The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-09 00:00:00

ST. PETER AND NERO.

Last year, the Church celebrated the nine-
teenth centenary of the martyrdom of the
Apostle Peter, Vicar of Jesus Christ. This
year, at the same time, occurs the nineteenth
anniversary of the suicide of the Emperor
Nero, Vicar of Satan. We know what the fete
of the Church was, and how the furious revo-
lution would fain have turned it into her last
Vespers. The great journal of Catholic Italy,
the Unita, recalls this to the revolutionists,
and suggests to them to take their revenge
by celebrating in their turn the centenary of
Nero. And why should they not, seeing that
Nero is their chief; as Peter is ours, and that
both are still living and wrestling with each
other yet for the prize of the word ? In truth,
there are but these two personages in all
humanity, and the history of the human race
is the history of their conflict.
Peter, the envoy and the substitute of
Christ, the only Son of God, in combatting
Nero, combatted humanity itself. He com-
batted it to wrest it from the gods it had made
for itself; and who were devouring it. In its
madness it would fain have kept them, because
it worshipped in them its own handiwork.
Peter was beaten with rods, crucified. He died,
and he was the victor. The Roman Empire,
which slew always, whose strength was based
upon vengeance, and whose duration was based
Upon death, made its false seep upon the
corpse of the man of peace, to whom Christ
had given the supreme commandment to love
more than others, and always to pardon. Peter
wrested Rome from Nero, and gave her to
Christ.

And Nero also fought with humanity, ever
divided and. in arms against itself. He strove
against the divine instinct by which it sought
light, against the groans with which it called.
upon God. A hellish inspiration seemed to
guide him, leading him to commit crimes more
hideous than the corruption of man had yet
invented, more brutal than any to which
supreme power had yet accustomed itself, and
outraging human society, nature and divinity.
In the presence of Jesus Christ, already visible
in the whole universe, Nero declared himself
to be God.

Base pagan servility had long demanded this
outrage, but it was reserved for the madness
of Caligula to accede to the demand. Augustus,
Tiberius and. Claudius, overcome by this in-
famous servility, permitted temples to be de-
dicated to them ; but Nero was the first to
believe in his own divinity. He erected altars
to himself, and Rome, with her great, her
wise, her philosophic, and her brave sons,
fell down in adoration. Both Seneca and
Burrhus feigned to adore Nero ; and Tacitus,
resolved to have only the virtues which would
not interfere with his becoming, a Senator, saw
Nero pass by, and went not to Christ.
Under this
_reign human degradation was
most public. When the Emperor, himself
given up to unspeakable debaucheries, a
monster of lust and . ferocity,,, although the
ruler of the world, appeared as, an, ignoble
actor at the pabhs theatre, Myre brhanii and

__-
when behind him, not Seganus, not Narcissus
or Tigellinus, but Seneca and Burrhus, were
seen applauding, then humanity had come to
its lowest degradation, it had been seen what
tyranny could exact, and humanity could
,be base enough to furnish.
There was the result of all civilization, the
outcome of philosophy, science, art, literature
and politics, of the lives of Plato, Aristotle,
Homer, Alexander, Cicero, and of Caesar, all
was consolidated to form the monster who
played upon the lyre in a public theatre,
supported by the wisdom of Seneca and the
virtue of Burrhus. Had he known that Tacitus
was before him, little had he recked. He
would even have let him live that posterity
might not remain ignorant of Nero, and might
hate him. As though aware of the command-
ment of love and mercy given to Peter, which
raised him to be the head of the human race,
Nero proclaimed the spirit and the mission of
Satan which were in him, the spirit and the
mission of hate. " I would," he said, "be
hated, and it is my glory, for to be loved de-
pends not on myself alone, whereas it depends
on me alone to make myself hated."
For the rest, Nero was full of the learning
of his day, lettered, artistic, humanitarian.
A worthy disciple of Seneca, he said " good
things." When a sentence of death was pre'
sented to him to sign, he let fall the pen;
saying, "Would that I knew not how to write.
He enrolled himself in the League of Peace.
When the Senate praised the wisdom of his
rule, he said, " Wait to praise me till I have
merited praise." He long feigned mildness,
and only ceased altogether to be a hypocrite
when he was fully found out. It was well
that by such a hand Peter should die.

Nero in his turn died a year afterwards ;
not of the wrath of Rome, not of the disgust
of humanity, but of the fear which he inspired,
and which lie felt himself. Fear, indeed, was
the great cause of death in this haughty Rome.
People died of fear and ennui. The Senate
dared not hate Nero, the people loved him.
His policy was to appal the great, and to
divert the rabble, and it succeeded in keepis
him for fourteen years in his place. If Jo
had gone on as virtuously as he began, it may
wellbe that he would not have lasted so long.
Hewas a ruler who suited this world. At
last, however, Galba being threatened, rises
in his starving province ; places are promised;
the Senate, reserved for massacres, tempts for-
tune, declares.for Galba, and seeks out Nero to
put him to death. But he had already fled,
having provided himself with poison and
dagger; but he hesitated to swallow the poison,
and gazed ruefully at the dagger, unable to
make a choice. When the soldiers of the
Senate approached, he cut his throat, but with
so ill-armed a hand, that he was still able to
lament that "he who sang so well should die
such a death."

