Barbarossa; An Historical Novel of the XII Century.

CHAPTER XLIX.
HERMENGARDE'S CONSTANCY

Five years had passed since the Council of Besançon. The struggle between the Pope and the Emperor still continued, but many things had turned to Frederic's advantage. In times of discord and civil war, only the most virtuous remain faithful to their honest convictions; the others allow themselves to be influenced and directed by circumstances, or intimidated by eventualities. In both cases, Frederic knew how to act upon the passions; his violence frightened some, his generosity gained others.

After the decease of Victor, who died as he had lived, an alien from the Church, tormented by remorse and without receiving the Holy Sacraments, the Chancellor Rinaldo immediately installed a new Pope, Pascal III., and the choice was ratified by the Emperor. The schism had again a chief, and Barbarossa used every effort to procure the recognition of his claims.

The bishops were compelled to recite in a loud voice, on Sundays and holydays, the prayer for Pope Pascal. The monks and other ecclesiastics were ordered, within the space of six weeks, to swear fealty to Pascal, and whoever failed in the performance of this pretended duty was considered an enemy of the Emperor and punished as such.

Frederic even went further, and at the diet of Würtzburg, in the year 1163, caused the adoption of the following resolutions. "The Emperor, princes, and bishops refuse to acknowledge Roland, or any future successor appointed by his faction; the Germans swear to elect no Emperor, unless he pledges himself to consult the German policy in all that concerns the Papacy. Any layman acting in opposition to this decree, will lose his life and property; any ecclesiastic, in such case, will be deprived of his benefice and dignities. All princes and bishops will be held responsible for their subjects, to whom a similar oath will be administered."

In this manner, the German Church was severed from the Roman-the only Catholic Church, – since the German doctrines on the Papacy were entirely opposed to the true teachings of Jesus Christ.

Frederic was on the eve of founding a Western Empire, similar to that established in the East, of which he was to be installed the Supreme Chief. Like Victor, Pascal was a mere tool, and the episcopacy declined each day; for all its members were mere court prelates.

The death of Eberhard of Saxony deprived Alexander's party of a leader in Southern Germany, and thus the mitred personages, without direction, and enchained in golden fetters, became each day more careless of their sacred ministry. They exchanged the pastoral crook for the sword, the episcopal mitre for a casque, and their sacerdotal robes for the corselet of the soldier. The lower clergy were little better than their superiors; and the people, whose souls were intrusted to their care, fell more and more into ignorance and degradation.

Still there were some few whose sanctity opposed, with energy, the Emperor's designs. The Archbishop Conrad of Mayence, of the house of Wittelsbach, and the Archbishop Conrad of Salzburg, uncle to the Emperor, protested loudly against this usurpation. They were at once declared enemies of the Empire, deprived of their bishoprics, and forced to seek safety in Italy.

These brutal examples, however, produced the desired results; and the orders of the powerful monarch were henceforward obeyed literally and implicitly.

The position assumed by Henry of England towards Pope Alexander, also favored Frederic's projects. The cruel and despotic English King ruled his Church according to his own caprices. The cloisters and monasteries were, in his opinion, mere places whence to draw supplies for his material wants; and many of the bishoprics were left unoccupied, while their revenues were appropriated to the royal treasury. The celebrated St. Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, resisted, with all his energy, the tyranny of the sovereign; but at the royal instigation, he was slain on the steps of the altar, and all friendly relations between Alexander and Henry were suspended.

These circumstances came very opportunely to the aid of Frederic's projects. Rinaldo was sent to London to contract an alliance with England, and in order to cement it, a daughter of the King was affianced to the son of Barbarossa, and Henry the Lion to another princess of the royal family of England. Italy was quiet, although the people chafed under the Imperial yoke, and were silently preparing for revolt. The fire smouldered amid the ashes, but since the terrible chastisement inflicted upon Milan, no city dared to raise the standard of liberty.

