CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FROM Ttoe History Department oorneii university Library arV16113 Carlotina and the Sanfedesti; 3 1924 031 242 914 olin.anx Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031242914 CAELOTIIA AND ®l)e 0anfetU0ti: OK, A NIGHT WITH THE JESUITS AT ROME, BY EDMUND FARRENC. " A WISE MAN WILL HEAR." — PrOV. 1, 5; ' LET US HAVE LIGHT, " MORE LIGHT." — Goethe. JOHN S. TAYLOE, 17, Ann-street. 1853. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by JOHN S. TAYLOR, In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New- York. CONTENTS. CHAP - PAGE. INTRODUCTION ... . 5 1 THE ANGEL OF THE FIELD 9 2 AN EASY WAT OF GETTING A STANDING IN SOCIETY .... 27 3 HARMONIOUS UNDERSTANDING OF TWO ARISTOCRATS, AND THEIR LOVE FOR INTRIGUE 38 4 AN ITALIAN PATRIOT ....'. 54 6 PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRAT 70 6 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS „ w ...... 88 7 PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE 109 8 CHURCH EDUCATION FOR CATHOLIC GIRLS 126 9 ADRIAN, OR A ROMAN CITIZEN UNDER THE PAPAL GOVERN- MENT 143 10 THE BOY AND THE SOLDIER 159 11 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM 177 12 SCENE FROM A EOOF 210 „ 13 PRIEST AND WOMAN 223 14 A MEETING OF SANFEDESTI 247 15 CONFESSION OF A RENEGADE 270 16 THE CONSPIRACY OF THE SANFF.DESTI 281 17 AN HOLOCAUST TO LIBERTY 304 18 THE MARRIAGE AND DEATH OF ADRIAN 317 19 FATHER FRANCISCO AND SIGNORA SAVINI 331 20 ELOPEMENT OF » WOMAN WITH A PRIEST . . .% 351 21 N1COLO SAVINI AND MATHIAS FORLI 364 22 THE CAPTORS AND THE CAPTIVES 372 23 TWO WOMEN, OR LOVE AND VENGEANCE 388 24 CONCLUSION « 413 TO OUR READERS. Some time before commencing this work, we were looking at the political map of the world, when our attention was particularly attracted by the various elements contending for power and supremacy ; and we were struck with surprise at the wonderful increase of Catholicism, and the influence it exercises upon the destinies of the world. Protestant England, unhappy Ireland, Jansenist Holland, philosophical Germany, turbulent and agitated Hesse-Saxe-Mecklenburgh, liberal Prussia, Calvinistic Switzerland, infidel France, schismatic Russia, despotic Austria, independent Poland, oppressed Italy, fanatic Spain, tottering Turkey, — all these countries, so differ- ent in government, so opposite in interests, so contra- dictory in spirit, so diverging in customs and manners, — each marking a distinct degree in the scale of civili- zation, are, at the present time, more or less, swayed, or strongly acted upon by Catholicism. VI INTRODUCTION. But, at the same time, and in direct ratio with that influence; we also discovered another nc ^ss striking fact. "We perceived, that wherever Catholicism was paramount, civilization was either at a low ebb, or decreasing, as, for instance, in Mexico and South America ; and that Catholicism and civilization were now, and had been for ages, in a continual state of antagonism. "We were also fully convinced, that wherever that form of religion was prospering, the relative liberties, acquired by the constant efforts of humanity, up to the present age, were constantly decreasing, — and that the greater the power of Eome, the less were the liberties of mankind. And, as most of the wrongs of humanity have grown out of despot- ism, we were forced to the conclusion, that there were in reality, at the present period, . but two powers in the world ! — the one, representing the past, with its attendant burden of ignorance, crimes, and miseries, *" called Catholicism ; the other, contending for the present, and foreshadowing the future, known under the name of Republicanism. All other powers, either religious or civil, are "but secondary constellations, moving in various orbits, and revolving on their axis, around the centre of these two INTRODUCTION. Vll principals, according to the amount of liberty or des- potism they contain. The past, Catholicism, concealing her fondling, despotism, under the cloak of religion : — the present, Republicanism, inscribing on its broad open flag, Liberty ! the liberation of mankind. It is around that simple, but expressive fact, that we have woven the woof of our story. "We have also used the historical name of Ciceroacchio, the Danton of the-Eoman revolution, and endeavored to portray in him, the character and principles of Republicanism, such as it is conceived and advocated among the most enlightened portion of the Italian people. So scrupulous have we been in the delineation of our characters, that we never took the pen without the conviction of portraying them from nature. The Italian peasantry; the Signora, a Jesuitic agent of priesthood ; the greedy host, wavering between money and liberty, but finally yielding to the latter ; the unflinching patriotism of Adrian, dying for his fellow-companions in Democracy ; the precocious genius of the Italian boy, . Jeronimo, whose devotedness to freedom, and repugnance to Catholicism foreshadows, in vivid light, the spirit of the coming generation ; the innocence, VU1 INTRODUCTION. love, and recantation of Carlotina; the talent, ambition, and passions of Father Francisco, a priest, whose eminent faculties, forced into a wrong channel by the compressing hand of the Church, were rioting in vices, instead of progressing in virtues, — all these characters, moving in the circle traced around them by the princi- ples they professed, are, we humbly believe, painted in keeping with the strictest law of the logic of the'human mind, and also in accordance with time, locality, and the teachings of history, the records of the Eoman Church, and the late events of the Italian revolution. And now, a word more. If this book possesses any merit for the principles it propounds, we owe it not to ourselves, but to a great American idea, an idea worthy to inspire a more eloquent pen than ours. Let us have a Eepublican literature ! Let our intel- lect bear the stamp of our institutions ! J9uch is the voice of the people. Yes ! Let us have a Eepublican literature ! It is under this general conviction, that we have been led -to write against the most powerful enemy of Eepublicanism, viz. : Catholicism ! CARLOTINA ea YHI &ra©!L OF TBI F0Ek®. w CHAPTER I. AN OUTLINE OF THE CAMPAGNA ROMANA, AND OP THE ROMAN PEASANTRY. _,' jr. On the outskirts of the city of Eome, among the numerous and desolate thoroughfares where~ usually gather,the poor and the ragged of the Eternal city, there was, at the time our history commences, a hotel called the " Angel of the Field." This hotel stood in the centre of a square,, surrounded by a couple of decayed •palaces, and some shabby houses — and had nothing in. its appearance which could call to mind any of the pure and sweet reminiscences involved in its name. All these buildings were ugly, massive, and decayed. In many places, large pieces of the plastering were de- 10 THE ANGEL OF THE FIELD. tached from the front wall, and presented rugged stones and grinning crevices in quaint outlines peeping from the uncovered surface of the granite. The windows were small, and trellised outside with a strong iron- worked net, similar to a sieve, and so old, that the rust had made the part cemented into the wall, bend under the weight of the trellis, and leave its horizontal posi- tion. Thus this appendage of the building, instead of performing its intended part, had shifted from its place, and descended below the window, leaving it uncovered and unprotected. The sight presented by such a dis- turbance of architectural rules, was at the same time pleasing and ludicrous, and furnished many a joke to the neighbors and passers by. Another striking pecu- liarity of this hotel, was the irregularity of its form, which may be accounted for by the variety and diver- sity of wings attached to it. These wings were, ori- ginally, distinct and separate buildings, but had, through the vicissitudes of time, been linked together by a few planks, thrown like flying bridges from one window to another, in the same manner as rough boards thrown over a stream, in order to enable bipeds and quadru- peds to cross it. As a consequence of the establish- ment of this serial railroad, windows had to lose their name, and become ennobled with the title of doors ; while doors, yielding to the caprices of fortune, relin- quished the lofty position they occupied before, and became windows. However, this change of functions, and the transformation of common dwelling-houses, THE ANGEL OF THE FIELD. 11 into hotels, did not cause any of them to look better ; the system of association did not improve their condition. They continued to be what they had been before,^ heap of ruins, made conspicuous by the grating noise of an old sign swinging from a projecting pole, over the side-walk, and — dangling and veering — Ijke a weather- cock, at the frolicksome sport of the wind. The " Angel of the Field," was not only a place of resort for the poor inhabitants of this thoroughfare, it was also frequented by the carretieri and contadini, (otherwise peasants,) coming from the adjoining coun- try, to the markets of Rome, to sell their produce. Twice in the week, Tuesdays and Fridays, it was crowded with farmers and farmers' wives, accompanied by their younger offspring, consisting of an unlimited number of urchins, carried in straw panniers thrown across the saddle. These panniers present an opening wide enough to allow a grown person to sit commo- diously between, and feel perfectly comfortable. Half- a-dozen young urchins, three on each side, are often seen in them, jostling, crying, eating and performing a multitude of other antics, perfectly indescribable. But generally the amusements on the route keep young and old in a perfect state of hilarity. Besides, they carry with them provisions sufficient to occupy the attention of the masticating powers of the young and noisy por- tion of this community ; while the more rational and thinking part, is busily engaged in the management of the whole concern, mules, horses, and children. 12 THE ANGEL OP THE FIELD. The hotel was kept by a man named Nioolo Savini. Nicolo was about fifty years old ; he had been married twenty years before, to a woman whose only occupation consisted seemingly in going to church two or three times a day, and protracting the hours she spent there, as much as she could. She had so adroitly managed her time, that when called for, nobody knew in which place she was — the church or the hotel — and more than once the servants of the house went to find her at the thurch when she was in hef room, and to her room when she was .in the church. The fact is, as this his- tory will show, that often times she was neither in one place or the other, Though arrived at a mature age of life, the Signora Savini was yet fresh and attractive ; she had flashing black eyes, a profusion of dark hair, a smiliDg mouth, and knew so well how to make all these advantages conspicuous, that a great many persons swore she was preferable to any young girl of the neighborhood. Besides, she possessed the great talent of giving a value to every one of her charms, by a rich toilette, a careful study of the expression of her face, and a deep knowledge of the thousand secrets known to women alone, and used by them with such ability in the conquest of man's heart. These seducing qualities derived a greater lustre from the high reputation of sanctity enjoyed by the Signora among her friends and acquaintances, and the veil of devotion under which she sheltered her fame, covered, at the ssme time, the world- liness of her mind, and the fashionable appearance of THE ANGEL OF THE FIELD. 13 her person. Such was the ability with which she had, until then, combined the love of the church with her love of the world, that it was impossible to say whifth exercised the greatest sway over her. She was situ- ated, in public opinion, mid-way between the two heri- tages of the future world — heaven and hell — but nobody knew what part of the road she was traveling on, or to which she was the nearest. As for her husband, he was a true type of the Italian contadino, prudent, considerate, saving and practical. Polite toward strangers, sometimes to servility, tremb- bling before the police, familiar with his friends, obse- quious to the priests, and "especially devoted to his own peculiar interests ; his reverence and attentions were given to those who paid him best. His heart was com- posed of the sparkling substance he loved so well, and just as hard ; his half-shut eye-lids were only moved by its glittering, and his ears only sensible to its jingle. His cogitations had Mammon for an object ; even his dreams were full of golden visions. The continual pre- sence of the many people passing and repassing in his house, had destroyed his sensibilities toward his neigh- bor, and made his affections a vast reservoir, the surface of which was smooth and polished, and the bottom paved with pauh* Nicolo smiled, shook hands, drank with all and bowed to every one he supposed to have a well-lined pocket. He did not love or hate any person, and these two passions were perfectly at rest within his * Italian money, equal to about ten cents. 14 THE ANGEL OF THE FIELD. breast, unless the former had gold for its object, and the latter an Englishman. These peculiarities excepted, Nicolo Savini was in his character, manners, and habits, a complete personification of the Italian inn-keeper, one of those men whose social position spoils the heart and the mind, and who, by their very occupation, are ren- dered servile flatterers and egotists. At the time this history commences — March, 1847 — nature had just opened her new-born charms to the soft and balmy breezes of the Spring. The earth laid bare the treasures of her bosom-, like a maiden who first feels her passion strengthened with the favor sought for, she decked herself with an enchanting dress of blooming flowers, in honor of her lover. Everything around, in the country, seemed wakening with joy and hope. Numerous flocks were seen in the valleys and along the sloping hills, cropping the growing grass, the lambs frisking in the lawn, the kids on the peaks of the rocks, all adding, by their animal levity, to the gayety of the rural scene. The grass was so thick and so tall, that the wandering goats scattered here and there, were hidden by the tufts, and the awkward and heavy oxen slept secluded from the inquisitive look of the cattle- driver, behind their protecting shade. From the midst of the dark field of verdure sprung up, from place to place a crest of some wild flowers, whose golden hue contrasting with the deep green of the prairie, seemed a spark of light, visiting, in a stormy day, the unknown depth of the ocean. In some places the tall grass sud- THF ANGEL OP THE FIELD. 15 denly vanished, as if burned by an angry flash from Heaven, and masses of red rock towered upward, cast- ing their reflection on the surrounding objects, to which they imparted a dismal hue. In other places the land- scape was agreeably diversified by gardens, splendidly decorated and divided into parterres, interspersed with picturesque laurel groves, where the swift lark, the lively gold-finch, and the melodious nightingale, were sporting and warbling, night and day, amidst the fra- grancy of flowers. These gardens belonged to magni- ficent palaces, called in the Italian vernacular, villas, or Koman country-seats ; they were exclusively inhabi- ted by the Eoman nobility and priesthood, and some- times rented to English lords, who had come there to spend the winter and recruit the strength that had been injured by a prodigal youth, or escape the contamina- tion of the spleen which hangs like an incubus over the atmosphere of London. These residences so really delightful, form an object eagerly desired among the fashion or " upper-tendom" of the old continent. Their terraced roofs, monumental collonaded porticos, ele- gantly ornamented and fluted galleries, were dressed with the shining leaves of the creeping ivy, mixed with the variegated striped bells of the convolvulus, whose multifarious colors delight the eyes with their diversity. These princely habitations stand in the Campagna Romana, as a monument of the greatness and artistical taste of past ages, and as a remembrance of Italian aristocracy and pride. The remains of the magnifi- cence and splendor of the middle ages, are brought 16 THK ANGEL OF THE FIELD. back to the mind, and the visitor is forced to recollect the greatness, power, and luxury that once existed in Italy. The prodigies of the old masters, fruits of the genius of past ages, hang in these palaces, and gratify the senses of those who have enough artistic taste to ap- preciate excellence, as well as teach lessons to the aspiring artists from all lands, who strive in vain to rival the efforts of former times. But these splendid mansions are no longer inhabited- by the luxury-loving Italians of former days ; in the hands of their present proprietors they have become places of midnight revelry ; their marble walls, gaudy decorations, and architectural excellencies are no more the pride of the country; on the page of history, aris- tocratic Italy is described as having darkened- its rfbrmer splendor by the coarsest passions, and the deep- est stains of vice and infamy. "We" have said that the market-days at Rome, at- tracted to the Hotel of the ■" Angel of the Field," an unusual concourse of people from all quarters of the Campagna Romana, who come to sell their produce, and buy in return the pfovisions^ecessary for keeping their farms, and supplying the wants of their families. This, being a market-day,, a large number of wagons, teeming with market supplies of every description, were seen moving on the road with that sluggishness, and also with that safety, common to Roman mules and people. Once arrived at the small square upon which the " Angel of the Field" was exhibiting, like the THE ANGEL OF THE FIELD. 17 Sphinx of old, its incongruous structure, the wagons made a halt, to the great delight of the animals and drivers, who availed themselves of the opportunity to quench their thirst ; the one at the well of pure water, the other at the wine merchant's : but as the men were not generally so expeditious as the beasts of burden, the consequence W;as, the incumbrance resulting from the gathering of "the four-wheeled vehicles ■ at the hotel- square was in a proportionate ratio with the thirst of the drivers. The accumulation of wagons, I would rather say, the thirst of the drivers, was so protracted as to hinder, sometimes, the navigation of the road to more active farmers,' who wanted to profit by the lazi- ness of their competitors, and reach the city before the market should get glutted by too many traders. As it was Lent time, a season reverenced by the few, who pay attention to the commandments of the Catholic church, the farmers' carts were chiefly loaded with vegetables, such as salads, beans, cabbages, and other greens, heaped up in large hampers open at the top, and secured by a netting which entwined leaves and roots in a tight embrace. Sometimes, however, part of an attractive vegetable peeping out of its prison, offered- a tempting prize to the appetite of a sturdy ox, whose rough tongue appropriated to itself that portion not secured by the meshes of the net, much to the de- light of the urchins of the neighborhood, who laughed to their hearts' content, ,at the trick played by the sober animal, at the expense of the drinking farmer. Some "heavier carriages were loaded with small trusses 18 THE ANGEL OF THE FIELD. of hay, sacks of oats and bran, and other produce of a similar description, destined as food for cattle and horses. These trusses and sacks were marked with a large B., and what is worthy of remark, all had the same initial, though they belonged to different wagons, and were evidently owned by different proprietors. That day, there were a great number standing at Nicolo Savini's door. Many purchasers were flock- ing about, trying to profit by the abundance of the supply, and striving to make the scale of the bargain turn to their side. But to the great amazement and displeasure of the speculators, their contemplated ope- rations vanished into smoke before the sturdiness of the countrymen who did not wish to hear of any proposi- tion until they had reached the city, and when through the incessant solicitations of the buyers, the farmers were obliged to decline telling the motives of their re- fusal, they did so in pointing out to the purchaser the letter inscribed upon the trusses and sacks, adding, at the same time, that all their goods were consigned to the man whose initial they could see printed. " Tell me the reason why," said a cattle-driver to one of the farmers then standing near his wagon, " you direct all your produce to that infernal scoundrel of a Ciceroacchio, the stupid idol of the people, and the most dangerous demagogue of the Papal States ? Is not our money as good, as his ?" Such an attack on a man idolized by the countrymen, caused at once a flash of indignation in the look of the person addressed, and was the signal for a general THE ANGEL OP THE FIELD. 19 quarrel ; soon a crowd of people, attracted by the loud disputing of the cattle-drivers, and the moody indigna- tion of the farmers, gathered around, ready to castigate the insolent calumniator of Giceroacchio. One of the farmers, lifting his hand to pacify the angry multitude, replied in a cool tone : " Your money, sir, may perhaps be as good, if not as honorably gained, as the Cicero- acchio's, but your word may not be so trustworthy. We have been so often cheated by you and your like, that we have determined not to deal with anybody but an honest man. "We may say, without injuring any- body's honor, or integrity, that we are now dealing with one, to whom our citizens at large, grant all the qualities of an upright, if not of a great man, and that one, the object of your base invectives and narrow jealousy, is as you know, and as every one knows, the great and good Roman patriot, Angelo Brunetti, the ' friend of the people, the courageous and incorruptible advocate of our rights and liberties, whom we all call Giceroacchio. " Sangua della Madona," replied a cattle-driver, a stout man, built like Hercules, with a heavy neck and broad shoulders, " I am tired of hearing that name so often repeated. It shocks my ears at least twenty times a day. By Lucifer, I believe there is not a rock or prairie in all the dominions of his Holiness, through which that name has not been echoed and re-echoed. There is not a shrine upon the road, or a tree along the wood, into which the knife of some of your lazy fellows has not carved or engraved it. It offends my eyes as 20 THE ANGEL OF THE FIELD. much as my ears, and though I scratch it out, every time I meet it, it nevertheless appears anew, as if some invisible hand wanted to torment me." " Can you tell us," replied the farmer, " the cause of your animosity against Oiceroacchio ? Has he ever in- jured you in any way ? Has he directly interfered in your business, or, in a word, have you any personal motive of anger against him ? We cannot admit that such inveterate abuse is the mere offspring of a rivalry of trade. Jealousy does not assume the appearance of hatred. You certainly have some other reasons, behind which, you hide your resentment. Let us know them, and if you are right, we promise you that justice will be done, as well in the interests of your own honor, as that of Ciceroacchio's." " If I had any other reason to give than the anger- of God, against the impious blasphemer who is deluding the people with the name of a Republic,* and trying to * The Eoman cattle-driver was, according to appearances, one of those numerous and unhappy victims of the system of educa- tion followed in Italy, and which is exclusively entrusted to the Jesuits, under the supervision of the Emperor of Austria. Thou- sands and thousands of political and religious catechisms are spread in the schools, teaching the pupils servility towards their sovereigns, and obedience to their superiors. We give here a few extracts of one of these catechisms : Q. How ought subjects to conduct themselves towards their sovereign 1 A. Subjects ought to behave towards their sovereign like faith- ful slaves toward their master. Q. -Why ought they to behave like slaves? THE ANGEL OF THE FIELD. 21 shake off the power of our Holy Father, the Pope, by exciting them against him, I would have ample ground before Heaven to justify my hatred. But your imbe- cility is for me sufficient motive. Do I not see every day, how that contemptible demagogue uses you for A. Because the sovereign is their master, and his power extends over their property as over their persons. Q. Is it a blessing that God bestows, in giving us good or Chris- tian kings or superiors "i A. Tes, it is one of the greatest blessings the Deity can bestow, when he gives ns good and Christian kings and superiors, such as those under whom we have the happiness to dwell. We ought to pray that God will grant a long life and a long reigu to our beloved Monarch. There are a great many of these catechisms circulating all over Italy. They differ in form, but all agree in the end. 2,721 copies are spread in the Lombard schools alone, together with 13,057 copies of a pitiful, servile, religious manual, of which we will give extracts hereafter. The instruction given in that portion of Italy, is almost null in its effects : in the rural elementary schools especially. The igno- rance and the negligence of the masters are proverbial; their salary is very small, and they are not sufficient for the number of scholars, all of an age requiring special attention. Musical instruc- tion is proscribed, the direction of the schools is confined to the curate, to the commissary, and to the delegate. They can dismiss the master at their pleasure. In those schools the master is required to make a minute report to Government of the conduct of the scholars. The teaching is confined to a few elementary notions of spelling, writing, arithme- tic, exercise of memory upon the psalms, hymn for the Emperor of Austria twice a day, the study of the aforesaid catechism and prayers for the Pope. They have not a single Italian History, and the Italian literature is forbidden. 22 THE ANGEL OP THE FIELD. the benefit of his criminal designs ! Are you not a mere tool in his hands ?" " How ?" cried the angry crowd, now as thick as locusts, and pressing round the cattle-driver with angry looks and threatening gestures. " How is that ? Ex- plain yourself!" " Yes," answered the cattle-driver, " you stupid, silly, deluded creatures, you are but the tools of that fiol d'un cane, (son of a dog), Ciceroacchio. If one of your lazy-boned contadini takes it into his head to sell his crop for twice its value, he says, Ciceroacchio will give me so much, and off he goes. If an old man, out of his wits, wishes to spend the balance of his decrepit age in indolence and drunkenness, he exclaims, ' Cicero- acchio is our father, he will provide for our wants;' and off he goes. If a man is afflicted with a son whose mind he cannot train or character subdue, he goes and finds the Ciceroacchio, who trains and subdues his rebel offspring. If an old woman gets into matrimonial difficulties, and wants to have the matter adjusted, out she goes for application to that damned Ciceroacchio, who settles the difficulty and sets husband and wife on good terms again. If any beggarly, ragged, impudent fellow, complains of a pretended wrong to the police, or has any imaginary wrong, for which to get redress against a priest, then the activity of Ciceroacchio is as unbounded as the great enemy of mankind can wish. He has no rest, no sleep, no tranquillity, until by some infernal process, he has endeavored to establish the pre- tended rights of the beggarly impostor, and obtains THE ANGEL OF THE TIELD 23 satisfaction. His whole soul is engaged in the task, 'and he is filled with delight at the triumph. He glories in being called a Republican. He rejoices at that hor- rid appellation, offensive to God, to intelligence, and reason, as Lucifer rejoiced at having raised his arm against our Creator. Finally, the name of that man is always spoken of, and his assistance resorted to on all occasions and under all circumstances. The repetition of that unchristinn name irritates me beyond measure. I am disgusted with him altogether. I swear upon the shrine of the Holy Virgin, this thing must stop, or the man must die." And in uttering these bloody words, the cattle-driver, with a frantic look, and the foam of anger upon his lips, raised his hands, and made the ges- ture of a man stabbing another in the heart. The hand raised as if to execute the bloody purpose, had not yet resumed its former position, when a blow from the handle of a loaded whip, directed by an un- known arm, descended with the swiftness of lightning upon the head of the declaimer. This blow was given so adroitly and with so much rapidity, that nobody saw whence the attack came, or to whom the whip belonged ; so violent was it, that the Hercules fell, like a lightning stricken oak. It was apparent that no hopes of recov- ery could be reasonably entertained in favor of the wounded man ; from his open cranium, divided into several channels by the entanglement of a thick mass of dark hair, the blood was flowing in different direc- tions, whilst the victim, stretched out like a corpse upon the dusty road, was growing paler and paler, and 24 __3E ANGEL OP THE FIELD. rapidly losing his strength with his life. The symptoms of death were so remarkably stamped upon his face,- that none of the men then on the spot, attempted to re- move him from his position, or stop the blood. " Murder ! murder 1" exclaimed several voices. And immediately the residents of the neighborhood, all the inmates of the " Angel of the Field" men, women, and children, ran at full speed to the place where the cries were uttered. As soon as the spectacle of the wounded man met their eyes, the women, angels always ready to devote themselves to the relief of others, knelt around the dying man, and with that pious hurry, which sacri- fices everything to impulse, they wrested their hand- kerchiefs from their bosoms, and tried to staunch with them the blood gushing from his head. Their efforts, however, were of no avail. Death had marked his vic- tim, and all the skill in the world would not have res- cued him from his grasp. " Who killed that man ?" asked a strong voice in the crowd. " Who dared to lay a sacrilegious hand upon a son of the people ? None of us, I hope. My friends, let us go and wash ourselves from the imputa- tionof murder. Who has done this deed ? Let us discover him and bring before the magistrate the proof of our.innocence," said the farmers in a chorus. , But, alas ! this appeal of honesty remained unan- swered. A contemptuous silence prevailed among the people during, the inquisition. Nobody seemed.to care for the question. The passiveness of the multitude was so great that not a single heart was moved, not THF ANGEL OF THE FIELD. 25 a glance disturbed, nor could a single frowning brow be perceived. Ears were shut, and tongues were mute. The crowd was ie that moment absorbed in watching with marks of 'gnat attention, the progress of agony upon the pallid face of the dying man. " Take him to the hotel," said an old farmer, moved with compassion at the dismal spectacle : " he will be better there than on the dusty road." This advice was immediately complied with. A few young men approached the moribond, and making a sort of litter with their joined hands, carried him, as well as they could, to the hotel. But their assistance proved rather fatal than profitable. The last moment of the cattle-driver had come, and he had to enter the last path of all mortality. Life had fled from his pow- erful frame during the transmission. A last quivering, a general shuddering of the muscles, and a sudden alteration of his features, announced that his end had come, and that the soul had departed from his body. When the young men laid the cattle-driver upon the sofa in the hotel, he was nothing but a corpse. A great bustle and confusion followed. The death ■af a man in the peaceful hotel of Signor Nicolo Savini, was too strange an event, not to attract the attention of the people. Every person wanted to cast a glance upon the dead body, but, strange to relate, there was not, amidst that procession of persons coming and going, a single one who inqui/ed the nature of the death, and the causes that produced it. Nobody was bold or curious enough to repeat the question, " who killed 26 HE ANGEL OF THE FIELD. him?" A complete silence prevailed on that subject. It seemed as if an act of justice had just been accom- plished through the stern hand of a legal tribunal, and the sentence of death received its application. The cattle-driver being generally looked upon as a danger- ous man, every person felt, in his conscience,, that his punishment, inscribed in the book of Providence, had been executed. Thus, nobody was anxious to examine what hand had fulfilled that decree, since, in public opinion, justice had been suspended only for a time, and had now claimed its prey. CHAPTEE II. AN EASY WAY OP GETTING A STANDING IN SOCIETY. Whilst this bloody scene of murder was perpetra- ting, in the midst of the bustle and confusion, a woman, carefully wrapped up in a sort of black silk dress, a garment which could have been mistaken as well for a domino, as for a cloak, was seen stealthily slipping through one of the lanes, and walking with hasty steps towards the house of the " Angel of the Field." She evidently was under the stings of strong mental excite- ment, for she did not notice any of the tenants of her house, who, seeing her in her morning costume, called her by her name, and greeted her with a " Good day, Signora Savini ! good day ! Do you come from some poor countryman's hovel ? Oh, yes, you do ! So charitable ! so kind ! You really are the benefactress of us all. Good morning, Signora Savini ! Good ' morning, good mother ! Can we do anything for you ?" These welcomes, pronounced by the women and men she met on her way, did not seem to attract any attention on the part of the Signora, for it was herself 28 POSITION IN SOCIETY. who was at that hour of the day walking, at great pace, through the tortuous lanes to the hotel. When- ever she met a warm reception on her way, she in- stinctively, rather than consciously bowed, without uttering a word. Her folded arms were shielded from the morning dew by the pelerine of her over- dress. Had anybody's glance penetrated through the silkworm tissue, he would have seen the little white hand of the Signora, restless with impatience, fumbling a sealed letter, whilst the other twisted the little golden chain, to which was suspended a rich crucifix ornamented with diamonds. The demarch, the countenance, the look of that woman, was such as would have deceived the most strict observer of modesty. Seen with her head re- clined, her eye cast down, as if too pious to glance at the profane spectacle of ! the world, one would have taken her for one of those sainted persons, devoted to the service of the Almighty, and spending, in prayer and good works, the time used to be lavished by; the favorite of Mammon, in luxury and profligacy. Every thing outward was irreproachably ivirtuous ; even the cocoa beads, which were purposel® left dropping from one of her pockets, seemed to indicate the recent occupation of her mind. On arriving at the hotel, she was informed of the circumstances of the murder, and running towards the dead man, placed her hands upon his cold heart. Then shaking her head, with an expression of " all is over," she knelt by the side of. the moribond, and POSITION IN SOCIETY. 