apertures in the head," argued Sizzi, an astronomer of Florence; "two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and one mouth; there are only seven metals; there are only seven days in the week; from which we gather that the number of planets is necessarily seven. Moreover the satellites are invisible to the naked eye, and, there fore, can exercise no influence on the earth, and therefore, would be useless, and, therefore, do not exist."+ The principal professor of philosophy at Padua, having by similar arguments come to a similar conclusion, refused to look through the telescope at all. "O my dear Kepler," says Galileo in a letter to his enlightened and generous cotemporary, "how I wish that we could have one hearty laugh together. Here, at Padua, is the principal professor of philosophy, whom I have repeatedly and urgently requested to look at the moon and planets through my glass, which he pertinaciously refuses to do. Why are you not here? What shouts of laughter we should have at this glorious folly! and to hear the professor of philosophy at Pisa labouring before the grand duke with arguments, as if with magical incantations to charm the new planets out of the sky!"

Again, when he turned his telescope to the moon, and discovered that it, so far from being smooth and polished, as the philosophy of the schools had taught, and as was universally believed, really resembled our earth in its structure-being made up of mountain ranges, and valleys, and lesser inequalities the whole herd of so-called philosophers took up arms against him. The moon, they said, was smooth and spherical, and Galileo, in asserting it to be rugged and unequal, was impiously taking delight in distorting and ruining the fairest works of nature." It was to no purpose that he reasoned from the analogy of the structure of our earth, and maintained that absolute smoothness and sphericity would make it not only less perfect than it is, but as far from being perfect as possible." "What else," he exclaimed, "would it be, but a vast unblessed desert, void of animals, of plants, of cities, and of men-the abode of silence and inaction-senseless, lifeless, soulless, and stripped of all those ornaments, which make it now so varied and so beautiful?" To all this the philosophers of the schools said: "No; such things are not, and cannot be." One opponent of Galileo, Ludovico delle Colombe, having looked through the telescope, perceived that, if his senses were to be believed at all, the irregularities alleged by Galileo were actual and undeniable. But, so far from abandoning the old theory in consequence, he held it as firmly as ever, maintaining that every part of the moon which to the terrestrial observer appeared hollow and sunken, was in fact entirely and exactly filled up with a clear crystal substance, perfectly imperceptible by the senses, but which restored to the moon her accurately spherical and smooth surface!

When, at a later period, he announced his discovery of spots on the sun's disc, the same blind and irrational denial was given, and the same keenness of hostility manifested. Determined to adhere in all points, great or small, and in the face of all evidence, to the lessons and deductions of the Aristotelian system, the philosophers and ecclesiastics of the day *Drinkwater's Life of Galileo, p. 28.

reckoned and attacked as the enemy of truth and of the Church, any man who-shaking himself free of restraints which compelled all whom they held in bondage to consecrate errors because of their antiquity-dared to think, and observe, and philosophize for himself. Galileo altogether baffled his opponents; and, feeling his superiority, held them in contempt. "Your Eminence," wrote Querenghi to the Cardinal d'Este, "would be delighted with Galileo if you heard him holding forth, as he often does, in the midst of fifteen or twenty, all violently attacking him, sometimes in one house, sometimes in another. But he is armed after such fashion that he laughs | all of them to scorn; and even if the novelty of his opinions prevents entire persuasion, at least he convicts of emptiness most of the arguments with which his adversaries endeavour to overwhelm him." And yet, in the end, Galileo became the victim of their ig norance and bigotry. The Pope of Rome took up the quarrel against him; and he who, with both the truth and the talent on his side, had scattered on the field of argument the whole host of his adversaries, at last | fell before the power of the Church, and under the terrors of the Inquisition.

It was the belief of the age that the earth was immovably fixed in the centre of the universe, and that the sun, and moon, and planets were carried round it, fixed each to a separate orb of solid but transparent matter. Towards the beginning of the sixteenth century, Copernicus had discovered and proclaimed the incorrectness of this belief, affirming that, instead of the sun moving round the earth, the earth itself was but a planet revolving round the sun, which, and not the earth, was the centre of the sy tem. The speculations of Copernicus had excited no small attention at the time; but when Galileo first embraced them, they were scouted by almost all as the mere fancies of a star-gazer; so much so, that, for some years, even he was afraid to own himself a convert. At length, however, he did so. The excitement occasioned was immense. The defenders of the ancient philosophy and faith rose on every side, and showered on the philosopher their arguments and invectives. "The Aristotelian professors, the temporizing Jesuits, the political Churchmen, and that timid but respectable body who at all times dread innovation, whether it be in religion or in science, entered into an alliance against the philosophical tyrant who threatened them with the penalties of knowledge." It was in vain. In argument, they were as nothing in his hands, and even the fierceness of their invective was more than matched by the keenness of his sarcasm. Every opponent whom he encountered he vanquished, and that so evidently, that large numbers of the more intelligent and unprejudiced were attracted to his standard, and every successive year the reign of the old philosophy seemed nearer to its close.

