Roman Mosaics; or, studies in Rome and its neighbourhood

Preface

THE title of this book may seem fanciful. It may even be regarded as misleading, creating the idea that it is a treatise like that of Mr. Digby Wyatt on those peculiar works of art which decor ate the old palaces and churches of Rome. But notwithstanding these objections, no title can more adequately describe the nature of the book. It is applicable on account of the miscellaneous char acter of the chapters, which have already appeared in some of our leading magazines and reviews, and are now, with considerable changes and addi tions, gathered together into a volume. There is a further suitableness in the title, owing to the fact that most of the contents have no claim to originality. As a Roman Mosaic is made up of small coloured cubes joined together in such a manner as to form a picture, so my book may be said to be made up of old facts gathered from many sources and harmonised into a significant VI

PREFACE.

unity. So many thousands of volumes have been written about Rome that it is impossible to say anything new regarding it. Every feature of its topography and every incident of its history have been described. Every sentiment appropriate to the subject has been expressed. But Rome can be regarded from countless points of view, and studied for endless objects. Each visitor's mind is a different prism with angles of thought that break up the subject into its own colours. And as is the case in a mosaic, old materials can be brought into new combinations, and a new picture constructed out of them. It is on this ground that I venture to add another book to the be wildering pile of literature on Rome. But I have another reason to offer. While the great mass of the materials of the book is old and familiar, not a few things are introduced that are comparatively novel.

The late Dean Alford made the remark how difficult it is to obtain in Rome those details of interest which can be so easily got in other cities. Guide-books contain a vast amount of information, but there are many points interest ing to the antiquarian and the historian which they overlook altogether. There is no English book, for instance, like Ruffini's Dizionario Etimo logico-Storico delle Strade, Piazze, Borghi e Vicoli della Citta di Roma, to tell one of the origin of the strange and bizarre names of the streets of

PREFACE.

VII Rome, many of which involve most interesting historical facts and most romantic associations of the past. There is no English book on the an cient marbles of Rome like Corsi's Pietre Antiche, which describes the mineralogy and source of the building materials of the imperial city, and traces their history from the law courts and temples of which they first formed part to the churches and palaces in which they may now be seen. Every nook in London, with its memories and points of interest, has been chronicled in a form that is accessible to every one. But there is an immense amount of most interesting antiquarian lore regarding out-of-the-way things in Rome which is buried in the transactions of learned societies or in special Italian monographs, and is therefore altogether beyond the reach of the ordinary visitor.

Science has lately shed its vivid light upon the physical history of the Roman plain ; and the researches of the archæologist have brought into the daylight of modern knowledge, and by a wider comparison and induction have invested with a new significance, the prehistoric objects, customs, and traditions which make primeval Rome and the surrounding sites so fascinating to the im agination. But these results are not to be found in the books which the English visitor usually consults. In the following chapters I have endeavoured to supply some of that curious know-

PREFACE.

ledge ; and it is to be hoped that what is given — ■ for it -is no more than a slight sample out of an almost boundless store — will create an interest in such subjects, and induce the reader to go in search of fuller information. Many of the points touched upon have pro voked endless disputations which are not likely soon to be settled. Indeed there is hardly any line of study one can take up in connection with Rome which does not bristle with controversies ; and a feeling of perplexity and uncertainty con tinually haunts one in regard to most of the subjects. It is not only in the vague field of the early traditions of the city, and of the medieval traditions of the Church, that this feeling op presses one ; it exists everywhere, even in the more solid and assured world of Roman art, literature, and history.

Where it is so difficult to arrive at settled convictions, I may be par doned if I have expressed views that are open to reconsideration. I am aware of the disadvantages connected with thus collecting together a number of separate papers, instead of writing a uniform treatise upon one continuous subject. The picture formed by their union must necessarily have much of the artificiality and clumsiness of the mosaic as com pared with the oil or water-colour painting. But only in this form could I have brought together

PREFACE.

IX such a great variety of important things. And though I cannot hope that the inherentdefect of the mosaic will be compensated by its perman ence — for books of this kind do not last — yet it will surely serve some good purpose to have such a collocation of facts regarding a place whose interest is ever varying and never dying. The personal element is almost entirely con fined to the first chapter, which deals on that account with more familiar incidents than the others. Twelve years have elapsed since my memorable sojourn in Rome ; and many changes have occurred in the Eternal City since then. I have had no opportunity to repeat my visit and to add to or correct my first impressions, desirable as it might be to have had such a revision for the sake of this book. I duly drank of the water of Trevi the night before I left ; but the spell has been in abeyance all these years.

