LETTER XLVIII. Rome. IUS the Sixth performs all the religious functions of his office in the moft folemn manner; not only on public and extraordinary occafions, but also in the most common acts of devotion. I happened lately to be at St. Peter's church, when there was fcarcely any other body there; while I lounged from chapel to chapel, looking at the sculpture and paintings, the Pope entered with a very few attendants; when he came to the statue of St. Peter, he was not fatisfied with bowing, which is the ufual mark of respect fhewn to that image; or with kneeling, which is performed by more zealous perfons; or with kiffing the foot, which I formerly imagined concluded the climax of de votion; votion; he bowed, he knelt, he kiffed the foot, and then he rubbed his brow and his whole head with every mark of humility, fervour, and adoration, upon the facred ftump. It is no more, one half of the foot having been long fince worn away by the lips of the pious; and if the example of his Holiness is univerfally imitated, nothing but a miracle can prevent the leg, thigh, and other parts from meeting with the fame fate. This uncommon appearance of zeal in the Pope, is not imputed to hypocrify or to policy, but is fuppofed to proceed entirely from a conviction of the efficacy of those holy frictions; an opinion which has given people a much higher idea of the ftrength of his faith, than of his understanding. This being jubilee year, he may poffibly think a greater appearance of devotion necessary now, than at any other time. The first jubilee was inftituted by Boniface the Eighth, in the year 1300. Many ceremonies D 2 monies and inftitutions of the Roman Catholic church are founded on those of the old Heathens. This is evidently an imitation of the Roman fecular games, which were exhibited every hundredth year in honour of the gods*; they lafted three days and three nights; they were attended with great pomp, and drew vaft numbers of people to Rome, from all parts. of Italy, and the moft diftant provinces. Boniface, recollecting this, determined to inftitute fomething analagous, which would immortalize his own name, and promote the intereft of the Roman Catholic religion in general, and that of the city of Rome in particular. He embraced the favourable opportunity which the beginning of a century prefented; he invented a few extraordinary ceremonies, and declared the year 1300 the firft jubilee The Carmen Seculare of Horace was compofed on occafion of thofe celebrated by Auguftus in the year of Rome 736. year, year, during which he affured mankind, that heaven would be in a particular manner propitious, in granting indulgences, and remiffion of fins, to all who fhould come to Rome, and attend the functions there to be performed, at this fortunate period, which was not to occur again for a hundred years. This drew a great concourse of wealthy finners to Rome; and the extraordinary circulation of money it occafioned, was ftrongly felt all over the Pope's dominions. Clement the Sixth, regretting that these advantages fhould occur fo feldom, abridged the period, and declared there would be a jubilee every fifty years; the fecond was accordingly celebrated in the year 1350. Sixtus the Fifth, imagining that the interval was ftill too long, once more retrenched the half; and ever fince there has been a jubilee every twentyfifth year*. It is not likely that any fu To this last abridgement I am indebted for having feen the ceremonies and proceffions on the termination of this facred year. D 3 ture ture Pope will think of fhortening this period; if any alteration were again to take place, it most probably would be, to reftore the ancient period of fifty or a hundred years; for, inftead of the wealthy pilgrims who flocked to Rome from every quarter of Chriftendom, ninety-nine in a hundred of those who come now, are fupported by alms during their journey, or are barely able to defray their own expences by the ftricteft economy; and his Holiness is fuppofed at present to derive no other advantage from the uncommon fatigue he is obliged to go through on the jubilee year, except the fatisfaction he feels, in reflecting on the benefit his labours confer on the fouls of the beggars, and other travellers, who refort from all corners of Italy to Rome, on this bleffed occafion. The States which border on the Pope's dominions, fuffer many temporal inconveniencies from the zeal of the peasants |