the horizon, across the sad apartment, and shedding brightness on its walls, William was awakened from his imperfect slumbers by the measured, mellow, reverberating, lengthened, swelling toll of the great cathedral bell. "It is the hour of prime," replied his attendants, in answer to his inquiry. Then were the priesthood, in full choir, welcoming, with voices of gladness, the renewed gift of another day, and praying in the words of the hymn, "Now that the sun is gleaming bright, "No sinful word, nor deed of wrong, "And while the hours in order flow, "And grant that to thine honour, Lord, And in thy favour end."* But his day of labour and struggle, sin and repentance, was passed; and William lifted up his hands in prayer, and expired. As was very common in those times, the death of the great and rich was the signal for a scene of disgraceful neglect and confusion. Not that we are now more humanized in heart; even in our own days the degraded chamber of a departed *Jam lucis orto sidere Nil lingua, nil peccet manus, Incapta dum fluet dies, Præsta diurnus ut tuæ Subserviat laudi labor; Auctore qua te cœpimus Da te favente prosequi. Monarch is reported to have witnessed the vilest rapacity; but, in earlier periods, the eager greediness, now usually restrained from much outward demonstration by habits of decorum and dread of punishment, was displayed and vented, almost as a matter of course, without hesitation, fear, or shame. The attendants plundered the royal chamber, stripped the body even of its last garments; sons, kinsmen, servant, all, without exception, rushing out, left the poor diseased corpse lying naked on the floor. So completely was it abandoned, that the duty of conveying the remains of William to the monastery of St. Stephen, at Caen, which he had founded, was performed by the care and charity of a Knight of humble fortune and low degree, grieved at the indignity to which the mortal spoil of his Sovereign was exposed. The Monks came forth with song and dirge; and, receiving the body, they took order for the royal sepulture. The grave was dug deep in the presbytery, between altar and choir. All the Bishops and Abbots of Normandy assembled. After mass had been sung, Gilbert, Bishop of Evreux, addressed the people; and, when he had magnified the fame of the departed, he asked them all to And then a loud pray for his soul. voice was heard from the crowd: a poor man stood up before the bier, one Ascelin, who forbade that William's corpse should be received into the ground he had usurped by reckless violence. The land whereon the church of St. Stephen stood,the monastery, whose erection was amongst the good works upon which William relied,-had been taken by William from Arthur, the father of Ascelin, and any compensation had been denied. All present-Bishops and nobles, all the bystanders, indeed-knew how sadly true was the complaint; and they pacified Ascelin by paying him the price of that narrow, little plot of earth, the seven feet of mould, the contested restingplace of the Conqueror. Ascelin, further promises being made to him, withdrew his ban; but as the swollen corpse sank into the grave, it burst, filling the sacred edifice with corruption. The obsequies were hurried through; and thus was William the Conqueror gathered to his fathers,-with loathing, disgust, and horror.-Quarterly Review. CIOCCI'S NARRATIVE OF INIQUITIES AT ROME. Crocci was induced to return quietly to the monastery, upon the confident hope expressed by his mother, that his vows, being constrained, would be nullified upon an appeal, which she undertook to prosecute, to the Holy Convocation of Bishops and Regulars. "Once again in the hands of my enemies, they did not fail to show their resentment by inflicting on me the severest punishment. For three days [ was confined to my room, and kept upon bread and water. I was forbidden ever again to return home, prohibited from writing to any person whatever, and told that I was always to receive the visits of my friends in the presence of a Master, with a threat amounting almost to annihilation, if I ever uttered a word that might lead any one to suspect I was dissatisfied with my situation. I "The three days' solitude to which I was condemned, in the agitated state of my feelings, writhing under the discovery of the cruel deception of which I had become a victim, and which had forced me on to a step that might prove irrevocable, almost distracted me. had, during this confinement, ample time for reflection; but not one sustaining hope brought comfort to my soul. Now and then the thought of God would flash upon my mind, like the polar-star upon the gaze of a tempest-tossed seaman ; but instantly it was lost behind the thick clouds of impenetrable darkness with which the Romish religion has clothed the God of mercies. Educated to look upon him as a God of terror, rather than of love, ready to hurl to the nethermost pit all who dared to oppose their will to the dispensations of the Church, what hope was left to me of finding shelter beneath his wings? Three