public or a monarchy, is wholly owing to the Church of Rome.
"She has, indeed, acquired in it an empire and a temporal power, but she has never been powerful enough to gain possession of the rest of Italy, and acquire the sovereignty of the whole. Her political weakness has, on the contrary, been such, that apprehending the loss of her temporal territories, she has had recourse to foreign powers to defend her states against the neighbour whom she dreaded. This has often happened. She invited Charlemagne to drive out the Lombards, who were already kings of all Italy; and, in our time, she weakened the power of the Venetians by the aid of France, and afterwards expelled the French by the aid of the Swiss.
"The Church, therefore, having never been powerful enough to subjugate all Italy, and having prevented any other from occupying it, has been the cause of this country's never being united under one chief, but continued divided amongst a great number of petty princes. Such is the
