eth in
To the self-same spot,
And much of Madness, and more of Sin,
And Horror the soul of the plot.

* * * * *

Out--out are the lights--out all!
And over each quivering form
The curtain, a funeral pall,
Comes down with the rush of a storm,
And the angels, all pallid and wan,
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy "Man,"
And its hero the Conqueror Worm.

[Sidenote: Abortive Spanish rising]

[Sidenote: Italian republics]

[Sidenote: Situation in Sicily]

In Europe, the startling upheavals of the previous year were followed by an
aftermath no less startling. Even in Spain, where a first attempt at
revolution had easily been crushed at Madrid, Don Carlos deemed the time
ripe to join Cabrera's revolutionary rising in Catalonia. On his way there
he was arrested at the French frontier. Deprived of his support, Cabrera
himself had to remove his forces to French soil. In Italy, the
revolutionary movement spread. On February 7, Duke Leopold of Florence was
driven out of Tuscany. A republican government was established at Florence
under the triumvirate of Guerazzi, Montanelli and Manzoni. Taking refuge on
a British man-of-war, the Duke of Tuscany fled to Gaeta to share the Pope's
exile there. On the same day that the new republic was proclaimed at
Florence a popular assembly at Rome formally deposed the Pope from temporal
power and proclaimed the Republic of Rome. The armistice in Sicily was
about to expire. King Ferdinand's final concessions to his rebellious
subjects were repudiated. Lord Palmerston, who had vainly offered British
mediation to Ferdinand, on the floor of Parliament openly defended the
uncompromising attitude of the Sicilians. In preparation for the inevitable
conflict, Filangieri gathered an army of 20,000 Neapolitans, while
Mierolavsky, a Pole, took command of the Sicilian insurgents.

[Sidenote: Hungarian defeats]

[Sidenote: Austrian reverses]

[Sidenote: Windischgraetz "Reconcentrates"]

[Sidenote: Hungarian declaration of independence]

Meanwhile the tide of war set against the Hungarians. On February 4, Bem
was defeated on the site of his former victory at Hermannstadt. While
retreating he was defeated again at Paiski. By the middle of February the
Austrians succeeded in taking the fortress of Essek from the Hungarians.
Toward the close of the month a disastrous defeat was inflicted upon the
Hungarians under the com