In the year 1167, Barbarossa entered Italy with a numerous army and marched towards Rome, from which he wished to expel Alexander, who had returned to the city aided by King William of Naples. The Lombards had hoped that Frederic's justice would alleviate their distress, and an enormous crowd came with complaints against his Imperial agents. The complaints were listened to, but the grievances were not often redressed, and so soon as he was fairly on his way to Rome, the Lombard confederation was formed. It was at first weak and secret, but still it served as a happy presage and an encouragement to the oppressed inhabitants.

Guido of Castellamare, faithful to his plighted word, remained at his home and abstained from any hostile act.

Hermengarde was now nineteen years of age; she seldom left the solitary castle in the valley, where, since her return from France, she had lived like a recluse. Her only distraction was an occasional visit to Genoa in search of news of Count Rechberg among the pilgrims returning from the Holy Land. At first she was successful, for Erwin's name had acquired a great reputation in Palestine. Many had seen and spoken to the young hero, and all related his prodigies of valor. But during the last two years the tidings had been extremely vague and unsatisfactory. His deeds were still present to the memory of the pilgrims, but none could speak positively of his fate, and Hermengarde's mind was tortured with the most mournful apprehensions. – He must have fallen battling against the infidels, she thought, as the tears coursed down her cheeks.

But hope rarely abandons the human heart, and the sad girl trusted always in God's mercy. Still each day her steps grew feebler and her cheeks more pale, like a lamp which flashes feebly and then is extinguished forever.

Formerly she frequented a little terrace whence she could overlook the valley and the distant sea, and each sail that hove in sight she would fancy was the one which was bringing home her betrothed husband. But at last the terrace was deserted; for months Hermengarde had watched no longer-she had lost all hope. Time cures every wound, Guido thought, as he watched his daughter.

To judge from appearances, Bonello's prognostications were correct. The girl became more calm, the journeys to Genoa less frequent, and Rechberg's name rarely passed her lips. To please her father, she sometimes visited a noble family of the neighborhood, but it was solely through filial obedience, and the visits were rare and of short duration. Still Bonello, assured that Erwin had shared the untimely fate of many of the Crusaders, was thinking of proposing another husband to his daughter, one who, if not so distinguished, was at least worthy of her. Old age looks at matters under a different aspect from youth. Experience had taught him the vanity of earthly aspirations, and he considered everything with cool and calm deliberation, for he thought it a matter urgent and important to secure for Hermengarde a husband who would watch over her happiness after her father's death.

"I am old," he thought; "I may die at any time, and my daughter must not be left defenceless and unprotected."

The idea had long been ripening in his mind, and his choice had fallen upon the only son of this same family of Rapallo, which he had occasionally visited with Hermengarde.

Heribert of Rapallo came regularly every week to Castellamare, where his visits appeared to gratify the old man, although it frequently happened that Hermengarde refused to see him. Bonello imagined that his daughter had forgotten her betrothed, because she never mentioned his name, and seldom went to Genoa or even to the terrace. But Heribert felt assured that her calmness was the result of her religious sentiments, and that Erwin's image was always present to her mind. He was right; she no longer expected to meet her lover upon earth, but, with resignation to God's will, trusted to be united to him in heaven.

Still he continued his visits, in the vague hope that some day she would consent to be his bride.

"It is very strange! Rapallo has not been here for a week," said Guido, one day after dinner. "I trust that no accident has happened."

"I was thinking of him also, father. To-day is Friday, and he had promised to come on Tuesday. He may be ill."

The interest which Hermengarde appeared to take in his friend pleased Bonello, who, after a short pause, continued, -

"Heribert is an accomplished gentleman-he is unassuming, noble, and brave."

"He is an agreeable companion, and his piety is unquestionable," replied the young girl.

"I am glad your opinion of him is so favorable, dear Hermengarde."

"He has been here so often that I have been able to judge his character thoroughly."

"Very good; but you ought to show yourself a little oftener when he comes, for I am disposed to think that it is a good deal more on your account than mine that he makes this long journey so regularly."

Guido smiled as he spoke. His daughter looked at him with such an expression of ingenuous simplicity that it was evident she had not penetrated his meaning. But the opportunity seemed favorable, and he hastened to take advantage of it to speak of his cherished project.

"In fact," he said, "Rapallo suits me exactly. What think you, Hermengarde?"

"I think, father, that you have excellent taste."

