THE POPE RECEIVES VICTOR’S ENVOY

Church. Let the popehood add efficacy to the spirit of inextinguishable benevolence in your soûl towards this land, which is also your country, and the sentiments of conciliation which I hâve always studied to translate into acts, that, satisfying the national aspirations, the Head of Catholicity, surrounded by the dévotion of the Italian people, should préservé on the banks of the Tiber a glorious seat, independent of every human sovereignty.

Your holiness, by liberating Rome from forcign troops, will take from her the constant danger of being the battle-ground of subversive parties. You will accomplish a marvellous work, restore peace to the Church, and show Europe, aghast at the horrors of war, how one can win great battles and obtain immortal victories by an act of justice — by one sole word of affection.

I pray your holiness to impart to me your Apostolic bénédiction, and to accept my sentiments of profound respect.

Your holiness’s most humble, most obedient, and devoted

Victor Emmanuel.

Florence, Sept. 8, 1870.

Pio Nono received San Martino courteously, and discussed the situation calmly with him. He lis tened to his assurances that his suprême spiritual author ity his income, his palaces and villas, should be ail guaranteed to him by stringent laws. There was nothing his majesty’s govemment would not do to please his holi- VOL. II. N

ncss — short of abstaining from entering Rome, which could no longer be delayed without risking the existence of the nation.

' Signor conte,’ said the Pope, ‘ I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet ; but I dare to foretell that the Italian troops shall not enter Rome.’

The.count lowered his eyes that the Pope should not see him smile at this extraordinary faith, and replied that neither was he a prophet, nor did he prétend to hâve any relationship with prophets, but he boldly ventured to assert that the Italian army should enter Rome before long. He then consigned the king’s letter to him. When he had read it, he turned wrathfully on the envoy. ‘ What is the use of this hypocrisy ? ’ he exclaimed. ‘ Cannot he say at once that he wishes to despoil me of my kingdom ? ’

San Martino replied that if he had had the composition of that letter he would hâve used less circumlocution, and said plainly and shortly that Italy, recognising the State of Rome as indispensable to her national being, claimed it as a right.

This frankness made Pio Nono smile, for his humour was variable as a woman’s. He said, ‘ You talk of the aspirations of the Romans : you see with your own eyes that the city is quite tranquil.’

‘ Your holiness,’ replied the outspoken count, ‘ I may daim some crédit for this tranquillity. The citizens wished to make me a démonstration on my arrivai, but I prevented it.’