Every prelate looks forward to it with hope, and every priest with
longing; and besides the priests and prelates, the regular orders also,
the monks and friars, claim a representation in the college. But
whatever the pretensions or expectations of individuals may be, the
decision rests with the Pope, whose good-will, adroitly managed, has
often let fall the coveted honor upon men who had little else to
recommend them. It was certainly honorable to this reverend body in our
own day that they numbered Mai and Mezzofante among their brethren; but
in Rome the story ran that neither the palimpsestic labors of the one
nor the fifty languages of the other would have won him the well-earned
promotion, if the Pope's favorite servant had not set his heart upon
making his children's tutor assistant-librarian of the Vatican.

Although nominally the council of the Pope, the consistory or official
assembly of the cardinals has few of the characteristics of a
deliberative body. The Pope addresses them from his throne; but the
substance of his address is already known to most of them beforehand,
and his opinion upon the subject, as well as theirs, made up before they
come together. They have no constituents to enlighten, nothing to hope
and nothing to fear from public opinion. They are all so near the
topmost round that each of them is justified in feeling as if he already
had his hand upon it; but to whichever of them that envied preëminence
may be destined, it is neither the favor nor the gratitude of the people
that can raise him to it. What they already hold they are sure of; and
it is only to the good-will of their colleagues that they are to look
for more.

But it is in those public meetings that the Roman court puts on all its
splendor. The very hall has a grave and imposing air about it that
inspires serious thoughts in serious minds, and checks, for a moment,