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BY A CONGREGATIONAL I ST. j Price $1.00. THE WRITINGS OF REV. DR. GUMMING, OF LONDON. Price 7a cents per volinno. 1 MODERN MYSTERIES EXPLAINED AND EXPOSED. Price *1.00. GLANCES AND GLIMI'SES. BY DR. HARRIOT K. HUNT. Price $],'». DAKER'S CHURCH MUSIC. SCHOOL DO. By B. F. Baker. THE LAMPLIGHTER. EIGHT Y-F I F T H THOUSAND. Price $1.00. THE COMMUNION SABBATH. BY REV. DR. ADAMS. Price $1.00. THE RELIGION OF THE HEATHEN. BY REV. J. B. GROSS. 1 Price $1.00. I CHRIST A FRIEND, AND THE FRIENDS OF CHRIST. By Rev. Dr. Adams. $1.00 each. MOORE'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC. 1 .One volume, royal Svo. Price ?4.00. i WOMAN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. By Margaret Fuller Ossoli. $1.00. THE WESLEYAN SACRED HARP. i BY Mcdonald & hubbard. j 12mo. Price 30 cents. | i y ^ >7^*^ / /^^ /r^ i^ THE ROMAN EXILE Br GUGLIELMO GAJANI, PKOFESSOR OF CIVIL AND CANON LAW, AND REPRESENTATIVE OP THE PEOPLE IN THE ROMAN CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY IN THE YEAR 1849. BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY JOHN P. JEWETT AND COMPANY CLEVELAND, OHIO : JEWETT, PROCTOR, AND WORTHINGTON. NEW YORK : SHELDON, BLAKEMAN, AND COMPANY. 1856. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, BY JOHN P. JEWETT & CO., In the Clerk's OflBce of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. AMERICAN STEREOTYPE COMPANY, 28 Phcenix Building, Boston. PRINTED BY D. 8. FORD AND CO. Peop. benjamin SILLIMAN, Sen., OP TALE COLLEGE, NEW HAYEN. My Dear Sir: I beg you will permit me to inscribe to you this volume, which through your encouragement I am to submit to the American people. Do not believe, however, that I am induced to ask for such a feVor only by the selfish motive of associating in some manner my unknown name with one so highly appreciated throughout the scientific world ; my desire is to give you a public pledge of my high esteem for your noble and benevolent character as a gentleman and a Christian. I have seen in your house a good specimen of the virtuous peace and sweet comforts of an American home ; and I have been led to think that such were the characters, and such were the homes, of those high-minded and warm- hearted American revolutionists of whom I have ever been a great admirer, and with whom you were closely connected by birth, by educa- tion, and by the recollections of your early youth. I remain, with high respect. Your obliged friend, GUGLIELMO GAJANI. Boston, March, 1856. 282029 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. The Ancient Milestone of Savignano, II. Confession, .... III. The Confessional, . rV. The Forbidden Fruit, V. Mysteries and Death, VI. The Pretext a and my Home, . VII. My First Experiences in the World, VIII. My Eldest Sister, . IX. My Journey to Ravenna, X. My First Difficulties in Rayenna, XI. The Public Schools, XII. My Country-Seat at Rayenna, XIII. My Return to Rome, ' XIV. My Vacation in Rome, XV. A Catacomb near Veii, . XVI. Young Italy, .... XVII. The Prophet of the Idea, XVIII. Good Names and Bad Things, XIX. A Mysterious Disappearance, XX. The University of Bologna, . . XXI. The Student at the University, XXII. A Summer Vacation, XXIII. The " Pontifex Maximus " of Rome, XXIV. The " Campo Santo " of Bologna, XXV. A First Love, .... XXVI. A Bad Journey, .... XXVII. The Young Lawyer, XXVIII. An Unjust Act of Justice, 1* PAGB 7 12 18 24 30 37 45 54 63 69 77 83 91 102 109 117 126 132 141 149 158 166 176 187 194 203 211 218 VI CONTENTS. XXIX. Young Italy Abroad, ..... 226 XXX. The Martyrs, 236 XXXI. The Funeral Rites, . . . . . 243 XXXII. A Dark Cloud, 253 XXXIII. The Last Farewell, 262 XXXIV. The Prisoner, 267 XXXV. The Trial, ...:... 275 XXXVI. Death of the Pope Gregory XVI., . . 283 XXXVII. Judgment on the Grave, .... 293 XXXVIII. The Conclave, 304 XXXIX. A Pope Elected by Mistake, . . . 313 XL. The Papal Amnesty, 323 XLI. The Last of the Popes of Rome, . . . 333 XLII. The Italian Movement and the Pope, . . 343 XLIII. The Conspiracy of the Sanfedisti, . . 351 XLIV. The "Sacra RoMANA Rota," . . . .362 XLV. Progress of the Italian Movement, . . 371 XLVE. The War against Austria, . . . . 381 XLVn. The Pope in Trouble, 395 XLVIII. A Mysterious Death, 403 XLIX. The Flight of Pius the Ninth from Rome, . 413 L. The Deposition of the Pope, .... 421 LI. The Roman Republic, 428 LII. The Siege of Rome, . . . . . 434 LIII. The Exile, 442 THE ROMAN EXILE CHAPTER I. THE ANCIENT MILESTONE OF SAVIGNANO. On a dark and gloomy night of April, 1831, my father was riding on the back of a powerful horse, holding me on his left arm. Our way was through remote by-paths. I was perfectly aware that we were flying from some great danger, of which, however, I had not a clear idea. What I knew was that we had been for some days in Rimini, and there, the preceding day, a tremendous battle had taken place between an Austrian army and the citizens with whom my father had taken part. My mind was still deeply impressed with the horrors which I had witnessed when the Austrians stormed a gate of the city next to the house in which I was sheltered. • I was then scarcely nine years old, with a short, thin, and weak body ; but my rather precocious intel- lect had been carefully cultivated, especially by means ^of historical studies, so that I was able to appreciate the importance and nobleness of a struggle for the freedom of my native country, — nay, I felt the great- est excitement and enthusiasm when thinking of it. <7) 8 THE ko'MAN' EXILE. We proceeded silently, both occupied by painful thoughts, till we arrived at a point where we had to cross the highway. It was at the entrance of a pretty little town called Savignano, ten miles north of Rimini. We crossed the road quickly, and were about to enter the open field again, when my father, stopping the horse suddenly, let me down gently, close by an ancient marble milestone ; and then alighted from the horse himself, in order, as I thought, to take some repose. It was then almost the break of day, and the clouds having been in part dissipated by a fresh easterly wind, the scene, covered with rosy light, was a glorious vision. The painful thoughts and fearful impressions of that gloomy night vanished from my mind, giving place to my natural childish cheerfulness as I heard the song of the birds awaking in the trees ; and my mind anticipated the glorious spectacle of sunrise, of which I was exceedingly fond. My attention, however, was soon attracted by the ancient milestone which stood before me, and which had for me the interest of an object connected with the historical studies I had so earnestly pursued. " It bears," said I, " the number two hundred and thirty-five (CCXXXY) in Roman numerals ; and the two initial letters, A and U {Ab Urhe — from the city), meaning, of course, to indicate the distance from the central milestone of the Capitol to this ^Municipium/ formerly called ' Sapinianum.^ " I expected, of course, that the skill in antiquities I thus displayed would attract a smile of approbation from my father, who generally took the greatest pleasure in promoting my knowledge on such subjects ; but, raising my eyes to his face, I perceived upon it such an expression of dejection and grief that I was quite terrified. THE ROMAN EXILE. \) " What is the matter with you, my father ? " said I ; " what painful memory does this stone recall to your mind, that you look so sad ? " " That stone," answered he, with a deep sigh, " was put there by our forefathers to show to travellers the distance from Rome ; but, if we could interrogate it through the past ages, it would tell us a long history of crimes and miseries which it has been called to witness. I saw it once covered with innocent — inno- cent blood ! and what blood ! It is a dreadful his- tory, but you ought to know it ; compose yourself, and listen to me with fortitude." " Speak, father ; no grief will overwhelm me," said I, and he continued : " Thirty-two years ago, during the year 1799, my father, my poor father, a noble-hearted patriot, in the act of escaping from the bloody persecution of the Austrian invaders, here, on this very spot, was recog- nized by a cowardly monk standing in the door of that church, opposite, and was pointed out by him to the brutal soldiers. They fired at the fugitive. Many shots struck him, and he staggered on to fall down close by this stone, which he embraced, turning his face towards the murderers as if to make them ashamed ; and in that position he was almost cut to pieces by a rush made on him with bayonets ! I was there ! I saw " " Let me swear," interrupted I, " let me swear upon this stone that I will revenge that blood and hate the Austrians forever." " Stop, my son," my father hastened to say, extending his hand towards me as he would have done to prevent me from falling from a precipice ; and then he con- tinued: "You recollect perhaps at this moment the 10 THE ROMAN EXILE. oath of vengeance whicli Hannibal took in Spain before his father, when no older than you are ; but they were pagans, and we are followers of Christ, who taught the love of God and of mankind. Let us defend our native country; let us stand for our natural rights without " At this a sudden, clear sound of a near approaching trumpet interrupted my father, who shuddered, ex- claiming, " Here come the Austrian cavalry ! " and, without losing a moment, he mounted his horse, and, taking me again into his arms, rode rapidly through the open field before the approaching Austrian soldiers could see us. After some moments, our flight having begun to be less rapid, my father continued his history, and said : "I was then scarcely twelve years old, and the only child. My mother, by a deed of desperate courage, had saved my father from being taken by the Austrian soldiers invading their house. She stood with a spear at the door of her room till her husband could escape by the window. Alas! it was in vain. He was dis- covered and killed at a short distance, as I have just told you. For this attempt she was taken to prison to be tried by a court-martial. Through the exertions, however, of many of our relatives and friends, she was sent to Ravenna, our native place, and soon after she was released and restored to me. But two months had scarcely elapsed when she died broken-hearted. " Alone in the world," continued my father, " during those stormy years which followed the French revo- lution, my education was neglected, and the inherit- ance of my father was, little by little, feloniously taken from me. Hatred to Austria made me a soldier of Napoleon the Great : the same hatred has thrown me THE ROMAN EXILE. 11 into all the conspiracies wliicli have been formed for the freedom and independence of Italy. But, alas! all in vain. Perhaps the days of trial are not yet over for us. Never mind ! Let us do our duty bravely and labor constantly. God will at some time help us. The noble blood which covered that ancient milestone was not the first which our family had shed for Italy^ and probably will not be the last : keep it in mind." After a long course we stopped at a villa, where my father entrusted me to an old peasant ; and then, taking a fresh horse, resumed his flight. In a short time I was again in Eome, in the arms of my mother ; and not long afterwards my father, not being seriously compromised, was allowed to come home. Our life passed on quite smoothly, but the remembrance of the old milestone of Savignano came often to trouble and excite my mind : it has since had a great influence on my life. CHAPTER II. CONFESSION. Near a small round table in our drawing-room my mother was mending some clothing, while I read a book, holding it open upon her lap. A servant came in and announced the visit of the Rev. Father Curate. At this, I observed something like trouble passing over the face of my mother, who, however, rose from her arm-chair to meet the new comer politely. This personage, till now unknown to me, was but little fitted to awaken my sympathy, although I was the main object of his visit. The father curate was a friar of immense corporeal extension, clad in a dark and dirty robe ; a large red nose, planted between two puffy cheeks of the same color, stood like a sign of his love for hard drinking and an idle life. There was a mingling of ignorance and cunning in the expression of his face, and his countenance and manners revealed immediately a man of vulgar and debased mind. " How do you do, Rev. Father Curate ? " said my mother, bidding me at the same time, by expressive glances and gestures, to kiss his hand. " Very well. And how old is that boy ? " said the curate, pointing at me, who, overwhelmed by a (12) THE ROMAN EXILE. 