Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/289

 Germany and Italy 253 t to the sword. Thus was the prince delivered from the treason of the Romans. . . . There was at this time [946-955] in the holy apostolic Death of see a pope named Agapetus. Not long after the plot of Albenc (954) which we have told, the illustrious prince [Alberic] began to sicken. He came straightway to the church of the chief of the apostles, and sent messengers to all the Roman nobles, and made them come to him. They all promised faithfully upon oath that after the death of Pope Agapetus they would elect Octavian pope. Having arranged for his daughter's welfare and for his son Octavian, and having confessed to St. Peter the apostle, Prince Alberic ended his life. And not long afterward Pope Agapetus died. Octavian Octavian, was elected to the holy see and was called John XII. He ^*^ mes led a life so licentious and so openly wicked that he might j hn XII have been a heathen. He hunted constantly, not as a pope (955)- His but like a wild man. He was given over to vain desires and surrounded himself with a crowd of evil women. So great* was his iniquity that it cannot be told. Now there were in the city of Rome a deacon of the holy Roman church named John, and Azzo, a papal scribe, who hated the pontiff. Because his life was so evil, we consulted how we might call the Saxon kings into Italy to possess the Roman power. John and Azzo were sturdy men, and they were of one heart and one mind, that it were better to do the pontiff to death than to let him live, and that the Roman power should be bestowed upon the Saxon king, to the end that he might rule justly as the protector of holy Church. They sent legates to Otto, the first Saxon king, asking him to come and possess Italy and the Roman power. The pope heard of this plot. He seized John the deacon and Azzo the scribe. He ordered the hand to be cut off with which Azzo had written the letter to Otto, and had John the deacon's nose cut off. 1 . . . 1 It would appear, however, from other sources that it was really John himself who called Otto into Italy. Even Benedict says just below that the pope received the Saxcn king honorably.