29 pulling out her chaplet, she took each one by one, and rehearsed, always on her knees, seventy-two paters and aves, and half-a-dozen of credoes. When she had done praying she rose, and looked around her, to see what effect her piety had produced upon the bystanders. Alas ! the room, crammed when she entered it, was now empty, with the exception of two old wrinkled women, whose angular jaws and bony face could have been used as an excellent specimen for the demonstra- tion of an osteological problem. A sensation of disappointment ran over her pretty face, like a ripple on the quiet surface of the water. Unclasping herself from her mantle, she called the female servants of the house, who hastened to come. Then, taking as soft a voice as ever human creature has possessed, she kindly said to them : " Sarha, you will go to Mr. Dabelli, the undertaker ; tell him that a dead man is in our house, that we should like to see him, and have a coffin made ex- pressly for the dead." " But, Signora," observed a waiter, " the city pro- vides the poor with coffins, gratuitously. Tou need not go into any expenses for it." " Do as I tell you to do," modestly replied the Sig- nora. " It will not be said, that a man, dying in our house, and thrown by the will of God under our imme- diate care, will apply to public charity, in order to be buried." " "What an excellent mistress you are I" observed the servant. 30 POSITION IN SOCIETY. " Then, Sarha, when you have done this errand, you will call at Father Francisco's, my confessor ; inform him of the circumstances of the affair. Beg him to come. Tell him the dead needs his holy prayers, to be received among the just ; and that his blessings can as well help the one who is in heaven, as those who remain on the earth." " I shall not fail to follow your commands, Signora," replied the servant. " Those who serve such holy persons as you and Father Francisco, never can use too much zeal and devotedness in the accomplishment of their duty." " Very well, my good Sarha, you shall be rewarded for your sentiments ; hasten to perform your errands, and try, if possible, to bring along with you Mr. Dobelli, the undertaker, and Father Francisco." " Feliciana," said the Signora, to another servant standing by her, " after Sarha has gone out, Feliciana, you shall go to the garden, gather the best roses, com- pose as handsome a bouquet as you may find, and take it to the altar of the Virgin Mary." " Yes, Signora ;" replied the servant. " Don't forget," continued the Signora, " to kneel before her, and to recite one hundred and forty-four aves, for the soul of that poor cattle-driver. You may, through your intercession, help that poor sinner to clean out his conscience, and to appear before the Almighty, as white as a lamb." " Do you think me virtuous enough, and the prayers I will utter," observed the servant, " sufficiently effi POSITION IN SOCIETY. 31 cdcious to have the power to release ficm the flames, the black-hearted sinner who has just departed this world ?" " "What is that, young girl ?" vehemently retorted the Signora. " Faith ! I think you assume upon yourself the right of reasoning. Beware ! the tempter is close by, ready to pounce upon the unhappy creature who trusts in her rational faculties. Is this what I taught you ? What an aberration of conduct 1 I hope, Feliciana, this will be the last token of inde- pendence you will give in this house. This is, indeed, a very bad example." " Don't give yourself up to anger,'' replied Feliciana. " I go, Signora ; I go to do as you have told me. Another time I will not be so bold as to express such foolish suggestions. You must excuse me ; I came from the country, from among peasants, who have pretty much the custom to express themselves freely on all subjects. It is in their society, that my mind has been slightly tainted with wrong notions." " For which, I expect, you will atone in the confes- sional," said the Signora. " Now let me tell you further what I wish you to do. After having depo- sited the bouquet upon the altar of the Virgin Mary, and recited the number of prayers I recommended you to say, you will go to St. Joseph's altar, and change the faded branch of lily for a fresh one." " Yes, Signora." " Then you. will go to Carlotine's room, and ask her if she has finished the embroidered cloth fo r the main altar." 32 POSITION IN SOCIETY. " Yes, Signora." " Now, let me see : No ; that is all. I don't think 1 have anything else to tell you. You will remember every thing, Feliciana, will you ?" " Oh, yes ! Signora. The bouquet for the Virgin Mary's altar, one hundred and forty-four aves for the cattle-driver, a fresh lily for St. Joseph, and your commission to Carlotine. Is not that all ?" " Very well, Feliciana ; I see your memory is better than your judgment. Now you may go. Peter," added she, to a male servant also in the room, " take these two florins to that poor woman with a sick child, that we saw yesterday. I shall go myself to her, as soon as my time allows." " What an excellent woman 1" thought the persons in the room, on hearing the Signora Savini ; " What a model of piety and charity ! No one can excel her in the performance of good." a;,-?, " Feliciana," added the Signora, whose interrogative glance seemed to absorb with avidity the testimony of favorable impressions she had caused upon the minds of the bystanders, " Feliciana, my girl, there is not far from your route, a poor carpenter, who broke his legs the other day, by falling from the roof of a house. Go to him, and ask whether we can do anything for him." This new proof of delicate charity, which anticipated even the wants of the necessitous, and saved them from the shame of asking, excited, to its utmost pitch, the admiration and respect of the witnesses of this scene. All the persons present, all, one excepted, seemed to be completely overwhelmed with the good POSITION IN SOCIETY. 33 ness and liberality of the landlady oPthe " Angel of the Field." But who, in that moment of unanimous feelings of respect and admiration, could refrain from joining in such a spontaneous tribute ? Oould therejbe in the room a being, hardened enough against the "communi- cative influence of virtue, to refuse paying .due re- spect to such saintly actions as those just performed by the Signora ? "Who could be that old, indurated 6inner, recreant to the display of a catalogue of virtues such as those just now exhibited ? Was he a being born in shame, educated in crime, and living in infamy ? Was he deaf, dumb, and blind to the moral power of good ? Had he spent the long train of his days in the contaminating influence of vice ? Alas ! whatever may be the thoughts of our readers, respecting the perversity of such a creature, we must, however, say, in honor to truth, who he was ; leaving to the following chapters the care of displaying to their eyes, a full view of the characters of the persons involved in our story. The only creature showing himself unwilling to bow before the shining merits of the Signora, was no other than a lad about ten years old, of a slender frame, sur- mounted by a large head, whose expression — rather older than his age — seemed to indicate a precocious maturity of thought, not usually found among boys of the same number of years. That head was covered with a beautiful forest of fair hair, the curls of ♦ • which, falling behind, floated upon his shoulders, 34 POSITION IN SOCIETY. like the hair of "a Franc chieftain. His feat ares beam- ing with intelligence, were perpetually in motion, and bo vivid were his feelings, that his face reflected like a mirror, the impressions of his soul. His eyes, of a chestnutOiue, gleamed with an extraordinary lustre. It was impossible to look at that boy and not be struck with the idea of a superior creature. The shape of his head, pre-eminent on the forehead, and sufficiently elongated behind, would have satisfied any phrenologist on that point. Whether the previous gifts so plenti- fully bestowed on that child, had been developed for good or for bad, is a thing which will be shown here- after. We hasten to state this fact, that whatever may be the important part he is called to play in the pro- gress of this narrative, he had been amply provided with faculties equal to circumstances, so as not to let circum- stances overcome him. That boy was known in the " Hotel of the Angel of the Field," under the name of Jeronimo. Left an orphan at an early age, in some remote part of the country, the name of which he never would tell, he came one morning, on his way to Rome, to the above- named hotel, rested a moment on the steps at the door, and pulling a piece of dry bread from his pocket, he commenced eating his frugal pittance with the appe- tite usual among the hungry countrymen of Italy. The poor boy seemed to be in a destitute condition. His head was only protected by the thick mass of his beau- tiful hair, and his feet still less than his head, were only covered with a heavy coat of mud, which he had gath- POSITION IN SOCIETY. 35 ered on the road. His youth, his destitution, and his appetite, attracted the attention of Nicolo, the landlord, ■who being then in want of a boy, soon concluded a bar- gain with him. The boy remained at Savino's house, and hired himself for the term of one year. His ser- vices were to be rewarded in the shape of his boarding, lodging, and dressing. No money was to be added to these paltry conditions. During the conversation of Signora Savini with her servants, Jeronimo had remained hidden in a corner of the room, seated on a chair, his knees on a level with his chin, his two hands on his knees, and his head be- tween his hands. He seemed to be a patient listener to what was going on, rather than a participant in the scene. He did not move from his position, except when it was the turn of the Signora to speak ; then he raised his head, twisted his mouth, pulled his tongue, grinned, and then placing his head again in his two hands, resumed his position. He thus continued the same manoeuvre, till the Signora having achieved to distribute her orders, turned towards him, and with rather a seirere voice, exclaimed : " What are you doing there, little rogue ? Do you think I am the gull of your feigned obedience ? Your softness, sir, the apparent pliability- of your character, are all artifices. You are a hypocrite, sir. Go and hide yourself in your room, study your catechism, and learn from that divine book, the duties you seem so little; to understand." " I am going, Signora," replied the boy, humbly ; and 36 POSITION IN SOCIETY. leaving his position, he wentout of the room, not without secretly making a gesture of contempt with his hand, behind the Signora, who, standing by the door, was addressing the two aged women, bidding them to stay there awhile till the undertaker should come. It was not long before the Signora herself left the apartment. Having asked one of the waiters whether two strangers had not entered the hotel, she was answered affirmatively ; then taking the way of the parlor, into which these two men had been introduced, she prepared herself for her interview by the following soliloquy, muttered in a low voice on her way. " Now," said she, speaking to herself, " everything seems to bid fair for our future success. The scheme laid down by the powerful mind which moves and ani- mates the policy of Rome, has shot its branches into the spirit of foreign diplomacy, and promises to become a stated fact in the intentions of potentates. Meanwhile, the partizans of reform seem to lose ground every- where. Thanks to the action of the Sanfedesti, scorn and contempt are every day heaped upon the name of Soman democrats. The honest society of Rome, the partizans of peace and order, are ready to unite in a crusade against the enemies of public security. Let us go to work. The task is noble, and better, the reward is worthy the effort. The murder just committed by the friends of Ciceroacchio, is well calculated to bring odiousness on his party. Like Abel's blood, it will stain the whole race of his fratricide republicans. Joy to us ! Joy to the church ! Eome is again triumph- POSITION IN SOCIETY. 37 ant, and leads the van of civilization. . . . Now, I have this letter to deliver to these two noble lords, the secret agents of English policy. Beware of my- self! ' Discretion and craft,' said Father Francisco, in handing me this paper. I must be as cool and as impenetrable as marble. Let us go : my countenance is to vouch for the importance of my mission." In thus saying, she arrived at the door of the parlor, which she gently opened, and skipping through, she found herself in the society of two gentlemen. CHAPTEE III. HARMONIOUS UNDERSTANDING OF TWO ARISTOCRATS, AND THEIR LOVE FOR INTRIGUE. Let us enter the room where the two gentlemen were now seated, and without indulging in a graphic description of that apartment, an occupation that we leave to the imagination of our readers, let us go straight at once to the personages themselves, and describe them as well as possible. Could we master the pencil of a Correggio, or handle the brush of a Eubens, we would take care not to apply them in the present emergency. To say the truth, it would be prostituting both, to use the tools of genius in the delineation of these two personages. Supposing it was the case here, to ask and obtain the gift of some of the eminent geniuses of old, in order to give a perfect resemblance of the original, we would, perhaps, have ventured to ask the assistance of Hoff- man, the painter of eccentricities. But as this privilege has not yet been granted to our fervid prayers, we will, all alone, and independently of any invocation to the ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. 39 muses, endeavor to give, in all its truth and candor, the full front-face of these two strangers to our readers. Both had names and titles ; and, as a consequence, both had an ample provision of self-conceit and preju- dices. They were English, motives of pride ; lords, an excuse for aristocratic feelings. They wore starched collars, had much stiffness of sentiment, plenty of red hair on their heads, and very little principle in their bosoms. Selfish and pale, vain and thin, cool and keen, nature, or rather education, had done for them what she did for the toad ; she had made them re- pulsive. Neither in shape or in morals were they handsome. Ugliness, the result of a life of sensuality, as well as pride, the conclusion of a false education, were marked in broad lines on their sunken cheeks and bald fore- heads. As close to caricature as a laughable object can be, the sternness of their glances, arrested on the lips the smile ready to break out. They would have been ridiculous, had it not been for the haughtiness of this glance ; odious, had not the stamp of raillery flourished, and expanded itself in broad and distinct characteristics all over their motley individuality. In fact, the classification of these two men would have puzzled a Buffon or a Cuvier, the two princes of ana- lysis ; they rather seemed to be an exotic production of the land we live in, rather than- something grown in it ; and like the parasitical excrescence on the trees, 40 ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. they lived on society at the expense of its sap and marrow. " Well," said the tallest of the two, addressing his companion, " what do you think, Lord John, of our little morning walk ?" " To speak candidly, Lord Momento," replied the person called Lord John, " I thought you was going to lead me to quite a different place. What idea have you had, to choose such a lizard's nest for the aim of our promenade ?" ' A lizard's nest," exclaimed Lord Momento, lower- ing his voice, " hush, my friend ! hush ! Pray, don't slander this place. It would bode us ill luck. On the contrary, my friend, nothing more charming ; upon my word it is." " Faith 1" exclaimed Lord John, " I hope you are not going to call this rubbish charming ? " Lovely ! lovely !" " You ruin your taste, by such an appreciation." " Euins always conceal life." " They also shelter vipers." K " And hawks, the emblem of wisdom." " Who dare not go out by daylight." " But who catch birds without moving, and by the single attraction of their glances." " Whom do you call hawks ?" asked Lord John. " The Sanfedesti,"* replied Lord Momento. * The society called " Sanfedesti" or Holy Faithites, is a secret association, well-organized, like freemasonry, carbonarism, &c, ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. 41 " Your Sanfedesti appear to me to be a selected band of thieves and rogues, and should I speak my mind, I would say, assassins ;" retorted Lord John. " They are a religious association," observed Lord Momento. " And because they wear the badge of religion, you stick to them ; is it not ? Will you not turn a monk yourself, one of these days ? "What would say your brothers in faith, if such a change was to take place ?" " They would congratulate me, and say that I have yielded to political necessities." " "Would you make your conscience subservient to such a miserable consideration ?" " Must I stand against the pressure of circumstances for the sake of a foul stubbornness ?" " Lord Momento, you have no conscience at all." " Lord John, your wisdom would lodge itself in a fly's head." " Lord Momento, you lower the fame of England, through your petty manoeuvres and underground in- trigues." " Lord John, your obstinacy has worked out the ruin of cabinets in which you have participated. Your rigidity of principle and stiffness of opinion, will be the test of all powers in which you will have a hand." " Better to work out ruin with noble means, than to but haying for its object, the maintenance of Priestcraft and Kingcraft — instead of the extension of liberty and civilization. The Jesuits were the founders of this organization. It exists in all countries, though its centre lies in the States of the Church. 42 ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. work out shame by disgraceful acts," replied Lord John. " Better to save the country by yielding a little, aDd existing after, than to hurl it into an abyss by resisting at first, and resisting always." " You call your relation with the Sanfedesti, yielding : I call that wallowing in mire." " The Sanfedesti," said Lord Momento, " together with the Jesuits, are the right arm of the church of Rome. The church of Rome, the pillar of all aristoc- racy, and the aristocracy the stronghold of England. Now-a-days, he who has the hand has the heart, and the hand of the Sanfedesti can uphold the very edifice that you so awkwardly have left tottering on the verge of a precipice." " Precipice, sir ! No other hands but Whigs' have ever dug any," said Lord John, with a vehement accent. " You don't see the one you have dug yourself, be- cause we have filled it with the Tories' carcasses," re plied Lord Momento. " Carcasses, sir ! carcasses ! could you not choose better expressions. " Be cool, sir, and please answer my questions. You will see afterwards, if I am not right to act as I do." " Very well, Sir, I listen," replied Lord John ; " it will not be said that my patience has not been in keep- ing with the rules of thestrictest regard for your person." " Let us talk in earnest," gravely replied Lord Momento. " You are aware, sir, of the object of my ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. 43 mission here. The English cabinet wishing to know the true position of the spirits in Italy, has sent me hither with secret instructions. To the fulfillment of these instructions, all my efforts must tend, for on these instructions depend the whole platform of Lord Pal- merston's policy." " Well, sir ! what of these instructions ? Are they for peace or war; for the Pope, for the king, or for the people ?" inquired Lord John. " For neither, and for all," retorted Lord Momenta, " that is to say for England." " And how can you reach your end ?" continued Lord John. " In trusting on events,'' replied Lord Momenta. "But events have no principles," exclaimed Lord John. " They have one, and that is the greatest of all — it is safety." " Safety is no principle at all," replied Lord John. " For the safety of to-day, may be the danger of to- morrow." " Then the danger becomes principle," retorted Lord Momenta. " Admirable ! admirable !" replied Lord John, struck with amazement. " Is it that which you call Whig policy ?" " Not only policy but wisdom," replied Lord Momento. " Then I give up the discussion, for in the name of 44 ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. God, I shudder to listen to such doctrines. What do you expect here ?" " I will tell you. I expect a message." " Where from ?" inquired Lord John. " From a priest." " Can you tell his name ?" " Father Francisco." " Who is he ?" " A man of genius, and ambition ; whose faculties are great enough to found an empire, had he only suf- ficient room to move in." " And is this man your auxiliary ?" inquired Lord John. " All strong men are :" replied Lord Momento. " Is he, alone, in the secret of your mission here ?" " He is alone to know the secrecy involved in it. But, no ! when I say he alone, I commit a mistake. A woman is concerned with him, and shares his work." "• A woman, Sir !" exclaimed Lord John, in a state of astonishment, " A woman, and a priest ! the assis- tants of English diplomatists abroad ! You amaze me indeed." " Who are the diplomatists, tell me, Sir John," re- torted Lord Momento, with great self-complacency, " who have not several of these creatures in their sleeves ? The position of the priest enables him to know every body and every thing ; and then, where the priest cannot reach, the woman penetrates. You understand me now ?" " Admirable ! admirable ! Now, tell me, what is ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. 45 the line of policy you are going to follow, in relation to the present Pope, Pius IX. ?" " That I am not at liberty to say. Priests prepare the events we profit by. All we have to do after that, is to ride and drive them as fast as possible." " And go to hell ;" mentally thought Lord John. " This stupid blockhead," said Lord Momento to himself, " believes I will reveal to him the mysteries of our system. Does he take me for a fool ? "What an infatuated being he is ! Self-conceited and stubborn, he believes himself useful to the prosperity of England, whilst, in fact, he, and his associates, have done nothing, when in power, but alarm the people and hasten the destruction of the aristocracy, by dissemi- nating the seed of opposition among the masses." " Shall I stay any longer with this vilifier of English honor ?" soliloquized Lord John, who, not wishing to continue a discussion very disagreeable to his feelings, had drawn near the door ; " shall I sully my honor by a more protracted contact with his impudent per- sonality ? Py ! my heart rises with disgust, in simply looking at his perverted principles. Women and priests ! Sanfedesti and rogues ! scoundrels of all hues ! assassins of every description ! Such are his co-associates. Oh, my country ! my country ! In what hands art thou fallen !" " Gentlemen," cried out a soft voice, " Gentlemen, can you receive me ?" Lord Momento, having quickly turned his head to the side from whence the voice sounded, saw the 46 ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. graceful and enticing figure of Signora Savini peeping through the door. He immediately put two fingers to his lips, so as to recommend discretion. The lady nodded, as if she understood, and swiftly glided into the apartment. She had neither precious jewels, nor any costly dress on. She was simply dressed as it becomes a devout person ; a black silk gown, tied around her waist with a- ribbon of the same color. Her hair was plainly plaited on each side, and simple gold ear-rings adorned . her countenance. However, when we said that no ornament of any value was seen on her person, we forgot to mention a golden crucifix, inlaid with dia- monds, and suspended to her neck by a very slim gold chain. The value of that truly magnificent trinket was estimated at the trifling sum of two thousand dollars, and had been given to her by a priest, who was an admirer of her virtues. As the jewel was representing the symbol of all holiness, people did not seem to suppose it could hide any inclination to coquetry. " "Whom shall I thank for the honor of your visit ?" gallantly said Lord Momento, advancing towards the lady, and kissing her hand, as is the fashion in Italy. " Nobody, but zeal to your service ;" whispered the Signora, taking good care not to be heard by Lord John. " Have you seen Father Francisco ?" " I have. Here is a letter for you," said the lady, handing a folded paper to the English lord. ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. 47 " A thousand thanks to you, my dear Signora ; for you really are the most amiable, and prettiest lady of the Eoman States." " Silence, Sir," said the Signora, nodding, " Don't make compliments before this stranger. He would think that I am accustomed to hear them, and I should lose in his estimation." " Are you so much the slave of your reputation, as not to listen to a compliment in public, for fear of endangering your piety ?" inquired the lord. " Pious women lose every thing besides their piety,' she replied, "when appearances are gone. The world is so wicked, that none but a saint, and I don't know whether a saint could stand it, is at liberty to hear profane language. Slander is at every one's tongue's end, and a sprinkling of it is sufficient to tarnish the most glossy surface." " "Well, don't be so much afraid ; my friend knows many things about my business here. However, it is not necessary to inform him of my dealing with Cice- roacchio. He possesses strange prejudices. He might take the alarm, and, in a fit of madness, tell all our secrets." " Which are not ours, but the secrets of the Church," observed the Signora. " Take care ; be cautious, Sir. We have a great game at stake. Let us not lose it by imprudence." " Be quiet ; I know the value of my friend, and will take great care not to expose them by an indiscretion. Tell me, what is Father Francisco doing ?" 48 ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUES. " Corresponding with the Sanfedesti," replied the Signora. " And the Sanfedesti ?" inquired Lord Momento. " "Watching the movements of the Young Italy Society." " And you ?" " Watching both, the Sanfedesti, and the members of Young Italy." " You are an angel I" exclaimed the Lord, in a fit of rapture. " I wish you would do something for me !" " What ?" maliciously inquired the Signora. " Bead in my heart, and love me," retorted Lord Momento, with as affable a glance as his ungracious person could allow. " Won't you ?" " Eead your letter, sir," said the Signora, smiling. " This will learn you more, and will cost you less. I have no love to bestow, except on the church." " Alas !" said Lord Momento, trying to heave a sigh from his exhausted lungs ; unfolding the letter handed to him by the Signora, he added : " This is a rival I have no chance to contend with. He is too strong to be defeated, too cunning to be deceived, too jealous of his power to share it, and that as well in love, as in affairs. I shall not try." " Well, then, do without it," added she, whilst the English Lord was busy reading the letter. The letter contained the following words, which Lord Momento communicated to Lord John ; ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUES. 49 " In Nomine Patri, etFilii, et Spiritui Sancto: Oar- issimo Fratello. — The bearer of the present message being a member of the Sanfedesti Association, you can have full confidence in her. " The information you asked about Ciceroacchio is not calculated to encourage any attempt to bribe him. That man is made out of Eoman cement, and like it, indestructible, incorruptible. He, and his Transtever- ini* are immovable in their opinions, and will not yield an inch from their principles. The Holy Association thinks that the best means to get hold of them, is to seduce them with the promise of Italian nationality and unity, under the patronage of the Piedmontese king, Charles Albert. If you manage adroitly that hobby, it may likely prove successful. You must not spare the Italian people in your conversation with him. Tell him that they are the authors of all the murders secretly committed in the city of Rome ; that they are ignorant, superstitious, and cruel, and perfectly unfit to govern -themselves ; speak of His Holiness, the Pope, as the great friend of the Eomans ; liberal in his disposition * The Trcmsleverini are a portion of the Roman population, forming a distinct class, and dwelling in a certain part of Rome called Trimstevere, across the Tiber. They are distinguished by their handsome physical appearance, by the beauty of their women, and by their ardent love for liberty. Having mixed very little with the invaders which at different periods have polluted the city, they have preserved among them the principles of their ancestors, and will be probably called one of these days to play a great part in the liberation of their country. They are mostly composed of workingmen and mechanics. 50 ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. towards them, and ready to acquiesce m then wishes. In fine, promise as much as you please, that costs noth- ing, and may produce much. It is necessary also, that you sympathise with -them in their efforts to conquer their liberties, but never entangle yourself in compro- mising alliances. This is, I believe, in accordance with the Whig doctrine, and will be fully appreciated by us all. Good success ! You have our best wishes and our benedictions. " J. P., Secretary of the Sanfedesti Society." This letter being read, Lord John remained as be- fore, in a state of perfect amazement. The things he witnessed were so new to him, that he could scarcely believe his eyes. " I confess, sir," said he to Lord JVEomento, "that the more I advance in the study of your diplomacy the Jess I understand it. ■ It goes altogether beyond the reach of my mind, and of my political education, it is as astounding as new to my jWgment." Lord Momento smiled with that air of superiority that a man assumes toward another, whenever he be- lieves himself to be the smarter. He tapped with a ^protective familiarity upon the shoulder of his com- panion, saying : — "This, I hope, will evidently demonstrate to you, that in whatever country our government stretches its hands, it finds, all ready to its services, friends and allies, disposed to sustain its policy, and to favor its measures. The Society of the Sanfedesti have, in all times, been the best friends of the English government ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. 51 Their policy having identical interests with ours, it happens that, working for us they work also for them- selves. Composed of the aristocrats and priesthood of all kingdoms, they are the strongest opponents to revo- lutionary movements, and we find them in all circum- stances ready to serve the partizans of constitutional monarchism. The secrecy of their order, their affilia- tion with the crowned heads, and their connections with the Catholic church, enable them to know everything, to go everywhere, even to penetrate into the mysteries of the family hearth, in short to be informed of each and everything. Their principal tools are recruited among women ; it is through their influence that they move society, extend their intrigues, check and prevent the political manceuvering tending to upset the institutions of Italy — excite jealousy, foment division, and sow dis- cord in the four corners of the globe. So you perceive how so powerful a society, placed as it is, at the dis- position of the conservative party, may give help to- wards the preservation of the prevailing institutions, and oppose all movements of a revolutionary tendency." " I have heard," replied Lord John, " as I have already told you, that these Sanfedesti were profligate wretches — selected among the dregs of society — and ready to execute at all times, every sort of crime, from theft to murder." " Those you speak of, are only the militant army of the Sanfedesti," said Lord Momento. " As to them alone, the permission of wearing arms has been granted, it is on that account they are so much dreaded." 52 ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. " Let me, once more, compliment you on the choice of your associates," answered Lord John. " You have a very fine way of securing for yourselves the affec- tions of the Italian people. To choose your allies among their enemies, is a thing which never would have en- tered the brain of a Tory, I assure you. Besides, it is said that your friends are the authors of the numerous robberies and assassinations which have lately occurred in open day in the city of Rome ; and, it is added, that through the adroit management on the part of the San- fedesti, the stigma of these atrocities have been fixed upon the people." During this conversation, the Signora Savini had been attentively watching at the door, and listening if anybody was coming in the galleries. Having heard a noise, she went out and saw the face of her husband coming toward the room. She immediately came back and warned their lordships of the arrival of the new- comer. ' Then, as she had good reason not to be per- ceived by her watchful husband, she left the place and went out by another passage, leaving their lordships to the amiable company of Master Nicolo Savini. The proprietor of the " Angel of the Field," having heard the names of the distinguished guests now in his house, was at first struck with the idea of the dollars he was going to earn, a desfre which strongly combated in his heart the hatred he entertained for Englishmen in general. He consequently resolved to be polite at first, and to regulate his conduct by the liberality of the new-comers. When he presented himself before ARISTOCRATS AND INTRIGUE. 53 them, he took off his hat, bowed and re-bowed several times. Then, with an emotion which could as well have been mistaken' for fear as for respect, he exposed to their lordships his confusion at having been left in ignorance of their arrival, and how sorry he felt for the coarseness of the company he was obliged to receive. Finally, he ended his harangue, by announcing to his distinguished guests the arrival, in his house, of Angelo Brunetti, called the Ciceroacchio, adding that he was sent by him to inform them that he was ready to re- ceive their lordships, and to listen to their propositions. " Oh, yes !" replied Lord Momento, with a peculiar inflection of the voice. " That poor Angelo ! I told him yesterday my intention to buy some food for my horse, and probably he is now anxious to terminate the bargain. I never knew so covetous a soul as a mer- chant's. Always ready to barter it for the least profit ! Ah ! ah,! ah !" and Lord Momento, enchanted with his witticism, left the room in the company of his friend. • " I do not believe a word of what thou sayest, twice felonious Englishman," muttered the host, survey- ing him as he left the room. " I do not believe a single syllable thy cursed tongue utters. It is not hay or bran thou wantest to buy, but the conscience of Angelo Brunetti. Happily this will be a harder bargain than thou thinkest of. I hope thou will'st return without the trouble of untying the strings of thy purse. Mean- while, be cursed thou and thy family, and all thy kin- dred, to the remotest generation. CHAPTER IV AN ITALIAN PATRIOT. Neither the oak, growing solitary and alone on the craggy peak of some steep hill, nor the yielding reed in the marshy field ; the one opposing its secular limbs to the icy embrace of the hoary winter, the other its pliant stem to the desolating fury of the storm ; never sustained as terrific assaults, endured so many strug- gles, encountered so many adverse currents, as the patriot to whom this chapter refers. It will be suffi- cient to^quote the name of Angelo Brunetti, commonly called Ciceroacchio, to convince our readers of the truth of our parallel. Sprung from low parentage, for the word " low," applied to social distinction, is derived from Catholic . countries, Ciceroacchio, son of a coal merchant, and a merchant himself, was born in the ranks of the people. Our readers are undoubtedly aware of the line of demarcation drawn in European society be- tween the rich and the poor. They know, that, con- trary to the democratic custom of this country, a man A PATRIOT. 