The Present Pope.
The Times, 1824-11-06T00:00:00

(From th2 Ar&x it. -,you wian ior some ueE&its upon thie early history of tlae pzestt yep Annibal dells Genga. I believe that very few,, If any, of theI fi,~Jnera new in Rome hrive.t in their power te eauiafy, your curl., t,jty upon that suibject. A- mhonth' back' I could myself have 'ei snt you gome Vague generalities or. uniinteresting facts, Urar1,sracteristic of the man,or the country; but during' a'- visit go 14aples I wea fortunate eniough to fall in with a'i olad MUdbtl di the aPunl Court, from w;hom' I ''learned' is6ne cuslout- par. *alars oDf the life of his present Holiness' Heis,]ikte-the Codunt d'Artols, in France, a reformed mran' of pleasuze, and, like most ,jhs ersn ud heeleane o hs mncms Theirrnmedacr~ c~srofhelat op, Pus L,ws veryhandsome mnasrs 'ranting in dignified expresaion.. Howeverhlnybeh okpea sore, lie urtnomnghis courtof thestoknm asont ofemmaig' gsome historical reseace ihoview tot th Qrai fa newarranzement for. tbcgoverr efteCtolic hrceiGer- many; alid for this puvpose h6 wvs anxiously seeking for a-private oecretary upon wh,ose discretion le might rely. Having remnarked one dayat tl'i-Cpelte papa (the Pope's mass) a young. tuac of -the most noble' and'prepossessing apirearance,-the Afhrquls della Genga_ who had-just entered intmoider he had him sqent, for se.;, crtl that ni;rht~- Oa Jiis-eoming into dhearta c, the Pope at iluce gave hiartor ~underst&nd, that in case he had no reasn to. be dissatisfied with his zeal-'and discretion, he should charge himself with advancinthia f4rtune. He then told him that hewas to repair five times a week' at nine o'clock at ni,ght, to the private doo: of his Holiness's apartment_a~nd tat if" he perceived --amsmill piece of aper thrown, ap prently b-y chance, near the door, he should Imock, and thiat hie himself, the Popea would open it to him, when he would have to' write under his dsetat4on upon the ceesiusati. Ia affTairs of l3emany until one or two o'clock ia the' morn.. ing. The tak finialied, the 'Abb della Gengs was to cluit E the Plope's aPpartiacnts with the same Trueaution and mystety. These lecr *procedii*s continued for a year without brinK 4iscovered., At. the end' of that period, Cardinal Colnacc, uRcle to the Cardinal Gonzalvi, and one of the most ambi. Sbus men at the Court of Rome, got an intimation that the Popewas s!ecrtly employed upon sbae grave miattereorothier. The ascertain- ing thena?turipof thia became most intetesting and ImportantIn a dpotic court, rwbere erery one hag something to hope or to fear. kiflad in'sinuating secret-developers were set to work uponi the Camtrerkr of' the Popme, Tout without.the desired success, as these Persona ldiw nothing of-the nocturnal occuipations of his Holiness The most adroit measures wvere resorted to to discover if any one--.ebout.the Eiourt was in the secret, hut in vain the mnystery stfi remained unrevealecl. Argume were placed near all -the -avenues to the Pope's chamnber, butt nothing was seen that could- clear up the darkness. At length, after geveral months spent in uselese efilort, Cardinal Colnacci engagedl his nephew, I'ionsignore Gouzialvi, to stand isentinel near the door of a Private staircase which ledatothe Pope's apartmnents, On the second night of hisbeing frambuscad&nesr thedoor, MonsignoreGfonzalvi saw a mnan ascend the staircase; ' whoge features he could not distin- guish for theubscurity ofthdpssisage. Hesaw this unknownindividual knock at n door, whichi to 'his great astonishment was opened by the Pope in person, a-nd the nocturnal visitermwa admitted. Monsignore Gonzalvi remamned it considerable time awaiting the return ofthis nmygterious persn, but not seeinglhimre-arpear, heconcluded that he remained all night in the papal apartments, and quitted them at an earlhou inhe mrnigbytheordiaryisses.Up on this supposi.. sio,th mst