HALL'S LAND OF THE FORIIH AND THE VATICAN. ° MR. HALL
is a Dissenting Minister, stanchly Protestant, but with more catholicity than always belongs to opponents of the Papacy. He has also a more genial disposition than many divines exhibit, with a delight in nature and a taste for art. Accompanied by his wife, who has kindred qualities, he made a rapid tour, last spring, through France and Italy ;ing chiefly at Rome and Flo- rence. Of this tour he has wraten a narrative, embracing free extracts from Mrs. Hall's journals, which form not the least at- tractive part of the book.
The weightiest topic, and that which is the most thoroughly handled, is the state of religion, especially at Rome.- Mr. Halls journey was too rapid to allow inspection of anything beyond sights ; and, though not without a feeling for beauty whether in • The Land of the Forum and the Vatican ; or Thoughts and Sketches during an. Easter Pilgrimage to Rome. By Newman Hall, B.A., Author of " Come to Jesus,'" Ike. Published by Nisbet. nature or art, neither Mrs. Hall nor himself seems to have the learn- ed idea, which, by bringing to examination a thorough knowledge of the subject, enables past experience to do the work of time. The author's training has also given him a discursive tendency. Much of his journey consists less of what he saw, than of the thoughts which things suggested to his mind. He improves occurrences for moral or religious remark and historical retrospection. The Place de is Concorde, for ;example, calls up some of its illustrious vic- tims, and gives rise to sound reflections on tyrannical govern- ments and irreligious peoples. Avignon recalls the Popes ; Flo- rence and its neighbourhood, Milton, many passages in Florentine history, and so forth. These and similar things are often done freshly and naturally ; but we want a traveller's observations, not his reveries.
In the church Mr. Hall is more at home, and his reflections are more appropriate. He is a good critic on preaching, whether as regards doctrine or elocution ; and be renders full justice both to the one and the other among the Romanist divines, favourably contrasting their warmth and their grace of manner with the cold- ness and formality of English preachers, even when their doctrines are thoroughly evangelical. He also does justice to the topics of the Romanist sermons; which he generally had to approve of. Once, overcome by the subject and the effect of the service, he even joined in the devotions at St. Peter's on Good Friday.
"The candles on the altar were yellow, in token of grief ; but none were burning, to represent the supernatural darkness. No incense ascended du- ring the service, nor was any benediction uttered. The Pope, preceded by a cross, entered, clothed in mourning robes, he also having laid aside his ring. After kneeling a few seconds in silence before the altar, he took his seat on the throne, and the service began with the chanting of some prayers. Then followed what I shall never forget, the intoning by three priests of the nar- rative of the Passion by St. John, the only Apostle who followed his Lord to the cross, and was an eye-witness of his sufferings. It was read or sung dramatioally—though without action or any repulsive aiming at effect. The peculiarity consisted in each priest assuming a distinct part. Thus, one of them recited only the words of the historian ; the second, those uttered by our Lord; while the third came in at the different points of the story, with the language of Pilate, and other subordinate actors. The most startling effect was produced by the choir personating the rabble, and in wild angry tones, shouting, 'Not this man, but Barabbas!' and drucify him, crucify him !' I must confess that this part of the service, in which no words but those of inspiration were employed, and these so touchingly descriptive of the most momentous event in the world's history, affected me very deeply. But when at the words 'inclinato capite tradidit spiritum be bowed the head and gave up the ghost' —the Pope and the Cardinals rose from their seats and knelt, and all the congregation knelt, and the voices of the priests were still, and an intense silence prevailed for several minutes, I could not re- main on ray feet, as I had so often done amidst a kneeling crowd. I bent with all around me ; for there was no outward object held up—it was at the majesty of the truth which had been read—it was to the suffering Saviour, of whose agonies we had just heard. I could not restrain my tears; and earnest were then my prayers, that the crucified One might reign more fully in my own heart and in that of all my friends, and that in His mercy he would re- move that veil of superstition which so concealed the full brightness of His Gospel from those who, amid so many corruptions, still held this great cen- tral truth of His mediatorial death. Whatever some of my Protestant readers may think of it, I felt pleasure at the time, and I feel pleasure now in the remembrance, that amid so very many things in which I felt compelled openly to manifest my non-concurrence, there was one act of worship in which I could conscientiously join. Surely it would have been the exagge- ration of Protestantism to refuse to kneel with the Romanists in silent prayer at the reading of the narrative of the Saviour's death."
Such service in opposition to preaching, however, was an excep- tion. The generality of the ceremonies as well as the praying, Mr. Hall found theatrical, superstitious, or idolatrous. This last charge he makes plainly, but not offensively ; supporting his con- clusions by continual instances not only from the worship of images by the vulgar, but the adoration of the relics on the same day in the same church.
