turned out of their convent at St. Peter's Gate (one of them came
down to us); and 500 armed men instead were put in to defend the
gate and first barricade. After two o'clock p.m., the gates were
closed, and no one could go in or out of the town without an
order. It was then I wrote a note to Mr. Perkins, warning and
requesting him and his family to accept a shake-down with us; and
with difficulty I got the note conveyed up to town by a woman who
happened to have a pass. Nothing could induce any of the peasants
about us to go near the town, as the revolutionary party were
making forced levies of the youth of the place, and arming them to
resist the coming troops. Next morning (Monday the 20th) a body of
shepherds coming up from the place, told us that they had just
seen the Swiss troops at Santa Maria degli Angioli, where they
stopped and had mass,(3) having heard that the citizens
contemplated resistance. About ten o'clock that same morning I got
Mr. Perkins' answer to my note; it was to this effect--that he had
gone to the president (of the Junta), who assured him that the
Swiss had not yet even reached ---- and that certainly they would
not arrive before the next day at sunset. And the inn-keeper (the
notorious Storti), he added, said that they were not coming here
at all, but going to Ancona! I cannot imagine how he could trust
such people, who were all implicated in the business. His
messenger, who was one of the servants of the hotel, said, as he
gave the note, 'Don't delay me, or I shall not be in time to kill
my three or four Swiss,' showing how well informed and prepared
the hotel was. I should have written again to the poor Perkins' to
undeceive them; but it was too late, for almost immediately the
columns of the Swiss appeared in the plain below, which you know
we see from our villa, and the president (revolutionary Junta) and
other heads of the rebellion had their carriages and horses ready
waiting. They fled at the first gun, leaving the people to act for
themselves after having inflamed, deceived and armed them, and
gathered into the town all the _canaille_ they could get from the
neighboring country. From the moment the troops appeared, all the
peasants belonging to the villa flocked around us. Anxiety was
depicted on every face. The countenance of one old man in