In the midst of this ignorant race, born and educated in the grossest errors and prejudices, there exists a class of persons who do not believe in the superstitions of the vulgar, as they call these pretended miracles of St. Januarius and other saints; neither in the inventions of purgatory and similar stories; having read in some book, or heard some one affirm, that they are no better than fables; but, unhappily, they also extend their unbelief to all that is related of Christ and of his Apostles, and in fact assert that all these writings might be tied together, and thrown into the fire, as old and worthless. These are the learned, people of genius, who go to church merely to gratify the sight, or to delight the ear with harmony; and who kneel before the reliques and the images in a procession, for the sake of appearance, as they term it. They go to confession at Easter, to deceive the priest into a belief of their piety, and receive the communion that they may escape censure. As lying and hypocritical as they are unbelieving and immoral, they form a very extensive class, most injurious to society in a thousand different ways; chiefly because being, as they are, without faith in religious matters, they are equally void of it in social affairs: and being weak-minded, through continual falsehood, they are mean in all their undertakings; timid and pusillanimous, with a mixture of irritability and rashness. In morality they are monsters of depravity, and this miserable land abounds with such persons more at this present time than ever; in the face of its glorious sun it is covered with the thickest darkness. Between these two extremes of the direst superstition and utter unbelief, is there for these people no middle path of religion, of pure early Christianity? God alone knows. I have sometimes persuaded myself that there must be such; I have again doubted, and again I have returned to my former hope--at any rate I will not despair of it. Christian charity, and trust in God's mercy and providence, alike forbid me so to do. FOOTNOTES: [75] "The Most Illustrious and Most Reverend Cardinals require a most illustrious and a most reverend reformation." [76] In the cemetery near to these bones, a broken stone was found, on which was to be read the following inscription:--_Lumena in Pace_ ☧ Fi ... Don Francesco, on the authority of the sacristan, had no doubt the word _Filumena_ was signified by the Fi.... [77] Matt. xi. 28. [78] John xiv. 6. [79] Matt. xv. 14. [80] The same question might be asked with respect to the late pretended miracle of the image of the Virgin at Rimini moving its eyes. A shameless imposture, honoured by Pio Nono with the institution of an annual festival in its commemoration! [81] 1 Tim. iii. 1. [82] Matt. xx. 25, 26.