h had hitherto
been found hampering; it defined the limits of Church and State, as no
protest had hitherto done.

But Venice was calm in her triumph as she had been unmoved in disaster,
and would not reflect the jubilant tone of the cardinal when he had
returned from Rome empowered to withdraw the censures upon the terms
stipulated by the Republic.

Yet, at this latest moment, the cardinal mediator, from lack of
discretion, had come near to failure; for the terms being less favorable
than he had desired to obtain for the Holy Father, he could not resist
attempting to win some little further grace before pronouncing the final
word, when the Signoria, weary of temporizing, told him plainly that his
Holiness must come at once to a decision, or Venice would forget that
she had so far yielded as to listen to any negotiations.

There was no pageant at the close of this long drama of which the
princes of Europe had been interested spectators. Venice sat smiling and
unruffled under her April skies when the ducal secretary escorted the
two famous prisoners from the dungeons of the Palace to the residence of
the French ambassador, and there, _without prejudice to the Republic's
right of jurisdiction over criminal ecclesiastics_, explicitly
stipulated, bestowed this gift--so fitting for the gratification of a
"Most Christian Majesty"--upon the representative of France, who must
indeed have breathed more freely when this testimonial of favor, with
its precious burden of nameless crimes, had been consigned by him to one
who waited as an appointee of the Pope.

The Doge and the Signoria sat in their accustomed places in their
stately Assembly Chamber when the cardinal came with congratulations
upon the withdrawal of the interdict, and the words of the Serenissimo,
as he gave the promised parchment, were few and dignified.

"I thank the Lord our God that his Holiness hath assured himself of the
purity of our intentions and the sincerity of our deeds."

And the writing of that parchment, sealed with the seal of Saint Mark,
stood thus:

"Essendo state levate le Censure e restate parimente rivocato il
Protesto." ("The censures having been taken off the protest remains
equally revoked.")

It was whispered low that the cardinal, under his cape, made the sign of
the cross and murmured a word of absolution. But if the Signoria
suspected his intention there was no movement of acquiescence; only,
when the short ceremony of the passin