﻿THE 
  SPLENDOR 
  OF 
  ROME 
  

  

  615 
  

  

  cruel 
  beyond 
  all 
  conception, 
  and, 
  to 
  our 
  

   shame, 
  not 
  the 
  least 
  cruel 
  are 
  told 
  of 
  

   Christian 
  men. 
  

  

  Every 
  stone 
  in 
  Rome, 
  had 
  it 
  a 
  tongue, 
  

   would 
  cry 
  in 
  agony; 
  every 
  one 
  is 
  blood- 
  

   stained. 
  Bright, 
  modern 
  city 
  as 
  it 
  is, 
  it 
  is 
  

   built 
  on 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  its 
  predeces- 
  

   sors 
  ; 
  it 
  carries 
  their 
  heritage 
  of 
  joy 
  and 
  

   woe. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  worth 
  while 
  to 
  torture 
  our- 
  

   selves 
  with 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  sacrifices 
  

   whereby 
  the 
  Christian 
  faith 
  won 
  Rome. 
  

   We 
  know 
  from 
  the 
  lips 
  of 
  the 
  pagan 
  

   Seneca 
  how 
  bravely 
  the 
  martyrs 
  died: 
  

   "What 
  are 
  your 
  sufferings 
  compared 
  with 
  

   the 
  flame 
  and 
  the 
  rack? 
  And 
  yet, 
  in 
  the 
  

   midst 
  of 
  sufferings 
  of 
  that 
  sort, 
  I 
  have 
  

   seen 
  men 
  not 
  only 
  not 
  groan, 
  that 
  is 
  little 
  ; 
  

   not 
  only 
  not 
  complain, 
  that 
  is 
  little; 
  not 
  

   only 
  not 
  reply, 
  that, 
  too, 
  is 
  little 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  

   have 
  seen 
  them 
  smile 
  and 
  smile 
  with 
  a 
  

   good 
  heart." 
  

  

  THE 
  BEGINNING 
  OF 
  THE 
  PAPAE 
  STATES 
  

  

  The 
  sacrifices 
  pass, 
  the 
  emperors 
  grow 
  

   feeble, 
  the 
  world 
  accepts 
  the 
  Christian 
  

   faith, 
  the 
  bishop 
  of 
  Rome 
  becomes 
  a 
  

   mighty 
  power. 
  At 
  first 
  the 
  rule 
  is 
  spir- 
  

   itual 
  alone, 
  the 
  kingdom 
  is 
  not 
  of 
  this 
  

   earth 
  ; 
  at 
  first 
  he 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  gentle 
  teacher 
  

   promising 
  eternal 
  joy. 
  The 
  years 
  go 
  on; 
  

   he 
  is 
  more 
  a 
  ruler, 
  less 
  a 
  priest. 
  The 
  

   ancient 
  kings 
  of 
  Rome 
  were 
  also 
  Pontifex 
  

   Maximus 
  (High 
  Priest) 
  ; 
  the 
  Pontifex 
  

   Maximus 
  now 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  king. 
  

  

  We 
  find 
  a 
  Roman 
  prefect 
  offering 
  to 
  

   become 
  a 
  Christian 
  if 
  he 
  can 
  thus 
  be 
  made 
  

   bishop 
  of 
  Rome 
  ; 
  we 
  get 
  a 
  glimpse 
  of 
  his 
  

   power. 
  Later 
  another 
  prefect 
  does 
  em- 
  

   brace 
  Christianity, 
  becomes 
  monk 
  and 
  

   pope 
  (Gregory 
  the 
  Great), 
  and 
  forbids 
  

   other 
  bishops 
  to 
  be 
  known 
  as 
  pope 
  

   (papa) 
  , 
  as 
  had 
  been 
  customary. 
  He 
  fixes 
  

   the 
  ecclesiastical 
  supremacy 
  of 
  Rome. 
  

  

  Over 
  the 
  Alps 
  comes 
  again 
  and 
  again 
  

   the 
  Gothic 
  invader. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  constant 
  trafficking 
  and 
  bar- 
  

   gaining, 
  much 
  dissolute 
  living 
  and 
  open 
  

   crime. 
  Rome, 
  from 
  a 
  city 
  of 
  over 
  a 
  mil- 
  

   lion 
  inhabitants, 
  goes 
  down 
  through 
  the 
  

   ages 
  until 
  she 
  has 
  scarcely 
  a 
  thousand; 
  

   until 
  her 
  temples 
  and 
  churches, 
  her 
  great 
  

   basilicas 
  and 
  palaces, 
  lie 
  ruined 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  

   of 
  her 
  hills. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  fifteenth 
  century 
  she 
  begins 
  

   to 
  revive 
  and, 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  still 
  con- 
  

  

  stant 
  strife 
  before 
  her, 
  she 
  attains 
  a 
  pros- 
  

   perity 
  as 
  the 
  seat 
  of 
  Christ's 
  Vicar 
  she 
  

   could 
  not 
  know 
  as 
  a 
  political 
  power. 
  

