Arrived at the foot of the fortress wall, the foremost of the people began calling out to the soldiers, “Abbasso l’Austria!  Siete per Italia o per l’Austria?” I did not—­and it is significant—­hear any cries of “Abbasso il Gran Duca!” The soldiers, as far as I could see at that distance, appeared to be lazily laughing at the people.  One man called out “Ecco un bel muro per fracassare il capo contro!”—­“That is an excellent wall to break your heads against!” It was very plain that they had no intention of making any hostile demonstration against the crowd.  At the same time there was no sort of manifestation of any inclination to fraternise with the revolutionists.  They were simply waiting to see how matters would go; and under the circumstances they can hardly be severely blamed for doing so.  But there can be no doubt that, whichever way things might go, their view of the matter would be strongly influenced by the very decided opinion that that course would be best which should not imply the necessity for doing anything.  I think that the feeling generally in “the army,” if such it could be called, was on the whole kindly to the Grand Duke, but not to the extent of being willing to fight anybody, least of all the Florentines, in his defence!

How matters did go it is not necessary to tell here.  If ever there was a revolution “made with rose-water,” it was the revolution which deposed the poor gran ciuco.  I don’t think it cost any human being in all Florence a scratch or a bloody nose.  It cost an enormous amount of talking and screaming, but nothing else.  At the same time it is fair to remember that the popular leaders could not be sure that matters might not have taken another turn, and that it might have gone hard with some of them.  In any case, however, it would not have gone very hard with any of them.  Probably exile would have been the worst fate meted out to them.  It is true that exile from Tuscany just then would have been attended by a similar difficulty to that which caused the old Scotch lady, when urged to run during an earthquake, to reply, “Ay! but whar wull I run to?”

I do not think there was any bitter, or much even unkind, feeling on the part of the citizens towards the sovereign against whom they rebelled.  If any fact or circumstance could be found which was calculated to hold him up to ridicule, it was eagerly laid hold of, but there was no fiercer feeling.

A report was spread during the days that immediately followed the Duke’s departure that orders had been given to the officers in the upper fortress to turn their cannon on the city at the first sign of rising.  Such reports were very acceptable to those who for political purposes would fain have seen somewhat of stronger feeling against the Duke.  I have good reason to believe that such orders had been given.  But I have still stronger reasons for doubting that they were ever given by the Grand Duke.  And I am surest of all, that let them have been given by whom they may, there was not the smallest chance of their being obeyed.  As for the Duke himself, I am very sure that he would have given or even done much to prevent any such catastrophe.