MY EXILE.
IT was in the month of September, 1842, that I found myself beyond
the walls of Rome, in the province of Sabina; in a fine country, near
Nazzano, in the neighbourhood of Mount Soracte. I had chosen this
situation as a commodious one, and sufficiently distant from the
capital, to allow me to arrange and settle my affairs, previous to my
final departure from Italy.
But how bitter was the thought that I was about to leave my native
country! Nevertheless, I saw that it was necessary for my spiritual
good I should do so, in order to follow with more advantage the path
which had been assigned to me by the will of the Lord. In no part of
Italy had I as yet been able to find a secure asylum, where I could
hope to be safe from the attacks of the pope, his monks, and his
Inquisition. Though I was set free from the prison of the Holy Office,
for want of any definite charge being established against me, I was
still under its strict surveillance. All my proceedings were watched,
all my words noted; and I was committed to the especial care of spies,
bishops, and similar agents of the government. I could not therefore
be considered as at liberty, although no longer within the walls of a
prison.
In the meantime, regardless of these annoyances, I continued to speak
without any disguise, about my departure; of my separation from Rome,
of my renouncing the Church, and of my voluntary exile. Indeed,
before being released from the Holy Office, I had altogether given
up my connexion with the Church of Rome; I had abdicated all right
and privilege of serving it, and consequently was exonerated from
all its obligations. I was desirous to avoid all future imputation
as to retaining any of its honours, its dignities, or its gifts; and
therefore I renounced them altogether. I knew that according to the
faith of the Church, it might be imagined I must retain the effect of
the unction imparted to the priesthood, by the imposition of hands. I
revolved in my mind how I could best free myself from this as well; and
I saw no better method than by altogether renouncing the doctrine, and
publicly protesting against it.
Before leaving this part of the country, I judged it expedient to apply
to Rome for my passport; not indeed so much out of absolute necessity,
as from motives of convenience. My letter was addressed to one of the
officials of the Inquisition, who called himself my friend. I received
in reply an intimation that the cardinals were not aware of the
necessity of my request; which was as much as to say, that being clear
from all imputation, and entirely set at liberty, I was unquestionably
free to go wherever I pleased. Some of the cardinals, indeed, suggested
that I had better return to Rome, in order to make my peace with the
Holy See. I received other letters, at the same time, full of dangerous
flattery and enticing offers,--the more dangerous as they were made by
my dearest friends, to whom it is always extremely difficult to reply
in the negative.
"Well," I exclaimed to myself, "I must be firm in my resolution; the
more I am pressed and solicited to remain, the more speedily shall
my departure take place. As long as I am met with reproaches and
annoyances, I have nothing to fear; but when the opposite measure of
kindness and entreaty is adopted, I am too weak to resist; and I cannot
look for a miracle in my favour, if I needlessly expose myself to
danger. Onward, then, and let me depart, in the name of God."
But whither? In what part of the world should I seek an asylum? At
Geneva? or at Malta? I at length determined for the Ionian Islands.
Previous to my departure, I called upon all my friends in the
neighbourhood, and I wrote farewell letters to others who were beyond
my reach. I did not neglect to visit my relations; and, having provided
myself with a servant, I set off for Ancona, stopping on the road in
those towns where I chanced to find any of my acquaintance.
The Governor of Ancona, Monsignor Orfei, (now Bishop of Cesena), was an
old friend of mine; consequently I did not hide from him the reason of
my leaving Italy, or the place I had chosen for my retreat, which I had
frequent occasion to discuss with him during the fortnight I remained
in the place. I mention all this as a proof that I neither fled from
my country, nor sought in any way to conceal myself; and that my going
into exile was a matter of free choice, dictated by conscientious
motives, and nothing else.
I left Ancona on the 4th of October, and two days afterwards reached
Corfu. I was fortunate enough to get included in the passport of a
family with which I travelled, without any separate mention being
made of my name; this was a necessary precaution, to ensure me from
molestation on the road. But at Corfu I was on free ground, protected
by the laws, and under colours that owe no obedience to the pope.
