error, by means of magnificent and lying promises, the minds and feelings of the inexperienced. Every one well knows with what commendation that memorable and most ample pardon, conceded by Us for the peace, the tranquillity, and the happiness of Our flock, was everywhere received. And no one is ignorant that many amongst those to whom that pardon was granted not only showed no signs of penitence, as We had hoped, but, on the contrary, persisting only the more determinately in their designs and machinations, there was nothing that they would not dare, nothing that they would not attempt, to shake and overthrow the temporal power of the Roman Pontiff and his Government, as, for a long time, they had been plotting to do; and at the same time they waged most bitter war against our most holy religion. To attain the more easily this their object, they sought first of all to gather together the masses of the people, to inflame them and to keep them continually in commotion, which they endeavoured by every means in their power daily to foment and increase, under pretext of the very concessions We had made. Hence the favours spontaneously and voluntarily conceded by Us, in the beginning of Our Pontificate, not only failed to produce the desired fruit, but did not even strike root, while the expert fabricators of fraud took advantage of these very concessions, in order to raise fresh troubles. And in this your assembly, O Venerable Brethren, We have deemed it right to touch, though but lightly, upon these things, and to mention cursorily the facts themselves, precisely for this purpose, that all the well-inclined may see clearly and fully, what things the enemies of God and of the human race have in view, what they desire, and what has ever been the fixed aim and determination of their minds.

"On account of Our singular affection towards Our subjects, We were exceedingly grieved and distressed, O Venerable Brethren, to see these continual popular commotions, adverse as they are to public quiet and order, and to private tranquillity and family concord; nor could We tolerate those frequent pecuniary contributions which, under various pretexts, were

constantly collected, to the no small annoyance and expense of the citizens. Wherefore, in the month of April, in the year 1847, We did not omit to make known to all, by a public edict of Our Cardinal Secretary of State, that they must abstain from similar popular assemblies and collections and attend to their own affairs; putting their trust in Us, and resting assured that Our paternal cares and thoughts were exclusively engaged how best to procure the public good, as we had already testified by many and most evident proofs. But this Our salutary counsel, by which We endeavoured to curb these great popular commotions, and to recall Our subjects to the love of order and tranquillity, were much opposed to the evil desires and machinations of some amongst them. For the indefatigable abettors of turbulence (who had already opposed a previous ordinance, which had emanated, by Our command, from the same Cardinal Secretary of State, and which was intended to promote a proper and useful system of education for the people) had hardly made themselves acquainted with Our intentions, before they began to cry out against them, and to excite more and more the thoughtless masses of the people, by insinuating themselves amongst them with much cunning, and persuading them not to return to that repose We so earnestly desired. For they spread it abroad that such repose was insidiously intended to lull the people as it were to sleep, that so they might the more easily be brought under the hard yoke of slavery. From that time many letters, some of which were printed, and filled with bitterest insults, and all kinds of abuse and menaces, were sent to Us, which letters we consigned to eternal oblivion, and committed to the flames. Then those perturbers of the public peace, to verify in some degree the false perils which they asserted were impending over the people, did not scruple to spread abroad rumours and fears of a supposed conspiracy, designedly invented by themselves; and to trumpet forth with the most impious falsehood, that there had been a certain plot contrived, which was to desolate the City of Rome with civil war, with massacres and assassinations, in order that the new institutions being completely removed and annulled, the ancient

form of government might be restored. Under cover of this most false conspiracy, Our enemies entertained the wicked design of stirring up the people to contempt, hatred, and fury against certain most distinguished personages who were especially remarkable for virtue and piety, and were moreover invested with ecclesiastical dignity. You well know that amidst this ferment, the Civic Guard was proposed and raised with so much celerity that it was not possible to provide for its proper management and discipline.