The old man was delighted; it seemed as if he was about to gain his purpose more easily than he had dared to expect.

"You agree with me, then, my child? I am glad of it; for Heribert will make an excellent husband, and I shall be most happy to call him my son-in-law."

The young girl shuddered, but Guido continued, -

"I am very old now, my dear child; death may come at any moment, and leave you without a protector. The Emperor Barbarossa has again crossed the Alps, and opened the campaign. What will become of you in a country where robbers and marauders can kill and plunder with impunity? No! I would not die in peace unless the walls of Castellamare were defended by some valiant knight."

"Dear father," she said, with emotion, "do not allude to this painful subject. You are strong; your health is excellent; why, then, speak of what may still be far from us, and which can only serve to make us unhappy?"

"You speak, dear child, as all do at twenty; youth lives thus careless of the future, and with scarcely even a thought for what the morrow may bring forth. Thank God, my health is good, but, at my age, a man should always be prepared for his last journey, and should accustom himself to the thought of death, which may come when he least expects it. As I have said, your isolation troubles me, and you should relieve my heart, Hermengarde, of this anxiety. You have seen and known Rapallo intimately; you tell me yourself that he is noble, and generous, and worthy of you-"

The young girl was silent; her lips moved convulsively, and tears fell from her eyes.

"Do not weep, my child; doubtless you are thinking of the gallant Erwin; he deserves all our sympathy, but why cherish a vain hope? He is dead; he has fallen beneath the weapons of the Saracens, like so many thousands of brave knights, victims of their devotion to the faith. As you must resign all thought of him for spouse and protector in these troublous times, another must take his place. Your marriage is the most ardent desire which your father now has. If you truly love him, you will relieve his heart of the burden which oppresses it."

Her tears ceased to flow, and she reflected seriously if it were not her duty to make the sacrifice which her filial love seemed to exact in order to secure her father's happiness.

At this moment the door opened, and Rapallo entered the room. The young man was scarcely above the middle height; his face beamed with frankness and benevolence, though his features were rather agreeable than positively handsome.

"Here you are at last, my dear Rapallo!" said the old man. "We were just speaking of you. You are right welcome now, although you have been neglectful of us lately."

Heribert bowed respectfully to the lady, pressed Bonello's hand cordially, and took a seat by his side.

"I was compelled to accept the invitation sent me by the Lombard confederation, which I am about to join," said he.

Bonello shook his head with a marked expression of disapproval.

"At least, I trust that you have made no positive engagement without consulting me?" he said. "Will you risk your life in an enterprise which has no chance of success? Heribert, Heribert, this is not well done! you have been very imprudent. I augur nothing good from this attempt."

An animated discussion followed between them; Hermengarde profited by it to leave the apartment unnoticed, and retired to her own room, where she could weep at her ease.

"Without doubt, I admit all that," replied Guido, after his guest had explained the motives which had induced his acceptance of the invitation sent to him. "I will even go further. I will suppose that the league increases, that the cities and the nobles have given in their adherence to it, that the necessary funds can be procured, that its generals are skilful, that it can command everything necessary to sustain the struggle: one thing will still be wanting, and that is-unity. So long as Pavia, Genoa, Lodi, Pisa, and Florence, that is to say, the most important cities of Northern Italy, support the Emperor's cause, every attempt at independence will only aggravate our condition."

"Must we then always wear our chains?" cried the young man, in whose eyes shone a fire which Guido had never before observed in him.

"As long as Italy deserves her chains, she will wear them, and she does deserve them for her intestine divisions," replied Bonello. "Besides, be convinced that, in a military point of view, we are far inferior to the Germans. We have been taught this again by the late bloody battle fought near the walls of Rome. Forty thousand Romans have been routed by twelve thousand Germans, and of the forty thousand scarcely one half have escaped from the field."

"That affair is not so important as was at first supposed," answered Rapallo.

"Naturally the Lombards have tried to depreciate their enemy's success. But it is certain, my lord Rapallo, that, at the siege of Ancona, the German advanced guard, even without its usual leader, Frederic, well nigh annihilated the Roman army. Give the Emperor time to install his Pope on the throne of Saint Peter, and conquer the Sicilian princes, and you will soon see then how easily he will overcome the Lombards."

