Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838/Jesuits in Procession—Valetta, Malta
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STRADA ST. GIOVANNI, VALETTA, MALTA.
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JESUITS IN PROCESSION—VALETTA, MALTA.
Whence rose the sect that ’neath yon azure dome,
Hath had such wide domain o’er courts and kings,
And the wild forest where the condor springs,
Darkening the lonely vale which has his home—
Whence did that sect with all its power come?
From the dim shadows of the sick man’s room!
The founder, St. Ignatius, knew of life
Whatever of that life might seem the best:
The glorious fever of the battle-strife,
The pleasure that in court or bower is guest;
But in all things were care and sorrow rife,
And the soul’s instinct craved diviner rest.
Then to his hopes a holier aim was given—
He made of earth the stepping-stone to heaven!
This beautiful architectural vista, one of those avenues so execrated by Byron, represents the Strada St. Giovanni, at the moment (and at what moment are they not in motion?) when a religious procession, of the Jesuitic order, is passing by. Valetta abounds with "streets of stairs," an unavoidable consequence of its situation on a somewhat steep ridge. It must have been the inconvenience of ascent that drew forth the impassioned exclamation of the noble bard against all such avenues, he who would else have loved them for their very singularity, for their necessary absence from the every-day pageantry of life, from the deep shadows and vivid lights attendant on their narrow width, the height of the houses, and the numerous breaks caused by the projecting balconies and rich architectural decorations.