, who from the high Galleries of the
C h u r c h , caft íbme twenty or thirty Paiis of
Water on the Speétators; ib that many qf them
are made wet to the Skins,whieh makes the reft
break out into loud Laughter.This is the devout
End of this fine C e r e m o n y , or holy Repreíentation, as they are pleas'd t o t e r m it. I have leen
this particularly pradis'd in Germany ; .where í
have alio feen a great number of Crofs-Bearers
and JPifcipliners, as in Italy. And indeed,to judge
by outward appearance,or¡e would believe theíe
Períbns to be animated by a greater Spirit of
Devotion and Mortification; but having made
it my bufineis to íearch into the matter,! found
that the moft of them are engag'd to do k for
Intereft íake , being paid for Laíhingof themfelvesjbecauíe the Ecclefiafticks think it afhame,
if in a LentProcef/ion they íhould n o t have a
good number of theíe M e n of Diícipline, and
Groís-Bearers. O.thers agáin do it, becauíc their
Confeflbrs have enjoyn'd it t h e m as a piece of
Penance.
'
.1
Of Procefíórisjkc.
361
I k n o w Indeed no Reaíbn, why the Priefts
íhould pride themíelves with this; but'íure í am,
I háve often heard them Reproach one another,
that they had n o n e , or very few Scourgers in
their 'Proceffións. 'Tis poffible, that by a íbttiíh
kind of Vanity they may íuppoía, that the
Glory of theíe kind of publick Penancesrefle6ts
upon themfelves, as being the Inipofersof them,
in which café their Vain-glory is no better
founded , than the Cr'ows in the Fable , w h o
prided himíelf with that was none of his.They
are very well pleaíed, to fee others Lafh themfelves ; but not ib much as one of them will be
an Example of it to others.For never in my Life'
did I fee either Priefts
Monks whip themíelves
in publick. T h e í e Wbippers and Crefs-Bearers,?ov
the moft p a r t , to make this piece of Penance
more tolerable t o t h e m , drink themfelves to a
good pitch before they íet out a Proceflioning.
Whilft I was at Mentí in Germany , I faw a
great Inconvenience and Diíappointment happen upon this Occafion; where many of thefe
Crofs-Bearers,\nth.Q midft ofthe Proceffion,threw
down their Croífes i n t h e Streets,ánd very fairly'
íet themfelves d o w n upon them , íaying, That
they had borro them long enough, and that it ivas but
ftttmg the CroílesJhould now bear them. Befides,
many of the Difcifüners fell -a Singing and
Dancing, and Vomiting the íúrplus ofthe W i n e
they had taken.Moft of them were JefuitScholars, whom their Regents had forc a to this involuntary Mortification.
By this, Sir, you may eafiiy diícern , that the
Papiíb
362,
The Seventh L E TTE
R,
Papifts will make all things bend and ftoop t e
their F a n c y and H u m o r . T b e y have almoít
fram'd to themfelves a N e w G o f p e l ; and they
incerpret the Myfteries of it íó materially and
groíly s that in the end they will probably períuade People,77w? to bear their Crofs in this World,
is nothing elfe, but to go a Proceffioning with great
Crojj'es of. Wood upon their Shoulders; and coníequehtly maintain , that it is a meer Herefie to
believe with the Proteftants, That true Mor tifie ation is that of an humble and contrite Heart and
of a SoííI pierced with an holy [orrow and repentance
for Sin. 'Tis fcarce poííible to m a k e the Popiíh
"Jefuits and Prieíís, that come into England, acknovvledge, T h a t theíe íort of fooliíh Exerciíes
of Devoción, are at this D a y the moft fréquent
Employments of their Román Catholicksjn thoíe
Places where that Religión takes place. T h e y
are ib aíham'd to o w n theíe their Follies, that
at prefent none but Travellers are able to conyince them thereof, w h o can tell them , that
t h e y have feen with their o w n Eyes, what they
ib impudently deny with their Mouths.lt was an
eífecl: of this Shame,that made lome Italian and
Germán Jefuits, in m y preience,Treat aChapter
of acertainBook,as containing nothing but meer
Calumnies,becauíeitraention'd nDevotíon which
is ílill every Year pra¿tis'd in Italy and Germany
at Chrifimafs, which is the C e r e m o n y of Rocking the Oradle of the Child Jefus. And yet
there is nothing more true , than that this Cuítom is much in Vogue amongft them, my felf
íiaving íeen it done íeveral times. T h e i r w a y i s
y
Of Procefions,{kc.
363
(¡his: T h e y make on an A k a r , o r in íbme Chape^
óf their C h u r c h e s , a Reprefentation of the
Stable at Betbl'ehem, with great Figures , '
fenting the BleffedVirgin,$ffofepb, and 1
JE S US lying in his Manger. T h e It.
excel all others in making thoíe kind oí iveprefentations, a n d make them their Paítime and
Diverfion all the Chrifimafs-Holidays ; and. the
Women have leave at that time to go from
Church to C h u r c h , to fee thefe P a g e a n t s , and
under pretext of frequenting thefe Devotions,
many Bargains are ftruckdittíe íuiting with the
pretended Holinefs of the places where they
are made.
It cannot b e d e n y ' d , but that there is fomething in thefe Reprefentations, that does extreamly take the E y e : You have a pleafant prof
peét. here of Rocks, Fountains, Foreífs, and deüghtful Green Plains expreít to the L i f e , and
Shepherds feeding their Flocksupon t h e m : Y o u
íee People from all paits coming through Lañes
and Paths," to offer their Prefents to the Child
Jefas. All this is very naturally repreíented,and
there is always fome M e r r y Conceit o r other
joyn'd with them, to make People Laugh. But
the principal Point I aim at in this Deicríption
is,That there are many great Ribbands,or Cords,
ty'd to t h e C r a d l e of the Child Je fas,which the
Speótators that are there prefent,and upon their
Knees, do pulí toWards them very devoutly, to
Rock the Cradíe , in like manner as we fee
ÍMuríés do their Children ; and then íing w h a t
in Jtdkn they cali their Nd¡Nd which are Songs
ron;
t
}
3^4
The Seventh L E TTE
R,
c o m m o n l y fung, to rock Children aíleep; Skep
tnj Little Jefas, Jlee-pmy dear Love,Jleep ; Nd,Nd.
Na, Nd. Bar that which furpriz-'d me beyond
meafure w a s , to fee fometime O í d M e n and
W o m e n rife up from their Knees in a great Anger, when they heard too much noife m a d e in
the C h u r c h , and bidding them be Hiiíhc,forthat
elle they would awake the Child Jefas; which
notwithftanding is no more than a piece of
V/ood or Faflboard painted over: Yea, there be
íbme,ib fearful of offending this way, that they
pulí oír their Shoes afíbon' as they enter the
C h u r c h , for fear of troubling the Child's Reft ;
whiiii(ín the mean timejtheir Monks-and Priefts,
íranding behind in their Sextries, Laugh at all
thefe their Follies.
I can íay, that I never faw any of them lay
hold of the Cords to rock theCradle,and would
be fpre aíham'd to be found ib íbttiíhly eraploy'd. And probably,they would be underftood
in this íeníe, v/hen they íay, that this is never
praótis'd amongfí them, becauíe they do not do
it themíélves; but they are very glad to íéethe
Sscuiars ib weil employ'd for their Diveríion.
Neither is this Childs Play altogether without
Proñc to them ; for there be many of the Vifitants, w h o bring íbme of them freíh Eggs, and
others Pullets and Capons to make Caudles and
Broths for che Virgin; all which they lay in the
Stable, near to the I m a g e : Others bring Cheefes
and great Bottles of W i n e , w h i c h they lay near
to the Image of S.Jofeph; and others caft large
pieces of M o n y into a great Bafon , which ths
Priefts
}
Of ?rocejfions,&.c.
36^5*
Priefts helcl out to them, and which(as they tell
them) is to be Íaid out, to buy Neceffaries for the
Child Jefas.
I hapned once to be at Mentz, in Germany, in
the Sextry of t h e Fathers Jefuhsjmúi five or fi:c
of them. It was a diverfion to us, to lee the Prefents they made to the Manger.K p o o r C o u n t r y Fellow (amongft the reft) brought with great
limplicity and devotion a great Truís of H a y ,
and Íaid it down in ths Holy Stable,bstv/een rire
Ox and the Afs; but t h s Jefuits perceiving ir,
íaid one to a n o t h e r ; Fie, Fie, this mufi be taken
away immediately, it will prevé a very bad precedent; at this rate thefl bring nothing but Grafs and
Hay for the Beafis. No, this mufi nct be ; they had
much better bring good Gammons ofBacon and Neats
Tongues for S.Joieph.The Sexton accordingly rara
to take it a w a y ; but the Country-man briskly
opposVí him, laying, That he could not endure to
¡ee the O x and the Ais die for Huxger , whil(i the
reft were f& well provided. But they eiideavour'd
to appealé him, by telüng him That the.Cbild
Je fus would take care to fujiain them by his Divine
virtue, rather than that jljould happen. Thus, for a
milerableand bale í n t e r e f t , they moft outragiouíly abuíe the Poor, and keep them in Ignorance, and afterwards t o a d v a n c e their Impiety
to the higheft degree, they make a Vertue of it,
giving it the Ñ a m e of Simplicity and Innocence.
'Tis before theíe íbrt of Mrf»£fr.r,that(according
as I have told you in a former L E T T E R ) they
fet Little Children to Preach.
I have made bold upon íhisOccaíkm to make
this
j66
the Seventh L £ TtE
R,
tliis íhott áigreffion;which I hope will n o t prove
unpleaíing to you„ I recurn n o w again to our
Proceffións, or rather í íhall conduele this LETT E R á n l i k e manner as I havebegun it,bygiving
you a Relation of anotherUnveiling of an image
of the Virgin I havefeen at Milan,and which (as
I was told) was only done once in 5-0 years. All
the Corporations of the City,and o f t h e Neighbouring places, .made their Vifits to it Proceffionally,with Wax-Tapers,Puríes,Preíents, and Ceremonies, not much unlike thoíe I have already
related to you. T h e only thing ungular in this
Uncovering was, T h a t all the while the Image
was Unveiled,there was a great Concouríe from
all parts of Poífeífed períons, the Priefts being ver y bufie in all Corners of theChurch,toExorciíe
them. T h e Papifts maintain, That their Priefts ir,
their Ordmation receive the power of Cajiing out
Devils, and that the Effect foews they are fuccefsfi
in it. F o r my p a r t , I have feen very many oí
theíe Poífeífed p e r í o n s , and I have diligentty
ápply'd my íelf, to fearch into and examin the
Matter;but could never diícover any able toperlíiade me, that thofe Effecís or Operationsproceed rather from the Devil, than from a ftrong
Imagination o r í b m e violentDiftemper.Beíides,
í íeldom met with any, but W o m e n that were
Poífeífed ; and I would gladly beinform'd,wh)'
íhe Devil íhould rather attack them than Men.
Indeed, the true Reaíbn of this is, T h a t in Jtal]
the W o m e n are more than ordinary fubjeól: to
fall into Phrenfies and ftrange Imaginarioiis.
TheirPgrents, or their Husbands, keep them al
hmV
1
Of Proceffions fkc.
367
ways íhut up in their Chambers or Garrets,without permitting them to go a b r o a d , exceptit be
fometime to Church: A n d being naturally of a n
H o t and AmorousTemper,a flattering and pleafingObject they may by chance have efpy'd from
their Windows, or at Maís does ib far traníport
them,that they are wholly poíTeft with it,andnot
with the Devil,asis íuppoíed.TheirThoughtsare
ftrongly fixt on it D a y and N3ght,and the forcé
of their ímagination , making a wonderful impreffion upon their Vital Spirits, does extreamly
agítate and confound t h e m ; and from thence
proceed all that diíbrder, and thofe Convulíions
that appear in their Bodies.
