HISTORY OF EUROPE. 177 



I ftrse of the fortune they had ex- 

 perienced at the beginning of the 

 campaign. 



These events had equally asto- 

 nished and perplexed all the men:i- 

 bers of the confederacy. The 

 great mass of the people through- 

 out •several of the dominions of 

 those potentates in alliance against 

 France, was deeply tinctured with 

 some of those principles that cha- 

 racteiized the French ; and the lat- 

 ter were extremely 4 ligent to pro- 

 pagate them in all parts of Europe, 

 by muang of those emissaries who 

 , were either in their pay, or who 

 ofiicioiisly undertook the cask from 

 peisonal zeal in their cause. 



The two countries wherein their 

 principles were more ostensibly 

 espoused than in any other, were 

 at this time Great Britain and the 

 ■Seven United Provinces of the Ne- 

 therlands. Their neighbours in th« 

 Belgic province^, lately reduced to 

 the obedience of Austria^ after a 

 vain and ill-conducted attempt to 

 cast ofF its yoke, were nearly of 

 the same sentiments; but restrained 

 frommanifesting them, through fear 

 of the numerous military station- 

 ed among them. In Germany the 

 partizans of the new system of po- 

 Jitics were very considerable in 

 point of numbers; but the watch- 

 ful eyes of the many sovereigns 

 among whom this extensive and 

 populous region is divided, kept 

 them in too much awe to venture 

 on explicitly declaring themselves. 

 In Italy a long settled abjectness of 

 spirit held the inhabitants in the 

 profoundest subjection both of body 

 and mind. The only attachment 

 they felt was to their religion : — 

 their rulers had, in general, little 

 of their veneration. The govcrii- 

 Wciits they lived under biiiig dcs- 

 Vot, XXXVT. 



potic, commanded of course thelf 

 external respect ; but their real in- 

 difference for the persons and in- 

 terests of their rulers, was notori* 

 ous. The vicissitudes attending the 

 reigning families, had long prevent- 

 ed that affectionate connexion be- 

 tween piince and people, which is 

 chiefly founded on tiie long (jura- 

 tion of sovereignty in the indivi- 

 duals of the same families. The 

 new principles adopted in France 

 had indeed found their way into 

 Italy; but they had made few pro- 

 selytes among the commonalty : — 

 those who seemed to pay them 

 attention were chiefly the literati j 

 and, even among these, they >vere 

 considered merely as objects of 

 speculation. Little did they ima. 

 gine that the day was fast^pproach- 

 iJig when they would be reduced 

 to practice ; and that, next to 

 France, Italy was destined to be^ ' 

 come the principal theatre of their 

 exertions. 



In Spain and Portugal the max- 

 ims embraced by the people of 

 France, and the conduct resultmg 

 from them, had been universally 

 reprobated. Firmly attached to 

 the rtligious and political tenets 

 of their fathers, the Spaniards and 

 Portugueze had hitherto scrupu- 

 lously abstained even from bestow- 

 ing the least reflection on French 

 pnnciples, looking upon them as 

 vindeniably false and iniquitous, 

 and equally pernicious to mankind. 

 and offensive to Heaven. It was 

 not till towards the end of 1793, 

 or rather the flpening of the ensu- 

 ing year, that through dint ofin^ 

 defatigable perseverance, the con* 

 ccaled agents of France had found 

 means, through thosd/insinuating 

 arts wherein the French' SO remark^ 

 ably excel, to intrgdace their rc- 

 A'' publican 



