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The king's fituation was so critical, that he was obliged to comply with this requifition, and the French were put in poffeffion of Cava, Coni, and Tortona. The Auftrians, thus deprived of their ally, were obliged to fall back on the Milanese. In their march they attempted to fieze the town of Alessandria, belonging to the king of Sardinia, but the commandant prevented the execution of this design, and Beaulieu haftened to cross the Po, in order to cover himself and the country to the north of that river.

In the mean time, negociations for peace were carried on at Paris, between the king of Sardinia and the French republic, which imposed fevere conditions on this unfortunate prince. He was conftrained to yield up Savoy, the patrimony of his ancestors for many ages, together with the city and territory of Nice, and a tract of land, which the conquerors entitled the Department of the Maritime Alps. A new arrangement was made of the fron, tiers on each fide, highly advantageous to France. He consented to ftop and put an end to all profecutions against any of his fubjects for their political opinions, to withdraw himself from the coalition, and to apologise for his conduct towards the republic. Such were the principal terms of the treaty.

In this manner was the prince

completely humbled, who had long been confidered as the most secure of any, by his pofition, against the inroads of the French: his predeceffors, though frequently hard prefsed by them, had never been reduced to such extremities, and never experienced such disgrace. By this treaty he was despoiled of all power and corsequence; and though he retained the title of the king, he remained no more than the nominal fovereign of his dominions.

The reduction of the king of Sardinia was an event that changed at once the whole face of Italy. That prince was no longer mafter of the barriers that nature has fixed between that country and France, and from which he derived his principal importance. They were now in the hands of the French, and the Italian powers, deprived of this rampart of their dominior, faw themselves at the mercy of a people, who had, for many centuries, endeavoured to obtain a footing among them, with the manifeft defign of fubjecting them to their influence.

These aftonishing fucceffes could not fail to inspire the French armies, that had obtained them, with the highest degree of exultation: nor did their commander forget to improve the fentiments of felf applause and confidence, manifested by them, into that difpotition of mind which would lead them on to those farther exploits he had in contemplation. He issued an address to them on the twenty-fixth of April, three days after the application for peace from the Sardinian monarch, wherein he recapitulated, in a truly classical and energetic style, the glory they had acquired, and reprefented that which lay ftill before them.

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"You have precipitated your- our ships at Toulon: the hour of

selves, like a torrent, from the heights of the Appennines. You have routed and dispersed all who have opposed your progress. Piedmont, delivered from Austrian tyranny, displays its natural fentiments of peace and friendship for France. Milan is ours, and the republican flag flies over all Lombardy. The dukes of Parma and Modena owe

their political existence to your generofity. The army, which with so much pride threatened you, has no barrier of protection against your courage; the Po, the Tessin, and the Adda, have been unable to stop you a fingle day; those boasted bulwarks of Italy have been infufficient to delay your progress; you have furmounted them as rapidly as you passed the Appennines. So much fuccess has carried you to the bosom of your country: your representatives have ordained a fète, dedicated to your victories, which will be celebrated in all the communes of the republic. Your fathers, your mothers, your wives, your fifters, your lovers, will enjoy your fuccefs, and and boast with pride, that they belong to you. Yes, foldiers, you have done much; but does there remain nothing more to be done? Though we have known how to vanquish, we have not known how to profit of our victories. Posterity will reproach us with having terminated our course in Lombardy: but already I fee you run to arms; a flothful repose fatigues you. Let us depart! we have yet forced marches to make, enemies to fubdue, laurels to gather, injuries to revenge. Let thofe tremble who have whetted the poignards of civil war in France, who have basely affaffinated our ministers, and burned

vengeance and retribution is now at hand. But let the people remain tranquil; we are friends to all the people, and more particularly the descendants of Brutus, of Scipio, and the great men whom we have taken for our models. Re-establish the capitol, and place there with honor the statues of the heroes that rendered it celebrated; awaken the Roman people, debased by many centuries of flavery. Such will be the fruit of your victories; they will form an epoch for pofterity; you will have the immortal glory of changing the face of the first country in Europe. The free French people, respected by the whole world, will give to Europe a glorious peace, which will indemnify them for the facrifices they have made during fix years; you will then return to your homes, and your fellow citizens will fay, shewing you, this man was of the army of Italy."

