Again the Doge consulted his Councillors.

“The nations will owe us much,” he said, “if our unanimous vote shall record the sentiments expressed in this speech of the noble Senator Contarini as the faith and will of this Republic.  Never hath there been a greater opportunity to win a triumph for the liberty of princes.

“Therefore, because the question is weighty, we will request our most learned Counsellor and Theologian to the Republic to give us an exposition of the law as it doth appear at this latest moment of our discussion to his judicial mind.”

All Venice knew that Fra Paolo’s nerve and knowledge were the central forces of the resistance of the Republic in this crisis.

As he moved slowly forward and stood before this magnificent assembly with the same simple dignity that had characterized him among the friars of the Servi,—­after the splendors of the ducal costume, the scarlet, the ermine, the beretta, the gold-brocaded mantle,—­the plain folds of the violet robe of the Counsellor seemed almost austere.  His lineless face was so fresh in color that it looked youthful, though of singular gravity and refined asceticism.  Yet men of force were drawn to him because of his strength, his broad grasp of duty, and his absolute fearlessness.

As he stood for a moment perfectly still before them, his eyes—­blue, penetrating, and unrevealing—­swept the faces of the assembly with a magnetic glance which compelled their entire attention.  The hush was felt among them, and in the silence his voice—­clear, passionless, low, and far-reaching—­seemed not so much a voice as a suggestion within the inner consciousness of his hearers of the thoughts he uttered.  The strange sense of impersonality which was one of his distinguishing attributes prevented the usual desire for contest with which most thinking men meet other strong minds, and was, perhaps, a secret of his triumphs.

“Most Serene Prince, Counsellors, and Nobles of the Council, if you ask me of the law as it hath declared itself to my understanding, the matter is simple and quickly to be uttered.

“The dominion of the Church marches in the paths of heaven; it cannot therefore clash with the dominion of princes, which marches on the paths of earth.  But the Roman court—­calling itself the Church—­is no longer satisfied with that spiritual dominion to which it hath right, having become aggressive and seeking to impose doctrines far removed from the primitive law of the Church.”

There was a slight pause, while the quiet eyes held his audience with a challenge of assent; the faces of those who were unqualifiedly with him in doctrine grew eager; here and there a dignified head bowed, unaware, as if surrendering some belief.

“Christ himself hath said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world,’ and the power of the Sovereign Pontiff over Christians is not limitless, but is restricted to spiritual matters and hath for rule the Divine Law.