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Page 46
"But His Holiness remained inflexible," resumed the missionary. "At
last, moved by the prayers and tears of those around him, he permitted
Henry to approach him, to prove his penitence and atone for his contempt
of the Holy See. The prince delayed not to avail himself of this grace;
and the next morning presented himself at the inner gate of the castle,
barefoot and in sackcloth, where he remained, fasting, from daybreak to
sunset. This he repeated the second and the third day."
"Oh that I had seen him in that saintly guise!" cried the duke, with a
short, disdainful laugh, while he rubbed his hands, and pressed the
floor with his iron heel.
"Consummate hypocrite!" said the Lord Albert.
"Coward!" muttered the Baron of Stramen.
"I think I can hear his piteous cries now," continued Father Omehr,
endeavoring to excite their compassion, "put forth at intervals:
'_Parce, beate Pater, pie, parce mihi, peto, plane!_'"
But the nobles only expressed extreme disgust.
"Finally," proceeded the priest, "the supplications of the saintly
countess, Matilda, and of many holy men, induced our good Father to
raise the anathema on these conditions, proposed to the king, still
barefoot and numbed with cold."
A deathlike silence prevailed as the missionary began the enumeration:
"That Henry should appear at Augsburg--that the Pope should be the
judge--that he should submit without resistance to the decision--that he
should banish the excommunicated bishops and favorites--and if one of
these conditions were violated, that his guilt would be deemed
established, and the princes of the empire at liberty to elect another
king."
The knights still sat in silence, as if spell-bound, while Father Omehr
calmly went on with his narrative:
"The monarch swore to observe the compact inviolably. But to give
additional solemnity to the oath, the Pontiff, while celebrating the
Mass that followed the reconciliation, turned from the altar, and thus
addressed the king: 'Do, if it please you, my son, as you have seen me
do. The German princes are continually charging you with crimes for
which they demand an interdict over you for life, not only from the
seals of royalty, but from all communion with the Church or society.
They demand your immediate condemnation; but you know the uncertainty of
human judgments. Do, then, as I advise you, and if you are conscious of
innocence, rid the Church of this scandal and yourself of these
imputations! Receive this other half of the Host, that this proof of
your innocence may silence your enemies, and I pledge myself to be your
best champion in appeasing your barons and in arresting this civil
war!'"
"And Henry?--" whispered Rodolph, trembling with excitement.
"Recoiled from a proof so terrible," answered the missionary.
The duke still occupied his chair, with his forehead knit, and his arms
folded on his breast, but the Lord of Hers sprang to his feet and began
to pace the room, and the Baron of Stramen brought his battle-axe
heavily against the floor.
"Tell me," said Albert of Hers, addressing Father Omehr, "did not the
Pope revoke his pardon at this evident insincerity?"
"No," was the reply.
"Then, may God forgive me," returned the excited knight, "but the mercy
of His Holiness sounds like human folly!"
"It is weakness--cowardice!" muttered the Baron of Stramen.
The missionary smiled at cowardice in connection with the name of
Gregory VII.
A bright smile now began to break over Rodolph's face, and he said,
turning to his friends:
"My gallant knights, this is but an expedient of the king's to gain
time, he will never confront us at Augsburg. We must prepare for a
struggle more desperate than ever, and, before another day, I must set
out for Saxony."
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