"

But Rome took the alarm. From the beginning she had regarded the conflict with uneasiness. She dreaded anything that tended to unsettle the minds of her adherents on doctrines which had hitherto been among those most surely believed. The ghost of Martin Luther seemed to rise with every theory, whether in philosophy or religion, which at all clashed * Martyrs of Science. By Sir David Brewster, p. 58.

with previous belief, or seemed to contradict the decrees of the Church. She saw that if Galileo succeeded in convincing the popular mind that the philosophy of the Church had been false, it might, without any great effort, go further, and suspect that the same might hold good of her theology, the more especially as that philosophy was made by her to rest upon the authority of Scripture, of which she declared herself the sole and infallible interpreter. Such consequences she thought she could prevent by now interposing against the philosopher, before his theories made further progress. Accordingly, his case was taken up by the Inquisition, whose duty it was to "search out and punish all heretical pravity." Proofs of his heresy were collected from his published works and other sources, and in the year 1616, while Galileo was at Rome, the Lords of the Inquisition came to the following decision on the subject:

"1. The proposition that the sun is in the centre of the world, and immovable from its place, is absurd, philosophically false, and formally heretical; because it is expressly contrary to the Holy Scripture. "2. The proposition that the earth is not the centre of the world, nor immovable, but that it moves, and also with a diurnal motion, is also absurd, philosophically false, and, theologically considered, at least erroneous in faith."

And this decision they followed up by ordering him to relinquish altogether these false opinions, and in future neither to defend nor teach them in any manner." To have refused to obey this order would have been certain death; for the Inquisition was never opposed without involving such an end; and for the time Galileo submitted.

"It is in vain," said Pascal, in one of his celebrated Provincial Letters, "it is in vain that you have procured against Galileo a decree from Rome, condemning his opinion of the earth's motion. Assuredly, that will never prove it to be at rest; and if we have unerring observations that it turns round, not all mankind together can keep it from turning, nor themselves from turning with it." With a similar thought Galileo consoled himself when condemned, yet unconvinced, he returned home to Florence. Here he resumed his astronomical observations, and in a short time, confirmed in his conviction of the truth of the theory which he had espoused, and of which he considered himself the depositary, resolved on preparing a work, in which, collecting all the physical proofs of the motion of the earth, and the constitution of the heavens, he might make one last attempt to silence, and, if possible, convince his adversaries. He was engaged for sixteen years in its preparation; and, at the end of that period, he gave it to the world. "All that the finest genius could imagine in point of ingenuity, or the purest taste admit in point of elegance, he employed to render the truth attractive.”* And, in order to shield himself, if possible, from persecution, he published it in the form of a dialogue between three individuals, one of whom strongly maintained the old Peripatetic theory.

247

answer for his temerity. He was then an old man, bordering on seventy years of age, and wasted and broken down by disease. Nicolini, the Tuscan ambasador at the Court of Rome, interceded for him, that when so old and so infirm, he might be spared, in the midst of winter, the fatigue and pain of such a journey the more especially as to these would be added the discomfort incident on keeping quarantine, which, owing to the breaking out of the plague, had been established between Rome and Florence. But no; Rome, determined on victimizing him, was inexorable. He must appear personally and immediately. Accordingly, Galileo left Florence, and arrived in Rome at the beginning of February. His arrival was announced on the 14th, to the assessor and commissary of the holy office; but he was not called before them to be examined till April. His examination, when entered on, lasted ten days, and the decision of the Inquisition was not pronounced till about two months afterwards. During that time, Galileo resided with Nicolini, but was allowed to do so only on the condition that he would live in strict seclusion-not being allowed at any time to leave the house, unless special permission were obtained. On the evening of the 20th of June, he was again summoned to the "holy office," and on the 22d his case was brought to a conclusion. In the morning of that day, he was visited by one of the keepers, who brought with him a penitential dress, with which the venerable philosopher had to invest himself. It consisted of a black garment, stripped with white lines, denoting his grief and repentance, and covered by a habit of sackcloth marked with a red cross on the back and breast. A rope was also put round his neck, and an extinguished taper placed in his hand;* and, thus arrayed and accoutred, the sage was led into the presence of the Inquisitors. The chief of them, then, commanding his attention, read the following sentence, upon which, after so long deliberation, they had resolved, viz. :—

