Popes and Emperors 449 us, O Peter, chief of the Apostles. As thy representative and Henry iv by thy favor has the power been granted especially to me excommimi- by God of binding and loosing in heaven and earth. On the '^p*^'^ ^^ ^^^ strength of this, for the honor and glory of thy Church, in the name of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I with- draw, through thy power and authority, from Henry the King, son of Henry the Emperor, who has risen against thy Church with unheard-of insolence, the rule over the whole kingdom of the Germans and over Italy. I absolve all Christians from the bonds of the oath which they have sworn, or may swear, to him ; and I forbid anyone to serve him as king." ^ For a time after the Pope had deposed him everything went Attitude of against Henry. Instead of resenting the Pope's interference, princes the discontented Saxons, and many other of Henry's vassals, believed that there was now an excellent opportunity to get rid of Henry and choose a more agreeable ruler. The Pope was even invited to come to Augsburg to consult with the princes as to whether Henry should continue to be king or another ruler should be chosen in his stead. It looked as if the Pope was, in truth, to control the civil government. Henry decided to anticipate the arrival of the Pope. He Henry sub- hastened across the Alps in midwinter and appeared as an Pope at Ca- humble suppliant before the castle of Canossa," whither the "°^^^' ^°77 pope had come on his way to Augsburg. For three days the German king presented himself before the closed door, barefoot and in the coarse garments of a pilgrim and a penitent, and even then Gregory was induced only by the expostulations of his influ- ential companions to admit the humiliated ruler. The spectacle of this mighty prince of distinguished appearance, humiliated and in tears before the little man who humbly styled himself the 1 Gregory's deposition and excommunication of Henry may be found in the RAadings, chap. xiii. 2 The castle of Canossa belonged to Gregory VII's ally and admirer, the Countess of Tuscany. It was destroyed by the neighboring town of Reggio about two centuries after Gregory's time, and only the ivy-clad ruins, represented in the headpiece of this chapter, remain, I
