and to erect on its fite a pillar with this infcription, "Here stood the city of Pavia." In order to deter the inhabitants of this, and the other towns inclined to ftir up infurrections, the promoters of that at l'avia were fentenced to be shot, and two hun dred hostages, for their peaceable behaviour, were delivered to Buonaparte, who fent them to France. He next iffued a proclamation, declaring, that those who did not lay down their arms within twenty-four hours, and take an oath of obedience to the French republic, should be treated as rebels, and their houfes committed to the flames. The nobles and priests in the infurgent diftricts were to be arrested and fent to France. The places within the precincts of which Frenchman was aflaffinated; were condemned to pay triple taxes till the aflaffin was given up. a The fame fine was laid on places where concealed arms and ammunition were found. Perfons of rank and fortune who excited the people to revolt, either by difmifling their fervants, or by holding inimical difcourses against the French, were to be fent to France, and to forseit part of their efiates. Injunctions and declarations of this nature were posted up in every place of note throughout the Milancfe. Particular precautions were taken for the fecurity of the city of Milan, the caftle of which still remained in pofieffion of the Austrians, who might, in cafe of any formidable infarrection, have given it effectual affiftance. Freed from the perplexity occafioned by these disturbances, Buonaparte prepared to profecute the plans he had been forming. The broken forces of the Auftrians lind in their retreat taken refuge on the Venetian territory. Hither they were closely purfued by the French. But previously to the commencement of operations in the Venetian state, Buonaparte was careful to give formal notice of his intentions to the fenate. The difpofition of the Venetian government, towards France, was justly suspected to be inimical. Had it been friendly before the entrance of the French into Italy, their fuc cesses, and the powerful footing they had now obtained, would have rendered them too dangerous to be view ed with a favourable eye. Situated between two fuch powers as France and Auftria, Venice had no inclination to befriend the one more than the other, and would gladly have been delivered from the proximity of both. Unwilling to offend a ftate, between which, and the French republic, fubfifted, the French general publithed an address to that government and people, wherein he assured them, that in following the enemies of France into the Venetian terri tories, he would observe the strictest difcipline, and treat the inhabitants with all the amity and confideration due to the ancient friendship exifting between the two nations. an amicable intercourse In the mean time, the Austrians had taken poffeffion of Peschiera, by the connivance of the Venetians, to whom that town belonged. Here Beaulicu hoped to be able to make a ftand, till fuccours arrived to him from Germany. Buonaparte, defirous to capel him from Italy, or to compel him to furrender, advanced to that town, intending to cut off his retreat to the Tyrol, by the eaftern fide of the lake of Garda. Early May, feveral divifions of the French approached the bridge of Borghetto, by which Buonaparte propofed to effect a paffage over the Mincio, and torround Beaulieu's army. The Auftrians made the utmost efforts to defend the bridge; but the French crotled it after a warm action: the Austrian general perceiving their intent, withdrew in hafte from his potition at Peschiera, and retired with the utmost expedition to the river Adige, which, having pasled, he broke down all the bridges, to prevent the French from perfuing him. By these means he fecured his retreat to the Tyrol, the only place of fafety now remaining to in the morning of the thirteenth of the late refidence of the French hm. Buenaparte might now confider himfelf as the undisputed mafier of Italy. He was fo much viewed in that light by the tenate of Venice, even previously to his paflage of the Mincio, and the defeat of Beaulieu, that, forefeeing the danger of appearing too well inclined to the houte of Bourbon, they had warned out of their territories the unfortulate brother of the late king of France, who had, on the death of his nephew, fon to that monarch, atfuned the name of Lewis the eighteen, together with the royal title. The circumstances of his difmiffion did the Venetians no credit: on that prince's demanding the fword, formerly presented to the lenate by his anceitor, the celebrated Henry the fourth of France, asatoken of his regard, they refused to reffore it, on pretext that a large fum of money, due from him to the state, had never been difcharged. Buonaparte took poffeffion, on the third of June, of the city of Verona, prince. He now determined to lay fiege to Mantua, the only place of ftrength and importance left to the emperor in Italy. The reduction of this fortress would effectually put an end to the influence of the court of Vienna, and transfer to France, the power and credit exercised by the emperor in all the affairs of Italy. This was a deprivation to which the head of the house of Austria could not bear the idea of fubmitting, and every effort was refolved upon to prevent it. The ill fuccess of Beaulieu had been fuch, that it was determined, at Vienna, to