I live, however, in the hope that it has not altogether lost its mystic power ; and that some day, not too far off, I may be privileged to go over the old scenes with other and larger eyes than those with which I first reverently gazed upon them. It needs two visits at least to form any true conception of Rome : a first visit to acquire the personal interest in the city which will lead at home to the eager search for knowledge regarding it from every source ; and then the second visit to bring the X

PREFACE.

mind thus quickened and richly stored with infor mation to bear with new comprehension and in creased interest upon the study of its antiquities on the spot. HUGH MACMILLAN. CONTENTS

Chapter I

A WALK TO CHURCH IN ROME A Walk to Church in Country — In the Town — Residence in Capo le Case — Church of San Guiseppe — Propaganda — Pillar of Immaculate Conception — Piazza di Spagna — Staircase — Models — Beggars — Church of Trinita dei Monti — Flowers — Via Babuino — Piazza del Popolo — Flaminian Obelisk — Pincian Hill — Porta del Popolo — Church of Santa Maria del Popolo — Monastery of St. Augustine — Presbyterian Church — Villa Borghese — Ponte Molle Pages 1-33

Chapter II The Appian Way

Formation of Appian Way — Tombs on Roman Roads — Loneliness of Country outside Rome — Porta Capena — Restoration of Appian Way — Grove and Fountain of Egeria — Baths of Caracalla — Church of Sts. Nereus and Achilles — Tomb of Scipios — Columbaria — Arch of Drusus — Gate of St. Sebastian — Almo — Tomb of Geta — Plants in Valley of Almo — Catacombs of St. Calixtus— Catacomb of Pretextatus — Catacomb of Sts. Nereus and Achilles — Church of St. Sebastian — Circus of Romulus — Tomb of Cæcilia Metella — Sadness of Appian Way — Imagines Clipeatæ — Profusion of Plant and Animal Life — Solitude — Villa of Seneca — Mounds of Horatii and Curiatii — Villa of Quintilii — Tomb of Atticus — Casale Rotondo — Frattocchie — Bovillæ — Albano — St. Paul's Entrance into Rome by Appian Way ....... 3 4 -87 CONTENTS XII

Chapter III The

CUMÆAN SIBYL Promontory of Carmel — Westmost Point of Italy — Mode of reaching Cumæ — Few Relics of Ancient City — Uncertainty about Sibyl's Cave — Loneliness of Site — Roman Legend of Sibylline Books — Mode of Keeping Them — Sortes Sibyllinæ — Different Sibyls — Apocalyptic Literature — Existing Remains of Sibylline Books — Reverence paid to Sibyl by Christian Writers — Church of Ara Cœli — Roof of Sistine Chapel — Prospective Attitude of Sibyl — Retrospective Characteristic of Greek and Roman Religion — Connection between Hebrew and Pagan Prophecy — Pagan Oracles superseded by Living Oracles of the Gospel . Pages 88-108

Chapter IV Footprints In Rome

Footprints of our Lord in Church of Domine quo Vadis — Slabs with Footprints in Kircherian Museum — St. Christina's Footprints at Bolsena — Significance of Footmarks — Votive Offerings — Footprint of Mahomet at Jerusalem — Footprint of Christ on Mount of Olives — Footprints of Abraham at Mecca — Drusic Footprints — Phrabat, or Sacred Foot of Buddha — Famous Footprint on Summit of Adam's Peak in Ceylon — Footprints at Gaya — Footprints of Vishnu — Jain Temples — Prehistoric Footprints — Tanist Stones — Dun Add in Argyleshire — Mary's Step in Wales — Footmarks in Ireland, Norway, Denmark, and Brittany — Classical Examples — Footprints in America and Africa — Connection with Primitive Worship 109-136

Chapter V The Roman Forum

Geological History — Volcanic Origin — Early Legends — Cloaca Maxima — Work of Excavation — Ærarium— Capitol — Temple of Concord Temple of Jupiter — Arch of Septimius Severus — Milliarium Aureum — Mamertine Prison — Pillar of Phocas — Suovetaurilia Curia Hostilia — Comitium — Curia of Diocletian — Basilica Julia — Vicus Tuscus — Temple of Castor and Pollux — Atrium Vestæ Temple of Vesta — Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina — Church of SS. Cosma e Damiano — Colosseum — Conflagration in Forum 137-178 CONTENTS XIII

