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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'' <fec.; but, 
 when travelling through solitary mountains, we freely 
 gave vent to exciting political songs, as ^^ Sotto i pioppi 
 della BoraJ'' ^^Suona la tromha e intrepidop &c. 
 
 On the morning of the sixth day of our journey we 
 arrived at the Furlo, This is a narrow passage be- 
 tween two high, escarped, rocky mountains, formed in 
 part, and entirely occupied at the bottom, by a furious 
 torrent, throwing its waters into the Adriatic Sea. 
 The road was cut in the rock a little above the water, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 65 
 
 and at a point where the mountain was exactly per- 
 pendicular on both sides, a short gallery was opened 
 through the rocks. It was with deep emotion that 
 I rode through that historical passage, for I knew 
 that it was there that was fought the battle which 
 entirely restored the Roman fortunes, and proved fatal 
 to the Carthaginians in Italy. They were guided by 
 Hasdrubal, and were coming to help Hannibal, weak- 
 ened by " the delights of Capua." The consul, Livius 
 Salinator, then commanding on the north of Italy, had 
 not troops enough to prevent the passage of that pow- 
 erful army. But the other consul, Claudius Nero, who 
 was in front of Hannibal on the south, made secretly 
 a rash and rapid movement with the best of his sol- 
 diers to help his colleague. 
 
 The Carthaginian general occupied the heights of 
 those mountains J but the Romans, by cutting that 
 road and gallery with wonderful celerity, effected the 
 union of their armies, and then, making a powerful 
 assault behind the military lines of the African general, 
 defeated him completely. All this was done with such 
 secrecy and celerity that Hannibal had the first inti- 
 mation of what had occurred from the consul Clau- 
 dius Nero himself; he, coming back to his encamp- 
 ment, caused the head of Hasdrubal to be thrown 
 into the camp of Hannibal, who then uttered the 
 famous words, Agnosco fortunam CartaginiSj " I fore- 
 see the fate of Carthage." 
 
 We safely arrived at Rimini, the ancient Ariminum, 
 on the morning of the seventh day since we left Rome. 
 Six hours and a half would have brought us there if 
 there were a railroad. I had been formerly in Rimini 
 when only nine years old ; but I preserved some dis- 
 tinct recollections of the city. The magnificent arch 
 6* 
 
66 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 which the senate and the people of Ariminum erected 
 to Julius Cgesar, the conqueror of the Gauls, stood 
 before me as I entered the gate, and I looked upon 
 it with excited feelings, owing to the historical recol- 
 lections associated with the name of that hero, who 
 afterwards crossed the Rubicon a few rods behind 
 that arch. 
 
 A few steps distant from the ancient arch there was 
 a comparatively modern building, highly interesting to 
 a reader and admirer of Dante, — I mean the palace 
 of Malatesta, with its bridal-room, where Francesca 
 da Rimini and her brother-in-law were slain. 
 
 The walls of Rimini on the northern side are washed 
 by the river Marecchia, and there Caesar Augustus 
 erected a remarkable bridge, which was the head of 
 both via Flaminia and via Emilia. The bridge was 
 made of marble stones, without any cement, and, after 
 nineteen centuries, needs no repair ; nay, it seems to 
 challenge all future ages. All the ancient Roman 
 works prove that they had the firm conviction that 
 there would not be an end for their descendants. 
 Occupied by this thought, I paced up and down the 
 bridge, when by chance I observed and recognized 
 a lofty terrace near the gate opening on the bridge, 
 from which terrace I, ^yq years before, witnessed, with 
 great danger, the storming of the bridge by an Aus- 
 trian army. They were twice driven back from the 
 bridge by the citizens. A young general, mounted 
 on a splendid horse, put himself at the head of a third 
 column in order to repeat the attack : he was struck at 
 once by many shots, and fell upon the edge of the 
 bridge, and then into the water. He was the young 
 Prince of Lichtenstein. 
 
 These dreadful events had been so deeply impressed 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 67 
 
 in my tender mind, that their images vividly excited 
 my imagination, inasmuch as the city was still garri- 
 soned by those hated Austrians. But I could not 
 help a sentiment of compassion for that courageous 
 young general. He, in the prime of life, handsome, 
 accomplished, rich, and beloved in his country, came 
 to die in a foreign land, amidst the ferocious shouts 
 of a people desperately fighting for their freedom. 
 He, free and independent, had sold his sword and his 
 blood to the service of the most dreadful tyrant of 
 Europe ; and, though a Protestant, he died for the res- 
 toration of the pope. 
 
 Now I engaged a seat in a light wagon bound to 
 Ravenna, which was only twenty miles north of Rimini. 
 There was an elderly gentleman with me in the wagon, 
 who proved to be a very agreeable fellow-traveller. 
 The wagon was now stopped at the gate of Ravenna 
 by an Austrian soldier, who, with his barbarous accent, 
 bade me deliver my passport to the custom-house 
 officer, who gave me a ticket by which I was directed 
 to call at the police-office within twenty-four hours ; 
 and then the officer asked of me, " Where are you 
 going to stay ? " My reply was that I had never been 
 before in Ravenna, and did not know any person or 
 place there. But the officer, in his rough manner, 
 insisted upon the necessity of complying with the 
 law ; and I should have been much embarrassed had 
 not my fellow-traveller come to my aid, saying that he 
 would take me with him to '^ La Bella Emilia " (beau- 
 tiful Emily). It was not a young lady, but a hotel, 
 taking its name from the ancient appellation of the 
 province of Ravenna. 
 
 The chief waiter of the hotel was a native of Rome, 
 and knew my family; consequently he treated me 
 
68 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 exceedingly well; and, after I had supped, he took 
 me to a comfortable bed-room, informing me with 
 great solemnity that I was to enjoy the privilege of 
 sleeping in the room of Lord Byron. In fact, the- 
 famous English scholar, being in love with the Count- 
 ess Guiccioli, took up his abode in that hotel, almost 
 opposite her palace. Lord Byron lived a long time in 
 Ravenna, and his memory is very popular there ; for 
 his manners were more hke those of a fanciful Italian 
 poet than of a proud English lord. He had intimate 
 intercourse with the Italian patriots, and took part in 
 their conspiracies. In consequence of this, the order 
 for imprisoning and trying him was sent by the pope 
 to the cardinal legate of Ravenna ; but Lord Byron 
 succeeded in making his escape, and went to Greece. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 MY FIEST DIFFICULTIES IN RAVENNA. 
 
 I ROSE early on the following morning, and, leaving 
 my Byronian room, procured a guide-book and a map 
 of the city, in order to proceed to my business with 
 no loss of time. First of all I went to the school 
 building, called " Collegio," to inquire at what hour I 
 should find the office open for the reception of new 
 daily pupils. I was told, "Not before nine o'clock;" 
 and, it being then only seven, I thought I would em- 
 ploy the interval in paying a very interesting visit, of 
 which I had thought a great deal, and often dreamed, 
 during the journey. 
 
 It was in Ravenna that Dante, the greatest of the 
 Italians, breathed his last, and there the bones of the 
 illustrious poet are preserved, in a small temple of 
 pagan fashion, erected to his memory. It was very 
 near the " Collegio ; " and soon I read on the corners, 
 " Rione (ward) Dante," and then, " Via Dante," and 
 lo ! the temple stood before me, with its simple Latin 
 inscription on the architrave, " Dantis Poet^ Sepul- 
 CHRUM." At the sight I was seized with a trembhng 
 of reverence and confusion. Was I not unworthy to 
 approach those bones, consecrated by genius ? What 
 had I done, or tried to do, for mankind or my native 
 country? And then, looking at the stern face of the 
 
 (69) 
 
70 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 marble bust of the poet, I seemed to hear resounding in 
 the air the dreadful sentence against those " Wretched 
 who never lived, since they lived without either praise 
 or blame : the world preserves no memory of them ; 
 both mercy and justice despise them. Do not speak 
 of them ; only look, and go on.'^ 
 
 My enthusiasm for Dante did not make me forget 
 my important business : exactly at nine o'clock I was 
 at the office, waiting for the " Rettore " of the " Col- 
 legio," who soon made his appearance. I had pre- 
 pared my mind for an unpleasant meeting with a filthy 
 friar or a hypocritical priest; but I was pleasantly 
 disappointed. The " Rettore," although clad in a 
 priestly dress, and nominally belonging to that caste, 
 was a man of talent and virtue, whose easy, gentle- 
 manly manners accorded with the delicate feelings of 
 his heart. Evidently, he had been appointed to that 
 office through some mistake ; and, in fact, he was de- 
 prived of it some two months after. The " Rettore " 
 treated me very kindly, and, enrolling my name among 
 the students, he was very happy to discover that I 
 was the son of a dear friend of his. 
 
 I rejoiced very much at my success ; and, thinking 
 that all difficulties were over, I felt anxious to go and 
 visit the famous monument of Theodoric, the king of 
 the Goths. Having on my dress-coat, I went back to 
 the hotel to change it ; but had hardly reached the 
 door when a piece of paper was put into my hands, 
 requesting me to call immediately at the office of the 
 police. " The twenty-four hours since my arrival have 
 not yet passed," said I to myself; " there must then be 
 some trouble." I went to the office, therefore, with a 
 trembling heart. 
 
 The director of police was a ruined count, whose 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 71 
 
 name was " Yolpe " (fox), although he looked like a 
 bear. After some trifling interrogations he said to 
 me, " Why did you come here to attend the public 
 schools ? Are there no public schools in Eome ? " 
 
 " Because," answered I, " it pleased me more to at- 
 tend the public schools in Ravenna than in Rome." 
 
 At this simple answer the director of police burst 
 into a fit of anger, and overwhelmed me with threat- 
 ening reproofs for having failed in the respect due to 
 him. I attempted to observe that I did not mean any- 
 thing disrespectful ; that it was my father who had 
 commanded me to come there. 
 
 "Ah I your father?" interrupted the furious di- 
 rector. " Then go back, and tell him that he is a fool, 
 because there is a law, which he ought to know, for- 
 bidding the student to attend the public schools, except 
 in the province to which he belongs. I allow you 
 twenty-four hours to prepare for your departure ; and, 
 should you not leave, I will send you to Rome by 
 ' corrispondenza.' " 
 
 I had not yet tried that manner of travelling, with 
 which, some years after, I became thoroughly ac- 
 quainted by bitter experience ; but I had often met 
 poor-carts, overloaded with ruffians and thieves tied 
 in them, proceeding slowly, and stopping every night 
 at the jails ; so that I shuddered at the idea of being 
 dragged along to Rome in that way, and in such com- 
 pany, and was therefore anxious to comply immedi- 
 ately with the intimation I had received. But, looking 
 at my pocket-book, I found that I had not money 
 enough for a journey back to Rome. In such a state 
 of disappointment, trouble, and anxiety, I felt a bitter 
 discouragement, which, however, lasted only a few 
 moments. 
 
72 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 To divert my mind a little, and think more coolly 
 of my embarrassing condition, I followed my former 
 project of visiting the monument of Theodoric, which 
 is only a short distance from the city. This monu- 
 ment is an octagon marble temple, of correct Roman 
 architecture, built without cement, and covered by 
 an immense stone, forming the entire roof. It is the 
 largest and most magnificent monolithic temple ex- 
 isting. The great stone is cut skilfully, in imitation 
 of the roof of the Pantheon of Rome, and presents 
 twelve bases, upon which formerly stood the statues 
 of the apostles. On the summit was a large urn of 
 porphyry ; but a thunderbolt had broken down the 
 urn, as well as the statues, and divided the great stone 
 into two pieces, without impairing the stability of the 
 building. 
 
 On returning to the city, — occupied, of course, 
 with my sad thoughts, — I unconsciously passed the 
 gate by which I had gone out ; and, continuing my 
 course near the walls, I found myself in front of 
 another gate, on which I read the name, " Porta Adri- 
 ana." This recalled to my mind the letter which my 
 father had given me for his farmer, because it had the 
 direction, " Three miles from Porta Adriana." How 
 precious was that discovery ! The farmer would pay 
 me twelve dollars for the first month, and this was 
 more than enough for my journey. So that, taking 
 the letter from my record-book, I started immediately 
 in that direction, and very easily found the country- 
 seat, owing to the exact description of it in the letter. 
 But how amazed and gratified was I on seeing the 
 house, and the old farmer coming to meet me ! It was 
 the same country-seat where my father had left me 
 five years before, when we were flying together ; and 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 73 
 
 the old farmer was the same man who had taken care 
 of me, and restored me to my mother in Rome. 
 
 We embraced each other, with deep emotion, and 
 then he said, " I am very happy that you are to spend 
 some years in Ravenna, as your father told me some 
 time ago." 
 
 " Nay, say a few hours," replied I ; " because I have 
 been ordered to leave to-morrow before noon, for the 
 director of police says there is a law preventing me, 
 because born in Rome, from attending the public 
 schools in Ravenna." 
 
 The good old man expressed his grief by violent 
 exclamations, not forgetting to curse the police. " A 
 bad institution," he said, totally unknown when he was 
 young, and introduced by Frenchmen. At length, 
 assuming the air of a man who has found out some 
 remedy, he said to me, " Look here ; I know a gentle- 
 man, now spending his vacation in this neighborhood. 
 He is a lawyer, but not of that kind who skin poor 
 people ; and, besides, he is a friend of your father. Let 
 us go and consult him, for I am sure he will find the 
 way to help you." 
 
 <^ Let us go," repeated I, catching at this new hope ; 
 and in a few moments we were at the house of the 
 lawyer. He was not in ; but we saw his wife, a lady 
 of great beauty and sweet manners. She was a 
 mother, and therefore I need not say that she felt 
 greatly interested in a boy far from his home, alone 
 and in trouble. I had hardly finished the recital of 
 my sad adventure, when the lawyer entered, and was 
 eagerly accosted by his wife, earnestly pleading my 
 cause. 
 
 " The law is really against him," remarked the law- 
 yer ; " but, fortunately, there is something peculiar in 
 7 
 
74 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 his case, because this farm which his father holds is 
 a primogeniture, to which, as the first-born, he is en- 
 titled. Besides, his father still enjoys the citizenship 
 of Ravenna, and his sons participate in it while they 
 remain under his paternal authority. So that this 
 youth may lawfully claim to reside here, both as a 
 possessor of land and of citizenship." 
 
 " That is well," replied the lady. " But how will 
 this poor boy be able to make his reasons known and 
 respected? You know the prolegato (governor), and 
 a word from you would arrange everything." 
 
 The lawyer was but little disposed to take so much 
 trouble as to go with me to Ravenna, in order to speak 
 to the prolegato. The lady, perceiving this, did not 
 insist, wishing to avoid an explicit refusal. Soon after, 
 however, holding her beautiful child in her arms, and 
 presenting him, with a sweet smile, to the caresses of 
 her husband, she spoke of me again, saying, " Poor 
 thing ! I pity him, indeed, — here without his mother, 
 in trouble and alone ; and, particularly, when I think 
 that our dear child may one day find himself in such 
 a position." 
 
 Here she paused, and then remarked that the 
 weather promised a very fine evening. The lawyer 
 answered nothing ; but she, of course, knew well the 
 sound of the key she had touched, and, taking a ser- 
 vant aside, bade him make ready the carriage for 
 Ravenna ; and, a few moments after, I was seated in 
 it with the lawyer. I should have wondered, indeed, 
 if he had not yielded. A young and beautiful wife, 
 holding in her arms a fine child, and sweetly pleading, 
 would move even such a husband as Nero. 
 
 On our way to the palace of the prolegato, we 
 passed before the hotel " La Bella Emilia," and I en- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 75 
 
 tered to put on my dress-coat. It was sunset when 
 we arrived at the palace of the prolegato. It is well 
 known, I suppose, that "legato a latere," or legate, 
 means a cardinal, whom the pope dispatches from his 
 side, to intrust him with an important mission ; and 
 sometimes a simple prelate is charged with such 
 duties, when he takes the name of prolegato, that is, 
 vice legate. The governorship of Ravenna was gen- 
 erally given to a cardinal legate, but was now filled by 
 a prelate, because, owing to the rebellious tendencies 
 of that province, no cardinal wished to go thither. 
 
 A legate, or a vice legate, when in his province, 
 is more powerful than a proconsul, and possesses the 
 absolute authority of a Turkish pasha over property 
 and life. The prelegato of Ravenna was Monsignor 
 Vannicelli, who is actually a cardinal, and the Arch- 
 bishop of Ferrara. It was exactly the hour during 
 which he gave audience. We were introduced into 
 his rich apartments, passing through a long suite of 
 magnificent ante-chambers, filled with soldiers, ser- 
 vants, and attendants of every kind, and profusely 
 adorned with pictures, statues, tapestries, precious 
 stones, chiselled metals, carved wood, silk works, china 
 vases, and every kind of luxury ; but there was nothing 
 in that regal pomp greatly to impress a native of Rome, 
 already accustomed to it. 
 
 The privileged being for whose residence that lux- 
 urious palace was designed was a little short man, 
 still young and rather handsome, but of a boyish 
 beauty, of which he appeared to be very proud, taking 
 particular care constantly to show his fine little hands, 
 and a pair of feet as small as his understanding. He 
 was born in humble condition, in a small village called 
 
76 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 " Amelia," and owed his position entirely to the pro- 
 tection of Cardinal Lambrnschini. 
 
 My guide, being an acquaintance of the prolegato, 
 was admitted to the honor of kissing his right hand, 
 while I was obliged to kiss his gown, or the " sacred 
 lappet," as they call it. My lawyer was a fine speaker, 
 and explained the object of our visit very well ; nay, 
 too well; and thus the prelate understood nothing, as 
 often happens with ignorant or light-headed persons. 
 The lawyer perceived his fault, and was trying to 
 simplify the question, when the prelate, getting impa- 
 tient, turned to me, saying, 
 
 " In short, what is it you want ? " 
 
 "To remain here, in order to attend the public 
 schools," answered I, tendering to him a paper con- 
 taining my petition. At this, he wrote his name upon 
 the paper, without taking the trouble of reading it, 
 and dismissed us entirely satisfied. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 
 On the 5th of November, 1836, I was carefully 
 examined, to ascertain to what class I was to be admit- 
 ted to hear the lectures, which were to begin on the 
 13th of that month, according to the general custom 
 in Italy. The result was a triumphant one for me, 
 being admitted into the second class or year of the 
 superior course ; and thus in two years I should be 
 able to go to the university, and obtain my doctorate 
 in my twentieth year, — a very uncommon event. This 
 prospect encouraged me to earnest study. 
 
 To understand the advantages of my position as a 
 student, it is necessary to know something about the 
 organization of the schools in the Roman state, which 
 differs but little from that of the other states of Italy. 
 We have, then, the elementary schools, in which chil- 
 dren are taught to read and write, and something 
 of grammar, arithmetic, and ancient history. Such 
 schools are maintained at the public expense, and paid 
 from the municipal treasury ; being found alike in the 
 cities and villages, except in a few poor hamlets in the 
 provinces nearest Rome, which have been longer under 
 the papal yoke. But country-people can hardly enjoy 
 the advantage of those free schools, because they live 
 in scattered houses, on the land which they cultivate. 
 7* (77) 
 
78 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Next come the superior schools, having a course of 
 six years, divided into superior and inferior courses. 
 They comprise all the Italian and Latin branches, 
 speculative and natural philosophy, and the first rudi- 
 ments of jurisprudence. Some less important cities 
 have only the first part of that course ; but the largest, 
 especially in the north, have good schools, with the 
 complete course. Each city pays for its own schools ; 
 but some are kept at the expense of the province, and 
 others have endowments of their own. 
 
 The public schools of every description are entirely 
 gratuitous. The government gives not a cent for 
 their support, but exercises a severe control over the 
 directors and teachers, who are placed under the im- 
 mediate authority of the bishops. In that way many 
 teachers are despotically dismissed, and many pupils 
 excluded from the schools. In some places, those 
 schools have fallen into the hands of the Jesuits, not- 
 withstanding the constant and courageous opposi- 
 tion which they meet everywhere from the munici- 
 pal authorities, and sometimes even from the secular 
 clergy. In Rome there is no municipal authority, it 
 having been suppressed by Sixtus Y. ; and, conse- 
 quently, all the means of public instruction are in the 
 hands of the Jesuits, except the university called 
 " la Sapienza Romana," because that university, like 
 that of Bologna and others, has its own endowments ; 
 and, by the law of its foundation, neither a monk nor 
 a friar can be a lecturer there. 
 
 The school or " Collegio '^ of Ravenna was one of 
 the best, having learned and well-paid professors, who 
 taught in earnest and with good method. I had to 
 attend three lessons, of two hours each, every day, 
 except Sundays and Thursdays and the frequent holi- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 79 
 
 days. The first lesson, beginning at eight o'clock, 
 was on the rudiments of logic, metaphysics, and eth- 
 ics; the second was on geometry and algebra; the 
 third, on Italian and Latin eloquence and literature. 
 But between the first and the second lessons there was 
 an interval of twenty minutes, during which all the 
 students were forced into a magnificent chapel to 
 hear the mass ; and there were no means of escaping, 
 because all the school-rooms were placed around a 
 very large square court, and a sentinel stood at the 
 only door leading to the street. 
 
 Some of the pupils chose that time to take their 
 lunch; some played, talked, and laughed, notwith- 
 standing the exertions of an overseer; a very few 
 looked resigned ; and no one perhaps was able, at that 
 moment, to turn his mind to rehgious thoughts. The 
 mass was thus an occasion of scandal and punishment. 
 As for me, I did not like it any better than my col- 
 leagues ; but, having good reasons for carefully avoid- 
 ing the least suspicion about my rehgious feeHngs, I 
 retired into a corner of the chapel, where I looked 
 over my next lesson in geometry and algebra ; and 
 the overseer appeared to be entirely satisfied with my 
 quiet conduct. Somebody, however, denounced me to 
 the " Holy Inquisition," for my profane reading in a 
 consecrated church during mass. In fact, one even- 
 ing, — it was the 23d cf June, — as I went out to see 
 the fireworks exhibited in honor of St. John the Bap- 
 tist, a man, dressed in the pompous livery of the 
 archbishop, told me that his master wanted to see me 
 immediately. I was not at all acquainted with that 
 gentleman ; and so, foreseeing some trouble, I went to 
 his palace with a trembling heart. 
 
 There was not in Ravenna a regular tribunal of the 
 
80 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 " Holy Inquisition," because there were no Dominican 
 friars in that city. The grand inquisitor of hcereticce 
 pravitatis was then under the direction of the arch- 
 bishop. Cardinal Falconieri, the Archbishop of Ra- 
 venna, was a native of Rome, and was slightly ac- 
 quainted with my father ; besides, he was told that I 
 was very young, attentive to my school duties, and 
 quiet. He was therefore not inclined to be severe. 
 He was bigoted and narrow-minded, but good-natured. 
 So he had sent a servant of his instead of a shirr o ; 
 and then, taking me aside, he advised me freely to con- 
 fess my fault, for thus they would not be severe with 
 me. 
 
 I waited awhile in great anxiety. I was ignorant 
 even of what I had been accused, but knew that im- 
 prisonment, though for a short time, would ruin my 
 long-cherished hopes of getting the first premium at 
 the approaching close of the schools. At length the 
 servant introduced me into a very large room, and 
 closed the door. The room was all hung with black 
 cloth ; and there was no light, except from two small 
 wax-candles burning on a small altar at the foot of a 
 large statue of Christ hanging from the cross. Next 
 to the altar was a large bench, with a grate before it, 
 hiding from me the faces of the occupants. A small 
 chair in front of it was the only furniture, and, trem- 
 bling, I approached it. 
 
 A small window was opened m the grate, and from 
 it a missal was pushed towards me, that I might take 
 the ordinary oath to speak the truth, and never to 
 reveal what I should now see and hear. Then a voice 
 from the inside uttered, " You are accused of having 
 often read profane books during mass at the college 
 chapel : do you confess your fault? " 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 81 
 
 " I do not know/' said I, " what they mean by pro 
 fane hooks. I have no other books than the text- 
 books of my class. I confess, however, that I have 
 been in the habit of looking over my lessons of geom- 
 etry and algebra during mass.'^ 
 
 " Why did you do so, instead of listening to the 
 mass ? " replied the same voice ; and I answered, that, 
 feeling no disposition at all to pray then, my distracted 
 mind would have been filled with bad thoughts if I 
 did not occupy it with my next lesson. This answer 
 appeared to be satisfactory, and one of the tribunal 
 spoke officially in my defence, according to the usage 
 of that tribunal. He remarked that the reading of 
 scientific books in a church could hardly, in itself, be 
 considered a profanation and constitute a crime, if 
 there was no evidence of its having been done in con- 
 tempt of religion ; and that, in consideration of my 
 age, good conduct, and the ingenuousness of my 
 answers, I ought to be dismissed. After a short con- 
 sultation, his advice was adopted. 
 
 My hopes of getting the first premium were not 
 delusive ; and I felt a great pleasure, inasmuch as it 
 was the first I had received, having been, until now, 
 taught privately at home. I must add, that the method 
 adopted by my professors was weU fitted to give 
 solid instruction, as well as to promote emulation 
 among the pupils, and secure a right and impartial 
 judgment of their relative merits. The first lesson 
 was an appropriate introduction to the others ; after 
 which, the professors began each succeeding lesson 
 by a short repetition of the preceding one, and fin- 
 ished by putting some questions to one of the pupils, 
 all of whom were expected to be prepared for a gen- 
 eral weekly repetition each Saturday. 
 
82 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Besides, a theme or a problem was given to us 
 every fortnight ; and to prepare it well was a matter 
 of great importance for us, because the professors 
 examined it carefully at home, and decided impartially. 
 We had also a preparatory examination at the end of 
 the first quarter, and another at the end of the second. 
 So that, when the formal examination took place at 
 the close of the school, the relative merits, skill, and 
 progress of the pupils were well known to themselves, 
 as well as to the professors and directors of the insti- 
 tution. 
 
 The distribution of the premiums was made with a 
 solemnity which gratified the boys no less than their 
 parents ; nor was it a vain show, because the youth 
 who had gained a premium was constantly esteemed 
 and preferred by the municipal authorities; and, 
 should a very poor boy take the first premium dur- 
 ing all the three years of the superior course, they 
 will send him to the university at the expense of the 
 city, and, in the case of a youth showing extraordi- 
 nary talent, they will enable him to complete his 
 studies even in foreign countries. Professor Mat- 
 teucci, for instance, who is now the greatest Italian 
 natural philosopher, was thus educated at Paris and 
 elsewhere, at the expense of the city of Forli. I 
 recollect that he was lecturing on his first electro- 
 magnetic discoveries, filling for the time the chair of 
 our professor of physics in Ravenna, when he was 
 suddenly sent into exile by the papal government, 
 without receiving any intimation of the cause of it. 
 Matteucci received that iniquitous sentence as he 
 would have done an honor bestowed upon him ; for 
 papal condemnation is a testimonial of merit and 
 virtue. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MY COUNTRY-SEAT AT RAYENNA. 
 
 During my residence in Ravenna, I never failed to 
 avail myself of every holiday in order to go to the 
 country-seat rented by my father to the farmer of 
 whom I have spoken. There I had no better society 
 than the old man and his wife. The house was a 
 plain, two-story building, presenting no interest what- 
 ever. The country itself was a wide plain, offering 
 no attractive scenery. But it was a family estate, and 
 a property to be mine, as the eldest son ; and that was 
 enough to make it very dear to me, for we Italians are 
 excessively fond of possessing real estate. It matters 
 not whether large or small, we want a piece of land, 
 with a house on it. It is the same passion which was 
 so strong among our ancestors as to produce many 
 popular revolutions. 
 
 Besides, I had found a way of spending my time 
 there according to my taste. I went out hunting in 
 the morning, coming back at twelve o'clock, with a 
 good appetite, to dine at the frugal table of the farmer. 
 Then I took a ride on their poor horse. To see the 
 affectionate care of those poor creatures for me, any 
 one would have thought that I was a relative, or at 
 least a generous and benevolent master. But I was 
 a perfect stranger to them. They paid their rent 
 
 (83) 
 
84 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 punctually ; and I was never able to induce them to 
 accept any compensation ; nay, they were pained if I 
 did not freely enjoy everything they could afford me, 
 and I was always received by them in the warmest 
 manner. 
 
 For this kind treatment I was indebted, in a great 
 measure, to their good, hospitable, and loving charac- 
 ter. They were a fair specimen of the Italian peas- 
 antry : sober, laborious, warm-hearted, and intelligent, 
 though kept in absolute ignorance, and spoiled by 
 prejudices and superstitions. They have a great re- 
 spect for well-educated persons, and easily become 
 attached to them if treated frankly and with an unas- 
 suming air. Some of those country people own a 
 small piece, of land, which they carefully cultivate, 
 and some pay rent, or give half of the produce to 
 the proprietors. This class of laborious, temperate, 
 and energetic people forms almost one-half of the 
 Italian population, and will be the most powerful ele- 
 ment of strength, prosperity, and greatness, when the 
 sun of freedom shall again shine upon that classic 
 land. 
 
 The farmer and his wife, besides liking my man- 
 ners, had conceived an exaggerated idea of my talent 
 and learning. They were enraptured by my stories 
 and anecdotes. Besides, they had been informed by 
 the old man who daily swept our school-rooms that 
 at college I was thought a distinguished boy; and 
 by the same means the old farmer had been intro- 
 duced among the spectators when the first premium 
 was conferred upon me. I had noticed him among 
 the crowd, shedding tears of joy ; and, as soon as the 
 ceremony was over, I went to shake hands with him, 
 and he was exceedingly flattered. 
 
THE EOMAN EXILE. 85 
 
 Next morning I was, of course, at the country-seat, 
 and a chicken had been killed to prepare a dinner for 
 me, of which the old curate of the parish partook, 
 having come upon his donkey to make my acquaint- 
 ance. He had with him his breviary, as usual, and re- 
 quested me to read a Latin psalm, as a proof of my skill; 
 I recollect it was the Fifty-first Psalm, and I read it 
 with the emphasis due to the sentiment, and also trans- 
 lated it with ease into Italian. The poor curate was 
 exceedingly amazed at this, because he had never him- 
 self been able to do so, although he had been reading 
 that psalm almost every day for the last fifty-two years. 
 
 I must add that I had rendered the old farmer a 
 valuable service. He was much thought of among his 
 neighbors for his honesty, good sense, and worldly 
 experience ; but he was unable to read or write, and 
 could not therefore be a trustee of the parish or a 
 council-member of a poor neighboring village. But, 
 with patient and constant effort, I taught him to read 
 and write tolerably well ; in consequence of which, the 
 honors he had coveted in vain all his past life came 
 to comfort his old age, even more sensible to such 
 distinctions. Thus I entirely won his affection and 
 esteem, as well as his gratitude. 
 
 Now there was to be an extraordinary feast in the 
 parish, for which a great deal of money had been 
 collected. The church was consecrated to St. Anna, 
 the mother of the " Holy Virgin ; " and, as the ancient 
 wooden statue of the patron saint was entirely worn 
 out, the trustees had purchased a new one from a 
 dealer in saints in Ravenna, and intended to inaugurate 
 it, with due solemnity, on the 27th of July, the holy- 
 day of St. Anna. The old curate and the trustees 
 tendered me a hearty invitation to attend the dinner 
 8 
 
iQ 
 
 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 which was to be given on this important occasion, and 
 I was prevailed on to accept it. 
 
 A programme of the feast had been printed, as 
 usual, on large sheets of colored paper, and hung some 
 days previously on the door of the church, and also in 
 the most conspicuous places of the neighboring vil- 
 lages, alluring people to attend the feast by the 
 description of the spectacle ; and a great many people 
 came there, even from a distance. On the ground in 
 front of the church stood the booths of the dealers in 
 saints. Madonnas, rosaries, relics, medals, and Christs, 
 of every material and description. Next to them 
 were the dealers in wine, bread, biscuits, fruits, and 
 everything to satisfy the appetite of the attendants. 
 
 The beautiful country girls, with their simple but 
 picturesque dresses and white veils, came in great 
 numbers, " to see and be seen ; " and no less numer- 
 ous was the attendance of the young men, neatly 
 dressed, and with peacock feathers and flowers in 
 their hats. Many priests also had come : they be- 
 longed to that class who, having no charge of any 
 church, earn their livelihood by going to and fro, 
 selling their masses to the highest bidders, especially 
 on occasions of feasts and burials. They were paid 
 for that day fifty cents each, besides a good dinner. 
 There were likewise a great many clerks, that is, 
 youths destined for the priesthood, and dressed like 
 priests ; they, however, received only five cents be- 
 sides the dinner. 
 
 Many masses were said in haste in the morning ; but 
 at eleven o'clock the solemn mass was sung according 
 to the programme 5 and, soon after, a solemn proces- 
 sion set forth, extending a mile on the public road. 
 At the head of it was a blooming girl, bearing a cross, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 87 
 
 on which was nailed a plaster statue of Christ ; and 
 next to her were four other girls, with burning wax 
 candles in their hands; then followed a respectable 
 corps of women, children, and girls, proceeding by 
 couples, accompanied here and there by overseers 
 armed with large sticks. These overseers belonged 
 to a brotherhood whose members came next, clad in 
 their long white " cappe " and red cowls. Afterwards 
 the young priestly clerks made their appearance, and 
 were followed by the priests. 
 
 All these people, in a language intended to be Latin, 
 were singing what they believed to be the praises of 
 St. Anna, whose statue was borne upon the shoulders 
 of six young men, and under a large canopy carried 
 by six other young men. There was the old curate, 
 in pontifical robes, attended by two of the oldest 
 priests, and two very young clerks had been chosen 
 for the office of burning incense, and offering the smoke 
 of it to the statue with their censers. The young 
 men, who formed in two wings, had been idle specta- 
 tors, exchanging occasionally some glances with the 
 passing girls, or making trifling remarks; but they 
 now followed the procession, crowded together behind 
 the canopy, and I was with them. 
 
 At the stopping-place of the procession was a large 
 oak tree, under whose shadow a small altar had been 
 prepared ; the statue was placed upon it, and every one 
 knelt on the dust to pay it worship. The old curate 
 also knelt for a few moments, and then, rising before the 
 others, directed the bearers of the statue to move it up 
 and down, here and there, so as to form a sign of the 
 cross in the air, while he pronounced a Latin bene- 
 diction. At this, by a concerted signal, began at some 
 distance the firing of five hundred small mortars, so 
 
88 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 / 
 
 skilfully arranged as to produce, by firing at measured 
 intervals, a certain cadence. 
 
 After this, the procession returned to the church, 
 and all the attendants went to enjoy a dinner worthy 
 of such a feast, — some at their own homes, some at 
 their friends' houses, and some at the booths erected 
 for the purpose. As for me, being an invited guest, 
 I sat at the table which, as well as all the other amuse- 
 ments and ceremonies, had been prepared by the 
 curate and trustees with the funds for the feast. We 
 amounted to about fifty at the table, which was liber- 
 ally supplied with excellent meats and good wine. It 
 was the first scene I had ever witnessed of free eat- 
 ing, hard drinking, and very noisy rejoicing ; and I 
 confess that I felt scandalized by it, although it was all 
 done for the honor of St. Anna. 
 
 After the dinner was over, some of the priests rested 
 on beds and sofas, some played cards, and some went 
 to visit their female acquaintances among the attend- 
 ants of the feast, till the hour should come for the 
 vesper service. It was held at four o'clock, and lasted 
 half an hour, closing with the benediction, now given 
 by making a sign of the cross with a wafer, said to be 
 the real flesh and blood of Jesus Christ ,• but, evidently, 
 it had not for the people so much attraction as the new 
 wooden statue of St. Anna. 
 
 Going out from the church, we found already pre- 
 pared, in front of it, a large paper balloon, on which 
 was painted the image of St. Anna, and an inscription 
 mentioning the object and the date of the feast. It 
 was launched in the air. Soon after sunset fire-works 
 were exhibited, the closing piece being a portrait of 
 St. Anna, skilfully illuminated, with her name beneath 
 it. It was very dark when the crowd took their way 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 89 
 
 home ; and darkness covered, perhaps, a sequel to the 
 feast which would have done but little honor to St. 
 Anna. 
 
 " It has been a magnificent feast," said the farmer, 
 as we were going home. 
 
 " I never spent a pleasanter day,'^ observed a young 
 girl of our party. 
 
 " Our St. Anna looks very pretty," added the farm- 
 er's wife ; but to her opinion I was not able to sub- 
 scribe. There were important errors in the propor- 
 tions of the statue ; and the face, besides being too 
 large, was of as red a color as a priest's after dinner. 
 This made a shocking contrast with the wig of fair 
 hair, the valuable gift of a rich old lady of Ravenna. 
 The gown with which the statue was clad was formerly 
 a rich wedding robe, belonging to an old lady who had 
 breathed her last some months before ; but upon it 
 had been placed a large cotton mantle of blue color ; 
 and here was another unpleasant contrast. In short, 
 it appeared to me that altogether the statue was some- 
 what unworthy of so much parade. But I durst not 
 express such ideas, which everybody would have con- 
 sidered very wrong. 
 
 It was almost two hours after sunset when we ar- 
 rived at the country-seat, and a little shower of rain 
 had begun ; so that I was prevailed upon to spend the 
 night there. The farmer and his wife occupied only 
 the four rooms on the ground floor ; the second story 
 had been reserved by my father for his own use, and 
 one of the rooms was constantly kept in order to 
 receive him when coming to Ravenna. I saw the old 
 woman very busy in preparing a bed for me in one 
 of their rooms, and I said to her, 
 8* 
 
90 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 "Do not take so much trouble. I want to go and 
 sleep up stairs in my father's room." 
 
 " Don't do it, for mercy's sake," exclaimed she, almost 
 terrified. And then she explained to me that those 
 rooms in the second story were constantly infested by 
 bad spirits during the night, and told me a dreadful 
 legend of an ancestor of mine, whose spirit was sup- 
 posed to come back to make a noise and hurt the 
 sleepers. At this I could not help laughing, because 
 I did not believe in the return of spirits, or in their 
 power to make noises and hurt people, since they have 
 no material form. But, to calm her fears, I observed 
 that my father had slept there many times without 
 being hurt. 
 
 "Well," replied she, "but your father has been a 
 soldier, and went as far as Russia, and knows, no 
 doubt, some secret against bad spirits." 
 
 " I know the same secret," said I ; " that is, I do not 
 believe in the coming back of spirits.'^ 
 
 Of course, in that year (1837) every person of good 
 sense and education would have been disgraced by 
 believing such absurdities. Sixteen years after, how- 
 ever, landing in New York, I found a great many 
 people seriously engaged in reviving those creations 
 of the middle ages. As for me, I confess that I heard 
 some noise that night ; but, not being acquainted with 
 the theory of the " rapping spirits," I thought they 
 were " rapping rats." 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 MY RETURN TO ROME. 
 
 I LEFT Ravenna on the 3d of August, 1838, feeling 
 very happy at my success in my studies, and antici- 
 pating the pleasure of being again with my mother at 
 my sweet home, after a separation of two years. I 
 took the road through Ancona, wishing to see that 
 place, and stopped there for two days. That important 
 fortress had been garrisoned by Frenchmen since the 
 year 1832, when they took possession of it by treason, 
 pretending that they had come to help a revolutionary 
 movement. Ancona is the most advantageous posi- 
 tion for the eastern trade, and its port is the largest 
 and most convenient on the Adriatic Sea. A short 
 railroad from that city to the River Po, which would 
 connect with the railroads of Lombardy, Piedmont, 
 Switzerland, France, Belgium, and Germany, would 
 make Ancona the emporium of eastern commerce for 
 Continental Europe. 
 
 For many years, no means had been spared to in- 
 duce the pope to consent to the construction of such 
 a railroad; and even some foreign governments, in- 
 terested in it, had made earnest representations to 
 him. A final answer was expected from the pope 
 when I arrived at Ancona. Gregory XYI., pressed 
 from so many directions, at length answered: " I fore- 
 
 (91) 
 
92 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 see that, after my death, such innovations will take 
 place, and do evil to religion. I am already an old 
 man : let me die in peace, without witnessing them." 
 After this, he strictly forbade everybody to speak to 
 him of such things as railroads, steamboats, and gas- 
 light. 
 
 I heard much murmuring on this account at An- 
 cona, though it was repressed by the French garrison. 
 It was then, for the first time, I began to enter into 
 the practical views of the Italian revolutionists. My 
 love for freedom was, of course, born with me, and 
 had been greatly developed by my parents, by my 
 growing up amidst the monuments and ruins of Rome, 
 and by the study of our national history. But my 
 aspirations for political and religious freedom were 
 not till now of a practical character. Now I began to 
 feel that there was no use in merely wishing the de- 
 struction of papacy, — that we must undertake it by 
 material means, in order to secure our moral and ma- 
 terial interests. 
 
 Indulging this new train of ideas, I revolved in 
 my mind the difficulties of such an undertaking. 
 French and Austrian garrisons were under my eyes ; 
 and, besides, the pope had six thousand Swiss troops. 
 On the other hand, I recollected many unsuccessful 
 attempts, and the cruel vengeance by which they 
 were followed. But aU this excited my juvenile en- 
 thusiasm, instead of quelling it. I had heard much 
 of the secret political societies existing in Italy, and 
 I relied greatly upon them for success. To be con- 
 nected with some of them was now my earnest desire ; 
 but I felt that I was too young to command the con- 
 fidence of those who were putting their lives at stake. 
 
 On the evening of the second day after my arrival 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 93 
 
 at Ancona, as I was looking for a conveyance to 
 Rome, a vetturino, with his carriage, put up at my 
 hotel, and I easily arranged the matter with him, as 
 he was going to Rome, and had but one passenger. 
 I supped at the same table with my future fellow- 
 traveller. He was a handsome young man, with easy 
 manners, perhaps five years older than myself. He 
 also was a native of Rome, and was now coming back 
 from the University of Bologna, where he had earned 
 the doctorate at law. We were both happy in our 
 meeting, and an unbounded confidence was soon es- 
 tablished between us. 
 
 '' What do you think," said I, " of the pope^s pro- 
 scribing railroads, steamboats, and gas-light, as being 
 irreligious ? '' 
 
 " I think that the pope is right ; because, in order 
 to preserve his political and religious system, he must 
 prevent every kind of progress, and bring back society 
 to the condition in which it existed at the time when 
 that system originated. The people, however, are 
 wrong in allowing themselves to be ruled over by a 
 pope.'^ 
 
 To this I replied by naming some of the difficulties 
 to be encountered in getting rid of the pope ; but my 
 new friend smiled at me, and in a low tone began to 
 sing a well-known stanza : 
 
 " Liberty non fallisce ai volenti, 
 Ma il sentier de perigli ell' addita ; 
 E promessa a chi ponvi la vita, 
 Non e premio d'inerte desir." 
 
 Liberty smiles on daring hearts, 
 And wills that never swerve ; 
 Of manly virtues 't is the test, 
 None who can die need serve. 
 
94 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Next morning I was sitting in the carriage with 
 Mattia (such was the name of my countryman), and, 
 after a pleasant ride, we arrived at ten o'clock at our 
 stopping-place, to take our meals, and allow a rest of 
 three hours to the horses, as usual. This place hap- 
 pened to be Loreto, — a poor town, with two thousand 
 wretched inhabitants. It has been for ages a great 
 resort of pilgrims from the whole of Italy and Europe, 
 coming to worship the " Holy House." This object 
 of worship is a very poor house, consisting of on^ 
 room, and built with the limestone of that place, like 
 the houses of the poor peasants of the country. 
 
 This "Holy House" stands on the summit of a 
 beautiful hill, in view of the Adriatic Sea. A very 
 large cathedral has been erected around that building, 
 which occupies a small part of the space under the 
 airy dome. The house is worshipped because it is 
 said to be the very house of the " Holy Virgin," for- 
 merly standing in Nazareth. Such, at least, was the 
 infallible opinion of a pope, who, in his Latin bull to 
 explain that remarkable change of place, said that on 
 a very dark night angels took the " Holy House " in 
 their hands, and brought it from Nazareth to Loreto, 
 before daybreak ; and this night was found out to be 
 that of the 10th of December, 603. The papists have 
 on that day a feast, called " The Passage of the Holy 
 House." 
 
 The exhibition of the house, and the miracles per- 
 formed by it, afforded, "in good times," immense 
 riches to the popes ; but the trade was ruined by Na- 
 poleon. It was his policy to destroy the commerce 
 of his enemies ; so that, being at war with Pope Pius 
 VI., during the year 1799, he plundered the " Holy 
 House," and took as prisoner to Paris the statue which 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 95 
 
 was worshipped there. From that moment the credit 
 of the " Holy House " was lost, and its exhibition does 
 not now produce enough for the support of the nu- 
 merous attendants, and for the ordinary repairs of the 
 buildings. 
 
 "Let us go and see the ^ Holy House/ " said Mattia, 
 who wanted to show it to me ; and curiosity induced 
 me to assent. There were some worshippers in the 
 cathedral, all poor country people or foreigners. They 
 went to the " Holy House," walking on their knees 
 on the marble floor ; but, using the privilege of trav- 
 ellers, my friend and I entered that barn freely. It 
 was dreadfully hot inside, in consequence of two hun- 
 dred wax candles constantly burning, day and night, 
 before the statue of the " Holy Virgin " and her Son, 
 taken from life by St. Luke, and now redeemed from 
 French captivity. It consists of a piece of wood, in 
 the form of a cut cone, surmounted by two very black 
 and ugly heads, of different size, and both almost de- 
 stroyed by too devoted worms. On one side is the 
 iron key with which the " Holy Virgin '' locked the 
 door when she went out on business, and on the other 
 side is the very wooden cup from which she used to 
 drink. All the amulets must be put into that cup, and 
 remain some minutes, before being sold. 
 
 " I thought that St. Luke was a more skilful artist,'^ 
 said I to my friend, as we went out ; " because I have 
 seen at Ravenna a bas-relief Madonna, in fine Italian 
 marble, said to have been made by him, which was 
 much better." 
 
 " It must be an apocryphal work," answered my 
 friend, " because I have seen at Bologna the famous 
 ' Madonna di S. Luca,' painted by him, and it was at 
 least as ugly as that statue. In fact, we know from 
 
96 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Paul that Luke was a physician, and no one has said 
 that he was also an artist, although we have a hun- 
 dred of his works both in painting and sculpture." 
 
 " Away with jests ! " said I ; "is it not an abomina- 
 tion?" 
 
 " Speak low," answered Mattia, " because here all 
 these wretched inhabitants earn their bread by manu- 
 facturing and selling the little images of that statue 
 and other amulets ; so that we run the risk of hearing 
 them, full of wrath, cry out, ' Great is the Holy House 
 of Loreto,' and raising a mob against us, as happened 
 to Paul, when by his preaching he endangered the 
 trade of the jewellers of Ephesus." 
 
 " Well, my friend," observed I ; " you quote freely 
 from the Bible. Do you not know that it is a forbid- 
 den book?" 
 
 He smiled at this, and we shook hands significantly. 
 
 Two evenings after that, we were at Fuligno ; and, 
 having supped very early, we went to take a walk, 
 and afterwards entered a fashionable cofiee-house to 
 take some refreshments. There were present many 
 persons, coffee-houses being very much frequented 
 by the Italians. They looked upon us as unknown 
 persons ; and Mattia, hke myself, appeared to know 
 no one of them. Nevertheless, we had seated our- 
 selves but a little while at a small table, when I saw 
 many of those persons come to shake hands with my 
 friend in a very familiar manner ; and then plenty of 
 refreshments were placed before us, for which we had 
 to pay nothing. Was it not a mystery ? 
 
 Some of these kind people took the trouble of 
 accompanying us to our hotel. Among them was a 
 young man who immediately won my esteem and 
 affection. He offered me his friendship ; and, from 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 97 
 
 that moment, we were intimate friends, till his death, 
 which happened lately in London. My poor friend I 
 six years of bitter exile among those fogs depressed 
 his poetical mind, extinguished his genius, and con- 
 sumed his strength, till he died broken-hearted. 
 
 Now, from all that had happened at the coffee-house 
 of Fuhgno, I was led to conjecture that my friend 
 was a prominent member of some secret association. 
 I tried to make known to him my sentiments and 
 wishes, without uttering, however, any request or allu- 
 sion ; for I considered myself too young to be admit- 
 ted to his confidence. So that, speaking of Ravenna, 
 I mentioned the " Carbonari," a secret society which 
 was formerly very powerful there ; and then I said to 
 Mattia, "Do you think that the ^ Carbonari * have done 
 good for Italy ? " 
 
 " No doubt," answered Mattia ; " their attempts, 
 though unsuccessful and ill-directed, have advanced 
 the national cause ; besides, their noble firmness, gen- 
 erous self-sacrifices, and heroic endurance under the 
 most cruel torments, have contributed more than any- 
 thing else to popularize the national idea, and create 
 the actual strong character of the Italian youth." 
 
 " Do you think then," added I, " that it is desirable 
 to have that society continued or restored?" 
 
 " That is another question," replied he ; " and I tell 
 you that I think not. We have made great progress 
 in a few years : the idea of liberty and independence 
 is now the aspiration of every soul, and our obstacles 
 are all from abroad. What, then, would be the use 
 of the gradual initiations and mysteries to which the 
 Carbonari resorted? " 
 
 The conversation was cut short by our arriving at 
 Terni, a pretty town where we were to spend the 
 9 
 
98 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 night; and, there being yet two hours before sunset, 
 we determined to go and see the fall called " Le Mar- 
 more," not far from the town. "It is a glorious 
 sight/' observed Mattia, " and will make amends for 
 the debasing spectacle which we saw at Loreto." 
 
 Many falls of water are more abundant and impor- 
 tant; but no one is more poetical and picturesque 
 than this, — a river falling upon another river from 
 a high perpendicular rock, where it has been led by 
 the powerful hand of man. The Velino was a furious 
 torrent, which often made wide and dreadful devasta- 
 tions. The ancient Romans cut a passage for it 
 through a rocky mountain, at the foot of which the 
 Nera was quietly running her tributary waters to the 
 Tiber. The furious Yelino precipitates itself upon 
 the quiet Nera with a tremendous noise, the sublime 
 effect of which, among magnificent scenery, is beyond 
 any description. 
 
 We found there a young Belgian artist travelling on 
 foot to Rome. He was an acquaintance of Mattia, and 
 was easily prevailed upon to take a seat in the same 
 carriage with us, because the interest of the country 
 gradually diminishes as we approach to Rome. His 
 company afforded us great pleasure. The next even- 
 ing we were at Civita Castellana, a poor town, thirty- 
 eight miles from Rome, known only because it con- 
 tains one of the fortresses in which prisoners for 
 political offences are tortured to death. The fortress 
 was emptied by the revolutionists during the year 
 1831, but was now filled again. 
 
 It was impossible for Mattia and me to pass under 
 those silent walls without feeling a shudder of horror. 
 We thought that we heard the clanking of the chains 
 and the groans of the victims. It put us, of course, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 99 
 
 in bad spirits, and the places through which we passed 
 next morning were but Httle fitted to dispel them. 
 
 Mattia first broke the silence, sayin'g to the Belgian, 
 " This soil is the richest and most favored by nature 
 in Italy, free from snow, freezing, storms, and exceed- 
 ingly hot weather. The Etrurians built here a great 
 many populous cities, of the best materials, supplied 
 by the soil itself. Not less than six millions of inhab- 
 itants have lived comfortably in this territory, which 
 is now a desert, and consequently unhealthy. This 
 is the effect of a thousand years of papal domination." 
 
 " Of course," observed the Belgian, " papacy has 
 surrounded its nest by a dreadful desolation ,* but I 
 have heard some priests attribute it to the indolence 
 of your people." 
 
 "Look at Bologna," answered Mattia; "it is the 
 least privileged by nature of our provinces, and yet it 
 is the best cultivated, and its large population are 
 prosperous and active, because that province has 
 been thrown absolutely under the papal yoke only 
 since the year 1815, by the impious Congress of Vi- 
 enna. Ferrara, Forli, Ravenna, Perugia, and other 
 provinces, exhibit each a different stage of decay, 
 according to the time of their coming under the papal 
 sway ; while the provinces adjoining Rome, and form- 
 ing the so-called ' patrimony of St. Peter,' are in the 
 most wretched condition." 
 
 " I think," said the Belgian, " that the Roman people 
 are right in trying to shake off the papal yoke, and I 
 highly appreciate the generous efforts of *all the Ital- 
 ians for their independence ; but, even admiring their 
 noble conduct and generous self-sacrifices, I cannot 
 approve the course which they have taken in attempt- 
 ing to free their country by conspiracies and secret 
 
100 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 societies. We Belgians have emancipated ourselves 
 from Holland without resorting to those mysterious 
 arts." 
 
 "Moreover," replied Mattia, "the Belgian revolu- 
 tion had the help of a French army ; it was plotted 
 by Jesuits ; and was cherished by European diplo- 
 macy as the means of forever putting down Holland, 
 a true Protestant nation" 
 
 "Do you think, then/' interrupted the Belgian, 
 " that even English diplomacy was in favor of the so- 
 called Catholicism ? " 
 
 " Truly I think so," answered Mattia ; " but never 
 mind now. What I want to observe is, that Belgium, 
 under the Dutch king, enjoyed at least as much free- 
 dom as now, being a united nation, with a national 
 representation, a free tribune, and a free press. The 
 Italians, on the contrary, have no parliament, no tri- 
 bune, no press at all ; and, besides, there is no per- 
 sonal security, no right of meeting more than three 
 together, and spies note their movements, words, and 
 almost thoughts. So that we have not the means 
 which you had to promote the national idea, and to 
 come to a common understanding ; and, consequently, 
 the Italians must resort to those means which their 
 tyrants cannot reach." 
 
 The Belgian appeared to be almost convinced, and 
 then objected again, saying, " The Carbonari have dis- 
 graced themselves by mysterious executions, spread- 
 ing terror mstead of persuasion." 
 
 "It woT:l5d be easy to prove," answered Mattia, 
 "that their pretended excesses have been exagger- 
 ated, and sometimes provoked, by the conduct of 
 other secret societies erected by the governments 
 against them ; but now it is enough to say that that 
 
THE EOMAH iLXlLfi; '' * " 101 
 
 society belongs to the past, and has been succeeded 
 by the national society called ^ Young Italy/ which 
 has neither mysteries nor executions, and proceeds 
 in a very different manner." 
 
 Now, at ten miles distance, we began to discover 
 the immense dome of St. Peter towering in the air; 
 and nothing more was to be seen, till, at four miles 
 from Rome, the magnificent panorama appeared before 
 us. At that place there was a carriage stopping, and, 
 as we were passing it, a cry of joy attracted my atten- 
 tion. It was my mother 1 I had written to her from 
 Ancona; and, calculating exactly the time of my jour- 
 ney, she was coming to meet me. 0, what mutual 
 happiness I 
 
 9* 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MY VACATION IN ROME. 
 
 I AT first passed very happily the time of my vaca- 
 tion. I rose at seven o'clock, and spent the whole 
 of the morning studying in my room, or at a public 
 library. I breakfasted about twelve, and then went 
 to visit the galleries, museums, churches, monuments, 
 ruins, and all the remarkable places, sitting often for 
 hours with a book among some solitary ruins. At six 
 o'clock I dined with my family ; and, when that was 
 over, went to some cofiee-house, to meet my friends. 
 In the evening no one does business in Rome, and I 
 amused myself according to the general habit. 
 
 Music is with us the greatest source of amusement. 
 It is by means of excellent music that papal priests 
 occasionally succeed in crowding their immense 
 churches, deserted by faith ; and for the same reason 
 we frequent the theatres. But, on the occasion of a 
 great display of music, the churches become the re- 
 sort of pickpockets, and other wicked characters, and 
 offer the best occasion for a great show of ornamented 
 beauties of both sexes, and an exchange of glances, 
 words, secret notes, &c. Guerrazzi has said that 
 "the Italians fall in love in their churches;" he should 
 have added that to them may be traced almost all the 
 
 (102) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 103 
 
 less innocent intrigues of love, which are greatly fa- 
 vored by the crowd in constant motion. 
 
 The theatre, on the contrary, is a more honest place 
 of amusement, and offers no scandal. There each one 
 keeps his seat in a dignified manner ; each family has 
 a separate box, and all are listening to the music with 
 rapture. Besides, the play must be previously ap- 
 proved by a special committee of distinguished men, 
 who also have a box near the stage, from which they 
 watch that nothing may be introduced to offend deco- 
 rum or modesty. No mother, therefore, has any 
 objection to taking her daughters, and even little chil- 
 dren, to the theatre; and my own mother, whose 
 moral and religious feelings were of a very severe 
 cast, would never allow my sisters to go to hear the 
 music in the churches, but took them often to the 
 theatre. 
 
 Sometimes I consider the taste of the Italians for 
 the fine arts and for music as a kind of compensation, 
 enabling them to bear with less grief the sad lot of 
 our unhappy country. - Surely, Italians not only like 
 music, but need it. Our rather quick temperament, 
 and the horrible state of oppression and almost con- 
 tinual provocation which we suffer from our tyrants, 
 would too often excite us to extremities, if our souls 
 were not soothed and softened by music. It makes 
 us forget, for a moment, our griefs and our wrongs ; 
 and, when the remembrance of them comes back to 
 the mind, it has lost much of its force. To music we 
 are indebted for that delicate disposition of mind 
 which makes the Italian people satisfied with simple, 
 and almost puerile, amusements. 
 
 " Where do you spend your evenings ? " Mattia, 
 with whom I had preserved an intimate friendship, in- 
 
104 THE EOMAN EXILE. 
 
 quired of me one day ; and I informed him that I went 
 every evening to the opera. 
 
 ^^ Every evening is too often/' said he ; " and I have 
 thought of introducing you to a party of friends, who 
 meet three times a week, in the evening, to study 
 political economy." 
 
 I was very much pleased and flattered at this pro- 
 posal, as a great privilege in itself, and as being prob- 
 ably a first step, or experiment, which should lead me 
 to the secret political associations ; for I had observed 
 with pleasure that Mattia looked on me as a future 
 fellow-laborer. Political economy, in all its branches, 
 has always been a favorite science with the Italians : 
 it was born among us, and we have contributed to it 
 more than any other people. To be ignorant of po- 
 litical economy would be a shame for a lawyer ; and 
 even a physician, a banker, or an architect, will boast 
 of knowing something of it. Unfortunately, however, 
 our governments do not share the affection of their 
 subjects for that science. 
 
 In fact, the great impetus given to political econo- 
 my by Genovesi, Beccaria, Filangeri, and other not 
 less conspicuous modern writers, was checked as soon 
 as the impious Congress of Vienna gave Italy to the 
 pope, Austria, and other ancient tyrants. They sup- 
 pressed the chairs of that science in the universities, 
 and tried to restore ignorance by persecuting learned 
 men. This explains why the friends of Mattia held 
 secret meetings in order to study political economy. 
 They had succeeded in procuring a copy of the lec- 
 tures then delivered at the University of Paris by a 
 distinguished Italian exile, formerly professor at Bo- 
 logna, and now made by Louis Philippe a peer of 
 France, — I mean PeUegrino Rossi, a great economist. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 105 
 
 They had also a copy of Beccaria, and some other 
 books, all of a moderate and conservative character. 
 
 The method of mutual instruction adopted by the 
 party, and the earnestness with which they followed 
 it, made their transactions very pleaising and instruct- 
 ive. I did not take an active part, being too young, 
 and not sufficiently advanced in other studies. The 
 most prominent among them was the brother of a 
 cardinal, a middle-aged man, who had been engaged 
 in the revolution of the year 1831. The conferences 
 were held in his apartment, which was in the palace 
 of his brother, but had a private access. 
 
 The regular meetings went on very well for some 
 time; but at length the police tracked us. An im- 
 mediate descent upon us was impossible, because 
 the palace of a cardinal, with all its dependencies, 
 is as inviolable as his " sacred person," there being 
 no tribunal to try a cardinal, either for criminal 
 conduct, or for his debts and obligations. But our 
 case had excited so much suspicion and alarm that 
 Monsignor, the governor of Rome, applied to the 
 pope, who gave him a note to the cardinal to this 
 effect : 
 
 " A party of bad-intentioned young men having 
 found a way to shelter their lawless meetings under 
 the roof of your Eminence, who certainly knows noth- 
 ing about the matter. We request your Eminence to 
 allow a descent of the police upon them." 
 
 One of our party was reading a dissertation which 
 he had prepared on the subject, — ^' Merit and rewards 
 in society ; " and we were all very attentive to him. 
 
 " Your reward will be a prison, rascals ! " suddenly 
 interrupted the harsh voice of a papal police-officer, 
 
106 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 while his shirri, with pistols and daggers, surrounded 
 us, crying, "(7M si move e morto " (whoever stirs shall 
 be killed). 
 
 We had no better arms than some books, paper, and 
 pens, which, however, were seized immediately. No 
 arrests were made, owing to the place in which we 
 were ; but the oflScer registered accurately the names 
 of the whole of the party. For some days we lived 
 in constant fear of being arrested. But the cardinal, 
 wanting to save his brother, saved the whole of the 
 party, at least from immediate persecution. 
 
 This first experiment in joining a secret association 
 was certainly not promising; but I now felt more 
 anxious than ever to be formally admitted to the 
 " Young Italy.'' 
 
 A few days after this, Mattia called at our house 
 when I was breakfasting with my parents. I had 
 introduced him on a former occasion to my mother, 
 and now I was about to present him to my father. 
 But Mattia introduced himself much better than I 
 could have done. They went together into my 
 father's study, and had there a short private conver- 
 sation, and then, coming back to the dining-room, 
 Mattjii said to me, 
 
 " I come to propose to you to go out hunting with 
 me to-morrow morning." 
 
 I answered that I was very happy to accept the 
 invitation ; and, after having made some arrangements 
 about it, Mattia took his leave. I was not a good 
 sportsman, nor very fond of hunting ; but I often went 
 with my gun to the country, because the campagnay 
 deserted and desolate as it is, had a mysterious attrac- 
 tion for me. Some traveller has compared the " cam- 
 pagna " of Rome to thei corpse of a handsome lady. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 107 
 
 There is certainly no appearance of life ; but the body 
 exhibits uncommon strength and health, and we feel 
 that a little care would restore it, as if it were but 
 just drowned. The body does not impress us with 
 the horror of death, but with an anxious desire to 
 bring it again to life. 
 
 Here and there amidst those desolate fields we find 
 a gigantic Pelasgian wall, an Etrurian tomb, a Latin 
 ruin, or a Koman aqueduct, like the bones of a gigan- 
 tic race which lived before us. Euins, belonging 
 to many different nations and distant ages, are now 
 mingled upon that earth, which is nothing but a great 
 ruin. There, near the remains of Yeii, is the dilap- 
 idated tomb of Nero, and the gigantic arches of the 
 aqueduct cross a ground pierced through in every 
 direction by subterranean galleries ; for the catacombs 
 are not to be found in Kome alone, but everywhere 
 in its territory. 
 
 The greatest attraction, however, was, that there 
 alone in the desert I felt I was free — entirely free ; 
 so that I breathed freely, walked erect, and, like a 
 madman, uttered and repeated to the winds, with the 
 whole " strength of my voice, those words which I 
 could not safely utter in Rome ; and, after long shout- 
 ing Italia e liherta, I felt my burning heart greatly 
 relieved, and my mind filled with the most generous 
 and lofty aspirations. Indeed, I never felt my soul 
 more elevated to God than in those moments. 
 
 Often, while sitting on a small hill, with no compan- 
 ions but the singing birds and some wild horses, oxen, 
 and buffaloes scattered around, I watched the sublime 
 spectacle of sunrise. Then I felt alone with my God ; 
 my prayers flowed from my heart like water from 
 a fountain; and I enjoyed sweet, unbounded conso- 
 
108 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 lation. We may no doubt be alone with God, and 
 elevate our minds to him, in every place ; but there 
 nature itself praised the Creator; the air was pure 
 from contamination ; there was no smoke of incense 
 ojffered to idols; nor did I behold the spectacle of 
 men worshipping pictures and statues, the work of 
 their own hands. In short, there I was free, and 
 could open my whole heart without fear that some 
 spy was listening to my half-uttered words, or watch- 
 ing the movements of my countenance in order to 
 divine my thoughts and denounce them. 
 
CHAPTER XY. 
 
 A CATACOMB NEAR VEIL 
 
 Early in the morning I heard the concerted signal 
 from Mattia, and dressed myself in haste in order to 
 join him. At the gate called " Del Popolo" we showed 
 our regular licenses for hunting, and, opening the 
 wicket, the sentinel let us go out. We crossed the 
 ancient bridge Milvius, now "Ponte Molle," where 
 Constantino defeated Maxentius; and, leaving "Via 
 Cassia " on our left, we entered the open field. There 
 was no moon, but the morning stars were bright, and 
 dawn began to appear in the east. A solemn quiet 
 reigned in that solitude. We were the only beings 
 moving throughout it, and proceeded silently, as if 
 afraid of breaking the universal stillness, till we arrived 
 at the remains of the ancient city of Veii. 
 
 ^' Let us stop here a moment," said Mattia, pointing 
 to a broken column, upon which we sat down ; and 
 then he told me that he intended to introduce me into 
 the secret society of the Italian patriots, according 
 to the desire which I had often manifested. I was 
 exceedingly pleased at this, but could not avoid feel- 
 ing a sense of mysterious trepidation, thinking that I 
 should probably be subject to trials of which I had 
 but few and indistinct ideas. Mattia, perhaps conjec- 
 10 (109) 
 
110 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 turing my thoughts, added, " Our society has no mys- 
 terious initiations and trials. We seek for secrecy, 
 and meet in secluded places, only to avoid useless 
 victims." 
 
 Just then an old man, evidently a shepherd, came to 
 us, saying, " Good morning, brethren. The birds are 
 in the nest." 
 
 " Let us go to them," replied Mattia ; and, following 
 the old shepherd some distance over that undulating 
 surface, we came to a little bushy valley, when the 
 shepherd, drawing aside some shrubbery, uncovered 
 an entrance, almost blocked up, but still with a suffi- 
 cient opening to admit the passage of a man's body. 
 I had seen many such entrances leading to the cata- 
 combs widely spread throughout all the territory of 
 Rome ; so that I understood it, and entered without 
 hesitation. Our guide lighted a little lamp and led 
 us through a corridor about six feet wide and nine 
 feet high, extending far off in the darkness. 
 
 That corridor was cut out in the bed of " puzzolana," 
 as are all the corridors of the catacombs ; for these 
 excavations have been continued from the earliest 
 antiquity down to our days, in order to dig out puzzo- 
 lana. This is a kind of volcanic production, the best 
 cement known. It is very easy to dig it with a com- 
 mon spade ; and, notwithstanding the want of solidity, 
 the corridors, holes, and rooms cut out in those beds 
 of puzzolana stand uninjured much better than ma- 
 sonry would do ; and, after perhaps three thousand 
 years, the form of the instrument with which they 
 were dug may yet be seen. Besides, puzzolana gives 
 no passage to water. This explains how, formerly, 
 a population of true believers might be sheltered in 
 tlie catacombs near and under Rome, and how these 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. Ill 
 
 retreats « could be ornamented and converted into 
 chapels or burial-places. 
 
 We soon reached a place where the corridor was 
 divided into three avenues, leading to different points. 
 At the entrance of one of these avenues there was a 
 broad flat stone, which was removed by our guldens 
 opening the mouth of a narrow well, through which 
 Mattia and myself were lowered by means of a rope, 
 and then the shepherd closed the hole over our heads, 
 and probably went to his business, carrying with him 
 the lamp. 
 
 We were now in a second corridor, some twelve feet 
 below the first, and probably cut out in the same man- 
 ner ; and, passing on in the darkness, we soon arrived 
 at the end of the corridor. Then Mattia whistled in a 
 peculiar manner three times, and soon after a ray of ^ 
 light came to us from a distant part of a new corridor, 
 which was at our side. The light, which was red*, 
 turned white, then green, and soon after disappeared. 
 
 Advancing along that new corridor, we came to a 
 " luminaria," that is, one of those air-holes, like wells, 
 intended to give fresh air, especially to the second or 
 third story of the catacombs, for those who were en- 
 gaged in digging 6ut the puzzolana. I saw a faint 
 ray of daylight through that luminaria, which gave me 
 much pleasure. Soon after, we came to a place where 
 Mattia, opening a little door, introduced me into one 
 of those enlargements which are often to be found in 
 the catacombs. It was now illuminated, and furnished 
 much like a room, and within there were five gentle- 
 men sitting at a small table. Mattia told them my 
 name, and said that I wished to become a fellow- 
 laborer in their work, adding, " My friend, though very 
 young, is a prudent and trustworthy fellow : besides 
 
112 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 my own knowledge of him, I have the word of his 
 father, who is well known among us." 
 
 The president of that small meeting politely invited 
 me to sit down. I knew him well, but did not dare 
 either to show it or to speak a word. He perceived 
 my embarrassment, and hastened to say, " Be not un- 
 easy, my young friend ; here we are all brethren. Our 
 association is founded on the principle of mutual love, 
 and has nothing to do with the forms and means of 
 terror formerly used by secret societies. Our aim and 
 our doctrines are not a mystery, — only, living under 
 despotism, we are forced to meet in secret places, and 
 to conceal the names of our associates.'^ 
 
 At this, feeling much encouraged, I said, " It is well 
 that you know me and my family. My grandfather 
 was a martyr for Italy ; my father has done all in his 
 'power for the same cause ; and I intend to follow their 
 example." 
 
 " I do not doubt your enthusiasm for our unhappy 
 country," replied the president ; " but let me remind 
 you that, to be our fellow-laborer, you must have un- 
 common strength, both to control yourself and to bear 
 firmly whatever may happen to you. If you do not 
 feel such strength in yourself, do not join us ; you 
 may be useful to your country in other ways. You 
 are still perfectly free to go out without making any 
 engagements." 
 
 To these words of the president, I answered that I 
 was firmly determined to work with them, and was 
 ready even to meet death on the scafi'old for my na- 
 tive country. 
 
