ng himself in his march with the party of the Ghibellines,
and with all those whom the domination of Charles had irritated. All
Italy was in flames, and the Pope, Charles' protector, retired to
Viterbo, had no defence to afford him, except only the thunders of the
Church.

Charles of Anjou, however, now assembled his troops, and marched out
to meet his rival. The two armies met in the plain of St. Valentine,
near Aquila; the army of Conradin was cut to pieces, and the young
Prince fell into the power of the conqueror. Posterity cannot pardon
Charles for having abused his victory here so far as to condemn and
decapitate his disarmed and vanquished enemy. After this execution,
Sicily and the country of Naples were given up to all the furies of a
jealous, suspicious tyranny, for violence produces violence, and great
political crimes never come alone. It was thus that Charles got ready
for the crusade; but, on the other hand, Providence was preparing
terrible catastrophes for him. "So true it is," says a historian,
"that God as often gives kingdoms to punish those he elevates as to
chastise those whom he brings low."

While these bloody scenes were passing in Italy, Louis IX was
following up the establishment of public peace and his darling object,
the crusade, at the same time. The holy monarch did not forget that
the surest manner of softening the evils of war, as well as of his
absence, was to make good laws; he therefore issued several
ordinances, and each of these ordinances was a monument of his
justice. The most celebrated of all is the Pragmatic Sanction, which
Bossuet called the firmest support of Gallican liberties. He also
employed himself in elevating that monument of legislation which
illustrated his reign and which became a light for following ages.

The Count of Poictiers, who was to accompany his brother, was in the
mean time engaged in pacifying his provinces, and established many
regulations for maintaining public order. He, above everything,
endeavored to abolish slavery; having for a maxim "that men are born
free, and it is always wise to bring back things to their origin."
This good prince drew upon himself the benedictions of his people; and
the love of his vassals assured the duration of the laws he made.

We have said that Prince Edward, son of Henry III, had taken the oath
to combat the infidels. He had recently displayed a brilliant valor in
the civil war that had so long desolated England; and