mary manner, which added greatly to the number of malcontents; who publicly reproached Theodore with tyranny, and afferted, in the bitterness of their indignation, that the yoke of the republicans was comparatively light to that of an abfolute

monarch.

A fudden change now took place in the temper and difpofition of his fubjects; and the king found himself abandoned even by the greater part of his foldiers. In fhort, those only remained attached to him on whom he had beftowed offices and appointments.

He now, in his turn, began to change his conduct. He told those about him, that he was determined, in future, to make his glory and happiness confift in the public felicity: he, on all occafions, affected popularity; affifted the poor, and gave ready audience, and promifed immediate redrefs to the meaneft of his fubjects, who happened to be oppreffed. He also endeavoured to gain the clergy over to his interefts by means of promises of fupport and protection; but as it was evident that his power began to totter, they rejected all his advances. Befides, the armament then fitting out by Genoa, was reputed to be powerful, and they were defirous to make their peace with the strongest party, even at the expence of their country.

In this critical fituation, his fole reliance was in the immediate arrival of 6000 Albamans, under the command of the famous Kurafa; but he foon learned that they had entered into the service of the king of the two Sicilies. In addition to this intelligence, the fituation of the Ottoman Porte, now engaged in a.conteft with the Ruffians and Imperialifts, was such that he could not expect any further fuccour from that quarter.

Thus buffetted by fortune on every fide, difappointed in all his resources, and furrounded by a mutinous people, he at length determined to quit Corfica:-not, however, as a fugitive king, but with the full and entire confent of his fubjects. In confequence of this refolution, which was ineffectually oppofed by the courtiers, he iffued letters for convoking a general affembly. All the pieves, or diftricts, not in the poffeffion of the Genoefe, fent deputies thither; and it was to the full as numer

ous as that which had conferred the crown. Theodore entered the hall in which the ftates were to deliberate, and afcending the fteps, which led to the royal chair, feated himself in the midst of them. A profound filence having now taken place, he rofe, with an air of dignity, and delivered an harangue, fo well adapted to the occafion, as to make a great and lasting impresfion on his auditors.

He began by obferving, that having been difappointed in the fuccours he expected, he was about to depart, with a view to folicit them in perfon; and that he intended to nominate a council of regency during his abfence. He then exhorted them, "to remain faithful and loyal to their fovereign, and no longer to difgrace themselves by feditions, as, in that cafe, he would forfake them for ever, and ceafe to recognise them as his fubjects." He added, "that in accepting the crown he entertained no other ambition than that of enfranchifing them, at the expence of his repofe, and even of his life, from the tyranny of the Genoefe, under which they had fo long groaned; and it was painful for him to remark, that they themselves formed the chief obftacle to the completion of his withes. Royalty, confidered by itself, had no charms in his eyes; he was ready to refume his former rank without regret; and although his finances were exhaufted, he still poffeffed an intrepid mind, that could fcorn the rigours of poverty, and glory in refembling the Fabricii of antiquity, who confidered honour and virtue as their fole treasure."

This fhort oration, added to the misfortunes of their princemisfortunes which they now accused themselves of having created, or at leaft augmented-produced a fudden effect on the affembly, the members of which inftantly arofe, as if by unanimous confent, offered to renew the oath of fidelity, and promifed to fpill the laft drop of their blood in his defence.

Theodore, however, being fufpicious of the promises of an inconftant people, was not to be moved. On the contrary, by an edict promulged at Sartena, November 14, he conferred the regency on the following nobles:

The

The Marquis HIACENTE DE PAOLI, and

The Marquis Don LOUIS GIAFFERI,

who were termed marshals-general of the kingdom.
The Marquis LUCAS ORNANO.

The Count JOHN FELIX PONZONI.

The Count DURAZZI.

The Chevalier ANTONIO SUZINI D'AULLE.

The Count MARI.

The Chevalier FERNANDI.

The Count PUILLICIO.

The Count CASABIANCA,

Colonel SAMPIERI.

The Chevalier LERAVALLE,

The Count SUCINI.

The Marquis MATRA.

The Count PETER GAFFORI,

Colonel CORONI.

Colonel MATTEIDE NILO.

The Count AMBROSI.

The Count LAZZELOTTI.

The Count NATOLI.

The Chevalier FELIX DE PIETRALBA,

General GRALLOUD.

General PAETTI.

The Chevalier CUTTOLI.

The Count PERALDI.

