them that we now live in the nineteenth century, and not in the eleventh. Cardinal Litta and Mass. Testa answered me with great kindness, and praised my sincerity; but Cardinal F. went to Cardinal Litta and said, "I have now a bad opinion of Wolf: how can he prefer the judgment of the Grand Duke of Baden, who is a Protestant, to the judgment of the holy father?" Cardinal Litta defended me, saying, I had a warm heart, and did oftentimes not reflect on what I did: and he commanded me in future, to write to no Cardinal except himself. ⠀⠀

B

I frequently heard the noise of a crowd of people flocking to the Church called Rotunda, and exclaiming, "The mother of God opens her eyes and works miracles." The Clergy send soldiers to guard the image which represents the Virgin: and to deceive the people, one priest reads mass, and another collects money for the mother of God. It is true the greatest part of the clergy said to me that this was only the fanaticism of the people, but why does the Pope approve such an idolatrous fanaticism, and why do they send soldiers to the altar of that image? and why do priests collect money for the support of that image, and celebrate mass before the altar of that image, to show respect and honour to it? The Vicar-general, in a printed declaration, approved the miracles, said to be wrought by the image of the Virgin.

In the month of October, 1819, all the pupils went to Tivoli, where they have a very fine countryhouse. I saw there the villa of Mæcenas, the grotto of Neptune, the ruins of the barracks of the army of

Trajan, and the ruins of the temple of the Sybil; and I read Horace's poetry in one of his own countryhouses. I went one day, with the other pupils, to the church of the Franciscan friars of that town. They were then celebrating the festival of St. Franciscus Assissi.All the monks of Rome are accustomed to preach sermons on the day of their Patriarch, which they call Panegyrica. I heard the panegyricum of St. Franciscus of Assissi, composed by a Franciscan friar! He enumerated all the miracles of St. Franciscus, and all the pains of his body, where they observed the five wounds of Christ. And, after the account of these miracles, and these wounds, he said," I therefore argue, that Franciscus Assissi has taken upon himself the sins of the whole world." I said to the pupils, and to the master of our College, after the sermon was finished, "This monk has blasphemed Christ; for Christ bore the sins of mankind, and not Franciscus Assissi. He was a pious and a humble man, but yet a sinner, who, like ourselves, must be saved by 'Christ."

In the month of December, Cardinal Litta ordered me to enter the College of the Propaganda, which was then re-established, although the building itself was not opened until the eleventh of January, 1818. I left the Seminario Pontificio, accordingly, on the sixth of December, and entered amongst the pupils of the Propaganda, in the missionary house, called Monte Littorio, under the direction of the Missionaries, called Vincenziani. This Missionary order was established by

Vicentio di Pauli, in France. He was a great man, and a true member of the body of Christ,-he established, not only a Missionary order, but formed other establishments for the poor. He was a friend of Franciscus Salessius, and of the celebrated lady, called Madame de Chautal. Many clergymen of Rome said to me," You do not well to leave the learned college of the Pope, and enter amongst the ignorant Vincenziani, who know little of scholastic divinity." I was glad when I heard this.

When I entered that convent, I put on the habit of the pupils of the Propaganda. It consists of a long black garment, with a red girdle, and five red buttons are attached to it, which indicate the five wounds of Christ; and the red colour is the symbol of the danger of losing his life, to which a Missionary is exposed. I found amongst the monks of that convent, holy and silent devotion, not the spirit of controversy; and they read daily, not Segneri, but a book called, the Imitation of Christ, composed by Thomas a Kempis, together with the Holy Scriptures, and the Church History. That history, however, speaks with great freedom of the tyranny of Alexander VI., who burnt the pious Savonorala, for preaching against that monster of a Pope, more fit for the leader of banditti, than for a Pope.

I found also in that convent, two Italian Bishops, who, with the simplicity of Apostles, encouraged me in the love of Christ and his Gospel; and I found two Irish gentlemen amongst the pupils of

the Propaganda, who told me, that there were good Christians amongst the Quakers, and the Methodists, and other denominations in England. One of them observed, as we walked together, that all our works are nothing, and all our knowledge is nothing, but the merits of Christ alone have any real value; and the other remarked, that the philosophy of Aristotle had introduced a bad spirit into the doctrine of the Catholic Church. I found amongst them also, a black Mahomedan, twenty years of age, who was baptized by Cardinal Litta. He seemed to lose himself in meditation and in prayer. But my joy and pleasure did not last long; for all the pupils were introduced to the Pope in the month of January, and we went the same day into the building of the Propaganda, in the street called Piazza di Spagna. The Pope received us with fatherly kindness, and gave us his benediction; and when we left his room, one of his clergy said to us, "You are the true soldiers of the Pope :" to which another Prelate replied, "Not soldiers of the Pope, but soldiers of the Church of Christ." I was much delighted with the answer of that Prelate; and we entered the Propaganda.

A priest who was once a pupil of the Seminary of the Pope, where I was at first, became our master at the Propaganda; he was distinguished by his great knowledge of the scholastic divinity. He spoke on the first day of our entering, against St. Cyprian, because he resisted the power of the Pope. He said to us, "I will now introduce the customs of the Pope's seminary amongst you.

You must learn to argue against heretics in syllogistical form; and learn to distinguish well, what is a fide, and what is proximum ad fidem." This is a technical term in scholastic divinity. A fide, is every doctrine, the disbelief of which would make a man a heretic; and which is already distinctly so decided upon by Popes and Councils;-and proximum ad fidem, is every doctrine not yet distinctly decided on by Popes, and Councils, but remaining as an opinion of the theologians, the disbelief of which would make a man a temerarius, though not a heretic. Amongst the first is the Infallibility of the General Councils, and Transubstantiation; amongst the second, the Infallibility of the Pope, and the immaculata conceptio beatæ Virginis Mariæ, and whether Christ died for all, and whether the Pope is supra conciliis, or concilia supra Papam. I said to him that I did not like the scholastic divinity, because I considered it as the disputations of men, and of no great value. He replied, "You mistake! I will prove to you, by an example, that scholastic divinity is necessary, by asking you a question. "Is it a fide, that Christ died for all men?" I answered, Yes, because I must believe the Scriptures!" He rejoined, "The Scriptures without the decision of the Church, have not any authority, because the Church and the Popes are the judges of the Holy Scriptures." I said to him, "I want not an interpretation of a Council upon passages which are clearly and distinctly explained." He answered, "We find the doctrine of the infallibility of the