The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-01

city, the King Of Persia and the King o.
Russia CRosoia); hsnos the name, for
Psrly TybsriA, WAs changed 10 Perugia
combined Of the names Of those kings
Al the author remarks: There Wer'
'pOrtmantsaa words before Lewis Car
roll Not content with thess legends
and a few more. the Perugians invented
one in tho flftsenth century according "a
which Noah built tho twelve cities Of
Etruria. having become Janus the two
faced. looking backward siX hundred
years before tho Flood and forward fOE
the three hundred he was eth 10 live; and
Umbria was 20 called because the first
| inhabitants were those who In the uni
vcrsAl delugS happily escaped from the
rains (imhros)' The legend which treats
Of the origin Of the medi@vAl commune,
introducing ChaElsmAgne and his pala-
dins. is TOO long to quOts but Is OF the
genuine FomAnEi pattern: while q pic
tuFesqus tradition accounts for the white
griffin on q rod field, the Perugian arms,
and tho red GRIM on a white field. the
arms Of Narni. They also. a. was proper.
fitted themselves out with a religious
legend, attributing their conversion TO
Christianity TO a convert Of SC. Peter in
Apostolic times. though the mOdeaty Of
tho claim seems out Of keeping with the
other assertions.
Our author begins his study Of reality
with tho commune. The earliest docu-
msutary evidence Of its existence belongs
20 the year iiSO. Tbs manner Of It's birth
We do not know. but Il 10 10 be supposed
that like many Of hsr nOighbOrs Perugia
/ gradually succeeded In omAncipating
harsolf from the rule Of Bishop Count,
who had exercised temporal a. well as
spiritual power. In the twelfth century
tho Bishop Of PerlgiA seemed TO have
chearfully acquissced In the new order
Of things. Little by little the way was
prepared for the extension Of the COM
munal dominion, until In tho thiTtesnth
and fourtoanth centuries the boundaries
oi the oontado were once moro identical
with those Of tho diocese. Some authOri-
ties, however. argue'thAt the birth Of tho
commune took place in tho tenth cen
tuTy: and II in truth Perugia was gov
eTned by cunsuls at that time no other
commune can boast = libsrty more an
cient. AZ any rate. by the end Of tho
thirtsenth century the pOpolo, the wealthy
middle class, was predominant, and the
POtestA no longer sworo ON taking Office
70 observe the c0nstitutum. In Peulgia
as elsewhere the MOBILES and tho prols-
tariat made common cause against the
people. and in 1914 the Pope ssnt Carui-
nal LegatS TO make peaos between them.
Evidently the people successfully do
fcndsd tho liberties Of tho commune, for
in I27S we find tho mobiles and their
adhsrSnts In exile These sxiles. the
Elorlsciti. form the third slement in the
almost inceasant and bloody struggles,
with foes outside and inside the city walls
Of which the history Of .Perugia chiefly
consists
Il il usual 20 speak Of Perugia a. having
been always Ouslf. hut she was not whole
hearssdly 90 until the death Of the En-
peroF Henry vi. had made the Papacy
the dominant power Of Italy The Popes
not lufrequsntly resided in PeruNiA.
there they were able 70 mature their
ambitious schemes In safety: but the
city's allegiance TO the Pope was never
servile She was often an impatient
and refractory feudAtOry. though true
and faithful. and took infinite pains to
avoid any appearance Of paying tribute.
The last half Of the thirteenth century
was . period Of ever increasing power
and prosperity for PeTugia and Of enor-
nous progress for all the communes
IA our author says. the strenuous life
was not only talked about. Il was lived,
and the most terrible outFages against
God and man were held scarcely blame
worthy II only they were done 'manfully."
PerugiA erected splendid buildings and
consolidated her dominion in the contado.
10 SUCCESSFUL was her diplomacy and 80
equitable were her decisions that abe
began to he look ed upon A. the natural ar
bitratOr between the Umbrian communes,
and intestine discords wers often allayed
by the election Of a PerugiAn PotestA
or captain Of the people. When the years
Of storm and stress came in tho four
teenth century and one city after another
cast on the supremacy Of the Popes,
Ahsent in Avignon. Perugia alone In I'm
bria remained faithful 70 the Guelf cause:
hut when Pope Clement VI. in IsGs de-
clAred tho Commune directly subject
to the Holy See indignant Perugia allied
herself with Cola de Rienzo, who was
warning AGAINST the temporal power OF
the Papacy. In fact In the heydAy Of
her power Perugia owned no temporal
suzerAin. hut treated Pope and Emperor
alike a. mere paWns in the great game
she was playing for the lordship Of
Umbria.
For q few years after the death Of the
Emperor Lewis Of Bavaria PeruRia had
peace. and tho result or the sequel was an
open rupture between the classes and the
beginning OF blood feud between the
two q --latest houses Of the city, the BAR-
lioni and the Degh Odd. which lasted
two centuries and involved the fate Of all
Umbria The mobiles we're excluded from
every power and function. and the Rad
Book in which all the names Of nobles
were tnacribed was compiled for their
injury and oppression. In order that double
penalty might be sxtorted from them FOR
any tTAnsgression Of the Awa This was
the beginning Of the end. PeruRia. no
longer able to present a united front 90 her
enemies. found her strength fatally a.
minished. and her loss Of Independence
was merely question Of time. For many !
years the internal history Of tho COM
nuns IA simply the history Of tho struRgle
between the mobiles and the uopolo -, |