378

THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap, country, and immortalize his name. The do-LXX ' minion of priests is most odious to a liberalspirit: every scruple was removed by the recentknowledge of the fable and forgery of Constan-tine’s donation; Petrarch was now the oracle of; the Italians ; and as often as Porcaro revolvedthe ode which describes the patriot and hero ofRome , he applied to himself the visions of theprophetic bard. His first trial of the popularfeelings was at the funeral of Eugenius thefourth: in an elaborate speech he called theRomans to liberty and arms; and they listenedwith apparent pleasure, till Porcaro was inter-rupted and answered by a grave advocate, whopleaded for the church and state. By everylaw the seditious orator was guilty of treason;but the benevolence of the new pontiff, who view-ed his character with pity and esteem, attemptedby an honourable office to convert the patriotinto a friend. The inflexible Roman returnedfrom Anagni with an increase of reputation andzeal; and, on the first opportunity, the games ofthe place Navona, he tried to inflame the casualdispute of some boys and mechanics into a ge-neral rising of the people. Yet the humaneNicholas was still averse to accept the forfeit ofhis life; and the traitor was removed from thescene of temptation to Bologna, with a liberalallowance for his support, and the easy obliga-tion of presenting himself each day before thegovernor of the city. But Porcaro had learnedfrom the younger Brutus, that with tyrants no