"Certainly. Long live Alexander!"

"Whoever shall obtain supplies for the Milanese, shall lose his hand;
the informer shall be rewarded."

This last article, although the most barbarous, met with general
approval among the Italians, who only found fault with the punishment
as being too mild. They forgot the iron yoke under which Frederic kept
them, to remember only their hatred for their detested rival Milan.

"Long live the Emperor! Down with Milan! Death and destruction to the
Milanese!"

The trumpets again sounded, and while the soldiers gave free vent to
the expression of their hatred, the herald and his escort left the
ground.

Rechberg had listened to the proclamation, and would have pursued his
journey, but the dense crowd forced him to remain and hear the
imprecations lavished upon the Emperor, as soon as Hesso was out of
sight.

"Laugh on!" thought the young man. "You may laugh as much as you
please, but you will not be able to violate those orders with
impunity."

At this moment, two asses' ears ornamented with bells, approached the
Count. Lanzo, with a good deal of difficulty, had elbowed his way
through the crowd, and had gained a neighboring spur-post, where he
climbed up, and then sprang, with the agility of a monkey, upon the
Count's stirrup; a moment after, he was behind his saddle. The crowd
laughed and applauded the jester's activity, and Rechberg allowed him
to retain his seat, for he saw nothing impertinent in the proceeding of
the fool, whose loyalty he esteemed, and whose jests would serve to
amuse him.

"Whence come you, Lanzo?"

"From the fulfilment of my duty, noble Count."

"Yes; but how?"

"How? I have only just discovered it; I had no positive end in view,
until now. But I perceive, my lord, that your mission is of vast
importance. The Emperor, the Pope, and the kings, are very
insignificant personages compared with you."

"And why so, Lanzo?"

"Because you have the court-fool behind you!"

"But I cannot see in that an omen of greatness."

"Oh, I will explain, if you will only try to understand me!" said the
jester. "I will begin with the Pope, that is, providing Victor be
really the Pope,--a matter, about which some quite sensible people
begin to doubt. For the last two years, Barbarossa has been holding
council upon council, and yet all of them together have not succeeded
in proving that Victor is the Pope. This establishes clearly, either
that Victor is a fool, or