 " That is well, but not enough," observed the presi- 
 dent ; " there is something worse than death on the 
 scaffold. In that solemn moment your enthusiasm is 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 113 
 
 excited by the occasion, by the sympathizing multi- 
 tude of spectators, and by the idea of setting a noble 
 example, and leaving a glorious memory. But, if you 
 were confined in a dark dungeon for years ; tortured 
 with hunger, loss of sleep, heavy chains, beating, and 
 all the ill-treatment invented by our tyrants, and were 
 to die a slow death there, conscious that your sacrifice 
 would be unknown to all but your executioners, in- 
 terested in calumniating your memory, — what should 
 you think of this ? " 
 
 " I think that the idea of doing my duty, the ap- 
 proval of my conscience, and the presence of a just 
 God, would make me quite submissive to my fate. I 
 feel that a life bought by cowardly treason would be 
 more bitter than such a death." 
 
 " Well,'^ said the president ; " but let us consider 
 another case, less dreadful, but perhaps more tanta- 
 lizing. If you succeed in making your escape, after 
 some unsuccessful attempt or otherwise, you must 
 first abandon your country, your mother, your lady- 
 love, and everything dear to you, and then seek for 
 shelter in foreign lands, followed by the habitual cal- 
 umnies on the conquered, and persecuted everywhere 
 by the impious sect of the Jesuits. You will be 
 obhged to fly from land to land, meeting everywhere 
 with contempt or barren compassion; you will feel 
 how bitter is the bread of the exile, — how painful it 
 is to give up the long-cherished dreams of an honor- 
 able career, and of a sweet home, with a lovely wife 
 and children ; and then, sick at heart, in sorrow and in 
 misery, you will have constantly before your eyes 
 the doors of your home opening if you become a 
 
 traitor " 
 
 10* 
 
114 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 " I would rather die a thousand times/' interrupted 
 I, indignantly; and the president, pleased with my 
 answers, went on to explain the peculiar duties im- 
 posed on the members of the association. 
 
 " We want to free ourselves/' said he, " before at- 
 tempting to deliver from slavery our native country. 
 The man who has no control over his passions is not 
 free, and he who indulges his sensual appetites will 
 never be able to do anything generous and great. 
 Worse even is he who betrays another's confidence, 
 and destroys the peace of an hospitable roof On this 
 point we are very severe. If you wish to join us you 
 must be sober and temperate, and, above all, strictly 
 honorable in your intercourse with the other sex. 
 God has given to Italy the loveliest of women: to 
 make them objects of degradation, or to elevate them 
 to the dignity of powerful instruments of regenera- 
 tion, depends upon our conduct." 
 
 This admonition was rather too early at my age, 
 inasmuch as I had been constantly engaged in my 
 studies, scientific visits, and country excursions. I 
 blushed a little, and promised, " di tutto cuore," that I 
 would constantly observe regular conduct, and lead 
 a sober, temperate, and active life. 
 
 " Now," added the president, " I have a last word 
 to say to you. We do not want atheists among us. 
 We do not pretend to impose on our members any 
 particular form of worship, for freedom is our aim, 
 both in religion and politics ; but Tasso has well said, 
 ' Non v'ha fede in uom die a Dio la nega ' (There is 
 no faith in the man who denies it to God) ; so that we 
 have printed on our flag the sublime motto, ' Dig e 
 PopOLO ' (God and the people), and adopted the di- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 115 
 
 vine precept to love God supremely, and our neigh- 
 bor as ourselves." 
 
 " Well," said I, " I profess to be a Christian, pure 
 from the abominations of papacy." 
 
 " So much the better," answered in chorus the mem- 
 bers of the committee ; and one after the other they 
 embraced and kissed me. 
 
 " Shall I now take my oath? " inquired I, as the ses- 
 sion appeared to be ended. 
 
 " We want no oaths," replied the president. ^' The 
 man who has no respect for his word, his honor, his 
 Christian duty, would not be held by a thousand 
 oaths. Besides, we are bound together by the same 
 desire, the same interests, and the same faith. So 
 long as we are honest, no one will betray the other ; 
 and, if there is some wicked man among us, so much 
 the worse for him. We have abolished every kind 
 of punishment against traitors, and leave it to divine 
 justice. Whoever thinks of betraying us, let him 
 know that he has not to fear the secret vengeance of 
 our association ; but our innocent blood will be con- 
 stantly before his eyes, and upon his head." 
 
 At this the president shook hands with me, and im- 
 mediately directed one of the committee to take me 
 into the adjoining room, to teach me the doctrines 
 of the association, and answer my questions, as there 
 was some one else waiting for admission. Mattia 
 occupied the seat left vacant by my new tutor. The 
 worthy man who then filled the presidehtial chair was 
 a very rich merchant of the " campagna," namely, 
 one of those who possess there herds of cattle, and 
 who occasionally cultivate tracts of land with grain. 
 I can fully give the name of that ardent patriot, for 
 
116 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 he is now far beyond the reach of papal vengeance. 
 He was Paolo del Grande, who afterwards was colonel 
 of the first Roman legion, and, arms in hand, met 
 death at the head of his regiment, fighting against 
 the Austrians at the battle of Yicenza, June 27, 
 1848. 
 
CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 YOUNG ITALY. 
 
 The room in the catacombs into wMch I was led by 
 the new attendant assigned me by the president of 
 the committee was much hke the one I had left. The 
 name of my instructor was Fabio, a prominent mem- 
 ber of the Roman bar. We sat' at a small table, on 
 which were placed a lamp, and some newspapers, both 
 Italian and French. In a corner of the room was a 
 hand-press, and next to it cases of types, with all the 
 conveniences necessary for printing a small sheet of 
 paper. It was evidently one of the sources of those 
 secret newspapers which are sometimes widely spread 
 in spite of the most vigilant police. I looked with 
 curiosity and interest at these objects, as well as at 
 the place in which they were found. 
 
 " We have many of these ' furnished apartments, ^ '^ 
 observed Fabio ; " we have inherited them from the 
 Carbonari, who perhaps succeeded to some other soci- 
 ety, for these places have been often used for conspir- 
 acies, and are indeed well fitted for such a purpose. 
 In fact, the catacombs are very numerous and exten- 
 sive, and their labyrinths are traditionally known only 
 to a few. The pretended shepherd, for instance, who 
 introduced you here, was an ancient Carbonaro, who 
 escaped from prison, and has lived eighteen years in 
 
 (117) 
 
118 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 the catacombs. The agents of the papal poKce will 
 never venture a search in such places ; and, even if 
 they should, and find out one of our retreats, we have 
 many others, and everywhere there are well-arranged 
 means for escape." 
 
 " What is the name of the society to which I have 
 been admitted ? " inquired I of Fabio, who answered 
 shortly, " La Giovine Italia " (Young Italy). 
 
 At this I started a little ; when Fabio, guessing the 
 reason, smiled, and said, " Were you acquainted with 
 that name ? " 
 
 " Of course I was," said I ; " for the official news- 
 papers of the government, the only ones we are per- 
 mitted to read, are too often filled with the most 
 virulent denunciations against that society; quoting 
 freely from the London Times, the Gazette of Augs- 
 burgh, L'Univers of Paris, and other newspapers, 
 which relate Hhe impious deeds and doctrines of 
 "Young Italy."' Besides, I have occasionally read 
 some of the writings of father Bresciani the Jesuit, 
 minutely describing the awful ceremonies of the ini- 
 tiation to ^ Young Italy,' which he says requires an 
 absolute denial of Christ and a self-dedication to Satan 
 by means of impious and bloody mysteries." 
 
 " And did you believe it ? " 
 
 " Not in the least, indeed, and never will I believe 
 anything from such impure sources ; but what made 
 me start was the striking contrast between what I 
 have read and what I have seen of this society. But, 
 tell me, why do they wilfuUy utter and publish those 
 impudent falsehoods ? " 
 
 " You must know," answered Fabio, " that they are 
 men without honor or conscience. For them to lie 
 is the same as for us to speak truth, because they are 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 119 
 
 in the habit of it. Besides, they have an end which 
 some of them consider to be right, and do not care for 
 the wickedness of the means. ^ Calumniez, calumniez 
 toujours, et quelque chose j restera toujonrs/ is a cap- 
 ital rule with the Jesuits ; and, if some of the news- 
 papers to which you allude appear to be in opposition 
 to the Jesuits, it is only a jealousy of trade." 
 
 " Well," observed I, " but so many calumnies, often 
 repeated and widely spread in every direction, will at 
 length probably ruin our cause, by throwing it into 
 discredit and contempt." 
 
 " Be not afraid of it, my friend," answered Fabio. 
 " Our aim is just and right as well as our means ; and, 
 although we cannot come forth and defend ourselves, 
 such is the nature of justice and truth that they will 
 eventually be acknowledged. 
 
 " Our association," added Fabio, " has for its object 
 to obtain freedom and independence for Italy. To 
 achieve it, we must have a great revolution, for which 
 we are preparing. In order to carry on such a rev- 
 olution, we shall have to fight the barbarous soldiers 
 of Austria, and those of other European powers sup- 
 porting papacy. But our revolution does not consist 
 in merely overcoming material obstacles. To break 
 your chains is not to secure your freedom, when you 
 are still in a narrow prison, or surrounded by watch- 
 men. So that, in order to destroy religious and polit- 
 ical despotism, we must work steadily for the progress 
 and improvement of moral, religious, and political 
 ideas ; for these are the means of securing religious 
 and political freedom." 
 
 " Will it be possible," inquired I, " during the dread- 
 ful oppression now prevailing ? " 
 
 " It is at least," answered Fabio, " the main object 
 
120 THE EOMAN EXILE. 
 
 of our association; and, so far, our success has ex- 
 ceeded our hopes. In fact, the ancient prejudices 
 have been almost entirely destroyed ; papacy owes its 
 precarious existence to foreign armies ; our customs 
 and morals have been greatly improved, and an ear- 
 nest love of freedom and independence has been dif- 
 fused throughout all classes. Yery soon this love 
 will be transformed into a strong willj able to conquer 
 all obstacles. 
 
 " To be just, however," added Fabio, " we must 
 acknowledge that this work had been commenced and 
 greatly advanced before us by the society of the Car- 
 bonari. In opposition to the French Free Masons, 
 they rested their foundation upon Christianity, pro- 
 claiming Christ to be their Master, and were so zeal- 
 ous for good morals as to punish their worst violations 
 with death. But there was too much of mysticism in 
 their doctrines, which, besides, were confined to a few 
 privileged individuals, who, for the greater part, were 
 men of talent, virtue, and renown, but wanted all the 
 qualities which were necessary to carry on a great 
 revolution. Their energy was therefore consumed in 
 a long preparation, and then they appeared to be 
 frightened even by the great elements which they had 
 to make use of. We have done away with every kind 
 of mysticism and mysteries, and have popularized the 
 revolution." 
 
 " What are the principal tenets of the association ? " 
 inquired I. 
 
 Fabio, showing me a number of an Italian Review, 
 answered, " This is a monthly publication issued abroad 
 by our society under its own title of ^ Young Italy.' 
 You will find on the first page a short exposition of 
 what you want." 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 121 
 
 I took the Review, and was in the act of putting it 
 into my pocket, when Fabio grasped my arm, say- 
 ing, "Do not take it with you. Last week, one of 
 our associates was condemned to the galleys for ten 
 years because a number of our Review was found in 
 his possession. We have the means of circulating it 
 safely even in Rome, and you shall have the Review 
 in your turn, but at a proper time. Now it is enough 
 to look over with me this first page." 
 
 " God and the People," read Fabio ; and then said, 
 " Keep steadily in view this sublime motto. It is the 
 programme of our movement, nay, of the general 
 transformation which is to happen throughout all Eu- 
 rope : it is the practical application of the law which 
 commands the love of God and of our neighbor. In 
 fact, the kingdom of God, for which we daily pray, is 
 at hand ; when none will exalt themselves over others, 
 saying, ^ We are your masters,' or JWe are mediators 
 between you and God. • "   
 
 Here Fabio paused a moment, as if to give me time 
 to collect my thoughts ; and then read the following 
 sentences, which, having the book now before me, I 
 can faithfully present : 
 
 " ' God and the People. — God is standing at the 
 sublime head of the social edifice : the People, that is, 
 the whole of our brethren, are at its base. God is 
 the Father and Teacher ; the People are the progres- 
 sive interpreters of his law. 
 
 " ' We ought to know the truth ; and, for this pur- 
 pose, God has given us the Tradition (the Bible), the 
 past life of humanity, and the warnings of our con- 
 science. 
 
 " ' We are not on the earth to work out here our 
 happiness : we can only obtain it elsewhere, and God 
 11 
 
122 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 prepares it for us. Nor have we the right to exercise 
 our faculties and freedom according to our fancy: 
 they are but means which we must use to discover, as 
 far as we are able, the divine law, to practise it accord- 
 ing to our individual powers, and to diffuse the knowl- 
 edge of it among our brethren. 
 
 " ' We are on the earth to work as brethren for the 
 foundation of the unity of the human family, which 
 one day will present only " one fold and one shep- 
 herd.'^ 
 
 " ' We must love. Love is the wing of the soul to 
 God. But our love must be that which Dante has 
 taught us, — a love which draws us ever heavenward 
 instead of lowering us to the ground ; seeking for a 
 peace which is not to be found on earth. Loving, 
 we must purify, fortify, and improve ourselves, and do 
 nothing for which a fellow-soul should blush for us, 
 here or elsewhere. 
 
 "'Love your native country: it is the earth whei^ 
 your fathers sleep, — the house which God has given 
 you. Devote to it your thoughts, your counsel, and 
 your blood. 
 
 " ' Rome is the temple of our nation, and there we 
 must make the covenant of our unity. There are the 
 heathen world and the world of the popes ; and both 
 are dead. A third and a greater world is to be erected 
 there, — the world of the people. Pagan Rome gave 
 way to papal Rome ; and now, pure from the contam- 
 ination of both, the Rome of the people is raising 
 itself. 
 
 " ' Love humankind. Let us remember that beyond 
 the Alps and the sea there are nations of brethren, all 
 proceeding with us from the same Father, and all 
 having the same high destiny with us. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 123 
 
 " ' Have the greatest respect for your conscience. 
 Have constantly upon your lips the truth which God 
 has placed at the bottom of your hearts. 
 
 " ' Be tolerant with dissenters ; but keep your ban- 
 ner steadily erected, and boldly profess your creed.' " 
 
 At this, my friend Mattia came in, and said that the 
 young man presented after me had been dismissed by 
 the committee, who wished to see me again. The 
 secretary of the committee presented me with a book, 
 in which I wrote my assumed name, and then the pres- 
 ident said : 
 
 "Do not keep for yourself alone the advantage of 
 being put in a good way: try to illuminate your 
 brethren who are in darkness, and heal those whose 
 hearts are withered by selfishness. You will receive 
 orders and communications through your friend Mattia. 
 We have no general meetings or general signs by 
 which to recognize each other. We adopt some means 
 of safe communication and recognizance among our- 
 selves on particular occasions, and change them often. 
 You shall know of them when you receive some com- 
 mission." 
 
 After this and some other warnings, the president 
 dismissed Mattia and me, with the usual formula, 
 " God be with you, and bless Italy ! " Then we went 
 again to the place where I had seen the luminaria, 
 and I saw there a rope hanging from the ground above. 
 Mattia shook it three times, and, the sign having been 
 answered by three peculiar whistles, he ascended by 
 the rope, and I went after him very easily, owing to 
 the narrowness of the air-hole. The old shepherd was 
 there in attendance. He cordially shook hands with 
 me, warning me by a quotation from Dante : 
 
124 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 " Che seggendo in piuma 
 In fama non si vien ne sotto coltre ; 
 Senza la qual chi sua vita consuma 
 Cotal vestigio in terra di se lascia 
 Qual fumo in aria od in acqua la spuma." 
 
 *' For not on downy plumes, nor under shade 
 Of canopy reposing, fame is won ; 
 Without which, whosoe'er consumes his day 
 Leaveth such vestige of himself on earth 
 As smoke in air, or foam upon the wave." 
 
 Then the old shepherd desired us to dine at his poor 
 barn. He had plenty of fresh milk and butter. We 
 had bread, a bottle of wine, and, for a salad, a little 
 bottle with olive oil, vinegar, and salt. I kindled a 
 fire near a small stream and roasted some birds we 
 had shot; while Mattia collected chicory from the 
 field for the salad. We dined with good spirits and 
 appetites. Our host was a model of good humor and 
 wit. Instead of seeking for refuge in foreign lands, 
 he had lived many years in the deserted campagna, 
 sheltering himself in the catacombs. Now he was so 
 well transformed into a shepherd that no one would 
 suspect him to have been formerly a fashionable 
 young man, and the intimate friend of Leonida Mon- 
 tanari, who was condemned during the year 1823. I 
 cannot think of that old shepherd without feeling a 
 deep emotion; for, when I took leave of him, he 
 strongly grasped my hand, and, fixing on me his flash- 
 ing black eyes, said, " I will see you again : we shall 
 soon fight together in Rome.'' Years elapsed, and I 
 had almost forgotten these words. One day, during 
 the siege of Rome in the year 1849, while, with the 
 company I commanded, I was engaged in an unequal 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 125 
 
 skirmish, a band of the common people came out from 
 St. Pancrazio's gate to rescue us. Their leader was 
 struck by a French bullet, and we picked him up dead. 
 He was the old shepherd ! 
 11-^ 
 
 / 
 
CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 THE PROPHET OF THE IDEA. 
 
 " Who was the founder of ^ Young Italy ? ' " This 
 question came to my mind only when I had no one to 
 answer it, namely, during the restless night which fol- 
 lowed the impressive day of my admission to that 
 society. Its wise principles, and the style in which 
 they were announced, revealed to me a mind of lofty 
 character and of deep convictions. I therefore felt 
 anxious to know something of the personal qualities 
 and conduct of a man who had already commanded my 
 admiration and affection. The first thing I did next 
 morning was to call on Mattia and put to him this 
 question. 
 
 "It was Joseph Mazzini," answered Mattia, " a young 
 man of genius and virtue. He was a native of Genoa, 
 and had early before his eyes the spectacle of that 
 ancient and glorious republic destroyed, and then 
 given as a worthless part of the spoils to the King of 
 Piedmont, the worst of the petty tyrants who were 
 restored by the Congress of Vienna. Joseph Mazzini 
 was the only child of respectable parents; and his 
 mother, a woman of uncommon talent and learning, 
 devoted all her cares to his education. She had deep 
 religious feelings, and loved freedom with enthusiasm ; 
 her character was strong and lofty, and her manners 
 
 (126) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 127 
 
 modest and sweet. Mazzini's earliest training was in 
 such a school. 
 
 " Mazzini, in the prime of his youth, was well de- 
 scribed by one of his school-fellows in these words : 
 * Mazzini had a finely-shaped head, the forehead spa- 
 cious and prominent, and eyes black as jet, at times 
 darting lightning. His complexion was a pale olive ; 
 and his features, remarkably striking altogether, were 
 set, so to speak, in a profusion of flowing black hair, 
 which he wore rather long. The expression of his 
 countenance, grave and almost severe, was softened 
 by a smile of great sweetness, mingled with a certain 
 shrewdness, betraying a rich comic vein. He spoke 
 well and fluently ; and, when he warmed upon a sub- 
 ject, there was a fascinating power in his eyes, his 
 gestures, his voice, his whole bearing, that was quite 
 irresistible. His life was one of retirement and study. 
 The amusements common with young men of his age 
 had no attraction for him. His library, his cigar, his 
 006*00, some occasional walks, rarely in the daytime, 
 and always in solitary places, more frequently in the 
 evening and by moonlight, — such were his pleasures. 
 His morals were irreproachable ; his conversation was 
 always chaste. If any of the young companions ho 
 gathered round him occasionally indulged in some 
 wanton jest or expression of double meaning, Mazzini, 
 God bless him ! would put an immediate stop to it by 
 some one word, which never failed of its effect. Such 
 was the influence that the purity of his life and his 
 incontestable superiority gave to him. 
 
 " • He was well versed in history, and in the liter- 
 ature not only of his own but of foreign countries. 
 Shakspeare, Byron, Goethe, Schiller, were as familiar 
 to him as Dante and Alfieri. Spare and thin in body, 
 
128 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 he had an iuclefatigably active mind. He wrote much 
 and well; both in prose and verse ; and there was 
 hardly a subject he had not attempted, — historical 
 essays, literary criticisms, tragedies, &c. A passionate 
 lover of liberty under every shape, there breathed in 
 his fiery soul an indomitable spirit of revolt against 
 tyranny and oppression of every sort. Kind and gen- 
 erous, he never refused advice or service ; and his 
 amply-furnished library, as well as his well-filled purse, 
 were always at the command of his friends.' 
 
 " Mazzini has since," added Mattia, " gone far be- 
 yond the brilliant hopes of his early friends. He con- 
 ceived the plan of ' Young Italy ' in the prime of his 
 youth, and carried it out when he was scarcely twe-nty- 
 two years old, and an exile from Italy. ' Young Italy' 
 was an entirely new creation of the powerful genius 
 of Mazzini, who proved to be the prophet of a new 
 era for Europe, of which he laid the foundations. It 
 has been said that Mazzini is an idealist, and that his 
 sentiments are obscure and unfit for a practical object ; 
 but he addressed himself to the people, and especially 
 to the young, who fully understood him, and received 
 his doctrines with enthusiasm. ^ Young Italy ' made 
 the tour of Italy with the rapidity of lightning, and its 
 doctrines were immediately embraced by all the best 
 Italian youth. Nay, the influence of those doctrines 
 was felt even beyond the Alps, and Mazzini was called 
 to lay the foundation of ^ Young Switzerland,' ^ Young 
 France,' and ^ Young Europe,' all with the same views. 
 
 " This rapid and wonderful success arose, of course, 
 merely from the justice of Mazzini's principles ; for he 
 was a young man, alone, exiled, and rich only in talent 
 and virtue, besides having to struggle against numer- 
 ous difficulties and persecutions. In fact, he had early 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 129 
 
 entered the secret society of the Carbonari, with 
 which he was soon disgusted, and they were the first 
 to oppose him. The King of France, placed upon the 
 throne by a revolution, became alarmed at the pro- 
 gress of ' Young Italy,' and bitterly persecuted its 
 founder, who succeeded in finding a shelter in Swit- 
 zerland. But, alas ! the Swiss republicans, basely 
 obeying the commands of Austria, expelled Mazzini 
 from their territory. Even the boundless hospitality 
 of England was abused against him, and two min- 
 isters, Aberdeen and Graham, attempting to ruin him 
 and his cause, brought a shameful stain upon their 
 names by base intrigues. 
 
 " Besides, Mazzini has been the object of constant 
 and numberless calumnies by the venal press of all 
 Europe, charging him with atrocious crimes, and 
 attributing to him impious doctrines. Many of his 
 dearest friends deserted his cause, and his attempts in 
 Italy were all unsuccessful. But nothing could pros- 
 trate Mazzini, and the confidence of the people in 
 him was not in the least shaken or diminished. 
 Amidst the storms of his eventful life Mazzini has 
 been constantly firm, calm, and confident, though 
 deeply afiected. His whole appearance shows a life 
 of trial and suffering ; but his manners and address 
 are still simple and unassuming, and his conversation 
 charming. 
 
 " Faith," added Mattia, " is the secret of Mazzini's 
 strength and success. He believes and trusts in the 
 justice of God, and foresees its triumph among the 
 people. He believes, also, and relies on, the virtue of 
 men ; thinking that, although there is much corruption 
 in the present state of society, the great mass of the 
 people preserve the sentiment of justice, and the feel- 
 
130 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 ings of generosity. To those persons his appeals are 
 directed, especially to those of young hearts. He 
 relies upon the masses, instead of expecting the na- 
 tional regeneration from a corrupt aristocracy, from 
 men of genius, or from a king. Everything is to be 
 achieved by the people and for the people. The 
 youth of the land, endowed v^ith unshaken faith, vir- 
 gin love, and ardent enthusiasm, must achieve the 
 work, impeded by the temporizing policy of timid 
 men, disheartened by want of faith, and corrupted by 
 selfishness. 
 
 " Mazzini found the Italians bitterly disappointed 
 by the fallacious promises and vain boasting of the 
 French revolutionists, and perceived that the leaders 
 of the national movement had lost the confidence of 
 the people. He warned the Italians not to depend 
 upon foreign help, to do away with the prestige of 
 great men, and trust only in God and themselves; 
 because their cause was just, and they were twenty- 
 four millions of people. Besides, said he, all the 
 people of Europe are ready for the movement, and 
 the initiative taken by the Italians will be followed by 
 many. Nay, Mazzini thinks that the initiative belongs 
 to the Italians, and that they must not give up its 
 advantages.'' 
 
 Mattia spoke with enthusiasm, for he knew Mazzini 
 personally, and had made a journey to London solely 
 to see him. I listened to Mattia with great pleasure. 
 The wise principles of " Young Italy " had already 
 made on my heart a deep impression, as they were in 
 accordance with my personal feelings. Now to know 
 that the founder of that society was a great mar, 
 whose sober, chaste, indefatigable, and virtuous life 
 was a practical example of the principles he had pro 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 131 
 
 claimed, gave me the greatest satisfaction. On one 
 point, however, I wished to know the opinion of Mat- 
 tia. ^' They say," observed I, '' that Mazzini is rash in 
 his attempts, and that he has sacrificed the lives of 
 many generous young men." 
 
 " It is very easy," answered Mattia, " to find fault 
 with the leader of an unsuccessful movement, because 
 he cannot come forth to vindicate his plan, and give 
 the reasons of his failure ; besides, it is a common 
 disposition with men to praise success and blame mis- 
 fortune. But I tell you that the accusers of Mazzini 
 are his enemies, or those few selfish Italians who, un- 
 willing to do anything for their country, take every 
 occasion to slander any one who does better than 
 themselves. The sacrifice of a generous young man 
 excites their hypocritical zeal, inasmuch as they do 
 not feel capable of. denying themselves a glass of 
 wine, or of going to the theatre five minutes later, 
 though it would save Italy. But among all those 
 generous youths who have lost their property, their 
 homes, or their lives, not one has directed a reproof 
 to Mazzini, not one has denied the principles of our 
 association." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 GOOD NAMES AND BAD THINGS. 
 
 I HAD spent almost the whole of a rainy day wan- 
 dering through the immense galleries of the Vatican 
 Museum ; and now, the sun having shone out from 
 among the clouds, I felt inclined to take a walk in the 
 open air, and directed my steps towards the nearest 
 gate, called Porta Cavalleggeri. I had gone but a 
 short way, leaving on my left the Piazza di S. Pietro, 
 when I found myself in a narrow and dirty street, 
 called "Via del S. Uffizio," the Street of the Holy Office, 
 and, soon after, a large marble palace was before me, 
 with its Latin inscription, " Palatium Sanctae Pomanse 
 Inquisitionis," the Palace of the Holy Roman Inquisi- 
 tion. As I could not avoid feeling a shudder of hor- 
 ror while passing through those infamous places, I 
 was, for the first time, struck by the epithet of " holy " 
 applied to impious things. 
 
 " Holy office I holy Inquisition ! '^ I muttered be- 
 tween my teeth, proceeding slowly and thoughtfully ; 
 when a gentleman, putting his hand upon my shoulder 
 in a friendly manner, inquired of what I was thinking. 
 It was Fabio, my instructor in the catacombs : he also 
 was inclined to take a walk, and we went together 
 out of the city. Then I told him my impressions. 
 
 " God only is holy," observed Fabio ; " but the 
 
 (132) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 133 
 
 popes, in their pretended quality of ^ great vicars of 
 God on earth/ have applied to themselves the epithet 
 of * holy/ nay, of ' very holy ' ( santissimo ) ; and their 
 hohness is so abundant that a constant emanation 
 flows from it to sanctify everything belonging to 
 them or proceeding from them. ^ Holy and apostolic' 
 are the three immense palaces which the popes have 
 erected for themselves with unparalleled luxury ; ^ holy 
 and apostolic ' is the chair on which they sit, and the 
 bed in which they sleep ; and ^ holy ' must be all the 
 tribunals, because the pope is the only supreme judge. 
 Therefore we have the ^ Holy Rota,' ' Holy Consulta,' 
 ^Holy Signatura,' ^Holy Inquisition,' &c. But the 
 people accept the word ' holy ' in the same sense that 
 our ancestors called the infernal furies pious." 
 
 ^^ Your explanation is good," said I j " but such 
 profanation is too revolting." 
 
 "You will see something worse by and b}^," an- 
 swered Fabio. " For instance, do you know anything 
 about the secret Society of the Holy Faith?" 
 
 " I have heard," answered I, " of a great many 
 iniquities committed by that society, and have read in 
 the history of Coletta the almost incredible excesses 
 which were perpetrated by its members, when armed 
 and headed by Cardinal Rufo ; but I have not a clear 
 idea of its organization." 
 
 " You ought to be acquainted with it," replied Fabio, 
 " because our society is constantly in trouble on ac- 
 count of that sect. We know the Society of the Holy 
 Faith more from its exploits than otherwise ; but the 
 judicial trials made by order of Napoleon against some 
 of its members, who are called San/edisti, revealed 
 something of its origin and organization. When the 
 Jesuits were persecuted as a public nuisance by aU 
 12 
 
134 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 the .Catholic courts of Europe, and then suppressed 
 by a bull of Pope Clement XIV., during the year 1773, 
 they formed themselves into a secret society called 
 ' The Society of the Holy Faith.' 
 
 " Some bishops and other ecclesiastical dignitaries 
 of great influence were then and afterwards admitted 
 into the society. Its members styled themselves Pa- 
 dri Sanfedisti, and preserved the views of their order, 
 adopting, however, new and more perfidious means. 
 Soon after, they founded a kind of brotherhood called 
 Fratdli Sanfedisti^ all laymen, generally belonging to 
 the lower classes. They know nothing of the secret 
 aim and organization of the society ; they are bound 
 only to obey the orders which they receive, without 
 inquiring into them, because even bad means are sanc- 
 tified by the good end which the leaders have in view. 
 
 " These blind executioners of the will of their lead- 
 ers are generally men who have committed horrible 
 sins and crimes, and have been allured into the society 
 as the means of making atonement, and of securing 
 their eternal salvation, as weU as their present immu- 
 nity. They will, therefore, occasionally indulge in 
 new crimes without any restraint. The horrible oaths 
 which they take are well known, having been often 
 published since they were discovered.'^ 
 
 " It is dreadful to think," said I, ^^ that we have among 
 us such ruffians, strengthened by a secret association 
 and fanaticized by impious leaders. But tell me, do 
 you think there are many of them ? " 
 
 ^< No ; and, besides, they are more remarkable for 
 their impious cruelty than for their courage. Capable 
 of poisoning and assassination, they cannot fight, being 
 cowards, as all wicked men are. Four years ago, for 
 instance, the pope was prevailed upon to organize 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 135 
 
 those brothers Sanfedisti into a military body, in or- 
 der to keep down the liberal party. A certain Berto- 
 lazzi, commissioned by the pope, enrolled sixty thou- 
 sand of them, and gave them arms. He was a well- 
 known and daring leader of highwaymen ; and now, 
 having such a great force, could not help indulging 
 in some exploits so wicked that the pope, sparing 
 his life, ordered him to be shut up in the ' holy office ' 
 for life. But those sixty thousand armed ruffians still 
 remain, and are a great trouble to the honest and 
 totally unarmed population; so that we hear fre- 
 quently of crimes, offences, and revenge. But, were 
 there not foreign soldiers, no one of these rascals 
 would dare to stir ; and you may depend upon it that, 
 in case of a revolution, not one of them would fire 
 a gun for the support of the pope." 
 
 ^' Do you believe that the pope has really organized 
 them in order that they should exercise an intolerable 
 oppression upon the other citizens ? " 
 
 " Perhaps it was not his intention,'^ answered Fabio ; 
 " but, by his giving arms, privileges, and power to such 
 people, abuses must be a matter of course, and redress 
 becomes impossible. In fact, these wicked men are 
 bound among themselves to support each other ; and 
 to bring false testimony, to silence true witnesses, 
 and ruin their opponents, is for them an easy matter. 
 Besides, the officers of the police and the judges often 
 belong either to the Padri Sanfedisti or to the Fro- 
 tdli Sanfedisti. Not long ago, for example, a young 
 man, belonging to a rich and noble family of Cesena, 
 met here in the Corso one of those ruffians called Vir- 
 ginio Alpi, who, without any provocation, and only 
 because the youth looked at him, slapped his face, 
 and knocked him down with a pistol. The injured 
 
136 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 youth applied to the tribunal, and made a complaint ; 
 the offender complained also, and succeeded in obtain- 
 ing his own exculpation and the condemnation of the 
 young man to six months' imprisonment. 
 
 "Hence it is," added Fabio, "that highwaymen and 
 brigands cannot be extirpated in our state, and that 
 they are a dreadful plague, as well as a great shame to 
 our country in the eyes of foreigners. These ruffians 
 belong invariably to the ^ Society of the Holy Faith,^ 
 and have protectors, and often accomplices, among 
 the police, as well as among the prosecuting officers 
 and judges. To detect and imprison them is therefore 
 very difficult, and it is even more difficult to convict 
 them. The government itself is often baffled with 
 impunity by a band of ruffians, and, to get rid of them, 
 sometimes resorts to wicked and dishonorable means." 
 
 " Is it true," inquired I, " that some years ago the 
 papal government signed a capitulation with a band 
 of highwaymen, headed by a famous assassin called 
 Gasperone ? " 
 
 " Too true," answered Fabio ; " and I remember it 
 well, because I lost on that occasion my nephew, a 
 child, and one thousand dollars which I had given to 
 save his life." 
 
 " Tell me the story," said I. 
 
 Fabio, hardly suppressing a deep sigh, began : " I 
 had a brother living in the city of Anagni, under our 
 paternal roof: he had many children, one of whom had 
 put on the ecclesiastical dress in order to enjoy the 
 rents of a family JuspatronatuSj or ecclesiastical ben- 
 efice, and consequently attended the schools at the 
 episcopal seminary of the city. One day, towards 
 dusk, this child was returning from the usual prome- 
 nade, together with eleven alumni of the same insti- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 137 
 
 tution, and their tutor, when, near the walls of the 
 city, they were seized and carried away by a band of 
 highwaymen. 
 
 " Next morning, a notification from Gasperone, the 
 chief of the band, was circulated in Anagni, purport- 
 ing that the boys would be set free, and restored to 
 their parents, provided they should send twelve thou- 
 sand dollars, a thousand for each boy, and a cargo of 
 bread for the tutor (undervalued because he belonged 
 to a poor family), to a place there described. It was 
 not a new example ; nay, many rich and honest cit- 
 izens had been taken prisoners, and then delivered by 
 paying a tax in the same way. A few days before 
 that event, the friars of a convent near Frascati, 
 twelve miles from Rome, had all been carried away, 
 and afterwards redeemed by the government. But to 
 lay hands on the friars and alumni of the episcopal 
 seminary was too bad ; and Cardinal Paliotta, the 
 legate of the pope, was determined to punish it in 
 some manner. 
 
 " My poor brother had no money, and, in a state of 
 deep sorrow, applied to me. I had not at hand such a 
 sum ; but in a short time I succeeded in getting' it, 
 and supplied him. The other parents also raised the 
 sum in the best way they could. Cardinal Pallotta, the 
 special legate of the pope, took it upon himself to 
 send the money, and supplied the requisite cargo of 
 bread. The assassins went cautiously to the ap- 
 pointed place, and took the money and the bread to 
 their dens. 
 
 " Now the unhappy parents looked anxiously for the 
 
 return of their children ; but in vain. The next day, 
 
 some one ventured to the place of deposit, and found 
 
 all the heads of those unhappy creatures cut off from 
 
 12* 
 
138 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 their bodies : it was in revenge for the cardinal's hav- 
 ing poisoned the bread sent to the ruffians." 
 
 '^ Horrible ! horrible ! '' exclaimed I. " And what 
 punishment was inflicted on the cardinal and' the ruf- 
 fians?" 
 
 " The cardinal," answered Fabio, " was praised for 
 his zeal, and intrusted with more ample power to sub- 
 due the brigands. He immediately published a noti- 
 fication, ofiering a thousand dollars reward for the 
 head of Gasperone, the chief of the band, and two 
 hundred dollars for the heads of each of his associ- 
 ates. But Gasperone issued another notification, 
 ofiering ten thousand dollars for a less noble part 
 than the head of the cardinal, who, frightened by it, 
 fled to Rome. 
 
 " In the mean time, the Austrian general, who had 
 quelled the revolution of Naples some years before, 
 crossed the Roman state, when going with a young 
 daughter on a visit to the King of Naples. They fell 
 into the hands of Gasperone, who, besides robbing 
 them of everything, abused their persons in the most 
 shameful manner, and then let them go, hardly cov- 
 ered with rags. 
 
 " The pope was informed of the painful occurrence 
 by the King of Naples himself, and answered that he 
 was very sorry indeed ; observing, however, that the 
 event ought to be regarded as a special visitation of 
 God, since the general and his young daughter were 
 obstinate Protestants. The Prince of Metternich, 
 however, was but little pleased with that 'holy obser- 
 vation ' of the ' very holy father,' and, in the name of 
 his Emperor, sent a threatening note to the papal gov- 
 ernment, saying it was time to put a stop to such 
 iniquities, the cause of which was to be found in the 
 
THE EOMAN EXILE. 139 
 
 anarchy of the papal government, because nothing of 
 that kind happened in other parts of Italy. 
 
 " At this the ' paternal viscera ' of the pope were 
 moved j and, calling a friar who had been a prisoner 
 of Gasperone, he sent him to make a treaty with the 
 brigands. The friar succeeded in sowing discord 
 among them, and then concluded the affair with Gas- 
 perone and some of his most influential friends, who 
 agreed to lay down their arms, and live quietly and 
 honestly in some city, in consideration of a fair income 
 to be paid to them monthly, and of a general absolu- 
 tion from their past crimes and sins, with the assur- 
 ance of eternal life. 
 
 ^' The matter being thus arranged, Gasperone and 
 other signers of the treaty surprised their compan- 
 ions, and, having killed them, took off their heads. I 
 happened to be present when these ruffians, headed 
 by the friar, presented themselves to the prelate gov- 
 ernor of Anagni, showing the bloody heads of their 
 former friends, and asking the promised price of two 
 hundred dollars each, which the prelate paid. I can- 
 not help feeling a shudder of horror every time I think 
 of that horrible scene. '^ 
 
 " What has become of those infamous miscreants ? " 
 
 " Some died a natural death soon after, and some 
 were imprisoned or executed for new crimes. Only 
 Gasperone is still living and free in Civita Vecchia : he 
 behaves himself well, and often sits as a model assas- 
 sin for the artists." 
 
 " Where was the monster born ? " inquired I. 
 
 " Gasperone,'^ answered Fabio, " was born in the 
 poor village of Sonino, formerly on the road to Naples, 
 and now entirely destroyed by order of the pope for 
 being a nest of assassins. Gasperone had but one 
 
140 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 sister, who married Joseph Antonelli, of the same vil- 
 lage. Her oldest son, James Antonelli, has been lately 
 made a prelate, and appointed governor of Viterbo.'' 
 
 ^^Was the father of Monsignor Antonelli also an 
 assassin? '^ 
 
 " No ; but he was in business with them, trading in 
 the result of their depredations, and sheltering them 
 occasionally. On that account, he was sent to the 
 galleys for life, during the government of Napoleon, 
 in the year 1813 ; but, as soon as the papal restoration 
 took place, two years after, it was represented to the 
 pope that Antonelli had been condemned only because 
 he was a prominent member pf the Society of Holy 
 Faith, and an officer of the bands of Sanfedisti, com- 
 manded by Cardinal Rufo ; so that the pope set him 
 free, and then amply rewarded him." 
 
 " Holy faith ! holy inquisition ! holy office I holy 
 chair ! very holy pope," muttered I j " good names 
 and bad things." 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE. 
 
 Among the members of the "Young Italy'' with 
 whom I had been put in communication was a young 
 painter from Venice; called Marco. Owing to his 
 good qualities, he was quite a favorite with all his 
 numerous friends ; he had great talent and learning, 
 was very pleasant in his manners and conversation, 
 and unbounded in his generosity. He was also the 
 treasurer of our association, for we had funds result- 
 ing from the small sum of ten cents which we paid 
 monthly, and from some other contributions. 
 
 One evening Marco suddenly disappeared, and 
 nothing was heard of him. On that evening he had 
 supped in good spirits with two friends at Lepre ; he 
 then went to the theatre Argentina ; and, when the 
 » play was over, was seen to take the way to the Cap- 
 itol and Coliseum ; but, after that, he could not be 
 traced. Some of our friends went to his apartment 
 and to his studio, and both were in their ordinary con- 
 dition. A secret place, known to them, was opened ; 
 and there was the sum belonging to the society, intact. 
 We were quite alarmed at this, fearing that he had 
 been arrested in consequence of some discovery of 
 our association j but many cautious researches proved 
 to us that he was not in the common prisons. 
 
 (141) 
 
142 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 In the mean time, the news reached Rome that 
 Yiterbo, a city fifty miles west of Rome, had made a 
 revolutionary movement against the pope, in conse- 
 quence of which the papal delegate or governor, Mon- 
 signor Antonelli, had fled to Rome, together with his 
 executioners. We knew that such a partial move- 
 ment had been neither ordered nor encouraged by 
 "Young Italy;" but, having no better explanation 
 than this, we supposed that Marco had been allured to 
 Yiterbo, and killed in the repression of the movement, 
 which took place soon after. . True, Marco's name had 
 not been spoken of in any list of proscription or con- 
 demnation ; but secret executions in the prisons, and 
 death from tortures, were events too common at that 
 time. 
 
 To the general mourning for the dreadful ven- 
 geance which followed the movement at Yiterbo, 
 we added special grief for our friend Marco, whom 
 we thought a victim of it. The movement of Yiterbo 
 was styled "a mad attempt," and was bitterly de- 
 nounced by the English press, — which, by the bye, had 
 not a word to register the causes of that desperate 
 effort, or the horrible cruelties in which Monsignor 
 Antonelli indulged when he was sent back with an 
 army to quell it. 
 
 What is the use of such movements, which cannot 
 succeed at any rate, because all Europe is united in a 
 conspiracy to maintain by force the tyranny of the 
 papal government? The effect will of course be to 
 embitter the condition of the oppressed. But the 
 movement of Yiterbo, and many others of the same 
 kind which very often occurred after the papal resto- 
 ration in 1815, were not the effect of a preconcerted 
 design. The people, dreadfully oppressed and shame- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 143 
 
 fully wronged by a perverse caste, are sometimes 
 driven to utter a desperate cry. 
 
 This cry only excites new persecutions, and new 
 blood will be shed. This is, alas I too true ; but there 
 is no chain which will resist long when continually 
 wet with blood. Besides, this innocent blood will fall 
 on the heads of the European diplomatists, and their 
 iniquity will smell to Heaven. 
 
 Terror reigned now in Rome as well as in Viterbo ; 
 to show the slightest grief for the victims was a 
 crime; spies and soldiers watched your steps, your 
 words, and even your looks. This was the occasion 
 of the good fortune of the prelate AntoneUi: he 
 showed himself an able instrument of ferocious ven- 
 geance, and was used freely afterwards. The mayor 
 of the city of Viterbo was a friend of AntoneUi ; but 
 his son, a youth of seventeen years, had followed the 
 movement : no spy, however, had noticed him. The 
 father, anxious on his account, went to implore the 
 clemency of Monsignor AntoneUi ; but the youth was 
 immediately seized and condemned. 
 
 AntoneUi, moreover, assisted on that occasion by 
 an able spy called Freddi, invented and used a plan 
 which has been often tried since then with success, in 
 order to discover the enemies of the government. He 
 pretended the existence of a political plot, and by his 
 agents aUured incautious people to join it ; so they 
 were deceived, imprisoned, and condemned. 
 
 Our meetings, even of no poUtical character, were 
 now less frequent and more cautious than before. 
 " Poor Marco ! '' we whispered very often, and enter- 
 tained no hope of seeing him again. Fifteen days 
 after his mysterious disappearance, a little before mid- 
 night, I was with Mattia, Fabio, and two other friends, 
 
^. 
 
 144 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 in the garden of the Cafee Ruspoli, a magnificent and 
 much frequented cofiee-house in the Corso. Some of 
 the oil-lamps were extinguished, and the efiect of the 
 others was diminished by the exuberant vegetation 
 of the orange-trees and roses ; so that our group in a 
 corner was but little in sight of the passers-by. We 
 were talking about the account given by Benvenuto 
 Cellini of his nocturnal visit to the Coliseum, together 
 with a magician, who called up many thousand spirits 
 there. Mattia charged the writer with being an im- 
 postor ; Fabio tried to explain how Cellini, having the 
 ideas of his time, had probably been imposed upon by 
 me^ns of some chemical preparation, producing quite 
 a delusion. 
 
 Suddenly I started, and uttered an exclamation of 
 wonder. My friends all turned to me, inquiring what 
 was the matter. " I have seen," said I, " our friend 
 Marco : he passed away like a shadow." At this they 
 began to laugh and sneer at me, saying that I believed 
 in the appearance of spirits. It was not the case ; 
 but the alteration of my countenance at that unex- 
 pected sight gave a force to their charge which I was 
 not able to repel, for I was much surprised. But a 
 few minutes had elapsed when we all saw the noble 
 figure of a tall young man, a few steps from us, evi- 
 dently looking for some one. 
 
 " Here is Marco 1 " I cried out, starting to embrace 
 the new comer, and so did my friends, for really it was 
 Marco, in flesh and spirit ; but " 0, quantum mutatus 
 ab illo I " Serious, pale, with a frightened look, un- 
 combed hair, and dirty dress, Marco had evidently 
 been the victim of some disaster. We were about to 
 overwhelm him with congratulations and questions ; 
 but he quelled our enthusiasm by a significant gesture, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 145 
 
 and, turning coolly to Mattia, inquired if he (Mattia) 
 " had taken away the key of his apartment, to secure it 
 during his absence. 
 
 " Here is the key," answered Mattia j '^ but tell us 
 what has happened to thee." 
 
 " I cannot ! I cannot ! " replied Marco, and, wishing 
 us good night, went away, leaving us more astonished 
 and disappointed than ever. For some days Marco 
 brusquely declined to satisfy our intense curiosity. 
 At length, having recovered his health and his good 
 humor, he consented to tell the whole story, provided 
 we would keep it secret. 
 
 ^^ Some months ago," said Marco, " a patron of mine 
 gave me a commission to make a picture for his gal- 
 lery, on the well-known subject of Cleopatra kiUing 
 herself with asps. In order not to copy from our 
 great masters, and still make something tasteful, I 
 wanted, above all, a beautiful living model. I found, 
 not without difficulty, a girl possessing the features I 
 desired; but she was not accustomed to sit as a model 
 and often made me very impatient. At length I had 
 made the head and a part of the neck ; and now she 
 must keep steadily unchanged, — a rather difficult posi- 
 tion, — with an asp in her hand. One morning, when 
 she was unusually heedless, and I felt in a bad humor, 
 in a fit of rage I effaced the work, casting aside the 
 canvas. 
 
 " After some days, looking by chance at the canvas, 
 I observed that the head had not been injured, and 
 was a beautiful one ; and then I thought how I might 
 derive from it some profit. I hastily painted a blue 
 veil around the face, and covered the breast, on which 
 I painted a pair of crossed hands. Now the picture, 
 with its despairing air, was in the costume of a Ma- 
 13 
 
146 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 donna; and I gave it for sale to Mr. Yallati, who 
 keeps an extensive assortment of cheap damaged 
 saints, Madonnas, and Christs. 
 
 " Some weeks ago I again determined to make the 
 Cleopatra, and sent for the model, who, as usual, came 
 with her mother. She warned me to treat her daugh- 
 ter kindly, and not scold her roughly, if I wished to 
 have her more attentive in keeping her position. I 
 agreed, and the girl behaved in a satisfactory manner 
 till the work was finished. Then, as a reward, I was 
 prevailed upon to take both the girl and her mother 
 on an excursion to Monte Rotondo, on the 8th of 
 September, the holy day of the ' Conception of the 
 Holy Virgin ' (then not yet immaculate). The feast 
 was to be celebrated with extraordinary pomp; for 
 Cardinal Lambruschini, the lord of the village, was 
 himself to perform the pontifical service, and then a 
 horse-race, with large premium, and the drawings of a 
 tombola, or lottery of five hundred dollars, were to 
 take place, besides a display of fireworks in the 
 evening. 
 
 " Passing before the church of the village, we were 
 allured into it by the good music ; but the first object 
 which met our eyes was my former Cleopatra trans- 
 formed into a Madonna. It was placed high upon the 
 principal altar, among a hundred burning wax candles, 
 and the cardinal, on his knees before it, was ofiering 
 incense with a silver censer. The girl and I looked 
 at each other, and could not help laughing, which was 
 so perceptible as to scandalize the honest worshippers. 
 Many severe glances were fixed upon us, and I was 
 sorry and ashamed, but was unable to refrain from 
 laughing, any more than the girl. I therefore thought 
 it best to take her away, for the present. We enjoyed 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 147 
 
 the amnsements of the day, and returned to Rome at 
 a late hour, having attended the fireworks, exhibited 
 in honor of my disguised Cleopatra. 
 
 " Next evening, a little after midnight, while I was 
 walking in the neighborhood of the Coliseum, three 
 men, well armed with daggers and pistols, made a 
 rush upon me from their hiding-place. I offered them 
 my purse and watch for my life ; but they informed 
 me that they were not highwaymen, and desired to 
 take me prisoner to the 'Holy Inquisition,' whose 
 ' familii ' they were, — a very bad ' family,' by the bye. 
 At a sign from them a carriage advanced, and I was 
 pushed into it and carefully bound. They gagged my 
 mouth and blindfolded my eyes; then they brought 
 me to a small dark room, in the palace of the ' Holy 
 Inquisition,' I suppose, and, shutting the door, they 
 left me there. 
 
 " After an interval which appeared tedious, some- 
 body came into the room, and led me up stairs, 
 through a narrow staircase, to a magnificent apart- 
 ment, from which we passed into the room of tho 
 ' Grand Inquisitor,' which was hung with black. I 
 need not relate the forms of that dreadful tribunal, 
 which you already know. After many interrogato- 
 ries, which were carefully registered, as well as my 
 answers, the inquisitor said: 'You are accused of 
 having shown a sacrilegious contempt towards an im- 
 age of the Holy Virgin in a sacred church, during the 
 religious service, and in the presence of a cardinal 
 of the holy mother Church. Do you confess your 
 crime ? ' 
 
 "At this I plainly related all the history of my 
 poor Cleopatra, begging leave to present the testi- 
 mony of Mr. Vallati and of the girl, and alleging that 
 
148 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 my laughter had been involuntary. At this, one of 
 the judges spoke, according to their rules, in my 
 defence. He said that my confession appeared to be 
 sincere, and perfectly consistent with the deposition 
 of Mr. Vallati and of the girl, taken beforehand. He 
 concluded that there was more levity than wickedness 
 in my case, and suggested a fifteen days' hard impris 
 onment, with bread and water, as a sufificient punish- 
 ment. 
 
 " The inquisitor observed that, the offence having 
 been public, and full of scandal, it would be more 
 appropriate to expose me, well bound, with a gag on 
 my tongue, at the door of the church, for three Sun- 
 days, during divine service. But the opinion of my 
 defender prevailed, and I was taken immediately to a 
 dark and damp subterranean dungeon. For fifteen 
 days I heard no human voice — saw no human face — 
 and no ray of light whatever came to my dungeon. 
 It was very narrow, and contained no furniture at all. 
 Once a day, through a turning wooden box, I received 
 a small piece of very bad bread and a pint of water. 
 
 " The dungeon was not large enough to permit me 
 to lie down and sleep, and its unpaved floor was 
 exceedingly muddy. Here and there, however, I felt 
 under my feet some hard objects, which, after exam- 
 ining them with my hands in the darkness, I found to 
 be bones and skulls, belonging probably to prisoners 
 who had died there. 
 
 " After the fifteen days had elapsed, at the same 
 hour in which I was imprisoned, they brought me to 
 the same place in which I had been taken, and set me 
 free ; warning me to be prudent and silent, if I did 
 not wish to go back.'*' 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE UNIVEESITY OF BOLOGNA. 
 
 Having determined to go through a regular course 
 of jurisprudence, I went to the university of Bologna, 
 instead of attending the lectures at the Roman univer- 
 sity called Sapienza. My father had several reasons 
 for sending me thither, and the principal was that in 
 Bologna lived his uncle Vincenzo, an old bachelor, who 
 would probably bequeathe to me his respectable for- 
 tune. They were not on good terms; but I had 
 nothing to do with their reciprocal wrongs, and my 
 grand-uncle might regard me as the future represent- 
 ative of the family. In fact, he received me with a 
 hearty welcome, and treated me kindly during all the 
 time I spent in Bologna. 
 
 I arrived in that city at the end of October, 1838 
 (though, as usual, the lectures did not begin till the 
 12th of November), because I wanted to arrange the 
 matter for my regular admission. The university, and 
 all the lectures delivered there, are constantly open 
 and free to every one ; but the academical degrees 
 and the doctorate are conferred only upon those who 
 have been admitted as regular students. Now, my 
 age presented a sericits obstacle to my admission, as I 
 was but little over sixteen, while the pope had wiselt/ 
 13* (149) 
 
150 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 defined that the capacity of understanding the lec- 
 tures at the universities of Rome and Bologna does 
 not arrive till the completion of the eighteenth year. 
 
 Fortunately, however, my grand-uncle enjoyed the 
 privilege of a personal acquaintance with Cardinal 
 Oppizzoni, Archbishop of Bologna, and archchancellor 
 of that university. He could not directly violate the 
 law ; but he exempted me from exhibiting among the 
 other papers the certificate of baptism, which for us is 
 the proof of the age of the individual. In that manner 
 the question was overlooked. 
 
 I asked for admission to the second year of the 
 course of jurisprudence, which is sometimes granted 
 to those who have made uncommon progress in a 
 good school. I was thoroughly examined on the sub- 
 jects which are taught during the first year, and then 
 my wish was complied with. So that I had to attend 
 the university for only three years in order to com- 
 plete my theoretical course, and to earn the doctorate, 
 provided I should prove successful in all the exam- 
 inations. This course, however, was merely a the- 
 oretical one ; practical knowledge being the object 
 of another course, to be attended afterwards as an 
 apprentice in some office of a lawyer or judge. 
 
 AU this being arranged, I was very happy to spend 
 the few days I still had of leisure in visiting and ob- 
 serving, with my grand-uncle, the university and aU 
 its appurtenances. He was an admirer of that insti- 
 tution, and made me acquainted with its history and 
 former importance. 
 
 " Bologna," said he, on one occasion, " has been con- 
 stantly renowned for its learning. Its former name 
 was Felsina; but the Roman ^nquerors changed it 
 into Bononia, and we say Bologna. Its very ancient 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 151 
 
 device, to be seen here in the university and in the 
 church of S. Petronio, was the word ^ Libertas/ written 
 in two different diagonal directions, and the motto, 
 ' Bononia docet,^ as you see here on that proud coat- 
 of-arms. It was not a vain boast, for Italy and Europe 
 have borrowed learning and learned institutions from 
 Bologna." 
 
 ^' Was not the university of Bologna founded by 
 Charlemagne ? " observed I. 
 
 My uncle, shaking his head, answered : " Charle- 
 magne was an ignorant barbarian, and came to Italy 
 for the sake of war, and yielded to the request of 
 the pope, without thinking of civilization. But the 
 sight of Italy, her lofty monuments and ruins, excited 
 his powerful genius; the institutions which he saw 
 won his admiration; and the learned men whom he 
 met there inspired him with esteem and love for learn- 
 ing, — nay, he took some of them with him to teach in 
 France. Peter of Pisa, Paulus Warnefridus, and The- 
 odulphus were of the number. 
 
 " Probably, however, Charlemagne gave some en- 
 couragement to those learned institutions which he 
 afterwards transplanted to France by means of the 
 learned men referred to. For instance, he is said to 
 have introduced into France the free public schools 
 which, no doubt, he found preserved in Bologna and 
 other parts of Italy, since the time of the ancient 
 Romans. There exist many monuments to prove that 
 the university of Bologna was held in great estimation 
 long before the time of Charlemagne, and that the light 
 of science was never entirely extinguished there, even 
 during the darkest epoch of the middle ages.'' 
 
 "But the ancient Romans," observed I, "had no 
 institutions organized like our universities." 
 
152 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 '' True," answered my uncle. " But it was to pro- 
 tect science against the overwhelming barbarism that 
 the learned teachers of Bologna thought of forming 
 themselves into a corporation, with particular forms 
 and organization ; because, at that epoch, only the 
 strength of association was able to save an institution 
 or a trade. But the constitution of the university of 
 Bologna is the best proof of its Roman origin, as well 
 as of the liberal spirit of its democratic founders. 
 
 " Lectures were to be delivered in public, and free 
 of charge, admitting, without any distinction, persons 
 of every class, of both sexes, and of all nations. The 
 lecturers were chosen from among the most learned 
 men, and paid by the municipal authority with partic- 
 ular funds devoted to public instruction, and con- 
 stantly augmented by private donations, so as to 
 constitute a rich endowment. The lecturers were 
 bound to wear the ancient Roman toga and mantle, 
 and a Roman ring on the first finger was the mark 
 of their dignity. They uttered and supported the 
 famous motto, '■ Cedant arma togse.' Such an institu- 
 tion was evidently in opposition to the warlike and 
 feudal spirit of the barbarous conquerors, who appre- 
 ciated only the arms. 
 
 " Besides, Latin was the only language of the uni- 
 versity; and the degrees or titles of doctorate were 
 formerly conferred by clothing the pupil in a Roman 
 toga and mantle, and by putting on the first finger a 
 Roman ring. Those degrees also were first intro- 
 duced by the university of Bologna, as a certificate 
 of a relative advancement in the sciences, in connec- 
 tion with the exercise of a profession or a branch of 
 it. Even now, for instance, the Baccalaureate at law 
 enables a pupil to become a notary. Licentia, or 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 153 
 
 license, is required for an attorney, and only a doctor 
 is able to be a lawyer, a judge, or a professor at law. 
 The parchment diploma given by the university of 
 Bologna had the clause, 'Ad exercendum hie et ubique,* 
 which was respected by eighteen nations. All the 
 universities of Italy and Europe have adopted sub- 
 stantially the constitution of that of Bologna, and even 
 the same Roman forms, as regards dress, the academ- 
 ical titles and degrees, and the manner of conferring 
 them." 
 
 ''Have all these forms and regulations been pre- 
 served?" inquired I. 
 
 My uncle replied : " They were generally, till the 
 present century ; but now several changes have been 
 forcibly introduced. Latin, for instance, was aban- 
 doned three years ago ; a sum of forty dollars must 
 be paid for the doctorate ; lecturers have been placed 
 under the control of the government ; foreign pupils 
 and many Italians are arbitrarily prevented from at- 
 tending the university by the despotic orders of the 
 police, and the most learned professors have been sent 
 into exile." 
 
 " Are the professors appointed by the government?" 
 
 " No : when a professorship is vacant, notice must 
 be given to the public, and any learned man has a 
 right to make application. The comparative merit of 
 the applicants is determined by means of a trial before 
 the professors of the university, except, however, in 
 the case of a man of uncommon talent and skill, whom 
 they would invite to lecture without any trial. But 
 the government often nullifies the choice, which must 
 then be made again. Even in its present bad condi- 
 tion, our university numbers some men of genius, as 
 Mezzofanti, who speaks fluently fifty-six of the most 
 
154 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 difficult ancient and modern languages; Tommasini, 
 the founder of a new school in medicine ; and some 
 others." 
 
 " But what is the spirit of this university ? '^ in- 
 quired I. 
 
 " It is truly liberal/' answered my grand-uncle, " and 
 consistent with its popular origin and constant strug- 
 gles against emperors and popes, the Inquisition and 
 Jesuits. In general, the universities of Europe pre- 
 served the same liberal spirit, and adopted a dem- 
 ocratic constitution, even where despotism ruled, or a 
 proud aristocracy divided the people into dominant 
 and servile classes. Any government daring to touch 
 those democratical institutions of science met con- 
 stantly with a dignified, consistent, and strong resist- 
 ance, and excited public indignation." 
 
 "At present," observed I, " the pope is the absolute 
 master of Bologna, and cares but little for public 
 indignation, having powerful foreign armies to quell 
 any outburst. What is there, then, to prevent him 
 from giving up to the Jesuits the universities as well 
 as the other schools ? " 
 
 "Every kind of despotism," answered my uncle, 
 " has some limits, because an entire people cannot be 
 beaten, imprisoned, and kiUed ; so that there is some- 
 thing which a tyrant, foreseeing a general opposition, 
 will not. dare to attempt. Let me quote a recent 
 instance. To fill the chair of Professor Silvani, a man 
 of great merit, who was sent into exile for his liberal 
 opinions, the pope appointed a base intriguer called 
 Giovanardi. It was an open violation of the by-laws 
 of our university, and its members remonstrated, but 
 in vain, and Giovanardi went to deliver his first lec- 
 ture. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 155 
 
 "A crowd of many thousand persons had early 
 filled the lecture-hall, as well as the corridors and a 
 court-yard adjoining. They were the most respecta- 
 ble citizens of our city, coming to express their dis- 
 satisfaction, and make a solemn protest. The vile 
 intriguer took the chair, but was unable to speak, and 
 retired amid a general hissing. Many arrests were 
 made; the building of the university was put in a 
 state of siege ; for fifteen mornings, Giovanardi made 
 his appearance among a crowd of soldiers, but was 
 finally obliged to give up the ill-earned professorship; 
 and soon after, having obtained a large sum of money 
 under false pretences, made his escape into a foreign 
 land." 
 
 I visited the numerous and extensive cabinets of 
 astronomy, of all the difierent branches of natural his- 
 tory, of chemistry and physics, of anatomy, physiol- 
 ogy, pathology, &c., as well as the library, containing 
 sixty thousand volumes, besides numerous manuscripts 
 and collections of documents and antiquities. It was 
 with great pleasure that I observed the portraits, or 
 marble inscriptions, kept there to preserve the mem- 
 ory of all the most distinguished men who had been 
 connected with that institution. 
 
 Among those monuments, I saw a marble statue 
 erected to Laura Bassi, a lady who filled the chair of 
 natural philosophy during many years with extraordi- 
 nary success ; and my uncle pointed out to me the 
 portrait of another lady, exhibiting a severe, stern 
 face, with flashing eyes and long curled hair, — it was 
 Lucia Tambroni, who lately lectured there, for many. 
 years, on ancient literature, and was considered the 
 best Greek scholar of the last century. 
 
 " Some other ladies have occasionally occupied the 
 
156 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 chairs of our nniversity," said my uncle, " lecturing 
 on civil and canon laws, philosophy, and even anat- 
 omy ; but we have not the portraits of them, probably 
 because they were destroyed by time, or lost among 
 others in some gallery." 
 
 The university of Bologna is now, as formerly, di- 
 vided into five faculties or colleges : — 1. Theology ; 2. 
 Jurisprudence ; 3. Medicine ; 4. Mathematics ; 5. Phi- 
 lology. Each of them numbers twelve professors, 
 — except that of medicine, which has eighteen, — but 
 some chairs are not filled: in jurisprudence, for 
 instance, there are only nine lecturers. From the 
 12th of November to the 24th of June, all the lectur- 
 ers must teach during one hour every day, except 
 Sundays, Thursdays, and the many holidays : if pre- 
 vented, they send a substitute. 
 
 Each pupil has from four to six lectures to attend 
 every school-day. If he neglects his duty, the pro- 
 fessors have the right of vetoing his promotion at the 
 end of the annual course ; but they will scarcely use 
 it. He may expect, however, to be examined in a 
 more severe manner than a diligent student. Besides, 
 the pupils are entirely independent of the university, 
 as they were in former times. The wicked police of 
 the government troubles them occasionally ; but they 
 form a strong, compact body of energetic young men, 
 united by general and constant affection. 
 
 The course of jurisprudence requires four years, as 
 well as that of theology. Three years are enough for 
 the courses of mathematics and philology ; but stu- 
 dents of medicine must attend the lectures during six 
 years, because they are instructed there even by 
 means of practical attendance in a large hospital kept 
 for that purpose. Generally, a boy who intends to 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 157 
 
 exercise a profession must study at least sixteen years 
 before obtaining his object. 
 
 Besides the regular students at the university, there 
 may be seen mechanics attending some lectures inter- 
 esting in their trade, some scholars seeking for im- 
 provement, and many people attracted by curiosity or 
 amusement. Very often, a venerable, gray-headed man 
 appears among the young people. But all these differ- 
 ent persons are united and led to sympathize by the 
 common love of instruction. Nobleman and plebeian, 
 rich and poor, mechanics and scholars, young and old, 
 constantly present the beautiful spectacle of mutual 
 respect and friendly intercourse. It must be so ; for 
 science is the patrimony of mankind, and before her 
 must disappear all the distinctions of class, age, or 
 nation. 
 
 14 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY. 
 
 My life as a student in Bologna was a happy one. 
 Students there regard themselves as an independent 
 corps, and live in great harmony among themselves. 
 They are also exceedingly popular among the citi- 
 zens, who treat them with great kindness. The uni- 
 versity does not supply rooms for the students, as it 
 would have been almost impossible, when there were 
 thirteen thousand of them, and still difficult even after- 
 wards, when they were reduced to three thousand. 
 Since the year 1815, however, it would have been 
 easy, as the number was no more than ^ye hundred ; 
 but no innovation has been made. A family, having 
 plenty of rooms, will take in one or two students, and 
 make them feel entirely at home; and, as students 
 generally are joyful and well-bred, an intimate friend- 
 ship is soon established between them and their hosts. 
 The terms are very easy. 
 
 I boarded with a rich merchant, at the rate of seven 
 dollars monthly, for which I was supplied with a fine 
 bedroom, breakfast at ten o'clock, and dinner at six, 
 according to the custom of the city. He had many 
 acquaintances, who, in a short time, became also mine. 
 My uncle often paid for my board, and presented me 
 to his friends ; so that I had means for amusement 
 
 (168) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 159 
 
 when I had time. I had a lecture to attend at eight, 
 and another at- nine o'clock, both on ancient Roman 
 laws. At ten I went to breakfast, and then studied 
 until the next lecture, at twelve, on canon law. At 
 two o'clock my lessons were over, and I went home 
 to study till six. After dinner I took a walk, even 
 when the weather was bad, because the streets were 
 flanked on both sides by airy and fine porticoes. I 
 very seldom studied during the evenings. My' school- 
 fellows generally lived in the same style. 
 
 The Thursday holiday, formerly introduced in the 
 honor of Jupiter (Jovis day), has been constantly 
 kept by all ancient and modern schools of Italy as a 
 traditional custom, and because it is well calculated to 
 give a rest to the teachers, and sujQficient time to the 
 pupils to recollect and digest the instruction given to 
 them in the course of the week. In Catholic coun- 
 tries, however, Sundays and other holidays are used 
 for the same purpose ; because study is not consid- 
 ered as a manual work, to be abstained from on the 
 Lord's day, and to study on those days in which peo- 
 ple generally only seek for amusement is regarded as 
 meritorious, provided the student attends the mass, 
 which lasts but a few moments. 
 
 There was a law that aU the students should attend 
 mass at a church next to the university, on Sunday 
 and the other holidays, from half past eleven to 
 twelve o'clock, and this was the only act of religion 
 required from them ; but the law was not rigorously 
 enforced. From twelve to one o'clock, generally, was 
 the mass-time for fashionable people. Masses are said 
 at any moment in all the churches, during all the 
 morning; but fashionable ladies sleep very late, and 
 want time for a careful toilet, first going to see and 
 
IGO THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 be seen at the churches of S. Petronio, S. Stefano, 
 Sa. Catherina, and other resorts of the gay world^ and 
 then to the Montagnola, and other public promenades. 
 The students, though not required by any law^ were 
 constantly in attendance in those churches at that 
 hour. 
 
 I did not choose that occasion in order to see the 
 ladies and pay my attentions to them. It was too 
 repugnant to the education which I had received from 
 my mother, who constantly closed her weekly note to 
 me with the words, " Keep religiously the day of the 
 Lord." But I often attended the conversazioni , or 
 evening parties, which are very common and agreea- 
 ble in Italy. These private gatherings of gentlemen 
 and ladies, forming a circle to hear and say pleasant 
 things, as well as to hear and execute excellent mu- 
 sic, are a most remarkable feature of our society. 
 Coarse manners are not to be found in Italy, even 
 among the lower classes of the people. Italians like 
 to be polite on every occasion ; but it is in their con- 
 versazioni that they display their good taste and wit. 
 Those social gatherings are a substitute, or a com- 
 pensation, for the want of a truly domestic life. Our 
 family affections are, indeed, strong; but we want 
 public life on every occasion, and do not know the 
 pleasure of shutting our door to enjoy the charms of 
 a domestic circle. 
 
 A " gentlemen's party " would be a perfect anomaly 
 with the Italians ; for ladies are a necessary element 
 in all our parties and amusements. This is perhaps 
 the chief reason for the temperate habits of the 
 Italians. A gentleman at a dinner-party, having at 
 his side a lady, who, when the dinner is over, will 
 take his arm to go into the drawing-room for a social 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 161 
 
 conversation, will not dare to indulge in eating and 
 drinking like an English club-member. Certainly, 
 when the dishes are served, the gentleman will take 
 for himself a portion double that which he has given 
 to his fair companion, and will drink a full glass of 
 wine when she only tastes it ; but this is allowed to 
 his stronger frame, provided it does not cause him the 
 least excitement. 
 
 But all the weight of a conversazione is usually 
 supported by gentlemen, who often have not an easy 
 task to carry it on in a manner suitable and agreeable 
 to the ladies. Politics and religion are excluded from 
 the topics of our conversation, as dangerous subjects, 
 " De Deo parum, de principe nihil ;'' and the sciences, 
 on the other hand, are too deep for many of our 
 ladies. They are endowed with great natural talent, 
 and some of them prove to be excellent scholars, 
 poets, and artists ; but generally they have not the 
 means of a scientific education. Bologna, for instance, 
 a city famous for learning, and for its female lecturers, 
 has not a school for young ladies. " Let them be 
 educated in the nunneries," says the government. 
 But citizens prefer to have them brought up ignorant 
 at home, rather than half taught and entirely spoiled 
 in a nunnery. Now, however, the private education 
 of young ladies at home has been greatly improved. 
 
