anteroom-in which stands a throne with a canopy above it, a privilege enjoyed by the anterooms of most or all Roman princes-in their anteroom is found a man-generally a tailor-who sits at work over a large pan of lighted cinders, invariably used by the servants of Rome. This man either desires the visiter to walk on, or points to a large book and inkstand, requesting him to inscribe his name. If his Eminence receives, livery servants, in the next room, announce the name to the secretary, commonly a young priest, or to the waiting gentleman, who, drest in a black court coat, sword, buckles, &c. leads the visiter through a suite of apartments, generally hung with oldfashioned tapestry, to a small cabinet at the other end, in which the Cardinal is usually found seated behind a huge desk, covered with appropriate materials. His Eminence then comes forward, holds out his hand, expecting it to be kissed, but, in case such should not be the taste of the visiter, he receives a respectful shake with more humility and courtesy than the "Author "of Waverley" attributes to the Cardinal of Redgauntlet:" but the Cardinal of "Red

66

66

gauntlet" was, in fact, a prince of the blood;

whereas it requires the arguments of modern Romans to prove that the Cardinals are so en masse. I say en masse, because one prince of a sovereign house has donned the purplewhether from humility or ambition I do not pretend to judge. If for the latter reason, the plan is well imagined; but the other Cardinals are supposed to be sufficiently resolved against compromising, even in appearance, the independence of the Church.

But the visiter, whom I have brought into the presence of the Cardinal?......he must retire from it with another kiss of the hand, and will receive either cards, or a personal visit, in return. If the former are sent, the servant sometimes attends on the following day to enquire after the health of the person thus honoured; and it is understood that these enquiries are to be repaid by a present of two or three pauls. But, after a ball or evening party in a Roman house, the servants regularly make their tour to all those who have been invited, and the gifts they receive are proportioned to the pleasure that each one has enjoyed at the previous soirée.

Over the doors of Cardinals, and Roman

nobles and senators,-this latter is, of course, an empty, inconcludent name,- -are fixed two escutcheons, on one of which are painted the family arms, on the other are blazoned forth the insignificant and degenerate letters S. P. Q. R.! These initials have, as you know, been filled up in a manner not very creditable to the Roman ladies and their sons. * Adieu.

* "Sono p-i questi Romani."

LETTER V.

Rome, Dec. 11, 1823.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

THE election of the present Pope is still an event too recent for it not to be often the subject of conversation. The accounts I hear of this election are curious; but, as I cannot vouch for their truth, I send them only as the on dits of the Romans.

Thus, therefore, on dit that the Courts of France, Spain, and Austria, have the right of putting one veto each on the election to the pontificate of any Cardinal in particular; and that, to this end, each of these powers has in a conclave* a representative, to whom is given a list of those Cardinals who are disagreeable to his

* You English always talk about a conclave, when you wish to denote an assembly of Cardinals: a conclave is a re-union of Cardinals for the election of a Pope; any other assembly of them is termed a consistory.

principal: when any Cardinal thus designated is on the point of being elected, the representative "a chi tocca-whose affair it is" - puts in the veto of his Sovereign. But, as this right can only be exercised once by each Court, the representative naturally defers, till the last moment, the exhibition of his veto; although, if the number of votes-two-thirds of the conclave-be once completed, the Cardinal is elected, and vetos are no longer available. Now it is said that Cardinal Sevaroli*-to whom I was introduced a few days since, and whom I found a very sensible, amiable man-was, at the last conclave, on the point of being elected, when the representative of Austria stopped further proceedings. This veto is attributed to Sevaroli's having, when legate at Vienna, refused to be present at Napoleon's marriage with the Archduchess. Thus the Emperor was offended at a refusal to witness-on account of its being contrary to the rules of the Church-the ceremony of a marriage which he himself permitted at the time, though he afterwards showed that he considered it as a forced mésalliance of a noble sovereign house with an upstart soldier-its

He died a few months after.