days of almost total abstinence-my only sustenance being a morsel of bread, and a little water-added physical debility to mental suffering, and brought on an indisposition to sleep, which was the more intolerable, that it prolonged the sense of my sorrowful existence. When, for a few minutes, exhausted nature triumphed, my dreams were such as may be supposed to disturb the sleeping hours of one occupied with the single idea of terror. My prayers were weak, not the sisters of hope, not founded upon that faith which moves mountains. I prayed because I felt the need of prayer, because I was accustomed to it; but a voice continually repeated to me, 'God does not listen to thee; for thy prayers are not in accordance with his will.' "From this period may I date the commencement of the work of grace in my heart. Experiencing, in the unhappy yearnings of a troubled spirit, the need of a sustaining power, I looked in vain to the Romish religion for a staff whereon to find support. It was diametrically opposed to every natural feeling of my heart, and presented to me no relief. Where was my troubled soul to cast anchor? and to what source was I to flee for comfort ? By prayer, I sought the aid of God; and a gleam of sunshine illumined my path. The moment was not far distant which a compassionate God had established as the limit of my suffering; though I had yet a long journey to perform among the thorns and briers set in my path by the opposition of the Monks.” When released from his penancechamber, he applied himself assi duously to the study of philosophy; and being anxious to understand the spirit of the religion in which he had been reared, he read the History of the Popes, Muratori's Annals of Italy, and the Councils. These books, through the blessing of God, shot a second ray of light into his benighted soul. He observed that pride, thirst for dominion, cupidity of riches, and easy and voluptuous living, had in every age been the main-springs of action to the Church of Rome; and disgust was caused in his heart by the discovery. In his third year, Ciocci procured by stealth a Bible, which he carefully concealed, as being ་་ a contraband and dangerous article" in the monastery. From the diligent, secret study of the inspired word, with earnest prayer for divine instruction, he was led to discern, one by one, the false doctrines and heresies of Popery. He says,— "I was now internally a Protestant ; and that hatred against the true Christians with which the Jesuits had inspired me, was suddenly converted into the bond of charity. He who permitted to be opened to me the way of convic tion, had, in the illuminated book of salvation, forbidden me to hate those blinded beings, seated under the shadow of death in the Romish religion. I hated them not; I pitied them; but, as the sequel will show, I had incurred their suspicion, and the consequences to me were bitter. 6 "Towards the middle of this year, I was one evening, after supper, seized with frightful spasms in the stomach. A burning heat in the chest and throat, which kept rapidly increasing, led me to suspect the cause of this sudden illness. In a short time I became of a livid colour, and foamed at the mouth. On seeing around me the Monks, who had hastened to my cries, I turned towards them, exclaiming, 'You have your revenge! Death will soon terminate my miseries; but I esteem you less cruel in treating me thus, than in having sacrificed me by deception!' None of the remedies administered afforded me the slightest relief. All my companions were affected to tears at the sight of my sufferings. My mother, my mother!' I exclaimed: let me, I entreat you, see her once again before I die ;........ and my father, my brothers, my sisters, let me embrace them all!' The most sympathizing of those around me strove, by every means in their power, to calm and console me. Seeing that the paroxysms increased, they became alarmed for my reason; and fearing lest, in an agony of despair, I might attempt my own life, they removed from my room every object which could be made use of for that purpose. But, alas! other torments awaited me. The Master asked if I would confess, and pressed it upon me as a duty. I replied, that my faults were known to God, and before him I confessed my nothingness, my sinfulness; but not to man. Instantly I heard a murmur of horror. Some exclaimed, VOL. XXIII. Third Series. Blasphemy!' others, 'Heresy, heresy !' and many, Poor fellow! his sufferings have deprived him of his senses.' The Superior thought it expedient to represent that I was possessed by a legion of demons. No sooner was this opinion expressed, than the most superstitious ran in haste to the church, and returned loaded with Romish merchandise,-the vase of holy water, Agnus Dei, blessed chaplet in articulo mortis, images, relics. One sprinkled me on one side, another on the other. Some presented me with images, others placed relics on my forehead, and by the Superior I was exorcised. grapple with the evil one, the stronger The greater their exertions