522 Asmodeus and the Incognito. 



ven Hills. Behold the present Roma la Santa, peopled by priests and 

 monks, who domineer despotically over the indolent, ignorant, and 

 superstitious descendants of the ancient Romans." 



" I wish I had been there during- the Carnival," quoth I. " Pooh !" 

 rejoined Asmodeus, " You would not have been amused, because it 

 has been a very dull Carnival this year in consequence of the dread 

 of the cholera and the extraordinary rigours of the police. Entre 

 nous, the best and most interesting masquerade that appeared in the 

 Corso during the late bacchanalia was his ex-most faithful Majesty 

 Don Miguel of Portugal, with his faithful Dons, riding unmasked in 

 splendid English equipages. But I will show you now a sight, which 

 is worthy a thousand Carnivals ;" in saying which, the devil directed 

 my telescope towards a church near Piazza Navona, and added, " Do 

 you see ? v " Yes,'' answered I, " I see that it is crammed with peo- 

 ple, but I do not perceive a single lady." " No lady," resumed Asmo- 

 deus, " is allowed to enter it on such an occasion as the present." 

 " Why not ?" questioned I. " Why ?' replied the devil, " because 

 this evening the lay brethren of the congregation Delia Madonna del 

 sette dolori, to make amends for their trespasses of the Carnival, meet 

 there to hear a sermon of their chaplain, who is a Jesuit, and then end 

 the pious ceremony by inflicting on themselves a severe flagellation/' 

 " If so/' observed I, "it must be a most capital sight. Let us go and 

 witness such a performance." Asmodeus complied, and we soon 

 placed ourselves under the pulpit, in front of the congregation. Un- 

 luckily for us, the chaplain preached for more than an hour on the 

 certainty of death and on the uncertainty of its approach, during 

 which time Asmodeus did nothing but yawn, and I fell almost asleep. 

 When the sermon was over, the penitent brethren placed themselves 

 in files in the middle of the church, all the lights were removed, and 

 thus the whole congregation remained in perfect darkness. Then 

 some of them twisted their handkerchiefs, others drew from their 

 pockets small iron chains, and a great many armed their right hands 

 with pieces of strong knotted ropes. The chaplain having at last be- 

 gun to recite in Latin, and very slowly, the 51st Psalm of David, the 

 general flagellation commenced with vigour and fervour. I could 

 scarcely help laughing at such a ludicrous and hypocritical spectacle ; 

 but when Asmodeus made me remark that some of the brethren, in- 

 stead of chastising their own shoulders, inflicted dreadful blows on the 

 backs of those who were kneeling before them, I nearly fainted in 

 consequence of a spasmodic fit of laughter. " Well," quoth Asmo- 

 deus, " did I not tell you that you would be greatly amused *? but you 

 have not yet seen the best of it. Be on your guard, and don't be 

 frightened, because I am going to play them a trick, which will serve 

 as a punishment to their folly and hypocrisy/' In fact, when the fla- 

 gellation ceased and just as the chaplain said Oremus, a sudden flash 

 of lightning, accompanied by a tremendous clap of thunder and fol- 

 lowed by the appalling noise of broken glasses and falling stones, 

 terrified the penitents so much, that, screaming aloud Misericordia, 

 Pietcl, the whole of them immediately took to a precipitate and con- 

 fused flight, leaving behind their cloaks, hats, sticks, and umbrellas. 

 The poor fat chaplain alone lay headlong and bleeding on the ground, 



