and one whose purity of life and excellence of
character gave to his opinions a weight beyond their intellectual value.

After introducing himself as one who adores God, Mazzini says that he
adores, also, an idea which seems to him to be of God, that of Italy as
"an angel of moral unity and of progressive civilization for the nations
of Europe."

Having studied the great history of humanity, and having there found
"Rome twice directress of the world, first through the Emperors, later
through the Popes," he is led to believe that the great city is destined
to a third and more lasting period of supremacy.

"I believe that another European world ought to be revealed from the
Eternal City, that had the Capitol and has the Vatican. And this faith
has not abandoned me through years, poverty, and griefs which God alone
knows."

One cannot help pausing here to reflect that in both historic instances
the supremacy of Rome was due to a superiority of civilization which she
has long lost, and is not likely to regain in this day of the world.

Mazzini says to the Pope: "There is no man this day in all Europe more
powerful than you; you then have, most Holy Father, vast duties."

He now passes on to a review of the situation:--

"Europe is in a tremendous crisis of doubts and desires. Faith is dead.
Catholicism is lost in despotism; Protestantism is lost in anarchy. The
intellect travels in a void. The bad adore calculation, physical good;
the good pray and hope; nobody believes....

"I call upon you, after so many ages of doubt and corruption, to be the
apostle of eternal truth. I call upon you to make yourself the 'servant
of all;' to sacrifice yourself, if needful, so that the will of God may
be done on earth as it is in heaven; to hold yourself ready to glorify
God in victory, or to repeat with resignation, if you must fail, the
words of Gregory VII.: 'I die in exile because I have loved justice and
hated iniquity.'

"But for this, to fulfil the mission which God confides to you, two
things are needful,--to be a believer, and to unify Italy."

The first of these two clauses is here amplified into an exhortation
which, edifying in itself, had in it nothing likely to suggest to the
person addressed any practical solution of the difficulties which
surrounded him.

Having shown the Head of Christendom the way to right belief, Mazzini
next instructs him how to unify Italy:--

"For this you have no need to work, but [on