p I 
who allured him, and mo ft probably with truth, that the 
pope was entirely ignorant of what had palled. The 
faired account of this unfortunate affair feems to have 
been given by thofe writers, who attribute the violation 
of the jurifdifftion of the ambafi'ador, and the muYder of 
genera! Duphot, to the negligence of the commander of 
Rome, who, in his meafures for quelling the riot, fent 
troops without fuch officers at their head as were qualified 
to execute his orders with judgment and prudence. 
In confluence of thefe events, the French ambafi'ador 
thought proper immediately to quit Rome, and retire to 
Florence, though the molt preffing endeavours were ufed 
by the pontifical miniftry to induce him to continue in 
the exercife of his fundtions at the papal court. At the 
flame time the fecretary of ftate difpatched letters to the 
papal minifter at Paris, enjoining him, in the name of his 
liolinefs, to humble himfeif before the French directory, 
and to offer them any indemnification which they might 
demand, as a fatisfaflion for crimes which were to be at¬ 
tributed to the tumult of a rebellious populace. The oc- 
cafion, however, was too favourable to be negledted by 
the diredtory, who had been apparently watching the 
errors of the papal adminiffration, to find a plea for 
feizing the remaining treafures of the ancient metropolis 
of the world, and for afluming the empty glory of eredt- 
ing the Gallic ftandard on the Capitol. Orders were 
therefore given for the march of the French and Cifalpine 
forces to Rome. Of its approaching diffolution the holy 
fee felt the infallible fymptoms; but, in order to depre¬ 
cate the wrath of the French government, and ward off 
the fatal blow, fruitlefs folicitations were made for the 
mediation of the Spanifh ambaffador, and that of the 
courts of Naples, Florence, and Vienna. The interven¬ 
tion of heaven was alfo fought by prayers, fallings, pro- 
ceffions, and jubilees. The theatres were (hut up; and 
new end numerous arrefts of fufpedted perfons were or¬ 
dered to be made. By way of contempt of thefe adls of 
government, the revolutionary party covered the walls 
with fatirical and menacing placards; and they alfo dif- 
tributed among the people portraits of Bonaparte, with 
the title of the New Saviour of the World. In the mean 
time the French ar.d Cifalpine armies, under the com- 
mand of general Berthier, marched towards Rome with¬ 
out meeting with the leaff reliltance, preceded by a pro¬ 
clamation, in which the general declared that the only 
objeft of his vifit was the punilhment of the murderers 
of Duphot and Baffeville, and that the people of Rome 
ffiould find in the French army protestors and friends. 
Though the meaning of this proclamation could not be 
mifunderffood, and the revolutionary party were encou¬ 
raged by it to proclaim the Roman Republic, on the 15th 
of February, 1798, the pope refolved to make one effort 
more to preferve the government of the holy fee from 
annihilation. Accordingly, he fent to Berthier, who 
■was encamped without the walls of the city, his cardinal- 
vicar, and other deputies, accompanied by the Neapolitan 
minifter, who were inftrufted to negotiate for the conti¬ 
nuance of his temporal exiftence, by the further facrifices 
of provinces and of millions, which were liberally offered 
.at the prefent crifis. His laft hopes, however, were 
quickly dilfipated, by the refufal of the general to admit 
any other deputation than that of the “Roman People.” 
As the revolutionary itorm was approaching, forne of 
the cardinals, and particularly thole who by the part 
which they aSled were obnoxious to the French, fled 
from Rome, while the means of flight were in their 
power. The great majority of them, however, continued 
in that city, probably flattering themfelves with the 
hopes of retaining their ecclefialtical rank and poffefiions, 
though at the expenfe of very confiderable facrifices. At 
firff they were treated with forbearance, after the French 
commifiaries, who were fent by the directory to form a 
conftitution of government for the Romans, had com¬ 
pelled them formally to abdicate their authority. But 
their eftates loon excited the rapacity of their conquer- 
Vol. XX, No. 1391. 
