my soul! love God and
pursue thy way." What Christian would not be envious of a like death--a
death which nobly crowned such a life as these few words necessarily
suppose?

(M112) The vanquished had been fanaticised by the secret societies as well
as by Garibaldi himself, that infuriated enthusiast, who could not write
four lines nor utter four words without enshrining therein the treasons of
the black race, that prurient sore of Italy; or the _venom_ of the
Vatican, that nest of vipers; or the lies of Pius IX., that pest, that
monster, twice accursed, as priest and as king. So when these people were
made prisoners, they expected nothing better than the hardest treatment
and the most terrible vengeance. How surprised must they not then have
been to find that their wounded were attended to on the field of battle,
and the same care and attention extended to them as to the wounded of the
Pontifical force, whilst those who were sound met with no other punishment
than to be well guarded at first, and afterwards released by degrees, as
it became certain that Garibaldi would be in no hurry to renew his game.
Finally, a complete amnesty was granted. This extreme clemency of a
legitimate government towards an invading banditti presented a noble and
happy contrast with the implacable revenge of the usurping King of
Piedmont. Victor Emmanuel, in fact, had no hesitation in putting to death
the Spanish general Borges and his Neapolitan comrades, who were arrested
whilst bearing arms in an endeavor to deliver the kingdom of Naples, and
restore its former king, Francis II.

(M113) Two men only were excepted from the Pontifical amnesty. These were
the authors of that atrocious act, the blowing up of the Sorristori
barracks. Their crime, indeed, could not be considered as anything
connected with the war, but simply as cowardly assassination. Those two
wretches, Monti and Tognetti, underwent a regular trial, which lasted more
than a year, and at which all the forms required by law were strictly
observed. They were convicted, and ended by acknowledging everything. They
suffered capital punishment, and, at their execution, begged pardon of God
and men. The day after this execution--coming generations will scarcely
believe so strange a fact--the Chamber of Deputies at Florence solemnly
protested against it, as did also Victor Emmanuel. The secret societies
opened a subscription list for the widows of the executed criminals.
Victor Emmanuel