1801} View of Religion, Manners, Sc. in the Lfland of Corfu. 
the clergy. . They are diftinguifhed by a 
violet girdie, and a cord and mall taffel of 
the fame color to their hats. From mar- 
riages, baptifms, and burials, they, as 
well as the protopapa, derive fome cafual 
emoluments: the protopapa ulually re- 
ceives about nine fhillings iterling on thefe 
occafions, and. each canon about half a 
crown, with a wax taper of a pound 
weight. 
One of the moft lucrative articles of 
their {piritual traffic, and at the fame 
time one of the moft effectual means of 
keeping the people in ftupid ignorance and 
fubjection, is the anathema. Under the 
flighteft pretext, a Greek can obtaina fen- 
tence of excommunication again{t his 
neighbour: the latrer bas equally an op- 
portunity of returning the compliment. by 
another excommunication, which invali- 
dates that obtained againft him by his 
enemy. The fame prieft ferves both par- 
ties with impartial andequal zeal. Thefe 
thunders of the Greek church prove very 
expenfive to the fools who have recourfe 
to them. 
The ceremony is performed. in public, 
in the open ftreet, and, oppofite to’ the 
door of the perfon on whom the fentence 
of excommunication is to fall. The fuc- 
cefs is reckoned much more certain when 
the complainant can afford to pay a fufi- 
cient {um to induce the protopapa to come 
in perfon at the head of his clergy to pro- 
nounce the anathema. In {uch cafe, the 
prelate repairs to the appointed place, ar- 
rayed ina mourning drefs, holding a black 
taper in his hand, preceded by a great 
crucifix and banner, both likewife black ; 
his attendants allo being dreffed in mourn- 
ing. 
' The protopapa accompanies his impre- 
cations by violent geftures, and, having 
pronounced the dread formula, retires 
fhaking his robe. The excommunicate 
perfon is from that moment excluded from 
every-church, and cut off from all partici- 
pation in the prayers of the faithful: nor 
can he be reltored to his former rights 
except by a counter excommunication, 
which if he be unable to purchafe, it fre- 
quently happens thathe proceeds to the moft 
- def{perate extremes; aid avenges himfelf on 
his enetny by aflaflinating him. The lower 
élafles of the people entertain fo awful an 
idea of thoie excommunications, as to be 
imprefled’ with a belief that thé earth 
trembles at the moment when_the fentence 
1s pronounced ; infomuch that individuals 
have been oblerved to manifeft their terror 
-by thrieks, and to behave as if the earth 
teaily hac trembled oe. Fa yh A 
} Aa y } 
48g 
If the Greek pricfs are thus crafty and 
attentive in availing themfelves of every 
circumftance calculated to ftrengthen their 
authority over an igoorant multitude en- 
flaved to the moit ab{urd prejudices, the 
Venetian government does not negleét to 
take equal advantage of the popular cre- 
dulity. The thunders of anathema are 
{ometimes hurlea egain{t whole villages on 
occafions when little hope is entertained 
of fuccefs from the employment of an 
armed force. Thofe villages are thus 
completely cut off from all communication 
with the reft of the country; and the un- 
fortunate inhabitants, after having com- 
plied with the orders for the negleé& of 
which they had been excluded from the 
pale of the church, deem themfelves thrice 
happy to be re-admitted to the communion 
of the faithful on paying a certain contri- 
bution. It may naturally be fuppofed that 
the expedient of counter-excommunication 
cannet be employed againit the govein- 
ment. 
(To be continued. Mi 
—i ae 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
{ DO not think the account in your laft 
Magazine of the perfon who was con- 
fined with an iron-mafk correct. 
From what I have read, Louis XIV. 
was more jealous of Fouquet with his mif- 
trefles, thanColbert was of him as minifter. 
There is a very particular account who 
the iron-ma{k was, in the Life of Marthal 
de Richelieu, and alfo the famous means by 
which it was procured. 
But in the Memoirs of Louis XIV. by 
M. Anquetil, page 188 of the firft volume, 
quoting the Memoirs of the Dukede St. 
Simon, he-fays, that when the fuper- 
intendant Fouquet heard M.. de Lau- 
zun, who had been fent to Pignerol on the 
rupiure of his marriage with Mademoifelle 
de Montpenfier, relate his fuccefies at 
court, and that he had once obtained the 
King’s confen: to his. marriage with this 
great heiref.; Fouquet believed him quite 
mad; for wien he had beenin power about 
ten years be ore,he was then but a younger 
fon of a Gafcon family, of the name of 
Peguelin. | 
Chis was in’ 1671. When the court 
afterwards thought proper to indulge the 
fuperintendant, by allowing his family to 
vilit him, he related to them what M. de 
Lauzun had told hitn, and thought they 
were all mad, when they agreed to the 
truth of all he had heard. 
ZT have mentioned ail thele circumftances 
| i 