U S. 509 
ors and the. newly-conffituted authorities, and were de¬ 
clared confifcated to the ufe of the nation; while the 
cardinals themfelves, excepting thofe who were confined 
to their beds by ficknefs, were included under one com¬ 
mon profeription, and confined as prifoners in one of the 
convents at Rome. From this prifon they were fent to 
Civita-Vecchia, where they were iubjefted to fuch in- 
fults and menaces, that the greater part of them thought 
themfelves happy to purchafe, by the Sacrifice of their 
wealth, their deliverance, and liberty to fly for refuge to 
countries which had not yet been brought under the 
Gallic yoke. 
While the work of confifcation was going on at Rome, 
the pope remained confined to his apartments at the 
Vatican, in anxious and trembling uncertainty with refpect 
to his fate. That of his nephews had been already deci¬ 
ded. The cardinal was afellow-fuft’erer with the other mem¬ 
bers of the (acred college ; and the eftates of the dnke of 
Brafchi were confifcated without remorfe to the benefit 
of the public. His magnificent and fumptuous furniture, 
his pictures, engravings, antiques, and his r.nifeum, were 
fubmitted to the humiliation of a public auction. The 
eftates and property of his holinefs were involved in the 
fame confifcation with thofe of the cardinals; and the 
French commifiaries, judging that his prefence in Rome 
was incompatible with the tranquillity of the flats, 
decreed that he fitould be fent beyond the boundaries of 
the Roman territory. It is mentioned as a Angular cir- 
cunillance, that, whether it was merely owing to chance 
or defign, the officer who was lent to notify their decree 
to the pope, W’as a general of the name of Calvin. From 
Rome, Pius was efcorted by a body of French cavalry to' 
Sienna, where his firft relidence was in the convent of S:. 
Barba, belonging to the Auguftinian monks. This 
place he W’as obliged to quit by an earthquake, which 
overthrew the apartments adjoining to thofe which he 
occupied, and damaged his own; when he took up his 
abode within the walls of the city. In the month of Flay, 
he removed to a Carthufian convent within two miles of 
Florence. In this retired place Pius kept his little court, 
fupported by the liberality, and cheered by the attach¬ 
ment, of fome faithful wealthy fons of the church; but 
with lb much circumfpe&ion, to avoid giving umbrage 
either to the French or Tufcan governments, that he 
offered to leave the nomination and regulation of his 
houfehold to the infpettion of the French minifter. It 
was fcarcely pofiible for papal humiliation to defeend far¬ 
ther; for this minifter was a proteftant divine of the Lu¬ 
theran perfuafion. But, ftript of bis temporal dignity, 
his holinefs prefented an example of chriftian-like refig- 
nation. Towards thofe who had defpoiled him of his 
power and authority, he ever exprefled a meek and for¬ 
giving difpofition. Unembarralled by the cares of go¬ 
vernment, his health became more liable, his fpirits in¬ 
creased, and adverfity feemed thus to prove to him the 
true road to happinels. Scarcely, however, had he begun 
to enjoy the blelfings of this Hate of humble retirement, 
when the French directory cruelly invaded his repofe. 
Under pretence that his prefence fo near the ancient 
feat of government, would probably endanger the tran¬ 
quillity or impede the regeneration of Italy, they en¬ 
joined the grand-duke to dilir.ifs him from the Tufcan 
territory. However reludfant the grand-duke might be 
to drive the aged pontiff from his peaceful afylum, he 
found himfeif under the necefiity of notifying to him the 
pleafure of the directory ; and application was made to 
the emperor, to grant him a place of refuge in Germany. 
Difficulties arifing, however, which prevented his remo¬ 
val into that country, he would have gone into Spain, 
had not prudential confiderations induced the court to 
decline the requeft which was made to receive him there. 
It was then decided that he fliould be fent to the iiland 
of Sardinia, where a papal confpiracy, Ihould enthufiafm 
give rife to fo defperate a mealure, muff neceffarily be 
circurnfcribed within narrow bounds; but the attack of 
7 F a ferious 