to were the evidences of possession. "Of all the relics presented to me, the one they looked upon with most faith was that of St. Peter the Martyr. Although I had not entirely rejected the adoration of saints, St. Peter of Verona, called the Martyr, I especially abhorred. This saint, the finest fruit of the Domihaving subjected a province to fire and nican tree, was an Inquisitor; who, for sword,-pretending to teach the way to heaven by the light of funereal piles,fell a victim to the just vengeance of a persecuted people. I never had entertained the slightest sympathy for him; and now, after having studied the Gospel, how could I believe that it was in the power of a Pope to make a homicide enter heaven; when St. Paul, in the name of God, tells us, that 'murderers shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven?' The Pope pretends that this power is included in the sana totum quodcunque ligaveris. Imagine, benevolent readers, with what feelings I must have beheld the bones of this bloodthirsty bigot offered to me as something celestial! With all my force I thrust aside the hand of the Superior, who presented the relic. He insisted upon my kissing it, esteeming it the most efficacious means whereby to chase the demon of blasphemy, which he said he perceived on my lips, the saint having been so zealous an exterminator of heresy." Upon this occasion the Monks brought a Physician, whom he did not know, to visit him; and he fully believes that there was a conspiracy to poison him. We cannot but attribute this surmise to some illusion; and his statements, on this and some other points, lead us to peruse the narrative with caution. He, however, proceeds to mention a DECEMBER, 1844. 4 A circumstance which, as it admits of easy proof or disproof, furnishes a test of the general accuracy of his statements. "From this time the Monks, as if to do away with any impression that they hated me, and to cancel, as it were, the recollection of their vain attempt upon my life, exhibited towards me more humane and friendly feelings. They granted me the indulgence of taking occasional rides in the company of a Spanish Master, an exiled Monk. Passing one day by the Via Gregoriana, the sight of a coat-of-arms, over the door of a house, which I knew to be those of the Hanoverian Ambassador, roused in me a strong desire, which I had often before experienced, of conversing with some one who, nourishing wholesome Christian principles, could enter into my feelings, and speak comfort to my soul. I at once signified to my companion my intention of seeking an interview with the Ambassador. He had been strictly charged not to allow me to speak with any one; but so earnest were my solicitations, that he at length yielded. "I presented myself to the Ambassador, leaving the Spaniard in the antechamber. Finding myself alone with him, I hastily proceeded to explain the cause of my visit, and fully disclosed the change which had taken place in my religious sentiments. He manifested great surprise at my communication; and, embracing me with Christian fervour, spoke to me in the true spirit of religion. My object in this interview was not to seek aid to escape from the fangs of the religious and political tyranny under which Italy groans: I well knew that the charge with which the Ambassador was invested, precluded all possibility of assistance from him. I was actuated solely by a desire to confide my secret to a sympathizing soul; and I merely narrate this occurrence, in order that the Hanoverian Ambassador may be appealed to as an irrefragable witness to my having declared myself a Protestant in faith four years before my arrival in England. I earnestly beg of him to bear witness to this solemn truth, in praise of that God who alone was the author of my conversion." He had now completed three years of his incarceration in the College of the Benedictine and Cistercian Monks at Rome, in the monastery of San Bernardo. His mother had powerfully advocated his cause; and his father was disposed to accede to her desire of having recourse to the Holy Convocation of Bishops and Regulars, for a dispensation from the vow into which he had been entrapped; but his brother, a Priest, opposed the wishes of the family. He often came to the College, to taunt Raffaele with the honour of the family, and the decorum of the Order; in reply to which, Raffaele appealed to conscience, to justice, and to God. But his vigorous resistance was of little effect; for his family durst not move a step contrary to the will of the Monks. At length his mother, urged by his importunate letters, wrote to him privately, to address a memorial to the Pope, unfolding to him the whole affair. Being uninitiated in the intricacies of Roman theology, he strung together, as well as he was able, such reasons suggested themselves to him; as, that the vow ought to be spontaneous; that clear and reasonable instruction should be given to the candidate, that the nature of the vow might not be misconceived; that the rule of St. Benedict required that