“By your Holiness’s absolution will become quiet subject and orthodox Catholic,” said Albornoz.  “Men are good or bad as they suit our purpose.  What matters a virtue that is useless, or a crime that is useful, to us?  The army of the Church proceeds against tyrants—­it proclaims everywhere to the Papal towns the restoration of their popular constitutions.  Sees not your Holiness that the acquittal of Rienzi, the popular darling, will be hailed an earnest of your sincerity?—­sees not your Holiness that his name will fight for us?—­sees not your Holiness that the great demagogue Rienzi must be used to extinguish the little demagogue Baroncelli?  We must regain the Romans, whether of the city or whether in the seven towns of John di Vico.  When they hear Rienzi is in our camp, trust me, we shall have a multitude of deserters from the tyrants—­trust me, we shall hear no more of Baroncelli.”

“Ever sagacious,” said the Pope, musingly; “it is true, we can use this man:  but with caution.  His genius is formidable—­”

“And therefore must be conciliated; if we acquit, we must make him ours.  My experience has taught me this, when you cannot slay a demagogue by law, crush him with honours.  He must be no longer Tribune of the People.  Give him the Patrician title of Senator, and he is then the Lieutenant of the Pope!”

“I will see to this, my son—­your suggestions please, but alarm me:  he shall at least be examined;—­but if found a heretic—­”

“Should, I humbly advise, be declared a saint.”

The Pope bent his brow for a moment, but the effort was too much for him, and after a moment’s struggle, he fairly laughed aloud.

“Go to, my son,” said he, affectionately patting the Cardinal’s sallow cheek.  “Go to.—­If the world heard thee, what would it say?”

“That Giles d’Albornoz had just enough religion to remember that the State is a Church, but not too much to forget that the Church is a State.”

With these words the conference ended.  That very evening the Pope decreed that Rienzi should be permitted the trial he had demanded.

Chapter 7.IV.  The Lady and the Page.

It wanted three hours of midnight, when Albornoz, resuming his character of gallant, despatched to the Signora Cesarini the following billet.

“Your commands are obeyed.  Rienzi will receive an examination on his faith.  It is well that he should be prepared.  It may suit your purpose, as to which I am so faintly enlightened, to appear to the prisoner what you are—­the obtainer of this grace.  See how implicitly one noble heart can trust another!  I send by the bearer an order that will admit one of your servitors to the prisoner’s cell.  Be it, if you will, your task to announce to him the new crisis of his fate.  Ah! madam, may fortune be as favourable to me, and grant me the same intercessor—­from thy lips my sentence is to come.”