- 278 The King Orgulous

strong, scarce two score saw Danube water
again.

When Desiderius knew for a surety that
the natural man within him was verily that
King wicked and orgulous, and understood
that the sins of that evil King were the sins he
himself would have committed but for the
saving grace of God, a great awe fell upon
him, and he was abashed with a grievous
dread lest the King Orgulous were not really
dead and done with, but were sleeping still,
like the Kings of old legend, in some dusky
cavern of his nature, ready to awake and
break forth with sword and fire. Gladly
would he have withdrawn to the solitude of
the little convent on the beetling crag, far
from the temptations of power and the
splendour and tumult of life; but the same
answer was given to him now as had been
given to him of old: “One of thy vows
was entire obedience, and the grace of God is
sufficient for thee.’