[The following passages are extracted from Miss Knight’s Diaries. They illustrate the Autobiographical Memoir in the first volume. The narrative would have been impeded by their insertion there; but they are of sufficient interest to form a welcome addition to the more continuous story of Miss Knight’s life.]
Rome—1781.
December 30.—At eight in the morning we went to the church of St. Louis to see the consecration of Monseigneur l’Abbé de Bernis as Bishop of Apollonia. A little before nine the Cardinal, the Abbé, and Monsignore de Bayane arrived, the organ playing as they entered, and soon after they went to the door to receive the Pope, whom they followed into the church, the organ playing, and the choir singing “Ecce Sacerdos Magnus.” The Pope, the Cardinal, and the new Bishop then went and prayed at the altar in the chapel of St. Louis; after which they walked up into the choir, where the Pope again prayed at the great altar. The Bishop was then presented to him and kissed his feet, and the Pope embraced him. The Cardinal de Bernis stood beside a small altar prepared for the Bishop on his left hand, and by his side were Monsignori Onesti, Doria, Stacy, Bayane, and other prelates, who now proceeded to dress the Pope. Cardinal de Bernis brought him the napkin to wipe his hands, and took it again from him. In the mean while the two assisting Bishops (the Archbishop of Athens, the Pope’s almoner, and the Bishop of Carpentras) had the new Bishop dressed, whose robes were very fine, white and gold, with white buskins, having a cross embroidered on them, &c. &c. He was then again presented to the Pope, and seated in a chair opposite to his Holiness, who read to him the Articles of Faith and the duties of a Bishop. After every interrogative, he had to answer and make a genuflexion. After this, the Pope anointed his hands and the tonsure at the top of his head, for which purpose a bandage was tied round his head, and another over his hands fastened round the neck—he himself kneeling all the time. The Pope afterwards put the cross on him, the mantle, and the ring (a very beautiful one); when he prostrated himself before the great altar and made his profession of faith and his vows as a Bishop. He then rose, and the Pope gave him his benediction, put a gold mitre on his head, and, placing the crosier in his hand, seated him in his own chair before the great altar, himself standing beside him, and the Bishops, who never quitted him, standing on the other side. Those wore mitres of white cloth, which alone are permitted to be worn in the Pope’s presence except by a new Bishop. Monseigneur de Bernis now rose, made a reverence to the Pope, and asked permission to give his benediction, which his Holiness granted, telling him only to go on the other side, that it might not fall upon him (the Pope). He then came down the church, giving the benediction, with his Bishops on each hand, and returned again to his chair at the great altar, the canons of the church singing the “Te Deum.” The Pope next gave him the Kiss of Peace, which went round to the two other Bishops; after which he was seated opposite the Pope, who delivered a discourse (called a homily) thirty-five minutes in length. In this he made compliments to the Cardinal de Bernis and the Bishop, who both rose and bowed in acknowledgment. He also gave a geographical description of Apollonia, and said it was probably so called from there having been a temple there dedicated to Apollo. He remarked how lamentable it was that it should be in the hands of infidels, but he did not intend to send the Bishop there, but only to Alby, which he must consider as another Apollonia. When he named St. Peter and St. Paul, he beat his breast, and sighed most vehemently. As soon as he had finished, the Cardinal went up and thanked him, and the Bishop did the same, adding that he hoped to acquit himself of his duty in the manner he desired. The Pope replied that he had no doubt about it; gave a general benediction, and went to a chapel, where he said another mass. In the mean time all the prelates, &c., congratulated the Cardinal and Monseigneur, after which his Eminence embraced his nephew in the most affectionate manner. The Pope having now finished his mass, the Cardinal accompanied him out, and shut the door of his carriage, while the Bishops, &c., kneeled down, and the ceremony thus terminated.
In one of the tribunes over the choir were three Cardinals, and in the opposite one the Pope’s niece and the foreign Ministers. The organ gallery was allotted for the French, English, and other strangers, but it was too far removed for them to see much. Most of the French and English gentlemen stood beside the balustrade of the choir, and we were in a grated tribune erected for the purpose, with the Princess Rezzonico, the Duchess of Lanti, Marchesa Castiglioni, a Milanese, and other ladies. The Pope ranted like a country comedian in the part of Othello. Cardinal de Bernis acted his part with his usual dignity, sense, and goodness, and Monseigneur de Bernis went through his fatiguing office with the decency of a good Christian and the propriety of a man of fashion, without affectation, negligence, or bigotry—extremes which appear to me very difficult to avoid in the midst of such a mockery of religion. The Maggiordomo, at the Pope’s expense, gave a grand dinner on the occasion, to which he invited the Cardinals of the palace, the Senator, the Ministers connected with France, and the principal Roman Princes, to meet the Cardinal and Monseigneur. The latter presented twelve crowns for a dinner to the Canons of St. Louis, three sequins each to the under people of the church, a crown to the sweepers, and half-a-crown to the domestics, besides five sous each to all the poor who were present.
