lector, who would revolt against Emperor and empire.

"I commission you, my son, to unravel this whole scheme to the Emperor,
and to petition him for his countenance. For, without the imperial
approbation and without an assurance of success, we dare not proceed
further in this dangerous undertaking. We must have some security, too,
that the Emperor's Majesty will proportionately reward us if we gain the
Mark for him, and rid him of that mutinous, heretical Elector."

"I shall above all things seek to come to an understanding with Father
Silvio, and impress upon the Emperor's pious, zealous father confessor the
extent of glory and blessing to be acquired in behalf of the Church and
holy faith by wresting the Mark out of the hands of a heretic, and
bestowing it upon a believing, true Catholic, such as the Stadtholder in
the Mark. The father has the Emperor's ear, and, I believe, is favorably
disposed toward me. I shall use every means for enlisting his favor, and
it would be well to have some funds at my disposal for this purpose.
Father Silvio, noble and pious though he be, loves money, and is not
inaccessible to jewels and valuable gifts. He has in his apartments at
Vienna costly collections of precious stones and rare gold and silver
plate, and it affords him high gratification to add a few valuable
pieces to them."

"We will take care of that," said Count Adam, smiling. "Choose out of our
casket of gems a few things worthy the pious father's acceptance, and for
money you can draw upon the bankers Fugger of Nuremberg. I recently
deposited with them considerable sums, in case of emergency. They are
safer there than here in this starved-out Mark, among the desperadoes of
Berlin and Cologne, who have no affection for me, and perhaps some day may
take it into their heads to demand relief from me for their poverty and
want, and plunder me to enrich themselves. Among such a gaunt, hungry
populace we must be prepared for everything, and it is wise to be insured
against mishaps. In these present evil days, however, nothing but money
can raise an army, and only he who has money can aspire to being a
general."

"The little Elector of Brandenburg has no money!" cried Count Adolphus,
"for which God be praised! He, therefore, can be no general. His troops
and his land belong to us, and, like the Margrave of Jaegerndorf and the
Elector of the Palatinate, the deposed Elector of Brandenburg may soon be
a wanderer in foreign lands,