was in vain: Bonaparte laughed at forms. Finally, when
protest had proved unavailing, the harried oligarchy began at last to
arm, and it was not long before forty thousand men, mostly Slavonic
mercenaries, were enlisted under its banner. With his usual
conciliatory blandness, Bonaparte next proposed to the senate a treaty
of alliance, offensive and defensive.

This was not a mere diplomatic move. Certain considerations might well
incline the oligarchy to accept the plan. There was no love lost
between the towns of the Venetian mainland and the city itself; for
the aristocracy of the latter would write no names in its Golden Book
except those of its own houses. The revolutionary movement had,
moreover, already so heightened the discontent which had spread
eastward from the Milanese, and was now prevalent in Brescia, Bergamo,
and Peschiera, that these cities really favored Bonaparte, and longed
to separate from Venice. Further than this, the Venetian senate had
early in January been informed by its agents in Paris of a rumor that
at the conclusion of peace Austria would indemnify herself with
Venetian territory for the loss of the Milanese. The disquiet of the
outlying cities on the borders of Lombardy was due to a desire for
union with the Transpadane Republic. They little knew for what a
different fate Bonaparte destined them. He was really holding that
portion of the mainland in which they were situated as an indemnity
for Austria. Venice was almost sure to lose them in any case, and he
felt that if she refused the French alliance he could then, with less
show of injustice, tender them and their territories to Francis, in
exchange for Belgium. He offered, however, if the republic should
accept his proposition, to assure the loyalty of its cities, provided
only the Venetians would inscribe the chief families of the mainland
in the Golden Book.

But in spite of such a suggestive warning, the senate of the
commonwealth adhered to its policy of perfect neutrality. Bonaparte
consented to this decision, but ordered it to disarm, agreeing in that
event to control the liberals on the mainland, and to guarantee the
Venetian territories, leaving behind troops enough both to secure
those ends and to guard his own communications. If these should be
tampered with, he warned the senate that the knell of Venetian
independence would toll forthwith. No one can tell what would have
been in store for the proud city if she had chosen t