55 is designated as belonging to the low class, to " la vile multitude" as says M. Thiers, if his name is not pre- ceded by a prefix, or if his trade does not belong to what is termed a " liberal profession." Finally, that appellation is also given to that immense multitude of workmen, whose ancestors, happily for the progress of the human race, do not rank among the gloriously useless- gallery of idlers. Like all men of upright principles and eminent faculties, Ciceroacchio was born among the former. Nothing being granted to the plebian, he had to conquer everything by dint of courage and perseverance. His road being impeded by the prejudices of ignorance, and by the compulsory rules of the Church, he had first to dispel the clouds of the former, before becoming sensible of the wrongs of the latter. The fight was awful. Brutal strength and rooted superstition, every where obstructed his way. The exertions he made to spring out from obscurity, would have surprised any man born in this free land, not fettered, like Europe, by the shackles of civil and religious despotism. Those who lhave not spent a portion of their time in Europe, are little aware that there is as much difficulty to get at an elevated standing in society, as it is for an enlight- ened and unselfish politician at Washington, to wedge a single solitary progressive idea, beneath the heavy cranium, which, like the turtle carapace, seem to weigh upon the intellect of the conservative members of the Whig or Democratic party. Principles, the foundation of talent, either natural or 56 A PATRIOT. acquired, joined to that natural eloquence,, whose sacred enthusiasm is kindled to the purest flames of the heart, step by step, elevated the patriot from his humble station, to the noblest a man can aspire to, that of tribune, or advocate of the people. His ascent to that high position was an herculean effort. His life, constantly exposed to all sorts of vicissitudes, was a constant struggle from commencement to end. Oast in the midst of a society, whose maxims he had to accept, in order to find a place in it where to stand ; he soon rejected those maxims, laughed at its precepts, spurned its laWs, and stood alone in the isolation of his courage. That society he thus treated, hurled against him the thunder of its vengeance ; he sustained the blow, and, with the help of his God, turned the thun- der against his enemies. Wherever he went, he found oppression instead of assistance, misery in lieu of wealth, ignorance occupying all the issues of the mind, superstition forced on the people by the compulsory hand of clerical power, underhand influence and venal corruption, acting upon every one's conscience, and making menials of all the servitors of the Church. As it is natural to suppose, he found an enemy in every privileged man, and, consequently, a foe in every priest. The enmity he had to contend against was so much more dangerous, that it was concealed beneath the flowery appearances of smiles and courtesy. His opinions were not contradicted, but denounced. Often he spoke in the midst of an assembly of clergymen, on his views respecting the rights of man, and the most A PATRIOT. 57 convenient form of government, without, however, making any allusion to the government of Eome, and, strange to relate, his words were warmly applauded by the very men against whom they were, by impli- cation, directed. But the next day he was upbraided by the chief of the police ; and, sometimes it happened, that he spent a few weeks in prison, for the crime of having expressed the same ideas, as was formerly promulgated by republican Eome and the first apostles. Nevertheless his speeches were not lost. Many of the priests were brought to reflect ; many were entirely of the same opinion with the patriot ; but, as soon as the stern eye of Eome glanced at them, their frigbtened consciences took the alarm, and they retreated to their old doctrines, as if the devil had rung the knell of deso- lation in their ears. Scarcely had he received his first lessons from the family hearth, than the Eoman patriot, Ciceroacchio, then a boy, commenced by looking for an instruction, which, nowhere around him, was he able to discover. The schools offered no aliment to the activity of his mind ; for, the schools being under the control of the priests, were no better than nurseries for convents and theological seminaries. Catechisms and religious man- uals, books entirely devoted to prevent the mind from soaring in the broad atmosphere of free thought, were the only food provided to satisfy the cravings of his in- tellectual appetite. Not a single man of any value was to be found within the walls of these places ; they were entirely given up to mediocrities, whose whole 58 A PATRIOT. object was to bend the minds of the children to the yoke of passive obedience. Not a tmly useful book was placed within their reach. The literature of Paganism, together with a perverted compilation of the history of the Church, and a few rules of arithmetic, were the only objects taught in the primary schools. In the superior schools, there were taught curtailed history, geography, arithmetic, algebra, religion, with poetry and rhetoric. But, as if all these sciences were of no great importance to the student, they were only slightly touched upon, and one single master was ap. pointed to teach all these things.* Thus, the student, having wasted away a part of his life in superficial study, had learned just enough to know nothing. His head, filled with words in lieu of facts, could not grasp two ideas, and whenever an attempt was made to do it, the conclusion drawn was erroneous. A bell-ringer spending his life in his noisy business, never showed symptoms of dizziness, equal to a pupil who had just quitted a papal school. The records of Paganism, blended with the history of the Church, the life of St. Pancracius, intermixed with the deeds of a Hannibal, or the wisdom of a Cato ; the love of an Aspasia was crowded into his mind, with the love of St. Therese; the sacrifice of human beings and beasts, with that of our Saviour on the altar ; the good and the bad, the sacred and the profane, the holy and the unholy, walking arm in arm together in the same front with the teachings * See " Italy, Austria, and the Pope," by Masszini, p. 26. A PATRIOT. 59 of the Church, could not but cause strange perplexities to the unhappy student. And, after being trained for a period of ten years and upwards, in this strange mixture of discordant elements, he was, for the first time, launched defenceless, in the midst of a world, as far different from the ideas he had studied of it in the schools, as the east is from the west. To him, everything was a riddle, a subject of sur- prise, a motive of wonder. Men and things were so different from what they had been represented, that he knew no more of them than if he had lived all his life in some wilderness of the Thebaid. He knew, however, how to prattle agreeably, and to chat with much fer- vor. His words were as wily and his person as cun- ning as the caustical moral he had imbibed. He had learned the way to smile, to look, to humble him- self before the world, and to work stealthily for the elevation of th^e church, without forgetting his own aggrandizement. One must not wonder if disgust .took hold of the young Angelo Brunetti, at the mere sight of what was going on inside the schools. His father, a Transtever- ini, a man of manly virtue, had opened the field to his inquisitiveness of mind, by the narration of the great- ness of the Roman Republic in ancient and modern ages, and by the example of great men and great deeds. These burning precepts were easily graven on the hap- pily gifted mind of the young Oiceroacchio. They had, as it were, formed the strata on which all future teach- ings were to rest, and as in the buildings of old, whose 60 A PATRIOT. ruins are still an object of wonder to our age, his edu- cation was based on the imperishable cement of Roman "Republicanism. Alas ! what a stumble for him, when, passing from the "teachings of his father to those of the schools, he met the catechism, the hymn-book, and the prayer- book. He thought he had entered an unknown world, and trembled as if severed all at once, from his family ties and thoughts. The more he studied, the less he understood. Finally, annoyed by his fruitless efforts, he one day left the school, and appearing before his father with that firmness of attitude which was at some future period to pass into his acts, he respectfully de- clined attending school any longer. " Are you not in a fair way of learning ?" asked the father. " I don't know, father, if I learn anything or not. But if I do, I am much at a loss to kn#w what it is." "Hum! true. There is not much to make out of their teachings. They have been, and remain faithful to the doctrine set forth by Francis I., of Austria, at Lubiana, in 1820. ' "We have no need of knowledge,' said the despot ; ' it is enough for me if my subjects know how to read and write. A me basta die i miei sudditi sappiano leggere e scrivere." " Well, father, if you think they will not carry me any further, what is the use of my going there ?" " They will carry you further, that is to say, they will feign to do it. They will fill your head with all sorts of nonsense, abstractions and theories, things per- A PATRIOT. 61 fectly useless, and far from the real and practical edu- cation of life. They will impose upon you the doctrine of blind obedience, thereby blinding your understand' ing and annihilating the power of your reasoning facul- ties. They will make a tool of you, not a man !" " Why, father ! Why ! in the name of my dear dead mother ! why do you send me there ?" asked Cicero- acchio, in amazement. " if or your material benefit, my son, that is to say, for your advancement in society. These reasons have compelled me to a measure, against which my con- science recoils." " Can I not cut my way through the world without going to school ?" " No, my son. The school is the way to rank and fortune, and as rank and fortune are only obtained through the intercession of the priests, it is necessary for your welfare to go to school, and obtain there your first degrees of advancement. Thus, and only thus, you shall be prepared, at the age of your manhood, to make a favorable entrance into society.'' " Father, I feel I shall know nothing on my entrance into the world," " The question, my son, is, not what you know, but where you went to school ?" " I shall be an ignorant man, father." " That is precisely a title to your preferment in life." " But what good can I do, if I know nothing ? " " The Church does not require knowledge. She 62 A PATRIOT. requires faith ; she wants you to be a believer, not a philosopher. The Church rules ; that is her sole desire, and she does not care a whit about any other thing, provided her object is attained." " You surprise me, father ! Then, I must stay at school, if I want to make a good figure in society at the age of manhood ?" " Yes, son, be obedient to the Church, and every- thing will go straight for you." " I understand, father. They want me to obey them, and not to reason. This explains why they are powerful and the people weak. Is it by curbing their intellect, that they succeed in subjugating and ruling over them ?" " You have said it, son." " I shall not go to school any longer, father." " Then you must expect to remain as poor as I am." " Be it so. Poverty is preferable to servitude. My choice is made, father." " "Well, come, my son, you shall be like me, a coal merchant." " Father, can I not procure books, that I may read, and instruct myself ?" " "What books do you mean ; catholic books ?" " No. Books which are books. The histories of Hume and Robertson, the philosophy of Locke or Bacon, the works of "Walter Scott or Eugene Sue.* 1 " Hem ! Faith, son, don't think any more of these A PATRIOT. 63 books ; their introduction into Italy is not allowed. Penal laws are enacted, forbidding their entrance." " Is it possible, father ? "Why, these books you were speaking of, and which you told me you read during your stay in France, are they not permitted to enter Italy ?" " No, my son ; I would sooner think of smuggling a whole cargo of American tobacco, than one of the books you have mentioned." " But our own authors, father ?" " Even these are difficult to procure. True, the ancient writers are, in the views of Rome, harmless, as belonging to ancient time, and not referring to any bf the ideas of the present age. These books are, to a certain extent, permitted. But, as 'to Protestant, or modern books, they are entirely suppressed." " What does an author do, when he wants to pub- lish a book in Italy ?" " No book can be printed in Italy, if it does not fulfil the conditions of the programme." " "What do you mean by that, father ?" " There is, in this country, my son, certain rules, which are enjoined upon an author, to observe in his compositions ; from which he may only think and write, as is permitted by the Church. The most ridi- culous of these laws is that advanced by Ratjmer, a witness that cannot be suspected, ' that dramatic writers are enjoined to place a good prince beside a bad one in their works, whether history bears them out or not.' 1 Besides these, there are censors for 64 A PATRIOT. journals, for books, for pamphletsj and, in short, for everything."* " Consequently, when we read a book, it is not the author whom we read, but the statutes of the law, and the work of the censor ?" observed Ciceroacchio. " Ha.! ha! ha ! That observation is pretty smart, for your age, my son. Yes : you have said it ! Au- thors, in Italy, are like eagles without wings." " Father," said Ciceroacchio, surprised at the details of such an atrocious order of things, " I give up all idea of becoming an educated man. Take me home. Do with me as you please. A coal digger ! a hod carrier ! a street sweeper ! . . . . I don't care what ! But, for God's sake ! rather let me remain an ignorant man, than be educated in the Catholic schools." From that day, Ciceroacchio remained with his father, assisting him in the business of his trade, and at the same time fortifying his mind by self-thinking, and occasionally adding to his own thoughts, the reading of a few books which he procured from some foreigners. "When he was of age he went into trade and established himself as a produce dealer. His business put him in relation with a great many farmers, people whose minds were less entrammelled than that of the inhabitants of Eome, by the all-powerful control of the clergy, and were also better prepared to listen to the accents of independence which the Eoman patriot whispered in their ears. This, however, was not the only benefit he * See " Italy, Austria, and the Pope," by Mazzini, p. 32. A PATRIOT. 65 conferred upon the Italians, for at the same time he was instructing them in their rights, he was careful not to omit the list of their duties ; and we would say here, in honor and truth, that forbearance and charity were among the virtues he urged upon them. Far from ex- citing them against the priests, a thing which is unhap- pily too much the case with some of the ^Republicans, he proved to them that the conduct of these men, was the result of the exceptional position they occupied in society. That they were obliged to yield to wrong, on ac- count of the falsity of the doctrines they propagated, and to show themselves moral and oftentimes practical tyrants, by reason of the system of tyranny which they had em- braced, and had to defend at the peril of their own wel- fare, if not of their life. He disapproved much, that sort of persecution which stuck to man and not to princi- ples. He rebuked persecution and bloodshed as advan- tageous to the clergy and fatal to liberty ; and proved from history, that Catholicism, undermined by Luther, and ruined, beaten and scorned, and morally destroyed by the French writers of the eighteenth century, would have perished, or transformed itself into something more rational, had it not been for the persecutions which it sustained from European revolutions from 1790tol800.* " Catholicism," said he, " as it exists under its present * Ciceroacchio, though right in principle, was not as correct respecting the authenticity of his historical documents. True, many priests were persecuted, and religion disregarded ; hut both would have been respected bad it not been for the intrigues and manoeuvres of the clergy, whose aim was to destroy the Republic, by calling on foreigners for aid, and opening, themselves, the gateB. 66 A PATRIOT. form, could not subsist, if it did not support itself upon questions more vital, or extraneous to its own constitu- tion, and entirely different from the object of thefounders of the church. This it has done for ages and ages, till Protestantism appeared. Three centuries ago, Pro- testantism could have, destroyed it, had it not fell it- self into most of the faults it first aimed at destroying, and shared in the errors its mission was to annihilate. We may say with some reason, perhaps, that if the upholders of the Confession of Augsburg had been as strong and as pure as the principles contained in Pro- testantism itself, all was over with Catholicism, and its fate was sealed. This, having not been done, the work of the annihila- tion of Catholicism slipt out of the hands of theologians, and became the task of those defending socially and politically, the right of human reason against the slavery of the mind. Soon the battle-field changed ; Catholi- cism did not find much to fear from Protestantism. Heresy was no more the hydra-headed monster which she wanted to crush. A new enemy, far more power- ful, raised its head against the church of Rome. That enemy was the Eepublic ;* the soldiers she had to con * After the struggles which have filled the history of the world during the space of sixty years, who are among those who have fought the Catholic church— those who have gained something at the present time 1 There arc two : the Revolution and the Church. Outside of these two, there are none. Is it Protestant- ism 1 No. Philosophy 1 No. Temporal power 1 No. True Liberalism 1 No, a thousand times no !" — Montalembert, des in- terets Catholiques, au XIX Siecle, p. 56- A PATRIOT. 67 tend against were the Eepublicans. The religious struggle, ceased to be as dangerous to her as the democratic struggle. The principles of liberty con- tained in the two forms of government above-mentioned, were mortal to the church. As soon as she saw the danger, she determined to save herself, cost what it would. Immediately each priest became inwardly, if not outwardly, a soldier against the republicans ; he received the mission to preach against the republic, and sustain monarchism and empire. My friend, added Ciceroacchio, " the priest, mark it, is under the system he obeys, no more than the soldier under his general." Have for him the same regard as you have for your enemy in war. Once a prisoner, turn him out free. You say: 'He will fight against us;' is not the sol- dier doing the same thing? Does that prevent you to win victory ? No ! Then let principles, let reason have its natural channel. A book is more efficacious against Catholicism and priesthood, than an army of one hundred thousand men. A fair discussion, a meeting, a journal, is more powerful to work out its destruction than persecution and torture. History shows that every time Catholicism has been benefitted, the advantages it received have proved fatal to its own existence. Tyranny, either religious or social, is wont to destroy itself by its own prosperity. Prosperity itself is the touchstone of principles. When principles are bad, prosperity destroys them; when good, they secure and ground them more firmly. Don't fear to see Catholicism prosperous ; it has never been 68 A PATRIOT. in greater danger than when fortune seemed to smile upon its acts. Then take good care, my friends, not to give yourself up to persecution ; for persecution changes even love into hatred, and an assassin, perse- cuted, is well nigh to inspire as much interest, as a hero crowned with laurels. Such were the teachings of Ciceroacchio ; and to him are due that exemplary forbearance, that Christian charity, showed by the Eoman people towards the clergy, at the time of the revolution of 1849. Not only did the Eoman patriot teach his fellow- citizens the pure morals of the gospel, but he also practiced them. He was the reliever and comforter of the unhappy. His charities were as boundless as his services. Once, the Tiber having overflowed a part of the city, where the poor Eoman citizens were located, he and his father embarked in a boat, and, neglecting their own store, which was overflowed at the time, went and succoured the inhabitants, carrying provisions, and distributing them gratuitously to all. This fact, and many others of the same character, contributed to engrave his name in the hearts of his fellow-citizens. The elevation of Pio IX., by giving a larger scope to the hopes of the people, naturally brought Ciceroacchio to a more elevated standing in the estimation of the Papal • government. His influence on the people, had made him redoubtable to the Conservative party, and it was in order to have him in its interests, that the influential members of the Church had, secretly, advised Lord 69 A PATRIOT. Momento to sound the patriot, and see what sort of agreement could be made with him. The patriot, whose ideas were bent on conciliatory measures, and whose kindness of heart did not perceive the snare, laid for him by the skilful hand of the Church, heartily condescended to listen to these propositions ; and it was with a mind favorably disposed, that he went to the meeting appointed by the English diplomatist. CHAPTEE V. PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRAT. As two representatives of English policy were moving, with a slow and majestic gait, towards the room where the Roman patriot was waiting, a sort of monkish fellow, with a shorn head, oily face, greasy frock, and Jesuitical countenance, crept, rather than walked, towards their lordships, and hinging on his hips, as long as a dancing master teaching obeisance to a lady of the world, he finally stood erect before them, waiting for a question. Lord Momento had no sooner perceived the fatty personage, than immediately his look became brighter, and an expression of indescribable satisfaction was seen blooming on his moon-like colored visage. Such must have been the glance of Lucifer, when in his wandering tour through the globe, he chanced to meet either of his friends, Beelzebub, Astaroth, or Mephistopheles. " God forbid," exclaimed the English aristocrat, with as musical a voice as that which nature has giveD PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. 71 to a frog, " this is, if my eyes do not deceive me, our friend, Crawlingstoni, one of the servants of Father Francisco. What good tidings bring you here, my friend ? Have you anything new to communicate to \is ?" On this inquiry, the monk, completely overwhelmed by such politeness, threw forward the superior part of his person, made another obeisance, and tucking his hand into the folds of his loose frock, a little above the rope coiled round his waist, he said, with the most humble and sweetest voice : " God bless your lordship, and may the bountiful heaven pour upon your family the bounty of his treasures." This blessing, granted to an English heretic by a fervent Catholic, drew an imperceptible smile to the lips, of the two lords. " A thousand thanks to you for your kind wishes, good father. May the same power bring upon you, and the brethren of your faith, all the good you desire to us." " Dominus det vobis suam pacem : the Lord grant you his peace ;" replied the father. "I have a mes- sage for you, from Father Francisco." " Alleluia !" replied Lord Momenta : " "What does the holy father want ?" " Angelus Domini nuntiavii Francisco ; the angels of the Lord have announced to the Rev. Father Fran- cisco, that the Sanfedesti would meet this evening, at ,the' Angel of the Field.' " 72 PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. " Divinum auxilium maneat semper nobiscum : may the divine assistance always remain with us ;" re- plied the English diplomatist. " For what object will they meet ?" " Sparso verbi : to spread the seeds of heaven, or, to speak in worldly language, to put down the efforts of the Eoman Kepublicans ;" replied Father Crawl- ingstoni. " Adfirmandum cor sincerum : and here the faithful rest secure ;" added Lord Momento, with a compunc- tive sigh. " Please tell the father that I will assist him with all my might in his glorious attempt. As soon as my interview with Ciceroacchio is over, I shall return to Rome, and will set at work all the strength and influences I can dispose of, for the purpose of fur- thering his plans." " Gavde JEcclesicB, Virgo gloriosa : Rejoice, O Church ! Glorious Maid !" returned the agent of Father Francisco ; " the great of the world are with thee ! The father, my superior, told me that he would shortly address to you his instructions, relative to the present affairs, through correspondence. He begs of you to watch the infidels, and to report all their manoeuvres to him, so that he may help you to stifle down their criminal attempts." " Tell his holiness, that my whole mind is engaged in that pursuit, and as soon as his precious intervention will be needed, I will let him know. Now, father," said Lord Momento, pulling out from his pocket a heavily-filled purse, " please to accept this for your PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. 73 poor. Let me not forget that it is through charities to the needy, that the Church is enabled to bestow her services upon the wealthy ; and that he who gives to the Church, receives, in blessings of all sorts, ten times the amount." : A flush of pleasurable sensation pervaded Father Crawlingstoni, at sight of the handsome purse. He stepped forward, bowed with a submissive attitude, crossed his arms on his projecting belly, and, with a, voice, whose tones seemed rather to belong to his nose than to his larynx, he -exclaimed, " Gaude et latare, Virgo Maria ! Rejoice and be glad, Virgin Mary ! said the monk, in receiving the purse. " I shall not fail to fulfil your orders, your lordship. Auri sacra fames : you shall have glory for your money," added he, misconstruing the Latin words ; " Yes, give to the Church, so that the Church may in future give to you. Animas pravidit futura : I shall pray God to give you strength and courage against your enemies : contra hostestuos." Each of the sentences spoken by Father Crawling- stoni, was preceded and followed by an obeisance, and a step backward, in the direction of the door. Finally, feeling that his supply of Latin was about to be exhausted, he made an obeisance, far lower and more humble than the others, and suddenly disappeared. " Is this another of your friends ?" inquired Lord John, after the departure of the father. " Upon my soul ! had not his coat been so greasy, and his nose so 74 PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. red, I would have taken him for a gentleman. His Latin was of the purest nature, and his obeisances as humble and numerous as a courtier's." " For God's sake," replied Lord Momento, on per- ceiving Ciceroacchio in a room, situated on the other side of the winding gallery in which they stood, " Si- lence, Lord John ; let not this man listen to our secrets, otherwise we shall betray ourselves, and our cause with us." " Be it as you order, sir. Since circumstances have made me a temporary accomplice of your political device, I must submit to my fate, and be faithful to my position to the end." In finishing these words, the two lords entered the room. No sooner did Ciceroacchio see them, than he left his seat, and advancing to the middle of the room to meet them, he bowed with a respectful and dignified air. There was, in his frank and honest countenance, a sort of elevation, the impression of which seemed to reflect itself upon the astonished air of the two foreigners. This fugitive sensation did not prevent Lord Mo- mento giving himself up to that movement peculiar to the Anglo-Saxon race. He took the hand of the patriot, and shaking it with a long convulsive grasp, as if he wanted to convince him of his feelings through the repeated action of his muscles, he said : " The honor of meeting you here, sir, is one which I esteem of greater value than I dare to express. PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. 75 Respect and veneration stops sometimes the over- flowing of the heart, but none of its sentiments are impaired for all that." " Oh ! my ears !" soliloquized Lord John, in a low Voice. " In what country are you, to listen to such a deceitful flattery ! Has John Bull lost his pride to ■ prostrate himself before a Roman clown, or has nobility stooped so low that dignity itself has forsaken it ?" " Does he take me for a fool, or does he want to try my vanity ?" murmured Oiceroacchio. " Pshaw ! inno- cent that I am ; do I not know what is the meaning of all these flatteries ? Albion is faithful to her system ; she crouches but to make a better jump. Your lord- ship will excuse me," added the patriot, raising his voice, " I am so little acquainted with the customs of the court ; the questions and answers of its civilities are so unknown to me, that I feel perfectly incapable to stand with you on that ground. Oblige me then, sir, to speak plainly and shortly, as you would to one of your own tenants. I assure you, I will understand a simple con- versation a thousand times better than a complicated one." " Oh ! all simplicity !" exclaimed Lord John. " What sort of a brain is yours, that civility itself cannot peep through it ! And is this a leader of the people ? is this the chivalry of the age ? the monarchs of the pre- sent century ? oh Israel !" " I do not accept that excuse ; it is only a proof of your too great modesty," replied the English diploma- tist. " No language is either too polite, or too elevated 76 PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. for such a bright intellect as yours. However, since it is your pleasure, I shall go straight to the point with- out losing my time in long speeches or useless circum- locutions." Faithful to the habits of an English politician, Lord Momento did air to the contrary of what he had an- nounced; ; His conversation was prolix, his thoughts diffuse, his language intricate. He protested the sym- pathy of his government for liberal opinions, (a thing which Ciceroacchio did not believe a word of,) he said that constitutional governments were the best of all governments ; a wounding proposition: which caused his patient listener to dubiously move his head. He spoke of the Duke of Tuscany, of Austria, of Carlo Alberto, and of the king of Naples ! In a word, he followed exactly the instructions received in the letter a few moments before. After half an hour of a conversation, during which Lord John had several times shrugged his shoulders in spite, and Oiceroaochioharrowed his brain in order to make something out of it, Lord Memento concluded his speech with these words : " Yes, sir ! there is no alternative for the Italian people, except this ; peace, respect to laws, religious and civjl — love and gratitude to your governors — re verence to the Holy Mother Church — regard to the clergy — an enlightened obedience to the present order of things, that is to Say as regards property, family, and religion." "This is the executioner's blow," thought Lord John, PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. 77 to himself, dealt by the hand of a Whig, to the glorious English church ! The idea of recommending love to the Popish government, can only spring from a treach- erous heart, and be uttered by deceitful lips. How low must be the doctrines of these men, how perverse their ideas ! Shrink, my soul ! shrink, my tongue ! from any longer connection with these contemners of public morals and honest purposes 1" Ciceroacchio, always on the defensive, vainly strove to discover in the midst of the twaddle which Lord Momento was fixing like useless trappings around his true design, the point he wanted to strike. But when he saw the common-place sentences of respect to law, to family, and religion, crowning his lordship's discourse, he could not refrain from smiling. The English agent saw it, and a frown appeared upon his brow. " My lord," said the patriot, with great earnestness of accent, " permit me ; I am not here for the trifling object of discussing opinions, or controverting ideas. You have done me the honor to call upon me, with a higher and more practical view. Please to inform me with them, so that I may learn what I have to do for your service." " Sir," replied the Lord, " your influence among the people, tells you plainly enough, what the friends of order and peace are expecting from you. A volcano is now boiling in the breasts of a majority of your fellow- citizens ; stifle it — prevent the explosion — and society will owe you one of the greatest of God's blessings, peace !" 