YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

EXAMINTATION EVENTS,
TERMED., miraculous;
AS REPORTED' IN
Letters from italy.

BY THE REV. JOSEPH BERINGTQN,
H I

OXFORD I '
SRINTED ?Y W. DAWSON AND CO^
SOLD BY J. coo^cE, oxford;
aSD E. BOOKER, NEW BOND STREET,
LONDON.

M DCC XCVI.

^ ( i )
AN EXAMINATION, &c.

Sir, XrOU will not have forgotten a con-
, verfatiojn, which pafled between us^
at. the clofe of the.SOmmer, onthe fubjed: of fome
extraordinary Events, ftated by the publite papers
and fome private letters, to have happened in Italy;
Your obfervations, ¦which vyere rather ^ fevere, I
recolledt well. Italy, you faid, and of Italy the
papal ftates, were as yet the foil iri which fuch.
phaenomena were permitted to vegetate. Where
the prefervation of power, you added,' fefts fd
much on opinion, that opinion, when a concur
rence of caufes feems to threaten its overthrow^,
muft be ftrengthened, or its decline will be rapid,
and the power it fupported. will be involved in the
fall : — That, in all countries, a change ih the
minds of men was vifible, to obftrudt the effedls
of which, various, rneans either had been or would
be devifed, as their rulers were adtuated by wifdom,
intimidated by alarms, or emboldened by a pre
fuming confiden^ce : — -That the priefthood, in thefe
circumftances, would naturally have recourfe tov
the means, moft congenial with their general
habits ; and that, as in the hiftory of the progr-efs
of their miniftry through raany ages> it was plain,
\ A 2

( 4 )
they had encouraged a belief in prodigies, whereby
Heaven Was underftood td announce its afcceptarice
of their ofEces, was it too fevere, you aiked, tb'
fuppdfe that they wduld again recur td the fame
means, Ihould occafions prove favourable, that is,
fliould the minds of the_ multitude become fufcep-
tible of the ftrong impreffions of emhwfiafm } On
this you conclu<ied,- that the prodigies, reported to
have happetred in fome cities of Italy, had ei'thef
originated with the priefts, who were directed by
the rulipg magiftrates, to miflcad the people, ot
that availing themfelves of ¦ the credulity of fome
weak minds,, the priefts had favoured the firft:
impreffions of enthufiafm, and fet fire to s train of
which the explofion, in tbe contagious fufceptibility
of the human mind, could not be calculated.'
The progrefs' of the French arms, you faid, and
the difraay that accompanied that progrefs, heigh
tened by a thoufand tales of devaftation, blood-
flied, and horror, would fupply all the materials^
that could be previoufly deemed neceflary for the
working of the fcene.
My reply to your obfervations 1 fliall not repeat,
which chiefly confifted in the remark, that though
th^y might contain fome general truths, they were
not warranted by the imperfedt documents as yet
received from Italy ; that it might be, the wholte
was a groundlefs rumour ; at all events, that We
muft wait, till further accounts fliould enable a
prudent man to judge.

X 5 )
Thefe accounts are now before the public, in a
pamphlet entitled. Miraculous Events, efiabltjhd by
aaihentic Letters from Italy, moft of which are given
as a tranflation* from a Firench copy, publiflied
by the fame bookfeller. But fo extraordinary are the
contents of rhefe letters, at leaft muft appear fo
extraordinary to the inhabitants df this country, '
where the energy of miraculous powers has long
ceafed to be a fubjedt of -popular belief, that,
whilft I pity the fuperftltidn and bfind credulity
in which the defcencjants ofthe once mafters ofthe
world are held enthralled, I am amazed tha:t men
can here be found, wiio will give theit belief to
fuch unworthy tales, or, what is more, will abet
their circtilation. To check the current, of this
ftream, which, I flatter myfelf, is but ftiallow,
the remarks I intended fbr your private e.onfide-
ration I will lay before the public,
What were the moti'ves of the Editors of tliefg impfudence
letters, (for I underftand they are more than dne) ^^^^ ^f th*
even on the fuppofition thattheir contents were true, l^ettcs,
will not eafily be conje(9:ured. ]For fp ludicrous are
the fadts therein related, fp unworthy of the great
Author of Nature, by whofe immediate interference
miraciilous events are condudted, fp eafily tx-
. plained on the comnipn principles pf hutpan ope-^
* This tranflation is fo miferably defeftive, as grofsly to err '
in the firft fentence ; and fuch paffages does it omit as to give
rportj for the fufpicion, that fomething worfe than i^npran<;e
of the French language may be imputed to its authors.
> ' ^ A .5

( 6 )
ydtidns, and fo tending, as believed to be fuper-
tiatural, to ftrengthen fuperftition and to alienate
the mind from jufl notions of religion and of its
duties, that it ftiould feeiji, he who knew how to
value the beft ititerefts of his Church, would not
liave ex:.pofed it to ridicule, by a narration, which
cannot be read without a fmile. At a time, befides,
when incredulity is, every where, gaining grdund,
and when the champions of Chriftian Faith are
fufficiently occupied in defending the citadel it
felf, and in vindicating from attacks the miracles
whereby that citadel was eredted, how imprudent
is It to accumulate prodigies, and give them as
the work of Heaven, unlefs an occafion, worthy
of the divine interference, had prefented itfelf,
and it had been evident, above the power of con
tradidtion, that the Deity had fpoken, It belongs
not to man, I know, to meafure the times or the
occafions when it fliall be proper for the Divine
, Agency to adt ; but by referring to the miracles of
the gofpel and of the apoflolic ages, he has a clue
given to him whereby to form fome judgment, an4
by that clue, and by the notions which, from the
beft fources, he has been inftrudted to entertain of
the povvef and goodnefs of the Ruler of the Unir
yerfe, he may, with confidence, pronounce, that
nothing obvioufly mean, undefined in ks objedt,
and tending to deteriorate, not to improve, the
moral charadter of the human fpecies, could^ have
introduced a\ fufpenfion in the eftabliflied laws of

cona.