 I confess that the conversazioni which I attended 
 gave me great pleasure ; and, notwithstanding the 
 manifest inferiority of the ladies to the gentlemen, 
 and their lack of knowledge when compared to many 
 foreign ladies, I never have found abroad anything 
 of that kind which I should prefer. Those parties 
 are also well fitted to establish and maintain friendly 
 intercourse among the citizens, whom the despotic 
 14* 
 
162 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 governments endeavor to estrange from each other. 
 Foreigners, in reproaching Italians for their fondness 
 for conversazioni, pubHc promenades, and theatres, 
 should know that it is not amusement which is the 
 chief attraction on such occasions. We need public 
 life, and come together for some common interest 
 or object ; it has been constantly an urgent need with 
 the Italians, who, forcibly prevented from taking care 
 of their political interests according to their demo- 
 cratic tendency, give vent to their favorite passion 
 the best way they can. 
 
 By frequenting the conversazioni of Bologna, I soon 
 became acquainted with many learned men, and even 
 with my teachers at the university. One of these, a 
 friend of my uncle, took great interest in me, and an 
 unbounded confidence was established between us. 
 One evening I told him frankly that I was not satis- 
 fied with his method of teaching, as it consisted merely 
 in delivering a lecture for one hour on common topics, 
 without any free discussion. 
 
 " It is not my fault, nor that of my colleagues," he 
 replied. " We are constantly under the watchful eyes 
 of a suspicious police and of the Holy Inquisition, 
 both irritated against us by the malicious arts of the 
 Jesuits; so that, in matters having any connection 
 with politics and religion, we must be exceedingly 
 circumspect, and, above all, avoid any discussion be- 
 tween ourselves and the pupils. Some years ago, for 
 example, a student from Belgium, still breathing the 
 spirit of their successful revolution, put openly to me 
 the question, '■ Are governments for the people, or the 
 people for governments ? ' I tried to avoid a direct 
 answer, asserting, however, that the pope and kings 
 reigned ' by the grace of the Lord,' having a ^ divine 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 163 
 
 right ' to command. But the young man pressed me 
 with all the strength of his inexorable logic and cruel 
 wit, overwhelming me, to the great scandal of the 
 audience. The imprudent youth was exiled immedi- 
 ately from Bologna, and the bitterest reproofs fell 
 on me. 
 
 " Another time," added the professor, " I lectured 
 on the different forms of government. I made a dry 
 exposition of them; and as for their comparative 
 merit, I quoted the words of the text-book, saying, 
 ^ Monarchy is the best form of government ; an elect- 
 ive monarchy is preferable to a hereditary one, which 
 sometimes will fall into the hands of a king unable 
 to govern by himself. Papacy, however, is the best 
 of all elective monarchies, because the electors of the 
 pope are directly inspired by the Holy Ghost : so that 
 papacy is the best of all governments.' At this, a 
 middle-aged man rose from among the auditors, and, 
 with a marked foreign accent, said, ^ Your definition is 
 very good, I think ; but, if so, I beg leave to inquire 
 why papal subjects are in a wretched condition, and 
 in almost a constant state of rebellion ? ' I silenced 
 him by saying that it was an impertinent question; 
 but even then a heavy reproof fell upon me." 
 
 The same professor suggested to me the idea of 
 arranging with some friends regular private meetings, 
 in order to indulge my desire of freely discussing the 
 subjects of my btudies. I had still a fresh remem- 
 brance of the danger caused to me by such meetings 
 in Rome ; and I knew that the police watched every 
 step of the students, suspecting all of them to be 
 members of " Young Italy." I did not, therefore, at 
 the time, follow his advice. But, during the month 
 of March, a Spanish student came to board at the same 
 
164 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 house with me. He was a young man of talent, pleas- 
 ant manners, and liberal views. We were of the same 
 class, and agreed to study some hours together, which 
 resulted in great mutual improvement. 
 
 He was generally much pleased with me, when the 
 matter of our discussions was the ancient Roman laws, 
 because I was able to afford many illustrations, in 
 consequence of my theoretical and practical knowl- 
 edge of Roman antiquities. But when we happened 
 to speak of the canon laws, although I had the same 
 advantage of practical knowledge to illustrate the 
 matter, my friend was too often disgusted with my 
 explanations and views on that subject. He had been 
 brought up a true papist, with narrow ideas in reli- 
 gious matters ; and his talents were of no avail to him, 
 because they had accustomed him to believe implicitly 
 what he was taught of religion, and to drive quickly 
 from his mind all doubts on the subject, as a tempta- 
 tion of the Evil One, and a sin against the Holy Ghost. 
 
 The Spanish resolution was then in progress, and 
 my friend did not conceal his strong sympathy with 
 the revolutionists. They had slaughtered many priests 
 and friars, and I supposed that they aimed at both 
 political and religious emancipation; but my friend 
 undeceived me. 
 
 " Those priests and friars,'^ said he, " well deserved 
 the fate they met with, for they had accumulated upon 
 their heads too many iniquities, abusing the whole 
 nation, and trampling upon all sacred rights and 
 duties. But it is not the fault of the Roman Catholic 
 faith, to which the Spaniards are strongly devoted. 
 We know how to distinguish between that religion 
 and its abuses : you Italians confound the ^ holy father 
 of believers' with a temporal sovereign oppressing 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 165 
 
 you. That is the reason of your hostility against the 
 Roman Catholic faith. '^ 
 
 " The abuses which you condemn/' answered I, " are 
 the necessary consequences of the system which you 
 praise; it is a cause which produces the same effects 
 everywhere. Let Spain understand it, and then, but 
 only then, will she be free, and take again among the 
 nations the place which she lost through the crimes of 
 the Inquisition and the Jesuits." 
 
 My friend incredulously shook his head, and declined 
 any further discussion, according to the suggestions 
 of his religious teachers. I told him that I respected 
 his opinions and his feelings, and desired him not to 
 use the epithet " Roman " when speaking of the papal 
 system, because it was not a Roman invention, and 
 owes its existence only to foreign brute force. 
 
 Notwithstanding these differences of opinion in re- 
 ligious matters, an intimate friendship grew up be- 
 tween Fernandez and me ; and, when the lectures 
 were to be closed, I invited him to go to Rome with 
 me, and accompany me in a pedestrian journey to 
 Naples and other places, during the four months' 
 vacation. He accepted my invitation, as he had 
 nothing to do in Bologna during that time, in which 
 almost all the students go home or travel. We left 
 Bologna on the evening of the 23d of June, and took 
 the road to Florence, sixty miles west of Bologna, in 
 order to witness the feast of St. John the Baptist, 
 patron of Florence, to be held on the following day, 
 and then proceed to Leghorn by the railroad, and 
 take passage to Civitavecchia in the French mail 
 steamboat. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A SUMMER VACATION. 
 
 " What is that black point which is before us on the 
 quiet surface of the sea ? " inquired my Spanish friend 
 Fernandez, after we left Leghorn in a French steam- 
 boat bound to Civitavecchia ; and I answered him, " It 
 is the island called Corsica, the third in extent among 
 the Italian islands. There live an intelligent and ener- 
 getic people, well preserving the features of the an- 
 cient Italian race. Not long ago, the island was seized 
 by France, in spite of the heroic resistance of the 
 inhabitants ; and this iniquity still exists. There the 
 greatest genius of modern ages was born, from a Flo- 
 rentine family established in the city of Ajaccio.'^ 
 
 " Perhaps you ItaHans are right in boasting of Na- 
 poleon," replied the Spaniard. " As for me, I hate 
 him and his memory, because he attempted to destroy 
 the independence of my country, and brought upon it 
 the plague of a dreadful war." 
 
 " And you are right too," said I ; " that great genius 
 was able to conquer everything but his own ambition, 
 which led him to many wrong and foohsh deeds, and 
 called down upon him a severe retribution. He was 
 delivered into the hands of an ungenerous enemy, to 
 be killed by a painful torture, which lasted several 
 years." 
 
 (166) 
 
THE EOMAN EXILE. 167 
 
 " But Napoleon/' replied the Spaniard, " did noth- 
 ing for Italy. He devoted himself to the interests of 
 a foreign nation, and made Italians bleed for France." 
 
 " That may be so/' answered I ; " but, to be just, 
 we must acknowledge that Italy was not then pre- 
 pared, or strong enough, to stand with him against all 
 Europe. France, on the contrary, was already in the 
 field, and in a state of excitement entirely new in 
 history. Besides, the course of Napoleon must be 
 considered from a higher point of view. He seems to 
 have been a man intrusted with the mission of puUing 
 down the old social edifice of the middle ages ; at 
 least, it is a fact that he has shaken it with such vio- 
 lence that we have but to carry away the ruins and 
 clear the space for new buildings. But the most sen- 
 sible advantage which Italy gained from the course of 
 Napoleon was the debasement and contempt into 
 which papacy sunk, because the prestige of papacy 
 was the principal obstacle to the restoration of the 
 Italian nationahty." 
 
 " If it is so, you may be right in opposing the pope's 
 temporal power ; but why do you aim at the total 
 destruction of papacy ? " asked Fernandez. 
 
 " Because," answered I, " the pretended distinction 
 and division between the temporal and spiritual power 
 is but an Utopia imagined by those who do not know 
 the true nature of that institution. Papacy is a com- 
 pact, artificial system, which does not admit of the 
 least change or improvement." 
 
 Fernandez made no reply; and, after some mo- 
 ments, desired to know my opinion about the feast of 
 St. John, which" we had witnessed the day before in 
 Florence. 
 
 '' It was very amusing," said I ; " the music of the 
 
168 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 solemn mass was composed by Donizetti, and exe- 
 cuted under his personal direction by five hundred 
 artists. For the horse-race was offered the highest 
 premium ever given in Italy, namely, one thousand 
 dollars ; and quite as much was the premium for the 
 lottery which was drawn afterwards. The fire-works 
 also were of the finest kind, and the general illumina- 
 tion of the city added a great charm to the feast.'' 
 
 "Well," said Fernandez, "the great display made on 
 such an occasion, the large sum devoted to it, and the 
 attendance of so many thousand people, show that the 
 Florentines at least are deeply attached to the Roman 
 Catholic religion." 
 
 " No^ my dear sir," answered I, " they are fond of 
 amusements, and they would attend such a spectacle 
 even if offered in honor of Bacchus or Yenus. In 
 fact, you must confess that there was nothing of Chris- 
 tianity in that feast. Theatrical performances, excit- 
 ing music, horse-races, drawing of lotteries, fire- 
 works, and illuminations, are in as striking opposition 
 to the simple and spiritual doctrine of the gospel, as 
 the conduct of the pope is the opposite to that of 
 Christ. Besides, it was not intended for the worship 
 of God : a man was the object of a feast much more 
 splendid than any one offered to God. That is worse 
 than the pagans, for their demigods never received 
 greater honors than Jupiter and other ^Dii majores.' " 
 
 At this, Fernandez appeared to be somewhat dis- 
 concerted. He spoke very little, and only of indiffer- 
 ent matters, during the voyage. Twelve hours of 
 steam navigation brought us to Civitavecchia, where 
 we took the diligenza, and reached Rome in eight 
 hours. It was a Saturday morning, and exactly five 
 minutes before twelve o'clock, when the carriage left 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 169 
 
 US in the central square called Piazza di Monte Citorio. 
 My friend's attention was immediately attracted by 
 the rich fa9ade of the Palace of Justice, and espec- 
 ially by its large balcony, which was then hung with 
 rich red silk, and covered by a canopy. A crowd, 
 chiefly of poor-looking people of both sexes, regarded 
 the balcony with evident anxiety. 
 
 " Is it a solemn benediction which they prepare to 
 give from that balcony ? " inquired Fernandez. 
 
 " No," said I, " it is a devilish curse." 
 
 In the mean time, a prelate, in full pontifical dress, 
 made his appearance on the balcony, and was followed 
 by four proto-notaries of the Roman court, in their 
 splendid dresses. Behind them, in a second line, were 
 servants in great gala livery, and then, in a third line, 
 some well-armed soldiers. A beautiful child, fanci- 
 fully dressed, was placed in a standing position on a 
 chair at the right side of the prelate, where also stood 
 a cylindrical box turning on its axis. A man, wearing 
 a dress of red silk, made the box turn a little while ; 
 and then the child, putting his hand into it, took out a 
 little ball, which he gracefully handed to the prelate. 
 He looked at it, and then the four proto-notaries 
 looked at it by turns, and wrote something in a book 
 which they had. Then the man in red silk loudly 
 cried out, "Number eighty." This extraction was 
 repeated four times, drawing four other numbers; 
 after which the prelate and his attendants retired. 
 The crowd also dispersed, — a few joyfully, others dis- 
 tressed, and some swearing. 
 
 " What does all this mean ? " inquired Fernandez, 
 exceedingly amazed and astonished. 
 
 " Let us take a carriage and go home," answered I, 
 " and I will explain it to you by the way." The car- 
 15 
 
170 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 riage proceeded* slowly through the populous streets 
 of Orfanelli, Piazza della Rotonda, Piazza della Sapi- 
 enza, Via della Valle, Via Massimi, and Yia BauUari ; 
 for I lived in Piazza Campo di Fiori. During the ride, 
 I told my friend, "The prelate you have seen was 
 Monsignor Tesoriere, that is, the pope's minister of 
 finance. The numbers they drew with such religious 
 and solemn pomp are intended for the gambling- 
 houses which the pope keeps throughout all the state, 
 earning generally more than a million and three hun- 
 dred thousand scudi (dollars) each year." 
 
 " Is it possible ! " exclaimed Fernandez ; and, as we 
 passed at that moment a large, elegant door having a 
 sign upon it formed by the two papal keys of Hdl and 
 Paradise, and the initials R. C. A. (meaning Rev. Ca- 
 mera Apostolica), I pointed to it, and said to my friend, 
 " There is one of the gambling-houses. It is called 
 reverend and apostolic room, not even catholic, because 
 the institution is now restricted to the papal state. 
 The gamblers are generally the most poor and igno- 
 rant of the common people : the idea of gaining some 
 twenty or thirty thousand doUars acts so powerfully 
 upon their imagination, that there is no sacrifice 
 they would spare to get money for gambling each 
 week. Not a few are induced to beg or steal for that 
 purpose, and many girls and women forget their 
 duties in consequence of that feverish temptation. 
 Starvation, debasement, despair, and crime are the nat- 
 ural consequences which attend those poor wretches, 
 waiting to obtain from a delusive hope the riches 
 which labor and honest behavior would have afi'orded 
 to them.'' 
 
 At this, we reached the door of my home. My fam- 
 ily did not expect me so soon, and surprise rendered 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE 171 
 
 their joy more complete. My father, my mother, five 
 sisters, two brothers, and an old servant, all sur- 
 rounded me, embracing me, kissing me, weeping, and 
 showing in every manner their warm afi*ection. My 
 friend, though a stranger to that scene of domestic 
 happiness, was much moved, and shed tears of joy 
 with us. He also was welcomed as my friend, and 
 was prevailed upon to remain at our house till ho 
 should set out with me on our projected pedestrian 
 tour. 
 
 As soon as I was able to take my mother aside, I 
 inquired of her about a young lady formerly living 
 opposite to us. I became acquainted with her after 
 my return from Ravenna. She was older than I, and 
 showed me a tender friendship. I thought she loved 
 me, and I fancied I was in love with her. But, one 
 day, when I declared to her my love, freely using the 
 impassioned expressions which I knew by heart from 
 Tasso and Metastasio, she coolly observed that I did 
 not know what love was. She was right ; or at least 
 what I felt for her was not that overwhelming passion 
 which afterwards so much troubled my heart. 
 
 But I was hurt by that observation, regarding it as 
 an insult, — for I was only sixteen. I deposited my 
 grief in the loving bosom of my dear mother, and she 
 endeavored to console me by repeatedly saying, " She 
 is too old for you ; she is not worthy of your atten- 
 tions ; she perhaps is in love with some one else." 
 
 Notwithstanding all this, I had not forgotten her 
 during my residence in Bologna ; and now I felt anx- 
 ious to hear of her. 
 
 My mother answered me in a somewhat mysterious 
 manner, adding that the young lady had become a nun 
 a few days before my arrival. " Do not think of her 
 
172 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 any more/' said my mother : " she was really unworthy 
 of your attentions." I made some effort to raise the 
 veil of mystery, but in vain 5 and I soon entirely for- 
 got her. 
 
 Next day my friend was naturally anxious to see 
 something of Rome. " Let us go to the Capitol first 
 of all," said he; and I took him thither from the 
 north side of the hill fronting modern Rome, and 
 covered by modern edifices. We ascended the very 
 large and easy flight of steps leading to the square 
 erected by Michael Angelo, when my friend observed 
 on our left another much longer, though not so large 
 nor easy, flight of marble steps, and inquired what it 
 was. 
 
 " That flight of a hundred stairs," said I, " leads to 
 the ancient temple of Jupiter, called Capitolinus, 
 where was worshipped a brass statue of him, evidently 
 YQry ancient, and of indifferent artistic merit, which is 
 now worshipped in St. I*eter's Church. The modern 
 building, erected upon the base of the ancient, and 
 with its materials in part, is a large church consecrated 
 to the Holy Virgin, under one of her thousand titles, 
 namely, ' Ara Coeli ' (the Altar of Heaven). But the 
 most prominent object of the modern church is the 
 likeness of the infant Jesus, taken from life, and 
 carved by St. Luke, the author of a hundred like- 
 nesses of the Holy Virgin." 
 
 My friend was so pleased with the idea of being able 
 to see that likeness, that he desired to go to it imme- 
 diately. We entered the church by its south door, 
 and were disappointed to hear that the " Holy Bam- 
 bino " was not in, having gone, together with his 
 keeper, to visit a sick lady, but was expected to be 
 home in a short time. We received this information 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 17^ 
 
 from a fat, good-natured friar, who stood there in 
 attendance, and with whom we entered into a close 
 conversation. 
 
 " Why was the ^ Holy Bambino ^ taken to visit a sick 
 lady ? '' inquired the Spaniard, with a marked national 
 accent, which discovered him to the friar^ who was 
 also a Spaniard. 
 
 After some compliments, the friar said : " You must 
 know that formerly, when there was much faith in 
 the world, numberless were the miracles performed by 
 our 'Holy Bambino.' Ladies, especially when con- 
 fined and in danger of their own and another dear 
 life, never applied in vain for help to our ' Holy Bam- 
 bino.' It was brought then, as now, to the sick lady's 
 room by two of our friars, and there placed for a 
 little while upon the sick body, surrounded by many 
 burning wax candles, and all the persons of the house 
 kneeling, with the two friars reciting some appropri- 
 ate Latin prayers ; and then the ' Holy Bambino ' was 
 moved in the form of a cross upon the sick body. 
 The effect was to be seen almost immediately, namely, 
 death, if there was not faith enough in the patient or 
 in the house ; healing, if the contrary." 
 
 " Has youF- church been long in possession of the 
 ' Holy Bambino ? " inquired Fernandez. 
 
 " Yery long, exceedingly long," answered the friar. 
 " We piously believe, though there is no proof of it, 
 that St. Paul brought it into Rome when he was taken 
 here as a prisoner, and then it was preserved in the 
 catacombs till after the miraculous conversion of Con- 
 stantino. But what made our ' Holy Bambino ' to be 
 known and esteemed as he deserves, was a great mir- 
 acle^ such a miracle as our wicked age will never wit- 
 ness. It happened then that, the 'Holy Bambino' 
 15* 
 
174 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 being kept with but little care in our church, a priest 
 from Naples succeeded in stealing it, and secretly fled 
 to his native country. Our friars, frightened by the 
 result of their carelessness, carved a piece of wood 
 in the shape and form of the missing statue, and put 
 it into the empty place. They must be excused for 
 this, because we live by alms, and so we must, by 
 every means, avoid the displeasure of the people. 
 One morning, a large crowd of people was gathered 
 at the foot of our great flight of stairs, because, to 
 their great surprise and indignation, there was the 
 ' Bambino ^ thrown down from the church. They 
 threatened to fire the convent ; but, some one having 
 gone to see the place where the '■ Holy Bambino ' was 
 kept, it was found that he had returned from Naples- 
 during the night, and had overthrown the false one. 
 Then the friars confessed their fault, and the people, 
 filled with pure joy, easily pardoned, them." 
 
 Just then the two friars, with the " Holy Bambino," 
 entered the church, and we were able to observe the 
 statue at our ease. Only the head was visible, the 
 rest being wrapped in rich embroidered silk, and 
 covered with gold and precious stones. The face, 
 eaten out by worms, was exceedingly ugly and re- 
 pulsive, much Hke that of a red Indian ruined by 
 small pox. 
 
 " How does it happen," inquired I of the Spanish 
 friar, " that, St. Luke having made both this likeness 
 and that of Loreto, there is so great a difference be- 
 tween them ? — for the ' Bambino ^ of Loreto is a negro 
 boy, and yours is almost white." 
 
 The friar was rather surprised at this impertinent 
 question, and then observed that probably St. Luke 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 175 
 
 had made the " Holy Virgin and Child " of Loreto for 
 a negro people, and thus he altered the color and fea- 
 tures to please them. We gave some alms to the 
 friar for his explanations, and went on our tour among 
 the antiquities. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE "PONTIFEX MAXIMUS " OF ROME, 
 
 " To-day," said I to my friend Fernandez, " is the 
 28th of June, the eve of St. Peter's holiday ; and we 
 shall have a fine opportunity to see the actual repre- 
 sentative of the greatest and most ancient dignity in 
 Rome." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " inquired he. 
 
 "Do you not remember," replied I, "the Pontifex 
 Maximus of the ancient Romans ? " 
 
 " Yes, very well ; he was the chief pontiff, sur- 
 rounded by the greatest honors, pomp, and dignity, 
 and invested with supreme authority in religious mat- 
 ters. He was also the president and ruler of the col- 
 lege of pontiffs." 
 
 " Well," said I, " you will then remember also that 
 Augustus, having usurped the civil authority under 
 the name of Emperor, desired to have even the su- 
 preme religious authority, and was made Pontifex 
 Maximus. His successors followed his ' example, 
 usurped the title of divusj ' holy/ and some pretended 
 also to divine honors for their ancestor^ and for them- 
 selves. The Christian emperors, however, gave up 
 the title and dignity of Divus Pontifex Maximus, 
 thinking it to be incompatible with the purity and 
 humiUty of the Christian religion. So much the worse 
 
 (176) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 177 
 
 for them, because a pope came forth, and asserted for 
 himself the title of '■ holy,' nay, of ' very holy,' and 
 assumed the dignity of Pontifex Maximus, and also 
 Optimus, namely, perfect. We have, therefore, to- 
 day, the ^ Very holy Pontifex Optimus Maximus,' who 
 is the successor of the ancient Pontifex Maximus and 
 also of the Emperor of Rome." 
 
 " I am told," observed Fernandez, " that the pope 
 has also the title of Servus servorum Dei, that is, 
 * Servant of the servants of God,' which would rather 
 indicate a successor of the apostles." 
 
 " ' By their fruits ye shall know them,' says the 
 Lord," answered I ; " let us go, then, and see in what 
 capacity the pope performs the religious functions." 
 
 We arrived at the Vatican at four o'clock. I placed 
 my friend, and myself at his side, in the large entrance 
 at the foot of the staircase, and near to the door by 
 which the pope was to pass in order to enter the 
 great vestibule and the church for the solemn ves- 
 pers. From the landing of the great staircase to the 
 lofty throne erected under the cupola or dome, there 
 were two lines of soldiers, fronting each other, and 
 keeping a free passage between them ; they were well 
 armed, and appeared ready for a battle. 
 
 Now the space between these two files of bayonets 
 began to be filled by a large procession, formed by aU 
 the high dignitaries of the papal court, and their at- 
 tendants. My friend was enraptured, admiring the 
 imposing spectacle. There was a great variety of 
 quaint forms and brilliant colors, well arranged for 
 efiect, a great show of riches and luxury, and an 
 exceedingly vain display of pompous dresses and 
 ornaments. It was in striking contrast with the plain 
 dresses and simple ornaments of the spectators ; for 
 
178 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Italian ladies, and gentlemen too, do not like such 
 vain pomp and show. 
 
 " Look," said I to my friend, " at that lady opposite 
 Tis, clad in a brown silk robe, with simple laces at the 
 neck and hands, clasped by small jewels ; she is the^ 
 Princess Borghese. Look now again at that proud 
 cardinal passing before her ; he has on a fine scarlet 
 silk robe, with a long train carried by a priest behind 
 him ; his surplice is made of the finest laces in th*e 
 world, and with a very rich clasp, which cost at least 
 two thousand dollars. He has a knight, in spada e 
 cappa, ' with sword and cloak,' to attend him ; a priest 
 brings after him his purple hat, and another a cushion 
 and a parasol. Those fourteen men, shining with scar- 
 let and gold, are his servants ; this will give you an 
 idea of the luxury of his palace, coaches, horses, &c. 
 Well, that cardinal's father was a poor servant in the 
 house of that princess ; but he, the son, changed his 
 master, and now is a servant of the Servus servorum 
 Dei:' 
 
 By this time the pope himself made his appearance 
 on the landing of the large marble staircase. He had 
 on his magnificent pontifical dress, and was seated 
 on a rich arm-chair, fixed upon a large table, which 
 was supported on the shoulders of twelve strong- 
 looking fellows, wearing long curled hair, and clad in 
 red silk gowns : they managed very well to keep the 
 table in a horizontal position when descending the 
 staircase, and to avoid any brusque movement, which 
 might disturb the highly dignified countenance of 
 the pope. He had on each side of him a handsome 
 youth, also wearing long, fair, curled hair, and clad in 
 red silk gowns, with a rich surplice of laces ; each of 
 them had a large fan, made of the feathers of white 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 179 
 
 peacocks, with which to move the air and keep off 
 the insects. Some other youths of the same de- 
 scription burnt incense before him. The " moving 
 table/' called Sedia gestatoria, was surrounded by 
 what should be called a thick iron wall, formed by the 
 Swiss guards, armed now, as they were five hundred 
 years ago, with steel cuirasses, helmets, halberds, <S:c., 
 and clad according to the quaint standard given by 
 Michael Angelo. 
 
 When this group was about to pass before us, I 
 retired a little behind, bidding my friend do the same. 
 
 "Why so?" said he. 
 
 " Because," whispered I, " if you remain you must 
 kneel before that man, who is a sinner like ourselves." 
 
 But behold the pope, and Fernandez freely glancing 
 at him in a standing position, not perceiving that 
 everybody was kneeling around him. One of the 
 Swiss guards struck Fernandez with the halberd, say- 
 ing, "On your knees!" and passed on. I advanced 
 suddenly, and took hold of my friend, whose quick, 
 southern temperament would have led him to some 
 excess. 
 
 When his anger was calmed by reflection we en- 
 tered the church, and placed ourselves opposite to 
 the front of the papal throne, in a corner formed by 
 the amphitheatre erected for ladies, and filled chiefly 
 by English and American Protestant ladies, who are 
 supposed to be weak-minded enough to be imposed 
 upon by the magnificence of the ceremonies and the 
 show. 
 
 The pope was at that moment seated upon his 
 throne, reading from a large book which a cardinal, 
 on his knees before him, held both with his hands and 
 head ; while another cardinal, also on his knees, was 
 
180 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 holding a wax candle burning in the bright daylight ; 
 and two Roman princes, the great constable and the 
 great marshal, stood one on each side with the en- 
 signs of their dignity. There was a large wide space 
 before the throne kept by the Swiss guards, and all 
 the ceremonies were performed in this space between 
 the principal altar and the throne of the pope. The 
 persons who must be present and act their part when 
 the pope holds a pontifical ceremony are about three 
 thousand, including the soldiers; but the performances 
 before the altar and the throne are executed only by 
 two hundred persons, including the cardinals, bishops 
 inpartibus, and prelates. 
 
 In those performances the pope seems, to the eyes 
 of a stranger, to be rather the object of them than the 
 chief actor ; because he does nothing by himself, being 
 served in everything, and worshipped by all the col- 
 lege of his attendants, bowing in a very humble man- 
 ner, and putting themselves on their knees before 
 him. But even a stranger must admire that spectacle: 
 they sit and rise together without any command; they 
 go to and fro in different directions without any con- 
 fusion ; they bow and kneel in a uniform manner. A 
 captain of soldiers, a Chinese mandarin, or a director 
 of a ballet for the opera, might learn something there. 
 
 The " Rituale Eomanum " gives a full description 
 of all the different ceremonies performed during the 
 year, and of the different colors to be used in con- 
 nection with them. The same book also gives an 
 explanation of all the movements and gestures, show- 
 ing that they have a recondite, mystical, and symboli- 
 cal sense, as those of the ancient Pagans had. But 
 we must confess that there is now more splendor and 
 good taste ; and the person of the Pontifex Maximus, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 181 
 
 formerly honored as the first minister of God, has now 
 been elevated above mankind to the rank of repre- 
 sentative of God, receiving his inspiration from him, 
 and being, therefore, incapable of error. It is a nat- 
 ural progress. 
 
 Towards the end of the vespers, the cardinal arch- 
 presbyter of St. Peter's Church, after having, accord- 
 ing to custom, offered incense upon the altar from the 
 left to the right corner, went, with his golden censer, 
 to offer incense to the pope, who was sitting upoQ his 
 throne. At this I drew from my pocket a little en- 
 graving which I had brought on purpose, and placed 
 it under the eyes of my friend. " It was an illustration 
 from the Roman history by Pinelli, representing the 
 Emperor Caligula usurping divine honors. The scene 
 was exactly the same as that exhibited before us at 
 that moment, — the throne, the incense, the iron- 
 dressed soldiers, two Roman notables, two children 
 with fans of white peacock feathers, — all was the 
 same in both scenes. 
 
 " Is it not a pretty daguerreotype ? '' said I. 
 
 Fernandez answered nothing; but a bitter disap- 
 pointment seemed by degrees to invade his mind. 
 He drew me aside, behind the amphitheatre of the 
 ladies, and inquired about the singers of the papal 
 chapel. He had observed some of them next to the 
 pope in the procession ; they were clad in a black 
 gown and white surplice, as common priests, but had 
 a peculiar look, — their pale and flaccid faces, with- 
 out any beard, and their sickly countenances, showed 
 an absolute want of vigor, though they were generally 
 still young ; but they had a fine feminine voice, and 
 uttered such sharp trills as are never heard from 
 ordinary singers. 
 16 
 
182 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 I explained to my friend that those wretched singers 
 are prepared by a certain operation in their childhood 
 for the service of the papal chapel. During the last 
 century, singers of that kind were often exhibited 
 even on the stage at the opera ; but now such infamy 
 is to be witnessed only at the papal chapel. The small 
 town of Norcia and its districts, on the Appenines, 
 have an ancient privilege of supplying the papal 
 chapel with such people. This infamy was not un- 
 known to the ancient Romans, but severe laws were 
 passed to repress it, even by means of capital pun- 
 ishment. 
 
 The vespers were over, and the pope, attended by 
 his courtiers, descended from his throne, moving 
 towards another part of that immense fabric. He 
 proceeded slowly, and was evidently fatigued by the 
 weight of his over-rich dresses and ornaments, al- 
 though he had an assistant on each side to support his 
 cope, and another to bear his long train. The cope was 
 one of the richest he possesses, being all composed 
 of silk and gold, embroidered in the finest style, and 
 profusely ornamented with precious stones of all kinds. 
 The clasp at his breast was an admirable work of 
 Benvenuto Cellini; and the emerald encased there 
 was the finest in the world. The tiara (triregno) also 
 was a very fine work, but too heavy on account of the 
 precious stones of those three crowns representing 
 the three kingdoms (triregnum) of the pope, namely, 
 Heaven, Earth, and Hell. 
 
 " The pope seems," whispered I to my friend, " to 
 have on the metallic cloak mentioned by Dante as the 
 punishment of hypocrites. " 
 
 The Spaniard, knowing the passage of Dante to 
 whjch I alluded, smiled, and soon after observed, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 183 
 
 jestingly, " A man so dressed will be good for some- 
 thing, I guess, though he may be a pope." 
 
 " No doubt," answered I ; " and it would be right 
 to sell him in order to pay the debts with which he has 
 overcharged the State." 
 
 The pope now ascended another throne, in order to 
 receive the tributes to be presented to him in great 
 solemnity each year on that day. They are paid by 
 those who hold some fief from the Holy Mother 
 Church. The form of the payment generally consists 
 in offering a silver or gold chalice, containing the 
 certificate of having deposited the sum due in the 
 papal bank called " Di Santo Spirito " (of the Holy 
 Ghost). The pope was assisted now by his high offi- 
 cers, the Cardinal Camerlengo, Monsignor Yice Cam- 
 erlengo, Monsignor Tesoriere, Monsignor Fiscale, and 
 others. They examined the offers and surveyed the 
 record made of them by inferior officers. 
 
 All went on without any remarkable incident till it 
 came to the turn of those vassals who had made no 
 appearance, although called thrice in a loud voice by 
 an " apostolic bailiff." They were now formally de- 
 nounced by Monsignor Fiscale, the chief of the ex- 
 chequer, who called upon those wretched rebels the 
 chastisement of " his holiness." First among them was 
 Old England, for having neglected to send this year, 
 as well as during the last three hundred and forty 
 years, the tribute due for the concession of Ireland, 
 and called " Peter's pence " (Denaro di San Pietro). 
 The pope entered a cool protest, evidently only to 
 preserve his rights for the approaching moment in 
 which that old sinner shall be brought to do penance, 
 and take shelter in the paternal arms of his holiness. 
 
 Next came the unlucky widow of Napoleon the 
 
184 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Great, as a tenant of the dukedom of Parma and Pia- 
 cenza, formerly belonging to the Holy Mother Church, 
 and then given up by the pope, Paul the Third, to 
 his own son, Pierluigi Farnese. The poor lady was 
 innocent, I think, having nothing to do with the crimes 
 of those famous miscreants, and having received the 
 dukedom from the Congress of Vienna, without knowl- 
 edge of its being a bad acquisition; and then she 
 took no other care of it than to derive from it the 
 largest possible revenue, that she might be able to 
 enjoy life with her German friends. Notwithstanding, 
 the pope renewed against her the decree for the im- 
 mediate dismission of the usurped property of the 
 church, and all the excommunications formerly thun- 
 dered and renewed each year in vain. I felt very 
 sorry for her, inasmuch as there was no one to defend 
 her or ask for mercy ', but the pope himself soon after 
 thought it proper to suspend the effect of his dreadful 
 curses during one year and one day, and there are 
 many reasons to believe that such suspension, renewed 
 from year to year, will continue, as the pope has no 
 means of conquering Parma, as Julius the Second did 
 Ferrara. 
 
 Now was the turn of a more wicked sinner, — I mean 
 the King of Naples. It is well known that some Nor- 
 man warriors, coming back from their devout crusade 
 in the Holy Land, took the opportunity of robbing the 
 kingdom of Naples, where they had been hospitably 
 received ; and, in order to get absolution for this, they 
 agreed with the pope to give him that kingdom, and 
 then receive it from him as a fief of the Holy Church. 
 The tribute to be paid by them was fixed at a sum to 
 be presented together with a fine white mare (ghinea), 
 wearing upon its head a golden chalice containing 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 185 
 
 the usual certificate. The kings of Naples, in all suc- 
 cessive generations and dynasties, proved to be good 
 vassals, faithfully paying the tribute, till Charles the 
 Third refused to do so, during the year 1775. 
 
 "He was a Spaniard, as you are," said I to my 
 friend ; " but evidently he had been spoiled by his 
 Italian mother and by his Italian ministers. This re- 
 bellious proceeding moved, of course, the 'paternal 
 viscera of his holiness,' inasmuch as the appearance 
 of that fine mare, with its golden chalice, led by the 
 hand of the Neapolitan ambassador into the church to 
 the throne of the pope, used to be one of the best 
 features of the spectacle. The pope, therefore, im- 
 mediately decreed the confiscation of the kingdom of 
 Naples, excommunicating the king till he should resign 
 the kingdom and pay the tribute due. From that 
 epoch the pope has formally renewed each year his 
 declaration, and will probably do the same for many 
 years to come." 
 
 " Let us go out," said the Spaniard ; and we went 
 arm-in-arm through the principal nave of the church, 
 now free from the parading soldiers. We were al- 
 most half-way to the front door, when my friend 
 stopped, startled, and said, " What is that ? " 
 
 The object of this inquiry was an ancient brass 
 statue, with a very ugly and ferocious face, having on 
 one of the rich copes of the pope and a golden tiara 
 upon its head. It seemed to have been put there for 
 the sake of exciting ridicule. 
 
 " It is St. Peter," said I ; " but do not believe that 
 he constantly wears those costly ornaments : in gen- 
 eral he has on only his own brass toga, ' too heavy for 
 the summer and too cold for the winter.' But, on his 
 birthday, the pope is so kind as to lend him a cope 
 16* 
 
186 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 and a tiara, though he seems unable to appreciate the 
 value of them. In fact, some years ago, they had lent 
 him also a very rich ring, which miraculously disap- 
 peared, and then was found in the pocket of a fervent 
 devotee, who declared that St. Peter, yielding to his 
 prayers, had given him that ring. But now you see 
 there is a Swiss guard in attendance, lest he should 
 give up even the cope and tiara, in order to be able to 
 say again, ' Silver and gold have I none.' " 
 
 "Is that the statue which they say was formerly 
 worshipped as Jupiter in the Capitol ? " 
 
 " There is much reason to believe so," answered I, 
 " because such is the tradition ; and the statue, though 
 very bad as a work of art, has nothing to do with the 
 brass statues of the middle ages, and presents the char- 
 acter of art before it was improved by the Greeks in 
 Rome." 
 
 During the evening, we attended the illumination 
 of the Cupola and the girandola (fire-works) at the 
 Castle S. Angelo. Both were, as usual, very imposing 
 spectacles ; so that, on going home, I said to the Span- 
 iard, " I think that St. Peter must be satisfied ; they 
 have done a great deal for him to-day, and to-morrow 
 vou will see something more." 
 
 " I will see nothing," replied my friend. " I have 
 seen too much." 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 My second year at tlie University of Bologna passed 
 like the first. At the close of the lectures I was regu- 
 larly admitted among the candidates for the second 
 academical degree, namely, the "licenza" (the license), 
 because, having begun the course from the second 
 year, I had now completed the third year. The ex- 
 amination proved successful, and I was declared a 
 licentiate at law, plenis suffragiis. Now I had noth- 
 ing better to do than to take my vacation, a part of 
 which I intended to spend, as usual, in travelling in 
 Italy. I had arranged with a party of friends to make 
 a pedestrian tour in the neighboring Venetian terri- 
 tory, then to go to Venice, and thence sail for Sicily. 
 I applied to the director of police for a passport; and 
 he informed me that, on account of my suspicious 
 conduct in politics, I had been placed under surveil- 
 lance, and could not be allowed to travel to any " for- 
 eign " country. 
 
 " Is Venice a foreign country for an Italian ? " in- 
 quired I, in a careless manner ; and this question was 
 justifiable in itself by the fact that Bologna is distant 
 only a few miles from Venice, and between them there 
 is only a plain, crossed by the river Po, and thronged 
 with people of the same race, language, costume, 
 
 (187) 
 
188 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 and manners, and having a true brotherly affection 
 among themselves ; so that the difference is less appa- 
 rent than when you cross the river at Providence to 
 go into Massachusetts. But the director of police 
 burst into a fit of indignation, and, had I not hastened 
 to bow and leave the room, I should probably have 
 been ordered to prison. 
 
 Disappointed, angry, and troubled, I left the city, 
 and went to visit the great cemetery, or Campo Santo, 
 a mile and a half from the gate called Saragozza. The 
 magnificent porticoes or arcades covering the side- 
 walks of the streets in the city have been purposely 
 extended to the Campo Santo ; and there again, form- 
 ing several squares of corridors, they present the idea 
 of a small city for the dead, peopled with statues, in- 
 scriptions, and monuments. Some one may think it 
 strange to go to a cemetery in order to dispel bad 
 spirits and sad impressions, and to seek for consola- 
 tion among the dead. But who can explain all the 
 mysteries of the human heart ? 
 
 Besides, the Campo Santo of Bologna is a very ^ne 
 place. I have seen many cemeteries, several of which 
 had some peculiar beauty or interest not to be found 
 in that of Bologna; but, considering the whole and its 
 object, I think that Bologna possesses the finest burial- 
 place I ever saw. The green turf or marble tomb 
 covers the remains of the body, and nothing revolting 
 or disagreeable comes to trouble the mysterious cor- 
 respondence with the soul.' The spacious and airy 
 arcades, as well as the long corridors, dispose the 
 mind to meditation; while the turf, the trees, the 
 varied prospect of the beautiful surrounding hills, 
 and the fine arts, impart elevation to the thoughts. 
 
 It is impossible to be in such a place without feel- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 189 
 
 ing the effect of the combined power of nature and 
 art in depriving death of its horror, and connecting it 
 with hfe, thus estabhshing on their boundaries a mys- 
 terious communication, by means of sensible images 
 and memorials which speak of glory, of virtue, and of 
 love. The stern republican warrior, and the learned 
 lecturer coeval with Dante, are there among the 
 crowd of their successors, forming a chain whose last 
 links are still dropping the blood of the revolutionary 
 martyr, who dies with the cry, " God and the people!" 
 
 Half an hour's walk along the beautiful arcades of 
 the west had the effect of exciting my mind, and 
 placing me in a position far above the present sad 
 reality, on which I then looked with serene contempt. 
 Among the crowd of noble and highly distinguished 
 souls which my imagination gathered there, all look- 
 ing kindly upon me, very poor and ugly, of course, 
 seemed the figure of the ignorant and debased friar, 
 calling himself master, and yet trembling upon his 
 bloody throne. Nor did his director of police appear 
 to me less despicable than himself, compared with the 
 great statesmen standing before me. True, those 
 servile beings were able to prevent me from going 
 to Venice, and to violate my personal liberty in any 
 way ; but it was of no importance to the general in- 
 terest of my native country and mankind, which main- 
 tain their progress in spite of all opposition. 
 
 Now, entirely relieved from the trouble of mind I 
 had felt, I took my way homeward, crossing the east 
 square leading to the lateral gate opening on the road 
 through which I came. But, before leaving the place, 
 I turned back to give a last glance at the beautiful 
 panorama formed by the sun setting behind the near 
 hills, covered with villas, vineyards, and luxuriant 
 
190 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 vegetation. At this moment I discovered, at a few 
 steps from me, two ladies ; one of whom, very old, 
 was sitting upon a wooden bench, and looking, with 
 manifest interest, on the graceful figure of the other, 
 a young lady of about fifteen, who on her knees 
 leaned upon a marble block, with her face in her 
 hands. She was in mourning; and a black veil, 
 secured on the top of her head, fell behind on her 
 shoulders, giving brilliancy to her fine white com- 
 plexion, and exciting new interest. 
 
 I stopped almost unconsciously to contemplate that 
 tender being, who, in the prime of life, was there to 
 mourn for some dear relative, and perhaps was ab- 
 sorbed in an ecstasy of grief, recalling, in silence, an 
 early history of sufi'ering and pain. At length she 
 raised her face and hands to heaven, in a trusting and 
 supplicating manner. I saw then two large, black, 
 and sparkling eyes, wet with tears, and her tremulous 
 lips murmuring a prayer with such an expression of 
 innocence and faith that I was enraptured. On per- 
 ceiving that she was observed she blushed a little, 
 rose up, and, somewhat confused, went to her com- 
 panion, and both left the place. They entered a 
 modest carriage waiting at the gate, and rapidly dis- 
 appeared from my sight. 
 
 I remained almost motionless, and without breath- 
 ing : a sharp thrill passed through my heart, and a 
 new, mighty sentiment overwhelmed me. Why so ? 
 I had seen many beautiful young ladies in Rome ; 
 and in Bologna, frequenting the brilliant society there 
 during the last two years, I had come in contact 
 with all the most prominent beauties of that city. 
 I admired them, and no more. Now a blooming 
 girl, whom I saw but a moment, and for the first time, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 191 
 
 had created quite a storm of passion in my heart. 
 Who was she, that fair magician, who had excited in 
 me the strongest sentiment of Hfe among the dwell- 
 ings of death? This was another question, which 
 remained also unanswered. I went straight to the 
 marble block ; but it was only the base of a little 
 monument, which had not yet been placed upon it, 
 and so there was no name ! 
 
 I could not sleep at all that night. I rose at dawn ; 
 and, taking with me a favorite collection of Italian 
 poems, I went to breathe the cool morning air at the 
 Montognola, a very fine public promenade. I walked 
 up and down with agitated steps ; and then, sitting on 
 a marble bench, I opened my little book. The first 
 passages which came under my eyes were the two 
 last stanzas of a popular serenade : 
 
 " Dissi, tengo nel core 
 Ascosa piaga acerba 
 Con qualche medic' erba 
 Sanami per pieta. 
 
 " Rise il buon vecchio, e disse : 
 Fuggi Colei che adori 
 Erbe per te migliori 
 Alfesibeo non ha." 
 
 The sense of this poem, which suggested a sudden 
 flight as a cure for love-sickness, struck me at that 
 moment, because always before, when I read from 
 Tasso how Tancredi fell desperately in love with Clo- 
 rinda, having seen her only for a moment, and know- 
 ing nothing about her, I used to consider it rather 
 ridiculous. Was not I now in the same case ? 
 
 I therefore took a sudden resolution to leave Bo- 
 logna that very day. In fact, I spent the night at 
 
192 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Imola, twenty-two miles south of Bologna, and after- 
 wards proceeded to Rimini, where my brother Henry 
 lived. I stopped there a few days, on account of 
 some business concerning " Young Italy." On the 
 evening of my arrival, and before retiring to sleep, I 
 told my brother that I wanted to get up early the 
 next morning, for I had an engagement. 
 
 " Well," said he, " I also have promised to see a 
 person to-morrow morning at an early hour." 
 
 " I fancy," said I, jestingly, " that you will not go 
 alone to the place, — Love will probably guide you." 
 
 " Very likely," replied he ; "I never found him a 
 bad companion. But tell me if Jio has not played you 
 some trick in Bologna, for you have a rather senti- 
 mental air." 
 
 I told him my story; and he found my conduct 
 very prudent, nay, too prudent at my age. 
 
 Next* morning, at five o'clock, I entered the place 
 where I was to meet some fellow-laborers of " Young 
 Italy," who had requested my attendance at- an im- 
 portant convention ; and there I found my brother. 
 Great was our mutual pleasure at this meeting, and 
 I confess that afterwards I loved him a great deal 
 better than before. He was only one year younger 
 than I, but his progress in his studies had been less 
 rapid than mine, and he had chosen another profes- 
 sion, so that we were almost constantly separated 
 from our childhood. Such was the case even with 
 our youngest brother, who was then at Ravenna ; but 
 afterwards I discovered that he also had grown up a 
 warm-hearted patriot. " They are from a good stock," 
 remarked my father to a gentleman, pointing out the 
 uniformity of our tendencies, notwithstanding the 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 193 
 
 difference of the circumstances in which we had been 
 brought up. 
 
 When I reached Rome, after a few days, my mother 
 was quite alarmed at my sentimental look. " Some- 
 thing has happened to you," said she ; and I answered 
 that, when in the Campo Santo of Bologna, a spirit, in 
 a bodily form, had made its appearance before me. 
 17 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 A FIRST LOVE. 
 
 My vacation was not so happy as those of the pre- 
 ceding years ; the surveillance of the police annoyed 
 me a great deal ; some of my friends were thrown 
 into prison, and some were sent into exile ; my former 
 amusements had lost their attraction, and serious 
 thoughts occupied my mind. Had the apparition at 
 the Campo Santo of Bologna any part in the change 
 in my feelings ? I cannot say no, although I was not 
 then disposed to confess it even to myself, for I tried 
 to forget it, and I thought I was able to do so. I 
 must return to Bologna to finish my course, and I 
 started a little earlier than usual, alleging, however, 
 many good reasons for it to myself as well as to my 
 family. 
 
 The vetturino had agreed to take me to Bologna by 
 the 30th of October; but, owing to an accident we 
 met with on the I'oad, I arrived there only on the 
 afternoon of the 1st of November, which is a great 
 holiday in the papal church. The ancient Romans, 
 besides erecting a temple to each one of their princi- 
 pal gods, had the Pantheon consecrated to all the 
 gods ; they offered their sacrifices annually in all the 
 different temples, and a general sacrifice to all the 
 gods concluded the religious festivals of the year. 
 
 (194) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 195 
 
 The " Pontifex Maximus " preserved, of course, this 
 ancient custom, when the actual religious system was 
 introduced during the darkness of the middle ages. 
 So that a great general feast is held each year in 
 honor of all the saints who are not conspicuous 
 enough to deserve a particular holiday. The first of 
 November was fixed for that important ceremony, 
 destined to propitiate the immense host of those 
 nameless saints. 
 
 The ancient Romans had also annual sacrifices and 
 purifications for all the dead, over which the goddess 
 Februa presided; and this ceremony has also been 
 preserved and adopted by the papal church, fixing the 
 second day of November for its celebration. So that, 
 as soon as the afternoon service in the honor of All 
 Saints is over, the performing priests take ofi" their 
 gay festival dress, and put on a black dress, in order to 
 sing the " first vespers of the dead ; "' for at every 
 great feast there must be the singing of "first ves- 
 pers " in the preceding evening, the solemn mass in 
 the morning, and the " benediction '^ in the afternoon. 
 
 I arrived at Bologna in season to attend the "first 
 vespers of the dead " at the Campo Santo, which, on 
 such an occasion, presents a very brilliant and amus- 
 ing scene, as it is the resort of all the gay world of 
 Bologna. I dressed myself in haste, and went there at 
 an early hour for the ceremony : it was five o'clock 
 when I entered the gate of the Campo Santo. I con- 
 fess that on crossing it I experienced an indefinable 
 thrill, and my heart beat in a rapid manner; and 
 behold! the first object I met was the "fair young 
 magician" of four months before, attended by the 
 same old lady, and in the act of leaving the place. 
 
196 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 They evidently had performed a pious duty, and now 
 withdrew from the crowd of the gay world. 
 
 I met them face to face. I do not know what be- 
 came of me ; but the young lady blushed, then turned 
 rapidly pale, casting down her beautiful eyes. I 
 almost unconsciously followed them at some distance; 
 but lo ! the fatal carriage was at the gate to take them 
 away. The young lady slipped in with a quick and 
 graceful movement, giving a short and furtive glance 
 towards the place where I was. No one else would 
 have perceived it, but I saw the glance, and it was for 
 me an eloquent manifestation. She was aware of the 
 impression which she had made upon me, and was glad 
 of it. Perhaps I was not as entirely unknown to her 
 as she was to me. 
 
 I went directly to the place where I first saw her 
 kneeling in prayer. The marble block now supported 
 a small basso rilievo, which represented a little Love 
 weeping, and there was an inscription in honor of a 
 young lady of "incomparable modesty and beauty,'' 
 who died at nineteen. Many flowers had been scat- 
 tered around the monument, and a large crown of 
 flowers was upon it, exhibiting, as in mosaic, the motto, 
 "Nonti scordar di me che son la tua cara sorella" 
 (Do not forget me : I am thy dear sister). Now I had 
 sufficient indication to find out the abode of this 
 " dear sister," and I felt exceedingly anxious to obtain 
 her love ; nay, I reproached myself for my former 
 heartless determination to forget her. In this new train 
 of thought, I crossed several squares of the Campo 
 Santo, taking but little notice of what was passing 
 around me, and went out by the principal gate. There 
 I found a poor child, perhaps ten years old, playing 
 on a little harp to obtain some trifle from the passers- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 197 
 
 by. Thinking but little of what befitted the place, 
 the little urchin sang a popular love-song with the 
 burden, — 
 
 '' Pu6 scordarsi ogni altro amore ; 
 
 Ma non pud non pud giammai 
 
 II primiero uscir dal core." 
 
 That is, " We are able to forget every other love ; 
 but the first one cannot, cannot at all, go out from our 
 heart.'^ 
 
 " True, indeed ! " exclaimed I, in a fit of passion ; 
 and, by a gift of twenty cents, I made him the happi- 
 est boy in the world. 
 
 Next morning I called on a banking firm, to whom 
 I had a note from a banker of Rome, requesting that 
 they would pay me a monthly sum which my fa- 
 ther had arranged to pay to him, as is customary in 
 Italy. The paying teller read the note, and inquired 
 if I was a nephew of Dr. Vincenzo ; and, hearing that 
 I was, he said, " It is well. He is a friend of mine ; and, 
 being at my house last evening, we had a long talk 
 about you, for he knew that you had arrived here, 
 because my daughter saw you yesterday at the Campo 
 Santo. If you call at my house this evening, you will 
 hear some good music, and gratify me." 
 
 This invitation, though earnestly and kindly ten- 
 dered, gave me no pleasure, because I wished to spend 
 the evening otherwise. I accepted it, however, from 
 politeness. The first piece of music had just been 
 performed when I went there. A servant introduced 
 me to the company, by announcing my name in a loud 
 manner, as they do in Italy. Soon after, another per- 
 formance was announced. " It is the damsel of the 
 house, who will play on the harp and sing/' said a 
 gentleman of my acquaintance who stood near me. 
 17* 
 
198 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 The performance met with great approbation in the 
 saloon, and really deserved it. I advanced among the 
 crowd of hearers to present my compliments to the 
 young lady, whom I discovered to be the fair one of the 
 Campo Santo. Being overwhelmed by that unexpected 
 sight, I was for a moment unable to say a word. But 
 she was on her guard, having heard my name an- 
 nounced, and immediately relieved me by saying that 
 she was happy to see me, and knew me by name and 
 by sight. She spoke with apparent ease, but often 
 changed color. After a short conversation, a dance 
 was called, and she was my partner ; she then took my 
 arm for a little walk through the apartment and to the 
 refrer5hment room. We had much talk together that 
 evening ; but not a word of love was spoken, nor the 
 least allusion made to our double meeting at the 
 Campo Santo. However, we perfectly understood 
 each other, and I left the house feeling that my love 
 for her was boundless, and also fully returned. 
 
 Next day, about twelve o'clock, I went to pay a visit 
 to the lady of the house, and offer my thanks to her. 
 She received me with great kindness ; but the young 
 lady was not there, and not a word was said of her. 
 " Miss Enrichetta is an able performer on the harp," 
 said I, after a little while ; and the lady coolly observed 
 she did not like that instrument. I took my leave, 
 greatly disappointed, having failed in the main object 
 of my visit ; but I had gone only a few steps from the 
 house, when I met a waiting-maid whom I had seen 
 there the last evening. I saluted her politely, and we 
 were soon engaged in close conversation, because 
 waiting-maids generally are a communicative people, 
 and never look cross on young gentlemen. From 
 her I learned that the lady was a stepmother, and 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 199 
 
 the young lady lived with her grandmother, who was 
 now at a villa not far from the city. 
 
 Knowledge of music is a common thing with the 
 Italians, and 'I also knew a little of it. I dared not, 
 of course, expose myself with my flute in broad day- 
 light; but, during a serene moonlight, I sometimes 
 consented to go on a serenade with some friends. 
 Now I requested several of them to come^ with me 
 for the same purpose ; and, two hours after midnight, 
 on the 5th of November, a sudden performance of 
 instrumental and vocal music broke the solemn silence 
 and awoke the inhabitants of that villa. We could 
 neither see nor hear anything stirring within. The 
 serenad^ concluded with a piece from "Norma" of 
 Bellini, where are the words, — 
 
 " Vieni in Roma vieni, vieni, o cara ! 
 Dove amore e gioja e vita 
 Innebrieran nostr' alme a gara 
 Vieni in Roma, vieni, o cara ! " 
 
 Which means, " Come to Rome, do come, dear one ; 
 there love, joy, and life, shall intoxicate our souls ; do 
 come, dear one ! " 
 
 At this we left, I, of course, being last ; and, turn- 
 ing my head to the locked windows of the silent 
 house, I saw something drop from between two slats 
 of the blinds, and fall gently to the ground. I rushed 
 to take it, and no one perceived what had happened. 
 It was two little flowers, — the one red, and the other 
 white, bound tightly together with a green ribbon. 
 Their meaning was, love and faithfulness united by 
 hope. 
 
 A few days after, a regular correspondence had 
 been established between 'Enrichetta and myself, to 
 
200 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 the great satisfaction of her relatives as well as of 
 my uncle, who by chance had formerly given some 
 hints to the father of Enrichetta that I would be a 
 good match for her. So the beginning was exceed- 
 ingly happy ; nay, too happy, alas ! making more sen- 
 sible the sad end. 
 
 Enrichetta was then sixteen years old. She was 
 not endowed with extraordinary beauty: her charm 
 was that her soul appeared in her face, and beautiful 
 was that soul. She was able to dance, to play on the 
 harp, and to sing ; but her literary education had been 
 entirely neglected, and few and confused were the 
 ideas she had on religious matters. She felt more 
 than she reasoned, but she had much natural good 
 sense, and her feelings were exquisite. A marriage 
 was in contemplation between us, but at a distant time, 
 that she might strengthen her delicate frame, and that 
 I might reach an independent position in society. In 
 the mean time I undertook to educate her, and won- 
 derful was the progress she made in a short time. 
 
 I did not neglect my studies at the university; nay, 
 I went through them more earnestly than before, being 
 intensely anxious soon to obtain an independent posi- 
 tion. I devoted to study the whole of the day ; and, 
 during the evening, I went to see Enrichetta, who 
 was constantly with her grandmother, a very amiable 
 old lady. Sometimes we went together to take a 
 walk, to visit a friend, or to partake of amusement ; 
 but we more frequently remained at home, and two or 
 three hours swiftly elapsed in a pleasant and instruc- 
 tive conversation. She was charmed, above all, with 
 my religious views, and the old lady was also greatly 
 interested in them. It was to them a revelation of 
 new ideas generating new feelings, which they cher- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 201 
 
 ished instead of the false insinuations and coarse im- 
 positions of the papal priests, against which their good 
 sense had often revolted. 
 
 In teaching Enrichetta, I experienced a great im- 
 provement myself. I felt that she was a great deal 
 better than I, and was therefore anxious to amelio- 
 rate and purify my own soul. But she was improving 
 every day : instruction and love gave a sublime eleva- 
 tion to her innocent mind. She loved with the ardent 
 passion of an Italian ; but there was such purity, lofti- 
 ness, and modesty in her feelings, countenance, and 
 behavior, that I could not help feeling for her a cer- 
 tain mysterious respect, and I often repeated to myself, 
 " No man is able to love as she does." She was able 
 to read to the bottom of my heart, and perceived that 
 there was something I kept secret from her ; but she 
 dared not make any inquiry. One evening, however, 
 the news having arrived that five young gentlemen 
 had been imprisoned in Rome and would be put to 
 death for being members of " Young Italy," she tim- 
 idly inquired if I belonged to that society. 
 
 " You are in a state of alarm this evening," said I, 
 " and your good sense abandons you for the moment : 
 otherwise you would not have asked such a question, 
 because you cannot expect from me any but a neg- 
 ative answer, which will not dispel your doubts, for, 
 if such were the case, I would not certainly debase 
 myself in your eyes by breaking a solemn promise of 
 absolute silence." 
 
 " You are right," she replied ; " but keep it in your 
 mind that I love Italy as much as you do, and there is 
 no sacrifice which I would refuse for her." She spoke 
 with a firm and resolute voice, fixing upon me the sig- 
 nificant glance of her sparkling eyes ; but a red and 
 
202 Til!'] ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 almost livid spot appeared on her cheeks, showing an 
 internal struggle too great for her physical strength. 
 
 Eight months elapsed too rapidly for us. I was 
 created doctor both of civil and canon law, and deter- 
 mined to return home to complete my practical stud- 
 ies, and afterwards to open my office as a lawyer. It 
 was arranged that, on the next and the following year, 
 I should spend the months of September and October 
 — that is, the time of the vacations — in Bologna; 
 and that our marriage should take place in the Sep- 
 tember of the third year. I therefore departed from 
 Bologna, and went to Ravenna, where my father had 
 requested me by letter to meet him, having some 
 family concerns which he wished to communicate to 
 me. 
 
CHAPTER XXYI. 
 
 A BAD JOURNEY. 
 
 ^'I AM sorry I have bad news for you," said my 
 father, when I met him in Ravenna. He then ex- 
 plained to me that his patrimony had been greatly 
 diminished by many misfortunes as well as extraordi- 
 nary expenses; and that, for this reason, he was 
 forced to give up his house in Rome, and retire with 
 the family to a country-seat which he had inherited 
 from his mother, together with two farms' adjoining, 
 under good cultivation. " I have set apart," said he, 
 ^^ a sufficient fund to complete the education of your 
 two brothers, and enable them to enter upon the pro- 
 fessions which they have chosen. As for you, who are 
 the eldest son, I will give you the absolute manage- 
 ment of the house, and the remainder of my fortune. 
 You shall marry and become the head of our family." 
 
 This arrangement was in accordance with the cus- 
 toms of Italy, and, eight months before, I should per- 
 haps have subscribed to it without any difficulty ; but 
 now I objected that, by giving up my intended pro- 
 fession and bringing a wife into the house, I should 
 not improve the economical condition of the family. 
 
 ^^I have thought of that," answered my father. 
 " Here in Ravenna there is an old friend of mine — a 
 gentleman of fortune — who has an only daughter ; 
 
 (203) 
 
204 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 and he agrees to marry her to you, giving her a large 
 portion. We went to see her some days ago at the 
 convent, where she resides for her education. I found 
 her to be a stout young lady, with a happy face and 
 rosy cheeks; and she was very glad to hear that 
 her father had chosen for her a worthy young gentle- 
 man." 
 
 " All right," interrupted I ; " but, in the first place, 
 I do not like to marry a lady of fortune, for I want 
 a tender companion and not a lofty mistress. Sec- 
 ondly, I do not like young ladies brought up in con- 
 vents, for generally they are hypocritical. And, 
 besides, I am not fond of fat and stupid-looking girls. 
 Finally, I am in love with a young lady in Bologna." 
 
 ^^ That is enough," interrupted my father ; " and, by 
 putting this last reason first, you might have spared 
 the others." 
 
 In fact, he was too reasonable a man and too afiec- 
 tionate a father to think of imposing any kind of sac- 
 rifice upon me, especially as he had himself married 
 according to his own inclination, giving up the ad- 
 vantage of being united to a lady of fortune. " Let 
 us speak no more of it," added he ; " but remember 
 that the present state of my fortune does not allow 
 me to help you as much as I wish. All that I am 
 able to do is to pay you the usual monthly income for 
 two years more." 
 
 '^ That is all I want," answered I. 
 
 I met in Ravenna one of my former school-fellows, 
 somewhat older than I, who had chosen for himself a 
 seafaring life. He commanded a schooner of his own, 
 going to and fro between Ravenna and Venice, — a 
 sail of five hours in good weather. 
 
 '^ I will take you to Venice and bring you back, only 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 205 
 
 for the pleasure of your company/^ said the young 
 captain. 
 
 I informed him that it was impossible for me to 
 get a passport for Venice. 
 
 " Never mind/' said he ; " all the hands on board 
 are trustworthy fellows, and I can land you there in 
 spite of the police ; and, provided you come on board 
 after dusk for the night, they will not be able to dis- 
 cover you." 
 
 I yielded to the temptation of seeing Venice, which, 
 next to Rome, had the greatest attraction for me. 
 
 I had been five days in Venice, and had already seen 
 a few of the most prominent objects which she pre- 
 sents, when, toward dusk, sitting in the cofi*ee-house 
 called Floriano, a magnificent establishment, on the 
 Square of St. Mark, a gentleman took a seat near me 
 and politely saluted me. I answered by bowing my 
 head, and, taking up from the table a newspaper, I 
 began to read attentively. The gentleman must have 
 understood that I did not wish to enter into any con- 
 versation with him ; but he persisted in his attempts, 
 and finally inquired if I was a native of Venice. I 
 made a gesture, expressing that his persistence an- 
 noyed me. At this, instead of being disconcerted, 
 the gentleman familiarly grasped my arm, and whis- 
 pered in my ear those eloquent words, " You must go 
 with me to the office of the police." At the door of 
 the coffee-house were four policemen in disguise, who 
 took me under their care. They lodged me in a 
 prison, after having minutely inspected the whole of 
 my clothing and taken away my pocket-book, purse, 
 watch, and a miniature of my lady-love. 
 
 On the third day after my imprisonment, I was 
 brought before a kind of judge of police ; he was a 
 18 
 
206 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 frowning German, whose appearance was as bad as 
 his employment. He had before him all the objects 
 which they had taken from me, including my passport, 
 good only for internal circulation in the Roman State, 
 and exhibiting the last signature of the police of Bo- 
 logna, "Yisto buono per (good for) Ravenna." After 
 many trifling interrogations, the commissary of police 
 inquired why and for what purpose I had intruded 
 myself into Venice without a regular passport. I 
 answered that I had applied in vain for a passport, 
 but had yielded to my great desire of seeing Yenice, 
 and that this was my only object. 
 
 " It may be," observed the commissary ; " nay, all 
 the information I have obtained about you seems to 
 confirm your statement. I will therefore pardon you 
 as to any punishment concerning the passport law; 
 but I cannot avoid sending you by corrispondenza 
 to the boundaries of your own State." 
 
 There was not ready a sufficient number of compan- 
 ions to send me with, and I was kept five days more 
 in confinement. At length I was taken out from the 
 prison. A cartman, with a poor horse and a miserable 
 two-wheeled car, was ready at the door. Iron chains 
 were put on my hands, and I was fastened to the car 
 with a rope. There were already seven criminals in 
 the car, three of whom were ruffians to be restored to 
 the papal government, and the others were thieves, 
 already condemned, and now going to the galleys. 
 Of course such a company was not congenial to my 
 disposition, nor did they like my presence any better. 
 The contrast between us was very striking. I was a 
 youth of delicate frame, light complexion, fashionably 
 dressed, and brought up with refined feelings and 
 manners; they, on the contrary, were strong men. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 207 
 
 of savage looks, coarse appearance both in manners 
 and dress, and inured to crime. 
 
 The car crossed the lagoon upon a boat, and then 
 proceeded to Ponte-Lago-scuro, where we arrived on 
 the second day. I need not say that during the 
 journey my moral and physical sufferings were dread- 
 ful. The sun caused me a severe headache ; my face 
 was burnt, and my hands were much hurt both by the 
 chains and the intense heat. I was delivered up to 
 the papal commissary, to whom had been previously 
 sent all the articles taken from me ; and I was then 
 permitted to travel freely to Ravenna, because for 
 that place I had a regular passport. My father was 
 stni there, and in great anxiety, because he had heard 
 of my imprisonment, and suspected it to be from a 
 more serious cause. 
 
 I started with my father for Rome ; but, passing 
 through Fuligno, I met a party of friends, who pre- 
 vailed on me to make, along with them, a pedestrian 
 excursion to Assisi, and then to Perugia. I went to 
 the police and obtained on my passport a new signa- 
 ture, — " Yisto buono per (good for) Perugia.'' 
 
 Assisi is a pretty little town, only ten miles west of 
 Fuligno, and owes its renown to St. Francis (San Fran- 
 cesco D'Assisi), who was born there, and has now a 
 magnificent cathedral, where his bones are visited and 
 worshipped by pilgrims. I confess, however, that this 
 was not the reason why we were attracted to the 
 place. We wished to see the frescoes of the cathe- 
 dral, painted by Cimabue and Giotto, the illustrious 
 founders of the modern school of painting. 
 
 Time has done some injury to those frescoes, but 
 their brilliant and vivid colors are untouched, to defy 
 the imitation of modern art. Their subjects are taken 
 
208 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 from the life and pretended miracles of the patron 
 saint. We admired the work, without sympathizing 
 with the object. St. Francis of Assisi, it will be 
 remembered, laid the foundation of the " begging 
 friars," — a sect which rapidly spread throughout all 
 Europe, like a plague. They profess the general doc- 
 trine of the papal church, that it is a great sin against 
 the Holy Ghost to pretend to save ourselves without 
 merits; and the highest merit for them consists in 
 leading an idle life in comfortable convents, and beg- 
 ging from door to door for their support. Unfortu- 
 nately, there are in every country a great many pol- 
 troons, who prefer such a life to honest labor ; and, 
 where they are not prevented by laws or public opin- 
 ion, but, on the contrary, are praised and promised 
 paradise by a false system of religion, they will be 
 constantly numerous, and exercise a dreadful influ- 
 ence in corrupting the morals and perverting the 
 ideas of the common people. 
 
 From Assisi I went with my friends to Perugia, a 
 beautiful city, which occupies tlie summit of a large 
 hill covered with olive-trees, and overlooking an ex- 
 tensive plain, and smaller hills of charming beauty. 
 At the foot of the hill we crossed the Tiber, here a 
 small stream, and the first object we met was a for- 
 tress, erected in such a manner that it was of no use 
 except against the city. In fact, there was an inscrip- 
 tion upon the principal gate showing the object of it 
 by the Latin words, " Ad compescendos feroces Peru- 
 ginorum mores ; " and the history of its erection was 
 this : Perugia being constantly restless under the 
 yoke which the popes often attempted to impose upon 
 her, one of them, Paul the Third, requested the mu- 
 nicipal authority to grant him some vacant ground, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 209 
 
 that he might erect a hospital for the poor of the city 
 at his own expense ; and then managed the erection 
 so well that the inhabitants perceived he had made a 
 fortress instead, when the demolition of an external 
 masking wall discovered to them the cannon levelled 
 against their houses. 
 
 As my friends and myself entered the gate of the 
 city near the fortress, a sentinel ordered us to stop, 
 and a police officer came forward, requesting us to 
 exhibit our passports. I put my hand into my pocket 
 to take out my pocket-book; but, to my great surprise 
 and distress, I found that it was missing, with the 
 passport within. I told this to the officer, adding that 
 I thought I had been robbed of it when visiting the 
 subterranean chapel in the cathedral of Assisi, and 
 my friends testified to their having seen my passport 
 before that moment. The officer conveyed me to a 
 prison in the fortress, sending, at the same time, a 
 report of the occurrence to the police office, and men- 
 tioning that I was with a party of young men from 
 Fuligno, two of whom were known to him as sus- 
 picious characters in politics. 
 
