the Roman see. 
HISTORY OF EUROPE, 
tindeniable. The inability of the 
Pope to resist them was an addi« 
tional motive to invade his terri- 
tories. Ferrara, Bologna, and Ur- 
bino, all cities of importance, were 
taken possession of, and Rome itself 
was threatened. 
The partisans of the French in 
Ttaly, and elsewhere, expressed open 
satisfaction at their conduct towards 
The disreputable 
means by which it had risen to 
power, and acquired the territories 
‘composing its sovereignty, were not 
forgotten. The arrogance of its 
pretensions, and the daily diminu- 
tion of the reverence and veneration 
which it formerly commanded, joint- 
ly induced people to view its humi- 
liation with pleasure. Conscious 
of these sentiments in the generality, 
Buonaparte felt the less scruple in 
the severity of his transactions with 
the court of Rome, with which it 
seems he had determined to keep no 
Measures ; commissioned doubtless 
_ by the government of France to act 
in this rigorous manner. 
Terrified at this invasion of his 
dominions, and totally unable to 
Tesist it, the pope was reduced to 
. the necessity of suing for an armi- 
stice, which was granted to him, 
on conditions similar to those on 
which the dukes of Parma and Mo- 
‘dena had obtained it: to which 
was added, the surrender of the 
cities of Bologna, Ferrara, and the 
citadel of Ancona, with the terri- 
tories of the two former, and a 
larger proportion of pictures and 
‘Statues, and some hundreds of the 
‘most curious manuscripts from the 
Vatican library. The pope, with 
@ resignation more becoming the 
head of the church, than so many 
of the’ambitious and daring actions 
of his predecessors, ‘Yielded to ne- 
= 
[101 
cessity with the best grace in the 
world. He discharged his subjects 
from molesting, and ¢ even from revil- 
ing the French. He exhorted them 
to use them well, and even to pray 
forthem. In former ages, the popes 
were wont most bitterly to curse 
even their own spiritual sons, when 
they shewed any degree of a re« 
fractory spirit. The piety of the 
church, smothered by wealth and 
power, appeared to be revived with 
persecution. The Christians seemed 
to return to the principles of ‘* lov- 
ing their enemies, blessing those 
that cursed them, doing good to 
those that hated them, and praying 
for those who despitefully used and 
persecuted them.” Had the pope 
with the Romish clergy been sincere 
in such professions of humility and 
benevolence, and credit been given 
to such professions, the church might 
have sprung, like a phcenix, from its 
own ashes, and the tide of affairs 
been turned : but without inquiring 
too minutely into the piety of the 
pope, we must commend his pru- 
dence, in advising the Romans to 
give up a part of their wealth, ra~ 
ther than the whole. His holiness 
was a more prudent man than the 
Roman knight Nonius, who was 
put to death by Tiberius, for re- 
fusing to part with a very exqui- 
site and precious piece of sculpture. 
All persons imprisoned for their opi= 
nions were now to be set at liberty ; 
the ports of the ecclesiastical state to 
be open to the French, and shut to 
their enemies, and a free passage al~ 
lowed to the French troops through 
the papal territories. Thisarmistice 
was signed on the twenty-third of 
June: but'the directory, thongh 
willing to negociatea peace with 
the pontiff, refused to receive the 
ministers he had sent to Paris for 
fH 3] that 
