she was canonised by the Pope she had served, and invoked by the party she had advocated.

A Viterbe, dans les dernières années du règne de Frédéric II., vivait une jeune fille, un enfant, qui, à l'âge de dix ans, revêtue de l'habit du tiers ordre de Saint-François, parcourait naguère les rues, les places publiques, s'élevant contre les impériaux et appelant la colère céleste sur les vices et sur les crimes dont assurément une inspiration particulière pouvait seule lui donner l'idée. Elle se nommait Rose. Le bruit de sa sainteté s'était répandu au loin. Par une de ces faiblesses ou de ces tristes nécessités que l'irritation conseille à un pouvoir menacé, l'empereur Frédéric avait banni la jeune fille avec toute sa famille. C'était la désigner d'avance à la canonisation. Il y avait peu d'années qu'elle était morte, lorsque les habitants de Viterbe virent un jour le pape Alexandre IV. s'avancer processionnellement, suivi du sacré collège, vers le couvent de Santa Maria in Poggio, où Rose reposait ensevelie. Averti par une vision, trois fois répétee, le pape fit ouvrir le tombeau et transporter le corps, en grande pompe, à l'église qui s'honore aujourd'hui des reliques et du nom de la sainte. Selon quelques écrivains ascétiques, elle fut canonisée de son vivant par le pape Innocent IV. Le fait n'est pas vraisemblable; mais les informations si multipliées que l'Église apporte aux canonisations n'étaient pas encore soumises à des formalités très-sévères. Quoi qu'il en soit, un culte public fut rendu spontanément à Rose de Viterbe. Ce n'était pas une sainteté traditionnelle, une mémoire des anciens jours; les concitoyens de Rose l'avaient vue naître, parmi eux, et partir pour l'exil avec ses parents. D'autres cités avaient entendu sa voix enfantine et recueilli sa parole prophétique. A Suriano, devant le peuple assemblé, elle s'était arrêtée au milieu de son discours, puis avec un sourire elle s'était écriée : "Fidèles, réjouissez-vous, l'ennemi de Dieu n'est plus, vous le saurez dans peu de jours." En effet, à l'heure même où la jeune vierge parlait au peuple, bien loin de là, à Fiorentino, l'empereur Frédéric rendait son dernier soupir.'—Alexis de Saint-Priest, Hist. de la Conquête de Naples.'

6

‘We paid a visit, at her own convent, to Santa Rosa, a very surprising woman. "Cowards die many times before their death," but this saint has died once since hers.

'She originally died, it seems, in the thirteenth century; but after lying dead a few hundred years, she came to life one night when her chapel was on fire, got up and rang the bell to give notice of it, and then quietly laid down and died again, without anybody knowing anything of the matter. The chapel, however, was burnt down, though she had got out of her grave and rung the bell to prevent it; all her fine clothes, too, were burned off her back, and her very ring was melted on her finger; but she remained unconsumed, though her face

and hands are as black as a negro's. However, they say she was very fair four hundred years ago, before she was singed, and that she never was embalmed even after her first death, but was preserved solely in the odour of sanctity. This remarkable saint began, with praiseworthy industry, to work miracles as soon as she was born, by raising a child from the dead, while she was yet a baby herself; and miracles she still continues to perform every day-as the nun who exhibited her informed me. On inquiring what kind of miracles they were, I was informed that she cures all sorts of diseases, heals sores, and even re-establishes some lame legs; but she does not, by any means, always choose to do it, thinking it proper that the infirmities of many should continue. I have no doubt that the nun, who related her history to me, really and truly believes in it all. She knelt before the saint in silent devotion first, and then gave me a bit of cord, the use of which perplexed me much; and while I was turning it round and round in my fingers, and wondering what she expected me to do with it, a troop of dirty beggars burst into the church, together with some better dressed, but scarcely less dirty people; and the whole company, having adored the saint, received from the nun, every one, bits of cord like mine. I inquired the use of them, and was told they had been round the body of the saint, where they had acquired such virtues, that, tied round any other body, they would save it from “molte disgrazie.”—Eaton's ‘Rome.'

Another convent, S. Caterina, is interesting from its connection with the beautiful Vittoria Colonna, Marchesa da Pescara, who retired here in 1541, prompted by the wish of greater abstraction and retirement from worldly life. Here she held her principal residence till the last year of her life (1546), taking part in the education of the younger nuns. The streets of Viterbo are full of old palaces. Amongst them is that which was built by Paul III. for his Legate. The old Palazzo Chigi is very curious. The loggia is covered with faded frescoes. Several of the chimney-pieces are magnificent, sculptured with lilies in low relief. The tapestry which hung here has recently been removed to Rome by its owner, the Marchese Patrizi. The tall tower is now half ruinous, but it has a splendid view. It is a restingplace for innumerable pigeons, who do not belong to the inmates, but are allowed a home here and provide for themselves.

