Show 4 I N Narses and the Lombards V i V VV V By THOMAS B. B GREGORY In the year a crafty eunuch named Narses Invited in- in the Lombards Into Italy The invitation was immediately accepted and its effects are seen allover all over ver Europe Europa to this day Narses held a a. commanding place in the Greek cm- cm pire Ire and from his proud place ho was removed by Empress Empress Em Em- press Sophia In demoting him the empress sent him hima a golden distaff with the message that as he lie was not a man he had better go and spin wool in inthe the a apart apartments rt- rt ments of the women V I must spin must I 17 11 V Well then I will spin that V woman such a hank that she will not find the end of it t this sid side of the grave said sald the eunuch as he gritted his teeth V And he kept his word The Lombard Lombards came And nd by the time they had finished their work worl the greater part of Italy was wrested from the empire and the destinies of the peninsular were changed From the seat of their power in the rich plains of Lombardy Lombardy x the virile virUe Lombards ruled the greater portion por por- ion tion of Italy for m more re than years When their last king fell before the great Charlemagne the Lombards were Unitarians as distinguished from the trinitarians trinita trinita- rians and were looked upon as being no better than downright heathen The bishop of or Rome cordially hated them and would have damned them had he possessed the power Many Hany were Yere the papal anathemas that were hurled led a ahem at them hem but without effect Of anathemas the Lombards were not a bit afraid Things went on until about the year when the he pope made a visit to Pepin of France who had hadan hadan hadan an eye on the throne of that country and l pleaded with him to come over and drive the Lombard heretics from the Eternal City Pepin went to Italy with a big army beat the her heretics tics and took from them the of Rayanna Ra- Ra yanna yann which he gave gae to the holy father Thus began the temporal power of the pope But the Lombards while crippled were still strong and remained the same old menace to the he chur church h. h Ii Hence nce it came about that some twenty five Ive years lat later a message was sent by the pope pope to Charlemagne the son of Pep Pepin n imploring him to 10 toome come ome over and finish up the work vork done by Heeding g the popes pope's urgent appeal Charlemagne his is eye on the th office of emperor came on and completely com com- the Lombard power and on Christmas day in the year yeat was was crowned by the pope emperor emperor emperor em em- o of ot the Romans V In In return for the gift gUt of the imperial crown Charlemagne confirmed the temporal power of ot th the pope pope pope-a a power that was to last 1070 1010 years from Christmas day to the December day J on which Rome nome was declared the capital of ot united Italy And so at last w we come to the end of the hank that was spun by the golden distaff of Narses the Eunuch way away back in the year V Copyright Press ress Pu Publishing Co |