13 vague sense of repulsion, had shrunk almost behind my mother. " Sit down, Rev. Father Curate," said she ; and, as he sat down, glancing at the book I had placed on the table, she continued : " My son is almost ten years old ; but he has a sickly body, and requires to be under my particular care at home." " Well," replied the curate, in a nasal, angry tone, " and why do you allow him to read bad books ? " My mother, hardly restraining a smile, observed she never suspected " The Jerusalem DeKvered," by Tor- quato Tasso, to be a bad book. ^' Very bad," insisted the curate, even more angrily, " because it speaks of love ; and these sickly creatures are precocious in evil. And now I have just come precisely on purpose to remind you that he has not yet been to confess. I have known many of those so called intelligent boys, carefully instructed, indeed, but who did not frequent the sacraments, and they grew up good for nothing but the jailer or the execu- tioner " "Do not utter such a bad augury," interrupted my mother, evidently shocked and disgusted. " My son is a good child, who loves God and his neighbors, and offers his prayers in the most edifying manner." "Never mind," exclaimed the curate; "no one is good or acceptable to God if he does not go often to confession and communion ; and besides, there is the law, and we shall enforce the law." These words, no less than the manner in which they were uttered, frightened my mother, who, in a humble tone of voice, said she had never thought of disre- garding the laws ; and, as he (the curate) thought I was old enough for it, she would send me to confess with- 2 14 THE ROMAN EXILE. out delay. It was arranged that I should go the next morning; and the curate departed, leaving me in a state of open rebellion, for the first time, against my good mother. In fact, besides having twice resisted her directions for kissing the filthy hand of the friar, I declared, immediately after he had departed, that I was firmly determined never to go to confession. My mother endeavored in every way to shake my deter- mination; but she found me immovable, no less by threats than by endearments. She went so far as to declare to me that I should lose her love forever by my obstinacy. I did not yield even to that intimation, so dreadful for me ; but at evening, as I went to kiss my mother^s hand, asking for her blessing (as every Italian child does before going to bed), I could not restrain myself longer, and I burst into tears. My mother then embraced me, weeping no less than I. " Mother," said I, " you have been always so good, so partial to me ; and why will you now join yourself to that wicked friar against me ? " " It is for thy sake," replied she, weeping stiU more ; " because, if thou dost not go to confess, they will put thee into the * Holy Inquisition,' and torment thee in every way." I answered nothing, and I went to my bedroom in a state of dreadful agitation. My constancy had been almost shaken ; and yet I felt it impossible for me to submit to the repugnant duty of going to confess. The repulsive quahties of my future confessor had, of course, a share in the horror which I felt against confession ; but it was chiefly produced by a natural sense of repugnance not softened by any previous preparation. Every one who has lived intimately among the THE ROMAN EXILE. 15 papists, knows well how much care they are obliged to take in order to induce children to go to confess, and keep up the habit of it against the natural repug- nance experienced by those poor creatures. They begin to prepare the minds of children for it from the earliest age, representing confession in the best colors, and promising gifts and pleasures for that occasion ; besides, the curate shows himself very kind to children, and occasionally will give them Madonnas or pictures of saints for their amusement. But, as for me, I was then rather too old to be managed in this way. I had not known the curate till this un- pleasant interview with him, and my mother had never spoken to me of confession : nay, even now she insisted upon the necessity of complying with the request of the father curate in order to avoid punishment, but did not say it was a duty and a good thing to go to confession ; so that it appeared to me like an imposition or abuse of privilege on the part of that intolerable friar. Through these several causes, I felt so much excited that the fear of the " Holy Inquisition " had no power over my mind : nay, to be taken to that dreadful tri- bunal, and killed there, had for me almost the charms of a noble sacrifice and of a glorious death. But my mother — what would become of her, in such a case ? Besides, they would not probably kill me immediately ; they would shut me up in a dark dungeon. How could I live there without my mother ? It was in such a state of agitation that I knelt down to say my usual evening prayers, with the fervor and earnestness of one who is in great want of help ; and, raising gradually and almost unconsciously my voice, 16 THE ROMAN EXILE. I exclaimed repeatedly, " God, deliver me from the hands of that wicked friar who troubles my heart." At this, the door of my room opened gently, and the venerable figure of an old man made his appear- ance, looking upon me with the deepest interest and emotion. Had not the noble features of that vener- able head been familiar to me, I should probably have supposed him to be an angel of God coming to help me. He was the father of my mother, a man then eighty-two years old, and almost constantly confined by sickness to his room, which was next to that in which I was. Having heard my lamentations, he came to see what was the matter with me. His tall and commanding person, clad then in a large white rohe- derchamhre^ his gray hair and white beard bordering a noble and benevolent face, offered such a strange con- trast with the ugly figure of the curate, which was then before my mind, that I gazed at him almost enraptured. " Who troubles thee, my child ? " said he, having caught only the last words I uttered. I threw myself into his arms and told him my sad story, of course in passionate language, and with sighs, tears, and exclamations, declaring I would never confess to that friar nor to any other. " Thou art right, my child," calmly observed the ven- erable old man. " I never confessed my sins but to my God, and upon him only I rely for their remission and pardon. Do so and thou art right." At this I was of course greatly encouraged, and, interrupting him, I said, "You must say so to my mother, and then she will urge me no longer." " Nay," answered he, " you must comply with her THE ROMAN EXILE. 17 wise directions by going to-morrow morning to the confessional." This reply appeared to me a contradiction to his former proposition, and made me look astonished and disappointed ; but he, smiling at this, added, " I am eighty-two years old, and, from my boyhood, I have been to confess as often as they requested me to do so : but I never made a real confession." " How did you manage that ? " inquired I, anxiously. " In the simplest manner," answered my grandfather. "I presented myself at the confessional, declaring that I went there only to avoid unjust persecution and punishment; and I had not the least disposition to confess my sins to a man who was a sinner like myself. They pretend to be bound by inviolable secrecy, and so could not cause me to be tried before their tribu- nals. I have never disclosed this to any one before. My love for thee, and the deep interest I felt at seeing thee so much troubled, have overcome my prudence. But thou art intelligent enough to understand that the least revelation would ruin me, and I rely upon thy discretion." Next morning, my mother found me ready to go to the church and confess. She was greatly amazed that I made no further opposition, but was far from sus- pecting that I had a fixed plan in my mind. 2* CHAPTER III. THE CONFESSIONAL. Attended by an old servant, I went to the church of our parish where I had to confess. We lived in the " Piazza Campo di Fieri/' and thus our parish was that of " S. Carlo a Catinari ; " for the city is divided into several parishes, and every individual, from his seventh year to his death, must be a member of the church of that parish in whose district he lives, and commune there at least once a year. The curate and his chaplains have a rich income from the properties belonging to the church, which is open and free at any time, both to the members of the congregation and to any one else except those formally excommunicated. The curate, however, taxes his flock heavily, ac- cording to their riches ; especially on the occasion of marriages, births, and deaths, as he has the exclusive right of performing the marriage ceremony, baptizing children, and attending the funerals of all those who have resided within the boundaries assigned to his parish. Besides, they have a large amount of money from the alms daily collected in the church for the liberation of souls from purgatory ; and more especially from the masses and " solemn masses," celebrated for the deliverance of particular souls, at the request of pious relatives or according to directions in wills. (18> THE ROMAN EXILE. 