fubstitute another commander in his room. Marshal Wurmfer, a veteran general in high esteem, was ap pointed to fucceed him, though he had himself experienced several defeats by the French. In hope of reducing Mantua before fuccours could arrive, Buonaparte determined to lay immediate fiege to it. On the fourth of June, it was invested by the French, who drove the out-posts into the town, which was now closely furrounded on every fide. But the want of artillery prevented him from doing any more than blockading it. He had formed hopes of reducing that city by other means than a formal fiege; which were to cut of all fuccours from Germany, and all provifions from its neighbourhood. In order to effect the first of these purpoles, he refolved to carry the war into the Imperial dominions in Germany, and to invade the Tyrol itself. This was doubtless a very bold and hazardous attempt: the natives of that difficult and mountainous country being not only a [H2] refolute refolute and hardy race of men, but extremely attached to the family of Auftria; of whom they had for centuries continued the faithful and affectionate fubjects. Buonaparte did not, however, defpair to make an impreffion upon them in his favour, through the medium of those addrefles, of which he he had experienced the efficacy on other occafions. On the fourteenth of June he published a manifefto, wherein he informed them, that he intended to march through their 'country, in order to force the emperor to come into terms of peace with the French, who defired a termination of the war, not only for themselves, but for the benefit of all Europe, so long harraffed and defolated through the ambition of the Imperial family; for which alone the people of its dominions were involved in the horrors of war, as well as the people of France. The French, he told them, bore no hatred to the inhabitants of Germany, but folely to their ambitious fovereigns, and felt the fincerest sentiments of good will and fraternity for their oppressed fubjects. He invited them, therefore, in the name of the French, to receive their army with hofpitality, and abstain from all hoftilities; promifing the stricteft honour and punctuality, in all dealings and tranfactions with them, but admonishing them, at the fame time, that if compelled to have recourse to their arms, the French would, however, unwillingly, prove as terrible to them, as they had unvariably done to all their other enemies, But while he was preparing to follow up this manifefto, by marching his army into the Tyrol, he was called away by the indifpentible necetlity of providing for the tecurity of his conquests; menaced by a variety of unfavourable circumftances, against which vigorous exertions were required without delay. The distance at which the forces of the French were at this time, from feveral districts, known by the name of Imperial Fiefs, and situated on the borders of Piedmont, Genoa, and Tufcany, had emboldened the people there, who were in the intereft of the emperor, to act a very hoftile part against the French; they attacked their convoys, intercepted the communication with Buonaparte's army, and killed his couriers. Such were the complaints and reprefentations of the French. In order to put a stop to those proceedings, which were fecretly countenanced by those numerous enemies of the French, who did not dare to avow themfelves, Buonaparte was obliged to difpatch large detachments from the main body of his forces, to repress them. This was the very end proposed by those infurrections, but the celerity with, which he acted, quickly effected their fuppreffion : the infurgents were compelled to fubmit, and deliver up their arms and hostages for their obedience. Heavy fines were imposed upon them, and ordinances issued; a refusal to comply with which, was made punishable with military execution. The motive that led to this feverity, was the determination to proceed, without the danger of being recalled by new commotions, in the plan of extending, through the mot diftant parts of Italy, an unrefifting fubjugation to the dictates of France. Rome and Naples were the two ftates against which Buonaparte was intending to act. The enmity of both to the French was un undeniable. The inability of the Pope to refift them was an additional motive to invade his territories? Ferrara, Bologna, and Urbino, all cities of importance, were taken poffeffion of, and Rome itself was threatened. The partisans of the French in Italy, and elfewhere, expressed open fatisfaction at their conduct towards the Roman fee. The difreputable means by which it had risen to power, and acquired the territories compofing its fovereignty, were not forgotten. The arrogance of its pretenfions, and the daily diminution of the reverence and veneration which it formerly conınanded, jointly induced people to view its humiliation with pleasure. Confcious of these fentiments in the generality, Buonaparte felt the less scruple in the feverity of his tranfactions with the court of Rome, with which it feems he had determined to keep по measures; commiffioned doubtiefs by the government of France to act in this rigorous manner. ceffity with the best grace in the world. He difcharged his fubjects from molefting, and even from reviling the French. He exhorted them to ufe them well, and even to pray for them. In former ages, the popes were wont most