ve the church,
but it would have been impossible in the darkness. Suddenly a
terrible voice in the dark cried, 'My brothers! when Christ was
fastened to the pillar by the Jews, he was _scourged_!' At these
words the bright figure disappeared, and the darkness became
total. Suddenly we heard the sound of hundreds of scourges
descending upon the bare flesh. I can not conceive any thing more
horrible. Before ten minutes had passed, the sound became
_splashing_ from the blood that was flowing.

"I have heard of these penitencies in Italian churches, and also
that half of those who go there do not really scourge themselves;
but here, where there is such perfect concealment, there seems no
motive for deception. Incredible as it may seem, this awful
penance continued, without intermission, for half an hour! If
they scourged _each other_, their energy might be less
astonishing.

"We could not leave the church, but it was perfectly sickening;
and had I not been able to take hold of the Senora ----'s hand,
and feel something human beside me, I could have fancied myself
transported into a congregation of evil spirits. Now and then,
but very seldom, a suppressed groan was heard, and occasionally
the voice of the monk encouraging them by ejaculations, or by
short passages from Scripture. Sometimes the organ struck up, and
the poor wretches; in a faint voice, tried to join in the
_Miserere_. The sound of the scourging is indescribable. At the
end of half an hour a little bell was rung, and the voice of the
monk was heard calling upon them to desist; but such was their
enthusiasm, that the horrible lashing continued louder and
fiercer than ever.

"In vain he entreated them not to kill themselves, and assured
them that heaven would be satisfied, and that human nature could
not endure beyond a certain point. No answer but the loud sound
of the scourges, which are many of them of iron, with sharp
points that enter the flesh. At length, as if they were perfectly
exhausted, the sound grew fainter, and little by little ceased
altogether. We then got up in the dark, and with great difficulty
groped our way in the pitch darkness through the galleries and
down the stairs till we reached the door, and had the pleasure of