_CHAPTER XL_.
_A TRUE BISHOP_.
Followed by Rinaldo and the French Counts, the Emperor entered histent, chafing angrily at the announcement that the King had gone.
"He imagines that he has acted royally," said Barbarossa; "is it notridiculous to think that peace is endangered, because one of us came tothe bridge a little later than the other? But how is it with the chiefarticle of the treaty? Will the Cardinal Roland be present at thecouncil?"
"The Archbishop of Tarantasia will give you every explanation on thispoint, Sire," replied the Count of Champagne. "All that I know is, thathe refused the royal invitation."
"The invitation! What does this mean? Do you think that Roland can beinfluenced by an invitation? You will be good enough to remember, myLord, that in our treaty, sworn to by you in the name of your King, itwas stipulated that Roland should be forced to appear before hisjudges."
"Most certainly, Sire; and I will perform what I have promised; but Icannot oblige the King to do as much."
"Still it is the only way to prevent him from violating his oath,"added William of Nevers.
There was a pause, Frederic's brow darkened, and his eye cast athreatening glance towards France.
"It is evident," he resumed, "that Louis hopes to deceive us, but wewill not permit it. The king of France will learn that no one can, withimpunity, baffle the plans of the mightiest nation of the earth!Chosen, by the grace of God, to protect the Church, it is our duty toestablish order and even to punish kings! Count, you will freelyexpress to your sovereign our discontent.--We insist on his executingevery article of the treaty which he has sworn to.--Remember that youhave pledged yourself to bring the Cardinal Roland before the Council,either with or without his consent. If the King of France desires, asardently as we do, to promote the peace and well-being of the Church,he will spare neither entreaties nor threats to decide the Frenchbishops to take part in the Council. The non-observance of the mostinsignificant clause, in a solemn treaty, will be looked upon by us asa declaration of war. We will invade the country, and we will compelthe King not to leave the Church and his subjects in the hands of a fewbigoted fanatics. My lord Chancellor, order this message to be writtenand sealed."
Dassel bowed and left the tent, well satisfied with his master'senergy.
"You will perfectly understand, my lords," said Barbarossa, suddenlychanging his tone, "that we receive the Archbishop as an envoy from theKing of France, and not as Roland's messenger."
The French nobles left, with Rinaldo, to be presented to the Germanprinces.
"What a mixture of weakness and bravado!" said the Emperor to himself."I shall regret a war, but, at any cost, France must cease to be theprotectress of the Pope."
His soliloquy was interrupted by the entrance of the Archbishop, whosenoble and saintly appearance produced a great impression upon themonarch. Accustomed to see the prelates of his Court covered withfinery and sumptuous robes, he was surprised at the Archbishop's simpleand unpretending attire. Although well versed in the religious customsof the day, and aware of the wide-spread reputation of Peter ofTarantasia, Frederic was surprised at the inward emotion which heexperienced at their meeting. On the other hand, the prelateappreciated the Emperor's position, and knew his hostile intentionstowards the Church,--but he gazed calmly upon him, as though he wouldread his inmost thoughts.
"I am happy to be able to know you personally, worthy father," saidBarbarossa, as he invited the prelate to be seated. "I have heard somuch in your praise that I can only desire that all our prelates wouldtake you as their model. Allow me to say one word: I know that Rolandhas refused our invitation. I should have been prepared for it; somecharacters are emboldened rather than subdued by danger. Still I amcurious to learn the motives which have dictated his refusal."
"The motives were not invented by him, Sire. Our Holy Church teachesthat her chief cannot submit to any earthly tribunal."
"In this I recognize the Cardinal's pride!"
"The Holy Father implores you to persecute the Church no more; itgrieves him to see everywhere the laxity of morals, the universaldiscord which has been produced by your fault. He complains, above all,that you leave certain episcopal seats vacant, or else that you conferthem upon men who are under ecclesiastical censure."
