No ceremony can be better calculated for ftriking the fenfes, and impofing on the understanding, than this of the Supreme Pontiff giving the bleffing from the balcony of St. Peter's. For my own part, if I had not, in my early youth, received impreffions highly unfavourable to the chief actor in this magnificent interlude, I should have been in danger of paying him a degree of respect, very inconsistent with the religion in which I was educated.

LETTER XLIX.

IN my laft, I informed

Rome.

you of my having been feduced almost into idolatry, by the influence of example, and the pomp which furrounded the idol. I muft now confess that I have actually bowed the knee to Baal, from mere wantonnefs. We are told that, to draw near to that Being, who ought to be the only object of worship, with our lips, while our hearts are far from him, is a mockery. Such daring and abfurd hypocrify I fhall always avoid: but to have drawn near to him, who ought not to be an object of worship, with the lips only, while the heart continued at a distance, I hope will be confidered as no more than a venial tranfgreffion. In short, I trust,

I truft, that it will not be looked on as a. mortal fin in Proteftants to have kiffed the

Pope's toe. If it should, fome of your friends are in a deplorable way, as you fhall hear. It is ufual for ftrangers to be prefented to his Holinefs, before they leave Rome. The Duke of Hamilton, Mr. Kennedy, and myself, have all been at the Vatican together, upon that important business. Your young acquaintance Jack, who, having now got a commiffion in the army, confiders himself no longer as a boy, desired to accompany us. We went under the aufpices of a certain ecclefiaftic, who usually attends the English on fuch occafions.

He very naturally concluded, that it would be most agreeable to us to have the circumstance of kiffing the flipper difpenfed with. Having had fome converfation, therefore, with his Holinefs, in his own apartment, while we remained in another room, previous to our introduction; he afterwards

VOL. II.

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afterwards returned, and informed us, that the Pontiff, indulgent to the prejudices of the British nation, did not insist on that part of the ceremonial; and therefore a very low bow, on our being presented, was all that would be required of us.

A bow! cried the Duke of Hamilton ; I fhould not have given myself any trouble about the matter, had I suspected that all was to end in a bow. I looked on kiffing the toe as the only amufing circumstance of the whole; if that is to be omitted, I will not be introduced at all. For if the most who would wait

ludicrous part is left out, for the reft of a farce?

This was a thunderftroke to our negociator, who expected thanks, at least, for the honourable terms he had obtained; but who, on the contrary, found himself in the fame difagreeable predicament with other negociators, who have met with abuse and

reproach

reproach from their countrymen, on account of treaties for which they expected universal applause.

The Duke of Hamilton knew nothing of the treaty which our introducer had just concluded; otherwife he would certainly have prevented the negociation. As I perceived, however, that our ambaffador was mortified with the thoughts that all his labour fhould prove abortive, I faid, that although he had prevailed with his Holiness to wave that part of the ceremonial, which his Grace thought fo entertaining, yet it would unquestionably be still more agreeable to him that the whole fhould be performed to its utmost extent : this new arrangement, therefore, needed not be an obftruction to our being prefented.

The countenance of our Conductor brightened up at this propofal. He immediately

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