knowing what
reinforcements were on the way from Germany--the small army of
Christian of Mayence, too, was still harvesting victories in the March
of Ancona--did not follow up its successes. Cremona, moreover, jealous
of Milan, began to waver in her allegiance to the cause of which she
had so long been the leader, and eventually signed a treaty with the
Emperor.

But Frederick, although he at first made a pretence of continuing the
war, was soon forced by the representations of his nobles to abandon
the policy of twenty-four years, and to make peace on the best terms
obtainable with Alexander III, and, through him, with the Lombard
cities. The oath of Wuerzburg was broken, and the two treaties of
Anagni and Venice put an end to the long war.

At Anagni the articles were drawn up on which the later long and
wearisome negotiations were based. The Emperor, the Empress, and the
young King of the Romans were to acknowledge Alexander as the Catholic
and universal pope, and to show him all due respect. Frederick was to
give up the prefecture of Rome and the estates of Matilda, and to make
peace with the Lombards, with the King of Sicily, the Emperor of
Constantinople, and all who had aided and supported the Roman Church.
Provision was to be made for a number of German archbishops and
bishops who had received their authority from the antipopes.

There is no need to dwell on the endless discussions that ensued with
regard to these matters; more than once it seemed as though all
attempts at agreement would have to be abandoned. But both parties
were sincerely anxious for peace, and at last a remarkably skilful
compromise was drawn up at Venice.

Frederick had objected strongly to renouncing the rights of the empire
regarding the estates of Matilda; he was to be allowed to draw the
revenues of those estates for fifteen years to come, and the question
was eventually to be settled by commissioners. The form of the peace
with the Lombards was a still more difficult matter, but the Pope made
a wise suggestion which was adopted. A truce of six years was
declared, at the end of which time it was hoped that a basis would
have been found for a readjustment of the relations between the
Emperor and the league. With Sicily, too, hostilities were to cease
for a term of fifteen years.

It will be seen that all the great questions at issue, save the
recognitions of Alexander as pope, were thus relegated to a future
time; to a time when