with the applause, says the special historian* of this important concession, of the whole court, no less than if there had been a creation of new cardinals. The importance of this event at Rome maybe measured by the fact that the volume above cited by no means contains the whole literature of the subject. Father Tommaso Gonziani published a letter on the same topic addressed to the Cardinal Alessandrino. There appeared also in 1592, and again in a second edition in 1606, a book "De Bireto rubro, dando S.R.E. Cardinalibus regularibus, responsa prudentum divini, humanique juris, ab Antonia Scappo, in Romana Curia advocato collecta, uno etiam addito ejus responso." We have also, "Responsum divini humanique juris consultorum de Bireto coccineo Illustriss, S.R.E. Card. regularibus a Pontifice conferendo. Rome, 1606." Indeed, it was time that this matter should be satisfactorily settled. For already a Franciscan friar, Cardinal of Aracoeli, had been so discontented with the black cap, given him by Paul IV. (ob. 1559), that, after wearing it a year, he had sadly scandalized all Rome by audaciously assuming a red one on no authority but his own, “it being found impossible to make him understand that he ought not to wear red as well as the others"! "For how otherwise," said this Franciscan friar, "should he be saved from coming into contact with the populace?"

To return to the ceremonial of the day on which the new cardinals have been proclaimed. Half an hour before the time named for their arrival at the Papal palace to receive the berretta, each cardinal sends a carriage-not his state carriage but a more ordinary

Catena, "Discorso della berretta rossa di darsi ai Cardinali religiosi."

one-with two chaplains and two chamberlains in it to the palace. One of the chamberlains carries wrapped in a purple cloth garnished with a golden fringe the rochet, the band, and the violet-coloured cape, and ordinary episcopal hat of his master. He consigns all these things to the master of ceremonies of the Sacred Palace, who places them in a chamber of the apartment of the cardinal nephew. All these dependents of the new cardinals then wait in the first ante-chamber, and the eldest among them places himself near the door in readiness to open the door of his master's carriage on his arrival. Why rehearse all this trash? Because at Rome, as Rome was, all these matters were deemed worthy of being minutely and irrevocably settled and appointed; and they are described authoritatively in the learned volumes of those whose mastery of the intricate and complex science of the etiquette of the Pontifical Court made them highly necessary specialists in their own branch of learning. A whole crowd of such facts are needed to give a nineteenth-century Englishman some notion of the social state and peculiarities of the old Papal Rome. And all these minute little services and duties were privileges carrying with them advantages in one kind or another. And the distribution of these privileges and the possibility of sharing in these advantages were matters that came home in one shape or another to half the homes in Rome, in every social class, and formed topics of conversation and interest in that strange little world so curiously shut out from all the subjects that were interesting the other big world outside! The Princess's tirewoman,

while dressing her mistress's hair, would seek to induce her to move her brother the Cardinal to appoint as his senior chamberlain some relative, or more probably some client who had feed the waiting-woman for her advocacy. Some family poor to the extent of all but wanting bread, but respectable by virtue of some family connection with somebody who held some post or office in the retinue or household of some prelate, would speculate on the contingent advantages that might arise to them through certain promotion that might fall to the lot of uncle Beppo, or cousin Giuseppe, Monsignore's intendente di casa, in case Monsignore should be raised to the purple. One gossip calls upon another in quest of a favour. "Cara mia, I should so like to get a look at the new cardinals as they come for their berrette! Now you know your husband's brother is decano in the family of his Eminence of San Pietro in Vincula that is to be. He will of course be at the carriage door at the Quirinal. If you could get him to let me have a little place in a corner-eh?" These things are patronage, and are valued, and make safe topics of interest and talk for a people!

Well! At the appointed hour the new dignitaries arrive at the palace in their state carriages, accompanied each by his master of the chambers and cupbearer, "or gentleman." The carriage must have its blinds down, and be preceded by one single servant "without umbrella" (the umbrella which always precedes a prelate on state occasions), and all the other servants of the household (men of course) follow the carriage, except the "sub-dean" (i.e. the servant second in

seniority), who walks at the right hand of the carriage door. The "dean," we remember, is waiting to open the door of the carriage for his master on his arrival. The new cardinal is received at the palace doors by a master of the ceremonies and the chief of the outrunners, and proceeds to the ante-chamber, where the cardinal nephew meets him and conducts him to his own apartment, where the master of ceremonies takes the prelate's band off him, and girds him with one adorned with tassels of gold. He also puts on him, unless he be a member of a monastic order, a rochet * and mantle. And thus accoutred he is presented by the cardinal nephew to the Pope, whom he finds seated on his throne clothed in rochet and cape,† and surrounded by all the dignitaries of his court. The new dignitary approaching kneels three times at intervals, and on arriving at the foot of the throne, led by the master of the ceremonies, he prostrates himself to kis the papal slipper. The master of the ceremonies then brings the scarlet mozzetta which the Pope places on the shoulders of the new cardinal with his own hands. He then similarly places the "berretta" of like colour on his head. But the master of the ceremonies who brought the mozzetta must not touch the berretta. The latter is brought by a prelate, "Monsignore Guardaroba," or at least by his deputy. As soon as

The "rochet" is the linen garment reaching about half-way down the body, with sleeves covering the entire arm to the wrist, generally richly laced, which in the Roman Catholic Church answers to our surplice.

+ Mozzetta. The mozzetta is that cape of fur or of silk peculiar to the Pope, cardinals, bishops, abbots, and canons, which the latter are ordinarily seen wearing in the choir during service.

this has been done, the new cardinal again kisses the foot and also the knee of the Pontiff, who then gives him the kiss of peace on both cheeks-lo ammette al duplice amplesso. Then the Pope makes a speech, in which he speaks of the shining merits of the new dignitary, of the motives which have moved him (the Pope) to make the creation, and reminds the new cardinal of the duties and responsibilities, which that dignity brings with it. The cardinal-or the senior of the group in the name of all, if, as is ordinarily the case, there are several-makes a speech in reply, full of promises and thanks, and concluding, says Moroni, as if he were giving a receipt for the performance of this task, with a declaration that it is only to the Pontiff's indulgence that the promotion is due. Indeed, Parisi, the writer of a work entitled, "Instructions," respecting all these points of ceremonial, gives a collection of forms for these thanksgiving speeches!

As soon as the speech is finished the first master of the ceremonies pronounces "Extra omnes," and the Pope and the new cardinals and the Cardinal Secretary of State are left for awhile alone together. When they are dismissed they return to the outer room, where they find the "Monsignore Sotto Guardaroba" waiting for them, ready to present to each on a silver salver the berettina, or scarlet skull-cap, to be worn under the berretta, which they have already received in the Pope's presence; after which they return to the apartment of the Secretary of State, and after a little conversation depart in their carriages as they came. Arrived

* Vol. v. p. 160.