19 The curate is at the same time the spiritual director of his flock, the administrator and distributor of any benevolent succor to those who are in want, and the most intimate and well-informed reporter for the service of the police ; so that his power is great and his influence dreadful. On arriving at the church, I was taken into the vestry by the sexton, in order to have a preparatory interview with my future confessor. Fortunately the father curate was not there ; nay, I was informed that he was confined to his room, in consequence, they said, of not being well, — from having drank too hard the night before, I suspected. They presented me to the father vice-curate. He was quite another man : polite in his manners, and clean in his dress, he looked more like a Jesuit than a common friar. His paleness, leanness, and an obstinate cough, showed that he was far advanced in consumption ; but such were his looks that many would have been in doubt as to the cause of it. The vice-curate addressed me kindly, and made a present to me, — in itself indeed of no great value, — namely, a small brass medal, such as are sold at three cents a dozen ; but he told me that it had been blessed by the Pope, and consequently had the virtue of pre- serving me from temporal no less than spiritual dangers, provided I should wear it constantly sus- pended from my neck, and cherish a deep faith. After this I was directed to go into one of the lateral naves of the church, where I found many children waiting for the same object. The wooden confes- sional was placed against the right-hand wall, and had on both sides small wooden benches, — those on the 20 THE ROMAN EXILE. left side occupied by the boys, and the others by the young girls. I had been there but a short time when the vice- curate made his appearance, and placed himself in the confessional. He shut the small door, and then, open- ing a little window on the right side, he began to confess a young girl; having finished with her, he shut that window, and opened the other on the oppo- site side, to confess a boy ; and so he continued alter- nating. When my turn came, I went to kneel before the Httle window. The vice-curate, on opening it inside, made the sign of the cross with his right hand upon the iron grate, which was between his face and my own. He could see me, of course, and recognize me easily through the holes of the grate ; but, pre- tending he did not, he made the usual inquiry, — " How long is it since you have been to confess ? " " I never confessed," said I ; " I am now sent here for the first time." " Then recite the ^ confiteor,' " replied the confessor. And I did it weU, because I had easily learned it by heart that morning. The " confiteor " is a general formula of confession in Latin, which must precede the particular narration and explanation of sins. Here it is : " Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, Beatse Marise semper virgini, Beato Mi- chaele Archangelo, Beato Johanne Babptista, Sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis et tibi Pater, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere : mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa," etc. '^ Now you must tell me," said the confessor, " all the sins you have committed in thought, in word, and in deed, mentioning all the circumstances." THE ROMAN EXILE. 21 I answered him I was not prepared nor disposed at all to comply with his wishes ; but he overwhelmed me by so many reproofs and threats, that, in order to get out of the scrape, I thought it prudent to tell him some faults of no consequence. "I confess," said I, "that sometimes I have got angry." " You must explain," observed the confessor, " how many times it has happened, and against what kind of persons you felt angry." " Once," said I, " I was angry at a cat, because it had killed and devoured my favorite canary-bird; another time I got angry at a servant, because he had broken my inkstand and stained with ink my illus- trated story-book, — I told him angrily that he was a great ass." I added to these some other stories, and then I told the confessor that I was over. He looked at me dis- trustfully, and then began his interrogations, saying first, " Do you think often upon our holy religion? " " I say my prayers in the morning and evening, and I listen to my mother when she teaches me." " You must early take up the habit," said the con- fessor, " of believing the truth of our only true religion, and never yield to the temptation of doubt- ing it. The devil himself suggests to our minds such dangerous thoughts, and our natural pride makes us inclined to receive them. But this is that sin against the ^Holy Ghost' of which our Lord Jesus Christ has said that it shall not be pardoned. So that when such thoughts come to your mind, you must endeavor in every way to dispel them as the worst temptation of the devil." 22 THE ROMAN EXILE. I promised I would do so ; and then the confessor made many inquiries about my manner of living at home, my father, my mother, and even my neighbors. I avoided direct replies, and finally told him that my mother had taught me it was too bad for a child to disclose home matters and the affairs of our neigh- bors. The confessor replied that he asked such ques- tions for my good, and there was no danger of any disclosure, as he was bound by inviolable secrecy; but he did not insist upon it, and began to ask me about this or that sin, enumerating some of which I had never heard. When waiting for my turn to confess, I had observed that almost all the young girls left the confessional blushing and confused, and then took their seats, hiding their faces for a little while. Now I guessed the reason, from the nature of some of the demands cynically directed to me. Auricular confession begins with scandalizing the innocent minds of children, and then by degrees destroys their sense of modesty ; and finally creates the idea that sins are remitted by. a detailed narration, accompanied by a sense of con- trition felt at the moment. I know not of a more immoral and corrupting practice, and I firmly believe that it is a duty of every free and enlightened gov- ernment to forbid it for the sake of public moral- ity. At length my confessor told me to recite the for- mula of repentance, which I did immediately, having learned it by heart from the little book of instructions given to me. Then he prescribed to me the penance to be performed for my sins, which consisted in re- citing a rosary, kneeling before the image of the " holy virgin," called " del pianto " (weeping), which was THE ROMAN EXILE. 23 worshipped in that church. Finally the confessor, solemnly raising his hand, pronounced the formula of absolution in Latin, saying, " Ego te absolve ab omni, bus peccatis suis per quantum possum et. tu indiges in vitam eternam ; amen." And thus I was dismissed. CHAPTER IV, THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT, Next to our dining-room was a small cabinet, de- signed by my father for his study, and furnished ac- cordingly with desks, books, and book-cases, in the simplest manner: but there was near the window a small book-case which was kept constantly locked ; a red curtain inside the glass door prevented the sight of the contents ; an inscription, however, had been placed upon that book-case, by which every one was made aware of the dangerous nature of the contents, by the words Libri proibiti (prohibited books). It is well known, I suppose, that the Popes for some centuries have been in the habit of condemning all books which do not agree with their interests, views, or prejudices ; and that an index of such books has been repeatedly published, which now has grown into a very large volume, comprising every kind of book, from the translation of the Bible to the least pas- quinade. To read or keep any book described in that black index is punished only by excommunication in countries where the Pope has no temporal power; but his subjects enjoy the privilege of being sent to the galleys for the crime. To mitigate, however, this law, which they could hardly enforce against scholars, it was determined by (24) THE ROMAN EXILE. 25 the "Holy Inquisition" to grant special permission of reading and keeping more or less of the forbidden books to those who can show that they want them for their studies, and pay a certain tax for the permission. My father then was in the class of those privileged persons, and kept those books carefully locked up, according to the clause of the license, saying, dum- modo sic custodial ne ad aliorum manus perveniant, "provided he shall keep them so that nobody else may see them." To disregard that clause would be considered as criminal for him as for a druggist to keep poison carelessly. " Prohibited books ! " said I often to myself; " how nice they must be. Could I at least glance at their titles ; " and lo ! during a rainy morning, my father takes a pretty volume from that mysterious book-case, and begins to read attentively some pages of it : and then, " Listen to this passage," said he to my mother, and read some to her. I pretended to be entirely occupied with my play in a corner of the room, but I did not lose a word of what was read. It was a touching description of the dreadful evils with which Rome was afflicted, by the army of the Emperor Charles the Fifth, when taken by it, during the year 1527, under the command of the French constable of Bourbon. It made a deeper impression upon me, as that dreadful event is stiU traditionally known, and spoken of with deep feeling, by all classes of persons in Rome. From that moment I was possessed by a passionate desire to explore the contents of that mysterious book-case, which of course appeared marvellous to my excited imagination. I imparted my wishes to a cousin of mine, then on a visit at our house, who 3 26 THE ROMAN EXILE. entered immediately into my views ; and, being older than myself, and very skilful in mechanics, he suc- ceeded in supplying me with a key to open the book- case. He handed it to me at a late hour in the even- ing of a certain day. I hardly restrained myself till midnight should pass, and all in the house be quietly sleeping; then I slipped cautiously into the study. M.J heart beat quick, my breath was less free, and my hands trembled as if about to undertake something awfully wrong. But, conquering such an impression, I put in the key, and lo ! the dreadful books were before my inquiring eyes. My inspection began with a little carefully bound volume, as I thought that, being so little and beauti- ful, would perhaps be even less guilty than the oth- ers; nay, I was soon inclined to believe it to be entirely pure, when, looking at the title, I found that it was " Bel henejizio della morfe di Cristo/' by Aonio Paleario. " A book discoursing of the benefit which we derive from the death of Christ could have been put here only through some mistake," said I to myself. But, as I turned almost mechanically the first page, I met on the second leaf with a short notice of the author, in which it was said that, for having written such a book, he had been condemned by the " Holy Inquisition," and burned alive on the third day of July, 1570, and the execution had taken place in Rome, in the " Piazza Gampo di Fiori.^^ It was then after midnight, and my mind was al- ready deeply excited by that furtive exploration. Now the idea of a man burned alive, on account of the book I was holding in my hands, appeared of course to my mind like a dreadful phantom; and, besides, there was in full view the scene of that dread- THE EOMAN EXILE. 