The Progress of democracy Author:Alexandre Dumas Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PART SECOND. GAUL. THE CONdUERING RACE. THE FRANK MONARCHY. PEPPIN-LE-BREF. We have shown our readers the ascendancy of the Austrasian over the Ne... more »ustrian power, and the triumph of aristocracy over royalty; but our narration will have been misunderstood if it is thence inferred that the advancement of Peppin to the Merovingian throne was an act of usurpation. It was but the overthrow of a dynasty which, by degrees, had substituted in its own favor the right of inheritance for that of election. By choosing their King from without the circle of the reigning family, the nobles had made use of a neglected, but not abolished privilege. All the requirements of the law of election had been complied with. The Pope had approved the nomination of the leudes; and thus the choice ofthe conquering people was ratified by the conquered people, of whom Zachary was the representative. A hope was naturally entertained that the accession of the founder of the second dynasty to the throne would essentially ameliorate the condition of the lower orders; and in fact, the change from slavery to servitude took place under his descendants. Moreover, this was the first instance of the Pope's consecrating, by his spiritual approbation, the act of the temporal authority which elevated a King to the throne. To the following question proposed by Peppin — " Which should bear the title of King; an impotent prince, or a capable mayor of the Palace V the Pope (Znchary ) replied: " He alone merits the title who can adequately discharge the duties of a King." This condescension on the part of the Pope was amply recompensed. In the first place, Peppin consented to be consecrated at Soissons by Boniface, arch-bishop of Mayence, according to the Jewish rite. The prelate anointed him with oil, after ...« less