and to five thousand vagrants and bandits, chiefly Garibaldians,
entered the city at the heels of the invading force. The prisons were
thrown open, and swelled the ranks of these disorderly bands. During two
whole days that these lawless hordes were allowed to commit all kinds of
excesses, houses were fired, valuable property destroyed or carried off,
some eighty unoffending citizens put to death, and such of the Roman
soldiers as were recognized cut down or thrown into the Tiber. Nor was the
Italian general in any hurry to repress such proceedings. "_Lasciate il
popolo sfogarsir_," coolly said Cadorna to the parties who entreated him
to put an end to such horrors. This general and the men with whom he acted
were only robbers on a greater scale. Their commissioners lost not a
moment. When tranquillity was somewhat restored, and complaints were made
against housebreakers, it was found that everything was already
confiscated--libraries, archives, colleges, museums, etc.

Victor Emmanuel had need of the mob which followed his troops. Anxious to
give a coloring of right to his brigandage, he resolved, according to the
fashion of his Imperial patron and accomplice, to hold a _plebiscitum_. In
the city of Rome, with the help of his numerous assemblage of vagrants, he
had forty thousand votes, whilst against him there were only forty-six.
Something similar was done in the landward part of the Roman State.
Better, surely, no right beyond what the sword could give, than such a
transparent semblance of right. No wonder that Victor Emmanuel's best
friends condemned such an impolitic and ridiculous proceeding. None could
be so simple as to believe that there were only forty-six voters against
him, when all the numerous officials, both civil and military, protested
against his aggression by resigning their offices. It is bad enough when
men in authority play fantastic tricks. When the play is badly played, the
trickery becomes ridiculous.

It now remained to adhibit the seal of permanency to the _fait accompli_.
This was done by the following decree:

Art. 1st. Rome and the Roman Provinces constitute an integral
portion of the kingdom of Italy.

Art. 2nd. The Sovereign Pontiff retains the dignity,
inviolability, and all the prerogatives of a sovereign.

Art. 3rd. A special law will sanction the conditions calculated to
guarantee, even by territorial franchises, the independence of the
Sovereign Pont