HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
patte had issued to ‘them, after he 
Wad deféated marshal Wurmser, and 
was preparing to invade the Tyrol. 
Tt was filled with the severest threats, 
‘to such of them as belonged to the 
districts of which he should take 
possession, if they did not forthwith 
leave the Imperial service and re- 
turn to their homes. This they con- 
sidered as a violation of their native 
right, to act in defence of their sove- 
reign. 
’ rom motives of this nature they 
flocked to the different bodies that 
Were assembling to reinforce the de- 
feated army of Alvinzi, and that 
‘division under Davidovich, which, 
after forcing the French forces, un- 
_ der general Vaubois, to abandon 
their position, was advancing to- 
_ wards Mantua. 
_ + In order to oppose his progress, 
alarge force was immediately dis- 
patched against him, which effec- 
tually succeeded in putting him to 
the rout, with so considerable aloss, 
that his designs upon Mantua were 
totally frustrated. 
The ittelligence of these various 
advantages, but especially of the 
great victory at Arcola, was receiv- 
ed, as usual, by the directory, with 
the highest satisfaction. The pre- 
sentation of the standards, taken on 
that memorable day, and in the 
other engagements with Alvinzi’s 
army, took place on the thirtieth of 
December. it. was accompanied 
with a speech from the officer who 
presented them, remarkable for the 
devotion it expressed in the army of 
Maly to the republican constitution 
of France, and its determination to 
Support it against every attempt, 
either from foreign or domestic ene- 
mies. 
‘A declaration of this kind was the 
more acceptable to the republican 
[ies 
party, that its enemiés in’ France 
were, at this time, extremely active 
in their endeavours to rendér it odi- 
ous to the nation, and to excite a 
disapprobation of the measures of 
government, particularly of the pro- 
longation of the war: They repre- 
sented it as wholly unnecessary for 
the honour or the interest of France, 
and continued merely to indulge the 
ambition of persons in power. By 
such anu arrangement of their con- 
duct they hoped to bring the nature 
of the power they exercised into 
disgust, and to prove it inconsistent, 
both with peace abroad and tran- 
quillity at home. 
These adversaries to the ruling 
system, were the friends to the an- 
cient monarchy, and the adherents 
to the first constitution, by which 
the power of the crown was li- 
mited. These latter were incom- 
parably more in number than the 
former, and included a large pro- 
portion of the noblesse, and many 
of the clergy. But both these par- 
ties together, however numerous, 
were inferior in strength to the re- 
publican, which comprehended all 
the common classes, and dreaded a 
renovation of that oppressive au- 
thority which the upper ranks had 
exercised over the lower. But what 
principally’ weakened the two first 
parties was their disunion: they 
hated each other as much as they 
did the republicans. ‘The non- 
juring clergy, in particular, would 
not divest itself of the least attach- 
ment to their primitive tenets, and 
anathematized all that differed from 
them. As these two parties agreed, 
however, in their detestation of ree 
publicanism, they exerted all their 
abilities and influence in undervalu- 
if it, and all itssupporters. Buona- 
parte’s great actions protected him 
from 
