Goethe says, in speaking of some of the Roman Catholic ceremonies he witnessed at Rome:

"A strange longing seized me that the head of the church should open his golden lips and kindle us into rapture. When, however, I saw him before the altar, moving here and there, turning now to this side, now to that, muttering and gesticulating like a common priest, there stirred within me the hereditary sin of Protestantism, and the well-known sacrifice of the mass could by no means satisfy me. Even when a boy, Christ taught through oral exposition of the Scriptures, and in his youth we may be sure he did not minister in silence; for as we learn from the Gospel, he spoke willingly and with power. What would he say, I thought, could he enter now, and witness his representative on earth murmuring thus, and shuffling about hither and thither?"

Miss Taylor was fortunate in witnessing Catholicism in its full splendour on Christmas-day. There is a spirited description of all its pomps, the cardinals in their sumptuous robes of bright scarlet or more splendid white satin and gold, with their train of servants, the ambassador with his suite, the peasants in their festal garments, the body-guard of his Holiness, consisting of the sons of noble Roman families, their dress of scarlet and silver, with graceful plumes of drooping feathers, sweeping through the splendid aisles of St. Peter. But we will content ourselves with extracting the description of the elevation of the Host:

"At last the Pope arose, and, supported by two cardinals, approached the altar; clouds of incense ascended from the fuming censers as he elevated the Host. That was a moment never to be forgotten; the whole multitude was prostrate, every head was bent in adoration; the arms of the soldiers fell to the ground with a clanging sound, and a death-like silence followed. I scarcely dared to breathe; when from the far-end of the long aisle the full and silvery notes of a trumpet stole upon my ear like sounds from heaven. Amidst assembled thousands the Pope alone was standing; three times he raised the cup, while a stream of glowing sunshine, falling on his uncovered head, seemed to light up the altar: then he replaced the chalice; the people rose, and loud hosannas resounded through the mighty dome. There was a power

in the scene at that moment which even my heretic heart acknowledged; I forgot the weak emblem which was the object of adoration, and my thoughts rose to Him who is the only fountain of life and light and all things."—Vol. i. p. 174.

We almost feel as if the days of Solomon were revived; it sounds more like the dedication of the Temple at Jerusalem, with all its ceremonies and pageants, than the worship ema

nating from the disciples of the lowly Jesus, whose kingdom is not of this world. It is curious to trace the mingling of Paganism and Catholicism, of which Miss Taylor mentions several instances, in which the symbols of heathenism were converted into Christian emblems:

"The vines and the genii sporting amongst its tendrils, and all the rites of Bacchus, were by the first Christians made symbolical of the vineyard of faith; the ear of corn employed in the rites of Ceres, became significant of the sacramental bread; Venus' doves became the Holy Ghost. * * * Diana's stag, the Christian soul thirsting for the living waters: one Evangelist was gifted with Jupiter's eagle, another with Cybele's lion."

And even the statue of St. Peter was originally a statue of Jupiter Capitolinus! It was transformed by one of the Popes into St. Peter, and now sits near the high altar, under a crimson canopy, with the keys of heaven in his hand.

We should willingly, would our space allow, follow our author through these palaces, and extract some of her graphic descriptions of paintings and sculpture, but we must use our recommendation, as far as it goes, to obtain a perusal for the work itself. With a pride which may be excused, we must record her testimony to the merits of our countryman, Gibson, who, full of a deep feeling and love of his art, makes the beauty of his productions felt, even amid those treasures of ancient and modern sculpture, and who first received encouragement and impulse from the gifted biographer of Lorenzo de Medici.

Nor is Miss Taylor silent on the much-praised beauty of the Italian peasantry. Though occasionally speaking of it in other places, Velletri, which they reached on a festa day in honour of the Virgin, seems the first in which it very much struck her :

* * *

*

"Here I first acknowledged the full power of Italian beauty: the women of Velletri are celebrated for their loveliness. Arrayed in their holiday dresses, so beautiful in their brilliant colours and picturesque forms, these graceful creatures, moving about with the dignity of Roman matrons, or bending in adoration before the image of the Madonna, were studies for an artist. As we walked up the aisle, many a bright glance was turned on us; and the half-uttered prayer to the Virgin was suspended for the gaze and whisper of curiosity and wonder.”—Vol. ii. p. 3.

In speaking of Boccaccio and Petrarca, whose friendship began in Naples and never afterwards lauguished, she mentions an interesting anecdote of the superiority of Boccaccio's mind.

