John received very ill these paternal counsels; he drew Adalbert to Rome, affected receiving him with pomp, collected troops, and openly revolted against the emperor, in defiance of the approach of this prince and his army. But the forces were too unequal: John was compelled to fly to Capua with Adalbert.¹²⁰ ¹²⁰ Eccles. Hist. b.66. n. 6. Otho entered Rome, and after receiving from the Romans an oath not to recognize any pope not approved of by the emperor, he wrote to John XII. a letter, which Fleury¹²¹ relates in these words: “Being come to Rome for the service of God, “when we demanded of the bishops and cardinals “the occasion of your absence, they advanced “against you things so shameful that they would be “unworthy the folk of the theatre. All, clergy as “well as laity, accuse you of homicide, perjury, sa− “crilege, incest with your relatives, and with two “sisters, and with having invoked irreverently Ju− “piter, Venus, and other demons. We therefore “beg of you to hasten instantly to exculpate your− “self from all these charges. If you have any appre− “hensions from the insolence of the people, we “promise you that nothing shall be done contrary “to the canons.” ¹²¹ Eccles. Hist b. 56. n. 6. In reply the pope declared that he would excommunicate the bishops who should dare to co-operate in the election of a sovereign pontiff. This menace did not impede the council assembled by Otho, from deposing John XII, and electing Leo VIII., notwithstanding some nobles attached to the family of Alberic excited two seditions, one under the very eyes of the emperor, the other immediately after his departure. The second of these commotions replaced John on the pontifical throne, which he stained on this occasion with the most horrible vengeance: he confined himself not to excommunications, but caused to be executed or mutilated all who had concurred in his deposition. His sudden death suspended the course of these cruel executions: he perished from a stroke on the temple, applied at night by the hand of some secret enemy, no doubt by one of the husbands outraged by the Holy Father¹²² The Romans in contempt of all the oaths they had taken to the emperor, gave him a a successor in Benedict V: but Leo VIII. who had taken refuge with Otho, was soon led back to Rome by this prince; and Benedict the true pope according to Baronius¹²³ acknowledged himself the antipope at the feet of the head of the empire, stripped himself of his pontifical vestments, sought pardon for having dared to assume them, and finally offered his homage to Leo as the legitimate successor of St. Peter¹²⁴ The German publicists¹²⁵ have no doubt of the authenticity of an act, which Otho caused Leo to subscribe at the time, addressed to the clergy and people of Rome: it is stated in it, that no person for the future shall have the privilege of electing the pope, or other bishop, without the