T h e Church I fpeak of was full of this íbrt
of Poífeífed períbns. Amongft the reft,I perceiv'd
in one of the Chapéis a very beautiful y o u n g
G e n t l e w o m a n , who continually beat her Breaft
with her h a n d , and cry'd out,as if íhe had felt
íbmething that would have choak'd her. She had
m a n y Priefts about her, reading of Exorcifins ;
but amongft the reft there was a very handíom.
PrieftjWhodid wonders,and indeed outdid them
all. T h e PoíTeft party íeem'd to have no conñderation for any of the reft, but for him only,
and whenever he touch'd her , the Devil to appea ranee being overeóme by the forcé of his
Exorciíms, leftoff to torment her. I was aftoniíh'd to íee the Liberty this young G e n t l e m a n
took with his PoíTeíJed ; for íbmetimes he would
embrace her Body, he handled her Hands and
Arms,and almoft continually gave her little flaps
on the Cheek. T h e y tell us, That the Devil being
3
3 68
The Seventb
LETTER,
a proud and haughty Spirit, cannot endure to be hum«
hled;which is the Reafon of their boxing and affrontingthe FoJJeJfed.ThQQthGv Priefts that were about
lher,íbmetimes ftretcht forth their Hands to box
her, as he did ; but íhe íhewed her felf enraged
againft them,and would not fuffer them to touch
hercio that they w e r e f a i n t o content themfelves
w i t h abufing the Devil in words,whilft the y o u n g
•Prieft alone was admitted to flap her on the
Cheek.This proceeding at laft ftirr'd up íbme Jealoufie amongft themfelves, and one of the oíd
Priefts íaid tothis young Bláde,in a ímart way of
R á i U e r y , P W Pletró.íJee weü,that this Devil likes
none fo well as your felf; and if I beent much miftaken, you would well enough agree together.
^~
But whateyer the Priefts oí Rome may pretend,
certain it is, thát.the ábfolute power they claim
over the D e v i l s , is not fo evidently verified in
them¡as they would make the People believe itis.
I have feen Poífeft períbns, and Exorciíms pronounc'd over them in quantíty ;But I never faw
any of them freed of their Poífeflíon b y this
means. I know cis commonly íaid , T h e r e are
m a n y Beggars, who counterfeit themíelves Pofíeífed, that by this means they may procure a
good Maintenance all their Life after ; and as
for thefe indeed, I queftion n o t but the Prieñs
have power to deliver therñ of their Counterfeit
Poífeffions. T h i s Cheat of the Beggars procures
vaft Credit to their Myfterious I m á g e s , which
are but once Unveiled in 5-0 Years time. But l'le
leave theíe Polfeífed , to come to a Conclufion
of what I have íaid concerning Popifo Procejfions,
5
which
Of Proceffións,fk&.
3t5í¡
which they define, as I hinted at the beginnirtg
of this L E T T E R , a Marching,or Walking of the
People from one Church to another, under the Condubi of their Prie/ls, ivith the Croís and Banner,
there to Invoke the extraordinary Ajftftance of God.
But indeed and in trufh , according to the account n o w given you of them,does it not appear
to you,Sir,thatthey may with much more right
be dcña'd¡Pompom and Magniftcent Walksjn<uented on purpofe to enhancethe Creditand Repute ofthe
MonksandPñeñs,and to abufe and gutt the People^
fcr their own Advantage ? W e have not the-leaft
Footfteps of theíe kind of Proceffións in the Primitive Centuries of the Church as being only a n
ínvention of the Pope'sBrain ; and if I been't
much miftaken,S.Gregory the Great wasthe firft
that Inftituted them,at a time of the Plague. Irí
his time they were celebrated with abundance of
Modefty; but the Luxury and Ambition of the
Clergy have in proceís of time ío much amplified them, that it is as clear as the Sun at Noonday, they ferve for no other uíe at preíent, but
to give them the Advantage , and make t h e m
ínumph .over the Seculars. Befides,they ferve for
publick Marks of Honour,whereby they are diftinguiíhed amongft themfelyes.Thereis nothing
they are more jealdusof, than their precedency
in Proceííions, the Priefts and Monks oft quarrel
with one another on this óccafion;and fontetimes
their Cpntefts break out into great Diíbrders,
is it hapned not long lince at D¿je»,aParliamenc
City in France,
where. the Monks 6f S. Bennep
laying undertaken, to go a Procejfioning with
}
B b
greas
37o
The Seventh L E 7 T E ü,&¿
g r e a t Canes in their Hands, as an Enfign of their
Authority over the reír of the Clergy ; the Canons of the Holy Chapel role up againft them
w h i c h occafion'd a furious Skirmiíh between
sheni,with their Croffes a n d Banners.
T h e O r d e r obíerv'd in all Procefíionsjs,Tha.t the
Meaneft march firft , and thofe of the higheft
Rank and Quality laft of all; fo that the Biíhop
is always the laft M a n that fhuts up ú\QProce(fion.
T h e Jefuits being of ib late ftanding in the
C h u r c h of Rome, and n o t having been able to
obtain the precedency they affe¿tedof their Sénior
Orders,atP?w^í0»í,have wholly renounc'd them,
a n d never afíift at them. O n l y at Vemce, the Señare obligeth them to go in Proceffion with the
reft; and to avoid mingling themíelves among
the Priefts or Mo»fo,they rather chooié to march
amongft Tradefmen.The Coblers,Slooemakers,a,ná
Taykrs,march. firft of all,and after them come the
Jefuits,who are followed by the other Trades.
I íhall here conclude this L E T T E R , a n d with'
out dstaining you with a n ampie MoralApplica'
tion of all this,íhall only tell you,That foraímudí
as it isío apparent and vifible,that theíe kindsoí
Trocefions in the Church of Rome,a.ve only mad¡
t o ferve the Ends of Ambition andTemporal h
tereft of the Clergy; that the beft Procepons w(
c a n make,are not to march from one C h u r c h to
anbther;but to advance from one Vertue to ano
ther,until we arrive at the H o l y M o u n t of God
<viz. a Bleffed Eternity. Óptima Proceffiofitproa
¡Here de virtute in zfirtutem ufque ad Montem &
mni, I remain Sir,
Tours.
5
}
3
37K
The Eighch L E T T E R .
Of the Corruptíon o] the italian Priefts
and Monks in their Devotion and
Moráis, & c .
SIR,
I
Have already acquainted you in m y laft,that
m y abode for two years together in the C i t y
or Bononia, a t t h e A b b y of
S.MichaelmthQWooa,,
aiforded me a very favourable Opportunity of
penetrating into theLives and Manners of M o nafticks; and I might have ítaid there much
longer, if the perfuahcns of a Noble Venetian
had not prevail'd with m e , to go with him to
Venke. Ic íeems, as if a Divine Providence had
conduóted m e t h i t h e r , to put m e in a ftation
where I might rake a nearer view of the Conduce and Converfation of other Ecclefiaíficks,
commonly called Secular Priefts; not fo much,
becauíe I Was ignorant before of their way of
Life, having been always brought up araongíi
them,añd one of them ; but becauíe I found a
confiderable deal of diíference between the Secular Clergy oí Italy and thoíe of F r a w ^ a m o n g í t
whom I had my Education.Theformer of theíe
live without any R e f t r a i n t , and without being
rauelí obíerv'd or taken notice of by their o w n
B b %
Country
yyz
The Erghtb
LETTER,
C o u n t r y m e n , w h o m they have corrupted as well
in thei ' PractLce, as in their Principies, as I (hall
• more» ...ticidarly make out to you in the Sequel
hereof, whereas the latter,(that is to fay,the Eccíefi.-Jíich of France)ha.ve ftudied the Art of Difit' mtihtion,má are more upon their Guard,to avoid
their being expos'd to the Ceníiire of Protefiants,
w h o m they regard as ib many Spies upon them.
I was no íboner arriv'd at Ventee, but I had
the good luck to procure my íelf the Protección
of fome of the moft confiderable pérfons in that
Republick; fo that in leís than a Months time I
was provided of T h r e e Small Benefices,in three
difierent Churches, which gave me an occafion
of Converfing with a vaft number of Clergymen of all-Nations, who Reíort to this City of
Liberty, there to enjoy the Pleafures Gf this Life.
- After 1 'had- í t a i d T h r e e years here,T undertook
another J b u m y to Home, having been drawn
thither by the Promiíes of a Cardinal,who died
eight Days after my arrival there. Thisunlookt
for Accident having defeated the Hopes 1 had
formed of making a longer ftay in that City, 1
departéd thence fome Months after: Having Vifited before, the City of Naples, I took my Journy towards Milan,without any defign of making
any ftay there;but the períuafion of fome Noble
men of that C o u n t r y made me change my Re
íblution. T h e Abbot of Great S.Viclor, amongf
others, made m e very confiderable Oífers,to ob
íige me to ftay in his Abby,and to take upon nr
the Care of Inftruófing his Religious, accordin]
as he knew I had done in the Abby of S. M
1
Of the Corruption of Priefts fkc
373
chael, in Bononia, that was of the fame Caderas
his; which at length induc'd me to yie'd to his
Deíire. By this means I found my íe.f anew
engag'd with Monks.
I. have here on this Occaíion, Sir, hinu:d to
you feveral parts of Italy; where 1 have made
m y abode for íbme time, and the Employments
I have had there; but without the leaíi intent of
boafting m y felf on that a c c o u n t , but only to
inform you,That what I take upon me to fpeak
here concerning the Priefts-and Monks, is from a
thorough Knowledge and Experience,as having
had abundant Opportunities to make thoíe O b íervations, which many ( w h o have handled the
fameSubjeét)have been wholly depriv'd of.I have
had feveral otherEmploymeiitsbothin Italy and
Germany,mhich. í might with more Reafon boait
ofjifl wasfominded; but they having « o reference to the Subjed in hand, I país them by in
Silence. T h o ' i n d e e d it be not altogetherout oi
the way, for one in my Circumílances, to maks'
mention of the Employments he has had beyond the Seas, and the Honourable way oí Subíiílence he-has been in,if it were only to confute
the Calumnies the Papiíh are wont'to caít upon
the Priefts ai- their Religión , who leave their
Communion , to fatisfie their- Coníciences b y
joyñing themfelves to that of the Refbimed
Churches: Their coramon C r y i s , T h a t íuch
are either meer Vagabonds,or períbns that had"
nothing to live on at home in their own Country,and w h o were weary of the Condition they
were in,for want of íbme good Beneíice whsreB b 3
with
374
r
h
e
m
l
h
t
h
LETTER,
w i t h plentifully to maintain themíelves; or elfs,
t h a t i t i s nothing but a SpiritofLibertinifm,that
prompts them to make this Change. This laft
Afperfion being the moft odious and refleding
of all, made me very careful ( w h e n I was in
Italy) to obvíate it, by taking Atteftations of m y
Good-Behaviotir andMannersfrom all the places
w h e r e I had made any ftay, that I might have
t h e m in a readineís, to clear my felf from any
fuch Reproach, in café a n y íhould be found Malicious enough to rank me in that N u m b e r ; Ib'
thatindeed(by the Grace and Goodneís ofGocQ
I may now ípeak boldly a n d o p e n l y , without
t h e leaft d a n g e r o r appreheníion from the moft
envenom'd Tongues. Yet for all this,I muftprofeís, that the Subje¿t of this Laft L E T T E R is
very averie to m y Natural H u m o r and Inclination, wiz,. to' expoíe the Vices and Defeéts of
others: But yet, w h e n I confider o n the other
.^h^and, that Jejm Chrift oft declaim'd very íe*verely againft theHypocriíie of theScribesand
Tharifees of his T i m e , and t h i s , to inform the
P e o p l e , and deter them from following their
w a y s ; I conclude, it cannot be unlawful (upon
good ground and occafions) to~publiíh the Sins
of thoíe,who are not only the main Corrupten
o f t h e M o r a l i t y , b u t a l f o o f the Principies and
Doctrins of the Gofpel, to the end,we may ob
lige others,to be warned and take heed of them
as of Wolves in Sheeps cloathing; Cávete a fermento Tharifaorum ; Take heed of the Leaven o
the Pharifees. By this means alfo it will appear
w h a t ufé is made of all thoíe vaft Sums of Mony
J
whicl
Of the Conuption of Prieftsfkc.
