Tomb of Beatrice This inscription Matilda, in accordance with her mother's expressed wish, placed above the grave. "With the inconsistency of the times," remarks a modern historian, "which allowed so strange a blending of pagan and Christian sepulture," the body of Beatrice was placed in an ancient sarcophagus on which was sculptured in relief the story of Phædra and Hippolytus. It was the study of this tomb, composed of Parian marble “and one of the finest in point of workmanship," that interested Niccolo Pisano, the contemporary of Cimabue; this exquisite specimen of Italian skill "was the model from whence he derived the perfection of his chisel." It is said to have induced him to revert to the ancient form of sculpture, and from it he is supposed to have copied several figures for his famous pulpit in the Baptistery at Pisa. The sarcophagus was afterwards removed to the Campo Santo, or burial-ground, where, as its name indicates, the dead are buried in sacred earth which was brought from Mount Calvary.1 The mausoleum, which is on the north side, is considered to be "one of the most splendid and classically-beautiful sarcophagi in the Campo Santo at Pisa, that matchless structure unique amid the wonders of Italian art." Hither in 1810, more than seven hundred and thirty years after the death of Beatrice, the remains of the Countess were conveyed, and upon her tomb was placed the following inscription : "Quamvis peccatrix sum Domna vocata Beatrix In tumulo missa jaceo quæ comitissa A.D. MLXXVI.” To Matilda the loss of her mother was irreparable, and her This famous cemetery in Pisa, "consecrated to the memory of those who have deserved well of their country, has," continues the chronicler, "given its name to every burial-ground in Italy. It dates from the end of the twelfth century, having been consecrated by Archbishop Ubaldo, who, when driven from Palestine by Saladin, loaded his fifty-three vessels with earth of the Holy Land and deposited it in the place now called Campo Santo." intense depth of affection caused her to feel the separation more acutely than would a person of less susceptibility. They had been so essentially united in their aims and interests, their cares, sorrows and joys were the same, and a harmony of purpose had marked every action of their daily life. Gregory always addressed his lengthy and precious letters to mother and child dually, and upon their influence he built his hopes of reconciliation with Henry. "I wish that you knew," he wrote to the Empress," that we have worked for the cause of the Blessed Apostle, as always Beatrice and Matilda her daughter have taken part night and day in our labours.” In a letter to the Princesses he says, "We desire to have an interview with you, for your counsels are the counsels of wellbeloved sisters." The Pontiff in another epistle declares: "We detest nothing so much as exaggeration and vain praises, but it is in truth we lean with much more confidence upon your noble devotion than upon the promises and support of all the monarchs of the world. That confidence with which your words, your actions, your zeal, piety, loyalty and faith inspire us." "The least doubt upon them," writes Gregory, at a later date of the Tuscan Princesses," will be an injustice, for both regard God and the interests of His Church, and have shown towards us a fidelity at all costs." It appeared as if the death of the only relative who entertained or expressed any affection for the King swept away the last barrier of restraint, and from henceforth he rushed headlong upon the course which was ultimately to prove his ruin. Ever since the issue of the excommunication he had maintained a bitter personal dislike to Gregory, and sought by every means in his power to counteract this influence. The Bishops and clergy who were conspicuous for their adherence to the Pontiff were imprisoned or exiled; their Sees and benefices remained unfilled, the revenues being applied to Henry's privy purse. The lives of superiors of monastic institutions were, according to historians, embittered and harassed by the constant exactions which were made Saxons in Revolt upon their resources to supply the exchequer. When, as it happened at times their funds became too exhausted to meet the King's demands, the priors were forced to resign their offices to more pliant successors, or the building was closed and the monks turned adrift. Nor were Henry's lay subjects in any better condition, in spite of his promises to the contrary. The resolutions he had made at Goslar were forgotten as a dream, and the situation of the Saxons was deplorable in the extreme. "He confiscated their estates, exiled their nobles, sold the peasants as slaves, or compelled them to labour in erecting fortresses from which his mercenary troops might curb and ravish the surrounding country. The cry of the oppressed rose on every side from the unhappy land.”1 The chiefs appealed to the Pontiff in letters full and frequent, and the heart of Gregory, though beating in sympathy with them, was yet yearning with fatherly solicitude for the author of all their woes. He still clung to the hope that the prodigal might avow and retrieve his errors and be restored to the communion of the Church. By this means only the Pontiff was assured would the sad state of affairs be remedied. Trusting therefore to fond anticipations of happier days—anticipations in which no one else shared-he resolutely set his face against any movement on the part of the people which would imperil the crown. The Saxons, however, were not so sanguine; their experience of the monarch's duplicity was too deep and recent to allow them to entertain hopes that anything would materially affect his conduct or cause a softening of his savage nature. Aided by the Dukes of Bavaria and Suabia, the princes resolved to assert their independence and make a stand for their liberties. They drove the German officers into the fortresses and released them only on condition that they took an oath never to carry arms against the Saxons. Emboldened by this victory and by the opportune escape of several of 1 Right Hon. Sir James Stephen. |