with rubbish and wild verdure, and watched with an anxious eye this Genius of modern Rome.

She stood still amid the spacious, towering ruins, just on the spot where historians say the statue of ancient Rome stood imperially amid those of her subjects, provinces and kingdoms; she waved her crucifix around, and said, in a voice that seemed to arise from the depths of the sepulchre- IT IS ALL MY OWN!'

In a moment I saw that a second figure was at her side, one of a port and stature even superior to her own. Her graceful flowing vestments were partly white, and partly of a saffron hue, and were covered with figures of serpents, birds, lotus-flowers, the equal-limbed cross, the half-cross, or T, and many other mystic symbols. I knew her at once for the Paganism of classical antiquity. A wreath of vine leaves, corn-flowers and myrtle branches crowned her head, the sacred white fillet bound her brow, she held the caduceus in one hand, and waved with the other the ivy-twined thyrsus of the Bacchante.

Her features were of the Roman style of beauty; but afterwards, as she spoke, her countenance seemed to change, sometimes assuming all the forbidding gloom of the swarthy, square-visaged Egyptian, and anon beaming with all the loveliness of that classical model of beauty, designated by Croly as "the sparkling divinity of a Grecian isle."

Her eye glanced brightly upon the triple-crowned figure of Popery, and she said-'I thank thee, O my sister! thou genius of modern Rome! that thou hast preserved my many deities and demi-gods, my mediators and goddesses, my innumerable altars, my perpetual sacrifices, my processions, my images; but

pardon the suggestion that the style and fashion of them is degenerated, and that it had been better hadst thou preserved my classic elegance as well as my ceremonies; my refinement along with my idolatry.'

Popery turned a fierce glance upon Paganism, shaking the knots of her bloody scourge at her elder sister. Paganism stood undaunted, whereupon Popery put forth her crucifix, and began diligently to exorcise her; but having neither bell, book, nor candle,' the charm was not effectual.

'Ha!' said Paganism with a sneer, 'I had forgotten to thank thee for keeping up mine ancient sorceries.'

Popery grew furious. 'Out, fiend!' she said, 'thou foulest corruption of religion that ever disgraced human nature!'

Stop,' sister,' replied Paganism coolly; if I be a foul corruption of religion, remember that thou art only a corruption from me.'

'I am the Holy Catholic Church,' said Popery, with a grim frown.

'I am as holy as thyself, if that be the point in question,' answered Paganism, and in the days of my glory, I was far more catholic than thou ever wert, or shalt be. I ruled Rome, when Rome ruled the world. I ruled, and still do rule those barbarous tribes whom the proud Romans counted not among the world's nations."

I must here observe that as this singular conversation was held in Latin, this word catholic was used in its proper meaning of universal; and not as it is misused by the liberals of our days to signify any thing that is exclusively popish.

The triple-crowned woman did not make a direct reply to this last untoward observation of Paganism, but answered, with a haughty and impatient gesture,

How darest thou talk to me of thy holiness, here on the very spot where the blood of innocent gladiators, aye, and of Christian martyrs too, has polluted the blushing earth?'

And how darest thou talk to me of bleeding martyrs,' retorted Paganism, when thine own garments are dyed with the blood of slaughtered multitudes, as innocent as the victims of my amphitheatre, and a thousand times more numerous.'

Popery again gave the slip to this accusation, and said, 'Holiness! thou sink of corruption! I should indeed shrink from polluting my sainted lips with the black catalogue of thy depravities and abominations.'

Nay, Mother of abominations! look at home,' replied Paganism, with a scowl, rather should I shrink from polluting my refined and eleganceloving eyes with a glance into thy convents and monasteries.'

Popery, as usual, replied indirectly and abusively, 'Spirit of evil! how darest thou to claim affinity with me or my ceremonies?'

'Because I possess the affinity of identity,' replied Paganism, tell me, thou thievish impostor! whence came the famous statue of St. Peter, which in this city thou adorest, and hast kissed his toe until the very marble is worn away with thy senseless caresses?'

6

'It is my own!' cried Popery indignantly.

'Tis mine!' said Paganism, it is my glorious Jupiter, adored by the world in my imperial Rome.

Thou hast stolen and disfigured it, and converted it into one of thy saintly idols.'

'Peace, thou slanderer of the church!' cried Popery in great wrath, I have a right to Rome and all that it contains. Did not I find this imperial city degraded into a’—

6

Nay,' interrupted Paganism loftily, thou didst find it imperial and glorious, thou hast made it feeble and ruinous; thou foundest it under the sway of my world-conquering Cæsars, thou hast brought it under the authority of a decrepit, shaven old priest.'

'Hear me, impudent heretic!' thundered Popery, brandishing her sword, I found Rome idolatrous '—

And thou hast kept her so,' interposed Paganism. 'I have made her Christian,' cried Popery ; 'I found her cruel, vile, abominable,—I have made her holy, and peaceable, and charitable.'

'And foolish, and absurd, and ridiculous,' said Paganism, finishing the list of qualities. Popery, choked with rage, could only shake her various implements at Paganism, who, beaming with a smile of the keenest satire, proceeded, 'Thou didst find my Rome the city of the world; thou hast degraded her to be only the city of the Pope. She was the pride of mankind, she is now but the pride of the priesthood! And what a priesthood! Compare my stately priests of Isis, or my flamens of Jupiter, my noble augurs, my magnificent flower-wreathed, white-robed sacrificers, with thy fat friars, thy red-flap-hatted cardinals, thy trembling old Pope,thy shaven priests, thy bare-footed, filthy monks and mendicants, habited in rags and girded with ropes, who make a merit of ashes, and sanctity of dirt, and beg their way over the world, as despicable as they are disgusting. Thou improve my Rome!!

Look at my sacrifices, the august procession, the majestic priests, the trains of virgins, the garlands, the lyres, the songs, the golden-horned, flower-decked victims, the stately marble temples, the bowering groves, the beauteous altars-and then look at thine own absurd "bloodless sacrifice" of a piece of paste, thy mumbled prayers, and the antic gestures of thy hypocritical priests! Look at thy relics; there thou hast outdone me with thy scraps of bones, and rags, and rubbish. Did I ever adore a skull of Saturn, a toe of Bacchus, a garment of Juno, or the tip of a horn of Jupiter Ammon? Nay, Popery, nay; thou hast many fooleries which are all thine own; and though thou hast retained my principles, thou hast discarded my adornments,-thou keepest mine idolatries, but thou hast lost my grace and beauty!'

'Look at my cathedrals!' cried Popery. 'Look at my temples!' retorted Paganism. Popery was about to reply, when a sudden light amid the ruined ampitheatre interrupted this extraordinary colloquy. At the first moment my eyes were dazzled by its brilliance; but I soon discovered it to encircle the form of an exquisitely beautiful, yet majestic female, who stood in front of the contending rivals, with a stern but most celestial countenance. She was simply habited in a white and flowing robe, with a red cross marked upon her breast; a halo of brilliant rays surrounded her head, and in her hand was a book, whence a beam of light streamed upwards upon her lovely features.

'Peace, corrupt children of evil!' she said, 'be still, and hear the voice of Christianity. Thou, Paganism, art the elder sister, for thou didst stray from the original Divine Revelation to the world of old.