568 
P I 
the French had evacuated, notwithstanding the remon- 
drances of d’Azara, the Spanifh ambaffador, wdio repre- 
(ented this-dep as a direft violation of the armistice be¬ 
tween his holinefs and the French republic. A congrefs 
was afterwards held at Florence, between commilfioners 
from the French army of Italy, and a papal negotiator, 
in order to bring about a peace; but the conditions on 
which the former infilled, were unanimoufly decreed by a 
congregation of cardinals to be inadmiffible. As, there¬ 
fore, there was no profpeCl of obtaining peace with the 
French republic, his holinefs refilled to comply with the 
terms to which he had ali'ented when the armiltice was 
concluded. 
The court of Rome had now the temerity to refolve on 
trying the fortune of its arms againd thofe of France, 
having been promifed the affiltance of a confiderable body 
of troops by the court of Vienna. To give efficacy to 
this refolution, the pope ordered extraordinary levies to 
he made in the ecclefialtical ftate, and no means were left 
unemployed which could operate on the enthufiafm or 
fanaticifm of the multitude, to induce them to take up 
arms. The warlike ardour of his holinefs, however, was 
but ill-feconded by his fubjeCts, many of whom were 
more anxious to welcome the French to Rome than pre¬ 
vent their arrival. His government had become odious 
and contemptible ; and the flruggle of the papal army 
With the victorious legions of France, feemed rather an 
cbjeft of ridicule than apprehenfion. The crifis foon 
arrived which brought affairs to an iffue, and expofed the 
fatal policy which had directed the determinations of the 
papal cabinet. Early in the year 1797, the defeat and 
complete difperfion of the lad Audrian army which was 
lent for the relief of Mantua, and the confequent fall of 
that fortrefs, gave Bonaparte leifure to turn his arms 
againft the papal dominions. His troops entered them 
on the id of February, and met with Rich feeble refin¬ 
ance from the papal forces, that they were overpowered 
with but little lofs on the part of the French. I11 a few 
days they proceeded to Loretto, and took poffeffion of 
the famous Madonna, together with a treafure of about 
three millions of livres. The whole Marche of Ancona 
next fubmitted, with little fhow of refidance ; and on 
the 19th, Bonaparte had his head-quarters at Tolentino. 
Deprived of the fupport of his allies, and reduced to the 
lowed extremity, the pope now addrefled a fubmiflive let¬ 
ter to the viClorious general, in which he earnedly folicit- 
eil an amicable termination of the coined ; and he dif- 
patched with it two ecclefiadics, fully empowered to con¬ 
clude a treaty. During the negotiation, his holinefs en¬ 
tertained fo little hope of fucceeding in his application to 
Bonaparte, that he had made preparations for flight to Na¬ 
ples with l’uch of his treafures as could be conveniently 
tranfported. As this circumdance could not be concealed, 
the city of Rome was thrown into the utmod confufion 
and anarchy, till certain information arrived of the con¬ 
dition of peace. By the terms of it, the pope confirmed 
all the conditions of the armidice; agreed, without re¬ 
serve, to the annexation of Avignon and the comtat of 
Venaiflin to the French republic ; and confented to pay 
thirty millions of livres, as well as to furnifli the French 
army with fixteen thoufand horfes by way of ranfom for 
the remnant of his dominions which he was permitted 
to retain. 
By this peace of Tolentino the political exidence of 
the holy fee was prolonged for a diort time; but it was 
left in a date of extreme embarraflment. The papal 
coffers were empty, and every apparent refource had been 
exhauded by the exactions which had already been made 
to pay the contribution impofed by the lad year’s armi¬ 
dice. But new exertions were neceffary in order to exe¬ 
cute the prefent treaty ; and a few days after the figning 
of the peace, mournful edicts were publifhed by the pope, 
jn which, after calling to the remembrance of his fubjefts, 
that the exigencies of the date had formerly compelled 
ium to demand the half of their plate, he informed them 
u s. 
that he mud now, when circumdances were more critical, 
requed that within three days the other half might be car¬ 
ried to the pontifical treafury. Within three days this 
requifition, and the other exa&ions which he was under 
the neceffity of enforcing, in order to fatisfy the French, 
excited much murmuring and difcontent among the 
people, and drong fymptoms of a revolutionary fpirit: 
were difcoverable in all parts of the ecclefiadical date. 