37^
which accrue to the Priefts of t h e C h u r c h of
Rome, by thoíe Subtil Inventions and Religious
Artífices where with I have entertain'd you in
my fore-going L E T T E R S: F o r it is evident,
that Gold and Silver can íerve only for the ule
of M e n ; and by the uíe they make of it,we m a y
eafily judge of the End they propounded t o
themíelves, in íearching for the Means to obtain it.
Having therefore more eípecially apply'd m y
íelf, during my abode in Italy, t o find out the
Ways the Priefts and Monks had , to diípoíe of
and ípend their vaft Revenues, I found, that it
was.only to íatisfie and glut their domineering
Appetites, Lufts, and Paffions. Some of them are
íuch Idolaters of Mammón, that the more they
heap up, the leís they think themfelves poíTeft
of; a n d t h u s d y e (likelittle Crcefus's, or rather
like bad Rich men) in the midftof their Riches
from which nothing but D e a t h could feparate
them. 'Tis the common C r y of the Poor in that
Country, T h a t nothing can be more inexorable,
more iníenfible, or more pityleís than the Cler- »
gy. 'Tis meerlabour loft, t o addrefi one's íelf
tp them for a n Alms ; for at the beft one meets
with a Denial, and very often with Scornfuland
T a u n t i n g W o r d s : So that their Covetoufnefs is
like an unfatiable Gulf, which fwallows all, a n d
gives up nothing agaim I have known íeveral
Priefts, w h o had their Coffers full of Gold, and
notwithftanding grutch'd themíelves a piece o f
dry Bread;and fome of theíe werefo dextrous,
as t o make their fordid Avance, pafs for a love
9
Bb 4
' o í
3 7¿
- The Eighth L E TTE
R,
of Abflinence ana Mortifcatión; but in the mean
time were ib"far from beftowing the leaft Alms
on the P o o r that they could not endure thatany one íhould ask them a Charity ; whence it
it was obvious to. make this diícovery, T h a t ib
fair a Vertue as Abjfinence is,cou\d not be the Inmate of fuch fordidly Covetous Breafts: For
according to that Saying, Sublevamen Pauperis
fit Abjtinentia Jejunantis ; The Abftinence of him
that Faffs) ought to be a Relief for the Poor.
;
O t h e r s beftow their M o n y in building Palaces
for themfelves; I (ay,falaces; for t h o ' indeed it
would much better become their Profeffion, to
provide for themiélves H o u í e s , in which fome
Marks of that Chriftian Humility might be difcerned, which is ib indiípeníable a Qualification of Minifters of the Altar;yet fo far are they
from this temper.that they ípare no Coft to erecl:
for themiélves moft ftately and fumptuous Fabricks, beyond the magnificence of the Palaces
of the greateft Princes.For proof of what I here
alledge, we need only caft an E y e upon all the
Monáfteries of Italy; and thoíe who have Travell'd thofe Countries know, "that the faireft Palace which is found near the Church, is always
the Curates Houfe. Others confume their Revénuesin making much of themiélves, andcontriving wa}'S for their pleafure and diveríion: For
. íeeing they have n o Families to provide for, It
would be a profanation,{ky they,of the Gifts cfGod,
(ib they cali the immenfe Riches they have got
b,y their Maifes)zw cafe they fiould'not make ufe of
fhem,tomake muchof themfelves in ibis World wbo
}
y
Of the Corrupthnof
Priefis^C;
377
do fo. much good to theSouls of Purgatory in the other»
For this Reafon it is,we fee their Tables ío deíicioufly andprofufely cover'd, and that they Entertain one another by T u r n s with íüch Exquifitnefs,Splendor,andMagnificence;iníomuch tha£
their inclination this way has authoriz'd that.
Proverbial Expreffion, fo cominon in Italy, b y
which they cali any extraordinary Dainty, Boccone di Preti 0 di Cardinali; A Bit for a Prieft or
Cardtnal:Wha.t I have here faid concerning thoíe
Objeétsthat pleaíe thePallat,ís to be underitood
proportionably concerning all other things that
do any way contribute t o a delicious and luxurious Life, which they take care to procure for
themíelves with a fuperfluóus profulenels, altogether inexcufable. Should any man be tempred
with a delire to íee the very utmoft height of
Vanity, of Wantonnefs,.and of Effeminacy, h e
needs only tó take a view of the Court of Rome,
which asitiscompoíedonly of PrieftsxndMonks;
fo it boaíts it felf, of furpafling in Gallantry,
Pomp, and Magnificence, thoíe of the greateft
and moft potent Monarchs of the Earth.
5
Flere you will find Bifhops that have t w o o r
three Bifhopricks, and Abbots that have five or
fix Abbies apiece. ' T i s a kind of diígrace for an
Ecclefiaftick,to have no more than one Benefice;
for indeed without a great Revenue , one can
make n o Figure in this Court of PnV/?j.Yea,the
Vanity of this Court is mounted t o t h a t Exceís,
that the Members of it are ib far from Bluíhing
at it, that they m a k e i t the principal M a t t e r o f
their glory and boafting. A Cardinal or Biftep
does
378
The Eighth
LETTER,
does not make an HuntingMatch,does not Feaft
his ConfortSjbut the whole World forfooth muft
ring of it. All the Gazets we have from Rome
are ftuft fullof fuch Vanities as theíe, T h a t my
Lord the Cardinal N . has given a Vifit to one of
his Colleagues: T h a t another was at the O p e r a ;
or caus'd a rich Livery to be made for his Retinue,
and appear'd in publick with a Train ef fo many
Coaches. I have oft made it my divejfion, whilft
I was at Rome, to fee the Cardinals ( o n Sunday
Mornings) Ride to the Vatican, when the Pope
held Chapel there. T h e y are trick'd up like ib
many Searlet Puppets in their Coaches, and all
their Creatures are about them,with an Air that
proclaims them extreamly effeminate and wanton. After all,I confeís, a m a n muft needs have
a very ítrong Faith to believe , that this fort of
People are no íooner met together in a Chamber, but the Holy GhoH is inftantly in the midíi
o f them,to give L a w to the Conlciences of all
M e n . If to meet together with íuch Excefs
of Ambition and Vanity., be to Met in the
Ñ a m e of the L o r d , 'tis certain our Saviour
Jefus Chriftjwho appeared info mean and humble a condition,did not come into the World in
t h e fame Name.Every Cardinal hashisNephew
or neareft Kinfman with him, w h o holds hií
Scarlet-Hat in the Bootof the Coach ; which i;
a fignal H o n o u r to him , and a M a r k of his be
ing the moft beloved Creature of the Cardinal
'Tis this Nepotifm, that made fuch a Noife ii
the time of the late Pope Innocent the XI?¿, anc
w h i c h he ( w h o , to give him his d u e , was;
Mar
Of the Corruption of Trieftsj&c.
379
M a n íévere enough in his M o r á i s ) refolved
wholly to extírpate, having begun the Reformad o n in his o w n H o u f e ; but w e fee n o w , t h a t
things are quietly and without Noiíe return'd
t o their oíd Channel. All the endeavours of
PopeInnocent the XIf¿ were only like t h e fprinkling of a little cold W a t e r upon red-hot I r o n ,
which íerves only to make it more riery a n d
glowing: A n d , for m y part, 1 rauít o w n , T h a t I
cannot conceive how a Church(where Fleíh and
Blood ride íó g l o r i o u í l y T r i u m p h a n t , a n d prevail to that exceffive degree) can ever have the
Face to boaft, T h a t the Gates of Hell (hall never
prevalí againft Her. T h i s Nepot(fm,or Exaltación
of their Nephews, does n o t only take place a t
the Court of Rome, but (whether from Imitation,' or by natural Inclination of promoting
thoíe w h o are nearly related to us) w e find it
obtain amongft all the reft of the Clergy, w h o
are not perfe£t Slaves to Avarice, or the love of
Pleafure. T h e y think of nothing elíe, but h o w
they may enrich thoíe of their Family, whoíe
Humor pleaíeth t h e m beftj confeís indeed,that
this is the moft commendable and moft innocent way of employing their Treafure, as carrying íbme appearance of Charity in i t ; t h o '
(to ípeak T r u t h ) w e c a n n e v e r make a Chriftian
Vertue of it, as being c o m m o n to us with the
Heathens themfelves: The Turks do good to
thoíe of their Kindred and F r i e n d s , as well as
the Friefts of the C h u r c h of Rome,anÚ probably
alio do it during their Lives, which theíe latter
are very feldom found guilty of, becaufe they
com-
3So
The Eighth L E TTE
R,
cciumonly do not diípoíc of theirRiches to thoíe
o í their Family , till they fee D e a t h ready to
í i u í c h them from íhera.This Nepotifm therefore,
j,o a vaíl Gúlf, which íwaliows a great part of
'£lie Eccleíiaftical Revenue; but there is another
Abyís tnac devours incomparably much more,
a n d in a way that is not only a Scandal and
iíeproíLch to theirProfeffion,but evento Nacure
it íeifj and, is in a word, the abominable Comraerce they drive with both Sexes.
Ail the World knows that it is not lawful for
che Priefts and Monks of the Church of j?«¡w ro
M a r r y , as having protefted againft Marriage at
their Ordin2tion,and in their íeveral Profeílions
and Orders, as againft a thing (to ufe their own
térras) which defiles and pollutes a man, and makes
oim incapable of duly and purely ferving at the
Altar, 'Tis upon this Principie they reíufe to
M a r r y , and the Prieft that can be conviót of
vioíating this L a w , muft be burnt alive. But for
all this their Fíuffing,they perceive wellenough,
that all this while they reckon without their
Heft,und thisgreatUndertaking of theirs proveí
qii'r..: another thing in eífe¿t,than it was in fpo
culauon. T a k e but a little leifure to read their
Lives,and you'l find, they have no fooner made
their Vow of Chaftity , but they ítudy and invent (with all the Application imaginable) how
to break ít.They have voluntarily debarr'd themíelves from honeftand lawful Wedlock,and muft
n o w betake themíelves to Fornication,AduItery,
ínceft, and Sacriledge, to íatisfie their Cóncupiícence, and glut their infamous Lufts.
5
Of the Corruption of Priefts jkc.
381
N o w to do this, there muft be M o n y , becaufe
the Debauched Sex is doubly concern d for having to do with them , and therefore d o n o t
aiford them ib good Quarters as they do to others; and their Wenches have the boldneís to
tell them, T h a t finceit is a greater Sin to have to
do with them\i than with others , 'tis but jufi they
fliould fay accordingly. T h e Clergy therefore finding, that the W o r l d carries it fomewhat Uncivil
towards them in this r e g a r d , and groaning to
fee themíelves in a condition to ftand in need of
them, reíblve on their lide (as far as poffible) to
be evenwith t h e m ; and accordingly, they wili
not íay a Maís,or Prayer, or go a ftep upon any
ícore whatíbever,wichou5 being well paid for it.
