nd you rejected mine. What would you now give that it
had been otherwise?--Nikkel, be ready."

The butcher rose, seized his weapon, and stealing round behind De la
Marck's chair, stood with it uplifted in his bare and sinewy hands.

"Look at that man, Louis of Bourbon," said De la Marck again,--"What
terms wilt thou now offer, to escape this dangerous hour?"

The Bishop cast a melancholy but unshaken look upon the grisly
satellite, who seemed prepared to execute the will of the tyrant, and
then he said with firmness, "Hear me, William de la Marck, and good men
all, if there be any here who deserve that name, hear the only terms I
can offer to this ruffian.

"William de la Marck, thou hast stirred up to sedition an imperial
city--hast assaulted and taken the palace of a Prince of the Holy German
Empire--slain his people--plundered his goods--maltreated his person,
for this thou art liable to the Ban of the Empire [to put a prince
under the ban of the empire was to divest him of his dignities, and
to interdict all intercourse and all offices of humanity with the
offender]--hast deserved to be declared outlawed and fugitive, landless
and rightless. Thou hast done more than all this. More than mere
human laws hast thou broken, more than mere human vengeance hast thou
deserved. Thou hast broken into the sanctuary of the Lord--laid violent
hands upon a Father of the Church--defiled the house of God with blood
and rapine, like a sacrilegious robber--"

"Hast thou yet done?" said De la Marck, fiercely interrupting him, and
stamping with his foot.

"No," answered the Prelate, "for I have not yet told thee the terms
which you demanded to hear from me."

"Go on," said De la Marck, "and let the terms please me better than the
preface, or woe to thy gray head!"

And flinging himself back in his seat, he grinded his teeth till the
foam flew from his lips, as from the tusks of the savage animal whose
name and spoils he wore.

"Such are thy crimes," resumed the Bishop, with calm determination, "now
hear the terms, which, as a merciful Prince and a Christian Prelate,
setting aside all personal offence, forgiving each peculiar injury,
I condescend to offer. Fling down thy heading staff--renounce thy
command--unbind thy prisoners--restore thy spoil--distribute what else
thou hast of goods, to relieve those whom thou hast made orphans and
widows--array thyself in sackcloth and ashes--take a palmer's staff in
thy hand, and go bar