ave been conquered and subjugated by your arms will rise
in revolt. Your boundless empire, composed of kingdoms that no common
bond of origin, of customs, or of language holds together, will fall to
pieces; it will crumble together and will bury your descendants under
its ruins."

"Do you mean to imply that Charles the Great will have passed over the
world like a shadow without leaving behind him any lasting monument of
his glory?"

"No, your life will not have been worthless. By ceaselessly warring
against the Frisians, the Saxons and other peoples who wished to invade
Gaul, you have checked, if not forever, at least for a long time, the
maraudings of those hordes that ravaged the north and east of our
unhappy country. But if you have barred the entrance of the barbarians
into Gaul over land, the sea remains open to them. The Northman pirates
almost every day make descents upon the coasts of your Empire, and their
boldness increases to the point that ascending in their vessels the
Meuse, the Gironde and the Loire, they threaten the very heart of your
dominion."

"Oh, old man! This time, I fear me, your misgivings do not lead you
astray. The Northmans are the only source of disquiet to my sleep! The
bare thought of the invasions of those pagans causes me to be overcome
with involuntary and unexplainable apprehensions. One day, during my
sojourn at Narbonne, several vessels of those accursed people extended
their piratical incursion into the very port. A sinister presentiment
seized me; despite all I could do to restrain them, the tears rolled out
of my eyes. One of my officers asked me the reason for my sudden fit of
sadness. 'Do you wish to know, my faithful followers,' I answered, 'do
you wish to know why I weep so bitterly? Certes, I do not fear that
these Northmans may injure me with their piracies; but I feel profoundly
afflicted at the thought that, in my very lifetime, they have the
audacity of touching upon the borders of my Empire; and great is my
grief because I have a presentiment of the sufferings that these
Northmans will inflict upon my descendants and my peoples;'" and the
Emperor remained for several minutes as if overpowered by the sinister
premonition that he now recalled.

"Charles," Amael resumed with a grave voice, "all royalty that issues
from conquest, or from violence, carries within itself the germ of
death, for the reason that its principle is iniquitous. Perchance those
Northman pirates m