If they be íent for to Baptize a n Infant, to Exhort a Sick Body,or to Bury a C o r p s , they firft:
demand what they will give them for their pains,
and budge not till the Bargain be made. T l i e y
folicit for M o n y towards their Confraternities,
their Feftivals,Proceífions,Benedidions,and D e votions for the Souls in Purgatory, with incredible importunity and earneftnefs, as being a
prompt and effeclual E x p e d i e n t , to fill their
Purfes. T h e r e is nothing diíquiets them moré,
than the perfuafion which poífefieth the Sex they
love, T h a t to have to do with Men confecrated to
God (as they are) is a kind of Sacriledge, and the
ovorfi of all Crimes.This indeed isa Coníequencej
which very plainly follows from their Principies;
but which they notwithftanding endeavour t o
veil as much as ever they can. You íéldom hear
them preaching againft W a n t o n n e í s , Incontínence,
3S2,
The Éighth L É
TTÉB,
nence,Adultery,&c. and,if at any time they do¿
'tis without being Invective, and i b as to diminiíh the H o r r o r any one might have conceiv'd
of theíe Crimes. Yea, fome of them' are arriv'd
t o that degree of Impudence, to publifh, T h a t
thefe are the moft innocent of all other Fices , and
that God confi'dering , that they are born andgrown
up with us, and have their rife from the Blood and
Body that ¡urround us, is very ready to for give and
pardon them. T h e y ia.y,That fuch Sins as thefe are
Infianees of Human frailty ; and provided a perfon
be only convine 'd of his weahtefs therein , Confejí
them, and be humbledfor them, tis enough; and ont
Ave Mary, or the ftgn of the Croís, with a fprinkling of Holy-Water, is all the Penance that is ordinarily enjoyn'd for fuch Peccadillo's as thefe.
T h e y are wont a l i o , to treat Seculars very
fmoothly in this Point, a t their Confeffion, and
i n particular the Female Sex; Left (fay they) b)
treating them too har[hly, they might be difeouragee
another time to Confefs them with all their Circum
'nances* But the true Reafon is, that in ib doini
they may oblige the Seculars,to be as favourabl
towards them in their Ceníures on the lik
occafion, and that they may not be too ftri£tl
obíerv'd themfelves,when they fall into the íara
Crimes. Indeed Auricular andSecretConfeffioi
is the moft commodious way the Priefts have t
lodge their G a m e ; 'Tis there they put Wome
to the Queftion, and by this means accuftomir
t h e m (by little and little) fróm their Youth u
to fpeak with confidence of their iecret Sii
they make t h e m at length loíe that Natuí
,
Shan
Of the Corraption of Vrieftsj&z.
383
Shamefacedneís, which otherwife they would
be leníible of, in making the leaft mention óf
fuch filthineíi. Being therefore by this means inform'd of their Inclinations and Weak-fide, if
they find them to be of an Amorous Complexión, it isan eaíie thing for t h e m tolpeak for
themíelves, a n d to infinuate their own Paffion.
It is nótoriouíly evident, that commonly none
but W o m e n go to Confeffion; for as for M e n ,
they feldom uíé it more than once a year, a n d
that towards Eafier. T h e Reaíbn whereof having been once ask'd in m y prefence, a Per fon
of very good Senfe return'd this Anfwer, That
the Reafon why none but Women were fien to Confefs, was, becaufe Men were Confejjbrs; but, that
if Women were once poffefi of the Chair of Confeffion^
we (hould foon find the contrary , and that none but
Men would appear before them. T h e Reaíbn is,
becauíe W o m e n for the moft part take pleáfure
in their Confefling, being well aífured,that their
Confeífors will put fuch Queftions to them , as
cannot much dilpleaíethem; and knowing,that
how openly íbever they may declare their Sins,
the-Sealof Confeffion will always put them out
of danger of running any Riíque chereby: Yea,
there are not wanting a vaft Number of rhoíe,
who relying upon the Secrecy of this Tribunal,
and encoúraged by the Exhortacions of their
Priefts, of hiding nothing from them, no not ib
much as their impureThoughts, make nodifEculty ingenuouíly to declare, that they love
them ; that they canneither by Day ñor Night
rid their Spirit from rünning out after t h e m ;
1
and
• 3 §4
The Eighth LETTER-
\
and their Amorous Témptations are ib violen?
that except G o d be pleaíed to reftrain'them
o r to take fome compaffion on them , it wi!
make them infallibly g o M a d and Dilira¿ted.
.
T h e Men (efpecially in Italy) go but íeldom
t o Confeífion , becauíe they d o not love to be
quefti nú or examin'd about their Amours. A
Gafucm Fryer (who was very ugly, and the very
picturé of a Satyr,with his great Beard) told ms
once Smiling, That his Confejfion-Seat ivas a
Scare-Crow to Women , but that, to make amends
for that, he ivas the great Confefor of Jealom
Lovers,. . H i s : meaning was, T h a t W o m e n did
n o t care to.Co.nfeís to him,becauíe he was ugly;
but that on the other ha'nd , Men did choofe to
cbnfefs to him the rather , becauíe he was fo,
as j.ddging him incapable of injuring them by
becoming their Rival. A Confeífor, who has a
defign to make a bad ufe of his Minifteriál
Fun¿tipn, may eafily find m e a n s , by.the CHieftions he can put, and to which his Penitent is
o b l i g M t p Anfwer , t o difcoverthe períbn he
ípeaks of, and accordingly may afterwards fina
means of attemptirtg her.
A young Noble Veneüan having been upo n a time too indifcreetly Queftioned by s
M o n k in his Confeffion * where his Miftreí
d w e k , Swore , he would never Gonfeís upoí
that Point any m o r e , except it were at thi
Point of Death , or at leaft, when he íhoulí
be weary of his Miífes,. and n o more appre
h e n d , to have á Competitor in his Loye.
Of the CórruptioH of Priefts,<%c. - .3 85
I have been told by feveral Gentleworaen,r¿^f
Confeffors have come to Vifit them in their Hottfes,
being led t bit her only by the Light they have got from
the Confefjion of their Venitents. T h i s ConfeJJion is
one of the N e w Sacraments of the Church of
Rome, and we fee to what goodly Ends it is
made ufe o f , and the Intereft the Priefts and
Monks have to preíerve it. This is that which
makes them ib boldly to proteft againft Marriage,which they care Ib little for; the corruption
of Mans Nature being ib great,that it repreíénts
Sin more fweet and pleaíant to him, than that
which is honeft and lawful.
I remember a Saying of a Regular Abbot of
a Monaftery in Italy,who talking with me about
Wornen, Íaid, Melius eft habere nullam quam ali¡juam; T h a t it VJOS bztter to have none than any ;
And having demanded of him what he meant
by thofe words; Becaufeifúá he) ivhen a perfon
ts nottied to one , he may make ufe of many. T h i s
you'l íay was a fine piece of M o r a l i t y ; and to
give this Prelat his due , his Practicó was very
couformabie to his Doctrin. H e entertain'd above a Score of Women with the Revenuesof
his A b b y ; h e had m a n y Couutry-Hoüíes,which
heturn'dinto as many'.Brpthel-Hóuíés for him-ielf and his Friends, where he íplendidly Entertain'd them;and the exceíiive Expénces he wás
at in thefe places of Plea'fure, procur'd him t h e '
Súmame of Liberal. But he was not of the íame
Humor towards his poor Fdrmers, w h o lábbür'd
hard to make the beft of his Incoms,and toTilí
ihis Ground ; for he was to them an iníatiable
G c
Exadoc
386
The Eighth LETT E R,
E x a c t o r and OppreíTor, infoniuch as they could
fcarcely get outof him íome part of the M o n y ,
which was of right due to t h e m . Thefe poor
M e n finding themíelves ib ill treated by him,
reíblved on a. time to have.their fullRevenge of
h i m , and to play their Maíter fuch a Malicious
T r i c k , as he might have reaíbn to remember
ever after. T h e y knevv very well the Archbiíhop
was a fvvorn E n e m y to Monks and Abbots, and
therefore queítion'tl n o t , but they would find
him in adiípoíition of favouring theírEnterprize,
T h e y went therefore and complain'd tohim,of
a Scandalous Life their Abbot led, w h o was at
that time three Leagues diftant from Bomnia^t
one of his Country-Houfes , with three young
W o m e n , w h o lay in the íame Bed with him every Night. T h e Archbiíhop having taken their
Information, loft no time,but the firne Evening,
fent away all his Maríhalíey, compos'd of the
Barigel or Provoft, and T h r e e í c o r e Sbirries or
Serjeants well A r m ' d , with Orders to feize the
Abbot,arid the W o m e n that were with him.They
arriv'd at the Abbots Country-Houíe but a m o
menc after h e was gone to Bed. T h e Farmers,
w h o had the Word¡and the Keys of all theDoors,
madetheProvoftjwith his Sbirries ¡enter to rights
into the Prelats C h a m b e r ; w h o (you may eafiiy
írnagin) was extreamly íürpriz'd with this unwelcom and unlook'd for ViíicFIe definí to com-'
pound with the Provoft, and the Sbirries, as ho
had often clone before; and to perfuade them
the better, open'd to them a Puríe full of Gold;
but their Orders were too exprefé to be ib eluded,
vj tüeCorruption of trieJtsfiLc.
387
and the Farmers, w h o o u t o f puré Revenge had
íblicited the Seizingof their Landlord, were'in
preíence , and would not have fail'd to gíve irj
their full Information concerning all that h a d
paífedí to the Archbiíhop: So the Ba-éigel a n d
Sbirries ( t h o ' People otherwife of balé and covetous M i n d s ) upon this occafion íhew'd a forced
Reíblution, not to be cbrrupted by the Prelat's
Gold. Accordingly they took the Abbot ftark
Naked, as he was, without íuffering him to put
any thing upon him,befides a M o r n i n g - G o w n ;
and in this Equipage having mounted him with
his three Concubins,upon an oíd Cart they found
in a Back-Yard of the H o u í e , they tied them
all together,Back to Back, and thus ied them in
T r i u m p h i n the moft ignominious and reproachful manner into the City of Bononia, before the
Archbiíhop. Ic was about Midnight when they
arrived, and the thick Darkneís o f the N i g h t
favour'd the poor Abbot very much , fparing
him a great dealof Confuíion, he would otherwiíe have been put to. T h e Archbiíhop íeeing'
him in this condition fell a Laughing, and by
Way of Railery told him , That fince tt was not'
Imvful for him to take any Cogniz,ance of the Affuirsof Monks, he ivas íviUing ¡o far to honour them
as to make themfel'ves the Judges of their Brethren;
and ib ordef'd him (with his Wenches) at that
very inftant, to be carried in the lame pofture
to SMichael in the Wood , a Monaftery of the
lame Order, about a Canon- íhot diftance from
Ithe City. I t was about O n e of the Clock in t h s
Morningjwhen all this goodly T r a i n arriv'd there
Ce 1
The
t
3
88
The Eighth
LETTER,
T h e Sebinies K n o c k ' d with that violence at the
great Gates of the Monaftery, and made íüch a
Hallowing and Shouting, that the Abbot himfeif was fain to riíe,and to go (accompanied by
all his Monks) to the great G a t e , where he met
w i t h a Sight he had little dreamt of. H e at firft
would not acknowledge the O í d Abbot for his
Brother, upon pretext foríboth he was in his
Night-Gown,without the Habit of his Order,and
refus'd to receive him into the Monaftery: But
t h e Sbirries told him , That if he was fo refolvd,
they had no more to do , but to carry him back
again to the Archbi[hop, who would not fail to fend
for his Habit, and to fend him back the nex day at
high Noon in his Prelats Habit, and accompanied
wt(h his Doxies, as now he was. T h e Abbot perceiving, that nothing could be g a i n d this way
but a double Reproach and Confufion , commanded his Fryers to go and unlooíe h i m , ant
fo admitted him into the Monaftery, and let the
Wornen go. T h e Penance impos'd upon this Ab
bot, for the Affront and Scandal he had giveii
was this; To abide 1 5 Days in the Monajtery,wiÚ
out fl ir ring abroad: W h i c h was the more eafie fe
him to fubmit to,becauíe the Noife of his galar
Story being Ipread through the whole City, 1
could not well any íooner(without great Shan
andConfufion)have a p p e a r ' d i n theStreets.Ti
General, w h o might eafily have Depos'd hi
from his Charge of Abbot,was of Opinion,7í
for fo light a Fault as this, it was not worth¡
fa{ns to proceed to fo rigid a Cenjure; and thus
a Spirit of Charity,\vhioh will not permit us to
:
1
t!
