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tered their sovereign as a foreign invader: his chap.departure was always speedy and often shame- LXIX>ful; and, in the absence of a long reign, his au-thority was insulted and his name was forgotten.
The progress ot independence in Germany andItaly undermined the foundations of the imperialsovereignty, and the triumph of the popes wasthe deliverance of Rome .
Of her two sovereigns the emperor had pre- Authorityi • ii i ■ i /• , of the
eariously reigned by the right of conquest; but popes in
the authority of the popes was founded on the Kome ’soft, though more solid, basis of opinion and ha-bit. The removal of a foreign influence restor-ed and endeared the shepherd to his flock. In-stead of the arbitrary or venal nomination of aGerman court, the vicar of Christ was freelychosen by the college of cardinals, most of whomwere either natives or inhabitants of the city.
The applause of the magistrates and people con- fromaffec-finned his election; and the ecclesiastical power tl0D5that was obeyed in Sweden and Britain hadbeen ultimately derived from the suffrage of theRomans. The same suffrage gave a prince, aswell as a pontiff, to the capital. It was univer-sally believed, that Constantine had invested thepopes with the temporal dominion of Rome ; andthe boldest civilians, the most profane scep-tics, were satisfied with disputing the right ofthe emperor and the validity of his gift. Thetruth of the fact, the authenticity of his donation,w ; as deeply rooted in the ignorance and traditionof four centuries; and the fabulous origin waslost in the real and permanent effects. The