(¦ 7 )
flature,. I will fl:ate the events, to which I allude,
as they are given in the letters from Italy.
At Ancona, a fea-pdrt town in the papal terri- ^^J*'"*^^^
¦ tories, on Saturday between the 25th and 26th of from Aiv
June laft, certain women, alarmed by the report
of a cdnfpiracy fdr the plunder df the tdwn and
mafliacre df its inhabitants, ran in crouds to the
cathedral, where was a pifture df the Virgin.Mary,
reported to work miracles, and' to which thefe. wor
men, it is faid, were particularly devout. While
they were here fervently praying before the pidture,
a little child, whofe unufual compqfure had been
remarked, cried out to its mdther, " That the
Hdly Virgin moved her eyes," dr, as a.ndther acr
Cdunt ftates, *' That the Holy Virgin had heard her
mother's prayers." Thus was the firft impreffion
made. The mother looked, and beheld the pro^
digy. Others beheld the fame; a general cry
among the fpedtators enfued ; foon the whole town
was in motion ; all flocked to the cathedral ; and
the moft incredulous, even the ringleaders of the
confpiracy, returned, convinced, from infpedtion,
pf the reality of the prodigy. Thirteen days the
pidlure continued to move its eyes, and it was only
on the Sth pf July, that the door of the church
was cloied. During that period, the French gen
tleman who writes the letter, an Emigrant, and
formerly a Canon of Lyons, on the 28th, at n^d-
night, was admitted to a near fight ofthe pidture, the
motions of the eyes of vvhich he defcribes minutel3^
¦ A 4' '' '

( 8 )
They nioved firft horizdntally ; then opened jyidef
than was their drdinary pofition ; and finally cldfe^,
Thefe changes happened twice, during the quarter
of an hour he remained before the pifture. Oi>
the following day, at noon, he returned to the
fame fpot, and beheld the fame motion bf the eyes,
which he is ready to atteft on oath. — On the 6th
of July, three painters, men of probity, were in
troduced by authority, 'vyhen the Vicar General,
attended by his officers, diredted them to take down
the pidture, and examine it. This they did ; and
as their hands paffed over the face, they obferved
the eyes to open ; and one of them afterwards af-
' lured the writer, that what ftruck him moft was,
to feel the eyes, as if they, had been animated,
moveunder his fingers.
Such is the relation from .Apcona ; and oii the
I Gth, other accounts, which confirm the above,
ftate, that the prodigies had not then, or only
then, ceafed, and that a ftatue of St. Ann, the
mother of our lady, had joined the daughter, and
alfo moved its eyes. This ftatue, to remove all
fufpicions of fraud, was examined by the fame
' t painters.
And from We comc to Romc. About the time that the
Rome and ^^jj.g ^^ Ancona ccafed, a feries of the fame
Its neigh- f o .
bourhood. commenced in the capital. On the 9th of July,
as fome pious perfons were praying before a pidture
of' our lady, called of Archetto, it was obferved to
open and ftiut its eyes. The report fopn fpread

( 9 )
through the city, while other perfons, equally imr
preffed with devotion, in the fame ftreet, before
another pidture, were heard to exclaim, " Moft
, Holy Virgin, favour us with a miracle." Scarcely
were the words uttered, when the eyes moved ; and
prefently, all the pidlyres, which are numerPus in
the ftreets, exhibited the fame phfenomenon, moving
their eyes in various diredtions, and almoft without
interruption. The contagion, within a few days*,
reached to the churches, where the fame prodigies
took place. The ftreets, meanwhile, inceffantly
refounded with the cry oi Viva Maria ! and canticles
and hymns were fung. — Some fimilar motions were
likewife obferved in pi<9tures of our Saviour, and
in crucifixes; and the wdnders did not confine
themfelves within the walls of Rome, but extended
to Civita Vecchia, and to other towns in die neigh
bourhood. Many miraculous cure?,' it is added,
on the blind, the dumb, and the lame, particu
larly at Perugia, were operated.
A new prodigy now prefents itfelf. Three lilies,
by way of decoration, had been placed near to a
pidture of the Virgin, where they had remained fo
long,, as to be completely withered and dry. But,
on the 9th of Julf, a bud, perfedtly frefh and'
green, was feen on one, and foon three other buds
on the others, which promifed a fpeedy expanfion,
* The precife time cannot be afcertained, as the iirft letter
(p. 13.) profefTei to ftate the ev,ents from the ifi to the i6thj
whereas, by its own narration, they only began on the 9th of Ju!y.

