The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-09-03

| ter noviciate Of eight months He afterwards
went on feveral pgrimages, particularly TO our
lady of Lo-c,.o, and 10 the holy bodies of the
apoftes Peter and Paul. He then came and
tettlsi at Rome, which he never Quilted, uniefs
| TO 90 once a year To J.orctto. He lived at Rome
| upon aims of which he referved but very little
for hinfelf, continuity giving the turplus to the
| poor. He led at the fame time very eScmpla-
ry life, allowing himfelf only what was rieorouf-
! ly necefary for his food and raiment; holding
| all worldly tl,ings IN fovereign contempt; aud
, ediiying mankind by the frvere penance he i'm
poted upon hinGclf; by the continual prayers
which he Offered up in the churches; and by
tile other emlnent virtues which he difplayed.
Although, while living thus, he appeared diff.
cutting from the rags with which he was cover
ed, he was, nevertheless, rendered dear and a.
| niiGbdet to other men by his manners, forgetting
himftif and f,ekiag only to pieaie God. On the
9th of April 1888, after long prayer in the
| church of N0G3nHa del Nome, he was feize6
with fainting ct, and carried to the houfe
| OF pious man, who happened TO be there.
His diior;ier growing wo-te, he received extreme
unction, aud, at an hour AFTER midnight, depart.
ed this life. The following day his BODY was
conveyed, with decent funeral ceremonies, at
| the expence of fome good Chrifiars, to the faid
church. The report of his death DILUTED itielf
throughout the city; and ere long, fuch an i'm
| thither to fee him, that it became neceiiary to
call in the aliiftance of the military, to keep off
the crowd. His body was thus expofed till the
| evening of Eaiter-day (the Goth of Aprii,) when
| 1t was atteifed by eye-wtnctie before notary,
that it was fill fevi5le baibabAe, and free from
| tmyIdiiy. 1t was then put into wooden coffin,
which was ieaied with the feal of the cardinal
vicar, incloIed in another coffin ALTO OF wood
| and Deposited in vault, coIttru9ed on pur-
,I,s ;o& &C
of the f,;d church."
| This monument of fupcritition and ilypocri-
fy is worthy of prefervation. Ii is well that
| polterity ihould know with what confumma,e
impudence the priefs impoied on the creslulity
OF the people ut the end Of this enlightened CEN
fury. in city Astounding with iiiuitrious per.
fonages, with travel RS from every part OF Ru-
| rope, and with matter pieces Of art. Ii lie well
that polterty iliould be able to appreciate thoie
faetious knayes, who, dfguiiing their worldly
ambition under the maR of fanatcilm, had the
! eiirontcry to engage heaven in contef with
earth; called upon the devout TO pay homage
TO vie mendicant, Whole only merit, accord
| ing 10 their owe confeilion, was the having led
ufeleis and difeuting life; and thus expofed
! to ridicule that religion of which they called
themieives the Importers and paved the way
for its final overthrow.
Inifead of the hand of God, the hand of the
Jetnits was plainly vifble in the whole of this
| affair. In order ina. the enthufaim infpired by
the new faint might not cool, collection was
made to defray the expences of his beatificati-
on; and this pious care was entrutted BY the
cardinal-vicar to everal perons of diitintlion at
Rome, notorious for their attachment to the de-
funet tociety. Care was taken to inform all the
friends II had in France Of the miracles perform
ed by the holy Labre, which wanted nothing
but witneties; and of his prophecies, which
were only known to his confeifor, and which
threatened the Holy See with great calamities,
that were about to follow the fuppreiiion of the
Jetuits. The bilhop of Boulognc, one of their
furious partiians, already announced 10 his
| flock, that they had another countryman in bea-
ven, and recommended him to their dey otion.
| He collected with fcrupulous attention the moit
minute particulars of the life of the venerable
Labre, both during his abode under the pater-
nal root, and after he quilted it. His relations,
intoxicated with this unhoped for honour, and
little inclined to wait for the happiness that
would thence retut to them in heaven, already
thought their fortune made upon earth; and
folicited penGons and benefces while the face
cardinal de Bernis, who knew not whether TO
laugh or TO weep at all thefe folles, faw new
article added to his diplomatic CORRESPONDENCE.
He advifed the enthuiaitic admirers of the holy
man to moderate their zeal; or at leaf 20 defer
the exprefIion Of it, until it fhould be proved
that their new idol was deferying of their wor-
hip. But at Rome nothing could reprefs the
tranfports OF devotion. To doubt the miracles
OF the bleiied I,abre was impiety. His revered
images were profuiely circulated the pencil,
the BURN, and the chiiel, emuIated each otherin
producing them; and even the fcraps of his rag
ged apparel became an object of contention.
The pope himfelf, at lofts how to act; dread
ing the reproach OF favouring Jefiiitcal in
trigues, and dreading fill more the danger of
oppolng them openly, dared not refufe to join
his pious homage TO that which was laviihed
npon the relics of the holy medcant; ordered
the bedfead in which his difguItiug limbs had
been laid to- he carried to the Vatican (; and re-
folved 10 make it ferve for the purppfe of his
own.
In the meantime, Information continued to
be collected with regard to Benedict Labre as
well at Rome as cut Of Italy. The whole of il
did not prove to his advantage. 1t was even to
be feared left one OF his letters feut to that CAPT.
tai of the Chriltian world by the biihop of Bon
loGne ibould throw damp upon the fervonr
of the devou:. IN that letter Labre advifed his
parents TO read the works of certain father
Leieune. Now father Lejeune had been diC.
ciplc of father Quciliel. This affection for the
productions Of Janfcnif wasa bad recormen-
dation 20 the Jefuits; but they had advanced