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The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

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6o<br />

HISTORY OF THE POPES.<br />

which he celebrated High Mass in St. Peter's.^ He also<br />

assisted regularly at <strong>the</strong> sermons in <strong>the</strong> Vatican. ^ Sometimes<br />

<strong>the</strong> Pope himself preached in St. Peter's, at S. Maria sopra<br />

Minerva, and at <strong>the</strong> Lateran.^ At Easter time, or when a<br />

jubilee had been proclaimed, he liked to give communion<br />

himself to his household.* On Ash Wednesday he would<br />

give it for perhaps three hours to many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> faithful,^ and<br />

during Lent he liked to visit <strong>the</strong> church <strong>of</strong> S. Sabina on <strong>the</strong><br />

Aventine.®<br />

A pious exercise which was very ancient, and which Pius V.<br />

and Philip Neri especially revived,'^ was <strong>the</strong> visit to <strong>the</strong> seven<br />

basiUcas. At least twice a year, generally in spring at <strong>the</strong><br />

time <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Carnival, when reparation for excesses seemed<br />

to be especially called for, and in <strong>the</strong> autumn, <strong>the</strong> Pope made<br />

this long and fatiguing pilgrimage,^ and in doing this, as was<br />

always his custom when he went about, he was accompanied<br />

by a small retinue, and distributed alms to <strong>the</strong> poor with his<br />

1 *Avviso di Roma <strong>of</strong> December 28, 1568, Urb. 1040, p. 330b,<br />

Vatican Library.<br />

^ *" Ogni mattina S.S. va alia predica in palazzo dove predica<br />

il prior di S. Sabina " (Avviso di Roma <strong>of</strong> February 22, 1567, Urb.<br />

1040, p. 362). <strong>The</strong> Pope was always to be seen at <strong>the</strong> sermons<br />

<strong>of</strong> P. Benedetto (*Avviso di Roma <strong>of</strong> January i, 1569, Urb. 104 1,<br />

p. I, Vatican Library). Cf. <strong>the</strong> *report <strong>of</strong> Cusano <strong>of</strong> March 16,<br />

1566, State Archives, Vienna, and Polanci Epist. in Anal Bolland.,<br />

VIL, 51.<br />

^ See PoLANCi Epist. in Anal. Bolland., VIL, 65.<br />

* See C. Firmanus, *Diarium, August 3, 1566, Papal Secret<br />

Archives.<br />

® See <strong>the</strong> *letter <strong>of</strong> Arco <strong>of</strong> March 6,1568, State Archives,<br />

Vienna.<br />

^ See *Avviso di Roma <strong>of</strong> February .15, 1567, Urb. 1040,<br />

P- 355. Vatican Library.<br />

' Cf. Meschler, Die Fahrt zu den sieben Kirchen in Rom, in<br />

Stimmen aus Maria-Laach, LVIIL, 20 seq.<br />

® See C. Firmanus, *Diarium, April 8 and October 10, 1566,<br />

April 3 and November 5, 1567, March 2, April 12, and October 29,<br />

1568, Papal Secret Archives ; *report <strong>of</strong> Zibramonti <strong>of</strong> March 4,<br />

1 57 1, Gonzaga Archives, Mantua.

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