re, Roman," said the rude mercenary, in his barbarous
attempt at Italian, "make way for your betters; you have had enough
crowds and shows of late, in all conscience."

"Betters!" gulped out the poor butcher; "a Roman has no betters; and if
I had not lost two brothers by San Lorenzo, I would--"

"The dog is mutinous," said one of the followers of the Orsini,
succeeding the German who had passed on, "and talks of San Lorenzo!"

"Oh!" said another Orsinist, who rode abreast, "I remember him of old.
He was one of Rienzi's gang."

"Was he?" said the other, sternly; "then we cannot begin salutary
examples too soon;" and, offended at something swaggering and insolent
in the butcher's look, the Orsinist coolly thrust him through the heart
with his pike, and rode on over his body.

"Shame! Shame!" "Murder! Murder!" cried the crowd: and they began to
press, in the passion of the moment, round the fierce guards.

The Legate heard the cry, and saw the rush: he turned pale. "The rascals
rebel again!" he faltered.

"No, your Eminence--no," said Luca; "but it may be as well to infuse a
wholesome terror; they are all unarmed; let me bid the guards disperse
them. A word will do it."

The Cardinal assented; the word was given; and, in a few minutes, the
soldiery, who still smarted under the vindictive memory of defeat from
an undisciplined multitude, scattered the crowd down the streets without
scruple or mercy--riding over some, spearing others--filling the air
with shrieks and yells, and strewing the ground with almost as many
men as a few days before would have sufficed to have guarded Rome, and
preserved the constitution! Through this wild, tumultuous scene, and
over the bodies of its victims, rode the Legate and his train, to
receive in the Hall of the Capitol the allegiance of the citizens, and
to proclaim the return of the oppressors.

As they dismounted at the stairs, a placard in large letters struck
the eye of the Legate. It was placed upon the pedestal of the Lion of
Basalt, covering the very place that had been occupied by the bull of
excommunication. The words were few, and ran thus:

"TREMBLE! RIENZI SHALL RETURN!"

"How! what means this mummery!" cried the Legate, trembling already, and
looking round to the nobles.

"Please your Eminence," said one of the councillors, who had come from
the Capitol to meet the Legate, "we saw it at daybreak, the ink yet
moist, as we entered the Hall. We deemed it best to leav