( IO )
,whlle the ftalks remained in their withered ftate«
Thefe, hdwever, grew green ;• and in this ftate, fdf
nearly fifteen days, the renovated plants continued,
though the heat of the weather was intenfe, and nd
rain or vapour fell to refrelh them. — At Viterbo,
meanwhile, the body of St. Rofe was covered with
an abundant perfplration. — Near Mandola,, an illu
mined crofs, with three lilies, was feen in the air,
which moved and rpfted pver the celebrated chapej
of Lorettp. — At Perugia, three ftars of a refulgent
brightnefs appeared on the cheeks of the Virgin,
and on the forehead of the infant Jefus, whpni flie
holds in her arms. — In other places, fpme ftatue$
of faints altered their pofitions.
I have given, I believe, all the prodigies con
tained in the letters, tbe principal of which, that
is, the opening of the eyes and the budding of
the lilies, are attefted by men who give their
names, and of whofe veracity there is not the
fmalleft reafon to ddubt. Whole cities, they at
the fame tirne declare, were, with themfelves, wit
neffes of the fadts.
Now, Sir, what ftiall we fay .' Shall we infift
' that fo many perfons were deceived, that is, did
not really fee, what their eyes feemed to teftify ;
or that ihey combined together to lie, and to
impofe a falfhood on the world } This Is not pof
fible ; but it is certain they weve deceived.

( ll )
The fenfes, it will be owned, are the inlets toxhsfigU.of
jour knowledge ; and of the fenfes the fight is pe- ^j^J^ii^y,"^
culiarly inftrudlive and comprehenfive, conveying *"= ^'="''"=<''
to the mind the ideas, of light and colours, in all
,thelr varieties, and the far different ideas of fpace,
figure, and motion, But as this fenfe is compre^
henfive, fo is it liable tp err, when its organiza
tion is imperfedt or impaired, when the medium,
through which its objedts adt, is obfcured or
broken, when thofe objedts are remote, and never
:inore,- than when the mind, which ever readts on
its fenfes, has been lb troubled, as to derange the
operations of reafon, and predifpofe it to confound
the reports ofthe external fenfe.. The truth of the
obfervation is experienced under all ftrong Impref
fions, particularly ujjder ^the alarms of fear and
terror, when the common forms bf objedts are
known to change, and the phantoms of the brain
acquire apparent extenlion and folidlty. Even
when this is not the cafe, how often is It neceffary
tp call in the aid of the judgment to corredt the
errors of the eye, or that of fome other fenfe, par-
.ticularly of the touch. But in cafes, where the
multitude Is concerned, and the paffions are ftrongly
¦excited by a contagious impulfe, there' is no im
preffion fo abfurd and abhorrent from common ob
fervation, of which the fenfes (and efpecially the
eye, from its eafy Irritation) are not fufceptible,
and ready, with the greateft confidence, to atteft.
The experience of every reader will call many ex
amples to his mind.

ETatnmation, To the teft df thefe obfervations, which afe
^gy'f^^lyo-undcd on the unerring documents df nature, let
*!'"'»• .115 bring the inhabitants df Ancona and of Rome.
Befides the general confternation. Which, from the
fufpicion of a confpiracy, Is faiid to have feized
the people of Ancona, great apprehenfions were
entertained of the approach of tbe French armies,
(though aia armiftice, it appears, towards the be
ginning' of the month of June, had been concluded
between his Holinefs and the Republic) while, at
the fame time, the mixed fenfations of hope and
fear, which the fumours of the encreafing ftrength
of the Auftrian forces under the new General
Wurmfer, excited, .ferved ftill more to perplex
the public mind. In this Confternation and per
plexity were the women., when they ran to the ca
thedral. It is faid, they were particularly devout
to " a miraculous pidture'' of our lady; and yet^
thefe women were failor's wives, it had been pre-
mlfed, that is, filherwomen, we may conclude, at
no time, a very religious and inftrudted clafs of
females. Their devotion, we may be allowed to
think, was a fuperjiitious veneration, which is con
firmed by what 'is added, that they firft repaired
to the Cardinal Biffiop to demand the opening of
a coffin, which contained the body of a favourite
Saint. This was complied with ; and In this ftate
pf confternation, of hope, of fuperftition, of en
thufiafm, are thefe failors. wives, and thefe wives
Italian women, when we find them on their knees

( *3 >
before the pidture of our lady. When vve are
told, that this pidture was miraculous, it ffiould
have been added, what the miracles were' it had
Wrought, or, in what manner, ori b^y what figns, it
had attefted its power. Perhaps, it had before
been feen tp move its eyesj in which cafe, nothing.
*vas fo natural as the exclamation of the child .^
At all events, the pifture was deemed miraculous
by the women, they were y^-fo/^^ to it, and con
fequently were prepared, more in their prefent
agitation than ever, to expedt fome fingular at^
teftation of its favour. A ehild is heard to cry
out : its accents are indiftln^, for two very dif
ferent phrafes are imputed to it : the womep raife
their heads, and fee the eyes of the pidture move,-
either becaufe the child, in its infantine Imagina
tion, had fo announced, it, or its founds, which
is more probable, had conveyed that idea to their
heated minds, or, from the tales of other pidtures
or of this, they were prepared, to look for the at
teftation of favour by the motion of the eyes.
Where prodigies are fo common, as among the
fuperftitious inhabitants of Italy, thek exhibition
may be attended by a variety of figns. But the
gentle motion of the eyes indicated condefcenfion
and a benign willlngnefs to grant protedtion : it
told the women, that the Vlrgm had taken them
under her powerful guardiahffilp, that flie would
fliield them from harm, and that their enemiea,
who were hers, ffiould not prevail againft, them.

