terror here among all the country people, who
dread, sooner or later, vengeance being taken upon them by the
revolutionary party, because they would have nothing to say to the
movement."

(M65) It is well known how rapidly events succeeded one another, when
Napoleon's friendly relations with Austria came to an end. On May 3rd he
declared war. On the 12th he arrived at Genoa, commanded in person, on the
4th of June, at the battle of Magenta, where, but for the superior
generalship of Marshal McMahon, he would have lost his life, together with
his army, and on the 24th of the same month won the great victory of
Solferino. He now gave out that he had enough of glory and would fight no
more, whilst in reality he was constrained to yield to powerful pressure
from without. Prussia, foreseeing that, if Austria experienced a few more
defeats, she herself would suffer, deemed it wise to interfere. Prussia
had, indeed, concerted matters beforehand with the Emperor of the French,
and had undertaken to isolate Austria, her hereditary rival in Germany.

But at the first rumor of the Franco-Piedmontese aggression, the German
States were moved. The Diet of Francfort insisted that the confederate
nations should proceed to assist the Emperor, who was President of the
German Confederation. It fell to Prussia to head the movement. But, as may
be conceived, she was not hearty in the cause. Her statesmen hesitated,
argued, equivocated, and made a show of preparing, but slowly, for war.
Meanwhile, the news of the successive defeats of Austria roused still more
the patriotism of the Germans. The Prussian monarch, finding that he was
on the point of being overwhelmed, addressed to his Imperial accomplice,
the day after the battle of Solferino, a most pressing telegram, informing
him that he must make peace, cost what it would. Napoleon, it need hardly
be said, obeyed, and so _the peace of Villafranca was concluded_. By this
treaty was established an Italian Confederation, under the honorary
presidency of the Pope, Lombardy given to Piedmont, Venice left to
Austria, the rights of the Grand Duke of Tuscany and the other sovereigns,
who were for the moment dispossessed, expressly reserved. Thus appeared to
end the intrigues of the revolution. Pius IX. promptly invited the
faithful of Rome to join with him in offering thanksgiving to God. His
letter thus concludes: "What do we pray for? That all the enemies of
Christ, of His Church a