" After wandering about for some time, enjoying the sense of mysterious grandeur which in the gathering gloom of night pervaded that mighty temple, our attention was attracted to the great entrance, where we saw, ap- proaching from the scale regia of the Vatican, the Pope and Cardinals in so- lemn procession. His Holiness was on foot, attended by all the great officers of his court and the chief dignitaries of the Church. The procession was headed and flanked on both sides by priests bearing torches. Viewed pic- torially, it was a most beautiful sight—that gorgeous array of prelates with the Pope himself at their head, their varied robes thrown out in strong light, solemnly and slowly moving up the majestic nave, whose long recesses of deep shadow were only partially invaded by the blazing torches, which flung their flickering glare now beneath one mighty arch, and now beneath an- other, affording glimpses of the diversified and countless groups which were moving about in all directions.
" And now they are just beneath the dome, and stop opposite one of the four immense piers on which it rests. On looking up, we see at a great height a small gallery, in which, by the light of some candles which they bear, we can just discern two or three priests. One of these was walking up and down in a moat pompous way, displaying the relics, followed by two other priests with folded hands, looking very sanctimonious. He held up what seemed a glass case, in a gold frame, which sparkled brilliantly, as if set with diamonds. It contained the head of the spear with which Christ was pierced ! The priest holds it on oue side, then on the other, then ele- vates it in front—and see! the Pope and Cardinals have all prostrated them- selves on the marble pavement, in humble adoration before it! The second relic was then exhibited in the same manner ; a bit, they say, of the true cross, about three inches long. Lastly came the cloth of St. Veronica. The legend states that our Lord, on his way to Calvary, being much heated under the burden of the cross, a young woman, Veronica, handed him her hand- kerchief to wipe his face from the perspiration, and that when he returned it to ber it bore the impression of his features ! This very handkerchief bear- ing this miraculous likeness they claim to show at St. Peter's on Good Fri- day, and to this I saw Pope and Cardinals prostrated in adoration. * • * • After remaining prostrate during the several minutes which were occupied in the display of these curiosities, the Pope and Cardinals rose up from the Pavement, and left the church as they bad entered it ; the only object of their visit being to set this public example to the Roman Catholic world how the relics of the Church should be venerated and adored. With quite as much outward worship as they treated what they believed to be tho real presence of Christ in the sacrament, did they worship these bits of iron,
wood, and linen. Comment is needless ; argument in such a case a true work of supererogation. I saw for myself."
To the assertion that the Romanist version of the Scriptures is not prohibited Mr. Hall gives a definite denial. He continually went into booksellers' shops in quest of the Bible on set purpose, and always without success : the book was prohibited, only one bookseller in Rome acknowledged the possession of a copy, but he said it was so expensive and ponderous that it was not worth while to show it. Even travellers continually met with difficulties at Rome about their Bibles ; and some Americans had theirs taken away, which they only recovered through their Ambassador. To the unpopularity of the Pope and priesthood at Rome further testimony is not required. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hall speak of the disfavour with which the Grand Duke of Tuscany is regarded in Florence. The lady writes—" I was very much struck with the ominous silence as the Grand Duke drove along the streets : not a hat was taken off, nor any mark of respect paid." And no won- der. The first thing that met the eyes of our travellers was foreign soldiery in the streets of Florence. Wanting to reach the post- office, they inquired their way of the soldiers who thronged the streets ; but, speaking in Italian, they were not understood. In Paris, Mr. Hall recounts a few casual remarks which are signifi- cant.
"Desirous of ascertaining the public feeling respecting the Emperor, I asked a bystander in the crowd, if he was very popular. 'He tries to be.' I remarked that there was a great multitude to see him. 'So there would be to look at a giraffe.' Conversing with a shopkeeper on the subject of peace, I referred to the strength of the French army as one cause of the in- vasion panic in England. ' It is for us, not for you.' Another, to whom I remarked that the French seemed prosperous and contented under the pre- sent regime, replied, emphatically, We are tranquil.' "
Naples still maintains its bad eminence as regards passports and other inconveniences. The travellers were fleeced three times by customhouse-officers between the frontiers and the capital. Of the strictness of the passport system, and the danger from new comers which haunts the Neapolitan official mind, a good story is told.
" A ludicrous result of passport strictness had just occurred. A lady ex- pecting her confinement was at Capri with her husband. Wishing that the child might be born on the main land, they sailed across the bay ; but the youthful Neapolitan having unexpectedly made his appearance during the three hours' voyage, they were not allowed to land, because the infant was not in the passport!"
Besides matters relating directly to religion as it appears in . France and Italy, Mr. Hall's book may be consulted as a species of churchgoing guide to Rome. It also contains incidental glimpses of manners, some striking sketches of the neighbourhood of the Eternal City, and some agreeable descriptions of art. As a book for general perusal, it would be much improved, in a new edition, by a very free curtailment of nearly everything of the nature of historical retrospection, whether such a long episode as the history of Savonarola, or the briefer summaries which occur at nearly every memorable place Mr. Hall visits.
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