CHAPTER IV. THE MEETING OF THE CONSPIRATORS
The first voice heard in the midnight council was that of ouracquaintance, Attilio, who, notwithstanding his youth, had already beenappointed leader by the unanimous election his colleagues, on account ofhis courage and high moral qualities, although unquestionably thecharm and refinement of his manners, joined to his kind disposition,contributed not a little to his popularity among a people who never failto recognize and appreciate such characteristics. As for his personalappearance, Attilio added the air and vigor of a lion to the masculineloveliness of the Greek Antinous.
He first threw a glance around the assembly, to assure himself that allpresent wore a black ribbon on the left arm, this being the badge oftheir fraternity. It served them also as a sign of mourning for thosedegenerate Romans who wish indeed for the liberation of their country,but wait for its accomplishment by any hands rather than their own;and this, although they know full well that her salvation can only beobtained by the blood, the devotion, and the contributions, of theirfellow-citizens. Then Attilio spoke--
"Two months have elapsed, my brothers, since we were promised that theforeign soldiery, the sole prop of the Papal rule, should be withdrawn;yet they still continue to crowd our streets, and, under futilepretenses, have even re-occupied the positions which they had previouslyevacuated, in accordance with the Convention of September, 1864. To us,then, thus betrayed, it remains to accomplish our liberty. We haveborne far too patiently for the last eighteen years a doubly execratedrule--that of the stranger, and that of the priest. In these last yearswe have been ever ready to spring to arms, but we have been withheldby the advice of a hermaphrodite party in the State, styling themselves'the Moderates,' in whom we can have no longer any confidence, becausethey have used their power to accumulate wealth for themselves, from thepublic treasury, which they are sucking dry, and they have invariablyproved themselves ready to bargain with the stranger, and to trade inthe national honor. Our friends outside are prepared, and blame usfor being negligent and tardy. The army, excepting those members of itconsecrated to base hopes, is with us. The arms which were expectedhave arrived, and are lodged in safety. We have also an abundanceof ammunition. Further delay, under these circumstances, would beunpardonable. To arms! then, to arms! and to arms!"
"To arms!" was the cry re-echoed by the three hundred conspiratorsassembled in the chamber. Where their ancestors held councils how tosubjugate other nations, these modern voices made the old walls ringagain while they vowed their resolve to emancipate enslaved Rome orperish in the attempt.
Three hundred only! Yes, three hundred; but such was the muster-rollof the companions of Leonidas, and of the liberating family of Fabius.These, too, were equally willing to become liberators, or to acceptmartyrdom. For this they had high reason, because of what value isthe life of a slave, when compared with the sublime conceptions, theimperious conscience, of a soul guided always by noble ideas?
God be with all such souls, and those also who despise the power oftyrannizing in turn over their fellow-beings. Of what value can be thelife of a despot? His miserable remorse causes him to tremble at themovement of every leaf. No outward grandeur can atone for the mentalsufferings he endures, and he finally becomes a sanguinary and brutalcoward. May the God of love hereafter extend to them the mercy they havedenied to their fellow-men, and pardon them for the rivers of innocentblood they have caused to flow!
But Attilio continued, "Happy indeed are we to whom Providence hasreserved the redemption of Rome, the ancient mistress of the world,after so many centuries of oppression and priestly tyranny! I have neverfor a moment, my friends, ceased to confide in your patriotism, whichyou are proving by the admirable instructions bestowed upon the mencommitted to your charge in the different sections of the city. In theday of battle, which will soon arrive, you will respectively commandyour several companies, and to them we shall yet owe our freedom. Thepriests have changed the first of nations into one of the most abjectand unhappy, and our beloved Italy has become the very lowest in thesocial scale. The lesson given by our Papal rulers has ever been oneof servile humility, while they themselves expect emperors to stoop andkiss their feet. This is the method by which they exhibit to the worldtheir own Christian humility; and though they have always preached to usself-denial and austerity of life, these hypocrites surround themselveswith a profusion of luxury and voluptuousness. Gymnastic exercises,under proper instruction, are doubtless beneficial to the physicaldevelopment of the body; but was it for this reason that the Romans arecalled upon to bow to, and kiss the hand of every priest they meet?to kneel also and go through a series of genuflections, so that it isreally no thanks to them if the half of them are not hunch-necked orcrook-backed from the absurd performances they have been made to executefor the behoof of these tonsured masters?
"The time for the great struggle approaches, and it is a sacred one! Notonly do we aim at freeing our beloved Italy, but at freeing the entireworld also from the incubus of the Papacy, which everywhere opposeseducation, protects ignorance, and is the nurse of vice!" The address ofAttilio had hitherto been pronounced in profound darkness, but was heresuddenly interrupted by a flash of lightning, which illumined the vast_enciente_ of the Colosseum, as if it had 'suddenly been lighted by athousand lamps. This was succeeded by a darkness even more profound thanthe first, when a terrific peal of thunder rolled over their heads andshook to its foundations the ancient structure, silencing for a briefspace Attilio's voice. The conspirators were not men to tremble, eachbeing prepared to confront death in whatever form it might appear; but,as a scream was heard issuing at this moment from the vestibule, theyinvoluntarily clutched their daggers. Immediately after, a young girl,with dishevelled hair and clothes dripping with water, rushed into theirmidst. "Camilla!" exclaimed Silvio, a wild boar-hunter of the Campagna,who alone of those present recognized her. "Poor Camilla!" he cried; "towhat a fate have the miscreants who rule over us reduced you!" At thisinstant one of the sentries on guard entered, reporting that they hadbeen discovered by a young woman during the moment of illumination, andthat she had fled with such speed no one had been able to capture her.They had not liked to fire upon a female, and all other means of stayingher were useless. But, at the words of Silvio, the strange apparitionhad fixed her eyes upon him as the torches closed about them, and, afterone long glance, had uttered a moan so piteous, and sunk down with sucha sigh of woe, that all present were moved. We will relate, however, inthe following chapter, the history of the unfortunate girl whose criesthus effectually checked our hero's eloquence.