They feized the happy omen, proclaimed it in
fliouts *, and the neighbouring' ftreets took the
contagion. Can it be thought by the mofl: inexperienced in'
the operations of man, that thefe women were in
a fituation or in a temper of mind,'' to calf in the,
aid of reafon, the- cool and critical deliberation of
'judgment, when their fenfes firft reported to them,'
that the eyes of their miraculous pidture moved ?
Rather, as the appearance accorded with their
wiffies, they would encdurage the Illiifion, ahd, by_
the readtlon of their agitated fpirits' on their own
eyes, adding to its vivacity, render the' detedtidn
of error to them impoffible. i Let me add, that
the medium of fight, that Is, the air, was obfcure,'
it being late in the evening ," and that obfcurity
Was troubled by the light of wax tapers ;' and the
pidture itfelf, as its pofition is defcribed, (p. 7.)
was placed at fome diftance behind the altar, and
confequently was remote from the eye. It was,'
befides, glazed, and therefore more daz;zling.
Let me then infer, th'at the failors wives were
deceived. Their deception can be accounted for
By common experience, founded on the received'
laws of vifion ; but on what experience, or on
what laws, can we be authorized to pronounce,
that the Deity, for no moral purpofe that is fug-'
gefted, at leaft commenfurate with the prodigy,
by a miraculous interpofition, commanded the eyes
-* Les hurlemens fe fgrit entendre, p. 4-

( ^5 )
of a pidture to move, when certain women, in a
paroxifm df enthufiafm, fell ddwn before it >
Theologians, verfed in, the rules of crltlclTra, well
know, that no effedt is to be deemed miraculous,
that can be explained by the eftabliffied laws
of nature.
The propagatldn of the optical illufion to the
other inhabitants of Ancona, can create no dif
ficulty. When the firft ffiock had been given, the
continuation of the impreffion followed in a re
gular feries, as the late belief in animal magne-
tifm, and other popular deceptions, could witnefs.
They alfo, from a concurrence of the general cir
cumftances, were in alarms : when the report of
the prodigy in the cathedral was circulated, It was
night, and, in the fame night, they hurried to be
hold the pidture, where an additional glare of light,
an additional confufion, and additional expreffions
of enthufiafm from -every quarter, as they would
impede all cool obfervation, would communicate a
fympathetic feeling to every beholder, and fafci-
nate the fight. A philofopher, fb circumftanced,
vvould feel his fenfes bewildered. But dn the fol
lowing, and the fucceeding days, when proceffions^
with their impofing pageantry, began, and " the
ecclefiaftical chapters, religious communities, cor
porations, confraternities, the nobility, and the
magiftrates," mixing with the croud, gave their
countenance to the popular belief, where can, be
the fyrprize, that the deception continued.^ Num-r

. C 16)
bers, on fuch occafions, Inftead of facilitating'tftd
detedtion of error, cdhtribute td give it ftrength;
Arid who will affure me, that thdfe- magiftratesV
witK the Cardinal Biffidp himfelf, aware df the
tdnfideiice, which a firm belief- iri the miracle,
muft give to the minds of the people, did' not, ori
a principle of policy, by their agents', and by
other means in their power, exert their endeavours
to keep alive the erithufiafnti of the multitude ? If
they diji fo, legiflators, and kings, and minifters^
and priefts, had often done fo before them.
The Canon But will the teafonlng which I have applied to
of Lyonsand t}^g favors wl-ycs and to the multitude,' equally
the painters ^ t. /
*f Ancona. apply to the Canon of Lyons,' who' twice delibe
rately viewed the pidture, and to the painters' whd
critically examined it ? — The Canpn, let me ob
ferve, is a French Emigrant, from the diftreffes of
his fituation very liable (I mean not the moft difr
tant difrefpedt) to feed on fuch gloomy and de
fponding thoughts, as have a neceffary tendency
to generate fuperftition, and incline the mind to
believe in prodigies. So, at leaft, was he difpofed,'
as he defcribes himfelf. For he relates'it as fome-
what marvellous, that the ftfeet, through which
the proceffions had marched,, after fifteen days, con-^
tinued covered wiih wax, as if it had juft fallen,
and that, " on a fine ferene day, no flambeau was
extinguiffied." It is, however, more material to
obferve, that, before he vifited the pidture, he
" firmly believed in the-mlracle^ on' the teftimony

( »7 )
of others*." Thus previoufly difpofed, hardly
dble, from infirmity, " to drag himfelf along,"
and, ijefides, " very ffiort fighted," at tnidnlght,
while a glare of lighted tapers filled the kmo-
fphere, he approached, and witneffed the prodigy.
It is true,' he alfo rhade ufe of his fpedtaeles ; b'ut
what glaffes could redtify a View, which was pre
vioufly diftorted by the convidtion, that he ffiould
affuredly behold a miracle ? Nor does his rctuhi-
ing on the next day, at noon, give any credibility
fo his teftimony, firice he .then took- with him a
convidtion, ftill more heightened, by enthufiafm
and the illufioris 6f the preceding night; As to
the painters, their report, as faf as it can be cre
dited, refts oh fi'mllaf grounds. The}' wefe ad
mitted to a nearer infpedtion ; but it was in the
prefence of the Vicar-General, attended by his
officers, wlien the belief in the miracle had been
widely circulated, when they themfelves, probably,
believed it, and when td have anndunced to the
enthufiaftic multitude that they were deceived, and
that their " liiiraculous pidture" was an impoftor.
Would have excited the moft furious refentment,
^rid,' poffibly, have expofed their lives to danger.
In fimilar circumftances, zs, at Naples, on the
celebrated feaft of St., Januarius j the wild rage of
an Italian rabble haS been pften witnefled. But
the reporf of the painters i^ not confiftent, as
gtveii by the French Canon. -Their amazement^
. * J'ai ete convaincu, mais fur la foi d'autrui, p. 6.
B

