Pincian hill, and looked
around me with such transport, that I stood by mere chance on that
very spot from which Claude used to study his sun sets, and his
beautiful effects of evening. His house was close to me on the left,
and those of Nicolo Poussin and Salvator Rosa a little beyond. Since
they have been pointed out to me, I never pass from the Monte Pincio
along the Via Felice without looking up at them with interest: such
power has genius, "to hallow in the core of human hearts even the ruin
of a wall."

* * * * *

_Jan. 6._--Sunday, at the English chapel, which was crowded to excess,
and where it was at once cold and suffocating. We had a plain but
excellent sermon, and the officiating clergyman, Mr. W., exhorted the
congregation to conduct themselves with more decorum at St. Peter's,
and to remember what was due to the temple of that God who was equally
the God of all Christians. We afterwards went to St. Peter's; where
the anthem was performed at vespers as usual, and the tenor of the
Argentino sung. The music was indeed heavenly--but I did not enjoy it:
for though the behaviour of the English was much more decent than I
have yet seen it, the crowd round the chapel, the talking, pushing,
whispering, and movement, were enough to disquiet and discomfort me; I
withdrew, therefore, and walked about at a little distance, where I
could just hear the swell of the organ. Such is the immensity of the
building, that at the other side of the aisle the music is perfectly
inaudible.

7.--Visited the Falconieri Palace to see Cardinal Fesche's gallery.
The collection is large and contains many fine pictures, but there is
such a _melange_ of good, bad, and indifferent, that on the whole I
was disappointed. L** attached himself to my side the whole
morning--to benefit, as he said, by my "tasty remarks;" he hung so
dreadfully heavy on my hands, and I was so confounded by the
interpretations and explanations his ignorance required, that I at
last found my patience nearly at an end. Pity he is so good-natured
and so good-tempered, that one can neither have the comfort of
heartily disliking him, nor find nor make the shadow of an excuse to
shake him off!

In the evening we had a gay party of English and foreigners: among
them----

* * * * *

A REPLY TO A COMPLAINT

Trust not the ready smile!
'Tis a delusive glow--
For cold and dark the while