Of the Corruption of Przej?s,&:c.
389
that to a n o t h e r , which w e would not have others to d o to us, eípecially when we find our
íelves in the íame Circumftances, contented
himfelf to make him exchange his Abby for
íbme time, and Entertain'd him at his own M o naftery of Mount Olivet.
í have given you a true and faithful Relación
of chis Hiítory,as having been an Eye-wirneís of
part of it m y íelf, becauíe it hapned during the
time that I was in the Monaítery of S. Mkhael
inthe Wood. T h i s Accident gave me occafionof
making a very pleafanc Difcovery; for upon the
Sbirries entring into the Monaílery, a young Religious being extreamly arfrighted, and apprehending left they might make a n a r r o w íearch
into his Chambers, where for three Weeks time
he had kept a young Laís,came dire£tly to me ;
and without much confidering to w h o m he addreft himíelf, defir'd me, for the Love of God,
to hide his Miftrefi in one of the moft prívate
Chambers of my A p a r t m e n t , until the Storm
were over. But notwíthftanding the extream
Earneftneís wherewith he íblicited my Coníent,
I did not think it fit t o expoíe my o w n Credit,
toíave h i s ; and knowing withal how dangerous
it is, to give a downright Refuíal to zn.ftalian,
and more eípecially to a M o n k ; I in the miideft
Way I could , wiíh'd him to addreís himfelf to
the Apothecary of the A b b y , who was.ayoung
M a n of his own Country, and w h o was not fo
fcrupúlous in that point,as I w a s : T h e Religious
following m y Counfel, found the Apothecary
very ready to comply with his defire,and withC c %
out
3
90
fhe Eighth
LETTER,
out making any difRculty,* took her from h i m ,
a n d íhut her up in one of the large Preífes of
his Shop ; where íhe continued t h e : reft of
t h a t N i g h t , and the D a y following, in deadly
Fears. T h e young M o n k carne t o tné the next
Morning, to Excuíe himíelf, and (as 'tisiikely)
being troubíed that he had given m e a n occafion, (by the difcovery he had made to me ) to
believe,That the reft of his Brethren werebetter
than h e ; he took the freedóm to difcover to me
íeveral things, which till then I was ignorant of,
thó' I had now already continued fix M o n t h s
amongft them : He told me,That ,moB of his Brethren had their Wenches , whom they kept in. their
Chamb.ers ; .and that they got them in from abroad
from time to time,where they'kept them, fome aWéek,
others a- Forínig-ht or a'Month.accordinir to the- Bargdin they had. made with them , and the Ability of
of their Tur fe: The Abbot himfelf was not ignorant
of it; but prevalent Cuftom- had reducá things to
that pafs amongft themí that he wasfain to wink at
all,and conient himfelf with the Frefents they made
him from time to time for fo doing : The moñconrvenient time they had to get their Wenches into the
Abby, was about the beginning s>f the Night; who
being cerne to a place (according to Appointmint)and
frecifely at fuch an Hour ; 'the Monks who had fmi
for them,brought them Cowls and Frocks ,dnd fo dreft
them in their own Habit \ which done , thefe good
Fryers entred all without diftinclion into the Monaftery;ingreater number than they were gone out.
I had indeed formerly often been íurpriz'd,so
lee íeveral new Figures of M o n k s entring into
'• • •
tbe
Of the Corruption of Przeftsfkc.
391
the Dormitories,which I h a d never feen before;
and upon m y Enquiry , they had álways made
me believejtnáfe they "were fome Strahger-Monks
that were come to Lodge with them.Moíf of the
Religious have double R o o m s , wheréby they
have a great Convenience of Entertaining their
W o m e n unperceiv'd. T h e Abbots make their
Profit of i t ; for a Religious cannot have one of
theíe Double Chambers, without paying about
an hundred C r o w n s for it , and they are very
well acquainted what it is defign'd for ; b u t p r o vided their Religious only take care to manage
the Matter f o , as that it may not come to the
knowíedge of Seculars, they do not trouble
themíelves about it • neither doth this hinder
them from being advanced to Religious Charges
and Employments,as much as if they were the
Holieft perfons of the World.
I was acquainted at Ventee with a Regular
Canon of the Abby óf S. Saviour , w h o was a
young M a n of confiderable Learning, and w h o
publickly taught Philolbphy. T h i s M a n entertain'd the moft infamous W h o r e that was in the
whole City , and :who commonly ferv'd for a
Model to the Limners o f t h e Academy. It was
above a Year that he had had commerce with
her, and his Abbot gave him leave (every Evening) during Shrcvetide, to drefs himíelf in Mafquerade,and to g o t o her Lodging, and lead her
thence to the Opera or Cotnedy; after which, he
either brought her along with h i m t o his C h a m ber in the Mon3Ílery,or elfé paft the reft o f t h e
Night with her at her o w n Lodging. N o w , as
Ce 4
long
7
392-
The Eighth LETTE
R,
long as the matter was earried fecretly,and without m a k i n g a n y noiíe abroad, the. Abbot Íet the .
young M o n k take his fwing,withb\ít giving him
t h e leaft Check or Reproof for i t ; and having a <
particular Kindneísfor him, he had already di£
pos'dall things in order to his being choíen Abb o t ; when (by 111 lnck for this young F r y e r ) a
great n u m b e r o f Artizans,who lived in the fame
Street with thisCourtizan,and who probably were
diípleas'd with his frequent Vifits to h e r , carne
and made their Complaints to the Monaftery.'
T h e Abbot having heard what they had t o fay,
endeavour'd what he could to íweeten them,and
t o excufe the M o n k ; but all this did but inceníe
t h e m the m o r e ; and the next Sunday they gather'd together i n t h e Church,near to the Chapel
where this young Religious was wont to, lay Maís,
being refolv'd publickly to Affront him, and to
ftophim from going up to the Altar;but the Abbot
having noticeof it, fent them a piece of M o n y
t p make them deíift from proíecuting their deí g n ; whereupon they retir'd without more ado:
But the Abbot perceivijig the thing had taken
W i n d , and was become the publick T a l k o f the
City,thoughtit now high time to declare himíelf
againft the Monk ; and notwithftanding he had
never before given him the leaftReproof for this
high Miídemeanor,he then wrote a Letter to the
F a t h e r General of the Order, to depiive him of
his .Salary ; and about a Fortnight after there
carne an Order,by which he was put out of his
place of Philofophy Le<5turer,ahd íent away to a
ímall Monaftery in t h e C o u n t r y . His Crime,
Of the Corruptionof 1?riefis,fkc.
39$
hv as I could fearch into the matter,wasnot for
having entertain'd an infamous Familiaríty with
a c o m m o n Prqítitute , for this his Superior h a d
been well acquainted with a year ago ; but his
Fault wa.$,That he had been [o unhappy,not to ufe that
Caution,as to prevent its coming to publick knoivledge,
Italy,.without contradi£tion,is accounted by all
a very corrupt and debauch'd Country; and it is
íüre,that the Priefts and Monks (a fort of People,
w h o have vowed Eternal Chaftity) are the main
occafion of her being branded with this juíiReproach. T h e immeníe Treaíures they poífeís,are
a Scandal and Stumbling-fíone unto them , a n d
Looíe-Women w h o are not ignorant of this,account themíelves happy to be taken into their
Favour; it being a Proverb in Italy, T h a t the
Wench of a Prieft,erMonk,can never want any thing.
T h e Monks,befidesthe Vow of Chaftity,havQ alió
taken upon them that of Púiíírí^andaccordingly
ought never to poífeísany M o n y oí their o w n ;
but the Avarice of the Popes of Rome have made;
them in direót oppofition to theirVowProprietors*
T o what purpoíe is i t , to cover the Inftitution
ofMonaftick Orders under the fair pretext of
leading a more perfe¿fc and a more Chriftian
Life, than Secular Men d o ; when it is fo apparent,that the principal Motive oí their Inftitution was the filling of the Pope's Coffers,and the
inrichingof thePrelats of theCourtof.Rewe?Let
any one go and íearch as long as they pleafe in
Cloifters for that Spirit of Chaftity, Poverty,and
Obedience, which in t h e m is expreíly profelíed,
and after all,'ris certain h e will find there leís of
thefe
394
EighthLEÍ
lhe
I
ER,
theíe than in many Secular Families: But ííire ¡t
is, the Pope always finds them ready to furniíh
him with what Sum of M o n y he ftands in need
of. T h e Reaíbn why the Popes inftitute fo,many
N e w Orders,is, becauíe they are morally certain
they will not ftand long , without falling and
departing from the Rules and ftri¿tneís of their
firft Inftitution, a n d that this will make way for
their Suppreffion, which cannot but be of vaft
advantage to them. ' T i s not long lince that one
P o p e fupprbífed T h r e e of them all at once, <viz.
t h e Order of S.Jerom-, that of the Jefuits, and
that of the Watnrs, w h o likewiíe profeífed the
Rule of S. Jerom. T h e Inftitution of this laft
O r d e r was a very pleaíant one , and their Exit
was as ridiculous.
T h e firft Fathers of this Order being Infpired
(as they faid) by the Hely Ghofi, íet themfelves to
diftil Waters and Spirits, for the relief and fer-.
vice of poor Sick People ; and this their Diftiüing
ef Waters,via.s their Charaéier of difíincVion from
others,andmade them to be cúíá^Fathers ofthe
Waters. A íhbrt time after, all this Spirituality
was reduced t o a Diftilling of Beautifying Waters
for L a d i e s , to make their Hands white, and to
preíerveor augment their Beauty.All theíe three
Orders were become extreamly Rich and Scand a l o u s , w h e n the Pope thought fit to fuppreís
t h e m , a n d to unite to the Patrimony of the
C h u r c h all theirPoífeffions,givingtheirChiirches
t o other Monks,who at the bottom were ne're a
w h i t better , than thofe they were taken from.
T h i s was indeed a very rude T r e a t m e n t for
them,
OftheCorrupñonofTrieftsfkc.
395-
them, thus at once to diveft t h e m of all their
Revenues and Incoms, a n d to forcé them , t h o
íbre againft their Will, to the pra¿tice of their
Vow of Poverty, by reducing them to Beggery,
and the Charitable Benevolence of their Friends
and Acquaintance. This is that which.makesthe
Monks ib much to dread thefe Suppróffións; a n d
the Popes, w h o are n o t ignorant of it, have n o thing to d o , but t o threaten them therewith,
whenever they have a mind to íqueeze a coníiderable Sum of M o n y from t h e m ; which M e thod the late P o p e Innocent the Xltbfeverú
times
p u t i n p r a í t i c e , as well againft the O r d e r of t h e
Canons Regular, as feveral other Congregations
of the O r d e r oíS.Bennet.