( i8 )
he fays, was, when in mdving their hands ovef
the face, to convince themfelves there was no ele*
"vation*; the eyes opened, as the hands had paffed;
whereas one of thefe men, aware, frdm further
refledtion, as it muft feem, that, if he added the
teftimony of the touch, it would mightily en
creafe that of the eyes, afterwards' affured him,
" that what ftruck him mdft, was to feel the eyes
move under his fingers." It will be the opinion,
I apprehend, of many, to whatever fenfe thefe
painters may have recdurfe, that they were paid
for their teftimony. This, in the calculation, of
probabilities, muft, I own, be admitted as more
likely, than that the eyes of a pidture really movfd.
the prodi- -pj^g prodigies of Rome, as far as the motion
gie^ofRome • i .
enamined. of the cycs gocs, coIncide fo minutely with thofe
of Ancona, and the circumftances of terroi-, on
the minds of the people, from an apprehended
confpiracy, from the fuccefs of the French arths,
and from other concomitant caufes, are fo fimilar,
that I ffiall be difpenfed from much difcuffion,
which would be a repetition of the fame, ideas.
How natural was it, when our lady of Ancdna
had mdved her eyes," that fome lady of the Roman
capital ffiould follow the example. But ,ftrange it
Is, though it evinces the blinding power of enthu
fiafm, that neither the circumftance, of imitation be
tween the picture of Ancona and that derArcbetto
* The word elevation, the ingenioui EngUfli Editors tranf-
iate /lollow.

, ( 19 )
which took ,the lead in Rome, nor the cry of
the people before a fegond pidture, " Moft holy
Virgin, favour us with a miracle," nor the imme
diate effedt, nor the feries of fimilar events, which
fo rapidly fucceeded in other pajts of the city,
ffiould, at the fame time, have opened the eyes, even
of fuperficial men, to trace the caufe, and the
obvious progrefs of the illufion. Had I wiffiect
fpr the, moft palpable example, whereby to illuf
trate any problems of fenfitive deceptions, nothing
could have been offered more convincing than thisi
And the teftimonies of the witneffes are of the
, fame complexion ; only, from fome of thern Ic
tranfpires, that the enthufiafm, that is, the belief
in the prodigies was not fo ^.eneral, and the ap
peararice of thefe prodigies npt fo inceffant, as the
writef s of the letters feem difpofed to report. ' The
Theoldgian Eonomi, (p. 19.) after the wonders had
been exhibited for eight days, writes,- " That he
was not himfelf an eye-witnefs, becaufe his fight
was imperfedt (fo was that of the Canon of Lyons),
becaufe he happened not. to be prefent in any of
thofe happy moments, when fuch things were feen,
and becaufe he had not time to Jidy long enough to fee
¦ hem." What indifference ! yet he had publiffied,
it feems, " a work of Critlcifm on Miracles,"'
which ffiould have warmed his curiofity; and had
his zeal been alive, .he might eafily have been
favoured, for in ariother letter we are affured,
(p. 17.) " That prodigies appeared as often as
B 2

•( '20. )
fervent prayers were offered," and " That a mira
cle never failed when the Virgin was approached
with a lively faith," The remark of Bonoml,
which he gives as profound, that the prodigies
chiefly attached themfelves to " negledted pidtures,"
is of np weight, as that of Ancona was " mira
culous," and that del'Archetto was avowedly cele
brated; but it may prove, that the fuperftition of
the people, after their minds were warmed, faffened
on the firft pidtures they beheld in the ftreets. —
The authors of another letter (p. zj.) though fuffi
ciently believing, declare " That themfelves had
' not feen the prodigies, becaufe they were not at
the places ' where and times when they were
wrought." — And the phlegmatic Robert Smelt
(p. 31.) thus fpeaks: " I faw one pidture clofe
its eyes, at leaft I thought fo."
But -what muft we think of the apathy of his
tiollnefe, who, while thefe prodigies are exhibited,
the firft report of which, we are told, caufed his'
ancient blopd to flow with the full putfe of youth,
fits compofed in his palace, and only thence feeds
the public enthufiafm, by diredting fermoris to be
preached, and proceffions to be performed. In
this he adts with wifdom, ftill encouraging ia belief
that tends to animate the people, availing himfelf
of then convictions, to draw them on to a reform
pf life and to the pradtice of religious duties, but
withholding his "own prefence from the fcene of
prodigies, that the weakrfefs of belief, which that

