_To the Same._
_Lisbon, April 3, 1754._
_My dear Friend_,
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,
Yours most cordially in our blessed LORD,
_G. W._