530 



NOTES AND QUERIES. l:2na g. vi. ise., Dec. 25. 



•58. 



bub, misunderstood or unauthorised directions, 

 the pontiff had sent forth a proclamation forbid- 

 ding, under the severest penalties, any one, no 

 matter who, from uttering a word, save only the 

 architect Domenico Fontana, who had the ma- 

 nagement, during the proceeding. By trumpet- 

 sound Fontana guided the several gangs of men 

 set at the many windlasses. Sixtus himself was 

 there and his court, and showed by silent nods 

 his satisfaction to the men as they worked in 

 deep silence. All was going well ; up gracefully 

 and gradually arose the majestic obelisk amid the 

 breathless joy of speechless thousands of other- 

 wise noisy shouting Italians. At the very mo- 

 ment, however, when all thought one turn more 

 of the windlasses would have set it upright and 

 for ever on its pedestal, the ropes began to 

 stretch : as they slackened the obelisk leaned 

 backwards, threatening to topple and smash itself 

 to pieces. At this awful moment some one was 

 heard to scream out in a loud voice, " Aqua alia 

 funi ! " (Water on the ropes !) and this cry came 

 from a captain of a small craft, a sparronaro, then 

 lying at Ripa Grande, and this man's name was 

 Bresca, who found himself the next moment be- 

 tween two soldiers of the Swiss Guard, and being 

 marched away to prison. Upon Fontana, who had 

 heard and understood the meaning of Bresca's 

 words, the truth of them flashed the very instant, 

 and he immediately ordered water to be plenti- 

 fully thrown on the ropes. This had the effect 

 of shrinking up and shortening them to such a 

 degree as to very soon bring the leaning obelisk 

 back again, and even set it home and upright in 

 its place, amid the tears of joy of some, and the 

 ringing acclamations of all present. Instead of 

 being walked off to a dungeon in the neighbour- 

 ing castle of St. Angelo, Bresca was led before 

 the pontiff. Though stern and severe Sixtus was 

 just, and having himself beheld how the obelisk 

 had been saved by the timely suggestion of the 

 seaman, he not only promised him a reward, but 

 left the selection of it to the poor fellow's own 

 choice. Knowing that from his native place, San 

 Remo and its little district, all the palm-boughs 

 used in Rome were drawn, Bresca asked for him- 

 self and his descendants the exclusive privilege of 

 supplying the apostolic palace with palms : his 

 wish was granted, and the honorary title of Cap- 

 tain in the pontifical service, with the permission 

 of hoisting the papal flag at the mast-head of his 

 ship, was added ; and from that day to this the 

 Bresca family has always supplied Rome with 

 palms ; and it has been noticed as a curious fact, 

 that whatever may have been the weather, fair or 

 foul (and at this season of the year the Tuscan 

 sea is often rough), never once has failed the 

 little palm-laden ship from San Remo, under the 

 command of a Captain Bresca, to bring its freight 

 in due time up the Tyber, Over the second win- 



dow in the great hall of the Vatican library may 

 be seen frescoed the arrest by the Swiss Guards of 

 the first Bresca. 



These palm-branches having been cut in Janu- 

 ary and well bleached, are distributed in due 

 portions among the basilican churches of Rome. 

 Those for the papal service are taken to an of- 

 ficial of the palace, and his subordinates cut them 

 into various lengths for the several dignitaries, 

 and weave the leaflets of all into a diversity of 

 patterns — an operation which, to my thinking, 

 robs these palm-branches of much of their beauty. 

 After having blessed, the Pope distributes them 

 to the cardinals, prelates, ambassadors, princes, 

 and to such strangers as are favoured with a place 

 on the list to have them. One of such palms, 

 which I was allowed the honour of receiving from 

 the hands of his present Holiness in St. Peter's, 

 on the Palm-Sunday of '53, now lies before me, 

 along with another but much smaller palm, such as 

 is given to the people in the Greek churches, con- 

 sisting of a short twig of the olive-tree bound up 

 along with a single leaflet from a frond of the real 

 palm. D. Rock. 



Brook Green, Hammersmith. 



HYMNOLOGT : 



'COME THOU rODNT OF EVERT 

 BLESSING." 



(2°* S. vi. 420.) 



Having read everything which has appeared in 

 " N. & Q." on this subject, and, whilst the dis- 

 cussion has been going on, made all the inquiries 

 I could, and examined all the books which I could 

 get hold of, as likely to clear up the mystery, I 

 now send the following. 



It was quite a new thought, after being familiar 

 with the hymn for nearly fifty years, and always 

 in association with the name of Robert Robinson 

 of Cambridge, to see it ascribed to the Countess 

 of Huntingdon. I never remember to have be- 

 fore heard, or seen any record, that her ladyship 

 was the author of any hymns. In the Countess's 

 Hymn-books the hymns are said to be " collected 

 by her ladyship," but not a word about any of 

 them having been composed by her. 



The hymn under consideration is quoted in the 

 Miscellaneous Works of Robert Robinson, &c. &c., 

 published in 4 vols. 8vo., by B. Flower, Harlow, 

 1807, with one other, — 



" Mighty God ! while angels bless thee," — 



and these appear to be the only hymns written by 

 Mr. Robinson. 



In Dyer's Memoirs of the Life and Writings of 

 Robert Robinson, &c. &c., Svo., London, 1796, at 

 p. 253. is the following : — 



" By a letter which our author received at this period 

 (probably 1784) from liia esteemed friend Dr. Rippon, 



