rked everywhere to conquer the people for
the king before the king had done a stroke to conquer the Austrians
for the people; while, in order to reduce them to the condition of
Piedmontese soldiery, the flame of their patriotic enthusiasm was
systematically damped, and instead of apprentices in war, who possessed
at any rate the elementary stuff of soldiers, miserable dummies were
drafted into the royal service. The Tuscans and the Romans had good
reason to complain on behalf of their princes, as had the Venetians and
the Lombards for the cause of their Republic. Neither Tuscans, Romans,
Venetians, nor Lombards were offering up their lives simply to obtain a
change of rulers; though all Italy was ready to bow in allegiance to a
king of proved kingly quality. Early in the campaign the cry of treason
was muttered, and on all sides such became the temper of the Alpine
volunteers, that Angelo and Rinaldo Guidascarpi were forced to join
their cousin under Corte, by the dispersion of their band, amounting to
something more than eighteen hundred fighting lads, whom a Piedmontese
superior officer summoned peremptorily to shout for the king. They
thundered as one voice for the Italian Republic, and instantly broke up
and disbanded. This was the folly of the young: Carlo Ammiani confessed
that it was no better; but he knew that a breath of generous confidence
from the self-appointed champion of the national cause would have
subdued his impatience at royalty and given heart and cheer to his
sickening comrades. He began to frown angrily when he thought of
Vittoria. "Where is she now?--where now?" he asked himself in the season
of his most violent wrath at the king. Her conduct grew inseparable in
his mind from the king's deeds. The sufferings, the fierce irony, the
very deaths of the men surrounding him in aims, rose up in accusation
against the woman he loved.

CHAPTER XXXI

EPISODES OF THE REVOLT AND THE WAR

THE TREACHERY OF PERICLES--THE WHITE UMBRELLA--THE DEATH OF RINALDO
GUIDASCARPI

The king crossed the Mincio. The Marshal, threatened on his left flank,
drew in his line from the farther Veronese heights upon a narrowed
battle front before Verona. Here they manoeuvred, and the opening
successes fell to the king. Holding Peschiera begirt, with one sharp
passage of arms he cleared the right bank of the Adige and stood on the
semicircle of hills, master of the main artery into Tyrol.

The village of Pastrengo has gi