particular was very striking--'bad times,' he murmured. 'We have
fallen on evil days--respect and awe are gone, and the people are
blinded.' The parish priest was also with us, and the monk I
mentioned before. We watched with great anxiety the slow ascent of
the troops up the long five miles to the city gate. There the
colonel and his men halted, and he parleyed with the people. We
could see him stop and address them, and then we saw a volley
fired down on them by the armed men in the convent windows. The
first fire was from the people on the troops. We could see all
from our villa windows like a scene on the stage; while the
distance was sufficient to veil the horrors of war. Then we saw
some troops separate from the main body and advance to the foot of
the wall, and in the twinkling of an eye they scaled it, amid a
hot fire from the insurgents, whom we heard shouting out,
'Coraggio! coraggio!' from behind the walls. Then we saw one
soldier rush up and tear down the revolutionary flag, and carry it
in triumph back to the main body of the troops, and then we saw
the Pontifical flag float where the revolutionary one had been. In
the meantime the rest of the troops had planted their cannon
opposite to the city gate. Boom! boom! they went at the
barricades, and in an hour after the firing of the first gun, they
had driven out the 500 armed men from the convent of St. Peter's,
and entered the first enclosure of the town. We then saw no more,
but sat all that afternoon in the window, listening to the
incessant firing in deep anxiety. As the soldiers fought their way
up to their barracks, and as the report of the arms became more
and more distant, we could judge pretty well of the advance of the
troops, knowing as we did the chief points of resistance within.
The first gun fired was at three o'clock p.m. precisely, and at
seven p.m. all was silent again; the soldiers had reached their
barracks. I hear that ---- have fled out towards Arezzo; all the
_canaille_ of the villages of the place were enlisted to defend
the city, and it was the talk of the country that had the Swiss
been beaten, the city was to have been pillaged by that armed mob.
They say that had they not had promises of succor from Victor
Emmanuel (the 'Re Galantuomo'), and of encouragement from Princess
Valentini (nee Bu