the scene. Every knee was now bent to the earth, every voice was hushed; the reversed arms of the military rang with an instantaneous clang on the marble pavement, as they sank on the ground, and all was still as death. This did not last above two minutes. The Host was swallowed, and so began and ended the only thing that bore even the smallest outward aspect of religion. The military now poured out of St. Peter's, and formed an extensive ring before its spacious front, behind which the horse guards were drawn up, and an immense number of carriages, filled with splendidly dressed women, and thousands of people on foot, were assembled. But the multitude almost shrunk into insignificance in the vast area of the piazza; and neither piety nor curiosity had collected together sufficient numbers to fill it. The tops of the colonnades all round were, however, thronged with spectators; and it was a curious sight to see such a mixture of all ranks and nations, from the coronetted heads of kings to the poor cripple who crawled along the pavement, assembled together to await the blessing of an old man, their fellow mortal, now tottering on the brink of the grave. Not the least picturesque figures among the throng, were the Contadini, who, in every variety of curious costume, had flocked in from their distant mountain villages, to receive the blessing of the Holy Father, and whose bright and eager countenances, shaded by their long dark hair, were turned to the balcony where the Pope was to appear. A length the two white ostrich-feather fans, the forerun ners of his approach, were seen; and he was borne forward on his throne, above the shoulders of the Cardinals and Bishops, who filled the balcony. After an audible prayer he arose, and, elevating his hands to heaven, invoked a solemn benediction upon the assembled multitude, and the people committed to his charge. Every head was uncovered; the soldiers and many of the spectators, sunk on their knees

ent to receive the blessing. That blessing
with impressive solemnity, but with little
or parade. Immediately the thundering
from the castle St. Angelo, and the peal
om St. Peter's, proclaimed the joyful ti-
e skies. The Pope was borne out, and the
e from their knees.'

De's benediction this day, the Italians say,
I over the world, but on Thursday it only
he gates of Rome. On Thursday, too,
y to the benediction, one of the Cardinals:
Jews, Turks, and heretics, 'by bell, book,
e.' The little bell is rung, the curse is sung
book, and the lighted taper thrown down
people. The Pope's benediction imme-
llows upon all true believers.

9.-EASTER MONDAY and TUESDAY.
day in this week was formerly observed as
as festival, sermons being preached, and the
at administered. In many places, servants
mitted to rest from their usual employments,
y might constantly attend public worship.
ifteen days, of which the paschal solemnity
1, the courts of justice were shut, and all
games, shows, and amusements, were pro-
It is unnecessary to observe that this prac-
long ceased, and that the Easter week is
devoted to relaxation and amusement. Easter
, in the 34th of Edward III, happening to be
rk of mist and hail, and so cold that many men
their horses' backs, it was called Black
; hence the origin of the term.'-Stowe.
Easter sports in the time of Henry II are thus
ed by Fitzstephen:-They fight battles,' says
the water: a shield is hanged upon a pole,
the midst of the stream: a boat is prepared
t oars, to be carried by violence of the water,
the forepart thereof standeth a young man,

ready to give charge upon the shield with his launce. If so be he break his launce against the shield, and do not fall, he is thought to have performed a worthy deed; if so be, without breaking his launce, he runneth strongly against the shield, down he falleth into the water, for the boat is violently forced with the tide; but on each side of the shield ride two boats, furnished with young men, which recover him that falleth as soon as they may. Upon the bridge, wharfs, and houses by the river's side, stand great numbers to see and laugh thereat.'

The practice of lifting is pursued in some of the northern counties on Easter Monday and Tuesday. On the first of these days, the men lift the women, by taking hold of their arms and legs; and, on the Tuesday, the women use the like ceremony with the men, which is repeated three times by each party. In the counties of Shropshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire, a ceremony similar to this is called heaving. On Easter Monday, a party of men go with a chair, decorated with ribbons and favours, into every house into which they can get admission, force every female to be seated in their vehicle, and lift her up three times with loud huzzas. On the Tuesday, the women claim the same privilege.

The various long, fatiguing Ceremonies of the Holy Week at Rome (see p. 91 et seq.) are now completed; and a general rout ensues: 'Give me a horse, my kingdom for a horse,' is the cry. Post-horses and vetturinostands are on that day all that the Vatican and St. Peter's were the day before. Some fly for amusement to the crater of Mount Vesuvius, others to the abyss of Herculaneum; rendezvous are given among the ruins of Palmyra, and parties are arranged among the cedars of Mount Lebanon: some return to seek hearts left at Florence or Genoa; and others who, amidst all the affectation of virtu, and pretended admiration of a climate with which few are not dis.

pant for the comforts of a British fireheir heads homewards, delighted to have , and delighted to leave it. The Roman eft to prepare her pizza de pasqua' unby her restless lodgers; and the Roman resumes its monotony, its indolence, and e; with nothing to look to but the mal-aria, assage des hirondelles' shall again bring a reign visitants to the Porta del Popolo. resting account of the Easter Ceremonies' em, as given by a recent traveller, will be ur last volume, pp. 102-106.

1665. THE PLAGUE IN LONDON. arly part of our history a great number of specified as plague-years. In the 14th, 16th centuries, there scarcely passed ten hout a considerable plague: and although great plagues are commonly mentioned in century, viz. in the years 1603, 1625, 1636, ; yet Maitland, in his History of London, that for five and twenty years before the of 1666, the city had never been clear from e; and from the year 1603, when the regins, till 1670, the bills of mortality exhibit e years entirely free. Erasmus, in a letter hysician of Cardinal Wolsey, ascribes the sickness and the plague, from which the were so seldom free, in a great measure to modious form and bad exposition of their to the filthiness of the streets, and to the ess within doors. In the 14th and following 5, the streets were filled with common layall manner of filth and garbage, which the vere in vain ordered to remove from their own he sewers were in a very neglected state; ns all ran above ground; in many streets s no pavement at all; and the access of pure prevented by the projecting houses, almost

K

Soon after the great fire of 1666, the plague altogether ceased, and has never since recurred; but it will be recollected, that, although very considerable improvements were made in the city, when it was rebuilt after the conflagration, yet it continued highly incommodious, and retained many of those unsalutary peculiarities (in which that distemper, with others, had originated) for a century afterwards. For it was not until the year 1766, that Fleet-ditch was first covered in; the streets paved with large squared stones; the signs, gates, and bars taken down, and a free ventilation admitted: openings also began then to be made in the incommodious parts of the streets; and the accumulation of filth and other sources of miasmata was farther prevented by the more active employment of scavengers, the increased supply of water, &c.; a system which has been pursued, and is still continued, to the great ornament of the metropolis, as well as to the substantial benefit of the inhabitants: and from that time, every species of epidemic disease has rapidly diminished in frequency and fatality, and now does not more commonly originate in London than in the country.: 14.-LOW SUNDAY.

It was a custom among the primitive Christians,

on the first Sunday after Easter-day to repeat some