"But the yoke which we bear is intolerable. The cries and complaints which we hear on all sides, are heartrending."

"Yes, our countrymen know very well how to complain. However, I readily acknowledge that their murmurs are well-grounded; but this new insurrection will be entirely to the Emperor's advantage; he will find in it an excuse to weigh us down with new extortions. So, my dear Rapallo, listen to an old man's advice: have nothing to do with the league, and do not compromise yourself in a rebellion which will have no better success than all those which have preceded it."

Heribert changed the subject, and soon after took leave of his host.

"I should have wished to speak to you," said Guido, "upon another business, which probably would not have seemed disagreeable; but as you appear in a hurry, we will reserve it for your next visit."

CHAPTER L
THE CONSPIRATORS

The young nobleman galloped rapidly through the narrow valley of Castellamare, and more than once turned in his saddle and gazed earnestly upon the ancient walls of the lofty castle.

"What could he have meant?" he asked himself, "The good old man probably wishes to give me a suit of that costly armor which I have so often admired. If he do so, I will send him the best horse in my stables." In his excessive modesty, he had not suspected the old man's intentions, for he had never allowed such a hope to dwell in his imagination for a moment.

After a long ride, he entered a ravine, shut in on every side by lofty mountains. The heights were covered with trees, but below, all was barren and desolate. A few fruit-trees stood here and there as vestiges of former cultivation, and some stakes, almost decayed by time, rose from among the thistles and rank grass. In the lower part were the ruins of an ancient monastery, of which the four walls and the tower alone remained, and although of comparatively recent date, the stones were covered with parasitic plants. Heribert fastened his steed to a fragment of the wall, near which stood a number of other horses, all saddled, but browsing upon the abundant herbage.

He then proceeded to the church, where the profound silence would scarcely have allowed him to suppose, that he was in the immediate vicinity of hundreds of men all breathlessly awaiting an orator of a kind widely different from those who had formerly spoken there.

A rostrum of moss-covered stones had been erected on the place where the altar had once stood, and upon it was a man depicting in fervid language the misfortunes and disasters of Lombardy. His audience, who were all in armor, listened to him with passionate and earnest attention; at times they applauded his words, at others their shouts of menace and defiance proved that he had succeeded in arousing their resentment. Rapallo, fearing to interrupt the harangue, stopped at the door.

"Dearly beloved brethren," cried the orator, with a piercing voice, "you have seen that Barbarossa is insensible to our grievances. In vain you have protested against the insolence of his prefects, against the injuries done to your property, the drudgery which has been imposed upon you, the ill treatment which you have borne; in short, against all the acts of violence and oppression of which you have been the victims. The Emperor has remained deaf to all your complaints. Do you know the reason?"

The orator paused for a moment; his lips compressed, his nostrils dilated, he seemed to infuse into his hearers, by his looks, the fury with which he was himself animated.

"It is," he resumed in a still higher key, "because he looks upon you as slaves, whose necks are fitted to bear the yoke of his tyranny. Think of what he once said at Pavia: 'Italy is a conquered province, she has lost all her rights; to demand any of her former privileges is an act of rebellion.' Yes, this is what he said openly, the despot! I heard him with my own ears; yes, he dared to say, that you have no longer any rights, that you are nothing but his vassals."

A dull murmur ran through the assembly.

"Thus, brothers, when we appeal to right and justice, we are guilty of rebellion. With such principles, what have we left to hope for? Are you astonished now that an abstract has been made of your lands, of your houses, of your herds, of all your wealth, and that you have been taxed in consequence? Do you not know, brothers, that you no longer possess anything, but that all belongs to the Emperor? Gather in your harvests, the bailiffs come with their satellites and take what they please. Prayers and tears are unavailing. Only enough is left us to barely prolong our own wretched existence, and that of our children; and this is all that is necessary for slaves, who live merely in the interest and for the service of their master."

The murmurs became more threatening, for passion was working in the hearts of all.

