The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-03

hut the evidences OF that state OF corrupuVn
and decay which as surely follows moral as
physical death, and the breath of which seem
ed TO faint the sweet air as they walked along.
Do YOU remember visiting with me, some years
s;nee a certain State institution in Boston, the
members of which are truly, as this holy fra
| terpity proclaim themselves to be, retired from
the world for the worlds good AS this pro-
cesson of ill-conditioned friars passed me,
was reminded suddenly and wildly Of those
| sufferers from an unfortunate falling out with
the laws, as | saw them training in to
dinner somewhat more frugal than even monk
ish fare
The pictures and images borne in this pro-
cessiOn were unmitigated atrocities. Vir-
gin, of course, and very coarse Vrgn-a
cadaverous st. Francis and a horrible bloody
blasphemy in the shape of Crueifxion. Then
there were crosses and other symbols, and in
cense and dolorous chanting, and priests and
friars frars and priests, swarming on and on,
like the locusts Of Egypt.
AS beheld all this tinselled and tasteless
parade, all these ungracious, unmsnly figures,
descending the long flight of steps bethought
me that this was the Capitolne Hill, where
the grand Temple of Jupiter once stood, and
that could his old warrior worshippers arise
from the dust in what a whirlwnd of con-
temptuous indignation would they sweep away
mummeries and mummers together and
almost felt that his worship, bad and sensual,
yet manly and poetical, was better than this.
suppose shall be set down as little bet
| ter than one of the wicked" when ayow that
| never see the figure of saint, or Madonna,
disfguring one of the grand antique columns,
without An intense desire to see it tumbed
headlong from its place. There is really no
H. 4, L.. 90
the Virgin, the Christ, and the Saints, are by
no means equally and universally worshipped,
but particular shrines and figures are devoutly
frequented and adored. For instance, there is
| in the church of San Augustine, q large yellow
Virgin, supposed to have once been Juno
who enjoys an unprecedented popularity. She
blazes from head to foot with real gems of
great value-tiara, earrings necklace stom-
| acher, bracelets, rings-while her shrine is the
richest in Rome IL gltters with every variety
Of ornament in gold, silver, and precious
stones, and looks for all the world like jew
eller's shop. The right foot of this holy Mary,
nee Juno has lately been encased in bronze,
having been worn down by the kisses Of her
grateful or supplicating worshippers. But to
| return.
! was much interested in observing the va
rious groups of peasants who thronged the
steps OF the Capitol in their gay festive dresses,
infinitely varied, and many of them pictu-
rescue in the extreme. Most striking of all
were the pifdrarl-wild-looking musicians
from the mountains, who come down to Rome
for the Christmas season
Oh! my friend, the eyes of this people great,
deep, melancholy, bewildering-you behold
them with an ever unsatisfed interest, you lose
yourself in vain efforts to read sOul-life within
them, finding yourself cropping in void dark
ness-or you shrink with something of fear
from the quick, sudden flashing Of their pas
sionate fire. Wherever you 20, you meet these
orbs of light and night eyes in which good
and evil passions slumber together in dreamy
incidence, or contend in strife of terrible
beauty-eyes into which an angel might look,
and lose heaven, believing he saw it there
eyes into which little child might look, and
dream Of hell of which he had never heard
They are never cold, or indifferent, or un-
sympathetic They seem almost always to
mirror the sentiment Of the place in which
you behold. them. Among the old fallen tenn
Piles and palaces, the solemn and desolate spirit
of ruin seems to look forth from them, and be-
side the sparkling fountains, and out ON the
pleasant campagna, they laugh back the sum
shine with an added splendor
We spent the 18th " Albano, driving out
in the morning, and returning at night This
excursion was one of the things to be remem-
bered till death chills the heart against oil the
10y of life and the grave shuts out all the light
| Of beauty. We passed the lovely fountain Of
Trevi, the Forum of Ira jan, the Coliseum
which looked less desolate and more grandly
beautiful than ever, with the glory of match
less morning pouring through its mighty
arches--past the splendid church Of ST. John
Lateran, and that lofty Egyptian obelisk that
stands near it, which dates back to the Pha-
rsohs, and may have cast it's slender shadow
upon the royal pomp Of Cleopatra--out Of the
noble Porta Maggiore, on to the Albano road,
which leads past the ancient aqueducts, in
sight of the old Appian Way the tomb of
Cecilia Metella, and many lonely hill of un-
distnguishable ruin, add through most pic
turcsque part of the campagna. There was
nothing to vary the utter loneliness of that
vast, regal domain of desolation, save an occa-
sional group of peasants or drove of the
magnificent Italian cattle, milk white or silver
gray, the only form Of physical life, it seems
to me, which has not degenerated since the
old heather ages, when the gods did not dis
dam to merge for a while their divinity in beet,
and don hoofs and horns, for the better car
rying out of their pleasant little adventures
when the very head of all the gods became
head of cattle, and grazed among the herds of
genor--.when the immortal Thunderer de-
scended from the heights of Olympus to the
Phenician plains, aud laid aside his bolts, 10
bolt with Europa. By the way, the fathers
supernal OF the old and new religions mani
fest the sacred will in much the same form,
save that the former was his own bull
The day was throughout delicious beyond
compare, and we found the scenery Of AIbano
peculiarly and surprisingly beautiful All If
could have had ut my side the friends my heart
holds most dear, what soul out of Paradise had
been happier than | : But a. il was, one cloud,
visible TO my eyes alone, saddened that heaven
Of transcendent beauty and the inurmurs of
heart unsatisfed would make themselves heard
above the sweet signing of the pines and the
silver rustiing of the poplars and lives under
whose>Shade strolled We walked for miles
over the hills through the quietest and loveliest
ways imaginable; we found flowers and but
terfiies and dined on the green turf of sunny
slope, overlooking the beautiful lake of Alba
no. fe, in the height Of this outdoor enjoy
ment ] thought with q shiver, Of my dear
home friends, in the midst of their drexry,
leafiess winter, surrounded by frost and snow
besieged BY tempests, aud howled at by fierce
winds
| have had some charming driyes lately
out the different gates, TO villas and other
places Of interest but in nothing do take
such absolute, unspeskable delight, rs 10 horse
back rider on the Campagns
Yesterday, J went with several pleasant
friends out the Porta Maggiore, and rode for
some hours along the line Of the ruins of the
Claudisn aqueduot The day was superb, our
horses were feet; we were confined 10 no road,
or beaten track, but passed in and out Of the
arches, and ooursed over the green, fowery
turf for miles. Ha, it was glorious We re-
NAMED without the walls till the sunset hour,
aod then, oh then, the very glory Of God
seemed breaking through the floor Of heaven,
and Aoadiuv thu earth Tho dark 0i0apti