27 ful tragedy ; for the window near which I stood fronted the ^^ Piazza Gampo di Fiori,^^ in which the execu- tion took place. This pubhc square was formerly occupied by the temple of Flora, and still preserves the name of " Field of Flowers/' although polluted by so many impious deeds of papal cruelty. For a little while I remained there motionless and breathless, shuddering with horror and mysterious fear ; and then, by a strong effort recovering posses- sion of myself, I sat down and began to read with convulsive eagerness. As the book was very small, I went through the contents in a few hours. Then to the previous horror was joined in my mind the greatest amazement and confusion, for I could not find in the volume anything wrong ; but, on the con- trary, the book was written to explain the doctrine of " original sin," and the " atonement by the sacrifice of Christ," through which we are to be saved by our faith, — a doctrine which appeared to me exactly like those principles so early inculcated in me by my mother as to give me the idea that I was born with them. Then, looking for some explanation, I perused a biographical sketch exhibiting the leading features of the life of Paleario, the author. I found that he was a native of Yeroli, a city sixty miles east of Kome, and a man of great piety, virtue, talent, and scholar- ship, having written many valuable books, and lectured during many years in several leading universities of Italy ; so that he was held in the greatest estimation, and honored by the friendship and intimacy of all the most distinguished men of his age, including Cardinals Morone, Saddoleto, Pole, Bembo, and others. The pubHcation of the book I had read exposed 28 THE ROMAN EXILE. the author to a trial before the court of Siena, which condemned him to death ; but, appeahng to the senate of that republic, and boldly pleading his cause, he avoided the punishment and recovered his freedom. Then Paleario, abandoning Siena, was allured under false pretences to Bologna. This city was then under the protectorate of the Pope, and therefore could not resist a friar, who was sent by His Holiness with authority to seize Paleario and take him to the " Holy Inquisition," in Eome. There he was dreadfully tor- mented, during three years, in a horrible dungeon, and afterwards he was burned alive, as I have said, preserving constantly wonderful firmness and con- sistency. There was something exceedingly touching to me in the extract I found there of a letter which Paleario wrote to his beloved wife and children during the hour immediately preceding his death. "It is my wish," he said, " that you should not grieve at what is my joy and happiness. I go to my Lord, my Father, and my God. He has been pleased to call me to himself by a way which will appear to you a hard and painful one; but, considering that it hap- pens with ipy full submission and joy of mind, you will find comfort by relying upon the will of God. I am now a useless old man. I leave you, for your inher- itance, industry and virtue, together with the goods which I have already put into your possession, upon which there are no debts. My hour is coming. May the Spirit of God console you. Farewell." I need not say that my warmest sympathy was immediately won for that victim. Then, and ever since, it appeared to me that a man standing firmly for his opinions, and never yielding, even before tortures THE ROMAN EXILE. 29 and death, is the most sublime expression of true greatness and virtue. My sympathy would perhaps have been equally warm even if I had detected any faults in the book of Paleario ; but this was not the case. His opinions appeared to me as just as they were wise and pious ; and they increased the interest I felt in him, and the confusion of my ideas. The break of day found me lingering before the fatal book-case. Warned by the light, I replaced the book, shut up the case, and cautiously regained my room, in order to avoid surprise or discovery. But I had eaten the forbidden fruit, and now I felt the con- sequences: agitation, doubt, and confusion troubled my mind constantly. 3^ CHAPTER V. MYSTERIES AND DEATH. Several days had passed since my nocturnal ex- ploration of the case of forbidden books, and, never- theless, my mind was yet filled with the sad impressions of that night. My inquisitiveness was now indeed bitterly repaid by the trouble of my mind. " There is a mystery," said I often to myself; "and myste- ries should be respected, especially at my age." / In fact, mystery is a familiar idea, and commands an instinctive respect in the mind of a child born and educated in Rome. There, persons, laws, and insti- tutions, no less than the ground, buildings, and ruins, appear to involve some mystery. Nay, Rome itself is nothing but a great mystery. That proud city, concealing its origin among the darkness of primitive ages, subdued the world by arms, and then by faith ; and now again, casting away the corrupt and degraded papacy, awakes amidst the dreadful struggle of ancient and modern times, uttering the cry, "God and the people," which means the whole future of the third era of its greatness connected with the progress of mankind. But now, everything around me, and even within me, appeared to me like mystery ; nor could I succeed in casting aside those new, troubling thoughts. First (30) THE ROMAN EXILE. » 31 of all, that poor Paleario, burned alive, was constantly before my imagination. He, so learned, so pious and noble-minded, was he not an imitator of Christ, dying submissive to the will of God for the triumph of the truth? And, certainly, Paleario appeared to me like those earlier followers of Christ, whose virtuous life and glorious death had been narrated to me so often. But, if so, were not the Popes, Inquisition, and Jesuits like those Jews and wicked Emperors who killed Christ and his followers for the sake of the truth? But, on the other hand, why did they claim to be Christians ? Besides, my mother was of course a pious and religious woman ; but why then did she not go to the church and confession as often as the neighboring ladies? And then I recollected what had happened when I was desired to go to confess, and there I found something not quite clear. And again, why was I taught at home by private expensive teachers, instead of being sent to the " CoUegio Romano," or other pub- lic schools, where the Jesuits taught thoroughly for nothing ? The scrutinizing eye of an affectionate mother would of course easily discover that I was troubled by some painful thoughts ; and she more than once tried to find out what was the matter with me. But I avoided all her questions, and finally declared that it was a secret of my conscience, which she ought to respect for having sent me to confess against my will. Then she did not insist any longer. It happened that one night, being yet awake in my bed, I heard groaning in the next room, which was occupied by the aged father of my mother, as I men- tioned before. -I went there immediately, and, finding 32 THE ROMAN EXILE. him to be in a very alarming state, I ran to seek for a physician. Some relief was soon administered to the patient ; but, from that moment, we attended him con- stantly by turns, for his life was in great danger. A few nights after that, and during my term of attendance, the sick man having a moment of rest, we entered into a close conversation, during which he remarked that he had but a few hours more to live ; and, as at this I could not refrain from weeping bit- terly, he added, " Do not weep. Death is but the nat- ural consequence of being born,* besides, there is nothing painful connected with the approaching end of my life. Have I not lived many years ? And now I am dying quietly in my bed, surrounded by the affectionate care of my dearest relatives ; and, what is best of all, I feel that reliance upon the divine grace which is a pledge of salvation. Nor does death come unexpectedly upon me ; it is long since I have been warned of my approaching end. Look at that case which is under my bed ; it is the coffin I had prepared for myself three years ago." The venerable old man uttered these words with such an expression of calmness, firmness, and confi- dence, that I felt almost reconciled to my lot in losing such a valuable friend. And then, being exceedingly touched, I could not help disclosing entirely to him my thoughts, my doubts, and what I had done rash or wrong. He remained for a little while silent and thoughtful, and then he said to me, " Thou hast en- tered too early into perilous researches. Thou art yet a child : wait for a proper time to obtain the expla- nation of those mysteries, and do not trouble thyself about it now." I was very little satisfied, of course, with that THE ROMAN EXILE. 33 answer ; nay, I was rather hurt by the appearance of mistrust concerning my age. " I do not pretend to be rehed upon/' said I, " but I tell you that I know how to be silent. For instance, all that you told me last year about the confession no one has known from me, not even my mother.'' " Is it possible ! " said the sick man ; and he would perhaps have added some explanations, but at that moment my mother entered the room, in order to take her turn and send me to bed. Next day, — it was the seventh since my grandfather had been seized by that fatal sickness, — towards dusk, a vetturino carriage stopped at our door, bringing a gentleman, who came in like an old acquaintance of the family. I did not know him, but he appeared to know me, for he addressed me by name in the most caressing manner, and said, '^ Is your mother at home?" " Yes, sir," said I, and introduced him into the draw- ing-room, saying, "Mother, here is a stranger who wishes to see you." My mother appeared to be exceedingly delighted and comforted at the appearance of this gentleman, who, after having respectfully kissed her hand in the Italian fashion, inquired, anxiously, "Is he stiU living?" " Yes," answered my mother, with emotion ; " but his hour approaches rapidly." " Let us go and see him," repUed the stranger. And they were going up stairs, when my father entered the hall : he embraced the new comer like an old friend ; and, after a short conversation, I heard the stranger say, " Now I have a good passport, and I do not want to hide myself" At this, my father went to his desk, and, taking a printed sheet of paper, filled up some blanks in it, and then gave it to me to be 34 THE ROMAN EXILE. taken to the police-oflSce. That sheet contained the announcement required by law of having received into his house a guest, and, consequently, exhibited the name of the new comer, his birth-place, age, social condition, habitual residence, the business he was coming for, how long he would remain, and the reason for which hospitality was extended to him. The neglect of such an immediate announcement after having received a guest would be punished in ordinary times with a heavy fine and an imprisonment for some months ; but, when martial law has been de- clared, the offence is sometimes punished by ten years in the galleys. Next morning, as early as four o'clock, my sleep was broken by my mother, who dressed me in haste and took me to the room of her father, who was breathing his last, and had desired to bless me in that last solemn moment. The scene was more imposing than distressing. The venerable old man, speechless and immovable, had lost nothing of his serene countenance ; he looked round his bed, surrounded by the whole of our family, as if taking leave of us with the most benevolent air. In the mean time, the strange gentle- man of the evening before, holding the right hand of the dying man, was speaking the sweetest and most consoling words I had ever heard. This lasted but a few moments ; and then I saw some slight convulsive movements on that face which was soon after com- posed in the solemn quiet of death. At eight o'clock the same morning, the father curate made his appearance at our house. He had heard of the death which had occurred, and was coming to make arrangements for the burial. The curate at first made some bitter remarks to my father for not having called THE ROMAN EXILE. 