a kind of religious discipline, which consists in taking a journey to some holy place in order to adore the relics of some deceased saint. Pilgrimages began to be made about the middle ages of the church; but they were most in vogue after the end of the 11th century, when every one was for visiting places of devotion, not excepting kings and princes themselves; and even bishops made no difficulty of being absent from their churches on the same account. The places most visited were Jerusalem, Rome, Compostella (a), and Tours; but the greatest numbers now resort to Loreto, in order to visit the chamber of the blessed

(A) It deserves to be remarked here, that in the year 1428, under the reign of Henry VI, abundance of li- blest virgin, in which she was born, and brought up her son Jesus till he was 12 years of age. For the pilgrimage of the followers of Mahomet, see MAHOMETANISM, p. 465.

In every country where popery was established, pilgrimages were common; and in those countries which are still papish, they continue. In England, the shrine of St Thomas à Becket was the chief resort of the pious; and in Scotland, St Andrew's; where, as tradition informs us, was deposited a leg of the holy apostle. In Ireland they still continue; for, from the beginning of May till the middle of August every year, crowds of papish penitents from all parts of that country resort to an island near the centre of Lough-foo, or White Lake, in the county of Donegal, to the amount of 3000 or 4000. These are mostly of the poorer sort, and many of them are proxies for those who are richer; some of which, however, together with some of the priests and bishops on occasion, make their appearance there. When the pilgrim comes within sight of the holy lake, he must uncover his hands and feet, and thus walk to the water-side, and is taken to the island for sixpence. Here there are two chapels and 15 other houses; to which are added confessionals, so contrived, that the priest cannot see the person confessing. The penance varies according to the circumstances of the penitent; during the continuance of which (which is sometimes three, six, or nine days) he subsists on oatmeal, sometimes made into bread. He traverses sharp stones on his bare knees or feet, and goes through a variety of other forms, paying sixpence at every different confession. When all is over, the priest bores a gimlet-hole through the pilgrim's staff near the top, in which he fastens a cross peg; gives him as many holy pebbles out of the lake as he cares to carry away, for amulets to be presented to his friends, and so dismisses him, an object of veneration to all other papists not thus initiated; who no sooner see the pilgrim's cross in his hands, than they kneel down to get his blessing.

There are, however, other parts of Ireland sacred to extraordinary worship and pilgrimage; and the number of holy wells, and miraculous cures, &c., produced by them, is very great. That such things should exist in this enlightened age, and in a Protestant country, is indeed strange; but our wonder ceases, when we reflect that it is among the lowest, and perhaps the worst of the people. They who carry external religion to an extreme, and place that confidence in ceremony which belongs only to the spirit of it, are seldom distinguished either for their wisdom or their virtue. We do not deny, however, that they who carry matters to the other extreme, may be equally destitute of real knowledge and genuine morality.

Dr Johnson, in his Rasselas, gives us some observations on pilgrimage, which are so much to the purpose, that we think we cannot do better than lay them before our readers. "Pilgrimage (said Imlac, into whose mouth the observations are put), like many other acts of piety, may be reasonable or superstitious according to the principles upon which it is performed. Long journeys in search of truth are not commanded. Truth, such as is necessary to the regulation of life, is always found where it is honestly sought; change of place is no natural cause of the increase of piety, for it inevitably produces dissipation of mind. Yet since men go every day to view the fields where great actions have been performed, and return with stronger impressions of the event, curiosity of the same kind may naturally dispose us to view that country whence our religion had its beginning; and I believe no man surveys those awful scenes without some confirmation of holy resolutions. That the Supreme Being may be more easily propitiated in one place than in another, is the dream of idle superstition; but that some places may operate upon our own minds in an uncommon manner, is an opinion which hourly experience will justify. He who supposes that his vices may be more successfully combated in Palestine, will, perhaps, find himself mistaken; yet he may go thither without folly: he who thinks they will be more freely pardoned, dishonours at once his reason and religion."