CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE ROMAN ARMY
"Now opens before us," says the great writer on ancient Italy, "thatsplendid region in which man grew to grander stature than in any otherpart of the world, and displayed prodigies of energy and moral judgment.We are about to enter that land consecrated by heroic virtues, fromwhich came a light of empire that illumined the universe. To that proudlife has since succeeded deep death; and now in many places of ancientmajesty you will find nought but ruins--monuments of departed grandeuramidst vast deserts of death--dreary solitude, and the decayedachievements of man. The city of the rulers of the world fell, but theremains of her past glories can not be destroyed. They have for agessent, and still send forth a mighty voice, which breaks the silence ofher grave, proclaiming the greatness of those ancient inhabitants.The country of the Latins is desolate, but grand in its desolation; anaustere nature adds solemnity to the vacant sites of the cities, theirsepulchres, and relics. In the midst of a wilderness, at every step,one meets with tokens of a bygone power that overawes the imagination.Frequently, in the same spot, on the same stone, the traveller reads therecord of the joys and the sorrows of generations divided by prodigiousintervals of time. Here, also, are to be seen the columns of thosetemples in which the priests of old, with their auguries and idols,deceived the people, and reduced them to moral slavery.
"In this, however, little is changed; for farther on may be viewedmodern temples, in which religion is still made an instrument ofinfamous tyranny. Sadnesses ancient and sadnesses modern blend together;memories of past dominations, and tokens of dominations ruling down tothe present day.
"If the far-off cry of the wretched plebeians whom the savagearistocracy of a past age precipitated from the cliff, makes us shudder,shall we not feel something akin to this when we hear the cry of livingvictims of Popish fury imprisoned in dungeons in our own day? Mingledwith the ashes of the leaders of the ancient people, you may here digup those of the martyrs of our own age, who shed their blood for thenew Republic, and fell protesting against the bitter dominion of thepriesthood; and pondering over these memories, antique and recent, eachtrue Roman may draw comfort for his afflicted soul, seeing that,in spite of the passage of centuries, and the debasing strength oftyrannies, the children of Rome, far as they are from her heroic days,have never quite lost the energy of their forefathers, and thence, onthis soil of auguries each may rightly draw the joyful presage that now,as then, the genius of this sublime country will never long leave her tosuch shameful vicissitudes."
This noble and patriotic piece we have introduced to aid in thedifficult task of depicting the Rome of heroic times along with theliving but paralyzed virtues of modern Latium. We may thus proceed todiscuss that strange and sad heterogeneous band, native and foreign,which forms what is called "the Roman army." What manner of men arethose who dedicate themselves to the service of a government like thatof "Pio Nono"--a service that can not fail to inspire an honest man withdisgust? And here, we may repeat, none but a priesthood could haveso degraded a people, and placed them on a level with the basest uponearth--a people, too, born in a region where they have attained togreater perfection of manhood than in any other part of the known world.
The "Roman army," so called, is at present composed partly of Romans,under the observation of foreign soldiery, and partly of foreignsoldiers under the sway of foreign commanders, while the peoplethemselves are under the protection (or rather subjection) of a set ofscoundrels called gendarmes. For what are these hired mercenaries butknaves thirsting for profit, who, without principle and without honor,enter this disgraceful service? The title, therefore, of "Papal soldier"is by no means a martial distinction, but one despised by a true man;while, on the other hand, the foreign interloper, scoundrel though hebe in embracing so dishonorable a calling, despises none the less thenative soldiery, whom he is called upon to aid and abet. Hence, thenative soldier and the foreign hireling (not being in the true sense ofthe term brothers in arms) frequently come to blows, when the foreignerusually comes off second best, for, in spite of the influence of thepriesthood to render the Roman soldiery degenerate and corrupt, someremains at least of their ancient valor still exist.
This is the condition of the Roman army of the day, and thus the reasonwhy it was despised by the "proscribed," who informed themselves of itsmovements, and quietly waited its approach. In the case of the impendingassault upon Orazio's castle, time was lost by the quarrels whichprevailed as usual in it. The foreigners looking with contempt upon thenative soldiers, claimed to have the right wing in the assault assignedthem; but the natives, not fearing foreigners, and believing themselves,with reason, to be superior to them in the ait of war, resolutelyrefused to concede this honor to alien troops. The priests, too,impotent to restore order, begun to gnaw their nails at such junctureswith impatience, rage, and fear.
Easter day, then--the day destined for the destruction of "thebrigands"--would most probably have seen the extermination of thesemercenaries had not the "Moderates" raised the cry of "Order andbrotherhood!" And thus this fine opportunity for finishing off a set ofknaves--the plague and dishonor of Italy--was lost.
Regolo, with the greater number of the Three Hundred, seeing they coulddo nothing of themselves, for some time, towards the liberation of Rome,had enlisted in the ranks of the Pontifical troops, according to theorders received from outside, and were active in influencing the Romansto demand the honor of conducting the right wing in the order of march.This being disputed, they mutinied, and ill-treated their officers.General D------ was sent with a company of foreigners to restore order,but the strife was almost as serious as in a pitched battle, and theforeigners fled discomfited to their barracks.
The chief instigator of the mutiny was our old acquaintance, Dentato,the sergeant of dragoons. Being released from the pains and penaltiesinflicted upon him by the Inquisition, which he had sustained with astoicism worthy of the olden times, he resolved to be revenged upon hispersecutors at the first opportunity, and did not fail to make good useof this occasion. At the head of his dragoons (for he had been restoredto his post), sabre in hand, he plunged into the thickest of the fray,and made serious havoc amongst the foreign troops. The affair over,knowing what to expect at the hands of his masters, he set out from Romewithout dismounting, accompanied by the better part of his men, soughtout the proscribed in the forest, who received him most cordially, andheard with satisfaction the account of his adventures in the capital.
Rule of the Monk; Or, Rome in the Nineteenth Century Page 39