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LETTER FROM ROME.

HOLY WATER.

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DR. MIDDLETON continues: The next thing that will of course strike our imagination, is their use of holy water; for nobody ever goes in or out of a Church, but he is either sprinkled by the priest who attends for that purpose on solemn days, or else he serves himself with it from a vessel usually of marble, placed just at the door, not unlike one of our baptismal fonts but this ceremony is so notoriously and directly transmitted to them from Paganism, that their own writers make not the least scruple to own it! The Jesuit La Cerda, in his notes on a passage of Virgil, where this practice is mentioned, says, "that hence was derived the custom of holy church to provide purifying or holy water at the entrance of their churches.

THE aquaminarium or amula, says Montfaucon, "was a vase of holy water placed by the heathens at the entrance of their temples to sprinkle themselves with." wo of these vessels were given by Croesus to the temple of Apollo at Delphos, one of which was of gold and the other of silver. The custom of sprinkling themselves was so necessary apart of all the religious offices of the heathen, that the method of excommunication seems to have been by prohibiting offenders from approaching or using the holy water pot. The very composition of this Tholy water was the same among the heathens as it is among the papists; being nothing more than a mixture of salt with common water; the form of the sprinkling brush was much the same as the Romish priests now use; and it may be seen on almost all bas-reliefs and ancient coins wherever the insignia or emblems of the pagan priesthood are described.

PLATINA in his lives of the Popes, and also some other authors, ascribe the institution of holy water to Alexander I who is said to have been Bishop of Rome about the year 113; but it could not have been introduced so early; because for some ages after the primitive fathers speak of it as a purely heathenish

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custom; and they condemn it as impious and detestable. Justin Martyr says it was invented by demons in an impious "inmitation of the true baptism signed by the prophets, that their votaries might also have their pretended purification, by water." Out of opposition to the Christians the emperor Julian ordered the provisions in the markets to be sprinkled with holy water on purpose either to starve them, or to force them to eat that which they considered polluted.

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THUS we see what contrary opinions were entertained by the primitive Christians, and the present Roman church. first condemned it as superstitious, abominable and irreconcilable with Christianity; the latter adopted it from the heathens and still use it as highly edifying and improving to Christian piety; the one looked upon it as the contrivance of the devil to delude mankind; the other as their security against his delusions. But that which is still more ridiculous than even the senseless ceremony itself, is to see their learned writers gravely reckoning up the several virtues and benefits which are derived from the use of the holy water both to body and soul; and to crown all, producing a long roll of miracles to attest the certainty of each virtue which they ascribe to it. May we not therefore justly apply to the present people of Rome what was said by Ovid of its old inhabitants, for the use of this very ceremony?:

Ah easy fools, to think that a whole flood

Of water, e'er can purge the stain of blood!

I DO NOT at present recollect whether the ancient heathen went so far as to apply the use of this holy water to the purifying or blessing their horses, asses and other cattle; or whether this custom be an improvement of modern Rome which has dedicated an yearly festival peculiarly to this service which in their vulgar language is called "the benediction of horses." It is always celebrated in the month of January; when all the inhabitants of the City and neighhourhood send up all their cattle to the

Convent of S. Anthony, where a priest in his surplice a stands the church door and sprinkles all the animals singly with his brush as they are presented to him; and each owner pays a gratuity in proportion to his zeal and ability. Amongst the rest Dr. M. had his own horses blest at the expense of about eighteen pence of our money; partly to satisfy his own curiosity, and partly to humour his coaachman, who like all the common people there, was persuaded that some mischances would befal them within the year, if they wanted the benefit of this benediction.

THE ancients sprinkled their horses in the Circension games in order to refresh them under violent exercise; but the Romish priests, who took this Custom from paganism were wise in their generation, and improved this coarse and barren superstition iuto a revenue sufficient to maintain fifty monks in idleness.

LAMPS AND CANDLES IN CHURCHES..

