The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1809-04-05
AMUSING MISCELLANY.
FROM THE ANTHOLOGY.
Original Letters, from an .hnerican Traveller
TN Enrohe, TO his friends IL! this country
LETTER SECOND.
ConciHded. }

HAD very good opportunity in this place TO
prove, what had always before suspected, the pro.
pcnsity of Dr. Moore to sacrifice truth 60 good saving
Or witty thought and you may RELY upon it, that his
travels though extremely witty and entertaining are
little better than pleasant Romance. I would not
be thought To undervaue the merit of this excellent
work, which will always be admired, and ought to be
considered a model of fine epistolary writing, but
Its excellence does consist in the truth of its nara
ton, nor in the correctness of its descriptions Dr
Moore, upon observing in the church which encoses
the Casa Santa, beautiful bas relief of the Death of
-4(ei, remarks, that " Poor Abel has been ALWAYS u-
tortunate-had he been placed by the artist foot
higher or lower, he would have been safe but com
ing opposite to the mouths of the Pilgrims while
kneehg, the poor fellow has been kissed almost ont
81 ersfsnce Wilde Cain stands frowning and fierce as
ever" u this was intended as Il mere sally of the
imagination, confess l cannot see much wit in il .
but IT 1t was designed 10 convey to the mind of the
reader the impression of fact must saw that il is
wholly without foundation viewed this bas relief
in al Its beauty, thirty years after Dr. Moore made
the remark, and there apparent difference i'm
the two brohers--Abel was full as perfect as Cain.
and they were both wholly wGmpaired You know
enough OF bronze bas reGefs, to be convinced that
this could not have been repaired and of course you
will JOIN me in opinion, that in this instance at least,
Moore preferred reputation for wit, to one for We.
racty.
Since our arrival at Rome, we have made the tour
OF the city, and have visited several OF the modern
tory of credumty at this time, that we may not be
Obliged to debase our future and more noble pursuits
by blending with them these pictures of human weak.
ness
Al Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the most maeni-
fcent churches m'ltomc, they shew YOU a chanel un
der ground over the entrance to which lamp is per
petualiy burning, and in which they preserve what
they affirm Is the real cradle in which our Saviour
was laid while IN infant and in the same church arc
preserved likewise some of The hay upon which ne was
first placed, and the ssgd,ding ciotkes with which he
was wrapped at his birth. When we recorect the
persecution and poverty of Joseph and May, their
High. into Egypt, TO avoid the vengeance of Herod
and Ne itinerant life which our Saviour was Obliged
to lead, the uprobabity Of their being able TO pre-
serve these relicks, even during his life and the total
unrnportance OF them It preserved, one would sun
pose would be sufficient to convince even the most
ignorant and ierate of the absurdty of such tales.
but when We add further, the state of the early
church. fugitive and prosecuted free from every sort
of superstition, and that it pretended thatthes
recks were procured ill after the capture of Jerusa
lem BY the Christians, il is almost impossible to be-
heve even the evidence OF ones senses, that church,
administered by enlightened men, protesting the ]
most undssembled piety, could, in an ace ike the
present continue to countcnance, and even encour.se
such opinions
Attae church OF Santa Crooe di Gcrusalemme. or
the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, they exhibit piece of
the real Cross oi our Saviour, which is shewn with
great p0m, to TIC mob, in an annual procession at
which all the digntaics OF the church assist. ,be
entrance OF the church Of the Scala Santa.
or Holy Staircase, they have erected maqn
tccnt fight OF marble steps, which they pretend wero
taken rom the house of Poniius Plate and were the
same which our Saviour assembled when ne went ,o
h'v'lns hearing before tiat officer. They slcse,