eged the city of _Rome_. Whereupon the Pope sent letters to _Pipin_,
wherein he told him that if he came not speedily against the _Lombards_,
_pro data sibi potentia, alienandum fore a regno Dei & vita aeterna_, he
should be excommunicated. _Pipin_ therefore, fearing a revolt of his
subjects, and being indebted to the Church of _Rome_, came speedily with an
army into _Italy_, raised the siege, besieged the _Lombards_ in _Pavia_,
and forced them to surrender the Exarchate and region of _Pentapolis_ to
the Pope for a perpetual possession. Thus the Pope became Lord of
_Ravenna_, and the Exarchate, some few cities excepted; and the keys were
sent to _Rome_, and laid upon the confession of St. _Peter_, that is, upon
his tomb at the high Altar, _in signum veri perpetuique dominii, sed
pietate Regis gratuita_, as the inscription of a coin of _Pipin_ hath it.
This was in the year of Christ 755. And henceforward the Popes being
temporal Princes, left off in their Epistles and Bulls to note the years of
the _Greek_ Emperors, as they had hitherto done.

After this [9] the _Lombards_ invading the Pope's countries, Pope _Adrian_
sent to _Charles_ the great, the son and successor of _Pipin_, to come to
his assistance. Accordingly _Charles_ entered _Italy_ with an army, invaded
the _Lombards_, overthrew their kingdom, became master of their countries,
and restored to the Pope, not only what they had taken from him, but also
the rest of the Exarchate which they had promised _Pipin_ to surrender to
him, but had hitherto detained; and also gave him some cities of the
_Lombards_, and was in return himself made _Patricius_ by the _Romans_, and
had the authority of confirming the elections of the Popes conferred upon
him. These things were done in the years 773 and 774. This kingdom of the
_Lombards_ was the second kingdom which fell before the little horn. But
_Rome_, which was to be the seat of his kingdom, was not yet his own.

In the year 796, [10] _Leo_ III being made Pope, notified his election to
_Charles_ the great by his Legates, sending to him for a present, the
golden keys of the Confession of _Peter_, and the Banner of the city of
_Rome_: the first as an acknowledgment of the Pope's holding the cities of
the Exarchate and _Lombardy_ by the grant of _Charles_; the other as a
signification that _Charles_ should come and subdue the Senate and people
of _Rome_, as he had done the Exarchate and the kingdom of the _Lombards_.
For the P