 Perugia is exceedingly interesting in its monu- 
 ments, and especially in the fine arts. There Raphael 
 went to school, and, when ten years old, furtively 
 painted the head of his great teacher, Pietr5 Peru- 
 gino, who, discovering it, said, " This boy will become 
 the greatest painter in the world." But my greatest 
 attraction in that city was, that in the evening the 
 sister of my friend Mattia was to ofi'er an entertain- 
 ment of extemporaneous poetry, for she was an im- 
 provisatrice, and I wished to be present to hear as 
 well as to encourage her. But there was no remedy, 
 and I spent the night in a dungeon. Next morning, 
 18* 
 
210 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 however, by a gift of five dollars, I obtained the privi- 
 lege of being brought immediately before the director 
 of police. 
 
 He told me that^ I could get out of the scrape, and 
 avoid being sent to Rome by corrispondenza, if there 
 were in the city two gentlemen of high respectability 
 who would bear testimony that they knew me to be a 
 young man whose oath might be relied upon. I imme- 
 diately named two friars, of uncommon learning and 
 virtue. They came at once, and caused my release ; 
 a paper being given to me that I might reach Rome 
 unmolested. My acquaintance with those friars, and 
 their readiness to help me, proceeded from the fact 
 that they belonged to " Young Italy." I started for 
 Rome, and reached it happily after this bad journey. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE YOUNG LAWYER. 
 
 My family left Rome a few days after my ^return to 
 that city, and I remained there in the condition of a 
 student. Extensive and comfortable boarding-houses 
 are not kiiown in Rome. Those who have no home 
 are accommodated by some private family, or they 
 hire a furnished apartment, and take their meals at the 
 restaurants and coffee-houses. Not liking either of 
 these modes of living, I preferred to take a small 
 house, which I furnished from the large one which my 
 father gave up. A young sister of mine chose to 
 remain with me, to keep my house, and accomplish her 
 education under my direction. As she was a smart 
 housekeeper, we were able to get on quite well, in 
 spite of our very small income. 
 
 To pursue the practical course prescribed by the 
 law, I sought admission into the office of a distin- 
 guished lawyer, who was also a lecturer at the uni- 
 versity. He was a narrow-minded man, both in 
 politics and in religious matters ; but he was thor- 
 oughly honest, charitable to the poor, and a practical 
 lover of justice in all his public and private inter- 
 course. For that reason I chose him, for I was 
 convinced that in such a profession great is the 
 facility of doing wrong with impunity, and dreadful 
 
 (211) 
 
212 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 are the consequences of its abuses. A lawyer, with 
 equal facility, will be the best as well as the worst 
 man in society. 
 
 In that study were about twenty young doctors of 
 law, all for the purpose of pursuing their practical 
 course : none of them were paid except one acting 
 as their chief, and constantly engaged in helping the 
 lawyer. The most common exercise in which we 
 were engaged was to take notes of the cases and 
 opinions as they were exposed by the lawyer, and to 
 seek for a law, a decision of the superior tribunal, or 
 a passage of an esteemed author bearing upon them. 
 Sometimes the lawyer gave some one of us a bundle 
 of papers and deeds concerning a trial or suit, to be 
 thoroughly examined, and, after some days, he held a 
 discussion upon it, and charged the pupil to prepare a 
 defence in writing for that case. 
 
 I set myself to work with all the earnestness of a 
 young man of active mind and firm will, who has 
 before him the prospect of great happiness, to be ob- 
 tained by his success. My efforts attracted the atten- 
 tion of the lawyer, and, after nine months, his assistant 
 having completed his course and resigned the place, I 
 obtained it, though I was the last comer among the 
 twenty pupils of that lawyer. It was with the tidings 
 of so promising a commencement that I went to spend 
 my vacation in Bologna. There I completed my prac- 
 tical course of two years from the epoch of my licen- 
 tiate-at-law, prescribed to those who intend to be 
 admitted at the bar in the character of attorneys ('pro- 
 curatori)^ — a class lower than lawyers (avvocati). 
 
 On my return to Rome I sought for admission to 
 the bar as an attorney, without, however, interrupt- 
 ing my course of five years from the epoch of my 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 213 
 
 doctorate, required for those who wish to practise 
 before the superior ecclesiastical tribunals. A short 
 time after this I was admitted as a pleading lawyer 
 before the criminal courts, which are deemed less im- 
 portant than the others by the pope. 
 
 The chancellor of the criminal court, called of the 
 Capitole, informed me that my assistance had been 
 immediately requested by a prisoner. I went to take 
 a copy of the documents of the trial, and was shocked 
 on seeing that there was no opportunity for the action 
 of a lawyer, and that I was to appear before the court 
 for the first time with a desperate case. The prisoner, 
 twenty-two years old, and a shoemaker by trade, was 
 accused, and fully proved guilty, of having stabbed to 
 death an officer of the government, who was quietly 
 walking in the street, in broad daylight, and in the 
 presence of a crowd of people. But to decline the 
 request would be against the principle of honor which 
 prevails among lawyers. 
 
 I asked permission to converse with the prisoner, 
 and it was granted. He was known to me, and I had 
 thought him to be an honest, laborious, and good- 
 hearted fellow; but he confessed that he had com- 
 mitted the crime with deliberate intention. I then 
 inquired for the reason of that resolution, when the 
 young man, blushing, sobbing, and trembling with 
 anger, told me a sad history. He was acquainted, too 
 intimately, perhaps, with a beautiful young girl whom 
 he had intended to marry ; but, as she had excited his 
 jealousy by suspicious conduct, he broke his con- 
 nection with her. She seemed but little shocked by 
 this event. Some days had elapsed, when the curate 
 called on the young man, and, after a short preamble 
 concerning the state of the young girl, told him he 
 
214 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 must marry her immediately ; and that, if he did not, 
 he should be condemned to a heavy punishment. The 
 young man yielded, because, notwithstanding, his sus- 
 picions, his conscience did not absolve him. 
 
 The young man now redoubled his activity, in order 
 to earn the means for the support of his wife, and of 
 a pretty child which soon came to augment his family, 
 so that he generally left the shop at a late hour in the 
 evening. But one day, not feeling well, he went home 
 earlier than usual, and found at the door of his house, 
 in a dark and narrow street, an officer of the govern- 
 ment, with whom he was slightly acquainted. This 
 officer addressed him by saying that he was there 
 waiting for him, because he had something important 
 to communicate ; and he drew the young man a little 
 beyond the house, so as to speak more freely. At 
 this the young man heard a slight noise behind him, 
 and, turning suddenly, saw a person clad in priestly 
 dress flying with light steps from the door of his 
 house. 
 
 An altercation, of course, took place between the 
 young man and the officer, who pretended to know 
 nothing about the runaway priest. The woman ex- 
 plained it by saying that he was a pious prelate, 
 visiting the houses of the poor, to afford relief and 
 consolation. Peace was restored, but without mutual 
 confidence. Fifteen days had elapsed from this event, 
 when the shoemaker, going home in the evening, 
 found the entrance of the street in which he lived 
 besieged by soldiers, who allowed no one to pass 
 through. He tried to get home by the opposite open- 
 ing of the street, but found the same obstacle there. 
 Finally, a carriage came out from the street, and, soon 
 after, the soldiers left the place under the direction of 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 215 
 
 the said officer. This mysterious affair excited much 
 gossip, and caused a very bad state of mind in the 
 shoemaker, who gave it vent by abusing and beating 
 his wife. 
 
 Next evening, as he entered the door of his house, 
 he was seized by some soldiers, who put manacles on 
 his hands, and brought him to prison. The same offi- 
 cer was there, and entered the house. The prisoner 
 was taken to the public prison, and kept among 
 thieves and criminals of every kind during five 
 months. He was never interrogated, and saw no one 
 but the jailer, who, after that period, set him free, and 
 told him to go home. Near to his house he met an 
 old woman, living opposite to him, who gave him 
 such information of what had transpired during the 
 period of his imprisonment as to make him shudder 
 with jealous fury. His wife was evidently prepared 
 to receive him. A good dinner was ready, and all 
 looked comfortable in the house. He seized a knife, 
 and made a rush on her. She sheltered herself with 
 the child, and cried for mercy. He suddenly left the 
 house again, and, meeting the officer in a neighboring 
 street, gave him a blow which resulted in his death 
 five days after. 
 
 The same day on which I went to speak to the 
 prisoner, a post-mortem examination was to be held 
 on the body of the murdered man. I had a right to 
 attend it, and went in. Criminal laws in Italy, where 
 there is no question of politics or religion, are gener- 
 ally good. They do not punish the intent, but the 
 act, and take the measure of the intention from the 
 effect. In every case the first inquiry is, whether a 
 crime has been committed, and then whether the 
 accused has committed it ; finally, whether the author 
 
216 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 is responsible to human justice, and to what degree. 
 Under a law enacting these principles, it was not a 
 difficult task for me to save the culprit from capital 
 punishment ; but I wished to obtain something more 
 than this. 
 
 After an exact search made upon the corpse to 
 ascertain that there was no external wound but that 
 which was supposed to have caused the death, the 
 surgeon opened the chest, tracing the wound to the 
 internal cavity where it had penetrated, and then 
 declared that it was sufficient to produce death, with- 
 out any other cause. 
 
 " Well," said I, " but this does not exclude the pos- 
 sibility of there having been some other cause, — for 
 instance, a poison." At this the surgeon opened the 
 stomach, when I saw something of a white color, in a 
 state of imperfect digestion ; and I said, " Here is the 
 poison." 
 
 The surgeon observed that it was only the "holy 
 wafer " administered to the man in his last hour ; and 
 this was clear even to me ; but, being then in a funny 
 humor, I said, " It cannot be, because, according to 
 the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, the bread 
 used for the communion is '■ transubstantiated ' into 
 the true blood and flesh of our Lord, and becomes 
 food for the soul, instead of undergoing the natural 
 process of digestion in the body." 
 
 At this a professor of chemistry was called in, and, 
 after a regular analysis, he declared that it was noth- 
 ing but a small compound of farina and water, now in 
 a state of imperfect digestion. Thus the affair ended 
 for the moment, but afterwards it caused me a serious 
 persecution. 
 
 The case was in a short time brought before the 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 217 
 
 court, and I perceived that there was some high per- 
 sonage urging the matter, and anxious to have the 
 culprit condemned, at least to imprisonment for life. 
 In fact, the prosecuting officer charged him with a 
 cold-blooded murder, committed for political purposes, 
 and from hatred to the government. 
 
 Though the culprit confessed to have given the 
 blow, and I did not deny it, many witnesses were in- 
 troduced to prove the fact and identify the prisoner. 
 I began my defence by excluding the pretended politi- 
 cal character of the crime, and went on to prove that 
 a jealous fury, excited by the circumstances above 
 related, had led my client to the desperate deed. I 
 dwelt long on this, to show that there had been a high 
 degree of provocation. But, for the interest of my 
 client, I charged the murdered man with those crimi- 
 nal actions in which he evidently had been only the 
 base accomplice of a more guilty one, whom I never 
 mentioned. I succeeded in proving my case against 
 the one now dead ; but the other was living, and 
 occupying an office of great dignity and power, and I 
 had, therefore, no hope of being able to convict him. 
 The culprit was condemned to ten years of simple 
 imprisonment, and much credit was given to me for 
 the defence. 
 
 19 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 AN UNJUST ACT OF JUSTICE. 
 
 A SHORT time after my first admission at the Roman 
 bar, much excitement was produced by a very extra- 
 ordinary event. Monsignor Abbo, a prelate, and a 
 great favorite of Cardinal Lambruschini, the premier 
 of the pope, was deprived of all his privileges, and 
 degraded to the rank of a layman, by a papal bull ; 
 and then he was tried, convicted, sentenced, and exe- 
 cuted under the rule of the common law. It was of 
 course despotic and unjust for the pope to make a law 
 correcting a system of injustice, in order to meet a 
 particular case. In fact, a priest, and much more a 
 prelate, enjoys the privilege of being punished in a 
 less degree than a layman for the same crime, and can- 
 not be put to death ; so that, to deprive a man of the 
 privilege of his caste, and make him subject to a new 
 and more severe law after the perpetration of crime, 
 is in itself a bad thing. 
 
 The pope was moved less by the enormity of the 
 crimes committed by that prelate than by the public 
 murmuring, and by the necessity of afi*ording some 
 tremendous example ; for the crimes of the ecclesias- 
 tics were unusually numerous, and of such a character 
 as to prove the deepest corruption and a total absence 
 of religious faith. Impunity had made them regard- 
 
 (218) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 219 
 
 less and audacious. But this was not the whole, for 
 the evil lay in the root of the tree. The pope himself 
 was well known to be drunk every evening, and to be 
 kept constantly under the irresistible influence of his 
 famous waiter (called Gaetanino) and his wife, and the 
 priests and prelates were recruited by admitting any 
 persons they were able to find. I never saw an 
 honest young man embrace the ecclesiastical profes- 
 sion when it was in his power to choose another. 
 
 Among my fellow-students at the university of Bo- 
 logna there was a certain Perfetti^ who was perfect 
 only in wickedness, speaking and acting constantly as 
 if there were no God, no virtue, and no morals in the 
 world. During the second year I was there he dis- 
 appeared, and a rumor was spread that a sickness, 
 caused by his intemperate habits, had brought him to 
 the tomb. Now, almost four years after, I met this 
 individual at a coffee-house in Rome. He was clad 
 in priestly dress, and sat among a circle of young men, 
 talking of the occurrence of the day, namely, the 
 trial of Monsignor Abbo. I addressed him, but with 
 little kindness of manner, saying, " Take care, Abbot 
 Perfetti, for the new attire you have put on seems no 
 longer to secure impunity." 
 
 " Now I am a new man," answered he ; " and I am 
 glad to have an opportunity of testifying to you my 
 regret for the scandal which I gave the people when 
 I was at the university. On the occasion of a dread- 
 ful sickness, I took the determination of making my- 
 self a friar, and entered the order of the Dominicans, 
 where I have been till lately. At my request I was 
 discharged, and am now occupied as secretary to 
 Monsignor Marini, and as teacher in the ecclesiastical 
 seminary." 
 
220 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 On hearing this statement I made no observation, 
 though I did not believe that he had changed, except 
 in dress and manners. 
 
 He continued his history of Monsignor Abbo by 
 saying that he had been formerly a friar of the same 
 order with himself, and was dismissed under the fol- 
 lowing circumstances: He had among the habitual 
 attendants at his confessional a fair young girl, who 
 kept a shop opposite the convent. After a certain 
 time she gave up her spiritual director and chose for 
 that office a younger friar of the same convent. 
 Father Abbo was much incensed by her inconstancy, 
 and, turning his rage against her new confessor, he 
 followed him after dinner into a dark corridor, and 
 assassinated him with a table-knife, and fled. 
 
 " Had the friars," continued Abbot Perfetti, " been 
 able to catch the murderer, he would no doubt have 
 expiated his crime in a vade in pacenij and nobody 
 would have known anything of him or of his deeds ; 
 but, having made his escape, he was only dismissed 
 from the order, and, to avoid scandal, the event was 
 buried in silence, as well as the dead body. But the 
 whole has now been brought to light before the court 
 by mandate of the pope, in order to prove the early 
 perversion of that impious man." 
 
 " Where was he born ? " inquired I. 
 
 " In a village near Savona," answered Perfetti, " to 
 which he repaired when he fled from Rome. His 
 brother had by his industry accumulated a respecta- 
 ble fortune, and Monsignor Abbo coveted it as the 
 means of a brilliant career, which he now intended to 
 try at the papal court. In short, he prevailed on his 
 weak-minded brother to make in his favor a regular 
 donation of all his property. Monsignor Abbo went 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 221 
 
 to Eome, knowing that the friars had kept silence, and 
 would continue to do so, for their own interest ; and, 
 as he obtained powerful protectors, his success was 
 beyond his most sanguine expectations. But, in the 
 mean time, his brother married his own servant girl, 
 by whom he had a son, and thus the donation which 
 he had made was annihilated by the disposition of the 
 law." 
 
 " This explains," observed a young man of the 
 party, '^ the hatred of Monsignor Abbo towards that 
 innocent child. But how did he succeed in having 
 the child brought to Rome and placed in his power? " 
 
 "He received him," answered another, "from the 
 hands of the unhappy parents. Six years had elapsed, 
 and they thought that all rancor had vanished from the 
 heart of the prelate, who pretended to be anxious for 
 the education of the child, there being no school in 
 the village." 
 
 " There are different versions," observed I, " of the 
 manner in which the crime was committed, and then 
 discovered. I should like to know the true state of 
 the case." 
 
 " I can tell you," answered one of the party, " for 
 my uncle, in his capacity of assistant to the chancellor 
 of the tribunal, was present during all the trial. Mon- 
 signor Abbo lived in the second story over the coffee- 
 house called Veneziano, and the window of his bed- 
 room looked into the Via del Caravita, opposite the 
 dwelling of an elderly lady, who, from a window a 
 little loftier than his, could discover the interior of the 
 room when the blinds were opened, for the street was 
 narrows One evening at a late hour, when that lady 
 was enjoying the cool breeze at her window, and 
 there was no light in her room, she heard from the 
 19* 
 
222 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 opposite window the suffocated screaming of a child. 
 She looked towards it. The blinds were closed ; but, 
 a portion of one of them having fallen, an opportu- 
 nity was thus given for an uncertain glance. She 
 thought that she saw something too horrible to relate, 
 but she was not sure of it. 
 
 "Two days after, just as she was looking from her 
 window, the blinds of the opposite room were opened 
 a little by the wind. Some one hastened to shut them 
 again ; but she caught sight of a very pretty boy hav- 
 ing his little hands tied with a rope, and a gag in his 
 mouth. Four days after this, the lady, when engaged 
 in making her toilet, heard from the street the singing 
 of the 119th Psalm, beginning in Latin with the words, 
 'Beati immaculati in via qui ambulant in lege Domini ; ' 
 and thus she understood that there was a funeral 
 procession carrying away a dead child. At this, she 
 was seized with a kind of inspired fury ; and, without 
 looking through the window, she rushed into the 
 street in great disorder, and, seeing a small coflSn 
 taken away from the opposite house, cried out with 
 desperate force, ' Stop it I stop it ! there is a mur- 
 dered child in the coffin.^ 
 
 " The priests seemed to take her for a mad woman, 
 and went straight forward with their procession, con- 
 stantly singing the same psalm. But two gendarmes 
 on horseback happened to pass at that moment : and, 
 being convinced, from the behavior of the lady, that 
 there must have been something wrong, they ordered 
 the curate to stop the procession and let the coffin be 
 opened. At this the curate was indignant, and re- 
 minded the gendarmes that the act of stopping a 
 funeral procession was punished by law with excom- 
 munication and ten years imprisonment. But, a large 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 223 
 
 crowd of people gathering immediately, they took the 
 coffin, and tumultuously brought it to the hospital of 
 S. Giacomo, caUing for the surgeons of the institution 
 to open it and examine the contents. All shuddered 
 with horror when they saw the body of a child, six 
 years old, literally covered with wounds, which had 
 been evidently inflicted during a succession of days, 
 and at the same time exhibiting the traces of a most 
 horrible outrage. 
 
 " It should be remarked that this monster constantly 
 made a public show of piety, and of an almost fanatic 
 zeal for the papal religion. He achieved his devilish 
 work of destruction on the child at eight o'clock in 
 the morning, put the corpse into a coffin which he had 
 bought the day before, nailed it up, and then went as 
 usual to say mass. He was also continually in the 
 habit of committing one of the most detestable sins 
 immediately before going to say mass on every occa- 
 sion of a great solemnity of the church. This marked 
 contempt of the mass had influenced the mind of the 
 pope against him more than the other crimes would 
 have done.'' 
 
 " Then we are obliged," observed I, " to the zeal of 
 that elderly lady for having cut short the career of a 
 prelate who would have become a cardinal of the Holy 
 Church, and then perhaps a very holy pope under the 
 name of Pius, Clement, &c." 
 
 "The newspapers of France and Germany," ob- 
 served another, '^ have been very severe in relating 
 this event. Sol am told by a relative of mine, who 
 came back but yesterday from France." 
 
 " It has made a great noise," said Abbot Perfetti, 
 " because the culprit was a prelate." 
 
 " I do not deny," answered I, " that even among lay- 
 
224 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 men there are wicked characters ; but, considering the 
 education which he had received, his office as a priest, 
 the absence of allurements and provocation, and the 
 nature of his crimes, I declare that no layman of our 
 age can be compared with him in iniquity." 
 
 " Well, it may be," replied Abbot Perfetti ; " but you 
 see that there is justice even for prelates." 
 
 "Do not quote a peculiar case as if it were a gen- 
 eral rule," said I. " For one who has been fitly pun- 
 ished, I can show you many who during this very year 
 met no punishment at all, or were but lightly punished 
 for great faults, because of their privileges and ex- 
 emptions. Cardinal Delia Genga, for instance, arch- 
 bishop of Ferrara, introduced discord into a nunnery 
 which he too often visited. His favorite nun. Miss 
 Maffei, belonging to a noble family of that city, died 
 in consequence of a fight with another jealous nun. 
 At this, the people were indignant, and raised a mob 
 against the archbishop, who fled, amidst a shower of 
 stones thrown against his carriage. The only conse- 
 quence has been the exile of a brother of the deceased 
 nun, because he did not know how to hold his 
 tongue." 
 
 "You have forgotten," observed Abbot Perfetti, 
 " that Cardinal Delia Genga has been deprived of his 
 rich archbishopric of Ferrara." 
 
 " That happened," answered I, " because he dared 
 not go there again : in fact, he has been rewarded by 
 obtaining another office more congenial to him, 
 namely, the Governorship of Urbino and Pesaro. 
 And what has been the punishment of Monsignor 
 Antonelli, who in Macerata destroyed the domestic 
 peace of Count L , and caused a separation be- 
 tween him and his beautiful lady in the sixth month of 
 
THE EOMAN EXILE. 225 
 
 their marriage ? He received a higher employment in 
 Rome ; and, before long, we shall see him a cardinal. 
 Abbot Ralli has, indeed, been put into prison for some 
 months ; but was this a suflScient punishment for his 
 having ruined, both in mind and body, more than 
 twenty deaf and dumb children whom he was ap- 
 pointed to teach ? " 
 
 I would have added several other instances to prove 
 that privileges overcome justice; but a suspicious- 
 looking fellow, taking a seat near us, put a stop to our 
 too free conversation. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 YOUNG ITALY ABROAD. 
 
 " Young Italy/' an Italian child born abroad, en- 
 tered his father's land in spite of the passport law 
 and of a hundred thousand watching soldiers. He 
 travelled the whole length of the country ; and, like a 
 new Hercules in his cradle, he took hold, with strong 
 hands, of the two hideous serpents — Monarchy and 
 Papacy — which attempted to kill him. The dreadful 
 struggle is not over j but it is evident that " Young 
 Italy " is constantly gaining strength. His head, placed 
 beyond the reach of those monsters, gives a powerful 
 direction and impulse to the well-combined movements 
 of the body. What will be the consequence ? 
 
 It is a great fact, that a few exiles, scattered 
 abroad and passing their lives in sorrow among stran- 
 gers, have the power of keeping all Italy in constant 
 agitation, and of uniting her, despite of the greatest 
 obstacles, in the generous effort for independence 
 and freedom. Many absurd explanations of it have 
 been invented by the enemies of Italy, and credited by 
 writers either unable to understand the true feelings 
 of the Italians, or unwilling to do justice to them. 
 There is a long chain of love by which the strong 
 impressions of the Italians abroad are conveyed to act 
 upon their brethren at home, and the wires of this 
 
 (226) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 227 
 
 mighty telegraph are far beyond the reach of political 
 and religious despotism. 
 
 Among the numerous foreigners who from time to 
 time brought to us in Rome some tidings or commu- 
 nications from our friends abroad, I have a distinct 
 recollection of a Dr. William, who had travelled many 
 years in America, England, Germany, and France, and 
 who was now about to travel in Italy. He was a warm 
 friend of Mazzini, Foresti, Garibaldi, and other chiefs 
 of" Young Italy," and, from the character of those illus- 
 trious outcasts, had been induced to sympathize with 
 the Italian cause. But, like the greater part of the so- 
 called " friends of Italy," he felt disposed to find some 
 excuses for the charges generally and constantly 
 brought against that country, instead of disbelieving 
 them. I must say, however, that, after travelhng two 
 years in Italy, and coming into close contact with the 
 Italian people. Dr. William changed his mind entirely; 
 and, in a work on Europe which he published, he came 
 to the conclusion that the Italians were better fitted 
 and more prepared for free institutions than any other 
 people in Europe. 
 
 I had occasionally some interesting conversations 
 with that gentleman and my friends Fabio and Mattia. 
 
 " I confess," said he one evening, " that all that I 
 have seen of the influence at home of your exiles, and 
 of your devotion to the cause of your native country, 
 has filled my mind with amazement and admiration." 
 
 " We disclaim any kind of merit," answered Mattia. 
 " An Italian who does not love Italy with all his heart 
 must be either a stupid or a wicked man. She has 
 many claims to the self-devotion of her children. Not 
 to speak of her blessed soil and charming skies, who 
 does not know that Italy was the greatest ancient 
 
228 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 nation, the mother of modern civilization, and then the 
 victim of religious and political despotism, which was 
 constantly supported here by foreigners? To the 
 two glorious epochs of Italy we must add a third no 
 less conspicuous period. A thousand unsuccessful 
 attempts could not shake our faith ; for it is an ancient 
 virtue of the Italians never to despair of their native 
 country. 
 
 " For the same reason," added Mattia, " we look 
 upon our political outcasts with feelings of gratitude 
 and veneration. They have attempted to promote 
 the national ransom : it was not their fault that they 
 did not succeed. They set noble examples by putting 
 at stake their comfort, their property, and their lives, 
 and by bearing witness to our common faith. Their 
 indomitable souls drew new vigor from their misfor- 
 tunes, and were purified by their sufierings.'^ 
 
 " I admire your generous confidence," said the doc- 
 tor, "and believe it to be highly deserved by your 
 exiled friends. I have known many of them in dif 
 ferent parts of the world, and I have found among 
 them some characters that do honor to Italy as well as 
 to mankind. Not to speak of Mazzini, who is per- 
 fectly worthy of his great renown, I take pleasure in 
 naming two noble-minded men whom I met in Amer- 
 ica, namely. General Garibaldi, at the south, and Pro- 
 fessor Foresti, at the north, both chiefs of * Young 
 Italy ' in those countries. Distance and long absence 
 perhaps prevent them from being well known and 
 appreciated among you." 
 
 " Do not believe so," said I. " Italy is an afiectionate 
 mother, who never loses sight of the children driven 
 from her breast. For ages she has had constantly to 
 mourn over the fate of her best sons, burnt by the 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 229 
 
 Inquisition, slanghtered by foreign oppressors, or 
 driven into strange lands ; and, if anything can soften 
 her grief, it is her anxious watching over her out- 
 casts, and her tender rejoicing when they earn esteem 
 and glory in hospitable lands, — the only field left to 
 them for the free development of their genius. We 
 go so far in this sentiment that we rejoice in the suc- 
 cess of Sismondi, Leo Burlamachi, and other writers 
 of Switzerland and Germany, because their fathers 
 were among the victims of the suppression of the re- 
 ligious reformation in Italy." 
 
 " Now I remember," said Dr. William, " that Profes- 
 sor Foresti was a native of Ferrara, for Miss Sedgwick, 
 writing from that place, said, ^ Its chief interest to us 
 arises from its being the home of our friend Foresti, 
 whose character does it more honor than all this 
 princely house of Este from beginning to end.' Do 
 any of you know him ? " 
 
 " We are too young for that," answered I, " for he 
 was imprisoned during the year 1820, and, sixteen 
 years after, was put on board of a man-of-war and 
 sent to America ; but my father knew him well, and 
 has, from the time of their school-life, been a constant 
 admirer of his genius and character. Foresti was 
 fortunate in possessing fine talents united to corpo- 
 real strength and beauty. His manners were cour- 
 teous and his disposition benevolent, but he was 
 animated by an irresistible desire for action. In the 
 prime of his youth he fled from the paternal roof, in 
 order to follow the adventurous expeditions of Napo- 
 leon, who was then at war with England and Russia. 
 Taken home by force, being not of age and an only son, 
 Foresti turned his active mind to study. He grad- 
 uated when very young, and, the university of Bo- 
 20 
 
230 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 logna recommending him to the government as one of 
 her most promising young men, he obtained an honor- 
 able employment at the court of his native city. But 
 soon after the papal restoration fell upon it like a 
 fearful curse from heaven. 
 
 '^ For such a noble mind it was impossible to bow 
 before religious and political despotism ; and he could 
 not submit to the hypocritical practices which were 
 required of him. He therefore resigned his office 
 and left the city, crossing the river Po into the Vene- 
 tian State, where, though despotism existed, it was less 
 intolerable and debasing than the papal system. The 
 Au&trian government there welcomed a youth who had 
 already earned a reputation not less for ability than 
 for fine sentiment and an ardent love of justice. He 
 was therefore made a pretor (a judge with ample juris- 
 diction), although very young. But he loved freedom 
 with the same ardor as justice, and possessed then 
 those republican feelings which stamped his character 
 with uncommon strength and admirable firmness 
 throughout all his life. 
 
 " Foresti was taken to a dreadful dungeon when he 
 was just on the eve of a congenial marriage. It was 
 discovered that he was one of the principal leaders 
 of the ^ Carbonari,' who had excited the anxiety of all 
 governments in Italy and abroad, and whose plan it 
 was essential to know in order to defeat it. Hence 
 Foresti was spared no allurements, threats, deceitful 
 tricks, or moral and physical tortures; and the axe 
 of the executioner was held over his neck from day 
 to day during two months. How much he sufi'ered 
 during sixteen years of imprisonment I need not say, 
 for the tragical horrors of Spielbergh have been 
 thrown open before the world, and the very name of 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 231 
 
 that infamous place makes every feeling heart shud- 
 der. But the manner in which he bore all this has 
 been the best example set before the Italian youth. I 
 have felt its influence on myself when my father pur- 
 posely spoke to me of it, and I feel it even now, as 
 do also many of my friends. 
 
 " There is a Frenchman, M. Andryane, who was an 
 eye-witness, — he himself having been an inmate of the 
 Spielbergh. He speaks of Foresti as a man of un- 
 common energy, whose talents and character would 
 have done honor to Italy, had she been free ; regrets 
 the cruelty of denying him the means of developing 
 his comprehensive views in jurisprudence and political 
 economy ; and depicts him as a man, with stern look 
 and bushy eyebrows, who seemed to bear his fate in 
 such a manner as ought to have reconciled his com- 
 panions to theirs. 
 
 " I do not intend to diminish in the least the merit 
 of those martyrs, by saying they were dejected and 
 broken down by sufferings far beyond what human 
 nature can endure ; but I cannot help admiring him 
 who, though first arrested, last set at liberty, and 
 privileged with harsher treatment, came out unbroken. 
 His companions, like Pellico, ' left politics aside, and 
 spoke of other things,' nor did they recognize the 
 progress which had taken place during their captivity : 
 they did not understand the effect of their own work 
 and example. Only Foresti hastened to rejoin the 
 laborers in the new field, and set himself at work with 
 them. This was a great acquisition for 'Young 
 Italy.'" 
 
 " Since you are so well informed," said Dr. Wil- 
 liam, " and so much interested in the concerns of 
 Professor Foresti, let me tell you how he is thought 
 
232 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 of in America: it will gratify yonr praiseworthy 
 pride in the success of your fellow-citizens abroad. 
 In fact, the noble sons of Washington were able to 
 understand and appreciate the elevated mind of that 
 great lover of justice and freedom. Distinguished 
 statesmen of all parties, learned clergymen, and high- 
 minded ladies, surrounded him with that tender 
 friendship which alone could soothe his mind ^and 
 heart, after such dreadful sufferings. I think that no 
 foreigner has enjoyed in the United States a more gen- 
 eral and constant regard, or a more tender affection, 
 — which, however, are fully justified by his conduct. 
 
 " Foresti,^' added Dr. William, " is still not only 
 unbroken, but full of life, with a clear mind, and a true, 
 warm, Italian heart. Speak to him of independence, 
 of freedom, or of Italy, and he wiU shine with the 
 enthusiasm of an ardent, juvenile mind. I shall never 
 forget the occasion which made me acquainted with 
 him. He was seated opposite me at a dinner-party 
 which was given by a common friend in New York. 
 I knew Foresti only by name ; but he has a Roman 
 physiognomy so well marked that I guessed him imme- 
 diately. There was at the table a distinguished Eng- 
 hsh nobleman, a member of Parliament, and a diplo- 
 matic agent. As a matter of mere talk, he began to 
 abuse Italy and Italians, and rehearsed, with a serious 
 and dignified countenance, the most absurd charges 
 ever invented against your nation. 
 
 " The greater part of the guests had been in Italy, 
 and all were men of good sense, being perfectly 
 aware that ^ his grace ' would, in Germany, France, or 
 elsewhere, be equally liberal towards America and 
 Americans. They therefore paid but little attention 
 to his commonplace slanders. But this was not the 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 233 
 
 case with Foresti. The frequent changes of color 
 and the convulsed movements of his face made me 
 aware that each of those words fell bitterly upon his 
 heart. He, however, restrained himself till the ^ noble 
 gentleman ' went on to pass the highest eulogium on 
 the Austrian government, which he affirmed to be 
 paternal, wise, and just, though a little too mild for 
 the wicked nature of the Italians. At this, Foresti 
 could not help manifesting a generous indignation, 
 which was like a flash of lightning thrown on the lofti- 
 ness of his character. The English nobleman himself 
 felt its overwhelming power, and tried to soothe that 
 noble wounded soul.'' 
 
 " Such a man," observed I, " gifted by nature with 
 uncommon talent and energy, and who, having passed 
 through so many dreadful trials, comes out from them 
 with a purified and more elevated character, has 
 evidently another mission to fulfil than the noble 
 example he has given. Foresti, I have no doubt, will 
 see Italy again, help her to struggle for liberty, and 
 lay down his bones in peace in his father-land." 
 
 "God grant it! " answered in concert all my com- 
 panions. 
 
 A little pause ensued; and Fabio, turning to Dr. 
 William, said: "As a further proof that we watch 
 over our exiled countrymen in every land, let me tell 
 you that, a few months ago, a ten-cent subscription 
 was circulated throughout Italy, and, in spite of aU 
 the terror of the police, was covered with thousands 
 of signatures, in order to off'er a testimonial to 
 General Garibaldi for his heroic military deeds in 
 South America. He was one of the first victims of 
 '■ Young Italy,' and too young then to be known; but 
 20* 
 
 '■\,JL. O'- V- <K-v ^ 
 
234 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 he has been accredited for what he did in that foreign 
 land, as a proof of what he will yet do for Italy." 
 
 " Where was Garibaldi born ? " inquired Dr. Wil- 
 liam. 
 
 Fabio answered : " In Nizza, or Nice, as foreigners 
 call it, — one of the most healthy and pleasant cities 
 of Italy ; but its mild climate has not enervated the 
 inhabitants, who are intrepid sailors and good war- 
 riors. In the year 1543, shamefully abandoned to the 
 fury of a large Turkish and French navy, they fought 
 bravely, and repulsed it, and a lady, Cattarina Segu- 
 ana, was their leader. Massena, the greatest general 
 of our age except Napoleon, to whose victories he 
 contributed so much, was a native of Nizza ; and so 
 was Miollis, another of the great generals of Napo- 
 leon." 
 
 " I have seen in Russia," interrupted Dr. William, 
 " an Itahan exile, also from Nizza, whose name was 
 Liprandi. By his own merit he reached the dignity 
 of general of the army, and was much esteemed at 
 the court." 
 
 " It is always with pain," answered Fabio, " that we 
 behold our best military men exerting their genius 
 and shedding their blood in the service of foreign 
 nations; but, unfortunately, they have no better 
 ground on which to develop their talents, and are 
 constrained to use for others that strength which they 
 cannot devote to their native country. But, even in 
 this case, we like to see them taking the side of the 
 oppressed, and fighting for freedom, as many formerly 
 did in Greece and Spain, and as now General Ventura 
 helps the poor native Indians against the barbarous 
 cruelty of the English merchants in Asia. But, even 
 in this respect. Garibaldi has set a great example. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 235 
 
 He was not moved by any interest of his own ; he 
 took arms in a right cause at the moment of danger ; 
 he collected a band of his countrymen ; he made every 
 one astonished at his deeds ; and, after victory aban- 
 doned the army, refused every compensation, and, put- 
 ting his sword into the sheath, said, ^ I shall draw it 
 next for Italy.' " 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 THE MARTYKS. 
 
 The progress of "Young Italy" abroad was, indeed, 
 useful in giving a powerful impulse and a constant 
 direction at home ; but its true strength was to be 
 found in Italy itself, among the generous people who 
 were constantly exposed to the loss of property, lib- 
 erty and life, and who were, besides, irritated by 
 oppression, and by the sight of the evils produced by 
 despotism. Those people were not merely young 
 enthusiasts, as some would style us. Many of them 
 were men of high standing in society, — military offi- 
 cers, judges, clergymen, monks, and even some pre- 
 lates of the papal court. Nay, the most glorious 
 martyrs of " Young Italy " came out from the ranks 
 of our bitterest enemies. 
 
 The devotion, enthusiasm, and self-sacrificing virtue 
 of the members of " Young Italy " will be easily ex- 
 plained by the holiness of the principles adopted by 
 that society, in opposition to the impious doctrines 
 which were supported by brute force throughout 
 Europe. Ten or twelve men, congregated in Vienna 
 during the year 1815, divided among themselves the 
 people of Europe, as they would have shared a flock 
 of sheep or cattle ; and, declaring themselves masters 
 by " divine right," bound themselves to support each 
 
 (236) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 237 
 
 other by every means against any spirit of nationality 
 and of liberty among the people. They gave a des- 
 potic dominion to the pope, that he might be their 
 accomplice and supporter, thus making the Christian 
 religion an instrument of tyranny. 
 
 Consequently, the pope, when the Poles fought for 
 their national independence against their Russian op- 
 pressors, condemned their undertaking by a special 
 bull, because the czar was their legitimate master, 
 given to them by God ; nor would he listen to them 
 when they alleged that the czar himself had caused 
 the movement, by forcing them to give up the Catho- 
 lic religion, in spite of his solemn promise, because 
 such a reason might be retorted on him by his own 
 subjects, on whom he forced his religious system by 
 means of Austrian and French soldiers. 
 
 At this very moment came forth "Young Italy," 
 placing its foundation on the true principles of the 
 gospel, and boldly proclaiming that God alone is the 
 Lord ; that no man is privileged by him to exercise 
 religious or political power over his fellows, and thus 
 to form a kind of medium between God and man. It 
 was but natural that " Young Italy" should meet with 
 the most atrocious persecutions, and bear them with 
 the firmness and constancy which truth alone can im- 
 part. Jacopo Ruffini, of Genoa, the most intimate 
 friend of Mazzini, was the protomartyr of " Young 
 Italy : " he was young, talented, generous, and worthy 
 of dying for such a cause. Many from every class 
 were afterwards imprisoned and slaughtered, here and 
 there, throughout Italy. 
 
 But the noblest example of true greatness of mind 
 and self-sacrificing virtue was presented to us Italians, 
 during the year 1844, by Attilio Bandiera, Emilio his 
 
238 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 brother, and their colleagues, all members of " Young 
 Italy." The importance of that example was then 
 felt, immense results were afterwards derived from 
 it, and its influence is still permanent in Italy. 
 
 Attilio and Emilio Bandiera were the sons of Baron 
 Bandiera, a nobleman from Yenice, and a great admi- 
 ral of the Austrian navy. He educated his sons, 
 and trained them up for the naval service of Aus- 
 tria. Their birth, their uncommon talents, and their 
 wise and virtuous conduct, procured for them rapid 
 advancement, and promised a brilliant career for the 
 future ; while their personal qualities earned for them 
 the esteem and affection of all their companions, with- 
 out distinction of rank. Attilio married a young 
 lady of great beauty, very rich, and endowed with 
 the best qualities of mind and heart. They had two 
 children, and no happier union could be found. Emilio 
 was the youngest, and had not married ; but natural 
 endowments, and the constant smile of fortune, favored 
 him as well as his brother. 
 
 Were they not happy ? And why not ? 
 
 Because they were Italians, and Italy was oppressed. 
 
 Attilio Bandiera and his brother knew Mazzini only 
 by name before the year 1842, and could not succeed 
 in procuring the publications issued by " Young 
 Italy ; " but their talents, good sense, and love of 
 freedom, had brought them to the same conclusions. 
 It was the conformity of their principles and views 
 which led them to seek the friendship of the founder 
 of " Young Italy." Attilio was thirty-two years old 
 when he entered that society, and was, besides, a man 
 of experience as a seaman and a traveller. Emilio, 
 though younger than he, had no lack of experience or 
 knowledge. They were perfectly aware of the im- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 239 
 
 mense sacrifice which they were to make, and obeyed 
 only the impulse of their own virtue. It is false and 
 absurd to repeat, with some calumniators, that they 
 were merely young men, fanaticized by Mazzini. From 
 his childhood Attilio Bandiera had felt ashamed of the 
 condition of his native country, and was anxious to 
 attempt, something to deliver her; or, at least, to set 
 before his fellow-countrymen a noble example by shed- 
 ding his own blood. Years and political events con- 
 firmed him in that determination. He thought that 
 his personal endowments, high position, and lucky for- 
 tune, imposed on him the higher duty of giving a 
 suitable example to his fellow-countrymen, especially 
 to those who, being forcibly enrolled among the Aus- 
 trian troops, were made to believe that they were 
 bound by honor and conscience to serve faithfully the 
 cruel oppressors of their native land. Besides all 
 this, he knew that there was a stain on the name of 
 his father, and felt anxious to conceal it by rendering 
 his own illustrious. 
 
 In fact, during the year 1831, the Austrian admiral. 
 Baron Bandiera, in spite of every principle of justice, 
 had captured on the high sea a little bark, containing 
 many illustrious patriots, fugitives from the Eoman 
 State, and delivered them to the cruel vengeance of 
 the pope, who disregarded even a capitulation which 
 they had signed with a papal legate duly authorized. 
 
 Attilio and Emilio Bandiera longed for an occasion ; 
 and the general agitation prevailing in Italy during 
 the year 1844 made them think that the occasion had 
 come. They deserted from the Austrian navy, and 
 went to the eastern countries to arrange the means 
 for executing their revolutionary plan. Domenico 
 Moro, another distinguished officer of the same navy, 
 
240 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 followed their example, and joined them. There was, 
 besides, a general agitation in the navy, which was 
 manned almost entirely by Italians, and even in the 
 army, in which forty thousand Italians had been forci- 
 bly enrolled. 
 
 The Austrian government, being much alarmed, re- 
 sorted to its usual tricks in order to extinguish in the 
 beginning that threatening fire. They knew that Emilio 
 and Attilio Bandiera were exceedingly fond of their 
 mother. She was prevailed on to try to allure them 
 ''nto the Austrian dominions again, by a promise of 
 an absolute oblivion of the past. She, of course, was 
 a dupe ; but they were too wise and firm to be taken 
 in such a snare. Another trick was resorted to, with 
 the co-operation of the English government, and it 
 proved successful. Unfortunately, Attilio Bandiera 
 had an exalted idea of the English character ; and, as 
 soon as he reached the British dominions at Corfu, 
 wrote plainly to Mazzini in London, informing him 
 of all his projects, and concluding thus : " You may 
 answer me freely, with my own name and address, 
 and rely upon the well-known loyalty and fidelity of 
 the English post-office." 
 
 He, poor fellow, did not even suspect that the 
 renown of loyalty and fidelity so well deserved for 
 the past was now abused in order to betray the 
 guests who confided in British honor, since Sir James 
 Graham, and some of his colleagues in the English 
 ministry, were in the employment of Austria, and 
 even of the petty tyrant of Naples, in the capacity - 
 of vile spies. I would not believe it myself, even 
 now, if their proceedings had not been unveiled be- 
 fore parliament, and avowed by themselves. 
 
 Now, the Austrian government and the King of 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 241 
 
 Naples having been regularly supplied with copies of 
 all the letters that had passed between the two 
 brothers Bandiera and Mazzini, an agent of that king 
 went to Corfu, and, playing the ardent patriot, be- 
 sought the brothers Bandiera and their friends to fol- 
 low him into the kingdom of Naples, where, he said, 
 a great revolution had been commenced, and needed 
 only some able chiefs. They believed the story, inas- 
 much as the event was artfully reported by an English 
 newspaper. A Greek also went to them, requesting 
 the honor of accompanying them ; for, he said, his 
 father, an Italian from Corsica, had formerly covered 
 his name with infamy in Naples, and he felt anxious 
 to redeem it, — he was another traitor. 
 
 By these means Attilio and Emilio Bandiera, Do- 
 menico Moro, and their friends, were taken in an 
 ambush prepared by the King of Naples, and, after a 
 mock trial, were cruelly executed. Nicola Ricciotti, 
 a veteran soldier of the revolution, was with them, 
 and was taken in the same snare. They met their 
 fate with the firmness and constancy of true martyrs. 
 The groans of those victims were echoed with a cry 
 of indignation throughout Europe. The Hon. Thomas 
 S. Buncombe denounced before parliament the base 
 conduct of Sir James Graham and his colleagues, for 
 having treacherously abused the public confidence 
 and hospitality, by furtively opening letters, and com- 
 municating the secrets of generous and confiding 
 men, so as to cause their death. 
 
 The ministers boldly confessed the truth of the 
 charge ; pretending, however, that some ancient law 
 or precedent authorized them to violate the secrecy 
 of the post-oflSce. The parliament, of course, ap- 
 proved their conduct : not so the English people. 
 21 
 
242 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 To diminisli the importance of the event, the Aus- 
 trian newspapers published that they were young 
 men wanting in experience, and infatuated by Maz- 
 zini. This was repeated by the governmental press 
 of England, in order to present some scapegoat. Even 
 an Italian has accused Mazzini in this transaction, 
 and tried to diminish the merit of those martyrs. But 
 what nation has not some wicked characters ? For- 
 tunately, they are very few in Italy, and belong to 
 that class of profligate and debased people who like 
 the idleness of a gilded slavery. Sometimes, when 
 held in contempt by their masters, they will court the 
 popular favor ; but, being incapable of exhibiting 
 courage and strength, and anxious not to show their 
 cowardice, they constantly oppose any deed which 
 would be a reproof to them, or which would endanger 
 their voluptuous peace. 
 
 It is a shame to hear those cowards abuse the name 
 of martyrs, which they are not worthy even to utter, 
 and bring accusations against those who work con- 
 stantly for Italy. Of all the numerous victims of 
 " Young Italy," no one was heard to regret his fate, 
 or to accuse his fellow-laborers. Who, then, will 
 tolerate a coward, who never did anything for Italy, 
 and who stigmatizes the memory of those noble vic- 
 tims in order to afflict their surviving friends ? 
 
 " Why did not Mazzini die together with the broth- 
 ers Bandiera?" inquires sarcastically some vile writer; 
 and I answer, because that expedition was made with- 
 out his participation, — nay, against his advice. I 
 answer, besides, that Mazzini has been led to expose 
 himself more than a wise general should do, in conse- 
 quence of the gossip of those cowards who wished 
 thus to compass his death. But, till his mission is fin- 
 ished, he will not die. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 THE FUNERAL RITES. 
 
 The news of the martyrdom of the brothers Ban- 
 diera reached Rome, together with the tidings that 
 their bodies, as well as those of their companions, had 
 been thrown among the carcasses of beasts, — an hon- 
 orable burial having been denied to them because they 
 had refused to confess to some Jesuits who had been 
 purposely sent by the King of Naples. In conse- 
 quence of this, it was determined by the chiefs of 
 "Young Italy '^ in Rome to have a secret meeting 
 in honor of those illustrious martyrs ; and I attended 
 it, with my friends Fabio and Mattia. The place 
 chosen for it was an ancient chapel in a catacomb, 
 two miles east of Rome. We arrived there from 
 different parts and by different accesses, in the course 
 of an hour previous to the time fixed for the meeting, 
 which was midnight. 
 
 The chapel, enlarged and arranged by the primitive 
 Christians, had been abandoned, but, for this occasion, 
 had been furnished and decorated in an appropriate 
 manner. The walls were covered with red tapestry, — 
 an emblem of martyrdom, — and red was the mourn- 
 ful light of some lamps tastefully disposed around. 
 Ten large laurel wreaths were hanging from the walls, 
 enclosing a transparency, each with a name and a 
 
 (243) 
 
244 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 shining star. The number of persons executed was 
 nine, namely, 1. Attiho Bandiera ; 2. Nicola Eicciotti ; 
 3. Emilio Bandiera; 4. Domenico Moro; 5. Anacarsi 
 Nardi ; 6. Giovanni Venerucci ; 7. Giacomo Rocca ; 
 8. Francesco Berti ; 9. Domenico Lnpatelli. The tenth 
 wreath bore a name which was in itself a history of 
 love, suffering, and virtue : it was a lady's name. 
 
 In the centre of the chapel was planted a large Ital- 
 ian national banner, — red, white, and green, — bearing 
 the motto, " Dio e Popolo " (God and the People). 
 Here and there had been placed the emblematic sen- 
 tence, " Ora e sempre " (Now and forever), with appro- 
 priate quotations from Dante and other Italian writers. 
 A small table, occupied by the secretary, exhibited the 
 portraits of some of the martyrs, and several notes 
 from them. 
 
 The president opened the meeting. " We are here," 
 he said, " not to weep for the dead. Our friends have 
 departed for a better and an everlasting life. It is 
 their inheritance that we are called to receive, — a rich 
 inheritance of glory, of faith, and of sublime virtue, 
 which they have prepared for us by the sacrifice of 
 everything dear on earth. Let not this inheritance be 
 frustrated by our acting unworthily of it. This is the 
 proper way to honor and love them. Their cold bones 
 have been denied the solemn peace of the tomb ,* but 
 their souls shine with glory, their names are immortal, 
 and we shall raise a monument worthy of them by es- 
 tablishing the freedom of Italy." 
 
 Then our friend Marco, the Yenetian painter, who 
 was personally acquainted with his fellow-citizens, 
 Attilio and Emilio Bandiera, and Domenico Moro, and 
 had painted the portrait of the former, rose and said : 
 " Attilio Bandiera was, at the time of his death, thirty- 
 
THE EOMAN EXILE. 245 
 
 two years old. Being tall and rather slender, his per- 
 son did not convey the idea of corporeal strength ; but 
 his bald head, bushy eyebrows, fierce look, regular 
 features, and dignified countenance were so striking 
 that I would have wished no better model for an ideal 
 priest of justice. He had courteous manners, and 
 there was a fascinating influence in his enthusiastic 
 speech. Everything in him betrayed a benevolent 
 heart. 
 
 "Emilio Bandiera was only twenty-six years old, 
 and quite difierent in appearance from his brother, 
 being ratKer short and stout. He was lively, warm- 
 hearted, and playful ; his features were more regular 
 and handsome than expressive ; his manners were kind 
 and prompt, and his countenance was that of a benev- 
 olent but independent man, though he had a kind of 
 veneration for his brother, and adopted his thoughts 
 and views almost without perceiving it. 
 
 " Domenico Moro, younger than either of them, but 
 having, like them, good talents and excellent qualities, 
 and entertaining for Attiho an unbounded admiration 
 and afiection, entered fully and warmly into their 
 views. Knowing that they were most probably to 
 meet a sad fate, Attilio had not the courage to take 
 with him that beautiful young man, in the prime of 
 life, and lately advanced to the rank of lieutenant of a 
 frigate. But, as soon as Domenico Moro heard that 
 his friends had fled, no consideration could prevent his 
 following them and sharing their fate. 
 
 " When we think," added Marco, " of these three 
 young men, endowed with all the qualities which are 
 required to redeem a nation, and when we see them 
 taken from us in such a miserable manner, I feel humil- 
 iated and confused, but not discouraged. If our suf- 
 21* 
 
246 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 ferings have not yet expiated the faults of our fathers, 
 let us at least bequeathe to our sons the example of an 
 unshaken perseverance." 
 
 At this the secretary informed the meeting that a 
 fellow-laborer, just arrived from Malta, had brought 
 copies of some letters from Attilio and Emilio Ban- 
 diera to Mazzini, and begged leave to read a few pas- 
 sages illustrating their character. 
 
 " ^ It is now several years,' wrote Attilio in 1842, 
 ^ since I began to esteem and love you (Mazzini), for 
 I knew that you were to be considered as the chief 
 of those generous souls who at the present time rep- 
 resent the opposition to tyranny, and its wicked con- 
 sequences, which are dreadfully contaminating our 
 beloved Italy. I am an Italian and a warrior. I be- 
 lieve in God and a future life. Justice is for me the 
 foundation of all rights. What we shall do for Italy 
 will be useful to the cause of humankind. Considering 
 the condition of our country, I was easily convinced 
 that the better way for the regeneration of Italy was 
 by entering on the dark work of secret conspiracies. 
 Are there other means than secrecy in order to begin 
 the struggle for the liberation of the oppressed? 
 Before commencing to act openly we want to be ac- 
 quainted with each other, and to come to an under- 
 standing for the union of our forces. Do not refuse 
 my co-operation.' 
 
 " ' My brotiier and I,' wrote Emilio afterwards, ' were 
 convinced that every Italian is bound to devote him- 
 self entirely to the improvement of our unhappy 
 country ; and so we tried all the means in our power 
 to join that " Young Italy " which was formed to or- 
 ganize a national insurrection. For three years, how- 
 ever, our efforts were in vain. But, without knowing 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 247 
 
 your principles, we had the same thoughts, aiming, as 
 well as you, at a free, united, and republican govern- 
 ment for our native country ; relying at the same time 
 upon our national means, contemning all foreign sup- 
 port, and thinking of beginning to act as soon as we 
 felt ourselves strong enough/ 
 
 " ^ I am seeking for the manner,^ again wrote AttiHo 
 in 1843, ^ of penetrating into Italy, and of making up 
 a band of patriots to fight until death. The material 
 importance of this deed will be small, but its moral 
 influence great, for suspicion will enter the heart of 
 our powerful oppressor, and an eloquent example will 
 be set before those who, like me, are bound by absurd 
 and inadmissible oaths.' 
 
 " ' My mother,' wrote Emilio after his flight, April 
 22d, 1844, " excited and blinded by passion, does not 
 listen to my reasons. She calls me an impious, heart- 
 less assassin. Her tears wound my heart; her re- 
 proofs, though undeserved, are like the thrusts of a 
 dagger. But desolation does not take from me wis- 
 dom. I know that her anger and her tears are caused 
 by the tyrants ; and, therefore, if I was formerly ani- 
 mated only by love of my native country, I now feel 
 an equal hatred against the despotic usurpers who, 
 by their infamous ambition, cause such horrors to our 
 families.' 
 
 " And, soon after, in the act of leaving for Italy, in 
 a letter of his brother, he added the following words : 
 ' These will perhaps be the last lines you will receive 
 from us. Heaven bless you for all the great good 
 you have achieved for our native country. At the 
 very eve of encountering the dangers of revolution, 
 I confidently proclaim that every Italian owes you 
 gratitude and veneration. Farewell! farewell 1 We 
 
248 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 are poor in everything ; and we choose you to be the 
 executor of our will, that we might not perish in the 
 memory of our countrymen.'" 
 
 "'How/ wrote Attilio, ' will my mother and my wife, 
 — those delicate creatures, unable perhaps to resist a 
 great grief, — endure my ruin ? Alas ! to serve hu- 
 manity and my native country was the first of my 
 wishes, and will, I hope, be so forever ; but I must 
 confess that it costs me dear. Farewell ! and, if it 
 shall be forever, farewell forever.' " 
 
 At this, Marco rose again, and with a trembling 
 voice said: "On entering this place, it was with great 
 satisfaction I observed' that, among the nine glorious 
 martyrs executed at Cosenza, a tenth wreath was con- 
 secrated to the heroic wife of Attilio Bandiera ; and 
 I feel assured that from heaven he smiles with grat- 
 itude upon the tribute paid to her virtue. They loved 
 each other with that passion which elevates the soul 
 to the nature of angels, and purifies the heart from 
 selfishness. Educated by him, she could not have 
 feelings different from his. She knew that he was 
 going to die, and opposed not that sacrifice in which 
 she was the principal victim ; nay, she promised to 
 live for the sake of their offspring, their beloved 
 sons ; but her physical strength, which had been sup- 
 ported by her moral energy, failed as soon as she 
 heard of the capture of Attilio, and she died broken- 
 hearted. 
 
 " Such are the women of Italy," continued Marco 
 with deep feeling ; " and they would all be so if they 
 could meet with worthy partners. Nature has given 
 the Italian woman a marked susceptibility for strong 
 emotions. She loves with all her heart and mind, and 
 love is her life : she reasons but little, because she 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 249 
 
 feels so mucli. Let her meet a man who knows his 
 mission towards her, and she will be the angel of his 
 life: let him elevate himself, and she will follow him 
 in every great and virtuous enterprise. A brute, on 
 the contrary, will spoil her ; and, once spoiled, she 
 will plunge into vice with the same ardor with which 
 she would have followed virtue. Indeed, considering 
 the bad education which we give our women, and the 
 wicked examples which are set before them by six 
 immoral royal courts and by the still more demoral- 
 izing papal court, we only wonder that so few of them 
 are corrupted, and acknowledge 4;he strong natural 
 love of virtue by which they are supported.'^ 
 
 Fabio now addressed the meeting, and begged leave 
 to make some remarks in honor of Nicola Ricciotti, 
 who, like himself, was a native of Frusinone, a city 
 sixty miles east of Rome. It is the residence of the 
 papal delegate, that is, the governor of the province ; 
 but long papal dominion has reduced it to such a state 
 of desolation that there is not a school for even the 
 first rudiments of reading and writing. Notwith- 
 standing all this, a few men of genius and of lofty 
 character have now and then sprung forth from that 
 wretched place, and, as it were, presented a strong 
 protest in favor of that indomitable Italian nature 
 which a thousand years of religious and political 
 oppression have not been able to subdue. 
 
 " He was my school-fellow in Rome," said Fabio, 
 " and I was eighteen years old when he was sent into 
 exile during the year 1818. He was in love with a 
 cousin of mine, who eloped with him, and has ever 
 since been the angel of his hard hfe. She often used 
 her skill in music to earn their bread, and to soothe 
 his wounded mind. He fought all the battles of lib- 
 
250 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 erty during the years 1820 and 1821, and was for ten 
 years in a papal dungeon. Liberated by the revolu- 
 tionists during the year 1831, he fought again with 
 them. In 1833, Ricciotti appeared within the Alps, 
 and afterwards went to Spain, where he fought for the 
 revolutionists, and earned glory and advancement in 
 the army, till he was, a few months ago, promoted to 
 the grade of commander of infantry. But, having 
 heard of the probability of some movements in Italy, 
 he gave up his brilliant position, and went to meet the 
 sad fate which awaited him. 
 
 ^^ A note which he addressed to his sons will prove 
 that Ricciotti was not under the influence of any illu- 
 sion ; for he was perfectly aware that in all probabil- 
 ity he would lose his life, and he generously put it at 
 stake. ' My dear sons,^ said he. ^ I am arrived at the 
 most decisive moment in my Ufe. A thousand dan- 
 gers, and perhaps death itself, are waiting for me in 
 the new path which I am about to take. My love for 
 you, and my duty as a father and a citizen, do not 
 permit me to execute my plan without remembering 
 you, and laying down a few precepts which I hope 
 you wiU carry into execution. If a cruel fate is pre- 
 pared for me, and I am to be taken from your love, 
 cherish my memory, be not disheartened by my fate, 
 and preserve this writing as a pledge of my tender- 
 ness for you. So cruel is the condition of Italy, so 
 low sunk is that land, formerly the most glorious, that 
 among its sons any one who desires honor, who feels 
 in his heart the insults of despots against our national 
 dignity, and who loves liberty and virtue, is con- 
 demned to the sorrowful life of an exile, even if he 
 should escape prison and death. We shall be martyrs 
 for the Italian cause ; but our sufferings will hasten 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 251 
 
 the epoch of triumph and of freedom for our native 
 country. My dear sons, walk in my footsteps, and 
 let me enjoy at least the consolation of knowing that 
 you are imitators of my example, and that Italy can 
 rely upon you as well as upon me.'" 
 
 After this, the secretary presented to the meeting 
 the original letter which Anacarsi Nardi, a lawyer, 
 fifty years old, wrote to his intimate friend, Tito Sa- 
 velli, five minutes before being led to execution. He 
 wrote it in haste, with his hands tied ; and the jailer 
 took care of it. " I write for the last time," said he : 
 " in a few minutes I shall die. Remember me often 
 to thy family and to our common friends. If it is 
 possible, I will visit thy home before going to our 
 Eternal Father. Kiss Dante and all thy sons. Re- 
 ceive the salutations of my companions. I embrace 
 thee, and I am thy Nardi. — P. S. It is because I am 
 tied that the penmanship is trembling. But I tremble 
 not. I am tranquil ; for I die in my native country 
 and for a holy cause. Again farewell ! " 
 
 The president added some remarks on the other 
 martyrs, and on their companions buried alive in the 
 dungeons of the NeapoHtan tyrant ; and he concluded 
 the meeting by these words: "The glorious names 
 and acts of our new martyrs have been written in our 
 martyrology, and our friends throughout Italy shall 
 have a copy of it. Alas I the Italian martyrology is a 
 very large book. From the time of the Reformation 
 till the present, no nation has given so many martyrs 
 as Italy for the cause of religious and political liberty; 
 but no nation is more cruelly crushed by despotism 
 than Italy is. Shall we therefore conclude that the 
 blood of our martyrs flows in vain, and that all our 
 
252 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 attempts in favor of a cause which has nothing but 
 justice on its side are entirely foolish? 
 
 " God forbid our lips to repeat such blasphemy, 
 which the atheistic statesmen of France, England, and 
 Austria are constantly uttering against us, while they 
 laugh at our unsuccessful efforts. The blood of the 
 martyrs cries out to God from the earth. God has not 
 made millions of men that a few shall have the cruel 
 pleasure of tormenting them and trampling upon their 
 innocent blood. But it is only through numerous suf- 
 ferings, obstinate efforts, and noble sacrifices, that an 
 oppressed nation can be regenerated to power, free- 
 dom, and glory." 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 A DARK CLOUD. 
 
 The day after that nocturnal meeting I was sitting 
 in my office, apparently inspecting some papers and 
 deeds, but really unable to pay any serious attention 
 to the business. My mind was distracted by many 
 different thoughts, and I felt such uneasiness and 
 weariness as I had never before experienced. I told 
 my boy to put on the door the ticket, " Not in," and 
 then to go to the post-office. For several days I had 
 expected a note from Bologna, and the unusual delay 
 caused me great anxiety. The epoch fixed for my 
 union with Enrichetta was now at hand. I had been 
 in Bologna during the vacations of the two preceding 
 years, and a regular correspondence had been kept up 
 between us. Our mutual attachment was not in the 
 least abated by long time and absence, but rather 
 acquired therefrom a more elevated character. From 
 that sentiment I constantly drew new vigor and cour- 
 age amid the trials of my civil and political life. 
 
 Now, at last, I had obtained an independent posi- 
 tion in society, and my prospects were bright, so far 
 as my profession was concerned. My income, for the 
 present, did not exceed six hundred doUars ; but fifty 
 dollars monthly was a sum more than enough to estab- 
 lish a pleasant home, and to live comfortably according 
 22 (263) 
 
254 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 to my condition in Rome. During the summer I had 
 prepared a modest, but neat and desirable residence, 
 and furnisl:^pd it, agreeably to Enrichetta's wish, in a 
 plain but tasteful manner ; and, this being the last 
 month before the vacation, I was very busy in making 
 all arrangements and transacting all business, that I 
 might not be disturbed when going to Bologna, and 
 might find everything in good order when I returned 
 with Enrichetta. 
 
 " There is a note from Bologna," said my boy, with 
 a triumphant air ; but, on glancing at it, I was struck 
 by recognizing the penmanship of the father instead 
 of the well-known handwriting of the daughter. 
 
 " Enrichetta," said the note, " met with an alarming 
 accident, in consequence of an upset of the carriage 
 in which she was driving with her grandmother. For 
 some days her life has been in danger, but a happy 
 crisis has occurred, and she is fast getting better." 
 
 The poor boy, who had expected that the note 
 would dispel my bad spirits, was now frightened by 
 the change of my look, and thought of going for a 
 physician. My first impulse was to leave immediately 
 for Bologna ; but to obtain a passport and to find the 
 means of conveyance could not be done as quickly as 
 I wished. 
 
 Next morning, being still in Rome, I received an- 
 other note from Bologna. It was in the chirography 
 of Enrichetta, though much altered by the trembling 
 of the h^nd. " It is a painful but a sacred duty for 
 me to undeceive you. The physician says that the 
 accident that has happened to me will have no serious 
 consequences, and that in a short time I shall be en- 
 tirely recovered, except from a little lameness. It 
 may be so ; but I feel that my life is drooping. I had 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 255 
 
 formerly some warnings that my days would be short 
 on the earth, and that I must not look for happiness 
 in this world. Love made me forget it ; but a new 
 warning has come to put me in mind that my dear sister 
 waits for me. She died at nineteen, and I have almost 
 attained that age. I regret nothing upon earth but 
 the grief of those who love me. Some days ago, in a 
 moment which |;hey thought to be the last of my life, 
 my good grandmother was helping me to offer up a 
 prayer to God. I repeated with her, ' My God, I rely 
 upon thee ; I am ready to answer thy call to go to 
 thee ; I do not regret to leave the earth ; ' but I felt 
 it impossible to repeat the following sentence, which 
 implied a renouncement of you. I hope that God 
 does not require from me that sacrifice : cannot I go 
 to him with that sentiment without blushing ? '^ 
 , . I made no answer to this letter, as I had obtained 
 my passport, and there was a French steamboat going 
 that night from Civitavecchia to Leghorn, which would 
 enable me to reach Florence on the following morn- 
 ing, and to cross the Apennines and to be in Bo- 
 logna some hours before my note could be brought 
 there by the mail. The diligenza habitually running 
 between Florence and Bologna would pass in the 
 neighborhood of the small villa where I went to give 
 my first serenade, and where afterwards I had spent 
 so many pleasant hours. I could not think of that 
 place without deep emotion, which grew stronger as 
 I began to discover it from a little distance. I saw 
 the house, and then the garden, and finally I came in 
 sight of the green turf between the house and the 
 public road. Here my eyes met with a scene whose 
 first impression on my excited mind was that of a 
 vision. A carpet was stretched upon the turf, and 
 
256 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 upon it was a young lady, surrounded with a dog, a 
 cat, a lamb, and numerous birds, all playing around 
 her. She was clad in a white loose dress, and her 
 rich black hair fell negligently upon her shoulders. 
 She turned her head, and gave a careless, melancholy 
 glance at the carriage as it passed before her. It 
 was Enrichetta. Our eyes met, and, recognizing me, 
 she uttered a sharp cry, and fainted. The driver of 
 the diligenza perceived it, and immediately stopped 
 the carriage. I slipped from it into the villa in the 
 twinkling of an eye ; the waiting-maid and the grand- 
 mother of Enrichetta came immediately to her aid ; 
 and she soon recovered her senses. 
 
 My presence, of course, was the best remedy for 
 that ardently loving creature. She began to forget 
 again her sad presentiment of approaching death, and 
 by degrees to indulge with me in the rosy hopes of 
 an approaching happy union. Then her thinness and 
 paleness gradually disappeared, and she was more 
 lovely and interesting than ever. But th^ idea of her 
 lameness was to her a great torment, as the physician 
 had expressed but little hope of her perfect recovery 
 from it. A friend of mine, however, suggested to me 
 to take her to a well-known hot spring, a bathing- 
 place called Porretta, thirty miles north of Bologna, 
 in the Apennines. Enrichetta went there, attended 
 by her grandmother, and I was with them. Porretta 
 was a poor place, but the establishment for bathing 
 and the hotel for visitors were in a magnificent style. 
 
 I observed there a new kind of evasion of the 
 papal law forbidding the introduction of gas-works for 
 illumination. Next to the building was a little lake 
 emitting a combustible gas, which, by a simple appa- 
 ratus, was conveyed to illuminate the buildings. The 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 257 
 
 trick, however, was afterwards discovered; and, as 
 the owners of that establishment maintained that there 
 was no violation of the law, the matter was referred 
 to the pope, who pronounced his " infallible " judg- 
 ment by saying that the illumination with gas suppHed 
 by nature was an invention as wicked as that in which 
 gas-works are employed. 
 
 The effect of the hot-spring bathing on the health 
 of Enrichetta was even beyond our hopes. After a 
 month's residence she was able to walk freely, and 
 returned to Bologna perfectly cured. My joy was 
 boundless ; but, in spite of her evident efforts to be 
 cheerful, she was often overwhelmed by melancholy. 
 She had now a slight cough, for which I accounted by 
 attributing it to the chilly air of the Apennines. She 
 was also still thin and pale, even more so than before 
 her sickness, and frequently complained of being cold, 
 though the weather was exceedingly fine and mild. 
 My great-uncle, who was a very learned physician, 
 and loved us both, said that our marriage must be 
 postponed, and insisted upon it, with her parents. I 
 yielded with reluctance, because I felt that the mild 
 climate of Rome, and my affectionate attentions, were 
 the best means of saving her life, if she was really 
 consumptive. 
 
 The day before I left Bologna, Enrichetta desired 
 me to accompany her on a visit to the tomb of her 
 sister. I had been there several times before with 
 her, and the place had a particular charm for us, on 
 account of our first meeting in that place ; and, be- 
 sides, we experienced there a mysterious communion 
 of elevated thoughts, and she never looked so happy 
 as in those moments. She always approached the 
 tomb with a sweet smile on her lips, as if to meet that 
 22^ 
 
258 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 of her sister ; and then she never spoke a word of 
 grief. Now we were sitting as usual on a wooden 
 bench near the monument of her sister, and I was 
 telling her that our new separation would be short, 
 for I was determined to return very soon to Bologna, 
 and take her to Rome in spite of all opposition. 
 
 " God alone," answered she, " knows what will hap- 
 pen to us, and what is for the best : let us rely upon 
 him. When my dear sister departed, I was exceed- 
 ingly grieved, and often went to repeat upon her tomb 
 my foolish prayer to God, that she might be restored 
 to me ; but one morning I met here a lady who had 
 lost her only child, and she said, '• Your sister and my 
 child are happy in heaven, and we must not pray that 
 they may be unhappy again on the earth. They can- 
 not come to us, but we must go to them in peace.' 
 Those were blessed words, and even now I feel their 
 healing effect on my heart." 
 
