Mr. Lyman on the Political Slate of Italy. 



444 



ment; thfiy no doubt betray au equal 

 degree of weakness, autl a desire (o 

 caress and secure (he trood fav'our of 

 foreign nations. Indeed, it is but a 

 sorry policy to siifter foreigners io make 

 light of their dignities and privileges, 

 on occasions when a few Swiss halberds 

 would be sufficient to enforce a becom- 

 ing respect. 



We know not how the modern Ro- 

 man law of trusts and charitable foun- 

 dations may run, but the following 

 facts from the same chapters, would 

 make out a tolerable case, we think, 

 for heirs at law in some countries. 



'All catholic nations had formerly 

 churches and houses in Rome for the 

 worship and reception of the poor pil- 

 grims of the nation. There they were 

 lodged and fed for a certain number of 

 days, and at their dej)arture received a 

 small viaticum. No pilgrims now come, 

 and as several nations still iiold pi'o- 

 perty of tills distribution, the proceeds 

 are given in dowries to young girls,*ior 

 to the poor of the nation. The churcii 

 of Flanders distributed six hundred 

 dollars in tliis manner the last year. 

 It was a great loss of money and time 

 to go on pilgrimages, particularly those 

 long pilgrimages to the Holy Land. It 

 converted a large proportion of the popu- 

 lation, most endowed vvith robust bodies 

 and enterprising minds, into beggars, 

 as the supej'stitiou of those ages never 

 denied charity to tiie palm-branch and 

 cockle shell. The celebrated caravans 

 to Mecca and Medina have also become 

 less numerous, less frequent, and depart 

 at more irregular periods. The Turkish 

 government finds the expense of provid- 

 ing guards and conductors too great ; 

 and it would do well to calculate, at 

 the same time, the loss of labour and 

 the contracting of idle and bad habits 

 by many of its subjects. 



The eighth chapter contains a parti- 

 cular account of the process of beatifi- 

 cation, an inferior degree of saintship, 

 'illustrated by the case of Father Posa- 

 ■das, a Spanish priest, who wasbeatificfl 

 two or three years ago at Rome, and 

 whose history, in consequence, was 

 much talked of at the time in the de- 

 vout circles. As Father Posadas was 

 born in Andalusia in 16-44 and beatified 

 in 1817, the church cannot be accused 

 of undue rashness, in conferring this 

 important honour, Mr. Lyman re- 

 marks at the end of the chapter, that 

 an interval of one hundred years com- 

 monly elapses between the death and 

 canonizat ion of a saint. 



|June J, 



One may say of the subject of canon- 

 ization, as Mr. Stewart does of juggling, 

 that it deserves a more philosophical 

 examination than it has generally 

 received, in reference to the subject of 

 miracles: inasmuch as it is not decreed 

 even in its inferior stages, except upon 

 formal and judicial proof of miracles 

 wrought. Mr. Lyman accordingly pur- 

 sues the subject of the miracles in the 

 following chapter. As the case therein 

 related seems to us in every respect 

 the most curious and important one of 

 alleged modern miracles, more so, for 

 instance, than those at the tomb of the 

 Abbe Paris, examined by Hume, Paley, 

 and others, we shall give an abstract of 

 the account, which Mr. Lyman has 

 drawn from the work of Marchetti, De' 

 Prodigj avvenuti in molte sagre imma- 

 gini specialmcnte di Maria Santissimii, 

 &c. Koma. 1797? 12mo. Wehaveour- 

 selves hiid an opportunity of consulting 

 this rare and singular volume, and are 

 able to vouch for the correctness of the 

 citations that are made from it in the 

 work before us. It is to be observed 

 that behind the lamps, by which the 

 streets of Rome and others of the Italian 

 cities are lighted, are placed portraits 

 of the Virgin, coarsely painted and 

 generally glazed. As they are placed 

 directly against (he walls, and these 

 are of stone, it is dillicult to conceive 

 that a deception could be practised 

 by persons concealed behind them. 

 The most important of the cases de- 

 scribed by Marchetti is that of which 

 an account is given by Mr. Lyman, in 

 the following manner. 



' I shall, therefore, only raenfion 

 the most important facts relating to the 

 first prodigy recorded in the book ; 

 this h.appeiied to an image of the most 

 holy Mary, " mother of pity," and 

 called deir Archetto. It is painted 

 vvith oil, and represents only one half 

 of the bust ; both the eyes are open, of 

 which the pupil and white can be most 

 distinctly seen. The picture is pro- 

 tected by a glass, aud it is raised ten 

 feet from the ground. The first pro- 

 digy was observed on the 9th of July, 

 1796. The day was mild and clear. 

 Early in the morning it was remarked 

 that the eyes began to move, and the 

 eyelids occasionally shut themselves 

 entirely. Here began the examination, 

 not only of this but of all the other 

 images. Persons brought ladders, 

 mounted to within a few inches of the 

 eyes, and stood looking at them for 

 many minutes. The Cardinal Braschi 

 carried 