78 PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. " Had I the influence -which you suppose me to pos- sess, I would not have the power to do what you want me to do. No human hand can set a volcano at rest. If the time has come for its breaking out, let it do so. Eevolutions are not the work of man, they are that of Providence itself!" "Revolution!" exclaimed Lord Momento, with an air of surprise. " Revolution ! do you expect a revo- lution ?" " A revolution !" exclaimed Lord John, with a terri- fied look. " Oh ! Ichabod ! Ichabod ! what a shame for thy house !" said he, raising his hands towards heaven. " No more hope for thee ! The glory of thy days are gone by, and thy bright garments polluted by the hands of the Whigs will never be restored to their former lustre !" " I wish I could understand what that longish old ugly gentleman says," thought Ciceroacchio to himself. " He speaks, his face turned to the wall, as if the bricks were gifted with ears. "What the deuce can he mut- ter so?" " But why a revolution ?" inquired Lord Momento. " Do you need it to be happy ? Why not obtain that which you ask by peaceful measures ? Are you com- pelled to resort to such dreadful means as revolutions always are, to reach your aims ? Speak, Signor," added the lord, seeing the look of amazement of the patriot, " speak 1 Let us hear your reasons." " I have none, sir ; none to give to men, who like you, seem to bo so ignorant of the state of our wretched PATRIOT, MONK. AND ARISTOCRATS 79 country. None to those, who like you, mistaken on the awful system of the church of Borne,* seem to think that there can exist a system of conciliation between two things as directly adverse, one to the other, as * Extract of a work of Mazzini, on Austria, Italy, and the Pope. Home— Papacy. — The electors of the Pope, the Cardinals, each eligible after him, and feeling themselves his equals, substitute their pleasure for his, every one in his sphere. The Bishops, also partaking in this divine character, and in irresponsible authority, exercise a wide and almost independent power. The same, too, with the chiefs of the Holy Inquisition. The ecclesiastics, holders of the principal offices, incompetent from past'habits and studies to undertake their administration, discharge their duties by the aid of inferior employees, who in turn feeling their position uncer- tain, as dependent, or a necessarily short-lived patronage, are guilty of every possible malversion, and aim solely at self-enrich- ment. Beneath all, the weary people, worn down by all, re-act- ing against all, are initiated into a corruption, the example of which is set by their superiors ; or avenge themselves, as they may, by revolt or the poignard. Such, abridged, is the normal state of Papal Italy. In such a system there is not, there cannot he, any place for general, social interests, but place for the interests of self alone. The people who govern, have nothing in common with the gov- erned ; they may have mistresses — they cannot have wives ; their children, if they have any, are not legitimate, and have nothing to hope for, but from intrigue and favoritism. The love of glory, the ambition of doing good — the last stimulant left to individuals when every other is wanting — exist not for thena. The absence of all unity of systems, the instability of all principle of government, as evidenced at Kome, under each new Pope, and in the provinces under each new legate, wholly destroys the possibility of such an impulse. How should men devote themselves to amendments tha t 80 PATRIOT, MONK, AND AR.ISTOC tA'JS. liberty and despotism. Call it intellectual or physical, I care not. It comes to the same, since its results are identical. I will not do you the injustice to think that you don't know the actual system of things in Eome, can be in force but a few years, that must pass away ere they can have fruit 1 Besides, as I have before said, the ecclesiastics aro driven, by their want of political aptitude, to govern by auditors, assessors, or secretaries, why should they labor for good, when the glory would all go to their chiefs 1 why should they not labor for evil, when the dishonor will fall there also 1 fear has no hold on the subalterns, for not acting in their own name, they have noth- ing to dread save from their patrons. Fear has no hold on the heads, for as to some, their powers, and the part taken in the election of the reigning Pope, as to others, the Apostolic constitu- tions or the traditions of the church, establish an irresponsibility in fact or law. Consequent on the irresponsibility of the holders of office, com- bined with the absence of distinctive limitations to official author- ity, no irregularity is too extravagant for the Popedom. Tho Cardinal Dutario, claims the right of setting aside the ordinances of the Pope, whenever it seems good to him. A law of Benedict XIV., confirmed by Pius VII., and Leo XII., ordains that every farming of duties, and every contract relating to the exchequer should be effected by public competitions ; and that after the first auction, a certain time should elapse to see if any party will advance on the highest bidding ; and yet the Secre- tary of State and the Treasurer, constantly violate this prudent regulation, and, for a sum in hand, without the slightest formality, assign such a contract to whomsoever they please. Cardinal Al- boni, published at Bologna, on the 1st of February, certain ordi- nances of Gregory XVI., of the 8th October, 1831, to the effect that for the future no man should be taken out of the hands of his native judges ; and twenty days later, he created a Provost's Court, that treated as crimes, acts not before obnoxious to the law. The PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. 81 and, since you know it, you ought not to speak as you do. And now, my lord, that I have finished speaking, permit me once more to ask what your wishes are. I don't know whether or not you are aware that I am still waiting for them." Cardinal Treasurer, and the Cardinal Camertengo, promulgated at the same tifne, 1828, two opposing regulations relating to the ports. The functions of the provincial heads were laid down by law, but the Pope reserves to himself the gift of a Letter or Brief of In- struction, by which he extends their power to what limit he pleases, and often invests them with the exercise of a portion of legal jurisdiction in civil matters ; they may abuse these powers according to caprice, for whatever they may do, they cannot be re- called till the expiration of three years. But why cite facts which may be increased to infinity % Who is there to whom the enor- mities of the Papal Government are unknown 1 Is not their best proof, that general agitation, which for the last twenty years has been ever spreading in these provinces 1 Were they not recog- nized by the five courts themselves, in the memorandums they presented to the Pope, on the 21st of May, 1831 1 And the de- claration of Sir Hamilton Seymour, in his official correspondence in 1832, with the Austrian Ambassador at Rome, ia conclusive on these matters. Under this anarchy of fleeting and ephemeral powers, all in ar- bitrary action, all in conflict, all moved by individual passions — in this den of abuse, of patronage, of venality, and of corruption ; its inevitable consequence— the sources of material prosperity, are one by one withering. The uncertainty of the law, the confused state of the regulations respecting mortgages, the "repudiation" often granted to debtors by the Pope, unknown to creditors, the tedious- ness of legal process, the delays arbitrarily awarded to influential debtors, the privileges belonging to the Tribunale della Fabricodi San Pieb-o, charged to search in wills and other deeds, ancient and modern, for the existence of pious legacies unfulfilled— all these 82 PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. " That Italian clown is not so stupid as I thought at first," observed Lord John, in a low voice. " After all, he seems to puzzle my Whig friend. Could the unsul- lied glory of the church of England find a defender in such a low personage ?" tend to the depreciation of property. From the same causes, and from the frequent variation of the always extravagant high scale of duties, commerce is swallowed up between the monopolist and the smuggler. Industry is shackled by exclusive privileges, by restrictions, by a vexatious excise, and above all, by intrigue, which is favored by the officials, who are linked to Rome, as against every provincial manufacturer that may likewise be carried on in the metropolis. The enormous weight of taxation, bearing not merely indirectly, but under the name of Focatico, and the con- tributions for military purposes, also directly on the peasant, hin- ders all progress in agriculture. The treasury, when not plundered by the irresponsible Treasurer, is exhausted in pensions scanda- lously lavished on idle Prelates— on inferior proteges, whom it has been necessary to deprive of their employments, but whom it is hazardous to bring> to justice or ignominiously dismiss— on women of ill life, courtezans to the Cardinals, or no such as have rendered secret services to the government or any of its members. It main- tains a large part of the congregations of the Propaganda ; it foments political plots in Spain, in Portugal, and elsewhere ; it everywhere keeps alive, by secret agents, Jesuits and others, the assailant spirit of the Papistry ; it feeds the luxury of the most demoralized court in Europe, in the midst of a famishing popula- tion. Before 1831, the public debt was nearly 600,000,000 Italian livre, but is now much augmented. In 1831-2, such was the ex- hausted state of the treasury, a foreign loan was negotiated, one was imposed on the cities of the Legations, the funds of tlie charitable institutions of Bologna were seized on, and the land tax was in- creased a third. Other laws were effected in succeeding years. No variety of expedients has "been left untried, and yet the financial position of the government becomes daily more critical. PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. 83 The direct question put to Lord Momento, seemed to call to his mind all his reflective powers. His head drooped downward in the direction of the floor ; his looks obstinately fixed on the same spot ; his hands behind his back, his mind in the association of some evil spirit ; his moral and physical faculties, his whole being, in a word, were that of a man embarked in a false direction, and making his way through a storm. " What can he thus devise ?" said the patriot to himself. Probably he digs at the bottom of some mischief, and wishes to mix me up with it. Now, I see ! His plan is as clear as daylight. He wishes to make some suitable proposition of bribery, but appears at a loss for means to reach his object. I wish I had not been so sanguine in my expectations, and had remembered the usual system adopted by English policy ; I should not now be here." The patriot was following the thread of his reflec- tions, waiting for an answer from his lordship, when a creaking of the lobby floor announced the approach of some person. The two lords having started at the noise, Ciceroacchio went to the door, and observing the whole passage at a single glance, he saw the leaden tibias of Signor Nicolo Bavini, moving slowly in his direction. The appearance of the host, at a moment when he knew him to be aware of his engagement with the two lords, rather sharpened his curiosity. Like all men of genius, the Roman leader had a perfect knowledge of the human heart, and of the man he had to deal with. 84 PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. He knew the host to be an interested soul, a miser, and an egotist, whenever his material interests were at stake. But, on the other hand, by a contrast seldom met with, those very vices seemed to melt into an un- bounded devotedness to his country and his friends, as soon as the question of Italian nationality presented itself. Then, there was no man cared less about the god self, than Nicolo Savini, the landlord of the " Angel of the Field ;" a title he would have relished with delight, had it not been for the dubious advan- tage of being the husband of his wife. " "What wish you, Signor ?" inquired the patriot, making a sign to Nicolo to remain on the threshold. " Is it to me that you wish to speak ?" " Yes ;" replied in a low voice, the landlord of the " Angel of the Field," and coming close to his ear he whispered : " There is a plot going on in this very place, among the Sanfedesti. They will assemble on a certain day to hold a meeting, in which, very likely, there will be much said, and much to be learned. I have thought to make you acquainted with these facts, so as you should be warned in time, to take the proper steps in relation to it." " Do you know where, and when they will assemble ?" inquired the patriot, in a low tone. "I do not; replied the host, "I know only that my wife must be engaged in the operation, for she is bustling about, going incessantly from this place to Home, and from Rome back here. Now, you know, she never stirs without some devil being in the con PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. 85 cern. Take care and be watchful, especially for your own safety." " Don't be afraid, Nicolo ; with such friends as thee I have nothing to fear." " Don't be so trustworthy," replied Nicolo, " if the eyes of friends could watch the point of every dagger in the world, there would still be danger for you." " "Which one ?" asked the Roman leader. " Poison !" replied the host. " Don't you know the doctrine of the Jesuits ? Don't you know Molina and Consorts ? Murder by poison, or other means, all are permitted, whenever the Church is threatened." " Hush !" said Ciceroacchio, with his fingers on his lips. " I am with these lords : be cautious, I am going to get rid of them." " Do it as quick as possible. I have no confidence in them. Besides they have spoken to my wife." " That is enough," replied the patriot, laughing. " I am now quite satisfied about their projects. My lords." said Ciceoracchio, on shutting the door, and coming back into the room, " I must beg your pardon for my want of politeness ; a friend has just called on me, and I am really sorry for it. I must leave you immediately. We will resume our conversation at a more convenient time." "Why !" said Lord. Momento, disagreeably affected with disappointment, " we have not yet said anything to you." " I hope, gentlemen, I have not deserved the reproach of being inattentive," replied Ciceroacchio. " WhatI? 86 PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS. Did you not immediately inform me of your real business ? I would have listened to you with as much attention as 1 have given to the conversation you have honored me with. Now, my lords, I must retire ; you will find me at Kome, where I shall be much pleased to see you again. Don't forget my address : the sign of the ' Corn in the husk ; Ciceroacchio, grain and hay dealer.' I have lately added a new branch to my establishment ; S"keep bran for mules, and fod- der for cattle. Good bye, my lords, good bye." " Upon my word !" exclaimed Lord John, after the grain dealer had closed the door upon them, " that man is laughing at us, Lord Momento. What did I tell you a moment ago ? Your connection with such a rabble will bring disappointment to you, and shame upon the country you represent. My perceptions were not long in reaching this application. What think you of that ? Have you enough of it, or do you feel dis- posed to commence again ?" " My lord," said Lord Momento, pressing the hand of his friend, and looking dolefully at the crumpled piece of paper which he had just received from the Sanfedesti, " This is a serious business for us all. The words of this Eoman leader are no jests. Times are portentous. Talent is no longer the exclusive ap- purtenance of the higher classes of society. The people, whom you are pleased to call the rabble, are beginning to see clearly into their own business. Woe to us ! Woe to our wealth and rank ! Unless we contend firmly and adroitly for our privileges, they are PATRIOT, MONK, AND ARISTOCRATS 87 lost to us ! The game has changed, and the trumps are now in the hands of our adversaries." " Thanks to your policy," replied Lord John. " Yes ; for that, and for that alone ; society presents the image of perversity itself. The principles of good and virtue are set aside, and the world is hurrying on towards its ruin. Oh ! why did we not retain power ?" " Let us start far home," thoughtfully replied Lord Momento CHAPTEE VI. A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. We must now leave the English lords, and return to a more agreeable, and less unhappy creature. Our readers undoubtedly remember, that Signora Savini, after having fulfilled her message to Lord Mo- mento, seeing her husband coming, left the room with the hurry of a thrush at the approach of an owl, not that the placid countenance and quiet demeanor of the landlord of the " Angel of the Eield," had anything analogous with the preying appetite of the ravenous bird — but, because uneasy consciences are apt to take alarm the more easily, even when in security. Thus is the murderer haunted, either by the avenging ghosts of his victims, or by the threatening appearance of some officer of justice. Once out, Signora Savini flew, with the swiftness of a nymph escaping the embraces of a satyr, through the numerous by-lanes, in the midst of which the " Angel of the Field" was situated. Having arrived at a certain point, where the lane was abruptly broken by a projecting building, she turned A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. 89 to the left, and climbed a little outside stairs, the greatest portion of which was let into the thick wall, whilst the other part protruding outwards without any railing, presented a real abyss, open under the feet of the visitor. The Signora, notwithstanding the danger, boldly mounted, and stopping before a little plain pine door, she gave three taps, and the door opened. A young country girl, seventeen years old, blooming like a moss rose out of her velvet corset, appeared on the threshold. As soon as the two women met, they embraced each other. " My dear Carlotina 1" said the Signora, tenderly pressing the young girl to her bosom. " Carissima Madalena !" replied the girl, with no less veracity of sentiments. " How pleased I am to see you ! Sure you gave me ample cause of grumbling, for neglecting me so long, — but I love you so much, that the mere gratification of seeing you, makes my anger evaporate." And thus saying, she took the Signora inside of her little room, and made her sit in the only arm chair she possessed. " Dear Carlotina," said the Signora, " don't bear any grudge against me. If I was free to regulate my conduct, according to the pulsation of my heart, I would come to see you every day ; for you know I look upon you as my own child, my darling, the object of my dearest affection ; and if I do not treat you as I should, it is not because I don't wish, but because I cannot do it." 90 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. " If reciprocity of affection could be proved by mere words, I would say to you, what is not yet in my power to show, in another way, and that my affection for you is natural, that my heart feels what my lips cannot express, «and that all my desire is to find the opportunity of testifying to you, that my devotion to your person is as unbounded as my gratitude." " Poor little dear Oarlotina," replied the Signora Savini, in taking the hands of the young girl, and directing upon her a glance, where treachery was skillfully dissimulated, under an expression of feigned sympathy. " Poor little dear Oarlotina !" " I don't ask you, how is the Signor Savini," said Oarlotina, " I see him every day. It was from him that I learned your absence from home, and your visit at Pome." " "Ybs, dear," said the Signora, " and instead of grumbling about it, you ought to show yourself thank- ful for the news I bring to you. For," said she, lower- ing her voice, and gently clapping the hands of the young girl, one against the other, " I went to visit the soldiers in their barracks, and there I saw a handsome sergeant, who spoke to me about a lady of my acquaint- ance, and who said, that I ought to kiss her in his name, whenever I met her." And, in finishing her sentence, the Signora jumped upon her feet, and clasp- ing the head of Oarlotina, kissed her, and re-kissed her, as if possessed by a supernatural fit of affection. The young girl blushed up to her eyes with confu- A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. 91 sion. Her cheeks, her neck, her bosom, seemed to have been steeped in that purple juice, so abundantly furnished by the bright sun of Italy. " Why do you blush so ?" exclaimed the Signora. " Why ! my dear, is it a crime to love ? Are you not young, handsome, and lovely '( Have you not eyes as bright as diamonds, hair as dark as a raven, and lips rosy as coral ? My dear, when I was at your age, and could boast of your advantages, I would not suffer a man to pass by, without his immediately falling in love with me." " Well, Oarissima Madalena," said the young girl, in drawing her chair nearer that of the Signora, " since you know so well the empire of man's love upon wo- man's heart, you will pity mine. Tell me, then, tell me, quick, what my dear Adrian said about me. How is it that he does not write to me, and why am I so long without hearing anything of him ?" " Dear Carlotina," replied the Signora Savini, affect- ing great composure and assuming a serious air, " I have to speak to you about your Adrian. But, as what I have to tell you is rather of a delicate nature, please to look around, lest anybody should hear us talk." The young girl, frightened by these words, and the serious air of the Signora, rose up, went around the room, opened the door, looked outside, and, after having convinced herself that the words pronounced inside could not reach any human ears, she resumed her seat, at the feet of the wife of Signor Savini, and 92 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. raising her blue eyes towards her, her glance express- ing both curiosity and anxiety, she prepared herself to listen with confidence and attention " What I want from you, Carlotina," said she, " is a full and sincere answer to the questions I am going to address to you. And, to make you aware of the im- portance of what I have to say, learn that the Holy Father is interested in it.'' In pronouncing these words, the two women made the sign of the cross. " Has your Adrian, ever communicated to you what his political opinions were ?" " Never," said the young girl, " Has he ever let you guess what they might become, should a revolution break out in Italy ?" inquired the Signora. Here the young girl leaned her head upon her hand, and seemed to interrogate her memory. " I cannot positively answer your question on that point," replied Carlotina. " I have a confused reminiscence to have heard him speak of Giuseppe Mazzini." " Well ! what did he say concerning him ?" inquired the Signora, fixing her glance upon the young girl. " As far as I can recollect," returned Carlotina, " he pronounced him to be a good Italian, a true friend of liberty, a man who loved his country beyond anything else, and the population of Home as his own children." " Did you ever hear him say anything against his Holiness ?" inquired the Signora. A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. 93 " God forbid !" exclaimed the girl. " He is too good a Catholic, and respects too much our Sante Padre,* for having taken such a liberty." * The title " Papa," (the Italian word for Pope,) has been de- clared by some, to have been derived from the two first letters of the Latin words, Pater Patrum, (father of fathers, &o.,) by oth- ers, from the initials of Petrus Apostolus Potestatem Accipiens, Peter the Apostle receiving power, an etymology which perfectly de- scribes the continual object of the head of the church. 'However, it is generally admitted that the word Pope is derived from Papa, (or father,) a title borne by all the bishops, and not exclusively by one, during the first seven or eight centuries. At the time when Constantine divided the. whole Roman world into four Prefectures, the. whole empire, says Gibbon, was divided into thirteen great Dioceses, each of which equalled the measure of a powerful kingdom. The bishopric of Rome enjoyed all the privileges of a Metropoli- tan over all the bishop3 of the provinces subject to the vicar of the city. In like manner the bishop of Milan exercised the power of a Metropolitan over all the bishops under the vicar of Italy, who was a civil officer, and one of the four Prefects selected by Con- stantine. --.'., T ' " At that time," says Powell, "no clear, evidence appears that any of the fathers xsf the first three centuries, ever maintained the divine right of bishops alone, to be successors pf ; the Apostles, and to ordain arid, govern pastors as well as people." In A. D., 580, John, bishop of Constantinople, having assumed the title of Universal Bishop, the following letter was sent to the bishops of his diocese, frqm Pelagins, the bishop of Rome, arising against the ambitious presentation of the Eastern Patriarch. " You ought not," says he, " acknowledge John as universal bishop, un- less you propose to depart away from the communion of the bish- ops." Gregory the Great, writing some time after on the same subject, says : " All those who have read the Gospel know well that 94 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. " Did he say nothing about the Cardinal ?" " No." " Nothing against the priests ?" " No." " Nothing against the police V " No." " Well, my dear," said the Signora, with a gesture full of spite, and at the same time, casting upon Carlo- tina that sinister glance peculiar to her physiognomy, " if what you say to me is true, and I have no reason to believe your intention is to deceive me, your lover is a dangerous man." " How is that ?" said Oarlotina, with an exclamation of sorrow, showing that the imputations had made all Peter is not called the Universal Apostle, and yet, behold, my fel- low-priest John, seeks to be called the Universal Bishop." " To humble the pride of the Patriarch of Constantinople, the Patriarch of Rome assumed the unpretending title of Serims-Ser- vorum, servant of servants, a title which is still assumed by his successors." But Boniface III, broke that equality of rank which had, until the sixth century, existed among all bishops of the Catholic world, and obtained from Phocas, Captain-General of Borne, commanding for the Emperor at Constantinople, the title of The Universal Head of all other Churches of Christ, "and that the Church of Rome, henceforward, should have the pre-eminence, and be Head over all other churches. Thus that pretension, which Gregory, bishop of Rome, in 591, had indignantly condemned in the person of John, his fellow-priest of Constantinople, and called the assumption of Antichrist, was conferred upon one of his succes- sors, only fifteen years afterwards. This is recorded by Baronius, a Boman Catholic historian. Thus was conflraated the first step towards spiritual and temporal absolutism. A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. 95 the chords of her heart vibrate and tremble : " How is that.?" " My dear child," said, with an affectionate tone of voice, the landlady of the ' Angel of the Field? " it is a painful duty to me to unravel to your eyes the heart of the man you love, and to show his corruption. But since in doing so, I prevent yours from following the same course, since by warning you in time, I may save you from the grasp of Satan, since by opening your eyes you will avoid the precipice where, sooner or later, you and him must be engulphed and perish, you will overlook, I hope, the grief I am going, against my will, to cause you. Listen to me, my dear Carlotina, listen to me,'' added the Signora, in seeing the young girl rise and walk with an inexpressible degree of agitation, to and fro across the room. " No, madam ! no !" replied Carlotina, with indigna- tion. " No, madam ! I cannot, I must not believe you. My Adrian is incapable of sullying his name by any act that does not agree with the strictest notions of honor." " Carlotina," said the Signora," taking her by the arm, and forcing her gently to sit on her chair : " Car- lotina, my dear, you know if I love you. Tell me, Carlotina, when your father and mother died, who went to the dreary rooms, where both corpses were laying in their bed, and you, as pale as they, broken-hearted, and half dead, without either strength enough to leave the room, or moral courage to form an idea of your own — who, in that instant, when everybody was forsaking 96 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. you— when you had not a single friendly hand to dry up the tears of your eyes, not an arm to sustain your trembling steps ; who, at that hour, when God and man seemed to have forsaken you — : who, then, Carlo - tina, opened your door and sat down by you ?" " You, madam," said Carlotina, choking with emotion. " "Who," continued the Signora, " who, when the ground had covered the mortal remains of your parents, took you by the hand, conducted you from the spot that death had rendered desolate and frightful ?" " You," muttered the young girl with a trembling voice and down-cast eyes ; " you " " "Who comforted you, by teaching you to rule your life upon the life of our Lord Christ, and by unfolding to your eyes, the sufferings he had endured for us, showed you how to bear with your own afflictions ?" " You," replied Carlotina," ready to melt into tears, " you " " "Who, after having imparted a little peace to your mind, furnished to the poor girl, destitute of the neces- saries of life, without a shelter where to hide her from the tempest, without even a piece of bread to put in her mouth, worse, without a mother's heart to receive her confidence and console her sorrows, who took her, and opening all the tenderness of her bosom, supplied her wants, fed and clothed her, sheltered her, and gave her back, through her affections, the mother she had lost ?" ' You, Carissima Donna, you," said the young girl, incapable of yielding any longer to the suffocation pro- A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. 97 voked by the recapitulation of the benefits she had re- ceived. " You," said she, bursting into tears, and throw- ing herself into the arms of the Signora Savini. " And do you believe, ungrateful child," said the art- ful woman, pressingthe inexperienced girl to her bosom, " do you believe that I, your second mother, would be willing to call sorrow upon you, and open the door of your heart for the mere pleasure of seeing it blight the joys of your youth, and bring trouble into your future life ? Dear Carlotina ! How can you suppose me guilty of such a crime ? How can you imagine for a single instant, that I would raise a cloud upon your calm and limpid existence, had I not the certainty that you are at this very moment walking in the midst of a tempest whose blast will, at an unexpected hour, shake and perhaps break down the felicity raised by the mag- nifying glass of your imagination, in a future near at hand ?" " Carissima Donna !" muttered the young girl invol- untarily, impressed with the solemn words and earnest expression of the Signora. " I understand your love and the affection you bear to me, I feel the immense amount of gratitude I owe you, and I am also conscious of my impotence to repay you. But what has all this to do with my attachment to Adrian ? Tell me, dear mother,'' added Carlotina, throwing her arms around the form of Mr. Savini's wife, and looking at her with that indescribable expression of the eyes, peculiar to the woman who loves ; " tell me if you are not afraid 98 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. to see your child share with another, an affection that you covet undivided for yourself?" " Why, Miss," replied the Signora, uneasy at observ- ing with what stubbornness the young girl was defend- ing her lover, and how difficult would be the task to raise in her mind a suspicion against him. " Mercy on me ! Signorina, are you going to accuse me of treach- ery ? or do you suppose me cruel enough to trifle with your sentiments for the mere sake of egotistic love. No — disabuse yourself — what I say here is as pure of alloy as truth itself." " Well, dear mother, if what you have to impart to me about Adrian is so terrible, why don't you tell it to me all at once, and not let me linger in trances of anguish ?" " Beware !" said the Signora, " your little head takes fire at the least imputation against your lover ; because when I speak of him, you let your imagination walk quicker than your reason, and instead of listening to ■wisdom's advice, you seem rather disposed to hear the beating of your heart and the whims of your fancy. Why, Miss, did I not see you ready to quarrel with your mother because -she dared to speak against the object of your love ?" '' Excuse me, dear mother," replied Oarlotina, in joining her two pretty hands as for a prayer, " see — must I not be like other girls of my age ! is it not what you said to me some time ago ?" " Yes," responded the Signora, with . a smile, " ex- A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. 99 cept, however, that the girls of your age listen to their mother, even if what they have to say is contrary to the opinion of their daughters ; whilst you, little rebel, have for more than a quarter of an hour completely set aside the voice of duty by lending a favorable ear to the voice of your inclination." " "Well, mother," I am going to listen exclusively to the first — speak, and I will try to be as attentive as to the service of the mass — speak, dear mother." " I am glad to see you becoming more rational," said the Signora, seeing the young girl disposed to lend her ear to what she intended to reveal. " But aswhat I have to communicate, requires a few preliminary re- marks, you will be careful not to interrupt me, if I tako a little circuit, before alluding to the subject you have so exclusively at heart." " Well, mother, go on. I promise not to interrupt you." " I do not know, my dear Carlotina, if you are aware that, in the midst of Italy, under its sunny sky, which makes fruit so sweet and voices so melodious, you ever heard of a secret society, living in darkness, feed- ing upon intrigues, and working slowly and underhand, towards unchaining upon earth, the dominions of hell ?"* * Here is a short extract of a catechism, circulated in France and Italy, through the hands of the Jesuits, and recorded by the partizans of the re-action, as the definition of the principles be- longing to republican. This catechism is hawked about in the city and country, and given gratis to the peasantry. One may see that the Church and the State, the Pope and the monarch, are not 100 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. " Never, mother," smiled Carlotina. " That society," continued the Jesuitic female, " en- tertains the Host abominable doctrines — doctrines which, were they for a single minute triumphant, would bring upon us the anger of Heaven, and cause, like slumbering in either country, but by all possible means, calumny leading the van, try to tear down liberty and raise the edifice of absolutism. Let the catechism speak : Q. What is Liberty % A. The triumph of despotism and the reign of arbitrary power. Under such a triumph and such a reign, stores and shops, instead of being opened as they ought to be, are constantly closed. Q. What is Equality % A. The right to put down his neighbor, and to raise above him ; the largest application of that common saying is : — Get you out ! Let me get in ! Q, What is Fraternity % A, The want generally felt by the poor, to plunder the fortunes of the wealthy, and, if necessary, to kill them. Q. What do you understand by workman 1 A. The laborer who gets his pay, and does not work; - Q. What do you understand by meritorious men under repub- lican regime 1 A. The one who having never done anything, is found by his very position, able to do everything. Q. What is the religion of the revolutionists % A. Revolutionists have no religion. Were they going to admit the existence of God, they would strike at the great principles of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. The reason is for them that God being a King, despotically ruling the Universe, he cannot be either the equal nor the brother of any man- Such are the ideas and sentiments lent to the republicans of Europe, by the Catholic Church, and the absolute sovereigns of the old continent ! A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. 101 formerly, for G-omorrha and Sodom, a rain of fire and brimstone." " God bless us, mother, I hope my Adrian has noth- ing to do with such a society !" replied the young girl with a shudder.. " That society," continued the Signora, without ap parently noticing the remark, " is composed of a hand ful of rascals, plotting and accomplishing in the dark recesses of some ruined palaces, together with the rob- bers and assassins going thither to seek for a shelter, the most villainous schemes that imagination can dream of. They swear, perjure themselves, and are given up to the most outrageous infamy against our mother the church, against our fathers of the sacred college, and, a thing horrible to tell, against the Holy Father him- self!" " "Why, Mother, even against our Santa Padre, Pio Nono ?" " This would amount to nothing," replied the Sig- nora, who being affiliated to the Jesuits, was a Gre- gorian,* "if they had not put down as an article of * The name Gregorians was taken by the Jesuits and their fol- lowers, the Sanfedesti, to distinguish themselves from the parti- zans of Pius IX. The death of Gregory XVI. having brought the election of Pius IX., who was accused of being tainted with the ideas of Young Italy, there were two great divisions in the church. One walking with the liberals towards reform, the other clinging to their former privileges, and unwilling to yield, or to concede anything to the people. Hence the enmity which arose between the Pope and the Jesuits, an enmity which, ending by the flight of Pio IX., from Rome, assured for the latter, a supremacy which 102 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. their creed, the abolition of the civil power among our fathers, the priests, and if, blinded by a hellish passion, they did not think to divide the power of the Soman States among themselves.'' " What an abomination," said the young girl whose pliant mind had been marred at. an early age, through the all-powerful influence of ignorance and superstition. " How is it possible that such men exist ? what do you call them, mother ? — are they strong ? — are they numer- ous ? — do they look like Christians ?" repeated Oarlo- tina, who had been taught to look upon the despisers of the priests as monsters. " There is no more relation between them and Chris- tians, than there is relation between light and darkness, between good and evil, between Jesus Christ and the devil," replied the Signora. " These men have nothing human in their persons. Coarse is their voice, devilish their appearance, their features are pale and elongated, their eyes flash as the phosphoric gleam of a spectre, and their chins covered with a long and repulsive beard, like those of the barbarians of the north. When they move, it is during the night, like the owls and the frogs. They style themselves with the name of liber- als, and are sworn by the most terrible oaths to their society, which they called with the odious name of ' Young Italy.' 