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Article THE RING OF CHARLEMAGNE. ← Page 4 of 8 →
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The Ring Of Charlemagne.
instantly removed the ring from his finger , and exchanged it for hers . Then , after having heard her confession , he proceeded to the Queen ' s presence , to whom he described the numberless virtues of the ring he had just obtained . The Queen , on hearing them told over , hastened instantly to open the seal of the ring , and drank the contents of the charmed philter , pressing it warmly to her lips . This took place on the 29 th of April , in the year 783 .
Three days subsequentl y Hildegarde ceased to be of the living , and her obsequies were celebrated with solemn pomp and dignity . Reports of her having been poisoned were speedily circulated , and Gaul , fearful of the worst , determined on quitting the palace—he was never seen again . It is hardly necessary to say that the prison of Saphira was thrown open , and that the favourite soon regained all her former empire over the heart of Charles . The vanquished conqueror devoted to her aU the moments he could spare from his perpetual warfare against the Saxons .
PART III . Alcuin began now to complain . His attachment to , and admiration of the Emperor , would not permit him to see , without the profoundest grief , the moral debasement into ivhich the great man , his master , had fallen . One day he entered the presence of the King , whom he found lost in thoughts of his Italian idol . He was clothed in purpleand held in his
, hand a goblet , foaming with wine of the most delicate flavour . This was the more remarkable , as the monarch was of sober habits , and had always condemned the use of such drinks ; indeed , according to Eberhard , he rarely took more than three mouthfuls during a repast . At this unexpected sight , the austere councillor could not restrain his indignation . He broke forth in , reproaches , and explained to the Emperor the shameful ruin that must be entailed on his dominions , owing
to the carelessness of the ruler , which naturally involved that of his courtiers and subjects . But his incorruptible wisdom was in vain . His voice awoke no echo in the slumbering soul of Charles , who did not even affect to be angry with him ; and Alcuin , discouraged , left the palace in tears . He had scarcely departed , when Saphira began to complain of indisposition . For some few clays preceding she had been attacked with pains in the side , and an unaccountable indifference ivhich prevented her
feeling pleasure in any of her usual occupations and amusements . The vehement language of Alcuin produced such an effect upon her , that , the same evening , symptoms of a premature accouchement presented themselves . An hour later , Saphira was in her agony . During the whole night she was delirious ; and , in her ravings , accused herself aloud of having poisoned Queen Hildegarde . Charles was standing at her bedside at the time , endeavouring to calm her , and addressing her by
the most tender names and endearing epithets , while he pressed her hands alternately to his lips . Towards morning the invalid seemed inclined to sleep , after the exhaustion of her sufferings , and the King retired ; Alcuin alone , concealed behind a purple curtain , remained near the dying woman . When she saw the chamber , as she imagined , empty , Saphira raised herself slowly from the couch where she lay , looked around , and seemed buried in thought . The words of the Roman soiceress occurred to her memory . She
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Ring Of Charlemagne.
instantly removed the ring from his finger , and exchanged it for hers . Then , after having heard her confession , he proceeded to the Queen ' s presence , to whom he described the numberless virtues of the ring he had just obtained . The Queen , on hearing them told over , hastened instantly to open the seal of the ring , and drank the contents of the charmed philter , pressing it warmly to her lips . This took place on the 29 th of April , in the year 783 .
Three days subsequentl y Hildegarde ceased to be of the living , and her obsequies were celebrated with solemn pomp and dignity . Reports of her having been poisoned were speedily circulated , and Gaul , fearful of the worst , determined on quitting the palace—he was never seen again . It is hardly necessary to say that the prison of Saphira was thrown open , and that the favourite soon regained all her former empire over the heart of Charles . The vanquished conqueror devoted to her aU the moments he could spare from his perpetual warfare against the Saxons .
PART III . Alcuin began now to complain . His attachment to , and admiration of the Emperor , would not permit him to see , without the profoundest grief , the moral debasement into ivhich the great man , his master , had fallen . One day he entered the presence of the King , whom he found lost in thoughts of his Italian idol . He was clothed in purpleand held in his
, hand a goblet , foaming with wine of the most delicate flavour . This was the more remarkable , as the monarch was of sober habits , and had always condemned the use of such drinks ; indeed , according to Eberhard , he rarely took more than three mouthfuls during a repast . At this unexpected sight , the austere councillor could not restrain his indignation . He broke forth in , reproaches , and explained to the Emperor the shameful ruin that must be entailed on his dominions , owing
to the carelessness of the ruler , which naturally involved that of his courtiers and subjects . But his incorruptible wisdom was in vain . His voice awoke no echo in the slumbering soul of Charles , who did not even affect to be angry with him ; and Alcuin , discouraged , left the palace in tears . He had scarcely departed , when Saphira began to complain of indisposition . For some few clays preceding she had been attacked with pains in the side , and an unaccountable indifference ivhich prevented her
feeling pleasure in any of her usual occupations and amusements . The vehement language of Alcuin produced such an effect upon her , that , the same evening , symptoms of a premature accouchement presented themselves . An hour later , Saphira was in her agony . During the whole night she was delirious ; and , in her ravings , accused herself aloud of having poisoned Queen Hildegarde . Charles was standing at her bedside at the time , endeavouring to calm her , and addressing her by
the most tender names and endearing epithets , while he pressed her hands alternately to his lips . Towards morning the invalid seemed inclined to sleep , after the exhaustion of her sufferings , and the King retired ; Alcuin alone , concealed behind a purple curtain , remained near the dying woman . When she saw the chamber , as she imagined , empty , Saphira raised herself slowly from the couch where she lay , looked around , and seemed buried in thought . The words of the Roman soiceress occurred to her memory . She