35 him to assist the dying man and administer the sacra- ments to him, and said he would be right in denying the honor of burial to the corpse. My father uttered some light excuses, to which the curate yielded easily, because the dead was believed to have left a certain fortune, and the curate was anxious to share some of it under the title of funeral expenses. Now the deceased had some years before made his last will, consigning it, sealed, to a public notary, who then came to open it in the presence of the corpse and seven witnesses, according to our laws and customs. The curate attended the ceremony in order to learn the directions for the burial. " I direct my beloved daughter to procure the inter- ment of my corpse without any pomp, and in the least Qostly manner possible." That was all on the subject of the burial, which took place exactly as he had directed. Next morning, however, the sexton called at our house, bringing the bill from the Rev. Father Curate. It was very short and simple, and written in Latin, according to the fashion : " Pro funere non facto, du- centa scutatorum." That is to say," For not having made the solemn burial, two hundred dollars." My mother read the bill, and then turning to the sexton she said, almost ironically, " And how much would the father curate have pretended to ask if he had made the solemn funeral?" " The same sum," coolly answered the sexton, " be- cause our taxes are regulated by the wealth of the dead only." " Well," replied my mother, " but, now the funeral having not taken place, what good will it do to me or my father to pay that sum ? " 36 THE ROMAN EXILE. The sexton, by no means disconcerted, went on to explain, politely and skilfully, that every curate pos- sesses the right, which is called " of stola nera " (black stole or dress), by which he exacts taxes from his flock on occasion of deaths, in the same manner that he raises contributions when baptizing or solemnizing marriages, in consequence of his right called " of stola bianca " (white stole). " Besides," added the sexton, " it will aid the soul of your father to escape sooner from the pains of purgatory." My mother was by no means fond of money, and, affectionate as she was to her father, and distressed now by his loss, she would have given willingly every- thing in order to relieve his soul from pain. But, as every mortal being has some peculiar fault, so she happened not to believe in the existence of purga- tory, and was not in the least inclined to encourage that trade. ^^ Tell the Rev. Father Curate that my husband will call on him for the settlement of the matter," said she to the sexton, who went away mut- tering. My mother called with the bill at a lawyer's office to inquire if the curate was wrong ; but she was told that he was right, because there was really a law enforcing such impositions, and she must submit and pay the bill. CHAPTER VI. . THE PRETEXTA AND MY HOME. On the 25th of June, 1836, there was at our house a modest but cheerful dinner, attended by some of our most intimate friends and relatives; they had been gathered together cautiously, in order to avoid a descent of the papal sbirrij who would not have failed to disturb our dinner if they had known the object of it. In fact, my father had taken it into his head to celebrate the completion of my fourteenth year, giving me solemnly a man's coat, — in the same manner that the ancient Romans presented the pre- texta to their children, who, from that moment, ac- quired all the rights and were subjected to all the duties of the Roman citizenship. I was, of course, the lion of the banquet, and many toasts were addressed to me, in verse as well as in prose ; and then my father, presenting me with a fine black coat, delivered a beautiful speech, which was very much applauded by our guests. As for me, I immediately put on my new coat, assuming a grave and dignified countenance, and mingled with the gen- tlemen, instead of clinging to my mother, as I would have done on former occasions. My father appeared to be satisfied with my conduct, and announced to me that from that moment I must take care of myself; 4 (37) 38 THE ROMAN EXILE. that he would soon send me to Ravenna in order to attend the public schools, and there he would not exercise any control over me, nor introduce me to any of his friends. " Your good conduct," added he, " is of more special importance to yourself than to me or any one else, and upon it will depend your meeting or not with valuable friends." I was a little flattered by this, and felt I had strength enough to take care of myself, and to justify my father's confidence. My mother, on the contrary, was disturbed, and ventured to observe that I was too young. " If you keep him like a boy for twenty years more, he will then be less capable than now of taking care of himself: he must learn early how to live in the world." She made no reply, knowing of course that it was a resolution previously taken, and that it would be firmly kept by him ; and in Italy, by a kind of tacit compromise, the father disposes of the sons and the mother of the daughters. Besides, she agreed per- fectly in the determination to send me to Ravenna, because the public schools there were not in the hands of the Jesuits as those of Rome. At that important epoch of my life, our family con- sisted of my father and mother, of course ; and be- sides, I had some younger brothers and sisters, the number of whom, occasionally varied by births and deaths, was at last settled at five sisters and two brothers. An old faithful servant and a learned teacher formed a prominent part of the family, no less than I, the eldest son. My father, notwithstanding some peculiar ideas, was a noble man, liberally endowed with talent and many THE ROMAN EXILE. 39 good qualities from nature. "What was his busi- ness?" a gentleman asked me not long; ago; and I was sorry to be obliged to confess that his business was " II dolce far niente '' (the sweet doing nothing), with which foreigners so often bitterly reproach the Italians. "How can a man live without doing anything in the world ? " inquired the gentleman ; to. whom I answered, "I do not mean that he did nothing at all, — nay, he rode and hunted very often, read books when the weather was bad, and occasionally composed pleasant poems, and was even suspected to be the author of some witty pasquinades.'^ "Beautiful occupations indeed," interrupted the gentleman; "but a man who is not rich and has many children must give himself to some productive occupation, as they do in England and America." Nothing, of course, is more right than this decision ; but is it equally possible in Italy, as in England and America, to undertake some productive business ? As for my father, I have seen him so tired and annoyed with his " dolce far niente," that I am sure he would have attended to some serious business with the greatest pleasure. But what could he have done? All his good qualities, disposition, and activity were paralyzed by his social position, as is the case with numbers in Italy. In fact, my father early entered upon a military career, for which he proved himself very well fitted, during the last wars of Napoleon ; but this career was cut short by the restoration of papacy. My father did not on this account give up the idea of an honorable and useful career ; nay, he went to the University of Bologna, and with the greatest patience and earnest- 40 THE ROMAN EXILE. ness studied medicine ; and, after four years of perse- vering application, crowned with success, he was about receiving his degree, when suddenly he was ordered to leave the university and renounce forever the idea of practising medicine, because he had been suspected of some connection with a political plot. My father then made attempts to establish and carry on a commercial business, devoting to it a considera- ble part of his property and the whole of his atten- tion. But commerce, every one knows, is so fond of liberty that it sometimes brings it, and can never exist without it. So that I need not say that commerce had been almost annihilated in our country since the papal restoration. Besides, my father was kept under par- ticular control by the papal police : they would not allow him to travel nor move from place to place except he could prove it to be necessary ; and then, a constant watch being kept upon him, he could not have any intercourse with other men of business without creating new suspicions against himself, and compromising others. My father thus found himself compelled to with- draw from business, losing the property he had de- voted to it. It was in that manner that he was reduced to " far niente,^' relying, for the support of himself and his family, upon the rents of some real estate belonging to the inheritance of his mother. So that I cannot bear to hear him abused for his " dolce far niente ; '^ nay, I would have every one pity him for his forced and bitter idleness. Besides, and above all, I feel very much indebted to him for having inspired me with the greatest ardor for active hfe, and given me, by means of a wise education, a patrimony which papal confiscation cannot reach. THE ROMAN EXILE. 41 I wish to add, that an ItaKan ought not to be judged according to the ideas prevaihng in England and America on this subject: we are not possessed by that eagerness for making money which is the most powerful stimulant to activity and daring enterprise. Italians have very few physical wants, and know how to restrain them within the limits of their means; " comfort '^ is a word not to be found in our language : thus we are easily reconciled to moderate fortunes, especially when we possess a house and a piece of land, which have been the constant object of the ear- nest wishes of Italians, from ancient times down to our days. My father had saved a country seat and twenty acres of land from the wreck of his paternal inher- itance, and some more valuable property had been left to him by his mother ; and thus he considered himself, and was acknowledged by others, as a man of standing, and rich enough. So that, being young, and possessing some personal advantages, he might have married a young lady of fortune, which is not difficult in Rome, where the immense number of priests and friars condemns to a forced celibacy a great many young ladies. But he gave up that ad- vantage, to contract a marriage of the heart, the story of which is an illustration of his character. After having fought the last battle of Napoleon, at. Waterloo, my father was coming home in a miserable condition, not yet entirely recovered from the effects of two wounds received there, and having no money to travel comfortably. He had crossed the Alps on foot, and reached the Appenines, between Piedmont and Tuscany, depending upon the small indemnity paid to the travelling soldiers ; but, on a very hot day, 4* 42 THE ROMAN EXILE. towards dusk, he fainted on the road, and was taken dangerously ill, his wounds having opened again. Some passers-by took him into a small cottage near at hand, where he met with the warmest reception, and was attended with the most affectionate care, until he entirely i-ecovered. The owner of that cottage was a gentleman of talent and highly cultivated mind, who had enjoyed a bril- liant position during the reign of Napoleon, and who now, having lost almost all his fortune and experienced many disappointments, disgusted with the immoral spectacle of the restored tyrants, had retired to that mountain, with a daughter, who was then fifteen years old. She had been brought up in the world, and nev- ertheless showed no uneasiness in that retired life ; nay, she constantly endeavored to make it tolerable to her father, by her afiectionate care, playful humor, and sweet music. The innocent charms of tnat blooming girl must have been very attractive ; for she had the most reg- ular features, and, even in mature Hfe, preserved such an expression of modesty and tender afiection that she seemed to have been created to be beloved. It was not strange, then, if the sick youth, recover- ing from his bodily wounds, became touched with love, — a disease in which the young lady herself soon shared. " I have a certain fortune at home," said the young man, in the act of taking leave of the excellent and hospitable gentleman, — "I have a certain fortune at home, and, besides, I intend to practise some produc- tive profession. Let me marry your daughter, and we will live happily together." The old gentleman did not understand the sentiment THE ROMAN EXILE. 