pagate, and cause largely to prevail in all directions, to the great damage and ruin of civilised society, that horrible and most fatal system of Socialism or Communism, which is entirely contrary to justice, and even to the first principles of natural

reason.

"But although this most black conspiracy, or rather this long series of conspiracies, appeared clear and manifest, yet still it remained unknown to many of those who for innumerable reasons ought to have the common tranquillity at heart. And although the indefatigable leaders of the masses laid themselves open to most grave suspicion, still there were not wanting men of good intentions who lent them a friendly hand, perhaps in the hope of being able in this way to bring them back into the paths of moderation and justice.

"In the meantime, a cry of war ran suddenly all over Italy, and a portion of Our subjects being moved and excited by it, flew to arms, and, setting themselves against Our wishes, desired to pass beyond the limits of Our State. You are aware, O Venerable Brethren, how We, fulfilling the offices of Supreme Pontiff and of Sovereign, opposed the unjust wishes of those who desired to drag Us into this war, and who required that We should send to battle, that is, to certain massacre, a body of inexperienced youths, assembled at a moment's notice, never instructed in the art of military discipline, unprovided with able commanders and implements of war. And this was expected from Us, who, however undeservedly, have been raised by the inscrutable decree of Divine Providence to the summit of apostolic dignity, sustaining here on earth the office of Vicar of Jesus Christ, and who have received from God, the Author of peace and charity, the commission to love, with a paternal affection, all people, nations, and tongues without partiality, and to seek, as much as in Us lies, their safety, instead of spurring them on to massacre and death. For if to every prince it be forbidden to undertake a war without just cause, who is there that can be so entirely destitute of judgment and common sense, as not to see clearly that the Catholic world requires, with good reason, from the Roman Pontiff,

much stricter justice and much graver causes, before he prepare to associate himself with any in carrying on a war? Wherefore, in Our Allocution of the 29th of April of the past. year, pronounced before you, We declared to the whole world. that We would have nothing to do with the war; and at the same time We rejected and refused an offer, most insidiously made to Us, as well by word of mouth as by writing, an offer not only exceedingly injurious to Ourself, but most fatal to Italy, namely, that of presiding over the Government of a certain Italian Republic. And it was, in truth, through an especial exercise of the Divine mercy that we were then enabled to fulfil the serious duty imposed upon Us by God Himself, of speaking, admonishing, exhorting. Therefore, We trust that We cannot be reproached in the words of the prophet Isaiah, 'Woe unto me if I keep silence.' And would to God that Our paternal words, warnings, and exhortations had been heard by all Our sons.

"You will remember, O Venerable Brethren, what uproars and disturbances were excited by men of the turbulent factions, after the Allocution alluded to by Us, and in what manner a civil Ministry, entirely contrary to Our maxims and ideas, and to the rights of the Apostolic See, was imposed upon Us. We predicted, indeed, from that time, the unhappy issue of the Italian war, whilst one of those Ministers did not hesitate to affirm that the war would continue, though it was contrary to Our wish, and undertaken without the Pontifical benediction. Which Minister also, grievously outraging the Apostolic See, was not ashamed to propose that the civil dominion of the Roman Pontificate should be separated entirely from the spiritual power. The same individual, not long after, in speaking of Us, dared to make assertions in public, by which, in a certain way, he banished and separated the Pope himself from the society of men. And the just and merciful God humiliated Us beneath His powerful hand by permitting that, for the space of several months, the truth on one side, and falsehood on the other, should fiercely contend together; to which state of things the formation of another Ministry put

