men?"-Ver. Hist. II. § 45. Our friend Lucian

was no enthusiast for Truth.

September 20th.

It seems to me that from the middle of the 1st, and during the 2nd century, the Romans were improving in philosophy, though they lost ground in eloquence. I am reading Aulus Gellius, a writer out of the circle of the usual Latin studies. In c. iii. lib. i. he proposes the question whether, and how much, a man may deviate from what is right, in order to serve a friend. He quotes a passage from Cicero, where the great Orator says "Ut minus justæ voluntates amicorum adjuvandæ sint, in quibus eorum aut caput agatur, aut fama, declinandum sit de viâ, modò ne summa turpitudo sequatur." Gellius very acutely observes: "Cum agitur inquit, aut caput amici aut fama, declinandum est de via, ut etiam nonnunquam voluntatem illius adjuvemus. Sed cujusmodi declinatio ista esse debeat, qualisque ad adjuvandum digressio, et in quanta voluntatis amici iniquitate non dicit. Quid autem refert scire me in hujusmodi periculis amicorum, si non magna me turpitudo secutura est, de via recta esse declinandum, nisi id quoque me docuerit, quam putet magnam turpitudinem? et cum decessero de via, quousque digredi debeam?"

This has always been my question when I hear dis

simulation demanded in favour of established religious opinions. Tell me what quantity of falsehood should be mixed, and prove that the mixture is proper else I cannot grant your principle; for it amounts to the dereliction of the only intelligible principle in the case.

Sept. 27th.

The Liverpool Mercury announces the conversion (a strange word) of a young lady, the daughter of a Baronet, to the Roman Catholic religion. Is it not evident that Roman Catholicism is spreading rapidly in England? I think there can be no doubt of this. I am convinced that the same must happen wherever Catholicity is not the established religion. Protestantism requires a strong political interest to maintain itself: it certainly stands upon that basis in England. A Church, maintained at an expense which exceeds that of all other religious establishments put together in the world, cannot be in much danger of falling, except by a revolution. The Roman Catholic religion is exceedingly modest and unassuming in England. The absurd invectives and exaggerations of the Protestant fanatics, give an air of vulgarity even to the most correct and just representation of the monstrous evils inseparable from Romanism. My works upon that subject have fallen into thorough disrepute yet nothing can be more true than my

statements. But to a doubting Protestant, especially a person with a certain turn for sentimental religion, it will be enough to be told that I am an apostate priest, to mention Fenelon and St. Francis de Sales. The heart of such persons will find a complete satisfaction in the purified extract of Romanism, which the Romish priests may safely administer to the higher classes in England. On the other hand, all attacks on Catholicism affect all orthodox Protestantism. The miraculous, mysterious, book-oracular Christianity, is more unsatisfactory and incomplete upon the Protestant principle, than upon the Roman Catholic basis. The result must be this: all who want strength of mind to be creedless, and are yet too sincere to content themselves with an external conformity to the various modifications of Protestantism, will be Roman Catholics. People of fashion will be any thing, or nothing at all. The only safety against Catholic encroachments, in politics, arises from the great mass of total unbelief which exists in the civilized portion of the world.

Sept. 28th, 1839.

T. Beck and his father came after my dinner. The meeting with Luke Beck affected me deeply.

29th.

Could not sleep at first, in consequence of the excitement of the preceding evening; but nevertheless awoke in better spirits.

30th. L. and T. Beck came after my dinner. We had a long conversation, during which my cousin showed the greatest interest in Ferdinand's promotion. He engaged to write to Lubbock to answer for the forthcoming of the purchase-money. I have written to Messrs. Cox and Co., the agents of the 40th regiment, to put down Ferdinand's name for purchase. The interest frightens me.

Oct. 6th.

Began to write in Spanish.

Oct. 7th.

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, a considerable part of whose Antiquities I am reading, as I amuse myself with Eichhorn's well-compiled Universal History, entirely made up of passages from the Ancients, mentions that Servius Tullius, having enlarged the city of Rome, ordered that there should be erected in the Lanes, kaλiádaç (the Lexicons render the word Chapels, but I am convinced it should be projecting NICHES-called RETABLOS in Spain,) to the EntranceHeroes-ήρωσι προνώπιοις—at the expense of the Neighbours, and that there should be annual Offerings of Cakes from every house. At these sacrifices the slaves were to MINISTER, in attestation that their sacerdotal services were acceptable to the Heroes. This Festival was the COMPITALIA.

To any one perfectly familiar with Spain, this pas

sage must be striking; for there was scarcely an opening to several narrow Lanes without a kaλiaç (kadia is a Nest, which the RETABLOS exactly resemble in their form and position,) at the entrance of the principal thoroughfare. That the Saints are an imitation of the Heroes of the Romans is well. known. Fifty years ago every one of these ENTRANCEHeroes-роvшrio-had an annual Festival, and, in the Country, all such Festivals were celebrated with abundance of MAZA FRITA (uala), fried cakes sweetened with honey. One of these out-of-doors Sanctuaries (and indeed one that stood near one of the City-gates, from which it had, by increasing devotion, been transferred to a Chapel,) was under the care of the Negroes at Seville; so that even in this respect the similarity of the two Institutions is clear. I will add, that all the City-gates had a RETABLO, OCcupying evidently the place of the ancient Gods to whose protection such Entrances were committed in ancient times. I am, indeed, more and more convinced, that there is not a single religious ceremony or custom among Christians which is not a very ancient one in greater or less disguise. It deserves observation that the primitive Roman religion had Institutions intended for the benefit of slaves, and to soften the evils of their condition.* As pious fraud has perverted every kind of knowledge in order to represent Christianity as totally different

* Read Dionysius' Observations on this very point.-Lib. iv. c. 14.