The Italian revolutionists are the small
change for a Nero. Between them and hil3l
there is no lack of analogies, e.g., severiql
luxury, prodigality, rapine, murder, self-glory
fication, buffoonery, and above all, the hate 0,
the name of Christian. Like Nero, they wo-ala
have burnt Rome ; like Nero, they would have;
slain their mother, which is the Church. And
a Seneca is not wanting to undertake
'lll'
defence of the parricide, and has, indeed;
already commenced it. But the analogy s'
go still further. It is to be foreseen that if tho
Revolution does not itself die, the Government'
in which it is at this moment incarnate, Will
end by a cowardly suicide, and will perish
of the blows which it inflicts upon itself
01
the midst of its own self-complacence.
sung so well, and yet must I die." " Anctlig
artilea Nereo 1"
It is, therefore, quite in keeping for the
Italian revolutionists to celebrate with all mag'
nificence the nineteenth centenary of Nero'
This noble Emperor is their type. They d°
his work, which is to wrest Rome and 11'1;
manity from Peter, the Vicar of Christ, and
r
to hand them over to Ciesar, the man 0'
Satan.

As to success, indeed, they cannot look fol.
it ; and even if they succeed in reopening
the catacombs, it is the granary of plenty'
The grain °I Christ is yet there, and will there
multiply itself to nourish yet again the human
race.—Univers.

The Lombardia of Milan, of the Ist inst., relate.;
the following :—" A deplorable fact occurred yes;
terday on the Piazza Santa Sofia. A number 01"
young men thraw stones at the Archbishop, wb°
had been to the Convent Santa Soda to visit the
nuns. Some missiles also were cast into the church'
The police hastened to the spot and put an end
the disturbance."

A letter from Athens, in the Journal de Par"
speaks of scandalous scenes of which the Heßerl
Chamber of Deputies is too often the theatre. 1
mentions, among others, the following :—The elect
tion of the members for Syra was recently under
examination. The President of the Committee, 14"
Giacovato, deputy for Cephalonia, becoming irrva
tated at a remark made by another member, use
some very improper language towards him. rfilt,
other deputies took the part of their insulted ee'
league, and violent words were followed by hloic°:,
The President of the chamber was at last obliged
to terminate the sitting ; but as the tumult wend
on still increasing, the armed force was compelled
to interfere to clear the building and close the
door.

SWIMMING IN THE SERPENTINE.—The MlOOl
competition of those members of the Serpentine C 1111:
who are qualified to swim for first-class prizes, took place
on Wednesday. The distance was 1,000 yards—from tb',-,
grating at the east end to Kensington-gardens Bridge. .14
enormous mass of persons thronged the shore on either
side. There were seven entries, viz., W. Cavil! 0(
Brighton), J. T. Stabbach, G. Parrott, H. Ward, J. Col
lard, H. Jenkins, and W. P. May. At 6.50 Mr. Evil'l36a
the honorary secretary, started them evenly, but in t/1
first dozen strokes Collard was in front. That position ~„-
did not hold, as Stabbach and Cavil! soon began to sine
themselves out as leaders, and in the first 50 yards Wel
clear, Stabbach leading. Parrott, Ward, and Collar
were level in the second rank, Jenkins and May bell
thus early disposed of as to their chance of winning.
150 yards Cavill got the lead of Stabbach by at least tvr"
yards, Collard going well into the third place. In passil
the green boat-house Parrott and Ward had become let,
for third, which position Parrott took decidedly ti",-4
time they were abreast of the Royal Humane Societ.Y
house. At the bend Cavil! swain most towards the told;
dle of the stream, having a commanding lead, so tt
Stabbach, by keeping to the north shore, seemed to 1';
coming up, but in reality it was not so, for the furtbea
they went the wider became the gap between thorn, nu
the Brighton man was greatly cheered as he went utoeo
the bridge at least 30 yards ahead of Stabbach, who 11,1
ten yards from Parrott, between whom and Ward for thnci'
place there was not more than half a yard. Colli.
dropped somewhat astern towards the finish. Mr. e
Humphries, the swimming master to the club, was judo
and the time was 18 min. 18 secs.

Births.
ARMSTRONG—On the 6th inst., at Castleflemyng, Queen
County, Lady Armstrong, of a daughter.
HADLEY—On the 7th inst., the wife of Edward A. Sadler:Esq., of 31, Pembroke-road, Kensington, and LWOW
inn, of a daughter.
PERcivAL—On the 7th inst., at Balnaguith, Clapham,:
wife of Hamilton J. Percival, Esq., of a daughter.

Marriages.
CONSTABLE OLDERSHAW —On the 7th inst., at b
Abbott's, Kensington, Edwin T. Constable, Esq.,
of Rareilly, India, to Eliza Piggott, fourth daug_lite-,oe,
tha late Robert Older:taw, Esq., of the Mansion 10'4
Islington.
rge't
THORP —ANNESLEY—On the 7th inst., at St. Ge°—'6:lo
Hanover -square, Montagu W. Thorp. late Captaio
Regiment,Thorp, Esq., of Chippenbam Priirjo
Newmarket, to Annabella Lucy, daughter cf
Annesley, Esq.

Deat h q. -neat
WooD —On the 6th inst. at Cross Bank, Middle "
Drew Wood, Esq., aged 70. of
MANLOVE —On the 6th inst., James D. Manlove, V''
The Park, Nottingham, aged 28. of
TEAPE—On the 7th inst., Hananiah Teape, •
Trinity-square,.Tower, aged 68.
STONE—On the 7th inst., at Petra Villa, Weston-OP :Di;
Mare, John Stone, Esq., barrister-at-law, late of
Western Circuit, aged 79.
LONSDALE - On the Bth inst., at Teddington, Richaral'
Lonsdale, Esq., aged 43.

Of
London : Printed and Published by WILLILLNI. ANO' lig;
of No: 112, Strand, Printor, at Tas SUN omeN i`rty et
Strlud, -in the Precinct of the Ss voy, ,;ths • OQ4-
Ilithilvfiax.--Thurociay, July 9, 1868.