in his words of wisdom and of piety. The promotion which had come to others, remarks his biographer, passed him by unnoticed and he remained simply Abbot of Cluny until his death. This happened in 1109, when the venerable saint, having survived his pupil Pontiff and two of his successors in the Chair of St Peter, passed to his reward at the ripe age of 86.1

With that overflowing spirit of charity for which he was remarkable, Hugo yearned over the prodigal whom he had held as an infant in his arms. During his conversation with Gregory he used all the arguments in his power to induce him to receive the monarch who had come so far and in such humble guise to make amends as the monk charitably believed for his former faults. Gregory, whose repeated entreaties for an interview had hitherto been met on Henry's side with sullen silence, was not, as may be supposed, anxious now to give him a hearing. In answer to the enquiries of the Countess, he had intimated that he would prefer the meeting to take place in Germany as arranged.

Once assured of the Pontiff's safety, Matilda had no fears for her own, and she went forth, accompanied by the Abbot as far as Reggio, to meet the royal party, reports of whose progress and hostility had been so alarming.

William the Conqueror had such a high opinion of Hugo's sanctity, that he wrote, offering a hundred pounds for every monk he would send from Cluny to England. But the Abbot, "in a letter which is still preserved," replied "he would give that sum himself for every good monk he could purchase for his monastery, if such a thing were to be purchased."

Matilda as Comforter

CHAPTER VIII

"Go, sin no more! thy penance o'er
A new and better life begin!
God maketh thee for ever free
From the dominion of thy sin!
Go, sin no more! He will restore

The peace that filled thy heart before
And pardon thine iniquity."

The Golden Legend-LONGFELLOW.

To Henry, the unexpected meeting with his cousin and Abbot Hugo augured well for the success of his enterprise. He trusted by enlisting their sympathies with the Pope, to obtain an easy and amicable ending to what threatened to be a serious matter.

While the King unfolded his views to Hugo, the wearied Queen, with a sigh of relief, threw herself into the loving arms of Matilda, and with her child was folded against one of the truest and noblest hearts that ever beat in sympathy with human woe. With the grace and winning manner peculiar to her and which was irresistible, she attempted with womanly tact to make poor Bertha forget the horrors she had lately undergone, and by tender attention to her needs, lessened the sufferings the frightful expedition had entailed. The Princess, whose highest ambition it was to give solace to others, relieved the anxieties of her visitor, and with that buoyancy of mind which was one of her characteristics, drew pictures-which, alas! were never realised -of brighter days to come. Aware of the contumely with which Henry treated his wife, Matilda poured the oil of gladness into the wounds of the unloved Queen, by assuring her that her unswerving fidelity could not fail to obtain for

her a full reward in the affection which such devotion deserved.

With regard to the King's anticipations of a favourable ending to his journey, Matilda had her fears, and her heart bled for Bertha. She had undergone so much already in mind and body, in order that her husband might have the opportunity of pleading his cause, that the Countess dared not even hint of the possibility of the disappointment which she believed awaited her.

Henry was agreeably surprised and gratified at the affectionate reception of his wife by one held in high esteem by the Pontiff. Before leaving Spires, and again when nearing Canossa, he had written to his cousin "to beg her to act in his favour, and to obtain from the Holy Father indulgence and pardon." If he had felt any misgivings as to the results of his self-arranged plan, they no longer existed; and he awaited with the elasticity of hope the conference which he firmly believed would be considerably to his advantage. He had no doubt but that his overtures of reconciliation would be readily accepted, and immediately on his arrival at Reggio despatched messengers to Gregory, notifying him of his approach and pacific intentions. "The King," said the ambassadors, "does not mind being judged, he knows that the Pontiff will protect innocence and justice." But their mission resulted in failure, and the crestfallen knights returned, to the consternation of Henry, without having the seals of their credentials broken, with the message that Gregory steadily adhered to his resolution of meeting him at Augsburg.

Almost in despair at the refusal of the Pope to admit him to audience, he again sent envoys, but in a more submissive fashion, to remind Gregory that the anniversary of his excommunication was at hand. "If," continued the message, "the excommunication be not removed, the King, according to the laws of the land, will lose his right to the crown. The Prince humbly requests the Holy Father to raise the inter

Henry's Disappointment

dict, and to restore him to the communion of the Church. He is ready to give every satisfaction that the Pope shall require, to present himself at such place and at such time as the Pope shall order, to meet his accusers, and to commit himself entirely to the decision of the Head of the Church."

To this apparently humble appeal Gregory sent no other reply than the repetition of his decision with regard to the meeting at Augsburg.

Henry, almost beside himself with wounded pride and mortification at the failure of the mission, turned for help to the friendly Hugo. "He conjured and wept” and Matilda added her prayers to those of the monarch that the Abbot should intercede for him. "I cannot, I cannot," helplessly repeated the sympathetic monk, who, grieving for the King's disappointment, suggested that the Countess herself should ask the Pontiff to grant an audience to the "repentant" King.

On hearing these words Henry's hopes revived; he bent his royal knee to his relative. "If you will come to my assistance, cousin, I will no longer struggle. I will not fight in the future. The Pope has treated me very badly, dear cousin, but do what you can. Get me absolved, I beg you. Go! my cousin, prevail on him to bless me. Go!"1

The Countess, convinced of the futility of the errand, hesitated to undertake the mission, and made no reply to Hugo or to the protestations of the King, which were too fulsome to be sincere. She fixed a look of infinite tenderness upon the bowed form of the Queen, from whom all hope and strength seemed to have fled. Poor Bertha, unnerved by the long journey and the uncertainty of its issue, abandoned herself to the grief she could no longer restrain. At the sight of her tears, Matilda's reluctance disappeared. As she regarded the worn looks of her friend, she could refuse no longer to undertake the office of mediator. It was evident that there was no other way of consoling the wife than by

1 Amédée Renée.

entreating the clemency of the Church for the husband. Matilda dreaded what the consequences would be to that sorely-tried Queen, already prostrated by the weight of her husband's excommunication, should the ban not be removed. She knew that the Pontiff was unaware of all this, and she knew also that his pitying heart would not inflict such fearful sufferings upon any woman, far less upon an unoffending and pious daughter of the Church. Bertha's silent pleading decided Matilda's course of action and, embracing her fondly, the Tuscan Princess took her leave. She set out for Canossa, followed by the benediction, the hopes and the prayers of those who awaited the issue of her intervention.

The gates of the castle were flung open to admit the stately Countess, who passed without pause to the apartment of the Pontiff. Throwing herself on her knees before him, she recounted her fears for Bertha, and pleaded in such moving terms, that Gregory, unable to resist her appeal, though much against his will, consented to receive the King.

Mounted messengers were at once despatched to Reggio, and the royal travellers, with revived hopes, started on their way to Canossa.

Henry lost no time in presenting himself before the fortress which was to be the scene of a humiliation unexampled in history for its depth and insincerity. On the way he was joined by a considerable number of clerics and laymen from Lombardy, who had also incurred the censure of the Holy See. As avowed partizans of Germany, these delinquents hoped to profit by the King's appearance, and by making with him submission to the Church to reinstate themselves in the Pontiff's favour.

The castle was protected by three walled enclosures, and Henry's followers, who were for the most part unfriendly to Matilda, were not permitted by her guards to go beyond the first. The King, therefore, was obliged to leave them to await his coming in the outer court while he was admitted to the inner enclosure.