The only trade of Loretto consists of rosaries, crucifixes, little Madonnas, Agnus Dei’s, and medals, which are manufactured here, and sold to pilgrims. There are great numbers of shops full of these[354] commodities, some of them of a high price; but infinitely15 the greater part are adapted to the purses of the buyers, and sold for a mere16 trifle. The evident poverty of those manufacturers and traders, and of the inhabitants of this town in general, is a sufficient proof that the reputation of our Lady of Loretto is greatly on the decline.
In the great church, which contains the Holy Chapel17, are confessionals, where the penitents18 from every country of Europe may be confessed in their own language, priests being always in waiting for that purpose: each of them has a long white rod in his hand, with which he touches the heads of those to whom he thinks it proper to give absolution. They place themselves on their knees, in groupes, around the confessional chair; and when the Holy Father has touched their heads with the expiatory19 rod, they retire, freed from the burden of their sins, and with[355] renewed courage to begin a fresh account.
In the spacious20 area before this church, there is an elegant marble fountain, supplied with water from an adjoining hill, by an aqueduct. Few even of the most inconsiderable towns of Italy are without the useful ornament21 of a public fountain. The embellishments of sculpture and architecture are employed, with great propriety22, on such works, which are continually in the people’s view; the air is refreshed, and the eye delighted, by the streams of water they pour forth23; a sight peculiarly agreeable in a warm climate. In this area there is also a statue of Sixtus V., in bronze. Over the portal of the church itself, is a statue of the Virgin; and above the middle gate, is a Latin inscription24, importing, that within is the House of the Mother of God, in which the Word was made flesh. The gates of the church are likewise of bronze, embellished25 with basso[356] relievos, of admirable workmanship; the subjects taken partly from the Old, and partly from the New, Testament26, and divided into different compartments27. As the gates of this church are shut at noon, the pilgrims who arrive after that time can get no nearer the Santa Casa than these gates, which are, by this means, sometimes exposed to the first violence of that holy ardour which was designed for the Chapel itself. All the sculpture upon the gates, which is within reach of the mouths of those zealots, is, in some degree, effaced29 by their kisses. The murder of Abel, by his brother, is upon a level with the lips of a person of an ordinary size, when kneeling. Poor Abel has been always unfortunate; had he been placed a foot higher, or lower, on the gate, he might have remained there, in security, for ages; but, in the unlucky place that the sculptor30 has put him, his whole body has been almost entirely31 kissed away by the pilgrims; whilst Cain stands,[357] untouched, in his original altitude, frowning and fierce as ever.
I have said nothing of the paintings to be seen here, though some are highly esteemed32, particularly two in the Treasury33. The subject of one of these is, the Virgin’s Nativity, by Annibale Carracci; and of the other, a Holy Family, by Raphael. There are some others of considerable merit, which ornament the altars of the great church. These altars, or little chapels34, of which this fabric35 contains a great number, are lined with marble, and embellished by sculpture; but nothing within this church interested me so much as the iron grates before those chapels, after I was informed that they were made of the fetters36 and chains of the Christian37 slaves, who were freed from bondage38 by the glorious victory of Lepanto. From that moment these iron grates commanded my attention more than all the golden lamps and candlesticks,[358] and angels and jewels, of the Holy Chapel.
The ideas that rush into one’s mind on hearing a circumstance of this kind, are affecting beyond expression. To think of four thousand of our fellow-creatures, torn from the service of their country and the arms of friendship, chained to oars39, subjected continually to the revilings of enemies, and every kind of ignominious40 treatment, at once, when their souls were sinking under the weight of such accumulated calamity41, and brought to the very verge42 of despair; at once, in one blessed moment, freed from slavery, restored to the embraces of their friends, and enjoying, with them, all the rapture43 of victory. Good God, what a scene! what a number of scenes! for the imagination, after glancing at the whole, distinguishes and separates objects, and forms a thousand groupes of the most pathetic kind; the fond recognition[359] of old companions, brothers flying into each other’s arms, and the ecstacy of fathers on the recovery of their lost sons. Many such pictures did my fancy form, while I stood contemplating44 those grates so truly ornamental45 of a Christian church, and so perfectly46 congenial with a religion which requires men to relieve the oppressed, and set the captive free.
Happy if the followers47 of that religion had always observed this divine admonition. I speak not of those men who assume the name of Christians48 for the purposes of interest or ambition, but of a more absurd class of mankind; those who, believing in Christianity, endeavour to reconcile it to a conduct, and doctrines49, entirely repugnant to its nature. This absurdity50 has appeared in the human character from the earliest ages of Christianity. Men have displayed unaffected zeal28, and endeavoured to support and propagate the most benevolent51 and rational of all religions, by actions[360] worthy52 of demons53, and arguments which shock common sense.
The same persons who praised and admired the heavenly benevolence54 of this sentiment, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy; have thought it a duty to condemn55 their fellow-creatures to cruel deaths for speculative56 opinions. The same men who admired the founder57 of Christianity for going about, continually, doing good, have thought it a duty to spend their whole lives in cells, doing nothing.