Such were the ideas which the French general exerted himself to impress upon the public, as well as on his own people. His private conversations were of the fame tendency, and he omitted no opportunity of representing the expedition of the French into Italy, as intended to lay the foundation of a total deliverance of the inhabitants from the government of strangers, and the tyranny of domestic rulers. Sentiments of this description were not unacceptable to multitudes in every part of Italy. The majority of the natives could not but perceive the humiliation of being subject to princes born and bred in foreign countries: they could not, from that circumstance alone, feel that attachment for them which they

nonade was kept up, on both fides, during great part of the day.

But the French general was convinced, that unless he succeeded in effecting a passage over the bridge, his failure would be construed into a defeat, and the reputation of the French arms would fufter in the opinion of the public. Full of this idea, which was certainly well founded, he determined to try every effort, and to encounter every perfonal risk, in order to carry a point on which so much appeared at issue. Forming together the selectest bodies of his army, he led them in person to the attack of the bridge, in the midst of a most tremendous fire. The intrepidity he displayed was necessary to confirm the coutage of his men, whom the greatness of the danger, seemed to stagger: but his prefence, and that of all the chief officers in the French army, animated the foldiers to fuch a degree, that they rufhed forward with an impetuofity which nothing was able to withstand. They croffed the bridge and affailed the whole line of the Austrian artillery, which was instantly broken. They fell with equal fury on the troops that advanced to charge them, who were thrown into diforder, and put to flight on every fide. The victoty was complete. Had it not been for the exceffive fatigue undergone by the French, a great proportion of whom had marched ten leagues that day to join the army, the loss of the imperialifts though great

would have been much greater. It was owing to the approach of night that the French desisted from the purfuit. Favoured by darkness, Beaulieu withdrew from the field of battle, after lofing upwards of two thousand men, killed, wounded, and taken, and twenty pieces of cannon. The lofs of the French was confiderable: the croffing of the bridge alone cost them near a thousand of their boldest men, who were destroyed by the batteries pointed on it from the Austrian fide of the river.

This defeat of the Imperial army appeared so decisive to marshal Beaulieu that he durst not venture to stop the progress of the victors towards Milan. Collecting the wrecks of his army, he made a speedy retreat towards Mantua, pur sued by a large body of the French who, in their way, seized on Pizzighitona and Cremona, two places of note. The main body under Buonaparte proceeded to Milan, after taking Pavia, where all the Auftrian magazines fell into the hands of the French.

Buonaparte entered Milan the fifteenth of May, five days after the battle of Lodi, which, conformably to his opinion and that of his rival, Beaulieu, proved wholly decifive of the fate of Lombardy. Here the French general thought it necessary to allow his people fome days of repose, after the unceafing toils of a whole month, marked by uninterrupted victories.

CHAP.

He was high in the esteem of Buonaparte, who had formed the greatest expectations from him, and grievoufly lamented his fall.

The duke of Parma, in whose fight, as it were, the French had crossed the Po, and defeated the Austrians twice in one day, did not dare to prolong the contest on his part, with so irresistable a foe. He requested an armistice from Buonaparte, and obtained it on condition of paying a large contribution in money, horfes, and provifions, of delivering into the poffeffion of the French, twenty capital paintings to be chofen by them, and of fending without delay commissaries to Paris, to conclude a peace with the republic: on these terms the duke procured a neutrality for his dominions, which was concluded on the ninth of May.

