the Propaganda, who told me, that there were good Christians amongst the Quakers, and the Methodists, and other denominations in England. One of them observed, as we walked together, that all our works are nothing, and all our knowledge is nothing, but the merits of Christ alone have any real value; and the other remarked, that the philosophy of Aristotle had introduced a bad spirit into the doctrine of the Catholic Church. I found amongst them also, a black Mahomedan, twenty years of age, who was baptized by Cardinal Litta. He seemed to lose himself in meditation and in prayer. But my joy and pleasure did not last long; for all the pupils were introduced to the Pope in the month of January, and we went the same day into the building of the Propaganda, in the street called Piazza di Spagna. The Pope received us with fatherly kindness, and gave us his benediction; and when we left his room, one of his clergy said to us, "You are the true soldiers of the Pope :" to which another Prelate replied, "Not soldiers of the Pope, but soldiers of the Church of Christ." I was much delighted with the answer of that Prelate; and we entered the Propaganda.

A priest who was once a pupil of the Seminary of the Pope, where I was at first, became our master at the Propaganda; he was distinguished by his great knowledge of the scholastic divinity. He spoke on the first day of our entering, against St. Cyprian, because he resisted the power of the Pope. He said to us, "I will now introduce the customs of the Pope's seminary amongst you.

You must learn to argue against heretics in syllogistical form; and learn to distinguish well, what is a fide, and what is proximum ad fidem." This is a technical term in scholastic divinity. A fide, is every doctrine, the disbelief of which would make a man a heretic; and which is already distinctly so decided upon by Popes and Councils;-and proximum ad fidem, is every doctrine not yet distinctly decided on by Popes, and Councils, but remaining as an opinion of the theologians, the disbelief of which would make a man a temerarius, though not a heretic. Amongst the first is the Infallibility of the General Councils, and Transubstantiation; amongst the second, the Infallibility of the Pope, and the immaculata conceptio beatæ Virginis Mariæ, and whether Christ died for all, and whether the Pope is supra conciliis, or concilia supra Papam. I said to him that I did not like the scholastic divinity, because I considered it as the disputations of men, and of no great value. He replied, "You mistake! I will prove to you, by an example, that scholastic divinity is necessary, by asking you a question. "Is it a fide, that Christ died for all men?" I answered, Yes, because I must believe the Scriptures!" He rejoined, "The Scriptures without the decision of the Church, have not any authority, because the Church and the Popes are the judges of the Holy Scriptures." I said to him, "I want not an interpretation of a Council upon passages which are clearly and distinctly explained." He answered, "We find the doctrine of the infallibility of the

Pope, and the immaculata conceptio beatæ Virginis Mariæ, clearly and distinctly mentioned in the holy Scriptures but it is not yet a dogma, because the Popes have not yet confirmed it.”

On another occasion he remarked, that Jansenius merited burning, because his doctrines were heretical altogether-he said this to all the pupils. I replied, "The Church has no power to burn a man!" He asked me, "How can you prove this?" I said, "Thou shalt not kill, says the Scripture!" He rejoined," But the shepherd has a right to kill a wolf, who enters the sheep-fold." I observed to him, "A man is not a wolf!" "Seventeen Popes, however, have done it!" he answered. I thereupon rejoined, "Seventeen Popes have committed a sin!"

In consequence of this conversation, I wrote to Cardinal Litta, telling him, that I was at length persuaded, from the principles which I heard defended in the Propaganda, that the Protestants of Germany had not told me falsehoods of the Church of Rome. The Cardinal came to me the following day, and conversed with me for nearly three hours. He said, "I have read your letter, and I cannot deny, that the Rector spoke nonsense and absurdities; but so do you also in the letter you have written to me! You do not admit the doctrine, "Extra Ecclesiam nulla est salus!" and this doctrine is a fide! A man who does not hear the truth is condemned!" "This I believe," replied I, "but I know many good Christians amongst the Protestants." "For this reason," added the Cardinal, "the elder theologians, make a distinction

between heretici formales and materiales, but we cannot. It is not permitted us to ask God, why he does save the one, and not the other man; neither can we understand, why Christ wrought many miracles in one city and none in another; we know not why God commanded St. Paul to preach the Gospel to one particular country, and not to another! All this is a mystery for us! The Rector told you the truth, also, when he said, it is only proximum ad fidem, and not a fide, that Christ died for all men, for the Church has not yet decided it." I remarked, "But the Holy Scriptures tells me this." He said, "You are no judge of the Holy Scriptures, this is the great error of the Protestants: they believe that every one may understand the Scriptures! But we must hear the Popes! It is true, that the moral conduct of Alexander the Sixth was very objectionable, and we do not deny the facts; but his bulls are very fine, and they are according to the truth! You must consider, that as yet you are not a doctor, but merely a disciple. You must therefore hear what they teach you, and not take the place of a master and dispute.-I wish you well.' I wept when he thus addressed me, and kissed his hand.

At this time it was that I formed my acquaintance with Mr. Drummond, General Macauley, Mr. Hallyburton, Lord Calthorpe, and another English gentleman, who was at Rome, and came into the Propaganda to see me.

An unfortunate from Chaldea, was in the

Propaganda, a man sixty-five years of age, he was melancholy and dejected, and the reason of it was this. The Pope heard that he had been ordained by another Chaldean Bishop, who dissented from the Romish Church; and the Pope therefore commanded him to come to Rome to justify himself, at the throne of the Holy See! The poor Bishop of Chaldea obeyed; and sixteen years ago he came to Rome, ever since which he has remained in the Propaganda as a poor man, and quite disregarded; without having ever obtained permission to go before the Pope, or to be examined with respect to the manner of his ordination! This poor Bishop frequently presented the testimonials of physicians to the Cardinals, declaring that he was unable to bear the climate of Rome, and that therefore it was necessary for him to return soon to his own country. But the Cardinals would not grant him permission, because in his oriental simplicity, he once said to them, that he had much confidence in the Patriarch of the Nestorians, in Chaldea. The Cardinals, therefore, were afraid that he would unite himself with that Nestorian Patriarch, and endeavoured, therefore, to retain him at Rome, where he suffers much, and languishes. I was one day in good spirits, and laughed very loud about a certain occurrence, when the poor Chaldean Bishop began to weep, and said the following words to me: "You laugh now, but it will come to pass, that you will fall into the clutches of the Cardinals, and then you will weep blood."

In a letter which I wrote to Mr. Bunsen, I ac