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

give boosGller the executive priilege Of print
ing the hiitory of the s,sacrabie' life, and all
J the writings relative to his hcatif-ation. The
congregation del Rifi WAS alreaiy engaged in
that important talk; and was anious 10 abridSe
the cufomary forma,ies.
All thefe intriSues, and all tJefe efforts, did
not. however, produce the inteadcd efeet. The
hielled Labre was in vogue in thofe countries
only where the Jefuts had prty. In Spain
| and Portugal his fan6tity and Iis miracles were
objects of deriion. In Franc, few prelates
| alone endeavoured to bring him into faihion;
but in Rome, in that centre Of religious num-
| merry, he found for fome time abundance of pa
negyrifs, aud even of imitators. 1t WAS by no
| means uncommon TO meet dev6eesin the itrests
| oe that city begging like him tagged, and mo-
| tionlefs like him; and like him expecting aims
| from the pai1eneers. but folicitlng none.
Great pains continued to be taken to collect,
| upon the fpot and eliewhere, every particular
! relative 10 his life. The NOT fingu,ar one is
that to which amateurs are indebted for his
, much rcvere,i portrait. a French painter. of
! the name B!ey, who was at Rome in l777, and
who had il in contemplation 70 paint picture
CT the calling of ST. Peter met 1T the corner Of
| 3 treet vouDs heegar, With little red beard.
He looked at him; and thought tina, his head
might ferve rs model for that of ChriR. "Nfi.i
you come to my lodgings, and be painted"
iaid he to him in Ita,ian. The besgar retuied
in furry manner. AID IN N accent by which the
painter knew him To he q foreigner.-" Are you
Frenchman .''--w Yes. fir.''%-" In that cafe,
you have it in yourpcwerto render fervice to
one of your countrymen. r win tointroduce
the head of our Saviour in a'pif1rr am pain,-
ing, and am at a lofs for model. You would
ssfwer ny rurYsofe. >Pfsy do me thtfivourito
FOLD re!H---Tbe painters eptreaties, joined 10
the word eorYt'yman, osercame the beggar' $ re-
iut,ance.-" With all my heart,"" faid he, ",but
| npon condition that you do NOT keep me long"
=" A Jingle morning viii futiice." Upon this
they walked Oh; and upon thcir arrival At the
artia's the besgar bocame rs mc,ioule!i rs a fa-
tue. This was part wlch he had been long
| accu;tomed 70 play. W hen the fitting was o.
vera reward was offered him; but he ultimate
| ~ refufed it, and retired. The painter heard
| 10 more Of him.
| As he was not tiifaSis6ed with his n>c:ch, he
preierved il in a portfolio, which he left a. LIZ
ons, in a journey that he made thither in 1892.
During pai1ioD-weck in 1888, Il report was
fpread at Rome that young French beggar,
who enjoyed high reputation for fanctIty, was
dead; that his body was e1poied to public
view, and attracted prodigious crowd and
| that miracles were afcribed to him. The paint
er had not curoi!ty enough to go and fec him.
| He had fomcthing elfe IN do. After the inter
ment of the heggar, the concourfe round his
| tomb, and the miraculous refult, were the fame.
| One day model,t who was often employed
| by the artif, fpoke to him OF the dead man
whom lie had attentiyeiy fnrveysd. From the
Description he gave of him, the painter ,ecol-
!ected his French acquaintance, fent to Lyons
for his drawing, and ere long found his apart
rnents crowded by the curious aud the devout
All of them recognized the features of the vene-
rablc Labre. TO fatisfy the impatence Of The
public, be put his iketch into the hands of an l.
Italian engravsr, by whole means the portrait of
the holy man was fpeedly diiperfed all ever the
| country.
/ This violent enthuGafn was not, however, of
! long duration. Before the year 793 had clap
| fed, the venerabLe Labre was little lcfs lpoken
J of; and the fame of his miracles were already
upon the decline. All thofe ridiculous fcencs
which, in France, had been acted at the grave of
Paris, the deacon, were rehearfcd round his
tomb. The lame repaired thither to feek cure /;
and notwithstanding their implicit faith, and
the mummery Of the prietts, returned as lame as
they went. No matter; his miracles were al
ready numerous and ircontefible and what
Inference could be drawn from few abortive
cures. 1t was the fault of the fick, and no.
that of the phy6can The congregation de-;
Ritz was not the lefs bufy in the bratifcation of
the pious beggar; but it was a work of time
II was necefary TIC collect information in all the
places W1cn the Candidate had inhabited. Il
was neceiiary to have the mott authentic telti-
monies. 1t was necenary to obferve number
of flow and minute formaities fuch, in ihort,
as made it impof1ible for fraud to procure, for
one of the profanc, the reward that was referved
for the elect alone. 1t was neceffary above all
to have money for the church of Rome afford
cd nothing gratuitoully. This was one Of the
mott fcandalous remains of thofe fuperfti,ious
times, when fhe impofed tribute npon every
fpecies of folly. On fome future day, indeed,
it will fcarcely be believed that The dared to dc.
figure thoie brilliant apotheofes, which fhc Dor.
rowed from the Pagans, to fnch degree as 10
put up to auction the ieats ibe had 70 dfpole
of in the Gel, al court, and TO knock Them
down, not to men known by their fplendid vir-
tues, by fone great fervice rendered to their
country, at leaf by fome luxurious crime,
productive of a change in the condition of man
kind; but mott frequently 10 vile and INDECENT
wretches, who ought at leaf to have been con-
demned TO that obicuriy to which they had
devoted thenfelyes.
The contributors, however, OF credulitv ia
created efficiently in few years for the con-
grcgltion del RiGto accelerate the firft triumph
of the venerable Labre. He was beatiied in
the courfe of the year | 792, when the country
which bad given him birth was ALREADY refcued
f-S,,, . he II, sc