manner became more
passionate.

"Dear brothers," he said; "you have all seen at Milan, of what Frederic
is capable, and what is the fate which threatens you. Perhaps you think
that your misfortunes have reached their furthest limit, but you are
mistaken. You are robbed, you are beaten, the fruit of your toil is
torn from you, your horses and your oxen are stolen before your eyes,
but as yet they have not carried away your wives and your children. You
are treated with harshness, but they have not yet pillaged your
churches; they have not profaned and desecrated your sanctuaries."

"Yes they have!" cried a voice, trembling with anger; "yes they have!
Our bailiff--may God curse him!--has carried off everything of value
which was in our church; he tried to force our old priest to pray for
Barbarossa and the high-priest Caiphas (the Antipope Pascal). Our good
priest protested, and was shamefully beaten, and we ourselves, for
refusing to pray for our oppressors, were driven from the church with
blows and curses."

"All this is but a drop in the bucket," resumed Pandolfo. "Do you not
know, brothers, that the Church, the Pope and the Clergy, are slaves
like ourselves? Is it not right and proper that the Pope and the Clergy
teach, pray, and preach in conformity with the Emperor's orders? Since
you are Frederic's property," he added with bitter irony, "it is only
reasonable that he should watch over your minds and your bodies; of
course always in accordance with his own personal interests. You seem
astonished! Perhaps you think that I exaggerate? If so, it is because
you do not know what an Emperor is, and what ideas he has of his own
importance. Are we not told that the ancient Romans worshipped their
sovereigns? Go to Rome, you will still see there the statue of the
divine Augustus. Aye, the Pagan emperors called themselves gods, and
their subjects were compelled to pay them divine honors."

"What infamy! what impiety!" exclaimed the audience.

"Has not Barbarossa already assumed the title of Augustus? As he
affects to imitate the Roman emperors in all things, he will finally
oblige us to adore him as a divinity."

A derisive laugh interrupted the speaker for a moment.

"You laugh, brothers, you imagine that I am jesting? I speak in sober
earnest. The tyrant's pride will not stop short of the abomination of
idolatry. You shake your heads; it appears impossible? Let me only ask,
did it not seem impossible ten years ago,