The popular odium was particularly manifeded againft 
the duke of Brafchi, on whom was lavifhed every expref- 
fion of indignation and contempt. To check and redrain 
thele tokens of public hatred and difaffeftion, the go¬ 
vernment of the court of Rome became fevere and tyran¬ 
nical. To over-awe the people, a dronger garrifon was 
placed in the cadle of St. Angelo, and foldiers were didri- 
lnited in different quarters of the city. Many of the in¬ 
habitants, likewife, were arreded and imprifoned, as fuf- 
pefted perfons. Thefe feverities, however, only tended 
to aggravate the evil, and fo direCt the public refentment 
more perfonally againd the pope, who could never appear 
abroad without receiving the dronged marks of difappro- 
bation. Several of the cardinals alfo were infulted by 
the populace; a fpirit of infubordination rapidly gained 
ground ; and political confpiracies were daily formed. 
In this didraCIed fituation of ad'airs, Jofeph Bonaparte, 
the brother of the general, arrived at Rome with the 
character of ambaffador from the French republic. 
The prefence of a French minider at Rome, as will na¬ 
turally be imagined, was a circumdance highly acceptable 
to the party who were defirous of abolifhing the papal 
government, and of edablifhing in the room of it a Roman 
republic. On this defign they were zealoudy bent; and 
fo fanguine were they in their perfuafion that fuch a 
change might be eafily brought about, that on the 26th 
of December, 1797, a deputation from their number ad- 
dred'ed themfelves to the French ambaffador, to inform 
him of their intention, and to know if the French go¬ 
vernment would proteCl their revolution if once effected. 
From the mod: difpaffionate account of this affair which 
we have met with, it appears, that the ambaffador rejefted 
their overtures, and peremptorily enjoined them never 
to come to him again with fuch projefls, of which he 
difplayed to them the folly and impracticability. On the 
following day, however, a tumult took place, in which 
two of the pope’s dragoons were killed by the infurgents. 
Thefe were afterwards difperfed; many of them were 
arreded; and, as the French cockade which they had 
afiumed wore the appearance of French fupport or conni¬ 
vance, the ambaffador hadened the next morning to give 
in to the fecretary of date the lid of thofe who, employed 
in his fervice or placed under his protection, had alone, 
the right of wearing it. While he was with this minider, 
the popular tumult became more ferious ; and towards 
the dole of the day, cries of “ Live the Republic, and 
the Roman People,” were echoed throughout the adjoin¬ 
ing itreets; and numbers of the iufurgents entered the 
courts of the French palace, vehemently demanding the 
aid of the French republic, as their liberty was now 
affured. The French officers who were with the ambaf¬ 
fador propofed to drive them away by force; but that 
minider, judging that his authority would be fufficient 
to determine their departure, put on the infignia of his 
office, with the intention of addreding them in the Ita¬ 
lian language. In this defign, however, he was prevented, 
by a dilcharge of mufketry from a party of foldiers, who 
had arrived and fired upon the infurgents in the courts 
of the palace. The fird difcharge was followed by a 
fecond, and the foldiers were preparing fora third, which 
the French general Duphot ruflied forward to prevent. 
Upon this a fcene of confufion took place, in which 
Duphot was (hot by the military, and his remains are 
faid to have been afterwards treated by them with favage 
barbarity. The ambaffador having efcaped into his pa¬ 
lace, the Spanifh minider fent to the fecretary of date, 
to protelt againd the horrors which were taking place; 
who 