1 ' 1 ''* they have preserved until now. This is but one of the numerous instances of the so much boasted unity and harmony of the Roman Church. * The society cf Young Italy, (JGiomne Italia,) was founded by A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. 103 " You frighten me, mother ! Are these men the enemies of religion ?' " Who can doubt it !" replied the Signora, starting. " Have they not stamped upon their faces, the stigma of the monarch of hell, to whom they belong ? Look at their sinister countenance ! Why ! those men are so much frightened with their own conscience, that they bend their heads downward, and never raise it Mazzini, in 1831, when his exile from Geneva obliged him to take refuge at Marseilles. The main plan of the Italian patriot was to unite the disjecta membra of Italy, under the national banner, and to create an Italian nationality. The first members of Young Italy were men who had been mostly Carbonari, and whose hopes of good from the accession of Charles Albert, were dispelled by his conduct. Young Italy was an educational movement, not merely revolutionary but regenerative. Their flag displayed in Savoy, in 1834, bears Italian colors, (white, red, and green,) on one side, Liberty, Equality, and Humanity, on the other, Unity and Inde- pendence, God and Humanity; this was its principles in all ils for- eign relations, as God and the People was in all its labors for its country. From this double principle, it deduced all its religious, social, political, and individual creeds. It was secret so far only, as was necessary for its interior operations ; its existence and purpose were public. It had a, central committee abroad to keep up its standard, to form communications with other countries and to direct the enterprise, and committees in Italy to superintend the various movements. It had the formula of an oath, or declaration of poli- tical belief— a method of recognition, especially for the envoys of the association — a branch of cypress for a symbol in memory of the martyrs, and as an image of constancy, and the words " Now and Ever," {Ora and Sempre,) for device. (Dem. Rev. Jan- uary, 1852., p. 45.) 104 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. up towards heaven, for fear of meeting the angry glance of the Almighty !" " It is because they think, mother — " " They think ! of what, please, tell me what ?" exclaimed the Signora. " Yes, they think, it is true, they think of overthrowing thrones and altars, they think of leading astray public opinion, so as to look on every one who performs an act of injustice as a hero. They think, yes ! but tell me what they think, that an honest woman can think of without a blush ?" " Are these Liberals, as you call them, excommuni- cated, mother ?" asked the young girl. " Certainly ; for they generally belong to secret societies,'' replied the Signora. " Mother," said the young girl, whose sense of reli- gion could not bear the idea of such an eternal chas- tisement, the most dreadful which, according to her notion, could befal man. " I hope my Adrian is not concerned in that society, nor has any connection whatever with its members." " God alone, whose eye scrutinizes and fathoms man's conscience," says the Signora, " knows it. To Him Adrian is responsible for his acts : to Him, I say," added Magdalena, reeollecting herself, "and to those who love Him. Of what avail would it be to me to . relate my suspicions about him, since you, Carlotina, who ought at least to divide your confidence with me, receive my insinuations about your lover, and his character, with a sentiment of marked distrust.?" A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. 105 " No, dear mother, tell me what you know of him," replied Oarlotina, with vivacity, " and should his senti- ments be in discord with those taught to us by the sacred law of our religion, I promise you to forget him At least, I will try," said the young girl to herself, with a sigh. " I do npt wish to put your affections to such a sad. trial, before you are convinced of the culpable connec- tions of Adrian. For that you must adroitly intro- duce the subject to his attention, and make him convict himself, little by little, by his own revelations. You possess the best means that diplomatist has ever used, and that is love. Use it, as far as necessary, to get from him all the information requisite to prove, not only to you, but to any one, his secrets and the secrets of the society he belongs to, and you will have well deserved from our holy mother, the Church." " But, if he refuses to tell me anything, what shall I then do ?" asked the young girl. " Use love ;" replied the corrupted and crafty wo- man. " It is the key of all hearts, and all consciences." " Love will not make him speak, if he does not choose to do it," retorted the simple-hearted young girl. " How stupid you are, Oarlotina," said Madalena. " Well ! love will not make man speak, you say." And, while pronouncing these words, the bright and expressive eye of the Signora. was staring upon poor Oarlotina, and a sardonic and devilish smile passed upon her lips. 106 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. Though ignorant of its signification, the poor girl bent her head, and a blush covered her face. The 'Signora rose from hsr chair, and taking the maiden by the hand, led her before a picture represent- ing Santa Mad'alena pouring a vase of oil over the feet of the Lord, and having directed the girl's atten- tion to it, said : " How much would you give to spare our Signor, Jesus Christ, a single suffering, and to be as devoted to him as that great saint ?" " My life I" quickly replied Carlotina. " Your life does not belong to you, but to God, consequently, your life amounts to nothing." " What, then ?" said the young girl. " What ? what is that held by woman as the most precious of all gifts, as an inestimable treasure, dearer, and more sacred than life itself ?" said Madalena. " I do not know," replied the young girl, trembling lest she should understand. " Mark !" exclaimed the Signora, with a malicious glance, " mark ! Carlotina, you must have that man's secret ; I mean your Adrian's secrets. Your duty towards God, imposes that obligation on your con- science. Truth, concerning him, must be known, cost what it may. On that condition alone can you save your soul from hell;* and, as your soul is still more * In a meeting of Jesuits held in the city of Chieri, Piedmont, father Koothan, the actual general of the order, exclaimed: " We must not recoil at any cost, whenever it is necessary for us to possess a secret." {Abbot Leone, p. 102.) A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. 107 precious to you than your honor, sacrifice your honor rather than endanger your soul. You understand me, Oarlotina. Your»lover, and I am well informed on that point, is plotting against the Church, that is to say, against our Lord Jesus Christ. Get his secrets, by whatever means may be necessary, and with Saint Madalena, your name will be blessed, and your memory cherished. I told your Adrian to come and see you this evening, so you have every chance to discover from him all that is important to know. I will be here to-morrow." " Mother ! mother ! don't leave me," said the young girl, with emotion, on seeing that the Signora had opened the door, and was ready to go out. " You know that I never received Adrian alone." " Tell him," said the Signora, " that I am engaged, and will see him in the evening. He must, of course, have a great deal to say to you, and my presence would only impose a restraint on the conversation. I leave you, my dear. Good bye. Mind your duty ; , and, above all, don't forget that you must have Adrian's secrets, or renounce for ever my affection, your own salvation, as well as your hope of saving him from perdition." In thus saying, the Signora retired, and before getting out of sight, made a sign of friendship to the young girl. Her form was quickly hidden from view by a turn of the lane behind the hotel, whilst Carlotina, dismayed by the S'gnora's language, contemplated, in a sort of intellectual stupor, the abyss of infamy openly 108 A JESUIT IN PETTICOATS. recommended to her by one she used to respect as a protectress, and to cherish as a mother. " Well !" soliloquized the mistress of the " Angel of the Field," in walking to her residence, " well ! I have not lost my day : to-morrow the secrets of the Young Italy Society will be mine ! then the hours of happiness will strike, and love will open the door of my most cherished hopes. Yes ! mine," said with pride the vain landlady, "yes, mine ! that is to say, to the Church ! To the Church ? Is it really her interests which make me act as I do now ? Oh ! my heart ! stop ! don't beat so quick; lest thou shouldst betray me ! Art thou not the accomplice of my thoughts and actions? and more, dost thou not command me, and am I not thy slave ? Silence, my heart ! silence ! Remain yet awhile hidden in the obscure prison whence thou deceivest the world ! The day of thy triumph is not far off. The hour when thou mayest appear in all the pomp of public honors, and the greatness of fortune is near at hand ! Courage, my heart ! and thou wilt have reached the apex of human glory and felicity. Then power, that lever of the world, will be at ooit command, and people will worship the idol of my golden dreams." OHAPTEE VII. PURCHASE OP A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. "When Signora Savini had left the young Carlotina, she went through the many tenements of the hotel, to a little lane, along the line of which were several doors, communicating from the neighboring court- yards. There she met her husband, face to face, as he was just stepping out of one of these doors. The Countenance of Signor Savini was, contrary to its usual expression, full of good humour and smiles. He held a little folded paper in one hand, whilst the other, plunged into his pocket, seemed to be employed in securing something still more precious. Instead of taking another way than the one followed by his wife, a thing which the peculiar affection he bore to his better-half, generally induced him to do, he advanced with a satisfied air to meet her, and, with the most agreeable manner he could assume, he held the folded, paper in a parallel line with his nose, and then stretching his arm straight-forward, exclaimed : " Carissiraa Madalena, ecco une letterina per te : 1 10 PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. here is a note for you." After these few words, the tenderness of which astonished him, perhaps as much as they astonished his wife, he stopped abruptly. Signor Savini had not the habit of using long sentences. Madalena took the note, and casting a glance upon the superscription, she read these words : " To Lord Momento ; to be delivered immediately.'' " Jeronimo," said the Bignora, calling a little boy, who was catching flies at the window of the parlor, " come down." The lad, rather than come down by the safer route, jumped from the window, about twelve feet high, and in a second was near his padrona. " Who are the two gentlemen who came out here this morning ?" asked the Signora. " Who ? Ciceroacchio ?" inquired the boy. " No ! you silly creature ; I speak of two foreigners; those who came two hours ago, where are they now ?" " Ah ! Signora, you mean the two glum lords, as stiff as wax candles, and holding their heads as if they had thorns in their cravats ; they are just going out. Shall I call, and tell them to come ?" " No ; take this paper first, and run after them. Take care, don't lose it, do not tumble down : what a little rogue, he is," said the Signora, on seeing the boy starting as an arrow from a bow. " He is the best of all our servants," muttered' her husband, as an echo to her words and sentiments. PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. 1 1 1 " Can you tell me, sir," asked the Signora, abruptly- changing the subject of their conversation, " what has happened since I saw you, and how it is that you are in possession of this letter ?" " I am willing to tell you anything and everything,'' replied the landlord of the " Angel of the Field," " with so much pleasure that it will be between us a renewal of those tokens of confidence I had formerly the happiness to inspire you with, and which have been for years and years declining, declining always, not on my side, but on yours," added, with a sigh, the plump host. " Well, sir, let us see whether you are still worthy of it or not." " I will not go far to prove to you that I am so. Apart from the present event, I could say that I did not remain until now without being at least partially aware of your connection with certain personages, my acknowledged political faith prevented me from seeing; and if I have kept silent about them, it is because it entered into my calculations to be so, and not for want of eyes, as you might imagine." " Bless me, sir, I would never have believed you to be so sharp ! Can you tell me how far your know- ledge in that matter extends, and what information you gained from so fine a discovery ?" " It is unnecessary to pierce me with your ironic tongue, since your eyes have already shot through me," replied the host, reminded in that moment of the gallantry of his younger days. " As to your ques- 1 12 PURCHASE QF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. tion, it is perfectly useless to answer you, since my reserve and silence have just now been rewarded. What is past is past ; my heart is too full of gratitude not to forget the sad moments of trial I have experi- enced to bring about the present result, and gather the reward of my sacrifice, or, as you call it, of my discovery." " If ambiguous language, and sententious parables, are a part of your discovery, I warn you that I don't want to hear it," said the Signora, with an impatient movement of the shoulders. " Don't be so fast, my dear Madalena," replied her husband. " My recent discoveries are but a part of your own history," added he, with a twinkling of the eye, " consequently, I will not relate it to you, except, however, the last chapter that you don't know, and that you would be sorry not to know." " Yes ! let us see that last chapter, Signor ;" replied the Signora, somewhat stung with the raillery of her husband. " But, I warn you, if the part you occupy m it, is as ridiculous as that you are playing just now, it is better for you to keep it, as you have kept the rest you know what I mean under silence " " You know, my dear, that I have lived long with- out noticing your sarcasms, and that I intend to do so, still a while." " Well !" retorted the impatient woman, vexed at seeing the immovable coolness of her husband ; " will you keep me still longer standing here, for the mere PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. 113 pleasure of listening to your impertinences, or will you tell me, at once, and without idle circumlocution, what you have to communicate ?" " 1 shall proceed immediately to that part of the sought for intelligence," answered Nicolo Savini, with the same gravity. " I was, as you know I always am, attending to the business of the house, when the little Jeronimo, that same boy you have just sent away, came towards me, and pulling me by the sleeve, whispered in my ear that the Dominican monk, who lives next door, had told him a minute ago, that he wanted to see me on urgent business, and that he wished me to call upon him as soon as possible." " What do you mean ?" said the Signora, with an anxious look ; " Father Francisco, that holy man ?" " Yes ; a holy man, as you call him ; you could say an excellent man, without exaggerating any of his qualities or virtues. The boy had no sooner spoken, than, leaving all business aside, I hurried towards the dwelling of the worthy man ; that is to say, of that excellent man." " I thought," replied the Signora, with a smile, " that your political faith, as you name certain curious ideas of yours, would have prevented you from taking such a step ! Has your conscience changed of late ? and are you at last coming to better sentiments, and to more sensible views ? If it is so, we shall easily understand each other." " I might answer to your imputations," said the old man, " what Tancrede said to Clorinde : ' you don't 114 PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. know me;' but I hasten to my subject. Let me pro- ceed if you please, without any further interruption V " When I arrived at the dwelling of Father Francisco, I was introduced into his cell, a low, dark, dismal apart- ment, with no aperture but a sky-light, distributing par- simoniously a few rays of the sun, as if the light of heaven was too dear an object to be used with profli- gacy. The windows of the room fronting the street were so closely shut up, as to prevent any inquisitive eye from penetrating the secrets of that apartment." " I do not know whether you ever entered it, or a similar one, in your life, but if you have, it is impos- sible for you not to have been gloomily impressed with your visit. Either out of some secret motive, or for purposes of penance, the Father is lodged like a hermit in his cell, with nothing around him but images of death, instruments of discipline, pictures of eternal chas- tisement, all things calculated to frighten with terror, or dishearten with gloominess. I could not help shud- dering at the sight of all these emblems of physical and moral torture placed there, to increase those we suffer upon earth. His prieu-dieu, the place where he ad- dressed his prayers to God, was loaded with skulls and . bones of different sorts. A huge skeleton was hanging against the wall, opposite the place occupied by the prie -dieu, so as to keep constantly the memory of his end in his recollection, whenever he knelt before the Almighty. The walls of the apartments were covered with mottoes and pictures, describing the sufferings of the sinner in the clutches of the devils, others repro- PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. 115 senting the different punishments inflicted by the tri- bunal of the Holy Inquisition, to those daring enough to brave the commands of the church, and all of them were so dreadful that I was compelled to shut my eyes to escape the horrid sight. " When I tremblingly opened my lids again, and was a little accustomed to the gloom of the room, I saw Father Francisco seated before a large table, occupied with setting in order several papers. He was wrapped up in the long frock of his order, with a rope coiled round his waist, at both ends of which were a beauti- fully carved ivory skull, and a Cross, sign of our redemp- tion. His large forehead uncovered, and his dark black eyes and- wrinkled cheeks, his countenance, where sanc- tity seems to reign conjointly with humility, his pro- jecting chin, symbol of strength and energy, and all his features were well calculated to call up to my memory the remembrance of the Cenobites of old, who were wont to spend in the wilderness and in privation, a life capable of activity and intelligence, which differently used, would have rendered. service to humanity."* * The reflection of Master Nicolo must not, however, be understood in an exclusive or too extensive # manner. Very often the life of a Ceno- bite or hermit, was but a preparation for a struggle — a sort of rest, ■where men eminent by their genius went to temper again their strength, exhausted by studies and maceration. Such were St. Gregory of Nazi- anzi, Saint Basil, Saint Chrisostum, Saint Augustin. These men were hermits at first. But once sufficiently prepared, they left their commun- ion with the invisible to enter an active communion with the visible church. They were at first but hermits, but they beoame priests, bish- ops, pontiffs and identified themselves with the power of the clergy. 116 PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. Arrived at this point of his narrative, the host and his wife had reached the hotel, and entered the parlor situated on the second floor. Signora Savini looking through the window lattice, perceived a carriage, and Lord Momento ready to step in, with the little J ero- nimo at his side, handing him the letter. The landlady wishing to let their lordships understand the part she had taken in the message, drew back the blinds, and the noise having caused Lord Momento to look in that direction, she put her forefinger upon her forehead, and drawing it down vertically, twice she accompanied that gesture with the most en-chanting smile. " What are you doing there, my dear ?" said her husband. " God forgive me!" said Signora, collecting herself and bounding upon her feet in leaving the window. "God forgive me ! I think you are blaspheming, Sig- nor Savini !" " Don't mind the reminiscence of old habits, since I am now making atonement for my old sins," answered Nicolo, but let me continue my narrative. " "When the monk saw me, a smile as rapid as the lightning of a summer day, passed on his lips. He stopped the business he was engaged in, and showing me his stately form, he was upon his feet and pushed towards me a worn stool, such as those used to lay cof- fins upon in the church. " ' Sit down,' said he, ' Signor Savini, and excuse me if my poverty prevents me from having a softer seat to offer you.' PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. 117 " I eat dowD, and as I placed my hand in my vest, to get my handkerchief, I felt the pulsation of my heart two-fold stronger and quicker than usual. I attributed this to my timidity, not knowing whether the sinister look of Father Francisco, had or not, any influence upon the circulation of my blood. " 'Signor Savini,' continued the holy man, ' I for a long time desired an interview with you, and I thank Heaven, for having at last accomplished my desires. I did not, as you may easily suppose, form this desire without any motive, and now that you are here, I will with all the sincerity I derive from the grace of the Almighty, and with the honesty of intention and pur- pose which rule the acts of all members of the church, and prevent them from falling into the snare of vanity tendered by the satisfaction of mundane enjoyments to common people, I communicate to you my instructions for your peace in this world, and your salvation in the nej.t. May it please the Almighty king of kings, to regulate my mind, and direct my tongue in the difficult circumstance of my life, and to inspire me with abilities equal to the greatness of his service, and of the laws he has given to our Holy Church.'* * Here are summed up a few of the ,! Christian" and political rules of the church. Let our readers judge whether they are in accordance with God's precepts : — 1st. Catholics must hate heretics, philosophers, reformers, and repub- licans of all sorts and shape. They will form a community of. hatred which will daily increase and strongly hind them one to the other. 2d. It is, however, indispensable to disguise it, till the day arrives when it shall break out. 118 PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. " In thus saying, the monk ran rather than walked towards his jrrie-dieu, and embracing it with a gesture indicative of ardent love and the repentancce of a cul- pable heart, the head bent upon its shelf, he recited a Latin prayer, which to judge from the groans and sighs accompanying it, was as zealous as fervid. " Having finished his supplication he resumed his seat, and turning toward me a face still marked with sanctity, inspired by the pious act he had just per- formed, he said with a mild voice, in which none of the imperative tone with which he spoke before was per- ceptible — '"I do not know, my son, whether what I have to communicate will impress you with the same sentiments which prompts me to speak ; but when all confidence between men and men, depends sometimes on a few words uttered by an unworthy tongue, I tremble lest that fragile instrument of our wicked nature may con- vey to your mind a different impression from that which I wish you to feel and understand.' " ' I will try to elevate my understanding so as to appreciate your communication,' replied I. 3d. Meanwhile, we must dissever the Catholics from inimical govern- ment, constitute, with them, a separate government, in order to deal terrible blows to heretics, philosophers, reformers, and republicans, on some future occasion. The Catholio people is the successor of the people of God j consequently heretics, philosophers, reformers, and republicans are the enemies we have to exterminate, and the kings who refuse to obey the Holy Seat are as many Pharaohs. — Abbot Leone, Conference of the Jesuits in Chieri, Piedmont. PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. 119 " ' Very well,' answered the holy father. ' Now, my dear son, listen to me. You must be aware of the perturbation into which the affairs of the world, but more especially the government of our sacred Mother, the Church, have been recently thrown by late political events of a nature as awful as they have been unexpected. The rock upon which rested the foundation of religious and political societies for ages, seems to have been removed from its basis, and is now exposed to the increasing current of thousands and thousands of small streams, which, if combined and united in one single bed would be sufficient to sweep it away, and destroy the church. T.hen chaos will come, and the hand of God will have to erect a new world again, or set the rock in its place. But as we, guard- ians of his words and of his people, received for our mission the task of keeping both one and the other in order, and under His holy laws, of preventing the re- establishment of the reign of darkness, and of fallen angels from prevailing once more upon earth, we must in order to be worthy of His confidence, and of the trust we are investsd with, take all measures towards hindering such a catastrophe. Our duty is, then, to suppress, and if we cannot do that, then at least to oppose, by all possible means, the causes which, like the inward fire of a volcano, sets the whole social fabric in ebullition, and threatening to explode, endangers every day our own existence, and the existence of all honest men.' " At this point of the conversation, Father Francisco 120 PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. stared at me, watching the impression produced by his exordium. As he saw me as impassible as before, he understood that I had very likely heard the same thing in his last sermon of last Sunday, in church, and did not judge proper to make a rehearsal of his lecture before me. Consequently, he modified the train of his ideas, together with his language, and adroitly passed from this subject to another. " Like causes must invariably produce like effects. Euin will bring ruin, desolation produce desolation, and the time of the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, will make its appearance," continued the monk. " What shall we do ? Let the world have its own way ? It is the loss of mankind. Is not struggling and fighting till victory be ours, a nobler task, more conformable to the will of God, and the salvation of humanity ? What do you say, Signo- Savini ? Will you not join us, and walk under the flag, which we will unfold in defence of the Church, and the sacred principles represented by her ?" " I don't know whether I understand you," said I to the holy man ; " of which flag are you speaking ? There are so many, and of so many colors in our days, that I am not sure if the one present to my mind now, is the one you mean." " Strange, my son, that you should not understand that I can mean none other than that of the Holy Catholic Church ! Is there any other legitimate flag id the world ?" PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. 12 " It would be blasphemy, to say 'yes,' replied I, and yet there are some persons in the Church contend- ing for several Churches, for instance, the Church of Pio IX-., which is not the Church of Gregory XVI. and the Church of the Cardinals Monsignori Prelates Bishops and Arch-bishops, which is neither one nor the other. Those holy men, I understand, do not approve of the reformatory measures undertaken by our present Pontiff, and form a sort of a reactionary party, pulling backward, whilst our Holy Padre pulls onward, thus creating a sort of division in the bosom of the united spouse of Christ. You will excuse me, holy father, added I, if my opinion be expressive of any want of respect towards you, but I had to explain the causes of my not exactly understanding you."* * The opposition usually marking the advent of a new Pope to the seat of St. Peter, never was more rabid than on the occasion of Pio Nono's ascent to the Papacy. Our readers may judge of it by the fol- lowing address, which was put into circulation, through the priests and other members of the Society of the Sanfedesti, on the elevation of Car- dinal Mastai to the pontifical tiara. The most active agents of the op- position raised against his holiness on account of his supposed liberal opinions, were, at the time, Cardinal delta Ganga at Pasaro, and Cardinal de Angelis at Ferno, Lambruschini Antonelli, and others. Those repre- sentatives of the Jesuitical party were busily engaged in spreading among the country and city people all the documents which could dis- affect the peasants, and sow seeds of suspicion in their ignorant minds. — - " Dearest Brethren ! — Our holy religion is almost dead. The intrusive pontiff Masta'i is its oppressor. Ho is devoted to Young Italy. His at- titude is very significant. Vigilance, prudence, and courage, dearest brethren, if you have at heart, as I believe, the maintenance of the re- ligion of Jesus Christ, God-made man ! That will triumph! He will assist, and already assists you. Besides the aid of God, we have that 122 PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCTENl E. " Perfectly reasonable ! my dear son," responded the monk, with the most easy air in the world ; " your ignorance of holy things, entirely absolves you in my eyes. Why, sir, you are not obliged to know what the most eminent men of the age are unaware of, and your perspicacity is not expected to perform more than theirs. Enough on that subject. "When time will arrive to disclose to you the naked truth, you will receive it. But now to our business. The object of my calling you here, is this : we want, in our interest, in the interest of the Church,* a man active without being awkward, cunning enough not to excite sus- picion, and besides, enjoying a reputation for liberal opinions, sufficiently large and widely spread to impose, by his own influence, upon the general sentiment. To such a man, employed with us in the promulgation and defence of the unsullied name of the cross, prom- ises would be made of such a nature as to make him great, rich and glorious in this life, and in the life to come. Reflect, my son, and tell us if you have none among your acquaintances, "capable and worthy of such an investiture ?" of man. Ferdinand I. is on our right, Ferdinand II on our left. But do not the less remind the faithful that the devourers in vain resist the will of the Most High. When raised against religion, it will be our most powerful arm. The terrible day will be announced to you j heaven ! heaven protectpur enterprise." * Wherever there is Catholicism, there is a system professing to influ- ence vitally the opinions and actions of men, by motives, machinery, and sanctions, originally independent of the State, an imperium in im- perii) by birth.— Farini'a Stato Romano. PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. 123 " That depends upon the promises you would make, and the time of their realization," replied I. " ' The promises cannot be made,' replied the holy- monk, ' for they will he subordinate to the acts per- formed, and to be performed, and in a proportionate and generous ratio with these very acts. As to the time, sir, for their fulfilment, I will not postpone it a minute more.' " And Father Francisco, opening a little drawer in his desk, drew a bag of money, which he handed to me. " ' This bag contains one hundred crowns,' said he. ' I give it only, as a good will to the man who will accept my propositions, which are : — devotedness to the mother Church, passive obedience and submission, atf all hours of the day or the night to my orders. Give it to him, Signor Savini, who will subscribe to these conditions, and come back to-morrow to see me, and receive another one of the same amount, as a pledge for the beginning of our future operations. Now you can retire ; I have important business to finish before going to church. Good bye ; don't for- get to recite nine Paters and Ave Marias, in your prayers this evening, for the salvation of the Church, and the forgiveness of your sins.' " Thus saying, Father Francisco, opening a small door which I had not yet perceived, disappeared.'' " And you have kept the money ?" asked, with a smile, Signora Savini. " Could I do differently ?" replied her husband. 124 PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. " Nobody was there to receive it, so I resolved to retain it, least it should fall into unworthy hands." " And how did you^get the letter ?" "I was just going out, when a sort of friar handed it to me, on the threshold of the door, with orders to give it to you immediately." " "Well !" exclaimed the Signora, laughing, " then the bargain is concluded ?" " What bargain do you mean ■?" " Have you not already commenced passive obedi- ence and submission to the spouse of Christ, our Holy Mother the Church," replied the Signora. " Have you not lent a willing hand to the performance of its will ? Why, my dear, is it possible that you have signed the contract without your being aware of your doing so ? You ! a pretended Liberal, receiving money and handing ' a letter from a priest ! What will your political brethren say on learning this ? My dear, methinks you are now too strongly compromised to go back. Persevere in that good movement of yours, attach yourself to the greatest power on earth, to the Pope ; you have one foot out of hell, try to pull out the other ! One hardened sinner saved, is more agreeable to God, than thousands -of innocent creatures. Will you have the courage to carry out your noble sacrifice to the end ?" asked she, in pleas- antly smiling to her husband, for the first time in twenty years. " I shall have it," said Nicolo, grasping the bag of money. PURCHASE OF A YIELDING CONSCIENCE. 