"Poor slaves," he continued, "life is only a burden destitute of every joy. For this we have been deprived of our rights to hunt and fish, for this we are not allowed an instant which we can devote to the most innocent amusement. Woe to him who would leave his work to take a moment's rest. Is it right and just that your lives should be consumed in the most painful drudgery, that you should be subjected to every privation, whilst your masters revel in every luxury?"

The orator had attained his object, for he was compelled to pause an instant in order to allow his auditors to give vent to their rage in fierce imprecations against the oppressors of their native country.

"In ancient times the barbarians overran our fair land, but they only passed over her surface; by bending the head to the storm, its fury was soon spent, and the evils could be repaired. Barbarossa, on the contrary, has put about our necks a yoke from which there is no relief. We must build with our own hands the fortresses which threaten us; with our own hands we must construct for these cruel vultures-I mean for the worthy prefects of the Emperor-those nests from which they can swoop down upon us with impunity, to pillage and murder. Will you always submit to slavery? Are you willing to be oppressed until death sets you free? Will you not, at last, rise in your might, and expel the tyrants?"

"Liberty forever! Death to the tyrants! Down with Barbarossa! May he die, he and his infamous satellites!" was heard from all parts of the ruined church.

"Yes! liberty forever," resumed the orator in a calmer tone; "the hour of our deliverance is at hand; profit by it, for it may pass, never to return. At present the Emperor is before Rome. The most solid bulwarks to our liberty are the Church and Alexander, the successor of Saint Peter. If Barbarossa succeeds in overthrowing him, we shall lose forever all hope of shaking off the yoke imposed upon us by the Germans and the Emperor." And the orator descended from his rude platform amid the clamorous applause of his auditory.

The speaker was a nobleman of great respectability, whose patriotism was equalled by his benevolence towards the needy and distressed. He had exaggerated nothing; but, on the contrary, had endeavored to palliate; and this very circumstance had increased the effect of his discourse. The pitiless severity of the prefects was, unfortunately, a positive and general fact, and the harsh sentiments of the Emperor towards unhappy Italy were only too evident. By adroit allusions, the orator had awakened all the memories of his hearers. A great number of them had felt the avidity of Frederic's agents; many had even suffered cruel tortures; and as they related their misfortunes, each imparted to his hearers the hatred by which he was himself convulsed.

Soon the assembly arrived at a paroxysm of fury. On all sides were heard fierce curses and expressions of grief and anger. Their arms shook with menacing sound; their eyes flashed; the audience seemed inspired with indignation.

At last another orator mounted the rostrum, and the noise gradually ceased.

"It is the Milanese Pandolfo," was said in a low tone; for all that came from Milan was received with great respect. Milan had won the martyr's crown.

"I bring the good wishes of my city to all the brothers of the Lombard League," said Pandolfo, with a clear, ringing voice. "You have heard, no doubt, that Milan is no longer a mere heap of ruins; her walls have risen; her fortifications have again appeared, and soon she will stand more proud, more threatening, than in former days. But walls and towers are not enough to defend us against tyranny; what we need above all, what already constitutes our strength, is a powerful organization, and an extension of the Lombard League. Many powerful cities have already joined her; and next to Milan I can cite Brescia and Bergamo, Cremona and Placenza, Parma and Modena, while others are ready to raise the standard of Italian liberty. We no longer hold our meetings in the midst of ruins, or in narrow ravines, but in the open country. Whilst you are still forced to tremble before the minions of tyranny, and escape by stealth, to meet here, we defy Barbarossa's prefects, for we are now powerful, and strength gives us courage. Fear not for the interests of our sacred cause. Neglect nothing to gain over to it your kinsmen, your friends, and your neighbors. Encourage the timid, arouse the cowardly. The victory is ours, and the chains of slavery will be broken from the very moment in which we shall be united."

Until then, Pandolfo had spoken in a calm and measured tone, and he observed with great satisfaction the favorable impression which had been produced by his report on the progress of the league. But soon, to arouse still more the minds of his audience, he began to paint the unhappy condition of Italy, and his language and manner became more passionate.