a termination. This Ministry, in its turn, yielded the post to another, which admirably united to great talents a lively zeal for defending public order and maintaining the laws. But the unbridled licence and audacity of depraved passions raising their head ever higher, extended their dominion, and the enemies of God and man, inflamed with a long and fierce thirst of domination, of robbery, and of destruction, panted for nothing more passionately than the overthrow of all laws, human and divine, that they might thus satisfy their evil desires. Then the machinations, prepared for so long time past, manifested themselves openly: the public ways were seen sprinkled with human blood; sacrileges, which can never be enough deplored, were committed; and violence, unheard of before, was perpetrated against us, with indescribable daring, even in our very residence, on the Quirinal. Wherefore, being oppressed with much anguish, and being unable to exercise freely either the office of Sovereign or even that of Pontiff, We were constrained, not without great bitterness of soul, to absent Ourself from Our chair. We will pass over in silence those most lamentable occurrences detailed by Us in public protests, that our common grief may not be embittered by again recounting them. No sooner were the seditious made acquainted with these protests, than, filled with rage, and hurling menaces on all alike, they did not spare any kind of fraud, deceit, or violence, so that they might terrify still more the good, who were already sufficiently dismayed. And after they had introduced that new form of government styled by them the Guinta of State, and suppressed entirely the two Councils instituted by Us, they exerted themselves to the utmost to call together a new Assembly, named by them the Roman Constituent Assembly. Of a truth, the mind shrinks and revolts from the remembrance of how great and how many frauds they practised to execute this scheme. Here, however, We cannot dispense with offering a due tribute of praise to the majority of the magistrates of the Pontifical States, who, mindful of their own honour and duty, preferred to resign their offices rather than lend a hand, in any way, to an enter

prise which was designed to strip their Sovereign and most beloved Father of his legitimate temporal power. That Assembly was at last convened, and a certain Roman advocate in the commencement of his first speech delivered to the members, solemnly declared to all, what he, and all the others his associates, the authors of this horrible movement, thought, wished, and intended. The law of moral progress, he said, is imperious and inexorable; and he added, that he and his friends had, a long time ago, come to the determination to level to its foundations the temporal dominion and government of the Apostolic See, whatever might be the concessions made by Us, in accordance with their wishes. Which declaration We have wished to bring to remembrance, in this your Assembly, that all may know that this evil intention was no baseless suspicion or conjecture attributed by Us to the authors of these disturbances, but that it was made manifest to the whole universe by these very men themselves, who should have been prevented, through very shame, from making such an open declaration. Men of this stamp, then, did not aim at more liberal institutions, or reforms more favourable to the public administration or prudent measures of any kind; all they wanted was, to invade, overthrow, and destroy the temporal dominion of the Apostolic See. And they accomplished this, their project, as far as in them lay, by a decree emanating from their so-called Roman Constituent Assembly, on the 9th of February in the present year, by which decree, declaring the Roman Pontiffs to have forfeited de facto and de jure, their temporal government, We are at a loss to say whether they did greater injustice to the rights of the Roman Church, and the liberty inherent therein through the exercise of the Apostolic Ministry, or greater injury and damage to all the subjects of the Pontiff.

"Our affliction on learning such deplorable events was, of a truth, very grievous, and that which principally overwhelmed Us with grief, Venerable Brethren, was that the City of Rome, the centre of unity and Catholic Truth, the teacher of virtue and holiness, through the deeds of impious men, who

throng thither daily, should appear in the sight of all nations, tribes, and peoples, to be the author of all these evils. But in the midst of Our tribulation, it is consoling to Us to be able to affirm, that the majority both of the people of Rome and of Our other subjects inhabiting the Pontifical State, constantly devoted to Us, and overflowing with affection towards the Holy See, have been filled with horror by these wicked machinations, though they have been passive spectators of these deplorable events. It gave Us equally great consolation to have the sympathy of the bishops and clergy of Our State, who, in the midst of perils and every sort of hindrance, fulfilled the duties of their ministry, and never ceased from striving, by their voice and their example, to keep their flocks from seditions, and from the pernicious influence of the factious.

"In such a state of conflict, in the midst of so many disasters, We left no means untried to preserve order and public tranquillity; for long before the deplorable events which took place in the month of November, We expressed Our strong desire, that the Swiss regiments in the service of the Holy See, which were quartered in Our provinces, should be recalled to Rome. Our wishes were opposed, and this movement forbidden, by the Ministers who held office during the month of May. Nor was this all: before, as well as afterwards, We exerted ourself to the utmost to procure the assistance of other troops, in order to support the cause of public order, specially in Rome, and to restrain the audacity of the revolutionary party, wherein. We were, by Divine permission, disappointed. Finally, after the deplorable events which took place in November, We did not omit to inculcate, in every possible way, upon Our native troops, by Our letters of the 5th of January, that, mindful of their religion and their military honour, they should maintain the fidelity which they had sworn to their own Prince, and should exert themselves zealously to the end that public quiet and the obedience and respect due to the legitimate Government might everywhere be preserved. Besides which, we gave orders that the Swiss regiments should be transferred to Rome, which orders were not obeyed, principally because the General