125 " "Well ! God bless you and me together. Now, my dear, give me your arm." And leaning affectionately, her little white hand on the hand of the contented and remorseless Nicolo Savini, the treacherous and false-hearted couple entered the dining-room of the " Angel of the Field." CHAPTEE VIII. CHURCH EDUCATION FOR CATHOLIC GIRLS.* "We must now return to the humble room of Carlo- tina, whom we left on the small gallery, situated at the •Catholic Teaching — Hints to oor Readers. — We do not pre- tend to give our readers, in a singlo note, the tenth part of the over- whelming proofs which arise against the lay education such as is given, by the Catholic church, such as it is demonstrated to be by history, and by facts of daily occurrence. The evidences against that system are so numerous as, properly speaking, to be cumbersome. It would be over- burdening the mind of the reader, and trespassing on the limits of our subject, to give them all at once. We will distribute them as we go along, in consequence of which we beg from our readers a little patience. We would remind them at the same time, that we do not advance any- thing against Catholicism, without sustaining our charges by irresistible proofs and authority. Liberality of Catholic Teaching. — Among the so much boast- ed superiority of Catholic teachings, we must not forget to mention the Indexes expurgatory and prohibitory, or list of books marked as con- taining baleful doctrine, pernicious to the mind as to the heart, and lead- ing oue and the other within the reach of Satan's burning grasp. Seve- ral volumes would be scarcely sufficient to give a complete enumeration of them. In fact there is not a work published in any living language, except a few written exclusively by ecclesiastics or supporters of the des- potism of the Pope and Church of Rome, which, is not pointed out by t'ao EDUCATION OF GIRLS. 127 top of the stairs, following with a glanco of consterna- tion and fear, the light and easy form of her second mother, the Signora Savini, disappearing amid the winding ways where the " Angel of the Field" was built. She remained motionless at the same place, till the shadow projected by the Signora on the walls of the last house had entirely disappeared. Then, enter- ing her room, her look cast down with a melancholy expression, she dropped, rather than sat, into the only arm-chair of her apartment, the finest and costliest piece of furniture she possessed. This movement of her body thrown backwards, severe finger of ecclesiastical censorship, and condemned. Among these, we will quote the bright stars of the literary world, among whom stand in a conspicuous light the present writers of France, especially the his- torians, such as Michelet, Augustin Tiorry, Mignet, Thiers, Guizot, Qui- net, &a. To the list of these authors we will add the English writers, Addison, Algernon Sydney, Lord Bacon, George Buchanan, Matthew Hale, John Locke, Milton, Mosheim, Robertson, Eoscoe, Cowper, Young, ■Walton's Polyglot, &c, and all recent authors from Byron to Walter Sdott and Dickens. When the prohibition of these books is not made public, it is made through the confessional. The decision of the church in relation to the forbidden book is expressed in these terms. " Finally it is enjoined on all the faithful, that no one presume to keep, or to read, any books contrary to these rules, or prohibited by the Indexes — and if any shall do so, he incurs the sentence of excommunication." For, IT IS A MORTAL SIN. Libeiity of the Press. — The persecution exercised by Priests in France and Italy against the liberty of the Press — a persecution which we wilUwve often to expose in the course of our book — is not a novelty on the part of Catholic authority. Our readers must understand that all acts of oppression exercised by the church, are not only temporary facts, executed by the whim or will of a Pope, in divergence with an- 128 EDUCATION OP GIRLS. caused her little feet to peep out from beneath the simple mourning dress she wore, and a better shaped and smaller miniature of feet never was seen under the sky of Eome, and perhaps of Italy. Her head covered with jet black hair, slightly kept together by a silver comb, and hurriedly twisted behind, unrolled it- self by coming into contact with the back of the chair, and a profusion of waving curls spread them- selves over the neck and shoulders of the beautiful girl. Seen in that position, with her red lips budding like a rose upon her olive complexion — her Eoman nose, whose thin and rosy nostrils, allowed the rich color of other, but that they have their root in the Catholic Institutions them- selves, are identical to itself, and form as it were the life of Catholicity. At a proof of this, we will cast a glance on the book of history, where these institutions and their withering effects are the most perceptible. 1st. We have the words of the legate of Pope Adrian VI. to the diet of Nuremberg, in the days of Luther, in which he expresses the ideas cf that Pontiff:— "I say that the Pope and Emperor ought to be implicitly obeyed ; the heretics 1 books burned, and the printers and sellers of them duly pun- ished. There is no other way to suppress and extinguish the pernicious sect of Protestants." 2d. The decree of the Lateran Council, in 1815. This is the substance of it : — That no book sliall be printed without the Bishop's licejise : that those who transgress this decree shall forfeit the whole impression, which shall be publioly burned ; pay a fine of one hundred ducats ; be suspended from his business for one year, and be excommunicated ; that is, given over to the deyil. soul and body, in God's name, and the saints ! and no person allowed to trade, or deal, or commune with him ! 3rd. The decree of the Council of Trent, session 4, sec. Ac. — But be- ing desirous also of setting bounds to the printers, who, with unlimited boldness, suppose themselves at liberty to do as they please. EDUCATION OF GIRLS. 129 her blood to be seen as easily as the meicury of a barometer, through the transparency of the glass — and her eyes, whose deep blue seemed to color themselves with lighter and darker shadows, according to the emo- tions agitating her breast — a peculiar faculty of the Italian glance, whose effect is most admirably adapted to express the tenderest emotions of the heart — you would have worshipped her as one of those celestial productions of Raphael, called to life, like Pygmalion's, by the love of the artist. Grace, youth, and beauty, increased by that unknown sympathy which attaches man's heart to the privileged one of the fair sex, was making Oarlotina an object of admiration for men, and of envy for women. Had a painter looked at her in that moment, with her little fingers convulsively grasping the curls of her hair, her face expressing despondency and grief, he would have taken her for. a Magdalen of the nineteenth century, in a moment of passionate love or sudden repentance, so handsome and dramatic was her countenance, so natural and intense her sorrow. As we have already seen, in a preceding chapter, Oarlotina had lost her father and mother at a tender age, before having the slightest idea of the world, and of the perils it was strewed with. Her relations were living at a distance from the Oampagna Eomana, and were as poor as herself. So, no resources or expecta- tions of a more comfortable life were left to the poor girl, when the Signora Savini presented herself, and undertook, with the assistance of the church, to finish 130 EDUCATION OF GIRLS the education of young Carlotina; that is to say, to use her for the service of the hotel. The proposition was accepted by the lonesome girl, who not having the first mouthful of bread with which to allay her hunger, looked upon her assistance as coming from Heaven. Happily for herself, Carlotina was gifted with a voice whose clear accents, rather melodious than thrilling, full and soft, had the faculty to move the slumbering chords of the soul, and to moisten the eye with emo- tion. Such a bright gift was soon discovered by the monks and friars who then frequented the hotel, and a report having been made to the curate of the adjoining church, Carlotina was invited for the Sunday following, to sing with the choir. The innocent girl did not know a single note of music, and could scarcely read her prayer-book. She had learned all she knew from memory, in going to mass and vespers, but such was the aptitude of her organization for music, that she could learn an air by hearing it once, and repeat it, re- producing all the tones from a chromatic gamut, to the most complicated fioritures. That Sunday her triumph was complete. Never had such accents resounded in the church since the days of the Eequiem of Mozart, and during six months and more, the whole conversa- tion turned upon the poor Italian girl, whose voice had created such a sensation in the neighborhood of the " Angel of the Field." Her reputation extended even to Rome. A Cardinal spoke of her one evening to an actress, his mistress, ■who instantly manifested a strong desire of having the EDUCATION OF GIRLS 131 girl presented to her. But strong oljections were raised by the curate and other ecclesiastics of the dis- trict where Carlotina lived, and as the clearest profit of the church in Eome and elsewhere, lies a great deal upon the degree of talent and volume of voice of the singers employed, as it is said, to sing the praise of God, all sorts of efforts were made to prevent that in- terview taking place. The young girl was flattered, praised, and duly confessed. The Cardinal was warmly entreated, the actress humbly begged to leave the pre- cious jewel in its own golden case, so that through sup- plications and prayers, no farther attempts were made to get Carlotina on the theatre of Eome. From that day Carlotina, captivated by the advances of her congregation, subdued by the cajoleries of the priest, abandoning herself to the pleasures of flattery, threw herself entirely into the minute devotions of the Catholic rite, not on account of her simplicity or igno- rance of mind, but rather in consequence of the simpli- city of her heart, whose loving, qualities, attracted by the pomp and mysteries of the Catholic service, were led, or rather misled, through a flowery path, towards a pernicious and unnatural end. We say unnatural, because education having for its object the progressive cultivation of both the faculties of the mind and the heart, and that all systems of education which ne- glect the one, for the exclusive development of the other, without due regard for the divine harmony ex- isting between the two, must necessarily act in discord 1 32 EDUCAT ON OF GIRLS. with the laws of nature and produce the most baleful and deplorable results.* * Weakness of Human Reason. — The point which Roman Catho- lics love most to dwell on, is the weakness of private judgment, which they represent as a prevailing reason why we should rather give ourselves up to the direction of an infallible guide. In answer to this, several wri- ters have very well defended the right of private judgment, others have preferred to regard it as a duty, and in truth, the exercise of it is both a right and a duty ; or rather a right because it is a duty. But the most important consideration of all is the necessity of private judgment. A man who resolves to place himself under a certain guide, to be im- plicitly followed, and decides that such and such a church is the appointed infallible guide, does decide on his own private judgment, that one most important point, which includes in it all o:her decisions relative to reli- gion. And if, by his own shewing, he is unfit to judge at all, he can have no ground for confidence that he has decided rightly in tJuit. And if, accordingly, he will not trust himself to judge even on this point, but resolves to consult his priest, or other friends, and be led en- tirely by their judgment thereupon, still he does, in thus resolving, ex- ercise his own judgment as to the counsellors he so relieson. The re- sponsibility of forming some judgment is one which, however unfit we deem ourselves to bear it> we cannot possibly get rid of in any matter about which we really feel an anxious care. It is laid upon us by God and we cannot shake it off. Before a man can rationally judge that ho should submit his judgment in other things to the church of Rome, he must have judged— 1st. That there is u. God; 2d. That Christi- anity comes from God; 3d. That Christ has promised to give an in- fallible authority to the church; 4th. That such authority resides in the church of Rome. Now, to say that men who are competent to form sound judgments upon these points are quite incompetent to form sound judgments about any other matters in religion, is very like saying that mon may have sound judgments of their own before they enter the Church of Rome, but that they lose all sound judgment entirely from the moment they enter it. — Archbishop Whatcly on the Errors of Romanism, pp. 21, 22. EDUCATION OF GIRLS. 133 "When she rose from kneeling, the pearl of emotion trembling on her eyelids, like a dew-drop on a rose- leaf, her sight was struck with the presence of objects, the nature of which were calculated to produce in her mind, the same impression shehad just struggled against with the assistance of prayer. The ideas she had to contend with during the silent hours of her meditations were called back to her imagination by the presence of flowers spread around her, the sweet perfume of which gratified her senses, while the profusion of lace, velvet, silk, gold, and jewels, ornamenting the altar, decorating the shrine of the Virgin, and shining upon the should- ers of the priest, brought to her fancy the rich toilet, the gorgeous decoration, the splendor, the luxury and the pleasures of the world. There was scarce anything around her which did not call to her mind some of the sweet reminiscences of her golden dreams. For where is the young girl of seventeen, handsome, and knowing herself to be so, who does not desire her charms to be enhanced by a rich toilet, and for her beauty the same homages as she sees paid to the lady of fashion, half of whose success is often due to the assistance of the dress-maker and skill of the milliner ? Suppose, for an instant, that the spirit of religion may check this desire for a certain time, and under certain circumstances, does it mean that it has left all the recesses of the mind ? Are there not some secret avenues through which the love of lux- ury will creep in, and little by little, invade the fortified place, and master the garrison of pious sentiments ? To 134 EDUCATION OF GIRLS. preach humility to youth, or to forbid it the love of the beautiful, is to compress and pervert its innate senti- ments. Bather order the rose to hide its colors under the green bodice which keeps it in captivity, forbid it to expand its bright colors to the golden rays of the sun, to perfume the air with the delicious aroma, sooner than to counteract that inmost sentiment peculiar to women, the worship of the god fashion, and an envious desire for rich dresses and showy ornaments. Poor Carlotina ! she had been so many times told to "be contented with plain and modest dresses, that she dared not face the bright colors of the Holy Virgin's garments, nor the linen of the altar, nor the embroider- ies of the table-cloth, nor the gorgeous robes and laces of the high dignitaries of the church. "Whenever her eye met in his glaring dress, one of these rich priests, she trembled in her soul, lest some mundane thought slide into her heart. A similar sentiment agitated her bosom whenever she raised her eyes and contemplated the bright face of her favorite saints, whose features re- minded her of the lovely creations of her fancy, or when her glance ran over the silk and velvet in which they were enveloped. At that sight Carlotina recovering her- self, shuddered, as if the snaky head of the tempter was creeping at her feet. The commotion she felt caused her to tremble as if she had committed some wrong action, and it was only through meditation and prayer that she succeeded in diverting, what for a while she thought to be the attempts of Satan upon her soul. The seductions we have just mentioned, calcu- EDUCATION OF GIRLS. 135 lated to upset all the notions of humility recommended to her in the confessional and the pulpit, were not the only ones besetting her. We have already spoken of that bright and angelicface, whose pictureshad, through purity of form and angelic expression, called the atten- tion of the young girl, and caused her breast to heave many a sigh. We have said how Oarlotina had per- sonified in that head her ideal of beauty and love, and how that ideal had taken hold of her thoughts. But there were still several other causes of emotion for the young girl which were combining for the purpose of accumulating upon her new-born sentiments, that eager- ness of desire, that thirst for the pleasures and enjoy- ments which are wont to besiege an inexperienced mind at its first onset in life. For instance, there were vases of flowers, the perfume of which, bringing to her recollection her walks during the spring, in the midst of enchanted gardens, the dances of the village with their wreaths and bouquets, the pressure of the hand in the dances, the exchange of glance between sexes in the garden, the solitary path in the valley overrun at twilight by lovers, the secret conversations in the grove, in a word, that association of ideas which naturally arise from a single fact, like a covey of birds at the sight of the hunter's gun, soaring in the bright atmosphere, and discovering objects until then hidden from sight. There is a relation between the events of life which can never be lost sight of, and it suffices for one rela- tion to be brought to mind, to recall instantly to the memory, all those having directly or indirectly a mutual 136 EDUCATION OF GIRLS. connection between them, however divergent they may be in regard to the fact which originates them, or to the disposition of the mind at the time of the appear- ance. Another no less dangerous effect of the spectacle of religious display upon the mind of the poor ignorant girl, arose from that state of mysticism, the effect of which is to blunt the labor of the mind, and to substi- tute to its various aptitudes the worship of one idea. That disposition peculiar to weak natures, to tender hearts, and to exalted minds, is, however, not destitute of power and fine qualities. It is often a sign of eleva- tion of sentiment, or of that peculiar sensitiveness of the soul, the delicacy of which is better felt than described. The Catholic Church, with that deep knowledge of the human heart, and that systematic ability, which, for want of a better title to man's gratitude, must earn to her the amazement of the present and future genera- tions, has perfectly understood what an advantage she could derive from that element of human nature, and with what facility she could blind the judgment, by enshrouding it under the heavy winding-sheet of mys- ticism. She has, by intoxicating the highest regions of the understanding with sublimated teachings and empty theories ; by minute practice of worship, by calling to her help all the refinements of sensuality, by speaking to the senses with the perfume of the incense, the scent of the flower, the accent of music, the distribution of the light, and to the soul, by an exclusive cultivation of the loving faculties, prevented the development of the EDUCATION OP GIRLS. 137 more substantial qualities of the mind. She has lulled them to sleep, as it were, under sweet and quiet influences. She has restrained them from being educated for use- ful and practical purposes. No struggle, no fight, no contention, is allowed under such influences. How can the mind smart under the burden of life, and commu- nicate to the will the necessary force to face one's own destiny, and overcome obstacles, when all energies are blunted by the sensations arriving under a multitude of forms more enchanting the one than the other, and keeping in a delirious prison the rebellion caused by the reality of our miseries, and the sting of our suffer ' ings ? This situation of the mind would certainly be a benefit, was it not like the mirage of the desert, the presence of which renders still more insupportable the long and dangerous travel through the hot sand, and the deadly attacks of the wind in the wilderness. As we have said, Oarlotina was gifted with a mag- nificent voice, the brilliancy and sweetness of which attracted to her church, every Sunday, and, in some religious solemnities, sometimes, the dillsttanti of the neighborhood, and the wandering Eoman citizen, brought by chance in that direction. T.he subjects to which the accents of her musical voice were applied, were, of course, taken from the Catholic hymn-books, and, as such, if we believe the priests', entitled to the admiration of the whole world. As we doubt not this admiration will be shared by our readers, we will open this book before their eyes, and 138 EDUCATION OF GIRLS. let them read for themselves. "We have not now in our hands the French and Italian text of these hymns, but we take at random, in the American book of hymns, published in New York and Philadelphia, and placed in the hands of every-person, boys and girls included, a sample of that moral and religious poetry. In a Hymn to a G-uardian Angel, Carlotina read the following verses : — Dear Angel. But most of all I feol thee near, When, from the good priest's feet, I go absolved, in fearless love, Fresh toils and cares to meet. And thou, in life's last hour will bring, A fresh supply of grace, And afterwards will let me kiss Thy beautiful, bright face, — Ijyra Catholica, p. 503 ***** Sing forth the triumphs of his name, All ye enamored souls, agree In a loud symphony To give expression to your flame. — Lyra Catholica, p. 508. ***** Then for his lore of worthless men, His love of Mary's worth. His beauteous wings the Dove outspread, And wing'd his flight to earth. wondrous Flight ! He left not heaven, Though earth's low fields He won, But in the Bosom still reposed Of Father and of Son. EDUCATION OF GIRLS. 139 O Flight ! O blessed Flight of Love ! Let me thy mercies share : Grant it, sweet Dove ! for my poor soul, Was part of Mary's prayer. Who knows in what a sea.of love Our Lady's heart he drowned? Or what new gifts He gave her then 1 What ancient gift he crowned ? Here we have a piece from the Spanish, not less rich than the rest. See page 495. Come, wandering sheep, come ! I'll bind thee to my breast ; I'll boar thee to thy home, And lay thee down to rest. I shield thee from alarms, And will' st thou not be blest t I bear thee in my arms, Thou bear me in thy breast. 0, this is love — come, rest — This is a blissful doom, Come, wandering sheep, come ! I am my love's, and he is mine ; In me he dwells, in him I live ; What greater treasure could I finl ? And could ye, heavens, a greater give 1 Saviour banquet ! heavenly feast ! overflowing source of grace ! Meet and unite in a sweet embrace. 140 EDUCATION OF GIRLS. King of love ! thy blessed fire Does such sweet flames excite, That first it raises the desire, Th.enf.Us it with delight.* -We leave to the imagination of our readers, the im- pressions which must have assaulted the mind of a young girl of seventeen, at the singing of these hymns. Place the name of Arthur or Ernest instead of that of Jesus, and you will have some of the most licentious poems which have been composed. We must go back to the time of Catullus or Propertius, of Piron or Parny, to find its like. When we think that these pieces of pretended poetry are sung in all parts of this Union, by men, women, and children, from ten to sixty years old, we can but ask, who are the persons having charge of examining, of selecting, and approving the books for the education of children, and of fostering, the religious sentiment among the masses ? It is just to believe, and right to expect, when one presents himself as superior to others, at least, that his merits would fulfil his claims, and satisfy public opinion. We give our readers a specimen of their talents as poets, of their morals as teachers of youth, of their devotion as priests of the gospel and guardians of souls. These men, having charge of the selection of hymns and prayer- * These hymns are to be found in the Spirit of Devotion, a Manual of Pious Exercises, says the book for Catholics, published with the ap- probation of the Most Reverend Archbishop of Baltimore, and the Bight Kevcrend Bishop of Philadelphia. Pages 352, 350, 328. 1851. EDUCATION Of. GIB.LS. 141 books, are those claiming ihe right of education to the prejudice of all other religious sects ; they are those who want a portion of the public funds for their own schools, pretending their system to secure more infor- mation, better morals, and more enlarged intellect to the citizens of this community, and of mankind at large. They are the same men who have proscribed from the family hearth, Shakspeare and Moliere, the two greatest geniuses the world may boast of, and who are every day hurling the powerless weapon of excommunication against the great men of the age, against those who are writing the glory and the fame of a country, upon the immortal book of posterity. The reader must not believe that we have exhausted the quotations of the prayers and hymn-books belong- ing to the Catholic church, and that we have malici- ously put forward that portion alone susceptible of criticism. There is not a single page in it, not stamped with some piece reprehensible to morals, taste, or literature. In fact, should ' the religionists choose to produce anything possessing one; or several of these qualities, they would be obliged . to go back to the middle ages, in Europe, or to the time of Bossuet, the sacred orator of France. Since that time, the masses have taken the lead, and are dragging the Church after them. For a thousand great men whom the world produces, there is scarcely one, belonging to the pale of the so-called Church. This age scarcely reckons one or two, among whom stand De Maistre and the Marquese of D . But the one is dead and buried, 142 EDUCATION OF GIRLS. and the other, mortally wounded, seems to expire in the convulsion of a mental agony, by holding the censer under the nose of Louis Napoleon, jn Paris, where he occupies the rank of Spanish ambassador. A worthy representative for such a government ! As to the other beacons of Catholicism, now living, and in full blaze, we scarcely have the courage to expose them before the public. "We fear, indeed, to injure Catholicity itself, and of being suspected of cruelty or malice, by writing down such names as those of Veuillot, Antonelli, Montalembert, and Brownson ! These men are the very porcupines of their party. They are bristling with such audacious sophistry, and crying nonsenses, that not only the people, but their own clergy recoil before them, and tremble lest they shake the crumbling building down to the ground. They are now divided among themselves in Prance, in in the Unite's States, and even in Mexico, and else- where, struggling, fighting, abusing each other. The spectacle is amusing, and pregnant with promises. Happy he who will live long ! for much he will see, and much he will learn. CHAPTEE IX. ADRIAN, OR. A ROMAN CITIZEN UNDER THE PAPAL GOVERNMENT. While she was dreaming of her Adrian, he was, in compliance with the promise he had made to the Signora the day previous, leaying his regiment, and preparing himself to pay a visit to the object of his love. Adrian, like a great many young Roman citizens, received a sort of mixed education, half clerical, half profane, and soon forgetting the former for the latter, adopted all the habits of the profligate youth of his age. He belonged to a rich and influential family, which, as is usual in . aristocratic classes, was closely affiliated with the then existing power, and shared all its privileges. He had an uncle in the Cardinalate ; his cousin was an archbishop, and himself a distant relation of the late Pope. These connections were forming around him a circle, in which his will and his thoughts were at first kept in bondage. He was educated to be a priest, and to edify the world with 144 A ROMAN CITIZEN the brightness of his virtues. But the fact proved, that education cannot supply all men with the qualities of a saint. Even at an early age, Adrian manifested a spirit of rebellion against the sacred prescriptions of the mother church. He kicked out his prayer-books, and made curls with his catechism, actions which were deemed highly reprehensible by his teachers, and which caused him to incur the penance of the whip. This, however, did not deter him from his propensities. One day, having received a more severe chastisement than customary, he, possessed with a spirit of revenge, amused himself by changing the wax candle of the altar, and put in the candlestick rolled white paper, perfectly imitating them. He emptied the holy cruet prepared, for the mass,,nailed the gown of the priest against the wall, painted the portrait of the Pope with horns on his head, at the door of the sacristy, and, after having accomplished all these mischievous deeds, he left the college, and ran through the fields, offering himself as a farm-boy, rather than to suffer any longer, studies, in which neither his mind nor his heart were interested, and a mode of education in which the whip .played a larger part than indulgence and kindness. "When Adrian's family heard of his exploits, a great scandal prevailed in the high religious circles of Eome. It was a general cry of, " "Woe to the rogue ! Cursed be the young rogue ! Bend the young rogue to sea !" A thing which still added more weight to the general indignation, was the misbehavior of the sacristan, who, happening to be half drunk in the performance of his A ROMAN CITIZEN. 145' functions, nearly set the church in a conflagration, in taking the paper set by Adrian in the candlesticks for real wax candles, and who persevered to light them, notwithstanding the opposition of some members of the church. During this operation, the worthy man swore that the saints had caused a miracle to happen, for the greater edification of the faithful, and the con- version of the infidel. The blaze produced by the candles of Adrian's manufacture, was so sudden and great, that they set fire to the silk dress of the holy Virgin, burned the pasteboard gridiron on which St. Lawrence had been roasted, and caused three strings of the harp of St. Cecil to crack. So that, the con- sequence of the freaks indulged in by Adrian, figured as strongly in the act of accusation produced against him, as the mischief itself. As for himself, he was beyond the reach of these attacks, and too happy with the novelty of his situation to be the least affected by the reprobation of his family, or the thunders hurled against him by the indignation of the Church. He had found a situation on a farm, in the neighborhood of Eome, and had engaged his services for little more than half-a-florin a week. Thus he lived for a month, without repentance or remorse. At last he became tired of his position, and as he had then reached the age of thirteen, he resolved to come to the city, where he could find, he thought, employ- ment more worthy of himself. He went, "with the intention to regain the confidence of his uncle, the Cardinal, who, being his tutor, (Adrian had lost father 146 A ROMAN CITIZEN and mothei,) was very much displeased in seeing again, one whom ■ he thought to be a dishonor to himself, and to the noble genealogy of the Adrians. Prom thirteen to eighteen, Adrian led the life of a dissipated youth. His wealth relieved him from the cares of life, and his naturally active and inquisitive turn of mind, made him seek for happiness in the regions of society, where profligacy, extravagance, and vice, were predominant. During this period of his existence, Adrian was more often disgusted with himself, than any one may suppose. He even strove to change his mode of life, and sought to follow a more dignified and useful career. The difficulty was not for him to make a resolution, and to withdraw from the untoward path in which he was engaged, but to persevere in such resolution. The road to honesty is so difficult under a government which, like the Papacy, absorbs all the elements of individual liberty, for the sake of a prin- ciple of blind obedience and faith, that a man must be either unprincipled, ambitious, or stupid, if he wants to arrive at a certain place, to make his fortune, or to occupy an elevated rank in society. Adrian's character presented a great independence, slightly tinctured with ambition. He was no sooner engaged in the apprenticeship of a profession, than he became disgusted with it. He first resolved to become a doc- tor, but as soon as he had witnessed the injustice and vexations, to which those professing lukewarmness or indifference' towards the Church of Rome were ex- A ROMAN CITIZEN. 147 posed, the difficulty of attaining any standing in society without stooping before all the members of the Church, either male or female, from the Cardinals and their mistresses,* down to the bell-toller and his wife ; the absolute renunciation of one's opinions, in either poli- tical or religious questions, required by the Papacy, as imperiously as the performance of a civil duty, such as the payment of a tax, that he shrunk from his intention, renounced the profession, and strove to find another one, in which the same abuses did not exist. But all his efforts were vain. The all mighty influence of Eome kept in its power the key of success, and he could not look at any career, without finding the hand of some priest upon the lock of the door through which he had to pass. The liberal professions, doctors, law- yers, painters, were filled by the relatives of the priests. Their cousins, to the eighth generation, crowded up * The life of sensuality and lasciviousness led by the Cardinals, and the Roman clergy in general, as well in past ages as at the present time, needs not to be recalled here, to make a part of the convictions of all en- lightened readers. The books of impartial history are redundant with proofs of that description, and there was a timo when Roman licentiousness could not find any parallel in the annals of the past, ex- cept in the days of Cararalla and Heliogabalus. Kossuth, in his lecture delivered atthe Tabernacle, gave an anecdote illustrative of the conti- nency and virtues of the dignitaries of tne Roman church, which' we re- produce here with pleasure. Ho quoted in his lecture a trait of Cardinal Caraccioli's life, who, having been ambassador to England, was asked to tell his opinion about that country. " England," answered the Cardinal, "is the most detestable country in the world, because there are to be found twenty different sorts of religion, but only two kinds of sauce with which te reason meat." 148 A ROMAN CITIZEN. the entrance to all offices, public as well as private ; all were going to church, all were eager to show their servility, to take off their hats before the priests ; to wear a badge belonging to some Catholic institution, either private or public ; all, from the greatest to the smallest man, were more or less tools in the hands of the clergy. So that Adrian, disgusted by the spec- tacle of such odious servility, wounded in his feelings, outraged in his reason, shrunk from his good resolu- tions, and gave up for ever the idea of embracing a profession, rather than submit to the moral and physi- cal slavery then prevailing in Rome. As is often the case with young men who lead a dis- orderly life, without being depraved, and indulge in coarse pleasure with the sole object of blunting the sen- sibilities of their organization, and of lulling their suffer- ings under the intoxication of the senses, Adrian had preserved his heart pure of all pernicious contact, amidst apparently the most brutalizing system of life it is possible to conceive. He had drank largely at the cup of mundane felicities, without enjoying any of the sweet joys it is supposed to contain ; his lips had pressed with a passionate fury the vase containing the dangerous liquor where often reason is wrecked with- out finding relief from his miseries ; but the innate sen- timents of what is good and right had never ceased to have the ascendency, and to preserve him from the dangerous allurements which sought to captivate his noblest faculties. Notwithstanding his apparent folly, recklessness, and love of enjoyment, he had not yet, in A ROMAN CITIZEN. 