After Christ.

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1851. protection, his Excellency looked doubtfully around him, on this side and on that, just as if he were not exactly certain but that * * * * Some friends of the Governor (by the way, a York shilling would treat the whole of them) endeavoured to raise a cheer, but did not succeed, and save one drunken fellow, who exclaimed "there ye's go, and the devil go wid ye's," there were few remarks on the subject.- -Death of his Majesty King Ernest Augustus of Hanover, Ex-Grand Master of the Orange Institution.

1852. The largest Orange procession ever seen in Canada took place in Toronto, July 12. At least 10,000 Orangemen were on the ground appointed for the rendezvous. The procession was two miles in length, and occupied threequarters of an hour passing any given point. On the Cricket ground refreshments were served gratis to the visiting brethren, after which the entire multitude was addressed by the Rev. Chaplain Brother Meyerhoffer, also by Ogle R. Gowan, Esq., Richard Dempsey, Esq., Jr. D. G. M., and Brother Balfour, of Brantford. During the day the greatest order prevailed. No offences were given, no quarrelling, no drunkenness, and all retired to their respective homes even earlier than usual. Next day there was not a single case before the Police Magistrate. Much credit is due to the Orangemen for their good conduct, to their officers for their zeal in keeping everything all right, and to the Mayor, the chief of police, and the men under him, for their services in keeping back the crowds who thronged the way, aad otherwise acting for the preservation of the peace. Next day a telegraphic despatch was received that the Papists had assembled at Hamilton, and would certainly attack the Orangemen of that place on their return by the City of Hamilton steamer. Accordingly, as the visitors were few in number, some thirty of the citizens of Toronto volunteered to see them safe home. During the trip upwards proper arrangements were made for the expected affray. In order to give no offence to any one the flags were taken off the poles and put away, and orders were issued to use the greatest forbearance, and on no account to fire until endurance could not further be borne. On landing, the Orangemen who had no weapons were placed in the centre, with the armed men in the front, rear and on either side. As was expected, about four hundred semi-savages awaited their landing,

After Christ.

1852. prepared with stones, &c. to do their best. Several showers of these missiles were thrown at the Orangemen. The city authorities have borne witness that the good conduct and forbearance of the Orangemen were exemplary. An attack was also made on a Protestant drum, in defending which a Protestant named Campbell was stabbed with a large bowie-knife, which was described by the witnesses on the trial as a "most formidable weapon," marked "Arkansas Tooth-pick." In retaliation, about six shots were fired, four or five persons were wounded, one died almost immediately, one other was mortally wounded, and the others will carry their marks to the grave. The entire mob, as usual, was routed. The writer of this is a man of peace. He wishes to live on terms of amity and friendship with all mankind, but, in the words of Sir R Peel, he would state, that "I can have no sympathy with cut-throats, traitors and murderers." Conciliation has proved ineffectual to cure the "Mickeys" of their vile and wicked practices, and if they will court death, why, even let them have it, and may the Lord have mercy on their blood-thirsty souls!

THE POPES OF ROME.

BY LOUIS MARIE DE CORMENIN.

The History of the Popes runs through a series of ages, during which the Bishops of Rome, whose mission was to announce to men a divine religion, have forgotten it in their pride of power; have outraged the morality of Christ, and become the scourge of the human race.

Here is seen a frightful picture of monstrous debaucheries, bloody wars, memorable schisms and revolutions. Its recital embraces the long succession of Pontiffs celebrated for their crimes, or illustrious for their exploits.

The wisdom of ages has caused blind fanaticism to disappear; reason and tolerance have replaced the religious passions which drove men to the most horrible extremes, and caused them to resemble tigers, gorged with blood, rather than human beings.

The pride of Popes, and their insatiable ambition, found in absolute monarchs powerful and frequently docile auxiliaries, in imposing upon the people their execrable wishes, in overwhelming the weak, in aggrandizing their estates, and at length in reaching so great a height of audacity, that they called themselves the representatives of God upon earth, and arrogated the right of giving away kingdoms, deposing princes, and dividing the world.

The shades of ignorance then obscured the mind; the people, stupified in a frighful slavery, rent each other like wild beasts, in order to please their tyrants, and subserve their ill-regulated passions, Ages of misfortune, massacres, incendiarism and famine !

Abusing the credulity of the people, kings destroyed empires in their senseless sway, and made a desert alike of the city and the country.