Here, then, I blessed the Lord, and offered up my thanksgiving to Him,
for having thus far preserved me from the jaws of the lion, and from
the hands of those who sought to ensnare my soul. For the first time
in my life I breathed the fresh air of true liberty--of that precious
liberty of spirit which is granted to the children of God. I sought for
a minister of the holy Evangelists; and soon became acquainted with the
Reverend Isaac Lowndes, an independent minister, and Secretary to the
Bible Society. I ran to him as a famished man would to obtain bread; I
opened my whole mind to him; I chose him for my spiritual director; and
he has always proved himself to be one of my best and most esteemed
friends.
My stay at Corfu was marked by many events. The first was a persecution
emanating from Rome, clumsily enough conducted by two emissaries of the
Inquisition--the papal consul, and the curate of the Romish Church. The
first of these had the boldness to present himself before the Lord High
Commissioner of her Britannic Majesty, with a despatch from Cardinal
Lambruschini, demanding my expulsion, as having been guilty of enormous
crimes. Being asked, however, by the consul, to state the nature of
one, at least, of these pretended crimes, he could not find in his
pocket-dictionary any term suitable for his purpose. I was subsequently
assured that the secretary of the Lord High Commissioner reproved him
for his assurance. The second of these worthies contented himself
with speaking all manner of evil of me, whom he hardly knew by sight.
It appears that both of them had a miserable pittance allowed them,
for which they amused themselves in inventing and promulgating their
abominable falsehoods. I know that the director-general of the police,
Captain Lawrence, twice summoned before him one of these detractors, a
Neapolitan tailor, and severely reprimanded him; and I also know that
this tailor confessed he had been paid for his slanders.
Several of the Maltese, who constitute the most vile and wretched part
of the population of Corfu, had, at one time, taken it into their heads
to follow me in the streets, with insulting and threatening words; and
when some of my friends, who were more disgusted with it than I was
myself, inquired as to the reason of their doing so, they replied that
the curate had desired them. I might have called the curate to account
for this, had I been vindictively disposed; but the case was otherwise.
I must now say a few words upon a subject which perhaps may by some
be deemed foreign to "my dealings with Rome;" but still it is in some
degree connected with the principal facts of my history. And at any
rate, it will be a page devoted to the memory of two dear friends,
whose loss I have not yet ceased to lament,--to Attilio and Emilio
Bandiera, universally honoured and deplored by all good men, for the
sacrifice they made for their country.
These noble, generous, pure, and high-minded youths, were compelled,
in consequence of being betrayed, to resign their commissions in the
Italian-Austrian navy. They repaired to Corfu, at separate times; and,
as I was already on friendly terms with both of them, they requested me
to allow them to remain in my house, and partake of my table. For four
months I had the pleasure of the society of Emilio, the youngest of the
brothers; and for two months, that of Attilio. It is not my intention
in this place to relate their history, since it is already well known,
how at the head of a few Italians, they embarked from Corfu, and landed
on the shores of Calabria, where, in a skirmish with the troops of the
Bourbon king, they were taken prisoners; and, under I know not what
barbarous laws, were, with seven others, put to death; their only crime
being a devoted love for their country.
Who among the virtuous and the brave has not mourned their loss? And
who among them would not have considered himself honoured in their
friendship? None valued it more than myself, who was regarded by them
as a brother; to whom they confided their parting injunctions, and who
was a minister of the Church of which they had become members; the
Italian Church, which I opened in Corfu, in March, 1844, with Emilio
Bandiera at my side.
I have hitherto been silent before the public respecting these young
men, whilst others have spoken of them, and written the history of
their fate. But my silence was solely occasioned by knowing that the
Jesuits and their followers, availing themselves of the well-known
fact of our intimacy, had spread abroad the report that I was only
interested in the success of religious reform so far as it might
lead to a political one; that for religion itself I had no respect
whatever, and only assumed the appearance of it to ingratiate myself
with the English, whose money and protection I coveted; in proof of all
this they brought forward my friendship and intimacy with the brothers
Bandiera.
