x.J ALPINE TRAVELS, 1844. 307 



the recurrence of an eruption of Etna after what took 

 place last year had never entered my imagination, while, 

 to make matters worse, I have multitudes of letters con- 

 gratulating me on my good fortune I ' 



To the Same. 



' January 29th. 



W. have seen the ceremony of making three new 

 Cardinals, and I have made the acquaintance of some of 

 the Jesuit body their astronomer, their antiquary, and 

 their preacher. The first, Padre Vico, has determined 

 the rotation of Venus, under favour of the skies of Home; 

 the second, Padre Marchi, has made a wonderful collec- 

 tion of coins of the Etruscans and others of the ancient 

 peoples of Italy ; while Padre Grassi, who is considered 

 the most eloquent of the most able Jesuits, accompanied 

 us my uncle and myself through the Jesuit monastery, 

 and gave us a discourse on Komanism which was, to say 

 the least of it, most interesting. We passed many hours 

 with him, and in the course of that time there wore 

 few points of doctrine on which he did not touch. My 

 uncle as I rather maliciously alleged drew him out 

 by hesitations and concessions, so that I fancy he spent 

 rather more eloquence and learning upon us than he 

 might otherwise have done : he is most amiable as 

 well as able, and well fitted to make proselytes, which, 

 it is said, he very frequently does. The impressions left 

 on my mind by the conversation were : 



' 1. How unsatisfactory was discussion, as a means of 

 arriving at truth! 



' 2. That the Roman argument lends itself to discussion 

 on account of tin- <K tiniteness of the things to be proved, 

 and the convenient manner in which many difficulties 

 can be thus solved. But definiteness and conveniem y, 

 so far from being tests of a true faith, seem usually to 

 be denied to us, as a trial of our faith. 



iiat an English Tractarian could hardly have 

 escaped from our Jesuit's conclusio 