ler-rghed pis wreposedat llthe usual entratnce tete opes parusnts bst he coldsee no one come oat hut those whoweiknon t Inabi tie alae, s bloningto hepapal house, thid nghtftcthehov.metioed iscovery, MlonsignoreGouzalvi returne to his hdnplcintervate staircase, and about nine o'clock he aanswam cuiul approaching the door of the Popesaatet hnh eiae notoseize him by the armn,upon WhIc teukonprnage uttere acry of aurprise, and Mlonsig- nor fjuav ntnly recognized te Abb6 della Genga, to whom besaid, " WeareheTe upon thesameerrand; donot, I beeechyau my dear Della Genga, betray mne." Della Genga, though confoundedi byv the rencontre, yet said nothing that could comnpromise him- iself; aund as the Cardinal Colnacci, uncle to Gonzalvi, was an enemy not to be despied rh resoved to say nothing to the Pope of tlhe circumstance. Eitehor ten days afterwards Gonralvi tact Della f7enga as if by accident, and said to him, ",I hope you have kept my secret; My labours with his Holiness are drawing to a close, and youra wil not last mucht longer," &c. It would ba too long, and besideg too difficult, to follow all the turns ated doublings of' this Italian dialogue, in which all the resource of the keenest finesse were employed by these two Roman coturtiers : suffice it Co say that Gonzalvi p roved too muchi for the yeung Abbe, who let it escape, that the Pops'a researohbs uponz the G3erman bishopricks were nearly termhinated, and that when finished he should take up the subject of the noble chapters. A mqonth or so afterwards, Cardinal Colnacci to whiom Plus VI. was speak.. ing famrdliarly of his healtb~ said to the Pope, "1 Your Holiness'is indisposition snist, In a great measure, be attributed to the too se- vere application you give to your researches upon the Germaa churches.-"!-1 How upon the Germnan churches ?" replied the Pope ; ancl then entuedl a similar tortuous conversation to that be. twcen Gonzalvi and Della Genga, fall of apnarcat laisser oalkr, but 'real finesse; at the coniclusion of whichl thie Pope entreated the Car. cdinal to informa him how he had cmie to the knowledge of the fact. The Cardinial, who affected great reluctAnce allowed himself to be entreated for a long time, and at length told his Holiness, that fhe-yotng Abb46 della Genga had a miaisreas fromn whom he had no secret, andI that he told her that the subject of the noble chapters, would he taken no as soon as his 'Holiness had concluded that of the Germarf bishoprickcs. The Pope appeared to receive this disclosure with the utmfost inidifFerence, and only replied by a single expressiont, solite legerezze! That samneevening, aperson sta.. tioned in the private staircase saw the poor Abb della tiengaseeking anxiously-, but in vain, tor something on the growm d near the door Of the Pope's apartment-the little piece of pap . He at length knocked aoftly several times at the door of the Pope's chamber; hut It not being onenedAio himn, he went away at tlte end Of anU hour. ,The persons who were interested in preventing the Pope from adopt.. ing,-anew faveurite, soon becamne convinced, by the state of deep mnelancholy in which the Abb6 della Genga seemned plunged, that lie hadlastthe Pope's confidence. Whet her it were profound policy or mel grief, die Abbe della Gengpa appeared the veictim of sorrow and,diaappointment ; he even no longer appeared at the chnse,which had been hitherto almost hio ruling passion. This change was sufriciently ac4iounted for by the altera-tion in his prospects. HJe had neither wealth nor influenice, and yet, during an enitire year, there was no station at the Papal court to which he might not reawonably have lookod forward from the Pope's predilection for him. From the htight of these brilliant hopes he felfl all of a sudden into the x-ilcg of the ordinarT prelacy, with no other destination than thatof 'being the handsomest mnan amongst the