HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
they were in the protection and en- 
couragement of - polite knowledge 
and the liberal arts, and desirous 
to afford them the most generous 
and honourabie countenance, and 
support. °* All men of genius,” said 
the letter, ‘‘all those who have ob- 
tained a distinguished rank in the 
‘republic of letters, are ’renchmen, 
in whatever country they may have 
_ been born. The learned in Italy, 
esteemed themselves happy, if left 
tinmolested by princes and priests: 
but henceforth, opinions shall be 
free, and. the inquisition, intole- 
rance, and despotism be no more. 
Linvite,” he continued, ‘‘ the learned 
to assemble, and propose their senti- 
ments on the means necessary to be 
taken, and the assistance they may 
require, to give new life and ex- 
_ Istence to the sciences and the fine 
arts.” 
_ He addressed the university of 
Pavia in the same style, and took pe- 
culiar pains to impress on the minds 
of the public, that the French were 
solicitous to place the people of 
Italy on the same footing with 
themselves, in whatever related to 
the liberty of thinking, and would 
feel more satisfaction in acquiring 
their esteem and their approbation 
of the proceedings of the French 
government, and of the political 
maxims on which it acted, than in 
the submission enforced by their 
victorious arms. ‘The cunquests 
obtained over the human mind, 
being of far greater importance to 
men who kuew the difficulty of ob- 
taining them, and the utility which 
they produced, than victories won by 
the sword, and empire maintained 
- through terror. | 
_ Language of this kind, which 
was incessantly in the mouth of 
the French general, and of those in 
F103 
his confidence and intimacy, did 
more in conciliating the people, who 
had submitted to him, than the 
dread of , his power; the clergy and 
the nobility excepted : to the very 
existence of which orders the French 
system was immediately inimical : 
the other Classes beheld inthe French 
a pation of warriors; who seemed 
to have taken up arms for the pur- 
pose of reducing all other nations to 
a level of opinion and government 
with themselves, and to harbour no 
enmity but to hereditary sovereigns, 
and the adherents to implicit obedi- 
ence .in matters of church and _ 
state. 
To disseminate such a disposition 
in the generality was the chief aim 
of the French general, well knowing 
that, on such a ground, he would. be 
able to erect a more durable fabric 
of that republicanism he had in 
view, than on the military power he 
had estabtised, and which, without 
those concomitances that he held 
out to the nativesy would have been 
odious tothem, and have presented 
no other picture than that of con- 
quest and tyranny. 
In this court, that was paid by 
the French general to men of letters 
and genius, we contemplatea policy, 
not less sulid than sublime. It is 
from the opinions and spirit of 
the truly learned and intel‘igent, 
that public. spirit in all nations 
sooner or later derives its complex- 
ion with .their origin. ‘The class 
too that would be flattered by this 
address was more numerous by far, 
than it will be very easy to imagine: 
so great a portion of mankind being 
so. highly satisfied with their own 
talents and accomplishments. The 
professrons of Buonaparte, however, 
but ill aceorded with his actiors. 
The whole of his conduct indicated 
{H 4] that 
