CHAP. VII. Exultation of the French at the Successes of their Armies. Their Army in Italy animated by the Praises of their Countrymen, and the Conversation as well as the Proclamations of Buonaparte to a high Paffion for Glory.Enters the Duchy of Modena. Spoliation of Monuments of Antiquity and Art.-Abhorrence of the Italian Nobility and Clergy towards the French greater than that of the inferior Classes. -A general Infurrection, ready to break out, quashed by the Vigilance and Promptitude of Buonaparte. The Auftrians, under General Beaulieu, with the Connivance of the Venetians, take Poffeffion of Pefchieva.-Buonaparte advances against Beaulieu, who retreats to the Tyrolefe. The Venetians tremble before the French. Difmifs from their Territories the Brother of the late King and Claimant of the Crown of France. --Buonaparte takes Poffeffion of Verona. -Blockades Mantua. Prepares to march into the Tyrolefe. - Detained by Insurrections in the Diftricts, known under the Name of Imperial Fiefs. These being fuppreffed, he carries his Arms to the Southward.--Reduces Tortona, Botogna, and Urbino. - Menaces Rome. Armistice between the Pope and Buonaparte. Suspension of Hostilities with Naples. - Buonaparte the Friend and Patron of Men of Learning and Science. - Ambitious Views of the French Republic. Infurrection in Lugo. Quelled, and the City reduced by the French. The Blockade of Mantua converted into a clofe Siege.-Raifed by Marshal Wurmfer. -Actions between the French Army and that of the Auftrians, reinforced by Detachments from Mantua. --Remarkable Instance of Prefence of Mind in Buonaparte. -The Austrians driven back beyond the Adige. mies of France, particularly the English; and to encourage the nation to bear up chearfully against the pressures of the war, by the profpect of terminating it finally to the advantage and glory of France. During an interval of five days rest, allowed by Buonaparte to his foldiers, he did not forget to address them in his usual manner, and to excite their ardour, by a recital of their exploits, and a representation of the honours and applaufe bestowed upon them by their country, and by a prospect of the future triumphs awaiting them. He was now meditating expeditions into the territories of those princes of whose enmity to France fufficient proofs had been given. A detachment of his army had already entered the duchy of Modena, the fovereign of which had fled to Venice with his treasures. From this city he deputed a minister to the French general, with whom he concluded a fufpenfion of arnis on much the fame conditions as those granted to the duke of Parma. The fpoliation of the repofitories' of art, which was now annexed to the conditions of treaties with the Italian princes, proved one of the most vexatious as well as mortifying circumstances of the French invafion. The monuments of painting and of statuary, which adorned their palaces, cities, and churches, were viewed by the natives with a mixture of delight and veneration. They entertained a species of affection for them; and, in the prefence of fome of them, they placed not a little confidence. They had become a kind of tutelary deities and household gods. The Italians were sensible of emotions not altogether diffimilar to those of the Ifraelite Micah, into whose house armed men from Dan entered, and took away "the graven image, and the ephod, and the feraphim, and the molten image."* In one respect, the oppreffions of the French in Italy were greater than those of the northern hordes under Attila and Odoacer; for those chiefs did not trouble the Romans with de The mands of pictures, statues, and Motives of this nature, confpiring with the diffatisfaction experienced by multitudes, at the irreverence ⚫ " Ye have taken away the gods which I made, and what have I more "- Judges xviii. 24. which which the French testified for the religious practices of the natives, enabled those who hated them, on this account, to inftil their hatred into others, and to inflame their indignation against men who prefumed to more fenfe in those matters than other nations. The two classes, whose inveteracy to the French was most notorious, were the nobility and the clergy; as the French did not fcruple to avow their enmity and contempt for both, it was natural that these should hold them in abhorrence. In their speeches and conversations, public and private, the former feldom failed to represent the nobles as tyrants, and the priests as impostors. The depreffion which both these orders of men had fufferred in France, shewed what was intended for them in other parts of Europe, were the French to succeed in the vast defign imputed to them, of intirely subverting the political and religious system of this quarter of the globe. Actuated by these apprehenfions, feveral of the most resolute of the nobility, and most zealous of the clergy, refolved, it was faid, to incite the commonality to rife against the French, on the first opportunity that should feem favourable to fuch a design. The day fixed upon for its execution, was the twenty-fourth of May. Early in the morning, Buonaparte fet out for Lodi, at the head of a strong detachment. He had hardly reached that place, when he was informed, by an express, that an almost general infurrection was fpreading through Lombardy. The alarm bells were ringing every where, and the peasantry and lower classes throughout the country, instigated by the nobles and the clergy, were up in arms, and intent on the VOL. XXXVIII. massacre of all the French they could meet with. Rumours were circulated, that Beaulieu, strongly reinforced, was on his march to Milan, and that a number of French detachments had been surprised and put to the sword. Incensed at the ideas of equality upheld by the French, the nobles had dismissed their domeftics, telling