After mafs, the Pope gave the benediction to the people affembled in the Grand Court before the church of St. Peter's. It was a remarkably fine day; an immense multitude filled that fpacious and magnificent area; the horse and foot guards were drawn up in

their most showy uniform.

The Pope, feated

in an open, portable chair, in all the fplendour which his wardrobe could give, with the tiara on his head, was carried out of a large window, which opens on a balcony in the front of St. Peter's. The filk hangings and gold trappings with which the chair was embellished, concealed the men who carried it, fo that to thofe who viewed him from the area below, his Holinefs feemed to fail forward from the window, felf-balanced in the air, like a celeftial being. The inftant he appeared, the mufic ftruck up, the bells rung from every church, and the cannon thundered from the castle of St. Angelo, in repeated peals. During the intervals, the church of St. Peter's, the palace of the Vatican, and the banks of the Tiber, reechoed the acclamations of the populace. At length his Holiness arofe from his feat,

and an immediate and awful filence enfued. The multitude fell upon their knees, with their hands and eyes raifed towards his Holiness, as to a benign Deity. After a folemn pause, he pronounced the benediction, with great fervour; elevating his outstretched arms as high as he could; then clofing them together, and bringing them back to his breaft with a flow motion, as if he had got hold of the bleffing, and was drawing it gently from heaven. Finally, he threw his arms open, waving them for some time as if his intention had been to fcatter the benediction with impartiality among people.

the

No ceremony can be better calculated for ftriking the fenfes, and impofing on the understanding, than this of the Supreme Pontiff giving the bleffing from the balcony of St. Peter's. For my own part, if I had not, in my early youth, received impreffions highly unfavourable to the chief actor in this magificent interlude, I fhould have been in danger of paying him a degree of refpect, very inconfiftent with the religion in which I was educated.

LETTER L.

Rome.

In my last, I informed you of my having

been feduced almost into idolatry, by the influence of example, and the pomp which furrounded the idol. I must now .confefs that I have actually bowed the knee to Baal, from mere wantonnefs. We are told that, to draw near to that Being, who ought to be the only object of worship, with our lips, while our hearts are far from him, is a mockery. Such daring and abfurd hypocrify I fhall always avoid; but to have drawn near to him, who ought not to be an objec of worship, with the lips only, while the heart continued at a diftance, I hope will be confidered as no more than a venial tranfgreffion. In short, I trust, that it will not be looked on as a mortal fin in Proteftants to have kiffed the Pope's toe. If it fhould, fome of your friends are in a deplorable

way, as you fhall hear. It is ufual for stran gers to be presented to his Holiness, before they leave Rome. The Duke of Hamilton, Mr. Kennedy, and myself, have all been at the Vatican together, upon that important bufinefs. Your young acquaintance Jack, who, having now got a commiffion in the army, confiders himself no longer as a boy, defired to accompany us. We went under the auspices of a certain ecclefiaftic, who ufually attends the English on fuch occafions.

He very naturally concluded, that it would be most agreeable to us to have the circumstances of kiffing the flipper difpenfed with. Having had fome converfation, therefore, with his Holiness, in his own apartment, while we remained in another room, previous to our introduction; he afterwards returned, and informed us, that the Pontiff, indulgent to the prejudices of the British nation, did not infift on that part of the ceremonial; and therefore a very low bow, on our being prefented, was all that would be required of us.

A bow cried the Duke of Hamilton; I

fhould not have given myself any trouble about the matter, had I fufpected that all was to end in a bow. I looked on kiffing the toe as the only amufing circumstance of the whole; if that is to be omitted, I will not be introduced at all. For if the most Judicrous part is left out, who would wait for the rest of a farce?

This was a thunderstroke to our negocia tor, who expected thanks, at leaft, for the honourable terms he had obtained; but who, on the contrary, found himself in the fame difagreeable predicament with other negociators, who have met with abuse and reproach from their countrymen, on account of treaties for which they expected univerfal applaufe.

The Duke of Hamilton knew nothing of the treaty which our introducer had juft concluded; otherwife he would certainly have prevented the negociation. As I perceived, however, that our ambaffador was mortified with the thoughts that all his labour should prove abortive, I faid, that although he had prevailed with his Holiness to wave that part of the ceremonial, which his Grace thought