149 reality, relished the delicate and sweet satisfactions of* existence. He had reached the dregs, without having ever tasted the wine. The flowers of life were still hid from his sight. He had walked on blooming thorns which he mistook for roses, and had, one by one, left to the asperity of their prickly stems, the most part of his fragrant illusion. He had drained his heart of his greatest consolation — Hope. He had exhausted his mind by the pursuit of unsatisfactory pleasures, of profitless activity, and of ruinous dissipation. None of his conceptions of happiness had yet been realized. None of the golden dreams of his youth had yet become a truth. "Wearied, tossed, tormented, and annoyed, Adrian had reached twenty, and had not found in the whirl of his youngest years, any hour that he would have retained, and fixed on the dial of his existence, as an indication towards the path he would have wished to see his life directed to. When he saw that all hopes of being at once a pub- lic man, a man of any profession whatever, and of en- joying his independence, was impossible, under the gov- ernment of Eome, and that he had either to yield before the priest, or to renounce the life of activity and utility he had contemplated since a certain time, he seriously reflected upon his situation, and perceiving no chance of escaping the tedious profligacy which had until then filled all the vacancies of his time, he resolved to seek, under another climate, a life more congenial with his tastes. In> consequence, he made his prepara- tions for his departure, settled his business, and as he 150 A ROMAN CITIZEN. ended as it may easily be supposed, by taking a worldly turn. That love, that adoration, those kisses, those extatic transports of passion, so minutely repre- sented in her prayers and songs, had then taken a form, and were embedded in her bosom, in the person of Adrian. How could she suppose they were applied to any one else ? Can a young girl of seventeen have an idea of the shape of the Almighty ? and if that form belong to our frail humanity, if the eyes are bright, the arm fleshy, the body handsome, and respond to the idea we form of man, is it possible that it may befit the mighty conception of the Creator, the descrip- tion of which no human genius can approach ? In such a case, is it not natural to suppose, that the young girl will love man instead of God, and will leave the one for the other ? Catholic priests, have you ever pondered over this question, and are you aware of the invisible shoal hid under the flowery path through which you make your flock walk ? On that inclined plane, which leads from religious Catholic worship to terrestrial love, the point was so insensible, as to unconsciously carry the mind from one subject to another, and often to blend both together. The result of the pious efforts of Carlotina was then to rivet, more profoundly, the image of her beloved in 180 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. the abyss of her heart, and her thoughts, if not her eyes, were turned towards him when the young man presented himself, unperceived, on the threshold of her room. Adrian stood awhile at the entrance, motionless, and breathless, like an artist before his master-piece, his eyes fixed on Carlotina, watching her movements, and trying to discover in her something he could apply to himself, or comfort his heart with. But the young girl did not rouse from her apparently slumbering state, and it was but after the Roman soldier had made a step onward, that she raised her head, and saw the smiling look of her lover. The young girl perceiving Adrian, did not move, did not put forth a single exclamation of surprise or fear, as would have been the case, had her love been less, or had she been better acquainted with the dramatical or coquetish part of her situation. The sensation she experienced at his sight was too deep to be noisy, too serious and innocent to be frolicksome. The effect produced by the often dreamed of object of her pas- sion, was like that of an electric shock, followed by indescribable and indefinite sensation of pleasure, the expression of which tinged her dark olive cheek with a rich purple color, and caused her little rosy fingers to separate the thick mass of dark hair with which she was covered. A modest meadow flower, expanding in full blossom, under the shadow of a dark green foliage, is no more charming than was the smiling face of Carlotina appearing at this moment, surrounded, as LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 181 it was, by the luxuriant curls which nature had bestowed on her. The bold soldier, seeing her glance fixed upon him, hastened his steps, and once close to Carlotina, slowly and smoothly drew a seat towards her, and sat like a culprit before his judge, waiting for his sentence, and trying to foresee if by studying her glance, and pene- trating her thoughts. Women, however innocent or uneducated you sup- pose them to be, have so much the consciousness of the power which they exercise upon man, through the invisible agency of love, that their first impulse, a natural effect of their weakness, is to try their empire, often with injustice, always to their great disadvantage, upon the poor creature whom they have inspired with affection. Carlotina, seeing Adrian under her sway, and wishing to make him feel how sensible she was at his unusually long absence, shut her mouth, and turned her head against him, without inquiring at first whether the motive of her resentment had the least shadow of foundation. " Can you tell me, Carlotina," said the soldier, whose heart had suddenly started with grief, at that apparently cool reception, " can you tell me, my dear, what I have done, that you turn your head from me, with that indifference more cruel than death, and why you receive me with such a frozen countenance '? Have I, poor wretch that I am, been unlucky enough to incur your displeasure, or unwittingly done some- thing of which you have to complain ? Speak, Carlo- 182 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. tina, tell me what causes your fair brow to frown, and why you deprive me of the sweet rays of your glance, as if I was no longer worthy of your attention, of your esteem, I dare not to say, of your love ?" '' If absence," replied Carlotina, with a feigned cool- ness of language, " was indissolubly united with the loss of affection or friendship, you would have for- feited, sir, any right to a claim of that nature, and your question, at this moment, would have received its answer. No sentiment whatever, except indifference, can grew out from forgetfulness." " I hope this is not for me, my dear," quickly responded the soldier. " Forgetfulness ! Absence ! I expect you don't suppose me capable of forgetting you, or that I take any pleasure in living far from your presence. God bless me, I, whose whole thoughts are for you, whose whole actions and projects, like the little brooks running into a great river, are con- centrating upon you, and building up for futurity an enchanted castle of love and happiness, accuse me of voluntary absence, and culpable oblivion. No ! you dont think what you say, my Carlotina, otherwise how could you suppose that I would, with the ideas you entertain about me, dare to present myself before your eyes ?" " "What, then, has kept you so long from visiting me?" " Duties. Duties of such an importance, as to take away from love, all that love can lose without suffering, have prevented my coming as soon as I had promised." LOVE AND PATRIOTISM 183 " And what are these duties," asked Carlotina, look- ing at Adrian with that fiery glance which is only found in the land of volcanoes, " powerful enough to make you break your words, and overbalance your promises ? I did not suppose," added she, in rather an indifferent tone of voice, " that so many sentiments as those you seem to entertain, each having an equal weight in your actions, could fill up your heart. Since you place what you are pleased to call your duties upon the same scale with your affections, I will be better advised another time, and the lessons of the present will be for me a rule of conduct upon which I will' model my opinions and sentiments for the future." " You wrong me, Carlqtina," replied the soldier; " you wrong me in the most unjust and unreasonable manner." ■ " "Why, sir ? If so — if you think I am not correct in my appreciation of your acts, can you tell me the imperative reasons (and mark that I do not admit any one which can be more binding than true love) — can you tell me the mighty reasons," added Carlotina, " which have supplanted what you are pleased to call your affections, and made you stay in Rome, whilst you ought to have been here ?" " Do not ask the reasons; Carlotina, for I swear you would oblige me to tell you a lie." " If you cannot speak to me without falsehood," said the young girl, rising from her chair with an air of offended majesty, '< it is a proof that I have ceased to deserve your confidence, or that you have become un- 184 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. worthy of possessing mine. Both of ttese supposi- tions involve either an affront to your honor, or an in- sult to my love for you." " Stop, Carlotina, stop ; don't be so rash in your in- ferences, nor so hasty in your conclusions," replied the soldier, and taking the hand of Carlotina, he gently obliged her to rcsume^ier seat. " Do you not know, my dear, that there are circumstances in life wheie man is not at liberty to act as he would, if he was free and untrammelled in his route, as you are in yours.? Don't you know that discretion is oftentimes an obliga- tory part of the transactions of life, and secresy a duty imposed upon conscience by the almighty prescriptions of wisdom ?" " Now I see," retorted Carlotina. " I see clearly through the darkness of your deeds. I see that the suggestions — suggestions that I repelled from my- mind with the strength of a true and sincere affection, an affection fostered by the confidence I had in a reci- procity of sentiments, and in the perfect security your passion inspired me with — are but too well grounded. I see, sir, that what has been told me of your secret relations with wicked societies, unworthy of yourself, exposing your character and injuring your reputation, is unhappily true — too true, alas ! for my happiness and my love." In saying these words, Carlotina — finding in the semi- confessions of Adrian a confirmation of -the doubts aroused in her mind by the adroit insinuations of the Signora, and imagining to herself the mischievous na- LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 185 ture of Adrian's relations, to which she attributed a perverse influence — rose from her chair, and raising her hands to heaven, as if to implore the mercy of the Cre- ator, she with a hasty step walked to and fro in the room. " "What do you mean by these expressions ?" asked Adrian ; " dark deeds ! wicked societies ! Truly, Car- lotina, if I did not know you for what you really are — a sincere, pure, kind-hearted, and sensible girl, I would believe that some malignant spirit had taken possession_ of your mind, and made your lips sound with accents as unbecoming and surprising to me, as they must be new to you." The serious air, the earnest manner, the deep and sad expression of Adrian in pronouncing these words, recalled the young girl to her natural impulses. Throw- ing off the mask in which she had muffled herself in her conversation with her lover, through the entreaties and threats of Signora Savini, she suddenly rose from her place — a movement which was instinctively imitated by Adrian — and laying one of her arms on his shoulders, she suspended herself as it were from his neck, and gazed into his eyes with that charming, reclining atti- tude of the head so captivating, in a pretty woman. However, she did not at once give up all curiosity, and attempted to get by insinuation and artifice what she could not openly obtain. " Pardon me, my Adrian," said she, " pardon me for having dared to suspect, or rather feigned to sus- pect the uprightness of your character. Pardon me ] 86 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. for having tried to discover, by a vain curiosity, as un- comely as unnatural, the reasons of your conduct, your business, the business of others perhaps, which I know are as sacred to you, as they ought to be for me, had I at first glanced at the motives which may deter- mine you to silence. I know you too well, I love you too much, and my love is too sincere, not to allow you the same consideration that I myself should expect, had I been entrusted with the great secret of some impor- tant doings on which would depend the honor, perhaps the life, of my fellow-beings. I do not wish, then, to push my inquisitiveness any further. I feel confident that it would be as unbecoming to me as injurious to you. This is the reason why I leave you to your own impulse. Confidence is not at one's command. It re- quires as much virtue in him who receives as in him who grants it. I do not judge myself to have arrived at the degree of perfection which I suppose is neces- sary, to share your thoughts and assist you in the ac- complishment of your designs," added she, with that woman's finesse and biting reply always concealed in some corner of their mind, and ready to break out on any occasion or circumstance. " If you want to use the arms of your sex against those I employ in the duties of my profession, I am ready to confess that I must give mine up, without trying any longer to prolong the struggle," replied Adrian, laughingly. "Now let us speak seriously, Carlotina. Who can have excited in your mind the suspicion you have just manifested here ? — for certain- LOVE AND PATRIOTISM 187 ly these thoughts do not originate with yourself ! How could you suppose that aside from the duties of my profession, aside from my devotedness and love to your charming person, there were other subjects taking up my time and occupying my attention ? These sugges- tions which you are speaking of, who imparted them to you ? who dared to trouble the pure limpidity of your soul with the poisoned dart of distrust ? Tell me, Car- lotina," added Adrian, seeing the girl nodding her head, " tell me who is that enemy of mine who dared to blacken my face in the mirror of your affections, and disfigure me to your eyes." " No !" replied the young girl, " no ! rather ask me something else ; this I am not permitted to tell. Did you not urge yourself, a moment ago, the necessity of keeping a portion of one's thoughts under silence ? "Well, I must profit by the precept and imitate the ex- ample. It is the best way to prove the respect and consideration I profess for the wisdom of your teach- ings." These words were followed by a modest bow of the head. " Please do not add to the perplexity of my position the sting of your words. I am unhappy enough in being obliged to keep concealed from you what my heart would be ready to avow without entreaty, through affection for you, what my reason represents to be im- prudent for me and unsafe for others." " I do not request from you," replied Oarlotina, " more than is in keeping with the notions you enter- tain as to the sacredness of an oath ; and, since you 188 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. gave yours, keep it. It is not I who will urge you to violate it. My entreaties towards you had their foun- dation in a sentiment natural among affectionate women — I mean mutuality of thought and reciprocity of con- fidence. In my ignorance of the things of this world, I often said to myself that the duty of a devoted wife — excuse me if I was dreaming of that sweet name ; I did not think, sir, that it could be mixed with trials of this kind — that the duty of a wife was to know the ideas of her husband as well as her own, since living in a single and same life,, they aimed at the same thing. It entered into my calculations that if he was happy I would share his happiness ; if not, I would comfort him in his afflictions. I have, perhaps, exaggerated the extent of woman's duties, and made the sanctuary of her functions wider than it ought to be. Pardon me, my Adrian. I wanted to involve my affections with your affections, my joys with your joys, my griefs with your griefs ; have my part in the former, console you in the latter, love you always. When I shall be married, said I to myself, I want to look in the smile of my husband — in his eyes, in his countenance, to wipe off the cloud passing on his brow, to watch the idea stamped on his forehead, and to make his life as lovely and charming as I have conceived it. Alas, what a dream ! I see now how mistaken I was. Is it true that woman's ideas of life must always ter- minate in the wreck of her affections? Oh, my Adrian ! what a different conception I had formed to myself of the honor of being your wife. How m> LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 189 fortunate I am to see now that I must give up a great part of the notions I had framed upon the happy state of matrimony, or renounce any idea of that sort," said Garlotina, passing her handkerchief over her eyes to dry up the tears which she had vainly endeavored to restrain. " Charming creature of my soul !" exclaimed Adrian, transported with the inspired accents and the ingenuity of sentiments of Oarlotina, " listen to me. These lovely hours, in which the flame of thy eye penetrates mine, moving all the chords of my heart with the irresistible impulse of an invincible passion ; these hours are thine ; thine the pulsations of my heart ; thine my thoughts, my sentiments, my all. All that I possess, all that I can give, all that I think, do, or dream, is thine. Thou wantest to know, thou shalt know ; thou wantest my life, thou shalt have it ; my honor, it is thine." In uttering these words, Adrian, out of his mind, distracted with love, rose from his chair in a flight of passion, and taking the hand of Oarlotina, covered it with kisses. " I knew you were kind and good," said Oarlotina, with an imperceptible movement of joy at her triumph, and disengaging her hand from the grasp of Adrian ; " I knew that you trusted me more than you would let appear, and I thank you now, for having restored to me what I never ceased to deserve, that is to say, reliance on myself, and an entire security in my discre- tion. I will not remain behind such a generous con- l»U LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. fidence. Yes, my Adrian ! I must tell you what, at first, I had not intended to tell. You asked me, a while ago, who had suggested to me the idea of asking you for your secrets. I am ready to let you know her name. That person is a woman, now not far from us, — that woman is no other but our common friend, the Signora Savini." " The Signora ! our friend !" exclaimed Adrian ; " I hope you don't speak seriously ?" said he, staring at the young girl. " "Why ? Is she hot my protectress, — my second mother ?" retorted Garlotina. " "What have you to object against her ?" " My dear beloved, your ignorance of that woman, and of the motives prompting her to act as she does, cannot be comprehended by you, unless I explain that part of her conduct, and mine, which you are ignorant of. I must consequently spread before you the secrets I intended- to keep. Besides, it is indispensable that you become acquainted with different subjects, until now hid from your sight, by the calculation of those concerned to keep you in ignorance. The bandage held on your eyes by interested hands must be rent, lest you mistake your path, injure my affections, and expose your happiness and mine." " I am ready to obey you, in all that you may pre- scribe or order," modestly replied the young girl. " I ask from you," continued Adrian, " no promises, no oaths, no protestations of any sort. I trust entirely in your love for me. This appeal to your affection is LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 191 sufficient to inspire me with an unshakable security. I know you cannot be false ; how could I suppose that you can betray me ?" " I swear that I would rather die !" exclaimed Car- lotina, with a thankful glance. " What you are going to hear," pursued Adrian, " will, I am afraid, impress you with rather a distrust- ful feeling in my words, and a reluctance to follow me in my opinions, will be the necessary result of that feeling. I am well aware that it is not in one hour, nor in one conversation, that you can be converted to my ideas, or accept them as the expression of truth. Nevertheless, I will speak to you my thoughts, be the result what it may. What would you say, my beloved Oarlotina, if I, your lover, and, consequently, a little your slave, was going to say to you, that your educa- tion has been led in a wrong channel ; that your ideas of things and men are false ; that the way in which you were told to worship God, whom every one of us must worship, is not conformable to the dictates of reason, or to the inclinations of the heart ? If I, over whom you have an entire command, was advising you to blot out from your mind all that has been treasured in it through the care of the Church, and make room for new ideas and new sentiments, what would you say ?" " I would say that I am an ignorant girl," replied the amazed Oarlotina, " and would be ready to listen. I would not, however, promise to share your ideas. They are too extravagant for that." 192 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. " Now, my dear," continued Adrian, " turn to that period of your existence, when you, your father and mother, were living together in a wretched cottage, upon the estate of a Monsignori, a lazy spendthrift and sensual prelate, as you often told me, living in idleness and corruption, and expending in a depraved life an" income of several thousand a year. Suppose that, after having painfully earned a dry piece of bread, your father, wearied by labor, the heart broken by the hardness of his position, the head bent on his hand through despondency, as he reflected upon the means of improving his condition. Suppose at that moment a man, a stranger, introduced himself in your humble dwelling, and said to your father or mother, ' I am here as an ambassador of the true God, the God who says that all men are his children, the God of charity and love, of liberty and mercy. My intention is to teach you how to obtain his blessings. Once this is done, you will soon arrive at the means of improving your condition, of educating your daughter, and of elevating yourself to the true dignity of man, by acquiring the benefit of free education, free thinking, and self-government. In a word, I will render you quite a different man, by giving you the means of getting a comfortable living ; I will give you an edu- cation appropriate to your intellect ; I will show you the way of becoming a useful member of your com- munity, instead of being a mere machine ; I will elevate you to the highest standard of humanity, which is to love and worship God according to the dictates LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 193 of an enlightened conscience, and learn to govern others, by learning to govern yourself.' What 'would you have said to such a man, my dear Carlotina ?" " I would have added his name in my daily prayers, and asked the benedictions of Heaven for him, his parents and relatives," said Garlotina, listening with eagerness to the words of Adrian, and concentrating her thoughts and life upon him. " Now, if another man had entered the same door, and said to you, ' If thou listenest to that man, thou shalt be eternally damned ; his words are inspired by the fiend ; he comes here to bargain for thy soul, by the allurement of his deceitful promises ; in other terms, that man is a Protestant ; don't listen to him. I alone have a right to preach the gospel of God ; through me, and by my intermediary, God lets man know his will, and no other man has been commis- sioned from Heaven, to spread the words of God upon earth.'"— " Such men do not exist," hastily replied Carlotina. " If that same man," continued Adrian, without ap- parently noticing her objection, " dares to add, as he will, ' Thou art not free in thy thoughts, in thy words and acts ; but thou art obliged, at the cost of thy hap- piness in this world, and of thy salvation in the other, to think as I tell thee to think, to speak .as I command thee to speak, and to act as I order thee to act. Thou must never infringe upon the orders of the church, which I represent, for the church and myself are but one and the same. In fact, as the spiritual power of 194 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. the church is all-powerful, controlling and commanding everything on earth, so I do the same. A priest is su- perior to all other men, and is called by God himself to rule over them.* Listen to me, my child, for it is thy * Persecution against Protestants in Italy. — The recent and extraordinary act of religious persecution practiced against the consorts Madiai, condemned to five years' hard labor for Ihe crime of being Protestants, is a better commentary on the spirit and actions of the Catholic church, than any one we might select in the past or present an- nals of Catholicism. This condemnation speaks louder than books. It shows that human liberty is not even respected in its most sacred rights, that of worshipping the Almighty in the form the most appropriate to one's education, sentiments, and conscience. When the arm of despot- ism dares to reach that most holy sanctuary, there is nothing respectable or respected. The persecution exercised against civil liberty, is nothing compared with the fact we mention. For civil liberty, in an absolute country, carries with it the idea of a certain display of outward strength ; whilst religious liberty, confined to the privacy of the family circle, is comparatively defenceless, harmless, and silent. We will not dwell upon the facts in the above case, which having lately happened, can be exam- ined and verified by eve'ry body. The imprisonment of the consorts Madiai has excited the indignation of all men, and evea the conservative party, led by the Journal dee Debats, has taken this affair in hand, and carried it to the tribunal of public opinion. A committee, composed of the great names of Europe, has petitioned the Duke of Tuscany to ask fbr the release of the Madiai. It is composed of the Count of Cavan, an Irish peer, and Captain Trot- ter, for England ; of the Count Agenor de Gasparin, ex-deputy, and M. de Mimont, for France ; of M. de Bonin and the Count Albert de Pour- tales for Germany ; of M. Etour de Southermonde, for Holland ; of Col- onel Tronchin and the Count of St. George, for Switzerland. This attempt of the church of Home reminds us of the my thologic Alle- gory of Prometheus ascending Mount Olympus with the intention of de- priving Jupiter of his thunder. It is as foolish, moro silly, and not loss extravagant an undertaking. Will it be crowned with the same result 1 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 195 Father in heaven who sends me here, to spread the blessings of His word upon thee and thy family. Take care not to deviate from His commands. Thou must not, my child, care about the education of thy children ; they will always know enough to worship God, and live in the fear of His name. That is all that is re-- quired. Thy children do not want education ;* they want labor. The church will provide for them, as long as they remain faithful to it. Take care not to read books suspected by the church. Thou must not read even thy prayer-book, unless it be authorized by thy Those accustomed to read the storms of political spheres answer affirma- tively. * We quote as apposite the impassioned words of Victor Hugo : — " Tou (Catholics) claim the liberty to instruct. For some centuries you have held in your hands, at your discretion, at your school, under your ferrule, two great nations — Italy and Spain, illustrious among the illustrious ; and what have you done with them 1 I am going to tell you. Thanks to you, Italy, of which no one can think, or even pronounce her name, without inexpressible filial grief, — Italy, that mother of genius and of . nations, which has diffused over the whole world the most astonishing productions of poetry and art— Italy, which has taught our race to read does not to-day know how to read herself. Yes, Italy has, of all the states of Europe, the smallest number of native inhabitants who are able to read ! Spain, magnificently endowed, — Spain, which received from the Romans her first civilization, from the Arabians her second civiliza- tion, from Providence, and in spite of you, a world, America — Spain has lost, thanks to you, thanks to your brutal yoke, whioh is a yoke of de- gradation, — Spain has lost that secret of her power which she received from the Romans, that genius in the arte which she received from the Arabs, that world which God gave her. And in exchange for what you made her lose, what has she received 1 She has received the Inqui- sition" 196 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. bishop or thy confessor. "Work and pray. "Work hard and pray often. Such is man's duty. God wants it, and he sends me here to tell it to thee. This valley is a valley of tears. Thou art born to be and to remain unhappy ! Be obedient to thy fate !' " " But such a man," replied Carlotina, " is not a hu- man being ; he is a wretch, a miserable wretch. "Where did you see such a man, Adrian ?" exclaimed the young girl, as if horrified at his words. " Where ? You ask me where, Oarlptina ? Poor ignor'ant girl that you are !" said Adrian. " I am sure that you never suspected that the very men possessing your confidence, and using it for getting into your se- crets, the secrets of your families, and who thereby succeed in holding whole communities under their thumb, are precisely those who do not want you to think, to read, to be educated, to be free and happy, but those who Want you to work, work and pray, and toil night and day, and be eternally miserable." " But who are those men, pray — who are they ?" " Thy priests," replied Adrian, " the Catholic priests, as they qualify themselves, to designate their small but dangerous society with an epithet as unbecoming to the idea they represent, as untrue respecting their num- ber." " "What do you say ?" asked, with a vivacity blended with reproach, the young girl, who was staring at her lover. " Are you well aware that your accusations reach me to the heart ? These men are my benefac- tors. They took care of me, taught me music, LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 197 watched over my actions with an interest full of affec- tion, and treated me in fact as a father would have treated his daughter. You will at least confess, Adri- an, that gratitude must, for want of a better reward, direct my conduct towards them, and inspire me with thankfulness for their services." " I never dared to dispute a sentiment, Carlotina, especially when it springs from onelaf the noblest qual- ities of the heart," answered the soldier ; " but we are often wont to exaggerate qualities and vices in others, by reason of our limited knowledge of men and things, and to attribute to a good motive what results from selfishness. Now examine your account with the priests, and tell me what you owe them. This will be the best means of simplifying their position and yours. And first, what did they teach you ? Did you learn to read with them ?" added Adrian. " No," replied the young girl, in a low voice. " Did they teach you your duty towards God and man ?" " Oh, for that, yes," replied Carlotina, pleased to see an opening through which she could refute the objec- tions of Adrian, " I learned this in the catechism." " But tell me," replied Adrian, smiling, " how could you learn the catechism, since you did not know how to read ?" " "We were learning it by heart. The priest read it, and all the young girls preparing themselves for com- munion were repeating his words after him. The 198 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. exercises lasted till we knew the whole book well enough to recite it from beginning to end." " This must be a very long and tedious way of learn- ing ; and it takes a priest to imagine such a system of education ! Would it not have been shorter to make you read at first, and learn by memory afterwards ? There would have been at least economy of time, and provision for the future. What results have you gath- ered from such an awkward method of education ? I am sure they cannot be great. I would dare wager that you do not now recollect a single word of your catechism 1" "Oh!" replied Carlotina, stammering; "a word? that is too little. I remember a part of it." " Well, supposing that you remember it all : what does that prove in favor of your teachers — protectors, as you call them ? Do you not know that these men are paid and sustained by the state, and consequently that the task of educating you is a part of their duty ? It is not the priest who educates you, mind it — dtiis the state; it is the citizens ; it is the money which they give ! • Do you understand me ? In fact, you owe no- thing to the priest : it is the priest who owes the coun- try, since he is paid for a work which he does not pro- perly perform." " You wrong them, Adrian ; they were very kind to me. I was always one of the first called to the honor of dressing the altar, of putting fresh flowers in the vases, of lighting the lamp of the Virgin Mary's cha- pel, or of some other religious practices, the functions LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 199 of which are reputed a mark of esteem for the person fulfilling them." " Did not these functions occupy your time ?" " Yes," replied Oarlotina with astonishment. " Were these functions rewarded by the church ? Did you ever ask any money for your services ?" " Never : there is no money given for such holy oc- cupations." " Do you know any other person who would have done it, like you, gratuitously ?" " No ; but I have also no reason to suppose that many a one could not have been found ready to do it as I did." " I share your confidence, but only to a certain de- gree. Poor and innocent girls like you could, I under- stand, have very well been seduced by the vanity of these honorary functions, the estimation of which is only a consequence of the policy of the church ; but rich people would not have been cheated out of their time and Wbor. They know too well the value of it, not to exchange it for positive results — that is to say, good profits. Now I see your accounts with the church are perfectly balanced. You have been learning the catechism, a lesson for which the priest is paid in ad- vance, and which he is obliged to give ; and that is what you call education ! If you had learned it well — that is to say, if you understood it — I could perhaps conceive your gratitude, and subscribe to your feelings. But to take a bright and innocent being like you, made after the image of the angels who are in heaven, for a parrot, is an insult to God who created you an out- rage against the reason He has given us through v. hich to know and worship Him, and an abuse of human in- tellect deserving the execration of marfkind." Garlotina