Chapter VI The Egyptian Obelisks

Number of Obelisks in Rome— Sun Worship — Symbolism of Obelisk — Obelisk of Nebuchadnezzar — Original position of Obelisks — Egyptian Propylons — Changes connected with Obelisks in Egypt — Transportation of Obelisks to Rome and other places — Obelisk of Heliopolis — Obelisk of Luxor — Karnac — Lateran Obelisk — Obelisk in Square of St. Peter's — Obelisk of Piazza del Popolo — Association of Fountains with Obelisks — Obelisk of Monte Citorio — Esquiline and Quirinal Obelisks — Obelisk of Trinita dei Monti — Pamphilian Obelisk — Obelisks near Pantheon — Superiority of Oldest Obelisks — Obelisk of Paris — Cleopatra's Needles in London and New York — Religious Devotion of Ancient Egyptians Pages 179-2T1

Chapter VII The Painted Tomb At Veii

Excursions in neighbourhood of Rome — History of Veii — Uncertainty of its Site — Journey to Isola Farnese — Village of Isola — Romantic Scenery — Desolate Downs — Roman Municipium — Old Gateway — Ponte Sodo — Necropolis of Veii — Painted Tomb — Archaic Frescoes — Objects in Inner Chamber — Etruscan Tombs imitative of Homes of the Living — Worship of the Dead — Cellæ Memoriæ — Antiquity of Tomb at Veii — Mysterious character of Etruscan Language and History ........ 212-236

Chapter VIII Holed Stones And Martyr Weights

Bocca della Verita — Primitive Worship of Clefts in Rocks and Holes in Stones — Cromlechs — Passing through beneath Cromlechs and Gates — Tigillum Sororium — Pillars in Aksa Mosque at Jerusalem — "Threading the Needle " in Ripon Cathedral — Standing Stones of Stennis and Oath of Odin — Cremave — Jewish Covenant — Martyr Stones — Originally Roman Measures of Weight — Made of Jade or Nephrite — Remarkable History of Jade — Prehistoric Glimpses — Relics of Stone Age in Rome — Conservation of things connected with Religion 237-252 CONTENTS

Chapter IX St

ONOFRIO AND TASSO Church of St. Onofrio — Monastery — Garden — Tasso's Oak — Grand View of Rome and Neighbourhood — Tasso's Birthplace at Sorrento — Remarkable Epoch — Bernardo Tasso — Prince of Salerno — Youth of Tasso — Visit to Rome — Sojourn at Venice — Student of Law at Padua — First Poem Rinaldo — University of Bologna — House of Este — Leonora — Composition of Gerusalemme Liberata — Death of Tasso's Father — Visit to France — Aminta and Pastoral Drama — Publication of Gerusalemme Liberata — Delia Cruscan Academy — Ariosto — Cold Treatment of Tasso by Alfonso — Confinement in Hospital of St. Anne — Story of Hapless Love — Alleged Madness — Hospital of St. Anne — Torrismondo — Release of Tasso — Pilgrimage to Loretto — Residence at Naples — Connection with Milton — Gerusalemme Conquistata — Universal Recognition of Poet — Better Days — Closing Scenes of Life at St. Onofrio — Proposed Coronation at Capitol — Too Late — Death — Estimate of Life and Work ....... Pages 253-310

Chapter X The Marbles Of Ancient Rome

Pleasures of Marble Hunting in Rome and Neighbourhood — Artistic and Educational Uses of Marble Fragments — Geological Formation of Rome — Building Materials of Ancient Rome — Marbles of Conquered Countries introduced into Rome — Christian Churches made up of Remains of Pagan Temples — Parian Marble — Porine and Pentelic Marbles — Hymettian Marble — Thasian, Lesbian and Tyrian Marbles — Marble of Carrara — Apollo Belvedere — Colouring of Ancient Statues and Buildings — Gibson's Colour-creed — Time's Hues on Dying Gladiator — Cipollino— Giallo Antico — Africano Porta Santa — Fior di Persico — Pavonazzetto — Rosso Antico Sedia Forata — Faun — Black Marbles — Lumachella Marbles Column of Trajan — Breccias — Alabasters — Verde Antique — Subterranean Church of San Clemente — Ophite and Opus Alexandrinum — Jaspers — Murrhine Cups — Lapis Lazuli — Church of Jesuits Abundance of Marbles in Ancient Rome . . 311-359 CONTENTS XV

