Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/342

 Readings in European History matters came up for discussion in consequence of the com- plaints that were made from this quarter and from that. The bishop of Asti and William, marquis of Monteferrat, a noble and great man and almost the only baron in Italy that has kept himself independent of the cities, both made grave complaints of the insolence of the people of Asti, and the marquis complained also of the people of Chieri. The consuls from Como and Lodi also gave accounts cal- culated to draw tears of their long-endured sufferings under Milan's oppression, and this in the presence of the consuls from Milan, Obert de Orto and Gerard Niger. The emperor, who wished to visit the region of northern Italy and look into these matters, kept these two consuls with him to con- duct him through the Milanese territory and help in the choice of convenient places to camp. There came also to this assembly ambassadors from the Genoese, who had recently returned laden with the spoils of the Saracens from Spain, where they had conquered the well-known cities of Almeria and Lisbon, famed for the manufacture of silk stuffs. They brought to the emperor lions, ostriches, par- rots, and other valuable gifts. Frederick, wishing, as we have said, to see something of northern Italy, led his troops forth from Roncaglia and set up his camp in the territory of Milan. The Milanese con- suls aforementioned led him about, however, through arid regions where provisions were neither to be found nor pro- cured at any price, and the emperor was thereby so angered that he determined to turn his arms against Milan, first ordering the consuls to return home. The whole army, dis- tressed by great floods of rain, was so exasperated by the double discomfort of hunger and bad weather that they did everything in their power to increase the emperor's irritation against the consuls aforesaid. Another thing which contrib- uted not a little to his indignation was the fact that the Milanese not only refused to permit the towns that Milan had destroyed to be rebuilt, but they insulted his noble and upright character by offering him money to bribe him to condone their villany.