Whilst Petrarca, absorbed in the study of the writers of antiquity, totally neglected the great and glorious poet of his native land, affecting to despise every thing written in his native tongue, Boccaccio felt and acknowledged the sublimity of the Divina Commedia; it was his constant study and delight, and his mind became imbued with its spirit and beauty. Boccaccio deeply lamented this narrowmindedness in his friend, and in the hope of awakening him to an appreciation of Dante's genius, he transcribed with his own hands the whole of the Divina Commedia, and having caused it to be richly illuminated, and the head of each canto emblazoned with the arms of Petrarca, he presented it to him; it failed, however, in producing its intended effect. Nor can we here forbear mentioning their friend and patroness, Giovanna, the unfortunate and calumniated, though innocent Queen of Naples. "There is a portrait of her, by Leonardi da Vinci, painted, it is said, from an original sketch. She is represented as fair, with rich golden tresses and hazel eyes: the exquisite form of the face, and her delicate features, are heightened by beauty of expression; there is something, I would say, angelic in that countenance, dignity and strength, tempered by purity, sweetness and benignity, a sweet and true majesty,' guileless and winning, yet born to govern and command."

Then follows a sketch of this romance of real life. Her tragic history recalls that of our own unfortunate Mary of Scotland; but, unlike her story, which darkens as it is unravelled, the calumnies which have rested on the memory of the beautiful Queen of Naples disappear before the inquirer, leaving her reputation as bright and pure as her transcendant loveliness.

We will only make one other extract, a description of the monument to Canova, in the Chiesa dei Frari, at Venice. It stands close to the tomb of Titian, and there is an interesting fact connected with it:

"About fifty years ago a subscription was made to erect a monument to Titian, which Canova designed: the execution of this, however, was stopped by the fall of the republic, and in the monument of the great sculptor his own design was adopted. It is : a half-open very beautiful : door occupies the centre of a pyramid of Carrara marble, and a graceful veiled figure, representing Sculpture, advances with a funereal urn; behind her is the Genius of this art, bearing a torch, and followed by two allegorical figures of Painting and Architecture, with their attendant genii, each carrying a wreath to hang on the tomb of the great master. They are ascending the steps on one side, which conduct to the door, and on the other is a sleeping lion, and the Genius of Life

with an extinguished torch. A medallion bust of Canova surmounts the whole, encircled by a serpent."-Vol. ii. p. 211.

England, Germany and France largely contributed; America sent her tribute also to defray the cost, and Italy supplied the rest. The simple inscription it bears is,

"Ex consolatione Europæ universe."

ART. V. THE INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF FRANCE. By J. C. L. SIMONDE DE SISMONDI.

It is a frequent complaint that we know much less of the history of modern nations than of that of the Greeks and Romans; that we understand less of their policy, and of the development of their institutions; that our sensibility is less awakened by the memorials of later events than by those of antiquity. Modern history, it is said, excites only a languid interest, and in spite of the repeated efforts of those who wish to become acquainted with it, is forgotten almost immediately.

This reproach has been applied most particularly to the history of France, precisely because it is felt, not by the French alone, but by all Europeans, that it is most requisite that it should be universally well known. The central situation of France, the long duration of her monarchy, the supremacy which she has once or twice obtained over the rest of the West of Europe, have so wound up her destiny, with that of other European nations, that the revolutions which have taken place in them have almost always had their origin in those of France; and after their national history, the history of France is what every other nation ought especially to study. Germany, Italy, the North of Spain, Savoy, Belgium, and Switzerland, have all made part of the monarchy of the Franks under the Merovingian or Carlovingian dynasties. The history of all the nations which inhabit these countries, at the present time, begins by their submission to the monarchy of the Franks. With that of the British Isles it is nearly connected by the rivalry of the English, and by alliances with the Scotch. Thus foreigners as well as natives are led by a strong interest to study the annals of France, whilst they are continually repelled by the manner in which they have been written. Not but that the history of France has been by turns the object of laborious research, and of philosophical speculation. All the patience, perseverance, ingenious criticism, historical divination with which national pride, veneration for antiquity, respect for the illustrious names of families or individuals, could inspire learned men, have been exhausted, to drag from the darkness of the middle ages the origin of her monarchy. All the ingenious theories, the eloquence, the poetry, the philosophical meditation, which speculative talent, which enthusiasm for kings, for nobility, for ancient laws, for religion, even for liberty, could inspire, have been employed by men, gifted with rare ability, to arrange