sworn enemies and executioners,—­Poland, abandoned by the governments and the nations, lay in agony on her solitary Golgotha.  She was believed slain, dead, burred.  ‘We have slain her,’ shouted the despots; ‘she is dead!’ [No, no! long live Poland!] ‘The dead cannot rise again,’ replied the diplomatists; ‘we may now be tranquil.’ [A universal shudder of feeling in the crowd.] There came a moment in which the world doubted of the mercy and justice of the Omnipotent.  There was a moment in which the nations thought that the earth might be for ever abandoned by God, and condemned to the rule of the demon, its ancient lord.  The nations forgot that Jesus Christ came down from heaven to give liberty and peace to the earth.  The nations had forgotten all this.  But God is just.  The voice of Pius IX. roused Italy. [Long live Pius IX.!] The people of Paris have driven out the great traitor against the cause of the nations. [Bravo!  Viva the people of Paris!] Very soon will be heard the voice of Poland.  Poland will rise again! [Yes, yes!  Poland will rise again!] Poland will call to life all the Slavonic races,—­the Croats, the Dalmatians, the Bohemians, the Moravians, the Illyrians.  These will form the bulwark against the tyrant of the North. [Great applause.] They will close for ever the way against the barbarians of the North,—­destroyers of liberty and of civilization.  Poland is called to do more yet:  Poland, as crucified nation, is risen again, and called to serve her sister nations.  The will of God is, that Christianity should become in Poland, and through Poland elsewhere, no more a dead letter of the law, but the living law of states and civil associations;—­[Great applause;]—­that Christianity should be manifested by acts, the sacrifices of generosity and liberality.  This Christianity is not new to you, Florentines; your ancient republic knew and has acted upon it:  it is time that the same spirit should make to itself a larger sphere.  The will of God is that the nations should act towards one another as neighbors,—­as brothers. [A tumult of applause.] And you, Tuscans, have to-day done an act of Christian brotherhood.  Receiving thus foreign, unknown pilgrims, who go to defy the greatest powers of the earth, you have in us saluted only what is in us of spiritual and immortal,—­our faith and our patriotism. [Applause.] We thank you; and we will now go into the church to thank God.”

“All the people then followed the Poles to the church of Santa Croce, where was sung the Benedictus Dominus, and amid the memorials of the greatness of Italy collected in that temple was forged more strongly the chain of sympathy and of union between two nations, sisters in misfortune and in glory.”

This speech and its reception, literally translated from the journal of the day, show how pleasant it is on great occasions to be brought in contact with this people, so full of natural eloquence and of lively sensibility to what is great and beautiful.