   Pilgrims 
  come 
  from 
  afar 
  to 
  her 
  shrines, 
  

   royal 
  penitents 
  seek 
  peace 
  and 
  grace 
  there, 
  

   and 
  each 
  leaves 
  rich 
  gifts 
  on 
  her 
  altars 
  

   and 
  in 
  her 
  hospices. 
  

  

  WHEN 
  POPE 
  AND 
  PATRICIAN 
  WERE 
  RIVALS 
  

   IN 
  ADORNING 
  THE 
  CITY 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  time 
  of 
  building, 
  and 
  from 
  it 
  

   are 
  the 
  many 
  great 
  churches, 
  the 
  beauti- 
  

   ful 
  piazzi, 
  the 
  palaces 
  to 
  which 
  we 
  go 
  to- 
  

   day. 
  They 
  are 
  much 
  changed, 
  restored, 
  

   altered, 
  but 
  they 
  speak 
  to 
  us 
  of 
  the 
  Rome 
  

   of 
  the 
  Middle 
  Ages 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  Renais- 
  

   sance, 
  the 
  day 
  when 
  pope 
  and 
  patrician 
  

   rivaled 
  each 
  other 
  in 
  adorning 
  their 
  city. 
  

   That 
  was 
  a 
  day 
  of 
  luxury 
  almost 
  as 
  great 
  

   as 
  in 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Imperial 
  Rome, 
  but 
  more 
  

   cautious. 
  An 
  amusing 
  story 
  may 
  illus- 
  

   trate 
  it. 
  

  

  Leo 
  X, 
  patron 
  of 
  art, 
  was 
  frequently 
  in 
  

   his 
  banker's 
  debt. 
  This 
  banker, 
  Agostino 
  

   Chigi, 
  was 
  of 
  kindred 
  tastes, 
  but 
  longer 
  

   purse, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  friends. 
  

   Chigi 
  invited 
  the 
  Pope 
  one 
  day 
  to 
  a 
  ban- 
  

   quet 
  in 
  his 
  pergola 
  by 
  the 
  Tiber, 
  and 
  as 
  

   each 
  course 
  was 
  finished 
  the 
  gold 
  and 
  

   silver 
  plate 
  on 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  served 
  was 
  

   tossed 
  nonchalantly 
  over 
  the 
  wall 
  into 
  the 
  

   river. 
  

  

  The 
  Pope's 
  eyes 
  grew 
  big, 
  but 
  there 
  

   was 
  nothing 
  to 
  be 
  said 
  or 
  done; 
  he 
  could 
  

   not 
  hope 
  to 
  equal 
  his 
  rival 
  here. 
  

  

  The 
  supper 
  ended, 
  the 
  Pope 
  and 
  his 
  

   train 
  departed 
  ; 
  Chigi's 
  servants 
  lifted 
  the 
  

   silver 
  platters, 
  the 
  golden 
  urns 
  and 
  gob- 
  

   lets, 
  from 
  the 
  net 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  

   caught 
  ! 
  

  

  Of 
  all 
  these 
  popes, 
  Sixtus 
  V 
  in 
  his 
  brief 
  

   five 
  years 
  did 
  most 
  for 
  the 
  Rome 
  we 
  

   know, 
  leaving 
  her 
  as 
  she 
  remained 
  until 
  

   1870, 
  when 
  a 
  great 
  increase 
  in 
  population 
  

   (it 
  is 
  now 
  about 
  600.000; 
  in 
  1870 
  it 
  was 
  

   not 
  half 
  that) 
  and 
  a 
  new 
  era 
  of 
  building- 
  

   began. 
  

  

  THE 
  BRIDGES 
  OP 
  THE 
  TIBER 
  

  

  We 
  must 
  cross 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  

   choice 
  of 
  many 
  bridges 
  (twelve, 
  I 
  think), 
  

   but 
  the 
  two 
  most 
  popular 
  are 
  the 
  Ponte 
  

   Palatino, 
  for 
  its 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  Ponte 
  Rotto 
  

   and 
  the 
  island, 
  and 
  the 
  Bridge 
  of 
  the 
  

   Angels, 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  Castle 
  of 
  St. 
  

   Angelo 
  and 
  the 
  Vatican 
  (see 
  pages 
  601 
  

   and 
  602). 
  

  

  