It halted in the middle of the square. The Arian and Gothic warriors, who stood sentry at all the entrances of the place, silently watched the solemn and splendid procession, the symbol of a church which was their enemy; while the Romans greeted the appearance of their Apostolic Father all the more joyfully, because his voice could calm their scruples of conscience as to the oath to be given. Silverius was just about to begin his address to the people, when the arm of a gigantic Goth, stretched over the side of his litter, pulled him by his gold-brocaded mantle. Indignant at this very irreverent interruption, Silverius turned his face with a severe frown; but the Goth, unabashed, repeated the pull, and said: "Come, priest, thou must go up to the King!" Silverius thought it would have been more becoming if the King had come down to him, and Hildebad seemed to read something of this feeling on his features, for he cried: "It cannot be helped! Stoop, priest!" And herewith he pressed his hand upon the shoulder of one of the priests who carried the litter. The bearers now set the litter down; Silverius left it with a sigh, and followed Hildebad up the steps. When the priest reached Witichis, the latter took his hand, advanced with him to the edge of the steps, and said: "Roman citizens, your priest has been chosen for your Bishop; I ratify the choice; he shall become Pope, as soon as he has sworn the oath of allegiance, and has taken for me your oaths of fealty. Swear, priest!" For one moment Silverius was confounded. But immediately recovering himself, he turned with an unctuous smile to Witichis. "You command?" he asked. "Swear," said Witichis, "that in our absence you will do all that you can to keep this city of Rome faithful to the Goths, to whom you owe so much, to further us in all things, and to hinder the progress of our enemies. Swear fidelity to the Goths!" "I swear," said Silverius, turning to the people. "And thus I, who have power to bind and to loose, call upon you, Romans, surrounded as you are by Gothic weapons, to swear in the same spirit in which I myself have taken the oath." The priests and some of the nobility appeared to have understood, and lifted their hands to swear without delay. Then the mass hesitated no longer, and the place echoed with the loud shout: "We swear fidelity to the Goths!" "It is well, Bishop of Rome," said the King, "we count upon your oath. Farewell, Romans! We shall soon meet again." And he descended the broad flight of steps. Teja and Hildebad followed him. "Now I am only curious--" said Earl Teja. "Whether they will keep their oath?" interposed Hildebad. "No; not at all. But how they will break it. Well, the priest will find out the way." With flying standards the Goths marched out of the Porta Flaminia, leaving the city to its Pope and the Prefect. Meanwhile Belisarius approached by forced marches upon the Via Latina. CHAPTER VIII.