The Chevalier GUAGNO,

The Sieur DOMINIQUE TOMASINI, and

The Sieur AMBROSE PIULICI.

That, on which Theodore took his departure, was a day of mourning to the Corficans. All the nobles accompanied him to the port of Aleria, where he had difembarked only eight months before. There he harangued them again; and, after having enjoined the fcrupulous obfervance of his regulations, he went on board a little veffel, that had been prepared for him beforehand, and inftantly fet fail for Conftantinople.

On his arrival in that city, he found the Turks too much occupied about the war in Hungary, to attend to his folicita

tions; and he foon deemed it prudent to remove. However, as the Genoefe had fet a price upon his head, it now becaine neceffary to difguife himself, for a time, in fuch a manner as to escape affaffination.

His adventures, during two years, are, on this account, rather gueffed at than known. He is reported, at one time, to have affumed the habit of an abbé, and to have appeared in Livonia; at another to have revifited Florence, where he received foine temporary relief from the munificence of a few generous Englifhmen. If we believe fome, he repaired to Paris, and was ordered to depart from France within the space of twenty-four hours. He then embarked at Rouen, and arrived at Amfterdam, accompanied by four Italian fervants: there, we are told, he was arrested for 16,000 florins; but, being foon after liberated, was feized at Naples, in the houfe of the Dutch conful, and fent prifoner to the fortrefs of Cueta.

We are informed, by the gentleman ufually confidered as his fon*, that the war which enfued on the death of the empe ror, appearing favourable to his interefts, he determined to appear once more on the political stage; and accordingly repaired to Great Britain, with a view to point out the advantages arising to a maritime power from the poffeffion of Corfica. Nay, we are affured, that he was actually fent on board a frigate to the Mediterranean; but, as the admiral who commanded our fleet there did not think proper to give him any support, he folicited leave to be landed at Leghorn, and from that place repaired to Sienna, and then returned to London.

We, however, confider all this period of Theodore's history as the region of conjecture; and return to that portion of his narrative founded on facts.

Certain it is that he appeared in London in 1748-9, and lived in lodgings in Mount-ftreet, Grofvenór-fquare; and that, having contracted fome debts to the amount of 450l. he was arrested, and conveyed to the King's-bench prifon +. There *See Memoires de Corfe, p. 152.

The debts in question are faid to have been incurred, and the imprisonment to have enfued, in confequence of the agency of the Genoefe minifter in London, who forefaw, that by this me he would put an end to the claims of Theodore upon Corfica at a very trifling expence.

he

he was for fome time fupported by the charitable donations of individuals. Among these were the earl of Granville and the countefs of Yarmouth; a few merchants in the city promoted a fubfcription for him; and Horace Walpole, afterwards lord Orford, wrote a paper in the "World" (No. VIII, Thursday February 22, 1753), with this motto:

in his behalf.

"DATE OBOLUM BELISARIO,"

This prince,' fays he, (on whofe hiftory I fhall not at prefent enlarge) after having bravely expofed his life and crown in defence of the rights of his fubje&ts, mifcarried, as Cato and other patriot heroes did before him. For many years he ftruggled with fortune, and left no means untried which indefatigable policy or folicitation of fuccours could attempt, to recover his crown. At laft, when he had discharged his duty to his fubjects and himself, he chofe this country for his retirement; not to indulge a voluptuous inglorious ease, but to enjoy the participation of those bleffings which he had so vainly endeavoured to fix on his Corficans. Here, for fome months, he bore with more philofophic dignity the lofs of his crown, than Charles V. Cafimir of Poland, or any of thofe philofophic vifionaries, who wantonly refigned theirs in order to partake the fluggish indolence, and, at length, the difquiets of a cloifter.

Theodore, though refigned to his fortunes, had none of that contemptible apathy which almoft lifted our James II. to the fupreme honour of monkish fainthood. It is recorded of that prince, that talking to his courtiers at St. Germain, he wifhed for a speedy peace between France and Great Britain; "for then," faid he, "we fhali get English horses eatily."

'The veracity of an hiftorian obliges me not to difguife the bad fituation of his Corfican majefty's revenue, which has reduced him to be a prifoner for debt in the king's-bench prifon; and fo cruelly has fortune exercifed her rigours upon him, that laft feflion of parliament he was examined before a committee of the houfe of Commons, on the hardships to which the prifoners in that gaol had been fubject. Yet let not ill-nature make sport with thefe misfortunes! His majefty had nothing to

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