WHEN a man advances a little forward into one of their churches his attention is immediately attracted by the number of lamps and wax candles which are kept constantly burning before the shrines and images of their saints, and on every altar

THIS is a right which will not only surprise a stranger by its novelty; but it will furnish him with another proof and example of the conformity of the Romish with the Pagan worship; and will recall to his memory many passages of the heathen writers, when they describe the perpetual burning of lamps and candles before the altars and statues of their dieties.

HERODOTUS tells us of Egyptians who first introduced the use of lights or lamps within temples, that they had a famous yearly festival called from the principal ceremony of it "the lighting up of candles!" But there is scarce a single festival at Rome which might not for the same reason be called by the same name. The primitive writers frequently expose the folly and absurdity of this heathenish custom. "They light un

"candles to God," says Lactantius, " as if He lived in the dark; and do they not deserve to pass for madmen who offer lamps to the author and giver of light."

In the collections of old inscriptions, we find many instances of presents and donations from private persons of lamps and candlesticks to the temples and altars of their gods; a piece of zeal which continues still the same in modern Rome, where cach Church abounds with lamps of massy silver, and sometimes even of gold, the gifts of princes and other persons of distinction. It is surprising to see how great a number of this kind are perpetually burning before the altars of their principal saints or miraculous images; as S. Anthony of Padua, or the Lady of Loretto; as well as the vast profusion of wax candles with which their churches are illuminated on every great festival ' when the high a'tar is covered over with gold and silver plate brought for the purpose out of their treasuries; and when stuck "full of wax lights, disposed in beautiful figures, looks more like the rich sideboard of some great prince dressed out for a feast than an altar to pay divine worship at.

RURAL WALKS IN CORNWALL.
No. IX.

BODMIN; THE PRIORY OF S. PETROC THERE, AND THE
CHURCHES APPROPRIATED TO IT.

BODMIN is a neat and clean town, situated about the middle of the County.

IT CONSISTS principally of one main Street, at the lower extremity of which stands the Church. The entrance to the Churchyard is beautiful; and the effect of the three old western gables peeping through the trees is very striking. The Church, which is a large building, is described by Hals. He tells us that Algar, Earl of Cornwall, at his own cost and charges, reedified the Church of Bodmin, as it now stands, with three

roofs each sixty cloth yards long, thirty broad, and twenty high, so that for bulk or magnificence, it is parallel to the Cathedral of Kirton, and little inferior to that of Exeter.

IT IS, on the whole, a fine building but Hals makes a great mistake in comparing it with the Cathedral of Exeter.

THE FONT is very good, and Norman Romanesque. The Tower,which is on the north side, contains eight bells; and it was formerly surmounted by a Spire which was destroyed by lightning, in the year of our LORD, 1699.

EARL ALGAR gave the Church to a Society of Augustines or Black Canons. But these Black Canons, (as Leland tells us,) were in after times displaced, and succeeded by S. Benedict's Monks; on the removal of whom the place was occupied by a Nunnery of Benedictine Nuns. Afterwards these Nuns were removed to make room for secular Priests who, in their turn, gave way to Canons Regular, or Black Canons Augustine; and these last continued to possess it until the fearfully sacrilegious dissolution in the Reign of King Henry VIII.

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ITS YEARLY value at that time was about £270. According to Hals the Churches appropriated to the Priory were as follows:-1 S. Petroc Bodmin : 2. S. Wenn: 3. Withiel: 4. S. Kew: 5. S. Breock: 6. S. Petroc Padstow: 7. Little Petherwick 8. S. Ewan: 9. S. Cubert: 10 S. Carantocus, Crantock. 11. S. Mynven: 12. S. Columb Minor: 13. Tregony: 14. Lanhydrock, and some few others under the patronage of the Priors, besides some in Devonshire.

THE PRIOR kept a Treasurer, a Steward, an almoner, and a hospitilarius and infirmarius, to take care of sick and wearied travellers who might perchance seek shelter there. He held jurisdiction over the River Alan, from Camelford to Padstow Rock, by the gift of Algar. The names of the Priors are unknown, with the exception of two viz:-Roger in the Reign of King Henry the Second, and Thomas Vivian, the last Prior in the Reign of Henry VIII. Prior Vivian was a man of great zeal, piety, and liberality, who took delight in doing good, and

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