The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-05-24
NATIONAL INSTITUTE.
Letter from Robert WickIfe, jr,, esq, y.
s.. Charge dAfaUes IN Sardinia. .sr

s.. Chayge dAfaires IN sardinia.
historic HINTS ON TIE ORIGIN OF THE GUELPHs
~ AND GHlBBELiNEs.
l TuRm, April 20, l645.
SIR: The history of parties in unenlghtened ages,
is bu, history of the diseases of the human mind
and Of the corruption of the human heart. When
nurtured with selfish aims, their career, even in
more instructed times, in not less reckless and dis
astrous Their design 10 but the elevation Of one
chief, and the humbling of another their principles
but idle embems and foolish symptoms invented
by leaders 10 rouse the passions and unthrone the
reason of their followers; their means, fraud or
force, as expediency may suggest; and their result,
mutual hate and general ruin. Like those plaques
which come from distant and unknown lands, which
unpeople Kingdoms, and scourge the whole human
race, the epidemic of faction, from time TO time,
seizes the human mind, and often RACES longer,
and produces more direiul results, than the pest-
lence which bears disease and death upon Its wings
One of the most curious features ofthe baeful mala
dy is the stronger attachment and reverence which
it inspires for names than for things. An epithet
adopted by accident, or applied from contempt, be.
comes the embodiment of principles esteemed ga
cred and the rallying cry Off war deemed holy.
No matter what may have been the origin of the
insignia they bear, and of the names by which they
are designated no matter how often their leaders
commit, in power, the errors and the crimes which
they condemned. when out; no matter whether the
points in dispute between the opposing factions be
vital trivial personal political; matter how
often positions may be changed and the ground oc-
cupied by the contendng parties exactly reversed;
the prejudces of men may be famed their passions
kept alive, and, in their own eyes, their patriotic
consistency strictly preserved, so long as their
names remain unchanged. Does ii proceed from
the obscurity of human language, the obtuseness
of the human mind, or the 6ckleness ofhuman fan
cy, that the same word in the same tongue, IN the
same age, in the same country, and with the same
people, represent, at different periods, not only
different, but exactly opposite ideass To trace the
origin, to mark the symptoms, to point out the re-
suits, and if possible to prescribe the remedy for
malady 10 which the mind Of man is thus consti-
tuuonaliy subject, nfist ever be favorite study
with the political anatomist. Ofall the cases which
have occurred at least in modern times, none was
more virulenf, fatal, and widespread, than the fac
tons of the Guelphs and Ghibbeines, which, for
three centuries distracted provinces, divided cities
arrayed family against family, and, indeed, with ra-
pine fire, exile, and death, laid waste one of the
fairest but unfortunate portions Of the habita
Bile globe Philosophers historians, and phiianthro-
piss stood aghast at the wild fury and the reckless
crimes Of these rival factions and, believing that
for their wickedness, by an offended God, saw no
hope for their extinction, but in the same Almighty
hands by whose vengeance the fearful curse was
inflicted upon guilty race. assgi
Some of the accounts given by writer's of the
origin ofthese factions are improbable and others RI
Germany two great and powerful lords, one called
Guephus, favorable to the party of the Pope and
the other Ghbbelnus, favorable to that of the EN-
peror, who were constantly engaged in qnarrels,
broils, and border feuds; that all the Germans es-
poused the cause of the bilgerents according to
their interests their passions and that their dis
pute, having been brought before the of Rome
produced divisions even in the Papal See. Another
pretends that they originated from the fac
tons of Nevi and Bianci, into which the city of
a r. ~
Pistoian feuds, and their Introduction into Florence
are related with equal ciearness and beauty by Ma
chiavelli. From the account Of their origin and
progress given by the citizen and secretary of Flor
ence, il is clear that they first appeared in the begin
ming Of the Nth century; and long before that peri
od Italy resounded with the clamor and strife Of the
Guelphs and Ghibbelines. Bartolo, famous jurist
but mos, unhappy phiiologst, derives the title of
Guelph from the Hebrew. Another antiquary
equally learned, but more facetious, relates that
turing the times of Lewis Of Bavaria, two dogs
called Guelphus and Ghibbelinus, had fight in the
streets Of Florence; thatas very natural for all
men who have tendency TO party, and irresistible
for the Florentines, who were never able to with
stand the spirit Of faction-people Immediately took
sides, and in hand, arrayed themselves behind
the canine combatanls. The name of the two fac
tons Immediately spread, and not only all
Florence, but all Italy, were marshalcd under
the hostile banners. Muratori thinks that
this explanation is ridiculous. The learned libra
Ran Of Modena insists that the strange idea proba-
bly originated from the fact that ,peic in German
means dog. As the French do not certainly know
the meaning Of the name of Hueuenots- or The Enc.
ish the deriyations Of those of whes and tories Il
was not a matter Of surprise 10 the laborons an.
tiouarv that people should be mistaken az 70 The re-
mote origin Of these factions. Il il probable. how
ever that by his hypothesis, the author in question
did not DESIGN 40 much 10 expla;n The oro;n /. ~
expose the character of these famous parties. n
there more sense In espousnp the ouatrels Of two
sovereigns. thar are of no concern 10 ne than IN
taking sides with two dogs that fpbt in he sre.,s,
One Is oute A reasonable as he other and ,bs far.
lions I'M ara encenderea hv either s,ar,ed so,
,no,;ves enns, elevated ~. hasad 1850
enu.lv nnnr,an, srs cand,c,ad ,,p;,h p,n,,i
eda.iiy b;,,er| I'D ,srn,;na,ad - r".,,I,. ai,..
han.Hc;.j ~ r.,h.r .n,,aIl,, r,,,s ~
.,s.'...s-. - ~ J. $3.50
hmong me great ducai families OF etermany, few
were more ancient, or more powerful, than that OF
lie Gueiphs. from II vs. descended the blood royal