upon scarlet
cushions; the monks and lay brothers upon the pavement.

As soon as the office was terminated, and without laying aside his
pontifical robes, the Pope entered the chancel and ascended his throne,
around which were seated the cardinals, bishops, and abbots. The monks
stood in line waiting, with anxious faces, for the end. About three
paces in front stood a table, covered with parchments, at which two
clerks were seated, in order to copy the proceedings. The men-at-arms,
led by Henry of Champagne and the fierce Count of Nevers, advanced
boldly towards the Pontiff.

"Sir Pope," said Henry, "we have been sent to invite you, in the name
of our sovereign lord and king, to appear before an ecclesiastical
council, which is to meet at an early day in Besancon. We can take no
excuse, as your refusal might plunge France and Germany into a bloody
war. Our king has pledged himself by oath that you will be present at
the assembly, and he means to keep his word. You must, then, accept the
invitation graciously, if you do not wish to compel us to resort to
violence."

This harangue, so devoid of all courtesy, excited the openly expressed
disapproval of the audience.

"Count of Champagne!" exclaimed the pious but impetuous Maurice,
Archbishop of Paris; "you not only act contrary to all custom, but you
are also wanting in the respect which you owe to the Head of the
Church. How can you dare to address such words to the Vicar of Christ
in the very temple of God? Would you have us to suppose that the great
vassals of the French crown surpass in irreligion the slaves of the
schismatic Barbarossa?"

Maurice would have continued, but Alexander III. interfered.

"My lord Count," he said, "it is not obstinacy, but duty, which
dictates our refusal to this invitation. We will certainly repair to
Besancon, but not as a culprit. Who convoked the assembly? Men who are
forgetful of their duties, and almost without exception under the ban
of ecclesiastical censure. We cannot submit our cause to any earthly
tribunal, least of all to one acting only under the orders of the
Emperor. Frederic has violated all laws, human and divine, in placing
the Council above the Pope, and the Emperor above the Council. We
rebuke this injustice, and we are ready, in the discharge of our duty,
to suffer every torture, and even death itself."

Alexander paused, and then rose from his seat with an expression of
such majesty upon his features that even