 Here Enrichetta made a little pause, fixed her eyes 
 upon my face, and, with a sweet, plaintive voice, said, 
 "Do promise me that thou wilt not yield to grief if 
 I am called to my sister. I feel that my weak body 
 cannot long endure the trials of life. I shall be happy, 
 and I will pray for thee." 
 
 I could not say a word, for I felt a dreadful oppres- 
 sion upon my heart. 
 
 She was frightened by the change of my look, and, 
 taking hold of my hand, passionately exclaimed, " 0, 
 do not look so sad ! I will not die : I will collect all 
 my strength, and live for thee — for thee alone I " 
 
 Next morning I started for Rome, where I must 
 again open my office. I departed with a stormy 
 heart; and a dark cloud, impending on my head, 
 sfiemed to accompany ifie to Rome, and to threaten 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 259 
 
 mysterious evils. In fact, as soon as I reached the 
 gate of Rome, and showed my passport, I was arrested 
 and taken to the poKce-office. I knew, of course, that 
 it was three years since I had been placed under the 
 surveillance of the police, and was therefore exceed- 
 ingly cautious in my conduct, so far as politics were 
 concerned ; and, besides, I kept myself constantly 
 ready to meet any interrogatory with all the skill of. a 
 lawyer. The assessor of police was rather disap- 
 pointed when, after an examination which lasted three 
 hours, he was obliged to declare that, notwithstanding 
 the numerous charges brought against me by the 
 spies, there was no ground to keep me in prison. But 
 Monsignore, the governor of Rome, who is the chief 
 of police, condemned me to be subjected to a " po- 
 litical precept," which was considered a preventive 
 measure to be applied to wicked characters. This 
 measure was at that time freely resorted to by the 
 papal police; and when Pope Gregory XVI. died, 
 two years after, there were more than three thousand 
 young men in Rome all subjected to that " political 
 precept," which constituted the most impious violation 
 of personal liberty and human dignity ever committed 
 by a tyrant. 
 
 The assessor handed me a printed copy of the pre- 
 cept, and read and explained it to me, mentioning, 
 above all, that the least transgression of that precept 
 would, for the first time, involve a punishment of three 
 years of hard work, and afterwards of a progressive 
 rigor. 
 
 The first injunction of the precept was, " Never go 
 out from the city, and keep at home from sunset to 
 sunrise." The peculiar grievousness of this order 
 arises, in a great measure, from our habits, and from 
 
260 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 the nature of our southern climate. We generally 
 devote the whole of the day to our business and occu- 
 pation, take our meals at sunset, and then make calls, 
 or go to the promenade, to coffee-houses, or to social 
 gatherings. To be confined alone at home during the 
 long nights of winter, while every one else goes out, 
 and to be unable to enjoy the refreshment of the 
 evening during the hot days of the summer, was for 
 me almost as grievous as to be in a prison. This, 
 however, was not the whole : the police-officers came 
 every night twice, and sometimes three times, to see 
 if I was at home, and often on those occasions exam- 
 ined the whole of the house, comprising the bedroom 
 of my young sister, who, of course, was exceedingly 
 annoyed by such nocturnal visits. But a friend of 
 mine, who was also subjected to the political precept, 
 apprised me that, by means of a monthly bribe, given 
 to the chief of those troublesome visitors, he suc- 
 ceeded in sparing his wife their disgusting nocturnal 
 apparitions. Now they merely knocked at the street 
 door, and he made his appearance at the window, 
 holding a lamp before his face. I made the same 
 compromise. 
 
 The second injunction was, " Call every fortnight at 
 the police-office, in order to give a minute account of 
 your manner of living, and to exhibit a certificate, 
 signed by a regular confessor, of your having at- 
 tended his tribunal of penance." 
 
 This was the most vexatious imposition. They did 
 not, of course, believe that we should be so foolish as 
 to reveal anything to their confessors or to their 
 directors of police ; but it was a sweet victory for 
 them to have us so often humiliated before a villanous 
 director of police, who abused us in a base manner, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 261 
 
 and to see us kneeling at the feet of some dirty priest 
 or friar. I succeeded, however, in avoiding, in an easy 
 way, this trouble. A young priest, who was to be 
 made a prelate, needed somebody to prepare him in 
 haste, but carefully, in order that he might undergo 
 an examination in canon laws. He applied to me, and 
 promised liberal wages ; and I told him that I should 
 be satisfied with some certificates of having confessed 
 to him. He was exceedingly happy to have my valu- 
 able instruction at such a cheap price as false cer- 
 tificates, and gave me two hundred of them. So that 
 each time I must go to the police I had ho other 
 trouble than to aflSx the date. 
 
 The other injunctions were more tolerable. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE LAST FAREWELL. 
 
 During the month of November, 1844, all the let- 
 ters I received from Enrichetta spoke of her gettmg 
 better, and showed her to be m good spirits ; but 
 with the month of December an alarming change took 
 place, and my uncle wrote to me that he had taken 
 her under his care as affected by consumption, and 
 there was but little hope of recovery, because her 
 mother and her sister died of that disease. It was 
 impossible for me to leave Rome, as I should have 
 been imprisoned, and thereby caused her to die by 
 sorrow. I therefore besought my uncle to bring her 
 to me. She would be with my sister, and I would be 
 like an affectionate brother to her, and perhaps she 
 could be saved. Alas, it was too late I She was not 
 able to undertake the journey. 
 
 On the morning of the 20th of December, I received 
 another letter from my uncle, containing a paper 
 in an unknown handwriting. "Enrichetta," wrote 
 he, " has been better for some days ; but it was a 
 deceitful calm. Yesterday, before dawn, a dreadful 
 cough caused the rupture of a blood-vessel in her 
 breast. At twelve o'clock I succeeded in stopping the 
 blood, and in relieving her ; but at that moment, in 
 the neighboring ^prato di S. Antonio,' took place the 
 
 (262) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 263 
 
 execution of two young men, belonging to ' Young 
 Italy.' She heard the report of the shots, and, know- 
 ing what it was, fainted away. I restored her to her 
 senses, but her life will last only a few hours. I 
 enclose here the last adieu which she dictated for 
 you. Remember her wishes, and do not yield to 
 grief" 
 
 " I wished with all my heart," said she, " to live for 
 thee and with thee. I knew the trials of thy life, 
 and foresaw the troubles which wait for thee; I 
 desired to be at thy side to comfort thee, or at least 
 to suffer with thee. It was in vain: nothing could 
 stop my failing life. Yesterday, lying down on my 
 deathbed, I was thinking of thee, when I heard the 
 report of shots fired at two generous breasts. I felt 
 the bullets piercing my heart and taking my life, and 
 thy image was before me, — thou wert bleeding and 
 slain, and I could not help thee. Now I feel perfectly 
 quiet, and in this solemn moment of calm, preceding 
 death, wish to tell thee my last adieu. Our earthly 
 love cannot live in the grave, but my soul will love 
 thee as angels love. During all thy life, and whatever 
 may be thy trials, never forget that I am watching 
 over thee ; keep thyself steadily from anything unjust, 
 anything base, anything that should make me blush 
 for thee. This is the manner by which thou may est 
 show thy love for me. I say no more. Peace and 
 salvation be with thee ! " 
 
 I need not mention the effect of these letters. Al- 
 most out of my senses, I went to the police-office, 
 and, showing the letters, asked for permission to go to 
 Bologna immediately. The official scornfully laughed 
 at me, and ridiculed my grief I do not know what I 
 did : I remember only that I was pulled into the street, 
 
264 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 with bruises on my face and hands ; but my youngest 
 brother happened to pass, and took me home. He 
 was then in Rome on a visit to me, and was to leave 
 next morning for Siena, where he had some business. 
 Now he left me to the care of our young sister, who 
 endeavored as well as she could to soothe my mind. 
 
 In a short time my brother came in again, and, 
 tendering me some papers, said, " Here is a ticket for 
 passage to Civitavecchia by the diligenza, and then to 
 Leghorn by a steamer ; and here is my passport, too. 
 I have taken the signature, ^ Buono per Bologna.' 
 The description of my person corresponds to your 
 own. Go to Bologna, if you choose. In the mean 
 time, I will lie down in your bed, pretending to be 
 sick ; and you may rely upon it that the officers of 
 police visiting the bed will not discover the trick." 
 
 Excited as I was, I thought but little of the danger 
 to which I exposed my affectionate brother. I took 
 the passport ; and, two hours after, I was travelling to 
 Civitavecchia. I found there the steamer which had 
 been announced, and it brought me to Leghorn in 
 twelve hours. I speedily proceeded to Florence, but 
 I was much disappointed in not finding a conveyance 
 to Bologna, the diligenza being over-filled, and, on 
 account of the weather, the crossing of the mountain 
 being a very difficult and dangerous undertaking. 
 
 Notwithstanding the positive assertion of my great- 
 uncle, I cherished a firm hope that Enrichetta would 
 not die so soon. To see her once more, to speak to 
 her some words of comfort, and to receive her last 
 breath, had such an attraction for me that I left my 
 business, and exposed myself and my brother to 
 heavy punishment; so that no obstacle could arrest 
 my march, now that I was only sixty miles from Bo- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 265 
 
 logna. I started on foot. It was sunset, when, leav- 
 ing Florence, I crossed the gate of Sangallo ; and the 
 first object which arrested my attention on the road 
 was the cemetery of Florence. At this sight I could 
 not help shuddering. The night soon grew dark, and 
 I saw nothing more, having great difficulty to find out 
 the road. 
 
 At two o'clock in the morning, I crossed the sum- 
 mit of the mountain, where sometimes the wind from 
 the north blows so strong as to carry away even 
 loaded carriages ; but a wall forty feet thick has been 
 erected to protect passengers. The wind, though not 
 then very strong, quite subdued my already exhausted 
 strength. I went to the hotel where the diligenza 
 usually stops a few moments, and took some of the 
 refreshments prepared for passengers. In the mean 
 time, the diligenza arrived, when the conductor in- 
 formed me that, one of the passengers having been 
 arrested at the gate of Florence, there was a vacant 
 seat, which I took with eagerness. 
 
 At four o'clock, p. m., we were in Bologna. It was 
 chilly and rainy weather. With heavy and irregular 
 steps I moved towards the well-known house, and saw 
 that the blinds were shut up, as well as the door. 
 Trembling from head to foot, I went to knock, but 
 felt unable to raise the hammer. In the mean time, I 
 saw the coachman coming home with the empty car- 
 riage. He came to me in tears. He was an old ser- 
 vant of the family, and was as much attached to 
 Enrichetta as to his own children. He said nothing 
 but I understood the whole. The good old man 
 gently forced me into the carriage, to take me from 
 that desolate house. He was going to my uncle's ; but 
 23 
 
266 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 I told him, in a resolute manner, "Take me to the 
 Campo Santo." 
 
 Near the well-known monument, in the same place 
 where first I saw Enrichetta praying on her knees, 
 there was now a new fresh heap of earth. I knelt 
 upon it, and lay immovable and overwhelmed by grief. 
 The old coachman was weeping apart, but, seeing the 
 alteration of my countenance, rushed to me, and, shak- 
 ing me by my arm, said, " Will you become a madman ? 
 Enrichetta is not here ; she is in heaven, and doubtless 
 prays for you, for her last words were, ^ My God ! re- 
 ceive my soul, and save my dear love.' " 
 
 At this, a young girl of fourteen timidly advanced 
 towards us. She was a favorite servant of Enrichetta, 
 and brought a small vase with a young rose-plant, 
 which Enrichetta had kept in her room during her 
 last sickness. The affectionate girl handed it to me, 
 and wept in silence. I planted the rose upon the 
 grave, and burst into tears. 
 
 I saw nobody else in Bologna, — not even my uncle. 
 I went back to Rome as quickly as possible, and the 
 police discovered nothing. 
 
 That rose, planted in winter and watered with tears, 
 grew up with luxuriant vegetation. Almost four 
 years after, coming back from the plains of Venice 
 after the battle of Yicenza, I hung upon that rose a 
 medal which I had earned on the field of battle. One 
 of the Austrian officers who occupied Bologna after- 
 wards took away that medal and cut down the rose 
 with his sword. A heart so wicked could never have 
 known what love is. I consider him sufficiently pun- 
 ished. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE PRISONER. 
 
 The words of Attilio Bandiera, " We shall be more 
 useful to Italy in dying than in living," proved to be 
 a veritable prophecy. Italy, as if redeemed by the 
 blood of her martyrs, showed new life, not only by the 
 increase of political agitation, but still more by a great 
 amelioration of the people at large, for whom example 
 is better than words. All virtuous and talented young 
 men sought for admission into "Young Italy," and 
 were anxious to be brought into action. The Aus- 
 trian government, the pope, the tyrant of Naples, and 
 the Jesuit King of Piedmont, exhausted all the means 
 of a bloody and wicked persecution, and the effect 
 was the opposite of their intention. The Duke of 
 Tuscany alone had not the courage to shed blood, and 
 so the revolutionary party exhibited there a certain 
 lack of energy, and gave rise to a set of men who 
 called themselves the " moderate party." 
 
 They were not really a political party, because no 
 portion of the people was with them. A French 
 diplomatist styled them " generals without soldiers ; " 
 and they did not want soldiers, having no intention to 
 fight. Such a band of cowards existed even in Amer- 
 ica at the time of the revolution. They styled them- 
 selves lovers of freedom, but preached submission; 
 
 (267) 
 
268 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 and, not having the courage to fight, they opposed 
 those who, by heroic deeds, made them blush for their 
 selfishness, and destroyed their ill-acquired influence, 
 popularity, and authority. To conquer their Protean 
 opposition was perhaps more difficult for Washington 
 than to defeat the English army. In like manner the 
 same party in Italy were the greatest annoyance to 
 " Young Italy," and the best allies of our oppressors. 
 
 The opposition of these people was a withering ele- 
 ment, inasmuch as the greater part of them, though 
 spoiled by cowardice, were honest and learned ; and 
 their name and credit were abused by some wicked 
 men, who, excluded from " Young Italy," clung to 
 them like parasitical plants, and spared no means to 
 frustrate the generous work of the patriotic youth. 
 Some of those wicked men went so far in their wrong 
 path as treacherously to denounce to the government 
 the revolutionary projects of their former associates. 
 
 After the death of the brothers Bandiera, the " mod- 
 erate party" were busy in denouncing that movement, 
 and preaching submission ; nay, Cesare Balbo, the most 
 illustrious among them, then published a book, the 
 title of which was, " The Hopes of Italy," condemning 
 all attempts of the Italians to free themselves, because 
 in a short time they would be rid of Austria without 
 any efi"ort. " The Turkish empire," he said, " must 
 fall ; and Austria, in her desire to secure a part of it, 
 would abandon Italy." 
 
 To take for granted the division of the Turkish 
 empire full ten years before France and England went 
 to the help of the Turks, appeared to be a visionary 
 idea. And no man of good sense could believe that 
 Austria would willingly give up her fat Italian pos- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 269 
 
 sessions, in order to acquire a wretched piece of the 
 ruined Turkish empire. 
 
 Absurdity, of course, is not a fault with philoso- 
 phers, as long as they wander in the field of specula- 
 tion; but Balbo pretended to be practically right; 
 nay, as a substitute for the present order of things, he 
 seriously recommended the scheme of his friend the 
 Abbot Gioberti. This philosopher, in good faith, I 
 think, in a large volume of new words, presented to 
 the modern Italians the poor ancient idea of a confed- 
 eration of all the Italian petty tyrants under the 
 supremacy of the pope ; and he became so excited 
 and delighted with this supposed new plan, that he 
 forgot all the lessons which the experience of ages 
 and the genius of the great Italians had set before us, 
 to show that papacy alone is the cause of all the evils 
 of Italy. Besides, Gioberti took it for granted that 
 papacy, at present quite worn out and in a dying con- 
 dition, would be able to carry on a scheme which 
 could not be realized during its vigor in the middle 
 ages. 
 
 Men of the ^^ moderate party," however, hdd several 
 advantages over the leaders of " Young Italy," the 
 former being permitted to proclaim their harmless 
 absurdities, to speak loudly of their wise patriotism, 
 and to slander their opponents, who were forced to be 
 silent for their own security, as well as for the inter- 
 est of their cause. Besides, the former met, of course, 
 with the sympathy of the European diplomatists, and 
 had with them all the corrupt or ill-informed press 
 of Europe. This party, I repeat, was the greatest 
 annoyance with which " Young Italy " had to cope. 
 When the prisons were filled with our friends, and 
 the scafi'old was red with their blood, we had to hear 
 23* 
 
270 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 them, their friends, and the foreign press denouncing 
 us as the worst enemies of Italy, ruining the national 
 cause by our rash and foolish attempts, &c.; and these 
 criminations came from those cowards and selfish men 
 who, besides keeping constantly on the safe side, were 
 not disposed to sacrifice for Italy a soire at the bal- 
 masque or the opera, or to practise any self-denial. 
 
 In the fall of the year 1845, when a general revolu- 
 tion was at hand, the men of the '^ moderate party '^ 
 had the unhappy idea of making a " peaceful remon- 
 strance " against the pope, then the most wicked of 
 the Italian tyrants. They intended to begin with him 
 their work of regeneration. A " manifesto " was writ- 
 ten and printed in Florence (neutral ground), and 
 was sent to Rimini, in the Roman State, where one 
 Renzi was commissioned to publish it. They asked 
 for some political reforms, even more moderate than 
 those which France, Austria, England, and Prussia had 
 requested the same pope to make during the year 
 1832. The pope, who had then baffled the "memo- 
 randum " of the European diplomacy, answered the 
 " manifesto '^ by sending an army of five thousand 
 Swiss soldiers to punish its authors. 
 
 They, of course, could not be found ; but the gener- 
 ous youth belonging to " Young Italy " yielded to the 
 temptation, and made a rush to arms, and some young 
 men of the neighboring cities followed their example. 
 But it was a partial movement, without any concerted 
 plan or direction ; so that, after some bloody skir- 
 mishes, it was put down, and classed with those 
 movements which despair often produces among an 
 oppressed people, much like the cry which torture 
 brings forth even from the bravest man. The princi- 
 pal authors of thii^ lovolution showed their cour,age 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 271 
 
 and skill by effecting a dangerous retreat into Tus- 
 cany, where they laid down their arms, and embarked 
 for foreign countries. 
 
 My dear brother Henry, who was a resident of 
 Rimini, took a slight part in that movement, and only 
 to comply with the desires of his friends, for he was 
 a well-disciplined soldier of ^' Young Italy," and did 
 not wish to stir without receiving regular orders. 
 He therefore did not think it unsafe for him to re- 
 main quietly at home, attending to his business, when 
 the storm had gone by. The pope sent immediately 
 a military commission to punish the " rebels ; " and, as 
 the chiefs had gone, they laid their hands upon those 
 less implicated, in order to have some victims. By 
 a military commission is meant a band of five igno- 
 rant and wicked soldiers of the pope, who are ap- 
 pointed, not to judge, but to condemn, a number of 
 political culprits to the punishment beforehand deter- 
 mined by the police. Those commissions are resorted 
 to because the ordinary tribunals, though appointed 
 by the pope, often decline to obey the injunctions 
 and act the odious part of executioners. 
 
 My brother was arrested by order of the military 
 commission, and treated with the most refined cruelty. 
 He was then twenty years of age, and of a delicate 
 constitution. They entered his place of business with 
 a great display of military force, and bound his hands 
 with an iron handcuff, pressing the screw in such a 
 manner as to tear the skin and the flesh from the 
 bones, and to make his hands swell badly. He had 
 gone but a few steps with his captors when he fainted 
 on the road. They placed him upon a cart, and brought 
 him, insensible, to the prison. The marks of that treat- 
 ment are still apparent on his wrists. The apartment 
 
272 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 of the prison was two feet below the surface of the 
 ground, paved with* stone, and six feet square, and 
 three men were imprisoned in it. A small hole, made 
 in the upper part of the thick wall, gave them a little 
 air and light in the daytime ; but during the night the 
 hole was closed, and their sufferings were beyond 
 description. One of them fell sick a few days after, 
 and the jailer informed the military commission, who 
 said it was a pretext in order to gain admission to the 
 hospital, where the treatment was better. Three days 
 after this the jailer had to take from that den the 
 corpse of the unhappy young man. He left a wife 
 and a child; but she died from sorrow soon after. 
 
 The jailer, struck by this calamity, informed my 
 parents of the condition of my brother, suggesting to 
 them the expediency of applying to Cardinal Gizzi, 
 the " legato " of the province, who had the credit of 
 being as liberal a man as a cardinal can be. He was 
 then in Rome for a few days, and my father wrote to 
 me, enclosing a touching supplication to the cardinal 
 that he would ameliorate the dreadful condition of 
 the poor prisoner. I went to the Convent of S. Mar- 
 cello, where Cardinal Gizzi was lodged, and I was 
 readily admitted, because I announced myself as a law- 
 yer of the Roman court; which implies a doctor of 
 canon law, — generally entitled to some regard. But, 
 as soon as I presented to him the petition, and ex 
 plained the subject of my errand, the short-bodied, 
 choleric cardinal, like a trodden viper, rose quickly 
 from his arm-chair, and, pointing to the door, said to 
 me, " Depart ! and thank God that you are not in the 
 same position with your brother; as you, perhaps, 
 deserve it more than he ! " 
 
 " But he has not yet been condemned," I dared 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 273 
 
 to observe. " Perhaps he is innocent ; and in the 
 mean time " 
 
 " Depart ! '' interrupted the cardinal, angrily ; " you 
 are all well known to be enemies both of the altar and 
 of the throne.^' 
 
 In going out I met in the street with a carriage, in 
 which I saw my friend Mattia, chained, and attended 
 by three papal " sbirri." Three more of my friends 
 were imprisoned during the same day ; and the mail 
 brought the news from Bologna, that, even there, 
 some of the chiefs of " Young Italy " had been ar- 
 rested. They were soon after brought to Eome by 
 corrispondenza ; for a discovery made in Rome by 
 the police caused these new imprisonments. In fact, 
 the police knew only that Josephs, a distinguished 
 lawyer of Bologna, sent to Mattia a sum of one thou- 
 sand dollars, which was said to be the payment of 
 some professional services (for Mattia was himself a 
 lawyer) ; but circumstances connected with that trans- 
 mission of money led the police to suspect that there 
 was a political plot connected with it. 
 
 A young man belonging to the office of Mattia, and 
 even to " Young Italy,'^ was arrested and tortured 
 in order to try to discover something. He firmly 
 resisted the torments, but was afterwards led into a 
 snare. His mother, artfully deceived by the police, 
 was introduced into his prison, as if for a special 
 favor ; and she informed him that, the day before, as 
 she was in the antechamber of the Governor of Rome, 
 waiting for an audience, she heard, by chance, that 
 a prisoner then speaking to the governor freely de- 
 nounced her son and other prisoners, and promised to 
 reveal the whole of the plot if they would save him ; 
 and that, having sought for the name of that prisoner 
 
274: THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 when he crossed the antechamber, she found out that 
 it was Mattia. 
 
 This statement was all true, except that, instead of 
 Mattia, the pretended prisoner was a disguised officer 
 of police ; and the lady, not living in Rome, knew 
 Mattia scarcely by name. But her son, too young 
 and inexperienced, believed that Mattia had really be- 
 trayed him, and burst into a fit of anger. He was, of 
 course, immediately taken before the judge, who 
 kindly received him, and, pretending to speak in a 
 low voice to his secretary, said, " I cannot help sym- 
 pathizing with this youth, so cowardly betrayed by 
 his chiefs." It was the last pull which urged that 
 young man into an abyss of baseness and infamy. 
 
 Both Josephs and Mattia were condemned to capi- 
 tal punishment ; though, even after the obtained reve- 
 lation, it was known only that there was a special 
 political object for sending that money, but that ob- 
 ject was unknown to the denunciator. The punish- 
 ment, however, was changed " by a grace " of the 
 pope, and the prisoners were both chained, and sent 
 to the state-prison for life. The ensuing political 
 events produced their liberation, as well as that of my 
 brother. 
 
CHAPTER XXXY. 
 
 THE TRIAL. 
 
 " Defence is a natural right," say our laws, " and no 
 one can be condemned without being previously heard 
 and defended." This is, of course, good for ordinary 
 cases ; but when a person is accused of opinions or 
 acts against the pope or a king, should he not be 
 deprived of defence ? " Yes, certainly," thought Car- 
 dinal Massimi, the papal " legato " for the province of 
 Ravenna. He did not like at all the opinion of Bec- 
 caria, and of all modern philosophers, that accusation 
 does not constitute crime, and that the guarantees 
 introduced to protect innocence should be increased, 
 instead of diminished, in proportion to the enormity 
 of the accusation. Besides, he thought a defence 
 useless and absurd when the sentence was to be pro- 
 nounced by a commission appointed to condemn, and 
 not to absolve. 
 
 But his neighbor, the " legato " of Forli, Cardinal 
 Gizzi, was of a different opinion. " Why," said he, 
 <' take upon ourselves the odium of denying a harm- 
 less formality ? Let them have the defence, and the 
 commission will, notwithstanding, condemn them." A 
 controversy, therefore, arose between the two cardi- 
 nals, concerning the proceedings of the military com- 
 mission in the provinces governed by them. Cardi- 
 
 (276) 
 
276 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 nal Gizzi appeared to be the more humane, but was 
 only the more cunning. At length they came to a 
 compromise, that the defence should be granted ; but 
 the defender should be appointed by the commission, 
 — not, however, from among its members, but from 
 among the lawyers admitted before the ordinary 
 court. 
 
 Now the trial began. The military commission 
 pretended to know from the prisoners a great deal 
 more than they knew themselves, and resorted to all 
 kinds of deceit and torture ; which, however, had no 
 other result than to excite a great deal of public indig- 
 nation even abroad. Massimo D'Azeglio, a scholar, 
 as well as an artist and a much esteemed citizen, wrote 
 a small book denouncing those iniquities. This publi- 
 cation made a great sensation even in France and 
 England, on account of the well-known independent 
 character of the author. A foreign ambassador 
 thought it proper to put a copy of it into the hands 
 of the pope himself; and the consequence was, an 
 order to arrest the author should he enter the papal 
 State, and a more bitter treatment of the poor pris- 
 oners. 
 
 By constant exertions and large expense, my father 
 succeeded in opening a secret correspondence with 
 my imprisoned brother, and by degrees was able 
 somewhat to help him. In this way my father re- 
 ceived one day from Henry a lock of hair enveloped 
 in a sheet of dirty paper ; and, suspecting it to be a 
 note, he exposed the sheet to a fire, when some lines 
 of a reddish color appeared, written with the juice 
 of an onion. " I am suffering very much from the 
 dampness and from the almost suffocating air of the 
 prison ; but even greater is the torment from hunger. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 277 
 
 They pretend to make me say something that I do not 
 know, and something I cannot say, so that they cause 
 me to fast every second day. They have also beaten 
 me twice with sticks, in order to humble my pride, as 
 they affirm. Notwithstanding all these things, I keep 
 up good spirits. Try, above all, to send me a large 
 piece of bread, and put into it, before baking, a pencil 
 and a little bundle of paper. ^^ 
 
 Some days after, another paper was received by my 
 father : it was a note to me. " Yesterday," wrote my 
 poor brother, " I was taken to the room of the com- 
 mission, where I found only Captain Freddi, who 
 treated me with kindness, and reminded me that we 
 had once dined together some years ago. He then 
 asked me if my oldest brother, namely you, belonged 
 to ^ Young Italy.^ — 'I know nothing about that so- 
 ciety,' was my reply. — ' I praise and fully appreciate 
 your honesty and consistency,' said the captain ; ^ but 
 your brother is not worthy that you should sacrifice 
 yourself for him, because, having been arrested, he has 
 confessed everything in order to be released.' This, 
 of course, was a too common artifice, having been 
 resorted to on many former occasions ; but the cap- 
 tain read to me some of the leading points of your 
 pretended confession, and showed me your signature 
 annexed to the paper. I could not have the least 
 doubt about the signature ; it was really your well- 
 known handwriting; but still I knew you too well, 
 and could not believe it. As he was placing the leaf 
 upon the table next to the window, I had by accident 
 a glance at it in a transparent position, and dis- 
 covered that the part containing your signature was 
 joined to the leaf with glue in a very skilful manner. 
 Of course, I made no remark about it, but answered 
 24 
 
278 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 the captain that your statements must have been 
 made under coercion, because they were untrue." 
 
 Captain Freddi, of whom my brother wrote, was 
 the same man who had been employed by Monsignor 
 Antonelli in Viterbo, during the year 1838, to ruin 
 many incaufious youths. He had been a profligate 
 and a gambler from his youth, and these vices made 
 him one of the worst instruments of the papal police ; 
 and, from crime to crime, he plunged afterwards into 
 all excesses. But even worse than he was Attilio 
 Fontana, the president of the military commission. 
 Unable to extort any confession from the prisoners by 
 means of the cruel tortures practised upon them by 
 his executioners, he determined to go himself into 
 their prisons, and try to obtain it by deceit. Loaded 
 with chains, that wicked man caused himself to be 
 shut up in a prison, filled with some of his intended 
 victims ; and there, pretending to have been impris- 
 oned for the same cause, affecting great zeal for it, 
 and announcing a new movement to be made for their 
 delivery, he tried to get into their confidence. 
 
 Disappointed by want of success in this imposition, 
 he tried it in vain successively from prison to prison. 
 Attilio Fontana, however, did not give up the matter ; 
 for, one evening, he put on a capuchin's coarse dress, 
 and, with the cowl on his head, sat in the confessional 
 of the prisons, and ordered some of the prisoners to 
 be brought by force to confession, as they were in the 
 habit of doing every fortnight. He acted with mar- 
 vellous skill the part of a " man of the gospel," — of 
 one deeply affected by their sad condition, and anxious 
 to help them, at least by bringing tidings of them to 
 their parents and friends. But a confessor sent by 
 the military commission could not be considered a 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 279 
 
 reliable man by the prisoners. Besides, though Ital- 
 ians are by nature open-hearted and confiding, a 
 bloody experience of many years has made them ex- 
 ceedingly distrustful, and constantly on their guard. 
 
 Attilio Fontana gave orders that the prisoners 
 should be often disturbed Avhen sleeping ; and, after 
 some days of this treatment, he would enter the prison 
 of some of them when in a deep sleep, and wake them 
 by a great noise of chains and a dazzling light. While 
 his followers were pointing daggers and pistols at the 
 breasts of the terrified prisoners, Fontana questioned 
 them, and endeavored to take them by surprise. Be- 
 sides, he sometimes sent a wretched man, calling him- 
 self a mesmeric physician, who, by putting some of 
 the prisoners into an artificial sleep, tried to discover 
 their secret thoughts. 
 
 " You will scarcely believe," my brother wrote to 
 me again, " that, after having disturbed my sleep for 
 a long time, they make me sleep now by means of 
 mesmerism. My body has become so weak, and my 
 nerves are so irritable, that, notwithstanding all my 
 efibrts, I have twice yielded to the action of a mes- 
 merist. I do not know what questions were put to 
 me, or what answers I gave ; but, from a new inter- 
 rogatory they made yesterday, I was convinced that 
 they obtained nothing important." 
 
 The trial was brought to a close by a new accident, 
 which supplied the military commission with all the 
 information they desired, and they ceased tormenting 
 the prisoners, but passed upon them the sentences of 
 condemnation already prepared. No one, however, 
 was put to death, because none of them had been a 
 principal in the movement. The new event was this : 
 
 Renzi, the man appointed by the " moderate party " 
 
280 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 to publish their " manifesto " and carry out their views, 
 having afterwards betaken himself to Marseilles, in 
 France, as a refugee, was there prevailed upon by the 
 papal consul to return, and become a traitor, in consid- 
 eration of immunity and of a sum of money offered to 
 him. Consequently he went to Florence, and, for 
 appearance's sake, was arrested and delivered to the 
 papal government. 
 
 The men of the " moderate party " were not, of 
 course, accomplices in that treacherous act ; nay, they 
 opposed, with all their strength and influence, the 
 delivery of Renzi to the papal government ; and they 
 are not to be accused in this respect. But they knew 
 that Renzi was an immoral and profligate man, who 
 disregarded his duty towards his wife and children : 
 why, then, did they avail themselves of the services 
 of such a person? They ought to have known that a 
 soul which is enslaved by brutal passions cannot ele- 
 vate itself to the virtue of self-sacrifice, and that no 
 wicked man can be a good citizen. 
 
 The military commission then proceeded to Ra- 
 venna, where the zeal of the commissaries was revived 
 and excited by the bloodthirsty Cardinal Massimi. 
 According to the adopted rule of giving to the pris- 
 oners a defender from among the lawyers of the court, 
 the commission chose for that office Ulisses Pantoli, 
 LL. D., who, being in the employment of the papal 
 government, and having many children relying on his 
 small salary, would, it was thought, be tractable, and 
 not disposed to make a real defence for the prisoners. 
 But Pantoli was an honest man, above all temptation ; 
 and, being now placed between his family and his 
 conscience, he sacrificed the interests of the former 
 to his duty, by making a full and independent defence 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 281 
 
 of the prisoners. It was, of course, of no avail to 
 them, and he was deprived of his employment, and 
 forbidden to leave the city of Ravenna without an 
 express permission from the "legato," Cardinal Mas- 
 simi. After a few days, however, Ulisses Pantoli left 
 Ravenna and the world, being removed by sudden 
 death, which was attributed to a powerful poison I 
 
 It happened about this time that one evening, when 
 Cardinal Massimi was going out from the theatre, an 
 oflScer of police was stabbed and killed almost under 
 his eyes, and the murderer fled without being recog- 
 nized by the other oflicers who were present. It was 
 afterwards discovered that the murder was committed 
 by a jealous husband to revenge a shocking outrage. 
 But Cardinal Massimi, thinking that the officer had 
 been killed on account of his zeal for the service of 
 the government, gave orders that the murderer should 
 be found and executed before three days should pass. 
 The police, being unable to find the offender, impris- 
 oned a young man whose hatred to the government 
 was well known, and charged him with the murder. 
 He was tried, condemned, and beheaded, according to 
 the orders of the legato. 
 
 A few days after the true murderer fell into the 
 hands of the government, and Cardinal Massimi coolly 
 ordered the executioner to behead him for the crime, 
 observing that the man executed had no doubt de- 
 served his fate on account of some other crime known 
 to God, who had permitted his death. 
 
 But, instead of noticing more deeds of that cruel 
 cardinal, I will narrate in what manner he ended his 
 life. Recalled to Rome on some business, he was 
 again to start for Ravenna, when he received through 
 the post-office a fine drawing which represented his 
 24* 
 
282 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 own intended solemn entrance into Ravenna. In this 
 drawing was depicted the gate, at which stood an old 
 man holding the bleeding head of a youth, evidently 
 his son, and moving it so as to cast the blood upon 
 the head of the cardinal, who, in the act of drawing 
 back, was seized behind by a devil. Cardinal Massimi 
 laughed at it, and, calling his favorite cook, ordered 
 him to prepare a good dinner, which he invited some 
 friends to attend. When the dinner was over, Cardi- 
 nal Massimi, having indulged in drinking more than he 
 was in the habit of doing, retired, somewhat intoxi- 
 cated, to his room. He was afterwards found dead in 
 his arm-chair. 
 
CHAPTER XXXYI. 
 
 DEATH OF THE POPE GREGORY XVI. 
 
 " The pope is sick, — dangerously sick," my friend 
 Fabio whispered in my ear, when I met him at the 
 hall of the court (monte citorio), on the morning of 
 the 29th of May, 1846 ; and I easily perceived that 
 the same news occupied the different groups collected 
 here and there. All were talking of the probable 
 death of the pope ; but no one dared to speak openly, 
 or permit his sanguine expectations to be known, for, 
 on former occasions of dangerous sickness, the pope, 
 when he recovered, had severely punished those in- 
 cautious persons who had manifested premature joy. 
 For the same reason the sickness and approaching 
 death of the pope were spoken of with caution and 
 mystery throughout the whole city. Spies and the 
 agents of police, however, were busy in every place, 
 contradicting the news, and endeavoring to strike 
 people with fear. 
 
 The dean of the college of the cardinals, then Car- 
 dinal Micara, went to the "Vatican, for, on account of 
 his dignity, he had the exclusive right of assisting and 
 administering the sacraments to the dying pope ; but 
 he was refused admittance to the sick room by Car- 
 dinal Lambruschini, the premier of the pope, who 
 asserted that his holiness was a great deal better, and 
 
 (283) 
 
284 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 wanted to see nobody but his immediate servants. In 
 accordance with this, a statement appeared in the 
 official newspaper that the pope was in good health, 
 and on the morrow, which was Ascension Day, would 
 attend in person high mass in the Church of Santa 
 Maria Novella. 
 
 The next morning all the streets leading to that 
 church from the Vatican were crowded with a bustling 
 people, from every class and condition of society, all 
 anxious to see whether the pope would really go to 
 the church, and, if so, to look upon his face, and judge 
 for themselves if there was any presage of death : for, 
 although eighty-two years old, and swollen with hu- 
 mors, he seemed to baffle all speculations, both of his 
 friends and enemies, as to his death. The premier. 
 Cardinal Lambruschini, had determined to send the 
 pope, at any rate, to the church. The streets were 
 covered with yellow sand, and looked as if carpeted. 
 Here and there were distributed many companies of 
 well-armed soldiers, and other soldiers on horseback 
 were trotting up and down, or kept in reserve at the 
 most convenient places. The whole of this customary 
 preparation meant, of course, that the pope was to pass 
 through in his gala-coach; but, when in the act of 
 being placed in it, he fainted, and was taken again to 
 his bed, and from that moment he declined rapidly. 
 
 In spite of all the efforts of the courtiers to conceal 
 the truth from the public, and to attribute to some 
 other cause the non-appearance of the pope, the peo- 
 ple were informed of the fact almost with the rapidity 
 of an electric shock. To explain the fierce and ill- 
 disguised joy which was now to be seen on nearly 
 every face, it must be kept steadily in view that 
 there was not perhaps any family in the Roman State 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 285 
 
 who had not to mourn some dear relative imprisoned, 
 exiled, or executed. The old pope was in the habit 
 of boasting that he had never pardoned any one since 
 he had been invested with authority, both in his con- 
 vent and on the throne. His death was therefore the 
 only ground of hope to many afflicted mothers, wives, 
 and sisters, as well as to others deeply interested in 
 the fate of the surviving victims ; for it is a custom 
 with every new " infalhble pope ^' to clear the prisons 
 of the victims of his no less infallible predecessor, in 
 order to make room for his own. 
 - While, after this, I was hasting to my home, in 
 order to carry the glad tidings to my good sister, I 
 was called in by an elderly lady of my acquaintance, 
 who was standing at the door of her house. She was 
 English by birth, but had married a rich Roman gen- 
 tleman, and had two sons, who, as well as her husband, 
 had been imprisoned since the year 1838. "What 
 news ? " said she ; " will the pope really die this time ? " 
 
 " I have but little doubt about it," answered I ; 
 " but I do not attach to the death of that wicked man 
 the importance which you and many others do. It is 
 of the institution that we want to get rid, for, while 
 papacy exists, we shall have wicked popes." 
 
 " It may be, — nay, so it is," replied the lady ; " but 
 at this moment I cannot think of anything but of hav- 
 ing my husband and my sons free again. For eight 
 years, in mourning and in tears, I have dwelt alone in 
 this desolate house, formerly the most happy home. I 
 have pardoned him who has caused me this misery, — 
 may God be merciful unto him ! — but I cannot help 
 feeling a desire that a stop should be put to his 
 cruelties." 
 
286 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 " Did yon ever, during all this time, apply to the 
 pope for pardon ? " 
 
 " I did," answered the lady, " though my husband 
 had forbid me to do so. It was very difficult to ob- 
 tain from the pope an audience, and, when granted, it 
 was only on condition of my not speaking of anything 
 important. So that I prevailed on the English consul 
 to present my petition, and implore for me ; but in 
 vain. Then I waited for the occasion on which the 
 pope went to Ancona. He was to pass under the 
 walls of the fortress of Civita Castellana, where my 
 husband and my sons were confined, together with 
 many other gentlemen of this city. I entered into a 
 sort of conspiracy with the ladies of those gentlemen,^ 
 and, when the carriage of the pope happened to pass 
 near the fortress, my companions and I, all in mourn- 
 ing, and many of them with their children, came out 
 from a kind of ambush, threw ourselves upon our 
 knees in the road, exhibited our petitions, and cried 
 for mercy." 
 
 " Did the pope stop the carriage ? " inquired I. 
 
 *^ No," said she ; " he looked indignant at our bold- 
 ness ; but the drivers of his twelve horses, having 
 been bribed, stopped for a little while, and I rushed 
 towards the window of the carriage, and offered a rich 
 white banner, on which I had embroidered with gold 
 the Latin words, ^ Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax 
 hominibus ' (namely, '• Glory to God on high, and peace 
 to men on earth'). I was not permitted to approach 
 near enough to hand it to the pope myself, but a noble 
 guard on horseback did so, then took our petitions, 
 and presented them to him. He looked angry ; but, 
 on reading the words upon the banner, his face re- 
 laxed to a smile of sell-satisfaction, and, uttering the 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 287 
 
 words 'bonas voluntatis' (of good will), which follow 
 in the text of that sentence, he went away, laughing 
 at his own wit/' 
 
 " Well," said I, " a good pope must be insensible to 
 sentiments of humanity and to family affection. For 
 this reason he cannot have a family ; he must belong 
 entirely to his own caste ; and his feelings, his aims, 
 his ambition, must have only one end, — the indefinite 
 exaltation and dominion of his caste over all people. 
 Every opposition to it is a crime which he cannot for- 
 give without compromising the whole system." 
 
 " But why," interrupted the lady, " do the ministers 
 of the pope make such a mystery of his sickness, and 
 try to deceive the public about the danger in which 
 his life is?" 
 
 " They are afraid," answered I, " of a popular com- 
 motion, which would be more dangerous than ever, if 
 made with previous accord, at the moment of anarchy 
 which follows the death of a pope, and lasts till the 
 cardinals come to an understanding as to a pr .^visional 
 government. Besides, Cardinal Lambruschini, the 
 premier of the pope, has a large party among the 
 young cardinals created by his influence ; but all the 
 old cardinals hate him; and if Cardinal Micara, the 
 dean, and Cardinal Castracane, the ^ great peniten- 
 tiary ' (pcenitentiarius), should be admitted to assist 
 the dying pope, they would easily prevail on his 
 weakened mind to dismiss the present ministry, and 
 would take for themselves the advantages arising on 
 such an occasion from the possession of power, pub- 
 lic revenues, and all kinds of employment and grat- 
 ification." 
 
 Two days more of eager expectation had elapsed ; 
 and it was the morning of the first of June, 1846, 
 
288 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 when my sister, entering my office room with an 
 expression of emphatic joy, said, " The pope is dead, 
 — really dead. There is no doubt of it ; for the 
 daughter of the officer of the noble guard, who is our 
 neighbor, has shown me the note requesting her father 
 to go and watch the corpse." 
 
 " Is it not wrong," observed I, in a tone of gentle 
 reproof, " to rejoice so much at his death ? Was he 
 not a man like us ? " 
 
 " No," replied the excited girl, " he was a wicked 
 tyrant ; and our Henry will be restored to us." 
 
 At this, the mournful sound of the large bell of the 
 Capitol was heard, announcing to Rome the death of 
 the pope ; and, soon after, the whole range of above 
 fifteen hundred bells belonging to the five hundred 
 and six churches of Rome were rung " for the benefit 
 of the soul of the holy father." I went straight to 
 the Vatican, where the greatest confusion prevailed. 
 The pope's " family " — r that is, the numerous tribe of 
 servants, waiters, priests, and prelates, who attend him 
 personally — have a right, when he dies, to ransack 
 his apartments completely. This operation was then 
 going on with much noise and eagerness, so that 
 many inquisitive persons, as well as myself, met with 
 no opposition in penetrating into the private apart- 
 ments where the corpse of the pope lay. 
 
 It had just been taken from the bed, and placed on 
 a large marble table, in a large saloon adjoining, where 
 a few " noble guards " and a magister ostiarius de 
 verga ruhea were in attendance. The last personage 
 was an acquaintance of mine ; for, his turns of service 
 being short and infrequent, he was able to practise, in 
 the mean time, before the court in his capacity of 
 attorney. His duty at the papal court, as well as that 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 289 
 
 of above fifty of Ms fellow-officers, was • to wait in 
 rich attire at the doors of the numerous papal ante- 
 chambers, in order to open and shut the frame called 
 hussola ; so that they are known under the nickname 
 of hussolanti. 
 
 " At what hour did the pope die ? " inquired I of 
 the bussolante, who showed me that instinctive regard 
 which an indifferent attorney usually feels for a plead- 
 ing lawyer. 
 
 ^^ No one can tell/' answered he, ^^ for the physi- 
 cians, who came this morning at eight o'clock to hold 
 a consultation at his bed, found only the cold corpse." 
 
 " So, then," observed I, " he died alone, and had no 
 one to wet his burning lips, or, during his agony, to 
 whisper words of affection, comfort, and hope ? " 
 
 ^^ Exactly so," answered the bussolante, " and with- 
 out receiving the last sacraments : no viaticum and no 
 extreme unction were administered to him." 
 
 "Do you believe," said I, "that this last privation 
 would much endanger his salvation, if he had no other 
 accounts to render?" 
 
 " It is a matter I little understand," answered the 
 bussolante, with a cunning look. " I can only tell you, 
 that the pope suffered exceedingly from the abso- 
 lute abandonment in which he was left, as soon as his 
 courtiers perceived no chance of his recovery. They 
 could expect nothing more from him ; and, anticipat- 
 ing the chances of a new election, they began to 
 think of securing or of improving their position by 
 intrigue and flattery. They excused their absence by 
 saying that he wanted to be quiet and alone. But sel- 
 dom was food administered to him ; and all his re- 
 quests for a little more, and for a little wine, now 
 almost indispensable to his life, met always with the 
 25 
 
290 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 answer that the physician would not allow him to have 
 it. He would then give a positive order^ but the offi- 
 cer who received it did not make his appearance 
 again. 
 
 "Yesterday morning/' added the bussolante,." at 
 nine o'clock, on hearing a violent ringing of the bell, 
 1 ventured to enter the bedroom of the pope, and, by 
 such an infraction of discipline, exposed myself to 
 great danger. I was exceedingly moved at the sight. 
 Alone in that hot and mephitic room, feeble and aflnost 
 fainting for want of food, he was tormented by thirst 
 and by flies. It was with an almost supplicating air 
 that he told me to remain there with him for some 
 time. He was no longer the haughty and frowning 
 sovereign : bitter disappointment had broken down his 
 spirits and his hopes. I was there for almost three 
 hours, and was very glad when he dismissed me, as 
 I was afraid of being discovered, and the air of the 
 room was insupportable." 
 
 This narrative made upon my mind a deep impres- 
 sion, though I had come with but little kindness of 
 feeling towards a man who had caused so much sor- 
 row to my country, to my family, and to myself. But 
 to hear of his miserable end, and to see before me 
 that mouth, convulsed and shut forever, — that mouth 
 from which issued words of vengeance and blood, — 
 was enough to calm my anger. The cruel and proud 
 tyrant had given place, first to a suffering man, and 
 then to a wretched wreck of humanity. And now I 
 could not help thinking with pity of his miserable soul, 
 trembling before the eternal Judge, and hearing the 
 terrible words, " I gave you a people : what have you 
 done with them ? " 
 
 Only a few months before, Massimo D'Azeglio had 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 291 
 
 denounced the cruelties and misgovernment of the 
 pope^ in his book on the " Events of Romagna," and 
 made an eloquent appeal to his conscience. The 
 answer was an aggravation of those wicked proceed- 
 ings. But now, to the dejected mind of the sick and 
 disappointed pope, in the painful moments of his last 
 agony, when no friendly voice came to his ears, per- 
 haps bitterly recurred the warning of the sincere 
 counsellor, whom he had wished to sacrifice to his 
 anger. 
 
 " Of the risings of Romagna," said Azeglio, " of 
 those slaughters, those exiles, of the tears of so many 
 unhappy persons, you will have to render an account 
 to God, — you, their governor, and not they, your 
 wretched subjects, trodden under foot. Their blood 
 will be rained down on your head; their sorrows, their 
 tears, will be judged of by that tribunal before which 
 come neither crowns nor sceptres nor tiaras, — things 
 which have mouldered in the grave, — but where is 
 presented only the naked human soul, with no other 
 safeguard against the sword of eternal justice than 
 the shield of its own innocence ; where your deeds 
 will be weighed in those incorruptible scales in which 
 the least of injuries done to the least of men weighs 
 heavier than all the thrones and all the sceptres of the 
 universe." 
 
 My conversation with the bussolante, my reflections 
 and my remembrances, were interrupted by the ap- 
 pearance of Cardinal Camerlengo, with a large number 
 of attendants, all, as usual, in magnificent attire. 
 Among them were the notaries of the Reverend Apos- 
 tolic Chamber, the general of the noble guards, the 
 marshal of the conclave, and several other high offi- 
 cers of the papal court. The notaries wrote out, in 
 
292 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 a curial Latin style, a document concerning the " ap- 
 pearance " before them, and the witnesses! of " Greg- 
 ory XYI., Pontifex Optimus Maximus," and read it 
 solemnly. Then the Cardinal Camerlengo, holding a 
 golden hammer in his right hand, approached the mar- 
 ble table, struck the corpse on the head and on the 
 breast, and exclaimed, '^ sanctissime Domine, Papa 
 Gregori decime-sexte ! " 
 
 The corpse, of course, answered nothing ; and the 
 notaries wrote out another authentic document con- 
 cerning that "not answer." The Camerlengo re- 
 peated three times his strokes and calls ; but the 
 corpse was constantly silent. He, therefore, after 
 hearing the unanimous opinion of all the dignitaries 
 and high officers gathered there, solemnly decreed 
 that "his holiness Pope Gregory XYI., best and 
 greatest pontiff, who had formerly reigned happily, 
 was now dead." This decree was solemnly recorded 
 by the notaries ; and, from that moment, Gregory 
 XYI. ceased to reign. 
 
 Next they brought to Cardinal Camerlengo the 
 famous " ring of the fisherman," which is a kind of 
 seal in the shape of the ancient signatorius annuluSj 
 with which the pope signs his bulls, and which are 
 therefore said to be dated suh annulo piscatoris. It 
 is called " the ring of the fisherman " because it rep- 
 resents Peter in the act of fishing. The cardinal per- 
 formed many ceremonies and exorcisms upon that 
 magic ring, in order to deprive it of all the preroga- 
 tives with which consecration had endowed it; and 
 then he struck the ring with his golden hammer, and 
 an officer broke it by a sharp instrument. From that 
 moment ended also the spiritual authority of Greg- 
 ory XYI. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 JUDGMENT ON THE GRAVE. 
 
 *' Had Gregory XVI. no friend or relative ? " in- 
 quired M. Clovis, an accomplished French gentleman, 
 who had heard of the miserable end of this pope. 
 
 " Friends ! " answered I ; " tyrants have none ; they 
 are able neither to feel nor to excite a noble senti- 
 ment. Instead of friends he had favorites, who too 
 often led him astray, and, as a matter of course, 
 shamefully fled from his deathbed. His relations were 
 not permitted by that heartless man to come to Rome. 
 They lived in Belluno, a town in the Venetian terri- 
 tory, and were honest people. He could not bear 
 them ; he had given up all family affections in order 
 to make himself a friar, and was not able to love any 
 one but himself." 
 
 " I have been told, however," observed M. Clovis, 
 '^ that, by his last will, Gregory XVI. bestowed upon 
 his family more than two milHons of dollars." 
 
 " Very true. He came to the throne a poor friar, 
 and, having robbed the state of that immense sum, 
 bestowed it upon his relations, because he could not 
 carry it with him after death. Ambition, besides, was 
 not the least motive for such liberality, for he erected 
 a primogeniture, and gave the title of Roman Prince 
 to his nephew, in order to give dignity to his vulgar 
 25* (293) 
 
294 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 name ^ Cappellari ' (hatters). So that you cannot 
 praise him for his will ; nay, there is in that disposi- 
 tion a striking feature, which will give you an idea of 
 his disregard of the law, — he commands that his heirs 
 should not be subjected to the common law, exacting 
 a tax from the collateral heirs. In such a manner he 
 endeavored to scorn the law, even after his death." 
 
 Gregory XYI. having departed from this life, and 
 his body having been duly and solemnly deprived 
 first of political power, and then of religious au- 
 thority, the surgeons of the papal court came in and 
 took the corpse, in order to have it dissected and em-" 
 balmed immediately; for the hot weather, and the 
 condition of the body, would have made the operation 
 impossible if delayed any longer. They found noth- 
 ing in the stomach except some seeds of lemon, 
 which, evidently, he had swallowed through hunger 
 the day before. The stomach, the heart, and all the 
 bowels, were put in a proper vase, and taken in pro- 
 cession to the church of " S. Anastasio," near the 
 fountain of Trevi, where the bowels of hundreds of 
 the preceding popes are kept. 
 
 In the mean time, the embalmed limbs were clad in 
 rich pontifical dress, and exposed to the pubKc in the 
 cappella ardente, a chapel, with numberless burning 
 wax candles. I went to see it, and thought that, after 
 so many desecl-ating ceremonies, and the profane op- 
 eration of the surgeons, the corpse would have lost 
 aU its holiness ; but I was mistaken. I was informed 
 that the feet, being, perhaps, the most holy part, of the 
 papal body (santissimi piedijj would retain something 
 of their former virtue for three days more. They 
 had, therefore, been left naked, in order that any one 
 might kiss them, and gain the indulgence of a dis- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 295 
 
 count of seven years from their future condemnation 
 to purgatory. I saw some dirty pilgrims from beyond 
 the Alps heroically conquering their natural repug- 
 nance, to gain so great a reward ; but none of my 
 fellow-citizens showed courage so devout. 
 
 During three days the honors of the court were 
 paid to that embalmed corpse, and three times a day 
 the great dignitaries and officers belonging to the 
 kitchen went to ask for its orders concerning meals, 
 and all these occurrences were registered by the nota- 
 ries of the Reverend Apostolic Chamber. This treat- 
 ment, which is customary on the occasion of the death 
 of every pbpe, had then the appearance of a cruel 
 satire, for it was well known that Gregory XVI. had 
 been left to'starve during the last moments of his life. 
 
 The three days of the exhibition being over, the 
 body was put into a coffin and placed upon the sum- 
 mit of a catafciLco, or bier, erected in the main nave 
 of St. Peter's Church. The funeral rites were per- 
 formed around that lofty catafalco during nine days, 
 with the usual pomp : a great many masses were said 
 by well-paid priests, excellent music was constantly 
 performed during this time, and a thousand large wax 
 candles were burning day and night. All this was 
 done for the benefit of the soul of the pope, and cost 
 the state a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. At 
 length the costly remains were shut up in a marble 
 tomb, on which Pasquino sat to judge the acts of the 
 deceased. 
 
 Who is Pasquino ? 
 
 "I should like to see Pasquino, and know some- 
 thing about this witty personage," said a traveller to 
 a cicerone of Eome, who took him to the conjunction 
 of two narrow streets near Piazza Navona, and there, 
 
296 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 pointing at a mere wreck of a marble statue, said, 
 " Here is Pasquino." 
 
 That statue, among the many erected to the Roman 
 emperors, was the only one still standing undisturbed 
 upon its pedestal in Rome in the days of Cola da Ri- 
 enzi, "the last of the tribunes." The populace threw 
 it down, dragged it along the streets of Rome, and 
 left it mutilated and broken in a corner, near its pres- 
 ent place. It was Prince Braschi, the nephew of Pius 
 YI., who, building there a palace for himself, gave a 
 place in an exterior corner of it to that wreck of a 
 statue, which had acquired an European renown, and 
 given the name to a new kind of poem, 'called pas- 
 quinade. 
 
 Pasquino was a poor tailor, who kept a shop near 
 to the corner where that mutilated statue stood for- 
 merly. He had the talent of a great poet, and dread- 
 ful was his sarcastic wit. Pasquino used to compose, 
 occasionally, some satire against the popes and their 
 court, and, as the means of publication, he was in the 
 habit of hanging his satires to the mutilated statue. 
 A pope, enraged to madness by the cruel satires of 
 which he was a constant object, said one day, " I will 
 discover the author of them, at any rate." The satir- 
 ist answered by a card hanging from the neck of the 
 statue, "Thou wilt know nothing, as we were but 
 three at work, — my pen, the inkstand, and I." But, 
 notwithstanding this bold declaration, the tailor-poet 
 was allured and caught in a snare by the cunning 
 pope, who offered impunity and a reward to the cul- 
 prit, provided he should make a full confession, and 
 write no more satires. The reward was punctually 
 paid, and the life and liberty of the poet were spared, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 297 
 
 but he had his tongue and hands cut off, that he might 
 faithfully keep the condition. 
 
 The unlucky satirist, however, having recovered 
 from the sickness caused him by such treatment, was 
 seen one morning sitting upon the ruined statue, and 
 showing his handless arms and widowed mouth: he 
 was himself a satire. From that moment both the 
 statue and the place took the name of Pasquino, the 
 poor tailor, and hardly was a satire made in which 
 Pasquino was not introduced, speaking or dialoguing ; 
 so that he became the representative of the satirical 
 humor of the Roman people, whose frequent and 
 witty satires are consequently called " Pasquinades. '^ 
 The Roman people indulge freely in them on every 
 occasion, but more especially when the death of a pope 
 occurs. To trace the authors of these pasquinades is 
 almost impossible. 
 
 " Have you seen a pasquinade this morning ? " a 
 mason will ask his fellows, as they meet at work. 
 
 " No ; tell us what it was," will be the answer ; 
 and then the former will recite one which he himself 
 has made, and which will travel over all the city, and 
 come back to its author greatly improved. In like 
 manner, a young artist, taking his breakfast for three 
 cents at a coffee-house, will sketch upon the white 
 marble table a satire, which, says he, was hanging at 
 a corner of a distant street early in the morning. 
 Some of the waiters will copy it, and, when the young 
 artist goes in the evening to the Coffee-house of the 
 Fine Art^ T^V^/^e delle belle Arti), many a friend will 
 show him improved editions of his work, which he 
 brings into the saloon, as novelties, just discovered. 
 
 But the cruelties of Gregory XVI. were not a 
 matter for witty pasquinades ; for still fresh was the 
 
298 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 bloody and audible were the groans, of the victims. 
 But his private life offered a large store of bad habits 
 and shameful vices to be chastised. His favorite ser- 
 vant, called Gaetanino, was, however, the* most com- 
 mon subject of pasquinades, revealing scandals too 
 dreadful for unaccustomed ears. The drunkenness, 
 also, of the pope, and his impotent rage against the 
 art of printing, and every kind of modern invention 
 and improvement, were freely denounced. 
 
 " Who was that famous Gaetanino ? '^ asked an Eng- 
 lish gentleman whom I met in a society where a witty 
 pasquinade on that person had been read. 
 
 " His real name," said I, " is Gaetano Moroni. He 
 was a poor boy in the employment of a barber, who 
 still does business in Yia Camaldolesi, opposite the 
 convent where lived Fra Mauro Cappellari, afterwards 
 Gregory XYI. On this boy the friar looked with 
 great benevolence, and afterwards took him into his 
 service. Gaetano Moroni became the chief waiter 
 (primo cameriere) of the pope, and the influence of 
 this favorite was said to be boundless. Now, of 
 course, Gaetanino was no longer a boy: he had grown 
 to be a fine-looking man, and had a very handsome 
 wife, too. They had a fine child, bearing the name 
 of their benefactor, and nursed by a most beautiful 
 girl. These were the only persons with whom the 
 pope familiarly dwelt, and they alone took care of him 
 when sick or drunk. 
 
 "The child died young, and the pope was much 
 affected by this domestic affliction, and erected an 
 appropriate monument to the memory of the ' little 
 Gregory.' Pasquino wrote satirically upon that monu- 
 ment, ' Mre publico — parvulo Gregory — benemerito 
 patriaB — obiit cito ne patris exampla videret.' Gaet- 
 
THE EOMAK EXILE. 299 
 
 ano Moroni and the pope were much incensed by this 
 insult to their sincere grief, and tried every means to 
 find out the author; who, however, always kept a 
 modest incognito. Besides, another domestic trouble 
 was caused indirectly by that death ; for the wife of 
 Gaetanino, having lost the child, thought she no longer 
 needed the services of the pretty nurse, and was about 
 to discharge her ; but the pious pope thought it too 
 bad, and interfered in order that she might be kept 
 for further occurrences. His opinion, of course, pre- 
 vailed, but to keep in good accord those two women 
 was not an easy task, even for a 'very holy pope.' " 
 
 " Is there any danger," inquired my EngHsh friend, 
 "that you may have borrowed from Pasquino this 
 narrative ? " 
 
 " No, sir," answered I. " My narrative, in such a 
 case, would have been filled with severe expressions 
 and scandalous anecdotes. I know that foreigners 
 cannot believe such things ; but Pasquino speaks to 
 the Roman people, that is, to the eye-witnesses of the 
 facts which he denounces, and can, therefore, be ex- 
 plicit." 
 
 Next morning I met the same gentleman at a cof- 
 fee-house, where I went to take breakfast, and we 
 spoke again of the pasquinades. " Look here ! " said 
 I to the EngHshman ; " do you see that young man 
 sitting alone and thoughtful in the sohtary corner ? " 
 
 "I do," answered the Englishman; and I replied, 
 "Well, I know him; he is my bootmaker, and I sup- 
 pose is now composing a pasquinade." 
 
 At this the young bootmaker, awaking from a kind 
 of dream, put on his hat, and went away, with his 
 eyes cast down, and smiling to himself. " Hallo I 
 
300 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Giuseppe," said I, as he passed before me ; " is there 
 any new pasquinade this morning ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir," answered he, '^ I have seen a pretty 
 one, and will tell it to you ; for I suppose your com- 
 panion is a prudent and honest man. The pasquinade 
 which I have seen was a bill of lading for the papal 
 bark called ^ Speranza,' Capt. G. Cialdi, bound to Bahia 
 in Brazil, under the papal colors, and the keys of both 
 heaven and hell were printed on it. The pope, also, 
 was represented as the proprietor of the cargo, en- 
 tirely composed of white slaves, aged from twenty to 
 forty, under ' the care of God,' not being insured ; 
 and the consignee was the Archbishop of Bahia. The 
 bill was then endorsed by an annotation of Peter, 
 saying ' Document No. 3, for the trial of Gregory 
 XYL' " 
 
 " I find there only a gratuitous insult," observed the 
 Englishman, as soon as the bootmaker had gone ; but 
 I answered, " That is because you do not know, so 
 well as the Roman people, for whom the pasquinade 
 was composed, that, during the year 1838, Pope 
 Gregory XYI. really sent that bark, with a cargo of 
 white slaves, sold to a company of Brazilian planters, 
 through the medium of the Archbishop of Bahia. I 
 must add, however, that they were all satisfied with 
 being sold into slavery, because they preferred it to a 
 slow death in the papal dungeons, where they had 
 been condemned for political ofiences. The business 
 turned out against the pope, as the planters objected 
 to the condition of people who had been worn out by 
 past ill-treatment, and unable to do hard work from 
 their having been all trained for a literary career. 
 The contract was therefore broken, and Capt. Cialdi 
 
THE nOilxVN EXILE. 301 
 
 landed his cargo, letting them take care of them- 
 selves." 
 
 After this a friend of mine came in. He also had 
 his pasquinade ; not made by him, but improved from 
 the hints given him by an old clerk in his store, for 
 he was a druggist. It was a kind of dialogue between 
 the soul of the late pope and St. Peter, as they met 
 not far from the gate of Paradise. Gregory was rep- 
 resented as being weary and overwhelmed by fatigue, 
 since he had travelled during the last twelve days, 
 while his body was on exhibition and receiving 
 honors. 
 
 " 0, at length I have found you ! I am very happy 
 to see you," said Gregory. 
 
 " Who are you ? " answered Peter. " I do not know 
 you." 
 
 " I am your great successor, as Vicar of God upon 
 the earth." 
 
 " I do not understand you. Speak plainly, and, 
 above all, do not mention God in vain. Who are 
 you?" 
 
 " I am Gregory." 
 
 " Gregory ? " repeated Peter ; " there was, indeed, 
 a Gregory on the earth, but he came here a great 
 many years ago." 
 
 " True," answered Gregory ; " but he was quite 
 different from me ; he was Gregory Magno (which 
 means both great and eater), and I am Gregory Be- 
 vone (drunkard)." 
 
 " Well," answered Peter, " then I have heard of 
 you, I suppose ; but what do you want here ? " 
 
 " Above all, a little repose," said Gregory. " The 
 road was so bad and so long that I feel quite ex- 
 hausted." 
 
 26 
 
302 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 " It was your own fault," observed Peter. " Why 
 did you obstinately resist the establishment of rail- 
 roads ? " 
 
 " But it was very dark/' said Gregory. 
 
 " That was also your fault," said Peter, " for you 
 opposed the introduction of gas-light ; and then they 
 have been burning, day and night, thousands of large 
 wax candles — for you, they say. Did you not see 
 that great light for the last twelve days ? " 
 
 "Do not speak to me of those people, — they be- 
 trayed and abandoned me during my last days." 
 
 " It was well," observed Peter, " for your heart 
 never felt friendship and compassion." 
 
 " I thought," said Gregory again, " that here, at 
 least, my predecessors would come to meet me. Did 
 they not hear of my death ? " 
 
 " Probably not," answered Peter, " for you pro- 
 scribed the electric telegraphs ; and the few bishops 
 of Rome we have in this place are very old, having 
 been here at least a thousand years." 
 
 " But let me enter now into Paradise," said Greg- 
 ory. 
 
 " I pity you," answered Peter, " but Paradise is not 
 for bloody tyrants and impious impostors. I will 
 never open the door to such people. But did you 
 not say that you had the key of heaven ? " 
 
 " Yes, and I think I have it here," replied Gregory, 
 taking out a key from his pocket ; which, however, 
 was the key of his wine-cellar. 
 
 " Go away with your cellar-key I Paradise is not 
 for drunkards." 
 
 " Pray," said Gregory, trembling, " at least, let me 
 go to purgatory." 
 
 "Do as you choose," said Peter. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 303 
 
 " Where is purgatory ? " asked Gregory. 
 
 " I never heard of it." 
 
 Now Peter entered the gate, and shut the door 
 against Gregory, who was suddenly wrapped in a dark 
 cloud of infernal smoke. 
 
CHAPTER XXXYIII. 
 
 THE CONCLAVE. 
 
 Papal tyranny went down to the tomb with Greg- 
 ory XYI., and there remained in a latent state till it 
 was again placed on the throne, two years after, by 
 the allies of his successor. I do not mean to say that 
 the death of that wicked tyrant produced a change 
 of system, — nay, quite the contrary. The despotic 
 authority now devolved upon the cardinals, who were 
 very fond of it ; the oppressive laws and regulations 
 were maintained in full vigor, and the former agents 
 and executioners of that tyrannical domination were 
 confirmed in their power and offices. But no one 
 dared to stir, and all the ordinary oppressive measures 
 became harmless through want of execution. 
 
 " The hands of the wicked have been withered,'^ 
 often exclaimed my sister, observing the general sus- 
 pension and confusion which had taken the place of 
 the terror that formerly reigned. 
 
 Her expression was correct: a general withering 
 power affected the proudest cardinal as well as the 
 humblest catchpoll, — it was great fear. They were 
 all perfectly aware of the general hatred of the people 
 against them. During the last four years five pop- 
 ular movements had been suppressed ; but now the 
 government had exhausted its means of oppression, 
 
 (304) 
 
THE ROMAN KXTLE. 305 
 
 while the revolutionists were constantly gaining 
 strength and vigor even from their failures. 
 
 A popular movement, much stronger than any for- 
 mer attempt, was at hand. The cardinals and their 
 friends were aware of this, as well as the revolution- 
 ists themselves ; but they knew not how to avert the 
 threatening fury. The Swiss troops, a corps of six 
 thousand well-armed and well-tried soldiers, had, dur- 
 ing the last twelve years, proved theraselves faithful 
 and earnest supporters of the papal government ; but 
 now "Young Italy," by means of patient, constant, 
 and daring efforts, had succeeded in conquering the 
 greater part of them, so that they became a burden 
 to the papal government instead of being a defence. 
 In fact, soon after, they entered the ranks of the rev- 
 olutionists. Only a few hundred Swiss body-guards 
 remained faithful. 
 
 Austria and France indeed had numerous armies, 
 and were disposed, as usual, to support the papacy at 
 any rate ; but their aid would probably come too late, 
 that is, when a popular movement had swept away 
 aU the cardinals and their domineering caste. Be- 
 sides, the whole of Europe was then so excited and 
 convulsed that a general outbreak of the discontented 
 was to be feared in Paris and Vienna as well as in 
 Rome. 
 
 Trepidation and anxiety then overwhelmed the weak 
 minds of the cardinals ; and their officers, instead of 
 earnestly pursuing the ordinary system of compres- 
 sion, seemed to be anxious only to fill their pockets, 
 as if they considered the government a general ship- 
 wreck. There was a kind of suspension of that 
 dreadful pressure which weighed upon us, and, of 
 course, we eagerly seized the opportunity to fortify 
 26* 
 
306 THE ROJIAN EXILE. 
 
 ourselves by union. A return to the former sys4:em 
 soon became impossible, at least by ordinary means. 
 The municipal authorities of the most important cities 
 of the Roman State showed, on this occasion, great 
 civil courage and patriotism. They were men of 
 wealth, chosen by the government from among its 
 supposed friends ; but, notwithstanding this, they ad- 
 dressed the college of the cardinals with protests 
 freely denouncing the past administration. It was a 
 new proof that municipal life is so strong in Italy that 
 neither barbarous conquerors nor tyrannical govern- 
 ments have been able to destroy it. 
 
