Chronicles and Characters By Robert Lytton (Owen Meredith): In Two Volumes |
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VIII. | VIII.AND TRIES HIS FORTUNES AND HIS FRIENDS. |
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XIII. |
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VIII. |
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XVII. |
XVIII. |
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VIII. |
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VIII. |
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Chronicles and Characters | ||
VIII.AND TRIES HIS FORTUNES AND HIS FRIENDS.
But Greatness, God keeps fast upon its throne,
Is ever prompt full greatly to disown
Greatness by God struck down.
The Pope is wise,
Humane, and just.
The Pope the Prince first plies
With the sad story of his sire's distress.
And ‘Pax vobiscum!’ sighs His Holiness.
“Leonem, Optime, mox conculcabis”
Urges the Prince, “me quoque liberabis
“De laqueo venantium.”
Whereunto
The Pontiff
“Cœlum dedit Domino,
Hominum autem terram filiis.
Schismatics, also, are ye Greeks, I wis.”
And still the Prince
“O Holy Father, stay!
“The Greek shall to the Latin rite give way,
If Latin arms the Grecian throne recover.”
310
Greatness by God struck down.
The Pope is wise,
Humane, and just.
The Pope the Prince first plies
With the sad story of his sire's distress.
And ‘Pax vobiscum!’ sighs His Holiness.
“Leonem, Optime, mox conculcabis”
Urges the Prince, “me quoque liberabis
“De laqueo venantium.”
Whereunto
The Pontiff
“Cœlum dedit Domino,
Hominum autem terram filiis.
Schismatics, also, are ye Greeks, I wis.”
And still the Prince
“O Holy Father, stay!
“The Greek shall to the Latin rite give way,
If Latin arms the Grecian throne recover.”
“Another time, my son, we'll talk this over.
Festina lente. Vale!” sighs the Pope,
And waives him off.
He nurses yet his hope
And flees to Germany.
Festina lente. Vale!” sighs the Pope,
And waives him off.
He nurses yet his hope
And flees to Germany.
In Germany
Philip is Kaiser; and by craft holds high
A brow serene above the brawling crowd,
—Fine-balanced on Fate's pinnacle, and proud.
And Kaiser Philip hath, in summers fled,
Irene, sister to Alexius, wed:
And Kaiser Philip doth with deep concern
The fallen fortunes of his kinsman learn:
Concern'd the more, that he just now can spare
Nor men, nor money; since his rival there,
The lynx-eyed Otho, lurking for a spring,
Crouches hard by, and troubles everything.
The times are wild.
Philip is Kaiser; and by craft holds high
311
—Fine-balanced on Fate's pinnacle, and proud.
And Kaiser Philip hath, in summers fled,
Irene, sister to Alexius, wed:
And Kaiser Philip doth with deep concern
The fallen fortunes of his kinsman learn:
Concern'd the more, that he just now can spare
Nor men, nor money; since his rival there,
The lynx-eyed Otho, lurking for a spring,
Crouches hard by, and troubles everything.
The times are wild.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross Lords
(Five hundred sail, and thrice ten thousand swords)
In Zara halt, the new Crusade to plan.
And thither wends the Prince.
(Five hundred sail, and thrice ten thousand swords)
In Zara halt, the new Crusade to plan.
And thither wends the Prince.
Chronicles and Characters | ||