loss of the French did not éxceed 
oné hundred. 
“This engagement decided the fate 
of Rome: the victors proceeded 
immediately to Faenza, the inha- 
| bitants of which attempted to make 
a resistance: but the gates being 
burst open, by cannon, the French 
_ rushed in, and the city surrendered 
_ ‘atdiscretion. Buonaparte prevented 
all plunder and bloodshed, and dis- 
pata fifty of his most considerable 
_ prisoners, ordering them to repair to 
- their countrymen, » and represent to 
_ them the folly of exposing them- 
_ selves to certain destruction, by a 
frtitless resistance. He next sum~ 
_ moned before him all the priests 
and monks in the neighbourhood, 
and laid before them the necessity of 
yielding to superior force, and the 
4 ibiquity of exciting the animosity of 
thé people against the French, who 
ee did not come to destroy their re- 
ligion, but to compel the court of 
Rome to make a peace with France 
upon reasonable terms. He re- 
quired them, as ministers of the 
gospel, to desist from preaching war, 
and to attend solely to the duties of 
their profession, which was to infuse 
a pacific disposition into all men. 
He lastly warned them to beware of 
participating in’ -popular insur- 
rections, either by heading them 
personally, or by giving them coun- 
tenance. These were acts of crimi- 
_ nality for which he solemnly assured 
_ them they would find no mercy. 
“These admonitions were, by the 
French commander, deemed the 
more necessary, that several clergy- 
men and friers had been present at 
the action of the second of Febru- 
‘ary, on the Senio, where they greatly 
contributed, by their encouragé- 
ents and exhortations, to the ré- 
sistance and firm behaviour of the 
HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
ris 
papal troops, and where some of 
them had lost their lives. 
After delivering this charge to 
e. clergy of the places in his pos- 
ssion, he dispatched the chiefs of 
the monastic orders to those towns 
and districts, where they had,most © 
influence, in order to prevail: upon 
them to remain quiet, on the so- 
lemn assurance of being left the 
full enjoyment of every ciyil and re- 
ligious right; but, if refractory, on 
pain of being delivered up to pil- 
lage and the severest chastisement. 
This charge, from a military mo- 
nitor, was found more efficacious 
than the usual charges of bishops 
to the clergy.. The promises and 
threats of ~ Buonaparte produced 
the intended effect. This was 
to procure the submission of the 
subjects to the see of Rome, with- 
out effusion. of blood. Being him- 
self an Italian, he was peculiarly so- 
licitous to obtain a character of hu- 
manity among his countrymen, and 
to appear, at the same time, the 
protector of their laws and religious | 
establishments. He completely suc- 
ceeded in both of these intentions : 
and though executing the orders of 
the directory, at the head of an 
army of Frenchnien, a people long 
odious to the Italians, he conducted 
himself with so much prudence and - 
eircumspection, as to command the 
respect and esteem of the latter, 
without losing any of the attach- 
ment and’ confidence of the for- 
mez. 
In the mean time, he proceeded 
without delay in the reduction of 
the papal dominions, A few days 
were sufficient to take possession of 
the provinces of Romagna, Urbino, 
and Ancona, the best countries re- 
maining to the pope. | The city of 
Ancona had made some prepara- 
tions 
