LETTER XX.

Set out in the dark.--The Lago di Vico.--View of the spacious plains where the Romans reared their seat of empire.--Ancient splendour.--Present silence and desolation.--Shepherd huts.--Wretched policy of the Papal Government.--Distant view of Rome.--Sensations on entering the City.--The Pope returning from Vespers.--St. Peter’s Colonnade.--Interior of the Church.--Reveries.--A visionary scheme.--The Pantheon. 230