n hailing distance--the
boat darted straight to where they were standing; and, before it was
made fast, the gentleman in the stern sprang ashore, and, removing the
cloak in which he had been enveloped, discovered the princely features
of Rodolph, Duke of Suabia. Rodolph was descended from the counts of
Hapsburg, on the father's side--and, on the mother's, from the
illustrious family of Otto the Great. He was styled King of Arles, and
resided for the most part at Zurich. He was connected with Henry of
Austria by a double tie, Matilda, his first wife, having been the sister
of the king, and Adelaide, to whom he was then married, being the sister
of the queen. But, though thus allied to Henry, he neither loved nor
respected him. Once, indeed, the emperor had summoned him to court, on
the charge of entertaining projects hostile to the house of Franconia,
but Rodolph, well knowing the treacherous character of the monarch, and
always a hero, boldly refused, preferring the fortune of arms to the
fate of an investigation. Subsequently, filled with horror at the
impiety of the Saxons in burning the Cathedral at Hartzburg, hallowed by
numerous relics, and filled with the rich offerings of the faithful, he
had united with Henry to chastise their sacrilege. At the battle of
Hohenburg, in the van--the privilege of Suabia--he distinguished himself
above all others by his impetuous valor, and only left the field when
covered with wounds. Rodolph was equally remarkable for the size and
beauty of his person, and the elevation of his soul. The Teutonic
antiquities contain many songs of the Minnesingers, in which he is
invested with all the qualities of mind and heart and body that can
adorn the knight; but one fault is imputed to him--ambition. His
subjects almost worshipped him, and his power is said to have been built
upon their hearts. So conspicuous was he among his brother dukes, that,
at the Diet of Gerstungen, in 1073, he had been offered the imperial
crown, but he declined it unless awarded by the unanimous suffrages of
the confederation.

Between him and the Baron of Hers a close friendship of long standing
had existed, which had been interrupted by the baron's refusal to
accompany him the preceding year in the expedition against Saxony. This
refusal had been dictated by the knight's invincible repugnance to
Henry, and by the politic move of conciliating all who opposed the
emperor. Since the battle of Hohenburg they had not met