Garibaldi

Everything that exists has its origin in the past. It is therefore quite essential, before touching upon the events of any remarkable man's life, that we should take a retrospective glance at the circumstances in which his career originated.

I purpose, then, to give here a rapid preliminary sketch of the prominent events that occurred in Italy, and especially in Piedmont Garibaldi's native soil between the years 1820 and 1834, before introducing him to the reader to tell his story in his own words: observing that his narrative will commence from this latter date.

The course of the wars which followed the outbreak of the great French Revolution had sent into banishment, in the island of Sardinia, two princes, who, on emerging from their protracted exile at the close of the war, were no longer young. These two princes, who were brothers, were the last surviving male representatives of the direct line of the Dukes of Savoy. One was Victor Emmanuel, and the other Charles Felix, each of whom was destined to ascend the throne of the newly-constituted kingdom of Sardinia.

The younger branch of this house was then represented by Charles Albert, Prince de Carignan, who in 1823 served as a grenadier in the French army during the Spanish campaign, and on which occasion he greatly distinguished himself by his personal courage, particularly at the attack of the Trocadero.

King Victor-Emmanuel I., on ascending the throne, had pledged his word to the allied sovereigns not to make, under any circumstances whatever, the least concession to his people a condition to which he was probably indebted for the gift of his crown. That, however, which was easy to promise in 1815, became, as we shall see, somewhat difficult to perform in 1821.

In 1820, Carbonarism had begun to spread throughout Italy. In a former work of mine, entitled Joseph Balsamo, which, although but a romance, contains in it much of reality, will be found a sketch of the history of the " Illuminati," and of Freemasonry. These two powerful antagonists to despotic royalty, whose device was the three initial letters "L. P. D." i.e., Lilia Pedibus Distruc, played a part of some importance in the French Revolution. Almost all the Jacobins, and a large proportion of the Cordeliers, were freemasons, while Philip Egalité held the high office of "Grand Orient" in the craft.

Napoleon affected to take freemasonry under his protection; but under this pretence he managed to divert it from its proper aim: in short, he bent it to his own purposes, and turned it into an instrument of despotism. It was not the first time that chains had been forged from sword-blades. Joseph Bonaparte was a Grand Master of the order; Cambaceres, Grand Assistant-Master; and Murat, second Grand Assistant-Master. The Empress Josephine being at Strasburg in 1805, presided at the festival of the adoption of the Free Knights of Paris; and about this time Eugene de Beauharnais was elected "Venerable" of the lodge of St. Eugene of Paris. When he was afterwards in Italy as Viceroy, the "Grand Orient" of Milan named him "Master and Sovereign Commander of the Supreme Council of the 32nd degree" the greatest honour attainable under the statutes of the order.

Bernadotte also was a mason; his sou, Prince Oscar, was Grand Master of the Swedish lodge; moreover, in the different lodges of Paris were successively initiated, Alexander, Duke of Wurtemburg, Prince Bernard of Saxe-Weimar, and even the Persian ambassador, Askeri Khan; the President of the Senate, Count de Lacepede, presided as " Grand Orient of France," having for his officers of honour Generals Kellermann, Massena, and Soult. Princes, ministers, marshals, officers, magistrates, all, indeed, who were remarkable from their glorious career or eminent from their position, were ambitious of being admitted as brethren. Women even wished to have their lodges: this notion was adopted by Mesdames de Calignan, de Girardin, de

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