Chapter XI The Vatican Codex

Vatican Library — Origin and History — Monastery of Bobbio — Splendour and Charm of Library — Contents of two Principal Cabinets — Letters of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn — Vatican Codex — Freshness of Appearance — Continuity of Writing — Vacant Space at end of St. Mark's Gospel — A Palimpsest — Origin of Vatican Codex — Sinaitic and Alexandrine Codices — History of Vatican Codex— Edition of Cardinal Mai — Edition of Tischendorf — Disappearance of all Previous Manuscripts — Faults and Deficiences of Vatican Codex — Vatican Codex used in Revised Version of New Testament — Formation of Sacred Canon . Pages 360-379

Chapter XII St

PAUL AT PUTEOLI Landing of St. Paul in Ship Castor and Pollux at Puteoli — Loveliness of Bay of Naples — Crowded Population and Splendour of Villas — Dissoluteness of Inhabitants — Worship of Roman Emperors — St. Paul's Grief and Anxiety — Encouragement from Brethren — Christians in Tyrian Quarter at Puteoli and at Pompeii — Southern Italy Greek in Blood and Language — Quay at Puteoli — Temples of Neptune and Serapis — Changes of Level in Sea and Land — Monte Nuovo — Destruction of Village of Tripergola — Filling up of Leucrine Lake — Lake of Avernus — Sibyl's Cave — Lough Dearg and Purgatory of St. Patrick — Death Quarter among Prehistoric People in the West — Phlegræan Fields — Scene of Wars of Gods and Giants — Elysian Fields — Pagan Heaven and Hell — Via Cumana and St. Paul — Amphitheatre of Nero — Solfatara — Relics of Volcanic Fires and Ancient Civilisation mixed together — Volcanic Fires and Landscape Beauty — Completion of Gospel in St. Paul's Journey from Jerusalem to Rome . . . 380-397

Chapter I

A WALK TO CHURCH IN ROME I know nothing more delightful than a walk to a country church on a fine day at the end of summer. All the lovely promises of spring have been fulfilled ; the woods are clothed with their darkest foliage, and not another leaflet is to come anywhere. The lingering plumes of the meadow-sweet in the fields, and the golden trumpets of the wild honeysuckle in the hedges, make the warm air a luxury to breathe ; and the presence of a few tufts of bluebells by the wayside gives the landscape the last finishing touch of perfection, which is suggestive of decay, and has such an indescribable pathos about it. Nature pauses to admire her own handiwork ; she ceases from her labours, and enjoys an interval of rest. It is the sabbath of the year. At such a time every object is associated with its spiritual idea, as it is with its natural shadow.

The beauty of nature suggests thoughts of the beauty of holiness ; and the calm rest of creation speaks to us of the deeper rest of the soul in God. On the shadowed path that leads up to the house of prayer, with mind and senses quickened to perceive the loveliness and significance of the smallest object, the fern on the bank and the lichen on the wall, we feel indeed that heaven is not so much a yonder, towards which we are to move, as a here and a now, which we are to realise. S> b A walk to church in town is a different thing. Man's works are all around us, and God's excluded ; all but the strip of blue sky that looks down between the tall houses, and suggests thoughts of heaven to those who work and weep ; all but the stunted trees and the green grass that struggle to grow in the hard streets and squares, and whisper of the far-off scenes of the country, where life is natural and simple.

But even in town a walk to church is pleasant, especially when the streets are quiet, before the crowd of worshippers have begun to assemble, and there is nothing to distract the thoughts. If we can say of the country walk, "This is holy ground," seeing that every bush and tree are aflame with God, we can say of the walk through the city, " Surely the Lord hath been here, this is a dreadful place." And as the rude rough stones lying on the mountain top shaped themselves in the patriarch's dream into a staircase leading up to God, so the streets and houses around become to the musing spirit sug gestive of the Father's many mansions, and the glories of the City whose streets are of pure gold, in which man's hopes and aspirations after a city of rest, which are baffled here, will be realised.

