THE DECLINE AND FALL

332

CHAP.

LXX.

each of the annual produce of one hundred thou*sand florins;' and scandalous were the abuses,if in four or five months the amount of the salt-duty could be trebled by his judicious economy.After thus restoring the forces and finances ofthe republic, the tribune recalled the nobles fromtheir solitary independence; required their per-sonal appearance in the capitol; and imposedan oath of allegiance to the new government, andof submission to the laws of the good estate.Apprehensive for their safety, but still more ap-prehensive of the danger of a refusal, the princesand barons returned to their houses at Rome inthe garb of simple and peaceful citizens: the Co-lonna and Ursini, the Savelli and Frangipani,were confounded before the tribunal of a ple-beian, of the vile buffoon whom they had sooften derided; and their disgrace was aggra-vated by the indignation which they vainlystruggled to disguise. The same oath was suc-cessively pronounced by the several orders ofsociety, the clergy and gentlemen, the judges andnotaries, the merchants and artisans; and thegradual descent was marked by the increase ofsincerity and zeal. They swore to live and diewith the republic and the church, whose interestwas artfully united by the nominal associationof the bishop of Orvieto , the pope’s vicar, to theoffice of tribune. It was the boast of Rienzi,

1 In one MS. I read (1. ii, c. 4, p 409) perfnmante quatro solli, in an-other quatro Jturiai, an important variety, since the florin was worthten Roman sol Mi (Muratori, dissert, xrviii). The former readingwould give ns a population of 25,000, the latter of 250,000 families)and I much fear that the former is more consistent with the decay ofRome and her territory.