[Born at Bologna, in Italy, 1809. Still living.]
At the age of 16, entered the religious order of St. Barnabas.
Subsequently appointed Professor of Rhetoric at Naples. Upon the
accession of Pope Pius IX. to the pontifical chair, Gavazzi warmly
upheld the liberal policy then announced by the head of the Catholic
Church. He was the “Peter the Hermit” of the crusade in Lombardy against
Austria in 1848: and shared the dangers of the troops, whom he animated
by his eloquence. Upon the entry of the French under Oudinot into Rome,
Gavazzi quitted Italy with the patriots. He has since lived in London,
where his extraordinary political discourses have created a marked
impression upon his listeners. His oratory is adapted to large masses,
his memoir is extraordinary, and his manner exceedingly picturesque and
striking. He is not a scholar, and his patriotism is not of the kind
that suffers by defeat. Gavazzi makes a good income as a popular
preacher. Mazzini lives upon a crust.
[This bust is by Piericcini.]
SCIENTIFIC MEN AND WRITERS.