was
disposed to resist the Emperor at any cost.

"I represented everything to him," he said, "I reminded him of Milan,
of your inevitable destruction if you rejected the proffered mercy! I
reminded him of our captive brothers who will certainly be hung, unless
we stretch out our hand to Barbarossa. With tears in my eyes, I
besought him to have pity upon us, upon our wives, upon our helpless
children; my words would have touched a heart of stone, but they were
powerless to move this barbarian. Do you call such a one a holy man, a
father?--He is a tyrant, a destroyer!"

Guerrazzi at last had carried his point; the crowd was rampant with
sedition.

"Death to Alexander! Down with the tyrant!"

"Forward!" resumed the tailor, violently,--"brave people, rise in your
might, break your chains, and go to meet your Augustus!"

He sprang to the ground, for his task was accomplished, and the fire of
sedition was spread rapidly through the masses. Rinaldo's emissaries
urged on the revolt, and soon nothing was heard but wild panegyrics of
Barbarossa, and curses against the Pope.

Each day the excitement increased in Rome, where the Chancellor had
already distributed large sums of money, and where the seditious
harangues of Guerrazzi, Bariso, and many others embroiled everything.

Alexander was denounced as a merciless savage.

"Soon, brothers, you will suffer all the pangs of hunger," said the
tailor, always speaking from his favorite column. "You will be obliged
to feed upon roots, and leather, and old shoes, and other things too
disgusting to mention. What does Alexander care for our sufferings, he
is well provided with every luxury behind the walls of St. Angelo."

"The man of the castle has no heart!" cried Bariso, who had replaced
Guerrazzi upon the pedestal; "if he had, would he compel us to bear
this misery, and submit to the misfortunes which ruined Milan? Yes, the
Emperor has sworn to destroy everything with fire and sword, if we do
not surrender within a week."

"Alexander will not resign the pontifical chair," said another voice.
"What does it signify to him if his obstinacy causes our destruction?
Barbarossa desires to restore to Rome her ancient splendor and her
liberty. Alexander has other intentions, he claims everything for
himself. He cares for neither our honor, nor our glory; he is plotting
our ruin!"

Every day there were popular meetings in different quarters of the
city, and loud complaints were la