T h e Order of Mount Olwet alone,at one time,
made him a Preíent of 10000© C r o w n s , t o
appeafe his Anger; tho' it was not long before
this,that another Pope had íqueezed out of them
(by the fameArtifice)theSumof4oooooCrowns;
and becauíe for this Reaíon,it was imponible for
them to raife that Sum i n R e a d y Mony, within
the íhort term was allotted them for it, he gave
them leave to ehgage their Fonds,and tó M o r t gage the Land belbhging "to their Monaftery ;
which they did accordingly, and making a dextrous ufe óf this Conjunélure, by ftriking whilftthe I r o n was hot,theydeíifedof the Pope,whom
they found a t that time in a good H u m o r , to
give them leave to receive Penfions from their
Kíndred and Relations, and of poífeffing L a n d
in P r o p r i e t y ; which was in effe£t to requeft,
T h a t notwithítanding their V o w of Perpetual
Poveríji
1
396
The Eighth
LETTER,
Foverty,it might be lawful for them,to be as rich
as any other Seculars; and yet as contradiétory
t o their Vow,as tlíeir Requeft was,the 'Pope had
the Confcience to grant it,not only tothem,buc
to all other Reiigious Houles , from whence he
drew vaft Sums of M o n y .
T h i s is that which at this day makes the Monks
of Italy fo full of Mony, and ib well Lin'd ; for
befides the competent Allowance they have for
their Subíiftence from their Monaftery, they, enjoy befides confiderable Annual Penfions from
theirF'amilies,which they ípend at their pleaíure,
a n d to íatisfie their Lufts I have k n o w n í b m e of
them my íelf,that had n o lefs than iooo/.Ster!ing,Anriual Penüon. T h e Cardinals perceiving,
that the Popes d r a w ib confiderable Advantage
from Religiqus Qrders,are not wanting on their
íide,to make them as profitable to themíelves, as
they c a n ; and to this end have found out the
w a y ofSelling them theirProte¿tion,for asmuph
M o n y as they canraiíe them to.Each Órder has
its Cardinal P r o t e d o r , to w h o m they allow an
Annual Penfion of 3 or 4 0 o o C r o w n s ; and this
for to obtain their Favour and Protecfibn atthe
C o u r t of 2iw»e,uponoccafion.The Abbots of the
Congregation of Mount Olivet,ñnding thatíwsocent the Xlth was reíblved to íuppreís them, or at
leaft m a d e a íhew to be i b , they immediately
jiad recouríe to their Proteátor , the Cardinal
Fafchinetti; they writ a Letter to h i m , wherein
they declar'd, the great danger in which their
Congregation was,and earnettly entreated himí
to make ufe of all his Credit with the Pope, to
Of the Corruption of Priefls,&c..
397
nave off this fatal Blow from t h e m , and that in
coníideration of this his íeaíbnable Service,they
would augment his Penfion with the additional
Supplement of 1000 O o w n s a Year. I was preíent at the very time w h e n the Cardinal open'd
this Letter , and having read the Promife they
made him of 1 0 0 0 Crowns augmentation , h e
Cry'd out i n a mofftender and affeítionate tone,
Ah my Dear Congregation of Mount Olivet, I will
never fuffer it tobe faid, That fo great an Affronv
jhould happen unto thee , whilfb I am thy Prcteflor .
and immediately thereupon íent his Secretary
to the Faitean, to defire Audience of the Pope,
upon a Matter that was extreamly preffir>.g,anc
of great importance. H e had the good nick tobe admitted to Audience,at the very time w h e n
the AcT: for íiippreffing the Order, was atftually
drawing up. His. Eminence caíl himíelf at the
Pope's Feet,and told him Weeping,77w if he did
froceed in his Refolution , it would certainly be his
Death.Ths Pope íeeing him in this pofture,lifted
him up with a great deal of Kindnefs, a n d t h e
Cardinal being his oíd Friend,he proiiíis'djT/j*;
for his fakehe would not fupprejs theOrder,as he had
intended; and accordingly we fee ic íubfift until
this D a y , tho' the Monks of it be ne're a whit
better than others,who have been íiippreíf.
I t would be matter of Aítoniíhment to fee ío
many Mónalteriesand Convents íuffer'd in Italy,
full of a fort of People,who being under a V o w
of Obedience, take.the full íwing of their o w n
Wills and Inclinations, who profeffing Voverty,.
are more Proprietors than M e n of the W o r l d ,
and
3
9
8
The Eighth
LETTER,
a n d w h o having confecrafed their Virginity to
G o d , live the moft fcandalous and debauch'd
Lives that can be imagin'd; I íay, this would be
matter of Aftoniíhment, but that it is notorious,
That Gold is more powerful at Rome , than God
himfelf. C a n any thing be conceiv'd more Infamous and Licentious,than the Lives oí Monks ?
H e that doubts of it,needs only go to. Rome, Vemee, or other principal Cities oí Italy, at Shrovefide, where he íhall meet with nothing in the
Streets, but Monks in m a í q u e r a d e , w i t h their
Whores;all the Theaters of Comedies and Opera! s,
a n d all places of publick Shews and Paftime,are
dirong'd with them;yea,andthey glory in theíe
their Excelfes, which ought to be the greateft
snatter of Shame and Confufion to them.
I have been acquainted' with a vaft number
of Monks, w h o at Shrovetide feeing me, would
d r a w near to me, and take off their Vizards on
purpoíe that I might take notice of t h e m ; they
•virad each of them a Wench by the H a n d ; and
t h e next morning in the Sextry , before they
went to the Altar to fay Maís,all their Diícourie
was about the Debauches and Licentious Pranks
they had play'd the D a y before, and of thoíe
they intended toplay the fame Day, after their
Drudgery of Saying Maís was over. I cali to
m i n d a Story one of theíe Monks o n a time told
me, which (becaufe it contains íbme rare extraordinary Circumftances) I think worthy of my
communicating to y o u . T h e Hiftory I am about
t o tell you hapned at Venice. T h i s Monk told
m e , T h a t it was about three Wete'ks fines.,
Of the£orruptionof
Prieftsfkc.
399
that he had met with a very happy A d v e n t u r e ;
which was, T h a t as he was going one Evening
to the Play-Houíe, he met with a Lady of Q i u lity in maíquerade , w h o (as far as he could
gueís from all Circumftances ) was a N o b l e
Venenan; t h o ' at firft , becauíe íhe was alone,
and becauíe íhe rather Addreft her felf to h i m ,
than he t o h e r , he took her to be a L a d y of
Pleafure; and in this perfuafion, he delira her
to go along with him to the Play-Houíe : T h e
Lady very readily' accepted his Offer , which
being ended, he ofter'd her his Service to lead
her h o m e ; and fne who deíir'd nothing m o r e ,
prefently made a fign to the Men, that waited
for her coming at the Water-íide in her Góndola, to come and take her in. T h e Monkftept
in with her, and ípy'd a t t h e farther-end of the
Boat a Gentleman in maíquerade,who receivec!
him with a great deal of Civility. T h e L a d y
fearing left the unlook'd for meeting with this
Gentleman , might affright or diícompoíe
her N e w Gallant, bid him , not to fear a n y
líarm , and comnianded the Boat-men to pulí
away. It was about One of the Clock in the
Morning when they entred the Gondola,md the
Moon being in the W a n e , and the Heavens
al! cover'd with Clouds, made that nothing
could be difcern'd by any Light from thence ;
and the Boat-men made ío many T u r n i n g s a n d
Windings through the Canals of Venke, that ic
was impoííible for him to diícern in what part
of the City he wasAll that he could take notice
oí was, T h a t the Góndola ftopt at a Back- G a t e
of
The Éighth LE TTE
R,
of a ftately Palace, whence immediately manj
Vizarded-Lackeys carne forth with Flambeaus,
to Light them in. He was conduáted by a Prívate pair of Stairs into a fpaciousDining-Rooro,
w h e r e he likewiíe met with íeveral Períbns
w i t h Vízards. T h e Monk,tho'he was a períbn of
great Conñdcnce and Reíblution,confeft to me,
T h a t he was feized with an extream Terror,
w h i c h reeeiv'daconfiderableaddition after the
L a d y was withdrawn,and he íaw himíelf left all
alone with t h e G e n t l e m a n and í b m e o f hisDomefticks,all Mask'd; for (as he affur'd m e ) he
e x p e l e d nothing lefi than Death.But the Gentlem a n , o n the other hand, us'd his utmoft endeavours to aífure and, rid him of his' Fears. Soori
after the Table- was cover'd with a íumptuous
Collation, and he wasférv'd with íeveral íortsof
the choiceft Wines. After which he was íhewed to
a rich Bed, where he was bid to Lie down. The
Monk íeeing there would be danger for him, noü
t o comply readily with every thing they would
have him t o d o , gave a ready Obedience toall
their Orders. He was n o íboner got into Bed,but
the Fire and all the Tapers in the R o o m were
put out, and immediately after the Lady entred,
and carne toBed to him, givirig him a thouíand
Afíurances,that not the leaft hurt íhould happen
t p him, and therefore wiíh'd him to difcard all
Fear.He was thus kept and lerv'd for a Fortnight together,in the manner as I h a v e juftnow
related , without ever being able to diícover
where he was, or who any of the Períbns were,
that accompanied him, or waited on him. All that
' .
•
he
Of the Corruptionof
Priefts401
h's could gueís from the Ladies Dilcourfe was,
That becaufe fhe could have fio Children by her. Hitsband, he had confented to avenge himfelf of fome of
his Neareft Relations, to whom he Was unwilling
to leave his Efrate after his Death, that (he might''
find out fome Expedient to have an Heir ; and that'-f
they had not judgd any way more proper for their V,\
Defign, than to make ufe of a young and handfom
Monk, as he was, to obtain their Defire. T h u s after many Civilicies receiv'd, a.nd very kind and
great Entertainment (but withal, after having
commkted a great Sin) he was íent away with
the Prefent of about Fifty Guineas valué in
Gold ; and having in a dark Night put him into
a Góndola, after many Turnings and Windíngs,
they Landed him near t h ; place, where they had
taken him i n ; neither was it poflíble for him
ever after to make any further diícovery about
this Matter. He himfelf related to me this Ad-^
venture with fuch a Tranfport of J o y , (and
this too, w h e n he was upon the point of going
up to the Altar to íay Mafsj as m a d e itevident,
he would have been extreamly íatisfi'd, to find
himfelf again in the íame Circumíf anees.
I have heard of another 'Monk, w h o (in a
much like cafe) met with a very differenr Succeís; for having been brought by a Lady of
Quality into her Houfe, during her Plusbands
abfence, and probably with the íame defign of
providing him a n H e i r ; but by M i í h a p for
him, her Husband being unexpecíedjy returnjdj,
furpriz'd the good Fryér, and took h i m N a p ping; and having kept him a cloíe PrHaner'in
D d
z
4
oz
fhe'Éighth
t.EtfER,
a G h a m b e r for about a F o r t n i g h t , till a certain
H o l i d a y , on. which a General Proceflion was
t o be celebrated ; which the Gentleman knew
was to país by his D o o r ; as the Trocejjicn was
approaching, he caus'd his Prifoner t o be ítript
ftark N a k e d , a n d after he had been íbundly
Slaíht by four of his Lackeys, juft at the midft
of the Proceffion, as the Fathers Carmelites
país'd by, of whóíe O r d e r this F r y e r was, he
t u r n ' d him out of D o o r ftark Naked, with a
W r i t t e n Paper o n his Back, ípeeifying his
C r i m e , and forc'd him thus to run through the
Proceflion. T h i s gave a very great Offence,
and the Fathers Carmelites, who found themíelves moft outragiouíly Affronted thereby,
w e n t and complain'd to the Inquiíition, pretending that the Gentleman, w h o had thus horribíy expos'd one of their Brotherhood, could
be n o other t h a n an Heretick, a n d a fworn En e m y to all Religious Orders,- w h o m he had fo
outragiouíly, abus'd in the Períbn of their Brot h e r ; but however, notwithftandirig all their
Tcage, the Honeít M a n made a íhift to defend
a n d juñifie his Proceeding againft the Diabolical Malice of theíe Monks.
