"Indeed," continued the custodian, "for the last ten years things have
been going to the devil, for the lack of a strong hand in the capital. A
strong hand is needed by nobles and outlaws alike. We want a new
Frederick Barbarossa; the hangman's rope and the torch judiciously
applied might be the saving of the country."

Ehrenfels, belonging to the Archbishop, was not a nest of piracy, and so
its guardian could talk in this manner if he chose, but had he uttered
these sentiments farther down the Rhine, he would himself have
experienced the utility of the hangman's rope. Roland, knowing by this
time who had taken him into custody, said:

"Why do not the three Archbishops put a stop to it? They possess the
power."

The old jailer shrugged his shoulders.

"My chief, the great prelate of Mayence, would do it speedily enough if
he stood alone, but the Archbishops of Treves have ever been robbers
themselves, and Cologne is little better, therefore they neutralize one
another. No two of them will allow the other to act, fearing he may gain
in power, and thus upset the balance of responsibility, which I assure
your Highness is very nicely adjusted. Each of the three claim
allegiance from this Baron or the other, and although the Archbishops
themselves may not lay toll directly on the Rhine, their ardent
partisans do, which produces a deadlock."

Thus Roland received an education not to be had in palaces, and, saying
little beyond asking an occasional question, he thought much, and came
to certain conclusions. He arrived at an ambition to open the lordly