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Page 57
The palmer removed his head-piece and threw back his hood.
"Do you remember me, my lady?" he asked, with a smile.
The maiden looked as one striving to recall a dream.
"Do you remember Ailred of Zurich, the minnesinger?"
Her cheek turned scarlet as she exclaimed, "Oh I how much I owe to you!"
"You owe me nothing, lady," returned Humbert.
"Is my life nothing?"
"If you prize that," was the reply, "reserve your thanks for him who
made your safety my duty."
CHAPTER VIII
Hark to the trump and the drum,
And the mournful sound of the barbarous horn,
And the flap of the banners that flit as they're borne,
And the neigh of the steeds, and the multitude's hum,
And the clash, and the shout, "They come, they come!"
SIEGE OF CORINTH.
Rodolph was received with open arms by the Saxons. Dukes, counts, barons
and gentlemen hastened to Merseburg, where, at a grand festival in his
honor, he was solemnly acknowledged king of the Saxons. On every side
the Saxons were flying to arms against their old enemy, and the princes
unanimously advised the new monarch to march against his competitor, who
had been recently again anathematized by the Papal legates. Rodolph,
burning to retrieve his defeat and to save Suabia from further
desolation, hearkened eagerly to suggestions that chimed so well with
his own inclinations. He tarried only to wait the reinforcements of Welf
and Berthold, and, hoping to expedite their union with him, marched upon
Melrichstadt in Franconia.
Henry was no sooner apprised of this intended junction, than he resolved
to defeat it. Instantly evacuating Suabia, he led his powerful army
toward Saxony. He had deployed twelve thousand peasants to cut off the
two dukes, and advanced with the rest of his force to the banks of the
Strewe. Before reaching the river, he ascertained that Rodolph was
encamped on the opposite side. It now occurred to his unprincipled mind,
that he might deprive his rival even of the warning which his open
approach would give, by deputing a flag of truce to solicit a parley.
The artifice succeeded. Scarcely had the deputation left the Saxon camp,
before Henry began the attack. Unprepared for this treacherous movement,
Rodolph had barely time to form his ranks and address a few words of
encouragement to his troops. He was answered with a shout that attested
the eagerness of his soldiers for the fray. Already the clang of arms,
the cries of the living, and the groans of the dying were heard along
the line. The army of Rodolph was drawn up in two divisions--one
commanded by the king, the other by the valiant Otto of Nordheim. As the
division of Otto was a little in the rear, that of the monarch was for a
time exposed alone to the overwhelming numbers of the enemy. But nobly
indeed was the brunt of the battle borne. Rodolph waited not the onset,
but led on his columns to the charge. Then Suabian and Saxon darted
forward shoulder to shoulder, and the lords of Hers and Stramen, side by
side, shouted their battle-cries and hurled their followers upon the
opposing ranks. Such was the ardor inspired by Rodolph that, at the
first shock, two of Henry's columns were broken. But this advantage did
not long avail against equal courage and superior numbers. Henry was at
the head of the finest troops in the empire. But the consciousness of
the sacredness of their cause made the soldiers of Rodolph invincible.
Already Eberard le Barbu, the faithful counsellor of Henry, the Count
of Hennenburg, Thibalt, and Henry of Lechsgemund had fallen around their
lord. At this moment some bishops, retiring from the ranks of Rodolph,
communicated a panic to those around them. It was in vain that Rodolph
displayed the brilliant valor that had won him the name of the first
knight of the times--that the Lord of Hers put forth his utmost skill,
and the Baron of Stramen displayed his unrivalled strength. Menace and
entreaty failed alike, nor could example or reproach recall the
fugitives.
"Why does not Otto advance!" exclaimed Rodolph, who, by dint of almost
superhuman exertion, had preserved his front still unbroken. "Unless I
am supported within a minute, the battle is lost."
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