64 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book i.

count, meeting that emperor alone in the street,rushed at and stabbed him; and after the murder,walked off triumphing and surrounded by friends.The German, who related that to the succeedingemperor, generalised overmuch in adding, “ Suchwere the Italians some years ago, and such arethey likely to continue for a long time yet.” Afterso shocking a lesson, it is not astonishing that Otho(deservedly called the Great) should be rathersevere in his first excursion to Pavia, to be crownedwith the iron crown ; and on his return into Ger-many, before the diet, he saw a King of Italy, andson, present themselves as inferiors, to do himhomage; and after doing so, they went back toreign there under his imperial protection; andOtho, again at Pavia, and re-crowned, proceededthence to Rome, where he received the imperialdiadem.

Let people then talk as they please, there areancient precedents and long-established rights forsuch coronations. Moreover, it is to the emperorsthat the Italians owe all their subsequent liberties.This union of German and Italian destinies is whathas saved both. Yet the Germans might perhapshave sufficed for themselves, but the Italians,assuredly not. Ideas imported from the north,were dear to even the latest accents of liberty in