avestied every
prayer he uttered, would have compelled any man to smile. The priests
laughed outright before the whole congregation, particularly one of
them, whom I well knew; the other turned his face towards the altar, and
leaning over a silver pix, in which, according to their own tenets, the
Redeemer of the world must have been at that moment, as it contained
the consecrated wafers, gave full vent to his risibility. Now it is
remarkable that no one present attached the slightest impropriety to
this--I for one did not; although it certainly occurred to me with full
force at a subsequent period.

When morning came, the blessed light of the sun broke the leaden charm
of the prison, and infused into us a wonderful portion of fresh vigor.
This day being the second from our arrival, we had our second station to
perform, and consequently all the sharp spikes to re-traverse. We were
not permitted at all to taste food during these twenty-four hours, so
that our weakness was really very great. I beg leave, however, to return
my special acknowledgments for the truly hospitable allowance of wine
with which I, in common with every other pilgrim, was treated. This
wine is made by filling a large pot with the lake water, and making it
lukewarm. It is then handed round in jugs and wooden noggins--to their
credit be it recorded--in the greatest possible abundance. On this alone
I breakfasted, dined, and supped, during the second or prison day of my
pilgrimage.

At twelve o'clock that night we left prison, and made room for another
squadron, who gave us their kennels. Such a luxury was sleep to me,
however, that I felt not the slightest inconvenience from the vermin,
though I certainly made a point to avoid the Scotchman and the cripple.
On the following day I confessed; and never was an unfortunate soul so
grievously afflicted with a bad memory as I was on that occasion--the
whole thing altogether, but particularly the prison scene, had knocked
me up, I could not therefore remember a tithe of my sins; and the
priest, poor man, had really so much to do, and was in such a hurry,
that he had me clean absolved before I had got half through the preface,
or knew what I was about. I then went with a fresh batch to receive the
sacrament, which I did from the hands of the good-natured gentleman who
enjoyed so richly the praying talents of the hare-lipped devotee in the
prison.

I cannot avoid mentioning here a practice peculiar to Roman