them, that being their equals, they could no longer employ them as fervants. The partisans of Austria were, in short, exerting all their activity to raise commotions, and no place was free from them. On the receipt of this intelligence, Buonaparte hafted back to Milan with a large body of horfe and foot. He arrested a number of suspected perfons, and ordered those to be shot who had been taken in arms. He intimated to the archbishop, and to the clergy and nobles of the city, that they should be responsible for its tranquillity. A fine was impofed for every fervant discharged, and every precaution taken to prevent the conspiracy from gaining ground. It was principally at Pavia, that the conspirators were the most numerous. They had feized on the citadel, guarded by a small party of French, whom they made prifoners. Being joined by some thousands of peasants, they resolved to defend the town, and refused admittance to Buonaparte, on his fummoning them to furrender. But a body of French granadiers burst open the gates, on which those who had the custody of the French, who had been compelled to furrender in the citadel, set them at liberty. None of them were miffing: had violent hands been laid upon them, the determination was taken to destroy Pavia, [H] and 1 and to erect on its fite a pillar with this inscription, "Here stood the city of Pavia." In order to deter the inhabitants of this, and the other towns inclined to stir up infurrections, the promoters of that at Pavia were sentenced to be smot, and two hundred hostages, for their peaceable behaviour, were delivered to Buonaparte, who sent them to France. He next issued 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 houses committed to the flames. a The nobles and priests in the infurgent districts were to be arrested and sent to France. The places within the precincts of which Frenchman was afsaffinated, were condemned to pay triple taxes till the aflaffin was given up. The same fine was laid on places where concealed arms and ammunition were found. Persons of rank and fortune who excited the people to revolt, either by difmiffing their fervants, or by holding inimical difcourses against the French, were to, be fent to France, and to forseit part of their eftates. Injunctions and declarations of this nature were pofted up in every place of note throughout the Milanese. Particular precautions were taken for the security of the city of Milan, the castle of which still remained in poffeffion of the Austrians, who might, in cafe of any formidable infurrection, have given it effectual assistance. Freed from the perplexity occafioned by these disturbances, Buonaparte prepared to profecute the plans he had been forming. The broken forces of the Austrians had in their retreat taken refuge on the Venetian territory. Hither they were closely pursued by the French. But previoufly 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 fuccesses, and the powerful footing they had now obtained, would have rendered them too dangerous to be viewed with a favourable eye. Situated between two such powers as France and Austria, 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 state, between which, and the French republic, an amicable intercourse subsisted, the French general published an address to that government and people, wherein he assured them, that in following the enemies of France into the Venetian territories, he would obferve the strictest discipline, and treat the inhabitants with all the amity and confideration due to the ancient friendship exifting between the two nations. In the mean time, the Austrians had taken posleffion of Peschiera, by the connivance of the Venetians, to whom that town belonged. Here Beaulieu hoped to be able to make a stand, till fuccours arrived to him from Germany. Buonaparte, defirous to expel him from Italy, or to compel him to furrender, advanced to that town, intending to cut off his retreat to the Tyrol, by the eastern fide of the lake of Garda. Early May, feveral divifions of the French approached the bridge of Borghetto, by which Buonaparte proposed to effect a passage over the Mincio, and furround Beaulieu's army. The Austrians made the utmost efforts to defend the bridge; but the French crossed it after a warm action: the Austrian general perceiving their intent, withdrew in hafte from his pofition at Peschiera, and retired with the utmost expedition to the river Adige, which, having passed, he broke down all the bridges, to prevent the French from perfuing bim. By these means he secured his retreat to the Tyrol, the only place of fafety now remaining to him. in the morning of the thirteenth of the late residence of the French Buonaparte might now confider himself as the undisputed master of Italy. He was fo much viewed in that light by the fenate of Venice, even previoufly to his passage of the Mincio, and the defeat of Beaulieu, that, forefeeing the danger of appearing too well inclined to the house of Bourbon, they had warned but of their territories the unfortunate brother of the late king of France, who had, on the death of his nephew, fon to that monarch, affumed the name of Lewis the eighteen, together with the royal title. prince. He now determined to lay fiege to Mantua, the only place of strength 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 submitting, and every effort was refolved upon to prevent it. The ill success 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 appointed to succeed 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 siege 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 siege; which were to cut of all fuccours from Germany, and all provisions from its neighbourhood. In order to effect the first of these purposes, 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] refolate |