And can any thing be more opposite to those dark and inexplicable58 doctrines, on the belief of which, according to the conviction of many, our salvation59 depends, than this plain rule, Whatsoever60 ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them? a rule so plain, as to be understood by the most simple and ignorant; and so just, complete, and comprehensive, as to be admired by the wisest and most learned.
[361]
If this equitable61 maxim62 is the law and the prophets, and we learn from the highest authority that it is, what becomes of all those mysterious webs, of various texture63, which, since the beginning of the Christian ?ra, Popes, Priests, and many of the leaders of sectaries, have wove around it?
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1 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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2 precludes | |
v.阻止( preclude的第三人称单数 );排除;妨碍;使…行不通 | |
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3 dilemmas | |
n.左右为难( dilemma的名词复数 );窘境,困境 | |
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4 vows | |
誓言( vow的名词复数 ); 郑重宣布,许愿 | |
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5 distressing | |
a.使人痛苦的 | |
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6 motive | |
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
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7 jubilee | |
n.周年纪念;欢乐 | |
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8 mules | |
骡( mule的名词复数 ); 拖鞋; 顽固的人; 越境运毒者 | |
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9 asses | |
n. 驴,愚蠢的人,臀部 adv. (常用作后置)用于贬损或骂人 | |
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10 reposed | |
v.将(手臂等)靠在某人(某物)上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11 hymns | |
n.赞美诗,圣歌,颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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12 hymn | |
n.赞美诗,圣歌,颂歌 | |
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13 vocal | |
adj.直言不讳的;嗓音的;n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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14 virgin | |
n.处女,未婚女子;adj.未经使用的;未经开发的 | |
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15 infinitely | |
adv.无限地,无穷地 | |
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16 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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17 chapel | |
n.小教堂,殡仪馆 | |
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18 penitents | |
n.后悔者( penitent的名词复数 );忏悔者 | |
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19 expiatory | |
adj.赎罪的,补偿的 | |
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20 spacious | |
adj.广阔的,宽敞的 | |
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21 ornament | |
v.装饰,美化;n.装饰,装饰物 | |
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22 propriety | |
n.正当行为;正当;适当 | |
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23 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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24 inscription | |
n.(尤指石块上的)刻印文字,铭文,碑文 | |
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25 embellished | |
v.美化( embellish的过去式和过去分词 );装饰;修饰;润色 | |
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26 testament | |
n.遗嘱;证明 | |
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27 compartments | |
n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 );(列车车厢的)隔间;(家具或设备等的)分隔间;隔层 | |
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28 zeal | |
n.热心,热情,热忱 | |
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29 effaced | |
v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 );抹去;超越;使黯然失色 | |
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30 sculptor | |
n.雕刻家,雕刻家 | |
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31 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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32 esteemed | |
adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 );敬重;认为;以为 | |
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33 treasury | |
n.宝库;国库,金库;文库 | |
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34 chapels | |
n.小教堂, (医院、监狱等的)附属礼拜堂( chapel的名词复数 );(在小教堂和附属礼拜堂举行的)礼拜仪式 | |
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35 fabric | |
n.织物,织品,布;构造,结构,组织 | |
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36 fetters | |
n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 );束缚v.给…上脚镣,束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 ) | |
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37 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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38 bondage | |
n.奴役,束缚 | |
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39 oars | |
n.桨,橹( oar的名词复数 );划手v.划(行)( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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40 ignominious | |
adj.可鄙的,不光彩的,耻辱的 | |
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41 calamity | |
n.灾害,祸患,不幸事件 | |
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42 verge | |
n.边,边缘;v.接近,濒临 | |
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43 rapture | |
n.狂喜;全神贯注;着迷;v.使狂喜 | |
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44 contemplating | |
深思,细想,仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 ); 注视,凝视; 考虑接受(发生某事的可能性); 深思熟虑,沉思,苦思冥想 | |
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45 ornamental | |
adj.装饰的;作装饰用的;n.装饰品;观赏植物 | |
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46 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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47 followers | |
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件 | |
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48 Christians | |
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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49 doctrines | |
n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 );教义;学说;(政府政策的)正式声明 | |
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50 absurdity | |
n.荒谬,愚蠢;谬论 | |
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51 benevolent | |
adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的 | |
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52 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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53 demons | |
n.恶人( demon的名词复数 );恶魔;精力过人的人;邪念 | |
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54 benevolence | |
n.慈悲,捐助 | |
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55 condemn | |
vt.谴责,指责;宣判(罪犯),判刑 | |
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56 speculative | |
adj.思索性的,暝想性的,推理的 | |
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57 Founder | |
n.创始者,缔造者 | |
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58 inexplicable | |
adj.无法解释的,难理解的 | |
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59 salvation | |
n.(尤指基督)救世,超度,拯救,解困 | |
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60 whatsoever | |
adv.(用于否定句中以加强语气)任何;pron.无论什么 | |
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61 equitable | |
adj.公平的;公正的 | |
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62 maxim | |
n.格言,箴言 | |
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63 texture | |
n.(织物)质地;(材料)构造;结构;肌理 | |
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