ass and shrubs to pile stone upon stone, till the
whole monstrous building stood there newly erected; and now all was
one throng of human beings, head above head, and the whole seemed
one infinitely vast living giant body.

"I saw the vestals in their long white garments; the magnificent
court of the Caesar; the naked bleeding gladiators; then I heard how
there was a roaring and a howling round about, in the lowest
colonnades; from various sides sprang in whole herds of tigers and
hyaenas; they sped close past the spot where I lay; I felt their
burning breath; saw their red fiery glances, and held myself fast
upon the stone upon which I was seated, whilst I prayed the Madonna
to save me. But wilder still grew the tumult around me; yet I could
see in the midst of all the holy cross as it still stands, and
which, whenever I had passed it, I had piously kissed. I exerted
all my strength, and perceived distinctly that I had thrown my arms
around it; but every thing that surrounded me trembled violently
together,--walls, men, beasts. Consciousness had left me,--I
perceived nothing more. When I again opened my eyes, my fever was
over."

Sadder trash than this it were almost impossible to write. It is
necessary to make some quotations to justify the terms of censure, as
well as of praise, which we have bestowed upon Andersen; but our readers
will willingly excuse the infliction of many such quotations; they might
be made abundantly enough, we can assure them.

On awaking from this vision, Antonio finds himself in the presence of
some worthy monks. They take charge of him, and ultimately give him over
to the protection of an old woman, a relative, Dominica, who is living
the most solitary life imaginable, in one of the tombs of the Campagna.
Here there is a striking picture presented to the imagination--of the
old woman and the little boy, shut up in the ruined tomb, in the almost
tropical heat, or the heavy rains, that visit the Campagna. He who
erewhile had visions of vestals and captive Jews, Caesar and the
gladiators, is more naturally represented as amusing himself by floating
sticks and reeds upon the little canal dug to carry the water from their
dwelling;--"they were his boats which were to sail to Rome."

One day a young nobleman, pursued by an enraged buffalo, takes refuge in
this tomb, and thus becomes acquainted with Antonio