Monisignoui. Thoug bit i4 from this class that the Pope sefects those aestined sLo fihlth highest offices, yet it mrt' and often has happened, that an individual mnay pass the Who e of his life as- a mere Monsji.. nore without appointmients or constideration. There were not probably four persons at the Court of Rome able to penetrate the ca. of the young Abb6 della Gesga's sudden mielancholy, a, he had sonfided the secret favour he enjoyed to no one; the only7 pursona acquainted with it were the Pope, C-ardinal Colnacci, and G9pnzalvi. For some months before this fatal sulrprise the Abb tIella Genga had been a constant visiter at the house of Madame PllEffer, who is still alive and reiding at Rome. The husband of this lady. General Pflfrer, had at tha.t time the commandi of the Swiss griardsof the Pope. It seems, if theoscandal of the " Eternal .Clty"s b~ worthy f ceit, that thie Abbe della Genga turned to come ad. vantge is isfrtue b pesuaingthe pretty Malauaue Pfiffer thathis rofond mlancoly as te result of ill.reqalted love. Altera lase o fou or ive onth, the reports of the asents of CadinalColnaci, wo hadneverceased to watch and "orate of te iherabot" f tre bbedella Genga, eonviniceerthe Cardinal beyond a doubft thlat there Ho longer existed any rels. tione between his Holiness and the Abb6; besides, the Pope was no longer seen to -retire to his private cabinet at those heairs in the evening which he -as formerly accastonmel to devote to his researche upo the German chuirches. It was in vain that the Abb6 derlla (ienga sought to draw upion himsgelf the eyes of Piusy VI. in the. public audiences or pronienaaes of that Pontiff. Alas!I for hbim there was'no speculation in those holy eyes. Whatever the re. siltoffhig asslduoua. attentions towards Madame Plifr'er had becen,the A-bbe's baiiitual' melancholy still 'remained in full force-; whien one evYening, about 9 O'clock, 12 or 13 months af'ter his disrace, a mian suddenly- accosted'buiimas he passed by the Fountain of Trevi, which is not far distant fromi the Quirinal Palace, at that timne the residence e, Pius VI. This peron asked' him abruptly.if he were villing to Ilillowx him;- the Abb rliea " Proceed.' T~he man immediAtely tok the dire'o fteurn. Palace, entered the grazcd portal glided swiftly an ietaog the imnmense portieo, and in a few minutesteAb,t i inexpressible, joy, fouild himaself at the feet ofthPoeWihuutrngasgl wrd, he threwhim.. self upohikne(hchin thshinr s the etiquette), ana burst into tas ycid elm h rt. uhwr h few and stimpl wrspounebyhis 'Holinesfoints u. try thiey are eeist rcilcuon and bavardgIntentae rLdations of life. The bbdell[a Genga; then narrate cireumstan, tially how he had been disoovered by Gonzalvi,an detailed at length the wilT, finesse resorted to afterwarsa to suprsehis disce.. tion. His Holiness listened for a considerable tiewtout once in, termpting him, and when lie had finished, sad "Isea that you 'pave-.not wilfully betrayed the confiden6ce I repsd nyen; you are ~oq much agitated tbis'eveaing toreueyrtak but return to. rrw'w,w night, and be diisereetL" TiporAb vsnearbbeonifng m)ad w.ith joy; for on qitting threQur lPl c,h hastened to the fiouseofMadamoPfil'h.Tr, where etstno a violent passion of tears, .nd pondrined weeping fer a considerable time. The onily words Madal.ft Pfilfer 'mdu1f get from him# were a miost vehement entreaty not to speak of 'the kstuation in'which 'she -saw himi to.antyofne. The next :day he resumed his occupations in the Pope's pirivate cabinet and. for fifteen days hiJs reparn to, favour remained unsuspected by a'ny one, he giving no outward sign of he n. icius hane, ut til cotinaing to weag the. same unelnabl atI sa~pintd 'ir,andvan refraining from dilm~chasa,: his ivouiteamutment Onr4y,howeer .pubIlecautllep% thePhr hadi~oficialy intmatedtor bm~ tb?Ie.shopQl_ rerairit ti,parakeof her ppaldiner.Ths