( 21 )
prefence would atteft, might not be iniputed to
the firft paftor, when the fallacy of thdfe prddigies
ffiould hereafter be detedted. Si populus vult de-
dpi, dedpiatur'^, has been the maxim of many po
litic rulers, who knew how to convert the fottiffi-
nefs of the multitude into a commodious engine of
government. I impute no unworthy views to
Pius VI. but, certainly, he is not obliged to be
lieve what he has not feen, or to fee- what he is not
willing to behold; and if, while his fubjedls are
deranged, he makes ufe of their folly to effedt
their greater good, he muft be abfolved in the
fevereft fchool of moral cafuiftry, while that df
political prudence will applaud him.
On, the ftory df the Hlies, the fubjedt of which Theftoiyof
is profane, and wvhich forms an epifode in the
general drama, I might be allowed to be lefs ferir
ous, were I fo difpofed. The French letter-writers
(p. 24.) fpeaking of them, fuggeft an unexpedted
refledtion : " One thing," fay they, " we ourfelves
have feen, which fome are willing to think a na-
tujral procefs of vegetation, but which to us and
others feems fomething wonderful -f-." I would
afk, if, as thefe gentlemen reprefent it, green buds .
¦fuddenly appeared on dry and withered ftalks,
which had been fufpended for years, and the ftalks
themfelves became green, how any man, however
fceptical, could afcribe the effedt to a vegetating
¦• If the people chufe to be deceived, be it fo.
f Surprenant is Vczn^zteA furfernatural agency.
B3

( " )
procefs? But fome perfons it feems did; the ob
vious inference frdm which is, that the fadtiwas
¦ vafioufly replrefented, and' that there was nothing-
iri it which ffiould have excited wonder. They
add, that at the date of their letter, the 22d of
July, the lilies were returned to their former ftate
of ffccity *"/ The whole, ' probably, was the trick
of fome ingenidus artift, amufing himfelf with the
credulity of his fellpW-citizens. This fuppofition,
or any other which botanipal fcience could fuggeft,'
muft be rather a'dralt'ted, than that "fupernatural
agency, for fuch unworthy and unmeaning pur
pofes, ffiould be introduced."
On the other prodigies in Rome and elfewhere
I have nothing to add. Cures are reported to have
been performed, as, in fame- cafes it may have
Tiappened : but, I am fufe, no -blind faw,. no dumb
really ipoke ; and if any lame walked, their crutches
had been affumed 'for very obvious ends, — On the
laft lilies, however, and on three others, which,
with an'^illutoiriated crofs, appeared over Loretto,
I will further remark, that there feems in them
fome allufion to be made to the late arms of France,
with fhe circumftances of which country, in fhe
progrefs of their arms, the whole feries of the
prodigies Is manifeftly connedted.
The objea I appear, in the contemplation of thefe events,
digies und!- ^° ^^^^ been drawn out from my own fpan pf
*ned. exiftence, arid carried back Into thofe ages of bar-
* This circumftance the tranflators totally omit.

6

C ^3 )
barifm, when the darkeft ignorance prevailed, and
prodigies, every moment, were engendered- in the
g,J;oom. Bur, in truth, among thefe prodigies,
few, I think, will be found lefs deferving pf be
lief, than what Italy has now exhibited. And to
what do they lead the mind .? Aware of this, and
that their objeft w^s undefined,, for the arms of;
Buonaparte triumphed, and Italy lay prpftrate at
his, feet, the letter- writers turn to another con
fideration, widely different, I am confident, f<pom
thatwhich firft warmed their attention. They ftate,
t^at, as the effects produced pn the public were
" a fincere repentance, the reconciliation pf ene
mies, bad habits broken," in a word, a tptal change
of manners, thefe may be viewed as an unequir
-vocal proof of a fupernatural interpofitidn, The
inference is not juft. Let. it only be fuppofed,
which no one will deny, that the people thpught
they faw prodigies, and that thought created enthur.
fiafm, all the moral effedls, on which thefe writers
dwell, would as affqredly follow, as if Heavep had
diftlndtly fpoken. Imaginary terror is as real in it§
effedts, as the awful impreffions of the mpft fub-r
ilantlal caufes. I ffiall be told of the co-operation
of divine grace and other heavenly aids, which
now confpire to carry on the work of reformation
in Italy, and which would qot be granted in cafes
of illufion. Let this be proved. I may, moreover,
add, that, in the government pf the moral world.
Providence is not known to interpofe miraculpufly,
B4

( 24 )
where, as among a chriftian people, all the ordir-
nary means have been provided for inftrudtion,
exhortation, and the application of other fpiritual
helps. In what were the Romans fo gone aftray,
that Heaven niuft come down to addrefs them in
•figns, fo whimsical and indefinite ? One writer In
deed fays : "' It feems that the Deity is thereby
difpofed to caufe religion to reflouriffi, and to reform
mdrality, both of which were nearly extindt *."
Let this have been the cafe, and prodigies as ne
ceffary to rqufc the Italians, as formerly they \yere
to the Jews, who will perfuade me, that the great
work would have been attempted, by pidtures
moving their eyes or the budding pf withered
lilies } This leads me to an important confider
ation, to vvhich I have already alluded, that Is,
the diredt tendency of thefe fuppofed miracles to
ftrengthen a fuperftition, already widely fpread
through the churches of Italy, and which tendency
alone, without the aid of other arguments, would
overthrow, in the mind of every rational Chriftian^
the whole fabric of thefe prodigies.
Their ten- I quotc not thc authority of travellers, who too
dencyperni- Qf(-gn fee wIth prejudice) but I quote the learned
clou's. . • - ¦ . . ,.
and temperate Muratorl, who, in a fterling work,.
intitled, Delia Regolata Divozione, poirits to various
abufes in the popular veneration of the images of ¦
^ The cautious Englifli .Editors have uot dared to tranflate
this paflag-2 (p. i6.) which, however, was originally written by
a prieft of the Roman Congregation of Rites. See p. i8.