I could furniíh you here with an infinite num
ber of curious Stories, concerning the Amours
a n d Intriegues of Monks and Priefts, i f l w e r e
not perfuaded, T h a t it is the Duty of every Honeft M a n , n o t to ípeak, but with great Moderación of a Vice, whereof the Dilcovery is equally dangerous, to him that malees it, and to
thofe to whom it is made- A n d therefore íhall
J
Of the Corruption of P riejls f&c.
493
bnly tell you, that I may cut íhort here, T h a c
I never in m y Life cónvers'd with any o n e
Monk or Prieít o f t h e Church of Rome, for fo
long a time as was fufficient to penétrate a littíe
into their Manners a n d Couríe bf Life, but that
í found at laft, that they had íecret C o m m e r c e
with W o m e n ; or, which is woríe, and w h a t I
would not willingly ñame, %>iz>. T h a t they
were addi£ted to the abominable Sin of Sodomy.
And yet many of thoíe were meer Saints to outward appearance, all their Diícouríe was o f t h e
BleJJéd Virgin, and of Purgatory ; and the only
Reaíbn w h y 1 defir'd their Friendíhip, was becaufe at firft I took t h e m to be very good and
honeft Men ; but fome time after I found to my
great Reg re t, that I had been deceiv'd by m y
itoo favourable O p i n i ó n of them.
I was acquainted (during m y ftay at Venice)
ñth one of them, that was the Steward of a
Religious Houfe. H e was a M a n of the moft
íromifing Phyfiognomy that could b e ; and I
vas much edifi'd to fee h o w modeft and hum)le he was in his Garb and Behavioúr. For,
vhereas moft of the Monks of Italy wear curinis íhinirtg Stuífs, fine Hats, Silk Stockins, a n d
ieat Shoes, he had nothing about:him but what?as very plain and limpie : H e wóre a great
Id Hat, w i t h a brim of a Foot ánd half broad,
'hich flap'd d o w n over his Ears, with a great
*fer Nofter of W o o d hanging d o w n from his
ürdle; and befides this, had an A i r and Porc
'at breath'd nothing but Devotion ; and his
bifes, which-othsrs have found a way to exD d %
pedite
404
Tbe Eighth L E 7 T E R,
pedit in iefs than a Quarter of an H o u r , always
lafted an H o u r and an Half.. H e was alio a great
Lover of Books, as being of fome competen!
Lcarning. Thefe good Qualities I obfcrv'd in
him, joyn'd with lome others that he poífeFíl,
and the good Report he had every where, tho'
indeed acquir'd by his Hypocriíie, were the
Motives that engag'd me, to endeavour an Acquaintance with him ; and 1 íook'd upon nyv
íelf as very happy, in meeting with a great deal
of Facilky í n the executing of this my Defign
Dir'ing a Seven Months Converíation I had
with him, I perceiv'd nothing by him but what
was good and honeíl : Yea, he íeem'd to hav;
íbmething of a Spirit of Trophecy ; for whatli;
had publickly foretold of the Raifing of the
Siege ofVienna, and of the total Defeat of tb
T'irrhjli A r m y , very particularly carne to pal'
It had been happy for h i m , could he as we!
have fo releen the iii Coníequences, which tlü
licenticus and fhgitious Life he led in Secret
would draw down upon h i m , in order to hav
prevented them. T h i s good Monk fforloli
was as t o a í l outward appearance, and whom
iook'd upon as a Man come from H e a v e n ) WJ
oblig'd by a troubleíbm Accident that hapnc
to him, ro diícover to me all his Wicked Life
A L e w d W o m a n , w h o m he h a d kept forl
veral years, was reíblv'd at laft to ruin his R
putation : She being perfeclly well acquaintei
h o w great a Lover this Hypocritical Moi
was of Vain-glory, íhe had already for fon
Months threatned to expofe him in his o«
" Colon
Of the Corruption of Priefls,$zc.
40 5
Colours to the World, in cafe he did n o t furniffi
her with the Sum of M o n y íhe demanded of
him. She had already, by theíe her Menaces,
drawn from him at twice an 1 0 0 Crowns, and
was n o w come for the T h i r d time, to demand
the like Sum, neither would he have mended
himíelf a whit, by complying wich her D e m a n d ,
becauíe íhe would not have faiFd within a F o r t night after to come with the fame Threats,ws£.
That fie was refolvd to declare in prefence of the
Trior of the Convent, and aü. the Religious, Tbat
he (through whofe hands aü the Mony of the Car>~
ventpaffed ) had not only ravip'd her Daugbter;
but alfo abusad one of her Eoys, in the mift abominable manner imaginable. T h e Monk own'd,
that he had to do with the one, and the o t h : r , ,
and the Mother-too; but that he had not been
the firft; foraímuch as long before Iris Acquaintance, with them, they had been Proftitutes,
and that befides they had been well paid for it
That in the mean time, to put íbme ftopto her
ímpudence, h e d e f i r ' d m e , to go and warn her
íeriouíly, That if fie would not be fatisfi'd with
the Mony he had already given her, he was refolvd
io get her Murtherd. I was ib far from olfering
him my Service in this Aífair, tbat from thar
time forwards I conceiv'd the greateft horrour
and averlion for him, and took a fina Reíblution never to fee him more. However, 1 h a i
the Curiofity, before I took m y laft leave or"
him, to ask him, W h a t was t h e R e a í o n why h ;
went ib ftrangely Dreft, a n d fuch a ílouching
Hat hangijigovcr his E a r s ; he who took fuch
D d 3
grear
406
The. Eighth
LETTER,
great pleaíure in Courting of W o m e n sf He
told m e , T h a t h e h a d found the Habit he wore
very advantagious and uíeful to h i m , that being an Officer of the Monaftery, when he went
t o receive any Rents, the Perfons concern'd had
the greater Refpeóf. for him ; and befides this,
T h a t it was alio very beneficial to fill his own
Purfe, which he fhew'd m e how- For as our
Monañerics (faid he) are never without Suits at
Law, every one kncws what is the fei price of an
Aííignation, a W a r r a n t , a ContracSf, an Acquittance, and an hundred other Formaliúes us'd in
Law. It is fufficient when I give in my Accounts,
that I have made ufe of fo many. Afíignations,
Coníükations, Acquittances, &c. which do amount to fuch a Sum :. All or moft of which is my
Trofit -, for fometimes í have dtsbursd nothing at all
for them. I go to the Lawyers, the Attorny, and
Notary with my great Slouching-Hat, and in a pitiful Whming-tone Ireprefent, to the utmoíl of my
power, the extream Povertyof our Monaftery, and
that fo cffeBually, as often to move them to comfaffion ; and fo they either take no Mony at all of
me, or el fe contení themfelves with a very little:
So that the Mony of thefe Formaliúes of Law comes
moft into my Pocket, neither am I obligad to give c/
7¡y account therecf to my Superiours, as being th
fruit and produfl of my own Induftry. Whereas
{íaid he) fhould I prefent my felf to thefe Men of
the Law with a little Hat, and a neat Habit, the]
would prefently twit me with a, See here a Company of good Fat M o n k s , w h o live at eafe and
p!eaíiire, and have wherewith to pay well, and
Of tbe Corruptlon of Priey?s &c.
t
407
fo they íhall ; and accordingly would make mepay
for all thefe Writings to the utmoft Rigour. And as
for Women (íaid he) I am always afjur'd, That
tho* my Per fon may not pleafe them, yet my Mony
•will; and that as long as I am for el with that-, I
¡hall never fail ofbei?ig Welcom to them.
T h i s Difcouríe made me conceive, T h a t all
thofe great fíapping Hats, thoíe oíd and T h r e d bare Cowls, the long Beards of the Cafucins,
a n d the high Colla rs of the Jefuits, are n o certain Proofs (as fome íuppoíe) that thoíe w h o
wear t h e m are 'good and honéft Men. T h e
knowledge alfo I have had of their Diíbrders,
has powerfully convintfd m e , that the Sin of
Uncleanttéfs is that which reigns moft abíblutely, and without controul amongft t h e m ; a n d
that of all thefe V o w e r s o f Chafiity, there are
but a very few, and may be, none at all that
obferve it indeed and in t r u t h ; for G o d will
never afford his Bleffing to fooliíh Conhdences,
or R a í h Vows.
F r o m all that has been íaid, k will not bedifficult t o conceive, how the Román Ciergy can
m a k e a w a y with thofe vaft Revenues they are
poífeís'd of, this Sin of the Flejli being one of
thoíé Vices that requires. great Expences to
maintain it. T r u e it is, that Priefts and Monks
are not all of t h e m equally Rich ; for there be
fome of t h e m , that have neither Beneñces ñ o r
Penfions, and w h o coníequently are n o t i n a
condition t o ípend as high as others, w h o yet
fpend proportionably to their incoms. I have
known lome of them who had nothing to livé
D d 4.
upon,
40Í
fhe Éighth
LETTER,
u p o n , but the M o n y they receiv'd for their
Maífes, w h o did almoft ftarve themíelves with •Hunger, to fpare íbmething to enable them to
Vifit a Whore-Houle once a Fortnight, or at"
the leaft once a Mohth. T h e r e are others of
t h e m w h o have fuch bale, and mean Souls, that
they learn Handicráfts, and exercife them in
prívate, to gain fome M o n y : Yea, there be not
w a n t í n g íbme of them who learn to make W o mens C l o a t h s ; as, Mantoeh^ Stays a n d Petti-^
coats; that by this means they may have an occafion of freer acceís to them ; íbme of them
proíeís the A r t of Fortune-Tellmg, and íbme are
downright Negromancers. Laftly, there be others
w h o are not only baíe and mean, but alio Sacrilegious; for t h o ' (according to their Principies) to,celébrate more Maífes t h a n one a day,
be one of the greateft Profanations a m a n can
be guilty of, yet theíe Priefts a n d Monks, who
facrifice all that is Sacred a n d Holy to their
o w n Mtereft, d o eafily get over this diffkulty,
a n d íay fometimes three or four Maífes a day
i n íeveral places.
O n c e on a Holiday I heard Mafs faid very
early in the Morrting in the Church of S. Mark
at Vértice, by a poor Prieft of my Acquaintance;
and having occafion the lame M o r n i n g to go
t o Muran, which is but a little League diftant
from Ventee, as I paft through<a C h u r c h , I faw
the íame Prieft celebrating another Maís. A»
bout T w o Hours after I was oblig'd to go to a
place call'd/¿ Judeka, and there I again found
the íame Prieft íayjng Maís in a Gonvent of
"•
Nm¡)
;
Of"the Corrupt'tonof Priefts,&c.
409
Nuns. T h i s Prieft turning himíelf to the P e o ple at Dominas vohifcum, perceiv'd me,and knowing he was difcover'd, he became feiz'd with
fuch an exceffive Fear and Reftleíhefs, during
the reft of the Maís, that h e ícarcely knew or
minded what he faid; he left o'.it fome of the
accuftom'd Collecfes and Benediétions, and after
he had coníécraWd the Cup, he forgat to lift it
up on high, for the People to woríhip it,according to Cuftom. As íbon as he had made an end
of Saying Maís, he put off his Habit with an
extraordinary píecipitancy, and taking his Fíac
and'Cloak, ran away without ever démanding
his Mony for the Mafs he had íaid. I could
eafily have caus'd him to be íeiz'd ; but knowing it to be a matter belonging to the lnquilition, and having never had any liking for that
Tribunal, I would not concern my íelf with it.