I have many pleasing associations connected with walks to church in town. Many precious thoughts have come to me then, which would not have occurred at other times ; glimpses of the wonder of life, and revelations of inscrutable mysteries covered by the dream-woven tissue of this visible world. The subjects with which my mind was filled found new illustrations in the most unexpected quarters ; and every familiar sight and sound furnished the most appropriate examples. During that half-hour of meditation, with my blood quickened by the exercise, and my mind inspired by the thoughts of the service in which I was about to engage, I have lived an intenser life and enjoyed a keener happiness than during all the rest of the week. It was the hour of insight that struck the keynote of all the others.

A WALK TO CHURCH IN ROME I 3 But far above even these precious memories, I must rank my walks to church in Rome. What one feels elsewhere is deepened there ; and the wonderful associa tions of the place give a more vivid interest to all one's experiences. I lived in the Capo le Case, a steep street on the slope between the Pincian and Quirinal hills, situated about three-quarters of a mile from the church outside the Porta del Popolo. This distance I had to traverse every Sunday morning ; and I love frequently to shut my eyes and picture the streets through which I passed, and the old well-known look of the houses and monuments. There is not a more delightful walk in the world than that ; and I know not where within such a narrow compass could be found so many objects of the most thrilling interest.

For three months, from the be ginning of February to the end of April, twice, and some times four times, every Sunday, I passed that way, going to or returning from church, until I became perfectly familiar with every object ; and associations of my own moods of mind and heart mingled with the grander associations which every stone recalled, and are now inextri cably bound up with them. With one solitary exception, when the weather in its chill winds and gloomy clouds reminded me of my native climate, all the Sundays were beautiful, the sun shining down with genial warmth, and the sky overhead exhibiting the deep violet hue which belongs especially to Italy. The house in which I lived had on either side of the entrance a picture shop ; and this was always closed, as well as most of the other places of business along the route.

The streets were remarkably quiet ; and all the circumstances were most favourable for a meditative walk amid such magnificent memories. The inhabitants of Rome pay respect to the Sunday so far as abstaining from labour is concerned ; but they make up for this by throwing open their museums and places of interest on that day, which indeed is the only day in which they are free to the public ; and they take a large amount of recreation for doing a small amount of penance in the interests of religion. Still there is very little bustle or traffic in the streets, especially in the morning ; and one meets with no more disagreeable and incongruous interruptions on the way to church in the Eternal City than he does at home. At the head of the Capo le Case is a small church, beside an old ruinous-looking wall of tufa, covered with shaggy pellitory and other plants, which might well have been one of the ramparts of ancient Rome.

It is called San Guiseppe, and has a faded fresco painting on the gable, representing the Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, supposed to be by Frederico Zuccari, whose own house — similarly decorated on the outside with frescoes — was in the immediate vicinity. From the windows of my rooms, I could see at the foot of the street the fantastic cupola and bell-turret of the church of St. Andrea delle Fratte, which belonged to the Scottish Catholics before the Reformation, and is now frequented by our Catholic countrymen during Lent, when sermons are preached to them in English. It is the parish church of the Piazza di Spagna, and the so called English quarter. The present edifice was only built at the end of the sixteenth century, and, strange to say, with the proceeds of the sale of Cardinal Gon salvi's valuable collection of snuff-boxes ; but its name, derived from the Italian word Fratta, "thorn-bush," would seem to imply that the church is of much greater antiquity, going back to a far-off time when the ground on which it stands was an uncultivated waste.

A miracle is said to have happened in one of the side chapels in 1842, which received the sanction of the Pope. A young French Jew of the name of Alfonse Ratisbonne was discovered in an ecstasy before the altar ; which he accounted for by saying, when he revived, that the Virgin Mary had actually appeared to him, and saluted him in this place, while he was wan dering aimlessly, and with a smile of incredulity, through the church. This supernatural vision led to his conver- A WALK TO CHURCH IN ROME I 5 sion, and he was publicly baptized and presented to the Pope by his godfather, the general of the Jesuits ; receiving on the occasion, in commemoration of the miracle, a crucifix, to which special indulgences were attached. At the foot of the Capo le Case is the College of the Propaganda, whose vast size and plain massive architecture, as well as its historical associations, powerfully impress the imagination.