snipeinssae-soundod hours the news of Ilis hlg3 faolir beeame the, talk ofl' ll-jl e. As the good fortrtne of the 'Abbe went'. on sapidlyrincresing, di enemles;weretobligedztornesort to the tost energetil nieaiures to Aed-' fpessihie, his career. They endavoured to alarathe Pope '3 ad'Ail3imciqn of his favour for the Abbe delitngen, by having -intlmat to hisl Hq!lnesN from variovs' Ouartas the great scandal jocasionerf by the Abbq'i attaphrnent to Madame Pfiffstu . Pius YIi 'onried"a conte,Mptuous ear to tnese t9e-: andabout a year or i8 m'nn :fth r rds fo 1s1v 'things proceed in this holy c6urt), his fHolineseone dayat dinner'wihere waspresent.the Abbf-"dela (eniga 3nmongst'other prelaes;seerng some fine paftridgeshbieoughtugion the table, said to his mnaster of the palace, " I shall not eat of these birds .to-day" theyappar to me, however, to beexcellent: take them, with mr respects, to nIad5m ePliffier." These words confounded and ron. ' ey4hoMeless tbe isutmies of the Abbe -It-is even sad that:Gozalvi benine rjddinlf siek, =nd'was obliged to retire front the table., The 6fvpurof lideli Geenga was 'now unbounded'; besides lia usual tice 'o?rs~ninctfng business with the -Nope. he lad neveral liours .'every *ecl''of isp'ate cnferencc wiLh'his Ioliuness. One day this 'Pnr3ce said te hut "-I feel myself hecodming'old and Infiiar and, 'if! ihouidba suiiddenltakern away, yon -wou2a find yoqrsifin a ~very oforittmate' sitiaotix; for' your intercst, thereforc,, we had better' no0 separate. RYot must enter into the Meer of lIeg. lion, whldhi swes.er'or later, .will bring you a. car4in's- aWt." It"waa'-ip Vailthet-the Ab. della-qnga who, '4ter'an ac quatinuice of fiur or five years, was elm pasalonately attlhied to -Madame Peliffr, besought his Holinese to permiit-bim to remain at Rome. TlTe'Tope 'alf siui to-him; '4-Yoa talk like , child . y0a re too'peor, and have too many enemies, tethink of re*isiainkg h ttere.'t1 Sooafter this c versation the legatien of Miunich becom. ag vaanty.the Abb6 delta. Genga was nominated to it; and the firt intimation he bad of.the circumstance was the bgi:6tto (official notice)ofhils appointment. Itissald thePopewas most dceplyaffected on takioKleave of him. Th'e sarificevwasnot nalight one on the part of Alonsgnere della Genga,-fori sincehis high favour, he had become a man ofttie world; and froin hisfinepergonamiablemanners, and cultivated mind, was a gener lfavourite, exceptwith those whose atn- Lbition he crossed, amongst the higher clases inRome.. Hisparting from MlsdamePfiffir wasthecruelest blorwof all, However 'tseffects seemed to have been mnore peranennt on slhe lady '(?iAose grie l formed the tittde.tattla of .Rome Efor some time) thtan on 'the lover; fob In a few months the intellgence, as xeeived tWim Mimieh, that the aniable legate was a diftinguiihcd favouritce9f theElee tiess. His time while at' Munich wai divided between the plea. BureM of the chasei plahitry, and ecclesiastical ai&irsi If public rum;ur is to be believed, he left behind him in that city three children, vho are still alive. However this may be, there if one thing certiia,. that the King of Bavaria, beinig at table ivhen the iuelligenee reached hina of Cardinal della Genga hiving been ele; vated' to the papal throne as 'Leo XIl., could not, fromn certain re- col7ettions flashing across his mind, refrain from making merry Wvth his courtiers on the occasion. As the election of Pius Vil., at Ven'ice In 1800, brought Cardinal Gonzalvias his .secreiaryof state, nto fll power, AMonsignoredella Gengajudged, andjudged rightly, that his occupatior as legate was gone; for shortly 'aftr he.