" Freed from superstition, Le looked upon all religions as formed to impose upon the vulgar ; and it was through his instructions, that I learned the policy of conforming to the prejudices of mankind, and now avail myself of the priv-ileges of an order, who wander everywhere, and are every-where well received. " The emperor, like thy brother Alphonso, was a man of science. He opened schools in Sicily, and maintained poor scholars from his own purse, and by every means promoted the welfare of his subjects ; but he could not escape the toils spread around him by his great enemy the church." As he said these words the queen beheld in his eyes the same vengeful fire that once had before so startled and shocked her. " Thy pardon, sovereign lady," said he, recollecting him-self, " but the wrongs of the master have well-nigh mad-dened the brain of the servant. " His own son Henry, wrought upon by the malicious representations of the pope, revolted, and his beautiful boy Enzio, pined away his young life in the prison of Bo-logna. The great Frederic died ; and his wretched Procida vowed to avenge him upon his murderers." He paused a moment overcome by his emotions, and then continued, "There yet remained Conrad and Manfred: the former, only son of the Queen of Jerusalem, and the latter, ille-gitimate offspring of a Saracen woman. Conrad passed into Italy to claim his inheritance, only to be poisoned by the pope ; while Manfred, calling around him the frionds of his mother, battled for his father's strongholds and treasures. He was brave, generous and noble. He would' have made peace even with his enemy, but the tyrant d'Anjou spurned*his overtures, and insultingly replied, to the messenger, 'Go tell the Sultan of Nbcera, that I de-sire war only, and this very day I will send him to hell, or-be shall send me to Paradise.' He prepared for the conT flict. As he fastened on his helmet it twice slipped from his grasp. ' It is the hand of God,' was his exclamation, and with a presentiment of his fall, he hurried to the fight,. 28 ELEANORA. 433