to uphold the might and dignity of the Holy City:--

'We swear to thee that great and free
Our Rome shall be as once of yore;
To protect it from tyranny
We'll shed the last drop of our gore.
Shame and destruction now we vow
To all the enemies of Rome;
A new free people are we now,
And we'll defend our hearth and home.'

The scene of the second act is laid in the Capitol, where the
barons, who had been forced to take the oath of allegiance ere
they were allowed to re-enter the city, are present, as well
as the numerous emissaries from foreign courts. Heralds and
messengers from all parts of the land crowd eagerly around
the Tribune, anxious to do him homage, and to assure him that,
thanks to his decrees, order and peace are now restored.

Amid the general silence the heralds make their reports,
declaring that the roads are safe, all brigandage suppressed,
commerce and agriculture more flourishing than ever before,
a statement which Rienzi and the people receive with every
demonstration of great joy. To the barons, however, these are
very unwelcome tidings, and, knowing that the people could
soon be cowed were they only deprived of their powerful leader,
they gather together in one corner of the hall and plot how to
put Rienzi to death.

Adrian accidentally discovers this conspiracy, and indignantly