dinals of the holy Roman Church, inquisitors gene"We, the undersigned, by the grace of God carral throughout the whole Christian Republic, special deputies of the holy Apostolical Chair against heretical depravity.

"Whereas you, Galileo, son of the late Vincenzo nounced in 1615 to this holy office, for holding as Galilei of Florence, aged seventy years, were detrue a false doctrine taught by many, namely, that the sun is immovable in the centre of the world, and that the earth moves, and also with a diurnal motion; also, for having pupils whom you instructed in the same opinions; also, for maintaining a correspondence on the same with some German mathematicians; also for publishing certain letters on the solar spots, in which you developed the same doctrine as true; also, for answering the objections which were continually produced from the Holy Scriptures, by glozing the said Scriptures according to your own meaning; and whereas thereupon was produced the copy of a writing, in form of a letter, professedly written by you to a person formerly your pupil, in

The rope tied round the neck of the penitent signified that his mind, possessed by the craftiness of the devil, had

of 1633, he was summoned to appear at Rome, to

* Encyclopædia Britannica-art. Galileo,

tinguished taper signified that the light of the faith had been altogether extinguished in the penitent's mind, by the sin of heresy and infidelity.-Limborch's History of the Inquisition.

which, following the hypotheses of Copernicus, you include several propositions contrary to the true sense and authority of the Holy Scripture: therefore this holy tribunal being desirous of providing against the disorder and mischief which was thence proceeding and increasing, to the detriment of the holy faith, by the desire of his Holiness, and of the most eminent lords cardinals of this supreme and universal Inquisition, the two propositions of the stability of the sun, and motion of the earth, were qualified by the theological qualifiers as follows:"1. The proposition that the sun is in the centre of the world, and immovable from its place, is absurd, philosophically false, and formally heretical; because it is expressly contrary to the Holy Scripture.

"2. The proposition that the earth is not the centre of the world, nor immovable, but that it moves, and also with a diurnal motion, is also absurd, philosophically false, and, theologically considered, at least erroneous in faith."

"But whereas being pleased at that time to deal mildly with you, it was decreed in the Holy Congregation, held before his Holiness on the 25th day of February 1616, that his eminence the Lord Cardinal Bellarmine should enjoin you to give up altogether the said false doctrine; if you should refuse, that you should be ordered by the commissary of the holy office to relinquish it, not to teach it to others, nor to defend it, nor ever mention it; and in default of acquiescence, that you should be imprisoned: and in execution of this decree, on the following day at the palace, in presence of his eminence the said Lord Cardinal Bellarmine, after you had been mildly admonished by the said lord cardinal, you were commanded by the acting commissary of the holy office, before a notary and witnesses, to relinquish altogether the said false opinion, and in future neither to defend nor teach it in any manner, neither verbally nor in writing; and upon your promising obedience you were dismissed.

"And in order that so pernicious a doctrine might be altogether rooted out, nor insinuate itself further, to the heavy detriment of the Catholic truth, a decree emanated from the Holy Congregation of the Index, prohibiting the books which treat of this doctrine; and it was declared false, and altogether contrary to the holy and divine Scripture.