( ^5 )
the Virgin and of 'favourite Saints. So late as
the year 1787, while Leopold was projedting a ge
neral reform in the States of Tufcany, the Biffiops
of the dukedom affembled, by his order, at Flo
rence, where, among other important matters, they
difcuffed the abufes of image-worffiip, the exift
ence of which was denied by none, and projedted
njeans fpr their fuppreffion. The heads of their
debates, which are highly interefting, have been
publiffied in a work, entitled, IJloria dell' JJfem-
blta di fofcana, But the efforts of thefe enlightened
men did not completely fucceed. They were .op
pofed by a party, interefted in the perpetuation of
abufes, who excited the people to rife in defence
of their favourite relics and pidtures, and tp
threaten the moft furious oppofition.
But the biftpry alone of the late events fuffici^
ently evinces the prevalence, of the evil.- The
women of Ancona were " particularly devout to
a miraculous pidture," and when danger feemed
to threaten them, to it they had reqourfe for pro-
ledtion. In the ftreets of Rome other perfons,
probably women, were heard to exclaim before a
pidture, " Holy Virgin, favour us with a mira
cle." I am aware, it will be faid, that it was not
to the image they addreffed themfelves, but to the
Holy Virgin it reprefented, from whofe interceffion
with their Heavenly Father they aldne looked for
fuccour. It is a vain fubterfuge. With inftrudted
minds it would be fo ; but not with the populace

( 26 )
in the ftreets of Rome or in the cathedral of An
cona, who, theire is reafon to fear, raifed their
eyes' to their images with' a veneration as fuperfti
tious, as did the Ephefi&ns to the ¦ftatucs of their
Diana. ' Tbe complaints of the Tufcan Biffiops in
the meeting at Florihde authorife me to fay as
much, and in the ecclefiaftical ftates tbe abufe is
knbwn to be more inveterate. At all events, not to-
cavil on the ipiantum of the evil, its nbtoriety to a
gi'eat extent is univerfally acknowledged.
Now let me alk : Could an^ events'more diredtly
tend to confirm the wrong conceptions of the Italian
populace. In regard to their Images, and to extend
the abufe, than the fuppofed prodiigies in queftion ?'
Had all before been ratidnal arid temperate,' thefe'
might have eridarigered the fobe'rnefs of "devotion,
and expofed tbe mind to error. A iniraculous
piSiurt moves its eyes ;' other pi'Bures df the Virgin
follow the exartiple ; withered lihes placal near a
piBure puffi forth buds ; in ttrher towns othtx piiiures
fhew fimilar figns! Thefe are the mafter' events ;
others are but fubordinate and fecoridary, though
the latter are' connedted with the firft. If the blind ^^
the dumb, the'lame are reftored to fanlty,- it is in
reference tb xht 'piBures : if penitential works' arc
performed, arid Rome,' as is repreferite'd, becomes
a Niriiveh, the moving eyes of the piBures ztg
the caufe. In cool expoftulation let me afk : Muft
not the 'mifconceptlons of the ignorant be thus
ftrengthened ? Muft they not conclude, that all

( ^7 )
,jheir,for.mer notions abput iui^ges and their mira^
culous . ppwers were confiftent with the genuine
tenets of Chriftian Faith, when Heaven h^d , thus
deigned,. by. fuch appofite prodigies, to liften tp
their^ fupplicatipns ? So it muft, be. It is ndt
poffible ;tQ. evade the evidence, df t]>is infere,nce.
* ^ ¦ - '. ,
1 now lppk for a rnan, who 'will be hardy enough
to maintain, that the Deity can patrpnife fuper-
ftUida! — This argument alone weighs fo. much on
my mind, that, had I been at Ancona or at Rome,
wben the reported prodigies were performed, and
all my fenfi^j^ with the cleareft evidence, had attefted
their reality, I muft have rejedted it,— or have
fvibfcribed .tp a blafphemy.
'' Are thefe witneffes ignorant of a great occafion,
when, by the tenets of their faith,- they profefs
not td believe the teflimony of their fenfes } They
do it, they fay, on the fuperlpr authority of the
•words of Chrift. On a fimilar authority, that the
God of truth cannot teach, nor abet, error, I rejedt
the prodigies of Italy.  It is time to conclude.
Already, probably, the illufion is paffed ; for, conctufioB.
on the i6th of July, (p. 17.) one of the witneffes
thus writes : " My friends, this epoch will be ever
memorable. Of fuch a multiplicity of prodigies
we have no example : their frequency is fuch, that
' the motion of the eyes of the Virgin's pidtures has
"almoft ceafed io make any imprefjton on the be-

