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 270 Readings in European History wasted his lands, and strove completely to annihilate him, as an enemy of the state. Nevertheless, Otto, with a select following, and with his own stout arm and his heart full of bitter hate, since he might not fight directly with the royal troops, sought to avenge the injury which he had suffered, now by plundering, now by fire, now by the sword, wherever opportunity offered. At his inspiration the Saxon people of a very violent disposition as they are ceased not, with one accord, to organize a conspiracy against the king ; sent letters full of insulting and unheard-of accusations against the king to the apostolic see, and sought allies by letter and messenger throughout the whole German empire. In the first place they made friends with Siegfried, the archbishop of Mayence, Adelbert of Worms, Adelberon of Wiirzburg, Gebhardt of Salzburg, and other bishops, as many as they could, and then through these they gained Pope Alexander. Many assert too that, last and greatest, Anno, archbishop of Cologne, was one of those privy to this con- spiracy. Frightened at last by these intrigues, the king left Saxony and conducted the business of the empire in other regions. In the year of our Lord 1073, the archbishop of Cologne and Hermann of Babenberg were sent to Rome in order to get together the money which was owing the king there. They brought back, on their return, a letter from Pope Alexander, in which the king was ordered to give an ac- count of his heresy, simony, and many other similar matters which called for improvement, rumors of which had reached him in Rome. Thereupon the Saxons built many strongholds, for up to this time that country had Had but few of them. Moreover they completely destroyed the castles which the king had built some time before. Among these they tore down the castle which was called Harzburg, the cathedral and the abbey which stood there, destroying all these in their rage and perversity, down to the very ground. Horrible to say, they