OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.
In the beginning of the twelfth century/ theera of the first crusade, Rome was revered by theLatins, as the metropolis of the world, as thethrone of the pope and the emperor; who, fromthe eternal city, derived their title, their honours,and the right or exercise of temporal dominion.After so long an interruption, it may not be use-less to repeat that the successors of Charlemagne and the Othos were chosen beyond the Rhine ina national diet; but that these princes were con-tent with the humble names of kings of Ger-many and Italy , till they had passed the Alpsand the Apennine , to seek their imperial crownon the hanks of the Tyber. 1 At some distancefrom the city, their approach was saluted by along procession of the clergy and people withpalms and crosses; and the terrific emblems ofwolves and lions, of dragons and eagles, thatfloated in the military banners, represented thedeparted legions and cohorts of the republic.The royal oath to maintain the liberties of Rome was thrice reiterated, at the bridge, the gate, andon the stairs of the Vatican ; and the distributionof a customary donative feebly imitated the mag-nificence of the first Caesars. In the church ofSt. Peter, the coronation was performed by his
6 The reader has been so long absent from Rome , that I would ad-vise him to recollect or review the forty-ninth chapter, in the ninthvolume of this history.
‘ The coronation of the German pmperors at Rome , more especiallyin the eleventh century, is best represented from the original monu-ments by Muratori (Antiquitat . Italias medii Mvi, tom. i, dissertat. ii,p. 99, &c.) and Cenni (Monument. Domin. Pontif. tom. ii, diss. vi,p. 261), the latter of whom I only know from the copious extract ofSchmidt (Hist, des A demands, tom. iii, p. 255-266).
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CHAP
LXIX.