Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847: Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and EducationAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847: Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and Education
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
France -- Church history -- 19th century; Italy -- Church history -- 19th century
_Sunday, July 20._--I gave up the attempt to go to Bishop Luscombe's
Chapel, as there was no communion. Heard High Mass at La Madeleine.
The music very good, and the dresses splendid; not more than an hour.
At two o'clock went to Vespers there: there was chanting of Psalms, an
hour, and then a long sermon, more than an hour, on the virtues of
S. Vincent de Paul. The preacher used a great deal of action, and gave
me the idea of having very much got up his discourse, which was
confirmed by seeing him in the evening at Notre Dame des Victoires,
where we heard the commencement of the same sermon, but did not stop.
The subject of it seems to have been a very great and good man; the
sermon was a sort of abstract, I believe, of the Saint's life by the
Bishop of Rodez. There was a passionate address to the Saint in the
middle, with eyes uplifted to heaven. A great many people, chiefly
women; many ladies,--but I do not think it was a favourite preacher.
We gave up the conférence of S. Francis Xavier at S. Sulpice, having
so much to do to-morrow, though much to our regret; but late hours
and great exertions here have tried us both, and we shall be
very glad of a change.
We walked through the Tuileries just before dark; a great multitude of
citizens.
_Monday, July 21._--We were occupied all the morning in packing up
and calling on MM. D'Alzon, Bonnetty, and Noirlieu--the latter out. We
left Paris a quarter past six, on a very fine pleasant evening. Having
the two first places in the malle poste, we enjoyed the drive very
much as long as it was light--we reached Reims in eleven hours, a
quarter after five, without much fatigue. I slept at intervals, and
when I awoke admired the brilliant moonlight, Venus, and Jupiter,
through one or two forests, or at least woods, which we passed. The
road generally very flat, with these exceptions. Our companion was a
gentlemanly Frenchman, with whom I had much conversation. He seemed to
be much attached to the present Royal Family, whom he spoke of as
acquainted with them, and maintained that the King was a religious
man--that he heard Mass daily; the Queen was a model of piety. He
thought their dynasty would stand; and not the least, because they
would never submit to be exiles; they would either keep the throne, or
die for it. The great mistake of Charles X. was quitting France; if
you go away everyone is against you; if you stay, a party is sure to
rally round you. He seemed to think the issue might have been
different had Charles X. remained. But there was no chance of a
restoration now; the great mass of the country was satisfied. He spoke
well of the Duc de Nemours, still more highly of the Duc d'Orléans,
and said the Comte de Paris was a very promising boy. He regretted the
want of an _hereditary_ peerage in France, and the little
independence that body possessed in consequence. I remarked the
smallness of fortunes: that 60,000 francs a year were thought a good
fortune for a peer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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