He is a bold man, and a pious, and, thou tellest me, of great weight with the people; and say to him, that if his wit can devise the method for extirpating these sons of Belial, and rendering a safe passage along the public ways, largely, indeed, will he merit at our hands,--lasting will be the gratitude we shall owe to him; and whatever succour thou, and the servants of our See, can render to him, let it not be stinted.'" "Said his Holiness thus!" exclaimed Rienzi.

"I ask no more--the gratitude is mine that he hath thought thus of his servant, and intrusted me with this charge; at once I accept it--at once I pledge myself to success.

Let us, my Lord, let us, then, clearly understand the limits ordained to my discretion.

To curb the brigands without the walls, I must have authority over those within.

If I undertake, at peril of my life, to clear all the avenues to Rome of the robbers who now infest it, shall I have full licence for conduct bold, peremptory, and severe ?" "Such conduct the very nature of the charge demands," replied Raimond.
"Ay,--even though it be exercised against the arch offenders--against the supporters of the brigands--against the haughtiest of the nobles themselves ?" The Bishop paused, and looked hard in the face of the speaker.