And here observe how far malice will lead men astray. The _Dublin
Review_, in July, 1850, stigmatises me to the religious world, as a
mere political adventurer, while to the political world it represents
me as a religious enthusiast, changeable, inconsiderate, inexperienced,
and an immoral person, and a hypocrite to boot.
As to the Jesuits themselves I care little about them or their
opinions, except as they influence the minds of other people. Certain
it is that, in consequence of their calumnious insinuations, the
religious cause which I advocate, in the face of my country and before
the whole world, has in some degree been impeded.
Before I was known, and had gained the confidence of my good brethren
in the faith, it was no doubt an unfavourable circumstance in their
eyes, that I was so closely associated with persons who appeared to
have no other object in view than political alterations. I confess I
had not, at that time, sufficient Christian fortitude to meet these
insidious attacks; and, therefore, felt it prudent to be silent with
respect to my beloved friends, the Bandiera, until I should have
established my religious reputation on a firm basis, and have acquired
the confidence of the public with respect to my Mission. Now, however,
God be praised, I am so far advanced in the general estimation of the
Christian world, that I may speak out, and reply, as is incumbent on
me, to the calumnies with which I have been assailed.
If I was so united, so closely united with the brothers Bandiera, it
was because religious reform was the most noble, the most sublime idea
in their minds; and because they felt the necessity of destroying the
abhorred Papacy, and restoring to their beloved country the ancient
pure Christianity of our fathers. On this head their language and
their ideas, as well as their faith, were similar to my own. The only
difference between us was, that they had not themselves as yet put
their hands to the work, beyond confiding in Him who knows how to bring
it about by ways of His own.
A reform in the Church is not to be effected by force of arms, nor by
clamour and sarcasms. Temperate argument, and mild persuasion, and
virtuous example, are the proper means, and such as the Reformers of
the sixteenth century employed. The arguments, moreover, require to
be based upon the written Word, which among all religious sects is
received as the touchstone of truth. Now, my young friends had not the
boldness to consider themselves sufficiently well instructed in the
Holy Word to enter into a theological discussion with the people, or a
controversy with the priests of Rome. They were desirous of reform, and
in the furtherance of it they were content that I should lead the way,
declaring themselves my followers. They had the hope that, in various
parts of Italy, conscientious priests might be found capable of being
reformed themselves, and afterwards of conducing to the reformation of
others. They had a great desire to see the Bible circulated; we sent
several copies of the Diodati Edition, to friends at Venice, Trieste,
Ancona, and other places, and they themselves always carried about with
them one which I had formerly given them; we had frequent conversations
together respecting the meaning of different passages; and Attilio,
especially, carefully wrote out any particular view which might arise
in our minds on our perusal of them.
Emilio Bandiera, speaking to an Italian, who professed that, for his
own part, he cared nothing about religion, thus expressed himself in my
hearing:--
"It is every man's duty to care about religion. He who makes a boast
that he has none at all is to be held in abhorrence. I would never
choose such a one as my friend--much less would I have a wife of such
a character, or children, or even servants. Do you imagine that any
society could possibly hold together, in the proper discharge of its
mutual duties, without religion? What would a political reform avail
you without it?"
On another occasion, when one of his countrymen asserted that, good or
bad, he would never change his religion, Emilio observed:--
"Your words are devoid of sense. If the religion you profess be, in
your estimation, good--keep it; watch over it, and defend it; if,
on the other hand, it be not so good as you first thought, by all
means change it forthwith; that is to say, get rid of your present
false notions, and take up those better opinions which hitherto you
have not had. It was so that our ancestors did, whether Gentiles or
Jews; as soon as they perceived that their religion was no longer
good, in obedience to the dictates of their conscience they adopted
Christianity, which appeared to them the only true one."
Both the brothers had a high regard for truth, in its pure and simple
form. I will here quote a passage from the note-book of Attilio:--"The
most important truth must, of necessity, be religious truth: it is
present with us at all periods of our life, and is connected with all
our necessities. The influence of religion is universal, and I believe
that, whoever has the folly to endeavour to escape it, is nevertheless
pursued by it, in spite of himself. Every individual in society who is
irreligious, has to endure a greater struggle than he is aware of, and
the more obstinate he tries to be, the more he has to endure."
