"There is but one sovereign lord upon earth," said the Emperor, proudly; "the laws are only the expression of his will, and all power exists by it alone!"
"It may be so for earthly concerns; but for spiritual matters, God has chosen another sovereign, the chief of religious unity, the supreme shepherd of Christianity--the Pope!"
"The Emperor also belongs to the fold of the faithful," said Frederic, quickly, "so that the Pope must be the Emperor's shepherd, his spiritual father; am I not right?"
"Most certainly; God said to the first Pope, 'Feed my sheep;' he made no exception to the Emperor."
"And yet the Roman Emperor bore the title of pontifex maximus! How do you explain that, my lord Archbishop?"
"The Roman emperors were pagans."
"Be it so; I am and will be entirely a Roman emperor!"
"A pagan head on a Christian body!"
"No!" answered Barbarossa; "but go to Byzantium; examine the Pandects of Justinian; you will see there that an alliance may exist between a pagan on the throne and Christianity."
"You support yourself on Justinian? but what was Justinian's code? Was it not the destruction of all liberty, the abrogation of every right of humanity? Great God!" added the illustrious prelate, standing sorrowfully before the Emperor, "what error! what peril! But the Pope has not yet worn the yoke of slavery; the nations of the Christian world will not permit it."