 The city of Rome, however, made no protest, be- 
 cause it has had no municipal authority since the time 
 when Pope Sixtus Y. abolished it; but the common 
 people expressed their wishes in a more energetic 
 manner, crying out, " We will have no pope ! down 
 with the papacy ! " This was the outcry with which 
 the cardinals were saluted on their way to the con 
 clave for the election of a new pope. The Roman 
 people were much excited and exasperated : a reaction 
 being easy at that moment, they were quite disposed 
 to retaliate. Had " Young Italy " sounded the tocsin, 
 the cardinals and the whole of the domineering caste 
 would hardly have escaped from total destruction. 
 The late pope himself, during his sickness, anticipated 
 this, and, in order to provide for the occurrence of a 
 general massacre, made a new bull (which was found 
 unfinished among his papers), empowering the sur- 
 viving cardinals, however small the number might be, 
 to meet in a place of safety, no matter where, and 
 proceed to the election of a new pope, who should be 
 recognized as his legitimate successor as entirely as 
 if elected in Rome by a full number of cardinals. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 307 
 
 " I wonder," said a Belgian artist, a particular friend 
 of Mattia, — "I wonder that 'Young Italy' does not 
 take the present occasion of the weakness of the gov- 
 ernment and the excitement of the people to make a 
 movement in favor of their long-cherished purpose of 
 overthrowing the papacy." 
 
 " I know but little of their plans," said I ; " but I 
 am told that ' Young Italy ' does not like the ways of 
 blood. The members of that society have constantly 
 proved that they are ready to sacrifice themselves for 
 the triumph of their cause, but they have never desired 
 to slaughter their opponents, — a measure which would 
 endanger rather than promote the moral triumph they 
 look for." 
 
 " I do not pretend to know your secrets," replied 
 the Belgian. " I am a foreigner, and know that in 
 politics you are the most exclusive people in the 
 world ; but it is a secret no longer that ' Young Italy ' 
 is preparing for a general outbreak, which is said to 
 be at hand. I do not ask for your avowal, but I take 
 it for granted that you, as well as almost all of the 
 Roman youth, belong to that society. Perhaps on no 
 future occasion would a popular movement cost so 
 few victims as now ; for I have seen, by my own ex- 
 perience in my native country, that a popular tumult 
 never costs a tenth part of the number of victims of 
 a war." 
 
 " That maybe," said I. " But suppose that the other 
 parts of Italy are not quite ready for the movement : 
 in this case, would it be a wise course to encourage a 
 partial movement in Rome ? But let us leave the 
 care of it to those who have the great responsibility 
 of leading the national party. What do you think of 
 
308 THE ROMAN EXILE 
 
 a walk to the Quirinale, where we shall see the pro- 
 cession of the cardinals entering the conclave ? " 
 
 " Let us go," answered the Belgian. " It is a new 
 spectacle for me." 
 
 It was about two hours before sunset, on the 13th 
 of June, 1846, when I stood with my Belgian friend 
 at the front of the small church of S. Silvestro on the 
 Quirinal hill. The cardinals arriyed there success- 
 ively in their gala-carriages, and then dismissed them 
 and their numerous servants and attendants, keeping 
 only a secretary, a train-bearer, a chief waiter, and a 
 common servant, the only persons whom a cardinal is 
 allowed to take with him into the conclave. Soon 
 after, having sung in private the usual hymn, " Yeni 
 Creator Spiritus," the cardinals came out, and formed 
 themselves in a procession directed to the neighboring 
 palace of the Quirinale, passing through two deep 
 ranks of soldiers. The Quirinale, or MontecavaUo, is 
 not the best among the palaces which the pope pos- 
 sesses in Eome ; but its healthy location, and the con- 
 veniently distributed apartments, are well fitted for 
 the reception of the numerous guests, accustomed to 
 every kind of comfort and luxury. 
 
 The procession was led by six cardinals of the order 
 of deacons ; and my friend inquired if they were inferior 
 in dignity and power to the cardinals following them, 
 of the order of priests, who formed the largest number, 
 or to those who came last, belonging to the order of 
 bishops. 
 
 ^^ No," answered I ; '' the distinction is more in form 
 than in substance, and has been kept up as a mark of 
 respect to the ancient institutions. The only real dif- 
 ference among them is that a cardinal deacon, though 
 more commonly a priest, can be even a layman. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 309 
 
 Sometimes, in order to attract to his cause a cadet of a 
 princely house, or a great scholar who is a layman and 
 does not wish to become a priest, the pope will confer 
 upon him a cardinalship, and then he belongs to the 
 order of deacons, if he chooses to dress in purple, and 
 take no wife. Look, for instance, at that second 
 couple : they are Mezzofanti and Mai, both famous 
 philologists, lately made cardinals by the last pope, — 
 on which occasion Pasquino said of them that they 
 were so devoted to knowledge that even a cardinaPs 
 hat could not turn thejr heads." 
 
 " I have heard a great deal of them," observed the 
 Belgian ; inquiring, at the same time, " Is it true that 
 Mezzofanti can speak fluently in fifty-six difierent lan- 
 guages, including the most difficult of all ? " 
 
 " Perfectly true," said I ; " and he knows, besides, a 
 great many dialects; but, in all other branches of 
 learning, he does not rank high. Before coming to 
 Rome, at the request of the pope, he had never passed 
 out of the gates of Bologna, his native city, and of 
 Rome he has seen only a few churches and public 
 libraries. He often forgets that he is a cardinal. His 
 companion, Cardinal Mai, was educated by the Jesuits, 
 and was for some years a Jesuit himself; but he after- 
 wards fled from them, and became a decided opponent 
 of their order." 
 
 " Who," interrupted the Belgian, "is that tall, proud- 
 looking cardinal, the last but one on our side?" 
 
 " He is Cardinal Lambruschini," answered I, " who 
 for many years was the premier of Gregory XVI. 
 No other cardinal has accumulated so much public 
 hatred on his head, and so much public money in his 
 pocket. He feels quite sure of carrying the election 
 for himself, because the greater part of the cardinals 
 
310 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 are men of no consequence, and are entirely indebted 
 to him for their position. I think, however, that his 
 speculations, and his reliance on the gratitude of those 
 debased flatterers, will prove a failure. But look at 
 that cardinal who comes alone, behind him, and closes 
 the procession, marching fierce and proud in his coarse 
 capuchin's dress ! " 
 
 "I declare," said the Belgian, '' that he has a very- 
 fine face for a model-artist : I never saw a more im- 
 pressive figure. Who is he ? " 
 
 " He is," answered I, " the Cardinal Dean Lodovico 
 Micara. His pride even exceeds that of Lambrus- 
 chini, his bitterest enemy. Both of them were friars, 
 and Micara still lives like a friar, continually declaiming 
 against the luxury of his colleagues, and especially of 
 Lambruschini, who makes a great display of his ill-got- 
 ten riches. Micara also feels sure of being elected 
 pope, because no one else, as he thinks, deserves that 
 honor. But none of his colleagues can bear him, on 
 account of the war which, by words and example, he 
 has uniformly waged against the luxury of the papal 
 court. Besides, from time to time, he has thrown 
 out some hints of his disposition to attempt a general 
 reformation of the external habits of all the priest- 
 hood. He has talent, and a strong, independent mind ; 
 but all his good qualities are spoiled by his ambition." 
 
 " How many cardinals do you suppose have passed 
 before us ? " said the Belgian ; and I told him, " Fifty- 
 one, there being several vacancies in the complete 
 number of seventy cardinals forming the electoral 
 college, and the foreign cardinals not having arrived 
 in Rome." 
 
 " How many foreign cardinals are there ? " 
 
 " There are five at the present time ; and they can- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 311 
 
 not exceed the number of ten throughout the whole 
 of the Christian world, because sixty at least among 
 the cardinals must be natives of Italy. Those foreign 
 cardinals, if present, have the right to give their vote 
 in the election, but they cannot be voted for, since 
 the pope must be a native of Italy." 
 
 We stopped at the principal gate of the immense 
 palace which the cardinals had entered, and there we 
 saw the rich carriages and quaint attire of the foreign 
 ambassadors, and all the foreign and native dignitaries 
 coming to visit the cardinals, and express to them a 
 complimentary wish for a good result in the election ; 
 for there is always a great reception for the purpose 
 of augurare il papato, on the evening of their meet- 
 ing, and before they are shut up in the conclave. 
 Among the crowd of great personages, there was a 
 man who attracted to himself universal attention by 
 his personal merits and by his particular position, — I 
 refer to Pellegrino Rossi, the ambassador of France, 
 who in the name of the diplomatic body spoke to the 
 cardinals true and severe words, and gave them good 
 counsels for a better administration in the future. 
 
 Pellegrino Rossi was a native of Italy. The pope 
 had deprived him of the professorship of political 
 economy in the university of Bologna, and sent him 
 into exile : now he came back, sheltered by the invio- 
 lable character of an ambassador, entitled to great 
 respect as a peer of France, and invested with full 
 power for a highly important mission. There was 
 something peculiar in the position of that great states- 
 man addressing the electors of the pope. He had 
 once been a "rebellious subject'^ and an exile, branded 
 as a wicked man, — he now spoke with authority to his 
 former masters in their own palace, and told them that 
 
312 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 their course was wrong and unwise ; they must change 
 it, and listen to the complaints of their oppressed sub- 
 jects. A rigid Calvinist, also, and consequently a " her- 
 etic of the worst kind/' he represented the "very 
 Christian '' King of France, and reminded those cor- 
 rupt and blood-thirsty cardinals of the pure and meek 
 principles of the gospel. I need not say that they 
 were incensed and made more obstinate by this speech. 
 
 As soon as the reception was over, all the gates of 
 the palace were shut and closely guarded, to prevent 
 any communication between the cardinals and their 
 attendants, locked up in the conclave, and all other 
 persons abroad. This close custody devolves upon the 
 marshal of the conclave, who must be a member of 
 the princely family Chigi. He can admit new cardi- 
 nals coming to Rome from abroad, but he cannot let 
 any of his prisoners out, unless some one of them 
 should die, — for he is not responsible for the corpses 
 when death has been formally ascertained. 
 
 Though there are many kitchens and all convenient 
 accommodations for meals in that immense palace, yet 
 it is a common custom for each cardinal to receive 
 twice a day meals prepared in the kitchen of his own 
 palace. It is an occasion of a great display of lux- 
 ury, each chief cook endeavoring to surpass "the 
 others in the quantity and quality of the dishes. 
 Besides, such are the quaint ornaments and the inde- 
 cent conduct of the drunken servants who follow the 
 carriages loaded with those meals, that the whole 
 affair gives the idea only of bacchanal orgies. Should 
 the cardinals, however, remain in conclave longer than 
 two months without concluding the election, the mar- 
 shal would daily diminish the quantity of the luxuri- 
 es r..-^ dishes. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 A POPE ELECTED BY MISTAKE. 
 
 " The conclave will be a very long one I " Such 
 was the general anticipation in Rome, because it was 
 well known that great divisions and bitter discord 
 existed among the cardinals. Their quarrellings were 
 a source of amusement to the Roman people during 
 the twelve days consecrated to the funeral rites of 
 the late pope ; and now a closer contact, and a direct 
 conflict of interest and ambition, would exasperate 
 still further their bad feelings. The old cardinals, 
 especially, looked angrily upon Cardinal Lambruschini, 
 and held in contempt the young cardinals chosen by 
 him from among prelates of no merit whatever, in 
 order to make them his faithful servants. Cardinal 
 Fieschi put himself at the head of this party, and 
 determined to prevent, at any rate, the election of 
 Lambruschini. It was easy for them to do this, be- 
 cause they were in number -twenty-two, that is, more 
 than a third part of all the voters, and the election 
 requires the votes of two-thirds of the members. 
 
 There was still another party, less numerous, but 
 equally obstinate, which had taken into their heads to 
 prevent the election of any one who was a friar. They 
 entered into the views of Cardinal Fieschi, so far as 
 Lambruschini was concerned, because the latter was 
 27 («13) 
 
314 THE BOMAN EXILE. 
 
 a friar. This party was said to be influenced by the 
 Jesuits, because all the religious orders in Rome are 
 opposed to them, and Clement XIY., who suppressed 
 their order, was a friar. 
 
 These three parties would have had to struggle for 
 a long time before weariness and fatigue could induce 
 either of them to yield. Trepidation and fear, how- 
 ever, led the cardinals, not to concord, but to a mis- 
 take, which resulted in the election of the new pope. 
 
 The same evening in which the cardinals entered 
 the conclave, and during the reception which they 
 held, the cardinal " great penitentiary " was taken 
 aside by a mysterious individual, who requested him 
 to listen to his confession, and who, after having in 
 this way secured secrecy about his person, made the 
 following statement : 
 
 "A conspiracy has been formed among several 
 young men of this city to blow up the cardinals all 
 together, and they have prepared a mine and put in 
 the gunpowder." 
 
 Having thus spoken, that personage retired and dis- 
 appeared. Who was he ? How did he know of the 
 conspiracy? Where was the mine? All this was a 
 mystery. 
 
 The minds of the cardinals, already troubled by fear 
 of a popular movement, were now filled with terror. 
 In vain did the architects of the conclave, after a most 
 diligent search of the palace,- assure the cardinals that 
 there was no such thing as a mine. The terror of the 
 cardinals did not give way even after a new examina- 
 tion had afforded the same result. 
 
 There was really no mine ; the conspiracy, however, 
 existed; but, not having found encouragement from 
 the chiefs of " Young Italy," the conspirators relin- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 315 
 
 quished the project. Had they not done so, the advice 
 offered by the unknown personage would have proved 
 too late, as it was not in that palace that the mine 
 had been prepared. 
 
 The next morning, at eight o'clock, I went with 
 some friends to see la Sfumata^ that is, the smoke 
 which comes out from a pipe fixed in the exterior 
 wall of the chapel of the conclave, where the sched- 
 ules used for voting are burned. It is an ancient 
 custom with the Romans to go and see that simple 
 spectacle, which derives all its attraction from the 
 gathering of a great many persons, who there enjoy 
 the freest intercourse. At six o'clock in the even- 
 ing the spectacle is renewed, and the crowd is even 
 greater than in the morning. As, on these occasions, 
 every one gives vent to his whimsical humor, there is 
 usually much merriment at the expense of the " pris- 
 oners of the conclave." 
 
 " Why do they burn the schedules ? " inquired one 
 of my friends who was but little acquainted with the 
 quaint customs of the papal court. 
 
 " Because," answered I, " the names of the voters 
 must be kept incognito when the voting does not re- 
 sult in two-thirds of all the votes cast being for one 
 candidate, which is required for the election." 
 
 " How can they know the result without opening the 
 schedules ? " 
 
 " Each voter," said I, " has at hand several sched- 
 ules folded in three, and bearing his signature in the 
 interior fold, which is sealed. When desirous of de- 
 positing his vote in the urn, he writes in the second 
 fold the name of the cardinal to whom he intends to 
 give his vote ; he then covers it with the third fold, 
 and seals it again. The secretary of the conclave, 
 
316 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 now Monsignor Corboli-Bussi, brings all the collected 
 schedules to the thrones of the two cardinals appointed 
 in turn to examine them. They break only the exte- 
 rior seal when the result is not favorable to the 
 election.'^ 
 
 " Have the two cardinals examining the schedules a 
 throne to sit upon ? " 
 
 " Every cardinal there sits upon a magnificent 
 throne, because all of them are sovereigns during 
 the vacancy of the ^ Holy See ; ' but those seventy 
 thrones are so arranged that, by pulling a rope placed 
 within his reach, any one of the cardinals can make 
 the canopy or the upper part of his throne disappear ; 
 for this must be done as soon as the election takes 
 place." 
 
 " Look here ! " interrupted my friend, " here is the 
 smoke coming out." 
 
 " The pope has gone oflf in smoke," observed a by- 
 stander. 
 
 " I should like," said another, evidently a carman, 
 " to see also the palace and its contents go off in 
 smoke." 
 
 " Speak low, my son," whispered a gray-headed man 
 of the same trade, " for the proverb says, ' Intention 
 does not break fasting ; ' and it is better to do such 
 things than to talk about them." 
 
 The crowd having dispersed, our conversation was 
 quite unrestrained, for the Belgian was an old acquaint- 
 ance and a very reliable friend. 
 
 " Who do you think," inquired he, " will be chosen 
 pope ? " 
 
 "It is very difficult," answered our friend Fabio, 
 *^ to foresee the result of the battle of intrigues which 
 they are now fighting in this palace. You may depend 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 317 
 
 upon it, there is no cardinal so poor that he does 
 not earnestly wish to be the elected one, and think 
 that he has a large party in his favor, for they are in 
 the habit of flattering each other. Disappointment, 
 however, soon defeats the ambitious hopes of the 
 greater part of the cardinals, and then they try to 
 negotiate their votes in the best manner to secure for 
 themselves power, riches, or influence from the future 
 pope.*' 
 
 " The war of intrigues, caused by personal interest 
 and ambition," added another of our friends, " is made 
 even worse by the interference of the so-called Cath- 
 olic powers of Europe. Each of them has in Rome a 
 cardinal ' protector,' who receives a large annual sal- 
 ary ; and besides there are other cardinals, who, by 
 birth, gratitude, or interest, are entirely devoted to 
 them. The candidates are therefore led to seek for 
 the favor of this or that foreign ambassador, who will 
 grant it or not, according to the instructions of his 
 court." 
 
 " I suppose," interrupted a third friend, " that Car- 
 dinal Gizzi will carry the election, for he is cunning, 
 old, and in bad health, and the French ambassador 
 backs him." 
 
 "I do not believe it myself," answered the first 
 speaker, " for the cardinals are so incensed against 
 that ambassador that I feel sure his candidate will not 
 receive a single vote from them ; and then you may 
 depend upon it that there would be the ^ Esclusiva ' 
 from Austria, because that cardinal is not liked in 
 Vienna." 
 
 '^ What is the ' Esclusiva ? ' " inquired my Belgian 
 friend. 
 
 " It is the right," said I, " that every Catholic nation 
 27* 
 
318 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 claims of excluding from the papacy the person elected 
 when they dislike him. This right can be used only 
 once by each of those nations during a conclave, and 
 the exclusion must be manifested as soon as the elec- 
 tion takes place, so that it is the cardinal protector 
 who is commissioned to exercise such a right, accord- 
 ing to the instructions given him by the ambassador. 
 Generally they manage the matter in a very skilful 
 manner, holding the sword of Damocles in mysterious 
 suspense over many heads, and using it to augment 
 the influence of their party." 
 
 " I cannot reconcile the existence of such a right," 
 observed the Belgian, "with the pretence that the 
 election is made by the cardinals under the direct in- 
 fluence of the Holy Ghost. Why should France, Aus- 
 tria, Spain, or Portugal interfere, if the Holy Ghost 
 suggests to the cardinals the election of a good 
 pope?" 
 
 " Be not afraid," answered Fabio ; " there is no 
 danger that they will elect a good pope. Some days 
 ago I was passing through the market at the Rotonda, 
 with my wife, and my little child, who took it into his 
 head to buy one of the little wolves which a poor 
 shepherd had brought into the market. — ^ Give me a 
 good-natured one,' said my wife, naturally anxious on 
 fcccount of her child. — 'They are all wolves,' answered 
 ihe honest shepherd. And so I will tell you, they are 
 all cardinals ! " 
 
 "I suppose," said the Belgian, "that Austria will 
 use all her influence in order to secure the election of 
 Cardinal Gaysruck, the Archbishop of Milan, who is 
 said to be a man of talent, and entirely devoted to 
 her." 
 
 "He cannot be elected," answered I, "for He was 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 319 
 
 born in Germany, and no one can be a pope but a na- 
 tive of Italy." 
 
 " Curious, indeed I " exclaimed the Belgian. " They 
 say that the pope is the head of the Catholic Church 
 throughout the world: on what ground, then, will 
 they deny to all countries but Italy the privilege of 
 giving a pope ? Besides, I must tell you that the 
 papal prelates whom I have seen in my native coun- 
 try, in France, and elsewhere, are much less corrupt 
 than those in Rome, and in other parts of Italy. Why, 
 then, should they exclude from the papacy the prel- 
 ates of Belgium, France, Spain, Austria, Germany, 
 America, &c.?" 
 
 " I will explain the matter to you," said I. " You 
 must know that when the theory of the election by 
 inspiration of the Holy Ghost had no restraint, it too 
 often happened that there was one pope from France, 
 another •from Germany, a third from Italy, <fec., and 
 those several popes made war against each other, each 
 of them pretending to be the elected of the Holy 
 Ghost. One of them, a Frenchman by birth, in order 
 to secure for himself and his successors the powerful 
 protection of the French monarchs, transported the 
 Holy See to Avignon, in France, and thus greatly en- 
 dangered its reputation of being a Boman chair. But 
 Catherine, a lady from Siena, brought back that chair 
 to Rome, and on account of this deed she has been 
 enrolled among the saints. But afterwards a pope of 
 your nation, I mean Adriano YI., took it into his 
 head to reform the luxury and abuses of his court. 
 The cardinals got rid of him as soon as possible, and 
 then they passed a law that none but a native of Italy 
 should be pope. This was wise for them, because 
 we Italians are not half-way characters, but de- 
 
320 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 cidedly good or bad ; and, having once entered the 
 slippery way of hypocrisy and imposture, we easily 
 go to the bottom of the pit.'' 
 
 The next evening, about two hours after sunset, I 
 was with my friends in the garden of the large coffee- 
 house known as Caffe JRuspoU ; for, after the death 
 of Gregory XYI.,%o one ever came to see if I was 
 at home from sunset to sunrise, according to the pre- 
 cept given to me some two years before. A gentle- 
 man entered and announced that a pope had been 
 elected. The people around looked astonished and 
 incredulous, but the news was soon after confirmed. 
 The person elected, however, was not known, but in a 
 few moments the rumor was spread that Pasquale 
 Gizzi was the fortunate cardinal. The report turned 
 out to be false, for he did not receive even one vote. 
 But his servants immediately believed it, and went, 
 with the servants of the other cardinals, to pillage his 
 rich furniture, according to an ancient custom, which 
 considers it a simple manifestation of joy. 
 
 My friends and myself were still lingering in the 
 coffee-house, with the hope of getting further informa- 
 tion, when, at eleven o'clock, our friend Fabio, who 
 had gone home with his wife, returned, saying that he 
 had important news. " I met in the Piazza Colonna," 
 said he, " a group of gentlemen surrounding a priest 
 whom I recognized as the secretary of Cardinal Fies- 
 chi. He had just come out of the conclave, and was 
 going home to give the orders of his master for the 
 next day. I joined the group, and we urged him into 
 the coffee-house Delia Colonna, where he willingly 
 told us the whole history of this sudden election ; for, 
 you know, the servants and attendants of cardinals 
 are very communicative, and know perfectly well all 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 321 
 
 the affairs of their masters, as is always the case with 
 the favorite servants of old bachelors." 
 
 " Tell us the history," we all cried out, impatiently ; 
 and Fabio said : " Terror was the god who inspired the 
 election, checked the ambitious aspirations of the car- 
 dinals, and made them feel anxious to get rid of their 
 dangerous business as soon as possible ; so that the 
 old foxes gave up their usual tactics, and failed in 
 their intrigues. You know that it is customary, at 
 the beginning of a conclave, for every cardinal to 
 cast his vote upon some iron-head, in order, as they 
 say, to sound each other, gain time for their intrigues, 
 and wait for the foreign cardinals, not yet arrived in 
 Rome. Well, now the cardinals forming the three 
 different parties voted directly each for his own can- 
 didate, and endeavored to carry the election at the 
 first trial. In this manner they showed their numbers 
 and their strength. 
 
 " The party of Lambruschini proved to be the most 
 numerous, and this was a sufficient attraction for 
 many a cardinal to join it, in order to secure those 
 advantages which victory bestows upon those who 
 have contributed to it. Cardinal Fieschi, the decided 
 opponent of Lambruschini, became alarmed, and feared 
 that some desertions would take place even from 
 among his friends. He therefore made a great effort 
 to keep them closely united, and directed them to 
 vote with him for an iron-head, in order to secure the 
 defeat of Lambruschini, at least, in the next casting, 
 and thus gain a little time for reflection. The iron- 
 head chosen by him was Cardinal Mastai Ferretti, 
 whom he thought to have no claims to a serious vote. 
 
 " The other party was also opposed to Lambruschini 
 because he had been a friar, and determined therefore 
 
322 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 to concentrate their formerly scattered votes upon an 
 iron-head, and Cardinal Mastai Ferretti was the per- 
 son upon whom they agreed, not being at all aware 
 that he had been selected by another party for the 
 same purpose. It was the result of precipitation and 
 confusion of mind in both these two parties ; but the 
 consequence was, that thirty-six votes were cast upon 
 that iron-head, which, by this mistake, became the pre- 
 tended living head of the universal Christian Church. 
 
 " The cardinals were, of course, astonished and dis- 
 appointed by this event ; but what could they do ? 
 The election was made, and there was no remedy. 
 They therefore pulled the ropes in order to lower the 
 canopies of their thrones, and went, by turns, to kneel 
 before the throne of the newly-elected one, thus, as 
 usual, humbly worshipping him." 
 
 This history, repeated by every one, was subse- 
 quently confirmed by the statement of Cardinal Fies- 
 chi himself, when he afterwards retired in disgust 
 from Rome, to live quietly and securely in a country- 
 seat near Genoa, where he is still waiting for a new 
 conclave. 
 
CHAPTER XL. 
 
 THE PAPAL AMNESTY. 
 
 At eight o'clock in the morning of the 16th June, 
 1846, the large Piazza del Quirinale was crowded with 
 about fifty thousand people of all classes, gathered to 
 witness the solemn promulgation of the election of 
 the pope, which had taken place the evening before. 
 This ceremony was to be performed, as usual, in the 
 large marble balcony above the principal gate of the 
 palace. The door leading to the balcony from the 
 interior of the palace had been walled up during the 
 conclave, and would now be opened with great solem- 
 nity, as the Porta Santa, the holy door of St. John, 
 had been on occasion of the Jubilee. Cardinal Cam- 
 erlengo, holding the same golden hammer with which 
 he had previously ascertained the death of the late 
 pope, now struck the first blow against the wall, 
 through which a sufficient aperture was soon made. 
 
 Cardinal Camerlengo first advanced, and his col- 
 leagues, one after the other, filled the balcony, — the 
 one who had been elected standing behind. Cardinal 
 Camerlengo, with a loud and clear voice, announced 
 the election in the usual Latin formula, " Annuntio 
 vobis gaudium magnum : habemus Pontificem Johan- 
 nem Mariam Mastai-Ferretti, a Sinigallia, qui nomen 
 assumpsit Pius Nonus." That is, "I announce to 
 
 (323) 
 
324 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 you a great joy: we have as Pontiff John Maria 
 Mastai-Ferretti, from Sinigallia, who has assumed 
 the name of Pius Ninth." He then presented to the 
 people the new pope, clad in pontifical dress, who 
 came forward, and, stretching out his right hand, 
 with the two first fingers extended, made the sign of 
 the cross upon the people, and, turning first to the 
 east, and successively to the north, west, and south, 
 imparted his blessing in the same manner to the whole 
 earth, now his possession. 
 
 The Roman people did not, by any means, feel all 
 the " great joy " which Cardinal Camerlengo had oflGi- 
 cially announced. In general, they knew nothing 
 about the obscure cardinal just elected; but he was 
 now a pope, and they knew too well what popes are. 
 We felt, however, that we were now the masters, 
 because the opportunity to organize a powerful oppo- 
 sition founded upon a common understanding had not 
 been lost for us. Besides, the Swiss troops could not 
 be relied upon by the new pope, in a conflict with the 
 people; at least, they would remain neutral. Pius the 
 Ninth knew his bad position much better than many 
 of the cardinals, for his family and relatives belonged 
 to the Liberal party, and he had been a bishop for 
 eighteen years, performing all this time the office of a 
 secret police, which generally devolves upon the bish- 
 ops. Besides, with the view of spying out their plans, 
 he had sometimes held intercourse with men of the 
 so-called moderate party, some of whom believed him 
 to be an honest man. 
 
 The foreign ambassadors went to present their com- 
 pliments to the new pope, and he took occasion to 
 declare that he was disposed to give an amnesty to 
 political offenders, and to make soma reformation in 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 325 
 
 the political government of his State, expressing his 
 hope that the people, in the mean time, would peace- 
 fully wait for these proofs of his paternal affection for 
 them. So saying, he shed tears, as popes are in the 
 habit of doing, and deplored the wickedness of the 
 times in which he was called to reign. 
 
 The amnesty, however, did not appear as soon as 
 was expected. The preceding popes had published 
 it on the second day of their election, on occasion of 
 their solemn visit to the church of St. Peter; but 
 Pius Ninth published nothing at that time. As he 
 passed through the streets he saw everywhere ladies 
 in mourning, waving little white banners which had on 
 them only " Amnistiu ; '^ and this word (amnesty) 
 was the only one he heard from the congregated peo- 
 ple. " Let the people know that I am preparing for 
 it," said he to an officer of the noble guard escorting 
 his carriage. In the mean time, all the oppressive 
 laws of his predecessor were fully maintained, though 
 neither he nor anybody else thought it possible to 
 enforce them for the present. Besides, all the wicked 
 agents of the past tyranny preserved their offices, and 
 the pope enrolled among his servants all the corrupt 
 courtiers of Gregory XYI., comprising the famous 
 favorite Gaetanino. 
 
 " It is a month to-day since the solemn promulga- 
 tion of the election of the pope took place, and no 
 amnesty has yet appeared: what is the pope wait- 
 ing for ? " This was the general remark in Rome on 
 the 16th of July, 1846 ; and many began to think that 
 the pope might have absolved himself from the obli- 
 gation of keeping his solemn promise, for popes claim 
 this right for themselves, as well as give it to those 
 who apply to them. I was particularly vexed by this 
 28 
 
326 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 delay, for my brother, and many of my personal 
 friends, were suffering in prison. At length, a little 
 before sunset of that day, an edict was published, and 
 hung up, in the usual manner, at the corners of the 
 principal streets. 
 
 At that time I was crossing the Piazza Colonna, and 
 my attention was called to the edict by a group of 
 pei«ons reading it aloud at the corner of the Corso. 
 I" started at first, for there was no signature of any 
 minister : it was the pope himself who addressed the 
 people, and in Italian too. This was an attractive 
 novelty ; and this great infraction of customs, rigidly 
 observed for ages by the papal court, seemed to me to 
 have much significance. Eagerly perusing the edict, 
 however, I was greatly disappointed. It was only a 
 common papal amnesty, that is, a conditional pardon 
 for those classes of political offenders who would beg 
 for it, acknowledge their crimes, and pledge them- 
 selves to behave for the future in a praiseworthy man- 
 ner. 
 
 Besides, there were so many exceptions, that, if 
 enforced, very few of the political offenders pould 
 have obtained pardon. First of all were excluded 
 from it those political offenders who belonged to the 
 clergy, or were guilty of some offence against the 
 established religion. Their number was large, and 
 they were almost all persons of great influence in the 
 Liberal party. 
 
 Secondly, were excluded, as above, all who had been 
 in the employment of the government or of any pub- 
 lic institution. 
 
 Thirdly, those who had enjoyed some former am- 
 nesty. 
 
 Finally, those who, besides their political offence. 
 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 327 
 
 were charged with some common crime. This last 
 exception comprehended almost the whole, for there 
 had been no regular trials. The political culprits 
 were given up to a mihtary commission, to be con- 
 demned at any rate, and those executioners charged 
 their defenceless victims with as many crimes as they 
 chose. 
 
 It had been formerly agreed between my friends 
 and myself that, on the publication of the amnesty, 
 we should meet at the public garden near the Coli- 
 seum, and there I accordingly went. We had nothing 
 to discuss, as our plan had been arranged beforehand ; 
 but orders were taken for its execution, and the hour 
 and place were fixed for a general meeting to be held 
 at nine o'clock in the Piazza del Popolo. 
 
 Leaving the garden, I crossed the Coliseum, arm-in- 
 arm with my friend Fabio, both of us eagerly talking 
 of the matter we had in hand. We met our common 
 friend, the Belgian artist, who always took a warm 
 interest in our welfare. He had a copy of the papal 
 edict, and was meditating upon it. 
 
 " The pope seems to trifle with you," exclaimed he 
 as soon as he discovered us near him. 
 
 " What do you mean ? '' said Fabio. " Has he not 
 given such an amnesty as was to be expected from a 
 pope ? " 
 
 " Indeed ! " replied the Belgian ; " but instead of a 
 frank amnesty intended to repair past wrongs, you 
 have only a miserable pardon.'' 
 
 " That is true," observed I ; " but it will be our 
 business to make it good for something." 
 
 At nine o'clock in the evening the immense Piazza 
 del Popolo and the three beautiful streets leading to 
 it were crowded with busy people, all engaged in mak- 
 
328 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 ing a " great demonstration," for which secret prepar- 
 ations had been going on for some days previously. 
 Numberless beautiful banners and large torches were 
 carried by fine-looking young men, while beautiful 
 young ladies and girls in white bore myrtle crowns 
 and green olive-tree branches. Ladies and gentlemen, 
 as well as noblemen, merchants, artists, professional 
 men, and tradespeople, mingled together in the most 
 unrestrained manner, and showed a frank and sincere 
 union of wishes and feelings. Five bands of music 
 were in attendance, playing joyful and patriotic airs, 
 and the greater part of the papal soldiers were present, 
 carrying torches and green branches instead of hom- 
 icidal arms. 
 
 All the streets and squares of the city were splen- 
 didly illuminated by means of lamps at the windows, 
 and here and there were fine decorations, transparent 
 inscriptions, green branches, and beautiful flowers. 
 The houses of those directly participating in the ben- 
 efit of the amnesty were marked by a greater show 
 of joy ; and, on passing my house, now in Yia Giulia, 
 I could not help admiring the good taste displayed 
 by my sister on that occasion. 
 
 There had been, of course, no time for giving the 
 orders to liberate the prisoners. Nay, to make a 
 selection among them, accferding to the exceptions 
 made by the edict of amnesty, was a work which 
 required much time and investigation. The formality 
 itself of making a demand for pardon, and of subscrib- 
 ing an obligation to be worthy of it by good political 
 behavior, involved a great loss of time. But we 
 wanted to have our friends come out immediately, 
 and not only some, but all of them. This was our 
 main object in thus forming ourselves into such a 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 329 
 
 splendid procession. Resistance, if attempted, would 
 have been impossible ; but no one dared to interfere 
 with such a large crowd, vehemently shouting, " Viva 
 Pio Nono ! '' (Long live Pius the Ninth.) 
 
 This cry, with the same demonstrations of joy, 
 was simultaneously repeated throughout the State, 
 showing a previous agreement, for the edict was made 
 known in Rome after the departure of the mail. 
 There was nothing personal to the pope in that cry ; 
 it was the pass-word of a revolution then taking its 
 full course. In fact, the greater part of the prisoners 
 were set free against the will of Pio Nono, and with 
 an open disregard of existing laws and regulations. 
 Besides, they were not liberated like pardoned cul- 
 prits, — nay, they were rescued like self-sacrificing fel- 
 low-soldiers, whose endurance had secured the victory. 
 They were therefore carried in triumph. 
 
 It was indeed a triumph. The late pope had ex- 
 hausted the most cruel and wicked means of oppres- 
 sion, without succeeding in his attempt to subdue the 
 rebellious spirit of the people. The system of terror 
 which had been carried on during his life suffered a 
 momentary suspension at his death, and thus it was 
 lost, and lost forever, when the new pope found him- 
 self obliged to yield to the popular pressure, — for 
 such is the nature of oppression that the first stop, or 
 the least backward step, will render impossible its 
 prosecution, at least under the same circumstances. 
 A return, therefore, to the tyranny of Gregory XYI. 
 was impossible for Pius Ninth, without the assistance 
 of a large foreign army, which was not easy to be had 
 on account of* the generally troubled condition of 
 Europe. 
 
 It was too evident, besides, that a movement which 
 28* 
 
330 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 began with victory, and found no serious obstacle, 
 would not stop satisfied with an amnesty. The 
 wretched condition of the State required radical ref- 
 ormation, both in religion and politics. If the pope 
 resisted it he would be lost immediately, and if he 
 yielded to the movement he would be carried too far, 
 and overthrown by it, because it was guided by the 
 principles of " Young Italy." The pope, I am sure, 
 understood this quite well, and, being a man of no 
 energy or courage, was unable to form a plan of re- 
 sistance ; but, relying on a favorable change in Europe, 
 he thought it the safest way to yield reluctantly and 
 as little as possible. 
 
 I remember quite well that, when the procession, 
 which formed in the Piazza del Popolo, reached the 
 gates of the palace of the Quirinale, constantly cry- 
 ing out, " Yiva Pio Nono ! " he yielded with diffi- 
 culty to the counsel to show himself to the people 
 from the large balcony, and then he looked dreadfully 
 frightened. He tried to speak, but was unable to go 
 on. He was evidently in a state of great emotion, 
 caused by fear and apprehension of future storms. 
 He could not trust the devotion of a people engaged 
 in disregarding his laws, and knew that those who 
 cried " Long life " to-day would be equally ready to 
 cry " Death " to-morrow. 
 
 The people throughout the State did not, I am sure, 
 care for the pope, and the events which followed 
 proved this. In the name of the pope, indeed, they 
 enjoyed the present change; but they were ready 
 to go on without him, and even against him, in order 
 to obtain that full liberty and independence which 
 they held steadily in view. 
 
 Now the greatest attraction was the Hberated pris- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 331 
 
 oners, and deep interest in them was felt by every- 
 one. When taken from their cells and brought to 
 the light among the large crowd of their friends and 
 relatives, they looked astonished and bewildered, as 
 if suspecting that their triumph was but a dream. 
 Many of them were entirely disabled and worn out 
 by ill treatment, and some were brought, blindfolded, 
 upon chairs, because the slightest movement and the 
 light would have injured them. I saw among them in 
 Rome a venerable old gentleman carried by four of his 
 sons, all full-grown men, formerly his fellow-prisoners. 
 A ray of joy animated his dying face, and his heart 
 was overwhelmed with happiness at the imposing sight 
 of the Roman people once more free, and evidently 
 determined to maintain their freedom. Excess of joy 
 terminated in a few days his already worn-out life. 
 His last words were, " Never trust a pope." 
 
 I did not see my brother when he came out from 
 prison, for he was in Rimini. My mother had been 
 waiting there for the amnesty ever since she had heard 
 of the election of the new pope. " They brought him 
 to my arms," she wrote to me, " because he could not 
 walk at all, or even change his sitting position. The 
 dampness of his dungeon deprived him of the use of 
 his limbs, and want of air and light made him look 
 pale as death. His sparkling black eyes were shut, 
 because he could not bear the light. I need not say 
 what I felt at this sight. But he was in excellent 
 spirits, and bade me be of good cheer, as he would 
 recover in a few days. So thinks, too, our friend, Dr. 
 Michele. But I feel that I am not able to hope for 
 the best, for I have a sad presentiment. I have seen 
 the amnesties of five popes during my life, and know 
 how much to rely upon them." 
 
332 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Among the prisoners wlio were liberated, in spite 
 of the exceptions made by the pope, was the famous 
 monk Ugo Bassi, who, three years after, was slaugh- 
 tered in Bologna by Monsignor Bedini. He was now 
 in a " vade in pacem " of a convent in Sanseverino, a 
 town near Ancona ; and he was doubly excluded from 
 the amnesty because he belonged to the clergy, and it 
 was for his religious opinions that he had been impris- 
 oned for life. He belonged also to " Young Italy,'' 
 but that had not been discovered. This eloquent and 
 pious man was of great service to us, till he fell a 
 martyr to our cause. 
 
CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 THE LAST OF THE POPES OF ROME. 
 
 "Pius the Ninth will be the last of the popes." 
 This prophecy was made by an unknown and very old 
 man, who died in a hospital in Eome, a few days after 
 the promulgation of the amnesty. He was generally 
 believed to be crazy, for he could not, or he would 
 not, tell his name or condition ; but I suspect him to 
 have been a foresighted man. I do not mean to say, 
 that France and England, allied and supported in this 
 matter by Austria, may not, when the death of their 
 protege shall happen, be able to put in his place a 
 puppet of their own manufacture, who may represent 
 the principle of absolute authority for which they are 
 struggling ; but he will not be a pope. 
 
 Papacy is finished. This dreadful institution of the 
 middle ages was undermined by the restoration of the 
 arts and sciences, and wounded to the heart by the 
 Reformation ; but the fatal blow must be struck at the 
 head in Italy, and in Rome itself. This was the work 
 of the last revolution ; and the abuse of mere brutal 
 power cannot undo that work by imposing a hated 
 tyrant upon the Roman people, — nay, it was the best 
 means of killing forever an institution designed to 
 rely altogether on moral force. 
 
 From this point of view, I looked with peculiar 
 
 (333) 
 
334 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 interest on Pius the Ninth, and came to the conclusion 
 that he possessed the quaHties, and was placed in the 
 condition, of a man with whom a decrepit institution 
 must die ; for I have observed that all human institu- 
 tions which have had a period of greatness in the 
 world have come to an end in the hands of men 
 neither very good nor very bad, who, placed in a 
 difficult position and unable even to understand it, 
 went down with them into the mud. 
 
 I often spoke on these topics to my friends, and 
 even to many acquaintances, as there was no danger 
 now in freely expressing our opinions. The laws, 
 indeed, were not changed or repealed, for the Inquisi- 
 tion and the Jesuits retained all their former privileges 
 and authority, but the power of enforcing these laws 
 was in fact entirely annihilated in the hands of the 
 pope and his caste. 
 
 '''■ Did you know him before his election ? " inquired 
 my Belgian friend one evening, as we sat in a social 
 circle at the newly-established club called "Circolo 
 Romano." 
 
 " Yes, I did," answered I, " and I spoke to him on 
 two occasions. First, when I went to Bologna, at the 
 end of October, 1838, 1 had a package of papers from 
 his nephew Luigi Mastai-Ferretti, to be handed to him 
 as I passed through Imola, where he was bishop. I 
 remember that the papers concerned a lawsuit, which 
 is still unsettled between the family Mastai-Ferretti 
 and their fellow-citizens Consolini, who sued them for 
 an alleged violent spoliation perpetrated against them- 
 selves by the father of Pius IX., during a popular move- 
 ment ; for the Mastai-Ferretti belonged to the Liberal 
 party, and the Consolini were government men. Mon- 
 signor Mastai-Ferretti, who was not yet a cardinal, 
 
THE EOMAN EXILE. 335 
 
 received me with marked politeness, and spoke of his 
 father, and of the unjustice of that lawsuit. In that 
 short interview, I could easily perceive that between 
 him and his family there were no good feelings. In 
 fact, his nephew, who was in Rome to attend to that 
 suit, and was himself a lawyer, afterwards told me 
 that his uncle was a selfish man; in short, ^ a true 
 priest.' " 
 
 " His brother, Joseph Mastai-Ferretti," interrupted 
 our friend Marco, '* had the same opinion of him ; and, 
 when he was informed of his election, he exclaimed, 
 * We shall have a bad pope,' and declined to take any 
 office from him, or even to live in Rome." 
 
 " The same course was adopted," observed Fabio, 
 " by his second brother, Gabriel Mastai-Ferretti, and 
 also by his cousin, Peter Ferretti, a well-known scholar 
 and statesman. Both went to see him when they 
 came back from exile ; but neither of them could be 
 prevailed on to take any part in the public administra- 
 tion, or to act as counsellors." 
 
 " There has been so much talk about this pope and 
 his family," said the Belgian to me, " and I have heard 
 so many contradictory statements, that I should like 
 to have you give me an exact account of them." 
 
 " Willingly," answered I. " The Mastai-Ferretti are 
 an ancient family, who have always lived in the pretty 
 little city of Sinigallia, on the shore of the Adriatic 
 Sea, between Rimini aftd Ancona. They possess there 
 some property, from which they have an annual rent 
 of about five thousand dollars, — quite a large sum 
 for that city, where living is remarkably cheap. They 
 have therefore been long ago enrolled among the 
 noble families of the city, and a pope bestowed upon 
 them the title of conti (count)." 
 
336 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 "I could never well understand," interrupted the 
 Belgian, " what it is to be a nobleman, a count, <fec., 
 among you." 
 
 " We have," answered I, " no true aristocracy, and 
 no real distinction of classes, with different privileges, 
 or belonging to different races. In Italy we are all 
 Italians, and none of us would boast of his descent 
 from some barbarian conqueror. During the middle 
 ages the Italian nobility were a political party, not a 
 class, but now they are not even a party, because, 
 under the common oppression, we have naturally made 
 a common party. Generally, the very ancient fami- 
 lies, whose names and memories are preserved in the 
 public archives, belong to nobility. But every family, 
 having a considerable fortune and living in a good 
 style, can apply to be enrolled among the noble fami- 
 lies of its city. Occasionally, the government will 
 confer the title of prince, baron, marquis, count, or 
 knight, on a noble family ; but this confers no privi- 
 leges on that family, and is a merely nominal distinc- 
 tion. For instance, Grazioli, who thirty years ago 
 was a poor baker, is now a nobleman and a baron, for 
 he has acquired a large fortune. 
 
 "The family Mastai-Ferretti, then, as I said, was 
 noble, and, what is more important, they were honest 
 people. The father of the present pope was an ener- 
 getic revolutionist, and so is his eldest son, just re- 
 turned from exile. If John Maria, now Pius Ninth, 
 had been the only or the eldest son, he would have 
 quietly grown up under the paternal roof, then mar- 
 ried a lady of his own condition, and lived idly and 
 happily, without either infamy or glory. Unfortu- 
 nately, however, he was the youngest of four broth- 
 ers, and was therefore under the necessity of exerting 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 337 
 
 himself to obtain an independent position in the 
 world ; for the rents of his family were scarcely able 
 to support the usual style of living, especially since 
 the eldest son had brought in a wife and children. 
 
 " The old gentleman, Count Mastai-Ferreti, was op- 
 posed to the monastic life, and, instead of alluring his 
 younger children into convents or to the priesthood, 
 he thought of giving them a scientific education, and 
 of making them useful to themselves, as well as to 
 their country. But he found his youngest son both 
 unable and unwilling to second his paternal care, for 
 his understanding was small, and his disposition to 
 study even smaller. It was, therefore, found impos- 
 sible for John Maria to go through a regular course 
 of elementary studies Avith success. The Latin lan- 
 guage, in particular, was the object of his decided 
 aversion. This closed to him the regular way to the 
 university, and, consequently, to every scientific or 
 professional career. 
 
 ^' Besides, John Maria early showed his inclination 
 to a disorderly life, and his parents were unable to 
 restrain him. Consequently, he was still a youth 
 when they engaged him in the military service of the 
 pope, which is generally resorted to as a kind of pun- 
 ishment for crazy or dissipated young men, who are 
 unable to do anything better than to put on a con- 
 temptible livery ; for the condition of a soldier, under 
 the dominion of the priesthood of Rome, is a very 
 base one. You know that the grossest insult to a 
 soldier in Europe is to call him ^ a pope's soldier,' for 
 it means a coward in military disguise, and a person 
 good for nothing but to parade in the churches. As 
 a nobleman, however, John Maria was privileged with 
 admission into a special corps of Hght horsemen, 
 29 
 
338 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 called Cavalleggeri, whose peculiar duty was that of 
 escorting the carriage of the pope. 
 
 " In Rome John Maria was admitted into fashion- 
 able society, and thus improved his manners, and ac- 
 quired a certain brilliancy of speech, but his moral 
 conduct grew worse." 
 
 " What do you think," interrupted the Belgian, " of 
 the story which has been circulated about his love for 
 Clara Colonna ? " 
 
 " I think," answered I, " that it is perfectly true he 
 fell in love with that lady, then a girl of great beauty 
 and accomplishments, though a natural daughter; but, 
 being a low-minded fellow, and enslaved by base pas- 
 sions, he could never succeed in winning her gentle 
 heart ; and then he had no fair prospect for his future 
 career. The refusal, however, which his advances 
 met from that virtuous young lady, was bitterly felt 
 by John Maria, and he tried to drown his grief in 
 amusements. 
 
 " It was at this time, and probably in consequence 
 of his disappointment, that John Maria deserted his 
 place, and went to Naples, to follow Madame Morandi, 
 a famous actress at that time. In Naples he soon 
 consumed his little property, experienced new disap- 
 pointments, and ruined his health for the remainder of 
 his life. He returned to Rome in a miserable state, 
 and found that Clara Colonna had been married, during 
 his absence, to a young gentleman fully worthy of 
 her. Besides, the Cavalleggeri had been disbanded, 
 because the pope wanted to have ^ noble guards ' in- 
 stead of them. 
 
 " John Maria applied to Prince Barberini, who held 
 the commission of enrolling the ' noble guards,' but 
 he was refused admittance on account of his sick- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 339 
 
 ness, which disabled him from riding on horseback, 
 and also on account of his former want of discipline ; 
 so that, being at once deprived of his employment, 
 disappointed in love, and dreadfully sick, John Maria 
 was almost in despair. 
 
 " In this state of distress, however, he managed to 
 present himself to the pope, and ask for help. Pius 
 the Seventh, then very old, was moved by the dejection 
 both of mind and body which the young man artlessly 
 exhibited, and he said to him, ' Repent of your sins, 
 and make yourself a priest, and God will bless you.' 
 
 " These simple words produced an entire change in 
 the mind of our John Maria. He immediately devoted 
 himself to religion, — that is, to those external acts of 
 devotion which constitute a bigoted fanatic. In the 
 mean time. Abbot Graziosi, a learned and liberal priest, 
 gave him some preparatory lessons in theology, and, 
 as soon as he arrived at the age of twenty-three, 
 he was ordained a priest, though he had only a few 
 and very imperfect ideas of the ministry. Even after 
 his conversion he was unable to devote his mind to 
 study, and preferred to exert himself in acts of devo- 
 tion and charity. He was, for instance, assiduous at 
 the institution called Tata Giovanni, where vagrant 
 and abandoned children are sheltered and furnished 
 with employment. 
 
 "Now, Abbot Mastai-Ferretti determined to go 
 abroad as a missionary, and Abbot Pecci, who with 
 some companions was setting out for missionary pur- 
 poses to Chili, in South America, made him one of 
 the party. Abbot Mastai-Ferretti, though little ac- 
 quainted with the Spanish language spoken in that 
 country, met with success among the Creoles, on 
 account of his earnest manners and violent gestures, 
 
340 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 and the less they understood him, the more did they 
 admire him. 
 
 " On his return to Rome, Abbot Mastai-Ferretti was 
 made a canon of the church of ' Santa Maria in Via 
 Lata,' and afterwards Pope Leo the Twelfth conferred 
 on him the bishopric of Spoleto, a very ancient city 
 eighty miles north of Rome. This office, however, 
 was but little acceptable." 
 
 " I knew him when he was there," interrupted Fa- 
 bio, "and I had a fine occasion of proving his 
 deceitful character at my own expense. It was dur- 
 ing the year 1831, when there was a revolution in the 
 northern provinces, and when, with a large body of 
 the revolutionists, I retired towards Rome, closely fol- 
 lowed by the Austrian invaders. Our plan was to 
 reach Rome before them, and there excite again the 
 revolution, scarcely quelled, in order to unite our 
 forces and fight a desperate battle. If conquered, we 
 should still have had a retreat by sea; but, in this 
 case, many of our little army had sworn not to leave 
 a living priest in Rome. 
 
 " The pope had no material force to stop or retard 
 our rapid march ; and, when we reached Spoleto, the 
 Austrians were more than fifty miles behind us. The 
 Bishop of Spoleto, Monsignor Mastai-Ferretti, and his 
 cousin, Joseph Ferretti, the Bishop of Rieti, received 
 from the pope a large amount of money, and an order 
 to try every means to retard, at least, our march. The 
 Bishop of Rieti thought of organizing a forcible re- 
 sistance, by taking up arms himself, and making a 
 fanatical appeal to the wicked sectarians called ' Sanfe- 
 disti.' But the Bishop of Spoleto, Mastai-Ferretti, 
 took a safer and more efficient course. He used the 
 money to corrupt one Sercognani, an adventurer, who 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 341 
 
 was, unfortunately, our leader. This traitor led us 
 astray, and afterwards brought us back to Spoleto 
 and fled. 
 
 " The Bishop of Spoleto, that is, the present pope, 
 then came to us, and, pretending to be moved only 
 by a Christian spirit, warned us that it was almost 
 impossible for us to reach Rome before the Austrians, 
 and that the best we could do was to put our arms 
 into his hands, and accept the pardon which he was 
 authorized by the pope to offer us. We believed hkn, 
 but none of us escaped punishment. I, too, though 
 very young and a simple soldier, met with long impris- 
 onment. 
 
 " It was probably for this service that he was pro- 
 moted, soon after, to the bishopric of Imola, which is 
 exceedingly rich, and is generally given to a cardinal, 
 or to a prelate destined to become a cardinal. In fact, 
 some years after, both he and his cousin, the Bishop 
 of Rieti, were made cardinals, though they had no 
 claims to that dignity. 
 
 "I have occasionally spoken of him,'^ concluded 
 Fabio, " to many of the inhabitants of Spoleto, and 
 have found that no one could bear him when he was 
 there." 
 
 " The same," added I, " is the case with the inhab- 
 itants of Imola. Nay, they hated him so much that 
 the announcement of his election was received in 
 Imola by the most energetic demonstrations of dis- 
 content. This happened, too, even in Sinigallia, his 
 native place." 
 
 "Do you mean, then," inquired the Belgian, " that 
 Pius the Ninth is really a bad man, and an object of 
 dislike to all who know him well ? " 
 
 " I believe him to be neither good nor bad," said 
 29* 
 
342 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 I ; " but I am sure that, with a limited capacity, an 
 irritable temperament, and a fanatical zeal for his re- 
 ligion, he possesses great ambition, and thinks much 
 of himself, though perhaps he is unconscious of it. 
 He probably regards himself as a man destined by 
 providence to rescue his sinking church. I should be 
 afraid of him if he were not both cowardly and incon- 
 sistent." 
 
 " Why, then," inquired the Belgian, " is he the object 
 of 'SO many ovations? and why is his name enthusias- 
 tically repeated throughout Italy ? " 
 
 " Because it does us good, and enables us to carry 
 on our revolution without shedding blood." 
 
 " Are you not afraid of erecting an idol which you 
 will be unable to throw down when it serves your 
 purpose no longer ? " 
 
 " Not in the least, for papacy has no strength among 
 the people ; and, as soon as the pope refuses to march 
 before the revolutionary car which pushes him on, he 
 will be run over by it, and no one will turn to pity 
 him." 
 
CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 THE ITALIAN MOVEMENT AND THE POPE. 
 
 " The Italian movement began in the name of Pius 
 the Ninth, and then was turned against him.^^ This 
 statement, ahnost universally received abroad, could 
 never be regarded as correct in . Italy. The Italian 
 movement is to be referred far back to the down- 
 fall of Napoleon, when England and Austria, having 
 quelled the resistance of Italy by means of deceitful 
 promises of independence and freedom, established 
 upon it the most despotic system of domestic and for- 
 eign tyranny. The impious tyrants and statesmen, 
 then congregated in Vienna, not only refused to make 
 any concessions to the progress which in the mean 
 time had happened in Italy, but they even destroyed 
 the free institutions and political guarantees which we 
 had before possessed. 
 
 This unwise and infamous abuse of power gave rise 
 to an Italian national movement for independence and 
 liberty, which has gradually and unceasingly pro- 
 gressed, and which will never stop tiU such a flagrant 
 violation of all right and law shall be atoned for. 
 Pius the Ninth found himself involved in this move- 
 ment, and was dragged along by it, though for a mo- 
 ment he appeared to be its leader. The Liberal party 
 on this occasion showed, of course, a little cunning; 
 
 (343) 
 
344 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 but the pope himself knew it, and was not sincere in 
 his forced course. There was therefore pretension 
 on both sides ; but neither of the parties was deceived. 
 
 No pope could have voluntarily associated with this 
 movement, — least of all, Pius the Ninth, a bigoted, 
 narrow-minded priest, — for its triumph necessarily im- 
 plies a religious reformation and the downfall of the 
 papal dominion in Rome. 
 
 Pius the Ninth, when made pope, was fifty-four 
 years old : that is comparatively young to be chosen 
 by the cardinals, who naturally like to run as often 
 as possible the chance of the election. But it was 
 not thought possible for him to live long, for he was 
 almost constantly in bad health, and was often seized 
 with dreadful epileptic convulsions. As a conse- 
 quence, perhaps, of this sickness, his temperament was 
 exceedingly irritable. Not one of his numerous rel- 
 atives liked to live familiarly with him, either before 
 or after his election, and he had neither friend nor 
 favorite. But, with the exception of selfishness, he 
 did not present the usual profligate vices of the papal 
 clergy : his habits were temperate and his behavior 
 was chaste. It is said that his formerly disordered 
 conduct, and the consequent bad state of his health, 
 accounted for this change. 
 
 It may be supposed that his continual state of moral 
 isolation, combined with the dejection resulting from, 
 the nature of his sickness, contributed much to make 
 him the coward that he now is, for his predominant 
 passion was ambition, which is seldom joined with 
 cowardice. Ambition, however, and fanaticism, led 
 him to think highly of himself, not indeed as a man 
 of talent and learning, but as a man separated by God. 
 He thinks that Divine Providence once saved him, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 345 
 
 when a child, from drowning ; afterwards rescued him 
 from a dissipated life, and finally directed on his head 
 the unwilling votes of his colleagues, in order to 
 accomplish, by his means, some great deed for the sal- 
 vation of the papal church, now in danger: for in- 
 stance, to establish, through his instrumentality, the 
 dogma of the " Immaculate Conception of the Holy 
 Virgin," — a measure which no one of his predeces- 
 sors dared to undertake. 
 
 Besides, he thinks that he possesses all the power of 
 a pope of the middle ages, and that he can raise, if he 
 chooses, the so-called Catholic world in one mighty 
 crusade on behalf of popery. He freely expressed 
 this thought when the Austrian garrison of the for- 
 tress of Ferrara invaded that city, and there was a 
 great commotion in Rome. He published the edict, 
 " Be not afraid or excited ; for you have the great 
 privilege of possessing two hundred millions of 
 Catholic brethren, and the whole of them will be 
 ready to support the rights of the Holy See, should 
 any one attempt to invade them." These words were 
 intended to be a comfort, as well as a threat, to the 
 Roman people, who already urged him too fast. He 
 believes also that he receives direct inspiration from 
 the Holy Ghost, when he privately kneels in fervent 
 prayer, before going to bed. 
 
 A man of such a character and of such ideas will, 
 no doubt, be able to trouble England, the United 
 States, and other Protestant nations, by exciting in 
 these countries his dependents and admirers. He will 
 also be sure of obtaining, on his demand, the support 
 of all the governments of Europe, even Protestant 
 and schismatic, if his temporal authority is endangered 
 by a revolution. But such a man can never be either 
 
346 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 a leader or a follower in the Italian movement. The 
 credit which was given to him in this capacity 
 throughout the world was the result of the conduct 
 of the Italian national party. We had taken the 
 power into our own hands in Rome, crying out, " Yiva 
 Pio Nono ; " and now our brethren throughout Italy 
 tittered the same cry, exalted that man, and endeav- 
 ored to force their rulers into the same position in 
 which he was. The troubled condition of Europe, 
 and the consequent trepidation of the Italian rulers, 
 favored our projects ; and we were eager to carry on 
 our movement, as far as possible, without shedding 
 blood. 
 
 I was perhaps more interested in this matter than 
 many of my fellow-citizens, for I looked with eager 
 attention on our situation, and that of the pope, par- 
 ticularly with respect to the approaching downfall of 
 papacy. I confess that even the momentary triumph 
 of Pius Ninth often troubled me, though I anticipated 
 the moment of his fall. In the mean time, I critically 
 observed his conduct, endeavoring to discover his 
 real character, and to know if he was really aware of 
 his playing a dangerous game. I had even occasion 
 to speak to him on account of some business con- 
 cerning my profession ; for the pope himself is the 
 supreme justice in his State, and there are instances 
 in which he is called on to judge by himself, or by 
 means of his "uditore santissimo'^ (auditor sanctis- 
 simi). 
 
 It was a summer afternoon when Monsignor Medici, 
 the " great master of ceremonies " (maestro di cerimo- 
 nie), introduced me into the private library, where the 
 pope was reading papers at an elegant desk. The 
 prelate had previously taught me the ceremonies 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 347 
 
 which I must perform, and was now constantly at my 
 side, watching for their exact performance. As soon 
 as we reached the threshold of the door, the prelate 
 touched my arm, to remind me that it was the moment 
 for the first genuflexion. I consequently threw my- 
 self on my knees, and, in the fashion of a Chinese 
 mandarin, made a profound bow; but the "great 
 vicar of God on earth " paid no attention to my bow- 
 ing. The prelate kindly helped me to rise, and, when 
 in the middle of the room, bade me to kneel and bow 
 again. 
 
 Finally, arriving near the arm-chair of the pope, I 
 for the third time threw myself on my knees, and 
 bowed my face to the floor to kiss the " very holy 
 foot" (santissimi piedi). At this, the pope, without 
 suspending his reading, advanced his right foot some 
 inches towards my face : it was covered with a cloth 
 slipper embroidered with gold, and was good to the 
 sight, though not to the smell, as the weather was very 
 warm. Now, still on my knees, I delivered my speech 
 in Latin, and the pope continued to peruse his papers. 
 Though, not being familiar with Latin, be was unable 
 to understand a word of my speech, he seemed to be 
 pleased with it, from my occupying but a short time 
 in its delivery. 
 
 The pope informed me that he would appoint a par- 
 ticular judge for the decision of my business, it being 
 a rather complicated afiair ; and then he began to talk 
 of indifferent matters, namely, where I was born, 
 where my parents lived, if I succeeded in my profes- 
 sion, &c. This, of course, was a condescension on his 
 part; and he knew too well how to manage these trifles, 
 by which he made the greater impression, as the mem- 
 ory of his frowning, cruel predecessor was still fresh. 
 
348 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 In the same manner, lie never omitted an occasion of 
 flattering the vanity of distinguished travellers who 
 went to see him, especially if they were Protestants, 
 for he then dispensed with kneeling and bowing, and 
 presented to their kisses his hand and magic ring, 
 instead of his holy foot. Moreover, he often made 
 observations on their country, and dismissed them 
 highly gratified with his sweet manners and pleasant 
 countenance. I retired in the same manner I had 
 gone there, kneeling and bowing again three times, 
 and without turning my back on the pope. 
 
 At this time it was nearly a year since the amnesty 
 had been promulgated, and the fame of Pius the 
 Ninth was boundless throughout Europe, and even in 
 America. Every one proclaimed him a great reformer, 
 and many a good Protestant began to think, that, after 
 having reformed the state, he would also reform the 
 church. As for me, it was exceedingly amusing to 
 see with my own eyes how groundless was such a 
 rumor. We were, indeed, free, and all the power was 
 in the hands of the people, but not one of the former 
 abuses had been reformed by law. For instance, the 
 Inquisition preserved the censorship on the public 
 press ; but, in spite of it, we had good newspapers, 
 because the Reverend Father Inquisitors were afraid 
 of the people. 
 
 As for a religious reformation, no man had more 
 decidedly expressed his aversion to it, both when a 
 bishop and when a pope. It was his narrow-minded 
 bigotry that led him to many persecutions, which cre- 
 ated so much hatred against him both in Spoleto and 
 Imola during the time of his bishopric in those cities. 
 He had been a pope only a few days when (a high com- 
 pliment oil his part) he went to say mass in the Church 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 349 
 
 del Gssic, the head-quarters of the Jesuits ; and there 
 he made a speech, proclaiming the Jesuits to be " the 
 strong and experienced oarsmen who kept from ship- 
 wreck the bark of St. Peter." I think that he was 
 right in thus speaking, for, without the institution of 
 the Jesuits, papacy could not have been supported till 
 now ; but how was it possible to suppose that such a 
 man intended to make a religious reformation? 
 
 Again, I have heard with my own ears the eloquent 
 Father Ventura, the friend and favorite preacher of 
 the pope, taking constantly as his theme, when preach- 
 ing before him, some topics against the religious Refor- 
 mation. I have heard him denouncing (I use his own 
 words taken from a published address) " the shameful 
 origin of the Reformation, the beastly nature of its 
 author, the dissoluteness of its apostles, the blasphe- 
 mies and contradictions of its doctrines, the baseness 
 of its manoeuvres, the hypocrisy of its promises, the 
 turpitude of its motives, the iniquities of its spolia- 
 tions, the cruelty of its massacres, the horror of its 
 sacrileges, and the mighty misfortunes which it has 
 brought upon the loveliest countries of Europe." A 
 pope, of course, encouraging and provoking those 
 absurd and unjust charges, could not at the same 
 time meditate a reformation in religion. 
 
 But there was, I have said, a kind of conspiracy 
 among the Italians. The press of Rome carefully 
 concealed every act or word of the pope which could 
 betray his true character, uniformly gave the most 
 favorable interpretation to everything which could 
 show a liberal spirit, and exaggerated the value and 
 meaning of every trifle. Abroad were copied the 
 statements of the Roman press, to which were added 
 30 
 
350 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 many praises, which acquired the more credit as they 
 were carried into more distant countries. In short, 
 Pius the Ninth might, at this epoch, have been styled 
 ''the great humbug of the Italian national move- 
 ment.'* 
 
CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 THE CONSPIRACY OF THE SANFEDISTI. 
 
 " What is the meaning of all these great prepara- 
 tions in the Corso and Piazza del Popolo ? '^ 
 
 This question was addressed to me by my Spanish 
 friend Fernandez, who had just come to Rome, at- 
 tracted chiefly by curiosity to see a liberal pope. I 
 replied that we were preparing for a great demonstra- 
 tion, to be made on the first anniversary of the pro- 
 mulgation of the amnesty, which would be two days 
 after. 
 
 " Have you not expressed gratitude enough for 
 that act by all the demonstrations of which I have 
 heard?" 
 
 " That is not the question," repHed I. "Our demon- 
 strations are the arms by which we storm Pius the 
 Ninth, in order to coax and bully him into conces- 
 sions." 
 
 " Has he not already made many reformations and 
 concessions ? " 
 
 " Many, indeed, but judge yourself of their real im- 
 portance for the public welfare. Not to speak of the 
 amnesty, which was a necessary act for him, and 
 acquired importance only by ' our extensive interpre- 
 tation,' his concessions and reformations have, till 
 
 (361) 
 
352 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 now, been limited to the following acts : He restrained 
 the expenditure of his household; reformed the tenure 
 of the papal stables by selling the horses, with the ex- 
 ception of sixty, and engaging only fifty men for their 
 service j he has walked two or three times with only 
 a few guards in some public street ; preached once for 
 ten minutes in the Church of St. Andrew ; placed a 
 particular box at the door of the palace for petitions 
 directed to him ; established a regular public audience 
 for all kinds of people in the afternoon of every 
 Thursday ; and, finally, permitted the city of Eome 
 to have a municipal authority appointed by him." 
 
 "I confess," said the Spaniard, "that the importance 
 of those reformations is to be appreciated only in 
 reference to the former oppression weighing upon 
 you, and to the proud and cruel conduct of the late 
 pope. But what is it for which you urge the pope ? " 
 
 " We have received every slight concession," an- 
 swered I, " with exaggerated demonstrations of grati- 
 tude. But we constantly demand to have the liberty 
 of the press recognized by law ; the expulsion of the 
 Jesuits ; and, the most important of all, the arming of 
 a national guard, because, when the people are not 
 well armed, and prepared to resist every encroach- 
 ment upon their rights, no reliance can be placed upon 
 any solemn promise or sacred oath of a pope or a 
 king." 
 
 "Do you think, then," inquired the Spaniard, "that 
 Pius the Ninth, enthusiastically applauded throughout 
 all Europe as a great reformer, would in some instance 
 retrace his steps, forfeit his solemn promises, and 
 break a sacred oath ? " 
 
 " He will do all this, and worse," answered I, " as 
 soon as the interest of his caste requires it. Suppose, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 353 
 
 for instance, that, after having established a national 
 guard, we should ask for a political constitution 
 securing a liberal government. In this case he will 
 comply with our wish, because he is a coward, but let 
 him have the means of putting us down, and he will 
 not hesitate a moment to break his oath, and restore 
 despotism." 
 
 Thus speaking, we were going down from Piazza 
 Colonna to Via Condotti, with the intention of pro- 
 ceeding to the Pincian Hill, to enjoy the cool breeze 
 and the spectacle of the setting sun, but we had 
 hardly turned the corner of the Corso and Via Con- 
 dotti, when we met, face to face, my friends Mattia, 
 Fabio, and Marco, who, in a state of great excitement, 
 hastily bade me follow them, and went straight to- 
 wards the castle of St. Angelo. On the way Mattia 
 informed me, in a few words, that a conspiracy of the 
 Sanfedisti had just been discovered by Angelo Bru- 
 netti, called Ciceruacchio, a well-known and popular 
 tribune. 
 
 In the mean time I saw many people running in 
 haste in every direction, all the shops were rapidly 
 closed, and from every door came out young men, 
 holding hunting-guns, swords, and other weapons. We 
 reached Via deU' Orso, which was literally filled with 
 armed youths, and, arriving at the front of the castle, 
 we saw there Ciceruacchio and others of our friends 
 receiving arms from the garrison, composed of artil- 
 lerymen, all on our side. In a few moments numerous 
 companies of well-armed young men were organized, 
 and they went successively to patrol the city in every 
 direction, in order to restore order and quiet, as well 
 as to prevent an outburst of the dreaded conspiracy. 
 
 During my tour I again met my Spanish friend, who 
 30* 
 
354 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 was armed with an ancient sword. He joined me, 
 and, walking around, we talked of the event. " In 
 what manner was the conspiracy discovered?" said 
 he ; and I informed him that Ciceruacchio, whose life 
 was particularly sought for, received an intimation of 
 it from one of the three assassins who had been ap- 
 pointed to kill him ; but this man did not know the 
 general plan, which was discovered by searching the 
 house of a former infamous spy, called Minardi, who 
 fled from Rome as soon as a rumor of discovery was 
 heard. 
 