Befides, I knew that he was not the only Man,
that was guilty of this Fault, but that m a n y others committed the íame every day. M y Pen
is weary of íetting down all thofe infamous and
fcandalous AófJons; but yet, becaufe there is
no Evil from whenee íbme great Good m a y
not be drawn, I heartily wiíh, Sir, that from
what I have bere written, as welí as in all m y
other L E T T E R S , you may at leaft derive this
Benefit, to be convinc'd, T h a t the firft Argument which put me upon Writing theíe L E T T E R S , and upon which you rely. fo much foryour confirmation in the Romijh Religión, is a
very poor, weak, and dangerousone 3 viz. That
z? is not foffihle , that Jttcb a great number of
Monks
41©
The Eighth L E TTE
R,
Monks and Friefts, who fit at the Helm of your
-Church, Jhould be all of them in an Error, and con-,
feqtiently, that they may be very fafely relyd upon:
T h i s isone of thofe Arguments w e cali Circulas
Vitiofus, a Viciow or Faulty Circle. T h e Seculars
repoíe themiélves in matters of Faith upon the
Priefts and M o n k s ; and if we divide the Priefts
and M o n k s , as they divide them at Reme, viz..
into Priefts on this ficie, and o n the other fide
the Alpes; we find the latter rely on the form e r , w h o are Italians; and theíe again repoíe
themiélves wholly on thoíe ai Rome, t h a t i s , upo n that n u m b e r of Ecclefiafticks that are about
the P o p e , and w h o in their O p i n i ó n país for
very great Doátors. N o w theíe again on the
other h a n d , d o not rely ib much upon their
o w n Science o r Learning, which they know to
be very mean, as upon the great n u m b e r of
Priefts and Seculars, who believe them. This
m a d e one of their great Preachers declare from
t h e Pulpit j That it was an invincible Argumeni
to prove the truth of Tranfubftantiation, becaufe
there was fuch a van number of thofe who believ'd
in csmparifcn of the inconfiderable Number that denfd it : T h a t their Catholicks being twenty to one,
were to be accoanted as theñrongeft, fo íhe truefi.
I íhall not employ my time here to íhew, how
weak and frivoious thofe Arguments are, that
are drawn either from the Number, or Dignit y of the Períbns that prbfefs it. I t íhall fuffice
m e , that I have expos'd to your View the diícovery I have made of the Unfaithfulnefs and
Falfeneís of your Paftors, and how much it is
" • their
n
Of the Comtption of Priefts, &€.
411
their outward Intereft to abufe you, a n d t o d e ceive themíelves whilft they impole upon y o u .
For as they are well-pleas*d to be made ufe of
by the Multitude, as an Argument to enforce
their Belief; ib G o d fuffers t h e m to make the
íame Multitude, an A r g u m e n t to confirm their
o w n Belief If o n e Blind-man leads another,
they muir both of them fall into the Ditch ; a n d
if one léads T w e n t y , they muft üill undergo
the íame Fate. ' T i s a much furer way for us to
rely upon íbmething we know to be fixt and folid, (üich as we know the Scriptures to be, and
t o endeavour to penétrate the true Senfe thereof,) than to repofe ones Confidence upon Men,
w h o being blinded by their Interefb, or Paffion, may afterwards blind and deceive us alio
for C o m p a n y .
I íhall conclude this account of m y Journey,
ór rather the Remarks I have made during m y
ítay in Italy, with the recital of fome ímal! Circumítances which deferve to be taken notice o£
F r o m Milán I took my J o u r n y towards the L a k e
de Como, where I Embark'd to go to the Valtelline ; and from thence I again paít over t h e
M o u n t a i n Splug, w h e r e ( i n my w a y ) I gave a
Vifit to the Cúrate oí Campodolcino, my oíd A c quaintance, w h o was a Do¿tor of Milán. Fíe
was much íurpfiz'd to íée me there again, a n d
eípecially w h e n he underftood by me, T h a t
m y intention was to take another J o u r n y
through t h e G o u n t r y of the Grifons into Switz,erland: Fie advis'd me very íériouíly to beware
of the Heretkks, and to converíé wirh them as
little
4
i2,
.
The Eighth
LETTER,
little and as cautiouíly as might be. I told h i m ,
It would be a very difficnlt Task to avoid their
converfation in a C o u n t r y , where they are ever y where mix'd with the Catbolicks, or ib much
as to know and diícern them. Whereupon he
told me, T h a t I might.eaíily diícern them by
their manner of Difcouríe; For (íaith he) you
fin all not be a quarter of an Hour in any of their
Company, but yeu fiaü hear fotr.e of thefe Words
coming from them, T h e Purity of the G o í p e l ,
the Liberty of the Children o í God'; the vVritten T r u t h ; the Teftament of Jefus Chrift, and
other like. Exprejfions, tending to exalt the Holy
Scripture above the Authority of the See of R o m e .
But this Notion the Do&or gave me of the Protefiants, was fo far from giving me an undervaluing Conceit of them, that on the contrary,
I took notice of íbmething very pleafing and
excellent in it, and which r.endred them the
m o r e amiable in my'Eyes.
A n d as I was paffing over the Alpes, meditating on the deícription the D o c t o r had given
m e of thg Proteñants, I coneeiv'd, T h a t what
was objected to them as a Crime, might very
well be Icok'd uport as an Apology for them.
Whilft my M i n d was taken up with thoíe
T h o u g h t s , I perceiv'd afar off a Company oí"
Little Children, w h o carne R u n n i n g towards
m e from a little Hamlet, upon the Mountain,
to Beg an Alms of m e : I obíerv'd, that theíe
Children beg'd only in the Ñ a m e of God, and
for the Love of Jefas Chrift, by which I knew
t h e m to be Protefiants. A n d tho' I was n o t then
Of the Corruftronof Friefls,8tc.
413
ib well ftor'd with M o n y to be liberal to t h e m ;
yet they were very thankful for the Little I
gave them, and return'd peaceably to the Village, having firft beftow'd a Thotifand Bleffings
upon me. Ás I Travell'd forwards, and was
eoraing down the Mountain, I met with another ímall Hamlet, from whence alió carne forth
a C o m p a n y of Children upon the fame defign
as the f o r m e r ; but their F o r m of Begging was
very different, for they entreated my C h a r i t y
for the Love of the Blefjed Virgin, of S. Anthony
oí Padua, a n d the Souls of Purgatory. N e i t h e r
were they contented with the i malí Gift I had
beftow'd upon the other Children, but follow'd
me with great Importunity above a quarter of
a League, repeating a great N u m b e r of Ave
Marios, and Prayers for the Dead; and after all,
Íeeing they could get n o m o r e of me, they
chang'd their Prayers into a T h o u í á n d Curies,
and took up Stones, which they flung at me. í
perceiv'd by this Ac-Tion, that theíe Little Catholicks were n c t ib well T a u g h t a n d E d u c a t e d
as the Children of Proteftants; and that t h e D o cfrin inftill'd into them, did not produce ío
good Fruit,.as the Purity of the Goípcl did in
the others. In this manner I continu'd my journ y through the Country of the Grijons, and of
the Swifes ; and without cying my íelf to o¡>
íerve the Advice of the Cúrate of Campodoícmo,
I indiíferently Convers\f with the Proteftants
and Catholicks.
<
I know it is a difficult thing for People of a
different Religión (tho' living under the íame
Lav/í
4
i4
The Eighth L E TTE
R,
jLaws and Government, as the Swiffes aré) per»
fecSdy to love one another.. However, I obíerv'd,
T h a t t h e Papñs fpake v/ith a great deal m o r e
of Bit cernéis againft'the Proteftants, than the
Proteftants did againft t h e m , tho' indeed thefe
latter h a d much more Reafon fo to d o ; for it
was at the time w h e n the Períecucion was earried on againft the Proteftants with a great deal
of Fury. I was very much cdiñ'd wich the Exampie of íeveral French Proteftants, fled inco
Siuit&erland, w h o were fo far from co'mplaining of che Miferies they had í'iiffer'd, that they
exhorted one another, (with Words of Holy
Scripture) to bear paticntly thoíe further Sufferings their Exile might expoíe them to, Neither
could they endure to hear others foeak iil of
their Períecutors, and teífiíiM themiélves to delire nothing more, than that it would pleafe
God to P a r d o n and Convert them. T h e r e was
an oíd Gentleman, w h o in my hearing, with á
great deal of Charity reprov'd a young French
Souldier for being tranfpcrted in Pailion againft
t h e French K i n g ; asking him, Whether the Readin¿ of the Holy Bible had tanght him fo to do ?
T h e y o u n g m a n was daíh'd with this Check,
and defir'd h i m , to excuíe a Fault he had committed, by the Regret he hád, to fee himfelf reduc'd to the condition of a Souldiers Life for a
poorSubñftence, after having loft all his Eftate
in France.
W h e n I was i n SvAt&erland, and fo near to
Genova, I reíblv'd to fpend T h r e e or Four Days
there- I was Lodg'd at the Houíe of a good Widows'
Of the Corruptiva of Triejlsj&c.
415
dow, w h o was a very Zealous Proteftant, a n d
by this occafion íound my felf many times engag d, to difpute about Matters oí Religión:
And forafmuch as I was then maintaining a
Weak Cauíe, I found the Arguments put to m e
to be very ftrong ; and tho' í did not immediately giveup t h e Cudgels,yet thofe I diícours'd
with, took notice of the Moderation wherewith
1 gave in my A n í w e r s ; which made one of the
Minifters w h o was then prefent, íay, That it
were greatly to be wi[iPd, that all the Priefts of
Rome had the fame command of their Spirits ; becaufe by this means T r u t h wowld have the better
Opportunity of dfccvering her felf unto them; but
that commorAy by their Paffonatenefs, and their fcornftd and injuriovs Expreffions, they broke off all Difpites, as joon as they found themfelves phich'd with
the Evidence of Truth. T h e T r u t h is, they behav'd themfelves towards me with a great dea!
of Kindneís and Civiiky ; and after the Difpute
was over, a Fine Collation was D r e í t up, to
which they Invited me, deíiring only of m e
(by a kind of íecret Reproach, which did not
tliípleaie me, becaufe 1 knew it to be juft) that
1 would be pleas'd to make this Refle¿i:ioa upon
their Carriage, T h a t their Spirit was not like
that of the Papifts : For (Íaid they) Sir, y cu
•know very well, that if we had Dijfuted as much
either in Erance or Italy, to mainta'm our Falla, as
you have done here to defendyours, we fmuid have
been abusd Clapt up into Prifon, yea, and Burnt
olive; but as for us, we are fo far from having any recotirfe to fuch barbar ota and horrid FN'EANSÍ
3
416
The Eighth
LETTER,
&c."
that we do not fo much as upon that account think
the worfe of you ; neither ¡hall you perceive any
thing from us, but the kindeft Entertainment we
are oble to ajfordyou-, I cannot but o w n , that I
found in this their Behaviour fbmething of that
Spirit of Beneficence and Sweetnefs, wherewith
Jefus Chrift, and his firít Preachers ofthe Faith,
did Convert fuch Crowds of Infidéls and Sinners. T h e Idea whereof has been ever fmce impreft on my Mind, and. put me upon applying
m y íelf to the Reading of the Writngs of
Proteftants, and to weigh^ their Reaíbns with a
m o r e unbiafs'd T e m p e r ; and having found
t h e m Solid, and founded on the W o r d of God
a n d the Pra¿lice of the Refornfd Churches,
conform to thofe of the firft Ages of the Church,
G o d had-been pleas'd t o give me his G r a c e , to
difpoíe my Will to embrace it, by abjuring all
the Errors of the Church of Rome, which 1
have, and utterly d o renounce from all my
heart, and wiíh you (in Chriftian C h a r i t y ) ths,
íame Happineís, as being,
SIR,
Tour moB
F I
N
I
j4jfeBionate &í&
}
S.