O blessed spirits! without doubt you were visited with heavenly
consolation, at the extreme moment of your separation from this
miserable life. You believed in the words of our glorious Redeemer;
you confessed yourselves sinners before Him, since every living soul
is such in His sight. But in the eyes of men ye were justified. It was
neither interest nor ambition that led you into the midst of danger,
but a disinterested love for your country and your fellow-men. He
who judges of the merit of an enterprise by its success, may say that
your prudence was at fault in undertaking it; but I am of a different
opinion. I assert that you were in political matters what John Huss
and Jerome of Prague were in those of religion, the precursors and the
first martyrs. May the Lord bestow His blessing on your labours, by
blessing also the labours of those who may follow in your steps!
The two brothers left Corfu with twenty followers. Above a hundred
Italians remained in the Ionian Islands, all equally acquainted with
what was going on, and in which all were interested. No opposition was
made to their project of forming armed bands upon the mountains which
traverse Italy, the chain of the Appenines beginning in Calabria, in
order to strengthen the revolution which had become necessary for the
country. The two Bandiera, Morro, Ricciotti, and Nardi, with a few
others, were the first who offered themselves for the enterprise;
and accordingly they set out to join the forces that were already on
the mountains, expecting their arrival. A single night would have
been sufficient to take them there, as the mountains extended to the
sea-shore. But, unfortunately, three days were lost among the inhabited
parts, and this delay was fatal to them.
Thus it was that they fell into the hands of the enemy; not by private
treachery, as has been falsely and malignantly represented. What
treachery could there be where there was no secrecy? Their intentions
and their expedition were known from the first, to everybody, and twice
they had an encounter with the King's troops. Yet, would it be believed
that the desire to calumniate and injure me has pushed the writer of
the article I have already alluded to, in the _Dublin Review_, so far
as to make him dare to assert that I, their friend, their counsellor,
their bosom-refuge in their hour of trouble--I it was, who tempted
these valorous brothers into the battle field, and procured their
capture and their death, in order that I might possess myself of their
effects!
Had I been capable of harbouring the thought of such an enormous
crime towards any human being whatever, towards them at any rate, I
could have no motive for doing so; since they arrived at Corfu in so
destitute a condition, that they were actually obliged to part with the
few articles of dress they could spare, in order to supply themselves
with the requisites for their expedition; this they stated in a letter
to Mazzini, shortly before they left Corfu, which letter he published
in his memoirs of them.
When my friends set out for Calabria, I also took my departure from
Corfu to settle at Zante. It was understood between us that I should
undertake in that place, where I could be free from interruption, a
work connected with the religious reform of Italy, and it was settled
that I should there receive communications and instructions from them,
as to my future proceedings.
My exile was not similar to that of other emigrants who were left
in peace by all parties. I had never given cause of offence to my
government in political matters, but I had done so with respect to
its religion. I had not designated the monarch as a knave, but I had
stigmatized the Pope as an impostor: it would have been a small matter
for me to unmask the character of a man who has always been a slave to
ambition and self-interest; I rather chose the task of disclosing to
the world the presumptuous iniquity of one who calls himself holy and
infallible as God Himself; the Spiritual Father of all men; the Lord
over all believers; placed above all; with the power to save and to
destroy; to open heaven, and to close the gates of hell. Such a centre
of blasphemy, such an exalted idol, I resolved to combat and overthrow;
I felt an enmity towards this enemy of God, this falsifier of holy
truth, this opposer of every moral and civil improvement: I determined
to wage such an incessant warfare against him that he should finally be
obliged to succumb, and while life remains to me I will continue so to
do. Let the Jesuits, the Inquisition, the priests, and all their spies
combine their efforts against me. I heed them not, neither do I fear
them, however numerous they may be. The power of hell has no influence
over those who are commissioned to preach the kingdom of heaven.
Against them, as it is written, "the gates of hell shall not prevail."