Princess Dashkoff being with other strangers in the gallery of the Senate-house at Venice, where it is not permitted to open the door after the sitting commences, insisted upon going out, exclaiming aloud, “Ces perruques m’ennuient.” She made so much noise that the senators sent up to desire her to be quiet, but she only repeated that “she would go out.” Upon this, one of the senators said: “Gentlemen, shall we have a ballot to see whether this mad woman shall go out or not?” It was then put to the vote and carried in the affirmative, and, the door being opened, the Princess went out by herself.
There is a negro woman at Rome much protected by the Queen of Portugal. She is dressed in red, and goes about with a Madonna in a box, asking alms for founding a monastery in Portugal for negro girls under the protection of the father and mother of St. Joachim. She went to the Pope to ask his permission, and mentioned the saints who were to be the patrons of her order. The Pope answered, that he had no doubt but what the father and mother of St. Joachim were good people, but they were not on his list.
A Cardinal’s cook in time of Lent having made up all his “maigre” dishes with the gravy and fat of meat, went to confession, and, among other sins, mentioned this one. The confessor, however, refused to give him absolution until he promised that he would no longer make his master violate Lent. Faithful to his promise, the cook changed his sauces, whereupon the Cardinal complained bitterly that his dinners were not so good as formerly, and the cook was called up, and obliged to tell his story. The Cardinal inquired the name of his confessor, and having sent for him, remonstrated with him for meddling with the private government of his family. The friar replied, that the cook’s salvation was in danger if he had continued to give his master gras instead of maigre. “Well,” exclaimed the Cardinal, “and do you think it reasonable that, to save the soul of such a low fellow as that, you should expose my Eminence to the discomfort of fasting!”[[117]]
During the time the affair of the Jesuits was in agitation, whenever Cardinal Marefoschi went to visit Cardinal de Bernis, a valet-de-chambre in the house of the latter, and who was also a spy, used to hang a white handkerchief out at the top of a chimney, to mark the commencement and termination of the visit, as a signal to the Jesuits at the Roman College, who looked out from the top of their church for it.
On Wednesday morning, February 27th (1782), the Pope set out for Vienna at half-past nine in the morning. The Grand-Duke and Duchess of Russia, who have been every day to St. Peter’s to see him, were there between six and seven waiting to take leave of his Holiness. They had some conversation with him, and the Grand-Duke attended him to his carriage. Monsignore Marcucci, Vicegerent and Patriarch of Constantinople, and Monsignore Contesini, Archbishop of Athens, both men of very low extraction, accompanied him, besides some inferior persons of his household. The streets were lined with people, far beyond Ponte Molle. Many Roman gentlemen rode on horseback before him for several miles. The Pope threw himself almost out of the carriage in order to bestow his benedictions upon the people, who kept crying aloud: “Santo Padre, la benedizione prima di partire;” and others, “Buon viaggio.” It is said that the Minister of Portugal, when he went with his lady and child to take leave of the Pope, left upon the table a schedule for sixty thousand crowns, by the Queen’s command. The Venetians are to send twelve senators, among whom, it is supposed, will be the Doge, with four hundred men, to meet him on the frontiers and accompany him through their States. The King of Sardinia intends to wait upon his Holiness in person. The Pope’s nephew, Don Lewis, attended him to the coach, and held his hand for half a minute after he was in. He was in the most violent distress, and shed tears for three or four hours. His wife was at the Villa Papa Giulia to take leave of his Holiness, and was likewise much affected. The Pope told her to take care of herself and go to her husband.