tivity, and heard him mentioned as the writer of many books; but never took it into her head that he was a great man, and rather beheld him with a kind of compassion. "You will never," said she to him one day, "be any thing but a philosopher and what is a philosopher?—a fool, who toils and plagues himself during his life, that people may talk of him when he is no more."

POPISH MIRACLES, MYSTERIES, RELICS, CEREMONIES, &c.

THE following will give us some idea of the fallacy of miracles in the Romish church.

"St. Anthony is thought to have had a great command over fire, and a power of destroying, by flashes of that element, those who incurred his displeasure. A certain monk of St. Anthony one day assembled his congregation under a tree where a magpie had built her nest, into which he had found means to convey a small box filled with gunpowder, and out of the box hung a long thin match that was to burn slowly, and was hidden among the leaves of the trees. As soon as the monk or his assistant had touched the match with a lighted coal, he began his sermon. In the mean while the magpie returned to her nest, and, finding in it a strange body which she could not remove, she fell into a passion, and began to scratch with her feet, and chatter most unmercifully. The friar affected to hear her without emotion, and continued his sermon with great composure; only he would now and then lift up

yes towards the top of the tree, as if he wantsee what was the matter. At last, when he red that the match was near reaching the gunder, he pretended to be quite out of patience: ursed the magpie, wished St. Anthony's fire ht consume her, and went on again with his non. But he had scarely pronounced two or e periods, when the match, on a sudden, pro ed its effect, and blew up the magpie with nest; which miracle wonderfully raised the racter of the friar, and proved afterwards very eficial to him and to his convent."

Galbert, monk of Marchiennes, informs us of range act of devotion in his time, and which, eed, is attested by several contemporary wri. When the saints did not readily comply h the prayers of their votarists, they flogged ir relics with rods, in a spirit of impatience, ich they conceived was proper to make them d into compliance.

When the reformation was spread in LithuaPrince Radzivil was so affected, that he went >erson to visit the pope, and pay 'him all possihonours. His holiness, on this occasion, preted him with a box of precious relics. Having urned home, the report of this invaluable possion was spread; and, at length, some monks reated permission to try the effects of these res on a demoniac who had hitherto resisted evekind of exorcism. They were brought into the irch with solemn pomp, deposited on the altar, 1 an innumerable crowd attended. After the al conjurations, which were unsuccessful,

became well. The people called out, A miracle! and the prince, lifting his hands and eyes to heaven, felt his faith confirmed. In this transport of pious joy, he observed that a young gentleman, who was keeper of this rich treasure of relics, smiled, and appeared, by his motions, to ridicule the miracle. The prince, with violent indignation, took our young keeper of the relics to task; who, on promise of pardon, gave the following secret intelligence concerning them :-He assured him, that, in travelling from Rome, he had lost the box of relics; and that, not daring to mention it, he had procured a similar one, which he had filled with the small bones of dogs and cats, and other trifles similar to what was lost. He hoped he might be forgiven for smiling, when he found that such a collection of rubbish was idolized with such pomp, and had even the virtue of expelling demons. It was by the assistance of this box that the prince discovered the gross impositions of the monks and the demoniacs, and who afterwards became a zealous Lutheran.

The following account of the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius is related by a respectable eye witness." The grand procession on this occasion was composed of a numerous body of clergy, and an immense number of people of all ranks, headed by the Arch-bishop of Naples himself, who carried the phial containing the blood of the saint. A magnificent robe of velvet richly embroidered was thrown over the shoulders of the bust a mitre, refulgent with jewels, was placed on its head. The archbishop, with a solemn pace, and a

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all of awe and veneration, approached, holdrth the sacred phial which contained the us lump of blood: he addressed the saint in mblest manner, fervently praying that he graciously condescend to manifest his reO his faithful votaries, the people of Naples, e usual token of ordering that lump of his 1 blood to assume its natural and original in these prayers he was joined by the mularound, particularly by the women. My sity prompted me to mingle with the multiI got, by degrees, very near the bust. Twennutes had already elapsed since the archbihad been praying with all possible earnestand turning the phial around and around, out any effect. An old monk stood near the bishop, and was at the utmost pains to int him how to handle, chafe, and rub the :he frequently took it into his own hand, his manœuvres were as ineffectual as those of rchbishop. By this time the people had bee noisy; the women were quite hoarse with ing; the monk continued his operations with eased zeal, and the archbishop was all over in ofuse sweat with vexation.-An acquaintwhispered, it might be prudent to retire. I ctly took his hint, and joined the company I left. An universal gloom overspread all their ntenances. One very beautiful young lady d and sobbed as if her heart had been ready reak. The passions of some of the rabble hout doors took a different turn: instead of row, they were filled with rage and indigna

and some want

far as to call him an old, ungrateful, yellow-face rascal. It was now almost dark, and, whe least expected, the signal was given that the mi racle was performed. The populace filled the ai with repeated shouts of joy; a band of music be gan to play. Te Deum was sung; couriers wer dispatched to the royal family (then at Portici) with the glad tidings; the young lady dried up her tears; the countenances of our company brightened in an instant; and they sat down to cards, without farther dread of eruptions, earthquakes, or pestilence."

The mysteries, as they were called, or representations of the Divine Being, the crucifixion, &c. were formerly very common in the church of Rome. They served as the amusement and instruction of the people; and so attractive were these gross exhibitions in the dark ages, that they formed one of the principal ornaments of the reception which was given to princes when they entered towns.

In the year 1437, when Conrad Bayer, Bishop of Metz, caused the mystery of the passion to ⚫ be represented on the plain of Veximiel, near that city, God was an old gentleman named Mr. Nicholas Neufchatel, of Touraine, Curate of Saint Victory of Metz, and who was very near expiring on the cross, had he not been timely assisted. He was so enfeebled, that it was agreed another priest should be placed on the cross the next day, to finish the representation of the person crucified, and which was done at the same time, the said Mr. Nicholas undertook to perform the resurrection, which being a less difficult task, he