-was recalled to Romue where he found pinself withoutoansildration or employment, t vwas then that his passion tor tie chase knew no limits; anFT he became the intimate friend of all the -Most famnous sportsmen in Ronme and the nejghbourhood.. EHowever, as ho - s still not without retensisons, and as many ptrels vaunted-his skDl in diplomatic aattirs, Cardinal Gonz4lvi reWlved to give a- death- blov to his reputation in th4t way, by charging bir Vitra miFsion, success in which should be ;mpossdble. The -ccasion, a! he thought, presented itself on the return, in'lql4, of the llourbons to rane. Alonsigaore della Genga was serat to congratul4te the ing of FRrance, and to endeavour to get him to renounce, in favopr of the Court of sore, certain aelvantages which-the Gallican cburch had laid claim to since the lied of Louis XIV., and the conflrmation of whieh'the Bmperot hadlobtained by his. fantous concordat. Alon- signore della GAenga., thus ch'arged w,iytl a supposed impossible mis- sion, arrived in Partsm 18in, and was not a aittle astonished to Alod that the French Governmnent was far from being averse to granting his demand. He immediately despatched a courier to Rome, ac qusinting Cardinal aongalvi vith his hopes. This error wasreg3rd ed here as one of the greatest he could he-ve been guilty of, and coi. pletely destroyed his reputatiou with the long heads of this country. Fromthat moTment ilonsigrnore della Genga vas 'set down as an Alourdi, altogether incapable of making his. way as a Aliplonatist. In this court a fault of that kind is neveripardoned, excused, or for. gotten. He should have written vaguely, and talked of the difficul. ties that obstrueted him, and not have despatebed a courier but with ths arrangement formally signed. Such aa unhoped-for ter. mination of so diflicalt an affrar must have forced his enemy to be- stow upon him the firstvacant CardinalsVhat. The moment Cardinal Gonzalvi received the despatch of the inconsiderate leg4te, he hast- ened to the Pope, and told him that he was under the neces- eity of immnediately setting out for Paris, as'without his ?resence the ailairs of the church were in jeopardy. At .omeFrancestandshigh. est in estimation, from the consideration whicb her adherencereflects upon the Holy See in Europe; Spain is chiefly valued on accoYnt of the money she pours into the papal coffers, and Catholic Germany is looked upon as a kind of rebellious state, which plays the same part as the Republic of Veniee did formerly. Four hours after the receipt of the imprudent despatch of Nonsignore deIa Genga, Cardinal Gonzalvi was whirling along the road to Paris. In the mean time the affairs of the church hail ggsie on so prosperously in the capital of France, that twelve or fourtean day after the de- parture of the fatal despatch, Mlonsignore deUa Genga was on the point of having the arrangement signed, when one morning, as he was preparing to go so the minister's, his carriage waiting for him at the door, he was surprised by the entrance of Cardinal Gon. zaivi, who embraced him and said-" I have come here, the affair being so important, to put the finishing hand to the concordat of thie Emperor." In less than a quarter of an hour, the Cardinal having receiyed all the necessary documents from the thunderstruck legate, got into his carriage, and drove to the Tuileries. A few minutes after his departure, the unfortunate legate fell bathed in his blood, a henior.hoidal hemorrhage having declared itself, which reduced bim to the point of death, and from which lie had little desire to escape. The physicians had him removed to M1o2ntrouge, where he recovered the iFnmediate effects of the accident, but this malady has never since oeased to afflict him, reducing him once a year at least to the last extremity. It was an attack of this kind that had nearly deprived us of his hioliness on the 24th of last December: upon which occasion Cardinal Galeffi administered to his Holiness the viaticum, a ceremony which Leo X[I. has under. gone no less than eighteen times since the fatal revolution in his system in 1814. T2H 4T#ESBNT POPE. LTTR ritOmmoMr:.