bitterty to curfe even their own spiritual fons, when they shewed any degree of a refractory spirit. The piety of the church, fmothered by wealth and power, appeared to be revived with perfecution. The Chriftians feemed to return to the principles of "loving their enemies, bleffing those that cursed them, doing good to those that hated them, and praying for those who despitefully ufed and perfecuted them." Had the pope with the Romith clergy been fincere in fuch professions of humility and benevolence, and credit been given to fuch profeffions, the church might have sprung, like a phœnix, from its own afhes, and the tide of affairs been turned: but, without inquiring too minutely into the piety of the pope, we must commend his prudence, in advifing the Romans to give up a part of their wealth, rather than the whole. His holiness was a more prudent man than the Roman knight Nonius, who was put to death by Tiberius, for refufing to part with a very exquifite and precious piece of fculpture, All perfons imprisoned for their opinions were now to be fet at liberty; the ports of the ecclefiaftical ftate to be open to the French, and shut to their enemies, and a free pallage allowed to the French troops through the papal territories. This armiftice was figned on the twenty-third of June: but the directory, though willing to negociate a peace with the pontiff, refused to receive the minifters he had fent to Paris for [H3] Terrified at this invafion of his dominions, and totally unable to refift it, the pope was reduced to the neceffity of fuing for an armistice, which was granted to him, on conditions fimilar to those on which the dukes of Parma and Modena had obtained it: to which was added, the furrender of the cities of Bologna, Ferrara, and the citadel of Ancona, with the territories of the two former, and a larger proportion of pictures and ftatues, and fome hundreds of the moft curious manufcripts from the Vatican library. The pope, with a refignation more becoming the head of the church, than so many of the ambitious and daring actions of his predecessors, yielded to ne ODES HOU Σ C OXFORD LIBRARY that that purpole, on account of their being ecclefiaftics, a profession of which they had declared to admit no members in the quality of negociators. A fufpenfion of arms had already been concluded with the king of Naples, on terms of more equality, The multiplicity of operations, undertaken by the French, did not permit them to exert the like feverity with a prince who was fo much more able to oppofe them. In the mean time, the resolution taken by the directory, to exclude the English from an access to any port to which it could barr their entrance prompted them to direct their general to fieze on the port of Leghorn, on pretence of the flag of France having been infulted there, and the French merchants illtreated, in violation of the rights of neutrality. On the twenty-eighth of June, a detachment of Buonaparte's army took poficision of this place. The English merchants, however, being apprifed of his intentions, had fufficient time to remove their property on board their ships in the harbour, and very little was feized by the French. The seizure of Leghorn was accompanied by the reduction of the cattle of Milan: this celebrated fortrefs, furrendered to them on the last day of June. The garrifon, confifting of more than two thoufand men, convinced of the impoffibility of making any effectual refiftance, yielded themselves prifoners of war. One hundred and fifty pieces of cannon, with an immenfe quantity of ammunition and stores, were taken here by the French. During these various transactions, while Buonaparte was occupied in extending through Italy the empire of the French, and the terror of his arms, he was equally careful to imprefs the Italians with favourable opinions of his inclination to promote their general welfare, and equally of his refpect for learning and literary men. This, he knew, would exhibit an advantageous contraft of the refpective difpofitions of the French and the Auftrians, in matters of this nature. The neglect and indifference of these latter, for the polite arts and sciences, and their profeffors, had long been weliknown, and it was a part of Buonaparte's policy, by difplaying his partiality to characters of this defeription, to conciliate their efteem, and fecure their prepofletsion in his favour.. To this intent he had taken with him, to Italy, feveral eminent literati from France. They were the companions of his private hours, and were looked upon as a credit to his expedition: with them he confulted in what manner he could make it redound to the benefit of letters and philofophical knowledge. The cultivators of learning in Italy, to whom he was reprefented in this advantageous light, could not fail to conceive amicable ideas of him, and he was particularly folicitous to improve them. An oppor tunity offered, on the reduction of Milan, where he requested an interview with the celebrated aftronomer Oriane, in order to teftify his respect, and that of the French nation, for his extraordinary merit. In a letter, written to him on this occafion, and addressed, through him, to all the Italian literati, Buonaparte exerted his perfuafive talents to convince him and them of the predaliction with which the rulers of France regarded all individuals of his character, and how zealous they |