DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61894#0169
Ch. IV.
THROUGH ITALY.
139
felt myself penetrated with holy terror, while
conducted by a priest in his surplice with a lighted
torch in his hand, I ranged through these dor-
mitories of the dead, lined with the urns of em-
perors and pontiffs, and almost paved with the
remains of saints and martyrs. The intrepid
Otho, the turbulent Alexander, and the polished
Christina, lie mouldering’ near the hallowed ashes
of the apostles Peter and Paid, of the holy pon-
tiffs Linus, Silvester and Adrian. The low vault
closes over their porphyry tombs, and silence and
darkness brood uninterrupted around them.
My awe increased as I approached the monu-
ment of the apostles themselves. Others may
behold the mausoleum of an emperor or of a
a consul, of a poet, or of an orator, w ith enthu-
siasm ; for my part, I contemplated the sepulchre
of these Christian heroes with heart-felt venera-
tion. What, if a bold achievement, an useful
invention, a well-fought battle, or a well-told
tale, can entitle a man to the admiration of
posterity, and shed a blaze of glory over his re-
mains, surely the courage, the constancy, the
cruel sufferings, the triumphant death of these
holy champions, must excite our admiration and
our gratitude, ennoble the spot where their relics
repose, and sanctify the very dust that imbibed
their sacred blood. By sacrificing their lives to
THROUGH ITALY.
139
felt myself penetrated with holy terror, while
conducted by a priest in his surplice with a lighted
torch in his hand, I ranged through these dor-
mitories of the dead, lined with the urns of em-
perors and pontiffs, and almost paved with the
remains of saints and martyrs. The intrepid
Otho, the turbulent Alexander, and the polished
Christina, lie mouldering’ near the hallowed ashes
of the apostles Peter and Paid, of the holy pon-
tiffs Linus, Silvester and Adrian. The low vault
closes over their porphyry tombs, and silence and
darkness brood uninterrupted around them.
My awe increased as I approached the monu-
ment of the apostles themselves. Others may
behold the mausoleum of an emperor or of a
a consul, of a poet, or of an orator, w ith enthu-
siasm ; for my part, I contemplated the sepulchre
of these Christian heroes with heart-felt venera-
tion. What, if a bold achievement, an useful
invention, a well-fought battle, or a well-told
tale, can entitle a man to the admiration of
posterity, and shed a blaze of glory over his re-
mains, surely the courage, the constancy, the
cruel sufferings, the triumphant death of these
holy champions, must excite our admiration and
our gratitude, ennoble the spot where their relics
repose, and sanctify the very dust that imbibed
their sacred blood. By sacrificing their lives to