"Dear brothers," he said; "you have all seen at Milan, of what Frederic is capable, and what is the fate which threatens you. Perhaps you think that your misfortunes have reached their furthest limit, but you are mistaken. You are robbed, you are beaten, the fruit of your toil is torn from you, your horses and your oxen are stolen before your eyes, but as yet they have not carried away your wives and your children. You are treated with harshness, but they have not yet pillaged your churches; they have not profaned and desecrated your sanctuaries."

"Yes they have!" cried a voice, trembling with anger; "yes they have! Our bailiff-may God curse him! – has carried off everything of value which was in our church; he tried to force our old priest to pray for Barbarossa and the high-priest Caiphas (the Antipope Pascal). Our good priest protested, and was shamefully beaten, and we ourselves, for refusing to pray for our oppressors, were driven from the church with blows and curses."

"All this is but a drop in the bucket," resumed Pandolfo. "Do you not know, brothers, that the Church, the Pope and the Clergy, are slaves like ourselves? Is it not right and proper that the Pope and the Clergy teach, pray, and preach in conformity with the Emperor's orders? Since you are Frederic's property," he added with bitter irony, "it is only reasonable that he should watch over your minds and your bodies; of course always in accordance with his own personal interests. You seem astonished! Perhaps you think that I exaggerate? If so, it is because you do not know what an Emperor is, and what ideas he has of his own importance. Are we not told that the ancient Romans worshipped their sovereigns? Go to Rome, you will still see there the statue of the divine Augustus. Aye, the Pagan emperors called themselves gods, and their subjects were compelled to pay them divine honors."

"What infamy! what impiety!" exclaimed the audience.

"Has not Barbarossa already assumed the title of Augustus? As he affects to imitate the Roman emperors in all things, he will finally oblige us to adore him as a divinity."

A derisive laugh interrupted the speaker for a moment.

"You laugh, brothers, you imagine that I am jesting? I speak in sober earnest. The tyrant's pride will not stop short of the abomination of idolatry. You shake your heads; it appears impossible? Let me only ask, did it not seem impossible ten years ago, that you would become slaves; that the time would come when you would no longer have possessions, or rights, or liberty? Is not the Emperor to-day Pope? Is not the pretended Pope the Emperor's humble slave? Does not the Emperor pretend to an authority over the Church which is wellnigh divine? Is it not he who lays down the forms of preaching and prayer? Thanks to him, our bishops have been replaced by the minions of tyranny, and our good shepherds by ravening wolves who tear the flock."

"He is right! all that is only too true; Pandolfo is right!"

"Barbarossa is the Antichrist!"

"He is a child of Satan!"

"A worthy successor of Nero!"

"An infamous tyrant!"

"Curses upon him! may he die unabsolved!"

"Long live our Holy Father the Pope! May God save Alexander!"

"Yes, long live the Pope! may God protect him!" resumed Pandolfo, who was charmed with the enthusiasm which he had excited. "The sovereign Pontiff is the rampart of liberty, the only real defence against Imperial despotism. Why is it that Barbarossa has turned all his rage against Alexander? It is because he knows that he can never accomplish his perfidious ends so long as the Christian world shall retain him whom God himself has appointed to be the guardian of right, and morality, and liberty. The Pope suffers and struggles in our cause; let us unite with him, let us bravely flock to freedom's standard. Raise your right hands, and swear allegiance to the Lombard league."

Instantly a hundred hands were stretched forth in breathless silence. A heavy cloud overshadowed the sun and seemed to threaten the roofless cloister. A violent wind rushed through the dismantled windows and shook the parasitic plants upon the crumbling walls.

"As it is better to die gloriously than live in shameful slavery," cried Pandolfo, whose clear voice rang through the ruined building, "we promise obedience and fidelity to the principles of the Lombard league. We swear to devote our property and our lives to our faith and our country, to the Church, and to liberty. We take God as witness to our loyalty; may He doom us to eternal torments if we violate our oath!"

"We swear it;" and the oath unhesitatingly pronounced by a hundred voices was repeated by the echoes of the surrounding hills. The assembly then broke up, and the conspirators separated; on their features might be read the thoughts which filled their minds, and the noble resolutions to which they had subscribed. Less than a quarter of an hour afterwards the ruins had become once more silent and deserted.