The Express.
London, England, 1858-04-02 00:00:00

LITERA TURE.

Recollections of the Last Four Popes, and of Rome
in their Times. By H.E. Cardinal WISEMAN.
London : Hurst and Blsekett.
Fame plays sad tricks with human affairs. Justice
is painted blind, but the deities who decree as to
whose memories shall live after their decease are
realty so. There were brave men before Agamem-
non, but we know them not. Menander's hundred
comedies are lost, but the inferior plays of Plautus
and Terence, founded on them, remain, and are
studied to this day by ingenuous youth. Hyperides
is said to have equalled Demosthenes in oratory, yet
of the one we have but • fragment, while of the
other upwards of sixty orations are preserved. Un-
doubtedly in many a kitchen fire, in ancient convent
or baronial hall, precious reputations have been burnt
up and utterly extinguished, and many a worthless
monkish legend has been preserved at the expense
of some sterling specimen of the noblest literature
of Greece or Rome. Even the names of planes have
been subjected to a similar caprice. Torneo, a sandy
plain, is made by Campbell to have " a hoary brow,
in order to supply the poet with a fitting rhyme.
Byron will have it that there was a convention at
ewers, and the readers of " Childe Harold" all fall
into the mistake. It is pretty well established that
when Milton wrote,

When the great vision of the guarded mount
Looks towards Namaucoa and Bayous. bold,
it Wlte the richness of their names, rather than their
istriusie importance, which attracted the poet's at-
tention to these two places, and thus won for them
immortal fame. Marys are plentiful in the Highlands
—and maids are not rare in Athens—yet all of them
shall pus into oblivion sale those two that genius
looked on and in an idle monit nt sang. ho it is with
the four Popeseardieal Wiseman haecommemorated.
They interest us rather for their association with the
Cardival than for their own special worth. They seem,
according to their devout and eloquent biofrrapher, to
have no individuality whatever. What is true of
one is true of all. Pius VII. was "good and holy,
and was a venerable man." When our author first
saw Leo XII., " has countcnnnce glowed with a look
of intense devotion;" Pius VIII. was " learned snd
holy ;" the only exception seems to be Gregory
XVI., who appears to he more of an active man of
business and patron of the fine arts. At any rate,
in speaking of him the Cardinal writes with more
naturalness and vivacity. By catholic readers these
recollections will be perused with the deepest
interest for the sake of those they especially record,
but to the general public their chief interest will be
found to consist in the glimpses they give us of the
inner life of Rome. The defects of the book are
two. In the first place, the Cardinal is too humble;
he is weighed down with a sense of the dignity of
his subject ; there is no ease in his style. Another
fault is, every one is too good and great. There is
no shading in his pictures. We feel there is dm
lion somewhere. As Fox said of Thurlow it was
impossible to be as wise as he looked, so we say of
the Cardinal'. heroes that they cannot be u good as
he makes them appear. lode< d the Cardinal seems
to feel that he hes somewhat overdone his
praises, and in his preface seeks to disarm
criticism on this head by remarking, if there were
" vice, corruption, misery, moral and physical, in
Rome, he saw nothing of them ;" and u to wicked
persons the Cardinal confesses he has never known
them—a most rare and blessed experience.
The "Recollections" begin in 1818, when the
Cardinal arrived in Rome, in company with five other
youths, sent to colonise the English College in that
city; and they terminate in 1810, when "it was
thought advisable to increase the number of bishops in
England, by subdividing the four apostolic vicariates
established in the reign of James 11., so u to double
their number;" and when "the writer was appointed
to the subordinate situation of coadjutor or assistant
to one already in possession of a see, with residence,
at Wolverhampton, the Venerable Bishop Walsh."
The spirit in which the Cardinal writes is of course
not ours. We are not so sure as the Cardinal seems
to be, at all events in the sense in which he means
it, that Pius VII. had been "rescued from his
durance, not by the power of man, not by the armies
that had almost hemmed him in his prison, but by
that Higher Will that keeps in its own hands the
hearts of Kings and turns them at pleasure." We
cannot think the revolution of France in 1830 a
terrible lesson, and certainly we had always under-
stood that Gregory XVI. was a very different and
much less praiseworthy individual than the Pope
Cardinal iseman delights to honour. But, after
every abatement of this kind is made, the " Re-
collections " have a certain amount of value. The
description of the elections of Popes and of papal
processions are written eon onion., and the rich,
almost oppressive, gorgeousness of the Cardinal's
style is in admirable kteping with them. Our
extracts will however refer rather to persons in
whom the English public take more interest. In
'chapter devoted to the rimarkable men of Gregory
XVI." Pontificate we have his sketch of

