Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 5 (1897).djvu/292

 270 THE DECLINE AND FALL of Rome ^^ were far removed from the senate of Romulus or the palace of Constantine, from the free nobles of the republic or the fictitious parents of the emperor. After the recovery of Italy and Africa by the arms of Justinian, the importance and danger of those remote provinces required the presence of a supreme magistrate ; he was indifferently styled the exarch or the patrician ; and these governors of Ravenna, who fill their place in the chronology of princes, extended their jurisdiction over the Roman city. Since the revolt of Italy and the loss of the Exarchate, the distress of the Romans had exacted some sacrifice of their independence. Yet, even in this act, they exercised the right of disposing of themselves ; and the deci'ees of the senate and people successively invested Charles Martel and his posterity with the honours of patrician of Rome. The leaders of a powerful nation would have disdained a servile title and subordinate office ; but the reign of the Greek emperors was suspended ; and, in the vacancy of the empire, they de- rived a more glorious commission from the pope and the re- public. The Roman ambassadors presented these patricians [AD. 739, 796] with tlic kcys of the shrine of St. Peter, as a pledge and symbol of sovereignty ; with a holy banner, which it was their right and duty to unfurl in the defence of the church and city.*^ In the time of Charles Martel and of Pepin, the interposition of the Lombard kingdom covered the freedom, while it threatened the safety, of Rome ; and the patriciate represented only the title, the service, the alliance, of these distant protectors. The power and policy of Charlemagne annihilated an enemy, and imposed a master. In his fii'st visit to the capital, he was received with all the honours which had formerly been paid to the exarch, the representative of the emperor ; and these honours obtained some new decorations from the joy and •''8 For the title and powers of patrician of Rome, see Ducange (Gloss. Latin, torn. V. p. 149-151), Pagi (Critica, a.d. 740, No. 6-1 1), Muratori (Annali d'ltalia, torn. vi. p. 308-329), and St. Marc (Abr6g6 Chronologique d'ltalie, torn. i. p. 379- 482). Of these the Franciscan Pagi is the most disposed to make the patrician a lieutenant of the church rather than of the empire. [That the patriciate of Pippin and Charles was not an empty title but had rights and duties is shown by Sickel, Gott. gel. Anz. 1897, p. 847, 848. On the term patriciahis Petri for the terri- torial lordship of the popes, cp. Kehr, Gott. Nachrichten, 1896, p. 144.] 5" The papal advocates can soften the symbolic meaning of the banner and the keys ; but the style of ad regnum dimisimus, or direximus (Codex Carolin. epist. i. torn. iii. pars ii. p. 76), seems to allow of no palliation or escape. In the Ms. of the Vienna library, they read, instead of regnuin, rogum, prayer or request (see Ducange), and the royalty of Charles Martel is subverted by this important correc- tion (Catalini, in his Critical Prefaces, Annali d'ltalia, torn. xvii. p. 95-99). [Sickel shows that the banner had no juridical significance, op. cit. p. 850-1. For the keys, cp. Appendix 16.]