574 



GUARDS GUARINI. 



In consequence of the events of this day, 'the staff of 

 the national guard of 1'aris was dissolved, October 

 8, and the command conferred upon the commander- 

 in-chief of the army of the interior ; and thus the 

 genuine national guard, a militia, under Uie civil au- 

 thorities, destined to maintain order, was abolished. 

 Some months later, the directory introduced movable 

 columns, in lieu of the stationary departmental 

 guards. August 12, 1797, the two legislative coun- 

 cils gave the national guards a new organization, of 

 which Napoleon retained the essential features, but 

 adapted to his military policy. Numerous legions 

 were formed, which watched the coasts and fortres- 

 ses on the frontiers, or served in the interior, whilst 

 a numerous gendarmerie, entirely distinct from the 

 national guards, formed a powerful and active police, 

 with a military organization. In 1810, Napoleon 

 formed a regiment of four battalions of the national 

 guards, which had distinguished themselves on the 

 occasions when the British had landed. This regi- 

 ment was called the national guards of the guards. 

 March 13, 1812, Napoleon issued the decree for the 

 formation of the national guards in three bans, as 

 they were called, of which the first comprised all 

 men capable of bearing arms, from twenty to twenty- 

 six years of age ; the second, all able-bodied men 

 from twenty-six to forty years ; the third, or arrtere 

 Ian, all men fit for service, from forty to sixty years. 

 Of the first ban, he called out 100 cohorts, of 1000 

 men each, for active service, who were not to fight 

 beyond the frontiers; but in 1813, they declared, at 

 least a part of them, their willingness to serve be- 

 yond the frontiers. The correspondence between 

 Napoleon and Joseph, his brother, just before the 

 entrance of the allies into Paris, showed that the 

 emperor still relied on the national guards for the 

 defence of the capital ; but the want of arms, the de- 

 fection of the highest civil and military officers, and, 

 more than all, the aversion of the people to a con- 

 tinuance of the struggle, prevented such a measure. 

 After the restoration of the Bourbons, the govern- 

 "ment endeavoured to make the national guards de- 

 pendent upon itself. Monsieur (the brother of the 

 king) was appointed commander-in-chief of all the 

 national guards of France. The guards were not 

 allowed to choose any of their officers (see France, in 

 1818) ; but, in 1818, the staff of the national guards 

 was dissolved, and Monsieur resigned the chief com- 

 mand. The national guards were again put under 

 the prefect and the minister of the interior. April 

 29, 1827, the national guard of Paris, on an occasion 

 when it was reviewed by the king, having ventured 

 to demand the removal of the ministry (that of Vil- 

 lele, see France), and the banishment of the Jesuits, 

 was dissolved on the 30th. It was revived at Paris, 

 during the memorable days of July 1830. July 30, 

 general Lafayette was appointed, by the provision- 

 ary government, commander-in-chief of the national 

 guards, in which office he was confirmed by king 

 Louis Philip,receiving at the same time, the marshal's 

 staff. The new charter " intrusts the charter and 

 and the rights which it consecrates to the patriotism 

 and courage of the national guard and all the 

 citizens" (article sixty-sixth); so that, it would seem, 

 the national guards have become a fundamental in- 

 stitution of the kingdom, and cannot again be con- 

 stitutionally abolished. Complaints have been made, 

 that the command of this immense power is left in 

 tiie hands of one man, and that the national guards 

 are not, as formerly, a municipal force for the main- 

 tenance of order. An ordinance of October 9, 

 1830, re-organizes the national guards. They are 

 divided into movable and stationary ; the first, com- 

 posed of men from twenty to thirty years of age, 

 inclusive, and only to be called into service by a 



law, or, while the chambers are not in session, by an 

 ordinance, which must become a law during the next 

 session, is to be "an auxiliary of the army for tlie 

 defence of the territory, the guard of the frontiers, 

 to repel invasion, and maintain public order in the 

 interior." Corporals, subalterns and sub-lieutenants 

 are to be elected by the members ; the other officers 

 are to be appointed by the king. When this body is 

 organized, the members are subject to military dis- 

 cipline ; yet, when the national guards refuse to obey 

 orders, or leave their corps without authority, they 

 are to be punished only by imprisonment, not to ex- 

 ceed five years. The Prussian Landwehr is some- 

 thing similar, but more military in its organization, 

 without the privilege of choosing officers, and sub- 

 jected to an absolute military discipline. (See Mili- 

 tia.) The citizen guards established in Belgium 

 during the revolution of the year 1830, were an imita- 

 tion of the French national guards. 



GUARINI, GIOVANNI BATTISTA, born at Ferrara, 

 1537, was descended from a noble family, distinguish- 

 ed for its influence on the revival of learning and of 

 poetry. After having studied in Ferrara, Pisa and 

 Padua, and lectured, in his native city, on the ethics 

 of Aristotle, he entered the service of the duke Al- 

 phonso II., who appreciated his talents, knighted 

 him, and sent him as his ambassador to the Venetian 

 republic, to Emanuel Filibert, duke of Savoy, to Gre- 

 gory XIII., Maximilian II., and Henry of Valois,who 

 was chosen king of Poland ; and, when the latter as- 

 cended the throne of France under the name of Henry 

 III., Guarini was sent to the Polish estates to propose 

 the duke as a candidate for the throne of Poland. 

 The failure of this embassy, which involved the sacri- 

 fice of a part of Guarini's own property, was taken 

 advantage of, by his jealous rivals, to deprive him of 

 the favour of his prince ; and, after all his services 

 he was dismissed. He now passed his time in liter- 

 ary retirement, partly in Padua, and partly on his 

 own estate, but was recalled, in 1585, to the office 

 of secretary of state. He again attained a distin- 

 guished rank in the court, but, two years after, re- 

 tired a second time, because the duke, in a dispute 

 between Guarini and his daughter-in-law, gave a 

 decision which displeased him. He then continued 

 some time in private life. In 1597, he entered the 

 service of Ferdinand I., grand-duke of Tuscany, whicli 

 he soon quitted. Suspecting that the duke had fa- 

 voured the marriage of his youngest son, which had 

 been concluded privately, against Guarini's will, he 

 left his court, and retired to that of the duke of 

 Urbino. After some time, he returned to Ferrara, 

 but resided alternately at Venice, Padua and Rome, 

 on account of the numerous lawsuits in which his 

 litigious spirit involved him. In 1605, hewvent as an 

 ambassador of his native city to the court of Rome, 

 to congratulate Paul V. on his elevation. He died 

 at Venice, in 1612. Guarini is one of the most ele- 

 gant authors and poets of Italy, as is shown by his 

 letters, his Segretario, a dialogue, his comedy L'ldro- 

 pica, his Rine, and, above all, by his Pastor Fido. 

 This pastoral drama, which was first represented at 

 Turin, on the marriage of Charles Emanuel, duke of 

 Savoy, with Catharine of Austria, and afterwards fre- 

 quently brought upon the stage, and translated into 

 many languages, has rendered him immortal. The 

 slightest glance shows that this piece is by no means 

 an imitation of the Aminta, to which it is superior in 

 ingenuity, epigrammatic turns and poetical ornament, 

 characteristics which have brought upon it un 

 deserved reproach, as being ill adapted to the pastoral 

 drama. Guarini's works appeared at Ferrara, in 

 1737 (four volumes, 4to). His Tratato delta politi- 

 ca Liberia (written about 1599) was first printed at 

 Venice, in 1818, with his life by Ruggieri. 



