—— SS 
cred college itfelt ; as it tended, 
Fis 
to vifit the emperor at. Vienna: Truth 
obliges us to flate, that fuch a refoiution 
was blamed by all. the italians who were 
acquainted with the character of Jofeph 
- and the prevailing opinions of the age: it 
was likewife highly difapproved by the fa- 
they 
thought, to caft upon the papal dignity 
the ‘Gifgrace of fupplicating Msg ad 
without atfording any ultimate profpeét of 
fuccefs. 
His holinefs was firm; and, if we are 
rightly informed, ob! erved to th ne Venera- 
ble cardinal Zelada, a perion of the higheft 
diftinction in the college, and a moft fteady 
advocate for the Pie! ee of the church, 
that he had rather fubmit to humiliation in 
his dignity, than to remorfe in bts confci- 
ence } 
The circumftance. of a travelling pope 
had not been. known fince the warlike 
pontificate of Julius the Id. In an en- 
lichtened age, therefore, it is no wonder 
that his holinefs fhould receive more ho- 
nours during his journey, than had been 
the lot of his predeceflors, on fnular oc- 
cafions, in the middle ages. The pope 
fet off for Vienna in February 1782. The 
writer of this article, who made it a 
point to read the Venice gazette at that 
time, can recollect with fome decree of 
accuracy the honours with which he was 
received. Befides the highef{ marks of ' 
yeneration paid him by i the Italian 
ftates lying in his way, the following 
3s the defcription of his oe into Vienna: 
At twenty miles diftance from the gates he 
vas received by prince, Kaunitz, and the 
flower of the German nobjlity :—-ct 17 he 
was met by the primate of Hungary, the 
archbifhop of Vienna, and all the eccle- 
flaftical dignitaries of tthe Auitrian domi-_ 
nions :—at 15 he received the homage of 
the chiefs of the religious ees and 
moft con{picuous perfons of the regular 
clergy ;—-at 12 he met the whole ft aff of 
the Imperial army sao the gates of the 
ity as far as 8 miles, 4.05000 troops un- 
cer arms paraded the road, in clofe order, 
on both fides ; and at the extremity of the 
lines was the emperor himfelf, attended 
by the foreign ambafiadors. 
As foon as the pope had come within 
fisht, the emperor alignted from his car- 
riage and kneeled down. His holinefs did 
not fuffer him to remain long in fuch pofi- 
tion, but fuddenly aiighting “from his car- 
riage ran toraifehimup. = 
After mutual compliments they both 
entered into a fiate coach, and made their 
folemn entry into the city, amidf the dif. 
charge of artillery and the ringing of bells, 
\ 
kemirs of the Life of the late Pope, Pius FI. [C@ober; 
They proceeded then to the Impericd 
chapel, which was adorned and duces 
in the moft {fplendid manner. The great 
Le attended by the. whole of the Im- 
perial clergy, was prefent te officiate. 
As foon as. the pope was feated on the 
throne prepared for him, the emperor 
likewife took his feat, and a folemn Te _ 
Deum was chaunted by a numerous or- 
cheftra. At the clofe of the ceremony, 
the emperor le his holinefs to the apart- 
ment called Maria Therefia, the moft 
magnificent in the palace; he appointed 
his firft minifter, prince Kaunitz, private 
fecretary to Hie holine(s; the archduke 
-Maximilian, eleGtor of Cologne, to be 
chamberlain; and 600 young Hungariati 
noblemen for his-life guard ! 
\ Vhefe were the chief difttin@iens re- 
ceived by Pius the VIth. on_his journey 
to Vienna ; bat its main objet completely 
failed, for. it was not in his. power to 
perfuade the emperor to repeal an ny of his 
late acts. 
Many curious particulars are related of 
his holine{s while at Vienna ; among others” 
his nemne received feveral proteftant 
“princes, noblemen and clergymen, with 
the reatck affability 5 his vifting the 
venerable Metaffefio, then on his death 
bed, to whom he fent,. by his ante 
erp Garampi, the bexediio in arliculo 
mortis; and of his having converted fo the 
catholic perfuafion many thoufand pro 
teftants who had come to Vienna for the 
purpofe of feeing him pontifically officiate 
on Eafter Sunday. It was likewife re- 
ported, that in feveral of his conferences - 
with the emperor, on the fubject of eccle- 
fiaftical affairs, he told him to diftruft mo- 
dern philofophy for the fake of fovereignty 
itfelf; for that the fecret intent of this 
pernicious fet was the overthrow of al. 
tars, for the -purpofe of attacking the 
throne: which, if true, proves that his 
holinefs is to be atumtaoies among the 
unfortunate Caflandras of the French re- 
volution. 
Be this as it will, Pius the VIth. upon 
his failure, drew on himfelf thofe illiberal 
remarks which ufwally attend unfuccefsful 
endeavours of every kind. . Some. faid 
that he was the Don Quixote of the Popes; 
others, that the Jaf refource of the court 
of Rome was exhaufted; many obferved, 
that the emperor by beftowing on 
P,. Luigi, his holinefs’s nephew, the, title 
of prince of the Roman empire, had given 
him more pleafure than the repealing of 
Hele imperial edicts would have done$ 
many faid his miffion had proved’ truly 
apottolical, in converti ing fo many here- 
; tics ; 
- = = 
