y years, in wholesome dread
of the authority conferred on the abbot of St. Donate, by the Pope's
legate, to suspend any o the clergy of the island from their office if
they refused submission. In 1172, however, they appealed to Pope
Alexander III, and were condemned again: and we find the struggle
renewed at every promising opportunity, during the course of the 12th
and 13th centuries; until at last, finding St. Donate and the dragon
together too strong for him, the abbot of St. Stefano "discovered" in
his church the bodies of two hundred martyrs at once!--a discovery, it
is to be remembered, in some sort equivalent in those days to that of
California in ours. The inscription, however, on the facade of the
church, recorded it with quiet dignity:--"MCCCLXXIV. a di XIV. di
Aprile. Furono trovati nella presente chiesa del protomartire San
Stefano, duecento e piu corpi de' Santi Martiri, dal Ven. Prete Matteo
Fradello, piovano della chiesa."[12] Corner, who gives this inscription,
which no longer exists, goes on to explain with infinite gravity, that
the bodies in question, "being of infantile form and stature, are
reported by tradition to have belonged to those fortunate innocents who
suffered martyrdom under King Herod; but that when, or by whom, the
church was enriched with so vast a treasure, is not manifested by any
document."[13]

Sec. XII. The issue of the struggle is not to our present purpose. We have
already arrived at the fourteenth century without finding record of any
effort made by the clergy of St. Mary's to maintain their influence by
restoring or beautifying their basilica; which is the only point at
present of importance to us. That great alterations were made in it at
the time of the acquisition of the body of St. Donato is however highly
probable, the mosaic pavement of the interior, which bears its date
inscribed, 1140, being probably the last of the additions. I believe
that no part of the ancient church can be shown to be of more recent
date than this; and I shall not occupy the reader's time by any inquiry
respecting the epochs or authors of the destructive modern restorations;
the wreck of the old fabric, breaking out beneath them here and there,
is generally distinguishable from them at a glance; and it is enough for
the reader to know that none of these truly ancient fragments can be
assigned to a more recent date than 1140, and that some of them may with
probability be looked upon as remains of t