e said
Conrad would not adventure himself to come by land, but being arrived
in the Trevisan March, he caused a great fleet to be equipped by the
Venetians, and from thence by sea with all his people came to Apulia
the year of Christ 1251. And albeit Manfred was wrath at his coming,
forasmuch as he had purposed to be lord of the said kingdom, he made a
great welcome to Conrad, his brother, rendering him much honour and
reverence, and when he was in Apulia he led a host against the city of
Naples, the which before had been five times attacked and besieged by
Manfred, prince of Salerno, and he had not been able to conquer it;
but Conrad, with his great host after a long siege, gained the city by
surrender, on condition that he should neither slay the defenders nor
dismantle the place. But Conrad did not abide by the pact, but so soon
as he was in Naples he caused the walls and all the fortresses of
Naples to be destroyed; and the like did he to the city of Capua,
which had rebelled; and in a short space he had restored all the
Kingdom to his lordship, casting down every rebel, or whosoever was a
friend or follower of Holy Church; and not only the laity but the
monks and holy persons he caused to die by torments, robbing the
churches, and subduing whosoever was not in obedience to him, and
appointing to benefices, as if he were Pope; so that if Frederick, his
father, was a persecutor of Holy Church, this Conrad, if he had lived
longer, would have been worse; but as it pleased God, a little time
after, he was smitten with a grievous sickness, but not mortal, and
as he was being tended by leeches and physicians, Manfred, his
brother, to remain in power, caused the said leeches for money and
great promises to poison him by a clyster. By such a judgment of God,
by his brother's deed, of such a death did he die without repentance
and excommunicated, the year of Christ 1252. And he left behind him in
Germany a young son who was named Conradino, whose mother was daughter
to the duke of Bavaria.

Sec. 45.--_How Manfred, natural son of Frederick, took the lordship of
the kingdom of Sicily and of Apulia, and caused himself to be
crowned._

[Sidenote: 1252 A.D.]

[Sidenote: 1254 A.D.]

[Sidenote: Purg. iii. 121.]

[Sidenote: 1255 A.D.]

Conrad, called king of Germany, being dead, Manfred remained lord and
governor of Sicily and of the Kingdom, albeit through the death of
Conrad, some cities of the Kingdom rebelled, and Pop