BLIGHTING EFFECTS OF PAPAL RULE. 47

and point out each heap of ordure, would he a sickening anda tedious task. There is no law, no usage, no administra-tion, in any department of the Papal government, which isnot as bad and injurious to social order and happiness as themost perverse, ignorant, and barbarous cowards could pos-sibly devise. The interference of the government is a cer-tain blight, and it interferes with every thing. I havespoken of the impunity for murderers—but ten years hardlabour in the gallies, is the punishment for carrying a knifeabout the person! A young nobleman was actually con-demned to ten years at the galleys for carrying a sword-stick, while, at least, a dozen murderers had escaped withimpunity during the period of his trial! All tavern-keepers,and even private persons, have often been obliged by somecapricious order, to grind off the points of their table knives!The police force called Sbirri, mostly pardoned assassins,loaded with grotesque arms and habiliments, compose, atonce, a most ferocious and inefficient band. The strongestmedley of summary arbitrary inflictions, tedious trials,capricious cruelty, and general impunity in the worst ofcases, has been concocted from the inverted intellects ofthose priestly marplot legislators. On the same day thatMarianino d’Albani abstracted the murderer I have abovespoken of, in one of the Cardinal’s carriages, a man who inself-defence had killed another in a church, I saw executed atthe,bridge of St. Angelo in the following manner:—A largetable was formed of planks and trestles, about five feet high.The patient being placed on his knees, a sbirro, standingbehind, struck him on the temple with a short, knob-headed stick, called a mazzuola, as butchers fell an ox. Thesbirro then drew his stilo and cut the wretch’s throat from| ear to ear ! From the very spot on which the scene waslading, two murderers were to be seen quietly looking on,under cover of the sanctuary of a neighbouring church