Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 2.djvu/221

 GIOVANNI DA VICENZA. 205 dictate, and when he announced the terms they unanimously signed the treaty.* So great became his reputation that Gregory IX. was seriously disturbed at a report that Giovanni contemplated making himself pope. A consistory was assembled to consider the advisability of excommunicating him, and that step would have been taken had not the Bishop of Modena sworn upon a missal that he had once seen an angel descend from heaven while Giovanni was speaking, and place a golden cross upon his brow. A confidential mission was sent to Bologna to investigate his career there, which returned with authentic accounts of numberless miracles performed by him, among them no less than ten resuscitations of the dead. So holy a man could not well be thrust from the pale of the Church, and the project was abandoned.f Meanwhile he had visited his native place, Yicenza, on invita- tion of the bishop, and had so impressed the people that they gave him their statutes to revise at his pleasure, and proclaimed him duke, marquis, and count of the city— titles which belonged to the bishop, who also offered to make over the episcopate to him. As at Verona, he used his power to burn a number of heretics. Dur- ing his absence at Yerona, Uguccione Pileo, an enemy of the Schia family, induced the people to revolt, when Giovanni hastened back and suppressed the rebellion, putting to death, with torture, a number of citizens, who are charitably supposed to have been heretics. Uguccione brought up reinforcements ; a fierce battle was fought in the streets, and Giovanni was worsted and taken prisoner. A letter of condolence, addressed to him in prison, by Gregory, under date of September 22, 1233, serves to ^x the date of this, and to show how powerless was the papacy to protect its agents in the fierce dissensions of the period. Giovanni was obliged to ransom himself and return to Yerona, and thence to Bologna. The peace which he had effected was of short duration The chronic wars broke out afresh, and Giovanni, at the instance of Gregory, came again to pacify them. In this he succeeded, but no sooner was his back turned than hostihties were renewed. 1233 (Muratori, S. R. I. VIII. 67).— Gerardi Maurisii Hist. (lb. pp. 37-9).-Barba' rano de' Mironi, Hist. Eccles. di Vicenza, II. 79-84. t Barbarano de' Mironi, op. cit. II. 90-1.
 * RipoU I. 48, 56-9.-Matt. Paris, ann. 1238, p. 320.-Chron. Veronens ann