eapons, and return peacefully
to your camp."

From this act of generosity there was no appeal. Henry sheathed his
sword, and retired. An instant after, the bridge gave way, and then the
tower shooting up one vast column of fire, tottered and fell.

The fight cost the besiegers six hundred men, and the Milanese
loss was equally heavy; but it had proved one thing, at least, to
Barbarossa,--that Milan could not be taken by assault.

_CHAPTER XXI_.

_THE EMPEROR'S POLICY_.

Barbarossa continued the execution of his vast projects. As it may be
seen, he wished, like Augustus, to be the Emperor of the world, and
that every potentate, spiritual or temporal, should acknowledge his
sway. But first of all, he was striving to destroy the Papacy. The
Roman Caesar was _pontifex maximus_; and to be this was the summit of
Frederic's ambition. But the only chance of success for this gigantic
plan lay in the overthrow of all existing institutions. Frederic knew
this well, but his energetic character never faltered an instant, for
he cared little, provided his empire were founded, even were those
foundations built upon the ruins of the world.

He saw clearly that mere brute force would be insufficient, and that he
must employ all the resources of diplomacy. His ambassadors were
dispatched to the different courts of Europe, bearing to the reigning
monarchs the assurances of his consideration and esteem; on every
occasion they were instructed to deplore the unhappy condition of the
Church and the obstinacy of Alexander; for Frederic was particularly at
variance with Rome, where he maintained a powerful faction, which, by
its violence, had finally driven the Pope from the Eternal City.
Matters had finally assumed so dangerous an aspect that there was
scarcely a city in all Christendom which dared offer an asylum to the
legitimate Head of the Church. Barbarossa then convened a general
council, in order to give a coloring of legality to his projects. The
French and English sovereigns were represented by plenipotentiaries;
for both, and particularly the bloody Henry of England, considered
themselves to have been wronged by Alexander III.

The approaching Council occasioned no little movement in the Imperial
camp, and the crafty statesman Rinaldo was busily engaged in arranging
matters, in order that everything might proceed harmoniously.

After some days of feasting and amuse