and poverty, emulated the richest countries, America, Germany,
Holland and England. One of the collections at Dublin amounted to L10,000.
All these rich donations, together with thousands of addresses which bore
millions of signatures, were humbly laid at the feet of the Holy Father.

(M75) Now that it is well known that France was not less hostile than
Sardinia and the revolution, to the cause of the Pope, it appears more a
loss of labor than a wise precaution, that the Holy Father should have
assembled an army for maintaining order in his states, and repelling any
attack on the part of the revolutionary faction. This was all that he
contemplated. Deceived by the professions of his French ally, he was far
from suspecting that the small force which he was collecting for the
maintenance of order would be no sooner organized than it would be
attacked by the military power of Piedmont, supported by the Emperor of
the French. On the contrary, Pius IX. had every reason to believe that the
formation of a Pontifical army, destined for the duties which devolved on
the French soldiers, then at Rome, would be acceptable to Napoleon III.
The latter had, more than once, said to his Holiness: "Place yourself in a
position to be independent of my army of occupation." This recommendation
is repeated in a despatch of Messrs. Thouvenel and Gramont, so late as the
14th of April, 1860. As soon as it was known that the Pope desired to have
an army for maintaining internal peace, and finally, in order to replace
the foreign troops which occupied Rome, the youth of many countries freely
offered their services. France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Holland, and even
distant Canada sent numerous volunteers. The noble youth of France, whose
education, for the most part, was eminently Christian, were only too happy
to tear themselves from the luxurious life of Paris. Their joy was equal
to their ardor, when they found that they could bear arms without serving
a Bonaparte. Gontants and Larochefoucauld Doudeauvilles, Noes and
Pimodans, Tournous and Bourbon Chalus, came to range themselves, as
private soldiers, when necessary, under the banner of the Pope. Nor were
they attracted by any hope of gain. A goodly number, on the contrary,
sustained by their ample means the government to which they offered their
lives. The revolution signified its displeasure by branding these devoted
youths with the ignominious title of "Mercenaries of the Pope." This
ungracio