KECOLLECTIONS, 1831-37. 131 



upon them ! they deserve. . . .to inherit the kingdom 

 of Heaven and eat hay .... 



To finish with this good hearted woman, and the 

 priest (of whom, 1 wish to be plainly understood, I 

 do not include the whole of them, for there are a great 

 number worthy of our admiration, whether believers 

 or unbelievers, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Mahome- 

 dan charity, philanthropy, exist everywhere. Virtues 

 are cosmopolitan as are vices. I do not hate men, 

 priests or others, / hate the principles, the institu- 

 tions that have a tendency to deprive humanity of 



their common sense, judgment, reason ) I 



must tell you something that will astound you * 

 A young "Abbe " " Abbot " not ordained as a priest 

 yet, had' received hospitality from that lady, he 

 being sickly and poor, had been prescribed by doc- 

 tors to live in the country for his health, which was 

 frail indeed, but he had a great deal of energy, 

 was quick in his movements and wonderfully intel- 

 ligent, impulsive, passionate to excess, but whose 

 senses, judgment, had been vitiated by that clerical 

 mode of torturing one's moral and mental faculties, 

 trying to make you believe that bladders are lanterns, 



gas lamps, etc We had a billiard table on the 



place, but nobody to play with him except the old lady, 

 who could not stand round the billiard table more than 