 " The plan of the Sanfedisti was this. During the 
 great procession, which was to take place the day 
 after to-morrow, each of the most prominent leaders 
 of our party was personally destined to the poniards 
 of one, two, or three hired assassins, according to the 
 importance attached to their lives. The assassins 
 were directed to keep constantly at a short distance 
 from their intended victims, and to strike their blows 
 only when a tumult should be raised. A certain Yir- 
 ginio Alpi, as it appears from a letter of his found in 
 the house of Minardi, had enrolled assassins for the 
 purpose from among the highwaymen belonging to 
 the society of the Sanfedisti in the northern prov- 
 inces. A large band of those ruffians had been already 
 arrested, and they had each a poniard of the same 
 shape, with their pockets well supplied with gold." 
 
 " From whom do they say that they got those 
 things ? " said the Spaniard ; and I answered that 
 "They were all silent on this point except two, who, 
 overwhelmed by fear, declared that a prelate and 
 a cardinal, after having blessed them, gave them the 
 poniards. 'The prelate, no doubt, was Monsignor 
 Grassellini, the Governor of Rome, He fled towards 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 355 
 
 Naples as soon as he heard of the discovery of the 
 plot. Twenty dragoons on horseback have been sent 
 in pursuit of him, but there is little hope of over- 
 taking him. As for the cardinal, suspicion fell upon 
 Lambruschini, but the two ruffians maintain that the 
 one they saw was young." 
 
 The next morning I heard that the pope, as soon as 
 informed of what had transpired the evening before, 
 ordered his Swiss guards to close up and watch the 
 gates of his palace. At ten o'clock, however, he sent 
 for Monsignor Morandi, formerly an honest lawyer, 
 and appointed him Governor of Rome. The new gov- 
 ernor gave wise orders for the apprehension of the 
 fugitive conspirators ; and, early in the morning, pub- 
 lished an edict requesting the people to be quiet, be- 
 cause the conspiracy was fully discovered, the gov- 
 ernment was in possession of important documents, 
 and the culprits were partly arrested, and more would 
 be arrested by the soldiers, pursuing them in every 
 direction. " In the mean time," said he, " I am pre- 
 paring for the trial, and justice will be done quickly." 
 
 In fact, Freddi, the colonel of the gendarmes, Nar- 
 doni, the chief spy of the late pope, and other chiefs 
 of the conspiracy, were overtaken and brought to 
 Rome. Nay, the pope himself wrote to the Grand 
 Duke of Tuscany, in order that Minardi, who had fled 
 to Florence, should be arrested and sent to Rome. 
 Peace and quiet were restored, and we waited for the 
 results of the trial. The pope now no longer resisted 
 the establishment of a national guard, and all our en- 
 ergy and attention were called to that object. 
 
 "I wonder," said Mattia often, "how Grassellini, 
 Freddi, Alpi, and others, who are very cunning, could 
 think that, by killing some of the leaders of our party, 
 
 i 
 
356 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 and striking the people with terror, they would be able 
 to restore despotism." 
 
 I could not understand this any better than he or 
 any of our friends ; but in a few days the news came 
 to Rome that, on the morning of the 16th of July, the 
 day fixed for the outburst of the conspiracy, a large 
 body of Austrian troops crossed the river Po into the 
 Roman territory, and said that they were coming to 
 restore order. But Yirginio Alpi, who was flying 
 from Rome, having arrived at their encampment, they 
 re-crossed the river, and he went with them. 
 
 It was, then, with the connivance of Austria that 
 this Jesuitical movement had been attempted. But 
 was the pope aware of it? I think that he knew 
 nothing of the projected cool assassination of so many 
 persons, but to be delivered from the overwhelming 
 popular influence was, no doubt, the height of his 
 wishes. In the official correspondence respecting 
 Italy, which was published by order of the English 
 cabinet, there is a passage illustrating this point. The 
 English ambassador at Vienna, writing to Lord Palm- 
 erston a few days before, says, " Prince Metternich 
 has made a verbal communication to me of a probable 
 intervention of the Austrian troops in Rome, in order 
 to deliver the pope from the popular anarchy. He 
 did not say that the pope applied for this intervention, 
 but I have no doubt of it." 
 
 Fifteen days had scarcely elapsed from the appoint- 
 ment of Monsignor Morandi to the governorship of 
 Rome, when the pope gave him another office, and 
 put in his place Monsignor Savelli, perhaps the most 
 wicked of all the prelates then in Rome, and suspected 
 to belong to the society of the Sanfedisti. The con- 
 sequence was that the trial for the conspiracy of the 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 357 
 
 Sanfedisti was never heard of again. I will add, that 
 afterwards the pope, as soon as restored to Rome by 
 the Frenchmen, thought of rewarding all the wicked 
 characters who had been concerned in that infamous 
 plot. In fact, Monsignor Grassellini received the rich 
 archbishopric of Palermo ; Monsignor Savelli is now 
 a cardinal ; Colonel Freddi, a general ; the base spy 
 Nardoni, a general, too ; Minardi, the general director 
 of police ; Alpi, the general director of the custom- 
 house ; and so on. 
 
 I declare, however, that I have still some doubts 
 concerning the participation of the pope in that infer- 
 nal plot, and I believe that Cardinal Lambruschini 
 had no concern at all in it. The cardinal who blessed 
 the poniards, together with Monsignor Grassellini, was 
 probably Cardinal Antonelli, for subsequent events 
 proved him to be a chief of the society of the San- 
 fedisti. 
 
 A failure of an attempt affords a good opportunity 
 for the rising of the party which escaped the blow. 
 We of course knew this, and tried to derive all pos- 
 sible advantage from that event. Our most important 
 wish, namely, the establishment of a national guard, 
 was now satisfied, and we proceeded at once to obtain 
 also the expulsion of the Jesuits. The first general 
 outburst against these hated monks was a great dem- 
 onstration made with the usual cry, " Viva Pio Nono,'^ 
 when the news reached Rome that the Swiss Federal- 
 ists had conquered the Jesuitical league called Son- 
 derbund, backed by Austria, which threatened Swit- 
 zerland with a civil war ; besides, almost every night 
 demonstrations were made around their convents, and 
 cries uttered of "Viva Pio Nono,'^ "Death to the 
 
358 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Jesuits," &c. Threats also of setting the convents on 
 fire were often heard from the people. 
 
 The Jesuits cunningly applied to the pope, and im- 
 plored him to place a company of the national guard 
 at each of their convents, in order, as they said, to 
 protect them from the mob. For some days the na- 
 tional guards obeyed the orders given by the pope ; 
 but soon after a general and positive refusal came 
 from all the quarters of the national guards. The 
 Jesuits well understood the meaning of this, and began 
 to pack up their movables. 
 
 In fact, a few evenings after this event an immense 
 crowd of people assembled in the Piazza del Popolo, 
 and began to discuss the matter of the expulsion of 
 the Jesuits. An old shepherd, a native of the Sabine 
 mountains, who was clad in goat's skin, rose and said, 
 " To drive the fox from its hole, the best way is to 
 set fire to it ;" and then, waving a large burning torch, 
 he gave the signal. 
 
 The Jesuits heard the approaching storm, and, not 
 daring to face it, deserted their convents. Those 
 among them who resided in Rome were, of course, 
 the most cunning of their cunning order. The pope 
 chose a large cargo of them, which he sent as a gift 
 to the United States of America. They landed at New 
 York, and spread over the western States. 
 
 The day following that stormy night the official 
 newspaper of the pope announced the withdrawing 
 of the Jesuits, and said : " His holiness, who has ever 
 looked with favor on these servants of the church, as 
 unwearied fellow-laborers in the vineyard of the Lord, 
 is bitterly grieved at this unhappy event. Consider- 
 ing, however, the growing excitement, and the numer- 
 ous parties which threaten serious trouble, the pope 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 359 
 
 has been forced to look at these dangers: he has, 
 therefore, made known to the father-general of the 
 company his sentiments, as well as the concern he 
 feels on account of the difficulty of the times and the 
 prospect of serious disturbance. Upon this announce- 
 ment the father-general resolved to yield to the force 
 of circumstances." 
 
 None of the newspapers of Rome and Italy chose 
 to copy these explicit words. They were satisfied 
 with triumphantly announcing that the Jesuits had 
 left Rome by order of the pope. The French news- 
 papers were filled with the praises of such a great 
 pope, who banished the Jesuits, and his fame as a 
 religious reformer was diffused in all Protestant coun- 
 tries. 
 
 The man who had the principal share in discovering 
 the Jesuitical plot, and whose life was particularly and 
 eagerly sought for by the Sanfedisti, — I mean Angelo 
 Brunetti, called Ciceruacchio, — was a humble carman, 
 who never gave up his trade or his coarse dress, not- 
 withstanding the prominent part he played in all the 
 events of the revolution, which began with the am- 
 nesty, and was put down by foreign invasion. Ciceru- 
 acchio, now about forty-five years old, presented the 
 best type of a handsome, strongly-built man, inured to 
 labor. His face and countenance, when occupied by 
 serious thoughts, presented all the features of Marius, 
 though his character was totally different from that of 
 the stern and ferocious consul of Arpinium. 
 
 Ciceruacchio, warmly attached to his wife and chil- 
 dren, had an excessive veneration for his mother, who 
 boasted of having devoted all her life to the education 
 of this only child, since his father had died very young 
 and poor. It was not a literary education she had 
 
360 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 given him, for, though he could easily read a printed 
 book, he wrote only with difficulty, and the whole of 
 his knowledge was confined to the ancient and modern 
 history of Rome. He knew this, however, thoroughly. 
 She wanted, above all, to make him an honest citizen, 
 and then an industrious carman, because his father, 
 who also had been a carman, was rather indolent. 
 
 Ciceruacchio was now comparatively rich, though 
 he frequently assisted his less fortunate fellow-trades- 
 men. All the common people knew him, and were 
 fond of him. The late pope had been infonned of 
 the wonderful influence of Ciceruacchio, and tried to 
 gain him, but in vain. The new pope thought for a 
 moment of attaching to his person that formidable 
 and popular tribune, but soo n pe rceived this to be 
 impossible. How, indeed, cou^^Eie win over an hon- 
 est man, of moderate habits, who was insensible to 
 the flattery of courtly honors, and thought himself rich 
 and happy in his condition ? 
 
 The true secret of this man's influence lay in his 
 generous and virtuous conduct, and in his extraordi- 
 nary powers of mind. The quality for which he was 
 generally admired afterwards, especially by foreigners, 
 — I mean his astonishing eloquence, — was unknown 
 before the establishment of freedom, and he himself 
 had never thought of his possessing it. In general he 
 spoke but little, and then used the fewest possible 
 words. This is a common habit with the Eoman peo- 
 ple, and presents a striking contrast to the noisy 
 loquacity of their brethren of Naples. But, when he 
 addressed the people on momentous occasions, the 
 graceful strength of his clear and fluent speech 
 proved fascinating even to men of talent and learn- 
 ing. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 361 
 
 I have sometimes seen him stopping his car in the 
 midst of a tumultuous crowd, and, making a tribune 
 of it, deliver speeches for which an orator ipight have 
 toiled for years in vain. He was calm, modest, unpre- 
 tending, and affable. He did a great deal on behalf 
 of the liberal cause, and for his services the revolu- 
 tionists desired to give him important employments, 
 and even insisted on his taking an active part in public 
 business. But in vain : his co-operation was entirely 
 gratuitous, disinterested, and free from ambition. The 
 common people made him their candidate at the epoch 
 of the elections for the Roman Constituent Assembly, 
 but he declined, saying, "To draw a car in the streets 
 is very different from drawing the great car of the 
 State ; and I do not at all understand the matter of 
 making good laws." 
 
 Afterwards, during the siege of Rome, Ciceruacchio 
 fought bravely, together with his two sons, the young- 
 est of whom was killed. Besides, he spent much of 
 his property in helping the sufferers. What was the 
 end of this man? None can tell. He and his son 
 mysteriously disappeared. The Holy Inquisition per- 
 haps seized them ! 
 31 
 
CHAPTER XLIY. 
 
 THE ^' SACRA ROMANA ROTA. 
 
 Everything is holy and sacred with the pope, even 
 the chair upon which he sits. Why, then, should not 
 also the superior tribunals, of which he is the first pres- 
 ident and the supreme judge, be sacred and holy? 
 They are, indeed, too often composed of wicked 
 prelates; but that matters little; and, should they 
 commit injustice, it must be a " holy injustice,'^ which 
 papal subjects are bound to venerate. To be admit- 
 ted to plead before those sacred tribunals was, of 
 course, a great privilege, involving a certain participa- 
 tion in their holiness. Being an unworthy subject, 
 and suspected of entertaining sinful thoughts about 
 the authority of the pope, I could not aspire to such 
 an honor during the last years of the reign of G-reg- 
 ory XYI. But now all was changed. Exhibiting, 
 then, all the necessary documents concerning my 
 theoretical and practical courses both in civil and 
 canon law, I asked for the preliminary admission to 
 the examination, which consists in a difficult extempo- 
 raneous experiment to be made before the supreme 
 tribunal, called " Sacra Romana Rota." 
 
 After all the required formalities had been fulfilled, 
 that tribunal, on the 3d of August, 1847, issued a 
 decree, plenis suffragiis, by which I was recognized 
 
 (362) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 363 
 
 as " Sacrae RomanaB Rotse advocatus/' and invested 
 with all the privileges belonging to my new office. 
 This event improved my condition very much, and 
 extended my credit. Besides, the fees established for 
 this and other superior tribunals were almost double 
 those allowed to lawyers before the inferior courts. 
 My occupation, too, was now congenial to my taste, 
 because I was a lawyer (advocatus), and not an attor- 
 ney (jprocurator). There can be no regular lawsuit 
 unless each party is represented by an attorney, on 
 whom devolves the care of the proceedings. He ap- 
 plies for the assistance of a lawyer only when there 
 is to be a difficult discussion. The lawyer gives his 
 opinion, or makes a formal defence, always in writing, 
 and then calls privately on the judges to see if they 
 want any further explanation ; for there is no public 
 and verbal discussion before these tribunals. My oc- 
 cupation was therefore to sit in my office, writing, or 
 to give advice to those who came to consult me. 
 
 The " Sacra Romana Rota," the most conspicuous 
 among the papal tribunals, is also the most ancient in 
 existence in Europe, having undergone no material 
 modification during the last six hundred years. Its 
 name, "Rota" (wheel), is not derived from its fickle- 
 ness, as many an etymologist has supposed, but from 
 a round table turning on a pivot, at which the twelve 
 judges (auditores) of this tribunal sit during their 
 meetings. But let no one suppose that there is any 
 good or bad spirit to turn the table. They turn it 
 with their own hands, in order to place the presiden 
 tial desk successively before the one who is chosen 
 president by the appellant ; for they sit by order of 
 seniority in the office, and have no permanent pres- 
 ident. 
 
364 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 The " Sacra Romaaa Rota " was intended to be a 
 supreme tribunal for the Catholic world in all ques- 
 tions concerning marriages, religious vows, ecclesias- 
 tical jurisdiction, matters of benefice, and generally 
 the interest and property of the church ; for both of 
 the contending parties have the right of appealing to 
 the pope, and, besides, he himself refers such suits to 
 his tribunal. But first the Reformation, and then par- 
 ticular treaties called " Concordati," have greatly re- 
 stricted the jurisdiction of this cosmopolite tribunal, 
 which is now recognized only in Spain, Belgium, and 
 such parts of Italy as are not subject to Austria. 
 
 The constitution and organization of this tribunal 
 are very singular. The twelve judges composing it 
 are called "auditores" of the pope, because they have 
 the rank of chaplains of the pope, meet in his own 
 apartment, and go to ask for a particular delegation 
 of power from him each time they assemble, so that 
 they cannot hold their sessions during the vacancy 
 of the "Holy See." They are all prelates, though 
 they may be laymen, and each of them, by living long 
 enough, can become a cardinal ; for their dean, that is, 
 the senior in office, acquires such a right after some 
 years of service. 
 
 Only four of these prelates are appointed by the 
 pope, four are elected by the cities of Bologna, Fer- 
 rara, Ravenna, and Perugia ; one is sent by France, 
 one by Spain, and two by Austria, as holding the right 
 once belonging to the republic of Venice. The right 
 of electing these judges involves the duty of giving 
 them a large annual income, which they receive 
 besides their salary. France, for instance, pays seven 
 thousand dollars yearly to the auditor appointed by 
 her government. This arrangement, however, pro- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 365 
 
 duces a good effect by giving to the majority of those 
 judges a certain independence. They use no language 
 but Latin. Each of them has three lawyers attached 
 to his office to help him in the discharge of his duty, 
 but they have only an advisory vote. 
 
 Their meeting takes place regularly every Monday 
 and Friday morning, at eight o'clock. They begin by 
 listening to the mass in the private chapel of the pope, 
 and then go to him to ask for the power of judging. 
 The room in which they meet is locked, and no one 
 can go in or come out till they have concluded their 
 business, which takes but little time ; for the contend- 
 ing parties — that is, their attorneys and lawyers — 
 must agree beforehand upon a short formula called 
 dubium, which implies the deci^on of the contro- 
 verted point by yes or no. Their vote, therefore, 
 consists in the word "affirmative" or "negative,'^ 
 according to the opinion which they have formed 
 from reading the allegations and documents at home. 
 
 They give no reasons for their decision, — nay, they 
 are bound by a solemn oath carefully and constantly 
 to conceal their individual opinions and votes, before 
 as well as after the decision. But one of the lawyers 
 attached to the office of the prelate who was the pres- 
 ident, publishes the decision, and gives the motives 
 of it, by taking them from the allegation of the victo- 
 rious party. If the other party submit to the decis- 
 ion, all is over ; if not, the point is discussed again in 
 the same manner, once, twice, thrice, <fec., should the 
 judges think proper ; otherwise, they answer with the 
 word expediatur, which has the effect of a sentence. 
 Two uniform sentences constitute a rejudicata. 
 
 With all its imperfections, this tribunal is the best 
 we have ; but there are so many taxes to be paid, that 
 31-^ • 
 
366 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 no one will come before it except for a very impor- 
 tant and valuable object. In other cases, a wise 
 person will arrange the matter with the party bring- 
 ing suit. The poor, then, and the unfortunate, would 
 often suffer wrong merely from being sued ; but the 
 lawyers of Rome long ago formed an association 
 called the Society of S. Ivo, whose members are 
 bound to assist those persons for nothing, and the 
 society either pays the expense, or makes the opposite 
 party pay it if they are victorious. 
 
 The " Sacra Romana Rota " has no doubt lost much 
 of its former splendor and power ; but it still retains 
 the most important of its privileges, — a privilege with 
 which no other tribjinal on earth was ever endowed, 
 — that of determining on the admission of new saints 
 into heaven. The final decision, indeed, depends upon 
 the " infallible " judgment of the pope ; but it is the 
 " Sacra Rota Romana " which examines the claims of 
 the new saints seeking for admission into heaven, and, 
 should this tribunal declare them to be unfounded, the 
 pope would no doubt leave them in purgatory, or in 
 some worse place. These claims, usually proposed by 
 relatives, or by the order to which the deceased saint 
 belonged, are discussed with the ordinary proceed- 
 ings. A lawyer opposes the admission, and endeavors 
 to prove that the proposed claims — for instance, some 
 wonderful miracles — are groundless, or but an artful 
 pretence. He is therefore called the " lawyer of the 
 devil " (avvocato del diavolo) ; while, on the contrary, 
 he who sustains their claims is termed the " lawyer of 
 the saints " (avvocato dei santi). 
 
 Now, only to think that I had been admitted into 
 such a privileged class of lawyers, on whose co-oper- 
 ation or opposition depended the admission or the 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 367 
 
 exclusion of new saints I And perhaps the day would 
 come in which some one would engage my services to 
 send a saint to heaven! Such services would be 
 counted to me in future, besides my being well paid 
 in the present, — for no new saint can reach heaven if 
 there is not some one ready to pay at least one hun- 
 dred thousand dollars, a portion of which the lawyers 
 engaged in that business are entitled to. 
 
 I had previously witnessed (during 1840) the splen- 
 did operation of making new saints, and it was quite 
 an important occasion, as there were six candidates, 
 and their friends, called " promotori," had plenty of 
 money. There was, therefore, great merriment in 
 Rome for several days, and many foreigners came 
 from England, France, Spain, and other countries, to 
 see that great performance. It was really one of the 
 most pleasant spectacles that I ever saw. But I par- 
 ticularly enjoyed looking at the happy faces of my 
 future colleagues, who, placed conspicuously before 
 the public, appeared exceedingly glad to have sent 
 their clients to heaven, and to have filled their own 
 pockets with gold. 
 
 But, alas ! they were not all happy. One of thom^ 
 who was rather poor and had a numerous family, had 
 lost the cause of his client. I was sincerely sorry 
 for the poor man, and so were also many of his cred- 
 itors ; but I could not pity the unfortunate saint and 
 his friends. He was a certain Leonardo da Porto 
 Maurizio. Not to mention that there was already an 
 ancient saint of the same name (Leonard), it was a 
 fact that only a few years before this pretended saint 
 had been given the place of "beato '^ (blessed), which 
 he might have kept at least for some years longer. 
 But, through the fanatical zeal of his friends, he was 
 
368 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 induced to apply for a better place, by undergoing a 
 new trial, the result of which endangered not a little 
 his reputation, as the " Sacra Kota " declared that the 
 miracles which he was said to have performed were 
 mere forgery. 
 
 The disappointed lawyer, however, did not accept 
 this as a good reason for exclusion, and tried to 
 soothe his grief by abusing the tribunal. This is an 
 ancient habit with lawyers. But, in truth, I did not 
 think that the " Sacra Kota " was to be blamed for 
 their caution, especially as, only a few years before, 
 they had been shamefully imposed upon in the case 
 of a new saint called Philomena. A priest, who came 
 from Naples to Rome, applied to the pope, saying that 
 one night when sound asleep he saw in a vision a 
 very handsome young girl, clad in celestial glory, who 
 told him that her name was Philomena, formerly the 
 only daughter of a Roman patrician in the time of 
 Diocletian. The emperor, who was in love with her, 
 slew her because she would not receive his addresses, 
 as she was a Christian ; and she added that her bones 
 were buried in a catacomb near Rome, which she 
 described to him so well, that, having been there 
 formerly, he could not fail to find them, though there 
 were many corpses buried in the same place. 
 
 The pope was pleased with this story, and permitted 
 the visionary priest to go and take the bones formerly 
 belonging to that handsome girl. The priest opened 
 one of the sepulchral niches, still unexplored, in the 
 catacombs of St. Sebastiano, and, taking from it the 
 bones, well preserved on account of the volcanic nature 
 of the soil, applied for their canonization, as belonging 
 to the holy virgin and martyr, Santa Philomena. It 
 proved a good speculation for the priest, as he was 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 369 
 
 generously supplied with money from many quarters 
 for his pious purpose, and, besides, the exhibition of 
 the holy bones was highly profitable. 
 
 Now, Santa Philomena became in a short time one 
 of the most fashionable saints, for the sister of the 
 King of Naples, going to be married to the Grand 
 Duke of Tuscany, took with her that priest and his 
 treasure ; and her zeal for the worship of the sacred 
 bones was rewarded by a great miracle. She was 
 confined, and the priest had brought the holy bones 
 into her room, and was praying there, when she saw 
 a vision. The bones seemed to have taken flesh again, 
 and presented the piteous spectacle of a young girl 
 just slain. At this, the grand duchess was delivered 
 from her pains. But now she was struck with the 
 unlucky idea of having those bones arranged in good 
 order, and covered with wax, to represent the holy 
 virgin and martyr in the shape in which she had seen 
 her. 
 
 A mechanical surgeon, commissioned for this oper- 
 ation, discovered that these bones presented all the 
 characteristics of a tall and strongly-built man, who 
 had attained his maturity. Great blame, therefore, 
 fell upon the " Sacra Romana Rota " for having omitted 
 the inspection of the bones, as, in that case, the " law- 
 yer of the devil," through his knowledge of surgery, 
 would have easily discovered the fatal mistake, which 
 endangered even the infallibility of the pope. In 
 order to diminish the scandal, it was said that it made 
 no difference in heaven whether it was an aged man 
 or a young girl. That is indeed true ; but who knows 
 if that obscure man deserved to be enrolled among 
 the saints and have his bones worshipped under the 
 name of an interesting young lady ? Besides, it is well 
 
370 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 known that many poor pagan slaves were buried in 
 the catacombs by their friends, and sometimes through 
 the charity of the earlier Christians. It is therefore 
 probable that, instead of the fair Jady-love of Diocle- 
 tian, a wretched pagan slave, picked up dead in the 
 road, was buried there, and that now his bones were 
 canonized, worshipped, and endowed with the faculty 
 of working miracles. All this through a mistake of the 
 " Sacra Romana Rota." 
 
CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 PROGRESS OF THE ITALIAN MOVEMENT. 
 
 On the evening of tlie 20th of December, 1847, 
 there was in Eome a secret meeting of many chiefs 
 of " Young Italy/' and I attended it, with my friends 
 Fabio and Mattia. We did not desire secrecy for our 
 own sake, but there were some of our brethren who 
 had come privately to Rome from all parts of Italy, 
 and it was highly important that they should be able 
 to go back safely, and be unsuspected at home. Cap- 
 tain Lione, one of them, had come, at great risk, from 
 the island of Sardinia, where he was with his com- 
 pany ; for he belonged to the army of the King of 
 Piedmont. He took leave of absence for a hunt, and 
 embarked in a fishing-boat, which was to smuggle him 
 into the island again. He was a highly promising 
 young man, and died afterwards from a wound caused 
 by an Austrian bullet. 
 
 The eldest of us. Judge Bartolo, who had been 
 during many years an exile in France and England, 
 took the chair, and said : " The constant charge which 
 foreigners had brought against us was our want of 
 union, and our petty municipal jealousies. Those evils 
 have existed in Italy through the continual exertions 
 of our oppressors. But now, thank God, there is in 
 Italy only the Itahan people, — twenty-four millions, — 
 
 (371) 
 
372 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 all of the same race, speaking the same language, 
 bound together by the same glorious memories, and 
 now strongly united for the great common object of 
 tlibir independence and freedom. Wo ure all fully 
 agreed upon this main object of our movement : 
 everything proves it, and foreigners themselves are 
 led to confes^ it, though unable to understand the 
 reason, because they do not know the progress which 
 has taken place in Italy. If there is any difference 
 of opinion (and there must be some) about the future 
 political arrangement of our country, let the universal 
 suffrage of the Italian people settle the matter ; but 
 universal suffrage cannot be applied for till we shall 
 have conquered. Let us, then, postpone any second- 
 ary question, and maintain, at any rate, that wonderful 
 union which has characterized the beginning of our 
 present movement." 
 
 " Piedmont," said Capt. Lione, " was formerly per- 
 haps the less connected member of the great Italian 
 family ; but now it is full of virgin enthusiasm for the 
 Italian cause. Our first triumph over our despotic 
 government was the expulsion of the Jesuits. The 
 union and firmness which we showed on that occasion 
 frightened the government, which, having begun to 
 yield, is now at our disposal." 
 
 "What do you think of your king, Charles Albert?" 
 said the president. 
 
 " I think," replied Capt. Lione, " that he fully de- 
 serves the title given to him of King of the Jesuits. 
 He betrayed the Carbonari in 1821, and, soon after, 
 he went to fight against the constitutionalists of Spain, 
 among whom were many of his former associates. 
 Ten years after, having been made a king, he abused 
 his power to persecute and kill those whom he had 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 373 
 
 formerly betrayed ; and now, after seventeen years of 
 bloody tyranny, he pretends to be changed, because 
 he is afraid. Moreover, he is a very inconsistent man. 
 His life, for instance, is one of profligacy, but he fasts 
 to make atonement for this, and then both of these 
 causes contribute to ruin his health and injure his 
 character." 
 
 "Do you think that he will be forced to give a po- 
 litical constitution to his subjects ? " 
 
 " He cannot help it ; and you will hear of this con- 
 cession in a few days. The people will accept it as 
 preparatory means of further progress." 
 
 " Such is exactly the case in Tuscany also," said 
 Atto Fiorentino. "The grand duke is afraid, and 
 therefore pretends to be a great lover of Italy. He 
 has already spoken of giving a political constitution." 
 
 " What do you think of Ferdinand the Second ? " 
 said the president to Gennaro Pece, a young man 
 from Naples. 
 
 " I cannot tell," said he, " what will be the course 
 of that murderous tyrant. He is the most cowardly 
 of all the princes of Italy, and perhaps the most 
 wicked of living men ; but he has an army of Swiss 
 soldiers, well tried, and faithful to his person, and he 
 seems to be determined to resist and treat with con- 
 tempt all the demonstrations by which his colleagues 
 have been frightened and subdued. But since I left 
 Naples an important event has taken place. Many of 
 the Swiss soldiers have been embarked for Sicily, be- 
 cause our brethren of that island have sent him a 
 chivalrous intimation that, if he does not restore to 
 them their former political constitution before the 
 12th of January next, they will shake off his yoke on 
 32 
 
374 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 that very day. If, therefore, our brethren should 
 maintain '^ 
 
 '^ Yes, we shall maintain our intimation," inter, 
 rupted, with much spirit, a fierce-looking young man, 
 evidently a native of Sicily ; " and I shall embark to- 
 morrow to assist my friends in the battle." 
 
 " God bless your generous efforts ! " said the presi- 
 dent ; " but I am afraid that your partial movement 
 will be of no avail. Why did you not combine with 
 our common brethren of Naples ? " 
 
 "It makes no difference," said the Neapolitan, 
 hastily ; " we know it now, and we shall help it, on 
 our part." 
 
 " I beg to state," said a delicate young man there 
 present, " that Lombardy and Yenice are as ready as 
 the rest of Italy for a great movement. The Austrian 
 soldiers have already answered with murder our 
 peaceful demonstrations, but this only makes our vic- 
 tory a necessity, and we shall conquer. I received 
 the wound which you see on my brow in the lecture- 
 room of civil law at the University of Pa via, where 
 many of my friends were slaughtered like lambs. We 
 shall undoubtedly make a movement, but you must 
 come immediately to our help." 
 
 " Kely upon us," was the answer given in concert. 
 
 After having arranged the general measures calcu- 
 lated to secure unity of action throughout Italy, the 
 meeting adjourned, and we went home, deeply im- 
 pressed by the idea that the general agitation which 
 prevailed everywhere, during that momentous year, 
 would produce a general outbreak, and give place to 
 events of incalculable importance in the approaching 
 new year, 1848. We were full of enthusiasm and 
 hope, mingled, however, with anxiety and apprehen- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 375 
 
 sion, much like an army on the eve of a decisive 
 battle. 
 
 In the mean time, Pius the Ninth, in order to quell, 
 at least in part, the movement for a political constitu- 
 tion, had thought proper to establish a consultative 
 senate, called " Consulta di State,'' whose members 
 were chosen by himself. We made, as usual, a great 
 demonstration for this unimportant concession, but 
 expressed our desire that it should be the first step 
 towards the establishment of a regular constitution. 
 The pope was much hurt by this request, and, when 
 the members of the consulta assembled before him at 
 the opening of their first session, he spoke to them in 
 a bitter manner, and declared that the consulta was 
 all they could expect from him, and that he neither 
 could nor would listen to impertinent popular demands 
 for institutions which were incompatible with the free 
 exercise of his temporal and spiritual authority. This 
 must be remembered in order to form an idea of his 
 character ; because, only a few days after, he followed 
 the example of the other Italian princes, and gave a 
 political constitution, which he swore to observe and 
 maintain during all his life, and which he destroyed 
 as soon as a sufficient physical force was put at his 
 disposal. 
 
 Almost a month had elapsed since the meeting of 
 which I have spoken, when the news reached Rome 
 that a Neapolitan man-of-war, passing before the har- 
 bor of Civitavecchia (forty-eight miles west of Rome), 
 had hoisted a large flag, with the three national colors 
 (red, white, and green) of Italy, had fired twice all her 
 cannon, and given all the signs of great joy. We 
 imagined, of course, what the matter was, and, soon 
 after, we learned by the mail that the Sicilian move- 
 
376 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 ment had proved successful. The people made a tu- 
 mult in Naples at this announcement ; and the king 
 offered a liberal political constitution, throwing upon 
 his ministers all the blame for the past ill-treatment of 
 the people, which he had not known, — otherwise he 
 would have taken such a step long before, as he felt 
 that his subjects were quite prepared for free institu- 
 tions. 
 
 The people of Naples pretended to believe the false 
 declarations of that vile tyrant, and he went to swear 
 the maintenance of the constitution. His father, too, 
 had given a constitution, and sworn to maintain it in 
 the presence of the blood of S. Gennaro, who made 
 the usual miracle to show his approbation ; and, not- 
 withstanding this, he broke his oath after having ob- 
 tained an absolution in advance from Pope Pius the 
 Seventh. The present king, therefore, said, " I will 
 not go to the church polluted by the false oath of my 
 father ; for I intend to swear in good faith, and main- 
 tain it." He took the oath, then, in the church of St. 
 Francis of Paula, upon the gospel, and in the presence 
 of the " holy wafer." Notwithstanding all this, a few 
 months after, Pius the Ninth, a perjurer himself, was 
 called on to sweep away this solemn oath from the 
 soul of his " beloved son," the King of Naples. 
 
 But the unexpected event of the King of Naples 
 giving a liberal constitution had a powerful effect 
 upon the other princes of Italy. The King of Pied- 
 mont first, and then the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the 
 Duke of Modena, and the Duke of Parma, offered lib- 
 eral constitutions to their subjects. Only the pope 
 maintained a perfect silence. But the municipal 
 authority of Rome, created by him (" Tu quoque, fili 
 mi I ") presented to him a respectful but formal de- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 377 
 
 mand that he should give a political constitution, as all 
 the other princes of Italy had done. 
 
 Francis Sturbinetti, the minister for the public 
 works, happened to be present when the pope received 
 that demand. Sturbinetti was a lawyer of great learn- 
 ing both in civil and canon laws, and much esteemed 
 in Rome for his noble and independent character. 
 ^^ Do you think,^' said the pope, " that I can comply 
 with this demand, without violating the canon laws ? " 
 
 ^^ The canon laws," answered the minister, " were 
 made for the government of the church, and there is 
 nothing in them concerning the temporal government 
 of a state." 
 
 ^' Well," replied the pope, " I will devote the night 
 to prayer, and will do whatsoever the Holy Ghost may 
 deign to inspire me to do." 
 
 Next morning, the minister Sturbinetti again saw 
 the pope, who informed him that, having received a 
 favorable inspiration during the night, he had commis- 
 sioned several cardinals to draw up the plan of a 
 poHtical constitution. This plan was soon ready, and 
 the pope subjected it to the revision and approbation 
 of the college of the cardinals, and then published his 
 scheme of a constitution, mentioning that all the cardi- 
 nals approved it. 
 
 Those political constitutions were all based on the 
 model of the French constitution, and were generally 
 very defective. That of the pope was perfect non- 
 sense, as no law could be passed without his free sanc- 
 tion. All this, however, mattered but little ; for we 
 were as free as a people could desire to be, and there 
 was no obstacle to our progress. Yet we could not 
 deceive ourselves: we had obtained no permanent 
 advantage, so long as Austria ruled in Italy. All our 
 32* 
 
378 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 thoughts, therefore, and all our preparations, had but 
 one object, — war against Austria. 
 
 The news from Milan and Venice was constantly 
 of the most distressing character : the reign of terror 
 was enforced with unparalleled cruelty. But we felt 
 sure that our brothers would make the movement 
 which they had promised. They had no arms at all : 
 even their table-knives were broken in such a manner 
 as to render them inoffensive weapons, and every 
 meeting of more than three persons, in private or in 
 public, was fired at without any previous warning. 
 But all this only supplied a powerful impetus, — the 
 fury of desperation. In fact, on the 22d of March, 
 1848, there was a general contemporaneous outbreak 
 throughout the provinces of Lombardy and Yenice. 
 
 In Yenice there was but a short struggle, for the 
 garrison, surprised and frightened to death, surren- 
 dered to the revolutionists, in order to save their lives 
 and property. The small garrisons scattered through- 
 out the Yenetian territory also surrendered, and the 
 revolutionists spared them all. Only the fortress of 
 Mantua was preserved to the Austrians, through the 
 intrigues of the bishop of that city, who, pretending 
 to act as. a mediator between the people and the com- 
 mander of the fortress, gave the opportunity to the 
 latter of receiving a strong reinforcement. 
 
 In Milan, however, there was a dreadful contest. 
 The garrison there was commanded by the famous 
 Marshal Radetzsky, and sheltered by a fortified 
 castle. There were twenty-five thousand of the best 
 soldiers of Austria, well armed and well tried, who 
 were supplied with plenty of cannon and ammunition. 
 The revolutionists had only sticks, the stones of the 
 pavement, and the furniture of the houses ; but they 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 379 
 
 soon obtained arms from their slaughtered foes. The 
 battle was desperate on both sides, for five days and 
 four nights, without any interruption. The gates of 
 the city were constantly kept by the Austrians ; but, 
 by means of some little balloons, the citizens sought 
 to rouse the country people. In fact, throngs of 
 peasants, armed with their agricultural implements, 
 began to appear here and there around the walls, and, 
 by a desperate deed of valor, the citizens obtained 
 command of Porta Orientale (the eastern gate). 
 
 Radetzsky, in this contingency, determined to 
 make a last general effort: he distributed brandy 
 freely to the soldiers, and then sent them to the 
 assault, with the order to kill every soul they might 
 meet, and set all the houses on fire. The cruelties 
 perpetrated by those drunken monsters are far be- 
 yond belief. They took a barbarous pleasure in cut- 
 ting to pieces the bodies of delicate ladies and chil- 
 dren, who had fallen into their hands, in order to 
 throw them against the barricades kept by the fight- 
 ing men; and, running their bayonets through the 
 bodies of infants, they hoisted them on high, and 
 uttered savage cries ! But those cruelties, instead of 
 striking the people with terror according to the calcu- 
 lations of the Austrian general, excited the popular 
 fury, and drew upon their authors a dreadful retribu- 
 tion. Even ladies fought with desperate courage. 
 One of them, Sottocorni by name, killed the soldier 
 who had run through her baby of three months old, 
 and then put herself at the head of some female 
 friends and fought bravely. 
 
 At length the Austrian general withdrew from Mi- 
 lan with the bloody remains of his army, and sheltered 
 himself in the impregnable fortress of Yerona, which, 
 
380 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 in connection with Mantua and Peschiera, forms a 
 strong military triangle. The whole of Italy, there- 
 fore, was free and independent ; and we had only to 
 prevent the Austrian general from receiving reinforce- 
 ments, without which he must unavoidably surrender 
 sooner or later. This would be an easy matter, pro- 
 vided that our constitutional princes did not prove 
 the most wicked perjurers and traitors; but such they 
 were. 
 
CHAPTER XLVI. 
 
 THE WAR AGAINST AUSTRIA. 
 
 " Let US go and help our brethren/' was the general 
 outcry in Rome, when the news of the glorious deeds 
 of Milan was brought there. It was for this that we 
 had drilled ourselves in arms since we had obtained 
 them, and our enthusiasm was now kindled by a gen- 
 erous example crowned with success. Who could put 
 a stop to our movement ? 
 
 " This must be a very painful and embarrassing oc- 
 currence for the pope/' said my friend Mattia, " for I 
 suspect him of having constantly maintained the most 
 friendly secret intercourse with Austria, while he was 
 temporizing with us, and deceiving both.'^ 
 
 "That makes no difference with us," answered 
 Marco, the Venetian painter, now full of enthusiasm ; 
 " we do not want the papal benediction in order to 
 conquer the Austrians. General Ferrari, an old and 
 well-tried soldier, has offered to lead us, and I care 
 nothing for all the popes in the world." 
 
 " I know," said Mattia, " that the pope cannot do us 
 any good, but you must confess that he can do much 
 harm. I am glad, however, that now he will be 
 obliged to throw off the mask, and declare himself 
 for or against us. But I cannot believe that the pope 
 will declare himself against Austria. She is the nat- 
 
 (381) 
 
382 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 ural supporter of papacy, which no longer relies either 
 on revolutionary France or on weak and anarchical 
 Spain." 
 
 " You are much mistaken," sai(J Fabio, laughing, as 
 he at this moment entered the room. " I can tell you 
 that the pope does not at all oppose our movement ; 
 nay, he has appointed General Durando to conduct 
 the troops." 
 
 " Who is that general ? " said I. 
 
 " I do not know," answered Fabio. " He came but 
 yesterday from Spain, and he says that he is a native 
 of Piedmont." 
 
 "We do not want him," said Marco: "we have 
 Ferrari, whom we know, and on whom we rely." 
 
 "Do not be excited," replied Fabio, still laughing; 
 " the pope gives you Ferrari also, so that you will have 
 two masters instead of one." 
 
 This conversation was held in the drawing-room of 
 Monsignor Muzzarelli, the dean of the Sacra Romana 
 Eota, a prelate (not a priest) of talent and learning, 
 who afterwards gave up his right to be a cardinal, 
 threw off his priestly uniform, and took a prominent 
 part in the revolution. He was not in at that time, 
 but soon after came home, and his friend, Count 
 Becchi, the minister of the pope, was with him. 
 
 "Do you know," said Monsignor Muzzarelli to us, 
 " who persuaded the pope to let you go to war against 
 Austria ? " 
 
 " Shall we thank Count Recchi for it? " said Mattia, 
 bowing to the minister. 
 
 He disclaimed the merit, and said, emphatically, " It 
 was Cardinal AntoneUi, whom you heedless young men 
 detest the most among the cardinals." 
 
 " If so, I begin to suspect a snare," said I, " because 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. ' 383 
 
 ' timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.^ I know too well Ms 
 whole life and character, and feel quite sure that he 
 now affects liberal feelings only to prepare treason.'^ 
 
 " You are unjust," replied the minister, earnestly, 
 "when you speak so. I also know his former life. 
 But cannot a man repent and become honest?" 
 
 " No doubt," answered Fabio, with a sneer, " es- 
 pecially if he has at hand a confessor well paid and 
 well fed, as each cardinal has." 
 
 The minister felt hurt, and left the room. He was 
 an honorable and sincere man, and, though belonging 
 to the " moderate party," he was now in earnest for the 
 war, and dissented from his colleagues, who thought 
 we must wait until Austria should peacefully withdraw 
 from Italy on occasion of the downfall of the Turkish 
 empire. 
 
 Only three days were consumed in organizing our 
 forces and setting out on our expedition, for we were 
 all individually ready. Four thousand young men, 
 belonging to the national guards, and formed in three 
 legions, marched out first from Porta del Popolo, and 
 three regiments of volunteers followed. Passing 
 through or near the principal cities of the Roman 
 State, we received additional volunteers, and our 
 march was everywhere enthusiastically greeted. Our 
 first general review was held in Bologna, only thirty 
 miles from the boundaries of Lombardy, and it proved 
 very satisfactory. We were eighteen thousand young 
 men, full of ardor, disciplined, well armed, and well 
 dressed, having the aspect and the strength of a 
 regular army, with the enthusiasm of young volun- 
 teers. 
 
 Now we were to be placed on a war footing, and 
 Bologna supplied us with money and ammunition, as we 
 
384 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 could expect nothing from the pope, and the regular 
 supplies which many of us received from our families, 
 though freely shared with all, proved insufficient. It 
 was through the eloquent speeches of our chief chap- 
 lains, Ugo Bassi and Alessandro Gavazzi, that public 
 sympathy was deeply excited in our favor. The latter 
 was then a fervent Catholic, and the pope himself 
 appointed him to be the general chaplain of the army. 
 We took Bassi by ourselves, in the same manner that 
 we had formerly set him free, in spite of the excep- 
 tions of the amnesty. 
 
 I remember with deep emotion an episode connected 
 with the speech delivered by Bassi in the great Piazza 
 of S. Petronio in Bologna. I was there on duty, to- 
 gether with many of my fellows. The whole of the 
 audience were deeply interested and moved, and all 
 of them laid something upon a kind of altar which was 
 erected for that purpose. But I particularly noticed, 
 at a short distance from me, a very handsome young 
 girl, who seemed to be enraptured by the speech of 
 that surpassingly eloquent man. Her dress and the 
 whole of her countenance showed that she had suf- 
 fered the hardships of poverty and labor. When 
 everybody went to offer something, she blushed and 
 looked disappointed : the poor girl had not a penny in 
 her pocket or an ornament on her person. But, as if 
 struck by a new thought, she suddenly started, and, 
 entering a barber's shop near by, bade him cut off the 
 whole of her very beautiful hair, which she laid on 
 the patriotic altar. 
 
 It was only at this moment that I recognized the 
 features of the noble-hearted creature. It was she 
 who had formerly been the favorite servant of my 
 dear Enrichetta, — the same little girl who had brought 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 385 
 
 to the tomb of her mistress, and handed to me, the 
 rose which I planted there. She did not distinguish 
 me from among the other soldiers, and, when I rec- 
 ognized her, she was lost in the crowd. I inquired 
 for her when, some months after, I was again in Bo- 
 logna, and was sorry to learn that she had been 
 accidentally killed by a bomb, when the Austrians 
 assaulted that city on the 8th of August of that year 
 (1848). 
 
 Poor thing ! the same loss which saddened my life 
 deprived thee too early of thy good protectress ; but 
 she left something of herself even in thee. 
 
 The condition of our revolutionary brethren of 
 Lombardy and Venice had been quite changed during 
 the few days while we were marching to aid them. 
 Cardinal Amat, the legate of Bologna, informed us 
 that they no longer needed our support, and that our 
 presence in their country would prove an embarrass 
 ment. In fact, as soon as the revolution was known 
 to have been successful, both in Lombardy and Venice, 
 the King of Piedmont crossed the river Ticino, at the 
 head of seventy thousand regular troops, and went to 
 Milan, declaring that he came as a brother to aid his 
 brothers in throwing off all foreign oppression ; and 
 then he strongly garrisoned Milan, Venice, and other 
 important cities. 
 
 This bold step of that king, which appeared to be 
 sincere and disinterested, was a fatal blow to the rev- 
 olutionary party, who, discountenanced and urged by 
 the outcries of the moderate party, agreed to a kind 
 of compromise by which all questions concerning the 
 future government of Italy were postponed till the end 
 of the war. But Charles Albert, the King of Piedmont, 
 was not a man to lose, through any scruple, such an 
 33 
 
386 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 opportunity of securing the long-coveted possession 
 of Lombardy. Instead, therefore, of fighting the Aus- 
 trians, he consumed all his time in petty intrigues, in 
 order to obtain what he called " the fusion of Lombardy 
 and Yenice with Piedmont." But the armed revolu- 
 tionists were a powerful obstacle to his projects, be- 
 cause they could not be satisfied to see that the re- 
 sult of so great a revolution, prepared during so many 
 years, and by means of so many generous sacrifices, 
 was only to augment the territory of the King of 
 Piedmont, the former traitor and murderer of Italian 
 patriots. So that Charles Albert and his partisans, 
 thinking but little of the Austrians, made it their 
 chief object to get rid of the Italian volunteers. 
 
 In such an unfavorable state of things our little 
 army entered the territory of Venice, which we found 
 wide open to the Austrian troops coming from Ger- 
 many; for Charles Albert had concentrated all his 
 troops in Lombardy, except one garrison left in the 
 city of Yenice. It was of prime importance to stop 
 the march of these Austrian troops before they could 
 efi'ect a junction with Radetzsky, who was anxiously 
 watching for them at Yerona. We, therefore, took 
 up a military position on the river Piave, and relied 
 on the support of six thousand Tuscan troops, march- 
 ing at a little distance from us, and of forty thousand 
 Neapolitan soldiers, who had now reached Bologna. 
 This force was more than we needed, in order to send 
 back to Austria all her reinforcement, and to keep the 
 Alps against every foreign invasion. 
 
 But, . alas ! the Tuscan troops, left alone between 
 Mantua and Yerona, were cut to pieces by twenty 
 thousand Austrian soldiers, almost in presence of the 
 army of the King of Piedmont, upon whose support 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 387 
 
 they had relied. It was a great calamity for Italy, for 
 they were all young men of talent and learning, and 
 several of them the most distinguished scholars of 
 Italy. One regiment, for instance, was formed entirely 
 of the students of the University of Pisa, commanded 
 by the professors. Pila, a great natural philosopher, 
 met there a glorious death ; Mosotti, a great mathe- 
 matician, lost his right hand ; and Montanelli, a lec- 
 turer on civil law, a distinguished writer, and a minis- 
 ter of the grand duke, received three wounds with 
 bayonets and fell a prisoner. 
 
 In the mean time, the Neapolitan troops, who had 
 already arrived at Bologna, drew back by order of 
 their king. Only the chief general of that army, 
 Guglielmo Pepe, and some three hundred of the most 
 distinguished oflScers, rebelled against his order, and 
 went to Venice, where they afterwards made them- 
 selves exceedingly useful. In fact, the King of Na- 
 ples, by an able plan of dissimulation and perfidy, 
 prepared a reaction against the people ; and, when all 
 the city of Naples was in great joy for the first meet- 
 ing of the constitutional representatives, on the 15th 
 of May, 1848, he sent some Swiss soldiers to imprison 
 them, and ordered the general bombardment of the 
 city, from the castles and the sea. In this manner 
 that " beloved son '^ of Pius the Ninth succeeded in 
 restoring his despotic authority among dreadful ruins 
 and a lake of innocent blood. It was then he recalled 
 the army which he had sent against Austria in order 
 to make a show of pretended patriotism. 
 
 Our position now became difficult and dangerous. 
 We were the only corps of volunteers, since those of 
 Venice and Lombardy had been artfully disbanded by 
 Charles Albert. We could not rely upon him ; nay, 
 
388 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 we must be on our guard against his tricks. Besides, 
 the Austrians had published an edict that " every cru- 
 sader (as they called us, from our bearing a cross on 
 our breasts), taken with arms in hand, should be hung 
 as a brigand ; '^ and to show that they were in earnest, 
 they offered, as a spectacle to us, a prisoner whom 
 they had taken in a skirmish, by hanging him to a 
 lofty oak-tree, with a placard at his feet, exhibiting in 
 large letters the words, " A Roman Crusader." This 
 made us shudder with horror, inasmuch as that victim 
 was our beloved friend Marco, the Venetian painter. 
 
 Barbarous as was this act, we had no right to com- 
 plain of it according to the laws of nations in time of 
 war, for we did not at present belong to any govern- 
 ment. In fact, as soon as the pope was informed that 
 we had crossed the river Po and entered the battle- 
 field, he published a formal declaration, secretly printed 
 beforehand, to the effect that our expedition had taken 
 place against his will, as he could not approve the 
 war against Austria, because she was a faithful Catho- 
 lic nation. Count Recchi, Prince Doria, and all other 
 ministers of the pope, except Cardinal Antonelli, im- 
 mediately resigned, disclaiming any participation in 
 such shameful treason. A general popular commotion 
 took place in Rome ; the national guards took posses- 
 sion of the gates of the city and of the castle St. 
 Angelo, and proceeded to make all the cardinals pris- 
 oners in their own palaces. Cardinal Delia Genga 
 made his escape in disguise, but, on being recognized, 
 was again taken prisoner. The palace of the pope 
 was also in the power of the national guards, and no 
 doubt the pope would have been then deposed, had 
 not Terenzio Mammiani interfered, by saying that it 
 would ruin the Italian movement. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 389 
 
 This news reached us just on the eve of our first 
 battle against the Austrians. At that moment I was 
 in a detached service, about a mile in front of our 
 avant-guard, and, being then only a corporal, had with 
 me seven soldiers. At ten o'clock in the evening, our 
 captain, who was my friend Mattia, came up to me 
 with the whole of our company, as he had been or- 
 dered to establish an ambush at that point. He had 
 with him my two brothers and the eldest brother of 
 my mother. They belonged to another company, but 
 they had volunteered for this service, in order to be 
 with Mattia and me in that dangerous position. 
 
 " Here is the second part of the cunning counsel 
 of Cardinal Antonelli," said I, when Mattia told me 
 the news from Rome. "The good minister Recchi 
 knew only the first part; but I felt sure that there 
 was a concealed snare. Now it is evident that Car- 
 dinal Antonelli said to the pope, *Let those ardent 
 young men go out ; the Austrians will dispose of them, 
 and then it will be less dangerous to throw off the 
 mask in Rome.' " 
 
 " It does us no good now," observed Mattia, " that 
 you foresaw this, since we are now really in the 
 snare." 
 
 " I have heard," said my brother Henry, " that the 
 pope has made Mammiani his minister, and sent Mon- 
 signor Morichini to Vienna with a secret mission, and 
 a certain Dr. Farini to Charles Albert, also with a 
 secret mission. Perhaps the pope intends to do some- 
 thing good in order to appease the popular fury." 
 
 " I am sure that he meditates another treason," said 
 I, " for I know that Dr. Farini. He is a renegade of 
 our party, who acquired the confidence of the pope 
 33* 
 
390 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 by the basest means. He is a man fit for any kind of 
 meanness." 
 
 '^ Dr. Farini had arrived in great haste," said Mattia, 
 " at our head-quarters, just as I went there to receive 
 orders for this night. He had a short conference with 
 General Durando, and then left immediately for Lom- 
 bardy." 
 
 During this conversation, my uncle John Paul (such 
 was his name) sat quietly smoking his pipe, and from 
 time to time put his ear to the ground, listening ; and 
 now, rising abruptly, said, " Take up your arms, and 
 be silent, for I have heard a distant noise, which ap- 
 pears to be that of soldiers marching." And, listen- 
 ing again, he after a little while added, " It is a carriage 
 coming at full speed." 
 
 In fact, we afterwards heard the noise distinctly, 
 and saw the carriage. 
 
 " Stop it," said Mattia ; " it must be some spy." 
 
 " Surely a spy," exclaimed the corporal, after having 
 stopped the carriage, " for it is a lady, with only her 
 servant, who does not speak Italian. She must be a 
 German spy." 
 
 Mattia went to the carriage, and addressed the lady 
 in German, which she did not understand. She said 
 something, evidently in English ; but he did not know 
 that language, and told her in French that she was 
 suspected to be a spy. 
 
 " No I " exclaimed she earnestly, mingling Italian, 
 French, and English. "I am an American, a friend 
 of liberty, and a lover of Italy." And she drew from 
 her breast, where it was concealed, a cockade made 
 of the Italian colors, kissed it, and pressed it against 
 her heart. 
 
 We let her go, of course, and could not help feeling 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 391 
 
 a sentiment of admiration for the bold character of a 
 lady, still young, who travelled alone during the night 
 in a country troubled by war. Perhaps, however, she 
 was not aware of all the danger to which she exposed 
 herself, for, besides exciting the suspicion of being a 
 spy, she might have been accidentally killed, as, only 
 two hours after, the cannonade began on our left, 
 where General Ferrari was with eight thousand troops. 
 
 General Ferrari, on being attacked by the Austri- 
 ans, sent an officer of his staff to General Durando, 
 to inform him of the event, and earnestly to request 
 his immediate assistance, as the Austrians, led by 
 Welden and Nugent (two English generals), were 
 supposed to be no less than twenty thousand strong. 
 General Durando wrote with a pencil, upon a piece of 
 paper, the words, "I am coming in all haste," and 
 handed it to the officer, and then gave orders for the 
 march on our right. We did not, of course, under- 
 stand the meaning of that movement ; but we had no 
 right to make any inquiry. General Ferrari had then 
 to cope alone with the Austrians, which he did with 
 extraordinary valor during the whole of that day. At 
 length, however, he was completely defeated, and 
 retired with the small remainder of his troops into the 
 city of Venice. 
 
 The troops who had defeated Ferrari now came 
 upon us. We thrice repulsed their violent attacks 
 but could not prevent their passing to Yerona, and 
 consequently they united with Radetzsky. We were 
 now at Vicenza, not far from Yerona, and our colonels 
 expressed to General Durando their apprehension that 
 Radetzsky would come upon us with the whole of the 
 united troops. 
 
 " Ho cannot," answered Durando, " command more 
 
392 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 than fifty thousand men ; and the King of Piedmont 
 is now at his side with seventy thousand troops. 
 Should, therefore, Radetzsky make such an error as to 
 uncover Yerona, the King of Piedmont would attack 
 him on his flank, or cut him off from Yerona, and take 
 that place. In both cases there would be an end of 
 the war." 
 
 This was good reasoning; but Radetzsky effected 
 the dreaded movement, and the King of Piedmont 
 remained an indifferent and idle spectator, as if he had 
 promised it to the Austrian general. The consequence 
 was, that, after three days and three nights of dreadful 
 fighting, we were overwhelmed by numbers. Du- 
 rando hoisted a flag of truce on the first day, as he 
 saw that our resistance would do no good ; but we 
 threw down the flag with our bullets. Our desperate 
 valor, however, secured us an honorable capitulation, 
 even when a third part of us were lying dead, and the 
 rest could hardly hold their arms. Not to fight against 
 Austria during the next three months was the only 
 condition imposed on us. Our wounded brothers 
 were to remain free in Yicenza: the citizens took 
 care of them with great interest, and with the utmost 
 generosity. General Durando entered immediately 
 into the service of the King of Piedmont. 
 
 Among the wounded was a colonel of ours. Marquis 
 Massimo d'Azeglio, the popular author of " The Chal- 
 lenge of Barletta," and other excellent works. He 
 was also a great painter and a statesman. Though 
 unable to conquer entirely the prejudices of an early 
 education, he was a sincere lover of the Italian inde- 
 pendence. He never recovered entirely from the 
 effects of that wound, but he is still living. 
 
 My uncle, too, remained in Yicenza with a broken 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 393 
 
 leg. He was now sixty-two years old, and served as 
 a common soldier, in order to give an example of self- 
 denial and discipline to the young people. He had 
 been in all the campaign of Russia with Napoleon, and 
 lost two fingers of his right hand at the battle of 
 Waterloo, where he was an officer of the light-horse, 
 BO that he was unable to fight with a sword, though he 
 could fire a gun. 
 
 Now the turn came for the King of Piedmont, who, 
 in three encounters against the Austrians, had con- 
 stantly gained the victory ; but, in a fourth battle at 
 Rivoli, he met with a slight disaster. At this, he re- 
 tired into Milan, and announced his determination to 
 defend that city,, and, if need be, bury himself under 
 its ruins, because reinforcements would soon come from 
 Piedmont. The people began enthusiastically to pre- 
 pare for an obstinate resistance, and spared no ex- 
 pense and no sacrifice of property. In the mean 
 time, the king secretly negotiated an armistice with 
 the Austrian general, and, when it was happily con- 
 cluded, gave him full possession of Milan, and with- 
 drew his troops into the boundaries of Piedmont. In 
 this manner that heroic city, which, ^yg months be- 
 fore, when totally disarmed and bitterly oppressed, 
 had conquered Eadetzsky and his troops, now, when 
 garrisoned by over fifty thousand soldiers, was given 
 back to him as a sheep is given tied to a butcher. 
 
 The King of Piedmont promised to give to the 
 Austrians also possession of Yenice, and gave orders 
 to this effect to General Olivieri and Governor Colli ; 
 but the Venetian people discovered the trick before it 
 was accomplished, and made a movement, which, being 
 backed by those of our brothers who had retired- to 
 Venice, compelled the garrison of the King of Pied- 
 
394 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 mont to retire : then the republic was proclaimed in 
 Venice, and supported against the Austrians during 
 eighteen months. 
 
 I do not mean that Charles Albert betrayed Lom- 
 bardy because he did not care to have it for himself. 
 Nay, quite the contrary, — he coveted it, — but, being 
 unable to acquire Lombardy by his own forces, he 
 preferred to take it from the hands of the revolution- 
 ists and give it to Austria. 
 
 Among the diplomatic letters concerning that move- 
 ment published by the English government, there is 
 one of Lord Abercrombie, which illustrates this mat- 
 ter. " A successful revolution,^' writes he from Turin, 
 " has happened in Lombardy, and gentlemen have come 
 from Milan, warning the king that a republic will be 
 proclaimed there; and, as it would compromise the 
 peace of his own State, the king will go into Lom- 
 bardy at the head of his army." 
 
 Ke went to extinguish the fire in the house of his 
 neighbor, because it threatened his own, and, unable 
 to control the fire, he destroyed the burning building. 
 
CHAPTER XLVII. 
 
 THE POPE IN TROUBLE. 
 
 The impious treasons of the King of Naples, of the 
 pope, and of the King of Piedmont, were, of course, 
 a dreadful check on the Italian movement ; but the 
 national party did not consider their cause entirely 
 ruined by this treachery. We had been induced to 
 control for the moment our republican feelings, and 
 accept the pretended fellowship of those traitors, be- 
 cause it was regarded by many as a noble sacrifice 
 of individual opinions for the independence and 
 welfare of the country. Now the unnatural league 
 brought forth its fruits. To lament our error was 
 useless ; so we took into our own hands the national 
 cause, endangered as it was, and confidently set our- 
 selves to work again. 
 
 Rome was now the centre for the re-organization 
 of our forces, scattered and partly disabled by the 
 past storm, but not destroyed. It was to Rome that 
 the Neapolitan patriots sent the expression of their 
 undaunted spirit, and such, also, was the case with the 
 betrayed Lombards ; both were longing for a rescue. 
 It was in vain that the pope and the Italian princes 
 endeavored to persuade the people that everthing wa,^ 
 lost ; they counteracted our new movement but feebly. 
 The pope had an opportunity to learn the true feel- 
 ^ (396) 
 
396 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 ings of the people, and the weakness of his efforts 
 against them, when the residue of the Roman legions 
 came back after the capitulation of Yicenza. 
 
 Rome received her defeated soldiers as if they were 
 triumphant conquerors. " Not casual success, but 
 true valor, deserves honor," — this was the inscription 
 placed at the gate of our entrance ; and here and 
 there was written, "Nothing is lost, — let no one 
 despair of his native country." The pope sent his 
 minister of war to review the troops in " Piazza di 
 Venezia," and inform us that we must now disband. 
 " No, no," was the general outcry with which this an- 
 nouncement was received ; and then, there being no 
 quarters prepared for us, we opened by force the 
 principal convent of the Jesuits, called " II Gesu," and 
 there comfortably established ourselves, like a victori- 
 ous army in a conquered fortress; and, really, the 
 capture of that principal fortress of imposture was a 
 conquest by our people. 
 
 The pope ought to have excommunicated us for 
 this invasion of church property, but he dared not do 
 it. He found, however, a pretext for sending us far 
 from Rome. " Go and defend," said he, " the northern 
 provinces from an Austrian invasion." Nothing could 
 be more plausible than this, because he had succeeded 
 in disbanding the volunteers belonging to those prov- 
 inces, and the Austrians, guided by the English gen- 
 eral Welden, had crossed the river Po, and assaulted 
 the city of Bologna. 
 
 It was the 7th of August, 1848, when the Austrian 
 troops made their appearance before Bologna. Their 
 general sent an intimation to the citizens to the effect 
 that they should surrender the city immediately ; he 
 concluded, " Look at the stiU smoking ashes of Ser- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 397 
 
 mide, and do not think of making any resistance." 
 Sermide was a considerable town, which the Austrians 
 had burnt to the ground three days before, because 
 they had met with a strong resistance there. Bo- 
 logna was a city of seventy thousand inhabitants; 
 there were no troops to defend it; nay, her most ardent 
 young men had either been killed at Vicenza, or were 
 now in Venice to aid the defence of that important 
 place ; so that the municipal authority was not to be 
 blamed for having made a capitulation with the Aus- 
 trian invaders, to the effect that the Austrians should 
 occupy the gates, and other important places in the 
 city, provided they did not go into the populous quar- 
 ters, nor mingle with the people. 
 
 The next morning the Austrians entered the city 
 freely, and began to be very insolent; and two officers, 
 seeing a beautiful young woman, who was bringing a 
 lunch to her husband, a blacksmith, working in a shop 
 near by, attempted to carry her by force into a hotel. 
 The infuriated husband came out, and with an iron 
 rod knocked down and made prisoners both of the 
 Austrians. A scuffle ensued, and soon a strong regi- 
 ment was on the spot in order to rescue the two pris- 
 oners ; but the people drove them off with stones, 
 and whatever came to their hands. The Austrian 
 troops concentrated themselves at the " Montagnola," 
 a beautiful public promenade, but also a military posi- 
 tion, and began to bombard the city. The citizens 
 organized themselves and attacked them. 
 
 First in the new battle were the school-boys, called 
 
 "Hope Guards." Those httle fellows, from ten to 
 
 'fifteen years old, had been organized and drilled for 
 
 some months past in almost every city of Italy, in 
 
 order to make them good soldiers for the future ; but 
 
 34 
 
398 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 in Bologna, as well as in Rome, in Yenice, and wher- 
 ever there was a fight, they took a bold part, and 
 proved very useful. 
 
 It was a dreadful contest, the enemies being within 
 the walls, but at length the people conquered, and the 
 Austrians took to flight, during which they had to 
 cope with the country people, who, armed with their 
 rural implements, had collected in bands, and marched 
 to aid the city. The pope, of course, did not resent 
 this invasion ; nay, he afterwards deprived Professor 
 Allessandrini of his chair at the university for having 
 taken a prominent part in the defence of his native 
 city. 
 
 But this event, as well as the conduct of the Roman 
 people, proved to the pope that we were not afraid of 
 Austria, and that the national party intended to renew 
 the war. He saw, besides, that not only in Rome, but 
 even in Tuscany, in Yenice, and Sicily, the people 
 were preparing for war, and that the King of Pied- 
 mont was not able to resist his own subjects, who 
 urged him again to take up arms. All this disturbed 
 the pope very much, because it was evident that 
 Austria, troubled at home, and lately abandoned by 
 her best soldiers, the Hungarians, would not be able 
 to resist the Italian movement ; and in this case all 
 was over with papacy in Italy forever. The constitu- 
 tion also troubled the pope very much ; he could not 
 understand the nature of that complicated form of 
 government ; and he was not acquainted with those 
 subtle arts of cunning, corruption and deceit, by 
 which the popular representation in this kind of bas- 
 tard government is made a laughable farce. He knew 
 only one way of ruling, — that was, the free enact- 
 ment of his own will. The pope thought at first that 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 399 
 
 he could preserve his absolute power by indiscrimi- 
 nately refusing to approve every kind of measure pro- 
 posed by the senate and by the elective council ; and 
 so he did. Of sixty-eight laws proposed and voted by 
 those deliberative bodies, not one was approved by 
 the pope. 
 
 But two events now happened to show him that a 
 part of his power and influence was irremediably lost. 
 Prince Borghese, one of the most distinguished and 
 richest noblemen of Rome, was given a seat in the 
 senate by the pope ; but he declined the honor, and 
 presented himself a candidate for the elective council, 
 showing that he appreciated far more the popular 
 election than the honor conferred on him by the pope. 
 Soon after, a foreign nun, from Poland, applied to the 
 pope for aid to establish a new convent. The pope 
 gave her a draft for ten thousand dollars on the treas- 
 ury of the State. The minister of finance, of course, 
 could not pay that new expense, belonging to no cate- 
 gory of the budget, and not voted by the deliberative 
 bodies of the State. The pope, on being informed of 
 this, burst into an excess of anger, and then of 
 despondency; his epileptic convulsions seized him, and 
 he was sick for several days. 
 
 At this time my friend Fernandez, who had been 
 travelling in the eastern countries, came back to 
 Rome, on his way to Spain, and was exceedingly 
 amazed and surprised at seeing the great change 
 which had happened in our city within a few months. 
 " Where are," said he, " the perpetual criers of ' Viva 
 Pio Nono ' ? Has he no longer a friend ? Is he no 
 more a great reformer ? '^ 
 
 " When I spoke to you of him some months ago,'^ 
 said I, " you perhaps thought that my judgment was 
 
400 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 led astray by my political and religious convictions, 
 which naturally made me dislike the triumph of a 
 pope ; but you see now that my words were founded 
 on truth. ^ Viva Pio Nono ' was a pass-word, instead 
 of which we have now the other, ' Away with Austria/ 
 and to-morrow perhaps we shall have ' Away with the 
 pope.' " 
 
 "But tell me," replied the Spaniard, "is it not true 
 that the former conduct of Pius the Ninth produced 
 a revival of the religion of which he is the chief? " 
 
 " It is a great delusion to believe this," answered I. 
 " If anything like it had happened, do you think that 
 the pope would have lost all his pretended friends and 
 all his influence in one day, and only on account of his 
 declaration that he could not approve the war against 
 Austria ? The papal system, believe me, is dead, and 
 no one can revive it. Nay, I venture to assert that 
 the papal system has always been in Italy like an im- 
 ported exotic, which never struck a deep root in 
 our land." 
 
 " I should like to know," replied the Spaniard, "with 
 what arguments you would prove this. Italy has 
 been the head-quarters of papacy during almost a 
 thousand years : a suflScient period, I should suppose, 
 for acquiring full naturalization." 
 
 " I will appeal," said I, " to every impartial reader 
 of Italian history. He must admit that papacy, estab- 
 lished by foreign invaders, was supported by foreign- 
 ers against the constant opposition of the Italians. 
 Not to speak of the Waldenses, who never submitted 
 themselves to the popes, as early as the beginning of 
 of the 11th century the famous monk, Arnaldo da 
 Brescia, lost his life in attempting to free Italy from 
 papacy ; and from that epoch to our day no nation has 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE, 401 
 
 given so many martyrs as Italy to the cause of reli- 
 gious and political liberty. Besides, all the greatest 
 Italian scholars and statesmen, from Dante to Napo- 
 leon, have opposed papacy, and proclaimed that all the 
 evils of Italy were caused by this institution ; and 
 there has not been an Italian scholar to write a line 
 in favor of papacy." 
 
 "I think," interrupted the Spaniard, "that your 
 observations are correct, though they did not occur to 
 my mind when I read your history and studied your 
 literature. I have seen, however, that some of your 
 modern, nay, living, authors declare themselves Cath- 
 olics." 
 
 " True, indeed ; but what is their Catholicism ? It is 
 a masked, indefinite, and eclectic philosophy, to be 
 applied in a different degree to different kinds of 
 intelligences. The pope hates that kind of Catholics 
 far more than open heretics. Take, for instance, Gio- 
 berti, the most learned and prominent among the writ- 
 ers to whom you alluded. He is a Catholic priest, 
 and has written many books in favor of papacy ; but, 
 strange contradiction, he is 9, bitter enemy of the 
 Jesuits, the best supporters of papacy. He never says 
 mass, and never goes to confession, though his conduct 
 is marked by temperance and good morals. Papacy 
 with him is a creation of his own mind which can 
 never be realized." 
 
