vour to discover the child than the priest, and no one could conjecture what had become of her. There had been no one seen about the premises-it was not known when she went out-in fact, all was a mystery. The priest came, as usual, to enquire if she had been found, and to give consolation to the afflicted parent, who day after day became more and more excited, until he was half deranged; by degrees the priest's visits grew less and less frequent, until they ceased altogether.

About six months had elapsed-the contractor had nearly lost all hope-for no letter, or tidings of any sort, had arrived; when a peasant, who had worked on his premises, was seen loitering about the house. The contractor, after some previous conversation, touched upon the subject nearest his hearthis child--when the peasant remarked, that it was very odd the contractor should have searched in every direction but the one the most probable-namely, in the house of his friend, the priest. The contractor, who had a pious reverence for the holy profession, at once rebuked the peasant for his injudicious want of respect; and finally grew angry as he remarked the intelligent curl of the pea

sant's lip. But far greater was his surprize when the peasant added, that he had left Posilipo the night previous, and had seen, yes, seen, the daughter in the priest's house!

The day following, the father set out early for Posilipo; at any rate, he need not discover his suspicions-if he failed in his search, it was easy to make pretence of enquiring for the reverend gentleman, since he had not seen him for some time, and he might be ill. All this was well turned in his mind, and set speeches arranged, as everybody does, and which invariably are never used after all. He jogged on at the quick pace of expectation, and arrived to find the peasant's story correct; his daughter in the arms of the priest, and very likely to become a mother. The recovery of his child somewhat checked his feeling of revenge; besides which, he had a bar against any hostile movement in the presence of the cure and some police, who he had taken the precaution to have as witnesses; but it is a rule at Naples to keep secret anything which can reflect upon the church, for so many are the sins and errors of this multitudinous host, that respect would soon cease, and authority fail, if they were made pub

lic. But this could not be altogether hushed up, so the priest was shut up in two rooms in the cardinal's house, and, as a further punishment, was not allowed to officiate at mass for six weeks!!!

A book called the "Crimes of the Clergy" would meet with a rapid sale, and would be the most exciting work ever printed. But who dares attack the clergy in Naples, excepting in whispers? And who dare publish the book? Is not the court most eminently virtuous who sees a naked statue anywhere? Have not decency and morality suggested the fig-leaf on the marble, and the green inexpressibles on the opera dancers?

The religious processions in Naples are numerous; in one shape or another, it is five to one the pedestrian of the streets will fall in with two or three every day; and he will be soon aware that the clergy are more or less the church militant, even in the commonest affair-that of the visitation of the sick. Two soldiers, with fixed bayonets, turn out from the first guard-house the procession passes, and accompany the priest as his guard of honour.

VOL. II.

M

CHAPTER X.

PUBLIC PROCESSIONS IN NAPLES.

ON the 7th of April, it being nearly the conclusion of Lent, I saw the procession of the Madonna of the Scala Santa, when this lady is carried in full costume to pay her respects to the king, who most gallantly salutes her from one of the windows of the palace in Naples. Who this Madonna may be, I never could find time or patience to read up. St. Gennaro is another concern. I devoted many hours to satisfy myself that his bones may be anywhere but in Naples. There is in a low, dirty, miserable quarter of Naples a Scala Santa, the steps of which are in no danger of being worn out by the knees of the pious; nor need these steps be covered, as at the Scala Santa in Rome. Although I have visited

this Neapolitan Scala Santa dozens of times, I never yet saw one person going to heaven on his knees, by thus rubbing off his sins, and obtaining, in the treasury above, a certain. credit of absolution, to ease the time of purgatorial punishment. There is at this Scala Santa one of the most savage representations of the Crucifixion which an indignant carpenter could imagine; but I never saw any Madonna; and where the figure resides, which was exhibited on this occasion, I am in perfect ignorance.

St. Anthony, when he was paraded through the streets on the 9th of January, had but a beggarly attendance of boys. He was preceded, it is true, by a band of music, and the guards turned out to salute him as he passed. He had also but very few candles to light his road; and although he was a real silver saint, and one of the seventy who form the court of St. Gennaro, he certainly had but a very indifferent escort; but the Madonna of the Santa Scala came forth in more splendour, and made one of the most exciting spectacles I have seen for years. In the Toledo, down which street the procession passed, the houses appear like a revolution of balconies. It is a