"I have often told him that it was our duty to protect the inferior princes against the usurpation of this islander; but he answers me ever with cold respects of their relations together as suzerain and vassal, and that it were impolitic in him to make an open breach at this time and period." "The world knows that Philip is wise," said Conrade, "and will judge his submission to be policy.

Yours, my lord, you can yourself alone account for; but I doubt not you have deep reasons for submitting to English domination." "I submit!" said Leopold indignantly--"I, the Archduke of Austria, so important and vital a limb of the Holy Roman Empire--I submit myself to this king of half an island, this grandson of a Norman bastard! No, by Heaven! The camp and all Christendom shall see that I know how to right myself, and whether I yield ground one inch to the English bandog .-- Up, my lieges and merry men; up and follow me! We will--and that without losing one instant--place the eagle of Austria where she shall float as high as ever floated the cognizance of king or kaiser." With that he started from his seat, and amidst the tumultuous cheering of his guests and followers, made for the door of the pavilion, and seized his own banner, which stood pitched before it.
"Nay, my lord," said Conrade, affecting to interfere, "it will blemish your wisdom to make an affray in the camp at this hour; and perhaps it is better to submit to the usurpation of England a little longer than to--" "Not an hour, not a moment longer," vociferated the Duke; and with the banner in his hand, and followed by his shouting guests and attendants, marched hastily to the central mount, from which the banner of England floated, and laid his hand on the standard-spear, as if to pluck it from the ground.
"My master, my dear master!" said Jonas Schwanker, throwing his arms about the Duke, "take heed--lions have teeth--" "And eagles have claws," said the Duke, not relinquishing his hold on the banner-staff, yet hesitating to pull it from the ground.
The speaker of sentences, notwithstanding such was his occupation, had nevertheless some intervals of sound sense.

He clashed his staff loudly, and Leopold, as if by habit, turned his head towards his man of counsel.
"The eagle is king among the fowls of the air," said the SPRUCH-SPRECHER, "as is the lion among the beasts of the field--each has his dominion, separated as wide as England and Germany.

Do thou, noble eagle, no dishonour to the princely lion, but let your banners remain floating in peace side by side." Leopold withdrew his hand from the banner-spear, and looked round for Conrade of Montserrat, but he saw him not; for the Marquis, so soon as he saw the mischief afoot, had withdrawn himself from the crowd, taking care, in the first place, to express before several neutral persons his regret that the Archduke should have chosen the hours after dinner to avenge any wrong of which he might think he had a right to complain.

Not seeing his guest, to whom he wished more particularly to have addressed himself, the Archduke said aloud that, having no wish to breed dissension in the army of the Cross, he did but vindicate his own privileges and right to stand upon an equality with the King of England, without desiring, as he might have done, to advance his banner--which he derived from emperors, his progenitors--above that of a mere descendant of the Counts of Anjou; and in the meantime he commanded a cask of wine to be brought hither and pierced, for regaling the bystanders, who, with tuck of drum and sound of music, quaffed many a carouse round the Austrian standard.
This disorderly scene was not acted without a degree of noise, which alarmed the whole camp.
The critical hour had arrived at which the physician, according to the rules of his art, had predicted that his royal patient might be awakened with safety, and the sponge had been applied for that purpose; and the leech had not made many observations ere he assured the Baron of Gilsland that the fever had entirely left his sovereign, and that, such was the happy strength of his constitution, it would not be even necessary, as in most cases, to give a second dose of the powerful medicine.