looked with surprise at Adrian. She had never known him in such a state of exasperation be- fore. " So," continued Adrian, with the same accent, " you owe indeed a great, a very great debt of gratitude to the priests ! True, indeed, they have been educating you — I mean teaching you — as we teach parrots, with words instead of ideas, with sounds instead of facts. They have profited by your labor without remunera- ting you, and still continue to do so. Indeed, Carlo- tina, indeed you are right. You must be very grate- ful to the priests — very — very 1" Carlotina continued to look with astonishment at Adrian. She could scarcely recover herself at such an outburst of aggressive indignation. It is not always at the first effort that the mind comprehends passion in others. It requires a certain preparation, a peculiar similitude of views and character, which time, educa- tion, and disinterestedness can alone impart. Such was not the case with the young Roman girl, who had always lived in the same circle of ideas and sentiments. She remained dumb and thunderstruck at the attacks of Adrian. She could not answer, for the fact was that nothing rational or sensible could be presented in refutation. " A thing you are ignorant of," continued the soldier, LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 201 walking to and fro in the room, " is, that you possess a fortune greater, perhaps, than any Italian lady possesses at the present time. You stare at me, Carlotina. Yes, my dear, you have a fortune, a real fortune ; for it was God who gave it to you. That fortune is your voice — that voice to which I owe my love for you, that is to say, my happiness and my glory — a voice which seems rather to have been stolen from the sacred choirs of heaven than to belong to the echoes of an earthly sphere, and which is worth I know not how many thousand florins. An impressario would pay for it an enormous price, and very likely would pay only to know that such a voice exists. Now, please tell me, what do you get from the church for it ?" " Nothing," timidly replied the young girl, casting her eyes down, and not daring any more to look at her lover. " Nothing ! — that is. indeed a price which every one can pay ; I do not suppose you make your affection for the church consist in such a reward. Now I see perfectly well the motives of your gratitude," contin- ued Adrian ; " they are founded on the inverse princi- ples of rationality. According to your system, the one who owes nothing pays, and the one who is paid to do the thing does not do it. You owe "nothing, and still you lend your voice and give your work. The priests are paid to educate you rationally, as a human being ought to be, and not as a brute. Have they fulfilled their tasks ? What have- they been doing for you ? "What did they impart to you ? Only a few words, 202 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. which you have learned to rehearse, as would a popin- jay of South America." "But the glory of God, Adrian; do you not ac- count for that ?" asked the young girl, reproachfully. " You mean the shame, my dear," retorted the sol- dier. " God cannot delight in such an abuse of the understanding, in such a speculation on the labor and time of a poor girl. He gave us an intellect to feed, a reason to use, and a heart to love. He has told us to exercise and cultivate these faculties ; but I am not aware that a study of the catechism as you have learn- ed it, or even the catechism itself, has been prescribed by Him. Besides, God requires justice ; and justice requires that what the poor produce shall return to them in a shape convenient for the satisfaction of their wants. My dear," continued the soldier, fixing his eyes on the young girl, and trying to read upon her express- ive physiognomy the sentiments which moved her, " did never anything whisper to your ears that you were created to feel, to learn, and to reason ? Did never the secret voice, such as consciences pure as yours often hear murmuring in the calm hour of reflection, tell you of the value of instruction and the enjoyments of study ?" " I don't know whether I understand you exactly," answered Carlotina ; " I will relate to you, however, all that I remember of my sentiments on that subject. I recollect often to have experienced moments of mel- ancholy at the sight of a great many things, which, be- ing a mystery to me, awoke in my bosom a thousand LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 203 varied and coDfused thoughts, which I myself could not understand. For instance, I have often asked my- self why that fiery globe which we call the sun was leaving us at a certain hour, regularly every day, to disappear and go I don't know where ; why, also, it was cool in winter, and warm in summer ; why flowers are covered, in the morning, with bright pearls of water called dew-drops ; why the quail emigrates, whilst the swallow stays at home ; why this, why that. In fact, I should be embarrassed to quote one single object which has not aroused my curiosity and made me re- gret my ignorance." " Those feelings," replied Adrian, " were the voice of God speaking within you, whilst the catechism was that of the priest. No wonder they contradict each other, and aim in quite different directions. Go on, my beloved Carlotina, go on. Let not thy budding lips rest on the sweet confidence of thy youth. Trust to him whom you have permitted to interrogate your most intimate sentiments and thoughts, to read the pages of your existence, still fresh with the impressions of your soul." " "What can I say, that you cannot guess ?" replied Carlotina. " The dawn of life is like a cloudy sky, through which the light of heaven has scarcely pene- trated. Confusion and change are prevailing in it. Is it necessary for me to speak of the agitatioji which seized upon me, and of the impatience and grief follow- ing it, at the presence of so many obstacles interposing between my thirst for knowledge and my means ct information ?" * Ms Did you never ask any of your teachers, to assist you in your researches ? . Did you never apply to any of them, to have your curiosity satisfied '( Did they suffer your perplexities to remain perpetually fixed in you, without any effort on their part to remove them, and to answer the call of your mind ? " " I often did apply to them, especially to my con- fessor, in order to have explained why I was often restless, uneasy, searching for one thing and another, without being satisfied with any ; why I was thinking sometimes of the stars, and some other time of the sea ; why the first, though bright during the night, hid their sparkling light when the sun shone ; why the other, the sea, was sometimes as smooth and agreeable as a flowery turf, and at some other time as angry and threatening as the thundering voice of the lightning in a day of tempest ?" " Well," inquired Adrian, with a movement ot curiosity, " what was your confessor's reply ?" " He reproached me with the liberty I took of thinking on such subjects, .and reprimanded me strongly about the wandering turn of my mind." " I was sure of that," answered Adrian, bursting into a roar of laughter. " An inquisitive man is for them a dangerous being. The priests hold science in great horror. They are as much afraid of it, as the devil is of holy water. They have persecuted the LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 205 greatest geniuses that the earth has produced, and still continue to persecute them. Even their own saints — I speak of those who manifested a certain in- dependence, and were acknowledged to possess some talent — did not escape their wrath. Too selfish of power to understand them, or to allow others to do so, they hurled against those men the thunder of excommunication. The world knows that Ignatius of Loyola, St. Therese, St. Philip de Neri, St. Charles Borromeo, and St. John of the Cross, were excom municated, and even sent to prison, by the Pope. The infallible protection of the Holy Father was not restored to them, till they surrendered to his will. For, in Pome, as in every Catholic country, you are not permitted to defend religion, without an authoriza- tion from the Church. But go on ; proceed in your narration. What other objections did the priest make to you ? ' " He observed," replied the ingenuous girl, " that < to dip into the mysteries of nature was a crime against the greatness of God ;' that ' desiring to know what God evidently designed should remain concealed, was a revolt of the mind against His will ;' and that, ' since He had not judged proper to unfold to us the secrets of the creation, His will was, that these secrets be eternally closed to our understandings.' " " Exactly I — and that you would be damned if you attempted to investigate them." " He did not say damned ; he only related to me the history of Adam and Eve, and told me that it was 206 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. for having tasted the fruit of knowledge, that they were expelled from Paradise." " The doors of which would be shut upon you, as had been upon them, were you to behave as they did. Is not that what he said ? Yes," added Adrian, seeing the affirmative movement of the head made by the young girl ; " these men are really very ingenious in the means they use to strike young people's minds with terror, and to profit by that terror, to arrive more surely at their ends. ' Keep people from thinking,' is their unvarying device. And they are right. They are consistent with themselves. For, from the day that people will think, they will think of the Church, and will cease to believe in Catholicism." " You are indeed cruel in your suggestions, Adrian. "Were I to trust you, I would be soon led to the belief that priests are all monsters, and Catholicism the scourge of the world." " Understand me, Carlotina. There are two things in the priest, — the man and the function. The man, endowed like all creatures coming from the hands of the Creator, with sentiments and thoughts, with pecu- liar inclinations, and, according to my opinion, with noble aspirations and good tendencies, — the man, my fellow-being, my friend, my brother. I cherish, I respect the man. Would to God that I might say as much of the functions ! As to these, they are, lik,e all functions relying on the slavery of intellect, adverse to the proper development of men's faculties. Religious education, such as'is inculcated in the Catholic Church, LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 207 upon the tender mind of a young man, is like the knife of a gardener upon an espalier. The trees are planted, and pruned so as to be, and remain, dwarfs. The fact is, that the soul of the priest is bent from his infancy, and, like the creeping vine, it takes the bias imposed upon it, and when he, poor wretched being, wants to re-dress it, he is unable to do it. Understand me, my beloved. I- do not condemn, I pity, the priest. I never look at one without thinking that he is a man, like me, and that he, consequently, has a right to the satoe advantages and privileges ; I must love him. My duty is to assist him in his wants, sympathize with his griefs, and do towards him what Christ told us to do one towards another. It is for this reason that I tell him he is a slave, — that the slave in the galleys is no more so than he. Indeed, what is there which distinguishes one from the other ? Nothing, as re- gards freedom. One is as much a slave as the other. The one waters the soil with the sweat of his brow, a chain to his leg and to his waist, and drags after him a lead ball. This is the galley slave. The other bears a life which does not belong to him, but to another. He is not at liberty to work with his own arms, but must borrow those of the Church ; nor to think with his own mind, but with the mind of others, — Pope, bishops, or superiors. He is not free to love, free to marry, free to know the sweet joys of a family. He has only one liberty, and that is, to believe that his life will lead him to heaven. I don't want to tell you the name of that slave, Carlotina, you- have guessed it, 208 LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. — his name is priest. "When the slave in the galleys breaks his chain, he is free, till he is taken and put in prisoia again. This is the difference between the two. For the priest who breaks his chain, and throws off the yoke of Eome, can never, that I know of, be sent to prison again. He is free, really free. When I see a priest, I think of a bishop ; when I see a bishop, I think of a cardinal ; when I see a cardinal, I think of the Pope ; and when I see the Pope, I think of Catho- licism ; when I think of Catholicism, I think of past and present history ; and when I look at past and present history, I think of the slavery of mankind, and of the joke imposed upon the Italian people by the Italian Church ! " It was impossible not to be impressed with the sin cerity of Adrian, as he uttered these words with an earnestness of accent, and a feeling of grief, impossible to describe. The brightness of his eyes, moistened with the tears of sympathy ; the language of reason, backed by the all-powerful voice of conscience ; the ingenuity of the expression, and the choice of ideas, — never showed themselves more eloquent, or more attractive, than they were, at that moment, portrayed on the lips, on the forehead, and in the glance of the soldier. Carlotina, subjugated, could not believe her ears. Her mind was struck, all over its surface, like the keys of a piano by a skilful hand. All the chords of her soul vibrated at these unsuspected reasons, and her ideas, in a state of faint twilight, were buzzing in LOVE AND PATRIOTISM. 209 her brain, with a noise similar to the confused sounds arising from a great city, before the appearance of the sun has dispelled the shadows of receding night, and set everything in the light of day. CHAPTBE XII. WHAT MAY BE SEEN FROM A ROOF. The ardent attention in which both of the actors in the scene we have just described was absorbed, had prevented them from paying any attention to little Je- ronimo, who, as our readers undoubtedly remember, entered the room of Carlotinn, at the same time with Adrian. "We have said that the Eoman soldier, through a sentiment of delicacy and of respect for his beloved, had brought the boy along with him, to save her the uneasiness and confusion that a tete-a-tete al- ways produces in a young and innocent heart. But once the conversation engaged, the boy had been for gotten and left entirely to himself. Jeronimo, having been disregarded by them, sought to fill up the tedious hours of loneliness with some sportive occupation. He first moved on his chair as if the seat had been stuffed with pins, then threw his whole body backwards, and commenced swinging in a painful manner. The eye of Adrian happening to meet him in the performance of that noisy exercise, he judged from the expression of SCENE FROM A ROOF. 211 the glanoe that the safety of his ears was involved in the matter, and stopped swinging. The motion of the limbs immediately followed that of the body. The right leg, too tired to reach the floor, went on the knee of the left, while the two hands twisted together, form- ed a chain, in which the foot was tenderly embraced. The position was so interesting as to necessitate the accompaniment of an air of music. Jeronimo immedi- ately understood it ; and as his imagination was as prompt as his countenance was poetical, he immedi- ately performed that exercise, and commenced whist- ling the Marsellaise. A second look from Adrian hav- ing, had the magic effect of putting an end to the mu- sic, the boy started on his seat with an impatient ges- ture, which caused the right leg to resume its position on the floor again. It was not, however, without a vis- ible repugnance that he renounced the comfort of such a posture. He arose from his seat, and went to look at some pictures hung to the wall. Having arrived at a certain place, where a gilded frame of larger dimen- sions than the others was conspicuously exposed to the admiration of the visitors he elongated his neck, so as to look more attentively at the picture. The result of this movement was to impart to his face a contraction similar to the grin of a monkey at its first challenge. He showed his teeth, pushed out his tongue, mopped and mowed, and when he had sufficiently exercised the muscles of his visage, he pointed his two fore-fingers at the object, and placing the one upon the other, cross- way, he amused himself in making signs at it, with 212 SCENE FROM A ROOF. that frolicsome ease which so agreeably entertains the first years of boyhood. "We must hasten to explain here the object of little Jeronimo's pranks. It was intended, as one may well suppose from the knowledge already given of the piety of Garlotina, to represent a pious picture, such as those seen in almost every peasant house in Italy. These images, coarsely drawn, often representing saints and virgins in indecent posture, are sold from door to door by pedlars, for the sum of one or two cents. The one which had excited the grinning pantomime of the Italian boy, had evidently been invented and executed by some members of the church. The taste and ima- gination of the composition could but appertain to one of their geniuses. The subject represented the suffer- ings of a Sinner in Purgatory. A large kitchen, sup- plied with its necessary implements, and filled up with little devils in the most picturesque positions and atti- tudes, occupied the whole canvas. A part of these devils were gathered around a table, and seemed much occupied with the cooking of the dinner. One was chopping, the other beating, a third preparing puddings and pastry, a fourth baking — every one, in fact, had his functions, which he seemed to understand with that su- periority of intelligence that has not yet been denied to the reprobates from heaven. The activity, cleanli- ness, and skill prevailing in that laboratory of gorman- dizers would have excited the jealousy of a Parisian cook. Everything was so nice and relishing ! It was not difficult to see, by the perfection of the drawing SCENE FROM A ROOF. 213 and the minuteness of the details, that the author was a man of sensual mouth, a monk, or a cardinal, or at least a member of the Roman church. However, as the picture was intended to be a religious one, to in- struct the sinner with some striking example of future punishment, the painter had, by an ingenious substitu- tion of labels, contrived to reach that end without in- jury to the composition. To effect this,' the pantry, larder, barrels, boxes, and bottles were labelled with some names borrowed from the Apothecary's shop. The flour barrel was stamped Arsenic, the sugar was called powdered sulphw, the butter extract of Bella- dona. Even the eggs had been- decomposed in nux vomica, and the spices assumed the title of other poi- sons. This, however, was evidently a subterfuge on "the part of the artist, to deceive himself and the pub- lic, for the flour, the sugar; the butter, the eggs, and the spices had nothing in their appearance of the bale ful properties involved in their names. They were what they pretended to be, real as lifej and as true as nature itself. The painter, who was at once a man of imagination and a philosopher, had given the last stroke to his subject by rendering the moral complete. In consequence, he had indicated the connection existing between causes and effects, and after having described the former, had undertaken to represent the latter. The effects were exhibited under the shape of a fleshy, red-nosed fellow, very likely an artistic reminiscence of some convent, to whom the savory dishes were served, and by whom they were swallowed. But as the pic- 214 SCENE FROM A ROOF. ture was intended to convey a salutary impression in the mind of the sinner, the pain immediately followed the pleasure. No sooner had the dishes passed from the hands of the devils into the stomach of the glutton than the torments commenced. The fleshy man twist- ed his jaw in a frightful manner, put his two hands on his belly, and moved on his legs with that peculiarity of attitude appertaining exclusively to diseased bowels. Tears as large as hazel nuts were dropping from his eyes to his feet ; some laying on the floor, others per- forming their descent. The inventive genius of the painter had selected that moment to impress the sinner with a sentiment of awe. Faithful to his system of labelling, he had written on each tear some of the vices appertaining to the Catholic sufferers. Each tear had its name. One was called gluttony, another lascivious- " ness, another cruelty, a fourth anger, and so on. The whole catalogue of sins was thus written down, inclosed in tears, and surrounded, as in a circle, the unhappy inhabitant of purgatory, presenting to his sight the re- taliating spectacle of his own wretchedness. It is impossible for people unaccustomed to the life of the poor in Catholic countries, to form an idea of the depravity of judgment, of the injury done to rea- son and taste, of the coarseness of sentiments produced by the sale of these images, pretended to be religious, and to aim at fostering religious sentiments among the masses. The description we have just given is far from conveying to the mind the tenth part of the silliness and stupidity existing in these compositions. Some of SCENE FROM A E.O0F. 215 them are really licentious, and, like the hymns quoted in a preceding chapter, call to mind all the seductions of the senses. The inclination to virtue would even be contended against in the soul of the sinner, by the frequent sight of such pictures. Aside from these defects, great enough to cause all sensible per sons to proscribe with contempt all caricatures of hea ven and hell, such as those produced by the church of Rome, as being injurious to the greatness of the Crea- tor, and to the salvation of the creature, there are the considerations of art and talent which ought not to be neglected. How is it to be supposed that such daub- ings will ever help the innate propensities of the chil- dren for the fine arts, or develop in them the secret fire which is only called to light by the contact of the mind with the productions of the great masters, if he has always present under his eyes ridiculous pictures and frightful ideas ? Also, it is to the propaganda of such, images that the sentiment of profound disdain, and in some parts of Italy of deep aversion for the Roman Church, must be attributed. The masses are weary of being thus derided. From the child up to the man, every Italian sneers at them ; so much so that they show themselves generally endowed with a love of arts and poetry, that neither the pomp of the church, nor the best gallery of peddled martyrs could ever prevent from being faithful to the genius of Raffaelle and Mi- chael Angelo. It is to be noticed that, in almost every case, it was through the hands and works of the church that the 216 SCENE FROM A ROOF. web of indifference and disaffection for her was first woven. As time passed and new ideas went on, thick- er and thicker these sentiments grew, till violence hav- ing been employed to snatch from the people a seeming of affection, hatred took hold of them, and expelled from their bosoms every trace of respect and reverence for her. After having exhausted all his pranks and grins, lit- tle Jeronimo became fatigued with the pictures of the room. He looked around him in quest of new amuse- ments. Adrian and Oarlotina were then deeply engaged, and did not seem to pay much attention to him. There was neither dog nor cat in the room which he could molest, not a single mischief to perform. His situation was really intolerable. Tediousness was fast coming upon him, and he concluded to put an end to it. After having examined the most convenient plan to follow, he resolved to leave the company. The trouble was to get out unperceived. Happily for him, there was a little ladder placed inside of the room, leading to a sky- light opening upon the roof. To climb the ladder and jump upon the roof was but the work of a moment. Once on the roof, his first movement was to glance at the nightly panorama which was then laying bare be- fore his eyes the twinkling diamonds of the skies and the mysterious obscurity of the earth. After having rapidly passed over the first line of the horizon, whose doubtful glimmering wavered on the far distant landscape like a will-o'-the-wisp in a church- yard, he drew his glance gradually closer and closer, SCENE FROM A ROOF. 217 till it rested on the building directly opposite to the dwelling of Carlotina. There his attention was excited by a spectacle whose interest had the effect of immedi- ately captivating his mind. In an opposite direction to the observatory his active temper had prompted him to select, was an old build- ing of an elongated shape, which, formerly used as a fodder-store, had been lately given up to the tribes of mice and rats which were wont to revel and riot in its precincts. That evening Jeronimo saw, to his great surprise, the gloomy habitation dazzling with lights. The long and narrow windows surrounding the third story were as bright as the apertures of a ball-room, and through them, the inquisitive look could easily dis- tinguish what was going on inside of the building. The spectacle was new and interesting. In the cen- tre of the house, and outside of a long hall, around which a winding gallery had been established, Jero- nimo saw a gathering of people whose counten- ances and features were unknown to him. This sight, as it may be well supposed, contributed not a little to arouse his curiosity. He could not imagine how so many persons, strangers to the place, could have penetrated unperceived into that building. On a closer examination, he discovered that a great many of these persons were not dressed in their usual attire. The pantaloons seemed to embarrass their gait, whilst the straight fitting of the coat and the tightness of the vest imparted to their gestures a peculiar awkwardness not usual among the civilians of our day. Some wore 218 SCENE FROM A ROOF. false noses, others false beards and mustachios, the ma- jority had their heads muffled in long, curled wigs, a precaution which Jeronimo attributed, with some rea- son, to a want of wool on the top of the head. After having cast up these different details, he concluded that the personages so careful to hide themselves, but at the same time so clumsy as to let the end of the ear appear, could belong to no other institution than the so-called Spouse of Christ, or ' the only true Church,' and that they were assembled with no other aim than that of entrammelling the liberties of the Italian peo- ple. A small portion of the people then in attendance were countrymen, the costume of whom indicated that they belonged to some small cities of the Roman states. They were divided in small groups along the gallery, and .seemed to lend their careless ear to the harangue of some of the men with false noses and mustachios. Their countenances were dull and stupid. Sometimes they bowed submissively before the speaker, but more often they rubbed their noses on their sleeves. That custom, peculiar to the countryman of the Campagna Romana, generally precedes a disposition to sleep ; but on this occasion, we must incline to the supposition that it was only indicative of the want of handker- chiefs. A small parcel of men, and these really strangers, were standing together at the entrance of the hall. Their attitude was vain, their glance scornful, and their hair red. They had swords at their sides, and SCENE PROM A ROOF. 219 their boots were spurred. These men evidently belonged to the military. They were Croats, Scla- vonians, Russians, Austrians, and English. They were all noble, all titled, and allied with the " Holy Order of Jesuits." In fact, they were the sword on which the Jesuits were laying, in their weakness, and it was into their arms that the salvation of the inheritance 1 of St. Peter had been entrusted. No wonder that they had swords on their sides, and that their boots were spurred. Soon after, and as time was going on, the gallery, on which the eyes of Jeronimo were intently fixed, filled up with so compact a crowd, that distinction of ranks or persons became impossible. There was a moment of indescribable confusion. The thrusting and jostling were so strong, and the talking so loud, as to fill up the echoes of the neighborhood with sur- prise and awe. Even the owls and the bats, those peaceful inhabitants of the ruins, took fright, and retreated, in consternation, before the dread crowd of men who had just assembled on their premises. A bell, hung inside of the same gallery, having rung, the pressed ranks of the thick crowd cleared little by little. A few minutes after, the place was left empty. As the crowd had entered the hall, situated in the midst of the gallery the Italian boy properly conjec- tured that they had emptied into that apartment- Besides, the trampling of the feet, and the humming of the voices, coming out from that spot, clearly indi- cated where they had assembled. 220 SCENE FROM A ROOF. A quarter of an hour, as swift as the blessed hours of Heaven flew, and Jeronimo, amazed at this strange meeting, and unaware of the elapsed time, was still lost in contemplation and supposition. He had not yet moved a limb, nor changed the direction of his glance, when he saw a man coming with a hurried step, running rather than walking, and speeding as much as the length of his legs, and the weight of his body, permitted, along the windings of the gallery. The little boy had no sooner looked at the man, than, oh, surprise ! he recognized the decided and assuming countenance of the giver of images and baioccos. He believes him to be the plaything of an illusion. But, no ! the more he looks, the stronger are his convic- tions. No doubt. It is Father Francisco. But what is the matter with the holy priest ? What hand has thus rumpled his white lace band, and set into disorder the symmetry of his wig ? His face is red, his eyes flashing. A nervous contraction twists the corner of his mouth. A deadly paleness has replaced the Vermillion of his lips. The passion of anger is stamped upon his forehead. His right hand is grasp- ing, with a convulsive movement, a golden crucifix suspended to his neck ; and thus, whilst the sign of redemption rested on his bosom, the tempests of hell were raging in his heart. Like the others, Father Francisco entered the hall and disappeared. Jeronimo, whose attention has been excited by the -arrival of the Father, moves from his position, and tries to discover a place from whence he SCENE FROM A ROOF. 221 can peep into the hall. He stretches his neck in all directions, proves all the positions, climbs upcn the chimney of the house, but all in vain. The interior of the hall remains concealed from his sight. His curi- osity strengthens with the obstacles. He is just going to jump over a wall, separating the house of Carlotina from the neighboring house, when a yell, coming from the hall, stops him suddenly. Scarcely had he turned his head towards the build- ing, than he sees a man running, at full speed, along the gallery. This man is followed by the crowd rush- ing from the hall, with the greediness of a hive of wasps in a sunny day. At this sight, the hands of Jeronimo, clung to the wall, unclasped themselves, his arms are distended, and the boy falls with a heavy noise on the roof. "Without losing an instant, he gathers himself up, and with as much swiftness as could be safely used on the sliding spot where he was treading, he advances and places himself on the edge of the building opening upon the street. The man continues running. The crowd follows him. He winds his way through the gallery, with such velocity, as to prevent the boy from seeing him. His eyes follow him from window to window. He expects that some ray of light falling on his face will enable him to perceive his features. The expectations of the boy do not remain long undeceived. As the pursued man was crossing that part of the gallery whose windows were looking on his side, he turned his head towards Jeronimo. The boy catches a 222 SCENE FROM A ROOF. glimpse ; he sses his face. "What spirit possesses him, great God, that he rises from his place, with an elk bound, and starts, like an arrow from its bow, towards the skylight opening on the room of Carlotina. " Quick ! quick 1" says he, as he comes to the aper- ture, " Bise, Adrian ! rise ! go down ! quick ! run ! they murder our friend." Saying these words, the boy stretches his' arms, suspends himself to the framework surrounding the skylight, and lets himself fall in the midst of the room. " Make haste, Adrian ! make haste !" gasped the boy. " What ails you, little rogue ?" said Adrian, who, startled by the voice of the boy, had risen from his seat, and unsheathed his sword, by an involuntary impulse. " What ails you ?" " Go down !" replied the boy, with an aghast look, and as breathless and pale as death itself. " Run down ! Our friend . . . your friend . . . they will ..." " "Which friend ?" asked Adrian, with an accent of terror, interrupting the boy. " Speak ! . . . . what do you mean ?" " Ciceroacchio," replied the boy. " Ciceroacchio !" retorted the soldier. And, without waiting a second longer, the boy and the soldier flung away from the room, whilst the poor and frightened Carlotina stood petrified, like a statue, upon the threshold of her door. CHAPTEE Kill. PRIEST AND WOMAN. We must now, for the benefit of our readers, and for the intelligence of this story, transport ourselves to the room of the Signora Savini, and retrace the scene which was taking place in concurrence with that we have just described. A few touches of the brush to this picture., The room of the Signora, situated in the remotest portion of the hotel, far from the noise of the traveling com- munity, was a delicious little sanctuary, ornamented with elegance, and decorated with the splendor of a Cardinal's palace. Two apartments composed her dwelling. In front of it was a little porch, on each side ot which were tastefully distributed flower-pots and orange trees, interwoven with some creeping plants whose long and clambering stems were gracefully en- twined along the fluted columns of the portico, clasp- ing, in their various windings and turnings, a carved escutcheon representing two doves billing one the other. 224 PRIEST AND WOMAN. The interior of the room corresponded with the ele- gance of the exterior. Silk, embroidered muslin, cur- tains of the finest quality, looking-glasses of the largest size, bureaus, sofas, and other pieces of furniture of tho most exquisite workmanship and of the latest pattern, were artfully arranged in the room, with that science of detail, and that art peculiar to coquettes, an art which, as we have had the occasion to demonstrate al- ready, was understood in all its mysteries by the enti- cing landlady of the " Angel of the Field." In fact, her apartments would have advantageously sustained a comparison with the most .elegant Parisian boudoir. *The furniture was from the first maker, the silk and the tapestry of the first quality, and the car- pet woven with such vivid colors, that one would have said that nature itself had been the weaver. Some exquisite Tuscan bronzes, a few unappreciable works of art, such as a carved ivory crucifix, and a Venus on the sea, were dispersed here and there with an appa- rent carelessness, on the mantel-piece, the shelves, and brackets. A few flower-baskets, freshly gathered at the hot houses, were placed in the corner of the room near the window, showing their bright colors, and breathing out their sweet perfumes, through the light and transparent tissue of the lace curtains. The suit of hangings was of that delicate color which partici- pates both the rose and the white, and which is neither the one nor the other. The lovers, not the antiquaries u