The Popes, more loose and savage than the tyrants of ancient Rome and Byzantium, seated upon the pontifical chair, crowned

with a triple diadem of pride, hypocrisy and fanaticism—surrounded by assassins, poisoners, and courtiers-surrendered themselves to all kinds of debauchery, and insulted the public misfortunes.

But the darkness is dissipated; murder, assassination, misery, and devastation, have given place to truth-eternal truth, which the policy and the cruelty of kings had buried under the rubbish of empires!

History-great and magnificent lesson! it wanders through the past when the pitiless barbarity of priests, aided by the ignorance of men, overwhelmed the world; when the inhabitants of the country, naked and ragged, caused horror in the brigands themselves, who found nothing left to pillage but dead bodies. It recalls the epochs of disaster, confusion and solitude, when the smallest farm houses among English, French and Romans, were armed against the wretches in the pay of kings and nobles, who were greedy for their prey; all were bent on pillaging the labourer and massacreing the people; and, astonishing and horrible to relate, the very animals, accustomed to the sound of the tocsin, a signal of the arrival of the soldiery, ran without guides to their hiding places.

Nations will learn to judge of cmperors and kings, inflexible and inexorable despots, who drove on millions of men to cruel wars, in order to sustain the most unjust pretensions, augment the number of their slaves, increase their wealth, satisfy the unbridled luxury of their courtiers, satiate the avidity of their mistresses, or perhaps occupy the unquiet and restless spirit of a king devoured with ennui.

The people will learn great truths from history: they will learn by what bold impiety, what sacrilegious deeds, popes and kings have been the causes of the greatest misfortunes to Europe, during two thousand years of tyranny and fanaticism. During the reign of Tiberius appeared a man, the son of Mary, called Christ. The nations were plunged in ignorance; the law of Moses was obscured by human traditions; the morals of the Israelites, and of those of other people, were in a like degree of corruption. This man, all extraordinary, all divine, did not content himself with mourning over the human race. He preached, he dogmatized, he taught a code of severe morality, opposed to the corrupt maxims of the age.

His disciples, chosen from among the people, taught, as they had learned from their divine Master, sage precepts, a holy and rigid morality, a mysterious doctrine, and incomprehensible dogmas. The disciples of Christ did not employ force to cause men to receive their precepts; on the contrary, they were persecuted in all ways, and their preaching, aided by their example, made the most rapid progress.

They persecuted the man of God. They pursued him with a fury equal to the zeal with which he bore witness against vice; and he terminated his divine mission by an infamous punishment.

The first Christians were distinguished by the names of brethren,-holy, faithful; they were humble, obscure, and poor, working with their own hands for their subsistence. They spread themselves secretly in peace; some went to Rome, mixed up among the Jews, to whom the Romans permitted the exercise of their worship in the synagogue.

It was towards the year 60 of our era, that the Christians commenced separating themselves from the Jewish communion. They separated themselves on account of the violent quarrels among the synagogues scattered through Rome, Greece, Egypt and Asia; they were accused of atheism by their Jewish brethren, and excommunicated three times on the Sabbath day.

Many churches were formed, and the separation became complete between the Jews and Christians. The Romans had an equal contempt for both. This people, the most tolerant on the earth, permitted their extravagance so long as they did not interfere with the order of things established by law; but when these obscure sectarians became persecutors-when they spat upon the images of the gods-when they overthrew their statues, then the prefect of Rome gave them up to the axe of the victors.

In the first age the apostles and their successors concealed themselves in the catacombs of Rome, wandering about in villages and caverns. The popes had not yet an episcopal throne; they did not step upon the heads of kings; they did not overthrow empires.

The alms of the Neophytes rendered the place of bishops in the great cities very lucrative; their credit extended itself, because of their wealth; their insolence and audacity increased in a like proportion, and their formidable power raised itself by a deception of the people.

When the churches received a form, they recognised five orders; the superintendents of souls, the bishops; the elders of the society, who were the priests; the servants or deacons; the initiated or believers, who partook of the love feasts; the cathechumens, who were awaiting baptism: all these dressed like the rest of mankind, nor were they constrained to preserve celibacy. Becoming more numerous, they raised themselves up against the Roman empire, and forced the magistrates to act with severity against a sect which troubled the public order. They did not punish the Jews, who were separated from the Christians, and who shut themselves up in their synagogues; they permitted to them the exercise of their religion, as that of all other worships.