 "I am told, however," interrupted the Spaniard, 
 " that Gioberti was in Rome some months ago, and 
 the pope accorded him a private audience." 
 
 "Even this is true. Gioberti was in great favor 
 
 with the people, and the cowardly pope did not dare 
 
 to refuse him an interview ; but what was the result ? 
 
 •The pope spoke of the very fine weather, and then 
 
 34* 
 
402 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 went on to extol the religious zeal of his predecessor. 
 Gioberti felt very much disappointed, and to his 
 friends in Paris who inquired about the pope, he 
 answered, ^ I think he is well fitted to be a curate of a 
 small village.' 
 
 " You will see," added I, "that Pius the Ninth will 
 excommunicate Gioberti and condemn all his works. 
 I can foretell this, because I am well acquainted both 
 with the spirit which prevails in the works of that 
 philosopher, and the inflexible tenets of the papal 
 court ; and I have before me the example of the his- 
 torian Cantu, who was formerly the most prominent 
 writer of this new school. Gregory XVI. a short 
 time before his death excommunicated that author, 
 and condemned his work, the Universal History, 
 though openly written in favor of Catholicism. '' 
 
 " What then will become of Pius the Ninth ? '^ in- 
 quired the Spaniard. 
 
 "I do not know," answered I; "but I tell you 
 our revolutionary car is in motion. If he throws him- 
 self on the track, so much the worse for him, because 
 we cannot stop." 
 
 So I thought then: but the pope managed to get 
 himself out of trouble by throwing our car off the 
 track and ruining us. 
 
CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 
 A MYSTERIOUS DEATH. 
 
 When my companions in arms went to garrison the 
 northern boundaries of the Roman State, I gave up 
 the commission which I had held during the war, and 
 remained in Rome ; for there was no actual war, and 
 I had just entered the field of political and economi- 
 cal discussions through the newspapers. My early 
 friend Agostini was now one of the most powerful 
 writers, and it was under his guidance that I began to 
 take part in that educative mission so important and 
 so difficult at that moment of transition from despot- 
 ism to liberty. This duty generally devolved upon 
 young people, because it was a new kind of literature, 
 for which our scholars had no taste, and then it re- 
 quired great activity and disinterestedness, as the 
 most prosperous of our newspapers were only able to 
 pay the expenses of printing and the rent of the 
 office. Notwithstanding this we had many newspa- 
 pers, — even the smallest cities had them, — and in gen- 
 eral they were well conducted. 
 
 One morning in the latter part of September of the 
 year 1848, as I entered the office of Agostini, he in- 
 formed me that Count Fabbri,the premier of the pope, 
 had resigned during the last evening. 
 
 " Why," said I, " it is scarcely a month since the 
 
 (403) 
 
40-1 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 pope appointed him, and I believe that he was the 
 only man able to prevent a collision between the 
 pope and the people.'^ 
 
 " Well," answered Agostini, " that venerable old 
 patriot perceived that he had been made minister only 
 because the pope desired to get rid of Mammiani, and 
 wanted a respectable name to put in the place of that 
 minister, who had been almost forced upon him by the 
 people ; so that Count Fabbri was in fact only a nom- 
 inal minister, while Cardinal Antonelli secretly man- 
 aged everything." 
 
 " As for me," said I, " I should like to see the pope 
 throw off the mask at once, for sooner or later he must 
 come to it." 
 
 "It is not a wise and prudent desire," answered 
 Agostini, " because now the whole of Italy is in a 
 state of preparation, and our great contest must be 
 regarded as adjourned to next spring; so that it is 
 expedient in us to avoid every open rupture with the 
 pope." 
 
 " Well, let him help himself," said I ; and, seating my- 
 self at a desk, I began to write the third of a series of 
 articles which I was publishing on the importance 
 of the education of women in Italy, and the jneans 
 of promoting it. I had been at work a short time 
 when Monsignor Gazzola came in. He was a prelate 
 occupying an eminent oflSce at the papal court, and 
 now he had just come back from a temporary exile 
 inflicted on him by the pope for having contributed 
 some articles to our newspaper. It was a kind of pas- 
 sion with him to be a journalist : in fact, during the 
 following revolution he started a newspaper of his 
 own, called " Positive," advocating the restoration of 
 papacy, but suggesting the abdication of Pius the 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 405 
 
 Ninth, on account of his being unable to govern the 
 church in such stormy times. This suggestion, by 
 the by, caused the ruin of its author, because the pope 
 revenged himself by condemning him to imprisonment 
 for life. 
 
 /_Monsignor Gazzola brought us an important piece 
 of information given to him by Cardinal Antonelli, 
 and we had the privilege of publishing it before all 
 our contemporaries, which were inclined to disbelieve 
 pur statement till it appeared in the oflScial paper. 
 The news was that the pope had given to Pellegrino 
 Rossi the office of premier vacated by Fabbri. Agos- 
 tini himself could not believe it at first. But Monsig- 
 nor Gazzola said, " I am quite positive that such is 
 the case ; nay, Cardinal Antonelli added that he him- 
 self prevailed upon the pope to request the services of 
 that extraordinary man." 
 
 Pellegrino Rossi, it will be remembered, had been 
 formerly professor at the University of Bologna, and 
 Pope Pius the Seventh sent him into exile during the 
 year 1818, chiefly on account of his religious opinions, 
 for Rossi was a Calvinist. For this reason he found 
 great sympathy in Geneva, where he lived for several 
 years ; and the famous French scholar Guizot, himself ' 
 a Huguenot, gave his daughter, a pious and accom- 
 plished young lady, to Rossi in marriage. After the 
 revolution of 1830, Rossi went to France and attached 
 himself to the doctrinaire party, of which Guizot was 
 a leader, and by his own extraordinary merit obtained 
 the chair of political economy, considered the most 
 important of all at the University of France ; and after- 
 wards the highest dignity to which a Frenchman could 
 aspire was conferred upon Rossi, — I mean that he was 
 made a peer of France. Only two foreigners have 
 
406 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 received that dignity, and they were both Italians, and 
 both exiled from their native country, — that is, Rossi 
 and Bixio. 
 
 In 1845, the contest between the Jesuits and the 
 universities of France created such exasperation be- 
 tween the two parties that Louis Philippe determined 
 to expel those hated intriguers ; but, finding that they 
 had secured a firm standing, he applied to the pope for 
 aid. It was a strange demand to require a man to 
 give up the use of his right arm in a moment of dan- 
 ger. This difficult mission was allotted to Rossi, 
 whose superior talents, insinuating manners, and deep 
 knowledge of all the intrigues of the papal court, gave 
 him a great chance of success. But Pope Gregory 
 XYI. was exceedingly incensed that a rebellious sub- 
 ject of his, and a Calvinist, should come to him and 
 require the honors due to a plenipotentiary ambassa- 
 dor of a great nation, whose king enjoys the title of 
 "very Christian'^ (Cristianissimo). An exchange of 
 bitter notes took place; notwithstanding this, Rossi 
 proceeded to Rome, but the pope firmly refused even 
 to see him. 
 
 Two months, however, did not entirely elapse be- 
 fore Rossi had seen the pope and happily accomplished 
 the object of his mission. The Jesuits were ordered 
 by the pope to give up the contest, pack up their 
 things, and withdraw from France. They say that 
 Rossi came to Rome well supplied with all the best 
 kinds of wine which could be found in France, and 
 then bribed the famous favorite Gaetanino, who kept 
 the old pope in a state of almost constant intoxication, 
 and prevailed over him, as in many other instances. 
 However this may be, it is a fact that Rossi acquired 
 great influence at the papal court, and used it con- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 407 
 
 stantly against the Jesuits, and in favor of the Liberal 
 cause. When a Swiss ambassador came to Rome, 
 asking for the expulsion of the Jesuits from his native 
 country too, Eossi supported his claims ; and when 
 there were tumults in Rome against the Jesuits, Rossi 
 advised the pope to expel them. 
 
 TBut now Rossi was a simple Italian citizen and a 
 pardoned exile, because Louis Philippe went down, 
 and Rossi refused to serve the French republic, which 
 offered to confirm him in his office. " Now my native 
 country," said he, "wants the aid of all her children." 
 Consequently, Rossi presented himself as a candidate 
 for the elective constitutional council of Rome, and 
 was one of the elected for the city of Bologna. It 
 was not a new virtue with him : there is no record 
 of an Italian statesman or general who preferred to 
 serve foreigners when he could do something for his 
 native country. 
 
 The choice, however, of such a man to be the pre- 
 mier of the pope was a great mystery. Besides his 
 religious opinions and his open aversion to the Jesuits, 
 Rossi was known to be of those politicians who advo- 
 cated the separation of the temporal from the spiritual 
 power in the person of the pope. I have no doubt 
 that he, as well as Silvani, Mammiani, Galeotti, and 
 other statesmen professing this theory, knew perfectly 
 well that the consequence of its practical appHcation 
 would be the final destruction of papacy, for it is a 
 complicated system, which admits no alteration ; and 
 the temporal power, nay, the kingdom of Rome, were 
 declared by Pius the Ninth, and several of his pred- 
 ecessors, necessary for the support of papacy. Rossi 
 knew this, and, besides, he well understood that papacy 
 was a falling and ruined edifice ; but perhaps he pre- 
 
408 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 ferred to let it fall, and by its own weight, fearing 
 probably that a violent pull might produce deplorable 
 accidents. 
 
 I confess, however, that his temporizing policy did 
 not please my friends and myself. We urged him 
 through the newspapers ; but respect for the personal 
 qualities of that great man, and, above all, the general 
 condition of Italy at that moment, made us refrain from 
 every demonstration which could cause his dismission. 
 In the mean time, Rossi devoted himself with earnest- 
 ness and firmness to doing away with the most enor- 
 mous abuses of the papal administration. He stopped 
 the habitual dilapidations of the public treasury, and 
 prevailed upon the pope to lay an extraordinary tax 
 of four millions of dollars upon the clergy, in order to 
 restore a little his ruined fiDances. 
 
 Besides this, the new minister disregarded, in many 
 instances, the privileges of the cardinals and prelates ; 
 nay, little by little he deprived them of all the political 
 offices which they exclusively held, and filled their 
 places with young men of talent, belonging to the 
 national party. My friend Agostini was given the 
 governorship of Fuligno, his native city, though he 
 never applied for employment ; and even to me was 
 tendered the office of a collegiate judge. I declined 
 it, because I was too fond of my independent profes- 
 sion of a lawyer ; and then I had just obtained the 
 professorship of ancient Roman laws at the college 
 of Fano, which did not interfere with my profession, 
 and was a step to a higher place. Even the office of 
 general director of police, formerly given only to a 
 prelate already designed for cardinalship, was con- 
 ferred by Rossi upon a young lawyer, a friend of 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 409 
 
 mine. I need not say that Rossi accumulated on his 
 head a new store of Jesuitical hatred. 
 
 On the 15th of November (1848) there was to be 
 in Rome the solemn opening of the second session 
 of the deliberative bodies of the State, and this event 
 was looked for with great anxiety by the people, 
 because all the measures adopted by them during the 
 first session had been frustrated by the veto of the 
 pope ; and now the minister was to read the so-called 
 speech of the crown, and exhibit his own programme. 
 A little before one o'clock in the afternoon, I closed 
 my office and went towards the Palace " Delia Can- 
 celleria," where the ceremony was to be performed. 
 The large square before that palace was crowded with 
 people. I saw a brilliant equipage crossing the square 
 and entering the large door of the palace. It was the 
 minister Rossi. I was at the opposite end of the 
 square, but, standing upon a piece of a broken column 
 placed beside a door, I could easily discover the large 
 entrance where the carriage stopped. 
 
 The minister came out of the carriage with two 
 friends, and there were three servants in gala-livery to 
 wait on him. An unknown man among the crowd 
 touched the left arm of Rossi, who turned his head 
 with a quick movement ; at this, another tall, fierce- 
 looking man plunged a knife into his neck, and then 
 calmly withdrew among the crowd pressing for- 
 ward to see what had happened. No one knew the 
 assassin, and nothing has since been heard of him. 
 Horror and surprise allowed no one to think of secur- 
 ing him, and all turned to the wounded man, who died 
 in a few minutes. His friend Mammiani, who was 
 made minister in his place, soon after ordered a trial 
 in order to discover the assassin. All that could be 
 35 
 
410 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 collected was, that the assassin was a middle-aged man, 
 and of dreadful look, who had boasted the previous 
 night that he could earn a thousand dollars the next 
 day. He spoke a bad Sicilian dialect. 
 
 There is little doubt that the murder was commit- 
 ted by a hired assassin, long inured to crime. But 
 who hired the assassin ? This is still a mystery, and 
 I will not dare positively to accuse any one. But I 
 take it for granted that only great hatred and great 
 interest could have induced a person or a party to 
 put a price on the life of that great man. The Liberal 
 party to which I belonged abhorred such bloody deeds, 
 and the whole of our conduct during the following 
 revolution proved it ; and then the Liberal party had 
 no reason for hatred against Eossi, — nay, his conduct 
 was useful to them. No one of the governors of the 
 provinces appointed by him was afterwards changed 
 by the revolutionists. No restrictive measures were 
 adopted by Rossi during his short ministry ; nay, the 
 censorship of newspapers having illustrations and car- 
 icatures was first abolished by him. Under such cir- 
 cumstances a difference of opinions could not produce 
 a mortal hatred. 
 
 What kind of interest could urge the Liberal party 
 to the crime of taking the life of Rossi? Perhaps to 
 deprive him of the ministry ; but there was nothing 
 more easy for them than to force him to resign by a 
 simple demonstration, because neither he ' nor any 
 other would have thought of resisting the popular 
 will when there were no soldiers, and the national 
 guards numbered twelve thousand well-armed young 
 men. In fact, the next day, when the pope attempted 
 a resistance, he had not a man with him excepting 
 some two hundred Swiss guards. Will, then, any 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 411 
 
 impartial man suppose that the Liberal party coolly, ^ 
 and without hatred or interest, committed that crime JV 
 
 A French writer of no consequence, called d'Arlin- 
 court, who became famous through his impudent' 
 calumnies, published during the year 1850 that the 
 assassin of Rossi was hired by Charles Lucien Bona- 
 parte, Prince of Canino, and declared that he (d'Ar- 
 lincourt) had been shown the proofs of this assertion 
 collected by the police in Rome. But the Prince of 
 Canino took the Jesuitical liar before the criminal 
 court at Paris, which found him guilty of atrocious 
 calumny. 
 
 Who were the bitterest enemies of Rossi? The 
 Jesuits, no doubt, and their party. They had been 
 successfully opposed by him, and they could not look 
 upon such a man, exercising the utmost power and 
 influence at the papal court, without feeling alarmed : 
 it is but natural. There was in Rome the secret sect 
 of the " Sanfedisti," established and directed by the 
 Jesuits. The cruel and bloody tendencies of those 
 fanatics were well known, especially after the dis- 
 covery of their dreadful conspiracy which took place 
 a few months before. That Cardinal Antonelli was 
 false to the Liberal party, and belonged to this infa- 
 mous sect, was proved by subsequent events, when he 
 threw oS the mask. It is, then, quite probable that 
 Cardinal Antonelli suggested the choice of Rossi with 
 the intent of sacrificing him : this sacrifice satisfied 
 their hatred, removed a dangerous man, and gave a 
 pretext for taking the cowardly pope away from 
 Rome. 
 
 Cardinal Antonelli acquired absolute influence over 
 the pope after the death of Rossi, and he is still his 
 premier. He came to Rome when the city was taken 
 
412 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 by Frenchmen, and found the French general about 
 to institute a trial for the discovery of the assassin of 
 Rossi. Cardinal Antonelli desired to have all the evi- 
 dence that had been collected, and then tried to destroy 
 all traces of that event. 
 
CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 THE FLIGHT OF PIUS THE NINTH FROM ROME. 
 
 When the news of the death of Rossi reached the 
 pope, he shut himself np in his palace of the Quirinale, 
 and gave orders to his Swiss body-guards to admit no 
 one except Cardinal Antonelli and the foreign ambas- 
 sadors. The colleagues of Rossi in the ministry, all 
 inferior and cowardly men, fled from Rome ; conse- 
 quently, there was neither a responsible ministry nor 
 any kind of government in the city. This did not 
 much endanger the public peace, for the Roman peo- 
 ple are fond of order, and they are always ready to 
 preserve it by themselves. But the mysterious death 
 of Rossi was suspected by the common people to be 
 the signal for an outbreak of the Sanfedisti, in con- 
 nection with the Austrians; their plot, discovered 
 some eighteen months before, gave foundation for the 
 suspicion, and there was much alarm. But the na- 
 tional guards took up arms, maintained order, and 
 restored the confidence of the common people. During 
 the evening, a band of heedless young men here and 
 there uttered foolish cries, approving that bloody deed, 
 but they were silenced by the national guards. 
 
 The next morning, the sixteenth of November, 
 1848, the constitutional deHberative bodies of the 
 State held a regular session, and sent a deputation to 
 35* (413) 
 
414 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 the pope, with a message requesting him to appoint a 
 new responsible ministry. The pope refused either to 
 see the deputation or to receive their formal message. 
 This was an open violation of the constitution. At 
 this time a crowd of the common people assembled in 
 the large piazza before the papal palace. They were 
 totally unarmed, and uttered no seditious cry : it was 
 a peaceful demonstration, much like those made on 
 former occasions. But the Swiss body-guards within 
 the palace, now for the first time armed with guns, 
 fired into the crowd, who dispersed in great disorder, 
 leaving on the ground two dead and many badly 
 wounded. This bloody provocation took place by 
 order of Cardinal Antonelli, who soon after summoned 
 into the piazza before the palace all the hired soldiers 
 of the pope, who, good and bad, numbered about one 
 thousand. Evidently that cardinal, for some mysteri- 
 ous reason, was anxious to shed blood. 
 
 A strong body of the national guards, and I with 
 them, marched against the papal palace. The papal 
 soldiers in the piazza offered no resistance, and we 
 easily overpowered the Swiss body-guards, whom, by 
 the by, we generously pardoned. In this short strug- 
 gle Monsignor Palma, a private secretary of the pope, 
 was accidentally killed when crossing a room occu- 
 pied by the fighting Swiss soldiers. The national 
 guards garrisoned the palace, levelled a cannon against 
 the private apartment of the pope, and then sent in 
 the deputation whom he had formerly refused to see. 
 He was now very glad to see those gentlemen, and 
 easily complied with their wishes, appointing a new 
 ministry, with Monsignor Muzzarelli, Mammiani, Gal- 
 letti, Sterbini, and others ; they had all been ministers 
 of the pope on former occasions except Sterbini. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 415 
 
 Peace was restored. The cannon which had been 
 levelled against the apartment of the pope belonged 
 to him, and had been baptized by the name of St. 
 Peter ; for they baptize the cannon as well as the bells 
 in Rome. Next morning "The Don Pirlone/' a humor- 
 ous newspaper, was glad to announce that the mind 
 of the pope had been entirely changed by a miracle 
 of St. Peter. 
 
 " It was an act of open violence on your part/' ob- 
 served my friend, the Belgian artist. 
 
 " I do not deny it," answered I ; " but still, it was 
 the pope who was in the wrong, because in his quality 
 of a constitutional monarch he must constantly have 
 a responsible ministry, and cannot refuse to receive a 
 deputation and a message from the constitutional 
 bodies.'^ 
 
 " What will happen next ? " inquired the Belgian ; 
 and I told him that on our part we should be quiet, 
 because it was of the highest importance for us to 
 keep out of all difficulties until the next spring, when 
 a new general movement would take place in Italy. 
 
 " But the pope," added I, " will no doubt feel that 
 he has not a friend in Rome, and this bitter discovery 
 will make him afraid for his personal security, because 
 he is a coward ; besides, he will probably understand 
 that now he has no business here, for the people have 
 taken the government into their hands." 
 
 "Would you detain him by force should he take to 
 flight?" 
 
 " ' A nemico che fugge, i ponti d'oro ' (For a fugi- 
 tive enemy prepare golden bridges), says the Italian 
 proverb." 
 
 The pope did not know the disposition of the peo- 
 ple in this matter ; so that, having determined to leave 
 
416 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Rome, he spent eight whole days in devising the means 
 for a secret flight. He would probably have never 
 dared to execute his plan if it had not been for the 
 encouragement and aid of a beautiful Roman lady. 
 She had lately married the old Count Spaur, an am- 
 bassador of Bavaria, and a secret chargd d'aJBTaires 
 of Austria. The constant good conduct of the pope 
 in this respect excludes every suspicion which his in- 
 tercourse with that lady would otherwise excite. She 
 was employed by the foreign diplomatists resident in 
 Rome to conquer the natural cowardice of the pope, 
 by making him feel that he ran no risk if accompanied 
 by her. 
 
 The maiden name of that cunning and courageous 
 lady was Teresa Giraud. She was the niece of the 
 poet Giraud, a popular writer of comedies. He is 
 said to portray her juvenile character in a comedy en- 
 titled " II FigKo del Signer Padre,'^ (The Son of his 
 Father). In that comedy she is called Teresina, which 
 is a diminutive of Teresa. Of course, thirty years 
 ago she was Teresina, but now she is Teresa. When 
 she was Teresina she used to have many admirers ; and 
 afterwards she became fond of diplomatic intrigues, 
 as the means of retaining a power which time would 
 take away from her. 
 
 The foreign diplomatists resident in Rome were all 
 anxious to take the pope out of the city, but they 
 could not agree about the place to which he should 
 go. Finally they yielded, or pretended to yield, to 
 the wishes of the French ambassador. Count d'Har- 
 court, who desired to carry the pope into France, and 
 who kept a steamer ready for the purpose at Civita- 
 vecchia, forty-eight miles west of Rome. 
 
 At eleven o^clock in the evening of November 23d, 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 417 
 
 1848, all the preparations having been made, the pope 
 requested the French ambassador to precede him to 
 Civitavecchia, taking his trunks with him, and he would 
 folio ^v in a common travelling post-coach, with the 
 Countess Spaur, in order to avoid the danger of dis- 
 covery. As soon as the French ambassador departed 
 for Civitavecchia the pope took the opposite road to 
 Gaeta, a fortress in the kingdom of Naples. All the 
 details of his flight have been published by Countess 
 Spaur, who took the most prominent part in these 
 events. 
 
 It was after midnight when the pope came out from 
 his palace of the Quirinale, by a wicket gate, leading 
 into the dark and narrow lane called Scanderberg. 
 He was in disguise, having on the dress of an ordi- 
 nary gentleman, with a fashionable hat, and his fme 
 being covered with false hair. The pope went arm-in- 
 arm with M. Filippani, his agent, smoking a cigar, and 
 affecting the easiest air possible. In the lane he 
 found the Countess Spaur in her city carriage, which 
 he entered, trembling ; he had* in his hand a golden 
 ball containing the consecrated wafer, that is, the 
 real flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, according to the 
 papal creed. This is another evidence of the super- 
 stitious character of Pius the Ninth, It was an an- 
 cient superstition in Italy that the possession of a 
 golden ball, containing the consecrated wafer, would 
 save from temporal dangers even the worst criminal, 
 though he may be called to account for this sacrilege 
 in the world to come. Many famous leaders of 
 brigands were found to be owners of such balls, and 
 even Ceesar Borgia, called Duke Valentino, the most 
 impious man of his age, believed in the efficacy of 
 such an amulet ; he constantly had in his pocket one 
 
418 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 which had been prepared for him, with special cere- 
 monies, by his father, Pope Alexander the Sixth. 
 This is but a common occurrence with infidels. They 
 proudly deny God, and then they believe in the most 
 absurd superstitions. 
 
 The carriage of the Countess Spaur, with the fugi- 
 tive pope, arrived at the Coliseum, where Count Spaur 
 had ready for them a travelKng post-coach for two 
 perst)ns. The countess and the pope took their seats 
 inside, and Count Spaur, in his pretended quality of a 
 servant, was on the outside ; the driver was on horse- 
 back, as is customary for post-drivers. As soon as they 
 arrived at the neighboring gate Latina, or of St. John 
 in Laterano, a sentinel stopped the coach, and an offi- 
 cer of the national guards came forward, asking for 
 th^ passports. 
 
 The pope, overwhelmed by fear, did not remember 
 that this was only the usual custom. The sight of 
 an officer of the national guards terrified him: he 
 thought that he had been discovered, and remained 
 speechless and motionless as if petri§ed. But his 
 fair companion, uttering some words in German, gal- 
 lantly took the passport from his pocket, and handed 
 it to the officer. He by chance was personally ac- 
 quainted with her ; but she had a veil over her face, 
 and continued to talk German to the pope, who was 
 not able to understand even Italian at this moment. 
 The officer wrote down in his book: "Half an hour past 
 midnight, a travelling post-coach went out, contain- 
 ing Dr. Sumnerkann, a physician from Monaco in Ba- 
 varia, with his wife, and a servant, going to Gaeta, in 
 the kingdom of Naples. Their passport was duly 
 signed by the ambassador of Bavaria." And then the 
 officer let them go. 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 419 
 
 The officer did not recognize the pope, for he had 
 changed his garments, his name, and his profession, 
 besides borrowing a gentle wife ; but aU these contri- 
 vances were for nothing, because no one in Rome 
 thought of detaining the pope against his will. But 
 this circumstance of the passport, which he had pre- 
 pared for Gaeta, revealed his plbt with the charg^ 
 d'affaires of Austria and ambassador of Bavaria, who 
 went with him. 
 
 While they were rapidly travelling to Gaeta, the 
 French ambassador at Civitavecchia grew impatient, 
 and was sincerely afraid that they had met with some 
 accident on the road. But Monsignor Delegato of 
 Civitavecchia disabused him, informing him that the 
 pope had taken the road to Gaeta. The French am- 
 bassador went there by sea with his steamer, com- 
 plaining of the deception, and requesting the pope to 
 sail from thence to France. 
 
 Pius the Ninth, composing his face to his habitual 
 devout air, answered, that it was by a mistake that he 
 went to Gaeta, having intended to go to Civitavec- 
 chia ; and that now he looked upon that mistake as a 
 particular decree of Divine Providence, to which he 
 intended to submit, and remain there. This was a 
 falsehood, — probably " very holy," because uttered by 
 an infallible pope ; but still it was an open falsehood. 
 The fact of his taking the passport to Gaeta excludes 
 the idea of going to Civitavecchia. The gate to 
 Gaeta is on the summit of the Laterano hill, in an 
 almost deserted part of the city, while the gate to 
 Civitavecchia is on the other side of the Tiber, near 
 the Church of St. Peter, and in an open and thronged 
 part of the city. To mistake the one gate for the 
 other would be impossible, even if there were in 
 
420 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 Rome the fogs of London ; besides, the officer inspect- 
 ing the passports could not allow the pope and his 
 company to go out through the gate Latina if they 
 were bound to Civitavecchia, — he would have di- 
 rected them to the gate Cavalleggeri. 
 
 The conduct of Pius the Ninth on this occasion 
 gives the best evidSnce of his character. He did not 
 at all like to go to France, because he could not rely 
 upon the new zeal of the sons of Voltaire for the sup- 
 port of papacy. But, coward as he was, he dared not 
 to say openly to the zealous French ambassador, " I 
 will not go with you." The pope preferred to plot 
 secretly with the Austrian representative, and, after 
 having deceived the French ambassador, excused him- 
 self by a shameful lie, and threw the fault upon " Di- 
 vine Providence." 
 
 Thus ended the career of Pius the Ninth. He proved 
 himself false in all his conduct, disregarded both his 
 promises and his oaths, and finished by a base moral 
 abdication. In all this he was guided by his natural 
 cowardice. Papacy, being a dying institution, could 
 not inspire him with energy, nor with the spirit of self- 
 sacrifice which some of his predecessors possessed. 
 This moral abdication was followed by a formal depo- 
 sition, and from that moment Pius the Ninth has been 
 only an instrument in the hands of the wicked diplo- 
 matists of Europe. He will never again be a pope. 
 
CHAPTER L. 
 
 THE DEPOSITION OF THE POPE. 
 
 It was six o'clock in the morning of the 24th 
 of November, 1848, when a notification issued by 
 Monsignor Muzzarelli, and the other members of the 
 papal ministry, informed the Roman people that dur- 
 ing the night the pope had fled. This news caused 
 general and unbounded joy among the common peo- 
 ple. A great holiday was observed by the workmen, 
 but not the least disturbance took place. The first 
 use which the people made of their newly-acquired 
 liberty was to take out from the churches all the 
 wooden confessionals, and "make an immense pile of 
 them in the large Piazza del Popolo. They had a 
 particular hatred for those instruments of espionage 
 and corruption, and they intended to burn them. 
 
 But the chief of the papal police made his appear- 
 ance, and ordered them to restore the confessionals to 
 their former places. They seemed but little inclined 
 to obey, when that officer appealed to Angelo Bru- 
 netti, commonly called Ciceruacchio, the most influen- 
 tial popular tribune. 
 
 Ciceruacchio mounted the pile of confessionals, 
 
 and said : " I formerly thought that it would be good 
 
 apd right to burn these instruments of corruption to 
 
 pur wives and daughters. But our rulers are afraid 
 
 36 (42U 
 
422 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 that the smoke of this fire would hurt the eyes of the 
 European diplomatists, and dispose them against us. 
 They understand this matter better than we do ; so 
 let us obey, and, depend upon it, now we are free, no 
 one will go to the confessional." 
 
 Ciceruacchio having thus saved the confessionals, 
 the people wanted another victim. They brought into 
 the Piazza the guillotine and all the instrjiments of 
 death so freely used by the late pope, burnt them, and 
 threw the ashes and the iron into the Tiber. This 
 was the first step to the abolition of capital punish- 
 ment, which was afterwards made by law. The pope, 
 however, considered the destruction of the guillotine 
 a great loss, and he very much missed it on his return 
 to Rome, inasmuch as he could not find there any one 
 who for money would manufacture another for him. 
 But the Bishop of Marseilles kindly came to his aid, 
 sending him a gift of two new guillotines, made in 
 France, with all the modern improvements. On account 
 of this great service rendered to the " Holy Mother 
 Church," the pope thinks of creating that bishop a 
 cardinal at the first vacancy. 
 
 The news of the flight of the pope caused through- 
 out all the Eoman State the same joy with which it 
 had been received at Rome ; but order and peace were 
 everywhere strictly preserved. There was one phrase 
 which served to quell all violent passions and inspire 
 the people with confidence. This phrase was universal 
 suffrage. It had never been resorted to before ; but 
 every one perfectly understood its meaning. The self- 
 exiled pope was very much disappointed, for he had 
 imagined that his sudden flight, — leaving the State 
 without any kind of government, — would produce a 
 general anarchy. So that, blind with rage, he thun- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 423 
 
 dered the " major excommunication " against his min- 
 isters and all those who concurred with them in pre- 
 serving order. Besides, he declared that the same 
 " major excommunication " would extend to all those 
 who should take part in the anticipated "universal 
 suffrage." 
 
 The papal bull containing the excommunication was 
 sent by Cardinal Antonelli to all the bishops of the 
 Roman State, ordering them to publish it at the time 
 of our elections. But they seemed not at all inclined 
 to run any risk for the sake of a pope who, after a 
 cowardly flight, was now thundering from a secure 
 place. By chance we discovered a copy of the bull, 
 and we immediately gave it the widest possible circu- 
 lation, because we anticipated the effect it would pro- 
 duce among our people. In fact, even those who 
 would probably have neglected the exercise of their 
 new right of voting, now went to the polls, in order to 
 show their contempt for the papal excommunication. 
 Out of a population of two millions and a half, three 
 hundred and fifty-five thousand voters attended the 
 polls. I have seen the elections in France, in Swit- 
 zerland, in Belgium, in England, and in the United 
 States of America, and yet I never saw them con- 
 ducted in a more calm, dignified, and conscientious 
 manner than by the Roman people in that diiOScult 
 exigency. Many distinguished foreigners who were 
 present have attested the truth of this statement. 
 
 Our people were exceedingly amused with the old 
 farce of the excommunication, repeated now as if in 
 mockery of ancient times. In Rome, where the com- 
 mon people are very fond of pasquinades and mas- 
 querades, they made an immense procession through 
 the principal streets, hoisting upon a large black ban- 
 
424 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 ner a copy of the papal bull. They went to the Piazza 
 del Popolo, and there they made a solemn mock 
 funeral in honor of the dead excommunication. The 
 popular tribune, Ciceruacchio, recited the funeral 
 oration, and afterwards the excommunication was in- 
 terred in an unclean place. 
 
 The next evening, a crowd of the common people 
 again gathered in the Piazza del Popolo, and there, in 
 a calm and dignified manner, seriously took up the 
 question of excommunicating the pope. Many pop- 
 ular orators addressed the people, and at last they 
 unanimously adopted the resolution presented by 
 Ciceruacchio, to the effect, that, the pope having 
 become an object of scandal to all the Christian world, 
 they determined to cut him off from their Christian 
 communion. This decision was to be communicated 
 to him by means of an address, also unanimously 
 adopted, in which occurred this remarkable phrase : 
 " When you, sir pope, left the jcity by one gate, the 
 Bible entered it by the opposite gate, and now there 
 is no longer any room for you.'^ 
 
 The representatives of the people, elected by uni- 
 versal suffrage throughout the Roman State, met at 
 the Capitol on the morning of the 5th of February, 
 1849. I was the youngest among them. The assem- 
 bly was severe and dignified. Its members seemed 
 perfectly to understand the loftiness of their mission ; 
 besides, they were, of course, penetrated with the idea 
 that it was there, in the same place, that the ancient 
 Roman senate sat to dictate laws for the world. I 
 suppose that it was this idea which made our assembly 
 the most dignified and courageous of all the political 
 bodies assembled during that revolutionary period in 
 Europe. Foreigners have constantly oppressed us; 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 425 
 
 they have taken everything from us ; but our history 
 still remains, and the proud memory of the past can- 
 not be erased from the minds of the Roman people. 
 
 The large hall of the Capitol, built by Michael Angelo, 
 not being yet ready for our sessions, we went in pro- 
 cession to the hall of the " Palazzo della Cancelleria.'^ 
 This was a remarkable procession. Among the repre- 
 sentatives of the people, there was scarcely one who 
 had not suffered under the past tyranny. Some of 
 them had not yet recovered from the effects of the 
 torments endured in dreadful dungeons, and some 
 were still lame from the heavy chains which they had 
 worn so long. Notwithstanding this, our first word as 
 we met together was pardon, involving an absolute 
 oblivion of past wrongs. What inspired the victori- 
 ous party, with so great moderation ? What gave the 
 injured the strength to pardon? It was not philos- 
 ophy, for we were not philosophers. It was a true 
 Christian spirit, cultivated by our national association, 
 '' Young Italy." 
 
 The representatives elected by the people were two 
 hundred. They all belonged to the more educated 
 classes. The lawyers were the most numerous, and 
 after them rich land-holders. There were only two 
 merchants. We had among us two Jews, two papal 
 priests, and a prelate, but they were all learned and 
 liberal men. It was quite remarkable that among two 
 hundred representatives, freely chosen in a country 
 which had been till now under the yoke of the pope, 
 and where there was a numerous and exceedingly rich 
 clergy, no one was found to be his friend. He had 
 fled like a discovered traitor, and left not a friend 
 behind him. Even the greater part of the lower 
 36* 
 
426 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 clergy were glad of his absence, and sympathized with 
 the people. 
 
 As soon as the preliminary proceedings had been 
 carefully completed, the question of the deposition of 
 the pope was brought before the assembly. It was a 
 solemn moment. Papacy, loaded with the crimes of 
 several ages, stood before the representatives of the 
 Roman people to be judged. All the intrigues of 
 European diplomacy could not deter us. They threat- 
 ened us with a violent restoration, and we knew that 
 in this case we should be condemned to death for 
 "high treason." But we felt the loftiness of the mis- 
 sion with which the confidence of the people intrusted 
 us ; we pronounced the condemnation of papacy with 
 the conscientious firmness of men who put their lives 
 at stake when their convictions and their duty re- 
 quired it. 
 
 Our decision, however, was preceded by a free, 
 calm, and dignified discussion, which was protracted 
 from ten o'clock in the morning until after midnight. 
 All the opinions were freely expressed, and they met 
 with general toleration and respect, but no one spoke 
 in favor of papacy. The only question was with 
 regard to delaying the choice of a new government, 
 and this opinion was supported by a small minority, 
 who supposed that the King of Piedmont would renew 
 the war in the spring, and aimed to make him a con- 
 stitutional king for all Italy ; but even they, of course, 
 were against the pope. 
 
 The votes were taken individually, and carefully 
 registered. I recollect that when they came to Mon- 
 signor Muzzarelli, for thirty years a papal prelate, and 
 then entitled to be made a cardinal, he rose from his 
 seat, and uttered his affirmative in the most solemn 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 427 
 
 and decided manner. Now, old, blind, and poor, he 
 wanders in exile, but his constancy cannot be shaken. 
 
 I consider the deposition of the pope an event of 
 capital importance, not only for Italy, whose safety de- 
 pends upon it, but even for all mankind. The transient 
 state of brutal violence now existing in Rome cannot 
 change our sentence : we had a right to depose the 
 pope, we deposed hiin, and it is forever over with 
 papacy. Foreign violence will only make more hateful 
 our memory of that dreadful institution. 
 
 After the deposition of the pope, we took up the 
 question of the new form of government to be 
 adopted ; and here there could be but little difference 
 of opinion, for the Italians, by tradition, by sentiment, 
 and by long habit, are republicans. So that the prop- 
 osition to establish a republic was carried by all the 
 votes except fourteen, which were cast by those who 
 desired to delay the resolution, as I have said before. 
 
 During that long discussion the greatest anxiety 
 prevailed among the Roman people ; they crowded our 
 hall and building, as well as the neighboring streets 
 and squares, waiting in solemn calmness. But as soon 
 as the decree of the deposition of the pope and the 
 enactment of the republic was made known, they burst 
 out into tremendous transports of joy. It was after 
 midnight, but the whole city was instantly illuminated, 
 all the bells rang, bands of musicians appeared every- 
 where, and a procession, embracing almost every liv- 
 ing soul, carried that decree through the city, and 
 afterwards to the Capitol, as a great moral triumph. 
 It was not the manifestation of a vain joy. It was the 
 solemn declaration of our sacred rights, made by a 
 generous people, who felt themselves ready to fight 
 and bleed for them. 
 
CHAPTER LI. 
 
 THE ROMAN REPUBLIC. 
 
 The decree concerning the deposition of the pope, 
 and the proclamation of the Roman republic, was 
 published on the morning of the 9th of February, 
 1849, "in the name of God and of the people." This 
 was the formula long before adopted by " Young 
 Italy." The colors of the new government were 
 green, white, and red ; the white part of the flag ex- 
 hibiting the motto, "Dio e Popolo" (G-od and the Peo- 
 ple). This was the programme of our movement, and 
 we were constantly faithful to the Christian principles 
 of "Young Italy." The sudden passage from the 
 papal tyranny to the most perfect liberty did not cost 
 a drop of blood nor a tear. Entire liberty, both in 
 politics and in religious matters, was our first aim, 
 and we were glad to secure it for ourselves, as well 
 as for all the people. 
 
 Even our most bitter enemies cannot deny that 
 from the flight of Pius the Ninth to his restoration 
 there was in Rome a period of six months, during 
 which perfect order and the most absolute liberty 
 were maintained by the people themselves, as we had 
 no standing army. No one was imprisoned, exiled, or 
 deprived of his property, in consequence of his polit- 
 ical opinions or aversion to our government. There 
 
 (428) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 429 
 
 was a newspaper, called " Constituzionale," which 
 openly advocated the return of the papal domination, 
 and this newspaper was never persecuted, for the en- 
 tire liberty of the press was secured by our consti- 
 tution. 
 
 The former anarchy of the papal government had 
 given occasion to the rising of numerous bands of 
 smugglers, highwaymen, and other wicked characters; 
 but as soon as the self-government of the people was 
 adopted, all those wicked characters left the State, or 
 reformed their conduct. We experienced, however, a 
 great embarrassment on account of the ruined condi- 
 tion in which the public finances were left by the 
 pope. The Koman State is naturally very rich. When 
 governed by Napoleon, in the beginning of the present 
 century, it was in a very flourishing condition. But 
 the anarchical domination of a corrupt sacerdotal 
 caste, inflicted upon that State during the year 1815 
 by the Congress of Vienna, destroyed public confi- 
 dence, ruined industry, annihilated commerce, dimin- 
 ished the population, and made the people unhappy 
 by an intolerable oppression. This produced a con^ 
 dition of constant war between the domineering caste 
 and the people, on whom all the ruin fell, because the 
 former had constantly at their command the support 
 of foreign armies. 
 
 The ordinary taxes which the pope yearly exacts 
 from his subjects are over ten millions of scudi, or 
 dollars, and, besides, they must pay even a larger sum 
 for the public works and for the salaries of the judges 
 and other officers. Leo the Twelfth wa^ the first pope 
 who created a state debt. It was during the year 
 1828, when the question of the emancipation of the 
 papists was agitated in England. The pope sent there 
 
430 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 two millions of dollars, which were probably em- 
 ployed in corrupting the journalists and the orators. 
 From that epoch to the flight of Pius the Ninth, the 
 public debt increased to forty-two millions, all de- 
 voured by the she-wolf, whose rapacity is never 
 satiated, being even more hungry after having been 
 fed than before, — as Dante says. 
 
 But the balm of liberty is able to heal all the 
 dreadful wounds which despotism has inflicted upon a 
 nation. The Roman Constituent Assembly abolished 
 immediately capital punishment, and established the 
 trial by jury. An entire liberty, both in political and 
 religious matters, was secured by law. The press was 
 entirely free. Personal liberty and private property 
 were declared to be sacred and inviolable. Public 
 instruction was entirely gratuitous. Religion and 
 public morals were promoted, and there was no trace 
 of socialism or communism in our reforms. A rapid 
 transformation therefore took place, and in the spring 
 of that year, 1849, the condition of our republic was 
 a promising one. The subsequent long and obstinate 
 resistance which the people opposed to the foreign 
 armies engaged in the restoration of papacy is the 
 best evidence of their love for free institutions, and of 
 the strength which we had acquired in a very short 
 period. 
 
 In the month of March, 1849, a decree of the Roman 
 Constituent Assembly conferred upon the illustrious 
 Italian patriot, Giuseppe Mazzini, the citizenship of 
 Rome, and invited him to come to Rome. Soon after, 
 the Roman people elected him a representative, and 
 the Assembly appointed him, together with Giuseppe 
 Armellini and Aurelio SaflS, a triumvirate, to repre- 
 sent the executive power of the government. Maz- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 431 
 
 zini in this new position showed the capacity of a 
 great statesman. His wise, moderate, and dignified 
 conduct silenced the calumnies even of his most bit- 
 ter enemies. The great services rendered by him on 
 that momentous occasion wiU never be forgotten in 
 Rome or in Italy. 
 
 The Roman Constituent Assembly accepted also the 
 services of another illustrious Italian patriot, General 
 Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose valor and skill proved of 
 immense advantage during the siege of Rome, which 
 took place afterwards. Garibaldi, Calandrelli, and 
 other officers, were engaged in preparing an army ; 
 for we anticipated the renewal of the national war 
 throughout all Italy, and, besides, we knew the in- 
 trigues of the fugitive pope, engaged in preparing. a 
 dreadful war against us. We felt quite sure that Aus- 
 tria and Spain would take sides with him, and attempt 
 his restoration. But as for Spain, no one could seri- 
 ously contemplate a dangerous efi'ort from that nation, 
 entirely ruined by the Inquisition, by the Jesuits, and 
 by civil war. 
 
 With Austria there would be a dreadful contest, no 
 doubt ; but we felt confident of being able to drive 
 this fearful oppressor from Italy, now that by the 
 deposition of the pope we had removed the principal 
 obstacle to the union and independence of all Italy ; 
 and besides, almost all the Italian States were now 
 able to act together against the common enemy. In 
 fact, notwithstanding the great reverses of the pre- 
 ceding year, the condition of Italy was this : — In 
 Venice there was a republic, full of vigor and confi- 
 dence ; Sicily was still free ; in Tuscany a free gov- 
 ernment had taken the place of the grand duke, who 
 fled to Gaeta, together with the pope ; in Piedmont 
 
432 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 the people urged upon their king to renew the na- 
 tional war ; in Lombardy the revolution was physically 
 quelled for the moment, but not subdued. 
 
 Our ruin, however, came from a quarter to which 
 we were entitled to look for help, — I mean the 
 French republic. This government, established by a 
 happy revolution, fell into the hands of immoral men, 
 and was soon after shaken by the internal questions 
 of socialism and communism, which caused much blood 
 to be shed. Louis Napoleon conceived the rash pro- 
 ject of availing himself of these internal troubles in 
 order to seize the supreme power. He was known 
 only on account of the heedless manner in which, on 
 former occasions, he attempted to obtain the throne 
 of France. This, and his debased profligacy, made 
 him an object of contempt. But he had a party in 
 his favor, composed of the former admirers of his 
 uncle, and he gained to his cause another powerful 
 party, that is to say, the Jesuitical party, by pledging 
 himself to restore the pope in Rome. 
 
 In the month of April, 1849, a powerful league 
 was entered into between France, Spain, and Austria, 
 in order to put down the Italian movement and re- 
 store the pope in Rome. We had some hints of this, 
 and immediately sent an ambassador to England in 
 order to entreat that government to oppose the league. 
 England stood then in an exalted position : all the 
 nations of Europe except herself were troubled by 
 internal agitation, and she alone stooS erect, holding 
 the destinies of Europe in her hands. The position 
 of England was so good, that, without firing a cannon, 
 by the simple weight of her peaceful influence, she 
 could have secured the triumph of a liberal policy 
 throughout all Europe. This would have secured a 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 433 
 
 general influence and a great benefit to the English 
 nation. But the triumph of a liberal policy in Europe 
 would react upon England, and endanger the existence 
 of the privileges of the English aristocracy, which was 
 at the head of the government. The English ministry, 
 therefore, chose to take the wrong side, and favor the 
 despots and the pope. This base abdication of a noble 
 mission caused the moral ruin of England, and prepared 
 for her the present epoch of humiliation and danger. 
 
 Lord Palmerston, a vulgar, ambitious man, whose 
 unprincipled conduct constantly disgraced his country, 
 refused to see our ambassador but in a strictly private 
 audience, and cut short his speech by saying, " Papacy 
 must be restored in Rome, because it is expedient in 
 order to maintain the equilibrium and the peace of 
 Europe.'' 
 
 But lo ! Grod confounds the counsel of the impious 
 man, and frustrates the plan founded upon iniquity. 
 The equilibrium is broken, and there is no peace in 
 Europe, notwithstanding that papacy has been restored 
 in Rome. To keep Italy divided and subdued is the 
 great object of the European diplomatists, and for this 
 all the European powers, both Catholic, Protestant, 
 and schismatic, unanimously agreed that the Italian 
 movement should be put down, and the pope restored 
 in Rome, by a powerful league combined for the com- 
 mon interest of Europe. 
 
 But Sismondi, who knew the condition of Europe a 
 great deal better than the actual narrow-minded and 
 wicked diplomatists, uttered this famous prophecy: 
 " There will be no peace for Europe till that nation 
 which first, in the middle ages, kindled the torch of 
 civilization and liberty, shall be allowed to enjoy even 
 for herself the light created by her." 
 37 
 
CHAPTER LII. 
 
 THE SIEGE OP ROME. 
 
 On the morning of April 26th, 1849, a French fleet 
 made its appearance before the harbor of Civitavec- 
 chia. An officer came ashore and begged of the com- 
 mander of the city to be allowed to land peacefully 
 an army which they had on board. " The French 
 republic/^ said the officer, ^' knew that you were threat- 
 ened by an Austrian invasion, and has sent an army 
 to watch the progress of Austria in Italy, it being 
 against the true interest of France.^' 
 
 The commander of Civitavecchia openly expressed 
 his suspicion that the French were coming to destroy 
 the Roman republic and restore the pope. 
 
 " It cannot be,'' replied the French officer, pointing 
 to the fifth article of the newly-adopted French con- 
 stitution, where it was said, " The French Republic 
 will never bear arms against the freedom of any 
 people." 
 
 In short, the French entered Civitavecchia by a 
 shameful treason, and immediately proceeded against 
 Rome, which they hoped to take by surprise. So 
 they began their Jesuitical work by Jesuitical art. 
 
 The city of Rome has ever been considered as 
 unable to make any kind of resistance, on account of 
 its position, its extent, and its want of fortified walls. 
 
 (434) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 435 
 
 No battle or siege had taken place at Rome since the 
 year 1527, when the city was besieged by the famous 
 Constable of Bourbon, with an army of French, Ger- 
 man, and Swiss adventurers, the most impious ruffians 
 of that time. They were in the service of the em- 
 peror Charles the Fifth, the fatal destroyer of the 
 Italian independence and liberty. The pope, Clement 
 VII., who was the cause of that attack, retired into an 
 impregnable castle, and abandoned the people to the 
 fury of those wicked ruffians. 
 
 The Roman people organized themselves and fought 
 bravely for their homes. The celebrated artist, Ben- 
 venuto Cellini, killed the leader of that army ; but, 
 notwithstanding this, they entered the city by a sub- 
 terranean way, discovered to them through the treach- 
 ery of a German artist residing in Rome. 
 
 It is impossible to help a shudder of horror while 
 reading the description of the cruelties which these 
 barbarians committed in Rome. But soon after most 
 of them perished there through a plague, affording a 
 new evidence of the saying that Italy has always been 
 the tomb of her conquerors. It was the last battle 
 of the Roman people. The popes kept them from the 
 use of arms, and the Roman youth had no occasion to 
 fight except in foreign countries and under foreign 
 flags. They preserved, however, a warlike spirit. 
 
 Now, at the announcement of the taking of Civita- 
 vecchia by a French army, who marched at once 
 against Rome, the Roman Constituent Assembly imme- 
 diately held an extraordinary session, and boldly 
 issued the following decree : " The Assembly decides 
 to oppose force with force." 
 
 After this, the Assembly went to a large square, 
 where, in the mean time, the national guards held a 
 
436 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 mass meeting. Our president openly explained to 
 them that not France alone^ but even Spain and Aus- 
 tria, conspired with the pope and the King of Naples, 
 in order to put down the Italian movement and restore 
 the pope in Rome. He added that Russia, England, 
 and Prussia, approved that league, and that, in spite 
 of this conspiracy of all Europe against us, the Assem- 
 bly had determined to oppose a desperate resistance, 
 and now rehed upon them for the execution of its 
 decree. 
 
 There is something great and poetical in the char- 
 acter of the Roman people. At this intimation no 
 one was afraid; nay, almost all were flattered and 
 excited by the idea of Rome standing alone against 
 all Europe. The popular tribune Ciceruacchio ad- 
 dressed the people ; but he was too excited, and could 
 say only a few words. " A new Brennus," said he, 
 " and new Gauls, are again at the gates of Rome, 
 threatening to sell us, our wives, and our children, 
 into the slavery of the pope. We have just now bro- 
 ken our chains like Spartacus. Will you suffer your- 
 selves to be chained again?" A terrible cry, "No, 
 no, never ! " came out like thunder from the crowd, 
 and was followed by a deeply interesting scene. All 
 of them began to embrace each other, as if it were 
 for the last time ; and afterwards they took the way 
 to their respective " rioni," or wards. 
 
 Strong barricades now began to rise in all parts 
 of the city. All the people were earnestly employed. 
 Men and youths strove together at the hard work j 
 women and children brought materials, and old men 
 gave directions and encouragement. To direct such 
 a general movement, and to command the future pop- 
 ular fight, the Assembly appointed fourteen of its mem- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 437 
 
 bers, one for each ward, giving them full discretionary 
 powers, and bidding them to defend the ground inch 
 by inch. 
 
 I had the honor of being appointed as commander 
 of the seventh ward, and I took my head-quarters 
 at the bridge called Sisto, which I must keep. We 
 did hard work during all the day, and even the night, 
 in order to prepare the barricades. Next morning all 
 was ready for the defence, and the people were in 
 good spirits. We had only ten thousand guns, with 
 which we armed the best fighting men; the others 
 were given pikes and such kind of arms as we were 
 able to find. 
 
 At nine o'clock (it was the 30th of April, 1849) a 
 sentinel placed on the top of St. Peter's Church gave 
 us the signal of the approach of the French. General 
 Garibaldi, who stood at the gate S. Pancrazio, uttered 
 the cry of alarm on his right hand, and it was instantly 
 reported to him from the left, proving that the walls 
 were well garrisoned. 
 
 The plan of the French general was to arrive at the 
 gates of Rome at nine o'clock ; take the city in two 
 hours ; sing a solemn mass of thanksgiving in St. 
 Peter's church; and afterwards joyfully take his meals 
 at the papal palace of the Yaticano, together with his 
 principal officers. It cannot be denied that it was a 
 fair plan ; but the French general had forgotten to 
 consult with the Roman people, who were too much 
 concerned in the execution of that plan, so that he 
 did not succeed, through want of co-operation on our 
 part. We knew that plan too late, when we found it 
 in the pocket of a prisoner. 
 
 The key of Rome is the Janiculum, and the city 
 had ever been assaulted on that side, first by Porsen- 
 37* 
 
438 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 na, and lately by the Constable of Bourbon ; so that 
 we expected that the first attack of the French would 
 take place against the gate S. Pancrazio ; therefore 
 Garibaldi, with the strength of our little army, took 
 position by that gate. But the French general, hav- 
 ing been informed by a spy that the papal garden of 
 the Vatican was garrisoned only by a few national 
 guards, directed his first attack against that place. 
 
 The French, no doubt, are a fighting people ; they 
 joyfully and enthusiastically go to fight, and do not 
 care at all for what reason or for what cause. They 
 fight with the same admirable valor against the poor 
 Bedouins in Africa, the Italians in Rome, their broth- 
 ers in Paris, the Russians in the Crimea, and they will 
 probably fight in much the same manner against the 
 Englishmen now their allies. Besides, the French sol- 
 diers sent against Rome had all been inured to war 
 in Africa. Notwithstanding this, a few Roman cit- 
 izens, ill-armed, and sheltered only by the wall of a 
 garden, repulsed the tremendous attack of the French. 
 They renewed the assault three times, constantly with 
 fresh troops, but the Romans also received reinforce- 
 ments. 
 
 Colonel Calandrelli, our best artilleryman, happened 
 to be sick that day ; but on hearing the report of the 
 cannon, and on being informed of the danger of his 
 friends who were in the papal garden, he forgot that 
 he was sick, and went there, with two small cannon, 
 served by the national guards. These two cannon 
 had been prepared by the pope, and had therefore 
 been duly baptized, one receiving the name of St. 
 Peter and the other that of St. Paul. Now these new 
 apostles, placed under the direction of Colonel Calan- 
 drelli, succeeded in persuading the French that they 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 439 
 
 had better go back and wait for a more propitious 
 occasion for taking their meals at the Yaticano. 
 
 When General Garibaldi saw the French passing 
 before S. Pancrazio's gate in retreat, he went out and 
 attacked them in flank. They turned in front, and 
 the battle became general, in the open field. The 
 French raised the cry of war, " France, France ! " and 
 the Romans answered with the ancient cry, " Italia e 
 Roma." The battle was furiously fou^t on both 
 sides till about three o'clock in the afternoon, when the 
 French began to be tired and disheartened. Garibaldi 
 perceived this, and ordered the movement of our 
 reserve. It was composed of a regiment called the 
 First Roman Legion, the best of the Roman youth, 
 and of a battalion of riflemen, all students of the Ro- 
 man University. They received that order crying out 
 for joy, and marched quickly through the city, receiv- 
 ing the salutations and the best wishes of their moth- 
 ers, sisters, and lady-loves. They arrived on the field 
 of battle exceedingly excited: they did not fire a 
 shot, but rushed furiously upon the French with their 
 swords and bayonets. 
 
 The French were not able to sustain this new, tre- 
 mendous attack : they turned their backs and fled as 
 quickly as possible. A great many were killed, and 
 we made about six hundred prisoners. The French 
 general retreated with the remainder to a hill called 
 Castle of Guido, and from thence sent an oflScer to 
 Rome asking for an armistice. That ojfficer told us 
 that they had a great many wounded soldiers, and 
 nothing ready to relieve them, because the general 
 had not contemplated the case of being beaten by the 
 Roman people. 
 
 We granted the implored armistice, and sent some 
 
440 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 experienced surgeons, with plenty of provisions, to 
 take care of the wounded. On the next morning 
 the prisoners were treated to a breakfast by the 
 national guards, and afterwards sent back entirely 
 free. This noble conduct was rewarded by an act of 
 treachery. 
 
 Our joy for the victory was unbounded. It was but 
 natural: a small, ill-armed people, treacherously as- 
 saulted by the best soldiers of Europe, had defeated 
 them. Besides, the French had shown the greatest 
 contempt for the Roman people. When a member of 
 the French Assembly inquired what would happen if 
 the Romans should resist the army sent out for the 
 restoration of papacy, one of the ministers answered 
 him, " Be not afraid ; the Italians do not fight '^ (les Ital- 
 iens ne se batte pas). This was a fine motto (a beau 
 mot), and you know that for the French a fine motto is 
 worth ten good reasons. Not so with us ; we fought 
 bravely, and gave to the French a lesson to speak with 
 good sense next time. 
 
 This victory was obtained exclusively by the Roman 
 citizens ; there were in Rome at that epoch neither 
 foreigners nor Italians of other parts of Italy. Some 
 came there afterwards, but their number was very 
 small. It is curious to hear the French and Austrian 
 invaders call by the name of foreigners the Italians 
 who went to help their brethren in Rome. 
 
 The French entertained us by deceitful projects of 
 peaceful arrangement till they could land another more 
 powerful army at Civitavecchia, and then, breaking the 
 armistice, renewed the war in a treacherous manner. 
 In the mean time their allies went to co-operate with 
 them. Austria entered the Roman State by the north, 
 and conquered Bologna and all our northern cities ; 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 441 
 
 the King of Naples occupied our eastern provinces ; 
 and a Spanish army was landed in the kingdom of 
 Naples. 
 
 Fighting alone against this powerful league, we had 
 neither hope nor chance of success. But we fought 
 bravely, and resisted till the last extremity, in order 
 to enter a protest for our rights trampled upon. We 
 signed our protest with our blood; and by these 
 means we secured the future triumph of our cause. 
 Papacy, the worst enemy of Italy, has been drowned 
 in our blood ; its galvanized corpse is now supported 
 by brutal foreign soldiers upon their bayonets, but 
 they are not able to restore it to life : it smells to 
 heaven. 
 
 The siege of Rome has been one of the most im- 
 portant events of our epoch, as well as the most 
 impious crime of the European diplomacy. Its con- 
 sequences will be felt during the approaching crisis 
 of Europe, and then it will be appreciated for its 
 real worth. A description of that event would fill a 
 book, which would prove exceedingly interesting. I 
 could wish that a competent person would bring it 
 before the public in a true light. 
 
CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 THE EXILE. 
 
 On the 1st of July, 1849, the condition of Rome was 
 most deplorable. Unable to keep any longer our 
 exterior positions against a too numerous army, we 
 could not prevent the French from approaching the 
 city and throwing into it their dreadful bombs. Be- 
 sides, a Prussian officer who was in Rome, having been 
 permitted to visit our lines and try the experiment of 
 a new kind of mine, discovered an ancient subterra- 
 nean way, and introduced the French into the city 
 behind our lines. A dreadful nocturnal fight took 
 place within the walls ; it was fought at short arms, in 
 a bloody manner. At length we succeeded in stop- 
 ping the progress of the French. But our provisions 
 were entirely exhausted, and the greater part of the 
 fighting men were wounded, sick, or killed. All that 
 valor and virtue could do had been bravely and gen- 
 erously resorted to. No further efforts were possible. 
 
 The Assembly, considering all this, issued the fol- 
 lowing decree : " We give up the defence, because it 
 has become impossible ; but we refuse to capitulate, 
 and we shall remain at our place of duty." 
 
 On the 3d of July the French entered the city in a 
 cautious manner. The streets were silent and deso- 
 lated ; the aspect of the city was exceedingly sad and 
 
 (442) 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 443 
 
 afflictive ; the sun of liberty had set, and the dark 
 phantom of papacy cast its dreadful shadow upon the 
 ruins of war and the wretched faces of the oppressed 
 people. When the French avant-guard arrived at the 
 Capitol, they found there the Roman Assembly, engaged 
 in proclaiming to the people the constitution which 
 had been adopted for the republic. The French sol- 
 diers gazed in astonishment at that imposing ceremony, 
 and dared not to disturb it. But soon after, a French 
 regiment, sent on purpose by the chief general, en- 
 tered the great hall of the Capitol, making a ridiculous 
 display of force and courage. 
 
 The representatives of the people were sitting at 
 their places, in a quiet and dignified manner, discuss- 
 ing a new law. The French soldiers, pointing their 
 bayonets at our breasts, in abusive language ordered 
 us to leave the hall and the city. 
 
 "We protested, and our protest was this : " Before 
 God, before humankind, the Roman Constituent As- 
 sembly protests against the abuse of brutal force by 
 which a French republican army destroyed the liberty 
 of the Roman people, in spite of all principles of jus- 
 tice, and even in spite of the fifth article of their own 
 constitution.^^ 
 
 The brutal soldiers and their wicked masters laughed 
 at our protest, because they were stronger than we ; 
 but God has listened to it. The members of the 
 French Assembly were afterwards imprisoned and sent 
 into exile by the same soldiers by whom they oppressed 
 us, and no one could pity their fate. They foresaw 
 the danger, and had not the courage to resort to a 
 remedy : cowards, they died through fear of dying. 
 
 God, who visited with a severe retribution our op- 
 pressors and their accomplices, will no doubt look 
 
444 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 mercifully upon our misery, and upon our faith in his 
 eternal justice. The future is not for papacy ; it is 
 for Italy. 
 
 Now it was anticipated that the papal vengeance 
 would be boundless. Cardinal Kichelieu, a papal 
 priest, wrote this sentence : " A priest never par- 
 dons ; '^ and we knew the practical truth of it. But 
 the French general, according to the orders of Louis 
 Napoleon, did not restore immediately the papal gov- 
 ernment. There was a period of twenty-four hours 
 during which all that would and could make their 
 escape met no opposition ; for Louis Napoleon 
 dreaded the murmurs which the bloody papal ven- 
 geance would excite throughout all Europe. But his 
 caution proved useless. The pope, unable to reach 
 the principal agents of the revolution, who had made 
 their escape, laid his hands upon the secondary agents 
 with the utmost cruelty. A conservative newspaper 
 of Florence, under censorship of the Austrians, pub- 
 lished during the year 1851 the statistics of the 
 victims of the papal restoration. Six thousand were 
 the lives destroyed during the war. Two hundred 
 and thirty people were executed during the first 
 two years of the papal restoration, besides those 
 who died in the prisons, over-filled with eight thousand 
 prisoners. The number of the exiles was over twenty 
 thousand, including those who fled through fear of 
 being persecuted. There was no example in history 
 of a more extensive vengeance executed by a re- 
 stored king. 
 
 The sudden flight of so many people was a distress- 
 ing spectacle. We Italians are very fond of home. 
 We travel but little, and never migrate when not con- 
 strained. Besides, our family affections are very 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 445 
 
 strong. So that exile has always been regarded as 
 a great calamity by the Italians. Added to this, we 
 left Rome under the most painful circumstances. It 
 was an insolent foreign conqueror who deprived us of 
 our homes. A great many of us were mutilated or 
 wounded, and the greater part were also destitute, 
 having lost their property or employment. Besides, 
 reaction was then prevailing throughout all Europe, 
 and the European governmental press was very busy 
 in accumulating every kind of calumny upon the con- 
 quered and oppressed. It is an ancient style. 
 
 Six hundred years ago, Dante, alluding to his exile 
 from Florence, in a prophetical manner said : " The 
 fault will be thrown upon the conquered ones, as 
 usual. Thou shalt quit everything that is dearest to 
 thee in the world. Thou shalt experience how salt is 
 the taste of bread eaten at the expense of others ; how 
 hard is the going up and down others' stairs. But 
 what shall most bow thee down, is the worthless and 
 disgusting company with whom thy lot must be par- 
 taken." These words, so ancient, are still entirely 
 true. 
 
 La colpa seguira la parte offesa 
 In grido come suol — 
 
 Tu lascerai ogni cosa diletta 
 Piu caramente — 
 
 Tu proverai si come sa di sale 
 Lo pane altrui e com'e duro calle 
 Lo scendere e salir per I'altrui scale. 
 
 E quel che piu ti gravera le spalle 
 
 Sara la compagnia malvagia e scempia 
 Con la qual tu cadrai in questa valle. 
 
 Dante, Paradiso, cant. xvii. 
 
 The only manner in which we could make our escape 
 during the limited space of twenty-four hours, was to 
 
 38 
 
446 THE r.OMAN EXILE. 
 
 go to Civitaveccliia, and embark there ; but the few 
 barks to be found there were soon over-filled, and no 
 accommodations could be procured for the sick. Mon- 
 signor Muzzarelli, formerly the premier of the pope, 
 and now proscribed, lost his sight forever during his 
 painful passage to the coast of Africa, and a great 
 many of his fellow-sufferers died. 
 
 As for me, I found myself in a very bad condition. 
 I had been wounded only slightly ; but the loss of 
 blood had injured my sight. Besides, my brother 
 Henry and my uncle were lying in bed, dreadfully 
 wounded. I could not even think of abandoning 
 them in order to save myself. We loved each other 
 warmly, and besides, affection grows stronger among 
 men who have been exposed to the same dangers and 
 helped each other on momentous occasions. So that 
 I formed a plan by which We should either save our- 
 selves together or perish together. 
 
 I procured three passports, with pretended names 
 and qualifications ; this was easy, because the French 
 had not yet occupied the office of the police. I dis- 
 guised myself as a common driver, darkening my com- 
 plexion by a tincture of aloes. I put my brother and 
 my uncle in a covered wagon, arranged in the manner 
 of a comfortable bed, and we left the city, taking the 
 road to the north. My plan was to reach the small 
 republic of S. Marino, where we could remain a few 
 days, in order to restore our health and think of a 
 more safe refuge. The distance was two hundred and 
 twenty-six miles, and my travelling with two sick 
 companions was very slow and painful. At length 
 we reached our destination safely. 
 
 My parents did not live in Rome at that epoch ; 
 they had several years before taken their abode at a 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 447 
 
 country seat which was but a short distance from the 
 boundaries of the republic of San Marino. I was not 
 able to resist the temptation to go and take leave of 
 my mother. I went there after dark, on horseback, 
 and I thought that nobody had discovered me. Two 
 hours after midnight an old servant rushed into my 
 room, frantically exclaiming, " You are lost I the house 
 is surrounded by soldiers I " I coolly ordered him to 
 make ready my horse, and take it into the garden. I 
 put on some clothing in haste, and in a few seconds I 
 was on horseback. The servant opened a door in the 
 wall of the garden, and I spurred my horse through it. 
 Two soldiers, who were watching there, attempted to 
 stop the horse by the bridle, but I, anticipating this, 
 had put on no bridle. They twice fired their shots at 
 me, but the quickness of the horse and the darkness 
 of the night enabled me to escape unhurt. It was in 
 this manner that I took leave of my mother, not to 
 see her again on earth. The shots of the papal sol- 
 diers did me no harm, but their reports fell upon the 
 heart of my poor mother. 
 
 I went back to San Marino. It is a mountain of the 
 Apennines, only six miles west of Rimini, in the Ro- 
 man State ; this mountain, with seven thousand inhab- 
 itants, forms a republican, independent state. It 
 existed before the republic of Venice, and still exists, 
 like a relic of the former Italian liberty. Neither 
 Napoleon nor the Congress of Vienna thought of 
 destroying that miniature republic ; but the pope 
 claims to be its " protector," which, in a diplomatic 
 sense, means oppressor. Those poor mountaineers 
 hospitably received the fugitive Roman citizens who 
 succeeded in reaching their small territory ; but, after 
 a few days, the consuls of the republic were obliged 
 
448 THE ROMAN EXILE. 
 
 to inform the refugees that they had no means of pro- 
 tecting them against the vengeance of the pope, who 
 claimed the right of extradition. 
 
 After many a narrow escape I reached the territory 
 of Piedmont, governed by the King of Sardinia. He 
 had not followed the example of the pope, and of all the 
 rulers of Italy, who broke their oaths and put down 
 the political constitutions ; so that there was a liberal 
 government in Piedmont, and I was allowed to remain 
 there. I had many friends and relatives in Piedmont. 
 I was admitted to practise my profession as a lawyer 
 before the superior tribunals, and the University of 
 Turin appointed me to teach law. Consequently, I 
 established myself in Turin, and my business there 
 began to be prosperous. 
 
 On the 6th of February, 1853, a revolutionary 
 movement against the Austrians took place in Milan ; 
 but this movement, through many reasons, not to be 
 explained now, remained isolated; it was therefore 
 easily suppressed by the Austrians, by means of an 
 extensive and indiscriminate slaughter. I was sus- 
 pected of having taken an active part in that move- 
 ment, together with many other refugees living in 
 Piedmont. There were no proofs, however, and no 
 trial was made against us ; but we were despotically 
 sent into exile, the limited space of twenty-four hours 
 only being given us to leave the State. Besides, our 
 names were published by the official newspaper of 
 the government, together with the declaration that we 
 were sent into exile for having ill-used the hospitality 
 formerly extended to us. This precluded to us the 
 hospitality of other monarchical States of Europe. 
 
 I applied for a passport to France, but was refused 
 by the French ambassador. The Swiss charg^ d^af- 
 
THE ROMAN EXILE. 449 
 
 faires at Turin signed my passport good for a simple 
 passage through Switzerland, and warned me that his 
 government would not allow me to stop there, on 
 account of the difficult position in which they were 
 put by Austria, who blockaded the canton Ticino at 
 that epoch. 
 
 I crossed the Alps in that winter season, and during 
 stormy weather. I had never suffered so much in my 
 past life. To leave Italy, perhaps forever, and under 
 so painful circumstances, was for me a blow even 
 more bitter than my first exile from Rome ; perhaps 
 it was because I was prepared for the former, and my 
 mind was still fresh and full of excitement. Besides, 
 I was now tormented by the thought of my poor 
 mother, — she had already suffered 8t>~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. 
 

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