The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-26
ROMAN FOLK LORE.

ROMAN FOLK LORE.
PADRE FILIpPo, we are told, wen
one evening to the house where a Ger
tain Cardinal Gastaldi, who was very
fond of society, was enjoying himself
Going into an empty room, he aSkeC
that the Cardinal mightbe sent to him
and when he entered, addressed hin
thus: "YOJE Eminence, come to this
window. | have something to show
you"
The Cardinal came to the window
as he was desired, and looked out. but
instead of the houses he saw pandemO
mum opened and all the souls in the
flames. \ great serpent was wriggline
in and out among them, biting them
and in the midst was a gilt Cardinal
chair.
"Whois that for?' quoth His Emf
nence, who for once felt no ambition
for the. chief seat in the synagogue.
"For you?" responded Father
Filippo.
What must do to escape it?' eX.
claimed the cOnScience-Stricken man
| Upon which Padre Filippo read him I
lecture upon penitence and amend
ment of life, by which it is comforting
to read that he prOfted, and turning
O,-o,. a ,nV- 1aof l,oo.p,a "a, Iov,,+ os
he had been heretofore pGOfane
One day the same Padre Filippo
who is a very fayorite saint with the
Roman people, was walking through
the streets when he saw a crowd much
excited standing round the door of q
house, and, inQuiring the reason, was
told that man was beating his wife
because she was so ugly. After q
time the husband became tired of this
exercise and went off, and then Father
Philip went to the poor WOman's house
and knocked at the door, which she
Immediately opened to him; but, pre-
pared us he was for total absence of
all attractiveness in her appearance,
she was 50 very ugly that when he saw
her he could not help starting. He,
however, said nothing, but made the
sign of the cross over her and prayed
fervently, and presently she became SC
extremely beautiful that no one could
see her without remarking her.
"Your husband will beat you nc
more" said Father Philip, as he took
his leave, overwhelmed with her
thanks.
Now this woman had a neighbor,
who was as beautiful as she was ugly,
and as bad as she WAS good, and it oc-
CURED to her that, as Padre FilippO
had apparently acquired the art OF
making beautiful, perhaps forever,
she had better go at once and take ad-
vantage of his skill. So she presented
herself before the door of his cell and
asked him to make her handSOmeI
than she was. But Padre Filippo,
like a good and discerning saint, knew
almost without looking at her that she
was a woman of quite a different
stamp from the other. SO he prayed
and made the sign of the cross over
her also, but with Il very different re-
suit. From being handsome she be-
came ugly, even uglier than the other
woman had been. OF course, she was
furious when she consulted mirror
she had brought with her and saw the
fatal change the short prayer had
made in her appearance.
"Why have you treated me differ
emily from the other woman:' she
exclaimed Indignantly.
Because" answered the saint,
"beauty was of use to her; but you
have used the beauty God gave you
only as an occasion of sin: therefore,
| have removed a stumbling-blOck out
of your way
The next category includes ghost
stories and local and family traditions.
The ghost stories are not numerous,
and are held in such general contempt
and scorn that it is almost an insult
to ask for one. With local and family
traditions it is quite different. The
Roman peasantry treasure up every
thing that relates to their great fami-
lies, and recount the legends connect.
ed with them with all the gusto of q
Scottish Highlander. The sad story
of Beatrice Cenci is often told, with
many variations, as are also stories OF
the Colonna family, and of a certain
Donna OLYMPIA Pamfli, Il lady OF
boundless pride and ambition, whose
husband was a brother of Innocent X.
Treasure stories abound, and al
though as rule the people do not be.
lieve in ghosts, they have firm faitl
in the existence of vast boards of bur
led treasure. All this wealth they
fancy was committed to the keeping
of the earth under a spell, and Car
only be discovered and removed by
some person who is fortunate enough
to invent a counter-spell, or who has
stumbled accidentally upon the words
of the original incantation.
A countryman who saw Miss BusE
sketching the old ruin of Monte Ruff
ano on height not far from the banks
of Lake Thrasimene, told her that un
der it were vast boards of buried
treasure, which was guarded by twelve
specters, who regularly as Good Friday
came round formed themselves into ;
ghastly procession and, torch in hand
perambulated the ruins.
Ciarpe, the last class of stories will
which Miss Busk deals, contains ont
or two, such as 'The Little Bird, :
"The Va1ue of Salt and "Dle Sim