Rome—1782.
On the morning of the 6th of January, Monseigneur de Bernis went to St. Peter’s, where he stood amongst the other Bishops till the Pope called him to the foot of the throne. This ceremony is styled making the “Vescovi assistenti al Soglio,” who are always seated on the steps of the Pope’s throne, and assist him on public occasions. This honour entitles Monseigneur to the privilege of making three Prothonotaries and eight Knights of the Golden Spurs. He intends to give one of these golden spurs to Belcour, his valet-de-chambre, and the others to some of the Cardinal’s people. Cournau, his Eminence’s maître d’hôtel, already possesses this distinction. Monseigneur de Bernis is likewise entitled, in virtue of this dignity, to send every morning to the palace for his bread and his wine, which he gives to his valet-de-chambre. The bulls for this ceremony cost him 150 crowns.
The Grand-Duke Paul and his Duchess arrived at Rome under the names of Count and Countess of the North, and with them one of her brothers, a Prince of Würtemberg. Madame de Beckersdorff and two maids of honour were also with them, and the first seemed to be her intimate friend, and a very pleasing person. The Grand-Duke, though not tall, had a good figure, but his face was Calmuck. His manners were good, and he talked agreeably to those who were introduced to him. The Grand-Duchess was, like most of her family, very handsome. She was tall, her figure majestic, and her features and complexion very fine. Her manners were dignified and gracious. We were introduced to them at a concert given by the Cardinal de Bernis for the birth of the Dauphin. Princess D.,[[114]] who had been staying some time at Rome with her son and married daughter, came to the fête dressed in black. She was considered by the Grand-Duke and Duchess as a spy on their proceedings; and, at all events, the part which she was supposed to have taken in the imprisonment and death of the Grand-Duke’s father must have rendered the sight of her very painful to them. Unmindful of this, she seated herself at the concert as near as possible to the Grand-Duke, just behind him to the right. He was greatly annoyed, and, turning towards her, said: “Madame, on ne vient pas habillé en noir à la fête d’un souverain.” Princess D. gave as an excuse the assurance that, as she was about to leave Rome, all her other dresses were packed up. The Grand-Duke replied: “On peut toujours rester à la maison.”
The Princess was a short, fat, middle-aged woman, with a very red face and harsh countenance; and the broad red riband and star, which she wore in the way such decorations are worn by men, added to her formidable appearance. It is said she was only eighteen years of age when the death of the Emperor Peter took place, and that, seated at a table with two pistols before her, she waited for the news with the intention, if it proved contrary to her wishes, of killing the messenger with one and herself with the other.[[115]] Pistols, we were told, she always carried about with her; and, notwithstanding the services she had rendered to the Empress Catherine, and the strange masculine honours conferred upon her in return—such as this decoration, and her being made President of the Academy of Sciences—it is evident that her absence was more agreeable to her Imperial mistress than her presence would be, for she was many years in England, Scotland, and Italy. She would not allow her daughter to live with her husband, and she used to lock up her son, who must have been turned of twenty, every night. How unlike to her amiable and excellent brother. It is said that she had a sister who was gentleness itself. One would wish to think that Princess Dashkoff was in some measure misrepresented. I recollect saying something to her son, with whom I was a little acquainted, about the maids of honour attending on the Grand-Duchess, and I naturally expressed myself in the terms, “the ladies of the Grand-Duchess.” The young man, who just before had been talking to me with the civility usually shown to a young woman, suddenly reddened, and looked quite savage. “Madame,” said he, “the Grand-Duchess has no ladies; she has no right to have any. They are the ladies of our august sovereign, who allows them to attend upon the Grand-Duchess in her travels.” Does not this put one in mind of a remark made by Bonaparte: “Pour peu qu’on y gratte on trouve le Tartare?”
We paid our respects to the Grand-Duke and Duchess, as did all the company at Rome, at their own apartments. They seemed much pleased with all they saw, and with the society. After Princess D. left, they were perfectly at their ease. There was at that time no Russian Ambassador, or Minister, at Rome. I afterwards heard that they were not so comfortable at Naples.