390 HIS CONTEMPTIBLE CHANGES. his own bitter spirit, which had no corrective within itself. In his madness he once erected his own tomb by the side of the church facing his house, and placed upon the altar a figure of gilt wood supposed to be meant for himself; for he had entertained the idea of making a religion of his own. History only preserves his memory as a lesson to proud unbelieving philosophers, despicable apostates, and enemies of Christianity, who can be terrified by it even in a perverted form, as he was by popery, in his latter end. His changes were most extraordinary. In 1760, he professed himself a Catholic, and heard mass at the midnight of Christmas; in 1766, he wrote a pagan ode on the death of the dauphin, accompanied with a tissue of ludicrous and impious libels; in 1768, he again confessed to Father Adam as a papist; and in 1769, he wrote the history of Louis XV. which he filled with the essence of infidelity and libertinism. His mad hatred of Christianity manifested itself in many ways. One day after dinner, he sent for all his servants to come in to him separately, and inquired of them whether they were Christians. To every one who answered in the negative he gave a glass of wine, and threatened to turn out of doors the only one who had the honesty to avow himself a believer. Fools alone, who make a mock at sin, can have any pleasure in the career of Voltaire, or look at the tomb where he lies without horror. Well did an old woman at Sellieres, say to one who asked earnestly for his grave, "There Sir, he lies: you are not the only fool from Paris, who has been here to see the tomb of that wicked man." Miss Hill, whose life was spent in the happy enjoyment of true piety, made anxious inquiries as to the end of this dreadful enemy of religion, in order to confirm the assurance she always expressed, that the strongest infidelity must yield before the terrors of approaching dissolution. Though many accounts have been given of the end of Voltaire, I could not refrain from making some use of these remains of the excellent sister of Sir Richard Hill, trusting that should they meet the eye of any unbeliever, they may lead him to seek refuge in that hope, which was the comfort and the spring of usefulness both of herself and of her brother. Moreover, we have in the facts here recorded, a proof, if any such be needed, of the impossibility of returning to God through the medium of formal observances and carnal mummeries; and that there is no repentance and no assured sense of pardon, but in those who are led to the Saviour with that contrition which compels them to cry out, not only for mercy, but also for a clean heart, and the renewal of a right spirit within them. CHAPTER XVI. SIR RICHARD HILL VISITS SICILY AND CALABRIA. OF VOYAGERS. MOTLEY GROUP VAULT OF THE ASSASSINATIONS. FILTHY CAPUCHINS. COACHES AND SPLENDOUR. VOYAGE FROM NAPLES TO PALERMO. In the year 1791, Sir Richard Hill, accompanied by his brother, the Rev. Brian Hill, made a tour through Sicily and Calabria, and spent the holy week at Rome. Mr. Brian Hill published an account of this journey at the earnest desire of many friends; and I possess an interleaved copy of that work, with manuscript additions by Sir Richard. The travellers left Naples on the last day of January, and arrived at Palermo in twenty-five hours. Their vessel contained as motley a group of voyagers as ever was assembled in one place; for besides themselves and the crew, consisting of Italians VOYAGERS. SWEETMEATS. PRINCE CARAMANICO. 393 and Sclavonians, there were two priests, a woman and a child, an Irishman, a Welchman, a Frenchman, a madman, and a murderer, who, after killing a female at Palermo, had fled to Naples, whence he was brought back to be hung in chains. Justice was more rigorously administered in those days at Palermo than at Naples, for Sir William Hamilton told them, that though the King of Naples lost four, and sometimes six thousand subjects a year by assassinations, there had taken place but two executions in twelve years. The scenery, the fruits, the produce of Sicily are now known to most European travellers, as is also the flavour of the sweetmeats sold at Palermo; but in those days, the best were to be purchased only from the nuns, who, Sir Richard Hill said, were "glad of every opportunity of getting a little chit chat, especially with strangers." Sir Richard Hill and his companions were noticed at Palermo by Prince Caramanico, Viceroy of Sicily, to whom they carried a letter of introduction from Sir William Hamilton. The Prince had resided some time in England as Ambassador; and besides being Viceroy at Palermo, he was a legate a latere from the Pope, which gave him the privilege of a fine canopy in the royal chapel, and the assistance of the sacred council. His style of living was extremely magnificent, and his manners were affable and easy. The travellers dined with him the day after their arrival, when he gave place to Sir Richard Hill as a British Senator, but walked before all his other guests. He presented his company with iced punch and English porter, as great rarities, and had a fire in an English fire-place in one of his rooms, which contained probably the only chimney in the island. In a convent of Capuchins, they visited a curious vault used as a receptacle for the dead. It consisted of four 394 VAULT. EQUIPAGES. MORALS. wide passages, each about forty feet long, with windows at the ends; and in these the bodies were placed erect, clothed in coarse garments, with their heads, arms, and feet bare. They were prepared for this situation by being broiled over a slow fire on a sort of gridiron, till all fat and moisture was gone, and the skin only left, with an appearance of pale coloured leather. The character of the countenance was but slightly preserved. On the floor were handsome coffins, containing the bodies of persons of distinction, the keys of which were kept by their relations. Palermo could boast in those days of at least a thousand splendid equipages of the Sicilian aristocracy; and as it was not etiquette for any gentleman to walk in the streets, immense expense was lavished on them. Every evening, all people of rank drove out on the grand public terrace by the sea side; and Hyde Park in its glory could not shew as gaudy an exhibition of trappings and horses. On every carriage stood as many footmen in the most costly liveries, as could crowd on behind, these displays being the pride of the place. The consequence was that the tailors flourished incredibly, and their numbers were immense. The dresses of the ladies were exceedingly magnificent, and in good taste, but their morals were detestable; for it was extremely ungenteel for any one of them to be seen abroad with her husband, or without her cicisbeo. Much of this laxity was considered to arise out of the spirit of Popery, whose first object being to keep up the authority of the Church, absolved immorality much sooner than the neglect of an ave-maria or eating flesh on a fast day. But Sir Richard Hill and his companions were most horrified by the perpetual assassinations, particularly at Naples and Rome, where there was no energy in |