HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

The state coaches, which had been built at Rome for thepageant, were so superb that they were thought worthy to betransmitted to posterity in fine engravings and to be cele-brated by poets in several languages. * The front of the Am-bassador’s palace was decorated on this greaj day with ab-surd allegorical paintings of gigantic size. There was SaintGeorge with his foot on the neck of Titus Oates, andHerculeswith his club crushing College, the Protestant joiner, whoin vain attempted to defend himself with his flail. After thispublic appearance Castelmaine invited all the persons of notethen assembled at Rome to a banquet in that gay and splendidgallery which is adorned with paintings of subjects from theTEneid by Peter of Cortona. The whole city crowded to theshow; and it was with difficulty that a company of Swissguards could keep order among the spectators. The noblesof the Pontifical state in return gave costly entertainmentsto the Ambassador; and poets and wits were employed tolavish on him and on his master insipid and hyperbolicaladulation such as flourishes most when genius and taste are inthe deepest decay. Foremost among the flatterers was acrowned head. More than thirty years had elapsed sinceChristina, the daughter of the great Gustavus, had volun-tarily descended from the Swedish throne. After longwanderings, in the course of which she had committed manyfollies and crimes, she had finally taken up her abode atRome, where she busied herself with astrological calculationsand with the intrigues of the conclave, and amused herself

* The Professor of Greek in the College De Propaganda Fide ex-pressed his admiration in some detestable hexameters and pentameters,of which the following specimen may suffice: —

Vi'iytniuv r)>■; axc^fo/xiroq ka/jinqoZo Onlatipuv ,

3 JIxa fiak* jj'iaoev xal &tev o/kos anaq *

OaVfiaZovGa dt T rr JTounr.v , 7toty/Qii(Tid r avTOV“Aq/i am, TOvf &’ t/rrrouc, tolaSi’Poifi?] trpi].

The Latin verses are a little better. Nahum Tale responded inEnglish:

“His glorious train and passing pomp to view,

A pomp that even to Home itself was new,

Each age, each sex, the Latian turrets Riled,

Each age and sex in tears of joy distilled.”