were set was to begin in the
kingdom of Naples in the spring of 1820. The concession of the
hard-won Spanish Constitution in the month of March encouraged the
Neapolitans to believe that they might get a like boon from their own
King if they directed all the forces at their command to this single
end. To avoid being compromised, they sought rather to dissociate
themselves from the patriots of other parts of Italy than to
co-operate with them in an united effort. The Carbonari of the
Neapolitan kingdom, who were the entire authors of the revolution,
which, after many unfortunate delays, broke out on the 1st of July,
had good cause for thinking that they were in a position to dictate
terms; the mistake they made was to suppose that a charter conceded by
a Bourbon of Naples could ever be worth the paper on which it was
written. Not only among the people, but in the army the Carbonari had
thousands of followers on whom they could rely, and several whole
regiments were only waiting their orders to rise in open revolt. The
scheme was to take possession of the persons of the King and the royal
family, and retain them as hostages till the Constitution was granted.
Such extreme measures were not necessary. The standard of rebellion
was raised at Monteforte by two officers named Morelli and Silvati,
who had brought over a troop of cavalry from Nola, and by the priest
Menechini. In all Neapolitan insurrections there was sure to be a
priest; the Neapolitan Church, much though there is to be laid to its
account, must be admitted to have frequently shown sympathy with the
popular side. Menechini enjoyed an immense, if brief, popularity which
he used to allay the anger of the mob and to procure the safety of
obnoxious persons. The King sent two generals and a body of troops
against the Chartists, but when the Carbonari symbols were recognised
on the insurgent flags, the troops showed such clear signs of wishing
to go over to the enemy that they were quietly taken back to Naples.
The cry of 'God, the King, and the Constitution,' was taken up through
the land; General Pepe, who had long been a Carbonaro in secret, was
enthusiastically hailed as commander of the Chartist forces, which
practically comprised the whole army. The King was powerless; besides
which, when pushed up into any corner people who do not mind breaking
their word have a facility for hard swearing. On the 13th of July,
Ferdinand standing at the altar of the royal chapel