^ ( 28 )
holders *^." Had the Divine Being then, in fo few
days, exhaufted the admiration of the Roman
people .> The irritability of the Englifliman, Stephen
Green (p. Z2.) is much more conftant. The fight
of the motion of the eyes " made his hair," he
fays, " ftand almoft upright ;" and whilft he wrote
on the 19th, .it was ftill, he affures us, in the fame
ftate of horror. Devout perfons were not quite
fatisfied : they prefaged fomething more : " Many
holy perfons in this city," fay the writers, (p. 15.)
*'^ affert that all thefe prodigies are the forerunners
of a more aftoniffiing miracle, which will foon
happen, and which will fill us with corifolatiori."
What this was to be, or whether it has happened,
we know not; but we know that, at this precife
period, great fuccefs was expedted from thp arms
of Wurmfer.
To paroxifras of enthufiafm tbe Italians arc
particularly fubjedt, though, in few countries, there
'is reafon to thinkj is infidelity more prevalent.
But tbis is no fecurity againft its infiuence: Muratori
at le'aft, afferts, that notorious finners and high
way affaffins have been feen " to light up tapers
before fome holy image, or to carry about theni
the relics of Saints." .
About tvyelve years ago, Rpme and other parts
of Europe refounded vi'ith the report of miracles,
wrought by a celebrated beggar, who, at that time,
¦* This paflage is unfaithfully tranflated by the Edifors. " To
create any extraordinary fenfatim," is their free rendering.

C 29 ) ,
died, named Labre. I remember to have read
their hiftory, which was circulated with much
ardour : but the Jefuits, with or without reafon,
fufpedting the holy man of Janfenifm, decried his
miracles, and raifed another Thaumaturgus of their
own fociety, who then opportunely died at Touloufe,
to oppofe the current of his fame. So is mankind
duped. The prodigies wrought by both the Saints,
as the novelty ceafed, died away ; and I have beeif
told, that a late papal envoy to this country, if
he be not ftill here, was greatly inftrumental in
proving, during the procefs of the canonization
of Labre, that " fo far from working miracles
and being a Saint, he was hardly a Catholic."
What were the miracles of the Deacon Paris,
the renowned faint of the'Janfeniftic Fadtion, fo
flrongly attefted by innumerable witneffes, about
the beginning of this century, and "what the diftur-
bances raifed in France on the occafion, may be
feen in all the hiftories of the times. If the
teftimonies of eye-witneffes could realife fuch pro
digies, the miracles of that Deacon muft not be
controverted. But they are rejed:ed by the ortho
dox. Men, then, it feems, may fee, and be con
vinced by tbeir fenfes, and yet be deceived.
The arguments,- which I have urged, will have
no effedl on men, fuch as feem to be the Engliffi
Editors of the letters, who are predifpofed to be
lieve in prodigies, and for whofe credulity no, tale
can be tdo improbable. Nor ffiall I find credit

( 3<=>- ) ¦ '
with thofe, who' weakly think, that no uritrutK
can Cdme frdm' Rdine, or that men df pfpbity
could be fo far impofed dn, as folemnly to give
''.their affent to an illufion. Others 'feel a fecret
plea;fure in feeding "their minds with marvellous
events, who will not thank me for attempting to'
abridge their enjoyments. But 1 ffiall be liftened
to, I think,' by thofe. who ferioufly feek fdr infor
mation, who deleft every fpecies- of impofition,
particularly in the CdnCerns df religidn ; but who^
from fituation in life, or from other caufes, may
not have been habituated to fuch critical enquiries,
as are neceffary for the detedtlpn ' of error; For
thefe I write. 1 write to convince our Proteftant
brethren, that Catholics are as free as they In the
difcuffion of all points, where it is not evident,'
from the fountains of divine infpiration, that God
has fpoken. I write to obviate the afperfionsy
which our faith, when thefe tales ffiall have been
fufficiently circulated, muft inevitably experience.
I write, finally, to check, if it may be; the
attempts of men, who, it is plain, are labouring
to Imprefs on the minds of Engliffi Catholics a
belief in prodigies, and to disfigure their religion
with the abufes of image-worffiip, from whichy
fortunately, it has been fi-eed.
We have had men among us, and ftill have
fhem, who fancy that the integrity, if not the
exiftence, of their religion is connedted with the
perpetuity of miracles. Hence they catch at every

( 31 )
fuppofed prodigy, and ftrive to give it confiftency,
that no link may be wanting in their chain of evi
dence. This, in part, it is, that has filled the
legends of Sairvts with the wildeft tales, and
nouriffied in the minds of their readers a pitiable
credulity. Fortunately, the defenders of the great
caufe of our common chriftianity have, long ago,
furrendered this point, and refted their apologies, if
fo they may be called, pn a furer bafis. It gives a
folemn dignity and an encreafed power of convic
tion to the miracles of primitive times, that they'
ihould not be mixed with fufpicious events pr the
bafe alloy of counterfeit materials.. With vvhat
the Deity has. done for his own work, in, the foun
dation of Chriftianity, let us be fatisfied : the rock
is fecure : it wants no aid from the refources of
-human contrivance, much lefs fuch flimfy, fupport,
, which defeats its .own purpofe, that Ancona and
Rome, in their imaginary . prodigies of " moving
eyes and budding lilies," are pleafed to offer,
Buckland, October 13, 1796

THE END.

ADVERTISEMENt.

On this occafion, > I take the., liberty to in
form thofe, who, fometimes, enquire about
the progrefs of. my Hijiorj/ of the'Uire, the
Progrefs, and the Decline of the Papal Po'mr^
that I am advanced to the clofe of the IXth
century ; that tlie materials, I have colledled,
which are ready for the preis, will form more
than two volumes in 410; that the whole,'
when completed, will extend to, at leaft, five
volumes ; that, poflibiy, in the cottrfe. of the
enfuing year, fhould the times prove, favour
able, I fjiall publifh a firft volume.

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