As soon as We judged it opportune (in order still more to secure the prosperity of the public administration) to establish the Consulta of State, Our enemies took immediate occasion thence, to strike fresh blows at the Government, and to act in such a manner that an institution which might have been productive of great advantage to the public interests of the nation. should only redound to their hurt and ruin. And inasmuch as they had been allowed with impunity, to disseminate the opinion that by such an institution the whole character and genius of the Pontifical Government had been changed, and that Our authority was subject to the decisions of the Consulta, We took occasion, on the very day of the inauguration of the institution, seriously to admonish, in severe and solemn words, certain turbulent citizens who had accompanied the members of the Consulta, and to make known to them clearly and fully the real object of this institution. But, notwithstanding, the disturbers of the public peace did not cease to excite and stir up the deluded portion of the people with untiring energy; and, in order more easily to gain a greater number of proselytes, they went about with classic impudence and audacity, not only in Our State, but in foreign countries, giving out that We entirely agreed in their opinions and projects.

"You will recall to mind, O Venerable Brethren, how, and with what words in Our allocution, pronounced in the Consistory of the 4th October, 1847, We did not omit seriously to admonish and exhort all people most carefully to guard themselves from the artifices of such like deceivers. Never

theless, the persevering authors of frauds and agitations, in order constantly to keep alive turbulence and alarm, terrified. the minds of the unthinking, in the January of the past year, with false alarms of foreign war, and spread it abroad amongst the people how, by internal conspiracies and the malicious indolence of the Government, the war had been fomented and would be sustained. In order to tranquillise the minds of the people, and overthrow the arts of their deceivers, We declared, without delay, on the 10th of February, in the same year, in words which are well known to you all, that these reports were utterly false and absurd. And on that occasion, We announced to our most beloved subjects, what now, by the help of God, will be verified, namely, that innumerable sons would hasten to defend the House of the common Father of the Faithful, that is, the State of the Church, whenever those stringent bonds of gratitude which ought to bind closely together the princes and the people of Italy should be loosened, and the people themselves should cease to respect the wisdom of their princes, and the sanctity of their rights, and with all their strength to preserve and defend them.

"Although the words just alluded to by Us restored calm for a short time to all whose desires were opposed to these continual agitations, they availed nothing against the ferocious enemies of the Church and of civil society, who were already plotting new disturbances and fresh tumults; for, following up the calumnies which they and their fellows had already hurled against a religious society, consecrated to the Divine ministry, and which has deserved well of the Church, they violently excited and inflamed the popular anger against them. Nor are you ignorant, Venerable Brethren, how vain were the words We addressed to the people on the 10th of March in last year, and by which We earnestly endeavoured to preserve that religious family from exile and dispersion.

"In the midst of these events, which were succeeded by the memorable revolutions that took place in Italy and in Europe, We, again raising Our apostolic voice, on the 30th of March in the same year, did not neglect repeatedly to warn and exhort

all nations to respect the liberty of the Catholic Church, to maintain the order of civil society, to defend the rights of all, to follow the precepts of our most holy religion, and especially to endeavour to practise Christian charity towards all, warning them that if they should neglect thus to act, they might be certain God would make them know that He is Ruler over the nations.

Now every one of you well knows how it came to pass, that the form of a Constitutional Government was introduced into Italy, and how the Statute conceded by Us to the people was first promulgated on the 14th of March in the past year. But, as the implacable enemies of order and public tranquillity were, beyond everything, desirous to exert every effort against the Pontifical Government, and to agitate the people unceasingly with continual commotions and suspicions, by means of prints, of clubs, of committees, and other artifices of every kind, so they were never tired of casting atrocious calumnies upon the Government; of accusing it of indolence, of deceit, and of fraud, although the Government itself was working with the greatest diligence and zeal, in order that the Statute, so much desired, might appear with the greatest possible celerity. And here We would make manifest to the whole world, that at this very time, these men, firm in their design to revolutionise the Pontifical State and the whole of Italy, insisted We should proclaim, not a Constitution, but a Republic, as the only resource, the only chance of safety, both for Ourself and the State of the Church. The memory of that night is still present with Us, and We have still before Our eyes some of those individuals, who, miserably deluded and bewitched by these inventors of frauds, did not hesitate on that occasion to patronise their cause, and to propose to Us the proclamation of that same Republic. This simple fact, to say nothing of innumerable other and most weighty arguments, proves more and more clearly that the demand for new institutions, and the progress so much lauded by these innovators, only tend to keep up a constant state of agitation; to destroy entirely every principle of justice, virtue, honesty, and religion; and to introduce, pro