"Naturally we do not choose Alexander's partisans for Bishops. Thiswould be only to warm the viper in our breast. But I am wrong inexcusing myself to one who is accused; it is contrary to reason. If wewere willing to apologize to Pope Alexander for all the insinuationswhich he has made against us, our honor would not support the trial!"
Frederic spoke with much bitterness and rose to indicate that theaudience was at an end. The prelate remained quietly seated; heunderstood Barbarossa's disposition perfectly, and he regretted to seeso influential a sovereign follow a course which could not but causegreat evils to Christendom. He deplored the fatal consequences whichwere inevitable, and he endeavored to make them evident in terms thenovelty of which must have surprised the Emperor.
"Your Majesty is right in insisting upon the recognition of theImperial supremacy. But cannot the Holy Father solicit a similar favor;that is, the acknowledgment of his spiritual independence?"
"Doubtless! We have no pretensions to interfere in any way with Papalmatters."
"Still, you do interfere with them in the most outrageous manner!The vicar of Jesus Christ has scarcely place on earth to rest hisfeet! Everything has become Imperial: we have Imperial bishops,Imperial convents, Imperial abbots, and, in the schools, Imperialinstructions!--If that be just, what need is there for a Pope?"
This striking truth, uttered with perfect calmness, scarcely awakened amemory in Frederic's soul.
"Your reasoning," he replied, "is false and unjust at the same time!The whole earth belongs to the Pope, and he can cast his fisherman'snet where it may please him; we, the protector of the Church, willcertainly not hinder him."
"Yes, you will allow him to act so long as he is obedient to yourorders; but if the Pope should wish to be his own master, if he shouldwish to reign independent of all human control, what would happenthen?"
"There is but one sovereign lord upon earth," said the Emperor,proudly; "the laws are only the expression of his will, and all powerexists by it alone!"
"It may be so for earthly concerns; but for spiritual matters, God haschosen another sovereign, the chief of religious unity, the supremeshepherd of Christianity--the Pope!"
"The Emperor also belongs to the fold of the faithful," said Frederic,quickly, "so that the Pope must be the Emperor's shepherd, hisspiritual father; am I not right?"
"Most certainly; God said to the first Pope, 'Feed my sheep;' he madeno exception to the Emperor."
"And yet the Roman Emperor bore the title of _pontifex maximus_! How doyou explain that, my lord Archbishop?"
"The Roman emperors were pagans."
"Be it so; I am and will be entirely a Roman emperor!"
"A pagan head on a Christian body!"
"No!" answered Barbarossa; "but go to Byzantium; examine the _Pandects_of Justinian; you will see there that an alliance may exist between apagan on the throne and Christianity."
"You support yourself on Justinian? but what was Justinian's code? Wasit not the destruction of all liberty, the abrogation of every right ofhumanity? Great God!" added the illustrious prelate, standingsorrowfully before the Emperor, "what error! what peril! But the Popehas not yet worn the yoke of slavery; the nations of the Christianworld will not permit it."
"Very well! But if, in case of disunion, the people leaned towards thespiritual, it would be easy to lessen the Emperor's person, andoverthrow the tyrant."
"One moment, Sire; you give an incorrect interpretation to our meaning.The father of the faithful ought to oppose all those who wish toexercise tyranny and oppression. The Gospel delivered mankind from theslavery imposed upon it by paganism. Believe me," added the old man, ina prophetic tone, "th
e day that the Popes shall cease to protectliberty, anarchy and revolution will convulse the world."
Barbarossa shook his head with an incredulous and discontented air.
"The Emperor of the East has no Pope," he replied, "and yet he reignspeacefully."
"You are again in error, Sire! Mark attentively what is going on inByzantium. What do you see there? An exhausted and dying kingdom, aweak and corrupt clergy, a host of ecclesiastics knowing no law but theImperial will; an effeminate people without morals, and puffed up withvanity and servile ideas. Is this the state to which you would reduceyour brilliant Empire?"
"You exaggerate; matters are scarcely in so bad a state as that."
