Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 15, No. 88, April, 1875Various
History
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 15, No. 88, April, 1875
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
of needles for the same purpose; a tablet with seventy holes in it,
answering to the number of cardinals if the college were full, and in
each hole a little wooden counter with the name of a cardinal, so that
there are as many counters as cardinals in the college; and finally, a
copy of the form of oath respecting the putting the schedules into the
urns, the two urns themselves, and a box with a key, used for receiving
the voting papers of such cardinals as may be too ill to leave their
cells. The two urns, however, at the time of the scrutiny are placed on
the altar. Behind the altar there is placed a little iron brazier or
stove, in which, after every scrutiny which does not succeed in electing
a pope, the voting papers are burned, together with some damp straw, the
object being to cause a dense smoke, which, passing by a pipe outside
the building, serves to inform the Romans that no election has yet been
made. Twice a day, at about the same hour every day till the election is
achieved, this smoke, which is eagerly watched for by all Rome, and
specially by the commandant of the Castle of St. Angleo, who is waiting
to fire a salute for the new pope, tells the city that there is no pope
yet. When the hour passes and no smoke is seen, it is known that the
election is made, and the cannoneers fire away without waiting to know
whom they are saluting.
There is no portion of the day or of the lives of the cardinals in
conclave which is not regulated by a host of minute regulations and
ceremonies. The introduction of the food supplied to them; the form of
bringing it from their palaces; the method of communication with the
outside world, and the precautions taken to prevent any communication
with reference to the great business in hand; the form and color of the
garments to be worn by their Eminences and by all the subordinates; the
amount of remuneration and perquisites to be received by the latter
(among which regulations I find the following: "Let no man receive
anything who has not purchased the office he holds"); the order of
precedence of everybody, from the dean of the Sacred College to the last
sweeper who enters the conclave with their Eminences,--all subject to
minute rules, which would require, one would imagine, a lifetime to make
one's self master of, and which, curious as some of them are, it is
impossible to find place for here. We must get on to the method of
voting.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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