a closely packed knot of men intently listening
to him. The man held a paper in his hand,
which he read. His manner, attitude, and
earnestness indicated the interesting nature of
the document he was reading; but the reading
was received with thoughtful attention rather
than with excitement by the listening group.
There was no shouting, no noise, no disturbance.
The traffic of the street—one of the most
important thoroughfares in Florence—was not
interrupted. Citizens passed up and down on
their ordinary vocations; some joining the little
crowd of listeners, some passing on their way,
as if already acquainted with the contents of the
document.

If the observer's eye had wandered down
the street towards the Piazza, or up towards
the Cathedral, he would have seen, in either
direction, a precisely similar little crowd,
similarly engaged. It might have been remarked,
also, that as soon as each paper was read to an
end, the hearers very quietly separated about
their business; while the reader in the centre
remained there about his business, which was to
recommence reading his paper to a new audience,
that failed not, in a minute or so, to replace the
congregation just dismissed. The same constant
succession of audience was kept up around the
other two readers. And, if the observer had
had patience to stand out a succession of some
dozen congregations, he would have seen that
the lecturer was then relieved. Another reader
took his place, to whom the document was
handed, and he proceeded as before. The
constant succession of audiences was unbroken at
all the three groups. This went on from
between one and two to between five and six in
the afternoon.

Meanwhile all the ordinary gay sunshine life
of Florence proceeded precisely as usual. The
ladies were driving out in the Cascine, our
Florentine Hyde Park; the shops were doing
their accustomed trade; and the only sign of
governmental action was that the ministry
were sitting "in permanence."

The document thus perseveringly published to
the Florentine people was merely an announcement
that the moment was come for a final
struggle for Italian freedom; a few warm words,
pointing out that Tuscany could never consent
that the good fight for this holy cause should
be fought for the common weal of Italy without
her, and an exhortation to a careful avoidance
of anything like riot, disorder, orintimidation
of their rulers.

                    IV.   PORCELLINO.

THE "sweet hour of gloaming," the Ave
Maria, as the Italians call the sunset hour, the
poet's "hour of prayer and hour of love," is
also the Tuscan trooper's favourite time for his
stroll and drink, outside one of the gates of the
city. And, just beyond that of San Gallo, leading
to the Bologna road, there is a humble
hostelry, where some two or three score of the
warriors whose steeds drink of the Arno, may
often be seen solacing their martial hearts with
one-half of a water ice—price in its entirety
twopence-halfpenny—with a thimbleful of
rosoglio, or a tiny cup of coffee.

But, on the evening of the 26th—much about
the time when those interminable relays of
preachers and congregations under the shadow
of Or' San Michele did at last come to a
conclusion—it happened that not two or three score
as usual, but about twice as many hundreds of
soldiers were assembled outside the San Gallo
Gate. And it did occur that a very large number
of citizens of all ranks and classes took their
evening walk also outside the San Gallo Gate.
Printed bills were circulated from hand to hand,
freely distributed, and placarded on the walls,
addressed, "Soldiers, fellow-citizens, brothers!"
This appeal to the army expressed the confidence
felt by the country that the troops were as
zealous for the cause of Italian liberation as
any of their fellow-countrymen. But, far from
seeking to excite, its chief scope seemed to be
to moderate and restrain excessive enthusiasm:

Let every man remain faithful to his flag; and
never miss a single roll call. The Piedmontese army
expects you; but not in small parties and in detail.
It expects you as one entire body of twelve thousand
brave fellows. In the mean time then, be models of
discipline in barracks, as, when the great day shall
have come, you will be models of valour and
endurance on the field. When that day shall come,
if your orders shall be, Soldiers of Italy, go to battle
for Italian independence! you will go, and we will go
with you. But if it should be intended to keep
your swords in the scabbards when your country is
in danger, let your answer be that such a course
would be your and our disgrace; that they who
order it are enemies of Italy, and allies of Austria;
and that every compact is broken between you and
them; that the Italian soldier is observant of
discipline, but will not be made an instrument of
tyranny. Let the shame and the mischief of such a
course be theirs—not yours nor ours. Meanwhile,
until the cannon of our Piedmontese brothers shall
have given the signal, Prudence! Moderation!
Order! Our word shall be, Brotherhood between
the troops and the people! Let yours be, Order in
the barrack! Courage in the field! No neutrality,
and War against Austria!

The Porta San Gallo opens in the dense
neighbourhood of the largest and longest street in
the city, leading direct from the walls to the
open space around the cathedral. Passing this,
another principal thoroughfare continues the
straight line to the great Piazza and the heart of
old Florence. On that evening of the 26th of
April the whole of the line was thronged by a
close procession, in which every soldier marched
arm in arm between two civilians. The numbers
were great, and the occasion was in the highest
degree exciting. But the most timid lady
on foot would have met that procession
unalarmed. Two or three of the Grand-Ducal
carriages, returning from the Pitti Palace, did
meet it. The mass of mingled uniforms,
black coats, and brown jackets, opened for
them to pass in peace, and no cry or word
escaped from the crowd to indicate a feeling
of animosity or a wish to insult. Englishmen
and English soldiers may be inclined