It was begun by Gregory XV., in 1622, and completed by his successor, Urban VIII., and his brother, Cardinal Antonio Barberini, from the plans partly of Bernini and Borromini. On the most prominent parts of the edifice are sculptured bees, which are the well-known armorial bearings of the Barberini family. The Propaganda used to divide with the Vatican the administration of the whole Roman Catholic world. It was compared by the Abbe' Raynal to a sword, of which the handle remains in Rome, and the point reaches everywhere. The Vatican takes cognis ance of what may be called the domestic affairs of the Church throughout Europe ; the College of the Propa ganda superintends the foreign policy of the Church, and makes its influence felt in the remotest regions of the earth. It is essentially, as. its name implies, a missionary institution, founded for the promotion and guidance of missions throughout the world.

Nearly two hundred youths from various countries are con stantly educated here, in order that they may go back as ordained priests to their native land, and diffuse the Roman Catholic faith among their countrymen. The average number ordained every year is about fifty. No one is admitted who is over twenty years of age ; and they all wear a uniform dress, consisting of a long black cassock, edged with red, and bound with a red girdle, with two bands, representing leading-strings, hanging from the shoulders behind. The cost of their education and support while in Rome, and the expenses of their journey from their native land and back again, are defrayed by the institution. Every visitor to Rome must be familiar with the appearance of the students, as they walk through the streets in groups of three or four, eagerly conversing with each other, with many expressive gesticulations.

For the most part they are a fine set of young men, of whom any Church might well be proud, full of zeal and energy, and well fitted to encounter, by their physical as well as their mental training, the hard ships of an isolated life, frequently among savage races. An annual exhibition is held in a large hall attached to the college in honour of the holy Magi, about the beginning of January, when students deliver speeches in different languages, and take part in musical perform ances, the score of which is usually composed by the professor of music in the college. The places of honour nearest the stage are occupied by several cardinals, whose scarlet dresses and silver locks contrast strikingly with the black garments of the majority of the assem blage. The strange costumes and countenances of the speakers, coloured with every hue known to the human family, the novel sounds of the different languages, and the personal peculiarities of each speaker in manner and intonation, make the exhibition in the highest degree interesting.

Its great popularity is evinced by the crowds that usually attend, filling the hall to overflowing; and though a religious affair, it is pervaded by a lively spirit of fun, in which even the great dignitaries of the Church join heartily. The jurisdiction of the Propaganda is independent. The " congregation " of the college is composed of twenty-five cardinals, sixteen of whom are resident in Rome. One of their number is appointed prefect, and has a prelate for his secretary. They meet statedly, once a month, for the transaction of business, in a magnificent hall in the college. Previous to 185 1, the affairs of the Roman Catholic Church in England were administered by the Propaganda; our country being included among heretical or heathen lands to which missionaries were sent. But after that memorable year A WALK TO CHURCH IN ROME I 7 they were transferred to the ordinary jurisdiction of the See of Rome.

This movement was the first distinct act of papal aggression, and provoked fierce hostility among all classes of the Protestant community. However some of us may regret that such powerful and well organised machinery is employed to propagate to the ends of the earth a faith to which we cannot subscribe, yet no one can read the proud inscription upon the front of the edifice, "Collegio di Propaganda Fide," and reflect upon the grand way in which the purpose therein defined has been carried out, without a sentiment of admiration. At a time when Protestant Churches were selfishly devoted to their own narrow interests, and utterly unmindful of the Saviour's commission to preach the gospel to every creature, this college was sending forth to different countries, only partially explored, bands of young priests who carried their lives in their hands, and endured untold sufferings so that they might impart to the heathen the blessings of Christian civilisation.

There is not a region from China and Japan to Mexico and the South Sea Islands, and from Africa to Siberia, which has not been taken possession of by members of this college, and cultivated for the Church. Names that are as worthy of being canonised as those of any saint in the Roman calendar, on account of their heroic achieve ments, their holy lives, or their martyr deaths, belong to the role of the Propaganda. And while sedulously spreading their faith, they were at the same time adding to the sum of human knowledge ; many of the most valuable and important contributions to ethnology, geo graphy, philology, and natural science having been made by the students of this college. Pope Pius IX. in his early days, after he had renounced his military career and become a priest, was sent out by the Propaganda, as secretary to a politico-religious mission which Pius VII. organised and despatched to Chili; and in that country his missionary career of two years exhibited all the devotion of a saint.