Part 92

THOUGH some other business demands my attentions yet I must not forget the promise made you of a further account of the processions I saw at _Lisbon_.――――Some of those already mentioned, were extraordinary, by reason of their great drought; but that which is to be the subject of my present letter, was an annual one: it being customary at _Lisbon_ to exhibit some procession or another every _Friday_ in _Lent_. An intelligent Protestant, who stood near me, was so good as to be my interpreter of the dumb shew as it passed along.――I say _dumb shew_: for you must know it was chiefly made up of waxen or wooden images, carried on mens shoulders through the streets, intending to represent the life and death of St. _Francis_, the founder of one of their religious orders. They were brought out from the _Franciscan_ convent, and were preceded by three persons in scarlet habits, with baskets in their hands, in which they received the alms of the spectators, for the benefit of the poor prisoners. After these, came two little boys in party-coloured cloaths, with wings fixed on their shoulders, in imitation of little angels.――Then appeared the figure of St. _Francis_, very gay and beau-like, as he used to be before his conversion. In the next, he was introduced under conviction, and consequently stript of his finery. Soon after this, was exhibited an image of our blessed LORD himself, in a purple gown, with long black hair, with St. _Francis_ lying before him, to receive his immediate orders. Then came the Virgin Mother, (_horresco referens_) with CHRIST her son at her left hand, and St. _Francis_ making his obeisance to both.――――Here, if I remember aright, he made his first appearance in his friar’s habit, with his hair cut short, but not as yet shaved in the crown of his head. After a little space, followed a mitred Cardinal gaudily attired, and before him lay St. _Francis_ almost prostrate, in order to be confirmed in his office. Soon after this, he appears quite metamorphosed into a monk, his crown shorn, his habit black, and his loins girt with a knotted cord.――Here he prays to our Saviour hanging on a cross, that the marks of the wounds in his hands, feet, and side, might be impressed on the same parts of his body. The prayer is granted; blood comes from the hands, feet, and side; and the saint, with great devotion, receives the impressions. This was represented by red waxen strings, reaching from those parts of the image to the corresponding parts of St. _Francis_’s body. Upon this he begins to do wonders; and therefore, in a little while, he is carried along, as holding up a house which was just falling. This miracle, they say, was performed (if my information be true) at _Madrid_, but the particulars of its history I have forgotten. At length the father dies, and is brought forth lying in his grave. But lo! the briars and nettles under which he lay, are turned into fine and fragrant flowers. After this he is borne along upon a bier covered with a silver pall, and four friars lamenting over him.――――He then appears for the last time, but with an increase of power; for he was represented as drawing tormented people out of purgatory with his knotted cord, which, as you may well imagine, the poor souls catched at, and took hold of very eagerly. At length came a gorgeous friar under a splendid canopy, bearing in his hand a piece of the holy cross. After him followed two more little winged boys, and then a long train of fat and well-flavoured _Franciscans_, with their _Calceis Fenestratis_, as _Erasmus_ calls them; and so the procession ended. Methinks I hear you say, “It is full time;”――and so say I: for as the sight itself disgusted me, so I am persuaded the bare narration of it, though ever so short, cannot be very pleasant to one who I know abhors every thing that savours of superstition and idolatry. We will therefore take our leave of St. _Francis_, whose procession was in the day time: but I must tell you it is only to inform you of another of a much more awful and shocking nature, which I saw afterwards at night. About ten o’clock, being deeply engaged in conversation with my kind host, in came an _Englishman_, and told me in all haste, that he had seen a train of near two hundred penitents passing along, and that in all probability I might be gratified with the same sight, if I hastened to a place whither he would conduct me. I very readily obeyed the summons, and, as curiosity quickened my pace, we soon came up with some of those poor creatures, who were then making a halt, and kneeling in the street, whilst a friar from a high cross, with an image of our LORD crucified in his hand, was preaching to them and the populace with great vehemence. Sermon being ended, the penitents went forwards, and several companies followed after with their respective preaching friars at their head, bearing crucifixes. These they pointed to and brandished frequently, and the hearers as frequently beat their breasts, and clapped their cheeks. At proper pauses they stopped and prayed, and one of them, more zealous than the rest, before the King’s palace, sounded the word _penitentia_ through a speaking trumpet. The penitents themselves were clothed and covered all over with white linen vestments, only holes were made for their eyes to peep out at. All were bare-footed, and all had long heavy chains fastened to their ancles, which, when dragged along the street, made a dismal rattling: but though alike in dress, yet in other respects there was great variety amongst them. For some carried great stones on their backs, and others dead mens bones and skulls in their hands. Some bore large and seemingly very heavy crosses upon their shoulders, whilst others had their arms extended quite wide, or carried a bow full of swords with the points downwards. Most of them whipped and lashed themselves, some with cords, and others with flat bits of iron. It being a moonshine night, I could see them quite well; and indeed some of them struck so hard, that I perceived their backs (left bare on purpose to be slashed) were quite red, and swoln very much by the violence and repetition of the blows. Had my dear friend been there, he would have joined with me in saying, that the whole scene was horrible;――so horrible, that, being informed it was to be continued till morning, I was glad to return from whence I came about midnight.――――Had you been with me, I know you would have joined with me in praising and gratefully adoring the LORD of all lords, for the great wonder of the reformation, and also for that glorious deliverance wrought out for us a few years past, in defeating the unnatural rebellion. O what a mighty spirit and power from on high must _Luther_, _Calvin_, _Melancthon_, _Zuinglius_, and those glorious reformers, be necessarily endued with, who dared first openly to oppose and stem such a torrent of superstition and spiritual tyranny! and what gratitude owe we to those, who, under GOD, were instrumental in saving us from the return of such spiritual slavery, and such blind obedience to a papal power! To have had a papist for our king;――a papist, if not born, yet from his infancy nursed up at _Rome_;――a papist, one of whose sons is advanced to the ecclesiastical dignity of a Cardinal, and both under the strongest obligations to support the interest of that church, whose superstitions, as well as political state principles, they have sucked in, and imbibed even from their infancy. But, blessed be GOD, the snare is broken, and we are delivered. O for protestant practices to be added to protestant principles! O for an obediential acknowledgment to the ever-blessed GOD for our repeated deliverances! But alas!――――Pardon me, my dear friend, I stop to weep. Adieu. I cannot enlarge, but leaving you to guess from what source my tears flow, I must hasten to subscribe myself, my dear Sir,