All has been said that can be said against the
Popes. A man who pretends to originality should not lend his
voice to the chorus of brawling reformers. Remember, too,
that the Government of this country, though very mild and
very paternal, never forgives! Even if it wished to do so,
it cannot. It must defend its principle, which is sacred.
Don't close the gates of Rome against yourself. You will be
so glad to revisit it, and we shall be so happy to receive
you again! If you wish to support a new and original theme,
and to gain fame which will not be wholly unprofitable, dare
to declare boldly that everything is good--even that which
all agree to pronounce bad. Praise without restriction an
order of things which has been solidly maintained for
eighteen centuries. Prove that everything here is firmly
established, and that the network of pontifical institutions
is linked together by a powerful logic. Bravely resist those
aspirations after reform which may haply urge you to demand
such and such changes. Remember that you cannot disturb old
constitutions with impunity; that the displacement of a
single stone may bring down the whole edifice. How do you
know, that the particular abuse which most offends you is
not absolutely necessary to the very existence of Rome? Good
and evil mixed together form a cement more durable than the
elaborately selected materials of which modern utopias are
made.
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