Four miles from Viterbo is the Palazzo S. Martino, on

the declivity of the Ciminian Hills, whence there is a splendid view. It is well worth visiting on account of its connection with Olympia Pamfili, the famous 'papessa,' sister-in-law of Innocent X. She was born at Viterbo in 1594, of the noble but ruined family of the Maidalchini, and was destined by her parents for a convent, but insisted upon marrying a Count Pamfili, nineteen years older than herself. The attraction to this alliance was the fact that her husband had a brother, over whom she obtained unbounded ascendency, and who rose under her guidance to obtain a cardinal's hat in 1629, and the papal tiara in 1644. Her husband being then dead, Donna Olympia took up her residence at the Vatican, and employed the eleven years of her brother-in-law's life in the sale of benefices, appointments and offices of every description, for which she did not hesitate to drive the hardest bargains possible.

'Olympia established herself in the Vatican as its mistress! No step of domestic government or foreign policy decided on, no grace, favour, or promotion accorded, no punishment inflicted, was the pontiff's own work. His invaluable sister-in-law did all. He was absolutely a puppet in her hands. The keys of S. Peter were strung to her girdle; and the only function in which she probably never interfered, was blessing the people.

'One day a large medal was conveyed into the Pope's hands, on the obverse of which was represented Olympia, with the pontifical tiara on her head, and the keys in her hand: while the reverse showed Innocent in a coif, with a spindle and distaff in his hands. Another day a report was brought to him from England that a play had been represented before Cromwell, called "The Marriage of the Pope;" in which Donna Olympia is represented rejecting his addresses on account of his extreme ugliness, till, having in vain offered her one of the keys to induce her to consent, he attains his object at the cost of both of them. The Emperor again had said to the Papal Nuncio, “Your Pope, my Lord, has an easy time of it, with Madame Olympia to put him to sleep.' "—T. A. Trollope.

Innocent X. died Jan. 7, 1655, by which time Olympia had amassed, besides vast estates, and an immense amount of uncoined gold and precious stones, more than two millions of golden crowns. The succeeding Pope, Alexander

VII., demanded from her an account of the State monies which had passed through her hands, and restitution of the valuables she had taken away from the Vatican; but this was never carried out; the pestilence which appeared in Italy drew away the attention of everyone, Olympia herself was among its first victims, and her son Camillo, who had been allowed to resign his cardinal's hat and released from . his Orders by Innocent, and married to the rich Princess Rosano, succeeded to all his mother's treasures, and founded the great family of the Pamfili-Doria. Many relics of their ancestress are still preserved in the palace of the Doria at S. Martino, especially her portrait, and her bed with its leather hangings.

Viterbo is the best centre for visiting the remains of inland Etruria, to which at least three hard-worked days should be devoted.

Castel d'Asso, of which the most exaggerated descriptions have appeared in English guide-books, is only 5 m. from Viterbo ; but the place is so little visited and the track across the fields so constantly changed, that it is most difficult to find, and the so-called guides at Viterbo are utterly useless and ignorant.

The road to Castel d' Asso descends into the great plain of Etruria from the Porta Romana, and then turns to the left, at the foot of the hills. It is an excellent carriage-road as far as the hot suphureous baths of the Bulicame, mentioned by Dante.

Soon after leaving the Baths, the road becomes the merest

'See Bussi, Storia di Viterbo.

track in the wilderness, but can still be pursued in a carriage with a careful driver. It is necessary to take almost all turns to the left, and as far as possible to keep in sight the tower of Castel d' Asso. At length we arrive upon the edge of a very narrow side-gorge just opposite the ruin. Here we must leave the carriage, tether the horse, and fight our way through the thick wild roses and honeysuckle into the main glen. Before we reach it, the tombs begin to appear on the right of the way, and continue to follow the face of the cliffs into the principal ravine, though, perhaps, small as they appear, those at the entrance of the side glen are the best specimens of the whole. The highest of the tombs only reaches ten feet: their usual height is six feet, but the cliff above occasionally rises to a height of from twenty-five to

thirty feet, and is now and then ornamented with a moulding at the top. The face of the cliffs is everywhere smoothed away by art, leaving the decorations of the sepulchres in high. relief. These decorations are of Egyptian character, each tomb-front being marked by boldly-raised mouldings which seem to denote the outline of a door, the real entrance being deep below. Occasionally the mouldings are engraved with inscriptions, generally only the names of those within, but occasionally with the addition of other words, especially of Ecasu, which is sometimes interpreted, 'Rest in peace,' sometimes 'Adieu,' though, as the learned Orioli of Bologna says, 'we really know nothing about it, and our wisest plan is to confess our ignorance.' There is no variety in the sculpture. The low opening at the base of the tombs admits to the