43 which had led the young man to make that proposi- tion, and his delicate feelings were therefore wounded by the suspicion that the offer was made in order to relieve him from his present condition. So that, assuming a severe air, he gave a negative answer, in the coldest manner. The young man interpreted it as a mark of distrust and indifference, and they sep- arated with reciprocal coolness. In Rome my father mingled in gay society, and then went to Bologna to attend the lectures on medicine at that celebrated university, and there also he was in the gay world; but nothing could remove from his heart his love for the fair mountaineer of the Appe- nines ; nay, the disappointments in his career, and the dreadful oppression of his native country, made him feel more and more the want of that domestic happi- ness of which he had dreamed so often when thinking of that girl. One day a fashionable young gentleman, mounted on a fine horse, arrived suddenly at the door of the cottage mentioned before. The daughter of the house, now a perfectly grown-up young lady, was playing on her guitar, and singing a touching air, to which her father was listening with an expression of deep melancholy. They soon understood each other very well, and all was arranged. ^^ What have you been doing these last five years ? '^ was the first confidential inquiry of the young gen- tleman. '' I have been waiting for you," replied the blushing girl. She had been waiting in that solitude for five years, without being comforted by any promise, with- out receiving any tidings of him. She loved, and that was enough for her. 44 THE ROMAN EXILE. I must add, that few marriages have been happier than this. On being introduced into the refined soci- ety of Eome, my mother filled her new position with easy grace ; but she was not fond of amusements, feel- ing herself in her true element only when at home. In fact, she was not able to play on the piano-forte nor to sing modern opera airs, and even to modern danc- ing she was a stranger ; but she was a good Italian scholar, knew Latin and French, besides being ac- quainted with all household concerns, and with her own hands provided the clothing of all her children, although they were at one time no less than twelve in number. CHAPTER YII. MY FIRST EXPERIENCES IN THE WORLD. My mother loved me exceedingly, and I loved her as much as a child may love ; but some disagreement often disturbed our intercourse. In fact, she was a little too fond of discipline, and I, a lively boy, was rather impatient under it. When I recollect how many tears I have caused her by my childish excesses, I still regret that I was not able to control my warm temperament. Each fault was followed by deep re- pentance, and many promises of good behavior ; but, alas I nature was too strong to submit to the artificial restraints which were imposed upon me. Perhaps my mother understood it, and perhaps she felt inclined to be forbearing with me ; but she was not able to con- quer the common prejudices concerning the education of children in Italy. Besides, she was constantly reproached by her friends and relatives, who said that she loved me too much, and consequently spoiled me. My father alone was not of the same opinion; and sometimes he concealed my faults or tried to excuse me. Let no one, however, suppose that my faults were of a serious character. Sometimes I did not walk in a dignified manner when in the public promenade or in the street ; or I associated with other boys who (45) 46 THE ROMAN EXILE. liked discipline as little as myself; .more frequently, I made a noise by running and jumping in the apart- ments, or in the court-yard, where I exerted my gym- nastic powers and tried my voice rather too freely. But the greatest want of discipline I ever showed was one evening when there was a dinner-party at our house. Short and thin as I was, I had been placed between two very tall gentlemen, who were talking to each other, thinking but little of me ; and, when the large dish with meat made the tour of the table, in order that every one should help himself, in the Italian fashion, they forgot to hand it to me. I happened to be very hungry that evening, and the smell of the meat was very tantalizing ; so that, after a Httle while, I could not refrain from raising my voice and asking for some of it. At this, my mother blushed deeply, and the whole party looked scandalized ; even my father gave me a severe glance, because the cir- cumstance of there being a party aggravated the fault which I had committed by breaking silence at table. Indeed, that evening I was in a bad strain. As soon as the dinner was over, and we went into the drawing-room to take a cup of coffee, instead of quietly taking my seat, I made some excursions around the room, with rather quick and noisy steps; and, being told to desist, I accosted a group of gentlemen, one of whom was describing the distress he had wit- nessed in Genoa, when that city was besieged by the English, during the year 1800. " The English admiral had offered good terms of capitulation, but the com- mander answered that he would not surrender till obliged by famine to eat his boots. That commander," added the speaker, " was a French general " THE ROMAN EXILE. 47 "No," interrupted I, "he was an Italian, namely, Massena." The gentleman looked upon me sternly, and then said, " You will do better to speak when you are re- quested to do so ; " and then turned away from me contemptuously, and continued his speech. It was my last offence that evening, for I was ordered imme- diately to go to bed. Now, the time of my deliverance from such disci- pline, which had become every day more intolerable to me, was indeed an occasion of great rejoicing. But I must confess that, having been brought up under so many restrictions, I felt now quite disposed to indulge to the contrary ; and by and by I became a httle daring, troublesome rogue. My father knew something of it, but, " Never mind," said he ; " let him learn how to live in the worM by his own experience." In fact, I met with so many unpleasant adventures in my new career that I put a stop to it myself. I will mention some of those adventures, which proved good lessons in my subsequent conduct. Late on the evening of a summer day, I went to see the Coliseum illuminated by a beautiful moonlight. In order to enjoy that glorious sight in the best man- ner, I had taken a seat in a dark corner. I was all alone, and thought the place deserted; but, after a little time, I saw, like a vision, four young ladies play- ing gracefully not far from me. They also were alone, their attendant being, perhaps, in another part of that immense edifice. It is impossible for me to explain the impression made upon my young mind by those beautiful and playful creatures, in their simple white dresses. They happened to pass near me; and, instead of 48 THE ROMAN EXILE. being frightened by unexpectedly finding there a youth, they looked upon me freely and easily, and then came back and passed again before me. At this, rising from my seat by a sudden, almost involuntary movement, I rushed towards them, and, without re- flecting on what I Avas doing, or why I did it, I caught one of them in my arms. Perhaps it was in the same manner that, in the same place, in old times, Romulus took possession of Hersilia, the fair Sabine mountain- eer. But my fair one was not a native of Italy ; and so, instead of screaming and fainting, she, by a reso- lute and sudden movement, disengaged herself from my grasp, and then applied an earnest slap upon my face, accompanying that unpleasant gesture by some words which I did not understand, but they sounded very harshly in my ears — much like rogue, rascal, ruffian ! And this was but a signal to the other young girls, who immediately came to her help, and revenged themselves upon me with such fury that, in great dis- order, and bleeding, I considered myself fortunate to escape from their nails by a cowardly flight. Next evening, while I was at the house of a friend, a gentleman called there, and, to amuse the party, related to us that, on the preceding evening, four young ladies from America had met in the Coliseum a daring rogue, who disturbed their innocent sports ; but they had given him a good lesson. Of course all the company were amused and gratified except myself But, from that moment, I have had an instinctive respect for young ladies ; and to aU my friends who were going to America I constantly gave the good advice, " Look out for the Yankee girls." A few days after that event, I was walking with two friends on the ground of the ancient Roman THE ROMAN EXILE. 49 Forum, when we met, in the twilight, two Jesuits re- turning home from their promenade. They exhibited such an air of affected devotion and humihty that we, looking at each other, smiled maliciously. " It is a pity," then said one of them to his com- panion, "that in this holy city there are so many vagrant children, shamefully allowed to disgrace the streets and promenades." This insult was evidently directed against my friends and me ; and we felt it bitterly ; so that we followed the Jesuits, with the intention of revenging it upon them. They soon passed near a little marshy spot, into which we suddenly threw three large stones, so as to cover their black gowns with muddy stains. They looked round, and there was nobody to be seen but ourselves. Then the one who had not before spoken said humbly to his companion : " Let us bear it for the love of Jesus." At this I was touched, and said to my friends, " We have been wrong. Perhaps there are some good per- sons even among the Jesuits." "Very good, indeed," replied one of my friends, with a sneer. " But good Jesuits I " He had scarcely uttered these words, when a patrol of four papal shirri, coming from a side street, en- tered the ground of the Forum near us. " Take those three scoundrels to prison ! " my good Jesuit cried out, angrily, and with a solemn tone of command ; and the four shirri hastened to obey. I confess it was not the first mischief that my friends and I had committed, nor was that the first 'attempt of the papal sbirri to catch us : so that we were not taken by panic or surprise, and fled quickly in differ- ent directions, to scatter our pursuers. One of my 5 50 THE EOMAN EXILE. friends entered the temple of Antoninus and Faustina, now a church, which was very near, and, shutting the door behind him, went out by the opposite door, and escaped. The other also escaped easily by climbing up behind a carriage which happened to be passing. As for myself, I had taken the straight course leading to the Coliseum, a very fine hiding-place ; but I had hardly reached the arch of Titus when I felt on my shoulder the hand of my pursuer, endeavoring to catch me. I made a sudden movement to the right, and, before he could stop and turn back in order to follow me in my new direction, I was already far from him, on the ascending path which leads to the garden on the summit of the Palatine hill. The door of the garden was shut; but I easily scaled the wall, and, while my pursuer sought for regular admittance, I went to hide myself in the subterranean remains of the famous Palace of the Caesars, with which I was very well acquainted. Those remains, now entirely covered by rubbish on the north and east parts of the hill, where the garden is, are less encumbered on the south and west hill-sides. They present many spacious rooms, which were concealed and saved by the ruins of the upper part of the palace, when it was destroyed by the Vandals in the fifth century. In one of these rooms, supposed to be the private bathing-room of Nero's " Domus Aurea," was found the famous group of Laocoon and his sons, destroyed by serpents, which is the most remarkable sculpture in the Vatican Mu- seum. I went down there by an ancient staircase, imperfectly cleared from rubbish, and entirely covered by vines. The vault of the room in which I had taken refuge had partially fallen down, opening a hole, through which some of the rubbish from above had THE ROMAN EXILE. 