"Ah, Sire! they are in an infinitely worse condition. Great God! I seeit now; Salisbury was right!--I deplore it, but he was right."
"Salisbury!" said Barbarossa, starting, for he had a great respect forthis illustrious scholar. "May I ask in what he was right?"
Peter sighed deeply.
"Why do you hesitate, my lord Archbishop? You know the opinion which awise man entertains of our actions; why then do you seek to conceal itfrom us?"
"Salisbury occasionally writes to me, Sire," said Peter, with anembarrassed manner.
"Well, what has he written about us?"
"I received his letter a few days since," replied the prelate, drawinga parchment from his bosom; "it contains a dissertation upon thepresent condition of the Church, and particularly upon your designs.But it tells me no more than your Majesty himself has just stated,still I was unwilling to believe it."
"Speak!"
"You will it so; make up your mind then to listen to some bittertruths.--
"Led astray by the principles of the Justinian Code, Frederic dreams ofthe renewal of the brilliant Roman empire in its complete and mostdeceitful form. Either he does not understand the great ChristianEmpire, or it is insufficient to gratify his pride. He has less desireto be the protector of the Church than to be her master. The Pope muststeer St. Peter's boat according to the Emperor's will; the bishopsmust be nothing but abbots of the Empire, and religion must besubordinate to the ends which the Government proposes. As he hasdestroyed the free life of the Church, so does he subvert the libertiesof the people. Instead of preserving the ancient manners and customs ofhis people as is his duty, his plan contemplates the reorganizing ofeverything. If this Emperor ever succeeds in his designs, it will be bythe abolition of all independence. Still, what prince could be comparedwith Frederic before he became a tyrant, and from a Catholic Emperordegenerated into a schismatic?'"
Frederic heard this discourse with marked astonishment, and more thanonce was on the point of interrupting; at last, at the word schismatic,he colored with anger, and exclaimed,--
"Enough! the letter of this learned personage is full of exaggerations!The name of schismatic cast in our teeth seems to be looked upon as anexcuse for everything.--Because Victor's humility seemed to us moreworthy of the Holy See than Roland's pride, we are called the destroyerof Church liberty!"
"Pardon me, Sire, it is my duty to say a few words in reply," remarkedPeter. "You speak of Victor's humility, but Victor is, after all, yourcreature; a plaything which your breath sends whither it will; a puppetwhich you have chosen to obey all your caprices:--And should Victor bethe supreme Head of Christendom?"
Barbarossa was confused by such language. The old man's frankness, hiscalmness and dignity, obliged him to listen. There was no animation inhis manner, but his clear voice sorrowfully expressed his feeling ofduty.
Barbarossa looked at him in silence.
"You will acknowledge, Sire, that the Pope must be free and independentto discharge his ministry. What would become of an enslaved Church,dependent upon the will of a temporal ruler? Great God! to whatbaseness would she not be obliged to descend; what infamous enormitieswould she not have to sanction, under the pretext of State policy! Areligion which acts in the interest of human passions insteadof opposing their indulgence, could not aid in the salvation ofsouls--Everything would be subverted; sin would invade the whole world,and would extinguish Christ's holy light, and with it all faith, alldesire, all power of good!--And this," concluded the prelate, withenergy, "this is the state of degradation to which you would reduce aChurch which has existed for a thousand years!"
The Archbishop had risen, and stood before the Emperor like a prophetof old.
"It is well! enough of this; we understand independence, but withincertain limits."
"It is not independence, but duty which dictated my words, Sire! Maythis appeal of an aged prelate, ready to appear at the judgment-seat ofGod, not be lost upon you! It is more difficult to speak the truth toprinces than to conceal it. I have told you naught but the truth. MayHeaven in its mercy enlighten your Majesty!"
The Archbishop bowed, and left the room.
"By my faith!" cried Barbarossa; "there goes a worthy man; one notoften met with! His words might have turned from its determination aspirit less decided than mine!"
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