"And whereas a book has since appeared, published at Florence last year, the title of which showed that you were the author-which title is: The Dialogue of Galileo Galilei, on the two principal systems of the world, the Ptolemaic and Copernican; and whereas the Holy Congregation has heard that, in consequence of the printing of the said book, the false opinion of the earth's motion and stability of the sun is daily gaining ground, the said book has been taken into careful consideration, and in it has been detected a glaring violation of the said order, which had been intimated to you; inasmuch as in this book you have defended the said opinion, already and in your presence condemned; although in the said book you labour with many circumlocutions to induce the belief that it is left by you undecided, and in express terms probable; which is equally a very grave error, since an opinion can in no way be probable which has been already declared and finally determined contrary to the divine Scripture. Therefore by our order you have been cited to this holy office, where, on your examination upon oath, you have acknowledged the said book as written and printed by you," &c., &c. The sentence then proceeded to cite his excuses as aggravations of his crime, and concluded thus:

"Therefore, having seen and maturely considered the merits of your cause, with your confessions and excuses, and everything else which ought to be

seen and considered, we have come to the underwritten final sentence against you :

Invoking, therefore, the most holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of his most glorious virgin mother Mary, by this our final sentence, which, sitting in council and judgment for the tribunal of the reverend masters of sacred theology and doctors of both laws, our assessors, we put forth in this writing touching the matters and controversies before us, between the magnificent Charles Sincerus, doctor of both laws, fiscal proctor of this holy office of the one part, and you, Galileo Galilei, an examined and confessed criminal from this present writing now in progress, as above, of the other part, we pronounce, judge. and declare, that you, the said Galileo, by reason of those things which have been detailed in the course of this writing, and which, as above, you have confessed, have rendered yourself vehemently suspected by this holy office of heresy; that is to say, that you believe and hold the false doctrine, and contrary to the holy and divine Scriptures, namely, that the sun is the centre of the world, and that it does not move from east to west, and that the earth does move, and is not the centre of the world; also, that an opinion can be held and supported as probable after it has been declared and finally decreed contrary to the holy Scripture; and consequently, that you have incurred all the censures and penalties enjoined and promulgated in the sacred canons, and other general and particular constitutions against delinquents of this description. From which it is our pleasure that you be absolved, provided that, first, with a sincere heart and unfeigned faith, in our presence, you ab jure, curse, and detest the said errors and heresies, and every other error and heresy contrary to the Catholic and Apostolic Church of Rome, in the form now shown to you.

"But that your grievous and pernicious error and transgression may not go altogether unpunished, and that you may be made more cautious in future, and may be a warning to others to abstain from delinquencies of this sort, we decree that the book of the Dialogues of Galileo Galilei be prohibited by a public edict; and we condemn you to the formal prison of this holy office, for a period determinable at our pleasure; and, by way of salutary penance, we order you, during the next three years, to recite, once a-week, the seven penitential psalms, reserving to ourselves the power of moderating, commuting, or taking off the whole or part of the said punishment and penance.

"And so we say, pronounce, and by our sentence declare, decree, and reserve, in this and in every other better form and manner, which lawfully we may and the subscribing cardinals, pronounce.

can use.

"So we,

FELIX, Cardinal di Ascoli.
GUIDO, Cardinal Bentivoglio.
DESIDERIO, Cardinal di Cremona,
ANTONIO, Cardinal S. Onofrio.
BERLINGERO, Cardinal Géssi
FABRICIO, Cardina! Verospi.
MARTINO, Cardinal Ginetti."

There are not wanting suspicions that Galileo was brought to abjure the truth which he held, by means of the torture. At all events, there can be no doubt that had he refused to do so, he would have been consigned forthwith to the stake. He did abjure. He was ordered to fall on his knees before his judges. Before him was placed the book of the Gospels, and putting one hand on it, he, at their command, read his deed of abjuration. A friend was beside him; and, it is said, that rising from his knees and turning to him, the philosopher, in an carnest whisper, cx

claimed: "Still it moves." And he was right. If heresy there was at all, the universe was the heretic, and not Galileo.

Copies of his sentence and abjuration were dispersed over all the Continent, and ordered to be publicly read at several universities. His works were placed in the list of those forbidden. The exultation of his enemies was great; and thus, for a time, the false philosophy triumphed over the true. Galilco, afterwards struck with blindnesss, spent the remainder of his life in the prison of a forced retirement, and, oppressed with the weight of years and misfortunes, died in 1642.

DEATH OPENING THE GATE OF LIFE. DEATH, the old serpent's son,

Thou hadst a sting once, like thy sire,
That carry'd heil and ever-burning fire:

But those black days are done;

Thy foolish spite bury'd thy sting

In the profound and wide

Wound of our Saviour's side.

