presents the horn too early, being set aside, the whole passage will admirably help towards forming a just idea respecting the Roman state. u Rome,” he says, u with its dukedom, which comprised a part of Etruria and Campania, revolted from the Greek emperors, A.c. 726, and became a free republic, under the government of the Roman Senate. The authority of this Senate at length became supreme in civil affairs ; the authority of the Pope up to this time not extending beyond ecclesiastical affairs p. 53. Again : u In the year 796, Leo III., being created Pontiff, by an embassy in- formed Charles the Great of his election, sending at the same time as a gift golden keys of the Confession of Peter, and also a banner of the city of Rome : the former indeed, as an admission that the Pope held the cities of the Exarchate of Ravenna and Lombardy by the gift of Charles ; the latter, to signify to the king, that he should return and subdue the Senate and people of Rome, just as he had subdued the Exarchate and kingdom of the Lombards. For the Pontiff asked at the same time of Charles, that he should send some of his princes to Rome, who might subject to him the Roman people, and bind them by an oath, in fidelity and subjection , as Sigo- nius relates the words which he used. An anonymous poet, edited by Boeder, at Strasburg, describes it in this manner : — ‘ And he admonished him with pious prayers, that he might be pleased to send some of his own chiefs, and to render the people of Rome subject to him, and compelling them to promise the keeping of their compact of fidelity by great oaths.’ 1
u Hence a disagreement arose between the Pope and the Roman citizens. And these indeed, two or three years afterwards, aided by some of the clergy, stirred up such great tumults against him, as to become the cause of a new aspect of affairs throughout the whole West. For two of the clergy accused the Pope of certain crimes ; and shortly afterwards the Romans seized upon him with armed force, stripped him of his sacerdotal vestments, and im- prisoned him in a monastery. But when, by the aid of his friends, he had escaped, he fled into Germany, to Charles the Great, to whom he complained of the Romans, as though they opposed him with this intent, that they might shake off the whole authority of the Church, and recover their ancient liberty. In his absence, his
1 Admonuitque piis precibus, qui mittere vellet Ex propriis aliquos primoribus, ac sibi plebem Subdere Romanam, servandaque fcedera cogens Hanc fidei sacramentis promittere magnis.