General Serrurier, as commander of the blockade, received Klenau, the bearer of Wurmser’s message, and heard him state, with the pardonable artifice usual on such occasions, that his master was still in a condition to hold out considerably longer, unless honourable terms were granted.  Napoleon had hitherto been seated in a corner of the tent wrapped in his cloak; he now advanced to the Austrian, who had no suspicion in whose presence he had been speaking, and taking his pen, wrote down the conditions which he was willing to grant.  “These,” said he, “are the terms to which your general’s bravery entitles him.  He may have them to-day; a week, a month hence, he shall have no worse.  Meantime, tell him that General Buonaparte is about to set out for Rome.”  The envoy now recognised Napoleon; and on reading the paper perceived that the proposed terms were more liberal than he had dared to hope for.  The capitulation was forthwith signed.

On the 2nd of February, Wurmser and his garrison marched out of Mantua; but when the aged chief was to surrender his sword, he found only Serrurier ready to receive it.  Napoleon’s generosity, in avoiding being present personally to witness the humiliation of this distinguished veteran, forms one of the most pleasing traits in his story.  The Directory had urged him to far different conduct.  He treated their suggestions with scorn:  “I have granted the Austrian,” he wrote to them, “such terms as were, in my judgment, due to a brave and honourable enemy, and to the dignity of the French Republic.”

The loss of the Austrians at Mantua amounted, first and last, to not less than 27,000 men.  Besides innumerable military stores, upwards of 500 brass cannon fell into the hands of the conqueror; and Augereau was sent to Paris, to present the Directory with sixty stands of colours.  He was received with tumults of exultation, such as might have been expected, on an occasion so glorious, from a people less vivacious than the French.

The surrender of Provera and Wurmser, following the total rout of Alvinzi, placed Lombardy wholly in the hands of Napoleon; and he now found leisure to avenge himself on the Pope for those hostile demonstrations which, as yet, he had been contented to hold in check.  The terror with which the priestly court of the Vatican received the tidings of the utter destruction of the Austrian army, and of the irresistible conqueror’s march southwards, did not prevent the Papal troops from making some efforts to defend the territories of the Holy See.  General Victor, with 4000 French and as many Lombards, advanced upon the route of Imola.  A Papal force, in numbers about equal, lay encamped on the river Senio in front of that town.  Monks with crucifixes in their hands, ran through the lines, exciting them to fight bravely for their country and their Faith.  The French general, by a rapid movement, threw his horse across the stream a league or two higher up, and then charged with his infantry through the