the Chancellor's
anxiety, he gave charge of his guest to a nobleman of his suite, with
instructions to treat him with every possible courtesy, and then
turning to Rinaldo, resumed their former conversation.

"We have but one point to regulate, my lord Chancellor, and that is the
pressure which the Emperor means to bring to bear upon the council. The
Fathers ought to be entirely unbiassed, and their votes must not be
influenced either by the force of arms or by worldly considerations."

"His Majesty," said Dassel, "will employ both argument and force to
re-establish order in the Church."

"Doubtless, according to his own ideas. But there is no guaranty that
these ideas are exempt from all selfish considerations! The Emperor is
Alexander's personal enemy; think you that he would recognize his
rights to the throne of Saint Peter?"

"These questions are insulting, Sire!--Frederic is too just by nature,
to be guilty of an injustice.--And you ask for guaranties of the purity
of his intentions? To whom would you make the Emperor responsible? On
whom does he depend?"

"He is responsible to the laws of nations, which he has repeatedly
violated in many different ways, my lord."

"This reproach has often been made by interested persons; I am
surprised, Sire, that you would repeat it."

"And we are surprised!" said Louis, proudly, "that you, Count, do not
feel the importance of this reproach! Besides, in the Assembly of
Besancon, there will be present both temporal princes and unconsecrated
bishops.--Who has conferred on laymen the right of voting in purely
ecclesiastical questions, and particularly on questions of this
importance?"

"The Emperor!" replied Dassel, promptly. "If his Imperial Majesty sees
fit to sanction an exception to a rule, this very exception becomes by
the consequence of his high and mighty authority, the rule and the law.
And more, if the chief of the Roman Empire, who is, at the same time,
the chief of all the princes of Christendom, thinks it expedient to
grant a vote upon this question to foreign princes, he has a right to
all their gratitude."

"Very good, my lord! and we are then the Emperor's vassals? This is a
new phase!--Our bishops will be delighted with the lesson you set
them!--Gentlemen," he added, "are you not somewhat surprised to hear
such a doctrine preached?"

Rinaldo answered boldly, and some bitter words were interchanged; at
last he lost patience.

"We have no need, in any w