249

his countenance was manly, though it bore the marks of sorrow; he was leaning on his smooth-worn staff, the companion of many years. I was somewhat surprised on seeing this aged African silently meditating among the vestiges of the dead, and accordingly roused him from his reverie. He started at first, but his confidence was soon gained. There is a spring in the bosom of every Christian, which throws a joy into his heart whenever he meets a fellow-Christian during his pilgrimage here below. I found the old Negro to be an eminent Christian, and we were soon acquainted. I inquired what motive induced him, at that hour of the day, to visit these tombs. Instead of answering my question directly, he gave me the following account of himself in broken language:

About sixty years ago this Negro was living under his paternal roof in Africa; he was the son of a chief of a small tribe-the pride of his parents, and the delight of his countrymen. None could more dexterously throw the dart; none more skilfully guide the fragile canoe over the bosom of the deep. He was not far from twenty years of age, when, on a fair summer's morn, he went in his little canoe to spend the day in fishing. About noon he paddled his bark to the shore, and under the shade of a beautiful palmetto tree, he reclined, till the heat of noon

BY THE REV. JOHN TODD, PHILADELPHIA.

THE sun had set, and I began to be anxious to find a place of rest for the night, after a day's ride under a sultry sun. I was travelling in South Carolina, and was now not far from a branch of the Cooper River. The country here is a dead level, and its surface is covered with thinly scattered pines. I came to an old church-it stood solitary; not a house in sight it was built of wood, and much decayed. The breezes of evening were gently sighing through the tops of the long-leafed pines which stood near; while, still nearer stood several large live oaks, which spread out their aged arms, as if to shelter what was sacred. On their limbs hung in graceful folds the long grey moss, as if a mantle of mourning, waving over a few decayed tombs at the east side of the church. These oaks give the place a very sombre and awful appearance; they seemed to stand as silent mourners over the dust of generations that had sunk into the grave, and waiting in solemn expectation that others would soon come and lie beneath their shade in the long sleep of death. The time of day, and the sacredness of the spot, were so congenial to my own feelings, that I involuntarily stopped my horse.

My curiosity was now excited by seeing a very aged Negro standing and gazing steadily on a small decaying tomb; he seemed to be intent, and did not observe me; his woolly locks were whitened by age;

active; he knew none whom he dreaded; he was a stranger to fear, and he dreamed only of security, as he slept under the shade of his own native tree. Thus, while our sky is encircled with the bow of happiness, we forget that it may soon be overspread with darkness. When this African awoke, he found his hands bound behind him-his feet fettered, and himself surrounded by several white men, who were conveying him on board of their ship;-it was a slave ship. The vessel had her cargo completed, and was ready to sail. As they were unfurling the sails, the son of Africa, with many others of his countrymen, for the last time cast his eyes upon his native shores. Futurity was dark, was uncertain-was despair. His bosom thrilled with anguish, as he threw his last farewell look over the plains of his native country. There was his native spot where he had lived; there the home of his infancy and childhood; there the place where he had inhaled his earliest breath; and to tear him from these, seemed like breaking the very strings of his heart.

After a melancholy passage, during which this African was forced to wear double the irons, and to receive double the number of lashes that any of his companions received, on account of his refractory spirit, he was at length landed, and sold to a planter in the place where he now resides. There is nothing new, nothing novel or interesting that ever takes place in the life of a slave-describe one day, and you write the history of a slave. The sun, indeed, continues to roll over him; but it sheds upon him no new joys, no new prospects, no new hopes. So it was with the subject of this narrative. His master was naturally a man of a very humane disposition, but his overseers were often little else than compounds of vice and cruelty. In this situation, the Negro lost all his natural independence and bravery. He often attempted to run away, but was as often taken and punished. Having no cultivated mind, to which he could look for consolation-knowing of no change that was ever to take place in his situation, he settled down in gloominess. Often would he send a silent sigh for the home of his youth; but his path showed but few marks of happiness, and few rays of hope for futurity were drawn by Fancy's hand. Sunk in despondency and vice, he was little above the brutes around him.

In this situation, he was accidentally met by the good minister of the parish, who addressed hini as a

rational and immortal being, and pressed upon him the first principles of religion. This was a new subject; for he had never before looked beyond the narrow bounds before him, nor had he ever dreamed of a world beyond this. After a long conversation on this subject, the minister made him promise that he would now "attend to his soul."