51 fallen, forming a kind of well from the upper ground. It was through that well that I heard the gardener saying, " If you want to go down to seek for him, I will give you a lamp ; " and the papal shir to replying, " Let me watch here, — he must come out, no doubt." In fact, the papal sbirri are not remarkable for their courage, and, above all, they are exceedingly afraid of going into subterranean places, because there are occasionally in such places certain persons, outlaws, who would not like to have them go out again and betray their retreat. However, I thought it prudent to conceal myself in a more interior part ; and then I descended a staircase leading to a floor below, which circumstance I did not recollect when afterwards I tried to get out from my hiding-place. So that I found myself lost in that dark labyrinth. My movements through the place roused a crowd of bats, owls, rats, reptiles, and other animals, some of which occasionally expressed their dissatisfaction at my intrusion among them. This, and the mephitic smell of that damp place, showed to me that a night spent there would be rather unpleasant; but, what troubled me most of all, was the thought of the anguish of my dear mother on discovering that I was missing that night. But lo ! a tremendous sound, repeated by the numer- ous and powerful echoes of those subterranean regions, came to revive my courage. In fact, I perceived im- mediately that this noise was the effect of the ordinary ringing of the bells of the churches at the close of the first hour after sunset. The heavy, slow-measured strokes of the largest bell of St. Peter were the most distinct; and, taking the direction from which their sound reached me, I was led into a narrow passage 52 THE ROMAN EXILE. where a faint ray of the moon found its way. In short, I was again in the open air ; and, by scaling a small wall on the west side of the hill, I found myself in the public road called " De Cerchi," near to the Yelabro. It is in that place that capital punishment is exe- cuted; and the first object I saw by the moonlight was a scaffold, with a guillotine covered with fresh blood. In fact, a young man had been executed that day, and the execution had been delayed till towards dusk, because the patient refused to confess. Looking towards the next chapel of " S. Giovanni Decollate '' (St. John beheaded), I saw there the corpse, placed on its back on the floor, with the feet towards the door, and the head upon the chest. Behind it were two men, having their heads and bodies enveloped in the sack-cloak of the ancient " brotherhood of death " (compagnia della morte), which, by its institute, con- stantly sends some brothers to accompany the victim to the scaffold, and then to take care of the corpse. A feeble lamp placed at the feet of the corpse reflected its trembling light on that Kfeless face, and cast only some dubious rays upon the two attendants, whose life was betrayed only by the movement of their sparkling eyes shining in the darkness through the holes of their cowls. This spectacle made a solemn impression upon me, inasmuch as I had just now got out from a bad scrape ; and, in spite of myself, there came obstinately to my mind the sad augury uttered some years before by the curate, — " to grow up good for nothing but the jailer or the executioner." I went home directly and shut myself up in my room, indulging sad reflections. I had then some very THE ROMAN EXILE. 53 painful moments, after which, kneeling down to say my evening prayers before going to bed, I felt a deep emotion, my conscience reproaching me with bad con- duct. Then I fervently implored God to restore my peace of mind, promising to give up my mischievous friends and reform my conduct ; which, in fact, I really did. 5* CHAPTER YIII. MY ELDEST SISTER. Among the family guests who attended the ceremo- nial dinner when I was given the pretexta, there was my eldest sister Silvia, who had with her an accession of a husband, and a child only two months old. She was only twenty-two months older than myself, and, notwithstanding this, she was there in the serious posi- tion of a wife and a mother, to witness my formal pas- sage from boyhood to youth. The instance of a mother not quite sixteen years old is not a rare one in the south of Italy. Both our physical and moral life develop early in that mild climate, and amidst the frequent sensations produced by the enrapturing beauty of nature and of the fine arts. My sister, when fourteen, was a grown-up young lady, and, finding that our house was too crowded, she accepted the hand of a gentleman who was nineteen, and an orphan. This young couple loved each other with the warmth of a first love in Italian hearts. This was a sufficient reason for them to accept the great responsibility of parents, at such an early period of their life. My father opposed, at first, the conclusion of that mar- riage; but my sister grew melancholy for this, and then a sentimental paleness began to discolor her rosy cheeks. My mother was alarmed lest her darling daugh- (54) THE ROMAN EXILE. 55 ter should fall sick. At this my father summoned a family council, composed of relatives on both sides of the two lovers, who were not admitted to plead their cause. The decision, however, resulted in their favor. A few days after a public notary was summoned to our house, in order to make a public deed, concerning the assignment of a convenient dowry made by my father, and the sponscdij that is to say the engagement, of the young couple. My sister was not present at this act in which she was so much concerned; my father gave the consent, and subscribed, instead of her, according to our customs. Now the matter was to be arranged with the church, because matrimony under the papal dominion is not a contract, but merely a sacrament to be admin- istered in a sacramental manner by the curate. The bridegroom went to our curate, and informed him of his intention of marrying my sister. The curate wrote down this declaration on a large sheet of paper, in which he enclosed the documents exhibited by the young man. These were the proofs of having re- ceived the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, of being in communion with the papal church, of hav- ing not been ordained a priest nor a friar. The curate appointed the following morning for a similar inter- view with the bride. My sister went to the curate, attended by my mother and myself; but he desired her to enter alone into his study, in order to comply with the law prescribing that both the spouses should manifest their consent to the curate separately, and without the presence of influential persons. She, young, timid, and excessively reserved, felt a great instinctive repugnance to follow that ugly friar: he was the same one who, two years before, called at our 5Q THE ROMAN EXILE. house in order to compel me to go to confession. He perceived her difficulty, and allowed me to be with her, for, at twelve years of age, I could not be regarded as an influential person. The next Sunday the curate, as he said mass, inter- rupted the service, soon after having read the Latin selection from the gospel, and gave notice to the people of the projected marriage, warning every one, who knew any reason why it could not be lawfully performed, to denounce it secretly to the ecclesiastical authority. This notice was given again and again, on the two following Sundays, and afterwards the curate appointed a day for the performance of the matrimo- nial ceremony. The bride was clad in a new white dress ; a long white veil was placed upon her head, and fixed there by a crown of white roses. She, blushing modestly, proceeded, with her eyes cast down, and taking the arm of her spouse, who, fash- ionably dressed, walked erect in a bold and trium- phant manner. They were followed to the church by a long procession of ladies and gentlemen, the rel- atives and the intimate friends on both sides. The church was crowded by curious spectators. The spouses went directly to the confessional, where the curate waited for them, and, after having separately made their confession, they went to kneel on the stool-desk prepared for them in front of the principal altar : there the curate came to say the mass, during which he administered to them the communion. The curate was over with the mass in twenty minutes, and then he put on a rich cope, took a silver asjper- soire, and sprinkled the wedding couple with ^' holy water." After this the curate interrogated first the bride, and then the bridegroom, if they wished to be THE ROMAN EXILE. 57 married. Their positive answers were registered in the parish book, and two gentlemen, summoned as special witnesses, signed their names also. The bride- groom took from his pocket a ring, upon which the curate poured thrice his benedictions and the " holy water," with many mysterious gestures. Finally, the bridegrooni put the ring upon the ring-finger of the right hand of the bride, and grasped it, while the curate, holding their united hands, uttered the Latin formula, " Ego conjungo vos in matrimonium in nom- ine Fatris, Fill, et Spiritus sancti, — amen/^ and all was over. A simple refreshment was served at our house, and afterwards my sister went to her new home. My sister was a pattern of the most common fem- inine beauty in Italy ; tall and slender, with fine white complexion, fine black hair, black sparkling eyes, arched by thick dark eyebrows, and then a spa- cious forehead, from which descended a well profiled nose ; rather thick lips, and fine white teeth. But her education was still very imperfect, owing to her youth, and to the difiiculty of procuring a good female education in a country oppressed by both political and religious despotism. Besides, she was a timid, simple-hearted, and inexperienced girl, wanting some one to take care of her, to guide, and to support her. Taken away weeping from the arm of her mother, to which she used to cling, she took the arm of her young husband with a feeling of dependence upon him as a protector and a faithful guide through the new world which she was entering. All this gave her a greater attraction in the eyes of her lover, who used to say that she was an ideal of a bride. In another country perhaps she would have been regarded as a 58 THE ROMAN EXILE. good young girl, to be sent to school for the next six years, before thinking of a wedding ; but in Italy they have peculiar ideas on this subject. Generally the Italians are great admirers of a woman of talent and learning, and she will be entitled to more regard in Italy than elsewhere ; but, when they have to choose a companion for life, talent and learning will have no attraction for them : they will look for a simple soul, for a tender heart preserved from previous impressions, and for a character still indefinite, and to be moulded by the husband. Per- sonal chastity has no value for an Italian if there is not a virgin soul, pure from the contamination of the world, — like a crystal, kept from every vaporous breathing. So that an Italian young lady has a much better chance of finding a partner when she is a sim- ple, untaught girl, than when endowed with all the accomplishments of a later age. The Italian girls instinctively understand this, and consequently they feel anxious to be married as early as possible. The condition of an Italian girl, whose twentieth year has passed away without affording any prospect of marriage, is a melancholy one. She begins to be designated by the unceremonious title of zitellonaj " old maid; " her beauty rapidly fades away ; her tem- per grows dark and irritable ; and she remains en- slaved by many petty ties and exigencies in the paternal house, or takes a gloomy refuge in a convent; for numberless restraints are imposed upon unmarried women, while a married lady is even too free in Italy. All these circumstances sometimes bring forth un- happy marriages in Italy ; because a girl too young, and anxious of having a husband, will sometimes accept a hand unworthy of her, inasmuch as the THE KOMAN EXILE. 