PIETRO GIANNONS; 395 



Turre'tin, the preacher Vernet, and Boufquet the 

 bookfeller, who were all very bountiful towards him. 

 They exerted themfelves to the utmoft to procure him 

 a permanent fupport. 



Daring the few months that he remained there he 

 wrote a conliderable fupplement to his hiftory ; which, 

 with the improvements he had made at Vienna, would 

 have compofed a fifth volume. But neither this part, 

 nor Lewis Bochat of Laufanne's french tranllation of 

 his hiftory, were ever put to prefs. Boufquet would 

 not by himfelf undertake the expence of printing ; and 

 an accident happened that fr nitrated at once all ex- 

 pectations of benefit to the author. Pietro Giannone, 

 in the midft of proteftants, zealoufly adhered to the 

 romifh worfhip. This was the circumftance his adver- 

 sities made ufe of to get pofTeffion of his perfon. A 

 pretended friend inticed him in the year 1736 into a 

 catholic village of the name of Vifna, belonging to the 

 king of Sardinia, for the purpofe of keeping his Eafter 

 communion. Here the king, in order to ingratiate 

 himfelf with the court of Rome, had him arrefted, 

 and confined in the caftle of Miolan. From thence - 

 he was brought to Turin, and lodged in the citadel 

 there ; being thus for ever feparated from his fon. In 

 the year 1738 he retracted in prifon, at the inftigation 

 and in the prefence of pere John Baptift Prever, of the 

 order of the fathers of the Oratory, all that he had 

 written ascainir the romifh church. But he did not re- 



o 



gain his liberty by his recantation. In 1741 he was 

 brought to the fortrefs of Ceva, and in 1745 to the for- 

 mer citadel ; where^ pining with grief and tedious fick- ^ 



neffes, 