The clergyman could not, for many months after this, obtain an interview with his new pupil, who most carefully shunned him. But though afraid to meet his minister, he still felt an arrow of conviction in his heart. Wherever he went, whether asleep or awake, to use his own words, his promise-" Me take care of soul"-stuck close to him. He now began in earnest to seek "the one thing needful." By the kindness of his master he learned to read his Testament, and to inquire more about Jesus. He was now very desirous to see his minister; and before a convenient opportunity occurred, he was in such distress of mind as actually to attempt, two several times, to kill himself. His minister visited him-conversed and prayed with him.

"Oh!" he would say, "God never think such poor Negro-he no love so much sinner-he no before ever see such bad heart!" The mercy of Christ, and his compassion towards sinners, were explained to him, and his soul was filled with "joy and peace in believing." He now rejoiced and thanked God that he was brought from his native shores, as he had a fairer country and purer enjoyments presented to his view, after the scenes of this transitory world shall

be over. He now became more industrious and more faithful. By uncommon industry he raised money sufficient to purchase his own freedom. He next bought the liberty of his wife, and had nearly completed paying for that of his only daughter, when she was liberated by the hand of death. His wife soon followed her, and left this world a perfect void to the husband and father. His every tie that bound him to earth was now broken. Having no earthly enjoyment, he now placed his affections on heaven above. It is easy for the Christian to make rapid progress in holiness when not fettered by worldly cares.

It was now dark, and I must leave my new acquaintance. I left him with his face wet with tears, still standing beside the tomb-the tomb of his old minister! This good man had been his faithful and constant guide, and though his ashes had been slumbering for years, the Negro had not yet forgotten how to weep at their urn. I could not but admire the goodness and the wonderful dealings of God, in order to bring men to himself. Happy minister! who hast been the instrument of covering multitudes of sins! Happy Negro his is not this world. Though no sculptured marble may tell the traveller where he may shortly lie-though he never trod the thorny road of ambition or power-though the trumpet of fame never blew the echo of his name through a gaping world, still those eyes, which will soon be closed in death, may hereafter awake, to behold, undaunted, a world in flames, and these heavens fleeing away.

LYING WONDERS-THE HOLY FIRE. THE miraculous Greek fire (says Mr Calman),* which takes place on the Saturday of the Greek | Easter week, serves, in the hands of the Greek and Armenian priests, the same purpose that the keys of Peter do in the hands of his skilful successors, the Popes; it unlocks every coffer and purse of the pilgrims, and renders them at the disposal of the inventors and perpetrators of this lying wonder.

To notice all that was passing within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the space of more than twenty-four hours, would be next to impossible; because it was one continuation of shameless madness and rioting, which would have been a disgrace to Greenwich and Smithfield fairs. Only suppose, for a moment, the mighty edifice crowded to excess with fanatic pilgrims of all the Eastern Churches, who, instead of lifting pure hands to God, without wrath and quarrelling, are led, by the petty jealousies about the precedency which they should maintain in the order of their processions, into tumults and fighting, which can only be quelled by the scourge and whip of the followers of the false prophet. Suppose, further, these thousands of devotees running from

one extreme to the other-from the extreme of savage

irritation to that of savage enjoyment of mutual revellings and feasting; like Israel of old, who, when they made the golden calf, were eating, and drinking, and rising up to play. Suppose troops of men, stripped half naked to facilitate their actions, running, trotting, jumping, galloping to and fro, the breadth and length of the church; walking on their hands with their feet aloft in the air, mounting on one another's shoulders, some in a riding and some in a standing position, and by the slightest push are all sent down to the ground in one confused heap, which made one fear for their safety. Suppose, further, many of the pilgrims dressed in fur caps, like the Polish Jews, whom they feigned to represent, and whom the mob met with all manner of contempt and insult-hurrying them through the church as criminals who had been just condemned, amid loud exe crations and shouts of laughter; which indicated that Israel is still a derision amongst these heathens, by whom they are still counted as sheep for the slaughter. All these, and similar proceedings, marked the introduction of this holy miraculous fire; and when questioned about the propriety of such conduct | within a Christian place of worship, and with the name of religion, the priests will tell you, that they once tried to get quit of these absurdities, and the holy fire was withdrawn in consequence of it!

About two o'clock on Saturday afternoon, the preparations for the appearance of the miraculous fire commenced. The multitude, who had been heretofore in a state of frenzy and madness, became a little more quiet; but it proved a quiet that precedes a thunder-storm. Bishops and priests, in their full

A highly respectable Jewish convert residing at Jerusalem, and well known to many in this country.