THE LAST DAYS OF MICHAEL SCOT 171 



was not altogether selfish since it concerned the 

 Emperor's reputation and policy quite as much as 

 his own, he had submitted to necessity, and saw his 

 translation suppressed for the sake of avoiding 

 offence. The sacrifice was great and doubtless 

 keenly felt, and when in spite of this policy he found 

 himself still without the position he had confidently 

 hoped for, with what bitterness must the reawaken- 

 ing of his literary ambition have been attended. 

 Near ten years had been lost since his return from 

 Spain, and still Scot's Averroes slept, unknown to 

 the schools, in the honourable but unprofitable 

 seclusion of the Imperial closet. With the death of 

 these hopes of preferment, however, all reason for this 

 unfortunate reserve came to an end so far as Scot 

 was concerned. As soon as he had once made up 

 his mind to think no more of a great ecclesiastical 

 career he was free to urge his master with all 

 insistence to carry out their long- cherished plan, 

 and secure undying fame for both by publish- 

 ing the new Aristotle in the Universities of 

 Europe. 



Nor was there anything in the policy of the time 

 which made Frederick unwilling to further a project 

 which he had all along designed. From the moment 

 of his elevation to the See of Rome Gregory ix. had 

 displayed a firm and unbending temper towards the 

 Emperor. Frederick felt the first instances of his 

 harshness in 1227, when, returning sick and feeble 

 from the baths of Pozzuoli, he found himself excom- 

 municated because he had not sailed to Palestine 

 with the Crusade. This severe sentence was 

 renewed in 1228. Frederick reached the Holy 

 Land that year, but only to meet a mutinous spirit, 



