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The Pope at Chapel.

But it was the appearance of the venerable Pontiff, himself officiating, that chiefly contributed to the solemnity of the scene. With unaffected piety he read aloud the portion of the sacred service; with sincerity, and fervour he blessed his assembled congregation; and when, too feeble to walk alone, supported by his attendant Cardinals, he bent his tottering steps from the throne to the altar, and there prostrated himself in humblest adoration; when, immediately, every sound was hushed, and prelates, soldiers, people, all, fell down on their knees:—who, during such an awful silence, whate'er his creed might be, but would feel his mind soar to that One, Eternal, Being who hath fashioned all lands, and all nations; who looketh to the heart, and not to the form; and who from endless ages still tolerates, though man does not, all religions, and all opinions!

Christmas Eve.

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CHAPTER XX.

CEREMONIES OF CHRISTMAS EVE-PAPAL CHAPEL-CHURCHES OF ST. LOUIS-Sa MARIA IN ARACELI-THEATRICAL NATIVITY, AND MIRACULOUS BAMBINO-Sa MARIA MAGGIORE ; PORTA MAGGIORE; AND PROCESSION OF THE HOLY CRADLE -ANCIENT ROME, AND HISTORICAL SUMMARY OF THE VARIOUS CAUSES OF HER SUCCESSIVE RUINATIONS-THE EMPEROR VALENS, AND FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE GOTHS IN ITALY-THEIR DEFEAT-THEIR VICTORY, AND DEATH OF VALENS-ALARIC, AND FIRST SIEGE OF ROME-SECOND DITTO-GENSERIC, AND PILLAGE OF ROME-HIS SUCCESSIVE VICTORIES-ANCIENT PROPHECY-SACK BY RICIMEREXTINCTION OF THE WESTERN EMPIRE -THEODORIC TAKES ROME AND ASSUMES ROYALTY-FIRST ASSUMPTION OF TITLE OF POPE-CONSTANTINOPLE, AND JUSTINIANCHURCH OF sa SOPHIA-VICTORIES OF BELISARIUS-AMALASUNTHA, QUEEN REGENT OF ITALY SUCCEEDED BY VITIGES-WHO EVACUATES ROME, AND BELISARIUS ENTERS VITIGES BESIEGES ROME, AND DEVASTATIONS CONSEQUENT-TOTILA SACKS ROME-LAST VICTORIES, AND DEATH OF BELISARIUS IN THE EAST-NARSES RECAPTURES ROME-EXARCHATE-ALBOIN, KING OF LOMBARDY— GREGORY THE FIRST-LUITPRAND, AND ASTOLPHUS IN ARMS AGAINST ROME, WHICH OBTAINS SUCCOUR FROM PEPIN, AND CHARLEMAGNE-RECIPROCAL REQUITALS; AND RISE OF THE SOVEREIGNTY OF PAPAL POWER RUIN OF ROME FROM CHRISTIANITY -GRATIAN ATTACKS PA

GANISM STATUE OF GODDESS VICTORY THEODOSIUSDESTRUCTION OF TEMPLES, &c.-INJURIES TO ROME BY FEUDS OF BARONS-FROM ROBERT GUISCARD, &c. &c-INUNDATION-EARTHQUAKE-SACK BY THE COLONNA FACTION BY TROOPS OF CHARLES V, UNDER BOURBON-SPOLIATION BY POPES, AND MODERN NOBLES.

27th Dec.-CHRISTMAS eve, and the morning of Christmas day are ushered in with great reli

gious pomps; and as I was anxious to see them I was accordingly engaged from nine o'clock in the evening to six the next morning in visiting the various principal churches. First to the Papal Chapel where His Holiness was expected, but did not appear, and where there was no other service than the same eternal chaunt of the choristers :Thence to the church of St. Louis, whose splendid nave was lit up like a ball room, having a profusion of modern glass chandeliers, adorned with flowers, and one hundred large wax candles blazing on the high altar.

This church was too crowded even to promenade; a cordon of soldiers kept the ground of the choir reserved for the priests, and also made way for them through the crowd. Here the organ was totally at variance in time, pitch, and unison with the chaunt, and I was therefore fain to leave it for the next church to which our cicerone led us, that of La S Maria in Aracoeli, situated on the brow of the Capitoline Hill; perhaps on the very site of the proud temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus; and in which very ancient edifice, containing an altar asserted to have been consecrated by Augustus to the Saviour about the date of his birth, there was expected to take place a complete theatrical representation of the Nativity, a stage having been erected with all due appendages for that purpose; but after waiting patiently till the conclusion of a

The Divine Bambino.

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very long Mass, we found that the exhibition was deferred, and accordingly between three and four o'clock in the morning, we turned out, and trudged away for S Maria Maggiore.

Ara Coeli has a Bambino, or infant Jesus, which was brought down from heaven by an Angel, during the night, who rang the convent bell, and then flew back again; and this bambino being of course gifted with heavenly powers, has wrought more miracles than any wooden babe ever yet did, or than the whole learned, and skilful body of physicians of Rome do to this hour.-It has the undoubted power of curing sickness either when invoked, or sent for, and brought with due solemnity by the priest, who, of course, takes his fee, though certainly not for himself, but only on behalf of this divine Bambino.

This splendid church of S Maria Maggiore on the summit of the Esquiline Hill, one of the seven Basilica of Rome, and one of the four having the Porta Santa, has in its magnificent façade three balconies;-from the central one of which the Pope dispenses his universal blessing.

It owes its origin to a vision as far back as the fourth century, and was built on the precise site, and occupies exactly the same space, where there fell a miraculous shower of snow on 5th August!

It is also presumed to occupy the site of the ancient temple of Juno Lucina;-and that thirty

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Church of S Maria Maggiore.

six columns of white marble now decking the interior of this Catholic Church were formerly sacred to the Pagan Queen of Heaven.

Its two chief beauties are its high altar, isolated, and formed of an antique sarcophagus of porphyry, covered with marble, and supported at the corners by four bronze angels; above which rises a most lofty, and imposing canopy, also of bronze, upheld by porphyry columns of the Corinthian order, and further adorned with sculptured angels. The beauty of this altar, I think, no one will dispute, but as by its noble elevation it almost touches the roof of the nave, the disproportion of the one, or the other, must offend every critical eye. The other striking beauty is the sumptuous Chapel of the Virgin, erected by Pope Paul V, of the house of Borghese, and where the delighted eye may gaze on treasures of beautiful sculpture, bassirilievi, columns of oriental jasper, with agate, lapis lazuli, gems and rarest marbles, together with an image of the Virgin which has the credit of having been done by St. Luke, and is accordingly surrounded with precious stones.

I had almost omitted to notice that noble gate leading to this church, La Porta Maggiore, being one of the arches of the Claudian Aqueduct, and which, as it here intersects the high road to Labicum, and Præneste, was raised by the Emperor to