"Farewell, Rome!" I exclaimed; "the land of my fathers, the country of my predilection. Thou hast had a glorious page in the annals of the world; thou hast enjoyed a state that no other land can boast, the memory of which will endure to all generations. But what now remains of all thy former grandeur? A melancholy recollection! On every side we behold the remains of thine opulence, thy beauty, and thy prosperity. Such was Rome! Her name only now remains: her existence is gone; but the name lives, and will long be preserved. Let us, however, hope she may yet revive; not the Rome of the Cæsars, but of the people; not the haunt of superstition, but the abode of truth. Alas! at the present moment, where is the boasted wisdom of the senate, the majesty of the people? A foolish government dishonours, an evil one persecutes us, and renders the descendants of heroes imbecile and depraved. Farewell, then, Rome of the priesthood! The mists from the Tiber are thickening around thee, and shutting out from thy sight the Vatican which has enslaved thee with its sorceries. Oh, my beloved Rome! a sun is arising in the east which shall gladden all around, and dispel the darkness of the horizon: a sun which shall not again be obscured." Thus did I bid adieu to Rome. And what was to be my future destiny? I knew not. My going to Naples was a mere pretext to enable me to get away. I felt a strong impulse to extend my journey to a far greater distance. The idea of a more spiritual separation from Rome was also busy in my brain; a separation more complete than could be effected by any distance of sea or land; and for this, unconsciously to myself, everything was preparing. The ways of the Lord are different from our ways, they are the dispositions of that adorable Providence which regulates alike the most trifling and the most important actions of our lives. FOOTNOTES: [55] The relinquishing of the religious habit and office, for that of the secular clergy. [56] Rev. xvii. 2. [57] A certain declaration of the clergy of France in relation to the infallibility of the pope. [58] That is to say, not by the Holy Office in Rome. [59] To quit the monastic life, and to live as a simple priest. See note to p. 189. [60] It were devoutly to be wished the latter knew as much. [61] Matt. xx. 21. [62] Matt. xx. 25-27. [63] Ephes. iv. 11. [64] I Cor. xii. [65] Ibid. [66] Ibid. [67] Many persons believe that the body of St. Paul lies under the church, in the Via Ostia; others are of opinion that it is buried by the side of St. Peter. The Romish Church favours both these beliefs. [68] Matt. xxvii. 8. [69] Hebrews vii. 24-27. [70] Luke xvii. 10. [71] My family is one of the oldest in Rome, and celebrated for its hostility to the popes, and the persecutions it has endured. [72] A popular mode of addressing the friars at Rome and Naples: _Zi frate_, which is similar to _zii_ (uncle).