presence of the Sovereign Judge, and opens to him,
as far as possible, the way of salvation; but she strictly sees to it that
her holy laws be fully observed." Policy makes laws which it violates as
easily as it makes them. The Church can never break her laws, which are of
Divine origin. Victor Emmanuel, accordingly, must have submitted to the
laws of the Church, in order to be reconciled to the Church, to Pius IX.
and to God.

At the death of the king the revolutionists were struck with
consternation. "Victor Emmanuel is no more!" said the _Liberta_, "and
Italy is like a warrior without his sword." They all felt as if the
edifice which they had raised were falling to pieces. They took no blame
to themselves, however. They ascribed not to their folly or their
wickedness the danger which threatened them. "God is unjust," said one of
the party, as he announced to the Romans the king's death. Considering the
term of human life, it was no doubt unjust, to remove from this world a
man at the advanced age of eight-and-fifty years! Another, as the remains
of the "father of his country" were borne to the Pantheon, blasphemously
exclaimed: "That everlasting Pantheon! so long the altar of inanimate
gods--now the temple of a hostile _Deity_!"

Although Pius IX., with his usual goodness and consistency, authorized the
clergy to take part in the funeral of the deceased king, thus according
what was due to the honor of a Christian who had been reconciled to God
and the Church, the ceremony which, otherwise, would have been so solemn,
was sadly marred by processions of secret societies, Grand Orients and
Garibaldians, which followed the funeral car to the Church of St. Mary of
the Martyrs.(16)

The Pantheon was not too grand for so great a king. It was only fitting
that he who had lent himself to the baleful work of paganizing modern Rome
should have his final resting-place in the temple that was so long sacred
to Rome's heathen _deities_.

The Holy Father had so well recovered from his illness, and his health was
so good during the months of December and January, 1877-78, that he was
able to transact business daily with the cardinals, heads of congregations
and other prelates. It was for him the revival--the lucid interval--which so
often precedes the final scene. Notwithstanding the pompous obsequies
which the late king had prepared for Pius IX., the venerable Pontiff still
lived, and was able to protest against the pretensions