CAIILDIN•L lICZZOYANTI.
I will only say, that I can attest his perf.ct utterance and
expression in the few language. with which I happen to be
acquainted, and that I hive heard nxtirea of almost every
(unify in Europe and Asia, not to mention California, who
have bassi witness in my preaence to bis perfection in accent
and phew, when speaking their various language.. The
general observation used to be, that they would Dave easily
taken him for a native each of his own country. This mag-
nificent gift of universal speech was not thrown away in any
sense. It waa habitually emplord in good, in instructing
and maiming spiritually many who, without him, might
hare remained ignorant or helples.. Though it was natural
that he should be fond of conversing in bis many language.,
I should doubt if ever it was done from love of display ; for
he was humble and shrinking on cv,ry occasion. lorked he
knew his power. to be a gift rather than an mcquisitMe. His
appearance certainly did not bear the seal of lie high intel-
lectual mark ; for his learning on all suljects was set unto,
extensive, and solid. The countenance, which was the dial
to the burly and complicated work, above it, was not ..mple,
or noble in it. traits. Him brow was a problem to phnmolo-
gists . though his eyes were heavily premed outwards by
what they may have considered lingual faculties. One of
this order once told him gravely that he had great facility. is
learning langraages. " Bat then." Alezgoranti archly added
in tallies roe this wise diacovery, "he knew that I was
already acquainted with fifty." Moat amiable too be was,
simple and childlike, charitable to exam, and ready to help
any one with head or bald.

Another Cardinal, equally well known, and a true
benefactor of his species, was

CARDINAL NAL
This Mai eminently worn, from youth to old age, adorned
with every priestly virtue, modest end humble, Do that
speak to bun of hie own great works, and be turned you
away front the topic with • blush and gentle disclaimer,
which was manifeetly sincere. His habits were moat simple
and temperate. lie rove very early, and after Mass eat down
to his books before six, and studied the whole morning, with
the interruption de light meal. Of course at one period of
his life, both before and after his caniinalate, he had official
audiences to give, and be never wee absent from any religious
retake at which others of his rank attended.
moment that could be snatched from thee* duties, which
were always thoroughly discharged, WAS seized for his fa-
vourite pursuits; and I should doubt if, during the few
moments that • secretary might take in going t•• the next
room for a pappeerr , and returning with it, • line was nut
mid or 4aoslated from the open manuscript en the table.
He rarely went into society, except for • few minutia wham
courteous duty imperatively demanded it. A solitary drive,
which I have sometimes counted it an honour to deprive of
that epithet, perhaps a abort walk, less almost all the rob-
bery that he permitted recreation to make from his domestic
converse at home, with that chaste wisdom that bad early
captivated his heart. Soon alter dusk, his servants were
dirmisard, hie outer door was inclor.bly bolted, and &luxe
with his oodices he was lavish of him midnight oil, protracting
his studies to an unknown hour.

This retirement and necongeniality with societ obtained II
for has, will these who did not know hint, • of
mannensne or haughtiness, which disappeared the moment
jos epereeeled his.. Bo yea most affable, kind, sad ready
le min by coiassl or suggestion ; and, however interrupted
hi his own work, he never betrayed impatience or &deem to-
get rid of the visit. His countenance, perhaps, encouraged
with some that misinterpretation of his character. A moat
liable forehead, equal to containing, piled up but orderly
within. any mount of knowledge. caught the eye of the
Tinto' to • papal function, and generally inspired the desire
to know whom countenance it distinguished. Than came
mes deeply burroving under brows knitted somewhat by the
aged wawa& abcee.aghted preen roues 10 see, till he has
radeted hehihol the *amnia' ef that Waist. Hie &attires