the constitutions should be explained to a candidate three times in the course of a year, and that he should have a copy of them in his room, in order to meditate upon the choice which he was about to make; whereas, contrary to these wholesome regulations, the rules had been concealed from him; his consent to the vow been under coercion; and he had been made to believe that each step which he was urged to take was a mere form, and bound him to nothing. This memorial his mother forwarded to the Holy Convocation. The Cardinals professed astonishment at the atrocious facts it dis as closed, and immediately summoned the Procurator-General, D. Girolomo Bottini, and commanded him to give Ciocci liberty to support before them his protestations against the community of the Cistercians. "These proceedings soon became known, and were the general topic of conversation in Rome. The Masters were loud in their invectives; but they assumed towards me the manner of lainbs, and greater liberty was awarded me; for, after this public appeal, vigilance over my steps would have been impolitic; as all would have thought, that, in keeping me strictly guarded, they were actuated by fear lest I should further expose their enormities." He had now been struggling for six months, and earnestly hoped that the tribunal would pronounce judgment; but, contrary to his expectation, silence was imposed on him, and the case was adjourned for four months. During this interval he was strenuously solicited to withdraw his complaints; and in order that their entreaties might be more effectual, the Monks, Masters, and General, he says, exhibited towards him a degree of affection perfectly fraternal. But well I knew," he adds, "what snakes lay concealed beneath the flowers." At this period he became acquainted with the widowed Queen of Sardinia, Maria Theresa, who twice visited the monastery, and was informed of his mournful history. She professed compassion for his situation; "but educated," says he, "in a royal palace in Italy, her heart was callous to the groans of the unfortunate. Had she truly pitied me, she would not have wanted means to protect me." At Easter he was commanded to confess; but not to the usual Confessor, D. Candido Lorenzi, the only person who had ever shown the slightest sympathy in his griefs; but to a Carmelite of the convent Della Vittoria. With regard to the confession, which he now looked upon merely as an act of Christian humility, he was inclined to submit, though he felt a repugnance to obeying a single precept of the Romish religion; but when one man was chosen by the Superiors to hear his confession, in preference to another, while the rules forbad the imposition of such a yoke, he determined to contest the point with vigour. He persisted in his refusal till Holy Wednesday: the following day was appointed for the communion; and he was menaced with imprisonment if he continued obstinate. "Well, then, I will go," said he; "but, remember, I am at liberty to restrain my tongue." The Confessor was not content with his new penitent. "But I humbly hope," says the narrator, "that my prayers and faith on that occasion were not unaccepted by God." 46 The four months having passed, he was cited to appear before the Convocation, to hear his condemnation." With astonishment he read the words, "to hear his condemnation." The decision was,that his monastic profession was null; that he was at liberty to lay aside the Cistercian habit, and to return to live freely in the bosom of his family; but that he was prohibited from marrying. He says, "I started on hearing this unjust sentence, signed by him who dares to call himself the Vicar of Christ; and, summoning all my energy, in a firm voice I exclaimed, I protest against any exception whatsoever!' I was told that I could make my protest by writing to the Cardinal Patrizi, Prefect of the Tribunal. Thus were my hopes suddenly swept away. If I would return home, I must accept the iniquitous sentence, and continue a Monk without the monastic walls; refusing to do this, the sentence remained suspended, and I had no right to quit the College. 66 By the line of conduct I pursued," I closed against myself an easy way of escape from all my embarrassments. Once more with my family, I might have abandoned Italy, and have set the iniquitous Papal laws at defiance; but, in the flattering persuasion that I should be able to reconcile my liberty with the endearing ties of country and friends, I never thought of bursting those strongest of all bonds, drawn by nature between man and the beings who have watched his birth. "The course of philosophy was at length completed, and my parents came to the College for the purpose of obtaining the consent of the Superiors to my return home; but their good intentions were overcome by the representations of the Masters. The nature of their long conversation with the Superiors, ere I was summoned, was fully revealed by the manner in which I was received by them. Having flown to embrace my mother, she avoided my approach, re |