by the pontiff. To the former he appropriates the body; to the
latter, the soul: the sword of justice is in the hands of the
magistrate: the more formidable weapon of excommunication is
intrusted to the clergy; and in the exercise of their divine
commission a zealous son will not spare his offending father: the
successor of St. Peter may lawfully chastise the kings of the
earth. "You assault us, O tyrant! with a carnal and military
hand: unarmed and naked we can only implore the Christ, the
prince of the heavenly host, that he will send unto you a devil,
for the destruction of your body and the salvation of your soul.
You declare, with foolish arrogance, I will despatch my orders to
Rome: I will break in pieces the image of St. Peter; and Gregory,
like his predecessor Martin, shall be transported in chains, and
in exile, to the foot of the Imperial throne. Would to God that
I might be permitted to tread in the footsteps of the holy
Martin! but may the fate of Constans serve as a warning to the
persecutors of the church! After his just condemnation by the
bishops of Sicily, the tyrant was cut off, in the fullness of his
sins, by a domestic servant: the saint is still adored by the
nations of Scythia, among whom he ended his banishment and his
life. But it is our duty to live for the edification and support
of the faithful people; nor are we reduced to risk our safety on
the event of a combat. Incapable as you are of defending your
Roman subjects, the maritime situation of the city may perhaps
expose it to your depredation but we can remove to the distance
of four-and-twenty stadia, to the first fortress of the Lombards,
and then - you may pursue the winds. Are you ignorant that the
popes are the bond of union, the mediators of peace, between the
East and West? The eyes of the nations are fixed on our
humility; and they revere, as a God upon earth, the apostle St.