59 chances of marriage are made rare on account of so many young men condemned to celibacy by the priestly, monkish, and military systems. But in these cases an Italian wife will suffer in silence and with heroic virtue her domestic griefs, which will seem more tolerable to her if concealed in her house. For- eigners have been for a long time in the habit of charging the Italian women with loose morals, and they will continue to bring these charges, notwithstanding there is no foundation for them. A profligate court in France produced there an almost general havoc of the public morals. Seven courts in Italy, including the most profligate of all, that of the pope, must necessarily have some bad influence. The auricular confession, too, and the existence of so many friars and priests, are dreadful means for the corruption of morals. The opposition, however, of the Italians against the pope and the other petty tyrants has exercised a good influence on their morals. It has been wisely said that in a monarchy the vices of the rulers descend to corrupt the people, while in a repubhc the virtue which exists constantly in the large masses constrains the candidates for the ofiices of the government to be virtuous. Now, the real power in Italy resides in the people, because the rulers are foreigners, or supported by foreigners. It explains why the corrupting influ- ence of the courts has no power in Italy at present. Now my sister, though marrying at the age of four- teen, had fortunately placed her affections on a man perfectly worthy of her ; and, being both young, they were able reciprocally to mould their characters in a satisfactory manner. I confess, however, that having not seen my sister since the day of her wedding (for 60 THE ROMAN EXILE. she lived in a neighboring town), I could hardly realize now that the little thing which she brought in her arms was not the same doll with which she used to play a short time before. But the child seemed to be anxious to give notice of himself, showing an exuber- ant spirit of life. I remember constantly, with great interest, that little sprightly child, because, only thir- teen years after, he shared with me the dangers and the fatigues of the siege of Rome in 1849. My sister had brought her child to Rome because she wished me to be the sponsor for him at the bap- tism, which she had purposely delayed. I had never witnessed the ceremony of baptizing a child, because generally they perform it almost privately, in a room or chapel appropriated to that use, at any time that a child is brought there. My mother warned me that I must take care not to burst into a laugh during the ceremony, and I felt quite confident of being able to exhibit a serious countenance, inasmuch as it was the second day since I took the pretexta. The hattis- tero, that is, the room of the baptismal font, was small, but beautiful. The wall opposite to the entrance was occupied by a fine fresco representing John the Bap- tist with an oyster-shell in his hand pouring water upon the head of Jesus Christ, who stood half im- mersed in the water. In the middle of the room was a graceful marble fountain covered by a high wooden cone, which being removed, I saw the basin, containing about a gallon of a certain mixture of water, salt, and two diflPerent kinds of sacred oils; it must be pre- pared each year on the " holy Saturday," that is, the day before Easter Sunday, and it takes five hours ^* perform all the ceremonies which are required by this' ^^ ceremoniale romanum/^ in order to make a good THE ROMAN EXILE. 61 water for baptism. • John the Baptist and the apostles thought that the simple water of a stream would bring about the elQfect, but the popes since that epoch have improved everything, according to their infallible wisdom. The ceremony began by exorcizing the child, in order to drive away from him the evil one. The cu- rate then interrogated him in bad Latin, "Abronuntias Satanass?^' (Do you give up Satan?) and I was directed to answer for the child, '^Ahrommtio^^ (I give him up). Then the curate said, " Accipe salem sapientice^^ (Take the salt of wisdom), and freely poured soda-salt into the mouth of the babe. He was tightly wrapped in his swaddling-clothes, but the bitter im- pression of the salt in his mouth, used only to sweet milk, made him cough convulsively, during which he disengaged his little right arm, and began to use it freely against the face of the curate. But the friar did not mind this, and coolly continued his perform- ance, by breathing thrice into the mouth of the child, whose face he then moistened with his saliva. At this filthy operation I could not restrain a laugh. The curate turned angrily to me and severely scolded me, observing that there was great danger that the child would grow up a fool in consequence of my foolish laughing during the sacred ceremony. After this the curate, putting his finger into a little vase of sacred oil, made with.it a cross on the fore- ^liead of the%abe, and then, with oil taken from another N^ase, made a s^econd cross on his shoulders, and a third cross on his breast. Now the curate handed the child to me, directing me to hold his little head in suspense above the fountain, while he, taking the liquid of it, poured it three times on the head of the babe, saying, 6 62 THE ROMAN EXILE. " Ccdliste, ego te baptizo in nomine Fatris, Filly et Spiri- tus sancti, — amenJ^ I thought that all was over now ; but the curate, handing me the extremity of his white stole, said, " Accijpe stolam candidam quam immacula- tam per/eras ante tribunal DominV^ (Receive the white stole, to be brought spotless before the tribunal of the Lord) ; and then he walked towards an altar, I follow- ing him like a blind man. "Kneel down," said the curate, "and recite the credo^^ (creed). I obeyed; but the curate pretended that my creed was not good, because it was a little different from the formula given by the Jesuit Bellarmino, and charged me with ignorance of the Christian doctrine. But I knew by heart the Latin formula of the creed as they read it during the mass. I proudly recited that creed, and cut short the dispute. CHAPTER IX. MY JOURNEY TO RAVENNA. As the re-opening of the public schools was at hand, in the fall of the year 1836, my father one morn- ing took me into his study, and, handing to me»a small package, said : '^ Here is some money for your journey to Ravenna, and a note to the farmer who rents my small estate near that city. He will give you twelve dollars every month; that must be sufficient for all your wants ; if it is not, so much the worse for you, because you will not obtain a haiocco more. Proceed, then, to Ravenna, attend the school there, and let your parents have reason to rejoice at your good behavior and success." I knew, of course, the geographical position of Ravenna, it being a remarkable city in Italian his- tory ; but to find the means of getting there in the most direct and economical way, was not an easy problem for an untravelled youth. The distance was no more than 240 miles north-east of Rome ; but, the country being ruled over by the pope, the railroads had been rigorously proscribed as an invention en- dangering the interests of the papal church. Besides, the pope himself monopolized the slow and uncom- fortable means of conveyance which the passengers are allowed to use, namely, the pontijicie diligenzey (63) 64 THE ROMAN EXILE. corrieri and vdociferi. Their terms were too high for me, and, besides, no one of them passed through Ra- venna. But I discovered that there were some pri- vate vetturino allowed, under many restrictions, how- ever, to convey passengers ; and I easily so arranged the matter as to be brought to Rimini, only twenty miles from Ravenna, in six days and a half, provided the weather should be good. My lodging and meals during the journey were to be supplied by the vettu- rino at his own expense. For all this I was to give him only seven dollars, with an addition of fifty cents if I were satisfied with the treatment. We were six in the carriage ; but my fellow-travel- lers were all foreigners, and I had only the vetturino to converse with. Fortunately he was an intelligent and warm-hearted young man, and we were soon friends. He gave me occasionally some lessons in driving skilfully, and besides told me all the names, stories, and traditions of all the places which we passed. He was also a fine singer, and knew by heart the sweetest songs of love, as well as the most forbid- den patriotic hymns. We sang very often together ; and, when passing through the frequented roads, our songs were of a light character, as " La Biondina in gondoletta/^ ''Erminia tra Vombrose yianttj'' ~much, and her health had been greatly impaired, on account of the many misfortunes which fell upon our family and our native country. How would she bear this new blow ? In order to spare her grief as much as possible, I determined not to leave Europe. I furtively pene- trated into France, and, passing through Paris, I went to Brussels, in Belgium. Besides the artist whom I knew in Rome, I had there several friends who for- merly graduated with me at the University of Bologna. I was also acquainted with many influential persons of that city; so that I was favorably received in Brussels, and treated with the utmost kindness. My friends proposed to me to deliver lectures on canon laws, and a great many pupils were found to attend them. But this lasted only a few months. The Jesuits, who are exceedingly powerful in Belgium, prepared a secret war against me, chiefly on account of my teaching canon laws. They procured letters 38* 450 THE ROMAN EXILE. against me from the governments of Austria, Pied- mont, and Rome. In consequence of these secret intrigues, one day, when quietly preparing a lecture in my private room, I received the unpleasant visit of two officers of police, who took me to Ostend, and there put me on board of a steamer bound to London. I arrived there without knowing a word of English. A few days after I was feloniously robbed of all my money. Sev- eral other misfortunes came to embitter my condition in London. Besides, the weather was very bad. During forty days which I spent there I never saw the sun, except on one day, when it was pointed out to me by a friend through a thick fog. In London I experienced such a dreadful physical and mental dejection that I became seriously afraid of losing my reason. I wrote a farewell note to my poor mother, who was sick ; and embarked in an emi- grant ship, bound to New York. I endured thirty-five days of the most dreadful mental and physical suffering at sea, and arrived in New York sick and destitute. But on touching the land of freedom I felt my health renewed and my courage refreshed. America looked to me much like a home, and I found everywhere friends and benevolent brothers. O Loed ! bless America ! THE END. I THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO SO CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.00 ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. DEC 2 i939 mil 3 '67 -6 PM ^^ im AUGl4iyt-: r-^n-'^^^*^? BPR28'B6 9RCII ^^ ^ \^ rvKi^ OCT 13 -66 -2 PM LOAN DEPT, MAY 2 9 1967 15 |^«— 4««««i^ LOAN DEPT. LD 21-100m-7,'39(402 282029 UNIVHRSITY OF CAUFORNIA LIBRARY i< .. ••' ^ <'** Tf^ '^ .*