Around the World with Josiah Allen's WifeHolley, Marietta
General
Around the World with Josiah Allen's Wife
Holley, Marietta
Women travelers -- Fiction
Besides this relic they claim to have at St. Peter's a piece of the
cross and the napkin that wuz laid to our Lord's face when he wuz
faintin' under the burden of the cross, and that still holds the
imprint of his face, so they say. They are shown on sacred days. They
say that there is confessionals at St. Peter's where folks of every
language in the world can confess and be absolved by a priest that
understands 'em. Well, I shouldn't wonder, it is big enough, it seems
like a world in itself. But I couldn't help thinkin' of our great High
Priest whose confessional is broad and high as the needs and sorrows
of a world and the "silent liftin' of an eye can bring us there to
be," and who understands not only every language under the sun, but
every secret and hidden thought and aspiration of the soul, good or
evil, and whose forgiveness and compassion never fails the penitent
soul. I couldn't help thinkin' on't, and I felt that St. Peter if he
could speak would say, "Josiah Allen's wife, I don't blame you for
your methinkin', I think just so myself."
One day we all went to see the Arch of Titus; it wuz big and massive
lookin' with a lot of writin' over the top that I couldn't read nor
Josiah couldn't, but interestin' like all the remains of imperial Rome
that ruled over almost the hull of the known world. It was erected
about the year 70 to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem.
There wuz another arch fur more interestin' to me, and that wuz the
arch of Constantine. It is perfectly beautiful, and would be, even if
it wuz built by a misable pagan. But it wuz built by Mr. Constantine
when he declared himself in favor of Christianity. I sot store by
him.
It is a grand and beautiful structure, richly ornamented, and has
three passages. I didn't like all the base reliefs on it; indeed, I
considered some on 'em as real base, such as Mr. Tragan's offerin's to
the gods, etc. But then I realized that I wuzn't obleeged to look at
'em. And some on 'em wuz very good showin' off Mr. Tragan educatin'
poor children, etc. And some of Constantine's doin's there I liked
first-rate.
And I d'no as I see anything in Rome that interested me more than the
tomb of Celia Crassus--Celia Matella that wuz. It is a round, massive
structure that stands on the Appian Way and is about two thousand
years old. It wuz once all covered with costly marble, but the hand of
Time and other thieves, in mortal shape, have stole it a long time
ago. But enough is left to show what it wuz. Nobody knows jest who
Celia wuz and what she did do, or didn't do, to git such a monument.
But I shall always believe she wuz a real likely woman and smart.
'Tennyrate, I said her pardner must have thought high on her and
mourned her loss like a dog or he never would have rared such a
magnificent tomb to her memory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account