at zeal and desire; for the which thing, when the Emperor heard
thereof, either through fear, or rather through a miracle of the
blessed Apostles, straightway he departed from the siege of Rome with
his followers, and returned to Viterbo, and the city of Rome was set
free.

Sec. 2.--_How Pope Alexander returned from France to Venice, and the
Emperor returned to obedience._

[Sidenote: 1168 A.D.]

Then, after the said Pope Alexander had been long time in France, by
the aid of the kings of France and of England he returned with his
court into Italy by sea, and, landing in Sicily, he was devoutly
received and favoured by King William, which then was king thereof,
and which declared himself faithful to Holy Church, and that he held
the island from him; for the which thing the said Pope confirmed him
king of Sicily, and gave him Apulia, wherefore the said King William
with his fleet bore him company by sea as far as the city of Venice,
whither the Pope desired to go for more security, that the Emperor
Frederick might not hurt him; and to show favour to the faithful
believers in Holy Church in Lombardy, he sojourned in the said city of
Venice, and by the Venetians was reverently received and honoured; and
by his favour the Milanese rebuilt the city of Milan in the year of
Christ 1168. Then, a little while after, the Milanese, with the aid
of Piacenza and Cremona, and of the other cities of Lombardy which
obeyed Holy Church, built a city in Lombardy, to be a rampart and
defence against the city of Pavia, which always was against Milan, and
held with the Empire; and since this city was built, to the honour of
the said Pope Alexander, and to the end it might be more famous, they
called it Alessandria; and afterwards it was surnamed City della
Paglia [of Straw], in contempt, by the Pavians; and at the prayer of
the Lombards the Pope gave it a bishop, and deposed the bishop of
Pavia, and took away from him the dignity of the Pallium and of the
Cross, forasmuch as he had always held with the Emperor Frederick
against the Church.

Sec. 3.--_How the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa was reconciled with the
Church, and went over seas, and there died._

[Sidenote: Inf. iv. 129.]

[Sidenote: 1188 A.D.]

The Emperor Frederick, seeing himself much cast down from his state
and sovereignty, and that many cities of Lombardy and of Tuscany were
rebelling against him and holding with the Church and with Pope
Alexander, which had great