The uninterrupted successes of the French had now struck their enemies with universal consternation. Beaulieu himself, though an expert and intrepid warrior, thought it more prudent to act on the defensive, than to attack them with troops continually defeated The bravery of the Austrians, though undeniable, had not been proof against their impetuous valour and unyielding enthusiasm. They seemed to have reversed the character formerly attributed to them, of impatience and unsteadiness, and to have affumed that of firmness and conftancy.

Their exploits had now opened to them the road to Milan, the capture of which would give them the possession of Lombardy, and effect the expulfion of the Austrians from Italy. This was the project of Buonaparte, whose glory would be completed by fuch an 'atchievement;

and whose thirst of fame would thereby be gratified to the utmost extent of his wishes.

Between him and that capital of Austrian Italy lay the remains of the Imperial forces, determined to risk another battle for its preservation. They were posted on the other fide of the Adda, over which stood a long bridge, which Beaulieu had intended to break down, but was prevented from doing by the quick approach of the French general. It was protected, however, by so numerous an artillery, that the Auf trians did not imagine the French would be able to force a paffage over it.

On the tenth of May, the French army arrived in fight of this bridge, before which stood the town of Lodi, filled with the Imperial troops, which were also posted in every place around it in the most advantageous order of battle that the fituation of the town and its environs would admit. Beaulieu had, on this occafion, displayed uncom mon skill, confcious that, on the issue of this day, the fate of Auftria in Italy wholely depended, and that, were he defeated, all future resistance would be vain.

The battle began at nine in the morning. The approaches to Lodi were vigourously attacked by the. French, who, after an obstinate difpute, drove the Austrians into that town; where a refolute fight ensued: but the French had again the advantage, and forced them to retreat. across the bridge to their main body, which was drawn up in order of battle, with formidable batteries on their right and left to guard the passage of the bridge. A battery was planted on the opposite side by the French, and a violent cannonade

nonade was kept up, on both fides, during great part of the day.

But the French general was convinced, that unless he fucceeded in effecting a passage over the bridge, his failure would be construed into a defeat, and the reputation of the French arms would fufter in the opinion of the public. Full of this idea, which was certainly well founded, he determined to try every effort, and to encounter every perfonal rifk, in order to carry a point on which so much appeared at issue. Forming together the selectest bodies of his army, he led them in person to the attack of the bridge, in the midst of a most tremendous fire. The intrepidity he displayed was necessary to confirm the coutage of his men, whom the greatness of the danger, seemed to ftagger: but his prefence, and that of all the chief officers in the French army, animated the foldiers to fuch a degree, that they rufhed forward with an impetuofity which nothing was able to withstand. They croffed the bridge and affailed the whole line of the Auftrian artillery, which was instantly broken. They fell with equal fury on the troops that advanced to charge them, who were thrown into diforder, and put to flight on every fide. The victoty was complete. Had it not been for the exceffive fatigue undergone by the French, a great proportion of whom had marched ten leagues that day to join the army, the loss of the imperialifts though great

would have been much greater. It was owing to the approach of night that the French desisted from the purfuit. Favoured by darkness, Beaulieu withdrew from the field of battle, after lofing upwards of two thousand men, killed, wounded, and taken, and twenty pieces of cannon. The lofs of the French was confiderable: the crossing of the bridge alone cost them near a thousand of their boldest men, who were destroyed by the batteries pointed on it from the Austrian fide of the river.

This defeat of the Imperial army appeared so decisive to marshal Beaulieu that he durst not venture to stop the progress of the victors towards Milan. Collecting the wrecks of his army, he made a speedy retreat towards Mantua, pursued by a large body of the French who, in their way, seized on Pizzighitona and Cremona, two places of note. The main body under Buonaparte proceeded to Milan, after taking Pavia, where all the Auf trian magazines fell into the hands of the French.

Buonaparte entered Milan the fifteenth of May, five days after the battle of Lodi, which, conformably to his opinion and that of his rival, Beaulieu, proved wholly decifive of the fate of Lombardy. Here the French general thought it necessary to allow his people fome days of repose, after the unceafing toils of a whole month, marked by uninterrupted victories.

CHAP.

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