116] 
concluded in the middle of Oéto- 
ber. 
The conduét of the court of 
Rome was marked, on this occasion, 
with a temerity that was by num- 
bers attributed to imbecility, and 
the grossest degree of bigotry. Not- 
withstanding the repeated defeats 
of the Imperialists, such was the 
confidence in the prowess of the 
Germans, after Buonaparte had 
been forced to raise the siege of 
Mantua; and in that fatality 
which had formerly attended the 
French in their invasions of Italy, 
that it was firmly believed at Rome 
they would be expelled, as they 
had been before, with equal loss 
and ignominy ; and that the fortune 
of the house of Austria would cer- 
tainly preponderate. 
Full of these ideas, those who 
influenced the papal councils were 
constantly averse to the concessions 
demanded by the direétory, as re- 
pugnant to the long established 
maxims of the Roman see, and ini- 
mical to the Catholic religion. It 
was explicitly required of the pope, 
that he should revoke all those 
publications that had been issued 
in virtue of his spiritual authority, 
and that related to the affairs of 
France. 
This was a blow so direétly 
striking at his religious principles, 
that no surprise was excited at the 
abhorrence he expressed of such a 
requisition. Herein he was second- 
ed by all the zealous adherents to 
his tenets. Had no other means 
been used to combat the demands 
of the French, than reasoning and 
argument, no blame could have 
been imputed to their antagonists : 
but the spirit of bigotry and super- 
stition rose up against them in a 
manner that reminded the world of 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1796. 
the most despicable scenes of sus 
perstition that were recorded of | 
former ages. 
The immediate intervention of 
heaven was resorted to, and mira- 
cles positively asserted to have been — 
performed in many of the churches 
of Rome, in vindication, as it was 
construed, of the truth and dignity 
,of the catholic religion, outraged by 
the iniquitous conduét of theF rench, 
and their wicked attempts toestablish — 
infidelity on the ruins of theChristian 
belief. The streets of Rome were 
filled with processions, and the cre- 
dulity of the people converted into 
the means of inflaming them against 
the French, as the enemies of the 
Divinity, and of all that was sacred — 
among men. 
The court! of Rome did not 
seem to refleét, that, by lending it-— 
self to'such base and scandalous at- 
tempts to impose upon the multi- 
tude, they forfeited the consider- 
ation of all the reasonable part even 
of their own society. . For though 
the propensity of the’ Roman ca- 
tholics to give credit to miraculous — 
events is well known, yet the 
more judicious and discerning 
among them are very far from 
giving countenance to the absur- 
dities that pass current among the 
generality. 
Such however was either the real 
or pretended belief in the impos- 
tures daily propagated, that the 
zeal of all classes and conditions 
was roused; the populace was 
kindled to the utmost rage against 
all who expressed a doubt of these 
wonders, and testified the most 
violent ardour to enlist in the sere 
vice of the church and state. 
phrenzy of the monks, and of the 
weaker ecclesiastics, came in aid of 
that which appeared in the com-_ 
monalty 
The 
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